cheer me up, thank you
Dec. 3rd, 2010 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
methrowrockSitting here in a darkened room, as the rain bristles gently tickle the windows, it is not hard to be not unhappy. Double negative: ha, that's the tricky part, as I recently learnt after watching Scott Pilgrim Versus The World. Which was a pretty crazy and surprisingly good film featuring the ever-winsome aw-shucks doe-eyed (and all the other similar-veined hyphenated adjectives that one can think of) boyish charm. Oh no, trademarked rambling in action again. Anyway, so here I am, constructing a thin facade of wanting to run yet lamenting over-exaggeratedly about it being grey and rainy. Who am I kidding? These days are the best days, even if it would mean my inevitable struggle during training camp next week. But that would be a tale for another day further along the time-space continuum. Ha.
So my exams ended last Wednesday. Oh, I wish I could tell you that birds burst into song, rainbows unfurled across pellucid skies and the winds trumpted victories. But no, I succumbed to my usual procrastinating streak and barely studied for the last two papers. How could I live myself comfortably with that? Only two papers, yet I gave up entirely. Bah. Things change, definitely, but the most detrimental flaws tend to be pesky evergreen pine needles, embedded deeply in your skin, no matter how hard you try to shed them over the seasons. Sigh. Anyway, after exams, I did what I was best at: vegetating before a computer screen. Racing through Mad Men, catching up on Gossip Girl, Modern Family, 30 Rock, Community, HIMYM, oh the list goes on and on. I surprise myself with the to-watch list I fabricate on a whim. Went out with FT, Bara, Sexy D and Hubae on Friday to catch Easy A. It was funny, potty-mouthed and witty, but a little try-too-hard. With the rise of the smart-alecky teenage films, it gets harder to find one with genuine heart and soul. Then it was off to Jakarta on Sunday.
How does one describe a country that they visited for only four days? One doesn't, and shouldn't. Hahaha I kid. When traveling to a developing country, one would naturally imagine the rich-poor/rural-urban divide prevalent in cities. And that was starkly visible in Jakarta. Shiny, tall buildings sprouting from an uneven bed of shanty dwellings and ramshackle huts; shiny, rugged multipurpose vehicles traveling alongside overcrowded rundown buses with faded paint and stained windows; there is a contrast between shiny and grimy everywhere you turn. Posh shopping centres with their legions of coiffured taitais with bouffant hairdos and perfectly made-up faces. Less fancy heartland malls with pirated DVDs and budget fashion. And then, there are the street stalls that appear anywhere and everywhere with slightly more space. Road dividers? Yes. Grass patches? Check. Road sides? Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Then, there are the street children- who run between traffic to beg for money-, the peddlers- who weave between vehicles to sell keropok and canned drinks (we even saw a man who was selling horse-shaped paperweights haha)-, the LADYBOYS- who sashay down tarmac catwalks, swaying their hips and hair in synchronization- and more. It is a city of extremes, of differentiations, of entrepreneurship, of anything-and-everything, which probably rings true in other developing cities. And such a vast difference from the manicured streets of Singapore, where the townships are homogenous and poverty is squirreled away from view.
So what did I do during my time there? Plenty of eating, shopping, watching movies at home, more eating and tons of lazing around. Sunday was spent in the Ritz Carlton shopping mall, with lunch at Din Tai Fung, followed by E! channel (Kardashians and The Spin Crowd are such guilty pleasures) and Reign of Assassins at home, after a home-made dinner of pasta with a generous dollop of cod roe. A good kungfu film, with authentic heart and plot twists. Not to forget, JUNG WOO SUNGGGG. Then Monday, J arrived and we spent half the afternoon lounging at home, having mashroom raise made by Sensei Flower and watching fluffy teevee. Then, Ambassador Mall, which reminded me of Far East Plaza hehe. Then, dinner at Pepenero, (learning) swimming+jacuzzi, Little General Big Soldier and 72 Tenants, the former an ancient epic flick that struck an even tone between comedy and drama and the latter a typical Hong Kong mo-lai-tau comedy. Tuesday was half the day at home again, lunch being leftover mashroom raise added with salmon and bitter vegetables. Being big eaters, M had to make sandwiches for us haha, and ate them while watching Easy A. Then Grand Indonesia, with its kickass arcade (peddling game, punching game, para para~) and tender sirloin katsudon that aroused food envy~~ Following that, Scott Pilgirm and Glee. Wednesday was waking up late, nasi lemak lunch at the shopping centre across the road, then a 3-hour spa near M Square, and dinner at a Japanese restaurant which made amazing okonomiyaki. I talk too much about food haha. Thursday was the sad flight back home. I think M will miss us alot hahaha.
Okay, so I got distracted by Facebook halfway. But I will persist! Yesterdy was truckloads of fun. Rushed home after lunch with J and A, where we spent $20 on the not-very-fun T3 slide. Rushed out again to meet YL for 旅行団 at Esplanade. It was so fucking high, and fun, and their songs so happiezx-SHALALA, and they got everybody jiving on their feet, clapping with their hands, and just soaking in the summery atmosphere. 旅行団 is my favourite band since 2007, so seeing and listening to them in the flesh was somewhat like a dream come true. Some wonder why and how I got so fascinated with China. Well, with their clear accents, shaggy hairdos, insouciant shuffles and twee songs, it is not hard to see why hahaha.
