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  <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces</id>
  <title>january</title>
  <subtitle>a small and fundamentally ridiculous person.</subtitle>
  <author>
    <name>january</name>
  </author>
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  <updated>2009-11-14T16:27:44Z</updated>
  <lj:journal userid="1380988" username="softplaces" type="personal"/>
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  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:201312</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/201312.html"/>
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    <title>Sometimes, I am bunnies.</title>
    <published>2009-11-14T16:27:44Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-14T16:27:44Z</updated>
    <category term="i want to drop out of school"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">Right, I'm hopelessly, hideously bored by law, but then again nothing's new. I've not updated properly in ages, mainly because not much happened (okay untrue, Halloween happened and that was ludicrous fun and there are pictures, but as usual they'll never see the light of day) and then a whole lot of school-related bullshit happened as it tends to do, and then there's that long-distance relationship I find myself still in (whoop de doo?) and then general academic woe and doom, crap I am taking so many modules and sweet Jesus it is dull.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But news! I find out I'm slated to graduate early, which means this time next year I'll be doing my last exams EVER (I might have to come back the next summer to clear a summer module, but that's okay I reckon). Which means I shall be running off and doing something I don't hate a full six months before I had expected, and when I graduate I'll be twenty-two, which somehow just doesn't feel as tragic and like I've barely lived as graduating at twenty-three. Now I'm suitably excited about this, because having worked off my debt (or academic obligation to my parents, rather, to do a degree that will allow me to eat occasionally, especially when I am hungry) I can run off and blow a lot of money on things that are likely to keep me properly hungry and poorly fed. Whoo! So come Januaryish 2011 I'll be in New York to learn &lt;a href="https://www.theeditcenter.com/six_week/index.php"&gt;Final Cut Like Whoa&lt;/a&gt; and then perhaps run around the Americas for a bit and visit my boyfriend, after which I'll be back in Singapore to see if I have to clear anything else to graduate during the summer. After that I'm going to do something that I've spent years dreaming of, which is run off to New York (again, &lt;a href="http://www.nyfa.com/film-school/filmmaking/index.php"&gt;t'is the dream innit?&lt;/a&gt;) for a year and learn to, wait for it, be a film-maker, ha-hah. It's kind of strange in that it's the only thing I've ever really wanted desperately, and waited a long time to come even close to (much besides, it's most of the reason I've spent the past three years subjecting myself to law school, so that I could run off without feeling like I'd let my parents down and spent all their money on something they'll never see their money back on). I don't know, I feel like I've been remarkably grown up about all this, (finally, my years of agony and pragmatism will pay off soon) and fucking hell, it's actually going to come to pass, and it's great and terrifying.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And just to remember what I'm subjecting myself to - this term I'm doing five and a half modules and it's mad. One of them's finance and I want to throw up just thinking about it, exams are in a little over a week and yeah things aren't looking particularly bright, in fact right now I'm journalling out of heinous boredom. I don't know, this term has been sort of insane, with firstly the workload and secondly the long-distance she-bang, neither of which are particularly pretty. Honestly I'll be so glad when this term's over, which it will be, incredibly soon, but now I wish it wouldn't just so that I'd have a bit more time to be a bit less screwed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Speaking of long-distance, a couple of days after my last exam I'm flying off to Minnesota to see the boy, which is good and I would be looking forward to it a lot were it not for how my spirit has been broken by the sheer immensity of crap I need to get done in the next week. In theory though, I'm absolutely ecstatic I suppose, but I can't really tell because it's been a long time since I've felt anything besides a dulled sense of despair.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On a brighter note, sometimes I am bunnies! (circa early 2008)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00096gy1" border="1" height="240" width="320"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This entry is too long and I have work to do. Oh, there is so much wrong with the world!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:201190</id>
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    <title>softplaces @ 2009-11-03T16:26:00</title>
    <published>2009-11-03T08:34:36Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-03T08:34:36Z</updated>
    <content type="html">&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=1480164"&gt;View Poll: #1480164&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:200942</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/200942.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=200942"/>
    <title>Traits of A Singaporean Negotiator Poll</title>
    <published>2009-11-03T08:25:57Z</published>
    <updated>2009-11-03T08:35:15Z</updated>
    <content type="html">Hello! We're doing a project (and writing a wiki article) on the negotiation styles of Singaporeans, please help us fill in this survey! Thanks!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=1480161"&gt;View Poll: Traits of A Singaporean Negotiator&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.livejournal.com/poll/?id=1480164"&gt;View Poll: #1480164&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:200478</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/200478.html"/>
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    <title>A Summery Summary (a not -so-clever pun, I'm afraid :()</title>
    <published>2009-08-17T13:09:20Z</published>
    <updated>2009-08-17T13:09:20Z</updated>
    <category term="the boy in question"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">So it seems I have returned, as I often do, without word or warning and most importantly, pictures. Cambodia was a shocking and horrifying amount of fun (or a fun amount of shock and horror, I'm so unsure these days, who can tell really) but after what, a backlog of 5 gigs of pictures this so isn't happening. School's started but I'm not there - my mom spent a very happy birthday rushing her stricken (feverish, shivering and generally miserable) daughter to the hospital. I've got five days off school, and while yes I was dreading returning to school I didn't think I wanted to avoid it &lt;i&gt;this&lt;/i&gt; badly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My mom asked me to look miserable and take pictures to commemorate the occasion - I don't think she's taking the epidemic &lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;seriously enough.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00093cgx/s640x480" border="1"&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00092y23/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yeah, behind me's Jeremy (&lt;i&gt;The Boy&lt;/i&gt;, for all intents and purposes as it has been for the past three months, but who knows for the next three months, and the months following?), who is running off to America promptly, so yeah that's going to be a fun ride ugh.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Okay but let's not talk about that for a bit, or how running off to a different country with someone really intensifies things huh, and oh doom doom which wasn't the point of this entry at all! So I've got a billion pictures but I'm chronically lazy, so in spite of my desire to chronicle my adventures in excruciating detail and sub-par photography, especially because I'm having the time of my life, I'm afraid having the time of your life eats into your chronicling time, so this is going to have to do-&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008rpqs" height="300" width="450" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid2"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;WHAT I DID OVER SUMMER:&lt;br /&gt;A SUMMERY SUMMARY, IN 14 PICTURES&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0007g1th/s480x640" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;01. Turned 21, went to a beach, had a party, got smashed. Woohoo!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008gzfg/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;02. Interned extensively, making some money occasionally on the way. (Meanwhile I realised I don't really mind law in certain circumstances, though in hindsight it could be just that while on vacation I had forgotten or blocked out just how crap law is.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs088.snc1/4623_109289626411_646206411_2733738_5892707_n.jpg" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;03. Spent almost all of the money earned frolicking in Taiwan (what exciting pastries, and food generally!) with my PJ posse (ilu bbs!).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008h22b/s640x480" border="1"&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008kk9b/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;04. Caught decent sunsets, first in Taiwan&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008per4/s640x480" border="1"&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008qwgd/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;05. and then in Cambodia.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008sqx2/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/000957ra/s480x640" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;06. I also located a Boy,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00090w8y/s640x480" border="1"&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008tb0d/s480x640" height="640" width="480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;07. and tried desperately (and failed miserably) to not look despairing, confused or retarded in pictures (&lt;i&gt;oh god&lt;/i&gt;).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008zhdw/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008w7r7/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;08. Occasionally, though, I achieved limited success.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008xz7b/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0008ysk3/s640x480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Right-o, now I'm off to return to being sickly and unproductive. Sweet!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:200385</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/200385.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=200385"/>
