tête-à-tête

more to my repertoire

2010-06-13T12:42:00.002+10:00

I tumblr now at sun-room, not exclusively, just on top of every other Internet account I still update. I like tumblr in that it seems to combine the benefits of twitter and blogging, but I can't excuse myself from pure tweeting (yet). Not that confident in my self-importance (yet).

idea

2010-06-05T22:59:00.003+10:00

New Jersey mom of two, Donna Simpson, age 42, is eating her way to a target weight of 1000lbs[sic: death]. Here, she stands proudly with her two biracial children.

Someone please send this to Todd Solondz as raw material for his next film.

night

2010-06-05T12:38:00.003+10:00

It's winter! I walked out of my house Thursday morning and it was like stepping into a cloud. My friend and I discussed this at great lengths yesterday: we dislike the idea of fog, but we enjoy it in practice.

I wish I could sleep in more and have more time to drink hot tea and watch movies in bed, but my exams start next week, and there is still so much to do in terms of settling in to my new house.

Here are some photos from when I went to see Regina Spektor last month.

the winter of our discontent

2010-05-02T22:36:00.003+10:00

There’s no point to any of this. It’s all just a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know … a Quarter-Pounder with cheese, those are good, the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain, the moment where your laughter becomes a cackle … and I sit back and I smoke my Camel Straights and I ride my own melt.

this is my life

2010-05-02T22:01:00.004+10:00

The other day I was the 1000,000th viewer on a site (that I frequent) again. The box flashed red and dangerous, so I read it out of instinct, and it said that I'd just won $66. SIXTY SIX DOLLARS! Really! Actually...really? I don't know, but I think these hoax's are getting dumber and smarter at the same time.

Other than philosophising over internet ads by day, I've been having the most confronting dreams by night. There was an action packed one about alien conspiracies, and another one where I owned a mouse. The latter was tormenting in that my phobia of rodents was completely inconsistent with the impossible scenario of having one as a pet. The climax of the dream was where I had to clean its cage and that meant picking it up and relocating it. But my conscious hatred of mice implored the subconscious me to drop the rodent and crush it under a couch. The final twist is when the mouse resurrects 2 days later, to both my relief and disgust.

next big thing

2010-04-27T19:46:00.002+10:00

As a fall back plan to not getting into medicine and not becoming someone's trophy wife, I have this brilliant entrepreneurial idea. I'm not going to reveal what it is, for reasons concerning proprietary, but I can tell you that it will be targeted at Asians as well as kawaii-loving white hipsters. Viral marketing will probably be employed, not sure which mediums yet.

nerds

2010-04-22T21:27:00.003+10:00

After almost three semesters of university, I have managed to scout out the coolest, most photogenic kids in my course. Sometimes they are just so charismatic in photos that I forget what geeks they actually are.

A few weeks ago, we went on camp near the beach.

A rare moment of kicking back for kids who study hard.

..or not kicking back if you'd prefer it that way.

Lydia took my camera and disappeared for a while. My camera is always more popular than I am. She wasn't sure how to use it, but this was the shot with the best exposure and focus.

If I was mean and could afford photoshop, I would photoshop the awkward girl on the right out of the composition. But I am neither.

Back at uni, we've found a good place for getting coffee.

Smiles of caffeine-satisfied students.

Also, very good French toast that comes with a decadent serving of mascarpone and poached pears. Portion wise - best when shared with a friend.

In stressful times, knitting has become a good method of rewinding (or looking intense).

Talking about food is also a big part of relaxation. This weekend we are going to prepare and eat Portuguese salted cod! People have, on more than one occasion, commented on how cute we are.

library

2010-04-14T14:24:00.004+10:00

For the third afternoon this week I've sat in the same third-story spot in the library to work. This is not the usual library that I work at, for I have specific requirements in a library for productive work to happen (natural light, window seat, greenery to look out at), but it has to-my-surprise grown on me and made me feel productive.

The same man in the grey pinstriped suit has sat close to me for the third day. He reads from small hardback books and takes notes by hand onto lined pages. Outside, birds cast dark shadows onto trees, indicating two things: crisp sunlight and dense foliage. All these little things make me very happy to be working here.

romanticism

2010-04-13T23:12:00.002+10:00

Monk by the Sea Caspar David Friedrich

Oyster Dress Alexander McQueen (RIP)

high tea

2010-04-09T17:27:00.003+10:00

Baking scones with Alana at her aunt's house. She's babysitting their kittens while the family's away on holiday.

I'm working on my relationship with cats.

say it aint so

2010-04-05T11:49:00.003+10:00

I want to stop eating/drinking/travelling/going-out-in-general whenever I go on to the Creatures of Comfort website. Once I thought I was unpredictable, but it turns out Rachel Comey knows exactly what a girl like me wants. Exactly. And APC just knows what every girls wants.

But on an average of $300 per piece, I think I should stick with my current student's budget and let someone else get spend-thrift on that site. I'm going to hit the books now and hope to be a rich, successful plastic surgeon by the time I'm thirty.

dysnomia

2010-04-04T21:41:00.003+10:00

When I finally asked my friend about the name of the cafe she works at, after years of hearing her talk about it, she begrudgingly told me "That Cafe". I think this name just beat "Untitled" at being ambiguous. She told me her boss' ditzy second wife had named it, thinking it would be quaint and clever, but clearly you are not targeting any English speaking demographic at all with a name as frustrating and indirect as That.

In general, I hold the intelligence of Melbournians in relatively high esteem, so imagine my disappointment when I realised that one of the shops near my station was called "That Shop".

oh motherland

2010-03-28T22:50:00.003+11:00

I finally developed my photos from China. They are few, but, in my opinion, quite representative of our routines.

I visited my cousin in Shanghai when I first got back to China. She was sharing an apartment with over 10 other people. The place had two levels, probably no more than 150 square metres combined, and the owners had split the original rooms into tiny 2x3's. There was a nice view from the balcony, my cousin was lucky enough to have the door of that balcony sectioned into her room, but that's about the only attraction. My aunt, my cousin's boyfriend and myself were all visiting in those few days, so the four of us literally filled just about every inch of space when we laid down for sleep. Since a lot of the young people living in Shanghai are from out of town, this sort of get-up isn't unusual. After realising that there were 5 doors to bedrooms on my cousin's floor alone, and each bedroom housing at least one tenant, it baffled me to imagine just how many kids are there altogether trying to make it in this city. Feeling insignificant seemed somewhat inevitable.

I forget to mention that her 4 months old puppy had also come to visit. After he dug a hole in the mattress while we weren't looking, we had no choice but to lock him in a cage during the night. Poor bubba, so cheerful to be let out the next morning!

Yawn and stretch.

My cousin decided to move out of that apartment before we went back to Nantong for winter break. She didn't want to have to deal with the contract and paper work though, so it was somewhat of a thrill to make an escape overnight in secret. We took all the boxes into her friend's neighbouring apartments by 1am and spent the rest of the night at a cheap Karaoke place. It was too dangerous to fall asleep since her boyfriend's train for Henan left at 6am.

