Pictures of You

[Source]

This ad, part of the TAC's Anti-Speeding campaign, always makes me cry.

So do this one, which is stupid, because it's not even supposed to be sad, it's got a happy ending.

[Source]

x
Just a girl

Avant Card: Propaganda

Voiceworks is a national, quarterly magazine that features exciting new writing by Australian young writers. It is a unique opportunity for young writers and artists (under 25) to publish their poetry, short stories, articles, comics, illustrations, drawings and photos. It is produced entirely by young people and relies on contributions from the readers to make up content.

These postcards were distributed at the start of semester in my creative writing lecture. What I love about this postcard is that it's pretty much propaganda, but in a way that seems to make fun of itself. And it's so eye catching (pun intended.) And kind of bizarre. For various/unknown reasons, it reminds me both of Big Brother (think George Orwell, not reality TV) and Russia.

I hope to contribute and be published in it one day.

x
Just a girl

Shopping Spree, Hawaiian Style

So, you may remember that last year I went to Hawaii for two weeks, and I promised details. Sporadically, I hope to fill you in over the next few weeks. With photos.

I arrived on a Saturday, and Monday saw the necessary – and ritual – trip to Ala Moana, probably my favourite mall in the city, though there are shops to love in all of them.

Both of my grandparents took me, which was very generous of them, considering shopping is not one my grandfather’s favourite activities. We promptly lost him (unintentionally) in Macy’s, and met up again for lunch in Neimen Marcus.

I. Love. Macy’s. It’s where I bought my formal dress, and this visit (and a subsequent one) would prove no disappointment. Thanksgiving (or early Christmas) sales were in full swing, much to my delight, and I found a lovely black cropped evening jacket that was half price.

My grandmother and I wandered all over the three floors (it’s also quite a beautiful shopping centre because it’s open air on all levels), peering at all the expensive shops on the second level such as Chanel, Dior and Prada, with their security guards at the door, browsing through Gap, Banana Republic (a delightful store, I have discovered) and Neimen Marcus, where I found an absolutely gorgeous purple silk Mark Jacobs dress with a hot pink belt and a hefty price tag of $348. Unfortunately.

We met for lunch at Mariposa, a restaurant in Neimen Marcus with a spectacular view of the shore and the ocean. My grandfather was appeased by the fact that I had bought something (he thinks shopping time is wasted if nothing is purchased, which I can live with; my father is a bigger believer in window shopping; you can look as long as you like, but you can't touch.) He felt, however, that he would need to postpone his iPhone appointment for an hour (from 2pm to 3pm), giving us another hour to shop and, in particular, look through one of my favourite shops, American Eagle.

That afternoon, my grandfather’s iPhone appointment was a meeting with an Apple sales rep to teach him how to use his new iPhone. I was in on the meeting to help explain it to my grandfather and so that I’d know how to use it if he had any questions about it later. It was very interesting and quite easy to get the hang of – though the touch screen was somewhat difficult for my grandfather to use – and means that I will be able to use the iPhone (in all it's 3G splendor) when it finally comes out in Oz on July 11!

On Tuesday my uncle planned to take me up Diamond Head, something I’d – surprisingly – not done before, despite having visited Hawaii almost every second Christmas since I was born and hence having done nearly everything on the island (or at least in the city). It was a beautiful day – warm and clear. The walk up Diamond Head is not difficult, as it winds its way up the cliff, though there are some sets of 100 or more stairs to climb as you near the top. On a sunny day, the walking can be quite hot, but the view from the top is nothing short of spectacular, offering a 360º panorama of the city spread over the mountains, in the valleys, around the crater, up to KoKo Heads and lining the beaches that give way to the sea. It was one of the most breathtakingly picturesque sights I have ever seen.

Let me try and show you:

Looking towards Koko Heads, over the crater

Looking toward the city centre, Waikiki Beach and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (the little pink one)

That night we went out for dinner at Elua, a new restaurant in town. It's run by two chefs, one French, one Italian, and the menu is divided between the two, which was really interesting and worked quite well. It was rather empty that night, so the service was pretty good. Our waiter was fairly chatty, recommending dishes and discussing American Gangster, which my uncle had just seen. The food was excellent; my dessert was this wonderful chocolate concoction that was chocolate upon chocolate surrounded by chocolate. What more could you want?

