Things My Students Teach Me: Week 3

I can hardly believe that it is the 3rd week of Things My Students Teach Me. In terms of interest from you, thy humble readers, this has been one of the most popular features so I'm hoping it will only get better. I am, however, a little concerned as school holidays begin as of tomorrow so I may have to substitute it with something else while the break is on. Suggestions are, as always, welcome.

Today is the last day of March which normally would call for a wrap up of Lola's recent activities. I'm thinking that post may have to wait until Good Friday though because, well, if post-work drinks go well, I'm planning on spending much of Friday in bed, eating, sleeping and blogging.

My ambition is astounding, I know.

Lesson #3: Be subtle.

This lesson could also be called - Don't discuss body odour with a group.

Yesterday I announced to a few boys, who had spent the better part of their day hanging out in our classroom's air conditioning, studying for exams and throwing around a football, that they needed to rectify their deodorant situation because, and I quote, "There is a serious B.O. issue in this room."

I know, charming aren't I.

I got back to my desk and quickly realised I had mentioned this B.O. issue once before when, let's call him Fred, was in the room. The last time 'Fred' had responded that it wasn't the room, "it's just me miss."

Turns out, 'Fred' was also in the room yesterday when I professed my disgust. Oh dear 'Fred'.

Feeling a little ashamed I spoke to another boy, 'Antwonne' (so NOT his name but it'd be rad if it was) about it and he said while he doesn't notice it (the 'stench') that maybe I should be a little more careful or subtle about it.

Boys are funny creatures. They don't get terribly offended when you tell them their assignment is no good, but tell them you don't REALLY like the Lisztomania song they played you, they get terribly cut up about it. Tell them they need to watch their body odour, some will hit you with a spray of Lynx - Chocolate (because apparently "girls like it"), many will do nothing and continue to show up smelling of old socks while others will not say anything but be absolutely mortified.

So what would you do? WikiAnswers suggests:

Be as tactful and pleasant as possible, but perhaps in passing one might say in a humerous way "oh, ran out of soap today?"

Oh dear. This is the reason teachers don't like kids using Wikipedia for research.

This also got me thinking of other ways I should tone things down, or be more subtle. For example announcing to a table that "I have to go to the toilet" is really, probably unnecessary. Excusing myself is far more ladylike.

Perhaps it is something to do with teaching boys, you quickly get used to saying what you think, whether it is necessary or not.

What do you think is the proper etiquette?

Anyway, I'm off to have a shower, I'm starting to get a little paranoid.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

In my book, Melina Marchetta is one of the best writers of young adult fiction. She seems to hit the nail on the head time after time. I devoured Looking for Alibrandi in early high school and was so cranky when we didn't get to study it in Year 12. Instead we got stuck with Empire of the Sun. FML.

Her next book, Saving Francesca, was frantically read in the middle of Year 12 and the story of Francesca and her lovely little brother Luca who coped with their mum's depression, had me in tears more than once.

The same can be said for On the Jellicoe Road. I have to say, it had me baffled at the beginning then within a few chapters, I knew I had to finish it in the one sitting.

So when I found out that Melina Marchetta's latest book, The Piper's Son, followed on from Saving Francesca, through the character of Thomas Finch Mackee, I hassled the library ladies at school until they assured me I'd be the first one to borrow it.

Without giving too much away, the novel is set 5 years from when Saving Francesca finishes and Tom is at odds with all the people in his life who mean something to him.

Marchetta's stories are able to so seamlessly weave between the various characters in her books; they really are ensemble stories. No one character's story is more important than another's.

The novel picks up pace as Tom slowly realises what he has to do to "put the pieces back together" and I enjoyed reading his slow return to himself after his fall from grace.

Marchetta also writes these wonderful female characters who are bold and strong and full of life. Anabel, Tom's little sister, is possibly my favourite character despite only being in the novel for a very short amount of time. I look forward to the day Marchetta writes about her and Luca Spinelli, perhaps it would be the last hoorah for these fantastic characters.
I'd quite like that.

