Love Story and a police chase?

Life would be great if it was a 70's movie! 

Let me just say straight up that if you have not seen a 70's movie, then shame on you and if you have not seen the classic movie Love Story, then you need to drive right now to the nearest video rental store and pay anyone to let you see that movie! Even if the store is closed and the cleaner is inside. PAY the cleaner to let you in. If that doesn't work, try the ventilation circuits in the building.. It always works in the movies! Plus, the police should let you go if you simply explain to them that you were merely getting into character for the next Baz Luhrmann film.

Love Story is about a strange emersion of worlds between a guy who has the rich family and a girl who has worked to get where she is. Although the story is still very similar to modern day movies, this movie has been written and produced in such a raw way that you can't help but feel for the characters involved. Although they face some challenges, everything in their worlds seem very simple to them. For instance,  the man of the story is chatting to his friend about the future of his family (his wife) and the friend asked, "What are you going to do now?" and he simply replied, "Well, she wants to have a family and i want her to go back to college, so we're going to have a family." That was his thought process to his friend.

Now usually we all sit there and chat about all the different options that we can do and all the different angles that we can take and we analyse absolutely everything there is to know the decision we have to make. Most times there's chocolate involved and maybe we'll make a whole night of it and get a bottle of wine. Sometimes we even throw in a movie and a dinner, but we all look forward to that point in time when we can sit down with out friends and talk about everything! That scene in the movie was the quickest thought process that i have ever seen! It was so simple! 

Another quote from this all time classic movie that will never leave my memory is this:

They had been married for a few years now and they had their ups and their downs and they'd moved houses a few times. They found a new house in an apartment building and just arrived with all of their belongings. The wife playfully demanded that he carried her over the threshold. So, he picks her up in his arms and carries her up to the top of the building. But as they're walking in through the lobby, the door man shouts out to them with a big smile, "Newlyweds?" to which the wife simply replied with an even bigger smile, "Eternally!".

My point to this blog isn't really clear except that i wanted to tell you a little about this classic movie so you would race out, climb through the ventilation and possibly be chased by the police in order to provide some fun and adventure to your night. 

 So next time you're sitting there, bored as a goose, take a leap out of a classic movie, and go and have yourself an adventure!

Warm wishes,

Emma Martin

Little stick men

The other day, as i was coming home on the tube from modeling in Alternative Fashion Week 2009, i was looking around to see who my fellow riders were when my eyes became side tracked by a very intriguing and beautiful thing.. A poster.

Now you must be thinking, "Ok, sure, posters can be quite intriguing, especially those ones that have funny quotes or amazing colours.. Yes, i totally understand where you're coming from Emma!" .. Do you just. Well, let me take some time to explain exactly what i was looking at..

It was a sign, just above a particular seat. It was a block colour of blue with white writing and white for the pictures. Yes, there were pictures. The writing read, "Priority seat, for people who are disabled, pregnant or less able to stand." The people under each word were stick figures. One was a pregnant woman, one was a woman with a child and the other was a man with a walking stick. 

"Big deal. I see them everywhere!" EXACTLY! That is my point! Thank you for bringing it to my attention.. We see these particular stick figures on signs such as priority seating, road crossings and the most recognised, we see them on the front of public toilet doors, or on someone's private toilet door who has stolen one of these signs and has then returned it to their home and put it on display for all to see.

Whoever designed these stick figures must be seriously rich. They would have made an absolute fortune. Either that or they're now sitting at home on a flee infested couch, in their pajamas and a torn bathrobe, eating some Ben and Jerry's ice cream (cookie dough flavour) and are surrounded by their babies.. 10 purring felines. Let's call this cat carer Ron. Ron is most likely having a twice daily conversation with his cats about how he was the one who invented the stick men and back in the day it was considered a real art, until someone stole the idea from him while he was sleeping. The next thing he knew, they had it posted on every public toilet door and someone else got the recognition for his artwork!! .. Poor Ron.

So the next time you visit a public toilet or you ride the tube and see a priority seating stick man staring at you, take some time out to remember Ron; the ice cream eating, couching sitting, feline loving, poor man who wasn't able stay awake at the most crucial time of his life.

Warm wishes,

Emma Martin 

99 pence chocolate

Do you have those people in your life that you have no idea when they entered and how they were so quickly intertwined into your world? This crazy concept of feeling like you've known someone for years, but in reality, it's been such a short time! 

I have so many people like this in my life and as the journey continues, i am constantly meeting amazing people who quickly become intertwined into my world. The support that comes from these people is so valuable and just plain random! I am talking to one of my loved best friends right this moment and i was thinking about how our friendship happened. As i couldn't remember how, i just thought to myself "Wow, life would never be the same! What an inspiration!". We can learn so much by the people that we put around us and in our lives.

With that said, i'm going to dedicate this next blog to my support! What am i going to write about this time? Yes, that's right.. Raw Food Detox.. It's time i face the music..

So i kick started this Raw Food Detox on Sunday by having an amazing 8 course raw food lunch/dinner and i was so full by the end of it that i could have challenged an elephant to a biggest loser contest and the elephant would have won by 100 pounds! I was seriously rolling out the door. 

The first day of the detox was torture! I went for a walk in Holland Park and the smells of food that were wafting past my nose were so delicious that i almost bit Justine's arm off! We made it through the night on empty stomachs and arms still in tact.

Day two was fine. Until i went to my model friend Hannah's place and she was eating food, real food, in front of me! My mouth was watering but i kept my water bottle close and sung to it so my mind wasn't on food but rather than my beloved water. We watched gossip girl afterwards, so i can't complain!

Day three came about and i was going strong! I felt like i could make it! Until we started running out of food and money.. That's when things started going pear shaped to say the least. We still made it through the day.. the night time we may have had some chocolate from easter that was left over.. i said MAY have had some chocolate. It doesn't mean that we actually did.....

Day four... Day four is today... Day four is non-existent.. Day four didn't happen.. Lunchtime involved salad.. but it was on bread. Then i went a little crazy. I went to visit my friend Vic and as a hello gift, i bought some chocolate (a block is 99 pence here!!) and some HobNobs too.. Ever since then my stomach has been growling at me saying.."What would you do something like that to me!! What have i ever done to you! Grawrrrr!". 

So with that said, if you are on a detox.. STAY WITH IT! Don't give into that 99 pence chocolate. It'll still be there in 7 days time, i assure you! 

Want to know the worst part? When you sign up for this free raw food detox, they send you daily emails encouraging you with your progress.. i've fallen off the bandwagon, but i keep getting the emails! There's no way i'm going to tell them what's happened.. at the end.. i'm going to smile and say "What? 99 pence chocolate? I didn't even know it existed!"

Warm wishes and stick to the detox!

Emma Martin

Skywriting in London

Emma: "Hey Jus, what do you call it when those planes write something in the sky?"

Justine: "Sky riding."

Emma: "Nope i just looked it up and that has something to do with skateboards. Are you sure it's sky riding?"

Justine: "What did you type in? No, i said skywriting!"

This is the conversation i had with my housemate about 5 minutes ago. The truth is, this conversation sounds very blonde and ditzy. I'm here to confirm this. As i read back over the conversation, i realise how it sounds. However, this is only a minuscule fact in a much bigger story.

The last few weeks in London, the weather has been amazing. Ok, yes we still sometimes have 4 seasons in a day, but as a whole, the moment Spring hit, people walk around in T-Shirts and massive smiles on their faces that just cannot be wiped off. London also introduced the Australian version of Daylight Savings the other week until October, however, when i asked a Londoner what they call this over here, the person replied with, "Ahh, ummm... We just turn our clocks forward an hour. So i guess we call it 'turn your clocks forward an hour'." This was a rewarding conversation. All of a sudden, since 'turning out clocks forward an hour', it doesn't get dark now until 8pm! This is a crazy concept for any Australian!

What am i getting at? Be patient loyal reader, for the point that i will make is such a rewarding thought that i can guarantee that you won't look at another Spring day the same again.. Especially if you live in London.

Now, the trees are blossoming in the parks and soon we will see what the leaves look like on the bare trees outside our house. For months we've been trying to guess as to what they'll look like. We've had guesses anywhere from marijuana leaves to gum tree leaves to christmas tree leaves to tea leaves. Obviously we hope it's one of these leaves and i think you know which one.. the tea leaves of course! What do you take us for..

So picture yourself in the afternoon, walking down an English street with white and pink blossoms on the trees. Some are staying put on the trees and others are floating through a soft and refreshing wind, circling around your feet and kisses your cheeks and the tip of your nose. You look around and everyone you see is smiling and has a bounce to their step. You close your eyes and breath in deeply, catching scents of perfume floating through the air. As you open your eyes, you look skyward and see a sky that is clear of clouds. The sun is setting slowly and the colour puts an even bigger smile on your face. Then something catches your eye. "What's this?" You ask out loud (everyone talks to themselves in London, it's just what you do). This 'thing' that has caught your eye is so majestic, so simple, so out of this world, so joyous. It's none other than skywriting. You see about 16 planes in the sky, making the most of the open sky with the soft wind and they are going crazy. There's lines going every which way!

