'URGH' she urghed

So yesterday I lost my laptop.

 

Very unhappy. Mainly because I lost a lot of photos that I hadn't yet uploaded or printed to put in albums. So I am using the library's computers (with only 2 hours a day which is crazy but kinda good for me) until I go back to Canberra on Monday to get my old laptop.

 

Oh well. You win some, you lose a laptop.

 

In other less urgh news, I watched the final episode of Ja'mie this morning on iview and I am so glad that it ended the way it did.

 

***SPOILERS***

 

If it had ended when she had turned her back on Africa and chose Mitchell, I think that would have been an accurate portrayal of the private school girl and a fantastic ending. But it was good that they didn't change MUCH at public school. I also enjoyed topless Ja'mie. Chris Lilley has a fantastic bod. Other than that, I am very sad that it is over and hoping for more Chris Lilley soon.

 

Actually, funny story, yesterday I was really upset about losing my laptop so I decided I would buy a set-top box so that I could set up my TV and watch Ja'mie at home. When I got home I realised I didn't have an antenna and I was like "for poop's sake' so I went back to the shops to get an antenna. Then I got everything plugged in, and the only channels I could receive were SBS and NITV. Really, really bitch, really? And even then, the reception was so bad that I couldn't even watch SBS docos.

 

But my day wasn't all crap, I ended up going to this fantastic party that ended around 3am with me and another girl dancing in her empty living room lit by fairy lights to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on vinyl. SO. FREAKING. FABULOUS. Disco gets me in the groove. Oh, the Bee Gees... Another magical moment to note.

 

And also, my mum wants me to take her to the Lionel Richie and John Farnham concert in March. HAHAHAHA how awesome will that be? Very, you reply.

 

So until I get my laptop on Monday, adios.

Televisual Musings

Image from Showbizcafe

So I finally finished Season 4 of Boardwalk Empire. The last TV show I watched before Boardwalk Empire was Rupaul's Drag Race, where I finished a season and its corresponding Untucked season in 2 days, and it consequently made me incredibly headache-y and sick and I had nightmares about being a contestant. Anyway, so I decided for Boardwalk Empire that I would pace myself and stop my horrible Binge-TV habit. So I watched about an episode a day, and I think that really helped with appreciating the show. Each episode is an hour long, so I felt like one episode was enough. I am really impressed by what HBO is doing at the moment, and Boardwalk Empire was just so phenomenal and the story and locations was so intertwined and complex and fantastic. So I have finished my first period drama. And what a good period too. I think I might read the book as well, seeing as its travelling/lounging by the beach/book reading season.

Image from Monster of Television

So because I finished Boardwalk Empire, I started watching Girls. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. It is so amazing. I finished the whole season 1 in a sitting, then I started looking for season 2 episodes. OH MY GOD. I don't think I have ever watched a TV show in which I can actually, like ACTUALLY relate to the characters in a realistic and meaningful way. The way they deal with situations and people and struggling with finding out who they are, THAT'S WHAT I'M DOING. SO AWESOME. I thought I wouldn't like it for some strange reason, I think some boys told me it was stupid, BUT BOYS ARE STUPID, GIRLS RULE, AND THE SHOW 'GIRLS' RULES.

Girls is now my new favourite show that is still continuing, replacing Community because Community is starting to depress me. Actually Community is #3 and Parks and Rec is #2. Yes.

Image from Televisions Project

In other news, if you're as big a fan of TV as I am and you live in Sydney, there is an art project that is commemorating the official shutdown of analog TV in Sydney, this coming Tuesday. One of the exhibitions is a performance art piece where 2 artists will watch EVERY EPISODE OF THE SIMPSONS whilst fasting. It will take them 8 days. I really want to go see it, or watch it online, because when I read the description I immediately thought 'i wanted to watch all the Simpsons episodes this holidays. Would it really have taken me 8 days? That's not a lot of time...' Is that crazy? Isn't it a lot of time? Maybe this performance art piece will change my mind. On the last day, when they end, they are having a tele_visuals breakfast, and I might go to that.

Link to the project: http://televisionsproject.org/

Link to the exhibition: http://televisionsproject.org/kate-blackmore-and-francis-barrett/

Finally, Ja'mie finishes tonight. I will probably rant about it tomorrow.

Until then, Adieu.

Psyfari

I finally got my photos scanned from Psyfari. This was my first Sydney doof and I went with my boyfriend and a friend from Canberra. Noticable difference between Sydney doofs and Canberra doofs is that there are more good looking folk at a Sydney doof. Just Sayin. But it was such a beautiful sight, in Australia's largest canyon (and the world's widest canyon), surrounded by mountains and cliffs. I took heaps of landscape shots at dawn, but they didn't develop (dang flabbit).

These are our Moonshine-dancing-happy-time faces.

Giant connect four and giant jenga on the dancefloor. So. Freaking. Good.

This is my favourite photo. Some of those dots in the background are cows, the others are people running towards the cows.

Duckface selfie #YOLO

I've got that Summertime Happiness

Hi everyone! I've finally finished my first year of uni, which went by ridiculously quick and easy. Spent some time in Canberra for my boyfriend's birthday and now I am back in Sydney working hard and planning my fantastic summer of self-love. I thought I would share some plans/lists of all the things I have waiting in store.

Watching List

John Waters - Image from Pages Digital

Directors

John Waters ✩ Wes Anderson ✩ Ingmar Bergman✩ David Lynch✩ Alejandro Jodorowsky ✩ Carlos Saura✩ Sally Potter ✩ Aki Kaurismaki 

Hunky Irishman from Boardwalk Empire - Image from the New York Times

Television

Boardwalk Empire ✩ Girls ✩ ... Any more suggestions? Otherwise I'm going to rewatch the Simpsons.

Denim Jacket Inspiration - Image from Rookie

DIY List

Festival costumes ✩ Denim jacket revamping ✩ Leather Jacket makeover ✩ Glitter shoes ✩ Learning new knitting skills and crocheting skills

My favourite Art Journals I've seen - Image from the Clog Princess

Journaling

Making lists of magical moments ✩ Buying this Art Journaling E-course ✩ Getting back into the daily routine of writing ✩ Updating this (wonderful) blog more often ✩ Scrapbook my photos

Cramped granny flat yoga - Image from tumblr

Fitness

Going for more walks and bike rides ✩ Doing youtube pilates classes with blogilates

My Beautiful Man-Child - Taken by yours truely

Film and Photography

Planning and creating a short film/music video ✩ Getting more comfortable taking stills ✩ Exploring my city ✩ Getting  Instagram

✩

Most of my upcoming posts will be updates from my summer endeavours, rants about TV and movies, and tidbits from my life as a goofy woman-child.

Food for thought: I wish penises were represented more on television. Like, they must feel so angered by the inequality of boob air-time and penis air-time. For instance, in the 3 and a half seasons of Boardwalk Empire that I have watched, there has been 1 penis, compared to the (approximate) average of 5 pairs of boobs per episode. Lets fight this, and take a stand for private part equality. [note, penis was shown of a man wearing a belt around his neck waving a gun surrounded by dead people. it was kind of awesome in a horrific way - the best kind of awesome.]

Style Revelation: Solange

I just want to take a moment to bask in the glorious, colour-blocked and daringly patterned light of Solange's style, and reflect on how her dressing has affected my own.

First of all, her coral coloured lipstick. When I first bought a coral lipstick (by Revlon) I was afraid to wear it out in public because I thought it made me look like a clown with my afro. Solange changed that for me, and for this I thank her. (Also her skin is flawwwwless).

My boyfriend and I's afros were this big during high school. It wasn't even the 70's. It was literally like 2 years ago. I wanted to get my hair chemically straightened when I was 11, but then I started thinking about why I wanted to, and I realised I didn't need to 'whiten' my look just because I was one of the only black girls at my school. Seeing famous ladies with their natural locks makes me appreciate all the cool I can generate with a fro.

I have never loved colour blocking more. Plus, Solange wears great sunglasses.

