Hello Winter, Can You Please Go Away Now?

I really really hate cold weather, I've been such a recluse these past few months. I haven't been out at all, even the thought of going out is tiring. The good thing is that it's been warming up in the last week or so, but the nights are still bitter cold.

In May I went on a holiday to Shanghai and Tibet (I should post that soon I think), the trip was great except we were both sick in Tibet and that didn't help with the high altitude sickness. I think after you come back from a holiday it's quite normal to feel a little depressed, especially since our trip was so satisfying. It kind of further highlighted the fact that Australia is really quite behind in a lot of things, mainly transport and urban planning side of things. I miss Shanghai with its millions of things to do and see, its easy-as public transport systems, huge shopping malls and of course, the food! I miss having literally millions of choices when it comes to deciding what to eat that day. 

Life back in Sydney kinda sucks, I'm thrown back into the daily mundane routines. I recently got Netflix so it made not going out and having contact with the outside world even easier for me. Feeling very unfulfilled with my life to be honest, everyday is laced with self doubt and just a general disinterest in things and people. I feel like perhaps this will go away when the warmer months come, well I hope so anyway. 

Yes I'm a Introvert, So What?

Ever since when I was a child, people around me, including my parents have always said that I was too shy. I didn't like talking to strangers (like that was a bad thing anyway). "She'll grow out of it later" is generally the answer given when asked. When I didn't grow out of it the comments turned into criticism. Over the years, those comments didn't stop, not just coming from older generations but my own peers. 

So I feel like I should clear some things up, not just for me but also all the other introverts out there. No, introverts does not equal to antisocial people. Rather, we like to be alone with our own thoughts. A lot of the time, large gatherings and social events are very mentally draining for me. But that doesn't mean I can't handle social situations, I can hold a conversation with a stranger perfectly fine, but smalltalk bores and tires me and I feel the need to escape. I like spending time by myself but that doesn't mean I'm lonely. There's nothing more annoying than having someone you know keep bugging you to keep them company because they can't stand spending a few hours alone. You should be responsible for your own happiness. 

What's even more ridiculous is that I've been told in the past that if I really tried, I could stop being like this. Like there's this magical button I can press and voila! Social Tian! I prefer to observe and listen, there's a lot to be learned about a person by just listening to them and observing their demeanor. So what if I don't care about where you went on holiday this year, stranger who I probably won't see again for the rest of my life? So what if I don't want to tell you my life story, person who I just met 10 minutes ago, is that so wrong? Even when I'm with my inner circle of friends, there are times when I feel like I've had enough of this and I need to be by myself for a while. 

There is no right and wrong to this, it's just what it is. Everybody is different and are free to choose how they live their lives. So for another person to criticize me for being simply how I am is just offensive and ignorant. I can't just perk up because you feel like I'm being boring and needs to be less of a party pooper. A lot of people these days like to get to know everybody for the sake of 'networking', it's like another way of saying "I'm gonna be an acquaintance for now so that when I need you for something I'll contact you ok?". Well what if I just want to spend my time and energy on people who I actually care about and deserves my attention?

So yes, keep judging me for being antisocial and a ice queen, for being different than you are. I'm sorry that I'd rather stay home and do absolutely nothing than go to bs social gatherings that I'm obligated to. No, I'm not depressed or self indulgent. Yes keep telling me that I'll never make it because I don't know how to talk to people 'properly', but you don't know me and you never will. I'm just being me, if that offends you so then maybe you should go and eff off.

My Little Art Project

Having spent most of August indoors I had a surge in my creativity last week and decided to redecorate my place. Although the job of decorating is never done, I've decided to change the whole theme of the apartment, big job ahead indeed. But last week was the 1 year anniversary of our first date and Jules made me dinner which was very lovely of him. 

These are currently hanging on my bedroom wall, the typewriter print is from Ikea. It never seizes to amaze me just how exciting going to Ikea is and I always come back with stuff I didn't intend to buy in the first place. The idea came to me when I was browsing Etsy for prints and thought, hang on I can do these too. I've always worked with Acrylic paints so this time I chose watercolour, I really like watercolour paintings especially fashion drawings. Something about the transparency and texture of the paint really appeals to me.

