Hottest 100 = a happy list

January is a time for reflection - in Australia to some people it's also the time to reflect on the music we've been listening to and vote in the Triple J Hottest 100. The Hottest 100 is broadcast on Australia Day (January 26th) and this year I'm planning on having friends around for a BBQ (in a true Australian way). 

I always struggle to try and get my list down to just 10 songs (YEAH 10 SONGS) and this year was no different. I had to cut out some songs from some of my favourite bands and I know I could just use another email account and vote for them but I feel like that defeats the point of voting. 

Here's the 10 songs I voted for (in alphabetical order):

1. Architecture in Helsinki - Contact High
2. Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair
3. Cage The Elephant - Shake Me Down
4. The Grates - Turn Me On
5. The Horrors - Still Life
6. Kaiser Chiefs - Little Shocks
7. Kasabian - Velociraptor
8. The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness
9. The Vaccines - If You Wanna
10. The Vasco Era - Rock And Roll Is The Only Thing That Makes Me Feel Good

To make it easier for you to check out these amazing songs for yourself I created a playlist for your listening pleasure.

These songs make me smile. They are a lot more upbeat that some of the other songs I'd normally pick but after going through the list on offer I realised last year was a time for songs that made me want to dance around like crazy. I think that's a good thing.

Happy listening

 - Brooke

A history of flower gifts

For the past 2 & 3/4 years that I have been working next door to a florist I have constantly had beautiful "off cut" flowers on my desk as gifts. I like to think of them as little gifts even though I know they're left overs. They add a little piece of colour to my day and always brighten my mood.

I'm not much of a girlie girl but having some beautiful flowers on my desk always make me smile. I have taken snaps over the years of the flowers that have made me smile & after receiving an amazing bunch of oriental lilies & warratahs this week I thought some of the pictures might brighten someone else's day too.

I've been battling a horrible cough all week & fighting off a cold so this small piece of colour has helped keep the mood uplifted.

Oh & there's not much better than getting delicious scones with jam & cream complete with Collingwood support from lovely ladies who love our shop (yeah we got these last week but they still make me smile).

Glitter Sparks & Happyness
x x x
Brooke

Movie I MUST watch

Holy cow! Can someone please tell me when this movie is going to get a release in Australia?!?!? Or at the very least when it gets leaked on the interwebz can someone tell me where?!?!

This looks so ridiculously brilliant I can barely watch the trailer without freaking out.

Ok now I'm off to go put blue hair dye in my hair!

Glitter Sparks & Happyness

x x x

Brooke

**EDIT** I've just found the following trailer - so spooky! I think being buried alive would be simply horrible and this trailer alone gives me the creeps - but I want to see it.

 

Looks like we've got some amazing movies coming out soon and I for one cannot wait.

Newness is goodness

This week I've been changing. Not so much myself or the things I've been doing but I've been making some adjustments that I've felt have been coming a while.

First major adjustment is that I said "Fare the well" to my dearly beloved purple hair and "Hello fire engine" to my newly dyed hair! It's not a huge change for me as my hair has been a similar colour to this before but it's a big change from what it was. Check it OUT!

I'm super happy with how it turned out. The girl who dyed it for me was concerned that it'd turn out "too bright". I wondered what she thought I thought "too bright" was - I mean she just bleached PURPLE out of my hair!!

It was inspired by the same thing that inspired me last time I dyed it this colour (about this time last year as I attended Soundwave with mega bright hair) and that is the tv show "Skins". Something about that show makes me want to wear bright coloured jeans and dye my hair red.

I have also recieved my new watch in the mail and it's beautiful! It's a Betsey Johnson watch and I'm in love. I didn't know she even designed watched until I saw this particular watch on Gala Darlings photostream. I waited about a month before I purchased this watch after seeing it and my love for it did not diminish so I decided I had to have it.

I have also continued to get better at work. I've re-focused my energy into my job and it feels great to be succeeding. I also got offered a trip to Malaysia in April that I will be taking through work so I'm very excited.

My brain is basically mush right now but all I can say is I'M EXCITED FOR GOOD VIBRATIONS FESTIVAL on Sunday! I'm excited to meet new friends (Flankee) and hang out with old Killers gig buddies (Sophie)!!! It's sure to be a fabulous day and I'll take lots of photos on my newly purchased (tomorrow) p&s camera!

Hope everyone had a glorious week!

Glitter Sparks & Happyness

x x x

Brooke

Sparks of Happyness week 13

I know it's been a great week when it gets to Friday and I'm still wrecked from Monday night.

It's that time of year again for me where I revel in gig paradise. This week was a particularly busy one as not only did I have Big Day Out but I also attended two sideshows that completely knocked my socks off! I promised a post yesterday but I think last night the most you would have received would have been complete drivel so here is a little round up on my experiences this week.

The week technically started with a new hair cut - straight fringe - which I am yet to get a good photo of. I will attempt to get one this weekend and post it as soon as I have.

Monday night saw me journey into the good ol' city to experience Kasabian. It has been a long torturous wait to see this band again (last time was when I was in the UK) and it was well worth the wait. Though they started a little slow Tom, Serge & the boys warmed up and the crowd warmed up with them. There was so much energy and enthusiasm coming from both sides that you couldn't help but be wrapped up in it. "LSF" ruled my world!

Tuesday was the Big day - Big Day Out I mean. It started early with a LONG wait to get inside the venue (too many people, not enough gate space) and ended in the same manner (too many people, not enough train platform). I saw a lot of "bits" of bands and managed to catch whole sets from Kasabian, The Horrors, Lily Allen, Mars Volta (while waiting for Muse) and MUSE (I'm not counting Powderfinger because I wasn't really listening). Tiring but entertaining, hot but no sun burn, and extreme but enjoyable. Muse took my breath away!

Wednesday night was the last gig for the week. This one I was probably looking forward to more than anything else - The Horrors at the Corner Hotel in Richmond. It was the perfect venue for them - small, dark and atmospheric. Someone posted on my facebook wall after the show "Faris is a bat" and it was precisely the right words to describe the intense lead singer. The whole band had me captivated from song one until the very end of the set. It was everything I could have hoped it would be - lots of the new stuff but they still threw in three oldies in the encore (including my favourite "Gloves"). Perfect perfect perfect!

Thursday arrived and I hit a MASSIVE wall. The tiredness enveloped me and I made the mistake of forgetting about a training session I had for work in the city that day. I had to drive in, was 40 minutes late and had to try and switch my brain on while I felt and probably looked like a hot mess. I finally went to bed before 2am last night and today I have been less of a zombie.

Today my copy of Hadouken!'s new album arrived in the mail and I'm currently devouring it with my ears. It's brilliant - but that can wait for another day. I got to watch a new episode of Skins this evening as well as catch up on all things Friday Night Lights. It's been a quiet Friday night but after the week I've had it's exactly what I wanted.

OH AND I ALMOST FORGOT THE MOST AMAZING THING THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK. I bought tickets to see The Killers at the Enmore in Sydney on Feb 12th! 2 weeks today and I'll be seeing those lovely boys in a venue about the size of the old Palace Theatre where I saw them back in 2004. That gig still remains one of my most favourite gigs of all time so I am very excited about seeing them in a small venue again! My heart begins beating in my throat when I think about this so it's going to be 2 weeks of trying not to think about it.

I hope everyone had a great week! Share and share alike please!!!

Glitter sparks & Happyness
x x x
Brooke

P.S You should follow me on Twitter - I update WAY too much but you get to keep track on what I'm doing during the week. I can be quite insightul when the mood takes me. Otherwise you get tweets like: "Hoping desperately my @HadoukenUK cd arrives in the mail today. Come on Australia Post be my BFF!"

It's nice to have you back

prada Joaquin, originally uploaded by baaarooke.

Anyone who talks movies with me would know my love for the man Joaquin Phoenix.

It has been a long and true love through his ups and downs but it's always been there. I have loved and enjoyed and devoured every one of his films (bar 1 - It's All About Love = blergh) and I own pretty much everything he's been in that is available to own (even the REALLY old stuff where he's just a kid - hello Spacecamp).

Well I have been a little worried about him lately. Since that horrid interview with Dave Letterman and his supposed career change to becoming a white rapper (which I still believe is a big old private joke between him and Casey Affleck), he had apparently lost his way.

Today my sister sent me a link to this recent youtube video which has made me smile and has given me hope for new amazing things from this very talented man.



It's nice to see him looking like himself again.

Mr Phoenix, it's lovely to have you back!!

Glitter sparks and happyness,
x x x
Brooke

P.S This past weekend has been a nice break for me. It was filled with friends birthday celebrations, new shoes (post is sure to come!), new hair cuts (photos soon, but HELLO fringe!), bbq lunches, Sunday afternoon drinking sessions with fabulous friends and delicious pavlovas!!!!

I have a busy couple of days to come thanks to the Big Day Out. I will let you all know how THAT pans out in a couple of days! Don't expect to post again until at least Thursday but just you wait my friends!!!!

Sparks of Happyness - week 12

* Photo taken by me at BDO*

It’s here again. To be honest I can’t believe it’s Thursday again. This week has flown by with so much fun and happyness that I think this weeks list is by far the easiest I’ve had to write.

Big Day Out Festivities – Monday was Big Day Out. For those not in the know the Big Day Out is Australia’s biggest music festival. People can argue otherwise but it’s been around the longest and visits the entire country. This year I decided to return (I didn’t go last year because I was very unimpressed with the line-up). I had about 4 bands who I really really wanted to see and I saw them. I sang along to The Getaway Plan, danced to The Grates, shimmied and shook to The Black Kids and bopped and screamed to the Arctic Monkeys. I saw a whole bunch of other bands throughout the day as well. I was really sceptical about Big Day Out this year because there didn’t seem to be enough bands to get the excitement going for me, but with the help of some great people dancing and singing and laughing with me I had a great time.

Razorlight announcing that they are playing V Festival and supporting Kaiser Chiefs in their sideshow – OMFG *dies*! I really don’t think this needs an explanation – see this post and read the section on Razorlight and multiply that excitement by 150% and you’ll be where I am at right now about this revelation. V Festival now has 3 of my top 5 bands playing – How AMAZING!

