Everything I Learned, I Learned It From T.V.

Actually, that's not entirely true because I really don't watch a ton of television. But when I do catch a program that tickles my fancy, I can get real absorbed into the "boob tube". Like today, when I wasn't expecting much quality programing at four o'clock in the afternoon, I watched a charming little documentary on the historical and social evolution of dogs. According to the show, the modern day dog breeds have grew from the original forty variety to over four hundred, due to pedigree breeding. And some dogs are so selectively bred for certain desired physical characteristics, they are unable to adapt to the environment and live a normal and healthy lifespan (ie. bulldogs). So in the end, what we've ended up with are these genetic abominations who are unable to go about their "dog ways" because they are pretty much canine Frankensteins who's fates are completely in the hands of their owners. To give you an idea on just how much dogs have transformed (unnaturally) over the centuries, next time you see a bulldog try and any shred of resemblance to its ancestor, the wolf.


An ending note: we ought to let dogs be dogs.

Losing Mental Fecal Matter

I saw a movie recently called Mysterious Skin. It is by far the most intensely explicit and hard to watch films I had ever encountered (yes, it was even worst than Requiem for a Dream). The movie, I thought was a realistic and harsh portrayal of the ever cringe-inducing subject matter of child sexual abuse which a lot people just wouldn't touch with a thirty-foot pole. But what makes this film successful was far beyond it having an alluring cast and compelling storyline. For little details such the setting and the atmosphere really make the viewers relate to the story and empathize with the characters' afflictions. And the most poignant element which really made this movie what it is, is the music. The soundtrack to this movie is primarily composed of songs by shoegaze bands from the 90's. As a total nut of everything 90's and even a bigger nut for shoegaze/noise rock, I natural lost my shit when I heard songs from bands like Slowdive and Curve and Cocteau Twins.


"Golden Hair" --- Slowdive.

Currently my favorite song.

Seasons Change and So Did I

I spent eight hours in front of a computer yesterday doing grant writing and have never been so terrified of the act of typing after I was finished. So today, instead of brainstorming something to rant about and posting it, I'm afraid I'm going to have to present you all another picture show. It's actually not all that bad because as I was going through my outfit pictures today, I discovered a few photos I have yet to post. So, they are posted here to achieve three major purposes: 1) they're fun to look at; 2) they serve as reminders of the passing of time and change of seasons 3) when analyzed on a deeper level, they are symbols and visual indications of the cyclical nature of things.

I wore this outfit in the middle of June when it was 27 degree (Celsius) out. It was primarily inspired by the cover of Gulag Orkestar by one of my favorite bands, Beirut.

The polka-dot top used to be an awkward length, so did to it what I do to most tops; crop it! I wore this during one of the dog days nearing the end of July, and it was still too damn hot.

This is a recent outfit I wore to my first day of work. It kept me warm in the morning but by the afternoon, shirt-sweater combo seemed like an overkill. Regardless, the days are getting cooler by the minute and I'm starting to regret not getting the most of summer when I had the chance.

Self-Loathing Love Song

Exciting news! Our wannabe band recorded our first live three-song demo today! So now we can finally start working towards establishing a myspace page.
So, I have no idea how this happened. But I have recently went from having little to do, to all of a sudden having potentially four jobs! I think part of it was because I was looking for jobs/opportunities here and there and just ended up with a handful of chunks that eventually added up. So now I am a full-time, unpaid intern at the Canadian Mental Health Association, a free lance staff writer for themodeline.com, a weekend hostess at White Spot and a potential substitute for the Westminster Children's After School Society. You may think that I'm crazy for taking on so much at the same time but I assure you, having a busy life is actually quite exciting to me, until I eventually burn out of course. So even though my responsibilities leave me with little room for a social life, I'm pretty trilled about being productive. Plus with so much to do and a better paying part-time job, I now have more than enough incentive to quit White Spot.

I'm not a huge fan of this photo of me. The shirt looks very bulgy and you can barely tell that I'm wearing shorts rather than a skirt. But I promise this outfit looks a lot better in real life. I was either vibing on my latest professional achievement or reminiscing about going to school when this outfit was put together.

Two Pictures are Worth Two Thousand Words

Instead of ranting today, I want to make this post more outfit-focused because frankly I think I've ran out of things to say (apparently, it is possible).

On the surface, these outfits are seemingly very different in style, at least to me. While the first one is more mod the second one is totally grunge. However, when inspected closely, they both contain more or less the same elements. They both feature a dress of some sort and a secondary coverage; be it a denim dress shirt or a printed cardigan. There's even similarity in the details such as accessories, shoes and leggings. However, despite all that, they're nevertheless of very different aesthetics. Which brings me to the my quote of the day: "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts". And from this quote we can yield a fashion-related lesson which is to always be creative and mix and match your pieces, because everything has the potential to become a part of a few entirely different outfits.