4x2

All the coat porn in this post, oh my.

sheepy

By now it's evident that Jeff was successful in getting me into electronic music.

Song of the weekend:


This song also proved him right in that there is a huuuuuuge quality difference between Apple speaker/earbuds and proper headphones.

savoy

Winter cooking is now in full swing with the commencement of soup making:

(orange soup with warm lighting is damn difficult to get white balance right)

Though I'm always greedy and stuff it with enough vegetables that its more appropriate to call it a stew.

...

Aside from a hot shower, cooking is my most cathartic activity.

peacock

Of course the day after I make a big YS order, I drink another sample that I love. Patience is something I haven't managed to develop.

2014 Autumn Man Zhuan:

I should use this cup more often.

It's been a long time since I took a tea photo, maintaining sanity really has not been going well.

superposition

I confirm that all this is a field of bubbles.

...

Goes well with:

then you'll understand

This song is more relevant to yesterday's content.



In other news, found out that one more friend is applying to the UK, to Oxford no less. Yay comrade! Though it seems that UCL is the most popular option. Also rewriting my personal statement...so difficult talking about yourself.At least I'm under the character limit this time.

speak, and may the world come undone

I'm not sure how well sanity is being maintained, but at least I sent off my thesis draft.

This is the song that carried me through this weekend:

Not entirely happy with it since one component of my results make zero sense. Sigh modelling problems, hard to tell if you're wrong or the model is wrong...though in this case it should be that the model is wrong. But alas I get to use software license expiry as an excuse, even though it's a very weak excuse. I don't have much willpower left to resist laziness, and this amount will need to be used for rewriting my Gates scholarship application and then finals studying.

Speaking of finals, it is entirely possible to lose my 4.0 over recon. But what's more alarming is that this fact provides exceedingly little motivation to study. Perhaps it's good that I don't care as much? Sunken cost yo...

(don't think I've ranted this much about school since...first year? highschool?)

Two related anxiety:

1. There is constant questioning about whether I'm making the right decision / picking the right priorities. Is this background anxiety that I should just ignore or legit gut check?
2. Was I actually content during PEY? It's unnerving to think that a very low-key lifestyle is satisfactory when I've always thought otherwise. Not to mention how to distinguish that from being lazy, especially since the prevalent social pressure says so. But if I agree that economic growth = way to a better society is not an axiom, why do I have trouble accepting the individual equivalent belief?

graupels

Is this the light at the end of the tunnel that's up ahead? Aka I'm finished(ish) my thesis draft!!
...but only ish since I can't come up with a satisfactory explanation for why my discomfort hours are so.

Anyways, this weekend has been a lot of firsts:

• First snow
• First YNCN townhall of this year
• First pot of roast meat

It turned out really well, especially it was my first time trying to cook it in the oven instead of on the stovetop. My new parameters are to bring it to a boil on stove, and then 2 hours in a 375˚F oven. Another change this time was browning the meat in giant slices and then cutting it to optimize the flavour from browned bits but also prevent too much surface area from drying out. Thank you Serious Eats for all the knowledge, can't wait for Kenji's vegetarian cookbook to come out. 

swim

Okay I admit forth year is overwhelming, though variations of that sentence are littered throughout the blog. Though maybe this evening isn't the most suitable time to complain yet again since clearly I have enough time to type up a post, aka I'm taking it easy right now. As much as I'd like to always push myself and see where my boundaries now lay, I don't (or as I'd like to think, no longer) have the will power to do so. Did PEY really make me that complacent?

At least the sentiment is shared by my classmates. Had the chance to talk to a couple of people I rarely catch up with, and was lucky that one of them said exactly "forth year is more overwhelming than I thought".

*shurg* back to typing away nonstop on thesis tomorrow.

不问你为何流眼泪

We're on a 张学友 streak. If I was born in my parent's generation, I'd love him as much as I love 周杰伦. Though I find 张学友's music more direct since his lyrics are more literal.



不问你为何流眼泪 不在乎你心里还有谁
请让我给妳安慰 不管结局是喜是悲
走过千山万水 在我心里你永远是那么美

既然爱了就不后悔 再多的苦我也愿意背
我的爱如潮水 爱如潮水将我向妳推
紧紧跟随 爱如潮水它将妳我包围

我再也不愿见妳在深夜里买醉
不愿别的男人见识妳的妩媚
妳该知道这样会让我心碎
答应我妳从此不在深夜里买醉
不要轻易尝试放纵的滋味
妳可知道这样会让我心碎

if I may indulge in believing in 缘分, then let me chuckle at this song having tidal waves in its title. 

随你说说心里的梦

I'm not sure whether it was this song or the song from yesterday that was stuck in my head a while ago.


想和你再去吹吹风 虽然你是不同时空
还是可以迎着风 随你说说心里的梦

感情浮浮沉沉 世事颠颠倒倒
一颗心阴阴冷冷 感动愈来愈少
繁华色彩光影 谁不为它迷倒
笑眼内观看自己 感觉有些寂寥

想起你爱恨早已不再萦绕 那情份还有些味道
喜怒哀乐依然围绕 能分享的人哪里去寻找

很想和你再去吹吹风 去吹吹风
风会带走一切短暂的轻松
让我们像从前一样冷冷静静
什么都不必说你总是能懂
...
想和你再去吹吹风 虽然你是不同时空
还是可以迎着风 随意说说心里的梦 的梦 吹吹风

飘来飘去

It's such a contrast listening to 张学友 after consistently listening to electronic music for the recent couple of weeks. Will always have a spot in my heart for my cheesy mandopop :D




At this point, I'm posting lyrics purely to practice reading Chinese

你知道吗 爱你并不容易 还需要很多勇气
是天意吧 好多话说不出去 就是怕你负担不起
你相信吗 这一生遇见你 是上辈子我欠你的
是天意吧 让我爱上你 才又让你 离我而去

也许轮回里 早已注定 今生就该我还给你
一颗心在风雨里 飘来飘去 都是为你
一路上有你 苦一点也愿意 就算是为了分离与我相遇
一路上有你 痛一点也愿意 就算这辈子注定要和你分离
...
一路上有你 苦一点也愿意 就算是为了分离与我相遇
一路上有你 痛一点也愿意 就算只能在梦里拥抱你

the hell am i doing here

More electronic music to write assignments to

mustard leaf

I'll just have to accept that there's no rice noodle place, at least in downtown, that will match the expectation that was set by China.

This place is alright:

In terms of ranking, I still prefer One Hour's 小锅米线 the best, but this place can be second.

bronze

I need to find a poem about November like I did for August, actually I want to be reading more poems in general. Found an anthology of Canadian poetry at home but didn't manage to read past the introduction.

edit: found one via Ivy's tumblr:

It was November – the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.

 

stream

Although I haven't been posting any tea stuff, I'm working very hard to go through my first order from Yunnan Sourcing in anticipation of making a big Black Friday haul. Accordingly, the 建水 pot that I bought in 丽江 is getting regular use. I've never drank so many young puer so frequently, and can definitely feel the lightheaded-ness when I have no food in my stomach.

So far I'm loving the 2012 Wu Liang (to the point of considering buying a whole tong despite not having figured out proper storage) and the 2013 Autumn Mu Shu (so super creamy).

every second of some motion

Okay I admit that good earphones make a difference.

Maintaining sanity tactic #2: damn good music

our mouth only lying

Maintaining sanity tactic #1: nostalgic food and views.

...

Also some time off to laugh like kids with old and new friends in the ball pit at the Ikea exhibit:

bubbles

The goal is to maintain sanity until the end of the school term.