When residents design the city. Part 4 Night Life (Home Sweet Home)

...marketing had however made it to ...

Drunken Dans, complete with signage, a cork (or is that an advertising balloon) on the roof and a drive-through section.

The Ponder Room

However The Tuck Inn went one better positioning itself as a 'Clubhouse' and openly displaying a wider range of merchandise.

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but the marketing prize has to go to The Naughty Nightclub, with it's clear 'Girls, Girls, Girls ...only' signage. It's just a shame the graffiti has already appeared. Although maybe that just ads to the charm.

The  larger question to ponder is ....are these really the ponderings of the 10 year olds or some wishful thinking on the part of their parents.

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Rome wasn't built in a day but ... (Anzac Cottage)

Rome wasn’t built in a day, the Telethon House takes several months, and The Block contestants are going to take 10 weeks evidently, meanwhile …

Back in 1916 work began on Anzac Cottage on February 12^th and was completed in a day … a day!!! 

© The Ponder Room

Two hundred members of the Mount Hawthorn Progress Association and community volunteers banded together to build the house in recognition of the men and women who fought in World War One.

It's been said that at 3.30am they began laying the foundation and by 8.00am some one hundred men were at work, while being watched by 4,000 people.

Once completed the home was offered to the first local soldier returning from Gallipoli. That honour fell to Private John Cuthbert Porter and his family after he returned home wounded. As part of his tenancy he would raise the flag every Anzac Day at 4.30am to mark the Gallipoli landing of the West Australian 11th Battallion.



© The Ponder Room




Later in 1992 the current owners, the Vietnam Veterans Association, began restoring the cottage, with the help of Lotteries West, Dept. of Vet Affairs, Dept. of Conservation and Heritage and the local residents of Kalgoorlie Street. Restoration was completed in 2002.



Anzac 2012 ...

© The Ponder Room

... the sounds of giggling children returned to the cottage. The children gathered to sit around long tables in the backyard making wreaths, before joining in a sunset ceremony around the flagpole.

I was left pondering …

1. How wonderful it was to see heritage not only being preserved, but enjoyed by the next generations.
2. What a brilliant example of the VVAs motto of ‘Vietnam Veterans, once victims now achievers.’
3. With a hallway running the length of the house, only three rooms, a kitchen and outhouse I couldn't help ponder the energy efficiency of the home.
4. Situated in the heart of suburbia my eyes misted over a little pondering the community who first built the cottage, and how it continues to be cherished by each local community that moves through this area. 
5. As one of the display photographs said 'a community effort that should stand as an inspiration to all.'
6. Lest we forget.

When photographers turn (Fotofreo 2012)

Ever pondered how photographers living in the most isolated city in the world cope? What do they do when it’s a slow news day? How do they maintain their click addiction?

Last month presented plenty of fodder for budding and professional photographers alike as Fremantle hosted the biennial FotoFreo Festival. The city was festooned with photographs, no café or restaurant wall was safe, every inch covered in black/white and coloured images.

So you can imagine my surprise when I spied this trio of shutterbugs during the FotoFreo Opening Night at the Fremantle Arts Centre.

© The Ponder Room

Naturally I pondered …

1. High noon … doo doo wah wah wah … was it a shutter off? Should the rest of we mere mortals run and hide behind closed doors to avoid being collateral damage?
2. Would they fall to the floor one by one in a domino effect as each of their batteries ran out?
3. One thing was clear, for the next four weeks the streets wouldn’t be safe for anyone with even the slightest phobic tendancies when a lense is pointed in their general direction.
4. Nowhere to hide there was only one thing left to do … point a camera in their direction, take the shot, then run off desperately trying to blend into the crowd when they seem none pleased at having the tables turned on them. I think I may have to move overseas and assume a new identity.

When residents design the city. Part 3 Night life (Home Sweet Home)

... perhaps the unicorn ride home came after an evening at the pub, or ....

The Ponder Room

or the 'Night Club' although it seems to have it's own transport system on hand.

The Ponder Room



These two establishments did leave me pondering

1. Why the bus transport system was so much less colourful than the unicorn service. Could it be a reflection of the clientele?
2. Whether the Pub or Night Club owners had ever considered employing the marketing skills of the unicorn transport kid?
3. Or are the generic names enough ...'I'm off down the pub'.

When residents design the city. Part 2 Transport (Home Sweet Home)

A public transport system ... beautifully marketed as Unicorns ...

Oh come on who hasn't found themselves waiting in a Perth taxi queue dreaming of a white unicorn transporting them home .... or if it's late enough ... seeing said unicorn trott by yelling through a cheery grin 'I'll be back once I drop off this lot.'

Beside how can you go past their slogan 'When lost and forlorn, look for the unicorn'.
Seriously that's what the sign on the right says.

Makes you ponder ... that child is destined to be in advertising ... or a musician.




