A different perspective.

A different perspective.


picture from here

So much has happened to the people around me this study week that it almost feels like my perspectives on life are being vicariously altered while I simultaneously attempt to compress an entire semester's work into seven days of revision.

What strings these different accounts together is probably shock. The sort of "Oh my God you're kidding", eyes widening with mouth agape sort of shock.

We go through life assuming, or at least allowing ourselves to believe in, some forms of permanence and certainty. Just when you start to believe that the ground is stable, life rips the wobbly planks from right under your feet, leaving you flailing and defeated.

It's scary when change comes not gradually with time for you to ready yourself, but instead in a tidal wave just when you are wearing your new silk frock.

You'll cry, lament the tattered silk, blame the sudden wave or sit in the aftermath of devastation in denial.

And then you'll pick yourself up, stick on some plasters and carry on living as raw wounds turn into muted scars.

Such is life, and the resilience of the human spirit.
And this I hope is your silver lining behind the dark, dark clouds.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.







Pictures from here.

When it rains...

When it rains...


inmagine.com

I'll sit with you until it stops.

Hello, hello.

Hello, hello.

It's the official start of the week-long studying break, which means I can no longer do non-revision stuff without feeling that painful tinge of guilt. And media law, in all its intricate glory, sure does make me want to do anything but study it.

What seems like a luxurious week stretched out ahead of me to cover two measly modules will pass way too quickly I'm sure, especially when I've got this much catching up to do.

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm sure we'll get there soon.

P.s. Despite all my unabashed anticipation for the end of school, the anxiety of entering the working world for good in six months' time has finally caught up with me. Aish.

That niggling feeling in my heart.

That niggling feeling in my heart.



Has it only been 40 days since I last boarded a plane? It feels thrice as long, and if things don't work out this December, it'll be at least another 169 before I do.

In all honesty, I've already traveled quite a fair bit this year despite all the travel hiccups. There was the Lombok/Bali trip in place of Perth, Hong Kong (without Taipei), Hanoi for Sojourn, and Batam though it feels more like zipping over to your neighbor's messy backyard. But still there's this niggling sense of disatisfaction and incompletion in me.

Why do you travel?

For me, what started off as escapism became a pleasurable past-time, which then evolved into wanderlust and a self-discovery journey of sorts. I suppose the turning point for me was India. Leaving the comforts of home to spend four months in a developing nation with an entirely different set of culture and lifestyle values has changed me, and along with it my travel personality.

There's the yearning to see and experience, but above it all, a yearning to feel. I'm no longer content to touch and go, only to see the superficial and capture that in a snapshot. But neither can I describe this yearning as a need to get down and gritty with every foreign place, because I unabashedly value my creature comforts.

Perhaps what I'm looking for from each trip is perspective. It's an intangible concept that is wholly self-indulgent, but not any more than choosing a country for its cheap massages or its selection of boutiques/bars/restaurants. Could it be then that it is because my recent trips have slanted towards the materialistically-indulgent that I am this unfulfilled?

Then again, perhaps not. That is yet another thing to discover.

Paris in retrospect.

Paris in retrospect.

Ernest Hemingway once said: "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." I was never beguiled with Paris as many were, but the city of lights can be nostalgically beautiful in retrospect.

Watching Victor/Victoria (set in 1930s Paris) last night and now replying K's email with a list of eats in Paris have evoked my almost-forgotten Parisian adventure. I can't believe it's been over a year since i from the rash but utterly rewarding trip that I think has played in part in shaping me as a traveler.

The view from B's apartment.


One word: Yum.


Baguette and pastries galore.


Climbing up the Eiffel.


Ah... the metro.


Luxembourg Gardens.


The institutional bookshop.



Memories. :)

*Enjoy your weekend in Paris, K!

Enough is enough.

Enough is enough.

I've spent the past several weeks writing, writing and writing. I've revised one article, and am now left with the last. It's almost 3 but I can't sleep because the strive to perfect my every piece consumes. Perfecting a piece really eats one up alive doesn't it?

Let's talk about food.

Let's talk about food.

I haven't felt this motivated for awhile now when it comes to school, but the recent journalism assignments have sent me into a writing tizzy. Despite the frustrations, I'm fueled by the inexplicable adrenaline rush that comes from writing and rewriting my way towards my idea of perfection. I'm currently waist-deep in my cuttings book of food feature ideas for Magazine Publishing, and I thought I should rest my aching back and marker-stained fingers for a spot of blogging, which I've neglected of late.

And what better catharsis for food-related workaholism than an entry on food? Here's my overdue entry on my birthday dinner at Iggy's. I used to eschew snooty dining establishments, but dating a gourmet's changed all of that. And surprise, surprise - I actually quite enjoy the occasional dose of quality dining. The service was personable but not intrusive, the seasonal menu was served in just-right sizeable portions, and it was a treat to dress up after roughing it out in Vietnam.

No bad comments at all really, so enjoy the visual feast!


The October menu.


Hamachi - radish, sesame and fine herbs


Autumn Salad - with mushroom varieties, dehydrated mesclun and an uplifting citrus foam


My personal favourite - Sanma with wild rice, olive and thyme


Spaghettini - simple but tasty zucchini and smoked mullet roe


Lobster - with oats, gizzards and fennel


Tomato palate cleanser I didn't fancy because of my genuine dislike of the fruit


Wagyu - served with lady's fingers, trumpet mushrooms and tapenade


Feijoa - Gin and lime


Coffee - with banana, milk ice cream, passion fruit and Mascarpone


My little birthday cake


Lemon petit fours