Tickle me pink.

Tickle me pink.
feeling: amused
music: some song from a My Chemical Romance concert on mtv

I am absolutely digging this collage function. I have, for a long time, wondered how people did those tiny photo collages posted so often on blogs. Someone recommended Picassa, but I had no idea how to work it. Well, I've found my answer in Flock.

Just back from a swim/lunch/study session with my bitch. We've been seeing so much of each other of late, but I'm not complaining. I haven't enjoyed and shared such genuine laughter in quite awhile. You should see the two of us together; anything and everything cracks us up.

Anyway, after all the emailing and waiting, I've finally gotten Dr. Tham and I a complimentary transfer from Bali's Denpasar airport to our hotel. Would have cost us a good S$72 for a return transfer if we'd arranged through the agent. I'm feeling mighty proud. Heh. Am still awaiting the response to our late check-out request. Am keeping my fingers crossed.

Ceci, Thailand, Thailand, Thailand!

I borrowed two guides while I was at the library earlier, one for Bali and another for Thailand. This should go down on the list of 1001 Things You Shouldn't Do When Studying For The Exams.

Oh well. Am left with three more chapters worth of recapping for tomorrow's paper. Time for a shower and dinner. And PCK. Have yet to catch a single episode this season.

Bitch. Coffee. Books.

Bitch. Coffee. Books.
A photolog of our evening of crazy antics.

This is us at Starbucks Holland Village. With carols playing on the speakers and a steaming mug of Toffee Nut Latte each, it sure did feel like Christmas. In case you're wondering, the weird drawing is Michelle's abstract interpretation of a lion.

Taking a break from the notes, I decided to practise some (very bad) photojournalism. I present to you the four-stage breakdown of Michelle's mental health.

1. "Shit, what the hell is foraging communities?"
2. Signs of distress
3. Self-induced laughter. "What the hell is foraging??? Hahahahahahahahaa."
4. "I can't take it anymore!"

Pardon her finger. We are after all dealing with a highly volatile stressed university student.

Epicurean adventure at Liang Seah Street.

Epicurean adventures at Liang Seah Street.

The sun went into hiding the moment we hit the pool, and the drizzle started after the 15th lap. By the time the lifeguard blew the whistle, the rain had intensified to a downpour. We sat under the shelter, freezing our asses off, hoping that it was just a passing cloud. We gave up after twenty minutes and hit the showers instead.

The rain miraculously stopped the minute we were done (I don't know whether to laugh or to cry), and off we headed to the National Library at Bras Brasah, where the most humiliating incident happened to me. My arm got stuck in the bookdrop. I was trying to ensure that my book went all the way down the chute, when the bookdrop started making funny beeping noises. To cut a long story short, I yelped, "My arm is stuck!", Mich panicked, but managed, rather calmly, to push the flap open and free me from further embarrassment.

We laughed alll the way over to Liang Seah Street in search for food and the dessert place wooka was telling about.

We got lucky with this stall at Yukee Coffeeshop (or something vaguely similar), at the start of Liang Seah Street. The duck rice and duck mee sua were lip-smackingly good.

Ah Chiew Desserts. Rich rich mango sago, and red bean shaved ice. See our grins? (The table hid our bursting tummies.)

Trippin'.

Tripping'.
feeling: unsettled.
music: missy higgins - scar

Travel planning for Thailand has hit a hiatus; agencies aren't opened on weekends. I'm getting a little tired of sourcing and planning, but I'm not complaining. I like knowing as much as I can about the possible places we'll be visiting and all. It makes me more confident of taking care of ourselves when we head over. But Ceci, please do give your two cents worth. Forwarded you a mil emails, time for you to choose ay?

I should be concentrating on my exams, and I intend to. I've over-estimated the amount of time I have for preparation, so it's time to buck up. Easier said than done though. I'll go nuts if I had to eat, breathe and sleep those notes every single day. I love life too much to do that, and that really can be a vice.

So much has been going on since the last time I sat down to blog proper. I can't possible barf all my stored thoughts out here, but there was the last CS102 lecture that sprinkled a bit of clarity and direction in my day.

My lecturer filled us in on the journalism opportunities in the upcoming semesters, and I got really excited by gofar as well as the travel writing practicum. In all honesty, my mind had started to wander when he started talking about gofar, and Daph and I were excitedly whispering about the program when he dropped the travel writing practicum bomb.

