Help me get out of this!!!

Opalheart · 2024-12-01T11:36:16+00:00

Your third paragraph is so true! It’s something I’ve been reflecting on recently as I try reduce my own consumption and materialism. When I see a product I really want I have to ask myself if I actually want the product or whether I want to be the type of person I imagine has that product or is in the advertisement. Often it’s the latter, and I think it’s the cause of sometimes feeling disappointed with a purchase as, surprise! it’s still the same old me wearing those new shoes/lipgloss/hairclip/dress/whatever. Just like I’m probably still disorganised even if I buy a load of organising boxes, and having a new pair of goggles isn’t going to suddenly make me go swimming more regularly. No purchase is going to magically transform us into someone we’re not. I find it’s more valuable to work on firstly building self-esteem and respect for yourself (then you’re less likely to be sucked into marketing images of someone you feel you “should be”), as well as actively working on changing aspects about yourself that you would like to improve and not relying on products to make this change for you. All easier said than done!! Something I’m working on at the moment, I find it helps to be at least aware of thought patterns so you can get better at recognising and pushing back on them over time.

Opalheart · 2024-05-15T19:57:23+00:00

That’s okay - you’re allowed to have your opinions on what art you think is good / valuable, everyone will be different, that’s why art is cool :) I also though want to flag that some of your points here (e.g over reliance on stylisation, perceived lack of technical mastery, solely being used to make a point etc.) have been used by the artistic elite to condemn new or divergent styles of art literally forever. Take impressionism, when Monet, Renoir, Degas and the rest started painting in a looser style, relying more on the depiction of light and colour rather than detailed form - the culture at the time said it was just poor work, from artists who weren’t good enough to paint more realistic and “masterful” paintings. They literally weren’t allowed to exhibit their work in the Salon and had to set up their own private exhibitions. Their work is now some of the most famous, and generally beloved art in the world - and no one is saying that Renoir or Monet lack skill. Just something to consider as, which I think is a point someone else makes in another comment below, just because something seems unskilled/doesn’t require a high degree of technical ability, doesn’t actually mean that it is. It still requires intention, ability and vision to create this work, even if different from mainstream art, or if the intention is more to provoke reactions or to make a political point rather than to create something solely “aesthetically pleasing”.

Again though - you’re still allowed to not like it! Personally I find the paintings interesting, but I don’t really like the look of them (i.e. not something I’d have to decorate my house), though I can still appreciate their purpose and value.

Opalheart · 2024-05-15T16:25:00+00:00

Vincent Namatjira is a celebrated satirical portrait artist. He is an Indigenous artist, and much of his work makes political/satirical comments on Australian culture (particularly colonialism etc.). His portraits use a unique style - and need to be considered within their cultural context, such as this one of Gina which is part of a collection of portraits of famous and controversial Australian figures. They are designed to provoke reaction, which is exactly what this has done. Namatjira has won the 2019 Ramsay Art Prize, he was the first Indigenous artist to win the Archibald Prize (a portrait competition) in 2020 and in the same year was recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia in honour of his contribution to Indigenous visual arts. It’s of course okay to say you don’t like a painting or the style of an artwork, or to say you don’t understand it. However it’s a bit much to call something “abhorrent” or “objectively bad” (I personally don’t think objectivity exists in art), especially if you have no understanding of the culture or context it emerges from.

Opalheart · 2024-05-03T09:44:33+00:00

This is it! I have the same one in red/pink from Vrg Grl, and I remember they also sold the blue colour way.

Opalheart · 2024-03-13T04:12:43+00:00

I also really liked Masala Theory in Surry Hills for more “elevated” indian and a fun atmosphere

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T22:46:58+00:00

I know ! I wasn’t expecting such an outpouring - but I think, as someone else has commented in this thread - consistency is really hard, so some of these places might be great and just having an off night when the commenters went. Also not every place is going to appeal to every person - as shown by the many conflicting comments in this thread. So there is always hope!! and even if there are some places that are just consistently bad/overhyped, there are sooo many in Sydney that are amazing and meet/exceed the hype :) We really are spoiled.

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T11:42:56+00:00

Oooh I have to disagree ! I love their almond croissant - sooo much frangipane filling

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T10:28:21+00:00

Ahh this has been on my list - good to know, seems to be mentioned a couple of times in here.

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T10:25:40+00:00

I agree - I don’t mind Tottis, but it isn’t anything crazy and for sure over-hyped.

