It's the 29th of February again, the least common day in four years, and I just have to post something before midnight tonight!
This is my second Leap Day post. I've had this blog for over four years now? Wow...
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
The Dark is Translating
One of the first books I had to read in high school was The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.
I still can't figure out why it was chosen as a school book - I think it may have been because the protagonist was around our age.
Compared to all the other books I read for class, it always seemed like the odd one out to me. Most of them focused* on teenagers dealing with adolescence, love, sex, family and other teen issues. They never really went the fantasy route: quests to save the world from darkness, being The Chosen One written in The Prophecy, magic, mythology, etc.
We only read about halfway through in class before changing to another topic.
Outside of class though, I finished reading it on my own, discovered it was Book 2 of 5, and ultimately read the first four books in The Dark is Rising series.
The style of writing wasn't my cup of tea at the time (I remember skimming through a lot of pages) but I was fascinated by the story and wanted to see how it ended... not that I did find out, since I never borrowed Silver on the Tree.
It's something I'll have to try and read again one day, especially now that I'm older and can better understand and appreciate the Arthurian/Welsh folklore references. And even if I don't understand a reference I could just look it up, thanks to easy online access! Back in 1999, when I was reading the book for school, we didn't even own a computer.
---
Earlier this evening I found two pages with notes about the Dark is Rising series: one was the entire poem/prophecy about the events in the series, the other was a list of Welsh words found throughout the books... or perhaps just fromThe Grey King.
I wrote it all out because I intended on borrowing or buying a Welsh-English dictionary one day (a very, very small one if buying) and translating all the words from the second page (and two lines from the first) into English.
Not a school project, by the way. I just like learning about stuff. Ravenclaw trait!
Thanks to the Internet, I can just use Google Translate now!
Here's a few translations:
Y maent yr mynyddoedd yn canu, ac y mae'r arglwyddes yn dod - these are the two lines from the poem/prophecy.
The online transation says "They sing in the mountains and the lady comes" but the general consensus is "The mountains are singing and the lady comes". Because of the notoriety of online translations, I'll go with the people on this one.
Beth sy'n bod? - What is wrong?
Brenin Llwyd - grey king
Calan Gaeaf - Halloween
dewin - wizard
diolch - thanks
Rwyt ti'n gi da - you're a good dog (though my notes say the book has Rwyt ti'n gi doa which might be a mistake).
My favourites for today (though they're all pretty cool, really):
Rwyt ti'n gi - you're a dog (wouldn't have learnt without the previous translation, but I don't know if it's grammatically correct)
Cwpanaid o de, cariad? - cup of tea, love?
Gwynt Traed y Meirw - east wind
My notes actually say yr, which may be another mistake? Regardless of whether it's y or yr, Google Translate will come up with the lovely "feet of the dead wind".
Further research shows the correct translation to be "wind of the dead man's feet", also known as the east wind because apparently bodies were buried with their feet facing east in order to see the coming of Christ on Judgment Day. Gabriel might also be blowing his trumpet from that general direction too.
Well, that was more informative than I thought it'd be. You learn something new every day!
---
*Apparently focused is more of the American spelling, whereas British English uses either focussed or focused (with a predilection for the former). But in my head focussed just looks weird - it might be because focus doesn't end in a stronger uss sound like plus (and I'm perfectly fine with nonplussed).
True story!
I still can't figure out why it was chosen as a school book - I think it may have been because the protagonist was around our age.
Compared to all the other books I read for class, it always seemed like the odd one out to me. Most of them focused* on teenagers dealing with adolescence, love, sex, family and other teen issues. They never really went the fantasy route: quests to save the world from darkness, being The Chosen One written in The Prophecy, magic, mythology, etc.
We only read about halfway through in class before changing to another topic.
Outside of class though, I finished reading it on my own, discovered it was Book 2 of 5, and ultimately read the first four books in The Dark is Rising series.
The style of writing wasn't my cup of tea at the time (I remember skimming through a lot of pages) but I was fascinated by the story and wanted to see how it ended... not that I did find out, since I never borrowed Silver on the Tree.
It's something I'll have to try and read again one day, especially now that I'm older and can better understand and appreciate the Arthurian/Welsh folklore references. And even if I don't understand a reference I could just look it up, thanks to easy online access! Back in 1999, when I was reading the book for school, we didn't even own a computer.
---
Earlier this evening I found two pages with notes about the Dark is Rising series: one was the entire poem/prophecy about the events in the series, the other was a list of Welsh words found throughout the books... or perhaps just fromThe Grey King.
I wrote it all out because I intended on borrowing or buying a Welsh-English dictionary one day (a very, very small one if buying) and translating all the words from the second page (and two lines from the first) into English.