    <title>Hahahahono!</title>
    <published>2009-07-29T19:03:11Z</published>
    <updated>2009-07-29T19:03:11Z</updated>
    <category term="the boy in question"/>
    <category term="a good idea at the time"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <content type="html">Okay, really you know what the worst idea in the world is? To start packing at midnight when your flight's at six in the morning. Oh god, take my word for it, not fun and mostly terrifying. So I'm to Cambodia for a bit, mainly to see the Angkor Wat before it falls to pieces, on a bit of a whim really. And while yes, taking a passing fancy and running with it seemed like a good idea at the time (you only feel young and therefore invincible once, and only so often do you have money especially then), perhaps running off with a boy not even two months into a relationship to an exotic foreign locale may be a mite too ridiculous for even me.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ha ha ha, oh god how terrifying, what is it I'm doing (packing too late, for one, and finding myself much further in much faster than I had anticipated), and it's entirely my doing, but at the very least I can't say it's not keeping things exciting, eh?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Although, next time a bit less terror would be nice and probably better advised. But oh god, I really can't remember the last time I had this exhilarating a mix of terror and excitement!)</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:200001</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/200001.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=200001"/>
    <title>IS YOU IS OR IS YOU AIN'T MY BABY?!</title>
    <published>2009-07-09T07:30:46Z</published>
    <updated>2009-07-09T07:30:46Z</updated>
    <category term="the boy in question"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <content type="html">I think for me livejournalling is a bit like upping personal vegetable intake or exercise or trying to change the world - great and noble plans that never happen because I am but a weak, weak person, distracted by shiny things and general laziness, and occasionally things of excitement and import, but mostly laziness. I had wanted to post about several things before I ran off to Taiwan, mainly related to my birthday and internships and bizarre relationship developments that I could neither fathom nor acknowledge, but instead here I am, a couple of months on distinctly not posting pictures or updating adequately, certifiably older, back from Taiwan and almost done with internships, and everything I meant to register various sentiments for have waged past me rather huffily.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I find myself here, on my last week of internship (seven weeks are seven weeks too many), counting down to the end as assiduously as I trawl facebook. I also find myself having gone beyond accidentally acquiring a bit of a boyfriend - I seem to be almost a month into a (dare I say it?) relationship, oho!, which is rather disconcerting really but often hilarious, though that's nothing in comparison to the long-distance hilarity that may sneak up on me when I'm distracted by muffins (a situation that one often finds oneself in and impossible to get out of, in reference to baked wonderment). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I suppose I ought to say something about the boy, given the rich comic history that predates my late adolescence, and/or that the boy was sort of technically my first half of a boyfriend, or perhaps that now we're seeing a bit of a renaissance as it were, or that really this is what this entry's really about, being a month into something that was a bit of an open joke really (that I was a little more serious about in my occasional private moments when I was a little less caked in denial and appalled at the mere suggestion of any semblance of association). But honestly speaking I don't know what's going on there either, but I do know that the boy is crazy over me and I could make him happy and I find myself wanting to, and I do believe that counts for something (despite what my friends may tell you, no, my affections were not bought &lt;i&gt;solely&lt;/i&gt; with a bass guitar!), and much besides I'm honestly too busy having an absolute riot to give this further thought. So here let me put off things a bit longer, and make plans to run off to Cambodia for a spell, and before you know it I could be back with pictures (what, it &lt;i&gt;could&lt;/i&gt; happen!).</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:199513</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/199513.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=199513"/>
    <title>The Oh God What Now years.</title>
    <published>2009-05-07T09:13:51Z</published>
    <updated>2009-05-07T09:13:51Z</updated>
    <content type="html">Every year I seem to expect something upon getting older, like some sort of birthday epiphany is in order. Happy Birthday have some clarity, or something like. And even though that never happens I still expect it every year, especially the apparently momentous years by everyone else's standards, and I feel a bit sore when the day passes and nothing has been arrived at. In any case, this year, or today rather, I'm twenty-one, which means to all intents and purposes I am an adult, and holy hell, I'm &lt;i&gt;accountable&lt;/i&gt; for what I do and crap that's horrible!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thus far I guess I've been enjoying myself, (ish?) in a really bizarre infuriating sort of way that is suitably exciting nonetheless, but mostly one just wants to go "Augh! Augh!" and not think about it at all really, if only things were so easily ignored and avoided. I daresay I'm older now, in this strange ridiculousness and oh, such inner conflict of the &lt;i&gt;where do we go from here&lt;/i&gt; variant, oh god growing older is hard, and stupendous and brilliant but mostly ridiculous and hard I think.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think years and years on we're all still essentially the same people, with the same sorts of people-related issues only with different names or slightly varying situations, and it seems to be, at least for me, that holy hell I honestly can't trust myself with anything, I don't think you can hold me accountable for anything nevermind age of majority or whatever, or I suppose you could but then you'd be walking into that.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well it's suitably exciting, in a horrible &lt;i&gt;oh god what now&lt;/i&gt; sort of way, but I suppose at twenty-one if your life can't be summed up in &lt;i&gt;oh god what now&lt;/i&gt; that's probably maturity beyond your age and that's just inappropriate, and besides not even half as much fun.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:199379</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/199379.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=199379"/>
    <title>Meh, I say vehemently. Meh!</title>
    <published>2009-04-28T20:16:23Z</published>
    <updated>2009-04-29T14:09:24Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="i want to drop out of school"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <category term="what am i doing"/>
    <content type="html">Today the weather was beautifully dreary, which was rather refreshing given how of late, especially, Singapore has subjected us all to intolerable heat even for people largely accustomed to living inches away from the Equator. It was so lovely in its cool post-rainyness that I decided to walk home a couple of MRT stations(ish, at least), which started off pleasant enough and then degenerated into the humid cesspool of annoyance and discomfort that we're normally treated to. Coupled with how the distance was actually significantly greater than what I had previously anticipated, my enchantment with the loveliness of today (and its accompanying &lt;i&gt;Oh it's great to be alive&lt;/i&gt;-type sentiment) evaporated quickly, and right now I'm back to feeling tired and disgruntled hoo yay.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So summer's begun, and honestly I'm not all that enthused. I mean yeah, hell it's better than school term, but I don't know who I'm kidding with my remaining university years to look forward to. That aside I've got internships to get through, some travel plans and about a million things to get done, but honestly I'm just not feeling it. Oh god I'm going to be old (in a week or so I'll be majoritarily-aged) and I'm going to have to be responsible, holy hell. Right about now I'm just trying my best to be occasionally productive, I'm in a spot of age and situation-related existentialism, just a bit (and a bit more than that on other days), but actually who am I kidding, it's only because I've not gotten L4D on my iMac yet, which I think is a very valid cause of existential angst - what's the point in life if you're not killing zombies at every waking moment, really? (That isn't true of course, there are other things to do, but they should be moderated with a regular injection of undead-deadening, which I have not been getting, oh no.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And with that I shall trundle off to try to do something about my room or to cut one of yesteryear's silly projects, both of which I've been putting off for ever.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:199071</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/199071.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=199071"/>
    <title>Awake And Adequately Avoiding Academic Agony.</title>
    <published>2009-04-11T23:37:59Z</published>
