Orenda Volume One by Orenda Magazine

Orenda VOLUME ONE

ORENDA

Contents Think

06 A BIG DEAL? Death

18 ALBUM REVIEW Wilderness is Paradise Now

07 A BRIEF HISTORY OF The Café

20 10 TIPS Decorating Small, Rented Spaces

08 A Place To Call Home 10 Too Close To Home

24 ROOKIE’S GUIDE Networking

12 Not Queer As In ‘Weird’, Queer As In ‘Fuck You’

25 PLAYLIST Music For The Mundane

14 Mind The Gap

26 RECIPE I Will Start Eating Healthily 30 THE ROADTEST Avoiding Charity Fundraisers 32 Eat With Your Eyes 34 MAKE YOUR OWN Terrarium 39 Stockists

GET IN TOUCH: ORENDAMAGAZINEAU@GMAIL.COM Orenda is printed on 100% recycled paper. Once you’re done reading, please recycle it. © All views, ideas and photography expressed in this magazine are that of, and are copyrighted to, their respective author/organisation and cannot be used without prior written permission from the respective author/ 0organisation. 2 O R E N DIfAin doubt, email Orenda at orendamagazineau@gmail.com and we’ll put you in touch. Uncredited articles were written by the editor. Design © Copyright 2014 Orenda Magazine unless otherwise stated.

Hello! Orenda is a brand-new magazine created for people just like you: it’s smart, young, modern, resourceful, all-inclusive, independant and kick-ass. It is messy, imperfect, eclectic and probably swears more than it’s mother would like. It features stories about real, everyday-but-extraordinary things and people that you will find insightful, thought-provoking and interesting; as well as things to do that are fun, guiding, practical and won’t cost an arm & a leg (but sometimes it’s fun to splurge). It’s here for entertainment, aesthetics (whilst reconising that there is much, much more to life) and to give you a bit of a helping hand in that wonderful time of your life where you’re expected to know exactly what you’re doing but you just don’t. Orenda is for you. I hope you love reading it as much as I loved making it. With love, Daisy xo

O R E N DA :

The invocation of the power of human will to change the world around us. (from the Huron language)

Contributors A BEAUTIFUL MESS

Is all about creating a beautiful life. We share daily inspirations, DIY projects and recipes. We believe the best things in life are homemade. abeautifulmess.com

CAL BEHRENDT

is a Law/Journalism student who spends most of his waking hours watching TV or listening to music. If not, he can be found playing football or hockey. He would link to a blog, but is too lazy and cannot be bothered to work on one.

KITE TALES

Brings you up to speed with everything you probably don’t need to know, providing you with the perfect form of procrastination among a fun and friendly cyber-community.

UTS VERTIGO

Is the student magazine at the University of Technology, Sydney. utsvertigo.com.au

kitetalesblog.com

EMMA JERICHO

is an angry, queer selfie addict who spends her time working, drinking coffee and yelling about things on the internet. You can find a lot of that yelling, and a lot of other stuff too on her blog.

SAM DOWNS

is a 17 year old night school student studying to become a certified pastry chef. She models for various companies & photographers and loves to travel.

smallworldsyndrome.tumblr.com ORENDA

The world as we have created it

is a process of our thinking. It

ca n n o t be changed without

changing our thinking 04

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Think

ORENDA

A PLACE TO CALL HOME BEFORE I START THIS ARTICLE I JUST WANT TO SAY that when I use the term “geek “or “nerd”, in no way do I mean it in a derogatory way at all. I am proud to be a self proclaimed geek/nerd and I wouldn’t want to be anything else. One afternoon this week I sat down and watched a show called Comic Con Episode: IV A fan’s hope. It was a very interesting and relatable show about a comic convention (a.k.a. a ‘con’) in LA, from what I could gather. It followed the work of 4 individuals as they pursued different dreams, all leading them to comic con. Two were artists, one was a costume designer and the other owned a huge comic book store. In between following these stories they spoke to different people who are part of the geek/nerd society, both the famous and the fans, about comic cons in general, what they love about comic cons, and just what cons means to them. All of their answers were very similar, talking about how they felt like it was home, and a place they could completely be themselves and express their passion and love for something without being judged. And as a person who has been to a few cons myself, I totally agree. 06

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I have only been to three Comic Cons in the last few years, and they were absolutely incredible. I was lucky enough to attend my first one in LA, Stan Lee’s Comikaze. It was there I experienced for the first time the sense of community and pride that comes with being a geek. It was like I had died and gone to heaven, full of Star Wars, the Walking Dead, sci-fi, art, comics, cosplayers, and just everything amazingly geeky and awesome. I also got to meet my idol, Norman Reedus, which was incredible. When I was living in Melbourne, I was new to a big city, and being a country girl this was difficult at times. It was there that I attended my second con, Supanova. I felt so at home the minute I walked through the doors. I remember going with some friends, the trams were full of cosplayers and people going to Supernova. We ended up meeting up with a random bunch of strangers and all putting money in for a taxi to get there. Everyone was so nice! Every person I have met at a con is always so friendly. The artists I have come across always have time to talk. I met a few there actually, one being a guy named Frank, you can check out his awesome work at http://j.mp/aptch, who even helped me out by letting me know where different comic

functions were held in town and things like that! So my point is that generally everyone you come across at cons is just very friendly and wants to share their passion with you. It just creates such a positive energy, and you really feel as though you can completely be yourself, dress how you like, cosplay who you want, discuss whatever games you want or fandoms you are a part of and even go crazy fangirl over something (which I do, my boyfriend has to listen to a lot of it with the new Star Wars films at the moment haha) and no one judges you! Because everyone else is doing the same. It’s truly incredible. If you have not been to one, I would highly recommend it. It’s an amazing experience. I will put a list of cons that I know of at the end of this article.

and makes it real. If only for theirselves.” It was really insightful to read the answers from some fellow geeks of what it means to them to be a geek. What does it mean to you? I will sum this article up by simply saying that the ability to shamelessly express yourself is one that is not always easy, and it has not always been easy for me. Especially throughout my teenage years, but by surrounding myself with people who are passionate about the same things that I am, I don’t have to hide anymore. I am very lucky to have a boyfriend who shares the same interests as me, and friends that do as well. Going to my first con solidified who I was.

