(PPPPP)
Need to stuff all the loose ends on my bed into my trusty backpack which is virtually empty. I'm leaving home in an hour, leaving KL in five. I'm kinda wistful for I won't be home till at least 6 weeks later, but I gotta do what I gotta do. And at least I'm going back to a place that I regard as home as well, albeit a home that needs vigorous cleaning tomorrow. Last year I spent FIVE months living out of boxes and my luggage. That I have a beautiful place to go home to is much to be grateful about.
The past two weeks have been really great. Met all my best friends - someone asked me, how can you have so many "best" friends? Is that even grammatically correct? Well, they just are. And why they're my best friends is because all of them understand me, support me, and make me a better person. I love you all very much!
The six weeks I have ahead, before Chinese New Year, is going to be intense. Nine CSers are coming. I need to come up with some substantial leads in my research to be able to make my confirmation report on time, I need to do my duties for the university, I'm sitting in two classes, and I've already outlined a number of books that I need to read. In short I will be very busy. But in a good way.
Need to turn off my laptop because it's the first thing that goes into my backpack. Oh Happy New Year to all. It's going to be a great year, I can feel it =)
Showing posts with label nest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nest. Show all posts
The Brag and Misc.
Suddenly remembered that I should brag about cycling about 36kms in the presence of crazy taxis and monstrous trucks from East Coast Park to around Commonwealth and back, from about 10:30pm to 5am. Inclusive of food stops.
I, who have not biked more than 10 times after being taught by KF's little brother (then 12) four years ago (along a busy street with tons of curious onlookers - was not a proud moment for me), and I managed to pull it off without scraping any skin. Bruises however I have aplenty, result of sudden brakes and near misses of pedestrians. What were they doing awake at 2am anyway?
The only person who bled was Skinny David, the best cyclist among the four of us actually, who walked into a drain after the bikes were returned. Hence proven that good cyclists may not necessarily be good walkers.
Research has again met a bottleneck. Other aspects of life range from simple to complicated. I love my sociology lessons. Housemate David has not moved in. In fact I haven't heard from him in a while. Is it healthy to not hear from your housemate for a while, especially when he has not moved in?
The decoration of my room is almost finished. We will be holding a party there next Saturday bersempena Yuen's birthday. The theme is fruits + alcohol (but of course) and Yuen has named it "Toxic Fruit Theme" and there will be board games too which I am going to loan from our Boardgame Society. It will be great. I have not started hosting CSers yet. I thought that I might wait until Housemate David settles in, so that we can get used to each other first. I hope he shows up soon.
Am reading Lady Chatterley's Lover in lieu of academic reading in my room, since the loo is too far away. Here's a good quote for whoever who's been dumped or is looking for his/her other soulmate, who gets bludgeoned on the head by the cliche about all the good fish in the sea:
"There's lots of good fish in the sea... maybe... but the vast masses seem to be mackerel or herring, and if you're not mackerel or herring yourself, you are likely to find very few good fish in the sea." Amen to that, D.H. Lawrence!
I, who have not biked more than 10 times after being taught by KF's little brother (then 12) four years ago (along a busy street with tons of curious onlookers - was not a proud moment for me), and I managed to pull it off without scraping any skin. Bruises however I have aplenty, result of sudden brakes and near misses of pedestrians. What were they doing awake at 2am anyway?
The only person who bled was Skinny David, the best cyclist among the four of us actually, who walked into a drain after the bikes were returned. Hence proven that good cyclists may not necessarily be good walkers.
Research has again met a bottleneck. Other aspects of life range from simple to complicated. I love my sociology lessons. Housemate David has not moved in. In fact I haven't heard from him in a while. Is it healthy to not hear from your housemate for a while, especially when he has not moved in?
The decoration of my room is almost finished. We will be holding a party there next Saturday bersempena Yuen's birthday. The theme is fruits + alcohol (but of course) and Yuen has named it "Toxic Fruit Theme" and there will be board games too which I am going to loan from our Boardgame Society. It will be great. I have not started hosting CSers yet. I thought that I might wait until Housemate David settles in, so that we can get used to each other first. I hope he shows up soon.
Am reading Lady Chatterley's Lover in lieu of academic reading in my room, since the loo is too far away. Here's a good quote for whoever who's been dumped or is looking for his/her other soulmate, who gets bludgeoned on the head by the cliche about all the good fish in the sea:
"There's lots of good fish in the sea... maybe... but the vast masses seem to be mackerel or herring, and if you're not mackerel or herring yourself, you are likely to find very few good fish in the sea." Amen to that, D.H. Lawrence!
Jason Mraz is wise.
