What I Wore – Pink bat Attack!

It has been ages since I did a “What I Wore” post and there are two very good reasons for it. Firstly, I still haven’t replaced my poor, broken camera (though I have an amazing one on layby which I pick up soon) and secondly, because I get all self-conscious and shy and so rarely take photos of my outfits and on the rare occassion that I do, I freak out and refuse to post it. I am lame, I know.

But I just bought this dress and was feeling lovelyso I got mum to snap a few quick pics on her mobile which turned out OK and I’m biting the bullet and posting! Yay for me!

Dress: Pink Bat Attack by Sourpuss (bought from my friend Skye-Bow Clothing & Accessories)
Leggings:  I got these babies from Avon. They hold you in and are slinky and just about the best pair I’ve ever owned!
Necklace: Zombie Bling by Sourpuss (also from Skye-Bow Clothing & Accessories)
Shoes: El-cheapo’s from Best & Less which I got for about $9 or something ridiculous!

Detail:

As you can (hopefully) see, the bats have wicked little grins. Now really, how could I have lived another minute without this dress in my possession? The necklace is also incredible, the perfect length and so nicely encrusted with rhinestones. Dear god I love Sourpuss!

Let the Magpies Swoop

Once again, I’m not sure why I waste my time reading the so-called articles on news.com.au because I get far too angry. And that’s before I even get to the reader comments! Today’s little gem is the article about a three year old getting swooped by a magpie, who may or may not lose some/all vision in one eye as the magpie wasn’t deterred by the child’s yells. There’s been a fair bit of publicity about swooping magpies this season, and naturally there are two distinct sides as to what to do about it.

The comments on this particular article are a fine example of the two vastly different opinions. On one hand, some share my view that this is what happens every year for as long as these birds have existed and that you need to be cautious when in an area known to contain nesting magpies. After all, this only happens for just over one month a year (between late-August early-October), so it shouldn’t be such a big deal that we keep away from affected areas or at least wear appropriate headwear when passing through.

But no, the jerks all come out, declaring them to be a horrible pest who maim and kill our precious children, so they must all be culled so we can live in peace. Never mind the fact there’s only ever been reports of one kid dying from a magpie attack back in 1946 and that was from tetanus. A kid died from being hit by a car after being swooped by a magpie last year, but the magpie didn’t intend for that to happen, he just wanted to protect his territory. But nah, that’s not good enough, and won’t somebody PLEASE think of the CHILDREN??!!

Look, it sucks for anyone who’s been hurt by a magpie. Personally I’ve never been attacked and as far as I’m aware, never even been swooped. I lived in the country for the first 9 years of my life, and then on the back of a huge park next to a creek, surrounded by bushland until I was in my early 20s. I visit my mum every other week and we go on long walks in various parks and I’ve never been attacked once (I have been swooped by plovers but I was trying to spy on the cute little babies and I carried a branch above my head, so I knew what I was in for). In fact I can only think of one person ever claiming to have been hurt while being swooped and while it did draw some blood, he had no real misgivings about it because that’s what happens in Australia this time of year. FANCY THAT!

My fear is that the boon’s will all be out trying to kill poor magpie’s after this extra publicity and so hundreds of innocent birds will be tortured because one kid got a peck in the eye in Toowoomba. I was horrified when I heard about how many flying foxes were killed, tortured, mutilated and left to die because of the Hendra virus scare we had in Queensland a few months ago, just because horses can catch the virus from bat poop which affected about four humans and a dog. I dread to think how many magpies will be harmed as a result of this “bad press”.

Anyway, my comment got published (which is rare for me, my comments rarely make the cut) and fortunately most of the commenters seem to be against culling these magnificent birds as well.

Ruby’s New ‘Do

Guess who got their hair cut last night?

Let me just start off by saying, I love it. I have had pretty much the same haircut for a few years now, a concave bob with a blunt fringe that grows out into a lob (long bob, just to clarify for those not in the hair-know). There was a stage for about a year where I went quite short at the back which was fun at the time, but something I’ll never bother with again. I had a side-swept fringe for a bit but I’d always revert back to my faithful blunt fringe that would range between super short to in-my-eyes-and-pissing-me-off long.

