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

JUST TEXT ME ALREADY! ARGH

You know when you don't hear from someone for ages & it drives you WILDLY insane~

Friend. Family member. Loved one. That cutie you gave your phone number to..

No text, no phone call, no email, no snail mail, no carrier pigeon messages.

And being the stubborn dutch girl that you are..

I mean.. being the stubborn girl that you are..

I mean.. being the girl that you are..

I mean.. being YOU.. whoever you might be..

You refuse to contact them first.

Out of spite? Yes. Ofcourse. What other reason even exists?

Ahh, so lame. So very lame!

It's such high school level stupidity.

But you know that if you leave it long enough you figure they'll have to contact you first.

Wont they?

It's almost like that game you play at school, 'Mercy,' where you hold your friends hands, turn your arms inside out & whoever hurts & yells out 'Mercy' first, is the loser? Even if you are hurting, you still refuse to yell out because you don't want to lose..

Why do we play this silly little mind trip game?

Or should that be.. why do I play this silly little mind trip game?
I haven't the faintest idea!
As time goes by you start to think about other people, places, life, planning that trip overseas..
You may even totally forget about said person who hasn't contacted you.
Who??
Oh yeah, i used to know them. I wonder what they're up to these days..
And then casually minding your own business one evening while sitting on your friends couch, your phone buzzes.
'Oooh!! A text! I wonder who it's from!?'
Oh. It's you. Really? YOU. That's so damn random!
You sit there staring at your phone for what feels like millennium's.. REALLY?!
I just got THAT message?! From you?!
That's awesome!
So nice to hear from you, it's been a while.
I can't help but wonder why you are now suddenly wanting back in my life though, ahh the plot thickens.
The moral of this story? There is no moral of this story. It's just a story. And it's also a complete contradiction of last weeks post.
What?
You have to mix it up & keep it interesting!
xox

small *BRIGHT* stories!

Well Hello there! Blog readers, are you ready for some short, sharp stories about my weekend adventures?
No?
Well i suggest stop reading this instant.

So it begins:
-Destination: Bright.
-Days: 4
-Attendees: i lost track
-To do: camp, explore, enjoy, relax, survive.
-Amenities: None.

*Bliss.*

*Everyone was arriving at random intervals during the day, so we decided to stay in town pottering around & exploring our new home. After starting off with a delicious breakfast of pesto toast, poached eggs, shredded beetroot & feta at a quaint little cafe called 'Coral Lee' (best.name.ever.) we began exploring. There was a huge market full of unpretentious country people, it was lovely. They sold everything from fleecey clothes, jams, chutneys, sheep skins, crepes to homemade soaps. There's something nice about wandering through a country market in the sunshine... except for the part where your annoying friend is trying to beat you up, push you into other people & try to make you fall over. Thankyou Captain Annoying!*

*Our campsite: was on a massive block of land. On one side was a pine forest. On the other side, was an old abandoned building. Oh yes, we definitely explored that! According to 'legend,' it was used for some crazy cult years ago. It was really quite strange. You walk into a big hall with bright blue carpet, a stage at the front & wood panel walls. There are two hallways running along the side each with multiple rooms coming off them. These smaller rooms have carpeted walls. I'm telling you, it was WEIRD. The rooms were maybe 3m x 3m, perhaps? The place had been trashed with the obligatory spray paint everywhere, broken windows & smashed walls. Strange. Very strange. I was hoping to find hidden treasure but all we found were some dead birds.*

*We set up our camp & started a bonfire. Super chilled, snacks, chats, toasting marshmallows, song writing, guitar playing & a full moon. Ahh, then there's that awkward moment when you are relaxing on a tarp, next to the bonfire, under the stars, sipping some American Honey whiskey, you roll over onto your stomach & the friend sitting next to you informs you that 'You have white, sticky marshmallow all over your bum.' Awesome. How did i try to fix it? By rubbing dirt into it. Fail!*

*Under the moonlight, we played 'Hide & Scare' in the forest. Everyone goes into the forest & then you have to hunt each other down & try to scare one another. The only problem with this is, it's dead quiet & you can hear someone creeping up on you from miles away. Except for that one time when i was walking along thinking i was being sneaky & my darling friend gave me the fright of my life. I screamed down the forest. 'ARGHHHH!' She got me good.*