I see these pants in my dreams...

My primary school uniform was this ^ kind of green. Sometimes I felt like I looked like a tree with my brown skin and green top/hat/school dress. Since then, I don't like to wear green clothes or nail polish or makeup. Green nail polish also makes me feel like an alien. BUT, look how Solange rocks the green with the larger-than-life hair. Might try wearing that green jumpsuit I bought, even though it also reminds me of a garbage man getup. Garbage-chic?

This is just a great photo.

If my scalp wasn't so sensitive, I would love to wear butt-length braids. Otherwise, I know for a fact that this dress wouldn't be flattering on my thick thighs, but the colour is fantastic. Also, those shoes would make great wedding shoes. noted.

Making leopard youthful but not trampy. I like.

Mixed prints make my heart skip.

This is just kind of creepy and fantastic.

I also love how Solange jumps between glamorous red carpet to hip street style. And they both work so well for her.

Yellow is my favourite colour to wear. Perfect accessory to darker skin ;)

A popsicle I wish I could frame.

One of my favourites. I love her all-over pattern looks, which she also dons in her video clip in South Africa.

So that's it for todays fangirl moment. When I start posting my own outfits it will definitely be clear how Solange inspires me and my wardrobe.

Wishing you a fab Sunday.

All images from Pinterest (tagged 'Solange') and Solange Inspired

Rupaul's Drag Race

image from logotv

Isn't Rupaul just fantastic...

My friend sent me this video two weeks ago and I immediately began watching season 5. [I usually start watching a TV show from season 1 and finish the whole thing, but because this is a reality competition show I thought it would be fine to start at season 5. I just felt like I had to justify my season choice decision. Because these things are important]. 

I admit, before watching Drag Race, I have had little to no contact with drag culture, except watching Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I absolutely loved that film, it is basically the only Australian film I would actually recommend to anyone [ouch]. I never realised that the reason I loved Priscilla so much is because drag queens are so beautiful and brave and stunning and rhinestones and glitter and ughuhgugh. 

Image from dailymail

Anyway, so I got sucked into Rupaul's Drag Race and finished season 5 in a day. Then I found out that there was Rupaul's Drag Race Untucked which was a 20 minute program showing the queens backstage bitching. The shade of it all.

The reason why I love Drag Race is because it is the ultimate reality TV show. I heart reality TV, I think it's so trashy and superficial and unintentionally campy, which are all great things. But Drag Race takes it to a whole new level. 

Drag Race has elements of all the competition reality shows (mainly ANTM and Project Runway, but also Idol) as the queens are put through series of challenges that test their skills in walking the runway, sewing runway outfits, designing things from floats to magazine covers, singing together, dancing together, basically any sort of obstacle Ru could through at them, he did. And it is so exhilarating.

Also, because the show is about drag queens, the unintentionally campy nature of reality TV just becomes plain camp. Plain, delicious camp. Plus, Ru and the producers are so aware of it, and they take it further by exaggerating and exaggerating the conventions of reality TV to the point where Drag Race doesn't become an escape, as other reality TV does, because it makes you so aware of how scripted it is.

For example, the show follows a very tight script where almost everything Rupaul says is either a catchphrase, drag lingo from Paris Is Burning (which I now have to watch) or a reference to one of his songs. Plus, the product placement in Drag Race is hilarious. Ru is always plugging his music, available on iTunes, or asking the girls to enjoy an Absolut Cocktail in the Interior Illusions Lounge.

So, look, I'm just fangirling right now, but this is seriously a fantastic show. I have learnt so much about drag culture just from this show, and watching families come together in support of their sons is really touching. Many a time have I cried. I have also been shown a way of how reality TV can become more than just reality TV. ahhhh. TV.

Palm Beach

These are some shots from this past autumn when we went on a road trip up to the beautiful Palm Beach. Summer is so long here in Sydney, which is so different from where I grew up. I've been trying to embrace it, but it's not a month into spring and already 30 degrees. Hopefully I can get sweaty old me to the beach sometime soon.