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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Grunge is back. My inbox is stuffed with "new" Grunge "fashions", ready made for clueless, unsuspecting consumers. One slight problem. Grunge wasn't (and isn't) even Grunge.

Most people (and we are talking about musicians here) who have been categorised as "Grunge" in the past, don't even agree with the term.

It was a cynical attempt to make a music scene into a mass-produced, saleable commodity. Which, when you think about it, is what happens to anything that's actually good.

So, the powers that be turned an ANTI-FASHION movement into fashion. Impressive, huh?

And now I have to put up with items calling themselves "Grunge" flooding my inbox when Grunge doesn't even exist and the clothes didn't come from a second-hand store so they don't count anyway.

"Grunge" and "Punk" share common difficulties.

When the Sex Pistols broke, they didn't look like the version of punk we know today. So if they played at a punk pub with a strict "fashion" code today, and some dullard didn't recognise them, they wouldn't even be let in the door.

Here's a picture of the Sex Pistols in 1977:



They wore what was around. They held things together with safety pins because their clothes were falling apart, not because they wanted to make a statement.

The idea behind punk, before it was bastardised, was that anyone could be part of it.

If you were an outcast, a working class person, black, white, whatever, a person who didn't fit in anywhere else, you could go somewhere and actually feel like you belonged.

It didn't matter if you were wearing a sheet with two holes in it or a balaclava on your head and a dress, it really was, for a time, "come as you are".


Here is the multi-billion dollar fashion industry's version of punk:


"Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
John Lydon (Johnny Rotten)


A lot of people who call themselves punks have strict rules. Is your Mohawk long enough? Is it the right colour?  Do you have one chain or two coming from your jeans?  How many studs on your jacket?  Fail any one of these tests and you might find yourself an outcast.

.....And this, ironically, makes you the punk of the group.

Do you see what I'm getting at?

Like my partner once said, "When you can buy it at Sportsgirl, it's no longer punk".



PUNK:

Pussy Riot




NOT PUNK:

Avril Lavigne



Notice how it's not about the clothing?

And get stuffed if you disagree with me.  That's punk too.



So, too we see the problem with "fashionising" Grunge. I know what Grunge fashion is, if you must call it that, it's what I'm wearing right now.  Docs with holes in them (because I have owned them for 12 years and I haven't got new ones yet), jeans, a jumper.

Big deal right?

Because it's not about the clothes.

It's about music.

And you can't pass off a whole movement, philosophy, happening, etc, into a McGrunge franchise.

Sorry but you can't.

So here's an interpretation of Grunge fashion from the runway.  It's a symphony of flannel!!


If you really want to make a fashion movement out of it, get it right, at least.

Try this out, I'm sure it will sell really well.






Yeah, didn't think so.  So why even try?



Labels,
Labels,
We are surrounded by labels!....


As Kierkegaard (and Wayne Campbell from Wayne's World) said:

"Once you label me, you negate me".


Fads/Elitism/generationism/ageism, racism, sexism, and fashionism (yes, I just made up a word) adds up to buying into the corporate machine that started the whole mess.  Do you really want to be a part of that?

"Punk", and "Grunge" (maybe they're the same thing) is about expressing yourself.  Showing the world who and what you are no matter what others might think.

So....  Fine.  It's ok to buy "Grunge wear" if you want.  (I cringed even typing that)  But try to remember that these are invented concepts by the fashion industry and essentially mean absolutely nothing.



“Punk is musical freedom. It's saying, doing and playing what you want. In Webster's terms, 'nirvana' means freedom from pain, suffering and the external world, and that's pretty close to my definition of Punk Rock.”
 Kurt Cobain





Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Packing for travel requires short, sharp bursts of brilliance.

Firstly, when it comes to shoes, make sure you can roll them up into a tiny ball.  Most shoes won't do this so don't try it with steel capped workboots.  However, a nice pair of ballet flats are perfect for letting your feet breathe on the plane.

