I love going to a favorite cafe and discovering new things about it. Today my flatmates and I went for a late brunch to Oxfork, the sweetest brunch place near home. We were seated in the far cozy corner, right beneath this vintage floral lamp and mirror that looked like a whirling skirt. I loved how they complemented each other, one with light and the other with self-reflexivity. Oxfork has the most amazing brunch menus, my favorite being the Little Veggie American which is fluffy pancakes served with an egg, halloumi, and maple syrup. I have it with Girlie Grey tea and it is difficult not to be happy.

Brunch talk involved everything from a friend's potential break-up, her lack of emotional courage, visa issues and 'bought' marriages, problems with illegal immigration (did you know that in Italy, it is against the law to kick people out of a house if they have a child? So technically, if your tenants were not paying rent but were raising a child, you as the landlord/owner would not be able to oust them from your property. Insane law in my opinion), my dissertation topic, child actors and what becomes of them, the redundant plot of Mad Men, the stupidity of making the 2p coin, the even more astonishing inaneness of the administrative bureaucracy in Oxford, how the English love to play with letters and documents, and a range of other equally arbitrary yet delightful topics. The best way to spend a grey Sunday afternoon. 

I'm starting my week at Rick's, a friendly cafe on Cowley Road. It's a good place to work, which is why I guess all the people around me are staring intently into their macbooks. I am writing my essay on Gus Van San't Elephant and want to finish it before I leave for a short excursion to Barcelona this coming weekend. I am trying to explore the significance of 'walking' in the film and link it to how it treats the school as a space. For me, the most strenuous part of writing an essay -- or any piece of writing for that matter-- is always the first paragraph. There is so much pressure on the first couple of sentences, the need to be engaging, witty, intelligent, and unique all at the same time!

P.S. Guess what I found at Tesco! The New Maltesers Teasers! Double tease, is what it is. Of course, they aren't as fun to eat as the original balls. You both know that I find great joy in scraping off the chocolate and nudifying them to shame.