[ s w a p ] Design an Outfit Postcard

I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn’t itch. ~Gilda Radner

The quote above it what I adhere to in my everyday sartorial choices. So for the Design an Outfit Postcard swap over at Swap-Bot, I decided to put together something comfy but chic nonetheless. I have not been as active as I have been in making swaps lately because being down with flu and getting busy with work makes it hard for me  to have the time and energy. But this is one swap that I can’t just pass up.

For my postcard, I first used a blank one and splattered pink and silver acrylic paint on it. After that I brought out my Japanese fashion magazines. This was the hardest step as I couldn’t bring myself to snip away at my precious magazines. I chose pieces which caused me lesser heartache – denim shorts with suspenders, an embellished tank top, oversized plaid shirt, and black heels. I have a soft spot for heels, and I would always wear them to boost my height even if it hurts me a lot sometimes.

I’m also working on two more swaps for the month of October, and of course letters for the LetterBox Project. Hope everyone’s having a great week so far!

All my love,

Elle

[ i n s t a x ] week four: Wave Those Happy Flags

WEEK FOUR: HAPPY FLAGS

This was taken a few weeks ago at a condo near Thomson! It was a very hot afternoon~ I even forgot to put the camera on the correct setting and flash went off!

Have a great and happy week!

[ d r a m a ] North & South – Another Must Watch Period Drama

Look back. Look back at me.

There are many reasons why I stay away from period dramas especially of the English kind: (1) Their accent is tough for me to make out, (2) Their words are almost ancient it’s tough for me to make out and (3) I usually prefer to watch shows where I have to leave my brain at the door so it won’t be tough for me to make out…BUT

Hello Mr. John Thornton, looking so mighty fine brooding and angst-y, just how I like my period drama heroes (see Heathcliff and Darcy) Or in North and South‘s case, Thornton seems like an anti-hero. Recently, I have been  re-reading a lot of Austen and re-watching the BBC adaptations,  and that is how I discovered  North and South.

North and South is a four-part drama series produced by the BBC in 2004. It stars Daniela Denby-Ashe as the headstrong Southerner Margaret Hale who has to move to the North when her father resigns from being a member of the clergy.  She becomes sympathetic to the plight of the cotton mill workers while trying to subdue her attraction for the strict mill owner John Thornton (he of the  brooding eyes and sideburns) played by Richard Armitage.

A Daydreaming Margaret

There are some similarities to my all-time favorite Pride and Prejudice – brooding and seemingly emotionally shut-down male lead, check! Feisty and opinionated female lead, check! Misunderstandings due to miscommunication, check! and a rebuffed marriage proposal, CHECK!

So what pray tell is the difference? Nothing much I suppose except that at the end of the series each episode has an average of two deaths, it can be renamed Pride and Prejudice and More Dead Bodies. Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe are such good actors that one cannot help but be fully invested in the story. Each facial expression, each gesture can convey anger, shame, pity, pain and longing.

I think John Thornton is going to replace either Heathcliff or Darcy as the second fictional male character that I admire. Yes, Captain Frederick Wentworth still tops my list, despite these lines spoken by John Thornton:

“I knew I wasn’t good enough for her, but now I think I love her more than ever.”

“She does not care for me, and that is enough. The only thing you can do for me is to never say her name again. We will not talk about her again.”

and the killer,

“Look back. Look back at me.”

More than a love story, North and South also portrays the clash between different classes. The differing points of view  of the  genteel nobility, the powerful mill owners and the wage laborers were explored in different scenes throughout the series. I liked the stark contrast of the colorful South versus the industrial drab of the North. It was not just a love story about difference in class and resolving the issues that come along with it, but also a peek at working conditions (which were really inhumane) at that time.

What makes this a winner for me, is that like Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, even if it is a heavier drama North and South is the right combination of social commentary, tragedy and a beautiful love story of compromise and tolerance… plus it doesn’t hurt that Richard Armitage is easy on the eyes.

[ s h o t s ] Siobhan’s First Roll

After my post about Siobhan arriving I didn’t waste time and quickly took a few random pictures. Without an agenda I freely snapped here and there, and even tried the multi-exposure contraption.

A lot of the shots I took didn’t come out, we’re talking about almost half and with this I die a little inside. The lessons I’ve learned shooting with Siobhan: (1) Try not to take pictures from a long distance; (2) Don’t shoot pictures at night; and (3)  Must study basic photography and acquire skills like composition.

So without further ado, here are the pictures from Siobhan’s first roll!

[ b o o k ] The Witch of Portobello

I was looking through some of my journals the other day, and I forgot to post quotes from the Witch of Portobello.

