My 5 rules for life and WIN a $200 Peeptoe Shoes Voucher

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I'm a big believer in living your dream life so when the people at Appletiser asked me to share my 5 rules for living life it really got me thinking. What rules do I live by and do I really follow any? Slowly I came to realise that I do actually have certain rules that I follow in my life and here they are. My number #1 rule to living life is: If it doesn't make you happy then it's not worth it.


Rules I live by #2: Play is just as important as work!


Rules I live my life by #3: Family come first.


Rules I live by #4: Treat all living things with respect and consideration. For me that means being a vegetarian for the last 18 years!

The 5th and final rule I live by (and possibly the most important): Have fun with fashion, don't let anyone or anything dictate what you can and can't wear! There are no rules. Crazy Harajuku style for life!!!!

What are the rules you live your life by?

Answer in the comments bellow and thanks to Appletiser you can WIN a $200 Peeptoe Shoes Voucher!!! Read the competition terms and conditons and good luck xoxo.

This is a sponsored post for Appletiser who sent me a parcel full of Appletiser drinks, cupcakes and lots of glitter (which I'm still cleaning up!)

2011 in review

I have a blogging tradition of looking back at the previous year and all the highlights and lowlights that made up the 365 days of the year that was. The look back at 2010 was full of exciting highlights but 2011 has been a hard year for me. Living away from friends and family has been hard, especially as my grandfather got sick and then passed away last month. I am lucky that with the work that I do I was able to take time off and go spend a few weeks with my family to help them through that period, but then I missed my other family, namely my Sydney family of my husband Henry and Hachiko our handsome hound. Professionally I'm in a better place than I was 12 months ago, but I'm still not at the point I would like to be so 2011 almost feels like it was one long pointless struggle. Perhaps I feel like this because there was no overseas travel for me, even if there were lots of trips back to Melbourne and one to Perth it just wasn't the same. I do have plans in place to travel overseas this year already so I guess 2012 is looking up? Oh yeah and I dislocated my knee at the start of 2011, that really sucked balls and screwed up some of my plans (did I ever mention I did it whilst getting ready to be filmed by ABC TV who were unable to reschedule the interview so they cancelled it, yeah that's like adding an extra layer of sucky to the sucky you already knew) Anyway lets take a look back at 2011.

Proud

Firstly I want to say I am proud of myself for taking the initiative and launching my SOS Japan fundraiser after Japan's terrible earthquake and tsunami in March. With the help of some amazing local designers, bloggers and creative's who all donated to the charity auction we raised $1784 all of which went to the Red Cross's efforts in the affected area.

Career highlights

Styling the Vice x Westfield advertising campaign

Elle USA magazine street style photography capturing the best of Sydney's streets for their global street chic feature.

Styling, creative direction and copy writing of Westfield x Fashion Journal advertorials. A fun youth based bi-monthly campaign that has been a pleasure to work on all year.

Styling the Sydney band Circle Pit for their feature in Fashion Journal.

Styling the September cover editorial for Fashion Journal.

Fashion Weeks

Wow I attended no less than four fashion weeks this year, all of them in Australia (which in itself is pretty cool, Aussie Aussie Aussie, oi oi oi and all that). First up was Loreal Melbourne Fashion Festival in March, struggling along on my crutches after I dislocated my knee a few weeks before. LMFF was almost the death of me I swear, it was so hard not only physically because of my knee but emotionally too as the Tsunami in Japan happened mid week and I was a wreck worrying about friends back in Tokyo (who were all fine, the radiation and aftershocks were the main worry). The fashion was good though and seeing friends was the perfect medicine after a difficult couple of weeks.

RAFW in May was an epic 24/7 affair for me and the On The Streets of Sydney team but boy it was worth it. Seeing Josh Goot's return to the Aussie runway was a highlight of my year.

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week will always be my favourite of all fashion weeks because it was the first I ever attended, way back when I was a teen. Its come a long way since then and every year the RMIT student show blows me away so I will always make time for MSFW.

My first trip to Western Australia for Perth Fashion Festival was super exciting. Perth has such a unique fashion voice that rarely gets heard on the east coast and its about time that changed. I hope to be able to return to PFF this year.

Bullying
I experienced intense bullying on twitter this year, worse than anything I ever experienced in high school. I don't want to dwell on it or give the bullies any more attention other than to say I was hurt by it as anyone with feelings would be, but I learnt a lot from it...mostly that people given the ability to leave comments or tweet anonymously can by cunts sometimes. Lesson learnt and I'm going to ignore it as much as possible from now on.

So what does 2012 have in store for me?

