I'm still a student, so I spend on some and scrimp on some. But dry-cleaning isn't something I will spend on. (But I still spend on clothes that happen to need dry-cleaning, DANG!)

What do you do with clothes that have to be dry cleaned?

My argument is that clothes that usually have to be dry cleaned are so precious, like silk, printed silk, maybe very special poly and all that, that you shouldn't even wear them enough to warrant any cleaning, or dry cleaning for that matter.

On hindsight that doesn't really make sense because you'd wanna make the most of a piece of garment after spending so much on it right? (Assuming it's not cheap, and you didn't get it at a sale.)

Most clothes come with a nondescript imperative - 100% SILK, DRY CLEAN ONLY. Which seems pretty harsh and I don't like the tone of it, so most of the time I just ignore it and don't do it. LOL.

But Baylene (excuse me for talking so much about Baylene, I can't seem to help it. By the way they've launched a new collection called Flawed II) puts their instructions in such a persuasive and pretty manner I think I'm going to start dishing out ten dollar bills to the dry-cleaners in a happy pink trance.

Love your garment, please dry clean. Can you resist? Hahaha.

Well for now I'm just sticking to dry-cleaning, but of another kind. I'm just airing the clothes out after a day or a few hours of wear. Maybe with a bit of Febreeze so it's smell fresher. But is that... okay? Is it devastatingly unhygenic? Does reading this gross you out?

I've always been mortified of staining my garments, especially with liquids. O wait.. only liquids can stain right. I've always had the notion that dry-cleaning IS dry, but it is in fact a very very wet process. If you care to find out more, you can always consult trusty (not very) ol' Wikipedia.

Plus, I've heard of dry-cleaners screwing up garments. Stains get worse, there are holes in the garment, the garment changes colour. It kinda scares me and makes me ultra wary of the dry-cleaners. They're not cheap either right?

Yes, so you can call me dirty, cheap, broke (well I am really broke), confused, but just offer me what you do with your dry-clean garments!

Con diez cañones por banda,
viento en popa, a toda vela,
no corta el mar, sino vuela
un velero bergantín.
Bajel pirata que llaman,
por su bravura, El Temido,
en todo mar conocido
del uno al otro confín.

La luna en el mar riela
en la lona gime el viento,
y alza en blando movimiento
olas de plata y azul;
y va el capitán pirata,
cantando alegre en la popa,
Asia a un lado, al otro Europa,
y allá a su frente Istambul:

Navega, velero mío
sin temor,
que ni enemigo navío
ni tormenta, ni bonanza
tu rumbo a torcer alcanza,
ni a sujetar tu valor.

Veinte presas
hemos hecho
a despecho
del inglés
y han rendido
sus pendones
cien naciones
a mis pies.

Que es mi barco mi tesoro,
que es mi dios la libertad,
mi ley, la fuerza y el viento,
mi única patria, la mar.

Allá; muevan feroz guerra
ciegos reyes
por un palmo más de tierra;
que yo aquí; tengo por mío
cuanto abarca el mar bravío,
a quien nadie impuso leyes.

Y no hay playa,
sea cualquiera,
ni bandera
de esplendor,
que no sienta
mi derecho
y dé pechos mi valor.

Que es mi barco mi tesoro,
que es mi dios la libertad,
mi ley, la fuerza y el viento,
mi única patria, la mar.

A la voz de "¡barco viene!"
es de ver
cómo vira y se previene
a todo trapo a escapar;
que yo soy el rey del mar,
y mi furia es de temer.

En las presas
yo divido
lo cogido
por igual;
sólo quiero
por riqueza
la belleza
sin rival.

Que es mi barco mi tesoro,
que es mi dios la libertad,
mi ley, la fuerza y el viento,
mi única patria, la mar.

¡Sentenciado estoy a muerte!
Yo me río
no me abandone la suerte,
y al mismo que me condena,
colgaré de alguna antena,
quizá; en su propio navío
Y si caigo,
¿qué es la vida?
Por perdida
ya la di,
cuando el yugo
del esclavo,
como un bravo,
sacudí.

Que es mi barco mi tesoro,
que es mi dios la libertad,
mi ley, la fuerza y el viento,
mi única patria, la mar.

Son mi música mejor
aquilones,
el estrépito y temblor
de los cables sacudidos,
del negro mar los bramidos
y el rugir de mis cañones.