Leggings are perfect for travel as they don't tend to crease and they squish up into almost nothing when you want to pack them away.



Packing For Travel




Then you need to think about layers. Jumpers, cardigans, whatever you can find. When you zip between time zones and varying weather patterns, it's a good idea to be versatile. Remove layers or add layers when needed.

Why orange? I just have a thing for orange at the moment.

Knowing me,  I'll get another "green is the new black" moment.  Yes, I'm calling it.  I got there first.  Orange is the colour for right now.  Why?  Because mandarins are yummy.  Why else?

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012


I'm back! It's not that I haven't had anything to write about, it's that I have had too many things to write about. A quick update of my latest endeavours -


1. Bought everything on ebay in the last 2 months (well, almost!!)
2. Designed some apps
3. Created a couple of websites
4. Prepared to sell a couple of websites
5. Downloaded heaps of apps
6. Wrote Christmas lists
7. Realised I was doing too many things


Sooo, I have a moment to reflect and take stock (literally) of my latest purchases.


There is one clear favourite at this moment - my awesome Zara leather jacket. It's buttery soft, looks amazing and people I don't even know come up and want to touch it. That's kind of weird but it speaks for the quality of the materials.

Here it is, in all its glory:


That's not me by the way, but you get the idea.  My jacket is exactly like the one in the pic.

It retails for around $400, but the sneaky ebay shopping goblins helped me to snatch it up for... wait for it.....  $39.

Ahahaahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!





I pretty much wear it all the time, despite the arm touchers.


My other notable mentions include:

My lovely Nikon Coolpix L310 Camera, a present from my wonderful partner for my birthday:



This was not the sort of thing you would want to buy online.  We got it from a shop with all the proper warranty papers and stuff.


And for the bathroom decorations, these beautiful "Nile Stones" - I think that's a pun.  It's punny!!



Egyptian Stone - "Nile Stones"


You can still get these on ebay - they are hand carved and beautiful.  They are small, delicate, and... ston-ey.
I grabbed a couple of the 'beige' stones.


And.... some awesome ankle boots from shoebox_au (one of my new favourite sellers!)  The pic is a tad grainy because this particular ankle boot is no longer available.

Haha! because I got the last one!!




I really do love ebay.  Now, if I can just do all my Christmas shopping online, I can avoid the stores for another year!!


I can just click - get package - wrap stuff.   - Done!!

As opposed to - drive like a maniac through peak hour - park in a $150 per millisecond parking place, get whacked in the knee repeatedly by trolleys - have kids run into you covered in sticky stuff - wait in checkout line with a close-quarters-mouth-breather standing 1mm behind your neck - wait for even longer after the customer in front wants to put their $4.95 purchase on their Gold card that keeps getting declined so they can get 0.000002 frequent flyer points - get back in car covered in toffee apple, bruises, wrapping paper and cortisol sweat and drive like a slightly more careful lunatic back to civilisation.






Wednesday, September 26, 2012

I was watching YouTube videos as I generally do late in the evening, when I came across something disturbing.

YouTube knows my browsing habits well.  If I search for "how to play Angus Young solo for Back In Black", I will usually get a bunch of instructional music-related ads.  The ads are usually hard rock, heavy metal, punk rock, grunge, stoner or similar.

For example, I may look up "Queens of the Stone Age - 2007 Live Gonzo Performance - A Song For The Dead".  The ads to the side will generally be "Queens of the Stone Age - Live on Letterman" or "Josh Homme Interview", etc.

This week marks the pinnacle of YouTube & Vevo's contextual advertising FAIL.

I looked up "Iron Maiden - The Trooper", the theme song to a documentary series I am watching at the moment called "Metal Evolution".  Not surprisingly, it is about the history and evolution of Heavy Metal Music.

YouTube / Vevo saw this Iron Maiden clip and thought, well... if you like Iron Maiden...  you will probably like...

ONE DIRECTION.


Incongruity Alert!!!


YouTube Ad FAIL
Really, YouTube???????

