Jagged little Sanity Pill

2008-10-07T16:31:00.001-07:00

As usual the rebirth of my blog (my blog has been reborn at least 6 times since 1999, making it a looser Christian than even myself) begins in a really random period, at a really random time, when thoughts are ample and my fingers are itching.

Tonight this strange phenomenon is taking hold of me for a number of factors: firstly (you guessed it), I am back in Europe, more specifically in the UK. I am here for six months on a work secondment. And considering the state of the markets today, you should already know - unless you have been living underneath the floorboards - that work is quiet. Hence, I have oodles of time.

Secondly, this is the first time in my life I am officially living alone. My firm has graciously set me up in a pad in Islington, basic but charming and fit for my needs. Perhaps I shall take a little time describing it later when I get past this awkward explanation for my sudden reappearance.

Thirdly, I have ended my year-long hiatus from reading novels. Correction: finishing novels. For some reason I hadn't been able to finish any book that I've picked up in the last year (with the exception of Paul Auster novels which I always manage to finish). Aptly, this ended on the plane ride from Asia here to what I regard as a new chapter of my life in HK. And I am glad this cruel separation is ending - a life without connection to literature is a life without a connection to inner thoughts, and hence yourself. I should say for good measure that this book was the first of the Millenium Trilogy by Steigg Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a mighty fine crime novel with a surprisingly fine narrative despite having been translated from Swedish.

This one novel has unblocked the dam and I promptly visited Amazon.com and picked up 4 more books (though I must guiltily admit that one was another Auster paperback which I am reading now). What a relief that I can read again!

So, back onto my original vein, reading books again has rekindled my itch to write. Writing helps one get a stronger grasper of oneself, and I probably wouldn't count sending a SuperPoke to an overseas friend on Facebook reasonable prose of any kind (though arguable).

So, on to bigger things. As mentioned, I'm now put up in a one-bedroom pad near Highbury & Islington tube station. It's cosy with a sizable living room containing 2 olive sofas, a chest of drawers, a simple dining table for four, an open plan kitchen and a red brick wall on the far end, which I especially like. My bedroom includes a roomy double bed and a wardrobe just about roomy enough for my threads. Aside from my iPod docking speaker I have brought very few personalising touches for the flat, and so it will remain 6 months of white walls and wooden surfaces.

It's surreal to be back in the UK, even though this is my fourth week here and I really should have gotten over the novelty! London is a great city, and I'm glad I'm back here after heaps of support and encouragement from family and friends. Life has changed of late, changed very much indeed since my last post, and sometimes it takes a swap in scenery to take you out of context and take stock of yourself.

My life in summary: working for a year now; single; collecting and maintaining friendships; back to playing music but only for myself; active fundraiser; travelled several more countries; planning to run the Great Wall Marathon next May; well and truly living for myself .

Ahh my eyes fail me (it's almost 2am) and I really can't carry on. Just take this potpourri post as an indication that my blog is back! For those who care at all!

L

2008-04-09T02:36:00.000-07:00

If anything could make me revive this godforsaken blog again, it is a reconciliation with my Europe. My kingdom for a camera as I walk the streets of Rome, and having left my Canon back in the pore, it is down to my inaptly modern blackberry to document my eyes' delight.

I spent the last four days in London, which felt very much like returning home. Emptied my wallet for a generous helping of tailored shirts and ballet pumps sans regrets but that I failed to save more for shopping in Capri, which I am currently in the train heading for. Italy is one of my prime loves of Europe. The city's intense beauty, natural inclination towards good taste and affection for history appeal to my every sense. Perhaps in a past life I was an Italian artist's muse or a Gondola master, what pleasurable thoughts!

Aesthetics aside, the city of
Rome calls to mind the glowing moments of romance past and the aroma of fine sangiovese and pinot noir vintage, some of my favourites. Thus it is little wonder I am so thrilled to be here. Ciao, till my next post.

