a girl called ness

as snug as a [floral] bug

2010-10-11T23:41:00.001+11:00

something that i am absolutely obsessed with at the moment is floral bed linen. teeny tiny pink rosebuds nestled amongst canary yellow stripes, cornflower blue petals that pop against creamy white and whimsically wild trailing plants that snake their way across the bed. LOVE

after buying these miranda july pillowcases from third drawer down, i hunted like a crazy lady for the lovely floral sheets that they used in the promotional pics...

alas, could not fine any that weren't made of flanelette.

ew.

so i styled them up with my old but oh-so-soft ikea sheets that i've had for a million years but can't bear to throw away because they remind me of lovely things, like breakfast in bed and spilling tea and writing in bed and my mama.

these beautiful bleary sleeping shots make me ache for those lazy hazy weekend mornings right at the beginning of summer, when you wake early at the first glimmer of hot sunlight but stay nestled between soft sheets for a lovely long sleep in before slapping bare feet upon cool floorboards and starting the day.

ness x

thank you pia

2010-08-27T00:45:00.003+10:00

a profile piece that i scribbled about the incredibly talented miss pia jane bijkerk is in the september issue of home beautiful. pia's writing and photography is such an inspiration to me, so it was such a treat to be able to chat with her over the phone for a couple of hours, while drinking lots and lots of lovely tea. she's written a beautiful post about it on her blog.

it's writing features like this that make me fall in love with magazines all over again.

ness x

blue willow, welcome

2010-08-26T23:42:00.004+10:00

my teacup collection has welcomed a new member into its fold. i snagged this lovely creature at the rozelle markets last weekend. i absolutely love the blue willow pattern; it reminds me of my childhood. my mother had an entire set and i used to love staring at the all the different details of the pattern as my plate slowly (or quickly, depending on the food!) cleared.

snapped with my new (old) slr. expect lots more photography as i work out how the hell to use it.

ness x

friday i'm in love

2010-05-14T13:05:00.003+10:00

i love quiet, calm Fridays in the office. such a lovely way to end a frantic week.

today i am furiously tip-tap-tip-tapping on my mac, alt-tabbing between a beautiful feature that I'm writing about a particulary fabulous blogger/stylist/artist/writer (shan't name names) and mulling between black and blue jeans at urbanoutfitters.com (free shipping to all australian buyers on purchases over $100 until may 30), listening to the soulful tunes of laura marling, gossling, little joy and zooey deschanel and drinking piping hot cups of freshly brewed french earl grey tea from t2. bliss.

ness x

happy happy joy

2010-04-20T07:25:00.002+10:00

my darlings, i must share with you a band that has ardently stolen my heart. Little Joy induces exactly that... foot-stomping, spine-tinging, pure JOY. i'm obsessively stalking their website praying for some australian gig dates...

brand new day :: little joy

don't want me dancing :: little joy

unattainable :: little joy

ness x

we meet again

2010-04-07T22:13:00.009+10:00

well, look at this. I'm back...

It's been such an awfully long time and I've missed you all, so much. No, really, I have! There's a little ache in my heart every time i greedily read a beautiful blog and i wistfully think of this, sitting here, waiting ever so patiently.

I'm not sure how often I'll be posting but... I really want this to work out so: new rules. I spend my days writing and find it oh so hard to think of anything more substantial than 'please pass the milk' at the end of a long day. so not as much writing this time peeps. the other thing that i spend my days doing is reading... blogs, zines, magazines and supplements and newspapers from all over the world. hopefully i can condense some of my favourite links and stories here for you. and, of course, lots of beautiful photographs for you to feast your beady little eyes on. so, shall we get started?

i want to EAT this chair.

It's made out of bread, how genius is that? though i can't imagine being able to sit still for very long without turning around and sneakily nibbling the seat frame. i'll have extra virgin olive oil and lashing of balsamic vinegar with mine, please...

Lovely Anna Fraser is a sydney-based illustrator who i've recently discovered. i have a slightly unhealthy obsession with cards (what, it's not normal to hoard hundreds of still-wrapped-never-written-in cards in shoeboxes under the bed?) and laura's hand-painted watercolours depicting the absurdities (and funny little truths) of life hit the spot for me. from $10/each, etsy.com/annafraser

two blogs that just fill me with heart-soaring joy are bloesem and style-files. i have them to blame for wanting to rip out my entire courtyard (oops, can't. live in a sharehouse) and plant the prettiest god damn herb garden you've ever seen.

and it's no secret at the mag where i work that i ardently adore and fervently favour the color blue. cornflower blue, i DO love you! and oh! azure and periwinkle and sapphire and teal and tiffany blue. even the names make me feel giddy with happiness. Isn't this hue just divine? I could stare at it for hours. If anyone knows the shade i would be eternally grateful...

and this dreamy wall of crockery stacked high is from a Belgium house that was posted at style-files. i pine, i perish! my crockery collection is burgeoing but no where near as impressive as this (in fact, i do believe my rather modest collection of floral plates and mismatched teacups would fit into just one of those cubby holes. sigh)

one more find! i'm deliriously happy to announce that Lizzie Allen, reigning queen of the UK wallpaper scene, is finally able to purchase in australia. it's happy, happy day. only print so far - but lucky for us, its her iconic london telephone box design that makes me dizzy for the sights and smells of husty bustly london. from $850/print, visit quintessential duckeggBLUE for deets.

(anyone got a spare, oh, $850 lying about? I'll take coins, i ain't picky)

ness x

love on a plate

2009-08-13T00:18:00.006+10:00

have i told you about my friend CM? i call her my wife, cos when we moved to sydney together all we had was each other. we had to be each others sister grandmother mother wife etc. anyway, she is beautiful and funny and has such a perfect straight nose and even though she wears kooky clothes she always manages to look uber chic (aren't we all just a little jealous of those effortlessly elegant girls?)

tonight she made me a gour-met vegetarian feast cos she knew i was tired and busy at work and needed lots of vegies and protein. If only everyone had a wife like CM...

pumpkin risotto cakes with tomato stuffed mushrooms and sauteed baby spinach. topped off with ricotta. if you ask ever so nicely i'm sure she'll give you the recipe...

ness x

sugar hit

2009-07-29T21:42:00.007+10:00

tonight i trudged wearily up the stairs to my second-floor apartment, turned the key in the lock, pushed open the door and this... amazing smell wafted out, tickled my nostrils and floated out the door. It smelt akin to honeysuckles, like... sweet vanilla pods, like the gooey centre of a creme brulee after the satisfying craaaaack. it smelt like SPRING.

usually my apartment smells like vegemite, soup and the faint smell of cat. niiice. I racked my brain trying to think what it might be then i remembered....

... on sunday i bought two hyacinth plants - one purple, one white - and sat one my windowsill and one on my end table. The guy said they were fragrant; he wasn't kidding.

ness x

winter supper

2009-07-28T21:07:00.006+10:00

there are very few problems that a bowl of soup can't fix.

when i was a wee ness, my mama would herald the beginning of winter by cooking up a huge, bubbling pot of potato and leek soup. chop chop chop the sweet soapy smell of leeks would fill the corners of our house and in would tumble the waxy squares of potatoes one by one. the soup would brew for an hour or so, teasing us with its fragrant deliciousness. my sister and i would hover in the living room, peering over the kitchen bench watching it go wizzzzzzz in the blender. Then into our hungry mouths it would fall... QUICK! gulp gulp down and so hot it would burn our tongues. sweet and creamy and silky smooth, she would sneakily leave in lots of little potato chunks (just cos i liked them).

Like many of my mother's recipes, i tried this one in my very own kitchen at the beginning of winter. chop chop chop went the leeks and potatoes, in tumbled some carrots and spinach for good measure and a splash of cream. wizzzzzzzzz in the blender and as i waited with bated breath, i smothered damp brown bread in salty butter and gobbled it down. Out the soup came, and it tasted... not exactly like my mother's.... yes, similar, but something different. it tasted like.... yup, that was it. it tasted like sydney and studio apartments and paddy's markets and spindly trees and milky tea. A mixture of two worlds.

so the other night i went a little cuhrazy and decided to experiment... with vegetables. i know, right? i am one wild child. this lovely soupy goodness is a creation of yours truly and i would oh so love to hear your most favourite winter-warming recipe pretty please!

SPICY CARROT AND CHICKPEA SOUP

serves: 4 days of ness' lunches

3 carrots, chopped (leave the skin on - its awfully good for you. my dad said so)

2 cans of chickpeas, drained

2 potatoes, chopped

1 med sized sweet potato, chopped

3 greedy handfuls of baby spinach

4 cups chicken stock (i am lazy and buy ready-made but aim to make my own one day)

1 onion, finely chopped

3 or 4 bay leaves

a little bit of garlic

a littler bit of chilli

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

oh and lots of good quality olive oil and parmesan cheese (splurge!)

Turn up the heat and chuck in the garlic, chilli, onion and a good splash of olive oil. Sweat it out, so that all the lovely flavours are released. Stir occasionally while you chop chop all the vegies out. Toss in the carrots - i like to get these totally immersed in the spicy chilli and garlic. Cook for 5 mins or so, then toss in the chickpeas and get those nice and garlic-y too. Another splash of olive oil works well here. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Throw in the potatoes and sweet potatoes, pour in the stock and add 2 or 3 cups of water (the vegies should be totally covered with lots of liquid on top). Add any herbs that you want - i like a good shake of paprika and some extra chilli for good measure - and of course, lots of pepper and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle your bay leaves on top, pop the lid on and bring to the boil.

Hold on, almost done! Take it down to a nice gentle simmer and cook 'til the vegies are nice and tender (try the sweet potato, this one takes the longest to cook so it's a good indicator). Stir in the spinach leaves, oh - and have a little taste here, too. Feel free to add more herbs and spices to your liking. Let cool for a little, then wizzzzzz through the blender (or use a hand mix, this soup is not all picky). Ladle into bowls and top with some crumbly parmigiano reggiano. it's damn fine, i tell you!

('scuse the dirty bowl. i am not very good at "plating up".)

ness x

500 days of summer

2009-07-17T09:07:00.004+10:00

it's official: I have a new girl crush. Yes, miss zooey deschanel has knocked sarah blasko and amy adams off their pedestals & stolen my heart. I am so eagerly waiting to see her newest film venture '500 Days Of Summer' which also stars... wait for it.. Joseph Gordon- Levitt from 3rd rock fame. *swoon* who knew he'd grow up so good? it's my dream cast AND they play lots of fab music too, like The Smiths, Regina Spektor and even a couple of Zooey's own sweet melodies. I only have to wait... oh, 2 months, i think.

In the meantime, I am feeding my film addiction with several other newbies that are soon to be released. I've already seen Sunshine Cleaning and Every Little Step (3.5 stars, 4.5 stars) and have J.M Coetzee's Disgrace, Coco Avant Chanel, Beautiful Kate, The September Issue and Last Ride on my to-watch list. there's just nothing nicer than a wintry sunday afternoon spent at the cinema with a chai latte and a caramello koala (or two).

ness x

hey big spender

2009-07-16T22:22:00.002+10:00

I have a theory about pay day: it's always the first weekend that ruins you. Every month it follows the same pattern... a nice little lump sum lands in your account, the numbers glow and you feel... RICH! it's at this stage that I start to fantasise about all the things that i could do with my loot. a weekend away in melbourne perhaps? oooh witchery boots! or that new art book in Ariel that I've been coveting...

But then I remember that paying rent and bills and groceries and insurance and train tickets leaves nothing more than a sad little pile of dirty coins and a couple of tenners. sigh. so I pledge that for the first weekend after pay day, my purse strings will stay tied tight. NO spending, I tell myself, and usually I stay true to my promise for a coupe of days at least. This month? Well, it's officially a record. That's right my lovelies, I lasted exactly 32 hours before blowing a significant amount of my pennies at Country Road. A couple of the girls in the office are bestowed with little gold country road VIP cards which entitle them to a veeery nice 30% off. How could a girl resist? (and, I convinced myself, I really really needed more tops). I loveee everything that they have in store at the moment, spesh all those fab chunky knits. I scored a long sleeve silk white blouse, a little grey and white pleated camisole that will go very nicely thankyou with my black blazer and the cutest blue and white cap sleeved blouse that boasts a high neck and floppy bow.

hmmm two days into the pay month and only, what? 28 to go? i predict a "how-to-do-a-weekend-on-a-budget" post coming very soon...

oh yes, also wanted to share this photo with you. Snapped at approx 5pm from my office window; isn't this the most luminous sunrise you've ever seen?

ness x

for the love of music

2009-07-14T23:02:00.007+10:00

any sydney-ite who supports local Aussie music would've heard that radio stalwart FBI is in deep financial strife. Not-for-profit and privately owned, they're poor as church mice and need our help. From weekly cheapie gigs to fundraisers and auctions, there's stacks of fabulous things YOU can do to get involved. head here for more info.

A couple of weeks ago they announced that the Chaser boys had offered to dedicate all the tickets from their July 14th taping to FBi. My darling friend Philly, ever the generous soul, snaffled up a couple of tickets in the blink of an eye and offered one to yours truly. The taping of the chaser is harder to get into than APEC so I was pretty stoked.

