Alleyways and Tunnels

Change is as good as a rest, so they say.

I feel like I've been revamping my blog for a while, but just starting to see changes.
Behind the scenes, I've been adding more photos to older posts, designing a new header and generally pottering about. I should have been adding new blog posts at the same time, but there is always a price for creativity!

Anyway welcome any new readers I've picked up, thanks for visiting!
My blog is about being a city dweller- things that I've seen and my random experiences. I always find myself in alleyways and tunnels, hence the name.

My new header was shot when exploring an underground World War 2 gun emplacement above Karori in Wellington, N.Z. If I'm without my camera, I try remember the atmosphere and small details, it could end up as a collaged perspective!

I can draw with a ruler, so rely on collage to fill in the details. Any snippets I use I try to disguise their origins with colouring pencils, ink or by photocopying to fade the details.
For my efforts, I have many blunt coloured pencils and several overflowing shoe boxes of cuttings. Photoshop is the icing on the cake as it makes the image cleaner and stronger in contrast.

When I'm not being creative, I write articles, do fact research, bit of retail, blog and study lighting. What a crazy year 2009 has been so far!

Weebly Update

I mentioned Weebly, a free website host a while ago and have been meaning to post an update.
I'd nearly given up on it because it wasn't sitting right but today it finally came together, strange how these things happen.

Wintec's Spark International Arts Festival was on in Hamilton last week so I went to a few talks and events.
I loved working there as a PR intern last year as there was a never-ending buffet of goodies on offer, so to speak.

This year was no different but restricted myself to three events, which is a feat in itself.
I saw Helen Baxter- who writes the MsBehaviour files on The Big Idea website - all about utilising new media tools. Not surprising that her talk was about 'How-to-become-a-new-media-mogul'.
It was great, we know there is a world of possibilities out there, but its still inspiring to hear all about it.

A key point was the creation and maintenance of an online identity. I think the difficulty is keeping that identity cohesive. I've been alternating between citydweller1 and my full name for some time, but I'm trying to pull them together on all these social networking sites.

That's what is quite good about Weebly, you can start to pool your flickr pics, youtube videos and twitter in one place at least. My options are limited on a free account, but its still an actual site not just a blog.

Back to my progress report- still not published but oh so close!

Disco Underworld

The latest issue of Disco Underworld is out! For those of you who haven't checked out this creative online monthly magazine, it is definitely worth a look! Don't blame me if you soon need your monthly fix.

I started writing for Disco in April and have become a regular contributor. The video that I previously posted on this site was an illustration of an idea I had for reader contributions.
We interview people from all world with such unique viewpoints, its great to make an article out of their words.

In the August issue, I wrote about Amanda Ratcliffe, a Hamilton music photographer/album reviewer/radio DJ. It was really fun to do, her photos are fantastic and she loved the article!
She has also promoted it left, right and centre on her Myspace page, which has been an experience in itself! Hope it helps her profile.

Next issue here we come!

Gaslight

Saw 'Gaslight' at the local film club this week finishing off our yearly three film pass.

Reading its synopsis, I was easily hooked by references to atmospheric foggy London street scenes and there were plenty of them.

The basic plot focuses on a traumatised woman who moves back to the house where her aunt was murdered when she was young.

Ingrid Bergman does well in the lead role as she starts seeing and hearing things in the rather sinister house.
Her new husband convinces her she is going crazy and a young Angela Lansbury (Murder She Wrote) as the overly-confident housekeeper slowly dissolves her confidence. Who can save her now?

Though it was predictable, it built tension till the final scene. Would definitely watch it again.

Flat shopping

Been shopping for a flat to rent via Trademe recently. Not actually moving till there is a proper job offer, but it doesn't hurt to see what is out there.

Started off in selected areas and now roam the country with my mouse in the $250 weekly price range. One photo of the property doesn't really cut it, three or more is my minimum to even click on the ad. Then I can get a better idea of the whole flat.

Photos can be shots of just the outside, carpet, doors or windows, but not the actual room. A picture says a thousand words, if you look closely at the fittings and finishes they indicate the age and condition of the property.

Some don't know how to download big enough photos or how to rotate them! Have to turn 90 degrees to see the flat, I know I'm dedicated.

If they list the address and I'm tempted, I'll look at it virtually on Google Earth and size up the neighbourhood.

