smiles per hour

I met up with a friend for lunch today in South Melbourne, and just as we were heading back to work Penny spotted a sign that looked rather like a speed limit sign, but was green and actually said "2 smiles per hour zone". I couldn't help but smile... they do say they are infectious after all.

(Image from the Port Phillip Website - taken at Lunar Park, St Kilda)

It made me curious though, so have just checked it out on the City of Port Phillip* website and apparently it is a whole scheme geared towards 'bringing the community together'. It was on the back of some research that found that people wished the community was friendlier in general, and that people would say 'hi' (or, in aussie speak, 'g'day') as they passed in the street. They are trying to promote friendliness in an effort to increase a sense of community pride and overall community-wide mental health.

Here's a snippet from the website I linked above:

"Smiles are free. They are simple. You can do it straight away as you've already had lots of practice. You don't need a funding grant. You don't need to know another language. You don't need to have a long-term relationship with someone - smiles can test the water. Try smiling at someone you feel safe with first.

Smiling and friendly behaviour is contagious. They can boost people's sense of pride, safety and enjoyment of their neighbourhood. They can start new friendships. They can brighten someone's day. They can break the ice and build good relationships in your street. You never know when you might need someone's help or have to negotiate with them over something prickly. Physiologically, smiling has well documented health benefits.

Smiles ask for a small investment, but offer a big return."

As Newton Faulkner said: "People should smile more". What can I say? I agree. Of course, people will say that the money could have been better spent, and maybe it could have been, but I think it's a quirky, interesting and refreshingly simplistic and original idea.

* The City of Port Phillip is the area that encompasses those suburbs of Inner Melbourne which are closest to Port Phillip, including Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, Albert Park and St Kilda. I didn't know that... they say you learn something new everyday, so there you go!

ramblings

First things first. I’m not sure that the news reached the UK but there were a couple of big earthquakes in New Zealand’s South Island (7.8 and 6.1 on the richter scale apparently) which caused a bit of structural damage and tsunamis along Australia’s South East coast on Wednesday night. Actually, the tsunami alert was more of a precaution than anything, and they only reached 17cm in height, but I’m glad to know that the Aussies are on the ball… I do have a few questions though: How do they actually know that there had even been a tsunami, as surely that is just a small wave? Why did they only realise during the alert that there is no such thing as a ‘safe distance’ from the water on Lord Howe Island? And, are the the people who actually headed down to the beach to get a better look at the impending tidal wave (before the alert was scaled downwards) not, in fact, clinically insane? Seriously. Some people need their heads examined.

Now that I've recovered, it’s been a busy week as usual. I’m not feeling particularly literary though, so here’s a list. Some may think that is a bit boring, but I do like lists. Does that make me a geek?

MOVIES This week, I discovered the cheap night at Nova cinema in Carlton – a cutesy little place that reminds me a bit of the Rainbow Cinema in Toronto (minus lethally steep and long staircase) with half price(ish) Monday’s that bring the price down somewhere around normal. In an alarmingly unqualified review, I will say if anyone ever suggests watching ‘Two Lovers’ to you, don’t. It’s crap. ‘Nuff said. I followed that up with a rather less bargainous but altogether more entertaining (in a weird, perverse manner) trip to Crown Cinema later in the week, to see ‘Brüno’. What can I say? That film is wrong. So very wrong! Sacha Baron Cohen at his best oddest. Some interesting messages though.

MUSEUMS Saturday, we finally made it to the Melbourne Museum. Unbelievably, when we booked our tickets online on Thursday all entry allocations before midday were sold out for both Saturday and Sunday! Maybe I am not cultured enough, but I was pretty shocked by that! There’s a special exhibition on at the moment about Pompeii and the 79AD eruption of Mt Versuvius. I am fascinated by it, even if I did get rather creeped out as a child when I learned about it at school. They had made a 3D movie showing what it would have been like at the time – aside from looking like an idiot in the glasses (over the top of mine… lovely) it was really rather clever.

SPORT I went to another AFL game on Saturday! I’m seriously addicted now. I even find myself reading the sports section of the newspaper over a coffee from time to time. I have also bowed to peer pressure (actually, not strictly true since most of my peers were against this decision…) and have decided to adopt Collingwood as my team. The black and white stripes won out in the end (and I’ll just turn a blind eye to the boguns (chavs) which make up a vast percentage of the support). But no, Cathy, I will not learn the words to the song. I refuse! And should they sink in by osmosis (i.e. Cathy yelling it at me repeatedly) I will not sing! Unfortunately the Magpies lost this game, ending their run of 7 wins in a row.

You know, someone actually said to me the other day (in reference the fact that I am pretty busy most of the time, and they do nothing most of the time) "you have a great life." - to which my response was "well, you can go out and do stuff too you know". Duh.

Last but most certainly not least, due to my being on the wrong side of the world, I missed a wedding of a very close friend in the UK this weekend. I am rather sad about that. But huge congratulations to Dan and Farida, and I can’t wait to see the photos.

cough cough, splutter splutter (amongst other things)

I was completely thwarted in my attempt to lead an ‘interesting’ life this past week by a chesty cough to which I finally admitted defeat and owe an (thankfully short-lived) addiction to cough syrup. On complaining about a voice which comes and goes as it pleases, a pharmacist gave me a rather scathing look and told me to rest because he "bet I hadn't". He was right, as it happens. Spurred on by a friend who managed to get rid of exactly the same illness in a fraction of the time by staying home and doing nothing, I took heed, and had a rather boring weekend of cabin fever. Well, to a point (this is me after all).