• In May I'll be heading to Tokyo for my birthday and I'm terribly excited. Its been way too long.
• Lots of hard work, my goal is to get published in print at least three times before May.
• Relaunch On The Streets of Sydney. This does not mean a re-design as I still like the layout, it just means actually working on creating original content again. We all got so terribly burnt out after RAFW that it has just sat there for a while, but I'm ready to jump back in and shake up Sydney's style again.

2011 was a hard year for me and I'm glad to see the back of it. Looking back on it though has proved to me that maybe it wasn't so bad. There were so many good times with friends new and old, great moments in my styling career and my blog took me to the most isolated city in the world so I have to remember to not dwell on the bad stuff so much and look at all the positives. 2012 watch out xxx

The Fern

This blog post is about my local area in Sydney: Redfern, or as locals call it The Fern. I'm really enjoying living  in this area, exploring all the new cafes and bars that are opening up. The photo above was taken in the courtyard of my new favourite cafe which I tweeted about last week saying it has the cheapest breakfast brunch menu I've seen in Sydney with prices ranging from $3.50 to $7.50!


That cafe is The Shortlist at 258 Abercrombie Street (which is actually in Darlington but is just round the corner from my place in The Fern). The menu isn't as extensive as other cafe's (hence the cafes name, The Shortlist, which refers to the short list of food/coffee available on the menu board) but boy is it good.


A fashion blogger's blog post isn't complete without some narcissism, so here is the obligatory photo of me and my hair which is driving me crazy as I grow it out.


This was only $4.50! Yes it is "only avocado on toast" but when I normally pay upwards of $10 for this at other Sydney cafes, and the fact it comes with lemon oil (which is freaking delish!) it becomes so much more than that. It represents freedom, freedom to eat at hipster cafes even when totally broke and freedom against the insane expensiveness of this city.


I like this wall, that is all.


Had no idea this place existed, yet its just on the other side of the station...you know the "bad side". (Redfern is famous for The Block which is an Aboriginal housing community which has a bad reputation although personally I've seen more violence/drug taking on the streets of Collingwood and Fitzroy in Melbourne than I have here, although taxi drivers have a great fear of driving me home as its close to "The Block" and one of my work experience kids wasn't allowed to continue her placement when her parents found out it was in Redfern...) I just wish we could all get along.

In stark contrast to what is just down the road sits one of Australia's most prestigious (and pretentious) commercial art galleries, the Anna Schwartz Gallery.


Another great cafe is Saint Germain Patisserie, 88 Rosehill Street, corner of Gibbons street in Redfern. The French bakery has the best quiche's in Sydney but the worst service I've ever come across. Personally I am not so fussy about service but Henry is at the stage where he wont go back. Forgetting cake orders for birthdays made days in advance, forgetting orders while your there, bringing out the wrong order when your the only patron, but like I said they make the best quiche's in Sydney.


The cakes and macaroons are good too.


My favourite cake there is the chocolate tart. My god its good, and a slice is only $3.50!


A great new pub opened up (well re-launched) called The Abercrombie and we headed to the opening. Above is my friend Emilia and her housemate being hair twins.


I don't know these people but to make it look like I have friends I have included this snap.


I tweeted from the launch about these drinks and promised OHJAMIE to twitpic a photo. Well I've gone and done one better, blogged em instead! Raver Cocktails in glad bags with glowsticks inside. Difficult to drink but drink em we did.


Dead animals, wigs and tits, how freaking cooooool man.

Congratulations to Julia Stephens from Melbourne who won the Gala Curios prize pack! Thanks to everyone who entered and to Jasmine from Gala Curios for giving away such an awesome prize!

Been Super Duper Busy!

Click Image to view whole editorial

Holy moly I'm busy at the moment. Freelancing work has picked up beyond anything I've ever done before (um so many cool things coming up, can't wait to share it with you) AND I'm working full time in a call centre, effectively I'm earning and working the equivalent of 2 full time jobs, which is great except I have no time to blog or even shop to spend that money, ha, which is great for my savings for Tokyo but not my personal life. It will all be over soon, which is great, haven't worked in a call centre or a "normal job" in over a year so its been a bit of a shock to the system and I can't say I want to do it ever again, jeez those places are mind numbingly boring. I'm 99% sure no one knows who I am or reads my blog at work, which is good, even if they have been reading Cleo magazine right beside me I've bit my tongue (thank god there is no photo of me!). I just want to work, get the cashola and get the heck outta there, ha.

