missing life.

just a few images from the past: summer, roadtrips, past inspirations, and random textures.

x, 

R.

i've been tired. - the pixies.

 asian models!

yeah, i'm jealous.

glamourpuss @ wanted shoes.

acne.

my friend + i at art camp.

tough day. gotta keep my chin up though!

rena.

i've been reallllyyy lazy with all my posts, etc... i should get to work on that.

inssppiiraatioonn.

 warhol.

 david gilmour.

 dali.

 leibovitz.

 picasso.

 klimt.

 more leibovitz.

google?

toodles.

rena.

oh how it flies.

so i know for the month of september i haven't posted much at all.

i was planning to have about 5 more posts than usual...

how shall i compensate for lost time?

i'm thinking i make an effort to get a few more outfit posts together.

exciting news is that there are a fair few band interviews coming through, so that should be awesome.

i'm also going to get all of my film developed, which should be exciting, or so i hope.

i'm feeling a bit anxious at the moment, and a bit empty inside without him around, but that's ok.

i had an awesome day at the beach for a friend's birthday, a bit tiring but i'm thinking i definitely want to head down there again sometime soon.

i know for everyone in the northern hemisphere fall's just drawn an end to it's first month, and lucky us, we're finally starting to feel the heat again.

it's quite daunting knowing that the first month of spring has just gone by. i suppose it's been 4 weeks [[and when you put it in weeks it seems so insignificant]], but i guess it's been one full of accomplishment for me.

how's everyone's septembers been?

rena.

i'm slowly running out of candid photos of life in general to post on the blog, so i think it's time to get out and do a bit of hardcore photography. whatever that may be. i tried taking photos like tommy ton does, but i just look like some creepy stalkerish kid. the funny thing is i'll never be pleased with a photo so i'll stalk the shoes/bag/jacket/band tee down the street, like prey, and subsequently realise what on earth i'm doing, and walk back the way i came.

so i'm hoping these art camp candids aren't too cliched, especially the final one. it was a stroke of luck i managed to find that on the window of the house in the first picture, and i'm not even sure how it got there. and i've always loved those trees, i want to go back and take more photos, but i'm thinking a repeat of the same thing won't have the same effect.

toodles.

interview: Alien Space Bats

hey guys,

here's a bit about Alien Space Bats, in case you didn't know them already...

i'm referring to the Australian band, of course. they answered my questions in a good old paragraph, just the way i like it. [[dude, their first 3 influences are: the pixies, radiohead, and smashing pumpkins]]. only my three favourite bands! 

[[i can't really single any band i listen to down to favourites, it's just too hard]]

from john, of Alien Space Bats:

I would say we are quite influenced by 90s rock music and can see a little of that projecting into our sound. It is still a
pretty new thing but i guess basically i would describe it as rock n roll. Touring and playing shows all over has always been
something I would love to try with the band, so hopefully in 2-5 years time we can be doing that, but who knows maybe it'll be rehab
and writing albums in prison hahaha. We have all been playing some kind of musical instrument for quite a number of years, but i started
drumming ~8ish years ago. Our Bassist Tim came up with the name for the band, I think it came about from some readings? I don't really have a good story
for the name, it's kind of a mystery to me hahaha.
I am really into dance and eletronic music, so going raving is always a bit of fun. But music is probably my biggest hobbie.

i hope you can decipher this and see the questions i asked.

i'm free! i'm done done done with all my work! until final yearlies come up next term, but that doesn't matter, because for now, i'm done! can't explain the freedom i'm feeling right now.
nothing's changed though, i'm still sleep deprived. ahhhh, spring, i love you.

oh, that reminds me, i need to:

1. get my photos developed
2. get my camp gear ready
3. get a disposable camera for camp, which means i'll have all my photos on funky film which looks totally awesome! i'm rather fond of disposables...
4. clean my room
5. just a random though... ever get that feeling you're starting to hoard too much, but you don't want to throw anything away?

rena.

mono.

monochromatic 1. by themoonchild featuring sterling silver jewelry

why 1? it's my favourite colour scheme. each of these pieces are serious wants.