Not a school project, by the way. I just like learning about stuff. Ravenclaw trait!
Thanks to the Internet, I can just use Google Translate now!
Here's a few translations:
Y maent yr mynyddoedd yn canu, ac y mae'r arglwyddes yn dod - these are the two lines from the poem/prophecy.
The online transation says "They sing in the mountains and the lady comes" but the general consensus is "The mountains are singing and the lady comes". Because of the notoriety of online translations, I'll go with the people on this one.
Beth sy'n bod? - What is wrong?
Brenin Llwyd - grey king
Calan Gaeaf - Halloween
dewin - wizard
diolch - thanks
Rwyt ti'n gi da - you're a good dog (though my notes say the book has Rwyt ti'n gi doa which might be a mistake).
My favourites for today (though they're all pretty cool, really):
Rwyt ti'n gi - you're a dog (wouldn't have learnt without the previous translation, but I don't know if it's grammatically correct)
Cwpanaid o de, cariad? - cup of tea, love?
Gwynt Traed y Meirw - east wind
My notes actually say yr, which may be another mistake? Regardless of whether it's y or yr, Google Translate will come up with the lovely "feet of the dead wind".
Further research shows the correct translation to be "wind of the dead man's feet", also known as the east wind because apparently bodies were buried with their feet facing east in order to see the coming of Christ on Judgment Day. Gabriel might also be blowing his trumpet from that general direction too.
Well, that was more informative than I thought it'd be. You learn something new every day!
---
*Apparently focused is more of the American spelling, whereas British English uses either focussed or focused (with a predilection for the former). But in my head focussed just looks weird - it might be because focus doesn't end in a stronger uss sound like plus (and I'm perfectly fine with nonplussed).
True story!
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
31: End of the month!
I made it! Granted, I have been getting a bit slack in posting before midnight these past few days, but I still made it!
I feel a sense of accomplishment in succeeding in what I set out to do this month. I also feel a lot more motivated to blog than I did before, although I still don't have any clue as to what I should type about.
I never did, that's nothing new.
Now it's break time; it's going to feel weird knowing I don't have to blog tomorrow. You never know though, maybe tomorrow I'll have something important to say...
Wow, I almost made more posts this month than I did in 2010 and 2011 combined.
---
Today had some odd moments:
As for yesterday's pan I got most of the burnt food off with the baking soda. I did a combination of things, not sure which one worked.
There's still some stubborn bits stuck on the pan... but I'm stubborn too.
I feel a sense of accomplishment in succeeding in what I set out to do this month. I also feel a lot more motivated to blog than I did before, although I still don't have any clue as to what I should type about.
I never did, that's nothing new.
Now it's break time; it's going to feel weird knowing I don't have to blog tomorrow. You never know though, maybe tomorrow I'll have something important to say...
Wow, I almost made more posts this month than I did in 2010 and 2011 combined.
---
Today had some odd moments:
- Not one, but two instances of spontaneous travel - we got in the car with one particular location in mind and ended up somewhere else entirely.
- We missed the payment window at McDonalds so I had to get out of the car in the middle of the drive-thru, then Mum drove off and I had to chase the car.
- A friend, who I hadn't seen or spoken to in a while, called me - trouble was, I couldn't really talk because I was in a cemetery.
- Took a random nap. Still tired now.
As for yesterday's pan I got most of the burnt food off with the baking soda. I did a combination of things, not sure which one worked.
There's still some stubborn bits stuck on the pan... but I'm stubborn too.
Next month: the stunning conclusion of
WOMAN vs PAN
Monday, 30 January 2012
30: Just call me Panburner
Can't spend too long here tonight because I burnt a pan. A pan my mother only bought last week.
I left some rice pudding on the stove for a few minutes; unfortunately for both me and the pan, I forgot to turn the heat down.
Now I'm trying to figure out how to remove the burnt food from the bottom of the pan without completely ruining it. The general (online) consensus is baking soda, vinegar or both together.
I've covered the base of the pan with baking soda and have vinegar on standby. I hope this works...
I left some rice pudding on the stove for a few minutes; unfortunately for both me and the pan, I forgot to turn the heat down.
Now I'm trying to figure out how to remove the burnt food from the bottom of the pan without completely ruining it. The general (online) consensus is baking soda, vinegar or both together.
I've covered the base of the pan with baking soda and have vinegar on standby. I hope this works...
Sunday, 29 January 2012
29: Brain thoughts
I had an argument with Mum today, and at one point she said, "I wish you knew what it was like to be me, then you'd see how hard life can be!"
