New Year's Eve Eve

The number of couch surfers we are hosting has multiplied!

As a result of fully booked backpacker accommodation in Melbourne, we now have three gorgeous, youthful, fun loving Italians staying with us (Lucio's friends who bused in from Adelaide).

After an amazing meal prepared by the newcomers Ambra (the marine biologist), Raffa (the barista) and a few glasses of good vino, the box of wigs and spectacles came out to play.

Needless to say we've had a fabulous night and have welcomed the last day of 2010. It's now 2:47am and it doesn't look like we'll be going to bed anytime soon.

So without further ado, I bid you adieu. I'm off to play Miss. DJ for there are many great tunes that ensue.

Oh, and for those who knew me in the days of Gracelands, Club Safari and /or the Salmon Palace, I am happy to report that my mojo is in full swing... and if you're lucky, you may even get an "I love you" phone call.

Until tomorrow, open your heart and home to those stranded with nowhere to sleep... you could be harboring the parents of a future messiah.

Grace xx

PS. Patrick has written his own version of this evening's events... click here if you're keen to read his side of the story ;-)

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Au Revoir Paris

Tonight is my last here in Paris.

My former couch surfing hostesses come friends Rachel and Adelia joined Patrick and I for yet another picnic, only this time we were at the Paris Plage - a makeshift beach along the banks of the river Seine.

Our plan was to catch up with a band, however that did not eventuate. Instead we sat and watched dusk put on a rosey show behind Notre Dame. Stunning.

Apres dinner we observed couples doing the Tango by the river's edge and Rachel demonstrated her smooth flowing moves, which was just fabulous.

We've just walked in the door and I have to be up in five hours so I bid you adieu for now, and will be in touch somewhere in South East Asia.

Until tomorrow, celebrate the evolution of friendship.

Grace xx

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The hills are alive with bikers... and a milkmaid

You might be wondering why I am in Switzerland since it has nothing to do with our upcoming Tour de France tour.

There is a mega mountain bike event called PASS'PORTES du Soleil that attracts bikers from around the world, especially those with a penchant for gratuitous Swiss French mountain food.

Patrick is here to 1. test ride a BMC bike,
2. gather material for a magazine article (he writes for several publications in Australia and Asia), 3. test ride a new BMC bike, 4. 'rekky' the trails (AKA do a reconnaissance) and 5. test ride a brand new BMC bike.

Did I mention Pat gets to test ride a brand new BMC bike for an entire week? He is one happy chappy.

So while it sounds like all play, and feels like play, it actually is work - truly.

I didn't plan on riding whilst up here and was without appropriate gear. Fortune smiled upon me in the guise of a loaned mountain bike and free lift pass, though the gift Gods were short on Lycra.

Knicks aside, I simply could not resist. Most of my clothes however, were in one of the various laundering stages (who washes in Paris?) and all I was left with was a pair of stretchy Capri jeans, a tank top and ruffled cotton shirt.

I looked more like a milkmaid in search of an udder than a mountain biker in search of a trail. Hilarious. Needless to say I copped a fair share of odd looks on the trails. But who cares what you look like when you're surrounded by the magnanimous beauty of the Swiss French alps?

So this little milkmaid had the time of her life, not caring how inappropriately dressed I was for the occasion. It made me wonder how often we stop ourselves from doing things because we're not prepared. Sometimes opportunity presents itself and you just have to go for it.

Until tomorrow, grab the opportunities that knock - with or without knicks.

Grace xx

PS. A big thank you to Kate who gifted me a fabulous song called "I wish I could go travelling again" by Stacey Kent. So thoughtful and perfectly quirky, I love it. Merci beaucoup xx

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Le Tour de Paris avec la Musique

Last night we celebrated la Fête de la Musique (music festival) which, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, marks the beginning of summer.

I was invited by my host, and now very good friend, Adélia to join her and her friends at an intimate bar in the south of Paris.

I accepted.

The evening was a blast and words cannot aptly describe the magnitude of fun-ness. So where words fail, images and music prevail.

I've compiled a sample of the evening's joyfulness in a YouTube video embedded below for your convenience. So if you can grab yourself a glass of vin rouge, or a beverage of your choice, sip a little and enjoy.

So how do you think we managed to finish off this fabulous evening?

Well it wasn't a drunken ride slumped in the back of a cab, in case you're wondering. Instead, Adélia had to cycle home and I joined her on one of Paris' rent-a-bike-by-the-side-of-the-road deals.

