Chip no chip

I have quit chips for a while .
Can you believe it?
The one indulgence that I absolutely couldn't keep control of, my vice that is kettle cooked chips or any potato chips especially plain salted and black pepper are now temporarily out of my life.
Maybe for a few months until I feel like eating them back again and that's because last week my gluttony got the better of me in that I ate two whole bags within 24 hours .
It was like getting the munchies without the preliminary good stuff and I abhorred it.
My face was swollen the next day because of high sodium yet my heart was content.
What was I becoming?
The next day I ate another bag and my tongue felt the heat from the highly processed sodium and sharp edges of thickly cut chips because it developed a mild rash of sorts and I loathed it and so now even though my pantry nurses a large packet of my favourite chips I shan't eat it.
Oh no sir.
Not me.
I mean it's a game of will and if I begin caving in I'll do exactly what I did to my cigarettes that is open the packet and hold it under a tap of running water.

Yikes

My neighbours slam their door so hard it shakes the very foundation of this building.
If goes wham!!! And I can feel it reverberating through my table legs .

To the coffee

How long I wondered would I keep buying coffee filters for a lovely pour over and so I thought of giving this stainless steel drip coffee pourer a try wherein you needn't put at coffee filters whatsoever and today was day 1 and may I just say it wasn't as bad .
Was it better than the one with filter paper?
I couldn't say for sure unless I give it a couple more tries.
But at the end of the day it was pretty hassle free because unlike paper filter one need not drench it with hot water first and I do it twice to get rid of the paper smell and help the filter paper get steaming hot to receive coffee which helps it bloom better (I think so).
In this case of stainless steel filter I simple pour over.

Cake pic

The cake in question that I shall eat with coffee.
It's a coconut cake with coconut flakes and lemon zest which I'll soon put up on the blog. The recipe not that lemon zest that is.

Oh come on

No surprises once again except I did get surprised with myself because I was about to make myself a delicious ham and bacon sandwich but somehow ended up chopping vegetables and marinating tofu instead.
Something is wrong with my brain. It went in an auto wellness mode and it was after I'd finished chopping everything that I realised my culinary faux pas but too late to ignore and sizzle bacon and so I boiled my last bunch of buckwheat noodles and made a spicy sesame sauce with bird eyes chilies and threw in all the vegetables and tofu because what else was I to do?
It came out flawless, delicious and most certainly not what I wanted to eat.
I was in total gluten eating mood only to get thwarted by my head.
Tonight I shall rectify everything.

Circuit

Am I lazy enough to structure a boring workout today?
Yes indeed I am.
7 exercises.
20 reps
3 sets of each
In AB AB AB format.

Squat jumps, lunges and burpees not included and will be included in burnout round.
How exciting.

Extreme sport that is life

To say that I hit the bed the last night and was immediately in a sleep induced coma would not be an exaggeration because that is exactly what happened.
No cats on bed no books in hand, my phone forgotten and my sleep uninterrupted.
A giant refreshed I woke up knowing it's Friday, thanking collective gods of the weekend and getting on with the morning drill only to resurface and say a mild phew while sipping on water and contemplating tea before diving anchorless into the humdrum that is today, trying to make most of it .
Let's see, there's work out then lunch, in between all of that or after rather I've to click pics of the cake from yesterday because I lost light for the blog and it's also a recipe day today so I'm making almond butter and that needs clicking pics after which I'll get on with making pizza dough cuz today is pizza night and of course my parallel life of different work and world won't stop while I mainstream.

Next week perhaps I'll begin with a new drawing.
There's an outline I've etched out because it just sat poking it's way out of my head and so I had to scribble it. Will hew it with some more laborious detailing.

Today promises to be a different shade of jade one that shall pass too.

On the watch

I tend to steer clear of any past tragedies that resulted in thousands of deaths especially of most painful nature and thusly any series with names like 'chernobyl' or other such can never ever be on my watching list because goddamit I'll lose sleep, scarce as it is .
However there's nothing in this world that could ever keep me away from a good crime drama especially police detective work in unearthing a mysterious crime and yes you know of a particular pattern that extends from 'Killing' to 'Happy valley' and I'm glad to report of another such discovery called 'deadwind' a Finnish series on Netflix which follows a similar route.
It got suggested to me under the name 'crime dramas with strong female leads' and I thought to myself why not because what am I if not a tourist and pleasantly surprised by how well strung this Netflix series is, not least because I've never seen any Finnish television series least of all crime mysteries and this one like killing follows a slow pace with a very cold and blue Helsinki backdrop.
There's snow, everything is frigid and there's been a murder which follows odd links unearthing which is more convoluted than it had earlier seemed.
Brilliantly done .

Cupped

This looks like a lot and it is and there's a whole big cake in the oven still but these have now cooled down so I'm about to embark on a delivery mission.

Cake o clock

Who me?
Baking a lot of cupcakes and cakes.
These right here are my first batch of coconut cupcakes and there are two more of these to follow.
Most of them I'm giving away to friends and as a way of saying thank you to some people here in the compound who helped me with hope.
also making a small bundt for personal consumption as well.

Lunch log

Lunch is no surprises..a lovely fat bowl of fried rice with chopped up bits of dried soya sauce tofu, broccoli and other veg in a spicy sauce that is currently setting my hair on fire.
But it's good!

Hazy aurora

I woke up this morning to another bountiful day except I felt tired because sleep was not easy not because I couldn't find it, but because my little kitten is not old enough to know that she's a nocturnal animal while others aren't and we need sleep at nights while she doesn't and thusly not only was she in a hyperactive mode but also insisted that I wake up and be a party to her midnight shenanigans.
Treating my body like a bouncy castle and a scratch post she began ruining my night into a hundred shredded dreams because I was sleepy and each time I shut my eyes I was woken up by sensations on my elbows, sometimes my head, or from the sheer pain of having claws dug into me.
My long hair are another source of entertainment/curiosity and tugging on them or trying to chew them while she rolls about on a bed of my spread hair was what my little bundle of claws and fur engage herself in all night resulting in my very splintered tapestry of broken sleep .
when I woke up my head refused to leave the bed and clumsily clung on my body thundering into a rebellion of headache and I found myself wearily staring at the kitchen because I was a jaded zombie that the cat dragged in and not in a state to be around knives and thusly made myself go back to bed with the little darling in tow because she thinks I'm her mom and the both of us slept another couple hours which was still broken but better than last night.

Workout is out of question, I have had a large cup of tea since and the baby now sleeps while I wrestle with the rest of the day.
That was my morning..
How was yours?

Eventide

Here we are then darling night
let's not put up another fight
Push me in the hollows of your dark
and wake me only when it's light

Misses

That time of the night
When I hold my heart
Lest it leap out
and start talking

Look at me.

Are we friends yet?