BTW this is the most honest I've been on my blog in a long long time. I miss being able to talk openly about my life and decisions, but as my blog has got more and more popular I have had to really assess what I do and don't say on here, but I do know that's why people read it in the first place, it was honest. So maybe I'm gonna be more honest and open again, I don't know. My blog used to be so cathartic for me to write on, and I miss that. However I'm still holding back a little. Maybe I need a private blog? You know my mum and mother in law both read my blog so I can't really bitch about Henry (not that I want to) or anything. I've noticed other bloggers starting private blogs so maybe I'll follow suit, but I can't even blog regularly on this one so maybe I wont. Ok just going round in circles now.

Click Image to view whole editorial

So my second week of styling the "look of the week" over at The Vine is up. This week is all about beach to bar, which is appropriate for the weather we have had this weekend. Check it out and tell me what you think. Alicia from Sea of Ghosts was my model once again, she rocked it hard this week. The above boots are from Forever New for $109.95, and after this shoot I had to buy them for myself. Gonna be perfect in Tokyo.



So to choose the WINNER of the Stolen Thunder comp I asked Henry to pick a number from 1 through to 85....and he chose 84 which made my counting job easy as its the 2nd last commenter, L Y D. Congratulations, please email me your name and address and I'll send you the necklace right away. Thanks so much to everyone who entered, reading all your comments about what you collected was really fun. So many of you actually collect Babushka dolls! I'm just sorry there isn't a prize for everyone of you. Luckily there will be more comps soon. xoxo

YAY Flights to Tokyo booked

Yay thanks to Hannah for the tip off about cheap flights to Tokyo with JetStar I am now leaving on the 5th of Feb and I'll be back on the 2nd of March. The flights were selling out as I was typing and got booked up till the 5th of Feb, I wanted to go on the 1st but oh well I'm still going to be there for about 1 month. My ticket plus taxes was only $709. My sister doesn't have a passport yet so couldn't book them now, hopefully she will get that soon (she put in the application on Monday) and be able to go over too but maybe not on the cheap flights. Anyway YAY I am so excited I got the tickets so cheap, its going to be so much fun. YAY!!!

I also have my interview this Friday at the Whitehouse Institute of Design. I am excited and nervous. What should I wear to the interview? Henry thinks nothing too crazy or out there I want to look fashionable but also studious. Hmmmm. Maybe my new Cotton On dress?

With a gold necklace, black belt with gold buckle and black and gold sandals? Maybe?

Ok well I have to print my folio now and let my friends in Tokyo know my dates for the trip. YAY!

Oops (warning long ranty post below)

I shrunk my favourite dress in the wash. It is now more like a t-shirt less like a dress. Who knew that this could happen even to 2nd hand items from Savers that I would assume would have been washed many times before. I am totally bummed about this, if only I could turn back time and press the cold button on the machine. Damn.

I also now have my model for the shoot I need to do for my folio. I just want to clarify that I'm not going to be studying fashion design, I will be studying fashion styling and creative direction. It includes interior styling, event management and even food styling. We learn all about photo shoots, photography, mood boards and so much more. I have always seen myself as more of a stylist rather than a designer, whenever I design clothes I always feel that they aren't very original, but when I style outfits I think that is when I excel. I must say that I don't personally wear all of my crazy ideas, maybe due to my size, because it just won't look good on me, but I do have loads of ideas. Oh by the way remember that diet I was on? Well I still don't eat McDonalds anymore so I am back to being a good vegetarian, but I haven't really been working on it since the drama of my life took over again, but I really want to work on it again so by writing that here hopefully I will get motivated again.

Anyway this course really does seem perfect for me, it is the only one like it in Melbourne, and all of my work when I was at art school was about fashion styling in a way, I guess I have been waiting to find a course just like it since I left highschool (6 years ago, eeep what the heck have I achieved? Ahhhh life is so messy, I thought by now I would have some kind of career instead I am still working on getting there, slowly but surely)

I have my interview for the Uni in the next 2 weeks so wish me luck. I better stop talking like I am in, it's not guaranteed yet but I have a good feeling about it and I can't help planning my life around the change, I always do that, plan way ahead.

In happy news it looks like I'll go to Tokyo in December for 2-3 months so it doesn't matter that I'm not going to Korea on exchange anymore I can still visit Tokyo, and for longer. I just need to save up the price of the flight and maybe $1000 or more and I can go (Tokyo is cheap for me, staying at friends places, eating at conbini's for $1 (conbini means convenience stores...but in Japan they have healthy cheap salads, onigiri, soba for less than $3) free entry into clubs. I won't be able to shop but I'm going more to see friends and take some photos of people on the street so yay)

