Hiking

I wanted to do this since two years now and this friday we finally made it - a day or let's say half a day of hiking in the beautiful Elbe Sandstone Montains. We started out at Stadt Wehlen and hiked through the woods and the Bastei where you have the most amazing view over the Elbe and the rest of the mountains. Besides that we had the most beautiful fall weather that I have ever seen! Everything was golden, red, green and yellow and it was very warm. I can't remember the last time we had such great weather. I was kind of sad we didn't hiked further to the caverns, but maybe I can do this on my own the other day since I can ride for free throughout whole Saxony!

f/stop festival

The f/stop-festival is a photography festival which is an anual event for photographers from all over the world, happening just here around the corner in Leipzig. Since two years I am always really exciting when the dates of the festival are coming near. This year I had the feeling that I was a bit more bored, but also more touched by some images that where exhibited. Plus this years locations really were great. Since I live in Leipzig, and it has been for three years now, I am still surprised by all those great places this city offers - abandoned buildings, even in the midst of the city center! So I think alone by being in these buildings it was worth the visit!

Meet Diana

Well, here they are - my first tries with a Diana Mini! They are awfully scanned and unfortunately I must have resized them differently, but oh well, it is late and I am tired, so it has to suffice that way. Any way, I am kind of drawn to crappy, overexposed pictures. Plus I am just snapping my second roll of film and I am too excited to get these developed. I must admit that analogue photography is somewhat more exciting than digital photography, but I don't even own an analogue camera (except for the Diana Mini). I really need to change that.

Berlin Festival

So Berlin Festival was my last festival for this season for sure! It was a lovely weekend with lovely weather in a lovely town. I saw a huge amount of bands, from pop, folk to electro. My favourites were Fever Ray (of course I have to say this!), Boyz Noise, Caribou, Hot Chip and Soulwax and many more. Unfortunately the organizers of this festivals were a bunch of douchebags, so friday night they called the whole thing off because of "uncontrollable visitor dynamics". For that reason the main acts 2manydjs and Fatboy Slim couldn't play. The next day, the visitors were surprised by a cut-down schedule with bands just playing a few songs and the curfew set at 11pm. It was a real disappointment, but since I saw everything I wanted I am not too sad about this. I hope at this point it will be better next year because the line-up was already too perfect.

Bedrooms!!

(click on image for source)

I must admit I am quite obsessed with bedrooms (have I mentioned that before?). I DO love my bedroom really much, but it is always quite enchanting to see some strangers bedroom and imagine it to be yours. I haven't found my dream-bedroom yet, but in my imagination it is already blooming! I adore white, large beds and in general, it has to be white all over. Plus what is more charming about it if you have large windows where you can look into the sky or a beautiful landscape. But oh well I'd have to move for that!

oh photography!

.. it is just so perfect!
Well, there are a huge load of talented photographers out there and I am always glad and grateful to stumble upon one of them. I just love what people capture, by accident or on purpose, I don't care as long as it makes me feel right. So thank you, only molecules!

A Sunday Smile

It's not Sunday yet, but this song by Beirut recollects the memories of the Haldern Pop Festival I attended last weekend. It was lovely, small and quite relaxing plus I had the chance to see some really good bands! My favorites were Mumford & Suns, Seabear, The Whale Watching Tour, Beirut and Yeasayer. But now, unfortunately and of course, I have to get back to normal, work a lot and - but - still listen to good music, a thing I lacked of during the last couple of months.

It's time to relax

I have been awfully neglecting my blog lately, but due to huge working pressure and zero time for relaxing I have to come back again when my head isn't loaded with work and other things anymore. 

Until then I tease myself with these lovely bed-pictures I found on an australian online-store. What would I give to hang around in bed all day, doing nothing but reading or watching out of huge windows.

basic space, open end

(pictures by me)
 

I am back since Monday and it took me three full days to settle down again, focusing on my work and the routine. It is sad, that we all have to go back to routine after such a great weekend! The weather was 100% on our side (even a bit too hot, but oh well, I won't complain). The Melt! is also turning more and more into a catwalk and I sometimes felt a bit under-dressed next to all those mannequin-like people there. The music was great, it was a bit quiter than last year (where we had to ran from one concert to the other). My favourites were Jónsi and Chris Cunningham. Both so differently, they were the ones who still stuck in my head. Jónsi of course because of his beautiful music and the delightful visuals and Chris Cunningham because he made me stop breathing for one full hour (not only me but also all the other thousands of people who just stood there and stared). Let's wait and wish for the next year!

melt!ing this year

In a few hours we're heading to Melt festival. It's our second time and I am really curious to see how it will be this time. I remember all the rain and back-pain and mud from last year, but also I have been able to see bands like Animal Collective, Oasis, Fever Ray and so on. This year will be great as well, I am really looking forward to see Jonsí, Kele, the XX, Massive Attack, Goldfrapp or Chris Cunningham. Plus the million bands that I don't know yet, but soon will. The weather is supposed to be on our side this year. Since I am a bit obsessed about the weather I checked a dozen of weather-pages and there is just one forecasting rain! All the others say sunshine, above 30 degrees and an occasional thunderstorm during the night. This should be great! I still have to pack and I hope that I am in better shape this year and won't have any trouble with my back. So see you on Monday!