Mission

But if course it's a warm afternoon out and the indoors are cool and I am embarking on a grocery buying mission along with which I've to buy some much needed animal protein and yes I can go to a side kick store instead of a superstore for it all but there might be a chance that I might not find what I'm exactly looking for in a smaller store and thusly making my single point mission into a multi point one I want to avoid the contingency.

Said it all in one breath.
And I've not even made a list.

Mission

But if course it's a warm afternoon out and the indoors are cool and I am embarking on a grocery buying mission along with which I've to buy some much needed animal protein and yes I can go to a side kick store instead of a superstore for it all but there might be a chance that I might not find what I'm exactly looking for in a smaller store and thusly making my single point mission into a multi point one I want to avoid the contingency.

Said it all in one breath.
And I've not even made a list.

Gym jam

There are some specific days when I pay the gym a visit mostly during leg days when particular exercises require typical machines and the kind of weights that I don't keep at home and there's a different energy out there one that I both like and get self conscious about which is probably my top reason why I don't go to the gym religiously even though I workout almost 5 days a week.
I'm embarrassed to admit that sometimes I gloss over certain exercises that I know I can do and finish them at home but they're difficult and have me grunting and sometimes I pause in between reps and even though I know it's not true but I feel like I'm getting judged for not being as fit.
Add to that people who're drinking green bottled juices and protein shakes after their workouts at the cafeteria and ordering BCAA's who stare at my bottle of lemons suspended in water like it's a joke because maybe it is and this time of weekday the gym attracts an odd species of people, ones who are absolutely free..a bit like me who then continue their fitness routines by going for a swim in the pool while I unlock a bicycle and give myself a ride home.
I've not even touched the point where people bring in go pro's and place their camera and phones near their exercise equipment's and begin working out while the phone or camera records everything, or in some cases their friends come in to record them.
And then there are selfies and belfies and women in gym makeup because there really is such a thing as workout makeup and I wonder why I came to the gym today?

Oh right! Leg day.

Someone enthusiastically mentioned about her being happy because Wednesday is her cheat day in that she eats rice on Wednesday's.

I don't like going to the gym.

All smiles

Just got a notification that an ongoing josei manga that I'm reading just got updated and now suddenly the world seems a better place.

Eye roll

What's today?
It's leg day!!
Yay!
Fuck.

Kitten smitten

The cat sleeps
when she fees like it
not when it's time
each night
no of course not
not at night
that's the time for her
to brush her whiskers
against my face
and explore my features
with her claws
and growing teeth
the demon sits beside her
when she begins her crusade
a mission to play
with the kinetic energy
of a rubber band stretched to the limit
and let go aimlessly
But now
when the batteries are low
she sits and recharges
like a chaste monk
who knows nothing of mischief
shutting down into a monastery
and willing god into life
this one secretly invoke satan

Something new something more

Perhaps it's given me the strength to laugh in the face of Tuesday's or maybe I didn't spend most of it at home and in the company of a friend whom I respect more than love that I've startled myself at the thought of having spent a pretty eventful and decent Tuesday not least because I ate a quarter of a ton of food.
It was spectacular the food that is and even today which didn't end quite as soon as I'd expected and I'm glad that it didn't because for once after a rather long time I was able to unthink everything.
It was a lot of mindless talk about people and crime novella's and dogs followed by casual scrolling through Japanese stores and meat shops where I found myself staring at the isles of myriad sauces and colourful snacks.
It's been a while since I've done that I thought and almost bought myself a couple lovely steaks but thought better of it because I was in no mood to shop but I can't say the same for my friend who had planned her week meals well in advance and bought freshly sliced and packed meat by the kilo.
We also happened to stop at a mutual friends cafe that he's now converted to a restaurant and sampled his very mediocre bakery items and in fact I've got a bagful of complementary bagels because I might have exaggerated a bit much but what can I say? I was in good mood gold and not even a mug of badly made coffee could keep me down.
It was a long and deliciously relaxed day that began with brisk efficiency but stalled to languorous loafing with the intent of aimless loitering about, something I don't much get to do with others.
Added to my golden mood was this almost turmeric tinted today, sunny brightness with cool breeze, a most thriving and welcoming dichotomy that's added to this dithyrambic musing.

To the skies

Prepared to gorge

Who me?
Casually sipping warm lemon water with intent so as to get ready by 10:30 because I have a lunch date with a friend and it's something I'm excited about because it took a bit of badgering, persuasion and requests to have my friends book this Japanese restaurant that I never seem to be able to find reservations at.
I have tried, oh I have tried and until now I thought one might need a key to enter the place but turns out it's more easily booked by Japanese people who know how to circumvent the process as opposed to those who stare at the website and call the place finding it somehow always jam packed.
It's one of those quaint restaurant which upon staring inside doesn't seem like much but is apparently among the most sought after eateries for Japanese food and each time that I've tried getting in I've only been fended off by polite smiles, me and a long queue of disappointed people.
But not today!
No sir.
Today I shall enter and eat and not leave.
We've to be at the restaurant by 11:30 because that's when we've been asked to come.

Since when did eating food get so complicated?

Saxxx

The kind of evening when only John Coltrane would do.
disjointed in perfection..rhythmically disorganised in faultlessly bewildering coherent notes is why I find myself falling in love with jazz.

Twinkling intermissions

Oh the things I want and the things I must do and the things I could've done and the things I should do.
They exist on each different planes, never entwining, rarely intersecting often begrudging.

Lovely pricks

I let myself soak in the relentless winds cheerily engulfing my house with the breeziness of a soaked evening, one that filters each wisp of wind through cold droplets still suspended in the air saturating it with gratifying coolness suitably pushing a flurry of sensations down the spine before finally flaring into pleasant goosebumps on my skin.

Big Bang

What do I feel like right now?
To have my mind attempt at being the threshold of nothingness and enter into a world that is unmistakably new.

Feline mood

Looks who's sulking

Oh come on!

Are we there yet?

Monday is here with the force of a hundred plagues and one can do nothing but watch.
It's cool and humid. Very humid to the point that everything feels clammy and annoying to the touch.
I know it's soon going to be slug and earthworm season, in fact it's just round the corner since it's been raining the past two days.
Seep was horrible because the little kitten insisted she come in my room by a way of agonising meowing which sounds like the saddest soul splitting yearn for love but the moment I opened the door to let my little babe in she was nothing like the cries I heard from outside the bedroom door.
In full force of catatonic doom the little precious travels and runs at supersonic speed and has not learnt to retract her claws while being cuddly and I feel a bit shredded everywhere, add to that her curiosity regarding everything from my hair to earlobe's to fingers which she insists on exploring with her claws and tiny saw like teeth and so night especially ones on which I've failed to put her to bed timely are the work of demonic enchantments and I woke up with a headache from sleeping in a curled up position under my bed akin a recently found mummified remain and woke up with cricks everywhere.

