Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a most lovely, loving and love filled day, a day spent how you want to spend it*... which I know isn't always possible... but I do hope that it was a pleasurable day, any which way.  Hope you got showered with gifts... more so of the priceless kind...love and kisses...

I had a beautiful day, with my loved ones but alas, minus one son as he is a Chef and had to work all day.  Something we have to get used to I suppose as the children are adults now and soon will all have their own families... speaking of which... next year... there will be additions to my already huge family... and I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

This is what I wore on Christmas Day... supposedly one shouldn't get too caught up in the Christmas colours theme but bah humbug to that!  This is what I wore last year.

...and below are some ensembles I wore in the week leading up to Christmas Day.

Very festive yes?  I love it!  The days leading up to Diwali I'm more of a rainbow on acid than usual!

Some days I was too tired so didn't photograph what I wore but red & green was the prevailing theme.

It hasn't really felt like Christmas. Actually, it hasn't felt like Summer in Sydney... raining, coolish...
BUT I haven't let that stop me from feeling excited! I love this time of year. I have been very very busy and that is not a complaint.
I love every moment I don't have time to blink because I'm too busy absorbing and doing. I am grateful for that.

And grateful for you dear reader. Thank you. Thank you. As a blogger the greatest gift I could ask for is readership and despite being The Slackest Blogger Ever (official title), I still continue to receive your readership and support and that is just so humbling...

MERRY CHRISTMAS LOVELIES!!

*this is a backdated post, written late on Boxing Day so Christmas is over for us southern hemisphere-ans for another year.  Enjoy your day northerners!

Cup Runneth Over

Oh. Whoops. That's right. I have a blog... [insert guilty look here].  Thank you for sticking around. [insert most grateful look here].

This is just a quickie... I wore this on Melbourne Cup Day (Nov 1st)... at work J ... I have a lot to share but whether or not I ever get around to sharing it, I don't know. I am a most mercurial blogger.  Anyway, I'm busy.  LOVE it.  Love you.  Really I do. 

This dress... although I love it and it's divine, etc, etc... well, it's not quite me and I consider this ultra conservative. 

Wouldn't you know it... I got a million compliments from colleagues and strangers. 

More than I ever receive when I'm dressed like a rainbow on acid.

So... when I dress least like myself is when people find me approachable. 

I don't like that.

I have a real problem with the concept of tribes... I don't actually belong in/to/with one.  And when it starts looking like I'm getting comfortable or god forbid, fitting in... regardless of how freakin' cool that tribe is... something happens to me and I... need to get out. 

I think this is what has happened to me here, in the blogosphere... much to my dismay. 

...because I have deliberately lost bloggers I like...

Sun In The Sky…you know how I feel…

Hola lovelies... I hope you are all well... How is your October?  Rock-tober or Shock-tober?? 
I'm having a great month but... I work hard at feeling good.  I make the choice to be happy.  Because it really does boil down to that.  Choice.  

THINGS THAT DO MAKE YOU (ME) FEEL GOOD

Bizarre Bazaar

...is a most fabulous concept and I photographed it last night. I will add a link to the album later.  I will add more images here later so please do check back.
Bizarre Bazaar is a fairly new but already popular monthly event that is "springing up in lanes and empty spaces around the Sydney CBD"...
These steps lead down to a very cool laneway and are actually a work of art.  Of course I couldn't resist the chance to pose against them!

"Bizarre Bazaar showcases the unique talents of Sydney's talented fashion designers - both completely new to the industry or already established market stallholders" and is a clever marriage of entertainment shopping and discovery. 

Shoppers feel like they're discovering something rather bohemian smack bang in the concrete jungle.  It's all ultra-cool and threatens to border on hipsterville but is saved by the fact the designers and shoppers are an eclectic bunch, many in suits, and I met so many wonderful creative people...and saw a few I already know, including one of my darling friends, Zippora designer Karen.

If you're a new Sydney based designer looking for a showcase, this is an excellent platform to establish yourself.

I had no intention of buying anything... but intentions are weak when faced with a laser cut gold leather cuff from the same designer who made this and laser-cut cobalt blue suede wedges... more photos soon.

It's All In Vain...

