sweatbag notes

Hello!
I've been having some sort of holiday for the past two weeks. With second year now firmly behind me, the trials and tribulations of third year awaits (it actually have started quite gently this summer.) My academic course leader sternly told us to 'get fit and start going to the gym now' because third year would be like a boot camp... although I prefer swimming over treadmills. I would use the Eurostar more often. And I would probably sport this kind of expression more often:


That aside, I have been holidaying on the right side of the Channel last week. It... was....... niiiiiice. I like it! :D Although this year it was quite hot in summer with temperatures reaching (and occasionally exceeding) 30°C, which means I was walking around like a sweatbag. Not an appetising description, I know, but illustrative and quite accurate. It was like Jakarta minus the smoke and abang-abang.

One thing that I really liked about summer, despite the temperature, is the amount of extra sunlight we get. In London, the sun rises up before 5AM in high summer. When he was around, my father made a remark about how I was late for work because it was already 6:30 in the morning and I was still in bed (the plan was to 'tube' for 20 minutes to catch a train departing Waterloo at 6:50AM.) To which... I sleepily told him that it was still 4AM. Bright, blue-sky 4AM. Well... the sunset helps too - it's still quite bright at 9PM, the darkness only setting in about half an hour later. Summer equals a whole lot more of sunlight.

Which bring me to the point of An Inconvenient Truth. I borrowed this book from the library out of unplanned curiosity, and read about Earth's annual cycle of 'breathing in' and 'breathing out'. Since most of the landmass (and by implication greeneries) are north of the equator line, and since there is more photosynthesis happening at summertime due to increased sunlight, there is more CO2 absorbed from the world during the northern hemisphere's spring and summer seasons. Vice versa, there is less CO2 absorbed during the winter seasons. This may partially explain why I feel so energised in spring and summer... maybe it's psychological and physiological after all.

There were a few solutions I was thinking of as well: meltwater pools absorb more heat and fasten the disappearance of icebergs... use mirrors? Reflect more light back into space?? This kind of solution is BandAid-style and would probably mitigate very little problems.

Anyhoo, that's probably what I have to say for now.
Comments?

Day 5

Most chronicled stories start with 'Day 1' or something to the effect of starting anew, but I'll start with this anyway... since I'm doing this on Day 5.

The weather was dreary when we landed on Wednesday, but it was quickly replaced with clearer skies (and soaring temperatures) over the weekend. Today it's balmy but not overly hot.

Today is also the last day of bake-off for the year at a certain ceramic cafe. I would most likely try to go there and paint/make something before the year ends, although I'm not fully committing myself to do so.

On the LAX-MEL leg of journey I managed to read through two books; one of them being the notable Animal Farm. If one manages to get past the introductory chapters (which are basically reviews of the book - skip it), the story is a modern-day fairytale with pepperings of socio-political issues. It's a thoughtful book that is at once amusing, and it's short... so go ahead and read it.

Other than that, I found perpetual Arctic sunset to be... strange.
And Arctic night to be of a certain undefinable wash of colours.

So, that is the update so far. Happy Christmas everyone :))

(am I ranting or what?!)

I was looking at a few articles on a rather contemptious topic to discuss (i.e. one related to the blocking of several user-generated content sites). In particular, I'm referring to the Xenophobic and Commander parts of avianto's post. Here they come.

"Indonesians are one of the most xenophobic and racist people in the world."
Of course not. Some of us are normal.
We merely ask from which part of the country people come from.
We revel in gushing to others where we come from.
We think it's great knowing people from different ethnic groups, but when it comes to inter-ethnic marriages we just think that's too far-fetched.
We think fair colouring is solely and purely because of non-indigenous gene mix.
We're always curious to know how much genes 'belong' to certain groups of distinct ethnicity.

Humans are prone to creatively using prejudice to pad out bits of information they lack in decision-making, and they furnish the lacking bits a tad too well (I'm still prone to this.) To make it worse, the world is locked in some sort of mental argumentative state where being able to defeat or demean an opposing party is a quality highly touted, despite best efforts to dress the shallowness of concepts in eloquent words (I'm prone to this, too.) We prejudice too much, shut our eyes and ears and minds too often, and revel in getting things done one way *with a stomp* and not the other.
Anyone can be xenophobic and racist, Indonesian or not.

