May 2013
3 posts
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April 2013
3 posts
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Got this done a few weeks ago. Design by Jeremyville (more here), tattoo by Amanda Grace Leadman.
I also interviewed Amanda for Tattoos Down Under, hopefully we make it into their June issue.
xx
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love advice from my mother
Every Tuesday morning, my Mum and I go for a walk along my favourite beach in the world, Manly. Being chatterboxes, we usually end up discussing all kids of things, and last week we were talking about relationships and what makes them work. She’s been married to my Dad for 28 years, and I thought she had some interesting opinions on why they’re still together. Here are two pearls of...
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10 reasons Lena Dunham should keep getting naked...
I’ve heard just about enough aggressively lighthearted criticism of Lena Dunham’s nudity, thus am harnessing the power of the blog for a vent. Without further ado:
While I love clothes as a form of creative expression (and weather protection), I think they allow us to forget what we are. We get swept away by the nonexistant ‘meanings’ we ascribe to clothes that are cheap...
March 2013
4 posts
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we are here
On Friday night I hit Foley street with some gal pals for the opening of ‘We Are Here’, a huge mural covering the entire lane (commissioned for Art Month in Sydney) featuring local street artists . Our mate The Dirt had his talents on display, and as the laneway filled to bursting and we gazed up at the walls, tipsy and full of Mexican, I marvelled at all the many forms art can take.
...
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sydney tattoo and body art expo
When my Dad asked where my brother and I were off to last weekend, I said “an art show”, because he doesn’t like tattoos and I don’t like lying. But once we arrived at the Sydney Tattoo and Body Art Expo I realised I’d been completely accurate. We were immersed in a pavilion full of talented artists and their beautiful creations, with a huge diversity of styles...
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“Well-behaved women seldom make history.”
– Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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This belongs to a Sydney cabbie named Mohammed, and was hand-poked in Beirut 30 years ago.
A portrait of his brother who died in a war.
xx
February 2013
5 posts
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Rousey vs Carmouche: the first ever women’s UFC...
Why do I like fighting? It’s the raw, ape-like behaviour. The brazen connection with our baser humanity. There’s an honesty and a lack of intellect that I love about supervised, regulated, skills-oriented violence.
Tonight I stumbled on a promo video for the first women’s fight in UFC history, and it got me excited as hell. The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) hosts worldwide events where...
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“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
– Albert Einstein
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10 things I hated about Django Unchained
The word ‘Django’. Every time I see it I hear “DERR-jango” in my head.
The reimagining of a traumatic historical event as a blood-soaked comedic romp through revenge territory well-worn by a talented, lazy director.
Being distracted by Quentin appearing in his own film with a shit accent.
Being served the punchline “you silver-tongued fox” after a woman who has been beaten, raped and...
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happy monday
Nothing like a little Channing Tatum to get your week off to a good start.
xx
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We got a puppy! My brother has been talking about it for ages, but he finally bit the bullet, drove to Canberra and came back with a 9-week-old French Bulldog.
I’m a huge dog person, so my life has improved by about 500% this week. With his big flappy ears and his stocky little body, he reminds me of a piglet when he runs around. He’s very affectionate and hardly barks at all....
January 2013
11 posts
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“Power isn’t given to you. You have to take it.”
– Beyoncé
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the chronicles of Brett
There’s a masseur who works in our office building and his OCD is usually one of the highlights of my day. You’d think a masseur might be a little relaxed, right? Wrong. At least he can whip up a killer sign.
You know he means business when he uses capitals. Keep up the good work, Brett.
xx
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Homeward bound with my little sister.
xx
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jaws+mama's fish house
We landed late in Maui, and we were all tired as hell. But when I heard the swell at Jaws would be some of the biggest all year the next day, I knew I had to see it. I asked Dad to drive me, but he refused - for once in his life, he was planning on sleeping in. I set my alarm and got up so early the moon was still out - determined to get there somehow.
There were no buses, and the car hire...
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guns
I’ve never found guns particularly attractive. I guess the idea of a machine specifically created to kill people just doesn’t appeal, for some reason. The U.S.A. continues to provide tragic examples of why civilians should not be allowed to own them.
However, if used in a safe environment to let off steam, I don’t think they’re any worse than playing video games (which I...
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the royal hawaiian hotel
Also affectionately known as The Pink Palace, The Royal Hawaiian is one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever stayed in. You’d think an entirely pink hotel might verge on tacky, but it somehow works. Maybe because it’s offset by so much tropical green foliage, or perhaps because the colour pink perfectly captures the holiday vibe in Hawaii. The middle of winter finds flowers...
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nye
The best way to enjoy New Years Eve is without a plan, in my experience. After cooking my family a weird ‘farewell 2012’ dinner (that consisted of a LOT of onion, scrambled tofu and tomatoes topped off with guacamole and raspberries), my brothers and I stumbled down to the beach. When I say ‘we’ it was mostly me stumbling, as I’d been helping myself liberally to...
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Morimoto
One of the best meals we ate in Oahu was at Morimoto, the restaurant of Japanese Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. I wasn’t sure what to expect but there was a bit of a buzz in the air, as President Obama had eaten there the night before. The cocktails were an immediate standout. I’m a bit of an enthusiast, and the standard so far had been passable at best. The blend of vanilla vodka,...
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Catching a little wave in Maui.
December 2012
4 posts
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the north shore
My favourite thing about Oahu so far is the North Shore, one of the most famous surf spots in the world. After reading so much about Pipeline, Sunset beach and Waimea bay I was amped to go see these breaks first hand.
On our way out of the city we caught our first glimpse of “the real Hawaii” as a local called it - a bit dirtier, but a lot more colourful and wild. We passed fields...
