I have been watching a lot of Sex & the City lately. You see I’m preparing myself for the imminent release of the 2nd film.
So I wanted to revisit their hijinks, refamiliarize myself with the favourite foursome and I’ll be honest…I think it’s making me a little crazy. As in, I am becoming a crazy woman; shaping myself in their mould of neurosis’.
I unwittingly performed a monologue of insecurity to my boyfriend the other night. What I like to call “letting the crazy out of the bag”. We all do it every now and then but it seemed the catalyst for me was the influence of those darn Sex & the City girls. My boyfriend said it was like watching a scene from a romantic comedy. Light hearted, flippant insecurities falling from my lips costing me nothing but nonetheless appearing in my head.
There is a surmounting (and distinctly New Yorker) pressure that the series places on marriage, independence & dependency, true love, fading love, platonic love, every sort of love! Enough to make any woman go bananas (and not in a Rachel Zoe way). The protagonist is so introspective, Carrie spends every episode scrutinizing her every move. Self analysing…self obsessing. Which is very easy to do in this day and age. We live in a culture iEverything.
The more I watched the series the more I morphed into a feckless, forlorn female. Word to the wise; enjoy SATC. Just don’t watch all the episodes consecutively, night after night, back to back. Or you will become as cynical as Miranda, as uptight as Charlotte, as obscene as Samantha and as lost as Carrie.
...You have been warned.
Is it strange for a woman to buy herself a ring? We buy ourselves lunch, shoes, tickets to the movies...so why then not jewellery? I was thinking of buying the ring (pictured below) as a present for myself. Sort of a "well-done-you-for-completing-this-chapter-in-your-life" ring. Is that weird? A friends response to such an idea was "Are you sure you want to buy it for yourself? To clarify the matter, this ain't no costume jewellery. It's part of the current season of products from Meadowlark (a local NZ designer). The ring below is the Protea ring, which i would have fitted with a smokey quartz stone (instead of onyx). And if all other reasons of nostalgia and sentimentality fail...i just think it's really pretty.
Also...they have fang rings (fitted with tiny stones, as if the vampires have bling in their fangs. i love it)...
Would you buy a ring for yourself to mark a significant time in your life?
Rob Ryan has stabbed himself in the leg, stomach and has even taken a scalpel to the nose. Now that's what i call suffering for your art.
The English artist has a Masters in Printmaking where he honed his craft at the Royal College of Art in London. His extremely intricate, detailed work is awe inspiring. Never has cutting patterns into a single sheet of paper evoked such moving, whimsical and beautiful images.
He has collaborated with the folks at Tatty Devine, Sir Paul Smith and even designed a lomo camera for Urban Outfitters. Yup. He is one "in demand" dude. The dress below featured in Vogue.
Also he looks a little like a grizzly bear/ mountain man. Long, unkempt hair. Gleaming, bald crown of head. Beard like Paul Bunyan. This only makes my heart grow fonder.
Hit him up here! Rob Ryan, cut on!
i'm sifting through possible bridesmaid hairdo's for my dear friend's nuptials this July. The beautiful bride-to-be attended 2 seperate hair trials which both culminated in disaster. It seemed that none of the hairdressers she was seeing had listened to what she actually wanted; something soft, romantic, not too structured. So i sent her a link to a video that Jamie from "From Me To You" posted: a how to updo guide. My friend styled the hairdo herself with flying colours and now we are all doing our own hair for the big day. So now that i have helped her find a 'do'...what dear readers, do i do? The enfianced suggested a simple braid for the big day. Which i think could be quite lovely, given that my braiding skills are up to scratch. What do you think?
The producers of "Paris, je t'aime" have released another homage to another city of romance and dreams; New York. A film comprising of New York vignettes, glimpses into the verismo of the big apple; some are a testament to the romance and hope the city creates and others miss the mark a little. However...Drea de Matteo and Bradley Cooper... I do indeed love you.
Whilst in Singapore the STB arranged for us to have a photo shoot with hair and makeup provided by the charming people at The Beauty Box Studio. We were asked what kind of look we were after and i was somehow drawn to the idea of a quiff and hot pink lips. I thought the femininity of the Ben Wu outfit would balance out the rockabilly playfulness of the hair. I was styled mostly by Chris Wang who also took the photos below. (Chris- Thank you for giving me such a formidable, towering quiff and ordering me a delicious kopi).
Here are some shots of Jessica & Hanie (the other winners and bloggers extraordinaire) looking very photogenic:
i’m sifting through some existential blogging thoughts: what constitutes a good blog? Why do we blog? Is it self-expression or self-indulgent? How do readers find certain blogs and why does it appeal to them? I was an avid reader before I started blogging myself and I can’t even remember how I found half of those sites. Random surfing? Recommendations? If a blog falls over in the woods and no one is around to click on it, does it still make a sound? I mean, wtb…
What do you think, dear reader?
Say Kia Ora to MADE.
An awesome find on Customs St, Auckland. They stock such fun, pretty things. Karen Walker, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Melissa Shoes...see what fun?
I fell in love with this necklace made by a local designer: Bones by Moniquin.
And i couldn't resist these Docs. FLORAL DOCS. Aren't they purty?
I still haven’t blogged a proper, detailed entry about my spectacular trip to Singapore (all thanks to the wonderful Singapore Tourism Board)! The moment I boarded that Singapore Airlines flight departing the country I have been busy busy busy. I found myself in Sydney, then Melbourne and now Auckland. I slowed the pace today and actually had some down time. But I promise you shall hear more about that fabulous getaway: Singapore. Soon.