*There is also a hedge maze near Bright. Usually, i am rubbish in a maze. Not this time! I think a highlight was finding the 2nd tower & waiting.. waiting..waiting for everyone else to find it 'Hey guys, what took you so long?!' We had a mini tower dance party & then moved on.*

*Possibly the biggest surprise of my weekend away was discovering that my friend has a fear of feathers. Oh the joy i got from this & will continue to get from this!*

*On the last afternoon we decided a trip up to Mt Hotham was in store. And boy was it amazing! Climbing the mountain along winding roads, it was getting colder & colder with each bend in the road. The views were spectacular! Mountains as far as the eye can see, hidden under a sea of clouds. Then, snow. It was actually snowing! The further up the mountain we got, the more snow there was. Looking out across the mountains, it looked like white frosting had been sprinkled everywhere, it was magical. We finally reached the top & it was absolutely freezing! But despite the icy'ness, it was so beautiful having snowflakes fall softly on our faces. Amazing. Beautiful. Mesmerising. Peaceful. We grabbed some snacks & hit up the pub. Overlooking the mountains, snow softly floating down from the sky, a guy playing guitar & singing us songs, it was the epitome of bliss.* 

*The mountains took away my breath :)*

xox

*New Album* Review: 'Mountains to Masses'~ Justin Hunter

Darlings, it's time i did something different.
As opposed to my normal rambling, ranting fit about an obscure, ambiguous subject that you don't care about, this will be something I've never attempted before..
You'll either enjoy it or hate it. Either way, I'm not fussed.
My friend, Justin Hunter, who is a signed musician to 'Source Music,' has a *NEW* album out! 
So i thought i would try doing an album review for him!
The *NEW ALBUM*
drum roll please~
"Mountains to Masses" by Justin Hunter.

Release date: 12th March 2012
Get your copy here: JB HiFi stores, ITunes
http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/mountains-to-masses/id508831984?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
& also here: http://www.vitamin.net.au/albumdefault.asp?ai=512

He says this album '..is symbolic of my leaving my beloved Blue Mountains and moving to the middle of Melbourne City."
His record label says 'Justin Hunter is a passionate lover of life, absolute adventure maniac, marathon runner, electro music fan & instrumental pianist.' And 'His new album ‘Mountains to Masses’ is the musical unification of the two places Justin holds dear to his heart; the dramatic beauty and spaciousness of his home in the Blue Mountains, and the vibrant, chaotic (yet at times lonely) city that is Melbourne.'
That's what they say.. here's what i say: 

Now, because of a loop hole, i actually got a copy of the new album months before it's release date.

I was stoked, to say the least, when it arrived in my letterbox unannounced.
Racing inside, i ripped open the package & started listening.. 

When Track 2 started playing, i instantly got 'X Files' vibes.

For some reason, that was my initial thought.
It was only in the first few seconds but it sounded eerie & it reminded me of something 'X Files'esque. You know that sort of ambient, warped, electro sound? Something like that.

Going through the album, it all seemed a little moody, a little mellow, a little darker than i was expecting & a lot more refined compared to his previous albums.

Each track rolled smoothly into the next.

Until.
Until i got to Track 8.
'Courage.'
I had been going about my boring, daily business while listening to 'Mountains to Masses' playing in the background. I was enjoying it but it hadn't exactly 'grabbed' me yet.
As soon as 'Courage' started to play, i stopped.
It got my attention straight away.
I actually listened to each note.
It's a far more upbeat, uptempo tune as opposed to earlier tracks.
My immediate reaction~ i loved it. It was an instant favourite & always will be.
Imagine watching a pianist's fingers dance gracefully across a keyboard. With faultless precision. Each note more perfect than the last.
That's what 'Courage' is to me.
It's the sort of track you would play if you were racing through the bush~ or the mountains~ on an adventure, trying to reach your destination~ the city perhaps?~  through thick & thin, trials & tribulations until you reach the finish & hit that euphoric sense of achievement.
You made it. Everything will be ok.
Filmed in Amsterdam, watch the music video for 'Courage' here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QuqehepSd4&feature=uploademail
***
Coming from me, someone who is definitely not a muso' of any sort, don't take this as gospel. You are all definitely smart enough to make up your own mind about his musical genius.
And honestly, if i told you i had never cried while listening to his music.. it would be a massive lie.
Even in the toughest of hearts, the most guarded of hearts, Justin's music evokes abysmal emotions that you didn't realise existed.
Let each note wash over you & enjoy the ride.
I must admit, after actually listening to the album properly a few more times, i realised how sophisticated it was.
In a word, the album is: Fabulous.
This is just my rabid opinion.
 If you think this review sounds good & you want to keep updated, 'like' his Facebook page at this link: http://www.facebook.com/justinhuntermusic 
He has also joined the weird & wonderful world of Twitter~ Follow here:
https://twitter.com/jhuntermusic
xox