Add to that my guilt at having recklessly eaten with no consequences.
I mean it was just food, nothing extreme like doughnuts or ice creams but I ate a lot of it and I did eat a bit of junk by way of chips and each Monday morning I feel like that devoted recovering addict who sticks a needle up his arm on weekends and begins rectifying that mistake by going sober again.
I need to set a reminder to keep myself from falling into a gastronomic rabbit hole on weekends.
Right!
HIIT +strength and some food followed by pictures should put me in a right on worse mood.

Let's go.

Flavours

It's safe to say these didn't look the least bit tempting

Let’s spar

Guess who randomly entered a Warhammer store and ended up spray painting figurines for over two hours before trying to figure out the rules of the game?

Rainy day

Weather update

There's a brief period of a couple weeks in this city just during the birth of summer when it gets insanely windy and I do mean insane.
You've to hold on to your hats, dresses, hair and almost anything that might blow away because it's a near explosion of breeze in every which direction.
Warm during daytime and pleasant as I type.
The curtains begin to billow like cancan's and often small and light showpieces in the house fall over giving it a strange haunted affect during noon which to me personally is far more terrifying than anything that night throws up.
It's the kind of coolness which complements fan on low speed with a thin gauze of blanket since it tends to get a bit chilly at night, only briefly because mornings begin warm and get warmer by the day.

Musings

The only thing I like about parties are the after parties and god knows I haven't been to those in a long time.

Fat reasons

Watching 'midnight diner' and I have the munchies which I rectified by shovelling a half bag of chips after having eaten hummus with carrots and cucumbers that is.

strength contusions

How is it that I am capable of feeling my strongest and weakest during the one same workout?
When I'm doing deadlifts with all that weight, almost 20 Kg's I feel like a freakin' Hercules and a minute after when during a burnout round I get on the ground for push-ups and begin grunting after the fifth I feel like I couldn't lift a pebble.

The kofie of all things

Currently watching coffee slowly drip and I might have made it a little too strong for my understanding but what is life if not bitter and I will let this coffee live the analogy and down it and never sleep.
Did I ever mention how I never understand the charm of deathly strong coffee's and how some real coffee drinkers who've acclimatized to the most potently blackened arabica might never understand my relative weak if flavourful caffeine mug?
I mean I couldn't sleep for a day after drinking a cup of what deathly hallows might have been in liquid form and that along with a few more was easily gulped down by dear Taiwanese friends who're real coffee fiends.
There's no harm in liking it proper and the whole process of roasting to brewing is totally something I'd probably love to immerse myself into seeing how I have almost all coffee making paraphernalia from espresso machine to pour over cones but to fall love with the bitterness of it despite its absolutely delicious flavour is not something I see myself doing.
The almost elixir like coffee fug which envelopes a house when fresh coffee is brewed is something of my fantasy fragrances because to walk into a house which smells so warm and optimistic makes for much uplifting mood which explains why I spent most of my time near CCD kiosks in the hospital during my recent visit to oversee someone but I tried and I failed to have it sugarless and real coffee people have it without sugar because someone looked bewildered at the thought of having yucky sugary coffee.
My coffee isn't sugary, it just has a teaspoon of sugar and that scene from the manga 'Monster' (by Naoki Urasawa) comes to mind where an assassin with a sniper over a rooftop abandons his life of being a professional killer when once he sees his contract through the crosshair of his gun adding spoonfuls of sugar to his coffee only to realize that all these years he'd been drinking bitter coffee for no reason and that my lord says much about sweetened coffee (not excessively but still).

Coffee..yes I might have made mine bitter and added a bit of sugar and some almond milk (sigh) but it's delicious.

The today of today

Today was odd because it started with yoga stretches and now I'm drinking tea.
A little late seeing how I should have accomplished this task much in advance but the day began with chores piled up like files in a government office what with this merging into that I figured a bit of early morning yoga before a workout torture would be just what my body needs and lo! I feel all the more galvanised and rubber band like for the day.
Today is upper body and abs and although I'm still reeling from my lower body shock from yesterday I've designed some exercises that won't intrude too much on my sore spots. (Here is hoping)
Friday today!
Ah, lovely Friday.
I'm already contemplating dinner and that's not right, right?
It's a no recipe day today and I've many a things in pipeline for the coming few days and there's editing that needs be done today.

Right, on with tea followed by workout and lunch is leftovers from yesterday which was a very non glamorous khichri but I love it.

Thee

The phone tells me it's time to sleep and my eyes try to disagree but the body doesn't argue and I look at this night wondering where you might be sitting thinking of me.
At your laptop perhaps, with a coffee in hand, browsing YouTube or discussing dinner.
Under white lights which is your illumination of choice, wearing home appropriate garb of loose shorts and old cotton tee, staring at your phone intermittently, looking at e mails, making calls, clicking keys on your Linux machine.

My lord

It's official!
I have fallen off the wagon.
I have been drinking more than usual ever since my trip to Korea and that after almost three months of no alcohol and though I don't drink all that much I still end up with almost 3 beers(500mls) every week which means over 1.5 ltrs of beer which isn't good.
I have also been drinking more tea/coffee than usual which is to say one cup of mandatory tea +2 cups of coffee almost on the daily and because I don't drink either of those without sugar it adds up and yes I know it might not be as much sugar but still it's more than normal for me and I can see how it affects me.
I feel a bit rounder than usual.
Clothes are a big tell and the usual sweat pants that I wear make me look a bit thicker than what I usually see.
I seem to have gathered a bit of fat around my problem places and I don't exactly mean fat but it feels like I might have gotten heavier and though my weight hasn't fluctuated I can see my body and feel where I have been lacking or overdoing as of now.
Workouts mean nothing if nutrition is off balance and the problem with alcohol is that it completely shuts down our body's ability to burn fat for 72 hours until such times that it is broken and digested because it's literally poison for our body.
Knowing all this I confess to drinking shochu recently at an Izakaya and all two glasses of it followed by a half bottle of wine at home because I was cooking with it and kept drinking side by side.
I should be ashamed.

Fabulous just wonderful.

The thing about earl grey tea is that I like it as much as the next person who dislikes earl grey because I somehow don't seem to enjoy it ever, however I do love earl grey cookies and when there's a cake with the particular flavour.
I don't know how it's come to be but it is and I just drank a half litre of watered down earl grey because I felt fatigued and now I'm rejuvenated and also reminded that I could have just had matcha instead!
Damn it I keep forgetting things like taking my supplements which I didn't take today because for some reason my hunger doesn't seem to get abated this Thursday.
What does that have to do with this post?
Nothing except that I'm hungry and ate an entire lunchbox that was left forgotten.
Now I have bread in my system!
Just great!

animate

The only reason I can stand editing a hundred photographs on a very sub-par editor like gimp is because of the fantastic audiobook recommendations I get.
Currently listening to 'Heroes' and although the first twenty minutes had me far too flustered to understand what was going on because I struggled with the editing tool but soon after when I found my rhythm the book sank its hooks inside of me like a life breathing cactus digging its thorns in soft flesh of a quickly dehydrating man in a desert.

