I went to Secret Garden Festival 2016...

Oh my gosh god darn god I LOVE music festivals. This was no exception. I had a freaking blast.

It was pretty magical. I was covered in glitter from start to finish... copious amounts... as was my tent, my sleeping bag, clothes, underwear, eyeballs, contact lenses and hair... you get the idea. Goon and blackcurrent juice... phenomenal. There were many little whimsical, crafty nooks and crannies and it was sensational. I danced through a mermaid palace, a jungle, my own mind, pom poms, alcohol and goon, vodka... all the things. I danced to Mansion Air, Montaigne, Tuka, Sex on Toast, the Meeting Tree, Hayden James, Roland Tings, Raury and SASKWATCH and Matt Corby.

In the bush, up a hill we discovered a black room full of fluro paint... I love paint and I love drawing. I got paint everywhere.... a hand print shaped pink fluro SPLOTCH on my docs, on my back and arms and face, on my white dress (very conveniently right where where my nipples is.. #freethenipple).  Then we moved on to dance in a jungle.... it was 80s music and I've never ever danced and smiled quite that much. We saw our friend from earlier. A 20 year old human being who works at a lighthouse on the South Coast... very much NOT sober but extremely giddy and happy and killing it on the dance floor. His friend was toothless because "he didn't want to loose it" and was extremely offended when we suggested that the whole 'I don't have a tooth thing' wasn't really working in his advantage. We laughed it off and all took a sip from our flasks.

I woke up the next day really feeling worse for wear with 2 hours sleep in a furnace otherwise known as a tent. Nothing that a nap on a bright purple yoga mat in the sun, two panadols, a shower in a porta-loo cubicle ma boob, fresh orange juice and an egg and bacon couldn't fix... The day started off extremely slow. We talked to the Norwegian tourists staying next to us, gained some new neighbours from the Northern Beaches, four familiar faces and started to get ready for another night. Added to the large amounts of glitter were feathers and face paint and Woodstocks, pasta and vodka... Hayden James and rain drops ended the night with a bang and a half and we jetted off to bed with two hours sleep finally catching up to us.

I created a little video. Something that I have really, really enjoyed doing in the last little while. It's therapeutic and I like having it somewhere forever, it creates a nice space for good memories. It's a completely personal thing that I've put on a more public platform. Almost like my blog. I love this blog and always struggle to actually post the stuff I've written. It sits in a diary that is just written and read by me and I pick and choose what I type up... confidence plays a part. But here's the video, not perfect and extremely raw and ragged.

Love Elena, xx

February Playlist

I have discovered sound cloud and 100% fallen in love, ridiculous amounts. So here's my february playlist...

1. Anyway- Slum Sociable 

This is very, very, very cool and interesting and just a lil bit groovy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ttcT01qZzY
https://soundcloud.com/slumsociable

2. Middle- Dj Snake, Bipolar Sunshine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOKqNxN4jWM
https://soundcloud.com/djsnake/dj-snake-middle-feat-bipolar-sunshine-1

3. Pillow Talk- Zayn

This song is extremely sensual and and lurving the new song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_3d6GntKbk

4. Wallflower- Maribou State

Very psychedelic and chilled, no lyrics but extremely intriguing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9z8H2XOZ_U
https://soundcloud.com/mariboustate/wallflower

5. Forces- Japanese Wallpaper ft Airling

I've never been a humungous fan of Jap Wallpaper but Airling adds so much dimension.

https://soundcloud.com/japanesewallpaper/forces

6. I got U- Duke Dumont

Good, good music video and it makes me want to dance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCYHldJi_g

7. Soul- Atlas Bound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWehIFOzTGE
https://soundcloud.com/atlas-bound/soul-master-1

8. Mountain at my Gates- Foals

A music video in 360 and an awesome sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_EIE5f2t6M

9. Old Pine- Ben Howard

An old song that I will love forever and ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8ccDb6n5Wg

10. Hopeful- Taku

Last but definitely not least... a song that has so so much ambience, no lyrics but so so beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-UWR324DXU

All the love and wishes, Elena xxx

I went to Manyana

I went to Manyana and had the time of my life...

Like every single time we go, it's a period of pure glee and joy and happiness. It becomes a symbolic place. Every year it provides me with an opportunity to reflect upon my year and continue forward where I'm lacking in mobile cell reception, unwanted visitors and all other forms of technology. I can reach a place where I'm so in touch with nature and my passions. I listen to music and surf and walk and every single day I fall asleep and wake up to a view of the beach. I can detoxify not only my body but my mind. I can hear the waves and have time for myself and have the support and connection with my closest friends and family. I laugh constantly and smile and feel free. I don't know anyone else. I don't know anywhere else I feel so at peace and at home. I know the area like the back of my hand. We have been for 8 years straight now. A fair few life stages.. for all eight of us. Many New Years Eves', countless surfs and rekky's (both successful and unsuccessful), the loss and gain of our nearest and dearest, new friendships, new careers, a new dog... or two.... but always a pleasure, every year.