The Ponder Room



Know someone who needs help with Me Time? (Competition for workshop spot)

To coincide with the launch of Me Time: 100 strategies and tips for guilt free Me Time, there will be a Me Time workshop held at The Inspiration Factory.
The details are:

Where: The Inspiration Factory, 339 Churchill Ave Subiaco.
When: May 2^nd
Time: Workshop 6.30 - 7.20pm
Followed by a launch

The workshop is $27 to cover the costs.

However knowing that sometimes the people who can’t afford it, are the ones who need the help the most, there’s one seat at the workshop up for grabs.

To enter:
Simply tell me any great Me Time strategies you've come across, or any complete failures you've had. Send me a comment either ... on this blog or privately through the Contact Me tab above, or at Me Time on facebook at . Me Time on facebook.

The winner will be contacted by 5pm on April 29^th so don't forget to put your contact details.
Good luck.

Anyone else interested in attending the workshop or the launch should contact The Inspiration Factory at events@inspirationfactory.com.au

When residents design the city. Part 1 (Home Sweet Home)

Stop Press: Okay this psychic blogging is getting a tad creepy now. I wrote this post very late on Friday night and scheduled it to appear 9am Monday. After reading the opening paragraph you’ll understand why I was freaked out. You see my usually sedate Sunday breakfast restoration was invaded when I read page three of the Sunday Times, which heralded yet another architectural design for the Perth waterfront … All I can say is … forgive me if you don’t hear from me for a while, I’m off to aggressively ponder the winning lotto numbers … again.

It’s been a couple of weeks now and the withdrawal symptoms are starting to kick in. I’ve watched the news every night …nothing … no platitudes from one side of politics … no kneejerk vehement denials from the other … not even a glossy artists impression of a Jetson inspired future ... just silence. With more and more people flying into Perth to try their luck, how am I supposed to go on without a sketchy graphic of how Perth will look in the future? If you feel the same way fear not, I offer up this solution … 



There's always room for individuality

© The Ponder Room

During the Perth Festival I ventured into the Perth Museum where local residents were given the opportunity to submit their own designs for the city.

By ‘people’ I mean, regular Joes, not be speckled architects, Armani suited developers or skinny black jeaned town planners, just regular residents.

If I’m honest most of these residents were under the age of 10, although as the momentum grew several overly excited parents took control of the design process.

At one point the day was threatened with an unfavourable end. The noise level dimmed when a band Goths arrived … or should that be ‘a brood of Goths’ given their broody disposition.

Whilst security moved a little closer, the black brood soon revealed itself to be a constitution of creative types just wanting to express their own ideas.

Armed with the necessary design tools of cardboard, paint, and a tonne of glitter, the residents worked side by side crafting their vision. The results outlined the must haves for our fair city. There were way to many good ideas for one post so I'll be feeding them through over the coming weeks, but here's a start.


Streetscape  © The Ponder Room



Ice Cream and Antiques © The Ponder Room


As you'll see later ... in a fitting finale the heavens opened and hundreds of feather rained down on the crowd of designers who’d gathered to see the end result. The whole experience had me pondering why all design processes aren’t this much fun … I can only put it down to the decided lack of glitter. I live for the day when some brave person rewrites Townplanning Scheme 139 to include ...more glitter.

Friendship epiphany thanks to Tim Ferguson

Last year I was chuffed to attend Tim Fergusons Cheeky Monkey Comedy Writing Course at the Byron Bay Writers Festival. An all day interactive workshop based on his book of the same name, we gang of 20 learnt many, many things, but one particular learning keeps haunting me.

thanks to joanneteh_32

Regular readers will know of my passion for Byron (the Bay, not the author, I’m utterly clueless when it comes to famous authors), and won’t be surprised to hear that I decided to hide out in the Bay for the week leading up to the Festival. Dare I say it … a little piece of Me Time (apologies for blatant product placement).



During that week I marvelled at the beaches, the food, and met some fantastic people, including some incredibility cool, patient,caring hospital staff (a story I can only relay to you if we meet in person, and only then after much arm twisting).

After two days my city-life adrenaline fuelled pulse, gained a more customary equilibrium (part of the reason for the 24 hour hospital sojourn), but I digress.

On the fourth day I attended Tims course where he dissected the many forms of comedy and what makes us laugh, including the interesting physiological phenomenon of curling into the foetal position when being tickled or bashed. However the aspect that haunts me most was when we analysed the success behind various comedy shows, from The Golden Girls to Sex And The City.  

In the months since then I’ve seen A Few Good Men, Bridesmaids, Hangover I ... and II, in fairly quick succession. Each time I’m reminded about the role of the four characters - the innocent, the parent, etc. I won’t tell you them all incase you’d prefer to enjoy your comedy sans knowledge, besides if you want to know you really should buy Tim’s book.

It was when I saw Hangover II that the epiphany came ... 

Ever since then whenever I venture out with friends and there’s a lull in the conversation I sometimes glance around the table pondering …. am I the weird one? ... the one everyone things a tad strange … the idiot … the innocent … the one meandering along in life blissfully unaware … I’ve certainly been on the road less travelled for many kilometres now. 



thanks to Eraupoc

More importantly I ponder ... 

 

If I am, or if you think you are …

Would you want to have this pointed out to you, or would you rather just carry on being you?

Thank goodness Hollywood seems to have moved on from their four friends fascination for the moment. Surely we wont see the same ponderous combination in the upcoming toga swishing 300 movie sequel. Although looking at a scene from the original movie we could be in trouble ... four characters again ... if you count the dude just hanging about at the back.

John Butler Trio rocking the crowds ... again! (2012 Byron Bay Bluesfest)

With a four day break idle minds soon find a myriad of bizarre things to ponder, the first being the Byron Bay Bluesfest. Parts of this post first appeared in The Weekly Review.

Milling around Byron in August you can’t help but notice something wafting through the air … music. Sit at Main Beach as the sun goes down and you’ll catch an impromptu jam session of bongo, didgeridoo and sax players, and that’s months before the Bluesfest begins.

Thanks to BluesFest

Winner of the 2010 Australian Event of the Year, the Bluesfest has also been named one of the top five finalists for international event of the year, along with Britain’s Glastonbury Festival.

Director Peter Noble has previously described the five-day, all ages event as a “gumbo mixture of madness and fun”, adding that the spirit is one of being “globally united anti-mainstream. It is at heart a family event. We strive to be inclusive of everyone while remaining a festival that holds no more than 18,000 people per day.”

Thanks to BluesFest

The wide definition of the blues has seen the main stages blitzed with blues, funk, folk, reggae, alternative, surf, and world music. Meanwhile the relaxed backyard atmosphere, legendary guests, and good sound quality has seen top artists knocking on the door. This year the line up included: John Fogerty; The Specials; The Pogues; Ziggy Marley; and Buddy Guy to name a few.

According to latest reports key stand outs have been …The Pogues (playing Dirty Old Town), Buddy Guy, John Fogerty, Cold Chisel (playing Choirgirl, and the crowd singing along to every word of Khe Sahn … well it’s almost unAustralian not too isn’t it?), and our own John Butler Trio rocking the crowd to close out the day … for Perth locals lucky enough to have JBT in our own backyard, we wouldn’t expect anything else really… always brilliant live see earlier JB post!

With John Butlers’ Revolution and Gonna Be A Long Time playing on my laptop, while looking at pictures of all those caravans I’m left to ponder two things:

1. Whether my van man and his entire extended family have made their way to Byron. If so here’s hoping someone’s alerted the Guinness Book of Records about the high probability of traffic jam history.
2. I really must make more of an effort to get there next year, or at least once in my lifetime. After all as someone called Waffles reminds us … “enjoy yourself it’s later than you think, enjoy yourself while you’re in the pink … the years go by as quickly as a wink, enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think – The Specials."
3. Safe trip home to all the Bluesfest patrons.

Annual Easter Car Conga Line: Word of Warning

As half the population evacuates metropolitan Perth, and tags onto the Easter car conga line to the south west, I thought I'd give this gentle reminder ...

Many years ago I spent three years driving around Western Australia and making the annual Easter pilgrimage to the South West. Years later I found myself on the road again, this time peaking into strangers lives doing indepth interviews ... all wonderful experiences, meeting fascinating people ... such a privilege. However once on the road it wasn’t long before I was pondering the same thing I’d done all those years ago ….

© The Ponder Room

© The Ponder Room

1. Is this the same guy permanently driving his caravan around Australia?
2. How does he always manage to turn up just as you realise you're running late for the next appointment?
3. Or just as you’re getting back into your car, after a long overdue quick toilet break? You look up and just as you pull out from the service station, there he goes again ... in front of you.

After travelling on so many long Australian roads I’ve developed a fairly clear picture of him …just tipping the six foot bar (he’d be three inches taller if his head hadn’t hit the van ceiling ten years ago, thereby stunting his growth); scrawny from making too few pit stops for food along the way; his continuous journey necessitating the growth of a long scraggly beard; his clothes date back to the 1965, the year he bought his first van, oh and he’s been on Australia’s Most Wanted for the past twenty years, for crimes against the motoring public.

But mostly I find myself pondering …. I promise I'll go to the gym every day next week, if you just give me a passing lane around the next corner. No? Okay I’ll go every day for eight weeks … okay I’ll give up chocolate ... and not just for Easter … for good.

Mind you there was one occasion when I wished caravan-man was in front of me. On that day I’d been driving for three hours with two more to come. Twisting around the narrow south west back roads I was enjoying the scenery then around the next turn I found one of these, actually it was twice as big as this one  ..... sometimes it truly is better the devil you know.

Drive Safe everyone.

Thanks to midwinter