Namaste lovelies... egads... it's been a while, Apologies. AGAIN. But as always I'm not really apologising for my lack of posts as I find that all too presumptuous and rather...vainglorious.  I'm apologising to my fellow bloggers for not gracing (hopefully not disgracing, hehe) their blogs with my visual presence. 

I can't lie.  I haven't actually had the time to traverse the blogosphere...so I haven't been there 'in spirit' either... and woah dudes... thanks for punishing me for it!  My traffic is still solid thanks to my extra-blogicular activities but my fellow blogger traffic has taken a nosedive.

Okay.  I get it, I get it!  Quid pro quo.  As you sow, so shall you get comments... I understand.  I know I'm a rotten blogger.  And you can say it all you want, that "it's okay, do what you want, blog how you want"... truth is, that's a lie.  Blogging is defined by a strict set of rules and it's just another form of a club.  Members must abide by the rules.  And Blogging Rule #2 is Thou Shalt Reciprocate and Participate.

I'm a bit Groucho Marxist when it comes to rules, cliques and clubs.  Sometimes to my detriment.  I don't want to rebel against the status quo particularly if the quorum is made up of people I like and respect.  But it happens.  I know I sound selfish and in some ways, quelle horreur!...lazy but I assure you, selfish and lazy are not words one can attribute to me. 

Anyway, I probably won't change my thoughts on this but I will, as soon as I can, leave comments on blogs I regularly read.  I haven't been able to blog because I'm terrifically busy and I state that not as an excuse nor to make me exempt and not out of any delusional self-notion that I'm 'special' (because I KNOW, we are all busy.  And special.)  but because I am genuinely busy.  I'm not complaining!  I've added photographer to my CV and that takes a great amount of my time.

Also... I had promised in my last post to discuss the whole botox/cosmetic surgery thing... now's not the time but I will say this... I am too vain to ever get cosmetic surgery.  I will explain.  In another post.



...and yes I know that my diatribe reeks of hypocrisy because regular readers know I have a love/hate relationship with receiving comments.  I truly believe that the comment system has created a monster. Reciprocal Obligation.  Like we don't have enough. I loathe the idea that someone comments on my blog out of obligation.  Or with a sense of expectation.  I don't read a book or watch a movie with the expectation that the author and director are going to thank me for doing so. 

I so very much appreciate the bloggers who do take the time to leave comments regardless of my lack of reciprocity and no doubt this post will piss many fellow bloggers off, I will have to live with that... I know you're thinking "who the hell do you think you are?  Why should you expect to receive anything if you don't give?"  Well I think I'm me and I'm good at what I do... and it's simple... I don't give expecting to receive.  So naturally I believe in that being reciprocal.

STILL waters...

So...one of the things that annoys me (and if I'm PMS-ing, that can become a loooong list) is when, upon learning that I'm in my forties, I get told "wow! You're STILL so attractive!".  STILL. Could there be anything else more condescending than STILL?
...the thing is... the person who says it is usually a young/younger girl and usually she has no idea how non sisterhood that STILL is.  She thinks she's paid you a compliment.  You think, "don't punch her, don't punch her".  When you're PMS-ing.

Otherwise... you laugh, say something cryptic and Boeing 747-ish (over her head), like "Still waters run deep (unlike you...)" and hope that one day she has the 'pleasure' of being handed such a compliment.

Attractiveness is the luxury of youth and the prerogative of age.  I do not yearn for my younger days.  As I have said before, we all age, NO ONE gets younger so why waste precious time worrying about the passing of it?  We should be burning like a perpetual flame and carpe-ing the hell out of diember! hehe.

I do believe we get better as we get older.  Truly believe not make my self believe.

I was 'lucky' because my mother had me in her thirties and my brother, late thirties and my mum was just so beautiful and capable and glamourous and sensual (yes as a child I was able to see this)and she took up new skills every year and that to me was just normal.  Women did this.  Got older youthfully NOT childishly.  NOT desperately.

...but that leads me to another topic... cosmetic surgery and the use of botox and all that... another post... next one... i promise.. back to what I was trying to say... at 13 I was looking forward to being in my forties.