Quoted from Jason Mraz's blog,
"To you, my fun-employed friend, I encourage you to sit for only a few minutes and listen to the voice inside of you. It knows exactly what it wants to do. YOU just have to stop getting in its way. Forget how difficult your dreams may seem to achieve. Ignore the idea that your family and friends will think you’re weird. Drop all your doubts about financial concerns and just start living your life according to your purpose. The only thing that has to be in place for you to BE IT now is your attitude. Your life is your movie. Be your own hero and make it your favorite film to watch."
---
I've got Robert's CD! He's such a sweet thing - as a gift for me being vegetarian he sent me a self-compiled music CD titled "Vegetable Junkie", and I've just got it from Skinny David who got it from the person who stays in my previous dorm room which address Robert sent it to. Complicated process yes, but I've finally got it. Happy-happy belaka.
---
Small breakthroughs in research - not enough to be groundbreaking but enough to keep me going and asking questions. And asking questions about my questions, such as - is this question a stupid question? My dialogues with myself are recorded in my research journal. I have also developed a habit of articulating my thoughts when I am walking alone. I've found out that people do stare at people who talk to themselves.
---
Tonight I am going night cycling at East Coast with Yuen, Tony Twentytwo and Skinny David. I can do it, I will not fall, I can do it, I will not fall. I refuse to fail! Hooaarrrghhhh!! (Val and Marten argue that Asians sound like this, which we totally don't. We don't! Hoaarrrgghh!!!)
---
How does courtship work in this modern age?
---
Looking forward to my new mattress. I went to Ikea with Jia Ling yesterday and she couldn't believe that I have bought a single bed. She is strangely obsessed with me getting a double bed. I bought a laundry bag, a rubbish bin and a thing to put my gadgets in. No double beds, sorry.
---
Gypsy Kings is the shiznit.
---
OK break over. Back to being productive.
"To you, my fun-employed friend, I encourage you to sit for only a few minutes and listen to the voice inside of you. It knows exactly what it wants to do. YOU just have to stop getting in its way. Forget how difficult your dreams may seem to achieve. Ignore the idea that your family and friends will think you’re weird. Drop all your doubts about financial concerns and just start living your life according to your purpose. The only thing that has to be in place for you to BE IT now is your attitude. Your life is your movie. Be your own hero and make it your favorite film to watch."
---
I've got Robert's CD! He's such a sweet thing - as a gift for me being vegetarian he sent me a self-compiled music CD titled "Vegetable Junkie", and I've just got it from Skinny David who got it from the person who stays in my previous dorm room which address Robert sent it to. Complicated process yes, but I've finally got it. Happy-happy belaka.
---
Small breakthroughs in research - not enough to be groundbreaking but enough to keep me going and asking questions. And asking questions about my questions, such as - is this question a stupid question? My dialogues with myself are recorded in my research journal. I have also developed a habit of articulating my thoughts when I am walking alone. I've found out that people do stare at people who talk to themselves.
---
Tonight I am going night cycling at East Coast with Yuen, Tony Twentytwo and Skinny David. I can do it, I will not fall, I can do it, I will not fall. I refuse to fail! Hooaarrrghhhh!! (Val and Marten argue that Asians sound like this, which we totally don't. We don't! Hoaarrrgghh!!!)
---
How does courtship work in this modern age?
---
Looking forward to my new mattress. I went to Ikea with Jia Ling yesterday and she couldn't believe that I have bought a single bed. She is strangely obsessed with me getting a double bed. I bought a laundry bag, a rubbish bin and a thing to put my gadgets in. No double beds, sorry.
---
Gypsy Kings is the shiznit.
---
OK break over. Back to being productive.
Why oh why.
Why do people write such long, rambling passages? The point is hidden in there somewhere underneath all the words, the entire field of words filled with potential. Somewhere among the lalangs, there is what I need, there is the missing element that I want, but I can't see it for all the words, damn it!
Academic writing should be simple and straight to the point. Deciphering the ideas and concepts takes up most of my energy without having to wade through verbose and flowery text, it is like going through double the interpreting process. But I have to. My breakthrough might be in here. I need this breakthrough. I need to write this confirmation report and I need to write this fast. Someone save my drowning ass!
In other news, I am replacing my pathetic 10cm thick mattress with something more substantial. Here's to better sleep, less crankiness and no more knocking my ankles on the bed frame. On Saturday it will come! I got it online. Feeling adventurous. And poor. It's 35 bucks cheaper than the other one that I saw at a brick and mortar shop, free delivery too.
Back to complaining about people's writing. In a fit of protest over academic reading I went blog hopping - and I have to say, some of these so-called popular bloggers seriously can't write to save their own lives. Self-glorifying pictures galore, no substance, grammatical and spelling errors all over, where are the emotions? Where is the wit? Where is the person behind the blog, amidst all the advertorials and endorsements?
I seriously need to change my mattress.
