Holidays=fun

I love Melbourne for fun holiday time.
Jared and I went together, first time for Jared to travel interstate and first real holiday since he was nine. We had heaps and heaps of fun. Most of it went undocumented though because my camera died of lack of batteries and it can only be charged by computer and I forgot to bring the cable :P The night before we left Jared had a few big scrapes on his foot from falling over outside and he could barely walk on it but nevertheless we went! It just turned into a cool gangster swagger after a few days. Also, we really hate early morning plane trips.

When we got there we went out to a fun rock pub which became Jared's temporary 'local'. The man inside who owned the place looked like Tim Burton. It was awesome. Many a night was spent there, watching local bands and drinking cider.

The first week we spent shopping and going to lots of different clubs and bars. Jared bought a lot of new gothy stuff for him to enjoy and I bought some illamasqua makeup and some new stockings.

I have a love for themed bars, and Melbourne seems to have a lot. We didn't end up going the the ice bar which I really wanted to go to. But we did get to go to madame brussels which is set up like a sorta alice in wonderland way. If I wanted my house to look like anything, it would look like that place. Especially in regards to their bathrooms, they had cobble stones. Not real ones but just as a floor...thing :P Our housemate sam was with us for a few nights as well, we also went to the casino and jared was in awe of the fire display that happens outside it. I think I may actually be missing how cold the weather was though. I love wearing winter clothes and earmuffs and a million layers of clothing. Maybe I should go live in England.

Sam was only with us for a week though. Our hostel was really nice and the people there attempted to pamper us. I think it was because we were staying for so long so they got a significant amount of money off us. We walked down to the docklands which wasn't that far because we were staying just out of the cbd, plus we enjoyed the walk. The weather is pretty much bipolar and the whole day we were getting wet one second then it was clear sky the next. I got a cute white fluffy beret that kept me warm the whole time we were there. I love berets!

Jared bought this $300 one of a kind trenchcoat from ministry of style when we went to brunswick street for more shopping. He was so happy that he had something that nobody else could have...ever. When we were shopping I tried to go to a wig shop but by the time we got there it was closed. On the way though we stopped at V'n'V boutique which has lolita clothes in the back of the shop. I bought some baby the stars shine bright socks :3 I was very close to buying a dress but we didn't have the money. When Jared had his pay go through though we kept on putting it off until we eventually left without me buying it ;_;
Oh well I still got yahoo japan :)
Jared is thinking of moving over to Melbourne he loves it so much. I think if he had resumes with him he would've taken them out everywhere. If we do plan to move over, it'll be after I graduate at least. I'd be able to have lord of the fries everyday :) Mmmmm. Read more...

Vegan FAQs and assumptions

I decided to make an FAQ for all the people that ask me questions (frequently :P) about my veganism. I may add more. Other vegans feel free to pick me up on any differences in experience or other questions you get all the time and I'll add it! :)

What is a vegan?
A vegan is a person that doesn't consume/promote/use anything to do with the harm of animals. That includes dairy, eggs, meat, fish, honey, chicken, animal tested products, other products that have animal products in them. I put fish and chicken in that seeing as I get asked that ALL the time. "so you're vegan, does that mean you have fish/chicken still?"

Why are you a vegan?
Personally, it's because of moral reasons, environmental reasons and because I can't stand the thought of eating flesh and muscles and parts of something that was living. I can't take away the body of an animal just for the taste in my mouth for a split second. I don't believe it's worth an animals life that it was born to enjoy. In my opinion, the meat and dairy industry are cruel places and I don't want to support them in anyway.
And animal testing is just never going to be a good idea. Animals are different and respond differently to chemicals. Plus some animal testing does NOT need to be done at all. Research it if you're interested. There are also lists available on the net that tell you exactly what products test on animals.
On the environmental and worldly side of things, farming takes up a lot of room, meat takes a lot of time and money that could be spent better farming plant crops. If the american population decreased their meat consumption by 10% they could feed 60 million people. That could end world hunger.

What do you eat? Moss and dirt?
Yes. Yes we do. I love me some moss salad tossed with a bit of muddy juice. Seriously though, vegans eat a variety of food. Legumes, lentils, beans, seeds, nuts, vegetables, fruit, wheat etc. With these ingredients it's easy to make things seeing as there are so many varieties of these things and a whole lot more variety to cook with. Obviously it's not steak, mash and peas like traditional dinner but it's pretty easy to do still.
Curries, pies, burgers, sausage rolls, muffins, cakes, anything you can think of we can veganify. I've made and eaten fake pork, shepards pie, lasagne with soy mince, fake steak etc. Mind you, becoming a vegan you do have to research up a bit on what to eat nutrients wise.

