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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 45

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 45

Lil Wendy 45
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 45

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 45

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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I was on a plane the other week and the man sitting behind us seemed quite grumpy. He huffed and puffed when he had to wait 10 seconds for me to get out of his way so that he could pass me in the isle. Then he took his seat and you would think that having 3 seats to himself would bring a smile to his face – apparently not! Once the plane was underway I tried to find my eye drops… where were they? I looked in my seat pocket, on the floor and under my butt. I couldn’t find them anywhere so I widened the search. I saw something white between my chair and the wall of the plane and tugged on it. It wasn’t until I had it in my hand that I realised it was ‘his’ newspapers in a shopping bag. Realising that it wasn’t mine I was about to say a quiet sorry when he snatched it out of my hand and mumbled something horrible under his breath. I was surprised. I had not intended to steal his newspapers… I had brought my own.

I don’t think he smiled once on the whole journey… even when I smiled at him determined to curve up the corners of that cranky sour mouth.

It got me thinking… it must be exhausting to be cranky all of the time. Like really exhausting. It must be really horrible to in a constant state of ‘cranky arsehole’. I have made a point of getting rid of the people in my life who are negative or bring me down and as a result I have had very little exposure to unsolicited crankiness and seeing it up close was a bit of a shock.

Despite feeling horrible, do these permanently cranky people realise how UGLY they are? If for no other reason take measures to curb your cranky ways as it makes an otherwise ok looking person look like a troll. Just try to look sexy while being cranky – it can’t be done!

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 44

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 44

Lil Wendy 44
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 44

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 44

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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The saying goes ‘a change is as good as a holiday’… well there has been a lot of change for me this year but I still needed a holiday. A few months ago my sister and I booked a holiday to New Zealand to celebrate our mothers birthday. The months passed quickly and a lot happened in that time… I didn’t really realise but I had gotten a bit run down and frazzled.

It wasn’t until we were already away that realised that I really needed that holiday. As much as we take time to rest, reconnect and rejuvenate in our daily lives, there is a lot of benefit that comes from taking yourself out of your comfort zone, post code and state lines.

The fresh air, delightful food, great company and extra time with my two BFF’s really filled me up. It’s funny how we don’t realise that we’re tired and run down until we are taken out of our current setting… kind of like the frog that doesn’t realise that the boiling water is going to kill it until it is too late (FYI a frog will jump out of a boiling pot in real life but I’m referring to the common myth).

If you need a change… take yourself out of your environment either for an hour, a day, a week or as long as you can. It kind of returns you to factory settings and everything just works better (until you need to reset again that is). So maybe holidays should be compulsory… and subsidised? If only! I can’t wait to go back to beautiful New Zealand again… it’s good medicine 🙂
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See you in Queenstown ♥

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 43

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 43

Lil Wendy 43
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 43

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 43

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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Some days you just feel like crap. There may be no particular reason for this state of being and even if there is a good reason it is important to take steps to make yourself feel better.

One quick and easy way to start the upward mood trend is to wear fancy underwear… no one need know about it (unless you’re an exhibitionist – not that there’s anything wrong with that) and you can start your day with a fancy secret hidden under your clothes.

It’s usually these days that we most want to wear our daggy panties (there’s that word) to coordinate with our mood but it’s exactly these days when we need to make the effort to buck the downward slide and pick ourselves up with a frilly pair of knickers, a silky teddy or even a half cup chemise… whatever it takes to get you out of a funk.

So the next time you are tempted to stay in your jammies and ugg boots… consider starting your day with a good foundation garment. This is not the whole solution to your bad day, it’s just the start but you have to start somewhere and why not in your knicker drawer.

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my kintsugi heart

my kintsugi heart

#myKintsugiHeart
cectimm-My-Kintsugi-Heart-2015
Kintsugi or Kintsukuroi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted with precious metals like gold, silver or platinum. The philosophy is to treat breaks and celebrate them as part of the story of an object rather than throwing it out just because it’s had a rough time. Kintsugi literally means golden joinery in Japanese.

Ashikaga Yoshimasa was a Japanese military commander in the late 15th century who sent his favourite tea bowl to China for repair. When it came back with large clunky staples he charged his craftsmen to find a more ascetically pleasing way to repair the bowl.

