Long Road to Ruin

Live to Eat

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:12:14 GMT

Embarrassing & unglamorous as it is, I live to eat. After all, as the saying goes, you are what you eat. After a highly animated and adrenaline-charged MSN conversation with my dear Clarice KJP in the wee hours, we've made a unanimous decision that dining at El Bulli shall be one of our life's goals. For the uninspired, El Bulli is a charming restaurant that has claimed the throne for the prestigious tag of World's Best Restaurant for the longest time, a title that has been decidedly undisputed & widely sought after. Valiant attempts to usurp their throne have been down in the dumps though & these will show you why.

Lollipop of White Chocolate & Lemon and Coffee Candy

Short of the means/time to hop on a plane to Spain right this minute, I'll have to make do with the treats we have on our sunny isle that prides itself on food&shopping. Here are some recent discoveries I've made.

I present you Quiznos - the newbie in the fast-food industry but fast coming up as a force to be reckoned with. The offerings are similar to my old flame, Subway. But after trying their awesome spicy beef & cheddar sub, I'm sold. I'm officially a proud Quiznos convert. What can I say? The salads are greener on the other side :P

In other news, I went for a very therapeutic, exhilarating biking trip with the girls last weekend when Angie got the car. Ah, the perks of having friends who drive.

Cruising down the airport strip felt like eternity and the signs painted on the tar dirt road were a depressing reminder of the miles we had to go - the rain hindered our ride, bikes broke down & sweat drenched our skin. Cabs came to the rescue. But the view, the liberating rush of blood gushing through my veins, planes taking off over our heads, lapping up the wind as it slapped my messy hair across my cheeks. It was all worth it & I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Racing with Ange back to return our rickety rentals as I felt my legs giving way, and then going numb - going through the motions as I made desperate attempts to see past the surging crowd, looking for a hint that the end was near. Saving grace was the most awesome post-cycling treat. Ever. Ampang Yong Tau Foo @ Siglap. It's the best I'd ever had, really. This tops it.

25 things (long overdue)

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:21:11 GMT

After seeing like, the whole world post up facts about themselves on facebook, I got tempted but as usual, I'm too lazy for my own good. But it didn't help that after seeing all those posts I began to think if I could really come up with 25 facts about myself. So here goes:

1. I am pretty anal about keeping my bed clean. It's ironic cos I think changing the sheets are the bane of my existence (amongst other things, like math). But I MUSTTTTT bathe & change into a new set of clothes, even if I was just sitting at my desk before that. & I don't like people to sit on my bed in outside clothes. OCD? No way!

2. I am a snooze-maniac. I must set my alarm like at least 20 minutes before my actual wake-up time so that when I look at the clock, I feel satisfied that I still have that few more minutes to sleep.

3. I live in 2 pairs of shoes. Yes, I am majorly not a shoe person. Rather, I get a pair that I find comfy then I wear it everywhere with every outfit. Sounds very lousy I know! Then, for the sake of looking more unpathetic, I will get an alternate pair to switch around so it doesn't become immediately obvious that I am, like, not a shoe person. At all.

4. I have 3 earholes that are massively underused unless I think that they are about to close, then I'll bopian stick an obligatory earstick in to keep it open.

5. None of my earrings last me more than 3 months cos I'll first a) lose one side b) lose the backing c) lose the stud cos the glue got lousy and so I don't invest in good earrings. Thus, it's a vicious cycle cos lousy ones take me through the same old shit.

6. I am majorly interested in biking, and I'm absolutely disgruntled at the lack of female biking enthusiasts in Singapore - Cat, you get my drift

7. I live to eat. And I've got a bottomless pit.

8. I would love to travel the world and taste the finest cuisines - my dream is to dine at El Bulli (The world's number 1 restaurant for eons) in Spain one day.

9. I have a strange habit of dipping my hand into my bag to check for essentials - (camera, phone, wallet, ipod) everytime I step out of a train or bus. Seriously. Every. Single. Time! Sometimes I single-handedly cause a human jam checking at the train door when its already opened.

10. I like to walk very fast. When I'm walking to places alone, I practically charge through the crowd and at the same time, am completely oblivious to my surroundings.

11. I also like to speak very fast. I think I first caught this habit from my dear friend Yingqi who is a bullet-train when she speaks and sometimes people really have a hard time catching what the heck I'm saying

12. I am quite a rough person even if I may not look it. I write with such force that my ink prints like 10 sheets of foolscap and my boyfriend has commented that I am a violent shopper cos of the force I use when I am flipping through the clothes rack. Also, I sometimes jab people when my intention was to tap them lightly. I swear I don't mean it!