The ever judging vegan assumption.
The worst assumption anyone can make about vegans is that we judge. I cannot speak for most of us but for the ones I know we don't, we're open minded. I have come across some vegans that won't date non-vegans and look down on them, but I think they should not be looked at as representatives of vegans but on an individual basis.
A prick is a prick whether they're vegan or not. You're always going to get bad seeds.

I'm not going to think any different of you if you love meat or not. Going vegan was my personal choice and although people may automatically think I'm judging you for not being vegan/vegetarian, I'm honestly not. It's not something that even crosses my mind. You eat meat? it's very common, I come across it all the time. It's not as if I'm not used to talking to meat-eaters and being friends with them.


You're such a strong person! I could never do it. I love ___ too much.
I don't really think it's that big of a thing. Obviously that could just be my own personal experience, but if you want to do it, it's the easiest decision to make. Willpower is easy to get if you really want it. I went vegetarian when I was 12 when I saw lamb sizzling in it's own fat on the grill, I've seen it before but it was just the turning point I guess.
I went vegan the moment I realised the dairy industry was a cruel place for animals. I've never looked back not once. It was easy for me to change my diet seeing as I was vegetarian already.

Going vegan can be hard for people going from a omnivorous diet. But there are so many helpful websites to guide you every step of the way. Vegan recipe books are in every bookstore, there are a superfluous amount of vegan websites, ESPECIALLY for beginner vegans.
It would take me a lot of strength NOT to be vegan. I don't have the strength to be like you! I'm taking the easy way out really.

Vegan food is so expensive!
It's really not. Yeah the pre-packaged stuff can be sometimes, but it's not that much difference between buying a steak or some other form of meat. You also don't have to buy fresh fruit and veg ALL the time. Yeah you buy more than maybe the common omnivore but not much more. We also buy cereal, soy/rice milk, juice...other normal things. Plus frozen berries in a smoothie are like the most simplest breakfast drink ever! and the berries last forever!

The animal was already dead when I bought it, so it's a waste of food isn't it?
The less meat that gets sold, the less animals that get killed. On average a vegetarian saves about 100 animals a year due to not buying meat. A vegan I believe is a bit more due to non-dairy etc. Animals get killed because of demand.

The debate about honey
I get asked all the time why I don't have honey. My answer is simple. It's still taking something that's not ours to take. The bees don't make it for us, we're not doing them a favour by taking their produce. Bees make honey for their pupae. Same principle for milk, eggs and for wool.

What about plants? don't they feel pain?
Ethically, what is better in your opinion..cutting off the limb of a perfectly healthy dog or clipping off a rose from it's bush. Use your logic. Just because a plant is alive doesn't mean it's a sentient being with a brain and a nervous system. Even if you're arguement is scientific, if vegans didn't eat plants...it would be a LOT harder to get all of our nutrients. It's a lot better than quitting because of lack of nutrition and going back to being a carnivore.
If all plants had feelings that carnivores also would be at fault. Walking on grass would be killing millions of plants wouldn't it? let alone mowing the lawn. God forbid we pull out weeds!

Where do you get your protein/iron? Don't you have to have multivitamins?
I don't take multivitamins, but not all vegans are the same as me. It can be helpful to have vitamins now and again but generally most vegans are healthy. If you think about it a cow gets all it's proteins and irons from what it eats...grass. We're just cutting out the middle man.
The last time I went to the doctors (last week), I was told I was in complete and full health. No nutritional issues what so ever. I've been vegan for over three years now and still going strong.

Does it make you sad eating around meat-eaters?
Nobody that I see on a daily basis and eat with on a daily basis is a vegan. So I'm very used to seeing meat everyday. I work at a place that has some meat products, I also actually prepare food with meat in it sometimes (obviously with gloves and a slight disgust).
When people get a very bloody meaty steak and eat it happily right in front of me saying "it's soooo good" to agitate me. Then that makes me sad, and annoyed. There is nothing that would make me happier than to see another vegan meal in front of me, but I'm used to seeing meat everyday.

