The List: Revisited.

I can't believe it's already been a whole year since I started this blog. And it's time to make New Years resolutions again! One of my very first entries was this list of 101 things I wanted to start changing/accomplishing, so I think it'd be good to go back, have a look at it, do a little revising, and continue with my progress.

An asterisk means I've ditched the old resolution entirely and written a new one. Commentary is in italics. Crossed-out ones have been completed!

101 Things, part 2:

1. Visit Armadale Castle in Scotland, the ancestral seat of my Scottish family.
2. See The Rasmus in concert.
3. Try absinthe, honest-to-God as-real-as-I-can-get absinthe, with a spoon and a sugar cube.
4. Finally delete my old MySpace (maybe start a new one, for networking purposes). No, no more MySpace. A blog is way better.
   
5. Buy more of my bras and panties in sets, so I'll match more often (nothing better than knowing that your unmentionables are coordinated, right ladies?).
6. *Don't be wasteful or buy things I don't need.
   
7. Grow another inch (5'5" sure was a surprise).
8. Sell more of my knits, and set up an actual website for myself to do so. Working on this one a bit, still... City Moth Knits is in existence, but not much more.
   
9. Get my hair cut in an actual style and keep it up (any ideas?).
10. ...and donate the cut part to Locks of Love.
11. Keep up with a written journal (because the internet isn't privy to everything, after all). This is going pretty well. I get behind sometimes, but at least I'm not losing journals like I used to.
    
12. Go on an epically underplanned road trip.
13. ...which reminds me, learn to drive and get my license (I know, I know, it's sad!).
14. *Work on the food blog more often with Tom.
    
15. Take more photographs and keep them better organised. And now I have a gorgeous new camera of my own to do this with!
    
16. Get my ears pierced. I'd like to stretch my lobes a little, but we'll see where that goes.
17. Play a harpsichord -- or at least just bang around on one.
18. Write more real letters and cards.
19. Learn about pairing food and wine.
20. ...and cook more fancy meals so that I may utilise such knowledge.
21. *Put spare cash into my savings more often. I missed my chance to go to Disneyworld free on my birthday, so I had to write a new one here. So sad. :C
    
22. Make cute little lunches in my bento box.
23. Buy a new bathing suit and wear it *without* my ubiquitous board shorts. Got the new suit, but no opportunities to wear it...
    
24. See Juliet's balcony in Verona.
25. Cleanse, tone, and moisturise my skin properly and regularly.
26. *Let my style evolve.
    
27. Visit New York City (I've never been, imagine that).
28. Buy the Red Curtain trilogy on DVD (Romeo + Juliet is my favourite).
29. Fill up a sketchbook.
30. Make Dean's List for the rest of my semesters. Two down, ONE to go!
    
31. Wander around a really beautiful library.
32. *Find a great pub to go to regularly, in whatever city I end up in after school.
    
33. Visit the Florida Keys.
34. Expand my family tree (in the charting it sense, not the adding to it sense).
35. Completely fill my iPod with music -- no movies, no pictures, solid tunes.
36. Touch a whale.
37. Participate in NaNoWriMo, and finish. Gave it a go last year, but didn't finish.
    
38. Shamelessly plug my endlessly talented friends.
39. Start a new blog for London.
40. Stop drinking soda entirely. I can't remember the last time I had a soda... I've kind of switched to coffee to get my caffeine fixes.
    
41. *Keep in touch with the friends I miss better.
    
42. Bake a cake with more than one layer and decorate it.
43. Make or buy a really excellent gift for someone special.
44. Discover my favourite mixed drink and learn how to make it perfectly.
45. Go to Italy and try to get around without speaking any English or resorting to mad gesturing.
46. Not take myself so damn seriously all the time.
47. Wear a little makeup more often. All these new eyeshadows I've started buying are getting well used!
    
48. *Exercise regularly and get back in shape.
    
49. Take up a new hobby.
50. Keep a daily planner and not let it get all ragged and scribbly.
51. Eat raspberries more often.
52. Discover 5 new favourite films. Not just "watch 5 new movies". Watch new movies and find 5 that are good enough to go in the favourites file.
53. Go on a double date.
54. Treat myself to a bunch of stargazer lilies.
55. Have an intellectual conversation about my favourite books.
56. Brush off the tiny inconveniences.
57. *Apply to be a graduate counselor for the international studies program in London -- and get the job, I hope!
    
58. *Make a penpal in another country. I did, and I should blog about it, haha.
    
59. Finish designing my tattoo.
60. ...and maybe have it actually put on.
61. Go to an organised steampunk meet-up.
62. Get a tarot card reading done.
63. Find and join a Parkour club.
64. Go to an Arsenal game and see them beat the snot out of Aston Villa. They did last week, 3 to zip, but I had to keep tabs on it via Tom's iPhone.
    
65. Use 'whilst' instead of 'while'.
66. Write down and save my original recipes so I don't forget them and never make them the same way again.
67. Go back to Williamsburg, Virginia.
68. Learn to grill a decent steak. Not trying for cry-over-its-deliciousness here, just actually edible for once.
69. Have an epic garage sale and buy myself a Wacom tablet with my earnings.
70. Keep up with my readings for class.
71. Take a multivitamin daily.
72. Attend a masked ball in a gorgeous costume.
73. Refine my cynicism. Not throw it away entirely -- it's one of my more useful traits -- just make it work for me, and not the other way around.
74. Find a job that I enjoy, preferably one that would allow me to travel.
75. Not skip class intentionally.
76. Plant a garden of my own.
77. Get a credit card.
78. Go to Burning Man.
79. Never rule out the unbelievably unlikely -- truth is stranger than fiction.
80. Let myself be more impulsive and spontaneous.
81. *Stand up for myself when I need to.
    
82. Write thank-you notes in a more timely fashion.
83. Create a polished resume.
    
84. Eat breakfast regularly.
85. Outline and write the story I've always wanted to.
86. Walk more. To the stores, around cities, my old neighbourhood, wherever and everywhere!
87. Stop procrastinating so damn much!
88. Get involved in a humanitarian project. Go somewhere and help someone or do something truly worthwhile (worthwhilst?).
89. Learn how to properly shoot a gun.
90. Be someone's designated driver.
91. Improve my flexibility and strength.
92. Read more and increase my vocabulary.
93. Avoid letting my phone run out of battery for days at a time. Failing at this one, still...
    
94. Write a really epic paper for my senior seminar project. It was pretty epic.
    
95. Drink tea more often, even daily.
96. Do not go into debt under anyone.
97. Avoid getting tan.
98. Start going camping again, and often!
99. Learn toasts in different languages.
100. Go on a transatlantic cruise like I've always wanted to.
101. Be fearless and self-sufficient, a steady voice and a lady spitfire -- and have no regrets along the way!

I also nixed the time requirement. Originally it was supposed to be a fixed list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, but I think I like changing them over the years and taking as long as I need.

So there! I have a direction to go in this year. If anyone else decides to make a big list, link me up, I'd love to read them. Happy New Year!

Interpreting my freakadoo dreams.

I usually have the weirdest dreams whenever I stay at my parents' house. I don't know what does it to me, but they always turn out the be the most messed-up, wackadoo creations that I mean to write down but never do (should start doing that again, hmm).

Couldn't find my dream symbols interpretation book on the shelf, so I turned to the internetz for answers. All of these were featured prominently in a handful of recent dreams. And no, I'm not going to summarise any of the plots. I thought it would be more interesting to throw the major themes out there and let you wonder how they possibly could have been involved. ;)

• Busy airport: "To dream of an airport with high traffic, you wish to be free, have ambitious goals or dreams, or elevated moral standings. This dream signals that you are ready for a new beginning. You have an idea that will take root and be successful. A new companionship or career move could be coming."

• Burglar: "To see a burglar in a dream or dream that you are a burglar is an indication that you are losing your stamina. It can also mean that worries and angst are making it difficult for you to deny others."

• Flying (with flappy arms, not wings): "To dream that you are flying generally suggests a feeling of being unencumbered where previously you may have been held down. To dream that you are flying with ease and enjoying the view indicates that you are dealing with circumstances well. You have elevated above some situation and you may have found a different point of view on things. Dreams of flying and managing your flight is indicative of your own sense of empowerment."

