The last piece of cake...

...At least for this year.

Given my love of milestones, it was only fitting to share with you the highlights of the "decade". And of course, by decade, I mean "year".

This is a blend of old and new, funny and depressing, epiphanic and recurring. Feel free to add your own. I suspect you've all got a few up your sleeves.

Things I've learned in 2009:

1. When at the threshold of an emotional breakdown, always ask yourself the question: "So what?"

2. Labels are important. (Not the kind on your jeans.)

3. Everyone lives with disordered eating; this doesn't commonly equate to an eating disorder.

4. Two flights to the same place within one week may or may not be worth it.

5. An almost Christmas party is more exciting when faced with an impromptu power outage.

6. Cake (in all its forms) is the ultimate form of comfort food.

7. It's not a secret if more than one person knows.

8. It is best to write Santa a list.

9. Actions speak louder than words. But even these can be misinterpreted: proceed cautiously.

10. A new job will not necessarily make you happier than an old one.

11. Driving licenses are overrated.

12. No punishment is worse than the silent treatment.

13. Honesty is definitely unmistakably decidedly unwaveringly the best policy.

14. There's nothing sexier than a vampire. Except maybe a serial killer.

15. Time flies, whether you are having any fun or not.

Undramatically Unpleasant

So soon, I know. How unlike me.
It's been One of Those Days.
Not particularly pleasant nor excessively horrible. I'd love to complain about it, but you'd all be highly disappointed at the lack of drama involved.
Not dissimilar to a small bowl of undercooked custard.
Mundane unpleasant days have no use at all it seems.

Keeping in the spirit of the day, I'll talk less and do more:

1. Sometimes, you have no choice but to judge a book by its cover.

2. Contrary to popular (read: waiter) belief, the shape of a Charlotte au Fraises does affect its taste.

3. Saudi Arabia is Dubai without the vague possibility of fleeting fun.

4. A crappy car is far better than no car at all.

5. More often than not, Cough will choose to invite good friend Fever to come visit too.

6. Misunderstanding breeds misunderstanding which breeds awkwardness.

7. Wishes sometimes arrive too late, and by then, they are out of season.

8. When receiving an email in error from an important exec, it is wholly unexciting unless the content is salacious and scandalous.

9. When a camera goes missing, it is always socially easier to insinuate that it disappeared into thin air than that it had been secretly pocketed.

10. Taking photographs without the flash is much more flattering.

11. Lobster one night and sea bass the next leaves one feeling gastronomically spoilt.

12. Candylicious is just as impressive as the aquarium facing it, if not more. (If you are not in Dubai, this will be completely lost on you. If so, let them eat cake will replace this learning with another so as not to feel cheated.)

When cake doesn't cut it.

It's been a long week. (Even though technically, it's just as long as all the rest.) I can't remember what I did on Sunday, what I ate on Monday or who I saw on Tuesday. Just like all the rest, the days blend into weeks blend into months... and even thought I'm quite not old enough to say this quite yet, eventually they blend into years.

So what are we looking for? (I constantly find myself as if in a frantic treasure hunt, with no clues but hoping to stumble upon something. Sometimes, it works.) This week, thanks to a certain unique someone, I had my much-awaited epiphany. It's not the cakes that matter, not even the cupcakes! It's simply the Cherry on Top. What makes the day before your wedding less special than the day of your wedding isn't the gorgeous dress or the 3 tiered 'gateux'; it's the littler things, like wearing your big sister's earrings and having Future Husband send you a handwritten note just before you walk down the aisle.

What we're really seeking isn't the cake. The cake is a pre-requisite, nothing can take place without it. What we're all looking for is that cherry on top, even more special and personal than the icing. (Yes there is such a thing as something which is better than cake it seems.)

So along the way and as I (apparently) continue to seek my cherry on top, I happen to be learning a thing or two. Or eleven, actually. Time has taught me that this helps the cake taste better in the meantime.

1. "SMS affairs require less effort & preparation time than real ones." - Source prefers anonymity.