    <updated>2009-04-11T23:37:59Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="reasons to go to school"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">I'm up early in the morning avoiding corporate law as it were - Mavis and Vincent are over, we had an impromptu sort of study party sleepover, which is exactly as wild as as it sounds. Seriously though for something centred around something as dull as law, it was quite the night, laughs were had by all, and there are some things that we'll deny fiercely and pretend never transpired (in horrible, horrible mental places we'll never admit that we've been). The downside is I got next to nothing done, laughing too hard imagining bad bad things you know the usual, plus they're occupying all the sleeping space in my room so alas, I must remain awake and at some point maybe venture a mite of productivity?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You know actually I'm having a ball, in spite of exams and everything, but that could well be because I care not for thee, academic bullshit, having not applied myself at all and being content to just &lt;i&gt;get by&lt;/i&gt; enough to graduate. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty about it, like I'm wasting an education or something like, but that thought lasts about as long as my attention span when confronted with let's say, mm, winding up? Honestly I'm just waiting for summer, because then I'll be half-done with this, oh my god, two years more, which may not be that bad if I apply myself in a similar fashion, which would be to say, not at all. But I do wish I was actually learning things, haha, the way I was fairly excited about particular subjects in pre-law days, and honestly I feel like I've learnt nothing of note over the past two years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For the past couple of weeks I've been on the brink of age of majority angst with a little bit of discontent over the logic of love worked in for good measure, but you know how that comes and goes. I've reached the stage where I've resolved enough for the moment, or am really more interested in what to eat next or when I can shoot zombies, sometime soon please on both counts that would really be awesome. On most days I wake up feeling like my life is a peaceful demonstration (as compared to a riot, for example), in that there's some latent purpose hanging lazily in the air, with a moderate contentment that keeps everything several shades short of revolutionary or exhilarating but is at least a sufficiently interesting escapade or a mildly fun day out.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:198713</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/198713.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=198713"/>
    <title>Whoa, what an indulgent mess.</title>
    <published>2009-03-18T19:53:19Z</published>
    <updated>2009-03-18T19:53:19Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="i have issues"/>
    <category term="oh angst"/>
    <content type="html">Right. You know how I &lt;a href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/196885.html"&gt;resolved&lt;/a&gt; to write more, and to be honest and what-not? I've been rather terrible at all of that thus far, and I was hoping to rectify that a bit.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well lately I've been rather despondent about everything, and not talking about why because that's what I do. Even with my nearest and dearest I've not said a word, not really, god forbid someone catches on and I've not yet formulated an appropriate reaction or response for if they do. I mean it's not like a big deal or anything, I'm just on the lugubrious, melancholy side, and I'm just trying to figure things out a bit, but I can't help but feel like I'm hiding things from people anyway by saying nothing, and I think nothing good can come of that so here I am.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't much want to be existential, but I suppose that's the horrible indulgent place we all end up when we're feeling less than great. This may have something to do with any or all of the following:&lt;br /&gt;1) the tragicomedy that is law school (and related workload that's being ignored)&lt;br /&gt;2) the horrifying jolt of reality, brought on by internship talk and thought and general planning&lt;br /&gt;3) what comes after item 1 and 2 (read: working life! and the future!), which is even scarier&lt;br /&gt;4) I don't know what to make of love anymore (yes, I know, how maudlin, cry me a river etc)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;and pretty much culminates in:&lt;br /&gt;5)Shit I don't feel like doing anything at all but sleeping in.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can't seem to bring myself to be productive at all, even the non-academic for-a-laugh type gigs, like stupid songs and stuff on lists that I've wanted to do forever - I have all these plans that I really want to carry out but now it seems like I haven't the heart for it, I haven't the heart for anything for that matter. I feel rather dispassionate about everything, which is worrying because I'm rarely like this - I'm generally perpetually excited by small silly things, and sometimes larger silly things, and at this point in time I want neither ridiculousness nor entertainment, because I'm just &lt;i&gt;that&lt;/i&gt; morose.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mainly what it is is that, yes I'm going to say it, I don't know about love anymore. This is a new low, obviously, and I've outdone myself in whiny indulgence. I just don't understand it at all, and, I say, mournfully and emphatically, &lt;i&gt;I don't believe in love anymore&lt;/i&gt;. Which is probably not really true and is just me being dramatic, as I am wont to do, but after yesteryear's romantic misadventure and subsequent trainwreck, I wonder about the nature of love, and how far it's actually worth anything. Last year I loved a boy and would have given the world for him, and this year I feel like he never happened to me, nothing's change at all, that apart from this rather uncharacteristic pensiveness he barely left a mark. It's like when in conversation you recall something and bring it up, but can't for the life of you remember how exactly you came upon it and whether you came upon it at all, for which you include the disclaimer "but don't take my word for it, I might have dreamed that one". I wonder about how it came to this, how someone can go from meaning everything to you and then nothing within weeks, honestly whatever that is it can't have been love, or if it was goddamn, it's been grossly misrepresented. Alternatively I could have just somehow managed to block everything out, but honestly I hope not because that just isn't healthy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In any case I need to fuck off and mull over things, which was really what I was trying to say before I got sidetracked by all that emotional drivel. Which I'm actually feeling pretty good about, because I &lt;i&gt;like&lt;/i&gt; figuring out where I stand and gleaning a system, a principle or, with any luck, and Important Truth (ho ho) from it. I've always believed vehemently that love is enough, and now that I don't any more everything's askew. When I was five I saw an episode of the Nanny which introduced to me the concept of exes, and when I asked my parents what an ex was I was thoroughly appalled and distressed by their answer - I just couldn't wrap my head around how anyone could have an ex, it wasn't possible because love is forever. And I suppose somehow that had stuck (even today I'm averse to that term, and if you notice I never use it as far as possible, which is probably also due to a personal obsession with names and definitions), and I managed a couple of decades of being more certain of it than anything else, but now it feels like I've lost my religion, as silly and overwrought as that sounds.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When I started writing this I meant to give a bit of an update of work-related things like internships, plans and work that I'm avoiding, though there's really nothing new there, but I think my point was going to be that I'm shelving everything till I get this sorted out to a functional level at the very least, or until I get bored of all this thinking, which ever happens first (I'm inclined to think it'll be the latter). I suppose this lengthy, unrewarding (for the casual observer and loyal reader alike) entry is simply a manifestation of the urge to purge. Speaking of purging, and manifestations and &lt;a href="http://dearoldlove.tumblr.com/post/86924199/eat-me"&gt;yours truly&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;I remember you the way I remember yesterday’s lunch in all its foggy utility: “I guess I had some sandwich, meat-based, and it kept me alive?”&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, I'm sorry guys, I am that pretentious. I trust I'll grow out of it, though, sometime soon one hopes, but in any case I shan't subject you to that again. Expect a triumphant, exuberant return at some point! It may not be timely, but when it does turn up it will be accompanied by nominally exciting adventures and the gazillion pictures I keep promising to put up.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:198167</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/198167.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=198167"/>
    <title>Suddenly, I've found myself a strawberry brunette.</title>
    <published>2009-02-23T17:33:07Z</published>
    <updated>2009-02-24T19:51:05Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <category term="camwhore"/>
    <content type="html">Today I found myself at a salon with Mavis (which is far less remarkable than it sounds because we had made an appointment and everything, but hush let me continue), and suddenly everything has changed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Okay no, not really, but &lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;BEHOLD!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Prior to this hair-changing experience:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0006zfff" width="480" height="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Post-hair-changing experience:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0006yqz1" width="360" height="480" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, it is kind of pink, and anime-like, not unlike that time I cosplayed with Andrea and Sam&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0000rbfz" width="480" height="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;which I suppose is a little surreal now, that I'm going to have this colour for most of the time (I'm almost tempted to go schoolgirl rather exclusively, which is just a little tragic is all) but I'm hoping it will fade significantly into something more like this&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://i.ivillage.com/BS/makeover_central/celeb_hair/BS_Hannigan_325.jpg"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;on the right, and while we're hoping for the best maybe I'll fade into Alyson Hannigan generally while I'm at it, damn that girl is &lt;i&gt;fine&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, thoughts? Should I do things with my hair, like tie it up in ribbons and perhaps wear an elaborate, ridiculous-looking and impractically slutty space ninja-type costume? Should I invest in hats, do a Demi Moore, or just pray generally that it fades just right so I can be taken seriously (hoho!)?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Ugh, speaking of serious things, I've got to seriously devote some more time into ignoring corporate law, oh ugh. Which I shall do (more or less) promptly (more less than more).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Edit: Well, my hair seems to have a life of its own - now it has decided on a markedly different colour and I can do naught but watch it go forth and fulfill its destiny. For the moment I seem to be almost certifiably a redhead (or as certified as a Chinese girl can get anyway). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid2"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Please to ignore unglamorous piratey sleepwear and face, in different lighting conditions (my bedroom vs the bathroom, which is clear from the towels).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00071q5g" height="480" width="360" border="1"&gt; &lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00070xr8" height="480" width="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My, what an adventure! Will I wake up tomorrow a different person, with a different hair colour? Who can tell?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Edit: The next day it seems to be just as red, if not slightly redder (or perhaps I'm just in brighter lighting)? Okay yes, I know this is far from endlessly exciting, and it is a bit indulgent but I'm sorry!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00073kza" height="480" width="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00072tk9" height="480" width="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;/center&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:198131</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/198131.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=198131"/>
