Ode to Neti Pots, Masks and Doing Nothing In Particular

Not that I'm sick or anything, but if I was, know what is totally awesome?

Neti Pots. The bomb. My sister brought one back from the States and they may feel a little like you are holding your head upside down in a wave but do they ever clear your clogged head!

I feel quite amazing.

Also we brought face masks back from Japan. Mum got sick there so "when in Rome..."
You know when you can't breath through your nose and your mouth gets all dry and you wake up in the morning feeling a little bit like you slept with your head in a warm air vent.

Sleep with a mask on. Do it. Yes, you do look like you have a hideously infectious disease to be avoided at all costs but boy do you feel good in the morning. Vastly increases your ability to cope with any teasing about said infectious disease (or at least that's how these things go down in my house!).

Additionally,  I am celebrating the last few weeks of my summer holiday!! Before I go back to University I'm doing nothing in particular except drinking coffee and catching up on tv shows. I am trying very much to relax completely and enjoy it. I do have an teeny tiny tendency at the moment to be quite contrary like Mary Mary and argue a lot. I don't even mean to! I thought I was happy but suddenly I was 20 minutes into a discussion defending an opinion I formed on the spot and wouldn't back down from. Why? I have no idea! I needed to be contrary. Nice one. Baaaad habit, I should stick to less annoying vices like coffee.

Cafe Eighty-Eight

Hope you are having a fun beginning of your year!

love,
Puddleduck

Reconnecting With Cuteness

So I arrived home to New Zealand safely, not feeling the least bit poorly either, huh!
Have been watching movies because it's raining, as you do.

Anyone seen "How to Train Your Dragon"? A-dorable.
Like, I could just walk right into that screen and squeeze wee Toothless until his little pink tongue pops out, the gorgeous, moody cat/bat/dragon that he is.

Japan released a limited edition Toothless phone charm (of course). Way to go Japan, wish I had me one of those! May have a new and mild obsession with cute phone charms. My phone cannot attach any, go figure. But it's so cute! I would find somewhere to put it. 

In fact, may have a renewed love for all things cute.

It's reasonably common knowledge that Japan has cute stuff. "Kawaii" slogans, jingles, posters, mascots, cartoons. To be honest I never really found the typical stuff cute. Pokémon for example: Pikachu was just a fat yellow hamster who looked like his tail had been shut in the door. Maybe it had been and that's why he was always so grumpy...

Guys? Japan does cute gooood. I mean, real good. I bought their special edition angel teddy doughnuts I didn't even like the taste of all that much just because I couldn't resist their little cute faces singin' their little doughnut jingle, awww. Heck, I wished I was there longer to get a point card to score one of their adorable silver and pink doughnut phone charms!

A part of me had reawakened. My weakness for all things cute that had been keeping quiet and acting all mature was freed! It was surely being exploited to the fullest whilst I was there and I was loving every minute of it! This year is the year of usagi, rabbit (also my birth year). I now own a lot of things with rabbits on them, I left even more on the shelves *sigh*.

So thanks Japan. I feel a little lighter, freer. More authentic and less cynical. Warm and fuzzy even. And so much more now can I appreciate the adorable movies I come across.

love,
Puddleduck

I Don't Get Sick

I don't get sick.

I'll co-exist with influenza, swine influenza, head-colds, you name it and I won't get sick.

That is why I currently do not have an excruciatingly sore and grating throat. It doesn't hurt if I cough, which I don't do very much at all anyway.

And I did not just have to gargle hideous gag-inducing mouthwash to kill any bacteria in my mouth.

That is all.

I'm Popping Out, Shan't Be Long!

My friend Julia walking on rocks around the Mount

Tomorrow morning at 3am we are driving to Auckland to fly to Japan for a wee trip.

3 and a half weeks we will be gone. Mum is going through my grandad's memoirs to find where he was stationed in WWII. I'm looking forward to standing where he once did. To remember him and appreciate how our world has changed in just two generations.

We are travelling Honshu: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima etc. Some dear friends are there I am so excited to visit :D

I was going to organise to post while I was away, but probably won't after all...I promise I'll take lots of photos and post them here :D

Have a fantastic and great New Year's celebration!
love,

Puddleduck

Wuv, Twuu Wuv

Today at work an older couple came in, they were holding hands. Not linking hands. Not clasping like they were dependant on each other. Just holding hands, arthritic and gentle. All tender-like.

Like they were out together because they really enjoyed each other. Not out of habit or necessity. Like when they spent time together, it was purposeful and joyous. Natural as breathing.

They were admiring the art, making jokes with us sales-ladies, winking. Adorable.

As my manager said,
"I love shit like that."

Hear, hear.
Love, and Merry Christmas Eve-Eve

Puddleduck

P.s. I'm pretty sure I just ate the last candy cane on the tree, I'm also pretty sure no one else has had any.

I Want To Go To There

Source Wikimedia via Kuriositas

What a cool/weird/awesome/beautiful/unexpected place!
Go, yes?
love,

Puddleduck

Oh Santa!

