The Glorious Day Off.
On Monday, I had a second rostered day off. After spending all day in a duvet on Sunday, I was simply itching to get out and about somewhere and after tossing a coin, I finally ended up in my favourite seaside town Brighton halfway through Monday morning. What ensued was a few hours of drinking coffee, walking up and down the beachfront, trawling the lanes and independent shops, decent exploring and of course a lot of photo taking.
There’s something about this place and the sea that for me, equals complete tranquility. If everything feels a bit heavy, it’s everything in me that screams to get down to this place, sit on the pebbles and listen to the waves – even if they emit loud, violent, wintery crashes against the shore. It’s the sort of place I feel like I would fit in ideally. Though, however much I would adore to live here, I often wonder if ever making it my habitat would take the magic away from it.
Where do you like to run away to?
Filed under: A Day In The Life, Personal | 2 Comments
Goodbye Lenin!
Lazy Sunday duvet days. That’s what we all look forward to after a long, hard week that never seems to come to a close, right? Being one of those pesky retail workers, it’s sad to admit that I rarely get a weekend but for the past few weeks I’ve only worked on a Saturday until 3pm – fine by me! So, I’ve had a few quiet Sundays. Nothing quite like today, though. After hosting a few friends last night for quick-fix buffet food and Nintendo Wii, myself and my boyfriend dragged the duvet and the pillows into the living room and proceeded to have a day full of laziness, films, and bacon and pancakes.
We watched Goodbye Lenin!, a film I have seen before but am easily immersed in when I watch it again and again. Part of the comfort of watching it is the really good story that I am so familiar with (History GCSE, anybody?) – the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and German unification shortly afterwards – and the other part is my complete love for the city of Berlin. Two days there really wasn’t enough! Then there’s a quirkiness of the movie. It tells the tale of Alex, a 20-something male who lives at home in communist East Germany with his sister, niece and mother. Alex takes part in an anti-government demonstration and when it goes awry and he gets arrested, his very socialist mother happens to witness him getting arrested and has a heart attack. Eight months later, his mother awakes from a coma – having missed the fall of the Wall and the opening of the borders. Sternly instructed by doctors not to give his mother any nasty shocks or face her falling fatally ill, Alex falls into an amusing trap of maintaining the non-existent East Germany for her. To keep up the illusion, it is not uncommon for Alex to go through the trash to find old jars of German Democratic Republic produce to put new, Western foods inside, and to rope in his filmmaking pal Dennis to “fake” the news when strange occurrences, like the revealing of a giant soft drinks banner outside Alex’s mother’s window, happen.
Goodbye Lenin! is one of those films that presents the good and bad aspects of something – in this case, communism. It really does take you back to how it must have felt to live in a place that was essentially shut off from the rest of the world, and how capitalism could easily be taken for granted. For instance, we couldn’t imagine a world without Coca Cola, right? Or even international foodstores with imported produce. In East Germany, everything was East German. It’s impossible to imagine a life without that freedom. The film itself is in places laugh-a-minute; punctuating very thoughtful and tragic scenes. It is subtitled – obviously, originally in German – which serves well to make me feel like I’m in the thick of it all when I close my eyes, sit back and relax. Having been to Berlin since I first watched the film helped me connect with it even more – and a little tear or two at the end certainly didn’t go amiss. Tragicomedy, or what! If you get a spare lazy Sunday like mine, give this one a spin. And with a soundtrack composed by Yann Tiersen (think Amelie), what more could you want?
Filed under: Film | 3 Comments
Punk Folk.
Today has been a very productive day. Let’s list it out: ran 6 miles, showered, did two lots of washing, dried two lots of washing, cooked, cleaned two rooms, pottered around the town in the slush and drank coffee and read magazines, signed up to the local doctor’s, bought groceries, and now blogged. Even though I’ve been such a busy bee and awake since half past eight, I still feel like I have so much energy just aching to seep out of me. This is a weird turn for a girl who always has a cough or a sniffle, who’d always rather hide under a blanket in her pyjamas than go outside in the rain. And with a productive day goes a killer outfit. I reckon, anyway. I feel like I’m beginning to find the cogs and bolts that bring together great pieces suitable for both my style and my shape. Looking back at some of my old outfit photos (from this time last year), it’s fair to say I’ve come a long way and that so far this experiment is serving it’s purpose.
Oh, and dressed like this today, I feel totally worthy of listening to excessive amounts of Frank Turner today. It’s something about looking a little bit punk-folk. And the fact that the man is a total genius.
THURSDAY 14th JANUARY, 2010:
OUTFIT DETAILS – Shirt, ASOS; Vest, Topshop; Skirt, ASOS; Boots, New Look; Belt, vintage; Headscarf, Camden market; Ring, Primark; Watch, Swatch.
