Cheer Me Up

Sometimes we've gotta go back in time and listen some of those songs that always get stuck in your head. I pretty much did that the other day, but I didn't go back that much, just like seven years or something. - Whether I'm feeling old? Not at all! (Oh, I sure feel old at the moment) - I'm talking about Sean Kingston's hit "Beautiful Girls". Well, at first my sister and I were listening to some Justin Bieber songs (it's okay to listen to Justin Bieber) and stumbled upon this song right after listening - actually viewing - the Justin Bieber and Sean Kingston collaboration "Eenie Meenie".

So, the video shows us teenagers from the 50s until now (okay, 2007 is not now, but you get it) at the - what I'd like to call - milkshake bar (why don't we have those in Belgium?). Surprisingly this music video inspired me which I didn't expect because it's just a "silly" music video. Actually it's not the complete video that did the trick; it just took a couple of cheerleaders. Well, to be more specific I'm kinda intrigued by the 50s cheerleader's uniforms, and especially their sweaters.

Don't you just adore them? I'll share a little secret with you: those sweaters are 70s Varsity sweaters. Oh well, they look good too, especially the "Tigers" one. Anyhow they'd stil give me the 50s feeling if I'd wear one of them, which will probably never happen. I don't know why, but I'll always have this kinda love and admiration for the American 50s and especially the youth culture of that time.

Thank you, and take care.

Is It Really Worth It?

Those who have been following the blog from the start - I'm talking about 3 years ago - might already know I'm not a huge fan of Primark. Reasons? Well, I'm just not a huge fan of poor quality clothing. Besides that, those clothes are only made to sell. It's not like they've got some spirit, philosophy or feeling - you know what I mean? - in them like it actually should be. And it's not like they'll last a lifetime... Okay, nothing lasts a lifetime but I've got two sweaters from my dad and they're about twenty years old (no kidding!) and they still look like they're brand new(ish). I've heard from Primark shoppers that they throw out all their clothes once a year to go buy new ones at Primark. So, I'm guessing that their sweaters won't last twenty years like my dad's.

Now please don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater. I'm just a disliker (there's a huge difference). I can, and I certainly already did, appreciate some pieces I've found there. And yes, I've already bought some things in Primark (now don't you call me a hypocrite). The stuff I've bought are pretty basic, such as this white oversized (see-through) shirt and this black fedora. For both I only paid 18 euros (11 euros for the shirt and 7 euros for the hat), which is really really cheap. And this is exactly why my relationship with Primark is so difficult. Finding these essentials for such a tiny price makes me love it, but that their clothing is made in sweatshops makes me hate it.

But my question is, why do people love it so much, and sometimes even refuse to buy their clothes elsewhere? I only started questioning myself this since yesterday, because they've opened a new store in Brussels. And I have to be honest, I did not expect that many people waiting for it to open. Like why should you wait in front of a store, that's gonna stay at the same place for about five more years, to be the "first one" to buy its low quality products? If it was a sample sale, I'd probably be one of the first ten people to stand in line, but Primark for... I just don't get it. It's ridiculous.

For the Dutchies over there I've got a nice article on shops like Primark and Action you must read; just click here.

Thank you, and take care.

Going Gingham

Re-examinations, re-examinations... My hate for this word is growing with every exam I finish. You would think it'd be the other way around, but unfortunately it isn't. Waking up early and being tired when eating lunch. That was pretty much this week's recipe for one very tired and unproductive blogger (I'm feeling so sorry for that).

Even though traveling by train, which is why I had to wake up (very!) early, has made me lose lots of time, I did spend my time well. Besides trying not to fall asleep when reviewing my notes in the morning, I've spent most of my rides back home with trying to draw something. And this is what you'll find pretty weird, but I wished those rides took some more time. Apparently - and I'm not kidding- my drawing skills are better when using public transportation.

Unfortunately I didn't get to finish any of those drawings because I only get to focus like half an hour on my drawing. Well, I do get to sit on the train for an hour and fifteen minutes, but when 45 minutes have passed I realize I brought my sketch book with me. And that's one of the reasons why I never finish a drawing. Another reason is my fear of screwing it up and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Sometimes (read: every single time) when I draw something that looks good I think: Let's just keep it that way before, you know, making a mess out of it. This pretty much reminds me of Charlie Brown and Lisa Simpson... Perhaps I'm just like them but I just might not know it yet. 

I don't know if there are more people who do this, but before I start drawing I usually draw some lines. This is some kind of "warming-up" for my pencil. It's a way to make sure my lines won't be harsh or sharp when I start with the real deal - a cool kid'd say: "Really-o-deally-o." But I'm not cool so I'll just keep it with "real deal". Most of the time I tend to draw a gingham-like pattern and that's pretty much when I realized that this minimalist pattern is pretty interesting.

According to me this pattern is a pure classic which is why I just can't dislike it. Although it might be a classic, there are people who arent quite fond of it. My brother for example, I'm guessing he might, even though he's a fan of black gingham, associate it with a picnic cloth but he might not be the only one (I'm not a fan of red gingham; reminds me of the countryside).

And I've gotta be honest, pink gingham is to die for. If I'd find myself a bodysuit like the one underneath, I'm gonna buy it immediately! No kidding! This is yet again me giving in to the temptations of wearing girly stuff. Let's just hope this thing I've got with pink is just an affair and not some long term relationship. I know there might be some people thinking the same, and I'm guessing there are also some of you hoping for the opposite to happen (more pink?). Even though I might be firing with pink for a moment, but my heart will always belong to black.

Thank you, and take care.