365 Days Ago: March '12

I just realised I completely forgot about this post. I mean, can you believe it's April already? Where did these three months go? Can't say I've done anything particularly productive and or inspiring, but well, I worked hard on my internship report? That's gotta count for something.

Anyway. Let me guide you through what happened around this time, last year.




I wore a nice outfit? I mean, it looked nice back then, but I wouldn't wear it today. Because a) this has been one incredibly cold March, and b) I don't feel like wearing dresses these days.



I found this butterfly on my terrace. Most of you know I hunt and collect butterflies, but not all of them, and especially not all the time. I am selective - because go figure, I actually don't want to cause a butterfly apocalypse. So. Basically. I found this butterfly on my terrace, and I thought it was dead. So naturally, I picked it up. But no, it moved. I opened my hand to let it fly away, but it didn't. I took this shot, placed the butterfly on a leaf (yeah, I had more than just cactuses back then...), and went back to life.

Fast forward half an hour, I walked by the door and the butterfly had fallen. So I picked it up again, and realised it was still alive. So I did the only thing I could remember, fetched a small spoon, water and sugar, and tried to feed the butterfly. Believe it or not, it worked. (I actually have a photo of it? But it wasn't good so I never got to post it. I'll look for it.) A few hours later, the butterfly was gone.

I felt like I'd done an awesome deed, and besides, I got a great phot out of it.




Well, and for my sister's birthday, we went to... the border! She really wanted a photo with a foot in each country, so we worked hard on that. If you look at the first shot, on the right you have Spain, on the left you have Portugal.

If you look at the second shot, on the center you have a dead sheep. I should have brought it. The skull, at least. But back then it hadn't really hit me that I could collect bones (I don't know, it's like my brain works around timings I can't control), so... I didn't.
















On the same day, we also found... an abandoned station! The photos aren't particularly good, because, go figure, UrbEx photography is nothing like riding a bike. And I haven't exactly had the time to use it, so naturally, I lost it.

In the second-to-last shot, I was standing in Portugal. On the other side, Spain.










Without further plans, we decided to end the day in Salamanca. It's a wonderful city (I'd move there right now, if given the chance), but we got there a bit too late for proper photos outside. Fortunately, La Cure Gourmande did not disappoint, and I ended up going shutter-happy there - while I tried to work my way around one of those weird lollipops (Anise-flavoured, thank you very much). After that, I considered buying a sword in one of the many many shops that litter the downtown area, and I cursed everyone in the Art Nouveau museum for closing so early, beause I would have liked a second tour.

Well. Maybe next time?
xx

Never Give Up The Joke

My tiny, tiny, sample-sized Spring break came and went. All in all, I only had Thursday and Friday off uni, and then Monday off my internship. There were clouds. Both meteorologically and psychologically, but alas, no war has ever been won by sitting idle in the rain, so... we soldier on.












Outside, the weather was manageable for the first time in, excuse the repetition, a really long time. My sister and I took a wonderful walk, singing korean songs at the top of our lungs (for better or worse... it's true no one can hear you in the woods) and taking pictures of interesting-looking moss. We ended up under ankle-deep in the mud picking up little ferns for my Terrarium Attempt #1. Can't say anyone was really impressed by my raw talent for miniature landscaping... and I was going to say oh well you can't be good at everything... but I guess I can't really point out anything I'm truly good at. Mostly I just float around the better side of reasonable.

Speaking of reasonable, I've been having these visions of clockwork and insect pins... and butterfly wings and taut little strings... and angular futuristic little creatures and I really like the idea of trying to make one. Somehow. I mean... there is no empirical evidence to prove that I wouldn't be able to. So I feel confident. Guess I'm going to be sculptor next.




Back inside, my sister baked to her heart's content, and I worked on a new shadow box. (not pictured because I got distracted by a sudden craving for mango ice cream, and also those cute little emoticons on Naver) On Sunday, my grandparents came over for tea, and we ate like... well, to stick to the word of the day, unreasonable people. We don't really celebrate Easter, but I'll take up any excuse for cake.

I guess all things considered, it was a small break, but enough to bring my focus back. I set my priorities straight and gave myself a few pep talks. Things may seem really dark and complicated right now, but they will get better. I will admit it, if the universe worked according to my wishes, I would have hit the pause button by now - for a tea break and possibly a paper bag to breathe into. But fortunately for everyone currently inhabiting it, it does not.

And so the world keeps spinning.
xx

Mind Theatres

Or Asexuality, Kink, Beauty, Control, & How I’d Like To Fit It All Together.

Hello there. I'd been meaning to write about this subject for a while now - but then this month's Carnival Of Aces rolled around, and it felt like the perfect excuse to actually do it. If you’re not familiar with the concept of a blogging carnival, it basically works like this: a host suggests a topic, people write about the aforementioned topic, and the entries get collected for easy reference. And if you're not familiar with the concept of asexuality... I'd like to maybe direct you to AVEN.

Also, I'd like to point out a few details, before we move on. This piece is about me. It's about my own experience as an asexual person with - somewhat - kinky sensibilities. These are individual ideas, thoughts and experiences, and they don't represent anyone other than myself.



Possible trigger warnings:
- Strong wording, as in “destroy” and “person” in the same line.
- Hypothetical situations – fantasies, if you will – where consent isn’t clear. Nothing graphic, nothing explicit, but I think the overall tone might just be worth the warning.