Catch up

After not posting for a while, I thought it was time to clear the dust. I have quite a few blog ideas, so I'll try and update more regularly. It's more for my benefit than anyone elses' - I doubt anyone reads this anyway. Maybe Sticky'll check it now and then.

So what have I been up to? A heck of a lot of things has happened since my last post. I lost a friend, but in return I think they'll be happier. I've been looking after my mental health as much as possible because I do not want to swing into depression again. My friends have been fantastic in supporting me and we've cooked a lot together, taking in turns so no one is burdening the other and food is more varied because of it! I've needed sometime alone and perhaps its ironic I use some of it to update this blog, but ah well, doesn't matter. I can be hypocritical if I want because I have a cold, therefore I win. - Flu logic.

In other news I've been playing a lot of Magic The Gathering and I'm hoping to quickly build a blue Merfolk deck for a Tribal game. I signed up to NaNoWriMo in a desperate bid to motivate me to start a novel I needed to write for my degree anyway. So far I have 1190 words so only 48,810 more to go! I've been back and forth with illness of both a physical and mental nature, the physical this time obscenely worse which makes me desperate to try and at least do my part in keeping both natures in check. I've been cooking a lot when I can; stirfrys, pasta bakes, cakes, cookies, panna cotta, trifle, etc. It's been good fun and I know I'm healthier for it. I've been reading only a little, but mostly titles such as 'The Last Don' by Mario Puzo and on the other side, a book on contemporary Japanese religion. On my desk is the doctrine of Tenrikyo, and an interesting book called 'Some Spirits Heal, Others Only Dance' which I'm curious about. I will probably try to make more of an effort today now the house is notably quieter. I've been drawing now and then too, but unfortunately I've lost my memory cards so I cannot share anything. It's probably been a deflater for blog posts too, as I would love to show what I've been cooking but can't. Alas! I've also been making a game in RPG Maker VX Ace, and am wanting to learn the art of Blender when I have access to a faster laptop.

I've also found it helpful to use a nifty website called Getyedone which has helped me organise things I need to and motivate me to do more - especially things I especially don't want to do. If there any D&D'ers around or rpg gamers around you'll immediately understand the website. You sign up and make a 'character sheet' which can be a multitude of races and classes, and you start as level 1. To level up you gain exp for doing tasks of your own choosing. You choose to give yourself an amount of exp according to the difficulty of the task. It's nice to be competitive with friends and try to have the highest level while also gaining points in the type of tasks you've been doing - so, as I've been trying a lot of new recipes recently, I've gained a fair amount of points in 'cookery'. You can look at other player's character sheets and check out what skills they've gained points in, etc. It's interesting. I recommend readers to give it a go, especially if they're students. (Essay motivation!)

That's it for this post.

Food

Recently I've been trying to learn new recipes to encourage myself to:

• A) Eat healthier
• B) Eat more
• C) Feel like I could achieve something.

So far it's worked, but the project is now on stand still until I get better. From roast dinners to pudding, it's generally been a success (or so say the polite tasters), and I'd like to blog about my favourite recipes soon which probably include plum dumplings and melktert.

This reminds me to give a heads up to one of my favourite food/recipe blogs, Cakecrumbs. It is well photographed, well written, and the author/owner of the blog is generally interesting and very friendly. Well worth a visit if you're looking for things to bake next.

A wish

Dear friend,

I wish you were here. Easy thing to say I know, but. When you're not around, and I have this problem... Well, I hate to call it a problem. Or call it, it, in fact. But there is this situation, this stress, this concern, and I can't ask you any more to help me but I wish I could. You always made things clearer. I wondered how I spoilt you. I don't want to spoil anything else. Imperfect the rose and all that. But now you're not here, I don't know whether or not I'm spoiling another. Ruining. Hurting. Stamping on the flowers, blowing petals into the mud. It feels like you're just as distant as friends who have gone upstairs; found the password to a floor further up with the latch locked tight. Occasionally one might hear the music, but, there's no... Feeling. Touch. Sensation. It's just an emptiness. It feels like you are gone too. But you are not. You are with others, far, far away, on the same level but entirely distant. I mourn for you, but there is a kindness that you can live so freely and remain you. You is very important. Yourself is essential - fantastic, amazing. Never stop, please never stop being you.
But no matter how I reflect back, you're not here, and that's that. I can't ask you for your advice, no matter how good and relevant it'd be. I can't tell you that I care and remember you, I can't tell you how much I miss you, how I wish we could be in touch again, my dear friend.

Duolingo - Best free app for language on Andriod

Duolingo is a fun and creative app that is rather genius in it's way of teaching.

As described in the video above the app is free and the people behind it get money by students translating documents while they're learning. Not only is there reading and writing training, but there are listening based challenges as well which can be a little unclear to hear but useful in learning. It's a shame one can't switch listening based questions off as it not only excludes Deaf and hard of hearing users but also those who simply wish to learn how to read and write the language. When progress is dependent on listening it makes the app hard to use discreetly while travelling without earphones. Yet that's my only real complaint. The app is wonderful, and while the languages offered are currently europe-centric, by offering various free languages to learn for free in a single app without any adds and with a fun gaming element, it is defiantly a must-install for anyone interested in learning languages.

Ipswich

 

 

Ipswich is a quirky little town in the heart of Suffolk.

 

For example, check out the detail on the buildings.

 

 

I'd say this could be 'quirky'.

 

 

 

 

 



They are easy to not notice, but I like this subtleness in the town. Ipswich doesn't like to be too different after all. For example, there is the dry dock that the council recently poured a lot of money into.

 

 

 

 

But it's still in Ipswich so...

 

 

We have to put our little mark on it.

 

 

And then something different too. The TARDIS belongs to the Isaccs Pub. A busy and popular pub on the waterfront that's although its loud - is a nice place for most kinds of people to meet.

We have a fair good many pubs in fact.

And like most towns, we have graffiti, Ipswich style.

 

 

Just joking, we have more artistic artists too.

 

 

There's a lot more to the town, but I'm coming end to the photos I've took.

Until next time.

Friend

Still breaks my heart, you know. I miss you.

Osman Hamdi Bey

Since this blog has a little bit of everything, I thought it was about time I wrote a little about painters and paintings I admire. This is a small post about Osman Hamdi Bey's work.

 

 

Both of these paintings were done by the artist Osman Hamdi Bey. Not only did he create a variety of beautiful paintings, but he was also the founder of two museums in what is now Istanbul. As readers may know by now, I am particularly found of instruments, and I like the subtle-ness of the woodwind instrument behind the ladies back, the redness of the dress, the leaning forwards to greet the tortoise. I would love to see the painting live. In the second painting you see a woman reading the Qur'an. I like the religious connotations, the detail, the bright golden colour of her dress, her expression as she reads, the art in the background. The window in particular is wonderful.

 

I think in the future I will study Hamdi Bey's work and perhaps try to draw inspiration from it, though I have a feeling it'd be rather tricky.