One of my favourite excerpts from the book includes a description of Tom's ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend (that's a mouthful!):

'Ned?' he says, after awhile. 'Oi, Ned?'
'What?'
'If someone says to you that the guy they're going out with doesn't have to prove how smart he is, what's your response?'
'That he's dumb.'
'And if he has a sixpack?'
'Dumb jock.'
'Not too intense.'
'Dumb jock with no personality.'
'And they see eye to eye?'
...
Ned hols up a hand to where Tara would reach him in height.
'Dumb jock with no personality and short-man syndrome.'
'Thanks Ned.'
(P.213)

I think that is just a fantastic summary - and isn't it what we would say/do for our friends?

Also, I was impressed that Marchetta used the word alacrity. For those of you who, like me, have no knowledge of this word it means cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness and up until now I'd never seen it used.

Marchetta writes:

In defence of her family, they know how to bounce back from an awkward moment with alacrity.
(P.219)

So if you are not quite sure what to be reading this Easter I suggest you go and buy this, because really, you won't regret it.

Going Home.

By 9pm Friday night I'd cleaned the house - meaning I'd vacuumed, washed all my school clothes, changed my sheets - and had dinner.

I was feeling a little homesick and a bit off colour and before I knew it my friend Sarah offered me the passenger seat in her car for the trip back home. I accepted and by 9am Saturday I was off home.

The need for spontaneity does not often overwhelm me but the idea of being home, even if it was for less than 24 hours, did.

Travelling tends to make me feel a little sentimental and so I thought I'd post about my favourite things about going home:

• My mum saying "Hey bub" when I walk in the door.

• The clean room that I stay in when I'm home and the fresh sheets that mum puts on the bed just before I get there. In my book there is nothing better than crisp sheets.

• My sister and I sharing our latest make up finds. I'm wanting this at the moment:

• Wes, my/mum's dog. He's a border collie cross with something and oh my, he's cute. He sleeps a lot and is ridiculously fluffy. He was a gift from my boyfriend in Year 12 and he has been adopted by mum since I moved to Brisbane.

• Early Easter. Mum bought me a few Easter eggs (chosen by me) and this guy has gone down a treat:

I chose the policeman bunny because he reminded me of my Dad.

• All you can eat breakfasts with the extended family.

• Pickled pork. I can't make it myself/would never attempt to but mum makes it so good. It is one of my favourites and she always whips up something good when I'm home.

• Seeing my grandparents. We spent a lot of time with mum's parents growing up, living with them when we were between moving and after my parents split up. It was a nice surprise to pop in to see them as none of the family is coming home for Easter. They're always so happy to see us.

• This picture, for me, sums up being home and it has been on the photo wall at home for a long time. It is in front of my mum's garden at the house we did our early growing up in.

With only four school days left until Easter I'm starting to slowly wind down and my immune system is fighting to get to the end of term.

I've got a few posts over Easter planned, particularly the to do list to welcome April and the fourth month of Lola.

What're your favourite things about going home?

Things My Students Teach Me: Week 2

Another week of school, another week of learnding.

As exam block begins and holidays loom, school is simultaneously speeding up and slowing down all at once.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike52ad/ / CC BY 2.0

Lesson #2: Don't date mean boys

This lesson is a simplified idea that came straight from the mouth of a Year 12 boy. He lamented the fact that girls always seem to go out with confident boys rather than ones that would be nice to them, and then they wondered why said boy would break their heart. He expressed the fact that arrogance, among young men, is often confused by their admirers as confidence.

A lot of what I've read suggests that people are attracted to those with, what we perceive to be, positive traits. Wikipedia tells us that "Physical attractiveness is the perception of the physical traits of an individual human person as aesthetically pleasing or beautiful." So confidence can definitely be counted as one of those traits often lumped into the things seen as 'pleasing or 'beautiful'.

I felt a little bit of, hmm, guilt(?) when this boy was talking about this struggle with girls because I know I often bypassed the lovely boy in favour of the jock/alpha male. This has lead me on an interesting path, one that meant sometimes my heart was trampled on in the process.

