observations of the real world

based on an assignment by poet marie howe

we saw some people on neocities (vashti, sarah, chey) doing this and decided to jump on the bandwagon! the goal is to document 10 observations of the real world per week, without using metaphor or abstraction.

1. (8/11/24) i saw two magpies next to each other, which made me happy. my best friend taught me a rhyme that says that if you see two of them together, it's a sign of joys to come. if you see just one, it's a sign of sorrow, but you can un-sorrow yourself by saluting at it.
2. (8/11/24) the door of the corner shop is still broken. if you push it with any amount of force, it slams wide open. it's been like this for days.
3. (8/11/24) one of the artists at the exhibition made a contraption that knits shit socks if you turn a handle for a minute or two. it is very impressive!
4. (8/11/24) our friend megan's art is absolutely stunning. the lurid colours and soft forms she uses are remarkable, as well as the stories she tells.
5. (8/11/24) i felt that collective magic of community again, when reading poetry at the exhibition. i felt completely lucid. it was beautiful.
6. (9/11/24) there is a snail on the frame of the door to our house, or maybe a shell without a host.
7. (9/11/24) the sea is a milky turquoise shade, and so calm - there's almost no wind. there was a south asian couple getting married at the sea, taking photos. the bride was so beautiful, dressed in red.
8. (9/11/24) chronic pain makes life unbearable sometimes.
9. (11/11/24) the sky is so bright, and it feels amazing to be awake in the daylight again. i hope our sleep schedule doesn't get horrendously messed up again anytime soon.
10. (11/11/24) joy is stored in the smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel.

for some reason, we fell off this habit, and then forgot about it - this is why some of the observations aren't dated, because they're just recent memories from this week and not things recorded in the moment.

1. (29/10/24) for a moment, the sky was overcome by a single bright vivid gold cloud as the sun rose. the effect of the light faded as quickly as it appeared.
2. (30/10/24) walked outside and there was a car that looked exactly like my mom's car parked right in front of my house. i had to check the license plate because it scared me.
3. (30/10/24) one of the houses on my street already has festive lights up. they flash way too fast between blue and white. it's kind of hard to look at. i'm hoping it's for diwali and not christmas.
4. the tree at the street corner is dressed in yellow for the season.
5. the sky is a heavy, comforting blanket of grey clouds.
6. kathakali costumes and makeup are remarkable and stunning! so is the artistry - it's clear that every aspect of the performance requires so much practice and dedication!
7. the house with the flashing white-and-blue lights has taken them down, so it was either for halloween or diwali. thank goodness!
8. it's honestly kind of funny how quickly our mood changes when we have even the slightest bit more security, financially speaking.
9. a red cloud glows against the night sky. it's quite subtle, but i've noticed it before, many times. it's in the south, where the coast is.
10. (8/11/24) the bathroom window has a very faint rainbow sheen, like there's a drop of car oil on it and it's a puddle. i am too busy to clean it off.

1. (22/10/24) the bright red roses that i love to look at on my way home from the bus stop are all gone for the winter. it's sad, but it's okay - i know they will return!
2. (23/10/24) saw a spider with very long spindly legs making a web almost flush against the bathroom radiator. silly spider, don't you know the bathroom is an inhospitable place?
3. (23/10/24) it's so woeful that plus-size sustainable fashion costs so much... very excited to wear the jacket i just bought, though, even though i'll have to eggfriedricemaxx this month.
4. (24/10/24) saw a man walking two presumably pekingese dogs, one black and one cream-coloured. when i realised he was holding a third one (black and brown), my joy increased tenfold.
5. (24/10/24) someone spilled what seemed to be a whole jar of strawberry jam in the middle of one of our city's historic landmarks. it looked quite grotesque.
6. (25/10/24) saw a beautiful goth girl outside the corner shop. where was she going?
7. (26/10/24) a person was trying to pet a cat, or at least take a picture of it, but the cat kept eluding them. the cat was white with patches of brown tabby, and had a formidable primordial pouch, so i think it was one of the cats that lives on our street, named pantalaemon.
8. (27/10/24) it's cold now, so the bathroom steams up a great deal if anyone uses the shower without opening every window.
9. (27/10/24) i am observing my new fleece. it is cream-coloured with green and pink swirls that make it look like a relief map, and it is very fluffy and cozy. it is also fucking humongous. the combination of all of these attributes make it a perfect garment.
10. (28/10/24) the water glistens on the dark asphalt under the lights of passing cars.

