♡ do you remember...

 

This outfit was from a few weeks back. I originally intended to post this shortly after wearing it but, for some reason, it got put on the back burner. Oops. 

Some weeks ago, the September equinox took place, and to me, that means that fall is officially here. I can already feel it in the air. It's frosty outside in the morning as I leave for the day. I see the fog on my way to the bus and the dewdrops on cobwebs in the tall grass. It all feels so beautiful now.

Recently thrifted this sweet black sweater. It's really simple and plain, but the fluffy neckline really adds something special to it. I couldn't help myself when I found it. The sleeves I'm a bit torn over—do I call them quarter-length sleeves, or are my arms just too long? Either way, I adore it and I love pairing it with all kinds of skirts in my closet

Paired the sweater with some simple black skinny jeans, because I am but a child of the 2010s. If I'm not wearing skirts and dresses, then I'm wearing skinny jeans. Not really a fan of any other style. Well... except for capri pants. 

Something I've been wanting to do is darken my hair. I have naturally dark brown with a touch of warmth in it. I'm too chicken to commit to hair dye, but I just love the look of black hair. It's so gorgeous and striking to me, and something that I've always been drawn to. With baby Bambi steps, I have started to experiment with hair colouring masks. I was told that these kinds of hair masks don't attach well to virgin hair as they do to treated hair, but that they can work anyway. The packaging says black, but it's more of a black-brown on me. Don't know how well it shows in these pictures, but they were taken about a day after I dyed my hair. 

Who knows, maybe I will be ready for a real colouring job soon. For now, this temporary Morticia shade is perfect for me.  

POST TITLE: SEPTEMBER // EARTH, WIND & FIRE 

♡

♡ for the record | no. 1

I'm realizing I haven't made a record collection post yet. Then again, I'm not very consistent here. That has got to change. I tried to be clever with the name (think I'm sticking with this one). Anyhoodles, here are some records I got months ago! This post took far too long to write up for some reason, but I haven't acquired more records other than these ones. So, here are the recent additions to my collection!

First out is a double buy. There's this small record shop that opened a few years ago not far from me, and I love going in there from time to time and browsing their crates. The vibes there are amazing, and it's filled to the brim with old things – vinyls, CDs, old toys and games. Very retro, nerdy and super nostalgic, which is really fun!

I think it's mandatory for every record store to have a Beatles section, and if they don't, I'd be very suspicious. There were a few records there, a mixed bag of original albums from the 60s and new pressings, as well as solo albums. I did manage to find A Collection of Beatles Oldies which is a record that I've been wanting to own for many years. It features a lot of my favourite songs, too. 

And how about that cover! 

The back cover, featuring the Bug Boys

There was a name written on the top left corner (most likely the person who owned it before me),
which I think is so sweet. For privacy's sake, I've censored their name. But I love it when old
records come with names and scribbles. I think about their story, who they were, and how
they felt listening to the record. Really a magical thing to ponder over!

The artwork, done by David Christian, is so groovy and captures the essence of the of the swinging sixties so well. I know the album was released in 1966, but tell me that the guy on the cover isn't George in the late sixties

Can we talk about how good he looks here for a second? 1968-George, the man that you are.
Photo by Baron Wolman.

Spitting image I tell ya, down to the striped pants. 

That same day, I also got Lana Del Rey's Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass, which features a selection of poems from the book of the same name. I couldn't resist taking this home with me. I love spoken word poetry and hearing the poems performed, accompanied by a soft, beautiful production by Jack Antonoff, adds a whole other vibe to the book. Lana has a really sweet speaking voice, very calming. It's especially a really nice listen for warm summer days when the air feels soft.

Big Violet and Little Violet <3

There was also a vinyl fair that I went to back in April, and I had a fun time flipping through the crates there. A lot of boxes were labelled SALE! and I scoured them for Beatles records.

And then. 

I see something.

Something orange...

This is my favourite George album. I really like the production and the funky 1970s soul influences. The texture of the cover is also super cool; it really feels like a basketball! 

George Harrison - Originator of Memes

The iconery of this album packaging – he's so funny 😂

That's it for now! Until next time...

♡

♡ darkness there (and nothing more)

August came to a close, and we find ourselves in a strange in-between period. Too hot for sweaters and tights, too cold for summer dresses. The weather is still indecisive, swinging above and below 20 degrees. I watch for the trees on my commute. Taking notice of the leaves turning orange.  

Not just yet. 

Last week, the second half of the second season of Wednesday premiered on Netflix. As a long-time fan of Burton films, I immediately loved this show back when it first premiered in 2022 and have, like everyone else, been eagerly waiting for season 2. The first part of season 2 sent me down a rabbit hole, resulting in me watching the two Addams Family movies from the 1990s for the first time (how I've gone all this time without actually seeing them I'll never know). I've always been drawn to the character of Morticia (a Brow-spiration, if you will), and I really came to like her character on the show. Plus, her fashion this season is incredible, too.  