Hearing this come from a young person was surprising because I think girls need to hear this a little more often. Why would you stay with someone who didn't treat you well? Or with someone whose arrogance diminished your own confidence?

So what are those positive traits that make others so attractive to us and when do they evolve? What is that awesome X-Factor that makes us go, "Oh, I think I like YOU!"?

Perhaps this guy says it best:

Hopefully one day we'll all find our own 'Real Cool Black Dude'.

with love and lola film festival: part 1

My sister Brodie wrote me this email on the weekend:

hey sister, i was just hanging my washing on the line before and thought of a potentially fun sister blogging idea.
lola can watch new movies, in the with love and lola film festival, curated by me!
i can write about the movies for you to see on my blog, and why they are good, and you can write about them after you've seen them?
what do you reckon?
i was thinking like double features, where i choose 2 movies with crossover cast/director/themes or something?
lemme know! i have many ideas already.

She is so on the ball. Great idea sister. So she will list the films to watch and I will post about them once I've seen them. I'm guessing there will be some fairly differing sisterly opinions. That is what makes it all the more fun.

Bro has posted her first film festival pairing here. Slackers versus Clerks. Stay tuned for my review in the next week. Have you seen them?

Also, Bro mentions how she has become somewhat of a movie snob (she has, but that's okay) and how a girl on The Office would've taken Legally Blonde with her on a desert island.

Which movie would you choose to take with you?

I'm going with Beauty and the Beast.

Don't judge me.

The Power of One: Bryce Courtenay

Last night I finally finished reading The Power of One. I started this book in maybe early February/late January and had put it aside when school had gone back. Finally I started to read it with effort, a chapter at a time, until last night I was at that point of no return and finally got it finished.

And what a book!

For those who have not read it, and I'm guessing there are few who fit into that category, the story follows Peekay, an English boy, living in racially divided South Africa.

I liked Peekay. He's the smartest person I've ever met/read. Aside from Harry Potter. He is not only book smart, he's fit, aware of racial prejudice and absolutely aware of himself and the people around him.

Now, speaking of Harry Potter, I'm fairly sure J.K stole a bit of the Harry/Dumbledore relationship from the Peekay/Doc relationship we see unfold in the book. So much of Peekay's knowledge comes from people older than him and I think this is what sets Peekay apart from most of the boys his age. Clearly these wise ol' mentors have some effect on me as Doc's final mention in the book saw me bawl my eyes out to the point of blurring the page, just as I did in the final Harry Potter.

Unlike many novels, which mostly follow a character for one particular event in his life, The Power of One spans a long time.

We follow Peekay as he learns some important lessons at boarding school and then back home, where, with the help of a medicine man, he learns how to overcome some of his problems. We see him befriend a chicken as a 6 year old boy.

Peekay then meets Hoppie who, in my entirely personal opinion, was the one who really planted the idea of becoming 'welterweight champion of the world' in Peekay's head. I liked Hoppie and would've loved him to make an appearance later in the book.

Not long after we meet the lovely Doc and the Barberton prisoners and warders. This was perhaps my favourite section of the book. I liked Peekay's character here as the sweet, pre-pubescent teenager.

I found the story lacked quite as much intrigue towards the end as lots of the characters I fell in love with suddenly disappeared. I do admire the way Courtenay is able to establish new environments so quickly however, and come up with characters who we automatically love, despite only being in the story for 20 or so pages. Case in point, Rasuptin. I love him.

Sometimes I struggled with the Afrikaans words used but will be googling some of them shortly. I always generally got the gist of what was being said.

At the beginning of Chapter 19 Peekay heads back home at the end of term and says one of my favourite things from the book: "The joy of a small town lies in its unchanging nature." This is exactly how I feel when I go back home. There is something wonderful and soothing about the fact that everything is how it is supposed to be.

