Write-Off

Today is one of those write-off days. You know, you have such great plans and they just don’t happen. I am too tired and hungover to be of much use for anything. I’ve been so tired all week. I’m sleeping the same amount as always, so who knows why my energy levels have crashed. I hope I’m not going to be ill.

Last night I met up with some friends from work. We’d intended a few drinks, but ended up in a club and I didn’t make it home until nearly 3am. It was a great night and so nice to get to know my workmates a little better. The people I work with really are lovely, and I’m loving the chance to make some new friends.
I’m paying for it today though. Suffering from quite the headache.

I’ve been terrible at posting this week. Blame the amount of shifts I’ve had and my general exhaustion. I apologise; regular programming will return this week.

I was going to do another outfit post today, but I haven’t managed anything more exciting than Hollister joggers, so that’s not happening. Instead, I had a little dig in my inspiration folder of pictures I’ve saved and came across this.

It’s the old ballroom of a hotel in Detroit. I can’t remember now why I saved it, but I had a search around and found the website of the photographers. Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre captured a series of images over several visits to Detroit.

All images are taken from their website, linked above. The photographs are very bizarre to look at. They’re chilling in a strange way. There are pictures of classrooms and police stations abandoned entirely, paperwork still laid out on the desks, as if the inhabitants had to flee from some sort of natural disaster. The images of Detroit are eerie and uniquely striking. They look like pictures of ship-wrecks. You expect these places to be underwater.

The story of Detroit is a sad one, but one that has apparently been over-sensationalised by the media. I first became aware of what had happened and what was happening after seeing ‘Requiem for Detroit?’. I’m not sure if the documentary is still available to watch anywhere online, but if it is, it’s well worth a watch. It’s fascinating. It gives a pretty unbiased view of Detroit’s struggle after the motor industry moved out of the city. The money was gone. The people went with it. Detroit is a city built for a population far bigger than the one it has. That’s why so many of these buildings sit in decay. There’s no-one to be in them. But there is life in Detroit. There are people still there, just living their lives. Detroit isn’t a dead city.

It’s hard to imagine the two sides of Detroit. There’s the city which is still very much alive. The music scene is said to be about to start giving us some very interesting things (what else from the city of Motown?). But then we see haunting pictures like these.

I don’t pretend to know anything at all about Detroit really, but it is fascinating, and I think there is so much sad beauty in these photographs.

Mouse Feet

The light in my bedroom really is awful. I apologise for the rubbish photo quality. My camera takes beautiful, crisp, sharp images in all sorts of dodgy light conditions, like nightclubs and concerts, but somehow, my bedroom is too much for it. KissHQ is set down from the road in a dip, so we don’t get much natural light into the front of the house, which is were the bedrooms are. So that’s my excuse for sub-par photography. One day I will find a better photo place. And maybe buy a tripod so I don’t have to take all my pictures in the same place so I can balance the camera on my chest of drawers. Or I might just go wild and balance it on my bookcase so you’d get a different badly lit view of my room. My laundry basket and coat hook might miss their starring roles though.

ANYWAY, the news from KissHQ is bad today, I’m afraid. I had my first attempt at my driving test today, and failed. I’m disappointed but not distraught. I understand why I failed, and it seems to be mostly bad luck. Next time will be fine, I’m sure. On cheerier subjects, here is today’s outfit.

• Waterfall top from H&M. It’s pinker than this in real life.
• Clock necklace from Dorothy Perkins
• Jeans from Dorothy Perkins (where else?)
• Mouse shoes brogues from River Island

Mouse shoes is what MrKiss insists on calling brogues. The name began with my old pair, which are brown, and I admit do look a little like the shoes mice often wear in cartoons, particularly the Disney versions of Robin Hood and Cinderella.

This outfit is going to be worn out for dinner. MrKiss and I didn’t celebrate Valentines Day due to his workload, so we’re out tonight to celebrate it late, and MrKiss being free of dissertation. And I guess commiserate my driving test failure. I’m very much looking forward to having an evening out together with just the two of us. It’s not something we make time for very often, but lovely when we do.

