Ashley Ann

“[D]eath serves as a sobering reminder of our limited time on this Earth, thereby compelling us to endeavour to leave behind not insipid, uninspiring lives, but rather true manifestations of our ideas in their tangible forms, whose permanence can far outlive our own.”
― Agnes Chew, The Desire for Elsewhere

“It is a common saying that women are delicate creatures, flowers, eggs, anything that may be crushed in a moment's carelessness. If I had ever believed it, I no longer did.”
― Madeline Miller, Circe

“I have a habit of being an archaeologist of my own past, a sentimental collector of personal artefacts which may at first glance appear random, but each of which holds a unique significance. As the years pass me by, I find that the number of objects within my possession begins to accumulate. A torn map. A sealed letter. A boat full of paper animals. Each item encapsulates within itself a story, akin to an outward manifestation of my inner journey.”
― Agnes Chew, The Desire for Elsewhere

“It's no different from building stations. If something is important enough, a little mistake isn't going to ruin it all, or make it vanish. It might not be perfect, but the first step is actually building the station. Right? Otherwise trains won't stop there. And you can't meet the person who means so much to you. If you find some defect, you can adjust it later, as needed. First things first. Build the station. A special station just for her. The kind of station where trains want to stop, even if they have no reason to do so. Imagine that kind of station, and give it actual color and shape. Write your name on the foundation with a nail, and breathe life into it.”
― Haruki Murakami, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage