Mr Darcy goes TOO far...

Okay, it's Jane Austen's birthday today... but this is too FAR.

I'm a massive fan but who on God's good earth would wear such a thing???

Especially if it implies that you look like the woman emblazoned on the bit of ceramic.

Eww.

Here comes the sun...

Gimme Sympathy, Metric

Get hot
Get too close to the flame
Wild open space
Talk like an open book
Sign me up
Got no time to take a picture
I'll remember someday
All the chances we took

We're so close
To something better left unknown

I can feel it in my bones
Gimme sympathy
After all this is gone
Who would you rather be
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones
Oh seriously
You're gonna make mistakes you're young
Come on baby play me something
Like here comes the sun
Come on baby play be something
Like here comes the sun

Don't go
Stay with the all unknown
Stay away from the hooks
All the chances we took

Pitchfork pulls in the net...

Yesterday Pitchfork posted their Top 100 tracks of 2009... it's going to take me a while to listen to them all so let's just cut to the chase:

Number 1 went to Animal Collective with "My Girls", (well deserved, but whenever I listen to it I can't help feeling disappointed with myself.. not them.. for not liking it more).

Number 2 was Dirty Projectors with "Stillness in the move"... they simply have one of the best videos of 2009, maybe because its the only video hit I've ever seen with lamas or maybe they're alpacas? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMPF6lpM0XM

Number 3 was Phoneix with "1901".

Number 4 was Bat for Lashes sweeping in on the wave of "Daniel"... I don't know who Daniel is but he should be very proud - one of my favourite songs of the year.

Number 5 was Grizzly Bear with "Two Weeks".

Number 6 was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with "Zero".

Number 7 was Big Boi ft. Gucci Mane with "Shine Blockas", a song I have never listened to up until about 20 secs ago and now having listened for 40 secs... it's ok, but is using the word shawty which is so unrelatable when ur 6ft.

Number 8 was Phoneix (again) with "Listomania".

Number 9 was Girls, "Lust for life".

Number 10 was Washed Out with "Feel it all around"...

And if you want the rest go to http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7742-the-top-100-tracks-of-2009/.

** If you think these songs stink/are terrible/should never be associated in our memory with 2009... vote for your favs with pitchfork's survey thing: http://2k9survey.pitchfork.com/.

Which reminds me triple j's top 100 poll is coming up so DON'T FORGET TO VOTE.

The Satorialist sees red in Sydney...

So the Satorialist was in Australia again (unfortunately he skipped Brisbane).

But he made up for only heading to the southern states by taking this gorgeous photo of a girl at Bondi, calling it "Red on Red".

I feel kind of bad even posting this because it's SO clearly his image, not mine... so to make me feel better, follow this link: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/.

Big Ben tweeting...

It's so comforting that Big Ben is on twitter

While the rest of the world is trying to impress in 140 characters... Big Ben just keeps it's tweeting simple.

The number of BONGS aren't just random either - they change according to the hour.

The only problem is that I've always thought of it as a DONG rather than a BONG.

And obviously there's the reliability issue referred to in the bio: "sorry for the missed tweets, think problem is at Twitter's end."

Are we at the middle name stage?

"I never knew your middle name, no need to play that game" Architecture in Helsinki.

We went out to dinner last night at a gorgeous Indian place, which had drapery hanging artistically from the ceiling.

I was finally brave enough to have vegetarian curry... we have it at home all the time, but I've always felt like it's not true Indian when I go out if its missing chunks of lamb or chicken (gory I know, sorry if you're a vege).

Anyway on the other side of the artistic drapery was a couple, obviously on the second date.

She found out that he liked cheesecake.

He found out she didn't like hot curries.

They then discussed Lady Gaga, both fencing around the topic and not daring any criticism just in case the other was an ardent fan.

I don't think there were up to the middle name stage yet, but they were rolling steadily down the path to relationship solidity.

"And we talked about nothing which was more than I wanted you to know" Modest Mouse.

Britain's eyebrows...

Does Britain's Chancellor, Alistair Darling have possibly the scariest eyebrows EVER?

