Interview With Gala Darling: Part Three
[ 19 December 2008 ]
The final part! Here we go, rapid-fire, quick questions!
Favorite Diane Vreeland quote? (Mandy)
“Never fear being vulgar; just boring.”
Who would you really, really like to kiss under the mistletoe this year? (Kelly)
I can’t really say, it will get me into trouble! So I’ll just say… Nubby! Aw! (It’s true, too. I love her very much.)
What are your favorite kinds of lists to make? (Beth)
To do lists. I have them for the day, the week, the month & the year… OBSESSIVE!
What’s a bad habit of yours? (Mandy)
Procrastination. I also love to “multi-task”, by which I mean: listen to music, talk on AIM, look at my email, browse Flickr, read Livejournal, reply to comments & write an article all at the same time. It doesn’t really work.
How do you feel about graduation ceremonies? (Beth)
I have never been to one, so I have no feelings on them whatsoever! Those little hats look cute, though, & I guess it would be fun to throw them in the air!
Hugs or kisses? (Becca)
Kisses.
Do you drink alcohol? (Mai)
Yes, I do. I have never been a huge drinker, but I know what I like. Some of my favourite tipples include Jameson, Canadian Club, & ridiculous cocktails.
What is one gadget that you don’t think you could live without? (Kelly)
My Macbook. It is black. I love it. My camera comes in a very close second, but it’s all about the Macbook.
Do you ever want to get married and start a family? (Mai)
I don’t know. Maybe. I think marriage is kind of unrealistic. I’m not being cynical or child-of-divorce-esque, my parents are still married 26 years later, but I just think that promising to love someone forever is kind of illogical. You can’t promise that. & you can’t promise that you’ll always want to work at it, because feelings change & people grow apart sometimes. Also, as romantic a premise as marriage is, what does it mean? If you’re living together & not married, how is that any less legitimate a relationship? Does a piece of paper & a big frothy dress & a book of photos change anything? I don’t think it does. I am not adverse to spending the rest of my life with someone, I just don’t know if promising to do it makes any sense.
Looking through your blog it is easy to see that you have an amazing sense of style, and you change your own personal style regularly (especially your hair style and colour). Everyone says you shouldn’t change yourself to make people like you – but were you ever scared that if you changed something about yourself (say, your hair colour, or the amount of makeup you wear), people might stop liking you because you’d changed? (Anon)
My personal style is the last thing I’m worried about causing that kind of reaction. I reckon I could shave my head & start dressing like… um… Martha Stewart & someone would appreciate it. It’s more likely that people would be upset if I changed what I wrote about, or people thought I was “selling out” (whatever that means), or if my lifestyle became radically different. Some of you will have noticed that that did actually happen when I moved to New York. I can’t really say much about that — except that I live a life that makes me happy, & the way it makes other people feel is really not any of my business…
What are your thoughts on Germany? (Becca)
I love it. I went there on the school trip I wrote about in the last part of my interview. I wore blue, ha, & we travelled all over the place (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Baden Baden, Karlsruhe, Salzburg etc.). It was amazing! I really, really like it there, & think I will probably live there at some point in my life. I saw some of the most incredible mid-summer thunderstorms there. I love German people too, they are very friendly & precise, the perfect complement to the Virgo disposition, haha! Also, Germans make the best sandwiches & rolls. Ever. Something about the bread. Drool.
You’ve written before about how you used to have quite a negative outlook on life and believed that it would always be that way for you. How did you turn your life around? Aside from EFT, what inspired you to start living differently, and how did you put it into practice? (Alice)
I think I decided to try changing it because I was sick of feeling bad all the time. I was so miserable, not really eating, I hated my job & I was always really angry about everything. The not eating thing was the part that messed me up the most — I would look at my reflection in the mirror & really, really hate myself, what I saw, what I was about. It was supremely dramatic & is pretty embarrassing to look back on, but I was desperately unhappy at the time. So unhappy I cannot even put it into words. I decided to try using EFT to see if I could make myself happier, on a whim I guess. I probably thought, ‘Oh well, it doesn’t cost anything to try & if it doesn’t work, all it will have meant is that I wasted some time’. Amazingly, it worked.
I guess after that I got kind of hooked on the idea that I could keep improving myself, so I did. I haven’t really stopped, though I go through phases where I don’t use EFT much, & then times where I use it all the time. It depends on what’s going on in my life.
I also spend quite a lot of time thinking about my life & what I could do to make it better. I get into it in pretty intricate detail. Do I want more money or just a certain lifestyle? What kind of friendships do I want to have? How do I feel about this or that? Knowing the answers to those questions makes it a lot easier to manifest the kind of life you want.
Have you been to the Middle East? (Mai)
No! One of my best friends grew up in Dubai & speaks very highly of it, however.
Last book read? (Mandy)
How embarrassing. I don’t even know. Cringe! I buy books compulsively, but very rarely finish them. I always start them with great enthusiasm & then… abandon them. It has been this way for two years. Most of the time, I would rather work than read…
Do you ever get hit by the jealousy bug? (Becca)
Very rarely. I’m pretty happy with my life! I guess, also, when I feel jealous, I just try to work out whatever it is that I want — & how to bring it into my existence!
What’s your real name? (kate)
Gala Darling! Yes, really & truly… It’s on my passports, credit cards & everything.
What is your personal definition of nerd-dom? (Ceka)
Anything that isn’t generally accepted as being “cool”. I indulge in a lot of that stuff shamelessly. Plus, I like nerds.
What was your favorite thing in/about San Francisco? [gotta ask; it’s my city!] (cuileann)
I haven’t spent a lot of time in San Francisco — I was there twice in 2006 & it was really just a place to get ready for Burning Man, & then relax afterwards! I had a great peanut butter & chocolate shake in a diner there somewhere, haha, & I loved the Sanrio store… I also wanted to go to The Hungry I, but never made it, unfortunately. Next year!
Gothiest thing you’ve ever worn? (Becca)
Um… a cape? LET US NEVER SPEAK OF THIS AGAIN.
Why you so fly? (Beccalise)
You think we’re fly, but we levitate, just be yourself, don’t ask us why, ‘cause if you don’t we’ll make you fly.
When you were little, what did you want to be when you ‘grew up’? (Cally)
I always wanted to be a writer! My second choice would have been an actress, probably just because I loved attention!
If you could turn into an animal, like a werewolf, what would were-Gala prowl as under the moon? (Bing)
Whatever I turned out to be, I would have to have prominent ears. (Purple bunny? White bunny? Sequinned mouse? Normal mouse? Fingers?)
So, say for example, you could have any creature as a pet, (mythological/sci-fi/extinct/talking beast à la narnia- whatever!) what would it be, what would you name it and most importantly would you cruelly dress it up in glitter and nylon? (May)
You guys ask weird questions. I don’t know what it would be, maybe just a big flying shaggy carpet with googly eyes, called Hernandez. Of COURSE I would cruelly dress it up in glitter & nylon! What do you take me for?!
When will you be back in Melbourne? (Cally)
I’m not sure at this stage. I was going to come back in early 2009 to see some friends & get my hair done by my favourite people (Wildilocks!), but I actually think it makes more sense to get back to the States as soon as I can!
Are you a dog or cat person? Or some other animal entirely!? (Mandy)
I am definitely a dog person. All the way. Forever.
