Procrastinating on my Christmas CD

1. What time did you get up this morning? 9:30am... wait, what?! 

2. How do you like your steak?  Medium rare

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?     Eat, Pray, Love

4. What is your favorite TV show?  ... ever? Xena Warrior Princess (haha)

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?  NYC or Amsterdam

6. What did you have for breakfast?     Water

7. What is your favorite cuisine?     Shanghainese / Indian / Italian .... hard to choose, really. 

8. What foods do you dislike?   Celery, cooked leafy vegetables of any kind, cilantro

9. Favorite Place to Eat?     Home (I'm lucky to have amazing chefs for roommates... for two more days. :( ) 

10. Favorite dressing?      My mother makes this amazing dressing wth parm,  lemon, and olive oil

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?  Not a driving kinda girl.. (ha)

12. What are your favorite clothes?    jeggings, loose-fitting t's, cardigans, scarves.. bright colours! :) 

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?  Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere! 

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?   both (fence sitting.)

15. Where would you want to retire?  South of France 

16. Favorite time of day?   Middle of the night or afternoon

17. Where were you born?     Hong Kong

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?     I don't watch sports. 

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?     Probably everyone

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?   No clue

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? No one, I just felt like filling it out.

22. Bird watcher?    No

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?    Night

24. Pets?   RIP Don Chancho Ignacio Valdez. <3 

25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share?    My flight date for HK is Jan 26! 

26. What did you want to be when you were little?   A doctor who would use their money to buy land to build a retirement home for seniors to live in for free.... (how things have changed. haha) 

27. What is your best childhood memory?    Westvale P.S. Library  

28. Are you a cat or dog person?       Cat, mostly. 

29. Are you married?    No

30. Always wear your seat belt?      No

31. Been in a car accident?      Yes

32. Any pet peeves?   Yes (rushing/being rushed, not having anywhere to sit, when people refuse to get any food then ask for some of yours!! lol (I will buy you food! Just don't take mine!), people touching my hair without having reached a certain level of friendship!, when people make light of my cat's death, etc. )

33. Favorite pizza topping?   Plain cheese, or mushrooms and Italian sausage

34. Favorite Flower?  Sunflowers! :) 

35. Favorite ice cream?   Chocolate or Birthday Cake

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?   McDonalds

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?   Never took it. 

38. From whom did you get your last email?   Pooja

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?  Urban Outfitters

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?   Life is just spontaneous.

42. Broccoli? Cauliflower?   Cauliflower

43. What was your favorite vacation? DC, NYC, Boston when I was 8. 

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?    Mike and Fai 

45. What are you listening to right now?   Christmas music

46. What is your favorite color?   Neon yellow / canary yellow

47. How many tattoos do you have?   One (red fish on wrist)

48. Coffee drinker?    Yes

49. How many children do you have?     None

50. What is the last gift you received?    Stretchy grey jeans from Fai! 

Dead Ends

“There is a loneliness in this world so great that you can see it in the slow movement of
the hands of a clock.
people so tired
mutilated either by love or no love.
people just are not good to each other one on one.
the rich are not good to the rich the poor are not good to the poor.


we are afraid.


our educational system tells us that we can all be big-ass winners.
it hasn’t told us about the gutters or the suicides.
or the terror of one person aching in one place alone
untouched unspoken to
watering a plant.”

- Bukowski

A little Lisa on a lonely Tuesday

"Some of us hover when we weep for the other who was 
dying since the day they were born."
"You said that I was naive, and I thought that I was strong. And I thought hey I could leave I could leave..."

What happens on a dark-hearted Saturday

Despite having my first pumpkin spice latte of the season this morning, work still made me grumpy as hell. 

My foul mood combined with having little to no funds led to my declining an invitation of sushi and shopping with the roomies. I find window shopping excruciating. Instead, I watched How To Make a Button and subsequently fell into a thick sleep where I dreamed I was in some sort of open relationship with Miranda July. (Which was actually pretty awesome considering she is brilliant.)

