~ Curious Charlie ~

5 Days in Bed @ Monday, July 20, 2015

I love it when series go themeing! Especially Halloween costumes, time traveling (Charmed, that episode where Piper sings and Leo's in uniform) and Film Noir! Which Charmed, PLLs and Castle did. There's always the detective and the femme fatal.

Not sure if this picture was from the same episode... cause Gates wasn't in it...

Tonight on Castle, he finds a detective's dairy and travels back into the story, in an episode called ‘The Blue Butterfly’, Castle and Beckett investigate the killing of a treasure hunter, they discover the case is linked to a mysterious homicide from 1947 involving a hard-boiled private detective. Castle realizes the only way to solve the present-day murder is to solve the murder from the past. The 1947 case comes to life through stylized flashbacks, featuring Castle as the private eye and Beckett as a femme fatale.

How do these string maps work? Wouldn't you just run into it like spider web and accidentally rip everything off the wall? I think it's called a string theory or crazy wall?

Loving Martha's Style!

Wednesday 8th July

8.30 orientation, I am not a morning person. When you meet people who you might be interested in getting to know, what do you do? I regret not bringing my card to network.

Lunch at the school caf aka food court, and I don't mean nice Emporium style. More like average. At school we have the cafeteria, the asian one, a bar and a fancy brunch place. None of which appeal to me, but brunch is on the list, because you can't go to that college and not eat at all the places worth trying.

Meeting, people running late, that's ok, I'll just lie down on the couch. Dinner plans changed, from Emporium to bread roll from To's Bakery. It was cheaper than Nhu Lan, but the bbq chicken wasn't as good in that the marinade was weak. Also the addition of deep fried croutons I don't like.

Off to a meeting. I've over committed, two events one weekend (2). What if I plan both, but get someone else to run one of them on the day? Not sure how I feel about taking someone under my wing when I barely know what I'm doing. I'm just learning along the way, with the help of our totally pro team leader who knows all.

Running to the next event I made it! I thought I was late as I expected to see lines around the corner. Nope, seats for 80 though we only had about 30. No rush, it's fine. A lovely performance with a composition from our Scottish Violinist that I quite liked! Thursday

Productivity isn't happening. 3 Days spent in bed. 3 days lost. I'm too tired (and maybe lazy? depressed?) to get up to go to the city for meetings and then have dinner (usually very late, limited options dinner).

So Sunday we're going to do a brunch on the other side of the city at a place alone. As I have no one. Everyone is married or married to work it seems. I'm the last one, the one that stayed behind.

Friday

This week's performance was 'The Barber of Seville' "one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music." A comedy with added modern references, a beautiful count. Figaro has style though his vest is too big for him which may indicate something about his character, in the same way that Macbeth's robes are too big for him.

Check out the overture at 2.09 doesn't that part sound so familiar? But wher have I heard it before? Pasta sauce ad? No wait, I think it's accidents in the kitchen, played in slow motion. It's a product they're advertzing, kitchen related. "Rossini's Overture to "The Barber of Seville" is one of the most loved and best recognized works in the classical/opera repertoire, thanks in part to its use in countless movies, commercials..."

I also found this cd of 'TV Commercial Classics' as your average American (though I'm not that average :P) I do believe the first time I heard classical music would have been in a tv ad.

Our favourite character was Basilio, Rosina's music teacher, he's the one dressed almost as a beggar. Wasn't really sure who he was at the time though, other than a friend of the dr, Bartolo, who wants to marry his ward (Sweeney Todd much?). He's the comedic one.

We also liked the governess, who rips off her uniform and unties her hair, flipping it the way shampoo ads to, and she is revealed to be a great beauty and ends up with Bartolo who is smitten at first sight.

Costumes were nice though what's with the giant buttons? And why did the cops carry wands? There was two performers playing the part of Bartolo, we saw the not bald one. The set was simple but effective, one side was the outside street looking up at the house, fish eye view - which I don't like. Turn it around and you have a large room with the front door, side doors and upstairs (just the stairs) and spot by the window/balcony.

It was in English, but we struggled, I got bits and pieces but not all of it. Most people seemed to get it though. I prefer Italian/German with English subtitles. To me it sounds more authentic as none of the great composers spoke English! e.g. Listen to this.