“It was there I experienced for the first time the sense of community and pride that comes from being a geek.” This got me thinking…what does it mean to be a geek? I posted a Facebook status asking for some help: “I ask anyone on here who is happy to call themselves a nerd or a geek...What is it that you like the most about it?”

For me it was a real moment of clarity, it’s where I could say out loud “I am a geek, I love Star Wars, and staying at home and playing video games and watching movies is my Saturday night, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

- “I love that I don’t have to be ashamed of loving something to the point of obsession. I don’t have to play it cool about how much I love something.”

Article by Layla Michallef (Kite Tales)

- “Life is about being happy! Do whatever makes you HAPPY!” - “Being a nerd lets you escape into your own alternate world so you can escape the real one” - “I know u asked for positives “what I like about being a geek/nerd” all I can think of is the ridicule and torment I faced growing up in the 80ies and 90ies when computers were not so kool. I still stuck to my beliefs though, and was like “fuck yeah ima nerd” even the other day I got called a nerd in a derogatory way…so I guess I’m saying I am a proud nerd who loves most things nerdy. It takes courage to admit u r anything these days” - “I think it takes one hell of a lot of pure passion to be a nerd or geek. I am passionate about creating life, love, friendships, entire living breathing planets, landscapes and sprawling metropolises inside the confines of my own head. But, on occasion, I get to share my own little worlds with others. I think being a ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’ boils down to someone who has a burning passion for fiction

LIST THAT ALL

OF CONS I K NO W O F OVER THE PLACE:

Supanova (AUS) Oz Comic Con (AUS) Wizard World Comic Con (USA) Comikaze (USA) San Diego Comic Con (The biggest of them all) (USA) Alamo Comic Con (USA) Wondercon (USA) ORENDA

is death a big deal? Article by Matilda Roberts (Kite Tales). WHILE I WAS IN ENGLAND A FEW MONTHS ago, I was viewing a stuffed panda on

display in the British Natural History Museum in London. As I was peering into the glass cabinet the panda was contained in, a small girl around five years old stood next to me and studied the panda also. After a few moments of shared silence the girl looked up to me and asked, in the cutest little British accent, “Wots tha pandars name?”, to which I answered her question with the Panda’s name, which was something along the lines of “Chi Chi”. The little girl then asked, “Wots ‘E doin in there?” and I told her, “Well Chi Chi is actually dead so this is just his body that is on display at the museum so everyone can see him up close”. My sister was standing close by and immediately scolded me for what I said to the girl: “Matilda, you can’t say that to her! What is wrong with you?!” In my defense the little girl was perfectly fine with the news I had just told her. However, her mother did gently swoop in to redirect her daughter away from me when our short conversation had ended. 08

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I honestly still don’t think there was anything wrong with being honest with the child. I wasn’t going to lie to her and make her believe the panda was still alive. Which made me think… do we as a Western culture act too weird about death/dead bodies? When you think about it, a body is merely just a shell of what we were. In our society it’s not a normal thing to see a dead body. People freak out about it, which is totally fine and normal. But it made me think maybe we should strive to view death more like Eastern cultures and societies. For example, in the Toraja district of Indonesia’s South Sulawesi Province, the deceased’s loved ones are dug up every three years to have their clothes replaced to honour their spirits. After this the family then walks the corpses around the village. It’s totally normal for them. Please take note that I am not in any way encouraging you to dig up your loved ones. If we were to do that in Australia we’d probably be charged with something and be considered a weirdo. Any who, check out the article at http:// j.mp/idabd, it has some awesome photos in it but I wouldn’t open it if you’re not into dead bodies like me.

A B r i e f H i s to ry

the cafe Where else but the café can we people-watch undetected, catch up with friends, or become absorbed in our latest reading project? Where else can we sip strangely coloured juices from recycled glass jars and observe a local hipster at ease in its natural habitat? The café is without a doubt, the social and cultural hub of the 21st century, but when and where did it all begin? Courtenay Turner (UTS Vertigo) looks at the origins of the humble café. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, CAFÉS - OR COFFEE-HOUSES AS THEY WERE ONCE KNOWN - date back to 14th century Turkey. The first coffeehouse, Kiva Han, was opened in the Tahtakale district, where men and women would go to drink aromatic cups of the popular local brew, and engage with the flourishing social scene. Find that hard to imagine? Let me paint a picture for you: the room is dimly lit and smoke hangs in the fair. In the far right corner, two men are hunched over a game of chess, neither of them moving except to reach blindly for his scalding hot cup. In another corner, an elderly man is perched on a wooden table, reciting poetry and songs and stories to anyone who will listen. Another group, the loudest of them all, passionately discusses literature and politics and the music of the day. It’s a romantic picture, isn’t it? And not a whole lot has changed. Sure, we’ve switched chess for Instagram and perhaps given poetry the flick, but I think we can agree that cafés will always be a darn good site for social lubrication.

Fast-forward to 1615: the magical coffee bean has arrived on the shores of Venice and is followed by Italy’s first coffeehouse. France was next to join in on the fun, easily making a name for itself in global café culture. Modern day tourist attractions Les Deux Magots and Café Le Procope were once the favoured haunts of writers, poets, socialites and intellectuals, such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, and it’s easy to see why: where coffee and soft, buttery pastries are involved, there will be people - and lots of ‘em! By 1652, the humble café had evolved from its modest beginnings to conquer the bustling streets of London. It was there that men, and only men, would pay a penny at the bar for access to these sacred hubs of social and cultural interaction. News was spread, opinions were given, gossip let loose. Without Facebook, Twitter and the World Wibe Web, our 17th Century predecessors had to engage in face-to-face conversations to discover the word on the street! Not only were cafés important places of social interaction, they also provided the means by which information could be uncovered and shared. So how does contemporary Australian café culture fit in with all of this? Almost seven centuries later, has much really changed? While we may not pay a penny to enter these fine establishments, not subject others to outbursts of song or poetry recitals, many things have stood the test of time.