And I immediately thought, "I know how movies work. I'm supposed to wish that you were me, and then we'd have a Freaky Friday moment and experience life in the other person's shoes, learn life lessons, yada, yada. Well, that is not happening! I don't want to be you and I like being me!"
There are several reasons why I did not say this out loud.
---
Ever get suspicious of someone scratching their ear because they might have been the unwilling host to an alien parasite in their brain?
Then you must have read Animorphs!
I borrowed the first book from a friend when I was 10, and ended up collecting almost the entire series! Still got them sitting in a box somewhere - just missing a couple of the Chronicles books, I think. I was a bit obsessed with owning the entire series, though I became less interested in the books as time went on. Towards the end, I was just skimming through them.
I think some of my favourite books were the ones that weren't ghostwritten (coincidence?) - though I only knew which ones weren't ghostwritten after looking at this.
Offhand, my favourites were: 14 and 15 - I think these two were the first Animorphs books I bought so they resonate with me a bit, they've got some hilarious moments too - 19, 26 and all of the Megamorphs (my absolute favourites).
Ooh, the starfish one was okay too, whichever one that was.
Ants are not nice people.
The show? Eh. I was excited when I heard about it, but it wasn't as good as the books.
I don't remember much about it anyway; I think the Animorphs were in possession of a magical alien CD for some reason...
And I immediately thought, "I know how movies work. I'm supposed to wish that you were me, and then we'd have a Freaky Friday moment and experience life in the other person's shoes, learn life lessons, yada, yada. Well, that is not happening! I don't want to be you and I like being me!"
There are several reasons why I did not say this out loud.
---
Ever get suspicious of someone scratching their ear because they might have been the unwilling host to an alien parasite in their brain?
Then you must have read Animorphs!
I borrowed the first book from a friend when I was 10, and ended up collecting almost the entire series! Still got them sitting in a box somewhere - just missing a couple of the Chronicles books, I think. I was a bit obsessed with owning the entire series, though I became less interested in the books as time went on. Towards the end, I was just skimming through them.
I think some of my favourite books were the ones that weren't ghostwritten (coincidence?) - though I only knew which ones weren't ghostwritten after looking at this.
Offhand, my favourites were: 14 and 15 - I think these two were the first Animorphs books I bought so they resonate with me a bit, they've got some hilarious moments too - 19, 26 and all of the Megamorphs (my absolute favourites).
Ooh, the starfish one was okay too, whichever one that was.
Ants are not nice people.
The show? Eh. I was excited when I heard about it, but it wasn't as good as the books.
I don't remember much about it anyway; I think the Animorphs were in possession of a magical alien CD for some reason...
Saturday, 28 January 2012
28: Supermarket
The price of watermelon in the supermarket tonight was only 99c per kilo! And because I love watermelon so much, I picked up the largest quarter-melon there was! I went to find a scale just in case the quarter-melon was too big and therefore too expensive... but they don't keep scales around the fruit and veg department!
Is that normal? If I think about it I realise I haven't seen a weighing scale in a supermarket for a while now...
The supermarket is also stocking their produce in little baskets (instead of boxes), probably to give it a fresh-from-the-market look.
---
I was told to get some chilli con carne ingredients for an upcoming dinner event - the way I've said that makes it seem all swanky but it's really just an ordinary family dinner.
Anyway... we love chilli con carne! It's one of our new favourite dishes. One of my mother's cousins made it back in England and it was so delicious!
I've only made it once but it was pretty good, if I do say so myself! Not as good as my mother's cousin's chilli but I did okay on my first try.
---
I bought a can opener!
Our automatic can opener died in the middle of opening a can of rice pudding, and our manual can opener, which I only purchased last year, had inexplicably disappeared. It was a stupid can opener anyway, it used to hurt my hand trying to use it.
This new (manual) can opener is so smooth. Rice pudding for everyone!
---
Where can you buy tapioca? I can't find it anywhere!
I wanted the pearls so I could make my own bubble tea one day...
Is that normal? If I think about it I realise I haven't seen a weighing scale in a supermarket for a while now...
The supermarket is also stocking their produce in little baskets (instead of boxes), probably to give it a fresh-from-the-market look.
---
I was told to get some chilli con carne ingredients for an upcoming dinner event - the way I've said that makes it seem all swanky but it's really just an ordinary family dinner.
Anyway... we love chilli con carne! It's one of our new favourite dishes. One of my mother's cousins made it back in England and it was so delicious!
I've only made it once but it was pretty good, if I do say so myself! Not as good as my mother's cousin's chilli but I did okay on my first try.
---
I bought a can opener!
Our automatic can opener died in the middle of opening a can of rice pudding, and our manual can opener, which I only purchased last year, had inexplicably disappeared. It was a stupid can opener anyway, it used to hurt my hand trying to use it.
