I was going to do a retrospective collage of last year…but failed to even get past January.  Looking back at last January – boy, did I have an exciting time!  (And boy, was MY hair RED!)

Starting off with my New Year’s Eve Celebrations in Sydney,

I high-tailed it to the airport on the morning of January 1 to fly to Tokyo. I wanted to be there for the January sales and fukubukuro bags, dontchaknow? I managed to do a lot of outfit posts on the blog (many in black, grey, leopard and fake fur)…quite a record for me.

I also caught up with a bunch of friends in Tokyo, hit a lot of stores including Marui One, Studio Alta, Shibuya 109 and Grimoire, took a few street snaps, and did a HEAP of shopping.

At the end of the month I celebrated my 6th wedding anniversary at the Big Day Out, with a cute hairdo with 2 top-knots.

And I headed out to a goth club in crimped 80′s style hair and danced for the first time in my spine-heeled d squared shoes, as well as my floral hair clip and jet beaded collar from Grimoire.

Hopefully I’ll have just as action packed a January this year, even if I’m not heading to Tokyo any time soon. There are a lot of gigs lined up, from The Damned, to Soundgarden, to Voltaire, to Sisters of Mercy, to Bad Manners, to Arctic Monkeys, and to the awesomeness of Big Day Out and Soundwave soon.

I also have 29th Jan to 7th Feb off, and am contemplating going somewhere new and relatively close for a week..Indonesia? Hit a beach resort, or over-the-water lake retreat in Java a la Anthony Bourdain?  Would love to head to Aceh with an armful of punk cd’s to distribute to the punk kids there who are being oppressed…but travelling on my own not perhaps the best idea. Or Bali – avoid Kuta and head to Ubud, where I’ve never been?

Or there’s always Malaysia, go somewhere I haven’t been before there…which leaves quite a lot. Anywhere in Asia would suit me fine. Hmm…any recommendations?

The reasons are several, and related. I’m just too content. I don’t have the drive. I don’t feel the need so much to seek approval or praise. I already have enough to do in my new house (which is now not so new, but still needs so much work).

The happiest I remember being was the year leading up to and after my marriage, and since getting my lovely little pup Fritz, I’ve had a similar contentment. I now have “my little family”.  I love nothing more than to sit with my two boys on the couch – although usually the two of them are sleeping:

I care less about ever becoming big or read by many people. I care less about appearing slick and professional. I’m happier to plod along in my own little puddle. I know that I make more money in my day job than I ever could being a full-time blogger, and so I can’t be bothered chasing sponsorships or advertisers or spending mega-hours on posts in the hope that it will go full-time. That doesn’t mean I don’t care at all about blogging,  but it does mean that I blog less if I’m not “feeling it”. Ya know?

I do feel I’m in some sort of transitional phase right now, and don’t know quite what the changes will be. Those who’ve read the book Passages may know what I’m experiencing. What I can tell you is that I’ll never be a mummy blogger (only a puppy-rearing blogger on occasion, teehee), nor a techy blogger, nor one who posts those incredibly arty, moody photographs with obscure captions that make no sense but make the authors seem terribly intense and impossibly erudite.

Fashion, travel and nightlife will always figure in my jottings. Being a bit out there and alternative despite approaching 50 will always be part of my modus operandi. Investigating alternative culture in other parts of the world will likewise always attract me like catnip. Although I won’t be visiting Japan for a while, I’m definitely still feeling my connection with Asia. My next big trip is to India, via Singapore, so the fashion and culture there will be a focus shortly. I’m also intrigued by the punks and goths in Indonesia, and see myself travelling there this year. (Never fear though…I’ll still be posting about Japanese fashion and nightlife, and still have photos and posts from my last trip to unfurl).

Of course, having this little cutie makes it hard to stay away from home for very long, cos I miss him! Here is Fritz doing his best Billy Idol sneer:

Cute overload, huh? You’re welcome

But that’s enough of me. What about you? Do you feel any changes coming in 2012?

We trained it into Circular Quay (near Sydney Harbour)…and took a few moments for some outdoor shots. Luckily, a breeze came up just as Dom was taking the snap and voila! Fluttery skirt.

Rather than go for a dress this year, I went with some gorgeous separates I’ve bought this year and not worn yet.

Vintage-looking beaded aqua top: Miss Selfridge
Curved hem pleated teal & aqua skirt: Topshop (now on sale for 12 pounds!)
Teal feather jacker: Sly (Japan)
Vintage necklace: my mothers
Teal platform shoes: RMK shoes

Posing in/by trains/boats ‘R’ us.

Yes, the fringe was EPIC FAIL due to the hot humid weather (and the curls dropped). It WOULD decide to become muggy just the day I want to dress up and catch a train! But I loved wearing this outfit and felt very olde-world glamorous – perhaps an updo might have been the go?

And now, onto preparing for my New Years Eve outfit….in which I’ll be viewing spectacular fireworks over THIS iconic bridge, before heading back out of town to Black Cherry nightclub.

I used to like to run outdoors, and found it invaluable in keeping my weight down. But with all the dismal rainy weather Sydney has been experiencing this year, and especially the past few months, it’s been mighty hard to get out without getting drenched. What to do?

This week I went out and bought a treadmill. Actually, my husband bought it FOR me for Xmas, but I accompanied him to test and choose the model. I’ve purchased things from oo.com.au before, but I’d never realised that they have a showroom where you can see the products in person. And best of all, it’s only 2 suburbs away from us! So off we went to check out what they had in stock.

I settled on the Confidence Fitness GTR, which was a budget-friendly $299.95 . I looked at a lot of models online that cost a lot more, but thought this was an acceptable price-bracket for me. You can also nab some bargains on ebay, especially if you’re happy to buy secondhand.

Today I went for my first one hour run on it…and man, it felt good! As the counter showed the calories I was working off, I felt a sense of wellbeing and hope. It also meant I could watch some of my trashy fave cable shows like Millionaire Matchmaker and Flipping Out, but still feel virtuous.  Gotta love that

This is not an advertorial, btw, just a recommendation of something I’ve found that I like so far. Here are some features:

• km/h to 12km/h speed – start building your fitness by walking, and progress up to a run at your own pace
• 12 built in fitness programs
• Multi function large LED Display showing speed, distance, time, calories, heart rate and scan between all
• Heart rate monitor
• Adjustable incline; 3 incline levels to add a new dimension to your run
• Folding design for easy storage
• Suitable for users up to 120kg (19 stone)
• Emergency stop clip

So now I’m no longer at the mercy of the elements. Taking charge!!

I also have some exercise routines on the pc that I watch on the telly and do in my loungeroom, thus adding stretching and weight bearing activity to my cardio. I quite like Tracey Anderson’s method, where you merely need a chair for most of the workout.

I have also begun recording my exercise as well as my eating on Calorie King. I really encourage you to have a look at the site if you’re wanting to keep track of your eating, or just find out the calorie/kilojoule content of your fave foods and drinks. I used it back in 2008 when I lost 10kg…and by gum, I’m going to do it again! While I’ve been eating Lite n’ Easy for a while now…I do like to have freshly prepared meals when I can, and upping the vege quotient is another tactic I’m using.

I’m certainly still going to be celebrating over the festive season with bubbly libations…but I’m going for light beers, and working extra hard on the treadmill to compensate.

What methods have you used to keep healthy? Any sites you’d like to share? I’ll certainly let you know of my progress – here’s to a fabulous 2012!

As luck would have it, it’s at the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville, just up the road from me! We heard old dance classics like “Where’s Your Head At?”, “Insomnia” and ”Voodoo People”, as well as alternative/Industrial classics such as “Dragula” from Rob Zombie, “Du Hast” from Rammstein and Ministry’s “New World Order”.

I decided to put my hair up into huge buns..made possible by the little round doughnut things I brought back from Japan. Once I’d done that, I added the gothic lolita hair rope (this time the curly version), and wrapped it around and around the buns, and leaving a tail hanging out. It ended up looking a bit like a gothic version of the B-52′s girls. What do you think?

Jacket: JC Penney (Ireland)
White corset with fan-lacing: Ebay
Studded armor: Bebe
Black camisole top: somewhere in Reading, UK
Black pvc slashed skirt: Camden Markets
Black skeleton tights: Black Milk
White platform booties: R&E (Japan)
Studded cuffs: La Foret (Harajuku)

As you can see, we have a fairly paltry looking little Xmas tree – we used to live in a small flat and it looked fine, but now we’re in a big house, it’s just WAY too small! Maybe next year….

Here’s my DIY video where I show how I did the leopard print on my hair, by demonstrating on a wig.

It’s great for parties, clubs and gigs, whether punk, rockabilly, psychobilly or goth. Give it a go! It’s easy…

Did you try this in the past year?  Why not try it now?

Well, actually, it’s two dresses for the festive season.  I was looking online the other day for party dresses…and was like a kid in a candy store. One dress was almost blindingly bright – a neon yellow/green confection of lace and tulle – and despite it being borderline 80′s-tastic, I felt I just had to get it. This is it:

Hey, one only gets a chance to buy stuff like this when neon is in fashion (unless it’s from a costume store!)  I’ve been wearing block colour orange for a while now, with pops of aqua or pink next to it, but I really want to try the neon-yellow that’s been seen around the past few months. Yes, I could be tasteful and just wear it as a cardi, or on my nails…but it’s party season! Why not?

Obviously the next question is what to wear with it? What shoes, bag, belt, jewellery, nailpolish and make-up? Since the Christmas/New Year season here in Sydney tends to be HOT, it seems utterly appropriate to accessorise with similarly summery neon brights.  While I love turquoise with the acid yellow, fuschia and magenta also pop well against it. Silver, too, always looks great with bright colour.  Here are some of my faves:

Listing the items as they run down each photo-strip, top to bottom, left to right:

1. Tom Binns Ethno Teknic “Massai” neon necklace

2. Hot Topic pink pyramid stud belt

3. Silver studded Karmaloop shoe

4. ASOS neon yellow bag

5. Neon nail polishes

6. Pink “Ami” leopard shoe Karmaloop

7. ASOS aqua scallop edge satchel

8. Aqua cream colour from Make Up Forever

9. Jeffery Campbell pink bag from Karmaloop

10. Neon Tribal Punk necklace from DolorisPetunia on Etsy

11. Neon make-up

12. Blue statement necklace from DolorisPetunia on Etsy

13. Jeffery Campbell Darian neon yellow shoe from Solestruck

14. Sly (Japan) feather jacket

15. Neon yellow Royal Opulence lace and tutu dress from the Outnet – now sold out, sorry!

Do you like anything from here? What would you accessorise the dress with? Would you do as they’ve done on the website and tone it down with basic black?

Postscript: I tried it on and it’s a little small around the back (I’ve put weight on this year and have just started to exercise again). Looks like I’ll be wearing the other dress, with gold sequin top and black tulle skirt, for the New Year!

And here they are on my own tootsies:

In store they were in the mens/unisex section, and as such were available in bigger sizes. That’s my tip to you ladies who can’t fit into even the large size ladies Japanese shoe, which is 24.5 – 25cm. The mens go up to around 29. I tried on the 25, then 24.5, then 24, then 23.5 and FINALLY found that in the mens sizing, I was actually a 23! The shoes are wider than ladies also, which I find a great help as I have broad feet.  (Unfortunately the web links I provided above only go up to 25cm, but if you’re heading to Japan soon, take a look in-store).

There were heaps of creeper-type shoes with the flat platform and rounded toe everwhere I went in Tokyo. These combine that look with the host boy look (who are renowned for their shiny silver suits and pointy boots). I like the mod and old school goth overtones, and the fact that they work both with pants and fitted skirts.