And that brings us to today, a day dedicated to pure relaxation and unwinding. MNET concert tomorrow, camp from Monday to Wednesday, trekking with Melin and Jeff on Thursday, S11 outing and back to Pantages next Saturday, intensive training next next Monday to Friday from 1pm to 9pm, IMBA barbeque on Friday night. ARGHHHHH. Need to start prepping for next semester, but hardly enough time. Sigh, we'll see how things go, byeee!
So my exams ended last Wednesday. Oh, I wish I could tell you that birds burst into song, rainbows unfurled across pellucid skies and the winds trumpted victories. But no, I succumbed to my usual procrastinating streak and barely studied for the last two papers. How could I live myself comfortably with that? Only two papers, yet I gave up entirely. Bah. Things change, definitely, but the most detrimental flaws tend to be pesky evergreen pine needles, embedded deeply in your skin, no matter how hard you try to shed them over the seasons. Sigh. Anyway, after exams, I did what I was best at: vegetating before a computer screen. Racing through Mad Men, catching up on Gossip Girl, Modern Family, 30 Rock, Community, HIMYM, oh the list goes on and on. I surprise myself with the to-watch list I fabricate on a whim. Went out with FT, Bara, Sexy D and Hubae on Friday to catch Easy A. It was funny, potty-mouthed and witty, but a little try-too-hard. With the rise of the smart-alecky teenage films, it gets harder to find one with genuine heart and soul. Then it was off to Jakarta on Sunday.
How does one describe a country that they visited for only four days? One doesn't, and shouldn't. Hahaha I kid. When traveling to a developing country, one would naturally imagine the rich-poor/rural-urban divide prevalent in cities. And that was starkly visible in Jakarta. Shiny, tall buildings sprouting from an uneven bed of shanty dwellings and ramshackle huts; shiny, rugged multipurpose vehicles traveling alongside overcrowded rundown buses with faded paint and stained windows; there is a contrast between shiny and grimy everywhere you turn. Posh shopping centres with their legions of coiffured taitais with bouffant hairdos and perfectly made-up faces. Less fancy heartland malls with pirated DVDs and budget fashion. And then, there are the street stalls that appear anywhere and everywhere with slightly more space. Road dividers? Yes. Grass patches? Check. Road sides? Doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Then, there are the street children- who run between traffic to beg for money-, the peddlers- who weave between vehicles to sell keropok and canned drinks (we even saw a man who was selling horse-shaped paperweights haha)-, the LADYBOYS- who sashay down tarmac catwalks, swaying their hips and hair in synchronization- and more. It is a city of extremes, of differentiations, of entrepreneurship, of anything-and-everything, which probably rings true in other developing cities. And such a vast difference from the manicured streets of Singapore, where the townships are homogenous and poverty is squirreled away from view.
So what did I do during my time there? Plenty of eating, shopping, watching movies at home, more eating and tons of lazing around. Sunday was spent in the Ritz Carlton shopping mall, with lunch at Din Tai Fung, followed by E! channel (Kardashians and The Spin Crowd are such guilty pleasures) and Reign of Assassins at home, after a home-made dinner of pasta with a generous dollop of cod roe. A good kungfu film, with authentic heart and plot twists. Not to forget, JUNG WOO SUNGGGG. Then Monday, J arrived and we spent half the afternoon lounging at home, having mashroom raise made by Sensei Flower and watching fluffy teevee. Then, Ambassador Mall, which reminded me of Far East Plaza hehe. Then, dinner at Pepenero, (learning) swimming+jacuzzi, Little General Big Soldier and 72 Tenants, the former an ancient epic flick that struck an even tone between comedy and drama and the latter a typical Hong Kong mo-lai-tau comedy. Tuesday was half the day at home again, lunch being leftover mashroom raise added with salmon and bitter vegetables. Being big eaters, M had to make sandwiches for us haha, and ate them while watching Easy A. Then Grand Indonesia, with its kickass arcade (peddling game, punching game, para para~) and tender sirloin katsudon that aroused food envy~~ Following that, Scott Pilgirm and Glee. Wednesday was waking up late, nasi lemak lunch at the shopping centre across the road, then a 3-hour spa near M Square, and dinner at a Japanese restaurant which made amazing okonomiyaki. I talk too much about food haha. Thursday was the sad flight back home. I think M will miss us alot hahaha.
Okay, so I got distracted by Facebook halfway. But I will persist! Yesterdy was truckloads of fun. Rushed home after lunch with J and A, where we spent $20 on the not-very-fun T3 slide. Rushed out again to meet YL for 旅行団 at Esplanade. It was so fucking high, and fun, and their songs so happiezx-SHALALA, and they got everybody jiving on their feet, clapping with their hands, and just soaking in the summery atmosphere. 旅行団 is my favourite band since 2007, so seeing and listening to them in the flesh was somewhat like a dream come true. Some wonder why and how I got so fascinated with China. Well, with their clear accents, shaggy hairdos, insouciant shuffles and twee songs, it is not hard to see why hahaha.
And that brings us to today, a day dedicated to pure relaxation and unwinding. MNET concert tomorrow, camp from Monday to Wednesday, trekking with Melin and Jeff on Thursday, S11 outing and back to Pantages next Saturday, intensive training next next Monday to Friday from 1pm to 9pm, IMBA barbeque on Friday night. ARGHHHHH. Need to start prepping for next semester, but hardly enough time. Sigh, we'll see how things go, byeee!
