Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Ahem

Well you know how I said I'd get a photobucket? Like 10min ago?
Well, I did
Username MellJBrown.
Go forth

Random Fact

#1 Elephants bury their dead, and then stay graveside like one would at a funeral. Don't ask me how they dig, I didn't find out that much

So, first proper photoshoot coming up soon! Ramshackle are getting me to do group and single portraits of them on Sunday, for free of course, but it should be fun. And I haven't even gotten to use my D90 since I got it so...
And January 9th is their next gig, at the Lewisham hotel again. So I will of course be there with my trusty camera (hmm... needs a name) and I'm thinking I might stalk the other bands and try and get myself noticed. Get some photos of them, give them business cards so they can see the photos and hopefully are impressed enough to book me for a future gig! (Wishful thinking...) Which brings me to a point: I think I'm going to make a photobucket or something. Just so I can display my photos easily without having people stalk me on facebook. I'd make a second blog but it takes too much time to upload and arrange photos into a post, so I'll stick to putting the special ones here.

Gunna do some last minute christmas shopping today. Going to T2 to pick up some nice things for my mummy, who likes tea, and getting Steph another monopoly set (city- you can make skyscrapers) and some other stuff. As for J, we've decided to pay for each others tattoos for Christmas (win, mine costs more) so I'm just going to get him a few small things.

It is far too hot to post some form of image today- nothing inspires me in this weather.
Peace out

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Bus Strikes and Tattoos

Are incredibly lame.
Meant to be meeting J at West Ryde, but as he lives in Newington and there are no buses today, he's not sure if he can get there. I'm fine, I can walk there. But currently I'm just sitting here waiting to hear from him- my social life is in limbo!
You may be wondering what we plan to do at West Ryde, so I'll tell you. J is finally taking the plunge and getting inked, with a tiny heart on his middle finger. It's a tip of the hat to Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day front man) who has the aforementioned tattoo (see below), since he's James' musical idol.



Besides, it makes giving the finger that much more ironic.

Work Xmas party was last night, had a great time! We only worked up a $350 bar tab, I'm slightly disappointed. And wondering why it wasn't higher because I had my fair share...
Wore this new dress I got from Tattoo for $20. It was weird buying it because my cousin was the model for the recent Junk campaign so there were photos of her in the store- her eyes followed me everywhere!
The dress is like a dull blue, almost navy, with some ruffly stuff a the front. It's quite low cut and I probably had the boobs out a bit more than one should at a work Christmas party but oh well!
Speaking of Christmas, I haven't even begun THINKING about shopping for presents, and it's only 1 week away! I have no idea what to get J, and he's the same with me. But I don't even know what I want so how can I give him ideas? He should be able to think of something, not like he's known me for over 4 years or anything... maybe we should just take each other shopping. I could get him to buy me a tattoo but I haven't designed what I want yet, which is like a stylised apple, representative of my dream of one day living in Manhattan ("The Big Apple"). Probably something not too dissimilar from the Woolworth's symbol, sadly...
Anyway, I'm sure we'll work something out.

Peace

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

ATAR

79.6
I was aiming for at least 79 :)
Really wanted 80 but ah well, close enough.
Beside, I can round it up...
Happy days

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

HSC results

Got them today
Actually got a little teary from the relief of it all!
Thank god for teacher's discretion and their ability to bump up assessment marks!
here:

Student Number: 20443898

Units. Courses Entered. Examination Mark. Assessment Mark. HSC Mark. Band.

2 . Chemistry . 73/100 . 70/100 . 72 . 4
2 . EarthEnviro. Sc. 82/100 . 81/100 . 82 . 5
2 . English (Adv) . 79/100 . 81/100 . 80 . 5
1 . English Ext 1 . 30/50 . 40/50 . 35 . E3
2 . Visual Arts . 78/100 . 79/100 . 79 . 4
2 . German Cont . 78/100 . 75/100 . 77 . 4
1 . German Ext . 34/50 . 35/50 . 35 .E3

ELIGIBLE FOR HIGHER SCHOOL CERTIFICATE

Not too shabby at all! all band 4s and 5s, all final marks over 70%
Hallelujah! (can I get an Amen?)

Oh and here's a photo to leave you with, i believe it makes summarising the Green Day concert completely unnecessary:



you can see J in the crowd, and my arm nextto him :)
Bye!

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

How have I never seen this before?

Seriously. Good Stuff.




And only fitting considering in two days I will be at the Green Day concert. noone appreciates my excitement... except of course J, who perfectly understands my unconditional love for this band.

I also want to say that schoolies was pretty tops. Except the boy know only as "the nappy haired butt pincher" who isn't very good at obeying red stickers (I'd hate to see him drive, in that case)

New, post-schoolies loves:

*Prancing around in my cropped bardot top and bikini bottoms
*The drinking game; "What the fuck"- it's like 4 kings, but more extreme and it doesn't involve clothes swapping.
*The boys of floor 13 PDT
*PDT in general (paradise towers apartments- i.e. the oldest apartment building in surfers paradise)
*Tom the security guard
*Lip piercings (apparently, since i got one)
*That 3Oh!3 song with Katy Perry
*Elevates. Seriously, 300mL, 1.9 standard drinks with energy. $10 for a 4 pack.
*The Ultimate Schoolies '09 drink! 2 parts electric pink cruiser, 1 part double black, plus a dash of the secret ingredient.
*Maccas cheeeseburgers
*My free Cacharel "Scarlet" EDT,courtesy of Grazia for getting letter of the week in issue 64 (finally got my prize). It's delicious. Not something I would buy but it's really grown on me.


And another vid to leave you with, Green Day performing "She" live. Just pay attention to Billie's ramble before he starts singing. Outrageous.



Bye!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

GaGa for McQueen




So, in a not-so-surprising turn of events, who appears to be the only person in the world willing to wear shoes from Alexander McQueen's S/S10 line? None other than Lady GaGa. Sunday, I was sitting in my loungeroom (and by sitting it's probably most accurate to say reclining, on my fabulous couch. It truly is a GREAT couch. Ask anyone) and the filmclip to to Miss GaGas most recent single, Bad Romance came on. I saw those bizarre shoes and went "Oh jeez... Alexander McQueen" and a few scenes later, what came out? The infamous hoof shoes. Clearly GaGa is a fan.

Now, despite the fact that I'm not such a fan of the shoes, here are some reasons why we should still love Alexander Mcqueen:

1. The S/S10 dresses are exquisite. Seriously. The colours are just entrancing- truly gorgeous. Wearable? perhaps not. Admirable? certainly.


2. His clutches. Do I really need to go on a "Oh-how-I-love-McQueen-clutches" rant? They're gorgeous... I mean the skull clasps are just adorable, and he pioneered the recent boom in my favourite types of clutches.




3. Though those shoes aren't exactly day-to-day wear, I'm sure Mr. McQueen is fully aware of this. He's truly pushing the boundaries, and his designs are instantly recognisable. And, it got me talking.


On the subject of strange filmclip-fashion: Beyonce's Diva filmclip. Ok, seriously, what is with those "sunglasses"? For those who haven't had the delight of such insane eyewear, here:

I thought Kanye's venetians were bad enough. Are we trying to block UV rays, or haterrzz?

On the topic of sun-blocking eyewear (I know, me? on topic?) I bought my Raybans on Monday. They're so beautiful... I also got 2 bikinis ($60 for both, from Target. Oh Targaaaayyy, how i love you) and this pair of high waisted shorts that look like an old pair of 80s jeans that I've cut up, but are actually from Supre aka sluthut (the shame... But there's no way I'd find 80s jeans in vinnies that fit me so well so....)

I'm going to Parra today for some pre-schoolies hair removal and A bit of a browse. there's this top at Bardot I'm gunna get. I will post photos of such purchases eventually.

3 days 'til Schoolies! Oh the excitement

All for now.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

It's over

Shool formal was Monday night. Now that that's done, school is finally over. Weird...
Although I haven't signed out yet so I'm technically still enrolled, but I'm planning on doing that today so then I will REALLY be free. Free and bored.
Which brings me to an issue- I need another job. Badly.
I'm hoping to get into club photography after schoolies so that should be good AND It'll get me paid. Excellent.
But last night Mum just casually goes "so Mel, would you be interested in doing an internship at ACP magazines?" ah... yes?!
(Just so you know, they do Grazia among many other huge magazines.)
And I'm not above photocopying if i get paid and get some insight into the magazine world. It is, after all, one of my back up plans if this whole photography caper falls through. So hopefully I could be doing that next year. Win.
2 days till my 18th, hoorah! I'm pretty excited, mostly to wear my dress. It's so cute. And of course, I will be getting my D90, which means there'll be a lot more photos coming onto this blog from then on, since I'll actually have a camera to take them with.
I might put some formal pics up soon, I'm waiting for my friend to upload some photos her Dad took with a Nikon D3x. they should be good.
So that's all for now, life is apparently kind of boring after school so i don't have much to tell you.
Stay tuned.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

9/10

J.


