Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2020 i frankie Magazine

I’ve been in the business of helping people with multicultural names for a long time. My first job was working at Melbourne Uni – I was the cultural diversity person – and I had to develop initiatives to help staff with international students. I asked the uni staff, “What challenges do you face?” and nearly everyone had one thing on their agenda: “How do I pronounce people’s names?” I developed some workshops around that, as well as other topics. Then I struck out on my own as a cultural diversity consultant. I’ve even written a book called Success with Asian Names. The professional name-reading job came along a couple of years ago. I’d been writing cheat sheets for presenters at uni graduation ceremonies and coaching them on how to pronounce…

MARIS CRANE – FRASIER Given she’s described as so thin she can “hide behind a breadstick”, and suffers from a range of physical defects including allergies, a rigid spine and webbed hands, it’s no real surprise to see Maris Crane on this list. In fact, Frasier’s creators have said they never planned to keep Maris in hiding, but her expanding mythology (and increasingly unusual physical traits) made the character impossible to cast. The ex-wife of Niles Crane and former sister-in-law of lead character Frasier, Maris is the show’s most formidable antagonist – an impressive feat for someone allegedly too petite to “activate a whoopee cushion”. She’s a gaunt shadow cast over Niles and Daphne’s budding romance, representing the very worst of high-society pomposity (although the show’s namesake comes in a…

MANAGE YOUR MOOLAH It’s time to put the kibosh on that fear of doing the maths behind your day-to-day expenses, and dig into where you’re sending your hard-earned dosh. Before you even begin to think about buying a house, you need a crystal-clear idea of your financial situation: your earnings and biggest expenses, including non-negotiables like gas, electricity, phone, internet and insurance, plus things you could cut back on (like eating out or subscriptions you don’t really use). Sarah recommends reviewing your fixed expenses at least once a year to make sure you’re getting the best possible deals. DREAM BIG BUT SET GOALS Picture your future home – whether it’s a cabin in the woods, a swish Mid-century pad or an inner-city apartment – and design a budget around it.…

It’s 11pm. I’m in a crowded bar when I see him. His body bristles with curiosity as he studies my face. He approaches, fast, scuttling to close the gap. It’s as if my neither-hither-nor-thither face has cancelled out his reservations about approaching a stranger. With the urgency of a child about to piss themselves on a long car trip, he speaks. “I have to ask. Where are you from?” This is not one specific occasion, but a recap of hundreds. You see, life as a racial hybrid in Australia is a tapestry made up of “WTF is in your lunchbox?” and “Is your mum the Asian one?” stitched together with the endless thread of “So, where are you really from?” I grew up in Canberra. I went to a Catholic…

hello sunshine JO WALKER HAS SOME IDEAS FOR KEEPING YOUR SKIN SAFE IN SUMMER. It seems clear that at some point in our nation’s past, the Australian sun decided to go feral and fry everyone who lives here. And while the more melanin-deprived among us are usually the first to feel the burn, everyone is at the mercy of the sun gods – from trucker’s tans to peeling sunburns to suspicious moles that you really hope the doctor is going to be cool about. Here’s how to avoid literally turning red. COVER YOUR NOGGIN Most people think they look terrible in a hat. You might be one of them. Are you sure, though? Have you tried on every hat in the world? Fashion is mainly silly, so it actually makes…

You know how people always say milestone birthdays make you reflect? Well, I recently turned 30 and, surrounded by friends and family, shrouded in love and celebration, I asked myself the big questions. Questions like, why am I such a square? A nerd, a wimp, the kind of scaredy-cat who doesn’t colour outside the lines. I’m the original Sandy Olsson in Grease – or, worse yet, I’m Patty Simcox, the girl even Sandy thought was too square to be friends with. I’m not the bookish, clever kind of nerd who surprises you with their wit and is super-hot when they take off their glasses. No, I’m the kind of nerd who’s easily intimidated by authority and says things like, “Hey guys, can we be cool within the rules?” I’m a…

YEAH IT IS BY JAMES COLLEY I love a routine. The same outfits, lunch, path of walking is an ease and comfort to my mind. Not having to worry about what I need to do next allows me to more easily function in my day. Routine sustains me. But, as I am not a mechanical arm in a factory, it does not encompass all of me. We need experimentation. We need variety. It’s more than just avoiding boredom – it’s a fundamental human requirement. Of course, variety can be frightening. It should be frightening – you’re trying something new. It’s the cheapest way for anxiety sufferers to engage in extreme sports. Sure, you might just be wearing a colour you’re not quite sure works on you, but all you know…

