visions of clarity...do as infinity

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

遠くの灯りの方へ　駆けてい

Hello

Recently, [ok not that recently...] I've been listening to the insert songs in the anime ハチミツとクローバ [Honey & Clover] again.^_^ スピッツ [Spitz] and スガシカオ [Suga Shikao] have songs that really fit the whole mood and theme of the anime really well. You know, teenage and university angst is the best for producing creative types ;)

I've been meaning to translate my current looping song: 夜を駆ける (Chasing the night) but it's got tons of all these unreadable kanji which just kills me and my meager brain.X__X So I shall put that off for a bit...

Instead, I've been doing readings *groan* and papers *double groan*, but on top of all that I've been meaning to change the template of this blog. And while I was searching for skeleton HTML templates that I can change, I found these gorgeous photo blog templates.. xD And I am dying to use them!!! Maybe I should... Hmm... I guess having a photo blog will encourage me to take better photos in future..? ^_^

君と遊ぶ　誰もいない市街地
目と目が合うたび笑う
夜を駆けていく　今は撃たないで
遠くの灯りの方へ　駆けていく

kimi to asobu dare mo inai shigaichi
me to me ga autabi warau
yoru wo kaketeiku ima ha utanaide
tooku no akari no hou he kaketeiku

Playing with you on the empty city streets
Each time our eyes meet we smile
Chasing the night, don't destroy anything now
Running toward the direction of the faraway light

A rough translation. Isn't it so teenage angst! I love it.=D

Recently lots of Singapore fans got to see Gackt in Singapore's airport... *dies a little inside* ちょっと羨ましいけど、まぁ～いいや！夏に名古屋で”会った”から、それでも十分だね．．．？

空に太陽のように輝かしい一日であるように。 [Something I should be thinking of everyday~]
cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : 夜を駆けるスピッツ]
[mood : normal~]
[food : sushi? omelette? ~_~]

Labels: Gackt, Honey and Clover, lyrics, template

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Like the Touch of Rain

Like the Touch of Rain

Like the touch of rain she was
On a man's flesh and hair and eyes
When the joy of walking thus
Has taken him by surprise:

With the love of the storm he burns,
He sings, he laughs, well I know how,
But forgets when he returns
As I shall not forget her 'Go now'.

Those two words shut a door
Between me and the blessed rain
That was never shut before
And will not open again.

Edward Thomas

I am extremely uninspired with regards to this horrible horrible Tales of the Heike which is so boring and so full of war-stuff that it's like a repeat of War Lit, but in a much more boring, droning fashion. (T_T) I weep.

Anyway, I predict that this poem is prophetic, but in a much less serious way, because it is supposed to rain tomorrow, according to the weather forecast. Sigh. I really dislike rain.xP

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : I Dreamed a Dream Les Miserables]
[mood : ~_~]
[food : Apple Pastry + SAIGON GARDEN!]

Labels: DeviantArt, poem

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Back from New York...

Hello!

Gackt is officially in Singapore as reported in the local Chinese papers!!! =D BEAMS. Jiamin, Zhilei, Vivienne, Brenda, Calissa, and all my lovely friends in Singapore, I hope you get to catch a glimpse of his droolfulness! [At least drool for me, thankyou =D] Somehow, even though I'm not there and can't go for the event [not that I would go anyway, it's a fanclub only event...] somehow, deep inside somewhere, I'm still happy that at least Singapore isn't like a random and unknown location to Gackt and his fans from now on.^_^ *nationalistic pride* Haha... Go discover the fabulousness that is Singapore!!! [and its food but not its weather]

Anyway, I just got back last night from New York [thanks Ted!] and finished my exam not too long ago... X__X Going to start writing my paper as soon as possible because its due ... very soon. DIES. (T_T) After being in New York over fall break, I must say that a little part of me regrets going because I'm so very tired. But at the same time, I thought visiting companies would be great exposure and it was! Very much so.=) I think I learned quite a bit about working in the fashion industry from a department store point of view - it's probably pretty different from how smaller boutiques and brands themselves operate.

That said however, I'm still unsure about what I want to do. I guess I'll think about that once I'm done with all these crappy papers and exams and projects. Haha.^_^" Time to start that elusive internship hunt!!!

In the meantime, I guess I'll share some of those lovely! food photos [just to procrastinate coughs] that I took while I was in New York.=D Beams.

Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine - so pretty!!! I love the Gothic architecture but I'm sad I couldn't get a decent photo of the stained glass window from inside =(

Extremely! awesome lobster roll and thin, crispy fries at Mary's Fish Camp! SO GOOD.=D =D =D Huge chunks of lobster meat, enrobed in a light creamy dressing, stuffed into a buttery, crisp roll, and served with a mound of deliciously light fries. Mmm. The fries weren't quite my favorite but the lobster roll has converted me.^_^"

At Momofuku Milk Bar with our Cereal Milk Softserve! It was so delicious!!! =D I loved the ice-cream... Even if it did taste kinda like instant cereal/Horlicks from Singapore - but no matter the flavors were yum~

At the MoMA - The Empire of Light, II by Rene Magritte. I love this painting - it's so peaceful and photograph like.^_^

Walked over to Time Warner Center and had tea at Bouchon Bakery!!! ^_^ This is my delicious~ millecrepe [they call it a crepe cake] which went EXCEEDINGLY fabulously with the fig jam, hazelnut ice-cream, and fresh figs. YUM. xD On its own, the millecrepe was yummy, especially with the crunch of the caramelized top - but it was elevated to a whole new level once you added the fig jam [which was SO GOOD. SO SO GOOD.] and the amazing hazelnut ice-cream. Yum...

Had dinner with my lovely friends from the KCJS program... We ordered this!! And I finally learned the name of that superb unagi rice bowl I had in Kyoto!!! This is 名古屋名物うなぎひつまぶし!!! [Nagoya's specialty dish: Unagi hitsumabushi] Basically, it's rice, layered/topped with delicious grilled unagi, and eaten in 3 ways as described in my album on Facebook.^_^ Yummy!!! Now that I know the name, I can forever go hunt it down in Japan. Mwahaha!

And although I was extremely tempted to post the extremely divine lemon tart from Bouchon Bakery, I shall instead share this super duper delicious Belgian wafel I had from the truck wafels and dinges!

A Belgian wafel - light and crispy - topped with spekuloos spread and covered in a dusting of powdered sugar. YUM. xD xD xD I haven't had a decent waffle in ages so this really made my day!!! Haha... Especially with the spicy yummy spekuloos spread [have I mentioned that I absolutely adore spekuloos? Well there you go. I absolutely adore spekuloos.] that coated the wafel just right.

I ate so much good food in New York it was ridiculous! It's time to go on a veggie diet in AA. Haha... The rest of the photos will go up on Facebook... Eventually.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : 小悪魔へヴん Gackt]
[mood : tired...]
[food : Vegetables!!! And Chicken with Gingko Nut Soup =D]

Jiamin: When!!! are you coming to visit!!!

Labels: edibles, Gackt, Japanese Food, New York, umich

Saturday, October 17, 2009

I want to be a part of it - New York, New York

If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
Its up to you - New York, New York

I'm in New York City! =D Took an early flight this morning [giant thanks to CL and GL!~ =D] and then tackled the horrendously huge New York subway map [somehow, I think Paris, Tokyo, and London have comparably large and extensive maps but those have much better layouts X__X] to find myself in the vicinity of Columbia University! Exciting.=D

Coming from the "countryside" of Ann Arbor to the bright city lights of New York City, the difference in people is vast. While people are friendlier and kinder, moving at a slower pace in the good ol' Midwest, life here is much like Singapore - fast-paced, and please-get-out-of-my-way-you're-blocking-me. I can see the benefits (?), I suppose, of both places - though I like the slow life of the pretty university town I usually call home, I think I'll always be a city girl at heart.=P

Just went to see the Cathedral of St. John the Divine which is like, super duper near my brother's apartment after lunch.=D It's so pretty!!! Though Notre Dame will always be my number one [the only reason being that it was one of the first Gothic cathedrals I'd ever seen =P and I adore Gothic architecture], the National Cathedral in DC being a close number two, this one was very nice.^_^ The stained glass and soaring ceilings with elegant pillars will always be my favorite parts of Gothic cathedrals. [The Vatican was marvellous too - but in a totally different way.]

Anyway, yesterday we were engaged in being "props" [as GL put it] for Ted when we went to the Arb to have a photoshoot!!! We had several nice shots [I think??] but I guess I'll have to wait for our resident photographer to edit the photos and clean them up before I see the final product.^_^ I'm excited!~ There were some yay-neoprint type of photographs amidst the glory of fall, one haircutting scene [like from Gundam 00's ending sequence!], "fashion" shot [sadly none of us will ever be real models], and in the LOTR field!! Hee. So I'm very excited to see the end result.^_^ I'll definitely post them when I get hold of the files...

