One Good Thing

one good week: seven things [a guest post]

[This is a guest post from the beauty and (one of the brains) behind NeoCreative]

OK. I’m going to be completely honest here. When I was approached about writing a ‘Seven Things’ post I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. Mainly because 1. I’m not a writer and 2. I’m not a writer. A plethora of thoughts ran through my head. What am I going to write? I’m not particularly interesting. I’ll probably use too many commas. How can I possibly come up with seven good things when my days seem to be on repeat? You know, stuff like that. The funny thing was that once I began to really think about all the little things that I take for granted, the whole writing ‘happy thoughts’ became progressively easier.

A lot of the time, my life is so hectic that I forget about the good things like the simple act of drinking a cup of coffee or the fact that I’m NOT getting my wisdom teeth out. I get stuck in a routine of client meetings and deadlines and therefore overlook the plain, simple, and positive aspects of life. Sometimes it’s difficult to focus when my day-to-day environment is so incredibly chaotic. This week, however, I found myself a little less stressed and a little less anxious purely because I was on a mission to find and appreciate the good things.

So here they are peeps. My 7 Things:

1.Loving/Disliking ‘Sacrilege in Helvetica Bold’ by Shahir Zag simultaneously. I discovered Sharir Zag’s (http://shahirzag.com/) typographic work this week. It’s rather amusing indeed. I couldn’t help but giggle. If you’re a graphic designer like me, typesetting is a way of life, my raison d’être, if you will. ‘Sacrilege in Helvetica Bold’ breaks all the rules of kerning and leading and that is what makes it so flippin’ funny. If I wasn’t laughing at it I’d be angry. I believe that if this work was set in Comic Sans and renamed ‘Sacrilege in Comic Sans’, it would have been far more effective, though. Teehee.

2. Watching North and South (or, more importantly, Richard Armitage). I finished watching North and South (2004) this week. I am a huge fan of period pieces such as Anne of Green Gables, Downton Abbey, and anything Jane-Austen-related. Maybe I just like impractical dresses. Maybe I just like people uttering words like ‘hither’ and ‘shan’t’. Maybe I just like quills and ink. I don’t know. Anyway, I was certainly not disappointed by this four-part mini-series based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. I was enthralled by the character depth and the exploration of social hierarchy. While watching the first episode, I could have sworn that I knew Richard Armitage (Mr. John Thornton) from somewhere and it turned out that he appeared in The Hobbit as the dwarf King, Thorin Oakenshield. Can I just say swoon. Handsome men, excellent acting, and a rich storyline. North and South was definitely a winner for me.

3. Rediscovering Seb Lester — British Typographer and Illustrator. This guy is a typographical genius. His clients include Apple, British Airways, Nike, Penguin, and IKEA — to name a few. I discovered him a couple of years back and then lost track of him for reasons unknown. I came across his tumblr this week and I absolutely adore it. I get weak at the knees when I look at his work (but then again, I am a little odd). I’ll buy one of his limited edition pieces one day in the not-too-distant future. So if you like typography and intricate illustration, check him out. You will not be disappointed.

4. The Garden Seeds Collection — Ruff House Art. I stumbled upon this beautiful seed packaging by Ruff House Art while researching my herb garden. And by ‘researching’ I mean extensively researching. I do not possess a green thumb by any means and my previous attempts at growing a herb garden have been rather disastrous. These little packages are extremely clever. They have the appearance of letterpress seed packets; however, they are printed on plantable, compostable paper that’s embedded with the corresponding seeds. Problem is that I don’t think I’d be able to cover these beautiful designs in dirt. Sigh.

5. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Golden Globes Monologue (Duologue?). OK, I realise that the Golden Globes took place two weeks ago but I only watched this monologue/duologue/whatever this week so I feel I should include it right here, right now. These two ladies are absolutely hilarious. I don’t know why they haven’t hosted the Globes before, to be honest. They seriously raised the bar when it comes to hosting award shows. I mean, I knew it was going to be hilarious when Fey quipped, ‘Tonight we honour the television shows that have entertained us all year as well as the films that have only been in theatres for two days.’ Followed by Poehler stating: ‘That’s what makes tonight so special. Only at the Golden Globes do the beautiful people of film rub shoulders with the rat-faced people of television.’ I ROFL-ed. Love them. Loved the monologue/duologue/whatever.

6. Purchasing a new wok. Not so long ago, I was scared of the kitchen. Every time I’d try to cook something, I’d be afraid that I’d stuff it up. I’m not sure what changed that made me actually want to experiment in the kitchen. It may have been my embarrassing addiction to Masterchef, Nigella Lawson, and My Kitchen Rules. Whatever it was, I’m glad it happened. Now I find cooking to be therapeutic. I love trying different flavour combinations and new ingredients. I actually look forward to coming home and making a meal. I love Asian cooking, so I was extremely excited when my new Circulon wok arrived in the mail. Before this, I’d try in vain to stir fry in an electric pan. Needless to say, those attempts were epic fails on the stir-fry front. Is it odd that I’m a bit in love with cookware? No, didn’t think so.

7. Discovering Boy & Bear’s ‘Walking On a Dream’ cover (listen here). If you haven’t heard of the indie folk-pop band Boy & Bear, then you must Youtube them immediately. These guys are so incredibly talented, I just can’t even… I came across this cover while perusing the Triple J (Australian radio station) website and was slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t heard it before. The song is a cover of Empire of the Sun’s huge hit of the same name and is far better than the original IMO. Ch-ch-check it. (Note from Amber: Is that a Trent from Punchie reference, Renae?!)

Well that’s about it from moi. Happy weekend, folks!

Tagged with: one good week, seven things

Categorised as: reviews+roundups+recaps