• Flamethrowers, pistols, and clubs: "A weapon, when held or simply seen, in a dream is an ominous symbol. There may be a person or event in your waking life from which you need protection. The threat may be physical or simply emotional. On a more basic level, a weapon may indicate repressed sexuality."

• Hamburger lunch: "To dream about a hamburger indicates that you have lost some measure of yourself, whether it's emotional, intellectual, spiritual, or physical and you can't feel complete without it. You may not be happy with a circumstance within your life or companionship. This dream also signifies your experiences and that you should take them, learn from them, and grow. There's more than the narrow view of the world and the future. Look for it."

• Skin: "To dream of your skin implies that you are trying to conceal some aspect of yourself from others. It represents the walls you erect to protect yourself from emotional harm. It may also mean that you concern yourself with trivial matters rather than try to search for something more important. The act of peeling skin in your dream symbolizes the shedding away of old, outdated customs, routines and situations. It may also represent the fact that you are eliminating and dumping unwanted exterior pretenses."

• Lobsters: "To see a lobster in your dream symbolizes power and dedication. In all you do, you always somehow come out victorious."

• Skin lobsters: the most physically terrifying and emotionally unsettling creatures my unconscious has come up with, to date. I'll just leave it at that. (I got the serious heebies just by writing this.)
  

Close encounters at SeaWorld.

A foreboding dark shape moves just under the surface of the water, searching for its prey...

The nervous swimmers panic. What was that?! A splash!!

DUH-DUN. DUH-DUN. DUH DUN-DUN-DUN-DUN...

OMGWTFBBQ BACK IN THE BOOOOOOAT!

We have evaded death itself! Death by suckery mouth flaps!

It sinks back into the depths, to surface again when unsuspecting humans come too close...

And the murky waters are still again...

And they let LITTLE KIDS into this park?! Think of the liabilities!

A quick recap. I'm sure I'm forgetting some things.

Tumblr.
I've started really stocking my Tumblr with pretty things, and I think I'd like to do a big picdrop once a week or so of my favourites. Would that be obnoxious? I'm also thinking of doing a weekly roundup of all the little things that caught my eye, but don't warrant a post of their own. Lots of bloggers do that, and I'm certainly not without material, haha.

Hot Topic has started carrying Lip Service's "steampunk" line.
In quotes because... well, there's no polite way to say it... it's fug and not good steampunk at all. Go on, have a look. I'll wait. It's just so LAME. Shapeless, colourless, and BORING!

Term papers and Twitter.
For my Horror Film term paper, I chose to write about female virginity and sexual empowerment in one of my favourite bad slasher flicks, Cherry Falls. Over the course of five days, I probably watched that sucker nearly that many times. One night, I absentmindedly Tweeted that I thought one of the actors in it was omg cute (Teehee! Sometimes I'm 13!). Next day, I turn my paper in, hop on the computer, check my Tweets... and said actor had Followed me. Not only Followed me, but acknowledged my Tweet with a "super flattered, thanks". I about DIED. DIED. But I played it cool, Tweeted about it (naturally), and he later came back to ask me about my paper. I hope I didn't embarrass him or anything, because he seems like a really cool, chill guy.

Christmas break.
I'm home for a couple of weeks until the next semester starts, which means a few things: 1. I can mooch my dad's nice camera as much as I like; 2. I will do a lot of shopping; 3. my cuddlemuffin is coming to visit for Christmas and New Years omgyaye!; and 4. ...I'm not sure if I actually had a fourth in mind. Huh.

Okay, so I should be back up to regular posts now. I missed you, blog! *cling*

Eavesdropping while working on my final papers adfkghadflghjs;dlj.

Girl in library, to friend: You might as well just put Band-aids on your nipples and go out!

My apologies for my lengthy absence from the blog-o-sphere. It's the end of the semester and my term papers have gotten rather demanding. I can't say when I'll be back to writing regular entries... soon I hope!

The cutest little cardinal sin ever.

I love sloths. They may just be my favourite animals ever.

