Luminous Iris

On the 2nd of September, it was bring your own cup (or container) at 7/11 and Gellie and I decided to go, considering how it's somehow a tradition for the two of us to get slurpees whenever we're out together.

Not really much to tell - basically after school, we stopped by my place to get some containers (dad usually buys these chocolate wafer sticks that are contained in fairly large jugs, so they seemed like a pretty decent size). Let's just say when we got to the closest 7/11 there were a fair amount of people already. Though apparently there weren't a lot of people who knew about it. The store consisted mostly of students that came from school that had drink bottles and were attempting to fill them with slurpees. There was even one kid that bent his water bottle just for it to fit under the dispenser.

I suppose it's not really an "interesting" story. But really, I just see it as one of those "tales of amusement". Ever since that day, I would usually go to 7/11 (with practically any friend now, really) and at one point, I was tweeting about grabbing another slurpee when the an official slurpee twitter account tweeted at me, and really, it seemed like one of those moments when you've been noticed by a celebrity (yeah, I know). And really, I just find emotional comfort when I have a slurpee in hand whenever I go out. Probably the familiarity.

Though this tale-update thing is pretty short, I've also wanted to give you guys a little update: So recently I've been working on my new sidebar image and also more playlists, so hopefully I'll be able to post them soon enough (okay, maybe I've been saying that a lot before, but now that I vaguely have some spare time, I might be able to actually bring myself to finally post them). I'm also thinking of changing the layout of the blog, so there may be some times when the blog would be slightly messy, so I do apologise for that.

For today's book, I would like to recommend would be The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. It was something I had to study back in 5th grade and it was one of the recommended books to study for this year as well. It's one of those nice one-shot novels that make you think after reading it and it's one of those books that I've actually remembered even after all these years. The song for the day would then be If It Means A Lot To You by A Day To Remember, a song that I found out about just a few days ago and it's also pretty great. Anyways, I hope you're all having a great day and hopefully things are working out for you. I'll update soon!

Silent Zen

I haven't been feeling well for the past couple of days and I haven't properly sat down to have some time on my own. So here I am now. Though I'm not going to be updating with a story today. I have a sort of rant-ramble thing that I haven't really been able to talk to anybody about, so what better way to just discuss it here. (the fact that there's school tomorrow has nothing to do with this)

So lately people have been telling me to "live my life" a little bit more or that I'm "capable of so much more" compared to what I currently do. And, okay, I get it. I may seem to have a "dull" life and that I should try new things. I really do appreciate people's efforts into trying to make me do things I don't usually do or want. But really, please know that I'm already content with what I have. I'm content with silence, small gestures and acts of kindness, simple things, and being able to finally relax. I'm content with what I have and how things are at the moment. Yes - I still do have ambitions that I am very much planning to fulfill and I know that "there's always room for improvement". But it's simple, really. Though I may go on about minuscule, tedious things, I am very much content with my current situation.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that though you may encourage others to do other things, please also bear in mind on whether or not the people you're trying to encourage are comfortable with you doing so and that sometimes the things that you may view as "boring" may be what makes some people happy.

I really do apologise for this rambling. Next update will be a continuation of the stories/tales series thing that I've been doing. For today, I would like to recommend The Calling of the Grave by Simon Beckett. I first got a copy of the novel when I was in Europe and I really quite like it. Though it may have grim tones (surely by now you may have guessed the genres I'm into), the novel gave me, ah, let's say "another perspective of thinking". And a song that I've really been enjoying is Coffee by Copeland (probably due to being vaguely related to today's post). Hopefully I haven't bored you or have been too pessimistic (I mean, I usually am a pessimistic person, but I'm not really fond of sharing that outlook with other people). As cliche as this may seem, I genuinely hope you're doing alright and I hope that you're having a wonderful day. Stay safe, and I'll be back. Bye!

Icarus' Escape

So this post's going to be on the long side - it's about the Dinner Dance (junior high prom, if anybody's wondering). And as per usual, if the topic's not really your thing, feel free to skip ahead to the last paragraph if you're still up for a book and song recommendation.

Several months before the actual event, a lot of people in my year have already been talking about it, planning out during class who they'll sit with and what they'll be wearing. I personally am not quite a fan of these events, so my original plan was to just stay at home, maybe play some video games with some friends on that night (not to mention the fact that I was trying to save some money that time, and the price of the dinner dance was quite high). Soon enough my friends started getting into the hype, talking and discussing their plans while I would just usually stay back and listen (or, yeah, just go onto my phone).

So to actually be able to join the dinner dance, the payment for it should be handed by the deadline. Since I wasn't really supposed to go, I didn't have to hand in anything. So it was all good, right?

Well, about a day or so before the deadline, Gellie finally snapped and told me if I'm not willing to pay for the Dinner Dance, then she'll be paying for me, to which my friends started joining in and offering to pay a certain amount just for me to be there. And, yeah, I appreciate the fact that my friends actually want me to go, but I also felt kind of bad to ask my parents for the money (so it won't have to result to my friends actually paying for me). Turns out, my parents wanted me to go and have been trying to guilt-trip me into going. I somehow managed to get my form and money in on time, but then mum started to worry on what I would wear (as per usual).

