Pretty Ghetto. A blog by Cheech Sanchez

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2010-03-27T20:54:00.001+11:00

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The Best (and worst) of 2009

2009-12-30T22:10:00.007+11:00

I've heard a lot of peeps saying that 2009 was a fucked year and they can't wait for it to be over.

But for all the ups and downs and downs I've been dished this year, I just can't write 2009 off. It was a a good year. A great one even.

And just like every other blogger in the known universe, I feel the undeniable urge to purge about my year. But unlike most, I'm resisting.

They say what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. And in my case, the things that nearly killed me lead to 2009 being pretty fucking awesome.

2010 is shaping up to be a massive year for me and marks the beginning of a whole lot of new awesomeness. If 2009 was a great year, 2010 is gonna be amazing!

Have a safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2010 xxxx

C.O.P. Ish #2 OUT NOW!

2009-12-30T19:21:00.007+11:00

I'm a little behind the 8-Ball - so don't hate me. Issue 2 of the ah-mazing C.O.P. Slagazine is out now. It's freaking awesome so get your grubby mitts on a FREE copy, available from:

Cold Krush

109 Unley Rd, UNLEY SA 5061

VIC

Per Square Metre Gallery

191-193 Johnston St, COLLINGWOOD VIC 3066

This Is It

396 Church St, RICHMOND VIC 3121

QLD

Rehab Records

Shop 1, 24 Station Rd, INDOOROOPILLY QLD 4068

Emergency Room

80 Howard St, Nambour QLD 4560

NSW

567 King

567 King St, NEWTOWN NSW 2042

Soul Clap Records

4/99 Devonshire St, SURRY HILLS NSW 2010

Nurcha Crew Store

12A Coronation St, HORNSBY NSW 2077

I'm super stoked with my shoot from ish #2 (sneak peak above - grab yourself a copy of the mag to see the rest) - MC Sky High and MC Nikkita look HOT. Thanks to Emz, Rose, Bella Deux, Lola & Bailey, Well Dressed Vandals, Sarah and all the crew involved in making it such a great night, with a great result.

Thanks to Eriks and Ivey for including me in the dopest magazizzle around. The mag looks hot and I can't wait to get cranking on the next issue. Here's to 2010!

Christmas Wishes from the Ghetto

2009-12-18T07:09:00.000+11:00

I feel a little guilty because I've been so slack - but seriously, I haven't even got time to scratch my ass, let alone wipe it. And on that note, I figure I may as well give myself a well earned getaway-from-Ghetto until after the festy season is done and dusted (but before New Years so I can rattle off my thoughts about the year that was, and of course, my New Years resolutions).

2010 marks the start of some massive changes for me (and I don't mean the change-of-life type changes or the I'm-going-to-be-the-2nd-pregnant-man type changes). I've got a big move to make, side projects in the pipeline, and some kick-ass news to announce - including a Monster House style reno for the Ghetto in the New Year - plus a bunch of other stuff, so stay tuned...

And because I'm working like a Trojan in consumer-hell this Christmas, I'm going to wish you all the very best now and save myself the hassle later.

Merry Christmas fuckers.

Love from your friend,
Cheech Sanchez

Slackers and Fakes

2009-12-17T22:18:00.008+11:00

Things are pretty hectic at the moment. Between living out all my childhood Christmas wishes as the voice of a magical tree, hunting random images with a great bunch of people and trying to organise myself to move south of the border in January, I've been neglecting the Ghetto.

The crazy academic-types at Swinburne University have obviously lost the plot because they've let me enroll for 2010. I'll be studying something I'm completely passionate about - interior design. For the uninitiated, Pretty Ghetto actually started out as my personal interior styling blog (which was preceded by Ulterior Interior). It took me ages to think of the name Pretty Ghetto, which came about because I consider my home to be my very own pretty little ghetto. Plus it has a double meaning, and it's an oxymoron. I'm smart-like.

"Where's Swinburne?" I hear you ask. Well folks, it's in Burn City baby - sweet, sweet Melbourne. And I'm not doing it via distance edu-ma-cation. I'm moving to the 'Burn in January. I've already got me a pretty pad with some pretty ladies - So I'm almost ready. But is the Burn ready for me?

I had to visit Burn City on Wednesday to enroll. Very exciting and I came away with a fabulous result - I got enough credit so I will only need to complete 2 out of the 3 years required for the degree. WIN. Not only that, I got to visit my swanky new home, meet (one of) my lovely new housemates, hang out with Bundy and cruise around Fitzroy - even if it was 39 degrees.

On our little adventure we visited Brunswick Street, where I can across these repulsive-yet-somewhat-enchanting Jordan VII Retro Pearl White/Bright Ceramic-Pacific Blue rip-off high heels.
Disturbed, yet undeniably attracted, I tried these trainwrecks on, much to Bundy's amusement. The workmanship was ghastly. The quality was low. They didn't come with a box, but they did come with a second pair of laces. The price, at $180, was ridiculous. An original pair of Jordan VII Retro Pearl White/Bright Ceramic-Pacific Blue look like this:To make matters worse, they had about 12 other colours and styles, like these:
I'm not sure whether I'm thrilled or appalled. I think I'm tending towards the latter. Quite a cunning fake if you ask me, and quite funny to us at the time. Even if the shop assistant didn't really see the funny side...

Still, it made me love Melbourne just that little bit more.

Swet Goes Red

2009-12-17T07:14:00.000+11:00

I know all y'all office-types are trying to bludge as much as you can in these last few days of work before Christmas. Internet usage has no doubt gone through the roof - so while you bludge off your employer - I mean work - make sure you check out the 100 Pieces in 100 Days Project featuring Danish graffiti artist Swet and supported by Molotow.
Each day in December, Swet will paint a piece using Molotow Premium 400ml Swet100 Traffic Red in order to set a new record. Swet says, "For me, it’s a challenge to see if I can find the time to paint even more without neglecting work or my family. And of course see what I can do with my style when all the pieces have to be different and with only one fill in colour to work with…”.

Even snow isn't stopping this man. You gotta wonder if my the end of December he'll ever be able to paint using red again. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing what he throws up on Christmas day...

Gah!

2009-12-06T19:38:00.000+11:00

Yes, they're available right now...

Tonight!

2009-12-04T15:58:00.001+11:00

Kelly Kapowski 101

2009-11-25T22:50:00.012+11:00

Like most kids my age, I was an avid afternoon TV watcher in the early 90s. The Afternoon Show hosted by James Valentine (and later Michael Tunn) introduced me and everyone else I knew to shows like Mysterious Cities of Gold and Degrassi Junior High. Although the ABC seriously had afternoon kids TV won hands down, some of the other free to air channels had a few winners, my favourites being the game show Double Dare and the California dream sitcom, Saved by the Bell.Saved by the Bell was no where near as awesome as Degrassi, but looking back, it was pretty awesome in the fashion stakes. Especially Kelly Kapowski.
Kelly (played by Tiffani-Amber Thiessen) had all the right moves. Giant teased hair that everyone tried to emulate, acid wash denim, crop tops, scrunchies, that all American girl-next-door smile and a body built for sin. Plus Zack used to follow her around like a sick little puppy. She was the girl I loved to hate.

I recently read someone quite accurately describe Kelly as the Kate Moss of the Aaron Spelling TV dynasty (although squeaky clean Coca-Cola Kelly probably never quite reached the same 'heights' as Coccaine Kate). Kelly Kapowski was the IT girl that paved the way for the Brenda Walshs and Kelly Taylors (and eventually Thiessen herself made it onto 90210 herself anyway). What made Kelly Kapowski so damn special? Her sweet-as-apple-pie smile that hid that hid the mean girl underneath, juvenille charm and a banging wardrobe. Here's the 411, from my point of view:Without a doubt, Kelly's most defining feature has to be her teased and over-moussed hair. Well before straighteners and hair extensions became le mode du jour, teased hair reigned supreme. I vividly remember girls in year 7 trying as hard as they could to get their fringes into the biggest, highest wave-like formations - particularly on school photo day. I think Kelly Kapowski has a lot to answer for...
Acid wash denim (especially the kind with OTT accents and features like Bedazzler or tassles) was a staple of Kelly's signature California girl look. Jeans, skirts, jackets, shorts.

I remember a particular pair of baggy, high-waisted shorts I absolutely coverted around 1989. They had crazy folded over detail at the waist and huge folded up cuffs that ended about 3cm above the knee. They covered a lot of area by todays standard (I heard the denim short-shorts getting rocked on almost every chick at the Stereosonic festival last weekend could have doubled as lingerie).Kelly Kapowski had a banging body that all us girls envied. It's no wonder she rocked so many crop tops. And just like Kelly, I've worn my fair share of crop tops. Hard to believe considering these days I would prefer to eat glass than bare my midriff. But once upon a time, when I was young (and still had a boy-like, pre-pubescent body) I busted out my belly button all the time. A particular favourite of my was a royal blue crop t shirt I wore under my Cross Colours overalls. Did I just admit that?By about year 8, most girls in my year were rocking slouch socks with pretty much everything from tracksuit pants (over the top, of course) with sneakers to skirts and Rollers (remember those shoes? Eek). I remember wearing slouch socks for my year 8 school photo. I wore them with a pair of Reebok low cut sneaks and a big scrunchie in my hair. Hot shit. I think Kelly Kapowski's stylist got that idea from LA Gear.
I can't remember (or find evidence) if Kelly actually wore LA Gears on Saved by the Bell, but I'd like to imagine she did. She's the perfect LA Gear poster girl. Well, almost. She'd have been a better poster girl if she was blonde - but then, she wouldn't have been Kelly, would she? I always had LA Gear envy. All those lucky little shits at school who managed to get their greedy little paws on kicks they didn't really appreciate (bitter much?). I like to think Kelly was one of those little shits.
This story just wouldn't be complete without a mentioning Scrunchies. Saved by the Bell just wouldn't have been the same without them.

In all honestly, I remember Scrunchies as being less of a serious fashion statement and more of a necessity. That was, until I started doing physical culture and had to match my hair accessories with my leotards. Scrunchies were great for tying my hair back as a kid because unlike regular hair elastics, they're much less likely to rip your hair out at the root if your hair gets tangled around a Scrunchie.

Put this all together, along with a few extras like t shirt sleeves rolled up, floral dresses and high waisted shorts and you've got one hell of a look for summer 2010!

Pump up the Jam Part 2

2009-11-25T22:14:00.002+11:00

Love your work Ash Mar. See more flicks at This Way In.

Basement Jaxx: My Retrospective

2009-11-24T20:10:00.006+11:00

I recently acquired a copy of Scars, the new album by Basement Jaxx. I was skeptical of what it might sound like, but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised at their triumphant return form. It reminded me of exactly why I love Basement Jaxx so much.
I came across the first Basement Jaxx album, Remedy, in my office when I worked for Delicious (a pre-millenium club night at Sydney's infamous Underground Cafe). It was 1999. House music reigned supreme. We were always getting sent promo CDs. Remedy was one of them.

It got thrashed in our office. I liked it so much that I got a copy and put it in my boyfriend's Datsun 1600 so we'd have something to listen to when we drove home early Sunday mornings after a big night out. It got thrashed in the Datto too. Those days have left me with a lot of fond memories of this album.

At the time, the sound was so fresh. From latin and reggae through to hip hop and trance, they mixed together something that should have sounded like a mess, but somehow came out like magic. It was so progressive, it defined the sound of the millenium - for me anyway.

