I am solitary by choice, not circumstances.
I have friends, I'm not lonely.
I have love, I do have a heart.
I can be cold, I am made to be stronger than most.
I can be quiet, I was born to be the only child.
I can be funny and loud, I was taught to always have fun.
I can be anything I want to be. Only because I can.
Hana
Mr. Udders
Maya's Baked Goodies
Nazri
Nadiah
Laremy the Cow
Aida
Ruz
Ed Koh
Travels
New York I
New York II
New York III
New York IV
New York V
Melbourne I
Melbourne II
Melbourne III
Melbourne IV
Melbourne V
Liverpool
London
Paris
Lisbon
Barcelona
Fez
Milan
Pisa
Rome
Rome/ Vatican/ Venice
Venice/ Vienna
Prague
Berlin
Amsterdam
Europe In Lomo
Mr. Udders
Maya's Baked Goodies
Nazri
Nadiah
Laremy the Cow
Aida
Ruz
Ed Koh
Travels
New York I
New York II
New York III
New York IV
New York V
Melbourne I
Melbourne II
Melbourne III
Melbourne IV
Melbourne V
Liverpool
London
Paris
Lisbon
Barcelona
Fez
Milan
Pisa
Rome
Rome/ Vatican/ Venice
Venice/ Vienna
Prague
Berlin
Amsterdam
Europe In Lomo
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
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June 2005
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January 2007
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April 2003
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October 2009
Bituwin -
Blogskin
Edited by Yours Truly.
Blog Title is E.B. White's famous words, rephrased.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
aiya.
on him writing his honours thesis;
suresh says:
but its always on my mind... well the fact that i should be doing it is always on my mind!
fizusthemissus says:
hahahahaha
fizusthemissus says:
yes it is!
suresh says:
just like you are!
fizusthemissus says:
i am what!?
fizusthemissus says:
OH
fizusthemissus says:
I AM ON YOUR MIND
fizusthemissus says:
SO SWEET HAHAHAAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHA
fizusthemissus says:
aiya i totally spoiled the moment didn't i.
suresh says:
but its always on my mind... well the fact that i should be doing it is always on my mind!
fizusthemissus says:
hahahahaha
fizusthemissus says:
yes it is!
suresh says:
just like you are!
fizusthemissus says:
i am what!?
fizusthemissus says:
OH
fizusthemissus says:
I AM ON YOUR MIND
fizusthemissus says:
SO SWEET HAHAHAAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHA
fizusthemissus says:
aiya i totally spoiled the moment didn't i.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
notes on europe.
one month traveling a continent. living out of a backpack. showering in cramped shower stalls, sleeping in dorms with men who snore. communal breakfast: 8.30- 10.30 a.m. maneuvering foreign subway/ metro systems. learning how to say "do you speak English", "hello" and "thank you" in half a dozen languages. not to forget "3, 2, 1" in Dutch.
learning how to understand accents, cultures. how to meet new people and make conversation. overcome shyness. overcome fear of being out at night in a big foreign city on my own. greeting strangers, smiling at them. then learning to stop doing that once i get home. living life at large, without fear of not being 'productive' or doing 'work'. long walks, sleeping, eating, reading. absolute indulgence.
only pleasures of life, none of its flawed worries and concerns; until you get a TV with an English channel: BBC. attacks on Gaza strip, death of a president: coup, chaos, corruption. horrors of reality swiped away by the lolling sway of a Venetian gondola.
speaking to locals. eating waffles and crepes drowned in nutella. hot chocolate and whipped cream. long train rides. lugging a backpack and a suitcase at 6 a.m. in Prague.
watching fireworks explode a meter from my feet- golden glitter drizzling through the night sky right above my head. watching scantily- dressed women writhing and gyrating to imaginary music from behind a glass window- a tiny room, functional: bed, toilet, curtains. neon backlights; glowing underwear. old, young, saggy, perky. some bored, texting or calling a friend. couples walking past, the girlfriend's face a long, sullen frown. not her idea of a romantic new year's eve, but its Amsterdam...
banging head against the top bunk and feeling close to tears, this i must say: I HATE BUNK BEDS! waking up to chilly London and a chillier Liverpool. snowy Paris, gorgeous Lisbon. fascinating Barcelona, the noise and chaos of Fes souk el- bali. functionalist Milan; sunny, sunny Rome. a fortunate burst of sunshine in otherwise wet Venice, frosty Vienna and oh so pretty Prague. spine- breaking cold of Berlin and lastly, waking up in Amsterdam, 01/ 01/ 09; remnants of the festivities from the night before adding amusing character to an already bewildering city.
the amazement of being in Anfield, then seeing Gerrard meters away taking a corner. standing with the throng of tourists to watch the change of guards at Buckingham Palace...
endless memories. memories that will soon be coloured by nostalgia, before deteriorating into still frames to clutch on desperately in a vain attempt to recreate the emotions and sentiments of the month- long journey.
New York was life- changing in the way it decided my future- giving it purpose and direction. but this trip was life- changing in the way it taught me about myself. it shed light on why i do what i do, want what i want.
while i hope that it has made me a better person, what is more important is i recognize myself now. in the most self- centred, narcissistic way, it was like taking a trip with (not by) myself. i might not like everything i saw or realized, but at least i know.
i honestly could not ask for a better life at this point. thank you, God.
that was from my moleskine, written in transit at doha. i still reread it from time to time, to remind myself how i felt sitting there, reflecting, recollecting. the scatter of chocolate wrappers, the remnants of my mango cake and the tall glass of vanilla latte. feet up, iPod on.
and then i read this poem by woodsworth in alain de botton's art of travel. i cannot recommend this book enough. even if you don't care two hoots about traveling, you should just read it in order to realize really, just how little we know and how narrow our interests are. botton covers absolutely every aspect of life that matters. its mind- blowing. but back to the poem, which represents what traveling is to me... spots of time.
learning how to understand accents, cultures. how to meet new people and make conversation. overcome shyness. overcome fear of being out at night in a big foreign city on my own. greeting strangers, smiling at them. then learning to stop doing that once i get home. living life at large, without fear of not being 'productive' or doing 'work'. long walks, sleeping, eating, reading. absolute indulgence.
only pleasures of life, none of its flawed worries and concerns; until you get a TV with an English channel: BBC. attacks on Gaza strip, death of a president: coup, chaos, corruption. horrors of reality swiped away by the lolling sway of a Venetian gondola.
speaking to locals. eating waffles and crepes drowned in nutella. hot chocolate and whipped cream. long train rides. lugging a backpack and a suitcase at 6 a.m. in Prague.
watching fireworks explode a meter from my feet- golden glitter drizzling through the night sky right above my head. watching scantily- dressed women writhing and gyrating to imaginary music from behind a glass window- a tiny room, functional: bed, toilet, curtains. neon backlights; glowing underwear. old, young, saggy, perky. some bored, texting or calling a friend. couples walking past, the girlfriend's face a long, sullen frown. not her idea of a romantic new year's eve, but its Amsterdam...
banging head against the top bunk and feeling close to tears, this i must say: I HATE BUNK BEDS! waking up to chilly London and a chillier Liverpool. snowy Paris, gorgeous Lisbon. fascinating Barcelona, the noise and chaos of Fes souk el- bali. functionalist Milan; sunny, sunny Rome. a fortunate burst of sunshine in otherwise wet Venice, frosty Vienna and oh so pretty Prague. spine- breaking cold of Berlin and lastly, waking up in Amsterdam, 01/ 01/ 09; remnants of the festivities from the night before adding amusing character to an already bewildering city.
the amazement of being in Anfield, then seeing Gerrard meters away taking a corner. standing with the throng of tourists to watch the change of guards at Buckingham Palace...
endless memories. memories that will soon be coloured by nostalgia, before deteriorating into still frames to clutch on desperately in a vain attempt to recreate the emotions and sentiments of the month- long journey.
New York was life- changing in the way it decided my future- giving it purpose and direction. but this trip was life- changing in the way it taught me about myself. it shed light on why i do what i do, want what i want.
while i hope that it has made me a better person, what is more important is i recognize myself now. in the most self- centred, narcissistic way, it was like taking a trip with (not by) myself. i might not like everything i saw or realized, but at least i know.
i honestly could not ask for a better life at this point. thank you, God.
