Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Tuesday Edition

I totally forgot that it was Monday yesterday, hence the lack of a music video. Also, we still had another Christmas lunch to go to, so I was kind of focused on thinking about what I was going to be eating that afternoon. My priorities: food.

Anyway, I heard this song on the radio last week and know nothing about the band except for their name and the fact that they come from Sydney.

But it's a very cool song, so have a listen!



There's something about it that makes me think of songs from the mid to late nineties that Triple J would have played.
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Friday, December 23, 2011

Fun Friday Links

Hey, it's Festivus!  Good luck with your Feats of Strength, everyone!

It's also, you know, Christmas in TWO DAYS. This year has officially gone faster than any other year in the history of everything. Am I right?

- Take a look at the 45 most powerful images of 2011. It's been a heck of a year.

- Remeber at the start of Clueless when Cher uses that computer program to choose what she's going to wear? Yeah, that's totally a reality now. If you're challenged in the ensemble department, this app is going to make life a lot easier. Is it weird that fifteen years later I still covet most of Cher's clothes?

- Here are 79 of the best viral videos from 2011. If you're at work today, this should keep you busy. You're welcome.

- Finally, if you're like me and you haven't had time to do any Christmas baking, check out this super easy recipe I posted last December for Rumballs. They take about an hour to put together and everyone LOVES them. It's baking without the actual baking part of things.

Have a lovely Christmas (or a happy Sunday) everyone! Pin It

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Cheer

Christmas Cheer

This is what I would wear if we had a super fancy Christmas party to attend. You know, the kind you see in movies where everyone is dressed to the nines and sipping from retro champagne glasses and there are fires roaring and snow falling.

How gorgeous is this dress? Pin It

Book Review: Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe

Title: Meet Me at the Cupcake Café
Author: Jenny Colgan
Publisher: Sphere / Hachette Australia
Year of Publication: 2011
Page Extent:456


Issy Randall is a thirty-something in London, working in an office job that does nothing for her except pay the bills. She's having a secret relationship with her boss, Graeme (well, she thinks it's a relationship - it's a bit hard for her to tell) and she spends her spare time baking and visiting her grandfather, a former baker, in a nursing home. Life is pretty....average.

Suddenly, changes are afoot in the property development office where she works and redundancies loom. But Issy knows her job is secure. She's sleeping with the boss after all. So imagine her surprise when she's called into Graeme's office and given her marching orders. Not long after that, Graeme ends their affair and leaves her jobless, boyfriend-less and totally humiliated.

Retreating to a hermit-like existence, Issy spends her time baking delicious cakes for her and her roommate, Helena, and lying in bed all day depressed and desolate. A forced excursion to an employment training seminar leaves Issy feeling even more hopeless at finding another job, and after admiring the empty little shop and sunny courtyard at the corner of her street, and idea begins to take shape in Issy's mind. Encouraged by Helena, Issy starts investigating the possibility of opening her own cupcake café, and before she knows it, she's up to her eyeballs in lease agreements and mortgage applications and building quotes.

Luckily the local bank manager, Austin, is there to help Issy along the way, and despite his disheveled appearance and equally disheveled personal life, Issy begins to feel soft sparks flying between them. As her café takes shape, we are introduced to a host of quirky and likable characters: Pearl, the unemployed single mother Issy recruits to work in the café, Caroline, the sharp divorcee who isn't afraid to voice her upper-class opinions on everything, and Grandpa Joe, who supplies Issy with his tried and true recipes. The café opens to moderate success, with word of mouth and a few lucky breaks propelling Issy and her baking into the spotlight.

While Issy works hard to establish herself in the small business world, Graeme hatches a scheme to try and win Issy back and develop the lovely little group of shops on Pear Tree Court where Issy's café is, into a group of modern apartments, with the deluded idea that she'll actually be grateful to him for selling up her dream and getting her back into an office job. Tension mounts as Austin and Graeme vie for Issy's attention, and Issy and Helena clash over Issy's choices as she works to achieve her goals, both professional and personal.

This all sounds like fairly standard chick lit fare, but there's something more personal and touching about this novel than the usual material in the genre. One of the most enticing and thoughtful touches is the inclusion of a recipe at the start of each chapter, which is then something Issy bakes or is featured in the café throughout the chapter. Not only do the recipes sound delicious and, as someone who loves to bake, I find that particular aspect of the novel extremely appealing, but there's a realness to Issy and her friends that makes the story totally relateable.