Via MicroMacroMicro @ Flickr.

Via Jimmy Six Bellies @ Flickr.

Demonstrating the patented 'sloth cling'.

Did you know that sloths are one of the two animals that always look like they're smiling? Points if you know what the other one is!

Like I said in my last sloth-oriented post, I must cuddle one of these things sometime in my life. As odd as that sounds, there is a sloth rescue sanctuary -- A SLOTH RESCUE SANCTUARY -- where I might someday go to fulfill my dream.

I like how my favourite animals rhyme. Sloths and moths!

Eavesdropped when a couple of sorority Pomeranians moved in on my tiny corner of the sushi place.

Girl 1: I totally know what I want for Christmas. A pair of shiny black skank heels!
Girl 2: Oh, ask your parents for those.

FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

In addition to my worsening cold, I was awoken this morning by the world's worst cramps, which quickly turned into the word's worst cramps, nausea, and sore legs. So I waddled off to take the world's longest shower, and returned to the world's most comfortable bed (seriously), which is where I remain.

I am considering curling up into so tight a ball, I may become a medium-sized black hole. Roommate, if, when you get home, there's nothing but a swirling cosmic darkness and all of our term papers are gone, it's okay, it's just me.

This is all you'll see of me for the weekend. I'm going back to sleep.

Grey and GaGa.

I've been doing a little interwebs window-shopping since the holidays are coming up, and a lot of my favourite spots are breaking new things out. After gathering up some stuff that caught my eye, I realised... it was all grey! Maybe it's the cool weather rolling in or something. Anyway, I thought all grey was a bit drab, so I threw some lovely purple in there to go with. Yea or nay?

Grey and purple. by _Hendrix.

Also, I'm really sorry I have to do this, but this song has been stuck in my head for a week, and if I have to walk around hearing it, then so do you. Muahaha!



Y'know, I'll be the first to admit... I'm not much of a Lady Gaga fan. She has a lovely voice and all, but 'not giving a shit about what people think' is not a valid excuse for dressing like a 1980s costume department rejects mannequin accessorised with endangered animals, various Tupperware, Christmas lights, and origami. I'm beginning to think that even she doesn't like what she wears.

What's in my bag? ...Stuff.

Isn't this a nifty idea for a photo group? Tip your purse out, artfully arrange contents, and share! It's an interesting look into the daily lives of people. What are we, if not the things we feel we need to have with us all day?

These are from the Flickr "what's in your bag" pool, just a couple of my favourites.

Via Benedikte.O @ Flickr.

Via sunsam+ @ Flickr.

Via Rhi @ Flickr.

Via Hillary Stein @ Flickr.

And then I just had to go and make my own...

The sturdy little purse I got at a London AllSaints. I was so pleased when it turned out to be on sale!

Keys on a latch, wallet, set of Staedtler pens (that I love), a little notepad and pen, big pens for class (I hate pencils), black Moleskine planner (saves my life every day), sour candies, iPod nano, pretty case for a lipstick (it's MAC Holiday 07 Culture Class... and it's nearly dead :c), cell phone, and lip balm. Whew!

Sweet Libertine mineral cosmetics.

Joy and delight burst forth from my mailbox Monday afternoon -- in the form of three mineral eyeshadows from Sweet Libertine cosmetics. This company is a one-woman operation, and I was recently in touch with the one-woman, Sarah, to do a review, and she sent me some samples. I must say, I am impressed!

I picked three colours to try: Thai Silk, Copper Penny, and Statuesque. The small eyeshadow pots cost $5 each (very reasonable!).

I applied the big spots with my finger, and the textures of these dusts are nice and silky, with exceptional coverage. A light-pressure rub across the spots smudged them a little bit, but overall they have good staying power, and the wet-brush-applied smudges didn't move at all.

I love the colours, but I'm just blown away by Thai Silk. I don't usually wear a lot of oranges, but this is such a bright, rich curry-copper that I may not be able to resist. The description for Copper Penny says it has a "touch of shimmer", which actually came out as an orange glitter to my eye. I'll probably stick to using it as a liner. And my first thought about Statuesque was that it looked most similar to the Lime Crime Princess Caraboo, so I did a comparison. In fact, I swatched every green I have. I'm not sure why this picture came out so pale... but there you go.