~*~
that was from my moleskine, written in transit at doha. i still reread it from time to time, to remind myself how i felt sitting there, reflecting, recollecting. the scatter of chocolate wrappers, the remnants of my mango cake and the tall glass of vanilla latte. feet up, iPod on.
and then i read this poem by woodsworth in alain de botton's art of travel. i cannot recommend this book enough. even if you don't care two hoots about traveling, you should just read it in order to realize really, just how little we know and how narrow our interests are. botton covers absolutely every aspect of life that matters. its mind- blowing. but back to the poem, which represents what traveling is to me... spots of time.
There are in our existence spots of time,
That with distinct pre-eminence retain
A renovating virtue, whence--depressed
By false opinion and contentious thought,
Or aught of heavier or more deadly weight,
In trivial occupations, and the round
Of ordinary intercourse--our minds
Are nourished and invisibly repaired;
A virtue, by which pleasure is enhanced,
That penetrates, enables us to mount,
When high, more high, and lifts us up when fallen.
That with distinct pre-eminence retain
A renovating virtue, whence--depressed
By false opinion and contentious thought,
Or aught of heavier or more deadly weight,
In trivial occupations, and the round
Of ordinary intercourse--our minds
Are nourished and invisibly repaired;
A virtue, by which pleasure is enhanced,
That penetrates, enables us to mount,
When high, more high, and lifts us up when fallen.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
this love.
so much to recap about my weekend, but just thought i'd blog this first.
over the years me and suresh have learnt enough about each other to know how to 'stop' fights. today was a rather prime example. he's been bent on watching milk (sean penn, gay politician, yada yada) lately, asking me almost everyday. each day the seats suck, or the timing's off, or something. so when he called me this morning telling me there's seats at cathay but 2 rows from the front, i got annoyed. don't get me wrong, i was the one who first pointed out the movie, but it got to a point where you're trying to fit a square hole in a circle peg (or whatever).
after exchanging a flurry of texts whereby i expressed my annoyance not quite so eloquently ("okay fine can we just watch the goddamn movie so that we can get it out of our systems and just move on with our lives") and he responded in his classic clipped tone (okay, fine, do you have anything else in mind?"), i replied;
"i dunno my brain is swimming in MILK right now sorry can't think."
then he replied saying hahaha that's actually quite funny but please stop being sarcastic and tell me what you have in mind. then i apologized for being a pain in the ass (its easy when you know the other party is not gonna rub it in your face) and we ended up having a little picnic at labrador park.
baby there's something on my mind tonight
there's a reason to believe we almost got it right
there's a fire burning in the firelight
as we roll on tonight
there's paper promises and alibis
there is certainly uncertainty in all our eyes
but as long as you are here I'll be all right
- One More For Love; Five for Fighting
over the years me and suresh have learnt enough about each other to know how to 'stop' fights. today was a rather prime example. he's been bent on watching milk (sean penn, gay politician, yada yada) lately, asking me almost everyday. each day the seats suck, or the timing's off, or something. so when he called me this morning telling me there's seats at cathay but 2 rows from the front, i got annoyed. don't get me wrong, i was the one who first pointed out the movie, but it got to a point where you're trying to fit a square hole in a circle peg (or whatever).
after exchanging a flurry of texts whereby i expressed my annoyance not quite so eloquently ("okay fine can we just watch the goddamn movie so that we can get it out of our systems and just move on with our lives") and he responded in his classic clipped tone (okay, fine, do you have anything else in mind?"), i replied;
"i dunno my brain is swimming in MILK right now sorry can't think."
then he replied saying hahaha that's actually quite funny but please stop being sarcastic and tell me what you have in mind. then i apologized for being a pain in the ass (its easy when you know the other party is not gonna rub it in your face) and we ended up having a little picnic at labrador park.
baby there's something on my mind tonight
there's a reason to believe we almost got it right
there's a fire burning in the firelight
as we roll on tonight
there's paper promises and alibis
there is certainly uncertainty in all our eyes
but as long as you are here I'll be all right
- One More For Love; Five for Fighting
Sunday, January 25, 2009
lighter side.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
i believe in a thing called love.
do you think people could pay me to just read? i just thought about it since i just came back with my 5 books (suresh was keeping it for me for reasons i can't be bothered to go into now). is there such a job? and no, i don't want to read wannabe writers' manuscripts. well that could be an option but ideally i wanna read what i want, and be paid for it. no? no such thing?
ah well it was worth a thought. just got back from a lovely, lovely day. woke up late- ish, nehneh came by to pick me up after his talk and we went to school to 'work' on our papers. while mine was rather obviously a wishful thought, in his case he actually ought to have work on his thesis. but ah well.
NUS on weekends are absolute bliss. i can spread my burger and fries all over the bench, use the powerpoint the whole time, blast my music, talk nonsense, hold a mini- rock concert... i've really been into dancing lately, and by dancing i obviously mean dorky dancing, awkward finger jabbing the air and occasional butt wiggle. glorious fun.
i got my posting couple of days back, as most would know. i'm quite pleased with it, albeit i have my own set of worries. but as a whole, its a good school and i got really lucky, i think. alhamdullilah. :)
i've been surrounded by much love lately. due to a variety of interesting circumstances, me and farhana have somehow gotten closer these past few weeks. ironic, given the distance, but that's the beauty of us. then today, post- NUS was botak + starbucks with rohani and norm, later joined by fahrur. lots of laughter and smiles and high fiving and generally moronic behaviour. i love my friends, i really do. even though we're agreeably dysfunctional. in fact i think that's what i love most!
friday, suresh and me hit the beach. it was a beautiful day, strong sun, light breeze. sometimes i forget how lucky i am. after the cold that was europe, being in the sun was just what i need to re- affirm my return. i couldn't last a month without a good strong sun, and god knows i can't go without my beach. but immediately after saying that, i told suresh i could always travel during winter to go to warmer climates. hahaha. i've got it planned out, it seems.
days like today makes it worth it. days like tomorrow, as another niece celebrates another birthday. how blessed i am, to have such beautiful children in my life, who screams my name and come running to hug me. the best kind of love, hands down.
i was just thinking the other day how i am happier now than i was before. each time i've ever thought about it, i'm always happier than previously. i dunno if its me expecting less, or having more, or both, but i'm glad its the way it is. i hope that each year will always be better than the last. its a good way to live.
on the other hand, i've become selfish and forgotten people who are not part of this happy shalala circle. its not even something i conciously did, but it happened. i'm making up for lost time now.
looking forward to tomorrow, but that said i ought to rest early in order to have sufficient energy to entertain the kids. then another long break, since there's no classes till friday. :)) lots of work to clear nonetheless, so i better get down to it soon.
gong xi fa cai and happy holidays!
ah well it was worth a thought. just got back from a lovely, lovely day. woke up late- ish, nehneh came by to pick me up after his talk and we went to school to 'work' on our papers. while mine was rather obviously a wishful thought, in his case he actually ought to have work on his thesis. but ah well.