2. If you feel like it's Thursday, it's probably not.

3. If you feel like you're going to collapse, it's probably Thursday.

4. "It may be a gorgeous dress, but a girl still needs her brain to work. Go ahead. Eat" - B.K.

5. Sometimes wishing for a song is not enough. Sometimes you just need to buy the CD.

6. Leaving your gym bag at home on a given day may or may not be a sign that you shouldn't go to the gym on said day. (Yes, obviously not something I learned myself.)

7. Time machines are an adequate solution to most problems.

8. It is best not to place small animals inside time machines. Unless they are guinea pigs; they're used to it.

9. No Parking signs are simply a suggestion. (Kindly note that "let them eat cake" will not be held liable for any alleged or actual parking tickets.)

10. A smart friend is a far better source of directions than any map.

11. It takes a certain type of cherry to sit atop a certain kind of cake. If you're not sure which cherry goes with your cake, it's best to consult an expert.
(Those specialising in cherries are usually best :) www.cherryontop.ae)

Forcing change

...the kind which signals a shift, not the kind in your pocket, although I'm sure we can all do with a little more of the latter. Yes, money may not buy happiness, but I'd rather be miserable in a lavish Ferrari than in my current rental.

Usually I'd advocate the idea that change is something YOU are in control of, something YOU can manipulate for your own objectives, something which YOU can induce and encourage and embrace. All sounds very well and nice I guess. This theory helps me sleep better at night.

But looking at all the Moments of Change in my life, I can't help but realise that I cannot pinpoint a turning point for any of the major changes, nor can I claim I was ever in control. Distressing, yes. Perhaps I should worry less, sleep more and sit back while I enjoy the lovely weather, ignoring the factors that brought about its change from "gross" to "quite pleasant".

The new mantra? Just do, and change will follow. (No need really to "be the change I want to see in the world.") Must learn to stop forcing change. (But should try to encourage change to appear more often in my pockets.)

Flipping through the brand new Middle East edition of Esquire last night, I spotted my favourite section: Things I've Learned. And yes, for those of you who know me well, you will know that, of course, I took it as "a sign" to blog. So here are the latest batch of enlightened musings:

1. One must specify "electric windows" and "remote-control lock" when securing a rental car.

2. A handbag has little use. I discovered this after forgetting my handbag in my unlocked rental car for about 6 hours. Potential robbers must have also speculated that my handbag has little use.

3. It's not the number of activities that you do that matters, its their proximity to home.

4. A barter deal of a daily ride home in exchange for unlimited use of someone's earphones is more than fair, any way you look at it.

5. If you wish hard enough, you will hear your current favourite song on the radio minutes after you get into your car.

6. It is important to distinguish between 1st, 2nd and 3rd base. Also, it seems there is such a thing as 3/4 base.

7. "Trix & Chocolate Milk" have replaced "Latte & Croissant" as Favourite Weekday Breakfast. (Both trail far behind "Pancakes & Maple Syrup", Favourite Weekend Breakfast.)

8. Having a chocolate crepe for lunch is extremely acceptable and should be exercised as often as one wishes.

9. When reading a book with "how to" in the title, you expect to learn something. This may or may not be the case. I will let you know.

10. Replacing Metro with Car increases your level of comfort but decreases your level of reading. Whether this is a fair bargain has yet to be determined.

Cupcakes and candles

Yes, I'm still alive!
And my apetite for confectionary is still as ample as ever.

I recently joined the ranks of Functioning PR Agency after having left Deteriorating PR Agency, and needless to say, the cake learnings require a re-start, and maybe a revamp. Less listy, more talky. Before we get to the main event, let me share with you Things I've Accomplished (maybe more important than Things I've Learned?) in my interim between Deteriorating and Functioning:

1. Buy a TV. And a DVD player.
2. Locate curtains for entire living room for under 150 AED.
3. Visit IKEA. Twice.
4. Cook. Twice.
5. Get a tan.
6. Convince mother to come visit despite her long-standing claim that "There is nothing in Dubai". And apparently no, I don't count.
7. Master the metro.
8. Hate the metro.
9. Finish reading Julie & Julia (thank you metro).
10. Eat 2 "slices" of cake and a cupcake and a half. Last night.

