RECENT GOOGLE SEARCHES

Google's iPhone search app keeps a record of things you have googled.
Here is a screenshot of a section from my search history.

I live an exciting life.

ANOTHER REASON TO LIKE JASMINE

I wrote before, listing the reasons why I like the word/name Jasmine.
Blue Jasmine will be an addition to that list.

RUN!

I think I tend to run faster when I am running away from something, compared to when I am running towards something.

But running away is not as fun as running towards something.

Being stationary is the worst.  If you remain stationary for too long, it starts to feel like you have no energy to run at all.

I think it's important to avoid becoming stationary at all costs. Make a small effort to at least walk or limp or crawl. Then you have something to build momentum from. 

Yes, these are metaphors.

I am poetic like that.

BETTER IS BETTER THAN MORE

Wise words from wise, wise Seth (Italics added for emphasis):

"The restaurant makes the menu longer instead of figuring out how to make even one dish worth traveling across town for. We add many slides to our presentation before figuring out how to utter a single sentence that will give the people in the room chills or make them think. We confuse variety and range with quality.

Practice is not the answer here. Practice is the 10,000 hours thing, practice alone doesn't produce work that matters. No, that only comes from caring. From caring enough to leap, to bleed for the art, to go out on the ledge, where it's dangerous. When we care enough, we raise the bar, not just for ourselves, but for our customer, our audience and our partners.

It's obvious, then, why I don't play the clarinet any more. I don't care enough, can't work hard enough, don't have the guts to put that work into the world. This is the best reason to stop playing, and it opens the door to go find something you care enough to make matter instead. 

The cop-out would be to play the clarinet just a little, to add one more thing to my list of mediocre. As Jony Ive said, "We did it because we cared, because when you realize how well you can make something, falling short, whether seen or not, feels like failure."

It's much easier to add some features, increase your network, get some itemized tasks done. Who wants to feel failure?

We opt for more instead of better.

But better is better than more."

What a wordsmith.

APRIL ALREADY!

Conversation with my mum this morning –


Mum:  "Hey wow, it looks like you lost a lot of weight suddenly. You look great"

Me:  "Whuut?! Really? I've actually been feeling really fat. That's so weird, but yay!"

Mum:  "Yeah, I was joking. April fools."

Me: "..."

NEW STRESS FOOD

Mum and dad only drink long blacks, so a few months back, when they bought a Nespresso machine, they got one without a milk foamer. I had no use for this machine since it did not come with a milk foamer. 

But a couple of days ago, I realised I could make iced lattes by adding (soy)milk and ice to the espresso.

So since then, I have been making and drinking a lot of iced soy lattes. It tastes the same as the real iced lattes from cafes.

Just yesterday, i had 4 cups.

I couldn't sleep last night.

Today, I have had 2 cups so far. 

OWWWW

I'm uncomfortable about the fact that I feel comfortable.
Things are too comfortable right now.
It's confusing.
Why am I uncomfortable about being comfortable.

I feel like I am buried deep inside my comfort zone.
I find this extremely uncomfortable.
I am grateful.
But I do not feel excited, nor do I feel fulfilled.
I need to change something.

MARCH ALREADY!

Just recovered from a mental breakdown this morning.

I realised it is March already. Then I thought about what I have achieved this year so far.

Then I thought about all the things I want to do and achieve before I'm 30. And for a moment I thought I was already 24. I had a mini anxiety attack. Then my brother reminded me that I'm 23. So I felt a little better – like I'd saved myself a year.

But I'm still feeling a bit anxious. I can sense the sad-anxious-confused-mood-creature creeping up into my head space. This is not good.

Tea. 

Here is the sad-anxious-confused-mood-creature. It is confused about what kind of creature it is. 

A BILLION COINCIDENCES

Today was a day full of coincidences and supernatural timing of events. Not quite a billion as the blog post title suggests. But many many things happened today.

I cannot go in to all the details.

