The Apathist

Stealing Dietrich's Limelight and Other Major Achievements...

2010-04-26T13:20:00.001+01:00

Before anyone protests that Marlene Dietrich could never be overshadowed in life or death, you need to see Shanghai Express (1932). After spending many afternoons rewatching all of Dietrich's films for a dissertation, I was awestruck by her presence and ability to dominate anyone she shared the screen with, from Adolphe Menjou and Cesar Romero, to a very young and uncharismatic Cary Grant. However, that was before I was able to get my hands on a good copy of Shanghai Express; Dietrich is still wonderful but overshadowed by the luminous Anna May Wong. After experiencing a minor revelation courtesy of Wong's entrancing performance, Dietrich could smoulder away but I wasn't really watching her. Finishing the film I immediately tried to find out what else I could see her appear in, only to find that she was an actress who never really reached the audience she deserved due to prejudice within the Western film industry and Eastern movie audiences.

A second generation Chinese-American, Wong was the first Asian-American movie star who started her career in silent movies aged 17, achieving stardom with a role in The Thief of Baghdad (1924) with Douglas Fairbanks. Her beauty and style ensured she would always have her admirers on the international circuit, however any roles she was offered were always minor due to the Hays Office anti-miscegenation laws, which prevented her from kissing any Euro-American actors onscreen. At this time studios were also in the habit of giving leading Chinese roles to white actresses, who would play the role in yellowface. Facing such obstacles, Wong left for Europe in the mid-20s, only returning to America in the 30's where she got roles in films like Daughter of the Dragon (1931) - her last role which negatively portrayed Chinese people - and Daughter of Shanghai (1937). In Europe, she starred in the play A Circle of Chalk with Laurence Olivier and her final silent film role in Piccadilly (1929) - my favourite with AMW. She was received with widespread praise for most of her work, though frustratingly her American background was denied to her as the press continually called on her Chinese roots.

Wong was lured back to the US by Paramount who was looking for fresh talent in Europe, but she began to refuse to play anymore roles which stereotyped Asian culture and behaviour, and she publicly expressed her frustration at playing the 'evil Chinese woman' in interviews. Her prominent role in Shanghai Express was a quiet victory, marred only by the Chinese press who derided her acting and called her a disgrace to the Chinese race because of her stirring on-screen sexuality. Chinese intellectuals were not so quick to judge her, however the damage was already done and the negative Chinese press was enough for the Chinese advisor at MGM to recommend she was not cast in the upcoming role of O-Ian in The Good Earth (recommended book) - a role that Wong had openly coveted with the support of the press. Evidently MGM had never considered her a strong candidate as they had already cast a European actor in yellowface for the leading male role, and had previously stated she was "too Chinese to play a Chinese". The role went to Luise Rainer who won an Oscar in the Best Actress category.

In a display of further discrimination, Wong later revealed that she had been offered the role of Lotus, an artful and treacherous concubine in The Good Earth, which Wong vehemently rejected on the basis that she was loathe to be the only Chinese cast member in an All-American cast, playing a despised character. She soon retired to B-movies which allowed her the freedom to portray Chinese characters which the sympathy and authenticity she had always wanted, with frequent returns to the stage and in 1960, was given a star on the inaugeration of the Hollywood Walk of Fame - in fact, she remains the only Asian-American female to have a star. Marginalized by Hollywood and villainized by the Chinese Nationalist government and press, Anna May Wong continued to champion her beliefs and raise racial awareness to the point that she rejected undesirable roles even when plagued by the financial worries and health issues that led to her demise aged only 56. Fighting the prejudice of mainstream culture, she left behind a legacy and became an iconic figure, not only to the Asian-American community, but in cinematic history.

Alexander McQueen 1969 - 2010

2010-02-12T23:00:00.003Z

"People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad."
Marcel Proust

Brief Encounters...

2010-01-19T17:24:00.004Z

My excuses for not updating properly have lost meaning over the last year or so, but between studying, graduating, looking for a job and so on, I just haven't had the time (or motivation) to update on a frequent basis. I also became quite boring for about six months, and didn't really want to inflict that on anyone that appeared here. I've decided 2010 is the year to brush off my terrible blogging habits and update regularly, even if it's tiny snippets of something interesting. Maybe as the year progresses, I'll find my footing again - I'm also studying to become an English teacher in another country (I'm hoping Japan or Korea) this year, so 'the apathist' might be relocated in cyberspace and the real world, which should be exciting!

Sidenote #2

2010-01-15T20:36:00.005Z

Norwegian Wood (Murakami) as a film.
Tran Ahn Hung directing, and I'm kind of shocked that someone actually thinks they can do this novel justice. Toru, Naoko and Midori shouldn't be brought to life because they'll never be just right. Murakami's words are what make this book so unforgettable, I can't see how the descriptions and internal dialogue will ever be conveyed to invoke the same feeling. Norwegian Wood is something that should be experienced as a book, and I have a feeling people will use the film as a way of it which is such a shame. It's one of those films I'll never see, even out of curiosity because it'll utterly change the way I read the novel. It's too bad because I bet I'll miss some amazing style and great cinematography, but I just can't watch it.

Sidenote

2009-11-21T17:23:00.002Z

Just watched the Mad Men finale, and I'm kvelling!
Was there ever a more perfect episode from any TV show?
I was shrieking like a fangirl, and actually clapping my hands with glee.
Better than Christmas!

Still Lives...

2009-11-09T20:43:00.003Z

Eugenio Recuenco - Sometimes creepy, but always slick.
This silent cinema collection is my favourite from his photography portfolio, however you should definitely check out his film and ad stuff (the Shanghai Tang video is excellent).

Jukebox Session #2

2009-11-07T09:00:00.001Z

Lots as I'm making up for lost time.

Message To Bears - Autumn
(Electronic/Minimal/Repetitive to the point of banal but so good to work to...)

The Gentlemen Losers - Ballad of Sparrow Young
(Quiet Western Twanging - at around 1m34s, I want to live in Texas and serve peach pie to cowboys in a diner)

Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds
(Words, drone, drums, guitars. Music)

American Ananlog Set - Choir Vandals and The Only Living Boy Around
(Downbeat Alt.)

Bosques de mi Mente - Dibujame un cordero
(Piano - because you know I love my plinky plonky tunes, and I'm a sucker for string music)

The Mary Onettes - Puzzles and Century
(A bit 80s, but in a good way)

Yasushi Yoshida - Under Calf, Winged Steps
(Modern classical - quavery)

Arms and Sleepers - The Architekt and The International
(Electronic/Trip-Hop - I love, but won't force you to...maybe you could try to just like instead?)

The Hidden Cameras - Walk On and Kingdom Come
(Alt. - A bit of drama)

Grand Salvo - Needles
(Folk - I've never seen pictures of the man behind Grand Salvo, but he probably has a beard)

The Black Atlantic - Fragile Meadow and Reverence for Fallen Trees
(Soulful male singers who definitely close their eyes when they sing)

The Beautiful Schizophrenic - Nocturnosque
(Ambient)

Digitalism - Pogo (Shinichi Osawa Remix) and Tomas Andersson - Washing Up (Shinichi Osawa Edit)
(For days that being quiet is just not an option)

Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues and All The Kings Men
(Alt/Electronic - love)

Pixies - Where Is My Mind, Hey, Gigantic and Something Against You
(Apparently my teenage cousin doesn't know them, and sometimes it's scares me. Stayed tuned for Sonic Youth, Sammy, Labradford and Teenage Fanclub)

The Reading Room

2009-11-05T19:00:00.001Z

So after almost a year, I have finally reconciled myself to the new town library and rejoined despite the fact that it looks all wrong (too big and modern! Public libraries should be slightly crammed and a bit cosy), and despite the increased size, they don't really seem to have more material (more money spent on books instead of floor-to-ceiling windows maybe?). I think my own library has moved up on the list of "If you had three wishes..."

Baby, we can live vicariously...

2009-07-10T17:14:00.010+01:00

Life lesson #05

Tattoos require more commitment than marriage.

Despite knowing I'll never make the leap and get one, I often think about what kind of tattoo I might like and where (similar time-wasting activities are practising your signature, signing up for courses you could do in your spare time, like Introduction to Japanese Calligraphy, and photoshopping yourself into pictures to decide whether you'd look better with Steve McQueen or Louis Garrel). However, 'Tattoo Dreams' recently stopped after I saw Deidre But-Husaim's amazingly life-like paintings of people with these gorgeous floral and bird folk-style tattoos. They enhance the awkward youthful beauty of her subjects rather than mar it with boring 'can't you see I'm rebelling' tattoos of '50s pin-ups and skulls. Love that the designs also acknowledge that modern masculinity is a fluid concept and doesn't have to equate to naked lady on bicep.

Hot Shot

2009-06-30T16:31:00.003+01:00

I think I started believing in global warming today, I can't stop thinking about water even when I'm drinking it.
My solution so far: to sit down semi-naked in front of an electric fan on full blast.
Proposed, infinately more practical and aesthetic solution:

Revolver Fan, Commune de Paris

Once a dapper man...

2009-06-24T19:00:00.010+01:00

There have recently been some moments where I have genuinely wished I was a guy, one of those moments is when I see ads for anti-ageing products (right now, it's Andie Macdowell talking about 'deep-set wrinkles' which will disappear with the use of Revitalift - you can't reverse time people, cleanse, tone, moisturise and accept the inevitable), and the other is when I see men's clothes that I really love. Umit Benan's designs most certainly fit into this second category, apart from the fact that the model - his father, I think - oozes effortless cool, the clothes are so perfect because they combine wonderful sharp tailoring with worn-in style; it looks like you could buy a piece, throw it on and make it look like you've owned it for years (comfortable, not rumpled)...wait, have I finally discovered what smart casual means?

