the block party.

 everyone always warns you about the woes of living with a partner for the first time. let me speak about it under a different light...

Anthony crazily suggested we move in together very early into the relationship, and as excited as i was to say yes to the idea i was shitting myself. everything so far has come together fittingly due to perfect timing. as stressful as the process of house hunting and organising the end of lease at our previous residence was, we were offered two beautiful apartments which we both would've happily taken. but here we are nearly a month in at our new cosy one bedder. just like our amazing taste in junk food, our eye for interior decorating is complimenting. lucky, because playing house wouldn't have been much fun for neither of us.
more than anything in the world, this is the one thing i really wanted. him. he never disregards my crazy ideas, he runs with it. perhaps we'll have you over at Anthony and Maie's Pizza Parlour sometime, along with the company of our hyper-active cat (who you can take home with you if you like).

head over feet.

"…you treat me like i’m a princess, i’m not used to liking that

you are the bearer of unconditional things
you held your breath and the door for me, thanks for your patience
you’re the best listener that i’ve ever met
you’re my best friend, best friend with benefits…

- A. Morissette

my art is the love of my life.

i don’t even know how to start this post. i drew out a reasonable list of things i wanted to achieve in the next year and in just the past couple of weeks the universe has decided to throw a bunch of goodies my way. overwhelming to say the least. it makes all the down falls worth riding.

it started with back to back fashion shoots with my favourite photographer friend, Rhys Votano and an overdue collaboration with my mentor Ethan Mann.  come Thursday i booked my trip to Vietnam for February to get our next exhibition preparations rolling. and then on the same night got offered an amazing styling gig by a man whom i’ve looked up to since working for DJ’s, Dale McKie.

rewind back to Thursday day… he comes into my life. it’s been just over a week and i still can’t get my head around it. he’s not perfect, but he’s pretty much what i asked for in a man. the thing is, life is crazy busy to have a partner right now, but having him around feels right. i would half jokingly say that i couldn’t wait to hold hands with him, and now here we are doing just that. 

...

i love that you love pizza. it makes my world that much better. you make me extremely happy. welcome to the crazy world of Maie xxx

the epitome of our being.

i have this thing with collecting garment pieces i knowingly well won’t have anywhere to wear it to, but i purchase them because i know it will sit perfectly in my room amongst the other gems i’ve accumulated over the years. or alternatively, use them in a fashion shoot. this addiction goes hand in hand with what i like to do in my spare time collaborating with photographers and models.
earlier in the week i had been disheartened by the lack of appreciation and acknowledgement i receive from the hierarchy at work. the only cure was to surround myself with free spirits who want something so much more than what society measures success to be. so we sat down over coffee and planned a life in a studio in Brooklyn, a job that would allow me to travel, and pencilling in a forthcoming exhibition i will hold in the new year. after the crazy fulfilments of 2012, nothing is impossible anymore. i’ve also gone back to basics and started sketching again. my friend and i are making the commitment to go to life drawing every week to keep sane and motivated. already, by changing what would’ve been a draining week ahead and envisioning life after the rat race, i turned that silly frown upside down! come Friday i get a call from my photography teacher asking me to do some work for him. one could only dream of working alongside a mentor who inspired, supported and challenged me. and one that’s work i respect highly. 

i’ve often been very picky with the projects i’ve been involved with in the past, and now i know those decisions were the right ones. it’s reflected in the circle of creative’s i associate myself with now. my presence in the industry is minute, but i'm there. somewhere among the crazy artists i call my friends :)

just enough to fill the void.

love. i was afraid my perception of the noun had been tainted from the past, but in reality i’m surrounded by it. therefore how could one not be a believer or a witness to it, right?

submission and possession, i confuse the two for love. but this is how i see it. there’s this boy i know, and it wasn’t until i found out that he had found ‘the one’ that i realised our relationship was in every way an exemplification of the word. after all, this world only reflects what you see and believe in your own mind. i captured these images from the past couple of years knowing it would illustrate a story somewhere down the track. and here it is, the things i want in life. 
...
i know you randomly read these threads when you’re curious of what i’ve been up to. this post is for you. as pessimistic and closed off as you were about love when we first started to get to know each other, i am at peace with where you are in your life. words can’t explain how proud i am of you.

whoever i was then, i can't ever be again.

this long weekend consisted of all the good things in life. long chats, furry friends, doodling, inner west living,

 communal catch ups, and excessive food and chocolate intake. i documented this in the form of photographs, as i do.

p.s the highlight of this Easter break was scoring a pair of second hand overalls during my stroll in Newtown. definitely winning this weekend! :)

swag is for boys. class is for men.