    <title>Wow, this is a dull update!</title>
    <published>2009-02-21T19:04:08Z</published>
    <updated>2009-02-21T19:04:08Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">Right, you know how I resolved to journal more but didn't? Um, here I am trying to rectify that. Points for effort, maybe?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;One of these days I really mean to put up the hundred million pictures I have, and back up freaking everything that I have. Ooh, I've a question, if anyone can help me out with this I would be much obliged! See, I'm trying to back-up everything on my mac but for some reason my external hard-drive is read-only and I can't seem to do anything about it. Help please? I'm discouraged to the point that I'm on the verge of tears (or not, but it did give rise to a hissy fit thrown at my mother, which was neither pretty nor nice of me). I don't much know how to change the permission on my hard-drive :(.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But anyway, kay, real update time. Mid-term break starts tomorrow (hurrah!), but I've also got a whole lot of shit to get done right after (poo!) for perhaps two weeks following (also poo). So right now's the lull before the shit hits the fan, whereupon I'll be even less inclined to journal in any way. I think I really need to organise my life, and my room, and print out a number of those million pictures. I also need to start thinking of internships soon (waugh!), oh dear all this law shit really isn't pretty.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In spite of all that, I think I'm actually enjoying myself in school this term, even if my usage of the term is a bit of a stretch, the way a cup of tea with a grandparent could possibly be termed a &lt;i&gt;party&lt;/i&gt;. So yes, I'm having a conservative amount of fun, with both my law school friends (it's a bit of a joke but honestly Mavis and Vincent are all I need, they're such a riot [ as riotous as one can get learning about shares and floating charges anyway]) and I'm doing a &lt;i&gt;really&lt;/i&gt; conservative amount of work (I am physically unable to pay attention or take any notes in class, an anathema unheard of in law school) which I'll try to rectify a bit starting tomorrow. I swear! Meanwhile I'm going to run off to watch some BBC4 TV, and wait hopelessly for the next installment of How I Met Your Mother comes out, oh my heart! Incidentally I've fallen in love with Jason Segel, oh my god he is the man for me.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:197690</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/197690.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=197690"/>
    <title>A Pretty Good Year</title>
    <published>2009-01-26T22:11:31Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-26T22:11:31Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <content type="html">So you know, what with the Chinese New Year festivities there was a liberal amount of visiting and cookie-consumption, but this year I tried something different - instead of avoiding relative-shaped interaction, I (dare I say it?) &lt;i&gt;socialised&lt;/i&gt;. And rather surprisingly, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, which is a first I reckon, considering the new year is normally a mercenary adventure in juggling good social grace with quickening the exchange of monies. I don't know, this year I brought along Francis, my one and only (my DSLR which I've neglected far too long, nothing exciting and scandalous if that's what you were thinking), and that does seem to make social situations a lot more bearable, with small talk centering rather easily on cameras and lenses and the option of bailing at any moment under the pretext of taking pictures (a comforting prospect, always).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What was substantially less comfortable was the attempt to converse in Mandarin (ha!). See I met up with a bevy of Chinese-speaking relatives, but of these the most interesting would be the Grand Uncle I was never aware of who happens to be some sort of Grand Master Martial Artist or something equivalent. From the limited conversation I was capable of I gathered that he was endlessly interesting, but given that he knows about as much English as I know Chinese I can't recount the content reliably but I do know I enjoyed that interpretive fandango immensely, though I would have enjoyed it more if I felt less like a cripple. But this time next year I'm going to be a whole lot less useless and a whole lot more Chinese-ly conversational, I do think. I suppose more Jay Chou and Chinese cinema is in order, which is a rather appropriate resolution-type thing for this point in time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On a side note, when did David Duchovny get so irresistible? My god, I think that's the man for me. I've been avoiding work (that I'm supposed to be staying up to accomplish) for an entire season of Californication, and my god, guh! I don't know, I think I love him.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:197586</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/197586.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=197586"/>
    <title>Apparently micro-blogging is very in.</title>
    <published>2009-01-24T21:08:02Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-24T21:08:02Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="whoo!"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">Oh life, how you excite and astound, and inflict upon me Company Law at five in the morning though it is entirely my fault! I would like to register a couple of things though - an unparalleled love for the Magnetic Fields, and and, the emergence of possibility (and its accompanied flailing about)!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;That is all!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:197296</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/197296.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=197296"/>
    <title>Two-oh-oh-nine you're looking damn fine!</title>
    <published>2009-01-10T20:09:13Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-10T20:09:47Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="heart!"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">You know, first week of school notwithstanding (or perhaps precisely because of the first week of school), I'm fairly taken with the new year. None of my classes are physically painful to be in (nothing really compares to the sheer horror that was Property Law, &lt;i&gt;twice&lt;/i&gt; a week no less, and like surviving the war that sure as hell makes you stronger), the majority of my classes are noon-time affairs so I get an adequate amount of sleep, and, most importantly, with Mavis and Vincent every hour of every day is a party, or at least as much of a party as say, Constitutional and Administrative Law can be. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's really bizarre after almost two years of absolutely hating school to suddenly find myself &lt;i&gt;not minding&lt;/i&gt; it. No actually that's a lie, it's not bizarre at all, it's very straightforward - for the better part of the last two years I've been (on the average) unhappy, and now that's all behind me I realise goddamn you know, I'm actually an upbeat person and I do actually really love where I am in life (not the doing law bit, but I guess it could be worse I could be doing, &lt;i&gt;god forbid&lt;/i&gt;, economics) and especially the people in it, and honestly speaking I'm really pleased by how it's all turned out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;K then, enough new-year-related twirling. What I meant to livejournal about was this art exhibition that I did that just opened yesterday, and the tragicomedy that was the &lt;i&gt;gala opening&lt;/i&gt;. See, my university has a well-intentioned attempt at an arts festival annually, so this year the film society (i.e. my lovely secretary Athena, and I), with the help of the artistically established &lt;a href="http://chyeteck.farm.sg/"&gt;Chua Chye Teck&lt;/a&gt; (thank god, seriously, if not we would have been flailing about dying horribly all the time with our inexperience and general lack of ability and direction) did this film noir piece. Essentially we made a space up to look like a film noir bar with a stage and a bar and a diva dressing table, and had wigs, hats and trenchcoats for people to come in and dress up, which may not quite be high art, but at least it's a sizeable amount of fun. Actually I don't think it's an art piece at all, it's just an amorphous &lt;i&gt;fun thing&lt;/i&gt; as opposed to &lt;i&gt;an exploration in the transience of identity&lt;/i&gt;, but hey what do I know, all I do is read comics and make silly noises at my kid brother, I'm so low brow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, so at the gala opening we were supposed to give the VIPs (the university president, the Dean of Students, some admin people and I don't know some artsy networked sorts?) some sort of artist tour which involved some sort of presentation, which was a wholly horrifying prospect (and a subsequently wholly horrifying presentation) that I never really recovered from. After said presentation People of Apparent Import congregated in small groups around the exhibition being all networky, laughing unnaturally exchanging namecards. Athena and I pretty much just stood there and tried to blend in with the coat hangers, which wasn't at all difficult to do because everyone was pretty much absorbed in their social expansions to bother talking to the artists about their work (which I didn't mind at all), before everyone adjourned somewhere else to continue their mingling - over some performances, but mostly food and alcohol in plastic cups with delusions of grandeur (you know the sort I'm talking about - airline plastic with necks and large bases hoping to pull off looking like glasses). The most ridiculous thing about the whole affair was the aspirations towards classiness (with what I imagine is the important business or art crowd socialising) in front of art that is largely, &lt;i&gt;well-intentioned&lt;/i&gt; at most, a &lt;i&gt;laudable effort&lt;/i&gt; (considering inexperience, time and resource constraints) etc, which is amusing and appropriate all things considered.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Which isn't to say that I didn't enjoy doing the exhibition (though it was hectic and crazy, somewhat), or that the gala was a complete waste of time (it wasn't - I spent most of it avoiding the main event and instead trying on costumes and taking pictures with Athena), but I'll put up pictures soon and you'll get the idea. Anyway, if you're in Singapore and you happen to be at SMU between the hours of 11am to 8pm from now till the 24th of January (at least I &lt;i&gt;think&lt;/i&gt; that's when it's on till), you might want to pop by the school of Economics gallery and check my exhibition out (but then again you might not, but that's cool too, I won't take offense XP).</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:196885</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/196885.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=196885"/>
