"But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies"

The other night I had a dinner party- I invited over my eight closest friends from uni and cooked for them and fed them wine. I'm determined to stay close to them in our post-uni lives because I will never be that person who only has friends from their current venture. I think it's really important to have old friends because they can't replaced. Old friends have lived through your experiences with you, they know you in a way new friends can't. new friends may eventually become old friends but when you lose an old friend you lose so many memories. Besides that, I don't know if I'm going to follow a career in the law and I need friends who know that side of me. My university friends are typical law students- ridiculous A-type personalities who are loud and stubborn, who can't ask for help and will argue about anything. For hours. I make them all sound like stereotypes and exactly the same, which isn't true. One of my uni friends is the ultimate idealistic guy who believes that politics really can be different and the perfect girl is just around the corner. Another is a practical swing voter who has been with the same guy for three years who she doesn't love but admits 'there's no one better'. Of course, for the most part, those two don't get along.

Anyway, with the exception of two who are still studying, the rest of them graduated with me. Of those who graduated, two are doing further study and the other four have full-time jobs. I usually hang out with them on weekend and it was different spending time with them on a week night when they all had to be at work by 9am the next morning. it struck me how exhausted they all seemed. I would say miserable, but I don't think that's actually true. I know they would be more miserable without work. One guy stayed at my house until 7am because grudgingly leaving and saying he'd best go home and get his suit so he could go straight to work. None of them drank more than 2 glasses of wine and stared pitifully at the empty glass when it was gone.

I guess this is growing up.

It terrifies me. Seeing friends I have shared years of drinking, debauchery, stupid hook-ups, fights, travel and adventures with grow up into adults with jobs and relationships and weekend BBQs. I cannot do that. The idea of me getting up every morning at 7am, changing into a suit and going to work at an office where I never see sunlight makes me stomach churn. But can I actually escape that? Or are growing up and having fun mutually exclusive concepts? I really really hope not. But here i am, about to flee reality and the country because I can't face up to my future so maybe I know deep down that the adventure ends with a career.

I don't want drudgery. I want to wake up each day with a new idea, a new plan. I want to meet new people and see new things and be a new person. I want to learn and laugh and have fun. I'm not ready to grow up. And I can't stand seeing people I love fall down the black hold of adulthood. Even if that's what they want.

“If I want to knock a story off the front page, I just change my hairstyle."

I probably spend way too much time thinking about my hair. Waaay more than the average person. This is probably due to the fact that since high school, my hair has been every colour of the rainbow. And I don't just mean blonde, brunette and red (although I've had all those) but all the colours you've ever since on a street punk- purple, pink, blue...the list goes on. I'm currently sporting a mix of yellow and green.

Because of this, I worry about my hair a lot. What colour I'm going to do next mostly (I have a bag with at least 10 brand new dyes sitting in my bathroom cupboard) but also about the condition of my hair. I was lucky enough to inherit my mother's strong, thick Chinese hair...but it's also very dark and has to be bleached regularly. We all know bleach isn't good for hair and it's recommended not to bleach any hair twice. I recently bleached my hair 3 times to attempt removing a stubborn blue dye...I even bleached it twice in a day. I also washed it with a range of horrendous items such as dish-washing detergent and laundry powder. I am also essentially a beach bum and have spent every day off I've had this summer at the pool and beach. Chlorine, salt water and the sun strip colour and moisture out of hair like nobody's business.

My hair is what those in the profession would refer to as 'damaged'. But, actually, it's not that bad. In fact, most people who touch my hair are surprised that it's soft and doesn't snap off. I used to be super slack with my hair and would wash it with soap and just hope it would be okay but that lead to a few disasters. I now own several shelves of hair products and an intensive regime so that my hair doesn't resemble painted straw including:

