Thursday, April 28, 2011

Fuck this 50's housewife bullshit. Bring on the noughties' housewife!

The sweet life.
I do. I mean, me too...or either...lol.
Desperate? No. Sexy? Yes.
Craving for cookies. Hard.
My mum talking to her husband. Such a polite lady she is.
Another of her fave is "Want me to throw your dinner out the back?
Dreamworld.
Wishlist.
Victoria's Secret angel, Candice.
Bless her black patent pumps.
セクシー (sexy in japanese).
I could never be a vegetarian. I love sausages.
My sister-in-law's fave saying. Not sarcastic at all.
At least she looks pretty right?
Love Miranda. NMRK.
Saucy Scarlett the Siren.
Me in a few weeks. Sigh ;).
Gavin you've given me your coke addiction!
Feminism V Sexism. 
The never-ending tug-o-war for equality...or righteousness.
Her skin is way too light to be Denise...but I'm sure that's my BF talking.
How very un-stepford wife of you Barbie!
Lady Gaga, what are you doing in the 50's???
Wishlist item #2.
Fun.
Bliss.
Coolest fridge ever!
Wishlist item #3.
They taste way better than blood & tears.


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat.

It's true. Just like our French friend Mireille Guiliano & her life enhancing literature of a similar title; French Women Don't Get Fat, this book is written to impart valuable knowledge on how to live your best, healthiest, most attractive, energetic & pleasurable life.

I discovered this Asian food bible while staying with my fabulous friend Kayla in her gorgeous federation-style Neutral Bay house, perusing the numerous bookshelves on offer. Here in this very home, we have already created some mouth-watering dishes and I am proud to say that we have followed some of both books' golden rules for healthy & delicious meals.
Straight from my memory bank, these important guidelines include:
  • Fresh is best; buy what's in season
  • Serve sensible portion sizes (a common mistake we make as Westerners is eating too much)
  • Present the food in an aesthetically pleasing manner
  • Quality, quality, quality! Be it spice, seaweed or saucepan
  • Share & savour 
  • Good doesn't have to mean a complicated nor a very lengthy affair
  • !
My eye was firstly struck by the fluorescent green of the book's cover (green is the colour of the heart chakra & it seems to speak to me in soft, romantic tones). Then, upon reading the title Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat, my loving obsession for Japanese culture, philosophy & style sucked me right in to the awesomely hunger & taste provoking pages that make up this lovely piece of work.
Naomi Moriyama, you had me at Japanese! I thank both you and your esteemed mother for sharing your research on the obesity pandemic & how to make your own Tokyo Kitchen.
I am getting ready to move into my own place & will certainly be keeping all this advice in mind when I organise my kitchen space & go grocery shopping.

My only hope is that my new flat-mate won't spend too much of her time in the (unfortunately) shared kitchen. You know that saying about too many cooks! Then again if she is Japanese or French... well, MasterChef Richmond edition - eat your heart out!!
P.S. Of course both cultures don't just stay slim, healthy & good-looking by eating. Ha! You wish! No, no, both nations are a very active people, getting in lots of daily incidental exercise like cycling & walking as well working up a sweat intentionally on a regular basis.
So, there you have it: the secret recipe to eternal youth & making sure your jeans always fit. K.I.S.S.
Easy Peasy Japanesey!

You're welcome ; )

Monday, April 18, 2011

Smokin'!

When it was cool. And good for you. 

Watch this space for my re-enactment of the classic Chanel cigarette photograph.

A word of advice to my sisters:
"do as I say, not as I do".
My inspiration.

 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Signature Scent.

“French women know one can go far with a great haircut, a bottle of champagne and a divine perfume.”
One of the things I learnt on that fateful sleepless night, where I fought my body's urge to sleep with boundless enthusiasm & oodles of francophiliac inspiration from the World Wide Web, was that a woman's style must extend to her skin, your nose & pretty much lightly tickle all of everybody else's senses.


I am a bit of a perfume whore, in that: I like it frequently, don't mind if it's cheap, will take it from anyone; at anytime, on any part of my body, but! thanks to discovering discretion & my sister's divine leftover body lotion, I now understand the sensuality of a signature scent and how it becomes the icing on the cake that is your own personal 'brand'.

Beginnings of Posh, the spice.
This notion of having a brand, as a living, breathing person is a very important trait behind some of the world's most talked about household names. Even with these face-size glasses, we all recognise this popstar...
...quoted as wanting to be "as famous as Persil" (a popular detergent), in
(I bought this at uni years ago & it now lives in my laptop bag).

