Amri's [Space]

Because I'm soft like that :)

2011-09-21T21:21:00.001+08:00

“I’m not the silly romantic you think. I don’t want the heavens or the shooting stars. I don’t want gemstones or gold. I have those things already. I want…a steady hand. A kind soul. I want to fall asleep, and wake, knowing my heart is safe. I want to love, and be loved.”

— Shana Abé

Lyrical sync

2011-08-13T10:52:00.006+08:00

'In a world full of people
you can lose sight of it all
and the darkness inside you
can make you feel so small..'

- True Colours

Sometimes, a song says it better than you ever could.

Of hugs and hellos :)

2011-07-30T09:27:00.003+08:00

Leaving Sweden last month was one of the hardest things I've had to do this year. And at the time, this quote described things perfectly:

Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos.” - Snoopy

Returning to Singapore has meant I'm finally getting a much wanted quota of hellos. It's been a bit weird being back, a sort of uprooted and replanted feeling, displaced but comfortable but also restless, all at once. All this is very much part of the global nomadic life that I've signed up for, but it doesn't make the constant transition any easier to stomach. I miss people in different countries and across different time zones, and wish I could be in several different places all at once.

Seeing the peeps here after a year though, amidst smiles, hugs and laughter, have left me quietly grateful; for the amazing people I've come to know, and the timelessness of these friendships.

The comeback post

2011-07-23T22:04:00.001+08:00

So after almost a year of inactivity in this [Space], I've decided to make an attempt at resurrection. The truth of the matter was, I moved continents, switched from working to studying for a while, and blogged about all of it somewhere else, but now I've moved back and switched back, so it feels all right to pick right up from where I left off. It also feels like a big part of me can be found entwined in the posts and random ramblings found here, which is why I feel it's too young a chapter to close just yet.

Between Singapore, Sweden and Sri Lanka in a year, a lot has happened, a lot has changed, a lot has been seen, learnt and done. I've met some wonderful people along the way who've made my extended family into a truly global one. I also think I've gone through a metamorphosis of sorts, but I think its still very much in progress.. for now.

Stay tuned for more.. ;)

Harold's Planet

2010-08-13T13:59:00.002+08:00

My latest little satirical discovery :D

http://www.haroldsplanet.com/mainsite.htm

..where the heart is

2010-08-10T14:04:00.002+08:00

It's been a week of rest, rejuvenation, solitude, madness, giggles and love.

And I've been too lazy to update this space, or do anything that involves venturing 5m away from my bed :p

Life's been slow and relatively uneventful, but those little moments in the day have etched memories and left their own imprints in time.

It's been nice just to sleep in, nap in the afternoons and not have to wake up to an alarm. To walk along the beach at night, listen to the surf crash in and relish the salty air and the sand between your toes. To go on long drives with an endless stretch of green lights ahead of you and the radio reading the tracks in your mind. To actually have the time to think and figure stuff out, explore your options and read about things you've put on hold forever.

To wake up to that heavenly cup of tea every morning and sip it in the sunshine.

Birthdays, epiphanies, koththu roti, kimbula bunis, seafood dinners, Burger's King and home made buns. Being greeted with hugs, sleepy smiles and maalu paan. The bus rides to shake the tremors off. Meeting old teachers with their blessings and the little nephew for the first time. The mini-road trip to Negombo, and the diversion to Moratuwa. Sitting with the cousin who has a huge crush on Justin Beiber and watching all of his videos while remembering what it was like to be 13 and madly in love with the Backstreet Boys. Swapping tracks with the quarter rockstar, catching up with the girlfriends and watching movies with the sibling. Laughing over coffee with the mother and getting philosophical under the stars with wine and the father.

Regardless of everything that's been going on lately, on the inside and out, being at home has quelled it :)

A history of the Beatles, told by their hair

2010-07-30T12:51:00.001+08:00

Breathlessness

2010-07-20T17:47:00.002+08:00

I bet her thoughts and feelings mirror mine right now..

A week of Saturday nights (part I)

2010-07-18T14:03:00.003+08:00

Almost.. :D

A breezy, happy and lazy evening catching up by the water with Iris. Lemon tarts, exotic $3 salads, tea and coffee and that yummy cinnamon-y scone :D Dusk settled in slowly and the sky changed colour again, my favourite part of the day :) And then came the celebration of Baldy's 25th year of existence. The quirky cafe, wine, more wine, rum, vodka, sheesha, finger food, old and new faces and chatter of the crazy kind. The moment across the room, before it was all gone. Losing himself in a drunken stupor and being drawn on, propped on a chair and then being dragged home. Lying down on the comfy cushions at Nabin's with turkish coffee and football- the craziest bet won! And a free 4am cab ride home with a musical soul I'll never see again. One heck of a night to remember :D

A lazy morning with coffee in bed, and an even lazier Sunday lunch with Mr Google at Holland Village. We never run out of things to talk about! :D Cinnamon bun madness before I crashed into bed again, temporarily. A chilled out and happy Sunday night in with Benny and the exchange of tunes, stories and news, before heading out to Chijmes (pronounced Shymes :D) for the world cup final with the boys, and girl. A battle to get seats, a walk all over City Hall and we finally ended up at a dinner table with a screen that had limited volume control. Coronas, B52s and one of the most boring matches of the world cup, with all of us periodically falling asleep. The eventual Spanish victory and a trek to McDs while waiting for the trains to start, and crawling into bed at 6.30am.

Four hours of sleep and the visa finally arrived! I guess there's no turning back now :) The kindred spirit finally made it after a week of postponements and we caught up over Thai food and that sinful avocado milkshake, before hitting our usual grassy spot. I'm gonna miss him, specially because we're heading off in our own directions with a whole new chapter ahead.

Amidst job fair wisecracks, Candy was finally off with a suitcase bigger than her. Gonna miss her! Temporary peace with the carrot gone and the Maliban consumption in check. Picking on the shutterbug in the queue at Aston's, a dinner with the six of us and TCC for coffee (shots!) with the seven of us. And I finally met the rockstar's adopted brother :D And a food hunt at Outram led to a watered down glimpse of the KTV bars there- made for an interesting walk ;)

The sumptuous chicken and 'shroom sammich with the new Marang road dweller. And then we had to call a taxi while waiting in line at the taxi stand because none of them would stop! An unexpected dinner treat with the Bot, who'd overstocked on chicken pies, apple strudel and danish :D And a cricket club dinner-to-be with the ladies turned sleep-in till Mabuk my love arrived at midnight :) Red wine and the happy exchange of stories and laughs and fishboy crackers- the MTM KL peeps, I love you guys and my back-to-school gift! :D

Saturday passed in a happy whizz of a nice long chat with the love over coffee on the balcony, an extended Moroccan lunch, a not-so-secret visit to the office with the funny bathroom blackout episode, designer ice cream, a taxi ride to the east to go west, camwhoring at Haw Par Villa, chilling out by the river with drinks at OverEasy, the arrival of the hindu French vegetarian, the surprise fireworks, a trek to the Esplanade, the makan sutra place, back to the Fullerton and onto Lau Pa Sat for beer and dim sum, another cab ride to Knight and Day, messing around in the painted corridor, walking up Mt Sophia to Timbre Old School, more drunken camwhoring and a sleepy Foo, and the VIP entrance into Butter Factory in slippers and shorts! Techno and tequila shots and the scribes gone wild, with the owner of the club patting the side of my face in the end :D

To be continued.. :)

Esprit de corps

2010-07-13T11:21:00.013+08:00

Sometimes, I wish I could pack my buddies in a suitcase and take them everywhere with me. The fellowship of travelling friends!

Ace has his own EP out! How cool is that :D And I didn't even know one was in the making... Awesome stuff dude- lovin' the tracks so far. I'm so proud of you. The quarter rockstar lives on~!

The bestie celebrated her second anniversary with eyeballs! :D Haha and they're still as crazy as ever.

Baldy turned 25, and that brings our quirky friendship to a grand total of 10 years. Some things never change, and I'm glad they don't :)

The kindred spirit is seeing his dream through, in spite of a heap of odds stacked against him. And he's doing it with such grace, I'm honoured just to be his friend.

QJ, my conscience over the phone. A skype chat turned reprimand turned laughing fit, the way only we can :)

The shutterbug is braving it on a budget, for the next couple of months. What he's doing takes guts, and I'm in awe and admiration.

Iris has designs all over the world :D Things are finally looking up for her, and settling down in a good way :)

The rockstar is rocking the socks outta China! Land of the pandas, make way for greatness. The chaos will dissipate, just hang in there a little longer and keep the faith m'dear :)

Chuahbacca and Fonco, and a weekend we will remember :D

The mad cow-boy finally has a well-deserved break from the chaos, and is touring the streets of Beijing as we speak.

My fashionista in KL and the notification madness which caused an epileptic fit :D

Jo da man has a new job he likes; Prem's smiling about the job he doesn't like.

Karish is still Karish, the girl with the wisecracks, the drinking buddy, the airport buddy, the book buddy, the close friend.

Mr Google is on a journey of musical discovery :D The evidence of which is rattling my bathroom walls.

And friends from all over are graduating! :D Darn proud of them, for surviving to tell the tale of the NUS experience. Brings back fond memories of the moment of self-glory, exactly two years ago from Sunday.

They've all made me so happy and put a grin on my face :D One of my natural highs, in the needle and haystack life :)

Blue skies, sunshine and a tune

2010-07-12T16:52:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, that's all it takes to get really happy :D

Where did all the yesterdays go?

2010-07-09T21:35:00.016+08:00

It's been a whirlwind week since returning from the land of Tsingtao and Peking duck.

Hibernation for a good 12 hours till the dysfunctional toes were resurrected. The tiny one on the left is still numb :| Caught up with chica at that end of the world, and Seh Kin at this one :D You gotta love those crazy skype chats :)

Dinner, football, friends and the beach ♥ Would've been a perfect night if it hadn't rained in that annoying, drizzly kind of way. Germany waltzed through to the semis, Argentina were banished, Spain prevailed and all hopes of seeing the model from Paraguay run around nude were shot too. A walk on the beach, a hotdog stop, malibu + cokes and falling umbrellas.The comfy couches at Wavehouse became beds for the night, and we sleepily made our way back at sunrise after McDonalds breakfast on the way :D And I was then rechristened A Diggy/Lil Dude.. :p

The leftovers cookout on Sunday was the only activity in an otherwise blissfully lazy day, with 3 naps and coffee in bed :) Meatballs with mushrooms, chicken rice and dhal and a terrible movie :p Some ice cream would've made me feel better- the blues snuck up on me again.

A surprise in the form of Candy, and relating tales of the Forbidden City and Great Wall on Monday morning. And the planned dinner that turned into an unplanned dinner as a result of chicken pox scares and conflicting schedules. Crepes, and a good conversation with Jo da man :) Knight and day with the neighbours, which was lame overall with a few good bits inbetween. Tom Cruise is still melt-worthy when he smiles! :D though its a pity he's doing movies like this one after epic ones like the MI series and Minority Report. And then they found the trolley, pushed me up on it and watched me roll and fall off it :p The bruised elbow speaks for itself.

A company lunch and a company dinner followed by company drinks~! The Coral garden or whatever it's called has awesome cereal prawns! And black pepper beef, and prawn rolls, and mushrooms... yummmylicious. Brewerkz, pizza, cheese fries, calamari and beer- a nice evening out on a tilted chair with fun company- the newbies are cool :) Online chats about Africa, saving the world, 'white-sri lankan' babies, wine and cheese, and Fonco's 3 elements of a relationship :p And QJ met the folks in a parallel world :D

'Like i said, I'm willing to dessicate myself to fit into your suitcase'- Chuahbacca
'You remind me of a koala bear, because you can't hate them- Fonco

I can't believe you guys are coming all the way here to hang out before the departure! You Malaysians are crazyyy, but we love you for that very reason :)

A ladies night with two ladies, a boy, pizzas, pasta, conversations and laughs by the river :) The magician didn't show though, nor did the two Spanish serenaders... And then we randomly got off the train at Chinatown, walked into a dance, and ended up with ah balling in ginger soup at Food street :D

The sleepwalking rituals from the past are back, and I've been waking up almost every night, walking around and shifting things in my room- like posters off the wall! And I don't remember any of it till I wake up the next morning :S

'..we'll go to Barcelona, and drink sangrias by the beach all day'. Thanks babe, for keeping me sane when I lose it :)

QJ returned in one piece with stories of the family, the hill country and the cutlery at the Gallery Cafe :D A vegan lunch of Shepherd's pie and fake but organic gado gado, and a company meeting that was supposed to be reassuring but left us feeling more unsettled. A cancelled swim, a breezy tree lined walk to September and a replacement nap, before seeing the resident DJ off amidst the usual chaos that follows those two, and educating Mr Google about the 'Go Go' Dolls and Third Eye Blind ( = blind eye to him) :D

And it's finally Friday, again :) The happy sort, revolving around Maliban, skive chats about NUS rag, flag, horror modules and lecturers, gay-dars, Zam Zam and another legendary murtabak + buriyani splurge, and measuring bits of string for a shirt :D Yummy cheese and tomato sammiches and an overdue, much needed quiet night in with myself, gearing up for the weekend :) Have yourself a good one peeps!

The emotional hangover

2010-07-07T11:52:00.105+08:00

Moods have been swinging all over the place! Mostly between sadness, restlessness and frustration. A hug much needed. Pockets of laughter and love here and there though. Thank God for the family back home and the extended family here :)

The different dynamics that define relationships. Interesting, confusing and complex, all at the same time.

Matters of the heart- complicated stuff. The addiction-detox-recovery-relapse cycle is back, on loop. I was all right on my own, till I met you. I crossed a line there, and paid the price. I guess some things really are better left unsaid, and ignorance can be bliss.

The choice of the battles again. It's more a question of sticking with the game plan now, and making peace with the the stuff beyond my control. It's tough, when your instincts are screaming otherwise.

