Festival fever is no more

Sydney put to bed one of their favourite seasons on Saturday - festival season. No longer will Oxford St (and the rest of the city) have swarms of people swimming out of the gates and into the pubs, the streets will be quiet and back to the normal drinking ways of the locals and the many backpackers. But don't think that for one minute that V Festival was anything like the rumours spread for last year's event. Oh no. There was so much organisation it was ridiculous. The crowds were so....normal and nice. The vibe was nice, inviting - one girl I spoke to who was visiting from California, USA said, "The vibe at this festival is so laid back and nice - is that possible at a festival? I don't know how i t can be but it totally is."

The acts (most of them) all lived up to their hype - Modest Mouse rocked out the beginning of the afternoon and got the crowd going, closely followed by Cut Copy........ad well, hhhmmm how do I put this nicely? They sucked. I was psyched to see them and I had been counting down the acts to them all day, only to be disappointed by them. Their sound was really soft - like not loud enough and they just couldn't get the crowd into it. Even when they played my fave song Time Stands Still, I was forcing myself to get into it - that's just not cool, I left after only 4 songs - yep that's 20 minutes into their 60 minute set.

Amy and myself getting into festival gear! (above)

The next act I saw was Duran Duran and I LOVED them! They really got the crowd going and I mean really! They did a close up shot on one of these chicks standing in the crowd - you know how they show you on the big screen, well she lifted her top up - saw it ALL! Then another chick was dancing sexily - just hilarious! The lead singer was a definite crowd pleaser chatting to the crowd and endorsing girls who want to lift their tops up; pfft don't try that one at home guys - actually don't try it anywhere!

Marco & Sal - enjoying The Presets! (above)

To finish out the night was The Presets, having seen these guys once before one lovely Sunday afternoon on a boat (long story) I knew they'd be great. What I didn't know was that they would be AWESOME! Check out my psychedelic pic below!

And judging from the looks on mine and my friends faces (above) we had a pretty amazing time. All I wanted was the season to go out with a bang and it surely did. Til next time festivals......

Peace Out,

Girl Next Door xoxox

P.S What festivals did you go to this year? Leave me a a comment and let me know what you enjoyed or didn't enjoy, what you thought could have been a bit better - any comments would be lovely fellow festival lovers!

It's that time of month again.......

Not the time of month that us women (and most men) dread - this time of month is minus the mood swings and hot water bottles, do I have your attention?

It's (possibly) one of my last hoo-rahs for the year. One of the last times I can possibly cross my heart and go a little crazy - festival style!

That's right, this Saturday is V (V stands for Virgin Mobile) Fest, the festival to end all festivals (for me anyway). And for those who read Thoughts regularly would know how much I adore festivals.

V Fest starts at 1pm on Saturday at Centennial Park. The line up for this year's V Fest is one of the best. Now, don't get me wrong I have loved every single festival I've attended this year but to be honest, some of the line ups were a little bit disappointing. Big Day Out had it's usual stand outs - Grinspoon (TDF), Rage Against The Machine (Meh!), Silverchair (I think everyone officially hates Daniel Johns). Good Vibes; Potbelleez (WHHooooo), Kanye West (so not Strong) and DJ's galore! Now V Fest - Cut Copy, The Presets, Duran Duran, The Smashing Pumpkins, Queen of the Stone Age, Mika (pulled out a couple of months ago - v disappointing). Need I say more?!?



Maps and Times for Sydney V Festival this Saturday!

It's an all star line up and I'll be there with my camera ready to take in all the action and report straight back to you. If you are attending then leave me a comment and I'll try and find you and get a pic of you to post on here. That's right, I'll be doing vox-pops (interviews) with you guys so look out for me heading towards you with my digi camera, pen and paper. Start practising your pose in the mirror tonight!

See ya'll on Saturday!

Peace Out,

Girl Next Door xoxo

I told you she’s amazing!

Samantha Wills - that is. Remember that ring I fell in love with? Well, Miss Wills found my blog, contacted me herself to thank me for writing about her and her jewellery line. Do you wanna have a guess what she sent me? If you’re thinking of the TDF Ballara (peacock) ring, then you’re right! Lucky thing, I am!

