Some of my Mother's Pearls

Shirt:Vintage, Knit:Ottomode, Skirt:dotti, Shoes:rubi shoes

Turns out my parents had a tripod hidden away at home so I acquired it when I was there on the weekend, therefore my outfit posts are back in action!! In other exciting news when we were having a massive cleanout during the mid-year break, I gained possesion of this set of three thin threaded pearls (trying saying that ten times!) that used to be my mum's.

Finding treasures like this are always sooo satisfying!! Have you guys found anything in your parents closets lately that you've taken for your own???

And after I took these photos I couldn't resist making a gif.! What do you think?? I'm thinking it's pretty humourous....Happy Tuesday peps xx

Old School

Ay Caramba!

I know we're only a week into August, but I already feel like it's flying by! I can't believe it's only another 3 weeks until midsemmester break, I'm still feeling like we only just got back! That illusion is slowly fading away though, as the next group of assignments begin to loom (why are they always all due at the same time?) plus that test next week that I found out about this morning that I imagined to be many moons away...ek! Everything feels like a rollercoaster at the moment, with so many highs and lows...but hey, here I am blogging two days in a row so it can't be too bad, right?  And if it all just gets too hard, let's run away to mexico together instead, afterall you can never be unhappy in a poncho! xx

All that Glitters

Happy Monday Peoples! I hope your weekends were as lovely as mine. One of the main events to end my week was celebrating a friend's 21st birthday. It's always nice to dress up a touch more fancy and go to an extra effort for a 21st and I wrapped my outfit together with this gold glitter nail polish as the final touch. I'd seen  a lot of girls wearing it over the past month and felt compelled to join in. I was tempted to try a DIY version after another friend did so with large success however I concluded that I don't share her knack of costume makeup and would probably end up with more glitter everywhere else than on my nails.

I splashed out a whopping $7.99 for a bottle of the shiny stuff which isn't too bad I thought. However I have to confess it is probably the trickiest nail polish I've applied myself and I had to do about four coats. This was because the glitter was very good at sticking to the brush of the bottle and the glitter to clear polish ratio wasn't very high. When I was buying the stuff I also had to decide between your average tiny glitter or this larger variety. It was not easy my friends. Ahh the dilemas of consumerism....which reminds me of an essay I should be writing. Cheerio for now..xx

Sweet as..

I'm going to let you all in on another one of my vices....I have the biggest sweet tooth. I love lollies. You might even say I'm addicted. I always have been since I can remember, spending all the money I got from my paper run when I was a kid on sweet treats at the dairy.

And not much has changed since those paper run days either. Whenever I go to Petone, I can not resist stopping in at the UK Goodies store and walking out with a bag full of delectable delights. The giant jars full of all sorts of different candies look so appealing, which always makes it harder not to ask for a few of everything.

Last time I was there I bought these pastel coloured freckles, which are the white chocolate version of the bright multi coloured dairy milk equivilent. I also got some of these pink and white mice. Aren't they cute!?
After I realised how aesthetically pleasing this combination was, I had to wait just a little longer to eat them (which i confess happened all in one sitting) while I photographed them to share with you. And by the way they were delicious! xx

An Afternoon in Heaven

While I was absent from the blogsphere, my sister Sarah came over from Australia to stay for a couple of weeks. We had so many good times as only sisters can do and I have been busting to share with you our one afternoon in heaven that we had the pleasure of experiencing while she was staying with me in Wellington.

To fully understand how much I enjoyed that afternoon, there are some things about me you have to know first. I love drinking tea and I love eating good food. I mean really love. I confess I do believe a cup of tea can only improve any situation. And who doesn't love food? I love learning about differnet types of food (like cheese for example, I'm a big cheese fan right here) and trying new flavours. Once you know these things, it comes to no suprise that for a long time I have been wanting to go to high tea at the Museum Hotel restaurant, Hippopotomas. Sarah coming to stay seemed the perfect oppurtunity.

I have been to other high teas before, so I knew what to expect; bottomless cups of tea and a high stacked tower of mini treats, but still I was blown away. The restaurant is French. The food is french, the head chef is french and all the wait staff are french. And they used this to their full advantage, their accents were so charming Sarah and I were instantly seduced. Add to that the glamour of the Hotel and Restaurant and we were feeling like we were pret-ty special. Sarah ordered Rosehip and hibiscus tea while I went for the Morrocan Mandarin. Both were so delicious I was more than happy to drink my six cups worth....And then comes the food. Sarah got here half gluten free which was an extra bonus. The bottom layer was savoury while the top two, as well as an additional plate that came out later, were all sweet (which I was extra happy about as I have an enormous sweet tooth).

