Broken Arrow *

"When you shoot across the sky like a broken arrow

It's so hard to keep yourself on the straight and narrow

You fall off course

He says one day we will look back and it will make us laugh

She says better to have and not need, than to need and not have

No matter what the cause it's better to have loved and lost

He says it's gonna get better like a fine wine

She says it's harder to smell the roses when the sun don't shine

This time he's gonna find another way

This time she's gonna take it to the good ol' days with no airs or graces

Only warm embraces we're just two little street angels with lovely faces"

Only know *

"Well you only need the light when it's burning low

Only miss the sun when it starts to snow

Only know you've been high when you're feeling low

Only hate the road when you’re missin' home

Only know… when you let it go…

Staring at the bottom of your glass

Hoping one day you'll make a dream last

But dreams come slow and they go so fast"

                              - Passenger (on the flight of life)

Jones the Grocer *

"Long communal tables create a sense of community

often missing in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

Featuring a vibrant contemporary cafe; in-house bakery; 

signature European deli, cheese, charcuterie & wine floor to ceiling displays."

Lovely selection of cheese and charcuterie, as well as a decent choice of wines. An ideal way to end the night and escape the pouring rain!

fourme d'ambert, fromage de meaux, parma prosciutto

beef two ways

prawn and chilli linguini

with fresh crystal bay prawns in spiced jones melted tomato sauce

Jones the Grocer

Level 5, Sydney Westfield

Corner Market and Castlereagh Street

Sydney NSW 2000

+ 61 2 8072 7755

Postmodern truth *

The four ideals:

first and foremost, the postmodern-ironist seeks truth as socially constructed;

secondly, scientific-rational finds truth through methodical disciplined inquiry;

thirdly, social-traditional finds truth in the heritage of American-Western civilisation;

and finally, the neo-romantic finds truth through attaining harmony with nature and spiritual exploration of the inner self.

Hemingway *

"Things may not be immediately discernible in what a man writes, 
and in this sometimes he is fortunate; 

but eventually they are quite clear 

and by these and the degree of alchemy that he possesses 

he will endure or be forgotten.

Writing, at its best, is a lonely life.

For he does his work alone and if he is a good enough writer 

he must face eternity, or the lack of it, each day.

...

[A] new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. 

He should always try for something that has never been done 

or that others have tried and failed. 

Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed.

I have spoken too long for a writer. 

A writer should write what he has to say and not speak it."

                               

                                              - 1954 Nobel Acceptance Speech

GA royal dance *

Royal blue cascades with black tones, 
dancing upon radiant red.
Simply spectacular ~

Milla Jovovich in Giorgio Armani

Distractions *

"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, 

one may unfailingly arrive at 

his chosen goal or destination."

                              - Christopher Columbus 

In an ideal world, one read all day and all night to consume all knowledge bound in the innumerable books before all time. Realisation suddenly dawned on me that this is not only impossible, but unfeasible, in light of other priorities in life. Study smart, not study hard. And applying the same principle: one should work smart, not work hard. For instance, my sleeping hours last week were borderline ridiculous: 2 hours Monday; 1 hour Tuesday; 3 hours Wednesday; 5 hours Thursday. *Note to self, remove distractions and prepare in advance rather than work/study 20 hours a day.

Of course, to succeed the necessary sacrifices in life must be made. Yet it should not come at the expense of working away the better part of youth and life to arrive at the chosen goal. Indeed the goal is reached but at what cost? A decade or more of life? An illuminatingly interesting prospect if I continue doing what I'm doing, then I will keep getting what I'm getting. Life: progress in the professional realm is evident (direction, goal, change) and now some attention to the personal dimension. 

Predicting the future *

One month, one week and one too many days
until I leave Sydney.
A new life, a new job and a new city
towards an exciting adventure.

Friends, family and loved ones - I will indeed miss;
but then again, you are more than welcome to visit me in the happy abyss!

Times of great change, three chimes forward...

CC upcakes *

Black and gold exudes the rich darkness,
white camellia reflects a delicate innocence,
and to top it off, hints of pearlescent femininity 
for a timeless classic
to CC apture beauty.

Get lucky *

"Like the legend of the phoenix
All ends with beginnings
What keeps the planets spinning
The force from the beginning

We've come too far to give up who we are
So let's raise the bar and our hearts to the stars

The present has no living
Your gift keeps on giving
What is this I'm feeling?"

Utterly delectable see-creation 

giving rise to a new obsession

Plato's angel *

Soul to the universe, 
wings to the mind, 
flight to the imagination, and 
love to life. 

Someday, someone will walk into your life 
and make you realise why 
it never worked out with anyone else. 
Until then, 
have faith they will find you

Liquid heaven *

"Wine can of their wits the wise beguile,

make the sage frolic, and the serious smile."

- Homer, Odyssey

Thankfully some things do get better in time, 
for everything else there's a bottle of wine.

To everything that is old;

old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wines.

Treasures indeed that are ol' mighty fine.