We still gossip and chat and read and write. We eat and we drink. We gather around mugs of frothy coffee and pots of steaming tea. If anything, the café lures us out of our homes and encourages us to engage with friends on common ground. It is the study room, the psychologist’s office and the library all rolled into one. But despite its role as the social playground of contemporary Australia, perhaps we still have a thing or two to learn from the past? Why not try and enjoy our food without having to affirm its existence on our Instagram feeds? Why not engage in a little more conversation with our fellow human, even though we might not know them? And how about we keep our smartphones safely tucked away without reaching for them the minute conversation wanes? Let’s make like the Turkish (minus the 14th Century dress) and dust off the old chess board, engage in some hearty discussion, or even tell a story or two. Go on, I dare you!

ORENDA

“I think they’ve forgotten me again,”

Public Transport For All

Mi nd Th e GA P:

The lack of urgency in the NSW government’s plan to improve transport accessibility has raised questions about deliberate oversight for the sake of saving money. Rachel Worsley (UTS Vertigo) investigates.

ORENDA

says Pauline David. Her wheelchair is perched on the edge of the floor. The distance between platform and train is bridged by a small gap, but just large enough to trap a wheelchair. The train remains standing at platform twenty-one at Central station, and the doors gape open. But nobody comes. Not until one of her friends steps off the train and seeks the platform guard’s help to lay a ramp across the gap.

“They know I was on the train, that’s why they didn’t move,” says Ms David. But the guard disagrees, and argues with her. They eventually settled that there was a call from Fairfield station, and someone forgot to let him know. “Miscommunication. That’s not the first time,” says David as she rolls of the ramp, towards the lifts. David is wheelchair bound because she has spina bifida, a spinal cord defect that leaves her unable to walk. Her biggest pet peeves on public transport are unhelpful staff and the lack of lifts. The latter forced her to take a wheelchair accessible taxi just to get her to the other platform of Fairfield station as the lifts are currently out of action for two months. “Frankly, there [have] been quite a few major oversights from transport planning from this government and their requirements for Easy Access,” said Alex Dennis, a disability rights campaigner for community advocacy group Transport For All NSW. “It is the government purely ignoring [problems] based on the financial constraints…we have to take into account all parties of the community.” But according to Transport for NSW, the government body responsible for public transport infrastructure and services, they were taking the disabled community into account. The Transport for NSW Disability Action Plan contains 150 actions for improvement to be carried out over a five-year period from 2012-2017. This includes better disability awareness and customer service training for staff, as well as rolling out a $770 million Transport Access Program over four years to upgrade stations with modern and accessible infrastructure such as lifts. But David has questions where the group’s priorities lie. “Look at Circular Quay for instance, one of the busiest stations in Sydney and they have a couple of lifts that can only fit one wheelchair…where is the money to upgrade the lifts there?” said David. Poor planning of accessible services even marred the NSW Government’s latest transport project, the

Inner West Light Rail extension that opened in late March. The extension failed to install lifts at busy stations such as Dulwich Hill and Lewisham, which are essential for commuters with disabilities or mobility restrictions nearby. Dennis said these oversights are particularly embarrassing for the Transport Minister, Gladys Berejiklian, having “personally delayed construction of the extension” and failing to undertake further transport planning that would have picked up the oversights. Berejiklian was unavailable for comment, but a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said that any new development at these stations is subject to “evidence-based criteria including the needs and demographics of customers who use the location… and the accessibility of other transport interchanges and facilities.” For Abdel Karim Hemzeh, however, these criteria seem at odds with his job as a platform guard at Flemington Station, a popular stop for Paddy’s Markets. He had to carry a man in a wheelchair up several flights of stairs due to a lack of lifts. “I’ve had two hernia operations,” he said, partly because of the toll it took on him. It wasn’t until last August that Berejiklian announced that Flemington station would get new lifts as part of a major upgrade. Dennis believes the real issue isn’t a lack of planning but is to do with cost. “It costs up to $100 million for a good lift, incuding redesigning the station to fit the lift in. Again, I can understand the costs but when it comes to those with disabilities, public transport can be the only way to get around. Without having these things put in place, they can’t actually go out and be proactive in the community, have a job, basically have a social life,” he said. David thinks empathy might be the answer. She launched a petition on change.org in January demanding Berejiklian spend a day in a wheelchair navigating the train network. Within two weeks, the petition amassed 15 000 signatures and reached 20 000 signatures in April. “We’re looking at early May [for the Minister to spend a day in a wheelchair],” said Ms David, “I feel that as long as she doesn’t understand what it’s like to be disabled and in a wheelchair, she won’t prioritise making services better for us.”

