Beach

I had every intention of going to the beach last Saturday, but without having written the date down in my diary I had signed up for work the night before I realised when the beach trip was happening. It's a shame really since every experience one way or another had to include egotistical men who have no idea what really happens in the real world and are used to getting their way through complaining enough. 

I wouldn't have minded a day at the beach after all this had happened as a way to unwind but my shift was in the middle of the afternoon and the second last of the day so there was nothing really left to do except for enjoy the burn and sting of a hot shower. Water and cleansing is so therapeutic physically and mentally, I almost wish I could have more than one shower a day sometimes- to clean my hair and prepare myself in the mornings as a remedial way to energise oneself and then finally before going to bed to feel comfy and adjust the correct temperature.

There seemed to be a bounty of straw and floppy hats going for a dollar each at the second hand shop I loitered in front of today but I do like the allure of a smartly structured and brimmed straw boater hat a bit more. I do like the occasional floppy hat usually in felt and if it can be helped with a feather in it since they are the most helpful one protecting oneself from the skin and you can still look feminine and gorgeous while wearing one. Hats can be so subjective sometimes and although I do want to shade my face from the sun... I have some sort of fashionable reputation to uphold you know.

I know that I was the disciple of water and it's soothing nature but I do think that soaking in moss-infested water is taking it a bit far- yes, yes it's all very artistic and probably represents the spread of some disease plaguing some sort of metaphorical cause but I can't really imagine a more traumatising experience then having moss cling to my skin. Water is meant to clean you, not to stain your lovely white dress as you float about in it with a peaceful and mundane expression on your face and act as a magnet for small aquatic vegetation.

When I imagine trips to the beach, I like to envision myself as some beauty wrapped in a shroud of modest sheer white material as well as spectacular and bright sunglasses and a wide brimmed floppy hat. My last trip to the beach encompassed cheap broke moccasins, a t-shirt in bright green, board shorts and a broad rimmed and daggy looking hat borrowed from my mother that made me look more like a childish version of the Grudge. Not exactly how I planned to look but I suppose we all build up impressions of ourselves that can be hard to live up to at times.

I have many a wonderful of memory of swinging on what was affectionately known as 'The Tarzan Rope' at my local pool and I think it has been a bit of a crime that I haven't been there in so long. I had weekly swimming lessons and it was indeed the only sport I was encouraged to participate in as a child, my brother prospered at it but I instead chose basketball instead. That choice has been the greatest mixed blessing of my life.

It hasn't been a great aspiration of mine to go the swimming pool with my boyfriend and cling to him for dear life but I was sort of looking forward to a beach trip with my sweetheart sometime this Summer. Well, with only a few weeks left and Valentine's Day just around the corner I may be able to persuade him to be sea bound but I doubt it. In the grand scheme of things, it's not that vitally important to me but it would be nice to have that ticked off in my mental Summer check-list.

One of the wonders of the beach and shoreline that I don't think I'll completely understand is the amount of caves, small little islands and moats speckled along a shoreline. Of course it completely captivates my imagination and makes me think of scenes from Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo and Disney's 'The Little Mermaid'. One of my dear friends adores walking around and exploring nooks and crannies as well as climbing so it was fun running around after her last Summer as well on a few school camps. Ah, memories.

In order to think pure thoughts and be in a serene place of peacefulness, I think that pure, white linen clothing such a s a sundress maybe something gorgeous and showy such as this midriff piece worn by model Bambi could be worn to the beach. I rarely take a dip in the ocean and feel liberated by bathing in the water but I think I would be happy with strolling around yellow sand beaches, getting sand in my shoes and feeling the cold ocean spray and wind whip my bare skin. I'd love to have a midriff dress such as this, there must be something viable and close to this design handmade on Etsy...

Having a map/ network of train systems from a foreign land has been a small aspiration of mine but there's not a lot of available wall space in my room and I'm content to spontaneously decorating with magazine cuttings when the mood takes me. Instead I'll just buy some white sundresses and vintage lace pieces instead to satisfy my urge to get in touch with my inner hipster.

Green

All this year I'll be travelling to and from university using public transport, a combination of train and bus. So in the spirit of things I thought I would show off a few pictures of serene green settings? I just wanted to share with you my readers some of the photographs that have been inspiring me and similar things that I hope to see and explore. I've decided to study Geosciences and possibly major in it if I never make it to veterinary sciences and I'm enticed by a six digit annual paycheck. It's not just that though- I love the Earth as well.

I don't wear a lot of green in my usual routine but I do have two skirts in green that I love to death- one's American Apparel and long and pleated and the other has a print of leaves in black and white that usually wins compliments. At one stage of my past life, being an awkward and embarrassing teenager I bought some fluorescent green nail polish but only used it once. I don't think I'm brave enough to try and wear the shade again.

