chez gorgeoux: melon glace, a weekend classic Tweet

a weekend classic, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

I remembered today how much I love melon and ice cream, as previously touted. And this time, with the lovely cheesecake from Ben & Jerry's, I opted for cinnamon instead of nutmeg, and had a blast.

camden council give & take, the outcome Tweet

camden council give & take, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

We took a large amount of stuff in, from the famed pillows to books we didn't need, many packs of playing cards, and a brand new blender. We came back with all these plants (another red rose, I'm quite excited), a few ceramic and glass items, and two funny finds: a lovely wooden and felt cow to soon travel to Bucharest and be with my sister, and a necklace or random beads. The necklace is particularly interesting as last year found one with the same odd beads, so now I wonder whatever made someone to make another, or even keep the second one a little longer—they were both as ugly. Though beads are pretty and hopefully something better will come out of them. A good day at the Camden Council Give & Take.

912 Tweet

912, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Last tuna sashimi. London, UK

today in brief Tweet

buy flowers, please, originally uploaded by leluchi.

1. I love this photo because I miss the women selling flowers like this in Bucharest. A tradition that is vanishing there as well, true, but also one that, should it exist in London, would allow me to have snowdrops at home rather than in the garden nearby. *sigh*

2. How do you get a job with Saturday Night Live? Kevin Nealon of Weeds explains.

3. Greatest ever letter of complaint, some say. Surely a fun and vindictive read for passengers of Virgin, and most other airlines.

4. Yes, Aretha Franklin was wearing a stupendous hat the Inauguration ceremony. No, I didn't imagine that it could attract nearly 100,000 fans on Facebook.

5. Dopplr opened a shop. Not a surprise to see you can buy Monocle, though it is a surprise you cannot buy the travel items that Monocle itself is selling (don't get me wrong, I find them hilarious). All in all, before I dissect the entire range, one product out of six strikes me as useful, and even that in a fun fashion alone: the cards of mooplr.com.

6. Speaking of monocles, here's one more interesting (and better written?): The Foggy Monocle.

7. One of the most wanted jobs in Australia, if not the world: island caretaker.

8. Months after trashing LeWeb, Paul Carr of The Guardian has a change of heart. Will it last?

9. Cadbury takes two nerdy kids, gives them a funny eyebrow dance, and there you go: the internets (i.e. funny people like me) make the ad virtual and compare it to the former drumming gorilla success. I'm mesmerised that advertising unrelated to the product increased sales then, and is expected to deliver again.

10. No music today, but your laughter may do the trick: fuck you, penguin!

daily nonsense Tweet

pomello, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

I heard about ordering food from Pomello [RO] because they don't just deliver a soup, they deliver—should you want it—the whole pot of soup. I was also intrigued by the name and now that I've checked out the website NO, there is absolutely no explanation why an Asian fruit stands for traditional Romanian food. And beyond the annoying sound effects of the website, making even less sense than the name, I discovered the true hidden treasure, the reason behind their worldwide notoriety, the signature dish: SALMON CHOPS, grilled or roasted, you ignorant eater of files!

911 Tweet

911, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Funny things, cashew nuts. Cornwall, UK

don't try this at home Tweet

don't try this at home, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Imaginary conversations with the plastic surgeon, partly inspired by Nip/Tuck (I survived the pilot, still unsure about continuing). Sorry for lacking photo credit, I browse too much (and too much nonsense) and take too many screenshots. Happy to give credit should anyone connect this image to its origins. ANYWAY.

Surgeon: Ladies, would you like some apples?
Ladies: Why, got no melons?

Surgeon: Are you girls thinking D cups?
Girls: Why, you are out of K?

Surgeon: Any real Hollywood celeb in mind?
Them: Tori Spelling. Umm. On a budget.

daily nonsense Tweet

paypal nonsense, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Here's an email from PayPal that explains to me, in case it was needed, why the world economy has collapsed and it has no ways to recover quickly: because we can LINK financial products/ services so easily and efficiently that even the most innocent of us won't remember which backs up which. And because sweet companies dealing (with) our money invite us to keep making these dreaded cyclic references.

I've taken no credit and I can't take a credit cards seriously either: spend what I haven't got?!

910 Tweet

910, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Seagull arch. Ipswich, UK

a bit about that yoga thing Tweet

bikram-8658, originally uploaded by janpolacek.com.