There is a reason why he wears rimless glasses.

But then maybe they inspire the British public with confidence in a time of economic crisis (i.e. recession, recession, recession).

Tony Abbott goes retro...

Is it just me or have we gone back on a little bit of a time warp with Tony Abbott, the Liberal's new leader in arms?

First there was the announcement of his shadow front bench who seem to be a regurgitation of the Howard era.

He even justified his decision of MP Bronwyn Bishiop by saying "67 is the new 57", adding that she will feel right at home with the Senior's portfolio because "she will be one of them" (poor Bronwyn).

Then this morning he announces that Workchoices would be brought back if the Coalition win the next election.

One can already see the Unions ordering another print run on the "Your rights at work, worth fighting for" stickers which were plastered over every bus, backpack and walkway in Australia during the last election.

But the cream of the crop is his announcement on 4BC radio that he might increase Australia's commitment in Afghanistan. What the???

Isn't everyone trying to creep out of Afghanistan slowly... hoping no one will notice the retreat?

Is there some overarching, masterful strategy I'm not seeing?

Bright Star...

I'm going to see an advanced screening of Bright Star tonight.

So excited... season of mists and mellow fruitfulness here we come.

The XX.. Heart skipped a beat

Sometimes I wish these posts could be backdated.

I discovered The XX just before I went on exams and they helped get through the mountain of study awaiting.

Once the glow of the song Islands wore off this became my favourite:

Heart skipped a beat

Please don't say we're done

When I'm not finished

I could give you so much

Make you feel, like never before

Welcome, they said welcome to the floor

It's been a while

And you've found someone better

But I've been waiting too long to give this up

The more I see, I understand

But sometimes, I still need you

Sometimes, I still need you

Sometimes, I still need you

I was struggling to get in

Left waiting outside your door

I was sure

You'd give me more

No need to come to me

When I can make it all the way to you

You made it clear

You weren't near

Near enough to me

Heart skipped a beat

And when I caught it you were out of reach

But I'm sure, I'm sure

You've heard if before

You've heard if before

Please don't say we're done

When I'm not finished

I could give you so much

James Brown... Papa's got a brand new bag

I have just fallen for James Brown... the man is AMAZING.

Let's just say before Michael Jackson there was James Brown.

You have to watch this link to get the full effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtqDB2spyG0.

Queen in the Caribbean

How gorgeous are these outfits?

The Queen has apparently journeyed to the Caribbean and is getting into the spirit of things.

The third image definitely looks like there's been some time spent in the sun or alternatively she's given into the pressure of the fake tan brigade.

For the full fashion goss: www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/01/queen-caribbean-wardrobe

UK troops get a long term sentence...

I'm just chucking this in because it is a beautiful picture (courtesy of Reuters.. no, I am not currently in Afghanistan).

Hard, gritty, tense... British soldiers somehow look strong and wiry compared to their beefed up American counterparts.

Overnight the UK's Foreign Secretary, David Miliband announced UK forces with remain in Afghanistan for five more long years.

Whether that will be the case with a looming UK election next year is another question entirely.

The UK is also upping its commitment to the war by 500 troops, nothing compared to Obama's dedication of 30,000 more American soldiers, but a strong show of allied support all the same.

Abbott takes the liberal leadership...

*New Liberal leader Tony Abbott enters presser with deputy Julie Bishop.

Tony Abbott today became leader of the Australian Liberal party.

It was a bit of a surprise for everybody, including Abbott himself who looked a little shell shocked as he emerged from the party room.

Twitter went wild, with both #spill and Tony Abbott becoming trending topics (the funny thing was noticing confused Americans tweeps going... "can someone please tell me what the heck #spill is?).

Anyways, our fine leader K.Rudd was off in Washington while all the drama happened so Julia Gillard (Abbott's old health portfolio political/flirting sparring partner) was left to welcome the new top dog.

But the question is will the chemistry between Abbott and Gillard continue... now the 'mad monk'/aka Abbott has taken control of the liberal abbey?

