beautiful moments

A lot has happened in the last month and a half. I for one am no longer someone's girlfriend. It's still taking a lot of getting used to. Even down to the smallest details like putting Mrs. instead of Ms. when filling out one of those boring forms.

The whole experience felt like a wonderful rollercoaster ride and pretty sure I'm still on it.
The wedding...the holiday...amazing friends. Looking back I feel really blessed and incredibly happy. It was probably the first time I've actually managed to completely relax in a long time. Not thinking about work and money. A month in Indonesia...it was pretty incredible.

First stop was Jakarta…my hometown. Spent time with the family which was really nice (and sometimes emotionally intense). Then came the wedding. A beautiful traditional Sundanese (West Java) wedding. It was such an epic and surreal day filled with love and laughter. If only we can turn back time and do it all over again.

Afterwards the honeymoon. Well more like a big holiday really since we had 12 of our lovely London friends tagged along. We went to Bali and Gili Air…and what can I say. Words can’t even begin to describe the captivating beauty of these two tropical islands. Everything felt like a dream. We were just floating around in this air of euphoria and the most stress we had was thinking of what to have for dinner. I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday and company.

I’m back in London now and slowly trying to adjust to the normality that is my life. Not as easy as I thought it would be. Everything feels too fast and fierce. You feel judged. Constantly trying to highlight your USP to whoever it is you’re talking to. 

I suppose London has got a reputation to live up to so letting your guard down is not an option.

But at least now whenever things get too heavy, I will always have those beautiful moments to look back to. All I have to do is drift off and I’m there in my happy place…the sea, sun, food, cocktails and laughter. Utter bliss...

 

 

counting down the days

I don't like waiting and it's very rarely I find people who do.
I find it excruciating...like holding your breath for too long until your face is blue.
Now imagine having that feeling and knowing you still have a whole month ahead before you can let go....and finally release a massive sigh.

Well that's what I'm going through at the moment.

I'm going to Indonesia in a month's time to get hitched to a lovely and talented northern man - Andy Bainbridge. Then we're off to celebrate, spending two blissful weeks in Bali and the Gili isles with our closest friends.

So imagine yourself in my position. I'm ECSTATIC of course...can't wait for this amazing turn of events to happen. But now everyday feels like the longest day of my life. I'm constantly fidgeting, restless, excited, bored, anxious...all at the same time.

Wish there's a cure for this or something to speed up the time (suggestions are more than welcome!). Music always helps of course. This week I've been relying on these tracks to help ease the pain. It's really not that long now...(and so I keep telling myself).

 

BAD PASSION

After a long anticipated wait the dance duo are back this year and I can't contain my excitement!

Known for their raucous parties Bad Passion always deliver by juggling the right dose of excellent music, good people and vibe. Throughout the years they've hosted some big names. To name a few DJ Spun, Idjut Boys, Eric Duncan and Thomas Bullock have all made an appearance and ripped the place apart....one track after another.

This time round New York's finest Justin Vandervolgen will grace us with his presence. The former !!! and Out Hud man will play alongside Bad Passion Project on Friday, 8th February at The Dance Tunnel in Dalston. It'll be a special one with obscure and amazing tunes. Not one to be missed!

If you want to get better acquainted with the boys behind Bad Passion they recently did an interview with Ransom Note; and for a quick taster of what they will bring to the table have a listen to their latest mix here. 

And of course I will not end this post without leaving you the chance to listen to one of Justin Vandervolgen's mixes. Just click here and enjoy...

Happy New Year! (better late than never)

Christmas and new year seem like a milllion light years ago now. Had a really nice and quiet time up north with the Bainbridges (Andy’s family) supplied with ridiculous amount of food and booze (what a hard life eh?).

Spending Christmas with Andy’s dad also felt like a crash course in retrospective music. Other than his love for the Sunderland football team, music is another vice of his. He loved playing us all his old records.....especially after one drink too many…(by this time the steel guitar would come out).

While we were there we were always listening to little gems by the likes of Tim Hardin and ZZ Top. My favourite moment was when we all sat in front of the telly after we'd stuffed ourselves with Christmas dinner and watched an old recording of Canned Heat playing live at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1973.

It was really cool to watch a band lashing out their creativity and expressing art purely for the sake of music. You can tell as well the audience were really into it and appreciating every groove. The whole thing felt honest. No pretense….just music.

Death: A Self-Portrait at the Wellcome Collection

I’m not one of those people who are obsessed with dark and grim topics.

However I was drawn to go see this exhibition about Death at the Wellcome Collection; mainly because I thought it would be very interesting to see different types of artists’ interpretation on the subject.

The whole exhibition was based on pieces collected over the years by Richard Harris.

Apparently he has 2,000 works and is showing some 300 of them at the Wellcome Collection. 

I would never think I’d write sombre and lovely all in the same sentence. 

But that’s exactly how I would describe this exhibition. 

It wasn’t just an exhibition to display exquisite artistic visuals and craftsmanship; it was also to question our whole perception and attitude towards death.

It definitely made me rethink my own perception. It shouldn’t be a frightening and squeamish topic. If anything it should be accepted as part of your beautiful natural life.

There were some amazing pieces in there and here are some of my personal favourites…
 

 

Nothing like a nice Sunday...

Had such a lovely Sunday yesterday. My man friend (my fiancée that is….yes we’re getting married next year) and I decided to embrace the busyness of Oxford Street to get some Christmas shopping done.
But what’s Xmas shopping without getting some nice bits for yourself eh?

So I wandered down Topshop in the hope of finding the perfect pair of black trousers but ended up going overboard and spoiling myself with two pair of trousers and a jumper. AND.…I would’ve also bought the cigarette dogtooth trousers with a bright orange jumper to go with if not restrained by the tiny sensible voice in my head.

I really did enjoy the whole shopping experience which I rarely feel when going into Topshop. Normally I can’t wait to get out and usually struggle to find something for my wardrobe. I’m not sure what was different this time.
Could it be the clothes felt more refined? 
They were still very much on trend as you would expect from Topshop, but for some reason they didn’t shout as much….which I liked. 

Even the music in store was enjoyable. They had Oni Ayhun's track playing for god’s sake. 

It seemed like Kate Phelan had successfully sprinkled her magic dust all over Topshop.
I could definitely feel a change in the air - subtle rather than dramatic - and whatever it was it worked for me and I can’t wait to repeat the whole experience again.

Light at the end of the tunnel

London is a beast of a city. A beautiful beast if I can say so myself.
To flourish here you'd have to be made of steel, ready to fight.
Don't let your guard down.
I've had my fair share of being squashed and trampled.
Especially in the world of fashion pr.
It's heartbreaking and you'll often wonder 'why am I doing this in the first place?'
But I find the trick is to pick yourself up, don't stay on the ground.
And while you're at it don't lose sight of who you really are.
London is a beast of a city. But if you look closely it is filled with hope and wonders.
Hope that you will make it and all your hardwork will not go unnoticed.

London is a beast of a city......and it's one that I'm proud to call home.

 

P.S: This is me and my other half. He's a brilliant DJ btw and half of Bad Passion Project. Listen to their latest mix here on test pressing when you have the chance. Hope you like it.