After the ordeal that is living in Shanghai, Nantong felt like a relief. Afternoons were predominantly spent in tea houses with our pharmacology student neighbour, the skinny girl in the above photo who had digestive problems and an incredible metabolism.

On the 3rd day of the lunar new year, we always visit my grandfather's brother. I appreciate that unlike most of Nantong, his home is still the same as I remembered when I was 7.

At night we waited at McDonalds for our neighbour to come so we could go out together.

We drank lemon tea under this strangely glossy lighting.

As I'd mentioned before, we also went to Suzhou for a few days.

Where ever we went we made sure we were well fed.

We stayed at Guan Qian Jie, and whilst it was also a bustling area, it didn't have that threatening aura as Shanghai's shopping districts.

Back in Nantong. Towards the end of the holidays, we grew less eager to dress well, and so the puffy jackets came out for an airing.

These are taken by the riverbank. Nantong has one main river, and almost everywhere you go is next to the riverbank.

A portrait of the usual gang before everyone went about their separate lives once the holidays ended.

The 'asian squat' deserves a double exposure.

This playground near our house is a frequent last stop for a smoke. Once there was a dog that looked like a wolf here, but the lighting was bad, and I'm pretty sure it was a husky.

Nantong and Suzhou both have a very slow rhythm of life. For young people especially, this is both a blessing and a curse. I guess this is why most people have left.

Melbourne is slow too, but I have to act more purposefully here. The lighting from my window was quite rejuvenating the other Sunday.

the shades and shadows undulate in my perception

2010-03-23T22:23:00.002+11:00

Eversince listening to Fiona Apple's "Never is a Promise", the word "undulate" has been one of my favourites.

Trypanosomes have undulating membranes.

beauty in the breakdown

2010-03-23T19:40:00.002+11:00

I have a tendency to justify my vanity and superficiality by stressing that I am an artistic person. In this way, my propensity for reading fashion blogs, watching ANTM or even subscribing to Youtube make-up channels can all be categorised together with other less vacuous interests such as photography or painting. I just really like beautiful things.

Speaking of which, Takeshi Kaneshiro as evidence supporting the argument that symmetry is beauty.

(Astounding isn't it? The only difference between the first two images is the width of his jaw - and that comes down to the angle of the original photo).

daulmonster

2010-03-21T23:26:00.003+11:00

I liked Kim Daul since stumbling upon her blog sometime in 2007 - she seemed so edgy and self-assured at only 18. No other model came close to her intelligence and imagination. I thought it was a hoax when she died last year on the day of my statistics exam; it didn't seem natural. Part of me is still convinced that she is actually still alive and simply hiding on a secluded Caribbean island to let her creative energy flow in private. I'm glad they re-opened her blog.

- illustration by Andrea Marshall

contemplation

2010-03-19T00:33:00.003+11:00

Medicine is so serious. In my art history class, all the aspiring art history majors, of whom I am very spiteful of, pretend to be serious, but really, how could they be? Nothing is detrimental to a goal like their's, nothing except an innate insensibility to the humanities. In which case, no amount of seriousness is going to save you. Medicine on the other hand is built on seriousness. Each step towards it is like a systematic process of elimination. Everything is detrimental. Preparing for the pre-med exam is making me realise how incompatible I am with the system. I am not a serious person.

-Ryan McGinley

disconcerting

2010-03-14T21:23:00.004+11:00

Why does all of my sleep-clothes smell musky? It is so difficult to tell whether a stained, pilled old t-shirt is clean or not without the advantage of smell. I should really just toss them all into the washing machine so that I don't get scabies from wearing dirty laundry. I did get scabies once in grade 5 though (not from dirty laundry, I hope). It was the second most embarrassing diagnosis I've received from a doctor.

days of summer

2010-03-13T22:56:00.002+11:00

I will try to do this chronologically but it has been three months since I first had these developed so the events present themselves as 'very hazy'. At the time we were in the middle of moving and without internet connection, so I had no way of blogging about anything. And then I was in China, and you know the deal there. But at long last I can post the final dregs of my summer photos and tick that off my to-do list.

They continue from a roll I took at my friend's beach house.

It was something of a photography camp, I've managed to lead most of my friends onto the righteous path of analogue.

We drank milkshakes on a hot day, and I felt generally very Californian.

This birdie was photographed about 100 times.

We found a new dumpling place that didn't have a greasy residue on every surface.

Anni is so sweet and so is her home. Everything is well compartmentalised and just quaint enough without being pretentious. Her backyard reminds me of Japan in that it is compact and functional, without compromising aesthetics nor ambience.

For dinner we made sweet potato gnocchi and salad with vegetables from her garden. We also made bread and butter pudding, a first for me as I am not so big on British food unlike a surprising number of my friends, and I am sorry to say that I was not a fan.

I don't remember this occasion....

This was the window display of a toy store on Brunswick St. It was a game: there was a list of different toys which you were asked to find in the display. Michelle and I were in the middle of finding the giraffe when the store owner came out to close for the day. If memory serves me right he had his son with him and they were getting their bikes ready. I remember them as being sweet but I can't recall why.

On one Saturday in early December we moved out of our old house. This was the last photo that I took of my bedroom. Currently we are living at a friend's house as we wait for our settlement date.

A few days later it was my birthday. I distinctly recall complaining to my mum about the fact that I am spending my first day as a 19 year old sharing a room with my parents. To make myself feel better I had a picnic with friends at the botanical gardens, and although I look really disgruntled in the above picture, I was actually really happy and thought the wrapping paper on that particular present was really neat. I baked macarons, scones and red-velvet cupcakes, which were really neat too.

Jayne bought me a new red lipstick, and oh look, I got my braces off! On the day of my birthday in fact.

It was something like 40 degrees celsius that day and we eventually started playing with ice from the esky.

Aurora's dress was so pretty.

On Christmas Eve I hung out with my friend Yue who was home from Oxford. Her neighbours had a monstrous cactus plant that had flowered.

We baked, I quote the recipe here, a "yellow cake". Essentially a butter cake with only egg yolks. I hate separating eggs since the unused half is sometimes wasted, so we made some meringue cookies too. Then we arranged all the food around the couch and watched Paranormal Activity. It was disappointing after all the hype I had built around it.

After Christmas, I had another bake day with Maddy. We had seen this recipe on a blog and I think it was originally from Martha Stewart. Something like 2kg of cream cheese was used in this...

The film I used was shitty but that's actually an Oreo you see there. We made Oreo cupcheesecakes! We'd been itching to trial them for months but I think in the end it was a case of "too much of a good thing".

And then it was New Year's Eve! I never give up on taking photos of fireworks on film but each time they turn out like this.

Even a double exposure can't salvage them.

There was a thunderstorm that night and lightning was streaking through the sky horizontally, if you can imagine.

We were all drenched.

But still pretty excited! The lit up billboard in the back was an ad for Avatar by the way.

I had breakfast with Jayne one last time before I went away.

Her YSL ring is beeaaauuutiful. So was the grilled mushroom I ate.

Speaking of one last times, my Korean student went back to Korea. I took her on a picnic, in fact at the exact same spot that I'd spent my birthday, and we shared a punnet of strawberries and macarons. I can't remember what we talked about, she is so quiet so we probably didn't talk about much. I hope she comes back one day, or maybe I can go visit.