Finally, the most jaw-dropping moment in the entire book was when Peekay met a Zulu teenager he was to fight. The conversation goes something like (or exactly like) this:

'I see you,' I said in Zulu to the African who towered above me.

'I see you, Inkosi,' he replied and shook my extended hand lightly, barely touching it.

Notice anything similar to a film you may have recently seen? Perhaps one about Americans invading the land of the Na'Vi? And what does that American have to say to get in with the hot, Na'Vi girl?

Correct. "I see you."

Seriously James Cameron, you need some new material.

Lola learns Rugby. Part II

Photo: Credit

I had my first Rugby coaching course last night.

It was they course they run for the very beginning beginner coaches.

Still, basically everything the guy running it said went over my head.

He also said 'Sweet' a lot which is up there with 'Cheers' as one of my least favourite words.

I also took on the role as token female for the night and as such I was so afraid that the 'Sweet' guy would think he would be really funny and ask me a question about rucking (when you deliberately stomp your foot up and down to get the ball, or a head) or the correct scrum technique (back straight, knees bent, head forward) so I viciously followed the book we were given in case I was called on. Thankfully, I wasn't.

The most important thing I learned? I'm glad you asked.

1. If a player is concussed, he must not come back to training or games for 3 weeks.

2. If a player loses a tooth put it in a glass of milk or in alfoil, then put it back in.

Yep, that's right, you just put it back in.

This is my homeroom's Easter Egg Guess for Lent. $1 for a guess.
Any ideas how many are in there?

Things My Students Teach Me: Week 1

Welcome to a new feature here at Life Like Lola:

Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hokkey/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Each week, on a Wednesday, I will post here some of the lovely tidbits that come out of my job. Sometimes I am just dumbfounded at the intelligence, insightfullness and kindness of the students I teach.

On the other hand, I am also shocked at the attitudes of many of them, their perspective on life and their/my generation. Plus I think everyone can always do with a dose of youthfullness; a glimpse of lives that remain unburdened by work, money and grown up relationships.

With that summary aside, I would like to introduce to you what I learnt this week.

Lesson #1: Act your Age.

This sagely advice came to me care of a student I seemed to have some kind of positive affect on last year and have since kept in contact with. He popped in to visit yesterday and we were speaking about how exciting it is the first few times you go out and how slowly, but surely, that goes away.

He shook his head at me a little when I told him how I bypassed a party on the weekend in favour of a wonderful sleep in and some marking, and said, "You need to act your age."

I was a little taken aback at his honesty. Who'd have thought such knowledge could come from a teenage boy?

This was great advice and coincidentally, his philosophy perfectly aligns with the purpose of being Lola.

So what exactly does that mean, to act my age, at 23?

• Maybe I need to jump in more puddles? No, that's aiming too low. I'm not looking to go back to my pre-school years.

• Go out dancing more often? Possibly, but does it count if you can't wear high heels a whole night anymore? Maybe.

• Kiss more? Definitely.

• Keep doing more for me. Less for school? This is probably a good one.

What do you think?

People older than me, is there anything you regret not doing when you were my age?

Younger blog-reading gen, how do you imagine yourself at 23?

I hope you take something from Things My Students Teach Me and you can be sure that I'll be listening up for some more insightful tidbits for next week's edition.

Lola and Zoë.

The amazing haul below is brought to me by the lovely Zoë Foster, David Jones and Primped's latest lookbook.

On Friday afternoon I had approximately 12 minutes to get home, shower/primp and get on the train. I made it but I definitely wasn't feeling ready to meet a beauty editor.

I met Rachael for dinner first and then we strolled around the city and gossiped. At 7.15 she dropped me off at David Jones and I came face-to-face with Zoë. I mentioned here that I've been a fan of hers for awhile. I have loved her blog(s) and think she is super clever when it comes to how pretty you can make yourself.

We got given our fancy/tacky pink wrist bands and headed to our seats while a DJs lady tried to force chicken sandwiches down our throats. I took two, just to be nice, plus, they actually were good. David Jones - 1 v Karli - 0.