Keep your eyes open for things that dispel preconceived, it-should-work-this-way ideas. Simply keep your senses peeled, just in case your eyes fail you. And if they still fail you? ...I don't know. I just hope a divine Somebody knocks me out of the road to metaphorical sensory failure.

Why not look at other ways of solving problems, and more importantly keep eyes fixed on the main aim of pursuing a particular project? As I learn today, there are three different ways to put together a particular sleeve opening that looks exactly the same on the inside and outside. Just think about how many ways could really be done if only the outside needs to look the same, or if the sleeve ovening simply needs to function a certain way.

...I could probably write a book out of prejudices thrown at me, and make money out of it. That is not bad at all, hee hee ^__^

P.S. for bookhunting, look at this one and that one. Enjoy!

(mad hatter)

Here's a fun video to watch... enjoy!

Striking imagery. Can't help but wonder why RCA millinery graduates have plenty of the wild side in them... look here too for more crazed imagery.

Street: the Nylon Book of Global Style

I came across this book at a museum today.

It reminds me of a less extreme, more global version of Fruits. It makes me want to hop to Copenhagen, Berlin and Tokyo (the cities I haven't been to... twice.) It makes me want to go to a Denim exhibition in Paris (yes, yes...) It makes me happy to read that London was listed first in this book - even before Paris! It also makes me want to come to Melbourne again. To be hand-picked and listed as one of the world's more creative fashion cities is no small feat for a provincial city of four million. The city changed my attitude towards fashion. And no, we don't need an Opera House in our little backyard to do the job.

I guess that's one reason why I love Melbourne so much ^__^

Design Management

Another day spent at the library (so far.)

Being who I am and with what I got used to read, I am at home with both word-y and picture-y books. I'm blogging from the LCC library in E&C. The reason why I'm in this particular library (instead of the more study-related LCF or CSM CX libraries) was because of its abundance of eMacs - I thought I could use them for sound-editing. Well, to say the least my hypothesis proved wrong and I would have to go somewhere else to do my work.

As I was already in another part of the town I don't usually visit, I made a point of staying back in the library - reading books I wouldn't normally come across and borrowing DVDs shamelessly. The weekly loan duration at LCC is more generous that CSM Southampton Row's infamous two-day loan policy, which causes stacks of DVD to simultaneously 'disappear' on Saturdays only to reappear late Monday evenings (or even later if the borrowers could afford a hefty fine.)

The book I'm reading puts the process of design in a business framework (a pet topic of mine).
Surprisingly, it contains more practical relationship-developing advices than most relationship-related self-help books I have come across. It comes across as a bit odd, but since us designers are an odd bunch anyway... I wouldn't have much power in arguing how odd it feels to read relationship tips in a corporate-geared design process book. Especially more so with movies like The Corporation...

So many things to read and watch, so little time. And yes, I still have the sound-editing to do too. Any help offered, pretty please? :D

P.S. self-confessed Moleskine addict is on her crack hit #5: the large squared notebook. No signs of addiction abating anytime soon.

De-Lovely

My sister has a... weakness.
Whenever she comes back from the cinema, she would be most predisposed to share about her excitements and, unavoidably, the storyline of whatever movie she just watched. This situation has happened to a number of must-see movies (I could accurately recall her blabbing about these three blockbusters), and De-Lovely was no exception. It usually takes me several years to un-memorize whatever voluntary reviews she shared with me, after which I would start the hunt for movies on DVDs.

Let's say she was very impressed with De-Lovely she immediately proceeded to purchase the movie's soundtrack CD. I have listened to the CD's tracks to death since then, and have come to love some of them. The songs gave me a definite (if not slightly hazy) idea of the movie's major story arc. However, I still had lots of "huh? Shouldn't it go this way..." moments while watching the movie. The songs - which have a general upbeat jazzy mood - concealed a darker struggle the characters had to deal with. And yes, I find this concealment idea interesting...

