Eggs, sister and lychees

Today I woke up and decided to make some eggs. 

I was home alone and this made me miss my little sister even more because for as long as I can remember, her and I were always the ones who woke up and spent time together each morning with the parentals out of the house. We'd sit, chat and drink warm water together and she would tell me off because I'd always tip my warm water down the sink.

Here are my eggs on lightly toasted Bakehouse Light Rye bread. 

For those wondering, the flecks of black and grey particle aren't charred remnants of the pan (surprisingly enough!) - they are actually sprinkles of sea salt, black peppercorns, garlic, parsley and oregano. Eggs are lovely by themselves, especially the yolky runny centre, however this seasoning as subtle as it is, topped it off :)

Looking at this plate made me wish Ivy was here to share it with but I guess I'll see her soon enough next year. She would probably have a heart attack knowing that I made these :D

Anyway the weather outside is absolutely stunning. It's the perfect level of chilly and sun mixed together. The view from my backyard...

My view from the ground.

Heading out today in this beautiful weather so I think I'll put some Mor Lychee Flower Perfume Oil on. A very good girlfriend of mine gave me this for my birthday last year and I've cherished it ever since. Lychees are so delicious, sweet and subtle and a little of this scent on my wrists and behind my ears will brighten my day just a little.

Multilingual much?

I was trawling through forums the other day and came across some info that made me smile because it made so much sense.

Relationships are something which many of us find mind boggling. But the funny thing is if you look at it quite simply, perhaps a good many of our struggles and misunderstandings come from simply not speaking the same language.

Haha, ok allow me to elaborate.

When I say language I'm not referring to the conventional idea of linguistics. I'm referring to an idea that Gary Chapman pipped a few years back in a book he wrote called The 5 Love Languages. In a nutshell, he basically outlined that there's five ways for a partner to express their love and care and how important it is to express love to your partner in a way that they can understand.

As I was reading the article, it made perfect sense.

For one thing he outlines the following as the five languages:

Words

Perhaps you're verbal. It's the things you articulate, speak or text to your significant other to show how much you care or value them.

Quality Time

Maybe you believe it's the time you spend together that shows your love for each other. Doing things together, focusing on each other and appreciating each other's company.

Gifts

Although this might sound materialistic I don't really think this language has to be. For one thing, it may the little sentimental things you give to your partner in a metaphorical sense. Like a little post stick note on their wallet wishing them a good day or a little random thing you bought for them because it reminded you of them.. As cliched as it seems, it really is the thought that counts!

Acts of Service

Discovering what things you can do to help your partner can be just as valuable a form of showing that you care. It's those little offers of help to make their lives easier like offering to pick up the laundry or picking them up from places which I think are really sweet.

Finally there's physical touch  which in my opinion when used with sincerity and gentleness can express wonders. Little things like stroking your partner's back, holding hands, hugging and kissing them on the cheek show that you care too.

Anyway when I read all this I was struck by simple it all really is. It's about reflecting on what your strongest love languages are and speaking the language that you know your partner appreciates and understands. Something interesting was the thought that sincerity is great but sometimes it's not quite enough. Sure it comes from the heart but if it is packaged in a way that your partner doesn't understand, it will be lost on them so it's also about communicating your care in a way that your partner "gets."

After I read this article I thought about it and realised that I think the way I express my care and love for my loved ones are through a combination of the above. However I get the most joy from doing acts of service for my loved ones and physical touch :)

I love you too

Woke up to the sound of rain today and decided to have a day in on my day off.

Decided to migrate my blankie to the living room couch and watch a few movies I'd be meaning to watch for a while.

One of those movies was an Australian film released in 2010 called I Love You Too. I remember a really good friend of mine told me how good it was a few years ago and having watched it today, I completely agree with her.

If you had to pigeonhole this film, you'd probably label it as a rom-com. However I don't think that term lends this film justice. Sure it's funny and it's romantic which is precisely what this generalisation suggests, but it's so much more than that. Add to that, it's devoid of all the connotations of tackiness and cliches that often come with this genre.