I’m uber curious about the end of your relationship with Steve/the beginning of you and Timmy. I know it’s so personal but I just want to know for my own personal knowledge/reference/etc. Like how did you get over it so quickly? (Embarrassed)
Well, the two situations are completely unrelated. By the time I officially called things off with Simon (his name isn’t Steve!), we had actually been apart from each other — him in Australia & me in New York — for three months. I often find that when I’m in a relationship, towards the end, one of the reasons I stay in it longer than I should is that I’m not sure how I would cope without them. You get so used to having them around, etc., that the idea of not having them by your side is terrifying. Going to New York & spending time there alone was fantastic for me in that sense — I learned that I didn’t need anyone, that I was self-sufficient & while having someone else around was nice, I certainly didn’t require it. The distance between us made me realise how different we were becoming, & I could see problems down the line that I didn’t think we would be able to iron out, or that we should. I think I felt like we would both be happier doing our own thing, unrestrained. I don’t really want to get into the reasons for our break-up (nothing dramatic, but not necessarily for public consumption!), but anyway, I ended it. I was afraid at the time, but it was the right thing to do.
I got over it quickly, because… I just do. That’s kind of how I am. Maybe because I was the person who made the decision & could see my future as a bachelorette, that made it easier — who knows.
As for Tim & I, we I had been friends since 2006 & it just kind of happened.
Okay one that’s not so personal… do you think I’m weird and gross and disgusting if I kind of have a little crush on Jay Gordon from the band Orgy, as he was from 1998-2002 (I haven’t a clue what he looks like now). but I kind of think he was hot (makeup, stupid hair, stupid outfits and all) and I want to have sex with his voice… I care what you think of me. Haha. (Embarrassed)
Psshhh, no, not at all! We all have ridiculous, unexplainable crushes at some point or another.
Do you sun-bathe? (Mai)
Rarely! I am too restless for that kind of thing.
Are all women from Venus? If not, what planet are you from Gala? How about Nubby? ;-) (Corissa Jade)
Nubby & I are definitely from Mercury — the planet of ideas, communication, media, magic, trickery… & VIRGOS!
I know you travel a lot, and you’ve got loads of fans all over the world, including here in London! Are you planning to come over any time soon for a visit?? And if you’ve been to London before – I think you have – what did you think about the city, the people, and the fashion scene? (Keishy V.)
London’s a strange city to me. I have been a bunch of times & enjoyed it, but it’s certainly not my favourite place to be. It definitely has its charms but it just doesn’t speak to me in the same way some other cities do. I wish I liked it more, actually, because I have a British passport & so I could live there easily, but it doesn’t really appeal to me. Having said that, whenever I went, I stayed with family & never really had any friends there (the last time I went was in 2006), so I am sure my experiences would be quite different going these days! I know a lot more people there now, & they keep trying to get me to go over, so you never know, you could see me there soon!
What do you doodle? (Mandy)
Hearts (mostly) & stars (sometimes) & occasionally faces. I read an article in some terrible magazine when I was in my early teens which said that if you doodled hearts, you desired love, if you doodled stars, you desired fame, & some other nonsense. I don’t know if I buy into it!
Do you feel you are taken very seriously with your neon hair color, and your half sleeve body art? (Madison)
Honestly, it’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought to. I don’t have a great desire to be “taken seriously”, it’s just not something that is important to me.
Having said that, I know that people react more positively to me without facial piercings, which is one reason why I don’t have them any more (as well as the fact that I feel like I outgrew them & got sick of them). Pink hair people seem to be okay with, but piercings push some (usually older, much more conservative) people over the edge. As for my tattoos, they’re not often on display. I will sometimes catch a grumpy-looking old woman flash me a look of disgust, but I really couldn’t care less what they think!
What are your pet peeves? (Kelly)
Bad table manners. People who yell into their cellphones. People who play all their ringtones on the bus. People who don’t turn off keytones on their cellphones. Um… a lot of cellphone-related stuff!
Your Daily Outfit is one of my favourite parts of iCiNG, and has inspired me to start looking at my own outfits on a daily basis. But are there any outfits that you look back on and go, ‘omg what WAS I thinking?!’ (Keishy V.)
I definitely do, & that’s one of the reasons why I take outfit photos! Often when you throw something on & look in the mirror, you look at one area of your body — your boobs or your legs or your waist or whatever — but not the whole thing. Photos don’t lie! I have worn plenty of extremely questionable outfits, & I feel okay about putting them online, because we can all benefit from it. & maybe have a giggle or two.
