Update
Short and quick update because I am more interested in reading A S Byatt's The Children's Book than writing about my boring life:
- The book is fantastic. I don't know why or how, but Byatt makes these minute details about a pretentious Midsummer Night's Dream-themed costume party hosted by bleeding-heart Fabian liberals for their extended family and friends, and their friends' families, featuring a huge cast of characters, some of whom I couldn't even keep track of, compellingly interesting and immensely readable. Amazing.
- I bought Fiona Apple's 1999 album, When The Pawn Hits the Conflicts blah blah (I'm not typing out the full 90-word title), a few nights ago. I listened to Limp a lot when it came out, i.e. when I was 13 or 14, but never bought the album for some reason. Her voice is incredible. And the reason I knew of Fiona Apple was because, when I was 12 or 13, I read an interview with Nick Carter in which he said he had a crush on her. I was very jealous.
- I have unfortunately caught a bit of a cold. It was so bad that I cancelled two tennis matches. When do I ever cancel tennis, right? Pretty much never. I have a bit of a sore throat and a bit of a cough. Last weekend's supernaturally warm weather was a freakish event, not to be repeated, at least not for the rest of this chilly English spring. Sigh.
- My day in the library was actually productive. I have spent the past two weeks procrastinating on revising my 377A paper, telling myself that I was 'working' by reading related, but not really directly relevant, literature. To be fair, I think my ploughing through MacIntyre's After Virtue to verify Beau Breslin's claim in his The Communitarian Constitution that MacIntyre argues for community to adopt a substantive morality powerful enough to mobilise the citizenry was quite worth it, because MacIntyre doesn't actually say that. In fact, my revisiting Sandel to try and figure out how he adopts the position which Breslin claims 'all' communitarians adopt, that the community's values have to supersede non-communal interests and override the individual's wants and interests, was also fruitful, because Sandel doesn't say that, either. So even though I was actually procrastinating, it was a fruitful procrastination, because my reading Breslin and his claiming the very thing that I argued, and am arguing, against put me in panic mode. It's nice to know that my intuition was right all along - that communitarianism does not necessarily or inherently or always entail the priority of the community over the individual.
- After spending two weeks reading, I finally got round to writing. But because I feel oppressed by the thought of staring at the draft paper on my computer screen, I decided to write it by hand. What a wonderful process. The literal, physical embodiment of a blank slate in the form of a blank piece of paper was actually really helpful in relaxing me mentally. John was sceptical at first, but who cares what he thinks if it helps me? Whatever helps me write, right? I think so, too. And he eventually saw it from my point of view, as any right-thinking person should.
- I made pancakes today. I am actually really obsessed with food these days. By 'food' I mean sweet food. Like a proper lawyer, I have found a way to get around my no-processed-sugar diet: by making my own cakes. Since I don't have an oven, but have a microwave, and microwave-safe mugs, this has involved making mug cakes. My first attempt at making a mug brownie was an epic fail, but most recent attempt at a peanut butter cake with dark chocolate chips was actually quite nice. My reasoning is as follows: I am in full control of what goes into the cake. I don't put any sugar, just honey (a natural sugar), and the only processed sugar that the mug cake contains is the sugar from the dark chocolate chips. I even chose dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate despite not liking dark chocolate because it contains less sugar. That's how obsessed I am. (I did, however, eat a Fitzbillies brownie today which John paid for simply because I was really hungry. OH MY GOD IT TASTED SO GOOD. I haven't exercised in three consecutive days though, due to this stupid cold. Ugh. Next week I will get back on track.)
- Back to the pancakes. I drizzled some honey over them but it was unnecessary because the pancakes were really sweet - from the bananas and apple that I blended together. I didn't put any flour initially, and so my first attempt at cooking it was an epic fail. After stirring in some flour, the batter was cook-able and it was tasty. I'm not really a huge fan of flour though; I made banana pancakes with (gluten-free) oatmeal before and I think I liked that better. Flour just tastes kind of chewy and weird. Of course, I'm too lazy and ill-equipped to do things like sifting the flour (honestly, I can't be arsed), so maybe that's why I found it a bit too chewy for my liking.
- I found out that David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is screening at the Picturehouse on 24 April. Without even thinking about asking people to join me, and later realising that, apart from maybe Matt (simply because his chosen uni subject was film), I can't think of a single person I know in Cambridge who would be interested in a David Lynch film, let alone Mulholland Drive, I bought a ticket for myself. Maybe I will ask Matt if he likes David Lynch. The point is, I watched this film when it was released; I was maybe 15. I understood none of it, but loved it anyway. I've been wanting to rewatch it for the past 15 years, even bought the DVD which is sitting in my bookcase in Singapore, but never got around to it. So obviously, I have to watch it in the theatres. I can't wait! I am really super bloody excited.
- I texted the bouncer guy from Spoons who hit on me last weekend. After some unexciting texting yesterday, it's been silent for 24 hours. He's someone that I would like to talk to in person, probably make out with, but texting? It's already boring in general. It's even more boring with someone like him.
- I can't remember if I mentioned this, but I was supposed to meet English Lit Academic last Sunday. He cancelled due to sickness and going back to Wales. He didn't say anything about rescheduling, so I mentally wrote it off. As such, I was surprised to see a message from him yesterday, to the point as usual: 'Shall we meet soon?' He's coming back on Sunday but I've reserved my whole weekend to finish the revision of the paper, so he'll have to wait. That's fine though; good things, as they say, come to those who wait.