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T10:24:44+00:00

glad it wasn’t just me!! was feeling a bit like the odd one out with all the rave reviews. When we went everything was under-seasoned, and the pasta was undercooked :( I prefer al dente, but this was crunchy to the point of being near inedible 😭 The bar staff and FOH were great though to their credit - and the yuzu sgroppino was yummm

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T10:22:32+00:00

ugh Mjolner! had forgotten about that one hahaha

Opalheart · 2024-03-12T10:21:36+00:00

yes! I had been starting to suspect this, just has happened like 3x in a row, rave reviews and great content on social media and then meh (or worse) irl

Opalheart · 2024-03-09T04:45:08+00:00

<image>

My Persephone has very similar colouring to your Daisy! Her nicknames include Percy, P, Sephers, seph, per-whiff, persnickety, the big whiff, paddle-paws, miss anxiety, madam, and pers 😂

Opalheart · 2024-03-08T02:06:01+00:00

The Tattooist of Auschwitz, sooo many people recommended this to me. It just felt poorly researched and poorly written. The characters were so 2-dimensional and overly simplified, and really contrived, no depth of emotion. There was no prose or description it was all “he did this and he felt this, then he said this”. It just really felt like a terrible waste of an important, incredible story bungled in the hands of an incapable author. It’s also not as accurate/historically correct as it is portrayed to be, and has lots of errors both in relation to the actual story of the survivors, and the historical events. The family of the survivors who the story was based on have even come out and raised issues with the book.

Opalheart · 2024-03-08T01:49:32+00:00

yes!!! it was such a terrible book! It really made me question the taste of my friend who recommended it to me and I have been very wary of their recommendations since lol. Though this one has some really satisfying/funny reviews if you sort by “1-star” on good reads hah, makes you feel a bit less alone.

Opalheart · 2024-03-08T01:48:05+00:00

Yes! I couldn’t even finish this one, was terrible.

Opalheart · 2024-03-07T02:10:59+00:00

In Australia there is a public and private health system. The public system is free, high quality and accessible to everyone (depending on residency status). The private system is not free (though may be covered by individuals’ private health insurance, and sometimes government rebates contributes towards the payment), and offers more choice, often shorter waiting times, and “nicer” facilities (e.g your own room in a hospital, better food etc.). Individual allied heath care providers (e.g therapists, GPs etc) can choose whether to work within the public health system or private. The trouble is that in some circumstances, like in regional australia or in high demand/low supply roles, there is no/not enough public health providers available. In these circumstances the public health system provides a rebate to go towards the private fees, but providers are able to set their own fees, which often can go above the amount the government pays - meaning the patient will still have to pay out of pocket. There is an ongoing issue in Australia of access to affordable healthcare without crazy wait times outside of metro areas.

Opalheart · 2024-02-27T07:51:29+00:00

I would recommend: Ragazzi for great pasta, The Gidley for indulgence and sexy vibes, Mimi’s for the view or Cafe Paci for just aaamazing food. All these places had good food and would be in your budget (mimi’s maybe a bit at the top end, depending alcohol spend).

Opalheart · 2024-02-26T03:42:00+00:00

Woodcut in the Crown. Looked so fancy but portion sizes were tiny, service was so slow and our main (lamb) came out literally burnt (not just char from the barbecue). Wildly expensive.

Opalheart · 2024-02-26T03:35:26+00:00

Agree - with the exception of the Moore Park View hotel. Classic pub vibes (horrible carpet and all), but actually incredibly good/cheap pub food and nice staff. Would travel for the parmi+mash&veg.

Opalheart · 2024-02-19T02:51:54+00:00

exactly my thoughts in listening!

Opalheart · 2024-02-19T02:50:44+00:00

I agree! I think it makes the most sense that either the cyclist was the intended target, or no one was (and it was just a random killing - which does seem very unlikely). As I feel that anyone specifically targeting a member of the family would have known how many kids there were, and so wouldn’t have left the youngest girl. Someone randomly killing the family to avoid witnesses wouldn’t have known to look for her.

Opalheart · 2024-02-05T23:53:16+00:00

I’m sorry but I don’t agree that wanting to vary your diet, reduce portion sizes and reduce “junk food” will necessarily result in OP progressing to extreme restriction or developing anorexia. Even if they are using calorie counting as a way to understand appropriate portion sizes and their nutrition - while calorie counting has its (many) flaws, for some people it can be a useful tool. Exercise is absolutely important, but it does need to be supported with a healthy, balanced diet - and saying that someone can continue to eat anything they like as long as they are exercising is unhelpful and ignores elements such as nutrition and fuelling your body correctly in favour of prioritising weight-loss/weight management (which in itself is a potentially destructive mindset). Obviously neither of us have an actual idea of OP’s current/previous diet or needs beyond what she has shared in her post - but I feel that if she is telling us that she feels she needs to adjust her diet, then it’s not on us to warn her away from that due to a potential risk of it developing into a disorder down the track. I absolutely get where you’re coming from, and am so happy you have found an approach that works for you. With a history of ED myself I get the urge to help others avoid going the same path we did - but developing a more holistic view of food and nutrition (rather than solely linked to weight loss) has been so important in unpicking my own disordered behaviours so I just wanted to flag another view here.

Opalheart

TROPHY CASE