dumpling fever

i am: curled up on my couch, listening to the drunk boys outside my window slur the lyrics to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">somewhere</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">over the rainbow </span>and suffering from a severe case of dumpling fever (how many can one girl stuff in her face in just one evening? the answer, i have discovered, is A LOT). oh and you know what else? steamed red bean buns are deliciousness in soft doughy wrapping. In drizzly weather after a long week, comfort food with friends in a steamy asian restaurant is sometimes exactly what you need.<div><br /><div> </div><div>guess what? i did a little bit of music-hunting today and came upon three female singer/songwriters who both bring a fresh spark and originality to their work, plus a funny little cover tune to amuse and a lovely blog for you to gobble up.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Texas-born <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Erin McCarley</span> reminds me a little of Regina Spektor, only less seductress-y and more poppy. her music is beautifully written and an interesting composition of jaunty melodies and haunting piano tunes. her new album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">love, save the empty </span>is out now. check out her <a href="http://www.myspace.com/erinmccarley">myspace</a> page for a sneak preview.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>I've been a little obsessed with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Ingrid Michaelson</span> for a while now (the song <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">breathing </span>from her 2008 album <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">be okay </span>is almost disturbingly evocative). I only recently discovered that she collaborated with Sara Bareilles late last year on a little number titled <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">winter song. </span>Its honest lyrics and soulful melody took me by such surprise. You can listen to it on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/sarabareilles">Sara's myspace</a> page, but i urge you to check our <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ingridmichaelson">Ingrid's</a> as well; have a listen to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">breathing. </span>You'll fall in love, i promise. </div><div><br /></div><div>The sequin-loving <a href="http://sheetsandstitches.blogspot.com/">prue</a> alerted to me to the musical genius of<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> Lisa Hannigan</span> today while i was sipping my morning coffee. preoccupied by the sheer excitement of pay day (it only comes round once a month), i was of course distracted and was only listening to Lisa in the background. soon i was completely head over heels and emailed back, "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">oh. my. GOD. where did you find this girl?" </span>Turns out this sultry songstress hails from dublin, and brings with her a fascinating (albeit quirky) life story, which you can read <a href="http://www.lisahannigan.ie/">here</a>, on her equally adorable website. stitches and songs? GENIUS! check out her myspace page <a href="http://www.myspace.com/lisahannigan">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">heathcliff // it's me, your cathy // i've come home now // so cold, let me in at your window" </span></div><div>powerful. these have to be some of the BEST lyrics ever written me thinks. Now, i'm always fond of a little Kate Bush but her screeching does get a little tiresome after a while to be honest. Thankfully, the divine Josh Pyke has recorded a little cover of this iconic song. I love Josh's adaption, but it's certainly different. The video is below; what do you think?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/diFRft7qwy0&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/diFRft7qwy0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>the uber-talented Sarah Blasko and i go way back; i was a naive and very awkward 18-year-old in 2004 when i proclaimed <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">perfect now </span>to be my FAVOURITE SONG EVER. Funnily enough, that's still true, and Sarah is always there for me when i need her. she's in snowy sweden right now recording her third album; you can read all about her adventures over at <a href="http://sarahblasko.wordpress.com/">http://sarahblasko.wordpress.com. </a> </div><div><br /></div><div>ness x</div></div>

dumpling fever

i am: curled up on my couch, listening to the drunk boys outside my window slur the lyrics to somewhere   over the rainbow and suffering fro...