In the meantime, I need to start thinking of smart questions to ask at the company visits, and of course, study for my exam on Wednesday [gulp]. On top of the serious aspects, I think it's time to soak in New York City once again, enjoy the fantastic food here, and catch up with my friends!!! [I'm most excited about the last 2 options heehee.]

Heading for Bouchon Bakery and Momofuku later!!! ^_^ I can't wait to see my friends again!

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : New York New York Frank Sinatra, Sway Dean Martin]
[mood : ^_^ FOOD! *_*]
[food : Bouchon Bouchon!]

Whenever I hear the phrase "New York", the song "New York New York" will play in my head....

Jiamin: 囧? It's pronounced jiong3. Haha. SO CUTE RIGHT. Granola is DELICIOUS!! I love it.=D Especially with lots of nuts and dried fruit! Do you know. My closetful of black clothes plan? IT IS FAILING. I WEEP. (T_T) I think I will have to change it to "Black with a Pop of Color". Hahaha. As for bunnies, I LOVE BUNNIES. In fact let me share a photo now:

SO CUTE!! Ahhhh!! It's SO CUTE!!! xD xD xD I can't take it. IT IS SO CUTE.=D BUNNYWABBIT! Haha. I think it's fantastic when you can change the concept of being "cheapskate" and "poor" into having "survival skills".=P

Labels: Ann Arbor, New York, thoughts, umich

Monday, October 12, 2009

Granola Everyday

Helloo

So I made granola today.=)

And now I'm eating it with plain yogurt and a touch of honey - joyous! It is so good.=D

For those who are interested, I'll be posting the sort-of recipe on the food blog (link located to the right).

Another thing about today, I learnt the word 囧 which looks like a face! and is extremely cute.=D

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : 夜を駆ける　スピッツ]
[mood : granola-y]
[food : duk buk ki! and granola =D]

Labels: food blog, misc

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Indeed, Indeed I Cannot Tell

Indeed, Indeed I Cannot Tell

Indeed indeed, I cannot tell,
Though I ponder on it well,
Which were easier to state,
All my love or all my hate.
Surely, surely, thou wilt trust me
When I say thou dost disgust me.
O, I hate thee with a hate
That would fain annihilate;
Yet sometimes against my will,
My dear friend, I love thee still.
It were treason to our love,
And a sin to God above,
One iota to abate
Of a pure impartial hate.

Henry David Thoreau

Haha I like this poem~ =D

Anyway, I'm currently studying for my exam tomorrow.=D [Blogging? Studying? Hmm.] And un-apple-picking yesterday was fun! So was grocery shopping today. Haha. The weather has been gorgeous the past couple of days but the temperatures are like, majorly unfriendly.-_-"

At least there's yummy porridge on the stove!!! I totally know how to make Cantonese style porridge now.=D SCORE!

And I've been pondering over a new template design. So let's see how that works out.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : I'm Yours Jason Mraz + マイペース SunSet Swish]
[mood : ^_^]
[food : chicken porridge, 春芽炒蛋, baked honeyed butternut squash, Artichoke Spinach dip!]

Labels: Ann Arbor, misc, poem

Friday, October 09, 2009

An Interesting Fact...?

Hello~

Looks like the weather is supposed to turn out much better than what it's been the past couple of days.^_^ I like to trust weather reports when they have happy news to show you! [Most of the time, Michigan's weather reports are a bit off the mark - especially the warnings...]

Anyway, seeing as I haven't updated in.. let's see.. quite a while, I thought I'd share something interesting that happened the other day.

So. I'm in the committee that's planning the B-school's Asia Business Conference for next year. And the other day we had our inaugural meeting [and we're going apple picking tomorrow! xD So fun~] where we had to do these self-introductions. And usually, they're ok because you kinda just spew out all the usual information about yourself. Unfortunately, this had the added clause about "Something interesting/embarrassing about yourself".

I'm probably one of the least interesting people I've ever met so I really really hate getting this question. And inevitably, I get very stressed out by overly modest people who first say stuff like, "I have nothing interesting about me.." or "This is really boring but.." but end up making everyone laugh because they are actually really hilarious.

So here I am, trying desperately to think of something while everyone shares these hilarious tidbits about their interesting lives. So I whisper to Chenli and she gives me suggestions like, "say we're housemates!", etc.

Not particularly interesting if you ask me, although everyone oohed at it later on when Chenli herself mentioned it.

So finally it was my turn.