*Julia Gillard... bring it on baby... (note: to be fair this image is 2 months old, but appropriate I felt).

Pumpkin days...

Sometimes I have pumpkin days.

They're days when I feel like Cinderella, my glittering carriage has stopped taking me places and has turned into a stolid pumpkin - very seditary, very uninspiring and very orange.

It's enough to make anyone feel glum.

The King and All His Men... Wolf Gang

Very, very nice. What more can I say... I liked this song on sight mainly for the lyrics and the pitch of his voice.

However it might, just might, be one of those quick faders which I love initally but despise eventually.

The song above is The king and all his men by Wolfgang, a scarily makeuped Londoner whose album came out on the 16th of November (he doesn't have much resemblance to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart if you start thinking along those lines).

If you do like this song listen to his other one, Pieces of me which has a fantastic gutair opener straight from the seventies: www.myspace.com/thisiswolfgang.

Croc hugging...

Love this picture. It's a man in Costa Rica who's become best friends with a half-tonne croc and is on hugging terms!

Apparently he came across the croc 20 years ago, injured with a gunshot wound. He nursed the croc back to health and now they're best mates.

Paul Dempsey in the Studio

Paul Dempsey came into the studio the other day. (***NEWS FLASH: I'm working as an 'acting' radio producer for the ABC).

Anyways, he was 6.5ft and a little on the quiet side.

But he was great on air and had a nice chat to the presenter Steve about why he picked Brissy of all places to launch his album (he's originally from Melbourne.. actually still is).

Plus he talked about what it was like to write, what his band thought of his solo shift forward etc.
I went along to the album launch a couple of hours later, quite a crowd of skinny young things looking appropriately soul searching... but he was GREAT live.. loved nearly all of the songs.

Like everyone I think Romona was a Waitress has to be my fav... have a listen below.

Generation Y is done, dusted and dead... (someone shoot it down please)

Generation Y is old. Not in the terms of actual age (we're still giving the up and coming tweens a run for their money) but in terms of a label, frankly darling it's dated.

Practically anyone could could write a 25,000 word thesis on the sizzling habits on the Gen Y demographic, what they like, how they shop, love, eat, don't fly the nest and generally sail through the world unimpeded by a hard work ethic. Since the world got hold of the term Gen Y the everything has been analysed from the free wheeling perspective of a 20 something year old. And it's boring. It's done, it's dusted and it's time to think of something new. Blah, blah, blah. As a member of the infamous sons and daughters of the baby boomers demographic I'm well and truly over the hype of the young bloods.

As soon as marketers and journos got hold of the Gen Y idea and started analysing the world from a Gen Y perspective in order to lasoo the elusive youth market into their profit margins it was over. When it becomes mainstream and chewed over by academics and media alike a concept may as well roll over a die. It's like cud - chewed, digested, churned up, chewed again, digested, churned up and the story goes on until Gen Y become, frankly, a very unappealing, unappetising label to live by.

I should confess that my own passion for the tatilising but frankly over-publicised age group I belong too has been waning ever since mentioning Gen Y as a segment became imperiative to getting high marks in a university marketing assignment.

But here's the news... Gen Y officially don't care about being labled Gen Y. So if you're a marketing guru, journo, entreprenurial business person or Generation X citizen who's spouting Gen Y effusions the chances are you'll not be connecting with them.

Note: the author of this article will still be using Gen Y as a target market in her uni marketing plans, (despite obvious self-hypocrisy) as a bit of generational name dropping usually guarantees high marks.

Why Chanel No.5 of course... Inspiration Item #46

Chanel has just released a new 'film' (or shall we say VERY expensive ad) starring Audrey Tautou for their fragrance Chanel No.5.

It's release coincides with the French premiere of Coco Avant Chanel, a new film focusing on the young Gabirelle Chanel and her rise to fame as one of fashion's most lauded designers.
The film was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the man behind Tautou's rise to fame in Amelie and it has the same amazing golden colour tones which can't but help warm the cockles of your heart.
If you're wondering who the man is who manages to track Tautou across southern France just by following her scent, he's American model Travis Davenport.
Have a watch of the film below... but if you want the best quality look at http://www.chanel5.com/.