so i finally got round to doing something.

what is time consuming and somewhat intriguing on a saturday night, and may just up my fashion insight? polyvore, of course.

i fill my sets with monochromatic stuff i love, because frankly, i wish i owned all of these.

then i could layer like a crazy motherf**ker. [[that was uncalled for]]

anywho, hope this inspires you!

rena.

sorry about the posts [[or lack thereof]], i've been really run-down and tired recently, and crammed with schoolwork, nonsensical thoughts, and music/sleep deprivation. not too fabulous a mixture, one may say.

one cool kid.

daniel johns. he has got to be one of my major idols.

i mean, he and his band [[Silverchair]] started out at 15.

hold on. i don't mean the started out at 15, their career as a band did. no, they got together as

12 year olds and practiced like crazy, until they won a competition on SBS for their song 'Tomorrow'

[[if you're listening, yeah, the boy could sing like that at 15]] he's now 31 and still rocking out in the same pants, with the same talent.

this prompts one big string of thoughts:

i'm 15! what am i doing that's particularly productive? nothing much...

i wish i could do something cool right now.

something so awesome, and inspiring it'll make a difference.

so, there's my goal. but here's the glitch:

to be achievable, a goal needs to analysis at all angles. 

what exactly will i do?

when will i complete it?

what skill do i need? [[i.e. how?]]

i mean, sure, i may take inspiration from everywhere, but it's kind of hard to wake up and

realise your life purpose. i want to make music. but hello, how on earth am i supposed to get there?

i want to be a photographer, someone tell me how. i've done all this research on the 

internet, wondering how i'm supposed to get anywhere. being 15 may have its restrictions, but

not enough to stop me from doing something real. now i just have to find it.

daniel johns; he looks rather crazy. but as an angsty teenager, i fully comprehend his facial expressions

pictures found on google image search

brand: One Teaspoon

yummy. just look at them skulls. all photos off the one teaspoon website

so i did some browsing. and i somehow got to one of the souther hemisphere's most adored labels, one teaspoon. their latest collection has me craving shopping, something i rarely do. there's a certain girly-ness to the shapes, teamed with rocker-cool colours and attitude. love. not to mention the lighting of the shoot really emphasises the lovely silhouettes of the almost balloon-like dresses. i'd love to own one. 

two posts in one day, wow.

rena.

the vest.

so perhaps you may not have see me in many vests just yet, i can promise you there are 19 of them just waiting in my closet ready to brighten up my summer outfits... so here are a couple of looks i like and want to try this coming summer!

festival

neil barrett

alex wang 

all photos off style.com

you know what? those two last looks look try-able right now. so i may just do it! despite it being winter, and all... and i'm still loving the fringed vest!

xx rena.

*edit. oh yeah, while being bored, i searched up my name in google, and found out that i'd actually been featured on the teen vogue website for best dressed reader of the day all the way back in june! it's because my old email got deleted that i probably didn't realise, but that's heaps cool!

find it here...

interview: The Spirits.

hey guys, 

so here's an exciting interview i had with The Spirits, an Australian band [[makes me proud!]] based in Sydney, who play alternative and lyrical rock. upon discovering that a few of their influences included radiohead, the smiths, bloc party and the cure, i just had to try and get through to them! so getting home just some 15 minutes ago i discovered they'd gotten back to me! so check it out... oh and find them on myspace music here.

Toby Fitch - Vocals/Guitar

Daniel Fitch - Bass/Vocals 

James Hart - Guitar/Vocals [[who answered the questions]] 

Luke Davison - Drums
1* The name of your band, 'The Spirits' is immensely intriguing. How did it come to be?
Probably, like many bands, we spent a decent amount of time trying to find a relevant and fitting name that would reflect the kind of music we play. Everyone offered ideas in the brainstorming process and in the end we decided 'The Spirits' was the best fit. We think it reflects the haunting, eerie and atmospheric sounds that we love to create so much.
2*Where do the ideas for your lyrics come from, and who usually writes them?
Toby writes our lyrics. In regards to his influences and sources of inspiration you'd have to pick his brain [[if you dare]]. But Toby's a very accomplished writer, having penned many poems in addition to his song lyrics. The lyrics are usually quite heartfelt and personal. There's sometimes a recurrent theme of mythology as well. To me they're a collection of little stories that create different emotions. And those stories can be interpreted many ways depending on the listener.

