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Saturday 30 July 2011

Easy ramen recipe

This one's for you Val. ;)

The recipe can be altered quite a lot, using what you have at hand, but this is what I use. :)

Bring out three pans - two sauce pans and one frying pan. Put all three on the stove, but only give two of them heat. One of the sause pans will need a lid.

Main ingredienses:

Noodles (I prefer egg noodles)
Cream or cream mixed with milk.
Meat chopped in bite size pieces (I prefer loin of pork)
Onions chopped in bite sizes
Citrus juice (I use lime, but if you can't find any - or don't squeeze half a lemon in - you can use lemon curd)
Soy sauce
Chicken broth

Spices:

This is very individual. I use white pepper, mirin (Japanese rice wine made for cooking), parsley and salt.

First, put on the kettle with water, and once it boils, you put the water and noodles in the unheated sauce pan and put the lid on. Just leave it while you do the rest.

Put everything except meat in the the other sauce pan, and put on fairly low heat. So you boil it slowly. Taste while you put spices in.

Fry the meat in a little bit of butter, on fairly high heat but not too long.

Once the noodles are soft and the sauce is boiling, take the noodles out of the water and put them in the sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Pour sauce and noodles into a bowl and put meat on top.

Done! <3

Easy recipe for people that don't cook all that much. :) You can put whatever you like in it. The most important thing is that the noodles need to be soft before you put them in the sauce, and that the meat isn't overcooked.

Bon appetit! <3

Autumn rain in July

Usually, July is a warm month, with unbearable heat and fans running day and night. This year however, it's been quite different... July has been filled with rain and thunder, the humidity so high it's been really unpleasant at times. And today, it is really chilly outside.
I don't believe I've ever experienced such odd summer weather. I haven't even been tempted to get down to the nearby lake and swim! That has never happened before... And today, I found chantarelles. In July! This is so weird. I wonder how our autumn will be if this is how our summer has been...

On a whole different note, I'm helping a friend out with something really exciting! <3 You see, he's in the military as the King's guard, and he was recently promoted. So I'm sewing on his new badge of rank onto the arm of his dress uniform! :D Isn't that exciting? My stitches will be there when he stands guard on the castle! <3

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Vocaloid

Vocaloid is one of those technical wonders that spring from the never-ceasing fountain of imagination: Japan. For those who are unfamiliar with Vocaloid, it's a "singing synthesizer application". That is, a computer program that can sing, and that doesn't suffer from the problems old such programs had - that the voices get weird intonations. This program can sing with emotion and do so quite well! It's a very refined technology that can even immitate the inhale/exhale of a real singer.

What's so fascinating with this, though, is what's been built up around it - because of it. Characters have been created who are made to be idols, and have their own Vocaloid-voices. True to Japan's habit, they also have personalities, things they like and not - and they give concerts.
How can a voice give a concert?
Actually, the answer is what fascinates me the most. At first glance, it looks like very, very realistic holograms dancing on stage, but it's not. It's a very high-technological invention - a mostly transparent screen with a so-called "rear projection" (projecting the image from behind). The result is that the characters look like holograms, but they can interact with each other.
The first one, I think, was Hatsune Miku. Miku was so popular, and her "live" concerts drew in so much audience that they quickly developed more characters. As of today, there are quite a few.

My favourite at the moment is called 'Kamui Gakupo' after the singer 'Camui Gackt (Kamui Gakuto)', and is part of the Gackpoid project. I like his songs, they are good. :) I also like this duet that I found, of him singing "Magnet" with Luka. :)


And another one....



And if you are curious about how the screening looks, here's a video of Megurine Luka on stage. :)


Monday 25 July 2011

Possibly something for Anne Rice fans

As you know, I often play so-called 'Hidden Object'-games, with puzzles in them. The more interactive they are, the more I like them. :)
Yesterday I tried a game with a rather lame title, so I wasn't expecting much. But it surprised me! The game is called "Dracula - Love Kills" (see at the bottom of the post for a link), and is loosely set after the book 'Dracula'. It is highly inspired by Anne Rice's story 'Interview with a Vampire' and 'Queen of the Damned', heavily leaning on the old Vampire the Masquerade style.

The story is set two years after the novel, and a 'Queen of Vampires' is trying to reshape the world (much like the Tzimisce in Vampire the Masquerade - her ability resembles that of their fleshcrafting), and Dracula is back. he is weak after having slept (torpor) for two years. He intends to stop her and find Mina, so that he can pick up where he left off and make her his bride.

While the 'Twilight Saga' left me such a bad aftertaste for vampires, I tried to pretend it never got here. I liked Vampire the Masquerade, Dracula and Interview with a Vampire (although Louis whining drove me insane). Keeping this image of a vampire in mind, I must admit I really liked this game. :)
It's very interactive, with beautiful graphics, not too weird hidden-object scenes, good dialogue and actually - yes! - good voice actors.
Through the game you find ackomplices of the Queen who you can choose to drink blood from or not. What you choose have consequences. You gain abilities through the journey to help you, and you need blood to use them. As the story progress you travel back and forth around the world.

Gameplay is about 5-6 hours regular gameplay, but you unlock extra scenes after you finish the game. :)

I think that people who are familiar with Dracula, and liked Interview with a Vampire, would probably enjoy this game. :) It's definitely one of the better HoG I've played!



Dracula - Love Kills (Collector's Edition)

Sunday 24 July 2011

A dress for school

I've half-decided to sew a new dress for when school starts, but I'm somewhat at a loss for a suitable design. I don't want to end up in the 'schoolgirl' trap...but.... I still want something pretty that would work in school. But I also know that a fitted dress might not be ideal since I will do a lot of sitting during lectures and such.
Ahh, I just don't know. I really dislike stretch, so I can't have that.

Maybe a blouse with smocking in the back...but...that would probably mean I can't have buttons. Ah! This is such a problem! >.< Maybe I should go for empire, or sew a dress and a bolero, and wear a normal, non-Lolita white shirt beneath.
If I just cover it up enough it won't ruin the image. ^.^; I hope.

I guess my school clothes will have to be more or less casual Lolita, since the days are so long. Time to google a bit...

Saturday 23 July 2011

A candle for the victims in Norway

Norway, our neighbour country, was struck by something unfathomable yesterday.
A bomb exploded in Oslo, killing 7 people and injuring many more. But that isn't all. At the same day, in a summer camp for teenagers, someone opens fire on the children. Shooting them off like hunting prey, one by one. 84 dead.
84 teenagers dead, for no reason at all.
And of course, people instantly yelled 'Al Qaida'. But I doubt that the man that did this - presumably both attacks - have anything to do with them, except maybe in his head. The mad man has been caught, so hopefully no one else will die because of him.
Such a useless, useless thing to do. So unnecessary. I reach out to all who died, all who lost someone because of this tragedy - whether it be child, sister, brother, friend... We light candles for you all.
To my own family and friends in Norway. To T and F who were working in Oslo that day. I'm grateful you are all right.

Friday 22 July 2011

Sculpting

As you know I've started up a project with airdrying clay - using Das which I was told was basically the same thing as LaDoll. Not sure whether that is true or not, yet, but we'll see how durable it is.
Today I finally split the torso open and removed the styrolite mould, and put it together again with new clay. It turns out the 'put it together'-bit was quite a deal trickier than I had anticipated. First of all the clay is pretty thick and dries fast, so I really didn't have much time to adjust the pieces after I clamped them together again, and the crotch is really not co-operating with me at all. I've had to patch it twice with new clay, I really hope it will dry correctly now and don't give me more trouble.

On the positive side, the clay is easy to file smooth, and it shows promise of being fairly easy to smooth out on top of the already dried clay once I start shaping it up. Right now it has no breasts and not much shape, but that will change once I get started. :) I'll update with pictures later. I'm keeping a log of the progress.

Games, movies and anime for Lolita

Yet again, I feel like giving my best tips to other Lolitas out there. :) Today, the subject is media - that is games, movies (/books) and anime that I personally feel is Lolita, and would be enjoyed by most who are as in love with the style as I am.

Games

Let us start with games. While there are certain to be a few games directed at an audience of children that may be loved by Lolita (such as the many Hello Kitty games, Dream Carnival being a personal favourite), there are also other games out there with a more grownup air.

