devastate me

This was an entry in the 2008 PNAN Youth Arts Festival, a competition of sorts which centres around drugs and alcohol.

I'm not sure why I like it so much. In fact I'm not sure if I do at all. But it managed to completely captivate me.

blah blah blah

'sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me.'

If you've spent any time in some sort of school system, you will know just how inaccurate this little mantra is. As children we are all fed the same phrase, essentially teaching us to pretend that the mean words and people aren't there. But as you get older, the verbal sticks and stones grow more accurate and often more painful - and less forgivable as a result. Today I discovered the true extent of just how hurtful and frightening words can be. Of course this wasn't surprising, but it was distressing nonetheless.

fixed gear

Some people have too much time on their hands. click.

My problem is I haven't got enough, but I act as if I do.

snippets

At the moment, I am enamoured of short stories. Something about their succinct nature, and novel approach to plot is incredibly satisfying. This current fascination is, unsurprisingly, the product of my literature studies. Over the course of the semester I have been introduce to two anthologies of short stories: Dubliners by James Joyce and after the quake by Haruki Murakami (although, I suppose the names are reversed in Japan). However, this morning I stumbled across a grim little tale by Saki called Sredni Vashtar.

Read it. Let me know what you think.

abroad

"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country."

- MARK TWAIN

latin.

*

meum cerebrum nocet.

*

Everything has begun to creep up on me: university, exams, illness, unemployment... In order to assertain any modicum of independence I need to do something about these issues. However, the list of things I need to do continues to grow - and it's suffocating. Eventually, stress jumbles everything together, producing a constant sense of frustration. But for the moment I'm just going to let it slide by. Resumes and job-hunting can wait. For now, or at least until exams are gone, I intend to ignore the pangs of guilt I feel when I ask my parents for money. And travel tissue packs can be purchased.