Rain rain go away

image from here.

I want to be-gin Market May!
Yes that's right Market May where I will be visiting a different Sydney market every weekend for the month of May and reporting back with a tips, pics, reviews and bargains.

This weekend it's drum roll .... Surry Hills Market! I plan to set myself the $20 challenge and do my very very best to spending no more than this per market. (Food not included)
Rain isn't very conducive to market shopping though ... although perhaps it'll keep the crowds away and I'll only have to contend with the true bargain hunters.

I'll also be attending the Kino Craft and Zine fair which can be attended in rain, hail or shine.

Stay tuned kids, or maybe I'll see you there?

love
cactus

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Lust have

I'm lusting over this gorgeous mini-festival flag necklace from Scout Holiday. She has the most lovely blog full of stunning fashion shoots and enviable location shots. I suppose I should pick my jaw off the ground now ... but it's so pretty. And would go with everything I own, well, I'd make it go with everything.

Sigh. Surely I have a secret admirer out there who's planning on leaving this little treat at my door step?

crickets

tumble weed

cough

Woah woah woah don't all raise your hands at once.

I get it. No really. It's fine.

not love
cactus
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A night at the theatre

Last night I trekked it out to C'town arts centre and saw some of the most confronting, innovative and incredible theatre I have seen in a long time.

Make the time to see Hole in the Wall. I haven't felt like that in a long time. That light, enlightened feeling. As if someone has just peered inside your brain and spoken to words that you didn't know how to say. I guess when you address common issues like love and home that you're bound to connect with people. But the way in which this story is told is so fresh. Yes, take the dialogue out of the environment it could be any old kitchen sink drama in parts, but the fact that you're in confined rooms that move about and reconfigure in accordance to the scene is just amazing. At times you're in complete darkness, others you're sharing an intimate moment with an actor speaking in your face about times gone by and how they love their friendship with you.

Over within the hour this whirlwind production is really like peering through a hole in the wall and straight into a couple trying to find their own home in the world, combatting issues of inadequacy, love, settling for love and ultimately being able to find home within yourself.

While I was waiting for Hole in the Wall to start, I got to experience Etiquette. How to explain Etiquette? I felt like I'd gone to a full scale production without going to the theatre. And I was entirely integral to the production. The table I sat at was full of mini props, chalk, a black board to lean on, a lamp and glasses of water. I put a set of headphones and my partner put on another set. Each set of headphones played different stories and instructions and dialogue that we had to repeat or action. Etiquette constantly surprised me. It was such an exciting little universe to be a part of. It hails from the British council and Edinburgh festival in 2007. Take a look at the video below, because I'm about 100% sure, I'm not doing it justice.



All in all a pretty inspiring Sunday. I wish I could get my mind to transport to these places artists go and pluck out something no one has ever thought of. Loved it.

How was your Sunday?

cactus
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'Fill in the Blanks' Friday

So I've stumbled across the cutest blog the little things we do and saw this sweet little diddy - fill in the blanks Friday. How cute. It's twenty to four. It's Friday. Who's pretending to do work at this time of the day and week? Not me!

1. The first thing I do in the morning is look at the time. And sigh

2. Every night before bed I set my alarm and switch off the tv.

3. My favorite thing to do when I'm having a bad day is growl.

4. Something that makes me cringe is when couples walk side by side with their hands in each other's back pocket. Ew.

5. Social situations make me happy! Unless I don't know anyone at the social situation, then I tend to get a bit retarded.

6. I like to collect dresses, owls and good love songs.

7. Weekends are for not thinking about work, playing, eating big breakky's, drinking champagne with girlfriends and markets!

Happy Friday lovelies. Have an inspiring weekend





cactus.
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What's my name again?

Last night, I was sitting in a waiting room. Waiting for my name to be called for an appointment, when a bubbly, exasperated girl burst through the doors and sidled up to me.

I was flicking through some dated mags (don't say you've never done the same thing) when exasperated girl leaned over and read my name off the info sheet that was attached to a clipboard on my lap.
What happened next was odd: she started talking to me like she knew me. Throwing my name in at every other sentence.

'Well, Kaite, I don't know if you'd find this interesting but I've just spent the day examining bodies post mortem.'

What do you say to that?