With the first decade of the millenium drawing to close, Remedy has proved it could stand the test of time. Even at the ripe old age of 10 years, Remedy sounds as fresh as ever. A testament to the amazing talent of it's creators, Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe.

I feel very lucky I got to see them play live in 2000. They were breathe taking.
The follow up album, Rooty, was released in 2001. I was living in London at the time, working as a freelance designer. There were 2 reasons I bought the album as soon as I saw it - firstly, because I adored the first album, and secondly, because I loved the cover artwork which featured Snowflake, the world's only known albino gorilla.

Rooty continued right where Remedy left off, blending otherwise uncomplimentary sounds in a way that was unbelievably good. But this time, the sound was poppier, featuring more R&B and grimy MCs. The Jaxx had reinvented the wheel by bring an even newer edge to their punk-garage sound.

Rooty became the soundtrack for my life in London. I think I had 'Romeo' on repeat for a month. It was getting smashed on dancefloors everywhere. Then suddenly it was September 11 and the whole world seemed to stand still. After that, all I can remember is desperately wanting to come home.Their third album, Kish Kash, was released in 2003. By this point I was living back in Sydney, and I'd become a little bit jaded. As much as I'd loved Remedy and Rooty, I was skeptical that the Jaxx could possibly come up with another album of the same calibre.

Whilst their wasn't anything particularly wrong with the album, it wasn't a huge leap forward like the first too. They still managed to mix every conceivable sound in a way that was totally listenable and uniquely Basement Jaxx - it wasn't anything new.

But I still thrashed Kish Kash in my Nissan 180sx on a regular basis. I think the CD was pretty much permanently fixed in my stacker (or maybe that's just because it was in the boot of my car and I couldn't be assed changing it?). Plus I was having boy troubles at the time and 'Good Luck' was excellent man-hating music. And of course, after loving them live in 2000 and 2002, I saw Basement Jaxx live in 2004. They did not disappoint.

Even to this day, if I listen to Kish Kash, I get angry at men.
Crazy Itch Radio, the fourth album which was released in 2006, was probably the low light of my relationship with the Jaxx. It was the point where my worst fears came true and they produced an album which really drew short of their previous work. It wasn't a bad album, but it was underwhelming.

I can't say this album had any real effect on my life. I didn't listen to it that much. I had 'Take Me Back To Your House' in a few playlists, but the album wasn't something I went out of my way listen to. At the time I was listening to a lot heavier drum and bass sounds like Pendulum. Plus I was busy at the time, doing stuff like getting married and buying houses. Music took a back seat for a while.Which brings me to Scars.

This album is one of the best returns to form I think I've ever heard. Ten years on, the Jaxx have proven it's possible to be at the top of your game and stay there. True to form, Scars blends so many styles of music. Just when you think it's gonna taste like a seafood milkshake, it ends up like a mango smoothie - sweet and delicious.

Scars features cameos by some of the hottest hipsters on the planet. From Santigold's psy-raga in 'Saga' and Kelis' dark and brooding tones (could be something to do with her breakup - I like to think of it as a post-breakup song) in the title tune, to Sam Sparro's soulful good-times in Feelings Gone and Yoko Ono's repetitive drone in 'Day of the Sunflowers'. But perhaps the most beautiful of all the tracks off Scars is the Melodically melancholy 'Raindrops'.

All this has me wondering if this Basement Jaxx album will impact my life as much as their previous albums have. It's amazing to think that at this time in 1999, I was listening to their first album - and 10 years on, I'm still listening. All I can say is that Scars is definitely my soundtrack of the summer.

See Basement Jaxx at Good Vibrations 2010.

The Hotness: Drop the Lime

2009-11-24T16:57:00.003+11:00

His sound has been described as "chopped-up breaks making hairpin turns, breakdowns coming out of nowhere, a foundation of wobbling goblin bass often cut in with tropical, clacking snares".

And he's not bad to look at either.
Drop the Lime, AKA Luca Venezia, is a native New Yorker who runs the label Trouble & Bass. If you haven't heard of Trouble & Bass, think Acid Jacks, AC Slater and Starkey. Bass heavy sounds with a East Coast twist.
Sometimes my timing is impeccably crap. I was peeved when I was in NYC because DTL was touring Europe. Luckily, this month DTL is touring Oz for the Stereosonic festival. But I've been really worried I'd have to go against my better judgment and try to blag a ticket. Or worse - buy a ticket to Stereosonic just to see him play.
Thankfully, I just found out DTL will be playing his own show at Chinese Laundry on the 4/12. WIN! Another reason not to go to any festivals. And even better, Laundry means it's possible to get up close and personal with The Hotness himself.
True, he is a bit of a hipster. But a hipster who likes bassline house. And he does seem to wear a lot of muscle shirts (but lacks muscle).
I'd still tap that.

Where were you in 92?

2009-11-24T07:19:00.004+11:00

In 92, Cross Colours could be found in my wardrobe. I wonder what ever happened to my black Cross Colours overalls?

Hot Mess: Sabrina Salerno

2009-11-23T23:16:00.007+11:00

No doubt you remember this little gem:

This video clip used to embarrass the hell out of me. I'd be watching Rage, and it'd come on right when Dad came into the lounge to eat breakfast. I was always mortified Sabrina couldn't keep her boobs in her top and I was convinced Dad was ogling her boobs. I'm pretty sure I was right.

Now I think she's awesome.I'm pretty sure I've seen flicks of Nikkita rocking a Skipper cap. And check out the dope hi tops (Reeboks?) Sabrina is rocking below (top left hand corner). Mad steez!
Those eyebrows are off the hook! Eat your heart out Jennifer Connelly.

New Pepsi Bland

2009-11-22T23:26:00.004+11:00

Whilst in New York I noticed the new Pepsi logo. I was surprised at their decision to change branding (again) and even more surprised at their choice of logo. But it seems I'm not the only one puzzled by their latest move...
Blow at Life thinks it looks like a big fat bubble man. Quite ironic considering that soft drink consumption is linked with obesity.

Retro Sneaker Icon: Whoopi Goldberg

2009-11-22T20:41:00.009+11:00

Before the Reebok Pump party the other night, my friend B saw the Reebok Freestyles I was wearing and made an interesting observation. She told me she was absolutely sure Whoopi Goldberg rocks Freestyles in the 1986 movie, Jumpin' Jack Flash. Of course, I had to investigate.

Turns out B was dead right! Whoopi does wear Reeboks in the movie! Whoopi even wears Reeboks in the promo poster:
I sat down and watched the movie - she wears Frees in loads of different scenes. She even rocks some amazing canary yellow ones!But it doesn't stop there. After scouring the net for info on Whoopi I discovered that back in the day, Whoopi was a bit of a Reebok fiend. The same year Jumpin' Jack Flash was released, Whoopi appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Look closely...
She's rocking Reeboks on the cover of Rolling Stone. What a fiend!
She also won a Golden Globe that year for her role in the film The Color Purple (alongside Oprah Winfrey). And guess what she had on her feet the night she won? See for yourself...
These days she doesn't seem to wear Reeboks quite as much, but she's definitely still into sneakers. As a host on talk show The View, she had her own shoe segment called Whoopi's Favorite Shoes, featuring brands like Jumps.
And she has a pretty epic shoe collection of her own...
In 2008, Whoopi donated this pair of gold Converse to be auctioned for charity. They're not to my taste, but I love that the lady is still rocking kicks more than 20 years on.
Whoopi Goldberg, sneaker fiend - we salute you!

Happy Birthday Dion!

2009-11-22T20:26:00.003+11:00

Friday night at the Cricketers. Happy Birthday Big Boy...Ricks Rolling.
L.O.V.E.And the night ended with Xeno's. WIN.

L.A. Gear Lights are back

2009-11-22T09:50:00.007+11:00

Christmas eve, 1992 (ish). You've pawed all the presents under the Christmas tree. All the ones addressed to you feel like jumpers or CD wallets. You don't really believe in Santa anymore but you're hoping if you leave out some Tim Tams and a beer, you're gonna find a pair of L.A. Gear Lights with your name on them left under the tree in the morning...Never got a pair? Me either. I was the loser who had to be satisfied by bitterly envying the cool kids who'd some how managed to swindle a pair of Lights.
But never fear - L.A. Gear Lights are back! According to the L.A. Gear blog, the new Lights are due to drop in around 20 days time at Sportie L.A. They'll be available in 2 colourways:
Personally, I think the white are a bit bland, but the greys are pretty dope. And the lights are an intoxicating novelty! I'm sure they've be available to us Aussie's on eBay within seconds for an over inflated price.

Pump up the jam

2009-11-21T14:39:00.005+11:00

Friday night Espionage Chinatown played host to the Reebok Pump 20th Anniversary party. Even jetlag, 40 degree heat and a hangover couldn't keep me away.
Would you like some candy?
Smack! Happy 30th Dion.
Glenn got his drink on.Axis of evil.
Glad it wasn't me who'd had to clean up the mess. Dope party non the less!

Shock to the system Part 2

2009-11-20T14:31:00.000+11:00

And that is what you get when we're left alone with a free photo booth. Get your flicks from the G Shock the World party here.

Shock to the system Part 1

2009-11-20T14:17:00.000+11:00

My flight touched down in Sydneytown at 9.30am Thursday morning and after 24 hours of flights and transit, I wasn't content to sit at home and suffer jetlag.

Within nanoseconds of turning my phone back on and adjusting to the ridiculous heat, I was getting a zillion messages asking if I was gonna go to the Casio party at the Carriage Works in Darlington that night. Honestly - how could I refuse? Especially when I knew behaviour like this was gonna come out...
An epic combination of excessive free booze, prizes, balloons, photo booths, dancing, Hoops, Dexter and my girls Ki Ki, Amber and Emma made sure that this was a hilarious night.

Fuck me, I'm famous! Part 3

2009-11-17T14:11:00.000+11:00

I made the Methods blog! Shout outs to Dave Gee and Diggadee!

New York: My Little Apartment

2009-11-17T13:05:00.000+11:00

Here's my little NYC apartment. It's in the East Village, right near First Ave on the L Line.
It was a cosy little joint, complete with a cute fire escape that lead all the way up to a rooftop that you could access. It was a little hot sometimes, but it was snug when it got cold!

New York: Last Day

2009-11-16T13:55:00.000+11:00

I spent my last full day in NYC chilling with Meggs and checking out some of the Manhattan spots I hadn't had the chance to get to. After chowing down on an amazing lox scallion bagel, we hit Central Park for a bit of a wander.
Which of course was followed by more food. We ended up at the Lexington Candy Shop on the Upper East Side where we ate giant club sandwiches.
Then it was off to the Guggenheim. They had a Kandinsky exhibition running, but to be honest I was more impressed by the building itself.
Kandinsky isn't really my thing, but I do like some of his geometric abstract work.
I was however ultra impressed by the Anish Kapoor sculpture, Memory.
Then we walked over to MoMA. Unfortunately it was getting late - MoMA closes at 5.30pm. We got there just in time to be given free entry for a little taste of what MoMA has to offer. We got kicked out just as we got to the Warhol's.

After that, I finally got to see something I've been wanting to see for years and years. Robert Indiana's Love sculpture.
Then a bit of a mission through Chinatown, and ramen noodles in the East Village. What a day!

