January remnants

More photos from winter adventures in January.

Here's our buddy, Fred:

tumbl'n back

Shantel and I have Tumblr accounts now. Well, I had one two years ago and then forgot about it and made another one a few months back. Shantel, on the other hand, made hers a couple of weeks earlier, and she's already got more substantial content than I do!

Also, there's a new e-mail address where you can all direct your questions/further comments: holdhandsbreathelight@ymail.com. (Apologies to those who have e-mailed us and did not receive a response! For some reason, the old hotmail was sending them all to the Junk folder and then deleting them forever into cyber abyss.)
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Today's featured photo is of a less snowy and less hazardous Queen's Park, taken on a relatively warm day earlier this month. (It's difficult to make out, but there's a girl walking on the path a few distances away, wearing such a beautifully bright red pea coat.)

a relay of sorts - January

from my neighbourhood walks, taken a few weeks ago

Last week was eventful  in comparison to any other school week. As I've mentioned in the previous post, Monday was stressful due to school applications for abroad. And consequently, Twitter was bombarded by obscenities fueled by frustration and despair, mainly directed to the university and its unreliable tech service. But at the end of the day, all was well after being cheered up by two of my favourite people and finally having my application go through successfully (eight hours later). Now, all I can do is wait until April! Fingers are continually crossed.

The following day was much better. I had some alone time before my 3-hr class, so I picked up my reserved copy of the latest issue of Lula (featuring Charlotte Gainsbourg on the cover). Lula always manages to put together a visual dream in material form. I feel like floating whenever I flip through the pages. (Take a peak here.)

And that night, my friend Amanda and I had an interesting time with The Vaccines. At one point, Freddie and Pete were singing "Blue Jay Way" by The Beatles to us for no given reason. They played a pretty good albeit short set at the Horseshoe. But the highlight of the night was definitely going home to a mass of tweets about "Angles" - The Strokes' fourth LP. I was restless all night and couldn't sleep. I sent so many people delirious text messages that I ended up receiving a slew of concerned responses in the morning.

Wednesday to Friday ensued with much gushing and excitement. (The Strokes have that effect on me.) Saturday came, and Shantel and co. picked me up for a joyride to the west. We had an impromptu snow adventure at High Park, where Shantel, her brother, and her roommate went tobagganning down a very steep hill that led to the lake. I opted out of the tobagganning venture, though, and was perfectly happy to assume the role of audience for the feat. It was also bitingly cold. I feel like it's been -35degrees since last week with non-stop snow since Thursday. But I've actually been enjoying bundling up and dressing warm. Layers all the way!

consideration.

“No days, perhaps, of all our childhood are ever so fully lived are those that we had regarded as not being lived at all: days spent wholly with a favourite book.” — Marcel Proust

Currently reading: The Reveries of a Solitary Walker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

These days, reading at home seems to be a great past-time. The weather constantly seems to dip, and leaves me blasting on the heat.
Me + Toasty room [bed] + Coffee in favorite mug = Time well spent.

new year fodder

photo by Shantel Z.

The new year is coming to a fore, and by extension, so does a boatload of resolutions and promises. The blank canvas-associated notions of the start of a year are irresistibly attractive, and rightfully so, because of the hint of so much potential. In essence, we all selfishly want a year better than the last. And this idea of renewal is resonant for us internally because of the sole reason that it gives hope for change and improvement.

Sometimes, I privy myself to these overarching thoughts about the things that are deemed Most Important in Life: love, happiness, hope; and it's a little weird to realize that such things are merely human constructs and are therefore quite intangible.

dancing on my own

"Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony."
— Douglas Coupland

I blame exams, failed relationships, and laziness, as the main reasons why this blog has halted into a stand-still. However, things are looking up. Things will blossom again.