So it might seem uneventful, but unsurprisingly, temporary unemployment suited me quite nicely. Of course, I also managed to learn a thing or two.

Which brings us to our main entrée:

1. "Lunch" during the week refers to an activity which takes place within a 3 km radius.

2. The finance department does not vary much from agency to agency.

3. Elevator music belongs in an elevator. Not on a train.

4. The daily Starbucks expense is a necessary one.

5. Always expect to bump into the one person whose calls you've been dodging.

6. Being in a Functioning environment for 10 hours a day is far more favourable to being so in a Deteriorating one for 5.

7. I am not a terrible singer.

8. Adding an ingredient to a dish can completely alter the taste of said dish. Namely shitake mushrooms.

9. Birthday "surprises" decrease in value as you increase in age.

10. When one consumes too much alcohol, one will inevitable spend the following day in bed, bath(room) and, at times, beyond.

Let them tweet cake

Follow Cake on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cakeforthought

or @cakeforthought

Contributions will be re-tweeted!

A scoop of gelato

One shouldn't wait so long to re-unite with good friends...

1. Long flights require good reading material.

2. When walking down a hundred steps in Positano, one must keep in mind that one will eventually have to walk back up those steps, and probably inebriated.

3. Don't be alarmed when you arrive at the airport in Napoli and discover that it is less of an airport and more of a giant coffee shop.

4. It is safe to assume that venturing out to get one last hit of gelato will cause an entire bus of people to forget you.

5. There is no such thing as too much gelato.

6. The more wonderful your vacation destination, the more dangerous it is to return to your gloomy place of residence.

7. Three is an adequate number of dresses for a bride to wear.

8. When making a speech, make sure to insert a witty joke building on the speeches made prior to yours. If this speech is being made at a wedding, this joke is usually about making babies.

9. The best way to enjoy a vacation is with no communication devices of any sort in your vicinity.

Smoke and mirrors

It is refreshingly mind-boggling how much a person can truly learn about themselves in just 3 days.

1. When making a movie, it is safe to assume that you will always be at least an hour behind schedule. At least.

2. All actors are demanding in their own way, even extras.

3. When making believe, it is necessary to believe in what you're making.

4. Strangers' sacrificial support will always surprise and amaze you when you least expect it.

5. Sometimes a "thank you" is enough. Sometimes you need the lure of booze to get your point across.

6. Being an extra is far less boring in the presence of blackberry messenger.

7. Wearing a wig is a low-cost, commitment-free way to dye one's hair. Or be someone else for a while.

8. It can be problematically difficult to get into character, and even more problematically so to get out of character.

9. When on a movie-set, expect to be constantly hungry. Otherwise, who will eat all the chocolates?

10. It is an unexpected lovely surprise to find yourself re-reading a favourite book when you least expect it, especially when in an unexpected state of mind (and hair).

11. Cake is the perfect way to end a 3 day shoot. The more the better.

Let me eat cake, plenty of cake.

The day marking one's transition from x years to x + 1 years tends to spew forth a smattering of interesting musings... some related to ageing and maturing, and some related to nothing at all.

1. "It is better to be over the hill than under it..." - B.A.

2. "But once you are over the hill, you will begin to pick up speed." - Isaac Newton

3. Growing old; you can't help. Growing up; you sometimes don't want to.

4. "At 25, you are closer to 30 than you are to 20. Or something like that."

5. Birthdays are excellent at keeping geographically impaired friends in as close touch as possible.

6. Those older than you will almost certainly always feel the need to impart their version of 'words of wisdom'.

7. The older one gets, the more apt it gets to rephrase 'words of wisdom' to 'ways to land a great husband'.

8. Twenty-five, it seems, is the age when one must endeavor to locate an adequate spouse.

9. 'But it's my birthday!' is the best way to get what you want. Beware of frequent usage.