Sophie (his dog next to him) was actually an accident. I was opening a tube of new paint and it splattered onto the paper (oh the screaming and frustration that followed). Then, while I was staring at the mustard yellow on the paper thinking how I'm going to clean that up I suddenly thought of Sophie. She was a Labrador, Labrador are that kind of colour! And so here she is, for my one it just wouldn't make any sense not to put my cat Joe in there too. 

It took less time than I had expected having had little to no experience working with watercolour. But I find these 2 quite charming and they're one of a kind. 

Whenever I start missing you I shall look at these and smile :)

Leopold the Bunny Rabbit

I've never really played with a lot of dolls when I was a kid and in my adult life the dolls that I got was bought for my cat to tear up. 

So it's Saturday night, Jules and I are waiting around for my friend Annie to finish up her date. We decided to go play the skill tester machines, the ones that are obviously rigged so you keep trying to catch the dolls. Anyway, I've never been good at those things so it was up to Jules to get some kind of a prize since he's always been the lucky one at these things. After many attempts and a lot of swearing, Jules finally caught this bunny. At first I thought, oh another one for Joe to tear up but then I looked at him more closely and somehow I kinda fell in love with his little face, his colourful triangles and his long limbs and ears.

The next day I decided to take some photos of him and thought it'd be funny to put him on this little rocking horse with some props and it all started from there. The next thing I knew I even got him some clothes lol. I took a few shots of him riding a scooter and posing with a bike and even introduced him to LSP.

"Oh..my..glob! He is so hot! Look at those man lumps!" is what I imagine she would say.   
 
I actually have a lot of fun putting him in poses and scenarios and here's just an introduction to Leopold (that's what I named him btw), so there's probably gonna be more snaps of him on here in the future. 

Anyway, hope everyone's had a good weekend. It's so darn cold these days all I want to do is curl up in a ball in my bed and nap all day. But no, I have to get up and work. (boo..)

 

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I am very much addicted to Instagram at the moment and so I have created an account for Yes Latte Please. Follow me @yeslatteplease

There's going to be more fashion collages than on the blog so keep an eye out for more to come y'all!

Love Me, Hate Me, Just Don't Leave Me

Let's talk about something rather interesting today: Love & Marriage. Couple of days ago I read an article that goes: according to current statistics, couples of our generation (born in the late 80's) would have a divorce rate of more than 68%. That means 7 out of 10 married couples will end up getting divorced. Scary isn't it?

Let's not go into too much detail about why people get divorced, obviously every couple is different. But have you ever thought about what if you just don't get married?
When I was younger, maybe about 10 years ago, I thought the idea of marriage was rather stupid. I thought it was something that society has forced onto us because it was the 'norm'; it is what is expected of us. Now, approaching the good ol' 30's mark in my life, the thought of getting married no longer seemed 'stupid'. I guess like everyone else, I do not want to be alone. So, because they don't want to be alone, a lot of people chose to get married to someone they do not love, for the sake of getting married. There's also the stigma of not marrying, people will start to judge and question if there's something wrong with you. I find the idea of being in a loveless marriage lonelier than actually being alone, but that's just me. 

I used to work with a lady who never got married or had any serious relationships; she was in her 50's and just simply did not give a damn. Her spare time is filled with yoga classes, mahjong nights and social outings; she was one of the happiest people I know. So I guess it is possible to be alone and happy, or at least I'd like to believe she is actually happy.

Love! Everyone wants to be in love. But falling in love is the easy part, it's everything else that is hard. 

Love makes us blind, deaf and stupid. We willingly hand over our hearts, when it gets crushed, some of us learn to move on and some of us don't. All is fair in love and war, right? Wrong! Love is never fair, there will always be one person who is in deeper than the other. 

There are also those people who seem to be stuck in the same pattern when it comes to relationships, every time a relationship ends they blame everything and everyone else except for themselves. Too many times I've heard girls say "why can't he be more caring? Why can't he do xx or xx for me??" Well, if you don't tell him what you want how would you expect him to do it? He can't read your mind for one. I know a lot of girls who also have this mindset of "because I'm a girl so he has to do all the work to please me and make all the moves", please, it's the 21st century, girls can make the first moves too now. 
 