Elena xxx

Elena's January Diaries 2016

The start of 2016 has been absolutely insanely amazing and beautiful.

It started off with a very drunk Elena, a bottle of passion pop in hand and a group of gorgeous friends.... It then led to Field Day, 1st January 2016. Again, tipsy at my own will, and suffering.... just a tad but nonetheless, vodka filled, home-made yoghurt flasks in hand (or tucked under my belt), surrounded by my nearest and dearest. I danced, for about 8 hours straight along to the sounds of Safia and Halsey, Flight Facilities, RL Grimes, Disclosure, San Cisco and The Wombats. The 1st of January ended with a sore head and chicken nuggets in hand, sitting crossed-legged on the floor of Wynyard Station. 

Then... with witnessing a flawless and heart-filled Wombats set at Field Day I spontaneously bought my sister and I tickets to their concert on the 3rd and it was nothing less than absolutely brilliant... keeping in mind on the 4th January 2016 we were catching a flight to Bali..

No, but Bali was brilliant. I did little more than sit by the pool, sipping cocktails and reading and swimming and eating brilliant food. A relaxing week, most definitely. We explored a tad but took full advantage of Balinese massages and mani-pedi's and a gorgeous hotel room... 100% spoil rotten to an awfully embarrassing extent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np4KwYb9JvE

(A video in summary).

The next week  it was back to reality... working and all that fun stuff.. childcare (YAY). I spent every living free spare moment I had, at the beach, mostly at Freshwater but I also ventured off to Collins Beach, Shelly Beach and Jump Rock.

And then Courtney Barnett on the 16th January. A lady whose appeal lies purely within real, genuine, relatable, lyrics and a raspy tone that exudes a refreshingly real woman. I had low expectations and can be completely honest in saying, I largely bought the ticket to see supporting band, Cloud Control. But she exceeded expectations in a positively obscure way.

More beach and adventure... a weekend at Bents Basin for the Long Weekend. We enjoyed the sun and the run in a campsite beside a large river. I faced my fear of heights and leaped off jump rock into unknown water.. very murky. Excitement got the better of us and the reality of potential illness was pushed to the back of our minds. And then we ventured for two hours through rapids. We walked and jumped, slipped and fell over rocks and creeks and swam in order to achieve a challenge set out by Mitch...  and then drank a hell of alot with the freedom of no responsibility.

26th January.... Australia Day. Not quite something I support or promote. It was nice to be around friends. We started our Triple J Hottest 100 at 3pm and danced, drank and talked our way through to number 1. I absolutely realised the importance of wonderful people, good energy and brilliant music. Watermelon and Vodka jelly, countless bottles of Cider and Pims and punch all consumed to ensure the day and night ended with a bang beyond belief. 

An acceptance in a double degree in Arts and Social Work after alot of waiting... assurance for some direction careerwise. However, a long way to go....

January ended with a trip to Shark Bay in Sydney. A beach on the harbour recommended by Concrete Playground as a night swimming spot. Initially, disappointing and then extremely surprising. A flawless sunset with the sensational Sydney skyline in the background. I would definitely recommend. 

All in all, a good, positive and adventure filled start to a new year. 

All the love, Elena xx

Bali Playlist 2016 (JANUARY)

1. Dream Cave- Cloud Control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-BIyo-UkUQ


2. Colours- Halsey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNt28Tx-cw0


3. Scar- Cloud Control
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzLYf366bVg

4. Gooey- Glass Animals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIA1XQnAv5s

5. Waves- Shallou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmK6j6tN_1A

6. Avant Gardener- Courtney Barnett
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcnIhzaDTd0

7. Curveballs- The Wombats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXbn-pRpl_E

8. Stole the Show- Kygo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgfcToAjfdc

9. Breathe In- Japanese Wallpaper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td_sGb2CRMo

10. Kiss With a Fist- Florence and the Machine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SmxVCM39j4

Elena, xxx

Passion

Passion, taints my sanity and changes my mindset, it warps my judgements so that I become spontaneous, sometimes irrational but free and intoxicated.

The feeling of infinite positive human energy. Likeminded people in a screaming,dancing singing mess. A joyous atmosphere and an endless passion. Happiness within friendships, happiness within new people and new connections, good music, a packed car and meaningful and genuine conversations. A virtuous feeling of insanity and defeat. A daze and disconnection from reality. No sense of time and responsibility. A feeling of indescribable bliss and comfort. A surge of vitality. 

I feel charged with inspiration and ambition. Ready to take on the world with an open mind and a realistic view of future hardships. 

