The Domestic Playlist

Hello lovely friends!

We believe that music definitely has the effect to change the mood. We dedicate (almost) every Saturday morning to cleaning our apartment and doing our grocery shopping. To enjoy ourselves more while we dust our shelves and clean the bathroom, we usually get one of our computers out and blast some music. It is even better when it is a sunny day and we have all of the windows open letting the fresh air in.

This playlist I first made as a smooth driving tunes mix that would satisfy both our parents and us when I am in the drivers seat (yes, we are 19 and still on our L's). However, I discovered that the mix also works well with cooking and cleaning. I added a few songs, and now we have the perfect domestic task playlist filled with many old and new tunes for easy listening, and dancing around singing into your broom. 

WARNING: There is a lot of adult contemporary on here. 

 

What are some of your favourite mixes or playlists?

Stay Gold,

Claire & Grace x
--

p.s What? you can embed Spotify playlists?! Well this is just a game changer.

A Post About Grocery Shopping | Claire

Hello, all!

EXAM PERIOD IS AT ITS END! 

I (Claire) finished last Wednesday, after having 4 essays due in 3 days (living the fast life), and Grace finished today! For all of you who have also finished, congratulations! May your days be spent in bed binge watching Netflix/Stan/Presto (ok, let's be honest. We're all using Netflix, aren't we?) as your life is free from academia once more. 

And to those of you who are still going, YOU CAN DO IT. But ugh, studying is the worst, isn't it? Remember to take breaks and don't work yourself too hard. Passing is important but so is your health. 

With swotvac and exam period, we were two very busy bees. So much so, that by the end of last week we had no washing powder, had squeezed the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, and all we had to eat were 2 minute noodles, soup, and mac and cheese. All great food options, but not ideal to live off. When you have so many essays to write, grocery shopping just doesn't seem like an option. So last Friday morning, when I was enjoying the start of my Uni break and Grace had a couple days until her next one, we wrote a list, took our personal shopping trolley (this nifty thing from ikea), and set off to our closest Coles. 

Now, if you haven't already gathered, Grace and I live out of home, and so grocery shopping is up to us. Planning meals is probably the hardest part of independent living, as well as finding the time to go to the supermarket (check out  part one of Grace's adventures in the kitchen here). However, grocery shopping is Grace's favourite time of the week, and I will have to agree. You see, we have a routine. Every Saturday morning we clean the apartment (somewhat) and then we go grocery shopping. This is the same routine our Mum has back at home, which we helped with and carried through with us here. (Thanks, Mum <3) 

We really enjoy grocery shopping, but we are not sure why. Is it the freedom to put whatever food you want in the trolley without someone to say no? (Kind of. We still stop each other from getting unnecessary food items from time to time. Remember to keep an eye on that budget!) Or is it the "adult-ness" of it? It is all so grown up, doing your own grocery shopping. We think this must be it. 

Moving to Melbourne and having our own apartment/routine in the city is something we have always looked forward to while in high school. Is that weird? Perhaps we watched too many movies/TV shows growing up. But which TV show glorifies being an adult? Because Suddenly 30 (That's 13 Going on 30 for you non-Australians), definitely doesn't. Maybe it's our love of watching YouTubers and their vlogs... 

Nonetheless, trivial things like going grocery shopping makes us happy! It's like we have control of our lives, and being twins, I guess being independent is more important to us... even if we are being independent together, it's more like we get to ease into it together. Grace has been doing the independent life longer than I have, since I was at a residential college on campus last year and all of my food was prepared for me (shout out to the kitchen staff!), so we help each other. 

If you have made it this far with a post about grocery shopping, we love your dedication!

We don't have that many tips with grocery sopping, other than always look for specials, and even then, check all the price tags and see what the cheapest option is. Just because it is on special, doesn't mean it is the cheapest option. Also, try and plan your meals for the week before you go. That way you can stay focused and get what you need, as well as get in and out of there without wasting 10 minutes staring at a shelf. 

All in all, we appreciate the trivial things in life. We are so happy, and lucky, to be able to living in Melbourne and have this as our life. Like, we are living the dream, basically. Living in Melbourne with jobs, great friends, and studying what we love at a University we love. We are so grateful to have these opportunities. So yeah, we are happy we get to go grocery shopping. It means we are growing up and are at a place where we can afford to do that. Which is pretty special. 

Now that we are on Uni break, let's see if we post more! Here's to hoping!

Stay Gold,

Claire x

A Day In the Life: SWOTVAC Edition | Grace

Follow Grace around as she conquered a day of SWOTVAC, or as we like to call it, swot-WHACK. (I know, we're very funny), through a series of snapchats. And when you're done, give our individual snapchat accounts a follow for more looks into the daily lives of uni students living that Melbourne life.