Coming up on 'You Know What I Did Last Summer:' Thanksgiving!

x
Just a girl

Because I'm Secretly A Hermit, You Know

Tomorrow is my last and son of a bitch exam, Democracy. Thankfully, in less than 24 hours it will all be over, but no doubt I shall be sleep deprived (from tonight's cramming) and anxiously packing, but vastly relieved and looking forward to the holidays. Also, my friend's having a housewarming tomorrow night, which will be fun.

While I'm on holiday, I won't be around that much because we only get 500mb of internet a month at home, which is barely enough to be able to breathe in cyperspace, and I know you'll miss me. There will be random posts every couple of days, just so you know I'm still alive, and since you'll all be suffering from withdrawal, check out my photo blog (which will have scheduled updates), or my writing blog, or drop me a line, since I now have email! - justagirl.aus@gmail.com

Meanwhile, discuss: "Porn is the new click flick." Said by a girl in college.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer/winter breaks/whatever it is you do.

x
Just a girl

PS: 200th post. I think that officially marks my induction into the "Experienced Bloggerdom." Aw, shucks, no need to cheer.

The More You Read, The More You Know

*A favourite quote from a poster in our yr 9 library:

The more you read, the more you know
The more you know, the smarter you grow
The smarter you grow, the louder your voice
When speaking your mind, or making a choice

*N tagged bookmarked me a while ago at my request, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

*A book that made you laugh: The Messenger, by Marcus Zusak.

*A book that made you cry: My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult

*A book that scared you: Well, Stephen King probably would.

*A book that disgusteds you: The Ethics of What We Eat, by Peter Singer and Jim Mason; disgusting doesn't even begin to cover how we treat the animals we breed and eat. If you care about animals and/or rights, read this book, but I warn you; it will put you off your food.

*A book you loved in elementary school: Nim's Island, by Wendy Orr. The Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton.

*A book you loved in middle/junior high school: Jinx, Margaret Wild

*A book you loved in high school: Remote Man, Elizabeth Honey; Inkheart, Cornelia Funke.

*A book you loved in college: The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger (it's being made into a movie, which should be interesting; I love Rachel McAdams, so I'm looking forward to it!)

*A book that challenged your identity: To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

*A series that you love: Harry Potter. Gossip Girl.

*Your favourite horror book: The Great Automatic Grammatizator by Roald Dahl (if that could be considered vaguely horror. I don't usually touch horror with a ten foot pole.)

*Your favourite science fiction book: Uglies, Scott Westerfeld

*Your favourite fantasy book: Twilight (the series), Stephanie Meyer.

*Your favourite mystery book: Anything in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith or Phryne Fisher series, by Kerry Greenwood

*Your favourite (auto)biography: But Enough About Me, Jancee Dunn

*Your favourite “coming of age” book: Seven Little Australians, Ethel Turner

*Your favourite classic: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D Salinger.

*Your favourite romantic novel: The Winter Rose, Jennifer Donnelly.

*My favourite book (non-fiction): An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore

*My favourite short story(ies): The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber, Ernest Hemingway. The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allen Poe.

*I tag: Gemini, T Y, M, Celise (and anyone else who wants to)

x
Just a girl

Avant Card: The Question We Face

(Click to enlarge and read)

Unfortunately, almost all the choices we make now will greatly impact our environment and the future. Choose carefully.

x
Just a girl

Dem Strolling Bones

I wish the Queen all the best for her birthday the weekend before last, which I celebrated most dutifully. My parents, being the lovely people that they are, were visiting again, and we went to the football on Saturday; my brother’s team were playing (unfortunately, they won.)

On Saturday night, my friend had a ‘going away shindig’ (her words, not mine), because she’s gone to Europe for 3 months. Bitch. Anyway, she knows how to throw a shindig, and it was pretty groovy. I consider it my first ‘drinking party,’ because it was the first party where I drank (obviously) – just a glass of champagne, mind. Good to catch up with a few friends from school I don’t see very much – if ever – and meet a few of her friends who were just about as hyperactive and crazy as she was, which made for a pretty fun night.

On Sunday, we saw Shine A Light at IMAX, which was truly awesome. It’s a Scorsese documentary? film? of a Rolling Stones’ concert that was part of their 2006 A Bigger Bang tour. And on the Bigger Screen, it’s absolutely fantastic, second best only to being there, I would think. The film includes footage from the Stones’ much younger days, being interviewed about their success; how long they thought they’d stick around (a 30 year old Mick is asked “Do you see yourself doing this sort of thing when you're sixty?" to which he replies "Yeah. Easily") why they think they’ve lasted this long, and so on. The songs – both well and lesser known – include duets with Jack White, Buddy Guy and Christina Aguilera. It's so great to see that they just "love what they do," as they say; you can see from the way they play/sing/work the stage (in the case of Mick) and smile at each other that they really enjoy it. The cinema was packed with baby boomers, but there’s no reason why we Xes and Ys should miss out on the fun.