All in all, it was good entertainment. To forget today's the last day of the proms! And it's held not far from where I live... D: Luckily, I still got to see the fireworks. Also, I blabbed about the proms on this blog at this time of the year last year - wow o.O

Finally, I'd say I'm utterly thrilled with the level of service Amazon doles out to its customers. I purchased the De-Lovely DVD late Thursday afternoon, and received it through the mail today... just in time for Saturday night movie-watching.

It does make me feel relying on eBay for better price (nominally) may turn out to be false economy - I'm still waiting for my copy of this book to arrive! There are only three weeks of vacation left, and I'd like to try out a number of things this book instructs upon, so having the book in hand as early as possible helps.

Alright then, have a good weekend ^__^

(a rose would smell as sweet)

Late night, or rather... early morning entry.

I came across this gardening article on Rose of Sharon, also known as Shrub Althea, and feel compelled to post my response upon reading.


"Rose of Sharon is a late bloomer"
Yes, would love to believe so... as long as it's not too late.

"Family lineage connects it ... with other members of the mallow family, including cotton, hollyhock, okra and - believe it or not - even marshmallows"
Cotton? I love Swiss cotton shirts, they feel like silk
Hollyhock? Drought-resistant and have long taproots, wow :))
Okra? Love eating them sauteed :E
Marshmallows... the plant? The humble marshmallow confection started its life as cough suppresant, so it is useful (check wikipedia for more information.)

I didn't expect it to be so hardy... oh, and by the way, it's not a rose.

(to learn)

Mmmm. I found another similar, opinionated girl on the other side of the world... well, not that far, but Finland is still quite a distance away.

I'm glad we both agree that learning isn't limited to classrooms.

Have a nice day! ^__^

Necropolis: London and Its Dead

I was quite suprised to read this book, and even more when I received a link to this scheme.

Due to the 1665 plague, pits were dug in Hyde Park (now a destination for leisurely strolls surrounded by genteel neighbourhoods) to dispose of cadavers of plague victims. Please bear in mind that back then Westminster Abbey was outside London's borders, Camden [possibly] used for grazing sheep, and Knightsbridge nothing more than a village. When the Tube network was developed in the late 19th century, the route from Hyde Park Corner to Knightsbridge had to go around these pits as the construction hit a pile of human remains that was too hard to dig through.

The curves of these pits can still be recognised today.

Signs of mortality is available in abundance around us. I have gotten myself into deep discussions on "what organs you'd donate", the highs and lows of "how you'd prefer to dispose of your body" and other seemingly gruesome topics with friends. I'm glad my friends at school are aware of one of life's two great unavoidables (the other being taxes.) I'm not a morbidity-loving person though, so I wouldn't really get into the kind of mourning cult Queen Victoria sparked one-and-a-half centuries ago.

Gee, what started as an innocent attempt to read outside my genre turns out to be quite a colourful learning experience. I'm going back to modern Middle-Eastern feminism, Elizabethan-era intriques, children's illustrated storybooks, picturebooks and celebrity cooks' cookbooks till I can move on to other 'unrelated' books (see Pact #4 for details.) At the end, I admit this book is still inspiring. I just hope I won't be Victorian enough to splurge on black crepe or bombazine 9__9

I'm going to meet up with Apink and Rudy tomorrow, so better hit the matress now. Take care! :))

The Rabbits

The ability to present a stale issue in fresh ways is amazing.

I came across this illustrator's recently released book in Borders. To put it simply, it's one of the most awe-inspiring picture books I have ever come across. The quality of artworks he produces easily puts me to shame, too, as he's got such a meticulous way of working to back up great research.

When it comes to The Rabbits (which turned out to be CBCA's Picture Book of the Year in 1999) I can't stop picking up minute nuances on the artworks even after going through them many times. Spending £4.99 on what turned out to be a treasure is not regrettable.

On a subdued note, the books reivigorate me and inspire me to do more imaginative works and stop trying to design for a specific market. I need to practise how to approach a stale subject matter in different perspectives. I guess that's why I still have a long way to go.

Have a good day! ^__^

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 ^^ )

(bookish)

It turns out there isn't much in my creativity bank I need to literally visit a museum or go out somewhere to observe something every other day! The peacock idea is undoubtedly a common first-response thinking result, and it isn't something that is going to win a competition. For now, the peacock will just sit nicely on my sketchbook. Sigh... well, experienced design teachers are bound to know the industry's nooks and crannies more than I do. That's why I listen to them -__-

Anyway, I found this interesting questionnaire/meme on b's blog. Let's get on with it.

