juno is fun...

i know i'm meant to be writing my blog but i'm watching tv instead, because sunday is for the god fearing, or something like that. anyway juno is on tv and it's a great film... i suppose i can do two things at once!! maybe... i went to a market today and i really didn't enjoy it so much. especially when i almost got chased off the site because, well, i run another market. i was there with my daughter to buy a birthday present, really, and it's kind of comical how serious market business has become!!! i fell into this game by default; a direct result of returning to my childhood city which has no industry whatsoever from my previous incarnation as a filmmmaker. the whole red lantern lead-up has had me thinking about film, a lot, so maybe once it's all finished i may start thinking of a little film festival or something. maybe there are some filmmakers out there that may want to come to red lantern and show their film or project it on a building or down one of the alleyways??? just to have a little bit of a film presence... a little bit like this image below. you're welcome to... so contact me if you want to come and we'll sort something out. so happy halloween everyone. hopefully your children are all off the walls by now or if you're a big kid, without any kids, have a nice night. zaijian!!!

tired tired tired with a capital t!!!!

i feel like i've been racing all around the joint today!! it's coming together but the pieces feel a little like they're wizzing around my head! it's not such a big town and i ran into people left right and centre today. 'miss fancypants' was on her lovely dutch bicycle on darby street and kept me company while i put up posters. coffee at one 'penny black' where i saw miss marni from 'renew newcastle' impeccable as ever. i visited a new stallholder in her fancy terrace on the hill and managed to stop for a sec and look down upon the harbour..... i really do love the harbour and think i have to take a breath and walk out along the breakwall this weekend and take in the salt air. it's funny how much good will there is about red lantern, and how community events like this, do give people the opportunity to try on a new hat. connections are made and sometimes you have no idea just where you might end up... but i'm starting to get cryptic and perhaps it's time to call it a night. before i do another stallholder... drum roll!!! the love zoe tjanavaras from oscar & matilda. zoe makes gorgeous resin jewellery some of which look good enough to eat. she is another one of the many talented woman in newcastle who really do astound me with the amazing creativity they harness and how it is often across many different disciplines. zoe is one of those women so come and see what she can do.....

have you met miss fancypants????

i've been a little slack haven't i??!! it's time to start introducing you to more of the creative people who will be at red lantern this year. one of our stallholders from last year is trish from 'miss fancypants'. trish is a very talented lady, with a fantastic sense of style, and is gorgeous to boot! 'missfancypants' has had a cracker of a year and is growing from strength to strength. any of you ladies out there who haven't seen her fabulous vintage inspired swimwear should come down to red lantern and check out the new styles 'miss fancypants' has whipped up for this summer. or if you are one of those sensitive boys, who wants to get in the good books, then i'm sure your lady friend won't mind....

leung wai kee buddhist craft and joss stick shop

so, sydney was really fun as i was saying. the noodle market was massive and an example of what you can do with a serious wad of cashola up your sleeves!!!! oh well... it was a funny experience. lots and lots of people but i think i enjoyed the asian night market in wellington n.z earlier in the year more. wellington had such a bustling vibe and you were forced to walk through a sea of people to buy food. sydney was very ordered and a somewhat anglo in comparison... not to be negative but sometimes i think our whole litigious society gets in the way of a good event... anyway, it was a beautiful night and hyde park is a gorgeous setting and the sea of lanterns was really beautiful. it would be fantastic to have as many asian food stalls in newcastle.. perhaps if i burn enough incense!!! i was slightly dreading and also looking forward to buying the lanterns for this years market. chinatown, without any knowledge of mandarin or cantonese, is not the best option when going to haggle for an event with a limited budget. last year i had a great time in a little shop where i knew i got ripped off but didn't really care. this year i went to the shop that the 'little shop' bought from. 'leung wai kee buddhist craft & joss stick shop' is on george st in haymarket. i love it in there!!! this is the place to go if you are wanting to burn anything paper for the after life! i'm not totally up on the complexities of the custom but at 'leung wai kee' you can buy paper everything for the spirit world and ancestors: business suits, briefcases, money, clothing... it's all rather surreal but very cool all the same! as well as a whole floor dedicated to such things there are serious amounts of red lanterns to be found!! i think i did ok! the whole back of my station wagon is now full of lanterns so hunter st will be very pretty sometime soon! at the end of my time at 'leung wai kee' i felt very special when sam, the lovely man who served me, allowed my to drive around to the lane behind the store and ring a 'secret' bell to pick up my purchases. i could have spent a long time in that storeroom...

only time for a few pictures tonight...

red lanterns at...

the noodle night market...

in hyde park 

sydney...

sorry but they...

are mobile uploads.....

because i forgot....

my camera!!!!!!

all things chinatown...

mother chu's taiwanese gourmet....

back from life in the big smoke! i really enjoyed being in sydney and it is starting to feel quiet normal to spend most of my time in chinatown. i spent a good decade living down the road in glebe and rarely visited chinatown. not sure why really???  i think in my youth i thought it was a bit tired but i knid of like that about it now!! anyway, over the last twelve months, since the idea of red lantern came upon us, i've stayed in chinatown four times and really enjoy hanging out there. my favourite quick place to eat is 'mother chu's taiwanese gourmet' in dixon street. once you get the hang of the menu, or copy the person next to you, the food is fantastic and the way the ladies make noodles, dumplings  and wantons is something to be seen. my first time there i ended up sharing the table with a young couple. she was korean, he was chinese, and their common language was english. they gave me the heads up on some really simple and yummy food that i wouldn't have known to order otherwise. so now i feel really comfortable plonking myself down and ordering a small table full of plates. the setting is fairly basic but it has the obligatory red lanterns, lots of bustle and noise which is how i like. mother chu's is in a small arcade full of funny little shops that always leave me wondering how they survive. one shop sells only bras and underpants that look like they came from communist china in the fifties. none of the lovely young ladies i see in china town would wear them although one never knows....but i'm getting distracted. i think i'll actually leave it there for tonight and write more on sydney later. i'm off for a little operation tomorrow and i need my beauty sleep. i'll fill you in on the noodle market and lantern shopping tomorrow.... zaijian/bye bye....

off to sydney tomorrow

off to sydney tomorrow to check out the the noodle market in hyde park. it's part of the sydney international food festival....tired tired tired tonight. not many words to say. i'll pull some special little thing out though! otherwise what's the point! so, i'm really excited that at the middle red lantern local band 'birdsandbelles' will be playing. shanna the lead singer makes my morning coffee most days at rolador in hamilton. she makes a great coffee and her singing is even better... i don't want to sound cheesy so thats all i'll say! birdsandbelles will play in morgan lane near 'one penny black'. times will be posted early november... night...