Unbalanced Vision

K, "You return these things back to us, you thief".

My ex-flatmates are going to Lido's one last time tonight. We went there to celebrate my 24th birthday, and they have been shelling out money at the place again and again. The food is not that impressive, but if I stop by Chinatown, I would still go to Lido for when it comes to restaurants, I'm usually quite faithful. There was one time me and HY went to this Chinese restaurant. The waiter, as if he had no intention, kindly asked us if we want to try out some shrimps especially delivered from the Fragrant Harbour. OK. At the end of the meal, we racked up a bill of like 50 something pounds. Shrimps from the fermented seas of Fragrant Harbour? Nice try.

On Monday night for some unknown reason my laptop crashed on me after only months of loyalty. And you know how much this is a concern for academic students approaching deadlines. Well, there's the dungeon computer room of course, and even you've got nothing, you can still write with paper and pen. Anyhow, I filed my complaint to HY a couple of times, hence on Thursday he asked his boss if he could use the spare monitor, blah blah blah, otherwise R will kill him. Now the monitor is in my room and all is well. I've sometimes thought what it would be like if I did not know the person HY at all. I'd hate to think myself unable to function without anybody's help. And if you always ask people to do stuff for you, how else are you suppose to figure things out yourself? But it's nice having HY around, and indeed he has helped me out with loads of things--you name it! Thank you.

How can stuff animals be cute? This is what they do behind your back.

Leader of the dark forces.

Randy Elmo looking at porn.

Hello Kitty Cow stomping on human head.

Carnage and destruction done by E's yellow twin men.

Walked to the kitchen, poured some tap water into the kettle, plugged it in, and walked away. Came back for tea, water is still cold. Pressed the button, walked back to my room again. Came back to check, water is still cold. Forgot to turn on the main switch.
Not yet 25 and already going gaga.

The past two weeks had been a real scorcher, but now it's starting to cool down. The sun is still there, though not as annoying as before. Just sunny and breezy--London is gorgeous like this.
I have mentioned about the kitchen space fight scenario a few times, well, not really a 'fight' per se, just me moaning here. But but but last night the Japanese guy updated me with a new episode. After the Brazilian gal came back, she once again moved the Japanese guy's rice cooker. Hence the Japanese guy slipped a note under her door, with something like:
"I have asked everyone in the flat, and they do not mind my rice cooker sitting on the counter (note: still has such a wide space). You have no right to move my stuff without my permission. If you continue doing so, I will move your stuff away from the 3 cupboards too". Man, this is cool. Love to see justice being served. Problem solved. I thought the Japanese have a reputation of being super polite, don't like to express their feelings, avoid confrontation, etc. Heehee. Japan vs. Brazil 1:0
As for me, my time/breath is too precious to be wasted on people like her. If she wants to lay finger on my kettle, be my guest.

Fengshui is not necessarily superstition. Before my laptop sits far away from the desk lamp, and I type in darkness and filthiness (with the bathroom close by). Now that I've revamped the arrangement of my desk, moving things around as you can see in the picture, mentally feeling much better to work in an environment with sunlight shining through the window.

Tutor has also adviced: honest rough edges are preferable to phoney elegance. And because we are in the habit of idea-swapping with coursemates, has received the most hardcore academic text message in my entire life: Hi rachel, good2speak2 you lastnight.there's a parody of orientalism mingled with native storytelling tradition in 2 H IV (5.3.78-103) which might be relevant!x
Gosh, don't even know what orientalism is.

I think the Guardian Saturday Review has replaced Posy Simmond's Literary Life with something refreshing. I've always liked Simmond's sweet dainty wit, and whilst Review puts us in limbo with four words: "Posy Simmonds is away", gladly, Tom Gauld is equally amusing. Failed to find an on-line version of The Writer at Work, but basically it starts off with Ben Jonson--so cute. Prolific Jonson is writing another play, and reaches a mind block. He pops out for some air, but finds out that he forgot his keys. Monologue:
"What an idiot"
"Still, I suppose Anne'll be back from the shops soon enough"
"God. I hope no-one I know comes past and sees me"
"... Sitting out on the stoop like an urchin"
"I could tell them that I'm out enjoying the fresh air" *he waits*
"Christ! How long does it take to buy some bloody groceries"
"If I was at my desk I'd be pulsing with great ideas"
"Pulsing"
Creations like these just makes you think the writer you study is like a next door neighbour. *smiles*