2007-06-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

I've figured it out. Hong Kong has an dumbing effect on my brain activity and hence my blog activity. I have been back in Singapore for less than 48 hours and here I am at 3.25am sitting at my damn desk blogging away in a battle with insomnia. At this time in Hong Kong I am usually as drunk as a Chinese prawn, smelling of smoke and beer, lying on my bed with my hair in shambles and my eye make-up half on. So it's no wonder that thinking appears to be a novelty for me (and maybe the iced coffee at my auntie's didn't help).

I'm thinking a whole fucking LOT. It's actually driving me insane. I've contemplated things I never thought I cared about. I've been lying in my 5-star home bed with my gorgeous down duvet thinking of all kinds of crap and it won't stop!!

I'm thinking of what to do for summer, whether to do real estate work and how long to travel to NY for and where to buy my ticket and how to buy my ticket and how to get the lowest fare so my dad doesn't have to cough up too much and who I'm gonna stay with and who I'm gonna see and who means the most to me and I'm also thinking of whether I should do volunteer work in China or take a wine tasting course or a fusion cooking course at the Coriander Leaf or golf or all of it or none of it and I'm thinking of whether I should buy a home in Singapore or wait till later or not buy one at all.

I'm thinking of whether I should call up my investment plan adviser and throw some more savings into it or keep the money to buy myself furniture or put it into IPOs in Hong Kong or wait for a stock market crash and just collect stuff through my banker friends or whether I should just save money and be a good girl and earn interest from my savings account.

I'm thinking of my family and how glad I am to be back here and what to say to my brother about the matters of his heart and how much independence to assert with my parents and what to buy for my mum's and brother's birthdays and how much I want to cook for my cousins and about my talk with my Auntie today - I've learnt that my great-grandmother was a professional gambler, who are the linguists in the family, where I got my bone structure from and that my late grandfather was even more than ever the most incredible man I have ever known.

I'm thinking about my year in Hong Kong and the people of met and the people I like who account for about 40% of the ones I have met and the people who I love who account for even fewer and about the people who have disappointed me and how to explain it to them, and I'm thinking about the old friends I will re-hash this summer and the hearts I should mend and how much I should forget myself and just bury the old hatchets and start being the person I would be if I hadn't met so many people who've run me over.

And finally I think of him, the great summer we'll have together and the reasons for the things we've said to each other and the reasons for our fears and how even if I disagree with some of his characteristics, and his words, I realise that everything about him appeals to me and I wouldn't want him to change a damn thing.

2007-03-30T04:07:00.000-07:00

I seem to having an insatiable thirst these days for any kind of sport available. I've been ranting about not getting the chance to go wakeboarding but it is an expensive sport so I've gotten creative: yesterday Dionna and I made our way down to Shatin in the New Territories of Hong Kong to rent a bike (HK$15 an hour, about 1 british pound!) and ride around, taking in the scenery of a place at once so near to and so far from the bustling centre of Hong Kong island that people assume characterises the entire SAR. However, cycling around the little streets, going mad with my bicycle bell to warn off old people and young kids alike, I thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of the more relaxed, residential and friendly new territories. When we went to return our bikes, our bike rental guy kindly helped us take a picture, while his shy daughter ran away from my imposing camera lens. Strolling across to the fruit shop, I loaded up on fresh mangoes, durian and japanese grapes. It was a real treat!

Today, on the other hand, I threw myself into the unchartered world of street hockey with some of the other PCLL-ers and we had some interesting, tiring games of 3 on 3. After that, I took a sprint around the track with Ro, played an hour of tennis with jeremy and with the humidity, I think I'm about ready now to down a can of diet coke and crash out on my bed.

And seeing as it's Fri night, I still have to hit the alcohol! Time to get prepared. Peace x

2007-03-26T03:48:00.000-07:00

It's REALLY pissing me off that my blog header picture has disappeared on me and the images on my site refuse to behave. I never professed to be an expert with these things and for the time being I can't be arsed, so I'll solve things the old-fashioned way: hope.

