Central Park Zoo On A Fine Summer's Day...
[ 16 May 2012, 11:03 ]
The Central Park Zoo is the perfect place to spend a Saturday afternoon, especially when you’re hanging out with your friends from Britain!
Last weekend was a scorcher, & after a decadent brunch at Saxon + Parole, Kat, Gareth & I hailed a cab to Central Park for an adventure. We had a horse-drawn carriage ride around the park (our horse’s name was Socks), before braving the zoo, then sat down for a well-deserved ice-cream at Dylan’s Candy Bar. (The ensuing sugar rush was one for the books!) The perfect day, je crois!
It was so much fun having Kat in town, & even better to play tourist in my favourite city! 
I definitely recommend it to anyone feeling dissatisfied or stuck in their own hometown. There’s always something to discover, & a new way of looking at things can be just around the corner!
We loved going to the zoo, zoo, zoo… How about you, you, you?!
P.S. If you’re reading this in your email, click through to watch the video! Kisses!
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Help! I'm So Homesick! (Well, Actually, I Miss My Boyfriend...)
[ 15 May 2012, 12:20 ]
FROM A READER:
“I am a 20 year old theatre major studying abroad in Florence, Italy with a group of 15 of my friends and fellow theatre majors. I am lucky enough to be in a beautiful city for a month and I should be having the time of my life, right?! Wrong. Since I left, I have not been able to stop missing my boyfriend Chris… I don’t want to wreck my relationship by clinging and begging Chris to email me every second. Most importantly, I want to enjoy the time I have here! This is an amazing opportunity for me and I want to grow and become a strong, independent young woman. I don’t want to be afraid of doing things by myself, and I would hate to waste my trip feeling miserable. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!”
Trust me, I relate! When I was 15 years old, I was fortunate enough to go to Germany for a month with a group from my school. It should have been a dream come true, but it felt more like a nightmare. Why? I had just started dating my first ever boyfriend, & anything that involved me being away from him was like, THE WORST THING EVER.
We started dating just before Christmas, & when I went to Australia with my parents for New Year’s Eve, I spent almost all of my time in an internet cafe, chatting to him. My level of obsession didn’t wane at all in the next six months, & in fact, when our plane took off, heading for Germany, I remember sobbing in my seat. Very dramatic!
Our romance happened in the days before everyone was super-connected. The host family I stayed with (in Karlsruhe — represent!) didn’t even own a computer; it was like torture for my super-internet-addicted self. The only way we could communicate was when I would take a box of Lucky Strikes to the pay-phone down the street. I would smoke cigarettes while I dialled a million numbers (which, of course, I had memorised) & we would talk.
It probably went like this…
Me: How’s Wellington?
Him: The same. How’s Germany?
Me: Totally not like Wellington.
Him: Cool…
Me: Yeah…
God, what a waste of air-time!
Everything about the situation was pushing my buttons like mad. I couldn’t be online, I couldn’t see my boyfriend, & I wasn’t super good friends with anyone else on my trip. I didn’t really have anyone to talk to, just a Discman & a notebook for company. I felt totally out of my depth & really uncomfortable, but looking back, this was incredibly formative for me. In fact, it was GREAT. It forced me to participate in what was happening; I had no choice.
Instead of obsessing about my boyfriend, I was concerned with lugging my 25kg backpack across a foreign city, or stringing a sentence together in another language. It taught me the importance of good chocolate, & that Germans make some of the best sandwiches in the world!
It meant that when our bus pulled up at Schloss Neuschwanstein, with the turrets peaking out of low cloud, it took my breath away. I wasn’t staring at my phone, hoping desperately for a text message from my beloved.
It gave me time to browse record stores & buy Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney & Richard D. James Album by Aphex Twin. Even today, whenever I hear those albums, it transports me right back to a train in Germany, the soundtrack to an ever-changing view.
From Berlin to Baden-Baden & the Black Forest, I was immersed in all things German… & I loved it. My experiences when I was 15 years old cemented Germany’s place as one of my favourite all-time countries, & taught me a different way of seeing the world. Sehr gut!
What can you learn from my (mis)adventures in homesickness boyfriend-sickness? As with everything, the very best way to deal with it is to jump right into your present reality & embrace it with everything you’ve got. All the crying & long phone-calls in the world won’t change the cold hard fact that right now, there is an ocean separating you.
When you think about it, what do you have to gain from obsessing about your beau? Nothing. What do you have to lose? A thousand fabulous memories from the opportunity of a lifetime.
