May in Overview

Excited about...

Holidaaaay! Oh my God, I just can't wait to be free of schoolwork and classes anymore! We—my class—are currently facing finals and we've been buried with project after project. That is besides my actual job which has been more time-consuming than I originally thought. But it's earning me some money so I can't really complain. Maybe I should really blog less—although it really hasn't messed with my schedules much. Also, Ramadan will be starting soon and I am a bit nervous and excited about it. Sadly, we won't be visiting the grandparents this year but, hopefully, that means I can explore the city more. Yaay!

Currently reading...

Rotkäppchen muss weinen by Beate Teresa Hanika. This is the first ever German novel that I bought and I was instantly entranced by the cover and the title. They suggest quite simply of the loss of innocence and a bittersweet summer day. This book was actually bought in 2011, shortly after my arrival in Germany. Back then, however, my German wasn't so good so it took quite an effort to read this book and it felt more like work than pleasure. For years I've been trying to start over and over but failed for one and other reasons. Finally, this month I managed to finished this book in...a week? It's an absolutely beautiful read and I'm glad I bought it. It jogged in me a desire to read other German books.

The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer. Just as promised, here's my little review on this book here. It tells the story of a South African woman who met a man from another country—possibly somewhere in the Middle East—who has been staying in her country illegally for a while. The way it is told is absolutely unique, in which neither the hero nor the heroine seem significant for the story—as if they can be easily replaced by another white SA woman and a Middle Eastern man. The story is also told in an almost detached way, as though the story is told for the sake of telling the story. Also, absolutely love the note it ended with. No wonder Nadine Gordimer won a Nobel Prize.

Currently watching...

Community Channel. If you like everyday comedy and witty thoughts, this is the channel for you. Nat is absolutely hilarious and I cannot believe it took me this long to find her. It's very rare to find Australian vloggers for me—or maybe I'm just not trying hard enough, like that time I say it's hard to find Australian books. Her witty thoughts turn everyday scenes into laughable sitcoms and I actually hurt my face from all the laughing. The best part is, these are everyday scenes that I can absolutely relate to—although some of them are a little too far off for me.

Thinking about...

Starting a webcomic. Man, this section just seems like the all-talk-no-action section, where I share with you something or other that I've been meaning to do but never happened. Right now, I know this one is a little unrealistic since I have tons of other stuff to make before I can even think about starting a webcomic. Plus, my current schedule doesn't allow me to have free time to be consistent with posting a chapter for a webcomic regularly. But I've been trying to refine some old stories I have—I've got to finish the, uhh, badges for each story to remind myself of what I've written (in my head) so far—and trying to finish them all concretely. Wouldn't it be nice to have my stories legitimised and concrete after all these years?

Been obsessed with pokémon this whole month // a couple books I bought from Big Bad Wolf Book Sale // guilty-pleasure fritter, yum! // the #artvsartist tag 'coz why not? // hanging out with my siblings after a stressful week // sucky Monday is sucky // my work at TigaGenerasi // aneka bubur across the station I've been lusting after // hanging out with Uli at Pigeonhole Coffee

Mix It Up a Notch: White Chiffon Peterpan

One of those rare basics in my wardrobe. It was originally manufactured by H&M but I thrifted it at Mädchenflohmarkt held by my uni. The item itself doesn't necessarily possess good quality but it does offer comfort and convenience. Its chiffon material is quite breezy, which makes it incredibly suitable for the warmer seasons. Since it was bought within the last few months before my departure from Germany—which just so happens to be summer—it has yet to see the colder months, so I have no idea how it would fare during autumn or winter. Its very versatile colour really helps me when I'm stumped with deciding a basic to wear with a certain 'loud' piece. And thank heavens white works with practically anything! I absolutely love the cutesy detail of the peter pan collar and the textural pattern on the collar and the line parting in the middle, turning any casual outfit into something a little playful and feminine, which is always how I roll.

Ethical Fashion: Stella McCartney

Who doesn't know Stella McCartney? You would at least know her father, Paul McCartney, right? Well, his daughter is a renowned fashion designer, apparently. I've known Stella McCartney as a brand for several years now, but I never thought that her brand is ethical. As a matter of fact, they are actually the world's first and only vegetarian luxury brand. Their manufacturing process is thoroughly laid out on their website and they talk in depth about their attempt to live up to the ethical label status that they uphold. It is their understanding that they are not perfect as a brand and try to keep monitoring every aspect of their production process to ensure the most ethical procedure possible is being practiced in their factories.

Not only is their commitment something to be applauded for, their style and unique designs often catch the eyes of celebrities and the greater public alike. The use of several different patterns in cuts that are far from conventional is enough to attract attention. The style is chic yet with a vintage '70s and '80s vibe possibly—with all the crazy patterns and almost abstract placing. The silhouette is very modern but with a touch of classic quirks that has lasted almost a lifetime. Not only do they have clothes, Stella McCartney as a label also produces bags, accessories and lingeries. They claim not to use any animal byproduct in their items, for environmental and health reasons—they use leather alternative instead, which you can read more about here. Not just for women, Stella McCartney also provides clothes for children.

