All the leaves are brown...

Actually that's a ridiculous lie, all the leaves are still green... and the skies are blue... but it is getting chilly, so that makes me believe my precious Summer is OVER and Autumn has taken reign.

In preparation for an Autumn/Winter season, which I'm told can be pretty darn cold over here, I've rounded up an inspiration folder for possible outfits. Here's a little peek of looks I'm loving....

...from my favourite bloggers:

Inspo #1: Random girl [... I will find out her name and update this] with super taste in clothes

These pics are actually from a new blog I discovered just the other day, and as soon as I found it I was like, "Oh! I want that, and that, and that!" This girl has some really nice clothes, and as you can see, it is legitimately wintery wherever she is! Not sure I'd be rocking around in snow without tights... but here in Australia it'd be pretty safe. While trying to find the name of the blog again (I forgot to bookmark!) I checked out the updates and felt I had to add this pic for you:

Her hat! Her boots! The amazing layers that are going on! Definitely a suitable and accessible inspiration for the season to come. The blog is called Flattery. (:

Inspo #2: Nikki from Flair to Remember

Flair to Remember is one of my favourite blogs (ever), mainly because it was the first blog I've ever discovered (along with Smaggle.com) and I've been following it since I was in high school =]. The blogger/author is a lovely lady called Nikki, and her style is all kinds of adorably pretty, classy, and vintage. The above photos I borrowed from her blog remind me that winter is not about being sucked into boring colours, but about mixing soft tones and textures, and throwing on an amazingly cozy jacket on top of it all.

Inspo # 3: Sincerely, Jules.

I aspire to be more badass like the chick from Sincerely, Jules.

'Nuff said.

Inspo #4: Dana from Daily Dose of Dana

This girl is fifteen, FIFTEEN I tell you!! She puts together great outfits using basic pieces and simple but wicked accessories. For some reason this outfit appealed to me a lot, I think it's the op shop looking shirt and the overall colour palette. Note to self: Invest in more oversized cardis!

Check her out - Daily Dose of Dana. 

from celebrities... 

#5: Ashley Olsen

How simple is this look, right? But with a scary looking monster bag for your shoulder? I'm in! This pic and the few below are from one of the Mary Kate and Ashley tumblrs but I can't work out which one :S. Oh well, just know that I don't take credit for them, and also you should probs suss out the twins' kickin style if you haven't already! Example: wow:

The Olsens do cool casual so well.

& from other random places Google takes me... 

Credit: Flashes of Style

 From a photo shoot on The Gypsy Collective. Ahoy gorgeous rings!

I really just want some 70s inspired shoes like these... 

Oooohhh and boots like these. 

Need to work out where I found these pics... loving this girl's clothes! Especially the last pic.

And finally! Before you have a photo and inspiration overload... here is the last picture. Oh it is not wintery at all, you might say! Exactly, I reply. But aren't those shorts freeeeaking wicked? Oh yes. Good point, you agree.

So what looks are you hoping to rock this Autumn & Winter? 

OR you might be from overseas and expecting a beautiful Spring/Summer! Got your inspiration sussed?

Til next time...

xZ

A step closer to becoming self-sufficient

A crateful of chickens arrived at my house on the weekend, along with 8 eggs that they happened to lay along the way!

There are now around 12 chickens on our miniature farm, which takes our household closer to fully 'living off [our] land'. I dream of selecting fresh fruit and vegies from our garden, and taking showers in solar heated water, and .... perhaps not slaughtering cows for meat because I could never do that to sweet Daisy. But not having to rely on supermarket quality produce - and potentially supporting cruel animal industries - as much as we can is great! You can bet we've enjoyed a few quiches and bacon and egg brekkies since. And Jaz and Bowie, our bordercollies, are overjoyed to see an increase in the stock they love to proudly guard (or drool over???)!

In other news, I visited a naturopath in Margaret River today. She was absolutely lovely - the best I've talked to in a long time. She half counseled me as well, just in expressing her beliefs about the pressures on women today and such.
I got given some probiotics, some herbal tonic, and something else I forgot the purpose of. Basically it's all to fix my energy and iron deficiencies, and to help deal with the anxiety/depression that I sometimes suffer. Hoping it works out well!