04_03They came up with Kintsugi, a means of repairing a break that celebrates the repair as a thing of beauty rather than trying to pretend that it never happened. This repair philosophy aligns with the Buddhist based view of Wabi Sabi, a means of finding beauty in things that are flawed and imperfect. While Wabi Sabi concepts are religious in origin they are actually a very casual and mainstream concept in modern Japan. This approach means we can learn to embrace rather than disguise damage and imperfection, as they are inevitable in ceramics, in life and certainly with our hearts.

Can we go one step further and apply Kintsugi to our own fragile human hearts? I like to think we can. After all it was Ernest Hemingway who said “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills.” So it seems that breaking is essential not only to grow but also to cope or just merely exist so we might as well embrace the breakages and wear them with pride.

We have all had our hearts broken many times over many things. It is not only romantic love that leaves scars on our hearts. I like to think that I have loved hard and that every break serves to make my heart stronger and more beautiful. This also means I will love again because it can only make my Kintsugi heart more beautiful

Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 42

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 42

Lil Wendy 42
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 42

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 42

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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This week I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of a broken heart. There is that old and very worn out quote by Alfred Lord Tennyson ‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” and as tired as that is, there is an awful lot of truth to it.

I haven’t let my heart get broken by something silly like a boy… you see, my main man, Leroy Brown my 16 year old dog passed away last week. It was heart breaking. I felt intense pain in my chest… it felt as if my heart was actually broken. It really hurt on every level. I deal with a lot of physical pain so I’m used to that but this was a complete pain I have not felt too often in my lifetime.

While my heart is broken I’m not huddled up in a corner crying into a nutella bagel… I am getting on with things, however it does take a little bit more effort to get out of bed in the morning. I’m sure that’s normal.

I have been wondering “is it all worth it?”

So many people have told me that they will never have a dog again because their death was so painful. However, having just crossed that threshold I don’t agree with them. While the pain is real and deep when I weigh it up against the 16 years of cuddles, laughs, companionship, loyalty, joy and love then it is totally worth it in my books.

When a bone gets broken and then is healed the strongest part of that bone is the break itself, then does it follow that the same goes for our hearts? Maybe my heart will be stronger once the wound is healed and the scar tissue has filled the hole. I’d like to think so, however I have not conducted any scientific studies to support this hypothesis.

So maybe now I can love again – even harder – because I know that I can survive great heartache. At least that’s what I’m shooting for.
cectimm_Leroy_Brown_October_2015

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 41

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 41

Lil Wendy 41
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 41

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 41

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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This week I had to visit a very dear loved one in hospital and I was walking there with my sister. She said ‘can we walk through the garden?’ I was about to say the same thing… we are both wired the same way.

Regardless of where you are walking, if you have the choice between a dirty dusty footpath or green space of any shape or description then choose the green space. We are often so caught up in what we are doing and where we are going that we forget to make small steps to improve our journey (this is the correct use of the word journey*). We often let our drive for efficiency get in the way of making our lives better.

Take a moment when you’re next in transit and see if you can take a path less concrete 🙂

*the overuse of the word ‘journey’ drives me nuts. New-age types have grossly overused it and I now have difficulty using it to describe “an act of travelling from one place to another” which is in fact the actual dictionary meaning of the word.

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 40

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 40

Lil Wendy 40
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 40

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 40

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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I’ve been thinking a lot about “what is free?” I was watching an ad for a health insurance comparison service and they go on and on about how it’s free to use. But is it free? The answer is no. So how do they make money?

You browse a comparison website and you think they’re comparing the whole market – well they’re not. They only compare the companies that agree to their terms. You then buy a policy they have recommended and the insurance company pays them a finders fee (either a percentage of the total policy cost or a set fee). These fees effect all customers of that insurance company as the cost is passed on in the form of increased premiums.

A similar set up exists for all types of insurance and even hotel comparison sites. Nothing is free. Think about the hidden cost of things that are marketed as ‘free’.

What is cheap? We all love a good deal and there is nothing better than feeling like you’ve got the bargain of the century. Now days everything is cheap… but at what cost. The total cost of a t-shirt may not be reflected on the price tag but there are hidden costs other than the ticket price. The cost has shifted from the price tag to the people who make our bargain basement clothes (horrible work conditions and bonded or slave labour) and to the environment (irresponsible and toxic practices) in an eternal quest to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Having said that, expensive doesn’t always mean better. A lot of the expensive so called “luxury” brands also use the same exploitive practices. Everyone (including people and corporations) want to make more and spend less. Profits are put above people and we all keep buying in to it.

I don’t pretend to have an answer to the problem but if we truly start considering the cost of the goods and services we all buy then maybe we can make a difference.

