AND WE DIE AND WE LIVE AND WE'RE BORN AGAIN

Oh wow. Now you know when you listen to a PS22 Chorus cover it's going to be amazing (shit son, those kids can SING) but this one absolutely kills it!



What I love about this choir is that they're all so passionate about their music, and I think a lot of the credit for that has to go to their teacher Gregg Breinberg. In every video you can see just how enthusiastic he is and it makes me really happy to see that - so many teachers can really kill your love of a subject because of their own jaded attitudes. This guy nurtures their talent as well as introducing them to music they might not otherwise hear - like this track for example.

Plus, they're going to be performing at this year's Oscars...wow.zers.

ON THE ROAD

I saw this pic on They All Hate Us and realised just how much I want to go on another American road trip.
In the summer of 2007, after a stint at summer camp, I took to the road with my buddies Jo and Gen, eventually leaving our spiritual home of San Diego after an extended stay. We stocked up on animal crackers and juice and began our 331 mile journey through the desert. Despite the fact I hadn't driven in 3 years, had never driven on the motorway and had never driven on the right, it seemed like a really good idea.

And boy, oh boy, it was - long open roads, the GPS telling us to 'Go straight for 206 miles then keep left', drive-thru Starbucks, weird little diners, a lifetime's worth of snacks, breathtaking views of absolutely nothing, terrifying lane changes and a CD on repeat because we couldn't find an iPod adaptor in Rite Aid...Heaven.

May it all happen again soon. With animal masks.

WOOF!

No, sadly this isn't a post about the popular children's TV programme 'Woof!' but a post about some rather cute canine photos I stumbled upon on Viktor Vauthier's blog. He's shot some lovely stuff for Lazy Oaf so I was intrigued to see his other work. And he sure got me with the dogs.

GET YOUR RAT OUT

I have been babbling on for ages about getting a couple of rats to keep me company, so when my good friend Jerry found this photo, I died a little inside. In a good way. Imagine waking up to that! Dream!

SPA MUSIC: JUSTIN BIEBER STYLE

Wow. Some whizzkid slowed little Bieb's song 'U Smile' right down and transformed it into a dreamy little masterpiece. Close your eyes, imagine you're on a beach napping and you have a nice cold pineapple juice (with bits) next to you. Bliss, right? (I do worry that there's some sort of subliminal message hidden in the tranquility though...)



The original is here.

HEAD OVER HEELS

So I've found my Summer shoe crush - these mesh dreams from Vagabond. I still love wearing ankle boots in Summer, with my denim shorts and floaty dresses, so these will be a welcome seasonal twist to my standard footwear choice. They're currently not available to buy online, but heck, it's only January, I've got a wee while before I'm going to have warm enough feet to need them.

Spring's just round the corner though, I can feel it!

I QUAVER AT YOUR TOUCH

I love crisps. I've been known to snort a whole family bag of Kettle Chips in the blink of an eye. And I can't be trusted with multipacks. So when I saw this Valentine's card from the funny fillies at Lazy Oaf, I almost felt like it had been made for me. Well, not for me because sending a card to myself would be pretty narcissistic and just downright weird, but you get what I mean.

To like someone almost as much as crisps is a pretty big deal. To like someone more than crisps? Well. Get me to the altar.

Card, £2.50, Lazy Oaf.

YOUNG BLOOD

How have I only just heard this song? In love.

BAA RAM EWE

I love animals. I love the country. I hate that I don't get a daily dose of both when living in my London flat. Which is why I took a little trip to Hackney City Farm today. Farm + tea shop is always going to = Heaven.










One day I'll have my own mini farm. Dreams, dreams, dreams.

I DO LOVE MY MA AND PA

My faith in love and life was restored yesterday when Rough Trade posted this video on their Twitter. It's a father and daughter covering one of my favourite songs, 'Home' by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.



They're too adorable - the way she looks at him just melts my heart. I wish every girl could have a relationship like this with her Dad. So sweet.

Check out their YouTube channel here and their Facebook page here.

<3

WINGS OF DESIRE

Oh stop. This is TOO CUTE. These little bats (yes, they are tucked up tight in duster sleeping bags) were rescued from the Queensland floods. They're currently being looked after in Brisbane. I didn't like Brisbane so much when I visited so I hope they get to fly away soon.


Picture from the Telegraph.

LAPIN IT UP

Oh God. I love a good piece of luggage. Mostly because I've never had a good piece of luggage. An over-priced rucksack that you have to completely unpack to get anything out of? Yes. A pretty holdall that's actually really awkward to carry? Yes. A battered suitcase borrowed off Ma that weighs more than my luggage allowance? That too. But never anything I'm proud to push people out of the way for at the luggage belt.

Which is probably why I've never bothered with luggage tags. I've always shoved a scribbled note with my address on into the bag/holdall/case minutes before checking it in, crossing my fingers that someone would find that scrap of paper if the baggage handlers sent it on a plane to Bali (when I was on a plane to Bahrain).

But this all changed when I went travelling with my buddy Alice and she noticed that my poor little (really not very little at all) rucksack was tag-less. So she got me a lovely gnome-themed luggage tag and passport cover set for my birthday (I'd never had a passport cover either! Que horror!). The next time I flew, I attached my luggage tag with pride. Even when I was sat alone on the floor at Stansted airport, trying to shove clothes in my hand luggage so my suitcase would comply with the 2kg Ryanair allowance, I was still chuffed with my little tag looking up at me (as my underwear and personal items lay scattered around me.)

So you can imagine I was pretty miffed when said tag fell off on the return flight. Boooooooooo!

I haven't had the heart (read: need) to replace it since, but when I stumbled across this tag, I knew I'd found the one:


If it falls off, I will weep and claim it on my travel insurance. (Will someone take me on holiday now please?)

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