Not All Girls Like Pink

I don't think I've done a Music Monday segment on Ben Howard, an English singer-songwriter but he's a good listen. Only Love is rather popular but I really like Promise. It kinda leaves you feeling light and inspired. It brings out the wanderer in me and I'd put this in my Rainy Day playlist for sure! UPDATED: Now this one is kinda poetic too. This was just released and I sooo love the video. If you like Music Monday's you might also like following this Facebook page . There's some rather interesting songs in there too. :)

As you get older, you're supposed to get wiser...right? So I got to thinking about what I've learned over time. And taking my queue from Phil in Modern Family , I decided to write down my words of wisdom which I live by and to commemorate turning 29! Mel'osophy: 1. Talking to yourself doesn't mean you're crazy. 2. Papercuts happen. Often. So go paperless! 3. Everybody is somebody else's weirdo. 4. Always wear a spot of colour. You never know when you might need some cheer. 5. Look at pretty pictures. It helps you see the world a little differently OR it helps you stay disillusioned about the world. 6. Coffee is good. 5 cups... not so much. 7. Girls should sometimes indulge in chocolates and champagne. I said SOMETIMES. 8. Give hugs. Often. Great big squeezes which knock the wind out of people. People know when hugs are half hearted. 9. Have tech-free weekends. It helps to know you can survive if Revolution happens. 10. Sing out loud ev

The monsoon season brings torrential rain every evening just as we get ready to leave work. I loveee the rain. Getting my feet wet in the streets of KL - now that I absolutely hate.

How do folk singers do it? How do they string words together that make you wanna cry, dance and be still all at once?  Well, coming across Elena Tonra’s music made me feel just that. Her lyrics are beautiful and if you know me, I'm a sucker for folksy heart-on-the-sleeve acoustic guitar driven music so this was a happy find. Throw in some ambient soundscapes and it adds texture to what would be an otherwise ordinary (but still nice) folk song.  I love "Youth" the best but do check out some of her other songs if you like what you hear!

One of my favourite pasta and pizza joint in KL offers a rather affordable dinner a hop, skip and jump away from where I work. Today my husband and I decided that we needed a treat so we indulged in our favourite - Pasta AND Pizza! As soon as we sat down, my favourite song came on the in-house speaker. Ryan Adams version of Wonderwall was playing and that kicked off a rather delightful evening of conversation, good food and good music. :)

I recently watched a video on Oh Joy ! and came across this band called Stella Stagecoach . The band consists of two brothers - Matthew and Tim Morgan from Georgia. Now i couldn't find the song "Everything you Say" which was the song I initially heard on the video but I came across an Acoustic version of "Stars" which Matthew Morgan performed with Jeremy Larson which is equally precious! Now if you wanna know who Jeremy Larson is, well that's a whole other artist you HAVE to look up! He's married to one of my all-time favourite bloggers/crafter/small business owner - Elsie Flannigan who runs Red Velvet Shop  and blogs at A Beautiful Mess .

SO I'm not really doing very well with this photo a day project. I've got pictures in my camera and in my phone but none of it has been uploaded! But I'm gonna keep on at it and backdate some of the pics when I find time. Here's two little hidden hearts I found printed on my skirt today. Taken from this angle it sorta forms a face which is an incredible little sight when you think about it. My black and white print skirt has a 'Hidden Mickey!'  Or in this case, a hidden TIKI ! 

I recently discovered Milo Greene and what a gem of a find to come across! They're an LA based indie folk band with four lead singers none of which are named Milo. Quirky! It's pretty fresh and their harmonising is probably what's drawing me back to them. It sometimes feels like the drums and percussion are the driving force as they enter each song but that's cool too. I love everything I've heard so far, so take a listen to this full performance on KEXP .  

I bought this book on copywriting recently and it's been helping me tons with writing for web/video. In an attempt to write as much as I read, I've been checking out video segments and trying my hand at script writing. It's a little different from the feature articles or event reviews and previews I usually write, but it's a good challenge for me creatively to visualise a storyboard as i fill it with words.  Lately, I've been hooked on Garance Doré video segments on her blog. It's so natural and I love the way stories are told through her short clips and < 10 min interviews. I think she's heading in a pretty cool direction. :)

She stands up at her desk,  scanning the office, she sees heads hunched over, fingers furiously working at the black keys. She hopes,  for an epiphany of sorts to hit.

via fatmumslim.com.au  Since I missed my photo-a-day this February, I thought I should do one for October! There were so many challenges posted out there but i sorta like this list i found online. SOooo.... let's do this! 

