Lizzy In Brizzy — The Joys of Living in Brisbane

Review : Typo Concept Store

December 11th, 2009 · brisbane, television

What : Typo

Where : Brisbane CBD somewhere in a mall adjacent to Queen’s Street???

Joy Factor : 7 out of 10

So today I was wondering around Queen’s street looking at shoes and clothes I can not afford. I was wondering around the mall that opens up to Hype shoes and the main strip when I found this really cool stationary store. I came home and googled it and found out it is a Cotton On brand. It is designed to sell hip stationary to the Smiggle crowd but is still not really official. I couldn’t even find out the address of the store on their site or much information at all.

Well this new mystery store carries very hip cards, laptop holders and cool gizmos. If you are from North America it looked and felt a lot like Urban Outfitters. Everything was a bit edgy but fun at the same time. My favorite thing was they sold large wall decals. You could buy a mounted deer head silhouette decal for your apartment or a little vinyl heart. They also carried sarcastic Christmas cards and really neat stationary.

In general I find this new stationary store trend kind of interesting. I thought stationary was a thing of the past but there is continuously more of it showing up. I thought we didn’t send letters or cards to people anymore, we were all about the email as a society. So I couldn’t justify buying something at this store because it felt like it was a bunch of stuff I didn’t need. It is all really pretty to look at and clever so it is a really fun store to visit.

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Courier Mail Sunday Edition Article

December 9th, 2009 · brisbane, me, Uncategorized

I’ve only been in Australia for just over 6 months and I’m already making headlines .. . sort of . . .not really. Anyways, I was contacted last week about being interviewed for an article about Farmville for the Courier Mail. You may remember I was a fan of it and kind of quit playing it cause it is a waste of time. Well I did an interview for the paper and the courier mail sent over a photographer to take photos of me playing the game. It was kind of a surreal experience, the photographer took easily under a 100 photos of me at my computer playing farmville. The next day the article came out and they didn’t go with a picture. But it doesn’t matter cause it was still really cool and neat to be in a big paper. So in case you missed that paper here is what I said about Farmville as written by Byron Vale.

” Elizabeth Gibbons, 24, of Ormiston in Bribane’s east , has been playing Farmville for two months and said she plays the game every day.

“it’s really addictive.”

” You play it pretty hard for the first couple of months then you realise there isn’t any point to it but you keep checking anyway.”

So there you have it, my claim to Brisbane Fame. It is pretty cool that the journalist found me via twitter and emailed me about an interview. I’ve definitely not had that happen before in my life. It would also be cool if it wasn’t the last time, it does give you lots of exposure and could always lead to something else. It was too bad they didn’t use a photo but overall it was a fun experience.

Thanks again to Byron Vale for contacting me and interviewing me, it was heaps of fun.

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Review : StereoSonic = Less Chatchy than Parklife

December 8th, 2009 · brisbane, music

What : StereoSonic
When : Last Weekend
Where : Doomden Racecourse

So yesterday I went to StereoSonic with my boyfriend and his friend Pat. We arrived around 2 pm and it was a great venue. I’d never been to a music festival at Doomden Racecourse but I really liked it. It seemed to have lots of little secret areas to chill and others to watch the stages. The place was reallly big so you didn’t feel like you were part of a herd. I really liked the washrooms under the grandstands and the Sneakerpeeps stage. It was a great area with heaps of trees for shade and close to a bar/washroom/food area. It felt like a bunch of twenty somethings just took over the grounds and were making it their own. I didn’t feel the presence of staff, roped off areas or much restriction which is a big contrast to the crazy security at ParkLife. I compare this festival a lot to Parklife cause that is the only festival I’ve been to before this one in Australia. So i’m by no means an expert just a person with a few observations.

So we spent most our day at Sneakerpeepers, which was awesome like I mentioned before. It was such a chill vibe under the trees with no pushing for the front or people being nasty. There was heaps of room to dance and enjoy the beats. I really liked the way they set up the stage with glowing globes and blue LED lights. It felt like a big garden party with heaps of awesome dancing people. The area was so chill, we sat in the back of the dance area under a tree for a break and I had a mini nap. I was pretty tired of dancing in the heat all afternoon and kind of had a mid afternoon siesta.

The artist that stood out for us at Sneakerpeeps was Marco Carola. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know the subtle differences between electronic and techno but he was really good. I really enjoyed his vibe and danced up a storm.

All and all, it was a great day out. I wore a huge red hat which was genius because it was a 30 plus day. I also ruined a pair of shoes because of all the dust and dirt out on the dancefloor. I’m not complaining but just saying wear old shoes you don’t care about to events like this. I’m not sure if we will go back to this festival but it was heaps better than Parklife is so many ways. On a side note there was the controversial shirt on policy which I think is awesome. I don’t want sweaty shirtless men running around like they own the place.

Another side note too, there was way way too much smoking going on at this festival. When I left my voice was all husky not from yelling but from all the tobacco smoking everywhere. There was like a cloud of the stuff over this festival I swear (kidding). I’ve never been to a festival where they had cigarette booths that just sold cigarettes and nothing else. Is smoking a big part of the Brisbane music scene? I was kind of disgusted by the amount of smoking and I thought festivals were to celebrate music, get outside for the day and be kind of baby hippy. Maybe I just went to too many folk festivals in Canada with recycled plates, reusable water bottles and hippies running the show. But Brisbane festivals should start really think about their environmental impact, I have yet to go to one and think yah they’re being good to the earth. Maybe , I”ll just go to a hippy festival if i’m so concerned right but it does cross my mind here and there.

→ 1 CommentTags:doomden·festival·music·parklife·smoking

Review : ELLLLIIIIOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Elio’s Osteria

December 4th, 2009 · brisbane, food

Website : Elio’s Osteria

Where : 119 Winstanley St, Carina Heights

Joy Factor : 8 out of 10

There are just some restaurants you just like and crave every once in awhile. I’m like that with Elio’s Osteria, I just crave their blue cheese gnocchi. I’ve tried the gnocci bolognese and their pancetta and blue cheese risotto but in the end I always just go back to the blue cheese. I really like the blue cheese flavour on their cloudy and light gnocchi. It is like a little taste of heaven in your mouth I assure you. The shaved parmesan and freshly ground pepper add a magical touch to the dish. It is just one of those comforting dishes that I really enjoy when I want something filling and tasty without much fuss. The funny thing is Elios has an extensive pizza menu that I’ve never considered trying because I am just hooked on their gnocchi. Elios has amazing calzone garlic and cheese bread too you should try. But be warned, the garlic is pretty intense so don’t order if you’re not a garlic fan.

One incredible thing about Elios is the insane serving sizes. I always order the main size even though I can’t finish it cause I love taking home a doggy bag. Their pasta if you can believe it tastes amazing reheated the next day at home. So when you go it is kind of like two meals in one so make sure you ask them to pack up your leftovers!!!

Well if you can’t make it over to Elios but want delicious gnocchi at home I also recommend this recipe from Epicurious. I’ve made it countless times when I crave gnocchi and its is a real crown pleaser with company. You’d think store bought gnocchi wouldn’t be so great, but I assure you this recipe is extremely good and super easy to make.

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Review : Arj Barker – A Funny Night @ The Powerhouse

December 3rd, 2009 · brisbane, Uncategorized

What : Arj Barker’s Original Style Bits and Pieces

Where : Brisbane Powerhouse

When : 1-13th of December

Joy Factor : 7 out of 10

Tuesday night I was very lucky to be given the opportunity to see Arj Barker at the Powerhouse here in Brisbane. Luckily I had never really heard of him before except for I know him from Flight of the concords on HBO. I was going in with a pretty blank mind about his comedy style and what to expect. I think that is the best way to approach comedy, otherwise you’re too full of preconceived notions that get in the way of your laughter and you end up just judging the show.

His show was a mix of a bit of observational humour, San Francisco hippy inspired rants, music at the end and a video to open the show off. I appreciated some of his messages of religious and sexual tolerance which was oddly refreshing from a comedian. There was a bit of bathroom humour but not too much to disgust me. He threw in some humour based on Brisbane’s nightlife and his experiences in smaller Australian Cities. All in all it was a pretty fun night of humour and honest laughs. There was a little bit of everything for anyone in his show.

If you know me, then you know I’m not the best at taking in comedy. I kind of get stuck in the not sure to laugh and not sure how to react to crazy racial or sexual stereotypes. Sometimes comedians take it too far for me and I get a little stand off ish. Arj wasn’t like that, he pushes boundaries but makes them funny in a non offensive way so they appeal to the broad group.

Overall I really enjoyed his show and would recommend it to people wanting to have some fun. I can not remember the name of his opening act because he was sensational. If I had any criticism it would be to see more of the opener. He was extremely sharp and quick tongued with his jokes that were in the moment. I apologize I don’t know his name but I feel like he is a rising star to Arj and worth keeping an eye out for.

Picture credit : www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

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Brizzly ! Heaps of Twitter Fun

December 2nd, 2009 · Friday Website Frenzy

What : Brizzly

Joy Factor : 8 out of 10

What do you get when you cross twitter with a bear? You get Brizzly.com which is my new favourite twitter page on the web. It does everything twitter.com does but with a few extra features. It allows you to see trending topics on the side but also provides explanations of what/why those topics are. So for example a trending topic while I write this is #MM and Brizzly tells you that is the tag to use when contributing to music mondays.

Another feature I like is you can mute people, lets say a person you follow is at a conference and they tweet every 5 mins about how great that conference is. You’re not at the conference and its a topic you don’t particularly care for. You can just mute that person for a day or so without “un”following them till they’re done the conference and go back to regular tweeting. It’s not like you are blocking the person but just don’t want to see their constant conference updates in the meantime.

There are a lot of great features to explore on Brizzly but one that stands out is the Direct Messaging. They allow you to see direct messages in their own column to the right on the screen. So if you DM back and forth a lot with one person it looks like a conversation. It stacks the dms up and presents them similar to how SMS are displayed on an iphone in a logical conversational manner.