NUS on weekends are absolute bliss. i can spread my burger and fries all over the bench, use the powerpoint the whole time, blast my music, talk nonsense, hold a mini- rock concert... i've really been into dancing lately, and by dancing i obviously mean dorky dancing, awkward finger jabbing the air and occasional butt wiggle. glorious fun.
i got my posting couple of days back, as most would know. i'm quite pleased with it, albeit i have my own set of worries. but as a whole, its a good school and i got really lucky, i think. alhamdullilah. :)
i've been surrounded by much love lately. due to a variety of interesting circumstances, me and farhana have somehow gotten closer these past few weeks. ironic, given the distance, but that's the beauty of us. then today, post- NUS was botak + starbucks with rohani and norm, later joined by fahrur. lots of laughter and smiles and high fiving and generally moronic behaviour. i love my friends, i really do. even though we're agreeably dysfunctional. in fact i think that's what i love most!
friday, suresh and me hit the beach. it was a beautiful day, strong sun, light breeze. sometimes i forget how lucky i am. after the cold that was europe, being in the sun was just what i need to re- affirm my return. i couldn't last a month without a good strong sun, and god knows i can't go without my beach. but immediately after saying that, i told suresh i could always travel during winter to go to warmer climates. hahaha. i've got it planned out, it seems.
days like today makes it worth it. days like tomorrow, as another niece celebrates another birthday. how blessed i am, to have such beautiful children in my life, who screams my name and come running to hug me. the best kind of love, hands down.
i was just thinking the other day how i am happier now than i was before. each time i've ever thought about it, i'm always happier than previously. i dunno if its me expecting less, or having more, or both, but i'm glad its the way it is. i hope that each year will always be better than the last. its a good way to live.
on the other hand, i've become selfish and forgotten people who are not part of this happy shalala circle. its not even something i conciously did, but it happened. i'm making up for lost time now.
looking forward to tomorrow, but that said i ought to rest early in order to have sufficient energy to entertain the kids. then another long break, since there's no classes till friday. :)) lots of work to clear nonetheless, so i better get down to it soon.
gong xi fa cai and happy holidays!
tomorrow we die.
finally watched before sunrise last night. the characters are great, i like the girl though there were times i found the guy annoying. maybe its the american thing. but that's the beauty of it, isn't it? that they're rather real people, doing all that. seizing the day and living it up/ out. sometimes i wished i had more of that in me, that ability to just pursue the impossible knowing nothing could come out of it. okay and once i articulated that thought out loud, i realized how wrong i am. hahaha.
i only cried at the start, which is the happy part actually cuz they're walking and talking and getting to know each other better... in vienna. i saw the palace and castle grounds and the street where i stayed in vienna and started crying. i am beginning to really miss europe and traveling. i don't think watching the sequel, before sunset, is gonna help but i'm gonna do it anyway. purge my soul of its european- ness or something.
is there a name or is it just called post- traveling depression? norm has it too so i know i'm not alone there. what a weird ailment.
but in any case, this was from the film and it resonates with me. i think i spend my life questioning what ifs', mostly because i am so desperate to live without regrets and the whole shit just kinda backfires and blows up in my face, a big giant confetti pile of YOU MISSED OUT. oh well, i get by.
i only cried at the start, which is the happy part actually cuz they're walking and talking and getting to know each other better... in vienna. i saw the palace and castle grounds and the street where i stayed in vienna and started crying. i am beginning to really miss europe and traveling. i don't think watching the sequel, before sunset, is gonna help but i'm gonna do it anyway. purge my soul of its european- ness or something.
is there a name or is it just called post- traveling depression? norm has it too so i know i'm not alone there. what a weird ailment.
but in any case, this was from the film and it resonates with me. i think i spend my life questioning what ifs', mostly because i am so desperate to live without regrets and the whole shit just kinda backfires and blows up in my face, a big giant confetti pile of YOU MISSED OUT. oh well, i get by.
Alright, alright. Think of it like this: jump ahead, ten, twenty years, okay, and you're married. Only your marriage doesn't have that same energy that it used to have, y'know. You start to blame your husband. You start to think about all those guys you've met in your life and what might have happened if you'd picked up with one of them, right? Well, I'm one of those guys. That's me y'know, so think of this as time travel, from then, to now, to find out what you're missing out on. See, what this really could be is a gigantic favor to both you and your future husband to find out that you're not missing out on anything. I'm just as big a loser as he is, totally unmotivated, totally boring, and, uh, you made the right choice, and you're really happy.perhaps i should tell myself next time opportunity arise, seize it. but that would be futile cuz i know when the time comes, i will think it through logically and say, no. so why bother. i'll just live vicariously.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
smackadeedooda.
free day of sorts today, so it was town for ramen ten (teriyaki chicken dry ramen yum) followed by book shopping as well as present for the nehneh's mum. then it was off to NIE, not before a pit- stop at starbucks for an iced caramel macchiato. as always, caffeine in my system= intensive wailing session to bon jovi's i'll be there for you. honestly, all it takes is a bit of sugar/ chocolate/ coffee to unleash the jon bon jovi in me. you should listen to my rendition of livin' on a prayer. suresh is slightly deaf in his left ear as a result of too many of such renditions.
and because its the absolute highlight of my day, i shall show off my loot. :D
peter carey's definitive work.
yate's revolutionary road. wanna read it before i watch the movie!
fitzgerald's collection of short stories, including curious incident of benjamin button (see above).
gary shteynngart, hunter college creative writing MFA alumni.
and bestest buy EVER...
kerouac's on the road; ORIGINAL SCROLL. drooooool.
and in other happy news, the boyfriend bought me a new starbucks tumbler. the blue one from portugal which i so love has a crack cuz i dropped it few weeks ago cuz i went to school unwell and i was generally dizzy and tired. i was extremely sad cuz the tumbler is bloody gorgeous. the nehneh however, kindly bought me a new one. :)
the peach one second from the left. its got OXES all over! its gold and peach and really pretty. yayyyy.
now i am sleepy. again. i am getting seriously OLD man. this sucks! i have a reading plan in place (with regards to books, not school!) which i hope will ensure an efficient and systematic methodology in place! wahoooo!
okay i go heat up tom yam noodles and have it with my sugarcane lime. monday i want to go mcdonald's and have my BEEF PROSPERITY MEAL on chinese new year to ensure GOOD LUCK and GREAT WEALTH in the year to come! gong xi fa cai fa cai fa cai!
and because its the absolute highlight of my day, i shall show off my loot. :D
peter carey's definitive work.
yate's revolutionary road. wanna read it before i watch the movie!
fitzgerald's collection of short stories, including curious incident of benjamin button (see above).
gary shteynngart, hunter college creative writing MFA alumni.
and bestest buy EVER...
kerouac's on the road; ORIGINAL SCROLL. drooooool.
and in other happy news, the boyfriend bought me a new starbucks tumbler. the blue one from portugal which i so love has a crack cuz i dropped it few weeks ago cuz i went to school unwell and i was generally dizzy and tired. i was extremely sad cuz the tumbler is bloody gorgeous. the nehneh however, kindly bought me a new one. :)
the peach one second from the left. its got OXES all over! its gold and peach and really pretty. yayyyy.
now i am sleepy. again. i am getting seriously OLD man. this sucks! i have a reading plan in place (with regards to books, not school!) which i hope will ensure an efficient and systematic methodology in place! wahoooo!
okay i go heat up tom yam noodles and have it with my sugarcane lime. monday i want to go mcdonald's and have my BEEF PROSPERITY MEAL on chinese new year to ensure GOOD LUCK and GREAT WEALTH in the year to come! gong xi fa cai fa cai fa cai!
as promised.
here are my complete albums that even you ancient non- facebookers can access. i've also added these links as well as the links to my other travel photo albums somewhere below the chatterbox... here's to hoping the numbers keep growing. here you go!
Liverpool, London, Paris, Lisbon, Barcelona, Fez, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Rome/ Vatican/ Venice, Venice/ Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and lastly, Europe in Lomo. :)
it was a wonderfully amazing trip, and one of these days i am definitely definitely blogging my complete thoughts on the whole month of European madness. for now i am trying to get by in school, assignments and long days and crazy people have a way of keeping you occupied. :)
for now, a quote from de botton's art of travel that still resonates...