This new (manual) can opener is so smooth. Rice pudding for everyone!
---
Where can you buy tapioca? I can't find it anywhere!
I wanted the pearls so I could make my own bubble tea one day...
Friday, 27 January 2012
27: Hospital follies, maybe some jollies
Noooooooooooo!
I got home well after midnight. I suppose you could say I technically missed today's post. But you know what? I'm still awake. It's still the 27th in my eyes. This post still counts, damn it!
I have a perfectly legitimate excuse anyway... and I actually want to write about it. I have had writer's block for who knows how long, and I won't let a minor technicality stop me now!
Hooray for typing!
---
Mum and I went to visit my aunt in the hospital this evening. Although we'd been there a few times before, we'd never actually driven there ourselves. Thanks to the GPS and our own navigational skills, we made it to the hospital and parked the car in the car park (as you do).
We did some visiting, headed downstairs to buy some dinner*, headed back upstairs to do some more visiting and then it was time to go.
It was around 10.20. We looked at the parking ticket and discovered we had to validate it, so we asked the nurses where to go. They didn't know, but one of them suggested the lobby reception.
Of course no-one was there, so we went aaaaaaaaall the way to the emergency ward where they validated the ticket and then aaaaaaaaall the way to the car park on the other side of the hospital.
The car park was locked.
A sign we missed on the way in said the car park closed at 10.30. According to the ticket pay machine, we got to the car park at 10.36.
We asked someone nearby if she knew how latecomers could get their cars. She said to try security, conveniently located in the emergency ward.
So we went aaaaaaaaall the way back to the emergency ward on the other side of the hospital and asked security for help. They didn't mind because I guess that kind of thing has happened before; they said to wait back at the car park and a security guard would be there as soon as they could. So we went aaaaaaaaall the way back to the car park on the other side of the hospital.
Guard #1 arrived. He tried to swipe his card on all the car park access doors but nothing was working. "Please wait here another 10 minutes," he said. "Another guard will be here with a working card."
For the sake of a gag, I'm going to guess Guard #1 went aaaaaaaaall the way back to the emergency ward on the other side of the hospital, switched temporarily with Guard #2 while he walked aaaaaaaaall the way back to the car park.
Guard #2's card worked fine and we were out of there! I counted another five cars in the car park, I hope they don't have the same problems as us!
Then we got lost, the GPS couldn't find us for some reason, and someone reminded us to switch on our headlights... but it all worked out in the end. Home sweet home... finally!
---
* This is what happened when we went out to buy dinner
I bought some flavoured water from the nearby convenience store, drank a bit and placed the bottle in my bag.
Several minutes later I noticed my leg felt damp. I looked down and found a large wet patch on my jeans that smelt a bit like fruit. My bag was also starting to drip onto my shoes - my new pink Converses too, nooo!
Dinner! I ordered a tropical baked potato with all the toppings listed except for beetroot.
I think the guy who served us got a little flustered because he added the beetroot, almost forgot to give us the change and though he gave the change to Mum, he was staring and smiling at me. I was staring and smiling right back. But that was it, really.
You're lucky I don't hate beetroot, Potato Man.
I hope he wasn't staring and smiling because I had something on my face (or a massive wet patch on my pants), that'd be my luck.
Or perhaps I'm imagining everything... maybe I did take the change, and he was smiling because he was a happy employee handing change to a customer...
I guess I am allowed to interpret things however I want later, but why am I so terrible at reading the signs when it actually happens?
Did it really happen or did I imagine it all? Blargh.
I got home well after midnight. I suppose you could say I technically missed today's post. But you know what? I'm still awake. It's still the 27th in my eyes. This post still counts, damn it!
I have a perfectly legitimate excuse anyway... and I actually want to write about it. I have had writer's block for who knows how long, and I won't let a minor technicality stop me now!
Hooray for typing!
---
Mum and I went to visit my aunt in the hospital this evening. Although we'd been there a few times before, we'd never actually driven there ourselves. Thanks to the GPS and our own navigational skills, we made it to the hospital and parked the car in the car park (as you do).
We did some visiting, headed downstairs to buy some dinner*, headed back upstairs to do some more visiting and then it was time to go.
It was around 10.20. We looked at the parking ticket and discovered we had to validate it, so we asked the nurses where to go. They didn't know, but one of them suggested the lobby reception.
Of course no-one was there, so we went aaaaaaaaall the way to the emergency ward where they validated the ticket and then aaaaaaaaall the way to the car park on the other side of the hospital.
The car park was locked.
