Unforgettable Hong Kong!

So guess who just came back from a weekend in Hong Kong last week? Me! Me! Me! Pick me!

Okay, that was lame. Sorry. Hey, it's been ages since I wrote here and it's been equally long that I haven't been entertaining myself with my silly jokes. And I'm gonna post so many photos here, you better be really, really afraid.

So anyway, in a nutshell, it was a really fun and memorable trip. And who knew being a lightbulb could be this great? Yes, you heard that right. I went with my couple friends. But they are both equally fun, adventurous people to be around and at the end of the day, I was sorta glad it turned out that way because otherwise, I figured my girl friend and I would have spent so much time being confused and lost like two blind mice. At least now we were three blind mice and that sounded much more comforting, don't you think?

I think we did exactly what we set out to do, and went to the places that we wanted to go, so really, it was great. It was refreshing being in a different city (although, Hong Kong felt so much like Singapore at times), but it was still different and unfamiliar I cherished every minute of it.

We went sightseeing from morning 'til night, until our legs felt like they were ready to drop any second. The highlight of the trip was probably The Peak for me, but I definitely liked Macau for different reasons too. We went to Macau on our second day when our spirit was at the all-time high! Checking out The Venetian Hotel with their romantic man-made canals was great too! At The Peak, we visited Madam Tussauds and took gazillions of photos in the Viewing Terrace at the top.

One thing I gotta comment on was the weather, though. It was drizzling throughout the time we were there, and it was kind of a bummer. 'Cos everywhere roads were slippery and damp, and we had to bring umbrella everywhere. Plus, the air got so hazy and foggy that at some point, we couldn't really see anything when we were on top of The Peak. But it got better as the day went on and despite all that, we still had a good time and the photos didn't turn out so bad, don't you think?

Alright, then, food! Okay, so I was told by many friends here before I left, that I had to try this, and that, this dimsum in this street, that dessert in that place, etc etc. But once we were there, it was really hard to spot these places, especially with our tight schedule! So we sort of just went to the major places that we wanted to go, and grabbed lunch and dinner at the area. We picked the most local and chinese place we could find, and just..went with it. The eateries there were all so small though. Seats were packed and all the menus were written in Chinese I could only stare at it blankly. We survived, though. The power of body language.

Next on, shopping. Same goes with that. I've heard warnings of people going crazy while shopping in Hong Kong that I have especially set aside some money to go wild. But we really didn't have time for that either! We went to Ladies' Market over at Mong Kok but didn't really see anything special. We bought the standard 'I Love HK' T-Shirt that we wore the next day but that's it. Oh, and a pair of slippers.

That about summed up our adventure, and I really hope I could do these little trips over the weekend again more often!

For the better.

I was constantly on the lookout. Even when I was with someone, somehow I managed to find excuses to break away because I wasn't comfortable being in one place for a long time. I blamed it on my short-attention-span, but in the end it all boiled down to my own immaturity.

I don't know how it started to change. Maybe when I got to know you, and realized that you're different. Different how? I don't know. I can't really pinpoint it. You're not just a person, see. You're a whole kind of person. And without even trying, you keep me on my toes. In your own undramatic and ordinary way, you kicked the side of my head and woke me up from this faraway dreamland I was in.

And I tried to fight it at first. Because it was scary and unfamiliar. I convinced myself that nothing has really changed, and that I still had all the freedom in the world to do what the old me used to do. Play around, not take things seriously, walk away whenever my feet got cold or when things did not shake me to the core anymore.

But after a while, I was tired. Because it was tiring trying to fight it. It was tiring trying to pretend that I haven't changed. That you didn't matter.

And besides, why did I need to fight it? As out of this world this may have seemed, maybe it was time for me to grow up. And it was like, everything started to fall into place and I just let myself enjoy the ride. Although it was unpredictable, frustrating and confusing, the excitement and anticipation were so great that I kept telling myself to be patient.

Yes, patience. I used to jump into things too quickly, and see, without knowing it, you have taught me the lesson of being patient too. That good things come to those who wait.

And now, I couldn't hope for anything better. And I have you to thank, for just being you, the unique and serious and funny and special you.

Even my sister said, "Sis, this is the most normal thing I've seen you do..since like, ever."

In a flash!

Is it an ironic coincidence that my 1 year in my company falls on 24 June, which is also the first day of my 10.5 leave?

Haha. First things first! I'm really happy I managed to stay on for almost a year now, and it's probably the longest I've ever committed to anything! Time really flies when you think about it. I can recall my first day like it was just yesterday. The outfits I wore, how I felt on the day, what I did and how the day began and ended.

There were moments of doubts and stress during the first few days especially, since everything was so new. But I learnt that, once you make a decision, stick by it. And don't ever look back. Just don't.

So, next thing is, yes! I'm finally doing the big vacation thing this June to Italy! You know what, even though we started out with just a big gut and a few presses to book the tickets without much plans yet, we're all set! It's so exciting, aye!