    <title>More on the new year, which is becoming increasingly old.</title>
    <published>2009-01-03T03:57:29Z</published>
    <updated>2009-01-03T03:57:29Z</updated>
    <category term="resolve!"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <content type="html">And now's about the time to do resolving things, in relation to the new year. But first off I think I'm going to talk about last year, because I guess everything I've resolved is in relation to the latter, and this is probably the best time to get it all out while it still remains sort of current, or at least recallable.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I can't talk about 2008 without talking about Fong, and he was my life and everything I wanted to believe I wanted (though I did know otherwise, in a small dark corner of me that grew increasingly bigger that I tried so long to ignore), and I don't think I've ever wanted something so badly in my life. Even (or especially so) at the worst parts of the relationship I loved him, and I can't say I've ever loved anyone like that and I wouldn't care to, though it might do well to note that the latent sheen of general doom gives it an unfair advantage (perhaps I threw myself into it so heartily because the odds were against it ever ending well, and I needed to believe that in spite of everything, or because of it, that love was enough). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I still believe that, though, even if he didn't do right by me when it came to it, but then again I don't think I was in the best position to pass judgment on that sort of thing. I was selfish and scared and immature, and I acted in character and was all of those, and though I truly loved him with whatever was within my means, they weren't much given those restrictions. I'm glad I realised that with a relationship that wouldn't in a million years have worked out anyway, as opposed to one where I might have actually lost everything which I would have never forgiven myself for. So, much like that, 2008 was the best and the worst thing that ever happened to me - yes, I do feel at least three years older, yes, at so many parts it was terrible and I sincerely wanted to die, and yes, I learned all I need to know for now about love and how to be happy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So what I want with the new year is kindness and honesty on my part. I made a dreadful show of loving last year, not just romantically but with pretty much everyone I hold dear, which I couldn't live down repeating (or wouldn't want to). I think that's really what I got wrong last year - in the end the love I professed was selfish and small, and I think that's the sort of thing you only need to figure out once.  This year I'm going to make an effort in a less self-possessed direction, especially if it inconveniences me or puts me somewhere rather uncomfortable for a bit I'm going to do it. That's pretty much my main resolution, but obviously I have a string of tangential ones because we all know how much I love listing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;02. BI-WEEKLY EXERCISE&lt;br /&gt;I know I resolved this last year but it fell through, but this year I'm trying to do this Sunday Family Afternoon O' Fun And Exercise, which I started last week and was limping till earlier today because of. Yes, I am ludicrously unfit, but I mean to change that! Also, I'm taking up tap-dancing, so that seems suitably vigorous for my purposes! (The other good thing about this resolution, besides the fun Irish twist, is that if I end up being pathetically unfit this resolution can be construed as requiring only exercise every &lt;i&gt;other&lt;/i&gt; week, which is significantly easier! Ah-hah, a technicality! Who says I'm not learning anything from law school, besides how to be dead?)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;03. HEALTHFUL CONSUMPTION&lt;br /&gt;I must incline myself towards vegetables and fruit enthusiastically! Also, I want to start planning healthier-typed meals on a family unit level, for the benefit of all! If I can contribute to this in some way, like through Superior Salad-Making (a skill I have not yet acquired) that would be good too!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;04. WEEKLY LITERARY ADVENTURES&lt;br /&gt;Or, less exciting-sounding-ly, a book a week. Yes, I'm trying this again, and this time I must succeed, for truly truly I would like to be less frequently at a loss for words. I've been fairly out of it, this whole literate fandango, and it would be nice to be reading instead of doing most other things. On this note, write more, just so that two more years don't pass me by without any tangible record of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;05. EJECT SELF OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING AND THRUST SELF INTO DAILY EXCITEMENT&lt;br /&gt;Which is to say I must stop re-setting the alarm clock upon waking, and haul myself out of bed even if it breaks my heart. And on a related note, get more done on a daily basis because I am so hideously lazy and this MUST STOP. I've got to be more prompt and put more effort into things, hoh god I really have to get the room redecoration down if not I will have failed in life. (Also, perhaps a daily list of things to do, possibly scrawled on to various body parts, is the answer.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;06. FAMILIAL UNIT AND FRIENDS&lt;br /&gt;I really have to put in more effort here, first off to be kinder and to be more honest, and second to keep up with them properly. The honesty thing does get to me sometimes - sometimes I feel very out-of-place and like I don't trust myself at all to speak to anyone. Much besides I think I've been letting certain relationships of mine languish just because I'm timid and lame and can't be bothered, and that's a bad state of affairs.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:196698</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/196698.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=196698"/>
    <title>This is that fresh, that fresh feeling.</title>
    <published>2008-12-26T20:39:26Z</published>
    <updated>2008-12-26T20:39:26Z</updated>
    <category term="meme"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="epiphany!"/>
    <content type="html">And this year I find myself exactly where I want to be (and in some ways, exactly where I've always wanted to be) and it feels grand. Honestly it's not been a fun year, in fact it's been pretty excruciating in so many parts - there's been so much near-death weeping (by which I mean when you cry so much it hurts and you don't see how it's physically possible to get through the next moment, and the ones following that that it feels like you're, well, going to die), I was an embarrassing self-absorbed mess for too significant a length of time, and most of all this year I've been incredibly immature and selfish, so god I'm glad the year's almost done. But by the same token it's also been a great year, you know, because after all that ridiculous horrible shit I &lt;i&gt;get it&lt;/i&gt; now, I know what it is that I'm looking for in this lifely fandango, and whatever that is has always been right in front of me only I was too self-absorbed to notice. And honestly for the first time in ages I'm genuinely happy, without having it adulterated by general issues and insecurities.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;b&gt;2008 In Review&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(Alternatively, the &lt;a href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/190431.html#cutid1"&gt;annual&lt;/a&gt; appraisal, but oh god I think I might be growing up too fast.)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;LOL first off I had never done this meme twice - I'd started on it and then ran off to have a good think and the answers have been so substantially altered that I need a do-over. But anyway, I had never left someone I loved, or fallen apart so visibly because of it, or cried so hard I thought I was going to die (which to be fair was a bit melodramatic, but there you go). In any case I had never been in such a bad place for a substantial period of time, but by the same token god, I had never felt so good about myself in my life post-falling-apart, and I had never realised how amazing the people in my life are and how much I need them really, and how much I had been missing out on being all troubled and/or boyfriended. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well I neglected pretty much everything except the vegetable effort and the resolution to get something done about unspecified unarticulated unhappiness (read: relationship-typed awful), and I think it's enough that I kept that resolution because it was really the most important one (and the shittiest, most difficult one at that), but also the most rewarding. It's lovely how that's sort of linked with the next bit - yes, I've made more resolutions, and in the new year all I want is to be kind and honest (though I've still yet to formulate a sub-list involving reading and exercising and getting things done, but methinks it's likely to resemble last year's &lt;a href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/190916.html#cutid1"&gt;list&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;3. Did anyone close to you give birth?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Um, an aunt did, but she's like my grand-aunt's daughter so I'm not too sure what that counts for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;4. Did anyone close to you die?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In some ways it did feel that way, which was godawful when I was doing that sort of feeling, but after that subsides all that's left is this feeling of privilege in being graced with the presence and experience of everything said person entailed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;5. What countries did you visit?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The United Kingdom, France, and Malaysia. The first two with a discontinued part of my life (I have this aversion to the term "ex" because it's barely a title, you know, and tells you nothing of import, and seems to suggest an amorphous and anonymous blur when visualising, but more than that a &lt;i&gt;common&lt;/i&gt; sort of blur, and that's not even half the story there) and the last with my kid brother's best friend's family, which proved to be an exciting fishing adventure where I didn't fish but sat about reading instead and it was wonderful. I can't tell you how much I loved Paris, especially, or Edinburgh or London or whereever the hell I was in Scotland in a cottage by the sea, but it was immense and perhaps someday soon I shall show you pictures.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I lied last year when I said I wanted excitement, and when I said "quiet" what I really meant was I wanted to find a way out of the mess I was in back then. Which I did, and all I want with the new year is kindness and honesty on my part (with increases in both, one hopes). I don't want an exciting new love interest (well not that I would say no if he was interesting, well-adjusted and able to commit, but "exciting" and "new" aren't enough), having been too tired out with the relationship deal and related ruminations I'm going to avoid relationships for a bit (which shouldn't be difficult at all, really, given that one, I don't like many people; two, most boys aren't mature enough to do a relationship that I'd be interested in; and three, I'm distinctly antisocial), a bit meaning well maybe up till two years or more?    &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't have one this year, because this entire she-bang was a bit of a blur for me - I can't recall very much at all and it feels like I've lost a year because I was too busy being unhappy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Leaving the boy I loved, and dealing with what followed after. It's the first thing I've done that was truly good for me, in spite of how bad it felt at any point in time I think it's the first thing I've done right in the longest time. And I think the resultant clarity - I'm happy now, and honestly I couldn't be more pleased with myself for getting here.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;9. What was your biggest failure?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'd say getting really carried away with my general unhappiness, because that made me really self-absorbed and awful, not to mention incredibly un-fun. I'd say my stubbornness and impatience, my impulsiveness and self-centredness, god that was a terrible display really. I was so tired out by everything that I stopped bothering to be a person, or to make an effort to be less awful, god I was so vindictive and immature. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;10. Did you suffer illness or injury?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Well does feeling very intensely like shit count?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;11. What was the best thing you bought?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Richard Siken's poetry anthology &lt;i&gt;Crush&lt;/i&gt;. I read every poem and I want to die, it's startlingly beautiful and more often than not I find myself tearing up. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;12. Whose behavior merited celebration?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My family, because my god I don't think I would have gotten through that period without them, and also because they've put up with so much and they love me so and I don't do enough for them. And then Mavis and Vincent - without them I really wouldn't have bothered turning up for any of my examinations (nevermind that, I wouldn't have bothered even &lt;i&gt;trying to function&lt;/i&gt; without them) and honestly they're my nearest and dearest, and we've been through hell (read: Property Law) together.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's a tough fight between Fong's and mine, okay no it's a bit clearer cut than that but at any rate in reference to either of those, oh eurgh. But you know, water under the bridge and all that, it's a new year and all that, and everything worked out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;14. Where did most of your money go?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hahaha, online shopping, my god. I've quit though, but it got me through many a boring lesson and difficult emotional time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Going to Strawberry Fields! Liverpool really excited me, and it was everything I dreamed of.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;16. What song will always remind you of 2008?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Spoon's I Summon You, because it's my song this year. I've loved it forever, but there's something ridiculously upbeat and romantic about it that pretty much encapsulates where I'm left at the end of the year ("got the weight of the world/I summon you here my love"), and there's really no place I would rather be,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;17. Compared to this time last year, are you:&lt;br /&gt;i. happier or sadder?&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br /&gt;Happier, pretty clearly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;ii. thinner or fatter?&lt;/b&gt; I think I'm about the same, because I ballooned for most of the year and then lost interest in food for a bit and decided against increasing my intake again when my mood improved for the sake of health (by which I mean vanity).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;iii. richer or poorer?&lt;/b&gt; Poorer, goddamn online shopping!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;18. What do you wish you'd done more of?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Reading, spending time with my folks, spending time alone to figure myself out especially, and writing (which is sort of related to the figuring out, but well). Also, babysitting, because I really miss the babies (mainly because I didn't spend enough time with them at Christmas, and they were the sweetest things!).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;19. What do you wish you'd done less of?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh god, being unhappy and keeping things to myself, and being generally stubborn and immature.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;20. How will you be spending Christmas?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I spent Christmas Eve feeling a bit under the weather (after my plans to bake festively were ruined by general tiredness), but had dinner at the babies' and played with them for a bit (they were incredibly sweet and well-behaved, even by their standards! And so adorable! They're starting to speak a lot more now and it's the cutest thing in the world), after which we had my cousin from Oxford and her entourage (her dad, his wife, her half-sister) over for Christmas dessert and we played Malarky and Murderer till 1.30 in the morning because it was incredible fun (apparently I always seem to be the murderer - I figure I must have a really shifty face or untrustworthy disposition. Oh well.). Christmas Day itself started off with extended family lunch, where I attempted to cut turkey, cooed over babies, and then rushed off for a meeting for the Arts Festival which is coming up really soon, and then a different gathering with more baby-related cooing, after which we ran off home to open presents, watch TV and pass out (Andrea came over under the pre-text of hanging out but really just to pass out on my couch).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;21. Did you fall in love in 2008?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;No, but I was despairingly in love for most of it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;22. Did you break any hearts?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think I did and I'm sorry.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;23. How many one-night stands?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm afraid I'm too old for that sort of thing, oh no!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;24. What was your favorite TV program?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Chuck! God, I love Chuck! It took me a while to love it properly but I'm so there now, I would marry Chuck if I could if only just because he has an Oldboy poster, but also because he's sweet and clever and geeky, and a spy! Plus it's pretty well-soundracted - they had Eels' &lt;i&gt;Fresh Feeling&lt;/i&gt; in one of the episodes, and that really got me through at least two weeks of an unhappy time.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't think so, though if pressed I probably could come up with something, but that seems to go against the intensity inherent in the nature of hating.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;26. What was the best book you read?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mark Z. Danielewski's &lt;i&gt;&lt;font color="#0000FF"&gt;House&lt;/font&gt; of Leaves&lt;/i&gt;, hands down. It was beautiful and terrifying and haunting but most of all romantic - really I think it's everything a book should be. I wanted to either cry out in terror or just cry at almost every juncture.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;27. What was your greatest musical discovery?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Magnetic Fields! God how I love them, they're so cute and strange and insane, I feel this incredible affinity towards them based on those qualities alone.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;28. What did you want and get?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To pass financial accounting, oh thank god, which was a bloody miracle because I was too caught up in the weepy aftermath that I couldn't be bothered to properly attempt the paper - I barely filled it in at all, but I suppose there is a God huh. Also, I wanted out of relationship mess (on some level I always have for the longest time, but this time I actually followed through) and I wanted to stop feeling intense negative emotion after that and be alright, even happy, which I also got.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;29. What did you want and not get?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I wanted a boy who was able to commit, wouldn't take me for granted and would never hurt me as far as he could.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;30. What was your favorite film of this year?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Rec! I love zombies and documentaries, so you can imagine how insanely happy it made me to witness that union! Also, I've always loved Spanish, so could this be any more appealing to me? Much besides it was terrifying and hilarious at the same time, without each of those taking anything away from the other, and I swear it has the best scene in the history of the universe. The other thing I really liked about it was how the people in the movie didn't seem deliberately stupid like in most horror movies. I actually think it's eight sorts of revolutionary, but don't mind me!