But I will say that today was a very interesting day.

I also happened to paint my nails in interesting colours this morning. Maybe that's why all these things happened.

PHOTOS ON MY PHONE THIS WEEK

Met this cute dog. He kept moving around, so I couldn't take a proper photo of him.

Went and played some tennis. The moon was visible much before sunset. You can see it in the photo.

Saw this pigeon man. Also a woman wearing a green hairclip, green top and green shorts, walking towards a green sign. It would have been awesome if she was wearing green shoes too.  

Went for a walk with Tori. Saw that the field was being used for soccer games. 

Got my nails painted professionally for the first time. The lady commented that my nails are too short. I told her that long nails are uncomfortable. In the evening I cleaned off the nail polish because it felt like my nails couldn't breathe.

Saw this dog at the Takapuna Sunday Market.

Also saw this massive dog at the Sunday Market. 

A PRETTY GOOD DAY

I am now entering my third week of job-searching. I made half a dozen applications so far and had not heard back from anyone, so I assumed I didn't get any of the positions.

But today I got a call from the second company I applied for! After 3 weeks! I didn't know it took so long to process applications. I was surprised and really unprepared for a phone interview. I blurted out all my words and sentences.

I thought it went really badly. So after the phone interview, I sat in the kitchen and ate spoonfuls of peanut butter while face-palming myself.

But just a few minutes ago I got an email from them inviting me to come in for a panel interview!
Yay.
But urrrrghhh. Interviews.
Stress.
Need tea.
And more peanut butter.

I'M HUNGRY

It is 9.30am right now.
I have been awake for 2 hours.
I have not yet had a drink of water.
I have not even stepped outside my room.
I haven't even opened the curtains.

Why?

A couple of mum's friends decided to make a suprize visit just after 7.30am.
Who does that?
Seriously.
They've been chatting for two hours now.

And for two hours I've been hiding in my room, pretending that I don't exist.
Actually, I'm in my brother's room (I've claimed his room as my territory while he is away).
I'm hungry.
And thirsty.

I am eavesdropping and it doesn't sound like they're going to leave any time soon.
Thank goodness I had this iPad in my (brother's) room.

CHEESE FOR THE CHEESE STORER

The cheese storer has been empty since the day we bought it.
I open it and check it every now and then to see if mum has put any special food inside it.
It has been empty every time.

Today I put a block of cheese inside the cheese storer.
It fits perfectly.
I am content.

Gold Medal Triple Cream Brie. Bought it at the Puhoi Cheese Cafe specifically for the cheese storer. 

JASMINE

Found the blooming jasmine tea balls that I bought in Shanghai. 

I hid them because mum kept using them up when guests came over.

Then I forgot about them.

But I found them today.

Yummm. China.

I AM CONFUSED

Illustration by David Shrigley.
He is my fav.

THIS WILL BE MINE

Mum got a massive teacup today.

Then she put two pots of begonia flowers in it. 

I think it's cute. 

I will move it into my room tonight when she is sleeping. 

The pen is there to show scale.

AJUMMA

In Korean, there is a word called "ajumma".
It is a word that describes a 40 to 50 something year old woman.

Today I hung out with my mum and I felt like an ajumma.

Went to a plant barn

Went grocery shopping and spent ages picking the right papapya. (Because if you pick the wrong papaya, it tastes like tree).

ROM POM POM NOM

It's that time of the year when these Danish biscuits return to grocery store shelves. I want to go to Denmark.

POMEGRANATES

Today was one of those rare days where our fridge was stocked with pomegranates. The red bits are nice but the white bits taste like cabbage. I wanted to take a nice photo because the colour was so bold and deep. But my replacement phone only has a 3MP camera.

ALOHA HAWAIIAN CHOCOLATE!

My friend came back from a holiday in Hawaii and got me this chocolate. It was so yum. I've never had chocolate from Hawaii before. I am going to keep the box in commemoration.