On a plinth in a gallery in Zagreb, Croatia, sits a child’s frisbee. The plaque beside it reads, “A stupid frisbee, bought in a thrift store, was my ex-boyfriend’s brilliant idea – as a second anniversary gift. The moral was obviously that he should be smacked with it right across the face the next time he gets such a fantastic idea.” Welcome to the Museum of Broken Relationships. We’re all heartbroken here. “We actually came up with the idea while we were going through our own break-up,” laughs artist Olinka Vištica, who founded the museum in 2006 with fellow artist and partner of four years Dražen Grubišic. “Dražen and I had so many sleepless nights just talking about what was going to happen if we went our separate ways.” Chief…

Dear frankie, At 17, I decided to pursue a career in ballet. Over the past year, I’ve stood in classes fumbling, hopping and skipping, trying to look graceful, trying to breathe, and trying to replicate the plié the (experienced) six-year-olds before me were executing. I’ve been a little too goofy, a little uncoordinated, a little too ‘different’. But frankie, you cheered me up in issue 92 with tales of female space wanderers, CD balancers and soft-serve sellers. Thank you for sharing the message that we can all pursue the dreams we want, no matter how unique or challenging they may be. Big love, Laura xx Dear frankie, I’ve been reading you for many years now, but I thought as I moved through my 30s I might become too daggy for…

If jumping aboard a commercial fishing vessel in freezing Alaskan waters, doing your business in a bucket and sleeping only an hour a day in the pursuit of salmon isn’t punk-rock – well, we don’t know what is. To Ayisha Jaffer, a radio host, seasonal park ranger and the driving force behind the band Skux, punk-rock is about “being loud about what you care about”. Ayisha cares a lot about the natural environment and the human connection with it, which is why she recently wound up on a boat with a zany captain, fishing non-stop for days at a time. Admittedly, she lasted only a month on board, but the gruelling experience taught her a lot about the importance of salmon to the Alaskan economy, and how scientists work to…

CHEDDAR There’s really nothing better than melted cheddar. What would a toastie be without long strings of molten ched, daring you to burn the inside of your mouth so badly you can’t eat for the next two days? However, ‘nuclear’ is the only temperature where cheddar really excels. Straight out of the fridge, it’s pasty and unappealing, coating the roof of your mouth in sticky cheese cement. (This is why I believe the ‘ploughman’s lunch’ is a scam.) At room temperature, it starts to soften and sweat almost immediately, and not even the inch of cabanossi it’s usually next to on a toothpick can save the situation. The mystery and delight of cheese is its stable combination of water, protein and fat – when one member decides to leave the…

LEARN AN INSTRUMENT The first step in starting a band? Choosing an instrument and learning the basics. Who’da thunk it, huh? Lessons are handy if you’ve got the dosh, but if not, there are plenty of awesome tutorials on YouTube that’ll help you get started on your merry way. You could try to learn a favourite song or two (or even write one yourself) before teaming up with others, or jump right in with a group of friends and muddle through as you go. FIND SOME BANDMATES Got no musical mates? No worries. Local Facebook groups are great places to try to drum up interest, or you could go old-school and put posters up in your neighbourhood. Strike up a conversation at a gig – you already know you like…

HOST A POTLUCK You may not be indulging in the devil’s drink, but no one said anything about stuffing your face with food. Invite your buds around for lunch or dinner – or meet in the park for a picnic, if the sun is shining – and ask everyone to bring a plate. You can step it up and have a themed potluck, if you wish (1970s dinner parties are always an excellent option), or go all out and each prepare a fancy Ottolenghi dish. Instead of alcohol, assign the drink-bringing to one of your mates, and see what they come up with – there are plenty of delicious bevs to sip on that won’t raise your BAC. TAKE A NIGHT CLASS Ever wanted to learn how to salsa dance,…

