GENERAL CURIOSITIES #19

I’m not going to lie, this week has been a busy week. Me not posting at all this week is a pretty good indication of how busy I’ve been. This week worked (both at my full-time job and for my dad), saw The Dandy Warhols with a colleague, went to a Mexican themed 21st birthday party, watched a few movies and caught up on some TV shows. Here are my thoughts on this week’s events:

• The Dandy Warhols - They were amazing! I would definitely see them again. The rest of the evening was filled with burger eating, hipster walking/strutting, silly girls doing an assortment of bizarre things.
• Mexican 21st birthday party - A fun evening that involved a Mexican food, Tequila, felt mustaches, handmade ponchos and a Justin Bieber cardboard cutout.

I also went shopping and bought a new pair of Melissa shoes. I think this is my seventh pair?

I believe that I will be going on a brief blogging hiatus until I can get all of the work that I currently on my plate done. Ciao!

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #18

As promised here is a photo of my desk at work. My shelf features a mirror tile, an antler (yes a real one) and a Wolverine bobble head. My desk features the letters I bought from Typo, a pen holder and three different brands of spearmint mint tins (I have been trying to start a collection). There’s not really much to my desk. I have tired to inject it with a bit of personality while keeping it minimal and clean.

The colleague who sits next to me like to add commentary to my decorations. He has added a speech bubble fashioned out of a Post-it note that says “Charlie bit me!!!” (in reference to this video). He also printed the word “MAD” onto a piece of paper and stuck it to the bottom of this shelf (as if I haven’t heard that one before!). I sometimes also find that my letters get rearranged when I step away from my desk…

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #17

This week I went shopping, to a burlesque/store event at Honey Birdette and to a couple birthday parties.

While I was out shopping I managed to buy 3 giant letters from Typo. There were so many things I could have spelled but I decided to go conservative and just stick with my name. I think that I will use these letters to decorate my desk at work.

I thought that these giant letters would go well on my white work desk and my Eco Cup (pictured below), mirror, deer antler and Wolverine bobble head doll. Next week I will definitely have photos of my desk at work up.  

One of the parties I went to was Tash’s birthday party. It was at a Japanese restaurant called Sono. The place was well furnished and had good atmospherics.

That night, I met and talked to some great people. We had very ‘interesting’ conversations and shared lots of laughs. As the evening unfolded, we had all ordered our food and had acknowledged that our food would not all come at the same time. So of course me being the luckiest person in the world, managed to get my food 15 to 20 minutes after the second last person to get their food (I was lucky last!). By the time my unagi kabayaki had arrived, my rice was cold (I got them to reheat it/get me new rice of course). This made me sad. The food however, was very tasty and well cooked.

For dessert I ordered a flaming Mt Fuji. Jonesy had the same dessert (the photos below are courtesy of Jonesy) and he described it fairly accurately. He said that it is, “A rather amazing dessert, with a sponge base topped with a scoop of sesame ice-cream then covered in meringue. On top of that, flaming liquor is poured on top to create a fiery effect.” Yes, the flaming dessert was delicious. I also managed to grab a bite of Bec’s cherry blossom mousse, that too was delicious. It was fluffy and light and had a light cherry flavour. I guess that’s why they are called cherry blossoms. 

Overall this week has been a good week. Now for some sleep! I have work in the morning.

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #16

It has been yet another crazy week. This week however, was different from most weeks. This week, the Eurovision semi finals and finals were televised on SBS!

To celebrate the finals of Eurovision, KL Fair and I decided the throw a party.The basic dress code? Sequins, leather and metallics! Or you know, whatever European country you wanted to dress like. I managed to wear sequins and leather while KL dressed as Greece. Anyway, here is how the evening unfolded…

I bought some supplies and drove to KL’s place. One of the things on the menu was cobb loaf dip. As you can see I bought two cobb loaves. KL and I toiled away in the kitchen, did our makeup and the like until people started to filter in. People were filtering in and out all night.

I could have taken out the red eye but I decided against it. Seriously KL looks so much more evil (I believe on the night I described her as ‘demonic’).

I know that this is a blurry photo but KL’s face was just too amusing for me not to post it.

Big teeth, sleepy eyes and ARM.

There were some signature dance moves that night. There was Spain with their crazy ‘hello’ arm waving. Then there was Serbia and their excited shimmy. And of course, our favourite move was Germany’s Lena’s (last year’s winner) awkward ‘come hither’ gesture. Below is KL and I replicating that very gesture.

