hopelessly flawed but soldiering on

Turandot

2012-01-31T22:34:00.002+11:00

We saw this last night, it's such a novelty going to see an opera at the Opera House..and we have such a lovely one in Sydney! Graeme Murphy's production was gorgeous and fluid, the stage was crammed full of people at some parts and the costumes and sets were gorgeous.
I had big fat tears hanging in the corners of my eyes during Nessun Dorma and I haven't been able to stop humming it ever since.

Here's Placido with a pretty neat version:

Blue + Green

2012-01-27T13:19:00.000+11:00

This dress makes me happy, it's like wearing an artwork. Whoever said 'blue and green should never be seen' was an idiot.

Reed Krakoff silk chiffon wrap dress via Net-a-Porter

Hemingway

2012-01-26T00:27:00.001+11:00

Is it just me, or is Clooney looking like Papa Hemingway in this photo?

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

Also, here are some blonde jokes via McSweeney's as Hemingway no doubt would have told them if you asked him for one:

Q. Why was the blonde staring at the frozen orange juice container?
A. The container brought to mind the Sunday breakfasts with her mother in the days before she took her life.

Q. How many blondes does it take to change a light bulb?
A. Margot preferred darkness.

photo via the chive

Pin-up gal

2012-01-25T21:38:00.000+11:00

I should very much love to have this huge poster hanging somewhere in my house, preferably near a reading nook and not too far away from a martini. Dorothy you are magnificent.

big love: Brooklyn Bridge

2012-01-22T13:28:00.001+11:00

This bridge is fantastic. This photo is also fantastic. I wish I were back there walking across it right now.

photo of workers painting the Brooklyn Bridge October 1,1914 taken by Eugene de Salignac

Thirty, flirty and thriving

2012-01-22T13:27:00.001+11:00

So far, being 30 is pretty good. I have felt very loved this entire week, and Luke spoiled me rotten...I'm not used to being spoiled.

We received the box of books we posted to Oz when we were on holiday in London this week too, it was thrilling opening it up and seeing the books we bought from our trip. I pretended that they were another birthday present (!), and it has been months of waiting for them so I had forgotten exactly what they were.
Luke had a lot of architectural theory books, I had a slim book of poems from Iceland, some paperbacks from NYC (from the amazing Strand and the huuuuuuuge Barnes & Noble near us in Union Square), an amaaaaaaaaazing book of stories about and from Venice and a couple of books about all the secret and lovely walks you can do in London. I will post photos of our book box soon. I like those two words together; book.....box.

The books about London made me so teary, and I felt such an urge to be back there again I couldn't even turn the pages towards the end. I pretended that just for a moment all these things were right outside my door, I could put on my jacket and start walking along the Thames, or along cobble stoned streets and meet my friends later in a warm pub.
Leaving London, or indeed, missing London, has been one of the single biggest heartaches of my short life. It's different from mourning a person, obviously. Have you even mourned for an entire city? A country? It's such a strange all-encompassing bittersweet melancholy. Often I grow tired of it because it exhausts me, but I know it's my heart telling me that's where I should be, and you shouldn't ignore your heart.

I also learned this week that I hugely and almost exclusively prefer gin martinis. Luke made me the most amazing martini I've ever had. It was so simple, but the flavours were so clean and fragrant and refreshing; thank you Tanqueray! He's really gone out of his way this year, but as he sees it, 30 is a landmark birthday and the presents should reflect that. I can't wait to look back on these things in 10, 20, 30 years time and see how they've aged and worn and remember how loved and blubbery with tears of surprise I felt this week when I opened them up. (Number one extravagant present, a sublime pearl necklace with little pearl earrings...swoon). I love pearls, . I'm not a (white) diamond gal at all, ever. Black diamonds, yes; which is why I have them on my engagement ring!

They were so cool to touch when I lifted them out of the box, and in next to no time the contact with your skin warms them up and they glow in a special way. Utterly magical.

Here's a clip from a wonderful, cheesy, nostalgic, sweet and funny movie that I have such a soft spot for:

Colossal: Rainbow Brite

2012-01-14T12:10:00.002+11:00

I dare you to check out my new favourite website and not be leapfrogging around the posts for hours and hours looking at all the beauty and wonder a creative mind can think of. It's moments like these that make me so proud to be human, and hopeful that all is not lost.
Here are some of the more colourful examples:

Chromatic typewriter by Tyree Callahan

Aqueous Fluoreau by Mark Mawson

this room used to be white, before Yayoi Kusama gave

kids free reign with thousands of stickers

what David T. Waller did with 2500 toy cars

pretty Penguins

2012-01-11T22:46:00.000+11:00

I think Penguin is making us (me) more shallow. How could you NOT judge a book by it's cover when they look like this? Luckily they are all classics too, so the judging happened long before you or I took our first breath.

a set of Dickens...ok by me!

the modern illustrated covers on some older titles are also exciting

the food collection, writing from the last 400 years. Yum!

the original classics, now up to 29 titles I believe

the new set that made me swoon;

Art Deco foil print covers for F. Scott Fitzgerald...sigh.

My favourites are the ones in the Great Ideas series. Tiny slim volumes with embossed and pressed covers each with their own font or design and some of the greatest thoughts and essays from some fascinating people. They are up to series 5. There are 20 in a series.

They are about a fiver each. Phwoar. One day.

down in the Grey Gardens...

2012-01-08T13:30:00.000+11:00

And while we're at it, the ladies from Grey Gardens have a lot to answer for...if only I could dress like that! Miss Drew gives it her classiest effort with great results:

Cleo meets Mary

2012-01-08T13:20:00.000+11:00

I just ordered these two items, now all I need is a knee length A-line black leather skirt and my dream outfit is complete. Think Cleopatra meets Mary Poppins.

Eva Marie Saint

2012-01-07T20:45:00.000+11:00

Both the photograph and the subject are stunning. Sigh.

photo by Phillipe Halsman

ain't gonna find no miracles here

2012-01-07T20:43:00.000+11:00

"You and me, we were the pretenders;
we let it all slip away. In the end what you don't surrender, well the world just strips away..."

amazing polaroid by moominsean

those were the days...