I’ve returned to Poe again, reading his prose and poetry on my way to work. The gothic, the melancholic and the dark prose have all left a mark on me. 

I think all this is part of the reason why I have been in a darker mood than usual. The night has inspired me, pulling me towards different textures of black. Velvet, fringes, faux furs, and lace.

There isn't a lot I want to say with this post. Maybe just showcase the kind of energy that has inspired me as of late...

"Someday we'll be buried here, side by side, six feet under,
in matching coffins, our lifeless bodies rotting together
for all eternity..."
♡

As we get closer to the month of October, in some strange way I also feel closer to my sense of self. Because I'll finally be in the season I belong in. Not the blazing summer heat but in the dark romantic chill of late autumn. 

I can't wait. 

♡

PHOTO CREDITS:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 

POST TITLE:

The Raven – Edgar Allan Poe 

♡ look up

About two weeks ago, I finally got to see Superman (2025). I was so excited to see the movie in theatres, having Superman by Taylor Swift on repeat as I counted down the days to July 21. Anyone else find it so cool how there's a Taylor song for every occasion—including a movie you're about to see? "Tall, dark and Superman" indeed.

I had a really great time at the movies, so I thought I'd write up a little post about my experience! 

A snapshot of the posters at the cinema I went to.

I have to admit, I didn't know much about Superman going into this movie, other than a general idea of him. Like most people, I was familiar with his character design, that famous logo, and the "up, up and away!" line, but not much more than that. I recall the movies that Henry Cavill starred in years ago, but I never felt any desire to watch them. They always seemed too dark and grim from the odd few scenes I caught while flipping through the channels on my tv. Not really something for me. 

"Wow," was all I could say as the
credits rolled. What a fantastic movie!

Then about a month or two ago, when the first few trailers started to play, I suddenly paid attention. Not only were the shots in the trailers so beautiful to me, but there was also something about him that I couldn't pinpoint. The colours in his suit were vibrant and colourful, not dark as I've come to associate him with. And he wore the red trunks, which is something I found so different (I don't remember seeing live-action superheroes in trunks, and I've seen my fair share of superhero/comic movies). He seemed friendly, sweet, and approachable in a way. 

And then you start to learn more about his character—his kindness, his big heart, his vulnerability—and I couldn't help but fall in love with him. 

I thought the movie was absolutely amazing. It was fun, bright, and colourful (finally, I don't need to squint because a scene is dark!). As someone unfamiliar with Superman, I still felt like I understood the plot. Even though we got thrown into the middle of the story, I never felt confused by what was happening. There was exposition at the beginning, much like the rolling text in Star Wars, which I really appreciated. The world in the movie also felt so lived in, full of interesting characters and personalities. I was so immersed in that world the entire runtime (and to be frank, I didn't want to leave once the movie ended).

And the dog. The true star of the show. 

There is also this timeless quality to the film. Something about the aesthetics reminds me of those from the mid-century, like the Daily Planet, for example. There's this interesting blend of retro aesthetics and modern life and technology, which is really beautiful. The cinematography, the sets, just everything about this movie, is stunning. 

The message of kindness was something I think that the world needed. It felt so good to step out of the movie theatre with a feeling of hope and love in your heart. Maybe that's the real punk rock. 

My only complaint is that it felt too short. Two hours just flew by! I really hope that we get an extended cut or, at the very least, deleted scenes. I need more!

✭✭✭✭✭

T H E   O U T F I T

Whenever I go to the movies, I really love to dress up for the occasion. Seeing as I don't go to the movies that often, it feels very special whenever I do go. My approach to these "movie looks" is to find pieces in my wardrobe that I can connect to whatever I'm seeing. It's more so vibes rather than a direct copy of a character. So far, I've done this for Indiana Jones 5, Revenge of the Sith, and now, Superman. Wonder what movie I'll dress up for next!

The outfit is, obviously, inspired by Superman. I really wanted to wear a red wrap skirt for this because, on one hand, it looks like the red trunks he wears. The slightly flowy silhouette of the wrap skirt also resembles his red cape. I thought it'd be a nice reference to him. 

For the top, I chose a basic dark blue one. Ideally, I wanted to go for a lighter blue top to match the blue in his suit, but seeing as I don't like bright colours on me, I chose a darker shade of blue. 

To match the outfit, I wore a gorgeous shiny red purse that was gifted to me by my mom and sister. I knew early on that I wanted to take this purse with me to the movie! 

I topped off the outfit with a very old cardigan. Maybe a dark red one would've worked better in this instance, but this is the only long cardigan I have in my closet. Also, does anyone else find cinemas really cold (especially after sipping on a cold cola)? That's the main reason why I brought it with me, and it sure did end up coming in handy!

