White Walls

Top Op Shop | Jeans Op Shop/DIY | Shoes Sportsgirl

When I think of jeans, it's always been skinny jeans, I don't remember my first pair of skinny jeans or when I made the switch, but I think it must been somewhere between the end of primary school to the start of high school. I believed they were more flattering than the flared jeans I've been wearing until then. So when I was randomly browsing on TopShop a few weeks ago, these Mommy Spotty jeans caught my eye. It was mainly the spots detail that made me fall in love with the jeans. I know these style of jeans aren't flattering unless you're tall and skinny, but somehow I badly wanted them. But spending around $70 on a pair of 'novelty' jeans isn't exactly in my budget, so I had a brilliant idea that I could DIY them. Finding a pair of high waist-ed jeans in op shops that fit me was surprisingly quick and very cheap! Next was buying some fabric paint and brushes and I was good to go. It took me about more than week for me to actually settle down and paint them. I'm pretty happy with the end result even though my circles aren't even and the paint did bleed outside of the stencil, but from afar they still looked good. Now I have a pair of spotty jeans for a fraction of the TopShop price. I actually liked the look of these jeans style on me, and they are super comfy and not restricting at all! I cannot wait to buy some more tops from the op shops that I can turn into cropped tops to style with these jeans. Hmmm thinking about them, makes me want to wear them right now even though I'm at home and it's late. Spots just make everything better! I have to make the most of out these jeans before the weather starts warming up. 

three times twenty

My friends (two of them, and one of them is a set of twins) had celebrated a birthday last week. I wanted to surprise them at midnight with a cake and got the rest of the group to join in. To make life easier, the three of them happened to be living in the same house, with the fourth housemate also being part of the friendship group. Generally the birthday people sleep quite early but Amy was still up as it got closer to midnight. Worried that our surprise may be ruined, we decided to wait until after midnight so they wouldn't suspect anything.
For the cake, I decided to make a triple chocolate mousse cake, which I had prepared the day before. Generally I'm not very adventurous with my cakes, only around birthdays that I put in the effort, but I love a simple vanilla or chocolate with butter cream or whipped cream, simple but so satisfying. This was the first time trying the cake and I did not want to fail because I hate wasting not only food but also time. The first layer is a dense flourless chocolate cake which had to be baked first. I followed the recipe exactly and when I had left it out of the oven to cool down, I found it was still gooey inside. By this stage I couldn't put it back into the oven otherwise it would cook uneven. I just prayed that it would set in the fridge overnight, or at least the outer edges which was cooked would be enough to support the cake. The layer is dark chocolate mousse, and boy this part was very fun to lick the spoon and bowl afterwards, although I did end up feeling a bit sick from consuming all that chocolate! I poured the mousse, and left it in the fridge to set overnight. The next day, I made a simple whipped cream layer on top because I didn't want to do the white chocolate mousse layer which would have taken a lot more time, and involved using gelatin which I haven't used before. The first batch of whipped cream, ended up being curdled even though I specifically whipped it by hand so that I wouldn't over whip it. However the problem was easily solved because I whipped up another batch of cream to spread the top of the over whipped and the cake looked amazing again. For the decorations, I just melted some cooking chocolate and did the writings and random drawings. I was very happy with the look of the final product, I know this cake was relatively straight forward to make, but it's always nice when something turns out alright. I was so worried cutting into the cake that middle has set yet, but fortunately it had, and it looks amazing! The taste was also delicious, very chocolate and creamy and just melted in your mouth. I would have eaten the whole thing, if it weren't my diet! Oh dear, I just ended up writing a lot more about the cake than the actual surprise bit.
Anywho, we all met up outside and waited for Harkiran to let us in. She has the most comical silent walk ever, she uses her whole body with exaggerated arm movements and everything. We couldn't help but burst out silent laughing! Rosa was holding the cake and we decided that she should come in later with the cake, while the rest of us went into the house and shouted "Happy Birthday" to draw the birthday triplets from their rooms. Luckily they were surprised and hadn't suspected anything, goal accomplished. Then Rosa walked in with the cake and we sang 'Happy Birthday'. We took some photos with my camera and the handy remote, before digging into the cake. It was an awesome night, I'm glad they were surprised and happy that my cake was a success.

