The Man Bun: Has it gone too far?

In today's society, some would say men are taking more pride in their appearance than women. Gone are the days of the scruffy Aussie bloke, instead we're seeing primed, proper 'indie' alternative lads or Stereosonic gym junkies. Although the later is a questionable species of male, there are no complaints here from the stylish 'indie' guy and more importantly, the man bun that's paired with it.

I'm just going to go ahead and say it, I'm all about the man bun. There's something sexy about a guy with long hair. It portrays a laid back kind of guy even though in reality he's probably spent more time perfecting that mun (man bun) than a girl trying to nail a 'messy bun'. Yep, we've been there. 

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There's only one thing that can melt a woman's ovaries faster than Chris Hemsworth wearing a man bun: it's Chris Hemsworth holding a baby wearing a man bun. 

But gone are the days of the scruffy long haired man bun, there's a new man bun in town. It's unusual, it's odd and it's very in. Behold, the Top Knot or the Undercut Man bun. Whatever you want to call it, its the new craze of fashionable men. Now the question presents itself, has the man bun gone too far? Not only would this be a hard hairstyle to maintain, but it completely defeats the look of a scruffy, carefree man bun. Either or, there is an undeniable appeal to the look.

                                             
Give us your opinion on the new mun - The term is going to catch on, i'm sure of it.

BUDA BUDA BUDA BUDA ROCKIN EVERYWHERE

When I say 'Buda' you say 'Pest' say 'BUUUUUDA' 'PEST' Say 'BUUUUDA' 'Pest'

Yes, this is the chant I heard from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, a bus driver and two Irish guys we met at Sziget Festival who were wearing 'Buda' and 'Pest' T-shirts. It's fair to say Budapest was perhaps the rowdiest time I had in Europe. I began my Hungarian experience with a seven day music festival with some of the biggest names in music like Calvin Harris, OutKast, The Kooks, Blink 182 and finished it with the ultimate two-week hangover, new friends and a new found love for my favourite European city.

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SZIGET FESTIVAL
Sziget Festival 2014 was about as crazy as I thought it would be. A seven day party on the Island of Freedom with 400,000 people from all across the globe is bound to be epic. However the festival wasn't just music, it had arts areas, plenty of food and fun activities all across the island. It was so huge it was almost impossible to see everything the festival had to offer.

Above is the closing act Calvin Harriss, I kid you not, I WAS FRONT ROW!!!!! YES! FRONT ROW of this epic photo. It was the most surreal experience, they handed out 10,000 glowsticks to the crowd to dance along with the beats. With my best friends by my side, we kept looking at each other and our faces said it all. It was mind blowing to say the least, perhaps the best night of my trip.

Roses really smell like, sweat, alcohol and bloody good beats. OutKast definitely delivered the goods, which was one upped by the fact I got to go on shoulders for 'Hey Ya!' ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT NOW LADIEEEEEES

Tattoo artist at a music festival full of drunken party goers high on life: Not a good idea. Literally had to convince my friend not to get a tattoo, which she ended up getting on a drunken night in Laos in my absence. Also saw a guy who got his dogs name tattooed on his ass.

BUDAPEST: The City  If you go to Sziget Festival, I STRONGLY suggest you stay an extra week before or after the festival to experience the city. The first day I arrived in my hostel, a guy said to me welcome to the black hole of Europe! It sucks you in, no matter where you go you'll always be back in Budapest. It seemed to be a common denominator that every traveller staying in the hostel had been there for 6 weeks or so, or had extended their stay in Budapest. Of course, I was no exception. I stayed at a party hostel called Carpe Noctem Vitae, it is one of five or so hostels that go out together and host events every night. I went to a boat party, sparty (Spa Party: A party with hundreds of people in the famous Budapest hot baths) open mike night, bar crawls and jaeger trains. It's fair to say, my stay in Budapest was extremely hazy in the best possible way. I had more fun partying in Budapest than I had my whole trip.

The best thing about Budapest is that it's not just a party city, there is so much to see and do during the day as well. The city has lots of bridges connecting the Buda side to the Pest side. I stayed in the Pest side which is the newer side, with shopping and lots of great food. Definitely go to the baths if your in Budapest and walk up the mountain to the lookout for a phenomenal view of the whole city. One night we went up to the lookout with food and drinks and had a picnic whilst watching the sun go down.

ATTENTION ALL VINTAGE SHOPPERS: Budapest is for you. I found the most amazing vintage clothing shops. If I weren't on an ever shrinking budget and only had a backpack for storage, I would of bought the whole store. Sadly I had to settle on a top, but it's a beautiful one of a kind top at that.

SPARTY! A must do in Budapest.

FESTIVAL SEASON

All hail the festival season! It's the time for sun, drinks, tunes and all round good vibes! There's nothing better than finishing up a three day bender knowing that although your form may not always have been on par, your outfits certainly were. I'm loving the natural 'hippy' look this season, with gems, flower crows and crop tops. Im inspired to bring out my inner hippy and rock The Falls Festival in style.

 

CROATIA

Croatia was the last stop on my Euro Adventure before the dreaded flight back to reality. It was however, an amazing last destination and something so far from Australia. The beauty of the country was phenomenal! Everywhere you looked you were in awe of the pebbled beaches, buildings and beautiful weather. I was lucky to spend a week in 30-35 degree heat, yet the week after I left some friends I met travelling said there was a thunder storm and although hot weather, constant drizzling rain.

