Pink Polka Dot Dress | Fashion, Meet Technology

I felt pretty cute the other day in my new ebay-bought vintage dress (seriously, sometimes late-night ebay purchases are the best). It's going to be so good for summer! I am not usually a fan of drop-waists, but in this case, it works so well - I think because it's offset by the super large sailor collar! I got it from AHKA vintage, which is a really good little ebay store - all their vintage is really lovely and also decently priced! (Not a sponsor - they just made a good impression.) When I was going through the questions for my last Q&A video, somebody mentioned that they were missing my science posts on my blog! Me too, guys. With my health being what it's been recently (not great) and my Youtube channel taking off, plus trying to keep up at university - I just haven't had the time! But, for those of you who were missing my science posts, I have something very exciting to announce: I started writing for a science magazine! The magazine is called Lateral and it's run by an awesome group of Australian science students, scientists and science enthusiasts alike. I'm so excited to be a part of the team! My article is all about the world of wearable technology and how it's integrating with fashion... or not.  Image source - Flickr Anyway, you can read my article here! It's a little bit longer than the science posts on my blog used to be, but I hope you'll still enjoy it :) As for my outfit: Outfit details: Dress - AHKA Vintage Brooch - Bok Bok B'Gerk Socks - Kmart Shoes - NAOT (Kedma) Hope you're all doing well! Love, Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Doe, A Deer! & The Uncanny Valley

Well, I think this has been one of the longest blog hiatuses I've ever had! I hope you haven't all forgotten about me. Life update: I've had a spectacularly crappy couple of weeks, but everything is *fingers crossed* going to get better from here on in. I already feel like myself again - I've even been dressing up all cute again and slowly getting back into making clothes (even if it's only printed t-shirts for now, because they don't require a lot of energy to make!) So I HAVE to talk about a couple of things in this outfit: the first is this brooch that was sent to me by the amazing Amanda from Hungry Designs! I've been wearing it out pretty much every time I leave the house, because it always gets commented on by other cute, well-dressed people, who want to know where I got it from! And this bag. This bag is ~everything~! The roof is on a hinge so it lifts up to let you put all your stuff - keys, mobile, etc - inside it, and it's even got cute little farm animals painted all around the sides. To this day, it remains one of my best market finds ever. It also makes up part of my blog header! Outfit details Shirt is thrifted (Hong Kong Salvos) Pinafore is vintage Country Road Brooch c/o Hungry Designs Bag is Vintage Tights are from Clear It Shoes are from Asos Lipstick is Vixen by Gorgeous Cosmetics So I really wanted to write a little science bit on that "My Idol" app that was taking off last week - and if you don't know what I'm talking about then you were possibly living under a rock/don't have social media. Bascially, the My Idol app takes an image of your face and really cleverly fits it to a 3D animated model. And then makes it dance around. To Justin Timberlake. Creepiness ensues. Posting these pictures on facebook elicited strong reactions of "OMG SCARY" and "I don't like it. Please stop". Everyone's reaction was pretty much the same, which was: I am at the same time amused and terrified. But why? Why do we find this so creepy, and have such a strong emotive reaction to something that's not-quite-human? Well, this sense of "creepiness" has actually been well-studied and is known as the "uncanny valley". Basically, the more human something appears, the more positively we react to it - until a point. This point, where the figure is almost-but-not-quite-human, is the point at which most people will experience a really strong negative reaction. It's also the reason why human-like robots are also completely terrifying.  Hanako the dental robot Saya the reception robot And that's also what's happening with the My Idol characters - they look just like us and they move in a human way, but something is just a little bit... off. They're uncanny. And so they fall right into that uncanny valley. Cute clothes, though. Did any of you also jump on the My Idol bandwagon and create some terrifying avatars last week? I want to hear all about it! I hope that you're all having a lovely day, Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Cherries, Gingham and a DIY T-Shirt (and a new video! - Get Sewing With Me #3)

Gingham is probably my favourite pattern for clothing right now. Anything gingham = good. Does anyone else do this thing where you get really obsessed with a particular print or pattern, and before you know it your entire wardrobe is 99% things with that pattern?? It reminds me of when everything had to be bird-print a couple of years back. I'm still cleaning the birds out of my closet. Gingham is my favourite right now because it immediately alludes (aesthetically at least) to a sunny day in the 1950s spent picnicking on fresh fruit in a luscious green meadow - and so it gives any outfit that I wear gingham in this happy, kitschy, retro vibe. So when I found this second-hand gingham-patterned shirt, I couldn't go past it! But unfortunately, while it had the right pattern on it, it was a little bit boring and shapeless. So, I saved it with the power of upcycling, and turned into both a cropped-tee and a matching headband! Here's a couple more pictures of me being super chuffed with myself in my new upcycled shirt (without the matching headband): Side note: This is another one of my fabulous vintage skirts that fits me much better since I've gained weight! #yayweightgain I'm finding so many of these in the deep, dark depths of my wardrobe, it's very exciting stuff :D Outfit details: Shirt is DIY (patch is from Hong Kong)  Skirt is thrifted vintage Shoes are Naot (Kedma) Socks are Tutuanna (Japan) Science of the Day This is a bit self-promotey, but it's totally still science SO IT COUNTS. My partner and I just released episode #2 of our new podcast (you can download/subscribe on iTunes here)! In this episode, we look at the myth that "Diet coke (and artificial sugar) gives you cancer".  Does diet coke give you cancer? We would love some suggestions of possible-science-myths to explore in future episodes, although we're already planning the next couple - number #3 will look at the podcast's namesake - the 10% of the brain myth, where it comes from and why it persists (as I don't think that many people actually believe in that one but it's interesting to know why its such a persistent myth!) and episode #4 is going to look at the notion that "redheads/blondes are going extinct". Give episode #2 a listen, and if you do, we would super appreciate your feedback! ONE MORE THING BEFORE I GO. I wrote an article for Birdee where I slam some silly op-shopping misconceptions, and I also provide some thrifting tips! Have a read here if you haven't already! That's it from me - I hope that you're all having a really lovely week, Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Everything Pink, Gaining Weight & 25-Million-Year-Old Organisms

Today, I decided that everything must be pink. So I donned a pink top, this gorgeous stripey pink vintage skirt (with pockets!), subtle pink lipstick and a watermelon necklace to match! I found Yoshimi's lab at my local markets on the weekend, a maker of the most incredible and realistic-looking food jewellery! I stood at Yoshimi's stall for a good 20 minutes trying to choose what to buy (I had to get something), probably totally freaking Yoshimi out because I couldn't stop gushing over how cool everything was. (IT'S ALL MADE OUT OF CLAY, TOO! SUCH WITCHCRAFT!) I settled on this watermelon necklace because it was really hot that day, and the watermelon looked so refreshing! When I came back from Hong Kong, I was a little dismayed to find out that none of my clothes fit me anymore - I may have enjoyed the food in Hong Kong a little bit too much. However, this particular pink skirt that was several sizes too big for me when I left fit me perfectly on my return! Any small amount of weight gain is treated so negatively in our culture - when I say to my friends "yeah, I gained heaps of weight in Hong Kong", their immediate response is "no you haven't!" But WHY? I mean, I can read what it says on my scales, my weight gain is an empirical fact. "Oh, but you don't look like you've put on weight".  But why would this be a bad thing? It's not something I am unhappy about - it's only something that I've been told to be unhappy about, by advertisements and movies and TV. But I'm really not. I'm curvier, and I've always wanted to be curvy. And, cool skirts like this one fit me perfectly now! I'm not going to feel bad about myself just because I've gained weight - instead, I'm going to enjoy recycling my wardrobe and shopping for new clothes to fit my new body! Outfit details: Top is thrifted Skirt is vintage Necklace is from Yoshimi's Lab (instagram page) Shoes are Naot Kedmas #SOTD (Science of the Day): In 1995, scientists found a bee trapped in amber, and dated it to about 25 million years old. As you would expect, the bee trapped inside was long dead, but these scientists decided to see if there was anything that might still be living inside. And there was. The scientists took a sample from the bee's gut, and put it onto a nutrient-rich plate too see if anything would grow. And 25-million-year-old bacteria that was inside the bee's gut was revived into a living culture. So how the heck did it survive for so long?? Well, some bacteria are pretty freaky. There's these super tough type of bacteria which can form something called "endospores". Endospores are a hard shell which keeps all the important bits of the bacteria - DNA and ribosomes - safe inside. Endospores can then survive in a state of "suspended animation" when conditions are rough - conditions including being trapped in amber for millions of years and the cold vacuum of space - and then continue on as normal once their environment improves! Apparently, this record has since been beaten by 250 million-year-old bacteria that were found inside salt crystals in a cave, and were able to be revived. Those bacteria were around at the same time as the dinosaurs, and they're still alive today somewhere in a lab! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day, Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Farewell Hong Kong! & Winning at Rock, Paper, Scissors