Just one week until the HSC is over and life begins.
It's pretty exciting.
I also think I can say with confidence I'll be able to actually post more worthwhile blogs. What with the travelling and career chasing and partying I'll be doing. Oh the photos I will take!
It's only 16 days till my birthday now, and you know what that means.
Yes. The D90. Ah... I think it may be true love...
Haven't heard from the Santa photography people yet, and it's a bit late to go job hunting right now. Top Ryde opens tomorrow (hoorah!) so I'll have to wait till the second round to try for a job there. And as for club photography, that'll have to wait until after I get back from Schoolies. But I get the impression that's a bit easier to get into than most jobs so here's hoping.
And of course, there are a lot of photography studios around... But maybe I should just settle for any kind of job and wait till after I travel to focus on my dream? Perhaps.
Here, have some photos from the Granny Smith Festival (I know, I promised them weeks ago...)


Ramshackle @ The Core October 17th 2009- Tony, Mitch, Andy
Ramshackle @ The Core October 17th 2009 - James, Tony
Ok, so three photos isn't many... But the battery was dying. And day time photos just aren't as interesting, are they?
Stay tuned.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Grazia

Truly exciting news today. And I mean actually exciting, as opposed to the exciting-only-to-myself kind.

So last week i sent a letter off to Grazia, in response to the Miranda Kerr article, which was in response to the response to her thin frame (excuse me, I'm having a po-mo moment). Anyway, so I bought Grazia today and remembered the letter I'd emailed in an thought "oh I wonder if I got letter of the week?!" (because of course, this is why we do these things- for the chance of recognition and free stuff)

I didn't actually think I'd gotten it, as I figured they would have emailed me some form of "congratulations, here's your free stuff!" notification, but i flicked through to the back anyway, with the tiniest glimmer of hope. I saw letter of the week and my heart fell. My title wasn't there. I sort of skimmed it and went "hmm, it's on the same issue as mine... wow it's pretty similar actually." Then i read those two words that really gave it away: "Keith" and "Richards" (i'll explain that later.) And of course, when i saw my name at the bottom, I realised that the Grazia Gods had smiled upon my sarcastic wit and rewarded me well for it, with $130 worth of Cacharel EDT and spray. Hoorah! (to keep in spirit with Grazia)
So, here it is, my winning letter:

It seems that when life on Earth is entirely wiped out by meteors and global warming, the "Weight Debate" will somehow survive, along with cockroaches and Keith Richards. The thing is, it's really no one else's business but Miranda's whether she's "too skinny." People need to stop comparing models to everyday women because, let's face it, they're not us and nor do the depict us. Models aren't meant to represent a size and shape we should all aspire to- they're meant to sell the clothes, which in relaity, look better on those lucky long-legged thin-framed individuals.

Jeez, I just read it and realised I sent it in with "too" where it's meant to be "to" - I changed it when I retyped it here. How embarrassing.

All for now
-Mel

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Undesirable

So, last night, on ABC's Hungry Beast, there was a skit about how anyone can find out anything about you through google. And, as I obviously have a google account, I decided to google myself.
Nothing. Mostly, I got scary Spice, because we have the same name. I did however manage to find a tiny photo off my cousin's facebook of him and my sister- but nothing on me. I'm not sure whether i should be feeling relieved or insulted right now. Anyway, my shoe obsession has not died, oh no. So here, have some beauties I've been spying:





Left to right: Ariel, Footloose and Pesce, all Zu!

Left to right: Elfin, Harper and Leoni all Betts

I'm sorry it's tiny, but the Wittner website don't have savable photo files, so I had to go hunting... Not sure if this heel is high enough, it's only 9cm :p

And what are shoes without bags?
Ilka from Zu! and Graffiti from Betts (also look great in this nice royal blue and black pattern)
Both the cream Elfin pumps and the silver Wittner shoes are formal possibilities. Tough decision... I have a Betts voucher, so the Elfins would only be like $95. However, it's really hard to find a cream nude clutch that I LIKE (which is where the Ilka is a possibility, but might be a bit complicated with my multi coloured dress) and of course, pumps to a formal? In summer? I'm all about strappy shoes at the moment, and everyone else seems to be wearing black or nude pumps so the Wittner shoes would be more interesting, and I did see this great bejeweled silver clutch (in Gladesville pharmacy, of all places) that would look great. However the Wittner shoes are $170. But then again, the Zu! clutch is $70 more than the other so it makes up for it. But with my Betts voucher, I pretty much am obliged to buy Betts shoes by the 15th, which happens to be the day before the formal...
Or maybe I could get the Wittners and the clutch to match, and then from Betts get the Harpers, which i could wear on my birthday. And, since I like to buy myself birthday presents, guilt will be gone! It does however, total to about $350 in bags and shoes... a bit ridiculous? When i could just spend $200? Hmm... tough decisions. A trip to Parramatta is necessary for this one, methinks.
Oh and guess what? I've got an interview Monday, with Scene to Believe for like 3 weeks of Santa photography. Embarrassing, but all the same: any experience is good experience. So, hoping that goes well... And while I'm at Macquarie, I may as well check out Wittner (and perhaps find my mother a birthday present?).
Anyway, should have the photos from Granny Smith uploaded tomorrow, so chances are you'll be seeing a couple.
Man, I forgot how good old old Green Day is...
Princess in a schoolgirl's dream,
may I please speak to you?
I'm having troubles with control
and it's all because of you.
Today I kept on falling down,
I thought it was the street.
So I looked down at my shoes
they were on the wrong feet
Peace out- Mell xox

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Nikon D90

J.

So I got the D90 Thrusday after my interview (which went well, I thought. I certainly got noticed- but i got the rejection email Friday), and it came in super handy at the Ramshackle gig that night, heat 10 of the Lewisham Hotel band comp. Hopefully they win and therefore perform at the finals on Halloween. They got money, just for bringing a crowd of 27 people! Then Friday night i took it to Hilary's 18th and got a few shots, and Saturday I took it to the Granny Smith festival and shot Ramshackle at The Core (unfortunately the D90 battery is dead so they're not uploadable as yet)

Anyway, here are some "choice" shots:
Tony- Ramshackle @ Lewisham 15th October 2009
Halcyon- Hilary's 18th 16th October 2009

Sarah- Hilary's 18th October 16th 2009
Andy & Tony- Ramshackle @ Lewisham October 15th 2009

Andy, Mitch & Jared- Ramshackle @ Lewisham 15th October 2009

Dave- Hilary's 18th 16th October 2009



Ramshackle's Fans: Eveline, Maddy, Beau, John, Sam, Ronzelle

Ramshackle @ Lewisham 15th October 2009

Granny Smith photos will hopefully be up in the next couple of days, and I might even try to upload a video or two. Although, as it films in HD, the files are huge, so it might not be possible.

Stay tuned. Mell xoxo

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

You can Betts your bottom dollar...

Ok, so guess what?
(exciting news here)

*drumroll*

I have a group interview with Betts shoes tomorrow at 12! Woo!
First a gift card and now an interview? Surely it's gotta be a sign...

Anyway, so yesterday's shopping expedition in Parramatta was an epic fail but today i gathered my last inch of optimism and headed off to Burwood (yes... Burwood).

The day certainly started well. I popped into Vinnie's at West Ryde on my way and found this really cute tan mini-satchel for $3. It's basically like a wallet with an arm strap, it's tiny!

Then, my thrift store luck continued in Burwood, at the Anglicare, where i found this Free Fusion (Target) dress (looks bad on me as a dress but works well as a top with high waisted shorts/skirt) and a little pink clutch (really it's a purse, but my phone just fits!) to match, for the combined total of $14.

Surely I'd used up all my luck for the day?

Apparently not.
When i got to Westfields, I went on a hunt for a directory, but before I could find one, I found the Bluejuice store anyway! and they had like 6 of the dress I was after on display, including at least one size 8. And, if I may say so myself, it fits pretty darn well! I also found another dress in Bluejuice. It's turquoise and has sleeves and the back has a cut-out part and I feel like a sexy Dorothy in it (from Oz, not the purple dinosaur). So that's going to be my birthday dress, but it's awesome because it can be super cas. with sandals.
Now, because I have my Betts interview, I thought it logical to buy Betts shoes. So I got some tan gladiators, which I've been planning to buy anyway. They matched my little mini-satchel as well, but I couldn't resist Strandbags when I saw the "SALE!" signs, and I managed to find this cute tan bluebird handbag for $24. So I bought that too...
Anyway, you don't need all the details, so all up I bought 2 dresses, one top(/dress), a skirt, shorts, sandals, a clutch, a handbag, 2 cuffs and a mini-satchel.

