Pink is not just a colour. Pink is a lifestyle choice.

My love for the colour pink has at times been taken a little too far. At one stage I even drove a pink car – Celeste may you rest in peace! If pink is ever an option then it is pink I go for. Pink digital camera, pink mobile (RIP too little baby), pink Ipod Nano, pink GHD (God of straightners)… I have even resorted to buying pink garbage bags and pink clothes pegs (hey they support breast cancer research alright!).

Slowly I have been making some minor progress in shedding myself of the pinkness. I guess my life is changing and I don’t want to be stuck in a rut of pink whilst showing no compromise. I do things in baby steps and one of those steps is allowing the classy act of black to come through in my major purchases. Given I am the type of person who stews way more over the purchase of a mobile phone then over an investment property, buying a black cell was a big deal for me. I know that eventually when the trusted PC gets traded for a new whiz bang Mac that pink will not be an option - I have accepted that it is just not appropriate.

Having said that I am having an extreme lemming for a pink watch at the moment and I really don't know why. My shopping ban is still in full force and I have not bought a single item of clothing since October 1st (so that would be a month!). This is unheard of progress at shopaholics anonymous. I don't even like wearing watches but maybe this ban is making me go loopy. I really hope Santa comes a little earlier with a bulky hot pink watch for me. I promise I have been a very very good girl most of the time!

A Non-Conventional Style Icon: Olivia from Jersylicious!

With tonight being Halloween I thought an entry on one of my new style icons would be called for. Lately I (and every person I know with pay TV) have been obsessed with Jersylicious!

It is a reality show about a group of Italians who work in a hairdressing salon in New Jersey called the Gatsby. It is not to be confused with Jersey Shore – that is all about Snooki! One of my favourite parts of the show is the ongoing feud between two “characters”: Olivia and Tracy. Olivia is one of the beauty therapists and Tracy is a hairdresser. I am not sure why they venomously hate each other and how it all began but without a doubt every episode involves them attacking each other. Last week’s particularly brutal episode involved Tracy losing all self control when Olivia started dating her bodybuilder ex-boyfriend. *I will never understand why girls fight over guys for!?

I am definitely Team Olivia and am loving her outlandish in your face style. It is soooo not me and I would probably never ever wear what she wears unless of course it was to a fancy dress party. Nevertheless I can appreciate her ghetto glamour, her over the top accessorizing and her smoky eye/fake tan combination!

You say that you love them, take their money and run. Say it's been swell, sweetheart, but it was just one of those things, those strings, those flings, those strings, those flings, you've got to cut.

I am a secret Jessica Simpson and Jewel fan (*sorry Dee) and discovered this randomly . Yes Jessica looks rather silly when she sings but if you just listen without being overcome by her mouth it is a super powerful song. I love listening to songs but more so because of my love of lyrics. Whether it is Bon Jovi, Kylie Minogue or Eminem. The word is more important then the beat.

Ever since one hit wonder Jewel wrote her book of poems titled A Night Without Armor my love of poetry resurfaced (how tragic is it that it had to come to that!). Yes take me on a direct line to Nerdville via the express train stopping no stations. I don't sit by the window and read Jane Austen style (maybe one day I will?) but I have a revitalised appreciation for the old classics of poetry. In the so called mainstream "normal" world that would be the same as saying I really like the lyrics of that song because I can relate to it. As I was doing a bit of real life work related research I rediscovered a poem by Pablo Neruda. I had actually first read this poem when I was in high school and needless to say I didn't really have the life experiences to appreciate it then. It is a nice read now though.

If You Forget Me 

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine

Love is nothing in tennis, but in life it's everything.

You know how those super fit (crazy) people are always preaching to do some kind of physical activity that you love... well mine is tennis. I have been playing since I was eight years old. Many many endless hours were spent hitting a ball against  a brick wall in pursuit of the ultimate forehand pretending to verse Steffi Graf (is anyone but me still in shock that she married Andre Agassi?). I can also play tennis for hours and not get bored... wish I could say that my relationship with the cross trainer at the gym was as endearing.

A few years ago I did a comeback aka Martina Hingis style. I joined a club and a suburban midweek  mix  doubles competition. The first thing I did before my big return was invest in some absolutely essential tennis attire. This comeback happened to coincide with the new release of the Stella McCartney Adidas range. I happen to also have a wonderful bestie who works at Adidas and receives some very nice discounts!