O Alexander Wang knitwear! You beguile me. You delight me. You evade me with your price tag but win me over with your style. Sadly...you shan't be mine.
I was expecting bone chilling winds, sleet and winter weather for May in Auckland. But actually, it been quite pleasant. The odd shower or two but it’s generally nice and cool. That’s not to say that it won’t turn. And I have the coat for such an occasion.
Meet my heavy, duty winter coat. (how d’you do? charmed I’m sure).
I bought it in New York in the winter of ’09. I had arrived armed with a leather jacket and a wool duffel coat. Both lovely and both unable to keep my body temperature at a safe level. I gave in to peer pressure and bought a Calvin Klein ‘puffy’ jacket. Stuffed with duck down & waterfowl feathers with a bonafide faux fur trim (I would never wear real fur. I shudder when I see it. Horrible, archaic & unnecessary). I purchased such a coat at Macy’s for the bargain price of $70. They were having some huge clearance sale and I tried on jackets for hours on end. For some crazy reason I decided on this white coat despite the fact that all New Yorker’s have a black puffy jacket. All black. Everywhere black. But my boyfriend insisted that this one was tres chic. (he himself bought an electric blue Marc Jacobs puffy jacket). Side by side we looked like the biggest tourists you have ever seen.
Long story short, I’m glad that I pulled this out of storage and wear it happily (now that I don’t have to deal with the judgemental stares of New Yorkers). I am snug as a bug in a rug. Or snug as a kiwi wrapped in seaweed. Whatever, let’s rub noses.
Day two in Auckland and my body is a battlefield. I’m still nursing a head cold and am also dealing with a swollen, bruised toe (which I so cleverly stubbed against the leg of a chair). It takes me a while to adjust to new spaces, cook in new kitchens and navigate the pathways of a hotel room/serviced apartment. Walking straight into the chair- little toe greeting the hard wood with a painful crunch…not one of my finest moments.
Cest la vie. I will live to walk another day. Just not today.
Hello all!
I've woken up and found myself in a strange and different land. New Zealand. I'll be in Auckland for the next 3 weeks & am excited to reaquaint myself with all the wonderful local designers and shops.
I've got an awful head cold from the ridiculous amounts of flying i've been doing lately and opening night is on Friday night. Busy busy busy. But i shall do my best not to neglect the bloggersphere.
xoxo
I've woken up and found myself in a strange and different land. New Zealand. I'll be in Auckland for the next 3 weeks & am excited to reaquaint myself with all the wonderful local designers and shops.
I've got an awful head cold from the ridiculous amounts of flying i've been doing lately and opening night is on Friday night. Busy busy busy. But i shall do my best not to neglect the bloggersphere.
xoxo
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| JoycetheFairy |
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| Jessica Ling |
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| @ StudioM |
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| L to R: Jessica Ling, JoycetheFairy, Hanie Hidayah, Lady Melbourne, The Frockette |
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| i want, i need, i love his hat |
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| alldressedup F/W 2010 |
On my last day in Singapore I was determined to pay a visit to a Hawker food centre. I'd done a little bit of research and read many a good thing about Tiong Bahru. Especially their Chee Kway and "Carrot Cake" (both pictured below). So on Sunday morning, after a decent sleep in and a midday checkout i hopped in a quick (and cheap!) taxi ride to Tiong Bahru. Singapore is so densely packed/populated/planned that everything is so close and easy to get to. Which was good news for one starving, slightly hung-over girl.
The place lived up to its legend. I was in heaven. A sea of fried, steamed & stir fried delights. Glutinous rice & seafood aplenty. I set my sights on a beverage stall and hastily purchased a lime juice. Thirst quenching, fresh and $1. I was loving the place already. I made a bee line for the "Carrot Cake" stall, otherwise known as Chai Tau Kway. Which in actuality is made of carrots, radishes and milled rice tossed in a sweet black sauce. A large serve of this costs $2. Toto, you're not in Kansas anymore. This carrot cake is soft, savoury and my new favourite thing.
That is until I wander over to the Jian Bo Shui Kueh stall to purchase some Chwee Kueh (translates to Water Cakes). Chwee Kueh is basically rice flour that is mixed with water, steamed and then topped with chilli & fried Chye Poh (preserved veg). I got 4 for $1 and it was handed over to me wrapped in brown paper (my favourite things!) and a skewer. I adored this dish. Simple flavours and wonderful textures. The silkiness of the cakes worked so well with the crunch of the Chye Poh and chilli. I long for this dish now. I pine. I perish (well not quite).
There was so much more i wanted to try: Ice Kacang, Laksa, Roti...but after eating 2 rice flour dishes for breakfast. Well, lets just say there was a heaviness in my stomach. I left Tiong Bahru a with a full belly and a beaming smile. Hawker food rocks my tastebuds and wallet. It was an excellent morning.
If you are thinking of holidaying in Singapore i suggest you check out ieatishootipost blog. The most discerning and delectable Singaporean food blog, i think.
May i present the 'Court Shoe'. The spawn of a Rodarte x Nicholas Kirkwood collaboration. Metal, Leather and a hefty price tag make this a highly desirable, highly rare object. The heel comprises of bolts. i mean come on! make me want you more, court shoe. just try....impossible.