Total spendings? Roughly $310. Go me!












Clockwise from top left: Turquoise dress - $79.95
and Multi-coloured bodice dress (for formal) - $80.95 from Bluejuice;
Skirt and High-waisted shorts - 2 for $25 from JayJays;
Tan mini-satchel- $3 from Vinnie's;
Tan gladiator sandals - $79.99 from Betts;
Fuchsia clutch- $1.50 and multi-coloured top/dress -12.50 from Anglicare;
Tan Bluebird bag - $24 from Strandbags.

Not pictured: blue cuff, and blue-flower cuff - $2 each from Diva.



Betts interview outfit:

High-waisted shorts, tan gladiator sandals and tan bag, cuffs from Diva, and sheer white man-shirt (or loose white singlet).

That's it for now, watch this space

-Mell

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Overdue Overview

OK, I know I know, to anyone who actually ever reads this, I should be ashamed for my less than mediocre efforts at blog upkeeping. Less than a week, plaguing my blog with posts and then nothing for 3 months? Not the right way to go about things.

But you see, I have an explanation (meagre, I'll admit): third term of year 12 is unprecidentally busy, and don't you let anyone ever tell you otherwise. I thought, after the year book and my art major were finnished, it'd be a breeze. But no, there were assessments, revision, and not to mention those two pesky HSC exams I did in the final stages of term (German continuers and extension speaking- the worst is over, hence why I feel i can blog instead of study). And of course, as could have been predicted, the yearbook wasn't wrapped up untill it was almost too late. And, boy, can I say, there was drama there. Some completely blind people working for that publishing company...

Anyway, since my personal life isn't nearly as interesting as I would like to pretend, I'm going to get to some things that someone (maybe) might actually care about. Firstly, and quite exciting for me and any photography enthusiasts will understand, for the coming weekend I am borrowing a Nikon D90, to get the feel of it and get an idea of which lenses I would most like. Conveniantly, the weekend isn't empty, and I will be clutching tightly to that gorgeous SLR at the Granny Smith festival, where up-and-comers Ramshackle (i.e. the band my boyfriend plays guitar for) are featuring in The Core (be there or be an equal sided quadrilateral).

I should hopefully be able to get some choice shots up over the next couple of weeks, when I'm not suffering the "severe death syndrome" that is the HSC (30 days till my last exam- happy days!) As well as the looming beginning of the rest of my life, it is (as of today) 39 days until my 18th birthday, 47 until schoolies, and 60 until the Green Day concert. So it's all uphill from the 11th of November onwards, really.

In other news, I found a shop that actually stocks Ray-Ban clubmasters in blue, so I no longer have to worry about the pesky business of buying them online! Unfortunately, I had spent an entire day unsuccessfully searching for a formal dress, so I was in no mood for the possible further let down of trying them on and finding out they don't suit. Anyway, plenty of time for that.

Unfortunately, I have still not found my formal shoes in solid form. There is a "coming soon" section on the Siren website, where you can pre-order the shoes that aren't released yet, but there is no mention of the Apollos there. I emailed Siren, and haven't got a reply yet, so hopefully I find out something, or find a suitable, if not better replacement. Which is where Grzia magazine deserves a mention. Sweet Grazia, who have served me well for the better part of this year, have gone one step further. This week, within those sweet, fashion-filled pages, was a $25 Betts gift card. And, in a bitter sweet turn of events, I can only use it on an item priced at $80 or more, which rules out the clutch I've been eye-balling, but makes it the perfect reason why I should find formal shoes at Bets, and, failing that, justification to buy Betts shoes simply because I want to. (I still haven't got the essential nude pumps, so this might be my oppurtunity?)

On to ANTM news, and may I just have a brief gloat over my apparent ability to pick winners (well... almost). Dedicated readers (or those who enjoy browsing past archives) may well remember my post about my favourite for the 12th cycle of America's Next Top Model: Allison. And let me tell you, she was my favourite from the very first episode. Now, she didn't win, which I accidently found out while googling pictures of her at the very start of the cycle, but she did come as close as possible- second place. This, despite doubts from many of her deserving a place in the final 12. I still think she should have won, but I guess I'm a little biased. She's just so damn cute!

Allison Harvard

Even though I've been resisting the urges to buy buy BUY, I have cracked a few times and splurged. But i must say, I have not regretted any purchases, and I've managed to only buy one pair of shoes since April (and they were $50, from target, black, strappy and teetering, and have quickly become my favourtie pair). Along with these, this term I've bought a blazer, (also target, and cheap, but you can't tell at a distance) a high-waisted floral skirt from Net.Girl, a cream satin bow that has both a hair clip and a clothes pin attatched and a purple glass flower ring, both from Diva, a black clutch from West Ryde Vinnies, a gorgeous scarf from Gladesville Vinnies and a Dangerfield clutch in the shaped of a red heart - a purchase I was very happy about, as Grazia raved about the "heart trend" the following week, featuring a bag almost identical to mine at 9 times the price. I was extremely proud, I even texted J immediately, but i don't think he quite shared my enthusiasm. I've also been getting into the DIY approach lately, and my first completed project came about 4 weeks ago: acid wash shorts. I used this old pair of jean from JayJays, that never quite fit right and were of that ugly cheap looking blue with white stitching variety. a snip here, some bleach there, some twisting here, some more bleaching there and voila! perfect summer shorts, for free! although they do still smell heavily of chlorine... I'll put up a picture when I have a more reliable camera (mine's 6 years old and the photos come out pink and squiggly sometimes)

I'm also part way through altering a high waisted skirt i bought ages ago and never once wore. It buttons up, and has this white bow thing on it which is cute but i feel it limits what i can wear it with (i don't like black white and colour all in one outfit, unless the colour is one statment item or something) so i picked out the stitching to get rid of that, and I'm also going to get rid of the buttons and add a zipper instead, as the gaps between the buttons gaped at my wider points. Hopefully all goes well with that project. I also plan to make myself a tutu (or two!) which could be interesting since I'll be guessing how to make one...

My quest for a formal dress continues tomorrow, when I'll follow up some possible options- find my size in one dress, see if i can make a dress work for a formal by using a satin bow where a belt belongs; that kind of thing. I'm dragging J along, so hopefully he'll look at some suits as well. He said ages ago he wanted a new suit, a grey one, so I'm holding him to it, because we all know grey is the new black in the suit world.

