Uno
Dos
Friday, April 23, 2010
Inspiration boards 1 and 2
Thought I'd post these as I took them down; since I like to look back on them, I thought you would too
Who decides what's good
Have been on my death bed with tonsillitis, an illness that has plagued me my entire life making an appearance at least once a year (from memory I can't account for the years pre-age 8 but we'll allow for this slight exaggeration...). My doctor (who I have suspected of sub-standard care for some time now) has never proposed the tonsillectomy (made up term here- could be right, probably not though) to solve my tonsil issues and I am yet to have had a doctors appointment that lasts longer than 10 minutes! Is this usual service? I am not in the practice of consulting more than my doc, seeing as he has been my doctor since i was five, but i was curious as to whether this is just how the general practitioner's roll these days...
On another note, being ill has not only enabled copious amounts of custard consumption (I'm sorry I can't help but think of Tubby custard here...) but also has allowed me the time to ponder some deep issues, time that is only the luxury of the unemployed, student like or sickly variety (of which I happily fulfill all three categories). In a tutorial on Monday (pre-death bed state, clearly) the question of who decides what's good was brought up after a classmate was unable to post her poetry analysis (like my Wendt one) to Wikipedia after the administrators determined her poet (Samuel Cruickshank) was not worthy of Wikipedia web space. Obviously there has always been a hierarchy in a variety of spheres that determines that which is 'good' and that which is not. However, despite a lot of academic discourse related to this idea which we could colloquially consider simply as 'taste', no answers as to why we allow those who decide what is good to do so, and more than this, it seems as though at some point we neglect to challenge such determinations of what is good and valued and that which is not.
From an academic perspective (English at least), the 'great' works have changed little in the sense that they are still largely written from a white, middle aged, male point of view (Dickens, Shakespeare, Thackeray, Wilde, Dostoevsky, Nabokov etc). OK, so while we've got the token post modern female writer chucked in there, or your classic female Novelists like Austen and Bronte these stories still tell the tales of a Europe to which most of the world is not privy and reflect little on peoples actual experiences today- how many 4 hour tea parties where you "take a turn about the lawn" discussing your marriage prospects with the local Earl have you attended recently? What or who is it that decides that Dickens must be read over Dr Seuss? or in a New Zealand context, why is it that we spend a large part of our education reading books written by bored English gentlewomen of the 18th Century rather than reading the fiction of Patricia Grace or Alan Duff or even knowing figures in New Zealand Literature aside from Katherine Mansfield? (answer? Canonical literature continues to exists as one of the last great champions and undoubtedly the most pervasive form of Colonialism in the modern world)
Of course the issue of who decides what is good is not strictly academic, there are my constant concerns about who decides what is good in many of the chain-stores as I stroll the streets of Auckland. In fact I am often left pondering just how many people it takes to create the fashion disasters that exist in the world, even before the criminal consumer in question buys it. Take Jeggings for example: Someone has to think that idea up, then someone approves the aforementioned idea, next thing you know they're picking some fabric to make jeggings from (that has probably already been through a myriad of decision making culprits already), some factory in any chosen developing country starts making them, companies sell and market them and before you know it Mums of New Zealand are enabling the purchase of these atrocities.
You want a jean and a legging in one? Jeggings are your answer! Without the bulkiness of denim to suck those thighs in, the stretch jersey really allows for ease of movement- to put it bluntly "lets it all hang out". With classy and flattering designs such as stone-washed purple you're a real trendsetter about town; VPL on display and muffin top enhancing waistband's YAY... buy now!!!!
Moving to the musical arena, I question who let Justin Beiber on the loose? (he's been #1 in the Billboard charts for 3 weeks now, surely the 12-18 year old's cannot have that much sway in the charts). I'm no muso and it is so "in" at the moment to not even listen to music unless it's written/sung by some pseudo-intellectual teenagers who are inspired by Norwegian folk music based in some basement in New York, BUT surely even the most indie among us are concerned about this rise to fame?
