Aussiehalley - Halley Down Under

Do I have a face?

How about over here? Do I have a face here?

I spent yesterday morning trying to regain some semblance of having defining features in the facial region. We retaped the show, with lights much lower. Since during the actual show (on the tape) the lights washed out a few small details. Like having eyes.

It took a while to get the lights low enough that my face would show up on the video camera. After multiple scrambles up to the light board, changing levels and combinations, climbing back down to the stage, and asking Christine if I have a face, we changed the setup a bit. Christine stood on the stage and stared at bright lights- some with color gels, some just white- until the wussy crybaby said she was blind and couldn't see. Quitter.

It's not perfect, but it's better. And now, I have eyes.

In other news:
Last night, Sarah, Alae, and I went to go see this outdoor Bollywood performance thing, as part of all the shows and free stuff going on in association with the Commonwealth Games. Some 20,000 other people also went. Needless to say, since we only showed up 45 minutes prior, we did not get in. Along with thousands of others.

Instead, we explored the "Stolenwealth Games - Camp Sovereignty" area. People from a variety of local Aboriginal tribes have an area fenced off with plastic tape and have been camping in the gardens there for the two weeks of the Games to bring awareness to their cause and as a protest. All are welcome to come in, but you can't crash the fence - you have to come in through their gate - which is an interesting way of saying, "of course you can come in, but it's because we're letting you in. Stop trampling wherever you please without paying attention to what's already there."

We were offered the opportunity to go through a welcome ceremony which they explained was the oldest in the world. So even if it's just one of the oldest and perhaps changed a bit for this space, that's pretty neat. The guy had us line up along an imaginary line and leave all our bags and stuff. I thought maybe, in the way of making a point, they'd grab our stuff while we walked elsewhere. But that didn't happen. After introducing ourselves and being handed a small eucalyptus branch with leaves, we walked into a circled area, surrounded a fire, and put our leaves onto the hot coals. The leaves started smoking and we moved around the circle, each pulling some of the smoke onto ourselves, cleansing and purifying ourselves. As Sarah said, I wonder if we were purifying ourselves for the sins of taking their land... But he was doing it, too, and it didn't seem like that was what the ceremony was about. And anyway, we smelled nice (as well as like a campfire) and were cleansed. Much cheaper than a day at the spa. Afterward, we were welcomed to stay and enjoy the land and relax. I drank the "Sovereign Tea".

Then we went out for thai food.

posted by Halley @ 7:04 PM