Forest

Everything seems to artificial today and there's nothing green and luscious at all in my environment- needless to say it's driving my slightly paranoid and worried about the effects of urbanisation and the lack of trees and forests. I can't wait to talk off on my holiday to Canada next year, from my older brother's photographs and experience he indulged in doing mountain walks and absorbing in natural forest full of green leaves and wide trunked trees.

 

I suppose many days I'm quite happy not to leave the comfort of my home but today feels particularly lonely and absent of living creatures. I'm surrounded by things that are neither living nor dead- I'd love to instead feel the warmth of the sun and see luscious green grass and forest all around me. Maybe having a pet in my room such as a cat and something living and companionate would make me feel better about the little activity I participate in everyday. Next week is the start of many activities for orientation of university including scavengers hunts as well as an outdoor music festival. Finally then I'll stop feeling like a recluse and get some face-to-face interaction with new and exciting people.

  I wonder exactly how many American footballers enjoy meeting in the clearings of forests, fully dressed in shoulder pads and the like. I have the opportunity to maybe create my own photographs in this style and image in the coming months if I'm lucky enough. On the weekend I will be fixing up applications and cover letters for volunteer positions- one includes acting as a promotional photographer in order to advertise the sporting groups and clubs at my new university. While it may be a task a little over the knowledge of a simple lowly first-year, I'm keen to at least apply for such an opportunity but sourcing my own models as well as props may be another problem in itself.

My mother says that I'll love the trees and large suspended bridges of Canada when we go- the views are amazing and I'd love to see the forest shrouded in a veil of heavy trees. I just have to ensure that I have the discipline to save my money and keep working as many available opportunities as I can despite the fact I'm not loving my job at the moment. I'm sure when I'm holding a Canon 50D or something similar with a few thousand dollars in hand for a long holiday next year it will all have been worthwhile.

On returning to Melbourne after a semester of study in Canada, my brother was quick to criticise the landscape I had always viewed as on occasion hilly. He despaired at the lack of mountains and the flatness of the ground (just as well he never went to California, flat city). My mother plans for us to visit Canada in Summer which will still be chillier than our Melbourne Winter and I'm keen so see some mysterious cloud and fog banks engulfing rugged mountain terrain and trees.

I heard many a wonderful story about whole groups of raccoons raiding garbage cans at night but in my three weeks in America not once did I see these creatures- a pity really considering how seemingly domesticated they've become due to the encroaching of man into animal territory. I guess I'm just a sucker for any animal with large expressive eyes, unusual fur markings and a twitching nose expressing an inquisitive nature and a soul hungry to learn more socially.

I have a distinct policy about crosses and avoiding them being drawn on my body and especially on my forehead in the place of a bindi but I do rather admire the floral wreath and loose, sheer shirt situation and field of tall grass. Just my luck that there's no fields or parks where no one bothers to go in my area- I wouldn't mind giving the tumble in the tall grass a go but there is no doubt in my mind that my hair would become a horrible tangled mess.

Ah Melbourne, although there is a wealth of activities within the city and revolving around Federation Square for young bored people such as myself- there's definitely a lack in the culture of nature walks as well as interesting environmental scenery. Once you've been enough times, Melbourne Zoo can also be a lonely trip and tiresome although the grounds are so large and there's always animals you never get to see after an entire circuit of trawling around the place.

I wonder what a cat would think of a long and romantic walk around a well kept park full of beautiful plants and a noticeable absence of mice and rats. I can't say that I know the feline personality quite well but in my experiences they are wriggling jelly beans smothered in fur and do not enjoy long periods of being held and carried around. Also- cat leashes and walking around one's neighbourhood with cat in tow is a laughable matter.

This year I am determined to make a visit to my city's Royal Botanical Garden as well as Royal Flower Show as a photographic aesthetic experience and something fun to do with my mother- should we not be feuding at that instance and point in time. I haven't been in years and it certainly would be nice to feel inspired and also a bit ashamed about the state of affairs for my own garden. The last thing I remember about the show I last attended was engraving things on smooth looking river stones.

Sometime in the future I do plan to take a bit of a trek around modern Japan as well as contrasting the life between village and big city.

