Quotes of the Day #7
More lovely quotes!
I wouldn’t want you to leave this world prematurely because our present circumstances never predict our future.
- Someone said that to some suicidal person
Acceptance and appreciation is the only way forward, because feeling sorry for yourself will take you nowhere.
- Found this on another person's blog, wise words.
You crossed the finish line.
Won the race but lost your mind.
Was it worth it after all?
This one is my new favourite, hehehe:
If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company.
P.S. I found the most lovely residential place in London last week, in Notting Hill! I LOVE the colours, I want my future house to be either yellow, pinkish red or green, like the shades in the photo, but much brighter!
I wouldn’t want you to leave this world prematurely because our present circumstances never predict our future.
- Someone said that to some suicidal person
Acceptance and appreciation is the only way forward, because feeling sorry for yourself will take you nowhere.
- Found this on another person's blog, wise words.
You crossed the finish line.
Won the race but lost your mind.
Was it worth it after all?
This one is my new favourite, hehehe:
If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company.
P.S. I found the most lovely residential place in London last week, in Notting Hill! I LOVE the colours, I want my future house to be either yellow, pinkish red or green, like the shades in the photo, but much brighter!
Cemetries of London
I don't ever walk in cemeteries, but yesterday I had a sudden urge to do so, so I set off for Brompton Cemetery situated rather close to where I live. It was during the day, with plenty of daylight, so I wasn't scared of ghosts and zombies pursuing me. I don't know how often an average person wanders around in a cemetery, but I think it should be done regularly by everyone. Most of us don't encounter or experience death firsthand or secondhand on a daily basis. We know of death and are aware of it, but it feels so far away, like it doesn't apply to us, especially because we are so young.
When I walked in the cemetery yesterday, I was reminded that death is real, death happens to everyone - to the young woman aged 24 whose life had barely begun; to the soldier aged 20 who died during a battle; to the grandad aged 78 who is lovingly missed by his children and grandchildren. The graves belonged to people from all walks of life and all ages, not just the elderly - there were too many people who died far too young. It kind of triggered a feeling of shame inside me: I am not living life as happily as I possibly can, or as appreciately and grateful as I can.
Some of the graves were from centuries ago, like the 1800s. They were mostly overgrown by weeds and looked like no one had tended or visited them for a loooong time. That made me feel a bit sad for the dead - have they been forgotten? Has the remaining family all died as well? Where were the descendants? On the other hand, there were also graves that had a bunch of colorful fresh flowers by it, which made me feel hopeful and happy.
I enjoyed looking at the different tombs the graves had, and the engravings on the stones. Most of the tombs were crosses, and some were angel statues. A lot of them were engraved with the phrase "In loving memory...", although a few had a more personal engraving, like "Name Surname fell alseep on the ##th of ####. Is greatly missed by family." Reading the engravings also made me feel happy and made me smile.
Cementeries are generally a place of great sorrow, but it's really quite refreshing to walk through all the tombs and be reminded of life. Just be sure to do it during daytime!
When I walked in the cemetery yesterday, I was reminded that death is real, death happens to everyone - to the young woman aged 24 whose life had barely begun; to the soldier aged 20 who died during a battle; to the grandad aged 78 who is lovingly missed by his children and grandchildren. The graves belonged to people from all walks of life and all ages, not just the elderly - there were too many people who died far too young. It kind of triggered a feeling of shame inside me: I am not living life as happily as I possibly can, or as appreciately and grateful as I can.
Some of the graves were from centuries ago, like the 1800s. They were mostly overgrown by weeds and looked like no one had tended or visited them for a loooong time. That made me feel a bit sad for the dead - have they been forgotten? Has the remaining family all died as well? Where were the descendants? On the other hand, there were also graves that had a bunch of colorful fresh flowers by it, which made me feel hopeful and happy.
I enjoyed looking at the different tombs the graves had, and the engravings on the stones. Most of the tombs were crosses, and some were angel statues. A lot of them were engraved with the phrase "In loving memory...", although a few had a more personal engraving, like "Name Surname fell alseep on the ##th of ####. Is greatly missed by family." Reading the engravings also made me feel happy and made me smile.
Cementeries are generally a place of great sorrow, but it's really quite refreshing to walk through all the tombs and be reminded of life. Just be sure to do it during daytime!
Magnum Gold?!
Ok, I don't ever do food testing and reporting on my blog, but I have do one for an ice-cream I just had, because Magnum Gold is the shit! There are advertisements of this new golden creation everywhere at the moment, and I have been meaning to try it since aaaages ago, but haven't gotten around until a few hours ago. Which is such a shame, because it is yuuummy.
I heard that the ice-cream is actually gold, which I didn't quite believe until I opened the wrapper today. It is not as gold as a golden necklace, but darn gold enough for an ice-cream. The outer gold layer is the best, because not only can you play with that gold colour for ages, but the chocolate actually tastes really good! The interior is very vanilla and creamy, yumyumyum!
I was overjoyed by my golden lips, hihihi!
Hmm, in retrospect, I do write a fair amount about ice-cream on my blog, don't I? I always go on about having ice-cream out in the sunshine. Maybe I should consider specialising my blog in ice-cream consumption. What do you guys think? :P
I heard that the ice-cream is actually gold, which I didn't quite believe until I opened the wrapper today. It is not as gold as a golden necklace, but darn gold enough for an ice-cream. The outer gold layer is the best, because not only can you play with that gold colour for ages, but the chocolate actually tastes really good! The interior is very vanilla and creamy, yumyumyum!
I was overjoyed by my golden lips, hihihi!
Hmm, in retrospect, I do write a fair amount about ice-cream on my blog, don't I? I always go on about having ice-cream out in the sunshine. Maybe I should consider specialising my blog in ice-cream consumption. What do you guys think? :P
More random photos
Just a few photos from the past few days!
