The Outing - A Swinging Saturday

Spring has finally arrived in Wellington. Well, let's just say it's sporadically arrived. Last Saturday was so glorious that Luke and I decided to climb Mount Victoria, which is walking distance from our house, for a picnic lunch. 

 Mount Victoria really does offer one of the best views of the city.

 

It's not like I don't have enough hats - I just had to steal Luke's. ;)

Photos in the sunshine.

and kisses in the sunshine.

Time for a nap

I must say I'm not a total whiz at taking photos, and admittedly Luke is much better with the camera than I am. But I was quite proud of this snap of me in the sun.

 Time for a little adventure...

 Or perhaps a bigger adventure.

There's a great rope swing up on Mount Victoria. Someone must really have risked life and limb to tie it to a high tree branch, and this feat is much appreciated by those who dare try it.

I love this photo.

 Its all fun and games until someone gets stuck on the swing...

A perfect Saturday afternoon.

Oh and by the way, Luke had a go on the swing too! I was so proud of him, as he generally doesn't do these sorts of things. But he did. No photos, but I did get a video!!!

Until next time :)

The Wish List - Seven Sartorial Spends

From reading this blog, you have probably discovered that I have a incredible weakness for cute clothing, bright lipsticks, hats, bags, shoes... I could go on, but let's not.

However, I am quite strategic when it comes to purchases. I only buy things that I absolutely love, and which make me feel amazing and beautiful when I wear them. This ensures that 1) the piece of clothing actually gets worn, and 2) that it stays in my wardrobe for years and years. Currently, I think I still have a dress I bought at 16. 8 years isn't bad. 

Fashions change so quickly now, it's like blink and you'll miss it. Not to mention the outrageous prices for poorly-made clothes. I mean, why would you buy clothing any other way?

So that is why I make Wish Lists. They help me focus on things that I want and then work out if I actually need them after looking at my wardrobe.

So here is my current list:

1) White blouse

One thing I can't work out, though, is what kind of collar I want:

Pussy bow or Peter Pan?

 

 I love bows, and I love pussy bows. They're classy and just a little bit fun. 

Peter Pan collars are the pinnacle of cute collars, but answer me this: why, oh why, is there a trend towards blouses/shirts that don't actually fit? Why does everyone want to look like they're wearing maternity clothing? My theory is that manufacturers are becoming so cheap that they have decided making fitted clothing, i.e. putting darts in, is too expensive. They've therefore tried instead to create the cheapest garments for them to mass produce.

* End of rant*

2) Cats-Eye Sunglasses

My wonderfully vintage-styled friend Tess has recently started up her own business in vintage sunglasses, and ever since seeing some of the styles I have been coveting a pair. I mean, what is more stylish than cats-eye sunglasses? Answer = nothing. Unfortunately for me, buying a pair of sunglasses is always a tad more expensive than for most people, as I need to get prescription lenses put in. But I can always dream, and one day... maybe one day I can get a pair.

Oh, you can check out Tess's facebook page here. 

3) Bullet Bra

Essentially, when it comes to looking vintage, it's all about the shape.
The female shape of the 1940s-50s was undoubtedly quite different from the what it is today, and it starts with the underwear.

Bullet bras were all the rage in the 1940s-50s as women sought to enhance their curves. During the war years, underwear was seen as a kind of "protection", and military terminology was used to reflect this... hence the name "bullet" or "torpedo" bra.

There is an online store called WhatKatieDid which specialises in reproducing 1940s & 1950s lingerie, including the bullet bra. I've been coveting their Peach bra for some time now. I'm not sure if I'm prepared to invest in a full "bullet-style" bra, just in case it's a bit... too much?


4) Coral-coloured cardigan/blouse

I really love this colour, and it would match perfectly with that $3 skirt I bought the other day.

5) Good-quality black pencil skirt

So I bought a pencil skirt in Australia. At the time I was so happy to find one that flattered my body shape, but it hardly been worn before I found it had started peeling! Arrrgghhh! The bane of my existence. So I've decided the next black pencil skirt I buy will be a good-quality one. 