GUEST BLOG: 'So, I hear you like cats.' By El Vampiro

Hello Blog readers!
How's this for something special~
One of my long time friends, who is practically like a big brother to me, asked this morning if he could write a Guest Blog.
I was stoked at the idea!
So.. here goes, i hope you enjoy it,
xox

You’re a cat person or you’re a dog person. You can’t like both, there is no middle ground. If you’re a cat person, lets get it out there straight up, YOU HAVE NO SOUL…


- Guide dogs/Seeing-eye dogs, yes. Cats? NO – SELFISH BLACK HOLES
- You occasionally hear stories of bad smells coming from neighbours apartments & later find that the owner had been dead for two days & had been partially eaten by their cat. I’ve heard this personally more then a few times, ever with a dog? NO
- Dogs are so awesome, they made a show about one that continually saved the day. This dog was called Lassie, even a Flipper the dolphin was capable of doing good things. Ever heard of show about a cat saving the family continuously? I didn’t think so!
- Dogs are so beautiful and sensitive they literally know their masters voice & can tell if they're getting called by their name or not. Cats? They don’t care about you or the useless name you gave them and will only come to you if they think you're going to feed them, in fact call them anything & they wouldn’t know the difference with names.
- After earthquakes & terrorist attacks, do you ever hear of rescuers using cats to find survivors in the rubble? Cats dragging along sleds in the ice purely so humans don’t have to walk? Sniffer-cats helping the cops find the murders, rapists and criminals? No.
- You come home in a bad mood or even the slightest bit annoyed & the dog will sense it, come to you as you crumble to the floor & just put its paw on you in a gentle way of saying “Hang in there dude!”. A cat? It won’t even touch you unless it thinks its getting food & only then it might rub its body on your pants leaving multitudes of filthy hair everywhere. YUCK!
- Dogs dream. You can sometimes see their paws slightly kick & even the occasional yelp as they're trying to save you in their dream – its beautiful. Cats? They nap. All day, just waiting for you to fall asleep too so they can kill you & have a comfy place to dig their razor sharp claws into.
- Cats have no loyalty, they could leave you and just go where the food is, no stress. Dogs have one owner. One Master – YOU! And will do almost anything for you. They don’t care if you worked all day outside and smell filthy or you just came home from a hit and run & have the body in your boot ready to hide, they would be the first to help “I’ll dig the hole for you dude!” Cats? You're guilty from the second they look at you.
- If someone who you're close to who knows everything about you & you both intimately trust each other, tells you not to trust someone you pretty much take their word for it because you know they don’t want you to get hurt/murdered. Why do you think dogs hate cats so much? Because they’re evil. Cats are evil.
Don’t even start me on they’re stupid faces, they can’t show emotion. No sad, no happy, no painful just the same stupid face all the time. Yuck.
~El Vampiro.

*SNEAKY* Airport SURPRISES!

Feb 14 2012
Marks the 2nd day this year that i have surprised friends at the airport on their Melbourne arrival!
Why do i do it? Because its FUN!
Its the unexpected. The thrill. The excitement of it all!
The first time, i was carrying an arm load of brightly coloured balloons.
The second time, i was wearing a big red bow tied around my body like i was a present.
I love surprises!
More importantly, i love it when i am the one giving the surprise.
In the lead up to the surprise day, you get to be all sneaky & be like a secret agent trying to find out much needed information so that it will all run smoothly on the day.
I started working this out about 2 weeks in advance.
Observe:
You need to put your friends off the trail completely before they are even on your trail.
'So, when do you get home? Cool story. Let's go get a beer.'
~seems random, but you found out the date they come home.
'So, what time do you get home? Cool story. Let's go get a beer.'
~seems random, but you found out the time they get home.
Next, you need to work out what airline they're flying with, if it's a domestic flight or international flight & where they are flying from. 
'So, is Jetstar taking you home via Perth again? yuk!'
~seems random to ask that specifically, but you still find out the needed information in your friends reply.
It seems everything is in place & ready to play out.
Excellent.
Oh! How could i forget to tell you this.. while all of this has been going on, you inform your friends on the day they are due to arrive that you 'don't want them back.'
Ofcourse you are only joking, but it does add a little more depth to the surprise i think...
The day has finally arrived.
At the airport with a carload of friends, sipping some beers, snacking, chatting & laughing away at how terrible we look wrapped in a big red bow.. you decide to go for a wander, thus separating yourself from your 3 friends.
'I'll meet you guys at the gate in 10 minutes!'