- The book is fantastic. I don't know why or how, but Byatt makes these minute details about a pretentious Midsummer Night's Dream-themed costume party hosted by bleeding-heart Fabian liberals for their extended family and friends, and their friends' families, featuring a huge cast of characters, some of whom I couldn't even keep track of, compellingly interesting and immensely readable. Amazing.
- I bought Fiona Apple's 1999 album, When The Pawn Hits the Conflicts blah blah (I'm not typing out the full 90-word title), a few nights ago. I listened to Limp a lot when it came out, i.e. when I was 13 or 14, but never bought the album for some reason. Her voice is incredible. And the reason I knew of Fiona Apple was because, when I was 12 or 13, I read an interview with Nick Carter in which he said he had a crush on her. I was very jealous.
- I have unfortunately caught a bit of a cold. It was so bad that I cancelled two tennis matches. When do I ever cancel tennis, right? Pretty much never. I have a bit of a sore throat and a bit of a cough. Last weekend's supernaturally warm weather was a freakish event, not to be repeated, at least not for the rest of this chilly English spring. Sigh.
- My day in the library was actually productive. I have spent the past two weeks procrastinating on revising my 377A paper, telling myself that I was 'working' by reading related, but not really directly relevant, literature. To be fair, I think my ploughing through MacIntyre's After Virtue to verify Beau Breslin's claim in his The Communitarian Constitution that MacIntyre argues for community to adopt a substantive morality powerful enough to mobilise the citizenry was quite worth it, because MacIntyre doesn't actually say that. In fact, my revisiting Sandel to try and figure out how he adopts the position which Breslin claims 'all' communitarians adopt, that the community's values have to supersede non-communal interests and override the individual's wants and interests, was also fruitful, because Sandel doesn't say that, either. So even though I was actually procrastinating, it was a fruitful procrastination, because my reading Breslin and his claiming the very thing that I argued, and am arguing, against put me in panic mode. It's nice to know that my intuition was right all along - that communitarianism does not necessarily or inherently or always entail the priority of the community over the individual.
- After spending two weeks reading, I finally got round to writing. But because I feel oppressed by the thought of staring at the draft paper on my computer screen, I decided to write it by hand. What a wonderful process. The literal, physical embodiment of a blank slate in the form of a blank piece of paper was actually really helpful in relaxing me mentally. John was sceptical at first, but who cares what he thinks if it helps me? Whatever helps me write, right? I think so, too. And he eventually saw it from my point of view, as any right-thinking person should.
- I made pancakes today. I am actually really obsessed with food these days. By 'food' I mean sweet food. Like a proper lawyer, I have found a way to get around my no-processed-sugar diet: by making my own cakes. Since I don't have an oven, but have a microwave, and microwave-safe mugs, this has involved making mug cakes. My first attempt at making a mug brownie was an epic fail, but most recent attempt at a peanut butter cake with dark chocolate chips was actually quite nice. My reasoning is as follows: I am in full control of what goes into the cake. I don't put any sugar, just honey (a natural sugar), and the only processed sugar that the mug cake contains is the sugar from the dark chocolate chips. I even chose dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate despite not liking dark chocolate because it contains less sugar. That's how obsessed I am. (I did, however, eat a Fitzbillies brownie today which John paid for simply because I was really hungry. OH MY GOD IT TASTED SO GOOD. I haven't exercised in three consecutive days though, due to this stupid cold. Ugh. Next week I will get back on track.)
- Back to the pancakes. I drizzled some honey over them but it was unnecessary because the pancakes were really sweet - from the bananas and apple that I blended together. I didn't put any flour initially, and so my first attempt at cooking it was an epic fail. After stirring in some flour, the batter was cook-able and it was tasty. I'm not really a huge fan of flour though; I made banana pancakes with (gluten-free) oatmeal before and I think I liked that better. Flour just tastes kind of chewy and weird. Of course, I'm too lazy and ill-equipped to do things like sifting the flour (honestly, I can't be arsed), so maybe that's why I found it a bit too chewy for my liking.
- I found out that David Lynch's Mulholland Drive is screening at the Picturehouse on 24 April. Without even thinking about asking people to join me, and later realising that, apart from maybe Matt (simply because his chosen uni subject was film), I can't think of a single person I know in Cambridge who would be interested in a David Lynch film, let alone Mulholland Drive, I bought a ticket for myself. Maybe I will ask Matt if he likes David Lynch. The point is, I watched this film when it was released; I was maybe 15. I understood none of it, but loved it anyway. I've been wanting to rewatch it for the past 15 years, even bought the DVD which is sitting in my bookcase in Singapore, but never got around to it. So obviously, I have to watch it in the theatres. I can't wait! I am really super bloody excited.
- I texted the bouncer guy from Spoons who hit on me last weekend. After some unexciting texting yesterday, it's been silent for 24 hours. He's someone that I would like to talk to in person, probably make out with, but texting? It's already boring in general. It's even more boring with someone like him.
- I can't remember if I mentioned this, but I was supposed to meet English Lit Academic last Sunday. He cancelled due to sickness and going back to Wales. He didn't say anything about rescheduling, so I mentally wrote it off. As such, I was surprised to see a message from him yesterday, to the point as usual: 'Shall we meet soon?' He's coming back on Sunday but I've reserved my whole weekend to finish the revision of the paper, so he'll have to wait. That's fine though; good things, as they say, come to those who wait.