Oh Flat 6!

What though the radiance that was once so bright,
be now forever taken from my sight,
though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.

-William Wordsworth-

Sigh, I am feeling very down and out tonite. Its been, give or take, 310 days since I first moved into my own pad, with 4 other strangers and 1 close yet faraway friend. I was brimming with joy (freedom. freedom. freedom. freedom) and wholly anticipating the year that was to come. Now, that really wonderful.eventful.crazy.joyful.HAPPY year is about to end in another 46 days & I'm moving out in 2 days. The walls are blank once again, the shelves empty, the drawers stark white and begging for color that I can't put back. Even my smiley face breadou is lost somewhere in a dark box till I settle down for 2010.



While I can't say that I have ever experienced living with other people before, my family has enough character to make up for that. Brother 1 and 2 combined can put the dirtiest place to shame, especially their post-play/work/exercise SOCKS. I think I must have thanked the makers of Febreeze over a thousand times as I sprayed their odor-infested thing called a shoe. So, yes, I was happy to be able to move out and AWAY. Mother reports that they now spray their own shoes. (dazed) how did she ever manage to pinch out their discipline??? Let's meet my other extended family- which I am packing away at the moment and moaning about how short a time its been. Is it the end of 2009?

What remains behind...

♪ Phantom room 4.Little post-it notes with reminders.Over-flowing garbage.Quiet mornings and mid-afternoons.Creative baking sessions.Game nights.Pictionary.Other can't remember their names games.Edible baking sessions.Not-so-successful baking sessions.Hate cleaning toilets.Hate throwing out over-flowing grabage.Smoker boy who lounges on the stairs like its a lazyman.Flat 2 adoption.Gambling sessions that lasted 8 hours.Awkward beginnings and little space tantrums.Hiding in rooms hoping it will be better.Hairs on the floor.Tired steps into the bathroom.Fantastic 3rd floor scenery.Stolen underwear.6 birthdays and counting.Sparklers on cakes.Winter chills and comapring heaters.Flowers on window sills.Learning to learn.Sharing is caring.Crazy mid-morning talks.I want to eat stuff.Cheap chicken rice.Bubble Tea with sago.Not so drunken stupors.Missing.Sleep.Eat.Study.Play.Laugh.Gossip.Cry.Frustrated.Awkward once again.Bowing your head once in a while.Caring to share.Caring to care.Wondering if its every enough.Kinship when we cook.Sitting down in a blue moon together.Harry Potter brought 7 random people into a cinema.Good Food from Flat 2.Late-night snacks.Unwashed pots and pans.Guess the thing in the pot today.Surprise leftovers in the frigde.Orphaned fruits and veggies from the fridge.Yummy snacks from kind souls.Movie nights in the lounge.Flat screen courtesy of Bay.Mee Sua.Coles 5 minutes away.Listening out for footsteps on the stairs.Smiling when someone comes in.Companionship.Luckily no serious bouts of sickness-homesickness-seasickness-any type.Touch Wood.Spur of moment shopping trips.Whinging about Transperth.Showing off to friends.People say its clean.I still see marks on the mirror.Can't people clean the table once in a while.I don't mind.I like cleaning.Therapeutic silence.Loud laughter.Funny moments.Laugh till your tummy aches.Walking in the rain.Running in the rain.Never trying all the eateries/cafes/ restaurants in Karawara.Preferring to cook.Swapping recipes.Sharing meals.Trying to snitch off a cookie or two.Bursting clothesline.Squashed and broken pegs.Spring tea on the balcony.Cute drawings on the whiteboard.Guests sleepovers.Guest stayovers.Cooking rice in 10 minutes.Microwave dinners.Chips and snacks.Guilty pleasures.Random dinner.lunch.brunch dates.Shopping sprees that left us wondering.Ooo-ing and aaaahhhh-ing over purchases.Abundance of estrogen over testosterone. Fast food.Junk Food.Canned Food.Fresh fruits?Most read item in the flat-Coles weekly shopping guide.Self-made 'In' 'Out' signs.No door slammings.No shoutings.Inner ramblings and rantings.Always good food.Planned outings.Too many shoes inbetween us.5 margarine/butter packets.4 rice sacks.2 boxes of instant noodle belonging to one person.Umbrellas only, no raincoats.Hate laundry day.Hate and Love flat inspection.Clean floors after.Weird spills in the kitchen.Ikea teatowels.Work monologues.Death to assignments.New music.Glee.Grey's caused a lot of tears.New understandings.New outlooks on life.Concentration on living and learning to live.Health and Beauty.Cause for a difference. ♪

♥

So, its close to the end, where we say goodbye.

Its such an overwhelming feeling, of being part of a different,
totally different interpretation of family. I really enjoyed the crazy.
boring.random.eventful.fun.HAPPY times we all shared.Dirty floors and

clogged sinks aside, I am really going to miss my Flat 6. Tell me, will
next year be different or just strangely similar? As we part and
go different ways, I'll always look back with a smile and
maybe, sometimes a frown, as I recall how really
ridiculous certain moments were. How strangely
we seemed to fit together, pieces of a whole.
How I really
don't ever want this year to end.
Heh heh. Sigh. Let's hope
I'll get the offer.
Please.

Credit for Love Shaped bundle of words:
Fish

what we Say and what we Do.

I think there is a weird connection between my digestive system and my grey matter. Freakish. Other words, the more I study, the more HUNGRY I seem to get. I'm contemplating the pros and cons of a midnight snack now. Just gobbled up a piece of yummy, FREE, much-loved Lindt dark chocolate. Sigh. Right now, I'm sorely missing my mom's chicken soup, cendol, green bean soup with bing tong (sugar lumps) and oddly enough- cincaluk. ShuDuan, lovely housemate mine, told me that we need to eat based on calorie counts. If we go over our maximum limit, that's when we see spare tyres. Over-analyzation of food and whether to consume said food tells me one thing though- I'm probably just itching to get away from my books. Therefore, I sadly declare myself a lost cause and will now run off to cook said chicken soup.

Officially 48 hours to my last final.
LAST.
How good does that word sound, especially paired with a correct twin?

Don't get too 'obsessed'

Sofia Coppola for Louis Vuitton
♥

Vogue wedding special for Sasha P.

Sofia's Paris

Papier Mache Magazine

via Clemence Poesy Fashion Spot

♪ Julia Frakes and her colors ♪

Fairy Lights

Garance Dore

Vanessa Paradis by Kate Barry

La Fifi Lapin

Liberté égalité

I have always had a love-hate relationship with fashion. While my parents have never shunned my fashion pursuits, they didn't exactly try to wean me off my less desirable dalliances either. Sigh. I strutted around thinking that I was emulating my fave editorial while in reality, I was the worst mis-matched dresser around. I couldn't resist cute. But cute with goth? Its like Harry Potter having a tete-a-tete with Anna Wintour about the sophistication of his nerdy glasses. I cringe when I recall my baggy jeans with flats, my bohemian inspired Bali tiedye bag with clashing red blouse etc. There are just too many painful combinations to recall.



Truth was, I was so engrossed with 'growing up' and 'fitting in' that I blindly followed trends. I smacked on sunglasses that could put a funeral possession to shame. I wore platforms and almost fell flat on my face. Ah, while I am thankful to say that non of my friendships have been formed on the basis of 'being fashionable' I report that I have never been complimented on my 'style' before. Sigh. While I gulped down fashion magazines like water (TeenVogue, Jane (I MISS IT!), Lucky, Nylon, ViVi, Vogue...) I, in my youthful naivety and ignorance, began to focus on the wrong aspects, namely, TRENDS. Now, I have never been able to afford big brand labels and thankfully I don't go for that, but I followed trends. Trends in my childish vocabulary translated into the latest Taiwanese Celebrity or Korean Celebrity or just celebrity fashion or Look of the Month/Season or Popular Item of the Month. Those zipper bags that were all the rage when I was 15? Yup, I had one. The punk skater craze when I was 16? Yes, I bought a bag and a wallet to match.



Then, another weakness: if I spotted something on someone and I LIKED the look, I would hunt it down. It didn't matter that I was petite and looked awful in maxi skirts. (shakes head sadly) I just wasn't one of those lucky individuals who could look good in anything- no matter how weird or how random the combination. Therefore, my teenage years were woefully plagued with fashion mistakes. My mom helpfully inferred "leaving a kid in her mom's closet and then forgetting that she was there." I never picked the right pieces either. And my mom, in her holier than thou motherly way, resisted pointing that out to me, due to her belief that "I would realize it myself when I was ready". Thanks Mom, it took me a grand total of 21 years.



It was actually very simple. I was always looking towards someone else for carbon-copying that I ignored the most important part of the package: Myself. When photocopying, I just bought. I never once contemplated whether I genuinely liked the piece of clothe/accessory/shoe. Moreover, I was sucker for cheap bargains. Marked down? Discounted? Those were beloved companions on shopping trips. If it was cheap, I would grab it. Once again, mother of mine said "think whether you need it or want it, don't buy it for the sake of buying". It was as if she left little hints along the way; she just neglected to mention it. 0_0



So, with realization came knowledge then gratification. I learned to push away pangs of despeartion and envy and mindless bouts of daydreaming. I figured out my body type- petite, small frame, thin but not atlethic. I searched for what I liked- preference over quantity. There were yes's and no's. Fit and cutting began to matter. One piece revolved into acquiring many good friends that worked well with it. It doesn't take the joy out of shopping, but it gets rid of that horrid feeling that accompanies random impluse buying. It might take a bit more of brainpower, but when you can throw on things that work for you and get out of the house in less than 10 minutes, you know its worth it.I could finally say with certainty that I looked good. In my case, it was never about being a fashion muse. It was more of a sense of belonging- of how I didn't fret about my outfits anymore because I knew that they worked for me. I was no longer 'working' to create myself for my clothes. Ah. ♪



Or maybe this is what growing up is; silly me.



