It's been an overworked year and 4 days. There's been learning, joy, laughter, pain, tears and suffering involved. Growing up's hard work; I want the simple life: living off and giving back to the magically regenerating abundance of Nature, appreciating sunrises and sunsets, marking time by the seasons, knowing weather patterns by looking at clouds. The rural dweller in me is yearning to get out of a design- sweatshop job with over-long hours devoted to the blinding computer screen and an over-reliance on technology. I need to plan my route out. To work with my hands. To make, to create with love, to go for walks, to breathe the fresh air and smile. Yes, by George, I will do that indeed.

The 2010 ikea cataloge is out. Much happiness from cheap furniture porn.

So freaking good it blows.
Every time.
Can't listen to it on loop.
I can't breathe after each replay.

Randomness: a lucky seven

1. Though Gertrude Stein's work tends to give me a slight humming throb someplace above my eyebrows, I found this really hilarious.

2. New favourite word to describe someone cool (thanks, Sri): enigmatic (sadly Sri wasn't describing me)

3. The black cat in my life is feeling a little emo today; might've lost a fight sometime last night. Again.

4. 2 days til Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens! So excited! R's got me tickets!! The countdown is getting quite intense (from about 10 months ago - thanks so much, R!).

5. Wishes you make when you see shooting stars may not always come true immediately.

6. The moment I *think* I've lost a friend's expensive Japanese magazine and decide to buy one back for him, it will mysteriously turn up right under my nose on a bookshelf I check very often.

7. Have been hopelessly addicted to this song for about the past fortnight now. Have have have to play it on loop at least 4 times daily. Gah. Along with a Sascha Funke remix of a Gui Boratto song, some Elliot Smith, and definitely, still, the Killers, and lately, Ladyhawke. (Thanks, S!)

After a third failed attempt at Circuit Assessment (no more third time lucky - the cycle of threes has been broken!), the allure of motorbike-riding begged itself to be relooked. No, I don't feel liberated with the wind on my face and air around my knees and elbows; riding at 90kmph with impatient asshole drivers on the Central Expressway scares the shite out of me; watching motorcyclists become prime victims of traffic accidents gives me the worst kinds of premonitions; crashing my bike with a pillion rider behind me isn't particularly exciting, either.

But now, at Lesson 5 out of 7 (most lessons with innumerable repeats), the show must go on. When I have a bike license, the luxury will be in the choice I make: whether I ride, or not. Whether I choose to take public transport; or have no choice but to take public transport. Being given the opportunity to make that choice - therein lies the luxury.

By the ever witty and Neil Gaiman:

I Google you
late at night when I don’t know what to do
I find photos
you’ve forgotten
you were in
put up by your friends

I Google you
when the day is done and everything is through
I read your journal
that you kept
that month in France
I’ve watched you dance

And I’m pleased your name is practically unique
it’s only you and
a would-be PhD in Chesapeake
who writes papers on
the structure of the sun
I’ve read each one

I know that I
should let you fade
but there’s that box
and there’s your name
somehow it never makes the pain
grow less or fade or disappear
I think that I should save my soul and
I should crawl back in my hole
But it’s too easy just to fold
and type your name again
I fear
I google you
Whenever I’m alone and feeling blue
And each scrap of information
That I gather
says you’ve got somebody new
And it really shouldn’t matter
ought to blow up my computer
but instead….
I google you

And here it is, sung by the ever lovely half of the Dresden Dolls, Amanda Palmer:



I like having Gaiman-inspired ideas floating and flitting about in my head all day. Very agreeable.

In a time when it was I was lost without oversized t-shirts, when I was unsure of what I'd do if I didn't belong, when staying back in school was something the popular girls did, when petty personal friendships were all that mattered (besides schoolwork, of course), when matte silver spectacle rims and braces were what I had, when Pretty Woman was risque (to me at least), this song brings back much memories. Love love love Roxette.

Have not much love for these sugar-coated marshmallow Peeps, but seeing these photos from here has rekindled my dream of working, someday, in a candy factory. Or a candy store. Or as a sweet-maker.


Freshly pressed Peeps are seen before they are coated with yellow sugar as they move along the production line.


Peeps have their eyes imprinted.


Jimmy Case, an employee at Just Born picks out badly formed Peeps from the production line.


Marshmallow Peeps are dropped into boxes from the production line for packaging.

I know Easter was some weekends ago, but! Better late than never, I always say.