April In Review

 From The Notebook Doodles

Things We Did that were Capital A Awesome in April:

Lauren:

Studying: In the year I’ve been out of university I’ve learnt some big things about myself, none more so than how much I enjoy study. The set goals, deadlines, forced productivity and learning all suit me well, and the year without study left me longing to hit the books. The trouble with working, writing, trying to keep my house tidy and not kill my pet fish (fail), though, is that there’s little time left for study and financially I’m in no position to return to full time education. Luckily for me there are all kinds of wonderful things to be done on the internet, and at the end of April I enrolled in a creative writing course through the Australian Writers Marketplace. Next week I shall begin a Freelance Writing Course online through the Sydney Writer’s Centre, let’s all hope my enthusiasm doesn’t wane over the coming months!

Reading: Maybe it’s linked to stepping back into study, perhaps it’s my discovery of the Rory Gilmore Reading List (I’m sorry, but I will never be tired of the amazement that somebody actually wrote that), but I’ve been making a deliberate effort to read more consistently during the last month. No more ‘oh I’ll just start reading this interesting looking book even though I’m in the middle of a different book and I only read once a week’ type habits, in April I’ve been enjoying reading every spare moment I get. As a youngster I read voraciously, but during uni I just plain old ran out of time for ‘recreational reading’ and the habit stopped. Lately I’ve been enjoying Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals and the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Okay…so maybe I am still skipping between tomes, but one’s fiction and the other non-fiction, so that’s fine, right?

Ell-Leigh:


Indulging: This past month I spent a whole lot of time indulging in things I'd been abstaining from - mostly alcohol and shopping, and boy, did I indulge with fervor and joy. Sure, drinking too much is bad, and even drinking what would normally be classified in my books as fine while on a boat where you're constantly in air condition and rocking side to side after a germ infested day long flight can have some pretty bad consequences too, but sometimes drinking a pina colada out of a pineapple can be not only delicious, but also awesome. What is also awesome is shopping for new clothes in an outlet mall when your nation's dollar is as high as it's ever been and the country where you're shopping is still recovering from a crisis. So I helped with the recovery effort, it was the least I could do with so much gorgeous clothes around. 12kg of luggage later, and I'm one happy camper.

Being gentle on myself: There is a golden rule to self esteem which goes a little like this: imagine yourself as an 8 year old and treat yourself accordingly. As a highly strung virgo with dreams of writing Oscar winning screenplays and anything less with her life is a waste, no pressure, I can quite often forget this rule and I tend to wallow in my own "failure" which in reality is much more like "just not meeting the incredibly high, almost impossible to meet, expectations that I hold for myself". This month I've given myself a break, not only in a very literal way, by going on holiday, but I've also given myself a break from worrying so much about how I'm going to become the successful whatever etc that I want to be. Planning is important, but I don't think stressing about the future excessively is in any way healthy or going to help towards my goals... The link below to Sarah Wilson's website (which I've already shared once in last week's Things I Love Thursday post) certainly helped this. If you haven't read it and watched the video included yet DO SO NOW.

Links we loved and would like to share:

Being Great Takes Time... So Take It! from Sarah Wilson (as mentioned above)
50 Unexplainable Black and White Photos - Some weird, some funny, some strangely off putting, definitely worth a look.
3 Piece Of Advice I'd Give My 18 Year Old Self If I Could - Wise words
How To Steal Like An Artist - This one has been doing the rounds, and if you haven't seen it click now.
I'm Comic Sans, Asshole - McSweeney's makes me giggle like there's no tomorrow, this was the first of the Short Imagined Monologue series I came across and I still revisit when I need a shot of laughter. 

April Playlist

Techno Fan - The Wombats
I Don't Know What Happened To The Kids - Labi Saffre
Someone Like You - Adele
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett and Goon Rock
Fire In Your New Shoes - Kaskade Feat. Dragonette
and these songs...

March In Review

Source: Seriously Cute

Things Ell-Leigh Has Loved:

CRAZY SEXY LIVING

Although I’ve complained about how restricting the Crazy Sexy Diet was, and although it took a lot of effort to clean my juicer almost every day, I really liked the Crazy Sexy Diet and the way I felt when I was on it. It also lead me to discover new foods like raw chocolate – I’m totally addicted! I’ve learnt so much about my body and about food while on this diet that I’m absolutely so thankful for it.

 

The Markets

This month I’ve hit the West End Markets (http://www.ourbrisbane.com/whats-on/markets/west-end-markets-review) twice and I love it! Not only am I buying fresher produce, but I’m also directly supporting local farmers. Not to mention cutting out the middleman saves me a pretty penny! It’s also a heck of a lot more exciting than spending the morning in a supermarket, the range of food and other products available is huge and really diverse.

Opening My Eyes

This month I’ve had a lot of experiences where I’ve come into contact with someone or something that gave me a small flash of how diversely people think and wide a range of experience there is around us.  Sometimes we get stuck thinking that our friends and relatives all think the same way we do, and that we assume we know what other people are thinking because of a certain way they dress or behave. Sometimes we’re right. Sometimes our assumptions give them a lot of credit and the truth of the matter is far worse than we could even think of. Or sometimes we’re just plain wrong. I think making these assumptions is part of how we communicate and deal with being around so many people we don’t really know so frequently, but sometimes, when you learn something beyond those assumptions it just makes you marvel (or at times, sit, absolutely horrified) at the wonder of people.