6) Peter Alexander Wizard of Oz Nightie

Words feel inadequate to describe how much I want this nightie. The Wizard of Oz is my all-time favourite childhood movie, and inspired my love of shoes. Therefore, I adore anything to do with The Wizard of Oz, and I'd very much like to own this beautiful nightie, despite its high pricetag.

7) Glasses for Luke

I can never resist a guy in glasses, especially when that guy is Luke. He's had his glasses for about a million years, and so he desperately needs new ones. I think frames that a more square-shaped would suit him - but not the geekishly oversized ones. That's obviously just a fad. In ten years' time, we'll look back and say: "Oh my goodness, why did people wear glasses that big?"

Here ends my wish list.

Until next time :)

The Verse - Psalm 86:11-13

Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.
¹² I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
    and I will glorify your name forever.
¹³ For great is your steadfast love toward me;
    you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

There is so much good stuff in the Psalms, but for some reason these verses in Psalm 86 really stood out to me, so I wanted to share them with you.

I've heard that many Christians find praying through the Psalms really helpful, and it struck me that this would be a great prayer. David, who is the psalmist here, asks God to "unite [his] heart to fear [God's] name." In other words, he wants his heart to be undivided in its love for God and desires that he would love God only. 

Although we long to love God with all our heart, this is really impossible due to our human condition. We need God's help in order to love God. I guess that is really the first step: acknowledging that we human beings can't love God like He deserves. Secondly, we need God's help even to begin to love Him as we should.

Paul also struggled with this, writing in Romans 7:15: "For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." 

However, in verses 24-25 of the same chapter, he realises the answer:

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 


The answer is Jesus and the Gospel. Do you want to love God more? Look to Jesus, and His ultimate, insurmountable, divine love will create in you a greater love for God. This is also what David did, as we read in Psalm 86. After praying for a deeper love for God, David immediately starts praising God and thanking Him for His unique attributes - His faithful, unwavering love and mighty redemptive power. Shouldn't we do the same? If we want to love God more, we need to reflect further on who God is and what a great salvation He has accomplished for us. We also need to ask God to give us this love.

These verses remind me of a hymn I really love which we sing at church, especially the last stanza:

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

The Dress - Winter Pacman

I have written about this dress before (to see the original post click here). But the other day I was looking at it and lamenting how it was still too cold to wear summer dresses, when I suddenly realised that I could pair it with navy tights, a black cardigan and voila! A summer dress winterised. Is that a word? Oh well, it is now.

Dress: Eu

Sorry, this is another purchase from Taiwan. I did buy a few cute dresses there. I think there must be some kind of equation for this phenomenon. Girl meets cute boy = increase in cute dresses. I always get lots of compliments on it. Girls think the pattern is cute, while guys think it's awesome how it kind of looks like the graphics from an old arcade game.

Cardigan: Mango

Yes, another purchase from Taiwan. It's lasted so well, especially since I wear it at least 3 times a week - it's been a real trooper.

Tights: Glassons

You really can't beat Glassons for cheap colourful tights. I actually bought a teal pair last week. It's amazing how a cheap $10 pair of tights can revolutionise an outfit.

Shoes: Faith

I bought these shoes for - get this - my Debutante Ball (or "Deb"). Yep, way back at the age of 17 I found these shoes in a little shop in Sorrento, Victoria. I distinctly remember it because my mum and I were killing time before catching a ferry across the bay, and my stop to buy these shoes meant we had to run to catch it. 

 I was also voted "Person most likely to fall over" at the deb due to the stiletto heel.

 Despite the stressful conditions, as you can see I am still wearing them 7 years later, so they were definitely worth it.

Belt: Came with skirt

I'm really enjoying wearing skinny belts around my cardigans at the moment. I love how this really draws the eyes to the waist, which is the area I like to draw attention to the most, given my pear-shaped figure. The other day I bought a beige-coloured skinny belt which I'm hoping to partner with my summer dresses this season. Can't wait to try it out. Bring on the sunshine!

Earrings: Iko Iko

Yes, they are Lego. Aren't they fun! These actually get a lot of wear.