2012-01-04T20:35:00.000+11:00

I couldn't help myself and spent a bit of time poring over vintage photos on etsy, these are a few of the dozen or so I ended up choosing and they are now on their way to me.

So wonderful to look at.

Isn't this couple just the bees knees? They look gorgeous together!

hats hats hats....yes yes yes!!

I think I was drawn to this because they are all raven haired,

so used to seeing only mousey brown or light blonde hairstyles.

I'll always be Alice Toklas if you'll be Gertrude Stein

2012-01-02T11:11:00.000+11:00

My parents and I watched Mame over Christmas twice in a row, and could not get enough.
I really just want to be Bea Arthur/Vera Charles. Jammed full of scathing and hilarious lines with two amazing leading ladies and costumes and music galore. Yes please!

Resolute

2012-01-01T12:03:00.000+11:00

Every year I quietly make the same simple resolutions: eat more vegetables, drink more water, walk a bit more/smoke a bit less.
For 2012 I thought I'd add more of the personal fulfillment aspect (the health aspect is always there, so that's a given) and so here are some things I'd like to really focus on in the coming year:

-read more
-specifically, read Ulysses well before June 16 (eek!)
-take more photos, it's all about the everyday moments.
-save my pennies
-try and make the best of Sydney, instead of having my mind in other places
-don't buy anymore uneccessary stuff, I have more than enough
-plan an excellent dream vacation
-explore
-make good use of the oven
-get my licence...finally.
-go to the beach, even if it's not to get in the water
-picnics with friends
-tap dance lessons
-print some photos, instead of storing them away on the computer
-watch more movies
-spend more time with people that inspire and re-energise, avoid the others.
-martinis
-write more

(go here for a great list written by a great man, and I agree with almost everything he wrote on it!)

the end of 2011

2011-12-31T00:14:00.000+11:00

Thank all manner of heavenly beings that 2011 is drawing to a close, it was intense to say the least. I am thinking about silly but essential resolutions, and reflecting on this crazy year and what the next one holds (and what cocktails I would like to be sipping tonight).
Here's Zooey and JGL with a sweet little ditty that just makes me sigh and grin at the same time, they are too cute. Let's hope that 2012 is bigger, better, stronger, brighter and happier!

I wanna do that too!

2011-12-30T22:26:00.002+11:00

I am almost 100% sure that exposure to the combination of Bill Robinson and Shirley Temple when I was little is the original source for my gushing love of dancing, especially in film, and of secretly wishing I had a whole percussion section in my toes.
Maybe I should finally get those tap lessons after all...

But right now, I have a strong yearning to re-watch 'the littlest rebel'.

the night before Christmas...

2011-12-24T12:57:00.001+11:00

The funniest thing I've seen for a while, had me grinning from ear to ear. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

lark

2011-12-24T12:00:00.002+11:00

New favourite online shop, and only 10 clams to deliver within Australia. Yikes.
Some things in my dream virtual shopping trolley:

I could get used to this waking me up in the mornings,

I'd pretend I was living in the 1950's.

super cute British cupcake decorations

Wouldn't this make a sweet housewarming gift?

Big love to you Rob Ryan!

I've had my eye on this wool felt rug for about 3.5 years now.

Every time I would go into Paperchase, I would pat it and dream

about where I would have it in my home. One day, one day.

Sweet little fabric suitcase, would be nice to take on a solitary

excursion to the park

with a good book and a mini-picnic for one, no?

I have an irrational need for this glowing white bunny lamp.

Why? I can't explain.

go Brontës!

2011-12-23T23:04:00.001+11:00

I feel like I should re-read Jane Eyre before watching the film (which is hard, because it looks wonderful and Mia's face is so incredibly still and I am impatient) and then lo! what's this I see? Wuthering Heights has been done recently again too! The trailer was so intriguing. Would like to read more Brontë stories please, have added to my Kindle accordingly.

jump!

2011-12-23T18:24:00.002+11:00

I wish they'd re-print Philippe Halsman's book. He is awesome.

3

2011-12-12T19:47:00.001+11:00

Three little and beautiful things to start off my week:

1. The pretty young woman who shared her leopard-print brolly with me waiting to cross the road.
2. The little brother and big sister trying to moonwalk on the street in front of their father's shop.
3. A comforting nourishing bowl of my mama's lentil soup.

Stevie says....

2011-12-12T10:00:00.000+11:00

Happy Birthday to ya Melly! We were actually at this very show in Hyde Park last year, and it was a brrrrrrrrrrrrilliant happy happy day full of sunshine.

Happy Birthday Bestie!!!

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000+11:00

Today is Mel's birthday, she is currently on a well-deserved holiday in Malaysia with her family and so I am sure she will be having the best day, and no one deserves it more than her.
Normally around her birthday is the staff xmas party at UCL, and it is cold, cold, cold in London town, so I am so chuffed that she gets to do something very different this year. I wish I was celebrating with her, and getting the very cute Diego Luna-esque bartender to make up a special cocktail just for her (as per last time), but knowing she's closer to my end of the world is pretty good.

So Happy Birthday to a gorgeous gal who has one of the best laughs, wickedest sense of humour, best advice, total generosity of spirit, spoils me rotten, is the best at karaoke, bursts into song and/or dance at a moment's notice, is completely genuine, caring and fabulous and made London a thousand times better for me just by being in it. You are one in seven billion!