Make sure to tune in tomorrow night to watch the episode; much better than previous ones i thought...

ness x

a reunion of sorts

2009-07-13T23:23:00.006+10:00

well, hello. it's been a little while, huh? I've been waiting for a long time to get my blog mojo back and somehow tonight - in between being a complete uncoordinated spaz at boxing class and scoffing a cheese & tomato toastie - it zoooooooooom came flooding back. It's just a little spark at the moment but hoping praying wishing that I'll be blogging daily ever so soon.

See, i am ever so lucky in that i get paid every day to write and sometimes i find it a little difficult to come home at the end of the day and... write. It's sad but often my brain feels so drained and empty and devoid of anything intelligent and/or witty and i really didn't think it fair to subject you, my darling readers, to my incoherent ramblings. But (there's always a but) i've really missed blogging. So i'm going to stop writing bloody essays and instead just post a little something every night. A deliciously decadent recipe. A new designer. A wintry Sydney night that has me twirly twirling in the rain gutters. Milky tea. A film that makes me cry. A book that makes me think. A salsa-dancing sangria-drinking saturday night adventure.

i do so hope that you'll come back and re-visit me again. i've missed you all!

ness x

fashion forecast

2009-03-03T23:16:00.006+11:00

it is steamy hot again in sydney. the constant change in weather is making me dizzzzzy... but it does give me a chance to drag out those gorgeous summer dresses for one last twirl. I wore a very pale blue frock today with itty bitty polka dots, capped sleeves and a lovely tie waist; the perfect dress for flowers in your hair/sunshine lunch in the park/tap dancing in the gutter.

Today i lay in the park at lunch with my friend april, who is ever so stylish. "April," asked I, as we lounged on our backs in the grass, staring up at the dappled leaves twinkling in the bright light of the sun. "What clothes will I be wearing this winter?" She gave my question deep thought before turning over onto her side and propping herself up on one elbow. "Lots of geometrics... black and white, stacks of fabulous bright prints - think tribal! It's all about power dressing - high waisted skirts, shoulder pads [cue ness shuddering], wide glossy belts. Lots of leather teamed with lace, v.high shoe-boots - edgy but glamourous - pair with red lippy and smudgy kohl eyeliner."

Ah, don't you love this time of year, when the next season's fashion is just out of reach but still close enough to dream about? Close enough that you can practically picture yourself dashing through blustery rain in glossy ankle boots and a high collared crisp white shirt, but still far enough way that money really isn't an issue...

Later that day, I ate dinner at Govindas, a Darlinghurst institution who serve a buffet-style vegetarian feast, and upstairs, an intimate movie theatre which boasts squishy sofas and cushions and has a strict NO SHOES policy. I skipped the film but gorged on the dahl+lentils+pappadums+salad+bread, which are all truly amazing and leave you feeling very sleepy and content. I twirly-twirled home through the Cross in my dotty frock, past the bikies and the hookers and the tune-deaf busker who sings sesame street over and over with a monkey puppet on his hand, all the way home to miss holly who promptly bit my ear. bless her little socks...

ness x

flight of fancy

2009-02-26T23:06:00.005+11:00

my heart is aflutter for the latest collection from one of my fave NY designers, Re Jin Lee. Her label Bailey Doesn't Bark is whimsical, quaint and just a little bit frivolous - i want!

hmm... first sparrows, then owls, now flamingos... Will the bird trend ever end? My bet is on deers next...

ness x

limbo land

2009-02-15T22:50:00.007+11:00

sydney is leaking, it seems. out of nowhere the blue sky has cracked open, revealing an ugly torrent of splotchy raindrops. neither hot nor cold, the air is stalwart; frozen in time. women scurry around with summer dresses stuck wet to their thighs, umbrellas clutched nervously at chest. boys' feet are muddy from cheap rubber thongs, and the funny combination of shorts + striped hoodies holds them in limbo.

yesterday i went to good vibes with my friend P. the forecast was for 20 degrees; overcast with "rain periods". oh. my. GOD... i have never been so cold and wet and completely rain-sodden in all my life; made even worse by the fact that it was completely by choice. thank god i had a cute yellow paddington bear-esque poncho to brave the storm in style... The music was bloody good though; and I am now completely in love with Yelle, a fabulously quirky French rap artist who had all the shirtless boys in absolute rapture. check her out here.

ness x

dumpling fever

2009-02-13T23:23:00.001+11:00

i am: curled up on my couch, listening to the drunk boys outside my window slur the lyrics to somewhere over the rainbow and suffering from a severe case of dumpling fever (how many can one girl stuff in her face in just one evening? the answer, i have discovered, is A LOT). oh and you know what else? steamed red bean buns are deliciousness in soft doughy wrapping. In drizzly weather after a long week, comfort food with friends in a steamy asian restaurant is sometimes exactly what you need.

guess what? i did a little bit of music-hunting today and came upon three female singer/songwriters who both bring a fresh spark and originality to their work, plus a funny little cover tune to amuse and a lovely blog for you to gobble up.

Texas-born Erin McCarley reminds me a little of Regina Spektor, only less seductress-y and more poppy. her music is beautifully written and an interesting composition of jaunty melodies and haunting piano tunes. her new album love, save the empty is out now. check out her myspace page for a sneak preview.

I've been a little obsessed with Ingrid Michaelson for a while now (the song breathing from her 2008 album be okay is almost disturbingly evocative). I only recently discovered that she collaborated with Sara Bareilles late last year on a little number titled winter song. Its honest lyrics and soulful melody took me by such surprise. You can listen to it on Sara's myspace page, but i urge you to check our Ingrid's as well; have a listen to breathing. You'll fall in love, i promise.

The sequin-loving prue alerted to me to the musical genius of Lisa Hannigan today while i was sipping my morning coffee. preoccupied by the sheer excitement of pay day (it only comes round once a month), i was of course distracted and was only listening to Lisa in the background. soon i was completely head over heels and emailed back, "oh. my. GOD. where did you find this girl?" Turns out this sultry songstress hails from dublin, and brings with her a fascinating (albeit quirky) life story, which you can read here, on her equally adorable website. stitches and songs? GENIUS! check out her myspace page here.

"heathcliff // it's me, your cathy // i've come home now // so cold, let me in at your window"

powerful. these have to be some of the BEST lyrics ever written me thinks. Now, i'm always fond of a little Kate Bush but her screeching does get a little tiresome after a while to be honest. Thankfully, the divine Josh Pyke has recorded a little cover of this iconic song. I love Josh's adaption, but it's certainly different. The video is below; what do you think?

the uber-talented Sarah Blasko and i go way back; i was a naive and very awkward 18-year-old in 2004 when i proclaimed perfect now to be my FAVOURITE SONG EVER. Funnily enough, that's still true, and Sarah is always there for me when i need her. she's in snowy sweden right now recording her third album; you can read all about her adventures over at http://sarahblasko.wordpress.com.

ness x

of a tree called life

2009-02-08T23:49:00.005+11:00

oops. tonight i drank the lethal combination of sangria + white wine and now i have the hiccups. BADLY. But it was worth it; my friend CM's boyfriend and all his lovely friends have just moved right around the corner from me, which means a) fabulous fancy wine on tap (one of his housemates owns a restaurant) b) no cabs needed after late nights out and c) CM and I can now have boozy tapas dinners together and then walk home afterwards. hurrah! everyone i know is moving closer and closer to me. I already have the rooftop, and the complicated relationships; now with friends practically living next door my life is becoming more and more secret life of us every day.

"you know when you're sitting on a chair and you lean back so you're just on two legs, then you lean too far and you almost fall over but at the last second you catch yourself? I feel like that all the time"

on the book shelf

2009-02-05T23:15:00.001+11:00

how great is it when a bunch of tiny good things become the subliminal building blocks of a good day? this morning my coffee was perfect, the new Vogue landed on my desk just in time for lunch in the park, i finished some work i had been procrastinating over, and I downloaded the newest episode of The Office from iTunes. hurrah!

right now i am reading.... Giselle Scanlon's newest book: The Goddess Experience ($39.99, Harper Collins).It is the companion to her best-selling The Goddess Guide (the decadent flocked cover was enough to draw any fashionista in). Like it's older (but none the wiser) sister, The Goddess Experience is jam-packed full of Giselle's European adventures.

The Irish-born fashion journalist shares with us her London shopping tips, the best place to buy melt-in-your-mouth macaroons in Paris, what inspires fashion queen Vivienne Westwood and tries to answer that interminable question: what makes us happy? Giselle is my modern-day Jane Austen and without doubt always manages to inspire me when I'm suffering from a case of the mean reds.

It's a must-read! Have a fabulous friday everyone - eat some cake, drink some beer and wear a pretty frock (at least that's what I'll be doing...)

ness x

je suis de retour!

2009-01-25T22:47:00.005+11:00

please say hello to the newest member of the ness family.... holly golightly!

Nope, not the fictional character with a penchant for the powder room but a tiny grey-white kitten i found in Kings Cross about a week ago. Either she was dumped or escaped somewhere, but she was horribly skinny and dirty when i found her, and so hungry that she ate about two cans of tuna on the first night. The vet estimates about 9 weeks old; she is terribly affectionate but mad as a hatter.

her likes: pouncing, eating salmon skin, licking my nose, nibbling my toes

dislikes: vegetables, the washing machine, being told what to do, running water

I didn't plan on getting a pet, but like in breakfast at tiffany's, i guess we just kinda 'hooked up by the river one day'. It seems a bit cruel to give her away when i am perfectly capable of giving her a home....

Australia Day tomorrow... not sure what i love more: the chance to celebrate my fave country in true aussie style with beer and snags, or having a day off work. I'm off to the triple j hottest 100 broadcast in Paramatta Park tomorrow which i'm so excited about. Has been a fab year for music so am really curious to see who makes it into the final countdown. My bet for top position is either Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire or MGMT's Electric Feel. I hope it's MGMT; you all know my stance on Sex on Fire by now i'm sure...

ness x

all our tomorrows

2008-12-22T22:21:00.000+11:00

hello lovelies. bit of a change of scenery tonight -- gone is the gritty hustle and bustle of kings cross, replaced by the gentle hum of late-evening adelaide, basking in the aftermath of a hot summer day. I'm sitting in my dear papa's l'apartmento, overlooking the bright glow of city lights and the shadowy darkness of the adelaide hills. In the distance dark clouds soar overhead, illuminated by the faint pulsing of those red lights on dangerously high cranes.

not terribly much to report, only that i flew in to the motherland eary yesterday morning and am having a marvelous time gallavanting around familar streets with family + friends. I saw the film Slumdog Millionaire (which gets 5 very gold stars fom this reviewer) yesterday, visited my slightly deranged grandmother in a retirement home and paid a mouth-wateringly delicious visit to the Haighs HQ in Unley. I've drank Long Island iced teas in the hot sun, shopped for jam jars, sunk my teeth into hot salty chips from my fave greek cafe Eros and lounged around with my dad watching thriller spy movies on foxtel. Early night tonight, then dinner with the girls tomorrow morning. god i love holidays....

ness x

summer playlist

2008-12-15T20:54:00.004+11:00

sundresses // salty lips // wet hair on bare shoulders // blackened toes peeking gamely through sandals // minty mojitos // cherry lipgloss // picnics in the park // sandy sheets // blurry polaroids // summer tunes...

that beep -- architecture in helsinki

turbo love -- bag raiders

you don't know me -- ben folds feat. regina specktor

polite dance song -- the bird and the bee

the sea is rising -- bliss n eso

halo -- bloc party

awkward orchid orchard -- the boat people

dawn of the dead -- does it offend, yeah?

in step -- girl talk

here's the thing -- girl talk

oh my god -- ida maria

i like you so much better when you're naked -- ida maria

the fear -- lily allen

brandy alexander -- feist

the youth -- MGMT

electric feel -- MGMT

the festival song -- pez

soon we'll be found -- sia

the summer -- josh pyke

paris is burning -- ladyhawke

my delirium -- ladyhawke

dusk till dawn -- ladyhawke

ness x

it's just a hop-skip-jump

2008-12-13T00:22:00.005+11:00

'tis very early saturday morning here in ol sydney-town. rain has been blanketing the city since midday yesterday and seems it will never stop. What a funny state the world becomes when the weather gets out of kilter! A dark sky, the gently pitter-patter of salty rain and suddenly.... traffic turns to gridlock, people cancel plans, abandoned umbrellas turned inside out from gusty wind line the footpath and inappropriately dressed girls wail and clutch the hems of their crotch-skimming skirts.

All trains going to the eastern 'burbs were cancelled this afternoon so I walked home from the CBD in the rain; one of my favourite things to do. I shoved my mangled umbrella in my bag, pushed my fringe out of my eyes with my fabulous new Mimco headband (thank you zeddy! -- who ever said rain was unfashionable?) and fast-forwarded to the rainy-day tunes on my ipod.

I've been listening to a lot of Girl Talk lately which is peculiar considering i ab-so-lu-tely HATED him when he first made the aussie airwaves a year or so back. I think his mash-up remixes are pretty freakin' good though, and it's grown on me to the point that it's the first music i play when i leave the house each morning. Something about it puts a little hop-skip-jump in my step. You can listen for yourself on his myspace page; my faves are In Step, Here's The Thing + Let Me See You.

I went to sushi + el cheapo vino night with friends this evening; now I am sprawled out on my bed with the windows pushed wide open and a strong breeze cool on my cheeks. Somewhere far in the distance someone is playing wailing Irish tunes, and a girl is yelling repeatedly for a taxi. Sires are bleating, cicadas are chirping and the sweet tang of dope wafts through my bedroom window. Talk about oxymorons.

And the air smells damp, like it's been locked up for years and years, left in a heap in the back of someone's Great Aunt Mildred's mothball-ridden closet. Now it's finally been released and is playing havoc on all the sandal-wearing, sunscreen-toting city residents.

Tomorrow the wind will halt and change direction, the clouds will sink lower and the sun will rise high in the morning air, raising the temp to a sweltering 34 degrees. Hello summer dresses! no wonder we're all so bloody confused...

ness x

nightminds

2008-12-08T00:26:00.003+11:00

i am... listening to the rain, falling in love all over again with ani difranco, drinking mango nectar, cleaning my apartment, wishing it wasn't already monday morning, trying on new shoes, reading new confessions on PostSecret...

a little yellow mellow

2008-12-06T10:11:00.005+11:00

I woke this morning to a cacophony of sounds. A girl in the next-door backpackers hostel was sobbing, the muffled cries creeping through her open third-floor windows and floating on the beat of the carrying wind. She was taking gasping hiccupy breathes and i so wish i could've asked what was wrong. It's a little discerning hearing stranger's cry; even now I'm still pondering what was making her so sad on a sunny saturday morning.

Some of the homeless folk from the nearby Wayside Chapel must have went a little crazy on the town last night (didn't we all), for sprawled out on the alleyway this morning on the searing concrete were 5 or 6 of them, beer bottles in hand and heads slightly lolling to one side. "fuuuuucck" the one with the beanie repeats sporadically. Then the rest chime in "fuuuuucck" After a while one of the men turns his beatbox on, and the stactic-y mumblings of early morning talkback radio joins the girl's hiccupy sobs on the passing breeze.

And up on the backpacker's rooftop, a rowdy gang of scantily dressed boys are frying up bacon and eggs on their rusty Webber, squirting tangy sauce into squishy white rolls and scoffing them down, ciggys in hand. A couple of the still-slightly-drunk boys kick empty beer bottles around like soccer balls, exulting in glorious glee when a goal is scored. At around 11 they'll quieten down, and retreat to their beds for a midday snooze so they'll be ready to partake in another night of noisy reveling. It's always the same.

And soon, the girl will cease crying, and a police car will roll gently into view, usher the inebriated men and their talk-back radio friends back to the Chapel, where they will be clothed and fed and showered, and no doubt continue to loll on the pavement in the hot morning sun. It's always the same.

Any second now I'm going to peel myself from the couch and do a spot of apartment cleaning, have a shower, drink some juice etc. I'm off to the coast tonight; my friend's having her engagement party up in Terrigal so another friend and I are driving up there this arvo and staying the night in a creaky house by the sea. I haven't been any further north than Manly yet so am awfully excited to go exploring.

I might go for a wander down to Paddington today too; i still need to buy an engagement gift, do some more chrissy shopping and am desperately craving a mango smoothie from Ampersand. Tomorrow night I will be popping along to my best friend's house in erskineville for a garage sale and barbeque (read: excuse to drink beer on a Sunday night) although I should probably be good and go to yoga. CONUNDRUM

While i let my moral conscious fight it out, i shall bid you adieu and vehemently SWEAR that i will be back posting more regularly from now on. (cross my heart and kiss my elbow)

ness x

tell me what can i do

2008-11-25T20:16:00.003+11:00

the next three weeks leading up till the 19th (when we break from work) are going to be absolutely crazy busy so when i discovered that i no longer had to babysit tonight, i decided to skip yoga (bad ness) and instead do the following

-- paint my toenails

-- wash my dishes

-- listen to Sia really loud on repeat

-- jump around my apartment dancing like a loony

-- choose a dress to wear to my birthday dinner friday night and try it on with all my heels until i have the perfect combination

-- call my friend Prue and gossip about how atrocious it was that Danielle got booted off Stylista

-- then, sit in bed with a cup of tea and read Englby (Sebastian Faulks) until my eyes go blurry

i am delightfully shallow, no? granted, i'm normally a pretty always-on-the-go kinda girl but don't you just ever need a free night just to do whatever the hell you feel like doing...?

ness x

soon we'll be found

2008-11-15T01:11:00.004+11:00

can't sleep and am so in love with Sia's new single Soon We'll Be Found from her new album Some People Have Real Problems.

ness x

...the old man is snoring

2008-11-14T20:00:00.006+11:00

one of my favourite things to do on a friday night when i am without plans (or sufficient funds) is catch a 6.45 yoga class, pull a rainy day dvd off the shelf and eat a steamy bowl of udon noodle soup.

As i walked home from yoga tonight, trying to balance my mat, purse, keys and japanese takeaway without much luck, the wind suddenly stopped. The air shifted; i could feel it cool on my cheeks. A blurry streaky mess of hot blues and dark indigo covered the sky, erupting in a series of spectacular light shows and casting shadows on the nearby city skyscrapers. The clouds swam recklessly before my eyes, quickly turning the colour of swollen bruises and spilling open to reveal thousands of tiny hot droplets, which ran rivulets down my temples and into the small of my back.

The backpackers across the way are dancing in the rooftop in their underwear; fluro coloured sparklers alight from their fingertips. The drunk boys congregated in the main strip of the cross yelp and holler like adolescents, while the scantily dressed girls scream and grab at the ends of their chemically straightened hair.

have a fabulous weekend my pets. i am planning to wine and dine with some old adelaide friends so i know i will :)

ness x

i want a song i can sing forever

2008-11-11T23:12:00.004+11:00

Josh, dump your girlfriend and marry me instead, okay?

ness x

the capital of everything possible

2008-11-09T19:35:00.005+11:00

one day i will go to new york and eat bagels and drink horrible coffee and ride the subway and step in gum and go to the ballet and visit gloomy secondhand bookstores and listen to jazz in underground bars and learn to finally like martinis and work in a publishing house or maybe at the new yorker and buy a loft where i will live with a grey cat called cloudy.

"over the great bridge, with the sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money. The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and beauty in the world"

-- F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

happy dreaming...

ness x

a time for change

2008-11-03T21:27:00.008+11:00

dear americans,

tomorrow you will go to the polls and the world waits with bated breath. I'm a little worried, to be honest. It's a fact that the past often dictates the present, and if voting for Bush not once but twice is anything to go by, then quite frankly, we're screwed. The polls are up, the news keeps reporting. Obama is strong, he's unbeatable, he's the one. But still, I'm obsessing about it. My palms are sweaty, my eyes wide. I feel sick. I fear the fear of the Americans. Please, PLEASE do the right thing tomorrow. We're all depending on you.

yours in hope,

ness

ten reasons why I'm supporting Obama (and you should too)

1. A vote for McCain is a vote for Sarah Palin. At 70, McCain is highly unlikely to last out his 4 years in the White House. Do you want a gun wielding, pro-life, ignorant, psychotic, inappropriate winker at the helm of United States? She's a fucking disgrace to the female race.

2. Financially, we're currently looking at a bleak prosperity. We need someone who will inspire us to be the best we can possibly be. Obama inspires hope, he inspires change. His gift for oratory is enough to put a spring in our steps, a morsel of belief in our being. We're inspired to change.

3. You can't 100% guarantee that anyone will be a good leader, but Obama really grasps the significance of this particular period in time, and I believe that he understands that ideology is not policy and policy is not ideology.

4. Obama is a strong advocate of our natural environment and is passionate about investing in our planet, not just for 'right now' but long-term. He wants to put policies in place that support alternative fuels and renewable energy, including a plan to increase America's energy efficiency and create 5 million new "green" jobs.

5. He wants to responsibly end the war in Iraq. Unlike Hilary, whose plan was to just yank the troops out, Obama understands that it's an eventual progress that must be monitored carefully. He's been critical of "Operation: Kill Innocent Iraqis" from the beginning, but still, he recognises that the US needs to clean up the mess they've made before they leave.

6. Unlike the Republican ticket, Obama supports a woman's right to chose what happens to her body and is an advocate for equal pay for equal work. He wants to expand the childcare tax credit and is passionate about implementing paid maternity leave for parents.

7. If you are an American citizen earning less than 250,000, your taxes will decrease. A fairer wage for a fairer world.

8. The world supports Obama. In September of this year, the BBC polled 22,000 people across 22 countries which revealed that the Democratic candidate is preferred by a four to one margin. In 17 of the 22 countries polled, the majority think that if Obama is elected, relations between the US and the rest of the world will improve. If not, the belief in America as a strong, democratic nation will continue to deteriorate.

9. McCain voted with Bush 95% of the time. We cannot afford to have a Bush clone, or even someone who is influenced by his policies, in power.

10. Obama gives me hope; McCain/Palin scare the shit out of me. If I had the ability to vote tomorrow, i would chose the candidate who will move the US and the world forward and begin to correct the mistakes that have been made over the last eight years.

I'm terrified, I'm shaking in my skin. But I have faith that the US will make the right decision. I don't want to imagine the alternative. So here's a message from me to my fellow American bloggers: Don't. Screw. It. Up.

tales of the city

2008-11-02T09:05:00.006+11:00

My music-love of the moment is FisherKing, a four piece Indie outfit from Sydney. When I'm at work late, I crank up triplej on my blue Tivoli radio; it keeps me company. I discovered this jewel of a band Thursday night while suffering from writers block and in desperate need of inspiration. Their debut single Smelling Roses did it for me; hopefully it gets your creativity racing too.

And for those trashy TV junkies (okay, me), I hope you've all been keeping up with the goss -- Whitney from The Hills is getting her own show, 'The City". Trailer is below. I just can't wait to spend an hour watching the fashionista stumble through the NY fashion world, with her breathy little-girl voice and incessant need to ask the most ridiculously obvious questions. the Australian boy is smokin' though... Ah, i see another drinking game on the horizon...

happy sunday!

ness x

just a quickie

2008-10-28T19:17:00.002+11:00

So. I'm sitting cross-legged on my couch in my apartment, watching Will&Grace while i smother rice crackers in hummus. I had one of those infuriatingly irritating I-Just-Want-Tear-My-Hair-Out-And-Yell-At-Everyone-On-The-Phone day. Seriously, people (read: magazine readers) are annoying. And the trains were late going to work and coming home today. And i got screamed at by a woman at Martin Place because i didn't give up my seat for her pregnant daughter (i was supposed to notice a three-week fetus?) And i spilt water all over my mac keyboard and had to spend half an hour arguing with the IT boys trying to negotiate a new one AND...

nah, rant over. I'm off to stand on my head at yoga to try and squash all this negativeness out of me. Tomorrow night i'm going to help Samsung celebrate it's 21st birthday but i promise you all a late-night post cheerfully mocking all of Sydney's appliance A-list...

ness x

ps. Karl Lagerfeld + the Fug Girls = hilarity

the castle in the forest

2008-10-26T23:50:00.007+11:00

Most of the time, i love living in Kings Cross. the noise, the stereotypes, the contradictions, the grit and the grime and the bright lights; it all feels a part of me, knitted deep in my being. Like i was always meant to end up here, living a faux sort of bohemian life. That being said, sometimes this place breaks my heart. It is slowly corrupting me, forcing me to realise that not all in the world is good and fair.

Last night, around 2am, when the moon was high in the sky and the hemisphere teetered in that impossible time between yesterday, today and tomorrow, i was awaken by two people having noisy, awkward, drunken sex. They were squatting down in the alleyway that my apartment windows look out onto; her blonde head was jammed into the cold concrete, his was balding and bobbing up and down.

The streets were bare, the corners and alleyways sunk in darkness -- a rarity for the early hours of Sunday morning in the cross. A hazy film had drifted over the city as if, without the intense activity of the imbibers, it too had fallen into an uneasy depression. Like usual, my windows were flung open -- it is not uncommon for me to overhear going-ons in the alleyway; when sex is being traded for drugs or the drunk partygoers are trashing a car, i often make the practised call to KX police station, staying awake until the gentle roar of the marked car rolls into vision, and i can unclench my pillow from my sweaty hands.

Back to last night. After they'd pulled their clothes back on, the man and woman slumped against the dirty brick of my building, sticking their feet into the gutter where beer bottles and the stump of cigarettes lay rotting. They talked... no, she talked, wailed, sobbed, swore and shouted. He listened, only sporadically would a drunken slur of 'baby, it's all right. baby, give me a hug. baby..." come out of his mouth.

When you overhear someone else's life story, their sins and hopes and regrets, their time in prison and the 7 years they were abused as a child, you get trapped in a strange mix of emotions. I feel sad, of course, but the sadness you feel when watching a film, or listening to a heart-wrenching song. It draws emotions, but a sort-of detached emotion -- knowing you can't help or fix or totally understand the situation.

And i feel a little violated too; like i've been forced to read a stranger's private diary. That sinking-stomach feeling when you've been told a secret you know you can never tell. Being witness to such absurdities blackens my heart a little more each time; it honestly all frightens me and makes my little world of books and writing seem altogether rich and terribly safe.

I grew up knowing i was 'lucky'; living here reiterates it that much more. Please don't take for granted what you have; if you are loved and have somewhere to sleep at night, isn't that enough, at least for right now?

ness x

it's raining, its pouring... pancakes?