Now, the thing that makes it so special is as the sun is setting, it hits these lines in the sky and illuminates them like it's a light in its own right. It's a simple concept but i can guarantee that every Londoner gazes up at the sky at one point or another and these little lines in the sky will give them so much joy. It's peaceful and it let's you know that someone is going out of their way to make you smile, even if it's for one afternoon. Everytime you look skyward and you see these lines, you can't help but think that you can do anything! That's a point right there that i never want to lose.

This made me think. Who are the people that say, "Oh boy! The sky is clear, the sun is shining! This is my time to go out there and make all of London look up at the sky and make them smile! Yee Haa!" (You never know, they could be from the country). We never know who the beloved skywriters are, but i'm sure they could feel the weights being lifted off of Londoners and floating up to meet these lines in the sky. 

So the next time you see some skywriting, think about who has gone out of their way to make you smile and maybe look towards the plane and give a little wave, i'm sure the beloved skywriters would appreciate it very much. Here's to the skywriters that give their time, passion and love to the world. Life definately wouldn't be the same without them.

Warm wishes,

Emma Martin

DETOX is the word of April

The countdown until detox has started! 

The other day i was sitting in our cosy living/entertainment/kitchen/laundry/media/dining/ lounge room and i thought to myself, "AHHHH! (I literally thought that in my head) Emma! What are you doing?! You've never had a detox! It's about time you restart your body clock!" Then my thoughts began to have a debate in Spanish! Ok, i don't know Spanish, but you know the moments when you have this great idea and then you start thinking about everything that goes with it and you start thinking.. I might pass.. Well the realisation of  not being able to eat chocolate, or anything with that delicious nature, finally hit me! 

So i started researching detox diets and Justine had mentioned one where you just drink water and salt water for a week. I must say, it didn't sound too appealing, however, i thought, if this is what a detox is, let's try it! 

As i was researching, i stumbled across a raw food detox. Now this immediately sounded amazing as it had food in the title! Since being over here in London, i've met people who live on raw food only and it's amazing the recipes that are created! I'm telling you, it would blow your mind. So this raw food detox.. Don't laugh at the name.. The Raw Divas.. Has a 5 day preparation stage and then a 7 day detox. This works out well because the last day of the 5 day preparation stage is Easter Sunday, which means.. CHOCOLATE! 

It's exciting because for Easter this year, we're having a bit of a London framily lunch. Framily is basically friends who are family. Just clearing that up so then you didn't think i was trying to be all cool and drop an R into the spelling of a well established english word. This framily lunch is going to be amazing! Its a raw food lunch, so everything is going to be made with raw food and raw chocolate! Who's jealous??

Now comes the challenge. I challenge you ALL to a detox. I know it's odd timing as Easter is pretty much now, but the day after Easter, we are all going on a detox. Not even an option. Let me know how it goes for you or if you've found an awesome detox diet with an awesome detox name. Because let's face it, every detox diet deserves a corny name....

Detox, detox, detox.. Say it 10 times fast..

Warm wishes,

Emma Martin 

Fairy Tales

Ever wanted to live in a fairy tale land? A land where dreams come true no matter what plans the evil character invented. A land where you look fabulous from the moment you wake up. A land where your true love rides up to you on a beautiful, white horse and declares his love for you. A land where you could fall from the top of the highest mountain and every piece of you would still be in tact. A land where animals gather around you and help you get dressed in the morning. A land where everyone can sing (i mean, what's with that!? What about the rest of us who just can't seem to grasp this talent!). A land where the main characters, no matter where they are or what they've lost, are able to enjoy the place that they're at.

It's been 2 months now since i decided that i wanted to be a model and what a roller coasted it has been! This whole 2 months has been a fast learning curve. I've learnt to re-adjust my thinking, how i act, what my dreams are and how i'm going to accomplish them. Let me just say straight up though, it's about now that the missing of the best friends and the family back in Australia really starts to set in and i am so lucky to have one of my best friends over here with me. Her name is Justine Clare and she's an amazing actress! She's one of those actresses who won't do one movie and that's her career. She is going to go down in the Hall of Fame. There is no way that i'm biased, this girl is going to re-set the thinking of our society and touch the hearts of all who will see her films. 

How does one even begin to explain these past two months? I simply cannot. Instead, i will say that when doors start to open, it's easier to walk through them with confidence rather than ramming yourself down a laundry shoot that is too small for you. 