And speaking of vacation, I'll be doing a pre-vacation thing to Hong Kong next weekend!

Will write more tonight I hope! I miss updating this blog with my neverending rants!

Faith.

What's meant to be will always find a way.

The Script!

Oh hello there! I have come back from the cave and I miss you all! (although, since I’m the only one who write and read this anyway, I might as well say that I miss myself, which is pretty self-centred and shameless.)

April is surely an exciting month because I never thought I would go and see The Script Live in concert!

I’ve loved The Script since ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’, which seemed like a long time ago! The band has never made it exceptionally big here like, say, Jason Mraz (whom I also have loved since ‘You and I Both’. But he just made it big since ‘I’m Yours’, and now I have that protective feeling whenever people say they’re big fans of him and all I want to say is “No! I like him first! I’m his bigger fan!”)

I can’t think of a better band to see live though. I have a lot of bands and singers that I liked, and I’m sure plenty of them have had concerts in Singapore in the past, but I wonder why I never truly bothered to watch. When I heard on the radio one morning in early March that The Script is coming for one night concert here, I immediately bought the ticket, just like that, on the same day as soon as I reached office!

Now, that surely means something, right? The fact that I bought it almost two months in advance made the anticipation much more exciting and all the more when I found out a week before the concert that my dear friend was going too!

The D-Day itself couldn’t be more dramatic as my lil sister and I made our way to Fort Canning about 2 hours earlier. We knew it’s a standing concert so of course we didn’t want to be stuck right in the very end of the line. We’re very aware of our limitations when it comes to height, and we’re not planning to stand behind a tall person all throughout the concert!

It started drizzling when we reached and there was already a long line forming. We took our queue and stood there waiting for 2 hours under the rain which just got even heavier as time passed by and the organizer had to give away ponchos.

The demographic of the crowds was pretty obvious. A lot of Caucasians and Malay teenagers screaming and yelling even long before the concert began. At that time when I was squeezed and pushed around by obnoxious, loud Caucasians, I thought, “I never know Caucasians could be THIS annoying!” And maybe I’m just generalizing here, but bear with me, okay? They were really loud and inconsiderate, constantly cutting people’s lines and kept moving around, poking and nudging me every two seconds, never realizing that they were pushing people and pissing us off.

A big person in front of me kept pulling something from her bag, putting it back in, moving around and looking behind, bobbing her head non-stop and consider that we were in such close proximity to each other that even a bob of her head sent her ponytail flying right in my face every time and her pulling things from her bag nudged all parts of my body and my goodness, it was torture.

It must have been a good hour before the concert even started; all of us standing like sardines while the DJ was trying to fill in some time by playing current songs.

At first we were excitedly singing along to Rihanna’s ‘What’s My Name’ and Jessie J’s ‘Price Tag’, but after a while, we just wanted The Script to come up on stage!

And once that happened. Wow. That’s all I can say. It was amazing. Amazing, amazing, amazing. The whole concert, it boils down as one of the most memorable experiences I will never, ever forget!

Their energy was infectious and they sang all the songs we wanted them to sing. They started with tunes like ‘If You Come Back’, ‘Science and Faith’, ‘If You See Kay’, and more, before they finished the show with ‘For The First Time’ and ‘Break Even’!

The whole thing was a blur, we were screaming and singing along at the top of our lungs until we no longer felt the rain and the humidity around us.

It truly was amazing! And I realize I probably use the word ‘amazing’ too much here, but there’s no other word to describe the experience.

If I loved The Script before, I am even more obsessed with them now! I kept listening to their songs all over again, reading their interviews about the meanings of each song, watching their live performances on YouTube, oh man, I think I’m borderline stalking ‘em now.



Okay I realize I'm really crappy at taking pictures, because all I have is a lousy phone camera and a semi-decent digital camera that wouldn't zoom as close as I hoped for. But we really were standing pretty close to the stage! I feel like I could almost touch Danny, who is frikkin gorgeous, by the way!

So let me just show you the pictures they took themselves during the concert which they posted on Twitter!

BOOM! Isn't that amazing!

Because I was standing quite in the front, I never knew how big the place really was, and how many people actually filled in the area, and only when I saw this picture, I knew what the band was seeing: a truly massive crowds of fans! It was just amazing!

Ah, now I feel like stalking and watching their videos again! So before I finish this post, let me post another picture of them that they took. Had nothing to do with the concert but man, isn't Danny gorgeous!

♥ ♥

In Pictures

Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.

Apart.

Sometimes we waste too much time to think about someone who doesn't even think about us for a second.

People change. Feelings change. It doesn't mean that the love once shared wasn't true and real. It simply just means that sometimes when people grow, they grow apart.

The Notebook.

In times of grief and sorrow I will hold you and rock you, and take your grief and make it my own.

When you cry, I cry, and when you hurt, I hurt. And together we will try to hold back the floods of tears and despair and make it through thee potholed streets of life.

science and faith

you won't find faith or hope down the telescope. you won't find heart and soul in the stars. you can break everything, down to chemicals. but you can't explain a love like ours.