Tom Gauld's The Effect of Original Thinking via TheAOI

Ms. Queen of Fwd. Messages (Bonnie) has sent me some Beckhams black and white shots from Vogue. Of course they all look nice (see who's posing), and the world does not need another keen eye photographer. This one amongst the other much raunchy pics, however, is my fave. There's something highly seductive about backs, the intense feeling of something unknown, and desire to know, waiting for it to be revealed. Yet how many times do we end up dissappointed? Turning your back on someone is rudeness, indeed.
As for the backbone of her Edinburgh drama performance, Ms. Drinkwater (aka the female Quentin Tarantino), has received fabulous reviews for her Rope--an adaptation of one of Hitchcock's works. I know there's guys out there who fancy watching lesbian sex. But with lady directors, the best thing is that you can legally order men kiss over and over again, only if you have gay scenes that is. With opportunities like this, who needs porn?

Apparently HY is stealing my friends, because he doesn't have ones of his own. First, he lures Erik and dear Rola into playing softball, and then the gang are going to play paintball this weekend. Humpf. Next thing he does is he's going to show-off his PS2, and I know Erik and Sarah are suckers for PS2. Now HY is even going to take Sarah away! It's all right. I still have Katrin, Shellie and Aurelie. Hey, I have cool toys too, you know. Just because he has all these gadgets does not mean he's fun to be with...

You are Eliza Bennett from Pride and
Prejudice! Yay, you! Perhaps the
brightest and best character in all of English
literature, you are intelligent, lively,
lovely-- in short, you are the best of company.
Your only foibles are that you stick with your
first impressions... and your family is quite
intolerable.


Which Jane Austen Character Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Seeing onself as any literary characters is a sad, sad thing.

According to news on this Chinese Web site, hundreds have died in Euro heat wave. The headline reads: it's so hot that Europeans can't even bother to wear bikinis. So is this what people on the other side of the planet imagine us doing now? Yes, frankly, we do walk around naked.
I know the Brazilian girl is back from Edinburgh, because my kettle and the Japanese guy's rice cooker have been removed. Going to put them back again and again just to annoy her--my criminal act for the year.
Life is genuinely great. Just me and a laptop, microsoft word, books, papers and cups of tea. Urgh.

HK

UK

Unlike me who can only fall asleep in a pitch black, soundless and motionless environment, HY can pass out under any circumstances in 3 seconds--literally. Ipso facto, it's quite difficult for Miss Chatterbox to talk to Mr. Drowsy at the approach of bedtime. That said, give him paper and pencil, request pictures of houses, and the cute architect will wake up and tell you not to interrupt as he directs you through spatial cognition.

In the beginning it was all refreshing. Everyone took out their colourful summerwear from the bottom drawer and put on their cool sunglasses. It was about standing under no roof sipping drinks and licking ice lollies. Now you can't bear the sight of that yellow thingy hanging about in the sky. It has even made some crew cut convict lookalike take HY away.

Terminator 3 reminded me of this:

Our lingering parents, and to th' eastern gate
Led them direct, and down the cliff as fast
To the subjected plain; then disappeared.
They, looking back, all th' eastern side beheld
Of Paradise, so later their happy seat,
Waved over by that flaming Brand; the gate
With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms.
Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon;
The world was all before them, where to choose
Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.
They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow,
Through Eden took their solitary way.
Milton, Paradise Lost

"With its weakness and strivings and inevitable defeats, there is a glory that no devil can ever understand". Yet the satanic robot in red leather should also be admired for her heroic energy. As for Adam and Eve whose mission was to survive the Judgement Day, wouldn't it suck if you were left with the ugliest Adam/Eve on earth, and had to procreate for the sake of future generations?