Squirrels are apprently very attracted to BF. When we were walking in a park, the squirrels practically stalked him, and were crawling all over his leg, hmph! I wanted to yell: He is MY BF, leave his leg alone, grr.
And the other day, while in Camden celebrating a friend's birthday, I saw this sign with a pointing arrow that read "Liverpool 302 miles". Hahaha, so effing random. Who the heck would be in Camden, and suddenly wonder about the number of miles away from Liverpool they were at that moment?!
In London, when walking around randomly, it's quite common to encounter a round metal sign with the inscription: "Mr/Mrs Someone, poet/artist/scientist/whatever-tist lived here 1800-1900" or something similar. It's quite cool to know that you're walking where a famous historic person walked. However, usually I have no clue who they are or what their achievements are, but the other day I finally saw a sign of someone that I know of! Sir Alexander Fleming! On a hospital building's wall, the sign said "Sir Alexander Fleming, 1881-1955, discovered PENICILLIN in the second storey room above this plaque." How awesome is that!
Squirrels are apprently very attracted to BF. When we were walking in a park, the squirrels practically stalked him, and were crawling all over his leg, hmph! I wanted to yell: He is MY BF, leave his leg alone, grr.
And the other day, while in Camden celebrating a friend's birthday, I saw this sign with a pointing arrow that read "Liverpool 302 miles". Hahaha, so effing random. Who the heck would be in Camden, and suddenly wonder about the number of miles away from Liverpool they were at that moment?!
In London, when walking around randomly, it's quite common to encounter a round metal sign with the inscription: "Mr/Mrs Someone, poet/artist/scientist/whatever-tist lived here 1800-1900" or something similar. It's quite cool to know that you're walking where a famous historic person walked. However, usually I have no clue who they are or what their achievements are, but the other day I finally saw a sign of someone that I know of! Sir Alexander Fleming! On a hospital building's wall, the sign said "Sir Alexander Fleming, 1881-1955, discovered PENICILLIN in the second storey room above this plaque." How awesome is that!
Society
The other day I wrote this in my diary:
2010-05-01 21:45
It was pouring outside. When I peeked out the window, I could see frequent droplets of water illuminated by the organge glow of the street lights. The pavements were empty, I did not see a single person in the rain, only the heavy splattering of the falling droplets. At that moment, I longed to go outside and stand in the rain. It would have been so refreshing and pleasant to become entirely soaked, when was the last time I was properly soaked (besides deliberately soaking myself under the shower head)? I also longed to run through the streets blindly, and to laugh at my crazy action. I want to defy what is considered normal and acceptable by society with my behaviour. As people would look at me with expressions of what-the-heck-is-this-mental-girl-doing, I would stare back and sneer at them. They are the ones that have conformed to the suffocating demands of society in order to fit in.
This is something that's been on my mind for a while now, conforming to society's laws and rules whether written or unwritten. I don't really know how all this started in my mind, but I suppose it stems from the fact that I am in all honesty a little bit tired of the city life and the stiffness of it. London as a city is wonderful, and it is no doubt one of my favourite cities. If I think London is stiff, then there is probably no city in the world that would be unstiff.
I've just been tired of it all: the constant flow of traffic congesting the roads and the neverending rumbling of vehicles; the deafening and utterly annoying motorcycles that cause me to curse and encourage my evil side as I pray that they will crash (ok, not really crash, but that would be the most efficient way to make them shut the F up). The city and its inhabitants are also very predictable: when the sun is out, everyone gathers in the park. When it's raining, everyone complains and stays indoor. Everyone buys coffee from Starbucks (and it's not even good coffee) etc.
Why doesn't anyone do anything differently? When it's raining, why not rush out and run and sing in the rain? (I've done the running part now, and it feels soooo liberating, I have yet to challenge the singing part). When it's sunny, why not refuge to a more distant and open green space? Hyde Park is not even that pretty.
Argh, I don't know what I am getting at. It's hard to articulate what I mean. Has anyone ever felt the same way?
2010-05-01 21:45
It was pouring outside. When I peeked out the window, I could see frequent droplets of water illuminated by the organge glow of the street lights. The pavements were empty, I did not see a single person in the rain, only the heavy splattering of the falling droplets. At that moment, I longed to go outside and stand in the rain. It would have been so refreshing and pleasant to become entirely soaked, when was the last time I was properly soaked (besides deliberately soaking myself under the shower head)? I also longed to run through the streets blindly, and to laugh at my crazy action. I want to defy what is considered normal and acceptable by society with my behaviour. As people would look at me with expressions of what-the-heck-is-this-mental-girl-doing, I would stare back and sneer at them. They are the ones that have conformed to the suffocating demands of society in order to fit in.
This is something that's been on my mind for a while now, conforming to society's laws and rules whether written or unwritten. I don't really know how all this started in my mind, but I suppose it stems from the fact that I am in all honesty a little bit tired of the city life and the stiffness of it. London as a city is wonderful, and it is no doubt one of my favourite cities. If I think London is stiff, then there is probably no city in the world that would be unstiff.
I've just been tired of it all: the constant flow of traffic congesting the roads and the neverending rumbling of vehicles; the deafening and utterly annoying motorcycles that cause me to curse and encourage my evil side as I pray that they will crash (ok, not really crash, but that would be the most efficient way to make them shut the F up). The city and its inhabitants are also very predictable: when the sun is out, everyone gathers in the park. When it's raining, everyone complains and stays indoor. Everyone buys coffee from Starbucks (and it's not even good coffee) etc.
Why doesn't anyone do anything differently? When it's raining, why not rush out and run and sing in the rain? (I've done the running part now, and it feels soooo liberating, I have yet to challenge the singing part). When it's sunny, why not refuge to a more distant and open green space? Hyde Park is not even that pretty.
Argh, I don't know what I am getting at. It's hard to articulate what I mean. Has anyone ever felt the same way?