Met Gala 2013 *

Since 1948, an annual ball is held in NYC to celebrate the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute. Considered to be one of the most exclusive red carpet events in the fashion world, it was undoubtedly a "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" affair on 6 May 2013. The exhibition incorporates 100 designs from fashion archives to document the presence of punk on the runway since the times of the Sex Pistols, Blondie and Vivienne Westwood, as well as recognising its ongoing influence today.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Giles Deacon

headpiece: Philip Treacy

(single & fabulous SATC)

Blake Lively

Gucci

(xoxo gossip girl)

Anne Hathaway

Valentino

(devil wears prada, but not on this occasion)

Anna Wintour

Chanel

(when you organise the event, who cares about the theme? apparently Wintour claims pink is the colour of punk)

Jennifer Lopez

Michael Kors

(no longer jenny from the block)

Kate Beckinsale

Alberta Ferretti

(from underworld to serendipity)

Nina Dobrev

Monique Lhuillier

(lady of the night, so says the vampire diary anyway)

A Present - dull to bright *

Life tends to be somewhat dull when all one does is work, study and read. To add some meaning, my new year resolution for 2013 was to live a little, take more risks and not let time simply pass me by. After all, the present is a gift which can only be given once before it becomes the past. Unfortunately I did not practice what I preach, in this regard, yet... and it's May. But I guess, better late than never - so, as of today, I will try to pursue this resolution with renewed vigour. Keeping in mind my priorities yet remembering not to take the present for granted. 

Capturing the shades of grey, defining moments in more black and white, then maybe life shall unfold to be a wonderful reflection of bright bold hues ~ 

Joe Black *

"Acelera Comigo! 

(In God we Trust... all others pay Cash!)"

J and B hit the streets for our regular brunch date. Luckily, to meet Joe Black is only a ten minute walk from Sydney CBD. This delightful hole-in-the-wall cafe has an "alternative" interior decor that matches perfectly with the laid back vibe. 

The menu was entertaining to read, albeit offering only a limited selection. It includes: Pilate pancakes (you'll need Pilates after these chocolate covered bad ass mo foes); Bacon and egg brecky sambo (it's French for sandwich); and TRAGIC MAGIC mushrooms and hummus on rye. Delish!

stormin' norman

cherry tomato mix with spanish onion, avocado and a poached egg.. Or a bigger version 2 eggs more stuff

(healthy goodness, our pre-celebrations for cinco de mayo!)

chilli (on the willy) beef burger. comes without fries

(wholesome hearty burger with house-made beef patty. be prepared to get your fingers dirty, but it is definitely worth it!)

We bid farewell to the judges and commonwealth law reports...

then line up through the ages,

following the aroma of Joe Black's coffee

and cheekily take a part of Joe Black with us!

J & B

Joe Black

27 Commonwealth Street

Surry Hills NSW 2010

Trieste & Napoli *

"Inspiration drawn from two coffees emblematic 

of the cities of Trieste and Naples 

in homage to Italy's diverse coffee culture."

Like true artists, the experts at Nespresso have developed 16 Grand Crus with distinctly different aromatic profiles. And recently, there are 2 new limited editions: Trieste and Napoli. What I like about these little gems is that each capsule is completely protected from air to ensure the ground coffee remains fresh over time.

Every once in a while I miss J... and his Nespresso machine. My preference is Arpeggio, the purple capsule with a strong character and intense body enhanced by cocoa notes. The fruity malted profile is characteristic of South/Central American Arabicas. However this time I was invited to try Napoli which has a more subtle aroma. What's more - J's brother, KS, kindly offered me a green tea Kitkat to accompany my coffee! 

Poor millionaires *

Zimbabwe is the Land of plenty, well of money anyways. Even though the people barely have any. How can this be? With an annual inflation rate of 231,000,000% it is no wonder nothing seems makes sense. The financial authorities are forced to print increasingly larger denominations of currency so that people do not have to push trolleys of cash to pay for basic necessities.

Where 10 million is equivalent to US$10

and 100 billion is simply a piece of paper... 

(enough to buy 3 eggs, literally)

what is wrong with this picture?

Sacrificing privacy for Liberty *

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, a TIME/CNN/ORC poll released on 1 May 2013 concluded that the American people who were surveyed are far more concerned about civil liberties than the need for new law enforcement measures to prevent future attacks. Given a choice, 61% of Americans are concerned that new anti-terrorism policies restrict civil liberties, as opposed to 31% who worry that the government may fail to introduce strong anti-terrorism policies. 

Indeed, it seems we are entering a Time of homeland insecurity.

TIME 1 May 2013

Illustration: Ji Lee

Background: Martin Lladó

Two Queens *

Still sorely missed,
one of the great fashion minds of our times.
Accompanied by one of the great fashionistas of our times.
Caught in the moment, draped in scottish tartans,
strong black accents and a magical omnipresent beauty.

Met Gala 2006

Alexander McQueen & Sarah Jessica Parker

Thomas Jefferson *

"Determine never to be idle.

No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time

who never loses any.

It is wonderful how much may be done

if we are always doing."

The two sides to Thomas Jefferson.
All men are created equal - 
but are they really?
A distinguishing factor is one's determination & discipline.
No time for mundane, only time for essentials.
Give time, invaluable time.

Mather Brown, 1786

The dark side of Thomas Jefferson

Charis Tsevis, 2012