Okay now... go!

I started work at 7am and it was freezing! I don't mind the early start, though. It means that I can get a lot more done in the day. 

After work I went home and changed, then Claire and I went into the city and met our fabulous friend, Miriam, for some lunch. We decided to try out Journal, which is next to the Melbourne City Library in Flinders Lane. I ordered a pot of English Breakfast because I don't usually have time to enjoy my morning cup of tea in the mornings I start work early, and the mushroom bruschetta, which was one of the specials for the day. I am so obsessed with mushrooms right now. I cannot get enough! 

As exams are coming up, we decided that we should actually do some study today, and hey, studying isn't so bad if you do it with friends! So we went to the Starbucks across from QV in Swanston St, where we set up camp like the other Uni students that were there studying, and did some work for a few hours. I was working on my American History revision essay/exam, just going over what I had written the day before and editing here and there. Something casual as I knew that I would probably get distracted being with Miriam, as she is one of my best friends. 

Then of course, there is the multiple journeys on the Melbourne Metro service. Nothing too exciting here.

(Boots: Target, two years ago (similar) | Boot Socks: Cotton On | Jeans: Cotton On, last year)

Also, totally not planned was me rushing to the bank at 4:30 in the afternoon trying to sort out an issue with my online banking. I totally felt like a real adult though, guys! I did not freak out at all and I handled the situation very maturely. Our Mum is so proud. Go Grace!

And of course, because it is SWOTVAC and today was a kind of Treat Yo' Self kind of day, Claire and I finally decided to satsify our multiple-weeks-long craving for donuts, and bought a Krispy Kreme each to enjoy as a dessert. Of course, while doing more studying. 

And there you go! Thanks for following along. Let us know if you enjoyed it and would like to see more posts like this. If you just CANNOT POSSIBLY WAIT (wow, enthusiasm), for another post to see what we get up to during our days, you should probably add us on Snapchat, because we post many many snaps a day. 

Grace: gracefulwhitex

Claire: clairencew

Until next time,

Stay gold!

Grace

Where have we been?

Hi guys!

What's hip-hop-happening? We know we haven't been around for a while. To put it simply, that's because a. A lot has been going on in our lives and b. we have been struggling with ideas for posts. What exactly is a "student lifestyle blog" and what kind of content are we supposed to be posting?

When we started this blog, our ideas drew inspiration from our favourite Beauty Youtubers and style bloggers. But we aren't that great at makeup, and we are too busy with uni to take photos of our outfits everyday (those of you who do, you're absolute goddesses). So what should become of this blog? Because we do still want to do this. After a lot of thinking, this is what our blog will be: a place for us to document our lives. We'll be posting life updates, what we've been doing, what we've been studying, places we've been, what's on our minds.
This way, there is a lot less pressure on us regarding content and we get practice in blogging. Just a bit of fun and hopefully we keep you all interested. Because honestly, when you have as many thoughts and opinions as us, what else can you do but write about it?

And because it has been so long, here' a bit of an update on what has been happening in the past month:

We started our second year of University! Getting back into the swing of things at Uni has taken some time, especially since Claire has to adjust to the "day student" life, and Grace's transfer making her practically a new student. There were a lot of things we had to figure out: Where are our classes? How can we make our timetable better? What shall we do during our breaks? Are we happy with these subjects? When will we do our readings and in what order? What time should we leave home in order to get on campus on time?
But, as it is mid-sem break right now, we can safely say that we have it down-pat. 
Breaks are for grabbing coffee with friends/studying! 
Probably leave 45 minutes for travel time as those trams are pesky things! Do your readings in order of your tutorials! See? We're killing it. 

Claire officially moved in! Now, we know what you're thinking: "What do you mean Claire didn't actually live with Grace? Was the summer a lie?!" And no, it wasn't a lie. Claire lived on campus last year and when the school year ended she moved into Grace's apartment, which she shared with a flatmate, and slept in the living room. It was a fun time!
But now, Grace's flatmate moved out and Claire moved in. Same apartment, but now it is 100% ours. This also means redecorating! Let us know if you want us to make a post about our apartment decor. (Our aesthetic is The Look For Less)

Housewarming
A couple of weekends ago we had our housewarming and decorated the place with streamers and balloons (because, duh. How else do you decorate for two 19-year olds apartment/housewarming?) Check out the pictures below! 
There aren't many photos because we didn't want to use photos that had our friends faces in them, out of respect to them, who may not want their faces on our blog. (Love you, guys!)

(Werk it, Grace)

Easter!
We went back to our hometown and visited the parents for Easter, which was lovely. The weekend was spent looking at old photographs of our childhood, as well as watching home videos. AND GUYS, WE WERE SO CUTE AS CHILDREN. Also, 100% identical (funny that, being identical twins and all...)

