Saturday 5 May 2012

A Splattering of Everything!

This post will be a little bit all over the shop really. Part literature, part tea, part flicks and tunes and other things that have been rocking my socks of late. So forgive the firework that is this scattered post of mine. I'm sure you can all cope!
First things first I spent today shopping along Chapel St, on the lookout for some Mothers Day pressies. Drawn in by the charm of the delightfully colourful tea shop T2, not to mention the Chai Tea samples, I found myself sniffing small bowl after small bowl of teas I couldn't even pronounce the names of. I really haven't stepped foot in T2 for the longest time, but I thought I'd pay it a visit. I'm so glad I did though because I came home with something for both myself AND my stepmum! T2 currently have four little Mothers Day packs on offer for $24 which include 100g of loose leaf tea, a little infuser and an itty bitty recipe book - all very sweetly packaged and gift wrapped for free. After careful consideration (and much sampling) I picked up 'Apple Crumble' which is also known as 'Ginger Spice'. It's ginger (obviously) mixed with orange peel, cinnamon pieces and vanilla. So warming and delicious. I also liked that it contained orange rather than lemon. Much easier to drink I think! For myself, I snapped up a regular box of  'Just Cinnamon' which is pretty self explantory. I thought it might be a nice change from Chai, but still warming now that it's getting into colder weather.

I hear you T2!
Left: The Mothers Day Box All Wrapped Up. Right: My Box Of 'Just Cinnamon'
Wrapping Complete With Key And Cat. So Cute.
Next up, I recently finished reading Richard Yates'  novel 'Revolutinary Rd'. I have to be honest, I'm not incredibly 'into' literature. I want to be, but it takes a certain kind of book to really grab and hold my attention long enough for me to want to see what happens. This book definitely does that. I initially borrowed it because I loved the movie, so I was interested to see what the book was like. Wow! Even though I knew the basic premise from watching the film (which in hindsight I think did a grand old job of doing the story justice) I was still blown away.

Image Care Of whirlbooks.blogspot.com

It's an incredibly moving, honest and downright tragic depiction of a young couple in the 1950's trying to escape the humdrum normality of their suburban, conformist lives. Yep. Heavy. I think Yates himself sums it up best though: "If my work has a theme, I suspect it is a simple one: that most human beings are inescapably alone, and therein lies their tragedy." I highly highly recommend this book. And the film for that matter. Under Yates' spell I've currently got a copy of 'The Easter Parade' which I'm beginning to make my way through! I'm hoping for another hugely satisfying read.

As far as music goes, I've been revisiting a few old bits and pieces. Knowing them by nothing other than a cover of Bjork's 'Hyperballad' I thought I'd check out the The Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'It's Blitz!'. When the right mood strikes I've actually been really enjoying this album. Particularly Soft Shock, which has found itself blaring from my headphones to a maddening extent. Another album that's been floating my boat of late is Mike Patton's 'Mondo Cane'. The album is a collection of Italian pop songs from the 50's and 60's, reworked  by Mike and a massive orchestra. For some reason, this has been one of my absolute favourites at the moment. It's fun, sporadic and just a damn good listen! Join me wont you...

Image Care Of elstinkeyes.blogspot.com

Lastnight saw me curled up on the couch watching a recently released doco called 'Bill Cunningham New York'. If you haven't heard about this documentary - where have been hiding!? And if you haven't seen it yet - why the hell not?! For anyone who doesn't know who Bill Cunnningham is, he's  a street style photographer for the New York Times. I have to admit, having never read the New York Times I didn't know who Bill Cunningham was until this doco surfaced. But I loved it all the same. Unlike the doco 'The September Issue' about Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, I found 'Bill Cunningham New York' to be very uplifting and inspiring. While the former seemed to be an albeit intriguing attempt at justifying elitist fashion for 'the cool kids', the latter was a celebration of unique style. Whether it be couture or Kmart. Of course, as an amateur beauty and style blogger on a somewhat modest salary, this gave me solace and inspiration! Plus the man himself is just such an eccentric character. After seeing this film I have so much respect for his work ethic and unyielding passion for clothes and style. Sigh. If only I could be so focused! But really, check it out if you think it'd be up your alley. Even if you're not into fashion, there's enough footage of New York to have you drooling at the mouth! I'll link the trailer here.

Image Care Of redmeetsblue.com.au

Last but not least are a couple of TV shows I've tucked under my wing for safe keeping. First is 'The Model Agency' a doco series on ABC2 about an English modelling agency. This is by no means a new idea or groundbreaking show, but it's worth a watch if you can look past (or enjoy) the bitching and crying. The second is, dare I say it, one of the greatest doco series' ever in the history of the world! Ok, that may be going a tad overboard, but it is funny. And that's 'Whisker Wars'. Nope. Not about cats. It's about Beard and Moustache Championships, and the men who compete in them! Amazing right?! Another ABC2 gem! The whole time I was watching I just kept thinking "is this for real?" Christopher Guest, eat your heart out! Oh and if you think you've missed out - think again! In Aus, these are both also available for watching online, thanks to the trusty ABC iview.


Photo Care Of vimeo.com
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4 comments:

  1. I love love love T2!
    I haven't seen 'Bill Cunningham New York' but you definitely have me intrigued, as well as 'Whisker Wars' Must check them out!
    Katie x

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    1. Right with you there. The staff are always friendly and really helpful, and the T2 store itself it so incredibly lush. I love the dark timber wall of cabinets behind the till. Reminds me of an old post office.

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  2. I've not heard of The Model Agency but it sounds intriguing! Will check it out. Your post reminded me I really need to see Bill Cunningham New York. I got started on Revolutionary Road ages ago, but I abandoned it quite early on. Not because I disliked it, but mainly because like you, as much as I want to be, I'm not really an avid literature reader, and I get terribly lazy. The distractions of TV and the Internet always win over the enrichment of literary fiction! :p I really should get back into it ... I quite liked the movie as well, Leo's performance I thought was better than Kate's, though she elicited more praise/attention in her role.

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    1. Yeah, i'm trying to read a littlle more now myself. It's a bit of a struggle at first, but when you're about half way through you start to wonder why you don't read more often because it's so damn enjoyable! I suppose it also helps if the novel itself is interesting ;) i think I need to rewatch the movie actually. I remember being far more impressed by Leo's performance than Kate's, but to be fair, his character is a lot more fleshed out in the novel, so I imagine he'd have a lot more to work off.

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