I've been enamored with dark academia atmosphere lately (more than usual, coz thankfully now I've got the full space to put in all the decors!), and to get into it deeper I finally decided to do my most expensive book-shopping for the year: an original copy of The Secret History by Donna Tartt, with its classic edition cover seen everywhere on Pinterest for USD $13.5 lol!
At first, I tried looking for the e-version in Play Store, but then I realized that for this one I just have to have the hard copy coz now it's not just about acquiring knowledge, getting enlighted or just having fun mentally. This time I'm after the whole tactile pleasure of experiencing a book!
The major inspirations were the videos by R.C. Waldun, even though I wasn't actually intrigued by their content. I think it's his overall enthusiasm for learning - I can sense how I too can tap into that GENUINE PLEASURE in reading.
To read for reading's own sake. Like, to live for life's own sake.
The pure joy of EXPERIENCE!
Can't remember when was my last time savoring reading a book just for the fun of it vs just getting a specific knowledge or skimming the simplified essence via those "book summary" apps! Can't believe I just discovered there's such thing as pure love for reading: to savor the flow of words, to get lost in imagination, to ride along the story's ups and downs! I'm now even enjoying learning new words as well, as I have my dictionary app nearby. I mean, despite my natural inclination to learning and moderate self-discipline, I still get bored sometimes but somehow not anymore at this moment!
It's as if my judgmental ego has taken a back seat for a while.. maybe this is what they call the flow state? Maybe this is how we're meant to LIVE, not just when reading, working, etc..? I thought I've grasped & practiced (kinda 70-95% of the time) the "Carpe Diem" philosophy, apparently there are still branches / depths I haven't explored!
Thanks so much o' Universe for this amazing moment of the real delight of reading!
Thanks so much that I can afford the books!
Thanks so much that I can afford particularly this "The Secret History" book!
Thanks so much that I can afford EVERYTHING ELSE supporting this experience, MATERIAL & IMMATERIAL god Ima feeling so already like a billionaire I can't even..!!
***
PS:
"Reading for reading's sake."
Wonder if I can apply this practice to EVERYTHING I'm doing (including writing this post coz I still felt it as a chore / to-do list to cross off, haha..)!!
..until it finally becomes living for life's sake..!!
This October I was already planning another daily art project (coz Halloween time is my favorite time!) but alas circumstances didn't allow me as I had to be busy moving out. After 4 days of packing-loading-moving-unloading, FINALLY I finished moving out of dorm and moving into my new
rental home..!! FINALLY Ima have
MY OWN wiiiiide space yeeehawww..!!!
Actually it's been three weeks already since I moved but even today I still haven't finished totally settling down coz I simply must clean up my things before I organize and put them on a rack, in the room, and so on to feel complete - one dusty book (about 6-7 standard boxes) at a time, one pair of shoes, one vase, one (book) case, one box of art medium, one electronic equipment etc at a time! And I had to get a few new things too along the way to help organize and doll up the space.
One thing I'd miss from my old place? The
dorm kitty, "Queen Sheba", whom I didn't succeed pilling when she got flu lol (later somehow she managed to recover on her own). Thankfully there's another guy who's fond of that kitty too so
now he's in charge of her daily meal and EVERYTHING mwahaha..!! Bye bye mah queen, be a good kitty when I'm gone! *cries*
Love you always & forever, my elegant, independent, adventurous queen kitty, kiss-kiss, hug-huggg..!!
And about my new place? Just LOVE the house: the original interior design and amenities, great
access to important facilities nearby, quiet & safe neighborhood, kind and
reliable landlord, and all with REASONABLE, AFFORDABLE PRICE!! Just
thanks so much o' kind & generous Universe..!!
Aaah mon dieu.. thanks so much for the rooms - ALL for me me ME!! Finally I've got more than enough space for storage, clutter no moar! And as I'm happily sleeping in the living room (the sofa-bed is already comfy), I can use the master bedroom for my surreal-ish zen garden project or general 'photo studio', and the second bedroom for my LIBRARY and music studio, yassss..!! (Though still saving for a digital piano and other instruments, full sound system, and soundproofing for the walls.) Can't wait to finally go FULL THROTTLE with my art projects, writing projects, puzzle hunts, songwriting and performing, and all possible combination projects there are..!!! But I'm gonna need time to adjust coz since I've been here I tend to continue my sleep so soundly until noon lmao - that's how peaceful this place is!