Filed under: Outfits, Personal | 1 Comment
Show Us Your Stripes!
Left - New Look dress & leggings & boots, H&M bead necklace, vintage fish necklace, and Topshop bag. Right - New Look dress (as top), vintage skirt, H&M belt & tights, Topshop shoes.
On Thursday, going absolutely crazy after being stuck indoors all Wednesday, I just had to get out of the house and do something. My boyfriend, who was itching to be outdoors too, decided that he needed to do his yearly clothes shop (seriously) – and so, a shopping trip to our local mall became our afternoon. Bad news for me and my wallet and my almost-resolution to give up shopping, but it did give me a chance to pick up a dress I’d been eyeing up for a while from New Look.
And I love everything about it. It’s versatility, for starters. So far I have worn it twice – see above – once for a Friday night out and once for a lazy day in, and it has served both purposes well in all it’s comfort and stripey glory. I’m just busy figuring out a way to wear it as a skirt, now! I love it’s t-shirt qualities, it’s fit in the right places, the stripes that help it look good and the colour and the variety of them. This will definitely be an item that I’ll be wearing a lot of the winter, spring, summer… hell, why don’t I just accept that I’ll be loving it all year.
Had any good finds in your post-Christmas splurges?
Filed under: Outfits, Retail Therapy, Three Ways To Wear | 1 Comment
The Big Fat 2010 Challenge.
Or, Really Intending To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions.
Yeah, yeah. You know the score, and you do it every year. On the 1st of January, it is obligatory – infact, almost downright illegal if you don’t – that you make a bunch of of goals that you probably don’t really give two hoots about keeping. “Yeah, I’ll give up chocolate and start running,” you pledge – but two weeks down the line you’re chomping chocolate on the sofa in your pyjamas, probably because you’re down in the dumps over not getting out for that introductory jog yet. Ironic, much? It happens every year. Don’t you ever just want to make it happen? This year is the perfect excuse to really make a go out of a better you. Not only is it a new year, but it’s a new calendar decade. How important! If you’re anything like me, this time ten years ago you were a spotty, moody teenager who didn’t want to do anything. Think about how you can really make something of yourself this year and join me in the quest of keeping just one New Year’s resolution – even if it kills you.
First of all, why don’t I introduce you to my own challenge.
Resolution Giving up clothes, shoes and accessories shopping.
Duration 6 months – from 16/1/2010 until 16/7/2010
But Why? 1] To save money towards bigger and better things; 2] I honestly can’t stop throwing money that I really, really need without realising on materialistic things I probably don’t even need and I need to curb this addiction; and 3] I’m in need of a good challenge and chance to prove my determination.
Now, if I’m going to go all out and do it, why don’t you join in too? Here’s how you can ensure success on such an adventure:
Don’t go out with a bang. Whatever you do, don’t go out on an absolute [insert fixation here] binge the night before you give up and go absolutely cold turkey. Instead set a date realistically ahead – a week is enough to get settled – and cut down whatever your fix is a little one day at a time.
If you think you can’t do it, think of somebody you personally know who has inspired you. For instance, if you don’t have ‘the party-mad friend who accidentally got pregnant whom you never envisioned as a mother’, then you’re simply not human. And just look at her – you’d never have imagined her so maternal and now, you couldn’t think of her as anything different. Obviously, it’s a more extreme situation that barely compares – but you can derive inspiration from it. If a turnaround as extreme as that can be made on her behalf, then what’s a little lack of alcohol or fizzy drinks over the next six months?
Similarly, use other people’s achievements to spur you on. This is probably more effective if you already have a sense of self-belief, but ultimately want to fuel the fire and really go for it. Lest we forget the horribly competitive in us! See how other people perform in similar tasks – maybe good friends, maybe people you dislike (and imagine the glee when you outperform them) – and use it to push yourself one step further.
Do it with a friend. It’s actually proven! You’ll be less likely to cave in and give up if it results in letting somebody important down. Also, think of the satisfaction you will ultimately gain just knowing you helped a pal achieve their goal. They might not have been able to do it without you – and neither you without them. Kudos to you both, sticking together in need!
If you have to make realistic allowances, it’s okay. It is perfectly fine to take into account things you simply cannot avoid, and it’s not a failure on your part at all. For example, if I ruin my work trousers or wear out my running shoes (and I work 45hrs and run 22 miles a week, so it’s likely I will) I will not be able to go days – let alone months – without them. I will have no option but to replace them, thus technically breaking my resolution. But let us let in a little chill here – these are the things I honestly need, and I can’t use this as a cheat’s ‘get out of jail free’ card and con myself into thinking that I need that dress, because I can work and run without it. I can’t work without trousers and I can’t run without trainers. This can be applied to anything. Think along the lines of you will not do something because you’re ill, not because you simply don’t feel like it. Such laziness will bring you to failure. However, it’s not the end of the world…
If you slip up, accept it and move on. And don’t give up alltogether. Make an example of it and learn from it. Figure out how you faltered and prevent yourself from even getting onto the first wrung of that dreaded ladder again.