» One book that changed your life
The Bible. It significantly influences my way of thinking and the way I live.

» One book you’ve read more than once
*glances at stack of books under the table* Kateigaho, 2006 autumn issue... alright, it's a magazine! Dusk Till Dawn is another that I've leaved through for many times.

» One book that you’d want on a desert island
One of those fashion illustration books with a reflective/shiny/holographic hardback cover. They're good for signalling :p (do you know that using reflective items to attract attention when marooned can increase the chance of being rescued?)

» One book that made you laugh
It's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be. (The cash cow illustration is plain hilarious.)

» One book that made you cry
Paulo Coelho's By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept.

» One book that you wish you had written
Whatever you think, think the opposite. I want to have that kind of out-of-the-box, lateral thinking.

» One book you wish had never been written
Publications flunk and books don't always have something worthy to say to its reader, but I don't I would wish for any book to not be written in the first place. Sometimes we just don't realise how good a book is until we stumble upon crappy ones. This is why I'd rather exist along with substandard-quality books.

» One book you are reading at the moment
Minaret by Leila Aboulela.

» One book that you’ve been meaning to read
Fashion design process innovation and practice. Essential reading material.

» Tag five others that you’d like to do this meme
Do I have to? Oh well. The honour goes to my dad, ww, winged0ne, Devi, Mely and calad. (Alright, that's six, but I do want to know what they're up to.) I'm sure you six are avid book readers :D pretty please?

Time. To. Sleep. Yawn... lucky there are no classes on Wednesdays (for now), but gotta wake up early to go to the bank. Will also need to register for extra language classes... which means there are no sleeping in tomorrow/this morning 9__9;

Take care!

(sitting duck)

I went out with Gina on Friday evening.

By the way, I gave my dad a call before leaving the office so that he wouldn't be worried about my whereabouts. The conversation went like this...
"Dad, I'm going out with my friend tonight."
"You're a grown-up girl! Why do you ask me?"
"Well, last week you were looking for me all over the place when I wasn't home by 8:30..."
"But you don't need a permission to go out, right?"
"..." *d'oh.* "Just to let you know."
"Ah. All right, that's fine. Thank you for letting me know."
[some more babble goes here as to where I was going, what I was gonna do etc. And then...]
"So, who are you going out with?"
"A friend. From Melbourne."
"The name?"
"Gina."
"...it's a girl!"
*yeah, and..?* "Erm, do you want me to go out with a guy named Luhut... or Parlin..."
*Dad laughs* "Well, you're going out with a girl!"

That's one funny episode last weekend.

The other funny episode is when we (Gina and I) walked around for a place to eat, we came across this Chinese restaurant familiar to cash-strapped students in Melbourne. To cut it short, it redefined the way the phrase 'sitting duck' means to me.


I'm going to watch Harry Potter next Friday. As for fashion trends, my hunch has been proven right when yesterday I saw the Sunday newspaper inserts. I'm a year early with cutting forecasts ^.6 and almost two years early with the colour scheme.

Work is going on okay at the moment. More time is spent hunched, producing analysis. Sometimes I cringe when I see the financial statements. Sometimes I think what a Comm/Law graduate fully focused to work in his/her trained field thinks when the client ordered some book-cooking to make things look presentable. Is lying up for the 'better of the company and its stakeholders' definitely bad? Is it definitely good? There is no such legalistic measurements I don't think active legislations on corporate disclosure works well enough to eradicate cases like Enron. The downside of a bad clothing collection is not selling enough for a season, but for corporate lawyers/accountants/auditors the dirty laundry comes up too late for reconstructive changes [on the observe corporation] to be carried out.