For Playstation 2 I absolutely adore Odin's Sphere. The game was created to be beautiful, and while it is in fact a serious action RPG in 2D with 6 characters stories dovetailing each other, the details make all the difference to me. You see, everything in this game has an adorable design, and when you see the Pooka village - you'll know exactly what I mean! <3 You gather ingredients for food and cakes, which raise your stats when eaten. Everything looks delicious!
For PC I have two games to recommend; "Rare Treasures - Dinnerware Trading Company" and "Hodgepodge Hollow". The first is an either very cheap or free game (Depending on your luck. I found it for free, but both games have free trial-versions.) in which you gather blueprints for china, and produce adorable tea sets, start up productions all over the world and enter contests in which you display your china. I loved it. <3 Also, the music is great!
Hodgepodge Hollow is almost as cute as Odin's Sphere, and a small PC-game in which you help gnomes get rid of some dragons by gathering recipes and materials for potions. It is, by large, a hidden object game, but unlike most hogs the scenes aren't cluttered by debris or junk. You'll see. <3
I also recommend a paper and pen RPG called "Changeling the Dreaming". You play a child that was kidnapped by fairies, and lived in there warped world (much similar to Wonderland in the book about Alice), where time flows differently than in the real world, and your child changes from being in that world. (For example; if your child was kept as a pet in a bird cage, it may have sprouted wings and stopped being able to talk.) In the real world, a clone was placed in your place and lived your life.
As you get free from the fairies world, and try to reclaim your place in the real world, the clone will try to stop you - granted you're even the same age anymore. You are forced to live in the shadows with others who have 'the sight' and can see the fairies magic.
It's a very exciting game (depending on the Game Master of course), which so many possibilities! <3 Wonderland can be just as strange, scary and warped as you want, and the only thing that hinders your character creation is imagination.



Movies/Books

I'm sure all (or nearly all) Lolita already know about Shimotsuma Story (also known as Kamikaze Girls, which for obvious reasons isn't what I prefer to use), since it is a story about Lolita and friendship. For you who are unfamiliar with it, the 'kamikaze' in this case does not mean the story is about suicide, but (I think) refers to a kind of coat worn my bikers.
It's a very interesting story about a Lolita that meets a biker girl. What's my favourite thing about it is how it was shot. It reminds me a lot of the style used by the people who shot "Hot Fuzz" and "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" (both excellent movies, but perhaps not in a very Lolita-ish genre...)
For those in love with the Victorian style, I recommend all Jane Austen-movies. This includes  "Emma", "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility". All very romantic, with gorgeous houses and costumes. A must for lovers of the Empire-style! <3 Also, please read the books!
Among more recent movies, I warmly recommend "Coraline", both book and movie. the music is also fantastic. <3 The movie was made using stop-motion technique with dolls, which makes it definitely Lolita. It is about a girl that discovers a wonderful mirror-world, where she can get anything she wants - at a terrible price.
Among fairytale-movies, "Pan's Labyrinth" - a Mexican movie with strong Russian influences - and, of course, almost all of Tim Burton's movies. If you have not already, I recommend watching at least "Nightmare before Christmas", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Corpse Bride".

And on a last note, I must mention "The Little White Horse" again, just because it is such a lovely story. I do not recommend the "movie adaption" named Moonacre Manor, because they trampled all over the sweet book and changed just about everything in it, except perhaphs a few names. Needless to say, it is an awful, awful movie.


Anime

As Lolita springs from Japan, there are a lot of series which has it, but few that have the right...atmosphere I'm after. Therefore, I will only mention two anime that I truly think has captured Lolita.
First of all, there is "Le Portrait de Petite Cosette". Telling to much about it will ruin this short 3-episode anime, but it is essentially about a man that becomes obsessed with a girl that seems to be a ghost locked into a Venetian glass that arrives to his Antique shop. It is a frightening, bloody and quite psychedelic story, gorgeously drawn with amazing scenery. Not for the faint of heart, but I loved it. <3
Then there is "Gosick", a manga that was turned into an anime. The anime is still running and so far I don't know how many episodes are planned. It seems to be set in early 20th century, and the story is centered around Victoriqua, a mysterious Lolita-character who seems to have some kind of divination ability that allows her to see the 'Truth' behind things.
She is the typical 'Maiden locked in a tower', and her Knight is the Japanese boy Kazuya Kujo. I especially love these two, because while Victoriqua is impatient and sometimes rude to cover up her embarrassment, Kujo is such a patient, overprotective gentleman. It's a very romantic story.

