off the cyclone path

Being near the path of a cyclone produced once-in-a-lifetime monsoon-like weather. It was so humid, you felt like you were wearing another layer of sticky, hot air. The clouds purged themselves of torrential rain but, like a child throwing a tantrum, the downpour was over in a few minutes.

During the weekend, we huddled in various low-lit restaurants, keeping warm, eating well, and peering out the windows at the darkening sky. I had oysters, natural, then drowned in lemon juice and mignonette sauce. I couldn't stop thinking about them for the rest of the night.

Anthony Bourdain claims he had his life changed by eating oysters.

"It tasted of seawater... of brine and flesh... and, somehow... of the future. I had had an adventure, tasted the forbidden fruit, and everything that followed in my life- the food, the long and often stupid and self-destructive chase for the next thing, whether it was drugs, sex, or some other new sensation- would all stem from this moment."

{ x o x o }

where i'm not afraid to use words like "utopia" & "dystopia"

Let the golden age begin/ Let the window down/ Feel the moonlight on your skin/ Let the desert wind/ Cool your aching head/ Let the weight of the world/ Drift away instead - Beck

Andrea du Chatenier's installation at The New Dowse is variously described as a "futuristic vision of a Golden age", "an era where ideals of real and fake are in disarray and copies sit merrily alongside originals...where the feminine ideal is a disorderly tangle of art history, mother nature and 'America's Next Top Model', and "a feeling of mournfulness with the seemingly glamorous figures made, not in precious metals, but low-cost, highly disposable polystyrene."

It would have been easy to skim the surface of this installation. There were a lot of pretty things to look at. Horses with white manes, butterflies liberated from their glassed-in, pinned existences, delicate flowers travelling over a bumpy surface. Yet, humming below the surface, I had to swallow a gulp. With all these gorgeous things lying about (an unmarked J'Adore Dior bottle, a pair of covetable fake black Louboutins, and a dusting of gold glitter) why did I feel as if du Chatenier was acting as a harbinger of doom?

Quoted text from Andrea du Chatenier's Goldenage exhibition at the New Dowse now until 29 August 2010.

♥ Photos by Rob and me ♥

i found this here

Inspired by #6 of Keri Smith's 100 ideas. More here. Adeline's done some too!

ALSO - 6,768 Miles Apart is being hosted by Diana this fortnight. Click here to take a peek at our photo collaboration.

Comments disabled, lovelies. Have fun!

After a mind- and bum- numbing twelve hours in transit - the highlight being, meeting the Snean family below and watching an old man shave himself while in the boarding lounge - I am sitting in my Hong Kong hotel at 5:30 am in the morning. Jet lag, much? Damn these disrupted circadian rhythms.

As the plane spat me out at the airport in Hong Kong, I instantly had to start navigating the subway and train systems with its persistent signs, electronic ticket machines, and circutuous winding paths. The flood of people and the frenetic pace of life in a big urban city instantly put me on automatic - marching my way through line changes, rolling my suitcase over people's feet and not bothering to look back, rushing for doors as soon as they closed or opened. Hong Kong feels like a bastard mix of Tokyo and Bangkok - at certain times, beloved and familiar to me (Bangkok) and simultaenously alienating and clinically urban (Tokyo).

Sunday Night at the Homestead

My mother's house is full of stuff - beautiful, interesting art, random beribboned hats fit for Ascot, even Absolut Vodka in a red sequinned case! Sunday night at home was a pleasure. If you're not familiar with my mother's treasure-trove of a house, I've previously posted about her cavernous wardrobe here.

On an unrelated note, I've not been as frequent with my posting or with my commenting as in the past. This is not because I've lost my passion for the blogosphere and connecting with all you lovelies, but because of my "real" life which is currently demanding a lot of time from me. I do get back to every single comment, not out of obligation, but because I find it the most rewarding part of blogging, but my presence might not be as pronounced as in past times. Forgive me.