Even more happy news is that by not going to Korea I will be here when my bestest friend in the whole world is here for 1 month in March. I haven't seen her since 2003 (woah I can't believe it has been that long) We have been friends since grade 3 in Primary school when her parents moved to Australia from Scotland for their work (she is Scottish) They were here for 1 year and then went back home. Then they moved back to Australia when we were in year 7 at highschool until we were in year 9 at highschool. After that she came back for a few months the following year without her parents and then I visited her in Scotland for 3 weeks when I was in year 11. Then she came back for 6 months in my 1st year of Uni in 2003 and that is the last time I saw her. I really can't believe it was that long ago...woah. Anyway I have been looking forward to her coming back for ages and ages, it was meant to be this November but its been pushed back to March next year which when I found out made me cry, I was totally considering not going on exchange just to be able to see her for that month, well now it seems to have all worked out because I'm doing this other new plan so YAY (well if I do get into that course, see I can't help it I keep making plans like I am already in). Even better news is she will be staying with me for that whole time so its going to be so much fun! (I need to buy a blow up mattress, one that Hachiko can't break) Even with all these absences when we are together it is like we were never apart, she is that type of friend. We are total opposites too by the way, she is a med student (the reason she is coming to Australia is for some Internship at a hospital here) and kinda not arty but she gets me and I get her. I can't wait till she is here. Last time she was here I was so different, I was 19 and not into partying and kinda in between homes so living at Henry's parents house, I was totally not cool. Oh and I was in a wheelchair for the 1st month of her time here in Aus due to a broken left leg and injured right knee ligament so I was no fun, I was on loads of pain killers and couldn't go anywhere except the Casino which is pretty much the only wheelchair friendly venue in the city, it really opened up my eyes about those issues, footpaths are terrible and they broke the small wheels of the wheelchair all the time, we went through 4 rental chairs in a month! Anyway the last week she was here I moved into this amazing sharehouse in Fitzroy and made all these new friends and started partying and started to be cool again, so I want to show her how different I am now, lol.

Ok so yeah sorry about the ranty post and the over use of brackets, just needed to clear my head. I guess I use this blog as a personal diary not just as a fashion diary so I'm sorry if its boring, fashion posts will resume tomorrow, hopefully with some new outfits (I'm so bad at doing outfits regularly)

Confused about a major life change

I have had an amazing opportunity pop up in which I can (hopefully) study fashion design/styling at University. Now I am torn between finishing the course I am in which I can finish in a little over a year or start again but doing what I love with maybe the possibility of getting 1 year taken off the course.

The pluses of staying at VU are

• Finish in 1.5 years

• Free trip to Korea for 6 months

• Free money (scholarships galore)
  

The negatives of staying at VU

• I hate it

• I only did it to get a Visa to Japan but after I am finished in Japan the degree is useless here in Australia

• It is in Footscray (can be a plus too because of Savers) and St Albans which is hell to get to
  

• I feel that this Uni stifles my creativity with restrictions on all of our assignments, and I have said so to the head of department (The information for this course is all lies by the way, it is nothing like the brochure, it is definatly not a creativity course at all)
  

• I don't feel I am learning anything, our essays are nothing more than 500 word comprehension exercises so I can't be bothered doing them, you don't go to Uni to do things you did in year 8 at highschool

• My art class is with education students who know nothing about art and make collages about anorexia, ahhhhhhh I miss art school
  

Ok so obviously I hate my current Uni, lol. It's just I went to the "best" art school in Australia and now I am at the worst Uni in Australia and it just feels like I have gone backwards. I only did it because I thought it would be easy (true) and that I could get back to Japan ASAP (true) but now I am starting to worry about life after Japan, what will I do then?

My woollen accessories design

Pluses about changing to the Fashion course

• Can get me a job in the industry in Australia or in Japan or the world

• Doing something that I love and am passionate about

• It is in the city 1 block from my place

• No longer need to pay full fees you can now get HECS (government assistance for tuition fees)

• May be able to get 1 year taken off for prior studies so can finish in 2 years

• Project Runway is set at the Uni (lol, I may run into Henry Roth!!!)
  

Negatives about changing to the Fashion course

• Not able to go to Korea and Tokyo next year

• Not able to move to Tokyo in 2010, have to wait till 2011
  

Ok I think I know what I have to do, goodbye VU hello Whitehouse Institute of Design.

I spoke to the admissions office today and it looks very likely that I can get in with my experience....Ahhhhh crazy town I hope this works out but I will still go to Uni tomorrow and keep organising the Korea trip until I know for sure I guess.

What do you guys think? I am so confused, what have I been doing this year? Was it all pointless? I am going to be so old when I am finished with Uni. Will my friends in Tokyo remember me in 3 years time?

Oh and by the way has anyone else noticed the new blogger application "Follow this blog"? I added it to my blog, are you going to add it to yours?

Dream Bed on Sale at Ikea and more rental dream houses

I hope it stays on sale for 1 more week when I can finally afford it. I have wanted it forever. We need to replace our bed soon, it is so creaky and scratched and ugly but we did buy it 2nd hand (for more than this one is new at the sale price) It would be prefect if we get a place soon just to get it delivered to the new place. Hopefully things work out.

Here is another dream house in Footscray. It is now my favourite and we are going to have a look on the weekend, well at this one and a whole list of others. Footscray has pages of available rentals where as Fitzroy has only 4 ugly places available in our price range. Yay for Footscray.

Wow such a cute front, I love the new fence, so chic.

Built in his and her robes....So beautiful! The yellow bed would look so striking in this room.

WOW amazing kitchen.

Wow built in bookshelves, so much storage!

Our dining table would look so cute here.

No bath but still an amazing bathroom.

I love this backyard, its small and easy to maintain and looks really secure so Hachiko will be fine here.

I can't wait till we move now, I wish it could be sooner but we still have 1 more rent to pay on our apartment, so really we can't move till the end of September. I'm not sure how long these places will be available that we are looking at, but I think it's a good idea to get to know what to expect and to get a feel for the area. Henry is really stressed about moving, but I'm not. See Henry lived only in 1 house his entire life, where as my family moved once a year or so because we were renters, So I have moved maybe 24 times or more. I also moved house in Tokyo which was kinda hard. At first I thought I would just take my stuff on the trains but that was going to be impossible (I had 2 futons, a sofa bed, 1 set of drawers, 1 full length mirror and a clothes rack plus my already overflowing suitcase...I had only been in the country for 1 month!) So I found a gaijin moving service (basically a moving service for foreigners who speak English) and orgainised a truck. Anyway I know we have a lot more stuff with this move, but moving in Tokyo is crazy impossible because of the 1 way streets and if you remember from the google street view of my old street, very narrow streets that trucks can't go up. We had to park in the side street and really hurry up with the move because cars had started to come and toot their horns at us in the way...maybe 20 cars by the end of the move. Very stressful!

I have also been looking at buying a place in Footscray which is also cheap and the places are dreamy. I think if we lived in Melbourne forever Footscray would be our burb for life. Maybe when and if we come back from living overseas for a few years we will buy a place there, who knows what to expect. Which makes it hard to decide what to do when we do move back to Japan. Do we sell all our furniture or keep it in storage? Is there any point in buying a new bed when in a little over a year we will be moving to Japan and for 6 of those months I will be away in Korea anyway? So confusing.

Oh yeah and by the way I was accepted into the Korea exchange. I now have 100 forms to fill out and lots of stress about when I will receive the scholarship money because I need it to buy my air fare and other pre departure expenses like my visa and insurance. It seems I get the money in October, but I need my visa first, but to get the visa I need my flights booked and that means I need the money before hand....I'm sure it will work out but its confusing all the logistics. The good thing about the move to Footscray is I won't have to pay the rent while I'm away, we can just rent out the 3rd bedroom and it will cover me and when I come back the place will be cheaper cos 4 people in the 3 bedroom place. So it's all good. If we stayed in the apartment the plan was for me to continue paying the rent from Korea, which was a bit annoying but it was going to be covered by my centrelink youth allowance (which I still get while on exchange!) but now when I get back I will have 6 months of untouched centrelink to spend (it will go towards paying for the move back to Japan) I am so lucky hey? Honestly things are good again, just a little stressful to get everything done but it all looks like it will turn out fine. Yay!

New washing machine

Our landlord finally replaced the broken washing machine (after 1 month of us living without one!) with a brand of machine I have never heard of. Has anyone heard of Technika? It seems to work well enough, but I wish we had our own machine instead. When we moved in we had to sell our just new Fisher & Paykel machine because there was already a machine as part of the lease agreement and they wouldn't move it. Anyway I have been doing 1 months worth of washing all day so I have no clothes to wear and no outfits to post until my clothes are dry.

Yay I passed 1st semester

I just got my results for 1st semester and I passed. I was feeling so stressed and nervous all day because my results can mean being able to go on exchange to Korea or not. I am so happy I passed. It means I am most likely going to Korea for 6 months next year, I am so excited now. There is now no reason why I won't get it. Yay.

Luckily my winter school subject isn't listed on my results until 2nd semester because I failed Japanese. Whoever said it was easy was lying! We had to know all 100 Hiragana and Katakana by the 4th day! It was impossible to keep up. I passed the conversation tests but written (worth 60%) I failed. I think the best way to learn Japanese for me will be private lessons, where we can go at my pace and where there are no tests! I have found a place in the city where I can learn for only $25 per lesson so I will hopefully be doing that soon (if I ever get any shifts at my work again, so far I am not working this week, my 3rd week with no work :S It's getting serious now. I know that July is meant to be a slow month for market research but I'm pretty sure I would have at least a few shifts if I didn't have that crazy outburst last week. Oh well maybe my stuff on ebay will sell?)


Anyway that's all for now. I am going to be out taking street photos in the city tomorrow so maybe I'll bump into some fashionable bloggers? lol. I've been so busy I haven't done any for ages so I'm really excited about getting out and meeting new fashionable people. Yay. I really do enjoy taking the photos.

Am I crazy or just a little unwell?

I did the most insane crazy thing at work tonight. I currently have a part time crappy job in market research, the very job I told my students in Japan I would never do again (they always asked what my least favourite job was because they were all fascinated that I had already had 12 jobs and I'm only 24, most Japanese have just 1 job for life, at most 2 jobs in their life as in 1 student job then 1 adult job) Anyway I already hate my job, its mind numbingly boring and I hate forcing people to do boring surveys, but apparently I am good at it, yay, not. Well tonight I had to do a survey that sets me off as its about smoking. Now some readers may know this already but last year my beloved grandma (Nana in Aussie English) died 2 days before my wedding of smoking related illness. So this survey sets off all sorts of emotions for me. Well 1 hour into my shift I flipped. My team leader came over to tell me off for a tiny little mistake where I coded someone who hung up on me possibly wrong (in her eyes anyway) and I yelled at her "I don't care, I DON'T CARE, I'm at breaking point, that's it I'm leaving, I can't do this survey because my nana died because of ciggarettes" or something like that. Now my poor team leader didn't deserve that, and she got our supervisor over and he was like I should have told them sooner so they could put me on a different survey and if you need to you can go home if you like. I think he could see the crazy emotion in my eyes. I've never been like that before.

I think I had a panic attack. The survey is horrible, I already hate the job without having to do that particular survey. I started breathing heavily as soon as they said that's what I'll be doing tonight. I got in the lift and ran home and cried (lucky for me my work is right across the road from my house). I felt so embarrassed (everyone stared at the crazy person screaming) What the heck came over me? I also laughed a lot too, I wonder how crazy everyone thinks I am? it was kinda funny. I have dreamed of quitting the job in the same kinda way (eventually) so it was nice to let off some steam, but yeah I hope I still have my job, lol. I need the money.

So crazy and funny. I don't regret it though, I got to watch Big Brother, lol.

Has anyone else done this at work? Or felt like doing it?

Oh and sorry about the cheesy Matchbox 20 lyric as my heading. I don't even like that song.

Oh and sorry this is not fashion related. Sometimes I have no fashion mojo and right now is one of those times. All our clothes are dirty because our washing machine is broken (getting fixed on Friday, yay) so all I have left are ugly clothes that aren't worth photographing and I don't feel like wearing them out shopping either so I have no new purchases.

Twice Tagged Twice Shy

The Kitten from Picked Pics kindly tagged me a while ago to choose my "7 songs of Summer" (it's winter in Australia by the way) but as I was sick and then my internet was shaped I haven't been able to do it yet. Super Kawaii Mama tagged me today me with the choice of 3 separate meme's (ok is that what these things are called?) one of them" is my 6 songs for Spring" which I'm guessing is the same meme as The Kitten's only somewhere along the way it mutated slightly like in the game Chinese whispers. So as I'm already going to do that one I choose to do "6 Unimportant Things About Me"

My net is still super slow too but here goes. Also I never know what to write in these things, hence the title "twice shy".

My 7 songs of Winter:

The rules are as follows:

1. List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they're not any good, but they must be songs you're really enjoying now, shaping your Summer (or Winter as it is for me)
2. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs.
3. Then tag 7 other people to see what they're listening to.
   

My 7 songs.

1: Cut Copy - Hearts on Fire. My new favourite song. I love the cheesy saxophone and the film clip which I've blogged about before is directed by Nagi Noda and its so cool. Cut Copy are 1 of the first bands I went to see live, hence my love of them.

2: Catcall - August. I love this song but it can get a bit repetitive. The singer is from a friend of mines old band called Kiosk which was also a good band.


3: Boney M - Rasputin. This is my happy feeling silly song. I love listening to it when doing my housework or homework.


4: Yothu Yindi - Djapana. Great Aussie Aboriginal band from the late 80's early 90's. In primary school this was my all time favourite song and I still love it.

5: Chimidoro - Baby. This is a Japanese band that I saw live a few times with the Spank girls. They aren't exactly "cool" but I like that about them. I bought their cd and listen to it all the time.

6: Madonna - Hung Up. I am a huge Madonna fan (the reason I moved to Tokyo when I did was so I could attend the Madonna concert) however I'm not too impressed with her new album. Nothing could top Hung Up for me (I actually sang Hung Up on Hong Kong TV, omg so embarrassing I forgot all about this. I was interviewed out the front of the Madonna concert in Tokyo and they said I was dressed like her (I think it was maybe just because I was the only foreigner) and then they made me sing the whole song, I wonder if it ever aired, I'm not exactly the best singer).

7: I can't think of anything else I'm listening to right now. This was hard for me because I don't have an ipod and I don't download much music. I like music but I just listen to whatever Henry is playing. My favourite music is electro-pop/indie electro/techno-dance-y stuff. If its a tacky 1 hit wonder chances are I will love it. I love the music they play in the clubs in Tokyo, but here in Melbourne its all about indie rock which I find so dull, hence I don't go out till after 1am when the dj's start, but now thanks to the new 2am lockout in Melbourne I can't really do that anymore. (For those who don't know the lockout means in Melbourne right now if you go out to a club after 2am you have to stay in that club or go home, you can't enter a new club. It really sucks as Melbourne is a great place to bar hop. The reason for this is a few idiots cause fights, but it seems to me that there are more fights now because people are angry that they can't get into clubs so fights break out at taxi ranks and outside of clubs with bouncers. Stupid government)

6 unimportant things about me:

The rules are as follows:

1. Link back to the person that tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your entry.
   

6 unimportant things about me.

1. I have already experienced my "15 minutes of fame" already. I was on A current affair in 2006, which is an Australian Current affairs TV news show. What happened was I put an ad on ebay in response to "the 4 Sydney blokes" who were selling a weekend with them having a BBQ and drinking beer, all very Aussie and blokey. My ad was for a weekend with me going to art galleries and hip bars and cafes. The day after I put the ad up on ebay (as a joke mind you) my mum called me up and said my photo was in the Herald Sun (a major newspaper) which was surreal. Then later that day ACA contacted me and came to my house to interview me. For the next few weeks I would get recognised on the street and out at bars. It was crazy. I would get emails from people when I got back from the cinema asking if I liked the movie because they had sat next to me. Talk about freaky. 6 months later there was an editorial piece about me in a major Sydney newspaper which used quotes from an online Melbourne music message board I post on which tried to make out that I was a vapid fame whore no better than Paris Hilton. So people I was the first Corey Worthington, albeit on a smaller scale (I didn't get to go on Big Brother) Totally crazy time in my life. I have a video tape of the ACA interview but have no idea how to put it on youtube, maybe one day I'll work it out so you can see.
   
2. I have always lived in and around the city, never in the suburbs (except at my Nana's house on holidays) so I'm a true blue city girl. This is kinda rare maybe in Melbourne because people ask me where are you from and don't believe me when I say the city.
3. I have 1 foot bigger than the other which makes buying shoes really difficult.
   
4. I used to have obsessive compulsive disorder about the number 3. Basically everything I did had to be done in three's or multiple or factors of the number 3. I had to brush my teeth 3 times, turn the lights on and off 3 times, walk in 1 cement block of footpath in 3 steps. If I accidentally did more than 3 steps or what ever it was I was doing I had to then do 6, or 9, or 12 etc... I also had to touch my forehead 3 times if I thought a bad thought, but if I touched some hair I would have to start again. This started when I was about 13 and ended when I was 16. Was I crazy or what?
5. I was voted best dressed in my final year of high school.
6. I saw Fabio in Shinjuku, Tokyo just walking around. I swear he winked at me. Henry does not believe that I saw him though.

Ok well that took forever thanks to my slow internet. I hope it's interesting for you all.

I am going to tag 7 people not 13, that's just crazy. As my internet is slow I'm not sure if these people have been tagged or not because I can't check, so if you have don't worry about doing it. I also can't tell them about it but hopefully they will find out by reading this. I hate having this stupid slow internet.

I'm going to tag all Aussie Bloggers. Yay for Australia. You can choose which meme to do, or do both. Also you don't have to do any. It's up to you.
Aus Style
Fashion Fake
Lady Melbourne
Strike Match
Lady Grey
A cup of Tea
In Private Collection

Thanks for tagging me Super Kawaii Mama and The Kitten, it was fun.

Quick update

Ok well now I am no longer sick but my internet at home has been shaped for the next 10 days. So right now I am blogging from my Uni Library, where the internet connection is only slightly faster. I won't be able to comment on your blogs, or really read them for 10 days, I'll try and blog and update Melbourne Street Fashion because uploads aren't effected by being shaped but the page takes 10 years to upload. I had so many planned posts and lots of photos of outfits etc for this blog so if I can get it to load at home I will blog tonight.