Monday night was a wonderful climax to the three day weekend. A friend from college (the one I used to get mistaken for in O Week) had two free tickets to a preview of David Williamson’s play Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson Parrot, so she invited me along and I was only too happy to oblige. It was funny, clever and romantic; an absolute blast. For free tickets, our seats were fantastic, up high and in the middle, we could see everything.

***

Scarlett O’Hara at the Crimson Parrot is Australian playwright David Williamson’s first foray into the light-hearted genre of romantic comedy on the stage, and it’s a hilarious success. Quite simply, it’s one laugh after another, pitched both at an older generation that remembers the classic films that Scarlett loves, and entertaining enough for the younger among us to understand. And everybody loves a play that can make fun of itself.

Scarlett O’Hara is thirty-six, a waitress, single and lives with her overbearing mother who desperately wants to be a grandmother. Scarlett loves the classics and can quote almost every one, but unfortunately, life just doesn’t measure up, at least in terms of love, and she’s constantly imaging what it might be like – if her life were a movie. The big screen behind the set means the audience also shares in these amusing moments of day dream and speculation, a feature of the play that very much works to it's enjoyment. The set moves between her lounge room and the restaurant easily, where’s she’s caught between the demands of keeping her job and managing her nagging mother. A rather klutzy and forgetful but delightful young woman, Scarlett seems destined to spend the rest of her life alone and unloved, much to both her despair and that of her mother. But Scarlett’s life is never dull, which means it turns out even more bizarre than any movie.

4 stars/5

***

In other news, my Spanish exam today went well, I think. Fairly straightforward, more or less what I expected, I can only hope that I conjugated my verbs correctly. In any case, it's only worth 20% of my overall mark. Uni exams are kind of a shock from the strict structure of IB exams. For starters, the Royal Exhibition building is quite beautiful, like something out of Renaissance archictecture; big dome, angels painted everywhere, light and airy; in short, fairly distracting. Secondly, the 'exam room' is filled with more than 2,000 people, when I'm used to maybe 20-100, max. Reading time starts 15 mins before the advertised time, which basically means when everyone is walking in. As Sara puts it, "the masses of invigilators swooping around...are a bit intimidating compared to the single one we had for our IB final exams, but I guess it's necessary." A nice change is that you can leave early, unlike being forced to stay until the very end.

***

Half yearly stock take sales make me deliriously happy. No, really. I wandered into the city after leaving my exam early (I'd finished, and checked, and checked, and had half and hour to go, so figured I'd do something productive. And - it was a bright, sunny afternoon. What better to than shop? Also, I need to buy some groceries food. Everything and everyone is having a clothing/shoe/book/dvd/half price/stock take/up to 80% off sale, which is majorly awesome, because there's nothing I love more than shopping and sales. Ah, heaven. Last week, I bought a pair of Wrangler jeans from David Jones for $60 marked down from $130. See why it makes me happy? Can't wait until the weekend when I'm finished and can peruse the shops - I'm looking for a pair of boots and/or jeans (yes, another pair - a girl can never have too many!).

***

Lately, I've developed a thing for the word insane. As in, I use it a lot.

***

I'm so used to typing my signature - 'x, Just a girl' - that it's almost become a reflex action, and I nearly sign emails to my parents like that.

x
Just a girl

Knowledge Communities Ace Place to go to Uni

Guess which is the top university city in the world?
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No, really, go on.
.
.
Guess.
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I'm not going to let you look down until you guess.
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It's not that hard. Really.
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Give it a shot.
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And tell me who you guessed. Before you read it, mind.
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[The survey] rates cities based on their scale and "livability", the number of world-class universities with an internationally diverse population and their investment and performance in education and research.
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Guess!
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Of the top 20 cities, 15 are in the developed world and the rest are in the developing economies in East Asia. To be ranked, the cities had to have at least two high-profile universities ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement, a population of more than two million and be ranked in the top 100 most livable cities as ranked by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
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Guess!
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Oh alright...
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A snapshot of the world’s most lively, diverse and intellectually vibrant urban centres (according to an RMIT study);