The Dinner Dance was on the 28th of August and I was only able to find something both my parents and I could agree on around the 22nd of that month. It took a while for me to explain to my parents that I wouldn't want anything too fancy or grand, to which they replied with "Then it'll be for the ball! (which would be around March next year)", and I didn't really have the energy to argue with them (not to mention the fact that dresses are expensive. trust me, I would've worn a suit if I could've gotten away with it).

On the day of the event, a fair amount of people have either skipped school or went home early to prepare for the night. What did I do, you may ask? After school, I simply stopped by the nearest 7/11 and bought myself a slurpee before going home to take a nap. Didn't really work out for me though, since mum was kind of annoyed at how I wasn't taking the event seriously (in terms of getting ready and whatnot). And so, mother dearest and I went around the city to buy things that I might possibly need and went straight home so she could get me ready (since I don't really do my hair and make-up often).

Driving to the event, I was just trying not to throw up at the backseat. Not only was I really anxious that time but it was also pretty hot. And when I finally got there, I stood by the entrance awkwardly trying to look for someone I know so I wouldn't have to go inside and greet the people by the door alone (sad, I know). After finally finding someone (I barely know her, but she was nice enough to keep me company for a few minutes), I went in and I have to admit, the place was pretty nice (though it felt as if I was out of place, with all the lights, sophistication, and people).

Finding my friends took a while, considering how I was trying to hunch down so I wouldn't really be recognised. And it sort of worked - when I finally found my friends, they (not-so-quietly) screamed because I apparently looked really different. Even some of my other friends went up to me and said that I looked like some goddess. I suppose it goes to show that it's better off not for me to fix my hair and put on make-up every day, that way I could actually look like a decent human being when I want to be.

It took a while for me to loosen up and to actually enjoy myself (considering how I would refuse to let go of either my phone or my polaroid camera). And as cliche as it sounds, I suppose if you're with the right people, you'll be having too much fun that you'll be able to forget about everything and everyone else. And I'm just glad I was able to be there to make my friends happy.

(the glass in the photo? it was a glass of soda)

And now for the usual book and song recommendations - today's book would be Quiet by Susan Cain, a book that I'm currently reading since I've had a few friends telling me that it's a good book. And though the song doesn't really fit well with the book (or maybe it does - up to you, really), I would have to recommend Ghosts by The Presets. In my opinion, I find The Presets to have calming, yet energy-filling songs and those are the type of songs I usually enjoy during summer (yes, summer. hello, Australia). Anyways, I hope you're all having a contenting day, and I'll be around. Thank you!

Angels in Disguise

Well. Here I am once again. If I were to believe that I'll actually be sticking to a constant update schedule, I'll be updating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. I should be able to update more often, considering how I'm already on break off of school for the entire year (but then again, I'm inconsistent when it comes to these things). I've also done a fair number of playlists, so I might post them gradually. For now, I'll be posting what has happened in the past few months.

Anyways, for the first story:

On the 23rd of August, I went with my friend (Gellie) to a toy convention. The convention mostly consisted of stuff like Pop! Vinyl figures, comic books, vintage video games, fandom merchandise, and a hell lot more. It was basically this event filled with everything I'd want to have in my room.

On the day of the convention, Gellie and I had to use our phones in order to search where we're going (we never really went to the area where the convention was, so it was our first time there). The trip going there took a while, consisting of screaming and yelling close to a highway, and getting tempted to roll down grassy hills, but we eventually got to the venue.

Compared to the past conventions I went to, the event wasn't as big, but I thought that it was better that way. The times I went to ComiCon, Supanova, and similar events, I tend to have my claustrophobia and anxiety act up due to the huge crowds. But because this event wasn't as well-known (I only found out about it the day before the actual event, and it was located fairly far from the main city), 

During our time there, we spent about two hours just walking around the area and the last thirty minutes of the convention actually buying what we want (we were checking out the prices as well, comparing the prices of similar merchandise from each stall). It was actually really enjoyable, and by the end of the day, my backpack was filled with comic books I bought while Gellie had a giant bag filled with Pop! Vinyl figurines.

(yeah, it was sort of an overkill)

When I got home, I was pretty guilty for spending a lot on the comic books (believe it or not). But then my parents told me it was my choice - I've never really spent my money on things for myself (like stuff I would actually enjoy), and supposedly it's just one of those "live in the moment to make memories" kind of things. And now, I have a stack of comic books in my room that I'm actually really content with. As tacky as it may seem, it's not only the idea of owning them or being able to read them that makes me happy, but it's also a reminder of the good time I had with a good friend.

Since I'm on break, I've also had time to read the books I've never really been able to read during school days. For today, I would like to recommend Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, which I actually found very interesting. And for the song, it would be Nice Piece of Art by FM Static, the group being one of my favourites back in primary school (still having a soft spot for them up until now). In addition, I've also been thinking of changing the appearance of the blog in terms of graphics and whatnot (since I've also been doing some Photoshop work), but we'll see. Hope you're all having a nice day and I'll (hopefully) update soon!