Archive for 2014

my picks from the SS15 lookbook. personal favvos are the first and the third one. oversized = love

Acne Studios released its SS15 collection last monday and the items are slowly coming up online here and in store now. Picked out some of my favourite looks from the lookbook and can't wait to get my hands on the oversized jumper (let's hope it's not wool). Also loving the big chino shorts.

ps. River Island, Topman and ASOS are offering some whooping 50% sales for seletive items for a limited time (today only for RI and Topman). Time to shop your wishlist? I think so.

Clockwise: Key ring / Beanie / Jeans / Towel set / Gloves from #AlexanderWangXHM

A better view

Couldn't fit the bigger towel and the courtesy drawstring bag in the frame but yeh this is all I managed to grab in the crazy frenzy yesterday. Quite a luck with the jeans actually, went back to H&M after lunch with my friend for some regular basics but came across this lone pair of jeans on a rack with a couple of the leather pants. Reckon someone was trying them out in the fitting room during the bloodbath at 10.30 when the leftovers of the women's collection was open to public (after having multiple people stomping on my feet I decided to quit and chat to the staff instead lol). Anyway, this pair is exactly my size, well, a little tight must admit but I can for sure stop eating for clothes. It's almost like fate. 100 AUD is a bit steep for H&M jeans though, hope they last better than my other ones.

On the price tag note, did a quick search on ebay earlier (and quickly gave up my hope on finding that dreamy grey scuba sweater in a reasonable price) and came upon a listing of the same beanie in a whooping 400 USD. Speechless. And people are actually bidding on it. Mind-blown. Seriously, you can get 2 beanies from Wang's own line with that price.

Did you manage to buy what you want? Ok on second thought, don't tell me. Saw someone wearing that sweater already after the massacre and the only thought I had in mind was to kill him in the nuts, take that sweater off and run. Shopaholics are scary I guess.

Just have to share this. Kudos to Cate for such a brilliant speech and this so deserves to go viral.

#auspol

Left Here / Right Here

I'm really falling in love with matching tops and bottoms, just find them so easy to wear yet incredibly neat and stylish. These two sets from 3crnrs are a bolder take on the matching game and are perfect to amp up your everyday outfit. Can either pair them with trainers for an authentic streetwear style or some dressier shoes and a black clutch/portfolio for a grown-up sports-luxe look.

Plus! These two sets are on a crazy sale on Topman.com at the moment, reduced from £60+ to £17 for a complete look, bargain alert! They only have a few sizes left so be quick if they tickle your fancy.

Picture when I was at the Sydney People's March for Climate Action a few weeks ago

Another picture when I was at the divestment day gathering at Sydney square next to town hall

Currently going through a divestment process, that is, switching my bank from ANZ to Bendigo. Can't wait to finalise the transition and be able to feel clean knowing that none of my money is going to fund fossil fuel projects.

Market forces has been incredibly helpful and they've got a guidebook Here which I highly recommend reading. They and the lovely people at Bendigo have made this decision even easier than I thought it would be and I just simply can't believe I haven't done it earlier.

If we want a change, we have to be the change. It may not be a substantial amount of money that would alarm the banks but once we've built up the momentum, we can have more people and more funds divesting from this industry and eventually change our future.

I guess now you can all see why I suck at public speaking ;) but all in all, power to the people!

Some of my favos from the collection (I did not just grabbed every single thing off the website I swear ;)

This Alexander Wang for H&M collection has certainly generated a lot of hype, as all past H&M collaborations did, but it so deserves it. Apart from the down jackets (even though H&M claims that their animal products are collected in humane ways) and leather garments, I'm falling very desperately in love with all the other pieces. Have been loving this sports luxe trend for quite a long time now and neoprene, aka scuba, is most certainly taking the throne of 'Fabric of the year' in my heart. Plus all in black and grey? Yes gimme 'em all please.

Will definitely be heading to Sydney H&M next Thursday morning for these beauts. Hooray to the long-waited Sydney store!

What do you think of this collection? You can now see all the pieces on H&M's website Here

Available online and in stores now. Head on to the campaign homepage Here

Pharrell Williams and G-Star Raw collaborate with Sea Shepherd to create this new collection that's made out of recycled ocean plastic wastes.  A quick scroll through the campaign page reveals that the average recycled plastics take up about 30-40% of each piece.