Liverpool, London, Paris, Lisbon, Barcelona, Fez, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Rome/ Vatican/ Venice, Venice/ Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and lastly, Europe in Lomo. :)
it was a wonderfully amazing trip, and one of these days i am definitely definitely blogging my complete thoughts on the whole month of European madness. for now i am trying to get by in school, assignments and long days and crazy people have a way of keeping you occupied. :)
for now, a quote from de botton's art of travel that still resonates...
if our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest- in all its ardor and paradoxes- than our travels. they express however inarticulately, an understanding of what life might be about, outside of the constraints of work and of the struggle for survival.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
do i look like i care?
maybe its just me but i seem to be a rather un- romantic person. am i? is this a recent occurance? and i don't mean romantic as in flowers and hallmark; i mean romantic as in generally appreciative of various notions of love and the madness it entails.
i scoff at whirlwind romances, i roll my eyes when people talk of non- existent lovers and the potential of perfect love. i try to not sound mean or nasty but i'm sure i do. maybe i'm too realistic, borderline pessimistic. could you blame me?
i believe in love. i just don't understand the need for the madness that love sometimes bring. and it makes me question the people in love. sometimes i think people get too absorbed in the media we're fed they forget that a reality exists beyond that flashing HDTV, a reality that differs greatly from the drama and hijinks of american youths.
i can appreciate passion; about anything, anyone. i can appreciate sacrifices made in the name of love, where necessary and applicable. but the way i see it, there's a time and place for everything. more importantly, we control our own fate. we choose what we bring upon ourselves, most of the time. our choices defines what happens next, no? in choosing to do something dramatic, you set yourself up for drama. now why would you do something like that?
and maybe that's just it. i don't like the drama. i don't like grand gestures. i don't like the flawed belief that missed opportunities and what if's are romantic and more so if its tinged with painful longing. missed opportunities SUCK people. but you miss it for a reason. i don't believe in proclaiming love for people i recently meet, i don't believe in moving on extremely fast, unless what you felt previously wasn't that strong to begin with. maybe in my quest to not make my life an american teenage sitcom, i have embraced the extremities of pragmatism and lost sight of romance.
today i found myself saying, "Do I look like a care?" several times. with regards to various issues but mostly to do with emotions and sentiments. the more i am surrounded by people in love the more i seem to fight against all things wonderful and lovely. its just a natural instinct, to go against traffic, to swim against the current. i know this is just a phase; the recent surge in married people/ marriage talk has surely played a part in this recent jaded derisions. but i sincerely hope i don't become a worse person for it in the end.
that said, i teared watching obama's inauguration, so there's still some warmth left in the siberian tundra that is my heart. :) and since it is 2.26 a.m. now, i am also royally screwed for lessons, which begins at 8.30 a.m.
rock on.
i scoff at whirlwind romances, i roll my eyes when people talk of non- existent lovers and the potential of perfect love. i try to not sound mean or nasty but i'm sure i do. maybe i'm too realistic, borderline pessimistic. could you blame me?
i believe in love. i just don't understand the need for the madness that love sometimes bring. and it makes me question the people in love. sometimes i think people get too absorbed in the media we're fed they forget that a reality exists beyond that flashing HDTV, a reality that differs greatly from the drama and hijinks of american youths.
i can appreciate passion; about anything, anyone. i can appreciate sacrifices made in the name of love, where necessary and applicable. but the way i see it, there's a time and place for everything. more importantly, we control our own fate. we choose what we bring upon ourselves, most of the time. our choices defines what happens next, no? in choosing to do something dramatic, you set yourself up for drama. now why would you do something like that?
and maybe that's just it. i don't like the drama. i don't like grand gestures. i don't like the flawed belief that missed opportunities and what if's are romantic and more so if its tinged with painful longing. missed opportunities SUCK people. but you miss it for a reason. i don't believe in proclaiming love for people i recently meet, i don't believe in moving on extremely fast, unless what you felt previously wasn't that strong to begin with. maybe in my quest to not make my life an american teenage sitcom, i have embraced the extremities of pragmatism and lost sight of romance.
today i found myself saying, "Do I look like a care?" several times. with regards to various issues but mostly to do with emotions and sentiments. the more i am surrounded by people in love the more i seem to fight against all things wonderful and lovely. its just a natural instinct, to go against traffic, to swim against the current. i know this is just a phase; the recent surge in married people/ marriage talk has surely played a part in this recent jaded derisions. but i sincerely hope i don't become a worse person for it in the end.
that said, i teared watching obama's inauguration, so there's still some warmth left in the siberian tundra that is my heart. :) and since it is 2.26 a.m. now, i am also royally screwed for lessons, which begins at 8.30 a.m.
rock on.
Monday, January 19, 2009
beautiful people.
i had a wonderful weekend. actually it started with a pretty snazzy friday too, as blogged. so its been a pretty good few days!
saturday was shal's engagement. when i left in november, what we last discussed was "marriage is not on the cards anytime soon". hahahaha. but i'm still happy for her, and she looked amazing at the ceremony. and because i went, i had nice malay dishes all packed and ready to be reheated for my dinner! which is a huge deal, since my mum is away and i can't be bothered to cook to save my life. really.
after that, both peejay people as well as weilong/ germaine wanted to meet us at arab street so that decision was kinda made for us. i am still kinda craving for the gado- gado at kampong glam cafe, it was goooood! or maybe i was just hungry. as i am now. oh no, its like skinner theory! except i'm not sure what's the stimulus... okay never mind. point: kampong glam cafe with peejots, then amirah's grill with weilong + germaine. good times!
my boyfriend looking gangsta'. hahaha.
the next day, i met up with my ESE people at holland village. its so awesome that we all live close by. more importantly, its so awesome that we love each other so much! then again if not for bea we probably might not be so on- the- ball for meet- ups! so yay for bea. and again, there was no avoiding the 'M' word- guojin is doing it too, this december! congrats! he told us about his proposal though, which was a very sweet one. sighhh all these happy couples.
post- brunch, i made my way to vivo to meet up with the chief minah, sara. grabbed coffee and sat down to yak away. we eventually found ourselves on the rooftop, feets in the water, but nicely in the shade. it was a nice way to spend a sunday, really. pity about the view. cranes and cranes and more cranes are really unappealing. conversation fodder ranged from traveling (okay this was probably a bulk of it), cultural differences, how we feel out- of- place lately (in so many ways) and several other random things that crossed our minds. its nice to have someone so similar yet so different to talk to... and being of similar backgrounds mean we can never run out of topics, we could always poke fun at THAT particular boy. HAHA.
soooo after all that amazingness, you can imagine what a downer it was to be back in school. morning was nice, philo of education class is always fun. but english class was a little stir- crazy today, a bit too much of rabid shouting and instructions flying over our heads. little of which got into our heads, and also made rajini have a temporal ADHD. hahaha. if not for my friends, i might have died in NIE a long time ago.
alright, off to dinner with... WAIT FOR IT! peiyong, weilong, germaine and suresh. hahahaha. three cheers for multi- ethnic communities!
saturday was shal's engagement. when i left in november, what we last discussed was "marriage is not on the cards anytime soon". hahahaha. but i'm still happy for her, and she looked amazing at the ceremony. and because i went, i had nice malay dishes all packed and ready to be reheated for my dinner! which is a huge deal, since my mum is away and i can't be bothered to cook to save my life. really.
after that, both peejay people as well as weilong/ germaine wanted to meet us at arab street so that decision was kinda made for us. i am still kinda craving for the gado- gado at kampong glam cafe, it was goooood! or maybe i was just hungry. as i am now. oh no, its like skinner theory! except i'm not sure what's the stimulus... okay never mind. point: kampong glam cafe with peejots, then amirah's grill with weilong + germaine. good times!
my boyfriend looking gangsta'. hahaha.
the next day, i met up with my ESE people at holland village. its so awesome that we all live close by. more importantly, its so awesome that we love each other so much! then again if not for bea we probably might not be so on- the- ball for meet- ups! so yay for bea. and again, there was no avoiding the 'M' word- guojin is doing it too, this december! congrats! he told us about his proposal though, which was a very sweet one. sighhh all these happy couples.
post- brunch, i made my way to vivo to meet up with the chief minah, sara. grabbed coffee and sat down to yak away. we eventually found ourselves on the rooftop, feets in the water, but nicely in the shade. it was a nice way to spend a sunday, really. pity about the view. cranes and cranes and more cranes are really unappealing. conversation fodder ranged from traveling (okay this was probably a bulk of it), cultural differences, how we feel out- of- place lately (in so many ways) and several other random things that crossed our minds. its nice to have someone so similar yet so different to talk to... and being of similar backgrounds mean we can never run out of topics, we could always poke fun at THAT particular boy. HAHA.
soooo after all that amazingness, you can imagine what a downer it was to be back in school. morning was nice, philo of education class is always fun. but english class was a little stir- crazy today, a bit too much of rabid shouting and instructions flying over our heads. little of which got into our heads, and also made rajini have a temporal ADHD. hahaha. if not for my friends, i might have died in NIE a long time ago.
alright, off to dinner with... WAIT FOR IT! peiyong, weilong, germaine and suresh. hahahaha. three cheers for multi- ethnic communities!
