What do you collect: a Queensland Museum project

‘What do you collect?’ is a project started by the Queensland Museum as part of their 150^th birthday celebrations. The idea is to ‘collect collections’ from people all over Queensland and work with community to co-curate the results into an exhibition.

The Museum will then be delivering a series of pop-up Museum events in different parts of the state, I believe, working at halls and museums and with local communities who hopefully have one or two people featured in the project themselves.

 If you want to become involved you can submit a video, a photo or a story online. Or you can just check out what other people have submitted. Collections range from the more predictable – old cameras, hats and surfboards - to the unexpected – butter wrappers, taps and My Little Pony tattoos (you wouldn’t believe you collects those).

Personally, I collect stamps. Not avidly and not for any reasons other than ‘I like stamps’. But I’m thinking that maybe I should submit my collection. After all, there isn’t a stamp collector mentioned as yet …

Five for Friday no. 2

Flower ice cubes. Having seen this photo I just want to recreate the idea. I want to try it with juniper berries in ice for afternoon GnT's

Photo from A Cup Of Jo.

I don't particularly like Switzerland, but I think I should take Chuck there, and we should visit this restaurant.


For those of us not lucky enough to be in New York at the time, here is a website overview of the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition.


Re-learning to sew is one of my projects for 2012, and this Superman Dress is a good example of why I want to be able to make my own clothes!

Photo courtesy of Cation Designs.

I'm not planning any travel in 2012 but budgetary reasons, but the world's best inexpensive hotels makes me wish I was.

New Year resolutions: the 2012 edition

Photo courtesy of moshpitson.

I think the problem with most 'resolutions' is that people set themselves challenges or targets they cannot possible hope to achieve. They plan to go to the gym every day, loose 15kgs, sew a new dress a week; start with mad enthusiasm in January but in the long term, simply cannot balance out the demands of their 'resolutions' with the demands of their daily lives.

The best resolution I ever made was to learn to like the foods I didn't like. What makes this resolution good is that it requires progresive year-long dedication and minimal effort, making it relatively easy to keep. Don't like olives? Be sure to order pizzas with olives until you like the flavour. Simple. It worked a treat and with the exception of capsicum, I succeeded in changing my taste buds by years' end.

For the last few years I haven't made resolutions so much as goals for the year. They're less specific than resolutions and are more of a guide for positive personal change. For instance, last year I wanted to do at least 2 hours of exercise a week and have at least 3 alcohol free days a week. This year I have the same goals and also some projects that I want to do, complete with plans and time lines. Oh yeah, organisation.

So the back pages of my diary look something like this:

Projects

• Improve my German language skills.
• Re-learn how to sew and have made at least one dress by the end of the year.
• Finish off my Vietnam diary, complete with photos.
• Undertake a selection of DIY projects.
  
• Forward plan my life for 2013-2014.

Goals

• At least 2 hours proper exercise per week and get fit.
  
• At least 3 alcohol-free days a week.
• Save money. I do have a specific amount, I just ain't putting it here.
• Keep a written and financial diary every day.
• Keep at least some of my herbs alive for the whole year.
  
• Consider doing a detox of some sort. (Clearly I can't commit to this just yet)

This is quite a lot to do, so I have made a New Years Resolution:

Be more proactive!

A Pair and a Spare have an awesome blog post about making and keeping new years resolutions.