Have picked some of my personal favourites, if you're looking for some inspiration

from top left to bottom right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

I'm not normally a fan of G-STAR or Pharrell Williams' style but I did find this collection very wearable for me.

It's said that the whole collection used approx. 10 tonnes of plastic wastes in the ocean, which is actually not even a percentage of a percentage of the total plastic waste accumulated in the oceans.
And that's why it's important to remember while shopping to your heart's content that you're not saving the ocean by buying a pair of jeans.

What this campaign, together with all other similar projects, wants to get out there is that we need to rethink about our living style and be more aware of how our actions can affect the environment and marine animals. Get a reusable water bottle instead of buying a new bottle every time you're thirsty. Carefully sort and recycle your plastic containers and bags. Learn about how to reduce the use of micro-plastics in your life et cetera et cetera. Cut down the input at the source is the only solution.

My supervisor made an interactive website to raise public awareness of marine plastic wastes. HERE Go give it a go if you're interested (keep in mind that it was made for elementary students so it can be quite basic for some)

and it's ok to say you're not.

#RUOK your mates today. Ask them about their lives, see if they are having any troubles, because sometimes other people just can't tell. Listen to their stories, problem or not. Give the world some warmth. Sometimes a short convo can help way more than you may think.

For tips on how you can open the conversation, head on to RUOK's homepage here

If you're having troubles right now as you're reading this, you're also more than welcome to write it down if you want to talk to someone. I may not be the most helpful in cheering you up but at least we can lick each other's wounds.

En monolog om bipolär sjukdom typ 2 baserad på Ann Heberleins bok. Kommer snart på Dramaten. Verkar ganska intressant. Hemsidan här

A new Swedish monologue play about bype 2 bipolar disorder based on Ann Heberlein's biography. Coming soon at Dramaten. Looks really fascinating.  

Which one do you like the best? All from Asos, Here

Missleading title huh? *smirk

Have recently fallen in love with these knee-long t-shirts. Great to style with skinny jeans or leggings. I reckon I can actually just buy long t-shirt dresses but most of the ones I've found have got either a flare-y hem or too form-fitting, and I don't want to look like a narcissus trainer (plus I don't have that body).

A closer look? I prefer the black one. As always.

the Australian cover for the book. Synopsis: Here

Just finished this wonderful read today, not much to complain except I thought it would be even colder and more depressing, considering it's done a great job opening the story and it's set in Iceland based on a true event. Personally I love the kind of brutal bleakness that numbs one's brain and heart, not that it's not cold (actually I believe most readers would think the words are already gelid enough), but the author Hannah Kent picked up the pace a little bit towards the end of the story and gave the words some more life, a bit of a shame to my taste but to each their own.

Another thing I'm not sure about is the editing, especially the epilogue, I personally think it would be so much better to insert a blank page between the last chapter and the epilogue, an empty space to let out the emotions.

Other than that I must say, I haven't read any english book that matches my taste so well in a very long time. I love the depression of knowing no future, of seeing the love in that one person's eyes moved on to somebody else, of waiting for a lonely and violent death with no peace awaits. I love how the emotions erupt out like the Icelandic volcanoes in the right time at the right place, leaving only the aftertaste that lingers around for ever. I like it so much to the point that I don't even know what I should read next, a Murakami maybe, or maybe some bite-size fictions to refresh my taste buds.

All in all, 8/10 highly recommend

p.s. was listening to Haiku by Stefano Guzzetti from his lastest album At Home - Piano Book (Volume One) when I was reading through the last few chapters, surprisingly matching

Hittade detta filmklipp på Dramatens youtube kanal.

Found this clip on the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre's youtube channel. Sorry no English subs. 

Left: Nike Roshe Run (Out of stock) / Right: Nike Air Max Thea Here

Got these new babes at Asos's flash sale last week. Could never find a pair of black Roshe run in stock, in stores or online, so I was thrilled to find that Asos got a few pairs back last week, and so the shoppaholic-ness happened.