I've always loved travelling, and travel writing was a hope I harboured but never quite accepted. It sounds so glamorous and out of reach. The market's saturated with travel journalist wannabes, and there are so many more gung-ho people out there whom I think would be better suited for such a career. People who wouldn't think twice about jumping off a 3,000 foot cliff or diving with sharks.

I'd love to be like that though. Live for the moment, with the heart of a lion. Haha. But it's tough. I'm human. Extremely human.

And of course, I think of myself as still very much a tourist; not quite yet a traveller.

Such thoughts and self-doubt do nothing to fuel the drive, I know. I'm just ranting a little.

But it was extremely touching when Lays and Charmain turned to me immediately when he mentioned the practicum and told me it was right up my alley. :)

Fuming and seething.

Fuming and seething.
feeling: irate

My brainful of philosophical thoughts will have to wait while I rant. I am so cheesed off. The streaming crowd that refused to part and made me miss the bus; the rude rude rude cashier at 7-11; and the absolutely infuriating lady on the other end of the Pricebreaker line who asked me to call the Bali hotel directly. Why would I book a hotel room through YOU if I really fancied making long distance calls?

Go on, rain on my parade. I refuse to succumb to the melancholy of the rain. Three afternoons of downpours. Give me a break weatherman.

Vibrant hues and rustic shoes.

Vibrant hues and rustic shoes.
feeling: excited

Dinner at Ceci's last night was good, though I felt really klutzy lugging around so much of my barang barang. And I finally met her much talked-about Baby, Porridge and Sunrise. And there was that crazy nautical theme she had in her room, to complement her SpongeBob toys I assume. And got tempted with Cheetos, my ultimate vice. Urghs.

Anyway, allow me to announce:

I'm going to Bali! Yes, yes, yes, I am going to Bali! After weeks of planning, sourcing and agonizing, we've finally bought ourselves our tickets to the Island of Gods. Goodbye travel planning, hello Bali!

We've saved ourselves the headache of choosing between Matahari and Hardrock, and instead settled on Febri's, this pocket-friendly beach-front resort. It's not ogle-worthy, but you can check out the website here. There's still that tiny airport transfer glitch we've yet to iron out, but... I'M GOING TO BALI! -spins around in circles-

And guess what. I've worked out my finances, and it turns out that I've got the moolah for the Thailand trip as well. Much of my day was spent sourcing out hotels in Bangkok, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya... and finally, I chanced upon this gem that made the six hours I'd spent on sourcing all worth it.

It's kinda Hotel 1829-ish, very artsy, very drool-worthy, very very very enticing. I'm absolutely in love with Room 404! Splurging on this hotel would equate to a much smaller shopping budget, but my heart's telling me its worth it. Time for a pow-wow with my travel mate. What say you Ceci?

Haven't done much work today, naturally. My hopes of settling 101 in a day (I know it was pretty ambitious to begin with) were dashed the moment I embarked on the quest for the best hotel deals. Once you click, you can't stop. Haha!

I'd better try to squeeze some studying in before my afternoon swim with my bitch. And I think I'll take myself down to one of the cafes in the post-afternoon lull for abit of reading before dinner with Ja.

Off I go for a bit of 101 reading. Night world.

mmm

mmm
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Pool escapade.

My mom's an observant one. She walked into my room when I got back, and immediately asked, "Went tanning?" It wasn't until I went off for my shower did i realise the slightest tinge of a sunburn on my face. And she noticed? Dang.

travel planning

travel planning
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Travel planning gets stressful after the initial excitement of an impending holiday wears off. As you can see in the next photo, all the planning...

kissing the star(fish)

kissing the star(fish)
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

has driven me to kiss a weirdass pink toy.

this is what i see when i kiss you

this is what i see when i kiss you
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

baby

baby
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Baby, the friendly one who loves being petted and stroked.

sunrise

sunrise
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Pesky Sunrise.

porridge

porridge
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

But I've taken a particular liking to the ridiculously shy Porridge.

buds

buds
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Thank you babe!

Let's try this shall we?

Let's try this shall we?

Yet another night of disconcerting dreams. Ain't it time for a time-out yet, brain?

Off I come to campus for lecture, and a study session in school tonight. I hope it works. Haha. And come tomorrow, it's play time at the pool, followed by the lugging of my barang barang to Ceci's for dinner. And so, I'm leaving my laptop behind. It'll probably slip out of my hands and break my heart with all the knick knacks I anticipate having to juggle tomorrow.

See you late late late tomorrow laptop.

Meet me on Sunset Drive.