Melly on our lovely girly date in October this year

xoxo

like a zeppelin in the sky

2011-12-11T19:51:00.001+11:00

These photos are brilliant, and of course somewhere inside I may secretly be imagining that Indiana Jones is getting into all sorts of hijinks with one of these...

old postcard from Japan

a Graf zeppelin

maybe the best thing I've seen in a while..... a zeppelin over Jerusalem, 1931

Foto fun

2011-12-11T19:28:00.001+11:00

Here are some things from the fun Photojojo site that I popped in my cart recently. This summer all I want to do is get out there and take photos. I have resolved to always have some sort of camera in my bag at all times (no, the camera on my mobile phone does not count).

a bottle tripod mount...um, where have you been all my life?

an animal figure photo holder, hello deer!

set of 3 weighted wires with tiny strong magnets to hold your photos

acrylic colour filters for lenses / flash

My Blueberry Nights

2011-12-11T15:07:00.001+11:00

I have no problems watching a movie that is aesthetically pleasing but offers little in the way of substance. This is how I feel about a lot of things, but movie-wise the first ones that come to mind right now are The Dreamers, The Fall...and in this post, 'My Blueberry Nights'. Maybe because these three could have been so much better and deeper than how they turned out.
I'm torn because everyone with half a brain knows that Wong Kar Wai is deliciously sensual and visual, and this was his first english language film, but it was just so....meh. But I love love LOVE that he cast the beautiful Norah Jones and Cat Power in it.
I like the idea of female musicians translating all their complexity into an acting performance instead of through notes, melodies and their own lyrics. I could have done without Natalie Portman though, yawn.

my two scents

2011-12-11T14:24:00.001+11:00

I've been wearing these two this week:

This oil from Kiehl's is a bit magical. It's not really that musky (on me, anyways) but for some reason it reminds me of being seven, playing in my grandmother's house on a sunny day with the faint smell of her hairspray hanging in the air of her bedroom back in the 80's. Then after the initial hit, it slowly turns soft, soapy, clean and mellow. Is that weird? I can't believe I've stumbled upon something that takes me back to a really, really happy time and place so quickly.

I love Lolita Lempicka. I've been wearing the first fragrance for the better part of this decade so I'm happy that with Si Lolita it captures things that I am really growing quite fond of as I get older, less of the floral/fruity stuff and more spicy and subtle.

It starts off quite zingy and spicy with citrus and even a bit of pepper, then turns softer and creamier and richer. It's actually a perfect compliment layering it with the Kiehl's oil, but is nicely quirky on it's own.

I'm still researching some masculine fragrances to invest in, I think they smell just as good on women and I prefer them because you don't smell sickly sweet like a walking dessert or a fruit platter. Lately I love wearing the first Prada perfume, it just fits really comfortably and doesn't shout at you for attention. I'm also leaning towards maybe investing in Prada's Amber for men and/or their Iris infusion, they just know how to do quiet and refined fragrances.

The Whishaw and The Fass

2011-12-11T13:58:00.001+11:00

How I love the little NY Times/W videos...

go here to see The Fass talk about his love of Tom Selleck and sound effects...sigh.

babies galore

2011-12-10T16:23:00.001+11:00

Everyone I know seems to be having babies.
Two shiny new ones have been born very, very recently, and there are another four on the way due early next year....that's a LOT right? One of the many rad things about being an auntie figure (although tiny babies scare me like nothing else, seriously...I can't even hold them, I am terrified of breaking them) is that I can indulge and share in my love of children's book, retro clothing and mix-tape-making for the little ones and their parents. So much fun. What's the point in having a librarian in your life if they're not going to gift you with awesome books, right? I am happy that there are books now focused on the parents too (re: Go the F*#k to Sleep) but my personal favourite is this one:

right here
It's funny, and sad, and dark and so, so true!!! Sigh.

Let's hang out with sweet Jason Schwartzman as he buys records for his baby, shall we?

And I 100% agree with the Beatles/ I'll follow the sun...haven't heard it in so long:

property of Michael Cera

2011-12-06T21:14:00.001+11:00

This is ten shades of awesome.

two things: I drove all night

2011-12-06T21:02:00.001+11:00

One of the best 'I really should learn how to drive so I can play this while I am der...driving' songs. Cyndi is all at once cute, hilarious and sensual in her video (those arm movements! that microphone and polka dot dress dancing!), and Roy is.....oh, that beautiful clear sad voice over that brisk drumming (and hello...Jason Priestly and Jennifer Connelly in jeans and white t-shirts! )

Adore both versions, and I am sorry but, Celine Dion...you are not invited.

these are a few of my favourite things...

2011-12-06T18:37:00.001+11:00

a bunch of things my brain is saying 'yes!' to right now:

This little snippet of Buster Keaton's "One Week" :

I don't normally ponder nail polish, and seldom even paint my nails (I do however have a deep mistrust of people who frequently get manicures; it might be a 50/50 split between 'are they just bored and vapid? are they high maintenance?') but I have 'chinchilly' in my stash and I am mystified by it's strange properties. It is all at once translucent and opaque, warm, cool, neutral, and seemingly gray but also with a bit of lilac. I bought this pretty around midnight at one of those 24 hour chemist places in NYC that sell prescriptions and food, and booze, and makeup and cigarettes (another thing in sum total that my brain says 'yes!' to) because it was raining outside and we wanted shelter and snacks so this place was perfect. I digress. Essie do lovely creamy textured, subtle and interesting shades, but back here in Oz they sadly retail closer to 20 bucks each instead of 7 or 8 clams in the States. I just wrote a paragraph about nail polish.

I am amazed and horrified all at once.

Let's rectify this with a brilliant po-mo tumblr featuring The Gosling:

side note: I don't find him overwhelmingly attractive but concede his acting choices intrigue me as does the usage of an adorable kids choir for his odd little band Dead Man's Bones. Oh, and that time he gave onesies out to everyone in the audience. Right on.

And my new favourite blog Celebrity Gossip, Academic Style does what I love best...it talks about trite pop culture musings like they are not trite pop culture musings and instead sooooooooo important and loaded with meaning and social reflection. Which they are, and also are not. My bestie Mel and I excel at this, it makes me feel better about wasting so much of my time watching tv shows and bad movies. But then again, analysing characters and story arcs in tv shows or films and the image of celebrity and actors etc. is very similar to how you respond to a text or author in English Lit. Just more fun. Trust me.

