A bit of a blog…
4 sleeps to go and it’s going to be a busy week. Lost some time this weekend as I was sick, still better now than the end of the week.
Tony and I did the music CD on Friday, it’s all sounding really great, just a couple of designers to go and that will be signed off on today.
Model fitting sheets are being written up and sent to designers to complete and check, once these are all back then things should be just about complete.
Penni is busy co-ordinating the 30 odd dressers, such an important aspect of backstage, good dressers!
Just emailed a designer to see if she will sew up something up for me, I am trying to delegate now as otherwise just too much to do. Fingers crossed the answer will be yes.
Am still going to try my best to be done by Wednesday night, would be good to have a day off on Thursday and I need my hair done, perhaps ever faithful daughter Holly will give me facial. This year has been bigger than any other and I have struggled sometimes to keep on track. You have good days and bad days, sometimes try as hard as you can you seem to achieve nothing and then other days you fly through things. Pray every day this week is like the latter.
Will report in again tomorrow and check my progress………
1 more week…
Well here it is Friday just before lunch and I thought I would take 5 to write another blog…this blogging is getting a bit addictive and I have to say I enjoy the chance to put down in words some of the things that have been happening with this event that hopefully give you dear reader a chance to get a bit of an insight into the world that is StyleAID.
First must give a great big thank you to the gorgeous Holly May for her comments…I have had the great pleasure of watching her grow into an amazing young woman over the past 9 years and was so touched to read what she had to say…
Just doing those fun jobs at the moment, chasing up people for payments and finalising them before I begin the task of table plan…this has to be one of the most difficult jobs to do with this event…trying to ensure that everyone gets seated well…which of course is not always possible but I need to make sure that sponsors, VIP paying guests and those wonderful committee members get good seats, although I do not think there are really bad seats as we have a huge screen for projecting the parade and entertainment as well as another really long catwalk that will ensure everyone gets to see what is happening onstage.
I am getting more and more excited and also really looking forward to having a suit fitting with the lovely Pat from Preacher at some stage in the next few days so I can see what stunning clothes she has done for me…always a sensational designer I am so privilaged to be dressed by her for the night.
Anyway that is enough for today…been having a good rest of the week after it started off a bit slow with side effects but now it is full steam ahead to another amazing night that will be StyleAID Heaven!
Oh dear, I am a blog addict…
Oh dear, I am a blog-addict, poor Mark, hope you feel better tomorrow.
I think I am on top of things, I only have one half day left at work tomorrow and then I am Styleaid focused!! It means I don’t have to work at night so much as I need to get my strength up for the big day and night. Adrenalin is a powerful drug but the let down afterwards is scary and depressing.
I will need to pace myself now to make sure I get everything done so that by next Wednesday I am able to take some time out.
Booking Material Boy models tomorrow and doing their fitting next Tuesday evening. Not so much correspondence from the agencies now which should mean that model changes have ground to a halt…well for now anyway. Nearly all the music is in from the designers, nearly all the shoe choices are finalised. Their deadline was only 10 days ago!! Oh designers you make my life so rich and exciting rather like bungy jumping!!
The two things to complete this week are music and shoes. I will spend Friday morning in the studio with Tony Salom doing the show CD. Send the shoe lists to Zomp and go visit VUK one more time just to make sure we have chosen the best of their stock for the emerging designers.
Still got to do the big project for the catwalk, the one that involves white paint, still got to design and make the prototype accessory, still got to make the costumes for the opening, these are going to be my biggest tasks next week. I shall try and delegate and find some help!! HELP!!!
Most of the models dressing sheets are done, completed 75% of the catwalk credits, still got to find about 20 dressers, Swan TAFE, I am counting on you! Have worked out the racks and how things will be placed, have collected the shoes for the finale section, oh must phone to organise the finale surprise, have to see if the Merge girls are going ok, must get the running order to Tony. Must get the shoe list to Georgia….must get ………….must phone…….
Um did I say I was on top of things!!! Hee hee. Still got 10 sleeps and right now I better go get one of those out of the way…….
A good day, a bad day…living with HIV
And here is me thinking that all was going well health wise and although really it is today has been one of those days when I have struggled just a little.
Not that it is not something that you get used to, because you do but I woke this morning feeling good but realised on standing up that I was going to have one of those dizzy unbalanced days.
