Perspective.

Experiments.

Perspective: the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one.

I'm back with more food for thought and it's the idea of perspective. Which is basically the way in which you see and understand things as an individual. We're all individuals and so we all have different and also similar perspectives on different things. So in a way there are no solid facts or right and wrong, in a sense that everything we know and understand was developed by our own or someone else's perspective.

Let me explain using an allegory I once heard from wise man.

I just chuckled. "A wise man".
Well he is wise and he is a male, so yeah. A wise man said...

If a boy grew up being told that the colour Yellow was called Blue. He grows up knowing and believing this, until he's is challenged by someone. This person tells him that he is wrong and that colour he calls Blue is in fact Yellow. 

Would you say the boy is wrong?

Of course. It's not Blue it's Yellow. However, he's technically not incorrect. 

We all believe that it's the colour Yellow because that's what we've been told. That's our perspective, just the same as he who believes it's Blue. So why is he wrong and we're right, when we're all (including him) basing our knowledge on what we've been told. 

It's difficult to challenge someone on what they have grown up understanding, because that is what has been embedded in them. It even trickles down to trivial things like whether bread should be kept in the fridge or not, whether to eat rice with a spoon or a fork (FORK), how to season your chicken. It's all about perspective.

E v e r y t h i n g we know, we have been taught or we have observed from others and accepted it as the norm. If a a child grows up around a family who pee in the toaster, they will strongly believe that peeing in the toaster is acceptable. How do you argue that? 

This is why our environment/surroundings play a huge part in shaping who we are. It's from what we see that we develop our own perspective on things. Which determines how we react to certain situations and to a certain extent the things that we like and don't like.

Linking back to a previous post of mine titled "Thoughts, Motives and Intentions". In this post I spoke about how your thought processes, determine the way you behave. Your thought processes are influenced by everything and everyone around you. The way you think (your perspective) and then as a result behave, is controlled/determined by your peers, family and friends and the media.

Ahhh the media. That's a whole other topic...

New In: Chunky Loafers

Haiii Guise. 

I've been slightly MIA recently. I know. Apologies. 

However, I'm back.

I recently picked up these segzy loafers from New Look (one of my favourite places for shoes). I adore their chunky sole and that they aren't your conventional pair of loafers.
I'll be styling these with thick socks and loads of layers for the up and coming winter. 

My decision to purchase them was also driven by the fact that they are very 'me', but are still smart enough for sixth form.

The dress code for my sixth form is smart-casual (more on the smart side). I'm not an overly formal dresser and so I've been trying to find clothing items that comply with the sixth form dress code but don't compromise my style. These shoes included, I think I've been successful.

During this smart-shopping period I've moved out a lot of clothes that I either don't like or don't fit, from my wardrobe in a bid to start afresh. I'm trying to steer away from random impulse buys and instead shop for garments I can imagine myself wearing and that are compatible with my wardrobe.

I'm trying to imagine my wardrobe as a gallery of pieces that all relate and present a reflection of myself.

Thoughts, Motives and Intentions.

This picture isn't necessarily relevant to the post, but I thought I'd give you something to look at. This was a result of me playing around with my camera.
I guess you could say it's thought provoking. Yes? No? 

Thoughts, motives and intentions. These three words have been playing a game of volleyball in my mind recently. They are the basis of who we are and everything we do. The root of all our actions.

Supposedly, "actions speak louder than words". I have to disagree with this statement. Actions aren't everything. What you hope to achieve from your actions is the part that needs focus. Your intentions. That's what tells you who you are.

If I give you an example. Someone who regularly gives gifts to others on birthdays and other special occasions. On the surface this person appears to be generous, giving and kind hearted. That's what their actions tell you.

However, their thoughts could prove the opposite. What isn't obvious to the eye is maybe this person gives to create a name for themselves or solely for the purpose of giving their recipients an obligation to return the favour. These are the characteristics of a selfish person, brought to light by their intentions. So in this case, the person's actions would've have deceived all those who judge by actions alone.

