Polyvore Whoring

Can't believe I spent hours on this!!!
Am perpetually a dress-for-fall person. Don't really like spring/summer floral girly dressy stuff.

Phobia Acquisitions

Over the years I've subconsciously become afraid of a couple of situations, which recently became slightly paradoxical (at least I think so):

I am discomforted by being forced to stand still and be enclosed in a public space with too many people. This applies to being in a crowded lift or a crowded train cabin, for example, or perhaps in a small club which has too many people squeezed in it. Or a toilet queue in a public restroom that is in great demand...the list goes on. I would much prefer to take the trouble and make the distance to get some space. What phobia is this? A combination of claustrophobia and agoraphobia, perhaps...but I don't go hysterical or froth in the mouth, though, just feel a little sick in the stomach and breathless sometimes. It gets worse when I'm under a lot of stress...heh Tony Soprano comes to mind...excuse my obscure references.

I recently realised that I'm not comfortable with silence in an enclosed space either. Living alone has its perks, of course, but I've taken to having the television on just for background noise, and I much prefer monotonously speaking/conversing human voices, such as the news going on incessantly in the back of my head, rather than MTV or some drama/film which will have the inevitable attention-seeking sound effects and screaming here and there. Music is fine, but I tend to get distracted by lyrics too. Bother my selective hearing!

Perhaps this is the process of urban hermitisation...I'm turning into a television-dependent hermit (as if I'm not already dependent on the TV, good grief!)...

Plus I'm a chronic channel-surfer, woe upon anyone who watches TV with me!!! My "click-interval" is approximately 3 seconds...horrific eh...*sheepish laughter*

Mindless Blathering Idiocy

Sometimes we cannot over-estimate the intimacy of understanding with people...it takes a while to get on the same wavelength, even longer to figure out a person's nature, personality, and sense of humour.

And that also applies to forgiveness. Often we can never tell how willing a person can be to forgive a wrong committed, or how willing he or she is to care.

Many a time when I speak before I think, it kills me to writhe internally when I spend the rest of the time afterward in agony about apologising, making amends, trying in vain to erase the error and fade the offence or insult. Has it got to do with low emotional intelligence or blatant insensitivity? Or is it a desire to cross lines, invade, and attack, an almost flippant love of risk and danger, even on an emotional level?

Then later on, if it seems to have been a whole horrible roller coaster of guilt and regret suffered for nothing, I wonder at my own neurosis and fear of rejection. Is it valid to be so self-absorbed?

Ah what foolishness, then. Does this make me lovable at all?

Oh bother.

Vacation Nostalgia II

more gorgeous shots of Amsterdam - the Village they brought us to was a tourist trap, but so bloody worth it.

Vacation Nostalgia

Amsterdam, Netherlands


Lucerne, Switzerland

I guess this is the whole point of being trigger happy* during vacations in far flung places. Looking back and wondering why the heck you left.

*= Taking 1000 photos in 9 days.

.etc...ramblings (Impulsive Keyboard Fingering)

For those who refuse to believe in any Higher Power, there's always the way things seem out of your grasp when you least desire that sense of helplessness.

You grumble to yourself about how shit happens and life's an asshole, but what about your own responsibility?

Are we shifting way too much blame on others simply because we underestimate our own ability to change life as we know it - simply by tweaking our perspective and initiating some form of action that deviates from whatever track we've been trudging on, for as long as we know it?

A comfort zone is also a complaint zone, perhaps?

WTF

Got gamergeeks for neighbours who persist in maxing out their excellent sound system and creating a pounding headache for folk who share walls with them. Fucking dickheads. Well, that first-person shooting game had better rot your brains man. Go blind, drop dead, may your console kill you.

Buncha Cool Linkzzz

http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/ (I MUST go to this place!)

http://www.indie.com.au/index.php

http://www.easternmarket.com.au (seems to be in my district, must go hunt for this shop!)

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5050420 (such Lurvely stuff!!!)

http://www.teetonic.com/ (the UK version of Threadless?)

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/gelseysgracedesigns/ilist/,id=0.html (more nice jewellery)

Etsy is super!

Buncha Cool Linkzzz

http://www.rosestmarket.com.au/ (I MUST go to this place!)

http://www.indie.com.au/index.php

http://www.easternmarket.com.au (seems to be in my district, must go hunt for this shop!)

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5050420 (such Lurvely stuff!!!)

http://www.teetonic.com/ (the UK version of Threadless?)