We are now on mid-semester break, which isn't so much a break, as more of a "non-teaching period" since we have essays to work on. Hooray! But we are going to try and get this whole "blog" thing happening again. You can count on us.

So if you're still with us, you're the best. We hope you stick around! 

Stay Gold,

Claire and Grace.

The Oscars pt. 2

Hello friends!

Part two of my Oscar’s post is here. So, without further ado, here are my last two ”reviews”

BIRDMAN

Birdman is the story of a former screen-superhero actor, attempting to fight his inner battles and gain relevance again by Directing and starring in a book-to-play adaption on Broadway.

And let me tell you, it is amazing.

As the opening night of the play What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, a single camera follows each character around the narrow corridors, dressing rooms, stage, and the city surrounds of Broadway’s St. James Theatre. This is orchestrated in such a way that the entire movie looks like one continuous ‘long shot’. Can we just appreciate that for a moment, please? Because there is nothing I love more than cinematography. Just, heart eyes everywhere!  Love, love, LOVE. The jazzy drums score sounds like one that would accompany a magic show, as if the whole film is a magic trick (which it so is. Movie magic, people!)

While I could go on scene by scene about the editing of the film, this is definitely also an Actors Film. The characters are so eclectic but then again, fit together so well, including Michael Keaton as ageing actor Riggan Thomas, Emma Stone as his recently rehabilitated daughter, Naomi Watts as a first time Broadway actress, Edward Norton as arrogant method actor Mike Shiner and Zach Galafanakis as Riggan’s best friend, lawyer and Producer of the show, his serious and professional character one I haven’t seen with Galifiankis before and my oh my is it welcomed.

In short, the film is amazing and everyone should see it (and don’t worry, you’re supposed to be leaving the cinema thinking “What in the world did I just watch?” just go with it.)

100% deserves the Best Picture nom (every nomination, actually), BUT, I don’t see it winning Best Picture. Why? Because it doesn’t seem like a film The Academy would choose (because The Academy have a Type. Just look at the winners of the past 5 years. But man, it would be amazing if it did.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Everyone knows Stephen Hawking as a great scientific mind, one of the smartest people in the world, and also know that he has a motor neuron disease. However, who was Stephen Hawking before he became the man he is today, and how was his journey there? Little know about his first wife, Jane, and the fact that Stephen was told he only had 2 years to live.

This film is beautiful, and it left me with a whole lot of emotion. The score from Johann Johannsson is absolutely gorgeous. But above all, it is important to note the acting ability of Felicity Jones (Jane Wilde Hawking) and Eddie Redmayne (Stephen Hawking). Firstly, Felicity Jones is superb as Jane. I’m not sure how to describe it, but you’re just either a. going to have to take my word for it or b. go see the movie, because she was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA AND Oscar for Best Actress, so obviously, amazing. (It has been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen this and I didn’t take notes afterwards, so I’m sorry).

And of course, there is the delightful and charming Eddie Redmayne with the challenging role of Hawking himself. Leading up to seeing the movie, I had read many interviews with Redmayne about the role and what he did to prepare. And let me tell you, this man read every book, memories ever little fact about Hawking, and employed various movement coaches and other professionals to fully replicate the deterioration of his mobility. The effort and skill is evident in the movie and it is astounding! Particularly at the end of the film, where Hawking is at the stage we are all familiar with in his chair and automatic voice (which is Stephen Hawking’s ACTUAL, patented voice. The voice is copyrighted to Stephen Hawking, but after watching the film himself, Hawking granted the use of it to them. Amazing stuff, right?), Redmayne is able to convey such emotion in a face that can hardly move except for his eyes and cheek. HOW DOES HE DO IT? Or am I just biased? Apparently I’m not, since he has already won the Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA for the performance. It will definitely not be surprising if he wins the Oscar, too.

(Disclaimer: We do not own the images used in this post)

BUT CLAIRE, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL WIN?

Good question! And let me level with you, I’m hardly an expert in these things, nor am I The Academy (I’m not an old white male, OH SNAP! Ok but seriously, the injustice of The Academy voting alone is a serious issue that needs to be called to attention), so this is just what I think from observation of past winners and my own opinion.

My favourites, and the ones I really want to win Best Picture are Birdman and The Theory of Everything (see above), just because both were spectacular. 

BUT, to be honest, I wouldn’t mind if any of the films I saw won. They are all amazing, hence the nomination in the first place. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Boyhood or American Sniper won. Why? Boyhood has been talked about by so many and it’s impressive 12 year long process is definitely admirable. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama. And American Sniper just seems like, from the sound and looks of it (again, I haven’t seen it) such an Oscar movie. It is America, after all. That being said, there is the whole "fake baby" thing...

