What I've been up to

I've felt a little out of the blogging loop lately and there's pretty good explanation why; I've been a tad busy. The other thing is, a new iphone has meant instagram is now working for me again - I've been following you all on that! Follow me.

Without much more ramble, here's what I've been up to.

1. Tea and Debussy's Passepied until midnight hours.
2. Dreaming about pedicures! My ballet exams are on; 1 down, 1 to go. Thought I'd insert my battle wounds for proof, dead toenails and all.
3. Spending time with friends that energise me. In pretty spaces.
4. Thank you for the beautiful leather, Nutsa Modebadze.
4. Ring-a-ding-ding. Accessorizing my digits.
5. Lunch runs (when I can make it). Krystal from Village, you'd be mighty proud!
6. Figuring out how I'm wired.
7. Practice makes perfect (and for a healthy, happy body). You know you can get your own basic "ballet" workout here or here.

#AugustChallenge anyone?

training...and training...and training...

6 months, 5 pairs of pointes, 2 tubes of voltaren = productivity at its best!

Anyone keen to get an #AugustChallenge started?

I'm tackling a few this month (ballet training whether I like it or not); it'll be my heaviest month of training and shape-shifting:

#AugustWhole30 is on, for the next 30 days. Follow my Whole30 Wednesdays for support.
A #LunchRun will be taking priority a few times a week to detox my cluttered mind.
#MorningBallet sessions will have me training before the stars fade away. Every day.

ballet wake-up calls

Can't wait. Let me know if you're tackling a challenge of your own.

By the way, although (very) late jumping on board, I'm on twitter (I know). Let's link and #AugustChallenge the month away.

Have a great week guys.  Maria x

Oh, Odette

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Swan Lake is in town kids! I'm thrilled to bits to be able to see the Australian Ballet's show in Adelaide; my ticket to their closing night sits proudly on my dresser. The best bit is, last night I got news I'm in the Masterclass with Australian Ballet's Lisa Bolte; to put a few of us through our paces to this solo from SL Act 2 - Odette. Pinch me now and (try) pin me down.

Friday's Finds / story time

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Clouds are hiding the sun and rain drops are falling in my scrunched up hair - that's how I'm greeting this weekend and things couldn't be better. Coming to the end of a bumper week has me with a summer-type spring in my step, and for good reason; two days lie ahead to indulging in my favourites (more about that in a sec). Before we kick off into weekend games (and a story about my weekend plans below), here are the few finds I saved for today.



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1. Hecker Guthrie is back on my blog but this time spilling secrets on all things leather. 

Told you these guys are gold.

 

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2. A bloody good (dance) tumblr.

 

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3. One of my girlfriends and I have gone all neutrally-toned in the makeup department. You too? Here are some tricks to nail the look.

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As I was about to say, I've become good at the 'busy' thing and have expertly packed a weekend of  just about every little thing I love. I know you're on the edge of your seats hanging to hear just what I've got up my sleeve (you are, right?). My heart is skipping beats I'm so darn excited. So bloody excited I'm going to list them for you (this list is as organised as I've been in a long time):

1. Fine-tuning my piano skills (did someone say diploma?) has got me like a fat kid with cake. Why, you ask? I have this stupid thing I like to drown in called self-doubt. Years ago I had the whole thing down pat it held me back from everything my bones yearned for. My point is, I've finally shaken that rotten old blanket of doubt from my shoulders. Finally. Turns out I was actually half OK at my piano thing and my teacher has planted my into finishing my Dip. Performance.

2. You may recall me mentioning something about a 'new canvas' and how I'm ready to get painting again. Well, that canvas is still very, very new with not a drop of inspiration staining it. This weekend is changing all that...stay tuned.



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3. Most of you know me pretty well by now. If I'm not baking, I'm painting; if I'm not painting, I'm drinking coffee; if I'm not drinking coffee, I'm sipping wine with the boy; if I'm not indulging in that, I'm at ballet training. And this weekend is a big ballet weekend. I have a few hours booked with my original ballet teacher to put my skills before her critical eye in the stunning (massive) ballroom of her home. I'm a sucker for punishment (and big, open dance spaces) and she's the master of the art.  She's known me since I was a 3yo bambino; she knows my excuses, she knows my cop-outs and knows just the right pitch of 'scream' to get my butt moving! I. Cannot. Wait.