  

One Direction?  Nice job, YouTube / Vevo advertising department.  Either one of the ad execs doesn't know the difference between heavy metal and the sound of a rather large hammer breaking a one direction cd....  or....  they have an automated system that is in serious need of upgrading.

So what's next?

If you like Bikini Kill, you may also like....  KE$HA.

If you like Nirvana, you may also like...  NICKELBACK.

If you like Rammstein, you may also like...   ROBBIE WILLIAMS.

If you like Marilyn Manson,  you may also like...  HANSON.


Perhaps it's an attempt at mind control.  You will be assimilated.  YouBorg will infiltrate our synapses and implant a love for abominable, awful, crap noises.  Next thing we know, we'll be popping over to iTunes to buy Justin Bieber's latest "track" because we suddenly think he's got a certain something.  Aaaarghh!!



However, I'm sure we are all stronger than that.  I can just see armies of goths filling in the sides of their screens with black texta.  Problem solved.







Tuesday, September 18, 2012

i am a total geek


Gifts for the special nerd in your life.  Nerds defy categorization and span the boundaries of modern life.  That said, I wouldn't be giving a Star Trek New Generation enterprise model to a die-hard Original Star Trek fan.  Things might get messy, kinda like a phaser on 10 (disruption effect).

Likewise, you better be sure that your nerd loved one is mad about the gift you will be giving them.

A few tips - drop some hints like, "do you prefer the Metallicar from Supernatural or the Batmobile?"
(if you ask me, the answer's obvious but people can surprise you with their answers sometimes!)

Or "who is scarier - Freddy Krueger, Jason, Michael Myers or Mick from Wolf Creek?"

Or..."which is better - TIE Fighter, X-Wing or Romulan Bird-Of-Prey?"

If they can't give a sensible answer, or think that these spacecrafts came from the same movie or series, they are not a nerd.  Get them an iPod loaded with One Direction, Rihanna, Kanye West and Black Eyed Peas and a gift voucher for a stupid haircut instead.

Oh, and if they think that Stargate Universe was better than Stargate Atlantis, then all hope is lost.

You have to determine the LEVEL of nerd before choosing a gift.  Bear in mind, there are some sci-fi nerds that actually know the planet on which you get the crystals from which to make lightsabres.  Really.

I know that the Death Star blew up Alderaan and I know that Princess Leia lived there.  So I'm not at the  "All-hail-5Gigasquillion-warlock-nerd-basement-abode-pop-tart-overlord" level just yet.

Anyway, back to the gifts:



USS Reliant NCC-1864

This is for fans of "Wrath of Khan".  Why this model?  Well, it's so people can come around and say "Oh wow!  A model of the Enterprise!" and you can go "no, it's the USS Reliant NCC-1864.  Can't you tell the obvious differences between an Anton/Miranda class (Reliant sub-class) and a Constitution class?  I mean they're both Federation Starfleet but..."

At this stage your guest will either be:

a.  Enthralled and slightly embarrassed for getting it wrong
b.  About to hit you over the head with your collectible "Hammer of Thor"
c.  Asleep



Supernatural 1967 Chevy Impala

A.K.A.  "Metallicar"  Die cast model to die for (hehehe!)  I don't really know why I'm putting this in here.  I want this for myself.  And if you get the last one before I do, I'll cover you with sea salt, demon!!



Freddy Krueger

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" stood the test of time quite well, at least the 1st and 3rd ones.  The second one isn't worth mentioning and well, a couple of the later ones were okay.  Not terrible, just okay.  But, Freddy Krueger is still loved and feared around the world, and so he should be.

I have my own Freddy Krueger action figure already.  I also used to sleep under a massive poster of Freddy Krueger's face.  Nobody, but nobody understood why I did this.  I will briefly explain.

If you are a kid, afraid of falling asleep because Freddy Krueger is going to get you, then it makes perfect sense (to me anyway!) to go to sleep under a big effigy of Freddy Krueger.  It's like, "I'm going to sleep, right under Freddy's face.  What else ya got?"



