Last week on Valentine’s Day, I was busy rehearsing some lines I was going to use as MC at a fund-raising function. It was the first time I’d MC’d an event where I was also on the organising committee, so there were twice as many reasons for hoping it was going to be a ripper of a night. And thankfully it was.
Called ‘The Sisterhood’, the committee did a brilliant job reaching out to Melbourne’s movers and shakers and getting them to come along and help raise much-needed funds for the cardiac research unit at St Vincent’s Hospital. As you might know, heart disease is still the biggest killer of all (when it comes to health matters) in Australia.
I’m not going to bang on about what a fab time everyone had, because if you weren’t there, then that’s just plain dull. But I do want to thank a few people who deserve special mention for going above and beyond the call of duty. And to a handful of those people, you have been elevated to hero status in my eyes and I will forever be indebted to you. Thank you. A million times – thank you.
The Deck at The Prince in St Kilda. This stunning venue was made available through the generosity of The Melbourne Pub Group. Definitely the best place in Melbourne to stage a glamour party!
Laurent Perrier for making our special champagne raffle draw possible. Easy to sell tickets when people know they’re getting a glass of such fine bubbles!
Also, to the many wonderful friends and family who bought tickets, some dipping into their pockets despite tight budgets, AND to those with enormous work loads who came despite tight schedules, AND to those whose companies also donated products for goodie bags – sending you all the biggest of hugs and thanks… xxxxxx
And to Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Cameron McGlinchey who came despite Nat not feeling her most comfortable right now, due to the exciting news of a second baby on the way!
And a HUGE thank you to my gorgeous, amazing and supportive husband, Fletch, who helped enormously on the night. Not only did he rally the crowd, using his best theatrical voice, when we needed everyone inside for speeches or the auction – he ALSO sang a number with Melissa Bergland, proving – one again – he is indeed a man of MANY talents.
THE HEROES
For me, there were also several heroes on the night – those who proved to be outstanding human beings for many reasons. Here they are:
(1) Andrew Newcomb, the Deputy Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery at St Vincent’s Hospital. This man is a medical genius. He spoke on the night about the breakthroughs in heart surgery taking place RIGHT NOW which means we all look to him in awe. He’s performed five ground-breaking operations since December, which will revolutionise the way aortic valve replacement surgery is performed, making patients’ recovery times quicker and easier.
(2) Kristen Kennedy is one of The Sisterhood committee members. Kristen also spoke on the night, and it was one of the most heartfelt and brave speeches I’ve ever heard. Kristen took some time to decide in the weeks before the event, whether it was something she would be able to do. You will understand why… Kristen talked about the tragic loss of her brother, Andrew, who died at just 36 years of age from a Sudden Arrhythmic episode only 18 months ago. Her words reminded everyone that heart disease doesn’t discriminate in terms of age and is an issue that affects us all.
(3) Melissa Bergland is not only a super-talented actress whom most of you will instantly recognise from the hit TV show Winners and Losers – she has a powerhouse voice! Melissa kindly agreed to sing on the night – DONATING HER TIME – which was incredibly generous. PLUS she is working very long hours on the show right now and had to start the next morning at FIVE AM!!! Definitely a hero in my book. Thank you Melissa!
(4) My anonymous Guardian Angel. A special friend, who doesn’t wish to be named, made an incredibly generous donation as well as proving to be an enormously special and supportive friend. Darling, I love you – thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Rachel Holland with friend, Julian Gerner, Melbourne Pub Group
(5) Rachel Holland was the chair-person of The Sisterhood committee, for this – our second event. I’ve always known she was smart and efficient (she is a lawyer, after all…) but Rachel’s work for this Valentine’s Day event went WAY above and beyond the call of duty. She and her husband Nick are also expecting their first baby, so she took on this extra workload while also dealing with first pregnancy issues and running her own successful on-line jewellery business, Eclektica. (ECLEKTICA.com) Rach, you are a legend and a wonderful friend. Thank you for everything!
Finally, it has to be said. None of this would have happened without the dedication and hard work of all my ‘sisters’ in The Sisterhood Committee. Special mentions for outstanding effort goes to Amber Petty, Kate McGrath and Sarah Kennedy. Well done, girls!
Apologies to any readers out there who may have been missing my blog posts and wondering why I’ve suddenly stopped writing. I think I started to realise I was spending too much time chained to the computer and not enough time ‘living’. Summer is drawing to a close and as a lover of warm weather, I want to get outdoors while I can and soak up the last of the summer rays.
On Sunday, I had a group of friends over and we sat by the pool, drinking wine, chatting and swimming. Heavenly. I think that’s the first time I’ve done that this summer which is ridiculous when I’m lucky enough to own a swimming pool. I’ve also spent a bit of time riding and walking in the sun – pondering life and it’s complexities. Necessary time out.
I haven’t posted a Blog since last week. I have been consumed by much emotionally – weighed down by the good and the bad – and weary from it all, that there’s been nothing left to put in to words.
(Plus, after running to demanding deadlines with a major charity event and blogging responsibilities, the house had fallen apart and needed a damn good spring clean. Cleaning is very cathartic for the soul.)
An older woman once warned me about getting involved in charity work. ‘Your friends will hate you, Jennifer,’ she said, raising her eyebrows and nodding sagely. Dismissing her words, I barrelled on through, taking on various roles with several organisations and blithely accepting offers to help. I am fortunate enough to be at a time in my life where I’m not working in a regular full-time job. Why wouldn’t I say ‘yes’ when asked to help with such worthwhile causes? And ‘There but for the Grace of God go I’ (even though I’m not religious) – that could be me one day down the track – with breast cancer, heart disease, or financially destitute.
I knew, sending out an invitation to a charity event such as we held last Thursday night for St Vincent’s Hospital, that there would be some friends who would open the email invitation, sigh, and swear – ‘Bloody hell. Not again. She’s (me) wanting us to go to some God-awful function and spend a fortune for a ticket. No frickin’ way. I’m SO over those things.’ You’re always going to get a few of those. The ones who love going to a free event but hate to fork out cash for something deemed ‘charity’ even when they’ll happily spend more than $100 on a regular night out. Or declare they’re just ‘tired’ of social occasions, as an excuse not to attend.
I know I should expect that and NOT place expectations on others. But deep inside, you can’t help but feel a little hurt when close friends let you down. Especially when you’ve talked about it for months, sent out ‘save the date’ emails and they know how important it is to you.
But then other friends go above and beyond your expectations and you love them all the more for their kindness. When they give, with both time and money, you feel more grateful than if they’d given their gifts to you personally.
I am going to write about the HEROES from that evening – exactly a week ago, on Valentine’s Day and I will post that later today. But for now, I just wanted to explain my absence. Now you know why.
Physically speaking, I’m naturally a lazy person. I’d much rather sleep in and eat ice-cream (from the tub) for breakfast-in-bed, while reading a book, than get up and go to the gym. Especially if I’ve had a late night writing – my favourite time to tap out words.
Most mornings I get up early to take the kids to school. (Unless Fletch doesn’t have an early start on Neighbours, but that’s a weekly negotiation…) After dropping them off, I love the idea of going back to bed and snuggling back under the doona for maybe an extra hour or two… but that’s just a fantasy. I think I’ve only actually done that about twice in my life. Maybe three…
Instead, I try to head to the gym after the kids drop-off and before work, but last year things went awry. My weight ballooned after giving up smoking, and then a neck injury meant I gave up working-out. Plus I was eating WAY too many sweet treats. Of course it became harder to keep the fat at bay.
Luckily I began the Cool Sculpting process in late October – more as a Blogging exercise really – to see if this freezing process would help get rid of my burgeoning muffin-top. Each week I went along to the Liberty Belle Clinic for a photo update and JOY, OH JOY, it actually WORKED! (check out the weekly updates, starting from October 30th last year http://wp.me/p29YsS-kK )
This inspired me to get back to the gym and try and fix the rest of me. God knows I’d like to get rid of those orange-peel flabby underarm bits…. Yet still, I was pretty half-hearted about the whole exercise regime, so decided I needed someone to motivate me. Someone I could be accountable to.
I met Personal Trainer Ross Sheridan at Fitness First in Brighton several months ago. He looked like one of the fittest guys taking people through their workouts, plus he had a lovely manner about him. I didn’t want anyone screaming orders at me like a boot camp major. So I grabbed his card and promised I’d book in. That was last November.