Zoë spoke to us for a little while about all the trends for the season. These include, but aren't limited to:

• taupe nails
• natural hair
• brown

She then walked us around a few of the DJs beauty stations picking out her favourite things/good things to get. This was fun. I felt a little like an ugly ducking waddling after its mother.

Good analogy Karli.

Thanks.

Oh and I also met Miranda Kerr's brother and best friend. They were nice.

Then it was back to our seats to find our lovely white goodie bags waiting patiently for us. They were heavy and full of lots of, well, goodies.

Check it:

Lots of lovely stuff to try and try I have. My skin is feeling super nice at the moment thanks to lots of these goodies. I love free stuff.*

We then got to ask Zoë some of our own burning, beauty questions.

A few were:

Q. What's the best red lipstick?

A. Blue/Pink for fair skinned brunettes (like me). Chanel's are timeless while DJs have just brought out there own, cheaper version of the classic red.

Q. What sort of mask do you use?

A. Any. Lots. Best indulgence is SK-II cloth mask. Wear these during flights for beautiful skin. Zoë also suggested we throw on a hair mask while we're travelling. The silence was palpable as everyone considered just how ridiculous they would look.

Q. Can brown-eyed girls get away with brown eyeshadow?

A. Yes.

This is what I took the most notice of before asking her whether we would see a sequel to Playing the Field.

A. No. But she wants to do 2 more books. One more dating one, and another novel. She said they'll be awesome so I guess I'm sold.

Then the night was over. I nervously asked for a photo.

This is what happens when normal girl meets beauty editor/also quite normal, just abnormally pretty:

I would've much rather met her last night, when I had a whole hour to get ready, with a fun front braid/side bun combo, good eyeliner and wearing my favourite Cue dress. Instead I went to film the Year 12 formal. Cue picture:

See, better makeup. And hair.

Please excuse wanky Child Portrait pretending to lean on hand Pose as I wanted to also show off my new bracelet. I love it. It is my gift to myself for my permanent position at school.

Yay me.

*Oh, the MAC wasn't free. I shelled out some of my hard earned cash for those babies.

My Whore? Horde? Oh, Haul!

Have you heard of hauls?

Lots of bloggers, willingly, or unwilling, post about their hauls all the time.

Confused?

So was I, when Bro first showed me this. It makes me lolz. Not really, because that's grammatically incorrect.

Urban Dictionary (runner up to Wikipedia for most useful source of information) defines haul as "a video showing a shopping spree... showing products or clothing that will usually be featured in future How To, or tutorial videos."

Or in other words, look at the awesome/expensive/super cheap/bargain things I bought.

I'm interested in this idea so thought it time Lola hauled ass and posted about some hauling.

Exhibit A: A fortnight ago I engaged in some accidental shopping and picked up the following:

Fun hey? $39.95 at...ergh...Valley Girl. I am constantly surprised that in between the terribly shaped clothes, fun things like this seem to pop out at me. I love this because it is already 3/4 length so I'm not inclined to always push my sleeves up and because it is really light material, a must for Brisbane Autumn.

Next up I headed to Priceline for some new cleanser. I walked out with the a little more than that. The night cream on the end has been so lovely to use on my skin, really nourishing and not at all irritating while I may need to use the eye cream a little longer before any dramatic changes can be noticed. It does however contain retinol, which according to my new bestie Zoe, is one of the most awesome things in skin care. But more on that later.

A trip to Sportsgirl delivered me this baby. My new standard, day to day black handbag. I almost branched out and bought a quirky, mushroom coloured one but decided the risk was just not worth taking. Black is my go to. And coming it at under $50 this was a bargain.

I meandered into Borders with no real purpose and that's when I spotted this baby.

I had contemplated ordering it but on this day at Borders it was going for 30% off. My dad would be so proud of this haul and my shopping luck. Coming in at about $36 this is my next step to my overseas adventure. Have I bought my plane ticket yet? Don't be silly, I have my Lonely Planet so of course I'm going.