The story itself is somewhat predictable, but the author's focus on each characters' story is what sets this apart from other chick lit. The audience isn't subjected to Issy's every thought and rumination over her love life - there's a good amount of focus on her setting up the business and the day to day running of the café with Pearl and Caroline. Told in the third person, the point of view switches from Issy to Pearl to Austin to Graeme with ease, giving the reader a nice, balanced taste of life in Stoke Newington, London with all its kooky characters.  It's hard not to find yourself feeling like part of the neighbourhood (and craving a cupcake almost constantly as you read)!

This book is the perfect Summer read. It's a denser book than most chick lit, and it would be wonderful for lazy days at the beach or warm nights sipping a cocktail after dinner, and I highly recommend it if you're after a good comfort read during the busy festive season!

In a word: lovely


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Monday, December 19, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Christmas Edition

I know, Christmas carols are everywhere at this time of year and it's so annoying. 

But not this one. Because as manic and irritating carols are in a crowded supermarket or shopping centre, this one rarely gets played. It's by far my favourite carol, and it's beautiful and it sums up what Christmas is about.



Also, how many people could sing this without back up music and hit the right notes? Not many.

Chills, I tell you. Chills.
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Friday, December 16, 2011

Fun Friday Links

One week til Christmas! I thought I was organised, then last night I remembered one more gift I have to get, so back to the shops for me. Blarg.

But still, one week to go, and that means Christmas baking! Rumballs and gingerbread and shortbread, oh my!

For now though, here are some links to keep your Friday interesting!

- Okay, how did I not know about Shit Girls Say? You simply MUST check out this video. I am kind of ashamed to admit that I have said several of those things. Also, I may or may not crunch food really loudly. Watch the video and you'll know what I mean.

- You need to have a look at this list of twenty five things to make life easier. It's pure genius. I'm totally trying the wet wipes/plastic bag storage one. Currently I have all my plastic bags stuffed in a  drawer and it's making me CRAZY.

- Check out the tumblr called Old Love. It's just a bunch of photos of celebrities who used to date and it's such a time waster, but it's so, so entertaining. The fashion is especially amusing.


- Propaganda posters for everyday modern annoyances. Number twenty three may be the greatest thing EVER.

Happy weekend everyone!
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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Sweet Things - La Belle Miette

We had breakfast at Affogato on Hardware Lane last week, which is directly opposite La Belle Miette, the most gorgeous patisserie.So of course, as soon as we had finished our breakfast I insisted we go and have a look inside, because the crisp blues and whites of the shop window were just too inviting to resist.

Once inside, I decided that I had to try their specialty, something that is very much flavour of the month (year?) at the moment.

 

Macarons! A long, gorgeous case of ever colour macaron you can imagine! And they come in such lovely packaging, you cannot go into that shop and walk away empty handed. 
I've had a couple of macarons in the past, but nothing that really knocked my socks off.

We got a pack of 6.
From left to right we have: hazlenut (which was not red at all, not matter what this photo looks like), salted caramel, raspberry, blueberry and violet, and strawberry and vanilla.

The hazelnut was soooooo good, and the strawberry and vanilla had the most subtle, lovely flavour. The raspberry and strawberry and vanilla ones had a tiny layer of jam in them, which added to the flavour without making them overly sweet.

Best of all, a pack of 6 was only fifteen dollars ($2.50 per macaron).
 
Well worth it! They also have a shop in Church Street, Richmond.

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Monday, December 12, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Roy Orbison

Posting this because I have heard it about three times in the past week.

And because it contains some of my most favourite song lyrics ever.



"I'm glad to give my love to you."

Beautiful.
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Friday, December 9, 2011

Fun Friday Links - PM Edition

I have been out and about being touristy in my own city. I already knew this, but it bears repeating: Melbourne is awesome. Hence the lack of Friday links this morning because I couldn't get my act together in time over the last couple of days. 

Anyway, here are some links to keep you occupied as you while away the final few hours of your Friday night!

- Why did our childhood toys have to become so sexy? It's totally wrong. I think I feel the most sad about Holly Hobby. Also, on topic with little girl things being too sexy if you haven't read Cinderella Ate My Daughter yet, you really, really should.

- I think you really need to take a moment and have a look at Elizabeth Taylor's amazing jewelry collection over at Vanity Fair. I'll take one of each, please.

- Buildings shaped like what they sell! I really need to live in a city where the library building is shaped like books on a bookcase. 