Creating lists and analysing my life – I’ve spent a bit of time this week creating lists of things I would like to start doing to make my life more fabulous. A little like my previous post but in more detail. Most of the things I wrote about in that post I have somehow managed to forget about because of life and extreme heat waves in Victoria this week but I feel like it’s the universes way of telling me I should sit down and really look at what I want to change and figure out ways of doing that before I make any rash decisions. I’ve been plotting and planning and this weekend I am going to start putting some of those plans into action by acquiring the tools I need to do so. I am the kind of person who gets bored and distracted easily so I know I have to be really serious and think things through and really commit to them for them to work for me and this week I’ve been getting serious! This inspiration for this change came from the same place as most inspiration has - Gala Darling - and this post

Dinner with beautiful friends – I literally just got back home from going out to dinner with some beautiful people. I love our dinners and always walk away from them feeling happy. We have a great time discussing our lives and eating delicious food and I truly love them to pieces. Tonight we ate some yummy refreshing ice-cream and have made a date to go eat Greek food at this little place in Clayton. I cannot wait! I think I’m counting down the days already J

New necklaces – At Big Day Out I found a necklace that was me all over. I have for a very long time believed that bands who have tambourines are definitely more cooler than bands who do not. A tambourine adds an extra level of festiveness to the bands performance and I feel it is a much neglected instrument. Imagine my delight when I was walking past a stall at Big Day Out and I found a silver chain with a miniature tambourine attached to the end. I looked at it and KNEW that I had to own it. How could I NOT buy a necklace with a mini silver tambourine that made noises when you shook it? Impossible! I have worn it pretty much every day since I bought it and I don’t really see the novelty wearing off any time soon.

Honourable mentions – re-reading Breaking Dawn, new episodes of Greek, drinking sessions while watching Razorlight DVDs, drunk UNO, High School Musical glasses, the movie “The Wrestler” (WOW!), family outings with my parents, shopping by myself, twitter updates from Big Day Out, epic Big Day Out meet up fails, RUSSEL BRAND TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS (this is sure to be a super love when I buy tickets), anticipating this weekend, sweaty hot Ting Tings sideshows, free parking in St Kilda, loving going to work again, cars with air-conditioning, air-conditioning systems in general (it’s been heatwave central here in Victoria), new episodes of 30 Rock (LEMON OUT!), new Lily Allen songs, Britney Spears tour announcements (WTF Melbourne please), getting excited messages from new-ish friends about tour announcements who are just trying to make your day & excessive tiredness.

Please share, I know you’re out there. How was your week? Let me join in on the glee...

I am going to see Ryan Adams tomorrow night. It is supposed to be 40 + degrees in Melbourne tomorrow so it’s sure to be a sweat fest! Then Saturday night is THE event of the month – RAZORLIGHT! I’m sure I’ll come back here with photos and a post filled with too much happyness that my words will all jumble into one and I’ll have to delete and re-write and re-post but I’m sure you’ll love it :)

Extreme love & sparkles
x x x
Brooke

Song of the moment = Razorlight – Hostage of Love

Sparks of Happyness - week 11

*Pictures of Evie taken by me - turned in to polaroids thanks to Poladroid*

I’ve had a pretty great week this past week. Here is my little piece of thanks to the universe.

The Swell Season show – It was last night at the Palais (A big old theatre hall in St Kilda which is beautiful and amazing). You know the show is going to be something special when the lead singer walks onto the stage with an acoustic guitar away from the microphones to the front of the stage and starts singing acoustically out to the crowd. Glen Hansard has an unbelievable voice, it beyond charming, can tell a story that is adorable and funny and can entertain to no end. This was the show I wanted way back when the movie “Once” came out in the UK – it didn’t disappoint. I got chills at some points in the show. Everyone should check them out – or at least watch the movie “Once” to know what I’m talking about.

New handbags – I went shopping on Saturday and walked away from Knox with a bag and some stockings. I was wanting to purchase a bigger style bag but when I saw this little black (I never buy black bags) bag in Dangerfield I couldn’t resist. I looks like it belongs in the 40’s and is so super cute I knew I had to have it. It actually holds a lot more than I expected it to and I’ve used it every day since I bought it. I’m officially obsessed with it.

Catching up with old friends – Saturday night was my dear friend Heathers birthday BBQ and I spent the night laughing and catching up with my friend Liesl who has just returned from her 1 year adventure in the UK & Europe. It was so great to hear her stories and catch up again. I also got to hang out and chat with Becky & Heather too. We talked about life, love, moving out, moving on & surviving quarter life crisis’. It reminded me that some people are in your lives for a reason. Some friendships don’t have to be hard. Some friendships can survive time and space and can feel totally natural and right. I think I’m lucky enough to be able to have a few friends like this – we don’t see each other as often as we’d all like but when we do it’s like no time has passed.

The kindness of strangers – Last night while circling the parking lot next door to the Palais a lady and her family were crossing to get to their car and she waved to me to show me where her car was so I could take her spot (the car park was chockers as it was a lovely day and people were at the beach plus the show was on at the Palais). I thought that was lovely of her until she started walking towards our car – I thought “oh great she’s not really leaving” but instead she handed me her parking ticket (it was a lot where you display the ticket on the dashboard – you don’t need it to exit) that was valid for the rest of the night. I couldn’t believe it – not only had this lady helped me with showing me her park but she gave me her ticket so I got free parking. It really made the beginning of my night fabulous. I haven’t encountered kindness from a stranger in a long time and it really shocked me but made me smile oh so brightly.

Evie & Bridie & Kyla (the trio of nieces) – On Sunday night the family visited my brothers house for dinner so I got to jump on the trampoline with Bridie for a bunch. We then proceeded to sing a dinner song and smile and laugh as we drank our drinks and ate our dinner. I got to cuddle Evie and saw her massive smile for the first time. If I thought was good – today me and Mum minded Kyla who was in a nutcase mood and then Evie came to visit for a few hours. When she first got here I layed down with her on a blanket and talked to her. She smiled and “gooed” and “gahed” and it was so cute my heart wanted to burst. Bridie came over with her Dad (Nathan) to pick up Evie so we read books, cuddled and spat water at each other. It’s amazing how much fun 3 little girls can be and how much they can turn an ok day into a fantastic day.