A sign we missed on the way in said the car park closed at 10.30. According to the ticket pay machine, we got to the car park at 10.36.
We asked someone nearby if she knew how latecomers could get their cars. She said to try security, conveniently located in the emergency ward.
So we went aaaaaaaaall the way back to the emergency ward on the other side of the hospital and asked security for help. They didn't mind because I guess that kind of thing has happened before; they said to wait back at the car park and a security guard would be there as soon as they could. So we went aaaaaaaaall the way back to the car park on the other side of the hospital.
Guard #1 arrived. He tried to swipe his card on all the car park access doors but nothing was working. "Please wait here another 10 minutes," he said. "Another guard will be here with a working card."
For the sake of a gag, I'm going to guess Guard #1 went aaaaaaaaall the way back to the emergency ward on the other side of the hospital, switched temporarily with Guard #2 while he walked aaaaaaaaall the way back to the car park.
Guard #2's card worked fine and we were out of there! I counted another five cars in the car park, I hope they don't have the same problems as us!
Then we got lost, the GPS couldn't find us for some reason, and someone reminded us to switch on our headlights... but it all worked out in the end. Home sweet home... finally!
---
* This is what happened when we went out to buy dinner
I bought some flavoured water from the nearby convenience store, drank a bit and placed the bottle in my bag.
Several minutes later I noticed my leg felt damp. I looked down and found a large wet patch on my jeans that smelt a bit like fruit. My bag was also starting to drip onto my shoes - my new pink Converses too, nooo!
Dinner! I ordered a tropical baked potato with all the toppings listed except for beetroot.
I think the guy who served us got a little flustered because he added the beetroot, almost forgot to give us the change and though he gave the change to Mum, he was staring and smiling at me. I was staring and smiling right back. But that was it, really.
You're lucky I don't hate beetroot, Potato Man.
I hope he wasn't staring and smiling because I had something on my face (or a massive wet patch on my pants), that'd be my luck.
Or perhaps I'm imagining everything... maybe I did take the change, and he was smiling because he was a happy employee handing change to a customer...
I guess I am allowed to interpret things however I want later, but why am I so terrible at reading the signs when it actually happens?
Did it really happen or did I imagine it all? Blargh.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
26: Yep, today sure is the 26th!
Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank.
Blank blank blank blank blank.
My mind is empty.
It's not so much a writer's block today as it is a writer's brick repeatedly smashing my head in. Ugh.
---
Today my cousin and her family came over. At one point I had to mind the kids while all the parents talked outside. That was different.
And today I walked 3km on the treadmill! Walked 3km last night too!
I don't feel as tired as I did last... fortnight?! I must try to keep this up.
I also started re-reading White Cat by Holly Black, and played a bit of Minecraft.
It wasn't really a day to type about and yet here I am. Five days until the end of the month... I can do this!
Blog, we've come this far! I won't fail you now.
Blank blank blank blank blank.
My mind is empty.
It's not so much a writer's block today as it is a writer's brick repeatedly smashing my head in. Ugh.
---
Today my cousin and her family came over. At one point I had to mind the kids while all the parents talked outside. That was different.
And today I walked 3km on the treadmill! Walked 3km last night too!
I don't feel as tired as I did last... fortnight?! I must try to keep this up.
I also started re-reading White Cat by Holly Black, and played a bit of Minecraft.
It wasn't really a day to type about and yet here I am. Five days until the end of the month... I can do this!
Blog, we've come this far! I won't fail you now.
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
25: A prompt from the experts
This is probably going to be yet another short post because:
a) I am running low on time... again!
b) I have writer's block... again!
c) It's my turn for an unreliable Internet connection. My fault - I've just gone over my allocated download limit for this month, the consequence of which is a slow connection speed until the end of the billing period.
Because of reasons a and b, instead of wasting my time flicking through The Book for ideas again, why don't I head myself over to the official NaBloPoMo page for a writing prompt?
NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month. The writers on that site must be experts in posting on blogs every day for a month... in a nation! Surely they can help me.
Let's see... what have they got for today?
Wednesday, January 25, 2011
How do you feel about not finishing a book once you've read a few chapters?
Ooh, good topic. Thank you, NaBloPoMo!
---
How do you feel about not finishing a book once you've read a few chapters?
It's... not a good feeling.
I love reading! I love getting lost in a good story. Giving up on a book just makes me feel... disappointed. Sad. Slightly guilty.
In the back of my mind I've got a list of books I've yet to finish. I still hold some hope that I'll get to them one day.
A relevant story: in high school my German teacher lent me her copy of Der Kleine Prinz - I gave up on that because it was taking me forever to translate, plus I had to eventually give the book back. However, several years later I bought a copy of The Little Prince and finished that instead.