- Ever been on a first date and thought "that didn't go so well, oh well, time to move on"? Well, imagine if you were the poor woman on the end of this diatribe from a passive-aggressive jackhole who  doesn't seem to realise that the problem may be him. Pro tip: leading the opening paragraphs of your email with "In my opinion, leading someone on (i.e., giving mixed signals) is impolite and immature. It's bad to do that" for someone you've been out with ONCE is not a good idea, dude, especially if you want to go out with the woman again.

- What would happen if The Muppets auditioned for other famous roles in film and television? Well, someone had a little think about it and this is the result. I know I'm not the only one who saw Sam the Eagle as Don Draper and though "Weirdly, that could work."

Enjoy your weekend everyone!
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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Glee Highlights - Season 3, Episode 6: Mash Off

I loved the musical numbers in this episodes. Loved them. The storyline wasn't bad either - some consistency and things seem to be moving forward in a good direction. So, let's take a look at the highlights!

Hot For Teacher
While I haaaaaaate the Puck/Shelby storyline, this number was pure fun. Pure eighties teen movie cheesy. So hilarious.
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Monday, December 5, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Adele Mash Up

I finally finished watching the most recent (in Australia, anyway) episode of Glee and I really liked the Adele mash up of Rumor Has It and Someone Like You.



I knew they were going to do an Adele mash up and I didn't think I would like it that much, but honestly? I think they did a really good job. Really good.

Your thoughts?
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Friday, December 2, 2011

Fun Friday Links

Let's hope tomorrow's weather is better than last Saturday's horrific rain, am I right Melbournians? We were lucky enough to be out at appointments and sloshing through car parks on our way to Christmas shopping right in the middle of it, so that was a nice way to start the weekend!

Anyway, here are some links to keep you occupied this sunny Friday.

- You know those daily deal websites like Scoopon and Catch of the Day? You can get some pretty good stuff on them. But one baker in England vastly underestimated public interest when she put up a deal on Groupon for 75% off a dozen cupcakes. She got ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND ORDERS and it nearly sent her broke.

- I'm not a tea or coffee drinker. Never have been. But I sort of wish I drank coffee just so I could get something like these beautiful little works of art in the foam on top. Although I would only enjoy it if the barista doing it didn't think he was God's gift to the world of beverages.

- This lady basically sums up how best to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. Although it's fairly applicable for Christmas, too. Language is not safe for work. It also sums up how I feel about turkey: blergh. Give me some roast chicken any day.

- Have you all seen the newest red carpet reporters? They're British and they're hilarious. They started out as YouTube sensations singing a Nicki Minaj song and things just took off for them.

Enjoy your weekend everyone! Pin It

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

2011 ARIA Awards Fashion - Hits and Misses

Did anyone even bother to watch the ARIAs the whole way through? I sure didn't. But I obsessively checked and refreshed the red carpet photos a LOT because if there's one thing I know, it's that music award shows bring the crazy fashion out. This year didn't disappoint.

I'm willing to bet 99% of the people in the crowds watching the arrivals didn't realise this was actor Noah Taylor and instead thought it was some guy dressed as a homeless man from the 1970s.
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Monday, November 28, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Katie Noonan and Elixir

This is probably my favourite cover song. Ever.

If you haven't heard Katie Noonan's version of Elton John's Yellow Brick Road, stop what you are doing right now and listen to it.



Beautiful. Am I right?

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Fun Friday Links

Woo, the weekend! And it's going to rain most of the time, yay! Honestly, I don't mind - I've got Tina Fey's Bossypants waiting for me and I cannot wait to spend a drizzly Sunday afternoon on the couch reading it.

But let's get stuck into the links!

- Did you see the Fug Girls' write up of Miss Piggy's fashion over the years? It's gorgeous. Also, I'm not pointing any fingers, but I suspect a certain pig has had some subtle work done over the years.....

- It was Thanksgiving in the States yesterday, and to celebrate, why not make three cakes within a cake? A cherry pie, an apple pie and a pumpkin pie all baked together in one ginormous dessert. Question: how do they get the icing that perfect around the edge? The line is so damn sharp.

- SO many people have been linking to actor/director George Takei's facebook page lately. He has the best photos and pictures. You must check it out.

- Raspberri Cupcakes is my favourite baking blog. The food is amazing and the photography is just stunning. I was quite taken with her post from this week for Chocolate Cereal Milk Mousse and Coco Pops. Steph, the writer/baker/photographer always adds interesting dimensions to everyday desserts and I just love reading about her latest creations.


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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Spring Snack

I am not a huge fruit person. But I do enjoy it more in the Spring/Summer time when there seems to be more variety. So I couldn't resist these gorgeous cherries when I noticed how red and lush they looked.


Of course it helps that they weren't one thousand dollars a kilo, finally.

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Monday, November 21, 2011

Monday Morning melody - The Kinks

But not a Kinks song you're expecting, like Lola, You Really Got Me, or Louie Louie. No, this is a Kinks song I don't think I've ever heard before last night. Maybe everyone else has, but at a wedding last night, this song was one of the songs played as everyone farewelled the newlyweds.

This Time Tomorrow - The Kinks



The lyrics are simple, but there's something about them that seemed perfectly suited to a wedding - the unknown of the future, but feeling excited and wanting to continue moving forward to see what adventure life has in store. I love it.

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Friday, November 18, 2011

Fun Friday Links

We're heading away for a long weekend and I'm glad the weather will be warm. I'm getting sick of not being about to break out my Summery clothes when it's still twelve freaking degrees in the morning!

But I've seen a bunch of cool stuff online this week, so I hope you enjoy them!

- Remember in primary school when you'd get a new pencil case and tear up the letters to slot them into the plastic casing? No? Well, watch this amazing stop motion video featuring pencils and pencil cases and you'll see what I mean.

- Have a look at the adorable and very amusing movie scenes baby Arthur has recreated. I think the Shawshank Redemeption one might be my favourite!

- The Muppets movie is nearly out, and Jason Segel was on TV talking about some feedback a 7 year old critic had. Basically, the kid had a huge problem with the film. Specifically, his face.

- OMG OMG OMG. The first trailer for The Hunger Games IS OUT PEOPLE. I'm really looking forward to it, I think that they got a lot of it right. Your thoughts?

- i09 has a breakdown of stills from the trailer with a closer look at it, which is great. Contains spoilers if you haven't read the book.


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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Glee Higlights: Season 3, Episode 5 - The First Time

Or, as my sister calls it, "the one where everyone loses their V-Plates."

This episode was a vast, VAST improvement on last weeks' episode, yes? There were only a couple of minor things that I think were left out, and I thought the storylines were woven together so nicely through the cinematography and direction. It was a nice return to form for the production team.

So, here are my highlights!

Artie Is Inappropriate Multiple Times
Yeah...Artie's "directing" needs a little work. You don't tell your cast that they need to have physically experienced what they're acting out. I mean, would you tell someone playing a murderer to go out and kill someone? I think not.

Asking a teacher about their love life? SO INAPPROPRIATE. AND UNREALISTIC.
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Monday, November 14, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Sara Bareilles

I've been a big fan of Sara Bareilles ever since her song Love Song was the free download on iTunes a few years ago. Her music is so heartfelt and passionate, and completely addictive. The song below, Gonna Get Over You is from her latest album Kaleidoscope Heart and the clip was directed by actor Jonah Hill (of Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall fame), who's apparently a close friend of hers.



I love the West Side Story feel to the clip (and also her killer eye make up). Her music is just so darn happy. It's hard not to love it.

It would be so awesome if she toured here. How can we get that happening?

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Fun Friday Links

I read on my Facebook feed that Christmas is something like forty five days away. FORTY FIVE DAYS. Where has this year gone? That reminds me, I need to buy a new Christmas wreath that doesn't cost one million dollars but also doesn't look like a tacky piece of crap. Suggestions for where I can find this in Melbourne are most welcome.

Anyway, here are your links for this Friday.

- Eddie Murphy dropped out of hosting the Oscars after producer Brett Ratner resigned from producing it. Disappointing (Murphy, I mean), because I was really hoping he would be all edgy and funny a la his Raw and Delirious days, but oh well. Instead, the Internet seems to think the Muppets should host it. To that I say HELL YES.

- Have a look at this amazing stop motion music video made with jelly beans! It apparently took nearly two years to create and used nearly three HUNDRED THOUSAND jelly beans. I would also like to know how many jelly beans the creators ate during those two years. There's also a making of video on that link that is really interesting.


- Even though Halloween was a few weeks ago, you HAVE to look at this toddler's costume. It is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

- Watch this catchy clip of a cover of Robyn's Call Your Girlfriend from Swedish group Erato. You'll be humming it all day, I promise.


