Pachinko

one word - addictive.
How are we suppose to resist those hip pachinko parlors in sin city, Osaka?

Harajuku Girls

Tokyo at its best.
I like.

Patience much required, for the Harajuku girls to warm up to you.
And what's Love.Angel.Music.Baby compared to the real deal?

Just a few hours time to...you.

Tokyo Husky

Between the tower and him, I choose him.
Like I've mentioned, give me a husky and I'll give you me.

Lost in Translation

For the love of the movie, I attempted a Scarlett today. I think I can sit at THE Starbucks for hours people-watching, daydreaming, and letting all suppressed thoughts invade my mind, together with my caffeine fix. Unfortunately, a Mocha frapp cost about 7SGD, which is pretty ridiculous. And the waiter who combs the entire 2nd level, watches his customers like a hawk, preventing his prey from lingering and taking pictures.

I'll head back there again, with a transparent umbrella.

Shibuya crossroads.
Everyone wants to be found.

This corner of the earth is like me in many ways
I can sit for hours here and watch the emerald feathers play
On the face of it I'm blessed
When the sunlight comes for free
I know this corner of the earth it smiles at me
So inspired of that there's nothing left to do or say
Think I'll dream, 'til the stars shine

Winter wonderland

Furano - Kamifurano.

I've never been so engulfed in snow before. Snow that is immaculate and untainted, pure and white as can be. This is the winter that I have been longing for, frozen fingers and toes aside.

TGIF

First there was a photography session,

Here's the Shi fu, in one my favourite photos of the day.
And I realize that best poses are often assumed by photographers themselves.

Christmas inspired.

S'pore F1 track trek.

and then there was fishing,

Such are the lil' things, the trivialities in life that are much pursued, often spontaneous, and the most memorable. For today, and every other day, I'm thankful to be tangled up in the lives of people so close to my heart, through thick or thin and even when obstacles seem to get in our way ever so often.
A family like mine is just hard to come by, and most definitely a blessing in disguise.

Mommy...it's overrrrrrrrrrr!

First there was supper from Spize, a 5-hour long heartfelt conversation that meant the world to me, 5 hours of shuteye, 2 hours of cramming, and the very last 2-hour paper in NUS. I was so overwhelmed with such positive emotions that there was a constant tension at my zygomaticus major muscle. And I caught some people eyeballing me, giving me the why-are-you-grinning-to-yourself-and-are-you-mad look.

Here's to a new beginning.

Animals crossing

Chickadees & Mummy, roaming around Angkor Balloon compound, Siem Reap.

Pretty 'ugly' ducklings, somewhere around Angkor Thom, Siem Reap.


Mr. Take-a-picture-with me, taking 5 to admire Angkor Wat, Siem Reap.


Goat herding, along the way to Tonle Sap lake, Siem Reap.


The little goatherder.


Pet monkey's life on Tonle Sap lake.

Poochi & me, en route to Mui Ne, Vietnam.

Just one more left.

Reap what you sow

Kids posing (for quick cash) every time a tourist walks by, at Angkor Thom.
The makings of tourism at Siem Reap.

I'm more than just fine with Cs. So please let me scrape through miraculously, even with my ever-waning will.

It's raining men

a storm is brewing, in Nha Trang.

and I'm enjoyin the ankle-deep waters.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

It's about time, even if it's a wrong time.
Godspeed.

Can't believe it

From ecstasy to shock, to disbelief, and to despair. All in a matter of 30 seconds. I absolutely cannot believe it. School's not helping (Damn those endless essays and the jeopardy I have mindlessly crafted!). Neither is work (Damn the unresponsive replicating of emails on lotus notes!). The hospital, much dreaded. The flood, in Hanoi. The plans, both ruined and unintended.

I'm estimating that I am a quarter way down the abyssal depths of infinity.
Drop me a lifeline, quick.

Time travel

I was so intrigued by the book that I finished it within a short evening, and a night. Was up till 6am, and it kept me pondering till 7. Then the weird dreams started invading. It was like a movie of short films playing in my head. I could remember certain screen shots vividly but it's too complex to elaborate.

So, about the book. It is raw, random, and a lil' confusing, only to be redeemed by it's intelligent concept and idiosyncratic style. I guess I like whatever that makes me mull over, or muse upon. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for time traveling. When Heroes came about, I always imagined myself to be Hiro Nakamura. So there, I guess that explains why I like 'The Time Traveler's Wife'.

I had a hunch that it would be made into a movie to I wiki-ed it. And sure enough, this is the first thing I see, "For the upcoming film based on the novel, see The Time Traveler's Wife (film)." They should use the main cast of 'Ensemble, c'est tout' though. Audrey Tautou always feels right for warp films.

Please be gentle with me

45% discount, 15 books, 248.11SGD
2 sci-fi/fantasy books for the neurotic lil' sis, who will cringe at the sight of dog ears and whine the entire night over untidy creases (almost like me, minus the whining). 3 psychology books for the other sis, who collects ALL books from any one author she likes. 2 fiction/literature, 1 non-fiction, and another business book for myself, who hasn't the time in the world to spare.1 shared makansutra. 5 other books, ranging from finance to survival guide, for one who doesn't quite like to read.

The days seem so long and dreary this week that my time, or rather my date came to a halt on the 26th of October. I very nearly miss saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to someone special today. Worse, I got her to proofread an almost negligible report for me. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! and I'm sorry.

By Your Side

As I was laying by your side on the hospital bed, I secretly wish we were somewhere more familiar, and more comforting instead. Somewhere like home, where I could watch the overplayed teochew (or hokkien) show with you. So that I could pretend not to know what is going on and ask you rhetorical questions in exchange for your nodding in agreement and grinning in amusement. More so, I wish for you to remind me of how you would call my name, because it seems to be fading with time. Maybe I could even get a chance of walking next to you again, holding your hands in mine. Just maybe.

横行霸道

Because we wanted 馒头(mini buns),

we decided to order one humongous chilli crab,

and it amounted to $48.00.


So the bestie, witty as she is, came up with an excellent story.
The crab moves sideways, therefore it is 横行霸道, so you channel all the anger you can garner on this single outlet by cracking its already broken armor and devouring the flesh within.

She, the moral center of the universe, has saved the day again.

Sidenote: Black pepper crabs highly recommended at 螃蟹之家(behind Bedok 85).
If I'm not mistaken, the chef is from Eng Seng restaurant (Joo Chiat Place). The taste is too similar.

Regress

Child-like antics and spitefulness, what do they have in common? That's right, they possess this annihilative power which has the potential to ravage what seemed like an almost indestructible bond between two loving souls.

I'm not too happy.

because it's abominable.
ugh.

Catharsis

On hiatus for slightly more than a year now, since the shanghai stint. I decided it could be rather cathartic to leave some rambling on webspace, so here goes nothing.