And so it was, banging into walls, not seriously, but being unstable at times and having everything spin around. It can be fun when you have the time to just let it happen but with just over 1 1/2 weeks until the big night I do not have time for this!
And along with that take the lovely added extra of diarrohea (please excuse the spelling) for the past 3 days to add to the mix and it makes for some fun times…
Some of it could just be the stress but I think that it is just one of those occasional treatment adjustments that my body makes from time to time.
It is lucky at this stage of the game alot of my day is spent at my desk processing payments, sending out tickets, emailing people and getting the power point ready for the night so I can spend time seated…the dizzy spells are more bearable when you are not on your feet and also close to the loo…
I do not want to sound like I am whinging here because I am not really…this is bearable and not too much of an inconvenience but I just wanted to let you know if you are a constant reader of our blog that this was what my day was like today…and hopefully after a good nights sleep I will be on top of it tomorrow…and as the excitement builds I can honestly say that I really am looking forward to an amazing night this year for StyleAID.
Mark xox
Not long now…
Only a week away….not long now….new shoes to break in…lol…so many things to get done. Fortunately preparing for style aid this year like previous ones has been a breeze, wish everything else went this easy. You guys ROCK !!!!
11 Sleeps……..countdown.
Another weekend flies by and happy to say I achieved a lot. I went to the new house we are building and helped John put up the ceiling, we have 2 and a half months to complete and I know John is feeling the pressure. He is very understanding of the madness in my life right now.
Mark is right in what he says about your intense focus when you get to this stage of an event. Everything does seem to go out the window and you do have to remind yourself constantly that there is life beyond and loved ones and friends do have a place in this madness.
On the other hand, if we don’t work hard and cross all the t’ and dot all the eyes, it could be a disaster. The organization side of the parade is enormous, done properly it means that there is less stress on the day, as everyone knows what is going on and when it should happen.
I think this is why people love to get involved, as there is time for enjoying the experience and not being totally overwhelmed with the huge amount of preparation that happens on the day.
Sunday I just sat at my laptop and made up my shoe lists, still a few styles missing from designers but as long as it is complete by Friday everything is fine. I have worked with Zomp now for nine years.
It is very important to make sure that their job is as easy as it can be so a great deal of attention to detail goes into preparing their list of shoes required.
I sorted out all the comp cards and made sure I had changed all models names of those that are unavailable and replaced them with new ones. It means I have to follow up on shoe sizes but a couple of emails and I will have all the information I need. How did we manage without emails??
I can’t remember, it must have been much more complicated as at least now I can communicate anytime of the night or day.
Made up my to do list which indicates just how close we are, it’s not as long as I thought it might be. Just have to steadily tick things off and all will be well.
Alyxx
Living with HIV continued…
As the wonderful Aly wrote in her blog we only have 14 sleeps to go and the excitement is building.
I get so caught up in this event as it draws nearer that I sometimes forget some of the other important things around me like my partner, my kids and my friends. It is so easy to become completely consumed with this event that everything else goes on hold until after August 4.
I do like the focus and really enjoy the healthy stress associated with it.
Managing an event like this is such a buzz and it really all happens because I have great support around me and the most amazing team of people who work to ensure it all happens and none more than the wonderful Aly May and Tony Salom…they both go that extra mile and really put all of themselves into this event.
That is not to take anything away from the others involved as they are all fantastic and give of themselves to.
HIV takes a back seat to a degree as well when I am this focussed on StyleAID. I have to say the past week or so has been great in terms of side effects and health…not that I deal with them all the time but as I mentioned in a previous blog with the change in medication this year their is still some getting used to the drugs happening in my system.
The other night I had to get up and stagger down stairs to get a drink and forgot about the dizziness that comes with one of the medications I take…I almost fell down the stairs…it is funny I can look back and laugh about it and I really do enjoy the dizziness in moderation…it is an amazing light headed feeling but I could not deal with it on a constant basis…once in a while is fine and I certainly do no want to fall down the stairs…!!!
So no headaches, no diarrohea, no feeling sick, nothing for the past week other than my eating has increased.
As someone who has always battled with weight and having lost over 40kgs in the past 2 years I sometimes get disheartened when I get stressed and I see my controlled eating go out the window.
It is so easy to undo all of the hard work and I do get really hard on myself even if I put on a couple of kilos…but a couple could lead to putting on more so I am ever careful and try to stick to only putting good food into my body.
This can be a challenge when I am stressed with an event coming up…if only it was summer again and I could just eat my favourite fruits all day (plums, peaches, grapes, watermelon) and not want to snack on things like biscuits and the like…oh well in a couple of weeks I will be able to reharness my eating and get back on track.
Also get back into the excercise as well which goes out the window when it gets cold and wet…Trevor and I try and go out jogging/walking at least 3 times a week but when it gets really cold I prefer to stay home at night and just chill out in front of the TV…happens every winter…but am trying this year to keep the motivation up and do a couple of days a week at least…
So dear reader of the StyleAID blog that is my lot for the moment…I think I will continue this when the event is over and am even thinking about doing my own blog with the help of my good friend Miles from BAM Creative who host and design our website each year…
So the journey continues…
14 sleeps to go, oh dear…
14 sleeps to go, oh dear, I have a headache!!! Not really, pretty well under control.
We had our final committee meeting on Tuesday, reality hits home when you realise the next time we meet will be at the Convention Centre.
This week Penni and I delivered the garments for display to Saints, Preacher, Varga and Department. These donated garments are now available for viewing and buying. We also have magnificent displays in The Colonnade, Carillion and Adam Heath in Claremont. Today Pen and I will do a bit of window dressing in Eros and Stillar, visit VUK in Freo, who is sponsoring the emerging designers, to sort out designers choices and make sure they are ok. We also have to visit designer Belle who is working hard on our opening section. I have nearly figured out the styling I needed to do for some of our less experienced designers. Satya’s Mum will be put to work next week making some of the accessories I need. So many people put up their hands to help. I wonder if she knows yet?
Models are all booked with call times and the scary schedule for the hair makeup rehearsals and shoe fittings is done, it took me 2 hours to figure out. Bit more paperwork to complete before I really feel comfortable so, have enlisted the help of ever faithful daughter, Holly to laboriously type up the fitting sheets. Well I am paying for her Styleaid ticket!!!
Next week, concentrate on the music and check to see if the designers have managed to catch up with the models that were unable to attend fittings last Sunday. Write up the shoe lists for Zomp and Vuk so that they can start organising the 80 odd pairs of shoes and finally write up my check list and start ticking things off. God, nearly forgot, sort out Material Boy models, Sean and Mic will have garments available for fitting soon and I haven’t booked the models yet!! Yikes!!!
I was thinking the other day what will I do when the final models walks backstage and its all over, oh, except for the clearing up. Perhaps I should take up crochet or knitting? I am sure my partner John will keep me occupied, with a new house nearing completion I can see paint brushes and white paint looming in the not so distant futureeath in ClaremHea
Tickets, tickets and more tickets…
Well with just over 2 weeks before the big night ticket sales have gone through the roof in the past few days.
We are now overbooked and I am just following up on people who are yet to pay so that I can officially say that we are sold out.
Watch this space…!!!
We are gearing up for the best night ever…and I might have another surprise announcement in the next few days about another sensational door prize stand along side the vmoto but more on that when I have it confirmed.
Oh and if you are interested I only have 1 VIP table left, all 8 of the others have now sold…so if you have been thinking about it get in touch real quick or you will miss out.
Two Weeks to go…
Two weeeks to go!!! where does all the time go, hard to believe it’s so soon and that’s just me, can’t think how much stress everyone else must be feeling.
Fittings went underway last Sunday and the Styleaid team as usual were ultra organised with models and designers inundating Aly’s place all day.
It’s full on, and all hands were on deck…Mark was up and about organising all the models shots (btw great casting Mark on my Preacher boys!! luv your work), Satya had to do all the run sheets - info for each model (and there about 80 of them I think, basically alot) whilst Aly in between organising the chaos was busy typing in all the final info, music track, shoes, styling everything to the last detail so important when dealing with such a huge group show I don’t know how she manages not to go mental!
Georgia was our floor manager organising all the models for the designers…phew!.. so just a few quick trips to our shoe sponsors Zomp and Vuk to select shoes then can submit my final details, with a few models not able to make the fitting and will come in during the week/s.
Now that I have seen the guys am having new outfits tailor made for each one, the girls were pretty easy to fit and are already done. Yay nearly there, wonder how everyone else is going?
Briefly saw Alvin (ae’lkemi) and Ali (joveeba) at the fitting but didn’t get a chance to catch up, as everyone was too busy running after models and sorting out stuff. And that was just the beginning of the day!
Pat from Preacher