Even though I showed this to Luke, and even though he laughed at me...I secretly think he wants one of these too:

Juice box camera. They make me smile.

and they will probably take this down in a heartbeat (for the record, in case they do it's Prince's 'money don't matter tonight') but damn this fuzzy video really does hit it:

either one of those things will do...

2011-12-05T20:14:00.001+11:00

"a man needs something

he can hold on to; a

nine-pound hammer ....or

a woman like you"

( amazing polaroid from moominsean )

Hemingway's cup

2011-12-04T15:53:00.001+11:00

Suddenly, I have a few new reasons to hop on a ferry and spend the day/evening exercising my liver in Manly...one of them is to have another one of these cocktails, in a book-filled cosy bar called Hemingway's:

They had me at the Hendricks gin, really. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night, right across from the beach and with this awesome picture of Ernest outside the building:

looking good, Gatsby!

2011-11-26T22:02:00.001+11:00

before sunrise / before sunset

2011-11-26T13:02:00.001+11:00

Please please please let this be true....I wonder where Jesse & Celine will be next?
Can't believe it's been seven years already.

where is this?

2011-11-26T12:34:00.000+11:00

because I want to go to there...right now.

hello lover!

2011-11-24T23:38:00.001+11:00

Here is my new baby, the Fuji x100. I am so impatient to play...currently waiting for the battery to charge.

It's a sort of early extravagant 30th bday present to myself. Hip hip!

big love: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

2011-11-24T21:17:00.001+11:00

Do I even need to explain why? Didn't think so, watch:

bathers and blue birds

2011-11-20T12:09:00.001+11:00

from ashes & milk

bedroom beauties

2011-11-18T20:08:00.001+11:00

I am ready to move straight in, just say when.

can you imagine the books you would read,

the heavy sweet sleep you would have?

the poetry you would write?

yes...me too.

after the fire comes a wedding, at Deyrolle

2011-11-18T19:10:00.001+11:00

Not only was I lusting after Adriana's outfits during Midnight in Paris, but I was very, very jealous that she attended a Surrealist wedding reception at Deyrolle...

I've been a bit enamoured of that shop for a while now, and remember the tragedy that struck in 2008? If not, go here for an excellent article via Vanity Fair on the devastating fire and the deep support and new beginning that sprung from it. I'm still waiting for 'Touched by Fire' to be re-printed. Waiting, waiting. Here is a taste:

then again...

2011-11-13T10:51:00.001+11:00

In a couple of days a new book comes out, it is from one of my heroes and it's about her life and the influence of her amazing mama...cannot wait.

Also.... Diane Keaton on Twitter? Makes me want to reactivate my account; especially just now when I took a sneak peak and saw this:

looking for the heart of....

2011-11-13T10:34:00.001+11:00

Tom Waits should get into stand-up, what a great intro for a wonderful song.

pretty purses

2011-11-12T17:36:00.001+11:00

oh my, humoresque....they are lovely! Both inside and out.

impatience

2011-11-05T17:01:00.004+11:00

Don't you hate waiting for things you've bought to arrive in the mail, but love pretending (when you do finally receive them) that someone sent you a very awesome gift?
Here's what I'm currently waiting on (amongst other things):

silk+chiffon+polka dots+pleats = love.

French fairytales

2011-11-05T15:30:00.000+11:00

What IS it about the French? Their films in particular. I need to watch these two, STAT!
( I wonder if Breillat has read Angela Carter? It's too weird if she hasn't...especially with Bluebeard)

big love: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

2011-11-05T15:18:00.003+11:00

and it was such a big love, wasn't it? I never get bored of looking at photos of them together:

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild

2011-11-05T15:12:00.001+11:00

I have the Hemingway and Schopenhauer finger puppets, I really really would like these too:

Frida Kahlo & Monet stuffed toys....just, because.

and for around the house....

Thomas More would like this little notebook I bet.

and I would love an amazing bar of Absinthe soap for the bathroom....yes please!

sooo many great gift ideas to make you grin, but this one is perfect for anyone (read: me) who is begrudgingly chained to their desk in an office all day...

The Sisyphus watch; see him pushing the boulder around and around and around....too perfect.

......aaack, bless the people behind this brill company!

midnight in Paris

2011-11-03T23:07:00.001+11:00

I saw this last night, I am still giddy with how lovely it was....please see it if you can, it's a stunner!

with cameos from some of the most amazing artists and writers and musicians.....Hemingway was a real treat to behold, ditto Gertrude Stein....thanks Woody!

PS: Amy Merrick works her 'living in' magic here

kindle it

2011-10-29T15:54:00.000+11:00

After a year of thinking about it, I finally took the plunge and went down the Kindle road. Glad I did!
As well as freeing up a lot of space and weight in my bag, it has given me the perfect chance to delve into the classics of literature, as well as reading (often free) the complete collections of writing from particular authors (this is the main reason I wanted one, as my books at home are so heavy and hardbacked...not ideal for lugging around).

I have bought a few more contemporary titles from Amazon, the one I'm most excited about is Tomas Tranströmer.... it's not everyday a relatively unknown-outside-his-own-country poet wins the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ooh and the letters of Sylvia Beach, I am literally drooling with the thought of reading her correspondences with the authors she counted as her friends and about her life running Shakespeare & Co.

I think I seem to have more short stories than anything else; Guy de Maupassant, Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Gogol, Chekhov, along with novels I've either started a long time ago or have really meant to get around to (Thomas Moore and Henry Miller, I'm looking at you).

Right now I am swooning around and hiding in the shadows of West Egg, wishing I was in Fitzgerald's New York or that I was wearing floaty white dresses and sipping on gin rickeys along with Jordan and Daisy. I blame Baz Lurhmann; how could you not want to read the Great Gatsby when you know Leo DiCaprio is in town and wondering how he will make the role his own? He does seem to love (and suit) period pieces, so I have complete faith in him.

As well as buying a practical red leather case for my kindle, I couldn't resist this:

which I love so much, I am tempted to use it as an actual clutch purse, the detailing is beautiful!

How about you? Have you gone down the e-reader road with success?