The Dress and the Story pt. 11

This and the next week it's supposed to get really really warm and I am already excited about getting out of the house. For example, going swimming in the near-by lake like we did on tuesday morning or having a barbecue like tonight. On top, this weekend is the Westpaket in Plagwitz/Lindenau which is a huuuge fleamarket (but fortunately not with too many junky things) and I am really excited about maybe getting some real treasures! 

About this dress: I am always a bit hesitating when it comes to clothes to buy at H M.. yes, I do feel very awkward if I see someone that wears the same things like I do. But when I saw this dress I really did not think about it and just bought it (for 10 euros, I think there's nothing wrong with it). It has this bright summer colour that I really love and until now I haven't seen anyone with this dress yet.. let's see how long it will last! Besides this, it is really thin, so a perfect option for really hot days!

Sundari Carmody

(click on picture for source)

Sundari Carmody is an australian-based filipino photographer. She has caught my attention for a while now and I am always curious to see what she posted on her blog.

One reason for inspirational photography

(click on photo for source)

When I am sitting at home, like now, and the sunbeams are falling into the room I really wish upon a little lake next to my house were I can sit all day and write and then dream and then write again and if dreaming and writing gets boring I just can dip into the lake. Well, unfortunately I do not have a lake next to my house and writing seems like a long and tiring process. But I still do have these little inspirational photographs like the above one and they help me a bit of getting over little lacks of motivation. So thank you!

The Dress and the Story pt. 10

Actually there is not much to tell about this dress besides that it is new. I realized that I am feeling very uncomfortable lately wearing trousers. That is kind of strange because I cannot remember a time in my life were I did not wear trousers or jeans and were I just wore skirt or dresses. I am turning into a girl! And that in the mid-twenties! But I figured it's still better now than later, because you'll never turn young, just old, right?

To not sound too pessimistic I know that I still have many years ahead to feel young and full of spirit and that is basically not told by your age.

This cute dress by the way is my first order from New Look because it was on sale. Yesterday I spotted a similar one at H&M, but it was way more expensive. Lucky me.

Anna Verlet

It's been a long time since I spend an evening just browsing through flickr and finding the most amazing pictures I've seen in ages! I really love photography, especially landscapes, portraits and unusual compositions. This falls into my landscape-scheme. That I am really blasted about the variety of american nature I must not say, but these pictures really give me a heavy time regarding my urgent need for traveling and beeing on a different place than right now (at my desk in my apartment). It's not really travelling though that I feel the need for, it is more the longing for freedom. It makes my heart hurt knowing that I have so much to do until the end of the year and even more after that. I don't know when the time will come when I will be able to go to another country, sit into a car and just drive around as far as I can and taking pictures and talking to people and where I don't have to think about evyerthing that I actually have to do. 

Besides that, I must admit, I really do like dreaming about it and that's why I love such pictures a lot!

(click on pictures for source - all Anna Verlet)

The Dress and the Story pt. 9

Yesterday evening I drank a glass of whine and what happened was that when I took my weekly outfit-pictures I really got into the mood for b/w pictures, so I ended up with some funny narcissistic nostalgic-looking photos. Oh well, why not.

But to come to the story this weeks' dress is telling: Last Saturday me and my friend went to a monthly indietronic dance party called NoNoNo at the local Sweat! Club. Unfortunately it was (supposed to be!) the last NoNoNo party ever that's why the dress code said Black/Grievance. I looked through all my clothes and I couldn't find anything that looked elegant and was black on top, when I stumbled upon my nightdress I am wearing a lot. Of course it was a really awkward feeling to go dancing in my night dress, but with a simple black tanktop underneath it and my black leggings I really looked like I was about to go to a funeral. 

the spot of dreams

To bring my latest obsession to perfection, here you can see my new bed in its whole brightness - literally! It looks especially pretty when the sun is shining and due to the latest outbreaking of summer it is just a dream. Also I am still surprised how well it fits into my room. I had to rearrange a bit and I am still looking for a new desk to work at, I think I like a lot more now than it looked a few weeks, months or even two years before! Of all rooms in our apartment mine was the one who changed the most. 

Well, besides that and working a lot for my thesis and work in general, I am quite happy to have the World Cup as a distraction from all of this. Though I am not really into soccer (at all) it IS something different when it comes to the World Cup, even the last European Cup was quite nice. So sitting in the blooming, cozy evening with friends, drinking beer and shouting is what I call a good relaxation.