Wanting yoga over any other fitness option, we struggled to make the time and the choice. It seems that no one wants a beginner, which is ironic, if not cynical. Or, if they do, you need to wait months for beginners' class, travel the city at large, and be open to mockery. I experienced all with Triyoga, a business I could never recommend.

Then one foggy January evening we happened upon a Bikram venue in the neighbourhood, read about hot yoga, and were sold within days. We made it five times in six days, and only a social engagement prevented the sixth. We practiced with four different teachers, which makes matters fun, eye-opening, and confusing altogether. We bought an unlimited monthly package.

What's good about exercising the same 26 postures for the same 90 minutes in a room heated at 40 degrees and 40% humidity? Rediscovering flexibility in your otherwise stiff body, connecting with it, being able to focus, the pleasure of breathing deeply, sweating like in a sauna (which we both love), having no sore muscles afterwards, being able to share the experience, the impulse to eat more fruits and seeing oneself grow in ways other than professional and social. Also, living close enough to the venue not to need the busy showers and lockers.

What's not so good? Conflicting instructions, coping with your body moods, having to drink more water than usual (still struggling on that front), putting away three-four hours daily for the related activities, fighting to remember all the things that make a good posture, making the smallest advances, sometimes taking some serious steps back, struggling to maintain social life above sea level, having to change our weekend habits and the stunning lack of interest manifested by friends and relatives.

My love is on his way back from a contract in Surrey tonight, which is why I chose not to go by myself. I made it a point to have at least two liters of water today and I've still to reach that, when they recommend four... At some point I had a glass of very dry red wine to make me thirsty. Worked to some degree. Then I had very salty olives for the same reason. And they went hand in hand with the wine. Staring at my unfinished bottle of water as I write.

Winning moment so far? Not the warrior, the rabbit, or the camel (one of few postures where I improved), just this: one night, leaving the venue, I light up a cigarette. Naturally. A stunned man in the street finally breaks into laughter: I love that, retox right after detox. That's me, baby!

why blog episode VII Tweet

I receive quite a few blog related emails and I read them all. I rarely reply, though—I'm struggling to make time to write the blog, nevermind reply letters, and truth is my strength and interest lie with the first.

From the emails, it's amazing what people think I could (or SHOULD) do for them, from being their guide in London (sure thing!) to link exchange (really now!) to some irrelevant (read nonsense!) form of advertising.

But the feast resides in those letters from readers, positive or not, sharing how a post made them feel and how another made them think. They are the closest to my heart because they touch people who don't blog.

I am 21 and when I watch your blog I realized that there is so much we could pay attention to, and there is so much it could be described. Wish you the best luck in your project and sorry for my lack of English.

This is how the letter of Portuguese Flavio ends, and I'm happy to have touched his life.

909 Tweet

909, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Cute? Tasty? Poisonous? Cornwall, UK

three radical changes is all it takes Tweet

Decide to watch more movies. Get them, and start watching. Of course, next to the series already in line. Start going to the office, adjusting to it, taking on new admin tasks and team work. Add fighting the old habit of long hours. Follow up on the older decision to start exercising. Pick something challenging. Don't give up on anything else you did at home. Don't give up on social life either. Something's gotta give. Still to learn what, other than a backlog of personal emails. Funny enough, neither of us made any NY resolutions. But both managed to turn our lives upside down. For the better. We hope.

and... warren street wins! Tweet

a block apart, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

On my way to have lunch at home today (posh, I know), I spotted the daffodil buds on left side in the Fitzroy Square garden and thought: my, my, and I was proud of a few leaves! Going back to the office via the shops, however, an hour later I spotted the fairly large daffs on the right side. Hat off to Warren Street!

908 Tweet

908, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

By the mill house lake. Beaulieu, UK

the best thing today Tweet

I stopped by my windowsill for the last tobacco intake before bed, and a tad of privacy. Then the street walked in, carrying spring in all its quiet feathers. I inhaled deeply a few times, mesmerised and incredulous. Surely, it will backfire. It is too early. It is too delicate. It is narcotic. It is nauseous.

chez gorgeoux: sarmale no. 2 Tweet

sarmale no. 2, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

This is a post from the future: I was so busy yesterday (Monday) that I didn't have a second to open my laptop. That is rare. That is unheard of, in fact. But worth it, as I mastered the second incarnation of sarmale AND managed to feed them to Amy, who loved them. Or was overly polite.