1. London
2. Boston
3. Tokyo
4. Melbourne - because we all know Melbourne is better than Sydney
5. Sydney
6. Pittsburgh
7. Paris
8. Vienna
9. Chicago
10. New York
11. Vancouver
12. Baltimore
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Los Angeles
16. San Fransisco
17. Hong Kong
18. Berlin
19. Singapore
20. Munich

Agree? Disagree? Live in one of these cities and beg to differ? Going to Melbourne Uni I would have to say that university & Melbourne life is pretty fantastic. Campus is so close to the city which oh-so-convenient for shopping, movies, exhibitions and general fun&cultural experiences, there's always something on, the uni hosts boasts religious debates, political discussions and current affairs lectures just about every other week, there are various skiing and hiking trips to be had, it's very diverse/international - MUOSS has a pretty strong presence, there's Spanish plays and Chinese theatre - college sport is pretty big, and if you came for the academics, The Uni is always telling reminding us they used to be ranked 'No 1 in Australia, No 19 in the world;' they've slipped somewhat since, though, and who knows what the Melbourne Model will do for it's reputation.

No. 4 though? Hmm...I guess Melbourne is the world's most livable city (or so they say.) I would totally rate New York (and Paris) above Melbourne, but I suppose there aren't too many universities that are actually in NYC. But I guess I can't really compare, having never lived/studied there (maybe one day!) The cities I'm considering for exchange - Philadelphia and Boston - are up there, so that's encouraging.

First exam tomorrow - español.

x
Just a girl

Drunken Friday Nights

Friday nights in college is when the drinks come out, people gather in someone’s room (usually where the booze is), play some music, sit around and generally make merry. It’ll happen all over college. I tend to spend my Friday nights a little more quietly, curled up with the girls watching a movie or the like.

But last night was different. I put on my bad girl boots and started dancing!

Ha ha. I’m exaggerating for the sake of excitement. Story telling technique, don’t you know.

Anyoldhow, one of the exchange students (who, sadly, is leaving quite soon) was having a little get together in her room; wine, cheese and s’mores over her fireplace. It was just a bunch of good friends crowded in her room, cooking marshmallows, eating chocolate, drinking wine, laughing at each other and singing along to 90s music (think the Spice Girls.) Good fun. At some stage, we migrated into the corridor to merge with fellow partygoers who were sharing drinks in their own rooms. Later, we headed downstairs to where we knew the shit was going down, and sure enough, we found too many people crammed into a little room with the beats pumping and the alcohol flowing. So we squished ourselves in, occasionally milling out into the corridor as people wandered by, in and out. Then someone played the fresher dance, and of course the second years all made us stand up and do it, so there were several of us squeezed into this tiny room trying to do a healthy thrust, the sprinkler move, spirit fingers, semi-macerena and gettin’ dirty and flirty (all part of the moves) and half of these people were fairly drunk. It was hilarious. Everyone out in the corridor or walking past had to stop (to laugh.) A little while later, the duty tutor came along to warn us that the music was getting a wee bit too loud, and we ourselves too raucous. The funniest part was that when she’d finished telling us the party should disperse by 11pm, a girl who'd had a little too much walked out into the corridor waving her arms, carrying a bottle of scotch and saying “woo woo!” Priceless.

Before y’all get excited about the title of this post, I didn’t have anything to drink (though I ate plenty of s’mores) because I don’t like wine. There was some absinthe floating around, but apparently it tasted like licorice. Ew.

So, because it's early Saturday morning, and I got a lotta lotta lotta lotta work to do (i.e. exams starting next week), I'm hitting the sack.








x
Just a girl

Those IT Guys

Occasionally I read the University notices on my portal if I've got nothing better to do; they're typically very boring, concerned with library loans, open days, academic grants or security.

Until I read this one, which made me laugh and - honest to blog - read thus:

Thief Blog

I am a thief and I love hanging around the Uni. I wish to thank all of you for leaving your purses, wallets, iPods and laptops unattended when you look for books or go for a break; easy pickings for me and my friends.
I don't care that you have two years worth of essays or research on your laptop, it's not my fault you didn't back-up your data.
I love it when you store your bags behind you, and the funniest thing is when you fall asleep and I steel* everything - again many thanks!

DON'T GIVE THIEVES A CHANCE; YOU LEAVE IT FOR A MINUTE: YOU LOSE IT FOR A LIFETIME?