Stargate Atlantis Resin Model Set

After making this model, you could paint it and then submerge it in a fish tank, complete with elaborate decorations.  You might want to avoid putting fish in there due to the paint and superglue toxins!






Boba Fett

The coolest bounty hunter in the galaxy.


Take care of the special nerd in your life, they may seem a bit wacky and hard to understand sometimes, but I believe that one day, nerds will save the world.







Thursday, August 30, 2012

Will.i.am "Reach for the Stars"


Or... "How to cheapen history in one easy lesson"

Of all the great art that humanity has created throughout the ages, of all the great composers, songwriters, musicians and performers, from Beethoven and Mozart to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, from Patti Smith to the first person who ever crawled into a cave and painted a picture of a mammoth while someone else was beating a piece of wood against a rock.  On this day, at this pivotal moment in history,  NASA chooses this heinous, unworthy, low grade piece of rubbish to be the first composition beamed from another planet to earth.  An event that will be reflected upon for thousands of years to come.

If I could swear in every single language that has ever existed on earth since the dawn of time, I would.

If the youth of today need a carrot and stick approach to make them interested in science, they're probably never going to be.  And it would be fair to say that anyone that likes this mindless piece of pap wouldn't have the brain power to take up a career in science anyway.  Massive systems failure.  Got that, NASA?  Massive Systems Failure!

You can't go back and change this, it's done now.  Awful.  Awful.  Awful.

You've sullied this great event.  Shame.

It's like someone falling into your wedding cake on your wedding day, or your dog urinating on your children's Christmas presents on Christmas Eve.  Low, empty, rancid, and unforgettable.



Photo credit:  Wikipedia

Thursday, August 16, 2012

I have taken the plunge, albeit trepidatiously, into the world of leopard skin leggings.  Why, I hear you ask? The honest answer would be "I don't know".  Perhaps I have been possessed by the great leopard spirit.
Or, more likely, I am a bit sick of wearing black all the time!

So, here we are, Zara leopard skin leggings...  Now what do I do with you?

The main objective is to avoid this look:


Now, don't get me wrong, I like Sheena!  But I wanted to try and update the look for a more urban environment.

Firstly, I'm pretty sure Zara don't use real leopard!  It would be a bad look for a vegetarian.



Leopard leggings with black Doc Martens, a burgundy top and woolly cardie for daytime, and for night, swap the docs for ankle boots and add a white shirt and leather jacket. Voila!

Leopard Skin Leggings









Tuesday, July 31, 2012



To buy or not to buy? The question (and answer) is different for everyone. Some people believe in the purity of not buying fans, and that's a valid way to go.

Others believe that fans = profile.

So, under what circumstances should you buy Facebook fans?

The truth is, you can't start a company or launch a brand and have it sit there at 19 fans for 3 months. It's not a good look. In this instance, you would be well advised to boost your fans to at least 1000 while you find new and innovative ways of marketing yourself.

If you are a blogger and wish to be an 'authority' in your area, you could also think about buying fans. Imagine it from your new reader's perspective, you go to the "authority blogger's" Facebook page and find 3 fans. You aren't going to like their page, are you? It's a catch 22 situation. If you have fans, you are more likely to attract fans.

If you are running a short term launch and need to boost fans quickly, buying fans could be a possible option to make sure the campaign reaches as many people as possible.

How to buy facebook fans?  That's the easy part.  You just select the desired amount, enter your Facebook URL and pay.  That's pretty much it.  When the fans arrive, it's what you do with your page that counts.

The more fans, the more authority, the more authority, the more buzz, the more buzz, the better the rankings.
There is, of course, no substitute for real engagement and quality content. If you put in the work and your page is worthwhile, it will grow. If not, there is no real point. You want to engage your readers and get them talking, that is worth more than anything. If you sell a product, make sure it is of the highest quality and provide follow-up support and service. Your customers will thank you in the long run.



Thursday, July 26, 2012

The dilemma for the colder months is a tricky one.