Films
Film #1
Friday night, I saw the film Kick-Ass in the cinema. The film was surprisingly good considering it has such an unattractive and stupid name and trailer. It's about a boy who dreams of becoming a superhero, and actually tries, but then he gets into a mess with bad guys and other superheroes out there. All the loose strings of superheroes and events were quite nicely tied together in the end. It was also funny! Watch it!
Film #2
When I was in the last year of high school, I did this really random thing. I randomly selected a locker, without any clue who it belonged to, and wrote a letter titled "to a complete stranger". The stranger never responded, but as I was quite desperate to get an answer I tried several different lockers. Finally, on my like third attempt, I received an answer, and we started writing to each other! It was quite cool, and it definitely gave me something that actually made me look forward to school. It also meant I never concentrated during lectures, because I was busy producing a letter (my physics knowledge suffered complete non-comprehension, as the teacher provided the perfect opportunity to for me to write letters, going on and on and on without paying attention to what the students occupied themselves with). Eventually, we met up, and although he was slightly different to how I had imagined him, it was nontheless a special experience.
Yesterday, I watched a film called Mary and Max which is an Australian animated film about two penpals that randomly started to write to each other. It was hiliarious, their letters are so freaking nice, like: "I have also invented some new words. "Confuzzled", which is being confused and puzzled at the same time, "snirt", which is a cross between snow and dirt, and "smushables", which are squashed groceries you find at the bottom of the bag. I have sent a letter to the Oxford Dictionary people asking them to include my words but I have not heard back".
Anyway, the film has triggered my random-penpal-writing-urge, and I'm thinking of starting again. But I have no idea who to write to. Shall I just randomly select a person from London residential phonebook? Or does any random person who reads my blog happen want to write to me??
Film #3
Ok, another film I saw quite recently is called Everybody's Fine. It hasn't received much attention, just like Mary and Max, but it is woooorth watching. It's about a widower who lost his wife and has a few four grown-up children. He never succeeded in communicating with them entirely while his wife was alive, because his wife did all the parent communication thingy. So now, after retiring and losing his wife, he tries to take on that task of communicating and making sure his children are doing alright. Anyway, his journey is really interesting, and the film touches on issues like parenting and parent-pressure and of course communication. Ok, I just realised I suck at writing synopses. Despite my unattractive synopses of these films, do give them a chance, you will thank me and won't regret it!
Friday night, I saw the film Kick-Ass in the cinema. The film was surprisingly good considering it has such an unattractive and stupid name and trailer. It's about a boy who dreams of becoming a superhero, and actually tries, but then he gets into a mess with bad guys and other superheroes out there. All the loose strings of superheroes and events were quite nicely tied together in the end. It was also funny! Watch it!
Film #2
When I was in the last year of high school, I did this really random thing. I randomly selected a locker, without any clue who it belonged to, and wrote a letter titled "to a complete stranger". The stranger never responded, but as I was quite desperate to get an answer I tried several different lockers. Finally, on my like third attempt, I received an answer, and we started writing to each other! It was quite cool, and it definitely gave me something that actually made me look forward to school. It also meant I never concentrated during lectures, because I was busy producing a letter (my physics knowledge suffered complete non-comprehension, as the teacher provided the perfect opportunity to for me to write letters, going on and on and on without paying attention to what the students occupied themselves with). Eventually, we met up, and although he was slightly different to how I had imagined him, it was nontheless a special experience.
Yesterday, I watched a film called Mary and Max which is an Australian animated film about two penpals that randomly started to write to each other. It was hiliarious, their letters are so freaking nice, like: "I have also invented some new words. "Confuzzled", which is being confused and puzzled at the same time, "snirt", which is a cross between snow and dirt, and "smushables", which are squashed groceries you find at the bottom of the bag. I have sent a letter to the Oxford Dictionary people asking them to include my words but I have not heard back".
Anyway, the film has triggered my random-penpal-writing-urge, and I'm thinking of starting again. But I have no idea who to write to. Shall I just randomly select a person from London residential phonebook? Or does any random person who reads my blog happen want to write to me??
Film #3
Ok, another film I saw quite recently is called Everybody's Fine. It hasn't received much attention, just like Mary and Max, but it is woooorth watching. It's about a widower who lost his wife and has a few four grown-up children. He never succeeded in communicating with them entirely while his wife was alive, because his wife did all the parent communication thingy. So now, after retiring and losing his wife, he tries to take on that task of communicating and making sure his children are doing alright. Anyway, his journey is really interesting, and the film touches on issues like parenting and parent-pressure and of course communication. Ok, I just realised I suck at writing synopses. Despite my unattractive synopses of these films, do give them a chance, you will thank me and won't regret it!
Quotes of the Day #6
Lovely quotes I just found, hihihi.
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
- Don Marquis
I am free of all prejudices. I hate every one equally.
- W. C. Fields
I found there was only one way to look thin, hang out with fat people.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Older people shouldn't eat health food, they need all the preservatives they can get.
- Robert Orben
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
- Don Marquis
I am free of all prejudices. I hate every one equally.
- W. C. Fields
I found there was only one way to look thin, hang out with fat people.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Older people shouldn't eat health food, they need all the preservatives they can get.
- Robert Orben
One more thingy in my way
The University of Liverpool had offered me an unconditional offer for medicine a month ago for the Autumn. However, a few weeks ago they amended the offer, and now they demand that I sit the IELTS and get a certain score in order to obtain my offer. Fuck. If that were to be the case, they could have given me a conditional offer so I had known in the first place. The IELTS stands for International English Language Test Something, and as the name rather clearly suggets, it is an English exam. This is the last obstacle I have to cross before being able to commence med-school.
