Showing posts with label Chile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chile. Show all posts

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Nautical Nonsense

It's more than a little amusing how my fashion tastes have changed recently. I remember a couple of years ago, blatantly refusing to wear shorts because of my ugly knees, and so I gadded about in those really baggy shorts that often were seen on skaters.
Incidentally, I was one at that stage, but that's neither here nor there, I try to forget about that.
I also went through the stage of 'Eugh Dresses, Why?' most probably inspired by:

  • hanging out with guys in my non-school time. Thank you, Chris, Tim and David.
  • my primary school girls uniform. You know the ones. Green and gold plaid into a just-above-the-knee length dress with a matching yellow tie secured by a green button. Phrased that way, it doesn't sound too bad - for primary school kids - but oh, gosh, it was. It took patriotism to all new heights. The coup de grace? Yellow socks. Not even a so-faded-you-could-mistake-it-for-white yellow. This sort of yellow. Of course, being a public school no one cared come year three and we all wore netball skirts, yellow shirts and culottes, with odd socks and 10 necklaces at a time. Fashion does change.
  • my high school uniform. Red and blue plaid, to a bit higher above the knee, white socks, tied tightly, black shoes with a heel all spelling slight rebellion. Or something. But when you're trying to get into your locker at the top of C block, standing on tiptoes with both arms full of textbooks and exercise books, there comes a problem. Although going to a school opposite the beach is nice, sudden sea breezes are frequent. Cue flashing, whereby hips are slammed into lower-down lockers and there is a scream to friends to help tame the skirt which now has a life of its own.
And nautical? Well, I thought that was lame, purely because I had the body of Tuscany and stripes don't flatter when they're nautically fashioned and horizontal.

So walking along Queen Street, you'd figure I would be staring, aghast, at the shop windows, as I did for the lace saga which I documented for an assignment that semester, for all the nautical-inspired seafarin' shindigs they channelled. But strangely... they tickled me. I could see myself standing at Eagle Street pier, looking fabulously windswept (but really looking like this, and eventually resembling this), and looking sort of awesome, if I were to be modest.
And ModCloth, my dearest love, came a yodellin'.
Firstly: Jacket. Brisbane weather is generally hot in summer. By that, I mean you die if you contemplate wearing jeans. This is perfect if a breeze comes through, and I am besotted.
Next: Dress. ModCloth also have this in the 'see also' section. I'd like to say I found it first, because I am a good huntress.
Finally: Shoes. I am a fan of ballet flats, as bad as they are for feet; I am also a fan of heels so my poor clodhoppers must hate me a great ton. Rubi shoes do some lovely ones, and I quite like the Bronte flat. Scroll, dear lovelies, scroll! 
Anyway, so my nautical nonsense is that outfit. Summer is going to be awesome, because if I keep working, and if I get in cheap rent next year, I have writing money for clothes, and... well, new wardrobe. Yup.
In other news, my brother is awesome, because he has grasped the latitude of acceptance and rejection very easily and we bid each other adieu as follows:
Me: G'night.
Him: Good night, young one. If you wake me up tomorrow, I will cut you...
Me: To ribbons.
Him: Fool.
Me: Such mediocrity. Let your sword do the talking!
Him: I will! It will be loquacious to a fault!
And then he fled, slamming my door.

Before I finally sleep - Chile's national motto is "By reason or force". It's good to know that these are my cultural roots. And my sarcasm hand actually isn't raised, because I like that they're up front. "We'll try talking. But if you don't listen, we release the hounds."


Thursday, June 24, 2010

PHWOAR FLIPS, do you have a Time Turner?

I may look like I've had a busy 24th of June (you don't know the half of it), but I'm pulling my Tumblr posts. Saves you time if you want to see them. They, in their original form, live here.

So! Australia, wow. Tonight's a grand night in this country. We've got the soccer (inevitable loss, we're not going through, and I am clearly unpatriotic and a traitor, but I don't care) against Serbia, which is vaguely interesting. But I'm far more interested in Julia Gillard contesting Kevin Rudd for leadership. Facebook went crazy tonight, and I got all ready to start dancing for Gillard already taking the spot.

Unfortunately, not yet. Tomorrow - or this? - morning at 9am, there'll be a ballot, and we'll find out who the new prime minister is.

As you can probably tell, I'm backing Gillard. It'll be interesting if she gets it, as a female leadership dynamic would be a fierce thing to behold. Politics may be a boy's club, but really, I think it's clear that females do have the necessary fire and logic to run a country. It'll be great. I'm not sure what I'm fully expecting from her leadership, but I'm excited. A new direction for Australia. I was hesitant about voting for Kevin this year (Abbott wasn't actually in my sphere of consciousness, I'm that against voting for him), but this works nicely.

Now - soccer.

From what I can understand from my brother's explaining, essentially Australia's not really likely to get through to the next round. Sunrise and Today newsreaders, get ready to despondently unwind your green-and-gold scarves; people watching in pubs and on the streets, throw down your beers in disgust. I predict a loss, and I'm actually going to watch it this time.

Matches I'm looking forward to? Brazil vs. Portugal, tomorrow night, and Chile vs. Spain, Saturday morning. I'm backing Brazil (Kaká's skill being explained in previous posts) and Chile (heritage reasons, I'm at least patriotic here).

World Cup, I love you. I may not appreciate the soccer gene being forced on me by Chilean soccer fanatics who dominate my family, but I love watching. I love the excitement you bring. And I love that every 4 years, the vuvuzelas are held aloft and everyone just storms out with the soccer enthusiasm.

I salute you, FIFA.
And Australian politics.
You two have made my night.