ORENDA

Too Close To Home

I’ve told myself for the last few days that I was not going to write this piece. This article has been written countless times over and published across every media in the world. This piece will not bring joy to anyone and it will not change anything. And yet I am unable to stop myself. I am writing this because it is important to me, but I am also writing it for you, because I know it is important to you too. We have all been in a state of grief, to some degree, since the news that flight MH17 had been shot down by rebel missiles over Ukraine. I know I was filled with disbelief. Particularly after another Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370, disappeared without a trace merely months ago. Shock struck again days later when an Air Algerie flight lost all contact after hitting bad weather and never arrived at its final destination. Meanwhile, ceasefire or no ceasefire, men, women and children continue to die in the Middle East after another outbreak of war. The news is always and has always been switched on in my household, so I grew up watching it and knowing about current events. I was eight years old and eating Cocoa Pops before school when I watched planes fly into the twin towers. At age ten, I was playing with my Christmas presents as I watched a tsunami flood fourteen Southeast Asian countries, killing over 230 000 people in its path. And again in 2009, when I was sixteen, I saw parts of my own country, and those who lived there, burn until there was nothing but black. Yet when I turned away from the televisions and counted my blessings, my life continued as normal. My mind flitted between friends and schoolwork and hobbies. As sad as these events were, they were not happening to my loved ones or me. I was safe. I was unaffected. I was detached. Superseding my shock at what is dominating our news programs today however, is an overwhelming sense of heartache that I didn’t know I was capable of feeling. Something over the last few months has changed and I feel confident in knowing that I am an adult now. Before this I was in an age of in-between: old enough to know but not necessarily old enough to feel. Despite my physical age I was not so sure I was an adult yet and I sure as hell knew I wasn’t ready to be. There is a certainty in me now that there is no turning back. Once you see something like this, once you know something- there is no way to un-know it. My mind now flits between the sorrow of another’s loss and a gratitude for everything I have. There is no turning off the television and continuing life as normal.

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“There is no turning off the television and continuing life as normal.”

Each time the news updates on the current situation of the MH17 crash site or the horrific scenes of a war-torn Gaza I am punched in the stomach with something I have no words for. I feel heavy with a sadness I can’t explain, and helplessness seeps into my core. I grieve for the mother who lost her children. I am scared for the children of Gaza who cannot find their mothers. I am angry and I am frustrated as I sit in my comfortable life, a witness to the tragedies of the World. On my television and computer screen I see horrors that can be stopped with something as simple as perspective and a love for humankind. Dead or alive, we are all human. When we are stripped of our race, our religion and our values we are naked and the same: just humans trying to survive a war against ourselves. So even though it may mean very little, I hope those affected by these tragedies are aware that my heart breaks for them in a very real way. I cannot even begin to imagine the hell that they are living through. There would be nothing I could say or do to ever make this better. I just hope they know that the world grieves with them in whatever way we can. In times like these it is so easy to lose faith in humanity, but our humanity is all we have, it’s what unites us and we must remain united. I can complain about my paycheck. I can judge you on your outfit. I can want for more but need for nothing. At the end of the day I know it is all meaningless. I sit back knowing that I am no more important than you or her or him. Today I know I am adult because I can grieve for something that has no direct impact on me. And so I should, because to put it simply: anything that is occurring on this Earth, on this day, is a little too close to home for me.

Article by Katie Foran (Kite Tales Blog). First published 27/7/2014.

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EVERYONE ASSUMES THAT I CAME OUT AS A LESBIAN/BISEXUAL. I DIDN’T. I’m pansexual. I never came out as pansexual though, because I never felt the need to be quiet about who I was and was not attracted to. What I did feel the need to keep quiet about though, was the fact that I am not a girl. Not in the way that everyone who looks at me assumes I am anyway. My name is Emma Jericho, and I am nonbinary and genderfluid. That means that I float somewhere between genders, changing on the breeze. The gender binary tells us that a person is either Male (born with a penis) or Female (born with a vagina), and that you will stay that way forever. Incorrect. You don’t need to fit into either of those categories, and your gender is not defined by your biological sex. Your gender isn’t even how you present to the world. And no one can call you on it. Socially and culturally, gender and sex are often conflated. However, anatomically, we have no pre-disposition to like pink over blue. To skirts over pants. To men over women. For penis to mean male and vagina to mean female, and for your bits to define how you behave. I’d never been very good at being a girl by society’s standards. I wasn’t a great boy either. This caused me a great deal of stress. What if I was only a girl because I’d been born with a vagina and everyone had told me I was a girl. If you’ve been told a universal truth your whole life, you accept it as just something that is and it doesn’t even cross your mind

to question it. When I realised that this may not be a universal truth, I started to question how society defines gender, and how that applied to me, how I’d always felt outside of the gender that had been offered to me, and I realised that I didn’t have to blindly endure it. I could tell people that I wasn’t a girl. I discovered that I wasn’t alone. There were gender fluid people, non binary people, agender people, and queer people abound! There were communities for me! There were spaces for me! There were other people who felt like me! I wasn’t alone and struggling to fit into my given category any more. I decided to change my category, instead of changing myself to fit where I’d been put. We encourage people, especially young people, to be themselves and discover themselves. However, when this identity is something other than cishet [cisgender/ hetrosexual], problems arise. A lot of people talk about ‘transtrending’ - where an individual pretends to be queer to fit in with a group of queer peers, because apparently being a part of a group that is regularly murdered for not being quiet about who they are is cool now. I worried that I was doing that for a long time. That I was so desperate to be different and discover my identity that I would try on any label that I felt sounded ~cool. But gender is a fluid thing. Why box yourself up forever? If I feel like a girl today, I am a girl today. If I feel like a boy tomorrow, I am a boy tomorrow. And I don’t need a cishet person to be okay with it, because it’s not about them. It’s about me. I’m here. I’m queer.

“ I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY CATEGORY INSTEAD OF CHANGING MYSELF TO FIT WHERE I’D BEEN PUT

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NOT QUEER AS IN “ W E I R D ” QUEER AS IN “F*C K Y O U ” With the growing trend of being socially aware and promoting social justice, people are raising awareness about cissexism and transphobia, about binarist attitudes and how these influence real people. Which is wonderful. I am all about being aware of the social systems that are in place in the world we live in and how they affect everyone, for better or for worse. This raises the problem though, that people are wanting to be socially aware so that they look modern and cool, making continued oppression that they don’t suffer about them. When I came out, the most common reactions I experienced were questions along the lines of ‘Will you be offended if I use female pronouns for you?’ which translates to ‘I am more concerned about your gender making our interactions harder than about how it will impact your safety.’ ‘Can I use ‘it’ to refer to you?’ translates to ‘You can be the gender I give you or I won’t refer to you as human.’ Finally, in the words of Matt Fraction “Your empathy smacks you in the face and you feel sick for a second and then you stop making it about you and live your life as a positive change agent for your fellow humans.” It’s not about you. It’s about me. It’s about all queer and non-binary folk. We’re here. We’re queer.