2008-10-22T23:57:00.002+11:00

happy wednesday dear readers. i have to 'fess that tonight i did this:

(minus the cute boy, the New York background and the gyrating hip movements)

...and then i ate this:

I blame it entirely on the sudden shift in weather; the early evening darkness and the splotchy pitter-patter of sporadical rain makes me crave warm, comforting food. Am feeling a tad bit seasick now though... 'tis a very good thing the pancakes didn't come first in that chain of events.

ness x

hello monday

2008-10-20T21:40:00.012+11:00

ladies, listen up! if you love shoes and bags and sparkly brooches, but want to read about them in a magazine that encourages environmental-love, Peppermint Magazine is calling your name. This brand spankin' new 'green' mag is jammed full of eco-conscious fashion, from organically farmed cotton tees, recycled jewelry and bespoke canvas bags. With it's refreshingly clean layout, spunky prose and a deep passion for fashion, this is one new mag you'll want to get your little mitts on. Issue 1 out now, head to www.peppermintmag.com for more details.

Has anyone been watching the Rachel Zoe Project? (on Bravo for you Foxtel-ites, on YouTube for us free-to-airers). I know that she resembles more of an over-tanned, buck-toothed ferret than a fashion stylist, but gawd it's entertaining. I want to start a new drinking game (no kids, alcohol is not cool) where:

:: one has to take a swig every time Rachel calls Taylor/Marisa/Rodger her "rock"

:: two swigs every time Taylor rolls her eyes

:: three swigs every time Brad says something adorably random

:: just drown the whole bottle every time Rachel gasps and slurs "Oh my god, I die".

The new Frankie (Nov/Dec) comes out on Wednesday. Major kudos to those hard-working gals in the subscription department; i received my subscriber copy this morning. I am practicing an unusually large amount of self-restraint -- as i type i can see a corner of the plastic-wrapped mag peeking out of my bag. Normally i rip it open the minute i lay my grubby little paws on it, but alas i am babysitting again tomorrow night, and feel the need to have something wonderful to curl up with once the kidlets are in bed.

An issue for the rock chicks, it not only boasts interview with Kings of Leon, Emiliana Torrini and Ladyhawke but a special on how to make your own Christmas Pudding. funky tunes+pudding = love.

oh, i have to post this, the newest rant by the girls at Go Fug Yourself. The cereal-out-the-nose-thing happened AGAIN. i really have to work on that...

ness x

ETA: you would not believe the number of people who found their way to my blog last night by googling "gabriella cilmi drunk". I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought she was oddly slurry and inarticulate...

is that music i hear?

2008-10-19T21:37:00.007+11:00

i'm sprawled on my couch watching the Aria's (for the sole reason of catching a glimpse of the divine Josh Pyke) and for perhaps the hundredth time this year, I'm scratching my head and trying to work out the appeal of Gabriella Cilmi. I'm sure she's a fabulous girl (and i hope to god that she has a good head on her shoulders) but come on ... surely SOMEONE has to have noticed that her music is... well, pretty freakin' boring. bland. monotonous. unoriginal.

It just makes me feel sad when a 17-year-old pop artist whose main claim to fame is a song with only about 12 words in the lyrics beats out truly magnificent artists like Angus and Julia Stone, Clare Bowditch, Holly Throsby etc. Quirky lyrics, haunting melodies and unique instrumental arrangements... isn't that what a winner makes? ps. i hate to be a bitch (okay, i love it) but judging from her four acceptance speeches tonight i think Gabriella might be a bit drunk. otherwise she certainly has a... um, unique way of speaking... oops.

ness x

birds on strings

2008-10-16T22:41:00.008+11:00

one of my best friends and I have a secret talent; we are both amazingly brilliant at discovering new and unknown music acts (oh and we're terribly modest too. right prue?). When we were working together at the adelaide fringe festival, we'd spend a good deal of the day chit-chatting on MSN (i should probably mention we sat about 5 metres apart) about absolute nonsense, and sending back and forth little clips of our favourite tunes.

we both have a deep love for quiet music; beautifully orchestrated little humming-birds of songs that don't yell or scream or patronise you. it's the soothing factor i think that does it for me; the sense of utter giddiness of listening to something honest and quietly important. Quirky lyrics most often make an appearance, together with a good deal of foot-tapping goodness.

we both lay claim to having 'discovered' the musical genius of the extraordinary Cathy Petozc (even the experts agreed; a month or two after we had waxed lyrical about her sweet voice, she won a triple j unearthed/fuse festival competition). Cathy's songs employ few lyrics; but the words that she does use are hauntingly candid, and portray a songwriter with a refreshing take on the world. Her songs are like moving poems, sweet and youthfully sensual. They remind me of liquid gold, so smooth is her voice. she is Australia's very own Regina Spektor.

If you find yourself a lady of leisure (or a gentleman, for that matter) this weekend, make yourself a steamy mug of spicy chai, buy a custard danish and curl up in front of your laptop. Open up your browser and head to triplejunearthed.com.au - i now give you permission to crank that volume waaay up, throw open the shutters and let down your hair. Losing yourself in the magic of a veritable wonderland of completely untouched, brand-spankin' new music acts is the most... satisfying feeling.

When i feel restless in the world, and i'm feeling a little disjointed and out-of-step, this always helps. I have a feeling it might be just the thing for you too. My picks this week are:

Sarah Humphreys (download: ghost on the roof + waiting to burn)

Margaret Helen King (download: move faster, it makes you more alive)

Little Scout (download: dead loss + the festival)

Laura K (download: dead flat)

Hannah&Sam (download: who's bitten me?)

The John Steel Singers (download: strawberry wine)

Helen Shanahan (download: little boy)

Sam Buckingham (download: sweetest sound)

Rachel Gorman (download: traveling light)

Emily Smart (download: italy, easily broken)

let it all go...

ness x

summer in the city

2008-10-15T23:38:00.003+11:00

When daylight savings kicks in -- finally -- it always seems to me that the whole city just lets out this huge breath. The tight winter air exhales from our lungs; the dusty particles float weightlessly into the warm air and we feel lighter, and just that little bit more giddy. Stockings are pulled gingerly from legs, heavy coats move to the back of the wardrobe and painted toenails peek gamely from sandals. I love the subtle shift in energy; we feel freer, braver and the world seems a little easier to exist in.

As i type, windows are being flung open around me. Snatches of conversation reverberate in the stifling air, and the subtle smells of roasting chicken and simmering spag bol drift from kitchens. Wet towels are flung over railings, white sheets float gaily on the adjacent rooftop, and the British backpackers have set up their own little rooftop campsite; with their cups of hot tea and buttered Vegemite squares they could be taken for true-blue Aussies.

Strains of overlapping music drifts from the different apartments -- my next door neighbour favours the vocal stylings of Britney, Christina and Whitney, while the couple across the alleyway watch Will & Grace reruns on repeat, laughing at the same jokes over and over. The Irish musician upstairs who inhales a never-ending joint taps his feet in tune to Belle+Sebastian and the Japanese family down the hall have their tiny TV on a neverending cycle of cheesy cartoons. It all forms a beautiful sort of cacophony and I suddenly have the fiercest desire to run and get the largest glass jar i can get my hands on and bottle it all up; all the sounds and songs and smells, all the talking and fighting and laughing and that incomparable feeling of weightlessness; of summer in the city.

a healthy dose of lust

2008-10-13T22:57:00.004+11:00

confession #7 i am obsessed - no, addicted - to peeking inside other people's homes. It isn't the architecture that i'm interested in, or the design of the bathroom or the slant of the stairs; no, I'm much more nosey than that. It's the personal aspects that i lust over -- where the quirky artworks originated from, the intriguing mix of different colours, textures and prints, how the kitchen drawers have been organised, where that antique dresser was sourced, who does the flowers, what inspired the paint colours etc etc...

One of my drugs of choice (it helps calm the nerves after a stressful day) is the US site Apartment Therapy. i LOVE the house tours; how genius that you can peek inside houses all over the world, even in your pj's while drinking tea and nibbling on cashew nuts? While drinking my morning coffee today, i did a bit of house-stalking and came across an absolute gem; artist Madeleine Stamer's cosy abode.

Madeleine is the brainchild behind Australian label Little Circus Design. A Melbourne painter+illustrator, i love Madeleine's work for its playfulness, whimsical longing and for the rich and varied depth of colours she employs. Her house is just as beautiful as her work...

I love that her house isn't stylised; it isn't cold or unattainable or stark. A family lives here without the fear of spills or wear and tear. The colours aren't perfectly matched; in fact there's a sweet vulnerability about the decor, while at the same time being gloriously simple and clean. Strong lines dominate the space, while all of Madeleine's artwork and travel mementos add a sense of familiarity and belonging. Plus, i am seriously lemming that kitchen table. Clean, cool wood, perfectly sized, simply cut... ahhhh. I'm happy, I've had my hit. Your turn!

happy house-stalking...

ness x

"i would, like, totally give my left arm for this job"

2008-10-09T23:32:00.005+11:00

oh NO. no, no, no.

come on people, do we really need ANOTHER show/movie depicting how dumb and shallow the magazine industry is?

apparently, yes -- going by the newly released trailer for Stylista, a TopModel-esque reality show depicting the trials and tribulations of 12 fashion wanabees as they each vie for an editor role at Elle magazine. During the three minute preview, we encounter bitching to the nth degree, backstabbing, body image pressure and tearful apologies when the Fashion Director's iced latte is served with a LONG STRAW rather than a short straw (i know. fire her ass!)

It does little to quell the public perception that we who work at mags are a bunch of bitchy, backstabbing, iced-latte-drinking cows. One girl claims that "she'd like, seriously, like, give her left arm for the job, like". After getting yelled at for not throwing the Fashion Director's niece a proper birthday party (wha---?), i wanted to hug the poor darling and bring her back to my mag world, where the women are empowered, supportive and give better advice then "Oh honey, i'd lose the red top... thing. You look kinda like a waitress".

but will i be watching? you betcha ;)

ness x

they like me! they really like me!

2008-10-07T22:53:00.007+11:00

the fabulously stylish Amanda over at swish and swanky has tagged me to do a little meme. the rules? i must share six random facts about myself, then tag six fellow bloggers to do the same. again, apologies for the self-indulgence -- but rules are rules!

one i love watching documentaries and reading books about WWII. not sure why, just that i find the subject matter intricately fascinating. in particular i love books that deal with Hitler's life history and family tree.

two i have an obsessive personality. i eat the same salad for lunch every day, don't tire of watching the same TV episodes repeatedly and can quite happily listen to a particular album or song over and over and over again. in fact, i think my record for playing a song continuously on repeat is 3 days. (which song, you ask? guess)

three my favourite part of baking is eating the batter.

four when i was a wee ness, i used to convince my little sister that $5 notes were of lesser value than 50c coins, so that she'd give me all her notes and I'd swap her for coins. (sorry zed)

five i already have my children's names picked out (clucky? me?)

six more than often, life reminds me of something i have read in a book. I always wonder, shouldn't it be the other way round?

that was so much harder than i thought it would be...

In return, I'm tagging two of my best friends: Lucy (a box of three) & Prue (sheets&stitches).

Two new friends that i've met recently in blogosphere are also getting tagged: Christine (christine-louise) & Clare (murky makeup) as well as two bloggers whose style, words and general fabulousness inspires me every time they post: Pia (pia jane bijkerk) and Joslyn (simple lovely).

I'm off to bed with a cup of milky earl grey and one of my new books but before i do; i have to share that i got the new Josh Pyke album, Chimney's Afire, today. I've had it on repeat since i got home from yoga, and it's hard to describe how i feel when i listen to it. On one hand, light and carefree and giddy -- on the other hand, my heart is heavy because his music contains so much natural beauty and honesty that i feel overwhelmed. conundrum!

I've already posted The Lighthouse Song, his first single from the album, but Parking Lots, Don't Wanna Let You Down and Candle in the Window are just as good, if not better. Get it; i promise it will not disappoint...

ness x

the hills are alive with the sound of sirens

2008-10-06T18:55:00.006+11:00

outside, the wind is on a rampage. Tree branches fall clumsily from trunks, the water from the Kings Cross fountain sprays magnificently over passing pedestrians and filthy plastic bags swirl spectacularly out-of-tune. It's like there is something ominous in the air; people furiously scurry by, blotting their watery eyes with old tissues, and the near sound of overlapping sirens bleats loud and furious. I walked home from the movies tonight; i now sport tangly hair and dust has settled on my eyelashes and in the crooks of my ears. I also fear that i may have inhaled a tree-worth of pollen in the process -- but i don't mind; somehow the wind makes things more exciting, more alive. the world does have a pulse!

With the weather wild, i thought i'd go and see The Duchess, do some book shopping and lose myself in the day's papers over a long black. The movie was really lovely; nothing world-altering but certainly entertaining and definitely an eye-opener to how women (and the less-fortunate) were treated back in the 18th century. I also agree with all of the recent reviews that this is probably Keira Knightley's best performance to date. For the first time -- since Bend it like Beckham anyway -- i forgot that it was Keira i was seeing on screen, and really got involved with her character. She still had a lot of her throaty mannerisms but on the whole, she was very good. Definitely improving.

There are so many good films out at the moment; I'm also dying to see Brideshead Revisited, Towelhead and Bitter & Twisted. Just not enough free time (or money!) Yes, i think I would like a public holiday once a month, please.

My book shopping was successful too, there's just so many that i want to read right now. I bought America America by Ethan Canin, The Zookeeper's War by Steven Conte (partly cos i'm reading it for a book club, and partly cos i was intrigued after it picked up the 2008 Prime Minister's Literary Award) and Krueger's Men: The Secret Nazi Counterfeit Plot (the recent movie The Counterfeiters was based on this; i missed out on seeing it at the movies, but the book looks just as good).

It's funny that i qualm at spending $60+ on a shirt or a pair of shoes but have no hesitation at spending that kind of money on books. Maybe because books don't remind you that you hate your thighs, or that your feet are ugly and oddly shaped. Instead, they talk to you and educate you, make you laugh and cry and think and dream. They take you to worlds you can only dream of going to, or places in time that are now obsolete.

Before i head off to indulge in some new words, nibble on some pita bread+humous and watch Denton; i want to share with you a website that i came across a couple of days ago: www.beforeidieiwantto.org. It's a polaroid project started in 2008 by two girls from the US. They ask strangers what their goal before they die is, take their photo and get their contact details. The site is updated weekly with new polaroids. Then, as the years pass, the girls will contact their subjects to see how their goal is progressing. It's completely fascinating, and not as morbid as i thought it would be -- i really urge you to check it out.

Before i die i want to write a novel. How about everyone else?

ness x

if i hear britney one more time...

2008-10-05T23:53:00.003+11:00

my next door neighbour, my very super-muscly tank-top-wearing neighbour, is playing Britney Spears and Aretha Franklin on repeat. i figure i have two options: a) be amused. b) be frightened. c) raise the stakes in this music-war and crank up the volume on my own stereo. really, just ANYTHING to drown out the whine of britney -- so i chose option C.

my tunes of choice is Ladyhawke, excellent at blocking out the high-pitched wailing of hit me baby one more time. i mean, seriously. SERIOUSLY? what can he be doing in there that needs the vocal styling of Aretha and Britney to guide him? what, lifting weights? making beans on toast? crying or laughing or wallowing or having sex? whatever it is, surely he can find someone more interesting, less women-hear-me-roar kind of music to listen to.

personally, i find Josh Pyke to be kind to my ears when i feel like crap, i love Charlotte Gainsbourg and Nouvelle Vague when i feel the need to dance around my apartment in my underwear, the Kooks when i need someone to just shout at me and Sarah Blasko when... well, always...

this has got to be my most favourite video clip ever. no matter how shitty i am, this always makes me laugh.

oh gawd, now i think he's playing the soundtrack from that god-awful movie Britney did a thousand years ago, Crossfire something-or-other. this must stop. NOW. does anyone have any ideas as to how i can alleviate my poor, crying ears? anyone?

herbs and alcohol don't mix

2008-10-04T13:10:00.013+10:00

oh i am a lazy lazy girl. one o'clock on a saturday afternoon and just now am i getting up, woken only by the perpetually drunk british backpackers at the hostel next door. Thank god they did though, or else i'd probably still be laying here like a lump under my nice warm covers. 'Tis raining outside though, which always makes the nicest sleeping-in weather.

The fat droplets lazily fall past my open window, gathering in murky puddles in the alleyway outside. The brits next door don't seem to care though; they have set up a tarp over their bbq up on their rooftop balcony and are cooking up giant greasy hunks of steak, which they will most probably devour in large sticky white bread rolls with lashings of tomato sauce. Their choice of music this afternoon? Green Day, interspersed with snippets of blink 182. Yes, my dear readers, it seems that they have taken a trip back in time to 1999. I'm feeling tres` emo right now, perhaps i will drag out my punk attire from my early years of high school and get into the spirit. (afterthought: nah, too lazy, plus -- unless it's a LBD, i don't really rock the black clothing look anymore).

After a v.late night last night (had dinner+dessert with the lovely vogue girls at darling harbour, followed by drinking and salsa dancing at a random kings cross spanish tapas bar with my friend CM), i do feel like i deserve a bit of lay-in, especially after a long/hellish week at work. (people? i hate them).

The bright spot amongst all of the utter-stupidly i had to deal with the past week? discovering these self-watering planters from the very talented people at Eva Solo. I am currently obsessed with starting my own little herb garden, which ultimately proves very difficult when you live in a studio with no balcony (i do have a rooftop balcony that i share with the rest of my building, but i fear that my plants would most likely get spiked. Believe me, i've tried. Cheap vino and parsley just don't mix).

Designed by Claus Jensen and Henrick Holbuk, the planter very cleverly waters itself for up to a week, eliminating all the mess and dirt associated with watering normal pots. All you have to do is add water to the bottom vase, where a little wick will bring moisture up to the soil as the plant requires it. Not only is the design self-sufficient, but the aesthetic of the planters is just genius, resulting in what i think is the perfect blend of form+function.

they are quite well priced too -- $60 for the small (11cm) and $70 for the larger (13cm) *someone has a birthday coming up too, hint hint :)

If that's a little out of your price range, and you're still desperate for a stylish way to present your herbs (or any plants, for that matter), i also love the chalk panel planters from ASA Selection. At only $15 per pot, they are a bargain. Even though they're not self-watering, the cute ceramic pots with handy chalk labels all but makes up for that. i want!

So my lovelies, what are you waiting for? Get out the gardening gloves, head down to your local nursery and get a-plantin'! Think about how much better that spag bol will taste with fresh basil cut straight from your own little garden...

ness x

apple of my eye

2008-10-01T22:06:00.008+10:00

mid-week musings...

monday + public holiday = apple crumble bake-off. doesn't this look amazingly mouth-wateringly delish? there's nothing i love more than apple crumble but in a slice that you can carry around with you? genius!

every Sunday PostSecret is updated with hauntingly sad, frightfully honest secrets, sent in to its creator Frank Warren from all over the globe. On Monday mornings, i take pleasure in arriving at work just that little bit early, settling down at my Mac with a long black and slowly reading all of the newly-released confessions. (if you're not sure what i'm talking about, read this.)

although not as shocking or mysterious as others posted last Sunday, this particular admission was my hands-down fave. it tickled the corners of my coffee-stained lips...

my current design crush and weekly etsy pick is things by bubbo-tubbo. a modern-day Alice In Wonderland, this Russian designer is quirky, eccentric and comes completely out of left-field, resulting in the most endearing illustrations and artwork.

and lastly (cos i did two gym classes tonight and i'm a tired-ness), today is the first day of Good Food Month in sydney-town, which means... Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park! I for one am looking forward to sampling delicious dumplings + slippery noodles with friends as i lay in the scratchy grass of the park in blistering heat. If you feel like joining me, please do! I'm planning to go along the first monday+tuesday night it starts (dates and info are here.)

ness x

plastic is spastic

2008-09-30T23:08:00.012+10:00

along with moronic parents who smoke around their children and ppl who thnk its gr8 to rite n typ n txt lnge, plastic bags rate extremely high on my burn in hell list. plastic bags don't just urk me... no, the very sight of them leaves me twitchy and sweaty, hot blood rushes to my ears and i feel strangely violent.

when i was 17 and working at a supermarket, the highlight of my day was refusing bags to suited yuppies buying packets of gum and tic tacs. They'd get all pouty, I'd remind them that hands, oddly enough, are excellent at holding things, and then my greasy-haired supervisor would drag me into the locker rooms for yet another talking to about customer service yap yap yap.

those green Woolies and Coles bags aren't too attractive, I'll give you that, so to entice you (my beautiful, savvy, eco-friendly readers) into staying clear of the evil plastic spawn, I've done a bit of a round-up on my fave alternatives...

Chip Chop is the brainchild of sydney designer Hannah Chipkin, and reflects her colourful, left-of-field perspective on all things big and small. An eco-advocate, Hannah not only designs canvas totes but also cotton tees (organically-farmed), washed denim bags and quirky jewellery. I LOVE the Origami+Pilates one but alas, it is currently all sold-out... The Bag Brown Big comes in at a close second though...

When i heard on the grapevine that one of my fave jewellery labels Elk was foraying into the world of accessories, my heart skipped a little beat. My excitement was completely justified when i laid eyes on their first attempt at a bag; a gorgeous organic, undyed cotton tote, printed with Elk's eco graphic in non-toxic inks. Perfect package, vous ne pensez pas?

Although not as pretty as Chip Chop or Elk, a lot has to be said for the EnviroSax range, founded in Australia in 2004. The original designer reusable bag, these come in packs of 5 in more than a dozen prints, and have an attractive price tag to boot. Perfect for the handbag or the car glovebox; these cuties fold up into the niftiest little squares.

You've probably heard of The Bag Ladies before, they've been on the design radar for a while now and have proven not to be a passing fad; they've been going strong since 2006. They boast a truckload of cute slogans which are screenprinted onto vinyl, canvas, demin and cotton totes. My picks:

Eco-conscious US fashion label Beau Soleil (translates as 'beautiful sun'), has produced one of my definite stand-outs this season; the Reduce, Recycle, Renew bag. I always go a bit weak at the knees when it comes to this ultra-clean classic style; i just have a bit of a thing for canvas and navy blue. I'm sure it's because of all the Esprit my mother dressed me in as a child (albeit very trendy i must add).

Doesn't the slogan remind you of reciting rhymes in primary school? 'Between 11 and 3, stay under a tree'... 'Slip, slop, slap'... But i'm not complaining; anything nostalgic is fine by me!

Cos it's US it's a little harder to get your hands on, but the website link I've given you offers quite a few different online stores (plus, at US$44 how can you go wrong?)

Alright my greedy hens, you've kept me up waay past my bedtime... can you just give up the plastic already?

ness x

banana-rama

2008-09-30T13:04:00.004+10:00

tonight I had my friend CM over for an evening of Good Bad TV (you know, those shows/movies that are so horrifically bad that they're actually good), which obviously called for some delicious baked goods. Inspired by a recipe posted recently on one of my fave blogs, Pia Jane Biljkerk, I decided to put all my overly ripe bananas to good use and cook up some banana and chocolate slice. I couldn't find the exact recipe on her blog, so i just took direction from the photograph and made it up. It was delish! recipe below:

chocolate and banana slice
1 cup self raising flour
pinch of salt
1/4 cup of milk
1 egg, beaten slightly
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup castor sugar
60 grams butter
1/2 cup mashed banana (pref. very ripe)
1 ripe banana (for topping), sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 cup coarsely chopped good quality dark chocolate (i used Lindt)
1/2 cup finely processed Dutch cocoa

1. Sift flour and add salt, sugar, baking powder, chocolate, cocoa and spices and stir gently together.
2. Melt the butter over low heat and mix the egg, milk, butter and banana together, combining well.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly combine the dry ingredients.
4. Pour into a greased lamington pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes in a moderate oven.
5. Reduce the heat, layer thin slices of banana over the top of the slice, and cook for a further 5 minutes until banana is golden. (i also sprinkled some brown sugar on top to create a caramelised effect).

Did anyone catch Nigella Lawson on Enough Rope last night? I was so pleasantly surprised by the interview and more than a little embarrassed i have to admit. I have always pinned her as quite aloof, and a bit of an airhead. I was proven wrong though - she is one classy, super-intelligent, hypervigilant woman. She gave incredibly insightful opinions on the state of food across the world, on the obesity epidemic and discussed the seemingly worldwide view that her cooking shows are merely food porn. If you missed out, you can catch some of the highlights here.

love this:

andrew: you call yourself greedy, you use that word a lot about yourself. True story that you once accepted the challenge to eat 20 pickled eggs in ten minutes?

nigella: I’m not sure how many. It may even have been 30. But that I’m afraid was not so much about greed or not so much greed for food but financial greed because there was a thousand pounds riding on it.

andrew: what was it like to eat, did you win the bet?

nigella: i did it and I felt slightly contemptuous that anyone thought they could beat me in the eating stakes.

classic!

chaos theory

2008-09-26T07:05:00.000+10:00

My apartment building is in the most densely populated suburb in Australia, or so they say. Summer comes, the windows go up and it's amazing what you overhear. We are all sandwiched together in our squat art deco buildings, separated only by alleyways where homeless men come to rest their heads. Tiny dogs yap from crowded balcony courtyards, the British backpackers across the way celebrate a perpetual party and the smell of pizza wafts from the nearby takeaway joints.

Neighbours yell and smash wine glasses, walk around in their underwear, have noisy rave parties till 5am, pedal squeakily on their exercise bikes, pour dirty water out their windows, renovate their marble-lined bathrooms with rusty drills, practice the tuba at lazy staccato intervals, snore and laugh and fart and fight and have quiet, murmuring sex.

It reminds me of all the sharehouses I've lived in; hearing other people's business and making the decision not to listen (or care). At first the intimacy and noise worried me; now i chime in as loudly as i want. I vacuum at midnight, wash laundry in my machine that thumps and jumps all over the floor, cook curry with the windows pushed open and the radio blaring and dance crazily in my underwear to old, scratched records.