Days pass here happily but as far as my course goes, with a certain level of discomfort: I'm either doing sweet fuckall for my work and find myself bumming around for 4 days straight, or stressing in the library for 7 hours on end looking through [legal documents the details of which I won't even bore u with].

I watched Pan's Labyrinth yesterday which depressed me loads; ironically the older I get the more sensitised I get to sad, violent and tragic movies. In particular torture scenes just fucking kill me. Considering I come from a family of 4 doctors, my intolerance towards blood and pain is so laughable; I still remember running out of Passion of the Christ to sob my lungs out while my mercenary doctor brothers sat there without even flinching.

Not that Pan's Labyrinth is anywhere near that; in fact, the violence is mild relative to the horrible stuff these filmmakers seem to think we enjoy watching these days. I guess it's good to know that I'm not a total monster (maybe a wimp - still the lesser of two evils).

I've been throwing around promises of a grand July trip to London and NY to see everyone I love in those parts of the world and I really can't wait to make it happen. Some of the people who mean the most to me are there and dearly missed. I'm even being ambitious and entertaining stopovers at other locations - Paris, Belize, Bristol, Warwick, but clearly I won't have time for it all.

I can't wait to see everyone, but aside from that I think I miss Europe, MY Europe.

I miss Bristol cobblestones shiny with rain. I miss Rue Mouffetard in Paris lined with fresh Pain au Chocolat and spit-roast chicken. I miss coming fresh out of a tube station in London to marvel anew at a city at once so old and so cosmopolitan. I miss Venice, particularly when we'd hit a small quiet street and the sounds of the tourists disappeared. I miss free Paella and sexy tap-dancers in Barcelona. I miss weed and museums (everyone forgets that there ARE museums, and good ones) in Amsterdam. I miss lakes and rivers and morning jogs up the hills of the lake district. I miss people who kissed me unabashedly on both cheeks, anytime, every time.

2007-03-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

Got my exam results today...I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-03-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

It seems I haven't updated at all since Paul packed up his life in Beijing, arrived in HK airport and landed himself in my humble flat. The company was well-anticipated and is wonderful; aside from late nights out, cheap as well as fancy dinners and plentiful shisha, we are whiling away hours watching Prison Break and making a concerted effort to gym regularly. I have run 15km this week and will be running 10 more, and as a reward I went out and bought a new pair of sexy Pumas to replace my old dying Adidas', which hopefully will be great motivation for me to keep this up till I start to become thin for a change.

I have been bad with March birthdays...I wish I could celebrate your birthdays with you, my March babies. First up, my girl Julia (2 Mar), the crazy olive, I haven't celebrated either of our birthdays with you in years and years, happy birthday! To Jax (8 Mar), the birthday humbug, I do hope you find happiness in your heart this year; wish we could do a repeat of that fab night at the Park on the triangle, with the shisha and your gorgeous braids and all that glorious booty-shaking. To my dear friend Nick (5 Mar): sorry this is coming late, but I really wish I could be back home so we can have a proper chat over some red wine on Dempsey Road - u'd better not be working too hard!

In the library and gotta work now - peace.

2007-02-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

My Dad passed me the pics from our English new year's eve party. This is my favourite shot:

I love how everyone is checking Paul out. What can I say, he is a hottie.

Evidently, I am *THRILLED* he is arriving - this Friday!!

2007-02-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! Xin nian kuai le, nian nian you yu, shen ti jian kang etc. ... this is one of my favourite times of the year, firstly cos it's a time for family, secondly cos it's a time for food, food and more food. Singaporeans will take any excuse to pig out, and this festival is the biggest feast of the year. Sweet treats to give you a 'sweet year' include cheng tng (a sweet soup with dried dates and longans), pineapple tarts (little flaky pastries filled with sticky pineapple jam), bakwa (barbecued sliced pork), mandarin oranges galore, 'love letters' (thin crispy biscuits flattened and folded like love letters), kueh lapis (a peranakan layered sponge cake); the list goes on and on.