WORDS BY EMMA JER I C H O

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I build my life through actions with love as my

fou n d a ti o n .

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Ten Tips 18

Decorating small, rented spaces

Article by Kara (A Beautiful Mess) I moved into my first non-dorm apartment about nine months ago. I moved into a 400-square-foot (37 square metre) studio apartment with my best friend. A few months later we added a cat, so needless to say our little home can get crowded! I love a comfortable and happy place to come home to, so taking full of advantage of our small space was a huge priority for me. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy to say we found some great solutions and I am especially happy I can share them with you!

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Give everyday items a home

Go Vertical

This tip is number one, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital for staying sane in a small place. Our front entryway has a long table where we keep three metal baskets. One is where I keep my purse, random bits of mail, or random items of mine. My roommate has her own, and the third is for scarves, hats, and whatever else makes it way in there. When we come in the door we distribute our belongs into the baskets, hang up our jacket, and put our shoes in a row by the front door. This system keeps our apartment from being overrun by these items!

Taking advantage of all your space is key, and that includes going up! Since our place is so small, we went with bunk beds. We keep the bedding simple and try to resist hanging items from the bed. You can also choose tall pieces of furniture and other high wall hooks to store items.

Use mirrors to add depth

Keep wall art looking airy and light by hanging with binder clips

Mirrors are an excellent tool for elongating and brightening up spaces. The yellow mirror above my desk makes the art wall more dynamic and opens up the space.

Frames can be a heavy (and expensive!) accessory for artwork. I chose to hang my Deb Carlos print with inexpensive binder clips and nails. I also used small binder clips to hang up an embroidered piece of fabric. Find hanging solutions that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t clutter your space and that fit your budget. ORENDA

Paint your furniture

Stay organized & hide it

Painting the walls in our place isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t an option, but going bold with bright furniture is! I chose a bright, salmon pink to liven up a thrift store desk. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to choose a bold color that you love, because you can always repaint the item in a few years (or upgrade to a new item!) to suit a new space or your evolving taste.

This is absolutely vital for keeping your space tidy and pretty. I store all my organized art supplies in bins underneath the bunk bed. I can pull the bins out when I need them, and the little pieces are out of sight for the rest of the time!

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Use your stuff to decorate You have great stuff, and you have a lot of stuff. So use that stuff to decorate! I stacked our books on the floor next to our chair, instead of adding a bulky bookcase. If you have great jewelry, an interesting collection or a basketful of cute cameras, double up your organization with a decorative edge.

Go with lightweight tables and chairs This makes entertaining guests a lot easier! Lightweight chairs are easy to move and add to, plus they keep our kitchen vignette from being too cluttered. Being able to rearrange for more people quickly and easily is key in a small space.

Use curtains to cover up unsightliness If you have any exposed shelving, this tip is perfect for you! I created a little curtain with a vintage pillowcase, some buttons, and an inexpensive minicurtain rod. We hide our ugly kitchen gadgets behind here. Plus it adds some color!

Use a coordinating rug to create interest in the center of the room Since we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of options to leave wall spaces empty, our wall space is pretty packed. To keep the center of the room from looking too sparse and boring, we added a small and coordinating rug! I love the dimension it adds. This is also a great option if you are stuck with ho-hum carpet and cannot change it since you are renting. ORENDA

Album Review:

Morning Runner Wilderness is Paradise Now Article by Cal Behrendt Morning Runner, the Reading-based group, are not one many think of when it comes to naming mainstream bands that base a large amount of their work on the piano. While bands like Keane and Coldplay spring to mind, this band went largely unnoticed in mainstream culture, only remaining in the realm of pop culture due to the amazing success of the English sitcom The Inbetweeners. However, Morning Runner’s debut, Wilderness Is Paradise Now, remains to be an excellent variety of tunes and themes that left the door wide open for continued excellence in regards to future albums, but due to commercial pressure, remains an unrealized dream for fans. The album opens with an attempt at the classic “Epic Rock Song” in It’s Not Like Everyone’s My Friend. Going loud from the get go, the band attempts to use dynamics effectively while displaying the full talents of Chris Wheatcroft on piano and the lyrical talents of Matthew Greener. After this solid opening for a track, it is built on with a much rockier and consistent sound in Have A Good Time. Here Greener’s work on guitar is the parading point of the song, with the riffs being underplayed throughout providing a sound reminiscent of some of The Wombats’ earlier work. This song then melds into the most recognizable song by Morning Runner in Gone Up In Flames, famously used as the theme song to The Inbetweeners. Here the band fuses a steady guitar riff with a heavy rock drum beat and a small piano riff to meld into a foot-tapping song that is made all the more enjoyable by Greener’s quick talking lyrical style to paint a portrait of desperation which is hard not to enjoy. We then begin to see a substantial change 22

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in the tone of the album, beginning with Burning Bridges, which begins softly, with Greener repeating “It’s Not Heaven Without You.” As the band slowly builds up, both the pace of the song but also the layers of the instruments until all members are playing loud and frantically. Following on from this is Hold Your Breath, which shows the departure from the first half of the album by playing in a manner different than we have heard. Through Ali Clewer’s soft jazz style drum beat and Wheatcroft’s piano scales and riffs, Hold paints a relaxing picture of a Sunday drive along a windy road. This song slowly melds into the next in Oceans, which is another relaxing song, but instead of the drumming, it relies on Greener’s drawn out lyrical pleas to “Turn Back The Clocks”. Once again, Wheatcroft and the piano is a big player in the song as his riff provides for a logical progression in Greener’s lyrics. The Great Escape attempts the very thing it states in the title of the song by trying to harness the earlier themes of the album and escape back to that after the softer break in the middle of the album. By working off Tom Derrett’s bass riff and Greener’s guitar work, the song is constructed in a manner that challenges dynamics, much like the opening track. This theme is continued in Be All You Want Me To Be, a song which was referenced by Chris Martin of Coldplay as being “better than all of our songs” in regards to the early writing of X&Y, which inspired them to write several new songs. Here we can see why, as the music slowly builds not only in verses, but as a complete song, beginning with some intensity, but building until it is released halfway through, before restarting to build it up again. Again it is Wheatcroft on piano that takes control of the song, with his riffs leading the sections where intensity is

