Why I Mustn't Judge by Appearances

My friend Bex has taught me many great things (most importantly, never eat an entire cake in one sitting). When I was sixteen, she reminded me that just because a girl looks like the redhead from t.A.T.u. doesn't mean she isn't actually an uptight Catholic and you should invite her to stay in your house during Pride Week.
Anyway, I re-learnt this lesson when I raided the GLBT shelves at Blockbuster last week. As you all know (by all, I mean my readers, aka me) I had my tonsils out last week, so I've been consoling myself by watching comedies and (I had hoped) lots of soft porn.
BUT NO!
From the video store, along with embarrassing favourites like High School Musical, I rented 'Vampyros Lesbos' and 'Girl Play'. Both sound pretty good, eh? Eyebrows, nudge nudge, how's yer father?
WELL. Reviews follow:

Vampyros Lesbos - I watched the whole thing on fast-forward, and I don't think I missed out. This is apparently a B-movie classic. Mostly, there's a lot of angsty close-ups of The Heiress of Dracula looking into the middle distance. Also, scorpions. In the 'sex scenes', everyone's naked, yes, but they seem to have promised the censors they won't touch anyone's naughty bits. Dialogue is sparse and 'symbolic'. It was worth it only for practising my high school German.

Girl Play - Actually about two girls who meet while acting in a play. Bugger. I have to agree with those who believe that the 'good' reviews on IMDB come from relatives, friends and colleagues of the women who made this. What I can't understand is why these two real-life women thought their love story was interesting enough to write a play, and then a movie about it. It was like listening to proud parents talk about their gorgeous baby (the one WE know looks like a frog) for 80 minutes. The leads are irritating: Robin (constantly pouting) delivers her lines as though she's performing a high school English oral, whereas Lacy seems to lead with her huge jaw (and drag her knuckles on the ground). The music and flash-backs are as cheesy as they get. The tell-rather-than-show narration does not translate well from the stage, but more importantly, the characters do NOTHING to endear themselves to the viewer. I just didn't CARE. I kept watching only because I'd paid to rent the damn film, but in hindsight that's 80 minutes of my life I can't get back.
In short: you know how your best friend spends two hours on the phone telling you (without stopping for breaths) just how greatandsplendidandgorgeousandneat her new girlfriend is? That's what this movie is like. Be warned.


That was such a good way to get my (pain-induced) anger out. Ahh. Expect reviews of the others movies, most of which I enjoyed, soon. Before I even tell you about it, you need to rent PROM QUEEN and snuggle down with all your loved ones and a cup of tea to watch it.

2007, wearing retrospecks

February - I meet Terry Pratchett. I could die happy. I give him a 'Schroedinger's Shoe', and he says, 'Ha! You don't know whether or not you've put your foot in it!'
March - Uni begins, and it is awesome. I make lots of sparkly new friends.
- Dad is officially clear of cancer.
May - I turn 18.
- In the QueerSpace at uni, we discuss oldschool methods of picking up. On a bus on the way home, a gorgeous girl sits in front of me with a friend. I eavesdrop, and pass her a note with, among other things, my phone number. I fall in love with her (and I stay in love with her).
July - Semester One ends with a GPA of 6.25. Yay.
- Somewhere around here I go gluten free.
Sept. - Tim & I have our first gig together at the Queensland Poetry Festival.
Nov. - Kevin Rudd becomes Prime Minister of Australia. Good riddance, Mr Howard!
- I get a job as Santa's Little Helper at a local shopping centre. It's kind of fun.
Dec. - No matter how hard I try to stall it, Christmas comes at the same time every year. It goes fine, though.
- I come out to extended family. All fine.
- I am booked in for tonsillectomy on the same day as my gf is (16th Jan).

I'm spending New Year's Eve with my girlfriend. Yay, fireworks!

So, 2008? Well, I'd just like good health and good energy levels, so I can get on with things. I'm positive. Most of the time.

Happy New Year, everybody.