Finally this plain looking red shirt that is in fact not plain at all. See on the shoulders it has that fun little ruching detail? Yeah so fun hey? Excellent shirt for work or play and it is not as dramatic as some of the shoulders I've seen lately. It has already proved a fail safe option for work and I'm even thinking of heading back to Myer for a couple more colours. At $25 I definitely think it warrants a spot in the haul.

So there you have it. While perhaps not a bargain when everything is totalled up, on their own each of these fit into my haul category.

Keep an ear/eye out later because last night I headed to a super fun event with this gal and I've even got (hideous) pictures (of me) to prove it.

Baking for a Cause

Wikipedia, the God of definitions and first stop for information, says the purpose of lent is "the preparation of the believer - through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial - for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus." Pretty heavy sounding stuff. My homeroom at school defines Lent, and the fund raising we do through a Lenten Collection, as a good chance for them to eat, not fast.

As a fundraising venture, Kellee and I put on a bake sale for our House group. These are the fruits, or cakes, of my labour:

I impress myself sometimes. The boys were pretty impressed as well, and with a gold coin donation per cupcake we raised $54.20 (20 cents? Go figure). On top are vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting, in the middle there are some vanilla with chocolate frosting and some with vanilla then on the bottom is my favourite chocolate cake recipe in cupcake form; Coco the Burlesque Wonder Cake. With a name like that could you expect anything but amazing?

The boys reported that they preferred the vanilla but my heart still lies with Coco. The recipe is from this lovely book:

It has always served me well and the recipes are made to feed quite a large crowd.

The cupcakes look so pretty thanks to this handy device:

It is called the Bake 2 Basics Squeeze It! And it is the handiest 'piping bag' I have ever used. I definitely recommend it. It is also fantastic for making cannelloni as you don't need to add an attachment because the nozzle is the perfect size for the cannelloni tubes. I know, awesome, right?

I'd love to know if you have any excellent 'bake sale' recipes. What would you pay good money, or a gold coin for?

Yesterday I was offered a permanent job at the school I work at. This makes me crazy happy. In honour of the occasion, Lola is celebrating (in my head) in this outfit.

It is a very happy, celebratory outfit I think. Very Lola.

Q&A with Lola: Teaching & Blogging.

The lovely Sequin Cat asked me this question last week:

Wanted to ask unrelated question: how do you balance teaching and blogging? Meaning, what would you do (if anything) if a student found your blog? I'm doing a Dip Ed this year and would hate to have to give up the blog next year/ this year during teaching practicums.

While I still get a little surprised every time someone new comments here (as in my head my 'reader's consist of a sister and two lovely red heads), this comment has prompted me to address the idea of being a teacher and a blogger.
It is interesting because these two ideas are intertwined in more than one way in terms of the creation and content of my own blog.

I am a media teacher and as such, I like to stay on top of ‘trends’ as much as I possibly can as a way to better understand what is happening in the world and how this affects my teaching and my students.

My entire career (ha! All 2 Years and 2 Months of it!) I have struggled a little with the idea of being a young woman and an educator. These lines sometimes blur, as obviously, the age gap between students and myself is a lot closer than it is for most other teachers. I finished school, went straight to uni and got a job at a school straight away. In my first year I was 21 and teaching 17, and some 18, -year-olds. "That's only 4 years difference, Miss." Well, at least they got their maths right.

This age gap means a lot of things:

• building relationships with students is often based on personality and mutual interests

• finding and executing a teaching style that it is honest. As I explained to my Year 12s, "I am not an authoritarian and do not have the years or temper to pull it off so this is how it works instead.." I try to show the students that I value them as people yet am still here to teach them, not admire how cool it is that they want to go and get "baked while watching Alice in Wonderland."

It means I can’t provide wonderful stories about the last child I caned (spelling is debate able. As in, "Last child to be hit with a cane.") or the experience I had when an ex-student came back to tell me how this one class of mine has changed his life because my life and theirs are only just beginning.