Here's what I wore. Just a light, Margaret River-esque outfit. I really like this lace blouse I picked up at the last Lion's Shed sale (for no more than 40c!). The skirt is my Mum's.... discovered it yesterday and was quite shocked to think she has never worn it.

Top - Lion's Shed

Vest - Just Jeans

Skirt - Sportsgirl

Shoes - Ebay

Bangle - ?

The world of online moneymaking

So last night I got frustrated with Uni work and thought, 'Gahhhh! I am so better than this; I am going to make money on the Internet instead!'
And I created an account with Helium - to write articles for money - as well as with 'myfoxoffice.com' - selling things for Amazon.com and earning commission. There were also three others that I can't even remember the names of.
I got as far as writing one article on "How to make your eyes look bigger and brighter" for Helium/ earning $1.00, and paying $1.95 to set up myfoxoffice after a convincing guy called me this morning... before I gave up on the whole thing.

The truth is, you're making measly money for a whole lot of work. I understand many people would find it a breeze putting together articles they're proud of in a flash and earning a quick buck for their fun, but I'm already having to write and read a lot for my journalism course, so it just annoys me that I can't get at least 50c a word. The account selling products for Amazon... that is just a hugely daunting task! You make 15% per item, but that's only if a potential buyer comes along to your page and actually clicks on the item you've posted there. How often would that happen? There is a lot of work involved in just getting your website up to the top of the Google search engine, let alone enticing people to click on it and following the links. I myself haven't even bothered to gather a following of readers for my blog, so I imagine I would be very slow to throw my marketing name out there. Actually I have to admit I kind of enjoy writing on here without the pressure of trying to please any particular 'target group' or followers... It's simple and I'm not limited to any one topic, just whatever I feel like jabbering on about at the time.

All in all, I think I'm a bit too much of a comfortably lazy person to make my millions on the web.

Now... next week, I'm thinking of taking cute pictures of my dog and writing some soppy taglines to send into That's Life and Take 5. Fifty dollars per photo - imagine! What do you think? Oooh and the competitions; people win hundreds with those, and a car or two! Wouldn't mind it. Haha.

I would love to hear if anyone else has managed to make money over the Internet. Are you a whiz at selling things on eBay? Have you ever tried to get into websites that seem slightly scam-like? Have you got some secret way of making money on the side of your regular job? Please share (:

xZ

Home-coming King

Hi readers!
Gotta say I'm a bit excited about tomorrow... My boyfriend is coming home after three weeks of being interstate :D

I thought I'd celebrate this fact with some pictures of cute couples, enjoy.

Images sourced from Cute Couples.tumblr

And some of us...

I've never really been the type to pine over being alone, and I found the first two weeks a breeze as I expected... but this third week, ughhhh. We did discover Skype and that's been fun, and he also made me a song on GarageBand! But I've been watching movies by myself, and sleeping inside the main house because the bungalow is too boring scary boring without Tom there, and every day is like someone forgot to turn a light switch on. Lame, hey?

I can't wait to wrap him up in a colossal hug at the airport :3

xZ

Where you live shouldn't determine whether you live.

STOP JOSEPH KONY | 2012


Hi lovely bloggers,
If you've got a spare 25 minutes, watch this video:



If you don't have the time, just know that it's currently going viral, for the good of humanity.
Basically the message is: Joseph Kony is a bad man. He is guilty of kidnapping children in Uganda and making them kill their own parents before joining his rebel force. He murders ruthlessly. He enters peace talks simply to rest and regroup, then goes on and attacks more. This year, we're going to stop him. We just have to let everyone know who he is, and show our own governments that we care...

This is what I have learnt (and paraphrased) from Jason Russell, the man who made this movie. His four-year-old son Gavin also features in the video, and even says, "We have to stop [Kony]"; a little boy who could easily be under malicious threat from Kony if he were to live in Uganda. Luckily for Gavin, he lives in America, where he is safe. But just because you and your own children are safe, doesn't make the world a peaceful place.