Then a few weeks ago I ran into Ross at the gym (after dodging him for months) and couldn’t think of any more excuses as to why I hadn’t made an appointment. As we chatted, I explained how I needed to be accountable to someone PLUS the fact that I was easily bored by exercise. Ross came up with a great solution. I couldn’t afford to see him twice a week, but he was happy to divide my one hour session into TWO half-hour appointments, with me promising to do some cardio work – on the treadmill or cross-trainer – for the other half-hour. A perfect solution. This meant I would HAVE to turn up to the gym twice a week. At least.
I booked in on the spot. That was nearly three weeks ago and I’ve stuck to it. Lo and behold, this exercising PROPERLY business is already working!!
So meet Ross, my new training buddy. Ta da!! Cool tattoos, yeah?
But things between us didn’t start off so great. This is NOT a bad thing about Ross. It’s probably more about me…. You see, the week I started with Ross, I started getting text messages quite regularly.
‘Great training today, Jen, keep up the good work!’
‘Have a great weekend and try not to indulge too much!’
‘Less drink, better food.’
‘Get ready for a big week of training!’
Now, I appreciate the effort and thought put into this and I recognise it helps many people stay on the straight and narrow, but it’s not for me. WAY too much. So I texted back.
‘All good. Probably don’t need so many text msgs though… Thanks anyway.’ Ungrateful cow, aren’t I?
But I thought it best to sort this out upfront before I became too peeved by it all and threw in the training towel. Ross was fine and explained that most of his clients like the additional motivational messages. I guess everyone’s different…
Now we’re getting into the hot and heavy stuff – BOXING. I’ve done this before and am loving punching it up again. It really works up a sweat. Ross reckons I’ve got a great right hook, so watch out. But I’m still pretty unfit and am exhausted at the end of every half-hour session.
I suspect part of the reason for Ross’ text messages is that he thinks I drink too much. Here, we have another point of difference. Ross DOES NOT DRINK ALCOHOL AT ALL. He hasn’t for 18 months. Which is highly admirable. But not for me. Ross is encouraging me to have more AFDs, (alcohol-free-days) which I probably need, so I am trying. One friend advised, ‘NEVER tell your PT how much you drink. He won’t know!’
Unfortunately, you’re wrong there, Mr M. At training today, I thought I’d omit confessing to the red wine intake last night. Nothing was mentioned about alcohol till right at the end. Maybe it was my lack of energy? Then Ross remarked, ‘Had a few last night, didn’t you.’ It wasn’t a question. I only had a few glasses, but still he knew? I think he might be psychic.
Ross has other talents too. He’s a qualified remedial massage therapist. AND he’s mobile. That means he has his own massage table and can come to your home.
What better way to have a massage, than to be able to fall into bed into a deep sleep immediately afterwards? He also does gift vouchers, which is a great idea. It might be a bit late to organise one for Valentine’s Day, but keep it in mind next time you’re shopping for a birthday or anniversary gift. So many people have all the ‘stuff’ they need these days, that an ‘experiential’ gift is often appreciated. And $80 for a one-hour massage AT YOUR HOME or at the gym is great value.
To contact Ross for either a personal training session or massage, email him at [email protected] or phone on 0406 331 697.
SPECIAL OFFER
Ross has a special offer for new remedial massage clients. If you are a subscriber to this Blog and would like to book a one-hour session, he is offering a FIFTY PER CENT discount to the first TWENTY readers to email him. Enjoy.
Sorry, but I’m too busy right now to write a ‘proper’ New Year’s Resolution update. I’m getting bored with the whole concept too. Twenty minutes till the official end of the day though – so I might just squeeze in a mini-update so I can feel I’ve stuck to the program. To some degree anyway…
(1) Sugar free challenge (apart from wine) – Not good. I found an open box of Lindt chocolates one night after drinking wine, (which of course drastically reduces one’s will-power) so I scoffed what was left in the box. Which was about four of those scrumptious round balls. God, they tasted good. FAIL.
(2) Not to play I-Phone Games – No Good. I couldn’t sleep one night so downloaded Spider Solitaire on to my I-phone at 2am and played that for about half an hour. And I haven’t deleted it yet either. FAIL
(3) To tidy my office before the end of March – Not yet. But I still have time. An easy TICK for this one.
(4) To go to the gym at least 3 times a week – YES!!! I have a new trainer who I have to meet twice a week at the gym and this is fabulous. I’m going to introduce you to Ross tomorrow. Plus I did three spin classes and have lost half a kilo. I think it was the Lindt balls that did it. TICK.
