I remember when first  time I bought my umbrella in a store at University Centre. It was summer and raining. At my surprise, I found quite annoying that it was frequently raining and it's summer. In the store, I grabbed my umbrella and while paying for that, I made my small conversation to the seller. He's a quite old man. I started my saying "It's summer, isn't it?" He looked at me and then smiled and said "Well, that's what it's said in the calender, I'm afraid". Then he continued "Welcome to England" and kept smiling.. I smiled too, of course and that small conversation cheered me up. 

Now, it's quite like spring. It's not spring. The weather is just like spring. And those of us expecting snowing this winter like last year's are quite surprising to find the weather. When I checked weather forecast, it says it's 10 degree, more less. It's bit windy and a lot raining somehow.. Anyway, sometime life is surprising. Ah, remember Forest Gump saying "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get" until you get it.

I don't go anywhere this break though. I'm very much occupied by my writing as a deadline is approaching. And I do also spend time for watching movies, somehow. I watched again John Pilger's video about Agro Power and how food is used to be a means of political, economic and military influence. That film setting was in 1970s but the message is still quite relevant now. Then, I just wonder how the 'poor countries' couldn't manage to feed their people. For some reasons, I suppose it has something to do with the corruption in a way that the 'food aid' is used by the elites of the 'poor countries' to corrupt. Secondly, sometimes it has something to do with the good willing in a way that the elites simply don't care and are occupied by efforts to maintain their power, privileges and whatever they can get rid of from their political position. In the other end, powerful country who control the world food distribution use it as a means for imposing whatever they want over the countries need it. What a perfect confluence and dying because of the hunger is what it could make. That's the point of what John is trying to convey, I think. And I think it's quite true when it is said "There is enough for everybody's need but not enough for anybody's greed".

Anyway, thank you to Yingzhen for delicious dinner. Dumpling, chicken-carrots-potatoes, and eggs-tomatoes. And for sure, all the conversations...

New year is coming and resolution, anyone? :)


 

Snow is not coming to Christmas this year

December. Time passes so soon and then in a blink it will be 2012. God, sometimes I just can't believe how times fly away. I think I keep saying this over and over. And the changes I wish for, most of them do not take place. No piercing, no gaining weight, no much progress and so on. Well, but that's not entirely true though. To be fair, the other half true is that I started to enjoy taking pictures again, there was a time I found facebooking is just wasting time and therefore I turned it off many times, my thesis is on the way and so on..

Indeed some change but others remain so. Oh yeah, another good change, I don't complain about the weather any more. I successfully switched off the negative attitude on the weather. I came to realisation that no matter how hard I complain about it, the weather won't change but remains so. And then I enjoyed the weather most of the time. Oh, but the snow is not coming this Christmas and that's fine :)

 

I sometimes if not very often feel lonely though. Yes, I do. It is not that there are not people to talk with but talking to someone who is on the same board and willing to spend time for hours just talking whatever it is, is not easy here. I have been used to shout my 'wild thinking' if you like from politics to whatever it is freely. But now, there is no much chance to do that. 

I think I cope with that by feeding my brain with some critical movies or readings. Lately, I enjoy watching John Pilger's documentary films. As usual, John has a fascinated story telling ability to explain things and yet shaking if you like. Not only due to its way to connect between 'big' thing and 'every day reality' faced by ordinary people but also the messages he wants to convey which is critical in the sense that it's quite opposite from the mainstream picture. I enjoyed reading New Internationalist as well.

No white Christmas anyway... Global warming?? Hah, that's tough to discuss now..