It is so unfair though. I never download movies or music or computer games. I only read blogs (oh soooo many blogs) check myspace and read my email. My housemate on the other hand downloads movies and music all the time, even when we tell him it means we will get shaped. He can download some, but not a movie every night. He always says "well in Japan this won't happen"....well it's NOT JAPAN! Internet connections in Australia are slow and expensive and there is a max download limit. It's not all his fault though, Henry also downloaded a computer program he needed for Uni, but he times his d/l for the off peak time when which doesn't count as usage....but they went for longer than that time, but not by much. So 1 computer program compared to heaps of music and movies....ok so maybe it is mostly our housemates fault.

Oh and I just had my Japanese conversation test. The teacher said my pronunciation and intonation were very good, just like a Japanese person. Yay I did well. The next test is Hiragana and Katakana....now this is where it gets tricky. Already the teachers aren't writing in English (romanji) characters anymore, its all Japanese writing and well, I don't think I'm ready for that yet....and no one else seems to be. I need to go home and study Hiragana tonight. I need to remember everything before the next class so I'm not sitting there looking at the whiteboard with a blank stare.

Soon I will be able to read this sign. I could never work out what this place was....Lolz

Sick

Agrhhhhh I am sick again with tonsillitis, right in the middle of my intensive Japanese course. I am so annoyed. I think I got it at work on Saturday, I was sitting next to someone who obviously had a cold. I hate those people who come to work with their illness and give it to everyone else. Stay home, get better you idiots! Hopefully I will be better by my test on Wednesday but I have already missed so much I don't know if I can pass. I'm hoping to be able to take some street photos tomorrow if I'm better so I can update Melbourne Street Fashion on Wednesday as planned.

Birthday pressies

I am a bad blogger. I hardly ever leave comments on other peoples blogs, I don't tag my own blog properly, I never update my blog links list even though I read 100x that amount of blogs daily and my posts are never regular. I'm sorry. I really enjoy blogging though, I just wish I was better at it. The reason why I haven't blogged in a few days is because my internet connection was shaped yet again. Does this happen to anyone else? Or is it just me who lives with 2 boys who download heaps of music, movies and porn? I only watch the occasional episode of Gossip Girl which is now over so its really not fair that this happens every month as I pay the same amount. I think its because our housemate is from Japan where there is no such thing as download limits that its hard for him to understand that he can't just download heaps and heaps like he could back home. Oh well as of tomorrow it will be back to normal speed (I'm blogging at shaped speed which is super super slow and annoying, see I am dedicated to this blog!)

Anyway as you all know it was my 24th birthday the other day (geez I'm old :S) and I got some good pressies so far (I still haven't seen my sister yet and she has promised me a red gingham something, I can't wait to see it....and her lol)

My mum gave me:

A warm red faux mink queen size and really ugly blanket. LOL, don't worry she knows it's ugly and that's why I LOVE it. I love bold red things for the house, anything tacky and kitsch and a little retro and I'm in love. I was looking for a blanket for ages but couldn't find any I loved and my mum knew this. YAY. I looked at heaps of blankets but all of them were plain, but if you look at me house and my clothes you will see I don't do plain. Thanks so much mum. The best part is it is really really soft and warm, we don't need to have the heater on and can save money and the planet. Double YAY.

Keeping with a winter theme my mum got me some new warm pj's. These are so comfy and so cute and bright I love them. Thanks again mum. (She reads my blog people, lol)

Mum also gave me $100 to buy a handbag and whatever else I wanted with the left over money....which turned into bills and train tickets, damn being an adult and having responsibilities. Henry's mum gave me some money too which was spent on flea treatment for Hachiko (after my birthday party he was infested with fleas like never before, so much so he vomited and was totally not himself...must have been my friends cat or something)

Henry gave me:

It came in this "Tiffany blue" box...but its not from Tiffany's, damn.

This GIANT ring pendant from Alpha60. It's not a ring for your finger its a ring you wear on a chain around your neck, and its HUGE. I really should have put a real ring next to it for scale comparison. Just use your imagination. Now I need to find a chain to put it on (why doesn't it come with a chain???)

Henry also took me out for the day to St Kilda.


We went to Luna Park.


I got to go on the Pirate ship. Henry was too scared to go on so he took some photos of me on the ride having fun.

We didn't end up going down to the beach, we were so sleepy from my party the night before that we fell asleep on the tram ride home.

Ok so that wasn't a very fashion-y post. Once the net is back up I'll be posting some new op shop buys from my first ever trip to Chapel Street Windsor (I know where have I been living?...oh that's right, the other side of the river...lol *Melbourne people will get this, sorry to those who don't)