10. No matter how old you get, a surprise on your birthday never gets old.

11. Applicable to more than just birthday celebrations, "It doesn't matter what you do, it matters who you do it with."

12. A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.

13. It has come to my attention that no birthday celebration is complete without cupcakes.

14."A good friend is a mirror." - S.D.

Tutte le strade portano a Roma

Geographic, emotional and phychological roller-coaster.
"A little bit of heaven, but a little bit of hell..."

1. The best way to see how much someone cares about you is not to see them at all.

2. "Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves." - D.P.

3. There is nothing Americans love or cherish more than the ritual of forming a queue and waiting.

4. There is no tried-and-true way to get upgraded on a flight.

5. Champagne cocktails at 11am do not denote a love for alcohol, they denote a love for mornings.

6. There are some things in life, too delicious not to share.

7. When in doubt, take the bus over the subway. At least you can see where you're going.

8. "If there are more than 3 Turks, don't go." - A.H.

9. "You know you're in a big city if you can't tell if it's a man or a woman." - D.T.

10. "White is always the solution." - L.B.

11. House-hunting is most successful when practised in the close vicinity of one's existing house.

12. When on vacation, no matter how long, underpacking is always better than overpacking.

13. A missed flight often leads to the knowledge of how to solve a Rubick's cube.

14. There is nothing more influential on one's mood than the way one is woken up in the morning.

15. When asked a difficult question in an interview, start your sentence with "To be honest..." It rarely matters what you finish it with.

16. When it comes to homework, procrastinating does not disappear with age.

17. The best way to enjoy a museum is on your own.

18. When in the American South, it is considered a sin to invite people over without at least one (or six) meat-based dishes.

19. Passive-aggressive communication will never be admired nor respected.

20. The more the number of family members in the same location, the higher the need for a nicotine fix and a strong alcoholic beverage.

"A weak head"

All from Jane Austen's Emma.
Re-reading it is revealing very many learnings that deserve their own post...

1. If a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to `Yes,' she ought to say `No' directly.

2. You must be the best judge of your own happiness.

3. A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter.

4. One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.

5. Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way.

6. There is one thing,which a man can always do, if he chooses, and that is, his duty.

7. Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.

8. There are people, who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves.

9. Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken.

10. One cannot have too large a party.

Opportunity Costs

A sugar high only lasts so long...

1. On very short trips, there is not time for hangovers.

2. Purchasing gifts are the best way to kill time when waiting for people to arrive. Also, the best way to start a marriage.

3. American cars have deceptively heavy doors.

4.
a) Sleep is optional when in the presence of an activity of higher opportunity cost.
b) "Sleep and fun are inversely proportional."

5. An unexpectedly working credit card leads straight to retail therapy. (Retail rehab may ensue but studies have not shown a clear correlation. More research needs to be done.)

6. One can never truly anticipate the source or duration of the mean reds. A croissant and early morning trip to Tiffany's is usually one's only hope.

7. In certain geographies, Cartier is the only common landmark.

8. When at the beach, being in the sea is far superior to being on the sand.

9. When one does not wear sunblock and spends several hours in the sun, one's shoulders will undoubtedly get very very burnt.

10. One should not consume cranberry juice with their vodka when one chooses to wear a light-coloured dress to a wedding.

11. When in doubt, 2 packs of cigarettes are never enough. Always order more.

12. Weekends pass so quickly and weekdays pass so slowly because the former contain just 2 days, and the latter contain 5.

13. Very large iPod playlists make for a very high chance for blasts-from-the-past. Very memorable dance moves and all.

14. Clever anagrams render a catchy pop song very witty.

Inauspicious Chips

The most time consuming aspect of these posts is coming up with a title that thematically links the disjointed but related nuggets of 'wisdom' which follow...

1. Waking up on the right side of bed in a house with one extra person than when you went to sleep is certainly the icing on the cake.