I put some new shoes on and suddenly everything is right

• H&M leather jacket
• Dorothy Perkins jumper
• Dorothy Perkins belt
• Dorothy Perkins jeans (Oh God, I think I have a problem).
• Halter-neck dress from MkOne
• THE shoes from Next

You remember I’d found the perfect shoes? Well, here they are in action. The first outfit was the first time I’d worn them outside of my room, for some drinks with friends. They felt very peculiar to walk in at first, and they rub a little where the detail stitching sits right over the joint of my toe. Once they’ve softened up, they’ll be ok though I think. I had no trouble with them for outfit number two. Excuse my starlet at a premiere pose; I wanted the back detailing of the dress to be in shot. This was for a friend’s birthday.

MrKiss finally handed in his dissertation on Friday. We’re both very glad to see the back of it! I’m looking forward to having him around at more sociable hours again, once he’s caught up on all the missed sleep from the work-load, anyway!

True Friends…

…stab you in the front. So says Oscar Wilde.

I’m very lucky to have many of the same friends I had when I was at school. These people have grown with me, and they still love me. My closest friends remain unchanged.

One, I have known for a very long time. Our friendship survived distance; once an ocean separated us. Our friendship is quiet and simple. It seems to need little cultivation. We go for weeks and months without contact, and yet when I see her everything is the same. I could call her at 3am and say “I need you,” and she would come. Our connection is gentle, and easy and unspoken.
The other, well, I know she won’t mind me saying, is a somewhat more volatile friendship. We are both pig-headed. We like to be right and will argue our point for hours, whether we are wrong or right. These has caused ups and downs over the years and huge arguments over nothing at all. We understand this about each other; it is a quality we share, and so gradually we have learnt to deal with it in each other. I believe our friendship is the stronger for it. We had a fall-out a couple of summers ago. We didn’t speak for some time. During that time, my long-term relationship came to an end. She was one of the first people to contact me to let me know she was there if I needed her. Despite the fall-out. Now there’s a true friend.
These are friends are I treasure and hope to keep. I consider myself lucky to have lots of these old friends who will continue to be there unquestioningly.

There are other friends; the sort who come into your life for a short time. These friends are equally important, but their purpose is different. They’re not the friends who become your family. They’re the friends who pick you up off the floor after too many drinks and will laugh with you about the time you were chatted up by someone awful. These friendships are just as precious, but you know they will be memories, and not friendships you will still be tending in years to come.

Then, there are the false friends. A few of these have shown themselves to me. They know who they are. The thing is, I know who you are too. These are the friends who attach themselves to you when things are up, then twist you into their own games, for their own ends. These are not friends at all. They’re leeches. I’m very much looking forward to shaking off some leeches in the not too distant future.

What does friendship mean to you? Do you have different sorts of friendship?

Discount Romance

I have decided what my favourite part of Valentines Day is. Thorntons sell off fancy boxes of chocolate for half-price. I have yummy chocolate now. Plus, Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream was on offer at the supermarket, so now my freezer is stocked with some Cookie Dough goodness. It’s been a good day, deals-wise.

Unfortunately for my wallet, I took a look at Zara’s website earlier. I’ve been hearing good things about their coloured jeans. I used to live in coloured jeans, mostly from Blue Banana. They’d all gone misshapen, so I only have purple left now, but I’ve been craving some more, but in a more…grown-up style than my previous ones.

I need these in my life, I think. The fit looks gorgeous. I can see them being lived in, with ballet flats or heels. Much better than my old ones with the saggy knees. I’ve never shopped at Zara before, but I’m very tempted. I might crack tomorrow and order these lovelies.

There’s a lot of stuff on their site to tempt me at the moment. Here’s a little picture round-up of the stuff I was dribbling at whilst searching for some pops of colour in my denim

• Leopard print raincoat
• Cashmere jumper in oatmealy colour
• Pink flared dress, sadly sold-out
• Bad-ass shoes

All pictures from zara.com. I want all this stuff and so much more. Curse you Zara. None of this will be joining my wardrobe; most of it is out my budget. But those trousers…hmmm…

At KissHQ, we are finally builder-free, at least inside. The lounge got repainted today, the carpet was re-laid, and we have attached radiators again. Exciting stuff.