Hello strangers.

2009-06-24T16:37:00.003+01:00

Ahhhh! There's no place like a virtual home, and how I have missed my tiny place in the blogsphere.
Two months, zero absence notes and a bit of a revamp later, I'm still hoping that someone out there still pops back occasionally to look for updates!
I have officially finished the formal education part of my life though, so I can almost definitely assure you I won't be running off for such long periods of time in the future (promises, promises)...

PS. What do think of the new blog format? I'm the worst at coding so if something looks strange on your screen, let me know.

2009-04-19T21:21:00.004+01:00

My blog is temporarily out-of-order.

Please HOLD and I'll get back to you.

Beautifully clean...

2009-03-18T15:03:00.007Z

I know we're in the midst of a dire economic situation, but that doesn't mean my eye isn't caught by vain little fripperies anymore...Including soap it seems, I'm loving how decadent the deco-style packaging is for Claus Porto. With scents like tobacco and vetyver, Claus Porto is like the soap equivalent of Serge Lutens, though decidely less expensive. However, I'm not sure if I'd use it or display it in a glass case as an example of lovely packaging.

On Female Stereotypes...

2009-02-27T16:32:00.004Z

bARBARA i gONGINI A/W09 totally made me rethink my position on pink and frou-frou.
I want this dress.
A lot.
And I don't know why...Not enough tulle in my childhood?

Jukebox session #1...

2009-02-18T17:18:00.008Z

Long overdue music post with bit of everything, genres are roughly correct but you can listen to everything first anyway...

Vidulgi OoyoO - Elephant and I Might Be You
(Shoegaze - They have an Asobi Seksu vibe, though decidedly more morose and dreamy)

Chaz Knapp - Le Chien Mort
(Piano - fans of Yann Tiersan might enjoy his work)

Telefon Tel Aviv - Your Mouth
(Electronic - One half of this duo passed away in January so I'm not sure if the surviving member will continue on with Telefon, but the album Immolate Yourself is really worth listening to if you're an electronic fan)

Helios - Isoline and Mint Julep - Every Word
(Electronic ambient / ambient rock - Keith Kennif is behind both endeavours so they go together)

The Joy Formidable - The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade
(Electronic rock - I love this song at the moment)

Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics - Esketa Dance
(Ethiopian jazz - I actually blogged about Mulatu A back in 2007 (the tracks are still up), and I'm still in love with how mellow but listenable this stuff is, normally instrumental music makes me incredibly sleepy but despite the frequent repetition of this music, I'm still able to get on with my work whilst listening)

Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper and Fast Blood
(Indie rock - One of my top albums of 2008 was Frightened Rabbit's Midnight Organ Fight, it's so great from start and finish, and such a nice diversion from the droopy music I'm used to hearing from the Scottish lot)

Jenn Grant - Parachutes
(Let's say, alternative with retro stylings - a really low-key, understated singer with a voice that is such a nice break from the dull dull dull Adele, Kate Nash, Lily Allen, Amy Wino school of singers)

Mason Proper - Fog and Point A to Point B
(Alt. Rock - Why are these guys so underrated?? Another of my favourite albums from last year. Solid all the way through with some songs that make me nod and bop around a bit (you couldn't call it dancing, the point is that it's underheard for me to make any facial expression in public areas - I am excellent at looking blank) on the bus, and some which make me full-on flail when back in my flat)

The Middle East - Tsietsi
(Alternative - I know it's 13 minutes long but it's gorgeous and those 13 minutes are over before you know it)

Mojib - Underneath
(Electronic remixed - the whole album Whimsical Lifestyle is lovely, I ordinarily hate sampling (exception: Girl Talk) but I love his work, it's really well put together)

Neko Case - I'm An Animal and This Tornado Loves You
(From the upcoming album Middle Cyclone, which won't disappoint fans - this means you Lauren - Neko Case delivers again)

Fanfarlo - Comets
(Alternative indie/folk - If this song doesn't lift your spirits (even a bit), then you're probably dead inside)

Sidenote: I finally got around to watching the last Fraiser episode, and I cried - this probably isn't recommending the last song to you because you now think I'm an over-emotional wreck, which isn't true. I was really mourning the end of great sitcoms.
I won't be doing any Fashion Month posts because I'm reviewing a few collections on 212 Dressing Room's blog instead, so if you're interested head on over there (if you're feeling deprived of Riz from Mode Et Utopie's posts, she's one of the primary reviewers and her work is as interesting and engaging as ever!)

2009-02-14T00:19:00.009Z

I hear hair scrunchies are making a comeback, but I think I'd rather pass and sport one of these
bags from Hidden Goods on my wrist instead...Mostly because they don't make the 90's come screaming back to me (whenever I feel like I'm getting bigheaded about anything, I remember the days of the scrunchie and how I used to wear a spare one on my wrist...oh, the humanity).

Sidenote: While I'm pondering the past, I'll also make a reference to the future, I'm thinking about starting to learn how to read Tarot cards in preparation for my eventual status as my family's batty old mare, does anyone know if you actually need some sort of special ability (read: sensitivity), or will I be able to BS my way through readings? I've already decided what kind of cats I'm getting;a Russian Blue and a Bombay. Now if only I liked sherry...

Maybe I'll Learn Something...

2009-02-03T15:48:00.005Z

I'll admit it, despite thinking Sundance is a bit of a watered down affair compared to what it used to be, I'm excited to hear the positive news/reviews circulating about Lone Scherfig's "An Education". I've been anticipating this movie since news of the cast and stills were released, and they were quite promising. (Also, it's written by Nick Hornby so it can't be bad surely?)
Set in 1961, it's a coming-of-age story, I suppose, about Jenny (Carey Mulligan - Kitty in Pride & Prejudice, 2005), an intelligent young girl with a bright future who meets David (Pete Sarsgaard), a 30 year old who charms her with his wealth and extravagance, and introduces her to a completely different life. She starts pal-ing around with his chic, worldly friends (Rosamund Pike and Dominic Cooper), and against her father's wishes (Alfred Molina), drifts further away from the future he wants her to have.

Let's fact it, the clothes in the film aren't exactly hideous so if the plot turns out to be awful, at least you'll have something to look at...

Couture Week...

2009-01-27T21:43:00.005Z

Halfway through, only one day left, but admit it, wouldn't you just love the models to be a part of this show instead...

The Women (1939) - George Cukor
Starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard and Joan Fontaine.

Oscars Past...

2009-01-23T21:52:00.010Z

Well the Oscar nomination lists came out and as always, they were pretty predictable (though no less deserved...sort of) as I see Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sean Penn, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie, and Kate Winslet (can someone please give this woman an Oscar? I don't care if it's chocolate on the inside, just give her something, she deserves it. If Anne Hathaway wins - it's unlikey - then I'm gonna be pissed. How Gwenyth Paltrow has won one before Winslet I'll never know, but if Hathaway wins then Louis Lumiere is going to be wishing he never put the 'motion' into 'motion picture'). I'm not saying that they don't deserve their nominations (hah, I totally just did) but it's embarrassing that it essentially means that the levels of mediocrity in Hollywood are high as hell where actors/actresses are concerned.

So, with that in mind, the rest of the post is dedicated to the past winners from way back when the Oscars actually meant something, and the stars who won sparkled.

Norma Shearer - Best Actress in 1931 for "The Divorcee"

Louis B. Mayer and Helen Hayes - Best Actress in 1932 for "The Sins of Medlon Claudet"

Shirley Temple and Claudette Colbert - Best Actress in 1935 for "It Happened One Night"

Bette Davis - Best Actress in 1938 for "Jezebel" and Fay Bainter - Best Supporting Actress also in "Jezebel"

Vivien Leigh - Best Actress in 1939 for "Gone with the Wind"

James Stewart - Best Actor in 1941 for "The Philadelphia Story" and Ginger Rogers - Best Actress in "Kitty Foyle"

Ingrid Bergman and Jennifer Jones - Best Actress in 1944 for "The Song of Bernadette"

Bing Crosby - Best Actor in 1945 for "Going My Way" and Barry Fitzgerald also in "Going My Way"

Ingrid Bergman - Best Actress in 1945 for "Gaslight"

Olivia de Havilland - Best Actress in 1947 for "To Each His Own" and Ray Milland

James Baskett - Honorary Oscar in 1948, presented by Ingrid Bergman

Jane Wyman - Best Actress in 1949 for "Johnny Belinda"

Olivia de Havilland - Best Actress in 1950 for "The Heiress" and James Stewart
(The Heiress' leading man is the now underrated Montogomery Clift - James Dean meets Marlon Brando (though Clift started his career prior to Brando's, he had a car crash in the late-50s which scarred him for life, and it all went downhill until his death in the 60s). So now you have two reasons to watch this film.

