Unbalanced Vision

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

On Friday an American with a stuttering problem came into the shop. I stood behind the front counter expecting nothing, waiting to answer his question. After a few words, I realised he is a stutterer. I haven't spoken to a stutterer before, and suddenly discovered how insensitive it would be to make fun of people with speech impediment by imitating the way they talk--such as ones who talk with their tongue in an awkward position. (In Chinese we call them 'big tongue'.) I looked at him in the face being as patient as possible, so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable. Maybe he doesn't at all, at least he didn't choose to remain in silence. My friend AT would be able to help him. She's studying everything about speech now, and last time on the phone, she told me that she's very much into the knowledge of stuttering. AT also just got into a PhD programme--brilliant!

More on food poisoning... HY's parrot Kiki ate a poisonous berry in the backyard, and now according to the owner it has puked everywhere in the cage, and then lodged quietly in a corner looking very upset. Poor Kiki. AT, however, didn't sit in a corner but was engaged in some busy scratching business!

Cecil Court (by way of The Artchive)

My colleague SR showed me this painting on the Internet--Cecil Court, a lovely street I walk through every week. I wonder why it's called The Refugees? Refugees I see none, tramps and loonies, yes. By the way, can you spot the lady who owns a print shop?

Whether you eat from a rice bowl or not, I would very much like you to watch this programme.

No. 28

It Has Square Wheels

I baked a sports car lemon loaf cake for HY on his 28th birthday. It was the ugliest sedan on earth, but what the heck, I was sick! There was actually another option to bake a much more decent-looking cake: I googled "car-shaped cake" and discovered this site--a do-it-yourself model from the US, wow! However, the delivery price was too expensive and thus I decided to go with my creation. On a different note, HY only had the chance to eat the front engine, whilst I demolished the rest, ensuring the proverb, "you can't have your cake and eat it too" its rightful meaning.

Last night at a bar on Kingsland Road, I noticed that the bartender was wearing a T-shirt which Little E owns too. I vaguely remember Little E telling me that this tee is quite rare, adding a sense of exclusive coolness to its owners (Big S, however, says otherwise), and that he once found a person on the street wearing one, they naturally exchanged a knowing look. I put aside this thought until I found an Infrequently Asked Question on Economist tonight. And so I sent a message to Little E on MSN.

All and sundry, I shall not step inside any restaurant with the famous double golden arches, and I suggest you to do the same. (Oh, I take that back; their Mcflurry's are still edible I hope.) In a rush on Wednesday afternoon, I bought a Fish Burger meal to fill my stomach. Four hours later I was already in a state of unease, dying to go to the loo. This was followed by a fever, stomachache, sore body, constant visits to the toilet (details excluded) and a sleepless night of moaning. Food poisoning is not that hard to deal with. Without resorting to a doctor, I found a site which teaches you how to make ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution). I also ate bowls of congee and soup. Now, I'm just glad to be able to eat meat again.

'*Julius Caesar at the Barbican - revised casting*

Thank you for booking for Julius Caesar.

Please note that Anton Lesser has taken over the role of Brutus in Deborah Warner’s forthcoming production at the Barbican (14 April - 14 May).

Paul Rhys, who was originally cast in this role has been forced to withdraw from rehearsals due to a combination of a virus infection and physical exhaustion following a demanding filming schedule.

The casting is: Simon Russell Beale as Cassius, Ralph Fiennes as Mark Antony, Anton Lesser as Brutus, Fiona Shaw as Portia and John Shrapnel as Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar features: Sean Baker, Anthony Mark Barrow, Simon Russell Beale, David Collings, Robert Demeger, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gardiner, Jimmy Gardner, David Glover, Ginny Holder, Jim Hooper, Chris Jarman, John Kane, Joseph Kennedy, Oliver Kieran-Jones, Anton Lesser, Alex McIntosh, Celia Meiras, James Anthony Pearson, Tim Potter, Struan Rodger, John Rogan, Clifford Rose, Fiona Shaw, Paul Shearer, John Shrapnel, Rohan Siva, Daniel Weyman and Leo Wringer'.

I just received an e-mail from Barbican stating a change in the cast. Well, as long as Ralph Fiennes is healthy on 23 April, which is Shakespeare's birthday and also the date I'm going to see the play, that would be absolutely fine.

Did you wake up this Friday morning and found out that within your eye viewing distance the world is covered up in a very thin layer of snow? I'm not complaining; over the past few weeks all we've been having is strange dandruff-like snow that doesn't bother to stay on earth but melts in thin air. I had fun wearing my boots walking on this white carpet, hearing the special cha-cha sound of my weight stepping on the snow. It didn't last very long, and I'm looking forward to spring already.

Our Backyard

Your Footsteps

My Way to Warren St.