Merry This & Happy That.

I'm off. 

I am going on a planned adventure. Of which will be fabulous. So no posting for the next two weeks from me.

 Please host/attend wonderful gatherings with awesome people around you. I can't wait to move to Auckland in the new year purely so I can start hosting some wicked parties on roof tops and create jar lit rooms. 

Merry this and Happy that my friends :) 

A Tree & M'dear.

Thinking in Fantasia.

This short film made me think exactly what I've been thinking about lately. 

I thought...

How sad it will be to give up biking on the Wellington foreshore on saturday afternoons and every other day that the sun was more enticing than lectures.

 Auckland and biking is to me how New York and biking is to Nanna. 

So this short made me smile at my thoughts even though the actual thinking makes me sigh. 

Oh Land: Nordic Fantasia on Nowness.com.

Danish pop-electro songstress Nanna Øland Fabricius, aka Oh Land, takes a dramatic turn as she cycles aimlessly about Copenhagen’s animated streets in director Matthew Donaldson’s short film. Though Oh Land has called Brooklyn, New York, home since early 2010, the Copenhagen native still pines for the Nordic mini-metropolis.

 “I miss being able to go everywhere on my bike. It’s so freeing and such a nice way to explore your city,” she says. “In New York it’s so dangerous, it’s not the same experience.” 

A Citizen of Optimism.

Michelle's word - Dream used in a quote, "You don't need to sleep to dream."

Citizens for Optimism is a collaboration among 17 up and coming designers who strive to use their unique styles to inspire happiness through design. 

On a mission to promote optimism New Yorkers were asked what words or feelings they associated with optimism. A long list was narrowed down to seventeen words and each designer got one word along with a simple brief, design a type dominant poster that promoted optimism. 

The outcome, nothing less than amazing work.

All lettering is hand drawn.

Leen's word - Sweet used in a quote, "This poster is sweet, lick it."

Devin's word - Sunny used in a quote, "Things will clear up."

Virgilio Tzaj -Everything will be Amazing

Min Choi's word - Happy used in a quote, "Please follow the arrows in order to fulfill happiness"

Virgillio's word - Magical used in a quote, "Life is Magical and so are you"

Rachel Willey's word -Love

A Sunday Smile.

I can't get away from this band.
Intentionally.

Mirror Mirror

Take the intoxicating voice of Social Network and Gossip Girl's Armie Hammer, the adorable and musically comedic Nathan Lane, a favorite lady from my childhood with the definition of a true laugh: Julia Roberts, the eyebrows of a goddess in Lily Collins...

Then combine these wonderful actors with costumes elaborate enough to kill for, 

wittiness and literally magical lines to delight you for days and then a story that

 "definitely has a happily ever after theme going on" to quote Roberts herself- or the wicked witch for that matter...

I simply cannot wait to start my new year off with it. 

Marcel Marcel.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.

Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp.

"Guess why I smile a lot...

" 'Cause it's worth it."

His name is Marcel, and he's partially a shell, but he also has shoes and a face, and lots of other great qualities as well. He won the hearts of millions of people when his short film became an internet sensation. And now he is pleased to present his very own picture book.

Marcel's message for his readers is simple and beautiful: we are who we are, and that is a wonderful thing. Marcel loves to talk about the different things that make him unique. He's proud of his odd, miniature life,  (he hang-glides on a Dorito and wears a lentil as a hat), and even though he is a talking shell with only one eye, he reminds us to be proud and curious about our lives as well.  Marcel shows us that no matter who we are or what our life is, the most important thing is that we take a good look at it and enjoy it every day.

Christmas, Me, She & Him.

It's finally here. 

The She & Him Christmas album. 

And just to make things cooler, you can order it as a red vinyl record! Within the last week I've watched both 500 Days of Summer and Elf. Both spurred me into, what was a patient awaiting for the album, dire eagerness for its awesomeness asap!.. And now it's here! 

A Very She & Him Christmas is apparently inspired by seminal holiday albums by the likes of The Carpenters, Vince Guaraldi, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley etc etc...It's oddly taken me a while to get into Christmas this year, but Zooey and Matt have perhaps awaken me from my non-christmas-coma.