Academic writing should be simple and straight to the point. Deciphering the ideas and concepts takes up most of my energy without having to wade through verbose and flowery text, it is like going through double the interpreting process. But I have to. My breakthrough might be in here. I need this breakthrough. I need to write this confirmation report and I need to write this fast. Someone save my drowning ass!
In other news, I am replacing my pathetic 10cm thick mattress with something more substantial. Here's to better sleep, less crankiness and no more knocking my ankles on the bed frame. On Saturday it will come! I got it online. Feeling adventurous. And poor. It's 35 bucks cheaper than the other one that I saw at a brick and mortar shop, free delivery too.
Back to complaining about people's writing. In a fit of protest over academic reading I went blog hopping - and I have to say, some of these so-called popular bloggers seriously can't write to save their own lives. Self-glorifying pictures galore, no substance, grammatical and spelling errors all over, where are the emotions? Where is the wit? Where is the person behind the blog, amidst all the advertorials and endorsements?
I seriously need to change my mattress.
The lunatic is on the grass.
Was at the office by 8am this morning, to beat the morning sun. The location of my new place is a 20 minute walk to my office, which is pretty cool because it means that I don't have to waste time on buses or MRTs, and I shrink my carbon footprint, yeah! All the more to compensate for flights that I take =P
There is also a recycling station directly downstairs, I can see it from my room window nine floors up. So now I have two more trash cans, one for bottles and cans, and one for paper. Takes a bit more effort, because I'll have to take the recyclables down instead of just disposing everything through the rubbish chute in the kitchen that makes trash disappear magically (never ceases to amaze me). But I'm happy about it. It's one of the little things, out of many others, that makes my place so great.
Housemate David has not moved in yet, he'll probably move in this weekend or later. Right now I am staying alone, enjoying the space that I can call my own, finally. On the day that my parents returned to KL, the second day that I moved in, I lay spreadeagle on my mattress, buried in the midst of boxes and bags, and slept. For hours and hours. Woke up, thought about unpacking, and went back to sleep. After all these months, I could finally relax and unwind and... rest. From July I'd been rushing from one event to another, one country to another, one bed to another. I felt like I could sleep forever. And from that day I have been waking up every morning with a smile on my face.
My room is gorgeous. It is bright and airy (windy even, at times), fully unfurnished, meaning that I moved into an entirely bare room. This allows me tremendous creative space. I've planned the whole room out and know exactly how it will look like after I'm done with it. Right now it's a big mess but that will change after I get some storage space. My faithful wall map of Asia (with Europe thrown in) will go up on the wall beside my bed. I'll have a chill out corner, with soft lighting and a rug and lots of cushions. Dark curtains. A small book case half concealed under a table cloth.
And the kitchen! I can finally buy vegetables in bulk because we have a cool new fridge (as opposed to the old broken one with the previous Landlord of Nightmares), have milk, put my eggs in, have fizzy drinks, so on and so forth =D I've been cooking noodles the past two nights just putting together whatever I can think of, coming up with a final concoction of:
charcoal noodles + onion + carrot + tomato + egg + seaweed + milk + vegetable stock. Tastes pretty good actually. I also eat it out of the pot. One less dish to wash =D
I think I will make mushroom soup tonight. Maybe I should experiment infusing rice with a mushroom soup base. Make some sort of risotto-like thing, which in case of failure will just turn into mushroom porridge.
Yup I'm pretty happy =) Oh yeah I am going to donate blood this afternoon. Yes, after two times of rejection (a year ago my veins were too weak, 8 months ago I was sick within 3 weeks before the donation drive) I am going for the third time. I connected the dots and figured out the problem. Twice I went on Fridays, twice I failed! Coincidence? I don't think so. Haha just kidding. Anyway third time's the charm, fingers crossed. Back to work!
There is also a recycling station directly downstairs, I can see it from my room window nine floors up. So now I have two more trash cans, one for bottles and cans, and one for paper. Takes a bit more effort, because I'll have to take the recyclables down instead of just disposing everything through the rubbish chute in the kitchen that makes trash disappear magically (never ceases to amaze me). But I'm happy about it. It's one of the little things, out of many others, that makes my place so great.
Housemate David has not moved in yet, he'll probably move in this weekend or later. Right now I am staying alone, enjoying the space that I can call my own, finally. On the day that my parents returned to KL, the second day that I moved in, I lay spreadeagle on my mattress, buried in the midst of boxes and bags, and slept. For hours and hours. Woke up, thought about unpacking, and went back to sleep. After all these months, I could finally relax and unwind and... rest. From July I'd been rushing from one event to another, one country to another, one bed to another. I felt like I could sleep forever. And from that day I have been waking up every morning with a smile on my face.