I am quite chill about this exam, seeing that English has never been a problem for me, and I am rather confident that my English is more than good enough to get the mininum score the University demands. Sometimes when I start thinking too much though, I get shit terrified that I won't get a high enough score for some bizarre reason. And if that were the case, then I would die, because if ultimately an English score were to be the reason I will not be able to embark my vocational dream, it would be a big fat evil malevolent JOKE.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with my grandparents. First my grandma spoke to me, congratulating me, then saying that English is no problem for me, that they are all very sure that I will get a good score. Five minutes later, my granddad told me the exact same thing. That made me terrified again, because if I don't get the needed score, I would rather commit suicide than disappoint my relatives that have so high hopes for me. Well, I might have already committed suicide before that suicide due to my own disappointment.
Anyway, suicides aside, I am so effing close to my dream. For two years I've been ploughing through applications, exams and interviews for this offer. A dumb-assed English exam is not going to stand in my way. I will get this offer.
I am quite chill about this exam, seeing that English has never been a problem for me, and I am rather confident that my English is more than good enough to get the mininum score the University demands. Sometimes when I start thinking too much though, I get shit terrified that I won't get a high enough score for some bizarre reason. And if that were the case, then I would die, because if ultimately an English score were to be the reason I will not be able to embark my vocational dream, it would be a big fat evil malevolent JOKE.
Yesterday, I was on the phone with my grandparents. First my grandma spoke to me, congratulating me, then saying that English is no problem for me, that they are all very sure that I will get a good score. Five minutes later, my granddad told me the exact same thing. That made me terrified again, because if I don't get the needed score, I would rather commit suicide than disappoint my relatives that have so high hopes for me. Well, I might have already committed suicide before that suicide due to my own disappointment.
Anyway, suicides aside, I am so effing close to my dream. For two years I've been ploughing through applications, exams and interviews for this offer. A dumb-assed English exam is not going to stand in my way. I will get this offer.
My prince is back!
Today, I have been an extraordinarily happy and content little girl, because my prince has come back after a loooong trip to Hong Kong. It has been an absolutely fantastic day, and I wish all my days could be so nice, especially the part where he is there to cook me more edible food than I cook for myself without me needing to lift so much as a finger!
An hour ago he went to bed, because of the time zone lag thingy. Now I am trying to be quiet and not make a hell lot of unnecessary noise, which I am failing quite horribly at, as my mum and my friend just called me on my phone. I'm trying to convince myself that since he is so tired, he'll sleep through whatever noise I make!
Earlier this afternoon, we went for a walk in the sunshine (which turned into rain all of a sudden...!). The park that we walked past is called Holland Park where there are quite a few peacocks. It's the lovely mating season now, and all of the birds seem quite desperate to execute their designated reproductive task. It's really quite hilarious to watch the male birds pecking and chasing after the females without any response but annoyance from the females. There was a male peacock at the park, and he was so effing desperate for this specific female's attention, that he displayed his tail feather entirely. Every human being there awed at the beauty and colours of the tail, but sadly, the female peacock gave no notice of him. If he had mistaken me for a female peacock and shaken his tail feathers at me, I would even have forgiven him, because he was just so magnificent:
Look, I also drew this lovely "Welcome back" sign. Isn't my concept brilliant? :P London Underground sign into a heart = welcome back to London, my prince!
An hour ago he went to bed, because of the time zone lag thingy. Now I am trying to be quiet and not make a hell lot of unnecessary noise, which I am failing quite horribly at, as my mum and my friend just called me on my phone. I'm trying to convince myself that since he is so tired, he'll sleep through whatever noise I make!
Earlier this afternoon, we went for a walk in the sunshine (which turned into rain all of a sudden...!). The park that we walked past is called Holland Park where there are quite a few peacocks. It's the lovely mating season now, and all of the birds seem quite desperate to execute their designated reproductive task. It's really quite hilarious to watch the male birds pecking and chasing after the females without any response but annoyance from the females. There was a male peacock at the park, and he was so effing desperate for this specific female's attention, that he displayed his tail feather entirely. Every human being there awed at the beauty and colours of the tail, but sadly, the female peacock gave no notice of him. If he had mistaken me for a female peacock and shaken his tail feathers at me, I would even have forgiven him, because he was just so magnificent:
Look, I also drew this lovely "Welcome back" sign. Isn't my concept brilliant? :P London Underground sign into a heart = welcome back to London, my prince!
Petal patterns
Recently, I've been having some bad days. Actually "bad days" is not really the correct term, because my days are not bad. In fact, they are good days, but with phases of bad periods. I can't complain about my days, they've been sunny and beautiful, and everyday I walk in the sunshine and feel so damn lucky and happy. Lately, it's made me wonder if all this this sunshine is a dream, because how is it freaking possible for the UK to be sunny day after day for over 2 weeks? Too effing good to be true!
Anyway, back to the original topic I was going to write about. Flowers is one thing there is an adunbance of in London, this place is flooded with flowers of all colors, shapes and sorts. The notion that flowers are pretty is something we all acquire when we're small and curious, but I've never actually paid much attention to flowers until this past week, because they've literally been in my face in the parks here.
If you look at them for a long time, you realize a lot of things about them. Their colour, their petal shape and pattern, the yucky insects that dwell within the petals, and how each flower despite being from the same plant are similar but never identical. The most striking quality in my opinion, apart from the colour, is the overall pattern that the petals form. So god damn beautiful and perfect. This one, for instance, is kind of star-shaped:
Whereas this one is a little messier with all that waviness going on the the middle:
These are much simpler, but the way the white is dyed with purple vessels is just magnificent:
I don't know why I've never noticed or appreciated flowers, or spring in general, as much as now. Perhaps I have more time to actually wander around, combined with the sunny weather. Either way, flowers is the shit man! I'm going to have ice-cream with a friend later today in the sunshine, YUM! Can't wait to sink my teeth into that smooth, creamy, cold texture, heehee.