99% of thefts at the University are opportunistic and preventable by you. Never leave your valuables unattended and always keep an eye on your bag.

I bet they had fun writing this one.

*[sic] I wonder if this was an honest error or an imitation of theives' spelling?

x
Just a girl

Pretty Girls All Look The Same

Kudos to Draven for posting about this Elle article about why pretty isn't always sexy.

Finally, someone recognises that beauty isn't skin deep - it lies beyond the surface, in confidence, intelligence, self-acceptance and personality. "In the fairy tale, Cinderella goes unnoticed until her appearance is magically transformed to match little girls’ ideal of loveliness, which they grow up believing is little boys’ ideal of loveliness. This belief is wrong, though. And I should know, because I’m a grown-up boy who longs for Cinderellas who’ve never touched a pair of glass slippers—who are plenty alluring barefoot. I prefer them to some princesses I’ve danced with. I prefer them—these unconventional-looking women who too frequently call themselves ugly or imperfect when they ought to call themselves perfecting—because their transformations are still ongoing."

Because what you see isn't always what you get. "[My mother] told me back in high school that there was often an inverse relationship between a woman’s superficial lustre and her power to entrance the deeper self." (So true.) The most beautiful thing about any woman is her abilty to be herself, not the makeup or the clothes she wears. Generosity. Honesty. Sincerity. Kindness. A sense of humour. These are attractive qualities, not red lipstick or a strapless dress or a tan. Looks may be eye-catching, but character is captivating. "I hadn’t realized how many ways there are for women to be themselves—their best and most enchanting selves." A woman who is comfortable with who she is will always be the sexiest person in the room, because her smile is genuine, her laughter is real and she says what she thinks.

It's like Dwayne says in Little Miss Sunshine: "You know what? Fuck beauty contests. Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... Fuck that." Fuck this superficial society that says we have to skinny and blonde to be sexy, because we don't. All we have to be is ourselves.

x
Just a girl

Scattergories

I received this in an email and thought it looked like fun.


-Use the first letter of your first name to answer each of the following.
-They have to be real places, names, things - nothing made up.
-You cannot use your own name for the boy/girl names.


1. What is your name: Just a girl (aka JAG)
2. A 4 letter word: joke
3. A vehicle: Jaguar
4. A city: Johannesburg
5. A boy's name: James
6. A girl's name: Joanna
7. Beverage: juice
8. An occupation: janitor
9. Something you wear: jumper (i.e. sweater)
10. A celebrity: Jessica Alba
11. A food: jelly (as in jello, not jam)
12. Something found in a bathroom: john (slang for toilet)
13. Reason for being late: just woke up
14. Something you shout: JERK! (@ someone)
15. An animal: jellyfish
16. A body part: jugular
17. Word to describe yourself: joyful


x
Just a girl

Avant Card Tuesday

This postcard is just so utterly tragic. It makes you flip over to read;

Looking at the picture you'd never know Sara was sick. Neither does she.

That's because kidney disease has no warning signs.

Like Sarah, you can lose up to 90% of your kidney function and skill feel perfectly fine.

With 1 in 3 Australians at increased risk of kidney disease your donation could save someone you love.

Call 1800 KIDNEY (1800 4 543 639) or visit http://www.kidney.org.au/

Really makes you think about life, health and how we live.

x
Just a girl

When I Was Your Age, Pluto Was a Planet

~(one of my favourite Facebook groups)~

That just about sums up the 90s, people. A lot has changed.

We watched...

• ABC Kids
• Captain Planet (hands up if you still remember the song!)
• Mr Squiggle
• Rage Top 50
• The Secret World of Alex Mack
• Round the Twist (Have you ever, ever felt like this? Have strange things happened, are you going round the twist?)
• Hey Hey It's Saturday!
• Saturday Disney (I remember getting up early, before Mum and Dad got up, to watch this)

We said...

• That's so funny, I forgot to laugh. (Witty, right?)
• Cross my heart, hope to die (stick a needle in my eye)
• A pinch and a punch for the first day of the month. No returns!
• Whoever smelt it, delt it
• Talk to the hand!
• It's the song that never ends, it goes on and on my friends, some people started singing it not knowing what it was, and they went on singing it forever just because...
• I know you are, you said you are, but what am I? (What a comeback. Or how about if someone called you a bitch, you'd say "a bitch is a female dog, dogs bark, bark grows on trees, trees are nature, nature is beautiful, so thank you for calling me beautiful")

We loved...