My roommates came home filled with sushi and armed with colorful, lacy lingerie. I admired their loot as I consumed my sidekicks from the pot.

A forgotten segue later, P was cleaning out her room, sorting out items to donate and leafing through old clothing items. It wasn't until she asked if I had anything I wanted to get rid of that it came upon me, elbow deep in a garbage bag of clothes-- my shopping itch. 

It's just that it's fall again, and fall clothes are my favourite. Plus! I haven't been shopping in ages. I miss it. I miss the thrill of new things. I miss treasure-hunt thrifting. I miss creating new pairings. I miss not feeling anxious when I buy things. I am so sick of rotating the same tired outfits over and over and over. 

I know this is a bit superficial... and I acknowledge that it isn't an Actual Problem. (I hope I am not presenting it as such.) But yes. I miss it. Dressing myself feels like part of my art that I can't really engage in anymore. 

So instead... I torture myself by reading fashion blogs while mowing on leftover pizza. 

Check out Mademoiselle Robot. She has a green dress that is to die for and she teaches you how to make a scarf necklace!:

http://www.mademoisellerobot.com

Prod-tistic Soul

Something I love about my roommates is that they effectively counter my laziness while still being really chill people.

I think there's a certain healthy level of laziness that I regularly exceed. And while my roommates aren't the kind that regularly have the desire to "GO OUT!", they provide me with intellectual and cultural stimulation. And we often choose activities that richen my soul.

Today, Fai and I hit up the Kitchener Farmer's Market-- which I do prefer to the Waterloo/St.Jacob's one. I got some German pastries and a patty from Caribbean Kitchen. Fai got some produce. We chatted over coffee for a while outside, and then ventured back to Uptown, where an art show was winding down in the rain.

I'm feeling so inspired right now. I kind of hit kinks a lot with my art.. but I'm ready to make some stuff happen today! I met this girl selling prints and paintings who I really vibe with on an artistic level. I love her work and I got some prints. Check her out here: http://www.wix.com/sheenab/sheenab-designs

And now I'm off to sweep.

Productive + Artistic = Win.

Inner Child Dualities

Lyrics of the week

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and bury them beneath the sea, 
I don't care what the people may say, what the people may say about me.
Pack up your troubles, get your old grin back, don't worry 'bout the calvalry.
I don't care what the whisperers say 'cause they whisper too loud for me.

- Eliza Doolittle, Pack Up

Heat Wave Down Memory Lane

It's sweltering here lately.

So hot my hair sweats. So hot the heart-shaped bejewel on my cellphone melted off.

Normally, I'd opt to stay inside my nicely air-conditioned house, but today I had to trek to campus to pick up a check from human resources. I'm quite prone to heat stroke, and so after I picked up my check I traveled quickly across the parking lot to the Davis Centre. (Ah, memories!)

It's been a while since I've really been in this building during the day when people are here. Unfortunately the cafeteria closes early in the summer so I was cheated out of a poutine. Instead, I purchased an iced cappuccino from Tim Hortons and ventured into the actual library itself to prolong my period in the a/c.

Being here takes me back to a time of scrambling for study spaces, hovering over computer spots (before I had a laptop!), and "studying" in the basement area. Right. Studying. Also known as facebooking, online shopping, and in my case, reaching to find my inner videographer:

Happy Canada Day!

Three things I love about my country:

1. People are nice.

2. We have good greens. :)

3. Health care.

(4. Tamia singing Oh Canada)

How old is this news? and A Midsummer Night

Any thoughts of switching permanently to Tumblr or Wordpress have been officially squashed.

Tabs! Oh, Blogger, how did you know?

And as Midsummer has been celebrated and the 'high school summer vacation' is upon us, I am (once again) recommencing my love for bloggage. But this time I'll stick to it. Because I just can't resist tabs. (Possible reason for lack of friends.)