In my attempt to cross of items from my Bucket List , I've finally enrolled in a contemporary dance class! Yes before my bones get brittle and I can barely Plié, or touch (or see) my toes, I figured I might as well DO THIS NOW or forever live my life vicariously through So You Think You Can Dance. So my bestie and I looked for classes in our area and finally we found a place which was just starting their Intro to Contemporary class and we figured... PERFECT! I haven't had any professional lessons and although gymnastics and synchro has thought me a great deal about pointing my feet and locking those knees and engaging your core, I needed to get down to basics and learn some technique. Well it has been more than 10 years since then, so it would be scary if all I remembered from training was this: claw of fury Boy were we in for a treat! It's been ten weeks and i must say that I'M ENJOYING EVERY PAINFUL MOMENT OF IT! I think I might possibly be the oldest

This is such a beautiful song and although it was labelled 'too emo' to add to my wedding playlist, it was still a song that accompanied me as I was preparing for The Day. Played by the band Sleeping at Last, which basically consists of ONE member - Ryan O'Neal, this song just moves me in soooo many ways. :) As we come into the fourth month of marriage, I'm truly thankful for good music that transcends spoken words. I'm glad the love of music is something we share.

This is one of the most funny yet freaky things I've seen in a long time. Thumbs up to the copywriter! The VO is hilarious! I keep watching this every time I take a breather from work. HAHA. LOVE IT!

Little rattle-me-silly reminders come in the most charming of ways. This one about change came from my dear friend Mel: Meredith Grey: " Change; we don’t like it, we fear it, but we can’t stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. And it hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying. But heres the truth: the more things change, the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Oh, sometimes, change is … everything."  So yes I will heed the great advice of Meredith Grey cause it's time for letting go of some things to make way for new things. And I know we'll be okay, cause our God is still God of all circumstances.

HellooooMonday! The melodic reigns of " Ruin " stirred my morning reverie and I just knew I had to do a Cat Power tribute for Music Monday. Charlyn Marie Marshall aka Chan Marshall or better known as Cat Power is an indie rock/folk rock/alternative rock singer songwriter who has been around for 20 odd years and I think she's pretty amazing! She's an actress too and if you've seen Wong Kar Wai 's 'My Blueberry Nights' , you would have spotted her! This song almost made it to my wedding playlist but my husband would have rolled his eyes and said "emoooooooo".... but anyway, here's Cat Power doing a beautiful cover of "Sea of Love" And here's one where she covers "Wonderwall"

As the folks in my office know, I'm a sucker for GIFs. I loved it from the moment my brother showed me how he made a fish wiggle just with some funky codes on Notepad. Thankfully.... i have Photoshop and Image Ready which provides endless hours of geeky pleasure. :D Photo-booth's at weddings are the bomb! H ere's one of us going up, up and awayyy~!

Now i couldn't wait for Music Monday's to post this video cause I'm just so excited about the awesome combination of a gorgeous song and beautiful dance that's in this. I couldn't find this version of Valerie anywhere! It's one of the best versions I've heard so far. And the dancing... owh the dancing... stops and pauses that fill spaces, movements that draw you and find you holding your breath... These are just some of the few things you'll notice when watching the   Movement Lifestyle videos. Love!

The Molskine collection Notebooks galore! This is really something I'd wanna continue working on. Not merely collecting, but making notebooks too. Also love these notebooks by  Angelicquirk . Do check out her store or catch her at craft markets around PJ/KL. DO check out Field Notes especially if you love everything about notebooks and note-taking. Just discovered Jiam & Co.  and Notbook-Notbuk via Pipit . I've got a serious case of notebook envy. They're beautifullll! (Also available at bazaars and craft markets around PJ/KL/Singapore) Well I'm off to make some of my own.... have a great weekend peeps!

I've been sort of a busy bee since the year began. With, first of all work, and you know - life and all that.  But I've also been tinkering about the house, putting bobs and bits together. I'd very much like to DIY some things for my upcoming wedding and I suppose this gives me a good way to spend my evenings at home aside from watching all the TV shows I'm currently hooked on. And then there's the Golden Globes so of course I like HAVE to watch every single movie that's nominated. Right? Well, many scoffed at the DIY idea cause, you know, I'm quite a bum. But I'm truly enjoying it. And I'm moving along just fine. Here's a sneak peek of what I'm working on. alphabet stamps This one's easy peasy. Just a lot of stamping to do. But I probably shouldn't attempt this after 3 cups of coffee! I smudged like an entire column  >.< And here are the corsages and boutonnieres I'm trying out. It's still a work in

This was a good find and has been on loop for a few weeks. :) Love their harmonising. Should totally check out their live session:  http://www.facebook.com/theimpatientsisters