Just what is gothic lolita hair rope, I hear you ask? See exhibit A, at left. It is hair attached to a central cord, which you then drape or wrap around your buns, to get that messy updo look. I also bought some that had curly hair instead of the straight, which gives a sweeter,  more wavy/curly ladylike look.

Prisila, a company which has the charming catchphrase “No wig, no life” (teehee),  offers a huge range of wigs, hairpieces, fringes, buns, hairbows and accessories for every lolita, gyaru and Japanese fashion enthusiast.  They have stores in various places in japan, but Marui One in Shinjuku is a very central one.

Check out the website as there is so much there to drool over (hint: use google translate, if, like me, you can’t read japanese).

So, back to the product. How do you use it? Basically, you put your hair into ponytails, wrap your hair around itself into buns, then take each rope and wind itself around each bun. I started off in the middle of the rope, winding both ends around the bun and crossing them over each time, securing with pins as I went. Then when finished I just teased out a bit more for an artfully messy look and hairsprayed the ‘do.

Anyway, enough of the explaining; here’s the result:

As you can see, it is a little Robert Smith/the Cure like. Great on a hot summer night when you just have to have your hair up.  Bones hairclips just add to the old-schoolness of the look. Of course, I should dye my fringe a darker blue/purple to match, which I now have

I will also include the ubiquitous cab-cam shot, showcasing the circle lenses (CircleLens2U), and cobweb fake lashes (from La Foret). The outfit shot displays the fab skull dress I snaffled at Studio Alta on my last day in Tokyo, worn with a gothic lolita skirt and Deadlygirlz corset.

Only today did I discover that Prisila have a great “how to” page with lots of helpful videos. Here’s the one using the curly rope wig with a single bun:

And the dress? It is from Aleara by JurianoJurrie, which is on level 2 of Studio Alta.  The  Aleara brand is more gothic, sexy and underground style (so they say), with lots of black, white and red. Another one I wasn’t aware of previously, although the JJ brand is well known, being featured often in Jelly and Nuts.

The dress can be purchased here, and below is the dress on a lither model. It also comes in the off-white with black print, and as you can see, looks good buttoned up so the ruffle shows.

More new brands and purchases to come!

It stood out to me immediately, amidst other retro/bland stores, on account of its rock/glam look – very much like tutuHa. There were lots of spikes and skulls, crosses, metallics, leopard print, stripes, black, splashes of red and fuschia, cool hats..all the things I love I really like that there are totally wearable items in there, alongside over-the-top, costumey, for clubs and parties type wear.  For my money, there is more here for the average girl to wear than in tutuHa. But enough babbling, see the store:

This one is not my pic…it shows the store’s layout quite nicely.

The glamorous girls in the store looked familiar…and it turns out they’re ex-tutuHa themselves! Unlike some stores, the girls not only welcome photos, but they take pics of you for their microblog Fernopaasnaap!  I went there in the first few days of my trip, and returned on my very last day to get some more goodies The day I last shopped, unfortunately I had no make-up, lenses or lashes on and looked disgusting, but  agreed to pics (oh, I could DIE!).   But it was so cool that they recognised me when I returned and made a big fuss. Anyway, here’s the link to when I was in the Fernopaa store on November 21st.  And here are my photos:

Ami, Morimayu and Yanitan (??) The 2 on the left are so doll-like! The third is very streetwear rock. Ami always wears the pirate hat and Morimayu the tall marching band hat.

I bought some fab wristlets  in the shape of spines, and a new eyeball ring (also just seen on the khaki-clad mannequin)…but I’ll show you these in an upcoming outfit post!

I noticed that gorgeous gal blogger Woxje has done a post introducing Fernopaa too!  She also gives links to the shop girls blogs, so take a look.

All in all, Fernopaa is a real addition to the gyaru fashion scene. If non-gyaru girls like me love it, I can only imagine that gals will flip! Hopefully a webstore will be coming soon…and maybe a shop in 109 one day? Who knows?