Looking forwards to seeing the squeal, "The Marriage of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later". The count is a different guy (ok the same, but his personality isn't). We saw the promo a few years ago, though I'm not sure why we didn't actually see the opera (lies we both took a nap during the promo). Because I recall we liked it.

Saturday

Finally watched 'Singin’ in the Rain' and didn't take a nap (because the position was comfortable and I'm often tired, not cause it was boring), le beau's favourite musical. That movie that he watches when feeling down.

I'm finding without le beau I have less motivation to get out on the weekends, in particular brunch - because I am not a morning person, he is. I wanted to go to the Flour Markets but then realized as someone who lives and is alone, that I have no one to share it with. After all I want a bite of everything and not to eat 10 different donuts/pastries.

Dinner with Esme, as we say goodbye. She's off to the states for a holiday. One day I shall travel to - when I make my own money. In the past financial year I made $133, because I was trained for the job, though never actually received any shifts.

Keeping local-ish or rather just on this side of the city we went to 'Kitchen Inn' as someone on instagram recently posted a picture of a dish I wanted to try. What that was though I don't recall, ad the phone is at the repair shop.

Teh C Special

I had the 'Nasi Lemak' ($10) the national dish of Malaysian, made up of coconut rice with an fried egg, anchovies, peanut, cucumber , sambal and chicken rendang. I wonder how that came about.

We've never had nasi lemak before and so don't have anything to compare it against, but all the elements were good. And I like the combination of textures, scents and flavours. Not a fan of anchovies as they smell. Recommended? Meh, if you like this dish then sure.

After Kitchen Inn I was feeling somewhere between an entree and main, though not too full for dessert. And so dessert was next, I never had kaya and that was on my list. With PappaRich being a couple blocks away we stopped by, French Toast for Esme and kaya for me.

Kaya Roti $8.50

It was light, not too oily and delicious! Esme said it was bigger than in the picture. I'd get this again, and buy a jar too. This would be perfect to share for two after a meal as dessert. On my own as a snack I think it was a bit much.

Sunday

"I never look back, darling. It distracts from now." - Edna Moda

I didn't look back, it pop-up at in front of me in the mirror, and it wasn't just a mirror, it was a mirror wall.

Somehow a certain pose or rather step, seen in the mirror triggered a suppressed/repressed traumatic-ish memory, because that pose was similar to a punishment. Traumatic-ish because I'm pretty resilient. I've been strangled, punched, beaten up, stabbed with a lit cigarette, accidentally pushed (nugged) down the stairs, and fallen down the escalator (that one was me, I actually did fall that time), and I've survived. My childhood is something I rather not recall. Child services was involved at some point. But it didn't get better, they tried to help. I still remember the friendly bald man with blue eyes.

There is one person in particular that was a source of my nightmares (ok by definition they're bad dreams).That someone hurt me, he pushed me around, hit me with books, kicked me and punished me (and no I'm not into BDSM or something strange) about a decade ago. And it wasn't a once off thing, it was over a couple/few years during the mid-ish 2000s.

When I moved here from San Francisco I had a fresh start, and forgot about him. I haven't thought about him since we were back home, but a step/pose today triggered that memory. Which is odd because this dance we've done many times before, but it has never happened till now. Coincidentally Brad (formally known as morman) was holding my hand at the time, I'm sure it's nothing to do with him, but panic attacks or me freaking out about something normally happens when he's dancing with me. Luckily Janet (mrs morman) soon asked me to dance.

Morman, if you're reading this, I'm sorry that whenever I tend to freak out I'm dancing with you. It's definitely me, not you, because if it was you, there is no way I'd ask you to dance with me.

So what is it that I saw that I was scared of? My reflection. I kid you not, I'm scared of my reflection in combination with a memory. He's nothing more than a bad memory now. We're not even in the same country anyone, he can't get me. And yet I'm still scared of the memories. He punished me and I never knew it was wrong, and I never knew to say no. I only ever told one person, and she told an adult who called child protect services. Till this day I'm still someone who freaks out if I get 98% and not 100%, though le beau did really help as he's so supportive and kind. And said it's ok not to always be the best at everything. But is it really?