The wit of stick-people

http://xkcd.com/635/

Brought to you, by the peeps over at xkcd. Hahaha.

I'm sorry, this one just made me laugh so hard. No offense to all the people out there who write such blogs, as I do read them occasionally (aka when I feel like I should raise my IQ points up a few. Which is.. rarely, as I'm a lazybum).. But yeah.

I know most people don't think they'll be hand-picked to reform the way things are because of their blogs, but write them out of pure frustration and disbelieve at what their (or other people's) governments are doing. Kudos to them for being eloquent enough to state their thoughts beautifully.

So don't start bashing me.

I usually avoid blogs that heavily rely on political-talk in general as sometimes when I read them I *personally* feel like I'm basically flailing at the world, helpless to change it yet adamant that my voice be heard.

Then again, there are cases of ordinary people in history whose extraordinary voices changed the world.. I just realize I wont be one. Hahaha.

(Again no offense meant, as I count some political blog writers as good friends.)

Oh yeah.

I think I was about 6 or 7..? Forced into wearing a scratchy and stuffy veil as part of Friday's uniform. Oh and that piece of paper I'm holding? An award for coming in second in class. Oh yeah.

We had a reunion of sorts last week, and it was really fun guessing who each person who came in the door was. Then of course there was a fun round of 'who-had-a-crush-on-who-back-in-the-day', which I skipped stealthily! (It was the guy in the white hat by the way. Hahaha.). Then came several rounds of remembering embarrassing moments and funny anecdotes.

Ah happy memories of simpler (and apparently smarter..) times.

Its going to be one of those days.

Lack of sleep always makes me unbelievably giddy and annoyingly perky. I will wave and smile and hug, until eventually I collapse like a puppet whose strings have been cut.

I can feel the early symptoms already - yes.. Any moment now I will be shitting rainbows. And a technicolour burst of light will twinkle at the corners of my eyes, semi blinding me in the process. I'd like to moan and say 'why does this happen to me??' but the pure unadulterated joy of chemicals whacking my brain into staying awake just wont let me be miserable!!

I have jetlag. I'm 90% sure of it. Or I'm just living in the wrong part of the world.

Also : The first episode of Star Trek first aired this day, in 1966!! (info via twitter @thinkgeek)
How awesome is that?

Or maybe the realization that in 1966 TWO awesome things happened is what did my head in..? Star Trek AND England winning the World Cup (yes, I realize that it was in July and not on the same date as Star Trek airing). Whatevs.

Giddyness for the whole day! Yay!

It's like being shit drunk, but without the hangover.

I don't mean to compartmentalize..

.. but I do, because that's how my brain works.

So, remember a few pots ago I was talking about how I keep every email my friends send me (if possible)? Yes, well, I was re-reading a few of them, and dear Goddess above - I'm a whiny brat. Seriously. Whine, whine, whine.. whine, whine. Its always a case of 'My life is woe! My head hurts because.. WOE!'. Its amazing the people I emailed ever replied to me at all! (I have my happy moments, but believe me when I say "90% woe".)

But this blog.. Reading it again - I'm like a rapid happy person full of positive messages and happy thoughts. While I can be an annoyingly cheerful person when I put my mind to it, I'm not always 100% positive. I cuss loudly and angrily when I drive, I have moments when I feel like I should hit someone just to see what happens, and I cry over silly things when I PMS.

I don't mean to put things in little boxes, but I do that. Emails are for woeful news, privately directed at people I know, and the blog is for happy things which makes me feel like life is worth living after all. My diary is where I sound like a headcase trying to sort out my thoughts. Chats over coffee are for life-affirming decisions. Chats after midnight is for dirty jokes and naughty secrets. Chats over food are light hearted, until the food is all consumed..

See, I don't do this deliberately - I just do. And my lovely, lovely friends are wonderful for putting up with me. But in an effort to shake things up a little bit.. I'm going to try and sound out my thoughts as is. Well, in blogs and emails anyways.