• The age gap is sometimes seen negatively, with one mum commenting at my first Year 12 Parent/Teacher meeting that I “don’t look much older than the boys.” Flattering? Or concerning? Was she alluding to the idea that I would be less capable of educating them?

• Also, I’m lumped into Gen Y with these guys so I find it a little tough sometimes to work out which ‘side’ I’m on.

This idea of being a teacher versus/in association with being a person is kind of how Lola started.

Last year I worked a lot. A lot a lot. I still do but Lola provides me with a personal challenge and is a source of encouragement for what I want to be.

This blog allows me to express myself creatively and engage with communities I’m interested in.

Also, it helps me to maintain a persona other than “Miss” because if we are defined by only what we do, then what happens if that all goes away? Plus I think one-dimensional teachers are just so uninspiring. We must all have other interests and goals and hobbies. Parts of mine just happen to be online.

In terms of posting content online and whether I am worried students would see it, my philosophy is that the internet is a public forum so I don’t post things I wouldn’t be proud of showing people.

I use this as a guide, whether I am blogging, tweeting or facebooking - if I would be embarrassed or ashamed of the content/image/subject matter than I don’t post it.

This means I:

• happily un-tag myself in photos if I’m looking worse for wear.
• It means I don’t use the C-word. Ever. (I don't in real life anyway. Not out loud)
• I don’t write about oral sex or erotic fiction.

If I wanted to do those things or document my 'messy/loose nights out' I would not associate it with my everyday self. I currently 'advertise' Lola on facebook and am proud to do so. On facebook I also have family members, co-workers, former students and former teachers as my 'friends'. Ergo, they are welcome to Lola and all the she is. If I started Skanks on Ice I would perhaps think of other means of advertising.

In saying all of this, I wouldn't tell my current students about my blog but if they found it I would address it individually. I will tell kids, if blogging comes up in conversation (which, even in Film and TV is RARELY, as in, never) that I blog but I would leave it at that. Kids love to know things about your life. It is strange. They seem to even find it interesting that they see you at Woolworths. So I think giving them your website would be, in a way, breaching a code of ethics (one that may not be established yet) as it is kind of encouraging contact outside of school.

I have seen and heard of many cases where social network is used at the detriment of others and causes people outside the initial social circle distress. Many people are not aware of just how public their ‘private’ lives are and I think that everyone really must remember how open to scrutiny our lives are while online. I will happily discuss facebook and other forms of social networking with my students but make them aware that it is not appropriate to be 'friends' outside of school. It is just common sense.

I have made guidelines for myself that are not difficult to stick to, otherwise I wouldn’t blog. Basically, I don’t feel that I should censor my content but the content I write generally doesn’t require censoring.

Clearly, I’m very philosophical.

So I practice what I preach to my students and present the Karli (& Lola) I am proud of.

Otherwise, what’s the point?

A Single Man

Tonight I was supposed to:

a) Go to the gym

b) Plan an outfit for a friend's birthday drinks

c) Write a powerpoint for Year 9 English

d) Start marking something.

Instead I:

e) Saw A Single Man with my friend Kate.

It was wonderful. Fancy designer Tom Ford wrote, produced and directed it and it is gooood.

Basically, a man is mourning the loss of his partner and planning his own suicide. Along the way he has some lovely, nothing out of the ordinary interactions with his friends and strangers. And a lovely, tanned Nicholas Hoult.

Actually, everyone in the cast is a whole lot of lovely.

Check this out:

Tom Ford has fantastic taste in men. I envy Julianne Moore so much right now.

You might remember Nicholas from here:

With Hugh Grant in About a Boy

Or maybe even here:

As Tony Stonem in Skins

Sometimes I have to stifle my laughter when I see him because I just think of him singing so awfully with Hugh Grant to 'Killing me Softly'.

This movie deserves more than just Colin Firth's nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. The cinematography was beautiful, with the smallest of details of the characters' skin and movements able to be captured. Speed was slowed and colour distorted to give a sense of gloom or life, depending who Firth's character George was speaking to.