HAVE YOU SEEN SUPERMAN YET? WHAT DID YOU THINK?

♡

♡ lately lovings | spring 2025

We've reached the middle of the summer, can you believe that? Coming off of my previous post, I thought I'd do a little recap and discuss some things that I have been loving lately. 

MUSIC

I've been rotating between two artists in particular as of late. When it comes to music, I tend to listen to the same track (or more) until I get tired of it and find something else. And this spring, I've been oscillating between Alexandra Savior and Dhani Harrison. 

The two albums I've had on repeat.
Alexandra Savior // Beneath the Lilypad
Dhani Harrison // Innerstanding

In May, Alexandra Savior released her third album, Beneath the Lilypad. I've been listening to her music for many years, discovering her around 2021/2022. When her lead single, Unforgivable, dropped, I was ecstatic to finally have new music from her after five years since her last album. She also released a second single, The Mothership, which has come to be my favorite song of the year. 

Beneath the Lilypad is a gorgeous record. It's dark and almost gothic, but in the midst of it all is a beautiful story of love and recovery. It's definitely my favorite record of 2025 thus far. Featured some of my favorite tracks below that I highly encourage you to listen to!

The Mothership

Hark!

The Harvest is Thoughtless 

Venus

Let Me Out 

Goodbye, Old Friend

I also have been really loving Dhani Harrison's music lately. As a longtime Beatles fan, I was aware of Dhani as an artist. It was in 2017 that he made his solo debut with IN///PARALLEL. I remember being 17, listening to the album track-by-track as I sat in the halls between classes. There was just something about his music that made an impression on me at that age. It's cinematic, haunting, eerie, but also very beautiful. 

For many years, I waited for the release of new music. Then finally, in 2023, came Innerstanding. I remember counting down the days until October 20th, finally listening to the entire thing on my way home from work. Right now, I really like these two in particular from Innerstanding, which also happen to be the two tracks that I fell in love with upon first listen:

Ahoy There!

Right Side of History

And from IN//PARALLEL, I've been digging these tracks:

Admiral of Upside Down

All About Waiting

Summertime Police

Besides music, I did get a few records as well this spring. Will make a separate post about that! 

BOOKS

I've been in a bit of a reading slump ever since graduating uni. A goal I have for the summer is to read more books. I have a tendency to start a book, then leave it for weeks and forget about it. A bad habit for someone who gets distracted a lot. 

So, what have I read (or am still reading) this spring? Quite a bit, and I'm proud! Here's a selection of books. 

Top, left to right: The Guest by Emma Cline, Brotherhood by Mike Chen.
Bottom, left to right: The Story of More by Hope Jahren, The Position of Spoons by Deborah Levy. 

I also have some hobbies that I'd like to pick up and am doing a little research on. I'm looking to make my own coffee mug out of ceramic clay, and I'm doing a lot of research on pottery to prepare. Another thing I've been looking to improve is typesetting, so I've also picked up some books about that.

I have some thoughts on the books I've read, but I don't want this to be longer than it needs to be. I'll leave the book thoughts for a future post!

FILM & TELEVISION

This spring has mostly consisted of rewatches, both on the big and small screen. 

• Daredevil: Born Again — First premiered in March. My god, this show broke my heart. I love the original show and it was so good to see it come back (my boy Matt can't ever catch a break). I didn't think it was going to be so graphic (because it's Disney™ after all), but I was proven wrong. I'm so excited for season 2!
• The Last of Us — The new season came out in April. I'm a little behind on the series. I'm still mentally stuck on episode two, and I can't move on (Joel... 😭).
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — In May, I rewatched one of my favorite shows ever. Like with Once Upon A Time, I cried so much at almost every scene. I've paused at season 6, as it's not really my favorite season. I don't know why it takes me so long to get through that season. But I love the show still! 
• Phineas and Ferb — For nostalgia's sake. I loved this show so much growing up.

A picture I managed to snap. It's so sweet to
see Hayden get all the love he deserves ♡

I also went to see the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith at the movies the same week that I graduated (was this a sign?). I came in late to the Star Wars fandom (I first saw the movies back in 2023), and it was just incredible to see Episode III on the big screen after only seeing it on my laptop. I loved Hayden's little message before the movie started; it made me tear up a little. And speaking of tears, I did end up crying during Obi-Wan's speech to Anakin right before he got burned. The enormity of it all, seeing the film at that scale coupled with the score, really made me emotional. Seeing this movie was definitely the highlight of April for me!

That's all I've got for now. To end this very long post, I'm curious to know...

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN LOVING LATELY?