I like how he's looking both innocent (because he's about 13, white with blonde bangs) yet simultaneously is also pretty gangster with his backwards cap and un-identifiable hand gestures- peace or scissors? you tell me...
All I know is that Usher and Ludacris have a LOT to answer for!
The irony is I'm trying to tell people what is good and what isn't, the question of what is good and bad taste is ultimately a personal preference and shouldn't necessarily be determined by the whim of the powers that be. These things, whether bad or good based on my opinions or yours, are at least in some way part of the zeitgeist of today and stand as representations of it. Scary, i know (do I really want the memory of leggings as pants a significant component of my recollections of my 20's?). I do take solace in the fact that because the 70's and 80's are in the past, most of the offensiveness of these decades is weeded out, even as they return in their modern day re-incarnations of their original selves. Clearly though, the world is still rich and full of that which does offend and will continue to offend these baby blues. It will simply be my ability to tolerate (or rant about it) that will determine my survival into that scary horizon that is the future.... that, or I will enact my plan to take over the world, becoming the powers that be (I'll decide what's good, my taste is so fantastic, bad taste will simply cease to exist people)
x
Monday, April 12, 2010
Spinning round round
Have been super busy this past week with an English essay which I will be publishing an extract from below. It is for a paper 'Te Torino: Maori and Pacific Literature' that I am completing this year. In examining indigenous literature we have focused in particular on traditional ways of knowing, and the trope of the spiral (Te Torino) in knowledge within a Pasifika context. We should all be familiar with this idea if you're lucky enough to have grown up in New Zealand- the koru, a fern frond unfolding, symbolic of new life and the constant cycle of life and death. We were asked to analyse a poem from the anthology "Whetu Moana" (I definitely recommend it if poetry is your thing) and share it somewhere public. I chose to analyse Te One-Roa-a-Tohe, a poem by Albert Wendt.
Please forgive me for my digression from my self-indulgent rantings... take some time and have a read, learn something new from my own spiraling writing!
x
Close Reading of Albert Wendt's Te One-Roa-a-Tohe
Albert Wendt is one of the most prominent figures in Pacific (Oceanic) Literature. As a writer of novels, short stories and poetry, Wendt has been a founding father in the emergence, growth and continuing development of Oceanic Literature as a genre, seeking to challenge Western stereotypes of the Pacific and explore the epistemologies and histories of the Pacific through the art of storytelling (Sharrad). Though born in Samoa and educated in New Zealand, Wendt considers himself a dual citizen of both New Zealand Aotearoa and Samoa in both a physical and spiritual sense (TVNZ). The poem Te One-Roa-a-Tohe (translates as: The Long Beach of Tohe and is more commonly known as Ninety Mile Beach) (David) is an example of Wendt’s writing that features New Zealand and Samoa. This poem is set in two places of spiritual significance; Cape Reinga, New Zealand and Falealupo, Samoa where the spirits of the dead depart for the afterlife in the respective cultural mythologies. While initially the poem appears to consider the concept of death alone, a more comprehensive analysis reveals a narrative that enforces and celebrates mythology and non European epistemologies as well as undermining the effects of Colonialism. Most evident in the work is the connectedness of an Oceanic epistemology beyond the living and the dead- between the people of the Pacific and the Sea; the intrinsic relationship with nature and connections to the present and the past, and between cultures themselves.
The sea has always been a place of great significance to Oceanic peoples as acknowledged in Whetu Moana (Albert Wendt). In the Pacific, it was the ocean that both separated and united the region; peoples separated by water but able to voyage in canoes to engage with each other. It is unsurprising that given its central role in Pacific life, the Ocean features heavily in the mythology of Pacific. In this poem, the Ocean plays a central role, with coastal regions as settings of the work. In New Zealand, Wendt locates himself at Reinga, at the Northern most point of Te One-Roa-a-Tohe where it is believed that the Maori spirits of the dead depart their earthly life and return to the mythical Hawaiki through an ocean voyage. The Samoan equivalent of Reinga is located at the Western most point of Savaii known as Falealupo (more specifically, Tufutafoe) (Loli) . Here, the spirits of the dead bathe as the sun sets before diving into the ocean searching for Pulotu- the home of the spirits. Death is not the end or stillness that is manifested in more traditional European perspectives; because of the cyclic approach to existence that is the spiral- Te Torino, within a Pacific centred narrative, motion is perpetual.