This morning, the sun is high and burning hot circles in the sky. The wind pushes my shutters slowly back and forward (slightly creaky) and the pigeons squark with excitement, their dirty beaks pecking at food scraps on the ground. Planes soar overhead and the washing from the backpackers hostel next door keeps gently wafting off the rooftop clothes line and into the crooked tree branches. Their yelps of surprise always make me smile. 'Blimey!' they cry, yellow squares of toast+vegemite hanging from their fingertips. 'My singlets gone and disappeared again,' they remark in bewilderment, standing on the rooftop in their fluro boxers, staring out at the laundry-lined trees.

Homeless men and women loiter outside the Wayside Chapel, blinking sleepily as they shake off the remains of last night's interrupted sleep. Junkies take their morning hit; and the smell of booze from the last of the Kings Cross dipsomaniacs carries rank in the tepid air. Greasy burger wrappers rise and flutter, sailors from the nearby naval base saunter by, dipping their hats at girls in floral dresses, and the glint of the nearby Harbour Bridges winks at you from the distance.

Yachts bob and up down in the marina at Rushcutters Bay; in Kings Cross fierce strip-club bouncers chat merrily with girls in lingerie under flashing fluorescent lights. Manicured poodles and their buff owners trot up and down the oak-lined avenues of Elizabeth Bay and in Potts Point, Chanel-clad women and punks with purple hair sit happily side-by-side, idly people-watching and sipping espressos.

It is precinct full of contradictions, of oxymorons and stereotypes. Of wealthy widows and heroin addicts, of fairy lights and prostitutes. It gives me hope that blindingly different people can co-exist (relatively) peacefully together, that it might well be as easy as recognising the difference between tolerance and understanding.

I love the noise and the smells and the screaming and the hustle and bustle of it all; it seems to placate me. It feels comforting, like hearing your father snore in the next room when you were little. It keeps me grounded, reminds me that unusual is always normal and that things are not always as they appear to be.

happy friday :)

ness x

a pome

2008-09-23T23:54:00.004+10:00

today a friend asked me where the little quote up there below my blog name came from. when the world is puddle-wonderful just so happens to be one of my favourite lines from a poem written by the great ee cummings:

Just Spring

in Just-

spring when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles far and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far and wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

the

goat-footed

balloonMan whistles

far

and

wee

I love ee cummings for a thousand reasons (he, too - dislikes capital letters. i have been doing my best lucy dear but i just don't like those damn tall letters messing up my pretty prose), but mainly because of his incredibly unique prose style. notice the spaces, and the way the poem has been laid out? it is all very deliberate; when you read the poem to yourself or out loud, you'll find yourself naturally reading to his rhythm.

he also makes up the most decadent words - don't you just adore saying mud-luscious? lastly, i love the way his poetry feels in your mouth, all round and tasty, like a giant juicy peach. the way the syllables overlap with each other; it's a very mother-goose-rhyme way of speaking. it reminds me of playing jump-rope for some reason (maybe because of the childhood songs?)

anyway my sweets, i am off to bed; `tis just past midnight now and i have some tired footsies from my gym class tonight that are demanding a bit of shut-eye. i shall leave you with some more of mr ee cummings, just as long as you don't fall in love too fast. he's a bit of a cad, you see...

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

ness x

the fug class

2008-09-23T10:10:00.002+10:00

bah! so i'm innocently sitting at my desk, reading my emails, perusing the online news and all my daily website hits and suddenly, wham - i read this and seriously, water shoots out of my nose. probably not the best work decorum but whatev. if you've been watching/mocking the new 90210, i advise you NOT to drink liquids while reading this.

the beauty of creation

2008-09-22T21:41:00.015+10:00

While i'm sitting here watching the emmys (award ceremonies are my guilty pleasure) i thought i'd share with you two of my latest discoveries to start the week off.

First, i have a major girl crush on UK designer Lucy Jane Batchelor. I've never met her, but i have fallen head over heels for her delightfully whimsical cards, stationary and textiles. Have you ever seen anything as gorgeous as her "For You" tokens?

She does so many cute cards too, but this one is definitely my fave:

Lucy also has a blog, hello my little friend, which i urge you to read. Her handcrafted little toys are absolutely to die for. I desperately want to order one for my cousin's little girl.

I know that i've waxed lyrical about my undying love for books many a time before, but there's just so many novel (ha!) ideas out there. Like the hauntingly talented Jennifer Khoshbin. Jen, who hails from Texas in the U.S, carves the most beautiful scenarios and characters into the pages of unused books.

got goosebumps!

Okay, that's it for tonight my lovelies. i am all blinky-eyed and watching the fools bumbling around at the emmys is making me kinda seasick. (except for you, Tina Fey. god bless your little heart, words cannot express how much i adore your Sarah Palin impersonations, not to mention 30 Rock... best. show. ever).

ness x

"i don't think we're in kansas anymore, toto"

2008-09-20T09:03:00.001+10:00

confession #5 so, it's 9am on a saturday morning and i'm - shock horror! - awake. not only that, but i'm also showered and dressed and hair-straightened, have defrosted and cleaned my fridge, done one load of laundry with one more in the machine and read The Australian front to back. i have to admit i'm a little worried here...

see, i view saturday mornings as a time to sleep. that's it, nothing else. nada. zero. zilch. not for reading or eating or running -- no, my friends... that all comes after the clock has hit 12.01pm. don't get me wrong, i love all those things, but on saturday mornings, there is a time and a place for everything.

so, with my newfound early-bird in check, i plan to have A Very Productive Day. i'm going to Paddy's market in Chinatown to peruse all the beautiful spring produce (asparagus and artichokes and nectarines oh my!), then off to the fish markets to pick up some salmon and maybe some prawns, to Lincraft in the city to buy some zippers for the cushions i'm sewing, then i plan to slump gloriously in the sun at Rushcutter's Bay park, with the rest of the weekend papers and some macadamia nuts. i think a drink or two at the Opera Bar with my lovely friend cam might have to be on the cards too.

outside, the sun is already searing the placement, the wind is churning and i've dragged out the summer clothes. hopefully, wherever you are in the world, the sun is shining and you're starting your saturday morning with a fresh view on things too.

love you all

ness x

life is a stage

2008-09-19T09:21:00.004+10:00

last night i went to the Wharf to attend the opening night of Border Project's Highway Rock 'n' Roll Disaster, presented as a side project by the Sydney Theatre Company. my extremely talented friend dave is in it, and his band, Lions at Your Door, played afterwards. the play only runs for 10 days, but if you're in sydney, i really do recommend you try and see it. (plus, if you're under 30, you get discounted tix). fueled by copious amounts of white vino, my friend cam and i cheered along at the play, then did a little grove upstairs at the mezzanine where the band played. no cate or andrew sightings i'm sorry to report (but probably a good thing as i'm betting i'd go all gushy in front of ms blanchett) but all in all, a really fun night. so nice to be able to sit and drink outside now too, without getting your tootsies frozen off.

oh and do yourself a favour and check out Lions At Your Door. if you haven't heard of them yet you will be soon. they have been working their little butts off lately, playing all around australia + japan, at Nylon parties and are just about to release their first EP. this is their myspace page (my fave is 'Crossfire' -- the violin gives it such an eclectic feel).

ness x

storm in a teacup

2008-09-17T20:15:00.004+10:00

confession #4 i had a bit of a freakout tonight. i have the loveliest pair of diamond earrings my mum gave me for my 21st birthday. they are sparkly and beautiful and i am so paranoid of losing them that i find myself constantly patting my earlobes at totally inappropriate moments. so tonight i was standing at the entrance to my pilates class, pulled out my earphones and -- fuck, no left earring... so, dear readers, you may now picture me crawling along the main street of kings cross, in front of all the strip joints and mcdonald's diners and bouncers, my eyes glued to the pavement in hope of seeing something - anything! - sparkling. a sweet homeless man also helped me look and asked me where he should send it if he found it.

standing in my apartment an hour later, completely resounded to the fact that it would be soon trodden on by someone in really ugly stilettos, i took off my gym clothes and there it was, innocently falling out onto my hardwood floors. bloody thing. i felt a bit stupid really...

okay, freakout over, no more boring earring stories -- i promise.

onto the pretty things!

in my travels today, i came across a Korean designer by the name of Luna Seo who recently exhibited at the Sydney DesignBoom market. she has a very unique signature style for such a young designer (she's in her early 20's, i'm pretty sure) - very clean strong lines, environmentally-sound and always with a surprising twist.

like this tea-mug:

ingenious huh? can't you just see an aromatic brew of earl grey steaming hot, warm hands around white porcelain and sugar biscuits dunked in...

at the other spectrum, i love Adam Frank's work. a renowned US designer, his stuff has been floating around for awhile now, but has only recently gained popularity over here. his passion is light and how it interacts in unusual ways. i fell head over heels for his 'lumen' oil lamps when i discovered them late last year and they have been on my wishlist ever since...

i had such a productive day at work today that i am going to reward myself with a night in, a bit of spicks+specks, a square or two of lindt pear+almond choc and a nice little blog browse. all with two (yes, two) diamonds safely pinned on my ears. hurrah!

ness x

something wicked this way comes

2008-09-15T19:57:00.007+10:00

outside, the air is steamy and the wind pulsates wildly through tree branches. leaves linger on the footpath, dogs yap from inner-city courtyards and there's a subtle mumbling from the dark clouds above. i've always loved the ominous weather that comes with the changing of the seasons. it reminds me of Macbeth and Hamlet, plays in which clawed birds circled overhead and dark clouds gathered when something terrible was imminent. i love the suspense; something is certainly changing with the wind, I'm sure of it.

off to bed soonish, i plan to dream of a cute south american boy serenading me while at a sidewalk cafe overlooking the havana seawall, sipping dark caribbean rum and twirling a cuban cigar between my fingers. sigh...

ness x

a tale of one city

2008-09-14T23:29:00.007+10:00

all the rad things i did in adelaide...

1. breakfasting with my papa on hutt street. over baked eggs in the glint of the morning sun we talked politics and work ethic, then wandered the aisles of hardware shops.

2. catching up with my precious coc girls over copious amounts of wine. if i collapse of alcohol poisoning at work tomorrow, it's all nik's fault. mole...

3. driving through the windy roads of the adelaide hills to an unknown destination. i love how towering gum trees still make an impression on me.

4. drinking wine and gorging on homemade pate` in the Barossa Valley.

5. chomping my way through meatballs at Amalfi, an organic chicken+roast potato pizza at GoodLife Pizzeria, creamy laksa at Cafe Michael 2, hot chips at Zuma's and still having room for milky tea and tirimisu at Cibo. (i'm quite sure i'm going to wake up tomorrow and be at least twice my size).

6. drinking fiery cocktails (literally. there were flames) with my sister at Distill on Rundle Street. hot bartenders and even hotter (ha!) drinks.

7. central markets. flowers, fruit and cheese sticks. how i miss my adelaide saturday mornings...

8. old Rundle Street rituals with my mum. indie flick at the Palace cinema followed by tea+treats at Cibo. there's simply nothing else i'd rather be doing.

9. drinking mango liqueurs and dancing like a loony with all the girls at Supermild on Hindley Street. gotta love a basement groove.

10. seeing familiar faces on every corner. friends old and new; `twas so fabulously lovely to see everyone and hear about the adventures. love you all...

au revoir,

ness x

a sweet sort of clanging

2008-09-09T19:27:00.009+10:00

when i left adelaide a year ago to start a new life in sydney-town, there wasn't much I thought I'd miss apart from my family and friends. after 21 years of living in one city, it felt like i had eaten at every decent restaurant, explored nearly every alleyway and discovered all the best boutiques. not to say that i don't love the city in which i grew up -- here, in the city of big-shots, i find myself quite frequently defending my beloved city of churches and murderers.

tomorrow i'm hopping on a jet plane that will take me home for the first time in 9 months.

i really really must start packing but for now I'll leave you with my current music obsession, the freakishly-talented Megan Washington. a frequently played artist on triple j, miss megan not only has a voice like liquid gold, but writes hauntingly perfect lyrics in a similar fashion to regina spektor. i've posted her singing ishmael live below. it does start off slow but please keep listening, it's so worth it...

and this is sweet-megan-turned-rock chick, doing a cover of The Kings of Leon hit king of the rodeo with UK band The Bamboos

ness x

the secret life of ness

2008-09-07T20:29:00.001+10:00

a lovely friend of mine tagged me to do the following meme. tis my first venture into the meme world, so please feel free to skip today's post if it's feeling a tad self-indulgent...

four jobs i have had in my life
1. children's birthday party entertainer. i worked for a chain-smoking woman called Pauline who ran the Fairy's Wishing Wand in Adelaide. i dressed up as a fairy and drove out to Burnside mansions in my tiny secondhand car, where i sang songs, served pink lemonade and hunted for frogs under rocks. my car broke down one afternoon while driving out to Gawler (aka The Sticks), and i had to stand on the side of the road in the hot sun, wearing nothing but a leotard, a tuile skirt and glittery cheeks. thank god my wings were tucked safely in the car.
2. nanny. i looked after two little boys every afternoon for two years. not only did i feed them, bathe them, cook and clean and role-play spiderman and mary-jane, but i also took them to get suit fittings, to dentist and doctors appointments and to their first days of school and playgroup.
3. waitress at a dessert cafe/cake shop/general chocoholics paradise on Rundle Street, Adelaide. apart from the dark apricot truffles (maddy-lion, you know what i'm talking about), the best thing about this job were the friends i made, most of whom i'm still v.close with two year later, even after not living in the same state.
4. media assistant at the 07 Adelaide Fringe Festival - six incredibly intense, fantastic and life-altering months. i made a new pal (who is now one of my closest friends), learned the lyrics toBuild Me Up Buttercup and drank so much champagne at the gala opening of the Adelaide Film Festival that my aforementioned friend and i nicknamed the fancy appetizers 'nobbles, and proceeded to stalk the cute waiters all night. we also got in a car with two very strange very drunk boys, but that's a whole other story...