Anyway, back to the original topic I was going to write about. Flowers is one thing there is an adunbance of in London, this place is flooded with flowers of all colors, shapes and sorts. The notion that flowers are pretty is something we all acquire when we're small and curious, but I've never actually paid much attention to flowers until this past week, because they've literally been in my face in the parks here.
If you look at them for a long time, you realize a lot of things about them. Their colour, their petal shape and pattern, the yucky insects that dwell within the petals, and how each flower despite being from the same plant are similar but never identical. The most striking quality in my opinion, apart from the colour, is the overall pattern that the petals form. So god damn beautiful and perfect. This one, for instance, is kind of star-shaped:
Whereas this one is a little messier with all that waviness going on the the middle:
These are much simpler, but the way the white is dyed with purple vessels is just magnificent:
I don't know why I've never noticed or appreciated flowers, or spring in general, as much as now. Perhaps I have more time to actually wander around, combined with the sunny weather. Either way, flowers is the shit man! I'm going to have ice-cream with a friend later today in the sunshine, YUM! Can't wait to sink my teeth into that smooth, creamy, cold texture, heehee.
Quotes of the Day #5
The most exciting, challenging, and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.
Hehehe, and this one is good:
Love is the answer, but while you're waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions.
- Woody Allen
P.S. I have one question: if dog owners are responsible for cleaning up their dogs' poops, then shouldn't horse riders be responsible for picking up their horses' shit? The parks here are mostly dog poo free, but there is an effing big amount of horse poo scattered throughout the grass. What the heck!
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.
Hehehe, and this one is good:
Love is the answer, but while you're waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions.
- Woody Allen
P.S. I have one question: if dog owners are responsible for cleaning up their dogs' poops, then shouldn't horse riders be responsible for picking up their horses' shit? The parks here are mostly dog poo free, but there is an effing big amount of horse poo scattered throughout the grass. What the heck!
Magic sun spell
London has been practically entirely sunny for more than 2 weeks. No, that was not a joke. I can't believe it either, and I am so god damn pleased and grateful. It's like someone has cast an eternal sun spell over London. I love that someone to death!
All this sun and magic has driven me to parks and green areas every single day. These areas are occupied by children running around screaming like mad, mothers with push-chairs, joggers jogging their muscular asses off, and a significant amount of lovers strolling around aimlessly hand in hand. I snapped a few shots of these people illegally.
I hope hope hope this sun spell stays for another 20000 weeks!
All this sun and magic has driven me to parks and green areas every single day. These areas are occupied by children running around screaming like mad, mothers with push-chairs, joggers jogging their muscular asses off, and a significant amount of lovers strolling around aimlessly hand in hand. I snapped a few shots of these people illegally.
I hope hope hope this sun spell stays for another 20000 weeks!
Philosophical Musing #7 - Happiness
Yeah, yet another one regarding happiness. Because I think I have figured out the ultimate answer in life. Ok, that was a bold statement. Or at least I have figured out the answer that applies to myself. During the past few months, I have acquired knowledge of what happiness is to me. Happiness is not as complicated as people generally make it out to be.
There is a wise quote that leads Happiness is not a destination, it is a method of life. I cannot agree more with this statement. If we want to acquire permanent happiness (or as permanent and non-intermittant as possible, as I doubt anyone can ever feel permanently happy - then that person would not know what happy truly feels like, would he/she?), then we cannot perceive happiness as merely a destination. This is because, when we set a certain goal as a destination, the path towards it is always interrupted by obstacles and unexpected surprises. For instance, one of my goals set two years ago was to get into med-school, but this path has proved to be everything but hinder-free. The same thing applies to setting happiness as a destination.
So, if we strive to make happiness a method of living, instead of seeing obstacles as interruptions to happiness, they then simply become phases of life which we try to live happily through. This is a big difference - as the difference shapes the foundation of our thoughts regarding happiness. I think the former destination way tends to make us more prone to feeling bitter about life and its events. The latter way, in contrast, provides us with an incentive to try to be happy.
Also, the ultimate purpose and goal of life should not be happiness, it should be to try to live happily every single day. That is the biggest challenge.
P.S. To you guys that are trapped due to the volcano ash thingy, try to not worry too much! Everything will be alright and sorted in the end! BF is meant to fly back next Monday, so I hope just as much as you guys that the ash gets its fat ass out of the way. NOW.
There is a wise quote that leads Happiness is not a destination, it is a method of life. I cannot agree more with this statement. If we want to acquire permanent happiness (or as permanent and non-intermittant as possible, as I doubt anyone can ever feel permanently happy - then that person would not know what happy truly feels like, would he/she?), then we cannot perceive happiness as merely a destination. This is because, when we set a certain goal as a destination, the path towards it is always interrupted by obstacles and unexpected surprises. For instance, one of my goals set two years ago was to get into med-school, but this path has proved to be everything but hinder-free. The same thing applies to setting happiness as a destination.
So, if we strive to make happiness a method of living, instead of seeing obstacles as interruptions to happiness, they then simply become phases of life which we try to live happily through. This is a big difference - as the difference shapes the foundation of our thoughts regarding happiness. I think the former destination way tends to make us more prone to feeling bitter about life and its events. The latter way, in contrast, provides us with an incentive to try to be happy.
Also, the ultimate purpose and goal of life should not be happiness, it should be to try to live happily every single day. That is the biggest challenge.
P.S. To you guys that are trapped due to the volcano ash thingy, try to not worry too much! Everything will be alright and sorted in the end! BF is meant to fly back next Monday, so I hope just as much as you guys that the ash gets its fat ass out of the way. NOW.
More Edinburgh
I was looking through some photos and thought I could post some more Edinburgh photos as I really haven't shown much of the city with the few photos I uploaded last time. As mentioned previously, it's a city with a lot of old style buildings and it's quite charming. However, I don't like the fact that all the buildings are constructed of the same material: greyish stone (which would practically match the sky on a veeery rainy day). But the architecture, on the other hand, is magnificent:
Edinburgh Castle from afar:
This Latin inscription at the entrace of the Castle translates to something like "No one safely provokes me" in English. Macho.