2. A conversation between two people about a very mundane subject can have very different meanings to the very different people on either end.

3. "No cost moves, you should always do."

4. The fewer the number of people, the more important the concept of strength in numbers.

5. Living precariously in the present is far far easier than doing so responsibly with the future in mind.

6. Regularly recurring risks are usually not well thought out and pay off badly in the long run. Like bets on an inauspicious roulette table.

7. When weather is unpleasant, one must forego smoking for the sake of shelter.

8. According to certain powerful minds, cover letters and resumes must never be longer than one page. Ever.

9. "It's just a job."

10. Things very much so happen for a reason.

11. Leaving the chips to fall where they may, may not result in a very favourable outcome. Sometime coaxing the chips into position is necessary.

12. "No more eating chips after a drunken night out."

13. Reading between the lines gets tiring.

"Do one thing a day that scares you."

"Think like a casino"

100% fat-free with 100% of the taste.
A lighter side of cake...

1. "Don't mornings suck?" is a perfectly legitimate way to wish someone "good morning".

2. "Drama is unnecessary, unless it's in a book or on a screen."

3. There's a lot of deception in the world of make-up, specifically light reflecting pigments found in certain foundations.

4. Time management can only be possible if one actually has time to manage.

5. A 5-minute visit will almost always reveal more than a 5-hour one ever will.

6. The perfect temperature of a room is 23 degrees Celsius. Almost nobody I know agrees with me.

7. Drying one's hair might be the only upper body exercise that one get. If this might be the case, one should always dry one's hair.

8. Playing the game is far more work than it's worth, and more often than not yielding pretty much the same outcome. Just skip to the part where the winners and losers are decided.

9. Language barriers can cause a bland story to be communicated sensationally.

10. Forwardness remains strangely attractive, no matter how otherwise unattractive its conveyor might be.

11. The same set of dice, rolled again, will rarely give you the same result. That is how casinos make money. Think like a casino.

12. Almost-free cookies do not come without a catch.

13. Time zones are nothing but a big scam to keep loved ones disconnected.

Integrally impassive

"Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth."


1. Opening a jar of previously unopened pickles makes one feel unusually triumphant.

2. In a romantic comedy, the hero or heroine will always appear when they are most needed. Real life, it seems, does not always function in this manner.

3. Active-aggressive is not necessarily the opposite of passive-aggressive.

4. Risk-taking does not always pay off, but in the instances that it does, it is completely worth it.

5. Staying at work for an extra 3 hours will never compensate for arriving at work 5 minutes late the day before.

6. "Everybody is less mysterious than they think they are."

7. It is okay to ditch beach plans if the alternative is a boat.

8. Decision-making is not out-sourcable.

9. Uneven sunscreen makes for a very strange tan pattern.

10. Frisbees have a mind of their own.

11. It's not the pros and cons that decide which way you take at a crossroads, it's your priorities.

12. If you are nice to technology, technology will be nice to you.

13. One should not make life-altering decisions when aboard a roller-coaster, emotional or otherwise.

14. "There is nothing greater than deciding in your life that things maybe really are black and white."

Growing up

Mr. Braddock: Ben, what are you doing?
Benjamin: Well, I would say that I'm just drifting. Here in the pool.
Mr. Braddock: Why?
Benjamin: Well, it's very comfortable just to drift here.

1. Two players to a buzzer is not as winning a formula as one might be led to believe.

2. There is never a good night for a dry night.

3. Twirling is the essence of all excitement in life.

4. Never mess with the person holding the shiny sharp kitchen knife.

5. There is no good explanation as to why you wake up some mornings humming a song you have not heard in ages and won't be able to get out of your head for days on end...

6. "A woman happily in love, she burns the soufflé. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven."