So one day I could finish reading all those books. It could happen!
Books I have yet to finish that I can remember offhand:
---
That was not short. I definitely went over time too...
a) I am running low on time... again!
b) I have writer's block... again!
c) It's my turn for an unreliable Internet connection. My fault - I've just gone over my allocated download limit for this month, the consequence of which is a slow connection speed until the end of the billing period.
Because of reasons a and b, instead of wasting my time flicking through The Book for ideas again, why don't I head myself over to the official NaBloPoMo page for a writing prompt?
NaBloPoMo = National Blog Posting Month. The writers on that site must be experts in posting on blogs every day for a month... in a nation! Surely they can help me.
Let's see... what have they got for today?
Wednesday, January 25, 2011
How do you feel about not finishing a book once you've read a few chapters?
Ooh, good topic. Thank you, NaBloPoMo!
---
How do you feel about not finishing a book once you've read a few chapters?
It's... not a good feeling.
I love reading! I love getting lost in a good story. Giving up on a book just makes me feel... disappointed. Sad. Slightly guilty.
In the back of my mind I've got a list of books I've yet to finish. I still hold some hope that I'll get to them one day.
A relevant story: in high school my German teacher lent me her copy of Der Kleine Prinz - I gave up on that because it was taking me forever to translate, plus I had to eventually give the book back. However, several years later I bought a copy of The Little Prince and finished that instead.
So one day I could finish reading all those books. It could happen!
Books I have yet to finish that I can remember offhand:
- A Wizard of Earthsea- Ursula Le Guin When I was 15, my English teacher lent me this book after I told her I liked fantasy. I think I stopped at the end of Chapter 4, but I would really like to give this book another go.
- The Amzing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon I got about halfway through this book, after which it started to lose my interest. I may have been 15 at around the time I was reading it too...
- The Arabian Nights: Tales from A Thousand and One Nights - Sir Richard F. Burton There aren't any paragraph breaks! It is a 1000-page wall of text. That's not the reason I've been avoiding it though - I think I'm up to the Adventures of Sinbad the Sailor and I'm pretty sure that's going to be a long read, one I'm not ready to start yet.
- Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother: The Official Biography - William Shawcross I got this as a Kris Kringle present! I'm finding it hard to get through because it is extremely detailed. More detail than I want to handle at the moment.
---
That was not short. I definitely went over time too...
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
24: Macabre note
This week I learnt a bit about grief tourism - when people visit sites associated with death and tragedy.
I know someone who saw the Beaconsfield mine when she was in Tasmania. Other examples include Ground Zero, Auschwitz, Chernobyl, etc.
I knew this existed but I didn't realise there was a name for it.
This week I learnt a bit about grief tourism - the online version. Same definition, but online (well, yeah) - people visiting websites associated with death and tragedy. Facebook memorial pages, for example.
You know, I don't think I've ever looked at a Facebook memorial page before...
This week I learnt a bit about R.I.P trolling - when people troll Facebook memorial pages with horrific wall posts and images. It's the reason why I was reading about all this grief tourism in the first place.
Speaking of reading, this journal article on the subject is pretty informative.
This week I learnt a bit about mourning sickness and recreational grief - when the public mourns over the death someone pretty high profile - celebrities, high-profile murder victims, etc.
And by "this week" I mean a few minutes ago.
---
It's been an unusual week of reading.
I know someone who saw the Beaconsfield mine when she was in Tasmania. Other examples include Ground Zero, Auschwitz, Chernobyl, etc.
I knew this existed but I didn't realise there was a name for it.
This week I learnt a bit about grief tourism - the online version. Same definition, but online (well, yeah) - people visiting websites associated with death and tragedy. Facebook memorial pages, for example.
You know, I don't think I've ever looked at a Facebook memorial page before...
This week I learnt a bit about R.I.P trolling - when people troll Facebook memorial pages with horrific wall posts and images. It's the reason why I was reading about all this grief tourism in the first place.
Speaking of reading, this journal article on the subject is pretty informative.
This week I learnt a bit about mourning sickness and recreational grief - when the public mourns over the death someone pretty high profile - celebrities, high-profile murder victims, etc.
And by "this week" I mean a few minutes ago.
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It's been an unusual week of reading.
Monday, 23 January 2012
23: The times, they have a-changed
Sometimes I like looking back at my old blog posts (mainly the memes) to see if I've drastically changed over the past four years.
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Taste in music: I still like some of those songs that are listed on the first shuffle meme, but all except three have since been deleted from my iPod. Of the songs that were from here (only two years ago) I've removed 9 out of 25.