Call me dramatic, I mean by thousands of sunken treasures to me this is like a SUPERNOVA. no, more like a birth of a star (maybe out of 'destruction' / leaving the old state), BLOOMING OF A FLOWER, a thundering rain after a 400-year drought, a lone survivor made it to a lush tropical island after 50 days floating on the rough sea..!! With significantly more space, means a great, HUGE deal of blockages are FULLY LIFTED, VIRTUALLY ZERO defense and inhibitions!!! Finally, I can DROP 99% of my SURVIVAL stance and TOTALLY PLAY - I mean I've dropped already a great deal of those already since a few years ago (hope I'll be brave enough to tell the story someday) but this checkpoint is an ENTIRELY NEW BREAKTHROUGH LEVEL IMA SO HAPPY CRYING CRYSTAL TEARS..!!! Aaahahahahahaha.. I made it, I FREAKIN' MADE IITTT..!!!
Present alignment is great enough..!!
Back to Earth, some complaints though:
1. The running water is not so ideal, so I have to get extra filters myself, thankfully those are relatively cheap and work wonderfully! 2. The place is generally 98% clean but apparently can't help having the
roaches (indoor & outdoor) and 1-2 rats (outdoor), ugggh, especially in this rainy season!! Doesn't matter, Ima ready for WARRR using all the traps, repellents, poisons, BB guns, etc
etc WHATEVER IT TAKES until they're GONE 99,99% in 100 m radius..!!
3. Since now I've got all the wide space for myself, the mosquitos are now a problem too. Also the flying termites in this rainy season, huehh..!
4. When it's raining cats and dogs (which always is, in the rainy season), the main road which contains a pretty strategic intersection to other main roads would get flooded, thus there is horrible traffic. But thankfully the home has multiple access, which means there are many ways to get here, although those alternate roads might get jam-packed as well coz everybody else would look for alternate routes too *facepalm*.
Not fully ideal but this is so much enough for now! Guess I'll be really 100% liberated and happy once I find a totally-me rental home or buy or build my own: one with a super wide lawn where I can build a full-scale Japanese rock garden complete with a fish pond, mini fountain & waterfall, etc etc and a thick-walled, fully padded, and stocked music studio, all of course with superb amenities, great access to important facilities but located somehow in the middle of 'nowhere' lmao - next bucket list in the game!
My version of table zen garden.
Anyway, EVERYTHING is SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER now, thanks so much dear Universe! Au revoir, my old setup, which I had been grateful for as well!
My lovely, contemplative, dark-academia-ish old workspace.
A journaling session.
My guilty-not-guilty pleasure: printing & collecting curious criminal cases, huehehe.. (All sorts of "-cides" coz human behaviors are so intriguing!.)
Gotta show off this cool SP logo design I discovered & bought mwahaha..!
A puzzle hunt session.
Loved my artificial 'indoor garden'! Let's see if I can finally get real plants from now on.
Work Play time!
Carpe diem!!
The black marble texture, the artificial plants, and those raw amethysts were kinda grounding & calming to me.
A very late night e-journaling session via my phone.
Thanks so much o' Universe that I actually got everything I needed in this transition: the fund to survey for houses in locations far apart, the fund to help with the move, the fund for rent and every other bill necessary, even the fund for extra decors, not to mention my physical, mental, emotional, spiritual HEALTH & INDEPENDENCE (which are waaaay worth beyond golds and diamonds)..!!!
'Thanks' even for all the past shortcomings, blockages, problems from the old places coz those have truly made me STRONGER from the ground up, not to mention made me able to GENUINELY. APPRECIATE. all the good things in this new place..!!
And now, NEW BIGGER WORLD, heeeere I coooommeee..!!
Le nouveau setup, still lots to organize and decorate.
New horizon awaits!
*****
PS:
Oh hello there!
Found a Lord Kitteh!
I noticed now most cats around here have owners, seemingly well-cared and happy coz either they're wearing tags or simply look clean and gorgeous like the one above - good sign! Anyway, I'd still be happy to feed any stray I meet around if any coz you simply must protect all kittehs in the multiverse..!!
But wait, there's more! Because thanks to the specifically Krazie Cat contest, I finally got to do the long-postponed new series of oil pastels cat paintings. Here are the works so far, come check them out in my other accounts: @BlackCloverCreations, @BlackDiceArt, @Mysterenity, & @HavenofInnocence!
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USD $50 
4,000 points