3*When did you first form as a band?
The four of us have been playing together for about 3 years now. Dan + Toby [[brothers and]] and I [[James]] all went to high school together but it wasn't until a few more years after graduating that we reunited to write some music.  Luke is a random ring in through an audition that ended up netting us a great drummer and an even better friend. We've gone through a few stylistic changes since our inception, and that keeps things fresh and exciting.
4*What else do you hope to explore with your music?
We stumble across new sounds and influences regularly and this culminates in a rehearsal process that leaves things very open to interpretation. Our main goals are to improve technically and instinctively as musicians, to continue to get more proficient at communicating between each other, and to keep trying new things, always.

both pictures from their facebook page

5*Individually, how long have you been playing your instruments?
Hmmmm... let's see...You know I think Luke was probably developing his percussive craft in his mother's womb. Dan and Toby both learn piano, as many young kids were, for a time. Toby's been playing guitar as well since a very young age. Dan played guitar and bass throughout most of high school until deciding to focus on bass. I started playing guitar in Year 7 and copied Toby and a few other mates for inspiration and then did some official lessons for the last two years of high school. The great thing is we're always discovering new sounds with our instruments and trying to push sonic boundaries.
6*Where do you see 'The Spirits' in 2-5 years time?
Caviar, pet tigers and white stretch Hummers! No it's hard to say...A best case scenario would be just to live off our music and not have to work out scummy day jobs. We'd definitely like to have a second EP and an album release within two years. A worst case scenario would be filing for bankruptcy and checking into rehab.
7*What has the journey in the music industry been like so far?
Ah...interesting. It's been a bumpy ride. We've had our fair share of disappointments and encounters with dodgy 'industry' people. We've had our trust broken and our money stolen. From this however, we've learnt to be smarter and more cautious. We've learnt to trust our instincts and stick together as a band. We've also played with some great people and musicians. We've forged some great friendships, had wild times in Melbourne parks, played at some great venues, some not-so-great venues and we're grateful for every minute of it.
8*What message do you hope for your music to convey?
Good question. I guess the lyrical element would be something Toby could explain more eloquently. We're not making any bold political statements or trying to change the world with one song. I like to think that our music is accessible to all different types of people and they're welcome to take whatever they want from the listening experience. The themes of our songs are often universal e.g. love, love lost etc. and these are emotions and experiences that many people can relate to.
9*What's a day in the life of your band like?
We all have our own things going on outside of the band. We do our thing and don't live out of each other's pockets. On the days we rehearse, however, we arrive at about 10am in the city at a studio we hire and go about a leisurely setup. If we have a string of gigs coming up we'll run through a set and tweak it until it feels right. More recently we've been enjoying just jamming out and writing some new material; so good for the soul! An interval around midday for lunch results in a feast of chicken rolls, pies and coffee before heading back in. We'll finish at 2pm feeling like rock stars before getting into our cars, parting ways and going back to our everyday lives.
10*And finally, a very important question: what are your views on music, how do you feel about it, and what do you see in music?
How many people have you met who don't enjoy music? I've met only one or two and I still struggle to get my head around it. Music is a language that transcends borders, races, oceans, religions and age. It touches and unites people from all corners of the world. Whether you're dancing like an idiot in your car to 'My Sharona' or sitting at home listening to the score of 'The Piano', there's no doubt music makes you feel something. And we're extremely blessed to have the opportunity to make it, explore it and share it...regardless of whether we get the Hummer or not!


hope that gave you some musical inspiration guys! enjoy their music! [[i know i do]] 
i've been having some serious issues with the formatting on this blog, so i had to retype all of that... die.
xx rena.