Beginnings of me, the Poshe. 
(The 'e' is deliberate, like bogan; a la 'tarjay' for Target.)
Last July, on the sunny state's un-Wintery warm Gold Coast, I sat covered in goosebumps (air-con 14 degrees; care-factor 0) listening to a very lively character present a segment devoted to this long-lasting impression making concept at his own 'super-charged' business conference. It sure woke me up.

Sitting there with my skinny jeans not feeling so skinny, my style leaving much to be desired, my confidence dragging on the Crowne Plaza's carpet, suffering from crowd-induced loneliness & succumbing to silly old habits, my fragrance impressed nobody's nose, let alone my own.

That was when I consciously decided: I am going to re-brand myself. Re-invent. Re-assess. And so she did. The next day I went for a run on the beach. The next year, 2011, was to be my year.

Nine months later (my, what an appropriate gestation period of a new being!), I am sitting here sans the jelly belly (ambiguity intended: both green monster & uncomfortable mini muffin-top have been banished), wearing a 50's Rock-a-billy inspired outfit made of modest black pedal pushers, a baby pink polkadot bustier, a navy blue cropped jacket (a Parisian girl's in-between-season staple), black leather heels, beaded bracelet & unusual earrings (from Abu Dhabi, UAE).

I feel both comfortable & pretty. My flattering natural makeup with 60's-style Audrey Hepburn eyes & voluminous hair that looks sexy while still lazy (I don't do hair) also helps. This new 'look' is complimented by shapely eyebrows (yes, this is very significant to my personal human revolution) and, most importantly, a subtle signature scent.
Ta da! As classic & chic as the Eiffel Tower herself. lol.
And smelling like grown-up bubblegum.

To Victoria Beckham, however, I smell like:
Introduce: Signature, by Beckham (hot TV ad. campaign too). 

World, meet the new & improved Karissa Clare. Karissa Clare, meet the Wild Wide World.

Me;
At my associate's office in Leichhardt where we have just
finished a briefing session with a new web design client (coincidentally, a
Melbourne French wine & homewares importer), doing what I love.
My new beau's car down on the street, a laugh in my throat & a spring in my step.

Here are some good French tips for selecting your signature perfume.

And here are some good tips for establishing your brand.

Monday, April 11, 2011

French Kisses.


Warm. Wet. Caterpillars under your skin & butterflies in your tummy. Exciting. Loud, heavy breathing. Sexy. Soft. Magnetic. Memorable.

That's what you want to be to the person you are trying to attract; in business (ok, maybe they're not all for the office) and in love. All's fair in love & war!

To feel these things & have them reciprocated, you must be:
  • genuine
  • thoughtful
  • honest
  • respectful
  • playful
  • daring
  • cheeky
  • sensual
  • romantic
  • explicit
  • fair
  • nice.
The last bullet point is the single most important one on the list. Like I said to Mike, Kay & Benny at 'The Club' in King's Cross as I smooth-talked my way into the exclusive VIP room, "You know what my secret is to getting things I want in life? Be nice".

That's it. Just be nice. It is so nice to be nice. The most important person you have to be nice to in order to reap benefits is the person right in front of you; right now. 

Of course, you can have a good kiss, even an okay kiss, without doing or being all of the above....however, those lips you locked with (& may have wanted to lock with again) will wander to find a better face. The modern marketplace is very competitive; it's a jungle out there!
You snooze, you lose buddy! Thems the rules, (as Hayley would say). This is not just animal attraction people, it's the underlying equation to sales & marketing.

I was thinking about the correlation between my personal and professional values as I wrote this post & I realise they are very much in sync with one another, which lead to this statement:

I think the French Kiss of marketing is publicity.

Definition of publicity as a business term: 
Keyword - independent. As in, not paid off. People are great at ignoring ads because we have been saturated & overdosed with them. But, oh how we seek to be 'informed'.

If you would like to be in or on the news, inside people's/your target audience's hands, lounge-rooms, eyes, ears & minds, then do yourself a favour & check out Lotus Media.

Lotus Media International is the name, Awesome Marketing is the game.
Awesome marketing.
There is only one other entity that could provide you with marketing as awesome as LMI. That entity is a God by the name of...Barney Stinson.


Yes, I did just categorise Barney's calibre of epic-ness with Barack's. Actually, I would also trust your marketing campaign with President Obama's presidency campaign team. American political PR is super powerful. Like, I'm talking Kryptonite strength.

(Side bar: I love Obama. Lisa & I got up at 4am to watch his official inauguration <3).

So suit up. Be awesome. Contact Lotus Media.