A little privacy, please.

There was a system which should be simple enough to understand. Especially since everyone is an adult. The thing with a unisex toilet means, that one should wait for his/her turn if someone else is inside. Nothing more awkward than exchanging smile or small talks in between cubicles. Imagine 'bumping' into the opposite sex while you're washing your hand after finishing up a certain nasty business.

It was not hard since there were three slippers provided, two pairs for the gents, and one for the ladies. One, two, three. It does not require an advanced deductive or mathematical skill, even. So one might wonder, how could there be a flaw in such a seemingly elementary concept?

Like one day, she was wearing her slippers inside the loo. As she was still washing her hands, a careless gent stormed in to the 'establishment'. Startled but unapologetic, he exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"Oh," she replied, "you know, just lounging here... Chilling, enjoying the glorious toilet scent and its breathtaking view."

She should have said that, really. But in fact, it was only in her head. What was she doing inside a toilet? Dear god, what could it possibly be? The possibilities are endless!

With an irritated grunt, she said nothing and slipped outside.

Another day, same starting story. She was washing her hands when she heard noises outside, and a gent pushed open the toilet door. The second he saw her, he made a loud noise which sounded like "sorry!", his whole body trembling and he was muttering sorry over and over again while trying to get out immediately. His dramatic reaction could resemble an act of a guilty kid who has just been caught stealing.

It made her feel so bad! Why would she feel bad?

Well, the only thing he was stealing was some privacy! She made her way out and said, "it's okay, go ahead, I'm done" to the poor awkward dude who was still trembling in horror.

No! She doesn't want to freak some dude out or blurt out sarcastic remarks to the insensitive bloke! What she wants is just a little privacy!

Domestic.

I was suddenly possessed by the spirit of Martha Stewart over the weekend. Yeah, scary, huh? I felt so domestic to the point that I decided to cook my sisters and cousin a hearty dinner.

They complained and objected the idea, but I insisted. I might have even threatened them a little. But I told you, I was possessed. Even on Saturday as we went grocery shopping, I could not contain my excitement. Running wildly from aisle to aisle, I picked up pasta and spaghetti sauce and tom yum soup paste and mushrooms and carrots and potatoes as if my life depended on it.

Anyway, everyone was pretty busy on Sunday so I offered to make baked pasta for dinner. It wasn’t rocket science, really. I was a little ashamed that I couldn’t impress you more by saying I made, um, risotto with scallops or something fancier like that. But perhaps you would be slightly impressed too by ‘baked pasta’, right until I told you how simple and easy the process actually was. A 5-year old kid could make that too. And then, your impressed-face would disappear as fast as my money after payday.

All I did was washing, chopping, boiling, mixing, adding sauce and salt and tada! Putting it in the oven and voila!

Hey, don’t look at me that way. Actually I enjoy cooking once in a while if there’s an occasion and an audience (even though I would have to force them into eating it.)

The problem is that I’m a lazy bum who would rather sleep and wake up to a well-prepared, all-ready, take-away food than cooking it from scratch.

Well, nobody’s perfect.

(Are you holding back the urge to throw up? Cos I kinda am.)

Tumblr.

Tumblr, tumblr, tumblr.

Join me here.

It will be a lot easier to update pictures and short posts over there, so I'm gonna try updating it more often since I don't have much time to blog properly these days.

Anyway. Thanks for sticking by and I'll see you soon!

The View.

From up here, everything seems perfect.

Come to think of it, Singapore's not so bad at all.

Back.

This is why I can never have a baby. I have a short attention span. I can't exactly neglect and abandon a baby like I do to my blog and my 101 other hobbies, can I?

I'm sorry in advance that I haven't been writing at all for the past few weeks. Ever since I've been back from my trip back home, I've been a basket case, a PMS kid in horrible mood swings and uncontrollable temper tantrums.

In short, I've been homesick and thus, in no condition to be writing.

Instead, I came back to work in full speed, taking no craps from annoying customers, and did a lot of writings for the company's magazine. I detached myself from personal life for a while as a way to deny reality and the fact that I was feeling so unmotivated and slightly lethargic.

It's been almost three weeks and I'm feeling a little better. But I wonder, why is it that nothing really excites me anymore these days?

I long for the days when I look forward to the next day, knowing I would do something useful. Or, when I spend an hour or two getting ready for a date because I'm so excited.

Is it a matter of the job which doesn't give me the mental stimulation, or is it me, who simply is going through a dry phase? I don't know, maybe a little of both.

As if to compensate for the lack of fighting spirit, I'm throwing myself to work even deeper these days. I know, that doesn't make any sense, but it happens.

Come to think of it, I've been in a committed relationship with my job for 8 months now. Eight! I know it doesn't seem that long, but it is! If I were seeing a man, this would be the time when I started getting a rash.

But I guess that what being committed essentially is. So I'm going to tough it up, grow up, act like an adult and brace the storm.