Archived.

Hey blogger. You've been good to me, but I don't feel comfortable posting so much of my self online. I'm going to leave this up as an archive of things that have been, but not only do I have no time for traditional long-format blogging I no longer have the inclination.

I have a dress with goldfish on it, and it's awesome!

Metamorphose, one of my favourite Japanese brands, released a dress with goldfish on it way back in July. I reserved it then and finally have it!

Hospital bugs justify the amount of clothes I have!

I have been recently fascinated with the idea of cutting down the amount of possessions that I have and one of the simplest ways to do this seemed to be the idea of having a 'capsule wardrobe', which is about maximising the number of outfits one gets from a minimal number of items. It seemed like an easier, cheaper and more space-saving way of solving the age-old "I have nothing to wear" refrain in my head...for about five seconds.

The trouble is, a capsule wardrobe simply does not work for my lifestyle. After doing my microbiology job in London, I got even more paranoid about bringing my transient carriage of hospital bacteria (inevitable when one works with patients) back into my home environment and particularly squicked by the amount of pseudomonas around. What this means practically is that I like to shed clothes and shower as soon as I get home, and I am not usually keen on letting any item of clothing back into my wardrobe or drawers until it's been through the washing machine. Often I will only wear clothes for one, maybe two days before washing - when you have been wearing the same clothes for 14 hours + and haven't exactly been sitting in a nice cool air-conditioned room the entire time they can get pretty gross. Couple this with 12-day stretches where the last thing you feel like doing or have the time to do is laundry every two days...and you really need 2 weeks' worth of underwear, socks, and work outfits, plus on your days off you don't really want to wear 'work clothes' if you can help it...and I'm pretty sure that as comfortable as my onesie is, it's not really appropriate outside clothes.

So really, what I'm trying to do is justify the large amount of clothing that I have, even if it does mean that everywhere I live needs at least a double wardrobe to accommodate the stuff that I have.

Drawn.

Some people drew me! First one is my outfit from Revelry 2014, featuring a dress made for me by Shinku Rose (I am still working on a review for it...)

The dress. Not the outfit photo I used though.

The second is what I lovingly call my 'tacky goth' outfit - apparently it's a bit like the Kuroshitsuji dress that Ciel wears and let's be honest, downright ita as a purely lolita outfit. I had to google said dress, since I don't watch much anime.

Ciel

Me

Picture! I love that I got given soul-less eyes (reminds me of The Exorcist, which I have never watched in full)

Introducing the Fluffmeister!

This is (Mr) Fluff. Who we think might be a girl cat actually.

...that's a clump of fur dangling from a back paw...

Fluff is also known as "Fatty", "Fat Cat" and "Fatty McFluff Cat"

This cat hangs very low...

\

Does it wobble to and fro?

Sometimes she is called "Mr Trot", because she trots around where she isn't supposed to be.

Although she's supposed to be here...

Or "cuddle-cat"...not because she likes to cuddle, but because she does cuddle. Under duress.

But mostly she sleeps, eats, and gets pats - ah, the life of a cat.

Happy New Year/Snippets from the Festive Season

We're only just starting, but I feel like 2015 will be a good year. I'm back home in NZ, having had a ball over in London and learning a lot, and had an awesome Christmas and New Year with family and friends. Hoping to pick up my fitness, flexibility and other hobbies this year...as well as do part of the paeds diploma, become a better doctor, and keep in touch with people more. To the photos!

A cat

Ok, another cat...

A sunrise

A fish! 

Happy 2015!

There and back again!

So I'm back in New Zealand now and really my blog has been very neglected whilst in London...so much for it providing a travel diary! You'd think now I'm back and job hunting that I would have all this free time to blog and reflect on my experiences, but in reality the opposite is true because I'm occupying my time sorting out everything that I left here for 12 months...and trimming the cat's fur because it's all tied up in unmanageable mats of fur. The stuff I've cut out is so dense that you'd swear she'd taken up felting....

The Fluffmeister. Note short patch - this picture taken before all matted areas removed

I'm also clearing out a lot of the things that I thought I needed to keep (but didn't as I managed just fine without them for 12 months..) so hopefully whilst I look I'll get a little income from selling stuff online. It does mean my room is packed with bags and boxes and things while I slowly clear the piles...

It's finally a nice summery day as well...hope this holds until Christmas.

Bunny House Super Large (XL) petticoat review - NEUTRAL!