four films i can watch over and over and over and over
1. Breakfast at Tiffany's - "You mustn't give your heart to a wild thing. The more you do, the stronger they get, until they're strong enough to run into the woods or fly into a tree. And then to a higher tree and then to the sky."
2. BBC Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth shirtless? nuff said
3. Little Women (1996 version). its stupid but i still cry every time beth dies, even though i've seen this film at least 20 times
4. Hunting and Gathering - a little french film that was only released last year. i don't know whether it's Audrey Tatou's divine face or the hauntingly sad score, but this movie just makes me feel so... at one with the world.

four places I have been on holiday
1. Perth - my mum was by herself with a one-year-old and a four-year-old and i, the devil child, proceeded to get pneumonia the minute the plane landed. fun times
2. Canada & the US - i was 9, and my sister was 7. my strongest memory during the 2 week trip was getting to choose any toy i wanted at FAO Swartz in San Francisco. my parents' strongest memory was probably listening to my sister and i bicker and cry in the parking lot at disneyland.
3. Hobart - my family and i have been heading down to tassie each december for the last couple of years. my cousin owns the best Indian restaurant in the world, and force-feeds us naan until we're rolling with big bellies down salamanca place.
4. Melbourne - cheesecake at St Kilda and the home of the Australian Ballet. again, nuff said.

four of my favourite foods
1. cheese, tomato and spinach toasties, preferably on deliciously chewy rye bread.
2. atlantic salmon. with plenty of cracked black pepper, served with mashed potatoes and crisp green beans. god, i want this to be my last meal on earth, okay?
3. lindt 70% dark chocolate. tasty tiny squares of chocolately goodness. plus, just one piece curbs my sweet tooth, whereas i normally need to eat at least half a block of cadbury's fruit and nut
4. scones with jam and cream (and jam! jam and cream!). add a cuppa of english breakfast tea and you've pretty much got THE perfect moment.

four careers i would love to have

1. magazine editor. hopefully where i'm a-headin

2. director of children's books at Random House, New York

3. film publicist

4. foreign corespondent for the ABC. ideally for the next US presidential race in which hillary clinton will be a contender (or i will eat my hat)

four things i hope to accomplish in my life
1. write a novel
2. have a daughter
3. live in upstate new york in a house with a wrap-around verandah
4. keep making mistakes

the great wall

2008-09-04T20:24:00.011+10:00

Even though renting means you can't drill holes to mount frames, or paint or knock down walls, there's just so much you can do to create a stylish space without making any drastic changes.

A wall decal is my favourite way to dress up a room. Versatile and inexpensive, a decal can be removed and swapped for a brand new one when you get sick of staring at the same thing. From tress branches to birds, telephone poles to gorgeous prints, the design you set your heart on can be applied to mirrors, walls, tiles, fridges - you name it, it'll stick. So many young designers are catching on this trend, just hop on etsy and you'll fall in love, i promise!

I love elly nelly's classic style, especially the faux tiles. Who woulda thunk you could have beautiful tiles gracing your wall without lifting a hammer?

DaliDecals also do fab designs. birds seem to be everywhere at the moment, i know, but i just can't resist our little feathered friends perched on a powerline. can't you just see this one in a library, above a buttery leather chair, with books piled right and center?

single stone studios are a must for the littlies (or the young at heart!) imagine the chubby little bird above a cot - i love anything baby-related so it's easy to convince me. and the giraffe? how cu-yte would this be in a tiny man's room, measuring his towering height?

apologies for the short post tonight, i'm suffering from a bit of writers block. I'm heading out after work tomorrow night but there will be more posting come the weekend, i promise. oh so looking forward to a sleep in!

happy decal-ing! ness x

pears and honey

2008-09-02T22:15:00.008+10:00

hello lovelies. just a short post tonight I'm afraid. didn't leave work till 7, had to rush like a crazy loony to yoga, and just spent the last hour chatting to one of my best friends who is currently stuck in canberra working for a crazy children's theatre show. fun times...

it's too late for a proper meal so i've been nibbling on a crisp green pear and honey on rye bread. delish! sometimes it's the simplest foods that are the most satisfying. i work longish hours so don't really get the chance to cook on weeknights, especially in winter. most often i end up with a tuna and spinach salad or winter soup or (my fave) a cheese and tomato toastie.

on weekends i love to get a bit more creative, cook up a gourmet breaky or slow cook some atlantic salmon and vine-ripened tomatoes. when i get stuck for inspiration and my recipe books just aren't helping, i love perusing food blogs. there are very few writers who can describe food in a beautiful and descriptive way, without using the same adjectives over and over again. when reading food writing you should be able to taste each individual flavour on the tip of your tongue, smell the richness of the food waft under your nose and understand the different textures and layers.

so if you've got a fridge full of fresh produce this weekend but need a little boost of inspiration or just want to try something a little bit different, give these blogs a try...

milk and cookies

jenjen is a sydney gal who loves snapping up a tasty bargain at the produce markets on the weekend. brilliant photographer - if nothing else check this out for the photos. she's currently living it up in london-town and keeping very detailed notes of all she eats. tres` jealous...

stone soup

i love LOVE this girl. she writes so naturally, whether its about beetroot curry or vegemite on turkish toast. her cooking adventures with her housemates are hilarious to read too. if you're curious about how the name stone soup came about -- it's actually from one of my favourite fables, which you can read here

the girl who ate everything

believe me, she has! this global foodie has a goal to go everywhere and sample every kind of cuisine. from southern US-style fried chicken to tom yum soup in korea to handmade gelato in nepal, prepare to get veeery envious... and hungry!

grab your fork

and your spoon, rolling pin and an apron. this blogger is a true blue aussie foodie. she shops with the best of them at the pyrmont fresh growers market, finds herself at an all-you-can-eat Brazilian Churrasco Banquet and gives honest and sharp reviews of local eateries. the photos are fab too.

happy eating! ness x

moody hues

2008-09-01T19:49:00.008+10:00

even when i was a wee ness i had a mood board. 'cept back then i called it a pin-up board, and it had more cutouts of obscure ballerinas than anything else. i love to have a beautiful, ever-changing mood board to look at wherever it is that I'm working; not only does it inspire me but every photo, clipping, card and ticket stub has it's own unique story to tell.

i'm currently sitting in my apartment, nibbling on my favourite lindt 70% dark chocolate and watching the most delightful Bill Bailey on enough rope. such is my love of bill that an old housemate of mine once gave me a tiny handmade badge with bill's lovely face plastered all over it in technicolour. god knows where he got it from. i'm sorry to say that bill went through the wash one day and appeared looking decidely blurry around the edges. i then hid him a shoe box. sorry bill :(

we are moving to a lighthouse you and i

2008-08-31T21:13:00.012+10:00

ten things i love about living in sydney...

saturday markets. from manly to paddington to fringe bar to glebe to surry hills there's always a bit of trash n treasure up for grabs
weekend mornings in rushcutters bay. with the weekend papers, a long macchiato and a chocolate brownie, the sun hot on my back and spades of grass between my toes, i loll in the park, watching the water and the boats, the families having picnics and the jogging fitness freaks run by.
having the privilege to wake up every morning and spend my day doing a job that i love
all the fabulous bookshops. (especially the ones with cafes. coffee+books=heaven)
walking home from work over the harbour bridge. a bloody long 7km walk but so worth it to see the city all lit up in pretty fairy lights
fruit+veg shopping at paddy's markets in chinatown. you get elbowed and shoved but scoring cheap salmon and tangy tangellos makes it all better. the egg+chive dumplings from my favourite chinese restaurant are pretty freaking good too
working and living in the thick of it. the feeling of being a part of something big
getting where you want without relying on a car. want to eat icecream in bondi? simple. shop up a storm at ikea all the way out in homebush? easy. markets in glebe or furniture shopping in newtown? no problemo
living in potts point. restaurants and cafes and coffee bars and pubs on every corner. organic produce markets and quirky delicatessens down every street. supermarkets, video stores, chemists and gyms. yoga classes and bookshops. fountains and fairy lights. the glamour/tackiness of the cross just next door. and all within walking distance. LOVE!
living by myself. i feel so lucky to have the opportunity to experience this. i have never learnt so much about myself or experienced more highs. the peace, the solitude, the ability to do or listen or watch or wear (!) what i want. it is so nice to have a room of one's own

oh i love making lists, freak that i am. i wanted to post more tonight but i have some writing to do before work in the morning. here are the pics i promised before though... introducing the brilliant mister rob (see previous post):

sigh. aren't they just magical? if you head to his blog, you can check out more of his stuff. He's also been working with Random House to design book covers for a couple of authors, the most notable being Louis de Bernieres.

just before i go, i believe there is enough time to worship in the genius of the one and only Josh Pyke. my beautiful friend prue alerted me to the fact that his new single the lighthouse song has just been released, and that his album is due to come out october 4. i've posted his videoclip just below and if you're wondering who did the incredible artwork in the clip, it's all by greedy hen, a lovely design duo who hail from sydney, and whose previous work can be seen in The Panics videoclip don't fight it. one half of the duo is my old housemate katherine, so please make sure you watch a couple of times to appreciate the beauty of her work.

spread the love...

ness x

little monsters

2008-08-28T19:24:00.003+10:00

what i should do: vacuum my apartment, finish sewing my new sofa cushions and eat something more nutritious than packet pappadums

what i want to do: eat some packet pappadums, mock australian idol mercifully, and then dance around my un-vacuumed apartment like a loony to the most fabulous charlotte gainsbourg...

do not go gently into this good night

2008-08-27T19:26:00.003+10:00

last night i clocked off work a little early to see the edge of love at the orpheum theatre in cremorne. i've been waiting for this for awhile and it was just... perfect. perfect!

i've never been more impressed with keira knightley -- loved her in P&P and bend it like beckham but as for the pirate movies, ugh. she was fucking brilliant in this, with a welsh accent to rival any and the most surprisingly good singing voice, all low and husky. as for miss miller, this is the first i've ever seen her act and i was just blown away. she took on the role of dylan thomas' wife with guts and a beautiful honesty that took me completely aback. both girls brought a lovely naturalness to incredibly difficult roles.

the whole thing was just visually stunning as well - kudos to the art directors for creating such a realistic setting -- both the London WWII backdrop and the wales countryside were done so well. i won't give much more away but absolutely recommended.

(although notice she does the same breathy 'I love you..." as in atonement? sometimes i get the feeling she's a bit of a one-trick pony...)

ness x

here there and everywhere

2008-08-25T20:20:00.028+10:00

so as it turned out, saturday was definitely not the best day for an adventure. the weather was gross. windy. rainy. fucking cold basically. buut.. my friend V and i soldiered on, wrapped our necks in scarfs and stuffed our tootsies in boots.

lilifields [oxford street, paddington] was our choice for brunch. a veritable fairy garden, this is the most peaceful place for a spot of scrambled eggs after a busy week at work. handcrafted vases, jewelry and the loveliest cards grace the walls, not to mention the buckets and buckets of beautiful blooms. peonies, sweet peas and hydrangeas waft around you while you're eating and fill the store with the most stunning scent.

my mum used to own a florist shop when i was a wee ness, and after school and on holidays my sister and i would spend our days in the back of the shop, watching as our mum stripped blue gum until her hands bled and transformed unassuming stalks into the sweetest bouquets. that strong heady smell of roses and lilies mixed with blue gum always remind me of my mum and that part of my childhood.

with bellies full, we meandered down oxford st into the markets at the Fringe Bar [oxford st, paddington]. i love seeing the popular paddington watering hole transform into a vintage wonderland come saturday mornings. soft leather belts, tan bags, feathered fedoras, shiny secondhand shoes (lovingly scrubbed) and local designer jewels are some of the treasures (and trash) up for grabs. i walked away empty handed but with the cutest pair of patent mary-jane heels on my mind.

the first time i came to sydney was in 2006, for three weeks of work experience at a couple of magazines, and also, i guess, to scope out my future home. i stayed at bondi, and after a long day of coffee-fetching and photocopying and transcribing pseudo-celebrity interviews, i would walk up and down the streets and laneways of the beachside suburb, peeking into tropical-night themed bars and dusty retro shops. despite its cool beach image, i discovered bondi was actually a really fun indie girl in hiding; full of record shops and tucked-away coffee bars and... the best bookshop ever.

introducing... gertrude&alice. (after the infamous literary duo gertrude stein and alice tsolkias of course). Not only was this darling shop jammed full of the best secondhand books, but the cafe served the best salads and chai tea in sydney. steamy and cinnamon-y, i loved to curl up in the worn armchairs with a cup of chai and a copy of wild swans. when i moved here for good, i discovered that gertrude&alice had a sister shop in paddington. in the last year, the bondi shop has very sadly shut its doors but the paddington haunt is still going strong (with a name change though, to ampersand cafe and bookstore) with the same greats reads and amazing chai as ever.

my other favourite bookshop is berkelouw books, just around the corner from ampersand. this too has a great secondhand collection (2 levels worth) and a cafe (which does the best long blacks in sydney). they have a really good new book section, plus lots of gorgeous art and photography books, stationary and lit magazines. i could quite seriously spend a good deal of my weekend perusing these two bookshops.

surry hills was our next stop. this is sydney's design hub, crammed full of all the best homewares haunts, galleries, paper+stationary boutiques and lots of tiny treasure-chest shops with one-of-a-kind finds.