Meet me on Sunset Drive.
feeling: fed-up
music: the afters - beautiful love

This whole Colorgenics stuff is getting coincidentally accurate. Notice I used the word 'coincidentally'? No matter how spot-on it is in my latest reading, I'm gonna treat it like a personalised horoscope. Can't live my life by mambo jumbo can I? Then again, why not?

I hate feeling like I'm fumbling through life. Ting Yi and I were discussing the 108 vids, and he commented that some, despite having spectacular moments, just didn't come together. And we had to end our discussion on the fine line between creative art and trash rather abruptly for I'd arrived at my station.

Well, I've been having a mishmash of spectacular and not-so-spectacular moments myself. Don't we all? But my mix's getting a little too saturated, and it's tiring trying to put everything into perspective, especially when words and explanations don't come easy.

But of course, I've been blessed with a walking dictionary/thesaurus. In the form of my bitch. I love how talking to her sheds light on issues and feelings I didn't even know I had bottled up. And it's comforting to know that I can do the same for her.

And with the flow I shall go.

Let's see what I've got.

Tuesday - lunch with Char
Wednesday - swimming with the girls; dinner with Ceci and her cats
Friday - swimming with bitch; dinner with ja
Saturday - or is it some morning time with ja?

I'd have to fit in time to finalise Bali plans, and of course, study. Urghs. Guess I'll be taking myself down to the beach. :) Off I go to curl up with some of Norah Roberts' magic.

gold companions.

gold companions.
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

the curious dog.

the curious dog.
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

This was one well-trained dog.

please let me go watch the dim sum dollies

please let me go watch the dim sum dollies
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

nope, I'm putting you through a live rehearsal of the Little Shop Of Horrors.

part 2

part 2
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

act 1 scene 99.

one price store

one price store
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

won't you take a seat?

won't you take a seat?
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

choc.a.bloc

choc.a.bloc
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

chock-full of disappointment
the cake wasn't bad
it was wholesome and tasted of homemade goodness
it just wasn't... earth-shatteringly orgasmic.

my bitch and i

my bitch and i
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

You know what they all say about friends
"Some come and go without a trace
Some leave footprints in our hearts"

My bitch?
She leaves one hell of a stiletto-heeled mark.

My confidante.
My best friend.
If she were a guy I'd have to marry her!

At one with the world.

At one with the world.
feeling: serene

I awoke a good 90 minutes later than my 630 a.m. alarm. With my handphone's ten-minute snooze intervals, that means I actually managed to wake, hit snooze and fall back asleep a good nine times. Mmm.

Not to mention the weirdest dream I had about NTU being a, get this, Jurong island beach resort; missing 101 lecture to dip in the sea (which was conveniently just outside my chalet-styled hall); and paying a visit to Ange who had a cat which fancied faking dead! Mmm mmm.

Anyway, today's quite a day. One with slightly chilly air that holds the anticipation of a bright sunshiney day really does make me feel like I'm at a beach resort. You know, roll out of bed, wake travel companion, shower and change into bikini, grab sunscreen and off we go to the beach/pool. I'm reminded of our Bintan retreat Ceci!

Anyway, off I go for my shower. I've got a morning beach date with Lanxi, and a chocolate cake high-tea with Ceci. Corrinne May tickets, I'm getting my hands on you today.

Crystal ball.

Crystal ball.

You are a very sensitive person and you try hard (perhaps a little too hard) to make favourable impressions and to be recognised by your peers. But you have that inherent need to feel appreciated and admired and you are easily hurt if all of your endeavours go by unappreciated or not acknowledged. Stop trying so hard.

You like the better things in life. You are sensuous and emotional. You are a follower of the Arts and you seek an environment that will give you the fulfilment to the senses that you need.

You are trying to break away from the mundane existence that you have been experiencing of late. You have many high hopes and ideals but you are concerned whether circumstances will allow you to realise these ambitions. You want to spread your wings - to broaden your fields of activities - but you are concerned that your dreams are just that - 'dreams' which are not realistic. It concerns you that you are not thinking clearly at this time - what you need is to get away from it all, to give you time to think. A short vacation could well restore your confidence.

It is said that we are all influenced by our environment and indeed you are no exception. It would seem at this time that even though you may be surrounded by people, you are experiencing an inner loneliness. Fortunately you are sufficiently strong minded to realise that life has a great deal to offer you and that you may miss your share of experiences if you fail to make the best use of every opportunity. You therefore pursue your objectives with a fierce intensity and are prepared to commit yourself deeply and readily. You believe that whatever you would like to do or think 'you can do' - you do! It is because of this attitude that you may be considered by others as arrogant and even conceited, but its fair to say that whatever it is that you really want out of life you will put your heart and soul into it and will not take 'NO' for an answer.

