$10 Million Can Buy You...

...Vera Wang's new Beverly Hills home. 

The worlds most famous wedding dress designer has crossed coasts and headed West, purchasing a contemporary new pad in California. Opening up her floor to ceiling glass doors for the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar, Wang revealed her newly renovated, mid-century home and I for one am a little jealous.

Perched high among the Beverly Hills, the property has views of both the ocean and Los Angeles, which are beautifully framed by endless sheets of glass encasing the building. 

Like many of her dresses, the house is sharp, sleek and white with beautiful crisp interiors and minimal features.

While I'm not too sure how I'd go in a house as transparent and open as this one, there's no denying the fact that its a gorgeous piece of architecture and one that I'm expecting to be featured on the big screen in the future. 

And The Nominees Are...

It's one of my favourite times of the year- Award Season!

If you're a movie buff like me, I'm sure you've been getting your tickets tripped and doing your research throughout the year in preparation for the Oscars, held in LA on February 26th.

Nominations have just been released and with that, my attempt to watch all 9 films up for Best Picture begins. I may not be sashaying down the red carpet in a beautiful couture gown, but I can certainly be an armchair judge from the comfort of my lounge room.

Now while my picks may be premature, since not all the films have been released in Australia yet, I would love to see The Artist take out Best Picture and Meryl Streep win the gold statue for her portrayal of former UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. However, after seeing The Descendants, I was surprised by the Oscar hype surrounding George Clooney, as I'm not convinced his performance is deserving of actings highest accolade? However, having not yet seen the other 4 films in his category, I should reserve my judgement for now.

[Watch this space]

And the Nominees are...

Best Picture

• "The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
• "The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
• "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
• "The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
• "Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
• "Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
• "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
• "The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined
• "War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

• Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
• George Clooney in "The Descendants"
• Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
• Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
• Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"

Actress in a Leading Role

• Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
• Viola Davis in "The Help"
• Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
• Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
• Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"

Click here to see all the categories and nominations...

Album Of The Month...

I've decided to kick-start 2012's album of the month collection by bringing sexy back!

While getting ready for work this morning, Mr iTunes decided to play a little Justin Timberlake off his album Future Sex Love Sounds.

I loved this album when it first came out and I still love it now, four and a half years on.

His most recent tour, named after the album, absolutely blew my mind. Working at an entertainment venue, I see over 50 concerts each year and Future Sex Love Sounds has definitely secured itself in my top 5. The stage was unlike anything else I'd seen before- a 360 degree sphere in the middle of the arena floor. There was no bad seat in the house. It was brilliant.

So, in honour of the very talented JT and his recent engagement to Jessica Biel, I give you Timberlake at his best...

01. Future Sex\ Love Sound
02. Sexy Back feat Timbaland

03. Sexy Ladies\ Let Me Talk To You04. My Love feat T.I.

05. Love Stoned \ I Think She Knows

06. What Goes Around Comes Around

07. Chop Me Up feat Three 6 Mafia & Timbaland

08. Damn Girl feat Will.I.Am.
09.Summer Love\ Set The Mood
10.. Until The End Of Time feat The Benjamin Wright Orchestra
11. Losing My Way
12. (Another song) All Over Again
13. Pose feat Snoop Dog
14. Sexy Back remix feat Clipse & Timbaland

Resolutions...

New Years Resolutions. We make them, we break them and most of the time we stroll into February wondering why we even bothered? 

I'm not a huge fan of resolutions, especially when they're made at the turn of a new year. I'm from the school of thought that if you want to change an aspect of your life, then the right time to do it is today. Why wait for a milestone to instigate change? Life's too short! In saying that though, sometimes the idea of a new year and a fresh start is enough to get people thinking about themselves, their lives and how they want to improve them.

With resolutions often comes change, and if I'm being completely honest, change scares me a little and tends to be something I fight against, especially if it's not my idea. This year however, one of my goals is to embrace change, since it has typically proven to lead to good things, or at least uncharted territory. While scary in the beginning (and let's face it, the unknown always is), unexpected or unplanned changes tend to lead us down paths that we wouldn't have otherwise ventured, thus expanding our experiences in life.

2011 was an incredibly tough year for me, emotionally and in a 'where is my life headed' kind of way, but I also felt like I grew a lot in almost all the other areas of my life. A New Year however isn't just about identifying the things in our lives that we so desperately want to change and then making every effort to prevent them from happening again. Instead, it's a chance to add more positives into our lives too, which for me means more writing, more laughing, more coffee catch-ups with friends, more cooking, more gym sessions, more 'never befores' and more fun!

So with all that being said, one of the best gifts I received this Christmas was a book from my favourite stationary store, Kikki K, titled Goals. Goals and I work well together because when written down on paper, I find they instantly become more real, almost like a contract with yourself rather than a wish list.

My friend who gave me the gift is a rehabilitation physiotherapist and along with her clients, she sets goals all day, every day. When she presented me with the gift, she explained her theory that in order to change big things in your life, you need to take little steps first and that this book would help me achieve that. She is a cleaver girl!

 

So in the break between Christmas and New Years Eve, I sat down by the pool on one very hot Adelaide afternoon and wrote down my goals for 2012. Some were big, some were extravagant and some (listed in the 'outrageous' category) would be virtually impossible to achieve, but I did find the whole process kind of therapeutic and a great way to clear my head and define my path for the coming year.

When writing this post, I found myself reflecting on my previous resolutions and wondered why I and most of the people around me had failed in achieving them? So in my bid to better understand the human psyche and in turn make 2012 the year that I do in fact fulfil my goals, I turned to the experts for advice...

In a study written in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, approximately 50% of the population make resolutions in the New Year, but as each month passes, so does the success rate.

Among the top resolutions are weight loss, exercise, stopping smoking, better money management and debt reduction.

So, if you're going to make New Year's resolutions, here's some tips to help you make them work:

1. Focus on one resolution, rather several;
2. Set realistic, specific goals. Losing weight is not a specific goal. Losing 10 pounds in 90 days would be;
3. Don't wait till New Year's eve to make resolutions. Make it a year long process, every day;
4. Take small steps. Many people quit because the goal is too big requiring too big a step all at once;
5. Have an accountability buddy, someone close to you that you have to report to;
6. Celebrate your success between milestones. Don't wait the goal to be finally completed;
7. Focus your thinking on new behaviors and thought patterns. You have to create new neural pathways in your brain to change habits;
8. Focus on the present. What's the one thing you can do today, right now, towards your goal?
9. Be mindful. Become physically, emotionally and mentally aware of your inner state as each external event happens,moment by moment, rather than living in the past or future.
10. And finally, don't take yourself so seriously. Have fun and laugh at yourself when you slip, but don't let the slip hold you back from working at your goal.

And finally, since we're on the topic of resolutions and goals, I thought I would share an interesting approach taken by Camille Dror from the blog Camille Styles. For the past few years, she's decided to set defining Words rather than resolutions. It's a concept I'm quite fond of, but if you're anything like me, the vagueness of each word provides too much leeway for deviation. If you are however, looking to embrace a new way of challenging yourself and your will power, then this could be a great method to adopt.

 

With less than 2 weeks until February hits, I hope that you've all been able to sustain your New Years resolutions thus far and carry that momentum with you into the next few months. In sticking to my goals 20 days into the year, I have already come to realise that the first 2 weeks are always the hardest, but every other day after that gets easier and easier. My friend Crystal kept telling me that, but who knew she'd be right?

 

Award Season...

Now I know I'm not a fashion expert, but I do have opinions...and a blog, so here's my take on the 2012 Golden Globe Awards.

Unfortunately for me, the red carpet this year failed to impress, as only a couple of women wore dresses that made me sit up and take notice.

Here are my picks for best and worst dressed...



I'm not her biggest fan, but this dress is simply divine. Sequins fading into feathers, she looks like a peacock, I love it. Evan Rachel Wood got it right...or at least her stylist did!

Simple. Classic. Hollywood Glamour. It's Angelina Jolie's M.O. and she does it well. The woman can pull of anything!

At 47 years young, Elle McPherson should bottle her youth and sell it on the black market. She literally doesn't age and continuously pulls of stunning dresses like this. Definitely one of my favourites.

Well, it's nice to see her in a colour other than emerald green! While I love Emma Stone, I'm not convinced the vintage biker belt works with the dress.

I have come to the conclusion that it is physically impossible for Heidi Klum to look bad! Her hair is down, her dress is nude and shapeless and yet she still looks a million bucks. That necklace however has just become my new lust-have. Watch this space- I will track one down.

It's a ho-hum kind of dress but the colour looks beautiful against her skin tone, which on it's own, is simply glowing. What can I say, motherhood looks good on Jessica Alba.

 Dame Helen Mirren has played royalty on the screen and in my books is royalty on the Red Carpet. She is always age appropriate yet still has the ability to look sassy and sexy. Kudos. 

 

The soon-to-be Mrs Sexy Back seemed a little lost in all that fabric. I like the dress, but in my opinion less would have been more. Jessica Biel's makeup was gorgeous but the hair...drab and boring.

Dam you Stacy Keibler. She's so perfect it's annoying. Her dress is a beautiful cut but it's that money can't buy accessory, Mr Clooney that is unbeatable.

Kate Beckinsale. I love her. She's sexy, she's beautiful and although she hasn't made a movie for years, she still seems to get a jersey for every major red carpet event in Hollywood? This dress however was nothing special.

She is a true English Beauty. Kate Winslet seems to be getting better and better with age and since transforming her body, has made some impressive wardrobe choices of late. Loving it.

Kelly Osboure lost a ton of weight and instantly became a fashion critic? She loos amazing, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a huge fan of this Zac Posen creation. His dresses are usually divine, but the shoulder pads here are a little scary. And as for the creepy grey hair...why?

Lea Michelle annoys me more than any other Hollywood starlet. She just tries too hard. Plus, Halle Berry rocked a similar dress years ago and did a much better job of it.  

Nicole Kidman always looks statuesque and elegant, but I'm waiting for her to wear a show-stopper and it hasn't happened for a long time. However, the detail of the dress is gorgeous and her body is rocking!

Salma Hayek, another natural beauty who doesn't look a day over 30, despite her 45 year old age tag. I think this dress is the perfect balance between edgy and elegance. Plus it's black. I'd wear it. I love it.

Nicole Ritchie ate a burger, became a mother, dropped Paris Hilton and now she looks unreal. Not everyone can pull of a lot of shimma shimma, but she nails it. 

Maybe it's her background in modeling that gives Charlize Theron the confidence to take dresses straight off the catwalk and onto the red carpet? I'm not in love with this dress and I hate the headband, but when you're that beautiful, you can make anything look good.

This dress is one of my favourites of the night. It's another ah-mazing Vera Wang creation and on any other actress would definitely turn a few heads. However, it seems to be the only kind of silhouette that Sophia Vergara wears and that's what makes it average. She's beautiful and has curves any woman would die for, but change it up a little.

I don't so much love this dress but more the confidence and quirkiness that Zooey Deschanel wears with it. She's a 60's hippy kind of girl and it's nice to see that represented in her style.

Meh, Madonna. She rarely looks good and this time is no exception. Gone are the days when she used to 'shock' us in a Lady Gaga kind of way. 

Hooray for colour on the red carpet, but unfortunately Michelle Williams looks like she was wrapped in it too. Maybe I'm just biased because I don't like velvet?

I usually love her choices, but this time Natalie Portman did colour blocking all wrong. I'm not a fan of the red and hot pink and the extra bit of poof on the hip is too regal for me. 

Why Pipper Perabo, why? The colour is a perfect shade of 'nothing' and the material is see through like baking paper. I just don't get it?

What was more concerning than Pipper's dress is this abomination worn by Sarah Michelle Geller. Judging from her face, I think she likes it and so too does her daughter, who apparently picked it out! Maybe because it reminds her of one of her kindergarten paintings?

Tina Fey. Love the colour. Hate the ruffles. But who cares, she's hilarious!



And hello to the worst dress at the 2012 Golden Globes (if you can even call it a dress)? Model Erin Wasson was not just screaming for attention, but also a Big Mac.



25 Things To Do...

As mentioned in previous posts here and here, I have set myself a list of 25 Things To Do Before I'm 25. With only 9 months to go until my 25th birthday, I've begun to turn things up a notch and commit a little more time to the cause.

For me, the challenge came about after watching the film The Bucket List.  Following it's release, I listened to my friends and family discuss all the things they wanted to do before they died, yet none of them seemed to be making any attempts at accomplishing them.

I admit, sometimes life can get in the way of exciting plans and big dreams. After completing our day-to-day tasks and working 9-5, we can find ourselves looking back and thinking "where did the time go and what do I have to show for it?"

So in an attempt to reduce the things on my own Bucket List for when I reach retirement or discover my days are numbered, I've decided to start young and begin ticking off some extreme items early on in life.

Last weekend, I managed to tick off Number 1- Go Skydiving!

Skydiving is something I've always wanted to do and having not yet heard of anyone who's taken the plunge and regretted it, I decided to book my younger sister and I in for an experience of a lifetime. The feeling was euphoric and surprisingly not scary at all, but rather liberating and carefree. While I understand how the adrenalin rush can become quite addictive, I can safely say that jumping once was enough for me and I can now finally say "I've done that".

Closets To Die For...part 2

If you're anything like me, every season I find myself trawling through my closet to find items I'm either not so in love with anymore, those I'm happy to donate or others I identify as items that will sadly be demoted from a hanger to a draw, in order to make room for a few new treasured pieces I've added to my collection.

I, like most women are starving for extra closet space and have shamelessly resorted to squeezing winter coats into plastic tubs under my bed purely for the extra hanging space.

There are, however some very fortunate women out there who's closets could rival the best of them...

...and just quietly, I think I'll be taking my 'fantasy wardrobe' inspiration from Khloe Kardashian.

Click here to see Part 1 of Closets to Die For...

[ Khloe Kardashian ]

[ Kim Kardashian ]

[ Kourtney Kardashian ]

[ Rachel Zoe ]

[ Nate Berkus ]

[ Mariah Carey ]