1. (16/10/24) ate an iron supplement at 10pm last night and was awake until nearly 8am, it felt fucking awesome though. the observation here is that i did not realise we were suffering from low iron until i tried to remedy it.
2. (18/10/24) watched my housemate open the fridge at 1 in the morning, take out a single raw carrot, and sigh. i asked what he was going to do with it and he said he had to offset the drinking somehow. very funny.
3. (18/10/24) this lady at the open mic had clingfilm wrapped around her head because she was dyeing her hair with henna, so she wore a witch's hat to appear less awkward. it worked very well, because everybody was doing october-y halloween-y poetry.
4. (18/10/24) saw a delicious-looking loaf of bread with char siu and egg baked into it, but when i heard the price, i frowned.
5. (18/10/24) we usually walk a different way to get home, but today i got to see the remnants of the surreal hydrangeas. they're surreal because they're often bathed in a strong green light from a nearby traffic light. i thought i missed them this year, but they were still there - albeit, wilting.
6. (19/10/24) yesterday i bought a calamansi drink without knowing what calamansi was. i now know that calamansi is incredibly sour!
7. (19/10/24) we bought some vegetarian pate yesterday, and it is an absolute game changer. we cannot get enough of that stuff on our bread. it looks a bit gross though, on account of it being light brown paste squeezed from a tube.
8. (21/10/24) just saw the silhouette of a cat in the window across the street from our room. there was a person too, trying to close the curtains. something about this was beautiful, the cat was unmistakably a cat in its shape and the way it moved - fast and fluid.
9. (22/10/24) saw some sort of a fruit in the gutter. it looked like a shrivelled tennis ball. the reason i thought it was a fruit was because i've seen one like it before, but i have no idea what it's called.
10. (22/10/24) today at photography group, my friend abby and i made stunning macro photos with a cd, a mini disco ball, and a red lightbulb. the way the light interacted with those objects up close was really very stunning.

1. (7/10/24) the remnants of the sunshower are everywhere. in the glistening drops on the hedges; in the blinding reflection of the sun's light on the tarmac; in the intensity of the light itself; in the fresh smell of change.
2. (7/10/24) substance is the integral of form.
3. (8/10/24) even though being caught in a heavy downpour of rain is not what i'd call pleasant, particularly when i am already feeling sad, at the very least the rain reminds me that i have a body. and for that, i am grateful!
4. (9/10/24) everything i do is an exertion of power over my surroundings.
5. (10/10/24) the setting sun brings a veil of raspberry-purple clouds down over a day of adversity. the thin moon watches. subtly smiling, of course.
6. (11/10/24) there is some dark green ivy growing at the base of a sycamore tree, but there's a single ivy leaf that's bright yellow. i wonder if it's healthy.
7. (12/10/24) the leaves on the trees at the university bus stop transition from green to bright red, with green at the bottoms of the trees and red at the tops. each leaf has five points, so i think they are maple trees of some variety.
8. (12/10/24) i saw a small child with a rainbow umbrella through the rain-blurred front window of the bus. umbrella kid's vibrancy was very welcome between the grey street and the grey sky.
9. (14/10/24) i can tell the gyoza are cooked when they float to the top of the pot.
10. (15/10/24) today i saw little golden leaves being torn from a tree by the wind. they were whirling and bright, like snow, or confetti. i thought about how the season must be named after this sort of thing specifically: "fall".

1. (1/10/24) all musical instruments are acoustic. all clocks are analogue. this is great, but it has severe implications about the nature of continuity in relation to (english) language and mathematics. i hope nobody figures out how time works.
2. (3/10/24) i have discovered that i am able to remove unwanted energies from my body by conceptualising them as a visual, turning that visual into bad apple, and then playing any touhou arrange. this allows the energy to dissipate into the greater touhou consciousness.
3. (3/10/24) being in love, and having that love reciprocated, is a true miracle. being understood and cherished exactly as you are is so pure and so rare that it should not be possible. magic exists at singularities in reality.
4. (4/10/24) there are many ways to derive magic from the universe, and i have been so happy to identify and learn about the type and source of magic that works for me. i am the witch of the undefined, and this feels absolutely perfect.
5. (5/10/24) i may be high, but i now understand my landlady's vision for the evil colour she painted the kitchen and bathroom. it may look brat green in dim light, but in bright light, it evokes the image of field of daffodils.
6. (5/10/24) a video is a three-dimensional song.
7. (6/10/24) a fascinating part of being high is that it provokes tactile hallucinations in me. with some intention and effort, i can manipulate those hallucinations to fun and entertaining effect.
8. (6/10/24) glory to the cool night air! it is so very beautiful and healing to walk within it!
9. (7/10/24) sleeping is so nice. if ever you have the opportunity and desire to sleep for a full day, i recommend it wholeheartedly. as i was reminded by poets and activists akila richards and adriana lord at a poetry reading on the 5th, rest is not something that needs to be earned, you can just have and enjoy it.
10. (7/10/24) i realise that my observations have been pushing the boundaries of what most people would consider to be the real world, which is probably not what marie howe intended with this exercise. however, i fully believe that everything is a part of reality under the great axiom, and this brings me joy and power.

1. (26/9/24) it’s damn near impossible to fall asleep when hungry, especially since hunger makes us feel hyperactive.
2. (26/9/24) i love walking in the cool dawn. because it’s so early, the solitude is a heavy comfort - and if i see people, i feel a certain kinship to them, as we are both existing in the transition of the night to the morning.
3. (26/9/24) there was a shockingly white cloud against the dark grey overcast sky. i looked again, and it was gone.
4. (27/9/24) one thing about awaiting a package while having heightened senses from cptsd is that this experience is utterly unbearable.
5. (28/9/24) listening to music that has lots of layered texture to it, whilst high on weed, is a fantastic experience. it surrounds you. it's smooth, and vibrant, and you just want to hold the source of the sound close to you, and become it.
6. (28/9/24) the night sky was a crisp and deep phthalo blue colour, and it was full of stars. it was the coldest night of the year, since maybe february - we should stop acting like summer isn't over. it's hard, when everything is so beautiful.
7. (28/9/24) our sleep schedule has been absolutely awful lately. either napping sporadically, or sleeping through the whole day in an attempt to catch up. it's difficult to observe the world under these circumstances.
8. (29/9/24) alter sex really does hit different.
9. (29/9/24) there was a vibrant purple-red-orange dawn that cast the street outside our house in a pink light, and though we stayed indoors and didn't see it fully, we are not at all upset. in fact, we are overjoyed that we got to see it at all.
10. (29/9/24) heaven is a place on earth, and it's my room. i am lying down in my comfy bed with a heated blanket, and i have efir in co, and we are listening to its playlist. we also just ate korean fried chicken. it's raining outside, loudly.

1. (16/9/24) the conker trees in the city centre are bearing fruit! i took some photos of the conkers in the leaves and on the ground. they were such a rich brown colour, and so shiny-smooth.
2. (16/9/24) the moon is full already, illuminant amidst the lights of the city. time often passes much quicker than we imagine.
3. (18/9/24) the moon is rising up from the other side of the river, and it's a deep orange colour. it's too low in the sky to take a nice photo of, so i hope it stays that shade through the night.
4. (19/9/24) wisps of pink and orange clouds are rising up from the western horizon.
5. (19/9/24) the discipline, fluidity, and synchronicity required to perform as a contemporary dancer are immense. acosta danza yunior, whose show i watched tonight, made it look naturally effortless - such beautiful artists with beautiful bodies in beautiful motion.
6. (22/9/24) chaat is literally so good. the blend of textures and temperatures and flavours is unmatched. i swear i could eat a bucket of it.
7. (22/9/24) my dad got new glasses, and i'm surprised i noticed this, since today was the second time i've seen him in person since i moved away.
8. (22/9/24) while watching a play with my dad and sister that i claimed to never have seen before (they were claiming that i absolutely had), i gradually realised that one of the others in manyface had watched it prior. the experience of this unknown familiarity was somewhat comforting.
9. (23/9/24) i'm glad that i'm able to arrogantly laugh off a rejection to a poetry publication. i do feel a bit hurt, so i'm glad that the dominant feeling is confidence - even though i wish that i didn't feel any particular way about it.
10. (24/9/24) it's incredible how happy i am, nowadays. though life is still hard in many ways, i really am recovering. i have never felt this good, this consistently.