We also visited the National Museum of Scotland, and saw some interesting items and objects in there. For instance, I saw an execution machine thingy that cuts heads that I wanted. Quite a nice ornament to display in the living room.
And the next object is something that people used to put around the necks of their dead family members' bodies in the coffin. Edinburgh was apprently quite successful in the medical field, so instituions were in great need of dead bodies for academic purposes, and thus a black market of cadavers bloomed. Some people started digging in graves to retrieve a dead body that they could sell. So to stop theives from stealing bodies from their coffins, it was very common to put this lovely necklace around your deceased mother or father or whoever to ensure theives would be unable to remove the body:
My sister captured this hot shot of men in kilts:
I just HAVE to upload this photo of me in front of a JK Rowling cafe!!!
Last but not least, MY (I wish) Ferrari (as the colour of my jacket completely matches the colour of the Ferrari, I think I should be its rightful owner :D)
Edinburgh Castle from afar:
This Latin inscription at the entrace of the Castle translates to something like "No one safely provokes me" in English. Macho.
We also visited the National Museum of Scotland, and saw some interesting items and objects in there. For instance, I saw an execution machine thingy that cuts heads that I wanted. Quite a nice ornament to display in the living room.
And the next object is something that people used to put around the necks of their dead family members' bodies in the coffin. Edinburgh was apprently quite successful in the medical field, so instituions were in great need of dead bodies for academic purposes, and thus a black market of cadavers bloomed. Some people started digging in graves to retrieve a dead body that they could sell. So to stop theives from stealing bodies from their coffins, it was very common to put this lovely necklace around your deceased mother or father or whoever to ensure theives would be unable to remove the body:
My sister captured this hot shot of men in kilts:
I just HAVE to upload this photo of me in front of a JK Rowling cafe!!!
Last but not least, MY (I wish) Ferrari (as the colour of my jacket completely matches the colour of the Ferrari, I think I should be its rightful owner :D)
People Who Make My Day #5
I haven't written one of these for ages, but today I encountered someone who totally deserves to be mentioned: Johnny! Johnny "helps with assembling, small DIY jobs, general hand, tip runs, light removals, courier, car hire & maintenance services" - what would his job title be? Handyman? Guy-who-fixes-everything-that-you-don't-want-to?
Anyway, a few days ago, the kitchen light suddenly stopped working, and of course my first instinct was to change the bulbs. But it turns out that it wasn't the bulbs' problems. I procrastinated calling anyone for help, but eventually I decided that I actually want some light while I cook. So I called Johnny, someone who had distributed a leaflet with that job description above and his contact details. He came around this evening, and he disassembled the light and switch, and after some mumbling to himself and fumbling around, he concluded it was the switch that was broken, the light was fine.
After assembling everything again, he took me through where to get a new switch, and how to install it, and some safety precautions. Apprently, if I touch the wires in the switch hole, it's quite lethal, so he helped me tape that hole up. And he was kind enough to inform me that if the two wires in the hole touch each other, it will blow up. Quite daunting. Then while he was leaving, I needed to pay him. On the phone he said he charges 25 pounds an hour. I gave him two 20 notes as I had no change, but he only took one note. I insisted on giving him 25, but he said I should keep one 20 to get the switch, hehe. As he walked out the door, he turned around and said that if I had any problems installing the switch, I can call him. Or if I have any other questions, I shouldn't hesitate to call him anytime, and also to let him know how I get on with that switch (maybe he just wants to make sure I don't get electrified or blown up into pieces). Five minutes after he left, the phone rang. It was Johnny, who told me to try the new swtich after attaching the wires before I screw it to the wall again, so that in case it doesn't work, I don't have to unscrew it from the wall - save me effort.
He totally made my day, putting so much effort into helping me with a stupid kitchen light. He did much more than his job entitled. I wish everyone would do that - to not only do what you're supposed to, but to take an extra step.
P.S. Regarding the Our future post, I told the BF I had a new pet suggestion. I want to have a baby kangaroo instead of one of our planned dogs. He is still hesitating and is a bit concerned that it is against the law. However, it is actually legal to have a kangaroo if you get the Australian Government's consent or something! They are freaking irresistable, look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFEB1VyvZEA
Anyway, a few days ago, the kitchen light suddenly stopped working, and of course my first instinct was to change the bulbs. But it turns out that it wasn't the bulbs' problems. I procrastinated calling anyone for help, but eventually I decided that I actually want some light while I cook. So I called Johnny, someone who had distributed a leaflet with that job description above and his contact details. He came around this evening, and he disassembled the light and switch, and after some mumbling to himself and fumbling around, he concluded it was the switch that was broken, the light was fine.
After assembling everything again, he took me through where to get a new switch, and how to install it, and some safety precautions. Apprently, if I touch the wires in the switch hole, it's quite lethal, so he helped me tape that hole up. And he was kind enough to inform me that if the two wires in the hole touch each other, it will blow up. Quite daunting. Then while he was leaving, I needed to pay him. On the phone he said he charges 25 pounds an hour. I gave him two 20 notes as I had no change, but he only took one note. I insisted on giving him 25, but he said I should keep one 20 to get the switch, hehe. As he walked out the door, he turned around and said that if I had any problems installing the switch, I can call him. Or if I have any other questions, I shouldn't hesitate to call him anytime, and also to let him know how I get on with that switch (maybe he just wants to make sure I don't get electrified or blown up into pieces). Five minutes after he left, the phone rang. It was Johnny, who told me to try the new swtich after attaching the wires before I screw it to the wall again, so that in case it doesn't work, I don't have to unscrew it from the wall - save me effort.
