Strong Stuff

I've taken the opportunity of packing momentum in wiping out my old rubbish in my room in Penang... to make room for all the new rubbish I'm bringing in from Bangkok. It's more than a little alarming the amount of junk one can accumulate, and surprising at times the stuff that one keeps around (or perhaps just I keep around):



This is a bottle of violin varnish polish, something one is supposed to wipe on the wood to clear out the gunk that accumulates from playing the instrument a lot. Look carefully and you'll see that this particular polish is so strong that it has burned through the plastic cover. A little on the strong side for delicate, hundred-year old works of art, eh. Thankfully I never tried it out on any of my instruments since the smell itself was enough to make me keel over.

I've also been trying out the iPod shuffle I got as a farewell gift from one of my students - really fun stuff. For a total CD fan, I have to grudgingly acknowledge the power of digital technology.