By the way, someone told me that this blog is written/typed up using complicated English vocabulary. Just to let you know, I read a novel called The Historian during the weekend. The book was thoroughly littered with unfamiliar words I had to resort to a dictionnary while reading it. My mum thought I had forgotten how to communicate in English after working in a local company for months (little did she know I keep a blog in English.) I'm going to re-read the book and actively use some of the words I'm learning in this blog. Here are some examples...
opus = work (I've always thought it meant variations)
hackles = make somebody angry
Well, that's two for now... as for the book itself, I wouldn't recommend it unless if blood, gore or vampires are your thing. I'll stick to Life of Pi instead, English version please.

Going to sleep now. Lots of work to do, but looking forward to days filled with making clothes. Take care!

Mirror Mirror

Just got back from the review meeting away in Puncak. I feel like I was one of the last persons on earth realising the effects of global warming, uncontrolled logging and excessive development in the area. The place was nice and breezy early in the morning and at night, but it was damn hot during the day. So much for the 'resort area' tag. The other funny thing about the meeting was that most of the twenty-six branch heads I came across were just as mischievous as my supervisor (who is just as mischievous, if not more, than me.)

Whew... I'm kinda washed out... for the two days I was there, it was about reviewing various aspects of branch performance. I also had to memorize the face of all branch heads and what branch each of them manages. It started out okay on Day 1... until most of them took a late afternoon shower and changed their clothes. Then I forgot everything >.<

(Marsha, Marsha, remembering only the clothes and not the faces...)

Well, I remember all about the female ones, but didn't quite get to the male ones. Some of these guys' face, who happened to converse with me thoroughly and/or have peculiar coiffure/facial features, still stick in my mind though. Tee hee :p Do I have pictures? Not really. I got this rather ugly-looking shot when everybody were 'locked up' inside the meeting room, but I can't be bothered uploading it. Heh heh heh.

On the other hand, I really want to see pictures from the ICM foodstall celebration. Send it to me, please! It would be even better if you can send it to my office email address... you can ask Ponky or Adhi/malps or anyone else who has it...

I ended up not going to the flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday. The bed proved to be a viable (and highly attractive) alternative on how to spend a non-working day. I then went out with my parents, my mum's siblings and their respective spouse for lunch. I also spent the day reading a book by Paul Coelho, the writer of The Fifth Mountain. The title of the book I read was By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept, which is about a woman in a limbo-like situation. Enough spoilers here, period. I would still like to buy some more of his books though, most likely The Alchemist when my next pay comes ka-ching in.

The last hilarious thing that happened to me during the course of my two-day week was probably... getting a namecard. No, wait a sec. Namecards are normal items. Okay, back to the review meeting in Puncak then. There was this catchphrase/sfx a BoD member made, imitating sfx from some cartoon movies when things went dumbly awry. It was a gawk-wawk-wawk-wawk sound... I don't know if you guys know what I'm talking about. Anyways. I managed to utter a very good imitation of it (or so they thought) it was recorded on one of the department head's mobile phone, and practically passed around to other department/division/branch heads. The next morning I came into the review summary session, the sound that greeted me before I put my bum on the chair was my own gawk-wawk-wawk-wawk from across the room.

Despite all those, I still feel gloomy and dumb from doing some things that are obviously stupid. They aren't related to the meetings in Puncak at all, but still, it's a pretty disheartening thing. Hopefully I'm not getting pessimistic or deeply stressed over it, though.

Tomorrow/today is Sunday... and it's my last chance to catch up on sleep this week. Take care, congratulations to all who made the foodstall celebration happened (miss y'all!), I need to save up for my air tickets next year, and more importantly... I need to find a job over there pronto! ^.^; Or so I thought it would be best for me, for now. Take care :)

Why don't I like the girl I see
The one who's standing right on front of me
Why don't I think before I speak
I should have listened to that voice inside of me
I must be stupid, must be crazy, must be out of my mind
to say the kind of things I said last night

Mirror mirror hanging on the wall
You don't have to tell me who's the biggest fool of all
Mirror mirror I wish you could lie to me
and bring my baby back, bring my baby back to me

Home

Got an email from Unimelb today. It was on the topic of volunteering for Discovery Day. Time does really fly... missing the volunteering days already. Uni life is really one of the best experiences in life (as of today, that is.) This opinion may change in the future 6.^;

Actually, I miss the "volunteer's pay", too...