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/gelseysgracedesigns/ilist/,id=0.html (more nice jewellery)

Etsy is super!

handiwork 2: Butterfly Tribal Links

Antique Silver Metallic Charm Necklace: a current fav...'twas fun to assemble!

Recent Acts of Cookery (does that make sense?!)

Steak on Corn 'n' Carrot (YUM.)


VegeHamCheese Omelette with Cherry Tomatoes


Veal 'n' Bok Choy Stir Fry on Ramen


French Toast Delux (with fresh mushrooms, cheese, & ham)


Veal Vege 'n' Mushroom Pasta Spirals


LOL...yep, I've been feeding myself well, I think...at least within the past fortnight or so!

I've been good lately; I do believe I'm the sort of person who definitely cannot cook under stress. So...I need to be completely relaxed to whip up (relatively) good-looking stuff, meaning if there're deadlines and more important things to do (than cook), it'd probably be better to eat a take-out...otherwise, there's always vague-tasty crap-shit-mush I guess. Notes for anyone who'd like to eat/live with me...

This fact alone, I do realise, proves me completely incompetent for any Iron Chef-like situation (stress+time limits+other constraints+me cooking = Oh The Horror Of What's In The Pot)

......Well, blindfolding dinner guests is always a last resort option, I guess......lol.

handiwork 1

Presenting the Lantern-Cube-Doughnut-Loop!!!
what do you think?

well, a person with no ear-holes making earrings is quite the irony, isn't it?

how much do girls usually pay for ear-jinglies? I have no buggered idea man...

Food food more food...

Alright folks (are you even there???!!!), all this time (2 months, I know!) I've been really too busy or stressed out to cook myself anything decent looking, so what you're getting to look at now is probably rather outdated dishes I managed to whip up maybe a month or more ago for a friend dining in or something like that. I've not updated this blog for a long while either! Oh well...what I know is that the stuff I'm whipping up right now, looks like poop. SERIOUSLY. Tasty shit, that's what I'm cooking!


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This is Teddy&MonsterLuvStew!!!





Mysterious Cheesy Egg...




Gorgeous-looking (but unfortunately undercooked) Chicken Maryland which I made for myself and a classmate who dropped by...





Alright, I was in a good mood when I made this...Chicken Stir-fry on boiled veggies...

Hmmm, are there any more? We'll see...

(You know, food is such a comfort-related psychological root, especially when you live alone. It's a sign of survival, whether you have a well-stocked larder, (or not) and it makes me feel that I can take care of myself when I make decisions on what food I buy to put in my fridge...but I take bloody long to make those decisions!)

Owls in Mythology & Culture - The Owl Pages

Owls in Mythology & Culture - The Owl Pages

I've recently developed an owl obsession, hence the plugging of this expansively awesome link... check out how different all the species look!

Aren't those little Tropical Screech Owlets absolutely adorable?! Gosh, I could go on forever.

Owls are a huge inspiration for a capsule collection project that's due in less than a week (just drawings, no real garments, sadly) but the research has been fun...can't say the same for the tutors and the class itself though! It gets scary sometimes...

I HEART OWLS!!!

Mash'n'More

Microwave one cubed potato with butter for one minute, then remove and mash as finely as you can (I had nothing to use but a fork *cringe*). Add one wedge of soft cheese (I used the Laughing Cow kind...) and one chopped tomato. Microwave for another minute, then remove and whip the mixture until everything is all nice and mixed up. (It should already look like pretty smooth mash by now, tinted a bit pinky-orange by the tomato juice.)
Add some chopped button mushrooms mixed with bite-size-or-smaller ham bits, on top, and microwave for another 30 to 45 seconds. Sprinkle black pepper and mixed herbs generously on top (but not too much la!)
And it's ready to eat!
I used olives and nuts to garnish so it looks pretty...heh.

In-house Food Escapades

Ruined veggie porridge (with potatoes, sweet corn, and brocolli and wakame) reincarnated as fried veggie'n'rice patties, with a bit of tomato-cucumber salad, caesar dressing as sauce, garnished with parmesan and olives.

Ham, dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and cucumber salad in Italian dressing on cracker biscuits, with a bit of parmesan...messy to eat, but really tasty and quick'n' easy.

A Trio of Sunsets

a west-facing room = a perfect view of sunsets, everyday.
sometimes I get to see a truly sublime sight...

Look Ma I Cook 2

This is the whatisit dish; (hurhurhur)
It's vegetable-noodle soup topped with pork stir-fry. Typical Chinese, I guess, though I cooked the cabbage broth with miso. Frying anything in my tiny apartment is a killer!!! The whole place stinks afterwards...garlic's banned, BANNED I tell you...

Look Ma, I Cook!

I'm one of those narcissistic amateur cooks who like to document the rare incidences when what I whip up looks AND tastes good. Hahaha...

Check out the classic macaroni bolognese:

Annie Lennox in my head

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) has been stuck in my head for a week, so I searched for the awesome croon that is Ms Lennox's voice.

Sweet Dreams MTV: (Omigod a real cow! I love her butch look in this one!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n36IqITO76g

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world
And the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something.

Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused.

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I travel the world
And the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something.

Hold your head up - Keep your head up - Movin' on
Hold your head up - Movin' on - Keep your head up - Movin' on
Hold your head up - Movin' on - Keep your head up - Movin' on
Hold your head up - Movin' on - Keep your head up.



A Whiter Shade of Pale MTV: (Deja Vu...I must have watched this before.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMa0M8Ye9fQ

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kind of seasick
The crowd called out for more
And the room was hummin' harder
As the ceiling flew away
And when we called out for another drink
But the waiter brought a tray

And so it was later
As the miller told his tale
That her face at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale.

You said: "There is no reason,
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wander through my playin' cards
Would not let him be
One of the sixteen virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might just as well been closed

And so it was later
As the miller told his tale
That her face at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
A whiter shade of pale
Turned a whiter shade of pale
A whiter shade of pale



Into The West MTV: (I was obsessed about this during the LOTR craze, man! It still makes me weep; soul-ripping lyrics and the soaring melody just...*sigh* Someone PLEASE PLEASE get me the LOTR complete special edition - director's cut plus extras? - DVD set PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE???)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weCIYJ-8Vno

Lay down
Your sweet and weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end
Sleep now
And dream of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away
Safe in my arms
You're only sleeping

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come to carry you home

Chorus
And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
All Souls pass

Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again
And you'll be here in my arms
Just sleeping

Chorus
And all will turn
To silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West

Mad World MTVs, Donnie Darko Version + 1

(This is a killer song, random and yet heartbreaking.)


All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, Worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, Going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, No expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, No tomorrow

Chorus
And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
These dreams in which I'm dying, Are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take
When people run in circles it’s a very very
Mad World, Mad World

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And they feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, Sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, No one knew me
Hello teacher tell me whats my lesson
Look right through me, Look right through me

Chorus
And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
These dreams in which I'm dying, Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take
When people run in circles it’s a very very
Mad World, Mad World

Enlargen your world

Mad World


MTV(Donnie Darko one):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD0n8xnUWf8

Very interesting original Universal Studios one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4


Performed hauntingly by Gary Jules.
This is one of those songs that push you over the edge. Have you decided what your heart feels and what you're going to do about it, foolish ones?

Sun, Wind, and Walking Down Under

Six days of walking and I feel my leg muscles are bigger already...

It's an odd mish-mash of skyscrapers abruptly appearing out of masses of short little buildings rarely exceeding 7 floors or so. That's the Melbourne City Central landscape for you. But the architecture here is so variable and interesting, Singapore seems like a bland, bland, boring contrast.

There are buildings here that look like overblown structural art-pieces...think the Marine Parade Community Centre on a bigger scale (maybe 5 times?), with more colour thrown in...standing right next to classic colonial buildings, grecian pillars and all, complete with bronze statues punctuating the front. Pity we don't have more of those...too bad.

It's easy to get lost, so I have a map on hand all the time. Streets bissect each other perpendicularly, much like in Singapore, but the whole network is like a checkerboard, and it's easy to overshoot Chinatown...Chinatown here is a mish-mash of Japanese, Korean, Malaysian, and Chinese shops, so it's more "Asian-town" than just China-china.

For now Mom and Dad are around; time to treasure our last day together physically, before they fly home. They're exploring investing money here, since the interest returns are much higher, and the property market seems to be booming. I guess actually being here as a student opens a lot of windows...

Panic and loneliness and the discomfort of having left everything familiar and comfortable behind have not sunk in yet, but I imagine they will, eventually, some time within the next fortnight or so.

I'm worried for him...He's probably at a low point now that the prospect that I might build my career here is becoming possible. When one moves and the other stays, things become insecure and unstable...but I have the length of the course to mull it over and figure out my future, all the prospects and options available, and consequences.

The future is like the sunlight here, white-hot and burning-bright.

New & Unknown

Flying to Melbourne 9-plus a.m. Friday, February 9th 2007.

Packing chaos at present. Future unfathomable.

Till November, farewell, home.