Friday, January 16, 2009
back to regular programming.
so so so! what's up woooooooooooorld. i am pretty sure blogging in my current state is not advisable but wahoooo! we should all live a little dangerously!
school continued regular as clockwork, and while i've gone a little easy on the tuition, the seemingly endless jetlag meant i was perpetually tired/ sleepy. lessons has been a pain at times, though the company provides much needed relief. god bless crazy friends.
speaking of crazy friendsss... i just got back from an evening out with CRAZY BOYS. monday was weilong, peiyong, suresh and me, and today we had an additional member in the form of iylia. i think we frightened him a little with our lame jokes, incessant laughter and momentary political discussions. pure madness, madness that i absolutely love and thrive on.
dinner was thai express, followed by havainas- shopping. like on monday, we ended the evening (in vivo) with a stop at ben & jerry's. THE MERLIONSTER. SIX SCOOPS, SIX BROWNIES, WHIPPED CREAM, HOT FUDGE, RAINBOW SPRINKLES, NUTS AND BANANAS. fucking hoolabaloo of an ice- cream. then after that we somehow ended up at fong seng for pratas and maggi goreng. TERRIBLE! SO FATTTTT.
and now my best friend and i are cross- continent dancing to THAT'S NOT MY NAME. hahahaha. ting tings indeed!
today i went to the airport to send my mum off on her holiday to kuching. shal kindly gave me a ride to tampines and from there i took the train. as i sat in the sky train from T2 to T3, i started tearing. by the time i met suresh at T3, tearing became full- fledged crying. i felt the tug again, the (not so) quiet desperation for another flight to... somewhere. being in T3 reminded me of the time when i was last there... 30th november. the start of an absolutely amazing trip.
and i realized i was so afraid to miss europe or become depressed as i always do post- travel that i just threw myself into my life here; tuition, school, going out, MSN- ing excessively. i was afraid that a momentary lull will let me fall into nostalgia, longing for that rush between packing your bags and rushing for another flight, another train ride. another bus ride to another country.
it was amazing. to not just see what i saw but to be able to jet from one city to another. to be in london one day, then one long cold walk in the morning later, be in a high- speed train to paris. to meet so many people (oh so much, so much to say about this, that must go unsaid) and see all sorts of wonderful things. church after church, castles big and small (well, small for a castle). the vatican city, the coloseum... to have a head full of awe- inspiring images every second of the day.
in his attempt to cheer me up, suresh told me i looked nice... and asked me where i got my top from. "H&M... vienna." and that started me off all over again. there was some serious waterworks issue in airport today. i think being back at T3 didn't help. i remember the nervous anticipation, the palpable fear of being in london on my own. and when the fear eventually chipped off with the first smile from the ticket guy who sold me my bus ticket to london.
and so i will let myself miss europe, recall europe, go through my photos and my notes. there's some nice stuff in my moleskine, quotes from alain de botton's art of travel as well as my own observations during the trip. perhaps over the weekend.
i remember telling myself, when i go back, i must not recall with sadness. i cannot be sad thinking of these memories. but it gets hard. its not even as if things are that bad here. i am slowly adjusting to school and the prospect of practicum/ teaching full- time. my boyfriend is still amazing, my friends keep me laughing...
but the heart wants what it wants. i want to always be on the move, always somewhere, anywhere. when i get bored of a city i wanna be able to grab a seat on a euroline to st. petersburg, prague, stockholm, anywhere. i am sure i am not alone. perhaps its primordial, perhaps its a consequence of my situation. i just hope the day will come when i will feel that where i am is enough.
lately i feel out- of- place, perhaps its the class. i love my classmates, honest to god, but everyone is in some long- term relationship or married or engaged or PREGNANT and its just... crazy. when did this happen? when did we stop being young and free?
and while i am happy for all of them for finding their place, for being at peace and happy, i can't help feeling a little awkward. i don't wish to be like them, as i'm sure they don't wish to be me (HAHA). but they are who i meet daily, who i interact with constantly and sometimes it gets hard. it seems as though i want such different things in life from the people around me. and i guess i am at the age where instead of deriving joy from being so goddamn different (rebel without a cause that i am), i start to question my sanity/ bearings.
that said, i don't really care. different people have different needs/ wants. i shall not bend to societal expectations and norms... just yet. we shall see.
and i know i promised myself no big trips for 2009, but i think asia qualifies as short trips, and perhaps even perth. i just need to get out, be on the move. i always need that shining light at the end of the tunnel or else i might just fall and never get up again. because all this happiness is seemingly hollow, i don't know why or how it got that way and god knows i wished it wasn't so. but it is what it is so i have to do all i can to be happy. whatever it takes.
perth? bangkok? a thai beach somewhere? lombok, perhaps? ahh the light, the light is shining again. :)
school continued regular as clockwork, and while i've gone a little easy on the tuition, the seemingly endless jetlag meant i was perpetually tired/ sleepy. lessons has been a pain at times, though the company provides much needed relief. god bless crazy friends.
speaking of crazy friendsss... i just got back from an evening out with CRAZY BOYS. monday was weilong, peiyong, suresh and me, and today we had an additional member in the form of iylia. i think we frightened him a little with our lame jokes, incessant laughter and momentary political discussions. pure madness, madness that i absolutely love and thrive on.
dinner was thai express, followed by havainas- shopping. like on monday, we ended the evening (in vivo) with a stop at ben & jerry's. THE MERLIONSTER. SIX SCOOPS, SIX BROWNIES, WHIPPED CREAM, HOT FUDGE, RAINBOW SPRINKLES, NUTS AND BANANAS. fucking hoolabaloo of an ice- cream. then after that we somehow ended up at fong seng for pratas and maggi goreng. TERRIBLE! SO FATTTTT.
and now my best friend and i are cross- continent dancing to THAT'S NOT MY NAME. hahahaha. ting tings indeed!
today i went to the airport to send my mum off on her holiday to kuching. shal kindly gave me a ride to tampines and from there i took the train. as i sat in the sky train from T2 to T3, i started tearing. by the time i met suresh at T3, tearing became full- fledged crying. i felt the tug again, the (not so) quiet desperation for another flight to... somewhere. being in T3 reminded me of the time when i was last there... 30th november. the start of an absolutely amazing trip.
and i realized i was so afraid to miss europe or become depressed as i always do post- travel that i just threw myself into my life here; tuition, school, going out, MSN- ing excessively. i was afraid that a momentary lull will let me fall into nostalgia, longing for that rush between packing your bags and rushing for another flight, another train ride. another bus ride to another country.
it was amazing. to not just see what i saw but to be able to jet from one city to another. to be in london one day, then one long cold walk in the morning later, be in a high- speed train to paris. to meet so many people (oh so much, so much to say about this, that must go unsaid) and see all sorts of wonderful things. church after church, castles big and small (well, small for a castle). the vatican city, the coloseum... to have a head full of awe- inspiring images every second of the day.
in his attempt to cheer me up, suresh told me i looked nice... and asked me where i got my top from. "H&M... vienna." and that started me off all over again. there was some serious waterworks issue in airport today. i think being back at T3 didn't help. i remember the nervous anticipation, the palpable fear of being in london on my own. and when the fear eventually chipped off with the first smile from the ticket guy who sold me my bus ticket to london.
and so i will let myself miss europe, recall europe, go through my photos and my notes. there's some nice stuff in my moleskine, quotes from alain de botton's art of travel as well as my own observations during the trip. perhaps over the weekend.
i remember telling myself, when i go back, i must not recall with sadness. i cannot be sad thinking of these memories. but it gets hard. its not even as if things are that bad here. i am slowly adjusting to school and the prospect of practicum/ teaching full- time. my boyfriend is still amazing, my friends keep me laughing...
but the heart wants what it wants. i want to always be on the move, always somewhere, anywhere. when i get bored of a city i wanna be able to grab a seat on a euroline to st. petersburg, prague, stockholm, anywhere. i am sure i am not alone. perhaps its primordial, perhaps its a consequence of my situation. i just hope the day will come when i will feel that where i am is enough.