When it comes to my playlist, I could be considered fussy. I wonder if other people are like that...
Current opinions of bands whose albums I own, and have mentioned here... somewhere:
Favourite colour
My favourite colour was sky blue...
...though it isn't to say I hate the colour now. I thought the autumn skies of Europe were beautiful: fluffy white clouds against a striking backdrop of blue. It was so picturesque. I couldn't stop staring at it - when it wasn't downcast, that is.
Tangent, sorry.
I don't hate blue. It's just over the years I've drifted off to the red side of the spectrum. Lilacs and pinks are more my cup of tea now.
Song of the moment: Aaaah! One of these things!
You'd think I haven't had a song stuck in my head for almost three years! But of course that's a lie.
Current Song of the Moment: Let Me Down Easy - Dennis Brown.
It's actually one of Mum's songs - she loves reggae, especially Dennis Brown!
Over Christmas, Mum went on an iTunes spending spree and burnt a bunch of songs onto a CD that, along with a bunch of other iTunes compilation CDs, is constantly playing in the car!
I recently noticed I was singing along to it, and now it's on my playlist. Thanks, ma.
And since that has nothing to do with reminiscing...
Current opinions of previous Songs of the Moment:
Can I wolf whistle yet? Sometimes.
Hey! That's an improvement!
---
Taste in music: I still like some of those songs that are listed on the first shuffle meme, but all except three have since been deleted from my iPod. Of the songs that were from here (only two years ago) I've removed 9 out of 25.
When it comes to my playlist, I could be considered fussy. I wonder if other people are like that...
Current opinions of bands whose albums I own, and have mentioned here... somewhere:
- Thirsty Merc - yes! Most songs, not all.
- Panic at the Disco - liked the second album better than the first. Not interested in buying the third.
- John Mayer/Jamiroquai/Gorillaz/Outkast - some songs, not all.
- Mika - got bored of the songs soon after buying the album. At least I bought it on sale?
Favourite colour
My favourite colour was sky blue...
...though it isn't to say I hate the colour now. I thought the autumn skies of Europe were beautiful: fluffy white clouds against a striking backdrop of blue. It was so picturesque. I couldn't stop staring at it - when it wasn't downcast, that is.
Tangent, sorry.
I don't hate blue. It's just over the years I've drifted off to the red side of the spectrum. Lilacs and pinks are more my cup of tea now.
Song of the moment: Aaaah! One of these things!
You'd think I haven't had a song stuck in my head for almost three years! But of course that's a lie.
Current Song of the Moment: Let Me Down Easy - Dennis Brown.
It's actually one of Mum's songs - she loves reggae, especially Dennis Brown!
Over Christmas, Mum went on an iTunes spending spree and burnt a bunch of songs onto a CD that, along with a bunch of other iTunes compilation CDs, is constantly playing in the car!
I recently noticed I was singing along to it, and now it's on my playlist. Thanks, ma.
And since that has nothing to do with reminiscing...
Current opinions of previous Songs of the Moment:
- Make It Funky - eh. It's okay. Loud.
- Mas Que Nada - I still like this, but I have since bought the original Sergio Mendes version. They're both on my iPod!
- The Frog - yes.
- Time to Begin - still like. I've taken it on and off my playlist several times. Depends on my mood.
- That song from We Love Katamari - I can't even remember which song it was!
- Thirsty Merc songs - yes.
- Bohemian Polka - yes.
- My Humanity - wow, I forgot this song! I need to watch that DVD again.
- Naughty - heh, yeah.
Can I wolf whistle yet? Sometimes.
Hey! That's an improvement!
Sunday, 22 January 2012
22: I shall not fail!
Going to type this up really quick - I'm not at home at the moment!
I'm at my aunt's house. I've been here since around 3pm and probably won't get home until way after midnight...
I called my cousin for troubleshooting help and he got things sorted on the PC - thank you! ♥
I hope the connection holds. If this message even gets on the blog right now, I will consider myself very lucky indeed!
Well, here goes nothing...
I'm at my aunt's house. I've been here since around 3pm and probably won't get home until way after midnight...
- Tried to post on my mobile, but it's a bit out of date and took forever to load Blogger... then the battery ran out.
- Tried to post on my aunt's PC, but the Internet connection stopped working before I could log in.
- Tried to post on my aunt's laptop, but once again the battery ran out even though it was supposedly on charge! (It wasn't plugged in properly)
I called my cousin for troubleshooting help and he got things sorted on the PC - thank you! ♥
I hope the connection holds. If this message even gets on the blog right now, I will consider myself very lucky indeed!
Well, here goes nothing...
Saturday, 21 January 2012
21: Stuck in the iBathroom
Mum's on the computer again so it looks like this'll be my second iPost this month.
