Saturday 31 October 2009

Happy Halloween!

So, in honour of Halloween, I have a confession to make. I'm a total scaredycat. I blame the combination of having an overactive imagination and being the youngest of three. Evil, evil older siblings. (Well, my sister was actually far and away the worst, but she maintains that's because our brother wound her up and she had to pass it on to someone. If this is true, I should really be meaner to babies than I am.)

The top 5 things that scare me are:

Sharks
If I was reading this feature on some other blog, I'd be squinting in panic at the impending shark picture. But this is MY blog, therefore there will be no pictures of real sharks (cartoon sharks are allowed), because even pictures of sharks scare the crap out of me. Mostly it's because they look scary, and they can actually kill you (this: why I am not scared of UK-dwelling spiders), but I think the phobia lingers from the vague fear of something huge and unseen lurking beneath the surface and creeping towards you, slowly but surely. Scared now?*

The Dark
I hate the dark. I close my eyes as soon as the lights go out, and the main reason for this is so that I don't see... things. The thing is that I never have seen anything in the dark, which doesn't stop me being scared, it just convinces me that one day there really will be a face appearing out of the dark at the window, or behind me in the mirror, or some thing lurking around my bed in the middle of the night.

Zombies
Such a ridiculous thing to fear, and yet... there's something about zombies that is way scarier than their horror cohorts. Vampires are sexy (I may not be a TwiFan, but I can appreciate Edward Cullen as much as the next girl) and werewolves are basically huge dogs, but zombies... not only are they walking representations of most people's biggest fear - death, that is - and hellbent on eating the brains of everyone... no, that's not the source of the fear. The fear is due to the fact that in every zombie movie ever, it starts with one, and it spreads. And spreads. Slowly but definitely surely, they're gonna get ya. And eventually you'll just have to give in.

Clowns
Hey, parents everywhere - no child thinks that clowns are funny. They might act like they do when they're four, but in ten years time, that fun little trip to the circus will be a full blown phobia. You can't see what clowns are thinking under their masks (I'll tell you - murder) and they're probably hiding a full arsenal of weaponry in their big clownsuits and... they're just scary, okay? Once, my friend turned up to a fancy dress party in a clown outfit and no one talked to her all night, they were too scared. True story. I was there, and I stayed away.

Japanese horror**
I've only seen one Japanese horror film - the Grudge - but it was enough to convince me that I never need to see another one again, ever, ever, ever. And, actually, that was the American remake. But it scared the hell out of me. The scene with the... in the bed... god. And from what I hear about other Japanese horror films (and their remakes) - The Ring, A Tale of Two Sisters, etc... yeah, they're messed up. Stay away.

Sooo. What scares you?

* This gives me serious issues when alone in swimming pools.
** Sorry for the generalisation with the Japanese flag, but this seriously scared me way too much to google any more relevant images...
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Friday 30 October 2009

Ghosts, churches and squirrels.




I recently visited Chester, therefore inadvertently completing my stops on the
5 most haunted places in the UK. Actually, I only have Belfast and Gloucester to do before I get to ten. What can I say, ghosts follow me.

Anyway, I figured it was fitting for Halloween to post my photos of Chester - it's a Roman town, and is all old churches and pretty buildings. Oooh, and loads of shops.

We heard a story about a nun who was so devout that she wanted to be buried as close to heaven as possible. No, not on the moon, but near the top of her church, embedded in the wall. Although apparently the coffin was disturbed a few years ago, and now her spirit wanders the church grounds. Woooo. We didn't see her.

I love cobwebs. The other day there was an awesome big cobweb outside the house next to mine with a creepy little spider right in the middle, and it had been raining so the cobweb was all covered in droplets and looked pretty. So I got my camera and tried to take a photo, but it just looked like I was trying to take a photo through their door, and we're not very close with our neighbours, so needless to say, I didn't get the shot.

Also, in Chester, the squirrels are really, really tame.

Must be the ghosts.
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Thursday 22 October 2009

That's the last thing I need...

...a new shop to get obsessed with. Online, no less, which is even more dangerous, as you end up buying way more than you need just to see it. Oh, ASOS, you take so much of my money.

But this post is not about ASOS. It's about
ModCloth, the fashion website that everyone else in the world is in love with and I have only just discovered. It's like they've reached into my head and pulled out all the things I love and turned it into a shop! There's even the octopus necklace I nearly bought last year (um, on ebay. Really cheaply. From Hong Kong. I bought this one instead though! And as it happens, wore it today.).