(5) To NEVER smoke another cigarette again – I actually felt like one this week for the first time in ages. On several occasions. I think it has something to do with stress????? But I remained strong and did NOT smoke. Big TICK.
Overall, checking the scorecard – that’s three ticks out of five at the end of week six. Not brilliant, but hey, I’m only human after all…
My apologies. I’ve been a bit light on with the blogging stuff over the last few days, but I have been VERY busy. You see, being a very-important-committee member of a very-important-charity-event is VERY time consuming. I don’t need to bore you with WHAT I’ve been doing. Suffice to say Thursday night’s cocktail party – organised by The Sisterhood – is going to be bloody good fun. And if you haven’t bought a ticket… hurry up!!!
If you can’t make it, at least you can read about what you won’t be able to buy or win because you’re not going to be there. And the prize list is pretty fabulous.
There’s THREE ways to get cool stuff on the night.
(1) Buy a $50 raffle ticket which also scores you a divine glass of Laurent Perrier Champagne and be in the running to win either:
– A TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR DIAMOND FROM BENSIMON’S JEWELLERS
OR
– A CROWN METROPOL PACKAGE which includes one night’s luxury accommodation, with full buffet breakfast for two at Mr Hive Kitchen and Bar, valet parking and complimentary access to the peaceful Isika Day Spa.
(2) Buy a $50 or $100 LUCKY DIP TICKET with the chance to win prizes such as Eclecktica earrings, a Cactus Jam voucher, a Microcloud Pillow, a Marie Claire subscription, spray tans from Body Bronze, one of my Booty Up products, a Breville Pizza Oven, a Liberty Belle Facial voucher to the value of $750 or even a Kaya Gym Membership valued at $1035. And that’s only naming a few…
(3) BID AT THE AUCTION. There’s only six items up for grabs and they’re all wonderful. Here’s a sneak peak…
(a) A HOLIDAY ON MAGNETIC ISLAND -Five nights luxury accommodation at ‘ONE BRIGHT POINT’ Magnetic Island Luxury Apartments. Featuring the ultimate ocean front accommodation, these apartments are located on the beautiful heritage listed Magnetic Island, just off the Tropical North Queensland coast. Magnetic Island is the sunniest location on the Queensland coast with an average of 320 sunny days per year. It has over 23 beaches, huge National park, shops, cafes, local galleries and golf course.
(b) SWISSE EXPERIENCE – 2 Tickets to the Swisse Marquee on Oaks Day, including transfers to and from the track, with overnight accommodation and a $500 Arthur Galan voucher to pick the perfect racing outfit.
(c) A BALLOON RIDE – valued at more than $600
(d) FOUR TICKETS TO THE FOOTY SHOW This award winning and sometimes controversial TV show is still going strong after 19 years. The Footy Show, starring Sam Newman, James Brayshaw and Garry Lyon is still so popular that there is more than a year’s wait for tickets. Four tickets are up for grabs to one of the live shows this coming AFL season. It’s a ‘money-can’t-buy’ experience.
(e) PRESIDENT”S DINNER FOR TWO – COLLINGWOOD VS CARLTON This Round Two match takes place at the MCG on April 7th. It’s one of the biggest games of the year. With one of the longest lasting and strongest rivalries in the AFL, Collingwood versus Carlton games are always blockbusters.
The Collingwood President’s lunch is a five-star way to enjoy the game. At over 400 dollars a head, the most ardent fans gather for a 3 course meal and afternoon tea at half time. As well as the blockbuster game, fans are treated to entertainment and a rousing speech from club president Eddie McGuire.
(f) A signed COLLINGWOOD FOOTBALL JUMPER – These are extremely rare nowadays, with Collingwood restricting the number of jumpers released that are sign by the entire team. This one is signed by each of the 2013 team members.
So as you can see, there’s a tonne of very cool stuff up for grabs and given it’s not a massive function, if you can still get a ticket (and they are limited) then it’s likely you’ve got a pretty good chance of winning a TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR diamond. I know I’ll be buying a raffle ticket for that one.
Hope to see you there. If you DO want to buy a ticket to our Valentine’s Day event (for couples and singles!!) at The Deck at The Prince in St Kilda, click on the link below.
