The Heart Is a Winter Wanderer

It's been an unseasonably warm winter. It almost seems like we've skipped the season altogether. We went from pretty fall straight to damp spring. What's the deal, Mother Nature?

I've been aching to head down to the Beaches for some time now. There's something about it this time of year that seems really appealing to me. (Perhaps it's the absence of the scorching heat or bikini-clad crowds. Maybe both.)

Since the end of term, I really haven't done much of anything besides twiddle my thumbs, re-watch episodes of Daria while crafting, and get sick due to eating too much junk food so fast, it made my head spin! (But let's not get into that on this here blog.)

Yesterday, Georgia and I went down by the water and pretended we were somewhere in Wales, starring in an independent film. (It would be a coming of age story, and the screenplay would be entirely in Welsh, but don't worry, there'd be English subtitles, yep.)
(FACT: There isn't actually a single word for "yes" or "no" in the Welsh language.)





These two ducks braved the cold water - the two of them against the cold, cold world. How romantic.







I'm also currently re-reading Franny & Zooey for the nth time. "Sometimes I see me dead in the rain" would probably be quoted in our imaginary Welsh indie flick.

holiday .gifs

Kristian shows us how it's done.

Team Static

Aviva Cohen, freelance model for fine home furnishings

So glad this term is finally over!

October went by like a bullet. These first two photos were from the Static launch, where we had bands play by a campfire while we roasted marshmallows and kept cozy.

And that's Tom stepping on the fire at the end.
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This one belonged to the same set as the previous post:

The large globe is from the '70s and was a birthday present from Melody. The miniature globe atop my Penguins is from a map store I fell in love with in Edinburgh:

The old shopkeeper was really friendly and gave us insider tips on what to do around the city!

I've started collecting these old Penguins the first time I went to the Trinity College book sale.
Since then, I've been adding more to my meagre collection.

Most of these were found stowed away in boxes, on dusty shelves in thrift shops around Oxford and London.

Zoetrope: All Story & copies of Static!

I have never been so completely enamoured with a magazine before this latest issue of Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope: All Story.
I'm so glad I picked it up out of impulse. Most spontaneous purchases, specially when it comes to magazines, don't always end up being worthwhile, methinks. But this definitely is.

This issue pairs horror stories by Ryu Murakami, Alexandra Kleeman, etc. with designs by Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte. (Whaaat, I know.)
It is a perfect blend of fashion and (mostly) contemporary literature -- a literary Lula, essentially.

full spread of Rodarte and more instant photos from Halloween

Thursday

I picked up and dusted off my instant camera to put it to good use again!

The first photo was taken at Lakeview, where we had a sundae before heading to the opening of David Waldman's photo exhibit at Oz Studios. The second was from said exhibit, where you need magnifying glasses to look at the photos!
This shot of Matt has to be my favourite of the collection.

Halloween creepin'

I woke up at 3am this morning, not really knowing why. It was as if my body had to be elsewhere and was kicking me out of bed. I couldn't go back to sleep, despite how hard I was trying. I thought maybe getting a snack was a good idea. Certainly better than tossing and turning and failing to fall back to sleep. So, I got up and considered making hot chocolate, or better yet, have some ice cream.

While sluggishly moving from bedroom to kitchen, freezer to cupboard, I realized the TV was on. Whatever. Too early for anything to process. La la la, ice cream at 3 in the morning. Sweet.

After filling my cup, little things started to catch my attention -- like the strange music that was coming from the TV. I didn't realize till then that it was on Dusk, the horror channel. Hm, interesting.

So I decided to sit on the couch, cupful of french vanilla ice cream on my lap, and watch curiously. An eerie claymation film was playing; it had very minimal dialogue. The sound was mainly from this peculiar music in the background and the occasional footsteps. There was a man lying on the street, convulsing, while a spool of thread unravelled above his head -- in mid-air. An old woman was standing by the man's reclined body, seemingly controlling the spinning spool with her mind. Then the film abruptly ended with the woman cutting the thread... what? Whoa. Absurdism in claymation form is probably too much for anyone to handle very early in the morning. But I was so mesmerized. It felt like watching my dreams on a screen. (Not that my dreams are necessarily absurdist.)

But then "Stir of Echoes" with Kevin Bacon followed, which meant it was probably time to go back to bed.

As I was tucking myself back for more shut-eye, my phone went off, informing me that Matthew Gray Gubler just tweeted something about Kevin Bacon. Now, I like spooky stories/movies/what-have-you as much as the next person, but this was getting a little too weird for me to stay conscious.

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In the same vein of eerie claymation shorts and Matthew Gray Gubler, here's one he made a few years ago, called "Claude: A Symphony of Horror":

funny people

Saw these guys in Edinburgh during the festival. Hilarious.
And as it turns out, they're also Oxford students! It's really weird how tiny the world is.

TOMORROW

Dufferin Grove. 7-10.
Live music, ghost stories, zines, art, and smores by the fire!

fall feelings

Rain just started to drizzle. It's cold out, but not the biting kind. Fall mornings have always been a favourite. I indulged myself today by staying in bed a few minutes (a half hour) more before rising. It's also around this time of year when it increasingly becomes more difficult to get up. But I'm actually glad I have morning classes. Last year, they were mostly in the afternoon, so my days always started late. My school schedule usually reflects how my day goes. I imagine it's the same for most students.

It always feels like as soon as noon passes, things begin to lose charm. Not just pertaining to appearance -- though make-up applied in the morning usually vanishes by 3pm, or at least its initial allure. I don't know, I guess the afternoon malaise just makes it harder to "keep on keepin' on" sometimes.

I miss being told that phrase repeatedly. I miss a lot of things.

Now that I'm back to school full-time, my subconscious has resumed its production of apocalyptic, Kafkaesque manifestations in dream-form.

Last night, there was another chaotic outbreak, potentially of the zombie-variety. I have no idea what this means. Obviously. But I feel like every time the world ends, in film or imagination, there's always some kind of disintegration of social order. Whether there's zombies, an outbreak of a contagious fatal disease, or a really corrupt government -- it's always taken to the extreme. It's never anything dull or mundane.

I wonder if this is a reflection of our(?) refusal to accept  the starkness of abrupt endings. Things don't usually end in large-scale, swooping conclusions.They just cease.

Just another diamond day here in Edinburgh...

English country-side. I'm in love.

punting companions

down the street

The Ashmolean

Worcester College's cat

corner room

window and beyond

Friday

Cheerio!

Boarding in 5 minutes!

arts & crafts tea party

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