New York: Bubblegum Pony*s

2009-11-16T13:23:00.000+11:00

Tonight, I chilled with the fabulous Jewels from Bubblegum Pony*s. Jewels is a blogger, cool hunter, thrift thriller and all round amazing gal. I don't think we stopped talking for 2 seconds! Maybe just long enough to chew our mouth fulls of delish Thai food from Room Service.
Jewels is a thrift shop genius - she finds amazing pieces in thrift stores and sells them online and at flea markets. She also has an amazing t shirt/tote print which I absolutely love! The bamboo hoop heart is just such a great play on the good old I love NY t shirt. I've loved her t shirts forever and I finally nabbed 2 - plus some cute pins!
We took the Staten Island Ferry on the way home. What a treat to get to see the city from the ferry. And of course, Miss Liberty herself.
Such a rad night.

New York: Brooklyn Dubstep Represent!

2009-11-15T23:58:00.001+11:00

It turns out Brooklyn has a roaring little dubstep scene, thanks to Dave Gee and his parties, including Darkroom at COCO66.
At first I was a little apprehensive about going out to Greenpoint Ave after 11pm all on my lonesome. I was toying with the idea of staying in and watching TV in bed (I'm still struggling with a cold). But it turned out to be well worth it to make the (relatively) short trip on the L Train across to Brooklyn.
There was a dedicated crew of dubstep lovers at the gig, as well as loads of peeps who literally had no idea what dubstep was. There were all sorts, from the hardcore down the front who knew all the tunes and showed off their crazy-legged dance steez, to the nervous dude at the back who asked me to show him house to dance to this music.And there was no doubting the dedication of Dave Gee and the Methods NYC crew - they love what they do and it showed. MC Diggadee was hilarious (girls sending midnight text - what?!) both lyrically and physically - you gotta love an MC who oscillates wildly while on the mike.

The only thing I'm disappointed about is that I have to go home on Tuesday, and won't get to come back in two weeks time... Awesome night!

Check out Dave Gee's store Methods NYC. They have a womens t shirt collab with Toofly!

Need a cleaner?

2009-11-15T14:02:00.002+11:00

My pal Lord Fiendish has started a new cleaning service. I mean a NUDE cleaning service. He's looking for business. Hit him up on Gumtree. For reals.

New York: Most Dedicated

2009-11-14T22:11:00.001+11:00

Stupid rainy November New York weather. I think I ruined a pair of kicks today because of the rain. But I did a massive loop of the whole of Manhattan (and some) today despite the rain. I went up to the Bronx, hit Tuff City Styles, then to Harlem, to Atmos.

Then I went to Time Square.
Then all the way down to the Staten Island Ferry, except it was so foggy I didn't think it was worth catching, so I walked down to the Brooklyn Bridge.And to the very wet and deserted Brooklyn Banks.Then back through Chinatown towards the East Village.I made a pit stop along the way, and snapped up two pairs of sneaks from Classic Kicks for next to nothing. A pair of Structures and finally, a pair of AM1s.

And despite the rain, now I'm getting ready to head over to Brooklyn for the Darkroom @ COCO66 - BK dubstep at it's finest. Kinda amped to see if Dave Gee (Method NYC) plays (Darkroom has a rotating roster of DJs so you never quite know what you might get).
Before I left for NY, I promised Emzilla I'd get a 40 ounce and drink on Carrie's stoop. Unfortunately I couldn't follow through on the Carrie's stoop part, but I managed to score a 40 ounce of Old English just for you babe (insert obligatory photo of hipster pose with the bottle)! Cunz!
Wow I really look like a muppet in this photo...

New York: Max Fish, Katz Deli & Dim Mak Rockers

2009-11-13T20:40:00.003+11:00

After a bit of a false start at Ron English's show opening at Opera Gallery (guest list only), last night turned out to be pretty epic. Things kicked off at Ella, a very cool little bar just of Houston on the LES. They make excellent cocktails that taste even better during happy hour!
Next up, ciders and animated conversations at New York hipster haven Max Fish.
Nestled neatly amongst the other New York institutions on Ludlow, Max Fish was pretty quiet on arrival. 2 ciders later and the place was cranking. By this point I was pretty tipsy, so I really had to do a double take when non-other than El-P himself strolled into the bar. I was pretty starstruck, and all I could do was fumble for my phone so I could drunkenly text Emzilla. I wanted to say hello and ask if I could take a photo - but I was too drunk and awkward. Oh well.
Having already drunk quiet a few cocktails and ciders, I was pretty much busting to go by the time I decided to venture into the famed Max Fish toilets.
They did not disappoint, rivaling the (arguably) greatest graffiti toilets in the world - Sydney's very own Cricketer's Arms. Maybe I'm biased, but personally, I think the Crick's loos are still the best.
Hung out by the sticker-combo'd pool table for a while, where some of the local characters congregated.
Pony-tail dude was totally awesome. Not sure what I liked most - his pony-tail or his fanny-pack.
It was about this point I either needed to eat, or I'd end up in the gutter with Meggs holding my hair back while I re-tasted the rainbow. Katz Deli is right across the road from Max Fish, so it was the obvious choice for dinner.
Katz Deli is one of those spots in NY that you just have to try. It's been around since 1888 and is a real NY institution. It's referenced and used in loads of movies and modern culture, but it's probably best known for the 'I'll have what she's having' orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally. They even have a sign hanging about the table from the flick, so you can sit there if you'd like.
I was pretty loose by this point, and I was having a really hard time choosing what I wanted to eat. I ended up getting a Knish, steak fries and some kind of pastrami sandwich. The potions were huge! And I was pleasantly surprised to find they supply complimentary pickles. I LOVE PICKLES!Then it was on to Cloak & Dagger, the Dim Mak x Alife party at Santos Partyhaus.
Never heard of Dim Mak? It's the record label run by none other than Steve Aoki. They're doing big things right now.
Cloak and Dagger was jammed by the time we got there. The lineup included Fisherspooner and Junior Sanchez.
The crowd was pretty up for it, with the entire dancefloor and stage rocking. But there was this one particularly awesome character who stood out from all the rest.He looked like he was having a ball and I was mesmerised by his giant visor and shiny, skin-tight white pants. Visor dude, I salute you!After many more drinks, dancing and shit talk, we took a yellow cab back to Max Fish for a few more ciders. Heated discussion ensued about a dude who looked like Aesop Rock.
By this point I was intoxicated enough to balls-up and ask the dude if he was Aesop Rock. The dude and his friends thought it was pretty funny. They said Aesop Rock is much taller. I was slightly embarassed, but convinced it must have been him.

And with that, this Cinderella left the ball and walked home.

Skull duggery

2009-11-12T18:45:00.005+11:00

New York: Empire State Building, Muppet Making, Giant Pianos and ribs so good they make you sick

2009-11-12T07:19:00.003+11:00

Emzilla's dilemma - Magners, or Bulmers?Veteran's Day Parade Princes and Princesses...I love NYPD.You dirty rat.Macy's.The view from the top.FAO Schwarz Whatnot Workshop.
We made muppets!They're totally BFFs (no homo).
I nearly didn't have a go on the giant piano, but I did in the end.Daisy May's BBQ USA for dinner. Best ribs in NYC apparently. Tennessee Whiskey pork ribs are so good, but so evil. I think I got some kind of food poisoning...
And finally... the Trouble & Bass night at Ella. Holy shit, epic day!

New York: Tough Love is AMAZING!

2009-11-10T18:53:00.002+11:00

I met the AMAZING Jes from Tough Love NYC. We met up in the East Village for a few drinks, a mad chat and a slice of $1 pizza. We shared stories, and I think she really liked the one about how Australia uses magical, rainbow-coloured plastic money that you can wash and it doesn't disolve like paper money...
...And she blogs faster than me! She already blogged about it here! PROPS!
This girl has some serious flair! In the photo shoot I recently worked on for C.O.P., we used some Tough Love pieces. Jes was totally jazzed on the shoot - which is AMAZING! She also mentioned she'd be bringing out some dope new gear soon - can't wait for her next Tough Love drop...
Word of the night - AMAZING! Much love girl xxx

New York: Knicks V Utah

2009-11-10T18:50:00.001+11:00

Knicks lost. But beer + games = fun times!

New York: Exploring Downtown

2009-11-09T19:57:00.000+11:00

New York: Magnolia Bakery & Carrie's Apartment

2009-11-09T18:20:00.001+11:00

Being the Sex and the City (SATC) fan I am, of course I have a few SATC spots that are on my must-do list while I'm here in NYC. On of those being Magnolia Bakery - home of the famed cupcakes Carrie chows on when she first starts seeing Aiden.

It was a bit of trek to get to the store (they have a couple of stores) but I wanted to go to this one because it's right around the corner from Carrie's apartment (well, technically her stoop - but I'll get to that in a minute!).The store is really cute and the staff were super friendly. They had some amazing sweets aside from cupcakes too. I grabbed 2 butter cupcakes and 2 chocolate cupcakes.
For those of you who've been reading my blog for a while, you might remember that I've been known to bake my own cupcakes using the Magnolia cupcake recipe (and those who know me really well might have actually tasted them!). Here's some I prepared earlier...
They're always very popular when I do bake them, so as you can imagine I was really curious to taste a real Magnolia cupcake. I have my own description for my Magnolia cupcakes - heart attack flavour (because if you have more than one, you might have a heart attack!). The recipe uses a lot of butter and a lot of sugar and when I bake them, the cake itself always turns out quite moist and rich.
Although they were quite nice, to be honest, I was a little disappointed with the real thing. The icing was excellent but the cake itself was kind of dry. It's a big call - but I still think My Little Cupcake (who made my wedding cupcakes) in North Sydney are still by far the best cupcakes I've had.

Cupcakes in hand, I took myself off to 66 Perry Street New York - better known as Carrie's Apartment. Well, it's the apartment block they used for the exterior shots of her apartment.
It's funny how visiting the stoop brought back s many memories of watching SATC. All the nights Nic and I used to watch it at her place on a Tuesday night (correct me if I'm wrong there!) when it was airing on TV in Australia for the first time. It was quite a thrill to get to visit a place I'd never been to before, but feel such a connection with.

There was a little donation box on the stoop that asked you to leave a dollar for every photo you take - with the money going to help kitties and pooches. I threw more than a few dollars in. Money well spent, I reckon.

New York: FAO Schwarz

2009-11-08T23:46:00.000+11:00

Tonight I visited FAO Schwarz on 5th Avenue. Holy awesomeness! What a freaking cool toy store.
Remember the movie Big starring Tom Hanks, and the scene where they dance on the giant piano keys? FAO Schwarz is the store that scene was shot in.
And I was lucky enough to catch the show! So fun.
You can also make a Muppet Whatnot at FAO Schwarz. I'm gonna go back in a few days and make my very own muppet. And maybe dance on the piano keys. Stay tuned...

New York: Modeselektor

2009-11-08T23:22:00.000+11:00

Last night I went to watch fab French duo Modeselektor play at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. It was champagne-popping epic.
They played my two fav Modeselektor tunes. Heaven.

New York: Poor Pussy

2009-11-08T23:17:00.000+11:00

There I am, minding my own business on the subway to FAO Schwarz. I get out at 5th Avenue and what do I see? A man walking his cat on the subway platform.
I'm not sure what disturbed me more - that a man was walking his cat on a lead - or that he was doing it at FIFTH AVENUE. WTF?
Don't get me wrong, I like cats.

But walking them on a lead is over the top. And you can't tell me this kitty looks happy about being paraded around on a train platform. Aside from all the people, noise and TRAINS, it didn't exactly want to walk.
Maybe the dude needs to read a book like this? If he's down with buying and using a lead for his cat, then he'd probably be down with buying a book to learn how to use it. Some suckers will buy into anything, when really, all kitty wants is a cuddle and some Whiskas.