lately i feel out- of- place, perhaps its the class. i love my classmates, honest to god, but everyone is in some long- term relationship or married or engaged or PREGNANT and its just... crazy. when did this happen? when did we stop being young and free?
and while i am happy for all of them for finding their place, for being at peace and happy, i can't help feeling a little awkward. i don't wish to be like them, as i'm sure they don't wish to be me (HAHA). but they are who i meet daily, who i interact with constantly and sometimes it gets hard. it seems as though i want such different things in life from the people around me. and i guess i am at the age where instead of deriving joy from being so goddamn different (rebel without a cause that i am), i start to question my sanity/ bearings.
that said, i don't really care. different people have different needs/ wants. i shall not bend to societal expectations and norms... just yet. we shall see.
and i know i promised myself no big trips for 2009, but i think asia qualifies as short trips, and perhaps even perth. i just need to get out, be on the move. i always need that shining light at the end of the tunnel or else i might just fall and never get up again. because all this happiness is seemingly hollow, i don't know why or how it got that way and god knows i wished it wasn't so. but it is what it is so i have to do all i can to be happy. whatever it takes.
perth? bangkok? a thai beach somewhere? lombok, perhaps? ahh the light, the light is shining again. :)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
news in brief.
- life has been pretty good thus far. well done, 2009! *pats back.
- NIE is crazy as always, some things don't change, assignments leftrightcentre. MEH.
- my migraine was HORRIBLE and lasted 4.5 days. worst days ever.
- Carousel High Tea on Friday was aweeeeee- some!
- fondue party later is gonna be even mooooooore awesome! finally breaking open this box of chocolate truffles from london!
- barcelos at vivocity was goooood. almost like nando's, but not really! super peri, yum.
- i love all my new clothes from europe!
- and more than anything else, i love my NEW HAIR! yes i chopped off all that hair. okay sounds so drama, its not that short la but i like it! i feel lighter and fresh! :)
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Europe in Lomography.
as promised, some shots from the Diana. not all the rolls turned out well, but i think its a pretty decent first attempt. :)
cute boy. this wasn't cross- processed, this cross- process effect was digitally edited.
attempt at multiple exposure inside the coloseum.
st mark's basilica.
rialto bridge.
cute boy. this wasn't cross- processed, this cross- process effect was digitally edited.
attempt at multiple exposure inside the coloseum.
st mark's basilica.
rialto bridge.
amsterdam.
CRAZY. everything about this place is CRAZY. like, the people, the people, and uh, the people. but there's so many PEOPLE so you can imagine the amount of CRAZY there was. the smell of weed constantly hung in the air, and i believed we only breathed in marijuana (and a delicious concoction of various other drugs, i'm sure) and not oxygen, cuz that's my only explanation for the drunken wailings of suresh, iylia and me at the end of the new year's eve street party. i believe it was robbie william's 'angels'. we had our arms around each other and was swaying rather violently. eh? beats me.
but i had a wonderful time. there was SO MUCH FIREWORKS. fireworks started going off at 5 p.m. because everyone owns them! and far from being boring it provided for a very interesting walk, you never know when something is gonna explode. at one point we nearly walked into a firework set- up on the road. fortunately we saw the crowd parting like the Red Sea and saw the box of explosives. it was beautiful, fireworks raining down just above my head. fortunately, neither my hair nor contact lenses got singed. it was that close. everyone was insanely happy (and stoned) and the mood was contagious. we of course visited the red light district, so yes, i ended 2008 looking at scantily- clad women gyrate seductively behind a neon- back lit glass box.
i took in 2009 ice- skating. we were walking to the city centre and walked past the open- air rink. it felt like a great idea, and it was. it was a brilliant start to the year; cold crisp air, beautiful kids (and adults too!) falling over themselves on the ice... i loved it. and i know i promised 5 photos per post, but this is the last of it, so i'm gonna put 7 cuz amsterdam held too many beautiful memories to leave out. in the evening, we flew back to london, where i spent a night in a nearby airport hotel before my flight the next morning. and so ended my eurotrip.
semi- frozen canal.
me and half of the world, it seems.
ice- skating!
best part of ice- skating was the HOT CHOCOLATE WITH WHIPPED CREAM and THIS. this being LITTLE DUTCH PANCAKES. the yellowish slab you see is COLD BUTTER and it is all drowning under ICING SUGAR. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
one of the consequences of crazy partying- various bicycles (and you know there's billions in amsterdam) were destroyed or thrown into the canal. this one was locked to the railings so it was half- thrown.
the consequences of legal explosives. hahahaha. this wasn't the first, nor the last. or the worst.
us. we arrived in the airport even before the check- in opened, in order to shop. in the end, we entered immigrations 10 minutes before take- off. imagine 4 asians running down the long- ass corridor of schiphol airport. a group of travellers like us saw us running (me + handbag + duty free plastic bag + trolley suitcase, iylia and satiish pushing trolley of our backpacks) and said, "hoo hoo hoo gate closing!" HAHA. in the end though, its memories of this crazy sprints inside airports that i hold so dear. the other one was in paris, for our flight to lisbon. what's life without a little excitement, no? :)
well that's it for the digital shots. once i'm done uploading everything to facebook, i'll post the links here. meanwhile those on facebook can just go see it on my profile. i'm collecting my film shots tomorrow, let's hope it turns out great, and i'll post some here if there's any nice ones.
my trip was amazing, mind- blowing, life- changing and every other word that comes up when you type OMFG into thesaurus.com. it is no exagerration, i don't think you can travel for a month, especially not Europe, and not come away from it a different person. i only hope it is a better person. more on my thoughts and reflections another time, i ought to rest up, i have tuition to teach and people to meet tomorrow. :) my love to the world.
but i had a wonderful time. there was SO MUCH FIREWORKS. fireworks started going off at 5 p.m. because everyone owns them! and far from being boring it provided for a very interesting walk, you never know when something is gonna explode. at one point we nearly walked into a firework set- up on the road. fortunately we saw the crowd parting like the Red Sea and saw the box of explosives. it was beautiful, fireworks raining down just above my head. fortunately, neither my hair nor contact lenses got singed. it was that close. everyone was insanely happy (and stoned) and the mood was contagious. we of course visited the red light district, so yes, i ended 2008 looking at scantily- clad women gyrate seductively behind a neon- back lit glass box.
i took in 2009 ice- skating. we were walking to the city centre and walked past the open- air rink. it felt like a great idea, and it was. it was a brilliant start to the year; cold crisp air, beautiful kids (and adults too!) falling over themselves on the ice... i loved it. and i know i promised 5 photos per post, but this is the last of it, so i'm gonna put 7 cuz amsterdam held too many beautiful memories to leave out. in the evening, we flew back to london, where i spent a night in a nearby airport hotel before my flight the next morning. and so ended my eurotrip.
semi- frozen canal.
me and half of the world, it seems.
ice- skating!
best part of ice- skating was the HOT CHOCOLATE WITH WHIPPED CREAM and THIS. this being LITTLE DUTCH PANCAKES. the yellowish slab you see is COLD BUTTER and it is all drowning under ICING SUGAR. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
one of the consequences of crazy partying- various bicycles (and you know there's billions in amsterdam) were destroyed or thrown into the canal. this one was locked to the railings so it was half- thrown.
the consequences of legal explosives. hahahaha. this wasn't the first, nor the last. or the worst.
us. we arrived in the airport even before the check- in opened, in order to shop. in the end, we entered immigrations 10 minutes before take- off. imagine 4 asians running down the long- ass corridor of schiphol airport. a group of travellers like us saw us running (me + handbag + duty free plastic bag + trolley suitcase, iylia and satiish pushing trolley of our backpacks) and said, "hoo hoo hoo gate closing!" HAHA. in the end though, its memories of this crazy sprints inside airports that i hold so dear. the other one was in paris, for our flight to lisbon. what's life without a little excitement, no? :)
well that's it for the digital shots. once i'm done uploading everything to facebook, i'll post the links here. meanwhile those on facebook can just go see it on my profile. i'm collecting my film shots tomorrow, let's hope it turns out great, and i'll post some here if there's any nice ones.