It’s hard to admit, but yep, Tom was right. At the tender age of fifteen, he knew straight away from the title – The School Of Life – that something was awry. (see Tuesday’s Blog)
Being a huge fan of the author and philosopher Alain de Botton, Fletch had learnt that a branch of this wise man’s school was opening in Melbourne and thought it would be nice for us to go along to an event. It sounded fascinating. A chance to discuss interesting topics with a bunch of smarty-pants types over a feast of food. Maybe I would walk away with new insights into how we live our lives and how to make the world a better place? Surely I’d absorb some of the scholarly vibes through osmosis and magically transform into an intellectually superior being?
It didn’t start well. The floral chair covers sounded warning bells straight away. We arrived after most of the guests were already seated and were told to find a place. Anywhere. Sit with anyone. No nametags and no place names on the tables. Big shared tables. Now, I don’t mind meeting new people, but I’d thought we’d have our own table and the discussions on the night would be mediated by the MC. In a public forum.
So we joined a table and introduced ourselves. Me, knowing full well, I’d forget all eight names in five seconds. Already I needed a drink. The only wine on the table was sauvignon blanc. As any chardonnay lover knows, you might as well offer a prime rib to a vegan. EWWWWWwwww. I asked a harried waiter if there was an alternative. Looking very put out that I’d even ask, he said there wasn’t. That always, without fail, puts me in a bad mood. A pre-paid set menu dinner and no decent wine. Luckily I have a wonderful husband who knew what was up and quickly raced to the bar to buy bottle.
I picked up the program on my bread plate and read some of the topics. Fascinating stuff. We’d be hearing about things such as:
– Should we try to be happy? If not, what else is there to aim for?
– Is pain ever pleasurable to you, or sadness somehow happy? Why?
– Is love ever really unconditional?
– Does work have to involve drudgery as well as joy?
– When has failure helped you?
And that was just for FIRST COURSE…
Then Damon Young, the Melbourne philosopher and writer employed as MC on the night, began with his introduction. Erudite, witty, pleasant – he kicked proceedings off to a good start.
What I DIDN”T like was discovering that after Damon read out the topics for discussion, we were supposed to chat AMONG OURSELVES. With our new best friends. Over some of the North Firtzroy Star’s fairly ordinary food.
I’m sorry, but you have to know a bit about someone before you get into whether pain is ever pleasurable for them – don’t you? So here’s what I don’t GET about nights like this. Unless the mediator calls for discussion in the room, the guests at the table probably AREN’T going to stick to the topics because they are too busy edging their way around who is who, and who does what, before getting into the deep and meaningful.
So, quite frankly, I couldn’t see the point of any of it. I would have preferred a night out with my friends. I don’t need new friends…. much as the people on our table were very nice.
Damon Young was nice too. And an excellent MC. I just think The School of Life needs to look at how they run these nights because I didn’t get anything out of it. Alan said he managed to have several fascinating discussions that stuck to the topics. I missed those.
Guess I’m going to just have to save that program with Epicurus on the cover for our next dinner party and use it as a conversation starter then. Interested?
My apologies to overseas and interstate readers – this story isn’t going to be much help to you, but I couldn’t resist this one. It’s so hard these days to find original, quirky and PRICE FRIENDLY gift ideas, that when I stumbled across RED PROJECTS, I knew I had to do write a story. Especially with Valentine’s Day around the corner.
For those who might be able to make it to St Kilda, it’s definitely worth a visit. I was walking down Acland Street – deliberately to buy one of those amazing sugar-free yoghurt treats I mentioned on Tuesday – when I stopped to read some amusing metal signs featuring astrology traits, which were sitting outside a shop.
In fact, it was the Aries description that caught my eye, (you can buy both negative and positive versions for each star sign) because that’s supposed to be about Fletch. Which clearly it isn’t. Self-centred? Bossy? Never. There’s only one word that applies and that’s probably Too Much Information. (guesses welcome in the comments section)
Next to the star signs was a canvas that also appealed. I was looking for something masculine and neutral for Tom’s bedroom, and wondered whether the Melbourne locations board might suit. At a sale price of just $75, I thought that was pretty good value so decided to check out what else was inside the store.
And there I met Carolin, who said she’s had Red Projects for about seven years. She started up in Port Melbourne but moved to St Kilda when the rent became too steep.
‘It’s a smaller space,’ said Carolin.’ But I live in St Kilda and I love it here, so it’s great to live and work in the same suburb.’