Throughout the poem the references to the sea stand not only to embody the notions of journeying but also reflect the connection in traditional belief systems between people and nature. The image of the Ocean is complimented by references to the sky and the sun, flax, pohutukawa trees, lava paths and caves that are woven together creating rich imagery reinforcing connections between nature, mythology and mankind. The language used personifies the spirits as they move through nature showing the bond, throughout the cycle of life and death, of Maori to nature. Moving to Samoa, the dead bathe in naturally formed rock-pools before walking the lava path (again naturally formed) to dive for Pulotu. The natural features of the land act as markers on the spiritual journey to the afterlife for the people, and the geographical location- Falealupo, is linked to a pre-Christian deity, Nafanua.
Emphasis on the natural world not only illustrates the intertwining of nature with Pacific people, but also enables the juxtaposition of nature with man-made constructs (both literal and ideological) representing the European imposition in indigenous places. Wendt’s tone challenges the Colonial past and is evident in the poem as a whole. The indigenous words for geographical locations and mythical elements of the narrative are used throughout the stanza's. The Colonial influence in New Zealand and Samoa is undermined by Wendt’s determination to reflect the sacredness of the mythology and these places for the indigenous people in the indigenous tongue rather than in the language of Colonisation.
The poem Te One-Roa-a-Tohe is thus not simply a narrative about the Dead, it is a poem that seeks to explore the sub-narratives within Death that connect it to life, nature, journeying, mythology, past present and future generations in an uniquely Polynesian way. In a post-Colonial context (for Samoa at least) Wendt celebrates the resilience of traditional epistemologies and rhetoric and though Aotearoa still exists as a colonised state the continuing renaissance of Maori culture signals this same resilience present here. As the Literary genealogy of Oceania continues to grow, Wendt attempts to propagate a tradition that looks back as it moves forward; acknowledging the traditional histories from which Pacific narratives stem and moving into a modern world where hybridity, technology and constant cultural flux will continue to influence Pasifika writing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Albert Wendt, Reina Whaitiri, Robert Sullivan, ed. Whetu Moana; Contemporary Polynesian Poems in English. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2003. Print.
David, Kelvin. "Labour Mp Welcomes Beach Name Change." New Zealand Labour Party website, 2010. Print.
Loli, Mata. "Clarification of Tufutafoe and Falealupo." Ed. Carpenter, Judeena. Auckland, 2010. Print.
Sharrad, Paul. Albert Webdt and Pacific Literature; Circling the Void. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2003. Print.
Nz Festival: The New Oceania. 2006. (NZ), Point of View Productions.
Wendt, Albert. "Tatauing the Post-Colonial Body." SPAN 62 December (2009): 83-101. Print
---. "Towards a New Oceania." MANA 1 1 (1976): 49-60. Print.
Please forgive me for my digression from my self-indulgent rantings... take some time and have a read, learn something new from my own spiraling writing!