60s going on 30...Kirsten Dunst

2011-10-29T12:59:00.001+11:00

You know how I feel about Kirsten Dunst. I loved this little feature from the NY Times online. As my 30th is a few months away I have started emptying my closet of things that are from another life so, imagine my delight when I read this?

“I’m currently cleaning out my closet of childish dresses. I want to start dressing like I’m 30. Some of the things I have are like, I can’t wear this anymore, it’s not cute.”

Exactly.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still keeping a handful of things that I will never wear again but that hold great memories. My friend Meg and I were discussing this the other week; how dresses we see are so lovely (the cut, the fabric) but so many of them stop mid-thigh and well, we are not mid-thigh kinda gals (unless opaque stockings are close at hand).
What happened to knee-length or three quarter anything? What happened to lovely tailoring in classic cuts? These items can be so evasive in the shops (cost is a big matter here too) and suddenly the things that were fun and made you feel good to wear a couple of years ago now make you feel like you are trying too hard to stay younger than you are.

So I want to pare my wardrobe down to a quarter of it's size, but curated so that items are of high quality and beautifully made. Maybe this can be the ongoing project of the first few years of my 30s. Whaddya say Kiki?

meet you all the way, Rosanna yeah.

2011-10-29T10:45:00.000+11:00

Do you have a summer playlist? I've been listening to this song quite a bit over the last 2 weeks...it makes me laugh, it makes me happy and of course it makes me think of Yacht Rock.
I think I will be adding it to my playlist now that the Sydney weather is brightening up and getting toasty.
So here we go, Rosanna:

the story behind the song (cough):

the single:

twenty years later...Toto still bring it:

small screen / big screen city

2011-10-22T14:11:00.001+11:00

My New York reality kept getting blurred with filmed efforts, particularly the small screen.

Thanks especially to Felicity, I kept feeling like I had a very real and vivid past memory of hanging out in the city. How could you walk around NYU and past a Dean & Deluca and NOT try and keep an eye out for Noel or reminisce about when she tearfully put Ben in his place?

And Jess Mariano was right, Washington Square Park is where it's at. We thought we'd walk through it quickly to get to somewhere else, but ended up staying there for hours...just watching people all afternoon.

Walking around the upper east side, or central park's Bethesda terrace I could almost hear the expensive clicking heels of Blair & Serena. In Brooklyn I wondered where Dan was getting his morning coffee (for the record, Grumpy's in Park Slope also do flat whites!)

At night the steam on dark streets made me wonder if that was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle I just saw out of the corner of my eye. On 14th street I swooned and hummed Rufus Wainwright to myself. In the New York Public Library I....well, I got a bit teary obviously, it's heaven for a librarian! At Grand Central I shivered, thinking about Lex Luthor's underground lair. We were staying around Union Square and to my utter delight, a couple of weeks after booking our hotel I found out the exterior was used in Manhattan Murder Mystery, quite perfect if you love Woody Allen films like I do!

That's just some of the stand out moments around the city, but around every corner there were many small fragments of pop culture coming up again and again which made for a very deja vu experience most of the time. This also added to that feeling of being totally comfortable in the city, because it felt like you had always been there. Oh and how we wished that we'd bump into Jonathan and George and Ray on one of their adventures!

Don't even start me on 30 Rock. I would have cried if I saw Tina Fey.

on the street / on the subway

2011-10-22T13:20:00.001+11:00

There were two recurring items I kept seeing several times a day around NYC.

On the streets, knee-high Hunter wellies were all the rage amongst the pretty young things. They stuck to the classic colours but occassionally I would see someone with a super bright yellow or red pair.

It wasn't rainy really (a couple of little showers once or twice in a week doesn't really count to me) instead it was unseasonably warm for that time of the year and really did feel like the last days of summer instead of fall. Still, Hunters are expensive so I guess you want to get as much wear out of them as possible!

On the subway, the cool young things wore these Urbanears, in every shade you can imagine:

I kinda want some, and I don't even really use headphones!

I liked New York fashion, it made me want to dress far more casually than I normally do.
I think I wore little dresses with my Chuck Taylors almost every other day (I had a couple of Blair Waldorf inspired days too, but hey, I was hanging out at the Met! It's fun to dress up when you're on holidays). And they also do preppy tailoring soooo well.

And the local beers were consistantly great. I don't think we had anything that didn't come from within New York State. Brill. I don't need to convince you of how awesome the city is, do I?
I will say this though, New York really did feel like it is the centre of the universe....I don't know how else to describe it. It is a colossus in every way. Electric.

P.S.
Eleven days? Totally not enough time....but a good first effort we think.

xo

October already!

2011-10-11T20:26:00.000+11:00

Hallo folks... I've been out and about traversing some brilliant parts of the globe these last 5 weeks but I'm back now (sad face) and will be resuming usual posting as soon as I'm over the jetlag...sigh.

faithful journey

2011-08-28T10:49:00.000+10:00

I have a soft spot for Journey. They are impossible for me to sing along to...Steve's voice is soooooooo high, but so enjoyable ( side note: remember Mariah Carey covering 'Open Arms' back in the '90s? ). I think 'Anyway You Want It' might be one of my personal anthems, certainly fun to jump around to before or during a night out.

Anyways, here is Eef from Clem Snide covering a Journey song. My darling Leonie introduced me to the utter wonder that is Clem Snide via that most magical of doorways...the mix tape, pretty much almost a decade ago; and I haven't looked back. Thank you Lones!

Enjoy and swoon at your leisure.

start spreadin' the news

2011-08-22T23:29:00.001+10:00

Gee I hope I get my paws on one of these....Zara, who knew?

oh and maybe a pair of these.....

or these...

I miss the High Street...badly.

pop pilgrims

2011-08-22T10:50:00.000+10:00

I had to share with you my new favourite youtube channel...from the awesome A.V. Club:

I sort of now want to be best friends with 'em. Think of the fun road trips we would have! And I totally agree with visiting places that were important (to you) in film, music and the arts in general.

Let's start with one of my all time favourite albums, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Like I didn't have enough reasons to want to go to Chicago (one less since Oprah ended!).

summer sun

2011-08-16T19:38:00.001+10:00

wouldn't this tote be purrrrrrfect at the beach? or a picnic in the sun? it makes me smile.

and this loverly hat...extra points for making the back brim shorter than the front!

la revolution

2011-08-16T19:23:00.001+10:00

um, yes.

A thousand times yes!

s'il vous plaît

stack it

2011-08-16T16:34:00.000+10:00

these two rings are sweet and simple:

colour comparison

2011-08-16T15:22:00.000+10:00

Be still my beating heart, I have a new girl crush....over at Miss Moss; what a keen eye she has!
I don't know how she does it, but I'm glad she does. Her blog makes me so happy to look at, and this particular post is right up my alley because you know very well how Bright Star makes me swoon and sob and sigh.

Go. there. now. please.

divas

2011-08-15T13:23:00.000+10:00

After my grumbling about opera prices, I serendipitously got in early and nabbed some tickets for next year's season at the Opera House. Really happy I'm going to see Aida, Turandot and Salome in awesome seats without paying through the nose for 'em.
I just need to remember the waterproof make-up, I'm a sop for high drama and lovely costumes. Two of them are directed by Graeme Murphy so I'm sure I will be swooning and oohing and aaahing all over the place.

Pass me the champagne daaaaaaahlink.

xo

Tuesday night date

2011-08-15T13:16:00.000+10:00

Dear Lindsey,
Thanks for playing in NYC when we will be there too. I will see YOU soon at the Town Hall, looking forward to it muchly.

Sincerely,
Mia

why don't you go where fashion sits?

2011-08-13T18:41:00.002+10:00

Sometimes, when stylists, photographers and models come together just right, they make some magic...and then I'm more than happy to hand over money for glossies just to see images like this:

The gorgeous Julianne Moore as a Modigliani, a Schiele and a Klimt muse; via Peter Lindbergh in Harper's Bizarre c.2009.

gush.

xo

Patron Saints

2011-08-12T18:45:00.001+10:00

Saints are awesome, except I can never remember who does what and why.
So I just make them up. The two saints most pertinent to my life are thus:

Franz Kafka 1907

Sisyphus (by way of Camus and Titian)

Anyone who works in an office will understand my choices. Plus Kafka makes me feel better, knowing that he wasted his working days for an insurance firm, whilst writing some quietly amazing stories in his spare time gives me hope. And Sisyphus? Not sure if a mythological figure can be a patron saint, but like I said...this is my version.

Anyways, raise your glasses for the Patron Saints of Office Workers!

side note: apparently St. Joseph is the Patron Saint of Workers...blah.

the longing for happiness finds repose in poetry

2011-08-12T18:20:00.001+10:00

.....or so Klimt says, I tend to agree with him. This woman and her outfit captivated me.

(big love for the Beethoven Frieze)

The Illusionist

2011-08-11T18:08:00.000+10:00

Has anyone seen this yet? We're going so soon, very excited about it. Also very excited to sit down and re-watch the Triplets of Belleville, it's been a long while.
Aah the French. They just get it. So strange and wonderful.

splendid satchels

2011-08-11T14:01:00.000+10:00

Now if these don't inspire you to make like Huckleberry Finn and get into the great outdoors, I don't know what will! (I don't normally think about back packs, but these have me grinning from ear to ear...I think Luke would like 'em and they would look well funky in an urban setting too).
From Sketchbook:

from shelterprotectsyou :

and lastly, minimalist but functional:

via infusion

adieu mon appendix!

2011-08-10T13:36:00.000+10:00

I've never really had surgery before, it was...interesting. A lot of waiting around.
I really liked morphine. I see why people become so addicted to opiates. I feel I'm getting a glimpse into the future when I'm old and can't move about so easily; you feel so vulnerable and frustrated.
I'm amazed at how women can give birth and go home with a little baby they have to feed and take care of so soon whilst recovering from a great physical trauma. All I had was my silly appendix out, and I'm still marvelling at the body's capacity to heal so quickly. That, and how good port wine jelly and poached pears taste. Yum.

I'm grateful our emergency medical system worked so seamlessly for me, and the kind nurses and funny doctors and surgeons who were always poking their heads in to see how I was. Also it feels great to be safe and loved and looked after at home. I'm sure this has helped a billion percent. Can't wait to laugh again without it hurting, or to lift things, or to walk normally. I feel grateful for a lot of things right now. Bless.

xo

two things: Ray

2011-08-06T13:28:00.000+10:00

two more, from quiet little pirate-Jesus Ray LaMontagne:

(oh yeah, and then he and Damien Rice cover the Bee Gees; just bury me now why don't you?)

sigh

xo

panic on the streets of...

2011-08-05T13:15:00.000+10:00

Holy shit, can't get that Smiths song out of my head all week.

It's been almost a year since I left Londres, and looking at the footage and violence now spread across the country it really hurts on this strange protective level I have for the city, the same as when someone critises London and I get really defensive. At the same time, being Greek...these scenes are not at all new or surprising to me, which also makes me sad at my quiet acceptance of it. A few years ago Athenians took to the streets in a rage over the shooting of a young man by police. Fuelled mainly by deep dissatisfaction for their government, looting, arson and violence around the city quickly ensued (sound familiar?).
Less than a week later I visited Athens and it felt...surprisingly normal (aside from the odd burnt out car and boarded-up shop window of course) but something in the air was strained.
I wonder what London feels like?
I hope all my London friends are safe and this ends soon, I don't know what else to say. I just shake my head and sigh.

Melba memories

2011-08-04T12:45:00.000+10:00

a few photos from our wonderful winter trip:

love you Melba

Melba Toast Redux

2011-08-04T12:40:00.000+10:00

I miss Melbourne! Here are a few of the trillion things we loved about our most recent trip:

seeing Leonie
going out dancing on a Friday night
things made of Lego are always better
new dumpling consumption record
buying a beat up leather doctor's bag in the first hour
that pizza place in St. Kilda playing Rumours from start to finish
pretty macarons
bright blue winter skies
contemporary Australian Aboriginal art
Open House Melbourne
drinking at ponyfish island; elegant hobos under the bridge.
an actual impressive double rainbow whilst drinking on the Yarra
trying on beautifully made hats downstairs at Flinders Street station
the Vienna exhibition (except for the stupid "no stylus" rule)
Schiele + sunflower
shoes
Melba's obsession with poached eggs
Pure Pop, and the smoking courtyard
that 24 hour souvlaki place
the architecture, the stupidly amazing architecture.
1806 ; specifically Leonie's cracked pepper vodka martini
the Melbourne Museum...they have a rainforest!
staying in the exact same apartment we did last time
the toilet stall that was covered in Bukowski poems and quotes
my new grey cloche hat
wanting to dress like a Klimt gal
Luke surprising me with something shiny = me bawling my eyes out

....did I mention seeing Leonie? LOVE her, miss her!

Autumn agate outfit

2011-07-24T13:45:00.000+10:00

I like these colours, there's something very cosy and warm about them.
Now you just need a light grey mohair cardigan and a crisp Autumn day with the amber leaves falling about you...perfect.

via JenniferLilly

little urchin of the sea

2011-07-24T13:19:00.001+10:00

I love sea urchins, sometimes I feel like they (and many other ocean creatures) must be from outer-space, they are just so intriguing and odd looking. Even the bits that break off of them are cool; how interesting would a few of these be hanging off some silk string?

I've lost the keys to my dream house!

2011-07-24T11:49:00.000+10:00

oh Monsieur Hulot,, can you help me?

(This actually made me feel like my heart was going to burst with happiness...I'm sure the sweet music doesn't help either.)

xo

This is....London

2011-07-24T11:44:00.000+10:00

Have you seen these books? They are delicious.
I recently bought the London, NYC, Venice and Greece books and they make me grin from ear to ear, such a delight. Done some 40 odd years ago they now include an updated stats page right at the back full of great tidbits about a city (how many elevators? how many fire hydrants?) I'd like to collect the books from all the places I have visited, and of course go to the places I haven't! Here is a peek inside the lovely London book:

Thanks M. Sasek for giving the world such beautiful books.
Love you Londres!

xo

Sandwiches that you will like

2011-07-23T22:08:00.000+10:00

Isn't that a great name for this show? I like the idea of traversing across the U.S of A and tasting the local specialities! Yum. I love what people say about this food and how deeply ingrained it is.

urban atrophy

2011-07-23T13:27:00.001+10:00

more amazing photos of derelict and downtrodden spaces....via urban atrophy.

I've really got to find my photos of Battersea Power Station, it was mind-boggling seeing it up close and walking around. sigh.

oh Cecilia!

2011-07-23T13:08:00.000+10:00

this is a bit excellent:

I wonder what Simon & Garfunkel would say? I dig that tree playing, that's for sure!

children's books

2011-07-22T23:01:00.001+10:00

I sort of unofficially collect children's books.

I can't help it, it's usually the first section that I go to in bookstores. I use it to judge how sensitive and informed the book buyers are...I am enthralled by the attention to detail given to the stories, the covers, the illustrations. I want to collect more books for 'lil readers (or, I guess non-readers) and book buying is one of the only areas in my life where I don't really feel guilty about how much I spend, I don't try and rationalise it or make excuses. I need them like I need air. Quite often they are the only books that move me to tears for reasons I can't even define.

My mum said to me a while ago "Your children are going to be so lucky, having all these wonderful books to look at and read"...which surprised me because, to be honest, I had never once bought a book thinking of who was going to inherit it!
I suppose I wish I had a collection like this when I was little (though I was pretty chuffed with my impressive range of Little Golden Books and any and every Enid Blyton tale I could get my paws on). I still have my childhood books and the sudden jolt of memory when you look at an illustration, or a sentence that you have looked at dozens upon dozens of times as small child is exhilarating. Or, realising that the images or even certain passages and descriptions in the stories really have rooted themselves into your imagination, your dream landscape and your idealism many years later. It's powerful stuff!
I still bemoan not being able to find my teeny tiny Peter Rabbit books...big enough to fit in my little hand, bigger than a matchbox....just.

I remember chancing upon The Selfish Giant as a first year uni student and almost burst into tears when I realised it was the exact same edition I had read so many times when I was 7 or 8, then sighed at how beautiful the watercolour illustrations were, chuckled at how I completely bypassed the whole Jesus-parable....then gasped when I saw that the author was Oscar Wilde! Such a joy rediscovering these books when you are older.

I saw a link somewhere recently and I'm so glad I clicked through to it; have I ever told you how much I adore Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events? (more on that later), but here...Lemony's 'representative' Daniel Handler gives us some of his favourite childrens books.
Suffice to say I sort of want them all. Greedy guts that I am.

xo

this time next week...

2011-07-22T22:19:00.000+10:00

....we'll be in mmmmmmmarvellous Melbourne!! Three cheers and a giant hurrah!!! Tres excitement!

xo

Fab four

2011-07-22T22:14:00.001+10:00

This photo is spectacular! Can you believe the guy that took this photo (and many brilliant others) of the Beatles' first US concert has been holding on to them for almost half a century?! And that he was only 18 when he took them in 1964? Cor blimey.

big love: Ray LaMontagne

2011-07-16T14:33:00.002+10:00

I have a soft spot for Ray LaMontagne. He looks like Jesus; if Jesus lived in the woods and sort of looked like a serial killer but with an ultra-smoky voice and soulful geetar tunes. Can't listen to too much Ray though, only in small doses...but boy does he look like he puts on a brilliant live show.

The lyrics to this song are so beautifully sad, sighs abound.

this song has been covered a zillion times, but his version is thoughtful:

and of course, the song any soppy gal wishes was written about her:

somebody, give the man a hug.

museum date

2011-07-16T13:35:00.000+10:00

I would wear this, and afterwards find a place to share a big spicy pot of chai with you.

rubies and pearls and peridots...oh my!