And the saddest thing is, kitty doesn't have a voice to say no.
So might I suggest, when he finally lets you off the leash - run kitty, run.

New York: Bagels, Bedford Ave & Brooklyn

2009-11-08T22:49:00.000+11:00

After a yummy bagel for breakfast, I took the L train to Bedford Ave and explored a little. I went to a few stores, including Boundless. Then I trekked a little further into Brooklyn and had a look around. Brooklyn Circus, WNDRLND and an awesome brunch at a cute diner - pulled pork sandwich and a pear cider. YUM!
At WNDRLND, I finally nabbed a pair of yellow Nylon x Nike Dunks - a bargain at just US$60!

What's your damage Heather?

2009-11-07T23:11:00.003+11:00

'Heathers' is easily one of my favourite movies ever. So when I heard Hellz Bellz had used Heathers as inspiration for their 2009 holiday collection, I was super stoked!
Loving the attention to detail - although the colour palate used in Heathers included greens, yellows and blues, the accent colour in the Hellz collection is red - Heather's colour. It straight up reminds me of the scene where Veronica rips the bow out of Heather's hair and says 'Heather, my love, there's a new sherriff in town'. Blazers, checks and bows - god damn I wish it was winter in Australia so I could continue wearing this stuff. Not much luck of that over summer :(

Find out more here.

New York: Chili Cheese Fries

2009-11-07T22:24:00.002+11:00

Check out these babies. Pretty sure I'm completely addicted.

I was feeling the pressures of jetlag at 3am. I went for a walk around the East Village, and I found this ah-mazing blink-and-you'll-miss-it hole-in-the-wall Belgian fries joint right around the corner from my apartment. This is the the small size, which costs $5 and translates easily to more than a meal. It's the ultimate jetlag fix or the perfect alternative to a 3am lamb sandwich. Hand cut fries, cheese whiz and chili con carne. Delicious!

Footlocker x Nike (EU)

2009-11-07T15:48:00.001+11:00

New York: Next Thursday...

2009-11-07T15:43:00.002+11:00

...get your hipster on.

Fuck me, I'm famous! Part 2

2009-11-07T15:24:00.002+11:00

And... Ash, Laura, the Man Mountain and I made it on to the KIKSTYO blog! Kawaii!

New York: Style Wars

2009-11-07T12:39:00.002+11:00

Tomorrow night, Style Wars takes place here in NYC. Claw Money is one of the celebrity judges. Basically it's a fashion battle where invited designers style on the spot within a time limit. Kind of like an MC battle, but fashion. Might be worth a look...

Fuck me, I'm famous!

2009-11-06T23:13:00.000+11:00

Here we in costume @ Everfresh. Via Life Lounge.
Thanks to Meggs for the tip-off.

New York: Weather for the next few days...

2009-11-06T20:38:00.001+11:00

I defs did not pack enough warm clothes. It's freezing! At least it looks like it'll be a little warmer Sunday/Monday...

Puppy Vs Terrierist

2009-11-06T19:16:00.003+11:00

Being a big fan of Jeff Koons (above is his work Puppy), I was pretty buzzed when I came across Robert Bradford's latest work (via MOB Living). Below is his piece, Terrierist. It's made of pegs and other plastic bits.Below is Iron Dog, which is made of steel wool (I wonder if his pet name is Scratch? Get it? Boomtish).
But my favourite is Bradford's Dash piece:
I miss my Stanley...

New York: Yankees Ticker Tape Parade

2009-11-06T15:11:00.000+11:00

It was a sea of blue and white. The atmosphere was electric. And then, right on cue, my camera ran out of batteries. But I found this flick which pretty much sums up the vibe of the parade...

New York: I'm here!

2009-11-05T22:00:00.001+11:00

I finally made it! After 22 hours of flying, I finally found myself smack-bang in the middle of a traffic jam in Manhattan. I'm trying to shrug off vertigo and jetlag (nothing a spot of shopping can't fix) in preparation for tomorrow's ticker tape parade to celebrate the Yankees winning the World Series.

I have to admit I'm pretty amped to catch a glimpse of Japanese superstar and Yankees designated hitter, Hideki Matsui.

Hello there...

2009-11-04T16:12:00.001+11:00

Could I be a bigger numpty?

I got all excited when I saw this flyer, thinking there was going to be a mad sale while I was NYC. Silly me - in the USA, 10.11.09 means the 11th October 2009, not the 10th November 2009. Duh Freddy!

Is Melburn really all that?

2009-11-03T12:10:00.013+11:00

Dave and I made our (now) annual pilgrimage to Melburn last weekend. As I am currently in the middle of deciding to make the big move south, I kept my eyes and ears peeled over the weekend for more reason why I should (or should not) move to the 'Burn. I'm still sitting on the fence, so I decided to rate my little getaway to see if Burncity is a winner or a loser...

1. So long, sucker
By now, y'all would have seen and heard the amusing rockstar antics of graf legend-turned-diva Revok displayed whilst he had his now famous vandal vacation in Melbs over the past few weeks. Some of his work was quite ballsy, like this stomper on the Westgate, which we thought we'd get to see on our way into Burncity.
Funnily enough, Hooks/Revok had been replaced by this clever number at the hands of Treo/ID.
I'm giving Melbs 1 point for the locals lads sticking up for what's theirs!

2. The Causeway
We stayed at a modern little business hotel called the Causeway, right smack bang in the middle of Burncity. I'd definitely give Melbs 1 point for the Causeway. But if I move to Melbs, I won't need to stay there any more. Minus 1 point.

3. Crablicious
Dave and I have a special spot we like to go for din-dins while we're in Melbs where they don't mind so much if you eat with your hands and make a mess of yourself. Clay Pots in St Kilda.
They give you bibs and encourage you to eat more and more. We ate sea urchin, scallops, crab, prawns and mussels amongst other things. It's delicious. Melbs, you get a solid 1 point for this fab joint.

4. Don't try this at home, kids
Yeah, I know you can get Cold Rock in Sydney too, but I'm more likely to try something new when I'm out of my comfort zone. For example, different flavors of ice cream. I'm strictly a vanilla girl. Usually the furthest I'll go is hokey pokey, or the occasional cookies'n'cream. Even at Cold Rock I generally get vanilla and 1 or 2 mixers, like gummi bears or cookie dough.

But this time I went over the edge. Vanilla with nerds and sherbert. I think my head imploded. 1 point for getting my balls out in Burncity.

5. Yellow Bird
Cool cafe, shit weather. Yellow Bird is a neat little spot on Chapel Street that makes really nice food and doubles as a bar at night. Would have been nice to sit outside except the umbrellas they had out front didn't shield us from the stupid Melburn rain. At least Dave got his rocks of touching the curtains. I'm giving the 'Burn 1 point for Yellow Bird, but minus 1 for the weather.

6. Everfresh Studio
The boys at Everfresh were nice enough to let us come have a stickybeak around the studio the night before they had their (now infamous) party. It's a pretty rad studio. 1 point.

7. My happy face
Dave took this photo of me on the tram on Friday night because he said I was really happy. I was. I guess sometimes Melbs can have that effect. 1 point. Or maybe it was just really great seeing Dave? I'll give Melbs a bonus point just because I'm so happy - total 2 points.

8. Bettina in a VIDEO GAME?
We saw the new Grand Theft Auto ads for the first time in Melbs and Dave came up witht the legendary call that it looks just a cartoon version of out mate B.
The likeness is almost uncanny - here's a photo of B and I from a while back when we dressed up for a work Christmas party (that's her on the left and me on the right). She's even dressed the same. I'm giving Melbs 1 point for being the first place to remind me of how funny it was later that night when I had to cut her out of that Chinese dress... but minus 1 point for reminding me of how much I'll miss B if I move to Melbs.

9. Not-so-Fresh when the cops turn up...
The Everfresh party was pretty good until the cops showed up. So I'm give Melbs 1 point for knowing how to throw a good party; 1 point for this guy who showed up in the dopest Marty McFly costume (including actual hoverboard):
Minus 1 point for the harsh attitude displayed by the Victoria Police and 1 point for the Vic cop who seemed to be checking Spice...

10. What is Ironlak Frenzy?
Answer: What get when you cross some of Auckland's best writers, a Melbourne laneway and a shitload of Ironlak. Phats, Diva, Saves... it was definitely 20 hot minutes in this tiny alley way. There were peeps on bins, on crates, cans hissing, punters mesmerised...
Then the cops showed up cos people where complaining about the fumes. Only in Melbs could 10 or so people bomb a laneway in the CBD and get in trouble because the paint fumes were a bit woofy. I think I love you Melburn. 1 point for being so cool.

Final Scores
For Melbs: 13 points
Against Melbs: 3 points

Burncity is the winner!

D.I.Y. Original Fake x Reebok Freestyles

2009-10-26T19:49:00.007+11:00

Ever imagined up a pair of fantasy kicks? I do sometimes.

And when I saw these amazing Original Fake shoelaces in Tokyo earlier this month, I just knew they'd be perfect in a brand new pair of white sneakers.
I love a good sheltered workshop - and I love sneaker collaborations - so I decided to create my very own D.I.Y. sneaker collab. And instead of just lacing them up and shoving them back in the box, I decided I'd make it into an online tutorial for everyone to enjoy :)

Here's how make your own D.I.Y. Original Fake x Reebok Freestyles in just 4 easy steps!

Prep time:
10 minutes

Materials required:
1 x fresh pair of white Reebok Freestyles
1 x fresh pair of Original Fake shoelaces Step 1:
Remove boring, white laces from Reebok Freestyles.
Step 2:
Lace Reebok Freestyles with awesome Original Fake shoelaces.
Step 3:
In true Kaws style (see the eyes in the logo below), cross your velcro straps.Step 4:
Enjoy you're beautiful new D.I.Y. collaboration!
Please Note: As far as I'm aware, there are no official Original Fake x Reebok Freestyle collabs past, present or future. I made these for my own enjoyment!

Just Do It

2009-10-25T19:47:00.001+11:00

I think I just found my ultimate Halloween costume. And they have instructions on how to make it! Click here.

Graf Couture

2009-10-25T09:52:00.016+11:00

You know you've made when you're invited to work on an editorial for French Vogue. Loads of fashion blogs are fronting this shoot in a frenzy of graffiti-meets-couture posts - but I suggest you get the real deal direct from the horses mouth. Kaws blog.
The shoot was put together by Photographer and Director, Mario Sorrenti, who invited Kaws to collaborate (and I love collabs). If you haven't heard of Sorrenti by name, there's no doubt you'll know his work. Sorrenti's 1993 photograph of Kate Moss for Calvin Klein Obsession is arguably one the most prolific and memorable for both the brand and the model.
When I first looked at Sorrenti's flicks, I thought to myself 'remove model, insert Lady Gaga'. And not necessarily to the benefit of the shots. As beautiful as I think Sorrenti's November 09 Vogue editorial is, I'm a bit over the Lady Gaga thing that's seems to be sticking to almost everything like flies to shit right now.Although I have to admit, I do like the lace mask.

But as much as graffiti couture is so hot right now according to all the fashion blog hype saying this shoot is God's gift: it's really nothing new. One of the most iconic examples of fashion design-meets-graffiti comes in the form of the late Stephen Sprouse. Sprouse was using graffiti in his couture as early as 1983. Here's one of his 1984 sketches:
Of course Sprouse's designs are now iconic and easily recognised as part of recent Louis Vuitton collections.