You check with airport staff about flights.
You go to the gate.
There is no one as far as the eye can see.
It's now 10 minutes after they supposedly landed.
You are alone, at the opposite end of the airport, wearing a big red bow & ignoring the strange looks you are getting as you walk through security.
cue *PANIC SWEAT*
Then.
THEN.
There's that heavy feeling in your gut.. no, not from what you just ate... 
Where the hell are they? Have i missed it completely?
No. Surely not.
Hell no. It was planned to a TEE.
It was PERFECT!
You decide to head back to where you left your other 3 friends.
On your way, you make a quick phone call & are told 'Yeah, we're here with them now. Where are YOU?!'
..and then there's that awkward moment when you realise you are at the wrong gate, you got told the wrong airline, which in turn makes you nearly burst into tears & you show up 5 minute's after everyone else has done your big SURPRISE!
FAIL.
No, you weren't there for the initial surprise.
But your friends were stoked to see you.
So i guess at the end of the day.. mission accomplished?!
xox

Marry me off. I dare you.

To my single friends:

Do people- friends, relatives, work colleagues- try to marry you off to random strangers?

It happens to me all the time.

For instance, last week a tradesmen came to my work to pick up something.. no, not me, & the lady i work with decided that he was a 'bit of alright' & that i should show some interest in him.

I didn't look twice at the guy.

The lady who made this suggestion is in her 50's.

Why do i suddenly get the feeling she is living, or atleast attempting to live, vicariously through me??

Perhaps it's because over the last few weeks whenever a new guy has come into the office, whether they be a young tradesman or someone signing some paperwork, she gives me the old wink from behind her computer screen & informs me 'Ooh, he seems like a nice young man for you!'

Darling.

What in the world makes you think that 1: i would take you seriously, 2: that i would take you seriously! or 3: that you know what I'm looking for.

Only i hold the key to that.

And i hold that key very close to my heart.

It also might make you wonder when people do this to you that 'hey, wait a minute.. do you think i am not capable of trawling through people to find someone who I actually really want?'

Are you dissing me as a person?!

That's a little extreme & honestly, i don't think that myself.

But do you sometimes think along those lines?

Does my friend/ work colleague think i am not capable of finding someone amazing & in turn making it quite clear that, YES! I am interested in them?

But then, when you do actually like someone, there's those people who tell you 'Oh, you deserve so much better than that person!' or 'You could do so much better than him, you deserve someone amazing!'
(Yes. I too am guilty of verbalising this on rare occasions. Yes I am protective to my friends & loyal.)
Even my boss said to me recently that any 'Prospects' will have to 'get passed him.'
Whats interesting is the people who make these remarks, never actually have a 'better' suggestion. They're purely telling me i 'could do better.'

The most annoying thing is, whenever i have liked a guy, i have always been told that he wasn't good enough for me & that i deserve much better than him.
Every guy I've ever liked, every one of them.

Are you serious? Who's to judge that?
Ahh, scusi' i know that comes from the kindness of your deep, deep heart, but if I'm interested in someone, it's not exactly any of your business.  And, shock horror...

To me, they are an amazing, smart, funny person.
That's why i like them in the first place. SURPRISE!
It's not some huge secret. I'm actually pretty easy to please.
If you wow me with life stories, you make me feel inadequate because of the big words you use (but i am secretly in awe) & you make me laugh, really laugh, from the depths of my soul...
You're in!

xox

ps- Don't get me wrong.. I'm open to any suggestions you may have! Go on, marry me off. I dare you.

