May the Buddha Be With You.

I’ve never been a religious person. I do not judge what other people believe, but it’s just not something I ever fell into. It never really seemed to make sense to me and no-one ever encouraged or pushed me to have faith in some kind of higher power. It seems now, though, that I’m surrounded by so many different types of people, the question is popping up more and more.

I still answer the same. I don’t have a religion. Although these little trips to the beautiful Korean temples do always give me a funny feeling inside. I cannot commit myself to this ideal considering we had such a strange, and albeit unsatisfactory, temple stay on the mainland which involved monks with pizza hut pizzas, coke and iphones when we were stuck eating rice and kimchi. I can, however, say I am more intrigued about religion than I ever have been before. How it shapes a person. How it can give people strength and hope where others may just give up. How it gives people boundaries and rules….

What do you think?

Maxi Skirt and Top– Uniqlo

Summer ModCloth Lovin’…

All of these pictures are from the ModCloth blog from the summer of 2009. The two other fabulous people in the pictures are Richard and Turi. All photos belong to ModCloth.com.

Man, oh man. When I realised it had been 3 years since I interned for the AMAZING online clothing store ModCloth, I couldn’t believe it. 2009; it was one of the best summers of my life. Travelling from my little town in England to the big city of Pittsburgh (famous for it’s Heinz ketchup and Andy Warhol) was one thing, but getting to meet a bunch of fabulously chic people and write about clothes all day was another. ModCloth was 98% of the reason I started Fashion’s A Stranger. It made me realise a lot of things, and it made me 100% happy with my life and myself.

After I finished up my degree I moved to South Korea to teach English; that was almost two years ago. While my own fashion sense might have taken a wee dip since then (cause I like being damn comfortable in my curvy body), my ability to appreciate those who take their time to pick out their outfits everyday certainly has not. I hope one day I can return to ModCloth. And until that time I thank them for having me. And I will continue to spread the good word of ModCloth through south east asia. It’s the least I can do…

Here I Go Again.

Well. It seemed there were no more excuses I could pull out of my ass about my lack of blogging. Please though, remember, I am that girl. The clumsy one. The cursed one. The one who lacks any kind of grace.

At the start of June I received a nasty visit from a flu. I didn’t eat for quite a length of time, which was duly noted by my Korean friends and turned immediately into a positive. “Wow, Amy, you lost your weight”, a few of them cooed. I do, genuinely, appreciate that they prioritize all things vain. If I was left to my own shenanigans I would eat cheese, salt and vinegar crisps, and drink beer every day. This being said, when you’ve just come off a drip at the hospital and your face is an interesting shade of green, you aren’t necessarily thinking about that inch or two cut off your waist. Anyway, no fear everyone. I am back to normal, and have managed to retrieve my little belly I had become so fond of.

Of course, this is me remember. My bad luck doesn’t stop at the measly flu. Oh no no no. After we finished work last week we walked to the local supermarket to get some milk. Us Brits can’t go without a cup of tea for more than 12 hours, and such a beverage requires some dairy goodness. The streets were dark. Very dark indeed. (Am I setting the scene?) My boyfriend pointed out a little restaurant we’ve never seen before, which stopped me from seeing the giant boulders on the side of the street. Boom, knees. Boom, arm. Boom, face on a car and chin on another rock. Of course, we would sue back home. But this is Korea…

I’ve had a bit of ‘body ache’ for almost a week now. And rainy season is in full force on our little island of Jeju. The thunder and lightning was very persistent last night and it does not want us to sleep. So, I won’t show you any pictures of my outfits recently. Instead, I’ll leave you with a pretty picture of Oedolgae, a beautiful place where we spent quite a bit of time before the rain dampened our spirits.

A Tidy Mind.

Well, well well. Turns out I am not a very organised lady. My mum used to say to me ‘A tidy house is a tidy mind’. While I’ve heard myself say this phrase countless times over the past few years, I’ve always struggled to turn it into a reality.* For about a week I even tried to change it into ‘a tidy life is a tidy mind’. Alas, I am naturally very messy and thus my mind is all over the place. Compared to my super-super clean freak boyfriend, I look like a monster living in a cave. And it’s to my detriment, of course, because every so often I get a mind-melt, where I have to think super hard about all of the things I need to do, and, BOOM, my brain explodes.

The above thing happened yesterday (the boom thing). The poor man experienced the brunt of it, of course, as is inevitable in a long-term relationship. (Sorry, sorry, sorry) Monday was my birthday and now I’m another year older. That probably doesn’t help with the brain power. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway. Nothing will get done while I’m sitting here ranting. So much to do! In my brain there is a sense of urgency. In my body? Not so much. Oh well, it’ll get done. It always does. Happy Friday everyone!

Shoes: Bobbie Burns (and a birthday gift from my better half!), Tights: Florence and Fred, Underdress: H&M, Blouse: ASOS, Cork Bag: ModCloth (and a birthday gift from my brother and sister-in-law)

*If you are reading, Mum, you are a wise wise lady. I am trying my hardest to heed your advice.

Item of the Week: Dress the 50s Way.

French Connection Floral 50’s Dress– ASOS: £125.00

I don’t know if you know, but I have a massive soft spot for florals. It drives my other half nuts. He claims the bedding is too ‘grandma-ish’, but I think it is simply beautiful. Some men just don’t appreciate a stunning pattern when it covers them every night.