It is horrible to think about, but just imagine the Nazi reign still existed in Germany today. We would be hearing things about it all the time, covering our faces in horror as we saw disturbing images on TV, crying in sympathy for the poor children who had to witness their brothers or sisters or parents being slaughtered in front of them, or worse, the ones who were literally forced to kill the ones they loved themselves. A similar situation is happening in Uganda, with two main differences:
1) People barely know about it, no-one knows who Joseph Kony is.
2) We actually have an opportunity to act against it, and it doesn't even require that much bravery or risk... just compassion and a desire for justice. Make this a national interest.

This man, is a horrendous criminal..... Joseph Kony.

George Clooney is another significant person who has respectably shone a light on the situation and this man. He says, "I want, I'd like, indicted war criminals to enjoy the same level of celebrity as me."
We want Joseph Kony to be a household name. Make him famous. As Jason Russell states on the video's page: 'Not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.'

Please remind yourself, you do have the power to change what is wrong in the world. I had to write that big, because it is a big realisation to come to. There is nothing more powerful than an idea that has thousands of people standing behind it. We just have to gather ourselves in union and make this year our year for doing something incredibly amazing with our lives and voices.

Image of a Stop Kony support bracelet, source: Fun times with Demon of Light 

Update: Hmm... some sources believe that Kony is actually no longer a problem, and that the Invisible Children Inc. are oddly going on about it in order to raise (or "scam") money for themselves. He is still out there, but... here, have a quick squiz at this page: by James of I'm a fan of postcards.

In summary, this guy James is saying:

:: the Invisible Children Inc. (the makers of the video / the non-for profit group) were simply "three clueless college kids" who actually headed to Sudan first, looking for a "story". They found nothing, went to Uganda instead.

:: They found bad stuff, they found Kony. But this was earlier than 2004. 

:: Kony in 2006, apparently, was "sick, starving, and on his last legs." He had been pushed into Congo by The Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF); pretty much "defeated". 

:: Kony's rebel team (the LRA) was very violent in 2003, but the Ugandan government has been repeatedly beating and weakening them ever since. 

So if these statements are true, what does this mean?

Quoting James, 'Invisible Children is too late. 
'It has taught us that MTV type media can get university students interested in a world crisis, the problem is it took too much time.' 

That's not to say that Uganda doesn't have other problems. It's government is riddled with corruption; it's people live in fear that the violence will return. But as James believes, targeting Joseph Kony could be pointless.

Another writer, Wil Wheaton, backs this up with his tumblr post, saying that the Invisible Children Inc. "has a low two-star rating in accountability from Charity Navigator because it won't let their financials be independently audited". The group has been accused by Foreign Affairs of "manipulat[ing] facts for strategic purposes." 

Wheaton examines what he believes the Invisible Children actually do with their received charity money, and his bottom line is:

"Research your cases thoroughly. Don't just forward a random video to a stranger because a mass murderer makes a five-year-old "sad." Learn a little bit about the complexities of the region's ongoing strife before advocating for direct military intervention."

So it seems there is a fair bit of complexity to the matter. If the Invisible Children Inc. believe Kony is still out there, then they have certainly roused the support they need through Facebook. If, sadly, we are all too late to do anything, and no-one knew when it was important... then what can you do?

I don't know why the IC would go on about an issue that is believed to be 'dead', but you never know. 

Here's what I said to my friend, and I'll say it to you guys:

I think everyone who has watched the video is pretty young - some not - and if only this video inspires people here to take more notice and educate themselves about what's actually happening in foreign countries, then it's all good.

But giving money to the IC if Foreign Affairs is right and they're "manipulat[ing] facts for strategic purposes" ...not so good.

I guess [soon] it's going to be on the news... and then investigative journalists can give everyone a heads up. I believe the story, and I believe the action of passing it on is very powerful... but I fear it's too late. 

Hoping all these people who would like to be 'saving the world', me included, actually turn their energy to the real issues and research how they can help out. It's also a major problem that we just throw money at underdeveloped countries... so yeah. There's good and bad in all this IC commotion.