Lunch log!

Today was bang on schedule even though lunch got a wee bit late but that's okay.
Here I have a very delicious and something new..not that fried rice is new in this blog but I made it differently with scrambled tofu, pickled Sichuan peppers and seaweed because yum!!

Quick bites

That I've finished my workout in record time is quite the feat and I hope to keep this cycle going.
There's a friend coming over and I am going to be honest with her about my being busy after a small chit chat which is why she's dropping over and also I had my morning tea post workout because that was the only way I could see my exercise fitting in before I got on with the day because somehow as I drink tea, sipping calmly on the hot cuppa, refreshing pages and reading Internet I tend to get a bit complacent and end up spending more time in a space that today had me do a lot of other work.
Is that good though?
I mean it's less and less of me time but maybe I'll adjust and snip moments to myself from the schedule that's beginning to swallow me whole.
Right!
Today is no recipe day and there's a lot of editing and posting to do.
Tomorrow will be another story but that's for tomorrow.

Some morning

It gets on my nerves when I've slaved over the stove early morning to pack lunch and it stays forgotten on the table because oops!
Here I am stifling yawns, listening to food preferences and what manner of foods would taste good or what certain people are in the mood for and taking requests like some sort of stovetop DJ and my only mistake being not reminding people to not forget their lunchbox and the one time I don't it stays forgotten like an abandoned child and that too when I'd made my famous bread salad on demand that needed making certain sauces from scratch!! I mean fuck!
My mornings are more hectic than the prime ministers office doing damage control over his faux pas and I've not the time to remind people to not forget their lunchbox that sits staring at the sky on the dining table because I'm busy okay!
Busy with life, with cleaning kitty litter, with sweeping and dusting, with organising my kitchen, with shoving clothes in the machine and taking out the dried ones from the dryer, with feeding the senior cat, with making bed.
I have a list of tasks that need be done before 7 in the am and I can't keep a track of lunchboxes.

This morning began miserably!!

Pretty furnishings

Never thought I'd ever say this because I'm currently perusing a brochure IKEA sent me because what's not to like about looking at pretty pictures of furniture?
What I love about these brochures and even stating at interior decoration or architectural magazines is the way the mood is set with the design and made to look in a way that appeals to some part of personal aesthetics and there is something for everyone.

All me

My heart aching
My brain leaking
My body screaming

Cease fire

Who me?
Playing UN between sir cat and baby little who keeps following the elder one like a lost kin and the elder in turn snarls and boxes her ear each time she comes close but the little one is persistent, persuasive and one day she'll make friends with everyone.

And there’s this too

Faking it

Does this background look like something I made at home on an acrylic sheet?
No it does not!
Or does it?

Pilgrimage

I don't know if you've experienced a particular conundrum but there's this odd situation when you check the crisper drawer in the fridge and look at the contents contently only to realise that though there are veggies in here there aren't any that could be useful to make a meal proper :

Mine had a couple cucumbers, one red bell pepper, five green chillies, a bunch of red chillies, a fat bunch of coriander, a thick bundle of spring onions and some ginger and it was this morning during the lunch packing rush that I realized I have not the wherewithal to make anything half decent and it was with a panic stricken face that I was able to jeuje up some sandwiches and made for the rest with a tomato salad and dates because honestly I didn't even have any potatoes.
I know right!
Me?
But that was the indication to immediately repair for the wet market and load up on produce because I'm going to be making some recipes and I need all the help I can get.
Here's where things get difficult especially when I'm buying vegetables alone because I don't know when to stop.
I get so enthralled by all the greens and vibrant yellows that I shop to the point of being unable to carry the large bag of vegetables on my own.
I mean the weight of potatoes, onions and tomatoes easily adds up and I'm not the one to buy a couple of each not to mention kilos of sweet potatoes and pumpkin.
This is exactly why I don't shop for vegetables alone and lugging back the large bag was a task and all this before I even had my morning dose else of lemon water, banana and tea.
Yikes.
Right!
So I'm back now and a large cup of steaming tea is in order.

misses

Nighttime and the ceiling is a canvas
upon which my eyes draw
a cubist masterpiece
that strangely looks like you

Foresight

I sit
invoking sleep
carelessly waiting
knowing full well
tomorrow will be difficult
calculating
a time table
compartmentalising
each moment
and how it need be spent
but I know
Of the great leap
between what I want
and what might happen
that's not within
my limited reach

Savage garden

Say one things about kittens say their cuteness is most beguiling.
I mean currently I sit getting nibbled on and clawed upon by a feral baby cat, who is so fierce I wonder if I should replace her name with furiosa cuz goddamn we've a regular bandit queens in da house.

Wink wink plans

If I disclose my intentions of grabbing tomorrow by the balls it might sneak up on me and thwart my plans viz grabbing it by the balls and throttling it to the ground after shaking it up real good and stomping all over it in a victorious march which is why I shall say nothing.
But psst I'm totally going to want to nail tomorrow in a freaking coffin so it doesn't rear its ugly head to bother me like it did today!

demotivating themes

Classic Tuesday!

Couldn't finish my workout, didn't eat lunch on time, the photographs and recipes I'd planned are shelved until tomorrow and it's nearly time to get on with dinner.

It could have been avoided if I wanted but it was my mistake I couldn't ask my friend to leave and she had no pressing matters at hand either and she lives barely 100 metres from my house but I just couldn't get myself to ask her to leave.
Perhaps because she's almost 53 or because I'm too much of a wuss or maybe I was expecting her to take a hint but why would she? seeing how welcome she always is in my house and I did say 'no' when she asked me if I were busy.
So yes, my fault entirely!
no point blaming her and I'm not but I'm just mad at myself because I've lost an entire day, wasted it away and now I pity myself!
bloody ridiculous.
I need to reign my thoughts and get on with life and stop being an idiot for crying over something not in my hands anymore.
So the recipe and ensuing photographs (of hummus done various ways) have been postponed till tomorrow but that only means I need to get a headstart on tomorrow earlier than usual and stop being lazy.

Yes, I was lazy today and didn't wake up in the morning to make breakfast and slept right through kitty feeding and litter cleaning time because others were up and I thought what the heck and slept till much after 7 in the am which of course derailed a lot of my plans.
As a result, all my chores got postponed.
I was supposed to have been done with the small things around the kitchen and the house by then but it was much after nine that I ended up finishing and shortly after a circuit of cardio when I was about to strength train the doorbell rang and everything else is shitty history.

Ah, my nerves keep frying up and I need someone to kick me each time I lag on decisions for the day.

Berserk

I know..lunch at 3pm?
What next?
Dinner at 9?
But in my defence my lord I had a friend come over to my house when I'd barely finished work out and she stayed till after 2 (insisting she wouldn't eat anything) and it was only after she left that I finally showered and made myself some extremely spicy noodles cuz I wanted to punish myself for lagging behind on my plan for the day except they turned out so delicious that I hate myself even more now.