Beginning in 2001, Sprouse began working with Marc Jacobs on a collaboration collection for Louis Vuitton. The results looked a little like this:
Since Sprouse's untimely death in 2004, Jacobs' has gone on to spearhead a number of Sprouse-inspired collections for Louis Vuitton (I'd love a pair of the 2009 leggings!).
All this couture shit has pushed graffiti fashion prices a little out of reach for ordinary folk like myself (US$600 for the Sprouse leggings is a little steep). If you still want a little slice a graffiti couture but can't afford the price tag, there are some alternatives. Here are just a couple of my favs... Check out Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field's pieces that pay tribute to Sprouse. You pick up Pat's signature leggings for US$68 or a tote for just under US$200. A lot easier on the bank account than Louis!
Or Insa heels.
Or of course, you could check out some of Kaws' very own Original Fake line. Not much for the ladies though, unless you're down for something over size...

Seperated at birth?

2009-10-20T16:38:00.003+11:00

Why oh why didn't I think of putting my kicks on for a photo when I was dressed up as a Geisha? Dumb ass.

Who Tang Clan?

2009-10-19T09:13:00.008+11:00

The buzz sweeping my feeds at the mo is the Wu Tang Clan tour happening in Melbourne and Sydney at the end of the month.
I'm not gonna pretend I'm a fan, because I'm not. I'm not going to say I listened to them back in the day, because I didn't. I'm not even gonna say I like any of their tunes - because I don't. And to top it off, I think their merchandising is super fugly. But I know who they are, and after a little digging, something has me seriously confused.

There seems to be some discrepancies over the lineup. Promo pictures can be deceptive...

The full Wu Tang lineup is as follows:
- Ghostface Killah
- GZA
- Inspectah Deck
- Masta Killa
- Method Man
- Ol' Dirty Bastard (deceased)
- Raekwon
- RZA
- U-God
- Cappadonna

But it appears that the Melbourne & Sydney shows won't exactly include a full lineup. Of course, Ol' Dirty Bastard is dead, so that's a no brainer. Ghostface Killah has his own tour at the mo, and according to his website, he'll be playing in Aspen the night Wu Tang play in Sydney and Boulder the night they play in Melbourne. Method Man has been arrested on a 33K tax evasion charge, so that counts him out. Cappadonna has only been a full member since 2007, so he's hardly part of the original lineup. And U God was locked up in the klink for the best part of Wu Tang, so he's kind of a token member.

That leaves 4 original (participating) members who'll be touring: GZA, RZA, Inspectah Deck & Raekwon. So this is where I get confused - how can they call it a Wu Tang Clan tour, when literally half the original participating members won't be there?

And did I mention tickets for the Sydney show are $90?

I really appreciate getting what I paid for. When I saw Faith No More in August, it was the real deal - the full original FNM lineup. But the Wu Tang tour seems to be a front if you ask me.

It's kind of like when you go to see Nine Inch Nails, and the only original member is Trent Reznor. It may as well be the Trent Reznor, featuring songs by Nine Inch Nails. It's not particularly satisfying, and you'd probably be better off sticking on a CD on and listening to it in the comfort of your own living room instead of sweating it out in a moshpit full of 16 year olds.

It reminds me of that scene in the movie Rock Star (Markie Mark, Jennifer Aniston) where Izzy Cole pulls a fan out of the audience and leaves him on stage to replace him - and no one in the audience seems to notice or care.
It reeks of desperate, greedy fat cats thinking up new ways to make money. But there are alternatives...
You can keep it real and go see NAS instead. He's playing in Melbs on the 28th and Sydney on the 31st. But the risk is he might play heaps of new stuff and not much old stuff.
On the upside, Qbert is supporting NAS (and if I could, I'd go just to see him play). No faking!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

2009-10-18T11:58:00.004+11:00

I'm back in Sydney. And it feels so good to be home. The past few months away have been brilliant, but exhausting! So now I'm home, it's time for some rest and relaxation.

I was meant to go painting today, but the shitty Sydney weather put the kibosh on that. I even did a rad babushka character. Oh well, hopefully next weekend. Until then, I'm having a True Blood marathon.
And it's awesome. It makes Twilight look like Hi5. I love it!

Eat your heart out Imelda

2009-10-16T11:33:00.002+11:00

I'm pretty sure I need an Imelda Marcos t shirt. This one is by Louis Claparols.

Sherlock's Parklife Flicks

2009-10-14T23:07:00.000+11:00

Click here to see more...

Only New York

2009-10-13T19:05:00.002+11:00

I love Only New York's summer lookbook. Shame summer is over... I just looked up the weather for November and I'm looking at an average temperature of just 12°C. That's like Sydney winter. I'm gonna be freezing my ass off by the looks of things.

Tokyo: A beer and baseball montage

2009-10-13T18:08:00.007+11:00

Last night we all went out to the ball game. Baseball is Japan's national sport, so it only seemed right we go see the Tokyo Yakault Swallows play.
It all started out innocently enough. Laura and I chugged a quick Asahi before we went into the stadium...
We purchased our tickets to sit in the home team stand.....And started drinking more beer. A lot more beer. Giant beers. In every brand imaginable. Asahi, Kirin etc. Which lead me to a startling discovery - beers have different flavors. I always thought all beers tasted like beer (not to mention kind of disgusting). But to my surprise, I actually like Kirin. It's heaps nicer than any of the other Japanese beers we had.The fans were crazy hilarious. They had people conducting chants, and the whole crowd was into it. They even had a brass band tooting away. And when the Swallows hit a home run, the crowd went nuts, everyone put up umbrellas and waved them in the air while they did a special chant heckling the pitcher. Apparently the chant says the pitcher should go back to the showers (so everyone in the crowd has an umbrella). Japanese logic obviously!Thankfully, we ended up with a home team win. We were pretty excited!It's about this point things got a little silly. Or more accurately, I got a little bit silly.I was tooting my horns on metro......And Josh put me in a head lock to keep me under control. Then apparently I started punching him and pushed him towards the edge of the platform. It looks like I was having mad fun!Back at the hotel, the wifi posse hit the net...Are these two not the cutest bitches you've ever seen? KAWAII!
It wasn't long after this I passed out cold. And despite all odds, I didn't wake up with a hang over this morning (thank God)!

Tokyo: Inspiration in the backseat of a Tokyo taxi

2009-10-12T02:09:00.012+11:00

The first time I caught a cab in Tokyo, I was both shocked and amazed. Shocked at how much the ride cost, and amazed at the cab itself. Firstly, the door opens automatically. Then when you get in, you discover that all the seats are covered in lace doilies just like your Grandma kept in her glory box.
It's not like lace is anything new - it originated in the 15th or 16th century and has been in and out of fashion ever since.Maybe I'm a little inspired by my mode of transportation. Or maybe I just really dig on lace. Ironic as it may seem, those daggy seat covers reminded me of just how cool lace can be. I mean, I read Leopard Print & Lace religiously. Those lady's see the radness of lace.
Of course, this isn't the first time I've written about lace. For a while I was (and continue to be) quite smitten with lace furniture - click here to see.
Then before the start of winter, I was obsessed with lace (and other kinds of) gloves... clicky.
And if you wanna go way, way back... when I was a kid, I loved using paper doilies as stencils and painting lace patterns on things. I wonder why I never see doilie patterns stenciled around Newtown?Now I've got my eye on these lace Air Jordan 1 Retros. I saw them again today at Kicks Lab in Harajuku. I still haven't made up my mind completely, but they're on my radar. Along with a bunch of other lace stuff......Like lace leggings (maybe not white ones, but still). I've been looking for the perfect pair for quite a while without success. But I'm going to try again tomorrow when I visit Opening Ceremony in Shibuya.Or these beautiful Maison Michel lace animal ears as worn by Lady Ga Ga and the Olsen twins.
Even I have to admit Maison Michel is a long way from the backseat of a Tokyo taxi... either way, lace is rad. I might need to get Mum to teach me to crochet again.

INSA x Rousseau Lounge Chair

2009-10-10T19:46:00.000+11:00

GAH! Could this chair be any hotter?

Get your stink on

2009-10-10T09:06:00.006+11:00

I love you Rob Dyrdek, but this time you've gone too far. There's a line, and you've crossed it. I know you're a fame-hungry wannabe mogul, but putting your face of a can of B.O. basher isn't going to make you bigger than Tony Hawk - we're just going to think you stink.

And now you can smell like Rob Dyrdek too.

TAG body spray have released a celebrity range including Dyrdek and rapper Ludacris. The whole idea is a bit of a joke really - trying to make some money off low-end celebrity stank (yes, I know the Britney/Mariah model works, but they're marketed to chicks). Except some marketing execs out there obviously took the idea quite seriously, and pushed it into production.

Dyrdek's fragrance is called 'Make Moves' (sooo Dyrdek). I would have preferred 'Do Work' - much more appropriate for a Dyrdek spray on shower. But maybe Big (you remember him - Dyrdek's rent-a-friend who got the chop when he wanted bigger things) would want a cut?

The scent is described as fresh, unconventional, unprecedented & unique. So I'm still not quite sure what it smells like - top notes of Red Bull perhaps? Whoever wrote the scent description copy should be shot. In fact, I bet Dyrdek wrote it himself and thought it was hell funny - which is half true but only in the I'm-laughing-at-you-not-with-you kind of way.

Either way, they're media buyer must be moonlighting as a comedian - banner ads running on SlamXHype, right next to Comme des Garcons. Boom tish.

Osaka: Damn you tiny feet!

2009-10-10T02:15:00.006+11:00

We survived the typhoon. It ended up being quite a nice day. But instead of taking in the cultural surrounds of Hiroshima, we decided the only thing we could do after being blasted with rain the night before was going shopping in Osaka. We checked out Denden Town (electronics area) first, and then wandered through Namba where there's a giant mall that's more than 2km long. Needless to say I behaved myself and didn't buy anything.

But the desire to seek sneaks was overwhelming. After we picked Ash from the hotel, I took the crew to Fight Club.
Which turned out pretty rad for Glenn - he scored a pair of Laser Blue Air Max 90s. SO JEALOUS. They only had one pair in a US10. Damn you tiny girl feet! I didn't by anything. Then I took the crew on a bit of a wild goose chase to find the Osaka Skit store. I knew roughly where it was, but not exactly. I asked for directions here and there along the way, and I knew we were close. After walking a bit too far along the right street, we finally found ourselves at Skit.
It was almost as good as Tokyo Skit. I still didn't buy anything. So we took silly photos instead. And the Man Mountain was tired...So we turned back, and headed for the hotel. Along the way we found another sneaker store (I don't know the name). They had something that nearly made me cry. A pair of Ferris Bueller Dunks in a men's US10. See my sad face? That's what happens when I don't get what I want (ie men's US7-8).
Still, a good day was had by all. And now I'm mad excited for what sneaks might be found in Tokyo...

Sometimes I forget how funny I am...

2009-10-10T00:15:00.004+11:00

I've been writing a lot of postcards while I've been away. And one slightly stoned evening in the Netherlands, I devised a little game to amuse myself, using postcards. I found the most weird/lewd cards I could find, and sent them to my friends randomly (I turned them face down addressed them, so I wouldn't know who got what). Mookie just got this one:
Read what Mookie had to say about it here...

Well Dressed Bloggers

2009-10-09T23:41:00.002+11:00

The boys at Well Dressed Vandals have a new blog. Clicky here.

