Refraction

I didn’t realize this until today, but I’ve had my blog for seven years. Holy. Mackerel. Throughout that time it’s changed from whiny high school student entries to whiny university student entries to… a second-rate translation blog, mostly. With occasional sidebars on music.

I don’t think I’ll ever close it down–I post here for myself, not for anyone else–but I have to admit its utility is minimal. There are other, better, ways to keep in touch with friends, and I doubt that anyone who still reads this doesn’t have other means of contacting me.

Still, an anniversary’s an anniversary, isn’t it?

So I’ve been a (mostly) loyal Gmail user for the last, oh, four years or so, but nothing has me quite as happy in Gmail as the rolling out of the TEA HOUSE theme. It’s cute beyond words. I think it’s worth switching (from Hotmail, or Yahoo!) just for the cute little fox 😀 And his fishy lanterns!

Yes, you could.

7 April 2009 can’t come soon enough.

Actually, on second thought, I should be gearing up for the last of my undergrad exams at that time–maybe it can. 😛 Then again, I’ll only have three, so maybe it won’t be so bad. But–then I also have to defend my thesis, which is going to be incredibly draining.

A friend and I preface a lot of things with “Random:” when we’re talking online. So in that spirit…

Random: Is there anyone on this planet who thought Clay Aiken was actually straight? I mean… really. Clay fans are “reeling” from this disclosure? Get real.

Random: Guys, please do not carry patent leather bags. I abhor patent leather myself, unless it’s just a detail–I think it looks childish–but men and patent leather just do not mix.

Random: I don’t like shoe booties either. XP So take that, fashion mavens! I think the distance I now have from retail allows me to be dismissive of trends.

Random: I need to go shopping soon, I think… I’ve realized I have sweaters and t-shirts. No real fall transition pieces. Alas, this was much easier when I spent all day inside, instead of dashing from class to class.

This is proof-positive, my friends, that life is WAAAAY better as a musical:

Yes, it’s “Dr. Horrible“, which I’ve been harping on about to anyone who will listen for the last few days.

This story about teachers in one school being allowed to carry concealed firearms scares me. A lot.

But then again, what do I know? I’m just a bleeding-heart-liberal Canadian.

The one and only webcomic I read regularly is xkcd. (There’s a reason why I keep going back: it’s just that good. Most of the time.)

So when Vienna posts this tweet, I’m strangely pleased to find that we have something in common.

I wonder, though, what she thinks of the title-text in the latest installment: ‘I’m nothing without you’ is a fucked-up sentiment.

I’ve finally upgraded my WordPress installation from oh–two years ago, when I first moved my blog to undreamt.org. Please let me know if you encounter anything amiss.

I’ve also just realized that I’ve had my blog for close to six years. Ah, memories. I feel old.

I’m currently listening to Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World” right now, and it struck me that there’s something very familiar about the chorus. I suddenly realized that it reminded me of LOVE’S (Fukiko Nakamura) song “Trigger.” (Go to her myspace page to preview. Do you agree?)

This seems to happen to me a lot, and not everyone agrees with me: my brother likes this song whose opening reminds me forcefully of Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me.” Naturally, he doesn’t hear it at all. To be honest it’s maybe just a couple of bars, but every time I hear it, I think of Nickelback’s song first.

“Cloud 9” by Maaya Sakamoto and “Une héroïne” by Laurent Voulzy kind of seem similar too, although I can’t really place my finger on what’s so similar by the two songs.

The opening chords of sagayuuki’s “Hatsuyuki” also inexplicably remind me of Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. This connection is so tenuous, though, I’m tempted to say it doesn’t really exist.