thursday ft. gabrielle

Thursday we had a surprise birthday dinner for our friend Yue except it wasn't really a surprise because we had to let her know or else she wouldn't have come...life is like that.

But I'm not going to post those photos because it's all on my facebook, already. (yea, I have a facebook. Deal with it)

Here are some photos from the afternoon.


Baby does NOT like photos. Too bad for her I am relentlessly resilient when armed with a camera.



Haven't taken photos of strangers for a long time...


She gave in.


We are so indecisive we couldn't choose which flowers to get for the birthday girl. In the end we settled on white roses. TRES unimaginative, but hey, you can't go wrong that way.



And here's one of me being smug and fed. Gabby looks quite cosmic there.

And here we BOTH look quite cosmic! Like some kind of nebula with two big faces.

Urgh, the sun is always shining in my bedroom. I don't know why. I appreciate it, but it makes me not want to work. BAD.

I am devastated :(

A devastated retard.

When I was doing my photoshoot today, I didn't wind on the 2nd roll of film properly. I shot 36 well thought out photos onto nothing. And now I only have half the number of shots as I thought I did. SIGH.

I am learning to breathe again. Though thoughts of self-infliction still meander. How could I have not wound on the film?!! I had checked. Next time I will double, no triple, check. Quadruple check.

Here are some digital snapshots I took because the little ones wanted to see what they'd look like:

I somehow quite like this blurry shot.

Before I leave I want to share my current craving for the movie Autumn in New York. Although most consider it a terrible movie (I do aswell to an extent - though I can't believe imdb gave it a 4.6/10(!)), I just love the character which Winona Ryder plays! She is so lovely and wears such darling outfits. And her bedroom is sublime, I remember after watching the movie I wanted to make some type of ethereal mobile aswell. Unfortunately for me I can't find my Autumn in New York DVD to rewatch my favourite moments :( Heartbreaking, I know. Oh well, enjoy these pictures from the movie.

(This dress and her hairclip is pure perfection!)

Even if it had a weak storyline and uninspiring dialogue, at least Winona Ryder looked amazing in it.

The Carpenters-Close To You

Always makes me want to close my eyes.

Saturday mornings are for procrastination. I'm good at procrastinating, learn a lot of things about myself and the world around me through procrastinating.

Main thing I learnt was that I'm not a part of the exclusive group of kids who worship Patrick Wolf. I thought I was special like those kids and appreciated weirdos, but obviously not. An old issue of i-D is telling me that "To many, he means nothing; to a few, he means everything." To me that reads as "To a small group of really cool indie kids who really 'get' music, he is God. The rest of you boring conforming mainstreamers are just too brainwashed to understand." This makes me sad, but no matter how many times I listen to "The Magic Position", I don't like it. I like his red hair though, I guess. Oh, and the Burberry ads are pretty nice too.




I'm also really cut that Easter is over. I'm suddenly really in the mood for blowing eggs. Not particularly painting them, but blowing them sounds good. I guess once I actually blow one out perfectly I would want to paint it too, but my current craving is more to do with the actual egg-blowing procedure.

Speaking of cravings, I'm so happy that autumn is here because that means persimmons! Persimmons are the most fantastic fruit ever. Well the astringent ones which are only eaten when soft are. I remember we used to have this neighbour called Charlie and he had a persimmon tree. I think he was my favourite person in the world when I was younger because he used to give us baskets of persimmons every year. He probably felt obliged too because I used to look yearnfully at that magical tree after school everyday. *love*



So yea, how's your weekendend going? Probably more exciting than mine. If not, go track down a soft and ripened persimmon and eat it. Everything will start to make sense.

charlyne yi's FARTHER AWAY (music video)

Sweetest thing ever. She's cute, weird and pretty funny. If you're bored, watch her other videos.

