Let It Snow

This post is a tad late for the spell of chill that engulfed Britain for the past couple of days, but anyway... there was one inch of snow that created enough chaos on Wednesday. Tube services were 'severely delayed' (non-functional?) and my 40-minute trip to uni turned into ninety. I should've taken the tube to Osterley instead to enjoy the sceneries (given Wednesday is my day off), but oh well...

Hopefully there's five inches of snow the next time Christmas is around.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

(scent from home)

So I decided to stock up on some sleep right after the previous post, later waking up at 4AM to do some work. All went well until I went to the toilet... and noticed a very very familiar scent wafting in the air. It was the scent of Mbak Parni's ayam goreng bumbu kuning, and it was frighteningly real. Spooky stuff.

After a quick Google search, it turns out the recipe isn't exactly complicated (just like what she told me), the cooking is the complicated part. Boil the chicken till the stock is reduced, then deep-fry it - well, if it's properly cooked *that* way, the avian flu virus would be long dead. And I would be rejoicing with eight pieces of home-style fried chicken.

At the end, it might be just me who's craving for more home food.

(winter chill)

Tonight is going to be my first night sleeping with the window closed.

The Arctic wind has brought about the much-awaited winter chill into London. Out of about five months living in London, I have always kept my bedroom window ajar no matter what the weather is like - simply because I love fresh air and don't mind having a bit of a cool room. Today is another story altogether... as I need to de-freeze my hands to work with.

The weather has been noticeably cooler since last weekend - this morning was the first time I was forced to come back home (after venturing out for less than 20 seconds) to grab a hat and keep my head warm. The forecast predicts the temperature to slide right down to around freezing point this coming Wednesday, which is good since I haven't even touched my pile of thermal underwears... and it's January already.

Another issue I come up with is working in groups during 3D Workshop classes - for the past fortnight I ended up working with this girl who has a completely different idea of what constitutes a fashionable outfit. She wants to volumize everything, I want to pare things down; it was like one keeps on undoing the other's work. I don't think she's the classmate from hell, but probably both of us are going to be better off... working in different groups. Well, at least that's how I see it for now.

Ah well, since my fingers have de-frozen enough to start working, till later then. Take care! ^__^

Here For Life

He starts to blog.

I have my hopes, dreams and desires somewhere else. I'm in what I am doing not for play or spending time tucked away in a distant place. Even when I've been misunderstood, I don't go on a hating rampage. So long, my friend... just keep in touch.

Gonna play another song and take my time
Every way I give the best that I can find
Can I make a love that stays, reflects divine?
Hold a little bit closer, grow a little bit older

And I know that I'm here for life
It ain't over
And I'm here for life

Wall and Piece

Last month, I was going through my list of possible researches. On the suggested list of artists (which are often composed by proper first and last names), the name 'Banksy' pretty much stood out. His works are often bordering on the illegal side of things, but they stand as a refreshment in the midst of the often stuffed-up world of art. The controversy and myth surrounding his true identity and his track record with the Met (a.k.a. the policemen and -women of London) only fuels to his rise to fame.

I have gone through Wall and Piece twice, each time snickering happily at the satirical jokes he pokes at the establishment... although I wouldn't consider him as a pure anti-establishment graffiti artist. He's just rebellious in a refreshing way ^^ However regular and strict our sense of decorum may be, there is always going to be a part of human character that is slightly offbeat and evil, no matter how rational and proper humans attempt to be. Banksy's works are what makes me think of tagging as a public nuisance, but of proper graffiti art as a means of providing some food for thought.

If you still believe he has not the slightest eligibility to be considered an artist, let me say one thing... how many people get their artworks auctioned in Sotheby's while they are relatively new to the art scene, with a starting bid of over £100,000?

Well then, I rest my case ^^

Goong

The reason why I do a post on this now-infamous and internationally acknowledged manhwa-cum-soap series is because its phenomenal effect on the design industry. As half of the world's population reside in Asia, what Asia dictates in terms of trends would eventually sway into Europe (or so I believe.) I am planning to purchase the artbook the moment it becomes available... well... hopefully it would become available soon. The manhwa's finished illustrations are extremely stylish and frighteningly detailed... in a manner similar to Clamp.

Alright, time to go to uni! Today's lesson is an interesting one... it's called 'Design History'. On week 8 it would be even more interesting as we would have the chance to refer to international design...

(If you are wondering how I got into Goong, it was first the comic books. Then it was the music, and the whole series on YouTube. There goes benefits of globalisation ^^ )

Put Your Records On

Before the last day of 2006, I have always thought that 2003 was the year I would always look back to. It's a pity I hadn't started blogging back then (this started just prior to my final exam period in 2004), but yeah... I did have the idea of blogging back then. It simply took a year for this lazy-ish bum to gather the momentum and keep a blog on a regular basis. On this note, I apologise for the meagre offering of posts I did last month >.<

2006
- made new friends with people from uni
- learning to live in somebody else's house
- moved to London
- did that MI thing (kinda liked it :p) and made friends with people I wouldn't normally come across
- quit my job... and later found out on that I do miss that feeling when my paycheck is in my bank account
- got accepted into art school
- went to Melbourne on holiday (again)
- had fun and learnt a lot of things from work
- *almost* nuked one guy dead for being ungentlemanly. Hilariously enough, now I have lost the vigor to do so
- came to term with myself
- lost the 2005 fun boss and got another one... (who was just as fun)

2005
- spent first Christmas away from my parents
- went to a fashion show for the first time (doh, and I call myself a clothes addict)
- salivated over my work colleagues' bonus pay (I was too 'new' to have passed the requisite no-bonus-pay period)
- went to Melbourne on holiday
- had fun crashing into parties in good dresses
- earned money (feels nice)
- had a wickedly fun boss at work
- had the courage to move to Jakarta
- got a job on my own! :D
- graduated...
- got offered a place in law school (later rebelled and deserted the course)

2004
- worked in PwC... yeah. And decided to stay out of the waters.
- started blogging
- watched myself going down the drain, mentally
- trashed study results
- turned into an emotional wreck

2003
- made some of life's decisions
- had fun
- had fun
- got good marks
- had fun
- had good fun
- had a good summer with my dog
- well... I just enjoyed myself, I guess

Gosh! It seemed I liked 2003 because I had fun the most. 2004 felt like it flew out of the window. I now come to the conclusion that life is what we make it to be. If you feel like smashing it on a wall, it will make you be smashed, battered and bruised. If you try to build it, it turns into your stepping stones.

When I turn old and have grandkids (and lots of time to spare), I don't want to compare one year to the others to find out that the year I'm living in is not better than a previous one. I don't want to find out that some of my years simply flew away. I simply want to live to my fullest capacities, and savour each and every moment that come by. Then, the memories of these moments will become my treasures.

Now, let's start treasure hunting (and collecting.)

Have a good 2007, everyone! ^_____^

Three little birds sat on my window
And they told me I don't need to worry
Summer came like cinnamon, so sweet
Little girls double-dutch on the concrete

Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Oh, don't you hesitate

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams
Just go ahead, let your hair down

You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow

Blue as the sky, sunburnt and lonely
Sipping tea in the bar by the roadside (just relax, just relax!)
Don't you let those other boys fool you
Got to love that afro hair do

Maybe sometimes, we feel afraid, but it's alright
The more you stay the same, the more they seem to change
Don't you think it's strange?

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams
Just go ahead, let your hair down

You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow