Obligatory Christmas Outfit Post & 3D Audio Illusions

So it's been about 50 bajillion degrees (accurate scientific measurement) in Sydney for the past week or so, which has made me somewhat hesitant to take photos of my outfits for this blog. And let's face it - outfit posts of me in a stained singlet top and underwear sitting in front of a fan with messy hair and a red face (my stunning daily attire for the past week) wouldn't be particularly inspiring, anyway. To make up for the lack of outfit posts over the last week, here's not one, but two Christmas outfits (my oh my, it's a Christmas miracle!) The first is the outfit I wore for the Christmas party we threw for our friends last Saturday at our new city house. Tartan and lace are Christmassy, right? I thought so, which is why they are both in abundance in this outfit. Shirt is from somewhere online (very old) | skirt originally c/o Choies | bow is from Japan | shoes no longer available | socks from a market stall I also made a pavlova, a traditionally "Australian" dessert consisting of soft, gooey meringue smothered with whipped cream and fruit. This needs mentioning here because this was probably the first food I've enjoyed making ever. Never have I gotten so many compliments on food I've made (though you can't exactly go wrong with sugar, sugar and more sugar, which is essentially what this dessert is made of)! I made sure to take photos of it in all its glory before it was devoured. I'm still sad that it's all been eaten... This is the second of my Christmas outfits, which I will wear for visiting my family on Christmas day! They live somewhere much cooler, so a long-sleeve shirt is appropriate (I may even have to layer up). This skirt is a beautiful thing that I found while thrifting a while ago! The bow on the front is velvet, which makes it all the better. Skirt and shirt are both thrifted | shoes are from Japan | socks from a market stall | hat is thrifted I hope you all have a lovely holiday, guys! OKAY, SO THIS IS AMAZING. If you're at a Christmas lunch with your extended family that you only see once a year, and at a loss as to what to talk about, show them this! Binaural recordings record sounds by placing a dummy head - a simulation of a real human head, with shaped ears that modulate sounds - with a right and left microphone inside it into a recording room. This is done with the intention of creating a "three-dimensional" sound, causing the listener to feel like they're in a room with people and objects moving around them - and it's extraordinarily effective. This video demonstrates the illusion of 3D sound (note: you will need headphones for it to work!!). I had to keep constantly taking out my headphones to figure out if the sounds were real, or if they were in the video. And if you're listening to this late at night, don't be freaked out by that opening door like I was, haha. *Mind blown* (Also available as a 6MB audio file here).   Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Happy Holidays!

I don't often post photos of "life" things, but today was such a lovely day that I thought I'd share some of the snaps I took. Enjoy, and I hope everyone is having a lovely day! (Or is about to - it's still Christmas eve for my American readers! Make sure you go to bed before Santa gets there!) Dinosaur jars I made for my boyfriend's sister, re-purposing some old jars and dinosaur toys, following Kitten Bear's awesome DIY. A whole heap of presents for a very large family!! And our teeeny little Christmas tree (we got the tree too late and so had to settle for something small. I think it's cute though.) An amazing Christmas breakfast spread, featuring mini pears, dates, mascarpone cheese, pomegranate, mango, cherries, nectarines and peaches. Yuuuum! Present from my boyfriend's parents - Chemistry mugs!! The nerdiest/coolest gift. Here it's filled with some hot chocolate because it was cold this morning (it's definitely not a typical Australian christmas)/ The present my boyfriend got me! Unfortunately it didn't arrive in the mail in time, so he made me this card of it, featuring Princess Bubblegum - It's a SOLAR SYSTEM MOBILE!!! Hahaha I am so excited for it to arrive :) And what I got for my boyfriend - a Kindle which I loaded up with a whole bunch of science fiction and David Mitchell's autobiography. And of course - a snap of the Christmas outfit I decided on! (and OMG my real - and very windblown - hair!) Dress is c/o Koogal, sweater is vintage and shoes are from Asos.

Lady in Red / End of the world

This is a dress that I've had since I was 14, and have almost gotten rid of a countless number of times. I am glad that I have refused to let go of it (via a little bit of a hoarding problem) - because it's the perfect little Christmas dress, goes perfectly with this cardigan from Oasap, and has an awesome plaid pattern which I am loving right now! I also did a more "grown up" look with some heels. wearing dress - Ally (?) cardigan - c/o Oasap socks - Cotton On boots - Ebay heels - Wholesale So I didn't want to add to the ridiculous end-of-the-world hype before the 21st, but now the world is well and truly not ending, here's a list of ways in which scientists think the universe might meet its eventual demise! And don't worry - they're not going to be happening for a number of billion years yet and our world will most likely not be around any more, having being burnt to a crisp by our exploding sun. So it's all good! :) Image from here. Ways the universe is predicted by physicists to end: 1. The big freeze The universe is currently expanding. It will continue expanding forever. Expanding causes the universe to cool down until it reaches absolute zero, at which point life cannot survive, and atoms themselves stop moving. Estimated time left: trillions of years. 2. The big crunch The universe is currently expanding. At some point, it will reach maximum expansion, then come rushing back in on itself until it's condensed into a black hole. Think of it like the opposite of the big bang. Estimated time left: between 10 and 20 billion years. 3. The big rip The universe continues expanding forever. It reaches a point where everything is so "expanded" that all matter, including all the atoms, rip apart. Estimated time left: 20 to 22 billion years. 4. The big bounce Like the big crunch, the universe is going to collapse into itself. However it will then "bounce" back out again in a kind of a big bang, and continue this cycle infinitely. Estimated time left: infinity (although not much is going to survive the universe continually condensing in on itself). Wikipedia has a good page on the "ultimate fate of the universe" if you're interested in further reading on the subject! Oh, and uh, Seasons Greetings guys!

Happy Christmas

I had two Christmasses this year: one with my family and another with my boyfriend's family. So, it was required of me to put together two Christmas outfits. Here's some quick snaps of my second Christmas outfit :)

I hope you are all having/had a most lovely day!

xxxx Annika