'Oh is that so? I've been filing and sending packages via express-post myself.'
I didn't know what to say and ended up smiling. I was trying to search her face, see if I knew her when she asked me where we know each other from. I'd never seen this girl in my life. She started rattling off suburbs and coffee shops, uni courses and other people who I might know but nup, nada, nothing. Perky and I are definitely not acquainted. Finally she gave up and said

'Maybe you just have on of those faces.'

Let me assure you, I don't. Well, I don't think I do. I'm not particularly generic-looking, and not stunning enough to be mistaken for a Kirsten Dunst. But perhaps I'm wrong, because the guy next to her piped up and threw in:

'I think she does. I thought I knew her from somewhere too. Is your dad's name George?'

It was all quite bizarre really.
I don't know how to feel about the whole situation.

Have you ever been mistaken for someone before? If so I hope it was someone fabulous like Anne Hathaway. (What can I say? She won me over with cute hat and coat combinations in Prada.)

love a mistaken cactus
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Creating in the workplace

I read an article a little while back now about being creative in the office and how we should all do something a little creative at work each day to keep us inspired and content to be at our desks.

Well, Little Miss Ponder is living proof that creating at work is proactive. Each morning she starts her day by doing a little self-portrait. They really are sweet. Once she's done she emails them around to friends (like moi) and they never cease to put a smile on my face (and give me a sneak peak at her outfit choice for the day). Here's a little preview of the type of thing I open in my emails each morning:




Super sweet. I opened up the other morning to a lovely little pic staring back at me, and I thought boy she looks familiar (and fabulous) ... can you guess who it is?



I wonder how my buddies at work would react if I channeled a little creativity each morning and busted out a jazz standard before tea time ... something tells me they would be calling me things other than 'creative'

Summertime ... and the living is, easy.

cactus
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Living on the wild, more refined side

The first time I tried kiwi fruit I was eight. I was at my next-door neighbour's house and her mum cut it up for me on a plate and gave us a corn cod holder to eat it with. I gobbled down my entire plate, cursing my own mother for not introducing me to this exotic fruit earlier. When my friend left the room, I ate all of her kiwi fruit as well. This didn't bode well. She didn't speak to me for a week and I went home with a tummy ache and the next day awoke with the desire to never touch another kiwi fruit for as long as I lived.

I still don't eat it.

I can't say I had a similar experience with sparkling water, but I've never liked the stuff ... until now. I don't know what's going on, or how I acquired a taste for it, but lately, I can't get enough of pellegrino. It may not sound like much to you, but it signifies a step into adulthood for me. I can't tell you how many lunch meetings I've attended where all the ladies opt for the fancy green glass bottle while I sit there with my still, usually warm tap water. I always felt so uneducated, so mainstream, so not bubbly.

But something's changed. I'm suddenly craving carbonated water and I can't really pinpoint the moment when it all started. Maybe it was when I said to a friend at a christmas party 'this stuff's okay' and he replied 'okay? It's great, it's water, but fizzy. What's not to like?'

Hmm seeing my thoughts onscreen just makes this whole new discovery sound trivial. But really, I don't recall the last time my taste buds changed. So it's nice to know I'm alive and maturing, even if it is in the most menial way of discovering I am.

Here's to trying new things!

cactus
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Gallivanting

is fun at the best of times. But even funner with girlfriends out of town. I spent the Easter long weekend in our nation's capital. It was one of those really great girlie weekends that you spend talking (sometimes shouting in much excitement), shopping, eating, wino-ing and laughing. It was so lovely to be out of the horrid Sydney humidity, to rug up a little and have some crisp, fresh air hit you in the face.

My two favourite shops were called Felt and itrip iskip. They were really cute little boutiques selling sweet dresses, zines and feathered accessories. I picked up a real cute black dress with pleated shoulders. Too sweet.




There was some gorgeous graffiti just outside itrip iskip. I think this girl's name would by Emily.





My friend lives right near the lake that is inhabited by hundreds of swans. When they honk it sounds like loads of clarinets tuning up.



And of course, no girlie weekend would be complete without the over-indulgence of cake!



Sadly it's back to reality tomorrow and the rush of Sydney will be upon me in the morning, Oh sigh. I wish my life was more vacation-like. It really would be much more fun.

How was your long weekend?

cactus
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