the man who can be...

Out of the place at Winthrop, and into a new suburb at Crawley. Searching for a new place was such a pain but I am absolutely in love with where I'm living now. A quaint two room apartment that is barely furnished. It had a few homely elements to it, like several paintings hung up on the wall and a two-seater couch in front of a teeny television. Slowly but surely we are filling up the place with bits of furniture and in the last week, I really feel like this is home.

It's been a week, but I do miss the bustle in Winthrop. There's always something happening. Someone baking a cake, impromptu gatherings, spontaneous outings to party, lazing around on someone's bed and gossiping.

But it's a different kind of lovely in this new place. My current housemate is quite the darling and I do enjoy all the quiet and peace. It's so comfortable that my housemate and I would not leave the house. It's quite hilarious.

We haven't gotten down to cooking for the house (apparently I'm supposed to plan the meals and stuff), and I hope i do start soon so I have things to post here. All we been doing is walking over to the arcade nearby for groceries and makan.

all talk

saying “how can you be sad when people have it so much worse than you” is as ridiculous as “how can you be happy when people have it so much better than you”

tongues wag

akay and i inspect the littlest strange bugs i swept up into the dustpan. there were several crawling on the floor and they weren't anything we seen before.

peering closer, i commented that they look like beetles.

"really?", as akay took the dustpan from me and adjusted it to get more light.

our heads went drew closer to the dustpan as we tried to scrutinize what it might be, and then the unexpected happened.

"it flies!" as we both pulled back in horror as we saw the little bug extend its wings and started to hover slightly.

________________________________________________________

on a less mundane note, just had an incredible last 24 hours. honestly going to miss all that shit going on with my favorite people in perth.

a birthday party upon a traveling yacht. dancing to house music as we watched the stars above us and the waves crash upon the sides of the boat. there was so much finger food and so many beers that we had to finish before arriving at the jetty at the end of the night. can't refuse man.

the night ended early for the yacht party, so we brought the party from water to land, ending up at Hush, a R&B club.

woke up bright and early this morning, and headed to freo where Rev and I got our tongues pierced. damn, feels so teenagery to do that. zzz why the hell did i wait till i was 23 to do it? as usual, it wasnt ever aesthetically appealing to me before. it's a recent discovery that it isn't obvious until u really stick the tongue out?

and today ended with a really nice dinner party where rev cooked mutton curry, yoghurt salad and pathi. she's such an amazing girl.

it's you I was thinking of

There’s a folder of pictures I can’t open.
There’s so many songs that don’t sound the same.
There’s a number I can’t dial and a message I can’t send.
There’s a restaurant I can’t eat at, not with any friends.
There’s words and names I can only say in my head.
There’s a pair of eyes that belong to you, that I can never look into again.

I Wrote This For You: The Missing Machine

Many parts of me, I couldn't look at properly after I let you go. I did not anticipate all this space.

Loysel's Toy

Triapsed down to discover Loysel's Toy at 66 Kampong Bugis with Kristen one afternoon. It was a real peaceful deal, hidden away from all the hustle and bustle of the citylife in Singapore.

Our orders were made at the counter. I had my usual caffeine fix of a long black.

The long black coffee glass and tissue ribbon looked so familiar! Ah.. no wunder, this place sold the same coffee as Papa Palheta, except this cafe offered a range of food like sandwiches and pastries. The Long Black coffee was 4 dollars. Ah great, now I know exactly how much tip I should drop in Papa Palheta. :P

Kristen and I shared their brunch set, and had our eggs scrambled so that it was easier to eat. :P The brunch felt pretty... healthy. It had the components and colours of a brunch plate but it did taste a little plain. Ah well.

We sat at the huge table outside and Kristen did her work while we waited for Ade to come.

Kristen on the phone directing Ade to the cafe because google maps was being dreadfully confusing. I really think this place would be best accessed by car. No parking lots but there are lots of area for people to park. Actually, the nearest bus stop to the cafe had buses to town, horrand vee, buona vista, and queenstown (obviously places I go to). So I guess it's really convenient for me afterall.

Eating her veg like a good girl :P

The decoration was pretty quirky and random. Tables and chairs were mis-matched in a really endearing manner, with lots of space in between. The atmosphere was really chilled and the place was surrounded by a lot of greenery.

Ade finally came and she ordered the lemon tart (recommended by Kristen) and affrogato. Yummy choices. Although the affrogato was really bitter.