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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Adventures in Cooking - Jam Hearts

I saw these a while ago on Taste.com.au and wanted to try them, but I knew they would be fiddly, so I waited until I had a free day on the long Melbourne Cup weekend to bake them. It was more time consuming than the usual things I bake (where I choose things based on how little effort it takes to make something yummy - let's be honest, laziness is a key motivator for me), but the end result was very cute.

Jam Hearts!


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup almond meal
1/3 cup icing sugar
125 grams chilled butter, chopped
1 egg
1 tbs milk
150 grams milk chocolate
1 cup raspberry jam
2 tbs water
Large and small heart shaped cookie cutters.

Preparation and cooking time
On and off about two hours.
Makes about sixteen jam hearts.
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Monday, November 7, 2011

Glee Highlights: Season 3, Episode 4: Pot O'Gold

This is a short highlights post. The reason? This episode was kind of dull. I only liked one of the songs, and there were a bunch of storylines that I just thought were really, really stupid.

So....let's get started, shall we?

Rory the Leprechaun
I didn't watch The Glee Project, but I like this kid. Good voice, nice personality, adorable accent. But the leprechaun thing? Really? This is the first storyline I thought was kind of stupid. Also, how long are they going to dress him in green? We get it: he's Irish. Green is their colour. Let's move on.

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Monday Morning Melody - Gotye

A while ago I featured Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know, which I really liked. But then I started hearing some of his other music, and I realised I liked that a LOT better. Especially this song called I Feel Better.



I couldn't find an official video, but take a listen anyway - This song has a distinctly motown feel and I just love it!

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Friday, November 4, 2011

Fun Friday Links

You've got to love a short week - holiday leave on Monday, then a public holiday on Tuesday and here we are at Thursday night already! I did have a momentary freak out when I thought today was Tuesday and I tell you, there is no better feeling than realising the weekend is ONE DAY AWAY.

So, without further ado, here are your Friday links!

- The BBC has this neat little feature where you put in your birth date and it tells you what number in the world's population you were at the time of your birth. I was the 4,583,391,933rd person born in the world on my day of birth!

- The Spring Racing Carnival brings out the good, the bad and the fugly in the fashion stakes. Mamammia has a quick round-up of the fashion at yesterday's Oaks Day. Sidenote: I really cannot believe that Shane Warne is engaged to Liz Hurley. I don't particularly care, but I just really don't believe that it is a reality.

- Blunt Card. Because sometimes a store-bought card with a nice sentiment just doesn't cut it.

- All That Is Interesting is, well, all things interesting. And beautiful. And kooky. Really, it's a website you can get lost in in about five seconds (with thanks to The Mustard Jumper for suggesting this on Twitter last week - you must check out her blog, it's fab!)

- I did my first official product review earlier this week - a review of the new Disney film Prom. If I was thirteen I would totes be in love with this movie!


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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

DVD Review - Disney's Prom

This DVD was provided to me for review by the kind folks at Haystac Marketing.

The Movie: Prom
The Players: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonnell, Danielle Campbell

The Makers: Joe Nussbaum (director), Justin Springer, Ted Griffin (producers), Katie Wech (writer) 

Run time: 99 minutes 
Genre: Drama - Comedy
Classification: PG 


The final days of high school are upon Nova Prescott and her friends Mei, Jordan, Lloyd and Rolo, but there's one more major event they've spent the past four years of their lives eagerly awaiting: Prom!

Nova is a popular, gorgeous over-achiever and she's head of the prom committee. She's spent months coordinating and creating the backdrop for what she hopes is the best prom ever, and just as the preparations are finalised, disaster strikes three weeks before the big event. A fire burns down the storage unit containing all the decorations the committee has carefully built and no one has time to recreate their efforts.

Meanwhile, Nova's friends are struggling with their own secrets and insecurities. Mei is avoiding telling her boyfriend she'll be going to college in New York and leaving him in Michigan, Jordan has realised her perfect jock boyfriend is two-timing her and clumsy Lloyd has left his prom plans too late and can't find a date for love nor money, despite his creative but clueless efforts. Sophmore Lucas is harboring a crush on fellow classmate Simone but is too chicken to ask her out, while Simone is hiding a secret that could ruin everything.