The Dress and the Story pt. 8

I really like the above picture for that it is so imperfect (I mean, it's too bright and blurry!), but what's really a dilemma concerning my pictures is that I don't have an eye for composition. I always forget to get the feet into the picture or there is a huge something of nothing (in this particular picture it's the ugly wall above my head). But oh well, I am willing to learn! 

The only good thing about this image is that you can see my new, lovely bed! I will sure post more pictures soon because I am really obsessed about it. For years I had to sleep on a very uncomfortable foldable couch which just broke into two parts - lucky me - last monday. So this was my ultimate chance to get something really nice. 

This dress, by the way, I got from my favorite ebay seller which sells anything vintage and dressy and who seems to have just millions of clothes. Besides that I still think that ebay is just one large gold mine when it comes to clothes and it is not even that difficult to find something nice and cheap! 

To ramble about another thing that it's going on lately - it's summer! I still cannot believe it and for some awkward reason I kind of enjoy this blasting humidity. Maybe it's because it reminds me of DC-an summer where you were pouring just by making a step out of the house. Unfortunately it is supposed to be over again tomorrow, but it will return very soon hopefully!

The Dress and the Story pt. 7

Decentralized and standing in the last light of my old room, I present you my very first Etsy-finding! I feel a bit like Heidi and I would looove do things like running over meadows and fields and through the golden sunset of the evening. Basically that was what I did today because I went running again and suddenly, through the trees there was this bright golden light shining directly into my face. It was a really nice feeling and that's what I like about running in the evening. Anyway, I am still waiting to do my very first picnic somewhere out in the green wearing exactly this dress and eating all kind of fresh things. I really should do that some day.

The Dress and the Story pt. 6

So after taking a break once again I introduce you to my new and glorious found on ebay! It is just a hell of a relieve if you unpack something and it just suits you so well you don't want to take it off anymore. So from unpacking it and putting it on I went straight to the city to watch the Facebook-only exlcusive free-entry Neo Rauch exhibition at the Museum der bildenden Künste. To be honest, I didn't quite know before if I like his pictures or not. After the exhibition I know now that I like them. Though on the first glimpse it is sometimes just too much to see, but when you take your time you can find some really awesome spots on the canvas, like the setting sun over the mountains or a ray of sunlight that comes through thick red clouds. These details give a lot, definitely. Also it is really about the feeling you have when you look at a picture. There are always pictures who catch your attention, if it's for the colours or the scenery or all at once. I think with his pictures you can choose and you don't have to like them all.

So thanks, Museum, for this short, but lovely little evening.

Anti-WGT-factory-party

This weekend there was the Wave Gothic Treffen in Leipzig, an annual festival for the dark scene of the world. As always at this weekend, the weather was brillant and a friend of my boyfriends organized a little Anti-WGT-meetup for people who like/do noise music. It was located at an empty factory in the north of my city and it ended up really fine. My boyfriend had a little performance (third picture), as well as HGB-student Viktor (last picture), who was actually officially performing a night later at the WGT. This night really had a special charme, as I do love abandoned buildings. We even got to see an even more bigger factory that was around the block and which was huuuge. Next time I got to take my camera to this one, too.

Either way, the night was long and we really got tired some time around 2-ish, which was kind of lame, but oh well, I think we grow older. But I do hope that there will be a second chance for an evening like that as I really really liked it.

Pip Studio

Let me introduce you to the sweetest dishes I've seen in a long time! I know it's pretty housewive-y, but I was really delighted when I stumbled across Emil and Paula, a little cute site about interior items, where everything is just really adorable! There I found Pip Studio, a label that focuses on colours and materials and just gives you a lot just to be inspired. Of course all the other things this site offers are worth for a glance. Unfortunately I will have to wait until I am grown up and earn enough money to buy all this sweet stuff!

The Dress and the Story pt. 5

I have been neglecting my little series, but now it goes on! So this week I have to recall my last weeks of 2009. I had a 6-weeks-job at a drug store, in the perfume section. The first day at work (I was a cashier) I wore something really colorful and jeans and my red Dr. Martens. Of course, the second day my boss was coming to me and told me that I have to wear something more elegant for this section. Oh well, so I was forced to do shopping (yes, that's paradox for a woman, but to be honest, I don't like to "go" shopping, I rather do online-shopping) and I found this piece. Of course I wasn't really fond of spending a lot of money for this, but H&M is perfect to find cheap and elegant clothes. The trousers I got from Zara and I wore them 3 exactly times (the other days I always wore leggins or stockings). Because those clothes remind me so much of this horrorful job (I had to stand for 8-10 hours a day, the colleagues weren't really nice because they had to do this for years, whereas I was just there for a few weeks and was free to do anything what I want after it and - on top of it - because it was Christmas, every customer was just really stressed and unkind and some of them even tried to fool me), I haven't worn them since then. Too bad.