my trip was amazing, mind- blowing, life- changing and every other word that comes up when you type OMFG into thesaurus.com. it is no exagerration, i don't think you can travel for a month, especially not Europe, and not come away from it a different person. i only hope it is a better person. more on my thoughts and reflections another time, i ought to rest up, i have tuition to teach and people to meet tomorrow. :) my love to the world.
berlin.
aaah, berlin. the first day was spent shopping, because... well simply cause. it was amazing though, everything in berlin is cheap! and top that with a crazy post- christmas sales... heavenly. the next day we went to see the main sights and for the history nerds in me and suresh, it was rather mind- blowing. to see the Berlin Wall, to attempt to look for Hitler's bunker (we didn't find it but i am quite sure we walked the same streets Hitler once walked on... !!!), to see the Reichstag which in so many ways was the catalyst to so much world history... it was dizzying, the amount of history one mere city could hold. and of course, it was also freezing cold.
memorial at the site of the Nazi book- burning. the thought of books burning causes a real, physical pain to my physical being. i can't imagine. i love the symbolism of empty shelves.
reichstag. did the Dutch man really set the fire? was he really helped by Comintern? did Hitler really have nothing to do with it? centuries will go by and we will still be asking the same questions.
dude at checkpoint charlie who stamped my passport. hilarious dude who somehow reminds me of derek zoolander. he kept talking in this... 'movie' voice, echoing and speaking robotically. haha.
Brandenburg Gate.
East looking West; a crack of hope between a wall. a long, long, long wall.
memorial at the site of the Nazi book- burning. the thought of books burning causes a real, physical pain to my physical being. i can't imagine. i love the symbolism of empty shelves.
reichstag. did the Dutch man really set the fire? was he really helped by Comintern? did Hitler really have nothing to do with it? centuries will go by and we will still be asking the same questions.
dude at checkpoint charlie who stamped my passport. hilarious dude who somehow reminds me of derek zoolander. he kept talking in this... 'movie' voice, echoing and speaking robotically. haha.
Brandenburg Gate.
East looking West; a crack of hope between a wall. a long, long, long wall.
prague.
after pisa, i felt prague was the other city who's sights really impressed me. each were as beautiful if not more beautiful, than expected. you would think charles bridge would just be a bridge, but its not. its a bridge with statues along its sides. and the two ends of the bridge has arches more intricate than your local church facade. the astronomical clock was a wonder to behold, as were the stories associated with it and the church behind it.
in barcelona, me and suresh had met two czechs at our hostel. one of them, lucas slavik, kindly offered to bring me around when i came to prague. he is the one who took all my photos, brought me to all these amazing places (in one day!) and most importantly, told me all sorts of amazing stories about craftsmen being blinded and farmers fighting prussians with pitchforks, and winning cuz they crossed the empty but muddy lake. i foolishly do not have a picture of lucas and me, but we remain in touch via, what else, but facebook. hopefully one day he'll come to singapore and let me return his wonderfully kind favor.
wenceslas square. that's wenceslas statue in the background. foreground is a shrine/ memorial for jan palach and jan zajich. the palach set himself on fire 19/ 01/ 69 when the Soviets took over. he did not want to live in a communist state. a month or so later, jan zajich did the same; inspite palach's final pleas to his peers to not die but instead, live and fight.
amazingly detailed church door next to the astronomical clock.
view from the castle.
my absolute favourite part of my prague leg; the museum of communism. such an eye- opening experience and made me understood czech republic and the complications of communism so much more. absolutely brilliant museum that led to much conversation for lucas and me. this was a recreated interrogation room from the communist era, where they forced civilians to confess to crimes they did not commit, civilians who showed inklings of un- communist behaviour.
in front of charles bridge. gorgeous by day, amazing by night.
in barcelona, me and suresh had met two czechs at our hostel. one of them, lucas slavik, kindly offered to bring me around when i came to prague. he is the one who took all my photos, brought me to all these amazing places (in one day!) and most importantly, told me all sorts of amazing stories about craftsmen being blinded and farmers fighting prussians with pitchforks, and winning cuz they crossed the empty but muddy lake. i foolishly do not have a picture of lucas and me, but we remain in touch via, what else, but facebook. hopefully one day he'll come to singapore and let me return his wonderfully kind favor.
wenceslas square. that's wenceslas statue in the background. foreground is a shrine/ memorial for jan palach and jan zajich. the palach set himself on fire 19/ 01/ 69 when the Soviets took over. he did not want to live in a communist state. a month or so later, jan zajich did the same; inspite palach's final pleas to his peers to not die but instead, live and fight.
amazingly detailed church door next to the astronomical clock.
view from the castle.
my absolute favourite part of my prague leg; the museum of communism. such an eye- opening experience and made me understood czech republic and the complications of communism so much more. absolutely brilliant museum that led to much conversation for lucas and me. this was a recreated interrogation room from the communist era, where they forced civilians to confess to crimes they did not commit, civilians who showed inklings of un- communist behaviour.
in front of charles bridge. gorgeous by day, amazing by night.
vienna.
vienna was beautiful. so much history and so much beauty. yet when i turned a street into the commercial street i saw how hip and cool this city could be. vienna snowed lightly but consistently, the pretty little dots that meant you could still be covered in snow without getting soaked. in vienna, i spoke indonesian to get my lunch, english to get a discount, german to be polite (gruss gott!) and lastly, thai, to a kind thai man who helped me with my luggage as i hoisted it up the stairs to the bus terminal. its a strange city full of the entire world.
chariot + hofburg palace.
palace grounds. all these buildings are now museums, which i think is brilliant.
shopping!
any building you see would look like something out of a fairytale or an 18th century novel.
finally, THE original sacher torte. eaten in Hotel/ Cafe Sacher, Vienna. most exquisite experience; they took my coat and they had toilets the size of my room. and the waitresses wore chambermaid outfits; i.e. white headgear, black dress, white apron. and everyone was white/ blonde. heh.
chariot + hofburg palace.
palace grounds. all these buildings are now museums, which i think is brilliant.
shopping!
any building you see would look like something out of a fairytale or an 18th century novel.
finally, THE original sacher torte. eaten in Hotel/ Cafe Sacher, Vienna. most exquisite experience; they took my coat and they had toilets the size of my room. and the waitresses wore chambermaid outfits; i.e. white headgear, black dress, white apron. and everyone was white/ blonde. heh.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
venice.
after rome, it was train ride down to venice. we were uncertain all the while about venice, due to the reports of floods and all that. when we finally arrived, it was foggy and cold and rather empty. but, it was dry and not flooded, and we made do and went to our hotel. the next day however, on christmas day, we woke up to a beautiful sunny day. my best memory of venice would the gondola ride with suresh, cliche, but such a necessity. the tiny canals of venice are intricately fascinating. then again, everything about venice is, as rumoured, beautiful.
us on gondola!
christmas eve. beautifully lit markets.
view from our hotel. its amazing to sleep facing such a view.
fiddling about in front of Saint Mark's Basilica.
christmas dusk.
us on gondola!
christmas eve. beautifully lit markets.
view from our hotel. its amazing to sleep facing such a view.
fiddling about in front of Saint Mark's Basilica.
christmas dusk.