I got an asymmetrical fringe a couple of months ago on a whim (it was going to be a side-swept fringe again but my hairdresser mixed it up a bit) which I really liked. So I kept it a while, even getting it re-trimmed in the same way (I rarely keep a “different” fringe upon my follow up fringe trim). Then one of the other hairdressers at the the salon I go to asked if I wnated to be a hair model. And this is the result!

I’ll probably loathe it when it starts growing out but it was FREE and I love the double asymmetrical thing and just generally having something quite different to what I’m used to.

Don’t worry though, the pink/black is here to stay!

Ruby’s Movie Reviews – August 2011

So this is a bit late. What can I say? I’m slack as hell and never gonna change! But that’s part of my charm, right???

COWBOYS & ALIENS
I had been looking forward to this film for some time. I saw the trailer a while ago online and couldn’t wait to finally see it. Daniel Craig as a tough (sexy) cowboy who doesn’t remember who he is, combined with the likes of Harrison Ford AND aliens? It was too good to be true. I took mum to see it as she was just as eager as I was, and it surpassed our expectations! Thankfully it wasn’t in 3D (have I told you just how OVER 3D films I am now?) and instead relied on a great story line and awesome special effects as well as fantastic casting.

The year is 1873 and a man wakes up with no recollection of how he wound up in the middle of nowhere, who he is, nor where the fancy metal cuff got onto his wrist. He quickly learns he is a wanted man and as he’s about to be carted off to be tried for his crimes, the town is attacked by aliens who steal people away, leaving the town devastated. The remaining citizens then go after the aliens to retrieve their loved ones and get rid of the evil aliens. It sounds a bit ridiculous, but I am telling you now, it is fantastic. I also loved how authentic it was, there was no need to glamourise that era of make it trendy by being a bit steampunk (which is something I normally love, but it would have been tacky if done in this particular film).

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
When I first saw the trailer for this I was a little bit sceptical. After all, the remake of Planet of the Apes by Tim Burton was an absolute travesty and he’s a damn good director so I kind of assumed there was no hope. But then the reviews started rolling in and they were all excellent so between that and the fact James Franco is a dreamboat, so I went to see it with neutral feelings, hoping for something amazing but accepting of the fact it might completely blow.

Fortunately, it was EXCELLENT! The CGI as mind-blowing, to the point where you were absolutely certain that most of the apes (particularly the orang-utan’s) were real. The story line was pretty simple but very well told and as hopes, James Franco was his usual charming self and John Lithgow’s did a terrific job as his aging dad who was the catalyst for much of what happens in the film.

I really hope they don’t make a ”sequel”  as the ending explains how the world becomes the Planet of the Apes in the 1968 classic. But based on its success and the way Hollywood can;t leave a good thing alone, I’m sure one will be in production soon.

RED DOG
Now this is a film I never thought I’d see, let alone love. I saw the poster for it back when HP: DH2 was out and I recall slinging off at it and saying “I’d rather die than see that”. This is a definite case of  ”don’t judge a book by its cover” because the poster did not reflect the beauty of the film one bit, and believe me, Red Dog was one of the most wonderful films I’ve seen in years. It’s very, very Aussie but not in an alienating way that only Aussies will get. It was just really authentic without going overboard with the cliche’s or the “zany” Australian style of film making that can make our films hard to market overseas.

Red Dog is the main character and is a kelpie whom the residents of the rural town of Dampier fell in love with in the 1970s. They retell his story to a truck driver who happens to stop by their only pub as Red Dog has been found gravely ill (don’t worry, this is the very first scene so I didn’t just spoil the film horribly for you). They recall his grand adventures which include his wanderings through Western Australia‘s Pilbara region, as well as the many wonderful ways that he impacted their lives.

I really don’t want to go into more detail because I want everyone to go see it and enjoy it for themselves. Ignore the lame movie poster and take some tissues because it gets really bloody sad, more than once. I really hope this film does well because it deserves to be shown all over the world and appreciated by anyone who loves dogs or just enjoys well-made Australia movies. I seriously got a tear in my eye from just reading the synopsis of the film, which means I’m probably going to have to see it again. Oh darn!