Wills, 26, will be shooting her latest campaign for her Red Carpet Collection in New York at the end of the month courtesy of Revlon. And as if her jewellery line wasn’t keeping her busy enough the leggy local will be the new female reporter for The Footy Show, one of her first on-air activities will involve making over some of the footy players we know and love. Move over Lara Bingle, Wills is also the new face of Tourism NSW. With this rising star heading up, up and away Thoughts caught up with her to see how she’s coping with all this exposure.

T: The Footy Show, your new collection shoot taking place in New York (courtesy of Revlon) and the new face of Tourism NSW - phew! How are you coping with all the exciting opportunities you have coming up? Do you still have time to relax and just be you?

SW: It is a very exciting time for both myself and the company at the moment. All these opportunities have been presented at once and I couldn't do them all without the support of my amazing team. There is not a lot of time to relax at the moment (I am answering these questions whilst eating dinner in my hotel room in L.A before I have to head out again for another meeting!) however I love to be busy, so I wouldn't want it any other way!

T: What are you looking forward to the most?

SW: I am looking forward to it all! The Footy Show is exciting as I love to do unscripted TV! The Revlon opportunity is being shot in New York - I've never been to New York so this will be an exciting adventure which I am really looking forward to and the Tourism NSW opportunity is something I am very proud to be a part of, as I am extremely proud to be from NSW and it is an honour to endorse the state.

T: Do you find you have enough hours in the day to do everything?



SW: No!! That is why I have an amazing team around me. I couldn't do what I do without them! T: Did you ever imagine 5 years ago you'd be where you are today? SW: Not in a million years! If you asked me that question yesterday I still wouldn't believe it!! Everyday I pinch myself - I am living beyond my dreams & enjoying every moment of it!

T: What do you do to relax and chill out?

SW: When I do have time to relax, I love to just hang out with my boyfriend & friends. I love going to the beach and just reading a book or catching a movie. Sounds pretty boring, but when I am on the go for the majority of the week, doing absolutely nothing when I am able to is bliss!

T: What's next for Samantha Wills?

SW: Well, for the label, we are about to release our spring/summer collection for Australian Fashion Week. I am also over in the US at the moment showing the collection over here. For me, I am pretty busy over the next couple of months with my commitments listed above as well as growing the label in an international market, who knows what else the universe will bring - if it’s anything else like it’s brought in the last 6 months, I say, bring it on!!


Peace Out,
Girl Next Door xoxo

Got a mid-week celebrity itch? Get yours scratched right here

Fears for Lisa Veronica's Health.....

I hate to be the bearer of bad news bloggettes, but, one of Thoughts sources spotted the twins out last week, one half of the pop-rock singing Veronica's - Lisa. She's doing a bit of Mary-Kate Olsen and going down the I'm-not-going-to-eat-anything path. Having seen many of my friends go down this path many years ago and slightly touching on this path myself, my heart goes out to her and her family - especially her twin. Constantly in the spotlight for the last few years and having everything on show for the world to see could be just a few of the contributing factors to this deadly disease currently intoxicating our once untouched Lisa. Hopefully it's just a phase for our lil' Lisa.

Fears for one half of our favourite Aussie duo, Lisa (left)

Kate's collection on thin ice
In other celeb-town news Kate Moss's P.A resigned on her last week and her newest Top Shop line (this is her fifth collection) has hit rock-bottom and has bombed at the checkout....Another one who has to get her act together and get off the drugs...Hollywood is a hard place to live these days.

No more lines for this once Top Shop favourite - how ironic

Peace Out,



Girl Next Door xoxox

Steve-O loses his marbles

If you thought the star of Jackass couldn't get anymore eccentric, crazy and well, loopy - think again. Steve-O has been put on suicide watch after sending a threatening and chilling note via email to 33 of his friends. U.S Star magazine reported that he was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center late Sunday afternoon, he was then transferred to Thalians Mental Health Center where he will be under close watch for the next 14 days. "Steve started flipping out. says Star magazine's source, "He told doctors he wanted to hurt himself badly. He wanted to break every bone in his body one by one. He was also treated for burns on his skin as if he had been putting cigarettes out on his own body.” Now on medication, friends and family hope that the crazy star will recover.