Loving these two pairs. So far the Roshe runs are a tad more comfy than the Air Max (maybe because they're women's style) but I adore how the Air Max ones look.

Never been a trainer person but hey, people change.

Such an unexpected flick, thought it'd be another highschoolmusicalkindof musical comedy (because of the poster) but the story actually develops into a sorrowful tragedy (hence the title I guess). It's still got a positive message, which I don't like (I know, such a killjoy), but it managed to get rid of most of the cheesi-ness that positivity usually brings and weaves it into a sea of regret, loss, confusion and heartbreaks. Can see how it got so many Guldbaggen nominations.

It's a film built on Håkan Hellström's songs, would be a lot more fun to watch if you're a fan of his. But I'm sure that everyone can enjoy this film even if you haven't heard of him before (which I reckon is the case for most non-Swedish speaking folks)

Also kudos to the film crew for making Göteborg looking this charming.

I'm not sure if there's English sub available now but fingers crossed for you guys.

Rating: 7.5/10

Känn ingen sorg för mig

Bonus:

Can we just all take a moment and appreciate how perfect this cover is?

Got this album just yesterday and had a quick play through the whole cd this morning. Can already say that I love this so much more than the last one. Love it when she does something different (she did try Trance on a studio album long before, LOVEppears, but it's always nice to see her going off the usual pop track again) Favvo tracks so far: Terminal and NOW & 4EVA. Terminal, produced by the talented Armin van Burren (actually I think most of the album is produced by Western musicians), is just beautiful. Fingers crossed that they'll realease a single, or at least a remix. NOW & 4EVA, contrary to its cheesy title, is a typical ayu rock-y song. A safe choice, maybe a bit boring but you know what? She can do it because she does it well.



You can get the digital copy at iTunes Here or a hard copy at mumo official webshop Here (via Tenso)

Saw this wonderful documentary last night at George's Event, hosted by Queer Screen.

Synopsis from IMDb 'A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.'

It is hands down one of the most emotional films I've seen this year. So powerful that I had to try so hard not to burst into tears during the entire film (and just FYI, I failed at the end). Last time I cried so bad at cinema was last year's Blackfish, which you should all watch, but unlike that time, I wasn't crying of anger, sadness or disgust, I was crying of joy. I was so happy for them, so proud of them and so grateful of them for what they did and what they went through.

The director said that the film is coming to cinema for public audience this early October (Dendy Newtown for Sydneysiders) and also they're planning for a special screening in a few weeks time at the Australian parliament with Ted Olson coming over, a pro-gay-marriage American conservative to a bunch of homophobic Aussie conservatives.

Highly recommend to everyone interested or affected or involved in LGBTQIA activism. Also highly recommend to everyone who thinks f*gg*ts should be burnt in hell. Although if that's the case you should really just get off my blog and f*ck off before that.

Rating: 8/10

from top left to bottom right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8

My picks from the new-ins at topman this week. Think spring is the perfect time to add some colours into my wardrobe.

This is how Hobart stole my heart

Sorry for the lack of posts these past few weeks, have been horrendously busy since the June exam period, and then the day after I finished everything in school I left for Tassie and now I'm back I had to do 2 weeks intense workshops for my honours, which finally finished a couple of days ago.

Anyway, I'm back and will go back to a more regular update schedule.

Cheers

I'm gonna be honest with you, the synopsis didn't really interest me because I'm not usually a crime fic person but what got me to see it was that it won this year's Berlinale, which for some reason is probably my favourite international film awards (maybe because Miyazaki won it with Spirited Away)

The film was a bit bizarre and a bit confusing, could be due to the translation or maybe crime films tend to be this way, but that actually adds to the charm of this movie. The English title suits pretty well with the bleak base tone, which an immediate big plus for me. But compared to most Nordic films which tend to be very cool tone as well, this one is definitely more vivid, if that makes any sense at all.

What I have to mention is how beautiful the shots are. Not beautiful in the same way as Monet's paintings but basically if you screencap the film every 2 seconds you get a stunning photography book of a Northern Chinese city. Unpolished streets, rusty factories and out-dated cars, probably not your best-city-to-live-in type of photos but definitely artistic.

