3 days ago
Finally finished watching the True Cost, a documentary on the impact of the fast fashion industry on the environment as well as its workforce in developing countries. A talker from Creative Mornings had highly recommended the film a few months back, and the topic of ethical living had been on my mind for some time. Learning that another friend in the fashion industry had also presented on the topic recently had only encouraged me further to think about my own shopping habits, even about how often my clothes get washed.
Despite not being a hoarder, I still find that I have more clothes than necessary. Most are in boring neutrals, with only a handful of colours. Clothes and shoes shopping is often a conscious activity, thinking about its price, quality, and especially its fit, since I am shorter and smaller than the average person.
For example, while looking for a new pair of shoes, I'm faced with choices. Do I really need a new pair or can I repair the ones that I already own? Which brands should I go for? Do they have my size, is it a brand to be trusted, does the price match its quality? To be honest, trying to find the exact style I am after is a mission in itself, delaying any purchases to be made.
Not a bad thing, really. As Vivienne Westwood said, 'Buy less. Choose well.'
As for how to care for the clothes you already have, that's where I need to think more about. Hand washing will never be an easy option, it's just too much effort. But if it means getting a longer wear out of them, I may just have to get used to it.
Maybe.
Salvador Dalà said: "Entertainment highlights the art, its possibilities are endless." The plot of the film was described by Dalà as, "A magical display of the problem of life in the labyrinth of time."
Walt Disney said it was "A simple story about a young girl in search of true love."
Cos is a brand I love for its minimalism and simplicity.
I hear the sound of a long weekend coming up, and I can't wait! What will your weekend sound like?
Every time someone asks me, 'Where are you from?' I pause slightly. What answer is this person expecting? Why is this person asking me this question?
If the person had asked me, 'Where are you a local?' what would I answer?
Auckland, Bordeaux, Christchurch, Melbourne, Seoul, Paris, La Rochelle... Such a long list! These are all places I'd called home in the past. London, though I'd lived there for four months, doesn't count, because I didn't quite leave a piece of my heart behind in that city. Perhaps Tauranga will become another of my localities. Maybe Melbourne will cease to be one, with time.
Taiye Selasi talks about Rituals, Relationships and Restrictions to define whether one is a local.
In every city I've always tried to choose a local hangout to make me feel at home, to gain a sense of belonging. Relationship wise, my weeklies are Auckland, Bordeaux, Christchurch. ABC. I hold one New Zealand passport, which makes travelling to Auckland, Christchurch and Melbourne quite easy, but puts Restrictions on long term plans on all the other cities. Not that that stops me visiting again and again.
But as you evolve, so does your experience with your localities. Every time I go to one of my homes, they have changed so much they almost become foreign to me. But then again, some things never change.
Where am I a local? I was born in Seoul, raised in Christchurch, studied in Auckland and Paris, and worked in Auckland, Melbourne and Bordeaux. My French hometown will always be La Rochelle - Angoulins Sur Mer, to be exact. Most recently I've returned to New Zealand, and split my time (unevenly) between Auckland, Christchurch and Tauranga.
Where am I a local? In all these, perhaps too many, places.
Lately I've been reading and watching a lot about death and dying. Yea. They just happened to be on my book/movie list.
Sudden death sentences faced with medical conditions, such as in Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan and The Girl with Nine Wigs by Sophie van der Stap; world dooming death threats, in Inferno by Dan Brown and Jupiter Ascending dir. Wachowski siblings.
In the face of death, people say your life flashes by before you. What would you see? The highlights of your academic/professional/personal achievements, perhaps. The moments that made you happy and sad, or the little things like when you used to play doll with your little sister and she was the doll. You may even feel regretful that you hadn't done/seen/said/eaten one thing or another more/less/better.
Honestly, I wouldn't know, until that day actually comes. I think I'd see a sort of Pantone colour swatch though. When Dad rang past midnight that night to say that Mum had had a mini cardiac arrest, and to say any last minute goodbyes to her over the phone, just in case, I just saw static blackness. Nothing came out. When A surprised me with a Bungy jumping dessert after a birthday brunch, I saw a light green sea blueness all around me (a bit like PMS 353). And Daddy singing a favourite childhood song of our's. I think I may have been almost ready for death then.
After surviving near death experiences, wise people tell us to seize the day, to live today as if it were our last.
If I were to be diagnosed with cancer today, what would I do? This summer alone, one thousand women in NZ get breast cancer, so it is possible that one day I may also be victim to a similar illness. If I were to be diagnosed today, I would leave right away. Back home, to my family, to my loves. I would stop working and, instead, spend enjoying my last living moments with the ones I care about the most. We will go on a long holiday. Go to nice restaurants and do a bit of shopping, maybe. Catch as many sunrises and sunsets, and - oh, yes, please! - as many falling stars as possible. More hikes and swims, barbecues and massages. Then I'd ask to be cremated and set free over the sea, and everyone can have a nice big picnic on the hills overlooking the beautiful blue waters in their summer clothes, and laugh and drink and say nice things about me, then have a group photo to celebrate what a beautiful person I had been.
But living today as if it were the last kind of means living on the spur of the moment. Let yourself go, enjoy life, yes, yes, but ..
Sudden death sentences faced with medical conditions, such as in Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan and The Girl with Nine Wigs by Sophie van der Stap; world dooming death threats, in Inferno by Dan Brown and Jupiter Ascending dir. Wachowski siblings.
In the face of death, people say your life flashes by before you. What would you see? The highlights of your academic/professional/personal achievements, perhaps. The moments that made you happy and sad, or the little things like when you used to play doll with your little sister and she was the doll. You may even feel regretful that you hadn't done/seen/said/eaten one thing or another more/less/better.