I told her to take the last shot in the roll.

end of hiatus

2010-03-04T23:43:00.004+11:00

Every year, since I was about seven, I disappear during the summer for a period not exceeding two months. Unlike normal holidays, there is no build up to this event, since every year, I go to the same place, stay with the same people and do more or less the same things. When I return, I generally have a new haircut, new clothes, and a short-lived interest in Asian pop culture. People who I would nominate as my best friend, 2nd best friend, and so forth to about the 5th best friend are accustomed to this and (I hope) do not expect souvenirs because it's not as though I really went on a holiday; rather, I simply went missing.

China, is in part, responsible for such a thorough disappearing act. Especially since she has now conveniently blocked Facebook, Blogger and various-other-websites. I cannot be bothered finding illegal methods of getting around these inconveniences, so instead I cut off communication with my friends altogether.

In some ways my isolation from the rest of the world during the past two months gave me a lot of time to think. Or not think. I am not sure which. Either way, assimilating to the Chinese youth made me feel very different, and worry about things which I usually wouldn't. Having a foreign set of worries is a very eye-widening experience - like suddenly realising that you are at a life-altering disadvantage for not having had worried about those things before. Maybe I should change 'worry' to 'priority', they are somewhat symbiotic, to a pessimist like me at least.

In the photo below, my priority was taking as many photos as possible. We were in Suzhou ("Venice of the East") because I'd never been and my cousin couldn't let go of her ex-boyfriend who now went to art school there. We were all hung over from drinking too much fake whiskey with these boys who were friends of her ex, but I insisted we needed to go take some touristy photos to make the trip seem more worthwhile to my parents. My cousin felt too disheveled to be photographed so the photo is of me and a new friend who made me laugh a lot. I know I sound rather bitter, but regardless, I was really happy, and Suzhou is actually really beautiful.

holiday gift guide

2009-12-18T16:29:00.006+11:00

Isn't the concept of birthday presents strange? It's like receiving congratulations for not only existing, but existing for yet another year. If anything, parents should be the ones who are congratulated, at least until the child is old enough to be responsible for their own existence and well-being.

Another musing on present-receiving in general: have you ever contemplated over what you've received and thought about what the assorted miscellany says about you? Or at least what it says about how others perceive you as? My portrait would be painted by dessert cookbooks, jewelry, red lipstick, sketchbooks, tea cups, ironic t-shirts, hand-made cards and IOU's. For this year at least. It makes me uneasy to see myself in this way (in a completely predictable and logical way characterised by objects). At the same time it is also nice to gloat over all the nice new things I've accumulated simply for still being alive.

i feel old but not very wise

2009-12-14T10:11:00.002+11:00

Today I am 19! I have had a year now to do grown up things.

barbie

2009-12-09T17:27:00.003+11:00

Make-up for me is like a grown up way of enjoying colouring in. Any girl who poured over colouring books as a child surely must contest that the nail polish counter is the best part of any department store (kitchen appliances comes a close second).

You may have also noticed that my walls are now blank. After eight years of enjoying the view of our neighbours' backyards from my bedroom window, I am finally moving. As for where I am moving to, I am not sure yet...

ah...the serenity

2009-12-08T23:24:00.001+11:00

I am quite resolute in thinking that I am a city gal. I like the sense of purpose I get from waking up to the sound of morning traffic, and then being caught on the trains during rush hour. It cannot be denied that I am most comfortable when I am feeling "alone in a crowd'. Unusual, perhaps, since that phrase tends to give negative connotations, yet, I cannot describe my favourite setting any more aptly.

Once in a while though, granted there is good food and wine (in gratuitous amounts if you please) and a comfortable bed, I do enjoy a more remote get away, somewhere to do nothing but sit on the deck sipping tea and G&T's during the day and play cards during the evening.

2009-12-08T14:00:00.000+11:00

movies i can't resist watching whenever they're on tv

2009-12-06T00:21:00.003+11:00

- Titanic

- Bring it On

- About a Boy

- Harry Potter (any of them)

(Tonight I watched Titanic again on our tiny old TV while sitting on a kitchen chair because we're half way through moving. Two comments: 1) it was worth it, 2) I still think Rose was being a fat bitch for not insisting on sharing the door/raft)

john and yoko

2009-11-30T23:01:00.000+11:00

the burden of freedom

2009-11-28T14:08:00.002+11:00

These photos are from a week ago when I first relished in my summer freedom. Maddy had a picnic which transferred into the living room due to poor weather, and later we had gourmet pizzas for dinner while watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. We weren't in the mood for concentrating, so the movie was too confusing for me to follow. I think I will give it another try though because a few days later at Anni's beach house I found the book on their shelf and read the first few pages. Anni said she doesn't know how the book got there, so I see it as a sign. I like to follow signs where possible.

Eric and I took photos of each other taking photos. A few days later I took a similar photo with David. It seems as though all my friends have taken up photography, which is quite exciting actually. This summer will be carefully documented.

I am thinking of teaching myself Swedish to fill in the gaps of boredom between work and picnics.

horses

2009-11-26T18:44:00.003+11:00

I went away to my friend's holiday house for a few days and met two overweight ponies.

I have never been one of those girls who cooed over horses, a condition inflicted by two mental images in particular: Chinese paintings of horses running in water, and that bed scene in The Godfather. Nonetheless, they were very sweet ponies.

If you've ever stroked the muzzle of a horse, you'll know what I mean when I say it beats a baby's bottom.

kurt

2009-11-21T00:03:00.003+11:00

I like revisiting photos of Kurt Cobain and young Johnny Depp because it makes me feel like I was actually old enough to experience the early 90s. Here are my favourite photos of Kurt.

Wedding photo.

this girl is so hot

2009-11-21T00:02:00.000+11:00

celebration

2009-11-20T23:37:00.003+11:00

I wrote my last exam today and am now too overwhelmed by this sense of freedom. I just want to climb onto my roof and make weird noises at the moon because that is the craziest thing I can think of right now.

When I walked out of the exam hall with my friend whom I've been studying with for the past week, it felt like one of those synchronised dancing in the street scenes from Ferris Bueller or 500 Days of Summer. This is the building we walked out of, and the fountain is the first thing that we saw:

My friend looked like he was ready to dive into the fountain, which is exactly how I felt as well.

It's so good to not be distracted by stress, I have a lot of things planned for the summer.

lovers

2009-11-16T01:12:00.003+11:00

Whilst on the topic of discovering photography, I was just looking at some photos I'd taken from almost three years ago now. They were from my trip to Europe, and at the time were of what I considered "romantic".

This was probably my favourite shot. Like someone had laboriously spent an entire day scouting for the most Parisian looking couple in Montmartre and then arranged their embrace just so. In actual fact, it was spontaneously taken as I was being seated for dinner in a moment of disbelief. I seem to live out many clichés when I am in Paris.