It's gorgeous. Full of quirky, vintage-style jewellery and stunning dresses, two of my favourite things. It even has a
vintage section! Granted, everything in it is sold out, but some of the stuff is amaaazing. Look! Look! Look! And look! And... okay, I don't get this so much. But keep looking! Wow!

Here are my 'If someone could just dump a few extra grand in my bank account please' picks... wonder what the shipping would be on these babies from the US?
*swoon* Gorgeous retro dresses. Couldn't you just imagine sipping iced tea on the veranda in any number of these?
I'm trying not to stare too hard at these because I want them all way too much. Especially the first one. And the second one. Oh, and the third one is green.




Feisty party dresses! I love the hemline on no.3.
Gorgeous skirts! How pretty is no.2?
They even sell quirky random things, like mittens in the shape of sharks. I'm terrified of sharks, but even I wouldn't mind these little guys keeping my hands warm.

I have a small robot obsession, ever since I missed out on New Look's adorable robot necklace last year. And this robot has a watch in it! And wow, this penguin key-topper would be such a great present for my best friend. Or anyone, really. Who doesn't love penguins?


I want the middle umbrella so much.

And finally, beautiful jewellery! Sigh.

Excessive? Yes. But this only a fraction of the stuff on Modcloth I'm coveting. And if you're lucky enough to live on the other side of the Atlantic, what are you waiting for? CLOTHES, people. And accessories! Go, shop!
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Friday 16 October 2009

Give me an S...

I'm in love with this necklace that I got from Topshop a couple of weeks ago.

How beautiful? It doesn't look very 'Topshop' at all, yet there it was for the fairly reasonable price of £7. And I had a giftcard! So it was like a late birthday present!

For some reason it's not on the website, but it's still in my store, although I think that C is the only letter that's left. I have barely taken it off. It's a lot like the one ASOS sold earlier this year, but nicer, in my opinion.

Hooray for initial necklaces coming back in fashion! As has been well documented here, I have a bit of a thing for them. Hopefully they won't prove to be stiff competition for my own initial necklaces, because that would make me sad.
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Sunday 11 October 2009

SBV at the movies.

I've had a bit of a movie buff weekend. Firstly, I went to see Up, which is amazing. Beautiful to look at, moving (I cried, like, a LOT) and hilarious... I might even love it more than Wall-E. I certainly cried a lot more. Also, 3D! (Benefit of 3D glasses: no one can tell you're sobbing.)



I also saw Zombieland, which is about as far removed from Up as you can get. I'm kind of terrified of zombies anyway (stupid thing, there are Reasons which I'm sure I'll go into at a later date) but it looked funny, and not that scary, so I risked it. And it was brilliant, and really funny, but some bits were also still scary and uncomfortable to watch. And now I have a new phobia of public bathrooms. THANKS, Zombieland.

Plus, zombie clown? WHY. The only thing worse would be a zombie shark.


I'm dying to see The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, partly because I was always a huge Heath Ledger fan, but mostly because it looks really stunning. I've actually heard a few quite negative reviews from it, but visually, doesn't it look amazing?


This is mostly due to Lily Cole, who is one of those incredibly cool-looking individuals who really just should be art, or something. Good thing she's a model, really.


As does Where The Wild Things Are, which was one of my favourite books growing up. I will be running to the cinema to see it when it comes out, and I will beat my chest and roar like Max, the wildest Wild Thing of them all.


Finally, isn't this a beautiful movie poster? And so sad, when you know what happens. I may wait for DVD for this one, because I don't think even 3D glasses will be able to disguise what a blubbering mess I'm going to be.


How about you? Seen any good films lately? Or, if that subject is too boring for you - who would play you in a movie of your life? I'd like to think it would be Zooey Deschanel, but she is way hotter than I am. We have similar hair now, though! (Oh yes, I did that.)

PS - Still no laptop... :(
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Thursday 8 October 2009

The Others.

So I can't post photos, or blog much at all really for a while because my computer is officially dead. I would bury it in the back garden, except I've left it at the computer shop so they can use it for parts. My laptop is an organ donor, guys. That's impressive.

Anyway, they're toiling to build me a new computer with a hard drive that's not full of dust and likely to explode at any minute. Okay, so it didn't explode, it just went, 'No. Sorry. I am not loading any more. No Glasto tickets for you. Ha.' You know what, computer, I'm glad you're dead. That's right, I went there.

