Onions and Orchids, Dairy and Daisies, Ricotta and Roses

Every Wednesday, local farmers bring their produce to Brown's campus and sell delicious fresh fruit and vegetables to hungry, hippie college students. The market is on Wriston Quad, a large grassy courtyard that is just outside Buxton's doors, and today I decided to enjoy the sunshine and the luxury of having some spare cash and went "bhejji" shopping.
I bought 3 teenie eggplants from this super-friendly Korean woman who said I look exactly like her 16-year old daughter (mm I think not, but OK), 5 ears of corn and a small bag of super-sour, crazily crunchy apples picked at the stable where my roommate goes horse-riding. I've recently fallen in love with the feel and taste of every vegetable imaginable. Meat just doesn't do it for me anymore. There's something so warm and tender about the greens and browns and reds and oranges and yellows and purples and pinks and beiges (I don't discriminate based on colour) of vegetables - meat just strikes me as cold, brash and pretentious. Also, I realize how little you have to do to make non-meat/fish things taste good: wash, cut/chop, chew...YUM!
I bought some olive-Sourdough which I shall initiate with my lunch partner tomorrow. I am thinking of pairing it with some brie and then serving it with an eggplant-mushroom-parmesan pasta-salad. I believe this menu shall make her happy :) It certainly makes me smile.

I also sealed my official entry into the "Girl Club" (thanks Dani!) by purchasing a jar [ahem] bouquet of flowers for our room. How pretty they look sitting atop our fridge.

***I possess the ability to choose when and what I eat on a daily basis. In our world, this is truly a privilege. My DAY O'FOOD really served as a reminder for another reason I should be eternally thankful for all that I have. ---> Click to Give @ The Hunger Site

When My Mood Mirrors The Stock Market...

I've been a little moody over the past few days. I hate acting out when nothing is really wrong. I'm not usually one to draw up tables and use logic to determine my mood...but, Grumpiness is not my favourite style of outerwear and I know that something's horribly wrong when even House music isn't upping the smile quotient. Alors, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Task: 10 minutes to type out as many things that are bringing Joy into my life...15 minutes to type out as many things that are taking Joy away.

:)
- Skype dates with my beloved Vietnam-explorer
- sexy/sultry/silly smiles, playful punches, beautiful noise, hallway jam sessions, INITIATION (eeeep!), party planning, comfy couches, loving futons, welcoming carpets, teaaaaa, chats, heart-to-hearts, house-community-LOVE --- BUXTON
- Olive oil-garlic-spring onions-mushrooms-spinach-salt to taste + Pita bread
- International Mentoring Programme [aka "International Modelling Programme"-- pictures are forthcoming] : barbecues, boisterous buses, beach basking, bxtn lounge partying, buzzzzzzz
- Armin van Buuren
- 26°C weather
- Orange-yellow scarves
- San Pellegrino LIMONATA *yummmmm*
- Toothy grins
- Aviators. mine in particular :P
- Chocolate soy milk moustaches
- Laughing Out Loud. really loud.
- Classy cool
- BIG bags. because they're sexy and hold a lot of stuff.
- Avocado
- Beedi Jalaile
- Pimm's!
- A State of Trance Episodes 365 & 368
- Memories of moments that will never come again
- A warm bed and plump pillows
- Skinny jeans
- The soft smell of South African Red Roiboos Vanilla tea on a Sunday morning
- Lectures, seminars, homework, classes (weird, I know)
- Loving you 100%

:(
- Obnoxious freshmen
- Lack of space
- 500 pages of reading a week (eek)
- Drunk fratboys and their animalistic tendencies
- Indian-Americans
- Being behind on Gossip Girl
- Not going to the gym
- BIG bags. because they hold a lot of stuff and make you look unsexy as you rummage through them looking for miniscule USB drives.
- Photos taken during eating-time. no matter how good your camera is or your skills are, those shots are...A-W-K-W-A-R-D! jeez.
- Amazing shoes...that pinch my toes.
- Barely masked misogyny (ARGH!)
- Beer
- Unanswered phone calls.
- Wondering if you care.

Wow...I feel so lame. Even with 5 extra minutes, I couldn't come up with half as many reasons to be sad than happy. Note to self: your life is amazing! Quit whining. Congratulate yourself on finishing History reading, change into your jammies, eat your delicious cup of vanilla yogurt while watching the latest episode of The Hills (no greater reward, believe me), listen to Ferry Corsten's "Radio Crash" (which, by the way, you, reader, should listen to too...it's sooo good) one last time and sleep.

I am blessed. I am embarrassed for trying to convince myself otherwise.

Running, Spinning, Sailing

Autumn is upon us. I'm sitting on my bed, looking out the window and I can see the edges of every green leaf take on a goodbye-sunny-summer orange-red colour. It's disturbing. On one hand, autumn is indeed the time of warm, deep colours, the beginning of the countdown to Christmas (no, I promise I'm not one of those old ladies who starts buying discounted decorations from supermarkets in September) and wrapped-up-in-a-shawl-drinking-tea nights...and on the other hand, autumn signals the end of that season of love, magic and (the kind you can dance in) rain -- SUMMAH! Autumn signals the beginning of "reality". For the eternal dreamer, this is highly and very fundamentally disruptive.

Does anyone have a cure for how to get over this feeling of impending doom??

My short-term solutions:
1. Drowning myself in San Pellegrino Aranciata
2. Running away to New Haven and finding new dreams
3. Sandals!
4. Champagne, laser lights and smoke machines
5. Going back to 2001 and listening to "Chase The Sun" by Planet Funk [PLEASE listen to this song/click on this link - even if you don't usually like electronic music, this song will make you want to fly]
6. Keeping the bounce in my step, the HOUSE MUSIC in my ears and the sunshine in my heart

Amazing xxx

FEEL IT!

My favourite song from the Spring has FINALLY been released! It took them almost 6 months to finally get it out but, let me tell you, the wait was worth it!

DJ DLG & Erick Morillo - Where Are You Now (Demo Mix)

I just ordered a new set of Bose speakers (and for the record - friends at Brown, I refuse to haul them around to enhance our movie-watching sessions in your dorms/apartments...these babies shall be more precious to me than life itself) and they arrived a day after the release and my purchase (that's right - PURCHASE) from beatport of the song. I decided not to listen to any bootleg versions of the song before it was officially released by Subliminal Records and now...this feeling that I have after hearing it for the first time in stereo sound...I can only describe it as the purest form of joy. Please join me in celebrating the birth of the greatest song in the history of our world! (at least for the next few days until I get another tune to go crazy about :P)

Buxton International House

Open doors and sharing snippets of the self. Stand-up comedy and fighting over Federer vs Nadal (aka Federer > Nadal). Baking cakes and sipping soy milk. Parties at VIVA and yelling newly discovered tunes across the hallway. Ironic cardboard-box-fights and no-shoes policies. Brushing-teeth conversations and inappropriate bathroom jokes. Burly boys and their girly gossip. Guitar playing and SaveTonight singing in the grassy-green courtyard. Buxton Belonging.

So much joy!

"This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another"
- 1 John 3:11

BXTN <3