There's a lot going on inside, a raw ache. Reminds me of rough seas, choppy waves and rippling undercurrents. Deep breaths and temporary distractions don't seem to be working much. Messed up nights of sleep are generally a good indicator that something's not quite right. I should be excited and happy. Not worried, sad and falling apart.

Yet this too, shall pass.

What alcohol looks like under the microscope

2010-07-05T10:46:00.009+08:00

A few favourites: click here for more :)

Pina Colada

Whiskey

Sake

Champagne

Margarita

Daiquiri

Bienvenue :)

2010-07-03T11:45:00.003+08:00

'Geez that was one heck of a long trip'

'Yay! Welcome back! The whole of singapore missed you. Its been raining a lot since u left! :)'

Those were two of the first messages I got on the return. And the fatigue from 6 hour flight, the 10 days on the road and endless hours of walking over the last few days was replaced with warmth, and a big smile.

Love you guys :)

The stuff that goosebumps are made of

2010-06-22T08:14:00.000+08:00

My favourite Lifehouse track, with Daughtry in it! I would've given anything to have heard this live :)

Of days that whizz by

2010-06-21T23:16:00.001+08:00

Girlfriends Inc. on Thursday, both planned and unplanned :D The lunch + coffee date with chica, smiles, crazy stories, giggles and a sad 'I'll see you soon' instead of a goodbye. I really hope soon comes soon :) And then came the harried 15 minute dinner notice, getting lost in the midst of Whampoa and a foodcourt hunt! The MTM girls and their big grins made all that worth it :D Happy exchanges and surprises over sugarcane juice while reliving the good old days.

Beerfest and Fifa 2010 made for one memorable Friday night :D Random run-ins with people from everywhere, a German loss, an American win, over 100 kinds of beer, and that crazy inflatable guitar. New friends, old friends and being hugged/high fived by random football fans. Hells Belles and Killer Queen with a crowd gone wild and table top dancing to Highway to Hell and Fat bottomed girls. For cover bands, they were seriously amazing. And the guy in Killer Queen looked exactly like Freddie :D

Food of the home-cooked kind on Saturday, when our cookout finally came to be after months of planning and postponing :p After piling things into a shopping basket almost randomly, discovering some awesome instant chicken rice, buying bell peppers of 3 different colours, and staggering home with purchases enough for a family, we got to work cutting, chopping, frying and cooking without really knowing what we were doing :D And we even had background music! End result: sauteed mushrooms, a cheesy mushroom omlette, chicken curry, dhal and chicken rice.. Yummyyy~! Topped up with a 6 pack of Erdingers and a tub of Ben&Jerry's while a second DJ dropped in for the first football match, watched Glee and snoozed in between, and woke up for the next match while the boys fell asleep :p

The boys on a sunny Sunday afternoon turned windy evening, between crepes at Tanjong Pagar, dessert and drinks at Marina Square, and a movie: the Karate Kid, and my little preview to Beijing :D 3 games of pool till midnight, and the old skills put to the test. Crazy conversations over another tub of ice cream while clad in white, comparing tongues and messing around with spoons :p

Work overload just before the conference in Qingdao. Late nights, short tempers, rocketing stress levels. I get more done though, in the later hours. And then there were the funny moments, when I tried to cut out my name cards, sliced right through them, and made QJ my slave. Checklists, powerpoint skills training, and the banner rehearsal- we make a really good team I think, and I didn't realise till now :)

All in a week's work. The great Chinese adventure begins soon~!

Rain or shine? :)

2010-06-16T17:58:00.015+08:00

I love waking up to the sound of rain in the morning, and then promptly snuggling further under the covers. The hardest part is getting out of bed, and then staying out :p Orchard Road is flooded after the continuous rain over the last few days though. Yikes!

The deal's done at work, and it didn't go down as bad as I thought it would. Countdowns and deadlines and talk of a support group- Seh Kin you nutcase! A lot of changes coming up, and a company lunch at Zam zam that left us unconscious for the rest of the afternoon.

Reading about the past, with rain blanketing the city and sad songs playing on the pod. Slowly slipping into that dark place, again. Feeling out of control. And fighting what's slowly becoming an obsession. The bad sort.

A long lunch with a best bud, and a bubble of warmth and happiness recreated. He knows me better than I do sometimes, I swear :) Arabic tea, a buffet lunch, awesome dessert and good company- and the smile was back again :)

The drama that unfolds when trying to get to work on time. Gosh, I sometimes think I redefine the word klutz. Or simply that Murphy really has it in for me on some mornings :p

A nice roadside sit-down dinner and catch up at Chinatown with the boys, which carried on to Club St and the Screening Room rooftop. Didn't even know that place existed :) And then we hit the sports bar with the awesome music, and the girl + boy thrashed the boy + boy at Foosball! Twice :D

Good news from my favourite designer :D So happy for you buddy. Murtabak celebrations await!

Malacca happened finally, on the weekend. My last trip across the border for a while I think. And it was awesome! Details to follow soon :)

A-team is a good movie if you're looking for decent action and a twisted plot. Oh, and Bradley Cooper! Funny stuff and lots of gunfire and muscle :D

Kicked off the first match of FIFA 2010 at home, with my relatively stable internet connection and the neighbours. Seh Kin never made it past immigration in time! And is it really that wrong to support the team with the better looking players? ;)

A different kind of ladies night- dinner with the girls while being serenaded by a Spanish guitar duo :D A free flow of pizza and a wicked magician named Charm, while we caught up after ages. A cool and breezy walk around CQ, and the musician with the didgeridoo was on the bridge tonight :) 2 days to the wheee-kend!

m.o.n.o.c.h.r.o.m.e. Monday

2010-06-14T11:13:00.065+08:00

The end result of a late night and lack of sleep.

A weekend of wanderlust.

Another manic Monday morning.

And the outfit that was randomly thrown together in 5 minutes, in the dark.

Always works like a charm :)

Resonance

2010-06-09T12:04:00.013+08:00

It's strange how you can hear a song a million times, but it only hits you on a random morning when you're riding the bus to work :)

I see a sky full of the stars that change our minds
And lead us back to a world we would not face...

The stillness in your eyes
Convinces me that I
I don't know a thing
And I've been around the world and I've
Tasted all the wines
A half a billion times
Came sickened to your shores
You show me what this life is for

-Dance with you, Live

Macaroon love ♥ Gosh, that whiskey chocolate one was divine~! After the chocolate expresso ice cream mochi :D An entertaining dinner with the foursome, and a camera gone wild. And a scooter with no helmets. And a madhatter episode in a store full of pink and rhinestones.

Now that the dust has settled, there's a weird ache that's left. Together with the realization that I was unaware of how much I care about things and people here. I hate goodbyes, even the temporary kind, but I guess every beginning starts with a goodbye of some sort.

The phone call that made my night! I went to bed grinning, and woke up still grinning :D I'm sooo over the moon for you babe! I just wish I could be there to see you through everything :)

Stumbled across this and HAD to share :D What would your caption be?

I think the emotional resonance felt when friends are going through a rough patch or a happy transition speaks volumes about the almost subconscious relation between us. It's like an extension of feelings, or the ripples of a wave. It scares me sometimes to know we're so connected, given my default 'distance' setting. But its also comforting, to understand and be understood.

Undecidedly trudging through the rain at lunch and randomly ending up in the same direction on two consecutive days. All that for kaya toast, subway and drenched cold feet for the rest of the afternoon :p And then we were treated to the weird airshow/NDP practice run in the rain! Kiasu much?

'I feel very out of touch with the youth of Sri Lanka'- the sibling. Hahaha. I just had to put it down as quote of the week :D

A swim, a struggle to hit 10, and then a sudden surge to 30 :) And the neighbour from home turned into the neighbour in the pool! Traipsed through the long forgotten Engin block on the way to the lab and got freaked out by the one-eyed mannequin at the door :D And all those machines and robots~!

The battle against the fungal invasion continues, with Amri-1, Fungus-0 for now. I'm really not cut out for domestication though.

Apparently short people are more at risk of heart disease than tall people! Thanks for notifying me and then rubbing it in QJ :p Stef, the typo jokes and the chronicles of Chuahbacca & Pam continue. I can't believe we get away with so much nonsense sometimes :D Love you woman!

Family all over Asia, the retarded conversations and laugh out loud moments we have. Gosh! Miss talking to you dad, our sarcasm wars and wisecracks, and hearing that rumble-y laugh. Get home soon! And ma, well your innate craziness will make me smile on the worst of days. Just please stop climbing things :p

And more friends tie the knot/bite the dust!

Geeky thrills

2010-06-08T14:05:00.046+08:00

When bored/procrastinating/lazy to do any work and in need of a laugh...

1) Urban Diction-ary your name:

2) Google fight over the insignificant: http://www.googlefight.com/

3) Switch your Facebook language to English (Pirate) and pretend to be one:

4) Lose yourself in xkcd, what the duck, and/or Left-handed toons

Charge it up baby :D

2010-06-07T17:37:00.001+08:00

"ArcAttack employs a unique DJ set up of their own creation to generate an 'electrifying' audio visual performance. The high voltage DJ pumps music through a PA system while two specially designed DRSSTC's (Dual-Resonant Solid State Tesla Coils) act as separate synchronized instruments. These high tech machines produce an electrical arc similar to a continuous lightning bolt and put out a crisply distorted square wave sound reminiscent of the early days of synthesizers."

Wowza~!

2010-06-06T16:42:00.010+08:00

I met the nicest lawyer ever on a rushed Friday evening :D After making him wait and then arriving in a confused mess, we sat and chatted about his life and mine, in the space of 10 minutes! A complete stranger turned acquaintance, with so much grace and a cool-ly untraceable accent.

The Esplanade has become a regular hangout since the Arts Fest came on board. Checked out the adorable French duo Trois who performed in spite of the rain, against the backdrop of the Star Trek building and that gorgeous stormy sky. And then sat in awe for 75 minutes of amazing dance courtesy of Platform Campus. Message by SMU gave me the goosebumps :D

To see but not perceive
Are we blind! But we can feel
Let's trust this feeling
And surely we will understand
What lies between you and me.

J bar with the boys and Malibu, with McDs in the middle and guilt trips left, right and centre :D That rendition of November rain made my night~!

Waking up at 6am on a Saturday hasn't happened in forever, but after chugging down coffee, waking Iris up and a 7-11 breakfast, we headed out to Bare our Soles. And we did, with about 2000 other people of all ages and sizes, in the wind and rain :D Biker hate and the cyclonic experience by the beach on a weekend morning. Definitely different :D And Reverie were playing when we finished! Another long pretty walk in the rain afterwards, a lazy brunch at Siglap and wandering through the East before we crashed :)

Hip hop love in the 100-fold at Street Revolution that night. Amazing stuff by 20-something year olds. The cute dorky Richard J, the smooth heart rending vocals of SleeQ, girl-gone-wild college teacher Yacko and the Thai-tanium rappers~! We felt like aunties in the audience and the venue was all wrong but the energy in the place and the deep, heavy beats for a 1 hour turned 3 hour concert was out of this world :D Prata and a chat at Boat Quay, and then began the fun night out with the Malaysian and the Spanish. Going Om, mojitos, sheesha, deep conversation and a parrot :D Moved on to the bridge at CQ (hoisted onto it rather) armed with beer, chips, hot chocolate and a view of the drunk and unconscious in the wee hours of Sunday. Was good seeing you Seh Kin!

A sleepy Sunday that turned into a photo taking, koththu eating, rib cracking, museum exploring afternoon, complete with pictures under an umbrella, around a tree, against a wall and on swing, and kung fu skits in the park. Iris and the neighbours, at the Red Dot Traffic Museum :D Stumbled across Once upon a Milkshake and were treated to a Spooky Mocha, an Agent Strawberry and a Chocolate Truffle Castle, who all had their own stories amidst crazy chatter and weird phone conversations as the sun went down.

Back to NUS to meet the long lost boys over naan, paneer and tales of the days gone by. Gosh, we were crazy back then no? :D 30 years down the road, I betcha we'll still be laughing at ourselves over dinner! Another life from another time, but with memories that last for the rest of our lives :)

And I leave you with this, to think about :)

“Everyone of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads—at least that’s where I imagine it—there’s a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our own heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in a while, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you’ll live forever in your own little private library.”

— Haruki Murakami

Natural highs

2010-06-04T09:58:00.009+08:00

On a sunshiney Friday morning :D I hope they make you smile~!

Hearing your favourite song on the radio

Lying in bed listening to the rain outside

Giggling
Long conversations late at night

Falling in love

Road trips with friends
Finding a $10 bill in your pocket

Overhearing someone say something nice about you

Lazing on the beach

Care packages

Making eye contact with a cute stranger

Running through sprinklers

Gifts

Laughing so hard your stomach hurts

Having someone tell you you're beautiful

Finding your musical soulmate

Spinning around in the rain

Unexpected texts

Finding something you thought you'd lost

Feeling pretty

Having him smile at you

Friends

Riding a bike downhill

Swinging on swings

Sunsets and sunrises

Taking a long drive on a pretty road

Laughing at yourself

Slipping on your new pair of shoes

Cheering someone up

Knowing that everything will be okay.

After dark.. comes light?

2010-06-03T21:05:00.023+08:00

A walk, a swim, a friend, a cup of tea. That's all it took :)

I guess there are always going to be people out there who take you for granted, push your buttons and just mess you up. But if you think about all the time you spend being angry or disappointed or upset with them, its a monumental waste. They don't give a damn, so there's no reason you should either.

Prince of Persia finally happened :D A lame-ish plot, but Jake what's-his-name made up for all of that by just smiling :D Plus the camels of course ♥ An entertaining movie though, with the uber cool hassansins and the humour in between.

Metallica to the rescue, and Fuel and Breaking Benjamin. I've realised I need the harder stuff when I'm trying to stay collected, which makes no sense but works like a charm every time :)

The darkness moved on in the end, light spilled through and the smiles made a comeback. Bounce~!