If you could smooch any designer, who would it be and why? (Becca)
Karl Lagerfeld. I doubt he’d be into it, but he’d definitely be my pick. I love him!
What are your long-term career aspirations? (Madison)
I know I should have a grand plan laid out, but I don’t. I’m really very happy just taking opportunities as they come & seeing where life takes me. I have faith! I do have some things I’d love to do, like have books published & start speaking, but other than that, I don’t feel the need to plan my life out to the letter… I love the adventure & being able to live spontaneously!
Alright, that’s it for now. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do this, I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s awesome to get an opportunity to be so unabashedly narcissistic! I hope you enjoyed it too, & feel like you got some more insight into “the real Gala”!
Love letters & feather headdresses,
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Gala, I feel oddly relieved that you admit to occasional procrastination. Because
a) I was beginning to wonder if you were, in fact, Super Woman
b) I’m a procrastinating Virgo too, and I was worries that the World Federation of Virgos was going to revoke my membership
Hooray again for more Gala stuff! How many parts will there be?
sarah von — I honestly feel like the world’s most intense procrastinator. I’m probably not, but I feel like I am! P.S. The World Federation of Virgos loves you.
sora — This is the final instalment! Relief washes over us all in an awesome wave, haha.
Really cool! I do shave my head and dress like martha stewart … if martha stewart was homeless and insane.
I do the multitasking thing too, I swear I’d get everything done so much quicker if I could stick to one thing at a time!
It’d be great to see you in London, perhaps the iCiNG Fans UK ladies would get around to arranging the meetup we were talking about last year!
I’ve really enjoyed these interviews, it’s great to read a little more about the person behind one of my favourite blogs :)
Really enjoyed this interview, Gala! Thanks for keeping me entertained at work :)
I LOVE lists. I usually have a written one, and one up on my computer at all times. It’s nice to see I am not the only one.
This series was the best! I appreciate whoever asked the pink hair/being taken seriously thing, and your answer as well. I am short and baby-faced and often feel not-taken-seriously, but I’m starting to think it’s actually more to do with my demeanor than my appearance at this point. Food for thought!
An icy kiss with Uncle Karl . . . magical.
“Of COURSE I would cruelly dress it up in glitter & nylon! What do you take me for?!”
hahaha! you are just a joy :)
Maybe you need to visit Britain rather than London.
I loved these interviews! You MUST come to London sometime soon. Meetup, anyone?
I also love To Do Lists! I have one for the week, sometimes for the day and alreaddy made one for 2009! And I have a procrastination-problem, too. Oh, and I liked to hear that you like germany, I live in Berlin. _
What’s a bad habit of yours? (Mandy)
“Procrastination. I also love to “multi-task”, by which I mean: listen to music, talk on AIM, look at my email, browse Flickr, read Livejournal, reply to comments & write an article all at the same time. It doesn’t really work.”
OMG. MASSIVE LOVE. Was wondering why I never get much done but am always SO BUSY.
But I feel so productive!! HOW CAN IT BE BAD?!
Umk, too much caps.
Ohhhh if you go to London then I’ll have another reason to return there ;).
I really enjoyed this interviews! Knowing more about you inspires me even more to continue doing my own thing and improve myself even more.
Big smooch!
I thought you may have been going for longer then 2 years, quite a short time but such a momentous achievement.
For some reason these interviews made me feel really excited, all the energy you give is contagious!
I know it’s silly really but I’m still intrigued by your name, you said that you changed it? How old were you and do your parents still call you by the name they gave you?
You should put the interviews on the menu, you go through so much it’d be grea for new nibblers lol =)
Also, Germans make the best sandwiches & rolls. Ever. Something about the bread. Drool.
oh my god, YES. i still dream about the sandwiches i ate in berlin. unf.
also yes! come to london! :3
I’m much the same way you describe yourself in detachment from other people (not missing them when far away, getting over things quickly, never minding spending time in one’s own company and not getting lonely, even views on marriage, etc.)— but you surprise me when you say you’re ENFP!