7. A communication disorder and disordered communication are not one and the same.

8. Living one's life strategically is much much more difficult than living it tactically.

9. You are never too grown up to think about what you want to be when you grow up.

10. Romance is relative.

11. Peanut butter cookies make presentations far less stressful. Far less.

12. Change is inevitable, true, but that doesn't necessarily make it any more acceptable.

13. The definition of loneliness is when there is no one left on your wavelength.

Let them eat pie

Sometimes saying nothing says it all. But most times, saying nothing says nothing.

1. When faced with the question "McDonald's?" at 3 a.m. or thereabouts, your answer should always be a firm and unwavering "No." You will feel much thinner in the morning.

2. It is never necessary to ever consider actually changing a flat tire. There will always be an ego-starved stranger willing to show off his muscles.

3. Just because a restaurant closes at 11:30 doesn't mean you cannot show up at 11:25 and expect prawn bags and duck.

4. Dry cleaning, like overpriced vanilla lattes and a maid, is one of life's indispensable luxuries.

5. Cake and pie are not the same thing and cannot under any circumstances be interchanged haphazardly without any consideration for other people's feelings.

6. Heavy alcoholic nights make for very subdued days thereafter.

7. If you are two girls alone at a spa, you have given up the right to speculate regarding the sexuality of two boys also alone at the same spa at the same time.

8. As soon as you begin to wonder why you have not bumped into a certain person or the other in so long, they will inadvertently and without warning make an appearance in your day.

9. One should not taste delicious chocolate bars which are unavailable in one's place of current residence.

10. Pressure to communicate often hinders one's ability or desire to do so.

Senti-mentalism

Back....with a bang? All in due time....

1. Being someone's muse isn't necessarily as fun as it sounds.

2. Resurrecting a sentimental song sans the sentimentalism allows one to re-enjoy a song in an altogether new way.

3. One's relationship with food says a lot more about them than one's relationships.

4. There are few instances where a bottle of wine between two is unwarranted. Very few.

5. There is a fine line between too much and too little. Always err on the side of the latter.

6. You know the universe is on your side when you arrive late at work, only to be greeted with the news that your boss is not there followed by an impromptu and extended coffee and cigarette break.

7. For some, mayhem is general; bedlam, far more personal.

8. In order for an electronic device to work, more often than not, it requires power in the form of a cable connecting it to a power socket.

9. Although somewhat painful, re-learning the same lesson (over and over) is sometimes necessary.

10. Washing and changing bed sheets is one of those logistical nightmares that will never improve with time.

11. When worshipping the sun, always apply sunblock generously. No exceptions.

12. Things change and continue to do so at a much faster rate than we will ever be able to fathom.

13. Putting something in writing doesn't make it more true; it only makes it more permanent.

14. What someone thinks of you is only important if you agree.

15. The ideal ratio of ingredients and perfect oven temperature is what makes a tray of cupcakes superlative. Not the stirring of the batter.

On hiatus...

...indefinitely and until further notice.



(Cake currently being baked.)

Still accepting 2008 learnings...

Toujours,

S.

Unbottled

"No stone throwing regardless of housing situation."

1. A pretty dress on sale is far prettier than a pretty dress not on sale.

2. Lovely people do not always make lovely colleagues.

3. Whatever information is transferred during a drinking game must always remain at the bottom of the bottle.

4. Sometimes, all you need is a bigger hug.

5. Daunting tasks are mountains in foresight and mole hills in hindsight.

6. Playing dumb can be the smartest move you make.

7. When inebriated, one should remain as far away as possible from any communication devices.

8. During a recession, one should invest in Monopoly, duty-free booze and chill companions. And be open to drinking games.

9. Waking up at 7:30am will always seem like a wonderful wonderful idea the night before at 11:47pm but a horrible horrible idea at 7:35am.

10. Football on a television is the least taxing way to keep a man occupied.

11. Sometimes, visual aids make everything far far clearer.

12. Wine + Rodrigo y Gabriela + more wine = Wonderful!

A grey vein

Falling behind...or ahead of my time?

