WaffleJungle

Came across this poem by John Keats. I couldn’t fathom the reason why, it seemed to resonate with me.

Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art —
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like Nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors —
No — yet still stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever — or else swoon to death.

– John Keats

“I have a burning question.”

I can’t help but to smile with amusement when I heard in a meeting. A common enough phrase, yet uncommonly used.

How often doth we engage in passionate endeavours? How often do we have the opportunity to do something we love?

I took the long way home today again, choosing to alight the bus a stop earlier then I should so that I could take a stroll. As I walked through the strip of a park, my mind wandered to piano lessons I stopped 2 years ago. I miss the feeling of my fingertips on the smooth ivory keys. I miss the challenge of deciphering all the bean-sprout notes. I had to cancel my piano classes due to work time constraints.

I’ve always wanted to play the piano. Never had the chance.. A couple of years ago, when I told her I signed up for piano classes, my mom broke my heart when she apologised, with tears in her eyes, “I’m sorry I couldn’t let you go for piano lessons. We could not afford it.”

Growing up, we could not afford many things. I’ve never blamed my parents for it.

I was rather happy with what I got. In fact, I made do with reading up and experimenting with the keyboard I had. In fact, as I remember the days, I had that bit of passionate curiosity that enabled me to self-teach from scratch, basic things like playing simple piano tunes, embroider, crochet, knit (yes.. I was rather domestic once), photoshop. As I got older, things I learnt got lesser in both scope and depth. I’ve fallen victim to Time.

At the moment, I have quite a few things I want to do. Yet, I feel stuck as I am.

I want to learn darkroom photography, I want to learn drawing, I want to finish up some pieces I have and to try my hand at working with metal. I still want to finish up my Nihongo classes and to go back to my piano lessons again.

Oh the irony.

Burn. Burning. Burnt.

Besides the monthly bills, I’ve grown to really love snail mail. For one, different wonderful postcards from all over the world appears in my humble little metal pigeon hole. And, what makes online shopping so fun, is when your parcel arrives.

With synchronized coincidence, all three of my recent Etsy purchases arrived – on the SAME day!

Looking at all three, its not hard to guess that the flavour of the month is – handmade metal pretties.

Etsy - Lisa Hopkins' etched sterling silver jewelry

Etsy - Laura Flavin's Modern Bird Jewelry

Etsy - Tigerlilyshop's Plastic Rings & Nature Inspired Metal Things

Love the simplistic designs and especially the intricate details.