...and i could not agree more with that statement. 

there's this pilgrimage that happens twice a year in the fashion capital city of Florence, where the masses of stylish men flock to view the latest menswear collections, gadgets and gear. they call it Pitti Uomo. i have a huge appreciation for menswear, both street and formal, hence my 3:2 ratio of women's and men's clothing in my wardrobe. the craftsmanship is next to nothing when it comes to tailoring and detail with men's fashion. it's a well composed combination of structure, colour, texture, functionality, modernism and tradition. i'd easily choose to witness this trade show over a Celine parade any day. bucketlisted.

photo credits: I'M KOO, Becaria De La Moda, The Sartorialist.

science and progress.

people find it unfortunate that i still haven't found 'the one'. but why?
i find all the qualities i want in a guy in the men i keep in my life. my friend writes:

...i know you still think alot of ----. in my defence you know that i love you to the moon and back, like literally a sister.

i would cut my skin off for you if needed, and because of this i'm not his biggest fan. i feel like this is mostly because if i were a heterosexual male (god forbid, i'd only be half as chic) i would wrap you up in Yamamoto and never let you go, (i realise this statement makes me gayer than ever). your relationship was serious and your dedication to it was incredibly admirable, and is now something i try to emulate in my own stupid relationship. i just want you to be treated by a boy as well as the energy you put out in to the world. deep down i can be a stupid boy and boys are mostly shit.
i hope you can forgive me. Aaliyah.

i love that my friends include my most favourite things in apology notes. morbid gestures, Yohji and babygirl.

this message feels as sincere and humbling as the time a boy shouted out "hey girl in the camo, 

do you have a boyfriend? if you do i hope he treats you well!", after stepping out of a club in my Dickies.

oh the glory days. 

a wizard, a cat and an honorary English man. they're not here at the moment. and i miss them. that is all :)

when in Paris.

four days and four nights in Paris was enough time for me to get the Parisian experience and feel for the city. got to smile back at Mona Lisa at the Louvre, checked out the Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs exhibition, passed by Les Docks to see White Drama by Comme des Garçons and the Cristobal Balenciaga showing, and wandered thru the Musée D’orsay to view some Monét. Surprisingly, i did not get to experience much fashion inspiration from Paris. but the city itself, with its French architecture and famous monuments were beautiful and breath taking. we finally found the arty strip around St Germain on our last day. met a local artist whom i of course purchased a couple of artworks from. and that was that. Paris in 4 days. ready to head back to London…

12/09/12

you are everything i want...

...because you are everything i'm not.

Tokyo street boys.

 i’ve always thought the Japanese had an effortlessly cool sense of style, but never did i expect to fall in love with the boys of Tokyo. walking through Harajuku, i anticipated seeing the crazy infamous Harajuku girls. but instead i was entertained by how fashionable the boys were. tall, lean figures dressed in so many different types of silhouettes, from the oversized tradesmen gear, to the super slim line cut attire. streetwear at its extreme awesomeness. it's become evident where some celebrities (Pharrell and Gwen) get their street sense of style from!

I LOVE TOKYO BOYS!  

letter to a friend.

this card reads//:

if there is anything i have learnt in the past two years it is that you control your own head space.
coming back to Sydney may suck, but that is because you are anticipating on coming back to the old life you left behind. don't do that. you have to train yourself to focus all your energy on the things you want to happen,
and sure enough it will happen...

kapish? xx

wise men say...

they say the weird and crazy come out on Friday the 13th. i did the craziest thing that night. without having this sound like a page out of my grade 8 diary, i told him. him being the beautiful person that allowed me to see the world in a different light, and him who i find myself being in a weird relation with. it's a bittersweet feeling i now have knowing where we both stand with each other. this passage from one of his favourite animations describes us perfectly.

now he knows. and now i won't die wondering. 

love: redefined.

this word is not always spelt in black and white but i think i've made sense of it.

after receiving these text messages yesterday, a notion of what could have only been triggered by the awakening from Thursday's opening, i base my definition on this.

i'm often questioned about this subject as my friends do not quite understand my reasoning. i absolutely adore these two guys in my life. i am in love with every part of their being, and not in the way that i want to tie any knots with them. nor is it just the brotherly love you feel for your siblings. it's much more than either of that put together. i get this surreal feeling of happiness everytime i see or talk to them, and that to me is bliss right now.