Y del trueno
al son violento,
y del viento
al rebramar,
yo me duermo
sosegado,
arrullado
por el mar.

Que es mi barco mi tesoro,
que es mi dios la libertad,
mi ley, la fuerza y el viento,
mi única patria, la mar.

Besides the discomfort, she is really living up the whole "I'm hurt, please wait on me hand and foot" situation.  :-)  It certainly doesn't take them long to get the hang of that! 

The doctor said four to six weeks recovery.   She has a little sling to wear, but it's a BATTLE getting her to put it on.

Vídeo muito engraçado, para dar várias risadas!

Rock In The Sea, 2005, 22" x 30", watercolor, gouache, color pencil on paper

Divining Light, 2005, 30" x 36", watercolor, gouache, color pencil on paper

Recurring themes of love, memory and intervention, Erika Somogyi's paintings have this unexplainable tranquil and danger, serene and overwhelming feel to them.

Have They All Forgotten Me?, 2005, 30" x 36", watercolor, gouache, color pencil on paper

She uses neon colours but they are not blindingly bright. There's lots of layers of colour pencils over transluscent layers, then kind of a tint over certain areas, some with clean edges, some with fuzzy bleeds

We Will Return Together, 2006, 36" x 42", watercolor, gouache on paper

I haven't felt so heartbroken looking at a painting ever!

via minirobot

Tana from Constant Evolution, has nominated me for an award!

And not just any award.  It's an I love your blog award.  I feel like I've just been jumping in the sunshine with a bunch of warm fuzzies.  How nice and thoughful and all-around lovely.

So why not continue to spread the love & spread the joy.  Even if I didn't have to....

Here are the rules:

1. Please put the award on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.
4. Add links to the recipients.
5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

So without further ado... and in alphabetical order:

1. Anne and May

They are witty writers of chick-lit with a funny, refreshing view of religion, culture and their lives.  They don't take much too seriously, but then at the same time they do... (I don't that doesn't make sense).  Great blog.

2. BitterSweet

As a life-time dessert maniac I can officially declare "YUM!"  The awesome thing is it's a vegan site.  With my newfound hatred of dyes and preservatives, maybe I can add "vegan" to list as well!  Probably not, but this site makes it actually sound possible being that it is still so delicious.

3.  Bloom, Grow, Love

Positively romantic and dreamy photography.  I LOVE everything she puts up and want to be exactly *right there* in every picture.

4.  Study in Brown

A long-time fan of this site.  It is a calming blog with quiet conversation, faith, parenting, food and so much more.  Tonia is able to ask questions and ponder in a way that you want to stop in your crazy day and think awhile with her.

I don't intend to sound so mean, but jeez lady... maybe discover a different sense of self-worth besides your blonde hair....

I think most people have this "broke" feeling once in a while. And yes it has got to haunting me!

So I have decided to make do with whatever I have (at least after I've got the shoes and leggings I'm watching on ebay teehees) until more money finds me. (Oh and maybe the Bona Drag boydsuit tooo!! Sigh)

This is what I wore to school today

Top: Navy pleat and pintuck blouse from Zara
Bottoms: Blue exposed zip shorts with collar from Baylene (<3!)
Shoes: Cream boating shoes from Sperry Top Siders (I'm almost becoming a one-shoe woman)
Bag: Marella bag from Demano at The Lawn (And this is making me a one-bag woman)

When life gives you the chance to come across coolio bags at 50%, make them yours!

I was at The Lawn in Wheelock for the second time within 24 hours with my boyfriend last week. He was trying on these fabulous pair of jeans from Iron Army Clothing (now defunct, but on a 50% discount at The Lawn) and I was oogling at these Freitag looking bags. (He ended up getting not one but TWO pairs of Iron Army jeans - I have to show you pictures too!)

Demano is Madrid's answer to Freitag. They use discarded advertising material like PVC and polyester banners and fashion them into bags and accesories. Making do with unwanted material. I likeee.

There's another shape they have in the shop which is basically a mini tote or clutch. I was <this> close to getting it too, but I think I could sense the broke-ness creeping up on me, so I only bought one.

This one!

It's kinda colourful but not garishly so.

