Friday, February 25, 2005
Loose change
When I arrive in Melbourne I will have an address, luggage to unpack, financial matters to settle.I will also have no
bed
internet connection
mobile phone
cupboards to unload my belongings into.
I feel needy in this grand scheme of things.
lux at 2:18 pm
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
The art of making-do
Two days counting and I will be back in the driest, biggest, arguably most isolated human habitat in the southern hemisphere. And it will be here that I am going to hone my craft of making-do. I think I can be so selfish sometimes. As long as I compare, I will never be able to shake off the power of the original's influence on me; the points of reference which I use as standard measure. Never be able to fully see and accept the newer experience as unique in itself.Alright, perhaps all the above comes from hindsight.
lux at 9:36 pm
Friday, February 18, 2005
Knit a stitch
As Holland Village's retail shops wound down business for the day, I did my first, and possibly last, brisk walk around the mall since I came back home. I saw a brown cloth tote bag. It was big enough to store a ring file and a bit more, had rectangles running diagonally down in a simple geometric formation, with bronze and silver sequins sewn over some of the rectangles. Nothing much, right?The salesgirl came up to me (the lone vulnerable victim thinking window-shopping at 730 in the evening was retail therapy and nothing more) and proclaimed merrily in a long string of words possibly well-rehearsed by now.
I asked, Do you only have this in brown? hoping I could make it easy for me to escape from the evil salespeep-will-promote-anythingeventhebad syndrome because I had already decided not to consider buying it before she even came scurrying over. Only reason I was there was because my itchy fingers got the better of me.
Oh, the bag costs (checks) $89. It is the only piece and comes in only one colour, brown. So that's why it costs this much. It's very exclusive so it's worth it. (smile smile, sweet smile)
Oh okay (smile, talk about predictable yet fallacious arguments) thanks so much.
lux at 11:09 pm
Thursday, February 17, 2005
February 17, Thursday, 2005
Sometimes I wished I was a bit morepolitical
or
tech savvy
graphic
creative
and
dedicated
so that this blog won't look half as bad as it does now
normal
boring
and prone to excessive selfish whinings.
lux at 12:47 am
Sunday, February 13, 2005
About pens, a hand and a blank page
To anyone who's:- interested in Japanese anime/manga
- bored with nothing more significant to do
- depressed/melancholic/indulges in the bittersweet rhythms of life
- watched Furuba/Fruits Basket before, or any shoujo stuff for that matter
you can continue reading this entry. Otherwise you'll probably be let down by insipid writing and a topic you cannot be bothered with. +>
Over the past few days I've been reading Fruits Basket manga by Takaya Natsuki. I've watched the anime but could never understand why the animation house has failed to bring out an original video animation or a movie to complete the television series. Having read the orignal comic I now realised why. The series was simply a condensation of the original manga - it didn't stop midway through the manga, rather it picked out crucial bits of the story and left out many more crucial bits. ie. it took the start, kept the end and filled its middle up some way or another. Ha.
There's just simply so much to the story I don't know how to start, though watching the anime will be a good way to begin. Essentially the story's about a girl, Tohru, who meets and lives with the cursed Sohma family. To them she is a beacon of hope and love they never thought the world had; to her they are some of the people who have helped make life easier after her mum passed away. But curses are curses and all the love in the world can't hide their ominous shadow...
I am amazed at myself for getting sucked into a comic which exists solely on paper in a fabricated universe and in the minds of its escapist fans. Hmmm the story for one is immensely readable and funny, bittersweet with a strong dosage of black humour.
I give this 5 perfect stars! Please move your finger over to the 'Manga' link on the right and give it some good exercise. +>
lux at 1:57 pm
Him Riddle Diddle
I was watching an episode of Powerpuff Girls yesterday with a title like entry's title truly. Don't dismiss the Powerpuffs as plastic laminate cutouts fluff cos the show's actually an excellent example of satire. A case in point:In the episode, the girls were anxious to safe their father from an enemy's evilest clutches. They sat for an exam. Blossom, obviously, was the one who completed the multiple completion test most effortlessly. Buttercup tried to copy Blossom's. While Bubbles looked perplexed for a while before she gained inspiration and began filling in the little circles enthusiastically.
Then came the results. Each sheet was sent through a scanner with a screen to determine the score. Buttercup got a 25. Blossom a 10 and lotsa Buttercup guffaws to boot. While Bubbles hit intergalatic effervescent superhero max with 1075. It turned out she coloured a flower on her sheet.
After a day of going against the clock, solving riddle after riddle. The girls managed to find their father. Apparently he was safe and all and the only catch in the wager between him and the evilest enemy was:
If the girls could solve everything correctly and reach him in time, he'd get the discount on the breakfast meal he just had.
lux at 1:23 pm
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Dusty on the mantlepiece
Yesterday I found myself walking behind a young couple in their twenties. They held hands, she in a cyan frock with pretty flowers and he in an outfit most drab and forgettable. They seemed very much in lurve. And they were talking so I walked quietly behind and eavesdropped.There was lotsa blabber, again themselves most dismissable. But I remember her saying something...
about how girls from this particular singaporean secondary school were groomed to become trophy wives. how she herself came from this school. I wondered if she considered herself one.
I sniffled a laugh and marched past them, thinking what in the world makes a 'trophy' wife. Issit a lady who sits patiently in the house, looks pretty and allows others to wait on her while she indulges in her whimsical fancies; a female who stays indoors and manages the household, making sure her family remains intact and socially-presentable; or a lady who is independent, capable and diligent be it for work or family.
Looking at the above I'm mildly surprised that there seems to always be a child or two involved. Then of course comes the question, will we ever level a similarly disparaging 'trophy husband' snub against the male species?
lux at 2:39 am
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Having given in to the persuasions of my friends, a fit of (untimely) consumerist urges and the all-time popular 'i've just got nothing better to do' I bought two cds!The first: Scissor Sisters' self-titled debut. Campy , glam-disco funk, irreverently humorous and GAY! haha what a lark. I initially thought I wouldn't get it. But Take Your Mama Out was simply irresistible and jawdroppin'. wahahahah they tickle me - drag queen, taut bod, tacky uniform-costumes and all.
The second: Time of Rebirth by The Observatory. Well if I go back to Melbourne with all my records, it'll be terrible if I didn't show a hint of support for a local act. So hmmm here it is. Atmospheric and hurmm commendable. Just to top up my audio bank and make it seem more 'complete'. When history involves the Padres, Humpback Oak and Concave Scream it can't be all that bad lah.
lux at 1:50 pm
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Money Hungry
Oh you damn sky rain some cash on me! Come on, measly dirt don't tell me money really doesn't grow on trees?! I'm terribly broke. Haha and unemployed too. I'm such a whiner, spendthrift and lazybum. Just stuck at home, downloading stuff from the internet and watching anime reruns on the computer. My parents must be thinking: what a demanding, unproductive daughter they have. Not far from the truth I must add.lux at 11:09 pm