13. Grey's is my happy pill. I've been watching an episode a night every single night since I got started. Yes, like I rewatch episodes after I'm done

14. I would say I'm an introvert except when I've completely warmed up to people, then they'll have to beg me to shut up. But mostly with new people, or people I'm not close to, I can be extremely tight-lipped and while looking calm, am actually racking my brains for topics

15. I am not good at responding to people who are too warm to me when I barely know them. Instead my reaction comes out really retarded, like nervous laughter or a patronizing smile

16. I hate HATE HATE awkward silences. I find it extremely unbearable. Thus I would take pains to avoid being alone with someone if I knew it would be very awkward between us. Otherwise, in circumstances where I'm alone with like say, a hi-bye friend, I would be frantically churning topics in my head to avoid the silences

17. I am an extremely lazy person. Lazy to exercise. Lazy to study. Lazy to do chores. Lazy to travel.

18. I am not a person who smiles a lot and I've gotten some shit for that. People think it's cold and aloof but really I do not have that intention. I usually wait for the other party to show signs of recognition before I smile or wave and I know, that's a bad habit! It's like a waiting game.

19. I am very unglam. Or chor lor. I really admire girls who can carry themselves so well cos for me it takes real effort to not burp/fart spontaneously. And I can never understand girls who are afraid to eat in front of guys cos its like too unglam

20. I am afraid of the dark. Very. Strangely, I like my room dimly lit. But mostly I'm terrified of dark places. I don't like not being able to see what's in front of me.

21. I hate being alone. It makes me feel all funny and self-conscious, although its something that sometimes has to happen in uni, going between classes. But I am someone who can do very few things alone. Like I could never travel/shop/eat alone. I need someone to talk to and share my feelings, thoughts and joy

22. I am highly, severely myopic. And my glasses are like 3-inches thick. Which is why I can never wear them out cos they are like, so hideous!

23. I think I'm quite selfish in some ways, and that's something I'm trying very hard to change cos I really hate that about myself.

24. I like to save. And I hate to look at my bank account balance. Everytime I'm using the ATM I use my wallet to obscure the screen, cos I don't like to see how shopping has burnt a hugeass hole in my bank account.

25. I'm pretty addicted to online shopping, & e-stalking. Sounds very strange, but these are the things I indulge in behind my laptop screen during lectures. Not proud of it.

When you Push the wrong button

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:36:13 GMT

I remember how when I was a kid I used to think every single movie showing in the theatres was good. Dad used to tell me, only the great films make it to the cinemas. I first realised that was a lie when I saw Maid in Manhattan when i was 14 or 15.

Now I know, obviously, half the movies that screen in theatres are crap but today, crap got redefined in the supposed thriller-flick: Push - which was only thrilling to me because I couldn't wait for it to end. No kidding. The only saving grace? Hot leads:

Camila Belle

Chris Evans of Fantastic Four fame

Recipe to salvage the dismal scripting scarcely served to control the severe eye-rolling as the story grew lamer before my eyes. Goodness, all I remember was fidgeting and prying my eyes open with imaginary toothpicks as I forced my brain to remember that I'd blown 2 plates of chicken rice's worth on this silly flick masquerading as a thriller. Might I add that I missed the ending cos I excused myself to go pee when the movie totally didn't seem like it was ending!!! Lame much.

Like a clown struggling to balance on stilts, the movie was promising in spurts and ridiculous at some point. Oh, and since when did Dakota Fanning like, grow up? She looks strange now. Very.

Yawn. So much for expectations. Slumdog still has my heart. Like an old building, rough around the edges, but completely breathtaking upclose.

There's always a first time

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:58:49 GMT

A moonlit Monday night. Two friends and a butter-fingered photographer, fingers breaking out in cold sweat, fiddling in pent-up frustration with a damn tripod that just won't cooperate. Mounting the camera upon cold hard metal in the dead of the night - or so it seems. Nary a passer-by walks by. It's cold. Or is it my imagination? That awkward, unsure photographer, is me.

Fort Canning park on a Monday evening seems unusually desolate. Standing solitary upon the obscure hill behind Park Mall, away from the bustle of the city, the park is charming when cast in the wavering moonlight. Vivid shadows dance upon the dark tar paths as we shift our heavy feat up the red brick stairs that seem never-ending in my eyes, blinded by lethargy. The occasional buzzing mosquito breaks that facade for a bit before I struggle incessantly to get my camera to work. I shoot and hit the shutter button for the millionth time in exasperation. The camera focuses, and focuses again. I SOS my photographer friend. It doesn't work. Sweat is caressing my cheek. My models for the night are sitting cross-legged on the dirt path, feeding the mosquitoes. I'm feeling the heat. Damn it, I am on the brink of whacking this damn camera. I am not in denial - I'm a wobbly-handed lousy photographer, and this is probably the most expensive piece of photographic equipment I've ever clasped between my shaking fingers. After a mind-numbingly long go at it, the pictures are out. Done. I feel terrible. I apologize to my friends repeatedly - I owe them. The result:

Cat, Yolanda & Jeremy, I can't thank you guys enough. :)

Fruitless Recess Week

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:48:17 GMT

Again, the week has flown by before I'd even got a chance to blink hard.