Honourable mentions – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (OMFG WOW! Such a beautiful/tragic/amazing movie), scouring the internet to find good pictures of Cate Blanchetts hair colour in said movie so I can dye my hair that colour, finding out from my hairdresser that she CAN dye my hair that colour next week, 9 sleeps til Razorlight, 35 days til Jack’s Mannequin, driving Crystals new car, seeing Crystal getting better as a driver, long weekends, making plans, watching lots of the Office (US version), taking beautiful photos of my nieces, trying to plan my USA adventure, buying travel guide books for the USA, my iPhone, finding nail polish that looks like Dorothy’s red shoes in Wizard of OZ, & anticipating my week to come.

It’s been a fun filled week but I’ve remained un-tired. I know that won’t last through to this week to come. I’ve got Big Day Out festival on Monday, the Ting Tings show on Wendesday and then it’s on the crazy stuff after that. I don’t know when my love list will come up next week but expect to read fan-girl gushing about how fabulous Razorlight were next Saturday night (the 31st)!

Tell me you had an amazing week. Make me smile because you’ve smiled.

Major love & sparkles
x x x
Brooke

Song of the moment = Swell Season – Falling Slowly

P.S Anyone heard the new Franz Ferdinand album yet? I’m expecting great things!

Sparks of Happyness - Bumper Edition - Weeks 7 & 8 & 9 & 10

* Photos of the adorable nieces by me*

I know I've been M.I.A from here since '09 began but I have actually been quite busy. I can't pin-point where my time has gone but it has something to do with work being busy again, life picking up and it's summer time in the homeland so that means festivals & sideshows & band fabulousness.

So today will be a bumper edition of Sparks of Happyness and it's being posted a day late but you know what I don't think it matters because the whole point of this is to appreciate what's happened and send that little bit of thanks out to the universe :)

Jack's Mannequin sideshow - It was announced. They are supporting some bands who I could really care less about (only because I don't know then not because they are bad). I don't understand how my heart is going to survive 3 straight days of Jack's Mannequin shows. I can't even describe how I feel about this because it's far too overwhelming. Everytime I think about it I feel like I want to cry, scream, laugh, smile and vomit all at once. It's excitement like I've never felt before (even though I've seen them once and met Andrew McMahon - this is better). I get to see them with my sister, my friends and random strangers who are yet to realise how special these shows are going to be.

Falls Festival & Sideshows - I have already posted about Falls Festival but I also spent 2 nights last week enjoying the sideshows. I saw Franz Ferdinand supported by one of my absolute favourite Aussie bands ever, Red Riders. I also saw The Kooks. Both shows were spectacular - each in their own way.

Red Riders - I enjoyed seeing them so much they deserve their own point. It's been over a year and a half since I last saw this band live and I've missed them a lot! They've been through a lot - lost a member, producer and have had to delay the release and recording of their 2nd album but it's nice to see they haven't lost that something special onstage. I feel like this year it their year too and I hope it's amazing and fabulous and all those great words :)

Family BBQ's - My uncle came down from QLD to visit with his new family (he got married last year and has inherited some kids) so we had the family over at our house for a BBQ. I spent most of the night playing with Bridie and Kyla in the dirt and I haven't smiled and laughed so much in my life! I then had a fabulous conversation with one of the new kids about Twilight - where she tried to tell me things I already knew about the series and things that weren't true. It was a truly fun night.

Fabulous movies - I've seen some great movies in the past few weeks too - Role Models, Twilight (again - yep I'm up to 3 now), & Yes Man. I did try and see Bride Wars last night but the cinema had a black out (I KNOW) so I don't know if it's a good movie yet... Tomorrow I plan to go check out either Doubt or the Wrestler at Knox - I feel like I need a movie with substance.

Poladroid for Windows - As you can probably tell I'm a little in love with this application. I got so excited it was finally here that all my pics are polaroids now :)

Finding new accessories on sale - I've had my eye on this cute purple fake leather flower bracelet (I'm using the word bracelet because cuff sounds wrong but bracelet is also wrong) for quite some time now and I went into Diva on the weekend and it was onsale for $5! I snapped it up along with a new necklace, new black bow clip and some new headbands.

BOOKING FLIGHTS FOR AMERICAN ADVENTURES - Yep! Uh huh! I've booked my flights to Los Angeles in July - I will be in New York for my birthday - I am going to Disneyworld! I am so ridiculously excited that I'm going back to the USA. I can't wait to visit new cities, hang out with old friends, shop til I drop (or until my credit card won't let me anymore) and see a Broadway show on my birthday!

Honourable mentions - Long conversations about the future of your fav bands, secret conversations about new band members, cuddling Evie, new glitter from Sportsgirl, my iPhone, my mighty book of boosh, watching new episode of One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl & Scrubs, re-watching Boosh, re-watching The Office (US version), wearing bows in my hair, decorating bum bags for festival fun, creating countdowns for fabulous bands - 15 days til Razorlight & 41 days til Jacks Mannequin, free lollies from customers, having time off over the New Year, finding old jewellery, dressing up for lame work functions, and re-discovering new items of clothing that I forgot I bought.

How has everyone been? What's been happening since I disappeared? Tell me about the start of your year!

I really think that the start of my year has begun right. I'm happy, excited and have adventures planned - BRING IT ON!

Bright shiny love & sparkles

x x x

Brooke

Song of the moment = Jack's Mannequin - The Resolution

Sparks of Happyness - week 6

*REAL polaroid pic taken by random Jagermeister promo girl*

Thursday is quickly becoming my favourite day of the week :) Why? BECAUSE OF THIS! Thank you again Gala Darling :)

What rocked my socks this past week? Well just read on my friends...

Alicia Keys - Yes oh yes... I went and saw her last night at Rod Laver Arena and she was super fantastic, fabulous *insert lots of happy amazing adjectives*!!! It's been quite a few years since she last toured Australia and she made up for it last night. I sometimes forget how much her songs remind me of my life in America. Her second album can quite easily be the theme music for my 1st American trip and when she played some of those songs last night it gave me chills and my eyes welled up (silly emotional girl). She is a beautiful, inspiring lady and her outfit was super cute also. I don't think I've heard Rod Laver Arena cheer as loudly for an artist as I did last night. Highlight songs = No One, Fallin', Superwoman, If I Ain't Got You & How Come You Don't Call Me. She is a superstar!

Lime Crime orders arriving - Yep this make up makes me THAT happy :) I got 3 new colours and Crystal got 3 new colours. The Siren colour is SOOOO beautiful and so unlike any other colour I have in my collection. Expect new photos of my new creations soon. So far I have 2 new looks but I'm sure come next week I'll have a lot more - I just have to remember to photograph them! I haven't tried to use the new glitters but they look so super bright and sparkly in the containers. I still *squee* with happyness everytime I open one of the colours.

Nevereverland Festival - On Sunday Crystal and I headed to the Myer Music Bowl in M-Town with 2 of our friends. A long time ago it used to be the 4 of us at lots and lots of local shows - we'd drink, dance and laugh - but we haven't done that for a while. It was fun to spend the day dancing, drinking and laughing while watching some kick-arse artists strut their stuff on stage. I finally managed to (kind of) break the "Curse of the Klaxons" as well! By kind of I mean that I got to see them and I wasn't horribly ill/being crushed almost to my death/standing near boys who pee in cups and throw their urine on the crowd - but their instruments did all cut out at the same time for about 30 seconds. A small price to pay but they were still fantastic! Oh and it was fun to see my dear friend Retro Dave - sorry Dave the Block-head :) - he always brings a smile to my face.

Watching Long Way Down in full (finally) - Ewan McGregor + Charlie Boorman + motorbikes + Africa = a fantastic documentary series! I've had this series on DVD for as long as I've been home from the UK (so just about a year) and I've always meant to sit down and give it the attention and time it deserves. I knew I'd love it - I loved the last one and I loved the book - but other things always got in the way. Well I FINALLY spent the week watching an episode here and there and finished it the other day - it was marvellous!

CHRISTMAS! - We got our Christmas tree put up and mum pulled out all her Christmas decorations. Our lounge room is Santa & snowmen & reindeer & tinsel central! I love waking up in the morning, opening my bedroom door and being hit in the face with the smell of our Christmas tree! Our house feels festive now and I am looking forward to Christmas more and more!

Honourable mentions = My mum using my phrase "my brain is going to explode", boys thinking that smearing mushed baked potato on Crystal's jeans is a turn-on, MGMT (the crowd sucked but they were splendid), watching a super drunk girl at MGMT try to drunk text a boy and failing so many times, making beaded bracelets, wrapping fabulous Christmas presents, FALLS FESTIVAL timetable being released and I get to dance the New Year in with THE HIVES! & then continue the dancing with Late of the Pier, buying Dylan Moran tickets for April, seeing Pete & Linda at Alicia Keys, my new boots being worn almost everywhere when I go out, seeing Twilight again and still loving it, fabulous Polaroid photos, new HSM pens, JB Hi-Fi Christmas parties (even though I haven't worked for them in over 18 months), seeing TRACEY again!, our store wining a spot on an incentive, & seeing my niece in pigtails (a-la Pippi Longstocking) for the first time :)

I'm going out for dinner with my super friends tonight, movies with my another super fabulous friend on Friday night and then it's work Christmas bbq on Sunday and then it's CHRISTMAS!!!!

Tell me about your week... Fun? Fabulous? Fantastic?

Super duper love & sparkles
x x x
Brooke

Song of the moment = Alicia Keys - No One

Sparks of Happyness - week 5

*photo of Bridie - taken by me*

It's that time of the week again... I feel like this week past has been filled with so many things that made my heart want to explode that I don't even know where to start :)

My beautiful niece - This week was the week of Bridie. On Sunday the family went to her "music recital" (remember that she is 2 1/2 years old) where she danced on a tiny stage, sang, clapped and was totally cute. She was one of the only kids who didn't need their mum onstage with them (they were all teeny tots) and she smiled and looked like she was having a ball! We also went out for dinner on Tuesday night for my Dad's birthday and I was lucky enough to be sitting next to Bridie for dinner. She was so adorable - we read books together and ate our dinner (well kind of) and she LOVED my new sequin hoodie :)

RAZORLIGHT TOURING IN JANUARY - I still can't find the words to describe just how excited I am about this. I bought my tickets on Tuesday for the Melbourne show and I CAN'T WAIT! They have never toured Australia here and FINALLY after 3 albums they have decided to journey to our shores.

I have been in love with this band since the first time I heard Johnny's voice blast through my speakers. I can remember the DAY I bought their first album - it was December 2004 - I was going through a change with my music tastes, trying to find something new, and for some reason their first album completely pulled me in. It opened me up to a whole different genre of music and I've never looked back. British Indie Rock/Pop is pretty much the back-bone of my music because of them.