I've got a floor mate by the name of 'Jarvis'. Luckily, he's one of the people who do not hesitate to hold a conversation in English. It turned out that he spent a substantial amount of time in Atlanta, where there is a sizable gay community. Gay or not, he dresses well for the standards of AAB. (I'll make sure I bring a camera tomorrow.) Hehehe... I like guys in suits. I think guys look better in suits. And just for your curiosity, about 70% of guys think they look better in a suit rather than in a swimming suit. 60% commit to the family-man/power-achiever debate, while only 40% readily commit into the metrosexual/retrosexual debate. This is a sign that the typical macho Malboro Man is near extinction nowadays. Guys, this also means that it is socially acceptable to look after yourselves!! Although I do think [at all times] that it is normal for normal guys to look after themselves. I'm yet to see a guy who enjoys pedicure (other than my dad), but I've known at least two guys who are passionate about cooking ^.^

Last weekend I went to Kelapa Gading with my mum. We were afraid of going through another round of food poisoning, so we ate before leaving home (we ended up with a martabak, anyway.) I was also approached by a weird/geeky-looking guy who was [probably] intent at starting a conversation, so I tried to be polite, exchanged my name and... dashed away. So much for purchasing a martabak.

There's also this new type of martabak called tipker. It's similar to crepes; it was thin (instead of spongy) and has the ubiquitous 'martabak crust' around its edges. I'm gonna try it the next time I get a martabak craving ^^; Plus, it's cheaper and more manageable to finish off when one is alone. I was also surprised the pricing is now determined by the type of butter one chooses to use: either the standard Blueband brand or the fancy Wyjsman brand. Being the glutton, I went for Wyjsman.

I also bought books that day; finished reading them yesterday. The first one was "Deception Point". There's been enough talks and reviews on this book so I'm not going to add anything further than: it's an absorbing book to read. The other one was "The Fifth Mountain" by Paulo Coelho. It was not as engaging, but the character development was more complex and realistic in this book. The story is something any person can relate to. Go read it! I can confidently give my word that you will get a worthwhile lesson on life from this book.

Anyway, other than the song lyrics, you better read "The Fifth Mountain". Take care!

Maybe surrounded by
a million people I
still feel all alone
just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

I've been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
"I'm fine, baby, how are you?"
I would send them but I know that it's just not enough
My words were cold and flat
and you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane
another sunny place
I'm lucky I know
But I wanna go home
Mmm, I've got to go home

Terbang

Today I went to the house on Kanooka, in Clayton, to check on the installed locks. They were fine. Apart from that, we (me and my sister) had a good time harvesting stone fruits from the back garden: nectarines, apples and plums. We brought home so many of them the kitchen now has a sweet smell of fruits. It's really nice! If only smell 'recorders' and re-players' exist... well, I have to admit the garden looked like the Garden of Eden, with the exception of the withering lemon tree. Poor lemon tree... I persuaded Poink to come back there sometime this week when the sun has set, so that we can water the garden and put some mulch. Looking at the garden, it was so relaxing. It definitely should be looked after even when the boarders are filling up the rooms; it's a pity if next summer the harvest would not come. I definitely have to look after it, or else hire someone to tend the garden once every fortnight.

I have also read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. It's apparently a really famous book hence there is no need to put hyperlinks on it. The content was not very surprising (if not giving some interesting insights), given that I have read about some of Da Vinci's findings in art classes. The Mona Lisa definitely did not come as a surpise to me, as it was executed in the same style (minus the sfumato) with Cecilia Gallerani's portrait. I was not surprised with the size of Mona Lisa as well, since I have read and seen it firsthand - it is a true case of "size does not matter". Tiepolo's Cleopatra's Banquet (kept at the National Gallery of Victoria) is over 2.5 metres in height and occupies an area of almost nine square metres; however, it is not as famous as the Mona Lisa.

Besides that, I do not really agree with the generalisation people usually assume upon reading the book. I agree that men and women are equals - not the same, but equals. Yes, I am aware of the existence of the Gnostic Gospels (haven't read them though). Yes, I am aware of what Constantine did in the past. However, if God can manage tsunamis and resurrect people, He surely can manage book publications well - especially the one relating to His own Word. I believe whatever He decided not to mention in the Bible I have in my hands right now is simply because they are of lesser importance to my spiritual growth, and decided that I should know it later on, as in when I have some knowledge of the Word. It is easy to get your trust mixed up... which is why I say to those who are reading the book: if you know what you are reading, you will be fine.

Which makes a bit of a problem... as Rez is about to read it. (Probably it is not my problem, but I am still worried nonetheless.)

Doing art has its own advantages. Sure, you get your fingers dirty and you meddle around in dangerous chemicals all day long, but you also learn to critically appreciate what others do. Even three years is not enough, contrary to what most conservative Asian mid-aged population members think. Seeing deeper than the lines and colours are what art students learn in classes. So when someone tell me studying art is useless activity, don't be surprised if I threw a passionate half-rage testimony of what art studies actually are. Art is not skin deep.

I was also trying to draw this line between the word 'art' and the ancient English form of the second-person verb of 'be' (as known as 'are')... which is 'art'. There must be a link between one's current circumstances and his/her subsequent expressions, which are apparently influenced by the circumstances themselves. Proactive individuals exist, but all of us are reactive in nature.

Today, like yesterday, is really hot. Right now I smell of sweat (yikes!) I miss the near 24/7 air-conditioning environment of Indonesia. This longing may explain today's choice of song. Probably a lot of people will complain, "but it is Indonesian!" Well, if Italian songs (which are obviously non-English) can make their appearance here, why not Indonesian ones too? We often talk about 'being fair' while specifically discriminating certain groups. I'm not trying to be some Western-educated, refined FOB here; just trying to be just..

I'm saving up well with the piggy bank lately. Keeps trying to pay with notes so that I get some loose change and bank them at night. Trying not to rely on plastics, and putting a hard brake on eBay. Boy, it's hard! Hopefully these good habits will develop well :p

Seems like I'm getting sappy by the day; is it only my feelings or is it really happening? To satisfy your curiosity, I have eight chapters to lap off by tomorrow; there's no more comment then. Since the water pipes are getting fixed and will be ready by midnight, I will have to delay taking an extra shower till past midnight. Oh well, past midnight is good enough ^^ Take care!

I feel like dancing.

Terbayang yang terindah
Yang terhampar, berlalulah
Sadarku semuanya
Perasaan rasa cinta

Kaulah yang diinginkan aku
Dari mimpiku, dari mimpiku
Coba terbangkan khayalku
Dari sadarku, dari sadarku...

Cinema Paradiso

It's good to blog again after so many days neglecting it. Well, now at least there's something fresh to read.

To put it shortly, I am in a dilemma. There is this one thing/event I am expecting... let's call it Event X. Now, Event X is something that I would desire (or at least that's what I think of it - desirable), which will probably lead to Event Gamma (something perceived to be good.) There is a good likelihood Event X will occur. Now that Event X is no longer improbable to occur, I should be somewhat happy... right? Not really. Right now I'm really scared should I found out what I have been waiting for will bring other sets of implications. Ouch.

On New Year's Eve, I went to Singapore [again] for another day trip. The MRT map is somewhat emblazoned on my brain. At the Changi MRT station, there was this sign. It basically mentions (in some sort of directive language and suggestive shorthand drawings): no alcohol, no smoking, no eating, no durian. No alcohol - I can understand that, the Government is notoriously known on discouraging alcoholic beverages consumption. No smoking - it makes sense as well from a public health perspective. No eating - it's understandable they want to keep the place spotless (which somewhat explains the lack of rubbish bins in stations.) No durian...?? This, I have never heard of before. The smell is prohibitive though... hahaha... :D

I was shocked to Nokia 7270 (the firelighter-looking one) on sale at Lucky Plaza, as it was supposed to be out in January. It was still expensive though, which drastically reduced its affordability and desirability. At least now I know how it works (managed to suss out the shopkeeper into putting it on show ^^ ) Meals were also priced rock-bottom up there. I ended up spending something like less than $10 on a big meal, a smaller one and nibbles. Wow @.@ no wonder people gain a lot of weight there. There was a couple of uncomfortable glances from the local; couldn't work out why. I looked quite normal that day.

