Les Fleurs

I got flowers from LSB! Lalalalala...

I need civilization!

2 of my housemates decided to grab me and carry me out of the kitchen in a misguided attempt to get me to go work at the computer room. I haven't been manhandled like that in years! Barbarians! Argh!

Pre- (that's an assumption) work entry

Oh god, when will they kick me out for not doing any work? I think instant noodles are in order.

[PAUSE]

I've been running around like a headless chicken high on a concoction of party drugs and a floral bouquet of many bottles of wines. And restless chicken toes.

Definitely restless chicken toes.

My mum has tried to convince me to bring a (bulb? blob? bazooka?) of garlic back to Aber/Abby.

I'm sitting back and absorbing that fact for a minute or so.

Abby has the ruins of a castle, but I don't think they're big on vampires. Can't imagine vampire with Welsh accent.

My dad bought me a humongous box of love letters, being unhappily deluded that my minuscule luggage has space for anything other than the dead cat and its resident maggots that I'm already carrying.

I dearly wanted to buy a dried lizard for my housemate. What would I say when they check my baggage though? That's the question.

"That's Robert. Kicked the bucket when a big bottle of ketchup fell on him. I dried him out and take him wherever I go. Can't do without him, the darling. Smells of tomatoes though. Good thing I like ketchup."

I like to fill my luggage with dead animals.

I was sitting in Coffee Bean trying to study, when this 3 year old girl next to me suddenly clutched at her heart, stared sorrowfully into the middle distance, and started singing. It was fairly tuneless singing, but it might have been My Way. Emo kids start young.

I traipsed all over Singapore today carrying my laptop. I got home without so much as tenderly caressing the keyboard.

I don't have time to do any work. My hair keeps falling out. I think they're abandoning ship.

[PLAY]

Lesson of 2009

Guess what happens when you apply heavy duty sunblock everywhere except the area around your eyes?

Singapore's 'bird market'

This is a strange sort of article on Singapore. There is some social commentary there, but it's as if the themes crisscross and interweave and end nowhere except in a sort of exotic-Zen-transcendental-urban-traditional-dreamscape of Singapore... I could imagine this being made into one of those arty short films.

the weather

They say it's going to be a cold winter. I'll be honest, I can't actually see myself surviving this.

I can hear the wind actually howling outside my window now. Sigh.

Halloween

For Halloween (apart for the black shirt, which I'm guessing doesn't count), my only costume was my perfume, Mandragore, which is supposed to have mandrake somewhere in it.

I don't think anyone noticed though. Sighz.

Possibly my most embarrassing moment in the past 6 months

I was just about to go out to do my laundry when this insect the size of my palm, and with ONLY FOUR LEGS!!!! (how freaky is that????) flew into my room and perched on the wall above my bed.

I opened my door and asked it to leave, I switched off the lights, I even threw a ball of paper at it (a few times!). Finally, determined to get it out of my room dead or alive (the insect, not me), I went downstairs to the broom cupboard to get a broom (duh). I marched back up, then stopped and stared for a long moment at the insect.

Then the silliness of glaring at an insect, holding a broom, getting ready to wage WWIII hit me, and I started laughing. Then I realised I didn't actually dare to whack it with the broom, and then wished that LSB was here to help me get rid of it, and then I was laughing AND crying.

And that was how my housemate found me when she came out to investigate the source of the crazy giggles. I was entirely speechless, so I just pointed at the ridiculous insect (still calmly perched on my wall dammit!). She promptly went down to fetch one of the guys (who looked pretty annoyed) to pick it up with some tissue. I could only manage a choked expression of gratitude, I'm afraid.

If it only had 4 legs, was it even an insect?

Oh happy day!

Never mind the totally miserable bit of work I submitted to my supervisor (along with a miserable email that I thoroughly regret now). As I said, I do stupid things, so never mind that for now.

It's been amazingly sunny for Aber. I've become something of a sun fiend because seriously, I need to warm my fingers & toes. I woke early this morning to work, and ended up sitting and typing on the window ledge (which had the biggest patch of sunlight I could find.) (Also, I'm getting quite enamoured of sitting on window ledges.) Incidentally, waking up early in the morning (for me that's about 7am-ish) should always be accompanied by this, what I call 'the slowly realizing that oh shit I am conscious music':



That should always be followed by this bit of music, the 'let's build up momentum and overcome inertia - but I'm sleepy - ok let's try again - music':



Anyway, I sent my violin for repairs (for those of you in the know, in the end I didn't have to venture into the Welsh forests since the guy asked me to leave it at a music shop in town), and after that I was supposed to buy groceries, but oh, the sea... it was sunny and the sea was so pretty and blue today that I couldn't resist buying an ice-cream cone and walking on the beach (for the 1st time since coming here!). It's a rather pebbly beach, but still so pretty! No driftwood anywhere, and it's as if the sea goes on forever (well until it hits Ireland anyway), and it's miles and miles of clear, blue water (really, the water is completely clear, I guess cos there's no sand or mud). Seagulls flying far away and minimal crowd except for a few tots playing with the water, the sea shimmering in the sun, a huge expanse of clear blue sky... Ah I'm rather in love with the seafront right now.