PS: The girl who made this video played Jody(from "Knocked Up"). She was the Asian stoner girlfriend of the guy who didn't shave.

i can't form long sentences and eric can't spell

juniper says:
i like the number 14

juniper says:
i dont know why

juniper says:
it looks friendly

juniper says:
it's not weird

juniper says:
but not obnoxious

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i agree

juniper says:
i think the number 4 makes me think of friendly things

juniper says:
because numbers which end in 4 often have lots of factors

juniper says:
and 4 is a perfect square

juniper says:
so is 1

juniper says:
and 2 times 7 is 14

juniper says:
and 2 and 7 are prime numbers

juniper says:
so i think i like 14

juniper says:
he's being weirded out

juniper says:
i like it

*smuck [écervelé] says:
hahaha

*smuck [écervelé] says:
11's not a bad nunber either, athough he likes to stand out a bit

juniper says:
yea

juniper says:
it's obnoxioius

juniper says:
i dont like it

juniper says:
i dont like the twin imagery

juniper says:
it's eerie

*smuck [écervelé] says:
12 is a bit obnoxious too

juniper says:
yea it is

juniper says:
it's such a small number to ahve so many factors

*smuck [écervelé] says:
15 is just evil, as is 16 and 18

juniper says:
it's like "look at me! i'm young but i have heaps of babies!"

juniper says:
skank.

*smuck [écervelé] says:
19's not too bad though

*smuck [écervelé] says:
haha, thats a funny way of looking at factors

juniper says:
yea, 16 and 18 are too representative of age

juniper says:
i like 24 though

juniper says:
it has lots of babies

juniper says:
but in a friendly way

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i prefer 56 over 24

juniper says:
because it's big enough to ahve babies

juniper says:
and it ends in 4

*smuck [écervelé] says:
56 is like sucess!

*smuck [écervelé] says:
it's like, awesome and sucess all rolled into one

*smuck [écervelé] says:
it's a good lump of money to have in your wallet

juniper says:
i like 100

juniper says:
it's obnoxious as fuck

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i don't

*smuck [écervelé] says:
it is, i don't like it

juniper says:
but it's sort of like i secretly have a crush on it

*smuck [écervelé] says:
it's always at the end of those number charts which plauge primary schooles

juniper says:
that's true

juniper says:
but i wasn't scared of numbers

juniper says:
i liked maths

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i like numbers which weren't the charct

*smuck [écervelé] says:
like 144

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and 121

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and 256

*smuck [écervelé] says:
256 reminds me of colours

*smuck [écervelé] says:
so i like that number

juniper says:
121 i like

juniper says:
it's a palindrome

juniper says:
palindromes are fancy

juniper says:
like rockstars or something

juniper says:
and 121 is also a perfect square

juniper says:
FUCK

juniper says:
have my babies 121

*smuck [écervelé] says:
ah, but not all palindromes are nice, some can looks terrible

juniper says:
truee

*smuck [écervelé] says:
haha

*smuck [écervelé] says:
1234321

*smuck [écervelé] says:
just looks like it's compensating too much

juniper says:
i think only odd number of digits palindromes work

juniper says:
something like 2442 is gay

juniper says:
it's like a retarded siamese twin

*smuck [écervelé] says:
it is it is

*smuck [écervelé] says:
yeah, but like, sharing one brain, and five bodies

juniper says:
if it was 24542 it's cool again

*smuck [écervelé] says:
hmm, it's still not as cool as 121

juniper says:
what else do you like?

juniper says:
yea

juniper says:
121

juniper says:
is fantastic

*smuck [écervelé] says:
hehe

*smuck [écervelé] says:
78's not bad

*smuck [écervelé] says:
oh

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and the square root of 3 is sexy

*smuck [écervelé] says:
seriously, how sexy is that

juniper says:
it is

juniper says:
it's sort of provocative

juniper says:
number 3 is provocative

juniper says:
but in a sexual way

juniper says:
number 2 is more demure

juniper says:
but also quite sexy

juniper says:
i think 3 is a blonde

juniper says:
2 is a brunette

juniper says:
5 is a redhead

juniper says:
they're all girls though

juniper says:
4 is definitely a boy

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i think 3 is more exotic though

juniper says:
it is

juniper says:
therefore more provocative

*smuck [écervelé] says:
2 is more conservative

*smuck [écervelé] says:
5 is just trying too hard

*smuck [écervelé] says:
too rounded off

*smuck [écervelé] says:
so it's an american

*smuck [écervelé] says:
because it thinks it's cool, but it's not

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and 1...1 is an arrogant bitch

juniper says:
it is

juniper says:
no

juniper says:
i dont know

juniper says:
1 is an enigma

*smuck [écervelé] says:
hmmm

*smuck [écervelé] says:
1 screams italian to me

*smuck [écervelé] says:
not sure why though

juniper says:
yea i sort of feel it

juniper says:
i think 7 would have good taste in music

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i think it must be that silly card game

juniper says:
uno

juniper says:
bahaha

juniper says:
i dont like uno

*smuck [écervelé] says:
7 reminds me of the saxaphone

juniper says:
really?

juniper says:
as in...

juniper says:
you think 7 would sound like one or it would play one?