And at Loysel's Toy was when I learnt that expresso shots 'die' after 10 seconds if they are not managed appropriately. I simply could not believe Ade until I double-checked that information with my starbucks barista friend, Cheryl. :X Sorry ade! Basically, an expresso shot, if not mixed with sugar or made into a coffee drink like latte, macchiatto, whatsoever, would die. Die meaning it would turn bitter because the components in the expresso would have separated, thus rendering it yucky to drink. Who knew!

Ah my friends... can never keep a straight face. <3 y'all deep deep.

Shisha-ing in Singapore

 

My to-go place for shisha-ing would be at Sufi's (48 Arab Street). I think their shisha is real great tasting. I had rose vanilla, while Kristen and Phan took up the place's recommendation which was strawberry mango mint (i think). Had their wedges, lassi and turkish tea. All good 'cept the waiting time was pretty crazy. Can't blame them, the place is really huge and it was packed with customers from the front all the way to the back alley.

My second place of choice would be Going Om (63 Haji Lane).

I would probably give Merdandy a miss. Their shisha tastes like soap water which was a real disappointment considering that I used to frequent there a lot just two years back.

Of course all in all, the shisha tobacco in Singapore is nothing like the ones you can get in Malaysia apparently. I have yet to try. Well, for now I will endure the long waiting time and continue to shisha at Sufi's while I'm in Singapore. :D

agent is distressed

first cny ever to see so many close to me shed tears. everyone's baggages seem to have been amplified from the stressors of preparing for the festivities, further compounded by having to meet curious relatives whom you only meet once a year to summarize what they missed; whether it is a missing partner, an unfulfilled year that just passed by, or the uncertainty of the future. still, everyone who dares to step out of their houses into the homes of the vultures still managed to put up a smiling front. interesting.

sure there is nothing to hide, but i found it tiresome having to explain complicated matters over and over again. so instead of doing the talking, i become either reticent or unusually interested in their lives. move the topics to common items like recipes and cooking (for mothers and aunties), travelling (to dads and uncles), schools and social-life (to peers and cousins) and then to the popular topics of technology accessories like apple iphone/macbooks vs every other brand.

good enough. sadly, nobody else seemed to share my love for 9gag.

but the usual bits of cny were still fun. like reunion dinner with my family and close relatives, paying visits and sitting awkwardly in sparkling residences, tasting and comparing every single pastry at every house, collecting delightful red packets, fresh new clothes, and lou-heiii.



oh how i love to lou-hei. unadulterated shredded vegetables stirred in plum sauce, peanut, sesame, raw salmon, crispy cracker pockets, and prosperity messages to hail a good chinese year ahead.

once again, i say i will begin

hello hello,

funny how quickly time flies, and once again it is a new year. 2012, the beginning of the end. well, as bleak as the year is said to be (with the Mayans predicting that the world is coming to an end and all), i have decided to make it a point to blog more often. so many precious moments, I have failed to capture in the last half a year. i felt like a top, spinning happily and seeing the colours go by. but what became of me when i began losing speed was that i began to spin very unstably. and i did not realise that change. much to the discomfort of many of my closer friends back in singapore who were both worried and annoyed with me.

that's okay. i am now back in singapore, gathered myself a little, and I hope I am a little more matured than when I first ventured down-south.

okay, so it is already very well into the first month of 2012, but it's never too late to come up with guidelines to navigate through the year. furthermore, school only begins on the 27th of feb. and really, guidelines only prove themselves worthy during chaotic times (yes i actually find school life chaotic).

don't shoot me, but my guidelines for the new year are extremely unoriginal. but here they are anyway:

1) immerse myself in the moment
- really means quit drifting away when people are talking and focus on the person's conversation. or at the very least, make it less obvious when im not listening :\
- quit being judgmental and so afraid of the unfamiliar. get to know others, and discover new things.

2) treasure the ones i love
- my-out-of-sight, out-of-mind attitude is atrocious. i love my family and friends but sometimes (all the time?) i have a tendency to forget.
- not make them so worried by taking care of myself: basically smoke less and eat healthily.

3) keep my eyes on the prize
- psychology. i will commit myself to living and breathing psychology this year.

4) schedule, for more time.
- perhaps, when i am more mindful in scheduling my life, i would enjoy everything i commit myself to. i would be more patient, and less uptight.

5) Update this blog
- then I can keep track of my progress.

okay toodles.