The comeback post

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.. ;)

A week of Saturday nights (part I)

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.. :)

Where did all the yesterdays go?

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!

Of days that whizz by

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? :)

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!

After dark.. comes light?

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!

The beach post, and the random rest of it

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

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!

Fire & ice

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

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 comeback post

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

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

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

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

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 :)

Eyes peeled and mind wide open

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

Leave the memories alone

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.

A drop in the ocean

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

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

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!