During the Q&A session the director (I was shocked how young he looked but then I realised he's Asian..) said that the female protagonist in the movie represents the passive female position in traditional Chinese culture and even modern Chinese society, an oppressed figure in a patriarch society. And so I was disappointed that he didn't really explore further in that direction. Of course I'm not saying that every good film has to promote women's rights or only political films are worth watching but since it was mentioned in the film personally I'd love to see it digging slightly deeper.

Which also led to the police force in the film. The director said again in the Q&A that the crew did their best to realistically represent police forces in Northern China and the actors went in training with the cops and stuff. Again, shocking (like basically their cops are doing the same thing to Chinese citizens what our people are doing on Manus Island to asylum seekers) but a bit of a shame that the film didn't expand that further either.

All in all, great crime film with 10/10 artistry, shame to me that the director seems to lack of political ambition.

Rate:
7.5/10

ps. the female lead reminds me of Eri Fukatsu (and coincidentally she also starred in a well received crime romance film)

Sydney Film Festival Day 3

As expected from Anna Odell, provocative and thought-provoking.

Keyword: Bullying, Documentary, Art, Stockholm, School Hierarchy

I won't say too much on this but I definitely highly recommend this to everyone. To everybody that's been bullied, isolated and hurt during school, to everybody that has bullied, isolated and hurt and to everybody that has seen people being bullied, isolated and hurt and done nothing. It doesn't necessarily make you cry or laugh or moved or any of those emotional climax that for whatever reason one may expect from a good movie but it makes you think, which I think could be much more important.

To me it's more of an art/social project than a film, which any of my friends would know I love.

Rate:
 As a film per se, 7-7.5/10
 As an art project, 8.5/10

Can definitely see why it won guldbaggen

Punk ÄR INTE DÖD!' (Punk not dead!)



Sydney Film Festival Day 2

Keywords: Punk, 1980s, Stockholm

Again another film so up my street! So lighthearted and fun and energetic it was just a fantastic experience! Not necessarily a film that'd make its way into my top list but it is definitely memorable.

And girls with mohawk and boyish short hair, seriously! And Ebba grön! And KSMB! And so many swears!



'Det spelar ingen roll vad ni säger, Vi är ändå bäst' (No matter what you say, we are still the best)

Rate:
7/10

Biased Rate:
7.5/10

'Du är så jävla vacker att jag spyr.' (You are so fucking beautiful I want to vomit.)



A beautiful fairy-tale.

Keywords: Gender-queer, Stockholm.
It's like a film specifically caterred for me. So relatable that it was almost painful to watch.

Compared to my last year's favourite romance film, Blue is the warmest colour, Something must break is somehow harsher, and softer. Harsher because it exhibits the struggle of gender-queer people so, real that when everybody else in the cinema was laughing at the puns I was feeling like someone was squeezing my lungs. Softer because unlike Blue is the warmest colour, which was an entire journey of Adele growing up and you know there will be an endless regrets and sorrow after the ending, this film felt much shorter. It was still real love and there were still heaps of tears but you know, or rather you hope that the scar will heal and Ellie/Sebastian will get up again one day.

And it will get too personal if I keep on going.

Another thing, it is as expected very very cool-toned, a distinct feature in Northern European cinemas, which I love. I mean I still like sunny Italian or French flicks but it is this gloomy palette that I'm the most comfortable with. The lonely coldness that numbs your face and your heart.

Also why were both actors so darn good-looking? SÅ. HIMLA. SNYGGA att jag dör. Like the fudanshi inside me kept making squeeky sounds during the kissing scenes.

Rate?
7.5/10

First Sydney Film Fest film, bra start!

So from the 2nd to the 6th of June I will be wearing my tiger onesie to school and work, as part of the WILD ONESIE WEEK campaign run by WWF in the hope to raise public awareness of endangered species and hopefully, raise money to support WWF's work to protect these animals from poaching and habitat loss.

If you would like to donate and help stop beautiful Siberian tigers and Sumatran orangutans from disappearing from this world you can head on to my fundraising page by clicking my picture above. I will be posting photos everyday throughout the week as well and if you're sydney-based you're most welcome to come humiliate me.

But please don't feel like you have to give a certain amount of money. A fiver would be already good enough as I understand that most of my friends are povo students without stable income.