Learnt, is the idea that emotions stretch beyond ordinary everyday life and prove to be so much deeper than a smile or a frown.

Elena, xx

Chet Faker, Pessimists and the Opera House

Listening to Chet Faker at the Opera House, with the Harbour Bridge in the background, post drinking a bottle of Rose' at Opera Bar was an insanely iconic, memorable and surreal moment. It's always the unplanned plans.... Before going, we ate copious amount of Thai food before getting dressed within 15 minutes, realising it was raining and being handed in a motherly fashion, unknowingly, an under sized leopard print raincoat in preparation for the predicted, torrential down-poor and then heading off on the train to Circular Quay. With arriving at 7.30pm for Chet's set starting at 9.30pm, our only option was to head to Opera Bar to buy an exceedingly expensive bottle of wine, knowing that our university student budgets and bank account would suffer, drinking or sculling or sipping it, throwing our heads back and looking towards the sky... 30 minutes later, the sunset was more beautiful than ever, we delved into deep conversation and strutted/slow danced/swayed our way into the forecourt. We lined up for the porta loos, twice... obviously and sat down in the mosh pit.

Chet Faker is a capturing guy, his voice and presence is warming and introspective and impersonally personal. I danced alot, reciting every lyric of No Diggity and Gold and 1989 and Talk is Cheap and let's be completely real just the whole Built of Glass and and Thinking in Textures, did my weird, iconically strange hand movements and moved my hips, regardless of the guy beside me complaining about the back up singer/dancers, Chet's lack of beard (justified complaint), stage effects and sound quality. But nonetheless, the night was made when Marcus Marr joined the stage for 'The Trouble With Us', confidently strutting their insane versatility for the packed out Opera House Forecourt. McDonalds, is regretfully a necessity after half a bottle of wine is consumed and this was no different to any other drunken adventure....

Elena, xx

October Playlist

My October playlist is extremely strange and vibrant and a little bit all over the place. It reflects my crazy and awesome month. I have explored so many new things, I've had time to reflect and change and grow as a human, in conjunction with others, individually and personally.

1. King Kunta- Kendrick Lamar

This song is weird and wacky and just SO out of the ordinary for me. But my lovely @poopgie has made me fall in love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8

2. Sober- Childish Gambino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx96Twg-Aew


3. Hoops- The Rubens

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFBe_wP2_gw

4. Hands to Love- Nathan Hawes

Yesterday I was told this guy featured on the voice. Before now, I had never heard of him but his gorgeously sweet and flawless voice appeals to me more than anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cen0cGQujOk

5. Sad Machine- Porter Robinson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAIDqt2aUek

6. Wash it Away- Nahko and Medicine for the People

He's a source of musical healing. An absolutely amazing energy and sound and expression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IBFMkt9KGQ

7. It's Nice to be Alive- Ball Park Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSgz7Ept79o

8. If You Wanna- The Vaccines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQKjI6395iU

9. Apollo- Last Dinosaurs

The Last Dinosaurs are forever amazing... I cheese every time this song or any of their songs come on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M01rsp80LCk

10. Treehouse- Gold Fields

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwD0hAxBpjU


Also, shout out to Sticky Fingers and their insane vibes at their gig at the Enmore. Crazy, cray, crazy. The most amazing atmosphere and music and just generally, they are pretty awesome humans. The highlight of the night was definitely burritos at GYG, the 17 year off his head asking us to answer maths equations and getting a surprise, much needed lift to maccas at 2am.

Spotify Playlist: WEIRD FEELINGS OCTOBER


Elena, xx

6am

A trip to the beach is refreshing, it's cleansing, the most natural form of therapy in the world. It cleans wounds- spiritually, emotionally and mentally. It's dense with energy, a natural energy that is omnipotent, omnipresent.

When life gets ridiculously crazy and I get completely overwhelmed I always turn to a 6am beach trip. It's usually 'organised' spontaneously. I text Steph it goes along the lines of 'I need to go to the beach'. It's a way of saying 'my life is a mess, I'm currently a messy brain, a messy head and my bedroom is just as bad... help.' The forty minute drive is nearly as good as jumping in the water. It consists of a variety of music. You can take a pick from my 42 mix tapes that are permanently located in my glove box. There's one called 'probably don't listen to it' (this is usually one direction and taylor swift) or another called 'Elena's go to hippy, gypsy, happy disc' or 'ghetto times' which features beyonce and kanye and an assortment of R&B and rap. My favourite part is when we go through Oxford Falls, it's any person's dream home destination, located with a farmland like feeling but only a 10 minute drive to the beach and not to mention the view which looks out onto the ocean.

Jumping into salt water is pure bliss. I've always felt this way. The ocean is a place where I can reconcile. A place where my thoughts can be forgotten and I can connect with something that is the closest thing I can find to magic. It makes me smile and beam with happiness.