1. No girl wants to be "cute". And no guy wants to be "nice".

2. Ice cream is the life-source of unrivalled happiness.

3. Secrecy is overrated.

4. There exist several different levels of 'mutual'.

5. If you skip work and are healthy, coworkers suddenly become far less sympathetic when you skip work and are unhealthy.

6. Surprisingly, reading a book that a certain person has never read can remind you overwhelmingly of said certain person.

7. You can be friends or you can be more-than-friends but ultimately you cannot be both.

8. Dreams are your subconscious' way of pointing out that you have not considered all aspects of the equation.

9. Just because you can see a vein doesn't make it a good candidate for an IV tube.

10. The best way to rid yourself of an addiction is through micromanagement.

11. Do not judge people based just on their star sign. Their date of birth isn't really something they could have helped.

12. Old pictures may sometimes be an indication of new times.

13. 'Skinny vanilla latte and mini-muffins' trump 'Wake-up call' on the list of "Best Ways to Wake Up". 'Pancakes and kisses' trump both.

14. "One should absorb the colour of life, but one should never remember its details. Details are always vulgar." (Oscar Wilde)

(YouTube wouldn't let me embed...but click on the image)















Oh there's an emptiness inside her
And she'll do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It's more like cold blue ice in her heart
She feels like kicking out all the windows
And setting fire to this life
She could change everything about her
Using colors bold and bright
But all the colors mix together - to grey

Oceanic depths

It has been a while... but then again, isn't the passage of time simply a matter of relativity?

1. Friday nights can unexpectedly be the source of far too much food and far too much laughter.

2. Communication is elevated to an altogether different level when in the presence of a blueberry.

3. Breakfast is elevated to an altogether different level when in presence of blueberries.

4. The acquisition of said blueberry significantly deteriorates one's "letter writing skills".

5. Lovely weather is only ever fully appreciated by those living in areas of extreme weather.

6. A strategic change of desk may prove to serve far more many purposes than originally intended.

7. Visiting South America makes one feel terribly partial to speaking Spanish. And salsa dancing.

8. "Sometimes the details in the fabric are the things that make you panic...Are your thoughts the result of static cling? If you're shocked it's just the fault of faulty manufacturing."

9. An episode of Oprah may cause one to think a lot more than one would like to admit.

10. The Atlantic Ocean serves no purpose whatsoever.

11. There are some albums which one never ever ever tires of listening to.

12. Not all things benefit from being defined.

13. Missing friends is one of the saddest facts of life. And one of the least solvable.

14. Hearing the song you least expect on the radio will plaster a smile on your face for significantly longer than usual.

A fixedly temporary fix...

Long overdue but yes, still around to haunt your afternoons...

1. "Having a sister is better than having a wallet."

2. All books have imperfections.

3. One-day resolutions have been found to be most effective.

4. Reaction is more telling than action, but sometimes inaction even more so.

5. There are some voids that only certain individuals can fill; the rest is just spackle.

6. 'Re-friending' may not always be a valid option.

7. People often act in ways, believing all so confidently that they are hiding their true colours, but unwittingly brandishing them oh so evidently.

8. Without a SIM card, a blackberry is just a game boy. But an excellent one at that.

9. (Very much a reiterated learning but omnipresently, and somewhat ominously, relevant...) At the end of the day, always ask yourself "So what?"

10. Sometimes advance notice is not advanced enough.

11. There will always be a gentleman who is more than willing to light a lady's cigarette.

12. Some people are simply bad cooks, but you will find that they probably have other good qualities.

13. New Year's Eve makes people unnaturally nostalgic and unhealthily optimistic.

14. Water is the solution to most problems. Alcohol, far less so.

15. "Some people get laid a lot but that doesn't mean they're happy."

16. Disclosed and unrequited emotions cause an undisclosed and requited amount of discomfort.

17. In the absence of a lovely call, a terrible terrible nightmare is a very effective, albeit uncool, method of waking up early in the morning.

18. Unsolicited advice is usually but unsurprisingly unappreciated.

19. "If you wait around long enough, the universe will practically hand stuff to you."