• Sulphate-free Shampoo. I basically only shampoo my hair once or twice a week. Shampoo is pretty drying and also strips colour like a bitch so I only shampoo my hair if it looks and feels oily and dirty, or if I've been swimming or something (or if I'm washing out oil). Supermarket shampoo, even those designed for coloured hair, are generally shit and will result in colour disappearing down the drain. Stuff from hair stores is more expensive, but so worth it when you consider how much dying your hair costs.
• Leave in Conditioner. I am such a fan of leave in conditioner. It doesn't really matter what brand. I go to bed with leave in conditioner most nights and wake up with softer hair. If it still feels dry when I wake up, I put a bit more in. 
• Moisture/Conditioner Sprays. Lighter than a leave in conditioner, moisture sprays are good for coating wet, just washed hair or when you want a moisture kick that won't change the way your hair is currently styled/sitting. They can also be used throughout the day if you've just been to the gym or beach or something.
• Deep Conditioners. I am slightly obsessed with Pantene 3 Minute Miracle. This stuff works wonders and is reasonable cheap (especially on special) being available at supermarkets. I discovered it in Queensland a few years ago on holiday when my hair had become brittle from swimming every day and it fixed it almost instantly. I tend to use once a week or so.
• Conditioner generally. Conditioner is one of those things that has more uses than expected. I've also noticed little difference in cheap and expensive conditioner, so I tend to buy the $2 one. Conditioner does actually clean your hair (not as well as shampoo but still) and I condition my hair more often than I shampoo it. For a deep condition, you can leave the conditioner on for an hour or so before rinsing it out. Conditioner is also useful when shaving your legs, and washing your skin with it will leave it feeling soft as well (especially after a day in the sun).
• Hair Oil. I tend to avoid store bought hot oil treatments and the like, but I do do an oil treatment on my hair perhaps every two weeks. I always coat my hair in coconut oil before bleaching which helps to minimise damage and then I use a mixture of coconut oil and olive oil as a hair treatment. These are just the regular oils you use for cooking. There's a bit of dispute about which oils are best for hair and I think everyone's hair is a bit different and different oils suit different hair. I love coconut oil, partly because of how it smells, but I use a bit of olive oil otherwise my hair gets a bit crunchy. Other people prefer straight olive oil, although I find that a bit greasy, or avocado oil. You can also buy special hair oils, often argan, but it's much more expensive. If you plan to leave it in this is a much better option than say, olive oil although a tiny bit of coconut oil can be left in.
• Keratin. I'm actually not that big of a fan of keratin. I don't think my hair is that hard-up for protein, and if I feel it is I'll wash it with mayonnaise as I feel that's softer, but I do use a keratin spray if I use heat tools such as a hair dryer on my hair. That said, I don't use straighteners or curlers very often. I imagine if you did keratin sprays would be more useful.
• Hair Dye. Little known fact: semi-permanent dyes are usually excellent conditioners. Dyes such as Manic Panic and Fudge should leave your hair in better condition than before you put it in. So don't be afraid to leave bright dye in for twice the recommended time. It's not permanent dye loaded with chemicals. And if you want a pastel shade, mix the colour with conditioner for coloured hair and a conditioning treatment in one.

Nobody likes fried hair. Whether you bleach it, dye it, over-use heat styling or just swim a lot conditioner and oils should be spending a lot of time in your hair. I had a customer at work the other day with over-processed platinum frizz. I wanted to tie her down and dump her head in a bucket of olive oil. There really isn't any excuse for shit hair.

See, I told you I think about my hair too much.

"I want something else, to get me through this, semi charmed kinda of life"

How to tell you're not so much a hot mess as just a fucking mess (again):

This story comes from The Best Friend.

It was the middle of the week and The Best Friend went to go see this band we're mates with. She happens to have a little thing for the lead singer (okay, it's a big thing, but he had a girlfriend forever and she'd basically accepted the fact that it was never going to happen and then they suddenly broke up except now he just wants to sleep with 18 year old sluts) but claimed she was just going along to support friends.

The gig was a success, except for the fact that the lead singer kept flashing her looks during their set which she ignored (while, of course, hoping they actually meant something). Afterwards they went for drinks. The drummer went home with one of the girls he is regularly sleeping with. The other girl he is regularly sleeping with continued to hang out with The Best Friend, the lead singer and the bassist. The bassist took acid and all but passed out on the bar floor. The rest of them hung out in an awkward circle where everyone was flirting with someone different.

The ended up all going back to the girl's house. She got naked and tried to convince the rest of them to follow suit. The bassist was passed out on the floor. The other two were just sort of like this is weird...let's have another drink. Finally the bassist announced he had to go home. Ditching the naked girl the other three went to go and find a taxi. After wandering the streets for hours (and a random stop at Maccas) they finally got home. It was 7am.

The Best Friend crashed into bed, slept a few hours, showered and then headed off to work at 1pm. She was busy selling stationary and setting up VM moves for over an hour and then her boss pulled her aside. He asked if she'd been drinking. The Best Friend admitted she'd been out the night before, but only for a few hours. It had, after all, been a Wednesday night. And she hadn't been that bad. She hadn't even taken drugs.

Her boss told her she stank of alcohol, that it was not on, and she was sent home. Unpaid.

Yeah. Her boss is an arsehole who obviously never gets laid. And doesn't use alcohol to forget that fact.