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This afternoon when I checked my email, I didn’t for one minute think I would end up booking a flight overseas by the end off the day. But I found an amazing deal for 2 for 1 flights that I couldn’t resist and it just took one email to A and withing an hour two flights were booked to Japan in September! And for so, so cheap!
I’ve wanted to go to Japan for ages. I’m not one of those Japan-crazed girls who thinks everything the Japanese do is the best thing ever and so only listen to Japanese music, watch Japanese films/TV and dress like a typical Japanese school girl or do that cos play thing. I mostly just like weird and random shit, which the Japanese seem to have pretty much perfected. I also think Japan looks like a beautiful country, and I have had many friends who have been there say very good things about the place. So, now it’s my turn!
It’s for eight days so a short trip, really. We’ll probably just stay in Tokyo as we’re going to be a bit pushed for money given such short notice and everything. But a week in a crazy city like Tokyo will be perfect, I daresay. Plus I’m not wanting to do all the touristy stuff per say, I just want to experience Tokyo as thoroughly as possible, which probably means lots of wandering around and getting lost (something I mastered in almost every major and minor city that I’ve ever been to). It is going to be AWESOME!
The only things I’m determined to see is Harajuku (I’m told Sunday is the day to go) and Tokyo Disney. Therefore I need suggestions for cool stuff to see and do around Tokyo. Cool shopping districts, interesting sights, famous landmarks, crazy multi-leveled sex-shops, entertainment districts etc. So please give me some ideas of what to see and do around Tokyo! Oh and an idea of how much things cost would be a really nice bonus too.
Posted by Cara »
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Given my appalling couple of weeks, I figured it’d be nice to wrap up my week – just the nice stuff that happened and have stuck in my mind.
Spending lots of time with my mum and getting stuff done / Doing a lot of exercise and feeling like a million dollars afterwards / Changing my eating habits and losing a few kg’s as a result / Seeing real-life macaws and hundreds of wild kangaroos on a unexpected bus trip home / An unplanned day off work that did me wonders / Fantastic news after a lot of bad / A bunch of flowers greeting me at work / Finding money while cleaning and having an amazing meal and seeing a film for FREE as a result / Excessive tea consumption / Silver platforms / Delicious perfume on sale / Finding amazing false lashes and nail decals for CHEAP / New Livejournal layouts that suit me far too well / Magners Cider / Singing bad pop music as loud as I can at work (without getting into trouble) / Anticipating my first ever hypnotherapy session…
This week is going to be so much better. I have a few interesting things to look forward to, like my first ever hypnotherapy sessions. I’m getting it to help my food-obsession, but I’m mostly excited about the whole idea of it, a friend got it done recently and said the experience was unbelievable, plus it worked! I’m going to something called a “Leadership Breakfast” through work on Thursday morning which sounds a little bit fancy and totally delicious. My mum got her loan approved which means she can move into her new house and not stress so much! This was what caused at least 40% of my stress lately so it’s a HUGE relief for us both.
I hope everyone else is having a good week too :)
Posted by Cara »
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After making the effort to go to the Caxton Street Seafood & Wine festival last year, I vowed not to go again this year. But a combination of a friend who’s new to Brisbane and free tickets was what convinced me to give it another go. This guide applies to just about every street party/festival that’s fueled by specialty food and excessive alcohol consumption, not just this annual event.
- Dress comfortably! This is not the place to wear anything too revealing or your new high heels. It’s crowded and on a street in Brisbane city, which means uneven footpaths, unexpected gutters, rubbish everywhere and rowdy people who have no manners. Chances are your heel will break or you’ll twist an ankle when you stumble on uneven ground. And once the night wears on, anything you wear that shows anything more than a little bit of cleveage or leg will get your harassed or groped once the sun goes down.
- Make sure you’re tolerance levels are at their peak. Guaranteed 90% of the people attending will be the types of people that you never normally deal with or even pretend to tolerate. We’re talking bogans of every type, families with kids who are tired and grumpy from all the excitement, girls who wear high heels regardless of any good advice and break your toes when they stamp on your feet in the crowds, kids who just hit 18 and are out to PAR-TAY etc. Aside from some of the friends you bump into, most of these people are not the types of people you want to spend any times with. And you better believe they’re gonna get in your face! So make sure to be tolerant and try to smile and go with it. No one likes a party-pooper, especially at a huge street party!
- Make sure you’re cashed up. Drinks are expensive and not too easy to come by. If you don’t have much cash (like I was this year AND last year, as it turns out) then have a few pre-drinks because you’re probably going to need a decent amount of booze to deal with the crowds, and $50 is not going to get you very far at all.
- Take cash and cigarettes with you. Unless you’re keen to wait in a line ffor an ATM for 45 mins plus, you should have all your cash withdrawn in advance. If you smoke, get a packet or two in advance because you’ll have nowhere else to buy them but the expensive machines at the pubs. It’s also likely that both ATMs and cigarette machines will run out by the end of the day/night.
- Find a good spot and stay there. Once you’ve done your wandering, you’re best off finding a spot that’s not too busy, has a bar nearby and (if you have smoker friends) has a smoking area nearby. The street becomes chaotic pretty early on, but nowhere near as bad as when the sun starts to set and people are well and truly wasted. If you find a good spot, claim it and enjoy it for as long as possible. If you’re lucky it’ll even have good music (in our case it was pub rock which was horrifying at first, but as we drank more it was kind of fun). If you can find a place with decent toilets then you’re clearly better at this than I!
- Leave earlier rather than later. Hanging around for the sake of hanging around means you will just get shittier as every minute passes and all your hard work at getting drunk and being tolerant will fly out the proverbial window. If the party starts to drag, get the hell outta there! Parties are only ever good when you leave on a good note so don’t stick around without good reason.
There are many more tips I could give you, but these are the main ones that will get you by. By skipping these steps you run the risk of having a terrible time. This festival is very hit and miss and usually tends to disappoint more than it engages. It’s a highlight on the social calendar of Brisbane but you must be prepared if you’re going to enjoy it in any way. Chances are you won’t enjoy it much anyway but it’s a bit of generally harmless fun and should be experienced at least once in your lifetime!
(The worse example of a street festival is the Notting Hill Carnivale in London. Holy shit was that intense. Fun, but very very full on. I’d like to go without a recently done tattoo though…man was I hurting by the end of the day)
Posted by Cara »
Add Comment »I love music festivals. I’m what you might call a bit of a “festival whore” as I go to just about all of them around Brisbane/Gold Coast. I trend to go to all the dance music festivals than rock/alternative festivals as I find they usually have a better vibe. But if I can afford it, don’t have other plans and know at least a couple of the acts playing I will probably be there!
Future Music festival on Saturday was a good one. A lovely day so no mud thankfully. I met up with a group of the girls and danced a lot. I managed to lose them when I headed to the front of the main stage but bumped into a work friend anyway. I saw CSS, Grandmaster Flash, N.E.R.D and Basement Jaxx. N.E.R.D weren’t all that great since the sound was terrible unless you were right in front of the stage and I couldn’t see Chad Hugo, my favourite member, anywhere! Basement Jaxx blew my mind, they were incredible!
The best part was the fact I was sensible and didn’t drink too much and so was able to drive everyone home afterwards. I also found myself virtually hangover free on Sunday morning! Oh and I had a lot of cash left over, which is a rare thing for me on a regular weekend, let alone a festival weekend! Very good times indeed.
Angie, my favoutite festival buddy, and I in matching pink, as always.