• No one sacrifices the most important thing she possesses – love. No one places here dreams in the hands of those who might destroy them.
• Believing that I was blinded by love, I doubted everything, but doubt, far from paralyzing me, pushed me in the direction of oceans whose very existence I couldn’t admit.
• If there is any possible consolation in the tragedy of losing someone we love very much, it’s the necessary hope that perhaps it was for the best.
• But, then, how many of us will be saved the pain of seeing the most important things in our lives disappearing from one moment to the next? I don’t just mean people, but our ideas and dreams too: we might survive a day, a week, a few years, but we’re all condemned to lose. Our body remains alive, yet sooner or later our soul will receive the mortal blow. The perfect crime – for we don’t know who murdered our joy, what their motives were, or where the guilty parties are to be found.
• You can judge people by the kind of music they listen to.
• Sometimes love carries us into the abyss, taking with us – to make matters worse – the people we love.
• But time, as well as healing all wounds, taught me something strange too, that it’s possible to love more than one person in a lifetime.

[ s h o t s ] Say Hello to My New Baby, Siobhan

After almost two weeks of waiting I’m so happy to introduce my new toy! Everybody say hello to Siobhan! Yes, I do name my possessions, especially gadgets that I use!

A lot of people have inspired me to go analogue there’s Yoj and Nickiferous who have provided me with valuable tips and also wonderful inspiration. There’s dearest Kim and Raisa, two sweet and uber creatives who have so generously allowed me to borrow their baby analogues and play with it. So yes, the commitment phobe has taken the plunge.

It started out with Quincy (my Fuji Instax) and now I have Siobhan. I chose a Holga K-200NM because it seemed like a fun camera to have since I’m used to 35mm film as opposed to the 120 used by more popular Holga models. I’d rather have something that’s familiar and less of a hassle for me to learn to use.

What I liked? Aside from the cute hot red color and the oohs  and aahs I get when I take it out of my bag, I liked that it already comes with fisheye lens and viewer and a few flash filters. There’s also a button dedicated to help you take photos with multi-exposure. Plus it’s a complete no-brainer , well I hope I’ve been doing it right!

I finished my first roll quite quickly though, in a span of two and a half days. Part of me is apprehensive that the pictures will suck and I wasted a perfectly good roll of film, but I’ve decided not to stress about it. So *fingers crossed* in a few days time I can share a few photos from Siobhan.

Before I go, here are a few of Flickr and Lomography K-200NM photos!

 

[ b o o k ] The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Set after World War II and written in epistolary format, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a wonderful delight to read. Few stories have felt so satisfying than this novel.

Juliet Ashton, is a journalist who feels that she needs something new after gaining fame writing as Izzy Bickerstaff during the war. One day, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams who lives in the Channel Island of Guernsey. One of Juliet’s books came upon his hand and from this first letter everything else is set into motion. During World War II, the island of Guernsey came under German occupation. Cut off from the mainland, the inhabitants of this tiny island develop lasting friendships and a love for reading.

This story isn’t just about the love for reading, although there are a lot of good quotes from this book. I liked the deviation, instead of a normal narrative the book is written as a series of letters from Juliet and all the different, quirky, funny, heartwarming and the occasional irritating characters in the book. It has the perfect mix of drama, romance, friendship and the resilience of the human spirit, elements which have been delicately blended without being over the top.

I am a fan of historical fiction, from The Count of Monte Cristo to Little Women, plus you could always found me curled up on a rocking chair reading my Grandfather’s World War II journals and magazines learning about the sinking of USS Juneau or reading survivor’s accounts of being in concentration camps. War is an ugly, ugly thing, and although this book doesn’t include the depressing stuff, the reality and casualties of war were still portrayed.

Some quotes from the book:

That’s what I love about reading:one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It’s geometrically progressive-all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment.

Men are more interesting in books than they are in real life.

Reading good books ruins you from enjoying bad books.

I don’t want to be married just to be married.  I can’t think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can’t talk to, or worse, someone I can’t be silent with. – probably my favourite quote ever!

I was turned off by the long and weird title but this book by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a very good slice of life read, like Juliet I fell in love not just with the island of Guernsey but also with the people from the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, especially Isola Pribby, Elizabeth McKenna and of course Dawsey Adams – another reason why men in fiction are more interesting in real life.

[ i n s p i r e d ] Austen on My Arm

It’s no secret that I love to read Jane Austen, every time I am feeling a little bit blue I watch BBC’s  Pride and Prejudice drama starring my teenage crush Colin Firth, for those of you who haven’t watched it yet, here’s my favourite scene:

Well,  now that THAT is out of the way, I just wanted to share this incredible shop, JezebelCharms over at Etsy while browsing through items listed under Jane Austen.

'You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you"

Not only is Darcy‘s immortal line swoon-worthy, this gorgeous brass cuff is absolutely stunning! Here are some of the others that I am deciding on which to buy!