Travel plans again :D The scribes reunite soon, and then there's the Great Wall of China to see, before autumn beckons. I'm hoping all goes according to plan!

The 20 minute wait at a bus stop at dusk turned into an almost spiritual experience, with a sky that was several gorgeous shades of blue, gradually getting deeper and merging into one another. After another lovely sunset at the desk, with the pod for company. I hope you guys were looking to the heavens too :)

The bruise is starting to look a little less ugly, and the pain's subsiding. And the headaches have stopped, thank goodness. The bump on the head had me worried there for a bit.

We're finally Baring our Soles this weekend :D Big hearts and bare feet, in the thousands on a Saturday morning, over 5km. I'm just glad I get to do a tiny part in helping someone have a home. Do what you can, when you can and with what you have [Theodore Roosevelt], right? :)

Dance. I love everything about it. The emotion, the expression, the fluidity and the grace. More of that over the next few weeks :D

The lunch time splurge, but it was needed and justified I think! Pasta salad sought and finally found. A happy afternoon walking around to a beat in the sunshine :)

Cinnamon decadence with the neighbour again! We're an unstoppable force when it comes to this :D Provence @ Holland Village up next ;)

And it only just struck me that Murakami's book is called After Dark too. Strange workings of the subconscious I tell you!

St Anger, and me

2010-06-02T11:00:00.002+08:00

Madly in anger with you..

One of the few personality traits I pride myself on is the fact that I don't lose my temper easily/often.
I try not to let things or people get to me, and most of the time it works- a song, a swim or a long walk takes care of it.
But hey, I'm not made of stone, and I'm not perfect.
And when I do let the anger win, it gets ugly.

The stories of our lives

2010-06-01T10:45:00.010+08:00

Desaru, 2010

'That’s all we are — just stories. We only exist by how people remember us, by the stories we make of our lives.'

— Charles De Lint

The beach post, and the random rest of it

2010-05-27T21:50:00.005+08:00

Time of day: Friday night, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon.
Location: The beach :D

The dinner turned house party turned drinks by the beach outing on Friday. I'm officially in love with the East Coast! Home made lasagna, red and white vino, and those yummy Swiss dark chocolate truffles.. Sticker hysteria, girl talk and boy crazy stories.. Black sheep boys, 1twenty-six and the sarong party swirls! And of course, the girls :D

And then the day of the Passion Run finally arrived :D After a late and lazy start, the three of us ended up at different times at the mrt, and then waited for 2 hours with 200 over ppl for the shuttle buses, and then were dropped 2km away from the starting point, which we couldn't find. And then we finally started running,45 minutes after the official starting time :p Made it back in 40 minutes though, through a gorgeous sunset and the evening air at ECP, though I was breathing too hard/focusing too much on not dying to take it all in :p I'm glad I had company though, among the thousands of yellow tees :) And 'twas the best finish line ever: imagine 10 headlights blinding you and you literally seeing stars when you reach the end of the track.. So glad I didnt crash into anyone before I collapsed in a red sweaty heap on the grass :p

Fire twirling, camwhoring, rehydration and drumming followed, and then we had to find our way out of ECP, except we ended at the seafood end of the place, walked by the beach some more and used the two iPhones to navigate out haha. The 401 finally pulled up, we piled in and hit Parkway Parade for the foodhunt, which ended up in salads and fries :D Trudged home and slept like a log, for a good 10 hours. Bliss :D

Two naps on a lazy Sunday afternoon, which was too sunny to waste indoors, so I hit the beach again, in the company of the resident DJ. The failed Ben&Jerry's attempt led to hotdogs and drinks under a coconut tree and a quick venture into the water before we had to head to Woodlands for the Stardust Finals. Siloso beach has 'natural' sectioning of the crowds that come there, and a new zip lining course and trapeze thingamajig :D And an overpriced flea market with customised carved flip flops :p

Stardust- a race to find the place, then to find the place in the place, get a ticket, and get inside before it all started. The sibling and his guitar solo did me proud :D Wish they'd won though. And some of the soloists were outta this world! Agung- you've a fan in me forever~! The drive around in the back of a cargo van followed- we got lost going to dinner, found dinner, and got lost heading back home, while sweating it out, singing and tumbling around guitars and what not at the back.

Then came the 4 day week.. :D The Ghostwriter + Kinokuniya + Pastamania on Monday, an airport hike to see the sibling off + a 100% discounted tresses adventure + Annalakshmi + Starbucks with the old gang on Tuesday, Villa Bali on Wednesday and the nugget splurge on Thursday. Too much good food, and not nearly enough sleep. Planning a weekend getaway with 4 people over gmail is hard, stressful and funny! But it happened in the end, and deserves a post of its own :D

Hijacked rainbows and pots of gold

2010-05-21T10:07:00.020+08:00

A surprise drop in at work, and the giant bear hug and smiles :D Love you babe! You made my day :)

The Back Up plan and the hysterical two of us. That guy (I've no idea who he is) is gorgeous, and almost perfect in every way~! Aren't they all in the movies though :D

The vanilla candle was brought back to life, and kept the chocolate high good company. I was literally in the clouds, though I could barely walk home :p

The bestie, the scandalous stories, the reprimands and despair, the love :D She's miles away but we still act like the same 15 year olds who'd spend all afternoon in her room, talking about everything and nothing.

This is the story of a girl
Her pretty face she hid from the world..

5km, and then another 5km. It's getting easier, and I hope I make decent time come Saturday :)

I want to save all our conversations from the last two years! The happy ones, hysterical ones, the ones that made my day, the ones where I had to leave the room because I was laughing so hard I was crying, and everything in between.

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

- Albert Einstein

Every time I think I've made it out of the rut, I fall right back in. Or maybe I like just being there, and willingly let myself tumble back. It's a nice rut. But I know no good is going to come out of hanging around in it.

Checking things off the list, slowly. There's still so much left to do! It doesn't help that Murakami is keeping me engrossed these days. Good stuff though, a refreshing change :)

Credit card craziness, battles with the automated system and ATM hunts. Have you noticed how they have AXS machinese everywhere but Citibank ATMs are so much harder to come by? Thanks you guys, for bailing me out when needed :) I owe you one!

The amazing baked potato + chicken sausage + sauteed onions + melted cheese pasta lunch. Sinful even for a Friday, just the way I like it ;)

Dinner with the girls tonight, and cocktails by the beach. Can't wait :D Have a good weekend y'all!

Play with fire

2010-05-20T11:20:00.018+08:00

.. and you will get burned.

2 years, 9 months and worlds apart

2010-05-19T10:55:00.004+08:00

A year ago, the day began in Berlin, on the overnight train back to Sweden. The train rode a ferry across the channel, and we hopped off at Malmo to meet the awesome Jorge and Britmary. After the traditional Swedish lunch and whirlwind tour of the town, we hopped back on the train to Stockholm, and then back to Uppsala. Captain Morgan's in the mug from Prague that night, celebrating the end of that crazy wonderful journey across 11 cities in 15 days. And celebrating the milestone twenty-one.

A year later, the day began with rain, a library rendezvous, and the diverted McDonalds breakfast. Topped up with a chili con carne melted cheese burger, a cajun chicken wrap, a pina colada, a long island ice tea, a hug mug of dark chocolate + whipped cream, and a melted chocolate marshmellow crepe. Complete with the disappearance of the mane, the discovery of a bridge in the dark, threats of getting off the bus ridden too many times for the day, basketball, cocoa induced insanity and waking up in Jurong West instead of Kent Ridge :D

Happy 22nd dude :D And here's to many more! *clinks glass*

Fire & ice

2010-05-16T23:59:00.008+08:00

It's been a good week :) Lots of love, hugs and happiness, long walks and laughter. Inner peace, outer calm and the warm comfort of friends and family.

From up here the city lights burn, like a thousand miles of fire. Work avalanched due to last week's hiatus, but I enjoyed watching the sun set at my desk and night slowly envelope the city. It's a different world out there after sundown- darkness creeps in, headlights come on and the heat fades away. A couple of late nights and things got back to normal though. And the usual madness that makes our day ensued, with us venturing as far as a tour of Lavender, only to come back to Keypoint for subs. Crazyness.

And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives. Finally checked out Chillies with the old gang on Wednesday, and caught up over ribs, mushroom fajitas and that amazing jug of Jamaican something. So many shifts coming up, but it feels like we're in it together somehow, though we're all heading out in different directions. Dinner with the boys on Thursday, cereal prawns and butter squid that disappeared too quickly for the 4th one to taste much, the hilarious mango sago/almond paste tryout and the hidden bar with the Hoegaarden jugs (that were really buckets in disguise :D). Back to conversations over ginger tea at the good ol' prata shop on Friday, Pakistani cuisine on Saturday night, with that amazing buriyani rice and kebabs and half a chicken, and supposedly different but identical pizzas and sugarcane juice on Sunday, out of the rain. Good food and great company always makes for the best of nights :)

Make it through all the rest with, someone I'll always laugh with. Wandering about Siglap and East Coast with the girls on a sunny Saturday afternoon, complete with brunch and free flowing apple juice, and ice cream in the park with some crazy bikers and rollerbladers. And in a moment of insanity, all three of us clambered up the reef in skirts and sat by the sea in the afternoon heat. Got accosted by the Bare Your Sole group on the back, bared our soles and cracked up about the pedicures we should've got :D Drama and theatre after ages, with the fille who's got an exclamation in her name :) What would I do without you girls ♥

And there I go, turn that page. I caved in the end and wound up at Borders. It's amazing what that place does to me- I walk in, time slows down and I fill up with wonder and inspiration and joy, all at once :) I resisted and didn't buy anything, but contentedly book browsed and came across a couple of new interesting reads- Yann Martel has a new one out called Beatrice and Virgil, and Mark Haddon's is called 'A spot of bother'- worth checking out soon! And then I went to the library and found Catch-22 :D

He tells me about his night, and I count the colours in his eyes. It's so hard to find, but when you find it, love, the solid unwavering kind, can drive you crazy but still keep you sane, all at the same time. And in the space of 10 seconds, you go from being a composed rational being to a complete wreck, and back again.

There were choruses and sing-alongs, and that unspoken feeling of knowing that right now is all that matters. Two hours of stardom, and a drum lesson in between. The bean bag lie down, the 'uncontrolled' voice and the iPod turned karaoke mixer :D Sometimes it feels good to just let yourself go and jump around like craaazy :) A definite high on a purple Sunday afternoon, and the amazing chocolate milkshake hasn't changed one bit. Gonna miss that place..

Smoke on the water, fire in the sky. A Friday evening with fire twirlers clad in black, a Sunday evening in a park on fire. Hot stuff, in every sense of the word. I want to date a fire twirler now! It would've been nice if they had put a couple of floating candles in the river as well :D After umbrella manouevers, messing around in the dampness, the complete fails at graceful dips and dance moves and lots of attempted glamour shots with a tissue paper and the flash, we headed home, warm and happy, in spite of the rain.

All in a day's work

2010-05-14T17:19:00.021+08:00

Why life at work is hardly ever 'dull':

1) The story of Angel, Seh Kin and the brown Cambodian boy they've adopted. 'Nuff said.

2) a) It rains at lunch time. The lunch buddy and I go down without umbrellas.

b) We stand in the foyer, look at the rain and the sky for 2 minutes, take a chance and walk out in the drizzle, realise I have a puny umbrella with me, try both walking under it for a good 50m while drizzle turns into torrential rain, and fail miserably.

c) We then decide to go back up again and get another umbrella, but lunch buddy walks faster and ahead of me, and gets into the lift first thinking I'm waiting downstairs for him.

d) I try calling him to ask him to bring one more umbrella, but the call doesn't go through while he's in the lift, so I take another lift up.
e) He calls back when I'm halfway up, but we can't hear/understand a thing being said.
f) The lift door opens at the 17th floor and I get out, while lunch buddy frantically tries to get in, fails, and the proceeds to jam the elevator button in a panicked attempt to avoid the drones on the way out for their lunch excursion.
g) The lift finally arrives, we rush in and start heading down, only to realise that lunch buddy has brought only one umbrella with him.

*sigh*

We then trudge aimlessly through the rain for the next 20 minutes, wondering where to go and what to get for lunch. And in the middle of it all, he has to stop and show off his i am-a-lame-Phone's photo taking ability:

3) Skype conversation at coffee time (~4 pm):

[4:05:35 PM] A says: duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude

[4:05:46 PM] A says: its 5 mins past!!!
[4:07:24 PM] A says: : *raised eyebrow emoticon*
[4:07:28 PM] A says: its 7 mins now..
[4:07:33 PM] A says: does this not bother you?
[4:07:38 PM] A says: and have you forgotten the muffins?

A goes off to make coffee in the pantry, while QJ tears his hair out trying to get RefMan to work with Mabuk on the line and Seh Kin missing in action. The muffin remains untouched on his desk.

A little later...

QJ says: there's only 1 blueberry in this muffin
QJ says: false advertising
A says: has Garuda cut her hair?
QJ says: dunno
QJ says: she might have been in a fire or something
A says: in a fire? :p
QJ says: yeah
QJ says: maybe her house burned down...
QJ says: and she singed her hair
QJ says: that's what it looks like from here..
A says: aahahahaha :D

The second nucleus

2010-05-13T12:12:00.006+08:00

And we sat there in subdued lighting, the five of us, discussing our dreams.. Talking about the big changes coming up, the challenges we'd have to overcome, keeping our fears in check and taking comfort in the fact that things do work out for the best in the end...

The tree lined walk, traffic and the lunch hour rush. The off-hand admission, the happiness, the surprise and excitement. Smiles all around, with laughter in between and sadness just under the surface.

The airport, the kids screaming in the background, blending into the shrieking on the phone. The happy kind though. Warmth and bubbly joy transmitted over the line, in those few moments, amidst the raging chaos all around.

Back on the steps again, just after the rain. With the usual 7-eleven beer and juice in hand. Reliving the moments and highlights from the last few weeks, a slow revelation of hidden inner thoughts and trying to piece together a broken heart in the light of a reconstructed one..