Give yourself something to look forward to. The best part! If it’s money-saving orientated, treat yourself at the end of your stint. Book that holiday. Get that fabulous haircut. Buy that dreamy armchair you have so desperately wanted over the long, skint months. If it’s fitness related, then it’s definitely worthy of booking yourself in for a mega pampering session – complete with massage! Giving up chocolate? Alcohol? Chocolate and alcohol? Celebrate your success with a party that hosts plenty of wine and Green & Blacks. And as for me? I’m just lucky that I’ve worked this all out in time for my own challnge to end on my birthday. I’m thinking that I could be off for a super shopping spree – complete with birthday money – but I’m secretly hoping that this could somewhat cure me of my bad habits and that I’ll have plenty of money left over after shoes and dresses for that ideal holiday!
If you’re intent on joining in with your own personal challenge, then you should write about it to keep track of how well you’re doing. Tell me in the comments what you’ll be resolving to do – or not do – for the amount of time you have decided. I’m dying to see your determination! And I wish you luck in all that you plan.
Filed under: Advice, Articles, Inspiration, Personal, The Big Fat 2010 Challenge | 2 Comments
Snowed In?
If you’ve been both living in the United Kingdom and awake this week, you’ll have noticed the huge fluffy blanket of snow outside your window. If you can’t get out of your hometown to quench your panic buying thirst (or like me, couldn’t even get down your own driveway for some time since it resembled some kind of slalom), then surely you’ve been pottering around wondering what to do with your sudden x-number of days off work. Well, if you’re anything like me, you would have been! Thankfully, boredom has left me frantically finding things to do and after all that, brought me to actually write a blog post (perhaps I should get bored more often!) on what you can get up to once the snow gets too annoying for you!
Bake! Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – surely there’s nothing that makes you feel more wintery and homely than baking, non? It’s the perfect excuse to erase a couple of hours and if you’ve got all the right ingredients – plus that apron you hardly use and an iTunes playlist to soundtrack your cooking adventure – then it’s easily done. Shortbread is the most unbelievably easy sweet treat you can make, and you know you always have the staple ingredients ready for use in your cupboard. Plus you know, that gorgeous buttery smell filling your kitchen will be too irresistible to turn down! And if you’ve always got a full bowl of fruit, then you must have a banana or two handy for Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins. If you would rather be doing more savoury than sweet, then there’s nothing more warming than a good homemade pie! Shortcrust pastry is so easily made from scratch, and you can fill a pie crust with virtually anything. My favourite combination is turkey mince with tinned tomatoes, cannellini beans, feta cheese, onions and herbs – but you can quite easily switch ingredients to adapt to whatever is lingering in your fridge!
Get Organised! If you’re still in that post-Christmas messy lull, then getting your pad tidy is the perfect excuse to stay indoors in the warm. Clear away your Christmas presents, re-jiggle your kitchen and bathroom cupboards, arrange your wardrobe into easy-to-find combinations (colour coding, grouping items together, separating smart from casual; the possibilities are endless), sort out your bookshelves, get your personal planner organised, or do that DIY you’ve been putting off. You’ve got plenty indoors to keep you busy.
eBay, eBay, eBay! If you’ve been finding excuses to stop yourself sorting through your bulging wardrobe then now’s the time to do it. Try on everything you own that you’re not sure you want to keep anymore and make a decision whether you no longer want it or if there’s something you can do with it. If you think you don’t want it anymore, then it’s the best time to stick it on eBay – since we presume the snow’s got to disappear sometime, you know that it’ll probably melt by the time your auction finishes. Plus, you’re not the only one snowed in – thousands of bored women across the UK will be trawling the web for something to do and whilst they are not at work, they have more time to spend bidding on that wonderful Topshop dress that you’ve never worn. Good for your pockets!
Get Creative! If any of your resolutions was like one of mine – ‘making more use of my creativity’ – and you are brave enough to venture outside in the big chill, then there’s nothing more simple than getting some quality photographs of the snow. And what a way to kick off a New Year’s resolution! If you want to keep it up for every single day for a year, why not consider taking part in Project 365? It’s a class way to document your life, especially if you upload your photos to Flickr and add memorable captions, and it doesn’t matter that you didn’t start it on New Year’s Day – start it whenever you like, just keep it up for a whole year. Photographs too little effort for you? There’s there always A Drawing A Day for all you budding illustrators. What a great way to get your artistic juices flowing, committing yourself to putting pencil to paper once a day. You could end up drawing rather than writing your daily journal! However, if all the real arty stuff just isn’t enough for you, then give something a little more hands on a go. I bet you’ve got a pile of clothes sitting in a corner somewhere just waiting for some alterations and DIY loving so sit down with a good movie on in the background and start re-hemming those skirts, sewing trinkets onto that boring cardigan, or doing something crazy with that collection of t-shirts you’re no longer interested in.