Top to bottom, left to right: Avon mark Dragonfly and Vintage Khaki, MAC Sprout, Sumptuous Olive, Fiction, and Femme Noir, TKB Lotsa Lime, Sweet Libertine Statuesque, and Lime Crime Princess Caraboo. Do you think I like green eyeshadow or something??

Statuesque on the bottom there is a lighter pine-y green, with golden sparkles, while Princess Caraboo is a darker emerald colour that just has a bright shine.

I did this little number with Thai Silk and Copper Penny. Usually I wear purple when I want the green in my eyes to stand out, but Thai Silk did the trick today. Makeup mavens, forgive me -- I never put liner on my waterline, it bothers my eyes just too damn much. It wore very well today, despite a handful of times I forgot I was wearing it and started to rub my eyes, but you can see how it held up against smudging.

A little more on Sweet Libertine... I was sure to ask Sarah if she mixes her own colours. She says that when she first started the company, she did sell some unmixed pigments, but those are currently being phased out in favour of her own blends. I have no doubts that Sweet Libertine will be on the Mineral Makeup Mutiny's list of colour-creators soon -- and with high marks if the dusts I picked are any indication of Sarah's eye for colour. These dusts are also friendly to sensitive skin (my skin is somewhat picky, and I had no irritation issues with these at all), and many of them are also good for vegans -- presence of carmine is noted in the shadow descriptions.

Unrelated, a yarn-plus-eyeshadow combo is officially the most reliable product to offer if one wants to make serious cash off me. GENIUS. I am on pins and needles for the next set to come out.

Would I get Sweet Libertine shadows again? Absolutely. I predict that the eyeshadow colours will be like Pokemon -- gotta catch 'em all. The other colours all have this great vintage palette, deep blues and greens, rich reds and browns -- all very wearable while still making a statement. And there's glitters, blushes, foundations, and pressed shadows to be had, too. Check them out!

A project I've been working on.

Since I posted those pretty crocheted-y bits yesterday, I thought I'd share something I've been making for a little while.
It's a scarf. It's gotten much longer since I took that picture, and I've put the fringe on one end. And yes, that IS an accurate picture of the colour (although I'm not sure why it appears to be glowing).This scarf is seriously blue. It's blue-raspberry-slushie blue. Arctic-ocean-tidal-pool blue. Neon-sign-in-Tokyo blue.

It'll be on my Etsy when it's done, if anyone's interested. I've got a half-dozen things finished now, so I can list them without having my shop look too sad and empty.

Also, back on Halloween, I participated in beauty blogger Grey's little scavenger hunt contest, and I won a prize! Woo! I just got it in the mail on Monday... a set of TKB mineral eye dusts and an eyeliner brush!
Top: Lotsa Lime. Left-to-right: Sparkle White, Starluster, Travel to Neptune, Hilite Violet, and Diamond Cluster.

I don't use a lot of white and silver glitter on my eyes, but the turquoise- and violet-shifting whites are too pretty not to keep. I may pass silver sparkle Diamond Cluster and bright Sparkle White on. Watch this space! :D

Pretty crochet things.

Via ApartmentTherapy.
I would like to be able to take this sort of picture in my house someday, crocheted afghans and all.

Via knitalatte @ etsy.
I have some Easter eggs that look like these pebbles.

Via dumbledad @ Flickr.
Everything needs a 'cozy'!

Via Holga @ tumblr.
Papier-mache old lace over balloons? I might have to try this sometime.

Via toadstool_ring @ Flickr.
Everything in amigurumi-form is 1000x cuter than it is normally.

Love in the sidewalk.

I've walked past these concrete steps a hundred times but I've never realised there's a lovely message at the top. It's a good way to start the morning, don't you think?

Amazingly, the previous Eavesdrop may have just now been outdone.

Girl, talking to hipster friend: I don't care if they're lesbians, I just really hate their music!


Today is going to be awesome.

It's not even noon yet, and today's best Eavesdrop has been heard.

Or seen, rather.