As it is the first day of the new year, I await the arrival of my maternal relatives for the new year lunch, which is pot luck by tradition. I will be seeing a new nephew and a new niece - I LOVE BABIES.

As for the V-day event, I should quickly update and say it was a huge success, about 180 pple turned up (with more than 200 having bought tickets in total), which brought us to a total profit of HK$20,702 for the charity. I was tres pleased, but got wasted beyond belief, which I'd rather forget. Happily the event was aso a catalyst for a lot of my friends getting hooked up or at least meeting interesting members of the opposite sex. Love was very much in the air, aye. I was thoroughly encouraged by the enthusiasm of many who helped me sell tickets, bring guests or run the event; special thanks to the sales queen Dionna, the very good right-hand woman Vennie, the helpful bar staff Lois and Phillipe, and my massive and entertaining security guards (who did it for free), Bruce and Mark.

I'd love to make this a yearly thing. Ahoy CHOCOLAT 2008!

2007-02-13T17:47:00.000-08:00

It's been 2 weeks since I last updated, and since then I've had an exam in commercial practice, visited my boy in Beijing again and climbed the great wall in high-heeled boots, gotten a sexy new mandarin-collar suit tailored and cemented some friendships further over drinks and chat.

But there are 2 further reasons why my February 2007 is looking to be a really rocking month. Firstly, I found out my boy got transferred from his Beijing office to the one in Hong Kong...at the same time he has a second interview with Dresdner Bank which means that on the 23rd of this month, he is mine in HK for good. That ends 1 year and 8 months of Skype calls, cheap weekend flights and incessant pining. This is about the best news 2007 has brought me so far!

Secondly, 2 weeks ago (after my last update) I volunteered to be a project officer for a charity in HK which supports orphans of natural disaster in Yunnan. As such, I had a sudden brainchild to organise a charity event to raise money. Eventually my friends and I decided to switch to another charity (as the earlier one did not seem reliable) but went ahead with the event, which is happening tonight.

Chi Heng Foundation supports over 4,000 AIDS-affected orphans in China i.e. they either have a parent infected with AIDS or have contracted HIV/AIDS themselves. It's an extremely well-run organisation and you can find out more about it here.

The whole thing has been stressful but exhilarating and I love the spur-of-the-moment feel of it. We've sold almost 130 tickets and hopefully more people turn up at the door tonight. Check out my publicity poster:

Happy Valentine's day everyone!

2007-01-31T00:09:00.000-08:00

The recent slowness in updating is attributed to my lack of internet at home, don't ask why, it's a longgg story involving lots of money, travelling to and from computer shops and repeatedly calling my ISP provider at which allt he operators pretend they don't speak English...

I'm in the school library now fueling up on internet access before I go home to the starved lack of entertainment that is my flat. No TV and no internet, wha...? There is only so many episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond that I can watch (ever since I lost interest in LOST, drama series' no longer take precedence in my life).

Last Sunday was perhaps the highlight of my recent days, when I participated in the Beat the Banana Run. I got a goody bag and a medal which cruelly said 'the Banana beat me'. Still, I ran at a decent pace, beat my male friend, and had a lovely jog by the waterfront at Tsim Sha Tsiu promenade, which was airy and sunny and lined with Chinese lanterns in anticipation of Chinese New Year.

I want so badly to put pictures up, but due to my internet woes, they will have to wait. More news to come!

2007-01-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

Most played on my iPod of late - Regina Spektor's new album 'Begin to Hope', Death Cab for Cutie - 'The Photo Album', Mogwai - 'Mr Beast', and The Guillemots.

2007-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Damn my friend Naveen is a lucky biatch! Or just pure hot. She went to the John Legend concert in HK last Saturday, and John Legend got her up on stage to dance with him!! Things got hot, he took off his shirt and he even asked for a kiss, which she did not oblige as she was attached (such a good girl, her man must be over the moon right now). It came out in today's Apple Daily and I am still not talking to her because she did not invite me to the after-party.