F & P.

Classic Motion.

Marina & Andy's Wedding.

An old Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. A classic town hall, an inside swing, brand new moustaches, vintage fur trimmings and a classic New York finish.

Bayyl & Moore (doco & stop motion artists)

I love this. Right through from the dress floating on the swing and the men at the local barber shop to the bike leaning against the LOVE and the books sitting upon the E. 

And most obviously I love the stop motion. 

Love Spin.

Finally the debut video for “Love Spin” is now finished. 

Directed by Stepa & Ilona Vladovskie.

The Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club: Love Spin

SPDSC

A Perfect Dream.

 Love this short film.
 People like Jeana Sohn & Claire Cottrell are so talented.
 Magic realism. 
This second film of theirs reminds me of a sort of Amelie-Alice in Wonderland- Lolita combination. 

That along with gorgeous outfits of frilly socks, pale blues, candy striped blouses, a montage of Karen Walker sunglasses and dreamy neck ties and bows...then you have the absolute dream like state for a setting- well my perfect dream anyway. 

If I could choose a place to be, it would be in this film.

To be an Acquaintance.

An Aesthetic.

Leslie Stein 

When I get to see ones workplace, it's an obsession of mine to try and figure out what it is that inspires them...what kind of person they are, what their aesthetic is. I do the same thing with peoples homes. I love the internet and its invitation into people's living spaces. I'm always watching clips about artists from Brooklyn NYC. They all make me want to live in crammed white loft apartment with canvases lying against each other and empty paint bottles lying on the kitchen bench. Perhaps the move from Wellington to Auckland will inspire a new aesthetic style of living in me...

Sarah Mcneil

Marcel Dzama

Valentina Vos

Karolina Kubik

Julia Pott

Misaki Kawai

A Potentially Irrational Man Rant.

I'm a girl. This is correct. As much as I hate the stereotype given to girls, I accept it because otherwise I would be a hypocrite given my approach to categorising every male in my life in to either one of the categories "Girl-Boy" or "Boy-Boy" (each with their own stereotyped characteristics and warning signs). But like I said, I do hate the stereotype. More so because I have little faith that most males will ever drop it  and actually see a girl as a normal creature not a scientific element; studied, experimented and labelled, rather than the actual irrational emotional connotation it brings onto the female sex at any sign of emotional release. But I suppose what the point of this post is...well a rant really, probably urged on by my friends blog This Is Why I Am Alone. I have been religiously following her posts about a boy she's been seeing. She got me thinking, and laughing-mostly laughing...but thinking about girls. We're all the same. We all think we're going through these irrational emotions alone but we're so far from being alone. I'd also like to point out that the word irrational is overused. Irrational would mean that thoughts are happening without real reason. But there's always reason whether it is of the male cause or the human nature cause. You're not being irrational. You're just good friends with your emotions. Which is unavoidable really. And normal. Guys exagerate this relationship thus the female stereotype which in turn enables a female like myself to create the male stereotype. With the accepting of all this stereotype bull shit, whenever I have a relationship "thought" I seem to say "fuck it". I've always liked this way of concluding my thoughts. But now... reading about the 180' my friend took with her stereotypical boy dilemea, it made me think perhaps there is a flaw in my "fuck it" motto. Is saying "fuck it" a defense mechanism? Yes. Is that a bad thing? I thought no, but now I'm thinking, if my friend had said "fuck it" instead of entertainingly ranting and questioning X's motives, she would have missed out on learning about X's unintentional stall in communication (her most recent post has brought X back into the situation, and as circumstances have it, he never actually left). So here's my dilema, should I stop saying "fuck it" and take things irrationally and romantically or should I continue my seemingly pessimistic "fuck it" motto and pass by those stereotypical dramas that could allow me to- as my friend posted "freaked out. I squealed. I hopped around the study room a little bit. It had been raining earlier on in the afternoon but when I looked outside the clouds were clearing and the sun was peeking out cheekily at me. It was the cheesiest, most cliched weather in the history of mankind and I wish my life were a TV show because ratings at that very instant would’ve soared through the roof.". 