Humphrey Bogart - Best Actor in 1952 for "The African Queen" and Claire Trevor

Audrey Hepburn - Best Actress in 1954 for "Roman Holiday"

Donna Reed - Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1954 for "From Here To Eternity" and Esther Williams

Edith Head - Best Costume Design in 1954 for "Roman Holiday" and a model in the dress worn by Audrey Hepburn

Frank Sinatra - Best Actor in 1954 for "From Here To Eternity" and Donna Reed- Best Supporting Actress (as above)

Marlon Brando - Best Actor in 1955 for "On the Waterfront" and Bob Hope

Grace Kelly - Best Actress in 1955 for "The Country Girl"

Jack Lemmon - Best Supporting Actor in 1956 for "Mister Roberts" and Burt Lancaster

Jo Van Fleet - Best Supporting Actress in 1956 for "East of Eden"

Yul Byrnner - Best Actor in 1957 for "The King and I"

Elizabeth Taylor - Best Actress in 1960 for "BUtterfield 8"
(based on a John O'Hara novel of the same name which is really worth reading)

Gregory Peck - Best Actor in 1963 for "To Kill A Mockingbird", Sophia Loren, Joan Crawford accepting the Best Actress award which went to Anne Bancroft for "The Miracle Worker, and Fernando Lamas

Sidney Poitier - Best Actor in 1964 for "Lilies of the Field"

Julie Andrews - Best Actress in 1965 for "Mary Poppins" and Audrey Hepburn

Julie Christie - Best Actress in 1966 for "Darling" and Lee Marvin - Best Actor for "Cat Ballou"

Liza Minnelli - Best Actress in 1972 for "Cabaret"

Meryl Streep - Best Actress in 1982 for "Sophie's Choice"

It seems apt to end with Meryl Streep as she's currently the actor who has garnered most nominations in Oscar history, and is still going strong.

Photos: Jamd, Life and Topfoto

Oh Dear...

2009-01-23T13:20:00.004Z

I know I've been trying to avoid real ranting posts recently (my last 25 entries are on Xanax), but I've just had the worst haircut ever, again (remember Hair-gate 2007?). Well it hapened again, but worse. What is wrong with hairdressers? No, really.
This is an exact transcript of what happened:

Her: So what were you wanting today?

Me: I just wanted a trim and a blow dry.

Her: Right, how much do you want off?

Me: An inch, inch and a half max.

Her: So, about this much?

*shows me an inch*

*Me thinking: Great, a hairdresser who knows how much an inch is. Finally!*

Me: Yep

Her: And your fringe?

Me: I'm trying to grow it out. So that can stay as it is thanks.

Her: Ok right.

*we go through the motions of washing and she puts in conditioner AND some other crap even though I tell I don't want it because products make my hair look shit. Then the combing, and finally the haircutting part. I wear glasses, and I'm blind without them, I'm also weak as hell when I'm in a hairdressing chair, so a lot of the time if I'm not sure what's going on, I ignore it. She finishes cutting and goes to find a hairdryer*

*Me thinking: She has to FIND a hairdryer? We're in a hair salon, there should be hairdryers at every station...My hair looks short. Really short. Jesus, how much did she take off? I said an inch and half max but I'm missing at least 3. I wonder if all hairdressers are really as crappy with hair as normal people - I bet they just make mistakes but instead of finding a new career, they just cut more hair...MY hair. Hell, if I wanted an awful haircut, I would've hacked away at it myself, plus I wouldn't have had to pay for the priviledge.*

Her: Right, now, do you want it blow dried and straightened?

Me: Erm, no, I have flat hair anyway, so the blow drying alone will be fine thanks.

Her: Any products?

Me: No thanks, like I said, I have flat hair and products weigh it down.

*She brushes my hair, AND THEN PUTS TWO PRODUCTS IN!!!*

Her: You have dry ends so these will just add a bit of moisture and shine.

Me: Err...Okay.
*Me thinking: Lady, I'm at least 2 sizes above the clothing size that society says I should be, I have a short neck and broad shoulders, my calves are bigger than my wrist. What makes you think I need something else to be neurotic about? Also, how can I have dry ends, when you just cut the ends off? Moisture and shine? I'm not applying for freaking Crufts (British dog show)*

*She then proceeds to blow dry my hair - do you remember when hairdressers used to be able to blow dry your hair with a round brush and a dryer? Yeah, me too, and that's still how I like it, unfortunately the lady working on my hair doesn't know how, and forgets that I don't want it straightened either, so she whips out a pair of GHDs (the devil's hair straighteners) and proceeds to straighten my hair to within an inch of it's life. Does anbody like having poker straight, flat hair? No, so why would I ?!*

At the end of this ordeal, I actually thank her about 5 times, pay her and run off to Topshop to sort it out in the changing rooms with 5 hairpins and a scarf...I looked like a boy.

Mindful Non-violence...

2009-01-21T16:04:00.007Z

I'm currently fantasising about the work of Rotterdam-based design duo Vlieger & Vandam. I love the tongue-in-cheek Guardian Angel series - which is bound to raise eyebrows if you're seen toting it out and about, but they make for quite an amusing and relevant social statement about the times we live in - and the bold gendered graphics of the 'features without faces' bags.

Do you want to be my girl...

2009-01-08T14:51:00.010Z

For days you don't 'get' Jeff Koons and you're sure that Damien Hirst is out of his damn mind,

when you're sure if you were around the same time as Toulouse-Lautrec and Gustav Klimt,
you'd feel nostalgic

...right about now.

Joshua Petker

Resolutions, smezelutions...

2009-01-06T18:13:00.006Z

A post from the not-so-distant future...

2008-12-30T17:00:00.002Z

Because I'm awful at posting to specific days, Happy New Year in advance!

Music to call it in...
New Years - Asobi Seksu
New Year's Eve - The Walkmen
New Year's Kiss - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
New Year's Departure - Green Pitch
In the New Year - The Walkmen

I'll be updating my links list to get rid of dead links etc soon, so if you'd like to be added, you can either e-mail me or leave a note here!

Photo by emptysquare on flickr

The Art of Giving - The Next Chapter

2008-12-18T13:15:00.010Z

It has just started to dawn on me that I'm graduating from university in July, which has led to a slight panicked realistion that I have to start looking for a job without really knowing what I'm qualified to do. I'm hoping my degree in Media and Cultural Studies is vague enough to be applied to numerous fields, but I sort-of have my eye on something in publishing. Which means that I spend numerous hours on publishing houses websites looking for vacancies and graduate programs. However, with a wandering mind like mine, more often than not I end up looking at the books instead and making mental (in both senses of the word) wishlists of what I'd love to get for Christmas. So if jewellery and stylish fripperies aren't your thing, try this lot instead:

The Bill Amberg Collection
Bill Amberg stops designing bags long enough to create these lovely leather-bound book covers for six classic novels:
Truman Capote's Breakfast At Tiffany's, Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, E.M. Forster's A Room with a View, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep (the inclusion of this thrills me as I'm a huge fan of the 'hard-boiled detective' genre, and Raymond Chandler is like the father of the modern crime novel...well joint father with Dashiell Hammett, you can't really say who'd win in a fight between Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.)
A signed, first edition of Haruki Murakami's Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.

Posters and silk-screen prints from Bella Muse

I'll tell you what I probably shouldn't admit as a Media student, but the introduction of the e-book reader on Waterstones' website is bothering the hell out of me. The idea of a world where people read off screens instead of pages on the bus or the train is slightly bizarre. How on earth are you supposed leave coffee cup marks on the cover of an e-book reader, and what is going to happen to libraries?...I am also worried about the fate of the bookmark, despite being one of those people who uses a napkin or folds the corner of the page to keep my place.

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

PS. Thanks so much for the birthday wishes, you guys are sweet! I ended up celebrating it anyway and it was lovely!

Errr...

2008-12-11T14:46:00.003Z

M: Happy Birthday!

Me: ....?

M: It's your birthday.

Me: Yup.

M: What are you doing?

Me: I'm thinking about getting a muff. Do you think I'd look good with a muff?

M: A muff?...What are you doing?

Me: I skipped class today to celebrate. Nothing much...I have to pack 'cause I'm going home tomorrow. I am so excited! I think I'm going to ask my mum to make me some proper Indian food, I have been craving it for yonks. I wonder if the decorations are up at home yet. I hope so, I love Christmas lights, it's such a cheesy holiday but I like it.

M: What?

Me: What? I really feel like carrot cake. Shall we?

The very observant of you might have noticed that my age has changed on my profile from 20 to 21, not because of some sort of bizarre time-space continum malfunction (thank you Back to the Future), but because its the dreaded birthday today. The only good part is that I get mail which isn't just bills, and parcels that I haven't paid for. Apart from that, I hate my birthday, it's not really the ageing thing that gets to me, but more the fact that I am being focused on. I'm not the only one who hates birthdays, am I? Right guys? I'm right, aren't I?

Sidenote

2008-12-11T01:13:00.005Z

If the overexposure of Twilight news/reviews/general kerfuffle over something so ordinary is depressing you, I'd recommend Let The Right One In as a vamp alternative. I was first alerted to it by Romeika back in July, and I finally got hold of a copy a week ago. And it was worth it, it's really engaging and manages to avoid all the cliche storylines that I think have given vampire films a bad rep. The director Tomas Alfredson and cast have done a great job producing a film that's simultaneously touching, horrifying and surprising. Unfortunately, I've already heard rumours of a remake in talks, so do yourself a favour and watch this first!

The Art of Giving - Part One

2008-12-10T14:08:00.003Z

If like me you are slightly crap at finding gifts that are guaranteed to light up your friends and relatives faces with joy, goodwill and other Christmas buzzwords, then the holiday season probably strikes fear into the depths of your soul. If you're not sure about your gift-giving abilities, then you're the one who trudges around the shops wearily looking for anything that looks like 'something Mike might like', before ending up at the shop you first started at and buying the first thing that you lay eyes on. On the day of exchanging gifts, you'll probably be recieving a look of 'what-were-you-thinking' mixed with a healthy dose of 'I-wonder-if-I-can-exchange-this', as your recipient gives you more thanks than you deserve.
However, because I know what this is like, this is the first in a series (hopefully, though judging by my sporadic blogging habits, the next 'episode' will be sometime around early July 2009) of guides to giving gifts that will infuse you with a feeling of selfish cheer (who doesn't love that little spark and glow that you get when you realise that you have outgifted everyone else - err...and made your good friend Mike happy obviously).
First up is Mardeu. Started up by Kazumi Hiruma, a fashion grad from Central St Martins, Mardeu reflects a somewhat electic and personal taste which should appeal to people who appreciate good design with beautiful, quirky aesthetics. It's a veritable wonderland that offers a plethora (I'm catching up on my 'word of the day' for the last year in this post) of treasures, from clothing to ceramic llamas designed by artists from all over the shop.

