My First Blog Award!

Wooo! The lovely Rach over at Fifties Fever (http://fifties-fever.blogspot.com) gave me my very first blog award. Which I must admit made me squee a little bit!

The rules of the tag are:

1. Post who gave you this award
2. State 10 things you like
3. Give this award to 10 other bloggers and notify them with a comment

Will have to think about who to give the award to - but I will do Part 2 now!!!

So here goes - :

#1 Pole Dancing

I discovered pole dancing in 2007 when I went to a friends hens party at Pole Divas. I love it so much that I immediately took up classes at a school that was only 5 minutes from my house - Pole Princess in Kew. It's a challenge, and coming from someone with no dance experience and someone who HATED to exercise I have stuck at it and moved from level one up to level 5! I think the best parts are the sense of acheivement you get when you master a really difficult move and the gorgeous friends I have made along the way! I have also had the opportunity to compete in a few comps and showcases run though the studio. Here are some snaps from these:

This was my doubles comp in April of this year with one of my girlfriends (I'm the one on the bottom!)


Here is another one from the same comp - I'm the one on the right!! I highly recommend anyone who is curious to give pole dancing a go - it is amazing!

#2 Horror Movies

I absolutely cannot live without horror films. Even if they are crappy I love them. So many people I know don't enjoy seeing them (my fiancee for example) so yo will often see me in the cinema all alone watching the latest. Normally I don't mind doing this - but after a preview screening of Paranromal Activity.....let's just say the walk back to the car turned into a fast sprint in the dark. I can't actually say what my gave horror film is because I love them all! Even the crappy teen slasher movies - although I have a special place in my heart for The Evil Dead trilogy - Ash is my personal hero!




#3 Adam

I bet he is going to be all up in my shizz for listing him after pole dancing and horror movies but it's in no particular order - honest! Adam and I have been together for nearly ten years. He is the complete opposite of me but we fit together quite well - and I can't imagine life without him.


We don't always look this weird - we were at a costume party. I was Doctor Who and Adam was Gomez Adams - but after many beers I'm not sure where the footy and the cowboy hat came from (hence the disturbed look).

#4 My Mum

I honestly don't know what i would do without my Mum. She is the most brilliant person in the world. She is always supportive and ready to give me a slap upside the head if I am being an idiot (which is most of the time). She lives in Cairns now and I miss her alot however I do get to see her at least two or three times a year. Here we are at my PhD graduation:





#5 Macabre/Paranormal/Generally creepy things

I must admit if something is a little creepy/moody/strange or scarey I am proably one of the first people to like it. Guess it came from a large portion of my teenage years being spent as a moody goth. I love haunted houses, graveyards, old churches, true crime, horror stories/movies anything black. Even though i am a scientist I am scared of Ouija boards and tarot cards.



#6 Pinup art.

Who doesn't love a good pinup girl? I know I do. From the cheesecake to the fetish, to the Suicide Girls and Burlesque beauties I love them all. I have begun collecting pinup art/photography books - and just love looking at all the brilliant photos. As Adam is a bit of a photographer himself I am roping him into taking photos of me - when I get the vintage hair and makeup sorted. He is pretty talented - here is a photo he took of me a few months ago - with the concept all his:


#7 Pigs

I know strange right? I love pigs. Piglets are adorable and even the great big messy hogs I love as well. Who can resist a little piglet?


Oh Em Gee I think I just died from an overdose of cuteness.

#8 Music

Wherever I am I generally have my ipod jammed in my hears at an earsplitting decibel volume level. Yes unfortunately I am one of THOSE people on the tram who probably drives you insane. I don't have any real preference for the type of music I like - an example: If I put my iPod on shuffle you would be just as likely to hear Dean Martin, Taylor Swift, Beethoven, Motley Crue, The Cure, Joy Division and Rob Zombie in the one hour. If it moves me or makes me feel like dancing - it's on there.


#9 Books

I love reading. I mean really looooove reading. There is nothing better tha the feeling of a new book in your hands waiting to be read and there is nothing sadder than finishing a book and saying goodbye to all the characters that you have grown to love. I strongly tried to resist the eBook revolution when it arrived - why would you want to read a book on a COMPUTER when you would miss out on the smell and the feel of a paper book??? However i have been won over with my new KOBO reader - it's pretty light and carries hundreds of books which is pretty awesome when you read as much as I do. I am forever getting caught on the tram with no book to read having just finished the one I was reading 10 minutes into my trip! If I ever get a house I want a library room just like this:





