It’s prettier to be so.

It shows up in my blog title, this over-indulgence in matters that have past. Taken off “The sun also rises” by Hemingway, the last line of this novel has captured all the what-ifs in my head and calmed the sighs in my heart perfectly for a long time.

It is a line I liked very much. I held on to it.
So much that I had it etched on a cap, and when I lost the cap, I texted a friend from the States to do a replica, with the same words on it.

But this line thrives in the past.

 

For some time now, I have wondered what to do with this blog. It has all the recesses of the past. 7 years. When did it amount to so much? The long archive is something I want to return to, occasionally, for a peek, but not continue from.

I suppose it is time to leave it behind, and start on a clean slate like Xinyi said. So that’s exactly what I am going to do. I’ve re-opened the archives here, but I am moving to a new address in 2011. Because I am thinking, it is prettier to be so.

 

The 1960′s National Museum Tote Bag

I have been expecting my online purchase for a few days now. Still, I was thrilled to find a neat package sitting atop my messy desk when I returned home from work today. Thanks to the good people behind FARM, I got myself a super cute tote to start the new year with. It’s modeled after the once-ubiquitous brown paper bag – how brilliant is that?

This bag cost me only $12 during the 2010-11 crossover sale and it comes with free local shipping. I had a hard time taking my eyes off this and this too.

Knot ring

I had too much bubble tea lately so when my colleagues decided to queue up for some today, I wandered into a shop and bought myself 2 rings instead.

The first one is dull grey, with a rabbit and pocket-watch on it. I only noticed now that 2 little white gems are missing, but I am not too concerned about it, because it really is cute in spite of its flaws.

The second one is a red Forget-me-knot ring. I hope it helps to remind me, especially when I am too caught up in mundane work chores, to make the best of the year lest it sweeps by me in a wink.

I’m not afraid of changing; I’m certain nothing’s certain.

I am sitting by the counter at a Coffee Bean outlet, by the only electrical source in the cafe, with a No-studying sign on the same wooden table on which I placed my laptop.

I am logged onto the internet and plugged in to the sounds of Katie Melua, a discovery I made only yesterday by way of the new Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp movie, The Tourist. I wish I knew about her earlier, but I guess it’s never too late to stumble upon something so good.

For some reason, I am feeling a little sappy that the year is left with just another 10 hours to its name.  It isn’t because 2010 had been spectacular; on the contrary, it wasn’t and I am hoping to get more out of 2011.

Christmas at Studio M

This year, we took our annual Christmas stay-over to a hotel. We considered several boutique hotels before settling on Studio M which had a unique loft concept. That’s my dress in the bottom-left corner of the picture to show that there are 2 floors to our room.

We loved the room. It was very cosy, with a sofa bed on the upper floor where we lazed and did our gift exchange. I especially liked the huge bay windows by the bed. Apart from the lack of a proper kitchen space, the room was live-able, like a one-room apartment. I was constantly amazed by the concept which managed to conceal the smallness of the place and made it appear so roomy.

Christmas is not Christmas without some cake and wine. As our number dwindled to 3, we figured a log cake would be too much for us to wolf down, so this year, it was just 2 slices of hazelnut cake and cheesecake.

And here’s a picture of the Trung Nguyen coffee we had in between check-in at 2pm and dinner. It’s good; go try it at Liang Court if you haven’t.

 

miss procrastinator

My slow speed in updating etsy is annoying me.
The truth is, I made this (and more) about a month and a half ago.

Foul water

After the toilet on our floor got fixed, the pantry churns out water which reeked strongly of chemicals. The strange water that I brought back to my desk can be whiffed from 25cm away – that’s how bad it smelled.

The water on the immediate upper and lower floors smelled funny too, and after some trial-testing, we found water safe for consumption flowing in the taps 3 floors beneath ours.

 So we’ve been making trips to someone else’s pantry this week… we hope they don’t think we are intruding on their little talk space.

 

Lomo-cameras and radios

Originally on the quest to find gift ideas online, I side-tracked and found myself oogling at cute cameras and radios instead.  The second best thing to owning them, I suppose, is to post them here.

The extent Lomo- camera makers go to up the cute quotient of their products!

The Lego Lomo Camera

Pinhole Art DIY Combo

Juice camera

 

And then there are retro-looking radios that tug at my heartstrings, but really, are of of little function to me.

#1

#2

#3

On justification

Whatever I say now doesn’t matter a grain anymore, because whatever I didn’t say then had long blown away with the wind.

Give it time and you’ll be fine

The medal above was bestowed upon us when we finished the Standard Chartered Marathon. I admit, I signed up for the race on a whim, idea planted into head by friend. The novelty was intriguing, but the possibility of turning exercise into a habit kind of sealed the deal, despite not running – habitually or un-habitually.

It had been arduous to keep the discipline. The jogging routine eluded me and I found myself jogging sporadically over the next few months. I never quite obtained my optimal stamina by judgement day and my timing sucked, but hell, I finished the race. We rewarded ourselves with a nice (and healthy) brunch at Cedele after that; it’s really a pity we didn’t take a picture to commemorate our first race, considering that it might be my last (laughs).

I woke up from a 3-hour nap and spent the rest of the evening at a wedding dinner. Generally, I have little enthusiasm for wedding dinners but this one is kind of special. With such an outcome, I couldn’t have asked for more right?

 

Stamps <3

Sweet colleague bought me cute stamps to cheer me up :)

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It is very difficult to be positive about something that goes against every molecule in me.

for a girl.

If the truth you ask of me is but one of many truths,
I will learn your truth;
Even if you turn black into white,
I will accept your colours.

If you need a space to sun your moods,
I will be that home for you;
Even if the rationality you seek rests upon my irrationality,
I will endure.

But I cannot un-learn other truths,
un-see other colours,
be a home if you won’t return,
or forget that a part of me knows rationality.

You come and go on a whim,
blow hot and cold, and set eddies of rue through me.

I have thrown myself into the ocean, darling,
but you are not there when I wake; if the only way to stay afloat is to drown,
for you I have drowned a thousand times, and a thousand more…
Is this how you are leaving me?

today

Today puts itself into the league of uneventful days that are so close to being bad you can smell the rot already.

It was one of those atrociously boring days filled with little chores and activities that just won’t go right. Like PDFs that misalign even though your word doc version looks pristine. That aside, I must also take blame for not being motivated at all to salvage what’s left of the day. I basically surfed it away.

The last straw came when my Internet failed me just as I found a purpose amid my random surfing. My frustrations peaked with this dosage
of bad luck, and I decided, there and then, that it was not such a bad idea to turn in early.

bouts of anger

Even I was surprised at the intensity of the anger I harboured.

It hit me, in bouts, resembling violent waves onto shores, except that it occured at any hour of the day. Whatever it is, whatever this anger is made up of, the worst has blown over. It’s just that… whatever little sentiment I have for this place has blown away with it too. For the first time in about 14 days, I feel energised and optimistic. The flu bug has mellowed quite a bit, and my throat soothed after an intake of honey and rest.

 

philosophy of life

Everything in moderation, including moderation.

-Oscar Wilde

Iphone doodle

Thank you for once again telling me that work in your sector is done before you enter the sector, not during.

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You realize soon enough that all the forces are working as one big hint.