You are afraid that you may not be able to realise or achieve your hopes and desires and so you insist that people should accept you as you are and appreciate your rights to anything that you aspire to.

Ok, I'm sold. Check this out here.

Photo 20

Photo 20
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

My first shot at earring-making, sorta. Scroll down and you will notice that I'm more for harmonizing the colored beads than radically twisting wires. So much for originality, haha.

Photo 11

Photo 11
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

This combination of bronze, azure and emerald green makes me dream of indian summers and arabian nights.

Caution: Mad women on the loose.

Caution: Mad women on the loose.

It's been awhile since I've been to Orchard Road. I was hanging out quite abit at City Hall since its basement revamp, but I think it is really the opening of Vivocity that robbed me of towning. Haha.

The Christmas decorations are half-way up, and I barely noticed this until I'd spent a good three hours out and about. To think I used to live for the day the first Orchard Road decorations were put up. Vivocity, Vivocity, what have you done to me?

Anyway, I could feel the festive spirit in the air, though Charmain and Charlene both think I'm talking bull. Haha. It was a girly day well spent I'd say.

The highlight of the night must have been an unintended but HILARIOUS remark Charlene made. We walked past four or five really TALL guys as we made our way out of Cineleisure.
Me: Charmain, I see so many of your dream guys around.
Charlene: Yeah, they all come out at night.
ROFL.

There really isn't a need for this post actually. All mundane reporting. Check out the pictures for a photolog.

Photo 19

Photo 19
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Ah. Turquoise's another of my favourites.

world of their own.

world of their own.
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

These three guys caught my eye the moment I stepped out of Wheelock Place. Looking slightly spaced-out and oblivious, and under the ridiculous golden tree to boot, they looked like they belonged in another world.

I couldn't resist taking a shot, and althought Charmain and I tried to be as discreet as possible, I think they saw right through our ploy. They're amusing. See the two of them gamely smiling for the camera?

cornflake cookies

cornflake cookies
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Charlene's yummilicious cornflake cookies.

lol.

lol.
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

This is classic. We overturned the placecard holder, balanced the camera on it, turned on the timer, and posed.

This is our "full and satisfied" pose. A bit forced and unconvincing if you look closely, for in reality, we were starving.

grumpy needs food.

grumpy needs food.
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

The title says it all, heh.

overload.

overload.
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

One can't help but wonder if Charmain's eating the lasagna or the parmesan cheese.

Silence reigns.

Silence reigns.
feeling: empty
music: better than erza - our last night

Did today's rain add a certain melancholy, or is it just me?

The sudden rainstorm that sent the sun into hiding is making me brood. A kaleidoscope of whirling thoughts. I hate having to make them comprehensible, 'cos sometimes, I can't fathom me.

Frankly, talking seemingly makes things worse than they actually are at times. I'm not a fan of explaining myself; I usually lose myself talking. Then again there are times when I do want to talk, but only to the right people who understand. Urghs. See what I mean about talking myself silly?

Then again, I've realised how much we humans love to talk about ourselves. We listen, and then we zone out gathering our points to bring up the moment the other stops talking. Haven't we all been guilty of that? I know I have, despite all my proclaimers in the above paragraph.

My dad's a cheeky man. I was on the couch with a plate of apple and orange cubes. He saunters over. I offer the fruit.

Me: You can only take the apple.
Him: Why?
Me: 'Cos you're coughing.

And so he takes a cube of apple. He remains standing there so I offered the plate again. He shakes his head and walks off.

He returns two minutes later. By now, Grey's Anatomy had started and I was semi-engrossed. Seeing him approach from the corner of my eye, I offered the plate again. Sensing that I was occupied, he took a cube of orange. I turned.

Me: Hey!
Him: What! Wow, this orange is sweet.

I start giggling.

He laughs and helps himself to another cube.
Him: Really sweet.

Haha.

caesar dressing

caesar dressing
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Swung by Vivocity (again, I know) after school to pick up this...

PB017259

PB017259
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

to go with this. Chicken salad, and coffee. Welcome to my world of family dinners.

cutesy cookies for babes

cutesy cookies for babes
Originally uploaded by sarongskirts.

Grabbed these as well for the babes when I see them tomorrow. Thought they'd coo over the illlustrations. The pack with the monkey says Organic Banana Strawberry Cookies, and the one with the giraffe says Organic Apple Pear Cookies. Interesting huh?