At my parent's house we have a few separate climbing vine plants and when we first bought the place my mother ordered everyone to pull them all off. She feared they would eventually ruin the strength and integrity of the bricks but when you think about it, the compression strength of a brick can't be harmed very much by small anchoring roots. To think, I could be sitting on a veranda swarming with vines on the walls and ceiling if she hadn't thrown a monkey wrench into those plans.

It's not often you see such large and tall pine trees but I remember when the house on the street corner had these amazing large pine trees bordering a small fence and house and the fence was inch deep in brown needles. At my father's old work place there were also tall pine trees taller than a second storey building and the lunch room had a small balcony which backed out onto the trees. I've lost all the lovely pine trees in my life but maybe my future of collecting research data in the field and maybe in forests will reunite me with them once more.

Nautical Nonsense

I miss being able to walk to the beach- as a celebration for finishing my final examinations of high school my friends and I embarked on the hallowed journey known as 'schoolies' and enjoyed sand and sun. Our house location was a five minute walk from the shops and under ten minutes to the beach where we would lie around on the grass and walk through the tide daily whenever we got sick of watching television or when we wanted to enjoy the good weather while it lasted.

I love hair when it's drawn using the fine lines technique- sometimes it looks more like a wood grain type of effect but the blurring distinction between hair and rain for this particular drawing is simply breathtaking. From the silhouette figure shielding themselves by using an umbrella to the side profile of the girl above everything is done with immaculate detail. I love the shading effect overall and the way the rain clusters in some parts as well as the light and shade bouncing of the hair curls. I think the balance between light and dark and the art of making a drawing come to life and giving it another dimension lies in the art of properly shading to give it life-like properties.

 

Even though technology has moved past the traditional music mediums such as vinyl and cassette tape, they still manage to look cool such as this still of a Disney cassette 'The Little Mermaid'. The soft focus background of pebbles leads me to believe this was taken in England on their shores, I'm very glad I don't live in England whenever I sea photographs of what their beaches look like. There's hardly any sand, it's covered in rocks as far as the eye can see and the sky always gives a depressing and boring impression. Maybe that's why you need to bring your favourite childhood music cassettes with you to brighten the mood. The contrasting red plastic goes well against Ariel's ravishing long hair and iconic green tail.

Unable to find underwater casings for any of my cameras (due to laziness) I would never be able to take a photograph as breath-taking as this. I love the sand and murky water used to make the seahorses body seem brighter by comparison as well as the soft blue of the ocean and hidden sponge beds and coral in the background.

While I am unable to take photographs under the water, this lighthouse taken with what I assume is a plastic camera is very achievable for someone like me. I had a dream last night that I was at the beach and saw something so fantastic and awe-inspiring I felt the need to go back to shore to get my Diana+ Dreamer camera. This dream is what has motivated this post. The wild colours of the sky streaked with cloud cover, the grass and contrast of the red and white bricks of the light house has become even more intense through the plastic lens. Another tell-tale sign of using a toy camera or plastic camera is the vignetting at the corners and darkening around the edges.

Another visit to the aquarium is in order to safely take some photographs of sharks. I mainly focused on taking snaps of over head manta rays but maybe the sharks would look more dramatic, although this little fella above isn't even smiling for the camera. Where are those seven rows of teeth I've heard so much about? Another cool thing about taking pictures of sharks and large aquatic animals is that there is usually a smaller fish or two swimming just under their body in a slip stream effect.

 

I have taken photographs here but none of mine had this gorgeous vintage filter effect washed over them and my timing was at best, very poor. This is a scene from a boat ride at Disneyland and full of cute mechanical elephants. The relatively small ears as well as protruding foreheads indicate these are Asian elephants and maybe my favourite breed, the Sumatran elephant. I talked about the conflict between elephants and farmers for my Indonesian examination and managed to pull of an A. I was a very happy camper when I read my results online.

 

If I had my own pool you can be certain that I would sit around on a pool noodle or other inflatable item and read books for most of the day until it got too cold to deal with. Too bad all the land in my garden slopes at horrible angles and due to all the leafy green trees it would involve a lot of effort to install it. If I had the motivation I would ask to swim at the local pool but right now my esteem isn't fairing it's best and I'd like to wait it out till I lose weight after eating so much for Christmas lunch.

 

I love the combination of this milk maid braid down the front fringe and this vintage looking jumper covered in sweet embroidered nautical emblems. I've seen plenty of cute little anchors down at my local shops and since my pay has come in I may be tempted to get them... unless I get a Mickey Mouse pendant in gold from D_Luxe jewellery first and a Deadly Ponies Mr Fur attachment. Of course I have to be careful to save some money for my term deposit as well as the joint account for Canada with my mother but I think I can allow myself some time to spend some money on fun things after what seems to be a long drought. I'm still waiting for a lot of eBay things for myself and my boyfriend to come through as well.