Most flats are vacant during their glamorous photo shoot but some are still occupied, giving a hint of the tenants' personality and culture. The more stuff in the shot, the bigger indication that there is little to no storage space.

Some vendors are cunning and have an alluring picture but rather disappointing summary. In the summary, it becomes more obvious that it's either a boarding house or a bedsit, studio or cupboard with toilets available at the local shops.

Unfortunately the majority look so grotty, they would have to pay me to move in! Or the wording of the summary is strange and unsettling.
One I looked at specified a male tenant as there wasn't enough room for excess female items, charming!
Still I'm addicted, the perfect flat is out there- just a matter of finding it.

Big Smoke

After a weekend of education in Auckland, decided to go into the city centre for coffee before driving home.

The bright lights of the 'big little city' haven't lost their appeal and I still enjoy spending time in the music stores, bookshops, art galleries and alternative cinemas when I'm there.

Smith and Caughey department store was in yearly sale mode, so it was teeming with people in every department. Upon entry, saw bored husbands with wives deciding on whether to buy discounted talcum powder from the bargain bins and massive lines for makeovers at cosmetic counters.

Proceeding to the next floor, there were plenty of bargain hunters in the women's section, hurriedly assessing each sale rack. Venturing to the household linens/kitchenware section up on the next level, there were men pushing babies in strollers, couples buying duvets and grandmothers sizing up their next crockery purchase.

Came in on a wandering mission so moved out on to the street in search of a Saturday 5pm coffee without a sale bag. We'd just been talking about how in Auckland you hardly see anyone you know as we crossed the road to the Civic Theatre complex.

Coming across Starks Expresso Cafe and Champagne Bar, we stopped in for a mocha/flat white and stuffed date. Its a cosy fit inside but since all the tables were taken, we stepped out into the roped off street dining section. It was bitterly cold but fine with the sun setting, casting Queen Street in dull shade.

When coffee plus extra came out, it was served by the host of NZ TV show 'The Kitchen Job'. Strange after saying we hardly see anyone, what a small world it is. He wasn't in the best mood, maybe one of his waiters had let him down and he had to serve/help out.

Still it was a nice coffee and treat to end our Saturday before returning home. Next time we are in the CBD we'll be stopping by again.

The Architects (Die Architekten)

Whenever the International Film Festival comes to town, I look forward to a copy of the upcoming schedule. Filled with interesting shots and plots, it takes a while to consume/sample and eventually cut out the memorable snippets.
Sadly it has missed Hamilton this year due to the lack of a suitable venue,so I turn my focus to the local film club.

As soon as I read 'The Architects' was filmed just before the collapse of East Germany, I circled the screening date. The subtitled film follows an idealistic architect eventually crushed by standardisation and streamlining in the communist era.
There were plenty of shots panning over the city and the multiple tower apartment blocks.

'The Architects' are a group of idealistic architects, friends from school designing a proposed community centre of dwellings,shops,restaurants,cinemas and activity areas.
Their schemes were definitely statements. Statements that were nit-picked till they were broken by officials.

Can't remember the last time I saw an architectural movie- I liked all the juxtapositions of life inside and outside buildings. One particular scene was a commuter train rushing by the windows of a one room stark apartment.

One more movie to see on the three ticket pass..we've chosen an oldie 'Gaslight'.

Believe it or not

I'm cynical but it's hard to believe in things these days. There are so many unsubstantiated claims of health, wealth and happiness from the supermarket to the latest self-help book.

I find it difficult to jump on the popular bandwagon, just because it is popular.

I remember having a cold at work and one of my co-workers advising me on suitable vitamin combinations. I told her I don't believe in vitamins.
I love the "I don't believe in...." line, its easier than offering a detailed explanation and stops any persistence dead.

Hype is huge in the marketplace and its easy to follow along/buy or indulge because it is the latest thing.

Hype is the magic bean that turns an average product or person into the greatest invention or talent for a decade.

"With my [insert product name here], I'll be the life and soul of the party."

Drones unite, desperate for social status, respect and admiration?- here is the product to solve your boring, ordinary lives! Shame everyone else also has that top, car or apartment-living lifestyle.

We'll never be ahead in the rat race with everyone following so close behind.

TV personalities are another hype- boosted product.