907 Tweet

907, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

City sunset. No, serious. London, UK

today in brief Tweet

1. I followed a link from Marie [RO], I browsed a few smoker's design objects quickly, and then happened upon this Hula Hoop beauty on industreal. Isn't it easy, ingenious, and elegant to turn a bottle of wine into a vase of changing shape? Only EUR 480. Blimey!

2. In the same nutty line, perhaps more inspirational and amusing, discover the work of artist/ photographer Li Wei.

3. Prezi is a new tool for creating dynamic presentations. I've yet to try it, but if it's easy (i.e. intuitive) enough, goodbye Powerpoint. A rather exciting prospect.

4. Another thing to try: authonomy, seemingly the place to find cool people recommending cool books. I haven't made it past the homepage yet; I didn't see where or how to begin. That might be an issue.

5. Polaroid fans, rejoice: plans are in place for a new production of film/ paper, possibly improved. Maybe we'll get to try the old camera we found in the loft of this flat.

6. The British Film Institute National Archive can now be found on Google Earth. Cute. If only they put the same effort into improving their dreadful website experience...

7. Pixi is a useless iPhone app that I can't wait to pay for and try. Apparently, my fingers could create all sorts of dreamy graphics by running away on the screen. Yum! FUTURE EDIT: Mission accomplished. Rock on!

8. The Blog of "Unnecesary" Quotation Marks is great fun for anyone in the copywriting, if not proofreading business. Also, highly educational. Read it!

9. This blog is dedicated to finding and fixing all stopped public clocks in Britain. I love the idea and I can easily see it exported to faraway lands like, say, Romania.

10. I've always loved the Gotan Project remix of I love London in the rain, and now I've found that I also love the original track—meet Blossom Dearie. Then again. I've always loved to play tracks before, and after remixing. Enjoy!

living room spring Tweet

living room spring, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Each time he makes it to the farmers' market in this season, I get spring. Sweet, divine, fragrant.

906 Tweet

906, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Unmessy. London, UK

at the movies, lately Tweet

Still catching up, but getting up to date should be fairly close. Enjoy!

1. Waking Life. A classic. It's great to have it about, but make sure you're in the mood for animation that bends the rules and dialogues that make you think. Nothing light here.

2. A Mighty Heart. After all the hype surrounding it, Angelina Jolie can't act. Or maybe she can, but then why would I call the film deeply unmoving? And way too long. Too bad for the true story.

3. The Edge of Love showed me a Keira Knightley who sometimes can do more than her usual Atonement-type character. I enjoyed the movie, though it's not memorable. Maybe a Sunday movie if you're out of options. I still wonder what it would have been like with the leading actresses swapping roles.

4. In the Valley of Elah proved a welcome surprise—I had heard nothing about it before enjoying both the story AND good performances from the whole cast. Tommy Lee Jones very good, hardly recognised Charlize Theron (she looked familiar), and wished Susan Sarandon had a bigger part. Recommended if you have a tough stomach and a taste for war-related movies.

5. Paris je t'aime is a sweet and sometimes quirky collection of short movies by famous directors and with famous actors. Perfect to spread over several hours/ days, enjoy on a rainy afternoon, share with boyfriends, girlfriends, lovers of Paris and, for that matter, its haters (I've been taken for one since I'm not all head over heels with the city).

6. 2 Days in Paris couldn't be more Julie Delpy, so see it only if you like her style and deeds. We happen to do so, and it explains why we felt regaled. That, and, for me, recognising a sum of cultural clashes that arise in our Romanian-English context just as easy as in their French-American setup.

7. My Blueberry Nights, one of many recommendations from my sister, puts Norah Jones next to Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Rachel Weisz. The first movie WKW does entirely in English is very likely to question your views on how much/ well all of the above can act. It's fair to say there are surprises both ways. With good music and cinematography, you've got a perfect Sunday movie here, as most Wong Kar-wai stories I've seen.

8. The Holiday is a total waste of time. Cameron Diaz is not funny, and Kate Winslet—even less (their mandatory jump-around-and-sing-with-glee scenes, reminiscent of Bridget Jones, are long and lame). The boys are OK, but I fear a Jude Law overload (he seems able to act just about as much as Keira Knithley, or, to stay within the gender, Hugh Grant), and, overall, this is a poor romance and an even poorer comedy.

9. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is a better attempt at romcom, and for that reason, twice as enjoyable AND in under two hours, God bless! However, while smiling often, I only laughed a couple of times, so I'm still unhappy: is it so much to expect your stomach to hurt with laughter while watching a comedy?! One enjoyable supporting act: Gillian Anderson cast as a socialite bitch. One unconvincing supporting act: Jeff Bridges, whom we enjoyed much more in The Fisher King (a recent re-run).

10. Iron Man was possibly the most enjoyable movie seen in 2008, and a good way to end the year. Finally laughing and NOT complaining about its length. Though close to a Jeff Bridges overload, I must say he did better, while Gwyneth Paltrow did great, considering how oddly her career moves. I happen to have a soft spot for Robert Downey Jr. ever since very silly Chances Are, so I won't comment on him. Suffice to say Iron Man opened my love's appetite for movies, which triggered all this revival, so it will be remembered. More so since Bond is such a disappointment lately.

yummy combo Tweet

yummy combo, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

This is what I wore yesterday to please both going to the office AND going out. I'm in love with the combination, can't wait to try it again, and play with it further.

905 Tweet

905, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

No longer impressive. London, UK

the living room sun Tweet

violently happy, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Though not spending enough time at home lately, I can't help to notice this explosion of sunshine and for the first time ever appreciate alstroemeria. I guess the other colours, seen more before, were not so inspiring. Here's to change!

today in brief Tweet

1. Boogie is a Romanian movie I plan to see as soon as I can make time. Curzon cinemas show it, I believe. One good reason is the story, which resonates with many of my former highschool and university coleagues. Another is Anamaria Marinca.

2. I wrote last year about uberVU, a Romanian app that wanted to rewire the web. I've tried it since and, while it works (to some degree), I find no use for it. If you, however, would like to track reactions to your online content in a single place, give it a go.

3. Staying online, did you hear that your Google searches upset the planet? Possibly the most controversial and misleading article so far this year. FUTURE EDIT: Not much after this article was published, Google bought a paper mill in Finland. What to make of that?

4. Moving onto a matter even hotter, Gaza, I enjoyed reading this article in The Economist. While possibly overlooking some British connections, it paints a good global picture.

5. While on writings, and various artistry lost in the fog of times, take a look at this awesome blog.

6. Vodafone Homepage Beta is an interesting exercise for their type of company.

7. In Romania, Nokia invited five prominent bloggers to use its N series phones to document their holiday experience. Nice effort [RO], though I've no idea what else happened around it, how it was received, and by whom.

8. From the past, a four y.o. guide to anonymous blogging. Wondering who followed it.

9. I'm yet to order from Duo Boots, but I've nearly cried with happiness just coming across a company that allows one to have two sizes for boots: foot, and calf. Then styles, materials, and prices are all lovely. Their slogan? Style is nothing without fit. Well put.

10. I'm testing Huffduffer to keep track of songs found online that I like. You can huffduff any audio file, which is cool for one-offs and podcasts, but sharing with friends is anywhere in between complex and impossible. So far I managed to take my RSS feed from there into Google Reader and out again into the sidebar of this blog. I may run short of patience, though, having to play tracks one by one.

904 Tweet

904, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

A corner of Canary Wharf. London, UK

daffs, perhaps? Tweet

daffs, perhaps?, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

The bulbs must have been in this pot for a while, but certainly didn't show a sign of life last year. I assume they are daffs because they look a bit like daffodil shoots in other pots, and a lot less like tulip shoots. But until I see a flower bud, it's an exciting mystery. And miracle, perhaps. Tee-hee-hee! Now let's just pray it won't get freezing next month. Some of my babies are well ahead of their schedule.

at the movies, lately Tweet

I have been watching movies on and off last year, more often off, to be fair, and to compare with both previous years and my expectations. It's getting better, though, significantly better, so I figured I might as well catch up on those I recall seeing.

1. Wings of Desire/ Der Himmel über Berlin made us sleepy in its first half and increasingly amused in its second. Overall, good enough to try catching the sequel (Faraway, So Close!) one day. Strange enough for me, in a positive way, we saw it in a big multiplex rather than some smart cinema network like, say, Curzon or Everyman/ Screen. Way to go! Quite liked Peter Falk in this one, whimsical character.