Anyway. I love this dress. It is amazing, and I want it pretty bad. Unfortunately, it is against my moral code to spend that much on an item of clothing. Especially while I am a poor teacher who is saving to travel the world. There would be no place for this fancy frock on a trek around Asia. (Well, I’m pretty sure I would find a way, but it’s just not practical!) I pride myself on the fact that most of my outfits are put together on £50 or less. But for those of you who have a bit of spare cash flying about and are drooling over this dress as much as I am, more good news! ASOS have free international shipping. No minimum order. Can you believe that? I may or may not have already placed a few orders of some more modestly priced items… ahem. Happy Friday everyone!

It’s really difficult to remember to blog when…

…the views near your apartment are like this…

Winging It.

Oh, how nice it is to be in a warm, sunny country working on my tan (mind you, it’s raining as I type…) The sea air makes the sun deceptive though, and my thighs turned an interesting shade of purple before deciding to go pink. They better go brown soon. God, I’m so ‘English’ and pale.

Otherwise, nothing much to report. We are planning on purchasing a little car next week which we test drove yesterday. I tell you, I have never driven on the right side of the road or the left side of the car before. We nearly lost a wing mirror very early on. Everyone was extremely calm about the whole situation though, surprisingly. What is your news? Sorry I haven’t been visiting you all recently. I intend to be back on it soon!

Flip-flops: Havaianas, Skirt: H&M, Top: Internacionale

Couple of the Week: ‘Check’-ing it Out!

When I left Korea last September, I was so sad to say goodbye to the ‘Couple of the Week’ section of my blog. These couples made me smile. Made me laugh. Made me realise the sacrifices some men will make for real love. Not my man, of course. He dismissed it as an Asian craze and vetoed the suggestion before he could even tell I was joking in my request. I would never actually want to mirror my boyfriend; but his immediate refusal hurt me a little bit. These men don’t mind emulating their other halves. In fact, it is the norm. Back home they would be stripped of their manhood, but here in Korea, it’s fashionable to declare to the world ‘I am with this person and I am proud.’ I suppose it helps ‘she’ does the shopping, too.

The furthest my boyfriend and I made it into this trend was in a gift from my Korean friend, Han Sol. These porroro couple rings made me happy in my last week in Daegu, South Korea. Of course, at that time, we had no intention of returning to the home of Samsung, Park JiSung and kimchi. These rings were a memory of a craze which would never fail to make me smile.

The economic situation at home and the sweet deal of being a teacher in this amazing country quickly turned us around, and when we arrived back in Korea three weeks ago, (this time to Jeju Island) I was ecstatic when I saw my first offending ‘couple-wear’ pair. I don’t know how often I will be posting these gems, but if you like it, I’ll try my damn hardest to ask these couples awkwardly if I can take their pictures, for reasons I cannot explain (because my Korean sucks…). What do you think?

Isn’t it Ironic?

With the best intentions in the world, I still failed in my ambitions to make a smooth transition of blogging as soon as I arrived back in Korea. A few things got in the way of this. The first involved a visit from gastric flu. The second involved a nasty cold. The third was a matter of a ‘glitch’ in my drugs test. If you know me, you’ll know I’m not at all ‘that way inclined’. I’m paranoid enough naturally before adding an intoxicating substance into the mix. Alas, apparently my pain killers for my ankle and ever annoying IBS have something from the ‘opium’ family in them. I can hear you chuckling already– because if you know me, this kind of thing is just my luck. I mean; to be caught out by co-codamol (a.ka.-Tylenol 3; or paracetamol and codeine). You can buy it over the counter in the UK, for crying out loud. And being accused of opium only made me think ‘Hang on a minute– no-one’s done opium since the Victorian era, I’m not in an Oscar Wilde novel am I?’ I am an unlucky person. Like, if I go to a concert, the tallest person in the world will be in front of me. Or if all I want is a knife, then all I’ll have is ten thousand spoons. And if anyone ends up with a fly in their drink, it’ll be in MY chardonnay. I’m pretty sure it’ll rain if I ever get married, too*. Anyway, I’ve not been deported yet, and I passed my second drug test, so things are gradually looking up.

Otherwise we have been trying to get our bearings in our beautiful new city. And we’ve been trying to make friends. And making our house a home. All those imperative things you must do when you move your entire life half way around the world. It leaves little time for my fashion and internet life, but I’m sure I’ll get back in the swing of things soon. Here is what I wore yesterday. As you can see, our roof is maybe not the best location for a shoot. And I need to start wearing my hair up, cause that sea air is a b***h. I hope you all had an lovely Easter weekend.

Shoes: Toms, Tights and Cardigan: Marks and Spencer, Shorts: Forever 21, Floral Top: New Look.

* I think I’ve heard anecdotes like this before– Have you? Sorry for stealing your stuff Alanis.

Change in the Air. Change in the Water.

Ok guys. I suck. I am back into teacher mode which means I wear baggy GAP tees, leggings and Toms everyday. Hardly worth a snap shot. My wardrobe and I are not feeling ourselves. I am blaming the gastro flu we all seemed to come to down with. Not to mention the cold that’s been plaguing me all week. I’m pretty sure my nose is going to fall off by tomorrow…

We were playing table tennis on our kitchen table this morning (shh, don’t tell my Mum…) when the ball hit me full pelt into my chest. I almost cried. I am feeling emotional and I’m blaming the change in the air. It might sound pathetic, but that thing left a red mark for hours! Ping pong was not on the top of my list of most dangerous games out there. Until today.

So. Brownies honour; I will be back to my normal self next week, even if I have to give my immune system a kick up the ass myself. For now though, this video is of one of my new co-teachers, Jenna, performing one of her songs accompanied by some of her friends. I think she has such a magical, enchanting voice and I thought that some of you out there might appreciate these soothing sounds.