Tomorrow i'm starting a 12 day detox. I must admit that i have never done one of these detox diets but i'm absolutely looking forward to it! It's a raw food detox so i will keep you updated on the progress of it all. 

I've heard stories that if you eat too much carrot, you turn orange and if you eat too much peas, you turn green! Maybe that was just from my childhood friends encouraging me to throw my vegetables to the dog under the table at dinner time.. Either way, i don't think i can turn any other colour than what i am right now... WHITE! As an Australian who loves the beach and who lived on a beautiful coastal town, i do not think i have ever been this white! I was talking to my dad on Skype this morning and he was saying things like, "Oh Em, you look like you have the London tan!" and my personal favourite, "You glow Em!". As i was wearing a white singlet, he couldn't resist in saying, "Oh you are wearing a long sleeved white shirt! For a moment there i thought it was a white singlet". Yes, the rumours are true, i have somehow misplaced my 'natural glow', however, i hear that white is the new tan so i can live with that.

April 20-24th 2009. What is on these dates you will ask. Alternative Fashion Week of course! This is where all of the up and coming fashion designers will present their designs to all who wants to see. Why am i so interested? I've been accepted to model in the shows and i am so excited for it! So if you're free on these days at 1.15pm, make your way down to the Spitalfields Traders Markets and enjoy the shows!

This is the start of my fairy tale.. How does yours start?

Warm wishes,

Emma Martin

An unplanned step towards the dream

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Yep! I could do this for years and years!"?

I had the privilege to have this thought on Sunday night. What on earth am i talking about? Well now, i better let you in on my thoughts.. But first, let me take you back in time to Sunday 8th March at 5pm..

Justine Clare and i met at our favourite little cafe around the corner from our house and we embarked on a journey to the new Westfield. Now let's just focus on this new Westfield for one moment, shall we? It's the biggest shopping centre in Europe!! I swear you could play hide and go seek in there for a whole week! It's so massive that when you walk in, you have to act cool and act like you know exactly where you're going, so then you don't come across like a tourist, but rather an expert in the biggest sport that is hitting this planet: shopping.

So we decided to go to this gigantic wonderland and buy a DVD called "The edge of Love" at HMV and a fabulous dinner from a local vegetarian place. We were in HMV collecting movies. We were like two kids in a candy store. We both love buying movies! It's definately a form of art. In the middle of us debating whether or not we want to spend £50 on movies, my friend, Hannah, called me. Let me just put in a side note here. Hannah is an incredible model and a brilliant chef! We always make up excuses to come over and taste her food: "Oh Han, we forgot to tell you that we saw a really cheap hammer on sale in a random shop somewhere." Or "Han! It's you! Oh we didn't realise you lived around this part of London! It totally slipped our minds that you live 2 minutes down the road from us!" Or sometimes we like to go for the abrupt approach: "Han, we don't want to lie to you.. We smelt your cooking from home and the scent carried us to your doorstep. If you let us stay, we'll give you this bottle of wine and boxes of Oreos!"

Back to HMV on Sunday.. The phone call. Hannah asked if i wanted to model in a fashion show because they're short of models. I played it pretty cool on the phone but my face and dancing body just had a mind of it's own! Of course i said yes and we discussed details. One of these details was that the call time was 3 hours prior to the phone call and the first show started in 4 hours. 

An hour later i was at the Crescent Club in London for the Semon Cashmere collection by designer Semka Dashnyam. It was a rush to get ready but can i just tell you how much fun it was! It was my second proper catwalk, but it felt like i'd been doing it for ages! Hence the thought of "I could do this forever!". 

Funnily enough, it was International Women's Day! Hannah and i proceeded to tell them that in Australia, it's International Women's Day everyday. I think we boosted the tourism for Australia in just one sentence. 

We had a bit of a fan base there also. Some we knew, some we had no idea who they were and some were just plain freaky! After the first show, Hannah and i posed for 20 minutes with people who wanted a photo with us. Yet again, the same though of: "Ahh, i could do this forever!".

It was a brilliant chance to network and meet other models, photographers, designers, stylists and anyone else in that business. This is just the first step to a dream come true and i can't begin to tell you how exciting and encouraging this little fact is.

Justine Clare was like a proud stage mum. Don't believe me? Check out her video about the fashion show where it has actual footage of the show! www.youtube.com/user/justineclareX

Also, a photographer, Nick Fallon, has some photos up of the night, so be sure to check them out.

And while we're at it, why not mention www.modelmayhem.com/EmmaMartin.

As a sign off, let me just tell you one simple thing: never underestimate the power of a phone call!

Warm wishes,

Emma Martin