So whilst I am photoshop-less, I am going to embrace the keyboard instead and write a little list of my favourite other-bloggers.

Other-bloggers are not scary like the Other Mother (oh hai, Coraline, you would be an awesome Halloween costume), they are more like Other-Sarahs, which is what I call all Sarahs who are not me, apart from my favourite Other-Sarah, who is Sarah N, even though she's married now and her surname doesn't begin with N. But anyway.

Other! Bloggers!

Wishwishwish
www.wishwishwish.net
Carrie's blog is lovely to read and often a little inspiring. She takes lovely pictures, has a gorgeously quirky fashion sense and posts really good links to shops, websites and places to visit. She also has a life that I'm somewhat jealous of, partly because she's 9 years younger than me and is way cooler than I was at that age. Plus, she gets photography passes to places like Glastonbury and London Fashion Week, and has just started fashion college. Oh, and she's really cute. Her blog is always a pleasant read, a nice insight into her life whilst sharing things she thinks you might find interesting - I love it all her recommendations, as they tend to be tiny shops and vintage clothing places that I would never find otherwise.

Forever Young Adult
www.foreveryoungadult.com
I remember lurking in the teenage department of the library when I was about 15, waiting for my dad to get his arse out of the maritime section and reading some Point Romance book or other. And some random guy who did not work there asked how old I was, thinking I was too old to be there, apparently. Whatevs, random dude who I recall as being somewhat creepy, because Young Adult books are freaking awesome. Remember Forever by Judy Blume? Okay, so I was about 8 when I read that and didn't understand any of it, but it's still amazing. This blog is by a group of contributors from Texas (at least mostly) who review Young Adult books. It's not all crappy uber cheese, either. Erin, the best blogger of all in all the world* recently reviewed The Book Thief, which if you haven't read, you must. It's such a good book, if a tiny bit sad. Okay, very sad. Okay, gut wrenchingly upsetting. But incredible! Anyway, FYA is well-written, amusing and regularly updated, which are three things that blogs should aim to be.

*This comment might be slightly biased as I might know Erin and she might be one of my favourite people. Might. She also has a regular blog!

Afeitar
afeitar.blogspot.com
I first came across Helen on one of my favourite LJ communities, thehighstreet. I'm pretty sure she's single-handedly responsible for my current obsession with red accessories. She puts outfits together really well, takes beautiful photos and makes cakes that I really, really want to eat. Her blog is, well, not dissimilar to this one in terms of content - sort of fashiony, sort of photo-y, sort of general-nice-things-y. But all those things are good things! Especially when you do them well. And she does. Her blog is cute and fun, and well worth a visit.

Danny isn't here, Mrs Torrance
www.dannyisnthere.com
Mere's blog is mostly about horror movies. I have this love/hate relationship with horror films. I love the structure of them, and critiquing them, but I'm also a huge wuss, and hate being scared. I've come to realise that I can do gore, but creepiness... well, it creeps me out! Luckily for me, a lot of the focus of Danny isn't here (a quote from The Shining, btw) is on the more schlocky side of horror, like the human centipede. Yep, someone thought that up. Plus upcoming things in the world of horror and movies, and occasionally TV, too. She mentions Supernatural quite a bit, and as she tends to post photos when she mentions it, I thoroughly approve. Those boys are pretty. Also, Mere just got married. Congratulations, Mere!


Right, I have to surrender the computer back to my father, so I guess I'll go read a book or play with sticks or something. I miss my laptop!
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Sunday 4 October 2009

Pretty in Polaroid.



One of my biggest regrets is never owning a Polaroid. And of course I never will, now that they've stopped making both the cameras and the film. Sigh.

Still, I can placate myself with the beautiful Polaroids other people post to the internets... and this exhibition at the Atlas Gallery, which I am so totally going to.



Polaroid: Exp 09.10.09 is on October 9th until November 28th, and is a celebration of... well, guess. The last batch of Polaroid film expires next month, and this exhibition brings together renowned artists including Andy Warhol and Helmut Newton with contemporary artists commissioned especially for the show. All the images are for sale.


Incidentally, Poladroid is a free programme you can download to give your existing digital photos Polaroid colouring and borders. It's awesome.
Talking of exhibitions, if I could afford a flight to New York before April, I would be at MOMA so fast. I love Tim Burton.
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