How come these things don't happen to me, at least not directly? The coolest thing that happened to me was getting Fiona Apple's signature on my iPod, then I had to move to HK and get the bloody iPod stolen (u could hear my heart breaking). My mum, however, has prescribed medicine to former president Bill Clinton; this drama girl I met in L.A. is apparently shagging Vince from Entourage, another friend is colleagues with Mischa Barton's sister, my ex-hallmate has teenage pictures of him and Keira Knightley, and here I am buying the Apple Daily from 7-Eleven to oogle at my friend grinding John Legend's glorious rhythmic hips.

2007-01-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

Was very proud of my first three-course dinner cookout tonight, which I whipped up for Dionna, Nicole and Josh. Equipped with nothing but a gas stove (no ovens in HK flats), one small pot and a frying pan, I managed to get each course done in good time and in perfect proportions, so that I didn't have even an ounce of food leftover. I am encouraged to make this a weekly thing!

I thought up each recipe pretty much by myself and from experience! The menu was as follows:

APPETISER - pan-fried scallops with asparagus topped with a lemon vinaigrette dressing

MAIN COURSE - seared smoked duck breast topped with a mango, lime and coriander sauce, served with French-style fried potatoes

DESSERT - buttered bananas flambeed with rum and served with macadamia nut ice cream

I LOVE cooking. Perhaps when my fancy lawyer salary starts failing to compensate for the psychological strain, I shall open a lovely restaurant chain and keep it as my baby.

2007-01-16T01:51:00.000-08:00

Today marked my first attempt at braving a jog in the polluted Hong Kong air, in preparation for my upcoming 'Beat the Banana' charity fun run next Sunday. It's a run to raise awareness about the threat of cancer and funds for research, and literally you try to outrun a man dressed as a banana. Yup, hilarious!

At the rate I'm going, however, my clean (almost) non-smoking lungs however will not be ready for the air in Tsim Shah Tsui come 28 Jan. It was hard enough to find a decent place to run today; my neighbourhood is extremely crowded, streets are narrow and the leisure park nearby is for old people with a small circular track about 100m in circumference; not my idea of a good training ground. When I did set off on the uphill climb in a less crowded area, I realised how much I was used to the comfort of a gym and the flexibility a treadmill offers. Looks like I have my work cut out for me. Gotta catch the damn banana!!!

2007-01-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

I've spent the whole day ill at home. Well aside from being ill, it was a good excuse to shy away for a day fro HK's hectic social schedule, and to chill at home without having to engage in constant chit-chat. Since starting uni again, I've kept up a good deal of activity - tennis, clubbing, gym, hen party, drinks, dinner, dessert, movie - I've even signed up for my learner's drivers' licence and theory test so the route to the ever-elusive licence is finally set out.

Today, though, was the time to rest and recuperate. This weekend will see me at a wedding and then at the airport to welcome my boy back to HK for another joy-filled weekend.

Now facing the last 9 months of pre-work life, I am determined to be as productive as possible. But I am confused - should I take up more sports classes? Horseriding? Dancing? Buy a guitar, and pick up on the old skills I left off? Travel more, or see the bf more? Or go back to Singapore more? Should I start some long-distance business courses, or look for part-time work at a magazine? Or focus on my linguistic skills, studying Chinese and French intensely?

I wish I had 6 years more. Bleah.

2007-01-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

I still haven't done the mandatory run-down of 2006, and the list of resolutions that appear on my blog each year. Perhaps I am still trying to cling onto the glowing memory of the past year, wishing it back; is that bad, tantamount to living in the past? Not quite. 2007, I know, will hold many joys, but it is the first new year which has brought me the biggest sense that I am nearing the end of my youth and have to start prioritising, sorting, looking forward and planning ahead.

When I was young, I told my closest friends that my biggest fear in life was mediocrity. Perhaps that was why I filled my teenage years with any activity I could lay my hands on - I played tennis on the Singapore team at 12, ascended to captainhood of school teams in later years, played percussion in the school band, took up swing dancing, led worship and played guitar in church, started my own band playing gigs at pubs, aided in a start-up business and so on and so forth. Mediocrity was easy to surpass in the early years - assuming such activities did make me special.

Approaching this quarter-life crisis, I feel the inevitable fate of becoming another commercial lawyer (and spending 20 hours a day doing it) loom in on me. Envy is not a trait I invite, but it is a feeling that crops up now and again - I envy my Auntie, a freelance journalist who has seen everything from glaciers in tibet to political riots in Cuba, I envy a friend of mine who has just ended a 3-month legal stint in Tanzania, I envy the serial skydivers who carried on when I quit, and I even envy my own early reward-filled years.

And it is a strange predicament, since I have been told and I know that my own life is one to be envied - living independently in a city I love, having travelled Europe and afar, in a passionate relationship, with a loving family and a pending lucrative job. I can't complain - these are the blessings, in fact, 2006 has either brought me or highlighted to my attention. I have no resolutions because I know my life is sound and positive changes will come naturally.

And to my dearest friend Jackie,indeed you will always remain one of my inspirations. Make 2007 work for you and shine on!!

2007-01-05T21:07:00.000-08:00

I think 2007 should see a revival of my blog. All this moaning about ‘ohhhh life’s too happy, I have a guy who’s good to me for a change, I’m in a country I actually like, I am not broke as dirt, I have no inspiration for my blog, I wish I was sad sack of sorrow so I can write a little more like Cindy Chupack and less like a first-time blogger who’s unsure of what to write so outlines just the details of her very boring life…’ – has GOT to stop.

Having said that, I did need a little bit of inspiration. Having accidentally googled my site (my browser likes to fuck with me) I found several interesting sites which link to my site or rank it. Although I couldn’t see all of them (since the China earthquake the internet connection in this whole country is messed up) I managed to follow a link to a site which keeps tabs on blogs; my blog was there and I got five stars for popularity!! WOOHOOO. Unfortunately I also did not make it on the list of top 100,000 blogs, which frankly is pretty pathetic.

And then I also chanced upon a link to my blog, from a blog of someone I didn’t know! How exciting, THIS is what a blogger lives for! The address was also canadiancat.blogspot.com, which got me hyped, but then I realised it was a Singaporean girl in Canada which brought me back down a little. Anyway, sadly enough, desperately in need for some validation, I scrolled all the way down like 20 posts till I found the passage that quoted my site. It said this:

Second, the Lose-Weight-Tone-Up Grand Plan? It has ALWAYS failed. Hahahah. And I really cannot haul myself up to bundle up and walk to the gym in this bloodycoldweather whatwiththe WIND.... Blah. Really. But I know I'd be so satisfied after a good run. It feels good to get all that toxin out.Reading this made me feel better too!

"Before you take my cue and try some similar diet, I guess I should mention that even with my gym workouts and 150 sit-ups a day, I don't feel any different. I don't think I've lost much weight. This is gonna take some time. But I have WILLPOWER of STEEL, and with God as my witness I will plough my way through fire and high waters to the promised land of Flat Tummy and Toned Thighs."

-taken from the blog of law student currently in Uni of Bristol, England.

Presented like that, my prose, if I may say so myself, looks magnificent. What an artist I am. What would the World Wide Web be without the manifestations of my brain on HTML? Granted, the words weren’t quoted for their literary value, but I reckon some credit is due.

Thus is the conclusion: THE BLOG LIVES ON.

Right, now that’s over. On the subject of losing weight, I have happy news: this time in Singapore, for the first time since 4 years ago when I caught a virus and dropped kilograms via diarrhoea, my mum admitted that I HAD LOST WEIGHT. This is a breakthrough of a magnitude I cannot explain. Today I returned to the gym and looking in the gym mirror, I could hear stadiums of people cheering my willpower; I could see them nodding their heads at the ease with which I did my 100 sit-ups. The Fitness Angels sing for me, baby. I feel like writing a diet book, except chances are it’ll be six pages long.