So remember, free ain’t free and cheap ain’t cheap!

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pop culture robots, a historical study: robby the robot

pop culture robots, a historical study: robby the robot

#popculturerobots
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Robby the Robot is a science fiction icon that first appeared in the film Forbidden Planet (1956) and he was one of my favourite childhood robots. I fell in love with him in Lost in Space (1966 TV Series) that was played in high rotation in the 1980’s. Perhaps Lost in Space was the gateway drug for my later life long addiction to SciFi!

Robby was a protective robot and he was anthropomorphic (resembling human form, head, limbs and torso) so we could relate to him. If we were to talk to him we would know where to look and how to interact with him. He is a First-generation robot designed to take care of children and his catch phrase reflects that… “Danger Will Robinson”, he was always looking out for Will Robinson in their wacky space adventures.
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Robert Kinoshita, a Japanese-American engineer, designed Robby the Robot and the original version cost $125,000 to build.

Frankie Darro, a legendary actor who started out as a child star in the silent film era and later became a character actor and voice over artist played Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet. The actor Marvin Miller added the voice of Robby in postproduction. Here is a picture from 1955 showing how hard it must have been for Frankie Darro to get into costume…
Frankie Darro as Robby The Robot 1955

Dick Tufeld voiced Robby the Robot in the 1966 TV Series Lost in Space and he later returned in the Lost in Space film remake in 1998. Starring Matt LeBlanc the film was not a huge success only getting 4.7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes?

Robby the Robot also appeared in a 2006 AT&T advertisement along with Rosie the Robot form The Jetsons, cementing their place in the pop culture psyche of the western world.

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Did you know that Robby;
– speaks 188 languages,
– uses Gyroscopic Stabilisers for balance
– is powered by Krell Energy
– is cooled by 44 head Mounted Cooling Fans
– was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame in 2004

If you want your own Robbie the Robot you can have it for just $32,000. This is a special edition, life-size, fully animatronic remote-controlled version of Robby. A bit out of my price range but for a big fan I guess it’s a good investment. Check it out >>>

Robby was a true trailblazer in the introduction of robots into popular culture. He is as popular now as he was in the 1950’s.

I will be publishing 15 robot profiles over the coming weeks. Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site).

Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 39

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 39

Lil Wendy 39
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painting the moon september 2015

#paintingthemoon

With the recent blood moon and in some parts of the world the lunar eclipse, I was in awe of the full moon last night. I had a bit of eclipse envy and decided to shoot-the-moon. Some time ago I used to have very steady hands and could get away with taking low light photos without much trouble, but now days I have a bit of a shake and I’ve decided to just go with it. So now when there is a clear sky and a bright moon I paint the moon. I hate to think how ridiculous I look while doing this but it’s loads of fun.
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This is the moon reflected in the pool dancing across my lens.

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A moody night landscape with the pool in the sky and reflected in the pool.

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Fairy lights in the background and the moon crossing their path.
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A close up of the moon in the night sky.

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The moon and the houses across the river dancing in time.

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The moon makes its way across the night sky.

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A scribbly bay.

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Not sure why but when I look at this one I hear the lyrics “When you get caught between the moon and New York City” come to mind 🙂

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Moon dance.

Now I can’t get this song out of my head… not a bad thing.
Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross (and others), which was the main theme for the 1981 film Arthur starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. I think I have to go back and watch this film again 🙂
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Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site).

Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 39

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 39

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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Have you noticed that everyone is in such a rush… all the time? Where are they going? What are they doing that is so important? Are they trying to save the world? What good is coming out of this?

The trouble with rushing everywhere all the time is that people are in a constant state of high stress and panic. Quite often if someone gets in their way they get stroppy and sometimes they get shovey. Nobody wins.

If you have to get somewhere by a certain time, rushing like a maniac is not likely to get you there any faster. How many times have you been driving and see a car hoon in and out of traffic only to come to rest next to you a few minutes later at a red light.

Here are some of the negative aspects of rushing that I can think of:
– Elevated stress levels, science knows this is bad for our health
– Increased chance of having an accident or even dying, if you’re rushing you are more likely to make stupid decisions
– Inability to enjoy the trip, you won’t notice the lovely scenery if you’re furious about the time
– Being unpopular, nobody likes cranky people
– Looking ugly, a screwed up cranky face is never attractive
– Not getting there that much earlier, shaving a few minutes off your trip is not worth all of the negative side effects

In conclusion, it’s best to try to leave enough time for your travels so that you’re less likely to get into a panic. The next time you’re in a mad rush, weigh up your options and remember that screaming like a banshee or rushing like The Road Runner might get you there a few minutes earlier but at what cost!