Stomach Tied In Knots

My friend had a housewarming a week ago, and there was so much food! The house was so nice and modern, wish I could live there! Each person brought a plate of food to share. Of course I have the mindset that I have to do more, because sushi isn't enough, I wanted to make pretzels as well. The preparation and cooking time took a lot longer than I had anticipated. This happens all the time, I underestimate the time my cooking time, because I'm have this false belief that I work quickly and efficiently in the kitchen. Honestly, I like to think that it's because I have to clean up as I go along because I don't like the mess.
It was lovely seeing everyone together, being surrounded by good food was an awesome perk. There was Hainan Chicken (which my friend kept insisting was dry, but I thought it was yummy and moist), korean-style fried fried, chicken and potato sitr fry, quiche, chickpea curry, dumpings and what I had brought along. For those who have had my previous pretzels, which were pretty good but still quite bread-like, these ones were so much better, rivaling or maybe even better than the ones they make in store. The texture wasn't bread but very soft and slightly chewy instead, as a soft pretzel should be. The secret was to add some gluten flour for the extra protein, which makes the dough more elastic and have a better texture. I'm not sure if it's exactly the gluten flour, but that was the main addition I made to the recipe. So a little tip on those wanting to bake bread, use flour with high protein content. I had to stop myself from eating a lot of the pretzels! There were savory and dessert ones: cinnamon sugar and plain salted ones. Well that's enough bragging about my pretzels, but seriously they were so good! For dessert, we had some cake and icecream, and I decided to mash up some cookies into the ice cream, but I so needed the extra carbs, fat and sugar.

We spent the rest of the night looking up random things on the internet, showing every one our final hip hop performance. Oh gosh, I have absolutely no swag at all, I looked quite mechanical during the few I was doing the moves right, and it looked so much worse when I did the wrong moves. Luckily I was at the back, and the girls at the front who are amazing stole the performance anyways. 

Little Monsters

Shirt Op Shop | Pants Random Asian Store | Shoes Op Shop | Jewelry Lovisa 

Guess who's been waking up super early to go for runs in the morning? Yes, me, I was shocked too. I'm surprised that I've been keeping this up for a couple of weeks. However the early mornings and no nap during the day, makes me very tired towards the end of the day and I have no energy to study. The weeks have been going by very quickly and the workload is just piling up. There is so much content we are learning everyday, and I have no idea how I am going to catch up! So this weekend, I have to stop procrastinating and get the job done. 

Yesterday, there was a talk by a vascular surgeon and an oral-maxo surgeon, both very intimidating people professional-wise, considering their achievements. While I know I'm not the smartest person, I would still like to have accomplished something or have a specific area of academic interest that I'm good at or specialize in. I get very jealous whenever I meet people who have specialized in a particular field because they found something that they love doing, and all my lecturers are very accomplished ( I have no idea why they would work at Griffith). Sometimes I think being a dentist isn't enough, I just want to be more but seeing as I'm struggling as it is, and the state of my current grades, I doubt I can specialize after I graduate. For some reason, I know that even if I tried my best, it still wouldn't be good enough. It's not a self-doubt or self-deprecating thing, I just think it's the truth, I'm just one of those people who will only get by. While I have other hobbies such as crafts, DIY, and baking, I don't think I particularly excel in any of those areas, sure I'm better than some but not as good as most. That was a pestering thought I've been having lately, I want to be at a point where I genuinely feel like I'm proud of myself. I know I should be feeling proud, but I just don't feel it. While on the subject of my studies, guess who has to an extra- and intra-oral exam on their clinic partner this week? Yes I'm dreading it too, I like my personal space and it dangerously violated when someone touches my face and looks in my mouth, or worse I would have to perform the same procedures on him. Get ready for some awkward and embarrassing times, on my end. 

The weather has been warmly up quite suddenly, so it gave me the perfect opportunity to wear to printed pants which are light and comfortable. I'm not a fan of paisley print, but this one was okay because it had more floral. The bright colour and interesting pattern drew me to these pants, because I like to dress interestingly with bold colours, it just makes the day a little better. I really like this necklace, the geometric shape is very cool, and the two tone gold and dark silver, makes it unique looking (even though I did buy it from a chain store). I wish my shirt had a collar, the necklace would have sat better coming down from a collar. I'm just enjoying the awesome weather lately, before spring and summer comes around and I'll be sweating like I'm melting again. 

we are alone

Sweater: Kmart + DIY; Pants: Op Shop; Shirt: Op Shop; Shoes: Rubi; Bracelets: Lovisa, Sportsgirl

There has been a lot of cat themed clothes popping up on the internet. Again spending inordinate amount of money for a basic t-shirt with a cat face print is not how I roll, "let's DIY instead!" is how I roll. This was also a result of extreme procrastination during the swotvac period. You guys know how much I hate hand sewing, but I actually managed to hand sew this cat sweater, which took me a couple of hours, something that would have taken a couple of minutes with a sewing machine. Suffice to say, I was very relieved when the sewing part was over. I'm pretty happy with the result, and was very excited to wear it.
The pink pants are a little bright for me, I've only worn them a couple of times because for someone who doesn't like to be noticed, I love wearing bright clothing. Also, the pants a bit baggy, and I still have to sew them in to make them skinny, but I don't have a sewing machine and I'm definitely not hand sewing them. It's such a chore to wear jewelry, having to remind myself every morning to put something, and whenever I wear bangles, they always makes noise when I'm writing in lectures. There is also a no jewelry policy during simulation labs, so most days I forget.
Having gotten through my first week of uni, I miss holidays more than ever. Waking up early, going to lectures, seeing other people isn't my cup of tea, I mean I love what I'm studying, but it would so much nicer if I can do it in the comfort of my room. The first week was the light week, this week all my subjects start, so it's a pretty hectic schedule and I will continue to not study until swotvac.

I made my first tutorial for the cat sweater, it's not the greatest but I thought it may give some ideas for your own DIY projects, and I hope you guys have a sewing machine too!

LA, Pick Up The Phone

Cropped Sweater: Op Shop; Jeans: Random Shop in Footscray; Boots: Betts 

Another outfit from when I had the house to myself. The stripped jeans have been a trend this season, and I really wanted them, although the black and white ones. These types of jeans look much better when you have skinny long legs, and I don't have either, but I love food too much to care. It occurred to me how every new season, there would be something from the latest trends that I would want. The pinafore doesn't count because I wanted one ages ago! But now it's these stripped jeans and cut out boots, which I really want but cannot justify buying them. Cut-out boots look awesome, but quite impractical when you think about it: you'll get wet in the rain, it's much colder, and do you wear socks?? Anywho, I will probably buy them during the sales transitions from Winter to Summer. For now, I will wear normal boots. These Betts ones are very comfortable and have a reasonable heel to them, as you can see I've worn them a lot. I thought the jeans would make me appear taller, but I can't really see that, maybe because I cut them off at the ankles? And I'm in love with this cropped sweater, I got it at a Lifeline Warehouse Sale in the children's section. It was actually a good sunny day when I took these photos, which makes for much better photos. 

Overcast and Cloudy

Jacket: Op Shop; T-Shirt: Myer; Skirt: Op Shop; Socks: Factorie; Shoes: Op Shop 

The tutu skirt is something I struggled to style, I tried to dress it down so it wasn't such a girly outfit. Originally I was going to wear a black cropped tank, but then I realized I left it back in Melbourne. I actually loved wearing this skirt, it's so full and fluffy, quite dainty. While taking these outfit shots, it was an overcast day, so I had to constantly change the manual settings on the camera. I'm still not getting clear focused shots, it's obviously my fault, I really need someone to coach with the dslr. Oh yeah, I nearly had a heart attack because while I was adjusting the iron table that I used as a tripod, my camera slipped off, but I managed to catch my camera while it just touched the ground. So it did hit the ground but with less impact. It didn't seem to affect the camera or lens, so hopefully nothing internal is broke. My tripod is back in Melbourne, and its too heavy to bring up to the GC, sometimes I wished I had two of everything. 

I love having the house to myself, I love the freedom and not being stuck in my room all the time, also I can go outside and take these photos in a much better light! However it's a little scary to come home to an empty house when it's dark, I now make a note to leave a light on if I'm coming home late. My housemates are coming back this weekend, so this home alone act would be over soon. And my outfit posts will probably die, unless I have the house to myself again!