#10 Momento Mori Art

Memento mori is a latin phrase which translates to "Remember your mortality", or "Remember you must die", "Remember you will die." It is a genre of art and artistic creations that may vary widely from one another however their general purpose is to remind people of their mortality. I am most interested in the Momento Mori that is associated with the mexican day of the dead festival or "Día de los Muertos". It is a celebration honouring the souls of the dead - involving offerings of food and toys and much celebration. The sugar skull is the most recognised symbol of this day and represents mortality, change and also the remembrance of thse who have passed. The artist Sylvia Ji does amazing paintings using the idea of the sugar skull :

we will sell our shadow to those who stand within it

While browsing the fabulous Haute Macabre blog yesterday I found information on Marilyn Manson's directorial debut:


I admit I gave a very un-goth-like squee of excitement when I saw the above poster. I have always thought that Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There were seriously twisted stories. Even though I loved them they scared the stuffing out of me! People may disagree with me but I thing that Manson's vision would tie in the feelings I get when I read these books!

The synopsis from the Manson-wiki:

Victorian England.

A haunted writer in an isolated castle is tormented by sleepless nights and visions of a girl named Alice, following the death of his father in 1869. He finds himself becoming a symptom of his own invention. “Now all my nightmares know my name.”

He is Lewis Carroll. Terrified of what waits for him each night.

Eeeep.

Says the man himself:

"I want to take the children's story that we all know, and discover the horrifying roots that grow beneath every one of its childish metaphors. The characters may be absurd and wrapped in puzzles, but, the author himself is the story that I find painfully close to me. Lewis Carroll is far more complex than the world's narrow perception of him as a quiet deacon, a mathematician and a loner, simply obsessed with photographing young girls. He was possibly one of the most divided souls living in his own hell that the world has overlooked."


According to IMDB the release date is only listed as 2010.

I for one can't wait.

I'm Looking Forward to Joining You, Finally

Jump into my nightmare - the water is warm.

the heart has reasons that reason does not understand

The heart is the most magical organ in the body - it works tirelessly our entire lives to pump blood around our body - keeping us alive.

I am endlessly facinated by the heart.

As a scientist my cuurent field of research is to understand how disease can affect the heart adversely so I understand the biomechanics and the physiology of this amazing organ. It is quite literally a complex structure of cardiac muscle that is programmed to pulse 24 hours a day - for as long as we are alive. What I find so interesting - is that it is also attributed as the source of our emotions :

“Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.” Albert Einstein


I have a point. I am getting to it!

*Insert charity plug here*

One of the AMS (advanced medical science) students in my lab is undertaking the NY marathon in November. She was awarded a place on the starting line through The National Heart Foundation (NHF). She needs to raise $10,000 for the NHF which will go to fund life saving research. She has a website that you can visit if you are interested:

http://sophiesrunforhearts.org

She's a pretty amazing chick....check it out if you would like to help!

xoxoxox

"Every experiment proves something. If it doesn't prove what you wanted it to prove, it proves something else. "

Duuuuude. Research can be hella boring sometimes. Instead of reading about macrophages infiltrating adipose tissue I have decided to present to you ten of my most beloved TV and movie scientists.

There are many more than this and they are in no particular order.......

#1
Dr. Temperance Brennan - BONES
Type of Science: Forensic Anthropology
Best Quote: "I don't know what that means."



I love Bones. She is awesome - even though she for shizz wears a tailored lab coat that she actually looks awesome in - unlike actual scientists. Her logic and dry wit kill me every time.

#2
Dexter Morgan - DEXTER
Type of Science: Blood Splatter Analysis and freelance serial killer
Best Quote: "Normal people are so hostile."



Come ON. Who doesnt love a lab geek who is totally smoking hot? Because believe me - that doesn't happen regularly in my line of work. And he kills bad dudes for shits and giggles. Love.

#3
Vince Masouka - DEXTER
Type of Science: Forensic Science
Best Quote: 'That's not opinion - That's science. And science is one cold nasty bitch with a 14 inch strap on"



I don't think I even have to say why I love Vince, considering the above quote. He rules. Dude gets it.

#4
Dr. Spencer Reed - CRIMINAL MINDS
Type of Science: Forensic Profiling
Best Quote: "You should see what comes up when you type "death" into a search engine. "


Um. I love this guy. He is like nerd nirvana. Kinda gangly, sweater vest, nerd goggles. I think this is awesome. I'm sick - I need help.

#5
Dr. Mohinder Shuresh - HEROES
Type of Science: Genetics
Best Quote:"Man is a narcissistic species by nature. We have colonized the four corners of our tiny planet. But we are not the pinnacle of so-called evolution. That honor belongs to the lowly cockroach. Capable of living for months without food. Remaining alive headless for weeks at a time. Resistant to radiation. If God has indeed created Himself in His own image, then I submit to you that God is a cockroach. They say that man uses only a tenth of his brain power. Another percent, and we might actually be worthy of God's image. Unless, of course, that day has already arrived. The Human Genome Project has discovered that tiny variations in man's genetic code are taking place at increasingly rapid rates. Teleportation, levitation, tissue re-generation. Is this outside the realm of possibility? Or is man entering a new gateway to evolution? Is he finally standing at the threshold to true human potential?"


Man it is SUCH a shame that Heroes suck the big one. The first few episodes I really loved Mohinder. He was using genetics to ask some pretty gnarly questions. Then he jumped the shark and got all weird. And then I stoppped watching. Sorry Dr. Shuresh.

#6
Dr. Horrible - DR.HORRIBLE'S SING ALONG BLOG
Type of Science: World domination Science
Best Quote: "Freeze Ray. Stops time. Tell your friends."


Has the best evil laugh eveeeerrrr. And a PhD in Horribleness. So there's that.

#7.
Dr. Who - DR. WHO
Type of Science: Time travel
Best Quote: "Aw, I wanted to be ginger! I've never been ginger! And you, Rose Tyler! Fat lot of good you were! You gave up on me! Ooh, that's rude. Is that the sort of man I am now? Am I rude? Rude and not ginger."



Predictable yet necessary. That is all.

#8
Dr.Herbert West - REANIMATOR
Type of Science: Re-animation!
Best Quote: "The central nervous system is still intact... may still prove to be useful, more useful than he'd be otherwise. "



If you haven't seen Reanimator - do yourself a favor and do so. ASAP. Like Frankenstein but totes more twisted.

#9
Dr. Egon Spengler - GHOSTBUSTERS
Type of Science: Ghostbusting/Physics
Best Quote: "Sorry, Venkman, I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. "



Busting ghosts would be a rad job. Egon is nerdy AND awesome.

#10
Dr. Stanley Goodspeed - THE ROCK
Type of Science: Biological weapons expert
Best Quote: "Well, I'm one of those fortunate people who like my job, sir. Got my first chemistry set when I was seven, blew my eyebrows off, we never saw the cat again, been into it ever since."




Back before Nic Cage was a card carrying FREAK. I loved this character - and I always thought my job would have to be just as exciting....uhhh future me? Where the frick were you then huh...would have appreciated the heads up.

Funny how secrets travel.....

Woah.

Been gone for a while.

Miss me?

Thought so.

The never ending merry-go-round of work and home and dance class and sleep and eating. Still haven't found the charger to my camera - Blurg. I am by no means a photographer - I generally go through life not taking photos of anything. Kinda like Fred in Lost Highway - 'I like to remember things my own way....How I remembered them....Not necessarily the way they happened.'


Given my bent for the darker things in life I took a trip to the Melbourne General Cemetary a few weeks ago in order to take photos for blog fodder:




The Abbotsford Convent is quite close to my house and it a pretty rad place to visit.
Home to 'Lentil as Everything' the Convent Bakery, 'Handsome Steve's House of Refereshment' and some pretty awesome buildings to tool around in and try and look all artistic and tortured (FYI - I think I do it wrong).



Yeah. That's me. I hang out in trees. Whatevs. That's how I roll.

I also hang out in non-functional fireplaces.

And... drumroll please.....my attempt at all arty-farty mood photography:

20 questions.........

Well, 36 questions, but you get the point.
The lovely pepperandbaxter tagged me to answer these questions! I think it is a good way to get to know strangers don't you agree? I always stress out about them because I feel my answers are never witty enough. Anyways, here we go!


1. What time did you get up this morning?
7am. The alarm goes off at 6 - but I doze until 7. I take an extremely short amount of time to get ready in the morning so i can be out of the house by 7.30!

2. How do you like your steak?
Rare. And with horseradish cream - mix horseradish with sour cream. It is the bomb-dot-com.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I can't actually remember - how sad is that. Considering my fiancee is a projectionist, I hardly go to the movies!!

4. What is your favorite TV show?
True Blood, Bones, Castle (and this is just at the moment)

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
Canada - pretty much anywhere in Canada. It's cold and I love the cold!

6. What did you have for breakfast?
Coffee

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Mexican and Italian

8. What foods do you dislike?
Not too much probably roast pumpkin. Yack.

9. Favorite Place to eat?
There used to be an awesome mexican restaraunt on Lygon Street in Carlton, but it closed a few years ago - so I don't really have any one place I love to eat!

10. Favorite dressing?
Balsamic and oil - with some fresh herbs thrown in.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
Hyundai Getz. He is red and his name is Oliver. I. Love. Him.

12. What are your favorite clothes?
Jeans, boots and plain black t-shirts. Boring huh?

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Italy

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
I'm pretty pessimistic - so I would have to go with 1/2 empty.

15. Where would you want to retire?
Gah - not sure, it is a while away yet!

16. Favorite time of day?
Morning - when noone else is up!

17. Where were you born?
Carlton, Melbourne.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
AFL. Go CATS!

19. Bird watcher?
No. Nature tends to bore me. Ha!

20. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Definitely morning. Once it gets dark at night I get sleepy.

21. Do you have any pets?
No - my cat Tiger lives with my parents in Cairns now. I miss her.

22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I just graduated my PhD. Still enjoying making people call me doctor.

23. What did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to be a nurse.

24. Are you a cat or dog person?
Cats. definitely. They can look after themselves, and they have such distinct personalities.

25. What was your last drink?
Coffee

26. Always wear your seat belt?
Yep!

27. Been in a car accident?
My car got toalled two years ago. Someone T-boned me when I was driving down the street. Scariest thing ever.

28. Any pet peeves?
Um - thoughtless people. People who think they are better than you. People who are mean.

29. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
I love everything except pineapple. Cooked fruit is the food of the devil!

30. Favorite Flower?
Rose (Lame and predictable I guess)

31. Favorite ice cream?
Cookies and Cream!

32. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Does Grill'd count as fast food? Their burgers are the BALLS.

33. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
Passed first shot!

34. From whom did you get your last email?
Spam email from a Dr. Viagra. No I don't need a bigger appendage thankyou.

35. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
Devil Kitty on Brunswick Street in Melbourne. Check them out if you are in Melbs.

36. Do anything spontaneous lately?
I tend to not be spontaneous. It's quite boring really.


37. Like your job?
Sometimes, sometimes not. It can be pretty high stress, but science is a nasty nasty bitch sometimes.

38. Broccoli?
Yum. Broccolini is better though

39. What was your favorite vacation?
It was for work, but when I spent two months in Edmonton, Canada and a week in San Diego for a conference.

40. Last person you went out to dinner with?
Not dinner but I went to lunch with a bunch of friends and family for my graduation.

41. What are you listening to right now?
Podcast of 'Rue-Morgue Radio'

42. What is your favorite color?
Black



44. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Anyone who wants to do it really!

45. What time is it? 9.52AM

46. Coffee ??
If you could hook me up to an IV containing coffee I would be content.

So if anyone is reading this and wants to give it a go - go nuts!

Winter: Behold the Awesomeness.

I am not a creative person. Being a scientist I am analytical and not at all arty.

I find polyvore facinating, but difficult to make sets that look as cool as some others I have seen around lately. However it is the bomb-dot-com to put together my dream outfits and looks for winter this year.

Firstly I see black black and more black:

My Favorite Colour by <>

Lab Chic! by



Things I will love this winter:

*Leather bomber jackets
*Leopard print (scarves and shoes)
*Classic black and white tanks and t-shirts
*Slim leg jeans
*Big soft leather roomy tote bag (for work)
* Leggings (although NOT as pants)
*Pencil skirts
*Over the knee boots and ballet flats
*Splashes of colour on nails (have to offset the black somehow!)
*Casual off duty looks - Harem pants, bonds oversize hoodies
*knitted beanies, and mittens

Things I want to love doing this winter:
*Drinking Drambuie on ice (preferably drunk at my local when it is cold outside)
*Reading in bed when it is raining outside (trying to work my way through the entire Stephen King back catalogue)
*Going to the beach all rugged up to watch the ocean in the wild weather
*Lots of red wine in front of open fires

Why do all my activities involve drinking or reading?

Pssh! I'm not a henchman, I'm Dr. Horrible. I have a Ph.D. in horribleness!

Hey Y'all -

I'm still here. Yes. Seriously. Still trying to get the hang of the whole remebering to blog thing, and well, when you can't find the charger to your camera, so you can't take photos, so you have nothing to post...well the whole situation just makes me want to have a Bex and a lie down.

This week has been busy busy busy due to the following:

1. Grant season at work where all the scientists have to write a 9 page proposal to the government explaining why we should remain employed for the next three years

2. My Mum coming down to visit for my birthday which resulted in a whirlwind of house cleaning in preparation for her arrival

3. And finally - my PhD graduation!

Here is a photo to tide you (me?) over until I have the time to write a long winded post about how important and smart I am to be one year older and a Doctor!! :)
Here I am trying to look very contemplative and doctor-like. A (my partner) tried to tell me I looked more like Harry Potter. I disagree.

George Romero is my hero......

Here is the lyrics to a cracker of a song called 'George Romero' by Sprites:

It's the end of the world
I wanna live inside a shopping mall
I wouldn't care about the isolation
I'm unconcerned about the Walking Dead

If it's the end of the world
I think I'd handle myself quite well
I wouldn't panic walking past the zombie
I'd try to catch up on some reading and movies

I know all I need to know...
I know all I need to do...
I learned everything from George Romero, Dario Argento,
Maybe Tom Savini, Stuart Gordon, and Sam Raimi
Did they plant the idea or was it always in me?
Do you find me creepy?
Yeah, do I give you the creeps?

It's the end of the world
We could gather half a dozen friends
We'd live in hiding over at JC Penney
Construct a wall to keep the mutants out

When it's the end of the world
We'd land a helicopter on the rooftop
Somebody breaks in through a boarded entrance
Maybe we could make a run for it

I know all I need to know
I learned everything from George Romero, Dario Argento,
Maybe Tom Savini, Stuart Gordon, and Sam Raimi
Did they plant the idea or was it always in me?
Do you find me creepy?

Now it's the end of the world
I always thought I would've been more careful
Didn't look to be a serious bite
Will you wait here 'til I come back to life?

I learned everything from George Romero, Dario Argento,
Maybe Tom Savini, Stuart Gordon, and Sam Raimi
Did they plant the idea or was it always in me?
Do you find me creepy?

My post-apocalytic
Zombie survival fantasy.

P.S Possibly not as amusing if you don't have nerdgasms over Romero Zombie flicks.

Needful Things 01.03.10

Seeing as today is the first day of my birthday month, here is another Needful Things........Hmmmm is anyone reading this going to buy me some of this stuff?

And also I WILL start doing some outfit posts - but I have lost the charger to my camera and so I can take photos :(

Anyhoo...here we go!

IRON FISTIron Fist is a rad clothing company that makes clothes and shoes for guys and gals. I have the purple 'Muerte' platform pumps:I haven't actually worn them yet - I'm thinking an all black outfit and make the shoes the statement? And they are surprisingly comfortable! There are two other pairs I have my beady little eye fixed on - namely the zombie stomper platforms:

And these ones (not sure of the name) are pretty cherry too - They remind me of a Roller Disco:



B-MOVIE BAGS

B-movie bags are freaking awesome - they are pretty exxy though so possibly I will have to admire them from afar. The point is to choose a classic horror B movie poster from the gallery and the poster is painted onto a leather bag of your choice - when you have chosen the pic it is removed from the gallery, so you have a one of a kind bag all to yourself!! Schweeet! the website is www.b-moviebags.com
PAM FANG NECKLACE

I have been lusting after this necklace for aeons.....I thought it was an understated nod to my teenage goth roots without being toooooo obvious!




TIKI BAR...FUUUUUN!!!

I have been dreaming of having an awesome tiki bar in my living room. Even though it is not going to happen - I can dream can't I? Having a fake bamboo bar with tiki glasses, little hula gilr bobbleheads in grass skirts and a boss neon sign would amuse me to no end!





Maybe if I've been a good girl, I will find all of these things next to a big-ass ice-cream cake on the 11th of March!

P.S. I realise that this is NOT LIKELY.

Needful Things.......

To totes rip off a segment from Rue Morgue magazine - every monday I want to list my very own Needful Things - stuff (books, movies, clothes etc.) I am loving right now and stuff I hope to get in my hot little hands to love in the future. Now I promise I wont get all Leland Gaunt on your asses (have you read Needful Things? If not - read it - it's rad and then my comment might make more sense). But anywho, here we go......

Stephen King - IT


Just bought this book on the weekend. I read it as a kid and it scared the stuffing out of me. Fed my future intense fear of clowns. And the movie.......good lord don't even go there.


Pinup Couture

www.pinupgirlclothing.com

Seriously - this store the the bomb-dot-com. So many awesome things to choose from. I'm trying to find a dress for my PhD graduation in a couple af weeks - and I had my eye on this little number....


It's the 'Day of the Dead Wiggle Dress' . I love it. It WILL be mine. Devil Kitty on Brunswick street sells a range of Pinupgirl clothing and also stuff from Paperdoll productions and a bunch of rockabilly and pinup style cothing and shoes.

Rue Morgue Magazine

Basically it is the Canadian verison of the horror mag 'Fangoria'. They also run a weekly podcast called 'Rue Morgue radio' and has cool new music and reviews on all that is new in the horror world. If you are into that stuff - I highly recommend you check it out.