1. (10/9/24) following the 48 hour artist challenge, we've been incredibly sleepy. i know it's our body and mind recovering from the days of intense creativity, but i want to make stuff now too!
2. (10/9/24) i keep seeing unexpected rainbows. first on the wet asphalt, fanning out from a little oil spill. next, in the reflective sides of the cds we had as props at photography group.
3. (11/9/24) as i wait for the bus, the chimneys of the houses in the distance are illuminated by the golden light of the sun. today's sun is going to set soon, but for now the sky is blue and clear, piercing and gentle. it's cold now. i need to start wearing my fleece again.
4. (12/9/24) our warm bed is a nice place to try to stabilise ourselves, but the cool night air on our arms and legs, and the golden moon in its first quarter, and the rain on the hedges, and the glistening asphalt, and the swinging weight of the shopping bag in our hands are so much more beautiful.
5. (14/9/24) someone showered recently, and there's condensation on the bathroom walls. the way light reflects in those tiny droplets of mist is hazy and soft, and quite lovely. we have already made peace with the frankly hideous colour our landlady painted the bathroom (and kitchen): a sort of lime yellow.
6. (14/9/24) we had a haircut yesterday, and they shaved the back of our head with clippers - we remember that the setting is "number 4". the hair on the back of our head is very nice to touch and ruffle because it's so soft and so short.
7. (14/9/24) as i showered, i remembered an applied maths module we took in second year of university. fluid dynamics. i wouldn't be able to tell you anything about fluid dynamics now, but i always love seeing the mist in the air interact with my exhalations. the shower is a nice place to breathe, in a literal (and figurative) way.
8. (15/9/24) we have (or had?) a minor headache, and figured out that it was from being a little dehydrated, and so the peach iced tea we just drank was absolutely fantastic. so cold, so fresh - it felt like we were drinking a magical potion.
9. (15/9/24) a new housemate moved in, and is currently in the process of unpacking. he lives in the room directly above ours, so we can hear him moving around. his name is peter and he's taller than we expected him to be. maybe it's because we're used to our other housemates being our height.
10. (15/9/24) the sky was a wonderful dusty purple, but by the time i got outside with our camera, it was already fading. i made it to the end of the street, but the colour had gone - so i took some photos of the plants at the street corner. i wish i could've stayed longer, but it started to rain.

1. (2/9/24) the juice charlize bought yesterday really does taste like liquid jolly ranchers. it's bright pink too, which makes me wonder how much of this stuff is natural. unfortunately, i can't investigate because the label is written entirely in polish.
2. (2/9/24) my best friend is so stylish! when i met them at the train station, they were wearing a denim jacket with loads of enamel pins, a short-sleeved shirt with hibiscus flowers on it, and orange corduroy trousers.
3. (3/9/24) last night, i made cookies with my best friend, but we put them too close together on the baking tray so they conglomerated into a massive blob. the cookies also have no structural integrity and are held together by the chocolate chunks inside of them. all this being said, they are extremely tasty!
4. (5/9/24) the rain was pouring down ceaselessly in huge drops that smacked against our housemate’s umbrella (which we borrowed for the day). there were about equal amounts of puddle and walkable sidewalk, so we should have worn waterproof shoes.
5. (5/9/24) the leaves on the great big conker trees in the city centre are already turning shades of golden yellow, coppery orange, and deep red. some trees are further along changing colour than others - on the most colourful one, the colours seemed to progress like a gradient through each leaf, with yellow at their bases and near-burgundy at their tips.
6. (6/9/24) the painting i made with my best friend is dry now, so all the colours have deepened. the higher contrast makes our impossible dual skyscape look much more dramatic.
7. (8/9/24) though it was raining already, a bumblebee was hovering around me because i probably looked like a flower, or a whole field of them, in my neon florals dress.
8. (8/9/24) my waterproof shoes squeak horribly loud in the well-polished hallways of the theatre. luckily, they don't do that when i'm on stage, because the floor is a different material.
9. (9/9/24) right before the performances started, an older woman fell over as she was getting to her seat, and managed to seriously injure her leg on a metal part of the seating arrangements. the stage technician said she could see bone. luckily, the injured woman was in good spirits as they called an ambulance.
10. (9/9/24) the rainy weekend has brought the autumn chill to our city. it's no longer summer - it feels like a departure.