My personal favourites come from these guys:

Kwodrent

Vice & Vanity

Les Six

All Dressed Up

My next guide will be on how to stop using parentheses excessively...maybe I'll switch to footnotes.

Aye Aye...

2008-11-27T23:59:00.006Z

I love the unusual nautical twist on this collection from Jean Paul Knott, it's co clean and crisp, completely appropriate for spring.

When it's cold, wrap up...

2008-11-27T14:31:00.000Z

I'm getting better thanks to lots of Vitamin C, tea and sympathy. No thanks however, to one of my new flatmates (2nd year law student who doesn't seem to do any work), who brought her bass guitar and massive amp to uni with her, and likes to practice at unearthly hours AM and PM - she is the favourite subject of my rants recently. Well, her and the people at uni who dress like it's still 30 degrees outside. There's nothing I hate more than inappropriate seasonal clothing, it drives me crazy when girls stand around shivering in clothes that bare more than they cover, and boys in thin t-shirts and saggy jeans who shuffle around as they try to keep warm. So here's my retort to the craziness that's spreading like Fresher's Flu...(I've just discovered Polyvore. So much time wasted.)

Back soon!

2008-10-29T15:54:00.005Z

Hey guys, I'll be back sometime soon with new posts, I've just been down with the flu (and other various germs) for a few weeks, and I'm playing catch-up with work that I've been leaving due to my spending long hours under my blanket.

Meg!

Peace-offering: Tracks from the new (overdue) Asobi Seksu EP, Mary & Me. Needless to say, I'm excited by the forthcoming album release!
Mary & Me
Breathe Into Glass

Never Mind the Absence...

2008-10-02T15:39:00.002+01:00

Well after the longest break this blog has ever seen, I'm going to pretend that it didn't happen. In fact, to reinforce my mental and physical absence from here, I've just taken a three hour break between the last sentence and this one to watch my flatmates play pool, eat soup and go to the chemist, even though they are jobs which could've waited a bit. Anyway, that's not the point, the point is. Clothes. More specifically, clothes from Paola Ivana Suhonen's label Ivana Helsinki, which she describes as a Finnish art brand that represents a new Northern style called "Fennofolk" - a bit like a mixture of Scandi-Slavic environments apparently.
However, rather than producing dull collections of sober chunky white/grey knitwear directly inspired by the white landscape, her collection "Birdring" consists of printed dresses, filmy-thin knits and varied silhouettes which seem to be more the product of endless winters spent dreaming about other places.

A different breed indeed...

2008-08-03T19:26:00.009+01:00

I've never really understood the appeal of dogs, (cats or children actually), but when I first saw the A/W '08 collection by Mongrels in Common I realised I might need to reconsider this hasty dislike of the canine kingdom. Designed by Livia Ximenez-Carrillo and Christine Pluess in Berlin-Mitte, the label has created a brilliantly distinctive style. The duo have designed two stellar collections for a male and female clientele by combining masculine and feminine aesthetics, with classic pleating techniques and unusual colour palettes. It's candy-coloured androgyny at it's very best. I'm especially in love with the incredible pink cape from the women's collection and the casual black shirt, baggy grey trousers outfit from the men's side...actually just about every look from the men's collection, even the pink and cream bellboy number. First time for everything.

PS. Sorry about the lack of posting recently but between researching/planning my dissertation (I've been home for two months already and am very underwhelmed by my so-called progress), working, and leading a normal social life, I've been a bit crap at updating on a regular basis. Also, I'm incredibly lazy during the summer (is anyone else just dying for winter to get here?)

Birds of a feather....

2008-07-19T13:43:00.003+01:00

You know when people have fabric loves? Like leather (more of a fetish really), leopard-print or paisley? Mine is feathers. The peacock dress by Prada for the '05 collections? I still dream about that dress. I have no idea why though, I don't even like birds all that much. While I'm pretty sure that owning a feather dress is going to remain a distant boudoirish dream, I'm quite happy to live vicariously through designers like Nuj Novakhett, who designed this stellar stiff black feather skirt,

and Jimmie Martin, a furniture designer who has come up with this chair that I am not-so-secretly coveting.

Twilight - The Phoenix Foundation
Rugla - amiina
Balkan Low Rider Anthem - Alaska in Winter
The Ratio of Freckles to Stars - Halou
Falling Through the Roof - Horse Feathers
Sideways - Let's Go Sailing
Blue Summer - The Phoenix Foundation
Libraries - Seabear
There is an End - The Greenhornes with Holly Golightly
Take the A Train - Duke Ellington

or Zipped

PS. Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Happy Days...

2008-07-13T12:10:00.017+01:00

I'll tell you no lies, on days that I have bigger plans than vacuuming, watching Diagnosis Murder and half-heartedly bidding on Ebay for a pair of vintage Lanvins, I spend at least half-an-hour sitting on my bed after my morning shower, just blankly staring at my wardrobe. And I mean, blankly.

If I had the funds, I might just buy a week's worth of clothing from Sretsis' latest collection 'MontoSun' - designed by Thai designer Pim Sukhahuta. A graduate of Parsons, Sukhahuta started her label 3 years ago with a desire to make clothes with nostalgic, whimsical styling, and each of her collections has been gorgeously designed with an interesting concept behind it. Her latest collection MontoSun (Monday-Sunday) is inspired by an old Thai tradition according to which it is "good luck to dress in the designated colour of each of the week. While Mon-Sun isn't so strictly color-coded, the collection takes a playful approach to outfitting for any occasion - whatever the week may bring. In the spirit of effortless perfection in dressing, the collection is comprised of pieces that are wearable as they are versatile. Mix-and-matchable pieces and details like reversibility enable the kind of surprising pairings that make the collection truly 'Mon-Sun'."

Take a look at her past collections too, while she's not edgy or avant-garde, sometimes it's boring when that's all you see on the catwalks, and Pim Sukhahuta's designs have developed over each collection in terms of materials and colour that it's hard not to find them completely adorable - sorta Karen Walker-ish. She has mixed the perfect amount of nostalgia, life through rose-tinted glasses and modern styling to produce a collection that I'd be happy to wear from Monday to Sunday, and that's saying something because she's made the equivalent of what I see as floral mummypants (a la Bridget Jones). Also, how much do you love the shoes in aquamarine?...Or is it turquoise? Anyway, Dulux calls it Grecian Spa.

Oh, hark at him...

2008-07-02T07:47:00.001+01:00

Back in 1968, Simon and Garfunkel won an Oscar for the score to The Graduate, The Beatles released 'Hey Jude' in the States, Martin Luther King was assassinated, and Japanese photographer, T.Hayashida took a tour around the American Ivy Leagues. He documented the styles found at these colleges and put them together for a book, Take Ivy, which is now unfortunately out-of-print (they reprinted a small number a few years ago, so if you're interested you should keep a lookout as they might get a new publisher). The pictures I've found grabbed my interest as they're unexpectedly not dated at all, you could easily picture some of these guys on The Sart's website and walking around today. It's a brilliant slice of life within what I imagine is still quite an insular environment today, and I'm dying to get hold of a copy so I can see what other gems are within.

Click on the pictures for a better look - blogger is really stingy with picture space!

It's really reminded me of the fact that I quite like the preppy, clean-cut guys. With a proper haircuts. Who shave on a regular basis. Which unfortunately isn't the look du jour for most young guys, as it's apparently easier to leave your hair unwashed, throw on a pair of acid-wash jeans that have seen better days (in the 80's), and a v-neck sweater with just a little bit too much V. I mean, say it with me my friends. Grooming. It's this thing that people do, like washing hair and shaving. If girls have to wax 80% of their body hair, why do guys find shaving their faces so damn difficult?
This point was re-iterated as I did my quarterly re-trawl of magazines and I found that even men's magazines seemed to be pushing the return of the hairstyle as opposed to the caveman approach to styling (waking up and shoving in the nearest hair product).

Man About Town

Another Man

And if you've been following the S/S '09 menswear collections, you might already have come across Neil Barratt's latest work, which I am crazy about - the shoes alone made me almost cry. It's a seriously good-looking collection though, the flashes of fluorescent colour were inspired and did I mention the shoes?

PS. Has anyone else heard about Hedi's possible return to Dior Homme? Thoughts? Does anyone even particularly care?

Let's Go Sailing...

2008-07-02T07:30:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry about the extended absences between my posts lately, and also the rubbish attitude I seem to have acquired towards commenting etc, I am reading everyone's blogs as much as ever but I am heinous at generating something worthwhile to say.
Also I have been feeling rather domestic lately, and am doing things like cooking, sewing on buttons and hemming stuff. On Monday I actually went strawberry picking with a friend, and I spent yesterday cleaning and washing a vintage suitcase (courtesy of the step-pater's pater). It's looking pretty good. All I need is for someone to whisk me away to Capri now.

Temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius, with cloud slowly drifting in from the West...

