If only

“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?

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

Hook, line and sinker

http://xkcd.com/

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.

What The Duck

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.

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'

"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

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

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?