Don't you miss ___?
I can only answer this as an individual, not as a representative of vegans everywhere. Some vegans are more or less attached to the foods they left behind than me. I was never a big fan of eggs or meat. The only thing I really enjoyed was cheese and dairy but once I replaced it I found something much better and fun to cook with! I RARREELLLYYY (seriously once every year or so) get cravings for non-vegan food. I never EVER crave meat.



I'll probably add more when I think of them.
For the moment I'm going to play some final fantasy xiii!


Kae Read more...

Hex Alien shoot sneak peaks

I did an amazingly fun photoshoot with Hex Alternative photography yesturday, filled with magical blue goo that was sticky but wasn't and runny but not. It seriously is an amazing goo, and I had the privelage of getting it all over my little pale nakie body and posing in it.

Since the photos have implied nudity, I put it under a link so as to not burn the retinas of little children :3
Here are the sneak peaks! There will be more uploaded when I get more photos back :)

Enjoy! 

Kae

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Mexicana patties and flowers make kae something something

These my friends, although very plain looking, are my amazing bean and corn 'mexicana' patties. I got given leftover bean salad from work and transformed them into deliciousness! I basically blended up the bean salad, dumped some flour and some herbs in it and voila :3 Pretty easy way to get rid of leftover bean salad.

I bleached my hair today back to white so at the moment I have pretty boring hair. But next week I will go and get my hair done by the lovely Adele at wildilocks ^__^ I will have awesomely styled hair *makes excited gestures*
The other successful thing I did today was watching a full days worth of anime watching. I recently bought an anime called 'the Wallflower'. It's pretty funny, and being a lover of excel saga (whom has the same director) I did love this one. I recommend it to all. Even Jared who is somewhat of a picky anime watcher loves it too.

I leave you with a picture of myself as a teeny tiniee in a field of paper flowers :3 

paper flowers have to be my favourite flower ever since I was born. *nods*

Smurf shirt and bucket hat ftw! My parents had such cool taste.

xx
Kae. Read more...

Pride and Prejudice- Reality edition

I have a blog yay! 

I've been pondering about it for a while and today I finally decided to make one.

Onto current events.....

I went to the Big Day Out on sunday and for the most of it had a lot of fun. I fainted twice but that's okay I got back up again in a few minutes :3 Something that I did not expect, however, was the amount of stares, glares, and picture taking there was of me and my boyfriend Jared. Obviously coming from an alternative background, we are used to it but seeing as there was a lot of people in one area I should've expected to get more of it I guess. 

Being yelled that you're a freak or a fag so many times in one day does start to get to you by the end of the day. So much so Jared had to refrain from punching one man that decided to call him a [insert swear word here] fag from a metres' distance.

This made me start thinking. Why is the fact the we look different such an insulting thing for someone? We weren't doing anything particularly odd, I was wearing a shirt and mini shorts with my pink dreads in and Jared was wearing leopard print pants with a fishnet top. Yes we looked alternative but does that mean we scared people into hostility? Possibly. 

Exploring the concept of prejudice has to begin at where it came from. Survival instincts needed in and out groups to survive "us and them". Belonging to a group in primitive times lead to survival, and being suspicious and having hostility towards different groups was also for necessary. Does that mean we are slaves to our nature? 

Most people I believe overcome these instincts by telling the brain these instinctual prejudices are false alarms, in this day and age we need interdependence and co-operation between groups but still our instincts arise in our behaviour. 

People generally have high positive feelings to their in group. This is no problem, loving your family, your neighbourhood, your culture and/or your country is a wonderful thing. The problem is however, that with these feelings come the negative feelings to an out group "them". Watching football matches turn ugly because of the eccentric and angry fans always curls my toes, as well as seeing any form of outward discrimination like religious wars and racial segregation.

Why do we have to look/behave like everyone else? Why is is so hard to accept difference? 

Maybe our primal fears come into play again. I still do not fully understand why people fear difference. As a child growing up in a mainly white community, I really liked seeing different races and religious backgrounds. Difference always intrigued me. 

When I was at a bar once waiting for my friend, a slightly drunk man came up to me and kept asking questions as to why I dressed the way I did. I said because I liked the look, what it meant, how it looked etc. He tried in vain to convert me to normality, I couldn't understand why he wanted me to be a normal girl, and he couldn't understand why I didn't want to be one.

Maybe I'll never understand prejudice properly. 

I could go on for hours but I have to raid my fridge for leftovers for dinner.

xx.

Kae.

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