On Thursday night I took a walk with a friend down to Gertrude Street, which connects Fitzroy to the neighbouring suburbs of Collingwood and Carlton. It was the penultimate day of the Gertrude Street Projection Festival, and since it was a clear (but cold!) evening we figured we should take a look. Some of the projections were a tad weird, but some were really clever: a tree which came to life; a building that had all of its edges and windows outline - particularly cool since the projector was off centre so that must have been really difficult to set up; a genius bit of advertising in the from of projected moving fly posters for a band, amongst others. Gertrude Street itself was a bit of a discovery for me, with loads of cool bars and coffee shops, and 'curiosity shops'. And so close to where I live too. Seriously, I need to start walking around with my eyes open!

Saturday took me on a wander around the Queen Victoria Market, which I have been to a couple of times, but never really paid any attention/dedicated any time to it. I went with the intention of a) buying something, and b) taking some photos, but neither came to fruition. My heart (and head) just wasn’t in it. The Market is cool though. I’d read the history of it the day before, (I know! Me! Turning into a PROPER tourist who reads the guidebook and everything. I’m still in shock!) and was a little disturbed by the fact that a) there were shootings there once upon a time (disagreements over price fixing in the wholesale section) and b) that it is built on a site that used to be a cemetery, particularly the carpark where there are still some 9,000 unknown bodies buried!

I have spent a great deal of time this past week booking trains and planes. After about 9 months of almost solid winter, I am need of something exciting to look forward to!

and on the 8th day, God created coffee

Okay, so I saw that on a billboard outside the coffee shop downstairs and thought I'd steal it. I'm pretty sure it was very unoriginal anyway ;) My caffeine-free days were pretty much over when I arrived in the land of the maple leaf (Oh! Canada) almost three (!!!) years ago, but here I am hitting new heights with those heady caffeine highs. God, I love the coffee shop culture here (and the Italian hob-top coffee pot my housemate just bought!). Just a shame that with it comes mild nausea and that shaky, shivery feeling...

The initial stages of the 'challenge' didn't work out so very well. Apart from Toni and I discovering the wonder that is Brunetti's in Carlton that is... seriously; chocolate and cake heaven :-). Me getting sick proved to be a little bit of a hindrance. If one more person wants to say "swine flu starts with a sore throat you know", I would like to take a moment out from beating you over the head with a large stick to point out that you are being very unoriginal. To be fair, I sound worse than I am - decidedly husky voice - but I can't wait to go home and sleep!

The other hindrance of course, is the weather. It's not so nice just now (as you can see from the photo above - which I took while I walked down Brunswick Street in Fitzroy on Saturday afternoon. For those of you not in the know, this is my neighbourhood). Didn't stop me going to Fitzroy Gardens (which are actually in Jolimont) to get some photos of the Fairies Tree though. I saw a photo of it one day and just had to go check it out.

The Fairies Tree is actually a preserved dead tree stump in the park, which a lady name Ola Cohn sculptured between 1931 and 1934 and dedicated to the children of Melbourne. Actually, according to the plaque it is mainly dedicated to the fairies... The carving is pretty awesome, but at the same time I found it a tad sinister. If you look closely the gnomey type people (elves?) are stuck in spider webs or getting carried off in the talons of a hawk... nice.

The AFL game on Friday was awesome! I did have a few wobbly moments of vertigo in the stand though! I don't think the Bomber supporters in our midst were quite so happy with the result ;-). Disappointingly, I managed to sleep my way through wimbledon - the games don't start til 11pm at the earliest here, I loved everyone's photos though - lucky sods!

the challenge

While the UK swelters in record heat (not entirely sure of the actual level of truth in that statement) it's a little chilly here and the days are short. But that's okay, because in this wonderful city there is always something exciting happening. Or so I am told. Um. Ahem. *cough*

So, I got a little bored of hearing about the exciting things that 'finished last Tuesday, it was great! You should have seen it', or seeing photos and on investigating further, discovered that this event was on the previous day, 2 streets away from where I'd been at the time. Next stop... tourist information centre!

I wholeheartedly advise to anyone, wherever you are - even if you are in your home town, and have lived there for 30 years. Head to the tourist information centre, check out the 'what's on' boards. Ask! There's a whole other world out there.

After perusing the brochures and discovering that the weird (but pretty cool) display at Federation Square is actually a festival of lights that's on all winter, I started digging more and more. Suddenly I realise there's stuff on all over the city... seek and you shall find! It occurred to me that so many people have made recommendations for places to go eat/drink/chill/dance and I've made it to very few. Instead we claim that 'the laneways are hidden! we can't find these places!'. Or (perhaps the slightly more common at the moment 'but it's cold outside, can't I just curl up in front of the TV with my dooner (aussie for douvet) and a glass of wine?'). No more.

So the challenge is set:

I have made a list of everywhere that has been recommended to me by friends, and by the brochures, and we're going to work our way through it! Hopefully at least 1 a week. You never know, we might find something exciting out there. Any suggestions from current/previous Melbournians most welcome!

I managed to hit the first one last night, by going to the Vegie Bar... somewhere we attempted to go to a while back but they lost our booking. The place is always heaving, and people rave about it... and for good reason I found. Yummm. Okay, so that's 'just another restaurant', but it's a start.