Anyway, I still maintain an avid interest in fashion. However, from the traditional glossies that I used to procure every month without fail, I now turn to new media. Namely, StreetStyle blogs and Fashion Bloggers. Hm, although I have stopped the WhoWhatWear trend of blind adoration, I still derive enjoyable inspiration from these reads. Its also much more inspiring due to the fact that these are regular, normal people like you and me! Erm, they might be above me on the chic radar but nevertheless, like me, they have a budget; and like me, they have certain pieces that work for them and others that don't. It's grounding and realistic, something that I can relate to. Still, there is always another side to things: as coverage increases, real girls also feel compelled to look camera-ready-around-the-clock, creating a Hollywood-Celebrity Hunt and Chase relationship. I say? Its fashion. Take it with a pinch of salt.

Default List of StreetStyle Blogs

• Garance Dore
  
• Altamira NYC
• Easy Fashion
• The Sartorialist
  

Default List of Fashion Bloggers

• Fashion Nation
• The Cherry Blossom Girl
• Sea of Shoes
• Monoxious
• Julia Frakes
  

Other Defaults

• Julia Sewell
• Clemence Poesy
  
• Tao Okamoto
• Michelle Williams (sole anti-celebrity mention)
  
• (sometimes) Sofia Coppola
• Tongue in Chic
• Childhood Flames
• Superwowomg
  

Guilt Trip:
Gossip Girl
Green Tea Ice Cream
Dinner at 1 a.m.
Fishy's New Love, which made Old Love fuming mad

Droppy Eyelids, Naked Eyebags

Just finished my take home exam! (Phew! lets out a big breath) Fingers crossed that I'll be able to get the mark that I HIGHLY anticipate! I really want to end my degree with a 'bang'! Anyway, after making three drafts for my three questions and countless check-lists, everything suddenly makes more sense list-wise:

1. Suddenly very nostalgic about home. I miss home! Tutor said something that really hit me today: all developing nations have a growing middle-class and with a growing middle-class comes very opinionated responses towards political and social problems. While freedom of speech and democracy is very much parroted, I can't help but think that regulation serves its purpose as well. Too many cooks can spoil the soup. What the politicians needs to do, however, is NOT deliberately ignore the rakyat's voice.
   
2. Making my nostalgia even worse are two short films from the P1 Malaysian Filmmakers Showcase. There is hope yet! Do not despair Yasmin Ahmad, RIP. The first one is harrowingly reflective of current times- especially about the growing middle class and their parroted opinions. The second one is just a reminder of deeper protectionist themes, gently stroking the surface of the lake that is...government aid.
3. Fish says 'Wonderful things happen when you least expect them'. Never really gave everyday happenings much thought. But I now believe there is some truth in those words. Enjoy the following accounts:

• Very tired after work one day, physically and mentally, as things kept piling up and I was stretched for time. Sitting on the train just anticipating a nice hot shower. Felt a nudge next to me. A kind old man decided he wanted to share a beautiful sunset with me. Could not help but smile.
• Rushing to catch the last bus after work. I just missed it by 2 minutes! Bus Driver told me to hop onboard anyway and after finishing his rounds, dropped me off at Kent Street. Had a really nice chat with him about Cosway and the benefits of Cosway products. Warned me to stay safe, taught me to use my hp to note down bus timetables. He totally made my day/night.
• Randomly decided to head down to the City for Friday Night Dinner. Waved to a guitarist on St.Georges Terrace. Spied Ponyo dancing around in our new ramen joint. Handsome stranger handed us a purple tulip each. Almost shared shopping tips with a girl. Smile. Smile. Smiled.
• Looking forward to certain days of the week, seriously, why'd you have to be so cute? Its really impossible to ignore you.

Heading off to bed, finally.

Wishing for a Canon Powershot E1.

Wanting that Sportsgirl Bag!!!

Anticipating NOVEMBER HOLS!

You Say, I Listen, We Repeat together

Since everyone is starved for updates... and all the cool kids on the blogsphere is doing this... I'm hopping on the bandwagon! Bring on the dots! ♪

• Haven't had a clue why my days are zooming past me...I yell stop, slow down! but they just ignore me. With only 3 weeks left till finals, I am feeling rather blue when I contemplate my future! What am I suppose to do?