Stella also collaborates with various organisations to keep up to date with the latest ethical practice as well as the latest environmental issues to fight. I think it is amazing how bold and brave Stella McCartney is in sticking to her belief in creating her garments. Her brand has become a household name for all fashion enthusiasts worldwide—and to think that it's ethical!—which hopefully will inspire other high end brands as well as fashion icons to switch to more ethical practices—both for people and the environment. Even Anna Wintour acknowledges and supports her work in bringing sustainability into the elite community and high fashion industry. Let's just hope other brands will soon follow suit in her footsteps.

Monthly Read: The Mysterious Benedict Society

It's that time of the month again when I get to recommend a book to you. This week's series—again—is a children/young adult book which I loved to read in high school: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.  It is also a trilogy, telling the story of four extraordinary children who got recruited by Mr. Benedict to stop Mr. Curtain, a criminal mastermind, from trying to take over the world. These orphans live with Mr. Benedict and his quirky crew, to be surrounded by puzzles and knowledge every single day. There are Reynie, the outside-of-the-box thinker and pack leader; Sticky, the nervous nelly with a bald head and tremendous memory; Kate, the overactive and creative lass with her bucket of tools; and—my favourite—Constance, the temperamental and stubborn girl who likes to create poems when she's irritated. The story is filled with many excellent jokes for all ages, incredibly orchestrated puzzles as well as lovely quirks for all the characters—even Mr. Curtain! The first book is illustrated by Carson Ellis but the rest are done by Diana Sudyka, who does all the covers as well. It's really all well written, with amazing character development and wonderful plot twists—but, really, the puzzles are why we're here to stay.

The series got me so hooked that I actually purchased two extra books to the instalment: Mr. Benedict's Perplexing Puzzles and The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict. The first one, as the name suggests, is simply a book of puzzles, which are supposedly created by Mr. Benedict himself. If you love puzzles—as I do, this will be a great book to have on a train trip when you need to occupy yourself with a task. The puzzles can be quite hard to do too—I'm not even finished with it yet! But the answers can be found at the very last pages of the book, although it really doesn't help you understand the puzzle, just helps you get the answer. The second one is the prequel of the whole series which tells the story of Mr. Benedict's childhood in an orphanage—which is strange because there was no mention of Mr. Curtain at all. It is quite difficult to imagine the helpless boy from this book—though smart from the start—will become the savvy and intelligent man in the series. But it really does help you understand how he can relate so well to the children, especially Reynie. Just talking about this series makes me want to re-read them! Have you read them yet? Let me know what you think!

A New Commitment

At the beginning of the month, my good friend Cynthia and I went to the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale in BSD. As a self-proclaimed bookworm, it was a temptation which is hard to resist. It was probably one of the biggest book bargain sales to happen in this big city—and it was super crowded. People lose their shit over cheap(er) books—that they were willing to cut lines and abandon common courtesy altogether. We didn't realise how packed it would be and decided to come there rather late, which cost us a couple hours to wait in line—which is about 2/3 of the time we spent there. It was insane! But, luckily, there were still a plethora of books to choose from and I went completely nuts. I might have chosen over 10 books that I would love to buy...but had to cut it down to 2 because—let's face it!—I haven't got a money tree yet. To be honest, the bargain wasn't all it's cut out to be—I've seen books marked way cheaper before—but it sure did offer a lot of titles I have yet to see elsewhere. This book is one of the two I picked up—get it?—and I absolutely love it so far! It is set in South Africa and tells a love story shrouded in politics and culture. I'll talk about it more at the end of month for sure!

Book of Deer top // thrifted skirt (flea market) + loafers (vintage) // old hairband + satchel // photos by Jess

I've been meaning to style my Book of Deer pieces some more but it's been mighty difficult to find the time to lens them. Funny thing is: I wear them all the time! And I've been trying to figure out ways in which I think, "Eilidh might like this," you know—because I would hate to disappoint the designer. This time I thought I'd opt for something a little brighter and...uhh, bold? I don't know what to call it. Also, I just realised how perfect Eilidh's pieces are for reading. This is the look I would imagine a bookworm would rock. I hope she will be inspired by libraries sometime in the future—she hasn't done a collection on that, right?—because I'd get all over that in a heartbeat. Also, from now on, I will label items in my outfit as "old", if it isn't manufactured ethically—or at least sweatshop-free—as I don't want to support their practice any longer. The way I see it, even though I've stopped purchasing from them but if I showcase them here, people will be interested to check out their store and eventually make a purchase—which will indirectly be my fault. Or maybe I'm just being way too serious for my own good...again.