This 'dyptich' shall I call it is ostensibly less 'romantic', but the story behind it is a good one. The top photo was taken late at night close to St. Mark's square - I believe I was quite enamored by the concept, as well as the silhouette, of a bottle of wine against the Venetian night lights. The bottom photo was taken perhaps a day or two later on a different island. The sight of a couple setting out a picnic by the river had me all excited again and so click clack went my camera. It wasn't until I was back home in Melbourne sharing my holiday photos with my family did a sense of deja vu dawn upon me. Indeed it was the same couple in these two shots - indeed I had somehow assumed the role of fate's embodiment in all my click clacking of romance. Of the hundreds of thousands of couples who had spent that weekend in Venice, I had somehow absent-mindedly captured the same duo.

I have thought about how lucky I was to have come across these unlikely, albeit romantic, circumstances. I have wondered if it would be at all feasible to track down the identities of these couples so that I could send them these photos with my regards. In reality though, there is probably nothing magical about these lovers. In fact, they, being young, have probably since found other people to be in love with. It's lucky then that at least I have these photos to fool me.

lukas p.

2009-11-15T18:19:00.006+11:00

I first started taking photos about 3 and a half years ago, mostly due to the influence of joining the online art community called deviantart. As the years have gone by, I have come to find the site to be less and less charming, and to an extent overwhelming. From time to time though, I still go on to check the recent works of a select few talented people. I don't do much exploring on the site anymore, I guess I'm not as interested in art as I was a few years ago and I have other things to do (like watching 30 Rock and cutting my toenails - what?). It's therefore quite lucky that I was able to find this particular Czech Republic gem amidst the self-indulgent rubbish that makes up 99% of the site (and also amidst the self-indulgent rubbish that I commit 99% of my time to).

I don't know anything about Lukas P. except for what's on his deviantart page, but I can pretty confidently say that he knows how to work a 6x6.

There is a paradox - a certain timeless eccentricity - to all of his work which I cannot explain. Maybe it's the extraterrestial beauty of his models combined with black and white medium format, or maybe it's the fact that his style reminds me of Richard Avedon- whatever it is, I am very jealous.

comforting

2009-11-15T13:29:00.001+11:00

jane birkin (born 14 december 1946)

2009-11-14T13:09:00.003+11:00

I have at last found someone cool to share my birthday with.

rose

2009-11-13T22:58:00.002+11:00

For a period of 2-3 weeks during mid-spring, these roses brimmed the front garden of a house I walked past everyday to and from the station. The house is made of brownstone, and is awkward to look at, in that it is of an Edwardian style, but the freshness of its materials and its lack of tall shady trees implies a much newer home. There are statues of cherubs on the lawn, but they too are yet to acquire the charm of age, so instead do nothing but contribute an implicit tackiness.

For a period of 2-3 weeks though, all this was forgiven - the ten or so thorny stumps which had lined the white picket fence had seemingly blossomed 100 big magnificent roses overnight. The colour of the roses are difficult to describe, and even in the photo above the shade is not quite right. Perhaps the best way to imagine this particular blush of pink is to picture Marie Antoinette biting into a macaron and then ascending into heaven. Now multiply that by 100 and you can get an idea of how inundated with satisfaction I was each time I walked past this house. For a while I considered leaving a note with my phone number in their mailbox so that they could enlighten me with what species the roses were. I never did so, I'm not sure why. Now that the roses have for the most part dried and wilted, it doesn't feel so urgent.

sorry for talking about the weather again

2009-11-13T00:14:00.003+11:00

I've just remembered that watermelons can be refrigerated then cut in half so that the flesh can be scooped out and consumed like a bowl of gelati. This has brought much relief and excitement to the prospect of summer.

post physics exam

2009-11-12T23:23:00.002+11:00

- made conscious decisions on food

- enjoyed the weather

- cut finger nails

- wore eyeliner

- found a seat on the bus without thinking it would be a good chance to go over notes one more time

- discharging

blatant taunting

2009-11-09T16:35:00.002+11:00

I've just about had enough of this studying business. Why is the weather always so fine when I am cramming for my exams?

chim chim cher-ee

2009-11-08T00:00:00.001+11:00

I wished they were my parents when I was 6.

locked in a golden afterglow

2009-11-06T21:42:00.005+11:00

It was a hot day last Saturday, one of the hottest so far this spring. One of those days where even after the sun has set, you can still feel the coax of a lingering warmth vapourising into the sweaty air.

At 8pm, the scene in the city was one of confusion: the unlikely combination of race-goers and Halloween. There are three types of women on a night like this: those in cocktail dresses and fascinators, those in something slutty and bloody, and those who look like an average Saturday night. I find myself in this third group - not dressed for anything. My friend is having a last minute birthday celebration at a rooftop bar.

A few jugs of sangria (and something with sloe gin) later, the weather takes a turn for the worst and the sky splits into flashes of white. There is no thunder, the rain is too loud and the space beneath the umbrellas too crowded for anyone to hear it.

We find an expensive cocktail bar too wait out the storm. We make flimsy paper cranes out of the napkins.

call of the wild

2009-11-06T01:30:00.002+11:00

A sudden need to prowl a Parisian flea market beckons.

shall i compare thee to a summer's day?

2009-11-05T18:31:00.002+11:00

I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but it's really starting to feel like summer, and the way this photo turned out really reminds me of David Hamilton's work.

2010

2009-11-03T18:05:00.003+11:00

Next year, will you call it "two thousand and ten" or "twenty ten"?

I think I will start with the former, out of habit, and then downsize to the latter, out of laziness.

stationery

2009-11-02T18:16:00.003+11:00

For someone who carried around her writing utensils(courtesy of the University's orientation week) in a plastic pocket for a whole semester, I've really come a long way in terms of stationery acquisition.

Exhibit A: my go-to mechanical pencil - reliable, cheerful, erasable and ice-cream shaped. 4 months ago I received it as a gift from a friend. It has since performed the role of being a conversation starter with many a new friends.

And then I have this pen. I friggin love this pen. It has six colours and is the most expensive item of stationery ($3.95) that I've paid for since my duo tip whiteout (a misjudged purchase - only the brush tip works). This pen is so versatile that it is the only one I've used for note-taking since I bought it. You can screw off the tip to see the mechanism inside, something which amused me immensely until I dismantled it too many times and almost broke the black cartridge. Before that happened though, my friend had written a tiny note and put it inside this 'secret chamber' for me to open when all the cartridges run out. Now this pen is not only a work of brilliant design, but also a time capsule loaded with potential nostalgic value. I am so excited.

Most of all, it encourages artistic pursuit and provides continual distraction in lectures.

WTF?!

2009-10-29T23:43:00.002+11:00

SO THIS IS WHAT BRUSSEL SPROUTS LOOK LIKE IN THEIR NATURAL STATE. AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THESE HORRIFIC COLONIES OF BULBOUS MINI-CABBAGES GROW VERTICALLY FROM THE GROUND LIKE SOME SICK JOKE OF A TREE - NO WONDER NOBODY LIKES BRUSSEL SPROUTS (!!!!!)

I now realise how embarrassingly insular my life has been for the past 18 years and 10 months. Someone please tell me that they are also experiencing a moment of disillusionment.

halloween

2009-10-25T23:03:00.002+11:00

At the start of every October, I wish that Australians celebrated Halloween. Though, to be honest, I'm one of those people who don't understand why they can't just make every party a mandatory dress up party.