With so much tension going on in her friends' lives, it falls to Nova to begin prom preparations again, and the principal orders bad boy Jesse to help her. A rebel and a loner, Jesse has a reputation that precedes him, and tensions flair between he and Nova as his blase attitude towards prom become apparent. Nova's determination to give her classmates the perfect night, despite having no date of her own, drives her to work tirelessly to recreate the magic. As she and Jesse spend their nights building backdrops they're able to change their perspectives and they become friends....and more.

Disney's Prom is light-hearted look at the tumultuous final days of high school, where the atmosphere and emotion is heightened as everyone focuses on that one special night. The film focuses on this group of students, seamlessly knitting their stories together as the film comes to a close. Friday Night Lights fans will recognise Aimee Teegarden as the likeable Nova, and the ensemble cast works nicely together as a group of bright and bubbly high schoolers on the brink of adulthood.

This film is something the whole family can enjoy together, and will particularly appeal to kids (probably girls) around eleven to fifteen years old - I mean, what teenage girl doesn't love a movie about prom? It probably doesn't hurt that the actor playing bad boy Jesse has a very convincing young Johnny Depp thing going on! With a snappy soundtrack and a likeable cast, Prom is sure to be popular with all ages.

Disney's Prom is available to buy on a 2-disc blu-ray ($49.95) and a 1 disc DVD ($39.95) from November 2. The DVD features a making of featurette and a cute bloopers reel, as does the blu-ray. The blu-ray also features a short film about Lloyd's efforts to find a prom date, four deleted scenes and seven music videos.

In a word: good

But wait, there's more - check out this trailer of the film!



And this music video from Thomas McDonell's band Moon (bad boy Jesse)!


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Monday, October 31, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Busby Marou

I first heard these guys on Triple J's Like a Version earlier this year. It was National Indigenous Australian week, I think, and they featured heavily in all the activities going on. They've also been nominated and won some Indigenous Australian music awards, which is great.

But most importantly, their music is just lovely. You really need to take four minutes to listen to this song called Biding My Time.


See? Lovely.

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Fun Friday Links - Halloween Edition

Ooh, Halloween is on Monday *cue spooky music.* Even though we don't "celebrate" it here, there are always dress up parties to go to and a handful of trick or treaters that knock on our door (note to self: buy a bag of mini mars bars for Monday), so I thought I'd do a bit of a Halloween special for today's links! Admittedly most of them are costume related. 


But anyway.

Here we gooooooo......

- If you live in Victoria, you probably want to check out this website listing haunted places around Melbourne. Just, you know, so you can be prepared.

- Need a Halloween costume idea? Have a look at these costumes worn by celebrities and then try to create something even half as awesome on little to no budget. I have to say, I do love how committed Heidi Klum and Seal are every year.

- Need a Halloween costume for your kids? Check out these totally adorable ones! Baby Nacho Libre might be the most adorable thing in the world right now.


- Halloween costume or hipster? You decide. And then giggle. A lot.

- Lastly, make sure you watch this Halloween light show set to LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem. It's totally awesome. But probably not if you live next door or across the street from this guy.

Are you going to any Halloween parties? What are you wearing for your costume?

Happy weekend everyone!


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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Wedding outfit 1

Wedding outfit 3


We have a few weddings coming up over November/December and I was on Polyvore recently looking for inspiration. I probably won't end up wearing anything remotely like this, but I think this dress is perfect for this in-bewteen weather we're having at the moment in Melbourne! And the pop of orange is pretty much all you need to make a splash - a few neutral and gold accessories and you're done.


Although I must ponder why a shimmery gold eyeshadow has a sample colour shown that is purple, but whatever.
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Sunday, October 23, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Florence + The Machine

So, Florence + The Machine have a new single out.



You're welcome. There's really not much else to say. It's amazing.

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Fun Friday Links

So many fun links this week! Two of them have taken me back to my early teenage years in the nineties with some totally rad fashion. Okay, it's not so rad now, but back then we ALL wanted these looks. What am I talking about? You'll see....

- Claudia Kishi had the most bizarrely tantalising outfits in The Baby-Sitters Club (or the BSC if you're totally in the know). I mean, I found her outfits SO over the top, and yet I really wanted to wear them. This blog called What Claudia Wore chronicles the questionable, the ugly, and the totally nineties fashion on the book covers for the wildly popular Ann M. Martin books. Man, some of those book covers were tragic. And yet we were obsessed with them.

- You really need to look at this New York interior design photographer's website. Seriously, it is pure interior design porn. In New York. It's perfect.