He totally made my day, putting so much effort into helping me with a stupid kitchen light. He did much more than his job entitled. I wish everyone would do that - to not only do what you're supposed to, but to take an extra step.
P.S. Regarding the Our future post, I told the BF I had a new pet suggestion. I want to have a baby kangaroo instead of one of our planned dogs. He is still hesitating and is a bit concerned that it is against the law. However, it is actually legal to have a kangaroo if you get the Australian Government's consent or something! They are freaking irresistable, look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFEB1VyvZEA
One reason for not getting kids
Today, when I was on the phone with the BF, we started musing about how things in life happen quite unexpectedly. There was a bunch of "A year ago, did you ever imagine this and that happening??" In retrospect, the past two years of my life have been the most eventful years. Everything has been pretty unpredictable and I've never felt so free and independent before. From au pairing in Nottingham, to moving to London, to living with the BF, to volunteering, to working - nearly every experience has been new and exciting. I didn't put much thought behind these decisions, I just did whatever I wanted to do. Want to get away from Sweden? Well, just go au pairing in another country. Want to live in awesome London? Want to be with BF in London? Well, just freaking move there! That was how my mind reasoned in these situations. The only thing I took seriously and continuously put a lot of thought into was med-school and all the pain in the ass application exams and procedures.
I've been very happy during these spontaneous years. I love the unpredictableness, the adventures, the freedom, the weightlessness. I don't ever want to give any of these up. I am aware that I have to though. I know that starting med-school will tie me down for years and years. I know that being increasingly committed to the BF will tie me down too. I think I can live with those weights. But, I cannot bare the additional weights of children. A child would make it formidable, almost impossible to be as spontaneous as I would like to. It would eliminate that freedom of being able to make spur of the moment decisions.
When I took care of two kids in Nottingham for a family, I experienced partly what it's like to have kids, and I witnessed the immense amount of commitment, responsibility, time and effort the parents put into taking care of the kids. They were so tired everyday, complained that they never had time for anything else but kids and work. They were so tied down to their lives, and everyday seemed to be the same. Day in day out. They were admirable, parents are admirable, that's undeniable. Call me selfish and unadmirable or whatever, but I don't think I could ever live so tied down. I would feel so damn suffocated. I don't want a family with a husband and wonderful children and run a household as a housewife. I want freedom, time, and energy to live. If anyone has read The Hours by Michael Cunningham, I think I would be like the character Laura Brown and end up abandoning my family, and running away from it all. And that would just make me a horrible mother and wife.
Maybe I'll think differently in a few years when my biological clock starts ticking like mad, maybe I'll be desperate for offspring. But until then: no. kids. ever.
I've been very happy during these spontaneous years. I love the unpredictableness, the adventures, the freedom, the weightlessness. I don't ever want to give any of these up. I am aware that I have to though. I know that starting med-school will tie me down for years and years. I know that being increasingly committed to the BF will tie me down too. I think I can live with those weights. But, I cannot bare the additional weights of children. A child would make it formidable, almost impossible to be as spontaneous as I would like to. It would eliminate that freedom of being able to make spur of the moment decisions.
When I took care of two kids in Nottingham for a family, I experienced partly what it's like to have kids, and I witnessed the immense amount of commitment, responsibility, time and effort the parents put into taking care of the kids. They were so tired everyday, complained that they never had time for anything else but kids and work. They were so tied down to their lives, and everyday seemed to be the same. Day in day out. They were admirable, parents are admirable, that's undeniable. Call me selfish and unadmirable or whatever, but I don't think I could ever live so tied down. I would feel so damn suffocated. I don't want a family with a husband and wonderful children and run a household as a housewife. I want freedom, time, and energy to live. If anyone has read The Hours by Michael Cunningham, I think I would be like the character Laura Brown and end up abandoning my family, and running away from it all. And that would just make me a horrible mother and wife.
Maybe I'll think differently in a few years when my biological clock starts ticking like mad, maybe I'll be desperate for offspring. But until then: no. kids. ever.
Not on the Label
Lately, I've been reading a book called Not on the Label - What Really Goes into the Food on your Plate written by a Felicity Lawrence. Lawrence is a Londoner, who works as a journalist and editor and writes about food related topics and issues. This book was published in 2004, quite a few years ago, but it's definitely a book worth reading. The book, as the title rather clearly suggests, is about food that we purchase at the supermarket, and all the issues that revolve around that food. So it's not only about manufaturers loading their products with E-something substances and other unhealthy stuff, but also about issues such as migrant workers, environmental effects, farmers, public health diseases etc. She manages to touch upon all those topics by writing about only 9 common products that we all buy: chicken, salad, bread, beans, apples, bananas, coffee, prawns, and the ready meal.
I've only read the bread and apples chapters, and half of the salad and bananas ones, and it's already been enough to change the way I buy products. Yesterday, I went to the Whole Foods Market where they primarily sell organic things and guarantees farmers and workers a fair price rather than my local supermarket. This book is quite revolutionizing. It's not that people don't know about these issues, but I think people don't want to know about them, but once you read this book, it really makes you think twice about buying whose products and where.
I want to write a few things regarding the apple chapter. In this chapter, Lawrence goes around to orchards and to talk to farmers, workers, supermarket managers, etc. She meets multiple farmers who's had to close their apple businesses because they were suffering from too much losses. She focuses on the supermarket chains in the UK, e.g. Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's etc., but her findings are applicable to most supermarkets in the world, because this is really becoming a global crisis.
In the UK, supermarkets are increasingly importing and buying their apples abroad rather than locally, even when it is the British season for apple harvesting. Countries with more suitable climates and less expensive labour have been able to offer supermarket chains cheaper apples than their local British farmers. However, this means that the cheaper apples' labourers can barely survive on that minimum price, and also caused a great number of British farmers to become unable to keep up with the competition and put down their orchards and farms altogether. Because the 4-5 main chain supermarkets control 75% of the entire grocery market in the UK, complaining farmers get delisted from being these chains' providers, and thus many farmers are afraid to speak out.
Also, there is a so-called "beauty parade" of not just apples, but all grocery products. A supermarket product must look appealing in front of a camera or it may be rejected by the supermarket. There are machines that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to install and operate for a factory, that measures the cosmetic appearance of these products. For instance, it measures the degree of blush of an apple by taking up to 70 photos of every single effing apple that passes it. If a supermarket has ordered to only take apples of 20% blush of red, then an apple of 19.5% would be detected and subsequently rejected. This causes an extremely great amount of products to be rejected and go to waste, and causes large sums of losses for farmers.
To keep up with these beauty standards, many farmers have to turn to chemical substances to fertilize and feed their trees and plants, because size is also a reason for rejection. Brussel sprouts are grouped into two sizes by supermarkets, either 25-30mm or 30-35mm in diameter. A carrot grower also told Lawrence that for every 30 tonnes of carrots harvested, only 10 tonnes are actually used and bought by the supermarkets. Any carrot that is not entirely straight, that is a few degrees bent, get rejected. Also, because of these cosmetic standards, organic farms have a freaking hard time keeping up. They cannot resort to using chemical substances to beautify their products, so even more of their products go to waste.
This ridiculous beauty parade. I understand that buyers want products that look nice and fresh, but knowing this, from now on, I will not give a damn that my carrot is bent like a horse shoe, or that my potato has an ugly dent in its surface. Fuck blushes and supermarkets.
Spring!
I can't express how grateful I am of the absolutely wonderful weather London has been displaying the past few days. It hasn't been flawlessly sunny, but it's been warm and adequately sunny, and I actually feel that SPRING HAS ARRIVED! The flowers are in beautiful full bloom, and the tree buds have come out. Occasionally I spot trees that already have small baby leaves - their colours are so refreshingly green! I can't convey all the beautiful sights and feelings with words, so here are some photos to help me describe the current divineness of spring in London:
Philosophical Musing #6 - Growing up
At our young age, fesh out of school, we have this colossal energy within us. We believe we are able to accomplish anything in the world. We feel like we possess limitless opportunities in life. With determination and some hard work, our dreams will come true. We anticipate a bright future, and declare to the world that it should prepare itself for our dramatic entrance and subsequent massive impact upon it. We dare to take risks, and despite all our wise(er) parents' warnings about our future, we don't care and won't listen, we go ahead with our risky business - the riskier the better. We are curious, we want to see, smell, touch, experience things, travel the world, meet inspiring people.
I don't know what word to use to summarise all these feelings and beliefs - I guess it's some sort of confidence+anticipation-feeling? So this confidence+anticipation-feeling, does it subside as we grow older? Is that the reason why our parents are considered wiser than us? They used to think this way when they were our age, but then reality hit them, and they realised that life doesn't always go as planned? That there are numerous setbacks; that sometimes, no matter how hard they try, they can't accomplish their dreams; that they have responsibilities and duties in life?
So is that ultimately what growing up means then - to be more realistic and careful? Does the confidence-feeling subside as well? I'm not really sure what I'm musing about really. I guess I just found another reason, besides getting wrinkly and slow and more disease-prone, to dread growing old. I want to feel young and energetic and almighty forever!
I don't know what word to use to summarise all these feelings and beliefs - I guess it's some sort of confidence+anticipation-feeling? So this confidence+anticipation-feeling, does it subside as we grow older? Is that the reason why our parents are considered wiser than us? They used to think this way when they were our age, but then reality hit them, and they realised that life doesn't always go as planned? That there are numerous setbacks; that sometimes, no matter how hard they try, they can't accomplish their dreams; that they have responsibilities and duties in life?
So is that ultimately what growing up means then - to be more realistic and careful? Does the confidence-feeling subside as well? I'm not really sure what I'm musing about really. I guess I just found another reason, besides getting wrinkly and slow and more disease-prone, to dread growing old. I want to feel young and energetic and almighty forever!
3 Adjectives
Today I went out for ice-cream in the warm (but not very sunny) weather with a friend. I took her to the Italian place I got ice-cream with the BF a few weeks ago. Last time, he and I ate our ice-creams inside while it was pouring outside, and I vowed I would have ice-cream in the sun one day. I half-fulfiled my promise this time, although the sunshine was a bit hazy, and no bright blue sky was visible. So, this means I have an excuse to go back to that place and get ice-cream again when there is no cloud at all and the sun is shining like mad!
Anyway, this post wasn't supposed to be about ice-cream at all. Today, my friend asked me a really simple question: to describe myself with 3 adjectives. However, I found it really difficult to think of 3! The only one I thought of, which she totally agreed with, was weird. Even after we parted, I continued to contemplate. I mean there are a lot of adjectives that I could use to describe myself, like funny, nice, or whatever, but those feel so unpersonal, and are applicable to most people. They are not spot-on Yiteng attributes.
I've been thinking about stubborn and prideful. Maybe determined as well. I don't know. I have to keep on thinking. It's funny how it's so hard to describe oneself with a mere 3 adjectives, isn't it? Try it yourselves!
Anyway, this post wasn't supposed to be about ice-cream at all. Today, my friend asked me a really simple question: to describe myself with 3 adjectives. However, I found it really difficult to think of 3! The only one I thought of, which she totally agreed with, was weird. Even after we parted, I continued to contemplate. I mean there are a lot of adjectives that I could use to describe myself, like funny, nice, or whatever, but those feel so unpersonal, and are applicable to most people. They are not spot-on Yiteng attributes.
I've been thinking about stubborn and prideful. Maybe determined as well. I don't know. I have to keep on thinking. It's funny how it's so hard to describe oneself with a mere 3 adjectives, isn't it? Try it yourselves!