An Open Letter to Brisbane City Council about Fortitude Valley

I saw this in today’s newspaper and was relieved to see that I’m not the only person who feels this way. In fact I’d been planning to write an open letter to Brisbane City Council about the state of Fortitude Valley for some time, but never made the effort to sit down and write about it. But upon seeing this, I have been motivated to finally have my say:

Dear Brisbane City Council,

I live in Fortitude Valley and have done so for a number of years. I love the convenience and how close I am to everything in the inner-City. Plus I love the fact I can go out for a night on the town and it’s only a short stumble home afterwards. I don’t intend to move away from the Valley anytime soon, but there are days when I wonder why I live there when I am confronted with the worst this suburb has to offer, more often than not.

While I try to walk to work every morning, I sometimes have to catch a train which means taking the escalators from Wickham St up to Valley Metro and am constantly appalled by the state of things in such a small space. First of all, you have to avoid a close encounter with some of the Valley’s least desirable residents who take to sitting on the ground outside Cafe One, yelling at each other and in some cases, getting into fist fights and dealing drugs. Then you have to deal with the escalators which do not work 99% of the time and are caked in filth, only to be greeted with the disgusting mess that is the walkway between McWhirters building and the Metro food court. I have literally never seen it clean. There are inches of dust and grime coating old rubbish and fast food containers. I once saw a pie that has been smeared into the wall last about a month before it was cleaned (or most likely, fell off on its own accord). Considering Fortitude Valley station is the 3^rdbusiest in Queensland, this is appalling.

Imagine being a tourist, who has taken the train to the (in)famous Fortitude Valley and that is what they see. Or if they choose to enter the Valley via the main exit they get to witness another nasty side of the Valley which is Brunswick St between the five-ways and Wickham Street. This is another area that I’ve never seen clean and always has a range of dodgy looking people hovering around, asking for change and then abusing you if you refuse. On one side of the street you have dank old cheap shops that you can smell from a mile off and haven’t been updated since the building used to be a Walton’s, facing $1 peepshows, strip joints, nightclubs and the dingy Chopstix Arcade.

The rest of the Valley ain’t much better either. Footpath’s are in a terrible state (though some have been totally replaced near our unit which was a nice surprise), the Brunswick St Mall is ridiculously outdated and the TCB arcade that was probably meant to raise the mall’s profile echoes as it’s almost completely empty. The China Town mall has been updated and looks kind of cool (if not a bit barren) but otherwsie I haven’t seen anything in the public areas of the Valley updated since I’ve lived here. Most of China Town is revolting too. How most of those restaurants haven’t been shut down for health and safety violations is beyond me. Some mornings as I walk to work, I gag on the smell emanating out of the bins sitting out on the footpath and can only imagine what the kitchen’s look like if that’s what was taken out.

I’m not saying the entire Valley needs to be cleaned up, renovated and changed. All I’m asking for is a bit of a spruce up and disciplining the daggy shops for stinking up the place so badly. Fix the shitty footpaths’s, replace the devastated street furniture, jazz up the Brunswick St mall and make shop owners fix up their shit because seeing massive holes in the overhangs of shops, many of which still bear the names of shops from 25 years ago is nasty. The Valley should retain some of its slightly derelict charm, but overall it needs some serious updating, a good scrub down and if possible, PLEASE move the drunks and druggo’s elsewhere so I don’t have to fear for my safety anytime after 8pm. It’s shouldn’t just be about the nightlife on Friday and Saturday nights, it should be a place for people to visit at any time of the day, on any day of the week. After all, those Valley markets on Saturday’s aren’t even worth a second glance these days and every other retail outlet is having a closing down sale because no one wants to spend time in the Valley any more.

Thanks in advance,

Ruby Velour
Concerned Citizen

Ruby’s Wishlist – Part 4

1. Zombietini Dress by Iron Fist. Cute and casual with zombie faces doing my favourite expression D:
2. Boyfriend Skull Watch by Asos. I used to only ever wear novelty/kids watches but then I got a cute Guess watch and now appreciate simple styles. But I still love skulls and this watch is just too cute to comprehend while still looking normal and “adult”.
3. Bat Attack pink dress by Sourpuss. Pink, flattering style and covered in bats? Umm, ok. You’ve twisted my arm!
4. Zombie brains headband on etsy. Guess who just found the perfect accessory for my Brisbane Zombie Walk outfit?!
5. Fruit slice ceramic nail art. I stumbled upon these so randomly and already have so many plans for them!
6. Gold Digger Zombie Stomper platform by Iron Fist. I always wanted the green version but knew I’d have trouble with the height of the heel. Now it’s available in pink, who care if I can walk in them or not?!

Cara Rage 001

It has struck me that the greatest term ever invented, “Cara Rage” has never really been used properly on my blog! Sacrilege! So from now on, my ragey, things-that-piss-me-off posts will be called CARA RAGE!

Included in things that have enraged me this week:

OXFAM COLLECTORS
I work in the CBD of Brisbane City, so I know there are always people around collecting money for various charities and organisations.  Many of them have regular hangout’s, so if I’m in a hurry I know where to avoid. I’m not a total bastard though, I do donate when I have spare change and am not feeling my usual money woes. Most of them are pretty decent and don’t harass or target you especially when it’s clear you’re in a rush.

The Oxfam ones though, oooh they drive me insane. They’re not around every day, so you have a few days or even weeks to forget about them. But then BAM, there they are, all six of them on each street corner of the intersection you need to cross, armed with compliments to disarm you and then they beg for a moment of your time to reel you in. Plus they’re all smiley and chirpy and way to pipper for a cold an overcast morning and they TARGET you from afar so you have to keep walking towards them, knowing they’re going to POUNCE.

Look, I understand that is one of the worst jobs all times (I once tried something similar when desperate in London but just couldn’t hack the rejection) but it is really fucking annoying because you either have to stop and pretend to care or else look like a total jerk and brush them off. I don’t need that while powering through the City to run errands, I already feel like a big enough twat for not buying the Big Issue from every vendor I pass so PLEASE stop ruining my day with guilt trips, Oxfam!

BRISBANE IS NOT VERY LIVABLE
So the Economist Intelligence Unit revealed this week that the most livable city in the world is Melbourne. Vancouver has topped the list for a number of years but is now #3 while Melbourne takes top place. It’s not a surprise, Melbourne is a wonderful City and if it wasn’t for my family and friends being up here, I’d move down there in a flash. Sydney is also on there at #7 while Perth and Adelaide both take out the 8th position. So where’s Brisbane? NUMBER BLOODY 21, THAT’S WHERE! Considering how the slogans for Brisbane and Queensland have always been about how livable and perfect it is up here, we’re pretty shit, if you ask me.

Brisbane, you have so much work to do to make the top 10 of that list. I don’t know what criteria these guys use to rank a city’s livability but I have a fair idea of where Brisbane let everyone down. How about the high cost of living we have up here vs the lack of entertainment available most days of the week. How about how all of our restaurants close by about 9pm so if you want to go out for a meal after 10pm, it’s greasy fast food or cheap Asian or nothing. What about the fact the Valley, our entertainment district, is a smelly, dirty hell hole by day and a drunken, noisy mess on Friday and Saturday nights? There’s plenty of bitch about, but the bottom line is, we’re still a big Country Town that isn’t coping with how many people keep moving up here from the southern states so rent is ridiculous and the average salary does not reflect our high cost of living! Well…in my case anyway.

I am very fond of Brisbane and love living here, but it needs to get its act together. The only thing we have to boast about to other states is the Worlds’s Biggest Zombie Walk (which will be official after the walk in October, just so you know)!

COLD SEASON
This is my 2nd cold of the season and I’VE HAD IT. Life is too short to spend 2-3 weeks of the year feeling like a snot monster, coughing and sneezing everywhere and being unable to function properly. I also miss having makeup on/around my nose :(

WHITE RUNNERS WITH JEANS/SUITS
I just saw a few examples of this during my walk through the City yesterday, much to my horror. Firstly, let’s be honest, you haven’t actually ever worn those shoes for their intended purpose (ie. running) before, have you ? Secondly, have you NO TASTE? I admit I occasionally wear my ugly, white walking shoes to and from work with my work clothes but it is with great shame and literally because it hurts my back to wear my usual flats for such a long distance. I actually realised how dreadful the look was after a short while though and now wear my wicked-cool Vans instead. Not as comfy, but so much better looking.

I see people wearing their graying, out-of-style runners as actual fashion staples and it makes me want to die. If you’re that obsessed with comfort, get a pair of something colourful and fashionable (like these magnificent specimens). Never, ever wear white running shoes out in public unless you are exercising!