The festive season and all its forced frivolity is upon us, which means one thing: ’tis the season for awkward greetings. You know, like when you try to land a kiss on your crush’s lips and he gives you his ear. Or when you don’t know whether to hug your boss or shake their hand, so you sort of do both while achieving neither. Public displays of affection only became socially acceptable relatively recently in humanity’s timeline, so it’s no wonder our species has not yet evolved to deal with them, let alone master them. We’re the prehistoric fish crawling out of the ocean, unsure whether to use our newly forming arms for hugs or high-fives. Hugs are beautiful. Hugs spread love. But hugs can also be awkward as hell.…

nan tohch + carl dixon  aka: seeker x retriever mission: genderless clothing When you think about it, clothing doesn’t have a gender. A dress is just a long piece of fabric. Pants keep your legs warm. So, why do we insist that some items are only for women, and others just for men? For Thai-Australian label Seeker x Retriever, clothes are just clothes. If you like it, you can buy it – irrespective of your gender identity. The brand’s creative directors and founders, Nan Tohch and Carl Dixon, both grew up feeling frustrated at their countries’ rigid ideas of who could wear what. “In Thailand, I felt boxed into being the stereotypical girl in super-feminine dresses, skirts and full make-up,” Nan explains. Male dress codes were similarly restrictive in Carl’s…

Mention the word ‘chatbot’ and it’s likely an annoying online shopping or customer service ‘assistant’ that comes to mind. But what if that artificial intelligence technology could actually be used for the greater good – specifically, to support those who experience family and sexual violence? Enter Hello Cass: a free, anonymous SMS chatbot providing information and assistance for those living with violence, the people in their networks, and even folks concerned about their own behaviour. It’s accessible, discreet and safe – all essential factors when dealing with such a complicated problem. For Hello Cass founder Emma Koster, the complexity of family and sexual violence – as well as the all-too-common barriers to accessing assistance – became truly evident while working with Syrian refugees and asylum seekers in an emergency accommodation…

MICHAELA MCGUIRE author and artistic director, sydney writers’ festival THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett Twisting back and forth across five decades, Ann Patchett’s eighth novel concerns two siblings, Danny and Maeve; their mother’s abrupt departure from their lives; and the arrival of an evil stepmother. Opening a new Ann Patchett novel is one of the greatest pleasures of my reading life, and The Dutch House doesn’t disappoint. It’s simultaneously dark and tender, wry and devastating – a fairytale about the unique bond between siblings. DISAPPEARING EARTH by Julia Phillips One summer afternoon on the shoreline of the Kamchatka Peninsula at the north-eastern edge of Russia, two sisters go missing. Cleverly dismantling the structure of traditional crime fiction, this accomplished debut novel shifts its focus away from the missing girls,…

Where is it? 1 Marion Street, Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand. Describe Bicycle Junction in a sentence. A café and bike shop that’s all about building stronger communities by introducing people to cycling and cycle culture. What goes on there? It’s always a hive of activity, with bikes being dropped off for repair, people test-riding bikes to buy, and business folks meeting up over a cup of coffee. Sometimes musicians give us a little lunchtime piano concert, too. How did it all begin? I wanted a Cargobike to ride around with my newborn son. At the time, there were none in New Zealand, so I called the original Christiania Bikes in Denmark and said I wanted one. They told me they had to sell me four, because that’s how they…

Unless you have a very specific fetish, it’s safe to say no one likes getting the nervous sweats. Or sporting a bright red blush while mildly hyperventilating and hiding behind a conveniently large potted plant. Sure – sometimes it can seem less painful to just pour ants down your bra than speak in public or meet up with that Tinder date. But before you turn to insect-based harm, maybe you just need a little extra confidence to get you through. Thankfully, science can help. PRETEND YOU’RE WONDER WOMAN Standing in the classic superhero ‘power pose’ – chin up, chest out, hands on hips, feet well apart – can make you feel more confident, according to psychologists. Experiments run by Professor Amy Cuddy at Harvard Business School showed that striking a…

It begins in typical Sedaris fashion – with a story. “Every day I stay in a hotel, and when I go down to breakfast the hostess always says, ‘So, how’s your morning going so far?’ And I’m not even going to answer that question, because it’s so stupid. My morning is eight minutes old. If you want to have a conversation with somebody, put some effort in! Ask me, ‘When was the last time you went to the beach?’ or ‘Do you know a lot of doctors?’” Sedaris is chatting down the phone from Houston, Texas, halfway through a marathon three-month, cross-America book tour, where he’s entertaining legions of Sedaris acolytes with stories from Calypso, his tenth collection of personal essays. Well, his tenth collection of whatever it is Sedaris…