Keep up the extraordinary work! I especially always adore the openness with which you treat sexuality, which I find SO important in our age (GET OVER IT, ALREADY- it SHOULD NO LONGER BE A TABOO. PERIOD.) and also the feminist spin from Violet Blue that you often tag.
I thought you would enjoy this, as well: I was coming back on a plane from a semester abroad (in Pareeee) and I sit next to a geophysicist who I talk to for most all of the 8 hours. (He’s also into philosophy, art, etc. Interesting fellow. We had plenty to talk about.) We got on the subject of style and fashion, which- I enjoy, but I usually think to be a little frivolous; I find it really wasteful spending so much money on clothes usually and people also acquire so MUCH and I also mentioned how getting up in the morning, the LAST thing I want to do it take time to get dressed- I’d rather just drag around in my PJs (and do, at times- in stores, at school, etc. I just don’t care what others think.) But what he said was this- we were talking about the fashion sense of the Parisian girls and how they always look incredible, and he turned down my comment about clothes/wastefulness.
“No!” he said, “It’s so pleasing to walk down the street and see all these girls looking so beautiful! It’s like they are making life more interesting for others. They give us something fresh and put together to look at. I also always say that if you can’t find a way to enjoy your daily obligations then you’re not very bright.”
And it’s absolutely true. In taking the time to dress yourself well in the morning, you can take pride in what you wear and other people will take interest as well- you make things more interesting for both yourself and others. We also discussed food a lot, because coming back from France, we know well that they really SAVOR what they eat; they don’t just swallow it. Same goes with driving- there are ways of enjoying ALL of the things that we MUST do.
Anyhow, I found what he said incredibly inspiring.
Keep on seizing life,
-Claire
I agree with Melanie above! Did you see much of England outside of London when you visited? There are much nicer places. I moved to Brighton a little while ago and I absolutely love it. Have you ever been? I’ve noticed you’ve used photos of the carousel here a few times and did wonder if it was just a coincidence or not x
Wow! thanks for all the revelations and insights in your interviews!
If you ever come to London, I hope there is a non-pareils meet-up and I get to say hello. Hope you don’t this is stalker-ish, but I started reading this website when I lived in Melbourne and I used to see you around the CBD a few times, but never had the confidence to say hi. So now i’m in London, and I agree, it can be an awkward city to love, but I think it has its charms!
:)
I’m actually a little relieved to hear that you don’t have a grand life plan. Since you’re clearly a list-maker and organizational goddess, it’s good to know you’re willing to trust the universe on the bigger stuff … which is just what I feel I should be doing right now!
Your thoughts on marriage are refreshing to read and that Diane Vreeland quote is one that I live by as well.
I enjoyed your whole interview thing. I was looking at past posts, and I LOVED your purple hair!!!!! (Fav. color is purple)
No no no no no!!!
Oh poo! As is always the way I’ve only just thought up some good questions! :(
Boo! Still, maybe I’ll mail you anyway!
And I’ll totally be there for the London meet-up. Whenever it is, where ever it is. (Although preferably Camden! ;> )
The good people of Salzburg, Austria, are going to be pissed you lumped them in with the Germans. :P
I love the monochrome picture of you! Your cheekbones are IMMENSE.
:) thankyou for being so delightful.
i’m a scorpio, and i could go on about my star sign the way you do virgos. :P if you had to have been born anything but a virgo, what would it be???
To whomever asked the Jay Gordon of Orgy thing….Orgy has been my favourite band since the 6th grade and despite me completely growing up and over that kind of music…I’m not so certain that I will ever get over them! Jay is in fact less hot then he was back in ’98, but he’s OLDER and that’s expected. He’s still Jay and his voice is still sexy as hell.
So, you’re not really alone there.