I travelled to a small French town about 2 hours from Paris last year JUST to see them because I was tired of waiting for a tour. It was one of my aims of our European trip (I only really had 2 - go to the Glastonbury Festival & see Razorlight live). I have seen them play every song from the first 2 albums that I wanted them to play so this tour is new songs plus bonus super amazing fun!

Twilight the movie - I saw it, I loved it, I'm seeing it again on Friday night. I had a fun afternoon on Sunday - travelled with my sister to a cinema we don't usually go to (because it's further away than our local ones), we were early so we looked around the shopping centre a bit and both ended up with dresses - mine was on sale *joy*. Then we met our friend Julz for some Twilight action. When we were waiting in the cinema for it to start it reminded me of the excitement I held before seeing the third Lord of the Rings movie (am I revealing too much geek-dom?). I won't go on and on about it... Just KNOW it made me (a very big fan of the books) very very happy. After the movie we went and ate food, drank beer and talked about the movie for a REALLY long time.

High School Musical 3 - Yes I am a fan, yes I saw it the night it came out, yes I loved it... I just wasn't expecting the squeals and outcry of love from all the 8 year old girls in the audience. It was WAY better than the 2nd HSM and I want to see it again and again! The songs, the dances, the sets - all spectacular. My sister (who is 23) coped some crap from the people at her work after she said she was going to see it and I told her to tell them "don't knock it til you try it". I am a huge fan of musicals so I was always going to love it - it's cheesy, it's fun and Zac Efron is destined to be a super star!

Creating Christmas decorations - I spent almost an entire day at work (it's been quiet) cutting out and creating elves & reindeer & sleighs for our window display. It looks cute and festive and it makes the office feel a little bit more Christmassy :)

Honourable mentions - finding gifts for that hard person to buy for, the other niece and her crazy ways, new boots, Forever 21 orders arriving, planning USA holidays, comments on my posts (knowing people are reading and enjoying what I write makes me smile), catching up on Amazing Race episodes, super long weekends that are filled with busy stuff, new iPhone applications (ProPol is my new fave - it turns photos into polaroids - like Polaroid.net only not as good but I don't have a MAC so it's a good substitute), delicious Greek dinner with workmates, spanakopita (delicious), Rob Pattinson as Edward *swoon*, being able to look at Twilight related websites again, making gifts for friends overseas, making Christmas brooches & birthday dinners with the family (my Dad's birthday).

Tonight I am going to see MGMT & I'm super excited. I'm going to dress in sequins and dance like a crazy person. I'm then going to the Nevereverland festival on Sunday to again dress in sequins and dance like a crazy person. AND then I have Alicia Keys to see on Wednesday night - you guessed it, I'm going to dress in sequins and dance like a crazy person :) Are you seeing a theme for my week ahead - great music + sequins + crazy dancing = fabulousness!

Oh and I just bought tickets for Twilight tomorrow night - eeep! - and am having dinner with some friends who I haven't seen in a while (but have spoken to on the phone a lot this past week because I'm bored at work).

Tell me about your week... Was is as super squee worthy as mine??? Share!

Super duper love & sparkles
x x x
Brooke

Song of the moment = Razorlight - Fall, Fall, Fall

Sparks of Happyness - week 4

* Bob Evans picutre from past tour - taken by ME*

Another week has passed. I had intended to post a few different articles this week on things that have been happening and more things I love but life caught up with me this week. (Well life and season 3 of Bones).

So what made me squee with happyness this week?

Unexpected new purchases - I went shopping on Saturday with the sister and we wandered around Fountain Gate. I didn't really have my eyes out to purchase anything but I walked away with a super cute denim dress. Most denim dresses I have seen around have been that "shirt dress" style but this one I found in Kmart (of all the places) is in no way like that. It's dark denim and I can't even describe it but it has a 60's feel to it. I love it! I also bought new bright bonds underwear, a 2009 calendar, a new book (that I am yet to start reading) and I've found the shoes I've been wanting for AGES with a more "Brooke-sized" heel (I didn't buy them but I will - the website has them on sale - I'll try them on tonight and buy them soon).

Bob Evans - I went to two of his shows last week. He's so adorable and love-able and his songs are simply magical. On Thursday night we ventured into a venue we had never been to before - The Toff in Town - and it was amazing! As we walked through the doors of the bandroom it felt like we had been transported back to London to one of the many small beautiful venues that we'd been to previously. It was the PERFECT venue to see Bob Evans acoustically and I think the venue added an extra something to the experience. The second show was with his full band so it was totally different to the first night - no less fabulous and no less beautiful. He has a new album coming out in the new year so I'm looking forward to more tours and more shows and more songs.

Spending Sunday market shopping with my Mum - On Sunday I woke up, put on my new dress, applied some bright eyeshadow and put a bow in my hair and went to the local market with my mum. We haven't had a day together without nieces/sisters/other family members in a long time and it was lovely to spend the day with her. We bought Christmas decorations, yo yo biscuits and looked for Christmas presents. The market was a bit of a bust (apart from the yo yo biscuits) so we headed to Fountain Gate to look at Chrsitmas decorations. We found a bright, glittery "Merry Christmas" sign and some Santas. My Mum gets a Christmas decoration each year for the family members who are not at home and I always have fun helping her pick them out.

