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

*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

i just got 'shot gunned'‏ ~a true story~

Whats that?

Let me fill you in.

I arrive at work... well, i arrive in the street where i park around the corner from work, I've got my RnB music pumping (don't laugh... it helps wake me up in the mornings!)

Anyway.

There's a couple of houses getting renovation's where i park so there have been tradies around in general over the last couple of weeks.

No complaints here.

I drive passed one guy & i cant help but gawk... just a lil bit.

By gawk i probably just mean stare... too much & too obviously... *oh dear!

Will i ever learn it's rude to stare?

In my own defence, it was a Friday. He's cutie. And he's looking at me. What am i supposed to do?
 After driving around looking for a car spot, i end up parking opposite the house getting renovation's that is full of tradies... feeling very conspicuous.

I finish my coffee in my car, I've still got some music on- i turn it down once i park so i don't look like too much of a twit.

I get out of my car... am too scared... aka chicken to even glance at the tradies working on the renovations.

(also hoping that i don't have any food, drink, marks on myself anywhere to be seen & hoping that i don't fall/trip over or something dumb like that..)

Then 2 seconds later as I'm walking along the street these 2 tradie guys are saying/yelling out loud: 

'SHOT GUN!!'

'SHOT GUN!!!'

And I'm like.. naaaa, as IF they're yelling about me.
That's really funny & quite an odd thing to be yelling out.

THEN.

..and then..

I hear one of the tradies say:

'I saw her when she was still in the car!'

Cue me walking off speedier now because I'm a little bit stoked/ a little bit freaking out/a little bit giggling like a 15year old girl about being 'shot gunned' thinking...

'CRAP! I gotta get in to work so i can email my girls!'

(and blog about it to you guys ofcourse!)

Happy (almost) Friday my loves!

xox

ps- Here is some trivia for you-

Back in the olden days~ I'm talking horse & cart era/ cowboys & indians era, there would be one guy up front who would be driving the horse & cart & sitting next to him would be a second guy who would carry a shotgun to ward off or even shoot any enemies who came along the way. (Or if in fact YOU are the bad guy, then it's to ward off the good guys trying to catch you along the way!) 

Therefore, when your friends yell 'SHOTGUN' as they're approaching your car or there's one piece of cake left, it means they just want to be riding up front with you or they get first shot on the cake.

Game on!

...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

Melbourne's 'IT' Girl!

Who is she?

That's the million dollar question.

.....and i have the answer!

Is she the most popular?

The most beautiful in appearance & personality?

The one who gets invited to every social event?
Is she confident within herself?

You?

Me?

About a week ago, i was out for dinner at this fabulous,

intimate Italian restaurant.

One of my mates was telling me that he had been chatting to a mutual friend recently & they both came to the same conclusion that one particular girl was Melbourne's 'IT' Girl.

He told me who it was.

But i will leave it all a mystery for you, my darling blog readers!

I can't really say that i agreed 100% with who these

2 guys said she was.

I actually thought it was quite hilarious!

Basically, the criteria they were working off was that she seems to know 'everyone,' gets invited to all events, everyone in general likes her & no one ever has a bad word to say about her.

She is genuine.

Will always have your back & you can always rely on her.

A label like Melbourne's 'IT' Girl will not happen over night.

This cool cat has taken her time to build up actual proper friendships that have & will last for years to come.

She's always got time for you.

She has a good reputation & a world of respect from her friends.

Are you intrigued as to who Im talking about?

You should be.

You all know her.

xox
ps- I should probably add, the 'IT' girl Im talking about, doesn't believe that it's her.
I'll never tell :)
It's not who you think.