In a nutshell, the premise of the film reads like a well worn cliche. The protaganist, Jim, a thirty something year old man, once a self confessed bachelor, finds himself hooked when he meets Alice. However after three wonderful years together, he loses her due to his inability to articulate his love for her in a very crucial moment. From this point on, the film follow's Jim's journey to win Alice back but rather than taking the traditional, well worn rom-com route of male pathetically proclaiming love for love interest time after unfailing time, it ventures into buddy flick territory where Jim actually meets Charlie, a guy who teaches him about the value of articulating love in both spoken and unspoken ways. It's interesting that the film plays out like a rather belated coming of age film.

Embarassingly, I was teary at particularly points in the film because it examined all types of bonds in a really touching way - not just those between romantic partners, but also between siblings, best mates and oddly coupled friends. Alot of it I think that people can certainly relate to because in the end, I really believe that people mean well in their relationships. We approach relationships of all types with good intentions. Whether it's parents, siblings, and good friends, we want the best for each other and especially when we see our loved ones in distress, we're not always sure what to do but we always wish we could do more.. But sometimes, or more often than not, we're all a bit clumsy and even our best intentions are misconstrued, even though the genuine feelings in their purest form, are there.

Also, it think the film shows not the values of gestures in everyday life, but also the value of simple statements, which whilst laden with meaning, are just as meaningful in their rarity. I think I'm starting to realise that myself. Watching the film, I know this sounds tacky, but I really felt like I could relate to Jim. It''s weird. I have no issues writing a 5000 word essay exploring topics about sociological theories and blabbing about a range of topics which are pretty convoluted, but I find it really hard to articulate how I feel or the things that go on in my head. I wish it came easier because there's times when I wonder if the people I love in my life know how much I care about them but I guess I show them in different unspoken ways. In the ways that I stick up for them, or fight for them, or think of them and would do things for them. However maybe I should take a leaf out of this film and realise that sometimes I need to say it in a more verbal way because it's really hard to tell and sometimes people need to hear it to know it.

Anyway this film touched me alot. It was funny. It made me giggle. It kept me occupied and kept me warm on a rainy day. But most importantly, it made me think, which is the best quality of any film.

Chino!

While shopping recently I fell in love with a pair of maroon chino pants I found in General Pants.

Although I didn't get a chance to try them in, it did inspire me to write a post on how awesome I think chino pants are - and how underrated I think they are!

Chino pants are termed as such due to the fabric that's used to manufacture them. The cotton materials that's used to make them was primarily used in British and French military uniforms in the mid-1800s but today it's a fashion piece which is timelessly elegant.

Chino pants come in a range of colours - navy, greys, khaki, black and tans but I think that sexiest shade is beige (second from right). Paired with a set of heels, this clothing piece is suitable in both casual settings or corporate environments. Also, not only does it look cute, but it's very comfy and the fabric lets your skin breathe!


Also been listening to some tracks by a Korean band I find really intriguing called Bigbang. 

Call me odd but I find their fashion and art direction kind of cool :D It's pretty outrageous but I think they pull it off pretty well, especially in their clip Fantastic Baby.

Ode to hoodies

Sticking to topics of things I love, I wanted to do a post on hoodies.

To put it bluntly, my favourite piece of clothing to wear is a hoodie. For those who didn't know, this piece of clothing's style can be traced back to Medieval Europe when the clothing formally worn by monks was a long, decorative hood called a cowl, attached to robes!

Then in the 1930s, what we recognise as today's hoodie was produced in the States by Champion. It's really interesting to think that this style of clothing was initially marketed to labourers who worked in freezing temperatures whilst in upstate New York.

Anyway I've always been a fan of the hoodie despite social connotations that it's associated with delinquency and concealed crime. I love its simplicity in being a hooded sweatshirt. I like its versatility in that it might have a vertical zipper down the centre much like a windbreaker, but most importantly I love its warmth and wearability. Whenever I traveled or backpacked for long periods of time, I always packed a variety of hoodies. I find them so easy to chuck on and suitable for any type of weather. Thin material ones worked wonders for hotter climates and thick, fleecy hoodies bailed me out when I was freezing my a** off!

I loved pulling the sleeves over my hands.

Add to that how hot hoodies look with a pair of skinnies or jeans pure and simple. To be honest I've always been a closest pervert at heart but I love a guy in a hoodie (and a girl at that lol).

Hot hot hot.

Plus my fondest memories were formed wearing these things :)

Polly Pocket and dots

Today I made a really random connection.

A few months ago I wrote about how much I love dots. So much so that if I come across anything dotty, in shops, on people's clothing, on ads, logos and photos, I'm compelled to stop, stare and appreciate. I even say out loud to whoever cares, 'I love dots.' And it's true - I really do love dots!

Anyway I never understood why I like dots so much. I'm the type of person who likes to muse about why people are how they are based on their experiences and what not. But I guess for me, I'm not so good at looking at myself reflectively and thinking why I like the things I do.

Well, out of nowhere, today when I got home, I started thinking about toys that I used to love playing with as a kid. Something very personal about me? My favourite toy of all time was the Polly Pocket range. For those not familiar with this range, it's basically a toy line of dolls and accessories which were first designed by a man in 1983 who created a small house for a tiny doll for his daughter. The best part about this story was he used a powder compact to create this house!

From this idea, Polly Pocket was born and a huge bunch of mini Polly Pocket dolls were played and appreciated by little kids like me worldwide. I loved the fact the dolls were so small and simple and lived in pocket sized cases I could carry around my neck.

Honestly I was in love with this exact piece.

For those not so familiar with Polly Pocket, this is Polly Pocket Lulu and her Seaside Locket. When I was in early primary school, I absolutely loved this toy. Just thinking about how fond I was of this tiny little thing (and seriously, it was that tiny) makes me really happy and kind of sad as well because I'm not sure where she and her home are :( I think I know where to look but I'll have to leave that for a rainy day when I have hours to look through a huge plastic tub under my bed which contains everything meaningful from my childhood that I couldn't throw away... because I'm a sucker for sentimental things.

I used to draw portraits of myself and my sisters on tiny pieces of note paper, rip them into little squares and place them behind the inside of the top cover so our faces would smile down at Lulu. Also I'd play with my big sister because she owned a larger home for her own Polly Pocket who lived in this big blue mansion and her doll would visit my doll and they'd lie down on the beach together.

Seriously, we had a blast with these tiny 1cm dolls back in the early 90s!

Anyway I could talk on and on about these dolls but I just wanted to say that the moment I laid eyes on this image of Lulu today I realised exactly where my love for dots came from.

Plus the funny thing is that I actually bought this exact patterned top last year and didn't even realise the connection until now.

Thank you Polly Pocket :)

I said Love

Something I love doing is browsing makeshift arts and crafts markets in person. I have really fond memories of looking at local design markets when I was in Melbourne, Beijing and Bangkok. I'd spend hours on end just wondering through those places. When that's not available I love browsing stuff like that online.

Just the pleasure of seeing what cute little trinkets and pieces local designers have created using their creativity and recycled items is something that makes me really happy. I like anything that's a little left of the centre, a little odd, and most importantly a little kooky.

Something I came across today was this vintage ring created by Melbourne's the Triangle of Bears. Apparently Gem, the creator of this brand, used a charm which came out of a gumball machine in the 1960s, to create this ring. Yes, that's right. It's a set of mini dentures!!

Makes you take a second look :)

I also came across these nifty little speech bubble earrings while I was browsing her work.

The speech bubbles and hearts within are hand drawn on shrink plastic and basically embody conversations of love. I think I'll be buying a pair of 6 dollars soon :)

I've also come across this track which made my head involuntarily bop up and down when I heard it the first, second and third time. I thought my days of listening to Australian electro bands like Cut Copy were over but it seems like there's still that little part in me :) Hello 2008!

Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders.