'Clever Boy' // Justin Hunter // New Single.

As many of you may or may not know, the Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia are currently burning.
I'm not even kidding or saying that in a metaphorical way.
The Mountains & surrounds are literally on fire. Bushfire.
And have been for the last week.
Firemen have swarmed the area & are doing their best to control it.
And they are doing a brilliant job!
'Burn, baby, burn!'
Has never been more relevant!
But here, i would like to focus on the positive, not the negative.
I was privileged enough to visit the Blue Mountains over xmas / new years last year.
Can i just tell you how amazingly, rugged & beautiful it is up there!
WOW.
The first time i ever went, i was about 4 years old so i remember absolutely nothing!
This time had a different impact on me.
Sitting on a cliff edge, a cider in hand & the sun shining on my body.. looking out into oblivion, mountains & valleys as far as the eye can see, the sun streaking down..
I felt free. For just that moment, i felt absolutely free.
Nothing else in my life mattered except just 'being.'
I was lost. Completely lost in the moment.
It's amazing how easily i can take myself back to this very moment & relive it.
And calm. An overwhelming sense of calm washed over me as soon as i sat down, took a deep breath & devoured my surrounds.
I could've stayed there for days just sitting, just taking it all in, just being & it would not have been a waste of time.
It's an amazing feeling & if you ever get the chance to visit the Blue Mountains, i promise you, you will only get caught up in the magic of the moment.
The only regret would be not going.
I would go back in a heartbeat & look forward to the day that i do.
***
Something else positive has recently come out of the Blue Mountains in the last week or two.
Local Katoomba boy Justin Hunter has just released his latest music single!
Drum roll please.. introducing 'Clever Boy.'
And is it a treat for your ears & eyes!
If you don't believe me, have a look at the music video~ which yours truly helped film.
Justin has grabbed some of Melbourne's hottest & put them all together in one almighty clip: http://youtu.be/uNK_trhZCkc
There's a lot to take in, a lot of different faces & it really does make for an interesting music video.
It leaves the viewer guessing until long after it's finished..
Who won the arm wrestle? Why is there someone wearing motorbike gear? Why is there only 1 brunette girl? Who is the song about? Why aren't i in it?!
I had to throw that last one in.. just for kicks, you know.
If you liked it enough, here's the itunes link:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/clever-boy-single/id723137801

Before i forget, i also took the photo for the single cover~ Proud!
xox

L O S T

Have you ever lost something?
Your keys? Your phone? Your cat? Your car? Your friend?
It's the most frustrating thing to deal with!
'Hello?! Where are you? I thought i left you right there.. ?'
You wonder to yourself how on earth you could be that stupid to lose something that means so much to you.
Something so valuable!
Something that only comes along once in a lifetime!
Something that you need on a daily basis!
Something that you cannot live without!
Your life depends on it.
But maybe you don't realise that yet..
I guess time will tell.
For years it's been *right there* each time you needed it. So reliable!
And now, it's nowhere to be found.
Searching high & low for it, you feel like a fool, how could you lose it that easily?
It seems you've treated it lightly & thrown it away like it was trash..

After a while, you've given up hope.
It's lost. It's gone forever.
You are never getting it back.
Then one day you stop.
You have a good, long, hard think about this..
You actually open up your eyes & look.
And you realise that what you thought you lost, this thing that was so valuable to you, that you can't envision life without, has been right in front of your face the entire time.
You just needed to see it.
And grab onto it.
But is it too late?
Perhaps life has moved on just a little bit too much.
Did you change your locks because you lost your keys?
Did you get a new phone?
Did you adopt a new cat?
Did you buy a new car?
Did you find a new friend?
xox

GIRLS NIGHT~

Those 2 little words bring so much excitement to ones weekend.
'Girls Night.'
Oh the mischief we get up to!
I'm not talking about a hens night.
What i'm talking about is getting together with your girlfriends, dressing up, wearing heels & painting the town red.
Any other colour would not suffice.
Last weekend, i had a long overdue Girls Night.
It started out good & just kept escalating into euphoria as the night went along!
Let me share my story with you~ this is purely from my perspective:
So i met up with 2 chicky babes & we scoped out a hot, new, pretentious restaurant in Melbourne.
Ofcourse, being as 'cool' as it is, they don't take reservations & were fully booked.
Feeling disheveled, we headed around the corner to this little bar i know to drown our sorrows with a cocktail until the rest of our group arrived.
Now, have you ever been to a bar & instantly noticed the hot bartender? Yes?!
Well this is one of those very rare occasions when all of the bartenders were insanely good looking.
I actually couldn't cope with life.
This one in particular.. oh. my. heart.
He was ridiculous. Ridiculously handsome. Mesmerising. Mysterious.
So. I try to be cool, calm & collected as i approach the bar & HE takes my order.
Ofcourse HE does.
I had to turn away because i couldn't deal with watching him make my cocktail.
He was so suave.
Eating strawberries in front of me, a toothpick hanging out of the corner of his mouth, a grin every now & then..
Yes, gorgeous man, please continue your showy display of excellence.. 
After standing there awkwardly for what felt like a millennium & trying not to look too much like a pervert..
He had finished mixing my drink. Finally.
You know when bartenders make a cocktail & they taste test?
He dipped a straw into my drink, taste tested & staring me down with a glint in his sparkling blue eyes, he said to me...
'Yummy.' *cue grin.
I died.
It took every ounce of whatever is inside of me, not to collapse right there & fall into a pile of 'Im yours, take me now!'
I needed to leave. My girlfriends thought i was crazy, but i didn't care!
We met up for dinner with the rest of our girls & then hit up another bar afterwards.
To say we got VIP treatment is an understatement.
7 Girls. All in cocktail dresses. Smiling. Giggling. ahem *strutting* ahem..
We took a chance & asked for a private booth behind the bar.. 'Yes girls, right this way!'
'Oooh, thankyou kind sir!'
'Here, take this booth.. right next to the DJ & here's a round of delicious chocolately shots for you all, on the house, but ofcourse!'
So many smiles ensued & so many giggles were shared!
It was so much fun!
'Here, have this cocktail.'
We had our own little dance party~ to the envy of onlookers, aka, commoners who did not have their own booth.
We danced our little bums off all night long~ Requested our favourite songs & boogied away!
Stopping for a breather, a random on the opposite side of the bar noticed myself & one of my other girlies & within a couple of minutes, he'd ordered us a shot & had it delivered by our bartender.
I've always wanted that to happen & it finally did! It was a first for me.
~it really is the little things that count, trust me~
After a few more freebies from some friendly people, we decided to call it a night.
Feet aching, hair messed up & purses still full of cash, we ended it on a high!
Lets rewind & repeat x infinity, yes?

The only real problem with a girls night is..
They don't happen often enough.
xox
ps- This is the highly edited version because we all know, what REALLY happens on Girls Night.. stays on Girls Night!

Just when you think everything is perfect...

BAM!*
You get screwed over. Just like that.
Ouch, this one hurts.
Hurts all over like a thousand daggers stabbing you.
Hurts all over like those stings you get in the middle of winter when you're freezing & get into a steaming hot shower.
Hurts like a paper cut.
If you don't want to read my whinges, take my advice & stop reading *now.
Seriously, stop now.
Don't be hassling me about whinging on my blog~ you have definitely been warned.
In the words of Bruce Wayne in 'Batman Begins,' ~ 'Please leave.'
***
For the last 5 months, i've been working 3 days a week.
I wont lie, it's been absolute bliss!
My days off involve: volunteer work, taking myself on dates, being a lady of leisure & just having that work/life balance.
3 days of work / 4 days off.
*Finally!
Working 4 days a week for the last 7 years was awesome but then going down to 3 days a week... it was the cherry on top.
Doing volunteer work on Tuesday & Wednesday mornings has been lovely.
A great start to any day off.
You feel good & like you've accomplished something, even if you don't find all that many people at home or who are willing to listen to you.
Yesterday morning (Wednesday) i did some volunteer work with a friend & we had a fantastic morning & some awesome chats were had with lovely people.
It really sets you up for the rest of the day.
We finished around lunchtime & we were ravenous, so we took ourselves out for lunch on Acland St where we devoured our food with minimal words being spoken.
Food. Coffee. Get it in us!
Later in the afternoon i was telling my friend how enjoyable it was only working 3 days a week & how it really helps you keep your sanity!
Little did i know, that 24hours later... this was going to change.
Arriving at work this morning, i notice one of our fulltimers is missing.
I figure she's just running late.
No.
I am advised that 'she no longer works for our company.'
That selfish woman! Doesn't she realise how this will impact my work?
My world is coming crashing down around me.
Not only this but a thousand other things right now too..
I open up my work email & there it is.
An email from my boss titled 'WORK DAYS.'
*shudder.*
He wants me to work 4 days a week again. Yuck!
Doesn't he understand i have places to go, people to see & things to do on my midweek break?
The nerve of him.
I haven't replied to his email.. yet. It will need to be acknowledged soon though.
Maybe i should quit & leave my boss high & dry?
Thats the advice i've been given from my nearest & dearest..
Or how about this:
Who wants to give me a 3 day a week job, blogging for them?
(Im also good at going to cafe's & getting you coffee, multiple times a day... )
Im not joking.
You say the word & im yours.
xox

ps- Welcome to 2013 xox