2. Juno was my happy discovery in the playlist of the Singapore Airlines flight to... Singapore. The 13 hours I thought I'd spend sleeping. Didn't quite happen, though the Super Jumbo is sweetly silent and more comfortable than most planes. The new cinema system allowed me to feel less miserable, and to pick up some jewels I had previously missed. In Juno, I loved the story, the characters, the dialogue and the star actors. Also, the surprise of seeing Allison Janney again (my favourite in The West Wing) and J.K. Simmons, one of Coen brothers' fetish actors.

3. The Kite Runner probably came before Juno during that flight, and proved a better drama than I would've imagined. Gripping is the word. I can't recommend it to people who can't take bloody scenes and violence, though neither is for granted. Beautiful, beautiful story, however sad, and good actors I hadn't seen before, which is so refreshing!

4. Giant with James Dean, Liz Taylor, and Rock Hudson rang no bell to me, but I figured that A) back then big actors were more likely associated with good movies and B) I hadn't ever seen James Dean (yep, all true!) so I set out to watch it on the way back from Singapore—in a Jumbo only, such a downgrade! While the movie has good marks on iMDB, and a good story, I couldn't believe how long and dull it was. I thought long and dull movies are the trait of today's cinema. I was wrong. You must really love these actors to bother with this film.

5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly/ Le scaphandre et le papillon is a-take-it-or-leave-it movie where details of an undignified condition following a stroke may be overly gruesome to most viewers. However, if you survive the first half an hour, this true story is worth telling, and a good opportunity to see Mathieu Amalric do more serious acting than requested by the villain in Quantum of Solace (which explains, however, why I saw him in Soho last summer). Bonus? Unusual beauty Emmanuelle Seigner is no femme fatale, for once (but maybe that's my impression of her only due to Roman Polanski's Bitter Moon).

6. 11th mom/ Yeolhan-beonjjae eomma is a good movie of the type I call perfect Sunday movie (not requesting much brain, but not insulting one's intelligence either). It's an endearing story and it reminded me to see more Asian movies.

7. Driving Miss Daisy was probably the third and last movie on my flight back from Singapore and I had to see it because of the many references to it over the years. That, and loving Morgan Freeman. In full honesty, nothing magical, but good acting from all cast in yet another perfect Sunday movie.

8. American Gangster came my way one evening when my love was busy with something else, and thank God for that—a bit too much blood for his taste, I'd guess. Good story, if you can stomach mafioso implications and scenes. For me, always a pleasure to see Denzel Washington. AND this is one long movie I won't complain about.

9. We Own the Night proved a good recommendation from my sister. I've seen Joaquin Phoenix first in Quills, definitely recommended, then in It's All About Love, an interesting idea badly executed, and a few other movies. Liked him best this time round. Also enjoyed Eva Mendes being a whole different actor than in silly Hitch, if only for the sleepy act in the bed at her mother's home, or the make-up during her last time with his family—introducing a whole new face next to a whole new act. The relationship of the characters, as long as it lasts, makes me think of True Romance, somehow.

10. Caramel/ Sukkar banat is a bitter-sweet Lebanese movie recommended by Israeli Yaffa, about which I can hardly imagine a complaint. The stories are endearing and true to life, the acting is smooth, the cinematography perfect and the directing impressive for first time director Nadine Labaki, who also plays lead role and has written part of the film. A full-hearted recommendation.

903 Tweet

903, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Like a painting. Ninh Van Bay, Viet Nam

my favourite things: music boxes Tweet

mon ange lapin, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

Always loved them, never had one. Even managed to buy and distribute two lovely Happy Birthday music boxes shaped like hardcover books/ huge cards, yet didn't think at the time that it'd be so much trouble to find something as cool and as simple as that AGAIN. That realisation took two more years.

Meanwhile... One day, my lucky arse was having tea in a shiny cafe in Porto as my sister was roaming the streets and the shops in the rain. And a couple of hours later I received my rabbit angel. As funny as that sounds and looks, it is the sweetest music box in the whole world and IT IS MINE. Yesss!

just when I had it all figured out Tweet

Soaking in the bath this morning, I was as happy as Larry: there was yours truly, late to wake up but not late to the office. There was my coffee with just a smidgen of unskimmed milk, and brown sugar cubes. There was my breakfast of clementine and port wine pear halves. There was my iPod Touch with real time feeds over wi-fi AND the lovely remote app that allows me to play music all over the house, including in the bathroom, from my very own (OK, rented) tub. I could see myself keeping up this pleasant ritual for every week day, mmm, every week day when I go to the office. And I smiled generously at the thought of starting yoga tomorrow, and doubling the benefits of my morning ritual with just one thick stroke.