FACEBOOK - ERADICATION

I did it.
I actually did it.
After procrastinating for approximately 1 year & having the thought bubbling away in the back of my brain..
I got myself an injection of Dutch courage & did it.
Not a literal injection you crazies! It's a metaphor. Dutch courage comes from within oneself.
(All you need is 20 seconds of insane courage & something good will come of it. I promise. That goes for a lot of things actually... put yourself out there, take the chance & see where it leads you. Often you'll get pleasantly surprised & wonder why you never took the chance earlier.)
What the hell am i talking about?
Well.. if the heading didn't already give it away... *drum roll please
A little over a month ago, i deleted my Facebook account!
I've been dry for almost.. 6 weeks i think.
But who's counting?
The reasons i deleted it, you really want to know?
Let's get one thing clear straight up- it was nothing personal against anyone on there.
I definitely still love you.
This decision was purely because i wanted to remove myself from the equation & just have a bit of a break from the constant stream of information, sometimes useless information, which i was definitely guilty of time & time again!
I'm the first to admit this.
And also i much prefer receiving a text or a nice phone call instead of someone posting a comment on my wall or poking me. (Whether i wanted to be poked or not.. )
Then theres that whole scenario where you meet someone new for the first time & they exclaim 'OH! Nice to finally meet you, I see you on Facebook all the time!' (and what they don't tell you is '..and i have already prejudged you on what i have seen on Facebook.' Preconception. It's ok, don't give me a chance to give you a proper first impression in person. That's totally fine. You've clearly already made up your mind about me anyway.)
To the people who sent me a text asking 'OMG!! Did you delete your FB? Is everything ok?!'
Yes. I am totally fine, nothing bad happened. Thankyou.

***

My new addiction now that Facebook is out of my life?
I thought you'd never ask:
http://www.lookbook.nu/
*Gawk!
You didn't honestly think that after deleting Facebook i would be sitting here all day long just twirling my long blonde hair & sipping lattes now did you? As fun as that is!
Silly! You know me better than that.
Not even sure how i stumbled across Lookbook, but what i do know is that it was love at first sight.
Some of the outfits on there are out of this world! Gorgeous.
I'm only brand new to it & it's highly intimidating. Yes.
Did i just say that? I am intimidated.
Little old me who doesn't get intimidated by anyone or anything.
Or if i did, you would never actually know it because I'm too stubborn to let my guard down far enough for that to be revealed to you. A girls got to have some secrets!
Let me get something clear, it's not so much intimidated by peoples looks as such, although there are many beauties on there, it's more intimidation of their amazing style & creativity in putting outfits together.
Perhaps it's jealousy & intimidation mixed with awe & respect..
Check it out for yourselves.
Inspire me!

Having said all of that.... I'll probably be back on Facebook by the end of the month!

xox

...and now for something different! (i hear you say 'It's about time!')

So because i like to mix things up & keep it interesting..

~this goes for everything in my life by the way~

I have decided today's blog will be totally different to what i usually do & what you guys are accustomed to.

You see a couple of weeks ago i went away for the weekend to Bendigo.

Ahhhh. Escape.

Totally bliss.

Bendigo.

Quaint town in the middle of Victoria.

What drew me here this sunny weekend? My aunty & uncle live here & they wrote a book.

Yes. An entire book.

I was in town for their book launch.

Ta Daa!

(Yes, i agree with what you are thinking- clearly, my aunty got the brains of the family. Yes. *Sigh.)

Pretty exciting!

I've never been to a book launch before & my aunty & uncle had never had a book launch before.

The book is about Tibetan refugee's who had to escape their homeland~ Tibet, obviously~ when China took over. They travelled on foot over the Himalayan Mountains into India where they have now been living for over fifty years. My aunty & uncle sponsor a family & the proceeds of their book, which they had to publish themselves because no one else would, will go to help the refugees have a 'normal' happy life.

The book is beautiful- full of photos & artwork that my aunt & uncle did all themselves.

It is 100% purely all theirs.

An article in the local paper can be found here:

http://www.bendigoweekly.com/news/heart-to-imagine?Page=2&A=PhotoGallery&PID=6489&Items=4

While i was in town I stayed at this gorgeous lil' bed & breakfast.

Absolutely fantastic. So much character, cosy, homey & good spot close town. http://www.blissb.com.au/

The owner even gave us art supplies, which i took full advantage of.

It has been years since I've sketched/drawn/painted.

It was good to get the arty juices flowing once again.

Theres something peaceful about sketching & being in your 'own little world' while doing so. It has a calming effect & makes you forget about your current woes.

Here's the something different, a whole stack of photos that i took around town.

It's very easy to take beautiful photos here.

I hope you like them.

:)

xox

 

The following day, their book was already in the local Dymocks Bookstore. 