Damn.

It's an hour before I have to get to church for service and I'm exhausted in every sense of the word. My head is throbbing, my body is aching and I'm just so, tired. Short of describing the week is eventful, I'd say it was a little bit of a rollercoaster and my body clock's been warped by my blatant refusal to listen to my body and just rest. Sunday night saw me through absolutely no sleep as I wii-ed the night away at Aloha Loyang. Pictures are frightfully unglam and I look just slightly mad, so I shall skip the visuals.

I slept most of Monday away in a weak attempt to repay my sleep debt, and as a result my dear friend qq had to ring my doorbell just about 2 million times before I finally rose from slumber to let her in. Sorry love :P She studied while I got hogged on Grey's (what's new!) and the day just went by that way. Tuesday was crazy! I went for recce in the morning for locations for Theme Park (sports camp's equivalent of fright night)

We visited the very old, very creepy former NIE campus and it was terrifying. But anyhow, lunch at a charming little cafe tucked into the obscurity of 2nd Avenue perked me up a bit.

Night cycling that night. Clarke Quay with the girls on Wednesday evening, and I met up with my dear NUS babes on Thursday to chill.

Visited Tze at her place yesterday and gave Natas a miss. Jane phoned me to say they'd booked a wonderful package to BKK & Krabi. But my Dad thinks it's dangerous. So I would have to put that plan on hold. Could my week end any worse?

I'll see if I last 5 entries

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 07:52:46 GMT

I know what you all are thinking. I'm gonna quit after 5 entries. This time it's different, I swear. I'll show you. :)

Sitting in bed on a Wednesday afternoon, I'm wondering. Recess week is just too damn short. About 2 weeks ago I watched one of the most meaningful films I'd ever seen. I'm a big time movie junkie, anyone who knew me would agree. But this, wow, it really blew me away. Cheesy as it is, I'm a sucker for any movie advertised with these words: "Based on a true story."

Freedom Writers was a movie I'd heard about many times before. But I didn't believe all the hype until I saw it. The kids, they were so rugged, so out of there, so disconnected from the world. Each of them had battlescars of their own, a story, a background. Their stories were endearing and heartfelt, there was no pretense in there. None. In an increasingly superficial world, they stood out like sore thumbs. But their amazing stories inspired me to grab the book, The Freedom Writers' Diary. And I'm sitting here in my comfy bed on a Tuesday afternoon, inspired by their words, so honest they might as well've been written in their own blood. These kids inspired me to write again. Afterall, what's a story without heart?

In other news, I got back at 4:30AM yesterday. It's crazy, but I had a smackin' good time. To me, it's the best kind of nightlife you can ever get - nightlife on a bike. Yep, you heard me right. Clubbing, pubbing, prata or whatever else you can find when prowling Singapore's non-existent night-life - save it. Cause nothing beats the charm of the cool night breeze whipping relentlessly in your face, the glow of moonlight (ok, with a bit of help from street lamps) dancing on your cheeks, illuminating the world around you in a completely different light. A charming side of our little isle you'll never see in the day. Ever. Last night, I rode 30 odd kilometers on a rickety rented bike, feeling each bump beneath the tyres worn by dirt roads, the sound of crisp leaves, like wind beneath my wings. I went to the most amazing places. Little nooks and crannies of our island obscured and sadly overlooked by the lack of an MRT station within its 5KM radius. Undiscovered territory. The adrenaline rush of the midnight cab speeding nary 5 inches of you, drunken revelers in its seats. Its a high alcohol can never give. Pedaling my heart out to get up that darn slope then... just, letting go. A free fall down Henderson Rd. Moonlight caressing my cheek. Bathing in the pre-dawn breeze. Shouts of "Keep left!" as we gradually sieve out onto the roads, the entire stretch empty as an airport runway. Cruising... and then dawn breaks. Speeding ahead. And when we finally arrive, the moon is slowly retreating and the stars fade as we lie, arms widespread on the field, heaving from the lethargy and finding time to take breaths between our laughter.

Oh, and it isn't counted if you don't break a sweat.