Look out for icky posts in the future!

(Or not, I've been in a good mood lately.)

Food, glorious food!!

Ramadhan again.

I can deal with the fasting bit really, I've been fasting for more than 20 years after all. I just find the impact of the 'no food, no drinks' bit a bit much on my social life.

I know there's a ton of things you can do without consuming anything, but to me they also mean 'no heart to hearts'. Book shopping is a favorite, but usually discussions center around books we've read lately and new releases from mutual favorite authors. Shopping in general is fun, but again - its a bit hard to tell someone your inner most thoughts while you giggle over ill-fitting clothes. Movie going - well that one explains itself.

Its rather strange to realize just how much of my social live revolves around food and/or drinks. Take it out of the equation and I'm left confused. There is of course the option of inviting them around to my house - but in Jakarta that's just not practical. Its a huge city and we're scattered all over the place.

So lately, I've been relying on my yahoo messenger. Its just not the same.

I quite enjoy Ramadhan as its a big thing for the family, and we gather every night to pray and break the fast, but yeah.. I look forward to the day I can drag my friends out for coffee again..!

(I'm not really all that religious, so me writing 'to pray' up there, feels really strange. A little shiver ran down my spine. Hahaha. Ask my friends, I usually run the other way when someone asks me if I'm going to do my sholat. But hey, its Ramadhan, the one month of the year you'll see me donning the full mukenah.)

If you're ever in the area..

.. send my love, and tell her I miss her dearly.

If you ever get the chance to go to England, and wish to spend a quiet day relaxed, go to Exeter. Drink a cup of tea and feel humble in front of the cathedral. Take a walk by the quay and smile at strangers. Stroll through the high street and enjoy the bustle - stop by St. George's market (if it's still there) at any time of day and have a breakfast of chips, sausages and eggs. Visit the library and close your eyes for a moment. Go over to The House That Moved and marvel at the absurdity of moving a whole house. Peek in corners and passages for strange hidden delights.

Go to Pennsylvania, past Elliott Close, past the corner shop. All the way down to the recycling bins.. Walk towards the bushes and find the hidden path to eat wild blueberries. Stain your mouth and enjoy the burst of flavour, and wash your hands in the titchy stream. Watch out for the horse poop.

One day I'll be back. To eat fish and chips near the statue of the blue boy. Or grab a crepe, hopefully you'll remember me Crepe Man. Thank you for the delicious treats and feeding me even when I didn't have enough money. Now excuse me while I spend a few minutes bawling.

The House That Moved.

I took a lot of these pictures from the Exeter group over at facebook. Fek.

Unbelievably sentimental

(Yes. The picture above is of my inbox - Everything is neatly sorted into folders. 'Cause that's how I roll.)

I'm one of those people who have to work hard at getting rid of clutter, I'd be convinced I'd need something for.. whatever reason it is I've convinced myself I'd need stuff for. I'll eventually throw stuff out, but it does take me a while to come to that decision!.. but I never throw cards and letters away.

The habit has sort of been continued to email, which I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand - unlimited space! No real life clutter! But.. I've lost so many emails from my bestest friends because I forgot to log in to my hotmail account after I switched over to yahoo. It's still an annoying itch I can't scratch when I'm reminded of the hundreds of lost correspondence. I've learnt my lesson! - I print them out these days.

But yeah.. Its icky when I remember the lost letters, because every few years I like to dig these up and read them over. Its a bittersweet experience, a roller-coaster ride of memories and emotions.

I don't exactly know what changed, but I seem to hardly ever write letters and emails anymore. Its possibly because I can always just text the people I want to contact, or chat online with them, or twitter them a message, or even send a short note on facebook.. The possibilities are endless. But I do miss taking the time out to compose a long letter, sometimes just rambling about the most random subjects and waiting excitedly for a reply.

I make such a fuss over this probably because I like having a record of my life on paper. Or at least some sort media which I can look over any time I want.

This is possibly also why I have a stack of journals I hide, as well as this online record.