What actually annoys me is the emphasis on attractiveness.  And yet it's a given because we are a visual species.  I am 'prouder' of the fact that I "still" have an insatiable curiosity, "still" want to learn new things ans "still" have my thirst for knowledge and even prouder of the fact that I now know that I know shit.  That's the luxury of age.  Knowing it all is the prerogative of youth.

March To The Beat of Your Own Taiko...

Taiko is the Japanese word for drum, any drum, but is also the artform of drumming.  It is also one of my passions.

MORE PICS AFTER THE JUMP

The Ice Factory...

...is the HOTTEST book out there right now!  And it's written by one of the coolest people I know... my dear, wonderful friend, Jason Roger Phillips. 

'The Ice Factory's tagline is "a hurricane is about to change everything" and it certainly blew me away...

Jason is also a scriptwriter and a recognised short-film director and although I'm not an actor, I have been his 'star' a few times!  But that's not why you should read it.... you should read this book because it's always exciting to discover new talent.  And Jason is a very very talented writer.  In fact he just has to write his signature and people wax lyrical... J

The book was officially launched in Sydney last night and is available on Amazon and people are raving about it!  I was on 'duty' last night in my capacity as CamNinja [aka event photographer] but there's always time to pose [aka...pose].

MORE PICS & SYNOPSIS AFTER THE JUMP!

Hue-bris...

[backdated post]... [sorry]...
Photographed a burlesque cabaret ('Bordello Blues') tonight, still have the flu, wearing blue and um, every other hue... how's that for short and pointless?

Just to keep things nice and trivial... I'm really into wearing orange lipstick at the moment...now I don't actually know if it suits me and I suspect it doesn't, but I love its juicy vibrance.  All the colours I've been rocking (oh. so humble...) lately are by Flormar, an Italian brand, the Australian franchise is owned by a friend...which is very VERY dangerous!  I can't get enough of the products!  The orange I'm wearing is the result of a lip pencil shaded in and topped with a lustrous lip gloss.

By the way... I run the Australian Burlesque Calendar on facebook... if burlesque and performance art interests you, then please do go ahead and 'like' the page (link above). 

I'm not a burlesque performer but the art intrigues me.  I promote it and now I photograph burlesque events.  I am well aware that many people confuse burlesque with striptease and I assure you nothing could be further from the truth.

...I will write about this another time. 

Summery...

...and a summary too! 
Hola lovelies!  How are you?  I'm great! I have the 'flu though which is very annoying because I don't have the time to recuperate and really, how dare it try to stop me?  hmph.

I am surprised actually because thanks to my cold-shower predilection and nettle tea addiction, I never get sick but obviously my body needs to build immunity so I will let it be and carry on doing what I do.  What's really weird is that I'm actually admitting this, that I'm sick, here, on my blog!  Stay tuned!  Next I'll be telling you that my tap is dripping!  Or I opened a milk carton!  This is exciting s**t!

Anyywayyy... what a glorious weekend we had in Sydney!  Twas Summer in Spring!  Saturday was spent performing then photographing... Spain by day, 'Paris At Night'... which was the name of the event I photographed.  Sunday was spent beachside... and oh wow, I really needed that rejuvenation time...
I'm having a deliciously busy September, very Spring-y... new energy, growth, 'trampoline' opportunities.  [Unfortunately this is keeping me away from the blogosphere.] 

I've been writing and photographing for The Sydney Fringe and photographing for 'Armchair Traveller' so I thought I'd share some images with you... to sum it all up.  I hope you are all well lovelies!  Please do share with me how your weekend was/is...

********************************************************************************

Me.  Performing.  (image taken by my beautiful husband.) 

Yes I'm 'flu-ey.

Me.  Performing.  J .  Image taken by me.  Of course.

Yes.  Still flu-ey.

Also... I don't usually do 'matchy-matchy' but this 70s chiffon-lurex ensemble simply has to be worn as is.  I'll mix it up later.

WARNING: THIS IS A VERY IMAGE HEAVY POST!

CLICK THE JUMP TO SEE...

What's Your Guilty Pleasure?

What are Guilty Pleasures?
....hmmm...I guess they're things you shouldn't be doing because they're not 'good' for you...but damn they feel good!