I'm always looking for new series, movies, books and whatnot that I find to my tastes, so if you have suggestions on series I haven't mentioned here, feel free to share! :)
All these are, of course, my personal choices and you are quite entitled to have your own, personal taste.


Thursday 21 July 2011

One of the potential downsides with being Lolita, is that people tend to forget how old I am. My parents still treat me like I was ten years old...so I suppose that's why I can't help but be happy still about being grown up and moved out! *laugh* And do silly things like eating cereal without any milk or yoghurt...
I suppose we all have our own, personal list of things we thought we'd do once we moved out of our parents home. :) Like blowing bubbles in the drinking chocolate, or going to bed after midnight, or eat potatoe crisps for dinner...
I admit, althought I'm turning 28 come February, I still do things like that. ;) Yesterday my lunch was delayed until five in the afternoon, and then it was pancakes with jam. *blushes* One might think I have a sweet tooth hearing about all the jams and cookies I make, but that's actually not true. ^.^
I'm more likely to eat salty, pickled herring or crabsticks than to eat cookies or candy. My beloved keeps telling me that she's happy she knows I can't be, or otherwise she'd worry I was pregnant for eating so weird things. XD Well, we all have our personal favourites when it comes to snacks, don't we? ;) An old friend of mine used to snack on caramelized onions...

On a completely different note, I've now tried the air-drying clay "Das" and so far I'm not impressed. It feels...rubbery somehow. Unpleasant to the touch and really hard to get smooth. I've made a torso, both legs and one arm so far, and put them to dry. Also, the clay was sliding around on the plastic wrap I had around the styrolite armature, which made it really difficult to shape. Hopefully it will be easier to shape it up once the core has dried properly.

Tuesday 19 July 2011

Blueberries and sunshine

I love the season when there's so much blueberries in the forest that you can pick bucketfulls and there is still more! <3 There will definitely be blueberry pie and blue berry cupcakes, and maybe blueberry jam - although I did Queen Jam last week (blueberries and raspberries together). It was delicious with pancakes. <3

Right now the sun is shining from a clear blue sky and the weather is lovely. <3 The weather forecasts predict rain come lunch, so I think this is a great opportunity to take a stroll before the rain comes pouring again. I'm expecting there to be floods here and there before weekend if the sky opens up like yesterday every day this week... *chuckles*

I managed to get home a large piece of styrolite yesterday (although I had to cut it into four pieces for it to be managable) so I carved a torso out of it. :) I must admit I really like the feel of it... Maybe sometime I will make artistic sculptures with styrolite as the base. For now though, it's just a mould.

Monday 18 July 2011

Rainclouds

This morning when I woke up, it was so dark I thought that maybe it was still in the middle of the night. A quick look at the watch told me otherwise though. Turns out the sky had been darkened by heavy rainclouds, and it was pouring outside.
Now, two hours later, the sky has brightened up, but the weather forecasts predict rain all week and thunder on friday. This wouldn't bother me so much normally but...I've grown so restless the past few days. I need something to do, and I'd planned to head into town to get some yarn, styrolite and a book - and with it raining so much I'm not sure I want to. A short walk in the rain can be lovely, but...
Oh well, I'm so stubborn I'll probably take the bus anyway, but you know what I mean!

Sunday 17 July 2011

Misshaps and yarn

Yesterday I had a bit of a nasty surprise. You see, I'd gotten a prescription for really strong pain killers, but I hadn't checked how long time they needed to work - turns out it was two hours, and well, yesterday I didn't have two hours. x.x
So I ended up in a world of hurt and heaving until there was nothing left in my tummy. >.< Not exactly what I'd like to do with my afternoon but not much I could do about it. ^.^;; I contacted my doctor in hopes of him coming up with a Plan B.

Right, after that bit of nastiness... I realised I don't have enough red yarn for my Gryffindor scarf. *chuckles* It didn't occur to me that I'd need more red than yellow so I accidentaly got one ball of yarn too many of the yellow type. Oh well. :) Maybe my beloved wants a Gryffindor scarf too!

....and just because I wanted to photo the work in progress, the batteries are out. *facepalm* I'll update later!

Here it is! :D

Friday 15 July 2011

An interesting experience of taste

I'm sure a few of you, at least, are familiar with mochi - and daifuku. The little bun made of rice flour dough filled with different kinds of filling. I suppose the most common variation we see here are the ones with sweet, red bean paste inside.
As such, I naturally got very curious when I saw Taro Mochi the other day - mochi buns with Green Tea-flavoured filling.
I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting, but my taste buds were desperately trying to find something to compare with. To me, the blue-tinted mochi tastes like blueberries, and the Green Tea filling oddly enough tasted like...chocolate. I'm not sure I like mixing the two, but it was surely a very interesting taste experience. o.o

What do you know? Curiousity sure leads us down fascinating paths sometimes!


Thursday 14 July 2011

A beginning and an end.

Today I not only watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2, the final movie in the series of Harry Potter - one of the most epic movies I have ever seen - I also got my answer from University.
It was a positive one. I got accepted!

I feel so relieved...so happy. <3 Finally things will turn around. I will be able to get an education that will grant me a well-paid job, and things will start to fall in place. :) It's a great day today. <3 Not even the cloudy sky can put me down. <3

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Of course magic exists...

The last Harry Potter movie has finally entered the stage with amazing reviews. The full 8 movies - 18 hours of magic - must only make J.K.Rowling proud. While a lot of the details that captivates us in the books have been omitted in the first 6 films (and some things omitted in the last two simply because they are too frightening to see on screen) I love the movies.

I admit I wasn't one of the first to pick the Harry Potter books up. In fact, I didn't start reading them until The Goblet of Fire (for you who still haven't read them - and please do! - it's book nr 4) came out, and my sister had borrowed it from the library and forgot about it. It was a lazy, summer day, and without anything better to do I picked it up and started reading.
It was the first step. I couldn't put it down. I read it through in a single day, and the next day...I went to the library to borrow the previous books. Unfortunately, first book wasn't in, so the next book I read was the Chamber of Secrets, followed by the Prisoner of Azkaban - and only then I could get my hands on the first book. By buying it myself.
As I had already read the other three books, finally being able to read the first one...the pieces finally fell into place. It was a magical feeling... The world J.K. Rowling created so real it is tangible, you want to believe it exists.

And it does. It exists to every person who has read and loved the books, and I cannot imagine that a single person who saw the movies would not want to also read them. And for me, who read most of the books in Swedish, I also wanted to read them in English.
I've read and re-read the books so many times that the covers are worn and the first book starting to fall apart from love. And after I finished the last page in the 7th and final book...I felt that it wasn't over. The magic of Harry Potter is something that will last a long, long time, long before I have grown old and died. Because the magic exists, every child and adult who've read the books and seen it understands and believes.

And as my beloved said to me; Those who say that Harry Potter is trash, who tells us who love it to grow up, they haven't understood a thing. They're just like Uncle Vernon and Petunia - the worst kind of muggles.

Are you a muggle? :)


Wild raspberries

Note! First of all - now it is possible to post comments again. There have been problems, which I fixed by activating the pop-up function for posting comments. I recommend this if your own blog have problems. 

I woke up early today too. The sun had managed to make it through both Venetian blinders and the blinder. With nothing better to do with myself, I got out of bed anyway. Turns out it was a beautiful, sunny morning. :) Small wonder the sun was persistant!
The other day I had noticed the wild raspberries were ready for picking, as well as blueberries, so I dug out my wellingtons from the closet...and got my little bucket...and went out to pick some. I have a feeling I looked quite silly standing there in the thorny bushes in my wellingtons, armed with a bucket trying my best to avoid the stinging nettles and thistles... *laughs*
But I managed to gather quite a bit of raspberries before I headed home again! <3

Monday 11 July 2011

Still no answer from school

As some of you know, I applied to University yet again come April, since my earlier education has yielded few jobs. Sadly. So is the life of the artist.
I'm starting to wonder what they are doing that's taking so long. It's 11th of July now - less than two months to the start of the coarse - and still they haven't decided. I'm beginning to worry they don't have enough applicants for it to run. I certainly hope that's not the case!