Lots of crazy things happened that night…

I believe Serbia were on when I took this photo.

Death stared by a 17 year old (Lynette) and ogled by Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers (Felise, please don’t kill me for saying that).

KL suddenly turned into Sweden!

And the night came to a close with a lovely photo of KL and I.

Overall twas a fun evening. All of you who bailed last minute missed out on some awesome company, delicious food, crazy dancing/impersonating and lots of laughter.

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #14

This week has been full of work, moving offices (well levels/floors in the same office building) and parties. 

It was my friend Tristan’s birthday. He got a new Harinezumi 2+++ camera (courtesy of Tristan’s lovely girlfriend Michelle) and decided to go nuts with it.

Me being cool and blue.

Shoes!

Here is an animated GIF of my Friday night antics.

Then on Saturday I went to Nel’s birthday. She just got a new camera for her birthday too! It was really neat because you could enable a little screen on the front for portraits/self portraits. Everyone seems to be getting new cameras… I think I need to get a new one too.

In the photo below it is clear that (left to right) me, Nel and Marilyne are totally laughing at you.

Nel being super creepy with one of the presents I gave her.

On Sunday I went for a picnic/barbeque with my family at Wivenhoe Dam.

This week has been a nice and relaxing week. I can’t wait to see what next week will bring!

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #13

In the week leading up to Thor KL Fair and I have been a lot cracking Thor puns/jokes (e.g. “I found the movie THOR-some”, “Forsooth! It is hammer time!” “Consider yourself THORed”). Below is a photo of KL and I and our super trendy 3D glasses.

On Saturday we went to the Gallery of Modern Art to catch the 21st Century: Art in the First Decade exhibition before it closed. So KL and I made a voyage over the Kurilpa (Pick-Up Sticks) Bridge to South Bank. It is a bit of an eyesore when you look at it from the outside but kind of cool from the inside.

When we were outside of the gallery we were greeted by this lovely queue. We were standing there for 10 minutes until we realised that it was the queue to get free ice-cream. The ice-cream was a work in the exhibition.

In the gallery we found a lot of carbon paper…

… and a lot of plastic bags.

We even decided to go for a swim.

Right. Time to get out of the pool.

Can you spot me?

Ever wondered what I would look like as a woodland creature? Well wonder no more!

This was one of our favourite exhibits. It was titled Internet Memes. Tom Cruise is totally sucking on KL’s finger.

I never thought I’d ever see a vegetarian sell such meaty looking sausages.

We decided to take an epic journey from the gallery to find food. For dessert we ended up in Max Brenner. I’ve never noticed this before but the two kids below have got to be the most disturbing kids EVER. It didn’t help that KL was telling me that they are brother and sister.

Our chocolate brownie sundae pre crunchy chocolate balls and melted chocolate. 

When we headed back to the museum I found myself drawn to the shininess of this work. Clearly I am a magpie.

In the center of all of the balls there was a giant black box. Being as mysterious as it was, we just had to go in! When we stepped inside we were in awe. It felt like we were in a never ending abyss of glowing lights (yes, that is my dress glowing blue).

Olfaur Eliasson’s Cubic Structural Evolution Project was spectacular. I wonder how many pieces of white Lego was used.

And that concludes my week! Happy chocolate eating!

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #10

This week (well technically last week since I was supposed to post this yesterday) has been all about leather, suede and motorbikes.

A couple of weeks ago I bought a leather skirt from the Height of Vintage store on Etsy. It finally arrived this week and I am absolutely in love with it! The leather is so soft and it is in fantastic condition for something that is vintage.

I also tried my hand at OPI’s suede nail polish (no pun intended). The colour I used is called We’ll Always Have Paris. It is amazing. It has flecks of glitter in it and is 100% matte. It requires no base or top coat and dries in 30 seconds. It is the perfect nail polish for the gal (or guy) on the go. I definitely want to get more suede colours.

BOOKMARKED #8

Today’s Bookmarked theme is cleaning. I have just been offered a new job and have started a cleaning/organisation overhaul to get things in order before I start. The image above was sourced from John Mahaffie’s blog, Foresight Culture.

I think that it is vital for us to clean our wardrobes at least twice a year. Anna Dello Russo, editor-at-large and creative consultant for Vogue Japan, provides us with the top 10 rules of cleaning our closets.

This is a bit of an old blog post but it is still highly relevant to us. Here is Gala Darling’s guide to cleaning out your wardrobe.

Sometimes our computers need a bit of cleaning too. Here’s how to keep your computer safe, clean and backed up for 2011.