And you can always share, share it with your facebook mates or your fam I don't mind strangers laughing at my stupid photos.

ps. If you need that extra push, June is my birthday month. (but ofc I wouldn't mind if you insist to give me a bottle of Tom Ford)

Bought a Flexi 10 pass again this year

It's that time of the year again and it's hard as always to pick 10 films out of three hundred millions of great looking films in their program. So as always I just went for instinct and chose the films I was most interested into before even checking the synopsis, because I know that'd only make things harder.

So my SFF this year will be:

Something Must Break

We are the best!

The Reunion

Black Coal, Thin Ice

Abuse of Weakness

Fell

Tom at the Farm

My Neighbour Totoro

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

(click the titles for synopsis and tickets)

Typical that I went for almost all the Ghibli films they have to offer (except for Grave of the Fireflies, for obvious reasons)

Check out their full program here

From left to right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Hype is like the king of prints. This season they've come up with heaps of stunning floral print backpacks which I just can't get over with and have to share them with you.

An excellent speech I discovered today through Ourhenhouse on the linkage between animal rights and human rights activism.

Very inspiring and I would recommend this to everybody.

The Legend of Heroes Ao No Kiseki Evolution Beta

Just completed the trial of Ao no Kiseki Evolution this week and I guess I can give a few insights for those of you who are interested in buying the PSVITA remake.

I kind of miss this art style

The trial runs all the way to just before where the opening movie starts so basically the entire prologue, as usual with all the other Falcom game betas, although I should make it clear that Zero and Ao Evolution's are both developed and produced by Chara-ani and Kadokawa so technically, they are not Falcom productions.

I guess two of the most important selling points of this 'evolution' remake line are higher resolution and full voice casting. Personally I'm not typically keen on resolution and stuff, which I believe is something I share with many Falcom fans, but it is quite refreshing to be able to replay the game on PSVITA's HD-ish screen (I really suck with technical stuff so apologies if it's not HD, but you get what I mean)

And the voice, I guess it can be the most controversial part of this remake. Reason? Kakki changed the voice in the most obvious way and since it's quite consistent throughout the whole prologue I guess it's intentional, I'm not sure whose but there's one thing I'm sure of, Lloyd sounds like a completely different person.

I don't personally dislike Kakki's feminine voice (actually I think it's quite cute) but to change the protagonist's voice in a remake that sells on full-voice, I think it's just amongst the most stupid things I've ever come across. I still can't say that I've quite gotten used to the new voice after the whole prologue but we should see. If the main reason you'd want to buy the remake is Lloyd I'd suggest you to rethink before you click 'order'.

For other characters, most of them are quite consistent with previous productions, Arios sounds less musky, which I'm really gutted about, considering how much I love Morikawa's musky masculine voice (Rai in Lamento, hallelujah)

Re-defined clips

Dudley's name got cut

In-game trophies, apparently the trial's trophies don't translate to PSN system

Game clear

And something for those who have Japanese PSN accounts, there will be a small item pack in the actual game for those who've cleared the beta, but you need to keep the beta program and the game data till then. Well, I guess by items it means a couple of potions.

I've impluse ordered the Chara-ani ultimate pack with 2 copies of the game and all the tokuten but I started to regret it straight after I've paid everything. Reason being that I only wanted that pack for the five figures because I thought they were authentic nendoroid but now I look at the sample picture again they look actually kind of dodgy. Maybe I'll sell the other tokutens together with the second game copy.

Has anyone ordered the Ao Evolution yet? Or is everybody else just waiting for Sen II?

To see my review on Sen no Kiseki click here

Morning at Aoraki

Sun, also at Aoraki

'In memory of those who perished in this national park...'

On our way to Milford Sound. The glorious greens

View from the famous Homer Tunnel

Warning: minor spoiler and major fan bias

Went to see Godzilla last Sunday after the march and let me just say, it was unbelievably GOOD!

Maybe it's because the 1998 one was just too horrible except that cute giant dino and I was so prepared to be disappointed again... It was just so good that I want to kiss the director.

Not that it was a perfect film, on this subject I do have to agree with some negative critics that it certainly did not pass on specially character development. Many characters appear a bit plain or too dull to me, so if you're looking for a nice tailored story with well developed characters you should probably look away.