I thought about going into detail about every mouth watering treat that they gave us, as I do whenever I retell this event to someone in person, but I thought maybe I'd spare you the hunger pains. Here's a brief list of what we were given; vegetable fritata, cucumber sandwhiches (a high tea essential), salmon and avacado tart, tuna, apple puff pastry, espresso, caramel and chocolate layered cake, chocolate nougat cup, almond cake, chocolate mousse and last but certainly not least, the iconic macaroon. Can you see why I died and floated willingly to heaven?

In short, the whole experience was flawless. The location, the service, the tea, the food and did I mention it only cost $30 each? Which is around about the standard $25 anyway. Plus Sarah and I had a voucher which brought it down to only $45 for the two of us. Bargin! Plus don't you just love these sugar cubes....xx.

It's been so long

It's been a long time since I was here. I could come up with so many excuses but let's not waste the time like that. In short I got given these beautiful flowers and felt a new wave of motivation and now I am here. The good news is I now have a small stockpile of things to catch you up on which is especially handy when the weather behaves like it is doing today!
Anyway that's all from me for now..Keep cool till next time xx

Going (to) Gaga

This is the outfit I choose to go to Lady Gaga's concert on Sunday night which I posted about yesterday. I had planned on wearing something else but while shopping in Newmarket on Sunday I bought these things and could not resist wearing them at the first oppurtunity. Both the top and the shorts are from dotti. Gotta love their sales. I got both these items for a little under half price...score! The top is completly lace with a zip down the back and is so lovely (even my Mum said so). The shorts are quite short. And also velvet. And royal blue. I love everything about them, though I was hesitant to commit to the purchase at first. I've had my eye out for some ever since I fell in love with a pair of red high waisted ones a friend wore and I love the way these fit. I think Wellington will be a bit too chilly to bust them out any time soon but I can't wait to wear them all summer long..Bring it on!!
Enjoy your Wednesday night peps and give me some lookbook love (/hypes) if you're feelin it :) xx 

Born this Way

I have a confession to make. I did have an alterior motive to going to Auckland than just to hang out with my family. On sunday night I became a monster. And I don't regret it. For those of you who are a bit lost on what I actually did, I went to Lady Gaga's concert, the Born this Way Ball, with my sister.

It was AMAZING. She looked like she was really enjoying herself and she interacted heaps with the audience. Her costumes and set were incredible and her set list was perfect. She even sang Just Dance, her first single. She is so talented. Her singing and dancing combo was flawless but my favourite was when she sat down and sang and played her piano without the rest of her band. So much r-e-s-p-e-c-t for her, even more than I already had. She came across as so genuine and her concert exceded my expectations.

Here's some photos I took at the concert. The quality isn't the best but I just wanted to give you a bit of an idea of how it went down...

My sister and I waiting before the show.

A view of the set while the castle was closed. A number of times during the show, the castle opened up.

Gaga on horse

Opening costume

Giving birth

Motorcycle Piano

 Tomorrow I'll give you a look at what I wore to the concert..xx

Degas to Dali

One of reasons I was excited to be heading to Auckland was to visit the Degas to Dali exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery. The exhibition was on loan from the National Galleries of Scotland and I was stoked my visit to Auckland coincided with the end of the show. I took Art history as a subject in my last year at high school and also in my first year at Uni. I think without that exposure, I wouldn't have the appreciation for art that I have now.
I had never been to the Auckland Art Gallery before and the space is very impressive. There was a large installation outside the entrance to the gallery and another in one of the foyers.

The outside installation

This installtion in the foyer was a giant flower chandelier. The flowers constanly inflated and deflated sporadically, each flower at different times.

 

Once I got inside the Degas to Dali exhibition I was starstruck. I found it such a surreal experience to be standing in front of works from Monet, Degas, Picasso, Braque, Van Gogh, Dali, Matisse, Warhol etc. It's like being in the presence of the celebrities of the art world. The detail and use of colour and form is in no way overrated. So much impressive talent in one space. These were a couple of my favs from the exhibition,

© The Fergusson Gallery, Perth and Kinross Council

© Salvador Dali, Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, DACS, London 2004

 (Images courtesy of the National Galleries Scotland Online Collection)

So that was the highlight of Saturday, (that and my sister arriving from Australia) and as you can tell I was not disappointed. If you happen to be in Auckland in the next few days and you haven't seen the collection yet I highly recommend you go. It's open until the 17th of June and they have concessions for students so take your id. along. That's enough of my nerd spewing for now..I'll post more about my weekend later..stay tuned xx

Last Friday Night

How hectic was last week? Thursday and Friday were especially full on. It feels so good it have the majority of my Uni work finished with, just my history exam to study for now, starting tonight. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend in Auckland with my family which was a nice reward. But before I tell all about that in a succession of posts that will come tomorrow, I thought I'd start off with the fast paced events of Friday night.