*smuck [écervelé] says:
hmmm, just reminds me of one

*smuck [écervelé] says:
i think it's got to do with the look of the thing

juniper says:
ah ok

juniper says:
my house number is 373

juniper says:
it looks devilish

juniper says:
like johnny depp

juniper says:
if he was a number

juniper says:
he'd be something like 373

juniper says:
provocative and sexy and exotic

*smuck [écervelé] says:
my house number is 6

juniper says:
thus 3s

juniper says:
and then 7 would be the slight zing

*smuck [écervelé] says:
it's too modest and lame

juniper says:
it is

juniper says:
6 is boring

juniper says:
i think 6 would be chubby

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and 8 would be fat

juniper says:
lol

juniper says:
7 is thin

juniper says:
7 likes to mope around

juniper says:
7 probably does drugs

juniper says:
but 11 is the rockstar

*smuck [écervelé] says:
he's definately hard-core enough to do drugs

juniper says:
7 is the rockstar's best mate

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and 2 is the groupie

juniper says:
nono

juniper says:
3 and 5

juniper says:
2 is not a groupie

juniper says:
2 is the quiet girl who comes to the show with her older brother and his friends

juniper says:
she smokes a cigarette at the outskirts

juniper says:
she doesn't care for gigs

juniper says:
and 7 comes out and sees her

juniper says:
and he asks her for a light

juniper says:
i think her brothers probably know 11

juniper says:
anyway

*smuck [écervelé] says:
hmm maybe

juniper says:
this is getting a bit weird

*smuck [écervelé] says:
this is reminding my of playschool

*smuck [écervelé] says:
but with drugs

*smuck [écervelé] says:
and rock bands

juniper says:
haha?

*smuck [écervelé] says:
learning numbers?

*smuck [écervelé] says:
don't you remember those old segments how the numbers fly out of the weird playground equipment and through weird holes, and have a life of their own?

juniper says:
oh

juniper says:
i think that's sesame street?

*smuck [écervelé] says:
oh was it?

*smuck [écervelé] says:
oh yeah, i think it was

baby steps

Ok, on a more serious note, I think it's time for me to switch on.

I need to learn that just because I don't have goals does not mean I have nothing to work towards. I must also stop using the fact that I have nothing to work towards as an excuse for not working at all. Call me slow, but I have just realised that everyone around me is working; infact, "working" is what makes up at least 30% of our lives. Since I haven't really been consciously working(it's all just been reflexes), I have in essence been missing out on 30% of my life for the last....at least 3 years. Which is really quite shocking!

What have I been doing then? I think I have been living under the impression that just because I learn random trivial things through whatever it is that I do in my procrastination, I can pardon myself from not doing the actual work which I should be doing. In short I seem to have been living extremely unrealistically and without any practicality for much too long. This is against the natural progression of life! Everything I've been doing in the last 3 years has NOT benefited me! I AM WASTING MY LIFE AND NOW TIME IS RUNNING OUT!!

Obviously this has come as quite a shock. I think I'm going to go lie on my bed in the foetal position now.

"Loogie" is a portmanteau word of "lung cookie."

Right now, I am one big loogie who sounds like a man in drag. Except not as hot.


Speaking of hot....


Braces and a 'ROCK ON!!' face really just exemplified my elegance at my formal last Saturday night.

Though luckily, there were a few relatively cute and serious photos.





Am glad that over hyped event is over. How anti-climatic though... =/

Just me and my school related deadlines now. Schweet.

Hipster Olympics

Boycott?

grapes

《围城》里写道:

"天下有两种人，譬如一串葡萄到手，一种人挑最好的先吃，另一种人把最好的留到最后吃。照例，第一种人应该乐观，因为他每吃一颗都是吃剩的葡萄里最好的；第二种人应该悲观，因为他每吃一颗都是吃剩的葡萄里最坏的。然而事实却恰恰相反，因为第二种人还有希望，第一种人仅有回忆"

其实，我觉得天下还有第三种人。第三种人会像第一种人一样，挑最好的葡萄先吃。但这只是应为他们没有毅力。第三种人虽然吃到嘴的是甜美的葡萄，他们尝到的滋味却只是内疚。第三种人最可悲，既没有希望也没有回忆。岂不是浪费了一串好好的葡萄啊！

My mouth tastes like lollies but my stomache is sick.

I have a love/hate relationship with eating:

Everything I love to eat will make me feel sick.

I am sooooo tired but all I do is relax...

Because when I am 'relaxing', I should really be doing something,

So instead my relaxing just makes me feel guilty

And in turn I am always stressed.

Being stressed and not sleeping is making me ill

Sore throats and a weight on my chest.

I am so bad at organising my own life.

I can't believe I'm getting sick. I have to look really pretty

In two days time =(

Hmph, that should be the least of my worries.

I really need to get on top of things.

Because I am getting really scared...

Gaspard Ulliel and Johnny Depp

I think this is enough. I think I will just go to sleep now.

lifedrawing

I always talk about how much I love looking at naked people and then drawing them, but I've never actually shared any of my lifedrawings with anyone other than the people in my class and my parents...so here we go: an egocentric post of my drawings from a particularly good lifedrawing session. I'm getting a lot better at it, but be warned that my drawings are still quite crappy =P

I liked the model in this session because she wasn't young and perfect. It's always nicer and more interesting to draw a body with curves and crevices. God I sound like a creep.....

Anyway, we focused on contour in this session and worked in charcoal and ink. The duration of the poses are written on the corner of each drawing in case you're wondering.
















I've not had that many classes yet but I do enjoy it. Anyone reading this post also a lifedrawing enthusiast?

This morning I woke up feeling like death. I had a spot of trouble falling asleep last night and didn't do so until after 2:30am. Can't remember what actually woke me up(could've been the wind, could've been my phone vibrating), but I ended up awake by 7:15am.

It really felt more like a nap than a good night's sleep, but as I looked out my window, I was pleasantly surprised by this:



I've been getting up at lunchtime the past week or two so it was nice to be up early enough to see the sunrise and take some photos of it.

It was also nice to be up early enough to use my internet plan's off-peak download. My normal downloading hours has reached its cap, meaning no youtube-ing or viewing of photo-heavy sites. This had pretty much restricted half of my life(I'm sure you guys can empathise). So after some joyful speedy browsing of a few sites I'd been deprived of, I was feeling not so cranky about getting close to no sleep last night.

Infact, I felt so bubbly that I decided not to cancel my 9:30 plans with Laura. We had planned to do a bit of art-fagging, and art-fagging we did! Despite my apparent aura of art-fag-ness, today was actually the first time I visited ACCA(Australian Centre for Contemporary Art).

I don't want to sound like some country-traitor, but honestly it was nothing compared to the Tate Modern or Pompidou Centre. A few interesting pieces though.


Laura and a weird dark room with a light installation.


Laura and a gigantic symmetrical-to-the-last-detail installation of prosaic household items(there were even two chalkboards with symmetrical drawings :O ). Quite baffling.

After all this excitement, we settled down with a relatively unprovocative lunch at Dumpling House with some others. The tables there were sticky, the cutlery was self-serving, they played Righteous Brothers and Beatles music, and had what looked like wood-grain patterned linoleum covering the walls. In short - the place was tacky and random in a likeable way.

The afternoon was spent sieving through the incredulously dull(and long) book "Rembrandt's Self-portraits" at the State Library. The only amusing part was reading the introduction of the book where the writer proudly states that her book is by no means in chronological order, nor is it a catalogue to all of Rembrandt's self-portraits(hence why it's titled "Rembrandt's Self-portraits", obviously). I thought she was just being modest, but no, she was quite right in suggesting that the book was just a miscellaneous collection of stuff related to Rembrandt.

Was glad to get out of the library. Not glad about the wind and rain outside. Luckily, Connex did not let me down, and was quite the unreliable bastard as predicted. Due to the weather, trains on my line were delayed for 30minutes. Then cancelled. Then I think uncancelled...

Anyway, there was a lot of angry waiting involved.


I was slightly distracted by this woman in the shiny shoes though. Her complexion and dewiness made me think of white nectarines...what?

So basically, that was my eventful day. Other than the fact that I'm completely sleep-deprived, I would be eager to get up at 7am again tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

bisbis

Sunni

April Story 四月物语

Another beauty, by Shunji Iwai. Last night I had re-watched "Love Letter" and was equally astounded. Somehow, none of his films had appealed to me so much the first time round.

I'm on the hunt for more Shunji Iwai films now, since I only had two of them. I'm thinking of watching "All About Lily Chou-chou" next, though I have a vague feeling that I have seen that one aswell.