x
Close Reading of Albert Wendt's Te One-Roa-a-Tohe
Albert Wendt is one of the most prominent figures in Pacific (Oceanic) Literature. As a writer of novels, short stories and poetry, Wendt has been a founding father in the emergence, growth and continuing development of Oceanic Literature as a genre, seeking to challenge Western stereotypes of the Pacific and explore the epistemologies and histories of the Pacific through the art of storytelling (Sharrad). Though born in Samoa and educated in New Zealand, Wendt considers himself a dual citizen of both New Zealand Aotearoa and Samoa in both a physical and spiritual sense (TVNZ). The poem Te One-Roa-a-Tohe (translates as: The Long Beach of Tohe and is more commonly known as Ninety Mile Beach) (David) is an example of Wendt’s writing that features New Zealand and Samoa. This poem is set in two places of spiritual significance; Cape Reinga, New Zealand and Falealupo, Samoa where the spirits of the dead depart for the afterlife in the respective cultural mythologies. While initially the poem appears to consider the concept of death alone, a more comprehensive analysis reveals a narrative that enforces and celebrates mythology and non European epistemologies as well as undermining the effects of Colonialism. Most evident in the work is the connectedness of an Oceanic epistemology beyond the living and the dead- between the people of the Pacific and the Sea; the intrinsic relationship with nature and connections to the present and the past, and between cultures themselves.
The sea has always been a place of great significance to Oceanic peoples as acknowledged in Whetu Moana (Albert Wendt). In the Pacific, it was the ocean that both separated and united the region; peoples separated by water but able to voyage in canoes to engage with each other. It is unsurprising that given its central role in Pacific life, the Ocean features heavily in the mythology of Pacific. In this poem, the Ocean plays a central role, with coastal regions as settings of the work. In New Zealand, Wendt locates himself at Reinga, at the Northern most point of Te One-Roa-a-Tohe where it is believed that the Maori spirits of the dead depart their earthly life and return to the mythical Hawaiki through an ocean voyage. The Samoan equivalent of Reinga is located at the Western most point of Savaii known as Falealupo (more specifically, Tufutafoe) (Loli) . Here, the spirits of the dead bathe as the sun sets before diving into the ocean searching for Pulotu- the home of the spirits. Death is not the end or stillness that is manifested in more traditional European perspectives; because of the cyclic approach to existence that is the spiral- Te Torino, within a Pacific centred narrative, motion is perpetual.
Throughout the poem the references to the sea stand not only to embody the notions of journeying but also reflect the connection in traditional belief systems between people and nature. The image of the Ocean is complimented by references to the sky and the sun, flax, pohutukawa trees, lava paths and caves that are woven together creating rich imagery reinforcing connections between nature, mythology and mankind. The language used personifies the spirits as they move through nature showing the bond, throughout the cycle of life and death, of Maori to nature. Moving to Samoa, the dead bathe in naturally formed rock-pools before walking the lava path (again naturally formed) to dive for Pulotu. The natural features of the land act as markers on the spiritual journey to the afterlife for the people, and the geographical location- Falealupo, is linked to a pre-Christian deity, Nafanua.
Emphasis on the natural world not only illustrates the intertwining of nature with Pacific people, but also enables the juxtaposition of nature with man-made constructs (both literal and ideological) representing the European imposition in indigenous places. Wendt’s tone challenges the Colonial past and is evident in the poem as a whole. The indigenous words for geographical locations and mythical elements of the narrative are used throughout the stanza's. The Colonial influence in New Zealand and Samoa is undermined by Wendt’s determination to reflect the sacredness of the mythology and these places for the indigenous people in the indigenous tongue rather than in the language of Colonisation.
The poem Te One-Roa-a-Tohe is thus not simply a narrative about the Dead, it is a poem that seeks to explore the sub-narratives within Death that connect it to life, nature, journeying, mythology, past present and future generations in an uniquely Polynesian way. In a post-Colonial context (for Samoa at least) Wendt celebrates the resilience of traditional epistemologies and rhetoric and though Aotearoa still exists as a colonised state the continuing renaissance of Maori culture signals this same resilience present here. As the Literary genealogy of Oceania continues to grow, Wendt attempts to propagate a tradition that looks back as it moves forward; acknowledging the traditional histories from which Pacific narratives stem and moving into a modern world where hybridity, technology and constant cultural flux will continue to influence Pasifika writing.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Albert Wendt, Reina Whaitiri, Robert Sullivan, ed. Whetu Moana; Contemporary Polynesian Poems in English. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2003. Print.