All I can do right now is wait, and get more and more nervous and worried everyday. If I get accepted...it's the end of being poor. If I get accepted, I will easily find work once my three years are up. For every summer that comes and goes, the dream of a cottage of my own, of freedom, has become more and more a hollow ache of longing in my soul.
It cannot go on like this for much longer. I need this, and I can't wait. If I get accepted this time around, then it's three years until that cottage can start being something more than just the shadowy outline of a dream. To become tangible and there.

By that time I'll be thirty years old. A third of my life gone past. It's been a long wait and I can't go on waiting for life to begin for much longer.

I just wish they'd make up their minds.

Sunday 10 July 2011

New inspiration

As the silly, eccentric artist I can very well be - I always find a new project before one is done. *sigh* I have told myself to finish the one I'm currently working on, and sew a blouse for my beloved, before I start on the next. But you know how it is. I'm so impatient when there's something interesting ahead!

I will temper my impatience as much as I can until I am done with what I need to do first...

The thing I'm so tempted to go ahead with, is another doll using another method - air drying clay this time - and I have some really good tips on how to do. While my other dolls have been pretty much solid, I'm planning to use polystyrene foam inside which I then remove when they have dried, so the doll will be hollow. I might make this doll very big, though I haven't yet decided. The materials for a doll made of air drying clay are much cheaper, which suits my wallet better.

...but first! Finish the male doll, and sew a blouse. Right.

Saturday 9 July 2011

Lolita and everyday life

I've been running this road for a very long time now, and in recent years I've pretty much completely lain 'ordinary' clothes aside. As much as I don't want to touch the subject, though, I don't know if I will be able to wear Lolita all the time - every day - like I do now.
I've always been a woman of my own head, and you who know me well know that. I always claim I don't care what people think, and I still don't. That's not the problem.

The problem spells like this; teenager boys.

While it's my personal opinion to loathe them (and opinion I don't expect anyone to share), they take far too much interest in my clothes. I become a target for their cruel games, and quite frankly - I'm fed up. They're worst in the summer, and recently the shouting and cat calls have turned into something far more frightening. They've come too close, and they're always in such big groups they get too brave. I'm worried they'll one day round me up and really scare me.

I'm aware I look young, but to have these teenagers do this is making me sick. I don't wear these clothes for attention, I never did, and now I receive this unwanted attention from these despiccable creatures... I'm considering not wearing Lolita when I can risk bumping into them. When in my 'ordinary clothes' style, I know I can be quite intimidating, and this is exactly what I need right now.

It's just a pity that art and me has to suffer because the parents can't be bothered to raise their kids into civilised human beings.

Sunday 3 July 2011

Decisions decisions

You know how hard it can be to come to a decision when everything seems to be a good choice? I'm having that problem right now... I got this cute pair of white shoes (Thank you A, so much! <3) that I'm going to decorate.
Thing is...what to decorate them with?

I pinned some roses and bows to them and...ugh, now I really can't decide what looks the cutest! @.@


Saturday 2 July 2011

Summer heat and Lolita

It isn't all that often that I write a post entirely dedicated to Lolita, but today feels like a good time. :) Summers, especially those hot, moist days doesn't go well with the many layers of clothing we use. Getting sweaty and sticky is not very fun.
Because of that, I've tried to come up with ways to still wear Lolita despite the heat, and how to cool down quickly if you do get sticky. Let's start bottom up, shall we? :)

First off, shoes and socks. While over-the-knees and knee-high socks are charming, most of them are much too hot for the season. As such, I tend to go for cute cotton socks that breathe. And, if your feet do get sweaty, I recommend using a good foot spray - like a kind of deodorant for your feet!
For shoes, don't wear leather if you can help it. Go for sandals or cloth shoes, since they allow your feet to breathe.

Note! Always use sun lotion on all exposed skin. <3 I prefer 50-70 protection, which is very high. If you can't find any, look in the children's department, they're sure to have it!