And then, in cynical accordance with the time of the day, it dawned on my slow brain: yoga starts at 7, I'll get up at 6, so how does that not fuck up my morning ritual?

Later update: Then, at sixteen minutes past 1 am we were still unable to sleep. And the brilliant half realised that there are yoga classes in the evening, too, so... change of plans.

Even later update: We made it. We survived the first session of hot yoga (Bikram) doing what possibly are beginner postures in 40 centigrades and 40% humidity. Not very different in climate from my first yoga session ever, in Viet Nam, but with more serious work and less time to rest in the 90 minutes we were sweating and breathing with difficulty—at times. In a way, plenty of similarities with intergalactic travel.

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say on the subject of towels... A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value [...] More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. [...] Want to know why?

902 Tweet

902, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

June 1st in Brixton. London, UK

today in brief Tweet

050 (peas & carrots), originally uploaded by heather.

1. One of 366 Polaroids shot by Heather Powazek Champ last year, when Polaroid announced stopping the paper production for their cameras. If you don't know Heather, here's an insightful snippet of her biography: Heather is very much enamoured with personal publishing on the web, having launched her first home page in '94 while working at Princeton University. In addition to this site, she maintains the Mirror Project and co-founded JPG Magazine with her husband, Derek Powazek. An award winning web designer for more than 11 years, Heather abandoned her career as a pixel pusher to join the Flickr team at Yahoo! as Community Manager.

2. Speaking of Flickr business, they're inviting us to share our Inauguration photos in the designated pool or, if in Washington DC, to join their meetup.

3. Or, if you'd rather go with another provider, Photobucket has been selected as the online photo destination for the Barack Obama 2009 Presidential Inaugural Book and we're invited to submit our own photos. How about that?

4. Speaking of Inauguration 2009, here's a minute by minute guide of the ceremony.

5. And speaking of President Elect Obama, here's a PDF report of his 2008 travels by Dopplr.

6. You might have heard that Jobs didn't make it to this year's Macworld, the last such event in the series, but did you hear that NY Times's Joe Nocera calls for Apple to come clean on the whole Jobs health issue?

7. Possibly the most revolutionary product launched at Macworld, the laptop with no keyboard.

8. Possibly the funniest, useless app for iPhone, that almost makes me want to have one: iSteam, true competition to the previous iBeer.

9. While on the subject of phones, have you seen the pink furry one?

10. For a touch of proper culture, yesterday was Edgar Allen Poe's birthday, celebrated for the 200th time and on which occasion Baltimore has planned a year of Poe events that will culminate in October with a re-creation of his funeral. Hmm. Better read an essay by Neil Gaiman.

I'm so excited! Tweet

new wardrobe, originally uploaded by gorgeoux.

And I couldn't hide it if I wanted: new blood streamed into my wardrobe in the past month or so, and only the skirt in the left corner down comes from a second hand/ vintage shop. Thank God! I had forgotten, almost, what it feels like to walk into a shop, see something you like, try it on (maybe), buy it and wear it. Something brand new.

Funny enough, most of these are high street brands, the kind I generally despise for being the uniform of the day. Also, because so many are produced in Romania that I'm used to buying them in neighbourhood shops or outlet stores at far smaller prices than those seen in London or, for that matter, Lisbon.

But it'd seem that when offered the chance, I'm nothing but a sheep following the other sheep: you're looking at 2 items from Coast, 2 items from United Colors of Benetton, 2 items from AX Paris, 1 item from H&M, 1 item from FCUK, and then only, 2 more items, the minority, getting somewhat better.

The checkered skirt is Oasis but second-hand but in fact came with the tag on but, what do you know, is made in Romania! The half cardigan half pink half grey came from that shop in Baixa (Lisbon) that always carries fun, ageless clothes and a human size, 3D Betty Boop... toy? statue? thing.

Who am I kidding, high street brands and me? I still don't know what they stand for, I still didn't buy full price, I still hardly enter their stores, I still don't covet that garment in that magazine/ by that designer/ wore in that ad, etc. Can't wait to go back to 1. the SH/ vintage shop in a few days and 2. London Fashion Weekend in a few weeks!

I guess that my new wardrobe excitement is about ability to buy and more options to dress up.