Even if this experience doesn’t strengthen your relationship, it will certainly strengthen you as a person. Travelling is one of the best things we can do for our spirit & our confidence: it shows us what we’re really made of in a way that we can never experience if we just stay in one place. It’s when we’re out of our depth that we learn to swim, & it’s in unfamiliar situations that we really blossom.
Don’t forget about him completely, of course — & I know you couldn’t even if you tried. Write him postcards or put together a scrapbook of memories which you can show him when you get back. But don’t spend this month in Italy — one of the MOST beautiful places in the world — wishin’ & hopin’ for something that is out of reach. Try to limit your contact, too. You won’t regret this!
Don’t let love-sickness stop you from going out there & experiencing the world! Aim to come back home with a glut of stories to tell, about summertime Vespa rides & great conversation in the Piazza della Repubblica. Return with stories of your favourite gelato place & the espresso you drank which kept you up all night, toes jittering.
I once knew a girl who was so excited to leave New Zealand & move to Europe; it was all she talked about. When she got there, though, she decided she missed her boyfriend too much. She came home after less than a week. They broke up, & she never went back to Europe. Yes, this is a cautionary tale. Don’t be that girl!
Travelling is sublime: a way of escaping the everyday & launching yourself into a new reality. It teaches us about the world as much as it teaches us about ourselves. It always changes you & provides new perspectives. Sometimes it even provides you with new shoes!
Get out there & earn your international playgirl stripes!
Has this ever happened to you? What advice would you give to this girl? Let us know!
Let's talk on Twitter! Add me on Facebook! Enroll in Radical Self Love Bootcamp! Tags: adviceCarousel: The Cherry On Top Of A Beautiful Weekend...
[ 13 May 2012, 18:13 ]
Happy Sunday! Better late than never, huh?! Here are some things on the internet this week that made me smile, laugh, or make a pensive face! I hope you enjoy ‘em.
That’s why you don’t have any friends… WORD UP. Weirdness is best!
Lilly McElroy throws herself at men... Literally!
I loved Jane’s five minutes to glowing skin guide, it’s fantastic! (I have to add, though, that I don’t recommend washing your face with hot water. Every esthetician I’ve ever known has stressed that hot water is the enemy of skin, & sucks out all the moisture. Use cold water instead, & try not to put your face under the spray in the shower!.)
I really like this: Using Youth and Beauty to Get What You Want.
Live life joyously and authentically and, when you turn fifty, you will possess the qualities people automatically ascribe to you now because of your beauty. More importantly, you will have become beautiful by being the kind of person people used to imagine you were.
Here are 15 things you can do with your Instagram photos!
I loved these flower-arranging tips, with suggestions for every different kind of vase!
Kat wrote a post rounding up her adventures in NYC. It also features more pictures of her & I than you can shake a stick at! We have had SUCH a good time together this week!
So, Marie Forleo’s Rich, Happy & Hot B-School is just about to launch, & I wanted to let you know about it. Those of you who have been reading for a while know that I rarely, if ever, promote other people’s courses. I’m pretty skeptical about them in general, & I’d never encourage you to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself! But this one is different…
My first introduction to Marie was at Selling Your Soul, an event she ran with Danielle LaPorte. IT WAS AMAZING! Seriously, it was insane. I spent a day sitting in an auditorium, completely enraptured, making pages & pages of notes. I’ve never attended an event that taught me SO many great, actionable things about running a business. Since then, I’ve been keeping an eye on her, because this gal is definitely one to watch.
Her course, Rich, Happy & Hot B-School, is just about to kick off for the third time. It’s a course for women who want to take their online businesses to the next level. Marie’s business is worth over a million bucks, so you KNOW she knows what she’s doing — & her advice & presentation is SO no bullshit. Her testimonials are off the hook. I love it so much that I’m thinking of signing up for B-School myself!
If you want to push your business to the next level — & you’re prepared to do the work — then this is definitely something you should consider. Check it out.
Full disclosure: if you decide to sign up for Rich, Happy & Hot B-School, I’ll get a commission — but like I said, I really believe in this course & think you’ll benefit from it in a major way. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it!
This article — 15 ways to stay married for 15 years — is brilliant & inspiring & probably not what you’d expect.
Dirty Girls & Bad Feminists... I love this piece on internet feminism. Yes, yes, yes!
I just discovered Leah Whitehorse’s astrology blog & it’s fantastic!