PS: They need to get some girls tees stat! Hint, hint :)

J-Dizzle has a blizzle

2009-10-09T23:31:00.003+11:00

My boy J.D. writes stuff. Go and show him some love. Click here.PS: Love ya guts Spesh. Miss ya heaps and we gotta catch up when I get back. Have a sneaker comparison dance off or some shit xxx

Osaka: Raining one day, typhoon the next

2009-10-09T02:05:00.000+11:00

We left Kyoto and headed for Osaka on the bullet train.

On the way my poor bag broke. The entire wheel ripped off (but the wheel was fully intact). In the end it was lucky we saved the wheel (so I could DYI it back together).Josh saved the day and carried my bag through at least 3 stations and 2 train changes. The Man Mountain is a genuine legend (thank god he was a bit tipsy)!
When we finally arrived at the station near our hotel, we discovered the weather had turned quite nasty - a typhoon in fact. Having never experienced a typhoon before, we discovered this means really windy rain. It's sort of funny because one minute the rain is belting down in every direction and you're soaked, then the next thing you know the wind is blowing so hard your dry again. Luckily our hotel was right next to the train station.
We were planning to travel to Hiroshima the next day, but the weather was really wild so we decided to cancel in case. We were all pretty exhausted from a long day, so we got some food and hit the Zzzzz...

Kyoto: Memoirs of 2 Geishas

2009-10-08T22:41:00.001+11:00

On our second day in Kyoto, Ki Ki and I decided we'd like to experience what it's like to be a Geisha firsthand. We booked a Maiko (which literally means apprentice Geisha) makeover at Yumkoudou, which is essentially a place where you are dressed as a Maiko in full make up and kimono, and then you have photos taken.With the help of the concierge at our hotel, we booked an appointment. Yumekoudou is located in the Gion district (the Geisha area - think 'Memoirs of a Geisha'), and our concierge gave us loose directions on how to find the shop (Japan can be like that - unless you have someone who knows where something is located exactly, you generally get pointed in the right direction, and then you have to wander around for a while looking for a sign). So off we went, not really knowing where we were going or what might happen.
We wandered around, asking a few locals the location - and everyone kept pointing us towards the same direction. Eventually we found the street we thought it was on, but we could see a sign or anything remotely related, aside from a Geisha shoe shop where the old man who worked there had no idea. Eventually a young chap in a cafe literally lead us by the hand to the street behind the one we were on, where we found the sign for Yumekoudou.
Inside the traditional street frontage, we found ourselves in a traditional paper and wood walls. We rang the door bell, and were ushered inside, and son discovered no one spoke English (from then on we knew this was going to be a fun day!). After a lot of gesturing and a conversation in broken English over the phone, we were ready for our Maiko experience. Here's our before photos:
First, we were asked to use the bathroom. We soon found out this was because once you're wrapped up in a kimono, there's really no easy way out if you need to pee (which made me wonder how the heck someone can stay dressed like that all day long!).

Next, we were shown into a change room where we were given white wrap dresses and sock-shoes with separated toes to wear during the makeover. We were asked to take off all our jewelry - but Ki Ki's piercings couldn't come out! They said that was OK though. And they were quite taken with my tattoos which were mostly covered by the kimono in the end.
Then we were taken upstairs to the dressing room. We were asked to choose a kimono - they had so many colours! Ki Ki chose her fav - purple - and I chose a colourful blue one. They carefully laid the kimonos out ready to dress us after our makeup was done.
We were seated in front of mirrors where makeup was applied. A sock was placed over our heads to keep our hair back. Layers of white and pink cake makeup were applied to our faces and and low onto our necks. Then read eye shadow, black eyeliner and mascara was applied to our eyes. And finally, red paint was applied to our lips. We looked whiter than Casper at this point.
Then we went back to the dressing area. Kimonos are made of several different pieces that layer over the top of each other. Different layers of kimono were draped and fastened with fabric ropes over each of us. Ki Ki looked lovely, but I instantly looked like fat Geisha - mostly because big boobs do not equal svelt Geisha figure.

The last part of the transformation was a headpiece. The headpieces they use are the complete package - hair & accessories.
Finally we were ready to have our photos taken. With the full get up, it was hard to recognise myself at all! We were taken into the photographic studio, where they had various sets that were dressed in traditional Japanese style. Ki Ki went first. I think she looked so beautiful, like a real Geisha.
I, on the other hand, was not only fat Geisha - I was round eye Geisha. My big blue peepers really don't help the overall look!
After our photos, we mucked around and took silly photos while we waited to be undressed. We played Geisha monsters and dropped a bunch of scissors and peace outs!
It was amazing to experience how complicated Maiko dressing is. All the layers are so heavy, it would be so difficult to dress like that everyday. But the end result is so beautiful - all the amazing fabrics and colours. And I suppose once upon a time Geishas had a sort of celebrity status - I have to admit it was quite glamorous to have someone dress and make you up that way. I wish I had someone to dress me everyday!
Undressing and cleaning off the makeup takes quite a bit off effort. Once all the layers were off, we both looked like lunatics who'd escaped the asylum. Of course this gave us perfect photo opportunities!
The whole experience reminded me how much fun it is to dress up. It was an amazing experience and the photos we have as a memento are really special. Go Kim Chi power!

Kyoto: Let's get cultural

2009-10-07T02:11:00.005+11:00

As they say, when in Rome (or Kyoto as it might be), you gotta get down with the local culture. Here in Kyoto is first time in my entire trip that I've really gone out looking for cultural sites.

Last night, defying jet lag, we went for a walk to the edge of the Gion district and then out for dinner to a rather expensive and underwhelming traditional style restaurant in Kyoto (it did have a pretty view of Gion though). But they put Poh's presentation to shame:
Then today (after a slow start which included Josh and I snoozing an hour through the alarm to be woken up by Ki Ki banging on our door) we decided to hire bikes and ride around Kyoto. This turned to be a fantastic idea:We rode to the Imperial Palace - unfortunately we couldn't go inside because we didn't have permits (you need to pre-arrange a permit if you want to visit) but the outside was very impressive:
We found shrines:
Ate even more at a secret spot Tadaaki told me about:
I got cosy with a big boy:Ki Ki found her ultimate ride - a purple taxi:
We visited Kinkakuji - the golden temple:
We found more shrines:
Sexy Grimace went to McDonalds:
We found Hatori Hanzo's shop:
Then we dropped the bikes off, and the had some bevvies at the hotel:
...While I had some snooze time. I'm still so jet lagged. Wahhhh.

Kyoto: Jetlag is a bitch

2009-10-06T06:34:00.002+11:00

I have a mean case of jet lag. I'm in Kyoto, it's 4.36am, Josh is snoring his head off and I'm trying to think of ways I can punish him. Maybe I can make a video of him when he's snoring to loudest and post it to Facebook. But that's hardly retribution for me spending 3 more nights sleeping in the same room as a sledge hammer...

London: Back in the U.K.

2009-10-04T05:46:00.001+11:00

After a few minor adjustments to my travel plans, I left Barcelona on Thursday. A big thank you to Ron and Tadaaki for being such amazing hosts in Barcelona. I enjoyed staying with you so much. The apartment is amazing and Comerç 27 is easily the best restaurant in Barca!

I was meant to be visiting Madrid before I went go to Tokyo (with a 5 hour stop over in London on the way). But 5 hours just wasn't going to be enough to pick up my new preciouses. And by preciouses, I mean my very own custom Premium Nike ID Dunks and a pair of Dizzee Rascal x Ben Drury x Air Max 90s. So I blew off Madrid and came back to London for 3 nights. Which as it turns out, was an awesome idea!

Big thanks to my friend Phil who was kind enough to let me stay at his lovely apartment for the 3 nights. Much love! xxx When I arrived in London, and I found Phil's place with the help of Paddy (Phil's friend). Thanks Paddy!

After I settled in, I found a great curry place and tucked in to some Indian delights in front of the TV. After toying with the idea of staying in for about an hour, I decided I better make the most of it and took myself to Ministry of Sound to see Bok Bok & Manara play. After 40 minutes on the Tube, I arrived at Ministry of Sound only to find out that the event was a freshman party and was completely sold out. So no Bok Bok & Manara for me. Again. I'm not have much luck with these two - I think it means they need to come to Oz and play especially for me (hint hint). But I still love yous.
By then the Tube had closed, so I had to get a minicab home. Some how I convinced a driver to take me home for 20 quid (it's pretty far!). Still I wasn't happy about having to pay for a cab after a bit of a bomb of a night.

Friday turned out to be an amazing day. I organised to meet my girl Racer Stacey for so drinks and nibbles in the evening, but during the day I had quite a few errands to do, including picking up my Premium Nike ID dunks. So I caught the Tube into the city and went to Carnaby Street and all the High Street stores. To be honest I didn't find anything I really wanted, but ate lunch at Ping Pong (seafood lunch - so yum!)
And then I went to Niketown. My IDs are beautiful.To be honest I really wasn't sure how they'd turn out, but I really like the fabrics I chose.
Q had organised a pair of Dizzee Rascal x Ben Drury x Air Max 90s to be put away for me at 1948, but I hadn't been able to get in contact with him to find out how to collect them. Thankfully, Q was at Niketown when I got there, and he rang the guys at 1948 to double check they still had one last pair (they're completely sold out everywhere). And they were. So I just had to get myself to Shoreditch to pick them up. A quick trip on the Tube to Liverpool St and before I knew it, I was out the front of 1948. I was worried the Tongue N Cheeks would be really pink - because most photos of them make them look pink or even salmon. But I was surprised at how beautiful they are in the flesh - more of a grey than a pink. They have a suede lining and are very plus compared with most AM90s. I'm really chuffed with them.
On the way back to meet Stacey at Covent Gardens, I happened to walk past a fabulous furniture design studio I've written about in my blog before - Squint Limited. Squint make amazing bespoke patchwork furniture pieces. Of course I knocked on their and asked if they'd give me a tour of their studio, which they did! Such a thrill & very inspiring - it got me really excited about the projects I'll be working on when I get home (which is only 2 weeks away!).
Then I jumped on the Tube back to Convent Gardens where I met Racer Stacey. She was looking as hot as ever, all dressed up in heels and work clothes. I felt like a hobbit beside Gisele. We went to a jazz bar nearby for jugs of sangrias. The club happens to be the spot that Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty got their big breaks. And apparently they still come to the joint from time to time (Wino has to sneak out her bedroom window to get there apparently - but not tonight!).
After 2 jugs of sangria and a lot of catching up and gossip, we were both pretty tipsy. When Racer started pegging fruit at peeps walking past (clearly I attract people who like to throw food), which signaled we should probably move to the next place. We wandered to Oxford Circus, laughing and lusting after Mad Mex all the way. And just like that, we stumbled across a mexican joint called Benito's Hat, which was actually pretty similar to Mad Mex. We inhaled some Burritos (but didn't get to throw them unfortunately) and stumbled back to Piccadilly Circus, agreeing that we should catch the Tube home because we both had 40 minute Tube rides to get there. This photo is heaps *sarcastic face* pretty.
It was great to see Racer. We had such a laugh :) Then somehow I caught the wrong Tube home and ended up near Heathrow after the last Tube. So I had to get a minicab, which really shit me to tears because they charged me an arm and a leg. But everything was made better by the awesome email I got from Sophie when I got home, letting me know that I am now the proud owner of a mint pair of 2007 Irak x Adidas Torsion. Thanks Sophie!

Getting the Iraks almost makes me feel satisfied to stop buying sneaks for a while. Almost. I have one, maybe two, pairs on my mind that I might be able to pick up in Tokyo. Firstly the Huarache x Air Max x Dave's Quality Meats bacons and secondly, although I'm not that interested in them aside from them being a collab, are the Reebok Freestyle x Hello Kitty (I have heard they're only available in Hong Kong at the moment - although it wouldn't be a surprise if I stumble across them in Tokyo).

What a segway...

Tomorrow I fly to Tokyo! It's hard to believe how time has flown. I've been away for 7 weeks already. And in about 24 hours, I get to see Ki Ki, Glenn and Josh (and soon after Ash and Laura too!) where we'll kick off our Japanoise adventure... So excited!

TOPSHOP Sydney - Read the fine print ladies

2009-10-01T21:19:00.001+10:00

Geebuz - some kind of contagious fever has swept through the majority of my female Facebook friends this morning -Topshop fever.

Yer, yer - this article starts out by making it sound all fabulous and shit. Like Topshop is opening a real store in Sydney. But pay attention ladies - it's Incu Presents Topshop. And it's going to be housed in the second floor of the Incu store on Oxford Street in Paddington.
Not that I don't dig Incu - I really do. And I've been a loyal Incu customer for many years. But... I don't know how many of you have been to the Incu store - because Oxford St Paddington is hardly Oxford Circus. What I'm getting at is the Incu store ain't that big, leading me to believe it'll be a shelf collection. Even the article states they'll be getting stock shipments once a month, as opposed to Oxford Circus which gets a shipment of new stock every day. And then it remains to be seen whether Incu can maintain their 'cool' stock and clientele whilst entering the world of High St fashion giants.

Tokyo has a similar, limited-stock Topshop in Galleries Lafayette. And it was probably the most disappointing shopping experience of my life (especially considering Galleries Lafayette is so fucking rad). I was expecting the entire line as shown on the Topshop website (especially because other High Street giants have such huge stores in Tokyo - H&M is monsterous) - but I'm afraid to report it wasn't anywhere near that. So I expect the Incu Presents Topshop to be the same, or worse.

So don't close your shopping basket window in your web browser just yet my pretties - you might still want to buy online.

Meanwhile, I'm off to London tomorrow and I'll be visiting the real Topshop Oxford Circus one last time before I come back to Oz!

Happy Birthday Davey Mac!

2009-10-01T10:37:00.001+10:00

No more Dipset or TNs else this friendship is terminated, K Teazer? Happy Birthday. Thxbai.

Barcelona: A Hidden Gem...

2009-10-01T07:22:00.005+10:00

Tonight I dined at Santa Maria, a little restaurant on my street here is Barca. It's the restaurant you go to when you can't afford/get a reservation at elBulli. Or at least that's the story I'm telling. Santa Maria is run by Paco Guzman, a former student of Ferran Adrià (of elBulli).
Santa Maria has quite a modern, Asian-fusion menu, with a little bit of molecular gastronomy thrown in to spice things up. I had 5 dishes including sweet potato chips as an entree, followed by a prawn and bacon salad, a pork and cheese dish (it was tasty, that's all I got for ya), lemongrass mussels and a dessert called Dracula (it didn't have a description on the menu - just the word Dracula. Of course I had to order it). Dracula looked a bit like this:
And although all the dishes were lovely, Dracula was the best. It uses the elBulli foam technique (you foodies probably know what that is - this one was a Coca-Cola foam). You eat it from the bottom up, mixing from each layer as you go. When you put it in your mouth, it explodes in your mouth like those exploding candies you got as a kid - except it tasted like a cross between cherry coke, fresh berries and fresh cream. Delicious!

For 26EUR I had 5 courses and 2 glasses of wine. Well worth a visit for cheap-ass wannabe foodies like myself! Seriously though - this is a hidden gem.

Santa Maria
Comerç, 17
08003 Barcelona
Ph: +34933151227
www.santamania.info

Barcelona: Today I...

2009-09-29T23:11:00.000+10:00

Visited Montana. You fuck with them, you fuckin' with the best!Climbed a lot of stairs and shit to get to Guell Parc:
Finally got to Guell Parc:
Played with Toys:
Admired the smoggy view of Barcelona:
Was amused by the cactus graffiti:Fell in love:
Had a threesome:
And ate coques de recapte (traditional Catalan pizza) at L'Antic Bocoi de Gotic for dinner:

Barcelona: Viva la Karaoke Revolution

2009-09-29T16:07:00.004+10:00

Last night I decided because I haven't been out to any clubs/bars etc here in Barca that I probably should. I was lucky enough to witness something of a Barca institution right before my very eyes. No, not Gaudi's 'art'. Not tapas munching tourists. Not even a backpacker getting pick-pocketed.

This was something even more Barca than that.

I went to Anti-Karaoke @ the Apollo.
Every Monday night comedian/burlesque performer Rachae l Arieff hosts this unique karaoke night where the Apollo comes alive to the sounds of Metallica, Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra.
The night started out innocently enough - Rachael did a few jaunty show tunes and made more costume changes than Superman. A few nervous punters got up and did their thing early, including a guy named Michael from Melbourne who belted out You Could Be Mine by Guns'n'Roses. And there was a lot of getting casual happening on stage.
As more and more alcohol was consumed, the karaoke got more hardcore. Apparently it's O.K. in Spain to free pour directly from the bottle into open mouths in the crowd. I guess they don't do R.S.A. here...
Suddenly the crowd was getting into it. There was moshing, air guitar and crowd surfing. It was sort of like Guitar Hero on crack.And at some strange point - probably via my beer goggles, the smoke machines and a bit of a squint - these soldiers of the karaoke army began to look and sound almost like real rockstars. Almost.Either way, it still didn't make me want to get up on stage and sing - but it made me remember how much I love to laugh my ass off at people who do. Bring on karaoke fun times in Tokyo motherfuckers!

Barcelona: Don't ask questions, just give into the power of the tea...

2009-09-28T13:33:00.002+10:00

Today I treated myself to Air de Barcelona - the Arabian Baths in Born, Barcelona. I'm a massive fan of baths, and this was no exception. Air de Barcelona was probably the most beautiful baths I've ever had the pleasure of dipping into.

I'm not one for swimming at the beach or pool, but give me a hot bath/spring and I'm in like Flynn (not you Flynn). So Air de Barcelona was I real treat. I was imagining something like this:And it was pretty much exactly what I got. The baths are located in Born, right around the corner from where I am staying. The baths are underground, and there are 6 baths in total; 2 salt baths (35°C); 1 spa; 1 hot bath (40ºC) and 2 cold baths; plus an aromatherapy steam room. Obviously no cameras are allowed, but it looks like this:
But a lot darker and steamier. 24EUR gets you 90 minutes of pure heaven. And they give you tea. Strong tea. I've never tasted tea like it, but I'm going to assume it's of the Turkish variety. It reminded me of this:
And I sort of felt like this:
If you are staying in Barca, then you simple MUST go to Air de Barcelona. My skin feels like heaven. The experience is divine.

Direct from Paris...

2009-09-28T07:28:00.006+10:00

Check out this awesome live set by Mr Explicit, which was recorded when he played at Social Club in Paris a few weeks ago (I was there - it was dope - he played before Buraka Som Sistema). Thanks Red Bull Music Academy - but can you please make mixes downloadable so tightasses like me can listen to them on iPods? kthxbai.

Owned

2009-09-28T07:18:00.002+10:00

Rosario owns Chloe. Oh yer and read my C.O.P. post about Barca Hotness here...

Barcelona: Le Mercé Festival - Fire Run

2009-09-27T09:49:00.005+10:00

What was a pretty shitty day turned into sheer awesomeness. Ron took me to the Fire Run (part of the Le Mercé Festival). The Fire Run is kind of like the running of the bulls, except instead of bulls, people run around swinging twirling fireworks mounted on pitchforks above their heads. Everyone runs around like mad, trying to get under the sparks for good luck. It's like a giant fire fight. It's pretty bloody dangerous. I got a few burns from sparks.

Everyone carrying the fireworks dress up in crazy costumes, and anyone with half a brain who wants to run with the fire wears protective gear (googles etc). Of course, I didn't.

There were people running everywhere, ducking and weaving through the sparks. Young, old, you name it. Here's what it looked like...
About Le Mercé
"After Pope Pius IX declared the Virgin of La Mercè the patron saint of the city, Barcelona began to celebrate a festival in the month of September. La Mercè really took off in 1902, when under the impulse of Francesc Cambó, the festival became the model the those that are currently held all over Catalonia. However, the history of La Mercè would suffer many high and low points that extended throughout the Civil War and the years of Franco."

Basically it's a great excuse to celebrate an have heaps of fun!

An open letter to the management of the Gala-Salvador Dali Estate

2009-09-27T05:08:00.003+10:00

Dear Management,

I have loved Dali ever since I can remember. His work and story have consistently inspired me through out my life. Over the years I have been lucky enough to visit many Dali exhibitions and have even wept openly on seeing his work in the flesh. But most of all, I have longed to come to Spain to visit his house.

Today was that day and it came and went - and I didn't even get further than Figueres. Which means I wasted an entire day of my very limited time in Spain. Why? Because of the lack of simple directional instructions provided on the Dali House website and printed information.

Firstly I had to buy a ticket online. By reservation only. 8EUR, nothing much really. I had no problem with this, and read the instructions for getting to the Dali House carefully to ensure I wouldn't miss my reservation. I even made a copy of the directions and saved them on my iPhone so I would not lose them.

Next I had to catch a train from Barcelona to Figueres. Simple enough according to the website. What the site didn't say was that this is a 2 hour train trip. One way. Needless to say I made it to Figueres in time to collect my ticket (an hour prior to my reservation). But where was I meant to collect my ticket from?

The website said to catch a bus or taxi to Portligat from Figueres. As there was no signage or information at Figueres train station, I went to the bus station across the road. They told me I needed to walk up the road to the information stand. The information stand was closed. Time was ticking away. I wandered around the streets until I found a small gallery where I asked for directions. They sent me to another Dali Museum in Figueres.

By this point I had missed my reservation. The staff at the Dali Museum tried to be helpful by telling me they didn't know how to get to the Dali House, but it would take at least another hour by bus and that I should stay the night here in a hotel.

Given that it was now 4pm, had no change of clothes and I had already spent a fortune getting there, it seemed spending another 2 hours going back to Barcelona on the train was the only option.

I asked if I could visit the Dali Museum instead, but apparently this was impossible. As each Dali property has different management, one entry could not be transfered to another. Seems ridiculous, because you by online tickets via the same website. So the staff told me I would need to pay entry again. And because I'd already wasted more than 30EUR getting to Figueres, I decided I wasn't wasting another penny on Dali's poorly run estate today. And I caught the train back to Barcelona.

Considering you got to keep my 8EUR entry fee, and probably many other people's entry fees too - would it be too much to ask to have your web people add some more detailed instructions to your website?

I'll look forward to visiting the Dali House in 10 years time when I can afford to come back again. If I can find it.

Regards,

Cheech

Who came first?

2009-09-26T10:10:00.005+10:00

When I was in Paris, I came across a gallery that featured some artwork by an artist named Speedy Graphito. I thought his work looked suspiciously like our very own Ben Frost. You be the judge. Speedy is above, Frosty is below...

Tymez Two Thousand & Nine

2009-09-26T02:25:00.005+10:00

Those of you from Sydney who loved hardcore in the mid-90s would have to have lived under a rock if you didn't ever bust out your gabber dance to Chuck & Tymez II. AGU (Australian Gabbers United) certainly left their mark on my fragile little mind - especially the Fix by Blackstreet remix Tymez II used to drop on a regular basis (I still love that tune to this day). Aside from hardcore, Tymez II also was known to drop a slamming hardhouse set from time to time back in the day. Then suddenly they grew up, stopped DJing and disappeared...

Tymez II happens to be a personal fiend of mine (pun intended), and today I was super stoked to see he's taken up mixing again. I was even more stoked when I downloaded the mix and my ears were delighted by they fidgety digital goodness. He says this style of house has him excited about mixing again - and who could blame him. It's the way I've been feeling about fidget and bassline for quite sometime now. There's no better feeling than finding a new genre of music that makes your heart pound. And if he keeps mixing great sets like this, he might put a few other DJs noses right out of joint.

I can't say much more other than this is hot shit. I've been dancing around my Barcelona apartment all afternoon and the mix is going straight to my iPod.

You'd be crazy not to download it here.

Barcelona: What a co-inky-dink

2009-09-25T23:55:00.000+10:00

My apartment in Barcelona is amazing to say the least. Located in Born right next to Franca station, it is the quintessential Spanish apartment. High decorative ceilings, white walls, amazing mozaic tiled floors and my own balcony over looking the street.
My hosts, Ron and Tadaaki, are fabulous too. Last night we sat up drinking wine and chatting. It was a lovely way to start my stay in Barcelona.

Funny thing is I didn't notice until today home many cool things are located nearby. And by nearby, I mean right next door and on the same street. Last night Ron and Tadaaki were telling me about the 'devil's hip hop' that they often heard emenating from the 'hip hop' shop downstairs. When I went outside this morning, I discovered the 'hip hop' shop was actually 24 Kilates - the sneaker/art/street shop!
24 Kilates
Website: http://www.24-kts.net
Address: C/Comerç no 29, Barcelona, Spain, 08003
Phone: +34 932688437
Hours: Mon - Sat, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Then I wandered around the block, and stumbled across Limited Editions, another sneaker store. This is all totally blowing my mind because I haven't even looked at a map yet, let alone plotted out the stores I wanted to visit. They gave me directions to their other stores - there's another Limited Editions store close by, plus they also have a 2 outlet stores and an Opium (like in Paris). So I follow their directions and with 10 minutes I've visited 2 of the coolest sneaker stores I've ever seen. And not only that, but Opium has a pair of Infrared Structures in my size. No shit! Plus Limited Editions is one of the best sneaker stores I've seen - WIN!
Limited Editions
Website: www.limiteditions.org
Address: Carrer del Duc no8, 08002 Barcelona

So then I walk back towards my apartment, but head towards IguaPop, which is a gallery on my street that also has a streetwear store attached. IguaPop features art by artists like Miss Van.
Iguapop Gallery & Store
Website: www.iguapop.net
Address: C/ Comerç 15, 08003 Barcelona
Phone: +34 933 196 813

To my surprise, a few shops up - there's the Montana shop & gallery. On my street. I didn't even look on a map yet. Seriously this place is the bomb. Hopefully the guys at Montana can direct me to some Miss Van walls...Montana Shop & Gallery
Website: www.montanacolors.com
Address: C/ Comerç n0 6, 08003 Barcelona
Phone: +34 93 268 01 91

But all this goodness is fraught with sadness. I think God has sent me to sneaker hell for bad behaviour. Sneaker hell in the sense there are so many awesome kicks and not enough money in my pockets! Ah well maybe this time I'll have to be happy to just window shop...

I go away for 5 minutes and awesome happens

2009-09-25T23:45:00.002+10:00

Mookie, you're my hero. Check out this shit hot pastey my girl Mookie did as party of her 30 new things project. That's right - it's a paste up of herself. And then she wrote this. Fucking inspired!

Top 10 Sneaker Stores in the World

2009-09-25T12:58:00.000+10:00

Alright so I'm obsessed with Top 10's.

First came the Top 10 Clubs in the World, now the Top 10 Sneaker Stores in the World (as suggested by Askmen.com, published June 2009).
Here's their Top 10:

1. Undefeated / Tokyo
2. Alife Rivington Club / NYC
3. Livestock / Vancouver
4. Huf / San Francisco
5. Solebox / Berlin
6. Bodega / Boston
7. Dave's Quality Meats / NYC
8. Size? / Various UK
9. Flight Club / NYC
10. Atmos / Tokyo

Obviously I haven't been to the stores located in North America and Canada (yet - hopefully I'll be hitting the NYC stores in November). But perhaps the writer simply hasn't been to as many stores as he should have when writing a story about the 10 best sneaker stores in the world. Because there's heaps of them.

Considering the fact I've been to so many sneaker stores across the globe in the past 12 months, I think I have pretty good authority to critisise the list above. And perhaps when I get back from the US in November, I'll write my own top 10.

But it begs the question: What makes a great sneaker shop?

Personally I use certain criteria to judge sneaker stores - Range, Service, Price, Personality and Design. So from now on, every sneaker store I go to, I'm going to give a rating out of 4 for each of the following criteria:

Range
Range is probably the most obvious of all the elements that make a a great sneaker store. Without a great range, the store is nothing.

Service
Some stores are fantastic when it comes to service - and some are just down right rude. Money is the same colour no matter who's hand it's held in, so the service better be good no matter who you're serving.

Price
Price can really vary depending where you are in the world and realistically, at some point, the price point will become a factor (unless you have cash to splash).

Personality
A sneaker store needs personality. Whether it's the people who work there, the art, the design, the advertising, the website - the store needs to scream loads about what's inside before you even walk through the door.

Design
Store design, just as much as it should be part of the personality of the store, it needs to show of the shoes without detracting attention from the sneakers! Store design is an important part of the shopping experience.

Each store will then get a total out of 100 (each criteria equals 20 points, with a total of 100 for all 5 criteria). I'm going to start by back tracking all the sneaker stores I've been to everywhere (including Australia) and start ranking them in my own personal top 10.

Now back to the Askmen.com Top 10. As I said, I can't speak for the North American stores, but the Japan and European component leaves a lot to be desired. On the one hand, they've missed so many of the best shops - but on the other hand, it was written for Askmen.com. So it's probably not the best article to use to judge where to buy sneaks from. But I'm sure some people have. Undefeated as number 1? Well, that's questionable. As far as I'm concerned, the best sneaker shop in Tokyo from a range point of view is K-Skit handsdown. K-Skit might not be pretty, but the prices and service are excellent. Defeated is a nicely designed store, but the range and prices leave a lot to be desired. It's worth a visit, but it's not the best in Tokyo, let alone the world.

Which brings me to the next point - finding a concise list of the best sneaker stores is really hard. SneakerFreaker have done a stand up job with their sneaker shop guide, but it isn't definitive, and doesn't give you a real description or whether the store is worth worth visiting. I've found in my travels that some stores don't sell Nike or certain brands, which can be pretty annoying if you plan your day around visiting several stores and don't find anything you're remotely interested in.

I'm not suggesting I can create a definitive list of sneaker stores - but I'm going to try to give the best description and information I can to make the decision to go and finding the place etc much easier. It's something I wish I could have had access to before I set out to visit all these stores.

Barcelona: GAH! I'm shopping in my mind...

2009-09-25T12:49:00.000+10:00

Arrived in Barca late last night and received a wonderful welcome from my hosts Ron and Tadaaki. The apartment is amazing and I'll post some photos in the next few days - yes, I have wifi!

Discovered this morning my apartment is located right above 24 Kilates. And they happen to have a pair of sneaks I mentioned in a post earlier this month about Liberty in London. Yes that's right - 24 Kilates have the very limited edition orange Liberty Blazers. Yes I am dying right now.
And then I found Limited Editions around the corner. Sneaks range was a bit blah, but they have the very limited edition Alife wayfarers. Gah! Oh how I need the purple ones. But oh how my bank account balance aches...I'm not sure I can leave Barca without these items...

Ibiza: 5 days in 1 post

2009-09-24T23:59:00.000+10:00

Saturday:
Flew from Barcelona to Ibiza.
Arrived in Ibiza about 11pm on Saturday night. Caught a cab straight to the villa where Ki Ki, Glenn, Erin and Sarah had arrived earlier in that day. The villa was deluxe. Didnt go out, weekends in Ibiza are dead. Got tipsy. Laughed a lot. Slept.

Sunday:
Got up and we all headed to Ibizatown for lunch. Got a bit lost. Found a pipi can (ie dog toilet). Found our way again. Looked at bad souvenirs. Found some tourist bars selling 'disco tickets'. Stopped to eat lunch at a British bar along the way. Baked potato, sangria and apple crumble. It started to pour rain. Laughed a lot more. Rain stopped. Headed to Ibizatown. Stopped for Magners travellers. Met 2 germans who gave us a good deal on party tickets. Wandered along the beach. Found a Chi Chi toy. Eventually ate paella for dinner at Marcos as the sun set. Made the long trek back to the villa.

Monday:
Our first party day - drinks at a private party followed by Cocoon @ Amnesia. Weather is shite. Rain, sun, rain, sun. Spent the day mulling over what to wear and watching the others laze by the pool despite the rain. Started drinking about 11.30am. But the time we were ready to go to the party, we were all boozy. Drank a zillion vodka oranges at the private party. Laughed constantly. Glenn will forever on be known as Sexy Grimace. Got cute photo keyring souvenirs. The bus arrived to take us to Amnesia. Bus was full of loose units. Club was nuts. So big, so tacky, but so awesome. Ritchie Hawtin was playing in the main room. Banging techno for everyone! Funktion One system was rocking. Dancers came out and blew my mind. Midgets, models, abs and flashinf knickers. The place was packed. Went into the 2nd room and took in the spectacle that is Amnesia. There was a lot of spew around the place. Discovered the amazing oxygen jets that blast the whole room. Before we knew it, it was 6am and we caught a broke-down coach back home. Bedtime.

Tuesday:
Woke up just in time for Jimmy to arrive. Chatted and laughed. We laugh a lot. Got ready to go to Carl Cox and Danny Tenaglia @ Space. Drank sangrias for a bit while the lines were too long. Got tickets and got straight in. Carl Cox owned the main room. Danced right up the front. Jimmy ate my scissors. Danced up front for Tenaglia. The dancers were crap. The crowd was loose. Too many poms in bad clothes. Bought a Space fan. Rocked out on the terrace. Piked early (4am).

Wednesday:
Got up late and went for tapas in Sant Jordi. Was in a grumpy mood. Tonight we hit Meganite @ Privilege - the world's biggest club. Kicked back for the day. Jimmy made us a yummy dinner of ribs and rabbit pasta. Caught cabs to privilege. Went in. Was a bit disappointed because half the venue was closed. But the dj booth over the pool is impressive. The tunes weren't bad. The crowd was the hang over of the last two nights. The dancers were fulgy and old. A guy was making love to a speaker. We danced and be'd silly. Piked early. Went to bed.

Thursday:
Chilled at the villa, and flew back to Barcelona last night.

You know what really sucks balls?

2009-09-19T23:16:00.000+10:00

Getting a message from your bestie telling you how rad the villa in Ibiza is while you're sitting in Barcelona Airport on the cold marble floor getting piles on your ass waiting another 3 hours for your flight there.

Love you Ki Ki xxx