Okay who am I kidding. It's not colourful but it has someee hints of colour and interesting cropped images. The shape is more feminine than that of Freitag's designs. Yes, Freitag has the whole industrial feel going on, and I like that too.

The label's hang tag comes with a brief explanation about Demano and what they do, and also the origins of the banner - like what it used to advertise and who the artist or designer was.

This is one bag I can rough about and not go all whiny over - I love the white "cracks" that surface with use.

The inside has no lining - it's simply a continuation of the print on the outside. That means it's reversible! Woot.

The sales person who attended to us that day was actually one of the co-owners of The Lawn. I was surprised he didn't say much or didn't try to sway us into buying anything so I broke a "You're a very nice sales person, you don't push us and sell your things."

Then he replied something along the lines of "It's all in the products. If we bring in good products they will sell themselves."

Whoar. Respect.

The Lawn also stocks Betsey Johnson, Deborah Sweeny, Milk & Honey, and some other labels that didn't make it to my memory, heh. I think cos the rest were guy's stuff?

Okay back to making do with whatever I have in my closet!

Black lace bodysuit by With Hearts in my Eyes, $100
If the cute bow at the back doesn't convince you, I don't know what else would.

Peacock feather necklace by Miss KK, $63
I was thinking this could be DIYed, but where would I find this dreamy creamy mauve colour on peacock feather?

Eden dress by With Hearts in my Eyes, $134
I need some mad swishing action to go with this fringe dress. Isn't the hand-dyed gradient just so awesome?

Elegant sweats by With Hearts in my Eyes, $110
I hardly ever find myself to drawn to velvet. These sweats make velvet so much more wearable for me. I like that they're cuffed too!And take a look at this dress!

I'm in the process of asking how much shipping to Singapore is. Ah.

The model looks just like Kate Lanphear.

I want all these. And I want bleached hair too ):

Tasteful, straggly ripped silk( ! how preposterously cool!) and burlap in dresses and skirts, frays and pleats. Mmm.

The prints hint at glorious paintings and mosaic, then after all that you get dashes of.. spray paint?

Pleated apron skirts seem easy enough to replicate! (read DIY DIY DIY!) The varying lengths and contrasting print fabric is very yummy.

They can go over just about everything! Mini skirts, pencil skirts, A-line skirts, frilly skirts, tiered skirts, dresses, culottes, high waist, low waist, spam spam spam!

Go get some fabric, or a gunny-sack now!

Cette mansuétude est une exception. Le 23 septembre, Li Xueli, un pétitionnaire du Henan qui avait lui aussi demandé à utiliser les "zones de protestation" a été envoyé six mois en camp de rééducation par le travail, selon China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD). Trois jours après, les proches d'un autre demandeur de permis, Ji Sizun, étaient informés que le militant du Fujian, disparu depuis le 11 août, avait bien été arrêté.

Un mois et demi après la clôture des Jeux de Pékin, les associations de défense des droits de l'homme - toutes basées à l'étranger - dressent un bilan plus complet de ce qui a pu arriver aux militants ou pétitionnaires que les autorités avaient jugés bon de "neutraliser" dans ce que CRHD qualifie "d'abus des droits de l'homme systématiques, directement liés aux Jeux".

"Disparue" pendant les Jeux, Zeng Jinyan, l'épouse du militant des droits de l'homme emprisonné Hu Jia, a été isolée dans un hôtel à Dalian pendant dix jours. Malade, elle a été autorisée à rentrer chez elle avec son bébé avant la fin des JO, mais avec l'interdiction formelle d'entrer en contact avec l'extérieur, a-t-elle expliqué au Monde. Surveillée, elle a reçu des coups de téléphone pour la dissuader de parler à la presse.

Hu Jia fait partie des possibles lauréats du Prix Nobel de la paix décerné le 10 octobre. Zeng Jinyan a rendu visite à son mari le 25 septembre, à la prison de Chao Bai, à Tianjin où il partage une cellule avec d'autres détenus. Il a été placé en confinement solitaire le 13 août, menotté et les fers aux pieds, pour avoir défendu son droit d'expression. "La direction de la prison ne voit pas d'un bon oeil les conseils qu'il donne sur les droits de l'homme en prison", dit son avocat, Li Fangping.