In the sun, the water can sparkle and glisten. And the sunrise and the sunset... it's absolute magic.

Tata for now, Elena x

A Joyous, Monumental and MUDDY Splendour

What more could you wish for?

 I sang my lungs out to Beyonce along the pacific highway and smiled bright eyed despite a 5am start and a burnt McCafe coffee. The sky was lit with iridescent colours as the earth invited us on an adventure towards Byron Bay.... 8 hours and 50 minutes to go. Nature at that moment, supported pure feelings of euphoria. The feelings were nothing short of satisfied and content. I was fulfilling, along with my best friend a dream we'd had since we were 16 years old. This trip was a monumental moment, a symbol of a new found freedom and love and a new age of adventure and music and friendships. It was a reward to myself, I was taking on a promise I'd made as 16 year old Elena (and Steph). I had a pact with my worries to let go and run wild and flow with all present feelings... to embrace autonomy. I think that under my terms, I most definitely did so.

10am woodstocks, Kings Cup, paranoia, Joseph's breakfast Mie Goreng, The Wombats and Florence and Meg Mac epitomised Splendour....The Wombats featured not only the flawless Mathew Murphy and his infamous words 'lets all scream like we're giving birth', a sore voice and a satisfied crowd but a sense of community and a shared love. Everytime I turned towards a friend, it was hard not to smile and squint while piping the lyrics to 'Your Body is a Weapon'. A mans eyes had rolled as his curly mop of a head bopped back and forth (untimely) to whatever slow motion bass was playing for his personal enjoyment... he was having the time of his life. Florence, on the other hand is a gleaming angel who has such an energetic and positive stage presence. She fulfils the role of a perfect artist and performer. She performs and she delivers and it was more than absolutely brilliant...  Meg Mac.... She is my only love (not really, I'm open to others). She has no album, just an EP but she kills the songs that she does have as well as her rendition of the Broods', 'Bridges'. I saw her at Groovin' and would absolutely see her again. Xavier Rudd.... what an insanely incredibly beautiful man. I had the urge to dance and sing and his passion radiated within the GW McLennan tent. His music has meaning and it is spiritually and emotionally aware and awakening. His sympathy and connectedness to Australia and its vast landscape and culture is so prevalent.

I can't forget all the other wonderful people I saw:
- Mark Ronson
- Of Monsters and Men
- Porter Robinson
- San Cisco
- Japanese Wallpaper
- Mansion Air
- Harts
- The Rubens
- Pond
- Dune Rats
- Tame Impala (insane)
- Alison Wonderland
- Last Dinos
- The Vaccines
- Alpine
- Royal Blood
- OH Mercy
and more.....

I'll tell you one mud story. My friend Steph and I ventured out to grab a few drinks before the Wombats and Florence palava and fun. The drink stand was strategically (NOT) positioned at the top of the hill above the amphitheatre. Stick it together...  nights and days of straight rain.. and a large hill. It didn't end well but we were determined and although at times I felt like giving up, I was egged on by the tango line of extremely attractive men that pulled and pushed me up the hill (thankyou Stephanie for laughing and documenting this on snapchat- muchly appreciated). I received a Smirnoff ice RED (never drinking again) and a bourbon and coke and slid down the hill to the comfort of friends and a sense of ultimate achievement and success.  Add to a funny story... I lined up for the compost loo for about 20 minutes and in festival toilet time that isn't too long. Just before I went in (I didn't) the guy before walks out and says to his friend, "mate, thats revolting, there's no room left in that toilet for anything'...

I have all the plans to go back next year and to experiment with other festivals as they come around. I haven't stopped listening to the set lists and I don't think I ever could...
I've said it so many times but thankyou to Steph, Sayuri, Juzan, Maia, Joe, Sarri, Stank, Samir and Jeremy for being great company and for allowing me to come into your weirdly incredible friend group. Sarri summarised it pretty well...

"We faced many hardships, battling the deadly monsoons, wrestling with the quick-mud, Joe's earth-shaking snore, goon overload, paranoia, noise complaints and the speed limit. In these hardships we lost many good shoes and clothes... Nevertheless, the goodtimes outweighed the bad. Some found love in unexpected places- notably the packed mosh of the florence set while I was stuck right behind you, you two sickos (I saw everything). We made friends, including but not limited to, three day pinga deep guy, the reverse dinga guy, 600 pingas deep guy, the sexually charged hipster guys, the bathroom coke guy, tommy the songwriter, Jazzy Jeff, and so on. Many horrendous snapchats were made mainly involving Joe sleeping, aka dying. In the end, we all made it out alive and Jeremy didn't get lost. Also, the music was good too. TL:DR. Splendour was fucking awesome."



Ill leave you with that.

All ze love, Elena xxx