Stripes, Rainy Days and Much Mohr

Clockwise (L-R): cucumber pickles, mochi with mung bean paste, a punny fish and chip store, mornings in a suburb of Sydney

I am gradually growing to like the camera in my phone, it's convenient for those unexpected moments.  Every week I volunteer at an organisation and I always walk past this fish and chip shop called Mohr Fish.  I really do love a good (or do I mean terrible?) pun.  Mohr Fish, Mohr's Circle?!  If the pavement weren't so grimy I would be on the ground laughing.

One thing that doesn't make me ROFL are mornings that look like the picture above.  This is at 6.30 - 7am when sunlight should be streaming through the window, blinding me.  At least the weather has been consistently bad, every afternoon for the past week there have been thunderstorms/rain so at least I know when I have to bring the clothes in from the line.

One topic I do love to talk about is food.  Cucumber pickles are simple to make and is a staple in my world.  I always eyeball the proportions but usually it's 1:0.75 of sugar to vinegar since I like it a little on the sweet side. Basically you just make the brine to your taste and then add a clove of sliced garlic, one star anise and a few flakes of chilli to the liquid and then dump your sliced cucumber in.

It'll be ready in 30 minutes and the flavour intensifies with a longer pickling time.  I leave it in the fridge and take some out each time for dinner.  To make it extra crunchy you can salt the cucumber before pickling.  Sprinkle salt onto the slice cucumber, let it sit for 30 mins, drain and then rinse and drain the cucumber.  If you need a recipe to follow, this one would be a good one to use.

Now continuing on with the food thread...I am indifferent towards mochi, I like the filling but don't like the chewy texture of the exterior.  For some inexplicable reason I wanted to make some from scratch.  It's very laborious making it from scratch, allow ample time for wrapping.

I made a mung bean paste instead of red bean paste because that's all I had in the pantry.  I used the bean paste recipe from here and the mochi recipe from here.  If you decide to make it I would suggest adding a little more liquid to the mochi paste as it was very dry when I made it,  add about 1/4 cup more liquid.  Also if you let the cooked dough cool a little, it becomes much easier to work with.

Wearing: Lee blue jeans and Minkpink black and white striped shirt

I am definitely a jeans and T-shirt type of person.  It's comfortable and practical.  Usually I will wear a pair of ballet flats with this but if it's raining or I am in the lab for uni I will wear sneakers.  In the future I am trying to purchase less casual tops since as my Dad correctly pointed out, I am not a kid anymore and so T-shirts shouldn't be a staple of my wardrobe.  This year I am looking for nice soft cotton button up blouses and plain coloured shirts rather than the graphic T-shirts you will typically find me in.

Clockwise (L-R): Travel by Land candle lid, the actual candle, updated watch, the weave of my cotton curtain


I ordered a Diane von Furstenberg scarf for my sister as it's her 30th birthday soon.  It's from some fancy schmancy store called Matches.  Their shipping was a eye-watering £30 which is about $45 AUD. They do wrap it up nicely I will admit.  So to soften the blow, I bought this candle for myself.  It has a bergamot scent, very citrusy.

I discovered that you can update the look of a watch by changing the watch band. Before it was one of those leather cuff watches, like these ones.  Kinda too sporty, beachy for me because I am neither. After several years of constant use, the strap has become worn, the dusty pink has become pinky grey, the notch that I usually tighten the band to has slowly merged into the next notch.  So at the jewellers I got the band replaced with this brandy coloured leather band.  Much more grown up now.

Acquisitions Log #1

As promised I am keeping a rigorous log of items of clothing that I acquire.

In the area that I live in, people often dump their stuff on the curb/green strip.  It is common to see used TVs and furniture out exposed to the elements.  Often bags of rubbish are added to the growing pile as people are too lazy to walk to the bins.  But I digress.  Sometimes people also dump their clothes in bags on the sidewalk as well.  This time I was lucky and managed to scavenge a pile of stuff and so I am pretty much set for the cooler months.

Items that were acquired on 3rd January 2012:

• MNG wide leg trousers
• Temt shift top
• Avocado cream knitted long cardigan
• H&M oatmeal (such an overused descriptive word) pureed banana, malt milkshake short-sleeve cardigan
• Swamp coloured vest top
• Red Berry striped jumper
• A bunch of jewellery

Inventory - Version 1

After seeing Dead Fleurette do an inventory of her wardrobe, I felt the urge to catalogue what is in mine as well.  I'm not very fashionable but I do want to try and make sure I wear as many of my items as possible.  This isn't really useful for you since there are no pictures but it's more to remind myself of what I have.  Clothes that are too worn to wear out are relegated to the 'wear at home' category which is not shown below.  

For the most part, 2011 was a year where I made a conscious effort to consume less, buy less new stuff and buy more used clothing.  To consider each purchase carefully, regardless of whether it was in the department store or charity store.  For 2012, I am going to try and keep a rigorous log of what I buy.

Next to each item will be one or more coloured circles.  The legend for it is as follows.
• Items that I wear on a regular basis
• Items that I should wear more frequently
• Never worn, will wear
• Never worn, not sure what to do with it
• Item is too big/small, too worn or not my style.  Get rid of it, donate, or sell.
Items that are in italics were purchased new.
* These are for a specific use ie job interviews, corporate wear.  I am buying for the future, so to speak.

Outerwear •MNG boucle coat •Supre denim jacket •Temt biker jacket •Beige blazer •Target grey wool  overcoat  •Vintage navy overcoat Button Up Shirts •Floral paisley print shirt •Van Heusen purple striped shirt •Black 3/4 stretchy shirt Short-sleeve shirts •Grey graphic print  T-shirt  ••White Audrey Hepburn graphic print T-shirt  •Beige graphic print  T-shirt  •Supre black T-shirt  •Supre black loose  shirt •Supre peach loose shirt •Glasson black loose top •Country Road navy loose top •Just Jeans black top with white pussy bow •Cream w/ black blow print T-shirt •Target striped shirt

Long-sleeve shirt •Target dark grey shirt •Mink Pink black and white shirt •Grey and white 3/4 raglan shirt Knits & Jumpers •Max Mara cream wool cardigan ••Thin black & grey stripe cardigan •French Connection striped pullover •Ally grey turtleneck •Target stone coloured short sleeve cardigan  ••Cotton On grey  hoodie  Trousers and Shorts •Missoni black slim trousers •Black stretchy flared trousers •French Connection check shorts •Quirky Circus tweed shorts   •ASOS dusty plum shorts

Jeans ••Lee Rider black jeans •Lee Rider dark blue  jeans  •Lee Rider blue jeans  •Levi blue jeans Skirts •French Connection geometric print cotton skirt •Saba denim pencil skirt •Green tie-dyed summer skirt *Witchery grey wool pencil skirt Dresses •Cotton On stripe and chambray summer dress  Footwear •Vintage brown leather lace up ankle boots •Target low wedge peep toes  •Target black wedge sandals  •I Heart Billy black ballet flats •Ziera clompy red flats  ••Gladiator sandals *Sandler black leather pumps  Bags •Vintage Oroton brown leather shoulder bag •ASOS black slouchy shoulder bag * Black Oroton 'Ebony' bag

My favourite clothes to wear are jeans and T-shirts as they are a comfy combination.  Also I don't have to think too much in regards to dressing when I am rushing for the train to get to a 9am lecture.  I am most definitely not a skirt or dress person, I will reluctantly wear them when I have absolutely nothing else to wear.  I am not sure what to do with the skirts and dress I have, the pencil skirt is especially nice... I might wear it one day.  The print on the French Connection skirt is very cute and colourful.  It reminds me of ice creams and sunny days. 

Shoes that fit well are very hard to find in charity stores, it is even harder to find ones that are in good condition.  So I think for shoes I will have to buy new.  Right now I am looking for a new backpack for school since the zip is busted beyond repair on my current one.

For 2012 I am looking for a pair of ballet flats preferably in black or dark caramel or sandals, a pair of slim leg black trousers and a new hoodie or wool coat.  I am eternally searching for long sleeved clothes as my arms are longer than average.  Sometimes I put on a jacket and the sleeves are at least 2 inches away from my wrist.  Bracelet length, my ass.  Finding clothes that fit is the bane of my existence.