Cat-napping

Funny how after that really grumpy post, I had a moment of such absolute bliss. (In case you're wondering, I have an assignment due today, which explains the overwhelming blog presence.)

It's a sunny day (!!!!!) in Aberystwyth and there's a little spot of sun on the window ledge next to my table, on which I love to rest me poor achin' head. I'd sprayed a bit of En Mediterranee, and decided to nap a bit in that precious spot of sun. Such a blissful moment... the beautiful beautiful scent of tobacco & grass & soil & citrus mixed with the oily smell of cooking from downstairs and a faint whiff of fresh cow dung, all warmed by the lovely lovely sun, bumblebees buzzing outside my window, and a slight chill from the air outside, plus Beethoven's Spring Sonata on the radio...

Come to think of it, I did classify En Mediterranee as a close-to-the-sea countryside scent, though I didn't think of that when I decided to bring it along. I do love the sun (in moderate amounts), and I do love lazy luxurious habits like napping in the sun. Ah I'm a lazy bum.

What I miss

Ok, this is going to be my 'homesickness' post that you all knew was coming up anyway.

Apart from the usual 'I miss my family/bf' rant, I also miss several things:

1. I miss my music dammit. I can't play piano OR violin in my room. I can't seem to think without my music.

2. I miss departmental stores where I can get my perfume fix.

3. I miss taking my laptop out to a cafe to study/read/surf the internet. And I miss sitting at a cafe and reading till late at night.

4. I miss regular public transport and not having to walk till my knees go bust.

5. I miss the freedom to be myself at home. There're always 'strangers' (i.e. my housemates) around, and while they're nice enough, I just feel a bit inhibited by the presence of 'other people' 24/7, ya know? I feel as if I'm a bit of a prisoner in my own house.

?!?!?!

Coming back from class this afternoon, I saw a herd of cows in the field behind the house.

Wtf?!?!?!

And then found out from a friend that there's a farm behind our residence.

Yes people, there are cows behind my house. Real life cows.

And yes, I took a nap just now and woke to the sound of cows mooing. Incidentally, the sound of mooing is a lot less domestic / tranquil than you might imagine. It comes out more as a desperate growl emanating from the depths of an animal-slave destined for the steak plate. (By the way, the boyfriend recently accused me of being overly dramatic. Seriously? Me?)

And yes, I came out to do my laundry and the cows looked menacingly at me and I was half-afraid they'd charge the very flimsy looking wire fence (!!!!!) and trample me to death and go off snorting 'Medium rare indeed!'. Cows are big animals. Someone should install a high security fence, probably something along the lines of those used in Jurassic Park, but without the constant malfunctions. The current fence wouldn't stop a goat.

And yes, I read an article on BBC before coming to Wales on precisely this tragic manner of death (the trampling, not the cooking).

I think I might be afraid of cows.

Some pictures

Train to Devil's Bridge



I suppose this is Devil's Bridge? We didn't spend a lot of time here...



Dangerous looking rocks & water



View from my room



View of town & sea from bridge



Seafront!



Old College, by the sea.



Castle ruins & some monument.



National library.



View from National library.



Another view from National Library.

"Heteroscedasticity"

... was the word I didn't understand in an article I was reading today. Was hoping it'd be something cool, but checked wikipedia and turns out it's some statistics thing. Blah.

Just an update

In case any of you were wondering, yes I'm already in Aber aka Abby to differentiate from birthplace. For some reason, the UK doesn't feel all that foreign to me. Maybe it's because they all speak English, but I don't really feel like I'm away from home. Perhaps it's also because I'm so familiar with all the names, having imbibed large amounts of English literature / literature drawing on Welsh mythology that I almost feel as if I was here a long time ago, and have merely forgotten all about it.

Btw, no pictures at the moment, but Abby is a very small town (only 20k people!), but is one of those picturesque ones. There're also tonnes of Chinese takeaways, pubs & healthfood stores. I was very relieved to find that it's much cheaper than London (I almost didn't dare to eat anything in London, just in case I accidentally bankrupted myself, my family, and half of Singapore.)

In any case, I'm still trying to set up my internet (am currently using university's computer room), so I'm not on MSN or anything like that. You guys can send me emails, I shall check as frequently as I can.

Things to remember while falling from a very high place

1. "A freely falling observer has every reason to consider himself to be in a state of inertial motion." - Peter Coles, Cosmology: A Very Short Introduction, p.20

2. Scream "F***ing scientists & their f***ing experiments!!!!!!!!!!!" (note to self: will probably come out as 'AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!')

In little pieces

Lavondyss (sequel to Mythago Wood) is mind-screwy.