If you're still reading, you're absolutely all-kinds-of-wonderful. Thank you. Take a deep breath, there's no more story telling from me. Just a quick happy-weekend wish! Are you up to anything fun? xo

Power in disguise

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We've all got one of those things that adds a little fuel to our souls making us live that little bit louder. Ballet in its raw discipline, strength and artistry is my thing. The challenge (as a dancer) to seamlessly disguise a fierce muscular power with flawless grace is the greatest thing my body knows.



pain in grace

I had the most amusing conversation with a gym-goer the other day; in the middle of my skipping-rope spins she saw it as a great time to chat and asked what I do other than 'jump-rope' for fitness and muscle tone. My reply (mid jump) was "ballet, a lot of it." Skipping rope still spinning, I smiled (even if a little unsettled) at the frowned confusion that came upon her. Then there was the verbal reply which had my rope slamming to a halt. "Oh, right...ballet. But ballet dancers are really, really skinny. I guess you're... small...but...strong?" I should mention, I'm perfectly happy with my build less commonly related to that of a ballet dancer (I'm not anorexic).

That conversation plus a few more have shifted my thinking to the masked strength of the ballet dancer and how often this talent gets a confused wrap. I've been confronted with the opinion that the ballet barre is lined with delicate, fingernail-precious men and wafer-thin-lettuce-munching ladies (admittedly, I do have lettuce for lunch today...); prancing-folk that just don't cut it in the athletic department! I won't deny that there's the dancer who has a touch more of a delicate side that to him and the female who's bony limbs look a little less nourished. Thing is, the ballet dancer has to be one heck of an athlete, stable-as-a-rock, machine-like with a physique envied by the heaviest of gym-junkie-weight-lifting-posers.

A ballet dancer is trained to fool their audience in thinking the most challenging feats to be effortless, weightless, dream-like visions of artistry. I guess, if I go by the conversations of late, I can say they're doing a damn good job of it! Sneaky little rascals.




male dancer, female dancer




maximum, single handed



male dancer

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Enjoy the few images that say a tonne more than words could.

What I've been up to

 

If you're interested (which is possible), here's my ramble on the things consuming my past-little-while.

 

 

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1. Guest posting - my first, by the way. The ever so lovely Amanda Rose from Sew Much To Say asked me to write about my interpretation of Martha Stewart's New York style cheesecake. See it here. If only I'd seen Martha's video first!

 

 

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2.  Hey, yeah! I took a minute to sit back, breathe and stop glorifying 'busy'.
The view from my lunch break went something like this: bright blue sky, palm trees and perfectly plane-drawn lines.

 

sory about the iphone quality...

3. Coffee and a book. Solo.

 

4. I got new kicks. Well, I got a few (the savings are going fine, thank you). Aside from introducing my much-longed-for Hunter Boots and other penny spends to my wardrobe, I got myself some shiny new ballet points. I understand this might not tickle every one's fancy but breaking in (by breaking in, I mean breaking wood) these newbies was topping the list of satisfiers. Yea, that includes blisters.

 

5. Simplifying. Remember my motto for 2013? It's not always easy to turn a shoulder to the things that have become tag-alongs in my world.

 

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6. Movies and I are not so compatible; I'm a fidgeter, a doodler, a daydreamer.  First Position, however, had my eyes glued for the 2 hours it rolled for; all about 6 brilliant kids competing for their chance to 'make it' in the professional ballet world. I'm not a huge supporter of ballet competitions - I don't think it's what the art is about, BUT the talent in this documentary was incredible.

7. Keeping healthy...relatively healthy. I've relaxed on my healthy-living-rules recently and am finding it a struggle to keep things in a balanced (fitness) perspective. If anyone has a tip or two on keeping calm, looking forward and not focusing on the irritatingly-less-than-ideal-body-image I currently hold, I'd be glad to hear them.

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8. Stretching. Never underestimate the power of a good stretch. Ever.

 

 And that's about it. Hope you've been up to all sorts of great things?

Friday's Finds

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You made it! Another week down, another two days to recover. Here are my few links for the week...