Physical attraction is important but it will fade, when the initial excitement of a new relationship is gone that's when the problems start. The happiest couples are the ones who see each other as their best friend first and then lovers, it's them against the world, they've got each other's back no matter what. 

Relationships are important life lessons, most importantly you learn something about yourself every time. When I became single last year, I made a mental list of the kind of guy I was going to be with from then on: smart, handsome, charming, good job, caring etc. The kind of guy that every girl wants essentially. Funny enough, someone like that did come along and I'd be lying if I said I was not tempted. He ticked all the boxes and we had a lot of fun together. But gut instincts told me not to trust him and I think I only hung around because he met my expectations. Then I realised, I don't actually like him. Just goes to prove that you can have all the criteria you want, but you can't choose who you fall in love with. I know a lot of girls would think I'm extremely stupid but thinking back on it now, he was all sweet talk and compliments but never actually did what he promised. Life sets these lessons out for you but whether you learn anything from it well, that's up to you. 

Sometimes the right one for you is not someone who says they love you out loud but the ones who show you that they do. It might be things like giving you their jacket when it's cold or letting you have the last piece of food every time. But these things, as insignificant as they are, say they love you more than anything. The most romantic thing I've heard was not "I'll die without you" or "I'll love you to the moon and back" but rather "I'll try my hardest to give you the life you want now that I have you". 

Love doesn't always have to have fireworks and intensity, sometimes just having them there is enough. People get hurt but they dust themselves off and try again, I believe that finding true love is worth the effort no matter how grim it might seem at first. It takes a lot of courage to make yourself vulnerable to another person. While it's understandable why some people might choose to be alone for the rest of their lives, sometimes when we stop looking, the right one just happens to appear. Perhaps that's what makes life so beautiful. 

Sydney turns its lights on...Vividly

The annual Vivid Sydney has started, this is actually the first year I've been and it did not disappoint. The idea is simple, to transform iconic buildings and structures in Sydney city with lights, music and projections. 

I personally think it's a great idea to get people out and about, to explore the city, to see these buildings that we've seen a thousand times in a different light. The atmosphere is great too, filled with people and music. Everyone is cheery, well minus the grumpy/sleepy kids getting dragged around by their parents. There's a night market full of food stalls in The Rocks, I had the best cheeseburger with truffled mayo there. Also a very nice pulled pork roll, the roll would've been perfect if the bun was softer. We had to separate the trip into 2 days as there was a lot to see and also by 11 we were extremely tired from all the walking around. The first night we just went around The Rocks and Circular Quay. The Opera House was definitely the highlight of the night. Each projection sequence told a story accompanied by music or narration, you could literally stand there all night, it was just that mesmerising. 

For the second trip we went on a Wednesday night which means a lot less crowd, hooray! Darling harbour comes alive with a Aquatique show, a show made up of water sprays, lasers and music. The show starts at 6pm so you better come a bit earlier to get a seat at the best spot if you want to see anything. The images actually gets projected onto the water spray which forms a screen, quite cool. 

Martin Place also gets a few installations, there was a lit up skull which can turn into someone's face via a camera. A what seems to be a mash up of speakers and lights...thing. A very awesome water feature that spells out words and images with water drops. A dome made up of changing light tubes. Food stalls and then there's my favourite, the MLC centre. Here, you will see creativity and imagination come alive as the centre is transformed into a giant tree. 

Vivid Sydney, worth going to the city for. Even though it is in the end just a bunch of lights, it does make a very fun night out exploring the city.

A guide to Industrial Chic

Our homes should be the place we love coming back to, so there's no reason why we shouldn't bring fashion and style into how we decorate our homes. I am loving Industrial Chic right now, think lofts, large open spaces with hanging pendants, natural woods, dark accents, vintage mixed with modern lines. To avoid the blandness of having only black and white, I would suggest adding pops of bright colours like the lemon yellow shown in the collage. It will liven up the room but do it in moderation, too much will be too busy for the eyes. This will also be the perfect chance for you to display your favourite black and white photographs and artworks, hang them in different sized frames on shelves or the wall to create that collage look. This is the perfect style for a bachelor pad don't you think?

For all the items and the prices click on the image.