- More totally rad fashion comes in the form of an interview with the costume designer for the TV show Blossom. Complete with an awesome slide show that will let you relive your teenage jealousy at all of Blossom and Six's totally cute outfits.

- You know I love a good flash mob. Well, here's one in Copenhagen, but there's a twist - it's a classical music flash mob. And it's lovely.

- Finally, I must include this, just so I can think about cheese, my favourite thing (seriously, is there anything in this world that cannot be made better without the addition of a delicious cheese?). Cheese or Font is a game that presents you with a word and you have to choose whether it's a cheese or a font. Fun for dairy-holics and font fanatics alike! Mmmm, cheese......


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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Retail Therapy - More loafers

So...I bought another pair of loafers.Turns out my Winter obsession is actually probably more of a year-round obsession!



But how could I resist? They are a cute blue colour, 100% leather and I nabbed them for $40 on Buy Invite. And they are so, so comfortable. Every time I buy a pair of loafers I think I'll never find a more comfortable pair....and then the next pair comes along and it's like bouncy pillows under my feet. I love them.



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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Christina Aguilera

This is a softer, mature Christina Aguilera, and it's one of the best songs on her Bionic album.



Co-written by Sia, this song is an example of how diverse Aguilera's style is (when she's not trying too hard to be the next electro-dance super star) and I really hope her next album channels a lot more of this maturity and emotion.

Also: damn that girl can sing.


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Friday, October 14, 2011

Fun Friday Links

I was so busy last week I didn't have time to do the usual Friday links, but I finished early from work yesterday and had time to do a heap of stuff.

So here are your links!

- I never noticed this, but there are a LOT of movie posters that look identical to each other.  A Walk On The Moon and An Education are basically the same movie with different people in them if you just go by the poster.

- Ahead of the release of their movie, the Muppets share a quick lesson in movie etiquette. I think we can all learn something from them. And let's face it, Miss Piggy's reaction at the end is something we have wanted to do many a time in a movie theatre.

- I was never great with statistics and numbers and stuff, but I do enjoy a good GraphJam. Statistics can be fun after all! Especially ones that are 100% accurate.

- So, everyone is totally into Ryan Gosling now. If you are, you might want to check out this Feminist Ryan Gosling tumblr. It's based on this tumblr, which, unsurprisingly (given it's a Tumblr), is called Fuck Yeah! Ryan Gosling. Enjoy.

Happy weekend everyone! Pin It

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Adventures in Cooking - Mars Bar Slice

Mars Bar Slice is one of the quickest, cheapest and easiest slices to make. And it’s always a winner. ALWAYS. Now, for my non-Australian readers, a Mars Bar is the same as an American Milky Way Bar – just nougat and caramel covered in chocolate, no nuts. It’s delicious. So of course, what better way to eat it than mixed with rice bubbles and smeared in chocolate?

With that, I present to you a super-duper easy Mars Bar Slice recipe. Warning: one tray of this will last less than twelve hours, it's that delicious.


Ingredients
70 grams butter
1 tablespoon golden syrup
4 x 53 gram Mars Bars, chopped up
3 cups (60g) rice bubbles
250 grams good quality milk chocolate
30 grams additional butter (for icing)

Preparation Time
5 minutes
Cooking Time
About twenty minutes. Setting time is about two hours or so.

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Monday, October 10, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Katalyst

I love this song. Listen to it. You will, too - I guarantee it.



It's by Australian DJ/Producer Katalyst, and it features the Coin Locker Kid, as well as sampling from The Belle Stars' 1982 tune The Clapping Song. Hence the name of this track.

This song is deliciously cool. Almost too cool for a dorky white girl like me to love. But it's really, really hard not to love it immediately. Trust me.

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Sunday, October 9, 2011

Glee Highlights: Season Three, Episode 3 - Asian F

Okay, let's get straight into it.

First of all:

Santana's Back
So....anyone can just mess up, set fire to public property and then just come back into the Glee club with no explanation whatsoever? That seems.....too convenient. I hope this gets addressed later on.
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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Drive By Post - Baby Blanket

I'm kind of busy this week, so posting has been a little bit lax, obviously. 

But, we have a beautiful new baby niece, so a few months ago I made a floor blanket for the new addition to the family. Luckily the gender was known, so I could use all this gorgeously bright fabric I had in the cupboard.

I was about to wrap it when I remembered to quickly snap a photo of it with my phone.


And a close up of the fabric (upside down, I just realised. Oops). I love the retro patterns!