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of a tree called life

oops. tonight i drank the lethal combination of sangria + white wine and now i have the hiccups. BADLY. But it was worth it; my friend CM's boyfriend and all his lovely friends have just moved right around the corner from me, which means a) fabulous fancy wine on tap (one of his housemates owns a restaurant) b) no cabs needed after late nights out and c) CM and I can now have boozy tapas dinners together and then walk home afterwards. hurrah! everyone i know is moving closer and closer to me. I already have the rooftop, and the complicated relationships; now with friends practically living next door my life is becoming more and more<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> secret life of us </span>every day. <div><br /></div><div>"you know when you're sitting on a chair and you lean back so you're just on two legs, then you lean too far and you almost fall over but at the last second you catch yourself? I feel like that all the time" </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300418161206328914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hnLT34IQDA3V7BaRlOfi5vRN8QOu2u14G-uUSrVKS6FhrwvTb1baDCRZD_N3JLoPIaMgtdhHfMXmnz7u5tsl7Y457XSPqhtRfTPdbQAGR44vSdxAdHwd7l0-6tYN10n0D1BwUw09UM8/s400/stephen_wright_01_470x394.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 335px;" /></div><div> </div><div> </div>

of a tree called life

oops. tonight i drank the lethal combination of sangria + white wine and now i have the hiccups. BADLY. But it was worth it; my friend CM...

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on the book shelf

<div style="text-align: left;">how great is it when a bunch of tiny good things become the subliminal building blocks of a good day? this morning my coffee was perfect, the new Vogue landed on my desk just in time for lunch in the park, i finished some work i had been procrastinating over, and I downloaded the newest episode of The Office from iTunes. hurrah! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">right now i am reading.... Giselle Scanlon's newest book: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Goddess Experience </span>($39.99, Harper Collins)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">.</span>It is the companion to her best-selling<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> The Goddess Guide </span>(the decadent flocked cover was enough to draw any fashionista in). Like it's older (but none the wiser) sister, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Goddess Experience </span>is jam-packed full of Giselle's European adventures. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299285233321012146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmiT3X-D-LE99cDg-gzWJtZrh2bw8RzTJSu9i-oACFVPtACTx8vqbvcYVrUeWM1CzH_h-JmpNpXSblgB4FrZDo8zAMDLbv2jF5tz5DREQcdYK1m1sy6DYZm2SbqFDElbXQ7PwjSoNrt7w/s400/gg.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The Irish-born fashion journalist shares with us her London shopping tips, the best place to buy melt-in-your-mouth macaroons in Paris, what inspires fashion queen Vivienne Westwood and tries to answer that interminable question: what makes us happy? Giselle is my modern-day Jane Austen and without doubt always manages to inspire me when I'm suffering from a case of the mean reds. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299285246180278322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEC12f21INK97n5uvp-UDZHBxex1l49aHdxTQXqSgdEz-7uOX6rHoZd8VnPNKxDiY-4lKmX4CuS2IuuhqKHC2INMIOt0cGK9I-tuKf4_o4FW2NTZFdXqBOuH5kCAnifnbr_NOUaeVYeyQ/s400/Picture+12.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 212px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299285239292897602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzo9Z_TD_W7i25giij1ie5kSfJkX8v1_E64qqKgWPzr_nX0gQbYG2HbGmfDAOD-P0OU08NTbIOas__193uLoETvzVhDU3FF_vckFeb0JfKElXVUbIO0nGOw8AGA7D970jlqjLi6gbRdc/s400/Picture+14.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 285px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299285240818308850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK0dCFMjg1yE85TbwYWu9thlpZnpvol5Zn7WrjbPeSS3D0g6wD3VoQGm2C1MH5aBUxF4Aylx7rNK_I0krvzi9Lo5L06fp1eXTiV8rS28IXvdead4-ySw9-PYnrDuaxUABOj35qdw7VrTw/s400/Picture+15.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" /><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299285238510415090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uo0Bm5Nw5TarZhxwI0nQm01kDNspMrhvKYnqJxm1otHsOEC9NL-qyq94NK7sxSYngNjHBT6gM-mfpWZSXjTWsdZlibUoIr3yXPbMVqnG9kADYJw0DkIKB94indQGq5ENs3UDvyg-Zrg/s400/Picture+16.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's a must-read! Have a fabulous friday everyone - eat some cake, drink some beer and wear a pretty frock (at least that's what I'll be doing...)<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">ness x</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div> </div><div> </div>

on the book shelf

how great is it when a bunch of tiny good things become the subliminal building blocks of a good day? this morning my coffee was perfect, th...

Read more »