No one belongs here more than you

Is a book by Miranda July. It was wonderful to read it. My favourite story is about middle way through the book, with the 2 friends (perhaps girlfriends?) stripping for the old lady. Forgot what it was called though. Recently I discovered the website link for the book. Wonderful x 2.

See it here yourself: http://noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com/

My copy is yellow. I'm glad I don't have to purchase the pink one.

Warhol Beauty Philosophy

How can one live without knowing Andy Warhol's philosophy on beauty? Andy knows everything, from art to business to beauty. (All quotes came from The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again.)

Weight isn’t important the way the magazines make you think it is. I know a girl who just looks at her face in the medicine cabinet mirror and never looks below her shoulders, and she’s four or five hundred pounds but she doesn’t see all that, she just sees a beautiful face and therefore she thinks she’s a beauty. And therefore I think she’s a beauty, too, because I usually accept people on the basis of their self-images, because their self-images have more to do with the way they think than their objective-images do. Maybe she’s six hundred pounds, who knows. If she doesn’t care, I don’t.

Be proud of yourself no matter how your body is. You are you. Believe in yourself. If you have the confidence, f*ck the other people. They have their problems. You can see it in the next quote too:

Beauty really has to do with the way a person carries it off. When you see “beauty” it has to do with the place, with what they’re wearing, what they’re standing next to, what closet they’re coming down the stairs from.

But then one's beautiness also can affected by other variables...

Sometimes something can look beautiful just because it’s different in some way from the other things around it. One red petunia in a window box will look very beautiful if all the rest of them are white, and vice-versa.

This is very true in a way. The surrounding does provide a backdrop that either compliment or disturb one's beautiness. (okay this kind of contradicts the first quote...) And here comes the last quote of the day:

If you’re naturally pale, you should put on a lot of blush-on to compensate. But if you’ve got a big nose, just play it up, and if you have a pimple, put on the pimple cream in a way that will make it really stand out — “There! I use pimple cream!” There is a difference.

This is meant to poke fun at people including myself - many thought the use of make-up (without proper skills and materials) would enhance one on how others would perceive them, but really they are just self-comforting.

What is your beauty philosophy?

Creativity vs. Self-destruction

The best and the most passionate art are often created at the peak of emotional times. We are more sensitive and prone to the delicacy of feelings. As we experience deeper bond or separation with another, our art would also reflect the sublime at the moment and spread like an uncontrollable forest fire. The deep passion experienced at the moment would transform and burst out as creativity. However, if emotions are going strong towards the negative direction, depression and various forms of self-destruction would happen on the artist likely. Creative people are always on the edge on tipping over the being-conscious-and-rational line. Some sort of beyond the typical or normal state experience will bring in new things and ideas.

For further reading regarding the topic of creativity and self-destruction, I would suggest Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction, edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev. It collected stories from multiple creative female contributors describing their own self-destruction and how they dealt with the challenges. See more information here.

Craziness for a book

I'll start March with a story about my craziness. I have gone far enough with the purchase of this book - it's not easy to get my hands on it (of course it could be easily done if I'm willing to pay crazy for shipping).

I've my eyes on it since it was first mentioned in an article on Fridae around October 2008. So after reading that article, I went to the project organizer's website, read information on how to buy the book (which doesn't really help as they only provide info for people who are currently in HK), and then went on emailing one of their contacts. Connie, one of the contacts, replied that I could get the book via Fridae shopping, or she can accept money personally via Paypal. For Fridae, obviously it didn't work because even now they don't have the book listed in their shop. As for paying through Paypal with Connie, she didn't get back to me after a month or so - I decided not to bother her anymore. I would just wait and wait until I get to HK and I go get the book myself. 2008 passed and 2009 came. I'm working in Shanghai and going back to Hong Kong for Chinese new year. Here's my chance! However, as I was sticking with my parents all the time and going to lots of different places, I don't really have access to bookstores by myself (no I'm not out to them yet). I did manage to check out one in the shopping plaza underneath my apartments a day before I leave HK (I know I was late, but I couldn't find an excuse earlier to go out by myself), but they ran out of stock. ARGH. The sales assistant said the closest place to get the book was in Causeway Bay. I know I would regret a lot if I didn't manage to get the book before I leave, I decided to head to CWB 2 hours before going to the airport even though I was super sick and dizzy, finding a random but workable excuse for my parents that I want a specific book. So I went and got the book. That's the story.


Wondering what made me doing crazy stuff like this? The full title of this book is called《艾love女人一一香港會愛上女人的女人口述歷史》(roughly translates as "I Love Women: Oral History of Hong Kong Women Who Loves Women"), 2008, organized and edited by a group of volunteers, published in traditional Chinese. Although I only spent my childhood years in Hong Kong, I do want to know more about HK women who love women and their stories. Plus I'm in love with reading right now (should of know that way way earlier). Getting back on topic, the book listed numerous stories of women from diverse backgrounds, of different generations, and with various self identities. And the last chapter included a fun piece of writing on "TB 背心" (chest binding vests) and how they act like the wonderful push-up bras for most women, but rather provide the miracle of "push-down" for tomboys and butch ladies. The book also included a bookmark which gives the definitions and explainations of many of the popular terms used within the HK lesbian community or gay culture in general.

Check out the book description and purchasing information from 香港女同盟會 (Women Coalition of Hong Kong) by clicking here.