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pop culture robots, a historical study: marvin the paranoid android

pop culture robots, a historical study: marvin the paranoid android

#popculturerobots
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Marvin_Single_Cover_emu

Album artwork for Marvin’s 1981 music debut

Marvin the Paranoid Android is a ship’s robot aboard the starship Heart of Gold in Douglas Adams’s classic series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1978), a radio show that was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom. The series was hugely popular and was later made into a TV Series (1981), a series of novels, a computer game, music releases and a big blockbuster movie (2005).

Marvin was originally a failed personality prototype who suffers from severe depression and boredom, in part because his brain is so big, in fact he has a “brain the size of a planet”. Apparently Marvin is 50,000 times more inelegant than any human and 37 times older than the universe (due to time travel).

The 1978 vision of Marvin was a tall humanoid robot with a large square head but he was reimagined for the 2005 movie. In the movie he was short and stocky with a giant round planet-like head. I love both incarnations of Marvin… but perhaps I prefer the movie version just a little bit more 😛 .

“I ache, therefore I am.” – Marvin

Marvin is racked with depression and suffers incredible pain due to the diodes on his left-hand-side never being replaced. His brain is woefully under-utilised and he occasionally writes music… in his track <<Marvin>> he references his pain with the lyrics “Nothing left to be enjoyed, every diode rheumatoid, Marvin.
Listen for yourself…
[youtube id=”hTXOW_jJdKE” maxwidth=”1000″]
Marvin also wrote lullabies…

Now the world has gone to bed,
Darkness won’t engulf my head,
I can see by infrared,
How I hate the night.

Now I lay me down to sleep,
Try to count electric sheep,
Sweet dream wishes you can keep,
How I hate the night.

If by some freak of nature or because of a horrific laboratory accident you haven’t yet seen the 2005 movie then do yourself a favour. I can watch it again at any time… I just love it. Narrated by Stephen Fry and starring Martn Freeman, Zooey Deshanel and Mos Def, it’s one of my all time favourite modern reimagining of a classic Sci Fi tale. Here is the trailer…
[youtube id=”MbGNcoB2Y4I” maxwidth=”1000″]

While it’s hard to choose a favourite character in such a rich and fun filled tale, you can’t imagine this story with out the depressing and pessimistic voice of Marvin keeping everyone’s optimism in check.
I will be publishing 15 robot profiles over the coming weeks. Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site).

Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

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all violence against women begins with disrespecting women

all violence against women begins with disrespecting women

#aboutbloodytime #StoptheViolence #respect
cectimm_Disrespecting_Women_Malcolm_Turnbull.jpg
A few great things that Malcolm Turnbull said this morning…

“I’d say that as parents, one of the most important things we must do is ensure that our sons respect their mothers and their sisters,”

“Because … violence against women begins with disrespecting women. And so this is a big cultural shift.”

“Violence against women is one of the great shames of Australia. It is a national disgrace,”

“We as leaders, as a government must make it — and we will make it — a clear national objective of ours to ensure that Australia is more respecting of women.”

“We have to make it as though it was un-Australian to disrespect women.”

Amen! It’s about bloody time that a man in a leadership role spoke up on the issue of respecting women as equals at every level of society. Come on Straya… we can do it.

Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site). Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 38

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 38

Lil Wendy 35
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 38

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 38

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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catastrophize
kəˈtastrəfʌɪz/

view or present a situation as considerably worse than it actually is.

I truly love social media… the connectedness and community it provides is phenomenal. However, I do get a bit flabbergasted by people complaining about the most mundane and stupid things. We are all guilty of this (myself included) but some people just go on and on.

Some people turn the smallest of things into an international incident.

Today I saw a woman on facebook complaining about being stuck in a traffic jam and how devastated she was because the ice-cream she had just bought was melting. This can be spun into a funny #firstworldproblem post but this was a serious complaint. She is a very fortunate woman if that is the biggest problem in her life, bravah for her.

Just watch the news and get some perspective love. There are people dying in an earthquake in Chile while thousands run for their lives across Europe. I’m not saying we can’t complain but at least get some perspective… if not for our sakes but for your own.

Imagine if the energy we all put into stressing about stupid crap was put go good use. Just imagine.

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 37

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 37

Lil Wendy 35
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what i learnt this week :: WEEK 37

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 37

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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Sometimes I have to stop watching the news, as it’s just too depressing.

Australia has been slow to catch up to our American cousins of gun crime and it was only a few years ago that a shooting crime was shocking and out of the ordinary. Every day there is a shooting or another woman killed at the hand of family violence. Why is the violence increasing? What are we doing wrong?

I’m not going to pretend to have the answer. I grew up on a home dominated by woman and my mother was always a strong and independent woman so I haven’t seen family violence first hand. However, as a woman living in this world I have been confronted with and adjacent to violence. It’s horrible to feel as though you are more at risk because of your gender.

This week in particular there has been a disproportionate number of violent attacks on women. There are varying statistics as to how may women have died in Australia so far this year but according to Lisa Wilkinson on the Today Show this morning, 62 women and children have lost their lives due to family violence. Where do we start? Who is responsible? We can’t rely on our government to take the issue seriously as they don’t seem to understand women at all.

Perhaps the only forward thinking, women-friendly decision our government has made this year was choosing Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year. However at the same time the Abbott Government cut funding to women’s support services. Dumbfounding.

I don’t have any answers this week – just lots of questions and a lot of sadness. Real men don’t hit women… in fact they don’t hit anyone. There really is no end to violence 🙁

You can get more information about Rosie Batty’s foundation Never Alone by visiting their website.

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pop culture robots, a historical study: gnut

pop culture robots, a historical study: gnut

#popculturerobots
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Gnut first appeared in Farewell to the Master, a science fiction short story written by Harry Bates and published in the October 1940 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. The story was then made into a film called The Day The Earth Stood still (1951) and Gnut’s name was changed to Gort. This giant killer humanoid robot is a bodyguard for a mysterious alien call Klaatu (a humanoid alien ambassador of peace). Here is the deliciously kitsch movie trailer…
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Gort does not speak but he can pulverise anything with his awesome laser beam that shoots from his visor. He is made from one sheet of metal and stands over 8 feet tall. Even in black and white Gort was an intimidating character. He is part of an interstellar police force trying to preserve peace by destroying anything he perceives as a threat.

“In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us. This power cannot be revoked. At the first sign of violence, they act automatically against the aggressor.” – Klaatu

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Klaatu comes to earth on a mission of peace but is confronted by humanities tendency to panic when facing the unknown. While Gort never speaks, his mission of destruction destruction is halted the words Klaatu barada nikto. This phrase was never translated and it’s true meaning remains a mystery.

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The 2008 remake staring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly is a much more polished big blockbuster affair but it lacks the examination of the human condition of the original film. Casting Mr Reeves might seem a logical step as his wooden performance might perfectly suit the role of alien but I don’t buy it. I’ll let YouTuber AlternatingLine sum it up for you “do yourself a favour and avoid the remake”. Love his blunt comparison…
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Gort (originally Gnut) is a pioneer in pop culture robotics and is as iconic today as he was in the cold war era. While it’s not official I can see that Gort may have influenced the design of another pop culture robot classic the Cylon… what do you think?

I will be publishing 15 robot profiles over the coming weeks. Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site).

Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 36

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 36

Lil Wendy 35
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my mamma said: sabrina

my mamma said: sabrina

#MyMammaSaid
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If only we all listened to our mothers sage beauty advice before it was too late. There are lots of things we do when we’re young that we regret later… on-trend make up, tramp stamps and over plucking our eye brows. Eyebrow trends change and what we don’t realise when we’re young is that once they’re plucked they don’t always grow back. Now day’s brows are big business… 20 years ago everyone was removing them and now everyone is trying to get them back. Dam you fashion!

I recently asked a bunch of people to share with me a piece of advice their mother had given them. Some are wise, others are hilarious but most of all, they are all true.

While the words in these illustrations are direct quotes, the characters are inspired by each advice recipient and are not meant to be an exact likeness. I am only using their first name so they can stay anonymous, if they choose.

Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site). It would be awesome if you could send me your mothers best words of wisdom… it might just help someone else out 🙂

What did your mamma say? Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 36

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 36

#WhatILearntThisWeek
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A friend of mine shared a great story on Facebook (thanks Anu), and it really hit home (see video below). We all think that one day when we have time, or enough money we will do something to help the needy… Tejinder Pal Singh is a Taxi Driver in Darwin who cooks for the needy one Sunday a month. He an his son Navdeep cook kilos of fresh food, and deliver them from the back of their van to anyone in need. He refers to his religion stating that people should give 10% of their income to help the needy… what a delicious idea.

Mr Singh funds this food drive himself and has turned down offers of money, instead offering his van for people wanting do to the same good work. He also speaks of the energy he gets from doing this… I need some more energy, so maybe this is how I’ll get it.

No matter how rich, poor, busy or lazy we are… each and every one of us could donate 10% of our income, time or love to people in need. I find this story immensely inspirational and am pondering what I can give.

I’m sure that in doing more for others we will eventually worry less about ourselves… surely this can only be a good thing.

John Oliver recently did a story about evangelists in America (and I’m sure it is common practice world wide) that insist parishioners give money, often calling it seeding (planting seeds for your soul). He highlighted the hypocrisy of these organisations and how they prey on the weak to fund their ridiculously extravagant lifestyles. Watch his story below and see for yourself how crazy this practice is…
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Perhaps instead of giving to organised religion we could all cut out the middle men and give straight to those in need. What a wonderful world it would be 🙂
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pop culture robots, a historical study: torchy the battery boy

pop culture robots, a historical study: torchy the battery boy

#popculturerobots
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Torchy the Battery Boy is one of the most unintentionally creepy robots in pop culture history. I’m glad to say that I’m way way too young to have watched this in its hay day, I only found it researching this project.

Roberta Leigh was a well known romantic novelist (over 140 books and 24M book sales) but she also wrote Torchy, started a teen magazine, was a columnist, taught elocution, worked as a graphologist (handwriting analyst) for the police, a radio agony aunt, an abstract painter and was the first British female producer with her own TV company. She wrote the 52 Torchy scripts in 26 days and particularly enjoying writing the funny parts.Roberta Leigh Torchy Thunderbirds

Gerry Anderson produced Torchy for it’s two year run 1960-1961 and then went on to produce Thunderbirds in 1965. During the production of Torchy the ‘Supermarionation’ technique – later used in Thunderbirds – was perfected. So while Torchy was not a long running success it seems it lead into the Thunderbirds… and we are all grateful for that success 🙂 Every Saturday I would get up and watch Thunderbirds… I think that was my first SciFi love. Thunderbirds are Go!

Torchy doesn’t appear until the second YouTube video (below) but here is Part 1 if you want to start from the beginning. Mr Bumbledrop invents Torchy to find some missing toys and his French poodle called Pom Pom. Rocket ships and adventures ensue…

[youtube id=”0P3VnwAOXDQ” maxwidth=”1000″]

I will be publishing 15 robot profiles over the coming weeks. Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site).

Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 35

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 35

Lil Wendy 35
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my mamma said: justine

my mamma said: justine

#MyMammaSaid
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I love the fact that a caring mother can see all possibilities in their child… if only we as children believed in their vision for us. It can take a lifetime to figure out for ourselves that we can be so much more than we think we can. Justine’s mother clearly dreamed big for her girl… the world is your oyster and I love oysters 🙂 Do something today that scares you and be more than your being right now.

I recently asked a bunch of people to share with me a piece of advice their mother had given them. Some are wise, others are hilarious but most of all, they are all true.

While the words in these illustrations are direct quotes, the characters are inspired by each advice recipient and are not meant to be an exact likeness. I am only using their first name so they can stay anonymous, if they choose.

Feel free to share on social media (please link back to my site). It would be awesome if you could send me your mothers best words of wisdom… it might just help someone else out 🙂

What did your mamma say? Get in touch via Twitter, Instagram or by email 🙂

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 35

what i learnt this week :: WEEK 35

#WhatILearntThisWeek
What I Learnt This Week WK35
In the wise words of The Steve Miller Band ‘time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future’. In their 1976 hit Fly Like an Eagle they start out with this trippy time-slipping line that has been playing on high rotation in my brain this week.

Last week I had the flu and got next to NOTHING done… this week I somehow lost a day and thought Thursday was Wednesday and nearly missed a meeting that I had organised… and then I realised that there are only 17 weeks until Christmas eeeek! While I didn’t write out a list of  resolutions at the beginning of this year (I decided to do this project instead) I did a have mental list of things that I hoped to achieve this year and I am running out of time.

Watch The Steve Miller band’s Fly Like an Eagle and think about what you haven’t yet achieved this year… you too might eeeek along with me 😛
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Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 34

Lil’ Wendy: 52 week illustration challenge WEEK 34

Lil Wendy 34
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