Should I wear gloves, therefore keeping my hands toasty....   or

Should I forgo the gloves so I can use my iPhone, iPad, iParachute or iPineapple?

Well, now some clever cookes at Etre have come up with the perfect compromise:  Etre Touchy and Etre Fivepoint.   Available in pure new wool or cashmere.

Etre Touchy are gloves with "phone fingers" so you can tap, scroll, slide and type away without freezing your fingies!

Etre Touchy - for taking piccies of fish on pebbles!

Index and thumb are left free so you be functional and warm at the same time.



Etre Fivepoint are gloves fitted with contactwoven® fingertips, so you don't need to take them off to use your mobile, tablet and so forth.




The special fingertips allow your touch to be registered on the most up-to-date devices.  So you can Tweet: "...waiting at station.  8 degrees and falling but hands staying toasty"






Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Cosmic Psychos are a punk band from Melbourne.
They are known for their awesomeness.
They need your help to get this documentary going. Need convincing? Ok, Butch Vig, Eddie Vedder, The Melvins, Mudhoney are all in it.
I donated. You can too. $1 for starters. That's all it takes.
They need to get to this target in 44 days.
Please support Australian music and feel good about yourself at the same time!
Warning: If you click below to watch the video, please note that it has quite a bit of colourful language in it!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Kate Middleton wore a rather appropriate outdoorsy outfit while attending the 'Expanding Horizons' ARK charity event in Kent.

For some reason the Australian press decided to dub the outfit a 'faux pas'.  It even somehow managed to make the evening news - perhaps the commercial stations had run out of AFL football stories.

The idea that it is somehow inappropriate to wear a pair of Le Chameau wellies in the great outdoors is a bit silly.  If they are waterproof and lined with leather and extraordinarily well made, chances are you won't get your feet wet.  And if the Duchess of Cambridge can't wear designer camping gear, I don't know who can.  Anyway, I'm sure the kids didn't know or care what kind of brands she was wearing.

All in all, an effortless look.  All class.


How to get Kate Middleton's look:


  • Zara skinny jeans
  • Burberry shirt
  • Really Wild vest
  • Le Chameau wellingtons


Fashion Junkie Glamazon Version:


Sensible yet Stylish version: 

 

  • Hunter wellingtons 
  • RM Williams vest 
  • Keep the Burberry shirt and Zara jeans!


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Looking back on my previous posts, my love affair with ELF can be traced back to as far as 2007 when I won a competition for some free ELF goodness.  I usually buy from the Australian store but the US store often has the better deals.


The goodies start from $1.00 and many of the cosmetics can rival the big brands in terms of quality. And since everything is only a couple of dollars each, I tend to go a little crazy when ordering.

Here is a breakdown of my latest order:


~elf cosmetics~

I will never try another lip shade, this is the one for me!  Also one of the most popular shades as it frequently sells out.  This is suitable for olive skinned lasses with cool undertones.





~elf cosmetics~



Sparkly, sparkly eyeliner.  I figured this one was worth a try.  It has now become my everyday eyeliner, beating Natio and Revlon. 

e.l.f. Generic 468x60



~elf cosmetics~

Continuing my sparkly kick, I wanted something wildly dramatic for 'smoky' eyes.

~elf cosmetics~


I have been using this combo since '07.  Perfect for hazel/brown eyes.





~elf cosmetics~

I usually buy 'Shy' rather than 'Flushed' but it is so popular that it is seriously never available.  'Flushed' actually turned out to be a winner, but I'd still prefer the subtlety of 'shy'.  As soon as it gets back in stock I'm getting a whole bunch.

I also got therapeutic lip creme in 'strawberry creme', an Essentials Total Face Brush, Essential Brightening Eye Liner: 'Black', another 'Plum Pout' lipgloss and Essential Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil - Iconic Ivy and the order still came in under $50. 

I received a free gift for being such a wonderful customer too:



Sparkly nail polish in 'Golden Goddess'.  They know how to make a girl feel special.