Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Long Weekend

Hello Everyone!

Life has been as good as ever. I went to the beach this weekend and had some rest and relaxation before the start of April which is promising to be the most chaotic month ever!

It's starts with a bang though - I leave tomorrow for Hong Kong! yay! I will update you on my travels as soon as I'm back with loads of pictures to share with you all!

Love Love Love!

Righteous,

Mimi

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Marie Claire readers vote Alex Perry as Designer of the Year


Last night at a glamorous and celeb-filled event, Australia’s own King of Couture, Alex Perry was awarded the Reader’s Choice Designer of the Year Award in the Prix De marie claire Awards held at Fox Studios in Sydney.

Stars such as Megan Gale, Erin McNaught and Charlotte Dawson turned out in support of Alex, all wearing his designs.

Alex is of course delighted:


“Apart from the honour of being nominated in the first place, I am so happy and humbled to receive this award- I have spent a huge part of my life and career building the success of the label and this award is the icing on the cake for me”

For images and further information on the event, please visit the website

Epiphany

So I just had a wonderful epiphany.

My life is amazing. I'm going to Hong Kong in 8 days to visit my brother and two weeks after that I am going to New Zealand for a week.

In New Zealand I will be traveling through the south island with the main stops in Christchurch and Queenstown. Christchurch, as you may have heard, just recently underwent some reconstruction by mother earth but it is apparently safe to go and now visit. Queenstown is the place I am most excited to go because I will be skydiving when I get there.

I don't know what made me want to skydive specifically in New Zealand, but the thought has been in my head forever. Maybe it's when I found out that my future husband, Orlando Bloom, had done it while filming Lord of the Rings. Whatever the case may be, it's going to happen.

ANYWAY, that's really all I had to inform you about. That I am euphorically happy.

Righteous,

Mimi

:)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Vote for our Bachelors now!

Princes and Shenanigans

Dear All,

I am sorry to tell you I did not have the pleasure of meeting Prince William. I guess it is just not my destiny to become a royal. Prince William did a tour of Queensland this past weekend to show his support in the efforts to clean up the mess left behind from the massive flooding in January. He went to a fundraising event in South Bank, where I live, and I was 10 minutes too late in seeing him leave. He left 20 minutes early and when he walked out he took the time to shake everyones hand that was waiting outside. So mad!

In other news, I did quite a few exciting things this weekend that I would like to share with you.


I went BOWLING! Yes, that is right. The field you see in this picture is for a type of bowling. It's kind of like Boci ball but I just like to call it Scottish bowling because the first time I saw it was at Silvana's school, University of Glasgow. The object of the game is to roll a medium size ball down the pitch and have it get as close to a golf ball as possible. The reason it is difficult is that the ball is weighted differently on each side so it skews around to the left or right depending on the way you're holding it. It's weight also makes you need to throw it gentle enough so that it doesnt go too far and go in the gutter.

My action shot. I wasn't that bad at it which made me quite excited! You can see the size of the ball in this picture, too.




I also went to the Gallery of Modern Art in Southbank on Saturday, better known as the GoMa. For anyone who has been following my adventures, I went to the MoMa in London and didn't like it all that much. I didn't think modern art was really that special. That was until I came to Australia. After all, everything is better in Oz!

The picture above is of me at an exhibit called the wishing wall. The artist made the exhibit interactive by getting wishes from the people who go to the exhibit and then create ribbon bracelets with certain wishes on them. Some examples:

"I wish to be a famous ballerina touring the world"
"I wish to remain curious"
"I wish I knew what I wanted"
"I wish to be more like my older brother"

You are allowed to take one of the ribbon wishes and then you write down your own wish and put it in the wall, like I am doing in the picture. I LOVED the concept.

Right behind me is another exhibit that is also interactive. There are thousands of white lego pieces and everyone is supposed to create part of the piece so they become the art. Another great concept.



ANOTHER one of my favorite parts of the museum was this room that was created to look like a typical Japanese convenient store. Everything that you would find in the store in Japan was in the fake store in the museum but the wrappers were filled with air. I LOVED it.

There is also a massive slide you can go down if you don't want to use the stairs. At the far end you can see the wishing wall and then the table full of the white legos. 

Uni is starting to actually ask me to do work, which is HIGHLY unexpected. I came to Australia to have fun, not to actually study (haha). But in all honesty, it's difficult getting back into the swing of things after really not needing to apply myself in London. I have 2 small papers due this week, along with a quiz and I have to read the entire Odyssey by tomorrow. I have tons of papers and presentations coming up in the next few weeks, right after I get back from HONG KONG!

Alright, enough blogging. I gotta get back to work!

Righteous!!!!!
Mimi

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Helena Christensen, Alex Perry & Specsavers

Helena Christensen leads the search for Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year

A nationwide search is underway to find Australia’s best framed fashionistas, with internationalsupermodel and photographer, Helena Christensen, leading the charge.
The 2011 Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition, now in its second year in Australia, celebrates the individual beauty and confidence of those who wear glasses.
Everyone who loves their glasses and enjoys wearing them with style and confidence is encouraged to enter for their chance to be crowned Australia’s most stylish spec wearer for 2011.
This year, the competition has been launched by Ms Christensen who walked at the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival, looking very glamorous in Specsavers frames.
Ms Christensen will join a cast of judges who represent some of Australia’s finest in the fashion and modelling industry to judge the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition – and will personally photograph this year’s winner in New York!

Ms Christensen said, “I’m really excited to be a part of this year’s Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year. It’s a great initiative that gives people the chance to have fun with showing how interesting they look in their spectacles.
“We’ve always known about geek chic but glasses are now hotter than ever as a style accessory. Specs are having a revival and are now recognised as the perfect accessory to shake up and transform your look – plus it's obviously a pretty cool bonus to be able to get a sharper view of the world,” said Ms Christensen.

“As a judge, I’ll be looking not just for someone who looks original and confident in their glasses, but I am also really excited about looking at the images from a photographer's point of view, the style, composition and atmosphere of the photos.
“The Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition provides a great opportunity for talented and gorgeous specs wearers to catch the eye of the modelling industry, and could help to fast-track their way to a successful career.”
Ms Christensen continued, “As a photographer, I can appreciate a face that expresses uniqueness and versatility, and spectacle wearers should feel confident about their specs being a great accessory in complimenting these unique features.”

Photographing people wearing spectacles can have its obstacles, admits Ms Christensen, who provides the following tips for entrants:

• It’s all about the light – lighting will have a dramatic effect on the look and feel of a photograph. Bright directional lighting will cast hard shadows and highlight imperfections, but could give you an edgier look. Diffused light is flattering and will give you a softer image. Think about the effect you are trying to create;
• The eyes have it – eyes can be a model’s best asset but a camera flash will tend to bounce off your lenses, causing a flare that hides your eyes. If you plan to use a flash, watch for reflections on your lenses;
• Make a style statement – specs are a bold statement so think about how they work with your overall style and try to create a cohesive look;
• Just be yourself, or a version of yourself you feel comfortable with - even if you feel slightly vulnerable when having your picture taken, it might not be a bad thing. It creates a certain intimacy, which is always a beautiful thing in a photograph.

Ms Christensen joins a respected line up of fashion and media identities to judge the 2011 Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year, including: Alex Perry, Grant Pearce, Leea Charlwood and Melissa Hoyer.

Pernilla Algede, Head of Frame Styling at Specsavers added, “We’re delighted to welcome Ms Christensen as part of the 2011 Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition – she is the epitome of high fashion and timeless style, and is a great ambassador for glasses. We see so many people who look fabulous in their glasses – it’s their time to shine and be recognised and make sure that specs appeal is celebrated!”

The winner of the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year will receive a priceless start to their modelling career. Not only will they be flown to New York to be personally photographed by Ms Christensen, they will also receive a 12 month modelling contract courtesy of Scoop Model Management. The winner and finalists will each receive cash prizes as well as hair and makeup products from TRESemmé and NP Set.