Hopefully, I’ve given some frustrated people some good ideas to tackle in their snow-induced boredom. However, I’m betting there’s thousands more ways to keep yourself busy! So tell me – what have you been up to during the crazy, crazy weather?
Filed under: Advice, Articles, Inspiration | 2 Comments
Some Everyday Casual For You.
What do you wear on those days where you’re not really required to make so much of an effort, or indeed on the days that you don’t really want to make an effort? For me, it’s jeans. Jeans, jeans, jeans. Sadly, I recently had to retire a pair of black skinnies that I’d owned for years because – like an idiot – I put them in the wash and forgot to turn them inside out, which left them with a ton of unattractive white lines. Damn and blast! So I’ve now begun to wear these acid wash skinnies that I bought a good few months ago from Primark but I haven’t actually been able to fit into… until now. (Hallelujah!)
I also guess I have to include this cardigan in any sort of comfortable casual, “I can’t be bothered” sort of outfit – in a way, in homage to wearing it non-stop for about four months in early 2006. It was just that easy to put with anything – and is without a doubt one of my oldest items of clothing. Digging it out of my wardrobe (where it was still inside a moving bag) was a bit of a throwback but I was soon able to close my eyes and envision it with a mass of different outfits. That’s the good things about timeless classics, I guess. I will definitely be layering up with this in the winter months still to come.
SUNDAY 27th DECEMBER, 2009.
OUTFIT DETAILS
Cardigan, vintage;
Top, H&M;
Jeans, Primark;
Shoes, Topshop;
Bag, New Look;
Watch, New Look;
Necklace, H&M.
Filed under: Outfits | Leave a Comment
Boxing Day Dress-Up.
I love the totally comfortable laziness of Boxing Day, which marks the beginning of the void between Christmas and the New Year – the sort where you have to battle with yourself to either find something to do or justify lounging around like a total slob. After all, all those pyjamas and slippers you got for presents have to be put to use somehow. To fill my slightly shorter void (for I have to go back to work on Tuesday) I have scheduled a mass of family visitings, good food, wearing out the new Wii me and my boyfriend bought each other for Christmas (or maybe not – it’s already caused one strop), and sorting out my wardrobe. I’m hoping for lots of repairs, DIY work, figuring out what to sell and what to replace said sellings with – though any one of those four would be an achievement!
SATURDAY 26th DECEMBER, 2009:
OUTFIT DETAILS – Dress, New Look; Tights, ASOS; Boots, ASOS; Bag, New Look; Watch, Christmas present!
Filed under: Outfits | 1 Comment
Snow Fairy Chic.
Upon learning it was to be a complete and utter Snow Day the other day, the first thing that sprung to my mind was: what am I going to wear? I decided on a look that I seem to adopt for most Snow Days; looking like I’ve just rolled out of bed and thrown something over my nightie simply because I couldn’t bear to be indoors any longer. Paired with my most hobo-ish looking cardigan (even more convincing since all the buttons fell off and I haven’t been motivated enough to sew them back on), et voila. My favourite adverse weather look. Totally impractical too, I might add. But then I guess wanting to look like a fairy is a bit dream world-orientated.
FRIDAY 18th DECEMBER, 2009:
OUTFIT DETAILS – Coat, Primark; Cardigan, Ichi; Dress (as top), H&M; Skirt, H&M; Leggings, New Look; Boots, New Look; Armwarmers, H&M; Scarf, a gift.
Filed under: Outfits | Leave a Comment
Snow Day.
Well, I’m back in the blogging mode and all I can do is jump on the gravy train and talk about what everybody else has been talking about – snow! Still, when it’s just before Christmas like it has been today for the first time in years, how can you turn down the opportunity to be as merry as you possibly can?
I live in a small suburban town just inside the M25 so while I’m not completely snowed in, there certainly is enough to keep me indoors with a mug of tea and a selection of mince pies. And my friends too! Since it’s so slushy on the roads, nobody can make the Christmas-and-housewarming party my boyfriend and I had planned. Still, all the more food for us!
How have you spent your Snow Day, Britons?
Filed under: A Day In The Life | Leave a Comment
the wild heart
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22-year old renegade who just can't sit still from the blurred edges of London, UK. Likes to chip her nails playing guitar, making good coffee, exploring fashion and personal style, and cycling.