I take small breaks from being a massive loser here and there though.
On one such occasion (yesterday), S (being quite knowledgeable about the Swedish Midsummer Festival), created for P, N, and I, a smörgåstårta-- a traditional dish served by the Swedish at Midsummer. Essentially, it's a Sandwich Cake.

It was delicious and I got a new dress. Happy Summer!

10 Signs of a Personal Recession

10. Silver circles elicit a "YES!!!" ...nickels mean something to you again.

9. Hell, pennies mean something to you. You often consider rolling them.

8. You're always sober. Even coffee is a luxury.

7. Food is a luxury.
Mixing a can of god-knows-how-old mushroom soup with boiled rice noodles you got from your parents house is considered a decent meal.

6. You spend a week eating nothing but scrambled eggs on hot dog buns your roommate stole from work.

5. Signing up for a lot of those pay-per-survey sites.

4. Deciding to have a yard sale and then looking in the Free section of Kijiji for things to sell.

3. You can't afford to 'do' anything so you ignore people's calls since they are inevitably going to ask you to 'do' something. (This has allowed me to get through the first 5 seasons of Gilmore Girls on megavideo.)

2. You find out how much a crossing guard makes. You considering applying for the position.

1. You notice there is only one roll of toilet paper left in your bathroom and are filled with an alarming panic.

Mondays

I'm feeling quite 'escapist' today. Citylove-syndrome. But alas, I am broke and... employed.
So I'm stuck in the suburbs.

I didn't sleep last night.
It was pouring rain.
It's sunny now though.

I had Swedish Fish (Swedish berries in the shape of fish) and Yorkshire tea for breakfast (thank you Gabbi).

And, through StereoMood, I have found my celebrity twin, and a great artist. Perfect morning music. GREAT shoes. Eliza Doolittle is bomb.

Lending Strength

I've been listening to a lot of Jewel lately, haha.
My favourite Jewel song is Life Uncommon, I think. Tied closely with Near You Always.

She says though "Lend your voices only to sounds of freedom. No longer lend your strength to that which you wish to be free from. Fill your lives with love and bravery and you shall leave a life uncommon."

I only really want to be "in" something for as long as it's Healthy, and Happy.
If something is going to make me miserable (even if it's self-inflicted), then why keep 'giving it my strength' so to speak?

Anyway, random Sunday thought.

Cleaning my room, finally!

It's obvious your tenderness is what I need

Staying awake to keep this taste in my mouth

Comfort food is a brilliant thing. Especially at 3 in the morning.

I mean, really. Who doesn't love a good grilled cheese sandwich? Crispy yet gooey. Flavorful and not uncomfortably heavy, paired with the salty-sweet globbing of ketchup. Plus, Pooja had the ingenius idea to put garlic powder on the cheese. I have not lived up until this moment!

I am so glad to be passionate about my food.

I can't really imagine mechanically feeding myself simply to fulfill a hunger void.
To be chubby and happy, is so much better than being skinny IF eating is just a muted task. Of course skinny and eating passionately at the same time.......

Well, that's metabolism. (Dear friend from long ago.)

I have no photograph of this sandwich because it went down my throat in 30 glorious seconds flat.

Thursday Things I Like

It's kind of a cop out, but today's thing I like is sunshine and having a little time to do paint. Here's what I did today:

(This piece is still potentially unfinished. I can't make up my mind on whether or not to fill in the sunglasses, hair, and gum.)



(scanned version)

Monday is for Motivation

Mondays are for Motivation. Counteract the gloom.

Today's motivation: London Fogs and Gen X.

I spent my morning dealing with necessary unpleasantries(sp?) like Bell and financial stuff, resume revisions and the like. I'll be honest, it's a must, but it's getting me down. Sometimes I feel like no matter what, I'm going to be in this hole. And I've been having a hard time understanding why life just shits on you and shits on you even if you really try hard to be a good person... which really is such a cliched question, but an true one.

