My Bucket List

1. Create a collection of perfume that I really love
2. Visit Scotland as many times as I like
3. Read about the history of Scotland
4. Never feel trapped
5. Have a month-long (real) holiday somewhere I don’t usually live
6. Write a non-academic book
7. Share a good bottle of wine with a good friend at least once a month
8. Travel somewhere at least twice a year
9. Visit Italy again
10. Read at least 1 ‘fun’ book every month
11. Have at least 1 splurge meal every month
12. Always look out for new music to listen to
13. Go for a concert or play at least once a year

I need to learn how to play the flute!

Poor whale :(

The Loneliest Mystery of the Deep

For the last 12 years, a single solitary whale whose vocalizations match no known living species has been tracked across the Northeast Pacific. Its wanderings match no known migratory patterns of any living whale species. Its vocalizations have also subtly deepened over the years, indicating that the whale is maturing and ageing. And, during the entire 12 year span that it has been tracked, it has been calling out for contact from others of its own kind.

It has received no answer. Nor will it ever.

Sleepy shopping

I often go grocery shopping when I'm sleepy and have lots of work to do, on the assumption that I'll have no time to cook, and will need to food to keep me awake. Unfortunately, this means I often go shopping while half asleep and preoccupied with thoughts other than 'Do I need milk?'

Anyhoos, that's what happened today, and I wasn't really thinking about what I was taking off the shelves until I checked out:

1. 1 small tub of chocolate swirl ice-cream
2. 1 bottle of Coke
3. 1 bottle of Diet Coke
4. 2 cans of Red Bull
5. Tiramisu

Comfort food + Caffeine. I have my priorities straight.

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Woohoo new blog design! I was a bit sick of the old bimbotic pink one, and wanted something a bit more sober, calmer, quieter... you know, to reflect my all grown up personality now. Also, my eyes ached from looking at the old design. Ah, the perils of growing old...

Billie Holiday, Audrey Tatou and Chanel No. 5

To be honest, I like the song more than the commercial.

The Animals

A friend introduced me to The Animals, and I'm sold!

Return to Aberystwyth

The train ride to Aberystwyth has the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Everytime I take the train, the scenery's a little different. The last time I took the train, it was early morning, and the fields and valleys were mist-shrouded in the semi-darkness. When I came back to Aberystwyth after the summer, it was a fiery sunset bursting through grey-blue clouds. This time, the trees were still bare from the cold, but the fields were covered with grass, and the glaring January sun had to shine through dusty train windows.



I couldn't manage to upload the video directly to blogger *shakes fist*, so I had to upload it on youtube first. And of course, I managed to capture the most boring bit of scenery. There were also quaint little cottages and flocks of sheep running away, startled by the train, and a whole - flock isn't even the word now - horde of ducks in the marshes, and horses, and sun-drenched valleys, and shadows of clouds on the hills. And then when the train nears Aberystwyth, the land flattens out into wide plains, and meandering rivers, surrounded by a wide berth of hills. When I finally stepped into my room, I was greeted by a rainbow of colours thrown by the crystals I'd hung at my window.

Quirkiness

I love looking at other people's homes, especially when they're as lovely and creative as this one.

However, what really got me was this - "The stabby thing is a frog spear from Erie Basin that I gave to Robin as an anniversary gift".

If anybody gives me a frog spear for any reason, whatever the occasion is (well, unless it's a frog-spearing occasion. But. Unlikely.), I will use it to stab the gifter and consider it an appropriate use of the amphibian-murdering weapon.

I'm just not quirky enough.

DIY bungee jumping (aka my stomach turned itself inside out)

The Great Bedroom Backtrack

Lavender Bedroom

• Quoizel QR49278 La Crysta Large Mirror With 2 Lights in Gold Finch from Littman Bros, $699.99
• Marquis Antiqued Leather Upholstered Hall Chest Cabinet from Wild Orchid Quilts, $279.93
• Roost Metro Mirrors from Velocity Art and Design, $213
• Lawrence Home Fashions Lavender Dreams Duvet from The Great Indoors, $169.99
• Tuscan Gold/ Pewter 6 light Chandelier from overstock.com, $159.99
• Graphic Damask Wallpaper - York from Burke Decor, $90
• Court Of Versailles "Belle Epoque" Bath Accessories from Bloomingdales, $87.50
• French Lavender Scented Pillar Candle Gift Set from Colonial Candle, $37
• Sterling Gold Flute from Waterford, $30
• Lavender Heart-Shaped Wreath from Lillian Vernon, $10.98

On the other hand, who am I kidding - I'd love to have a glamorous bedroom like this!

