Photo key:
1. bjork, 2. heartsrevolution, 3. iranna, 4. 觸及, 5. beach studios, 6. eiffel

My new hair — Oh, you already knew I was going to say that, huh? Well, I am in love. It is amazing. It is long & swooshy & soft. I cannot tell you how incredibly feminine it makes me feel — which is a new thing for me. With short hair I feel angular, interesting, weird. With long hair I feel like a coy, sexy vixen. The transformation is quite incredible. I think the plan is that in a couple of months, we’ll put extensions in the back of my hair too. I can’t wait! Argh!

Dr Lewinn’s Revitanail — My nails have never been so long & strong before. They are so long I’m starting to freak out, I really need a manicure! Do you know I’ve never clipped my fingernails ever? They used to either break or be chewed off. Wow, wow, yay, wow!

Ice-skating! We had such a good time on Saturday, ice-skating is the best thing ever! Truly! Plus, it truly was “disco on ice”, as the flyer said — the terrifying music really added to the glee. We took lots of silly videos which mostly consisted of us trying to do tricks & then laughing, & our friend played paparazzi by the side of the rink. Totally awesome. If you’re in Melbourne, you have to go; we’ll definitely be back.

Learning — I think my new motto is “just ask”. I have had several fantastic interactions recently, all revolving around me asking someone to help me get what I want. As long as you make sure it’s beneficial to both parties, it works like a charm. Plus, if you don’t ask, how will anyone know what you want?

Riot Grrrls! I remember, young whippersnapper, back in the early days of the internet (okay, to me that is ’96/’97) when most girls on the internet were basically insanely obsessed with Kathleen Hanna & Courtney Love. I loved Bikini Kill’s message but aligned myself most closely with Courtney — she dressed better than the others. Anyway, I spent years listening to Bikini Kill & Hole & 7 Year Bitch & L7 & Sleater-Kinney, yelling along to the music & quoting lyrics to my friends in emails. My heart still beats for all these bands, & I have been listening to Bikini Kill, Hole & Nirvana all morning. I think having a short burst of “angry young woman” rebellion is good for you — as long as you let your anger go at some point. I believe in the radical possibilities of pleasure babe, I do, I do, I do.

Purikura — I really love Japanese photobooths. They make me incredibly happy. I met some Alaskans on Monday (hi River, hi Randall!) & I introduced them to the glee of purikura. The flashing lights, the nonsensical instructions, the cardiac arrest-inducing music, the sparkly end result… ahhh, it’s all so good. Have I told you that I am going to have one of those machines in my house? Well, I am. So there!

Deciding to change my ways — Consider this. Everything you think you are only exists because you believe it does. So if you believe that you’re a shy, introverted person who isn’t good with people, then that’s how you’ll be. I’ve decided to alter a whole lot of my beliefs about myself that have never been problems, per say, but just lingered in the back of my mind. I am not going to be that person any more. I choose to throw off my self-imposed shackles!

Honourable mentions: Sleepy blissful back-rubs; naps in the late afternoon with the doors to the sky wide open; opening up delightful channels of communication on a whim; delicious smoothies (fresh mango, coconut & soy milk!); having our internet connection back at full strength (we went over our limit! 64k is really a drag!); ticking things off my To Do list; selecting perfect avocados; strange fruit (we have finger limes!); working on new projects; apologising; letting go.

“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

You know what this means… your turn! Pitch in, pile up the love as high as you can!