Monday decided to provide me with a little lift, though. Kat and I met up and went to Princess Cinema Cafe. If you haven't been there, it's one of my absolute favorite cafes in the city. They serve comforting beverages and bomb paninis, and famed soup. Indie without being cheesy, you know? I had a London Fog and vented about life. Afterward we went to Gen X and I rented Precious and The Princess and the Frog. And then we stopped at the dollar store and Kat bought me various items. Resume tool free for all. :)

It's nice to catch up. And it's nice to know that you have friends/family that have your back, and are willing to pick you up a little once in a while. It feels less lonely for sure.

And now, I'm going to disappear into a night of movie watching and life ignoring! Turrah!

Moment of Weakness

As anti-relationship/marriage I am right now, I do have to give it one point against me:

I want someone to take care of me when I feel like shit.

Don't need no beat, I can sing it with piano...

I am armed and ready (and disguised). Coffee. File. Game face. Ego.

The Joys of Yogurt Cake

Alison asked me what yogurt cake was this afternoon. And since Fai had just taken the gem out of the oven, I decided to take a few photographs and ask her for the recipe so that people who chance upon this could try it out. It's very simple but moist, and quite delectable.

Cut that delicious thing!

Fai's Yogurt Cake

You will need:
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons butter (do NOT substitute with margerine)

Instructions:
1. Mix yogurt and sugar together
2. Mix in two eggs to the yogurt and sugar
3. Mix in flour
4. Add vanilla extract
5. Melt butter and mix in
6. Bake at 350F for 30min approx. (In a loaf pan or muffin tins.)
7. If you WANT you can pour a syrup over it after it's finished baking, comprised of the juice of three oranges and half a cup of sugar. You can also ice it if you feel like it or whatever.

Personally, I prefer to slather a little margerine on it and I'm good to go! :)

Productivity Take 2!

I have relocated to the living room.

Apparently my primary coloured bedroom primes me to watch Sesame Street on Youtube and chat online instead of actually getting anything done. I capped off at 3 tasks yesterday.

BUT TODAY IS A NEW DAY.

Fai is making yogourt cake.

I have my Sunnyday Sunday Playlist on!:



Overall, the outlook is pretty good.

I'm serious

I am serious about this blogging thing!
I can't seem to figure out how to get the Blogger comments to appear, since Haloscan has been discontinued, but I'm not too torn up about it.

As far as productivity goes, I have never been a winning contender.

That is going to change.

Today, thus far, I have accomplished 3/11 tasks.
The sun is still out. This is good news.

Plus, I'm wearing a neon yellow t-shirt that Alanna got me from NY.
And since that is my favorite colour, I'd say it can only mean positive things.

Right?.... Right! ..... STRESSFACE!

Talking to myself

I've decided to blog again! (The Waverly in me smiles confidently.)

Talking to myself, I realized, keeps me focused and less scattered. It makes things more manageable and designates significance to otherwise minor details.

I have a room now. Did I mention?
Yes, my very own primary colored bedroom in a little bungalow with a spacious backyard and three lovely roommates. Two of whom cook very well and have fantastic taste in music and are human. What more could a girl ask for, really?

It's helpful make lists of What You Have and What You Can Do, when you're anxious.

This weekend is going to be a productive one!

And I think I might make Korean Glass Noodles if I get the chance!

Right now, I'm going to hop in the shower while it's still the middle of the night.

Motives and Thoughts by Lauryn Hill

a little Lboogie wisdom, folks!