Lately have been bugging people with a plain, simple question: When people go on explorations, do they already have expectations (presuming/hoping) that they will find something? In other words, does exploration entail hope? No, Nicky, it's not one of those midnight questions when you wonder to yourself, "Hum, what is the meaning of life?" I'd rather doze off in bed by then. Yet in the meantime, having my cake means eating it, too. So here are snippets of e-mails from some brilliant minds of the century.

From: Uncle Qian
I think you are right in pointing to the purposive nature of the act of exploration: 'to explore aimlessly' doesn't seem to make much sense. The only cases in which this expression makes sense (to me) are when the act is motivated by strong curiosity: the objective may be very vaguely, partially, opaquely(?), conceived, but that there is something (worthy of discovery) to be discovered is tacitly assumed, allowing the possibility of disappoinment, of course. But then it is purposive nonetheless.

Therefore I don't think exploration makes sense as an experience in itself. It has to be accompanied by the expectation that there is something out there to be explored. The nature of the purpose (or expectation) involved, and how that purpose arises in the first place, are further issues to be considered.

From: Little brother
I think what you should be finding out is not the definition of "exploration", but the motive and purpose of exploration in the Renaissance. Mary Pratt said that travel writings are the "imperial eyes" from the eighteenth century to the twentieth century. That's because travels in these times are accompanied by the expansion of colonialism and imperialism. Travel writings serve as the vanguard in an empire's frontier. Some said that anthropology was born in these days, too.

There's always a goal or motive to explore or to travel, whether the traveler is aware of it or not. Therefore, the travel writings or drama can't be just a person's ideas or thoughts, but the whole society's consciousness.

"The other" started to become a very important subject matter in the Renaissance, since the dicovery of America. (see Bernard McGrane "Beyond Anthropology") In Montaigne's essays you can see how he is interested in these kinds of questions. Even though Montaigne is the dude who stated that there's nothing new under the sun, he still believes that the cannibals (Indians) live a very different life in contrast to the Europeans. Thus, even cosmopolitanism and humanism are the major sources in the Renaissance philosophy, they still needs to explore human diversity to back up thier statement. In other words, we are always in a process of "domesticating others". We need to put the other in a specific space, or else we won't be comfortable with their existence,

Therefore, "exploration" to me is about finding out and locating others, and domesticate them by writing novels, essays, dramas...etc.

In the end, there's no right or wrong, just something to think about.

1) After 6 pints, the merry drunkard made his usual conversational big hand gestures, tossed chicken bones along King's Cross Road, and proudly claimed that he hired a bitch to do his ironing.
2) Cycled to Docklands to watch tadpoles and amphibians, actually ogling sweaty athletes. Thoughts: world is in dire need of sporty Asians + farmer's tan is byproduct of lady on wheels.
3) Sweet fridge-raider and sunshine-lover RA is quarter-of-a-century old. Happy Birthday!
4) Scantily-clad Londoners jam-pack Hyde Park.
5) Dinner with D (in cute baby pink tee) and M.
6) Been given lifelong sentence of driving inadequacy. What people do not realise is that I love to break out of jail.

It's already August, and that officially leaves me with one month. I'm not going to report on progress, because it seems to me that the product is much worth mentioning than the process. On a different note, Mother is flying back home today after her 18-day long sojourn in London. She's certainly had loads of fun doing the usual touristy stuff, whereas I spend most of the time studying, pooh. Though there was one night I did take her to the Comedy Store (my fiftieth billion time taking people there), and watched a free improvisation show. Anything is enjoyable as long as you don't have to pay. One of the best things with having a mom around is that you never have to open the fridge once, and delicious dishes magically appear on the dining table. Such is the relationship b/w me and Mom: we joke around, we hug, then we part within seconds. No tears, "I'm gonna miss you", "I don't want to leave" that kind of crap. Now, to the Friday Five:

1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings?
7:30-8:00
2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late?
I can never sleep in on weekends. No matter how late I go to sleep, I still wake up at the same time. This basically makes the rest of my day crappy; don't even talk to me about afternoon naps.
3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning?
Turn on my laptop to check e-mails, sadly enough.
4. How long does it take to get ready for your day?
On record, fastest I can get ready in 10 minutes.
5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast?
Home--what beats a nice warmish homemade breakfast?