Things Lauren Has Loved: 

Filling That Dance Card

When I’m busy, my levels of efficiency expand exponentially. It just so happens then, that cramming my social life full of activities allows me to work better. Not a bad perk, in my opinion. This month I’ve been crazy busy, with theatre shows, exhibition openings, comedy festivals, movie dates and night time picnics. I may have pushed it to the limit at times and rued my ever later bedtime, but March proved to be an incredibly productive month for me and I’ve had a ball throughout.  

Workin’ Hard for the Money

Talking about hard work, I set myself the challenge of proving during March that I was up for as much as could be thrown at me, and I was pretty impressed with how I handled most things. There’s not much that can beat the satisfaction of knowing that you can do your job and do it well, except maybe for the satisfaction of doing this for multiple jobs at a time. Next step, world domination.

Planning Actual Plans (Not Pretend Dream Plans!)

It’s nice to dream, and I’m a big dreamer, but it’s much nicer to plan. I’ve been planning mostly for my upcoming trip to Melbourne, buying and printing tickets, designing outfits to beat the inevitable cold (if it doesn’t hit us in Melbourne, there’ll still be no avoiding it in Ballarat, which is our first stop), putting together snazzy outfits for my aunt’s ‘Old Hollywood’ themed 40^th, booking rad accommodation and trawling the internet for ideas to fill my itinerary. I’ve also been planning for the coming months and thinking with that mixture of excitement and trepidation about the inevitable job change coming my way over the next year. I’m an embracer of change and I relish in the prospect of something new, just so long as I can carefully plan out every detail in advance!

Links We Loved and Liked To Share

• How to Steal Like and Artist

• What a Supermodel Taught Me About Comparing Myself to Others

• Crazy, creepy, completely captivating black and white photos. 

• Polaroids of Hot Guys Reading

• Out of Bounds - Anna Krien's article on sex and the AFL from The Monthly.  

March Playlist

Let’s Get It Started  - Paris Wells

Under The Cover Of Darkness  - The Strokes

Howlin’ For You  - The Black Keys

Altamont Speedway - My Own Pet Radio 

In the Summer - Loon Lake

The Truth - Pnau 

Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette

Things We’re Looking Forward to in April

• Holidays! - Ell is going to Hawaii with her family, and Lauren is taking a trip to Melbourne!

• Boy Girl Wall

• Easter times - chocolate hunts, family and Hot Cross Buns!

February in Review

Things Lauren Loved

Doing not Having
This year I aimed to spend my money on doing things rather than having things. So far, it's been a brilliant year. February's doing included seeing theatre shows, stand-up and films, going to picnics, parties, icecream dates and boardgames nights, reading books, eating out and wild dancing nights. There's also been planning for future doings; buying tickets for the upcoming Brisbane Comedy Festival, Shakespeare shows and a making a whole range of plans for my trip to Melbourne in April. I've also been 'doing' a little maintanence on my car...which technically involves purchasing parts, labour and time but hey, poor old Rodger is the one taking me to all the sweet events I've been attending and so it's time to give a little back.

Eating More Fillingly/Eating for Nutrition
My job involves me usually working seven hours straight without a break, beginning after lunch and finishing in time for dinner. I don't have the opportunity to snack, and so this year eating meals that keep me going has been a must. Through a combination of research (see mainly Sarah Wilson's series on quitting sugar) and trial and error I've discovered that eating meals high in protein and a few decent serves of raw vegetables a day allows me long lasting, stable energy levels. I feel constantly alert, steady and never hit that 'three-thirtyitis' mark. I love those times when you find a pattern that works exactly right for you body! If you're interested, this recent post by Rachel Hills sums up exactly my thoughts on eating and food.

Knowing That Everything Will Work Itself Out
One of the wonderful things about life is the constant state of flux we're all in. The beginning of this year invovled many of my friends taking big leaps into the unknown; beginning new jobs, new study, moving to new places and starting new relationships. After a month of reassuring them all that 'it would all work out the way it was meant to', and fervently crossing my fingers in hope that I'd be right for them, I'm glad to see they are all landing in situations better than they'd even hoped for. It's a nice reminder when your future is looking very unplanned and there are big decisions to be made. 

Things Ell-Leigh Loved

Pampering

February was a month full of facemasks, body butter and “me time”. Sure, these weekly shopping extravaganzas in Lush may have cost me a large chunk of my paycheck, but it’s hard to frown when your face looks this good – in fact, it should probably be a crime.

Veggies

Having moved out and in the first week not purchased any “snack foods” I found myself snacking on carrot sticks, green beans and capsicum. I was quickly addicted. The crunch of the green bean, the squirt of the juices! Does food get much better than this? Perhaps, in the form of the Stir Fry I just cooked up. Carrot, Bok Choi, Red Onion, Mushroom… Why didn’t I eat like this all the time?

Brisbane

I spent a lot of time this month getting my bearings (at a few points, quite literally using my iPhone to find north), figuring out where to shop, where to eat, where the heck I was, where I could get a GPS… Brisbane has been glorious, if a little hot for my taste, and allowing me freedoms that can only be found in a “big city”.

The Stories and Sites That Made Our Month

• On being distracted and creativity
  
• A thought about ethical eating
• Betsey Johnson and her girls at New York Fashion Week
• Brilliant writing by a brilliant Aussie feminist
  
• A plain old great website with ace discussion and a brilliant title - Things I Ate That I Loved
  
• A peek into the daily lives of creative people worldwide 

Our February Playlist

I Don't Want to Fall in Love - She Wants Revenge
It's Your Voodoo Working - Imelda May
Gimme Sympathy - Metric
Gone in the Morning - Newton Faulkner
Sawdust Man - Ben Kweller
(I'll Never Be the Same) If We Ever Meet Again - Timberland ft. Katy Perry
Together In Electric Dreams - Phil Oakey

Somebody to Love Me- Boy George and Mark Ronson and the Business Intl

Born This Way - Lady Gaga

 
Things We're Looking Forward to in March
Autumn beginning!
Gardening on balconies and consuming the rewards
Holiday anticipation: April is travel month here at ETEP
Brisbane Comedy Festival
Julius Caesar 





 

January in Review

Things Ell-Leigh Loved

iPhone

I’m not gonna lie, I’m an Apple addict. I adore my iMac, have stayed loyal to my 3^rd gen 30gig iPod Classic for years. So getting an iPhone when my last mobile went missing felt kinda like coming home. Now I’m App crazy, setting my sleep measuring alarm, getting my jog on with my run keeper app, inhaling with delight as instructed by my yoga app. I’m in heaven.

Hottest 100

Unlike many Triple J listeners I usually don’t enjoy about 65% of the music in the Hottest 100s. I usually spend the day huffing about in disappointment when such and such a band is playing, being bored during the metal songs, wishing Australia’s taste was more like mine. However, this year’s Hottest 100 had me cackling (yes, cackling) between songs with it’s hilarious commentary. Has the commentary always been this thigh-slappingly entertaining? I don’t remember. But this year I was tres, tres impressed my friends.

Summer

Despite La Nina taking it out on my state like a PMSing fourteen year old scene girl, I have for the most part been enjoying summer this January, with evening picnics in the park as the sun sets, going for walks in the mornings and enjoying the smell of afternoon rain. Not having to wear sweaters all the time is nice too.

Things Lauren Loved

Ikea

From what I've seen over the past month, Sweden must be the place of Gods. Well decorated, colour coordinated Gods with incredible (terrible) diets. Going to Ikea was a trip in my adult life rated akin to something like going to Disney Land as a child; I had to stop short of taking a photo of myself arms splayed in front of the I K E A yellow letters at the entrance. So far I only own a lamp (hand blown and cut glass! From Sweden!) from Ikea, and one hundred tea light candles, but I have my eye on numerous fancy chairs including something called a ‘Poang’. I've also collected three or four Ikea pencils and two tape measures (for free!) and partaken in some of that famed, heartily cheap Ikea food which I’ve then assured myself has been walked off around the Ikea track. Yay Ikea!

Resting

I wouldn’t like to describe myself as a tired person, because with tired I link the word haggard and I don’t like that, but this summer I found myself desiring ‘rest’ like never before. Perhaps it was the outcome of my first year out in the ‘real world’, working and surviving on my own, but quiet Sunday afternoons spent laying about and reading, midday naps and quiet tea breaks became a necessary part of my usually hectic schedule this summer and I plan to keep it up. Work life balance achieved? Awesome.

Living Alone

In January my two housemates were lucky enough to be away working and travelling during one of the toughest months our city and state have had for many years. Knowing I would spend most of the summer alone excited me in November and I did indeed enjoy my time of eating only my favourite foods, completely hogging the television and getting changed with the door open. When it came to flood time, however, suddenly being alone was not such a fun prospect. In the face of possible evacuation I imagined myself sleeping alone on the floor of a school hall, not knowing a soul, and suddenly wished my friends were there. In the end I just spent four days inside my house, incredibly lucky with working power, water and internet, and experiencing a little bit of cabin fever. Many people say that everybody should live alone at some point, and I agree and will probably choose to again in the future, if only for the way it makes you appreciate having other people around when they are. 

Our January Playlist

Book Song - Sally Seltman 
Bleeding Love – Mystery Jets 

iFly – Ball Park Music (free download!)

Dreaming of Another World – Mystery Jets 

Mace Spray – The Jezabels

Colours– Grouplove 

Zero – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Summarize – Little Birdy

Bring Night – Sia 

After Dark – The Count & Siden (feat. Mystery Jets) 

Things We’re Looking Forward to in February

Seeing Wicked

Ell-Leigh is moving to Brisbane! WHOO!

Spending Valentines Day Single and Fabulous!

The Oscars