♡

♡ happenings

The fireworks from New Year's.
(I'm aware it's June)

It's been a minute since I've been here. Last I wrote here was in the spring of 2024. I look back at the posts I was writing, looking for the commonality between them. A lot of the time I worried about things—uni, work, creativity. Now, I feel like the list of worries has shrunk, at least by a little. Lots has happened since the last time I took the time to write. 

April saw the end of my studies (at long last!). It was such a surreal feeling to graduate. To finally pass. The thesis was, for a long time, a source of anxiety and frustration for me. There was always "something" that needed to be changed, something to be added. Before I had realised it, the thesis work had occupied all of spring last year. I came to the conclusion that I couldn't finish my degree in time. 

So, I decided to work on it in the fall instead. I know that my study methods aren't the best (they probably never have been), but I was so hellbent on doing this that I powered through the best I could. All the tears, all the frustrations. 

I came to the thesis defence at the end of last year in early December. A day I can barely recall now, but I remember the grade and the feeling that came along with it. A passing grade, the first step in the right direction. But even though one step was completed, there were still things to be done to my thesis. I worked on it all through the New Year and finally finished my draft, losing sleep but at long last finished. This is okay. I've done the best I can, I thought. The worst that could happen (and it did ultimately happen) was that I'd have to redo it, but even then I'd be given the chance to work on it further. I didn't pass in January, but I had a second chance in March to make all the changes. 

A few spring polaroids I took a while back.

Then came March. My friend and I stayed up late the night before the thesis was due, going through it section by section to make sure it was perfect. I submitted it, feeling a small weight lift off my shoulders. There wasn't more I could do now besides wait. In the meantime, I worked on another assignment that I had to redo. 

Time went on. One day, I was at work, noticing a lot of things. Purple to me is a very lucky colour. Good always comes whenever I see it. And so when three people wore something purple on three separate occasions during my shift, I couldn't help but take that as a sign. I found out later that good did happen. I saw something on my phone that I never thought would happen. 

My thesis had passed. 

Eventually my other assignment would pass too. 

And in April, I finally had a degree in hand. 

It feels so surreal now to say that I've graduated. For as long as I can remember, I've always referred to myself as a student. Now that it's over, I feel... empty? I can't explain it. When you define yourself as something for so long and then that definition leaves you, what else is there? 

I'm happy that I finally have a degree. I can look for full-time jobs, but there's a whole new set of challenges now. I'm applying for every librarian position I can find, but it's hard. Rejections and no interviews are commonplace now. I'm happy to at least have this job, even if the hours are few. There will be more in the future. I just need to have some trust.  

♡

♡ strange as summer snow

The weather has gotten so lovely this month. The sun is out, and it feels nice to be able to wake up in the morning and go to work in daylight. Cool mornings and hot days have become my reality now.

Earlier this month, I went on a small stroll to the post office to get a package. On my way, I became so enamored by all the beautiful sights—cherry trees were in full bloom, the leaves were green, and petals fell on the asphalt like pretty snowflakes. I snapped a few pictures that I think turned out lovely. 

 

Pink trees are some of my favorite sights, so I always get a little excited when I see them. I just wish they weren't so temporary. I wish pink trees and lilacs would last forever. 

I thought that these flowers looked so cute <3

Oh, how fab are these shoes! I got them the same day as I took that walk, but I ended up with horrible blisters! My sock slipped off, and my foot rubbed on the shoe. Now I'm stuck with a blister that's having a hard time healing. Hopefully it heals soon; I want to be able to wear nice shoes again </3

Since we're already talking about spring...

The spring semester is coming to an end, and I don't know how to feel. It's supposed to be my final year at uni, and I worry that I won't be able to finish everything in time. There are still some smaller assignments that I've got left. Even though some things have taken time *ahem dissertation ahem*, I still am proud of myself and how much I've accomplished in the past three years that I've been at library school. There will be things that will take a bit longer to complete *ahem ahem dissertation again ahem*, but I will do my hardest to do what I can now. 

Yesterday, I was at the beach with my friend, and we did a three-card tarot reading on each other. I got the King of Wands, 3 of Pentacles, and 3 of Cups. Tarot cards are something that I'm still very new at, but I really feel like I needed to hear that message. I need to believe in myself more and trust that I have all the skills to finish school. I'm so close now. All I need to do is remind myself that I'm almost at the finish line. 

I'm looking forward to a nice summer. I haven't read much at all since last fall, and it's something that I really want to get back into, as well as creating. There are some poetry handbooks on my bookshelf that I'm thinking about reading this summer. 

Left to right: 'A Poetry Handbook' by Mary Oliver,
'Writing' by Marguerite Duras and 'The Practice of Poetry' edited by Robin Behn & Chase Twichell.

Hopefully I can put the old typewriter to use... "First thought, best thought" and all that jazz.

Post title: Purple Shades by The Troggs (1968)

♡