Also, I painted each of my nails a different colour. This makes me silly happy.

You Could Be My Unintended…

Happy Valentines’ Day! Anyone doing anything nice to celebrate?

I’ve never been all that bothered by Valentines’ Day; it seems more like Hallmark Day to me, but I do like an excuse to do something nice with the boy. This is mine and MrKiss’s first Valentines together, and I think he was very relieved to find I feel as unromantically as he does about it!
As neither of us are too fussed, and his dissertation is due in on Friday, we decided to keep today simple. I’ll go over later for a Chinese and a movie, before he has to get back to work. Some quality time together seems like a good way to mark Valentines to me. After Friday, we’ll go out for a meal for a belated celebration and to say goodbye to his dissertation!

I’ve been amused by the telling-off MrKiss has been getting from various friends for his lack of effort today. I don’t think his friends have realised I am just as unromantic and dead on the inside as he is.

On an entirely unrelated note, I’ve just listed a load of stuff on Ebay. Here is a cheeky plug for it.

Blog Lovin'

Set myself up on Blog Lovin'. I use this to keep up with all the blogs I read, so it made sense.

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The Sunday Seven

Seven things making me smile this week.

1. The Muppet Show

MrKiss has somehow reached the age of 20 without properly experiencing The Muppets. He nearly killed me by asking who Kermit is. What is this madness? Luckily, my dad arrived for a weekend in Aber armed with the first season of the television series. Genius. I love The Muppets so much. I can never decide if Gonzo or Miss Piggy is my favourite.

2. Tasty fish
I was treated to the most amazing fish the night before last, courtesy of my dad. OM NOM NOM. I do like being cooked for.

3. Six Nations
I haven’t managed to watch as much of the Six Nations as I’d like this year, but I did manage to catch the second half of the Wales game last night, which makes me very pleased. Hopefully, I’ll be firmly in the pub for the remaining Wales games.
Despite being English, I support Wales in the rugby. I first starting watching rugby when my dad started taking me to watch the Cardiff Blues after he moved to Cardiff a few years ago. My rugby watching began in Wales, and I think of the Blues as my home team. Quite a few of the Blues squad also play for Wales, so it makes sense to be a Wales supporter.

4. Days off
Five days off in row ahead? Yes please.

5. Driving
I drove to Borth, a little sea-side town near me, during my driving lesson, and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The drive is meant to be a challenge for learner drivers to force us into planning ahead more productively and to give us more practice at driving at higher speeds. It was nice to find it was a challenge, but certainly well within my abilities and I had a lot of fun. It’s a very pretty route too, which helps.

6. Pay day
Always the best day of the week. I’ll be listing a load of stuff on Ebay at some point next week, so with that in the cards and this weeks wages, I had a little internet shopping spree. New things! Yay!

7. The Ramones

I’m having a Ramones phase at the moment. Fabulous band.

Noms

My name is CaramelLatteKiss and I am a junk food addict. I’ve always had a mega sweet tooth. I;m the girl who buys my own body weight in Pick ‘n’ Mix for the cinema and has eaten half the bag before the trailers even start. I’m a fiend for crisps as well. Bag made for sharing? Pah! That is a challenge. I can eat that, easy.
Processed food gets consumed a lot around here too. I’m a student. Bunging chicken kievs on the oven is cooking. Microwave meals are essential when I’m trying to write an essay and can barely drag myself from the laptop.

But obviously, none of this was very good for me. Perhaps I’m finally growing up and getting sensible, or maybe I’m just not young enough to eat crap and not be effected anymore. I was starting to notice my energy levels spiked and dipped. Sugar crashes were a regular thing, complete with sugar based headaches. In my first year, I put a little weight on. Not much, and probably not really noticeable to anyone but me. But I did not notice. It was the biggest I’ve ever been and I didn’t like it much. I didn’t change my diet, just made sure I was trekking u the hill to uni instead of sitting on the bus. I was slimmer again, but not quite back to normal.

And then this year, it suddenly dropped off. I went home for Christmas and was being told how slim I looked.
Turns out MrKiss is good for the waistline. MrKiss is pescatarian, and certainly a far healthier eater than me. No processed junk for him; vegetable curries, pasta puttanesca, fruit…and of course if I’m cooking I can’t just shove a baking tray of chips and chicken chargrills in the oven, like I do for me. I’ve started making proper food. I even make my own soups, which are pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

My New Years resolution was to make some actual proper effort to eat better, now I’ve seen the difference. I’ve not cut anything out. The baking tray food still gets eaten, just now not every night. Most nights, I cook something proper. I don’t eat six bags of crisps in a day. I have a fruit bowl on my desk instead. I eat celery, carrot and Ryvita dunked in hummus or other dips. Crisps now come as sharer bags for MrKiss and I as a treat with a film.

It’s a work in progress. I’ve started eating breakfast (and good breakfast too. Granola, drief fruit and yoghurt, anyone?). I still need to get more fluids in me throughout the day, but at least now it’s fruit juice and squash, rather than coke. And I do feel so much better.
Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling very cheery, and so treated myself to a bag of pick ‘n’ mix as a pick me up. And honestly, I didn’t really enjoy it. I’m not missing the sugary treats. I had a headache straight after eating, and they weren’t that enjoyable.

Some things will never change though. I do love crisps, so they’ll remain a treat rather than being cut out. And there’s no way my Costa habit is going anywhere. What would I name my blog otherwise?

It may be winter outside…

I am so ready for Spring! I’m not the sort of girl who does well with cold. I tend to feel it pretty badly, which makes life interesting with MrKiss, who has some sort of freakish internal heating system and doesn’t seem to get cold like normal humans. He’s the sort who wants the window open when it’s snowing. Brrr.

Lucky for me, we’ve had a couple of mild days here in Aber. The house is almost too warm, which makes a lovely change from Arctic. Yesterday was sunny; I had a chance to wear my Aviators for my driving lesson. I wouldn’t have been able to see a thing otherwise. As for today, less sun, but still warmer. Here’s what I wore to celebrate not freezing to death.

- H&M cardigan that I’ve had forever.
- H&M vest top.
- Snood from Boohoo. You can’t see it very well, but it’s deep purple colour, similar to the tights.
- Star print skirt from Boohoo.
- Purple Dorothy Perkins tights.
- Grey River Island Brogues.

I ventured into town with my Mac over this, and was perfectly warm. I was getting very bored of my coat, so I’m happy to be able to mix it up a bit again.

I’m also sporting these at the moment. This is the trusty Barry M Crackle Effect over Barry M Cyan Blue (294). MrKiss informs me he likes these nails, because they look like tropical lizards. I am unsure if this is a good thing or not.

As usual, my life is pretty rock ‘n’ roll. We played host to a game of Monopoly tonight. I had the worst game in history; in jail twice before I’d made a single circuit of the board, only one property (a brown) and I spent most of the game languishing in a cell. Fun though.
Tomorrow brings a driving lesson, which I think is going to be a another mock test. My last one was pretty awful, so hopefully there shall be less stalling this time!

Nude

Taking pictures of your own feet is hard.

Next are officially my new loves. Check out these bad boys. Court shoes! In nude! With brogue detailing! STRAP FASTENING!
I’m in love.

They’re wide-fit (which my feet definitely do not need), but they were too gorgeous not to take a risk. I ordered them in a size smaller than my usual size, and they fit really well. The toe area is weirdly tall, rather than wide, which is a bit odd, but it looks fine, I think. Plus it means there’s no toe squashing from wearing shoes that should be too small.

Next’s delivery is brilliant too. I ordered these late Wednesday night, and they appeared Thursday afternoon, really well packaged. 

These are probably the highest heels I’ve ever owned, but apparently it really is true that platforms make heels easier. These are surprisingly easy to walk in, although they’ve been no further than a few laps of my bedroom. I think I’ll need some practice to feel balance, as I don’t usually wear shoes with such skinny heels and the platform rolls a little under-foot. They’re perfectly wearable, just different to what I’m used to. All in all, I’m a happy girl.

