Coharu Tepra Printer [Pre-Usage Excitement!]

Recently I purchased the Coharu Printer by KingJim! ⇣

Unfortunately it isn't sitting in my hands and being used but it should be on its way to me :-) Excited to do a review on it! For those of you thinking of purchasing, please do be aware that it is a thermal printer. You cannot print on normal washi tapes or paper strips, but thermal tape which they supply in several patterns and colours. I've purchased a few refills since I don't think the machine includes one. You can see that Mizutama has her own design refill ⇣ too ^^~ 

Review will come when I've played with it! :D

SpaceNK, UK - Free Delivery

Quick post :) For a limited time only there is Free Delivery on SpaceNK. (This is for the UK site.) Normally standard delivery is £5 so please visit the site quickly if there is something you've had in mind! There are some sale items still on like nail varnishes, perfumes, travel sets and even the Clarisonic. Sale brands include Laura Mercier, Diptyque, and By Terry. To make the purchase even better value, hop over to TopCashBack. If you haven't already signed up, you can go via my referral link here hehe :) (For SpaceNK, you can get 6.06% of your purchase back right now, so if you're planning to stock up that's ~£6 for every £100 spend.)

Ghost in the Shell

A few years ago I started watching the anime Ghost in the Shell which is set in a dystopian future. It revolves largely around cyber-terrorism and the organisation put together to counter it. The anime was based off a manga series and the franchise includes several films and video games too! This short post isn't a review, but I was really surprised to hear that it will be hitting the big screen with Scarlett Johansson starring as the main protagonist. I'm curious how the film will turn out and about the other cast members since the series is set in Japan, with all the original characters Japanese. (Actually there is a petition with over 50,000 signatures accusing Dreamwork of a 'whitewash'..) Here is the imdb link, but unfortunately the estimated release is 2017. Let's hope it'll be worth the wait~

I also really love the theme tune to the anime sang by the talented Origa :

August Ramble & Kim Ji Hyuk

It really seemed like yesterday that we were all celebrating the start of 2015 during the chilly festive season, all cosy and wrapped up. But now it's August and Summer will be over pretty soon! I really want to enjoy every day even more, and always take positives.

These lovely pictures are illustrated by the talented Korean artist, Kim Ji Hyuk (you may find the name spelt as Kim Ji Hyuck around the internet too). They are just breathtaking and really evoke a carefree spirit and memories of happy Summers! Please visit here for many more illustrations! Hope we can support this amazing artist ^^~

PLUS Non-Stick Fit Cut Curve Scissors Review

Here comes a stationery review :) I really love discovering new stationery products and was very happy when I spotted these great scissors. Probably a video demonstration is better:

Basically you can cut paper, card and other typical materials with ease. Even cardboard boxes can be cut through with no problem! They come in a few mainstream colours like blue, pink and green. Apart from the curve on the scissors, they are coated with fluorine as well to make them non-stick.

Mine was purchased a while ago so the rubber on it has already discoloured leaving it looking a little… camera-shy…This is what they looked like at the beginning anyway!

For the first few months I was very happy with them. They do what they say on the box and even make cutting open envelopes and bits a joy, if that can be imagined. To cut through sheets of paper and card without exerting much pressure and getting a clean cut like this was something I hadn't experienced before actually. After several months though, I noticed that the non-stick coating did become a little grimy with bits of glue residue since I was using cello tape regularly. You can get it off with rubbing alcohol, but it isn't ideal of course. The blue rubber also became dark and discoloured in places ~/(>.<)\ Overall though, I actually use them every day and cannot imagine going back to my old scissors anymore (sorry…!) I try not to cut too much tape so they are pretty clean nowadays. For the price they have lasted a while and aside from cosmetic reasons, I can't actually think of a reason to buy another pair.

Personally I think they would make a really cool gift for a stationery lover. You can find it on amazon for about £5 with shipping straight from Japan: Plus Fitcut Curve Scissors


* affiliate amazon link

Fox Village, Japan

There was a video posted by Abroad in Japan recently! Definitely looks like a great place to visit that probably many tourists won't have heard of :)

Wild Swans ~ Jung Chang

I read this a while ago now but it still is much more vivid in my mind than other books I have read, even the most recent books.

Jung Chang grew up in communist China with her parents who had worked from the bottom rung of the ladder to become respectable members of the party, particularly her father. The book covers three generations of her family starting from her maternal grandmother and is an honest look at the lives of the women in particular, embroiled in the upheavals and social changes before and after China fell under the rule of Chairman Mao (early 1900s to 1990s). It makes you better understand modern day China with all her faults, and also the mindset of the everyday citizen.

I wouldn't call it an uplifting read overall, but it certainly makes you appreciate democracy and just how valuable freedom of speech and information are. One of the more memorable sections was how barbaric society suddenly became with people throwing accusations at those they did not like, and getting them physically and mentally punished. As well as how easy it was to manipulate the masses into either unquestionable subjugation in their feelings to the party and leader, or to become so scared to say a word wrong that any true feelings were completely stifled.

The book is banned in China and the author lives with her husband in England. Subsequent books published by the author have not achieved the same success as Wild Swans, which was published in 1991. It has since been translated into 37 languages and sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Several UK universities have named this book on its recommended reading list for Chinese studies too.

It's a pretty thick autobiography and you'd be forgiven for not finishing it! For me, I found I could read great swathes in a sitting since I wanted very much to know what would happen next. Even though it's not a happy read with many sections evoking disbelief and, well, disappointment in what tragedy can befall a nation, I really would recommend it as one of the most interesting ones out there.

If you need any further convincing, Amazon has a handy Look Inside for this book - Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China If you have a kindle, the book is just £1.99 (although I still recommend a physical book especially for one of this size… it's just much cosier!)


*affiliate amazon link

Chocolate Tasting Club?

Chocolate Chocolate! Are you in the UK? Do you like Hotel Chocolat? About a week ago I got my lovely box of chocolates delivered from The Chocolate Tasting Club! Strange, but I seem to find many Hotel Chocolat links with different introductory prices :S ... I got my box for £6.95 + recipe cards + dark chocolate drops here! This includes delivery by the way :) ! I haven't opened them yet, because I bought them to share with my lovely friend, but I'll do a short review afterwards :) There are different sets you can choose - I got the Elements set! Can't wait to try them!!

1.

A sleepy-eyed, tea-drinking dreamer with a penchant for chocolates, other sweet treats and soup; wants to have a dialogue with the internet. Generally likes to sleep and read, and then read some more. This blog, the results of entering several names on Blogger and finding one available, is the outlet of occasional (I'm being honest here) thoughts.