Why does it take me 4hrs to write a harmless email? It's just 2 lines! I have become totally paranoid. I fiddled endlessly with the email and ended up taking a really deep breath & sending out the original version.

What is wrong with me???? I remember the days when I'd shoot emails to friends & lecturers alike with nary a second thought.

I totally understand LSB *gives LSB commiserating pats on back* when he says that you need to be distracted from work in order to do work. That's the story of my life.

I spent a mini-fortune on my hair today, but I have a bad feeling it's not going to last.

I also feel like playing the piano, but I can't, just in case our neighbour set fire to our house.

Grrr. I feel like I need to bite something.

Collecting

So, the question is - though obviously I should be thinking about more important things like, should I or should I not buy an eyepatch in my new home by the sea and wear it for the rest of my days, or will that be an unwelcome reminder of the Viking days when someone's great great great great great grandfather got cleav'd in two, and thus result in my attaining the same fate in most delay'd vengeance? - have I become a collector of perfume? This is a big question for me, of course, because *collectors* are bespectacled old men who inevitably get murdered for the crown jewel (sometimes literally) of their collection, or old spinsters who die smothered by their collection falling on them.

I was traipsing through Far East the other day, when I randomly decided to visit a perfume discounter, and spotted a bottle of Hiris. The salesgirl checked the price for me, and to both our astonishment (she even doublechecked her ledger), it was a mere SGD30! A handful of pennies, I say, so I carelessly threw the amount on the counter and instructed the girl to wrap it up and send it to my address. (Actually, I paid by NETS & told them I didn't need the plastic bag.)

So, anyway, am I a collector? Cos I sure feel like one. I catch myself thinking thoughts like 'I don't think I'd wear that perfume, but it's a must-have, so I need to buy it *obsesses*'. And 'I think I don't quite have enough rose scents, or ginger ones. Maybe I should check out the reviews & discounters.'

Also, I didn't need to buy Hiris... I don't *need* it, I have Infusion d'Iris & Iris Nobile sitting prettily in my collection already...

OMFGWBTFF (I don't know what this means, btw - Oh My F* Gorillas' Warts But That's F* Flatulent?) I AM a collector!

And you know, if my collection comes crashing down on me, the smell will cover up the stink of my rotting body, so it would take days more for the neighbours to finally ring up the police. I will be the most perfumed corpse east of the sun.

_____________________________________

Oh, & 1 more bit of perfume & moi TMI news - I've been enjoying Guardian's ginger body lotion (SGD1.95!) layered with L'Occitane's Honey & Lemon perfume (SGD... never mind), and occasionally tinged with unknown Japanese lip balm with a wonderful rose scent (SGD3 or so). The whole combination makes me feel rather... organic. But in any case! *recovers from yet another inane remark* There's something about ginger & honey & lemon & rose that comes through really well when combined with (erm... I don't know how else to say this...) body warmth. It's like all these delicious scents get heated up on the skin & start wafting here & there... *trails off into merciful silence*

Mythago Wood

Just bought Mythago Wood from Kino on a whim today, and as usual, eyes practically glued to the book till I was done. (note: glued eyes not indicator of quality as happenes with every fiction book. Opposite effect observed with non-fiction.) (Sorry LSB, will still finish stuff on time.)

I've realised I'm no good at reviews, mostly because I seldom emerge from any book with any coherent thought, more of vague impressions and feelings. Mythago Wood is dark and scary and rather intense, not the type of book you'd like to finish reading at 2am, with nobody around to talk to. There're certain books & films that you finish with a certain... warped sense of reality, usually in a 'time is out of joint' and slightly unpleasant way. Which testifies to the superbness of the work, btw. Perhaps the word I'm looking for is 'haunting'... yet 'haunting' does not adequately convey the very small but primal core of fear created by this book. It's more like waking from a nightmare and being momentarily unable to differentiate dream from reality, disoriented and half-certain that the scary but wondrous creatures of the dark are about to pounce. (In a magical way. Full of mythology, adventure and strange, frightening things that lurk just a step beyond human knowledge.)

So I've put on the music, and pilfered some ham & cheese (yay ham & cheese! all hail marketing day, when there's still ham & cheese in the house!) from the fridge, poured myself a cup of rose tea, and am now waiting for the sense of normalcy to return. Anyway, excellent book, highly recommended.

Also, I have a feeling my mood last night was rather affected by a partial reading of Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being. Suggest LSB read his copy when he has the time.

(Yes, I communicate with LSB via my blog. It's rather strange and almost exhibitionist, but I can't be bothered to sms/email/MSN, and I don't think he'd appreciate me calling with a book recommendation at this time.)

(Also, I think that for a few moments after reading a book, my writing style mimics the author's. The 1st 2 paragraphs of this blog entry are very... Mythago Wood. It's slightly scary to think of myself as an unconscious writer's chameleon, it's almost as if I'm living out the 'atmosphere' of the book. Hmmm ok I'm frightening myself.)