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ZAGREB
I arrived in the capitol of Croatia, Zagreb, by plane from Budapest. Although the train and bus would of been the cheaper and more sensible option, I was lazy and starved for time. I'd recommend bus as it is surprisingly quicker than train but make sure you book in advance as buses, especially in peak season, sell out very quickly. The capitol city is not unlike other European cities with beautiful architecture and busy, lively streets. Public transport is very reliable. Although the city provided a good insight into inland Croatia, it's got nothing on the coastal beauty of the country. I'd recommend only a couple of nights stay before making your way to the coastal region.

THE WORLD IS FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE: Through my whole time in Europe, I noticed a lot of locals and people who worked in hospitality to be very hostile towards tourists. With the thousands of tourists flocking their towns every year this is understandable, yet for a lost first time backpacker a little kindness can go a long way. The people I met in Zagreb were the friendliest and most helpful locals I met in Europe. The day I was meant to catch my first of five flights home from Zagreb I got to the bus station, was about to pay for a ticket to the airport when I realised I had left my wallet and phone at the hostel. Panic mode set in as the harsh reality that I may well have to leave behind my money, cards and phone so I don't miss my flight came flocking in. Evidently you could see it in my face, as the bus driver who could barely speak english told me I could get on for free. I thanked him but said I had left my wallet and phone at the Hostel. I was sick with a chest infection, over tired and this was the last thing I needed before going home; my eyes began to well up. The bus driver took me into the office to his manager and began speaking croatian to what I assumed was his boss. He then sat me down, gave me water and asked which hostel I was staying at. They rang the hostel to make sure my wallet and phone were there, I thanked them profusely and said I was going to walk back to get them. "No, no, no!" He replied shaking his head, "We drive you." Not only did the bus driver drive me to my hostel to collect my wallet, but made sure I was back in time for the next bus to the airport. This act of kindness never goes astray and I will since be forever grateful for Croatian bus drivers! ▲

SPLIT 

Split is like the coastal hub of Croatia, it is basically where all the ferries dock to take people to the other islands. It has a beautiful town center, filled with orange tiled roofs and sandstone buildings. The harbour area is filled with bars and restaurants and when I arrived at 12am by bus, and there was music pumping, the streets were filled with street performers and an endless number of tourists; I knew I was going to have a very good time. I spent most of my time in Split at the beach, this was mostly because I was sick. However I'd recommend browsing through the little streets at the boutique stores for one off jewellery and hand-made goods. There is a hill you can climb, that on the map looks far too intimidating for someone who has spent the past few months drinking and eating away their life in Europe, but it's actually not that bad. It provides an excellent view of the city, great photo opp and if your feeling romantic or spiritual, go up and watch the sunrise/set for a beautiful sight you'll never forget. There is also the National Park, which is worth a visit. Often hostels plan day trips to the Park which I highly suggest taking up as it is difficult to make your own way there. 

HVAR 

THE SPEECH THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

I'll admit I have watched my fair share of inspirational speeches on Youtube, enough to know when you start seeing suggested videos entailing conspiracy theories and bizarre medical conditions its time to shut down the browser. Now from those endless hours of pointless videos I happened to find this beauty. Regardless of how many times I watch this speech it fills me with excitement for the future and a sense of clarity among the endless life altering choices we are forced to make at this stage of our lives.

Watch the speech, change your thinking; change your life.

Who Moved My Cheese?

You have probably heard of the timeless, best-selling novel Who Moved My Cheese? at some point. Whether it's been recommended by a friend, a colleague or that crazy elderly neighbour who's shoving books in your face every time you take out the recycling: it's worth the fuss.

The book, although a simplistic even child-like read is filled with a valuable life lesson about how we address change in our lives. So put down the chocolate and romantic fiction novels post break up and exchange it for this little beauty. It will save you months of heart-ache and might even save your ass from a post-breakup sugar addiction. Not only can the lesson's taught be applied to relationships, but your career and how you address decisions in everyday life.

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SPOILER ALERT:
It's all about embracing change, the mice and little people in the story represent the simple and complex parts of ourselves, regardless of age, gender, race or nationality. It took me half an hour to read the book and I genuinely believe it will change the way I react to situations in the future. After you read the novel I encourage you to reflect on times in your lives where you acted like one of the characters,  think about the outcome it created.

My perspective of change has, ironically, 'changed' for the better. I am excited to address life's next challenge with a 'Sniff' and 'Scurry' approach as opposed to a 'Hem'. Yes, read the book and you too will want the same thing.

Change is the Law of Life. And those who only look to the past or present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy

Cara and Jourdan's DD's

With social media Queen Cara Delevingne posting a photo of yet another of her trademark small yet stylish tattoos; A matching ‘DD’ symbol with her bud and fellow supermodel Jourdan Dunn. It appears that the days of tattoos symbolising strength and brutality are gone. Sitting through hours of needle poking, skin burning pain is about as heroic as spending two months pay on the latest Marc Jacobs bag. With designers sticking fake tattoo’s on their models in the runway, the latest fashion fad has one crucial element that none of its counterparts can match. It’s permanent. No matter how extravagant the pink, shaven hair can be, or rocking a double denim couple outfit to the American Music Awards (Yes JT and Brit, we are still bringing it up) these fashion foes are temporary. There is no denying the fact that the fashion world has a severe case of bipolar, with a new trend hitting the media every week. So how can we justify this new craze? And the question is, will it stand the test of time, or will the next biggest celeb trend be laser tattoo removal.