To make the Halloween situation worse, some even like to turn it into a moral and political crisis - as though wanting to celebrate Halloween means that I'm selling out to the traditions of a redneck American.

Well let's just talk hypothetically then. If I was going to a Halloween party this year, I would dress up as Edward Scissorhands. A fairly sane and generic idea when compared to some more radical and abstract ones I have hypothetically dressed up as in previous years. The advantage of this is that I already have all necessary items for the costume (bar the simple craft project of making some scissorhands), and my hair is of the right length for teasing into a Robert Smith nest. In fact, once the novelty of the obtrusive scissorhands wore off, I could take them off and just be dressed up as Robert Smith.

If you are lucky enough to live in country where celebrating Halloween is not only a tradition, but encouraged upon, what are you dressing up as?

olivia bee

2009-10-25T15:48:00.002+11:00

I just discovered this 15 year old photographer about an hour ago on flickr. I don't know why I like her photos so much, maybe because of the way she uses the beautiful natural landscapes around her, or the fact that her friends all look so happy and non-contrived. The youthfulness that exudes from the pictures is so genuine and joyful, it makes me both really happy and really sad.

I guess this quote from Mad Men comes to mind:
Nostalgia - it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, "nostalgia" literally means "the pain from an old wound." It's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.

spirit animal

2009-10-25T15:21:00.003+11:00

"Foretelling future through dreams" I have always felt slightly psychic, despite an aversion towards crystals and incense (too kitsch).

queen amidala

2009-10-24T22:58:00.003+11:00

Today while I was walking with Alana, I found this flower which came in the most covetable shade of orange-red. When I got home I picked off a petal to admire it individually. How striking it looked indeed! And how much more striking would it look as a lipstick shade? - I thought to myself.

So next time I am near a Revlon counter (my preferred drugstore brand), I will be searching for something similar. Perfect for watermelon eating in summer (where do the lips end and the watermelon begin?)

irony

2009-10-21T00:23:00.002+11:00

I am doing my best to avoid eye contact with the young couple sitting opposite me on the train. The boy has tattooed sleeves and stretchers in his ears, he is making his girlfriend who looks like Ashlee Simpson (when she was emo) giggle a lot.

Boy: He was talking about how he got this Britney Spears t-shirt, you know, to be ironic. But I was like "Dude, the most ironic thing about that is you paid money for it".

Girl: heeheheheheee

Boy: I mean, at least I got this top for free. I wasn't going to wear if it weren't black.

Girl: Yea, I wouldn't let you wear that out if it was white.

(The top was sleeveless and had something that looked like a cartoon whale and some colourful block writing. The rest of the outfit included a pair of black shorts, skate shoes, tube socks and a black beanie despite the heat)

i love my subjects i love my subjects i love my subjects

2009-10-20T18:47:00.003+11:00

Today has been a strange day. It was good because the weather was nice and I was able to wear a very light and loose top. I ordered my first iced latte for the year. My orthodontist also promised me that my braces will be coming off in December.

But then I thought about all the exams I will have to sit through before December comes.

Last month I bought these guarana lollipops from a funny stall. I'm going to eat them tonight and start and finish my 2000 word essay to remind myself of my superhuman scholastic abilities.

somehow poetic

2009-10-19T23:40:00.004+11:00

My friend showed me this site just before. It didn't take long for another friend to get perverse about it, but somehow, the end translation is quite beautiful..?

I like to fantasize about doing inappropriate things to beautiful girls that walk past me in the street.

into Japanese

私は、歩いて、美しい女の子には不適切な行為をすることについて空想するように私の通り、過去の。

back into English

I walk, the girl is as beautiful as I fantasize about doing their inappropriate behavior in the past.

back into Japanese

私は自分の過去での不適切な行動を行うと空想にふけるように美しい、女の子は歩いてください。

back into English

I do fantasize a beautiful as improper behavior in his past, girls, please walk away.

back into Japanese

私は彼の過去、女の子は、歩いてくださいには美しいとして不適切な行動を空想ありません。

back into English

I am the last of his girl, and please do not walk as a beautiful fantasy act inappropriately.

back into Japanese

私は彼の少女の、最後の美しいファンタジーの行為として不適切に歩いて行ってください。

back into English

I was his girl, please walk to the beautiful fantasy act improperly as a last resort.

back into Japanese

私は彼の少女してください最後の手段としては、美しいファンタジーの行動が不適切に歩いていた。

back into English

I as a last resort please his girl, was walking in the beautiful fantasy act improperly.

back into Japanese

私は最後の手段として、美しいファンタジー行為に不適切な歩いていた彼の女の子してください。

back into English

I as a last resort, please wrong girl was walking to his beautiful fantasy act.

back into Japanese

私は最後の手段として、下記間違えた、彼の美しいファンタジーの行動を歩いていた。

back into English

I, as a last resort, following the wrong, was walking his beautiful fantasy act.

back into Japanese

私は、最後の手段は、間違って、彼の美しいファンタジーの行動を歩いていた次のように。

back into English

I was the last resort is wrong, the following action was walking his beautiful fantasy.

back into Japanese

私は最後の手段が間違っている場合は、以下のアクションを、彼の美しいファンタジー歩いていた。

back into English

If I was wrong last resort, the following actions, he was walking in a beautiful fantasy.

back into Japanese

もし私が最後の手段が間違っていた、次の操作を、彼の美しいファンタジーの世界に歩いていた。

back into English

Last resort was wrong, I would do the following, was walking to his beautiful fantasy world.

back into Japanese

最後の手段、私は以下のように、彼の美しいファンタジーの世界を歩いていたが間違っていた。

back into English

Last resort, as follows: I was wrong was walking to his beautiful fantasy world.

back into Japanese

最後の手段として、次のとおり：私が間違っていた彼の美しいファンタジーの世界を歩いていた。

back into English

As a last resort, as follows: I was walking to his beautiful fantasy world that I was wrong.

back into Japanese

最後の手段として、次のように：私は、彼の美しいファンタジーの世界は、私が間違っていたに歩いていた。

back into English

As a last resort, as follows: I have a beautiful fantasy world, he was walking to me was wrong.

back into Japanese

最後の手段として、次のように：私は、美しく幻想的な世界が、彼は歩いていた私には間違っていた。

back into English

As a last resort, as follows: I have a beautiful fantasy world, he was walking I was wrong.

back into Japanese

最後の手段として、次のように：私は、美しく幻想的な世界が、彼は私が間違っていた歩いていた。

back into English

As a last resort, as follows: I have a beautiful fantasy world, he was walking I was wrong.

constructing a future memory

2009-10-18T11:30:00.003+11:00

Yesterday at her friend's house, my mother was shown holiday pictures of her friend's family. Our family were in some of them, but she became distraught that she couldn't remember being there. I tell her it's ok, at least we have photographs to remind us.

This is not enough consolation. Mum panics that we didn't have any photos of her from when she had permed her hair last year, and that we never takes photos as a family anymore. She demands that we take one together right now. I tell her I've lent my camera to a friend and the other camera is out of battery. She demands I charge it right now.

