12 Album Review: Red

Last time round with SN I said I felt (and I quote) "Taylor Swift is past her prime-time" and "the hurt-girl act is getting old". This time I feel she's branched out, but at the same time there's still essences of that hurt-girl simmering below the surface. This you can see from her music videos: but that's a gripe I'll share another time.

Overall I'd give this album 4.5 stars out of 5 -compared with my initial reaction to SN, where I'd probably have given it a 3- because the resounding difference in sound is palpable and should be applauded. 

I think she's really made an effort to get out of the box here, and as she roughly put it in an interview to [show fans her many music influences, like Snow Patrol], I don't feel she's doing it just to be No. 1 on the charts. That was my original fear when WANEGBT came out. But there are saving graces aplenty in the album, and the single State of Grace taught me to hope- an instinct which proved right.

I hate to classify the songs, and not all songs are listed below. But the infographics below are as much for my future reference as yours- I can't believe I originally hated Last Kiss when SN first came out!

All songs listed are in no particular order.

I like the ending of Treacherous much more than the beginning; the "and I will/ follow you follow you home" half-chorus is really addictive. And Stay Stay Stay is just too cute! I wasn't sure of Starlight till I found myself compulsively singing it over and over when out with my family. A sign of madness to strangers, but a sign that this song's a favourite to me. 

I love the fact that she's doing duets now. And with Gary Lightbody and Ed Sheeran no less!! The Last Time has a vibe off Set Fire to the Third Bar (by Snow Patrol) to me and that's great because I love that song; it's also the closest to Last Kiss' ballad style on this album.

All Too Well has the country goodness of an oldie like Tim McGraw (the one by Taylor, not the singer) and it struck me when I first listened to the album. I love how the story builds up to include both points of view.

As for Everything Has Changed, I really wanted to like Enchanted- but despite my love for the premise and the lyrics, I really wished for a slower, more mystical version of it than the loud, Sparks Fly kind of rhythm to it. And EHC answers that!

I am really sorry to include this list... #1 and 2 are like Call Me Maybe: ridiculously pop but you know you know all the lyrics to them. Holy Ground is not as offensive but honestly forgettable.

Overall... if you love the old Taylor Swift but have moved on to slightly more folksy indie tunes, this album's a keeper.

All images here are by anawolowl; do credit if using.

03 Rainy Days and Mondays

Funny, but it seems that I always wind up-a here with you; 

Nice to know somebody loves me. 

Funny, but it seems that it's the only thing to do: 

Run and find the one who loves me. 

-Rainy Days and Mondays (The Carpenters)

What a fitting title for this post! These days 'don't get me down', however; I absolutely love rainy days and Mondays aren't too bad when they're the holidays, because it means the start of another gloriously free week. (To be a student! I'll probably regret this when I'm working.)

These days the weather's been wonderful (to me): it may start off a little sunny, but more often than not by afternoon it's pouring. Sunday's rain was heavier than usual. At its stormiest, I couldn't see anything further than the block opposite me; usually I can see a school in the far background but it was totally white-d out by the downpour! The only thing I wish for these times is for the cool weather to be indoors, but without the wetness. With the windows all closed up, it's quite a waste not to enjoy the weather!

Lunch: Pocket Full of Posies Cafe
This morning I went for a doctor's appointment; it ended quite early (well not really when you factor in the time we started) so my mum and I went for lunch at the Pocket Full of Posies Cafe @ NUH. The service wasn't fantastic, but I think it might've been because we didn't know it was self service and the waitress had to serve our food herself. 

The food and ambience, however, is definitely worth it. The cafe's in the same place as the eponymous florist, so you get nice bunches of flowers around. The decor is a mix of cottage vintage and mirrored mod; what I loved most was the bench we sat at, which was not actually a bench but swing sets! On the gastronomic side, I ordered black pepper chicken with fragrant white rice, which was not bad; the serving's reasonable. I could finish the whole plate and still felt full, so that's good :)

Then, because I had to get a pair of court shoes for an upcoming school programme, we travelled down to Bugis: it was either Bugis or Orchard, and both are rather inconvenient to get to from Kent Ridge, but we figured Bugis was faster, with more and cheaper options. Luckily, BHG was having their usual shoes and bags sale right outside the MRT, and I managed to score a really good find :) It feels good to have a checklist ticked so quickly!

KissJane (KG) Bugis loots!
Neither my mum nor I felt like battling the crowds of Bugis Street, so we decided to wander around Bugis Junction. Of course, I've always wanted to go to KissJane; I've been there a few times but never bought anything because the items are marked up from their online prices and, well, a student's budget isn't very forgiving. But I wanted to bring my mum there to let her see for herself, because she hasn't seen it before :) We both came away really happy: she got the Anisa crochet trim blouson in navy, and I got a fit-and-flare mustard dress from Megagamie that, as far as I know, is unlaunched!

I've no pictures of the Anisa blouson, but it's really good quality. Unlined, but non-sheer; the balloon sleeves are elasticated, which can be a little tight but ultimately flattering :) What's also flattering is the cut of the blouse itself; it's nipped in a little at the waist, not so it's tight but creates a nice enough silhouette so you can wear the blouse untucked. Which is good for me, seeing as I tuck in my blouses 99% of the time.

Megagamie (MGG) unlaunched dress review
I'm really excited about my dress! It's my first MGG purchase. Priced at $36.90 at KissJane, which is quite steep for a dress, but even my mum was convinced it was worth it, because the quality's there. What sold me was the pockets: they're not obvious, I didn't even know it was there until the last minute when I was about to put it back on the rack. The two pockets are cut at the side and reasonably deep :) I love dresses with pockets! 

I'd hazard a guess to say the dress is about 34" to 35" inches at size M: I haven't measured mine yet, but I'm 1.57m tall and it comes to just over my knees. May be too long for most, but personally I really love my dresses at this length because I don't have to worry about unnecessary flashes while bending over or anything :) Another plus is that fit-and-flare dresses are most flattering for my bordering-on-pear-shaped body, and because my other similarly cut dresses are all between 32" and 33" in length, this longer dress is more appropriate for more formal occasions... or occasions when I have to sit on the floor!

I'm a UK 8/10 and this dress fits me to a tee :)

my first Megagamie purchase!

not a full-length picture :(

The skirt is quite flared but falls very nicely, promise :)

POCKETS!

full lining :)

I feel like I'm selling the dress, haha :) but seriously, it's really worth it, especially if you can score it online! I wasn't sure if it was still retailing even, so that was another consideration when I bought it at KJ. The dress is fully lined with good quality, soft material- a little like sports shorts or FBT lining! The outside itself is a stiffer linen cotton, rougher than usual cotton but not uncomfortably so.

colour true to this pic :)

The dress was also available in white and black on the rack.

/Verbal and visual diarrhea, whoops! Hope this helps :)