forgotten

These are just a few photos from late April. It must have slipped my mind that I had these richly coloured photos taken while I was up in Whitby. I just wanted to share. I've been uploading photos to flickr like a mad woman lately. It seems as though all my pictures and blog post ideas have piled up into their very own to-do list. Whatever the matter, continue to peruse my flickr photostream and follow me on twitter for blog updates.

camille

After much solitude and work, I was able to break that with a small and purposeful shopping trip. I was shopping for a birthday gift for my friend Camille. Never have I been so efficient while shopping. I went straight into the mall, right to the store I intended to, and found exactly what I was looking for. I bought her the Monogram necklace from Club Monaco. I have to say, I tried it on myself and I kind of want one now, as well as the rest of the jewellery in Club Monaco and perhaps the entire store. Anyhow, I really hope she likes it. I took these photos last week as soon as I arrived home from the mall but I had to refrain from blogging until now. Her big ol' celebration was last night so perhaps she's already opened her gift. Let's cross our fingers she has and that this post doesn't ruin the surprise. Who could wait so long to open presents anyway?

While having this little photoshoot, I snacked on a chocolate and raspberry macaron I had picked up on the way home. Here are some photos so you may drool over how they are incredibly adorable as well as edible.

club monaco

spring 2011 lookbook

I've recently fallen in love with Club Monaco. If you were to walk in the store now you'd find an overwhelming amount of nude and earthy tones, which I love! It's definitely my inspiration for my summer wardrobe. I even like the men's collection, especially with the way they've laid out outfits in their lookbook. Their latest collection of jewellery is darling as well. It seems like the types of gems you'd find in your mother's jewellery box. All the pieces have a bit of vintage influence. I was just there yesterday trying them all on. While I was there though, I realized that my taste is starting to drift well above my years. In fact, my pal pointed out to me that I was the only one under 25 in the entire store. They even offer a discount to university or college students, which I will be next year but that information was no use to me while I was at the cash register last night. I'm clearly far too young to be in the store but anyhow, I'll still be a loyal customer and I have next year to look forward to! I'll only be getting older.

It's too bad Club Monaco doesn't have an online store or catalogue. It would make it much easier for me to gawk over their clothes. I suppose I'll just have to make more trips to the store. I'll definitely be saving up for shopping trips this summer.

by the docks

Day 10

I'm quite behind on my Europe photo diary posts. It feels a little silly to be blogging about my travels so long after the trip but I will continue to anyhow. At least it means reminiscing longer.

On this particular day we were still in Italy. The morning of, we rode the tour bus to the docks. It was exceptionally gorgeous out. I even picked up a blossom to put in my hair. It was a little cheesy of me but tourists are allowed to be cheesy. Then I realized I was allergic to the flower and threw it to the ground. Anyhow, we took a little boat ride out to beautiful Bellagio. We arrived in this quiet town from where we had a great view of the lake and the Alps.


After the lot of us finished posing over the seascape, we were free in shop around and grab a bit to eat. I visited a store called Bellagioseta, where they sold all sorts of accessories. I ended up buying this darling leather satchel for about €49. I just adore the colour. I also bought a small coin purse for Nina in another lovely colour I knew she would love.


Now, by the time we made it to a restaurant there wasn't much time until we had to get back to the dock for the next boat ride out. We ordered a pizza but as time got tighter we ended up asking them to pack it up as soon as it came out of the oven. We were running like lunatics through the town with this pizza box but thankfully we made it to the dock with time to spare. The pizza was eaten right at the dock and I have to say that it was probably the best pizza I had of my whole stay. It was packaged nicely too. It came in a nostalgic Disney pizza box — what a nice touch.

When we arrived back in Como, we took the funicular up to Brunate. From here you had the best view of the entire city and then some. If the air was a little clearer, I might have gotten a better photo. This one will have to suffice.

That night we played our last concert in Olgiate Comasco at the Centro Congressi Medioevo. It was bittersweet but we still had ourselves a good time, especially dancing to YMCA.

film

Remember that lovely Asahi, Honeywell Pentax I dug up? Well, here I am months later having finally finished a roll of film and developed those babies. It's been quite the journey with my camera. Before taking any photos I made sure to consult with all my photographer buddies on tips and tricks but also have them diagnose my camera. As it was passed around from one person to the next, the consensus was that my camera was missing a light meter — the one essential tool common on most SLR cameras. After looking up the manual, I found that there was nothing wrong with my camera but it just happened to be an extremely old model that didn't come with a light meter. Using my basic knowledge of how to work the camera, every time I went to take a photo I would assess the lighting and really just fiddle with the dials, guessing what would be a good setting and hoping that my pictures would turn out okay.

When I got my film developed I was actually pleasantly surprised. I thought maybe four would be visible and the others just blurred or blank prints. It turned out to be a nice batch, although, a little sporadic. You can see my hardships but I find it sort of endearing. I've already started to upload some of these onto my flickr photostream.
Can I pretend I actually took this photo? These few are of an older issue of an H&M magazine.

I really like this light leak.

For some of the photos where the colours were a bit off, I made some black and white edits. It's a lot easier on the eyes than some of the saturated photos that turned out.
One big mistake you can make with your camera is opening the back while there is still film in. I thought I had rewinded the film all the way so I peeked inside, exposing this photo. I actually quite like how my ruined photo turned out though.
I'm still not comfortable with the camera yet but I have a new roll of film in and I'm still experimenting away. It's going to take some time to get into the swing of things. For now, please enjoy these spontaneous photos.

ode to mum

I don't often mention family in my posts, but I promise you I do have one! Last Sunday was Mother's day and I had a wonderful day out treating my mum to brunch. My dad tagged along as well at Le Sélect Bistro. It's a place I've been meaning to try and sure enough trumped my expectations. Le Sélect is a darling little French influence bistro with the most divine food. I've only had one meal there but boy was it good. I can only describe the food in no other cheesy way than cooked to perfection.

At first I was slightly intimidated by the French menu but then I realized it was described in English below. There was a special menu just for Mother's day. It was a three course brunch with many choices in appetizers, main courses, and desserts. My mum went for grilled scallops and asparagus, the steak and eggs, and crème brûlée for dessert.


My dad loves his eggs benedict so he went for this lovely plate below, with thinly sliced salmon on a croissant and mixed veggies.


For myself, I had their housemade sausages, eggs, mixed veggies, and Rösti potatoes — my favourite.


By the time her dessert came, my mum was too full for it so, being the wonderful person I am, I kindly stepped in. But really, she knew from the moment she ordered crème brûlée that I was going to eat it. It would be silly to expect anything less. Crème brûlée is my favourite dessert.


Although they're located downtown, the restaurant is pleasantly placed off the beaten track on Wellington street. It would have been nice to sit on the patio because it was so gorgeous out but they haven't set it up yet. I can't wait to visit again and try their other menus during lunch or dinner. I'm going to make a promise to myself to return in the summer.