Moodboards for Living

I've been playing with the moodboards on the mydeco boutique. (note: it's actually a competition) Methinks I actually have a certain style that I kind of gravitate towards. Behold:

Moodboard 1:

Red-Black-Blue

• Tabletop Fountains from Exalted Fountains, $3,625
• CONTENT BY CONRAN 59TH STREET ARMCHAIR from Conran Shop, $1,425
• Butler Handpainted Bordeaux Striped Chest from The Dresser & Chest Superstore, $1,247
• Heritage Collection Black Wood Queen Size Bed from Visiondecor, $574.99
• Hillsdale Furniture Stratton Swivel Counter Stool (4259-826) from The Bar Stool Superstore, $219
• Winsome Timer Coffee Table with Drawers and Shelf Coffee Table from The Coffee Table Superstore, $147.99
• Chinoiserie Pillows from Linenplace, $112
• Corsica Round Buttoned Cushion Pacific from etoile home, $105
• MINI QUAD BLACK ALARM CLOCK from Conran Shop, $90
• Oscar Round Cushion Black from etoile home, $45
• Oxo Softworks Click Enamel Kettle - Red from Target, $35.29
• Cow Salt and Pepper Set from Sur La Table, $9.95
• Tulip - Wall Decals Stickers Appliques Home Decor from Blancho Bedding , $8.89
• Chocolate Cherry Tomato from Gurneys, $3.99

Moodboard 2:

Living Room Casual

• Eho Studios Compact Jadea Sectional Sofa Set from One Way Furniture, $1,899
• Claw Foot Black Coffee Table from Bellacor, $448
• Cooper Classics Sunburst Gold Mirror from Cymax, $359.99
• Thomas Paul Feather Tufted Pile Rug from Velocity Art and Design, $270
• Quoizel Table Lamp in Bronze part of the Mica Naturals Collection from Lighting Catalog, $269.99
• ilMettinsieme Double Valet Clothes Stand from Colorful Styles, $262.99
• President Abraham Lincoln: Classic Art Reproduction from Design Toscano, $199
• Saucer Black/Pink Chair from The Light Shop, $175
• Alessi Mediterraneo Fruit Holder from Velocity Art and Design, $130
• Thomas O'Brien Darby Wine Decanter from Сooking, $119.95
• Winsome Capri Set Of 6 Foldable Fabric Storage Baskets - Black from Sears, $49.49
• Guinea Pig Money Box from Cath Kidston USA, $26

I don't really like styles that are overly minimalistic (e.g. all-white houses) or ornate (e.g. too many chandeliers, gilded furniture, & embroidered cushions). I kinda dig the casual-playful-eclectic styles. Something that's easy to live in.

Ah... the nesting instincts.

Sobering thought

I think I'll need to start writing more, not just assignments, but in general. I'm starting to find that writing doesn't come as easily to me as it once did. This is partly because I'm writing denser (& hopefully more sophisticated) arguments, partly because the stakes are higher and I'm therefore more cautious about what I write. But it's also because I don't write as much anymore, on my blog or for assignments. Yes, I write much longer papers now, but I don't write as MANY papers. I need to get into the habit of writing stuff / nonsense again.

I remember you as you were, Pablo Neruda

I remember you as you were in the last autumn.
You were the grey beret and the still heart.
In your eyes the flames of the twilight fought on.
And the leaves fell in the water of your soul.

Clasping my arms like a climbing plant
the leaves garnered your voice, that was slow and at peace.
Bonfire of awe in which my thirst was burning.
Sweet blue hyacinth twisted over my soul.

I feel your eyes traveling, and the autumn is far off:
Grey beret, voice of a bird, heart like a house
Towards which my deep longings migrated
And my kisses fell, happy as embers.

Sky from a ship. Field from the hills:
Your memory is made of light, of smoke, of a still pond!
Beyond your eyes, farther on, the evenings were blazing.
Dry autumn leaves revolved in your soul.

Pablo Neruda

Lost in the Forest, Pablo Neruda

Lost in the forest, I broke off a dark twig
and lifted its whisper to my thirsty lips:
maybe it was the voice of the rain crying,
a cracked bell, or a torn heart.

Something from far off it seemed
deep and secret to me, hidden by the earth,
a shout muffled by huge autumns,
by the moist half-open darkness of the leaves.

Wakening from the dreaming forest there, the hazel-sprig
sang under my tongue, its drifting fragrance
climbed up through my conscious mind

as if suddenly the roots I had left behind
cried out to me, the land I had lost with my childhood---
and I stopped, wounded by the wandering scent.

Pablo Neruda

Stravinsky, Petrushka

I was wondering whether Petrushka's good to have swirling around in your head while you're trying to write a bigass paper, but then I realised that I was just getting distracted from work by the thought of the music possibly distracting me from work.

11,000 words to go!

The Last Stand

What does one do when there's only 1 cookie left? Do you wait until the urge to eat it become unbearable, or do you eat it immediately so you can get cookies off your mind?

working late again

Who gets cravings for olives at 6am after staying up all (read: most of the) night?

Don't see the sorrow

Psychostick

I've been laughing my head off listening to this band my friend introduced to me.




And of course...

Working at 430am

I'm sitting at my table with a purple checkered fleece blanket wrapped around me, held fast by a glittery brooch. I'm also wearing a hairband, and am wearing argyle socks. Oh and my fingerless hobo gloves.

Cold weather makes me feel so grandmotherly. In a sort of eccentric, homeless but still somehow blingy way.

Though to tell the truth, the fleece blanket feels incredibly soft and is an wonderfully soft and pretty colour (it might be checkered, but not in a Scottish tartan way. Even though I bought it from Edinburgh Woolen Mill).

ARGH I'm so grandmotherly! Luckily I'm working late at night, so I can wander around without scaring my housemates half to death.

Incidentally (in case I haven't traumatised you enough), I came back from buying groceries today to find a gigantic half-dead earthworm smeared on my boots. It must have been more than 15cm long!