Inspiration Item #46

Bollywood dance beats... Inspiration Item #46

So I was at work awhile back and was talking to one of the girls about Bollywood movies. Her mum is Indian and she loves the big dance blockbusters and mentioned a few of her favourites.

Anyway time passed, exams came along, I got invited to a Sikh wedding and was all inspired so looked up Bollywood music in a bout of study procrastination. These are a few of my discoveries...

First up is Leija Leija from the 2001 hit Khabi Khushi Khabie Gham (meaning sometimes happy, sometimes sad). It has a great intro and there's no holding back on the dancefloor by either sex (plus can I mention it has one of the most beautiful men on the planet feauring as the male lead, Hritick Roshan).

If I need to get moving this next one is definitely my fav, starts off slow and builds with cracking beats. The clip is a bit old but I think the man responsible for this awesome love-song in the rain clip is A.J. Rahman (he wrote and performed Jai Ho which has hit the music charts as the Pussycat Doll's take on Bollywood from the movie Slumdog Millionare).

I stumbled across this song, Eli Re Eli a little while back. Great undulating rythmn and female solos, but the guys are a little weak. What I'm gathering from the English subtitles is that this is some type of empowered Bollywood Bridget Jones called Yaadein (definitely on the list to watch).


This one makes it into the list solely because of Aishwarya Rai's absolute sex-bombness. It has the classic Bollywood depiction of guys vs. girls on the dancefloor... with girls definitely winning out (don't think the guys ever recovered form Aishwarya's amazing hip flexibility).


If all this has been a little too exhausing have a listen to the theme music for Mumbai also by A.R. Rahman. I find it's very relaxing after the soprano notes and ever-speeding beats of the classic dance songs.



P.S. had a chat with my mate from work and we're going to have a Bollywood movie sleepover.. sounds good to me.

Inspiration Item #46

The Hunt for Gollum, the best fan movie ever.. Inspiration Item#45

Trailer 2 - The Hunt For Gollum [2]
Uploaded by HuntForGollum

I just watched possibly the best fan movie ever, The Hunt for Gollum. It was forty minutes of absolute professionalism made on a $3000 budget.

The film was adapted from appendices from The Lord of the Rings and follows Aragorn as he hunts for the creature Gollum to prevent Sauron and the nine riders finding the location of the ring.

Costumes, setting and weaponary were amazing. My sister and I were amazed at the fight scenes, really well doneThe orcs were especially good and if possible even uglier than the Peter Jackson triolgy.Viggo Mortensen was always going to be hard to live up to and fan actor, Adrian Webster did a good job (I couldn't help thinking the whole time that if he'd just tinted his eyelashes and eyebrows he would have looked 10 times more Aragorn like.. superficial, I know).The movie was released independently online on the 3rd of May, to watch go to thehuntforgollum.com.

Inspiration Item 45#

14yr old Duncan Harrison.. Inspiration Item #44

So I stumbled across one of the BBC's latest offerings which sadly hasn't made it to Australia and probably never will.

It's the slightly high-brow reality TV show The Speaker which aims to find the best young public speaker in the UK.

Anyway the winner was the youngest of the bunch, Duncan Harrison, a 14 year old from Bristol.

His final speech was on child education in Malawi - it was brilliant and something I'll pull out and re-watch before my next presentation for uni/work.

Inspiration Item #44

Britain's PMs battle it out... Inspiration Item # 43

Am reading a fantastic book I've been wanting to get my hands on for ages.

It's The Blair Years by Alastair Campbell and as well as being VERY politically informative, it's hilarious.

I've just typed up one of the funniest bits... shows how human Britain's most recent Prime Ministers are.

NOTE: TB stands for Tony Blair and GB for Gordon Brown.