Soon they are so over-exposed, you can't channel surf without finding 'well-known' celebrities on every possible show or network promotional ad.

We are meant to lap this up and marvel at the talent of this increasingly dull person just because everyone else says so.

New Zealand does have a small population, but there are definitely more than 10 people who have the talent to be on air.

Wish a revolution would take place encouraging sheep to think outside the box rather than the Freedom furniture 'square you live in'.

Fitting Boxes

Recession or not, its time to bite the bullet and hit the shops with a deflated wallet for some desperately needed essentials!

Luckily stores are in permanent sale mode but as a cautious shopper I still like to try before I buy. That's the beauty of ready-to-wear.

I still hate the dreaded fitting room though.
Often a tortured honesty box of questions and reasoning, the environment itself is part of the problem.

Doors or curtains- the ultimate pretense of privacy. Whether its calico, velvet or a solid cubicle door, it never stops pesky and bored sales assistants from trying to entice me out.

Mirrors or lack of them! Once when trying on a salmon dress in an ill-lit tight cubicle, I concluded I could pass for a skinless sausage- pale pink is definitely not my colour. Suffice to say, I didn't buy it.

Without a cubicle mirror, its a complete guess. Another ploy to entice you out of the fitting room to see the result in the large store mirror and involve the sales assistant.
Next shop please!

Hooks can be rare or plentiful.
In Farmers' revamped fitting rooms, there are slogans above hooks as an organisational tool for the flustered shopper. "Definitely", "Maybe" or "Next Time?" are a rather cynical ploy.
I'd like it better if they added a "What was I thinking?" hook. I'd be tempted to put every hanger on it to start with.

Lighting makes a difference to how you look- tired, puffy or annoyed or all three. It also reminds you what kind of shop you're in and the price tag, the brighter big chain store or the low and atmospheric boutique.
A small mercy is the bigger the store chain, the bigger the "honest shopper" sign detailing the maximum of 3 garments in rooms at one time and camera surveillance.

Try before you buy = take it or leave it. At the end of the fitting session you can walk out, put them all on the reject rack or make polite comments to the assistant that it didn't suit. I love ready-made.

I'm not sure though if I'll ever get over feeling like I've tried to get changed in a sleeping bag, just to expand my wardrobe.

List maker

I have to admit I'm a notorious list maker.

1. Write to S,V, A +R
2. Pick up shoes
3. Buy blank CDs
4. Go for run
5.

I love to-do lists and have one for everything conceivable, but on the flip-side don't want my life dictated by them.
I'd go crazy if success was measured by actually completing one, all that pressure to complete 1001 things before I die or turn 30. Day to day life wouldn't be fun anymore.

Continual lists seem to drag out those painfully mundane tasks.

My only respite is the promise that once this is done, then I can do something I really want to do.
All manner of things are conjured up from such a promise, but the lists/day-to-day existence go on forever.

Still there is a great sense of achievement, when you finally cross off that dreaded task which has hanging over your head for days or months.

It's all about organisation and the need to plan, if only that came pre-packaged with a bonus follow-up genre, we could end procrastination!

Mala Noche

We were in a flurry last Tuesday. Takeaways, tap class and then a movie.
The local film club were showing Gus Van Sant's 'Mala Noche'.
Each year, we buy a three pass ticket and randomly choose three films from the entire year's programme.

Shot in black and white, 'Mala Noche'-translated as Bad Night follows Walt, a liquor store attendant and his unrequited love for a Mexican hustler.
Set near Skid Row in Portland, we follow these characters in battered cars, old apartments, immigrant boarding houses and the grimy streets.

The dialogue was sparse and a mixture of Spanish and English. Scenes focused on expressions and the sudden movement of the characters as they ran up stairs, drove cars and sat contemplating.

I started to focus on the framing of the shots and position of items in scenes during the slow periods. Suddenly there would be an explosion of action on scene bringing you back to the plot. Especially liked the hand-written credits over the main actors playing up to the camera.

Looking forward to our next chosen movie, 'The Architects'.

Escape Portal

I've been on a reading frenzy lately. Every spare moment captivated by the printed page as the story twists and turns. Missing my bus stop, tuning out traffic, talking and even the TV- basically the outside world.