Lovely! I adore reading q and a things such as this, because I think we’re all really fascinating when we’re asked the right kinds of questions – and you definitely were!
Finally I have thought of a question – too late! I’d love to know how many people in your family call you Gala vs your old name. (I think reading everyone else’s questions has loosened my inhibitions about appearing nosy!) You are so . . . brave? Honest? Impressive? Something! Sharing so much with the wider world, although you clearly know where to stop, too. Good on ya! ;)
Oh Gala, you brighten up my snow days!
Thanks for sharing all that is Gala Darling with us, sweetie :) It was fun! And thank you for helping this Piscean out the other night with list-making medium preferences.. :) I now know I need to hunt out more Virgos in my life. I just thought they were almost criminally hyper-critical and a tad uptight, but I’m probably wrong lol… Love ya.
OMG!
Embarrassed: I think it’s hilarious (and awesome and fitting) that there are so many old school Orgy fans that frequent iCiNG. I was thoroughly confused when I skimmed that question the first time and saw ‘Jay Gordon’ and ‘Orgy.’ Lol! (By the way, I was totally into Ryan Shuck back in the day. I think my fan site for them is still up on geocities, lol!)
Again, thank you so much for doing this Gala!
I have really loved reading these interviews. They have inspired me in all kinds of wonderful ways. I feel like you’ve shared all the right information!
I agree with Sarah Von,it’s kind of relieving to see that you also are affected by regular challenges like procrastination or relationship & money balancing situations…Sometimes you look so immaculately cool & perfect from the other side of the screen!
I will tell you though, your procrastination doesn’t show AT ALL, at least from my side of things ;)
And well, I know I should have asked earlier, but if you are in the mood, I have a couple of questions!
As a professional blogger, is it difficult for you to keep the topics you write about balanced?
I find that the most difficult part of writing a blog everyday is that my moods seem to come in batches, and sometimes I want to do like 10 outfit of the day posts in a row, and then all I can think about (and therefore write about) is dreams & the dream worlds for a week.
Do you ever have this problem, and how do you deal with it?
And also,
Have you ever been anywhere in Spain?
gala:
WOW! thanks for answering all those (some a bit personal) questions for us. I just want to know: have you ever been to PORTLAND, OR? We have many a fabulous cupcake places, including my favourites: saint cupcake, and cupcake jones’. I forgot to tell you about this earlier… just curious. They are both simply FABULOUS.
gala, i’m curious, where do you write your to-do lists?
do you put them on your computer, in a notebook or maybe you even have a separate one for all your lists? I’m a list-maker but I can never seem to keep track of them. I’ve thought about taping them to my walls but I’m curious as to what you do with yours!
I don’t see a marriage as any more emotionally legitimate than a live-in relationship, but I do see many reasons to marry (naturally, since I did!)
My reasons are 99% legal and 1% social (sharing a surname, “MyName HisName“ for both of us, however is 95% social and 5% emotional). If I get hit by a car, I want Mr. eyðimörk to be able to visit. If I am on life support, I want Mr. eyðimörk to decide when to take me off. If I die, I want Mr. eyðimörk to get my half of our house by default, not my parents. If we go abroad somewhere more conservative, I want to make sure Mr. eyðimörk and I get sufficient recognition.
We lived together before marriage, as is the norm in this country, and the only thing that has changed in practice is how we sign our names. BUT, I do feel safer now that we are legally protected and no one can challenge his next-of-kin status.
I’ve loved reading all 3 installments of the Gala-view! I would totally kiss Karl Lagerfeld too; I think he’s such a force…
haha, it makes me super happy that you are a whiskey girl… can’t say i like canadian club, but jameson is a friend of mine, lol!
In response to you saying that you don’t like mac & cheese:
You should try making it from a recipe! It’s so delicious. Even if you don’t cook, I’m sure you have a chef friend somewhere out there who can introduce you to some scrumptious, home-made YELLOW macaroni & cheese.
this was great. best idea!
im confused though, i asked the other day if you and timmy were together and you said no? haha
i wish i could live in new york :(
Haha Gala I read that article on doodling too (I’m from NZ also). That was yeeeears ago and I still remember it because it was so ridiculous.