Edited to add: This petticoat deflated significantly within the first few months of owning it and is now a low-medium poof petticoat. Whilst the shape is still awesome, the lack of durability has lead me to revise my overall ratings particularly given that my melikestea petticoats have shown no signs of similar deflation after being owned for over a year.

Poof: 5/10 - deflated too quickly
Price/value for money: 5/10 - I would much rather spend a similar amount of money on a longer lasting petti
Overall: 6/10 - I don't think I did anything particularly terrible to this petticoat to make it deflate (certainly not any more than previous ones) but I would not recommend or repurchase this petticoat.

Whilst on the never-ending quest for the one perfect petticoat to rule them all I stumbled across the Vietnamese indie brand Bunny House and was intrigued by their petticoats. Currently the petticoats offered are bell-shaped petticoats to customers' desired measurements, and the sizing - medium, large, or super large - refers to the amount of fabric used, number of layers and how much poof there is. I believe the material used is poly organza, and at the time of ordering I had the choice of five colours - white, black, light blue, pink, or purple.

The purple organza on offer - I believe this is a M or L size petticoat.

I ordered the Super Large petticoat in purple, to fit waist 25" and asked for it to be 18" long. My order was placed during their August sale, which meant that there was a discount of 10% off the regular prices - the Super Large petticoat had a 'normal' price of $35 at that time, so it cost me $31.50 + shipping to the UK which was $15, for a total of $46. This is slightly more expensive than previous petticoats I have purchased, but I was also hoping for more poof! It's certainly not much more expensive than the Classical Puppets pettis, at least on sale.

This one, but shorter and purpler!

Orders are done through facebook messaging, and payment is via paypal. I ordered on the 16th August, received a reply, and paid my paypal invoice within 24 hours. Due to the sale, there was no definite manufacturing time given although I believe their usual manufacture time is 15-20 days, and the next thing I heard was that my petticoat had been shipped on the 22nd of September. The parcel arrived within a fortnight - although since it wouldn't fit through the mail slot, the postman had to try again when someone was home!

Unfortunately, the parcel was damaged in transit and the outer packaging was ripped right down the side. Thankfully the inner plastic bag was intact so the petticoat was not damaged. Looking at the facebook page, this has been a problem for other customers so I wonder if the packaging needs to be improved to stand up to the demands of the global postage system...

Damaged parcel - thankfully, with contents intact.

The petticoat came in a plastic bag inside a brown paper package tied up with string...

...and when unpackaged, looked pretty much exactly like the photos.

All good petticoats must stand on their own.

The short version:

Actually ordering: 5/10 because there aren't options for people without facebook accounts. Basically, if you have a facebook then it's an easy 10/10, just like navigating any other order form and messaging, however there is no other option, which makes it a 0/10 if you don't!

Manufacture/shipping time: 7/10 - Slower due to the large number of orders they got with the sale, but still reasonable.

Packaging: 7/10 - Although I know that Bunny House didn't rip up the packaging themselves, there have been multiple mentions of torn outer packaging on their facebook. Thankfully the plastic bag was sturdy enough, but I would like to see something stronger used.

Accuracy to stock photos: 10/10 - they look the same!

Since this was a custom-made garment, I compared the measurements of the petticoat to the measurements I had given. The length is exactly right at 18", and the waistband is 20" unstretched, 39" stretched, and sits comfortably both on my natural waist and slightly lower if desired. The waistband is created from the lining, so the lining would not be poofy enough to layer another petti underneath - however, with the amount of poof this petti has it isn't really a layering one! I was not asked for a hip measurement, which seems reasonable as the waistband is fully elastic and stretches comfortably to a large measurement - I imagine only the most extreme of pear shapes could potentially run into difficulties if this is representative of all their petticoats.

Worn photo, with bonus wall.

The petticoat is made up of multiple layers attached directly to the lining, with the bottom-most layer being a continuation of the lining. This could be problematic if you don't like the feeling of organza on your legs - however the fabric is not scratchy like tulle net. The middle layers are two-tiered with a doubled-over tier of ruffles at the bottom and the top layer is three-tiered and just a single layer. This gives a total of 8 layers of fabric at the hem. Construction-wise, the majority of seams are straight stitched with the edges serged/overlocked, which is appropriate to the materials used and in my opinion the best way to go with a fabric as prone to unravelling as organza (I mean, you could french seam it but that seems unnecessary for an undergarment). There was the occasional loose thread but nothing that was actually coming loose.