Apparently, it's Guy Faux Day.




I hope I don't make a social Fawkes-pas. That would be embarrassing.

Finally, a finished project!

I came up with a cute little knitting project yesterday. It's a fast knit and looks really cool in colourful yarn. The ubiquitous iPod sock!
It has a tie fasten on the top, and a little hole in the bottom for the earphones to plug in. I should have made one of these things ages ago, before I let the back of my shiny green Nano get all scratched up in my purse. D:

I'm thinking of listing this project on my Etsy. What do my readers (all 5 of you) think? Would you buy something like this? How much would you pay for it? Do you even see a need for an iPod sock? What if I put a $10 unicorn sticker on it?


Also, speaking of my readers: big friendly hellos to whoever perpetrated the visits from Croatia, Finland, France, England, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Germany, Belgium, and Spain! Rice Surprise Party has gone international!

Alexander McQueen.

Considering how much I know about couture fashion (read: not much), Alexander McQueen usually impresses me. But I saw this video of his spring 2010 collection and... well, I'll just let you watch it.


And now... "What the Models Were Thinking"...

"Please don't trip, please don't trip, please don't trip, please don't trip..."

"Keep it together, ankles, please, for me..."

"And left, and right, and left, and right, and left..."

"Just one more trip down the runway... NO! Mustn't say 'trip'!"

"I'm starving... I think I'll have a sunflower seed after the show..."

"The legs are your meal ticket... please don't break one..."

"Just don't... look... down..."

And in case you just couldn't get enough of "What the Models Were Thinking", all these ladies will be starring in the upcoming straight-to-VHS horror-fashion special, "The Boobs Have Eyes".

...D:

It's Taller Half's birthday...

If anyone was curious about Tom, my lovemuffin, whom I've mentioned several times around here, this is him.
It's his birthday today (I won't say which one, it makes him feel old.), so he gets a post all to himself. The present I got for him is burning a hole through my closet shelf, but he said to hang onto it for when he visits next. Sigh!

Happy birthday, my dear!










(He's 24. Ha!)

I miss London.

Took all these myself last spring... sigh. I worked at an international studies fair this week and started to miss London terribly. I am most envious of all the students who are there now, enjoying the lovely fall weather! At least I have my pictures! *pout*

WHAT TO WRITE OH NOES.

Y'know, I'm not feeling very inspired today. It's grey and rainy out and I don't have any Halloween plans. I'll come back and post something interesting if an idea hits me like a bolt from the heavens.

For now I'm just going to roll around on the floor and contemplate doing it for the duration of the weekend. D:

Tumbl[e]r!

Also, I went and got myself a Tumblr so I have somewhere to put all the miscellaneous photos I end up with. Maybe some of them will show up on here once in a while, but if anyone's interested in my bottomless nifty picture collection, there it is.

The most beautiful libraries in the world.

I am spending all afternoon in the library today, working on my paper. The Special Collections room here is nice, but I would much rather be back in the British Library (even if I still had to work on a paper...), or visiting one of these gorgeous places...

The Philosophical Library, Strahov Monastery. Prague, Czech Republic. Oh, if only I had known about this place when Tom and I went to Prague, I could have my own picture to post instead of someone else's! Pout.

Biblioteca Angelica. Rome, Italy. Sigh, same woe as with the Prague library.

Biblioteca Geral, University of Coimbra. Coimbra, Portugal. This one reminds me of the library in Beauty and the Beast, yes?

Duke of Humphrey's Library, Bodleian, Oxford University. Oxford, England.

Chetham's Library. Manchester, England. I just want to settle in with a candle and a beer (though I doubt that would be allowed) and a giant book bound in leather and straps, possibly on medieval torture or something great like that.

George Peabody Library. Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal Den Haag (whew!). The Hague, Netherlands.

Queen's College Library, Oxford University. Oxford, England.

Riggs Library, Georgetown University. Washington DC, USA. I love how this one looks like the inside of an old ship, all iron railings and grates.

Suzzallo Library. Seattle, WA, USA.

All these and many more at Curious Expeditions. How glad am I that someone decided that this list needed to be made? Very glad. Wish me luck on my paper!