My mate Isaac did an unconventional tour of New York City & if you’re into travel porn, I think you’ll enjoy it!
Rabbit was interviewed by VICE about being a sex writer. It’s a cute behind-the-scenes look at sex journalism!
...She also wrote 8 ways to be positive you’re sex-positive for The Frisky, & it is ace.
I love Kickstarter for weird projects. I’m proud to say I backed Adult Rappers, & if you’re into hip-hop, you should too. It features interviews with some of my favourite rappers about how they are able to integrate “being an adult” with hip-hop culture, historically something which is very much a youth-oriented movement. To make this documentary happen, the director needs another $6k in 3 days… Can we make it happen?! (Tell people! Let’s do this!)
This video is the cutest!
Much love,
Let's talk on Twitter! Add me on Facebook! Enroll in Radical Self Love Bootcamp! Tags: carouselZig Zag Wanderers!
[ 11 May 2012, 12:34 ]
What a week! Kat has been in town & she has been distracting me (in the best way possible)! I’ve barely even been home!
Yesterday we got prettied up by Regan Rabanal (my favourite — & first ever! — make-up artist in NYC!), then met with Christina, Marielle & Alie from Made U Look Photography. From shooting on rooftops, to stumbling around the West Village, to ending up on the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, it was a perfect day. Christina, Marielle & Alie all had about 5 cameras around their necks at all times, shooting in a variety of formats & experimenting with lots of different film… It was so exciting & we can’t wait to see the final results!
On the subject of iPhone apps, by the way, I used 8mm to film a few clips yesterday & made them into a little video!
Hooray! Here’s to a glorious weekend…
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video10 Ways To Make Your Instagram Photos Pop!
[ 7 May 2012, 10:20 ]
God, I love my iPhone. I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I never understood the hype until I spent a week with my parents last year. My mother & father both have iPhones, & my father — who is slightly app-obsessed — was fiddling with his constantly. I thought I loved my Android, but after using his phone for a little while, I realised I was missing out. I bought myself an iPhone the very next week, & ever since then, I have been a total evangelist.
One of my favourite things about the iPhone is Instagram. Instagram is an app that records your visual life in the same way that Twitter captures it via text.
There’s good news for non-iPhone users, though: Instagram has recently released for the Android phone!
When I was in Las Vegas, I noticed Nubby taking pictures directly through the Instagram app, which is not how I’ve ever done it. I think the very best way to make the most of your photos is to take your snaps using the Camera, & shoot a few of them. Then you can pick your favourites, edit them using an app or two, & add them to Instagram when you’re done. (In Instagram, the icon on the bottom left with two boxes will allow you to import a photo from your library.)
Instagram comes with a few built-in filters, & that’s what most people use. But you can alter your pictures a LOT even before you add them to Instagram. While the photos that come out of the iPhone are pretty good by themselves, there are a few great apps I’ve discovered which can really pump up the volume. In fact, I often run my photos through 2 or 3 apps before I upload them to Instagram. Maybe that’s weird & obsessive, but the results speak for themselves!
I discovered MoreBeaute just recently & I was so thrilled! This is perfect for self-portraits or pictures of people, because it has this tremendous skin filter which makes everyone look flawless! It’s totally adjustable, too, so you can make yourself look like a total Barbie, or just give yourself a little improvement here & there.
MoreBeaute is extremely simple in design. You either take a photo or select one from your library, & then you can choose from Brightness, Smoothing, Detail & Tone. The changes appear minute on-screen, but a quick flick back to the Before tab will show you just how much the image has changed!
You can see from my examples at the top that you can get extremely overzealous with this app, but this shows you exactly how much you can smooth & blur someone’s skin tone. The answer: a lot!
P.S. If you want to take a self-portrait which makes you look flawless, get as close to a diffused natural light source as possible. Standing next to a window — especially on a cloudy day — is perfect!
It’s great to vary your shots, & photographing a photo is an excellent way to do it. One of my favourite things to do is snap a few Instax pictures, then spread them out & shoot them with my iPhone. I always end up doing this when I’m on holiday, because it gives you a visual summary in just one frame!
I’m almost always carrying around an Instax camera, so I suppose this suggestion relies on having another camera on-hand… But if you do collect Instax, Polaroids or photobooth strips, this is a great way to document a segment of time!
Camera+ is always the first app I use to edit a photo. Once you’ve selected the photo you want to alter, you’re given five options: Scenes, Adjust, Crops, Effects & Borders. In Scenes, you can adjust the lighting of the photo. Choose from a huge variety of settings like Clarity, Auto, Flash, Backlit, Shade, Portrait, & so on. Camera+ has the best lighting adjustments I’ve seen of any app, & sometimes all a photo needs is a little brightness to make it pop!
The Effects tab has four groups: Color, Retro, Special & I Analog. Each of these groups has 9 different effects, all of which are pretty fantastic.
The I Analog group is a paid section, but it has a couple of my favourite filters in it: XPRO C-41, Diana & Silver Gelatin. Silver Gelatin is the filter I added to the sample photo above! Once you’ve purchased access to this section, you can use it forever… & I think you will!
Some of my favourite Instagram photos are not of anything I made or created, or even of someone I know. Often they’re simply pictures of art on the street.
NYC is a great place to do that: there’s art practically everywhere you look, from stickers on lampposts to huge murals on the sides of buildings. Everyone here has something to say & a lot of those people are excellent at expressing themselves visually, so it seems like a mistake not to capture your favourite examples!
Shooting the art you see is a fantastic way of documenting the way your city changes over time. Murals get tagged up, stickers get pulled down, advertisings goes up where posters once stood, & nothing remains the same. So snap your favourite art, because it might not be there tomorrow!
First things first: Camera Awesome has an “Awesomize” slider, which increases brightness, contrast & vibrancy all at once. If you want to keep things really simple, just use that. It does a great job!
The Presets & Filters tabs are fantastic on here, & there are a LOT of options. Camera Awesome is another one of those apps where some of the features are free, but a lot of them are paid. It’s 99c to purchase 9 filters, & just like with Camera+ you get to use them forever. Camera Awesome has some really dramatic effects, as well as textures & frames.
This app doesn’t have the most intuitive design, but you’ll get the hang of it! It’s definitely worth experimenting with!
As much as we all love to shoot endless self-portraits, there’s something refreshing about an Instagram feed which is diverse & full of surprises!
You could even use your Instagram account as extra incentive to go out & explore your city. I always end up snapping the best pictures when I’m somewhere a little unknown, & seeing with new eyes. For example, last week I went out exploring with Kat & Gareth. We ventured into a store called Georgetown Cupcakes — which I’d never been into before — & we discovered this pink bedazzled KitchenAid! OH MY! I asked if I could take a photo, they said yes, & what resulted is my most-favourited photo on Instagram… ever.
It’s not just about accumulating “likes” & “followers” though: if you shoot what you love, even if no one else follows you, you’ll still get a lot of pleasure out of Instagram.
Picfx has a lot of options, including Vintage, Cross Process & Premixed filters, but where it really shines is in its selection of Light filters. Oh yes, if you’re looking for bokeh, this is the app to use!
I used Picfx to add those little bubbles of light to this photo of pink champagne, & I think it definitely adds to the image! (I also used Camera+ & Camera Awesome to brighten & intensify the colours!)
Truth time: LensLight is a little bit cheesy. The design is not wonderful. But if you’re looking for starbursts, heart-shaped bokeh (oh yes!) or sparkle spectrums, you’ll be ALL about it!
This photo taken at the YogaRave was CLEARLY begging for purple heart-shaped bokeh! Right?!
I used LensLight to add the rainbow effect to this building covered in ivy, too. So pretty.
There are a lot of apps which allow you to combine several pictures, but PictureFrames is my favourite. You can add rounded corners to your frames, change the border colours & thickness, & also resize the frames. Brilliant! It’s a great app for showing details or a few sides of one object!
For this image, I processed each photo with Camera+ before importing them into PictureFrames. I changed the brightness of the image in Scenes & then added some colouring in Effects. I also added some bokeh to the top picture using LensLight! You can see how just one app can be a gateway drug!
Looking at my Instagram profile makes me smile, because essentially, it boils down to a collection of photos of things that I love. Some people don’t “get” Instagram, but if you think of it as a kind of digital scrapbook, it starts to make more sense. It doesn’t have to stay digital & intangible, either: there are a handful of companies who will turn your Instagram photos into little books, stickers, or even print pillows with a selection of your favourite pictures!
Don’t fall victim to Instagram anxiety, or the need to get 1000 likes in under a minute. Only post when you feel genuinely inspired to share something, & you’ll quickly become as obsessed as I am!
If you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is galadarling... & I’d love to see what you end up shooting! Let me know if you use any of the apps I suggested, too. I love them!
Click click, flash flash!
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inspiration