Pink Magic

 

I've been feeling rather green all day and there's definitely been a lack of colour in my cheeks as well as in my day. I shamefully bought two Yves Saint Laurent rings (one in black and one in pink) and although I ordered the pink one over a week ago and payed for the black stone ring yesterday, I received the black ring in the mail today. Fortunately with the much awaited photographs of Deadly Ponies new collection including the colour magenta as well as a few sunsets and surreal photographs including pink I feel a little better. I bet if I was a graceful mermaid I wouldn't feel this deep funk I'm in as well as this weird state of missing school. I have nothing to do for the next month or so except for continue to blog and keep trying to sell things on eBay- yes it is a very exciting existence.

One day I will drag myself from the comfort of the office chair and computer woke station and trawl the streets of Japan as well as many other notable cities of the world with my camera in hand drinking in exotic aromas, street food and absorbing bountiful amounts of culture and fashion. Until then I shall remain sorting out many of the images stored on my computer as well as wistfully writing about popular and amazing labels for jewellery, clothing, shoes and other accessories in an attempt to sooth my taste for fashion. It's never going to work though, if I hadn't have blogged about the Yves Saint Laurent Arty Ovale ring then I would never have bought two.

I've already posted this exact photograph of model Sky Ferreira chewing on a stick of mint gum but that was untouched and had minimal Photoshop appeal about it as opposed to its pink counterpart. That's the great thing about being blond, your hair can naturally take to dyes of all sorts of colours and the art of digital editing can also create the illusion of pink hair. The pink hair is given a real and edginess with eyeliner and mascara framing the outer edges of Sky's eyes- I prefer myself to have long and extended wisps of eyeliner in a cat-like effect.

I'm not one to wear a lot of pink myself but I do have a rather nice pink blouse in a silk-like fabric covered in small swallows in dark blue ink. They're about the size of the eye of a needle each so not as iconic as the Miu Miu 2012 collection but at the time I bought it I was mad for the runway models and the campaign so buying a thirty dollar blouse I love to death and wear about five times a month seemed like a good investment at the time. Once I find myself a pink maxi dress full of pleats and a bustier like front I think I'll be quit fixed of the pink phase in terms of clothing, shoes and accessories is an entirely different ballgame I'm afraid...

After having been there myself, I can confidently conclude that this is not the Disneyland Princess castle of California but may however be a newer Disneyland location- I'm not accustomed to seeing this jagged bridge and prefer the straight and narrow path myself to the castle but the swirling metal silhouette of Peter Pan's Tinkerbelle towards the top most tower is a nice touch. Both are painted in that familiar newborn baby girl pink that so many little one suits as well as young girl's toys are made out of.

Everything seemed to prosperous and prospective last week when I had a half a thousand dollars available in my bank account, I was even tempted to get some pink perfume, maybe Miss Dior of Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb in bright sparkly pink but since I caved in to desire once again, I'm back at square one. In the old days of my eBay use having my money at home was most perilous but since starting an PayPal account and linking it to my bank account it seems 'saving' my money is getting very tricky what with all the hours I spend online searching for vintage pieces as well as new and exciting foreign brands.

Green

All this year I'll be travelling to and from university using public transport, a combination of train and bus. So in the spirit of things I thought I would show off a few pictures of serene green settings? I just wanted to share with you my readers some of the photographs that have been inspiring me and similar things that I hope to see and explore. I've decided to study Geosciences and possibly major in it if I never make it to veterinary sciences and I'm enticed by a six digit annual paycheck. It's not just that though- I love the Earth as well.

I don't wear a lot of green in my usual routine but I do have two skirts in green that I love to death- one's American Apparel and long and pleated and the other has a print of leaves in black and white that usually wins compliments. At one stage of my past life, being an awkward and embarrassing teenager I bought some fluorescent green nail polish but only used it once. I don't think I'm brave enough to try and wear the shade again.

At my parent's house we have a few separate climbing vine plants and when we first bought the place my mother ordered everyone to pull them all off. She feared they would eventually ruin the strength and integrity of the bricks but when you think about it, the compression strength of a brick can't be harmed very much by small anchoring roots. To think, I could be sitting on a veranda swarming with vines on the walls and ceiling if she hadn't thrown a monkey wrench into those plans.

It's not often you see such large and tall pine trees but I remember when the house on the street corner had these amazing large pine trees bordering a small fence and house and the fence was inch deep in brown needles. At my father's old work place there were also tall pine trees taller than a second storey building and the lunch room had a small balcony which backed out onto the trees. I've lost all the lovely pine trees in my life but maybe my future of collecting research data in the field and maybe in forests will reunite me with them once more.