When reality gets too gritty, there is nothing like an escape. I've been wondering if its possible to escape reality fully.
Could we live in a detailed daydream, believing our situation is perfect? But then who are we really fooling, others or just ourselves?

In the book 'The Virgin' by Erik Barmack, the main character, Joseph reinvents himself for a reality dating show. Unfortunately he can't quite carry off the new and improved version 'Jeb', but he makes an interesting comment about lying.

"First, you need to believe the lie. And then you need to wish the lie into being, even if the lie is awful and you may want it erased a few seconds later....Liars hide nothing. We don't hedge. We believe what we say."

Lies always seem to unravel (in books and movies at least). Once the mirage is over, what is left. No wonder there are so many distractions out there, you really can take your pick.

Say its Friday night, the DVD store is busy with people browsing- keen to be entertained and waste a couple of hours.

Libraries always seem busy during the weekend. So you start browsing for that interesting book and digest every fictional synopsis. It draws you in, you want to know what happens, you're sold!
Sometimes I find all these mini summaries overwhelming when tired. I realise I don't care about any of the characters, they are all melodramas about someone else's life.

Maybe that's why its easy to cross the line between reality and imagination, it is someone else's drama/problem/situation not your own.

Immersing yourself in their lives for a few moments, a couple of hours or the weekend ends by closing the book,using the remote or just tuning out.
Shame real life doesn't come with its own pause button while we daydream.
It could come in handy.

Exploring Art 2

Exploring Art

I can't seem to keep away from filming. After my last showreel adventure, I'm back looking for new ways to create a quick movie clip.

Somehow I found myself a camera and learnt the basics of editing on the net. All I had to do was obtain the content.
Exploring art around Hamilton is the subject of my latest escapade, but I don't really need a reason!
I'm never content to produce the predictable, what's life without a challenge? My notebook began with a few themes but was narrowed down to: patterns, statues and neons.

Many box drawings later, I had my famous set of lists to get things moving. First I shot stills of statues,posters, signs and billboards.
Then this last weekend I roped in my trusty support crew- my brother to film it. I must say I was nervous before shooting but this being on camera thing is starting to get easier. Once you get over making a fool of yourself, its a piece of cake!

We drove around a lot as he had kindly loaned his car for the experiment. It's even in the background on the opening shot! Maybe it should have a co-starring credit.

It was really fun as we travelled from place to place for the shortest sequence. We started off with a trolley ride and ended with some neon billboard filming. Luckily the rain held off and we finished with a great breakfast.

Next was the editing, cut and pasting clips everywhere. I was concerned it would look homemade but maybe that's what all first projects look like in the beginning.

That previously mentioned computer-made soundtrack appears twice in the very short film and fits well livening up the still shots.
All I have to do now is the file conversion....that could be a mission and a half! Hope to post it here when complete or at least a link if Blogger will oblige.

My brother is keen to film a 'Life on Mars' quick driveway reverse in his car, that might be our next project.

Just say No

After nearly losing my mind to a terrible head cold this week, I decided I need another scarf. So went wool shopping in Spotlight, I have no idea how to knit just cross-stitch so this was a Gran-type project.

After finding the wool and a free pattern, waiting at the counter and then being redirected to another counter, I was ready to go home.
Its easy to become dazed and confused in Spotlight, the lights are bright and there is so much craft on offer, you could easily overdose.

Of course the salesman was having a great chat with the customer in front. As previously mentioned, I'm not that fussed with small talk in a retail environment, its completely pointless. I'm not here to have a warm and fuzzy experience, its a means of completing a transaction.
So he finally serves me and begins with the questions...have you got a VIP card?

I feel like giving him his beans that I don't want a trashy reward card, but just say no.
He follows up quickly with do you want one? No. No to every one of his pointless questions and his explaination of all the benefits.
Who cares, I just want to buy this wool and I don't care if its on sale through the VIP card.
He then asked if I wanted $1,000 dollars. I'm definitely not in a joking mood by now so say no to that too. He said he had been waiting all day for someone to say no, he certainly wasn't respecting me for it!

He finally asks if I want a bag, so I say yes- there are 8 balls of wool! He is clearly shocked and then pulls out the smallest bag in history to stuff them into.
He says I sound like a mother, should I be offended or flattered?

We all have the power to say no, why not exercise that right now and then?