♥ Cardigan from the Warehouse ♥ Top from Farmers ♥ Skirt is thrifted ♥ Necklace and ring from Diva ♥ Bracelet is gifted ♥ Hats are my mum's ♥

just passing through

I spent Saturday afternoon wandering around a beautiful laid-back beachy suburb just out of Wellington city - looked through records in a junky record shop which refused to sell classical or opera music, gasped at the immense Mills & Boons collection at a second-hand bookshop, and accidentally stumbled into the back of a pastel-coloured church. I used to read Mills & Boons in high school but I was so embarrased about it that I always bullied my much braver friend to take them up to the library counter for me. Even now, when lingering in the Romance section of bookshops or libraries, I always have to "pretend" that I'm just "passing through".

♥ Cardigan from the Warehouse ♥ Green dress from Max ♥ Green strapless top from Supre ♥ Shoes from Witchery ♥ Earrings from Equip ♥ Arm hardware from Diva and Bling ♥ Necklace from Diva ♥ Bag is thrifted ♥

super trouper

I spent a major part of Saturday night howling into a Singstar microphone singing Abba. I think it was a similar sound to cats fighting for territory in the moonlight. I'm no Alicia Keys clearly. Rapping's more my game ;)

♥ Headband from Portmans ♥ Cardi from Max ♥ Vest from Valley Girl ♥ Dress/Tunic from Scintilla NZ ♥ Tights from Farmers ♥ Shoes from Mi Piaci ♥

Anna at much love and Diana at our.city.lights passed a fantastic tag onto me.

The rules of the game is...with as much creativity as you can muster, show your heart in: 1 picture, 1 poem, 1 song or piece of music, 1 phrase or quote, 1 piece of clothing, 1 place and (just for fun) 1 disney princess.

♥ picture ♥



♥ poem ♥

I've spent about three years trying to interpret this rather odd love poem. Any ideas?


Background Picture from danske at Flickr

♥ song/piece of music ♥



♥ phrase or quote ♥

♥ piece of clothing ♥

This was by far the toughest one. But I think my love for tack, bling and shimmer got me in the end. Alas - Claudia Schiffer for YSL in a bangin' red sequinned cropped jumpsuit. Word.



♥ place ♥


For more beautiful pictures of Paris visit Danske's "april in paris" set at Flickr.

♥ disney princess ♥


Mia Thermopolis, Princess of Genovia.

I tag:
♥ Casey at Sing Before Seven
♥ Ana at Silver Wings
♥ Amelia at Ambiguous Alliterative Abomination
♥ agus at bizuteria

babies and other scary things

At lunchtime I helped pick out baby gifts for a baby shower we're having at work tomorrow. Well - perhaps I didn't help given that all I did was stand around and look at baby-gro's and cupcake-shaped mobiles askance. You know you're not ready for a baby when you look around a baby shop and (a) wonder if the toddler clothes come in adult sizes because that floral romper would look amazing on you and (b) get bored very quickly and wish you could get into the playpen.

♥ Headscarf is thrifted ♥ Top from Forever 21 ♥ Skirt is thrifted ♥ Bag from Farmers ♥ Shoes from Zara ♥

Thank you to two lovely ladies, Janetteria and bizuteria. Janetteria gave me the "Unique and chic" award, whilst bizuteria graciously passed me the "Kreativ Blogger" award.

Also milk at 2 Percent sent over the 6 Things That Make You Happy tag.

Number 6 being The Patient Photographer's parents' singing washing machine:


Adventures doing the Washing from ondressingup on Vimeo.

I pass both awards and the tag to:

♥ Dooder City
♥ heartbreak stroll
♥ A Cat of Impossible Colour
♥ fabulous everything
♥ City of Petra
♥ shimu's holiday

Enjoy and pass on if you wish, lovelies!

inspirations

I'm still a fashion blog. Thus, behold my Spring 2009 Couture post ;)

Let's talk about John Galliano for Dior and Flemish and Dutch baroque art.

Or how about gypsies, gothic flamenco, and Bizet's Carmen paired with Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Finally, Joan of Arc and Givenchy.