So finally at 11:30pm, we sit down on my bed in my messy room with things falling off the walls to take a quick snap. Mum was pleased with the results.

mondays

2009-10-12T19:56:00.000+11:00

sunday morning

2009-10-11T14:43:00.002+11:00

When I woke up an hour earlier than the usual 8am last Sunday due to daylight savings, I heard the sound of leaking gas. It was loud, and came in bursts. Some short, some longer, almost like morse code to an untrained ear like mine. Construction does not begin this early on Sundays, so I wondered what it could be.

Whatever was making the sound was definitely getting closer. I ducked my head under my doona and imagined some type of cyberpunk machinery landing on my roof to tell me that I am the chosen one. Eventually I pried open my eyes to look out the window, and lo and behold it was a hot air balloon just skimming past the Gatsby manor. It was much closer in reality than it appears in the photo.

From now on, I will forever view that space above my neighbour's roof with bewilderment.

freddy vs jason

2009-10-10T12:41:00.000+11:00

mystery

2009-10-09T19:56:00.002+11:00

This is my neighbour's house. Their gates are always shut, though I can often hear them having loud parties, and many times I've been tempted to drop a letter into their mailbox to ask if we could be friends, and maybe I could come over some day for a tour of their mansion. It's a very Gatsby inspired dream of mine.

Peculiarly, in the 8 years that I've lived here, I have never seen the residents of this property. So, for the time being, the dream sustains.

bits and pieces

2009-10-06T22:12:00.003+11:00

I feel like lately I've been on a photoblogging rampage. I'm going to have to stop here though because my exams are coming up (which means house locking myself in order to induce study-mode).

Here are some photos from the two week break we've just had.

I was surprised that I actually managed to double expose the flower over her face.

hIpPiE bLinG

Alana putting in her contacts...

Her costume for a circus themed ball. I suggested she go as the knife thrower with a lace blindfold. I thought the lace was a great find (we went to a bridal/fabric store), and her final look was stunning.

My friend was going away to Oxford, so she had a gathering for all our bon voyages. This is Ellen enjoying a large strawberry mock-tail. There is more to the glass, I couldn't fit it into my frame...

We had a dumpling night at Alice's house. I can now roll my own dumpling skins and make robust authentic looking dumplings - it's good to be properly Chinese.

I think we each ate about 30 dumplings or more...Celebrity Masterchef was on TV while we gorged.

So cute!

Posing at the train station.

I like the two blurry and happy looking girlies in the background.

There was a little shelter with yellow light. We used it as a prop to pose around.

The only non-silly one.

Pretty, dumpling-fed faces.

If you follow my blog, you should know by now that most of my photos involve people mid-way between eating and talking.

I let Gab take the last frame. A nice rare smiley photo, albeit out of focus and grainy and at Uni.

I just realised that the girl serving me at the photolab forgot to give me a free roll of film. I'm feeling jibbed and upset now. Time for a cup of tea and an episode of Gossip Girl or Mad Men to make things right.

?

2009-10-04T13:19:00.003+11:00

This morning at the market I found a fully functioning Mamiya medium format camera for $200. Unfortunately I'm a n00b at medium formats, so I forgot to check what make it was. It looked something like this though (which is a c330):

Can someone in the know tell me if that's a good deal or not...? I am tempted to go back next Sunday and see if it's still for sale...damn I hate having an expensive hobby.

femme fatale

2009-10-03T23:34:00.002+10:00

Sherilyn Fenn puts the rest of us women to shame. I'm going to go watch Fire Walk With Me now and perhaps learn a thing or two.

recent advances

2009-10-03T12:12:00.007+10:00

- I got new glasses after the 3 week mourning period of losing my old ones.

- My hair is now long enough for faux Heidi braids

- I introduced two new people to pho
- My friend taught me how to make dumplings.
- And I think I've grown! (163cm y'all!)

morning ritual

2009-09-29T09:46:00.002+10:00

9:00 - be awakened by alarm clock. Continue lucid dreaming.

9:05 - hit snooze button as cousin begins to bang on door.

9:15 - be awakened by alarm clock. Continue lucid dreaming.

9:20 - hit snooze button as cousin begins to bang on door.

9:30 - is not awakened by alarm clock.

10:00 - sit up in bed, disturbed by the amount of sunlight streaming into the room.

10:05 - lie back down. Debate about what day and time it is.

10:10 - log onto facebook to 'reconnect' with the world.

10:30 - cook ramen noodles.

10:35 - eat ramen noodles and watch something on megavideo until 72min limit is reached.

(by this point, there is only about 13min of the morning left)

sunny tatyoon

2009-09-22T18:05:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I got back from a music festival in the countryside. My clothes are still covered in pollen from daisy chains.

Here are some photos I took :)

I've decided to start a photo series featuring a blurry Gabi in the foreground of a picture of various congregations of people.

L'Australienne.

We ended up waiting at the train station for 3.5 hours for a bus to arrive. It never came. We did however build a small mound out of the gravel from the carpark, topped with a purple flower, a hair pin stuck into it, and a dead dragonfly perched on top. There was also some ritual dancing around the mound as the waiting drove us into insanity. Thank goodness for taxi's.

Everything got better when we finally arrived.

This was the first time I had tried to use the self-timer. I jumped into the shot with moments to spare - I cannot believe it worked.

I was meant to take the photo when they were in mid-jump, but I have slow reflexes.

No. 2

Gabi and I have an ongoing joke that we are hobbits, and Anni and David are Gandalf and Saruman.

Cooking pasta for 5 in the trangia is not an easy fete.

Cheesy daisy chain group photo on the Macbeth-like hill.

Grumpy or pensive?

From the day we arrived, I was itching to frolic in the canola field.

David Attenborough-esque.

I became so confident in my daisy chain making that I ventured into other-wild-flowers chain making.

Pretty good weekend. What about you?

onset of spring

2009-09-18T01:48:00.003+10:00

Oh how I feared you'd never come..!

Here are some pictures from about a month ago to now. I have a severe proneness towards flowers - so bear with me.

First some photos from that afternoon with Alana in Sassafras.

Caity taught me how to make paper cranes - for about the 100th time. I am incredibly thick when it comes to origami.

I was so proud of how little I could make them...

Waiting with Maddy.

Bokeh porn..mmmm

Drinks last Friday afternoon at a girly rooftop bar. My fringe is demented and bad for my eyesight.

This photo makes me happy :)

Walk with Alana last Saturday when it was 29 degrees!

Oh, ah. This is the last photo that I took before I lost my glasses (I need them with me to be able to focus my lens). It's freaky that at around this time last year, I was also on a walk with Alana in a similar area. On that afternoon, I found a broken pair of glasses. Sometimes I think my life is shrouded by magic.

Before biology lecture.

Ah! This is my adorable Korean student. She is so shy but interesting.