Stella's Adidas range just keeps getting better and better in my opinion and even if I didn't play tennis I'd still want to wear it. I just know that it makes me a better tennis player.

Now if only someone could let Serena Williams know about the Stella range perhaps she wouldn't horrify us tennis lovers with such shocking attire... heck I'll lend her my VIP card if she wants it.

Being a nerd really pays off sometimes. (Ken Jennings)

One of my favourite movies growing up was Revenge of the Nerds II. I don’t have to try hard to be a nerd I think it comes naturally funnily enough. I wear glasses, I visit the local library on a weekly basis, I love Maths tests (with delight I got a copy of the recent Year 9 national benchmarking test for numeracy and did it for fun!) and as blasé as I may appear sometimes I really don’t like getting in trouble by anyone.

It should therefore come as no surprise that I am currently loving the geek chic that I am seeing on blogs and in the celeb world involving the infamous massive black rimmed glasses. For once I am well and truly ahead of the game as I have had my nerdville black glasses for years now!

On a slight tangent I recently stumbled on an ultra fashionable lady known as B.Jones and am so loving her timeless take on geek chic and ladylike femininity! She is a stylist based in Orange County (USA) who incorporates a lot of vintage style. Loving her blog at the moment and the way her outfits look so finished and perfected.

Every girl should wear high heels and lipstick.

If I could where one designer for the rest of my life it would no doubt be Alannah Hill. Simple as that. I adore her floral and flirty dresses, the ruffles and silk detail that encompass nearly all her items of clothing, her rebellious nature not to compete with trends and her outlandish accessories. She even insists that every girl should wear high heels and lipstick… ahh that is like my mantra! Alannah has always envisioned and created clothes specifically for the glamorous single/wishing to be single sometimes/kinda single working girl with a strong desire to express her feminity. The names of her clothes make me want to buy them even without seeing the item.

Here is a wonderful list of some of the names AH uses to “name” her clothing:

Saw You Loved You, Liar Liar Pants on Fire, I Need You Tonight, Cut to the Chase, Gosh I Miss You, End of the Affair, Shall We Dance, Want to Know a Secret, Nothing But Trouble, The Secret’s Out, He Haunts Me, Am I Dreaming?, Your Lying Eyes, I’m Fed Up, I Turned My Back, Gimme a Chance, Sext texter, Little Petty Dramas, She’s a Stalker, Don’t Say My Name, Pack of Lies, Everyone is Lonely, I’ll Strangle Him, The Happy Ending, Sweet Little Disaster, Untold Damage and You Little Disgrace. *So scary how those names are basically a recap of a very toxic relationship I once had and yes yes she  did indeed have some inspiration for the title of my blog.

The catch with my obsession with this label is I never ever ever pay full price (okay well once I bought a head piece for $50 but that was super reasonable – I just can’t lie!). No I don’t have a special relationship with a beautiful Alannah Hill’s sales consultant either. Every couple of months I hit ClearIt clutching my scared little credit card and bracing myself for damage control. What??? Well Alannah Hill sells all her “old” stock at this warehouse with super discounts. Now the beauty of this label is that it never dates. It has such a distinctness about it that it can be worn for well and truly over a decade and noone would be able to say oh my gawd why is she still wearing that? *There are probably a few hardcore fans like moi who might notice and ponder hey that is AH 2007 collection but that up/down look would still be filled with admiration for the sisterhood.

This is the AH inspired look I will be channeling to the races. 

No such thing as coincidences baby!

I don't believe in coincidences at all. I could go on and on about all the random and bizarre encounters I have had in my life but instead I will first tell you a story that happened to a friend of mine recently.

About two years ago Biker Chic was riding her motorbike with a bunch of friends on a road about two hours away from where she lives. She fell off her bike and seriously hurt herself. A few people helped her. It was her first EVER fall after riding for many many years. She was wearing jeans and a leather jacket. She doesn't remember much about what happened immediately after the fall and thankfully she is still beautiful and lovely and her bike is too.

*Biker Chic is an extremely responsible and careful motorbike rider and person in general. (This is a very important point!)