God, there is SO MUCH to say and I need to reserve some material at present, so ciao peeps, I go to rest.

2006-11-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

Being this much in love makes me ecstatic when I'm with him, and miserable otherwise.

Today he sent me another bouquet, this time for things to come and sunnier days for now. 5 perfect sunflowers and 6 red roses, embedded in an embrace of pink, white and pale green. Flowers never used to mean so much; now every stalk speaks volumes, and a bouquet draws a dam of a tears.

I just can't wait.

2006-11-12T06:25:00.000-08:00

I had the friggin' most amazing day today! My last visit to Sai Kung on the New Territories was last Sunday, when I went fishing with my training group on a farm situated in open water. Today Mr and Mrs Nipple arranged a great big wakeboarding trip with like 16 pple, with a fucking awesome big boat along with the little speedboat. So the day was spent chilling on the deck, snacking on crisps, getting a tan, jumping into the water from the top deck (which is fun as hell), attempting to motor a rubber dingy for two with five pple in it (we went in circles for 20 minutes), ending up swimming to the beach instead, covering up Albert in sand (we gave him a massive penis AND boobs), playing mahjong, and of course, wakeboarding.

Now the last time I went wakeboarding was something like three years ago. It was my first time and I was wakeboarding with 3 veterans. I can still taste the salt water from the repeated painful and VERY humiliating faceplants!!! It was a full day's trip in Singapore and I finally did manage to get up, for all of 20 seconds...

Needless to say, I didn't have much confidence in my success today, but surprise surprise, I got up after the first two tries and improved rapidly on every try thereafter. Minh, my si fu (master), thinks I'm talented, check ME out. I think I'm hooked now, I can still feel the waves beneath me and the giddiness of actual SUCCESS riding them!

I sound like a fucking retarded over-excited geek but what can I say, it was an awesome day. Here is the photographic evidence:

Poster for Womens' Watersports Society

Dionna: 'Rohid, Nick, you HAVE to do the Titanic thing!!' Denise: 'How original.'

Finally, a tan after MONTHS.

Chilling on the deck

Minh the expert takes his cue

The PRO in action (aren't I cool)

2006-11-05T09:42:00.000-08:00

Being 100% Chinese (albeit Singaporean), it seemed ironic that the first time I should visit mainland China should be to see my French boyfriend who has set up home there. It was refreshing though, to see China through the eyes of a Westerner, while critically assessing it by my own biased judgment - manifestations of all those years of hearing without seeing, developing my own mental picture of the place which is simultaneously the home of my ancestors and the upcoming economic powerhouse of the world.

I hopped onto a plane to visit my lover in Beijing for 2 1/2 blissful days on the weekend. We stepped into the cab and the thickness of the Beijing accent, combined with my limited knowledge of Mandarin, threw me off guard - I felt instantly abashed at my poor grasp of the language, and my all-too-obvious foreigness, despite my skin colour.

Out the window, Beijing is an endless city, so vast it is hard to imagine that it is home to a multi-million-strong population. The pollution is thick and the greenery sparse. You don't get the idea that the city is rushing headlong into the embrace of Development; rather, you see the city romanced by the idea, teased welcomingly by it. Despite some hulking buildings cautiously uprooting, common people still occupy job positions long made redundant elsewhere - a woman sits on a stool in a lift to press the buttons; a man shivers on the pavement to entice customers into a warm restaurant; a human rubbish separator sorts through the trash for recyclable material. Beijing is not quite yet the fashion capital that Shanghai is, yet MNCs like Chanel, Nine West and Tiffany line the wide shopping streets with confidence. Strangers approach us in curiosity and to practice their English; one notices that foreigners are still few and far between.

As I was there mostly to see my boy and to chill out with him in his lovely flat, I only caught a few fleeting sights. Just a few pictures for now: -

2006-10-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

There is nothing much to say except that life continues to be beautiful. Shamefully, I have not even read the papers recently (need to get a subscription) so my current political or general knowledge is pitifully shallow. I am too happy to have opinions or to rant. Thus, my blog suffers.

I had one of my best birthdays ever, with the boyfriend and brother both here. On Friday I had a long drafting assessment, which meant spending most of the day in the library; however, at night my Frenchie brought me to one of the finest restaurants I'd ever experienced, M on the Fringe, a real treat of a place with a charming interior and brilliant food.

Starter - two types of foie gras: pan-fried with cranberry sauce and terrine with biscuit fingers

Main course - crispy suckling pig in honey sauce and sweet potato mash, and slow-cooked leg of lamb

Dessert - the house special, the pavlova: a lovely passionfruit meringue topped with fresh cream and fruits

I went to the airport to pick up my brother afterward (I've missed both my brothers terribly) and we indulged in some HK dessert, which is honestly legendary.

Saturday night was my mega party at Bohemian Lounge, the cosiest friendliest shisha bar with the finest white Sangria money can buy. The theme was ethnic chic, and happily some of the guests decided to desert the chic bit and went all out. Amongst them were: a red indian girl called Kikiwawa (that was me), a tattoo-ed triad member (Paul), a mainland Chinese schoolgirl, a Maharajah, an Irish sailor, a cowboy etc.

It was truly an awesome party. The latin jazz band stirred up the mood and got our feet flickering, there were photos galore and over 40 pple showed up. I truly have some wonderful friends whom I hope I deserve; I have pampered and lavished with some fine gifts to the point of embarassment. Thanks to one and all!

2006-09-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

I remember when I was 18 and used to boast that I never got hungovers. Then I hit 20 and it all fell to pieces. Today, my hangover is relatively mild but I can still feel that my body hates me; my apology to it came in the form of boiled eggs and plentiful water. I think right now we're amicable; we'll see as the day wears on.

Last night was a good night; our PCLL social circle appears to be expanding each day and for some crazy reason about 25 people were out. We drank, made merry and mingled plenty. I'll put the pics up soon!

First, let me show you the view from my flat:

Isn't it AWESOME?! I just can't stop showing off.

2006-09-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

I've re-organised my photo page and uploaded new ones! Check out the latest:

Brother's birthday in Singapore

Graduation ceremony

2006-09-10T02:33:00.000-07:00

It's a lazy Sunday, Paul's suitcase has vacated the flat, Nicole's at a massage and finally there is time to reflect on the past week. Beyond my glass bay window the boats, big and small, proceed with their journeys, some purposeful, others sluggish and basking in the mildness of the Sunday sun. In the distance, the large cargo tankers move slowly, almost imperceptibly; still further, the shores of Kowloon Island and the daunting mountain skyline are shrouded in fog.

I still haven't quite got over how breathtaking my apartment view is. I did, however, on the airport express back to Hong Kong Station, get a chance to count my blessings and murmur some thanks to some unidentified other. I haven't been properly religious for a while, but isn't it a human tendency to seek some spiritual entity either when times are really bad or really good? At the moment, it seems like I've landed myself (or someone has landed me) in a position so sweet that I could not ask for more. All the past months' hard work and persistence (or someone's generosity) has paid off.

This week, my iPod with Fiona Apple's signature at the back was stolen, and even that didn't faze me beyond a few hours' heartbreak (2 months ago I'd have been flat out for at least a week). I had the most brilliant week, indulging in the pleasures of great new friends, dressing up my apartment the way I want to, resting on my new bed in my lover's arms, exploring HK nightlife, eating like a pig, familiaring myself with the streets, going to the gym and starting a new postgrad course (probably the least pleasurable but not without its plus points). Also, my employing law firm has contacted me and I will be meeting my future colleagues and boss. I'm so overwhelmed by my success (or fortune) I can hardly breathe!

Looks like it's time to go. More pics up soon!