Thee

Three times
I've touched you
endless each moment
that goes on still

Misses

My heart makes up
For all the silence

Torture

Somewhere in my mind there's a strong wish to watch 'salt bae' get stranded on a vegan island.

Whoops

Today began akin to lighting the tail end of a firecracker, slowly smouldering and igniting suddenly to form a chain reaction of events one after another that offered not a moment of respite until it was finally time to cave in and call it a day that is now.
Heartless some days.
Typical of a Monday
The reason everyone complained
And little did I ever care
except for such times
stereotypical

Food foto

Lunch! That was and a few hours ago but the post got delayed because of varied reasons and so here it is now.
Tom yum goong or at least my version of it with fish and rice noodles some avocados and greed served with a side of watermelon (not pictured)

Save my words

Sometimes I'll get drunk
and want to talk a lot
talk of
Secrets that I've had to hide
And know of boring things that make you tick
after half a bottle of wine
There are moments I remember
that had found their graves
yet they spill out
with an intent to be made
Into a conversation
when I drink I think
of the adventures and idiocies
that make for interesting topics
because I have plenty of them
while you skip intro
on tedious series
Playing on Netflix
which I couldn't care for
And I'd rather talk
after the couple beers
That I downed while browsing
for movies we could watch
which might be fun
but then you yawn
with apathy times hundred
and I'm too drunk
for an argument
and the wine cork is lost
so I'd rather just finish
the conversations
in my head
none of which
are with you.

Creepy?

when I sleep
for when I do really
I imagine you
Next to me

Afterglow

My beloved warm bed
that I make every day
Sprayed with a fabric scent
covered with sheets
of cotton I need
with a bedspread
of soft floral blossom prints
each time where I sleep
a faint whiff
of subtle peach and cherry
play in the background
this exquisitely comfortable bed
hasn't given me the kind of peace
that a four poster
in a strange place
of questionable sheets
under white lights
Of an unknown room
during an aphrodisiac moment
played during the time of noon
blessed me

;)

For two days I've this song stuck in my head and I'm going to listen to it until it's out of me. supermassive black hole by muse.
Get outta me but also you're such a nice song.
Boy have I danced to you.
And done a good many other things.

Browns in black

So 90's today

Speedy up!!

Did I say 100, I meant 200mbps cuz why not?
If whatsapp tells me 'poor connection' once again in the midst of my tryst I'm going to torch this connection to the ground.

Speedy

Who me?
Getting my internet upgraded to 100mbps because why not?

Eye spy

This tonight a random night
in the month of May
insignificant in texture
Saturday they say
the bars are dry
and my drink is cold
with a clump of ice
made of sweet potatoes this alcohol
something I love to eat
and now getting drunk on
what a life
the waiters looks bored
the cooks look riled
smoke rising from the kitchen
a cluster of laughing faces
excitedly looking at their plates
waiting for the server to bring their food
and they almost exclaim in delight
but she passes them
And now they're disappointed
such entertainment tonight

Dying days

Watching the night
clasp this day by the
throat
through a window
lets me know
there are other witnesses
who perhaps care
or maybe just don't

Sighs

Darling, tell me nice things.

And now deux

Hard leanings

No meat eater should ever marry a vegetarian.
These are lessons in life that I currently suffer.
Selecting restaurants, ordering foods, trying new items is such an issue not to mention travelling to other places, seeing newer countries, learning different cultures.
Vegetarianism hampers it to quite an extent and I won't even mention veganism in here cuz goddamit it!

And now

Razor kiss

I was angry this morning simply because I'd been trying to get some sleep but the kitten seems to be fascinated with everything and spent most part of the night jumping, try to chew my hair, pull at my night shirt and run amuck on the bed much to my chagrin because she is so tiny and going to sleep would mean tossing and turning and squashing her under my considerable weight.
I mean she's not even 500g yet.
I've made bread loaves heavier than her and so I fed her and put her in another room so I could catch on some sleep except she cried and meowed with such heartbroken warble in D flat that I had no choice but to bring her back in my room where she again proceeded to be the bandit queen I'd never imagined her to be..it was like she wasn't even trying to sleep and it wasn't until 3 that finally she quieted down for an hour and woke up again with renewed will and vigour and all this compounded with a sulking cat who still isn't ready to make friends with the little one and has resorted to only coming in the house to eat, spending rest of time assuming a gargoyle like stance on the ledge and I spend a lot of energy and time just trying to either segregate the two or watching over them lest they begin snarling and fighting.
The senior cat also decided to begin meowing outside to be let in all the while the kitten treated my bed and body like an express highway.

Around 4 in the am when I gave up on sleep I found my knives that needed sharpening and the next two hours were spent amidst scraping and sloughing of the knife one of which I literally beat into a newer design and blade.
I am happy with my handiwork.

Candle melts

I was not this eagerly waiting for my wedding as I did for John Wick 3 which hasn't released here in China yet.
It pains to say that I won't be able to watch it when I'd expected.
I mean I was ready to line up and set camp outside of cinema but imagine my woes when I spent a good part of last couple days just trying to book the tickets and proceeding to drown my phone in tears when I saw no theatres were playing it on the release day.
Ah, the debilitating anger with a smidgen of depression and lashings of helplessness.

Aurora

Today's morning music is 'Raag Bhairavi' by Bhimsen Joshi.
I need all the annoyance, irritation and appalling thoughts I felt from a few hours ago when I wanted to sleep but couldn't because a certain baby animal was awake and hungry to dissipate from within, from the crevices of my being, from the corners of this house where all the hurtful words I'd hurtled across the rooms still echo.

A cleansed house emitting subtle aromatic essence of pinewood and lemon to wash away the jaundiced tiredness of night when I looked for places to sleep and momentarily thought my life better sans the new baby and regretted immediately.

The cool morning breeze filtering through a wash of green, rejuvenating the leaves, kissing corridors of this casa, lifting tendrils of quiet vapours from the humidifier that faintly smell of lavender diffusing the interiors with a wash of aromas, fusing with perfect tenor of music, weave a sense of happiness and hopefulness, something I needed to be reminded of this morning.

Tatters

Those hopelessly frayed ends you see are my nerves darling.
They've worn out thin and I've still a book to finish reading.

Truths

Infinite times better than jump squats.

Thrown at me

That my YouTube is full of Ramazan recipe suggestions tells me that even google can make mistakes but I'm not averse to those recipes seeing how there is an absolutely lovely Turkish pide bread recipe and I'm totally going to try it out and post on my blog!

All about backgrounds -1

I created a couple backgrounds seeing how I can't seem o find what I'm really looking for and until that time I can perhaps experiment with something new.
Not sure how it'll all turn out but I am willing to try.