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I was twenty, and I think it was spent doing very normal things with someone I knew because I was generally tired out by school and mostly lazy. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;32.What is one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If I didn't have so much that I was sorry for.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Shirt-dresses, and dresses generally just so I can go bottom-less and am saved the trouble of god forbid, co-ordinating my pieces of clothing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;34. What kept you sane?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My family, Mavis and Vincent. And a lot of music, and less good literature than I would have liked.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Um, I am in love with Robert Pattison's back, especially in a tuxedo. Haha, so literally that's a public figure, eh?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;36. What political issue stirred you the most?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I suppose I was somewhat interested in the US elections, by which I mean I was suitably amused by Sarah Palin porn.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;37. Who did you miss?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fong, for most of the year, actually, especially towards the end of that relationship because he was barely there, and I did love him so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;38. Who was the best new person you met?&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh, I'm going to go with UK-typed-boyfriendly-appendages, so that's either Karen's Joe or Des' Grant.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Trust yourself. Even if you make decisions that make you feel like shit after, don't put yourself down for feeling that way - be honest about how you feel and why you feel that way, and give yourself all the time, space and credit in the world that you require. Even (and especially) if it's hard to follow through and you feel strange and uncertain it's alright, on some level you know what you're doing even if it takes you some time to realise it. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;b&gt;40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't know why, but this year's song is I Summon You, and while in parts it may be a bit less congruent with the year in ways I can't or don't want to explain, this year it seems to be all I could possibly need.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;i&gt;Yeah you got the weight of the world coming down like a mother's eye &lt;br /&gt;And all that you can &lt;br /&gt;All that you can give is a cold goodbye &lt;br /&gt;The law enforcement's impressed you've survived to this age &lt;br /&gt;Strapped-up soldiers &lt;br /&gt;They'll lock you in a cage without goodbye &lt;br /&gt;For a nickel bribe &lt;br /&gt;But aww no where are you tonight &lt;br /&gt;And how'd we get here &lt;br /&gt;It's too late to break it off &lt;br /&gt;I need a release &lt;br /&gt;The signal's a cough &lt;br /&gt;But that don't get me off &lt;br /&gt;I summon you to appear my love &lt;br /&gt;Got the weight of the world &lt;br /&gt;I summon you here my love&lt;/i&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;                         - Spoon's &lt;i&gt;I Summon You&lt;/i&gt;</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:196476</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/196476.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=196476"/>
    <title>Oh relative producitvity!</title>
    <published>2008-12-11T14:03:19Z</published>
    <updated>2008-12-11T14:04:04Z</updated>
    <category term="tiny"/>
    <content type="html">I think I could really get used to this regular updating half-assed photo post gig. Anyway, today I give you my kid brother, when he was so, so much smaller, and my god, he was so adorable god I miss his littleness!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;a href="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00037ywg/"&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00037ywg/s320x240" width="159" height="240" border="1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00038afx" height="465.6" width="309.6" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00039yh7" height="465.6" width="309.6" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/00035yr9" height="465.6" width="309.6" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Right, let us coo for a little, and perhaps look back with a tinge of melancholy, and then look at what my substantially larger favourite poo &lt;a name="cutid2"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;looks like now:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0006w2fk" height="480" width="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0006t6gw" height="480" width="360" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In other news, I finished Mark Z. Danielewski's &lt;font color="#0000FF"&gt;House&lt;/font&gt; of Leaves, and obviously everyone was right, it's change-your-life type brilliant, but it's also so long and imposing (being a book of essays, somewhat) that by the time you're done with it, so much time has elapsed that most certainly your life has changed. Okay, that's not entirely true, but it has taken me like three years to pick it up and finish it (after trying once and getting maybe 20 pages in), mostly because I'm eight sorts of lame and lazy, but right now I'm feeling inordinately proud of myself, because that was the first thing on my To Do Before 21 List (in preparation for the natal mid-life crisis that strikes me regularly) and sillily enough, now I feel all accomplished. Right, now all I need to do is pack and re-decorate my room.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:196268</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/196268.html"/>
    <link rel="self" type="text/xml" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/data/atom/?itemid=196268"/>
    <title>General Update: Janice is still not doing very much at all</title>
    <published>2008-12-08T18:40:02Z</published>
    <updated>2008-12-08T18:42:02Z</updated>
    <category term="people i love"/>
    <content type="html">Okay clearly it's been a while. My exams have been over for quite a while (hurrah!) and I've been doing not all that much, as one should do while one still can, and having a damn good time doing all that nothing at that. Pretty soon I need to start worrying about presents, but why do today what I can put off till tomorrow? I've been reading, or meaning to read, and packing, or meaning to pack, and putting up a rather Dali-lian nightmare of a Christmas tree (which my kid brother orchestrated, as the artistic director, or what we refer to as the Tree Man, though to be fair it does have a certain flair about it) and doing miscellaneous fuzzy family moment-type things.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I didn't mean to livejournal and have it degenerate into a soppy Hallmark Christmas special (in fact all I wanted to do was put up a couple of pictures of the babies I babysit who are getting bigger way too fast), but I don't think I say it enough how much I love my family. And honestly I'd be nowhere without them (rather literally there, it seems), and really there's nothing in the world that's more important than they are and I think over the past couple of years I've really lost sight of that, and I'm honestly really glad that I'm in this place now because there really isn't anywhere I'd rather be or anyone else I'd rather be with.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Kay, enough sop, now &lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;have some babies.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0006paks" height="465.6" width="309.6" border="1"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/softplaces/pic/0006qx54" height="465.6" width="309.6" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm planning on putting up more pictures, not as unified posts but generally, because holy hell I have such a backlog, and all those picture posts I meant to do never happen, so let's accept it and move on, and try this once in a bit, post what you like she-bang. So look sharp, and expect at least some activity once in a while!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You know what I find at least mildly surprising? At this point in time (post-immense-relationship, post-post-immense-relationship aftermath and general bad time-y-ness) I'm rather thrilled with how everything turned out really. Which isn't to say that everyday is full of rainbows and dancing, and it might not always feel particularly thrilling but even then I know it's a solid &lt;i&gt;good&lt;/i&gt; at the very least; I've got to figure out and deal with a few things before I'm really and truly good with the world, but right now I'm good with this really, and I've not been this clear about anything in ages.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:195936</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/195936.html"/>
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    <title>Aaaand I'm back</title>
    <published>2008-11-22T00:50:14Z</published>
    <updated>2008-11-22T00:50:14Z</updated>
    <category term="i love the world and everything in it"/>
    <content type="html">And today I'm done with it completely. I grieved the end of everything relationship-shaped that I had suitably and spiritedly, the way one is appropriately anguished and weepy at funerals, once more with feeling. And now I am done with it. It was a great and terrible time, I learnt so much from it and wouldn't have missed it for the world. Now, what's next?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Alright yes, I know full well that what's next is a horrific examination period that I'm unprepared for (especially having been rather distracted not so much by the fairly emotional situation but more on account of the utter dullness and despair of what I was supposed to be studying), eh but in the best of times I'm hardly prepared anyway and I'm barely concerned, and much besides I'm too excited about what comes next to concern myself with comparatively trivial academic matters (like, for one, exams next week hoho!).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Two things brought this on: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1) I gave up on property law - because really it was just making me angry and sad, and then angry again at how I wasn't going to finish doing notes due to the intense pain. Instead I traded it for some company law lovin', which while far far behind many things I can think about in terms of what's exciting to study, is far far more enjoyable than property law. God forbid, I almost enjoyed myself doing my company notes (I'm only half-done though, so I can look forward to exciting time again tonight oh yay).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2) Last night I was listening to "Oh It Is Love" by Hellogoodbye, and all I felt was incredibly excited about the next boy in question, whoever that may be whenever he comes around, and the remarkable breathless adventure that will be. How do I know it's going to be a remarkable breathless adventure? Because that's really the only way I do things, especially when it comes to love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Today I am in love with the world again, and everyone and everything in it. I want to take long walks and take pictures of everyone I meet, I want to learn to tap dance, I want to plan great adventures and do everything I've always listed but never got around to accomplishing. I've got grand plans and good intentions, and all is full of love, whatever the universe is going to throw at me, I say, hell yeah, &lt;i&gt;bring it&lt;/i&gt;.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:195761</id>
