On the brink of thirtydom

Mon, 30 Jan 2012
1 min read
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Janet picks up her fortune cookie,
Then puts it down, turns to her friend:
“Don’t bank too much on youth. Your rookie
Season is drawing to an end.
John, things we would – when young – not think of,
Start to make sense when, on the brink of
Thirtydom, we pause to scan
What salves and salads cannot ban,
The earliest furrows on our faces,
The loneliness within our souls,
Our febrile clawing for mean goals,
Our programmed cockfights and rat races,
Our dreary dignity, false pride,
And hearts stored in formaldehyde

— Vikram Seth, The Golden Gate

No worries – no anxiety. Just reading a very good book and felt those were awesome lines.

Waterway to travel.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012
1 min read
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Canal between St Andrew's Junior College and St Andrew's School.

This boat faithfully trawls the canal between SAJC and SAS to pick up litter and leaves on a regular basis (every week or so, I estimate).

Based on this, I’ve had some students who’ve suggested using this waterway as a transport route as part of their Project Work [1].

If students can do it, what more adults?

That’s why I think it’s possible for our urban planners to come up with more creative solutions to solve our transport woes instead of just razing buildings and fattening roads [2].

Links

Stuff you must read today (Fri, 20 Jan 2012)

Fri, 20 Jan 2012
2 min read
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  • “I Love You, You Smell Nice” | ELLE
    “When we say, poleaxed, ‘What’s that perfume? I really like it,’ here’s what we mean: Stealing a kiss in a cab, drinking a Manhattan, which I have never drank before, in Manhattan, where I have never been before tonight”.
     
  • Found Someone’s CD Collection On The Sidewalk | Thought Catalogue
    “I’m a child of the 90s. I remember what it meant to build a CD collection: spending hours at Sam Goody or FYE or Tower or some other vaguely intimidating mall record store buying albums one at a time for $16 a pop, reading the back of the jewel case for 10 minutes, trying to decide if the band’s other nine songs were as good as the one you heard on the radio, knowing they probably weren’t, and buying it anyway”.
     
  • Navigating Love and Autism | The New York Times
    For all my autistic friends.
     
  • Let Simon Decide
    Let Simon Decide is a decision-making site that gives advice to help you decide what option you should choose, in the event you should ever find yourself in a dilemma.
     
  • How to Get and Stay Married | TIME Ideas
    1. Know that the grass ain’t greener
    2. Fight fair!
    3. Be good, giving and game
    4. Never stop flirting
    5. Find mentors

    — I’ve never been married, but I’d say this advice works, even for couples in long-term relationships.