The competition is open to men and women aged 18 and over, who are either current specs wearers or wear glasses for fashion purposes. Entries are now open until 18 July. Applicants should register online at www.specsavers.com.au/competition or drop into their local Specsavers store.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Kenny - Australian Movie


This is a movie I had to watch for my class Australian Popular Culture. It was absolutely hysterical and an all around fantastic movie. If you can somehow see it back in the states online or on netflix, you definitely should.

Evil Eddie - Queensland


A funny rap video about Queensland. Love it

Slacking On The Updates

Hello All,

I'm sorry for the lack of posting, I just keep forgetting to and because most of the time I'm not the one taking pictures it's difficult for me to remember to update everyone.

Brisbane has been a blast, but the traveller in me is itching to start moving my butt around the country. It looks as though my first stop will now be to Hong Kong! I'll be visiting my wonderful brother, Douglas, and he's going to show me all around HK and Macau while I'm there. No worries, the tsunami in Japan didn't affect HK in the slightest or Australia for that matter.

I'll be gone from April 1st to April 6th, but it doesn't really feel like I'm going there. It was never on my list of places I wanted to visit but I had to make an exception now that my mom won't be visiting and I'm homesick. Oh, and did I mention it's a pretty badass city?

Overall, University of Queensland is extremely different than AU. There are more people, first off, which makes getting to class extremely annoying. First of all, no one moves out of your way so you get whacked in the face with backpacks and second, no one knows how to walk. I'm from New York, I walk with purpose, especially if I have 5 minutes to get to class and its 10 minutes away and I'm lost.

The classrooms are also VERY different and not as nice. AU has a set style of classroom thats easy to work with. The classrooms at this uni can go from lecture halls with small seats and no room to move in and out of a row or to classrooms packed with 60 semi broken desks. It doesn't matter though because I love it here. I have to admit, it was pretty hard getting used to lectures with hundreds of people in them and having to take a public bus to campus in the morning but it's starting to feel like home. I no longer need a map in my face to figure out how to get around and I'm starting to recognize buildings.

As for the fashion - girls here like to dress up, a lot. Apparently it's because students have to wear uniforms all throughout their younger years so it's the first time girls can wear dresses to class. Most girls here like a weird fashion statement of frilly flowery dresses paired with ankle high black combat boots. Another popular style are high waisted shorts with short legs and sometimes show off a little ass cheek. Guys are less styled, clothing wise, and wear tanks that show off their tan and muscles.

Oh, have I mentioned all men here are eye candy? I went to the Gold Coast a few weeks ago and had to stop myself from drooling. They are all GORGEOUS, and if their faces aren't that attractive they make up for it with ripped, rippling muscles and sleek golden brown tans and sexy surfer hair. I have never felt so white and pasty before.

This past weekend, Rachel and I went a Farmer's Market in the West End (about a half hour walk from South Bank) and not only bought some lunch but watched a rugby game. Again, with the rippling muscles and sexy tans. Except instead of having surf boards and swimming trunks they had uniforms and a rugby ball. AND, instead of surfing waves they were jumping on each other and throwing themselves at a ball.

Did I mention I love Australia?

Anyway, I don't have much else to report. I promise I'll get on the whole "taking pictures" thing as soon as I can. This weekend we're trying to go to Steve Irwin's zoo, the Gold Coast, and a theme park!

Righteous!

Mimi

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Today I Shall Be A Hermit

Today is the first time since I've landed that clouds have overtaken the sun for an entire day and rain has been consistently falling for hours. Some people I know left to go to the beach, but I'm content sitting in bed and watching movies.

The first week of classes is now over, which is funny considering everyone at AU is gearing up for spring break. I love all of my classes even though my Organisational Behaviour class is going to be mind numbingly boring. It's geared towards first years so at least I know I have a guaranteed A.



Tomorrow is Rachel's 21st birthday so the game plan is to go to the Gold Coast and hopefully get a tan amidst the thunderstorms and then head back to Brissy and hit the town in style. I am so jealous that she will forever legally be able to drink but I am happy that I get to spend the day with her because we are so much in love.

I haven't taken many pictures since arriving in Brisbane so hopefully I'll get a ton this weekend and post them for you all to see!

Righteous!

Mimi