A breezy pic to lighten the heavy mood... sourced: here

So there you go. A huge commotion, with multiple sides to look at. What do you believe? 

Hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks so much for reading, I honestly appreciate your heart and soul.

xZ

Is it too nice a day for a black wedding?

 

My good friend and neighbour recently posted some pictures of a wedding she attended, which looks to have been a gorgeous occasion: sunny day, a bright backdrop outdoors, confetti and smiles all around.... and the bridesmaids all dressed in black. What? Isn't it bad luck or something to wear black to a wedding?


Likewise, my cousin Meg was asked to be a bridesmaid for one of her close female friends a few weekends ago, and she was also dressed in black. Floor length, no less. It's definitely an emerging trend, almost like the new version of black and white photos. The bridesmaids look beautiful and very elegant, and - with the above evidence - their black dresses set off the white of the bride even more (such a good thing in this case, because her outfit is absolutely stunning!).

But I can't decide if I quite like it or not. Even though I'm only twenty-one and haven't been brought up with the idea that traditions should always be honored or else it's a crime - for example, I'm cool with pairing red and pink together in rebellion of ancient 'fashion rules' - I kinda find black bridesmaid dresses to be depressing, and too reminiscent of a funeral scene.
Personally I don't even think Posh Spice should be allowed to get away with wearing a black outfit as she sits in the crowd at the Royal Wedding. It strikes me as almost rude, and I have this strange built-up perception that makes me see her as the evil or bitter guest who sits and sulks in the shadows. I would say this connotation might be derived from watching Disney movies. Who on earth would wear black to a Disney wedding?? Witches! A big ugly octopus woman named Ursula!

Happy guests at a Disney wedding would be shining in periwinkle blue, candy pink, and buttercup yellow. And while you think, 'Aw yes, how dainty and gay' much like my Nanna would, conjure in your mind all the bridesmaid dresses of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s... Or here, I'll post some:

 A 1973 wedding... The bride wanted a 'rainbow wedding' and matching hats to be worn. Indoors.

At an 80s themed wedding where a woman felt she had been dressed up as a mermaid by her sister bride.

Bridesmaids were confused for flower girls in this early 90s wedding.

Images from People.com.

Wouldn't you miss that famous risk of getting your bridesmaid dresses horribly wrong? Sure no-one wants their entourage to look as cringeworthy as the above, but there's always a chance that a choice made today will still be seen as a laughable mistake in ten years time. With black, there is not much personality, no risk. No warm chuckles as you look back on photographs and see that the glowing coral colour you adored at the time really didn't mesh well with your poor bridesmaid's skin tone. 

Anyway, before I get too carried away with all my comparisons, I want to ask what you think. Is it wrong to wear black at a wedding? Or is black the new way of ensuring an elegant and 'safely' composed wedding, to look classy in photographs for years to come? What colour bridesmaid dress would you mostly like to see or choose, and why?

I've got to say, if you were to choose black, then this is definitely the way to do it: with glowing smiles and playfulness all around, you couldn't possibly mistake anyone for depressed.

xZ

"Are Radiohead fans the most obsessive in the world?"

Note: We're talking about Radiohead, not Beatles, but this is cute. 

Credited to Broken Spines.

To answer a girl who posted this on the Chugg Entertainment Facebook Page, YES. Hell yes. I have never seen anything as crazy as what I witnessed online today.

This morning I woke up at 5:00am, set up my laptop with Mastercard at the ready, and counted down the minutes until 6. The Melbourne and Sydney Radiohead concerts were due to go on sale, and from my attempt at buying a presale ticket on Monday, I knew this would be a matter of win or fail as determined by mere SECONDS. I even had a nightmare about missing out! (Note: Also present in this nightmare were savage mini sharks who could flop around houses and bite ankles). So I could relate well to posts such as: "TERRIFIED. :\" which came up on the page prior to the sales commencing.