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aloha
One of the first things I saw when I landed in Honolulu was this limousine with suitcases exploding out of the boot. I noticed they were all pink, and for an instant I wondered if it could be Britney…but I’m fairly sure lightning doesn’t strike twice.
Aloha
xx
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Christmas
Christmas is hard for a lot of people. I never really realised this until a few years ago when I met a beautiful man (who would later become a good friend) who has no family. When I tentatively asked how he spent Christmas day, he said he was alone in his room for most of it. I felt sad and sick with guilt, because I have more than enough family to go around. I couldn’t imagine spending...
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crossing the border
After a decade-long hiatus, I am officially a resident of Sydney again. There’s a lot that’s great about life here - stunning views, beautiful beaches, warm weather and of course old friends and family. However there’s still a Melbourne-shaped hole in my heart.
I was touched to say the least when one of my BFF’s flew from Sydney down to Melbourne just so he could drive...
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One of my favourite snaps from this year. Taken at the Victoria Rose Tea Rooms, Rosedale.
November 2012
6 posts
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lost at sea
I know I bang on about my friend Samantha a lot, but it’s hard not to when she does things like this. She and her partner Andrew Neil are two of the most experimental and motivated creative people I know. Andrew came up with the concept of ‘Lost at Sea’ and photographed this series, while Samantha created the incredible hair pieces (and did makeup too). These are my 2 favourite...
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Bats over Redfern at dusk.
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men
WARNING: sweeping generalisations ahead.
It’s an age-old cliché that women are complicated. What do we want? We have periods and oestrogen, we’re contradictory and emotional, and men just can’t understand how we operate.
Yet here I sit perched on the other side of the fence, watching the vast majority of murder, rape and pedophilia being committed by men, and I can promise you this: men make even...
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my writing process
Last week marked a big milestone for me - I finished the first draft of a feature film I’ve been developing for almost two years. This is the first feature I’ve ever completed. When I moved to Melbourne six years ago I tried to write one and got completely lost less than halfway through, as I had failed to lay down enough structure before I began. I took this failure to heart, and let...
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road trip
Last week on a sunny Saturday I went road tripping along the Mornington Peninsula with my cousin. Her parents have a holiday home near the beach, where her mum keeps a beautiful garden full of roses, herbs, vegetables and fruit. As soon as I saw this cute little guy on a lime tree, I knew it would be a lucky day.
You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when a tractor pulls in ahead of you...
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October 2012
9 posts
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Just in time for Halloween, here’s my new hand-poked moon tattoo from Miso.
Hope everyone has a creepy day.
xx
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“A ship is safe in harbour, but that’s not what ships are for.”
– William Shedd
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the little things
Yesterday I was gifted a Mustard Green. I didn’t even know what a Mustard Green was, but to my surprise when I had a munch, it’s a leaf that tastes just like mustard. I don’t really like mustard, but I was still amazed.
I accepted my gift and found a little snail clinging to the back. When I showed my new pet to a Hungarian girl at work, she asked me if we have songs we sing to snails here in...
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thornbury
Today I cruised over to Thornbury with a friend, where we saw this sweet piece of street art. I’d been meaning to check it out for a while, as a few people had mentioned how great the food is. Another claimed that it’s definitely an up-and-coming suburb because “the lesbians have all started to move there. Once the lesbians get in there and lay down their vege patches, everyone...
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This year I spent my birthday by the sea with an old friend. In addition to being a piece of seaweed, my favourite new accessory functions as a cape, a skirt and a wig. The day included many other wonderful things - a bunch of freshly picked freesia, a viewing of Freddy Got Fingered, Rekorderlig strawberry cider, a road trip and Turkish Delight ice cream from Jock’s. All in all, a lovely...
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My Grandmother gave me this picture of my Great-Grandfather Henry Wilson last time she came to visit. Next to it is a poem he wrote in 1888, titled ‘The Toiler’s Lament’.
I had always assumed I was the only writer in the family. Maybe I’m being overly romantic, but it makes me happy to think my love for writing was passed down to me from this serious-looking man. There...
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My mother once said, “nothing beats a beautiful red head”. She was so right. Here are my two all-time favourites:
Happy birthday Little Red xx
September 2012
5 posts
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“There is in the world only the choice between loneliness and vulgarity.”
– Arthur Schopenhauer
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what do these people have in common?
Daria
JOEY POTTER!
Sinéad O’Connor
The chick from Empire Records
Natalie Imbruglia
Model Samantha Harris
The girl from Modern Family
The chick from Homeland
Krysten Ritter
And the answer is…I have been told I look like every single one of these people! My favourite is probably Samantha Harris because she’s half Aboriginal and it just makes no sense....
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manly beach
At high tide the fish eat ants; at low tide the ants eat fish - Thai Proverb.
xx
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heartbreak
I feel okay about posting this now because my beautiful sister is in love with a wonderful man. However when I took this photo, she had just had her heart broken for the first time.
I had forgotten how uniquely awful a broken heart is, especially the first time around. I love this photograph of her, it feels so raw. As hard as suffering is to bear, it has its own strange, honest beauty.
...
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moving house
Last time I was home in Sydney my family moved from the home we’ve lived in since I was 14. It was a weird and wonderful home - when we first moved in there was an aviary and wall-to-wall shagpile carpet. I still remember coming home from camp, knocking on the door for the first time and being so excited about my big new bedroom.
I often feel strange about old houses being knocked down. I...
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Here’s a photo from a ‘Film Noir’ themed shoot I did a few months back. The photographer was Andrew Neil (more from him here) and the hair and makeup was by my gal pal Samantha Coles, who recently had her work appear in last month’s issue of Australian Vogue. More from Samantha here.
xx