That's it for now. Tonight I went to a ball, and danced till my feet have bits of my shoe permanently wedged into the cuticle bed. Tomorrow I leave for a music festival and will return on Monday. Excited but stressed. My diopter has not arrived yet and I need to find my sleeping bag.

in which you are the last man on earth

2009-09-10T21:34:00.005+10:00

The 'Contemporary' rooms were as cliche as you can imagine - white walls, tall ceilings and a polished floor that scintillates. It's rare to be alone in such a space, especially with nothing in your hands. Usually there is at least a coat or a small bag in your arms to fidget with. When your hands are free, you become particularly conscious of the way you walk. I notice that only one of my shoes tap, the other slides with a schwoop. I echo tap-schwoop through three white cubes of space.

There is only one other person: an elderly security guard sitting in a chair. He must be the most introspective person in the world. All day sitting in a white box, staring at dimorphic shapes in primary colours. Nothing but the resonance of an occasional tap-schwoop.

what's making me happy this week

2009-09-09T21:31:00.003+10:00

I like it when I reach an obstacle in my day to day life that seems ubiquitous enough to warrant an invention that solves it, even if I have never heard of such invention. But this is OK because I have access to the internet and I don't live in China so I can google some key words that might be associated with this unknown invention and browse through the top links. This is really a win win scenario; if the invention exists, I can then ebay it and see how much it costs, if the invention doesn't exist, I can feel prophetic when it does come to existence.

So anyway, since I bought my Nikon FM2, I've had the dilemma of needing 20/20 vision in order to focus manually. Although I'm short-sighted, it's not serious enough for me to wear my glasses 24/7. This made it a constant nuisance to have to whip out my glasses every time I wanted to take a photo, especially during leisurely moments. For a while now, I've had an inkling that there must be some kind of device to correct this. I was right, it is called a diopter. And they are cheap too! I found this out through googling "short-sighted manual focus camera" and then searching "diopter -2 nikon" on ebay.

I love this age of technology.

call me a bore but...

2009-09-06T01:31:00.001+10:00

The best part about going out is coming home.

god morgon våren

2009-09-05T12:05:00.002+10:00

bricks

2009-09-02T14:53:00.002+10:00

Everywhere I go there is always the sound of construction. They are always building something new. Big houses with 6 bedrooms and only 3 people living inside. Shopping centres which become empty after 6 months.

Why are humans so demanding?

oh, andy

2009-08-29T14:21:00.000+10:00

frenchies

2009-08-28T20:59:00.003+10:00

I think most middle class girls go through a phase of francophilia. The condition goes hand in hand with a poor grasp of conversational French, and a generally peptimistic outlook on life.

A compulsion to wear berets, watch French films, own a small apartment in Paris and meet Gaspard Ulliel epitomised my own stint with francophilia. But as the Janis Ian song goes, I did indeed learn the truth about wishful thinking at seventeen. Exhausted, I put an end to my relentless yearning.

From time to time though, I still fantasize about buying a baguette each morning and smoking cigarettes in my little balcony alcove during the night. When things are looking a little too prosaic, one can dream of a little romance and la vie boheme can they not?

Masturbatory material for your typical 16 yo francophile:

mucous, phlegm and saliva

2009-08-24T21:11:00.002+10:00

Why do we have such exotic words for bodily fluids?

that ysl ring

2009-08-24T00:19:00.003+10:00

My friend really wants this ring for her birthday.

Alexa Chung has this ring (maybe for her birthday).

For the past few days I've been racking my brains and the internet on how to not only attain but afford this ring. The thinking and searching has been unfruitful. I always feel very confused and confronted when the internet lets me down, but on this occasion, I had no time to think about the limits of cyberspace. I went about my dead end the same way I usually do: DIY.

Materials:

- 2 bobby pins

- 1 bottled water cap

- the gold wrapper on some cough lozenges

- metallic nail polish

- sticky tape

If you were standing 10m away, the only difference between the two rings would be that my 'turquoise stone' is about 1.5x bigger.

Take that Alexa Chung!

sassafras

2009-08-18T21:48:00.002+10:00

Alana and I drove to this suburb in the mountains for devonshire scones on Saturday. Isn't its name pretty? Oliver said it reminded him of the word "susurrous" (which ofcourse I didn't know the meaning of).

my insides

2009-08-17T20:59:00.002+10:00

I have a problem. I cannot tell whether my abdominal discomfort is due to hunger, period pains, indigestion or lactose intolerance. For all I know, it could be all four. The only thing biology has taught me is how to draw a stylized version of my digestive system and reproductive organs.

swelling appetite

2009-08-16T14:03:00.003+10:00

Since the return of the mum, our fridge has been festively filled up. No more dregs of vegetables here and there, nor dozens of milk, juice and condiment bottles with just a few drops left. As I strategically organised our fridge with this morning's groceries, I literally yelped with excitement at the gastronomical possibilities.

My first mission was natural yoghurt with peach slices, followed by brainstorming ideas for tomorrow's sandwich. When it comes to food, I am ever prepared; perpetually planning the next meal.

Since yesterday morning, the mum has thrice commented on the robustness of my face.

i searched my universe for a highlighter

2009-08-14T22:45:00.006+10:00

...yet none could be located. And at that precise moment, I realised this is exactly why I'm no good at university.

cleopatra

2009-08-10T19:12:00.000+10:00

My salad days,

When I was green in judgment, cold in blood...

new york new york

2009-08-09T13:08:00.002+10:00

I want to be right here.

Photo stolen from Dana Lauren Goldstein.

jd

2009-08-08T22:59:00.002+10:00

My friend and I have this hypothesis that the majority of males have at least one component of their full name beginning with the letter "J" or "D". It just struck me how true this is when I realised how many famous names can be (or already are) abbreviated to JD. Here is a very short list which I've just whipped up:

- JD from Scrubs

- JD from Heathers

- JD Salinger

- Jack Daniels

- Johnny Depp

- James Dean

- Jeff Daniels

JD in itself has become a common name, with or without acknowledging that it's only the initials to something else.

full moon

2009-08-07T23:33:00.004+10:00

Tonight's full moon was so luminous and so low in the sky that I could almost imagine my hormones being coaxed into re-calibrating my menstrual cycle. It was magical.

hypothesis:

2009-08-07T17:36:00.001+10:00

Sweden is the passage to heaven.

baby turtles

2009-08-07T17:07:00.003+10:00

Bizarre. Turtles somehow look 100 years old even when they're newborn. The only physical difference between an adult turtle and a baby turtle is the slightest change in head to body proportion.

(I had imagined a much better post than this, but alas, I've done a stupid thing and the last roll of film I shot was in fact...not shot at all. Came out blank. Poof.)

three little pigs and velvet underground's pale blue eyes

2009-08-06T01:43:00.002+10:00

Both have been stuck in my head for the past two days. Both make me deliriously happy.

freaky friday

2009-08-02T15:17:00.002+10:00

I got up before everyone else this morning to make buttermilk pancakes (they were delicious). Dad was the first one to respond to the smell of melted butter, so he was lucky enough to eat the first few misshapen ones. As I continued ladling batter into the pan, dad ate quietly. Until he announced in the most matter of fact way that he was going to go get a tattoo. I stopped ladling to tell him he's an idiot, and of course he wasn't going to do such an impulsive thing. He said he was going to tattoo a very significant date onto his arm so that he'll never forget. He pointed at his inner right forearm. I went back to ladling and dad chuckled to himself.

