DELIGHT or SMITE? (April)

DELIGHT

Lula magazine. It’s not perfect (I won’t go into it), but it does have an impressive crew of photographers & designers. I have pretty much given up on magazines for innovative writing these days, but I am always on the hunt for good eyeball fodder, aka pictures to hang up, & it fits that criteria rather well.

Erin Fetherston. She is definitely Lula’s sweetheart, but she does beautiful things. See the latest issue of Lula (or the March issue of Paper) for a picture of Zooey Deschanel wearing a dress by Ms Fetherston which looks like a flower. (You can download her press book here, with lots of glorious pictures.)

Dramatic hairstyles. Either BIG, fluffy & extravagant or super-sleek, short little pixie cuts.

Tokyo. I admit, I am a little obsessed. It is cherry-blossom season over there at the moment & I wish I was there to see it! I am chasing down a randoseru bag (like this one from Hideo Wakamatsu) & I narrowly managed to avoid buying myself a t-shirt which says “I Japanese Girls”. Seriously, how would I live it down if I’d bought it?!

Reflexology. It actually got rid of my writer’s block. Amazing.

Bonobo, an artist on the Ninja Tunes label. I think I would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t find this aurally stimulating. Listen to some samples, dance around your living room to the Live Sessions EP, then check out his tour dates here (& smile widely if you live in Helsinki, Athens, Berlin, London, Osaka or Tokyo).

Twitter. Keep your friends & stalkers abreast of miniscule details! (I love it.)

草間彌生 aka Yayoi Kusama. Yayoi is an amazing visual artist who started to have hallucinations as a child about polka-dots covering everything. This theme has featured strongly in her work. She now lives, by choice, in a mental institution in Tokyo & continues to produce amazing art. She had an installation in Melbourne recently, which I went to (pictures here). You can see lots of photographs of her work on Flickr, too.

Being thoughtful. This post on gift-giving is fantastic.

Good customer service. I have recently made the switch to Aesop cosmetics, & every time I go to their counter, they load me up with samples & information. The staff are attentive & helpful, the products are beautifully presented, & every time I come away from their counter I have a huge smile on my face. I am so impressed (not to mention, their products are incredible!).

Tokyoflash watches — I am in love! (The secret part of me that loves movies like Hackers squealed with delight when I saw these.)

Gingerbread houses. I have never made one, it’s not really my forte, but they are so impressive when done well. Someone made a gingerbread CBGBs!

SMITE

The Hills. One of my awesome mutual e-crushes, Peter, recommended it (as a “guilty pleasure” — it’s all my fault, really), & I spent the next couple of days in a stupor watching the antics of these, um, sometimes painful people in their Hollywood life. Do not attempt if you value your time! It will suck you in & you will never escape!

Goldfish. I never knew they were so disgusting. They poop like crazy! It is driving me mad! I envisioned a bowl full of clear water with nothing but two fish swimming around. WRONG! I have a big green tank with an ugly burbling tube. It is an aesthetic nightmare!

Not checking the mail for such a long time that the vouchers & invitations to sales you’ve been sent are redundant by the time you see them.

Sitting down for such a long time that your butt starts to go numb. I guess I should take it as a hint to leave the house (& check the mail), hmm?

The end of old friendships (though it does give you a good excuse to listen to The Cranes’ Beautiful Friend, one of the best songs in the known universe).

Being underdressed. These changing seasons are treacherous, you know!

Not having any credit on your cellphone. I haven’t had money on my phone in months. I am worried they’re going to disconnect my number. Haha.