Sunday, November 24, 2013

sand shoes & dickie bow


Notice I didn't post it until everyone's seen it?

...Huh? 

......Huh? 


It shows respect :P

DISCLAIMER: If you haven't seen the latest 50th anniversary special of Doctor Who and intend to watch it. Don't read any further!


So here is my review of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special.



According to Wikipedia there was an immediate cascade of positive responses and the rest of the world seems to be applauding at the latest episode's genius...

...Not in my case.

I guess at my small get together that comprised of a Doctor Who-noob, a part-time fan, a slightly more enthusiastic part-time fan (yours truly) and a fully qualified curator of all things wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey, there was one unanimous response: shock.

And it's taken me a while to break down that shock into words and here they are:

The bad

So my friend (who absolutely loved the episode) texted me asking me what I thought were the low points. 

Haha she really shouldn't have done that.

Here were my responses:


The zygons just forget they're a zygon? Hm. I feel like Moffat at that point panicked about having enough time to solve the Time War problem so he just pushed the issue of the zygons aside and left it hanging. 
What happened to the rest of them? How about the ones that are not in the room? 
This is something we never find out. 


Apologies for the grammatical errors but that text pretty much explains how I feel about the decision to change the ending of the Time War. 


Oh Clara Oswald. What you've gone through.

You were introduced as this dynamic badass that used her computing skills to save the Doctor and his companions and blow up a whole planet owned by the Daleks.
And then you just lost your magic...

I can't blame you. Bad writers and bad episodes did that to you but in this episode, you were merely the companion and occasionally a plot device. 
You aren't really a character anymore. 
Sorry. 

The alright

There were some things which I thought were a bit of a mix of good and bad:





The good

But just like my feelings for the Les Miserables movie, I felt the good points really skyrocketed.
Here they are:





AND of course...the Doctor himself.

Or should I say the Doctors...


I love the comparisons of the three: the warrior, the one that regrets and the one that forgets. It truly gives the idea that the three represent the same person but at different stages in his life and the interaction of the three is a big ball of chaotic, catastrophic, dynamic, symphonic, schizophrenic hilarity. Definitely the high point of the show. 

And there you have it. Quite simply put: I have mixed feelings that lean closer to the positive side so it's a 3.5/5 from me!

6GD9A72ANP3D

Recipe: Chocolate pie w/almond crumb topping

I have friends coming over today to watch the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary special (I live in Australia and too lazy for the original airing). My parents are making their famous dumplings while I decided to make a chocolate pie with almond crumb topping for dessert.


Here is the recipe if anyone's interested:

Pie crust
1. Place 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 8 tbsp butter into a bowl and mix well.
2. Combine with 2 tbsp cold water to make stick together.
3. Pat into disc and set in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Topping
1. Stir 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl.
2. Mix in 4 tbsp butter with fingers till mixture looks like crumbs.

When the dough has set for at least 30 minutes.
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Roll out the dough on surface lightly dusted with flour. Roll up into a ball once more.
3. Place in middle of greased pan (8-inch diameter) and begin moulding into shape of pan.
4. Wrap pan in glad wrap and place back in fridge.

Filling
1. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a separate bowl.
2. Melt 3 tbsp butter and 250g dark chocolate in a pan. Add to sugar mixture and mix well till thick. 
3. Pour into pie crust pan.

Finishing up...
1. Carefully place almond topping on top of the chocolate mixture.
2. Place on bottom rack of oven and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Reduce temperature to 150 degrees Celsius and place on middle rack. Cook for another 40 minutes.

Taking it out.
1. Let the pie cool down for at least 10 minutes.
2. Using a knife, carve out the outline of the pie so it doesn't stick to the edge of the pan.
3. Put a plate that is bigger than the pie on top and flip together with pan upside down. The pie should slip out when you pull the pan off.
4. With another plate, flip the pie right side up.

And voila!





















And for all you Whovians, don't forget.....
























Fish fingers and custard!!! :P


Saturday, November 23, 2013

the rocks + clothes, clothes & more clothes!

I spent most of my morning shopping and ended up running late for one of my dance classes so instead I decided to explore the Rocks.








On my way to dance...


AND as promised...

clothes, clothes & MORE CLOTHES! 























Thursday, November 21, 2013

Review: Prism -- Katy Perry


I make a note of not buying CDs unless I think the artist/music is worth the novelty of hoarding up dust in my room.

And quite recently I've allowed Katy Perry that honour. 

In the past, I've neither disliked nor liked Katy Perry. I found her music videos tacky (and quite frankly I still thought her video for Roar was too campy for my taste, especially for a song that wants to be taken seriously), however I always admired her as a vocalist and found her songs fun to bop along to when I was in a "boppy" mood.


Her latest CD, Prism, marks a change in direction in terms of her style, sound and persona. Once known for being the rebellious teenage girl that shocked her pastor parents by singing, I kissed a girl and I liked it! Katy Perry has quickly blossomed into a mature young woman, who is ready to accept changes in her life and career whilst simultaneously pulling the world along with her.