Not sure if you know, but Paris is full of Velib velos (bikes) that you can pick up and drop off at any of their gazillion brilliantly located depots. Usually nearby a Metro station or out the front of a cafe so you have to be super careful not to make a spectacle of yourself.

After a quick lesson on how the hiring process works, I mounted my stead and we were off - sans helmet and avec high heeled Mary Janes. Very Paris. Very Chic.

For the record I'd prefer to ride with a helmet, but that was not an option last night.

We took over an hour cycling home so I imagine we covered most music genres (and departments of Paris), everything from jazz and world music to hard rock and doof doof. Tunes were beating out at bars, restaurants and outdoor concert arenas. Man, Parisians sure do take this Fête de la Musique seriously. It had the same vibe as New Years Eve - buzzing!

Until tomorrow, uplift your spirit and play some tunes.

Grace xx

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Summer in Paris

Today marks the first day of Summer in Paris.

The entire city is alive with music from sunup to sundown, and beyond.

So what am I doing here writing this?

Well firstly, there's not much sun about, it's very chilly outside and I'm allowing my hair to dry naturally (no hairdryer, and I don't want to get head freeze by going out prematurely).

Secondly, I have a big night ahead so I'm pacing myself.

Thirdly, I want you to virtually be a part of this magical experience with me so I've gone and found the perfect YouTube video to get you in the Parisian summer spirit.

So without further ado I bid you un bon été... now put on your dancing shoes and join me for a fabulous first day of summer in Paris.

Until tomorrow, may it always be summer where there's music playing - even if there's no sun about and it's freezing!

Grace xx

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Saturday Quiz No.3

I'm loving the Saturday Quizzes so here's another one for you.

Guess away in the comments section below and I'll publish the answer on next Saturday's post.

The answer to Saturday Quiz No. 2 was (drum roll)...

To be or not to be.

Now there were a few cheeky answers, which in a cut throat commercial environment would have been shot down in flames for being 'technically' incorrect.

Luckily, or unluckily, no one's making money here so we can afford to be lenient.

Christine the professional opera singer and bloggess extraordinaire wrote:

"Geez, this is a tough one, Grace. All I see are two bees, an oar, a knot, and then two more bees. What are you trying to tell us? That is the question. ;-)"

Srapbooking queen and master bloggerina Diana came up with:

"Two bees...oar...knot...two bees...what was the question (again?) :o)"

And lastly, fellow self-exploratory bloggeister Inga O topped it off with:

"2 bee oar not knot 2 bee THAT is the question! Love it!"

You are all cheeky monkeys and for that I have three virtual prizes for you. You each have won an imaginary masseur whose gender and nationality can change with your desires. Simply close your eyes and your personal masseur will massage all your troubles away.

Until Monday, have a wonderful Sunday.

Grace xx

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101 Dance Nations

Tonight was my last Bollywood dancing class before I take off for Paris on Monday.

We've been building up a routine section by section over the last five weeks. Tonight we put it all together and it was a dance sensation!

All in all, Bollywood dancing has been a blast and I totally love it.

It's quite physical - a lot of movement with arms above the head, shoulder shrugging, hip swaying and foot stomping.

It is also very feminine and graceful with pretty hand postures and smooth, sweeping movements.

There are also some quirky gestures like pseudo elbowing the person next to you, which is just my cup of chai.

Since this is my 101st post, I thought we could come up with 101 something that sounded like Dalmatians. So I after reflecting on my day, I thought of 101 Dance Nations. Cheesy I know, but that's me huh?

In the comments below, write one dance nation along with their trademark dance style. If you have a few, please list them as a separate comment. It'll be cool if we can reach 101 dance nations, which we can ascertain by the number of comments.

Until tomorrow, keep coming up with as many dance nations that you can think of.

Grace xx

PS. Picture above right was taken after class. It's me and my gorgeous Bollywood dance teacher. She's classically trained and is soooooo lovely. New classes start next Tuesday from 6:15pm to 7:15pm in Fitzroy. Highly recommended. Click this link if you're keen.

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Saturday Quiz No.2

To the right you will see a magnificent creation by yours truly. Yes, artist extraordinaire I am, I am.

I enjoyed reading all the answers from Saturday Quiz No.1 so much, that I was inspired to create Saturday Quiz No.2.

At this point, I must confess, that I'm rather tempted to make a habit of it. We shall see.