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    <title>How Stupendously Unexciting.</title>
    <published>2008-11-17T20:25:38Z</published>
    <updated>2008-11-17T20:25:38Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <content type="html">Honestly though, I couldn't think of a better time for all this thought and uncertainty, and god forbid &lt;i&gt;consideration&lt;/i&gt;. I'm pretty much the most impulsive, stubborn person in the world, so I think it's about damn time I thought things through a bit more. All I have is endless ungodly hours with naught but academic woe and myself for company, and while it's all a little demoralising (especially the deafening academic woe and doom) it affords a great deal of non-academic thought, which seems a bit of a treat in comparison with the eternal infernal accounting, or property law, for example.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I think by the end of the month I'll be in a generally favourable position, one, having bade goodbye FOREVER to Property Law, and two, having arrived at important realisations of the innermost nature, or something similarly personal and incisive. And three, HOLIDAYS YES PLEASE!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Oh crap, I guess I should attend to Property Law now. Waugh.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:195573</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/195573.html"/>
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    <title>Insight and Irreverence - my two favourite friends!</title>
    <published>2008-11-11T18:59:19Z</published>
    <updated>2008-11-11T18:59:19Z</updated>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="it won&amp;apos;t happen again"/>
    <category term="epiphany!"/>
    <content type="html">I saw Avenue Q today, and it was immense. Which surprised me in the best of ways - I wasn't expecting much because I'm ashamed to say I was slightly put off by its phenomenal mainstream appeal (oh god, I'm one of &lt;i&gt;those&lt;/i&gt; people), and because there's only so far I figured musical perversion can get you, but what was really impressive about Avenue Q was how everything it said was &lt;i&gt;true&lt;/i&gt; (and generally funny, which always helps make things go down better). While yes, I was scandalised by the vision of puppets having sex, my god, it was somewhat hilarious and insightful, and in a strange way I'm now fine with the world because musicals have been written pretty much summing up the plight of all womankind, all that is wrong with the world, and how to make everything better (I especially liked how contrived it was that it all added up). &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTFI9sQdpGo"&gt;There's a Fine, Fine Line&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend;&lt;br /&gt;There's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend;&lt;br /&gt;And you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There's a fine, fine line between love&lt;br /&gt;And a waste of time.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:195193</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/195193.html"/>
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    <title>Lesbians have the right idea.</title>
    <published>2008-11-10T20:01:15Z</published>
    <updated>2008-11-22T00:52:18Z</updated>
    <category term="i now have issues"/>
    <category term="it won&amp;apos;t happen again"/>
    <content type="html">Let's just say that the non-boyfriend, or Barely A Boyfriend (Or Human For That Matter), as he has recently been dubbed (Barely A Boyfriend for short), took advantage of me in the worst way possible, and you can take that to mean what you will but in any case it's probably along those lines or worse. I didn't think that he would hurt me like that, on a basic human level, not even as someone who once was important to him, but nothing is below him and the mere thought of him sickens me, and the mere thought of me being subjected to that, being vulnerable enough to be taken advantage of makes me feel horribly sick at myself. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let's all just say, for good measure, that I don't want to talk about it as much as I appreciate your concern, which I really do, but I really want not to have to go into the remotest detail about that, so please don't contact me at all. I'm fine, really, more outraged than anything else (okay, untrue, besides being ridiculously betrayed and cut up over being fucked over occasionally, but really it's not as bad as it sounds). Give me a couple of days and the latter parts won't surface anymore, there's only so long one can cry about any sort of being screwed over.</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:194660</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/194660.html"/>
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    <title>Clearly this is a new low.</title>
    <published>2008-11-05T06:11:10Z</published>
    <updated>2008-11-17T20:32:25Z</updated>
    <category term="the boy in question"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term="lawl"/>
    <content type="html">So what I've found myself doing (and avoiding) constantly over the past few days is &lt;i&gt;mortgages&lt;/i&gt;. I kid you not. I never thought it would come to &lt;i&gt;this&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Needless to say life has been a ball, which isn't entirely untrue, because Halloween came and went, and that was suitably exciting and pictorial! However that has passed, and all I'm left with is the day-to-day drudgery. Oh, something exciting though, apropos to the current Obama-rama, my favourite law prof taught while he was at school, and was apparently pretty close to Obama's homies. Which is fairly cool, but then again this is the prof who's met Tom Cruise, who's had three students of his go on to become the presidents of their respective countries, so it's probably not that big a deal in his book. Anyway, apparently young!Obama managed the Harvard Law Review swimmingly, had this quiet dignity about him and everyone respected him. Okay yeah so I was hoping for something a little more scandalous from an insider's take, but oh well, this will have to do. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As usual I'm way behind, in school and in updating, and especially in posting pictures (Bake My Day pictorials have been languishing sadly), but I hope to rectify that, in the manner that people generally hope for world peace. Soon there shall be Halloween pictorials, but first, a bit more day-to-day drudgery. So I've recently severed a boyfriendly appendage from my life, and everyone's been asking how I'm doing so this is how I'm doing: I'm alright and adjusting. It's strange and awful, cutting out the most significant part of your life, so right now I'm just trying to figure out what I should do next, and how to stay friends with Fong without having the undead monster of our romantic entanglements rearing its ugly head (it's not so much the romantic entanglements that were ugly, so much as his reaction to said entanglements and his inability to emote or deal with anything, or think about things, and how emotionally-sapping those disabilities were for me). Because he's hilarious and great (even if screwed up, with a penchant for being awful), and I want him around fairly regularly, because he's been my nearest and dearest for almost two years and I don't want that to stop? Well I'll keep you posted,  at any rate I'm pretty good, even if adjusting.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Wow I've got mortgages to do (boo), so I shall leave you with something significantly less terrifying - &lt;a name="cutid1"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;a Halloween preview.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;center&gt;&lt;img src="http://photos-404.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v345/202/28/663314404/n663314404_964146_4781.jpg" border="1"&gt;&lt;/center&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Show me your Halloween pictures, and tell me about your adventures!</content>
  </entry>
  <entry>
    <id>urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:softplaces:194366</id>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://softplaces.livejournal.com/194366.html"/>
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    <title>Goodbye and I love you.</title>
    <published>2008-10-22T04:15:28Z</published>
    <updated>2008-10-22T04:15:28Z</updated>
    <category term="the boy in question"/>
    <category term="life-typed things"/>
    <category term=":("/>
    <content type="html">Today I broke up with the only boy I've ever wanted; he was my world and now he's not. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I loved him more than anything else in the world, I would have done anything within my means for him (and I did), I wanted to build my life around him, he made me ludicrously happy so much so that I thought that it could go on indefinitely and that made me even happier. Well I was mistaken, clearly, but I don't mind. He was, to all intents and purposes, the One, and I don't think it will ever stop being that way which is why I am likely to die alone but I think that's okay too, why mess with the grand scheme of things?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't think I'm ready to talk about it, please don't ask. When I'm ready to talk about it, don't ask either, because I highly doubt that I would actively &lt;i&gt;want&lt;/i&gt; to talk about it, so just err on the side of caution and make like this never happened. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I'm going off either to pass out (which sounds divine), cry until I pass out (less divine), write that paper I have due on Sunday (urk!) or bake (my one constant, my true love). In any case I'll be alright, don't worry about me. Right now I'm more hungry than anything else, and as long as I still want to eat things I think I'm doing okay.</content>
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