But really, who watches Godzilla for the human characters? Certainly not me and heaps of Godzilla fans out there. And for those fellow fans out there, I can tell you with confidence that,

The King Is Back.

It's been 8 years since Final Wars and nobody knows if and when Toho is going to make another one. But this film, ladies and gents, I will put it in the Godzilla main filmography, along with the Showa, Heisei and Millenium classics. If you only likes the early Showa Godzilla films you'll probably find this one a bit too tamed or soft-core like late-Showa and Heisei but for everybody else I ensure you that it's definitely something you would not want to miss.

It did change a couple of details like how the radioactive ray looks but nothing too major, especially if you still remembers how traumatising the 1998 one was. I also would prefer it more if Godzilla could get more screen time, which is kind of a shame considering it didn't do that well on character development, could've spent that time on Godzilla instead, but I'm very overjoyed already.

The design of Godzilla also changed a little bit, which I guess is not a big deal for the franchise fans, partly because it's shifted from special effects (特撮, Tokusatsu) to CGI. It looks way more 'hunky' than it has ever been but to me that's just made it even sexier. Yes, that's the right word to use for me. I'm attracted to Godzilla and aliens and giant monsters, more than I'm to human actually. TMI? Well, you're welcome.

Lastly and the most importantly, the reason I love this so much is because it managed to keep the environmentalist soul in the original series, which the 1998 one obviously failed to do. And to me that's the one thing that really makes the franchise stood out for me and that's why I just wanted to cry at the end of the film. I cannot describe how grateful I am that the production team actually captured the core, it's such a difficult thing to do and considering cultural diversion and commercial factors most Westernisation of classic Japanese films always either purposely or not choose to neglect. Out of all the Western remakes I've ever seen, this is for sure the best one.

Anyways, I would highly recommend this to anybody that's either a Godzilla fantaic (like me) or monster film fan or just generally, looking for some entertainment flicks with epic SFX. Heard that it's had an awesome opening week in terms of global box office, and that makes me happy.

From left to right: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Picked a few of my favourites from this week's topman new ins. Loving floral prints at the moment.

I Never Learn - Lykke Li Album and tote from JB HI-FI

Inside

Fashion For Fair Sex Tee (Black) 350 sek exkl. shipping

A recent campaign started in Sweden calling for EU to address and stop human trafficking and sex slavery.

I see prostitution as a occupation just as respectful as others and I know that some people are proud of what they're doing (although of course you can argue that they were just acting). However the cold hard fact is people get nasty when money is evolved and the number of women and children trafficked every year to Europe and forced to provide sexual service out of their own will is heartbreaking and infurious.

Therefore, even though I do personally think that asking for a complete ban on prostitution is too agressive, it might be the most efficient way to prevent trafficking from happening. How efficient? I don't know. I don't think those who enslave women and children really abide by the law but at least it could kill off the visible ones.

In an ideal world people would respect each other and sex workers would only do it because they want to. But we're not living in that world. Just like in an ideal world people would respect cattle and chickens and people could keep exotic pets without breaking apart their families and driving the species to extinction.

Maybe you'd think I'm insensitive to compare women and children to cows and tigers but I don't think other animals deserve less respect than we do. The tragedies behind your dairy products or cute cheetah cubs would definitely not be any less inhumane.

Just some thoughts, I think I've rambled enough, should probably wrap it up now.

---

Back to the topic, please sign the petition here to stop human trafficking and sex slavery

You can also purchase the amazing looking tees here to financially support the project. If your country is not listed in the shipping destinations you can email them to add it to the list.

Also, as I've mentioned above, petitions to ban private exotic pet ownership here. Or you know, just think twice before you decide to get a different pet than anybody else. Think about the dirty trade behind those cute eyes and the bloody tragedy how the cub lost its mum.

For dairy and other farm animal rights, first please support free-range/organic etc products. Here's a pledge to help ban battery hen cages in Australia.

Welcome to share ongoing animal-/human- rights petitions with me.