...it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

friends of maiden: OS Accessories.

OS, a street accessory brand by multidisciplinary creatives AJ Omandac and Paul Jatayna in Manila, Philippines, revolves around the versatility of polyurethane bone reproduction as accessories. Raw and edgy, OS produces painstakingly handcrafted necklaces, bracelets, harnesses, and caps that are completely wearable -- giving your personal style some teeth.

not quite sure how i came across this label, but i'm crazy grateful that i did. not only do i own some bone pieces in my family of suicide wristwear, but i got the chance to meet and dine with the kids behind the wicked label back in February on my visit to the homeland.

what was meant to be a quick trade turned into an unexpectedly fun night over sushi and endless conversation! naturally, i cliqued with these two guys straight away. i honestly, for the first time in my life felt like i belonged and didn't feel self conscious. we all got to know each other pretty well in a course of a few hours. they've only been at it for a year or so, and they're already spreading their osseous matter crazily over in Japan! i adore these two for their humbleness, off-centred nature, their love of black and daringness to dream big! here's how they came about...

insert title here | OS designer (& founder)    

age | 22, 26

how did the both of you come together to create OS?

[AJ & Paul]: A trip to Baguio. We were walking along Session Road when we saw a snake spine - real one. We tried to wear it & wrap it around a regular Topman metal chain necklace & surprisingly it looked so good.

what were your inspirations behind this bone collection?

[AJ & Paul]: Initially we wanted to combine metal & bones. Now we want to experiment with combining bones with leather, or acid, or whatever that looks good with it.

what have been your biggest achievements to date?

[Paul]: I finally created my own fashion brand!

[AJ]: Creating something that moves (sells!) haha. A brand that we (I) totally believe in and could represent Philippine creativity.

describe your "style".[Paul]: I get inspired with anything 90's. I love the music, the fashion, the culture...[AJ]: I don't think I have a personal fashion style. Maybe in design or art I like natural, organic & something macabre.

were you outcasts in school?

[Paul]: Very much but I always hung out with other "outcasts" so I don't feel alone.

[AJ]: Yes! I was the fattest kid in school haha! And back then I was in the closet, so that probably outcasted me more.

FASHION is...[Paul]: more fun now because kids like me are into trying to create something new.[AJ]: a lifestyle, not just clothes & fashion accessories.

plug your label here:                                www.os-accessories.com

half man half amazing.

LtoR|cosplay party hosted by Rhys|raw studio shoot with Serene Grace|Create Cosmetics event|first ever photo Rhys took of me (obviously without my knowledge)

[enter]: rhysVOTANO. of Upstair Studios. [dexterity]: video and photography

[history]: me and Rhys go way back... back to the summer days of January 2011 (oh so long ago). no seriously, i feel like i've known Rhys for years! after the biggest let down of 2010, my best friend decided to 'open my eyes to the real world', so to speak. one of these occasions include a house party to celebrate the birthday of the man himself. i clearly remember my friend giving me a kind warning: "stay away from Rhys, he likes you arty type" haha. and we have not been able to part from each other since, artistically that is.

[curriculum vitae]: last year we brought you Tree Spirits, an idea that came about from branches turned antlers made by Rhys. we recently shared good times at last weeks Create Cosmetics launch night, and took some awesome shots of Alia Jane in an airforce blue Maiden maxi. click here to have a look see.

call it vandalism.

i would say ingenious.

i often feature unknown artists on my blog because i want to share the crazy shit my friends come up with to the world wide web. and i don't do this lightly, i will only post up work that i truly back up. in saying that, i'm not quite sure why i have not already done a post about this boy i've known for eighteen years. i found these progress shots on my brother's camera the other day and i was kinda impressed. these are some pieces done by him and his mates. 

the brother and i have a love/hate relationship, but at the end of the day i'm always going to be there to lend him money and support his art. plus, he's the one who taught me how to drink and plays the best pranks ever, (but that's a whole other post!). although he was a dropout i've always thought highly of him and what he can achieve. he's one of those individuals that can do anything they put their mind to. seriously, he taught himself how to play the drums and keyboard (via youtube), mastered the camera, fixes and breaks his own bike, draws crap all over the place, and buys uber clothes that i can borrow. he's a talented little shit that is still scared of the dark! haha, some things never change...