Melbourne has been called a lot of things. It was part of Guelphia (Victoria) and was almost named Batmania. The latter would have been great. This Tolkien-ised map of Australia lists Melbourne and Sydney as Morborn and Sidnarin and realistically, the Northern Territory is labeled The Northern Waste. As I haven’t seen (or read) Lord of the Rings nor Harry Potter, I can’t really comment much on this map but I can appreciate the imagination of this map. This also reminds me that I must try that chip place, “Lord of the Fries” on Elizabeth and Flinders St.

One Ring to Rule Them All, Mate
Map by James Hutchings

Technorati Tags: Melbourne, Australia, Morborn, Lord of the Rings

Event: T-SWAP A(Wear)ness
Location: Bowen Street, RMIT
Date: 19 September 2007
Time: 11am onwards (while t-shirts last)
Website: http://tswap.blogspot.com/

A team of student from the Applied Communication school have come up with this ingenious idea of swapping old tee shirts for brand new tee shirts. Each brand new tee shirt is printed with a charitable organization, and you get to pick one of your choice. Pretty nifty I must say.
(more…)

neomien has dropped into the ether of the net…..

Not quite, I’ve been working hard at putting a little birthday party together!

It’s going to be huge……have a look at the program.

There’s an Interfaith Prayer Ceremony at 1pm on Saturday 19th, a Baby Blessing Ceremony at 2pm on Saturday 19th, a huge World Peace Blessing Ceremony at 10am on Sunday 20th at a special Buddha’s Stage in the centre of the Square.

Vegetarian delights on the River Terrace and a free program of events in BMW Edge called The Ch’an of Tea, Flower and Music.

Check out the participative art installation The Bodhi Tree - Field of Enlightenment and the kids Ch’an Tea Ceremony and art exhibition Friends from afar at ArtPlay.

phew!

Where else but in Melbourne…………….
2007 Buddha’s Day and Multicultural Festival

A particular story has been, in the last two weeks, heavily discussed among several Metroblogging cities with great enthusiasm. I have been following it with a keen amount of interest, as some of the cities involved (and uninvolved) are places I’ve actually visited and lived in. Melbourne has not gotten wind of it - perhaps with good reason - but I’ll like to bring this conversation down to the Antipodes. Besides, Melbourne is too big a city to be left out of this conversation!

Virgin Vacations has, rather audaciously, ranked the world’s top 11 (strange number, but a ranking nonetheless) train systems with their own set of unpublished guidelines.
(more…)

Now into her 15th year, this annual event runs the whole course of February and ends tomorrow (17th March).

As the only open entry award exhibition left in Australia, the show derives its name from the tradition of selecting six works from each show to be reproduced and sold as Linden postcards. Linden’s collection of 109 cards is currently on sale in the gallery.

Part of my magazine work involves researching and getting ideas from images and pictures. I have an off day today. Guess where I’m heading to this afternoon? :O

Linden - Centre for Contemporary Arts

I groaned with great resentment when the new iPhone was introduced in San Francisco earlier this morning.

Ok, we get it. Monsieur Steve Jobs plans on world domination. First it was the iPod. Now the iPhone. Very soon everyone will be looking for an electronic counterpart to marry, make love to, have babies with and grow old with.

Yes, the iWife is de rigeur for all men out there. And likewise, the iHusband.

There’s an ominous foreboding in all this i tell ya.

Actually, is there anyway to invent iRain? That would solve a lot of problems.

Image from http://appleiphone.blogspot.com

Any fans of Japanese Manga should not miss this great opportunity to check out a pretty extensive list of manga-associated programs going on at the National Gallery of Victoria. Running till 28 January, exciting events include Manga Drawing Demonstration, Introduction to Tezuka (reference to Osamu Tezuka, the Father of Anime), Anime Mini Film Festival and Retro-Anime Smorgasbord. Click on this link for more information.

I’ll definitely be heading down to the NGV sometime in the next 2 weeks. Killing two birds with one stone, i’ll also be checking out Sneakers: Classics to Customs, an event that was highlighted by Zara a week ago.

Image taken off http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au

I went to the Melbourne Designer Market at Federation Square last week. I cant believe this only happens 1-2 times a year! There was some great stuff on display however more importantly; there was plenty of floor space for more stalls! I’d love to see more local talent on display.

I picked up the Melbourne Design Guide while I was there. It’s chocka block full of local design info, the Melways of design! Check it out, inside you will find maps, background and facts of all things design in Melbourne.

To the left is a design by Joel, a member of the Melbourne Metroblogging community. He has just had one of his designs from dirtflake listed for consideration on Threadless.
Vote for his design here!

This week I received a Christmas card from the girls of e.g.etal which was inspiring.

On the back it said things to give that will always be remembered - beautiful jewellery does have that effect.

e.g.etal was founded by two jewellers from RMIT in 1998, to promote and support Australia’s thriving jewellery design movement.

Eight years later, they exhibit works of over 80 Australian and New Zealand contemporary jewellers at two intimate galleries in the city’s laneways.

Handcrafted, the works are inspired by the natural and the man made. The artists explore materials beyond the tradition of metals - silver, gold and platinum - and precious gems to resin, found objects, Perspex, paper and materials found in nature such as stone and sticks.

For this festive season, e.g.etal will be opened every day.

No excuses not to give a gift that will always be remembered.

e.g.etal

I love books…..as much as I love my laptop - reading/browsing a screen will never replace the joy of opening a beautiful book.

And as much as I love books - I can’t STAND “super” book stores.

There’s just something about the rows and rows of pulp that chills me.

Give me a hole in the wall dusty store - piled high with 2nd handers (you can find amazing publications if you’re up for the hunt) or a carefully curated independent filled with crisp and clever volumes any day.

One of my absolute favs is Metropolis.

These guys used to be on Acland St, St Kilda way back when St Kilda was belle of the bay.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the area but it’s just not quite the same anymore - the departure of Metropolis, its replacement a “mega” chemist, heralded a new era for the area.

more after the jump
(more…)