What a crazy year.

It all started in some local Frankston bar with a couple of my best mates, parading our stringed gas balloon with pride… it took us about 45 minutes to realize we were only holding a piece of string, some jealous fool… had stolen our balloon…

This year has been all about learning, dreaming, striving, achieving, love, loss, life, death, goodbyes and hellos. I have learned so much about life and myself this year, more so than any other year… I’m not sure exactly why, but almost every week of this year I found myself on some new path, experiencing new things… if I wrote about every single one of them this blog would be a paper back novel.

So I will -try- keep this succinct.

I turned 20 this year and said goodbye to my ‘teen’ saga…Those years weren’t the easiest for me, but… I guess it’s those experiences that shape us, make us stronger and give us the determination to not only survive, but to freaking show those bastards just how much we rock at life.

It’s strange, I remember being 10 years old and thinking… “I wonder where I will be in another 10 years” …never thought I’d be doing interior design, working at amazing places, traveling, writing/playing music…most importantly, having friends… people I can count on and people that can count on me. That night of my 20th I said to myself “Shit. I made it, now for another 10 years” – bring on 30.

There are a few people/things/places I would like to mention, they have been my light for 2009.


Mum & Dad: Thank you, for the past 20 years, for the sacrifices you both have made for me. For giving me the world. I hope that one day I can give it all back to you both.
2009 was filled with so many decisions for me… you both have always given me the space, freedom and guidance to allow me to experience ‘life’. Some decisions I’ve made, paid off… and the ones that I stuffed up, you’ve both always been there to support me. If you guys weren’t my parents, you would be my best friends. I would also like to take this chance to mention the addition to my family, my dog Neo… best listener ever, my rock.


Friends: I won’t mention your names, because I am sure you know exactly who you are…Thank you, for keeping me in school haha. I would’ve left in year 10 if it wasn’t for you guys. I was so ready to give up on that place, the pain outweighed success. I know the past few years, have been difficult on us, catching up is so much harder as we’ve all got our own little busy journeys, but I know that when we do go out on our endeavors it’s like all those weeks apart never happened. Love you guys.


My Grandma: Rest in Peace. (1920 – 2009)
I miss you more everyday, I was looking through some photos the other night and as a child, my favorite memories all involve you. Whether it was visiting you and grandpa in California, watching the Price is Right with you and being so impressed with your price estimation skills, eating all those amazing dishes you would make…My favorite memory would be when you and grandpa came to Aus and we took you to some nature park with Kangaroos…and one went to jump on me and you smacked it over the head with your Chanel bag. That was actually amazing.
Thank you for being the first person to hear me sing, I will always remember that day…I had my first nylon string guitar that was bigger than me and I just learned the first 3 chords of “Imagine”. I just wanted to show mum, but she was busy…so you sat down and listened, and told me I should never stop playing…then you and grandpa bought me my first keyboard… I’ll never stop playing.


Music: My therapist. Thank you for keeping me sane. Thank you for allowing me to explain things I could never have. Thank you for being my passion, what a scary place this world would be without passion… 2009, I have played some songs I never thought I could and I’ve played at places and to people I never thought would give me the chance. This year has allowed me to develop my own sound, signature and style… I can’t wait for 2010 where I will continue working on getting better, getting more stuff out there and one day making it my life.


Dimitri: haha yes, you actually get your own little paragraph. You have been my knight in shining armor this year. Thank you for loving pancakes so much, and thank you my Melbourne town, Doncaster for having a 24 hour pancake joint. Without that we would’ve probably never met up to exchange war stories, life changing epiphanies, stories of love and loss and etc. Thank you for getting to know me, and giving me the same opportunity to get to know you, you are an amazing person, one in a billion, and I am so proud to say that I know someone as talented as you. I miss you and to be honest feel a little lost now that you are overseas, but at the same time I know that it was something you always had to do and always where going to do. Follow the dream… I know you’ll get there.


Work: RP_architects & Gosh (mostly Wayne)
2009 I have been lucky enough to work/ to start work at these places. RP_architects is where I am currently doing my internship, I have learnt so much about the design industry and these people have given me every opportunity to discover and learn about this new world I am about to enter to make my living. Thank you for giving me the chance and trusting me with some challenging projects, I’ve pushed my creativity to places I never thought it would go.


Gosh Coffee, over the past 2 years this place has taught me so much more than to draw a nice little leaf on a skinny latte. It has taught me life, taught me about myself, allowed me to meet so many people and given me skills in how to deal with the eccentric people of box hill and taught me that when a strange man steals a lamington, it is probably best NOT to jump the counter and chase after him… 2009 was the year I had put my coffee making on hold (to focus on my internship) however I am lucky enough to have one of the best bosses I have ever, ever come across. Thank you Wayne, really if there was some national award for best employer of the year, it would be you. Thank you for giving me this job and having enough trust and tolerance to keep me on… even supporting my decision with the internship, not many bosses would do that. Not only did you support the decision but you gave me a job I could fit in, graphic design for gosh… best job ever, thank you.


Twam: My dearest twam, you know who you are. I am so so lucky to have gotten to know you guys… who knew some 6 months ago when starting up @monziez it would lead me to some amazing new friends…Thank you for amusing me, for listening, for following my endless tweets…I’m not sure if you guys know this, but you have helped me get through some really tough times this year… just by reading all your little hilarious tweets it would brighten up my day, laughter fixes everything. To those I have been lucky enough to meet in Melbourne and Sydney, thank you for all the good times: 7pm project, trip to Sydney for the ARIAs with the best tour guides ever, zoo visits, getting a really cool ruby t shirt out of it, and attending various gigs and events by the one and only….


…Ruby Rose: last but not least, Ruby thank you for all the people, inspiration and strength you have brought into my life. You’ve inspired me to never stop learning. Keep smiling and given me the strength to stay true to myself and believe in myself.
Thank you for getting me through one of the most challenging years, I am so proud to call myself one of your fans. You have made such a difference to so many people, and there is nothing more inspiring than to watch someone grow, succeed and achieve so much that it inspires all these other people to try and do the same. Thank you again for mentioning me on your CD… it was one of my unexpected highlights for 2009, and I promise if I am lucky enough to make a record, there will be a flip out section in the cover art dedicated to you. I can’t wait to see what 2010 holds in store for you, the world is yours. X



Well I tired to keep it short, but failed…haha oh well big year… big blog.
Thank you 2009 

…and thank you for reading this.

- Mona