Thankyou for answering my question, Gala! You inspire me to start doing things that make me happy as opposed to making others happy, every day, you do.
(and I agree with you about people who don’t turn off the keytones on their phones!)
I love love love the photo you have for this entry! You look gorgeous! :)
Aww nice work Gala! I’ve enjoyed all three parts!
I too obsessively write lists.
I have one for the day, week, month and year haha.
It’s nuts but I like it.
I even have the mother of all to do lists – 101 things to do in 1001 days. All things that I need or want to do to help make my life better and more lived. :)
Annnnd I remember that silly article on doodling also.. (I’m un Australia) was it in Girlfriend or Dolly or something? In like 2003? Haha. I remember it.
Hearts for love and stars for fame and flowers were something else and blah blah blah. Hahah.
Good stuff :P
Anywho, great article!
And I’m 19 today! Woo!
xxx
Love the interview Gala and love your blog as well! It’s was so interesting to read, because I’m a writer, a virgo as well, I definitely write to-do list and then procrastinate! Your blog is a big inspiration for my blog and my life. Thanks alot for all you do!
Vixel — “Multi-tasking” is dangerous! I am terrible like that! In 2009 I am going to learn to do one thing at a time & pay attention to it. I know that when I do that I am like SuperGala, but it takes discipline because it’s so much fun to chat & check email!
Dawn — I am a complete list nerd. I like writing them on index cards best.
Liz Turtle — Definitely, how you behave has a lot to do with it. If you act young (for example), people will treat you that way. Occasionally I get a slight attack of the oh-my-god-I’m-going-to-get-judged, but then I remember that most of my icons or heroes are bizarre looking, & they wouldn’t let other people’s perception of them prevent them from being totally fabulous!
Melanie — Yup, maybe! I’d love to go to Brighton, but as yet have had no reason to explore Britain.
Dorothy Lite — Berlin is amazing, probably my favourite city in Germany.
Jasmine — Hahaha! I know exactly how you feel. I’m like, ‘Oooh, look at me & how much I’m doing’, but then I never finish anything & wonder why!
Maya — You’re cute! Yes, I changed my name legally in 2006, I was 23. My parents call me Gala. VERY rarely they slip up & call me by my old name, but I just give them a look & they apologise, haha.
Claire — Thanks, dollface. & I love what that geophysicist said! That’s totally how it is — I think that dressing up provides a visual treat for everyone else, it’s like doing your part for the world in a very small, daily way. Ditto on finding a way to enjoy your daily obligations; that’s SO great! Thank you for sharing, he sounds like an amazing person.
Vicky — I’ve never been outside London unfortunately. I’ve never had a reason, though as I said to Melanie above, I have always wanted to go to Brighton. I love that carousel!
bey — I’m sure there will be; there seem to be a LOT of you in London! & that’s not stalkerish at all, it’s kind of touching & cute. Rest assured that if you’d said hello to me, I would have been nice to you!
Sal — I definitely trust the universe, I feel like it’s got my back & I love it for that!
Carissa — Glad you think so!
Emily — Hahah, I’m such an idiot. Yeahhh I also went to Bavaria & France & Austria on that trip & it all kind of blurs together! Oops! Geography has never been my strong point!
angel leah — Huh, good question! Ummm… Maybe a Capricorn, I think they’re pretty similar, just maybe more aggressive?! Being a Leo would be fun too, I think…
Nadine — Almost everyone in my family calls me Gala, they’ve been well-trained by my parents I think. I have a small family though! Like I said, there is the occasional slip-up but nothing drastic. Thankfully no one insists on calling me by my old name; I think that would be blatantly disrespectful, don’t you?