The End.

xox

You Get Under My Skin

Dear Excellent Blog Readers :)

Do you know someone, have a friend or even just an acquaintance who just gets under your skin every time you are in 

contact with them?

Whether its a text, email, online chat, phone call or face to face.

Boy or girl.

I do.

Although, i would never admit that or tell you who.

I'll just continue to let you think I'm referring to you.

And by doing this, maybe i will get the upper hand over you.. but then, if you don't realise it's you, then it's my loss. Again. But we'll both never know.. have i lost you with that ramble?! I do believe i just did a full circle.

***
They always seem to have the upper hand & be one up on you.

Always.

You feel like you have to claw your way back to some form of normality & resistance only for them to irritate you again & again, shoot you down over & over.
Tearing you to shreds.
Teasing you.
Is that the best you've got? Come on.
Give it to me.
Do your worst.
***
Yet... all you want is more of it.
You are hungry for it, ravenous.
What's a bit of banter between friends?

You get under my skin & i hate it!
Or should that be, you get under my skin & i love it..

And for some idiotic reason i cannot for the life of me not react.

You know that saying 'Every action has a reaction.'
That's me to a tee.. well, only in this instance.

Usually, i can easily turn the reaction off so you would never know.. but this is something else.

Is it because I find them a challenge & therefore want more & more to do with them because i feel like i need to prove myself to them, even though i know i don't have to prove myself to anyone?

I'm going to go with.. Yes!
What would this blog be without a shout out to good ol' Blue Eyes, Mr Frank Sinatra?

I guess it would just be another blog really.
He sang 'I've got you under my skin...'
..and I do.

And ofcourse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1AHec7sfZ8

Peace out Tiger.

xox

L O V E~

Before you start snickering... I'll say it first...

I am definitely not an expert on this subject, that is for damn sure!
Constantly doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing & failing everytime = me!

(hey... atleast I'm consistent!)

Now that I've got that out of the way, you can stop laughing at me.

Today's blog isn't about my life/experiences.

It's about friends getting engaged :) being adorable & loved up.

In the last week, i have heard of 4 couples getting engaged.

FOUR COUPLES!

That's 8 people, 4 sparkly engagement rings, 4 nervous guys, 4 proposals, 4 ecstatic, amazing, beautiful women... & the guys are pretty good too!

To say that there is so much love in the air right now...

is a massive understatement.

It seems there is love in the air & the water & the food in Melbourne right now.

Everyone is getting an injection of it in their lives right now in one way or another.

Whether it's friends getting engaged & you're over the moon happy for them or if it is in fact YOU!

It's beautiful! There's an overflow of it.

I am seriously losing track of who's single, who's dating, who's engaged, who just got married & who's expecting their first kid!

It's actually ridiculous. Ridiculously good, ofcourse.

So this is a celebration for them!

To all the beautiful, gorgeous, loved up couples out there...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Huge hugs & kisses galore to you from the bottom of my heart.

Love. Love. Love. And happiness. To infinity.

xox

SYDNEY Vs 2x MELBOURNIAN WOMEN

What can 2 young, single women get up to with 5 nights in Sydney?
A lot. You would think.

Here are some short stories:

*After arriving in Sydney & turning on my phone, i noticed a friend had suggested cocktails.

I was off to a good start & i hadn't even collected my bags yet!

We went to Shady Pines Saloon~ it was cool.

Recommended is the Buffalo Trace bourbon, straight & shot, it will not disappoint. I promise. 

Follow it up with some Mexican & you've

had a brilliant night!*

~Upon leaving the Saloon, your friend informs you of a big celebratory night they recently had here & how they woke up with a mysterious permanent marker in their pocket the following morning. Random. But then a couple days later, you are reflecting on this conversation & realise that on this particular celebratory night, your friend sent you this picture:

'Get back in line' ...i can't help but wonder if this in fact was my friends handy work~

*I had very inconspicuously hidden a spare set of keys for my Smash friend, who was yet to arrive, under a sign post in the middle of the road outside our apartment. It was genius. Who would look in the shrubs for keys? Here is the link to our place, its fantastic: http://www.stayz.com.au/17128 ~this is our actual apartment. Totally gorgeous & i want to show it off to you!*

*If you check out that link, you'll notice there are windows in the bathroom.. all I've got to say is, it's a little bit awkward when you shower with the windows wide open to let out the steam & while you are conditioning your hair, you look out across the way & you spot a family sitting down to dinner. You think 'hmm, if i can see them this easily... there's probably a 100% chance they can see me & I don't want to put them off their dinner.' Windows closed.*

*We hit up a 3 day convention while we were in town which was very pleasant. On day 1, we got told we were 'Striking' & that we 'Stood out from the crowd because we looked different to everyone else.' As for the style in general, it wasn't exactly out of this world but to be honest, i would have to say people do know how to put an outfit together & look suave. Whether its a red leather tie or a pair of baby blue pants teamed with navy jacket,

it was nicely put together.*

*Then there were drinks at the Novotel. Being surrounded by the beautiful people & not knowing many there, definitely makes one feel insanely shy! Yes. That would be me I'm referring to. (As in, the shy one.. not the beautiful one) So instead of being all up in someone's grill, i chilled in the background sipping frangelico & lime while observing.*

*The Food: Mexican, Italian, Japanese. Win.

There is an amazing Japanese restaurant down the road from our place. In true Japanese style when you walk in, you are greeted with 'Irashimase!' (Welcome) & if you have ever been to Japan, you would know that when you walk into a shop, you are always greeted with that.

We found a nice Italian place called Love Supreme. And boy did we love it!

http://lovesupreme.com.au/

Get the YABASTA or ORECCHIETTE.*
~Although we didn't get it, apparently the Leone is also good~

*We ventured out into the glorious sunshine cruising around the city & Hyde Park. To our surprise, we got tan lines! We also hit up a pier right near the Opera House & Sydney Harbour Bridge. We soaked up the sunshine & were interrupted by an American guy asking us to take photos of himself holding up signs with mushy messages of love on them for his girlfriend! It was adorable! I wanted in on the cuteness so i jumped in a photo with him & made a love heart with my hands :) He then went on to tell us his name was Steadman & he was in a band who are playing a gig at Hisense Arena in Melbourne this weekend & he would get us free tickets.*

*Hitting up one of our favourite little spots- Gusto's at Fiveways- for breakfast/ brunch catch ups with a mate from Melbourne was lovely. It had been a long time between lattes.*

*How could i forget! The Lowenbrau. German Pub. German Beer. 2x Melbournian~European descendant women. Yes. It was as tasty as i rememebered. http://www.lowenbrau.com.au/

Sitting there minding our own business, a group of guys walked in. I took this poor quality, sneaky photo.. who needs pants? Seriously.*

*I think thats about it for now.

Thanks Sydney.

xox

THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

I have 4.

Yes, 4 loves of my life.

one, two, three, four.

Simple as that!

Does that sound just a *little* bit greedy??

I figure, what's better than having 1 love of my life? ...well, having 4 of them, ofcourse darling!

The catch is, I don't want to share them~ so i guess that would be classed as greedy hey.

(Although, I am talking about them with you on my blog.. does that count as sharing them? Giving insight into them? Into the workings of my psyche? Maybe im not so greedy afterall)

It's ok to have 4... isn't it?

Who are they?

I thought you'd never ask! :)

Let me discuss:

Every now & then, you will meet someone who will completely blow you away.

Instantly.

That first impression will often set the benchmark for your future relationship with them.

You had fun with them & they left a huge impact on you.

From then on, the friendship & relationship can

only grow stronger.

No question about it. You are enamoured by them.

You want to see them every day & spend every waking

minute with them.

They are constantly on your mind. Morning, noon & night.

You want to love them, you want to smother them in kisses, you want to protect them, you want to help them, you want to always be there for them, if you could give them the world you would.

Then they do a small, simple gesture.

They smile at you.

They might hold your hand or give you a hug.

A kiss.

Just that little display of affection can keep your heart smiling for days, weeks, even months to come.

Every time you see them, whether it's often or not, you always experience a warm buzzing feeling deep down inside your heart.

Instantly a rush of endorphins flood over you.

You could be surrounded by a crowd of people, but in that very moment, nothing else matters except them.

The world around you is insignificant.

You are caught up in the moment!

I am ofcourse, talking about my 3 nieces & my 1 nephew.

The 4 loves of my life.

The very instant i met them after they were born, i felt

all of the above & more!

Instant, unselfish love.

I would do anything for those kids.
Anything.
No questions asked.
***
Im sorry if you got the wrong impression.
But i guess thats your fault for making such a wild assumption that i was in love with 4 men!

Thats just crazy.

ps- xox