David, Kelvin. "Labour Mp Welcomes Beach Name Change." New Zealand Labour Party website, 2010. Print.
Loli, Mata. "Clarification of Tufutafoe and Falealupo." Ed. Carpenter, Judeena. Auckland, 2010. Print.
Sharrad, Paul. Albert Webdt and Pacific Literature; Circling the Void. Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2003. Print.
Nz Festival: The New Oceania. 2006. (NZ), Point of View Productions.
Wendt, Albert. "Tatauing the Post-Colonial Body." SPAN 62 December (2009): 83-101. Print
---. "Towards a New Oceania." MANA 1 1 (1976): 49-60. Print.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Rude Girl
I have nothing against a good shop-girl, I myself was once a shop-girl (that is, when I was employed- note: past tense here). However one cannot help but notice a growing trend among the shop-girls of Auckland who seem to be under some delusion that they are in fact members of the royal family.
Now I am a reasonable person. I understand that certain stores warrant a certain level of dress from their clientele, I am unlikely, for example, to go waltzing into a Paris Couturier dressed in my gym gear (NOT Stella McCartney adidas incase you were wondering). I must however point out that stores in New Zealand don't generally have the same level of sophistication, shall we say, of our Parisian counterparts. I don't want you to think that i casually stroll about in my gym gear everyday either... but I do think in my local neighbourhood I should be able to go to a shop without feeling as though the assistants are about to break their whippet thin necks as they turn their heads so rapidly so as to avoid (gasp!) having to look at me and (gasp!) actually talk to me. While one could easily get into a discussion here about their actual capability to hold a conversation I won't, let us say it is generally accepted that fake smiles and inserts of "yeah", "uh huh" and "i knoooow!" are about all the average Noo Zuland shop girl can muster. I might not look like your dj-wannabe-skinny-legged-jeans dream guy, but I sometimes (ok rarely) I have money that you might want me to spend in your shop, so if you could just jump off that invisible high horse for just a sec to help me find my size (yes, bigger than the mannequin) it would be just dandy.
While I don't want to give the appearance of being overly bitter and hateful, their behaviour begs the question of whether these occasionally pretty (lighting dependent) and generally obnoxious girls know they are getting paid a measly 14 dollars an hour to serve me and you. More than that, given that my most recent experience has been in my own neighbourhood (which i must concede has a reputation for attracting the poseur possie of the city) could these girls not find jobs in whatever suburban hovel it is that they originated from and go and get their parents to teach them some manners. Whatever it is that you are wearing bucko, manners are always fashionable!!! You work in a shop, you're not a model and your already so-so face could really use some happiness to make me ever want to spend money in this store and to make you look less... ugh.
Shopgirls, I'm not asking for your life story here- I don't care, pinky swear, I don't. However- a smile never goes amiss and a casual hello even makes the average customer a little more inclined to buy something. Scowling, stare-downs á la 'Mean Girls' and thinking you're Andre Leon Talley cum Princess Anne doesn't work for you. YOU ACTUALLY ARE NOT FAMOUS or COOL or Remotely Memorable (this here, is a lesson which should be taught not only to shopgirls but also pseudo socialites, some musicians and people on Shortland St). Once again this is not directed at the lovely shopgirls (of which there are a decent minority).
With all that ranting I think I'll sleep most soundly tonight!
x.
p.s. I'm addicted to this, slightly embarrassing perhaps but lovin' it and it's kinda along the thematic lines of the post...though I am not in any way condoning the wearage of those tassled spanky pants!
p.s. I'm addicted to this, slightly embarrassing perhaps but lovin' it and it's kinda along the thematic lines of the post...though I am not in any way condoning the wearage of those tassled spanky pants!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Easter Monday Bumday
Riitenhouse- http://www.rittenhouse.com.au/
Feeling lazy lazy lazy today so just thought I'd get around to posting a new discovery of mine- Rittenhouse an Australian label. Shopping in Sydney earlier this year, I came upon Rittenhouse at Incu in the city. Alongside labels such as APC, lover and top-shop it stands out as a simple but fantastically designed, clean and wearable line. My favourite piece is the cord pinny (shown in Red above) that i got in the Navy- cute and (as I pointed out to my mother) trans-seasonal thus well worth the investment!