2008-06-24T12:18:00.006+01:00

Cause for celebration, or at least colour splash...Also, I'm hoping that as I post this, I'm excused from posting a bit longer. Call it a pseudo-post if you will, a bite-sized post masquerading as a real mouthful of a post.

Tea-lights...

2008-06-22T17:34:00.004+01:00

"...what I feel we ought to do at this juncture is to dash off somewhere where it's quiet and there aren't so many houses dancing the 'Blue Danube' and shove some tea into ourselves. And over the pot and muffins I shall have something very important to say to you."

P.G. Wodehouse, The Amazing Hat Mystery

Tea Lights by Domestic Construction

Proper sunglasses are cool, and you know it...

2008-06-22T17:31:00.002+01:00

Dear Kanye West,
Please stop wearing your shutter shades asap. I'm officially sick of seeing people out and about wearing them as if they are real sunglasses, when they are not. I can just about bear seeing them on people's facebook profile pictures, but I am no longer able to have a conversation in real life with anyone wearing them. Because I don't understand them. I am vaguely amused by the glasses with fake eyes printed on them, or the glasses disguises which are attached to big noses and a 'tache, but shutter shades = me losing it big time. Stop wearing them. You look like a knob.
Love and abuse,
Meg / The Apathist
PS. I <3 Pharrell Williams
PPS. Here's a link for COLAB

No really, Colab really do make sunglasses which would make a hipster in Brooklyn start weeping because he has been outcooled. Born in Australia, Colab is a range designed by five different designers, who design their own range within Colab without any restraints. All they have to do is produce sunglasses which reflect their own design aesthetic and are wearable. Because it's a genius idea, they got some great international designers on board, and the results are pretty damn awesome (all the designs that look like they're on the lenses are stickers which can be removed):

Perks and Mini

These glasses are actually a luminous pink, but they've been sprayed over with a matt-black laquer, which is designed to gradually wear away and scratch off to reveal the pink underneath

EBoy

Geoff McFetridge

Rockin*Jellybean

Neasden Control Centre

Go to the website to have a proper look at the secret details hidden in some of the glasses, they're excellent.

Down the rabbit-hole...

2008-06-17T19:00:00.002+01:00

A friend of mine is having a Mad Hatter's Tea Party on Friday, so it's actually quite apt that in the spirit of the fantastic, I'm doing a post about Brandi Milne's latest collection ("Wonderland") today. (While you might feel like you're getting used to the borderline weird gushing about artists, designers and musicians on my blog, the truth is, I feel like I'm reaching new levels of crazy with every post).

Milne's collection "Wonderland" is not exclusively devoted to Alice in Wonderland, but rather all feelings and objects associated with childhood, from familiar characters like Pinocchio, to food (yes, it's Popsicles and cupcakes galore in Milne's paintings). With bold graphic outlines and brightly dark colours, her paintings could easily be illustrations from a whimsical, slightly macabre children's book. Tall, languid girls in aprons and ruffs hold howling Popsicles and sleeping strawberries in a carnivalesque garden. It reminds me a little bit of Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree, where the magical and strange was made possible in a very ordinary world. Refreshingly unpretentious and unconstrained by rules about style, as a viewer, you're encouraged to let your imagination run riot in Brandi Milne's gorgeously framed Wonderland.

If you live in Santa Monica, you're in luck because she's showcasing at the CoproNason Gallery until June 28th

Wonderland

Young Foolery (Someone Always Gets Hurt)
This is actually my favourite, who didn't have one of these moments when they were a littl'un?

The Series of Selfish Acts
(Leaving Bananas for Dead)

The Sweetest Treat

The Tin Man Pinata Came to Life One Day

Bird Batch for Two

Caterpillar Magic

I've Heard Your Cries and I Know What You've Been Thru

My Strawberry Heart

Naughty Boy

To growing young, running riot and being in bed by 11pm:
Teenage Kicks- Nouvelle Vague
Carnival Kids - The Futureheads
Ageing Spinsters - 6ths Apparently Stephen Merritt can see what my future holds...
Kids - MGMT
Distopian Dream Girl - Built to Spill
Boy From School - Hot Chip
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Russian Red
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

OR zipped (for Carissa and anyone else who can't use box.net!)

Basquing in the sun...

2008-06-13T14:35:00.015+01:00

I hate summer...Hate's probably too strong a word actually. It's actually the British summer I hate, where you can start a day with torrential rain and progress to weather that makes you regret the fact that you wore tights, a jacket and a cardigan. Or it can go in reverse, you might frolic outside in a cotton skirt, vest and sandals at 12.00pm, but by 3.40pm you'll be standing under a bus shelter soaked to bone because it's pouring, and some tosser purposely drove into a large puddle so you'd get splashed on the pavement.
However, I think I'm learning to master this ridiculous chopping-and-changing by following the outfits designed by Suzuki Takayuki, who is my new mentor for clever layering. His spring-summer '08 models may have strutted down the catwalk wearing tights and what looked like too many layers for summer, but they looked pretty damn airy compared to what I had been sporting so far. Pale pinks, greys, volume, basque skirts and knitted vests resulted in a collection that actually made me think about how I could adapt my winter wardrobe for summer without looking dull, dull, dull...and resorting completely to florals. Sequins instead of flowers? Yes, please. Also, headpieces. Yum. His past/future winter collections are also completely delish and feature pieces which could be really easily mixed with the S/S designs. Cue lots of images.

Autumn-Winter '07/'08

Spring-Summer '08

Autumn-Winter '08/'09

Due to the fact that I do not wear pink, lots of ruffles and am not slender enough for this much layering, when I say 'adapt', I really mean change quite a lot. Pale pink translated to pale grey in my wardrobe, and ruffles translated to floaty chiffon which can be worn loose or pinned back to make more of a cocoony, volume-infused shape. Sequins supplied in the form of fully sequinned t-shirt (formerly a dress, but I drew the line at a fully-sequinned, knee-length dress). My shoes are totally weather appropriate because they're high-enough so I'm not stepping in puddles, but they have cutouts which make them hot weather appropriate. However, in the large bags that I always carry, I keep...

My parka and white lace-up plimsolls! For when it's raining like mad and I can't bear to get my shoes and blazer wet. It's a bit more Dries S/S '07 though, I think.

Hmm, must try and keep hand still in future.

These shoes are made for walking....

2008-06-04T14:37:00.008+01:00

I've never made any qulams about the fact that I am extremely aesthetic-concious, from my wardrobe to another person's. In social settings I'm usually more content with making style contact rather than eye contact, if you're male, cheesy lines will get you an exasperated funny face, but if you can talk to me about Raf Simons for more than 15 minutes, I'm yours. If they're wearing good shoes, all the better. I like sneaks as much as the next girl, but there's something about seeing a guy wear their Nike Dunks with everything which drives me crazy. And winklepickers have the same effect on me.
If this sounds like you, or even your boyfriend, do yourself/them a favour and point them in the direction of Marsu Homme. An Australian company found by Chrissy Hammond and Amy Low, Marsu is everything you could ever want from a men's footwear line - the shoes are stunning; they've paid attention to detail and every shoe is hand-finished in Italy using the best kangaroo leather. They prove that men's shoes don't have to be hipsterish and almost juvenile to be cool, in fact, growing up is pretty awesome. I'm crazy about the brick red lace-ups which they have aptly named Alfred (in Louvre Red Fox) and the tie-dyed Benja slip-ons, which sound a bit out there but they're beautiful.

Missed music day on Monday (my schedule has evidently gone to shit as I've got into summer mode, so erratic posting is resumed):

Sugar Water - Cibo Matto
Oceanwalk - Astronautalis
Hands Around My Throat - Death in Vegas
Time To Pretend - MGMT
Speak To Me Bones - Land of Talk

EDIT: I'm watching crazy amounts of Jeeves and Wooster now that I've finished studying, and it's scaring me that I think the moustached Hugh Laurie is charming...Stephen Fry was dressed as a woman in today's episode. I love summer.

Au revoir monsieur...

2008-06-02T13:40:00.010+01:00

I'm sure most of the fashion blogsphere have heard about the passing of one of fashion's most prolific and influential designers, Yves Saint Laurent. Regarded (by me at least) as the last designer from the Golden Era of fashion, it's truly a sad day for the industry. If you haven't seen it already, I can't think of a better time to watch David Teboul's 'Yves Saint Laurent: Le Temps Retrouve', a wonderful documentary which gives a insight into the life of one of the most reclusive and brilliant designers who lived.

"Dressing is a way of life."

Yves Saint Laurent

Hi. Bye.

2008-05-25T11:14:00.009+01:00

Guys,
Just a quick note to let you know I won't posting until June as I have a major exam on Wednesday, and then I'm busy moving out to go home for the summer. More regular posting will resume after that, also Sex and the City is out on Wednesday, which I will be interested in seeing even though Carrie annoys the shit out of me.

I know the teacup feature is on Thursday, but you know what? I drink tea on Sundays too. Shocking, I know.
This week's is by Ree Jin Lee, an illustrator and ceramics designer who has created this rather minimal tea-cup and saucer which I love (gosh, I bandy the word 'love' around so freely on my blog, it feels like the 60s and the word has lost all meaning, maybe I'll try some substitutes when I return).

Also, a song. Cover of the song "How Deep is Your Love" by The Bird & The Bee, which I prefer to the original. And not just because the original was sung by The Bee Gees, who also gave us the disco-dancefloor, mood-killer that was "Stayin' Alive" (I checked, they definately used the apostrophe instead of a 'g'. Way to be cool guys). On that note of sarcasm, "I'm outtie" (Tai, Clueless, 1995....I'm a veritable hotbed of pop culture references today!) because my Consumer Culture and Advertising revision/procrastination isn't going to do itself.