Parallel worlds, on the other side of the window, across the miles but only a few seconds away. Reassurance, thrill and reluctant hope, coupled with the sense of loss and shock, and the temporariness and transiency of it all.

With the friends who matter, the ones who've always got your back, you know without a doubt that 5 years down the line, you can pick up exactly where you left off- regardless of time, distance, change and circumstance. They might not be there at the exact moment you need them, but they're with you for life.

Everybody dance now~!

2010-05-12T03:23:00.002+08:00

Not my usual cup of tea, but you gotta love the video :D

Compilations

2010-05-11T10:18:00.000+08:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.

— Bridget Jones’s Diary

Scare the world: Be exactly who you say you are and tell the truth.

—Unknown

Well-behaved women rarely make history.

— Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.

— Kurt Cobain

Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I’ve had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you must not forget to laugh.

— Katharine Hepburn

You know, it’s been said that we just don’t recognize the significant moments in our lives while they’re happening. That we grow complacent with ideas or things or people, and we take them for granted, and it’s usually not until that thing is about to be taken away from you, that you realize how wrong you’ve been, that you realize how much you really need it, how much you love it.

— One Tree Hill

Sad thing is, you can still love someone and be wrong for them.

— Elvis Presley

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.

— Bill Cosby

After all, computers crash, people die, relationships fall apart. The best we can do is breathe and reboot.

— Carrie, Sex and the city

People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.

— Salma Hayek

Life’s disappointments are harder to take when you don’t know any swear words.

—Calvin & Hobbes

And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.

— The Kite Runner

The comeback post

2010-05-10T22:23:00.010+08:00

So I had this grand entrance planned after I temporarily dropped off the face of the blogosphere, but I've been so drugged up lately I honestly can't remember what it was. It was going to be good though, that much I know.. *sigh*

Anyways after 5 days of lying in bed doing absolutely nothing with minimal brain function (yes admittedly, not very different from the usual), an H1N1 scare, endless pills and some lethal cough meds, and no physical energy due to the darn flu bug, I'm slowly making my way back to normalcy. Still tired with the 'seksy' voice back for a few days, but on the road to recovery :) I can't remember ever sleeping so much in my life; I did when I was 6 months old apparently, but like I said, no recollection.

I actually missed being at work (please note this is different from 'missed working'), and blogging, and meeting my buds, and riding the bus to go places, and eating normally. I swear I can't look at another can of Campbell without a severe gag reflex..

Now onto the interesting stuff.. Ti-O-Maaaaan! 3 days of utter bliss and the gorgeous blue ocean. Sun, sand and snorkelling with Sid and the beachy weekend getaway I've been aching for. For a trip that came together in the space of 3 hours, 3 days before the holiday, I think it was beyond amazingly great- and riddled with the usual insanity in the form of the Chinese chick at immigration, the inescapable chipmunks who showed up everywhere, Sid-sensitive bats in coconut trees, the bus that literally rocked and swayed, the fan and air con orchestra, the delayed ferry and the missing couple who turned the 5 hour return journey into a 9 hour endless stretch of road! There was also the crazy 2.5 hour trek up a mountain across the island, which had me convinced I'd die of a heart attack before I reached the top, the butterflies that kept us company due to our 'aroma', the discovery of Juara and the harried 4WD ride back before the snorkelling trip, and the leaky mask saga :D

And the food~! Gosh we went all out, in spite of budgets and cash exchanges. Lunch on the first day had us hitch a ride on the Berjaya tour bus to a random Malay restaurant for two helpings of the best fried rice ever, and Sid caved in for an omelette after :D Trekked back and got picked up on the way by the same guy haha. Dinner was an overpriced affair due to the indian hooligans across the street, but beers by the beach, a nice long conversation and the monkey tied to its own neck made up for the food- though the buttered squid was pretty good. Then came breakfast- picture two girls eating enough for five people, within the space of an hour :D You gotta love the continental spread- and we even packed a muffin! Lunch was at Juara, which took forever and disappeared in 5 minutes~! And the meal of the trip- dinner that night. Back to the malay place at the top of the road- and Chelsea happened to be playing Liverpool haha (There's just something about football matches whenever I head to Malaysia!) 3 hours later we staggered out, after consuming BBQ prawns, cuttlefish, pattaya fried rice, an entire foot long fish cooked in three different types of sauce, drinks and two cups of amazing tea... Yup, we showed them all right :D And yeah, we hit breakfast the next morning with renewed passion!

Best moments of the trip: Lying on the beach that night, listening to the waves and looking at the stars with our feet in the sand and trying to keep Sid awake by talking, snorkelling at Coral island and Renggiss and seeing the barracudas, sea urchins and sting ray, and those huge deep sea coral formations, the boat rides out and in, reaching the top of the mountain and gaping at the blend of sea and sky in the horizon, walking on the beach early morning and watching the sun come up and tide rise, and just hanging out in the water all day.. We need to do this all over again one day, soon :)

Then we came home and got sick the next day :p Sadness, because Chica's gone. I missed her last day, and I miss her craziness everyday :( But I'll see her soon, and she was the second person I called when I got the news~! Speaking of, things finally pulled through and happiness rained down in torrents, together with the tears and hugs and whoops of joy :D It's exciting and scary and daunting all rolled into one, standing on the brink of a whole new adventure.. but I'll save all this for another post :)

Winding down

2010-04-30T11:24:00.001+08:00

April's literally flown by! May get's here tomorrow, and I'm off again~! A long weekend was too good to pass up for some serious beach time :D Can't wait to hit the clear blue water.

This week's been a mini food rampage- an Ikea dinner on Monday, a Brewerkz dinner and drinks on Wednesday, a Turkish lunch and Bakerzin sandwich splurge on Thursday. Whew! And we topped that up with another cinnamon melt.. Gawd. And I still haven't quite recovered from the weekend's cuisinistic escapades. You can never have too much cinnamon though.. or chocolate.. or coffee.. :D

Birthday madness, and the scavenger hunt around the office. I've never clocked in so early before :p Happy 24th QJ! That ridiculous looking bird tops the list of 'best gifts ever', if I do say so myself :D And the redhead cactus comes in a close second haha.

Now for the sadness- chica's gone next Wednesday. I'm ecstatic for her, but I'm going to miss her to death :( She's been a combined mom, sister, girlfriend, inspiration, fashionista, anchor, shoulder, scone buddy and so much more- and we've only got a week left. Make the most of it and mourn later I think :)

Lingerie shopping with a boy for a girl provides for an evening of endless laughs and funny awkward moments :D I hope you got there safe and the gift was well received! ;) What is with all that lace though?! And frills and ribbons and polka dots...Urgh.

A shift's coming up soon, and I'm excited/anxious/scared as hell. Hopes and beat skippin' heart in check, for now at least.. *fingers crossed*

Of cinnamon melt-downs and the great outdoors

2010-04-27T11:39:00.002+08:00

The wonders of mushroom soup and sleep :) The fever went away in the end, but I still had to clock in a bit from home. Messages from all over and a human thermometer- thanks you guys :D Caught up on all the missed TV shows and read a bit- the ideal vacation if I hadn't been hitting 39°!

An Ikea lunch, Ikea hotdogs and an Ikea dinner, spaced a couple of days apart. Craaaazy~! But the chocolate mousse is to die for.. *drool* The cinnamon bun hunt all the way to Somerset 313 and that idiotic customer service dude who got my blood boiling.. Urgh. Why is the service industry in Singapore so crappy?

Ravi and Ravi, spray wars at Mustafas, insane giggling at City Square Mall, pol sambol + gotukala + dhal and a cinnamon melt marathon. We were on a roll! Saturday saw 3 go down with the help of a chocolate fudge sundae, Sunday saw 2 more with a cappucinno on the side. The melts are like little bits of heaven in sugary syrup ♥ And Mr Google redefined the concept of 'finishing your food' haha.

The Blind Side is a pretty good movie- it gets you thinking, even at 3 in the morning, and it restored a little bit of my faith in humanity :) Sandra Bullock still has a fan in me! I loved the gutsy character she played, though whether it was Oscar worthy, I'm still undecided :p He's Just Not That Into You was just as good watching it for the 3rd time as it was the 1st :D Chicken curry and Kahlua (separately!) only added to the day's pigging out- I'll need to starve myself for a week before I return to normal! And then we watched movie trailers till 4am.. *sigh*

Tried out the circle line for the first and second time, and hit Max Brenner after aaaages! A crazy route through Dhoby Ghaut to the Esplanade to Clarke Quay and then Harbourfront- more time spent in trains than outside, catching up with Mr Shutterbug while he foursquared away :p

Then came Sunday! After struggling to wake people up, having more back out and missing breakfast, Mr Google, Prem and moi finally took to route 3 in Macritchie :D A grand total of 4 hours, 12km, the Petai trail, the Blue and Pink maps, the monkeys on the car and all over, the HSBC treetop walk, lots of steps and more mosquitoes! I think Avatar had the connection with nature thing down to point- there's just something uplifting trudging through the undergrowth with insects and birds chirping away and the smell of earth and fresh air all around you. The heart rate went up and the endorphins got to work- which saw me bouncing to beats on the bed and whacking Mr Google with a tiger. After I shaved his head, and before chased them around the garden for my wallet and attempted riding a child's scooter..'Nuff said.

A hug on a Monday morning, a drenched trek through Bras Basah at lunch (thanks QJ!), new found respect for MS Paint, a surprisingly decent creative exploit and two projects down :) Hung out with the sibling on what was a beautiful evening around 7pm, and had quite the interesting shopping experience :D

We all have our crosses to bear, but that doesn't mean we forget how to smile.. right? :) I'm terrible when it comes to taking my own advice though. But I sat there in the dark yesterday, listening to this on loop [came across it on trailer night!] and felt like someone out there understood :)

A chaotic Tuesday which began with 3 different warbrobe shifts and harried phone calls in between. Yeah, I forget things sometimes, like important client meetings :p Was feeling frustrated and annoyed and sad and let down all at once, but weekend plans cheered me up :D Just one of those days when you wake up and wonder what you're doing with your life I guess..

Mishmash

2010-04-22T10:48:00.003+08:00

Down with the sickness :( I think the fever worsened during the night and I had all these weird dreams which I can't remember now! Though I woke up like 5 times, after each dream.. Urgh. And it's the weird kind of sick, where I feel like a trainwreck but my temperature is stubbornly remaining normal-ish. How I wish I were in bed right now..

Have you ever randomly thought of someone and had them text you or call you a few minutes later? Ethereal stuff, but it always makes me grin :D

The new blogs are cool! There's so much beauty out there in the world, sometimes just around the corner. And it's always a comfort that there are people who still stop, look around them, appreciate and share. Photography to me has always been a way of extending my memory and looking at the world through someone else's eyes. And my two cents' worth on Photoshop: it does make things look prettier but also messes with originality and skill, to a certain extent.

Ok that was very random :p

Song of the morn (that's still playing in my head!):
Promises mean everything when you're little
And the world's so big
I just don't understand how
You can smile with all those tears in your eyes
Tell me everything is wonderful now..

-Everclear

Back to the timesheets nightmare and samahan.. *sniffle*

Everything, and nothing

2010-04-21T10:31:00.013+08:00

Watching the storm gather just after sundown has become a daily routine. The expanse of sky and colour from the 17th floor is amazing, and if only the windows weren't so dirty, all the reports and papers I'm supposed to be working on would've been abandoned long ago for some quality shutterbug time in our little corner :)

The office warming was on Friday, which led to a hunt for sausage rolls during lunch and some rib-cracking conversations among the scribes. And just like all MTM parties, the alcohol flowed freely, everyone was merry and there was too much food :D Some pol sambol turned up too! You gotta love diversity- specially when it translates into sushi, guacamole, pasta and curry, among other things :D

The hunt for the glasses began afterward, but we sat down for a while on the benches and watched the fountain lights change colour. And after hitting 7 of the 9 places, running down an escalator going up and forcing one guy to open shop 10 mins after closing time, we ended up watching Date Night :D

Shutterbugs Inc took to the streets of Singapore on Saturday, but first was the Mongolian lunch buffet courtesy Prem :) The sauce recipes were something else! Totally recommended if you have a lot of time to spend and a healthy appetite. Clarke Quay is an entirely different world in the day- there even were kids splashing around in the fountain :D (Attica looks like hell btw- but the colour contrast and vibrancy of the surrounding buildings makes up for the drabness).

Catching up over Irish cream coffee on a lazy weekend afternoon- my kind of thing :D Sometimes talking to people who know you really well helps you realise and remember things about yourself that you otherwise overlook or momentarily forget :) Trapaising through CQ, City Hall and the Esplanade while being model of the day, walking through the weird sound simulation between ears and hitting the rooftop terrace- all in a day's work, only to be rewarded by that huge root beer float :D

Another spontaneous Sunday, with a huge koththu lunch and a trek from Potong Pasir to Boon Keng with Mr Google and his GPS, aiyo :D I needed an adrenaline fix, and we decided to be adventurous and headed to Punggol to explore the beach there. The route to the beach is amazing~! Punggol is such a quiet area till you get to the LRT- which we rode for kicks :D Fields and trees and more empty green space- reminiscent of the foresty areas in Scandinavia. The beach was terrible though- there was a dead something on the shoreline, scores of plastic bottles and bags, and weird gunk and junk in the water with almost dead jellyfish floating around.. *shudder* And yet there were families happily fishing on the pier and splashing around in the water :| Saw a guy catch a lobster looking thing and proudly show it off before running off with it- I really hope that wasn't dinner! But a walk along the beach, a gorgeous sunset mixed with storm clouds and some pretty strong gusts of wind made up for the rest :D

Monday came, and Monday went. Discoveries of a happy kind, interspersed with an orange + chocolate chip muffin, a surprise coffee delivery and the Goo Goo dolls- a new album coming out peeps! :D The rain came down in torrents the moment I thought about going home, so I sat by the window and waited it out a bit. Hang in there dude! The hard part's over :)

Tuesday and a weird emo morning. Shinedown, Kid Rock and Sum 41; Stef finally intervened when she found out I was listening to the likes of Miley Cyrus :D Yep, that extreme! Only because it was on a soundtrack though, in my defense. Cranberry orange muffins, hummus, corn relish and nachos- gosh, we're such gluttons! An evening of endorphins and the 5km run- and neighbours who clean fans and overdose on honey :D

The Sentosa Resort and Spa is spiffy! I thought the meeting would never end though- and we were sitting by the buffet and hadn't had breakfast! Back to an old favourite for lunch, and much love and gushing when a pack of mango cakes arrived all the way from KL, together with our favourite CS girls :D Thanks Seh Kin and Ho Hui! QJ and his misery over the volcanic ash is hilarious :D I do feel bad, though the French ginge jokes were too good to hold back on. Romantically challenged is funny! :D And I've gotten myself hooked on trance! Like Tiesto, and van Buuren. Probably a passing phase :p

Have you noticed how the little things that mean everything to you, can be completely missed by someone else? I guess it goes both ways, and that's what makes all of us different. But there's so much that we leave unsaid, and that's lost too fast between moments to become a memory. Though there's just as much said sometimes, but not understood or remembered.

I'm excited about the next couple of ventures coming up! Sign up for the 'Bare Your Sole' walk people! It's for a good cause, and it'll be fun :D I wish I could actually be there on the other end though- soon I hope, with a little patience and perseverance :)

If only

2010-04-19T11:08:00.000+08:00

“You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before, she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect – you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break – her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.”

— Bob Marley

Got your attention yet?

2010-04-16T12:06:00.003+08:00

Eyes peeled and mind wide open

2010-04-15T14:30:00.011+08:00

The swim left me high and slightly hyperactive- it's those awesome endorphins I tell ya! I'm aching all over now from going overboard this week though. And getting slightly sniffly.

My parking lot moment with the wind in my hair and music in my ears. Cheesy I know, but I was on top of the world and probably looked like a grinning idiot standing there in the dark.

I was told I have a fierce personality and that I'm hard to handle. Haha sure.. *wink*

Synchrony. It's so awesome when someone just gets you, listens and is open to what you have to say, even if they don't necessarily agree. Long chats, long walks and long waits at bustops :)

Another long weekend coming up! Even better this time around since we had no idea it was going to be till yesterday. Plans in the making to leave this town ;)

Girlfriends. Love you to bits. And happy b'day bestie! The hugs, fits of laughter and random acts of madness will have to wait till the distance and time difference issues are resolved :p Wish you were here though.

I'm really lucky to have such cool parents. They let us get on with our crazy schemes and plans, as long as we don't go too far with anything. The right mix of conservative and open-mindedness :) Their sixth sense freaks me out sometimes though- like they know me better than I do. A heart-to-heart with dad, and it turns out we're both faced with the same kind of decisions and dilemmas.

Lemon muffins, chocolate brownies and too many cups of tea.. ♥

Came across this and it struck a chord:

When you’re drowning, you don’t say ‘I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me’, you just scream.

-John Lennon

Hook, line and sinker

2010-04-14T01:17:00.006+08:00

http://xkcd.com/

Leave the memories alone

2010-04-12T23:05:00.010+08:00

No no I'm not being emo, it's just a song that's been running on loop all day in my head :p

All in all, it's been quite a week- physically draining and emotionally, a rollercoaster. Sadly more lows than highs, but hey, at least things are starting to look up :) I lost my temper after a very long time too, to the extent I was actually shaking. It's a good thing it doesn't happen that much- I'd have a stroke at age 30 :p

Wendy's on Monday- awesome chilli and shakes almost as good as Carls' Jr. Finally got around to the Book of Eli, with Mr Google and the sibling. The end was lame, but the twist was pretty good- and a little more colour would've been nice! Denzel Washington's getting old though :(

Wednesday heralded the MRT pubcrawl, which involved hundreds of green tshirts taking to the trains and hopping around from a hawker centre to an Irish pub to another Irish pub to an ice bar and finally a club. Our group had quite the mix- I'd never met anyone from Kazakhstan before and I met 4 that night :D And so we drank, talked, wrote on each other's shirts, camwhored and danced :) I just wish I could remember the cute German guy's name now :p

A late morning, messed up waterworks, a nostalgic pizza + pasta lunch and long walk on Thursday, and the return of chica and QJ. Sunshine, happy stories from all over, and lots of laughs in between- you gotta love the British sense of humour :D

It's weird how songs can mean something completely different when you're down. Humans draw comfort from the strangest things and places, and I'm a living breathing example. The kindness of strangers can make my day, when the comfort of family doesn't always work. Inspiration, from the weirdest place and at the strangest hour- passed it on and got a smile back :)

A lot more people than I ever knew about seem to read my blog, and the interpretations vary quite a bit too- for the most part they amuse me, but some really shock me. To each his own I guess.

A picnic lunch in the park with the girls on Friday :) Haven't done that in ages, and I don't think we've ever chased a bunch of men off so effectively :D Egyptian and Moroccan tea followed, complete with those yummy rosewater dessert things. I'm starting to love the new location :D

Drinks at Blu Jazz in the evening, with our own comfy couch and corner. Good girlfriends are difficult to find, but once you do, they stick with you for life :) A few amazing mozarella cheese sticks later, headed to the much missed and neglected hangout with the boys- we even managed to get our usual table :D Stories of Bangkok and Sri Lanka over long islands, vodka cranberries and jamaican breezes followed- and ended with some pretty deep conversation on soulmates, life plans and finding ourselves. An unusual connection and nice change to the usual banter and racism and insults- and plans in the making for a crazy weekend out on the town- I'm excited :D

Waking up to rain on the weekend is one of the best feelings ever- especially when you can afford to snuggle deeper under the covers and just listen to the raging storm outside. It almost ruined our plans for scrambling around the treetops, but we were lucky and most of us made it in the end :) 3 hours of tarzan jumps, trapeze swings, zip lining across the reservoir and climbing up, down and sideways on everything from cables to rope ladders to nets to tunnels- the adrenaline rush, aching limbs, twisted torsos, sand covered clothes and bruises were worth every minute :D And Hoey Lit and I showed them that even the vertically challenged (specifically, people under 1.65m) can conquer and survive the crazy black level trapeze swing things!

A chilled out Saturday night dinner which turned into an all night Saturday gaming + movie marathon :D A crazy cab roundtrip, teh peng and cheese prata, movie trailers and semi pro cameras, Taio Cruz and Timbaland, dark chocolate education, the sniffles and masala chai, Mortal Combat face offs and lounging on the couch in semi darkness till 6am :D A night to remember. And a Sunday morning sunrise- something I haven't seen in forever~!

Most of Sunday was spent horizontal- just the way I like it :D The shotglasses were finally unpacked, together with my nostalgic meltdown :p Time to myself, music, movies and a few good reads, with room to contemplate and think about the important stuff and where this life is going. I still don't have all the answers, but I'll get there soon. I just need to hang in there for now :)

The hiatus was overcome at long last, with another 5km under my belt. I need to push harder though- it's been too long and I've lost the little stamina I had going before. Library time and two new reads on the shelf- I'm just itching to get started on them!

And the time has come for me to take a bow, for now. Good night world :)

Don't change a thing, and I'll just hold you here in my memory.

What The Duck

2010-04-11T01:24:00.002+08:00

My latest obsession: a wise-cracking, photograph-taking duck.. :D

Destructive criticism

Digital reprography

Fill in the blanks

Less is more

Duck tape

http://www.whattheduck.net/

Warning. Danger. Stop. Do Not Cross.

2010-04-09T05:18:00.013+08:00

I'm at crossroads again. And in every direction I look, there's an unchanging red light staring right back.

I suppose I could just bide my time and wait for a light to turn green. No guarantees it will though.

Or I could run a red light and find out what's waiting on the other side.

'Too slow to roll
Put your life on hold,
An open path
With nowhere to go

A chance to breathe
While sitting at a red light,
You look around
reflecting on your life..'

-Jonny Lang

'We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle'

2010-04-08T21:33:00.003+08:00

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."

- Marilyn Monroe

For those wounded in love

2010-04-07T13:30:00.000+08:00

From Paulo Coelho's Blog: Convention of those wounded in love

General provisions:

A – Whereas the saying “all is fair in love and war” is absolutely correct;

B – Whereas for war we have the Geneva Convention, approved on 22 August 1864, which provides for those wounded in the battle field, but until now no convention has been signed concerning those wounded in love, who are far greater in number;

It is hereby decreed that:

Article 1 – All lovers, of any sex, are alerted that love, besides being a blessing, is also something extremely dangerous, unpredictable and capable of causing serious damage. Consequently, anyone planning to love should be aware that they are exposing their body and soul to various types of wounds, and that they shall not be able to blame their partner at any moment, since the risk is the same for both.

Article 2 – Once struck by a stray arrow fired from Cupid’s bow, they should immediately ask the archer to shoot the same arrow in the opposite direction, so as not to be afflicted by the wound known as “unrequited love”. Should Cupid refuse to perform such a gesture, the Convention now being promulgated demands that the wounded partner remove the arrow from his/her heart and throw it in the garbage. In order to guarantee this, those concerned should avoid telephone calls, messages over the Internet, sending flowers that are always returned, or each and every means of seduction, since these may yield results in the short run but always end up wrong after a while. The Convention decrees that the wounded person should immediately seek the company of other people and try to control the obsessive thought: “this person is worth fighting for”.

Article 3 – If the wound is caused by third parties, in other words if the loved one has become interested in someone not in the script previously drafted, vengeance is expressly forbidden. In this case, it is allowed to use tears until the eyes dry up, to punch walls or pillows, to insult the ex-partner in conversations with friends, to allege his/her complete lack of taste, but without offending their honor. The Convention determines that the rule contained in Article 2 be applied: seek the company of other persons, preferably in places different from those frequented by the other party.

Article 4 – In the case of light wounds, herein classified as small treacheries, fulminating passions that are short-lived, passing sexual disinterest, the medicine called Pardon should be applied generously and quickly. Once this medicine has been applied, one should never reconsider one’s decision, not even once, and the theme must be completely forgotten and never used as an argument in a fight or in a moment of hatred.

Article 5 – In all definitive wounds, also known as “breaking up”, the only medicine capable of having an effect is called Time. It is no use seeking consolation from fortune-tellers (who always say that the lost lover will return), romantic books (which always have a happy ending), soap-operas on the television or other such things. One should suffer intensely, completely avoiding drugs, tranquilizers and praying to saints. Alcohol is only tolerated if kept to a maximum of two glasses of wine a day.

Final determination : Those wounded in love, unlike those wounded in armed conflict, are neither victims nor torturers. They chose something that is part of life, and so they have to accept both the agony and the ecstasy of their choice.

And those who have never been wounded in love will never be able to say: “I have lived”. Because they haven’t.

[Stef my love, I love you more for sharing this! :D]

Hopscotch

2010-04-06T01:38:00.002+08:00

Position: square one. Displacement: beyond measure.

I went through the motions: the hoping, waiting and wondering. I passed the anxiety, anger and panic. Frustration, check. Worry, check. Bated breath, check.

Fleeting happiness, renewed optimism, interspersed between all the negativity, at the slightest shift in sequence.

The decision, the outcome, the implications. And finding my way back to where I began.

Things don't always work out the way you want them to. Why couldn't this time be different though?

A drop in the ocean

2010-04-05T10:19:00.006+08:00

April began on a happy note :) The lack of pranks aside, I got to mediate a brain storming session and the team came up with some pretty good ideas- which are now plastered on the windows around me :D Good news in the post too- one battle won for now, though the war continues. Made someone smile, and cheered someone else up. It's those little things and split second moments that make your day :)

Lunch time adventures with QJ, which started with my Moroccan lunch treat on Tuesday and then took us back to our usual hangout. We complained about it when we were close enough, but we can't stop going back there now :p Chica had news too- I'm so happy for you babe :D There was a ray of sunlight dancing around on my desk (and tanning my redheaded neighbour) and my pod read my mind again :) One big bubble of happiness inside me.

Evocation that evening, in VIP seats! Thanks Nips- I owe you another round :D The performance was an unorthodox mix of electronic and beats, contemporary dance and unusual choregraphy- my favourites were the Indian/Javanese dance to Fade to Black, and the 'organic' dance piece with the earthy beats and subtle lighting (I can't remember the name of it :p). A happy dinner followed, with too much laughing and talk of 'waiting for something to happen'...

Then came the weekend! Road tripping, caving, 10km of white water kayakking, zip lining, building a jacuzzi, pigging out, riding atop kayaks on a lorry, cheering on Man U, pigging out some more, driving around in circles to prove the boys wrong and lots of old town white coffee in between. Ipoh, we'll be back someday :)

Beyond this wonderland

2010-03-28T12:06:00.028+08:00

March is drawing to a close, and so are a couple of chapters in this crazy rollercoaster ride I like to call my existence :) Speaking of rollercoasters..

Universal Studios is pretty darn cool :D I think they've done a really good job with the limited space they have, and there's more to come apparently! After the chaotic scuffle to wake up, get out of bed, get tickets and get there, we finally made it. One heck of an awesome day, in spite of being the girl in the middle and screaming myself hoarse.

Spent Earth Hour in the dark, with IT geeks talking about startups and iPhone apps and whatnot. I'm liking how every year turns out so different :) amberella chutney on bread, weird youtube vids, coffee, more coffee with kahlua, a documentary on dolphins and the launch of my career as a tattoo artist :D A different kind of Saturday night.

This is a belated mention, but we finally made it to Pulau Ubin last weekend. Happiness for 4 sunny hours on a bike, among forest trails, mangrove swamps and the mildly wild outdoors. A huge BBQ dinner followed, courtesy of my awesome landlord :D Ate too much, again. And topped up with Mexican food on Monday night, and that yummilicious Bakerzin sammich on Tuesday over lunch with Sid. I'm going to miss our ladies' lunch club~!

