ITEM #49: BOOK – Lovers

I think this book might make a good gift for the cheapskate Valentine (and since this is after Valetine's day - a late gift too!).

I think my brother S and his then girlfriend K gave this to me for my 21st birthday so many years ago. Don’t worry, the pages haven’t rotted with old age… yet!

The book has a good collection of famous couples including Prince Rainer & Princess Grace, Diego Rivera & Frida Kahlo, and Ellen Degeneres & Anne Heche.

Here’s a funny line from the words that go with Ellen and Anne:
“Anne’s taken a lot of flack for what she’s done, but in 25 or 30 years, when we’re still together and out of this business we can look back and laugh. Maybe it’s a horrible thing to say, but Anne and I both had the same reaction when Princess Di died, that she had just found the man of her dreams and then he died, and how could you go on living after that without that person? If Anne goes, I want to go, that’s how strongly I feel.”

It must be horrible being famous and having your words in print…

ITEM #48: BOOK – The Sound of Music by Maria Von Trapp

When I was really young and hadn’t started going to school I used to watch the Sound of Music every single day. Up until the puppet show. So, obviously, I absolutely love this movie.

It wasn’t until 1996 when my family and I went to Europe for a holiday that I realized that it was based on a true story. We were in Salzburg and we went on this Sound of Music tour. The guide kept saying things like “and this is where Maria went lived… this is where she… blah, blah, blah” and all I could think was “boy, it’s just a movie, there’s no need to get too excited”….

And then when I realized it was based on a true story I rushed back to Australia and bought this book (technically, I strolled upon it some years later at Dymocks in Sydney)…

So if you’ve always wondered if Maria and Captain von Trapp lived happily ever after, here’s your chance to find out! One thing I loved about this story was that Maria was FAT! At one stage she was heavily pregnant and people couldn’t even tell the difference… take this book to learn more!

ITEM #47: BOOKS – Quentin Tarantino screen plays

I bought these books circa 1996 when I was in high school. I used to love Tarantino. Partly because he used to work in a video store and that was my dream job (such high aspirations! But at least I wanted to work back then!). I even wrote an essay about how he was living the American dream. The dialogue in a lot of these are very good… stuff that you can easily miss when you watch the movies.

ITEM #46: PHOTO FRAME – 3 x wooden frames with Vietnamese embroideries

I bought these embroideries in Vietnam in 2001 and had them hanging near my dining table for a couple of years. The space has now been taken by one of J’s “artworks” [technically an old uni project, but still looks pretty interesting]. I found these in my wardrobe after a big clean up on the weekend. I’m trying to work out where to hang them, but the problem is that I don’t own a drill so can’t do this myself. Might be easier for them to find a new home (one with a drill).

ITEM #45: BOOKS – Learning Mandarin and Cantonese

I studied Mandarin at uni for about 2.5 years. Didn’t learn much (except I do know how to ask you if you smoke, and to reply that I don’t smoke) but I did meet my boyfriend J. Hopefully these books will bring you some luck in romance too!

ITEM #44: WATCH – DKNY with black leather strap

I tricked my boyfriend J into buying this for me in… maybe 2002? I went to Sydney and bought him an expensive el croquis book on Herzog and De Meuron (also know to me as her dog and the moron) in lieu of buying myself a much needed watch. He was very kind and returned the favour with this purchase.

The battery has died on this watch so now I use one of J’s old watches and a great digital given to me by my top friend Q (technically, I’ve swapped the one Q gave me 3 times, so I’m onto my fourth now).

ITEM #43: PHOTO FRAME – Red frame from Freedom

This photo frame is so well used that it sits proudly on my desk at home with the pictures that it came with still housed within. I have endeavoured, many times, to put my own pictures in it but have never managed to work out how to crop and resize at the same time. If only my boyfriend J would help me! Hopefully you are more technological savvy, or just have the perfect sized photos to cut up.