Following other people's tips, I had my Ticketek page set up and signed in, and I watched the clock, clicking over to a particular concert date JUST after 6am. I filled in a form with shaky hands, and clicked Next. To my dismay, it said the tickets I wanted had sold out already! Insane. I immediately let go of my desperate desire to be in the moshpit and clicked "best available tickets" for a second try. This worked, offering me two seats in the very back, but seats nonetheless. Phew. I hadn't made it this far on Monday. I filled out the bank details form, still shaking, and it was good to go! I thought....

Unfortunately, "Ticketek prefers Visa". And I never interpreted that to mean "Don't try and use Mastercard, you'll epically fail and end up losing your tickets", but it sure happened. I was sent back to the starting page (aaghh!), and went through the process again only to find it wouldn't work. "Mummmm!" I called out, as we all do in a tricky situation. A good sport, she arose out of bed and brought me her Visa card to borrow, just in case I should manage to get another chance at tickets by refreshing the page over and over again. Thankfully this chance occurred and I WAS IN. At this point I didn't care in the slightest where I might be seated, I just took those ticks and paid and almost had tears of joy when it was confirmed. I forget what time it had reached by then, maybe 6:09am... I know the concerts, both Sydney x2 and Melbourne x2, all together sold out in sixteen minutes flat. 50, 000 tickets.

An absolute bloodbath.

The Brisbane sale an hour later was no different. I was attempting to get tickets for two friends {big fans of Radiohead} I knew who had missed out, but there was no luck. Well... actually, I have to admit I did something silly here. I pondered the seat choice too long and wanted something better. You might call me an "asshole princess" like one woman titled herself this morning when expressing her own regret at trying to find better seats and then missing out. Haha. Oh well.

Have a guess how long the Brisbane sale lasted for. Sixteen minutes? Ten?
I learnt it from people posting on Chugg:

Kahlie Jackson

Did Brisbane actually just sell out in 4 minutes?

Stephan Portoff 

i think in 2! aaaaargh        

           




Belinda Robert No it sold out in 2.


Two minutes. How upset would you be?

To be honest, we can all say that buying Radiohead tickets isn't like buying your last breath of oxygen, but really... there's no way of making your mind acknowledge that when you have been waiting eight years and there is this much hype going on all over the place. 'Scalpers' suddenly become adjacent to the likes of murderers, lowlife scum who steal relentlessly from true lovers of the band. "How could anyone buy a ticket and NOT want to go themselves?" Nobody understands their selfishness. And every little thing that goes wrong is another crack to your skull - Ticketek ending your session just as you're almost done, a computer glitch that doesn't let you tick the Terms and Conditions box, endless amounts of CAPTCHA codes that you just can't read. Oh yes it is a stressful task.

It's painful to now read posts from people who haven't made the boat, along with the sad and negative analyses of it all...

Peter Steven

Anyone with half a brain should have prepared themselves for disappointment when they saw that the shows were (well at least in Sydney) at what could be considered a smaller venue for an act as popular as Radiohead. Blaming scalpers entirely on the fact that you missed out on tickets is ridiculously simple minded, even if they did not exist there would still be a hell of a lot of ticketless fans regardless. Do the goddamn math.

Derani Zealand

At the last moment I decided not to join in on the frenzied, anguished scramble for tickets. Where's the joyous, easy vibe that the opportunity to hear music you love, live, brings? Hopefully somehow, someway I get to find honest tickets.

...but I'm really glad to have found Chugg's page to use as a massive support group in this concert crisis. There are obviously more Radiohead fans out there than I ever imagined, and it's been exciting and amusing to share all of their experiences, frustration and wit. We could probably band together and run an awesome government where scalpers - who have literally been seen on eBay already selling multitudes of tickets for three times the price! - will be given harsh consequences, and good music will be in abundance everywhere! These fans laugh at artists such as Taylor Swift and I like that.

The name that organised and promoted its little heart out to get Radiohead cranking

So that's my excitement for the day, done and dusted.
I'm now settled, my heart rate normal, I have two tickets to Melbourne... seated way up the back, to the right of the stage, on a Saturday. It could be a lot worse.

Radiohead

Oh, and did I mention that the concert isn't until November?
Craaaazy event.

xZ