Love and abuse,
Meg!

EDIT: I just saw the guy who lives across from me naked, don't people have any good-old fashioned inhibitions anymore?

Sugar and Spice...

2008-05-22T10:43:00.003+01:00

OiranLaceySetsuna

"Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails

That's what little boys are made of !
Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!"

When looking at Audrey Kawasaki's work, I can't help but think of the Mother Goose nursery rhyme about boys and girls, which couldn't be more apt in some parts, and more wrong in others. Audrey Kawasaki (I'm probably going to keep typing out her full name because I like the name Audrey) paints on the somewhat unusual canvas of wood using oil and graphite, and the results are completely breathtaking. Inspired by manga and Art Noveau, her paintings occasionally evoke somewhat mixed feelings because they bind together the innocent and the sexual; enigmatic, ethereal women with 'come-hither' eyes frolic around in slightly surreal environments (bugs, animal skeletons and sea creatures are aplenty but appearances from men are somewhat limited). The eyes are what initially draw you further into the pictures; they might be bedroom eyes, but there's also something quite mournful there, while the detailing is also second-to-none. You can follow her process in her journal.

Bouya

If Only You Were Here

Dreamer

For MomTsuyoshi

Ishiki

Kaware Nushi

Tear Me

Untitled

Utagai

Memai

Like a tall glass of...vodka?

2008-05-22T10:34:00.003+01:00

Apparently these ads for Icelandic vodka, Reyka have been around for a while but I've only just found them and I think they're very cool. I always find that ads for alcohol can go three ways; there's the very dramatic ones (Guiness, Smirnoff), the slightly 'sluttish' ones where a woman wearing barely anything will make eyes at a narcassistic poseur in a nightclub (Barcardi), or the vaguely amusing ones which rely on sexism, stereotypes and typical blokeish behaviour (WKD, any English beer ad).
Reyka's ads feature a slightly sheepish girl with an excellent accent and cute clothes, in an animated world. Not much else to say except, they're different and I like them.

Sunstroke mentality...

2008-05-22T09:00:00.001+01:00

I don't know whether the gorgeous weather has made me go a bit mentally squiffy, but I am having the weirdest style moments.
I've been looking at this one-piece (!) bodysuit by Gorman and thinking, "You know what? I actually sort of like it better than their other clothes." Their other clothes incidentally, are also really nice.

And in other clothes news I never thought I'd type, I'm jonesing for a pair of harem pants. Yeah.
While Elfenkleid's SS collection confirmed that I do actually quite like harem pants, I've actually started thinking about buying a pair, and wearing them. The blue and black ones below are from UO, but there's a grey silk pair at Topshop which I am also lusting after...maybe if I buy them in 3 colours I'll get over this strange phase?

What big eyes you have...

2008-05-19T13:25:00.006+01:00

For those of you who thought that snowglobes were all about pretty scenery, snowmen, glitter or the Eiffel Tower, prepare to stand corrected. Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz create deliciously dark miniature scenarios which will probably dissuade the most annoyingly precocious child from trying to shake them up. If you liked Fargo, you will probably enjoy the fantastical imagery of the duo, who capture the all too realistic emotions of fear, alienation and futility in a medium which is normally associated with very different feelings; nostalgia, love etc. The ordinarily magical winter landscape becomes a desolate, bleak space where it seems Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz are making really quite relevant comments about contemporary life and human nature, and I'll tell you now that "The Nursery" scares the bejesus out of me.

Between Too Much and Me

'Islands' series

Winter Walk

Experiment with Red No. 720

The Nursery

'Travelers' series

Traveler 53 at Night

Traveler 63

Traveler 156 at Night

Traveler 132 at Night

Cold Front

Hello? Oh...

2008-05-19T11:24:00.004+01:00

It's music day, and I've picked out some of my favourite tunes of late, some mellow and some perfect for those days when you feel like dancing up a storm in your bedroom (yeah, I know you're not as cool as you'd like to think you are).

Fade Into You - Mazzy Star Essential, every music collection requires some Mazzy Star.
Thursday - Asobi Seksu

How You Survived The War - The Weepies The Weepies are new to me, but they're pretty good. Very chill, melodic indie-pop.

Skinny Love - Bon Iver I told you that men with gorgeous voices make my knees go weak and Bon Iver is no exception.

You Drift Away - The Postmarks Easy on the ears (and good studying music!)

Lullabies - Headlights

Kill! Kill! Kill! - The Pierces ...Yeah, I think that is a ukelele but I still like it.

In My Room - The Last Shadow Puppets Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of The Rascals get fancy with a string orchestra arranged by Owen Pallett from Arcade Fire, with those credentials, who needs my thoughts?...You do =) It's a good album, reminds me of James Bond...if he was from up North.

How Now - The Jealous Girlfriends Take it. Take it. Take it. This song has been on rrrepeat since I first heard it. Catchy as hell, and so freaking danceable! These guys are going places, and fast.

You and Me Song - The Wannadies Sugar-coated nostalgia, the best kind, no?

Breathe Me - Sia (Four Tet Remix)

Studying has a bad rep....

2008-05-11T13:00:00.001+01:00

...but somehow I've been managing.
I have two exams this week, so posting will be resumed the week after!
Good luck if you also have exams at the moment!

Fashion in Motion...

2008-05-11T12:55:00.008+01:00

So about a month or so ago, Debonair made a list of the "Movies that Impacted the Fashion World" and while I agree with most of their choices, I have a few of my own...
Debonair's List (partial, in no particular order):
1. A Clockwork Orange - Definitive Punk
Combat boots, bowler hats, braces and exaggerated eye-makeup, the 'droogs' may have been delinquents but they were also well-dressed, dandy delinquents with lawless attitudes that put the Sex Pistols to shame later in the 60s.

Jean Paul Gaultier's Autumn - Winter '08/9 menswear collection sees the return of the Alex DeLarge influence (stylewise only hopefully).2. American Gigolo - American Sportswear
Julian Kaye was preppy elegance personified and tied up with a lavish Armani bow. He wasn't a likeable character but an undeniably smooth, charismatic fashionplate. Could anyone take their eyes off him?....I still can't - he is too, too lovely - I have a feeling that I should attempt to stop subjecting him to my examination but if men can look, I'm all in favour for the Female Gaze too!

Still dressing 'money' in the same elegant, nonchalant style today, Armani Spring - Summer '07

3. Annie Hall - Androgyny baby!
Long before there was Agy, there was Annie. Played by Diane Keaton, Annie Hall is the heroine of the only Woody Allen film I can stand, and that is partly because of the style embraced by the eccentric Annie. With her waistcoats, ties and what are now termed as 'boyfriend' trousers, Keaton was partly at the forefront of a huge fashion movement that exists today. I say partly, because I mostly credit the androgynous look to Yves Saint Laurent who created the "Le Smoking" tuxedo, which was an incredibly influential and important design. But in films, Annie Hall covered that base.

Tom Ford for YSL Spring - Summer '04. I find it weird that Tom Ford even designed for YSL just a few years ago. I think it's because Stefano Pilati's most recent collection was so perfect that I am distinctly underwhelmed by Tom Ford's sunglass and perfume collection. Did anyone else think that Ford was going to come back with something more incredible than a bunch of sexist, racy ads and an accessories collection?...He doesn't have anything to prove, his stint at YSL speaks for itself, but still I'm hoping that Hedi Slimane is working on something more....KA-POW!-like compared to Ford's return to fashion.

4. North By Northwest - Cary Grant aka Suave, Elegant Bachelor-type
Cary Grant is immaculate in this timeless, single-breasted grey suit. I don't need to say anything more, except that if you're sitting here wondering why Cary Grant is on this list, you need to watch more pre-1970's cinema (especially Hitchcock).

Personally, my favourite menswear designer, Neil Barratt, Autumn - Winter '07/8

5. Pulp Fiction - minimal chic
Who hasn't watched Pulp Fiction and wished they were either Uma Thurman dancing with effortless cool in a 50's style restaurant, or Sam L. Jackson in a clean black suit with a skinny black tie, being a badass in general? No-one.

Hedi Slimane for Dior Homme - Autumn - Winter '06/7

My Continuing List:
6. Wes Anderson - the vintage-styled eccentrics
Speaking from a biased viewpoint as a 'bit' of a Wes Anderson fan, I think he created a distinct style in the genre he works within (the indie flick). From the fur-clad Margot Tenenbaum, to the Whitman brothers, to Max Fischer, the characters are the epitome of upper-middle class bohemia; the sort of people who own expensive, well-made clothing but rather than buying it new, it actually belonged to some deceased relative who dropped dead of scarlet fever in Papua New Guinea.

Calvin Klein - Spring - Summer '06

Lanvin - Autumn - Winter '05/6

7. Breakfast at Tiffanys - chic femme
Breakfast at Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn and THAT Givenchy dress, amongst some other gorgeous outfits, and Fred Baby (Paul Varjak) wearing some rather dashing, spiffy suits.

Alberta Ferretti - Autumn - Winter '08/9

Givenchy - Autumn - Winter '04/5

Valentino - Autumn - Winter '08/9

Lanvin - Spring - Summer '08

Paul Smith - Autumn - Winter '08/9

8. The Great Gatsby - roaring 20's

Drop-waisted, flapper dresses, big floppy hats and love-stricken dandies.