built. This continues in the next song, Punching Walls, which builds on Wheatcroft’s riffs which is rather upbeat, to add Clewer with an upbeat drum rhythm. Here Derrett takes control with his bass riffs which provide a startling contrast to the other instruments, but in a positive way, as Derrett’s riff is what makes you tap your foot in enjoyment while Greener’s lyric work is one that is easy to pick up and sing along to. As we enter the tail of the album, we begin to feel like ordering has been muddled a bit, as a song like Work would fit much better in the tone of the album more towards the front end, rather than squeezed between two softer songs. Here Clewer works magic on the drums to back up Greener’s lyrical work while Wheatcroft takes full control in the chorus with the piano leading alongside the lyrics to prepare the listener for the final track. Here we see a great closing track not only to the album, but also ironically a career, as Best For You ends on a softer note reminiscent of the songs in the middle of the album. As Greener croons that “Only the best for you is enough for me” the drum takes a simple turn and makes it relaxing, while we hear the addition of string instruments to further the romantic intentions of Greener’s lyrics. As the album closes, it leaves you with a distinct feeling. One on hand, you’re left wanting more, but knowing that there cannot be more, as the band disbanded in 2007 due to commercial pressure. But on the other hand, you have a strong one-off album that can never be let down by future work like many bands have seemingly forgotten in recent memory (Looking at you, Weezer). All in all, Wilderness is Paradise Now is a fantastic debut album and one that I continually return to as a strong one-off album. While the work here cannot be improved on, at least it was here in the first place. Wilderness Is Paradise Now can be found on Amazon and Spotify.

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I am

going

to start

eating healthily (tomorrow)

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Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Emma Chapman (A Beautiful Mess)

1 I n g r edients

Cheesecake crust 170g dark chocolate chips 2 cups whipping cream 230g cream cheese 1 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small pot melt together dark chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the whipping cream.

Stir until just melted and no lumps remain, remove from heat.

Pour into your crust shell and allow to cool as you make the next layer.

T o Garnish

Chopped peanuts Chocolate sauce Extra dark chocolate chips

How To

In a mixer combine 1/4 cup whipping cream, softened cream cheese, peanut butter and brown sugar. Mix until light and fluffy. Add in extract and the remaining whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon over the chocolate layer.

Cover and freeze overnight. Allow your pie to slightly soften before serving.

Sprinkle on more chocolate chips, chopped peanuts and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

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Aunty Nona’s Chocolate Mud Cake 1

How To

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease and line a medium-sized cake tin.

Put the margarine, caster sugar, cocoa, bicarb soda and hot water into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes while stirring.

Allow to cool for a few minutes and then add the eggs, vanilla and flour. Mix well with an electric mixer.

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes. Ice with chocolate icing or dust with icing sugar.

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Ingredients

125g margarine 1 ½ cups caster sugar 4 tablespoons cocoa ½ teaspoon bi-carb soda 1 ½ cups hot water 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour

Chocolate Fondant With Strawberry Coulis & Fresh Berries 1 2 I n g redients

200g dark cooking chocolate 60g butter, chopped 2 eggs 2 tablespoons plain flour 1/3 cup brown sugar

F o r t h e Coulis

To Garnish

2 tablespoons caster sugar 2 tablespoons water 200g frozen strawberries Double cream, to serve

Fresh strawberries 1 tablespoon icing sugar

How To

Sam Downs

Preheat oven to 180Â°C. Grease four Â˝ cup (125ml capacity) ceramic ramekins and arrange on a baking tray. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove and allow to cool. Place butter, eggs, flour and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth. Slowly add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until combined. Carefully spoon 1/3 cup of mixture into each ramekin and bake for 15 - 16 minutes or until cooked on the outside. Stand for 5 minutes in ramekins. For the coulis, combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan, stirring over a mediumlow heat until sugar dissolves. Add berries and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and push mixture through a fine sieve. Transfer to a serving jug. To serve, gently invert warm fondants onto serving plates. Garnish with cream, berries, a drizzle of coulis and a dusting of icing sugar.

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ROOKIES GUIDE

Networking If you want a job you’ve got to work it - ‘it’ being your stunning, accessible and ultimately lovely personality. Resident people-person Larissa Bricis (UTS Vertigo) shares her tips for turning heads. UNLESS YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE claiming that they study for the education - “Oh, I just love to learn!” (get out pls) you need your degree to turn into a job, right? The theories you’re learning will earn you a glorified piece of paper, but it’s networking that will really set you apart from the other hopefuls. If you’re a little bit in the dark, networking is the totes profesh art of building industry relationships with people who can help you achieve your career goals. Here’s our Rookie’s Guide to getting schmoozy.

Lean On Me

Contacts don’t have to be Richard Branson or Clive Palmer (lel) in order to be useful. Start at the bottom: talk to your friends and family, and their acquaintances. Potential contacts are everywhere, just waiting to share their brilliance with you. As Bill Nye said, “everyone you meet knows something you don’t.” There’s always the Seven Degrees of Separation theory, which suggests that a famous person (or, in this case, an industry heavyweight) is separable from you by seven contacts or less. Exploiting this will propel you much further than you might imagine. I’m connected to Deborah Mailman by two degrees and I once talked to Dr. Harry Cooper for twenty minutes #cashincheques.