Even if I was able to type with more than one finger, I wouldn't have had a lot to say anyway - I've got writer's block again.
I started flicking through The Book again to get another idea when I came across this:
533: Invent a character then describe his or her bathroom.
Have you ever inwardly shuddered while you're reading something that seems... well, harmless? I just did.
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I had a similar writing task in high school; I had one hour to write a page (or was it a word limit? Both?) about my own bathroom.
I can remember writing about the smell of bleach and sunlight glistening on the tiles. Then I think I went into painful detail about the contents of the bathroom cupboard. I was pressed for both words and time.
I thought what I wrote was terrible and dreaded seeing the result.
I got an A+.
I wasn't going to argue with the result because it was for English class, not creative writing - my English skills would have attributed to the mark as well. But I couldn't keep it. I ripped it up and threw it out.
Maybe it was never as bad as I thought it was.
Maybe I was being too hard on myself because that one, quickly written, unedited page couldn't live up to the standard I was used to seeing i.e. a published novel.
Or maybe it really was utter crap. I guess I'll never know...
Even if I was able to type with more than one finger, I wouldn't have had a lot to say anyway - I've got writer's block again.
I started flicking through The Book again to get another idea when I came across this:
533: Invent a character then describe his or her bathroom.
Have you ever inwardly shuddered while you're reading something that seems... well, harmless? I just did.
---
I had a similar writing task in high school; I had one hour to write a page (or was it a word limit? Both?) about my own bathroom.
I can remember writing about the smell of bleach and sunlight glistening on the tiles. Then I think I went into painful detail about the contents of the bathroom cupboard. I was pressed for both words and time.
I thought what I wrote was terrible and dreaded seeing the result.
I got an A+.
I wasn't going to argue with the result because it was for English class, not creative writing - my English skills would have attributed to the mark as well. But I couldn't keep it. I ripped it up and threw it out.
Maybe it was never as bad as I thought it was.
Maybe I was being too hard on myself because that one, quickly written, unedited page couldn't live up to the standard I was used to seeing i.e. a published novel.
Or maybe it really was utter crap. I guess I'll never know...
Friday, 20 January 2012
20: Converse
I don't have a lot to say today, so why don't you just look at these pictures of shoes?
Converses! I bought my first two pairs of Converses today!
I bet you're reading this and saying to yourself, "Oh, Charlene, you poor, sad individual. I have fifty pairs of Converses in all the colours of the rainbow, and even some colours that aren't."
Well... that's nice. I'm glad you own cool shoes.
As for me, I don't really like spending a lot of money on fashion - I need my money for other things like books and DVDs! And bills, I guess...
Converse shoes here are usually $90+ and I can get an okay pair of non-brand-name shoes for a lot cheaper than that!
Today I found them on special! Top pair were $50, bottom pair were $30! Hooray for bargain shoes!
Converses! I bought my first two pairs of Converses today!
I bet you're reading this and saying to yourself, "Oh, Charlene, you poor, sad individual. I have fifty pairs of Converses in all the colours of the rainbow, and even some colours that aren't."
Well... that's nice. I'm glad you own cool shoes.
As for me, I don't really like spending a lot of money on fashion - I need my money for other things like books and DVDs! And bills, I guess...
Converse shoes here are usually $90+ and I can get an okay pair of non-brand-name shoes for a lot cheaper than that!
Today I found them on special! Top pair were $50, bottom pair were $30! Hooray for bargain shoes!
Thursday, 19 January 2012
19: Orange and blue
I saw Hugo over the weekend! I walked in thinking it was about the adventures of a boy and his robot, and walked out having learnt a bit about the silent film era.
I really enjoyed it!
Was distracted within the first minute of the film because it was set in Gare du Nord! Or at least a set that was heavily influenced by Gare du Nord. In case you don't know, Gare du Nord is one of major train stations of Paris... and I was there just a few months ago! I recognised it!
One thing I also noticed in the film was the colour palette - weird, because I never notice that sort of thing.
It was more or less this:
I think there may have been some red too...
Anyway, this blue-orange thing is apparently pretty common. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.
I really enjoyed it!
Was distracted within the first minute of the film because it was set in Gare du Nord! Or at least a set that was heavily influenced by Gare du Nord. In case you don't know, Gare du Nord is one of major train stations of Paris... and I was there just a few months ago! I recognised it!
One thing I also noticed in the film was the colour palette - weird, because I never notice that sort of thing.
It was more or less this:
Look at my awesome Paint skills!
I think there may have been some red too...
Anyway, this blue-orange thing is apparently pretty common. Once you see it, you can't unsee it.
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