I may be sharing too much, but I love Mariah, especially at Christmas...



My trip coming up is overshadowing Christmas. I'm feeling sad about it. Christmas is my FAVOURITE time of the year! Lucky we are having a big Christmas party next week :D

I want to make these:

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, courtesy of Martha Stewart

I should really move to the Northern hemisphere so I can have a white Christmas; my favourite season is winter, darn.

The Body Shop has glitter make-up out at the moment too! I love the sparkle eyeliner, and the sparkle spray. Sometimes I am such a girl.

Bring on the festivities!
love,

Puddleduck

Lists

I am always immediately energised by writing lists. Lists, lists, lovely lists...

This afternoon I was working on my Christmas present list. Walking home from work I was going over my master to-do list.

I swear, writing it all down is all the fun. Once it's all written down I promptly forget everything. Hence the need for incessant list-writing, I suppose. Tonight I instigated nothing on my list; watched Aladdin with my brother and my dad.

Awesome.

love,


Puddleduck

p.s. I really love lists

She Is In Fine Form This Evening Folks

I may or may not look a little bit like this (source)

I'm a lazy arse; it completely slipped my mind that I was going to write today. 1am is not too late, nor an irresponsible time to be awake when working, yeah we understand each other.

So what did I do today? Planning trip later this month blah blah blah, will cost more than anticipated blah blah blah, short on funds. Working, working but/and staying up too late.

Mum has enlisted my services to prepare a Christmas supper and I just 'had' to test the cookie recipe. Hmmm. One may not wish to describe me as 'petite'. Wonder, why on earth?

Blah blah blah, sleep is gooood...
love,

Puddleduck

Sure Thing, I Can Be Consistent

And with that assurance to myself, I aim to write a little more often. Righto.

Yay for me and my bold confidence; I will be out of the country for the last of the month and will nevertheless work around it. Aren't I intimidatingly efficient? In the style of those bloggers who are all about the productivity? Ambitiously I am telling the world (there you are guys, you are the world to me whoever you are) about my plans.

It's amazing how accustomed one can get to doing nothing... Since arriving home from university I have done not much at all. Now I have picked up some work I'm all tired and pathetic at 10pm. A little lame, yes indeedy.

So to bed I said, I will catch ya'll tomorrow...
Love,

Puddleduck

Just Do It

I flew home North

The blank page

There is nothing written here.

Well...now there is.

That wasn’t so hard was it?

"For flip's sake!" (shout-out Father)
love,

Puddleduck

Links > Study

Central Library 8am

I am also working I swear, that's why this post has been so long coming...And why I've written little else recently...Also, I'm still not baking!! Proud?


Accurate, succinct but uncomfortable plot summaries.
I especially like:
"ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST: Disruptive mental patients treated"
"SERENITY: Men fight for possession of scantily clad mentally ill teenage girl"
"SCARFACE: Immigrant finds running his own business stressful, dangerous"

Rabbits, the Moon and World Peace

At least the weather isn't distracting...Although it did hail awesomely today, so never mind.

Amuse me Internet, for I have much work to do...


Do you sport a moustache? Like to? Never fear, you are not alone.

"The Lost Art of Studying" or "I Seem To Have Misplaced Some Productivity, Have You Seen It?"

It Made My Day

Snickerdoodles

Don't let the photo fool you, these things are small but scoffable.

Friday 12pm

I do remember cleaning the kitchen, making a cup of tea to hop into bed and read some cases (laaaame, you say. Alas 'tis exams, I reply)... The last clear memory I have is of absent-mindedly flicking through one of my recipe books.
So how did I end up here?? Half-way through a batch of snickerdoodles. The kitchen, where it once was clean, is now strewn with mixing bowls and spices...

And so this weekend I baked, and studied. Perhaps am seeking some sense of accomplishment in the kitchen for lack of such in contract law? (I am also perfecting bagels at the moment, but that's a post for another time). 

Snickerdoodles

Dunedin Is Crazy

It will come as no surprise to those of you who live here, but
Dunedin is mad, people!


Case in point:

View of George St last week. Yes, that is snow.

Studying on campus today, 20°C.

Dude,
People who visit here must be like whaaaaat?

Happy weather-predicting,
love,

Puddleduck

How to Do Stuff

What is beside laptop whilst writing this

University exams loom over me.

So naturally my thoughts turn to many things, all within the overarching theme of "un-law-related". (Spending my time researching on how best to study effectively can count as effective study, right?)

Ingredient: Gochujang

As a student, I have come to a compromise with myself. I am allowed to buy one ingredient that is expensive every fortnight or so...If I happen to forgo other ingredients to purchase it, well then meals are interesting :D

So the other week I made an excursion to the asian grocer and for the last fortnight I have be cooking with:

Gochujang!

The Weekend Couldn't Make Up Its Mind

Photo by Matt Stuart

Well, regarding the weather at least.
And I suppose neither could I; it was an eclectic bunch of links I found this weekend...