Backgrounds- 2

Needle points

I am doing exactly what I shouldn't be doing!
That is binge watching something instead of editing some more photographs.
I've been wallowing in this hole of self loathing cuz I've been doing nothing but hate on everything I've done the past few days regarding the photographs and I'm not even trying to rectify it.
Something is surely wrong with me.

Spicy stuff

I have just chewed a very large chunk of green chilli which was more spicy that flavourful and my eyes water and gums feel numbed.
This from leftover salad and it tastes better today.
Yesterday's recipe day was a failure in terms of photographs.
Today I'm making bread which I'll photograph tomorrow and I need to do it right.

Coffee table talks

Not afternoon yet!
I'm not working out today.
I'm drinking a small cup of coffee.
Relaxing!
Cuz man oh man I've been having a week.
I woke up at 2am this morning because something furry walked across my face and of course it was my tiny cat who'd let herself out of her box and crept up the bed to perhaps sleep or play I couldn't say because both her activities look the same.
Going back to sleep in the same bed was out of question for the fear of squashing the little babe and so I repaired out of the room in order to let others sleep while I sat on the couch in the lounge watching the small one play and eat and it took her only a couple more hours to exhaust herself since leaving her on her own yielded little results because she meowed her lungs out the moment I was out of sight.
Maybe she needed someone near her .
It was around five that she slept and I did too and I slept through most of the morning waking up to find the furry little darling nestled near my earlobe because yet again she's crept out of her box and clambered over the bed and found me.

I woke up feeling somewhat refreshed and in no mood or need to exercise because that's all I can take for now.
Also there's a bit of anxiety and annoyance nagging me regarding the photographs for the book and the recipes that aren't happening as quick as I'd want and I'm unable to fit them in my schedule because I just can't seem to break apart the day in a manner that's most conducive and honestly I'm extremely unhappy with the photographs I've taken so far .

I find them lacking someplace and yes I will have to dedicate more time to this venture because one just can't cook and click and eat the same after a workout.
This endeavour needs more commitment, I need to be more organised and perhaps have to dedicate entire days to it doing nothing but.

It needs more thinking, but for now some coffee.

Choco loco

The past week I've noticed a change in my nightly needs, that of chocolate .
After dinner usually I'd have a small piece or maybe a bite of jaggery but the past few days I've craved chocolate and not just a small piece not a bit of it but mouthfuls.
What's up with these cravings?

Gimme choice

When plans get thwarted by people who always want other options when something isn't presented to them on a platter.
Had I made dinner in advance and just served then it would've been eaten but on having witnessed vegetables they don't like cooked a certain way about to get chopped to be tossed into pasta they don't approve of I was buried under a volley of questions to the point that I now have resigned from the kitchen with others reigning in and roasting peppers to make sauce thus making the entire procedure into a proceeding something I had been trying to avoid.
But no skin off my nose since I'm not the one cooking but I'm going to be the one eating and prospects don't look shiny.

Ass age

I just want to know after scrolling through a hundred pictures on Instagram that why and how did such idiotically fake, large, unbelievably cushion unrealistic butts get so popular?
Is everyone getting them these days?
A while ago it was large boobs and now it's oversized buttocks and it's not just models or kardashians, it's fitness models too.
Suddenly I find myself hating yoga pants

There is someone doing jump squats and eating healthy and then they're arching their backs and strutting a big booty that no squats nor dead lifts in the world can help one achieve.
Just looking at these bodies and even these face tuned faces puts one in such insecure mind, like what's wrong with me that I'm working out and eating healthy and wearing similar yoga pants and still don't sport similar junk in my trunk?

The answer probably lies with a doctor and with digital doctors because by the gods the entire areas around their bathroom sink seems to have curved.

Meal map?

Who me?
Avoiding kitchen like the plague because I'm so not in the mood to cook.
I mean there's a whole bowl of salad and not just any salad but a proper filling protein heavy salad and though I know it won't make an entire meal it will make a lovely side dish to another something which I'm in no mood to cook.
Perhaps some pasta?
I mean it is Thursday after all.

Hear her rawr

My cat hops about the house, lurks in corners, struts with her tail pointed like some kind of velociraptor, except she's far more hungry than any extinct animal.

There is no god

After nearly two hours of typing, editing and previewing  a new post on the food blog and two seconds before hitting send I pushed some wrong buttons (?), clicked something random, a glitch in the matrix perhaps cuz  I lost 3/4th of all that I'd written and now I'm back to four pictures and three paragraphs..and it's not even Tuesday today.

So loud did I scream the words 'Fuck' that my lungs reverberated and now I'm upset to the point of throwing everything away.
Now all I've to do is do everything all over again.

pretty pics

The thing about healthy foods is that they don't make for good photos.
:(
Try as hard as I might, the kidney bean salad that I invested a whole lot of time that tastes absolutely delicious looks like a morbid morsel of pallid food even though it tastes very unlike its appearances.

Sighs

Quick quick slow down

That all I could do was perish in my bed last night like wax that begins collecting in a pool at the bottom of a candle would be accurate because I sat deliquescing all the while holding a book, watching the words shift and morph into each other forming sentences that my eyes refused to realise and I soon fused with my sheets, sinking into the bed and knowing nothing of dreams until a large meow from outside followed by a small one from the room woke me up and I knew I'd slept for a delicious five hours which is more than what I could ask for these days.
Senior cat who's been avoiding baby kitten had spent the night out and sat on the ledge outside the bedroom window to rouse its inmates to let him in while the little babe meowed out of hunger and the need to use litter box.

Two moods one house, broken sleep.

There haven't been many occasions when I could triumphantly say that I cleaned my house at 5:30 in the Morning but today was that day and when I say cleaned I don't mean vacuum it out alive .
I've taken to sweeping it almost twice daily because two cats make enough mess and so this morning I took to my broom like a witch and mopped after.
That my floors currently reflect the heavens would be an understatement because it sits twinkling like the bleeding space and all its secrets.
(Did I mention I need more sleep?)

And now?
It's almost 9 in the am and I sip lemon water, contemplating tea, workout and how to plan today to optimise whatever time I have left because honestly it was barely six when I toyed with the idea of making the recipe for today and clicking pictures so as to leave me with more time but instead I played with the kitten until she slept and then I tried a bit of that thing called sleeping but it was an unsuccessful adventure.

argh

I'll tell you one thing and that is that I fucking hate gimp.
almost two hours and only four photos to show for.
I'm getting photoshop today.
I mean I have to.

edited

Who me?
Editing over a couple hundred photo's and hating it but thank heavens I have a new audiobook to listen to.

no sweat

Why do they call it strength training when essentially you're left with no strength to do anything else after that.

Case in point my arms that feels like both concrete and noodle at the same time, in that I can't seem to lift them all the while they feel boneless.  