Until next time :)

The Song - What Can I Do (But Love You)

Time for another shuffle through my iPod. Remember the Civil Wars? No, not the historical event - the band. If you haven’t heard of them, you really need to give them a listen; I did a small post on their music. And they're coming to Wellington!!!! So super duper excited!!! Must use too many exclamation marks to try to convey this feeling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tickets go on sale on Friday. And get this: they're coming in March next year, which obviously means they're coming for my birthday. :D

Well, before the Civil Wars got together, Joy Williams had a solo career and produced some pretty neat songs all on her own. I’d like to share some of these with you today.

Actually, I have a confession. I only just found out that Joy Williams was a member of the Civil Wars. How did that happen, you may be wondering. Well, I must admit that when purchasing music on iTunes I frequently click on the “Listeners who bought this also bought” icon in order listen to similar music. If I like it, I download it. So I can only presume Joy Williams originally got onto my iPod this way.

Anyway, Joy Williams is a very talented American singer-songwriter. She has produced three Christian albums: Joy Williams (2003), By Surprise (2002) and Genesis. However, the songs I have are from her 2009 Album One of Those Days; I have the title track and another number called What Can I Do (But Love You). Both are very well composed and easy to listen to.

In February 2009, Williams formed the Civil Wars with John Paul White. Here is her song What Can I Do (But Love You).

Until next time :)

The Review - Departures

Departures is a 2008 Japanese film directed by Yojiro Takita which took out a well-deserved 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. This movie is extremely powerful, emotionally gripping, and amusing, as well as beautifully shot. 

I first saw this movie with my mum back in 2008. We had heard it was good, so when it came out on DVD we were curious to know what all the fuss was about. The story follows Daigo Kobayashi, a cellist who has just landed his big break wih an orchestra when it is suddenly dissolved and he finds himself unemployed with a ridiculously expensive cello. Daigo decides to make a new start and move back to his old hometown. After arriving there, he finds a job ad entitled "Departures". He applies for the position, thinking it is with a travel agency, only to discover that the job is actually for a Nokanshi or "encoffineer", a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. 

Naturally such a job has a certain negative stigma about it, and his wife and friends advise him to quit.  However, Daigo learns from his boss and master Sasaki that the job is immensely important. It takes a special kind of person to perfect the art of the "Nokanshi," who acts as a kind of gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. 

The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living.  

Mika: What are you doing?
Daigo: This one. Here.
Mika: What?
Daigo: A stone letter.
Mika: Stone letter?
Daigo: Long ago, before writing, you'd send someone a stone that suited the way you were feeling. From its weight and touch, they'd know how you felt. From a smooth stone they might get that you were happy, or from a rough one that you were worried about them. 

Here's the trailer:

Until next time :)

The Outing - Carter Observatory

I have a confession to make... I am kind of a space geek. I mean, the universe just blows my mind. I love watching films about space and other planets, and how these make me feel so insignificant. Astronomy helps me to appreciate just how powerful and mighty God is, and it's amazing that this incredible Creator made me and loves me...

So the other weekend - well actually, more like a month ago (where does the time go?) - Luke and I went to check out Wellington's Carter Observatory, which is located in the Botanical Gardens.

The really ironic part was that we booked tickets earlier in the week to see their latest documentary, Wildest Weather in the Solar System, on Saturday night. As it happened, that Saturday night we had some crazy winds. And when I say crazy, I mean I almost had to hold Luke down so he didn't blow away. Most people stayed inside and tried not to venture out, but we went to the Botanical Gardens (probably the windiest place in the city, due to being on a hill) and watched this documentary. However, I was personally convinced that the wildrest weather in the solar system at that moment would be in Wellington, New Zealand, Earth. It was still great fun though, and the observatory was pretty deserted due to the weather. Unfortunately it was extremely cloudy, so we couldn't use the telescope, but I'd love to go back!

On the cable car to the Observatory. Note: cable car in Wellington = tram going up hill pulled by cable. This was a major disappointment to me when I first moved to Wellington, as I thought Luke took a gondola to university, and that would be just cool!

At what age are you too old for the kids' section? Never!

This telescope was made in England and dates from the 1860s. 

Here's some clips  from the show:

Dust Demons as high as Mount Everest - this is why Mars would not be a nice alternative to Earth. 

Did you know that the Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a storm that has been raging ever since we first discovered it - a couple of hundred years ago. And it's the size of three Earths. Did I just blow your mind? I hope so.

Until next time :)