Ici et la, [bourke st surry hills] has such a crazy eclectic feel to it. huge steel alphabet letters, vintage teatowels, espadrilles, french-inspired textiles and striped deckchairs... you can almost taste the south of france on the tip of your tongue. sandy beaches and champagne here i come!

chee soon and fitzgerald [crown st surry hills], sandwiched between trendy wine bars and steamy indian restaurants on crown street, is the original surry hills design shop. opened in 1992, the area at the time was still pretty much a slum like nearby redfern. the residents were pretty happy with the local pub and weren't really keen on browsing marimekko fabrics or artimede furnishings. (funny that!) but -- the shop thrived and spurned the opening of hundreds of similar shops on nearby bourke and foveaux and commonwealth streets.

I love the EYOI YOI table lamp by Marc Pascal...

and these funky spanish-style Dibbern ceramics...

and of course, what girl doesn't dream of filling her studio apartment with fabulous marimekko fabrics and ceramics...

our last adventure before seeing The Savages at the palace verona cinema on oxford street (fabulous film btw. recommended v.highly) was a well-deserved stop at the book kitchen [devonshire street surry hills]. no sydney adventure would be complete without a pot of english breakfast tea and a chocolate brownie at this quaint cafe/cookbook shop. chocolate-y goodness and food books abound... bliss!

ness x

down the rabbit hole

2008-08-22T21:09:00.004+10:00

oh frock i have the worst hiccups tonight. just got home from doing headstands at yoga -- perhaps that's why... :)

have had a particularly busy bee week so am resting my head on this chilly winter night. had a chat to my mama and baby sis tonight -- i love catching up on all the adelaide goss. such a small city that everyone knows each other's business intricately! i really reaally want to get back there for a visit before chrissy but i'm desperately saving every penny for my europe 09 trip so there's a chance that i won't. i'll have to keep my eyes peeled for cheap flights (or secret assignments...) intrigue!

i am heading off on an alice-in-wonderland adventure tomorrow. i'm taking my friend V from work on the special ness walking tour of surry hills + paddington (she is a sydney-ite of over 22 years who hasn't been to surry hills yet. the horror!) eggs and toast and coffee and markets and movies and books oh my! I am bringing my camera so i promise to take lots of pics to show you all.

right. must be off to do terribly exciting things like eat dinner and wash the dishes. the wind is howling outside and i might just snuggle up and watch enduring love on dvd (how i love thee Ian McEwan).

oh and my friend A from work got me onto this fab band today: nouvelle vague. has anyone heard of them? god i love this videoclip so much that i want to marry it and have little french hat-wearing dancing babies...

dance with me :: nouvelle vague

book nerds rejoice

2008-08-21T22:17:00.005+10:00

like i said, i love lists...

these darlings have been patiently waiting on the bookshelf of ness for months now. i am particularly eager to read Addition; my mum bought this to sydney with her on her last visit - she met author Toni Jordan at the Adelaide Writers Week and said she was wonderful (if not a little eccentric).

Suite Francaise Irene Nemirovsky
Running With Scissors Augusten Burroughs
Double Fault Lionel Shriver
Paula Isabel Allende
Red Shoes Carmel Bird
Margot Fonteyn Biography Meredith Daneman
Happiness Will Ferguson
Man and Boy Tony Parsons
A Changed Man Francine Prose
Addition Toni Jordan

and these are the brand new beauties i am desperately craving...

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Rebecca Miller

One Foot Wrong Sofie Laguna

When You Are Engulfed in Flames David Sedaris

Poppyland Raffaella Barker

The Behaviour of Moths Poppy Adams

I Dream of Magda Stefan Laszczuk

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society Mary Ann Shaffer

Don’t Get Too Comfortable David Rakoff

Children of Freedom Marc Levy

A Child’s Book of True Crime Chloe Hooper

Just lately i have finished a couple of books that i feel the need to share. Helen Garner's Joe Cinque's Consolation has been sitting on my shelf for awhile but it somehow drew me in to its pages last week and i devoured it in a matter of days. funny how a book can do that. i love miss garner for her stunning story-telling skills and journalistic integrity. she brings to light another side of the idea of duty-of-care that i've never thought of before.

how deeply involved with someone do you have to be before you are considered an "accessory" in any wrong-doings they commit? Obviously, if you walk past someone in the street who is suffering from a drug overdose and you do nothing, you can't be pinned for manslaughter. But if you happen to help that person, perhaps give them a pain-killer which raises their blood pressure or thins their blood and they die, are you partly responsible for their death? It is such an intricately fascinating topic. I could debate it for days (high school debate geek coming out...)

i also loved Geraldine Brooks' newie, The People of The Book. I religiously watch 'First Tuesday Book Club' each month and so when they reviewed this one and the overall consensus was a resounding THIS IS TRIPE, i backed off. But -- my mum read it and loved it and i trust her book judgement a thousand times more than Marieke 'I wear a ratty flower in my hair so i look bohemian and cool' Hardy and Jennifer 'I LOVED this! (squeel)' Byrne. (I have nothing bad to say about Jason Steger, the third member of the reviewing team and that's because i have a slightly creepy crush on him. And yes, i know he's old. whatev)

Back to the book. I know Geraldine has this tendency to ramble on and use slightly too many stereotypes in her prose (how many times the main character had to say 'tinnie' and 'g'day' and 'shit -a-brick' before we finally realised she was an Aussie I'll never know). But all in all, i thought it was a great read, i ended up sitting there with my laptop on so i could google all the things she talked about that i knew little of (ie. the Sarajevo War). And my god can she write historical fiction well. am tres` jealous.

tis' bedtime now for ness. if only my neighbour would stop watching reruns of Will and Grace on repeat and then we'd all be happy. oh yes...

ness x

new soul

2008-08-19T21:51:00.010+10:00

as much as I love magazines, nothing quite compares to the journey that you take when you read a book. In my twenty-two years, I've sailed a raft with Huck and Jim, hunted the white whale aboard the Pequod, rode a rickshaw into a tiny Chinese village with Amy Tan and fought the Civil War with Scarlett O'Hara.

My books (all 400 or so of them) have travelled with me through 14 houses, from adelaide to sydney and hopefully in the near future to new york. it's hard for me to throw out magazines but completely unbearable for me to part with my books. every one of them not only tells a story through the author's words but through it's own history; where it came from, who owned it before me and who will own it after.

when i was packing up my adelaide life, my dad asked (told) me to cull my collection. i v.reluctantly picked out 12 novels (albeit all really bad ones given to me in my past life as a book reviewer) and left the box with my dad the day i boarded my plane. turns out history repeats itself; my mother saved my rejected hardbacks and found a place for them on her bookshelf. after all, no matter how bad the writing this (please, PLEASE never read a book called knitting, okay? you'll thank me) there's no reason to let them go unloved.

that's why i'm currently loving interior designer Samantha Parson's vision. Her dream? To rescue the world's unloved hardbacks and turn them into works of art. Her avant-garde tables (book block tables) and screens (bookscreens) are created by recycling and folding the discarded pages from old atlases, cookbooks and children's picture books. They’re part of her handcrafted product range, Family of Sam, which can be found at www.studiosam.com.au. LOVE! how genius is this?

Melbourne couple Ben Mason and Natalie Crupi have also jumped on the book bandwagon with their online store Rebound Books. By day they rescue dusty hardbacks from charity op shops, and at night they fill them with recycled denim paper and bind them with sturdy wire, creating a blank journal for travel dreams, shopping notes and sketches. My personal favourite are the old Enid Blyton covers. Go to www.reboundbooks.net for more details.

speaking of fabulous design, on saturday i went to sydney design at the powerhouse museum with my friend C (aka The Wife). we moved to sydney together this time last year so we thought we'd celebrate our first anniversary together and do dumplings/design...

i went mainly for the modern times exhibition, which was just so well done. they had architecture, music, fashion, art etc through the ages, from 1917 to the 70's. if you get a chance to go along -- do! it's on until Aug 24th.

it's time for a tired ness to rest her head, so i'll just leave you a pretty song to end the evening on...

small fish, big pond

2008-08-14T22:42:00.007+10:00

tonight while walking home over the harbour bridge, i fell in love with sydney all over again. this happens quite often -- while storming through Chinatown in search of those perfect egg+chive dumplings or sitting in Rushcutters Bay park on a saturday afternoon with the weekend papers and a chocolate brownie but most often, (and i hate to admit sounding like a gushy tourist) while looking at the harbour. the water and the bridge and those white awnings stretching out into the sky always makes me feel a part of something big.

it's the same feeling i get every morning while being jammed into a strange man's armpit and being pushed over at Town Hall station, that feeling of being swept away with the rest of society. i love being up with everybody else at the crack of dawn, yawning into our coffees as the train lurches along; and at night, while we all stand bleary eyed and drained as the train taking us home is delayed over and over again. its strange thing to love but there you go...

my listening choice for tonight's walk home was the gorgeous Imogen Heap -- if you haven't heard of her i demand you do so, now! she has a certain sound that is so hard to pinpoint but is simple+pure all at the same time.

download: speeding cars, hide+seek, headlock, goodnight+go and just for now.

listen my pretties...

circus love

2008-08-13T21:41:00.007+10:00

confession #2 when i was little, i loved reading enid blyton books. why, i'm not too sure -- looking back at them makes me question my eight year old judgement a little. it was always the girls who had to clean and make the sandwiches while the boys got to go off and have adventures which seems totally unfair to me now. in my eight year old mind i think it was the idea of finding a tree in your backyard which had magical characters living in it with names like moon face and saucepan man. a tree which had revolving worlds at the top of it, like 'get-what-you-want' land, and 'topsy-turvy land'.

in one of her stories, a little boy is playing in his yard when the circus rides by. he stops them and asks his parents if he can join... they look at each other and say, why not? Let us just finish the dishes and put out the rubbish and we'll come too! So the boy waits on his front steps, chatting to the tightrope walker and the clowns while his parents finish their chores and lock the front door, then they all hop on the backs of elephants and go riding off in the sunset together.

my inspiration for today's musing comes from the lovely Madeleine Stamer, a Melbourne artist who designs under the label little circus design. i love her prints for their deep intensity - she has an uncanny ability to express beautifully honest emotions through a simple drawing. it's how i image the circus to look if someone sat down and captured its soul.

cakes and biscuits and scones oh my!

2008-08-12T21:43:00.001+10:00

last week while looking for an 'expert' to appear in the article i was writing, i had the privilege of chatting to the lovely Belinda Jeffery. Belinda is one of those quiet achievers in the culinary world and thank god for that! i really have had enough of Jamie and Nigella swatting around talking about twinings tea or whatever their publicist has convinced them to represent.

anyway. although she's worked in restaurants and on tv etc, Belinda is a baker at heart and her new book (Mix and Bake) is full of sweet and simple recipes -- orange and almond cake, lemonade scones, gooey chocolate brownies. delish! it makes me want to slap on an apron and stick my hands into a mixing bowl.

although i was supposed to be talking to her about ovens, we got into a conversation about baking and food and childhood. so much of what she cooks and writes about has been influenced by her childhood, the places she grew up in and, of course, her mother.

as a tiny ness, i can remember my mum in the kitchen, shouting at us to get out but always letting us sneak back in for a lick of the beaters. her speciality, and always requested by my friends, was her mars bar slice. it really is as simple as melting butter + mars bars together, adding some rice bubbles and slathering chocolate on top (yes, it is as good as it sounds!) but no matter how many times i try and replicate that recipe in my own kitchen, it just doesn't taste right. the same goes for her deliciously moist chocolate and apple cake, her tangy salmon dip and those banana and chocolate muffins she would serve warm with lashings of butter.

It made me wonder whether it's just the taste we crave or that insatiable desire to recapture a certain time and place. maybe it's also the need to recreate a moment in time when everything was 'just as'. perhaps on the weekend i shall set about creating some recipes that will always remind me of being terribly poor and living in a tiny studio apartment in sydney :)

a little bit giddy

2008-08-12T00:13:00.000+10:00

confession #1 i love making lists. lists of books to read, films to watch, fruits in season, useful french words to learn, before-i-hit-30 lists. a blog has been on my list for awhile, but lately i've just let the page sit here, resigned to just being a (slightly creepy) blog-stalker.

now the plunge has been taken, who knows what might happen on this blank screen of mine? hopefully it will give me a little bit of breathing room, let me write about the things that i LOVE ... words and music, heart-wrenchingly sad french films, the $10 find, the one-legged bird...

as for who might stumble across it... everyone is welcome, friend or foe. i hope that it can be cause for inspiration, open up new views and bring a spotlight upon beautiful writers + artists.

ness x

[“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” - Sylvia Plath]