Created using Polyvore

Meet Wilhemina & Friends

This is Wilhemina, she's a little girl who accidentally found a magical hat in the forest one day. After putting the hat on her head, she was cursed with a beard (lol, that's really terrible and funny at the same time). The hat made her the queen of the forest creatures known as the Tomos. She can never remove the hat or she'll die, oh the cruel fate!

Wilhemina & friends is created by the talented Mr Julian of course. It's about a group of very unique and quirky characters and their little adventures.Speaking of web comics, I normally read the horror genre (look up Bongcheon-Dong Ghost by HORANG and be prepared to scream like a little girl!!) but this really appeals to my inner cutesy girly stuff liking side. I must say, Jules really has put a lot of time and effort into these comics, I wish I had the patience and persistence to do these kind of things but I don't :(

They remind me of childhood and the silly little things kids get up to, ah the innocence and wonder...

There's also a alternate universe where everyone are K-Pop stars aka [Angel-6], so if you're into k-pop then you'll have a blast reading the stories around these ladies and more.

If you like anime and have a quirky sense of humour then do check out the website for all the comics and artwork.

http://wilheminaandfriends.com/

Thoughts on: Zoos

Today I read an article on Copenhagen Zoo killing 4 of their lions because the zoo thought they were too old and did not fit into their breeding program so in other words, they no longer had any use to the zoo and had to be put down. As I was reading this article I could feel my blood boiling, I did not understand why killing these animals was the only option. They did not try to seek other zoos or sanctuaries to re-home these lions, at the end of the day, to them these were just old animals who cannot bring anymore profitability to the zoo and therefore needs to be gotten rid of. So it didn't surprise me to hear the public outcry that came after this event, after all, the reason why zoos exist is to protect animal, right? Well, after this I'm not so sure anymore, I've always thought the purpose of zoos and sanctuaries is to protect endangered species and to reserve gene pools for breeding programs, that's why zoos around the world swap animals to breed and save them from extinction. But I guess that's only a small part of the existence of a zoo, the real reason is pure and simple, profitability. It's quite sad if you think about it, these animals which have been taken from their natural habitats and then locked up in small enclosures (clean ones if they're lucky), live an very boring and demeaning life. They're there solely for the entertainment of people. This is not the first time Copenhagen zoo has seen a backlash from the people, it decided to kill off a perfectly healthy young Giraffe called Marius because Marius again, did not have a place in the zoo anymore. He was no longer a cute baby giraffe and they did not want him to breed because they already had other males with genes similar to his. Marius was lured to a secluded spot in the Giraffe enclosure with his favourite food by his caretakers and shot in the head. His body was then cut up and shown to the crowd as a educational autopsy show. The zoo still decided to kill him even though several other zoos offered to take him off of their hands. To me, none of this made any sense. Marius did not have to die, he could've lived out his life in another zoo, had a mate and was allowed to have offspring. Instead, he was betrayed by the people he learnt to trust and died because humans were too lazy and stupid to take care of him any longer. 

While some zoos and caretakers actually deeply care about the welfare of their animals because it is hard work taking care of these animals, other zoos like Copenhagen zoo simply places profits over what zoos are supposed to be doing and that is protecting and caring for ALL animals they own. These animals did not choose to be in zoos, they don't belong in any man made environments, they belong in their natural habitats to live as they wish. It is truly saddening to read such articles, especially from a developed country like Denmark. What makes us humans is that we have compassion towards our own kind and other species, we know how to differentiate the right from wrong, the good from bad. So it really baffles me to see that the zoo still proceeded to kill their animals even though the public clearly did not agree, I mean after all, you want the public to keep supporting the zoo don't you? 


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140326-lions-copenhagen-zoo-killing-animals-world-science/#close-modal

Seedlings!!

So Jules have given me this Shippon animal planter thing for Christmas last year, I've only taken it out and planted the seeds a few days ago and now they're sprouting like crazy! It's actually quite interesting the rate that they're growing, It's given me something to do during the working day, staring at plants lol. I think watching them grow is making me more excited than I should be, maybe it's due to the fact that all the plants that I've had all died on me in the past....

Stay tuned for the progress of these little seedlings! Grow my pretty, grow! :D