three little pigs and velvet underground's pale blue eyes

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

freaky friday

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

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

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

- 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

- 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

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

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

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.