• Tamagotchi (I always wanted one)
• Pokemon (gotta catch 'em all!) - my brother and I used to collect the cards. And we owned the handbook.
• Tazos
• Lego
• Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars
• Barbie (I had 3)
• Furbies (never had one, but wanted one)
• Baby Born (always wanted one of these, too...)

Sports...

• Ian Thorpe
• Pat Rafter
• The Waugh Brothers
• Sydney Olympics
• Shane Warne (before he took drugs and cheated on his wife)
• Auskick (yep, I used to play!)

We read...

• Paul Jennings
• Goosebumps
• The Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton), The Fantastic Five
• Nancy Drew
• Babysitter's Club
• Magic School Bus

We listened to...

• Spice Girls
• Britney
• Backstreet Boys
• N'Sync
• Aqua
• S Club 7

School...

• Healthy Harold (ha ha, remember when the older kids used to tell you that Harold was actaully a puppet? And then he'd come out about it himself in yr 6.)
• No hat, no play
• Handball
• Jump Rope for Heart
• Heads down, thumbs up
• Scholastic Book Club
• The Neverending Story (our rainy day movie at school, they'd play it in the library)

Remember...

• before there were DVDs, there was VHS
• before there were CDs, there were cassettes
• before iPods, we listened to walkmans/discmans
• before there was MySpace and Facebook, everyone had hotmail
• before Limewire, there was Napster
• before computer games, there were board games (eg Monopoly Junior), and Game Boy
• before digital cameras, you had to get your photos developed
• before text messaging, we called each other on landlines
• before we got drunk at parties, we'd have fun at blue light discos
• "Paul Keating was some guy that ran the country and John Howard became the only PM you really ever knew because you were too young to care before that."
• "Service stations didn’t need space for 4 digits on their petrol prices signs."

Growing up in Australia in the 90s was rad. Who would have thought you'd miss the 90s so much?

x
Just a girl

Dream as if you'll live forever; live as if you'll die today

~James Dean

***

The beautiful and ambitious PostSecret.


x
Just a girl

So Many Movies, So Little Time

I saw Prince Caspian today with a bunch of friends from college and I must say, the Prince himself lived up to all expectations of fineness (well, apart from his fairly terrible accent). The movie...not so much. Fortunately, the four didn't annoy as much as they did in the first, although I really wanted to slap and shake Lucy just about every time she opened her mouth (or didn't). Edmund is a better character this film, and Peter grows on me. As for Susan - well, why does she get the guy? (Hello, she's 1300 years older than him!) The scenery is spectacular, and the cinematography is awesome, if not a little melodramatic. All in all, it's fairly cheesy (as in corny and predictable), but funny, and enjoyable for the most part. Plus the fighting just makes it that bit more intense/exciting.

You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember...

But if you don't dig the Prince, I'm not sure if it's really worth seeing...

Edmund: So you're bravely refusing to fight a swordsman half your age?

Check out who made Cosmo Girl's Hot 100 Summer 2008 list:

#6 - the Prince himself, Ben Barnes



















(Also; #8 = Ed Westwick, Gossip Girl hottie)




















#70 - William Moseley, aka High King Peter























[Source]

But where, I ask, is Robert Pattinson?
Ah, so many boys, so little time.

Why do all the songs on my iPod have to be about love? It's enough to make a person depressed. Thank God for Joan Jett.

Mood: holding out for a hero

x
Just a girl

Trissected (not dissected)

Those lovely girls over at Two Crazy Girls tagged me because I asked to be.


How to play this game of tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!


JOYS:
1. My iPod
2. Lunch with friends
3. An H1 on my democracy essay - yeah, the one I wrote the night before!


FEARS:
1. failure
2. I'm not stressing enough about exams
3. my sweet tooth is going to give me diabetes

GOALS:
1. to pass my exams (all 3 of them)
2. get published
3. start running

CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS:
1. Postcards
2. Pink post-it notes
3. DVDs (I'm trying to start a personal collection - so far I've got 4 - but that's 4 more than I had last year!)


3 RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS:
1. I've never had a detention (wait, that's not altogether surprising...well, it kind of is...considering I've been in worse trouble)
2. I love photo booths, they are the coolest things, but I've only ever been in one on two occasions.
3. I despise tomatoes. In anything. Except for pizza, I'll tolerate them. But I like tomato paste. Yeah, call me crazy.