I think I've covered all I wanted to, so untill next time

- Mell

Monday, July 27, 2009

Global Warming and Trendy Tradies

Ok, so this is set to be a long one, but I'll try my hardest to limit the digression rambles.
Firstly, term began today. Tuesday is possibly the best day for this as i finish school at 11:45 and this particular week am not working because of my Huge Ass Chem Assessment which was due tomorrow but apparently is now due the next day. The fact that I, and the rest of year 12, have period 0 on Tuesdays does not, for me, dampen the brilliant freedom of the early finish, considering i have period 0 pretty much every day so it's like my own personal period 1 now. The only problem with today was, my morning did not get off to a great start as after sleeping in and taking my sweet time in the shower, I was running late when i discovered something about my school shoes that should not have been. Yes, you guessed it (or probably didn't, actually) Cleo, my demonic cat who seems to have some problem with me, thought my right ballet flat was the ideal place for her to pee. Thankfully, the shoe was dry, so i wore them anyway (gross, i know- but what else could i do? wear my volleys to school? No Thank You) and the offending shoe has since been sprayed with "urine free"- which incidentally, smells like green fizzers.
So, shortly before i discovered the gift in my shoe, as i was sitting in the lounge room, sipping my tea and munching my toast (peanut butter, if you're interested) in front of Sunrise, they did an item on global warming and its effect on sea levels rising due to polar ice caps melting etc. Anyway, apparently, the estimated 40cm global sea level rise was completely wrong, and they now estimate that sea levels will rise by 1m over the next century. Now, they talk about this sea level rising like it happens in one instant. I mean.... one hundred years is a damn long time, and if their other estimations about global temperature increase and everything dying and humans running out of food are correct, we'll all be dead then anyway! Not to mention, 1m isn't really that much. I know that something like 80% of the human population live in "coastal areas," but not many people are less than 1m above sea levels. And, not to mention, if this is happening over 100 years, i think people will have the sense to move inland when the water starts threatening to seep under the front door. Really, this hysteria mongering is sheer stupidity. do you really think scaring people into thinking their house is going to become the next Atlantis is going to make them switch off their lights? And that that will actually stop global warming? I'm sorry, but the only way for humans to not contribute to global warming at all would mean we'd never have discovered fire. Can you imagine early ancestor's, seeing fire and NOT wanting to find out how to make it after they realised that, hey, medium rare is rare enough? No. Although, every other animal on this planet restrained themselves from rubbing rocks together so maybe we should have.
Anyway, humans aren't entirely to blame for this lovely thing called global warming. We may have named it, but it has certainly been part of our Earth a lot longer than we have. It is part of the Earth natural cycle. In fact, global temperatures are directly related to the tectonic plates.
Ok, so let me tell you a few things about global warming, since most people have no idea what it even is, and that's why these fear tactics are so successful.
"Global Warming" means just that- an increase in average global temperatures. Now, a lot of skeptics don't believe global warming is happening, because the last few winters have been freezing etc. etc. but global warming doesn't equate to "every day will be hotter than last year." It's all about the average global temperatures. which have risen over the last century or what not. Now, they estimate an increase in average global temperatures by just 5 degrees will result in a mass extinction of most species on Earth. That's pretty frightening, but may i point out that it won't be the first mass extinction, in fact it will be the 6th. In fact, the most devastating of those was at the end of the Permian, and resulted in the extinction of 95% of Earth's species (according to fossil records, that is). Is there still life on Earth? yes. Is it the same? no. See, what follows a mass extinction is a mass radiation of new species, evolving from the few that survived whatever killed damn near everyone. In fact, it's these extinction and radiations that shape the divisions between eras, as they are based on different fossil groups.
So, global warming is perceived as a bad thing, and it could kill a lot of species. But you know what? Earth will keep on going, life will continue on and recover, even if it is completely different from now- but who really cares? That's what Earth does, and it won't be the first time global warming has caused extinctions on a global scale, and guess what? Humans weren't there to blame last time.
Which brings me to the main point i wanted to go into about global warming: The Cause. It is not, as Al Gore would like everyone to believe, caused entirely by the vast amount of CO2 that people produce. CO2 is a part of a group of gases, called greenhouse gases, which are named so because they do just that- keep the heat in, turning Earth into a greenhouse. CO2 is not the worst of the greenhouse gases. In fact, water vapour has the worst effects, but we can't do much about that, can we? And methane (CH4), produced by many animals, especially sheep, cows and other grass-feeders, is a massive contributor to the greenhouse layer- but we can't do much about that either, can we? But we can make a difference with CO2 levels, which is exactly why people are lead to believe that it is "carbon emissions" only that cause global warming.
Greenhouse gases are gases that naturally occur. Without them, the Earth would no doubt be too cold for many organisms to survive. Greenhouse conditions coincide with the Earth in the way it is now- separate landmasses. However, ice house conditions coincide with the existence of super continents, such as when all the current nations were part of Pangaea. Thus, unless you want to be sharing a back fence with rest of the world, greenhouse conditions are a fact of life. Over time, the greenhouse layer thickens, and the Earth gets warmer. Eventually, this affects temperatures in the oceans, which results in a complete halt of the natural currents ("conveyor belts") in many areas of the world. When the currents stop, warm water does not circulate, resulting in an "ice age," which kills the majority of the organism that didn't die from the effects of temperature increase. Eventually, the currents reform, the ice melts and Earth warms up enough to host life again.
So, basically, global warming is something that would happen no matter what we do. Obviously, humans increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, but we are not the cause of global warming. We merely quicken the process. And frankly, the human race is going to die out some time, and someone has to be the last of the line- why not our generation? or our children?
I'm not saying you should turn on all your lights, blast your AC and leave your car engine running for no reason. And maybe we should be making a conscious effort to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, but it's delaying the inevitable. And another thing, those fast solutions such as energy saving light bulbs REALLY need to be planned properly before they hit the market- i mean, mercury gas? in a light bulb? really? are you THAT stupid? We're contaminating our landfill, which leads back into the water table and eventually the food web, and thanks to biomagnification, will affect us more than those lower in the food chain. So maybe before worrying about ice caps, we should worry about mercury poisoning for the light bulbs we're using to try and stop global warming.
On to a lighter topic: as I got off the bus today, i saw two men/boys, probably my age or just older. They looked like they must have been TAFE students, as they were wearing those bulky boots tradies wear. But, oddly enough, they'd teamed their tradie-boots with super skinny denim. Interesting look...

Friday, July 24, 2009

Want, Want, Want!