And really...it's not that I feel guilty when I do them.  It's more that I feel guilty because I don't feel guilt. Know what I mean?  So perhaps that's a better definition of what a Guilty Pleasure is. Something 'bad' for you but you feel no guilt doing it.  Does that make sense??

Anyway... my guilty pleasures... I have many (including eating [sugar-free] super crunchy peanut butter STRAIGHT FROM THE JAR.  I know right?  Stop. The. Press. Bad. ...and I like making lists.  Lists of the lists I need to make.) but my worst -or best- is...  watching Australia's Next Top Model.

I don't know why I watch this show because it just... irritates me.  Not the girls, they're sweet and gorgeous and funny and teenagers/young 'adults' so they are who they are and it's not their fault that the fashion industry deems their body types/looks to be the epitome of beauty...but.... the judges drive me insane!!!  Especially ex supermodel / show host Sarah Murdoch.  Not because of this.  But because she is a member of the Body Image Advisory Committee.  And that's taking hypocrisy to a new level.

Anyway... because yet agan I am writing this post at an unhumanly time I can't get my opinion together to have a true rant.  I need to make a vlog.  Okay... so... your turn? 
What's your guilty pleasure??

Weekend Wore-ier...

Hola lovelies... so... I haven't had much time to breathe let alone blog, not that I'm complaining because I'm having a very productive, pleasurable time. [but Blogger/blogging pals... I miss y'all L...I hope you are all well.]

Spent the weekend photographing Fringe events, spent Sunday at a Spring Festival with my husband then photographing a burlesque event at night.  More photos uploaded soon. 
Sorry.  It's almost 3am and my brain is fudge! 

TaikOz

Optical Illusion

Photographed & reviewed a Fringe Festival event tonight. 

I love being able to (or trying to) capture a performers expression and creativity with my lens. 

MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

Fringe Dwellers

The Sydney Fringe Festival is up and running folks.  Let the good times roll. 
Click the image below to go to the official site. 

I'm interviewing/reviewing/photographing for The Fringe so haven't had time to blog for myself.  When I do have free time, the choice between blogging and family-time/sleep... well, there is no choice. 

(This post is backdated, I'm uploading 3 posts at 2am on Tuesday Sep 13th!  I have to be up in 5 hours!  egads!)

I attended the opening night media shindig with my partner in prime Meagan... interesting night... I love the concept of The Fringe and what it hopes to achieve and the performers are all amazing examples of their genre* but oh dear GAWD!  save me from the Hipsters and their earnest fakery.  I have more to say about this... but at a time when I'm not sleeptyping. 

*(I've been lucky enough to interview brilliant, avant-garde performers and review fantastic shows, I will link to all these soon)

Fashion is Not My Style

I was described as being "fashionable" and although I accepted the 'compliment' (because it was a lovely well-meaning one), inside I bristled at that. 
I don't care about being fashionable.  Fashion bores me.  I don't salivate over designer labels and I don't need labels to validate me.  I don't follow trends yet I don't rebel for the sake of it.  That bores me too.  Rebels are such conformists. 

Do you care about being fashionable?

Springleader...

Yayy! Spring has sprung! 

...thought I'd live dangerously and do a location shoot.  Just as a (welcome?) change to the usual 'me against white background'  pics I do.  A reader did suggest that these are getting boring and, although I'm not one for pleasing the minority (because really, I please myself) an aesthetic change is always a good thing. 
Naturally some things will never change... what's a 'Dusk pose' without something flying in the air??  Arms, hair, skirts, pigs (what? never mind...).

So I planned to do this after Flamenco class (hence why I had my tripod and camera) and I actually found some spare time! 
Yes even spontaneity has to be planned these days. 

MORE PICS AND WORDS AFTER THE JUMP

Dear Winter...

Buh bye.

By the way... I'm being pestered to get on to Twitter. The idea of that... is not appealling. Mainly because brevity is not my forte and I hear there's a word limit?  Dude.  No.  My text messages are essays.  But I've been told that is sure to 'up' my follower ante but I'm not that fussed about it.  I'm not a good networker in this regard. 
I know my readership grows as fast as a turtle on valium swimming through molasses but I am always chuffed and humbled to see a new reader.