Quant à l'avocat Gao Zhisheng, lui aussi nobélisable, ses confrères sont sans nouvelle de lui depuis des mois. Selon la presse du Falun Gong, le mouvement religieux dont l'avocat avait entrepris de défendre les membres persécutés en Chine, il aurait été emmené de chez lui, où il était assigné à résidence, le 7 août, puis torturé. Des accusations non confirmées à ce jour.

Brice Pedroletti - Le Monde - 7/10/2008

Dessin de Raoul Bunzine

Pensava que els trens (i els transports públics en general) amb la pluja s'omplien encara més que de costum, però resulta que la gent prefereix anar en cotxe o vés a saber... Si fins i tot la noia que reparteix ADN no hi era!

Ara penso: què passarà quan plogui a bots i barrals? Aniré sol al vagó? Al tren? Estaria de conya perque podria seure però clar, no tindria la escalforeta que donen els altres passatgers que dius, durant l'hivern anirà genial. El problema ja vindrà a l'estiu, però això ja és per omplir una altra entrada.

Avant, pendant et après les JO n'oublions pas les droits de l'homme!

A.I. nous le rappelle grâce à cette nouvelle campagne mettant en scène des disciplines olympique quelque peu différentes!

Okay maybe you're angry that dear Sasha Baron Cohen, who did a great job as Ali G and Borat Sagdiyev (don't you just love the name?) but I haven't seen anyone as ridiculous, or as passionate at his craft!

That's him as Bruno, a homosexual Austrian television reporter, trying to pass a note to the models at Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's show.

Like, WTF? I can't help but imagine what the hell was going through the models' mind.

Then this is the genius in question ruining the finale of Agatha Ruiz de la Prada's show. That's a seriously weird amalgamation of jackets, and hanging boots.

He later got arrested!

I think he's superbly intelligent to be assuming these oddball personalities, carrying it all the way through (to the police station as well?), meeting the who's who of every field, making them contradict themselves.

Ah. Such is 1337.

via Telegraph

Hur skall någon ombudsman, inte ens om vi slår ihop alla ombudsmän till en myndighet vilket borde vara det bästa, kunna 'ta' på lagtext i integritetsfrågan när inte ens de begränsningar av vår personliga integritet som redan finns inskrivna i våra grundlagar, vår konstitution, har konsensus bland våra riksdagsmän?

När vi har riksdagsmän och framför allt riksdagskvinnor som gång på gång bevisar att de inte ens är utbildade till den nivå deras jobbs kravspecifikation skulle innehållit, dvs om de inte bara valts in på partitillhörighet, partibok, kvoteringar, lottningar eller öppna val bland medlemmar.

Det Sverige behöver först och främst är en Författningsdomstol där vi kan få svart på vitt vilka begränsningar våra friheter och rättigheter har. För så är det i varje demokratiskt land måste det finnas begränsningar av fri- och rättigheter som skyddar landets säkerhet, militära och annan,  Varje demokratiskt land har också lagar som skyddar individens säkerhet och den allmänna ordningen. För att skydda en individs säkerhet, så måste begränsningar finnas av andra människors rättigheter. INGEN rättighet får någonsin vara utformad så att den saknar rättskydd för de enskilda individerna. Det är inte frågan om att ha majoritetsval om vad som enskilda människor får eller inte får utsättas för i form av förtal, förföljelse, hot, misshandel o.s.v. För att skydda den allmänna ordningen krävs begränsningar i bland annat demonstrationsfriheten. Lagstadgat krav på att grupper söker tillstånd för att inte stoppa, hindra trafik, gående, ordningen på allmän plats o.s.v. Det finns ett otal begränsningar av alla rättigheter. Dessa begränsningar borde åtminstone riksdagsmännen känna till!

När ropen skalla på ombudsman åt alla, så gör de som ropar det lätt för sig. De glömmer bort att för att skydda enskildas liv och landets säkerhet finns de begränsningar av friheterna och rättigheterna som är lagstadgade. Om de, riksdagsfolket i huset i Stockholm, inte ens kan lära sig dessa begränsningar och vad de själva och deras tidigare kollegor i huset röstat igenom när det gäller lagar, är de då värda mer ens mer än dubbelt upp av en sjuksköterska, en lärare, en miljövårdsansvarig? Visa att Ni är värda de pengar och de förmåner ni får innan Ni ropar på nya ombudsmän!