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1. Recipe of the week: orange cardamom yoghurt cake. This cake looks like it'll be the perfect accompaniment to the weather's lean toward wintry greys. I still need to bake this cheesecake before I think about more cakes though...

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2. My favourite snoop this week was into the magic going on in Orlando & Nicola Reindorf's four level Sydney terrace home - ticks all the boxes and then some!

3.  Time to spare? Xavier Toby (writer and comedian) has a few stories to tell you. First up, his hope that the tattoo fad is (fingers crossed) over.

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On a side note I'm literally sighing with relief for the weekend ahead. The past five days have kept me on my toes (literally) with ballet every night (exhausted but loving it with every ounce of love I've got), a now-not-so-new marketing gig, and...well, that's all I've had time for. So, this weekend, I'm committed to getting myself out of this crappy, tired mode and packing my time with 1. undisturbed relaxation, 2. taking green paint in hand and committing myself to finishing my new canvas over the next few months, 3. flexing, stretching and pointing through hours of training. Bliss (in my eyes).

Hope your weekend is a great one! x

Pointe class

maria

Teachings from pointe class aren’t confined to the ballet studio…

What I've been up to

via my instagram

With time having snatched me off my backside and challenging my energy supplies, this poor little blog has suffered a lack of love.  Here's a little of what I've been up to (ok, I'm justifying my absence...)

via my instagram @ mariaeleni_

1.  Final ballet rehearsals and presentations have not only ripped my feet to pieces, they've had me battling every urge to sleep through any available morning hour. Thank goodness a no-pain-no-gain attitude (towards ballet) makes me happier than a kid with cake!

2.  I have been head-down-bum-up focusing on my latest work assignment...until I started questioning everything when I came across the book How to Find Fulfilling Work via this blog.

3.  Whistling Christmas carols.

4.  Not the sort who enjoys dodging Christmas shopping crowds, I decided to be organised and get the pressies sorted damn quick. If I had London's top 10 shops at my doorstep, I imagine I'd be a touch more inclined to drag the process out.

Jacaranda

5.  Time with my boy has been low on availability so when we've snatched a minute from our schedules, we've ditched the predictable and taken to lying side-by-side under the Jacarandas of the North Adelaide parklands, chatting the minutes away watching the evening light fade. Bliss.

Hope you're spending your time doing most, if not all, things you love!

1 picture/1000 words

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I've been sharing an awful lot of "me, me, me" posts lately - sorry to hog the spotlight. I have one more "me moment" for you, though. I found the pic above this morning and cracked myself up - this is exactly how I pictured myself in last night's class! Some of you might not know that after (way too long ago) thinking I'd hung up my ribbons and tights for good, I got sick of procrastination and stomped my foot down in the decision to complete my ballet quals. With 3 exams set for next year and no time for muckin' about, I've got right into things - last night I found myself (for the first time in years) 'articulating my feet' and springing back up to the tips of my less-blistered-more-pampered toes. As much as I'm revelling in getting back into the greatest thing I've known, my feet aren't exactly expressing that same joy this morning thanks to last night's less than subtle reminder of the salt baths, methylated-spirit-blister-soaking sessions, and band-aid-strapped toes to come. Funny thing is, that's surprisingly all part of the fun! All pain aside, with ballet ready to re-consume 92% of my life again, I'm finding it pretty easy floating through the day to the words below...

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Enjoy your day, lovely people. Thanks for stopping by and to those that leave a message or two. x

Friday's Frock {Dancing girl}

Oh dear! Here comes another apology about my lack of posts...I've been spinning in circles settling into new routines and ticking off my check list lately. Things are happening slowly but surely - setting the mood for this Friday Frock post. When things go right (as they are), the tiny little dancer within (moi) pulls up the leg warmers and pops up to do its little hop, skip and a pirouette calling for a post filled with pretty tutus and celebratory balloons!

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Anna Melnikova and Stefano Di Filippo - this rumba (last 2 photos) is one of the most raw, inspiring pieces. Weaving their way through stunning choreo to Lara Fabian's Caruso, their shadowed synchronisation melts this light's crisp white halo, creating a moving, captivating tale. Like an attempt to analyze colour splashed canvas, describing this piece is a tad tough. The tension from a little finger, hip rotation and a perfectly turned out toe speaks far more than words could (or should).

*images from flikr.com