Fast forward two years later. Biker Chic is riding down a main road two minutes away from where she lives. She somehow manages to skid across what appeared to be oil on the road. She nearly has her second EVER accident (once again thank you for keeping her safe and sound). She stops at the nearest lights to take a deep breathe when a car pulls up right beside her. A middle aged man pulls down his window whom she believes she has never seen before.

"Hey you were once in an accident two years ago at such and such place two hours from here. I remember you and now I nearly watched you have another accident. I am glad to see that you are now wearing leather pants."

Freakkkyyyy hey? Coincidence I think not!

I am always bumping into people at the most random places ever. A few years ago I bumped into a childhood friend who lives on the other side of my city three times in the one week. We had not seen each other for well and truly over fifteen years and having the face memory of a goldfish I did not recognise him until he approached me on all three occasions. I generally have the memory of an elephant in every other aspect of my life and the lives of others and can recount the minute details of conversations, but ask me to remember a face pftt forget it! Anyways I "bumped" into this lad once at a restaurant where he was working, then at the hairdressers where he too was getting a haircut and finally at another restaurant quite a distance away  from where we both live, where we were both having separate family functions. Why three times in one week I have no idea. I have not seen him in the last ten years since that week. Rest assured this was not a lurve serendipity moment as he bats for the same team as me! This kind of thing happens to me all the time... I don't know why or how but I know for sure that it ain't a coincidence (baby!).

I am glad Biker Chic had one of those moments that those who love me constantly refer to as "that could only happen to Yellena"! She laughed it off when I suggested that observant man may indeed be her guardian angel checking up on her or maybe she has been hanging around me way too much and my strange encounters are rubbing off on her.

I find that, lately, even lying to myself comes easily. (Alfie)

I watched the remake of the movie Alfie a while ago but had a revitalised interest in it lately.

Why? I guess I am obsessed with trashy gossip from weekly magazines and one story in particular resonates with me... Sienna Miller and Jude Law are back together AGAIN. I like Sienna for some unknown reason. I think she is stunning, an okay actress, dresses nicely and she has a bit of spunk. She also seems like the kind that does what she wants to do even when she knows she is going to cop some flak for it. So a run down of the relationship goes Jude left his wife Sadie Frost for Sienna. Then Sienna and Jude get engaged... Jude cheats on Sienna with the nanny. Sienna gets a little angry and leaves him. Sienna then hooks up with some pretty cool guys.  Jude has a child with a woman he knows for like a few hours and tries to pretend the baby isn't his. Paternity test proves otherwise... nice one J. Fast forward few years later Sienna and Jude get back together again.

My comrade has a saying. Apparently it is Marketing 101: Past behaviour is your best indicator of future behaviour. So if you are Sienna you got to be crazy to  not have some questions rushing through your mind. Will he cheat again? Why did he cheat? Does he have a cheating disorder? Can he be trusted? I don't make judgements (okay well sometimes I do!)... but I wonder if Jude Law will be a good boy now that he got his second chance? I wonder if he needs to watch his movie Alfie to relive his character's experiences and lessons learned.

So who and what is this Alfie movie? Wellll Alfie is the type of charismatic sweetalker who is very charming to women and knows what they want/need to hear. He is a womaniser who takes it too far and ends up pretty sad and despicably lonely. A must see for all guys who call themselves "players". The clip shows you a run-down of the movie (although clearly it does not give it justice) and the music is by Darren Hayes aka from Savage Garden. The song is called Strange Relationship and in my opinion his best song ever.

 

* My old boss gave this piece of advice to a friend of hers... "If he cheats with you he will cheat on you!"

Simple Pleasures (G Rated!)

Sometimes life can be so consuming and you can get wrapped up in things that don't really matter. Here is a list of simple pleasures that can turn a bad mood into a much better mood. Try and enjoy...

• strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
• listening to good compilation mixes in the car whilst driving
• a good coffee (Brunetti's off Lygon Street always does the trick!)
• a DVD night with homemade popcorn
• walking on the beach
• gentle yoga stretches (got to love the downward dog!)
• a good glass of red wine with great conversation
• dark chocolate
• a clean and clutter free house
• fresh homemade cookies
• floating in water
• afternoon "nana" naps
• swimming at night (don't hate me but I have a pool and this is the best during hot Summer nights!)
• random email/text/electronic conversations with close friends

Race Day Outfit: Black + White = Grey

Race Day Outfit by sawyoulovedyou on Polyvore.com

I am on a shopping ban so planning out my outfit based on what I already have in my humble wardrobe. I am going with a "recycled" outfit similar to what I wore two years ago. My mum's grey vintage dress from the 70s and black accessories. I am going with a bunch of girlfriends... one of whom takes the race dress code very seriously! So seriously in fact that she was horrified when one friend decided to go head piece less a few years ago! 

My Race Day Rules:

1. Heels MUST be comfy.

2. Heels MUST be worn. This is not a day for the flats EVER!

3. Do not wear an old bridemaid dress and think that it is appropriate. So many girls want to get use of that dress one more time. NO!

4. Everything in moderation people! EVERYTHING!
5. MUST wear something on your head!
6. Have fun! x

Playing a game doesn't take character. Doing the right thing by a vulnerable woman does.

I was captivated by the following article written by Michael Coulter an Editor from The Age newspaper (extracts below in italics). For those not living in Australia I am sure you can nevertheless relate to the debate in your own countries. Within Australia there has been widespread debate arising regarding the increased number of reported and alleged cases against both well-known and local suburban footballers mistreating women. Coulter's piece struck a chord with me so much so that I wanted to share parts of it.

'Regardless of circumstance, anyone with power has a choice - and there is no doubt where power lies in a room full of drunk men and a lone woman. They can do the right thing, or the wrong thing.

It is widely held that the sum of a group of young men is less than its parts, but even the most feral bunch is still made up of individuals, all of them with a will of their own. Decisions define us, and if you decide to do wrong, it's on your head. It's not the booze, or the drugs or the lateness of the hour; it's not the cheering of your mates or the lure of the ample cleavage you've been ogling all night. It's you, and for the rest of your life you have to live with the knowledge that when the opportunity arose, you chose to be a despicable bastard...

It takes enormous character to defy a group of men who are, effectively, closer than brothers. Not footballing character, which is about overcoming pain and adversity, but the ability to tell right from wrong and the integrity to choose right.

Perhaps a minority of players will inevitably hurt others, and themselves, because the qualities of a good footballer are not necessarily the qualities of a good person. Sportsmen need physical courage, strength, calm under pressure, an appetite for inflicting and receiving pain, loyalty and the intense desire to impose their will on a situation. For them, many values we try to instil in children - honesty, respect, empathy and the moral courage to say ''no'' to your friends - are actual liabilities...

If you're man enough to stand in front of a marauding pack on the field, you should be man enough not to be part of one off it. If you can stand the disappointment of losing a grand final, you should be able to stand the disappointment of a woman changing her mind. So what if your night ends with a cup of Milo rather than a stray root? Life, as any coach will tell you, is full of setbacks. Be a man, and live with it.'

Painting is just another way of keeping a diary. (Pablo Picasso)

Vincent's Bedroom
in Arles

A few years ago I visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam on the recommendation of my comrade. He had been there a few months before and for a football/pub/macho all the way guy (aka your average non sensitive type of fella) he was completely taken aback... okay that might be stretching the truth but he thought it was pretty awesome. For about two hours I strolled through the gallery in complete and utter awe. This is not a global breakthrough for humanity... Van Gogh is Van Gogh. You don't get your own gallery and your work is not valued priceless because you know how to hold a paintbrush! Seeing his work in "real-life" was simply compelling. I felt like I was taken away into his mystical world. 

One of the last paintings I saw was Vincent's Bedroom in Arles. I had seen that painting before... it was ohhhh so familiar. It was hanging in the hallway of my parents' house for like my whole life growing up. But it was not the same... maybe because my Mum had cluttered it up with a few hundred thousand other prints (that she probably bought from the Reject Shop on special). The real deal was amazing... the print well was a print.

A house without art just seems empty and characterless to me. My favourite painting was purchased a few years ago on a holiday in Vietnam. It is of a woman who has her arms stretched out aka Titanic style and when I first looked at it I saw freedom, risk, determination and bravery... I was immediately inspired by it. And well it was only $20.

Browsing through etsy I stumbled upon some more wonderful artwork to add to my collection... well one day when I eventually frame all the other art work I have leaning ever so conveniently against the wall!