Shoes.
As I am forcing myself to not spend money, in lieu of a year 12 formal outfit and schoolies spending money to finance, I have not bought a new pair of shoes in 3months.
3 months!!!
Hence, I am having terrible withdrawals and imagining my perfect world, in which i miraculously have a whole lot of money for no reason, with which to buy all the wardrobe additions i lust after (it's a long list, i tried to post it but i think it's never end) including killer red Christian Louboutin stilettos. (This fantasy is really not helped when they put the lotto jackpot at $80,000,000... Oh what I would do with that money...).
Now, as you can imagine, after the delicious sparkly glow of my imaginary life in which I am meeting the girls for champagne at some amazing bar that i mysteriously work at, wearing a feminine tuxedo blazer, black loose fitting short shorts and a killer pair of red Louboutin closed-toe stilettos with a 12cm heel, reality returns with a rather violent slap in the face of mundanity. [May I add, in this scenario, set in January or something (as setting my dream world in the future makes it seem like i really could have become rich and lost 3kg almost entirely from my legs) I have been jogging and walking consistently between now and then and my legs are firm, toned, tanned and,most unrealistically skinny]. As a result of the mundanity of my shoe-deprived life, i find myself drooling over the pages of Grazia, just hoping to even see a beautiful pair of heels which i can pretend to myself i will one day buy. And in this issue i did just that- a pair of many-criss-crossed-strap-adorned, metallic grey (almost silver, but darker and less tacky), platformed stiletto-sandals, for the annoyingly affordable price of $149.95- which brings me to a point: I can deal with the heartache of lusting after an item I can never hope to attain, at least not whilst I'm earning $100/week, such as the $2195 metallic pale blue Alexander McQueen clutch on page 50 that I'm currently gazing at in an attempt to comprehend such utter beauty, or the $1200 winter white Sonia Rykiel zipped coat on page 54, but it is the hope that comes with spying something I could afford, in fact have more than enough money to buy immediately, but can't in reality, as I must save my funds for other things.
Anyway, I digress. So, when i tried to find them online and see if i could somehow manage to get them cheaper, much like a friend of mine did with her own pair of Siren platforms, or AT LEAST get an image of them, to post here, in my written lament- i could not find them! It seems they aren't on the website yet, so I guess they're next season's, which is both irritating and fantastic, as i may still want them and be able to find a dress to wear them with for my formal.
Oh it's a hard life...

Christian Louboutin "Alti" stiletto pumps- picture in vamp red

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

A tribute: Agyness Deyn

So, I have music now. My favourite singer of the moment, Regina Spektor. Just a few of her songs because i got impatient with the slowness of my internet whilst searching. Plus half of the songs on there were live recordings- why, people? Do you really think i want to hear the recording, mostly of your own cheering that you got from the back row of a gig? Well, no, I don't. Noone in their right mind does. Live recordings really piss me off, except for the properly produced ones when the bands release them themselves, and even then... Anyway, I'll put up a new playlist in a while, of someone else. Although, it may be a long while as i doubt anyone has read this yet.

But anyway, to the point of this post: The awe-striking genius that is Agyness Deyn. She's so effortlessly cool it's painful to look at. She makes me wish i could pull off a pixie-short peroxide do (well, maybe i could, but I'm not game enough to try full throttle androgyny at this point in my life, I'll stick with my VB bob thanks. Speaking of... i REALLY need to get my hair done...I think it's been 3 months) And lets not forget her style. admitedly she did have an off period for a few months there, but she's back! And, regardless, she is still one of my favourite models, and also in the top 3 of my "women i would turn gay for" list.

Aggy, I salute you.



Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Top Model- my pick?


Allison.

(...well, not really, because I've already accidently found out that she doesn't win, sadly)
but i think she should have. she's exquisite. those eyes. And, i don't know just the way her mouth is small and it form a triangle with her huge eyes. and her cheek bones. and jaw... basically her entire face
Which brings me to another point:
Why can't I look like that? hmm?

So, I have a blog now...

And this is my first post. I'm still working this site out, so sorry for the boring layout of current (to any strange souls who may, for some reason, be reading this- I'm not encouraging people to read it anytime soon)
So basically, I'm bored and it's school holidays and I'm procrastinating about my chemistry and EES assessments (I mean, clearly making a blog for no reason is far more important, right?). I had been planning to make one, but I was going to save it until I was doing something, you know, of note, in my life such as when i travel next year. Or at least when i graduate.
But oh well, now i won't have to make it later. Yay for social networking!
Anyway, I'm planning to post with pictures, mostly fashion related, and that is my main intention for the blog, as well as tracking my travels and such. Right now, it probably won't be interesting but I hope, dear no-doubt-non-existant-reader, that one day, you will be able to say "Oh yeah, Mel Brown. i read her first ever post on blogspot, btw" when my name is mentioned, for whatever I'm doing in the fashion world to make me mentionable (pipe dream? Maybe.)