The shop might be small, but it’s jam packed with hidden treasures. Carolin says she never buys anything for the shop that she wouldn’t buy herself.
Her love of St Kilda is reflected in the shop’s wall mural, painted by local artist Greg Irvine, which highlights all the local landmarks.
Given Valentine’s Day is just next week, I asked Carolin what her best suggestions were for gifts. There’s plenty of jewellery to pick from – an appropriate piece for next week being these sterling silver heart pendants – designed by Carolin herself.
Carolin says she loves being in the gift business. ‘ I love to shop. It’s great because I get to go to the trade fairs and it’s like shopping for myself, except I get to buy multiples in every colour!’
These bells are also a popular gift, (and very economical!!) but Carolin says they don’t come with guaranteed results.
I asked Carolin how she deals with difficult customers who don’t know what they’re looking for.
‘It is a challenge and it’s difficult,’ she said. ‘But if I really can’t find something for the customer myself, I leave them to look on their own and generally they always find something.’
It would be hard NOT to find something that suits. Carolin is also big on SIGNS. There are signs everywhere – wooden, metal, big small – all featuring quirky sayings or pearls of wisdom. One set of smaller wooden signs comes from a couple that live in the country and make them by hand. Mostly they’re about pets.
As for QUIRKY, there’s plenty that fits the bill here… How about a Phrenology head or china palm-reading hand???
But the weirdest ones of all are the Vegetable Pets. I’m not sure who would actually buy them, but there are fascinating… and quite ugly. I mean, a Cauliflower dog? Seriously? At least they’re cheap…
Cabbage fish and sweet potato guinea pig- both $15
VINTAGE
Carolin is also keen on vintage designs. If you’re looking for extra special gift cards, these classics are priceless. Made by an artist in Byron Bay, they feature vintage images on balsa wood, which is then pasted to the card. Beautiful!
But no. I need to grow up. Learn the great lessons of life and bestow that wisdom upon my children. Luckily there are dozens of different wise owls hanging around Carolin’s shop so I browsed and I browsed….
Sometimes I wish I’d done an official computer course. The longer I write this Blog, the more I’m finding out about how websites operate and how much I NEED to learn!
For instance, after meeting with my lovely website consultant a few days ago, I only just discovered how the ads on my OWN website work… Pathetic, I know.
I just thought they sat in the side bar, so that people could look at them and know where to go if they wanted to follow up on something. Like a billboard that gives you something to look at if you’re stuck in a traffic jam on Punt Road. (Which happens all the time…)
BUT I learnt that if you actually CLICK on these ads, they give you a lot more information, by taking you to that companies actual website. Durhhh…
SO, for instance, if you want to go to the Guns and Roses concert, you just click on the ad on my Welcome page, or when you’re reading a story like this one, and it takes you straight to the place you need to go to buy tickets.
If you want to enter the Australian Grand Prix Run on March 10th, click on that ad. Or if you’re needing a fab haircut, check out the glamorous Salon Golightly salon ad and book in with Justin.
There – just thought I needed to share that with you.
And another thing. So I can attempt to make a living from writing, there will be more ads appearing shortly on this Blog. This is good news because it means the Blog is growing rapidly in popularity and I now have great figures to justify ads. But I promise NEVER to EVER allow any of those nasty, loud, in-your-face, POP-UP ads that drive people insane. Me, in particular. I HATE those. They’re scary…
If anyone is interested in placing ads on our website, please contact Kelly at [email protected] for a quote.
When I told our 15-year-old-son what we were doing this week, he rolled his eyes with all the worldly scorn and condescension only a teen his age can muster. ‘Are you serious?’ he scoffed. ‘Someone has actually called this The School of Life? Don’t they know how ridiculous that sounds?’ Before I could even attempt to explain, he snorted derisively and walked away.
It may sound ridiculous to him, but the school’s founder – philosopher and best-selling author Alain de Botton – appears to be right on the money when it comes to finding a popular social concept.
The Swiss-born British writer, now living in the US, opened his first School of Life in London in 2008. There, you can take part in social events and short courses designed to offer ‘good ideas for everyday life.’
It’s all about people getting together to discuss deep and meaningful philosophical issues for entertainment, rather than going to the local pub for the three-thousandth time and getting inebriated with your mates to the point where you have little recollection as to the night’s events. It seems people must be tiring of that exercise, because de Botton’s courses are in high demand and most often sold out.