I won't give you any clues for now. Just have a guess and see if you can figure out what this picture is saying. Write your answer in the comments section below and I will announce the winner next Saturday.

Also feel free to invite your friends to guess. The more the merrier, I say.

Until Monday, have a fabulous Sunday.

Grace xx

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Turning Into a Pumpkin

Today was massive.

After dropping our interstate visitor off at the airport, I went to the gym and ran 6km (woohoo!).

I then did some errands before filming my Weigh-In Wednesday YouTube video (embedded below for your convenience).

Despite it being Thursday at the time of filming, I knew it was Wednesday in some part of the world, so I was okay with that.

Next thing I knew, I found myself squeezing in last minute 'must do's' before racing out the door to do my Bollywood dancing class (which by the way, I LOOOOOOOVE!).

Après, I caught up with some more Adelaidean friends who flew into town this afternoon to work at the Food and Wine Show. In the spirit of all things food and wine, we indulged.

After a delicious meal (don't panic, I was good), some gorgeous wine (don't panic, I was good - is there an echo in here here here?) and a great chin-wag (Aussie for conversation), we made our way home via their hotel - the fancy new Hilton by Jeff's Shed (colloquial term for Melbourne's Exhibition Building). More chin-wagging ensued. Thankfully the wine didn't.

A great night has culminated in me sitting here in front of my laptop after having climbed up our stairs thinking, 'I have to post my blog before midnight' - but too late - I've already turned into a pumpkin! My consolation is that it's still Thursday in some parts of the world right now and I am... okay with that.

What I am finding most fascinating about Project Grace 2010 is my unwavering commitment to this blog. I simply cannot say "that's enough for today". My husband's in bed snoozing while I'm tapping away on the keyboard, and yet that somehow feels perfect.

Am I crazy?

I cannot deny that my daily blogging has helped me through some really tough moments. I've dug up and healed old hurts, progressed though blocks, had a few laughs and even managed to inspire myself along the way. I'm scared that if I stop, I may not start again. So, I keep going come rain, hail or shine - or a plane load of Adelaideans!

Until tomorrow, if you have a commitment, stick to it - even if you've turned into a pumpkin.

Grace xx

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Saturday Quiz No.1

As I'm still in the process of filling my well with enough words to string a reasonable sentence together, I've invented a quiz for this Saturday.

I'm not sure if I'll do one every Saturday but we'll start with this, see the response and take it from there.

To the right you will see a photo of me circa 1997. Admittedly I went to town with Photoshop, but it's for a good cause.

I've recreated one of my favourite quizzes of all time and I wanted to share it with you, but I couldn't just give it away. It's so much more fun to guess.

So without further ado...

What am I wearing?

Write your answer in the comments section below.

Until Monday, have a fabulous Sunday.

Grace xx

PS. Click photo to enlarge for closer inspection.

PPS. Click here to find out the winning answer (at the bottom of post)

MicMacs

What started as a simple ride in today's perfect autumn weather to have coffee and practice French with a fellow Francophile, turned into an all day affair that culminated in a French film called MicMacs.

Directed by Jean-Piere Jeunet (Delicatessen, City of Lost Children, Amélie), this is a must see for anyone who loves quirky French cinema.

I LOVED IT!

It was beautifully shot, the music was deliciously French and by the end, I was holding my stomach laughing at the total absurdity of it all.

Just my cup of tea.

One of my favourite characters is the contortionist (pictured top right), who reminded me just how good it is to be flexible.

Until tomorrow, turn a simple activity into an all day adventure.

Grace xx

Dancing Queen

Last night was so much fun. After I purchased my $10 ticket, I entered what's ordinarily the group fitness (aka aerobics) room - but on this occasion, it was far from ordinary.

The dimly lit space was decorated with coloured balloons, streamers, shiny foil stars on the walls and, wait for it... DISCO LIGHTS!

The music was delivered by a live DJ who bobbed up and down as he spun some Latin flavoured tunes.

The room filled with around 50 excited women (and one even more excited man), as we waited for the dance leader to jump on stage and guide us through what is known as 'Zumba'.

We had eight minutes warm up that was basically standard aerobic moves synched to great music. At that point I thought I had been duped and had become sceptical. In fact, had I been closer to the exit door I think I would have walked out.

Thankfully I stuck it out and before I knew it, I was travelling the world through dance. We visited South America with salsa and cha cha, then we moved to an American 'hood with some hip hop (felt like I was in in a Missy Elliot video). We continued on to India with Bollywood, Arabia for belly dancing, Africa for tribal butt shaking and finished in Greece with my favourite, the zorba.

It was totally fabulous, and I totally loved it.

While I was grooving, shaking and thumping, I had a 'connection' moment. I recalled just how much I loved to dance, and affirmed that I still do. It doesn't matter whether I'm 'good' or 'bad' at it, it's more to do with how moving to the music makes me feel. In a word, BRILLIANT!

When I'm dancing to music I love, I am completely in the present moment. My head is empty of thoughts and my body is full of feelings (mostly pleasure, though at times my feet might argue that point). I delight in the sensations of the beat vibrating throughout my body and how the rhythm dictates my moves. The music and I are one. I am happy, flowing and free. It's so good.

Last night reminded me just how much of a dancing queen I really am. It's a part of me that I love and lost somewhere along the way. I am happy (so so so happy) that I reconnected last night. It's just like bumping into one of your favourite long lost friends - bliss.

Until tomorrow, put on your dancing shoes and reconnect with your dancing queen (or king).

Grace xx

PS. Photo is circa 1992, when I was a mega dancing queen!

Kids Competition for Adults

I spent some time this afternoon kicking a soccer ball with my friend and her adorable son. It was so much fun and it put me in a playful mood all day.

As I was driving home, I wondered what I could do for today's post and decided to create a 'kids' competition for adults.

Didn't you just LOVE entering competitions?

Whether it was guessing how many jelly beans were in the jar, colouring in your favourite cartoon character, collecting tokens, licking a Paddle Pop to within an inch of its life or sucking Sunny Boys till you got brain freeze, there was always excited anticipation that the winner could be you.

The drawing pictured top right was done by yours truly on my laptop's sensor pad - sans mouse or fancy graphics tablet - so please excuse the childlike nature.

No, actually, don't excuse it - celebrate it!

Once you've done that, decode the symbols to make a statement. Write your answer down in the comments section below (on Blogspot, not Facebook) and if you're posting as 'Anonymous', please remember to write some kind of ID - be it your name or clever code word so I can identify you should you win.

The best competitions were always the ones where the winner could choose their own prize. So if you're the lucky guesser, you can name your prize from the five options below.

1. One random stuffed soft toy (could be a Smurf, naked Cabbage Patch doll or Powerpuff Girl's blonde head)
2. Two man-dolls. No idea who they are. Purchased from my local op shop.
3. Three random she-dolls. May include a Barbie. Purchased from my local op shop
4. Three Random children's books (no, not written by me)
5. One copy of a rare children's book signed by the late Bud Tingwell, the author, illustrator and the two main characters of the book (yes, written by me)

The Fine Print:

This competition is open to anyone who is willing to indulge in the joyous feelings of childhood. The competition will remain open until the correct answer is posted in the comments section below, or until Project Grace 2010 comes to its conclusion on 3rd November 2010 (whichever comes first). The winner will be announced on Project Grace 2010 within 48-hours of the correct answer being posted, where instructions will be given on how the winner claims their prize. One guess per person, the first one will be accepted as your official entry.

That's it, may the force be with you.

Until tomorrow, may the feelings of childhood bring you great joy.

Grace xx

Gracey Goes to Bollywood

Last night I finished my web design course (yes, I know many of you saw it written down a gazillion times on my Facebook page - but not everybody is on FB).

Since the first week of March, said course had been occupying my Wednesday and Thursday evenings (not to mention my mind every other time). Now that is no longer the case, I want to embark on something else, something new, something... BOLLYWOOD.

Yes, I am going to start Bollywood dancing and am SO excited! I've been wanting to do it for a while, but the Wednesday night classes clashed with my timetable. Not anymore. Woohoo!

In my jubilant state, I jumped on my Mac eager to put together an image that aptly reflects how the prospect of Bollywood dancing makes me feel - joyful, young at heart and totally digging the idea of bling bling dress ups!

While searching our personal library of 50,000 India photos, I came across this fabulous shot of a typical Indian street scene complete with giggling girls, basket-carrying man wearing a traditional dhoti and of course an animal - in this case, a wee little donkey. Refer Exhibit A.

As for the cute little girl, it's a montage of my grade prep head shot (we call our first year of school 'prep' - abbreviation of preparation..?) sitting on the shoulders of my gorgeous three year old niece, who incidentally played Bollywood dress ups with me a few weeks ago. As much as she's totally delicious, I won't be publicising any photos of her on my blog.

I think India is the country that reflects me the most. We could each be described as a 'masala' - a spicy mix of many things that people find interesting (not to mention crazy, extreme, generous, warm, quirky, colourful, bright, frustrating, thrilling, hilarious, grounding, solemn, moving, inspiring, poetic and spiritual). Incredible. The importance of family, traditions, and the modern independent woman's battle to free herself from obligations, also strikes a chord with me. As for the abundance of all things glittery, pretty and girlie - that's me to a chai.

So next week marks a new chapter in Project Grace 2010 and that is, Gracey Goes to Bollywood.

Until tomorrow, think about what you can do to spice up your life.

Grace xx

PS. Did you know that the Indians use the term 'masala movie' to describe a film with everything - drama, romance, comedy, tragedy and thriller? And that Indians call all tea 'chai' and the spicy mix that we're familiar with is called 'masala chai'? Perhaps the person who coined the idiom 'variety is the spice of life' was really talking about garam masala ;-)

Make room for surprises

Remember how I told you I won $15,000 in a body transformation challenge in 2002?

Well this weekend, I started sorting out photos (which is taking me SOOOOOOOOO much longer than anticipated) and look what I found ->

So let me tell you about that night...

It was after 5pm on a Friday night when I answered a knock at the door. I opened it and was temporarily blinded by a camera light (I thought I was in a Nappy San ad). I was asked if I was Grace Mimmo, to which I answered yes, and then came the news... I was runner up and had won $15,000 cash.

WHAT?

$15,000 cash!

I received a silver briefcase full of money. The multicoloured notes made me want to party - but I was trapped (oh woe is me). No, truly. The banks were closed and I wasn't going to leave it home unattended... and seeing as though I didn't have any handcuffs laying about (my sex life wasn't so kinky back then - not to say it is now - oh never mind!)

ANYWAY, I thought going to out with sliver briefcase was 1. a bit suspicious and 2. a lot awkward. So instead, I declared a party at my house.

I called everyone I could think of to help be celebrate, but everybody had plans. Plans? Surely they could be renegotiated, I just won $15,000!

So we called our friends from Adelaide and told them we booked the last flight to Melbourne. They had one hour to travel 55km (34 miles) to get to the airport, which they did.

So the moral of the story is, leave room in your diaries for unexpected surprises - who knows when you'll be asked to celebrate one of life's magical moments.

Until tomorrow, be spontaneous!

Grace xx

SuperGrace

I did manage to get my sorry hippo self to the gym yesterday and felt so much better for it.

Though I often anguish over the thought of going, the reality is quite different.

When I'm there, I connect with myself in a way that my arse doesn't realise that it's massive - and I could almost go on believing that if it weren't for those bloody mirrors!

At the end of the day (or the beginning, or the middle) my time at the gym is just that - MY TIME. When I'm there, I'm there for me and not obliged to do anything for anyone else.

My renewed enthusiasm had me dressed and ready to go out the door with a spring in my step, despite it being autumn (haha, okay - not so funny). Then the phone rang. It was Pat asking me to send some information to a guy that wanted to write an article about him. This would not have been such an inconvenience if our server had been working and I was able to access the files easily. The sense of urgency in Pat's voice, together with the challenge head, ignited an instant 'Grace to the rescue' reaction.

Working at lightening speed I wrote a quick bio and did some magic tricks to send hi res photos within the tight deadline. Then... that familiar feeling of hating myself started resurfacing (like a hippo coming up for air).

I was angry at myself running around doing other things instead of following my initial plan of exercising, shopping, post office'ing, blogging, eating and studying before heading out to my course tonight. BTW, did I tell you I'm doing a web design course...? more on that later.

Totally furious with myself, I turned to you - yes YOU, the person reading this blog. I thought that if you are taking time out of your life to read this, then I'd better give you something good.

So I came up with 'SuperGrace' (see pic).

SuperGrace can rescue her husband and herself in the same day - she can do it all, no need to choose! She slices, dices and comes with a free set of steak knives - and that's not all - she can dress up like Richard Simmons just to put a smile on your face (and hers).

Signing off now... it's to the gym I go!!!

Until tomorrow,

SuperGrace xx

ps. Thanks Garrie for your words of encouragement - so happy to have my feet!