'In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.'

Ah the bold proposal before the rejection that seemed to have shaken Darcy to the core. I like how the background is the whole exchange between Darcy and Elizabeth.

"I am half agony, half hope."

As much as I love Mr. Darcy and his bold earnestness, my heart  (well a large part of it) belongs to the steadfast Captain Wentworth. I am so ashamed to admit how many times I watched and cried while watching the movie Persuasion, and how my personal copy of the book is dog-eared. I mean who can resist these words? :

“I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in

F. W.

“I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father’s house this evening or never.”

Somebody once wrote that this is probably the most beautiful fictional love letter ever written. Maybe I should get this? It’ll be nice to have this piece of Jane Austen’s Persuasion wherever I go!

[ l i s t e d ] The A-Z of Me

Hello! How’s everyone doing? I realize that I rarely post personal stuff on my blog, and since after all this is my blog, I want to share a few things with my readers. I found this from Mandypants of Miss Indie.

A. Age: is just a number, and as Oscar Wilde once said, “One should never trust a woman who tells her real age. If she tells that, she’ll tell anything”.
B. Bed size: I think it’s a QUEEN
C. Chore that you hate: I like to fold laundry but I hate putting them in their respective drawers – it just seems to irritate me the most!
D. Dogs: are my ideal pets, they’re active, energetic, loyal and fun!
E. Essential start to your day: I check for new messages on my Blackberry for weekdays on weekends, the heat from the noonday sun streaming through my window.
F. Favorite color: Bottle Green, Lemon Yellow, Terra Cotta and Royal Blue! Sorry if I picked a lot!
G. Gold or Silver: I grew up wearing gold or going to souks looking for gold accessories but now I’m more of a silver person.
H. Height: 5’1 [I used to feel bad about being short, although I can't wear maxi dresses I'm OK with being a shorty now, just don't tease me about it.]
I. Instruments you play: I only play the guitar…and I’m only a mediocre guitar player.
J. Job title: DESIGNER…but not the conventional one, I deal with fibre-optics.
K. Kids: Want them! But I have to find a partner first!
L. Live:  in three Asian cities, and moved countless of times, isn’t it a wonder I rarely want to travel?
M. Mother’s name: Loida~ such a unique and pretty name!
N. Nicknames: I have tons -  Elle, Gina, Princess, Juju, Lerms, Jay, JL, Pie, Mother, Lola – people like to give me nicknames.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only when I was born just like Mandy.
P. Pet peeves: Long bus queues, you know at the end of a very long day of work and you’re just tired that you can’t even bring yourself to put one foot in front of the other , you just want to get home but the bus takes aeons to arrive? Yes, I have to deal with this everyday.
Q. Quote from a movie:

Gregory Larkin: You don’t use make-up, do you?
Rose Morgan: What’s the point? I’d still look like me, only in color.

R. Right or left handed: Pseudo-ambidextrous, whenever the mood strikes me!
S. Siblings: a younger brother and a younger sister.
U. Underwear: I like boyshorts…a lot.
V. Vegetable you hate: I really dislike celery, in all my life I think I ate it only twice, and by force.
W. What makes you run late: A new episode of  the latest Japanese or Korean drama I am watching

.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Only my teeth!
Y. Yummy food that you make: I can bake! Cakes and cookies especially Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Oatmeal cookies, and Korean rice cake in spicy sauce.
Z. Zoo animal: white tigers, I love white tigers!

Wow, who knew it would take me so long to type A-Z? Have a lovely weekend!

[ i n s p i r e d ] Wuthering Heights

Heaven did not seem to be my home; and I broke my heart with weeping to come back to earth; and the angels were so angry that they flung me out into the middle of the heath on the top of Wuthering Heights; where I woke sobbing for joy.

- Catherine Earnshaw

Growing up surrounded by books, my siblings and I read a lot for our age. And we read a lot of the classics which I find amusing now, because the language in those books makes my eyelids heavy and induces sleep. How we ever managed to get past the Shakespearean English we don’t know.

One of my favourite books is Wuthering Heights, a book that I’ve read at least three times from when I was ten. The first time my mind was so mixed up with all the different relationships, I gave up halfway. Abandoning Heathcliff and Catherine for the Count of Monte Cristo (my favourite novel ever). I took it up again when I’ve read practically everything in our bookshelves – Heidi, Oliver Twist, Kidnapped, Gulliver’s Travels, Ivanhoe etc…

And I was captured. It seemed so twisted to me, and beautiful at the same time. The pain of unrequited love a taste of revenge, and a ghost story all rolled into one. Recently I thought about re-reading some of the books of my childhood, and remembered Catherine Earnshaw, Heathcliff’s one, true love.

I thought of how she would have dressed like, and with the help of Looklet, this is what I came up with.