The vanishing act

Its almost therapeutic at times to drop off the radar for a while. Just to hang out with yourself and reconnect with 'you'. To block out all the chaos on the outside, and zone in on the inside.

That was the weekend. Then came the week.

I've lost myself in a whirlwind of work, deadlines, travel crises and general unfinished business these last few days. Visa applications are a hellish pain in the neck. And I'm dreading my credit card/phone bills this month. I should be excited with everything that's coming up, but I've run out of steam to do anything other than crawl into bed at the end of the day.

Dude, thanks for hanging with your insane sister and tolerating the madness :) To everyone who called/smsed/made me laugh/sent in virtual hugs, I love you guys to bits. I'm returning those hugs in person as soon as I come up for air :)

The Bookworm/Movieclub post

This 'review' has been in the writing (?) for a while now, and never neared completion because I kept getting distracted. Usually by colourful/shiny objects. Haha. But I've finally got around to completing and updating it, so here goes:

Reads
The Five people you meet in heaven: Loved it- thanks Maz! It's on the BBC list of 100 books you must read before you die- so really, you must read :) It's not that long either. And not twisted, like the Alchemist, which gave me a headache now and then.

Extremely loud and incredibly close: This took serious effort to read. And I was confused 70% of the time. But it grows on you if you keep at it, and when you get past the blurry bits, its actually a good book. It has pictures too ;)

Let the right one in: Shamefully, I never finished this. Though I've vowed to go back to it one day. It's by a Swedish author so I had to try it, and well, QJ recommended it (and I'm never reading anything he recommends again :p) But it touches on some of the more touchy issues like child abuse and bullying and incest, etc. Throw in a vampire and some killing and there you have it. I think I might watch the movie before I finish the book :p

Monsoon rains and icicle drops: Just awesome. It's about an Australian woman who's literally travelled the world, and now lives in Sri Lanka, working in the tourism industry. It's an amazing account of the places she's been, the things she's done and seen, and the whole experience of picking yourself up when you hit rock bottom. I actually wrote to her to tell her how much I loved the book- and she wrote back! :D A story for another time though.

The curious incident of the dog in the night time: What I'm reading now. It's got me in stitches so far, and I'm loving the way its written (from a 15 year old autistic kid's point of view). This is on the BBC list too- and I can see why :)

Movies
G.I.Joe: Ridiculously bad. The plot was weird, the acting was horrendous, and it really was quite sucky. Channing Tatum, however, made up for all of it by just smiling... *melts*

The Proposal: Funny and entertaining. It's a classic chick flick though, but again, Ryan Reynolds is hot and Sandra Bullock is always funny. Loved it, probably because my hopeless romantic self loves the occasional good soppy movie.

District 9: Whoa. That was the one reaction I had to the movie. It was refreshing and novel, the filming, the storyline and the whole alien vs humans debate. Hats off to Peter Jackson. Again :)

The Ugly Truth: Not your ordinary romantic comedy. Gerard Butler was pretty cool I thought, and though it was a predictable ending, it was still an enjoyable movie. Men are strange creatures.

G-Force: Ok the only reason I watched this was because I was forced. It was cute, though that's about it :p

Surrogates: Bruce Willis has aged :p Though in a decent way. It's freaky to think of the world ever coming to that *shudder* Only in the movies I hope.

Inglorious Basterds: I can't believe I sat through a Quentin Tarantino movie and slept soundly after :p But admittedly, it was good. Brad Pitt is always nice to drool over, but the German villian was the best by far. I also liked the parallel story lines, though I kept forgetting where it left off :p

500 days of Summer: It really wasn't just another love story; it's more along the lines of Nick and Norah's infinite play list and Juno. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come a long way since his days in Third Rock from the Sun :) And Summer is a girl, just in case that point was missed.

My sister's keeper: Ok going in I knew this would be really sad, and it was. I managed not to cry though :p But it was pretty good- Kate's acting was brilliant I thought. The one thing that really annoyed me was that they changed the ending from the book- and it was nowhere close or nearly as good. But between reading the book and watching the movie, I'd recommend the book. Picoult's style is captivating and just something else.

This is it: Absolutely and breathtakingly amazing. MJ, even at 51, had the stage presence, charisma and aura that made him the famously talented King of Pop. Watching it, I still couldn't believe he's gone: it was almost like being right there at his concert, singing along to the songs we grew up with and the dance moves we tried mastering.

Done! I really should become a movie/book critic :D

Les parents

I have insane parents. There's really no other word to describe them.

Mother dearest still tries to bring us up over skype. And loves to tell me I've 'missed' the bus because I'm waiting for a luxury one with curtains and aircon. She's the only person I can have 3- hour chats with while laughing myself to tears, and still have things to talk about the next day (for another 2 hours). She's also the only person who can make me feel better when I'm sick, and is so daring it worries me sometimes.

Dad on the other hand, is all about sarcasm and humour. I love getting emails from him in the morning, filled with complaints and wisecracks about the Hitler regime at home he secretly adores. He's also my partner in alcoholic schemes and scams and my buddy when it comes to philosophical chats and life advice. His latest hilarious venture is into the world of Facebook- lots of laughs to come :D

I know exactly which parent I've gotten most of my genes and traits (and flaws?) from. The madness must come from somewhere! And I think I'm quite a nice combination ;) Except that I'd have liked to be a bit taller.

I can't wait to see them in a month. Though I'm a bit apprehensive travelling with them for a week in India :p But it's going to be awesome fun being home. We're going to be laughing and making merry and laughing some more. The countdown begins!

Just dance ~!

Clubbing has been on the agenda every weekend in the last month, except for the one where I was stuck in bed with the flu- though I was supposed to be at China One with the girls [I'm sorry I missed that Sid!]

The Mad about Hats party at Attica, the random do at La Baroque last Friday, Halloween at CQ the Saturday after, and Pump room/Blu Jazz/Chijmes/China One yesterday. Phew! I only wish I didn't have to work Thursday mornings... Wednesdays would rock then ;)

Dance is addictive. Even without the alcohol-induced high. The beats, the tunes, the rush. I'm lovin' this!

Layered

Human beings are fascinatingly complex creatures. From the whole outer package down to the tiniest intricacies that define and differentiate us from one another.

The different layers that make up the tough shell also protect the inner core, and make us who we are. Inlaid are traits and quirks that reveal themselves when the layers are peeled off.

Very simply, human personalities are like onions. Layered, delicate, complicated. What you see is not always what you get.

The plunge

Hehe.
Source: http://cowbirdsinlove.com/

When worlds collide..

Think of two people falling in love the way you'd picture two billiard balls colliding. A solid and a stripe. Either they collide too fast and spin off in different directions, move too slow and never really hit it off, or impact at just the right speed to stay together (of course, a solid can follow a stripe after impact [i.e. a stalker ball] or a solid can come dashing in, collide with a stripe and be left there alone while the stripe rolls off [a.k.a. the ball that got stood up]).

It's all about momentum, energy and the forces of nature. Relationships can be explained by physics after all.

I come up with the strangest stuff when I'm medicated.

Less of a woman?

Ok, so maybe I'm not your typical girl-next-door. Only because:

I hate poetry.

Shakespearean English confuses me.

I don't take 2 hours to get ready. I take 20 minutes. I got late because I missed the bus, not because I couldn't decide on which purple top to wear. And I didn't miss the bus because of a clothes crisis either.

Flowers are nice to get, but then they wilt and die and get depressing. And no, I can't be bothered pressing them.

Pink as a colour (particularly the hot, Barbie kind of pink) should be banned when it comes to clothes, shoes and bags. Or anything other than Barbie, for that matter.

My theory on heels: Yes, they are God's gift to short people. And yes, they can be sexy and make other women go all 'oooh aahh'. But they're not meant to be worn for running in MRT stations, for a picnic in a park when it rained the night before, for 2km hikes and for people who can't handle the extra 4 inches of height without tripping and walking like you're balancing on stilts (I belong to this last category).

I won't let you buy that $700 Coach leather bag if its going to sit in your closet and never see the light of day.

I can't understand why you would rebond your hair if its already dead straight. Think of all the other things you could do/buy with that money (no, not pink stilettos). AND you don't have to sit for hours in the salon with your hair smelling like a chemical factory.

Just how awesome are skinny leather pants if you can't sit down in them?

I'd fail Make Up 101. I only know that the first layer that's supposed to be put on is foundation, but after that it gets complex and confusing. And seemingly very time-consuming. If I ever have to put makeup on because I look too hideous to be seen without it, I'm outsourcing the job.

Epilators scare me.

When talking about Mac, I always automatically assumed it was the computer. Or the fast food chain. I was blissfully ignorant about the brand of cosmetics till very recently, when a frustrated girlfriend literally shoved me into a Mac Store to 'increase my awareness of things a girl should know'. Ha ha.

I don't own a compact. Never will. The very idea of touching up my nose in a bus while peering into a mirror the size of a postage stamp, is disturbing.

In my defence though, I was a lot worse 10 years ago; I refused to wear skirts/dresses, had no red clothes and hated anything with frills, lace and ribbons. Ok I still don't like frills, lace and ribbons.

But hey, on all other counts of being female, I'm 100% guilty.

Hell... contd.

Just when I thought my week from the depths of hell was over, I fall sick. So instead of a much awaited weekend spent meeting people, attending a couple of talks, dining and dancing, I'm stuck in bed, bored and in pain, with a drippy nose, in the company of chicken soup and samahan. Argh!

I miss a chosen few very much. For the silliest of reasons. Also because I've not laughed as much as I should have been laughing in their absence. Get back here soon! (yes, I'm aware 'soon' is in like 24 hours :p) And remember my goodies list.

Friday was an insane day at work. In a good way though. Lots of laughter and wisecracks and a nice Turkish lunch in the company of a very glowing D :) Except the day ended at 10.45pm, leaving me with blurred vision and a pounding headache. Signs of the flu I reckon, just mistaken for exhaustion.

Monday on the other hand, was insane in a baaad way. The only good thing that came out of it was that I managed to jog/walk/crawl 3km without collapsing from a heart attack. Only to get home and find my phone screen scratched to bits from running a bit too enthusiastically. Ying and yang I guess.

I want to relive last weekend! The crazy Friday that began in KE7 and ended at Iguana, with a stint at J bar somewhere in the middle, blending into the hungover Deepavali Saturday that featured a long late lunch with the girls at HV, ice cream at Swensons, the Raffles Hall production and the 'mad about hats' party at Attica. Two consecutive 5ams haven't happened in a while. Gosh, I sound like such an aunty. And after all that, I actually managed to clean my room too :)

I was reading my travel book on Thailand today and got all excited again- the one highlight in the medicated afternoon spent under the covers. I can't wait to go back- I'm insanely jealous that QJ is there as I speak, checking out Chatuchak in all its glory, drinking cheap Sangsom and wolfing down green curry. November get here FAST!

Vikaren was a weird movie. 500 days of summer though, was unexpectedly all right.

On a side note, you guys should give Jonathan Safran Foer a shot. His books are complicated but pretty darn good :) If you make it through all the weirdness at the beginning that is.

To alleviate the misery, I'm going to focus on getting my Halloween costume in order. Now if I can just get off the bed and try on that witch's hat...

Making waves

This speech was made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anna Quindlen,at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.

"I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk or your life on a bus or in a car or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not so good.

Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and them to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre, at my job if those other things were not true.

You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are. So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon or found a lump in your breast?

Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.

It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the colour of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live.

I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face.

Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived".

(Credits go to Insee: thanks for sharing babe!)