Speculation has predicted O having a nervous breakdown for sometime now. Earlier in the month the star was arrested for vandalising his neighbours possessions and being caught for cocaine possession only last week, it's easy to see what may have set off his erratic behaviour.

Star's source says, "He doesn’t need jail, he needs therapy. We’re just really hoping that this will be the wake-up call that gets him back to himself.”

Do yourself a favour Steve - get off the drugs.

Peace Out,

Girl Next Door xoxo

So, what do you think?

As promised I have posted a pic of me with my new hair!

I won't go into detail as to how long I was in the hairdressers yesterday arvo as I'm not sure how much time you have to waste? I will let you in on a little secret though; I entered the salon at 1.30pm and emerged at 5.45pm, if my calculations are correct I was in there all up about 4.5 hours. Let's just say that I won't be floating back to that salon anytime soon. If anyone knows any really good hairdressers in the Northern Beaches please, leave me a comment!

I am happy with the colour now. After a permanent tint that went horribly wrong, not to mention flat, a full head of foils (not sure how easily you can see them in the pic) brightened up my locks. I am no longer plastic-fantastic-Barbie but a more sophisticated Skipper-with-tude'.

My CLEO internship started on Wednesday, I entered the office and instantly felt like I was L.C (from Laguna Beach/The Hills) interning at Teen Vogue in NYC! The vibe is so upbeat, happy and friendly. The freelance designer I had to kick off the computer I was using started telling me she'd been looking at different sex positions all morning for a story she was designing. Umm, I'm sorry - what was that? Sex positions? Did I mention I was heaven?!

CLEO is such a completely different magazine to what I've ever been involved in. Remember when you were at school and you either sat with 'your friends', or the 'cool/popular girls'? Remember that feeling you got when one of those girls complimented you on something you were wearing? That's how I felt sitting with the CLEO girls all day! Look out for upcoming beauty articles co-written by me!

I best be off, I have an appointment with Palmy - you know Palm Beach?

Peace Out,

Girl Next Door xoxo

Where Thoughts is at....

In an attempt for me to make this blog more about you – my reader and less about myself – the creator I must give you an update on where you hostess is at in her life.

I am currently sitting in my loungeroom typing this in between eating my dinner and watching So You Think You Can Dance (I wonder who will go tonight?). Today my day started off with a trip to the gym, next it was time to brace myself for my once a month beautician appointment – I hadn’t been for probably about 8 weeks which made this visit that little bit more painful (my – what we girls go through for the men in our lives). Then I went and bought some fruit came home and started watching Employee of the Month, starring Jessica Simpson and Dane Cook. Dane = Yum and Jessica = Dumb – in this movie anyways. A story about a girl who only dates - well I bet you can guess that one - it's worth a look if you're home sick one day - there's a fair few comedians cast and the outtakes are entertaining. Boasting the Producers from Wedding Crashers if you're into those random one-liners then you'll get a laugh out of this one. Sorry Jess, you can sing but when it comes to acting you should probably leave it to the professionals. Or ask one of your bestie’s Eva Longoria or Christina Applegate for an acting lesson or two. I have posted the preview (below) for Employe of the Month for you to judge yourself.



After this I trotted on down to the beach, read a book which I have been meaning to read ever since I received it – exactly a year ago. I then came home and here I am sitting here typing this post. But, you know what? Today wasn’t Saturday. Today wasn’t Sunday. Today was Monday.

Why, you ask would I be at home on a Monday? I am officially a Lady of Leisure, for this week anyway. I am starting an internship at CLEO magazine on Wednesday – which I am exceptionally excited about and have a few interviews spread throughout the week, so will keep you posted as to whether or not I hit the jackpot and find the right one.

As for you readers – you lucky things you – I will be attending to your every need whilst I am a Lady of Leisure so please, stop by, say hi.