[We had to answer a question about future career goals] "So I'm not really sure yet what I want to do after graduation since I'm still a junior and all, but what I do know is that I want to earn lots and lots of money" [cue everyone rolling their eyes at yet another silly girl who just wants to buy a ton of clothes] "However! This is related to something interesting about me"

*insert non-existent drumroll here & my flaming-red face*

"So the reason I actually want to earn a ton of money is so that eventually, I can pay my way through baking school for pastry!"

"Oooh"

Firstly, I hate hate hate public speaking. O gosh. It was awful.
Secondly, I don't know why I blurted that out. Chenli was totally dying from laughter after that when she was talking about my usual shallow self [she's so right. Haha].
Thirdly, what made me think that was interesting?!

So yes. There you have it. An uninteresting fact about a somewhat interesting thing that happened when we were asked to tell everyone about an interesting thing about our interesting/uninteresting selves.

With this though, I have finally created a stock answer to an often-asked question. Yay me!

On a random note, I went shoe-shopping and got a super comfy pair of heels for New York, and a super comfy pair of boots for winter! Also, I watched Chocolat again and loved it, again. ^_^" Johnny Depp? =D Totally adds hotness to the show. Even without him though, the book was great.

New resolution: Become a more interesting person so I have more stuff to talk about. X__X I think I need help.

助けて！！！

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : 語り継ぐこと元ちとせ + Flower Gackt]
[mood : sleepy...]
[food : カボチャ煮物 (simmered kabocha pumpkin) and baked honeyed butternut squash!]

I am loving the bounty of fall.=D

Labels: ABC, thoughts, umich

Saturday, October 03, 2009

友達と月見～

Hello~

Today was an ultra! busy day... X__X I'm actually backdating my post because it's currently in the wee hours of Oct 4th. Not that it matters. Haha. Oct 3rd was a very busy day for all of us...

It didn't just start on Oct 3rd though... First, the idea of a potluck with friends from different communities came along. ;)

Then came our planning... and grocery shopping for the event... The next surprise was in our inbox: the Great Barbecue at our friend's place! Busy huh. Haha. Full of non-academic activities for which I'm pleased because I just finished writing a paper and I have to start on another one!! =((

The barbecue was fun! Haha. I was planning to talk and meet our dear freshmen this year since I haven't yet had a chance to do so but little did I know the get-together was for the UofM VS MSU game [we lost =(( poo.]... So I hung out with other people and ate super delicious food [the buttered vegetables and cheesecake were so yummy!!] before zooming off to get more stuff for our own event. ;)

I don't know if I should feel bad for skipping the SSA event for Mid-Autumn Festival but I guess I shouldn't. I mean, if I have other activities, I don't always have to go for SSA events right? =X

Anyway, I think our potluck was really good~ The food was so so so fantastic [everyone can cook really well, I love it!! xD] but there was so much food so I think everyone was beyond stuffed... Then came the games. Haha!!! This was probably the best part of our little event because we learnt some HK drinking games which were hilarious and everyone was a little tipsy [not too much, in a nod to our drivers =P] so that made everything really relaxed and fun.^_^

In the end though, it was Mid-Autumn, a time for people to gather, view the moon, eat mooncakes, and play word games [or whatever other elegant and literary activity people do...]. Just before our event, I looked out my room window, and right there in the sky was a gorgeous view of the full, bright moon. So I screamed for my housemates to come look and I guess right there, in that short span of time, just for a moment, together we encapsulated the spirit of 中秋节.

I think everyone was later swept away by food and laughter, but for that moment in time there was a period of silence in awe of nature. And I appreciated that a lot. ^_^ I made a whole bunch of new friends/acquaintances today - hopefully with time and a little prodding on everyone's part, it'll turn into something more than mere 'Hi's-and-'Bye's.

I hope everyone managed to get a glance at the beautifully bright moon.^_^ In essence, that appreciation of nature is probably what the Mid-Autumn is all about.

cheers
*[-witchstone-]*

[music : 发如雪 + 枫 +　听妈妈的话周杰伦]
[mood : sleepy..]
[food : xD wayyy too much... pumpkin dumplings...salmon bacon pasta...pasta salad...stir-fried fen si...cabbage...chicken wings...cauliflower...chicken soup...xD 幸せなぁ～]

Jiamin: Eh! I think it's a nice neutral background that isn't too noisy. Haha. =X And I believe the ride is called Space Mountain.^_^

XW: Of course it's expensive... isn't it some kind of special live? =P

Labels: Chinese Festivals, thoughts, umich

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