Goodbye 2007, Goodbye Tonsils

Well, in recent news: I'm having my tonsils out on January 16th, and frankly, I'm a bit terrified; everytime I've been into hospitals in the past, it was to visit friends and family with very serious conditions. So the vibe's not exactly cool. But I'm sure it'll go fine, even if the two weeks after will be a bitch. Freakishly, my girlfriend is having hers out the same day at a different hospital. We're going to be tonsillectomy buddies.

Christmas was all fine. Did the obligatory family thing, and they were all (surprisingly) very welcome when I took my gf up to the big Boxing Day thing at the coast. Thanks for that, guys. Mum painted me a trio of fish hat paintings, and they are GLORIOUS. Amongst other things, C bought me a gluten-free cookbook, and I've successfully made banana muffins without poisoning anybody. We are very pleased about this latter part especially. B is making some wicked kind of present involving mathematical equations.

B & I went to the Andy Warhol exhibition the day before yesterday, and what a blast. We always have bundles of fun, but I'll admit that the Silver Factory topped everything off. In the evening, we sponged around South Bank and named clouds.

I get tired quickly, but I'm always monumentally pleased when I manage to get out of the house with my girlfriend and/or friends.

Thanks chaps. I'll be mostly invisible during January, so hopefully things will get back on track mid-February. If anyone needs to contact me, email is better at the moment. Love ya.

A QPF Christmas

QPF Best of 2006 CD Launch - Bookings now open!

Come and wind down the year with the QPF team and help us launch the Best of QPF 2006 CD, featuring performances by emily xyz, Ian McBryde, Andy White, Hinemoana Baker, Kevin Gillam and many more of the fine performers who graced the QPF stage in 2006. Enjoy a glass of wine and readings from Graham Nunn, Pascalle Burton, Rowan Donovan, Julie Beveridge , Francis Boyle, Zenobia Frost and Ynes Sanz. Local musicians, Sheish Money and The Stress of Leisure will also be there to bare their acoustic souls. Come and celebrate the end of a fantastic year of poetry festival events!

Ticket price includes a glass of wine and a QPF Showbag, including copies of the Best of 2005 & 2006 CD's and a set of QPF Badges. Places are strictly limited and bookings are essential.

To book visit www.qwc.asn.au or call Queensland Writers Centre on 3839 1243.

Launch Date: Friday November 30, 6.30pm
Tickets: $10 single
$15 double
Venue: QLD Writers Centre, Level 2, 109 Edward St.

No Frontiers

Multi arts event @ MoB: 10 November, 3-4pm
Space 3, Museum of Brisbane

A free performance event featuring blends of music, poetry, prose and visual arts returns (sponsored by Arts Queensland and the Queensland Writer Centre).

Featuring:

Nick Earls discussing and reading from his recent fiction, with a focus on the often quirky characters that inhabit his stories
Zenobia Frost performing her prize-winning poetry
Melissa Western singing a selection of smooth jazz ballads


About the performers
Nick Earls is the author of six books, including the best-selling novels Zigzag Sreet (also a feature film) and Bachelor Kisses. His work has been published internationally in English and also in translations, which led him to be nominated for a Queensland Premier's Export Award in 1999. He toured India and Europe with a live show based on stories in Headgames, and India's Chandigarh Tribune called it "hilariously boisterous".

Zenobia Frost is a university student and regular performer at Brisbane poetry events, including the 2007 Qld Poetry Festival. She won first place in the QIEU Literacy Competition (2003, 2004), and Regional Winner (2003), National Runner-Up (2004) in the Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards.

Melissa Western has been studying and performing in the theatre world since 1995. She performs fulltime, singing with a variety of backings from simple piano duos right up to 20 piece jazz orchestras; acting in musical theatre shows and cabarets; writing and producing new works.

More information on MoB events
For more information on MoB’s events phone 07 3403 8888.

Read Me

Are you a rabid fangirl or fanboy, craving Zen word-pikelets?

Probably not, but nevermind that.

Experience the madness of spoken word at the Queensland Poetry Festival in September, or SpeedPoets, monthly.

Read Mirror Mirror, a short story that won third place in the John Marsden Prize for Young Australian Writers in 2006. Click the PDF link near the bottom of the page.

