This Is A Picture Of The Auckland Skytower. It's An 'icon' Of Auckland City. I Took It Last Month While

This is a picture of the Auckland Skytower. It's an 'icon' of Auckland City. I took it last month while crossing the road. Normally it's lit up in blue, but for a few weeks it was wearing red and black to show solidarity with Christchurch in the aftermath of the Canterbury Earthquake.

I'm showing this picture for 2 reasons:

It's a really good picture! I took that while crossing the road late at night, one arm up in the air, hoping for the best. Damn right I'm stoked.

It was during this night, while walking around broke and alone in this new-ish city where I didn't have a job, home or friends that I realised how happy I was. 

It feels so damn good to be free again and start a new adventure. 

Wait, you've never spent the night dancing around to Moonlight Lady by Julio Iglesias with a man who makes your heart sing in an apartment that's only decorated with fairy lights while drinking Sangria and singing and crying from laughter and sheer happiness?? YOU HAVEN'T LIVED!

Things I have learned from my time on Twitter

The best thing about having a blog is that I can write what I like, when I like. Because it's my blog and I'm not using it to fund my livelihood (...yet. Hahaha!). So this means I get to write about things that I give a damn about without thought of an audience. Usually it means I use this as an outlet to work through things. In fact, that's how this whole thing started - as an outlet to get through a rather shit time in my life. At the beginning of last year I remembered that I had a twitter account that I barely used. This was mostly because I didn't really get it. As a result, I decided to challenge myself and throw myself into the medium to see what happened and if I'd eventually understand it. What eventually happened was that I used twitter as an outlet to get through a rather tumultuous time in my life. I'm reporting back over a year later. It's been quite an experience and has been a rather fab and, dare I say it, essential part of my life during that time. I've found out tips, tricks and recommendations on a variety of subjects. I've won beauty products, wine, food and vouchers. I've watched a community pull together in the aftermath of a tragedy. I've made amazing friends who've been incredibly supportive and bought some real joy and sparkle to my life when I needed it most. I love those guys. There have been some real down-times too. I've done embarrassing things that I'm still reminded about. I've experienced the weird high of getting 100+ RT's and the abuse that followed. I've met people who seemed nice online and were rude in person, then subtweeting assholes online. I've been upset and let down by situations that held so much promise. I've been hurt and in tears over things people have said to me or about me or even done to me. Those times really sucked. But overall, the whole experience has been quite positive. The good times have far, far outweighed the bad times.

People are the same everywhere, whether it's online or in person. It's a generally accepted rule that an online persona can be very different from a real-life persona. A quiet, shy and rather nice person can be one tough motherfucker online. The girl who is generally ignored and not hit on can escape online and try to morph herself into some seductive temptress. But above all, everyone is the same. It's generally not hard to see what people are really like. If you become involved in Twitter for long and heavily enough, your persona will slip at some stage. People will see you. People are just as transparent online as they are in real-life.

There is no substitute for authenticity.

There are "Nice Guys" there too - those bastards are everywhere! They are also to be avoided like the plague. For reference, actual nice guys never advertise that they're nice guys. Actual nice guys don't finish last. I'm talking about those other "Nice Guys" who rush to defend or reply to everything you write. What I'm really saying here is, there are creeps here too. Don't give them your phone number or any of your contact details, don't meet them in real-life, but if you do, make sure someone knows where the hell you are and will come get you. Don't be stupid when meeting people. 

It's personality based. Your pic may attract people, but your personality will keep them coming back.

Good looking girls will always be popular. In real-life and online, forever and always. People are attracted to pretty. Make peace with that already.

You will find your niche. If you put the work in, it will reward you ten-fold with a group of people that you can happily talk with at any time and who even seem to like you. It's a great feeling.

It is absolutely possible to make friends on the internet. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to break out of their narrow mindset. It's possible to make friends anywhere! Twitter people are real people with real feelings and real emotions, some of whom you will like enough to strike up a friendship with. How awesome is that?

Just as it's possible to make friends, it's possible to lose them too. As it is in real-life, so it will be online.

There's no such thing as 'deleted' on the internet. I can't emphasise this enough. If you tweet something or put up a picture that you may regret, then it's out there forever. Yes, someone will find what you've written or a damning pic you've put up. Yes, you will be judged by it. Be prepared to stand by everything you put up there or don't put it up at all. In other words, don't be a stupid fucking idiot.

It is what you make of it. Your TL is unique to you and is something you control. If you don't like it anymore, change it up! Too much negativity? Either hange your outlook or change your TL. Or both. Take a break. Don't blame the medium for losing it's sparkle. After all, you're the one who controls it.

At the end of the day, this is no substitute for a real-life and connections with real people. It is however, a really nice complement to it and a great way to kill time while on public transport. It's not dangerous, it's not scary and it won't wreck your life unless you let it or use it that way. It's just social media. Just have some damn fun with it!

Sometimes it's possible to take a look at pop culture and weep at what humans have inflicted on themselves.

WHY, DAMMIT??

inkdot:

This weekend I was told a story which, although I’m kind of ashamed to admit it, because holy shit is it ever obvious, is kind of blowing my mind.

A friend of a friend won a free consultation with Clinton Kelly of What Not To Wear, and she was very excited, because she has a plus-size body, and...

I wish I'd known earlier what I know now after reading this. 

Celebrities have everything tailored to fit them. Everything! But they never speak about it.

They do, however, speak about the diets, workouts, natural this and that. But actually looking good in that outfit, the secret is tailoring. 

And we never hear about it. 

I want you to think about the consequences of this. Too hard? That's cool, just read the article

thecoquette:

Jeffrey Campbell Motorcycle Boots

Here are those JC boots I was originally going to post. Now that I think about it, I can’t quite remember if these boots were to celebrate getting my motorcycle license, or if my motorcycle license was to celebrate getting these boots.

If I was told to get into a ring and fight 20 other girls, Royal Rumble style, to get a pair of these boots then I would do it.

And bitches, for these boots I would WIN!