Althea — I definitely get on kicks where I just want to write about one thing or another, but if I feel that way I try to stagger it & advance post it so that it’s not 3 days of this or that. & I have never been to Spain, though I hear the weather is beautiful — & I’m into beautiful weather!
Annika — No, I’ve never been to Portland, OR! That’s where Nubby lives & so I have heard of Saint Cupcake, I know that she designed logos for them as part of a school project! I would love to visit Portland, & I think it’s extremely likely that it will happen next year!
Lizzie — I write them on paper because I need the satisfaction of crossing them off! I have a bit of a system, where I draw a heart for a bulletpoint, then write the item, & then highlight it when it’s done. My Moleskine diary is full of daily to-do lists on every page, but then I also have index cards bulldog-clipped to the pages to remind me of what to do that week or whatever. & I carry a stack of clipped index cards in my handbag for jotting down notes or ideas, shopping lists etc.!
eyðimörk — Fair enough, & I totally understand your reasoning! That’s not stuff I think about ;>
alex (aka karl exceed) — My friend introduced me to Jameson & Sprite once, haha, it’s so good.
danique — We’re not together, but we were seeing each other for a while!
Ashleigh Rose — That’s SO funny! It must have been in Dolly or Girlfriend or something, I can’t believe you remember it too!
Jayne Danger — Thank you! It was taken on my window/fire escape in New York!
Lou — Lists are great, I think the only danger is in writing lists as opposed to DOING things. But as long as you write them & live them, I think you’re okay! Happy birthday!
Stylish Thought — Thanks so much!
Hubba hubba! I will save up my smooches for our second anniversary! Haha. We could kiss while both wearing Mickey ears in front of a castle in Disney World!!!!!
Nubby — The more I think about it, the more I think next year’s birthday should be at Disneyland. You NEED a Nubby hat which matches mine really, really badly.
I’m from NZ and I remember that article too. oh nooooo
Yay Gala! Loved all 3 parts of your interview! :)
Ahh, this was too interesting for my own good, thank you! :)
I wish I would have asked this question when I had the chance, but what do you do to keep your hair from being super fried when you bleach and dye it?
I agree with Timmy, HOW DOOO You keep your hair from being super fried?
And I loved reading these interviews!
Timmy & ladystefania — I use conditioning treatments as much as I can! I slather my hair in Biosilk & condition it every day. That’s about it. My hair is pretty healthy & resilient, thus far it has stood up to a lot of abuse!
Gala!
I liked your Burning Man comment.
We have a festival here in The Kootenays called Shambhala, that I feel the same about.
Well send!!
xo
-C
ps. most beautiful photo ever in this post!
Very good! I enjoyed this.
Hey Gala,
This interview series was really good fun! I concur with your comments regarding marriage, actually… I’m not vehemently opposed to doing it one day, but really struggle to get a handle on the relevance of ‘marriage as an institution’ with regards to my own life. And I think it might even be more realistic in this day and age to accept that there’s a good likelihood we’ll all have several incredibly significant life partners and possibly be (emotionally) richer for it. Life has its seasons, after all, and I think it makes sense to do the best you can with the people you care about it, and not continue to villify the divorced or never-married as social failures!
I would love to answer some of these questions myself actually – but most particularly
Duh! A Hippogriff!
www.dvd.net.au/movies/h/11266
It could live in the park out the back of my apartment, and I could ride/fly him to work every day. Absolutely!
Ooops, I was actually trying to answer the question about which pet you would choose to have if you could have ANY pet (mythical, fictional or whatever). Sorry about the double post (slaps self)
Ooooh, I also wanted to say that I remember the ‘sell-out’ flak you copped shortly after you first moved to New York! Sheesh, I really hope that’s died down….
Actually Salzburg is not in Germany. It´s in Austria. ;)
Greetz from Vienna
Thank you for the hair insight. Could I ask one more hairy question? What do you think is the best method of bleaching your hair before you color it? I’ve heard the healthiest way to do it is to keep getting blonde highlights till you’re ompletely platinum. Do you agree?
Whats EFT?