I’m not sure if Brizzly is open to the public yet, i’ll post invites on my twitter some time today so keep an eye out if you want to sign up.

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Mexican Fiesta in Bulimba

December 1st, 2009 · brisbane, food

What : La Quinta Mexican cafe
Joy Factor : 8 out of 10

So if you follow me on twitter you know I’m always on the hunt for good mexican food. My partner and I have tried Montezumas and El Torrito, but we are always hungry for more. Well last weekend we tried La Quinta Mexican Cafe in Bulimba, I can say quite confidently it was good.

The food was very fresh and had the little zest of lime I crave with good mexican. I ordered the vegetarian chilli and it was very spicy which I liked. It was served with nachos and sour cream which was good dipping. My partner ordered the beef chilli with tortillas and he said it was pretty yummy too. So the flavours and food were up to par. The only downfall I felt were the prices, my main was about $15.00 and my partners was about $20.00 which is pretty steep for a little bowl of chilli with dippers. I guess when your food is good and fresh you pay a premium but this felt a bit steep to us. I think you’re also paying for the overhead of being right on the main Bulimba strip close to the theatre and nightlife. Still the food was good but not that good at that price. Maybe I’m just cost sensitive, but I think back to the amount of labor that went into those dishes and it doesn’t add up.

Both dishes were slowly cooked and were probably prepped the morning of service. Then they were ladled into bowls upon ordering and brought out with sides. Granted my partners dish was chock full of yummy beef but still I don’t think it is worth $20.

I think I would go back for drinks and snacks. They had an impressive appetizer menu with tasty nachos matched with an equally appealing drinks menu. I had a very good pina colada and my partner enjoyed his margarita, so I feel it would be a fun place to meet up with people. That being said, I’m still curious about other mains on their menu and would go back if it wasn’t for the steep prices. I’ll have to give this restaurant some thought before we go back. I might search the web for coupons or ways to lower the visit cost. Or look into if they have like a half price drinks night or something like that before I go back.

UPDATE : Just checked the Brisbane Entertainment book and there is a %25 off coupon. So if we go back we will use this coupon to make it worth while. Entertainment Book

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Farmville

November 30th, 2009 · Friday Website Frenzy, me

There are some things we do that are bad for us. We know they’re bad and yet we putter away at them anyways. One of those things is Farmville in my life. I’ve recently quit but still keep accepting the friend gifts and look at my wilting crops. I said good bye to farmville but it was a lot of fun. I can see how people get addicted to it. Its a mix of Facebook friends, free stuff and the fun of waiting for your crop to grow. I really had fun planning out my fields and reminded me of my sim city days. I had fun dressing up my little farmer with a high bun and makeup to look like me. If you have heaps of free time and want to play around in Facebook this is a game for you. I warn you it is highly addictive, even though I quit, I still check up on my withered crops once in awhile.

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Kosta Boda

November 29th, 2009 · shopping

I saw these bowls and glasses in a friend’s house. Then I saw them again at David Jones and I had to learn about them. I am a big fan of chunky and colorful glass and this is a great example of that. I’m dreaming when I say I like them cause I will never be able to afford them. Still its fun to dream about owning an ultra modern home filled with Kosta Boda Glasswear. Check out their website, heaps of pretty pretty things that reek of Helvetica font and everything super stylish and trendy . . . .

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Summer Make up Success

November 28th, 2009 · me, product, shopping

So things are getting very hot in Brisbane, in fact I’d say super hot. What is a girl to do in this heat to stay fresh and comfortable? Well that is a very good question I’m struggling with. I was on the train yesterday to the city where it is nice and air conditioned but as soon as I got off at central the humidity hit me. I felt instantly sweaty and oily all over. This as you may of guessed is not an attractive look especially in the city where everyone seems to look impeccable and polished.

I gave it some thought and came up with a solution I am test driving for this heat. I have a few other ideas I would like to test drive as well that might have to wait till I have cash one day. Pictured above are my make up essentials I’m keeping in my purse of late. The first thing I’ve done is put away the liquid foundation, even though it provides very sheer coverage, it is still too heavy in 30+weather. I have switched to a loose mineral powder foundation by MAC (not pictured) which also has the 15 SPF in it. But some days I skip that too cause I’m in a hurry and go with just the Mac mineral powder in Medium which provides a lot of coverage for me. I think some colour is very important on the cheek bones for some summer color so I use Mac Powder Springsheen. I keep it fairly clean with just a pretty intense and heavy mascara (Mac Pro Longlash) but my secret weapon is clear eyebrow gel. I have caterpillar eyebrows and this gel just keeps them clean and perky all day. The only thing I’m planning to change in this combination is maybe getting a waterproof mascara, I’m not a fan of these mascaras because they take industrial strength eye make up remover to take them off. So this is the game plan thus far, so I’ll have to see how is holds up.

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The Joys of Living in Brisbane