Rotating bodies, confusion of sound
Negative imagery, holding us down
Social delusion, clearly constructed
Human condition, morals corrupted
Trapped in reaction, lawlessness war
Dissatisfaction from bowels to core
Devil’s technology, strategy for
Human mythologies, urban folklore
Sick of psychology, counterfeit cure
Wicked theology, robbing the poor
Scheme demonology mislead the pure
Strictly strategically studying war
Light shown in darkness, image exposed
Few can see through the new emperor’s clothes
Lustful this hustle turn humans to hoes
When the blind lead the blind
Just more trouble and woes
It’s the mind that they chose
Its designed to stay closed
Standard of jokers, court just a logic
Sick looking cosmics, from schoolyards to college
Primitive man with civilize knowledge
System collapse and he still won’t acknowledge
God is the saviour, studies behavior
Trying to fix the mix mind that he gave ya
Stiff-necked scholars on prescription meds
Wishing their problems were all in their heads
Morale dilemma, pride is the root
Misguided from youth, heart divided from truth
Egyptians and Grecians, spiritually dead
Imperially led, by the gods in their heads
Motives and thoughts
Industrial wealth
Global economy, in it for self
Heart full of madness, covered with kind
Pleasure designed to take over your mind
Furnished in godliness, painted in good
This tainted priesthood got real saints misunderstood
While classes in government, set up the veil
And cultivate minds for more mythical tales
Typical Hollywood follies good girl
While vice and corruption take over the world
Motives and thoughts
Check your motives and thoughts
Blind with the wickedness, deep in your heart
Modern day wickedness is all you’ve been taught
Lied to your neighbors, so you get ahead
Modern day trickery is all you’ve been fed
Motives and thoughts
Check your motives and thoughts

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

Shark

Apparently sharks never sleep and if they stop moving they die. I'm a shark up until maybe 6am every bloody night this week. Besides tonight, because it's 7:30 now and I'm still up. This part is my fault though because I'm here blogging about it instead of actually trying to sleep even though I have a dentist appointment in 3.5 hours. Go me.

I've been entertaining myself well though, through the supposed sleeping hours. I caught up on all my youtube subscriptions. That hasn't happened in a long while. I forgot what a computer-person I can be, because 2009 was pretty low on the computer usage since the pos was broken for the majority of the year. But the guilty satisfaction I get from all my online social networking sites hasn't really worn off that much. I'm admittedly a bit disenchanted by blogging now, but not tonight so you probably don't believe me. I don't love Facebook but it sucks me in once in a while.

Other than watching the 5AG and the Vlog Brothers and Mememolly, I've been perusing lookbook.nu and a bunch of different 'fashion related' blogs. It's really unhealthy to look at fashion when you're as broke and as frivolous with your money as I am.

I also randomly decided to paint my nails. I have my nailpolish in this basket thing under my mirror and I don't have a lamp yet so I went off the light of my monitor and two tealights-- couldn't really see the colour of the nailpolish I grabbed properly, so yay! I'm going to wake up to surprise-colour, poorly done nailpolish in 3 hours. I felt phartsy about it so here are some pictures.

Lisa Loeb - Stay

you say I only hear what I want to.
you say I talk so all the time so.

and I thought what I felt was simple,
and I thought that I don't belong,
and now that I am leaving,
now I know that I did something wrong 'cause I missed you.
yeah, I missed you.

and you say I only hear what I want to:
I don't listen hard,
I don't pay attention to the distance that you're running
or to anyone, anywhere,
I don't understand if you really care,
I'm only hearing negative: no, no, no.

so I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up,
and this woman was singing my song:
the lover's in love, and the other's run away,
the lover is crying 'cause the other won't stay.

some of us hover when we weep for the other who was
dying since the day they were born.
well, this is not that:
I think that I'm throwing, but I'm thrown.

and I thought I'd live forever, but now I'm not so sure.

you try to tell me that I'm clever,
but that won't take me anyhow, or anywhere with you.

you said that I was naive,
and I thought that I was strong.
I thought, "hey, I can leave, I can leave."
but now I know that I was wrong, 'cause I missed you.

you said, "You caught me 'cause you want me and one day you'll let me go."
"you try to give away a keeper, or keep me 'cause you know you're just so scared to lose.
and you say, "stay."

you say I only hear what I want to.

Life is better now that I found you