YSL - Spring - Summer '06

Betty Jackson - Spring - Summer '06

Elspeth Gibson - Spring - Summer '06

Emporio Armani - Spring - Summer '06

9. Rebel Without A Cause - the original teen
Leather jackets, dirty jeans, and reckless attitudes, somehow binge-drinking is somewhat less rebellious than James Dean racing towards the edge of a cliff.

Bottega Veneta - Autumn - Winter '07/8

Gucci - Autumn - Winter '06/7

10. Clueless - the preppy teen
Plaid skirts, headbands, knee-socks and mary-jane's. Before there was Blair Waldorf, there was Cher Horowitz...in Alaia. Meanwhile, Dan Humphrey...I mean Josh and the other male characters were mooching around in shirts over band tees, like guys who like Marky-Mark.

Preen - Autumn - Winter '06/7

Karen Walker - Autumn - Winter '06/7

Luella - Spring- Summer '07

Eley Kishimoto - Autumn - Winter '08/9

Eley Kishimoto - Autumn - Winter '07/8

Phillip Lim - Autumn - Winter '07/8

Versace - Autumn - Winter '04/5

Also duly noted, but not elaborated upon because I am tired:
The Thomas Crown Affair (original with Steve McQueen)
The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Fifth Element
Goldfinger

Super-zero...

2008-05-08T10:42:00.005+01:00

I'm not doing a rundown of this year's Met Ball. You've seen the pictures, and let's face it, it was a shambolic affair. The only one who seemed to have made a real effort was Christina Ricci, who looked incredible, while Katie Holmes actually made me retreat to a corner of my bedroom to weep for half-an-hour. She took the superhero theme a little too literally in a red leather dress and bright blue patent shoes. And if ever there was anymore proof that they should wrestle Ms.Wintour's crown from her...

I actually thought the "Superheroes: Fashion or Fantasy" exhibition was a lot more interesting and worthy of attention. The exhibition is based around the idea of superheroes as classic examples of how fashion and clothing has the ability to transcend the idea of fixed identities and bodies, and instead transform them into empowered, fantasy figures.

T is for Thursday's

2008-05-08T10:10:00.007+01:00

Lady Astor: Mister Churchill, if I were your wife, I'd put poison in your tea.

Winston Churchill: Madam, were I your husband, I would surely drink it.

Duffy, London - Storm in a Teacup

EDIT: While it's no secret I'm a huge fan (who isn't?) of Louise, I think she has some competition from Melody, another wondergirl photographed by Garance Dore. She has the most incredible, luminous face and gorgeous huge hair, and I am thoroughly envious. Living in France would reduce me to a quivering wreck with a bad hair day everyday.

Binding Faith...

2008-05-08T10:09:00.000+01:00

If Herve Leger's a little out of your budget, check out Harlan Bel. The bandage dresses and the floaty pleated skirts make my little heart beat super fast, while the muted greys paired with the electric blue is almost too perfect.

Music Monday...

2008-05-05T14:04:00.008+01:00

Alright, it's that time of the week again where I share my music loves du jour...or in this case, music loves in the last year or so. It's French-Finnish duo The Dø (pronounced 'doh'), singer Olivia B.Merilahti sounds like the love-child of PJ Harvey and Karen O with her languid, too-cool-for-school wailing, laid over rhythms and melodies which draw influences from all over the place. They switch from indie-pop melodies to hip-hop beats and rap effortlessly, binding genres in way that is impossible for most bands. I saw them live last year and if you get a chance to see them, do, they put on an excellent show!

The Dø - A Mouthful - full zipped album

Or some single songs if you want to try them out before snagging the album
On My Shoulder
The Bridge is Broken
Tammie
Queen Dot Kong
Unsassi Laulelet

PS. Costume Institute Ball tonight!

Slumbering Beasts....

2008-05-04T14:35:00.007+01:00

Bêtes de mode (Beasts of Fashion) was one of the projects undertaken by the French design duo Helmo; Thomas Couderc and Clement Vauchez. A collection of 13 portraits which were displayed in the Galeries Lafayette in 2006, which sees the superimposition of humans and animals in different colours to produce a gorgeous effect of the two as one. The installation used projection lights in blue and red, so the picture you saw depended on which light was shining at the time. The pictures have been really cleverly put together according to shape and texture, and there's something utterly mesmerizing about them.

Through the looking glass...

2008-05-04T13:20:00.002+01:00

Curtain-twitchers beware. After seeing Gregory Crewdson's photographs, you might think twice before spying on your neighbours for fear of what you might see. Crewdson's interest lies predominately within the American suburbs and small-town life, and what lies beneath the surface of the seemingly ordinary. His photos initially might make you think they're stills from a David Lynch film, but they're actually the results of highly-elaborate staged set productions.

Crewdson examines the backdrop of American life at twilight and at night - hours when the strings tying down the cover of normalcy come undone, and the fantastical emerges with the darker side of suburbia.The eerie images are so enthralling and unsettling because of the disturbing events which take place in such familiar settings. When I first saw them, my mind immediately went to Edward Hopper's paintings of American life, and the alienated drifters that featured in them. Crewdson's photographs also seem to uncover the stifled feelings of the people occupying these spaces of everyday banality, and are additionally intriguing because while they seem filmic, there's no narrative grounding these images implying a past and a future, instead there is a suspended moment of possibility.

Currently exhibiting at White Cube until May 28.

Untitled, Twilight

Untitled (Ophelia), Twilight

Untitled, Beneath the Roses

Untitled

Untitled (Boy with Hand in Drain)

Only 6 Quirks...?

2008-05-04T12:20:00.000+01:00

I've been tagged by Romeika at A Room of One's Own to do the 6 Quirks list, which requires me to write about 6 unspectacular quirks of mine (the title IS pretty self-explanatory).

1. I like to fall asleep listening to something, it doesn't matter whether it's music or something else. Lately, I've been listening to Stephen Fry's podgrams. Stephen Fry = Genius

2. I like peeling things; fruit, wallpaper, sellotape, stickers, nail varnish if you're really careful....

3. I can't dance. My body and my mind just can't synchronise, so I flail. Literally.

4. The thought of being pregnant repulses me because it reminds me of Alien.

5. I suffer from Visual Food Desire (this is not a real syndrome), where I see food and instantly want it. For example, when I watched Lucky Number Slevin, all they ate was PB & J sandwiches, so I wanted (and had) PB & J sandwiches. Or when my flatmate is eating chicken soup, I'll want chicken soup even if a few minutes beforehand I wanted lasagne because that's what I saw my other flatmate having. So I try and keep different eating hours to them in order to be happy with what I am eating.

6. I hate having my picture taken, so when other people try to take my picture, I either make a ridiculous fake face so they'll trash the picture, hide my face with anything around (see profile picture) or look down/away. No-one ever looks like their picture anyway.

And if you haven't done this, then consider yourself tagged (I'm not very good at re-tagging am I? Must try harder in the future.)

T is for Thursday's...

2008-05-01T18:25:00.002+01:00

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take LESS," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take MORE than nothing."
"Nobody asked YOUR opinion," said Alice.
"Who's making personal remarks now?" the Hatter asked triumphantly.
Alice did not quite know what to say to this: so she helped herself to some tea and bread-and-butter, and then turned to the Dormouse, and repeated her question.

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, Chapter 6

Tina Tsang - Sexy Legs

I take thee, Elfenkleid...

2008-05-01T16:03:00.017+01:00

No, I'm not announcing any upcoming nuptials between me and any one of my numerous loves (tea, chunky heels, sushi etc), it seemed an apt title considering the contents of this post, which I fear is going to leave the impression that I am a romantic (I am a bit, but I am a cynical romantic). It's all Elfenkleid's fault anyway, which by-the-by, is not the name of a Tolkien character as one of my friends thought, but the name of the Viennese label designed by Annette Prechtl and Sandra Thaler. I fell head over heels for these guys back in autumn '06 when I was a fresh-faced (read: grubby) kid off to my first year at uni. I initially thought it would be the fickle sort of affection which I am most prone to, however, after spring '07, I knew it was bigger than that. This was Love with a capital 'L'.

Elfenkleid really is my clothing soulmate though; really clean, unfussy designs with immaculately thought-out construction, use of materials and colour palettes.

Autumn-Winter 07/08

Spring-Summer 08
They also recently launched a wedding collection (perfect timing considering we're approaching wedding season) which you should really consider if you're getting married. OR if like me, you're averse to the idea of marriage, then you could wear one around Britain's numerous National Trust estates, and pretend you're in a period drama - I'd give my left arm for a day in the gunmetal dress or the dress with the white blazer (fictional location: Pemberley - home of Darcy....hmmm, think Jane Austen would have approved of the women's blazer).

And I'll confess now that while I've been typing up this post, I've actually been listening to two of my cheesy, secret 'guilty pleasure' songs (the kind you have on your ipod and listen to all the time but pretend you don't):
Aubrey - Bread
She - Elvis Costello
...I know. Don't judge me, I'm only human guys, and I like pretending I'm in an early 90's Richard Curtis movie sometimes.

Out with the old, in with the new...

2008-04-28T20:03:00.009+01:00

I've decided that due to my upcoming exams, revision study periods and strange waking hours, I'm going to try blogging according to a schedule. I'll be blogging on Monday, Thursdays (maybe Saturday's) and Sunday's from now on, unless I have a spare moment on another day or I have something that I'm gagging to say (not likely). You may have also noted that I am now categorising all my posts so they can be referenced easily (for those of you who only roll up to get free music, you now don't have to go through the archives - am I nice or am I nice?)

So, without further ado, welcome to the first-ever, Music Monday!