All actions begin in the mind, before they are performed by the body. You have to think about doing something first before you do it. Your incentives being the thoughts that trigger your actions, they then must be more substantial than the actions themselves.

Due to this realisation, I try not to judge other people's actions before I understand, first and foremost why they behave they way do.

Another example would be someone who attends Church every Sunday and is seen running around doing God's work and contributing towards the church (not just financially). On the surface this person is a good Christian. However, underneath the white cloth, they only attend Church for social status or to be envied. So everyone will know them as that individual that did ABC. In addition they don't do any of this in places where nobody's looking.

Then take another person who doesn't attend Church services but believes. They would go out of their way for anyone expecting nothing in return and worship regularly behind closed doors. Who is the better person?

Actions would say the first because they are physically seen behaving in a certain way, where as intentions would say the second because they are genuinely kind hearted.

My point is that you can behave a certain way but for a reason that doesn't correlate with your actions. To me this makes your actions void, they're meaningless. I'd rather you (not directly) did something for me because you genuinely wanted to, rather than because you expect something back. In that case don't bother. It's waste of time. Anyone agree?

When you really think about it we don't really KNOW anyone. We believe we do from what they've told us or from observation, but what if their mind is saying something else? Now this I threw in there to aggravate your brain cells a little. Just a little.

In a nutshell, "it's the thought that counts".

Disclaimer: I'm not advocating this "Trust no one" lifestyle that many seem to have chosen. It's just food for thought. Use it to evaluate your own character, check your thoughts, motives and intentions.

Kwabs - The Wilhelm Scream (James Blake Cover)

Before I begin. I know I've been slacking this week. It's quite ironic how I've been consistent with my posts up until the point where I set myself a deadline. I said every other day and now it's been 8 days. As soon as I set myself that deadline, I began rushing and writing because it was time to. I feel as though in terms of my blog, I produce better content when I write as it comes to me. I always have something to share and so a post every other day would have been practical, but once I start Sixth Form I may not have as much time on my hands. The last thing I want is for my blog to become a chore and so I've decided on putting up at least 2 posts a week, and more as and when my cerebrum is struck with new blog post topic ideas.

Swiftly moving on (no Taylor) to today's topic. Whilst on one of my regular YouTube perusing sessions, I stumbled across this cover of James Blake's 'The Wilhelm Scream' by Kwabs. If I tell you that as soon as he opened his mouth to sing I was violently hit by the soft matured tone of his voice. Beautiful Homicide is what I like to call it. When something so beautiful makes you feel like you've been a dished dirty slap on tray made of fine China.

I love what Kwabs has done with this song. I'm not even going to get technical and talk about his tone, diction, clarity & how he made the song his own. I'm not a judge. My opinion on music is generally based on how it makes me feel and/or the lyrical content. 

The way that this 3 minutes of effortless soul made me feel is what marked me with an obligation to write and to repeatedly molest the repeat button.

The USP of this cover is how stripped back it is, it has that kind of 'singing to yourself in the comfort of your own room' type feel to it. His voice makes you feel as though he singing from somewhere deep. Not as though his sole intention was to show off his vocal talent by perfectly executing every note as how James Blake would've done. He's just. Singing.

This is how I saw it anyway. 

Let me know what you guys think of these kind of posts and what you would like for me to write about, be it Music, Fashion or even Literature. What you thought about this cover and Kwabs' voice? I love hearing from you all and if you comment below, make sure you check back for a reply!

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Desirable: Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse/Minimalism

My current 'desirable' is these cocaine white Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse. *sniffs*. 

See what I did there?

Their beauty just gets me emotional and have me experiencing those Drake like symptoms.

Like imagine if you were mine. I want you to meet the rest of my wardrobe. I'll keep you clean and you keep me looking phresh. I'd be lying if I said there weren't other trainers, but I'll never love another the way I love you. So I'm happy to empty my pockets for you, because baby... you the, you the best.