I also had a white shirt delivered, which I’m quite pleased with too. I’ve been wanting a really simple one for ages, but could not find anywhere that didn’t have fussy sleeve detailing. Plus, shirts are never cut for slim girls with curves! The Next shirt fits pretty well, but the fabric is very see-through. Not the quality I expect from Next, but I think it’ll be alright once I’ve experimented with it a bit. I might buy a flesh-tone to wear under it in the name of decency. Or go for bright colours and embrace the see-through.

Oufit Post: Stars and Stripes

• Varsity Jacket from New Look
• Red Breton Stripe Top also from New Look
• Denim shorts from Ebay
• Black ribbed tights (there are ribbed, the photo doesn’t show the detail) from Dorothy Perkins.
• Black socks with bows are New Look. I do shop in other places. Promise.
• Boots of win from local boutique.
• Clock necklace from Dorothy Perkins

Breton stripes are incredible. This top has slightly odd turn-up sleeves, but I can’t get enough of it anyway. And the boots. Oh the boots. Love. So comfy. So beautiful. Never coming off my feet.
I have a slight obsession for wearing long socks scrunched down over boots like this. Blame the freezing Aber temperatures. My toes need extra warmth.

This was worn to go over to a friend’s for some drinks. It was fun to catch up with people I haven’t seen for a while. I also met their new hamster, who is ENORMOUS. She looks slightly like a bear, but is insanely cute.
I’ve just come in and have settled down for a little tipsy watching of Glee. Oh yeah.

Wishes

Next may have just granted a couple of my sartorial wishes. Which surprises me. My mum was a bit of a Next junkie when I was a kid. Most of our furniture that we have currently was bought from the Next catalogue. I was often dressed head-to-foot in Next as a kid. When it was time to buy new clothes, out would come the next catalogue, and I’d be handed a pen to mark off the things I liked. A few days later a parcel with some of these things would arrive and so would begin the ritual of trying on and sending back. I always liked my Next clothes, but now, as an adult, I suppose it still is my childhood wardrobe and I don’t really think of Next as somewhere that I want to shop. Plus, the one in my town of Hereford isn’t very good, and there isn’t one in Aberystwyth.

But there is change in the air. Next has been creating something of a stir in the blogosphere. They hosted a blogger event and invited some seriously stylish ladies along to check out the new collection. And you know what? It’s bloody good. I kept seeing pictures of this event, and suddenly all my favourite bloggers were wearing leather trousers and sheer shirts…from Next. So today I had a virtual stroll around their website.

There aren’t any leather trousers or sheer shirts in my shopping basket (lovely, but not quite me. Or Aberystwyth). But I just might have ticked off a couple of things from my wishlist. Things I was being impossibly fussy about. Tomorrow I might find myself the owner (at last) of a white shirt, free from cropped sleeves, gaping cleavage and silly frilly bits on the shoulders. I might have found nude court shoes I can keep on. Fingers crossed. I won’t share the photos from the site in case I jinx it.

News-wise? My housemates bought gerbils the other day. They are adorable.

This is Rupert and Ben. You can’t see it here, but Rupert has a dark brown tail, and his ears darker in real life, making him a bit like a Siamese cat. These pics are stolen from my housemate, taken on a mobile. Gerbils are hard to photograph.
Aren’t they just the cutest thing? I have some serious gerbil envy.

Girl Crush: Victoria Beckham

Victoria was probably my very first girl crush. Well, actually all the Spice Girls probably were, but Victoria was my favourite (joint with Geri), and I still love her.

She’s always been the Spice Girl who got hammered most in the press. They said she was the one with no talent. She was the one who stood at the back and pouted. Now, I don’t think Ms Beckham is the world’s greatest singer, but she is marvellous in so many other ways.

I have such envy for her wardrobe. She always looks so well put together. I admit that I leap at shots of her dressed down for a change, but I actually rather like the fact that she is always so polished. She is glamour personified. Her clothing is usually classic and chic. And her own range is so covetable. I could never afford any of it, but God, I wish I could! I feel weirdly proud of her for that; fashion critics were ready to jump all over her, but praise for her line has been almost universal. It’s well made, beautiful and wearable. Go Vic.

Girl power.