Lately I have taken a fancy to 1950s illustrations (such as the images featured in this week and last week’s Bookmarked posts). Here is a 1950s housewife spring cleaning advertisement/art print for a product called VIM. 

Finally, I really couldn’t resist posting examples of the ways you should NOT clean your window.

INTERROGATE ME #1

So you guys have been asking questions and Interrogate Me is a section where you get to hear my answers.

I REALLY ENJOY YOUR BLOG, ESPECIALLY YOUR GENERAL CURIOSITIES POSTS. YOUR LIFE IS JUST SO INTERESTING! ANYWAY, MY QUESTION IS: WHERE ARE YOU BASED?

Thank you! I’m glad that there is somebody out there who really enjoys my blog. I am based in Brisbane, Australia. It is a lovely place but for some reason a lot of people can’t wait to get out of it. Below is a photograph titled Brisbane City by Mitch Lahey. 

YOU SEEM TO BE SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS, BUT I WAS WONDERING WHAT EXACTLY IT IS YOU DO?

Nothing! I’m just kidding. From an existential point of view I simply ‘am’. You may have noticed that in my header I state that I am a Marketing + Brand Stylist, so that is exactly what I am.

I consider myself to be a branding and marketing professional. Marketing is an incredibly broad area that comprises of everything from product development, packaging and design through to strategic pricing, promotion and distribution (even more elements are involved when you are within services marketing). For those of you who don’t come from a marketing background, promotions include advertising and public relations. Coming from an integrated marketing communication approach however, marketing is more focused around the consumer, the cost, the convenience and the communication of the product or service.

All of this is linked with branding. I believe that it is integral to build a strong, succinct and consistent brand so that’s part of where I come in. I have helped people and companies build their very own brand identity and have provided them with strategies (particularly digital marketing and social media strategies) to assist in communicating their brand to consumers. Building and communicating a brand can involve graphic design, web design, styling for photo shoots, visual merchandising, copywriting and much, much more. I am very fortunate to have gained some experience in all of these areas.

In terms of professional development, while I have strong skills in marketing and an eye for aesthetics, I believe that my interests will push me towards integrated marketing communications, social marketing and digital marketing.

Here is a viral digital marketing campaign that I am in love with. It would have been an amazing campaign to be a part of. 

YOUR BLOG MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN A VARIETY OF INDUSTRIES. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY INDUSTRY TO WORK IN WHICH ONE WOULD IT BE?

That is a tough question. I am always up for a challenge so I have been interested in just about anything. I never want to rule anything out because you never know unless you have had extensive experience in each industry. In saying that, there are good and bad experiences and I try not to let my bad experiences get the better of me.

But to answer your question, based on my previous experiences and my ambitions, I would have to say that I am particularly interested in doing marketing within professional services, retail (particularly fashion retail and luxury goods), the arts, entertainment, architecture and design, beauty, tourism and hospitality. Why? Because I feel that industries interest me the most. I also believe that working within these industries can assist in nurturing my creativity and my professional skills.

Below is an example of a 2011 fashion marketing campaign that I really enjoy. It is a campaign by Wrangler (the image below was sourced from Invisible PR). Drawing on the Wrangler’s rich history, they wanted to create a new campaign that, “reunites Wrangler, the original American adrenaline-fuelled denim brand, with stunt people — a breed of heroes who embody Wrangler’s message: We Are Animals.” I truly hope to be a part of a campaign like that one day.

That’s all for now. If any of you have a life/work related question or a question that is completely random don’t hesitate to ask!

GENERAL CURIOSITIES #8

This week, I’ve been working on the website and Facebook page for and event called Asia Ablaze. It is happening this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the 2nd to 4th of August. So, if you are interested in going to this event or if you know people who would be interested, share it on Facebook. I have also put an album up on Facebook of those who had gone to Singapore Ablaze in 1995. If you know anyone in these pictures please tag them and let us know so that we can formally invite them to Asia Ablaze 2011. *End of shameless work plug*

I was sitting in a building in Brisbane CBD and took a photo of the massive QLD Law Group sign. It just looks so out of place. The rhinoceros in the logo also amused me a little.

In other news, I went to 2 birthday parties yesterday. I was joking with my best friend, KL Fair, about having consumed too much sugar and meat. For the rest of the day I couldn’t stop picturing myself eating pieces of meat coated in crystallised sugar. 

Here is the table I was sitting at. It had a built in Lazy Susan. It required almost all of my strength to turn it. I am weak.