Monday, January 05, 2009
rome!
it was nearly impossible to choose only FIVE pics for rome but i must stick to my system or else i will start having extras here and there and i will never finish blogging photos. besides i will post all the links to my facebook albums here once i'm done so you can access those for more. even those are limited, as there's only 60 photos per album. we spent 3 days and 4 nights in rome, enough time to cover the main sites in a rather leisurely pace. by leisurely i mean plenty of getting lost and plenty of GELATO. we had gelato EVERYDAY in rome cuz it was sunny enough. and the gelato was DAMN good la. i loved rome. it is tourist- friendly without being annoying. it had so much character yet very approachable. i also busted my purse shopping here cuz they had so many indie shops and AMERICAN APPAREL!!!! so yes. rome? was awesome.
best dessert of the trip. panna cotta a.k.a. cream and caramel. oh my arteries.
inside palatine hill.
one of many roman ruins within palatine hill.
as amazing in real life as it has been hyped up to be.
pantheon! extremely well- kept, for something older than Jesus.
best dessert of the trip. panna cotta a.k.a. cream and caramel. oh my arteries.
inside palatine hill.
one of many roman ruins within palatine hill.
as amazing in real life as it has been hyped up to be.
pantheon! extremely well- kept, for something older than Jesus.
pisa.
from milan, we took the train down to pisa. we were there for a couple of hours before going off to rome. pisa was beautiful in its own right. italy has so much to give/ show that even a small town like pisa can prove riveting. i honestly could spend hours just staring at the damn tower, cuz it is indeed amazing that it stands AT ALL. its seriously SO senget its beyond logic. but there you have it. pisa was one of the few places that i actually said out loud; "i think i could live here". it was small, cute and quaint. it has a great vibe, a little hippie and not too touristy at all. then again, its not high season so who knows.
what everyone comes to pisa for.
the walk to pisa was scenic as well.
we gangsta yo.
even the skies co- operated.
being a trippy hippie.
what everyone comes to pisa for.
the walk to pisa was scenic as well.
we gangsta yo.
even the skies co- operated.
being a trippy hippie.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
milan.
last city for today. 7 more cities to go. hahaha. madness, i know. its a wonder i survived the month at all. milan was nice, nothing amazing but i only spent a day there. we went to the san siro, where the boys juggled again, while i sat in the middle of the carpark and soaked in the sun. later that night we went to see the castle as well as the duomo, which was indeed beautiful, if nothing else because its surrounded by so many non- descript buildings, as is typical of milan. we had a very nice dinner though, gearing ourselves up for our day- trip to pisa the next day.
duomo.
soaking up the sun...
while the boys juggled.
inside the castle. satiish had tried to use the ball to block me but suresh snapped it just after it swung down. this was just one of the many ways these two boys attempted to spoil my shots. boys. -_-
beatles in milan. whoo!
duomo.
soaking up the sun...
while the boys juggled.
inside the castle. satiish had tried to use the ball to block me but suresh snapped it just after it swung down. this was just one of the many ways these two boys attempted to spoil my shots. boys. -_-
beatles in milan. whoo!
fez.
fez was an exciting place; it was different from both europe and asia. i stayed in the middle of the old market; fez souk- el bali. it was a chaos of noise, colours and smells from the get- go.
barcelona.
barcelona was okay for me. i was there for a very short while cuz i wanted to squeeze in a trip to fez before going to milan. but because it was just the two of us, i had quite a lovely time. for a brief moment it didn't matter where we were... we wandered aimlessly and in a quest to avoid the rain, we entered a cafe and whiled away our time. felt just like us at home. :) also, barcelona hostel was where i met lucas slavik, who was to later become my tour guide in prague. amazing life, no?
sagrada familia. barcelona was aaaall about gaudi, gaudi, gaudi. at least that's how it was for me.
parc guelle, another of gaudi's grand masterplan.
dinner in barcelona, first night. where i helped an old lady who was outside on the streets find her earrings from inside the restaurant! haha.
retro cash register in a luggage store. i had shopped a LOT by then, and needed more room.
our little cafe moment in the rain. :)
sagrada familia. barcelona was aaaall about gaudi, gaudi, gaudi. at least that's how it was for me.
parc guelle, another of gaudi's grand masterplan.
dinner in barcelona, first night. where i helped an old lady who was outside on the streets find her earrings from inside the restaurant! haha.
retro cash register in a luggage store. i had shopped a LOT by then, and needed more room.
our little cafe moment in the rain. :)
lisbon.
lisbon was, quite literally, a breath of fresh air. especially after paris. it did not stink, and it was perpetually sunny. it looked like nothing has changed since the 18th century, which was perfect. its built on 7 hills so there was lots of uphill and downhill walks all around the city. the alfama area was particularly fascinating, with its narrow alleys and winding streets. loved it. quite easily my favorite city in continental europe.
belem; maritime monument.
random door in alfama district.
gorgeous view.
the boys dribbling in some random alley post- lunch.
crazy trek down to the city/ up to our hostel.
belem; maritime monument.
random door in alfama district.
gorgeous view.
the boys dribbling in some random alley post- lunch.
crazy trek down to the city/ up to our hostel.
paris.
paris to me was the most disappointing. perhaps it is more because of my expectations, but it is very very hyped. when i finally went, the sentiment could perhaps be summarised with: "eh?" it stank half the time and the eiffel tower in the day is a gray piece of metal, albeit a huge one. the view from the tower was impressive, but all in all, i expected much more. shall i visit europe again, i won't mind skipping paris and go to other parts of france instead. that being said; apiz don't let this discourage you! hahaha. go and decide for yourself!
eiffel tower.
was much prettier at night.
moulin rouge.
me, the notre dame cathedral and two twits.
us at the entrance to versailles chateau. truly one of the most regal buildings i've ever seen.
eiffel tower.
was much prettier at night.
moulin rouge.
me, the notre dame cathedral and two twits.
us at the entrance to versailles chateau. truly one of the most regal buildings i've ever seen.
london.
i spent the most time in london as i needed to wait for the boys before heading off to paris. this time alone was the most interesting for me; i realized how stupidly shy i could be... whereas i could have made so many more friends in london had i tried at all. in the end i made a few but still. i was surprised even at myself. that being said, london itself was as expected. a flurry of activities and endless sights. it was exciting, especially being my first big city stop on the trip. needless to say the people i met there helped made the stay in london that much better. the boys, gemma, gail and the hostelites. :)
park near buckingham palace.
ice- skating with gemma. hahaha. she didn't know how to and fell about a billion times.
abbey road! which was near the beatles cafe. the beatles alone is a good reason to visit the UK, methinks.
last night in london; trafalgar square.
new friend. :)
park near buckingham palace.
ice- skating with gemma. hahaha. she didn't know how to and fell about a billion times.
abbey road! which was near the beatles cafe. the beatles alone is a good reason to visit the UK, methinks.
last night in london; trafalgar square.
new friend. :)
liverpool.
i have came up with a system to blog my photos: i will choose the 5 best shots of each city and the rest goes on facebook. because there is nearly 2000 photos and i think it will take forever to blog them all. verbal diarrhea to come soon enough, of course. but for now, photos. :)
the boys of liverpool, who really made my stay so memorable that i was initially painfully lonely in london. after all the merriment in liverpool, being in london alone was almost depressing.
going to penny lane; the namesake of one of my favourite beatles tune.
liverpool museum; champions league cup. :))
stadium tour.
watching liverpool play live.
other highlights; beatles museum, buying my jersey in a huge- ass liverpool fc store, getting a ride from a tour guide and meeting an argentinian/ spaniard whom i've yet to e- mail. good times!
the boys of liverpool, who really made my stay so memorable that i was initially painfully lonely in london. after all the merriment in liverpool, being in london alone was almost depressing.
going to penny lane; the namesake of one of my favourite beatles tune.
liverpool museum; champions league cup. :))
stadium tour.
watching liverpool play live.
other highlights; beatles museum, buying my jersey in a huge- ass liverpool fc store, getting a ride from a tour guide and meeting an argentinian/ spaniard whom i've yet to e- mail. good times!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
can you take me high enough?
got back at 3 p.m. today and mum was there to fetch me. cabbed back to home where i uploaded some pics interspersed with the usual MSN chats and general lying around. flights weren't too good; food was good but restless kids that kick your seat makes for non- existent sleep. now i feel fire behind my eyeballs and get a shot of pain each time i turn my head too fast. will sleep early for sure...
much to say, much to tell much to show. but it will take a lot of time cuz timely enough, NIE screwed up on me and now i can't check my time- table. and when i sit upright for too long i start to feel like i'm still in an airplane going through turbulance. i.need.my.bed.
good night. its good to be back, despite the heat... hah.
much to say, much to tell much to show. but it will take a lot of time cuz timely enough, NIE screwed up on me and now i can't check my time- table. and when i sit upright for too long i start to feel like i'm still in an airplane going through turbulance. i.need.my.bed.
good night. its good to be back, despite the heat... hah.