At the ever popular Braiding class we learnt the “secrets of the braids”, or how to do all those amazing braids you see on the red carpet or in Game of Thrones (ah, the amazing hairstyles of the Khaleesi!). Theresa Winters gave us a quick history lesson to find out where braids come from and soon we got busy practicing on each other: French braids, Dutch braids, waterfalls, fishtails… all simple but stunning styles to wow next time you are out and about!
Simone Alesich taught us how to be clear, precise, and succinct in our writing in order to communicate more easily in her Write to the Point class. After a brief introduction to grammar, we analysed a typical piece of writing to see if we could improve it. We also got to watch a video set the words of the incredible Stephen Fry as he pondered the role of grammar: he argued that niggling on grammatical issues is to insult the beauty, flexibility and poetry of the English language.
For a complete change of pace, we had Brendan Parsons talking about Ice Hockey in Melbourne. No Seriously. We did a full figure-of-eight-loop-the-loop of an ice rink and what makes ice hockey so awesome. There were people up at the front of the class trying on all the gear, we watched lots of video clips, and talked about what penalties might cause a team to end up down a player (everyone secretly loves the fist-fights and sin binning!). We also learnt what hand gestures relate to what penalties – some were pretty obvious and others not so much.
In Film: Everyone’s A Critic we discussed what qualities make a great film, and what qualities make a great film critic. Emmet O’Cuara gave us some top tips on what to look for in both, but essentially you want to find someone that agrees with you! Well, at least on most things as that way you can place a decent bet that if they liked a film, it’ll be up your alley too.
In a back-to-back Paperlab special we started off with Michelle Lackenby’s Japanese Bookbinding. Top tip: one should carry a bone folder at all times – you never know when you will need it… well, maybe! Then, following a swift transition, it was time for 3D Book Art and Sculpture with Louise Seymour. There was some very fancy folding, some new obsessions with creasing book pages, and the phrase “can’t tweet, busy folding books.”
And then Melwitz Folino took us on a tour of Fashion and Art: From the 60s to Today. With heaps of stories from London to Paris to right here in Melbourne, Melwitz looked at fashion, art, and even paparazzi snaps to explore how these continually changing topics are interlinked.
The smell of melted chocolate greeted everyone’s olfactory senses as the Science of Chocolate class started with Chloe Miller. It was filled with fascinating snippets of scientific curiosity such as an explanation of the crystalline structure of chocolate and why it must be tempered, and the reasons why chocolate sometimes has a near-mirror-like reflecting quality whilst sometimes it has a matte finish. Everyone got to create their own delicate, decorative, delicious chocolate flower. I bet only a few survived the night (yum yum)!
Sam Harvey was back to teach A Beginner’s Guide to Modern Meditation and we definitely meditated! She took us through a guided meditation and talked about mindfulness, the benefits of meditation and what it can achieve for your mental health. We also learnt some walking meditations (honestly!) and went home very relaxed.