I don't know either.

What I like about these is the lack of colour that disturbs the silhouette and detail of the shoe. They are clean, crisp and would look perfect paired with muted tones or an all white ensemble.

I've developed a penchant for muted tones, white space and minimalism. I'm not the only one either. 2013 has seen an increase in reserved clothing choices (in terms of colour) which may have previously been considered as plain and boring by the masses. Labels such as Phidel and HRue Porter, Bloggers such as Ivania Carpio, Hannah Sadler and even Alexander Wang's SS14 collection have proven quite the opposite.

Below are selection of photographs that display some great examples of minimalism, that belong to some of my favourite bloggers.

sadlerhannah.blogspot.co.uk

love-aesthetics.blogspot.co.uk

love-aesthetics.blogspot.co.uk

http://fashionbysi.blogspot.co.uk

sadlerhannah.blogspot.co.uk

sadlerhannah.blogspot.co.uk

lightningfactory.blogspot.co.uk

lightningfactory.blogspot.co.uk

Kojey Radical

Image from pushcrayons.com

I want to share something with you guys, or rather someone. A very talented someone. I discovered him on Twitter and was lead to a YouTube account that goes by the name of PUSHCRAYONS. An account that showcases inspiring art, poetry, imagery, spoken word, courtesy of a guy named Kojey Radical.

Before you continue to read this post. Watch this video. Really watch it, in fact listen.

Have you watched it? 

I hope it made you feel the same way I felt. When I listened to the words this guy had to say I was left in awe. They were more than just words, it's like he was speaking life, his life, our lives. As unnecessarily philosophical as that sounds.

I could not only understand what he was saying, I could feel it. I could relate. I was left in a pool of my own thoughts. What a cliche. Lets call it a river, spice things up a little bit.

Thoughts about life, our goals, are they really worth it? Is hard work everything? The challenges of society. Making something of yourself, leaving a mark for eternity. Decisions.

I can't really describe the state of mind this left me in, I don't know if you can tell. Either way this guy is extremely talented and I felt like you all needed to see it.

How I Style: Dungarees

This post was requested by a friend of mine and it's on how I would style a few variations of dungarees/overalls.

Dungaree Jumpsuit: Asos // Crop Top: Primark // Hat: H&M // Arm Cuff: River Island // Shoes: River Island/New Look //

This outfit is a simple monochrome ensemble featuring this dungaree jumpsuit that I've been drooling over for a while. I've kept everything quite simple and minimal because I find outfits like this really effective. The gold upper arm cuff gives the outfit an nice touch and compliments the buckles on the shoes really well. 

Onto the shoes. They are dupes of the Jeffrey Campbell Coltrane boots, they look VERY similar and are at a fraction of the price. They are £45 (and sold out online), however New Look also have some for £30. If you want to get your hands on them, prepare yourself for the mission because they are selling out fast!

Dungarees: Topshop // Crop Top: River Island // Shoes: Nike Air Max 90 Hyperfuse // Curb Chain: Ebay

This second outfit is a lot more casual than the first and it's centred around this denim number. I would want the dungarees to be oversized and slouchy for this outfit.
I've kept the other colours quite toned down to allow the shoes to stand out.
I saw these shoes on one of my favourite bloggers, Maria at pigeonfightsandcigarettes.blogspot.co.uk and they looked beautiful. If you don't already know of her you should definitely go and check her blog out!

Dungarees: Topshop // Crop Top: Topshop // Flatforms: Topshop // Arm Cuff: River Island //

For the third and final outfit I've chosen these full length dungarees. I've paired them with simple items again because I like to keep everything minimal when styling dungarees. I would wear them with the straps down for this outfit to show the top off.
Miss Guided have a really nice version of this mesh panel crop top but I couldn't get a good picture of it. Click here if you want to see it.