For bloomers, take good care what to wear. Too flimsy a fabric and it will slide up, and too thick you will be much too warm. Cotton is great here too, but only if it isn't too flimsy. Try your way. :) For underwear, cotton too. Don't wear synthetic materials even if the design is cute - you will be sweaty and uncomfortable before long!

For petticoat, tulle ones tend to be more airy than cotton, while the cotton ones give a nicer shape. This one is a matter of taste, really!

For dresses, I prefer JSKs in the summer, but be careful! If you don't cover up your arms with at least a bolero (there are really cute crochetted designs out there) you will actually get hotter! So don't expose too much skin, and don't wear lace chokers because the lace will be really uncomfortable in the heat.

For the hair, I suggest against letting it free. Keep it away from your back, and don't wear backpacks - especially not fur ones! (Like teddy bear backpacks.) Also, if you can, keep it away from your face, and wear a hat or something that will shade your eyes.
Don't use make up when it's hot, because it will only make your skin look oily. If you have to, just use lip balm.

If you do get hot and sweaty, take a HOT shower and shower for at least ten minutes. :) If you do, the body will get used to the temperature and you will find the air cool.

Lastly, there is a good trick. :) Use a fresh scented deodorant, and a personal favourite of mine - go to the drugstore and look for a very neat little 'deodorant stick' whose sole purpose is to keep you dry and not sweat (In Swedish, it's called 'Absolut Torr' which means 'Absolute dry'). If you use that every evening, on all places you expect to sweat the next day (like the back) - you won't have to worry at all. <3


Well, that's my summer tips this time. <3 Take care and stay cool!

Friday 1 July 2011

Fight Science

I just watched an incredible tv show that I just have to tell you about! It was the last episode of a series of five about fighting. It went into the depths of the techniques used by Wushu martial artists, studying how the human would compare to the animal they are imitating - snake, crane, praying mantice, monkey and tiger.
I have to admit I was stunned at the results of the tests, and I am greatly impressed by these martial artists. You just have to see it.

 I found a few pieces on youtube. Here's the Monkey (seriously, watch it. This guy is amazing...)


And the Crane (his balance is really something.)


And the tiger (the baffled silence at the end says it all)


I couldn't find snake or praying mantice, but the girl who did snake style was faster than the snake and managed to hit the dummy 25 times (I think it was) in 5 seconds, and the guy with praying mantice style was catching flies.

I felt like clapping my hands watching. XD

Clumsiness and grace

As most Lolitas, I try to be graceful and collected at all times. The old arm swinging is long gone, and I don't cross my legs if I can help it, and don't run unless I really have to. I know most of you serious Lolitas do the same, simply because that kind of behaviour doesn't really suit Lolita.
Even if some claim that there aren't really a code for how to behave as a Lolita, I think there is. A lot of those rules are the same as for a Lady - being graceful and gracious is really a virtue. If you haven't already, I warmly recommend reading 'Her Ladyship's Guide to Modern Manners'. Besides being an entertaining read, it's also very useful for everyone who wants good manners.
I much enjoyed it when I read it, although I have to confess that a lot of it is merely common sense, but it had several good pointers. 
It also says something that I really liked and try to live after - that being a Lady is being responsible. Even if others behave badly or childishly, you have to be the island amidst the stormy sea, and keep your calm and patients at all times. It has helped me to learn how to ignore and understand bad behavior, and for that I am greatful.



Even if all this is good and true and I try, nobody is perfect and I seem to attract little accidents...
You know, the kind that's really not supposed to be able to happen... We like to call them 'freak accidents', since they're so strange. Like...gluing your fingers together, or cut yourself on something that isn't sharp, or drop something that lands on your foot in the exact wrong angle - all other angles wouldn't have hurt.
And today, I did it again! I was going to remove a foot on one of my dolls, because I needed to do adjustments to the knee. And as the foot came off, the hook didn't - I lost my grip on the elastics, which was instantly snapped back into the leg - bringing the hook with it. Unfortunately, it cut my little finger as it went.

Owwie. T_T

So...yeah. My plans to finish the doll today, and try my hands on adjusting a princess-dress pattern pretty much flew out the window. Let's hope I've gotten used to having a stiff little finger later today, so I might at least be able to look at the pattern.
I also have a couple of patterns to make for friends - I've not forgotten about you, sweeties. <3