I can't believe it, but I only have 3 days left in Hong Kong until I fly back home to Sydney! I'm already feeling nostalgic and I haven't even left yet. These photos were taken on our last night staying in Tsim Sha Tsui, around 2 weeks ago. When we first arrived at this particular apartment, exhausted from our plane trip and in a new, strange place, we absolutely hated this area - because as soon as you descend into the street you are assaulted by hawkers trying to sell you suits and fake watches, and on a Friday and Saturday night you can't shuffle more than 2 steps without crashing into someone. But the place grew on us, and when the time came we were actually sad to leave! On our last night here, we took photos, drank wine on the rooftop and then did my favourite thing in the world - tipsy nighttime shopping! However, the next place we stayed at ended up being this rural island jungle paradise, in a place where water buffalos roam down the street every now and then - so, leaving Tsim Sha Tsui didn't seem too bad after that. The one place that I was sad about leaving behind for the island life, though, was the Mee & Gee on Granville road (vlogged about in this video!) - because it was there that I bought this dress! It just fits me perfectly, flatters my curves in all the right places and is the perfect vintage length. And I also got these super cute socks from a shop that was also a 5 minute walk from our apartment, called id:c. You can't tell because I have shoes on, but they're actually toe socks, with cute sheep and smiley clouds and other characters on the toes! I've decided that toe socks are one of my new favourite things. You can't be unhappy in a pair of toe socks. Dress is from Me & George | necklace c/o Eclectic Eccentricity | socks from id:c (Hong Kong) | shoes are Naot Leila also got this incredible vintage dress from Mee & Gee, and so I convinced her that both her and her new dress needed to make another appearance on my blog, and took these pretty photos! Everything about the dress is pretty much perfect - the print, the bright colours and the gorgeous buttons on the cuffs. Dress is from Mee & Gee | various rings and watch are all thrifted For all you statistic-loving, psychology-minded people out there, or if you're just super competitive (I'm both): I watched this really cool video from Numberphile the other day that shows you how you can always win at rock, paper, scissors, and wanted to share it. But hang on Annika, isn't rock, paper, scissors just all about chance? Nope, not when human minds are involved. Follow these rules and always ask to play for best out of 3, and you're pretty much guaranteed to always win (unless the person you're playing has also watched this video - soo, fingers crossed that none of my friends read my blog!): I hope that you've all had a wonderful weekend! Love,  Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

Being an Ethical Shopper & Peng Chau Pier / Ten Percent of the Brain

dress is Liz Lisa | cardigan is from Hong Kong (id:c) | socks are from market stalls | shoes are Naot | necklace is handmade from Hong Kong (HKID gallery) I'm actually amazed that I ended up with enough decent photos to make this blog post, because it was SO cold and windy while we were taking these photos on Peng Chau pier that 90% of the photos ended up like this: Good look there, Annika. I had such angst about purchasing this dress. There were many pros: it's the cutest damn dress I've ever laid my eyes upon, from one of my favourite Japanese brands who own a store in Hong Kong AND it was half price!  But the angst was caused by a number of cons, which included the following: one, it's made out of really thick material and is NOT suitable for Sydney summer. Two, I'm pretty sure it's actually a top because it's hella short - although I can always wear it with cute shorts underneath, and pretend that it's a dress anyway. However the most troubling thing about this dress, and the thing that stopped me from buying it immediately, was that I had no idea where it was made - which could have meant that it was made in a sweatshop. Cue 4 long hours of research to find out where the dress originated (that entire saga is documented on my instagram feed). Basically, though, I'm 99% positive that this dress was made in a decent factory, and 100% sure that it was NOT made in a sweatshop. Same goes for the piano cardigan. And I am so happy. Because this dress is now the cutest thing that I own and I can't wait to wear it all winter long in Sydney! Also - location shot! These photos were all taken on the gorgeous Peng Chau island, just south of the busy city. Peng Chau has the most adorable villages with kitsch buildings and gardens galore, and many small, secluded beaches! If it hadn't been so cold, it would have been paradise - but it was still a fun place to explore, nonetheless. So I'm both very excited and nervous to share this all with you - myself and my partner Luci (who has appeared on my blog exactly once previously) have started a podcast! The podcast, called Ten Percent of the Brain, is all about examining popular misconceptions in science, biology and the body. We really enjoyed making this and want to do more in the future! Have a little listen to our first episode (or subscribe in iTunes!) and please let us know what you think of it - as this is a new thing we're just trying out, your feedback would mean the world to us! And if you have any pieces of received wisdom that you're a bit suspicious about, then please feel free to suggest them as a topic for a future episode. Much love, and I hope that you're all having a gorgeous day, Bloglovin' | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr