A Whole Day of New

Well, not the whole day... But it's after midnight when I start this, and most of it was a First Time.

After my morning students, I went to the Brisbane Art Expo at the Convention Centre.  It was so inspiring!  I now have so many ideas, as well as the Nike slogan, in my head.  One thing I know stops me from starting something is when I have so many possible ideas and none of them is coming forward as The One.  So I think I just need to start with one, doesn't matter if it's necessarily the Right One, and Just Do It. 

Next to the art expo was a vintage exhibition, and once you were in one you could go to the other.  It was very much like stepping into holiday houses from my childhood, stocked with the 'old' stuff of their owners.  Some of the dresses and hats were just beautiful, some had such awful scratchy or synthetic material, and when we saw the undergarments I was very glad I'm living in this age!  There was a Marilyn corner, with copies of dresses from some of her films.  One of them I adore and would love to have... if only I had the figure...

Although today (as in, July 14 - as I said, it's after midnight) is Bastille Day, we celebrated Columbia's National Day today (it's actually July 19).  A whole lot of people, not all of them from Central and South America, were partying in a park in Yeronga.  This was, of course, my mariachi debut.  The stage plan put the singer and violins at the front so I felt a little out there, but the sound was done quite well so it wasn't a huge issue.  Playing to an audience is always going to change things, and we weren't perfect, but we did a pretty good job.  There were lots of people dancing, especially little kids, most of whom were really dressed up and had Columbia's national colours painted on their faces.

There was only one 'green room' area, so as soon as we were off stage, we walked into a sea of dresses.  National dancers with the most massive skirts, and flower garlands, and suits - quite overwhelming.  I watched a bit of the fandango before heading off to dinner.

We went Mexican for dinner, naturally - to Villa Maria in Norman Park.  I'm pleased to report, my Spanish is improving in the comprehension department - I could listen to whole conversations and pick up what was being said.  Yay!  Of course, I also listened to whole conversations without understanding much apart from the charades so there's still a bit to go...  This place has nearly an entire staff of native Spanish speakers, as well as authentic Mexican and Latin American dishes.  There were 2 I definitely can't get at my 2 local Mexican places, so we ordered both and split them in half (just let me consult my notes here - I'm glad I wrote down what they were because I'd be very vague otherwise!): Tostadas a la huitlacoche; and Pollo con mole. 

Pollo con mole

I can't work out which would be my favourite, they were both delicious.  The tostadas were like crispy tortilla shells with chicken inside, and something to do with mushrooms there too.  The mole - how could I not like this?! - was chicken with a chocolate (but savoury) sauce.... yum... 

Tostadas a la huitlacoche - photo not by me!

We even shared dessert, a Mexican Flan - a cross between a creme brulee and a cheesecake, it really reminded me of creme caramels.  Does anyone else remember them?  Custardy gelatinous stuff with caramel sauce, came in the pot, easy happiness.

It's a good thing there was a strawberry on top to turn it into something healthy :)

Today's photo:

I actually had a moment of questioning this morning.  When I went into my room after breakfast, there was an odd phenomenon happening, and it took me a moment to realise it was sunlight.  It's been ages!  This was taken from the bus, crossing the Victoria Bridge after the art expo.  I like seeing blue skies, and I really like the effect of the bending light pole.