DELIGHT

Wigs! They make it so easy to completely alter your look, & just like a good outfit, equip you with the confidence to behave however you wish. They also keep the heat in during winter! Perfect! (FYI, here’s how to wear a wig successfully.)

Accepting your true nature. Whatever that means — for me, it meant coming to the realisation that I really want to see Gwen Stefani & Christina Aguilera in concert, & deciding that I would go. Maybe that seems weird to you, but after so many years of musical elitism, it is kind of a big deal to me.

Polaroids. Sure, the cameras themselves are big & clunky & plastic, & Polaroid film is astronomically expensive, but baby, the result is worth it. (I just bought a Polaroid camera off Ebay for a pittance, after having been strongly influenced by Toni & Zoe.)

Motorcycle boots. Tough & cool & a little bit cyber, I’ve decided I need a pair. Look!

Wearing bed clothes outside the house. While this does require a certain amount of panache to pull off, when done successfully it looks fantastic.

Taxidermy & curiousity shops, but beware the temptation to spend $1000 on a mounted deer-head or entire snake skeleton.

Decorating your house as if your grandmother lives there. I briefly outlined my ideas for this here, but since then I have expanded my vision to include a hammock, star-shaped paper lanterns, lots of candles, Persian rugs, quilts & maybe a big framed portrait of Chopin.

Magpie instincts & the places they lead you. Sparklers, bead shops, cubic zirconia jewellery & shiny bag hardware are all fair game.

Primer. Not to prime is a crime! You should always wear primer under your makeup: trust me when it says it improves the way it looks by about 200%. M.A.C. Cosmetics recently came out with Prep & Prime Face Protect SPF 50 which solves the primer & sunscreen problem magnificently.

Susan Miller‘s monthly astrology forecasts. They are LONG & detailed, I absolutely love them!

Naps. Is there anything more delicious than lying down for a nap when exhaustion finally overthrows your body? Blankets & pillows & a darkened room, oh my!

SMITE

Overly familiar cafe proprietors. There is a definite line between being friendly/welcoming & over-eager/intrusive. Deduct more points if said proprietor also stares at your chest.

Social awkwardness. A major sore-point for me at the moment — working alone is taking its toll, & having friends stay has really driven the point home. I need to get out of the house more often! I’m hoping to battle the problem with regular yoga classes but man, it’s hard to make new friends when you move cities. Insert sad face here!

“Vintage” remakes. Overpriced & ugly & not worth your hard-earned coin, in my opinion!

The Australian postal system. I tried to send a magazine to America & they wanted to charge me $30 AU! Talk about highway robbery, my god.

Pro-anorexia & size 0 hype. Such a waste of time & energy. You can be as thin as you like, but unless you accept yourself, it’s not going to make you happy anyway. Trust me.

Naps. The astute will notice that ‘naps’ appears on both lists. The reason for this is that naps take up precious time which you could be using for something else, & of course, there is always the risk that you will wake up groggy & unable to shake that feeling. Boo!