July 7 2008: Older, And More Mature
Categories: Family & Men | No Comments
So my mother said to me yesterday: “Karen asked if you had a boyfriend”.
Karen is the mother of my brother’s best friend - we’re quite close with their family because of their friendship, and keep in close enough contact that we know what each member of the respective families are doing. Karen and her husband John are rather fond of me and take quite a bit of interest in what I do as they perceive me as the ideal obedient and family-oriented daughter.
My mother tells me of the excuse she made for me - that the boys I meet are too immature and that I need someone at least six or seven years older. Apparently, Karen has also always envisioned me with someone older and more mature.
The irony of course, is that they have no idea what’s going on in my love life yet they’ve somehow hit the nail on the head.
July 6 2008: Cleaning Out One’s Wardrobe
Categories: Fashion | 9 Comments
I’ve been cleaning out my wardrobe. It might not look empty by some standards, but by mine, it’s very empty. This spring clean is taking place for multiple purposes:
- To get rid of items that no longer fit.
- To get rid of items that I will no longer wear.
- To get rid of items that no longer fit into my outfit aesthetics (dressy corporate for work, sloppy casual for weekend, cocktail dresses for nights out)
- To make space for newly-purchased items that fit into the aforementioned outfit aesthetics.
Essentially, I’m coming up for a major lifestyle change at the end of this year as I transition from a largely casual university lifestyle, to a more corporate, office-work-every-day, lifestyle. Rather than buying a whole heap of work clothes at the end of the year, I’m trying to gradually build up a wardrobe of corporate separates over time, as I find items on sale. I’m slowly getting there - I’ve got quite a few shirts and dressier tops, a few skirts, some jackets, some pants. All of which can be mixed and matched for numerous different corporate outfits.
My friends and loved ones have benefited from this wardrobe cleanout. Mish got a few dresses, I sent Tracey a couple of bags worth of items, and other friends came over and dove into my offloadings. This then led me to think…maybe this could be turned into an actual event? Everyone has items in their closet which they’ll probably never wear or never fit into again - rather than simply letting these items go to the Salvation Army (which is of course, the right thing to do, if a little devoid of benefits for oneself), why not do a clothing swap?
Organise a group of your friends and your friends’ friends (at least ten or more) to meet at someone’s house with everything they’ve cleared out of their wardrobes. You then negotiate with other people there, in a “I’ll swap you this item for that item” way. Make a real event out of it as well, with drinks and nibblies, and perhaps even telling tales of each item of clothing - how and where you got it, events you’ve worn it to, events you’ve never had a chance to wear it to, and the time you picked up a hot Swede in a bar when wearing the item.
One could potentially get rid of items they’ll no longer wear, while gaining new items that will inject some new life into their outfits. Mmm, ideas!
July 4 2008: Bargain Shopper’s Guide To Melbourne
Categories: Money | 4 Comments
There’s a semi-annual magazine released here called “The Bargain Shopper’s Guide to Melbourne”. Sounds right up my alley correct? Well, let’s say I take bargain shopping one step further, and rather than forking out $9.95AUD for an issue (c’mon, what a ripoff!), I borrow it from the library and renew my loan multiple times, until I’ve had it out for at least three months. Yes, I’m cheap. So sue me.
It’s not particularly useful for a permanent resident of Melbourne like myself, as we generally know where all the factory outlets and so on are. It’s even less useful for me as my thriftiness is legendary, and I don’t need the bargain shopping tips in their issues either - among my many talents, I know very well to wait for proper discounts before buying, and I know how to haggle prices down.
However, the usefulness of the magazine to me isn’t measured in how much new knowledge and information it can give me. Rather, it’s the warm fuzzy feeling inside that it provides. It’s the knowledge that I’m not the only cheapskate in my city, that I’m not alone in my thriftiness. It’s the sense of comradeship that I get every time I see a woman on public transport reading the magazine as well.
More importantly, it’s the fact that I can sense a kindred spirit every time I can see a woman covertly flicking through an issue at the newsagents and taking notes, rather than buying an issue and taking it home. Because, right there? It shows that she cares about saving a meagre amount like $9.95AUD, and that automatically means that she’s my new best friend.