Her album Prism, although still laden with electro-pop influences and heavy bass lines, showcases a less flamboyant side of Katy, rather highlighting her more vulnerable and sensitive counterpoint. The lyrics of the song, although remaining in a similar structure musically to her previous works, convey her struggle through her divorce and her thoughts on suicide (By The Grace Of God). 

I, personally, was mostly drawn to the last couple of songs in the album as they seem to be a lot more musically innovative, moving away from the conventional mainstream electro-pop sound. The appearance of a piano (albeit electric) in This Moment was a refreshing contrast against the crackling bass, showcasing a bold experimentation with Christian and pop music elements. Similarly, Double Rainbow pulled the instruments into the background, putting Katy's vocals in the foreground so as to emphasise the lyrics, a move which is rare in this current age of mainstream pop. By The Grace Of God was by far the most moving and raw and this was reflected in the music that started off with a simple piano accompaniment. The build-up into a more complex texture in the chorus seemed to run synonymous to the way a movie builds to a resolution. And in the context of the song, it just about nails it. 

Overall, the album is a new creative height for Katy Perry and I would recommend anyone to get it, even if they aren't a Katy Perry fan, just to see how far this incredible young artist has come. 

I give it a 4/5 rating. 


New boots!

These are my new boots from Payless Shoes (they cost $20!). I'm hoping that they will get me through Winter, rainy days and moments when I feel the urge to tap dance... :P


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Dressing provocatively

Ok. I'm a little bit guilty of this one. 

Although, I don't feel guilty at all so...

What's the deal?

Ok, here's the basic breakdown:

I'm guilty of the act of dressing provocatively but I don't feel guilty about it.

Wow, I'm such a criminal! :P

I was just thinking today of why us girls are so drawn to the idea of dressing provocatively and I came up with a number of reasons:
1. To attract the attention of boys (or girls )
2. To look sexy
3. Because it's cool
4. Because it's the latest fashion and they're an avid fashion addict
5. Because it's too hot to wear anything else... 

...etc. etc. 

They're all pretty similar reasons to why people drink alcohol: everyone's got their own reason for doing it.

So I decided to give you my reason on why I do it.

I live by a very simple philosophy when it comes to my appearance: 

Dress in a way that makes you feel confident.

If you dress in clothes that you're comfortable in, that fit you, that reflect who you are and match your hair, skin, eyes, nails etc., it makes a huge difference to the way the world views you . You not only exude confidence but you also give the impression that you are educated and self-aware. 

Now let me link back this philosophy to why I dress provocatively:

It makes me feel confident.

I have the kind of body that isn't model skinny but is still toned enough to look good in tight dresses and high heels. And for your information, I can walk in those heels. Two years of dancing in them and weekly ballet classes have secured my ability to walk on toes with the unsteady support of a thin stick (which is essentially the art of walking on heels). I like wearing provocative clothes because it flatters my body and makes me feel confident. 

I guess there is a line that must be drawn when it comes to dressing provocatively such as attending church, funerals, bar mitzvahs etc. but I don't want to bore you with a list of dos and don'ts when it comes to dressing yourself because at the end of the day, you're a human being. You're a manifestation of intelligent, sentient life and you should be able to decide by observation and intuition what is appropriate to wear when.

And I'm also assuming that you, as an intelligent male specimen of the human race, can also learn to decide how to appropriately act around a girl who is dressed provocatively. Remember: you can't control what you feel but you can control what you do. 

So the bottom line is: there's nothing wrong with dressing provocatively (in my opinion at least), just make sure you use common sense. 

Review: Models Prefer Fashionista Colour Palette



This is a great example of the classic rule: don't judge a book by its cover. Technically I didn't really do that since I've used other Models Prefer products before and I was very happy with their results but with this one I'm a little bit underwhelmed.

Let's just start with the elephant in the room: the eyeshadows. Although, the palette provides us with a total of 48 eyeshadow shades, the brighter shades (pinks, greens, purples and blues) are barely strong enough to make any visual impact. Given I have dark skin, I decided I should use the trick of applying on white eyeshadow first before I made any solid conclusions. The result: it barely made a difference with only a thin layer of colour being visible around my eyes.

The only solution to combat this is to apply copious amounts of eyeshadow to my eye lids but with the small serving sizes of each colour, I'll run out within weeks. 

However, there are some positives that are found in the blush and the darker eyeshadow shades. Unlike their brighter counterpoints, the darker shades create a much more defining look and with the variety of colours, allows for some interesting blending. The blush however is the cream of the crop. The variety of shades allows you to create a variety of looks from just slightly tan to a cute doll face. The brown square pot is also great for contouring.

All in all, I've got mixes feelings for this product. I would rate it 2/5.






Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Kitty+Summer'stagramed

Here are just some Instagram shots of the back of my house and my cat.








Friday, November 15, 2013

That Break

Sometimes it only takes one moment to change everything.

Just one more straw to break the camel's back.

You do what you can to fix it, make it all be normal again but you can't. It's done. Something has changed.

You're scared.