Tag you're it - Nomadica, Kayleigh, Arielle, Anahita, Kristine - and anyone else who wants to.


x
Just a girl

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

God dammit.

But I guess a Dream Ticket is better than no ticket...

x
Just a girl

Take Me to the Pictures

I can't wait to see...

Prince Caspian



June 5 [Source]

Sex and the City




June 5 [Source]

(I'm also intrigued by Speed Racer, The Happening, Get Smart and Wanted, coming out in the next few months)

Australia


November 13 [Source]

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - December 11

Twilight



December 12 [Source]

Madagascar 2 - December 18

Also; Inkheart - one of my favourite books - is being made into a movie being released late 2008/early 2009. Frankly, it looks like it's going to be crap. I've nothing against Brendan Fraser, but this isn't exactly his kind of movie, and that's not how I pictured him [the main character]. It's a fantastical book that I'm not sure can really translate to the big screen.

Too much of a good/dubious thing?
-Star Wars: The Clone Wars
-Transformers 2
-Toy Story 3
-Shrek 4
-Saw 5

x
Just a girl

Avant Card Tuesday

This week's postcards are actually University of Melbourne cards, but that's not why they warrant a mention.

It was part of the DS (different but the same) campaign by the Melbourne University Overseas Students' Service during International Week back in April. I think the message is so great, and portrayed really well, in such a simple yet effective (and humourous) way.

Here's another, part of the same campaign, bearing a similar message in the same great way:

I'm not sure which one is my favourite - probably the second one, because I like the message more - but I think they're both very powerful, and equally important.

x
Just a girl

A Moment of Silence, Please

Yves Saint Laurent died yesterday.

x
Just a girl

Birthday Boxing Day

(That's what Gemini calls it)


Sooooo...I had a wonderful weekend, what more can I say? Friday night I went out with girls from college down to Lygon St for gelati (what else?!) which we ate on the steps of Lincoln Sq. Although it was cold, it was yummy and a lot of fun, we mucked around taking photos and imitating the locals. Before we left, they gave me a bunch of flowers and sang happy birthday to me twice (once inside, once outside), whilst each holding a candle. It was beautiful, and so sweet. We wandered back around 10.30 (detouring through the Original Lolly Shop) to watch Kate & Leopold. They also gave me a bottle of champagne and an enormous glass, so of course I had one, filled with chocolates and flowers and little gift cards. I was so touched. It was so much fun "turning 18" with them (i.e. being with them at 12am).

Later on the Big Day I met up with my parents to watch my brother's soccer game. We spent the afternoon opening presents, which was tres exciting. Among other things, I scored received

• New Moon and The Motorcycle Diaries from my brother (which I asked for)
• The Great Gatsby, A Confederacy of Dunces
• A laptop!

It's an Asus, and really, really nice! Large screen, Vista, super fast...ah, what a machine. I'm not actually using it right now, because I have to set up the internet, but never fear, I will be soon. Expect speedy blogging!

We went out to dinner at a surprise restaurant - a stray from tradition, usually I pick the place - which turned out to be Nobu, one of Robert De Niro's restaurants down at Crown Casino. Hands down, one of the best places I have eaten at, ever. I would rate it next to Alan Wong's, one of my favourite restaurants ever. It's Japanese style, and every place was delectable, be it sashimi, fish, beef or sushi. Yum.

Afterwards, we wandered around the Casino (I was ID'd at the check point, and the security guy wished me a happy birthday.) Well, everyone except my younger brother, of course. Poor guy. Didn't bet or play anything - wouldn't know how except for blackjack - although I had a go on the pokies. Lost most of whatever I put in.

Over the week, I've had happy birthday sung to me 8 times (including repeats), 5 times in person and 3 times over the phone. Thank you to everyone who did, who sang over the phone and texted in the wee hours of the morning.

I didn't get shitfaced, or order a drink when we went out, and I won't apologise for that. It irks me that people seem to think I should have, as if it somehow validates my age or legality. I don't mind having a drink now and again (and I did!) but I don't happen to like the taste. And, for once, I take pride in having not drunk myself silly yet. That can wait. As a friend said to me, "now you can do all the things you probably wouldn't have anyway."

And my parents said: "we'll be begging you to drink, and begging your brother not to!" (for the record, he doesn't drink, but he's less about moderation than I am.)

How does it feel to be 18? Old. Good. Satisfying.

x
Just a girl