Jeffrey Campbell again, gah!

the cinnamon peeler

2011-07-16T13:32:00.001+10:00

Above all things, I love Ondaatje and his poems. Here he is reading one of his quietly sensual and heady beauties, how great is his voice? I always feel it's a real treat to see/hear the poet reading the poem, makes it extra-special somehow.

If I were a cinnamon peeler
I would ride your bed
and leave the yellow bark dust
on your pillow.

Your breasts and shoulders would reek
you could never walk through markets
without the profession of my fingers
floating over you. The blind would
stumble certain of whom they approached
though you might bathe
under rain gutters, monsoon.

Here on the upper thigh
at this smooth pasture
neighbour to you hair
or the crease
that cuts your back. This ankle.
You will be known among strangers
as the cinnamon peeler's wife.

I could hardly glance at you
before marriage
never touch you
--your keen nosed mother, your rough brothers.
I buried my hands
in saffron, disguised them
over smoking tar,
helped the honey gatherers...

When we swam once
I touched you in the water
and our bodies remained free,
you could hold me and be blind of smell.
You climbed the bank and said

   this is how you touch other women
the grass cutter's wife, the lime burner's daughter.
And you searched your arms
for the missing perfume

   and knew

   what good is it
to be the lime burner's daughter
left with no trace
as if not spoken to in the act of love
as if wounded without the pleasure of a scar.

You touched
your belly to my hands
in the dry air and said
I am the cinnamon
peeler's wife. Smell me.

abandoned

2011-07-16T13:09:00.000+10:00

I have a little obsession with derelict old buildings, and if they have a certain history behind them, even better. These photos are magnificent, but also make me shiver at the thought of walking through these abandoned mental asylums and the things that went on in there.

Go here and here for more brilliant buildings.

dream outfit : Angel

2011-07-16T12:07:00.001+10:00

Put this on along with some gold bangles, tousle your wavy hair and dance around on stage as the floaty fabric moves with you. At 2:40 into the clip, I defy you *not* to grin widely that Lindsey Buckingham would sidle up with his arm around you to sing some catchy harmonies. Yes.

(I'm sure that if I tried wearing that brown velvet beret, I would come off looking more like a portrait of old Rembrandt, but somehow she just makes it work!)

but before that, maybe you should grab some maracas, put on a comfy Mickey Mouse jumper and sit in the studio watching the song come together.

PS: I think she'd like these shoes to match her outfit, by Jeffrey Campbell:

PPS: Can you tell Tusk is my high-rotation album of the moment?

don't talk loudly with your companions

2011-07-16T11:20:00.000+10:00

From the Homemaker's encyclopedia -- 1952

oh those rebellious milk-chugging kids!

hound

2011-07-16T11:19:00.000+10:00

I think I would very much like this label....the lookbook photos aren't too shabby either;

oh how I do love me a good coral lipstick!

in your favourite sweater, with an old love letter

2011-07-09T13:27:00.000+10:00

there is no need for the album version, this is absolutely perfect (and has the best curt introduction):

silhouettes

2011-07-09T12:21:00.001+10:00

brilliant with a touch of whimsy. love.

go here for more

two things: Jackson

2011-07-02T15:26:00.002+10:00

Lee and Nancy or Johnny and June? I love them both.

winter warmer

2011-07-02T14:49:00.000+10:00

Nothing warms up a cold midweek winter's night than the boy you love coming over with bright gerberas and telling your parents that he's going to marry you.

"you know, Ernest only has lovely things to say about you"

2011-07-02T14:31:00.001+10:00

One of my favourite Jess & Rory moments, sitting on the bridge talking about books...I'm with Jess, Ernest Hemingway is far from painful to read! Now Ayn Rand on the other hand....

Greece in ruins, part 3 Athens

2011-07-02T13:54:00.002+10:00

I have spent the most of my Hellenic time in Athens. I can understand how people could hate it as a city but for me it fills my veins with blood and makes my heart beat so loud. I don't know what it is, I felt like the best version of myself each time I have been there.

I'm never afraid there but I'm sure I should be sometimes; I went to my first ever protest in Athens, and tasted the burn of tear gas for the first (and hopefully only) time.
I rode on the back of a scooter through the balmy night and patted the enormous and friendly street dogs whenever I could. I had one of them rest his head on my foot and fall asleep as I sat on a step and smoked. Lord, I have never smoked, walked, eaten and thought so much in my life as when I was in Athens.
I have seen it gleaming, I have seen it dry and dusty, lit only by the August moon, destroyed by riots, bustling and also boarded up, burnt out shells of cars and celebration on the streets.
I had the best new years eve of my life in Athens, the most epiphanies in Athens, the best memories of a friendship in Athens and the first experience of travelling on my own not knowing a single soul and absolutely loving it...all in Athens. I owe that city a lot, it helped me confirm who I really was, and it gave me the confidence to live with who I am.

This is in response to the images of protests, destruction and dissent in that ancient city.

Greece in ruins, part 2 Epirus

2011-07-02T13:38:00.000+10:00

The most emotional time I ever had when visiting Hellas (and perhaps in my entire life thus far) was in my mother's hometown. It is absolutely stunning, soaked in history with mountains soaring up to the heavens, an old city within fortress walls and a lake that covers almost everything in a smooth satin that I used to sit by and stare at for hours and hours.

I cried almost every night. I hadn't seen my mama in two years, she has never been back to her home and family in Hellas since she left over 30 years ago.
I walked around her little island and imagined her playing hide and seek as a skinny girl with short short hair and big shiny brown eyes. I saw how hard life still was for so many people there.
I quietly observed in a shoe-box sized church on the highest point of the island and breathed in the incense and the Byzantine chanting. I stood in the same places I remember seeing in the few childhood photos my mother has. I do not know if I can go back there again, I don't know if she should go back there again.

There are a lot of ghosts in that very beautiful place.

the view from the house mama was born in

kind friends of my grandmother's, who have lived on the island their whole life

the hypnotising Lake Pamvotis

mama grew up on this little island in the middle of a very big lake