Anyway... we're done with winter down under, bring on Spring!  I've got a funderful September, covering and photographing lots of performances, performing too, friend's book launches and movie premieres and other things that I will share with you.

Blogger pals... I'm sorry I have been AWOLeaving a comment... I'm actually lurking and looking and liking!  Thank you for your visits and comments and 'lurkery'!  I will make my presence known as soon as I can.  Have a  Happy first day of the season, whatever season, everyone. 

All jewellery by COCO LIBERACE.

Swanderful...

Hola... how are you?   I'm hoping you are all well and as wonderful as can be...

The Fifties Fair 2011 (Rose Seidler House, Sydney)

Despite the forecast calling for rain and in spite of a week of constant precipitation... fair weather reigned J for the Fifties Fair and thank heavens for that!  Because it's not everyday you turn sweet sixteen and you don't want rain to dampen your parade... of swell frocks and bobby socks!

Held in the grounds of Rose Seidler House in Wahroonga, NSW, the Fifties Fair is Australia's biggest celebration of all things fabulously fifties.  Except thank goodness, attitudes.  As I have said before, it's fantastic to dress like a fifties female when you never have to be one.  In its 16th year and the thrill of vintage fun will never get old!

I was there photographing but if you could please allow me to blow my own trumpet just once (okay. again.)... I was photographed nonstop all day!  The shooter got shot!  I thought I was dressed very plainly because I was in camninja/work mode but... I don't know, apparently I was 'photograph-able'... of course I didn't mind at all.  Shy I aint sugah.

This 'skirt' is actually this dress, worn with a crinoline underneath and a sweater

This is what I wore and what I wrote, last year.

More pics after the jump!

Whoops...

I kind of forgot I had a blog. eek. And of course I will be visiting all your wonderful blogs as soon as possible my lovely blogger pals!

I've done a lot since my last post and of course I was dressed everyday! Just forgot to take pics.  So... two fun things I did was review and photograph The Ruby Revue on Sunday 14th (left) and photograph (by media invitation) Jurassic Lounge (right).
...I keep wanting to coincide wearing this awesome 'Guitar Solo' t-shirt with some profound post but it never happens!

wearing:
left - vintage satin skirt * lace dress... yes dress... and it's lace all the way so no... won't be wearing any time, um, ever, as a dress. * headpiece made by me
right - knit 'curtain' skirt found at markets * awesome 'Guitar Solo' t-shirt (with black top underneath because it was cold and I don't sacrifice comfort for fashion * vintage belt

The Fuschia's So Bright...

..I gotta wear shades! 
Spent the most awesome day with two of the most awesome young women I have the privilege of knowing and the honour of calling friend.  These two have futures' so bright... you... know the rest J... 

That's a pretty bright ensemble I had on today.  Didn't attract much attention at all... HA!

We spent the day trawling my favourite markets in Rozelle and lunching and laughing! That's Karen in the middle and Basilia on the right (and me with a most stupid expression I can only assume is supposed to be a kiss?) and we're looking into a mirror!  Fantastic photo yeah?  Except for that stupid expression...

Karen (below left) is the designer of Zippora, an emerging designer label that is, in my not so humble opinion, one of the most exciting new labels around today.  I am in awe-doration of Karen's beautiful, generous, glowing self and soul and her skill and talent. 

I have seen Karen create from scratch and it's crazymagic!  One day she will be sewing little gathered circlets and the next day, it's a dress! She's wearing one of her creations here, a brilliantly cut, detailed, buttery soft leather jacket that is the envy of all who see it and don't have it! 

Basilia is perennially lovely, a multi-tasking genius with the most infectious smile!  Bas has a blog, is a fashion stylist, does PR and retail for Karen and is one of the few stylists around who actually look like they're worthy of styling others!

...it's a bug of mine... we work with a lot of stylists who simply do not represent what they purport to do.  In a world (industry wise and otherwise) predominantly based on surface impression, surely stylists should be right up there personal-style wise?  

Anyway... Bas has super personal style, colourful, quirky and trendy with her own signature stamps. Just like her personality.

♥ Karen and Basilia ♥

MORE PICS & WORDS AFTER JUMP!