Decorating the office in Christmas decorations - I LOVE this time of year. It's all about tinsel and Santas and bright shiney things that most people see as taboo year round (not me). It's fun to see people getting into the spirit. I love driving past houses where the owners have put in that extra effort and covered their house with sparkling Christmas lights. We don't decorate our house until after my Dad's birthday (December 9th) so while I don't have Christmas love in my house, it's EVERYWHERE else!

Shana Logic orders arriving - I love recieving mail especially when the parcel is filled with cute robot plushies, new adorable necklaces and 2 bright new Lime Crime eyeshadows. So bright, so beautiful - I should really start taking pictures of my make-up creations and posting them here so that there is visual proof of it's wow-ness! Bridie saw me with my new purple shadow on and went "oooohhhh purple... preeeetttyy" - so it has her stamp of approval :)

Honorable mentions - work visits from sweet nieces, long conversations with friends while at work, ordering new Lime Crime makeup, ORDERING THAT SEQUIN HOODIE, eating kiwi fruits with spoons, summer fruits in season, twitter on my iPhone, dreaming of Macbooks, deciding that new shoes I buy will have heels from now on (thanks for the inspiration Gala), looking at cute pictures on the internet, finding Christmas headbands to convert to Christmas badges, & watching lots and lots of Bones on DVD.

I have so much coming up this week it's crazy! I will be so super busy until well after Christmas. I AM GOING TO SEE HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 TONIGHT and I'm super excited about it!!! I am also going to see Twilight on Sunday. I can't even think about that one though.

How was your week? Sock it to me, tell me about the fabulous things that happened...

Super love & sparkles

x x x

Brooke

Song of the moment = MGMT - Kids Oracular

Sparks of Happyness - week 3

* Photo by ME*

*Bijoux ring (from Swatch) & I heart polarioids necklace (from Shana Logic)*

Another week has passed - I'm finding myself enjoying doing my weekly wrap more and more. I think everyone should try this - it's a refreshing exercise and a great way to realise just how amazing your life is :)

BLOC PARTY, BLOC PARTY, BLOC PARTY - I know I mentioned it last week but they were REALLY that good :) The second show - the one on Friday - I think was that much better than the 1st. They played Sunday, Waiting for the 7:18 and This Modern Love - I was in heaven. Crystal and I had one of the easiest "getting to the barrier" moments ever (only just behind our Coldplay efforts on their last Aussie tour). We waited in our car until the doors opened (it was raining), went to the toilets, got beers and then went and sat (thanks Festival Hall) near one of our friends who was in the front. When the crowd got up we weaved easily to the barrier - it was super weird. It was a beautiful, amazing night and I've been listening to Bloc Party heaps since.

Adelaide Soundwave in February - Jack's Mannequin (are you getting my obsession yet?) will be there and so will I! Me & Crystal bought our flights and tickets the week before last but this week I managed to get us some accommodation at the Miller Apartments near Rundle St Mall. Bonus is it's only costing us $60 each for the one night and I think it's 4 star. Now I have that organised it means that it's REALLY happening - I will be seeing Jack's Mannequin at least twice on his tour here - Sydney is still to be decided (it'll happen, I just need sideshows to be announced so I can figure out flights/costs).

Twitter - I joined this week and while I'm still figuring it out it seems like a lot of fun. Now all I need are friends to join so I can see it in complete action. It's like facebook status updates only I can access it from work ALL DAY. Nothing helps beat total boredom like something new and fun

New hair cuts and colours - that's where I was yesterday and the reason why this wasn't posted yesterday. I've lightened my hair to the lightest it has been in about 3 years. It's going to take some getting used to and I am going to have to adjust my makeup accordingly (I've perfected the dark hair + vibrant eye makeup) but I think I love it. I feel like each time I look in the mirror I am transported back to 2005 when I was in America working at my beautiful camp. I feel more summer-y which is perfect for the months that are coming up :) It's amazing what a change of hair colour can do for your whole personal wellbeing.

THIS - I love Gala Darling - everything about this girl is amazing! She is basically the inspiration behind this whole blog. I've always loved writing but I've sometimes felt a bit funny writing about myself online. I don't even remember how I stumbled upon her blog but I am so happy that I have - it's inspirational, original, beautifully written and her articles are helpful and a lot of fun. I have always tried to look at things in a positive light but I had been struggling lately - Gala's site arrived on my computer screen at the most perfect time.

Other things that sparkled through my world - visiting nieces (this always brings a smile to my face), funny songs, dancing with nieces, Melbourne weather (we went from hot hot hot to brrr cold - in one day), BOB EVANS (but more about him later), beautiful songs, AMAZING new music from The Killers, superb movies (but I've already written about THAT), making new Shana Logic orders, ROBOT PLUSHIES, new colours from Lime Crime (though it has led to hours of consideration staring at the computer screen trying to choose my next order), shopping centres getting decked out in Christmas decorations, thinking about summer, choosing the hotel you are going to stay at in Hawaii next summer (June/July 09), getting my work life organised again, giving music recommendations have having that person LISTEN to you (thanks Dave).

How was your week? Was it as beautiful and fabulous as mine?

Love & Sparkles

x x x

Brooke

Song for the moment = Bob Evans - Don't You Think It's Time

Sparks of Happyness - week 2

* Bloc Party = sqee *

It's been a hectic week for me this week. Some of the week was frustrating but overall it was pretty amazing.

V Festival announcement - The Killers, Snow Patrol & Kaiser Chiefs in one day. I didn't think Australian festivals did that anymore! V Festival is in April but I already cannot wait. This is sure to be the festival of the summer. I hope Branden Flowers wears something shiny.

My sister's wedding - The family got on a plane (mum & dad drove) and headed to Sydney last weekend for my sister's wedding. I got to hang out with our little niece (who has gotten so big and cheeky), take beautiful photos, eat delicious breakfasts, drive a big Tarago rental car all weekend (I was like a soccer mum driving everyone around) and basically have a fun time with the family.

Buying tickets to make my summer fun - This week I splashed out and bought tickets to *deep breath* the Swell Season (Glen Mansard & Marketa Irglova from the movie Once) at the Palais in January, Kings of Leon at Rod Laver Arena in March, Soundwave festival in Adelaide (with flights) in February & V Festival in March. I also bought tickets to see the movies Australia, Twilight & High School Musical 3. My credit card took a beating but I think come summer time my need for live music is going to be satisfied!

Bloc Party concerts - I saw Bloc Party last night (for the 1st time in Australia, 4th time all up) and they are a fun, beautiful, energetic band. I think Kele has been getting dance lessons from Yannis (from the Foals), he was tearing it up onstage last night like I've never seen him do before. Me & my sister went together and started near the front until we were crushed beyond enjoyment so we headed out of the squishy sweaty boy area and danced at the side. I'm going again tonight and I hope that they play Pioneers.

My iPhone - Being away from a computer for 4 days while in Sydney would normally seem like such a strange and horrible thing, it cuts you off from your online world and that can seem frustrating. This is why I love my iPhone - it got a work out over the weekend (once I finally got reception on the thing - it felt like an IT Crowd moment "have you tried switching it off and on again"). I've said it once, I'll keep saying it - I LOVE APPLE PRODUCTS!

Honourable mentions - coming home and surprising Grandparents with visits to new granddaughters (who they hadn't met yet), coming home and being greeted by other cute nieces who you haven't seen in almost 2 weeks, taking the Grandparents to see Sydney Harbour Bridge & the Opera House, driving rental cars (I LOVE IT), making hot dogs at home and them tasting delicious (complete with American style mustard), finding new tv shows to love (how has it taken me so long to catch on to 30 Rock), Lime Crime Makeup (still), reconnecting with friends, dancing like a crazy person :)

Today I am relaxing, I have another day off work - I am going to spend my time watching Mamma Mia on dvd, going to the post office, cashing my tax return (yay) and then I'm getting ready for more Bloc Party fun tonight.

Love & sparkles

x x x

Brooke

Song of the moment = Bloc Party -Mercury

Sparks of Happyness - week 1

Andrew McMahon/Jack's Mannequin - *squee*

Think of 5 things to be thankful and happy about this week and write it down. You'll soon see it's been a fantastic week!

New baby nieces - It's been mentioned already but my oh my it's so lovely to be able to meet a person in their first day in the world. It's a crazy and amazing and beautiful thing.

Jack's Mannequin touring Australia in February - I can hardly contain myself when I even think about this. Anyone who knows me knows the love I have for this band (well for Andrew McMahon in particular). The last time I saw them was way back in 2006 when I was on my second camp adventure. I flew from San Jose California to New York for 1 night JUST to see him support a (lame) band. I also met him that day and it was a beautiful surreal overwhelming experience. I am now planning to attend a couple of shows in different states - so far (if he announces sideshows - he's playing a festival) if all goes to plan it'll be 8 shows in a week. But we are at least looking at 6 shows in a week. OMFG! My stomach does a little flip of excitement every time I think about this. Smiles and love all around today due to this!

British India shows - It doesn't matter how many times I see this band live I still love them. I've been going to their shows since 2005 (I think - possibly eariler) and they are just an amazingly fun band live. It doesn't matter that I have seen them so many times, every time I do it brings a smile on my face. It's fun to watch a band grow - I remember shows when there maybe 50 people seeing there to see them - my how the times have certainly changed.

New make-up - Lime Crime Make-up is as good as was expected. I might go into a bit more detail in a couple of days time. Just KNOW it's bright, it's colourful, it's AMAZING!

Long weekends - It was Melbourne Cup weekend this past weekend and while I had to work 9 - 3pm on Saturday I had the following 3 days off. It was splendid and relaxing. I went shopping on Sunday (for Crystal's b'day present), visited my new niece on Monday (twice) and relaxed with the TV watching Phantom of the Opera. It was nice to relax a bit and already it's almost the end of the week. I didn't bet on the race so I didn't win any money - but on the plus side I didn't lose any money :) I love watching the fashions on the field but am usually disappointed in the coverage on the TV - they don't show enough of the dresses or shoes!

Things that also sparkled through my world (but just missed the top 5): New albums from Razorlight that don't disappoint, more new headbands with bows, cleaning out my make-up storage and finding brushes that I thought were long gone, new lip glosses that taste like lollies, more tours from fun bands (Fall Out Boy, N.E.R.D, & Black Kids), anticipation of festival announcements (the build up can sometimes be more fun that the announcement - with the exception of Jack's Mannequin OH MY), waking up to a cute niece in my bed, dancing with cute nieces, potato gem fights, fantastic new films from directors who have been having a bad time of late (Rock 'n Rolla), finding new places to shop online and the Aussie dollar slowly gaining value again.

It's NOVEMBER already! I can't believe it. When I think of what I've done this year already it's hard to believe that it is almost over. There is still so much to look forward to before the year is out.

Happy weeks are good weeks :)

Love and sparkles

x x x
Brooke

Song of the moment = Jack's Mannequin - The Resolution