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Don’t Be A Dick

Once you’ve made some connections, keep in contact with them. And that doesn’t mean the insincere ‘Happy Birthday!’ post on Facebook. Striking up a genuine relationship with your contacts will increase the chances that they’ll seriously consider you for that job or internship when the time comes. For extra brownie points, establish some topics of interest that aren’t job-related, such as pasta shape preference or an affinity for candle-making.

Befriend a Polar Bear

‘Cause you’re gonna need some A-class ice breakers. The best ice breakers are light-hearted, humorous, steer clear of controversy and focus attention on others within the conversation. If you’re lost for inspiration, try talking about yourself in the third person, divulging your irrational fear about the secret lives of spiders or initiate a lively round of ‘I Never’, because none of those could possibly backfire, right?

01. The Suburbs - ARCADE FIRE 02. Beach - SAN CISCO 03. It’s Nice To Be Alive - BALL PARK MUSIC 04. Ivy & Gold - BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB 05. Cœur d’Alene - THE HEAD & THE HEART 06. I’ve Got Your Number, Son - SHE & HIM 07. Warm In Winter - JOSH PYKE 08. Two Weeks - GRIZZLY BEAR 09. Real Estate - BOY & BEAR 10. Hold Your Breath - MORNING RUNNER 11. Drive On - AVALANCHE CITY 12. White Winter Hymnal - FLEET FOXES 13. Smile - ANDREW FOSHEE 14, Flapper Girl - THE LUMINEERS 15. Welcome Home, Son - RADICAL FACE 16. North Carolina - LITTLE CHIEF 17. New Slang - THE SHINS 18. Komorebi - RIVET CITY 19. New York Lights - FORT ATLANTIC 20. Follow The Sun - XAVIER RUDD

Music For The Mundane

O RCal E NBehrendt DA 29 Compiled by

DON’T FEEL LIKE “SAVING THE CHILDREN” ON YOUR WAY TO CLASS? ACTUALLY ALREADY DONATE

The Roadtest: Avoiding

Mission: Find the perfect way to avoid those annoying street charity fundraisers who try to con you out of your food beer money. Aside from the normal “I’m 17” excuse, or grabbing your phone out of your bag faster than the speed of light, I thought I’d roadtest some more creative methods of getting to uni charity-free.

Confusion

The Why Method

This tactic requires you to be on the ball. As the fundraiser approaches you with their clipboard, scream something completely random such as “I like burgers” or “I’m a pirate”. You may not even like burgers and being a pirate is completely unfeasible in this day and age, but they don’t know that. Your statement will baffle them and this hesitation is key to your escape.

This one is pretty easy. After every sentence or statement the charity fundraiser makes, ask “why”. For example: Fundraiser: “I’m trying to raise money for starving children, could you give me a minute?” Me: “Why?” F: “Because the cause is important.” M: “Why?” F: “Because children are starving.” M: “Why?” You get the point. After a while, they’ll get fed up or won’t be able to answer your stupid questions.

EFFECTIVENESS: 4/5

A charity fundraiser hounded me on my way to class. I was in a rush. She really wanted to talk to me. You see the dilemma. So having prepared a few things to shout, I went with a positive comment. She opened her mouth, I cut her off saying, “I like your hat.” She wasn’t wearing one. She didn’t realise this until after I had walked away and she had patted her head like a fool.

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EFFECTIVENESS: 2/5

For me this was the hardest as it requires you to keep a straight face and basically be a bit of a bitch. I can’t do the first one. I’m a terrible liar. I laugh. I blush. You get the drift. And as soon as the fundraiser realised “why” was all he was going to get out of me, I found it harder to keep it up. Plus I felt like the biggest bitch ever, not taking his charity seriously. Deep down I was, but I had uni work to do and had to pretend not to care. So unless you’re Cruella de Vil or have a heart made of stone, this tactic will not work out for you.

READY DONATE TO OTHER CHARITIES? SAGE FITZPATRICK (UTS VERTIGO) MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP.

iding Charity Fundraisers The Creepy Smile

The Human Shield

Most charity fundraisers throughout the day will have been shouted at, ignored or spoken to like they’re basically a piece of crap on the floor. So by making eye contact and putting on your creepiest smile you will unsettle them – think the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. They’ll immediately back away, with thoughts of you creeping into their apartment at night and murdering their entire family. They will use all their tactics to try and ignore you.

You’re happily strolling down the road and you spot a ‘chugger’ (charity mugger). Sweat forms on your head, your breath hitches and your heartbeat quickens. But alas, you spot a nice looking lady. She looks sweet, a little bit like your nan – she even has a cardigan with a puppy on it. Perfect. All you need to do is walk next to this person while approaching the dreaded fundraisers: close enough that you are shielded, but not close enough to warrant a restraining order or be mistaken for this individual’s friend. Or worse, partner.

EFFECTIVENESS: 4/5

Although slightly embarrassing, this tactic works surprisingly well. However it is only for those who don’t mind making a tit of themselves in public. I put on my creepiest smile. Eyes wide, with an almost hypnotic, trance-like edge to my stare, a big smile, all teeth showing and no signs of budging. As soon as the poor guy made eye contact with me, I saw him tense up a little. I saw in his eyes that he was judging my sanity and was debating whether to stop me or call a mental institution. He chose neither and with an awkward smile directed his attention to another unfortunate person.

EFFECTIVENESS: 5/5

This works for me and is fail safe most of the time. Fundraisers are looking for nice people; they’re generally more generous and willing to give to charity. But if everyone around you looks like they would punch you in the face, then peer shielding is needed. And if worst comes to worse, push your best friend towards them. They’ll forgive you, eventually.