In keeping with the 'M' theme, I'm sharing the not-very-well-kept secret that is Misprinted Type. Or Eduardo Recife as he is actually known (man behind the company; artist, designer and font...creator), who actually designed the fonts that I have used for my new header (which I'm still not sure about, so that may change again soon)...(I seem to have replaced my gratuitous comma use, with excessive bracket use). Anyway, the point is that he designs brilliant fonts, some of which are available for download as freeware on the website, which is brilliant because I was sick of looking at the same old bloody fonts on Microsoft Word! Now I have fonts like 'Horsepuke' and 'Selfish' that cheer me up immensely (especially in size 48). His site is also pretty rad; smudged old paper with lots of clickable doodles that lead to poems, scribbles etc.

This week's music, courtesy of:
Akira Kosemura - Drop
Cocorosie - By Your Side
Couch - Lasst Nicht Nach
Whitey - Twoface
Shout Out Out Out Out - Chicken Soup for the Fuck You

Back on Thursday!

Edit: Browsing NY Mag, I found this little conversation which I found somewhat hilarious:-

"Lord knows we spend enough time covering Gossip Girl around here. So we were obviously thrilled to find ourselves in a real-life Gossip Girl moment last night at the Met before the opening of La Fille du Regiment in which Emmy Rossum schooled Blair — er, Leighton Meester — on the Costume Institute gala. We couldn't believe our ears at what unfolded. How Meester knows so little about the Best Party Ever is a tragic mystery. But perhaps not as tragic as the fact that she won't be going, while Rossum will sit at Anna Wintour's table in a dress handpicked by Her Vogue-ness."

New York: [to Rossum] So who are you wearing to the Costume Institute gala on May 5?
Rossum: Oh, I can't say. But I can say that Anna [Wintour]'s picking it.
Meester: Why is she picking it?
Rossum: Because Anna invited me to sit with her. I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?
Meester: That's pretty great!
New York: Did Anna say to you, "I will pick your dress"?

Rossum: No, I am lucky enough that Anna has kindly said that she'll work with me to get me a great dress. I've been christened. I feel like I was just blessed by the Pope.
Meester: Is it, like, ridiculous — the Costume? They were asking me about it, actually…
Rossum: It's, like, literally amazing. You can't not go. It's like the event of the year.
Meester: I know, but I think I'm going to be in L.A.
Rossum: It's like the New York Oscars…
Meester: May 5, you said? I don't think I'm going to make it.
New York: [to Rossum] Why don't you take her over to Anna and introduce her?
Rossum: She's working. She's not even available to go to the most fabulous event.
New York: [to Meester] You're not done shooting Gossip Girl?
Meester: We'll be done. I'm shooting a different show.
New York: Oh, really — what?
Meester: Entourage. So I won't even be in town — but in L.A.
New York: Are you going to be a recurring part?
Meester: No. I'm just doing this one episode for now. We'll see what happens.
New York: That's pretty cool.
Meester: Yeah, it's pretty good.
Rossum: She has a pretty cool show for now, though.

Alright, I might call Gossip Girl over-the-top and silly, but the last time I saw Emmy Rossum acting was...well, never. The girl is like a wooden doll when it comes to acting. And getting all stupid because Anna Wintour is dressing her? Let me remind you what she wore to last year's Costume Institute Ball. Yeah. Good luck Emmy (even her name is cloyingly girly!)

Gold Rush...

2008-04-24T13:49:00.004+01:00

After the success of the Chanel limited edition nail "enamel" (Chanel's words, not mine) in Vamp and Black Satin, Chanel's have announced that their fall season colour will be 'Gold Fiction', which is described by Christine Dagousset as “a soft honey gold, not a sparkling bright gold. It’s very wearable and very modern.” It's going to retail at $30, but if Gold Satin goes the same way that the Vamp and Black satin colours went, I'm guessing that come autumn, you'll see them on eBay for around $100 a bottle, which - if you hadn't though so already - is absurd.
I also happen to think that if it looks like orange, it's orange, and this is orange. This means I'm not quite sure just how wearable this is; anyone with brown skin knows the hazards of wearing orange (and yellow). If anyone buys this colour, please do send me some pictures so I can either eat my words, or feel smug in my being right.

Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts....

2008-04-23T19:58:00.009+01:00

Alright, I don't know if anyone else saw the program Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts on BBC 3 yesterday, but I'm watching it now and it's leaving a seriously bad taste in my mouth. It's part of the BBC's new online ethical fashion magazine, Thread (Fashion Without Victims), and this is the first of 6 episodes based on the subject. In this one, six young British fashionistas are sent to work in factories and workshops in India, they have to live like the workers and work like workers (so no special treatment). I realise that the whole point of the program is to raise people's awareness of where their Primark, Zara, Gap, CK etc clothing is being made, and see the working conditions, but I had to no idea that there was no awareness on some people's parts.
Fucking hell, I want to punch these kids in the face. Richard reckons that anyone can be a success if they're motivated and not lazy, Amrita doesn't care if " it's been made by a three-year-old or a fifty-year-old" and Georgina sometimes throws away clothes after wearing them once. I thought that once they arrived in India, they'd see the working conditions and feel some empathy for the people who have to work there everyday, but so far, two girls have cried because they don't like being shouted at and feeling like they're back at school, and mostly all they've done is complain about how dirty/hard it is. Where the fuck do they get these idiots from? Honestly, what were they expecting? The only one who I can stand at the moment is Tara, but the rest can fuck off, especially Amrita (cried twice now) and Richard (total arsehole - "India's a shithole").

One Hundred Posts of Nothing

2008-04-23T12:14:00.008+01:00

I've been tagged by Salt and Schizophrenia to do the "8 things" list, and it felt like something I could post while my brain kicks into gear for a post you actually might care about =)

Eight things I am passionate about:

Books - which are my first love in life. I’m not the sort of girl who likes missing her sleep, but I’ll stay awake all night to get to the last page. In the morning, I’ll pick up another book and start reading again.
Music – I can listen to just about everything and appreciate something about it, but I have a real soft spot for grainy minimal vocals, electronic beats, cello music, and men with soulful voices
Film
Colour – actually just the colours grey, navy, black and red. These colours are pretty much all I wear. My male friends at uni sometimes think I’m wearing the same outfit all the time because of the colour palette I’ve adopted
Food – I just love food, a lot. I particularly love Nutella, broccoli, sushi, Lebanese food, tiffin, tart food like lemon sorbet and my mum’s cooking (she makes the best aloo paratha ever – they’re like spicy potato pancakes and I can scarf down at least 7 in one sitting)
Beautiful design – I love things with beautiful and innovative design because I think natural beauty is hard to upstage
Writing by hand – this is the kid in me, but I just love to write by hand. I used to spend ages experimenting with different styles because I like seeing the way that my handwriting fills up blank pages. I also really like way A4 sheets become sort of ‘crispy’ when they’re covered on both side with biro
Astronomy – this a relatively new thing as I only really got into it last year, but I think space is fascinating (who knew I actually like some aspects of science?)

Eight things to do before I die:

Learn how to tweeze my eyebrows properly – at present, they are perpetually uneven and look like an eight-year-old has had a go at them
Speak French like a native rather than French with a terrible Brit accent
Learn how to play an instrument - I'd like the trumpet because I've always liked the idea of playing jazz when I'm old
Own my home
Live in another country – preferably somewhere in Italy or France, but I’m not picky because it’ll be an experience either way
Find the perfect black blazer
Learn how to be patient
Stop talking to myself in public, mainly because I don’t do this subtly but in the way that a crazy person does

Eight things I say often:

“Hah!” – usually either when I find something I lost, or when I disagree with something someone says
“Dammit!”
“Classic.”
“It was almost too ridiculous/bizarre”
“I’m ready” – when I’m the furthest thing from ready
“Wait. What just happened?”
“I have a question…” – followed by something really ridiculous
“Would you rather sleep with…” – is usually brought up at the most inappropriate time, like in cafes when we’re sitting next to a family with kids, or old people

Eight books I have read of late/again:

Life: A User’s Manual – Georges Perec
The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood...again
The Gum Thief – Douglas Coupland…again
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley…again (I bought some new books yesterday, it's not that I can't be bothered to read new ones, I'm just in the right mood for certain books sometimes)
Freakonomics – Steve Levitt and Jason Dubner
The Beauty Myth – Naomi Wolf
Introducing Postmodernism – Richard Appignanesi and Chris Garratt – which is brilliant. Postmodernism with comic-book stylings
Gender and the Media – Rosalind Gill

Eight songs I could listen to over and over:

The Killing Moon – Echo & the Bunnymen
Casta Diva from Norma – Maria Callas / Bellini
Breathe Me – Sia and Four Tet
So Here We Are – Bloc Party (Generally anything from Silent Alarm, easily one of my top albums)
Balkan Low Rider Anthem – Alaska in Winter
Sweets – M.Craft
Femme Fatale – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Ask the Mountains - Vangelis

Eight things that attract me to my friends:

We have a similar sense of humour which not many other people really get but they don’t mind cracking up while everyone else looks bemused
They’re not prissy – which means that conversations can sometimes be hilariously dirty
We have some similar and some different tastes in films, books, music. I can’t imagine being friends with people and having everything in common.
Their honesty and ability to listen
They like vegging out. They like going out.
They send good texts/e-mails/facebook messages which do actually make me LOL
They don’t mind my sometimes erratic behaviour
We have the same view on sluttish washing-up by flatmates (this is actually more important than it seems)

Alright, If this the ‘8 things’ quiz, why are there only 6 questions?

If you haven't been tagged yet and you feel like filling this baby out, consider yourself tagged.