Glee highlights post will go up in a day or so. Until then, have you checked out the Boredom Abounds By Julia facebook page? You can get updates direct in your newsfeed!



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Monday, October 3, 2011

Monday Morning Melody - Gavin DeGraw

I spent a little bit of time yesterday getting this post ready so that all I had to do this morning was hit "post", but stupidly I forgot to hit "save" before closing the window. I am SMRT. Anyway, this is a great new song by Gavin DeGraw called Not Over You.



Apparently in August this year DeGraw was assaulted in New York, then minutes later he was hit by a taxi, which sounds horrific. So it's nice to see him back with a really funky new song that I could easily listen to about ten times in a row and not get sick of! Pin It

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Glee Highlights - Season Three, Episode Two: I Am Unicorn

Despite a few minor issues with the whole adoption/Quinn/Puck/Shelby storyline, I actually thought this episode was a return to form for the writers. So, let's get stuck into the highlights!

Rachel Berry, Director
I loved Rachel's assumption that Mr. Schue would ask her to direct the school play. But what I loved even more was how after she gave her graciously humble speech, Brittany snuck in an "I hate you" comment before someone else started talking. Hilarious.
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Friday, September 30, 2011

Fun Friday Links

There are two big sports finals happening this weekend and I honestly could not care less. I ususally spend AFL Grand Final day shopping because come 2pm there is NO ONE at the shops. It's fantastic. The weather is supposed to be crappy tomorrow, so I might start a new tradition and watch DVDs on the couch with a blanket. Sounds divine.

But for now, enjoy these links!

- Imagine if Eric Stoltz had played Marty McFly. Or if Tom Selleck was Indiana Jones. That's crazy talk! But that's almost what happened. Check out this list of ten famous movies roles that were recast at the last minute.

- I am an avid scarf wearer in Winter. But I mostly just hang them around my neck and leave it at that. This clip, though, will no doubt change the way you wear scarves. Watch this cute girl demonstrate 25 ways to wear a scarf in 4.5 minutes. It's really cool (found via The Mustard Jumper).

- What would it sound like if Don Draper pitched the new Facebook timeline? Well, have a listen! I hate the Facebook changes. But I have an inkling if Don Draper pitched it I would like it a tad more than my current levels of extreme indignance towards the THREE SEPARATE idiotic newsfeeds. It's the SAME INFORMATION. THREE TIMES. WHAT IS THE POINT? Don't even get me started on the "Top Stories" thing that seems to be compiled in a completely random way that has no relation to my actual close friends and family /end rant.

- Want to see an example of absolutely appalling customer service? Seriously, the person from GASP who responded to this complaint is obviously a twenty two year old fashion graduate with no corporate experience, or a manager with their head so far up their own ass they have no idea how shitty the clothes at GASP really are. Read the original complaint and the response from the company here. Just because your company has a shop on Chapel Street in Melbourne doesn't mean it's God's gift to the fashion industry, FYI.

- Finally, I have read pretty much all the Stephanie Plum books, with the exeption of the last three or four. To be honest, I think Janet Evanovich is basically just writing the exact same story over and over and over again, so I gave up. But, they've made a film adaptation of One For The Money starring Katherine Heigl. I was SO against the Heigl when I found out she was playing Stephanie, but upon seeing the preview, I actually don't hate it. I might even really want to see it.

Although does anyone else think Debbie Reynolds is completely wrong for Grandma Mazur? She's supposed to be a mix of Estelle Getty and Grandma Yetta from The Nanny. Oh well, you can't win them all, I guess.

- Finally, become a fan of the Boredom Abounds By Julia Facebook fan page to get all the latest updates in your newsfeed! Pin It

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Spring Wardrobe Number Three

Spring Wardrobe Number Three

Spring Wardrobe Number Three by boredomaboundsbyjulia

I had a lot of fun putting this together. I was imagining a Spring afternoon tea or garden party when jeans just won't do, but you don't want to be the most dressed up gal in the room either.

I actually came really close to buying this dress from Dorothy Perkins a couple of months ago, but ended up with something else. However, I'm just so drawn to the cotton candy colour and the simple white stripes. Paired with a cardi and some simple ballet flats and this outfit will make you look chic and cheerful, with the pink of the sundress popping out.

I kept the make up simple, because the colour of the dress is the show stopper in this ensemble, and a nice neutral bag with sunglasses with tinted frames complete the look. And as always, a girl can never go wrong with a pair of pearl earrings.
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