Result: I have come to the conclusion that avoiding charity fundraisers is not as hard as I once thought. I learnt you have to think outside the box when it comes to dodging tactics - the crazier the better. as long as you don’t get arrested, and avoid having to sign all your wages away, then job done. ORENDA

These m are per for mor coffe

Protect your hands with this cloud-shaped oven mitt

Store sauces in these modern takes on an American diner classic

Spice up your table with these seasoning shakers

Chop veggies with this sturdy bear chopping board

This tea towel is sassy & enthusiastic

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Cute & practical, this colour will look wonderful filled with fresh fruit

s se n on an can classic

These mugs are perfect for morning coffee

EAT WITH YOUR EYES Crack open a drink with this bottle opener and celebrate with friends

These magnetic spice containers stick to the fridge for easy storage

p your ith

ing s

Protect the bench with this geometric trivet

This whimsical tea towel is ORENDA neutral enough to go with any colour scheme

Make Your Own

Terrarium

A terrarium is a mini garden kept inside a glass container. Within the glass container small plants grow with little maintenance due to the terrarium producing itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own climate. Terrariums add so much decoration to any desk, bedside table or bookshelf, and also may help you to improve your green thumb!

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step one: Gather your materials 1 one.

two.

Gather all the tools you will need, they are as follows: - glass containers - soil - moss - a small variety of small plants - either rocks/pebbles/wood chips - decoration for your terrarium, i.e toadstool, small fairy figurines etc.

Make sure you have your glass containers ready to go. You can buy any of the containers shown in this tutorial at most dollar stores. You can buy some really beautiful glass jars for really cheap at these places.

three.

four.

Collect some plants or shrubs you would like to collect for your terrarium. I clipped off some small fern branches from my backyard.

Collect some moss, and place in a container for you to carry around whilst gathering your other ingredients. You can buy moss from gardening stores, or alternatively you can go to your nearest forest or wooded area and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m positive you will find moss. I was lucky enough to have a few locations in my backyard that grows moss which I have been eyeing off for the past couple of months.

Collect some soil, and add to your collection. As you can see I have collected a few shrubs.

FYI: please be careful when collecting these items and try to cause the least amount of damage. These ingredients you are collecting are homes for a lot of insects, bugs and lizards etc, ORENDA so take care in not digging up more than you need to.

step two: be prepared to make a mess!

five.

six.

To start creating your terrarium, you must first have a bottom layer of either pebbles, stones, or in my case, wood chips. This step is to properly ensure your terrarium will have drainage. A terrarium does not have drainage holes, so you must supply a drainage layer to prevent damage to plant roots.

Add your soil! My soil was so dry, so I added some water to help it sit better in the container.

seven. Create small holes with your fingers and plant your small plants and tightly pat the soil around them into place.

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eight. Add a layer of moss around the plants.

step three: decorate your terrarium!

nine.

ten.

I bought these little figurines for $2 each tube from Kmart. Initially I wanted to decorate my terrariums with fairies and toadstool and cute little deer, however I could not find any figurines anywhere! Which led to this... Dinosaurs will do.

I picked out my favourite little guys and assembled my army made of dinosaurs, insects and moose.

eleven. My little frog and I also ended up adding a cheap succulent from Bunnings, because succulents are perfect.

twelve. Triceratops + succulent

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step four: Maintenance LIGHT A newly planted terrarium should be placed in shade for about a week. After the week is up, adjust light according to the requirements of the plants. Most terrariums do better in filtered light, and not direct sunlight. TOO MUCH SUN: Leaves wilt and develop burned spots. TOO LITTLE LIGHT: Plants develop tall, thin stems that are weak and unable to hold up leaves. Leaves are pale and fragile. Increase amount of light slowly.

WATER OPEN TERRARIUM : For plants that like moist soil, the top earth should feel barely moist before you add water. For cacti and succulents, touch below the surface layer. Lower soil should be only slightly damp. CLOSED TERRARIU M : These should rarely if ever need water due to the condensation the plants will produce. TOO DRY: Leaves wilt and look pale. Moss becomes brown or faded. Add a little water and mist leaves. TOO MUCH WATER : Excessive water encourages the growth of molds and causes plant decay. As plants grow, prune back the leaves to prevent over crowding.

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Stockists E AT W I T H YO U R E Y E S ( P G . 3 2 ) L-R, T-B: 1. Ellie Creamer by Anthropologie: anthropologie.com 2. Cloud Pot Holder by BoHelina: etsy.com/au/shop/BoHelina 3. Color Edge Chopping board by The Hambledon: thehambledon.com 4. Sous-Tasses Quai de Seine by Aime Comme Marie: mylittlesquare.com 5. Large Beech Spatula by The Hambledon: thehabledon.com 6. Textured Plate by The Hall: cottonon.com.au 7. Condiment Caddy by with 4 Plastic Bottles by Oh Joy!: target.com 8. Trendig mug by Ikea: ikea.com 9. Jansen+Co My Teapot by Outliving: hardtofind.com.au 10. Krokett Glass by Ikea: ikea.com 11. Beardy Man Plate by Donna Wilson: donnawilson.com 12. Pitcher by Oh Joy!: target.com 13. Grundtal Container by Ikea: ikea.com 14. Creat Brass Bottle Opener by Fort Standard: poketo.com 15. Cuttingboard & Bread Board//Bear by StudioLilesadi: http://etsy.me/1ssxur0 16. Qualy 4 Seasons Spice Shaker by Outliving: hardtofind.com.au 17. Whale Pitcher by Jonathan Adler: hardtofind.com.au 18. Vaken Glasses by Ikea: ikea.com 19. Hand Painted Cork Trivet by Living Embellished: http://etsy.me/1q4id9x 20. Ivrig Wine Glass by Ikea: ikea.com 21. Hell Yeah Teatowel by Castle: castleandthings.com.au 22. Wire Basket Small by Down To The Woods: incyinteriors.com.au 23. Black Diamond Knife Block by Edge of Belgravia: hardtofind.com.au 24. Galaxy Swedish Dishcloth by Big & Little: hardtofind.com.au

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This issue, we deal with death, chocolate, gender fluidity, cafĂŠ history, decorating rentals and schmoozing. We hope you enjoy it! orendamagazineau@gmail.com

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