Domi left on Tuesday, chica left on Thursday and my somewhat longterm relationship with Pi ended during the week. About time! I loved it more towards the end though :) Happy stories from the kindred spirit and chica gave me goosebumps and a reason to smile, amidst all the madness.

The work week's been hell-ish, but the late night conference calls with QJ in Beijing and Seh Kin in Kyoto made things bearable :) Thanks to Stef my love too, for cracking me up with those retarded online conversations :D What would I do without you guys :p The new office has an awesome view and spiffy red furniture- it also called for manual labour all of Friday and most of Thursday. I've never seen so many boxes in my life! Packing up on hands and knees with the radio on full volume was good fun and a welcome change- with a Turkish lunch in between :)

Friday night with Reverie, good friends and martinis. Sunday night with Opshop, long lost buddies and pizza. Awesome tunes, a chilled out location and amazing vocals.

Homemade goodness, family councils and a Swedish fika inbetween, complete with lingonberry cheesecake :D I felt so loved, stuffed and sleepy~!

The ebb and flow goes on, with the obstacles and undercurrents constantly changing. My lifelines- thank you for keeping me anchored and sticking with me :) The ones who are leaving- take me with you! I'm not sure I'll make it out alive otherwise :p

Shifts, again

2010-03-20T09:21:00.011+08:00

I woke up everyday this week wishing it was Friday, and on Friday morning I wanted it to be Tuesday so I'd have more time to deal with the avalanche :p

Domi's here for the weekend :D Pigged out at Annalakshmi's before heading out to J bar and a stroll around the city. It's a different world out there, at night.

I think my relationships with most people can be classfied as 'all or none'- either I give it everything I've got, or don't bother much. And every once in a while, someone comes along and breaks through those walls and defenses.. and then they're gone before you know it. I'm going to miss you like hell buddy. Friends for life though, right? :)

Good news on Tuesday evening, bad news on Thursday morning. Hang in there mom and dad. And stop telling me not to worry :(

A dark and rainy Saturday morning :) Trippin' around in the puddles and splashing about Arab St and Chinatown. The tooth relic temple, the sultan mosque, the Malay heritage centre, Ang Siang Hill, Sago Road, Club Street. Kebabs, prata, buriyani, teh halia, blueberry cheesecake + granny's surprise ice cream, laksa, carrot cake and tang yuan. All in a span of 8 hours.. *phew*

I'm off for some serious snooze time now.. Nitez yo!

So darkness I became

2010-03-17T09:27:00.006+08:00

I never thought I'd actually take to songs like this :p QJ, I hope you're proud of me!

On another note, Happy St Patrick's Day peeps! The time has come to seek out my Irish hunk :D

15% concentrated power of will

2010-03-16T10:33:00.010+08:00

That kind of describes my mental state these days :p The song's been running on loop in my head ever since Friday and the trailer for the Karate Kid.. Jayden Smith is adorable by the way :D

Finally watched Up. I think the hype that came before it sort of set my expectations way too high, and I found myself wondering why people were raving about it that much.. But it was all right on the whole, and certain bits tugged at 'em heart strings :)

Stereolounge on Thursday with the boys, and girl. Free hennessey + apple soda cocktails, interesting conversations and a stockpile that disappeared almost as quick as it appeared ;)

Screenings, caffeine deprivation, kaya toast and the lazy mid morning. Two rounds of pool, sorely overdue :) Rockfest, the sibling and the impressive bass solo/vocals. He's getting better, and the band's a lot tighter now :D The checked shirts band from Sheares was pretty good too.. brought back memories of the days gone by..

A very late lunch with my favourite rockstar, finally :D So much has happened in such a short time, it was like hearing about life in fast forward mode. Coffee by the beach and a good conversation- what more do you need on a Saturday afternoon?

Home club on Saturday night, courtesy of the resident DJ :) The two guys up there had some serious skills- their hands were all over the place :p A little more hip hop would've made me happier though!

Another rainy Sunday afternoon, this time spent trapaising around the city trying to pick up Sistic tickets :p Cinnamon happiness in between, before finally making it to the Quest for Immortality exhibition :D The ancient Egyptians were a colourful and funky lot I have to say- their belief systems, rituals and craftsmenship made me feel like I was peeking into a completely different realm of existence.. literally. I suppose I was :) Main highlight of the afternoon: having my name stamped out in hieroglyphics :D

Monday brought in renewed chaos in the form of recordings, meetings and agendas. The moment work avalanches, it's like my brain decides to take an extended vacation into procrastination-land :p The swim helped, but there's a long way left to go. Hopefully I'm still on the right track. And my passion card arrived in the post :D

I'm really trying hard with this patience thing, but sometimes it all just gets to me.. I wonder how much longer I'll have to wait.

I'm all out of breath
My walls are closing in
Days go by
Give me a sign..

-Breaking Benjamin

Have your brain hacked by music..

2010-03-11T14:00:00.006+08:00

Credits to Sufen for sharing :)

Faves and raves

2010-03-10T10:47:00.008+08:00

Woke up at 6 something to the sound of rain :D Huddled further under the covers and snoozed a bit before taking my cuppa to the comfy chair and sitting there for a good half an hour in the company of Pi and the downpour :) An awesome start to the day, even if it meant going to work half soaked :p Then came the cinnamon granola bars~!

Work's piling up, and I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried.. Just take it as it comes I guess :) The chopstick adventures turned out to be a complete fail, so wanton mee in my world is still consumed with a fork :p Highlight of the afternoon: the blueberry chocolate muffin :D

Faves and raves was on in the evening, but a stop to say hello to the brownie hoarding one at NLB before that :) I love walking around the city at that time of the day; the sun's just setting, dusk is approaching, the rush hour crowds are interesting to watch, and the lighting (and the Esplanade!) makes for some cool photographs. I just wish my battery hadn't died :p

The screenings were pretty darn good. I'd seen the first one, In our own words, before, but it was just as good watching it the second time :) It highlighted the inner and outer struggle for acceptance, tolerance and understanding perfectly, in both a subtle and very realistic way.

Cashless cracked me up, but I think everyone of us can relate to it on some level, and that was the beauty of it. It also got me thinking about how much we take for granted, and how our expectations and demands have evolved as a result of the 'convenience' of living in a technologically advanced world. Ok that was a mouthful, but you get what I mean right?

The Hedgehog Complex was my favourite though :) I loved the way the director had used different angles and lighting to capture the different perspectives and emotions of the actors, and he portrayed the concept of a person's life 'behind closed doors' so nicely. There's always so much going on beneath the surface, but the most you ever get to see is a glimpse of the complexity of it all..

Then it was a long wait, a long ride and finally home to the family drama till midnight :p I really do hope that one day, I'll be half as great a parent as my own are.. And that's still a tall order :)

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky

2010-03-08T09:48:00.025+08:00

Every once in a while, that weekend comes along, leaving you insanely happy and high on life :)

5km, finally, and twice in a week :) Still some way to go before perfection though. But at least I'm still alive :p The company lunch at zam zam, with all of us smelling like murtabak all afternoon :D New projects, new colleagues, new reasons to smile.

Martinis (best appletinis ever~!) and steak sandwiches with the girls at Mortons, dinner and drinks with the boys at CQ. Weird conversations about being killed by a Malay cop and cynical wisecracks about Singapore. The rum n' coke vs melon martini drink-off, and more rum n' coke on the house by way of the cow-themed lucky draw! The random run-in with QJ, the arrival of the duo, Eski Bar and the absinthe that had no effect on me, and margaritas at Iguana. I think we redefined the word pubcrawl :D

Kaya toast and yummy mango sago, >_< x 15, Alice in Wonderland, random archery tryouts, posing for marathon publicity for Facebook, the hunt for the elusive 'fro, onion rings and pathetic attempts at jaywalking, Reverie for 2 minutes, Somerset 313, the gorgeous hat, and the really cool goodie bag :D A chilled out evening, Jersey girl and the much needed sleep :) That was my Saturday.

Domestication, before heading out to the Gifted Artists children's exhibition on Sunday. I LOVE the Red Dot museum :D It's such a funky and artistic venue for all that creativity. The exhibition was amazing- to think of how 6 year olds can come up with stuff like that is just beyond me :) And we got to meet some of them too :D The themes of violence and nightmares were interesting- it made sense in a way.. and the self portraits and interpretation of trees were uber-cool :D There's just something about kids that helps put stuff into perspective- the simplicity of their world :)

Kayaking adventures beckoned, and we found ourselves back at the lake, except we got on the kayak the wrong way :D But we talked and laughed and had a blast, particularly in the mud and under the bridge :D The aching arms and legs were so worth it! The one with the mop then joined us for the Brazilian Rhythms at UCC, after the scramble for dinner- not a bad show, except jazz isn't really my thing. The drummer and pianist were something else though :O

Another crazy week looms ahead, but hey, its only 5 days till the weekend :D

Innocence in their eyes

2010-03-06T21:41:00.023+08:00

Children make you want to start life over.

-Muhammad Ali

A few personal favourites :)

Peddling DVDs in the shade (Phnom Pehn, Cambodia)

Smiling for the camera (Ayuththya, Thailand)

Horse rides at the park (Prague, Czech Republic)

Amidst pollution and poverty (Delhi, India)

Sunshine, smiles and a spiritual journey (Phnom Pehn, Cambodia)

Chords around the street corner (Uppsala, Sweden)

What's with this big glass pyramid anyway? (Paris, France)

At one with the ocean (Penang, Malaysia)

You've got mail (I can't believe I'm doing this)

2010-03-03T01:47:00.017+08:00

Dear Amri @16,

Greetings from Amri @24. Yup, I'm 8 years older, zilch taller and not much wiser. But due to intense pressure from Asela and Terng (yes, 8 years down the road, I'm still friends with them, though I'm not entirely sure why), I've decided to write you a letter of sorts and try to warn you of what's to come, so you can brace yourself and not give into the emo-dom that'll threaten to engulf you.

Life as a teenager is going to be tough, I won't lie to you. You're going to be confused, angry and sad, sometimes all at once. But those years are also going to be the best and happiest of your life, and come 19, you're going to look back and want to start regressing in age. So live life to the fullest, and don't have any regrets. On a side note- those years in school are most carefree ones you'll ever have- so live it up, get in trouble, and make the best of it, because it's those memories that stay with you the longest. Live by the lyrics of Baz Lurhmann's single 'Everbody's free (to wear sunscreen)'; I still do.

Don't take the academics too seriously. Study hard and do your best when you need to, but make sure you have fun along the way. Those end of term tests and marks are not going to matter in couple of years, but what will stay with you are the recollections of those all nighters that you pulled, mom waking up and keeping you company at 4am, and dad driving you to the exam and trying his best not to panic on your behalf :) Learn as much as you can, when you can, about the world and stuff outside the textbooks, because time becomes more of a luxury when you get older. And take the sports and extra curricular stuff to heart- it pays off later on.

Family. The quarreling will never stop, and you'll feel hard done by, and yes they probably were too strict with the 12am curfew. But they love you, will be proud of you no matter what, and really want what's best for you, though they might not be experts at figuring out how to put this across the right way. In spite of feeling like the world will end if you don't go to that party, it won't, and they know this. So listen to them and be patient with their stories from the years gone by, and give them the respect they deserve; bringing you up is a lot harder than you think, and you actually turn out pretty decent in the end.

Boys. Well, I still don't quite understand them. It's true, they can be absolute jerks at times. But like you, they're just trying to find their footing, and are just as confused, even now :) In a couple of years though, they'll stop being such idiots and settle down, and some of them will become your best friends.

The girls. We're still the closest of friends :) Forgive the fights over the same boys, the hormonal mood swings and the times they might have stepped on your toes, because they're going to stick with you whatever happens, and will always be there for you, across the miles and different time zones. They'll change with time, but so will you.

You. Don't worry too much about figuring yourself out. It doesn't get any easier as the years go by, but it's a process and it happens eventually, and making those mistakes and learning those lessons are all a part of it. Just keep picking yourself up and dusting yourself off. And time heals. You might be cynical about this now, but really, its true. The arguments, misunderstandings and heartbreaks will seem like distant memories of another life in a few years.

This letter is a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I shall stop the ramble here and wish you the best of luck in the years to come. Don't stop believing in yourself, and don't give up on those dreams, no matter how lofty they might seem right now. And keep that sense of humour intact; stick with your values and stay true to yourself- it's hard to go wrong if you do :)

Signed,
Amri@24

Heart on a string

2010-03-01T23:14:00.003+08:00

Bridging the gap

2010-02-28T10:29:00.008+08:00

The run left me gasping for breath, but the rush of endorphins completely overtook the fatigue. I really should stretch the next time though :p The spontaneous company at dinner and the tea made me smile more :)

Friday brought in temporary sickness. I hate that feeling of congestion in your nose and head and general airways. It also brought in a new wave of CML related stress, but its ending soon so I was trying not to lose it completely. CNY lunch, tossing the lo hei and completely overdosing on curry and pillow made up for it though :D The mix at work always makes it more interesting.

Then came the gift of the cow and the night-long birthdays at the beach! Caught up, chatted, counselled and connected :) I don't open up easily or at all most of the time, but the kindred spirit coerced me into a confession (yes I know you're reading this and smirking :p) which I then tried to forget while consuming all those awesome cupcakes :) I think I just got happy feeling the sand between my toes and watching the waves- though the company made a huge difference :D

We all have so much going on on the inside, yet we keep it so well hidden and tucked away from the world. And every once in a way, it all gets too much and we crack, pick ourselves up and piece together the tough outer layer. Strange creatures, we humans are.

And the rest of the weekend just flew by~! Sunday was all about friends: celebrating an impressive aquathalon over brunch at Marche, online joy and goosebumps hearing about the 'moment', a long overdue dinner and a much longer overdue visit to Botak Jones :D A happy and fitting end to February!

Love is forever with you

2010-02-25T13:30:00.004+08:00

Morning rush hour. A crowded bustop. A middle-aged couple, sitting together and holding hands.

In the old gentleman's hand, an mP3 player. With a splitter cable attached to its end. And two separate sets of headphones attached to the other end.

Lost in their own world, smiling at each other and listening to the same song :)

Prisoner, turned president

2010-02-24T10:15:00.004+08:00

After a funny twist of events, we finally got around to watching Invictus. In one word, the movie is amazing. Goosebumps all the way.. the good kind :)

'I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul'.

It was moving and inspiring and captivating and so much more. The soundtrack was awesome. Morgan Freeman delivered a stunning performance. Matt Damon was hot! *fans herself* There were a couple of lame bits, but in the space of 2 hours, the movie addressed so many different issues, both subtle and overt.

Like tolerance, and forgiveness. Of blood, sweat and tears.

About simply believing in yourself, even if people around you don't, and doing your best with what you have, regardless of the circumstances and against all odds.

How beyond colour and class, we're all human, with the same rights, the same needs and wants.

About standing up for what is right, and fighting for what you
believe in.

A reminder of how great people like Nelson Mandela are, with the kind of vision and philosophy that most leaders of the world today lack.

Watch the movie, if you haven't already. Trust me, it hits you right at the core :)

The newcomer

2010-02-23T10:37:00.003+08:00

Ok so while in denial of the fact that I am now officially an aunt, I had to post a pic of my gorgeous and utterly adorable newborn nephew Keyaan :D

Just look at that little bicep :D I want a baby too..!

I want my weeeekend back!

2010-02-22T09:57:00.023+08:00

Sleep.
Finally caught up on Friday- a quiet evening with myself that was much needed, after the last couple of weeks of traipsing about airports and bus stations and temples and beaches :p

Food.
Pol sambol, gotukola and bonchi :D Need I say more? Then there was also the coconut hunt, its eventual consumption, mango and chocolate milkshakes (two separate occasions :p), and chili cheese fries. Day 1.

Naan, palak paneer, chicken tikka masala, teh halia, tim tams, rum n' raisin, and coffee. Day 2.

Gosh, I feel fat just writing all this down :p

Rain.
My love for rainy Sunday afternoons :) which I usually spend in bed, huddled under the covers and listening to the rain outside... Instead, I spent yesterday at Chinese garden, walking, dancing and then jogging in the downpour, after a failed kayaking attempt :p (damn you lightning!). And then we climbed up the jungle gym, soaking wet, and sat in the rain for half an hour, just talking. I've not done anything that silly and liberating in a long time- best feeling in the world :) And that plastic bag saved the day~!

Kindred.
Thanks for the conversations, smiles and laughs. I love you guys. I hope you know that :)

Replay and rewind...

ISFP

2010-02-20T12:51:00.012+08:00

Introducing my personality type:

I- Introverted
S- Sensing
F- Feeling
P- Perceiving

(somehow none of that sounds very flattering...)

ISFPs are quiet and very private people, who keep their true feelings and opinions reserved or hidden except from those who they are closest to.

Check.

ISFPs direct their energy towards the inner world of thoughts and emotions. They give importance to particular beliefs or opinions, particularly those that relate to people that they know and current experiences.

Erm, sure..

Artist/Composer — "I Seek Fun & Pleasure". They have a strong aesthetic appreciation for art, and are likely to be artists in some form, because they are unusually gifted at creating and composing things which will strongly affect the senses.

Lol.

ISFPs are extremely perceptive and aware of others. They constantly gather specific information about people, and seek to discover what it means. They are usually penetratingly accurate in their perceptions of others.

[I'm betting Sherlock Holmes was an ISFP]

ISFPs are friendly, sensitive, warm and sympathetic. They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented in their desire to please. They have an unusually deep well of caring for those who are close to them, and are likely to show their love through actions, rather than words.

*blushes*

Don't ask me why I've been researching all this (an idle mind is the devil's workshop, or something like that right?). I should've put in a narcissism alert at the beginning of this post though. Oh well, I know you're entertained anyway ;)

Mood: Elevated

2010-02-19T10:12:00.007+08:00

What started out as a disconnected, sleepy and kind of depressing day (blame post holiday withdrawal symptoms and a flooded inbox) actually turned out pretty good in the end :)

Being treated to home made cinnamon buns + watching the sun set on a long bus ride back home + a second treat of mochacinno (with more cinnamon) + acquiring a gorgeous new gym bag (completely free of charge) did the trick ;)

And then came the crazy funny stories of car breakdowns, gold price wars and trembling hands. You gotta love family :D

The wanderer and shutterbug in me is tired but happy.. Penang and Cambodia in the space of two weeks was quite the experience :D Time to plan the next holiday! It's never too soon, as a very wise and slightly drunk person once said ;)

In between the hiatus

2010-02-10T11:01:00.003+08:00

The life of Pi, finally.

Mochi madness.

Vanilla love.

A new red glow.

Prata, ginger tea and a long tree-lined walk.

Those soulful eyes, and that goofy grin.

21 laps, and counting.

Happiness, caught between all these little moments :)

Virtual insanity

2010-02-03T09:43:00.009+08:00

And nothing's gonna change the way we live
'Cause we can always take and never give
And now that things are changing for the worse,
See, it's a crazy world we're living in.

-Jamiroquai

I love that track.. :D

So this post was going to be about how technology is affecting us all, taking over the world, etc. Nothing new I know.

But there's always a flipside right? Like for instance, doesn't it creep you out that people can be really really different online versus offline? Like some weird split/multiple personality disorder. And I'm not talking about online dating and stuff, where you know nothing about other person at all; I'm talking about people you know- friends, acquaintances, etc. The 'Facebook personality' is sometimes completely different from who the person is, in person.

I guess the 'online' life gives you more freedom and options to be who you want to be, without actually having to undergo a permanent personality makeover. It centres around the whole the 'ideal/perceived self versus real self' discrepancy maybe?

The other thing I don't get is how people want to be your Facebook friend, but if you actually bump into them, there's no acknowledgement or even eye contact; you're just another stranger. Bizarre.

I'm all for technology making life easier and connecting people, but I don't think it's worth if it comes at the price of getting sucked into the vortex, and losing sense of reality in the process..

Comin' down, the world turned over

2010-02-01T09:57:00.013+08:00

I really need to stop grinning like a retard. And bouncing around in my seat :p

It's an awesome feeling when your pod can read your mind, and the first thing you hear in the morning is your favourite Goo Goo Dolls track. While walking down the slope under a nice blue sky with the wind blowing all over.

This advertisment on a taxi caught my eye on the way to work: www.catchcheatingspouses.org.sg. And something about private investigators who will find out the truth about what your spouse has been upto. This world's a weird place. No, scratch that. This world's a gorgeous place. It's the people that made it weird/sad/crazy.

My very own quote of the month: 'I think I'm losing what's left of my mind from the last time I lost it..'. Brilliant, I know.

I woke up before the alarm again today, after sleeping at 1am. And I was smiling.. *insert look of puzzled concern* I think I also had a weird dream, but I can't remember much of it, except it involved me getting married *shudder*

One-for-one lunch at Swensons with the boys. Yummylicious macaroni & cheese :D I'm so full and sleepy and happy, and that says nothing about the cheese high to get over :D

Dramafest tonight. Once again, the sibling is gonna make me wonder how he does it. Band, plays, script writing, FYP, tuition and life in general. I think I'm just going to claim fame by association and retire early :p

February's here :D lots to look forward to! To be lame about it, listen to this if you haven't already :) I need to think of a way to celebrate, in keeping with the tradition with honouring the first day of every month :D (it's just an excuse to get all excited and deliriously happy :p) I think you guys should too!

7 days and the pseudo finale

2010-01-31T10:02:00.008+08:00

A BBQ, too much good food, mad singing and dancing, and lots of EtOH.

An almost all nighter, trying to meet deadlines.

Random retarded conversations among the scribes.

The great hotel debate and the road trip :D

Symphony orchestra pieces that sounded like cows mooing at one point (though the percussion and horns were pretty good).

The wonders of a swim, though it could've been longer.

Lunch time adventures:
- Tuesday: A mad run to the post office, a trek through Bugis, the iPhone debate, the Breadtalk disappointment, a train ride to City hall, the Breadtalk reward, the soup search at the Market Place and Soup Spoon, and a sunny walk back to the desk.

- Thursday: The goggle hunt- Royal sporting house, sports station, foodcourt katsudon, Subway, Royal sporting house again, and the sports station again. End result: matrix chick worthy and dark blue.

- Friday: The unravelling shoes again and funny revelations. A rare quiet night.

Absurd Person Singular, girlfriends, and my talented sibling (so darn proud of you).

Neighbours, meatballs, massages, and a DJ lesson.

Quiet mornings in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee and the White Tiger.

Lunch in company, the supermarket collisions, a cooking marathon.

A continuously refilled bowl of dhal, half a loaf of bread and The Kite Runner.

Crazy online conversations, never ending laughter and the jollies.

The unexpectedly expected visitor, almond chocolate and being the 'reluctant bride'.

And so the week, the weekend and January come to an end :)

The scribes

2010-01-29T15:18:00.009+08:00

When work gets you down, one of the few saving graces are the people you work with.

And this is why:

QJ: whattimeyouwannahavecoffeetoday?it's4:05alreadybuti'mnotreallyin thecoffeezoneyet-areyou?

Fonco: you sound like arwen now
Moi: :D
Fonco: but I dont look like gandalf or aragorn
Moi: Haha if only i looked like Arwen :P
Fonco: you want funny ears issit?

Moi: are you bringing the coffee or should i?
Chuahbacca: can buy here
Moi: they sell in malaysia?!
C: no la
C: of course not
C: illegal
Moi: that's what i thought
Moi: so they send everything here to SG
C: i get it from this pimp who lives near my house
C: he smuggles them along with the czech girls he smuggles
Moi: where does he get czech girls from?
C: from china of course
C: don't ask silly questions please..

QJ: straightforward onsite means no need for Chuahbacca?
Fonco: yes i think so
Fonco: i believe so
Moi: so then she doesnt have to be there!
Fonco: YES
Fonco: she does not
QJ: why are we talking about her like she's not here?
QJ: is it because she smells?
QJ: silence means yes
Moi: *awkward silence follows..*
C: what?
C silence means yes
C: yes to what?
C: I smell nice..

And on it goes.. :)

Alarm bells

2010-01-27T11:50:00.017+08:00

I had salad and wholemeal bread for dinner last night. And cereal two nights ago.

Lunch has been mushroom soup at least 4 times in the last 2 weeks.

I was contemplating the radical haircut again. Except this time it actually involved shaving off some of my hair.

I had 5 glasses of 3 different kinds of wine and didn't feel like an alien has taken over me body/ crave rum or tequila.

On a related note, my alcohol consumption seems to be exponentially increasing, which is fine and all that, except my alcohol tolerance hasn't really kept up.

I'm considering gym membership.

I go to sleep at 2.30am and effortless wake up 15 minutes before my alarm is supposed to go off. I can't, however, drag myself out of bed when I sleep at 11pm.

'Use Somebody' has been running on loop in my head since last Friday.

I'm struggling to finish a book I waited 2 whole months for, because I keep forgetting I have it.

I agreed to a 5km run for charity, though I can barely crawl through 3km.

I am still trying to buy things I don't need for the bathroom and bedroom.

Something's definitely wrong somewhere..

You call it madness, but I call it love

2010-01-26T13:32:00.005+08:00

Quirky little things like this make me *melt*

[Credits go to YC for the pic and Nat King Cole for the title :p]

Forever trusting who we are..

2010-01-25T03:47:00.005+08:00

And so the weekend flew by. It started off on a 'high' note with me getting a bit too adventurous with long island iced tea. Hopped around from Tapas tree to all over CQ and ended up crazy dancing in
J Bar. Then came one of the weirdest cab rides back home. I am officially going off EtOH for a month now :p

Come Saturday, and it was the German + Korean + Chinese + Sri Lankan quartet and a steamboat dinner for 2.5 hours. I think between the 4 of us, we consumed an entire cow, four chickens and a field of mushrooms. This was in addition to the prawns, clams, fish, vegetables, corn, onion rings, fries, sausages and a few other things I can't quite recall now. Haha and the baaad drinks. But it was a much needed chilled out night, amid the racist jokes and laughter. I loved sitting by the road and watching the night set in. And then we were off for a movie/arcade/drinks splurge. Blu Jazz was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday, which only added to the appeal :) And after a 25 minute trek looking for cabs, bathroom emergencies and crossing the road 4 times, we piled ourselves into a taxi a minute before the surcharge kicked in and headed off to Adrian's for Hanson's music education, Chivas and green tea, and an in depth discussion on everything wrong in Singapore. You gotta love those random nights.

I was domestic on Sunday to an extent that would've made my mom question whether I was actually her kid :p Writer's block prevailed so I decided to explore the Marang Trail and Mt Faber Loop. It's so darn beautiful up there, it almost felt like I wasn't in Singapore- the trees and air and exercise did wonders for my cluttered brain :)
Picture of the day:

Now for what's been cluttering my brain...

People who go on about the let downs, wrongdoings and weaknesses of friends and family and society never seem to appreciate the good things that happen to them; to the extent where they actually get suspicious when someone does something nice for them. Go figure. You're never going to be happy unless you let yourself be happy, and not everyone has a hidden agenda. There are still a few genuinely nice people out there, and I think sometimes you just need to give people a chance.

I haven't felt the loss of 'self' in a while now, but it crept up on me in the last week. I found myself questioning and doubting and debating and trying to understand where and how I seem to have lost me. I hate feeling out of control and on the edge. Giving into reckless abandon is so easy sometimes. I really need to get a handle on this before it swallows me up.

Have you ever wondered how the world would turn out if unconditional love (not necessarily the romantic kind) was a little easier to come by? If everyone just cared a little more, spent a little more time, hurt a little less and stopped complicating everything? One can only dream I guess.

... and nothing else matters.

Out of sync

2010-01-20T10:17:00.015+08:00

I get this weird feeling of disconnect sometimes. It's like I'm in a world of my own, completely oblivious to or cut off from the
going-ons of the outside world. And this world of mine has just me in it, not in a narcissistic sense but in an isolated kind of way.

I'm on the inside, I'm looking out..

I don't know if it comes from not being able to 'get' people or happenings or situations. I think space and time tends to warp the understanding you're capable of, and sometimes there's this complete inability to relate or respond appropriately.

Or maybe its just the lock-and-key theory. You fit perfectly in some places/situations, and you're completely out of sync in others. The same goes for people. And the 'fit' changes with time and circumstance. Though there's only so far you can go with flexibility before you lose your original form.

Cinderella discovered

2010-01-18T11:09:00.011+08:00

..while spending the whole weekend cleaning the new place. Minus the torn and tattered dress though, and the evil step sisters. But I'm finally done :D And lovin' it~! Now I just need to restrain myself from going to Ikea and buying a whole load of furniture/knick knacks/lampshades that I don't need. A bean bag would be nice though.. *ahem*

I did play pool on Friday though. It's been aaaages. And it goes well with a Black Russian and good company :D The Fedora'd bro and company put on quite the show at Munchie's too- I was impressed :) And then we discovered the flirting point, had kaya toast at midnight, and trekked across Bras Basah, Chijmes and City Hall looking for a bus and a bus stop.

And the never ending supply of oranges, Japanese milk cake, sandwich spread and kindness. My new landlord is the coolest- yes he even got on a ladder and fixed me a new lampshade :)

The week went by in a flash, and the happy conversations on comfy chairs at coffeeshops were most welcome. Hima the gorgeous dropped by on Wed! Was so good catching up with him over lunch, dropped soup spoons and sugar cane juice, though I still haven't quite forgiven him for calling me at 6.30 in the morning :p And the long overdue lunch with Sid and Hoey Lit finally happened on Friday :D On a related note, Bakerzin has the most amazing chicken and mushroom sandwich ever (yes Sid, I love you for this!). There were also the domestic moments which found me looking for bathroom accessories, air freshners and kitchen utensils. I am indeed a changed person, domesticated perhaps? :p

So with the tickets to KL booked, my leave approved and the visa to Cambodia finally sorted, I'm all set for the next couple of adventures. Much joy and fun times to come :D

And in this moment, I am happy

2010-01-08T15:49:00.011+08:00

It's been a while since the last Incubus streak. Too long I think. I'd forgotten how great the Light Grenades album is :) It's time we met and made a mess. Love that line :D

I thought this week would never end. It got better as it went by, but dragged on all the same. I'm just glad its finally Friday. The post-holiday depression is slowly tapering off too, what with everything that suddenly needs to be done.

Friends make even the bleakest of days feel sunny and warm and happy. Laughter makes the world go round. And hugs are totally underrated. Thanks you guys :)

Food has been one of the main highlights this week. Modesto's on Monday, Melben Seafood on Tuesday, Food Republic + Toastbox on Wednesday, Marché on Thursday (total Bailey's high :D).. and Plaza Sing today. Wooohooo!

And then D dropped in at work with little Oshan! Gosh, he's SO adorable. I almost want a kid now. Though I'd genetically engineer her to remain at age 1 for a good 5 years :p

I'm loving the new hidey-hole. The walk down the slope and standing on the forest threshold in the morning is just amazing. Bobbed down that road today with September playing on the pod and a manic grin on my face and got stared at by a couple of old uncles. Haha.

The hunt for the near perfect machine continues. QJ has convinced me I need to invest in Apple once again. I feel so technologically clueless at times like this. Can't I just buy something red and not bother with the other details?

I still do miss home. But I'm holding onto this for now :)

4.06 am

2010-01-06T10:00:00.006+08:00

And I am wide awake, having stared at the ceiling for the last 45 minutes, unsuccessfully counted backwards four times and tossed around in an attempt to go back to sleep. Sigh.

Overload, and this always happens. Insomnia for someone who's life revolves around sleep is like a chocoholic not being able to stomach chocolates. Ok that actually sounds worse than insomnia... *shudder*

Its weird, the stuff you think about when you're subconsciously awake and not really fully operational. I actually decided on something that I've been avoiding thinking about for the longest time. I wonder if it'll still seem as rational when I wake up in a couple of hours (if I eventually manage to fall asleep again... Gah!).

Dinner with Jo and company was a happy and welcome distraction from all the chaos. And the crabs were yummy~! :D I miss those girls, all that laughter and sunshine.

The new abode is slowly starting to feel less warehouse-y. I just have too much stuff! And its all over the place, though I don't know what's where :( Clutter-bug much?

I miss mom, our endless chats over tea, the giggles and the madness. I miss dad, the sarcasm wars and the intellectual discussions over why I should get married and where my life is going (or not going?). Thank God for the sibling though. Family is just something else really- solid, unwavering, always have your back while you're busy dealing with curve balls and what not.

I can't really think of an ending to this very odd post, so I'll just leave it with an odd ending and crawl back into bed now. Goodnight!

Back to the grind..

2010-01-04T11:54:00.005+08:00

Mixed feelings on a Monday morning.

I can't say I'm happy to be back, but this time around things feel out of place. Like the carpet's been yanked out from under my feet. I hope its just the holiday withdrawal acting up.

Anxiety is almost worse than fear, at least for me. The nerves, the tension, the constant wondering and waiting. Retribution soon, I hope.

Rethinking the previously held notions of people and ideas has brought to light some interesting insights and realizations. Things aren't always as straightforward as they seem, apparently.

Where did the simple life go?

Homebound

2009-12-11T14:33:00.006+08:00

Yups its that time of the year once again when I bid thee, my loyal readers, a temporary farewell on account of me going home and lying on a beach somewhere in Bentota :D I've heard sending messages in a bottle at sea is faster than communicating via internet in SL, so I shall be going offline for a while (gosh, how modern day lingo has evolved) but will be back, depressed, fat and melancholy, in January~!

On a side note, 2009 has been a BLAST. I think its properly lived up to the declaration as the year of travel and Bailey's Irish Cream, but there's been a whole lot more to it that's made it just awesome. More ups than downs, more smiles than frowns, and lots of happy, crazy memories (and photographs!). I'm hoping 2010 (the year of more travel and Malibu) will only be better :D

So adieu till 2010 and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all! :D

The finicky nitpicker

2009-12-08T11:28:00.034+08:00

Being a writer in a MedComs company has its consequences when it comes to daily life (just look at the title of this post). You know you take your job too seriously when:

-You unconsciously proofread newspapers and criticize the grammar/punctuation/sentence structure used.

-You capitalise the first letter of the first word (also known as sentence case) in every new sentence when chatting with people on Skype and MSN.

- You're the unanimously appointed writer/editor of the family and are called upon at 3am to proofread and share your 'expert' opinion on resumes, cover letters and CVs.

- Text alignment, page margins, colour schemes and font size can be a source of manic depression or insane glee.

- You become a paranoid hypochondriac overnight. Writing about pneumonia makes you wonder whether you've had it all this time (that darn cough that never went away) and reading a manuscript on overactive bladder syndrome makes you want to pee constantly.

- You can generate impressive bios based on 2 line CVs from the most boring people on Earth in the blink of an eye.

- MS Word, Powerpoint and RefMan become the Holy Grail of your existence. Nevermind the bombings in Baghdad and Obama's strategies to fight unemployment; Word crashed on you today and the world as you know it is ending.

- Illegally obtaining a reference paper to support the fact that 30% of all women suffer from breast cancer in Singapore can make your day.

- Your opinion of a person relies heavily on how many typos there are in their emails to you.

- You dream about having an asthma attack, not knowing how to use your inhaler properly, and then dying as a result because you can't remember the steps from when you were drafting the patient information leaflet.

- Your 'spam' mail consists of updates on medical advances and clinical research from Medscape and Wed MD.

- You completely lose it when someone hands you a letter to read with double spaces between some of the words.

- You cringe inwardly and outwardly when people say 'Oh yeah, the feedbacks we got were very helpful; there were some stuffs that needed to be improved on though.'

- You can sit through a perfectly normal conversation about infant diarrhoea over dinner and not gag once or lose your appetite.

- Your 'lingo' sounds something like this:
'So then you go Ctrl+A and Ctrl+F. Or just do a Ctrl+H to save time.. *pause* You don't know what Ctrl +H does? Where have you been living- on the moon??'
'Ok, Shift + Enter will help better with sentence alignment than just Enter. No orphan words remember? Why don't these things bother you?!'

I think I've made my point.

Bliss on a Sunday morning..

2009-12-06T05:29:00.001+08:00

Shades of blue

2009-12-04T14:29:00.009+08:00

It's been a weird Friday so far.

Ordinary people and random conversations can inspire you in profound ways. Make you want to be a better person,and appreciate what you have and have been given. Help you realise that there's so much more to this life than you thought possible.

A tired struggle to wake up, but what's left of the holiday high, the thought of home in a week and Live on loop kept me smiling.

A single two line email that completely knocked me off my carefully resurrected perch, right back into the chaotic undercurrent that's been holding me under the last 2 weeks.

Lunch with the ladies and a discussion about Tiger Woods, extra marital affairs and the associated complexities that come with the Y chromosome. I don't blame you guys for thinking women are complicated. We are, and I don't understand us most of the time either.

The need to stop trying to save people. The realisation that there's almost nothing I can do, except worry helplessly and be there if/when they need me, is slowly dawning, and making me feel more helpless. Some don't even want to be saved I think.

I've been not-so-pleasantly surprised by the extent to which you can unconsciously care about someone, and get affected by things going on with them as a result. It's scary stuff, not being in complete control of you.

I wish I could tell you everything that's tucked away and hidden inside, but I don't think its the right time. I'm not sure it ever will be.

There's so much to do, and so little time. Phase shifts are always hard, but this one's taking a lot out of me. Sandy beaches and sunny blue skies await on the other side, with smiles, laughter and warm hugs. I just need to hang in there and see this through. That's always the hardest part.

Resignation

2009-12-01T10:15:00.008+08:00

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an
eight-year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald’s and think that it’s a four-star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk
with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can
eat them.

I want to run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot
summer’s day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colors, multiplication tables and nursery rhymes, but that didn’t bother you because you didn’t know what you didn’t know and you didn’t care. All you knew was to be happy, because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little
things again.

I want to live simply again. I don’t want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive when there are more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, mankind and making angels in the snow.

I want to play with my pets and my days of imagination to
last forever.

So here are my chequebooks and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401(k) statements.

I am officially resigning from adulthood.

(Author Unknown)

Burnt to the core but not broken..

2009-11-25T14:48:00.004+08:00

I realised today that I've lapsed into abandoning my once brilliant idea of blogging about my favourite bands. So here's a lame attempt at resurrection: Introducing the band behind 70% of the top 25 most played songs on my pod.. *drumroll*.... LIVE.

Top 5 songs: Run to the Water, Dolphin's Cry, They Stood Up for Love, Lightning Crashes, Selling the Drama
Top 3 albums: The Distance to Here, Secret Samadhi, Throwing Copper.

The frailty of life, the finality of death

2009-11-24T17:11:00.007+08:00

"Everything that's born has to die, which means our lives are like skyscrapers. The smoke rises at different speeds, but they're all on fire, and we're all trapped."

-Jonathan Safran Foer
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Hang in there buddy. Things will get better.

Love, as is

2009-11-17T16:04:00.006+08:00

“Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should be just friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love.”

-Neil Gaiman

Woes of a Sri Lankan passport holder

2009-11-16T13:39:00.001+08:00

The one place that I can go to without needing a visa is.... *drumroll*... Sri Lanka. Well Singapore too, but I'm already here. And I want to leave, which is the cause for all the frustration and chaos that I'm about to rant about :p
I know I bring this on myself by constantly planning adventures in unexplored territory, but I think I may have gone overboard this last month. This is what my travel itinerary looks like right now:

26-30th Nov: Thailand
11th Dec- 3th Jan: Sri Lanka
15-21st Dec: India
Late Jan 2010: Malaysia
Mid February 2010: Cambodia

I need visa for all of the above, except Sri Lanka. I also need additional security clearance for Cambodia. And I had to pay $35 for visa to India and go through hell, when it can be done for 500 rupees in Sri Lanka.

Other gripes: I was planning to go to Vietnam, but the visa costs US$100. I need a never-ending list of documents and a hefty bank account balance to get visa to go to the UK (yeah, the Schengen visa doesn't cut it). Bali will probably never happen because I need a person in Jakarta to sponsor me. And I was still harassed in Amsterdam though I had the visa and everything else they asked for when I went to Europe in May. A friend can't get Thai visa because his EP expires in 4 months and they require a minimum of 6 months, again because he has a Sri Lankan passport. And I haven't even begun listing all the forms I have to fill, certification I need to show, letters from sponsors/bosses/banks/insurance companies I have to get to prove I'm not a terrorist. Gah!

I hate my passport.

Your right is my left :D

2009-11-13T22:27:00.011+08:00

A random Friday afternoon with the sibling in the rain. Hysterical laughter, an overpriced foodcourt, wisecracks over donuts, a retarded travel agent, messing around at Desigual, fights under an umbrella too small, masala thosai and ginger tea, random hugs and body spray wars.
After this rollercoaster week from hell, crazily splashing around in puddles was invigorating. Thank God for family :)

The vanishing act

2009-11-11T12:14:00.005+08:00

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

2009-11-09T10:46:00.003+08:00

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 should become a movie/book critic :D

Les parents

2009-11-08T03:03:00.002+08:00

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 ~!

2009-11-07T14:11:00.010+08:00

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

2009-11-04T13:56:00.009+08:00

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

2009-10-31T17:53:00.001+08:00

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

When worlds collide..

2009-10-28T08:49:00.008+08:00

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?

2009-10-27T18:18:00.017+08:00

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.