While I have enjoyed these movies nominated for Best Picture, and think they definitely deserve the nomination, if not win, I am a little disappointed by the lack of female representation. In all the films, a male is the lead character. In fact, if there wasn't the actual Best Female awards, the entire awards would be uncomfortably and unjustly a sausage fest. Although a female did direct Selma, (you go, Ava DuVernay, you do your thing)!

The Academy can nominate up to 10 films for Best Picture (and they have in the past). this year there were only 8, so female-led films such as Wild, Still Alice, or even Gone Girl could have easily filled those spots. The leads in these films are all nominated for acting awards (Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore and Rosamund Pike), so good luck to you, ladies! You all deserve it <3

But this is all neither here nor there ;)

THE ACADEMY AWARDS is on tomorrow, Monday the 23^rd and will be aired free-to-air on Chanel 9 at 12:30pm and will be repeated on GEM at 8:30pm.

Stay gold!

Claire x

Back to Uni Haul | Second Year

 Welcome back!

Our second year of university begins in exactly two weeks! We are ready to go back and learn more about the subjects we are passionate about, (although we are sure that we will be counting down the days to mid-year break by week three). This is also exciting because it is an excuse for new stationery! And boy oh boy, do we love stationery shopping. It is something that we share with our Dad.

So let's get into this haul, shall we?

FIRST: Our Bags

CLAIRE

Firstly, the backpack. Isn't it the cutest? I'm such a 60s aesthetic girl and so the combination of the mustard with white polka-dots and brown side pockets is just me in a bag. It has heaps of room for my notebooks and readers, as well as a draw-string top under the flap. The two badges that I have are form the music theatre association tent at Clubs and Societies day last year in O-Week. They say 'I <3 Musicals' and 'Crew Are People Too' (because duh). I like to type my lecture notes, but our laptop (we have the same one.Twins!) is a massive 15 inches, so it won't fit in my backpack. Therefore: 2 bags are required for lecture days. This brown one we were eyeing off on Modcloth for MONTHS until Claire saw it at Colette one Boxing Day. It's the only bag I have that fits my laptop, but it's so classic! 

Backpack: Sportsgirl 2013 (Similar) | Laptop Case: Typo | Laptop Bag: Colette Hayman (Similar at Modcloth)

GRACE

How much I carry to Uni depends on each day, so I usually alternate my bag. I recently purchased my new backpack from Target. As my laptop is large a 15", I needed a bag big enough to carry it for the days that I may need to bring my computer. At only $30, it is the perfect cheaper option of the Herschel Little America backpack. Unlike Claire, I prefer to hand write all of my lecture notes, so sometimes my backpack is larger than necessary to carry around, so I like to use my black handbag from Colette Hayman. It is large enough to fit my lecture book, water bottle, snacks, purse and my keys.

Backpack: Piping Hot (Target) | Laptop Case: Typo | Handbag: Colette Hayman (similar)

SECOND: Our supplies

Colour coordination and organisation is key, hence different coloured pens, highlighters and sticky notes are key. The pens we use are the Papermate Inkjoy. We've been using them for a couple of years now and haven't gone back since. 

In our Arts degree, handing in a hard copy of your essays as well as online is very common, so having a stapler on hand is super helpful. And this one is so cute and pink! 

The notebooks are Claire's (one for each semester) and they have spaces for 4 different subjects in them. Since we only take 4 subjects a semester, it's perfect and means we only need to take one notebook to Uni. The black one is A4 and a hard cover (so fancy) for semester 2 and the smaller one is A5, which is perfect for tutorials. The cover says 'Crafter's Gonna Craft'. 

The 2015 Planner is also Claire's and was a gift form our friend Anna. It's also from Typo and super cute because the pages have a floral print border. Claire added a notebook elastic from Kikki-K to keep the planner closed and hold a gold and white polka dot pen, also from Kikki-K. Another post about how she uses her planner will come later (maybe.)

These are Grace's notebooks for the year! Four subject notebooks are so handy and better for organisation. I loved my Typo Campus notebook last year, however this year I wasn't that impressed with the covers. So, instead I decided to use the Marbig Colour Hide subject notebooks, which worked out to be cheaper than the Typo notebooks anyway. I love how bright these colours are! For tutorials, I usually write less, so I decided to opt for A5 notebooks. The spiral notebook is from Typo, and the other four I found in our Dad's stationery supply. The covers were not that interesting, so I contacted them in pink glitter! In case you haven't noticed, I am all about the presentation when it comes to school supplies.

And that's it! How do you like to take notes? What's your favourite pen to use? Trust us, if it's about stationary, we want to know.

Until next time, 

Grace and Claire.