Brad Collins

Popme

DazeyChic

Confession - I have way too much clothes but never anything to wear!

Just to amuse myself during my weekly ritual of picking up the pile of clothing from my floor, I counted my wardrobe. Yes I realise only a super anal fashionista (that is a big call) would do this. 

70 dressses.

37 shoes (5 boots, 4 runners, 1 pair of thongs and shockingly 27 heels/wedges)
15 pairs of jeans.

20 jackets/coats.

Let us not start on tops/shirts/knits etc. Clearly I have a lot and anyone that knows me knows I have aloootttt! The constant gasps when they open my wardrobe are enough. Some friends even insist that they want to browse through my clothes just for fun and I regularly do a little bit of show and tell. The most shocking aspect of this excessive consumption is that most of the time I feel like I have nothing to wear. I purchase something ecstatically, wear it a few times and then I lose the high/love/devotion to it! 

When it comes down to it I have a bit of an excessive consumption disorder with clothing. I am not a shopoholic in the respect that I hit the shops with vengeance (I am too scared of my credit cards) but more so I have too much clothing simple as that. I started doing a bit of online research on this little disorder and found ample examples of women feeling the same and tackling their excessive consumption problem in different ways. 

The Uniform Project is where one fashionista wore one dress for one year everyday!  It was a versatile little black dress and done in the name of charity. God bless as I would never have been able to do that experiment.

The Six Items or Less experiment is based on a global investigation into what we don't wear. Can we live on wearing six items or less? That 'or less' part freaks me out! I don't think I could manage that for even a day!

Then there is self-imposed wardrobe challenges. Blogger Legally Fit is on this mission where you select ten (whoa big increase from 6) items of clothing from your wardrobe to only be worn for a month. The challenge is a little flexible as this does not apply to workout clothes, undergarments (seriously thank God!) and pajamas. The ten items does not include accessories.

If I was a super savvy  and highly motivated clothes hoarder then perhaps I'd give one of these a go... but sadly (gratefully) I am not. I have come up with my own softer challenge. I am on a three month clothes shopping ban. Baby steps people. So I pledge to not purchase any item of clothing for the next three months regardless of anything, anyone and any event. This will be hard considering I need new jeans, I am going to Spring Racing Carnival and  I will be sad about not visiting my little secret cheap shops. I considered hardening up the challenge to include must wear a different dress everyday for the next three months but maybe I might do that next year. My reasons for doing this self-imposed wardrobe challenge are to appreciate what clothing I have, be more creative, let the minimalist inside me come out to play and well let's be honest save for my coming overseas adventure where I plan to buy more clothes (I just can't lie!). Baby steps... wish me luck.

Carine Roitfeld - The Ultimate Fashion Icon

This woman is phenomenal in the style stakes. Every single thing she wears is simply outstanding. Google image her and you will no doubt find her in exquisite dresses, perfectly structured suits, off beat colours like emerald green, phenomenal heels and elegant and timeless jackets. Her friends are all designers or uber photographers (anyone say Mario Testino - the guy famous for making Kate Moss well Kate Moss) and she is the Editor in Chief of French Vogue. Every single time I have seen her photographed she is simply impeccable. She also seems like a pretty nice person too... check the following out for yourselves.

Seriously could she be any nicer if she tried? Andddddd she is over 50 years old. Simply stunning!

I think I secretly want to be a French girl living in Paris. I am obsessed with everything French and this includes not only fashion but architecture, interior design, food and lifestyle choices. I am (sadly) always reading as much as I can about how to be as French as I can.

Take my advice I don't use it anyways.

I recently stumbled on a blog I quite like. It’s called Stuff No One Told Me (but I learned anyway) Alex Noriega is a cartoonist from Barcelona with a warped yet endearing sense of humour and apparently he once traveled over 10,000 kms to get dumped by his girlfriend. Ohhhhhhh... some of his great advice is attached.

The other day I got thinking about advice and whether I just pretend to take it or whether I really listen to what people have to say. Over lattes with one of my toughest biker chic girlfriends I asked her to enlighten me with the best advice she had ever received.

1. It is only a bargain if you need it.

2. If you've hit rock bottom, things can't get any worse, you're only going up from there.