Later, after doing the grocery shopping, we're sitting in the car when dad says he's detouring to the tattoo parlour. I tell him that if he's getting one, I'm getting one too. Dad considers my ultimatum, and comes to his senses. Our bodies are both still in pristine condition.

What surprised me most in this little short-lived fiasco is that my dad wants almost the exact same tattoo as me. The only difference is that, for me, no date of significance has come to mind yet. Maybe I'll think of something once I reach my own mid-life crisis. I can ask dad if he still wants his and we can both get some wrinkly dates inked in.

robert geller fall 2009

2009-08-01T14:27:00.002+10:00

OK, if you are a boy, go and buy this shirt. Heck, I'm not a boy, and I still want to go and buy this shirt.

But, you know, don't starve yourself or anything in order to do so.

Food money > clothes money

Yup.

brown eyes

2009-08-01T11:21:00.004+10:00

I feel as though I am betraying myself in thinking this, but dare I say this Lady Gaga song sounds like Cyndi Lauper meets David Bowie? Well at least there is definitely something 70s glam rock about the guitar parts.

Please don't accuse me of blasphemy :(

things which make me feel in control

2009-07-29T16:16:00.003+10:00

- Wearing my orthodontic elastics

- Arriving 2min early for my train

- Eating a nutritious breakfast

- Successfully printing double-sided lecture notes

- A compliant fringe

- Snug jeans tucked into sturdy boots

I've been pretty good at maintaining all of the above every day so far this week.

luck

2009-07-28T22:05:00.004+10:00

I am not a superstitious person, but today I had such a Hitchcock encounter with a black cat that any happy feelings about the nice weather instantaneously became ominous suspense.

After a satisfying brunch, I had been gliding leisurely to the train station listening to Sigur Rós' Heysátan when suddenly, the sound of a baby wailing pervaded my ears. At first I thought it was part of the song, brushing off the absurdity as Icelandic quirkiness. But all too soon, a slender black cat came pouncing across the narrow street towards me, back arched and baring its fangs. Its meow was shrill, and there was something grotesque about the redness of its mouth and its yellow eyes. I hastened my pace and looked back only once. The kitty stared back, menacingly.

For the rest of my walk and the train ride which followed, I thought about the implications of bad luck. Disappointed by my lack of imagination, I retired to reading my book and forgot about my imminent misfortune. It wasn't until I checked my emails just before did my superstitious nerves come back to life.

I don't know what consecutive numbers mean in terms of luck, but this did make me feel very lucky.

Does this mean my spell of bad luck is over before it even began? I am still very anxious.

multitasking

2009-07-24T18:27:00.003+10:00

Sometimes when I'm in a hurry, and have to do 10 things at once, I use my webcam as a mirror. This way I can do my hair/make-up and check emails/weather/etc. all at the same time, whilst sitting on a comfy chair or even in bed. Have you ever done this? Or am I just over-juicing the photobooth application due to my lack of motivation to learn about other Mac functions? Hmm....

strawberry

2009-07-22T22:18:00.002+10:00

Cupcake baking is a self-indulgent hobby of mine. My joy does not come from watching others enjoy my cupcakes, rather, from shopping for ingredients and wearing impractical clothing while baking. Today it was strawberry essence and the outfit was a new sailor top which arrived in the mail yesterday.

highschool

2009-07-22T00:05:00.004+10:00

I miss highschool, but not the one that I had. I miss the highschool which American movies make me think I had, where cliques are immiscible and everyone has lunch on plastic trays in the cafeteria. Sometimes people break out in dance, and self-discovery is more important than chemistry tests. I find myself depressingly nostalgic for these quintessential memories which aren't actually mine. In 50 years time, I probably won't even remember that I went to a girls' school with a pine green uniform. Instead I will be convinced that I was actually the kooky art girl with purple hair that was generally a loner, except nobody knew that the star QB secretly had a major crush on her. In these memories, I am also caucasian and speak with a heavy New York accent.

when midnight internet browsing gets out of control

2009-07-20T02:19:00.002+10:00

Oh damn, the lol-ness that is this blog, Cute Boys Make Me Nervous, is obstructing me from my 6 hours minimum of sleep/night. And not even because of the implied eye-candy; rather, the author's psycho-but-hilarious commentary. I hate it when this happens!

photochromic lenses

2009-07-19T23:30:00.002+10:00

I have thought long and hard about this topic. Although they theoretically sound like an ingenious invention, in practice, they make everyone look like Elton John (which is not a good thing 99% of the time). The truth is, the small delicate frames of optical glasses just aren't a good look when worn as sunglasses. Especially when the wearer is exposed to medium sunlight, and the lenses are a somewhat 60s translucent brown (Terry Richardson comes to mind).

The only solution is to find a pair of frames suitable both as optical glasses or as sunglasses. Bonus points if they also have a 'retro vibe' so that the awkward 60s tone looks intentional. Something similar to Wayfarers would work quite well.

Photo of woman who resembles my highschool principal from google and the handsome grey-haired man is from the sartorialist. I am happy to have photoshop back.

things which still baffle me

2009-07-18T21:30:00.002+10:00

- the postal system

- the perpetual flow of snot produced in my nasal cavities

- early morning joggers' determination

- raw veganism

- seeing baked goods rise in the oven

- small boats which stay afloat in turbulent seas

- the fact that Macaulay Culkin is almost 30

future diy project

2009-07-18T15:45:00.002+10:00

Antipodium Don't Sleeve Me Skirt from my favourite nemesis Creatures of Comfort. Always effortless styling, and always that anonymous, pale-skinned, wholesome-looking model with a Mona Lisa smile (or at least from her nose down).

harry potter and the half-blood prince

2009-07-18T01:58:00.005+10:00

Every time I watch a Harry Potter movie I become depressed at my own lack of magical abilities. But today, as I walked home in the dark from the latest installment, I felt decidedly content despite the mundanity of my own life. Perhaps it was the exhilarating chill of the midnight air or the satisfying crunch of the packet of Maltesers I was steadfastly devouring - whatever it was, I was definitely 100% happy for about 100 metres, at least.

I may not have a wand but I do have a pointy red chopstick! I am wearing a Gryffindor scarf I knitted for my friend back when I was 12 - she got over Harry Potter, unfortunately, so the scarf is back in my possession. Indefinitely.

instructions

2009-07-15T18:13:00.002+10:00

I have been trying to change my subjects for next semester and am reminded of how irritating instructions from authoritative organisations (ie. universities, government bodies etc.) can be. They are patronising in that simplicity of their system is implied, yet instructions are convoluted, involve contacting a range of different departments and often draw upon both old-fashioned as well as modern modes of communication. What's worse is when they stress that one-on-one help is always available(if you are incapacitated enough to not understand their 'simple' instructions), yet when you do take the effort to make a call, the person at the other end of the line is generally vague, snappy, the wrong department or out to lunch.

Other than that I am having a good day. A mini Pushing Daisies marathon, the laundry out of the way and apple cake in the oven.