I was also lucky to be able to have a good chat on the flight back to Melbourne with a Melb Uni guy. We talked about lots of issues from the perennial "why study at Melbourne" type of questions to "who actually found the New World" discussions. Oh, I'm recommending everyone here to read the book titled 1421, which basically overthrows common wisdom of who found the New World (e.g. Columbus, Da Gama, Magellan.) There was no direct evidence as the country/people in question had their travel journals burned by government officials, but the artefacts findings were satisfactory. The linguistic, biological and zoological findings as a whole supports the theory. It would be of little surprise, coupled with previous historical knowledge (still remembered from days of primary school education/rote learning), to believe this theory can be reasonably applied as a whole. It is funny as well to learn how Europeans are ultimately the beneficiary of this knowledge.

Since leaving PwC, I've been on a different beat, an escapist's beat. It's true work changes people, I'm just hoping it's a good influence (as in getting me more motivated to study well). I kept thinking about ice skating, cooking, reading history books, jewellery-making, singing and drawing. I seized a university offer on a somewhat impulsive spirit just for the sake of not losing it. All I could think of is "finish this degree, defer the next one and work". I will be missing Melbourne Uni, as it is where I grew up. This might be another first-time syndrome; don't know what to hope, whether it is or not.

The whole city is on sale and if possible, I'd like to go shopping by sometime later this week ^^ and start saving again in February. Oh well, it's late into the week anyway. Aiming for a skirt, sandals, the ruffled shoulder-drape and some gears for the AX night in March - if the plastic permits. It's quite a hit to be earning in Rp and spending in A$, all done when you are away from parents... hehe... missing them... nah, not really. January is usually a bad month since (1) the city's on sale and you'd hate to miss it (2) need to pay for all sorts of bills (3) need to buy uni books. Earlier today I went to this Metropolitan Museum of Art shop and stared at their Fabergé costume jewellery. Well, it's not exactly costume jewellery as it is made out of .925 silver, but it's not the Fabergé atelier-made pieces anyway. For rhinestone-studded, enameled sterling silver, the price they are asking is rather outrageous. Hence the staring and not the buying ^^;

The song lyrics will come later; there's something absurdly wrong with my computer. Oh well, I'm glad it now has got extra leg rooms of 80GB. Heh heh heh heh heh. Yet I will still need to be careful on hard disk usage, as I wouldn't like filling up more than 50% of the disk. It's a psychological (behavioural?) notion brought about by years on less than 10GB and seeing file sizes quadruple over the years. Also happy to bring the satin ribbon roll from Jakarta... it's sooo nice. Anyway, take care and good night! ^o^

Se tu fossi nel mio cuore per un giorno
Potreste avere un'idea
Di chio che sento io
Quando m'abbracci forte a te
E petto a petto, noi
Respiriamo insieme

Miss Vanity

Yes, you do know MegaTokyo.

(If not, check it out!)

Two characters that are of particular interests are Piro and Nanasawa. Piro is a bit slow in terms of reading between the lines, and Nanasawa has her own way of seeing things it challenges her to consider others' points of view. Moreover, Nanasawa is such a grey person it is somehow strangely comforting to know that there is somebody out there (albeit a virtual/imaginary one) who possesses a similar ambience of greyness.

Yeah! Got my dress for the wedding, hence the blog's title. The colour is bubblegum pink (WHAT?!) My brain might've been wired differently when I went there. It's good, it's lovely, but I still don't know why I picked it in the first place. The original colour selection criteria has been (1) black's a no-no (2) it better be bright. Who goes to a wedding looking like a drab going to a funeral anyway. At least my conscience would steer me hard from doing so, with the exception of last weekend's ensemble. The heavy lace dress was some sort of Cinderella's impulse purchase made because it fits. Yes, simply because it fits. The outfit completion was delayed until D-1, where I scoured shops to find the slip to go with it. It almost cost me twice the dress...

I have touched next-to-nothing of Investments... yeah, great. And here I am, blogging. Accompanied by an empty can of Pringles and some rendang (some beef-and-spices-and-coconut-milk concoction). Better end this now.

Going overseas... yeah, it's great, but why at such times?

She'll never be
What you want her be,
you know it's true...
Miss Vanity.