I'm half of a musical poetry (or poetic musical) duo currently emerging from the Brisvegas paintbox. Check out: Colouring by Numbers. We (as Zenobia Frost and Tim Tate) have a track (water devolution) on Going Down Swinging, Vol. 25. It will be in-stores from the 25th of September.

Get yourself onto a CityCat, if you're in Brisbane, to enjoy a Brisbane-inspired Poem of the Week (shown once every half hour - keep watching that screen!). Mine was up a few weeks ago, and looked like this:

From the Ferry, Looking Out
Zenobia Frost

What bonds must hold these atoms' hands
that I stand so collected,
like stamps or butterflies?
I can see my yesterdays
scattered across this river, and I wonder whether
you could piece me together in different ways
by asking the inconstant water
how she would build me.

Twilight shatters into street lights;
deep blue turns fog
into romance. I am looking
to complete my collection,
and I keep coming back
to Brisbane.

Brag Book

Recent Publications & Performances

I have a band-thing! Colouring by Numbers: Timothy and Zenobia met at age eleven, when Zen was the taller of the two and Tim had sensible hair. Many years later, much has changed. Fortunately, both have grown their brainflowers in the same soil, and the result is a musical poetry (or poetic musical) duo currently emerging from the Brisvegas paintbox. Tim Tate’s adventurous compositions and Zen Frost’s wide-eyed words link arms to bring you Colouring by Numbers.

And, most importantly, Colouring by Numbers (that is, Zen & Tim) have a track on Going Down Swinging Vol. 25, due to be released on September 25th.


At this year's Queensland Poetry Festival, I shared a fantastic set with Matt Rader & Lyn Reeves. Tim joined me for half of the performance, and thus Colouring by Numbers made their debut. The whole festival was delicious, but exhausting. Highlights include Shane Koyczan, Steve Kilbey (of The Church) and Maiden Speech. Thank you to all the gorgeous people who came along to my/CbN's gig. Watch out for live recordings on our MySpace, coming soon.

I've had a submission accepted for a 'youth issue' of LOTL magazine, due out in October. Grab a copy to find my 500-word plug for Open Doors, an awesome Brisbane organisation who provide support for queer and questioning youth. This is my first non-fiction publication.

And now it's time for me to knuckle down and TRY to study. I love the film subject I'm taking, International Cinema, BUT I don't love the assignments. Everyone else comes from a film background, and I'm just lost. The more writerly subjects are good.

In other news, (whinge coming up), this week I've:
- been on a gluten-free, dairy-free, salicylate-free diet for two weeks, and I'm not really feeling any better; in fact, I think I am MORE tired.
- been eaten to death by a bull-ant when I innocently went for a walk
- chipped a tooth, ON A FORK!
- imparted my accident-prone-iness to my gf, causing her to be attacked by drop bears (...a rat in a tree!)

I think that's all for now. I'm about to force myself onto the treadmill. FEAR!

La Fabuleux Destin

The soundtrack to my life was composed by Yann Tiersen.

riders on the storm

Last week, waiting at the bus stop, a peculiar bus came past: a NightRider (Night Link) bus, at 3 pm on a Tuesday. Night Links only run on Friday and Saturday nights. And the number of this bus? 666.

Pretty weird. A bus driver's prank, or something more sinister??

News & Stuff

What's New? Not much.

- Had tonsillitis for a couple of weeks, and had to learn to spell the damn word. Kept accidentally saying 'tuberculosis' and 'tinnitus' - but only had tonsillitis, luckily. Ate nothing but jelly for days. Yay antibiotics!
- Enjoyed a week-long beach retreat - cycling up and down the beach to the shops, cooking with Bec, watching old movies, sleeping in - and Drinking Chess, resulting in the invention of The Peliroo.
- Bought a new phone, with a penguin on it! Penguin! (Same sim, so same number.)
- Zen & Tim have a track on Going Down Swinging #26, due out this month. Yay! Buy one.
- http://www.queenslandpoetryfestival.com/ --> programme & bios. Explore! A wonderful line-up this year, plus, play Find the Zen.
- Very pleased with my uni marks... but should be doing more writing. I'm learning to write within form, with the help of Stephen Fry.
- Life is really very, very good. I'm surrounded by especially excellent people at the moment. You know who you are.

That is all for now. Much love.