It was such a pleasure to watch and to hear, there was so much to take in.

Firth is so honest and a real joy to watch. His character is so meticulous and the flashbacks between him and his partner Jim, are just beautiful.

For a more detailed discussion, I suggest checking out Margaret and David's review. Even David liked it and our tastes are very different.

Further reading see here to find out a little more about Colin Firth and to discover he is quite an interesting man.

Also, prior to watching A Single Man I read a really lovely interview Nicholas Hoult did about the film. He had also just read The Life of Pi, so clearly, he and Lola would get along very well.

WAGging.

I love Zoë Foster.
I adore Primped and Fruity Beauty used to be one of my FAVOURITE blogs.

Zoë is super funny and clever, and quite self-deprecating.

A little like Jean, the heroine in Zoë's latest book Playing the Field.

My housemate had bought this novel as a holiday read and was quite disappointed with some errors within it. Case in point, the leading man's name is Josh (he is very handsome. I just thought of him as Craig Wing basically but with a longer mane) and he is referred to as Joel approximately 3 times in the novel. Weird. My housemate and I both agreed that this was a pretty careless error. It sure made us wonder what editors are actually paid for and what their role is in the 'editing'/proofreading of a text.

Basically, Playing the Field is a story about WAGs, who are VERY interesting in my book (I mean, one has just recorded a duet with Wil.I. AM or however he spells his name these days and they wear high heels to football).

Jean is the 'plain jane' who foxy Josh Fox, star footy player, falls in love with, thus sucking her into the high-heeled, bleached, fake-tan abyss that is the life of a WAG. Sometimes I found Jean a little frustrating as she seemed so shy and quiet and then silly and fun and towards the end of the book she said a bit of a speech that didn't really sound like 'her'. Picky Picky. Zoë has left the ending rather open and while she says that in 2011 a book about "the underground rattlesnake boot trade is due for publication" I have a sneaking suspicion we may actually find out more about Jean and Foxy Fox.

Interestingly, Zoë and her long-term man, Craig Wing split up prior to the book's release and I admire her for lasting in that relationship as long as she did. I think it would be a terribly difficult thing to be with someone who is so brazenly flirted with by other women. Check out this excellent interview she gave while promoting Playing the Field. See? She's clever.

This is very easy to read chick-lit and I mostly enjoyed it. I do recommend checking Primped out first so you don't get too baffled as Zoë writes in a very specific way, incorporating Gen Y-type slang with puns and Aussie humour.

Hola, Autumn.

I got a text message from my friend Kate this morning that summed up my favourite feelings on Autumn.

It's finally autumn - this means cardigans and layering! Happy Monday xo

This weekend I really got to lamenting the fact that it takes so long to get cold here in Brisbane and I just really adore wintery weather.

Summer and I have a mostly hate/hate relationship. I find Summer puts me into difficulties in terms of dressing for school - to bare arms or not. It means any outdoor activity will result in heavy sweating/shiny face/burning. Plus it means lots of cricket on TV and a general lethargic approach to life.

Winter however is full of wonder and coziness. I mean, our winter barely rates in comparison to the Northern Hemisphere's Snowmageddon. We should be so lucky.

I thought it time to post a few March-type goals as a way to welcome a new season. I can't believe Lola's still going, albeit slackly.

1. Finish The Power of One. Anyone who has to read a lot in their field will tell you it is difficult to read after doing that for work so excuse my slow pace with this book. I'm really enjoying but am just plodding along.

2. Save some cash! This means: no buying 'coffee' (or chocolate, mint chip frappucinos on shopping trips, no buying magazine, basically no buying that stuff that you just don't NEED. America is the ultimate end of year goal and I will have as many frappucinos I want once I get there. Jogirl.com addresses this ideas in one clever post that seems dead easy to adhere to yet most of us don't.

3. Make an extravagant headpiece for a potential Easter Mad Hatters Tea Party/Life and Death Brigade event.

4. Learn more about Rugby. Maybe even go to a game.

Oh dear.