I do like cheesy tv shows. 

Fuck it.

Or shouldn't I?

I haven't ranted like this in a long time.

Thank you This Is Why I'm Alone.

Tear my Heart out.

I can't help but love this video clip. 

The director James Soloman is a wonder of a man who I adore. 

The singer Massad is 18 years old. My flat mate discovered him in the bar Bettys in Wellington one night. 

I don't know if it's my love for things like True Blood, Sky Ferreira & Hitchcock... but for some reason I simply adore the goriness of this video combined with the baking & that thing called love. 

Too deliciously entertaining to not share...

To Kill A Barbie.

This is how you kill a barbie. And kill time when you have two weeks until your next exam. 

We're not quite Harper Lee, but we try.

Grace Kelly's Pyjama Party.

I'v decided to go on a p.j hunt. 

Mix-matched. Silk. Polka dots (usual fav). Collars-always collars. Bows to tie. Buttons all the way down. Beautiful Pjs.

This all makes me think of bubble baths, novels, dangly bows, ribbons, coffee-tea-hotchocolates, Wallace Cotton, floral duvets, excessively large pillows, two heads-one pillow, Grace Kelly & Dorris Day films, pretty prints...

So let these be the multiple reasons for my hunt.

And then post exams (last exams of my life!) I will host a pyjama party. 

You're invited.

Close to Belly.

It's nearly here...

Belly.

You're going to make some really horrible work in the process of getting to the work that you want to make, and its ok to make that horrible work in fact you should definitely make it 'cause otherwise you'll always wonder about trying this different process that doesn't work for you. It's just a process and you have to get through it. 

And don't try and do what everyone else is doing, do what comes naturally to you and whats comfortable. 

Out, About & Lango.

All the Auckland in the World.

It's so strange to think that time is catching up. I've been waiting for post uni life to start, and now it really is. But I vouch that no matter how old I get, if my parents can take ridiculously fun (verging on inappropriate) photos in a travelling photo booth then I cannot start complaining about lack of fun being a consequence of time. 

But I would like for a moment- just a moment, everything to freeze. 

Everything is just so perfectly fun at the moment.

 Not to say that life isn't fun when you get a big creature job and move to a large foreign city with a terrible transport system and a land that tries to claim itself better than the glory that is Wellington....

*pause for dramatic effect here*

However, after visiting this blog and watching this when thinking about making new friends...life does look wonderfully exciting. 

( you do not want to know how Dad made us laugh here...)

From Gaga to Tramp to Wonderful With Tony.

She was so warm and friendly and sweet...I said,

 ‘I’d love to make a recording with you’....

And she said,

 ‘Anything you want, I’ll do it,”

I don't know how to tell you how much I simply adore this video.

 These two wonderful artists complimenting each other's brilliance.  

I'm not going to lie- I'm an old fashioned girl through an through with the likes of Frank & the Rat Pack, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and Natalie Cole...

But I will also admit

to my love of all things played in 'the top 40', 

ergo...this...is wonderful to me.

Arriving Amongst.

I just arrived home from Auckland. 

From an assessment day for a firm that in it's seemingly, casual coolness has an intensely intimidiating graduate programme...

 Amongst the thirty seven of us who made it to the assessment day, there was not one person who didn't deserve the position. 

I could not believe what wonderful creatures this firm had found and brought together for us all to meet in this- albeit quite daunting, environment. 

I don't think I've had so many interesting conversations and laughed with quite so many strangers in quite some time...

Everything you create, whether it exists as visual art, a passage of writing, or something different, becomes part of a dialogue as soon as someone else other than yourself sees it. This is absolutely unavoidable, and sometimes I think people don't really understand this, or maybe they don't want to or they struggle with the idea and fight against it.

Having an intelligent discussion (about art, life, or whatever) where two sides have opposing views can be very enlightening and interesting. If each party has the ability to weigh up the evidence provided to them, and change their point of view based on the evidence, then the world can be like some kind of giant cultural open source project where things slowly get better.