Honestly, I wouldn't know, until that day actually comes. I think I'd see a sort of Pantone colour swatch though. When Dad rang past midnight that night to say that Mum had had a mini cardiac arrest, and to say any last minute goodbyes to her over the phone, just in case, I just saw static blackness. Nothing came out. When A surprised me with a Bungy jumping dessert after a birthday brunch, I saw a light green sea blueness all around me (a bit like PMS 353). And Daddy singing a favourite childhood song of our's. I think I may have been almost ready for death then.
After surviving near death experiences, wise people tell us to seize the day, to live today as if it were our last.
If I were to be diagnosed with cancer today, what would I do? This summer alone, one thousand women in NZ get breast cancer, so it is possible that one day I may also be victim to a similar illness. If I were to be diagnosed today, I would leave right away. Back home, to my family, to my loves. I would stop working and, instead, spend enjoying my last living moments with the ones I care about the most. We will go on a long holiday. Go to nice restaurants and do a bit of shopping, maybe. Catch as many sunrises and sunsets, and - oh, yes, please! - as many falling stars as possible. More hikes and swims, barbecues and massages. Then I'd ask to be cremated and set free over the sea, and everyone can have a nice big picnic on the hills overlooking the beautiful blue waters in their summer clothes, and laugh and drink and say nice things about me, then have a group photo to celebrate what a beautiful person I had been.
But living today as if it were the last kind of means living on the spur of the moment. Let yourself go, enjoy life, yes, yes, but ..
But, where is the line between just enough and too much? Would that sort of push and drive be possible in my work? How much pain am I willing to endure to succeed? How can I improve in my own field, equivalent of being drenched in sweat and teeth grinding in pain as the blood oozes out, feeling exhausted but also almost euphoric because you are actually having fun despite it all?
I think I used to be like that. In orchestras when we were performing at a competition. During projects I was managing, trying to get all the works from different teams together by a due date. I am not sure if I am still like that now. What happened? What changed?
Perhaps I have lost that sense of what I want to achieve, and a due date by which I want to achieve those goals. Tonight I'm going to update my professional to-do list.
I feel lost when searching for good French TV series to help me improve my French listening.
I tried listening to radio stations, but they usually play familiar songs in English most of the time, or debate about the politics and cultures that can be difficult to follow without the visual aid.
Films and documentaries are all good, but at times you just don't want have two-three hours to sit down and concentrate, you know?
So, TV series. For those wanting to improve their English, TV series are great. There are so many to choose from. Mostly American, but still. Many have told me TV series helped them the most when it came to improving their English language skills. Plus, they are short, so you could catch a quick episode just before going to bed, or whatever.
Unfortunately, there aren't as many to select from when it comes to French TV series. I find that they show many American series that have been dubbed, here on French TV. Like Friends. How I Met Your Mother. American Dad.
The French TV shows I watch (when I do watch TV):
I tried listening to radio stations, but they usually play familiar songs in English most of the time, or debate about the politics and cultures that can be difficult to follow without the visual aid.
Films and documentaries are all good, but at times you just don't want have two-three hours to sit down and concentrate, you know?
So, TV series. For those wanting to improve their English, TV series are great. There are so many to choose from. Mostly American, but still. Many have told me TV series helped them the most when it came to improving their English language skills. Plus, they are short, so you could catch a quick episode just before going to bed, or whatever.
Unfortunately, there aren't as many to select from when it comes to French TV series. I find that they show many American series that have been dubbed, here on French TV. Like Friends. How I Met Your Mother. American Dad.
The French TV shows I watch (when I do watch TV):
- Friends, dubbed
- Un gars, une fille - my housemate looks like Jean Dujardin
- Touche pas à mon poste ! - it's a talk show, with a bit of humour, and culture. It's the only thing on on evenings during dinnertime
- Various other talk shows and news channels
On my iPad, I sometimes watch:
- Elementary, dubbed
- Enquête exclusive / Zone interdite - similar to 60 minutes, these are reportages on various issues
I was on the lookout for something similar to Un gars, une fille, when my friend T's younger sister introduced me to Foudre. It's a teenage drama series, 23 minutes each, following an 18 year old boy as he falls in love with a mysterious New Caledonian girl.. It's short, it's silly, and doesn't require much thinking. It's perfect.
When looking for TV series to improve your French, why not try asking a younger friend? They are likely to watch more TV. C, at 14, certainly does. Merci, C, pour ta suggestion !
Rain and chilly gloom is forecast for Bordeaux in the next ten days. What better excuse to snuggle up in cosy blankets up to the chins, hands wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate, feet protected in woollen socks... in front of the small screen for some movie marathon sessions.
Recent-ish films I would recommend, in random order:
Recent-ish films I would recommend, in random order:
Jiro has been making sushi since he was nine, but even after almost 75 years of sushi making, he says that he has never hated his job once. How many people could say the same for his/her own job? As a sushi chef, Jiro practises the same techniques day in, day out, but for him, they are opportunities for improvement. It is a never ending process. His sushi bar hardly has room for nine people, and lacks even a toilet, but bookings are taken in months in advance and each dish is as high in price as its quality taste.
Jiro's sushi is described as an orchestral piece, by a famous Japanese food critique. The simple classic first act is followed by a cadence of improvisations, ending with a final bang that is back to the traditions but with stronger tastes. An art.
His philosophy may not be easy to adapt in the modern world where people look for quick results and broader interests rather than a specific expertise. Jiro's art is in using quality ingredients and patience in self improvement, as well as love for what he does. He is a true artisan.