Monday, March 27 1995


"...Arrived in Glasgow. We drove over to Edinburgh and had dinner with his old school friend Nick Ryden. TB told the hilarious story of when he and GB met in Nick's house for one of the big discussions post John Smith's death. Nick left them to it and they went round and round in circles. TB was clear he should stand because he felt that was the best chance for the party, but GB was not convinced. At one point, GB went to the toilet. Minutes passed and TB was sitting twiddling his thumbs and even wondered if GB had done a runner. Eventually the phone went. TB left it, so then the answering machine kicked in and GB's disembodied voice came on: 'Tony. It's Gordon. I'm locked in the toilet.' They both ended up laughing about it. TB went upstairs and said 'You're staying in there till you agree.' "


p.54 The Blair Years Alastair Campbell



Inspiration Item #43

Faulkner ... Inspiration Item #42

"Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."

William Faulkner (by way of Frankie magazine).

*Picture courtesy of Katy Spade's gorgeous fashion shoots

Inspiration Item #42

They can't just get any old freak to be a vampire... Deinspiration Item #41

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I wasn't that keen on Edward Cullen biting my neck, but HIM??? They can't just get any old freak..." (my sister).

Vampire obsession might be a global phenomonen but THIS is a step too far.

Tonight I guiltly got my dose of RNB by watching Israel's latest song Freak Tonight on youtube (ignore this embarassing fact please and move on to the real goss of this story)...

I was HORRIFIED.

What is the world coming to if a perfectly respectable RNB toughman has to resort to fake fang teeth and neck biting scenes in order to hit the music charts??

Plus why is he sporting a mohawk which looks like a stoat's tail on the top of his head? Not attractive.

And while we're on the note of RNB selling out... could the lyrics of Soulja Boy's latest song be anyworse?

"Baby, kiss me through the phone"

"dadadadadadadada we're on the phone like dadadadadadada we're taking pics like dadadadada she dial my number like dadadadada"

Have a listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbFmWFOwxy4

Deinspiration Item #41

Olivia Bee... Inspiration Item #40

You're looking at Olivia Bee.

She's the 15-year-old elf child who is not only the subject of this magical shot, but also the photographer (ahhh the blessings of the modern camera).

I think I'm going to post an extra long post on her magical shutter work shortly, but here's the link to her flickr portfolio for the moment: www.flickr.com/photos/-oliviabee-/.


Inspiration Item#40

Bertie Blackman... Inspiration Item #39

Nothing is beating the beauty of Sky is falling by Sydney based singer, Bertie Blackman.

I heard the track on JJJ this morning and was blown away into stupefyed silence on the train.

Obviously I was already silent and not talking outloud all by myself in the third carriage as I am not a weird person.

What I mean is that my mind was FORCED to stop and listen, silently repressing all other thoughts, so it could fully absorb the epic beautifulness of the song.

It's very dreamlike, with lyrics thrumming - yes, thrumming - over the music.

Bertie Blackman's new album came out last Friday... Heart is the new single every one is raving about cos apparently it sounds like Bjork, but personally Sky is falling is definitely my favourite.
www.myspace.com/bertieblackman

Inspiration Item #39

lungs of the world... Inspiration Item #38

How fantastic is this ad????

In case u can't read the bit down the bottom it says: Before it's too late...

It certainly made me stop and think (but maybe it wouldn't be so effective if I wasn't massively anti-smoking).


Inspration Item # 38

Slice of life... Inspiration Item#37

The purpose of this blog was just to keep track of all the little pieces of life that inspire or despire a day.

Right now the little pieces of life I'm experiencing right now make up the equation below:

Inspire slices:
+ Courtney Brookes photo.. see above
+ Breakeven by Irish band The Script
+ The Princess Bride (book of the moment)
+ the thought of work in 1.5 hours (yes, I like my retail job)

Despire slices
- the knowledge that I am procrastinating
- the fact that I have exam on saturday
- no possible way I can get to the gym today and feel fittish

Anyhooo now I've recorded this vitally important info have a listen to the clip below (if ur ears haven't already overheard it on the top 40 list already... but who can resist Irishmen???)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2omyqxbsKw

Inspiration Item #37

Who is the man??? ... twitter stalkers... Inspiration Item#36

Checked my inbox this morning and weird man Joshua Byrd is now 'following' me on Twitter... the word following itself has stalkerish connotations.

Anyways I spent a while trying to figure out how he connected to my life.. ie friend of friend, uni person, workmate, person I sit next to on train maybe?

Finally I concluded I DO NOT know this man.

Once reaching this conclusion I had to deliberate about whether this was an inspiration item or not.

Is someone just randomly adding you on Twitter a compliment, a random fact of life or alternativly just plain freaky???

Eventually I decided to be flattered and allocate it to the inspiration item pile.

***If u can help identify this potential stalker (see picture below), please comment.

p.s. interesting side note.... I 'tweeted' that I liked Bombay Bicycle Club and who starts following me but a San Francisco based bike shop... freaky. You can't say anything anymore without being viral marketed.

Inspiration Item #36

Bombay Bicycle Club .. Inspiration Item#35

Loving these boys from north London, esp their single: 'Always like this', which was released OFFICIALLY 14 days ago.

They are absurdly young (which decoded means they're young enought to make me feel old), plus they've got that 'genuine' feel to them... tho they will prob end up being mass media indie hit-wonders - sniff.

Unfortunately I can't find the embed info.. so you'll just have to follow the link below - enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj-A-XPMnhY

Inspirtation Item#35

Bushfire inspires giving hearts..Inspiration Item #34

* GUTTED: A house in Bendigo, Victoria burns to the ground.

Australia is in shock at the moment. Over 173 people are dead and more than 700 homes destroyed in the biggest bushfires the nation has seen in recorded history.

The state of Victoria in the south of the country is still ablaze with 23 fires and the death toll is expected to rise.

* REUNITED: Jennifer Wood is reunited with her partner Mark who stayed to fight the fires while she evacuated with their son Jack.

Australians across the nation are opening their wallets to help people who've lost there homes and loved ones... over $30million has been given already.

* SURVIVAL: Anthony Sexton is reunited with his horse which managed to survive the blaze that burnt his house to the ground

If you can give please donate to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire appeal.. anything will help:

Go to redcross.org.au. If you're in Victoria think about giving blood to help the huge amount of injured: http://www.donateblood.com.au/.

*ENGULFED: Fires blaze through Kingsvale National Park on Victoria's hottest day in history. Winds were at record speeds causing fires to cover thouands of hectares at 100kms an hour.

Inspiration Item#34

Lyell.. the result of flickr foraging .. Inspiration item#33

I was doing some flickr foraging in Grey's Anatomy ad breaks when I stumbled across Lyell. As you can see from the quantity of the photos I was impressed. Very impressed and slightly intoxicatingly in love.I discovered that Lyell is the lovechild of Emma Fletcher, an Australian designer (yes, I know yet again another brilliant child is spawned from our shores).
Apparently she was inspired by a childhood in Sydney where she was dragged by her mother to an inordinate number of flea markets and antique shops (ok, the article didn't say dragged but 8yr olds aren't that keen on antiques, even abnormally stylish ones).

These are shots from Fletcher's Fall 2008 collection... I love the fact that they've used a curly-haired model and a crazy 1920s art deco house, with a little Darajeeling thrown in (forget about non-intrusive minimalism).
Fletcher won the Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation award last year and used it to fund this collection. Personally I'm also loving the Fall collection of the previous year which heavily dipped into 1920s 'I'm trimming the hedgerows' type elegance (will have to blog later down the track - can't use all the pretty images at once). But if you can't wait have a look at www.fabsugar.com/994358.Emma Fletcher also owns a small boutique in nyc where she stocks her own designs and rare vintage finds from European labels.

I'm not the only one who's in sweet love with Fletcher's designs. Apparently Michelle Williams has been shopping at the store since 2004. And quote: "Her fans also include like-minded, low-key beauties, such as Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel, who sports Lyell in her new movie Gigantic." (www.elle.com/Fashion/Fashion-Spotlight/Lyell).The label is going into its fifth year and can be found at www.lyellnyc.com.

Inspiration Item #33