Showing the bottom layer attached to the lining...

Lining close up!

I noted that rather than being gathered to the layer above in the same way Classical Puppets pettis are, each tier was pleated every couple of inches. I think there are pros and cons to both approaches - all the Classical Puppets petticoats I have owned have eventually had holes between the tiers which I believe is because the weight of the lower tiers is too heavy for the tier above - however, you get more volume for less layers, and could probably save a bit of fabric overall. The Bunny House petti has more layers but less gathering - which probably saves time, but not necessarily weight. Either way, they represent slightly different ways of getting the poof.

Pleating close up!

The short version:

Fit - 10/10. No complaints - I asked for a certain length and waist measurement, and it fits both.

Pattern/Construction/etc. - 9/10 - judgement reserved until I've owned it for a bit longer!

And of course - the poof, which is actually what everyone cares about right? I have now owned this petti for just over a month and a half and it's still poofy as anything despite being shoved in plastic bags and squished down, stored in a drawer etc.

I have worn this under a light, lined cotton dress with a single ruffle and two layers of velveteen to see how the poof would hold up - and honestly, I think this may be the poofy bell-shaped petticoat I've been hoping for.

Left: Without petticoat. Right: With petticoat

Poof: 10/10 - I love this. It gives me my ideal bell shape under both heavy layers and lighter dresses. It might be *too* poofy for some though.

Price/value for money: 8/10 On sale, this is a really good deal - I'm not sure I'd pay full price for it, but then again I don't think there's a comparable petticoat around that's as easily available.

 Overall: 9/10 - If you are like me, and love your layers of velvet but don't want to sacrifice your poof or wear more than one petti at a time, this is definitely one worth getting. I've taken a point off because it's not really as wallet friendly as some of the alternatives around.

A eulogy for Nala

Dear Nala,

You were not the smartest cat, or the most snuggly.

 You liked to sit on things that were the most inconvenient for your humans

And get into places you shouldn't.

You got stuck in high places, and never seemed to use your tail for balance.

You liked to sit on pizza boxes and play with string.

...you liked boxes...

...especially with string.

Like most cats, you enjoyed sleeping, eating, and sunshine.

Sometimes I used to feed you things you shouldn't have

(you often threw up later)

And sometimes you brought me presents.

I did not appreciate the ones that were still alive.

Dear Nala, you were my fluffy bear, and I will miss you and your gorgeous green eyes and your floof and your teeny tiny paws.

RIP Nala

(and Jagi, who is hunting dandelions in the back)

Little things I like

It's now been ten months since I left New Zealand to come over to the UK, and on reflection I have to say that I've probably found the transition easier than most - I had a job, a place to live, and supportive friends and family already over here. So rather than struggling with London rent, homesickness and terrible English food (OK, I'm maybe still struggling with terrible English food) I instead got launched right into the swing of things. I have however found myself missing certain things at home, while appreciating others here.

Here:
Premade food. Oh my lord the premade food at the supermarkets. You can get fantastic microwave meals here, and they go on special for less than the equivalent of $4 a lot of the time.

Carrot sticks - I love carrot sticks, and hate making them. The solution? Ready-made carrot batons!

Tea (and everything that goes with it). If you want a speciality tea shop here, no problem. There's chains of them to choose from!

Opening hours and free takeout delivery - hungry at 10pm on a Thursday evening? No problem, you can choose from Chinese, Indian, Italian...and get it delivered for free!

Fashion - Londoners are STYLING. And they don't care if you wear weird things.

And they like to stuff penguins, apparently.

Home:

Good fresh fruit and veg - I have to say, it's a bit of a roulette wheel here. I've had some fabulous fruit and also some really rubbish overpriced stuff.

Good Chinese food - I don't know what it is about these British people, but it's been a real struggle to find really nice, decently priced Chinese (and more importantly, Hong-Kong style food...)

Okay, so this is ACTUALLY from transit in Hong Kong...

Traffic - there's SO much traffic in London, and you all sort of drive around each other. Much quicker to get the tube most days.

Space - back yard? Detached house? Forget about it unless you have a cool couple of million pounds (or don't live in London...)

Look, these houses AREN'T all stuck together!

These are just some of the things I notice, but it also makes me wonder - what are the things that other people notice when they move countries...?