I might have been a bit overzealous with my workout today but that's only because on days that I do no cardio I do not sweat as much and it ends up making me want to overcompensate even though I've been lifting heavier than before and today as I did a 40 minute descending rep workout, incrementally adding weights I ended up feeling not nearly as tired but right now as I type it makes me realize that my shoulders have somehow floated away.

Feels good to get back in the exercise zone and I'm spending this week as prep work for the gruelling workout circuits I've planned this coming month.

I'm thinking of changing my exercises because now suddenly I feel like I might be looking too thin as some people have pointed out and maybe I need to gather myself into looking stronger or it could just be the effects of having missed my workouts for a while that resulted in making me look a bit leaner.

I couldn't say but I can try to get better.

Here’s food

Lunch is a quickie with a twist.
Not just any fried rice but barbecue glazed tofu fried rice with a peppery sauce and lovely crunchy vegetables.

Misses

That time of night
when everything feels wrong
only you seem right

Fetid air

The neighbours downstairs are most assuredly cooking death, what else could have such foul stench otherwise?
Smells like hell that all rotten fish dwell in.
It's not fermented, it's more like burning fish oil, like tuna gone rogue, like cuttlefish beginning to expire.
I mean it's a bit disgusting.

Aww

Such a poser

caffeine monologue

Gods of insomnia.
I need you right now!

Uh, is that you coffee?
beckoning me?
asking me to pour you into a Moka pot and let you steep and steam and kiss you with my lips.
What was it that you said?
no milk?
of course.
What? a bit of sugar?
well sure, why not?
ah is that all then?
Coarsely ground?
is that how you like it.
But of course, I shall respect you beloved.

Lunch kiss

Late lunch but only because I got busy clicking pictures for my blog after a workout that got delayed because the kitty woke up just when it was time and refused to stay inside a room so I could exercise in peace..ah..this will keep on.
Right..so lunch!
Rice paper rolls stuffed brimming with raw vegetables and savoury sweet glazed tofu with a sesame seed paste (not tahini) for dipping sauce.
There's also a tall glass of smoothie that takes care of my fruits and nutrition needs for the day.

Cracks up

It might take a while before I get any sleep because the kitten's sleep schedule is almost exactly the opposite of mine and she is an anathema to silence.
The little one meows, plays, scratches, snarls, bites, jumps and does everything that a person in need of sleep would want to stay clear of and all this a couple hours post midnight right until the wee hours of morning when finally it's her time to sleep and mine to wake up except that I'd been awake all night.
Of course I can ignore her and go off to sleep but she has learnt to climb the bed like some rock climber and owing her absolutely tiny size, she's smaller that my six inch ruler I worry that my unconscious state and constant tosses might bulldoze her over and cause much grievance and so I stay up until she begins to tire out.
I have got exactly three hours of sleep last night and four hours the night before and maybe that explains my delirious mood when I smiled my way through morning chores much to the amazement of others who've known me to shuffle around mornings in a mostly zombie like stupor.
To the workout then.
It's a HIIT routine and maybe that'll help me wake up.

Weather moods

Despite the fact that it's a Tuesday, regardless it being a sunless almost chilly sort of rainy yet kind of bright day..today feels a bit hopeful.
Full of what hopes? I couldn't say.
Maybe it'll be a good workout day or perhaps I will click better pictures or might be just that this is the kind of nostalgic weather that reminds me of simpler times.
It's always the weather that pulls me back to certain times, era's even. I tend to associate all good and bad times with weather and today reminds me of simpler times when I did nothing save find myself engrossed in hobbies, sipping hot tea and experiencing a new city in a different country with unknown people.
It wasn't that long ago but it feels like it.
Even last week feels too far gone and some days from lasts year still live in the present.
Sorcery this mood, this weather, this heart.

Kisses

That time of night
when my heart feels light
breathing slight
Between murmurs
that escape
through closed eyes

Tomorrow then

It's another day tomorrow
much like today
but maybe I'll make some changes
in the foods I eat
series I watch
clothes I wear
new panties
different perfume
and read the same book
in same old bed
with the same man
on newer bed sheets
Turning pages
of the same old book

Night modes

That time of the night
when I sit in the glow
inhaling acrid fumes
of burning bridges

ugh

That I've been fuming, snarling within, disconcerted and angry at everything would be almost accurate because my emotions are often out of their depth and this time at the opposite end of the love spectrum because for various reasons this weekend wasn't the most benevolent of days.
I was called if you can believe it 'manipulative' because of a difference of opinion that escalated into some sort of verbal war and all because my thoughts, ideas and views over certain prevailing topics of this world aren't in line with existing ones and I was silly enough to espouse them, even though I know better than to express something not in conformity with value systems that other homo sapiens of this Domus believe in.
Instead of shutting down and changing topics I retaliated with my own perspective and found myself getting upset over idiotic replies that made me realize that everything I say is understood in most convoluted fashions and it was then when I tried to correct the counter agreement that the label 'manipulative' was conveniently plastered over me and it hurt to hear it.
 Never have I ever known myself to be that person, nor has anyone ever called me that but that small exchange of words had me looking for my recently sharpened knife and it served to severely dull my outlook, my confidence, my mood and demeanour and this weekend which was supposed to be that magical day turned to ashes. 

Food hearts

Lunch is a recipe from my fit meals which is a fish and tofu rice noodle salad with Thai inspired flavourings.
Fresh, zingy and oh so spicy.
After a relatively easy workout this guilt free huge portion of salad is exactly what the system craves.

Kisses

Pluck you
from The night sky
the morning clouds
dive into the dying breath
of each day
a shooting star
a whooshing moment
that you are
Happy birthday

Updates

What a day!
Mine began pretty early almost before morning and finally now I find myself readying for a shower that I promise will be a long and warm one.
Thursday?
Feels more like I don't give a rats ass day because this is another day I have missed my workout.
Between the tiny kitten and my cat acting like a jealous dude I will have to come up with a schedule that'll fit everyone's tantrums.
But of course I woke up and packed lunch after making breakfast et al, but for almost an hour after that the kitten played hide and seek and seeing how tiny she is, I mean she fits in my palm and weigh only 300gms which is lesser than my jacket it was quite the adventure to find her from all those places I only excavate during spring cleaning which by the way is on the agenda.

But between this and that I got the ball rolling on taking pictures for the blog and made myself a lovely focaccia's yesterday..in fact I made two.
One for moi and the other to giving away and I'm yet to take pictures of the final product.
Doesn't help that it's already been eaten by a couple guests who exclaimed at my camera set up.
Right.
To the photo's then.

