A Day At The Zoo

Just sharing some photos from my wonderful Zoo adventure last week.

The day began super early as my three year old buddy and I loaded the car and set our sights for Sydney's north. We got to the Zoo just after opening and began to plan our day around exciting exhibits and shows. 

Seated in the "splash zone" for the seal show was a definite highlight!

and we never passed up the opportunity for some fun photos!

Taronga Zoo are doing an amazing job on the conservation front. It was a great way to educate the young one about sustainable practices that will protect endangered species and promote environmental sustainability as a whole.

Overall it was a wonderful day spent with awesome people. I know my little man loved it!

Sunday's Stress Relief

 
A tranquil spot located approximately 8km from my house (probably the best part about moving away from the suburbs). I love that I can rely on Bents to satisfy my longing for a relaxing Sunday after an arduous working week. It is perfect for picnics, sun-baking on the grass, swimming and just an overall amazing day. The drive out there is equally as pleasing, featuring rolling flower covered hills and an abundance of farm yard companions.

A bunch of my friends and I made a last minute decision to spend the day by the water last Sunday. We dipped our toes in the basin's fresh water, ate a lovely basket packed lunch and slept off some of the worries of the week as it come to a close. On the way home, we stopped at a field full of horses. One of my "horse whisper" friends was dissatisfied with viewing alone, and made it her business to introduce herself.

Days like that make me ache for summer...

Her Name Is Zooey

Actress

Musician 

Model 

Singer / Songwriter

Zooey Deschanel has been blogged to death, but she definitely deserves it!

Personally, I think my love affair with Zooey Deschanel began back in 2003, where she belted out 'Baby it's Cold Outside' in an employee bathroom in Elf. Her supporting role in films like Failure to Launch always saw her cast as the deadpan character - an all too often monotoned friend expressing archly insincere humour (which for those of you who don't know me too well should know I regularly use in my day to day vocab). In the last few years however, Zooey has become well known for her lead roles in Yes Man and (500) Days of Summer, both personal favourites. As a musician, Zooey Deschanel has made my heart melt with She & Him studio albums Volume One and Volume Two. Not to mention the fanciful numbers that appear in her movies, worthy of mention is Munchausen By Proxy.

I think above all though, I am in love with her quirky sort of retro pop style. Sure most of it comes from her ability to rock navy blues and reds and skirts and bows, complimented by her 1960's hair of course. But I think what shines through is a sense of youth and fearlessness. Besides dressing so sweet and being totally adorable, she has real talent that never leaves me disappointed.

Also, I highly recommend having a listen to her version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas to make that festive mood just a little more lovely!

Saturday Night Fever

As the winding down of the weekend has finally finished, it is time to share some of the special events. The entire weekend was dedicated to celebrating one of my best friend's 21st birthday. Her party (perfectly themed 70's Disco) was immortalised by films such as Saturday Night Fever. Mirror balls and colourful settings transformed the inside of the function room, and helped to unleash the disco era upon the psyche of all the guests. As a result, we saw many hip hugging bell bottom jeans, short skirts and spandex sparkle under the disco lights. I channeled my inner ABBA and decided to wear a bright blue full-length jumpsuit. The look was complete with platform shoes, dramatic makeup, a classic 70's hairstyle, neon nail polish and oversized accessories. The abundance of daring disco moves, motown sing-a-longs and roller skates is proof that everyone else also channeled their inner 70's inspiration. In the end it was a wonderful night, definitely one to leave a mark on history!

Here is some photo evidence...

Sounds of Santeria

Earlier this week I purchased Triple J's Like A Version Six. I'm always amused by artist's who take on the challenge of performing a classic from another, particularly when they differ in style and genre. Tracks 1 - 3 of Like A Version were just what I expected... awesome acoustic alternatives to some great songs! But Track 4 was something special. It featured the sweet voice of Megan Washington, singing Sublime's ever popular "Santeria". I feel in love almost instantly. Now, I'm pretty much addicted. The Washington-Sublime hybrid is fastly making its way towards the top of my most played playlist.

What do you think?

Sporadicity & Study

Let me take a moment to apologise to you all. It has been little under a month since my last post and for that I am terribly sorry. With end-of-semester stress, this little project of mine had been shoved into the tiniest corner of my priorities. However, I am pleased to announce that University 2010 has come to a close. And my brain could not be happier.

Since I have a tendency to procrastinate until the very last minute, last week saw me rushing to complete three major works, two assessments and study for an exam. When I sat down to add up the numbers, I struggle to understand how I did it.

By the end of the week, I had...

Borrowed and returned over 32 library books. 

Read and referenced probably half.

 Written and edited over 7,000 words. 

Printed and posted over 85 pages. 

Pulled two consecutive all-nighters and met three assessment deadlines. 

Broke down, cried & procrastinated a hell of a lot.

With all the associated stress of the week, I barely had time to appreciate the major life achievement that had occurred. I have now finished my first degree at University, and will be graduating soon with a B/ Social Science. My biggest regret is that it had such a terrible ending. Social Science was a large part of my everyday life for the last three years. I met some wonderful people, sat in class rooms with some very wise teachers and had the opportunity to delve into some ideas I would have never otherwise uncovered. University life for me however is not over just yet. I still have another two strenuous years to finish off my Law degree. But I am very excited to start studying Law units that interest me, and be done with the boring Constitutional type compulsory subjects.

A big thank you to my family and few friends who supported me throughout the last semester, and in particular the last week or so. Without your kind and encouraging words I probably would have given up at the thought of it all. Also, a very special thank you goes to my dear friend Shannon, for once again providing me with pages and pages of law notes before the exam. Without your generosity, I most definitely would have failed.

Now that it's all over for the year, I look forward to my four month holiday, where books will be read in recreation, letters posted out of love, and all-nighters spent with friends having fun!