I finished at Uni and was home by 5:15 and was due at a B.Y.O. dinner at 6. I was a tad late but not by much. The dinner was at Yellow Chili which is an Indian restaurant in the Kelburn village shops. Dinner was super yum and the restaurant was super cute! Recommended.

(Post-feast)

Next on the agenda was the end of term keg party for the Geology society. Always a good night and I couldn't resist stopping by for a bit.

I wasn't at the party for long though before I had to go to the airport to catch my 10:45 flight to Auckland.

There's something cool about being in an airport at night. Everthing is closed and there's hardly anyone around. Such an airy atmosphere.

Next I made my way to stay with my friend Grace and attend the party she was hosting!

So that was me last Friday...full on and awake for 22 hours straight! Needless to say I was exhausted on Saturday. I'll let you know how the weekend went down tomorrow. Until then I'm tired and keen for an early night with maybe a hint of study...xx

She'll be right

Today was heavy. I was ultra nervous for my speech this morning, more so than usual..but I think it went ok. Then in the arvo I had a 2 hour test for my World's Religions paper. I actually enjoyed the test, though I could've done with a bit more time, so we'll wait and see how I go in that one. Getting through today was met with a big sigh of relief, but it ain't over yet. Another test and an essay still to go.
She'll be right though...xx 

Übersetzung
 Heute war nicht leicht. Ich war ur nervös für mein Vortrag heute, mehr nervös als normal..aber ich glaube es ok gelaufen ist. Danach habe ich ein zwei Stundenlang Prüfung für mein Religions der Welt Kurs gehapt. Die Prüfung hat mir eigentlich spaß gemacht jedoch ich habe mehr Zeit gebraucht. Ich habe noch ein Prüfung und ein Aufsatz zu schreiben.
Aber es wird sich alles finden...xx

(A recent mural on campus)

Sailor, Sailor

Here's a look from about a week ago, although I'm sure recently I've been looking like this everyday. I wear this coat everywhere. It's RPM from last winter and I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I was a bit strapped for cash at the time, so I considered whether or not to buy it for about a week. I gave in when I visited the RPM factory store and found this one with $30 off the original price because it was missing a button on one of the pockets. Sold. I especially love the bib at the back and I feel like I'm dressing up like a sailor every time I put it on. What do you guys think? xx

Übersetzung
Hier sind ein parr Fotos von letzte Woche. Ich trage dieser Mantel überall. Das Marke ist RPM und ist von letzte Winter. Ich war in es verliebt von das erste Augenblick. Ich habe es billger bekommen weil ein Knopf fällt. Das Lätzchen gefällt mir besonders. Ich fühle mich wie ein Seeman jedes mal ich der Mantel tragen. Was denkt euch? xx

Once upon a time in Austria

( A photo from Krems, the town I lived in in Austria)

Thought I'd let you in on a little bit of my life pre-blog. Way back in 2007-2008 I completed an AFS exchange to Austria. I went to one of the local high schools and learnt German throughout my year. It was an amazing experience and I met so many inspiring people and made so many unforgettable friends. It is because of my exchange that I am now studying German at University. I love the increased amount of people you are capable of communicating with when you learn a new language. Some of you may have noticed my attempt to provide a short German translation at the end of yesterday's post. I thought I'd give it a go, even though my grammar is shocking, but hopefully it will also help me improve.
Sorry this didn't go up yesterday, I had a few technological problems. I also know I said I'd have an outfit post for you but nothing in the photos turned out right! I apologise profusely for being so unreliable..xx

Übersetzung
In 2007-2008 habe ich ein Austasch Jahr gemacht in Österreich. Ich bin in der Schule gegangen und habe Deutsch gelernt. Es war ein unglaublich Erfahrung. Ich habe viele Leute getroffen und viele neue Freundin gemacht. Dadurch, dass ich mein Austasch gemacht habe, studiere ich jetzt Deutsch an der Üniversität. Ich würde jeden Tag mein Blog versuchen zu übersetzen um mein Deutch besser zu machen. xx