• Found time to eat and bask in the sun last Friday! Perth weather is beginning to show hints of spring time sun! Before, it was just spring showers... and windy days. When you've felt nothing but chilly winds for the last two months...you WON'T say no to a sunny day! So after a quick meeting in Uni and throwing all our leftover food into a bag, me and my flat-mates headed down to King's Park!

• My phone charm, ShuDuan's Transperth card and her set of keys. This is what we do in our past time, plunk coins into Icey Ice vending machines and hope for cute dogs.
  

• MoonCake Festival was spent with His Excellency (hahahah, big titles!) K Rudd, pretty people turned drunk and a fizzle of excitement in the air! Workplace was hosting 7's telethon and K Rudd was a special guest at the ball. Whole team was buzzing with happiness and excitement that night...was K Rudd really that special? I walked past him, accidentally! while he was on his way to his VVIP table... he was really nice and said 'Good Job' to all of us before he left.
  

• Discovered a new fetish- chewing Han's Striker Salami Sticks when I have nothing better to do. Argh, Fi, I think I am onto my 4th stick...

• Another rare moment in the past week where I actually had time for a little video chat! Ever since my Skype decided it really doesn't like me, I haven't been able to 'talk' to anyone. MSN chats are rare and very short, so it doesn't really count. This was a pleasant surprise. Here's the best things after a really long day- laughing away at random silly things and showcasing the hidden inner drag queen.
  

• I really, really want to watch, in no order whatsoever: Ponyo, The September Issue, Fame, Coco Avant Chanel and (weirdly) The Cove.

• Fish has (errrmmm) 5 bruises... I think I have 3 small ones, 1 really big one and another of medium size. Paintball was hot, sweaty and VERY FUN! Co-workers thought I had a very strategically placed hickey/ wet strawberry/ what ever random weird name it is called nowadays. Agnes and Me had a very naughty night at work, coming up with even naughtier stories about my bruise until Kevin said "FYI, TMI!!!" I think he blushed at one point... muahahahha!
  

• Been having a weird craving for Korean food lately... have no idea why! But when I satisfied my craving the other day...an added bonus appeared in the Korean Hypermarket next to the restaurant: BABY BISCUITS! I absolutely love chewing on baby biscuits, especially those round ones we get back home called Rusks. Been searching for them since I came to Perth to no avail. Laughed so loudly when I found them- I think I jumped up and down in the store... would kinda explain why the cashier girl was looking at me weirdly. THANK YOU SMALL KOREAN HYPERMARKET.
  

• Cindy is finally back from the land of no internet. Hahhaha, JJ. Girlfriend went off for her annual geology field trip during the week-long hols...super happy to have her back...because it means I get food. Chocolate cake delivered itself on the next day of her return. I feel very loved... tho' I suppose, not as loved as Nelson... wink wink!
  

• Package from Gmarket finally arrived! All 14 items! The 5 dollar dress was a disappointment though- could not stand it so took my scissors to work! But I now have a weird looking striped tee. Everything else was really good- which says a lot because I am the 'touch-then-buy' kinda person. I used to marginalize online shopping, who knew that the Koreans would change that perception?

• Sigh. It's 11.21 p.m. This means my laundry is done and it needs to go into the dryer. I need to hire someone to do my laundry- I keep putting it off till the last minute! Can you sense my immense dislike for laundry? If I could, I would live right next to the laundromat and still get someone else to do it for me. Right... Let's not drag it till midnight.

Jen, here is your update.


Two assignments and a presentation next week.


Superheadz Digital Harinezumi is a dream come true.


Toodles all- AND WATCH GREY's SEASON 6. IT IS SO GOOD!

-Mish-Mash-

It started off with Beauty and the Beast then when Chip the Teacup saved the day we remembered to laugh but Gollum stole the one ring and the show at the very end. Miyazaki seems to forever exists in peripheral dreams- the type where rainbows lead to a special land and cats can dance and sing. I want a slivery glittery ribbon that magically lets my hair grow because I seem to lack the patience for it to happen naturally. Wigs might do the trick but money trickles out more and more like water from a loose tap, can't seem to make the drip-drip-drip sound go away. One has to eat at least a meal a day to continue breathing and living, I seem to be overdoing that- yes, eating. Tummy 2 has greeted me saying HELLO; he is unwelcome and unwanted and unloved, feelings that grate on the edge of my skin like flakes of dead skin which I can't shed because I am not a snake. Hiss goes the sound of the kettle getting to boiling point, very much like my pent up emotions, very much like a balloon with too much helium, except that the balloon has a choice to fly upawards, my feet remain firmly on the ground.

Can I please choose to go the other way,
just for once?