Detail

The Copper Rack 3500 sek excl. shipping

Found this amazing looking rack on Dry Things. Personally I'd probably prefer a more rusty kind of copper irl but this just completely hits that steampunk fanatic in me. Think it would look great with a monochrome tone room.

Faux leather Bow Tie pin: Topman / Chocomania Lip Butter: The Body Shop / Kraniche - Bosse / Burberry The Beat for Man

A few of my essential for the cooler months.

Have owned Burberry The Beat since for ages, think I bought my first bottle on a ferry from Hamburg to Copenhagen and I've repurchased it again and again. It's got a very prominent citrus scent, which I'm just crazy about, but the peppery note in it adds a hint of warmth in it and makes it perfect for that transition time between summer and winter.

The album Kraniche from Bosse was one of my last year's favourites and I'm yet to find a more 'autumnal' album than it. It's got a slight melancholy feel but heartwarming at the same time. Perfect to listen to with a cup of coffee in an autumn arvo, or just any occasion really.

Bow ties came back to my wardrobe's top drawer as I start to wear shirts more with the dropping temperature. Personally I prefer traditional bow tie, or those pre-tied ones, only because I find the idea that having a pin needle less than an inch away from my throat is pure terrifying, but I couldn't resist this faux leather one, instantly dresses up an otherwise plain-looking white shirt.

Last but not least, a lip balm. My lips chap all year round but they get even worse as the weather cools down. This chocomania lip butter from the Body Shop is perfect for anyone that needs a bit moisture on their lips without adding any colour, and of course, any body that is addicted to chocolate as it smells just divine.

Picture credit: @Snoopygrams

Somewhere along the east coast of South Island

The Green Dragon Inn

Random road side

Fox Glacier

Sunset at Aoraki / Mount Cook

Miss my roadtrip in New Zealand this summer. Such a magical country and I'd love to go back visit it again in the future.

Have to mention that seeing so many glaciers retreating several kilometres from where they used to be a couple of years ago is just heartbreaking, even taking into account that it was austral summer. Maybe I'm just more sensitive to that because of what I'm studying but I think sometimes seeing the actual effect of this anthropogenic climate change is probably more powerful than a list of scientific papers.

Platic Pollution killed this bird. Picture Credit: Greenpeace Australia

It's always been normal for me to categorise, rinse and recycle rubbish and I've always seen that as a part of my life and what we should do as a citizen of this planet. So when I moved to Sydney a few years ago I was shocked that so many of my neighbours didn't care about what would end up in the landfill. Maybe I've just been really unfortunate and only lived in bad suburbs but I still can't believe how overly simplified the recycling program is here and thinking there are people who can't even follow that just makes me cringe every time. And the fact that there is only one teeny tiny recycling station in the whole Randwick city and only TWO teeny tiny bins there are for uncoloured styrofoam. Just think about how much styrofoam could end up in the open wild poisoning this land and all the other creatures living on it.

I've lived here for almost four years and I've heard and seen a lot about Australian spirit and its nationalism, whether in the form of racism or just pure pride of being an Aussie, but to me, a real Aussie that treasures this amazing country should be someone that doesn't trash this land, and that of course applies to everybody else in the world.

So here it is, Greenpeace Australia has launched a campaign calling for 'Cash for Containers' in NSW. Although it is not directly stopping plastic pollution and wasteful landfill it definitely will encourage more consciousness and recycling and reduce tragedies like the picture above. Please take a few seconds to take action for a more sustainble Aussie way of living.

Nail polish by STRANGE BEAUTIFUL. Sold exclusively at Saxony

I never completely come out of that emo-ness that many people had in high school but I have never ever worn nail polish before, strangely enough. However I thought it would be nice to try something new and go some extra darker this winter, with my hair back to its natural blackish brown colour.

Found these ones on Saxony's website and they just look so beautiful and I love how every colour is inspired by certain artworks or nature (you can read the concept on each set's page). Got the package earlier this week but I haven't worn any of these yet as you can see being a nail polish virgin I need some extra preparation work. Although they already look really nice just sitting on my table.

Just one thing I need to point out is they may look really good value for the price but each colour only contains 3ml of product, about a fifth of a normal sized nail polish, which is great for me because I probably won't wear them that much but if you're looking for something else you might want to keep that in mind.