Peace Out,

Girl Next Door xoxo


P.S I will get you a pic of my hair - I haven't forgotten, it's just that the colour has faded completely (I only got it done on March 1st) so when I get it re-done this Thursday I will post a pic!

Do you have HCE (Hair Colour Envy)?

Something happened to me over the weekend; I decided I wanted a change.
Not just any change - I decided on my way to my hair appointment that I was going to go a shade darker. As you can see from my profile pic on the right, my usual hair colour is bright blonde. I’ve always been a fan of a Jessica Simpson/Nicole Richie blonde, in fact when I showed my hair dresser the pic that I wanted her to match (a dark blonde with copper highlights) she nearly fell over backwards.
As we were going through the colours together and she slowly but surely we were moving away from the lighter yellow-ish blondes and more into the strawberry, sunkissed blondes I was getting a little excited/scared/doubtful all at the same time. Usually with this much of a drastic change I’d swip and swap the colours to end up matching the colour I begun with. But I stopped those thoughts as soon as they entered my head and changed them to ‘You know what? It’s time for a change, I’m finishing up my job this week, it's a new chapter to my life - so stuff it.'
Change is definitely a good thing at this point in my life.

After waiting the average 2 hours to walk out of the salon with my colour I was surprisingly happy. I didn’t call my boyfriend the minute I stepped outside to cry my eyes out to him but instead rocked up to his friends house and shimmied on in with the confidence of Paris Hilton dancing on a table top at Hyde Nightclub to see if him and his friend noticed anything different about me. ‘You look really tired’, said his friend.....not exactly the reaction I was hoping for. ‘Hot stuff babe, nice hair’ Boyfriend said (he always knows what to say when I arrive back from the hairdressers, good boy he is), ‘Really - you think?’ I replied as I flicked, adjusted, and checked my new locks out in the closest window. To put it bluntly I was loving the new look. That was Saturday exactly 2.5 days ago.


Nic and Paris - lovely and blonde.....

How do I feel today about the new look, I hear you ask? Well, here's the thing; every time I see a pic of me on Facebook with my blonde locks, everytime I see that pic down the side of my blog of Jessica Simpson, everytime I see Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton or any other blondes on the streets I get Hair Colour Envy (HCE).


Miss Sienna - Another blonde I have HCE of.....

Has anyone else ever got HCE when they’ve swapped hair colours? Or is it just me?
I know at least one of you share my pain!

Peace Out,
Girl Next Door xoxox

P.S Pics of new hair colour to come next week. Stay tuned!

My - how time flys!?!?!?

It seems like only yesterday that I was counting down the days til summer. Now as I sit here on a lazy Sunday morning all I can see are the dark, grey clouds that lure over the Northern Beaches. But, wait a minute this all sounds a little too familiar.....

I don't know how you guys feel about the whole summer-was-here-for-half-a-minute thing but I feel really ripped off. Not only did my summer holiday get rained out (and I was in Queensland!) but when I returned from my summer holiday I received 2 days out of the WHOLE entire 'summer' where I actually sat on a beach. Those days happened to be last Saturday and Sunday....and now it's Autumn......so not fair! What a poor effort!


The summer I dream't of........

One of my friends was also complaining to me about the fact that she'd been shopping everywhere at lunchtime (and we work in the centre of the city - 2 minutes walk from Pitt St Mall) she'd found nothing, nada, not a thing to buy and she was willing to spend up to $300 on a dress for her weekend night out. We came to the conclusion that this is because right now, in store it's 'in-between seasons' which basically means that they're not selling any summer stock anymore (it's either been sent back to their head office's or still on the $20 sale rack - which only has really big/really small sizes left on it) winter is 3 months away and they're too busy preparing for that.......Preparing...uummm to be honest I feel like I've been preparing for winter the entire summer!


.............The summer I got

All I want to know is what happened? Why were we so jipped on our summer in Sydney and Queensland? Even Melbourne was hotter!

If anyone can point me into the direction of why this is, please leave me a comment or send me an email at thoughts@live.com.au


Peace Out,

Girl Next Door xoxoxoxo