We know this because de Botton opened a School of Life here in Melbourne only last week. Fletch is a big fan of de Botton’s work, and has studied philosophy academically, so suggested we might like to try a session or two. There’s nothing he loves more than an all-consuming philosophical debate. And I love new ideas for a night out – plus it’s something we can do together, (rather than Fletch’s current passion, golf, which I still find a tad dull) so I readily agreed. But by the time we managed to look at the calendar and choose an event, we’d go on-line only to find it had been sold out. And this happened not once, but several times.
There’s plenty of engaging topics to pick from. Things like ‘How to Balance Work with Life’ (yes please!) ‘How Necessary is a Relationship’, ‘How to Make Love Last’, ‘How to Find a Job You Love’, ‘How to Face Death’ (not yet, thanks…) and ‘How to Fill the God Shaped Hole’. Just to name a few…
The London school sums it up on it’s website as “services concerned with how to live wisely and well. We address such questions as why work is often unfulfilling, why relationships can be so challenging, why it’s ever harder to stay calm and what one could do to try to change the world for the better.”
All pretty worthy issues to ponder, don’t you think? The one night we did manage to score tickets for is called “A Dinner with Epicurus’.
I’m pretty happy about this as apparently the sign on Epicurus’ garden gate read: “Stranger, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure.” I’m all for pleasure – bring it on. Apparently we’ll be seated in the comforting ambience of the North Fitzroy Star, with not only a feast of food, but plenty of conversation stoppers on the menu – mostly about appreciating life’s most important pleasures.
Leading us through the discussion will be renowned philosopher and writer, Damon Young. He’ll help us explore topics such as ethics and religion, and friendship and happiness. If all goes well, I should leave with a satisfied tummy AND a revitalised understanding of the pleasures of living wisely and well. Hip hip hooray.
The only bit I’m not clapping about is ‘the chance for in-depth conversation with a number of other guests.’ That could be a bit TOO intense… Can’t I just listen?
In case you need reminding, Alain de Botton’s most recent best seller ‘Religion for Atheists’ topped Australia’s book lists for the large part of last year and has been critically acclaimed by most – apart from one bloke from the new York Times, who had this to say:
“Many of us would rather live frustrated in the company of the believers than fulfilled in this flatland of the atheists. The atheists know what they don’t believe in, but they don’t seem to know what they don’t feel. This is a gap that has existed for centuries, and de Botton doesn’t fill it.”
Hmmm, that’s food for thought for another blog altogether… keeping in mind we’ve always been taught the two things NOT to chat about are religion and politics.
Which brings me to the one course the School of Life repeats over and over, which is ALWAYS sold out – ‘The Art of Conversation’. Now, anyone who knows me would probably agree I’m not usually stuck for words when it comes to having a chat. Nor am I what you would call a ‘shy and retiring’ type. But I would like to know what The School of Life considers a good conversationalist. I’m intrigued as to the advice offered. I’m determined to get in to this course, whatever it takes. I need to know. What if I’ve been getting it wrong all these years???
There’s many a fashion guru out there who scoff at that old wardrobe essential – leggings. I’ve been known to join them in that catch-cry you scream in your head when you see someone down the street, wearing leggings the WRONG way.
But leggings ARE great when you realise that mini-dress you used to wear is now WAY too short, but could be a nice top if worn over leggings. And what about the long-jumper-with-boots-look over leggings? That can look pretty cool, worn the right way…
Then I came across this look the other day, from one of my favourite overseas stores, All Saints.( It’s one of those seriously cool stores you imagine someone like Johnny Depp might stroll into.) They’ve managed to incorporate a skirt into the legging – making it an all-in-one piece – the perfect solution for those of us concerned we might commit a fashion sin. These are foolproof! You CAN’T go wrong!!
There’s even a cropped version, although I think I prefer the full length style, myself.
Sadly, All Saints hasn’t opened a store in Australia yet, but you can order on-line at http://www.allsaints.com
A warning – it’s dangerous, as I just know you’ll be tempted to buy more than just the leggings. And don’t forget the price tag is in POUNDS – so it’s almost double in Aussie dollars.
This was another piece I fell in love with – the Blaize jumper dress – so simple and versatile, yet uber stylish. Not to mention that necklace… Love it!