I'm off to spend the rest of the day lazing about with some Dickens- both Cheery and easy to read. Yay!!!
x
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Easter Bunny is not Baby Jesus' pet
I've always wondered at the ability of the young to keep up with the varying lies that are fed to them to explain holidays and . 'Lies' is perhaps a too strong a word, but between Santa, the Easter Bunny and Baby Jesus the wires between religious belief, fairytales and good clean capitalist invention were always bound to get crossed.
Easter is one of those times (like Christmas) when God and modern culture clash much to the confusion of wee children and the adults who are then employed to explain the connection between a human sized easter bunny that does or does not potentially "lay" eggs and the figurehead of the Christian church being cruelly nailed to a cross. For those children who are old enough (slash- care enough) to remember that at Christmas it was all about the Baby Jesus, the questions of why the Baby Jesus is laying eggs and whether the Easter Bunny was around in Jerusalem can be some of the more difficult to get around. I tend to explain such curly questions away by drawing attention to everyone's favourite part of Easter- Chocolate!
The questions once begun, tend to ignite a barrage of questions that can last for some time and are not necessarily religious holiday affiliated- whether Tinkerbell knows the Tooth fairy?, Does Snow White live with Princess Jasmine?, Is the Tooth Fairy Baby Jesus' sister?, Was the Easter Bunny born in a manger too? Does Santa gets Easter Eggs too? How the Easter Bunny get's around without a Sleigh or does he just borrow Rudolph for a day? ... I find a well timed appearance of a lolly-pop, television programme or any good diversionary tactic should always be on hand when in the presence of undersized relentlessly inquisitive humans. That,or some kind of vehicle on hand for your own quick escape! The lesson here is potentially to never have children or at least encounter them in minimal doses, engage in zero to no conversation and always, always come armed with a bag of lollies! (I generally have only risen to liking children that are actually related to me... unless un-related children I encounter are super chubby, funny or mean to other kids I like to keep my distance)
Given that it's Easter and I always was a fan of the Easter Bonnet competition at primary school I thought I'd take some inspiration, these hair accessories being somewhat more stylish than the bright purple and yellow combination I was so fond of...okay so hair barettes are not strictly bonnets but are probably a bit more wearable than hats for the less daring of us out there.
Amrican Apparel Floppy Wool Hat- http://www.americanapparel.com/
Mad Hatter inspired spring shoot "head case"- http://www.teeenvogue.com/
Mimco hair accessories- http://www.mimco.com.au/
x
Friday, April 2, 2010
Stylistic similarities- Boxing and the Muppets
Being friends with boys has many downfalls, the least of which is that a casual catch-up dinner on the night of the David Tua fight was never going to be just dinner. Needless to say, as the clock struck midnight (I had already turned back into my raggedy Cinderella-self given my lack of sleep circa 10pm) I was still watching large, heavy and copiously sweating men hugging, hooking and upper-cutting.
Unfortunately for David he a) didn't get the knock-out he probably wanted but more importantly b) his fantastic 90's hair a lá Bert from the Muppets has been replaced by what I would class as a more minimalist aesthetic. I'm not sure if boxers have stylists, however I think whoever decreed the shaved dome is 'it' has done David an awful disservice as the old 'do not only added height (thus slimming out his mildly stocky silhouette) but also provided a visual distraction for his opponents. I hope that David, being the trendsetter that he is (note: his boxing trunks are uniquely designed with a skirt-like attachment), gets his roots into action ASAP and that a return to the gravity-defying look is in the not too distant future...
Hope hot-cross buns are warming the tummy!
x
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