Ah

Who me?
Watching a kitten scurry around at 4 in the meaning after having made her poop, feed and tried unconvincingly and unsuccessfully efully to make him sleep

Here I am doll

This little abandoned kitten has kept me busy since the moment I stepped into my compound and heard a sickly meowing and wondering if I wanted to follow that sound while still dragging my baggage and immediately leaving for the vet with a life in my hands along with all my stuff and coming back and just tending to this little girl whom I've named 'hope'
That I've not been able to unpack, throw things into the washer or even sleep a bit last night would be absolutely true but help comes in many forms and the resident cat whisperer paid me a visit along with all the needfuls that a month old kitten would need and now he's not only feeling better but I feel so much better because I was stressed about this little life that felt like it was ailing and I'm happy to report that this little kitty is one feisty little thing.
On the downside my feline pet 'gogi' is mighty upset and refuses to stay inside the house save when he wants to eat.
Phew!
Now I'm making dinner after having swaddled the babe in towels, hoping she'd sleep through dinner.

Walking street

Before I go I say my bye's because isn't it a beautiful place.
A walking street that opens to gorgeous views everywhere around.
Most scenic places here have mirrors so that people can put themselves together before a selfie.

Festivities

Apparently it's Ramzan and I'm getting greeting from everywhere. Alright. I get it!
But when I reply to said greeting with similar greeting more than two people have replied with 'k'

What is that even supposed to mean?

Food gasp!

A moment of silence for this croque monsieur sandwich I just ordered for brunch at a very recherché restaurant that I now am guessing is infested by people who typically only come to take pictures of its tastefully done shabby chic interiors and post their meals on Instagram (this madness is another story for another post) which came with ham, cheese and a layer of strawberry jam inside and a thick sprinkling of fine sugar on top.
Now, I like sugar as much as the next person but sitting down for a sandwich and finding it sweet especially when I know it's never to be sweet and biting into strawberry jam filled cheese and ham sandwich and coming out with a smear of sugar on my lips is not the brunch I expected but definitely the one I got.
This was a mistake because I know enough to have guessed beforehand that western style cuisines in Korea are created to suit their taste buds because even the spiciest potato chips are sweet, and garlic bread comes with sugar sprinkling and so this was an outcome so obvious that I wince with every bite.
Perhaps I shall only stick to Korean foods.

Today

It's a sunny day and beautiful everywhere.

Notes

My last day here in the beautiful country that is Korea and I'll miss it.
Today involves a lot of this and that.
Loitering around and eating some more.

I've realised that travelling in car hasn't done much to reduce my step count because once you're out and seeing places you've still gotta walk and climb and each day I'm climbing over fifty floors but that's a very low impact cardio workout and not nearly enough to burn the bowls of bibimbap, tteoboki, bulgogi and meaty barbecues that I'm downing each day, and don't even let me get started with ice creams.
Baskin Robbins are hugely popular and they've this rainbow sherbet flavour which apart from being intensely sweet and dangerously colourful is also milk free (it's a sorbet) and I find myself eating a scoop of that on the regular and that too pretty late at night.
Who am I?

And now

Nights lights

Sighs

That I'm dead tired and salty from spending too much time in the water and sun would be an understatement because that's exactly what I am.
My face is dangerously burnt and my nose is especially red and yes I know I'll feel the effects of it all too soon but can I say it was deliciously exhausting.
I visited a lighthouse today on an island and I've never known such solitary moods.
Noiseless, untroubled, calm and tranquil.
The only thing amiss was your voice.

Plans

I have rented a jet ski today.
Oh and also a paddle board because goddamit there's sea and I've all the equipment's including a full body suit.
Nuff said!

Eat cake

This is a Korean USP.
Fish cakes!
Oh the sea food, oh the spices, oh the fish cakes.
They're indeed splendid.
Unlike anything I've had before.

Meal

This is something called mountain food that is going to be my lunch.
It's a whole lot of accoutrements along with main meal as is served here in Korea.
Before you order in a restaurant, small plates of kimchi will be served which you can munch on before deciding what to order.
It's strange because I'm always used to menu of epic proportions coming from China, but here in Korea every menu has no more than 5-6 dishes out of which you can decide what you want.
Most places have been very accommodating with creating vegetarian versions of meals as is signified by a plate of mountain vegetables that I do not even know the names of.
I have however soft shell crabs, beef patties and a whole bowl of soyabean stew which isn't served yet.

Colours

Absolutely beautiful how the temples here are decorated.
Every temple has these colourful lanterns that light up at night.
They're not just ordinary lanterns because they hold prayers of various visitors, some of which hang on pieces of paper on a thread at the tip of these lanterns.

The thing about temples here is that it's more spiritual than religious as is with most Asian countries but the predominant religion here is Christianity and many a churches stay studded at various corners of the city.

Kisses

Almost midnight
And the needs erupt
like ravenous hunger
except no food can cure it

Dandelion

Sweet eats

Delicious things all come in fried sweet pockets.
A Korean speciality called Hottoek, typically filled with honey, seeds and cinnamon, rolled into a yeasted dough and deep fried .
Think a thicker, tinier, puffier sweet filled bhatura.

Misses galore

Nights lights

Well now

I have just picked up after desperately searching a mascara specifically for my lower eye lashes and suddenly this sense of realisation for this insipid vanity after making the purchase has taken over.. like why did I just buy and why was I even looking for a product so specific
And I know I'm thinking of this now after having bought it that it's such a silly thing to do when In fact almost every day after applying mascara and witnessing the bad juju almost all mascaras do to my lower lash line by feathering out into the skin giving my eyes a raccoon effect I feel resolved to buy one specifically to void these mishaps and now after having paid and collected receipts to pick it up at the airport duty free pick up it's making me feel guilty.
What was I saying?

It's too late to eat frozen yogurt?
Yes it is.
Past nine in the evening and I'm on a vacation.
Bad decisions it is.

Stones, sky, sea

All too beautiful and terrifying.
To get lost here would be such a tragedy but not a possibility because the captain of our boat informs us that the naval base is stationed just a half mile from here.
Which means we are on someone's radar.
How nice.

In the blues

What's better than being in the middle of the ocean on a yacht?
Getting drunk on it of course.
Not that I'm getting drunk.
I mean a beer is not drinking but it feels so because goddamn the emptiness, the vastness, the beauty of it all.
This place called Oryukdo (meaning five six islands) has these tiny rock like islands jutting out is infested with hobbyists that are men with their unbelievable fishing equipment's pursuing their passions that is of fishing.
Some boats also also carrying aboard sport fishing enthusiasts and they like to call themselves anglers. I was informed of this by a gentleman who was boarding another boat specifically for angling I believe.

Sights and lights

This morning as I went running.

Is this a love hotel?
I sure hope and guess so.

What's the clientele like in these hotels?
Lovers, adventure seekers, couples?
All of the above or some more varied kinds of people of whom I don't know much of.
I've never been to a love hotel before, through I know of it from descriptions and images but even so.
Maybe one day, maybe never.
I saw these plenty in Japan but no one was willing and of course one has to love in such a hotel..there's a reason it's called love hotel and not affection city.

Inverse

All the helpless here have their swastika done this way.
I guess it's a Buddhist thing, not that I'm knowledgeable about symbols but it does look odd but it grows on you.

Food :(. :)