My room is gorgeous. It is bright and airy (windy even, at times), fully unfurnished, meaning that I moved into an entirely bare room. This allows me tremendous creative space. I've planned the whole room out and know exactly how it will look like after I'm done with it. Right now it's a big mess but that will change after I get some storage space. My faithful wall map of Asia (with Europe thrown in) will go up on the wall beside my bed. I'll have a chill out corner, with soft lighting and a rug and lots of cushions. Dark curtains. A small book case half concealed under a table cloth.
And the kitchen! I can finally buy vegetables in bulk because we have a cool new fridge (as opposed to the old broken one with the previous Landlord of Nightmares), have milk, put my eggs in, have fizzy drinks, so on and so forth =D I've been cooking noodles the past two nights just putting together whatever I can think of, coming up with a final concoction of:
charcoal noodles + onion + carrot + tomato + egg + seaweed + milk + vegetable stock. Tastes pretty good actually. I also eat it out of the pot. One less dish to wash =D
I think I will make mushroom soup tonight. Maybe I should experiment infusing rice with a mushroom soup base. Make some sort of risotto-like thing, which in case of failure will just turn into mushroom porridge.
Yup I'm pretty happy =) Oh yeah I am going to donate blood this afternoon. Yes, after two times of rejection (a year ago my veins were too weak, 8 months ago I was sick within 3 weeks before the donation drive) I am going for the third time. I connected the dots and figured out the problem. Twice I went on Fridays, twice I failed! Coincidence? I don't think so. Haha just kidding. Anyway third time's the charm, fingers crossed. Back to work!
Anger Management Mate.
Spent the whole Sunday viewing apartments and waiting for agents to materialize. I mean, does anyone on this island take punctuality seriously? From 12noon today until 8pm, I was out, going through the whole routine of: Reaching the place on time. Wait for agent for at least 15 minutes to about 45 minutes. View house. House not suitable/exceeds our budget. Go to another place. Repeat process, with increasing levels of agitation.
Housemate David had to be my Anger Management Mate for the day and had a taster of what it is like to stay with a caged lioness on caffeine. I had coffee after lunch and it was not a good idea because it gave me a lot of energy which I had to suppress, on top of the pent up frustration within. So he had to tolerate my swearing and clenched fists and growls and murderous stares. At some point he had to ward off my proposal to pick a fight with three burly guys sitting at a food court. I maintain that burly men should not be allowed to sip tea daintily when they should be chugging beer. Especially when angry me is in the vicinity.
I ended up yelling at our agent, justifiably, because I don't think she has our best interests in mind. (To clarify - she is not the agent that screwed us over. But I think her lack of professionalism played a part in our losing the place.) I was mad at her, but more so I was mad at myself for depending on her and being manipulated by her, right under our noses and we couldn't do anything about it.
And then I was angry at Singapore in general, for being over-populated, with five million people squeezed into the area of Lake Kenyir (or Lake Taupo, take your pick) aspiring for a population growth of another one million. This is why it is the owner's market, and we have no bargaining power at all, because if you don't rent this place, someone else will. You either sacrifice your quality of life or fork out whatever they deem fit. Don't even get me started on the real estate agents. They're not interested in your welfare, they're just after the money anyway. Then my anger expanded to include our capitalist and materialistic society, and the monetary system in general. Oh yes I was one very angsty girl today.
So the weekend has passed and I am no closer to having a home than before. I had to miss dragonboating, and I didn't do much work. I spent a lot of time loitering around with Housemate David doing nothing productive because there were a lot of lapses between the viewings.
It is getting increasingly difficult to squat at Jia Ling's because her landlord has voiced out her dissatisfaction. I'll have to revise the plan quite soon if we remain unable to get someplace. I know I said no whining. But at least I'm not out destroying public property or strangling people. Or chewing gum, that would show them.
Housemate David had to be my Anger Management Mate for the day and had a taster of what it is like to stay with a caged lioness on caffeine. I had coffee after lunch and it was not a good idea because it gave me a lot of energy which I had to suppress, on top of the pent up frustration within. So he had to tolerate my swearing and clenched fists and growls and murderous stares. At some point he had to ward off my proposal to pick a fight with three burly guys sitting at a food court. I maintain that burly men should not be allowed to sip tea daintily when they should be chugging beer. Especially when angry me is in the vicinity.
I ended up yelling at our agent, justifiably, because I don't think she has our best interests in mind. (To clarify - she is not the agent that screwed us over. But I think her lack of professionalism played a part in our losing the place.) I was mad at her, but more so I was mad at myself for depending on her and being manipulated by her, right under our noses and we couldn't do anything about it.
And then I was angry at Singapore in general, for being over-populated, with five million people squeezed into the area of Lake Kenyir (or Lake Taupo, take your pick) aspiring for a population growth of another one million. This is why it is the owner's market, and we have no bargaining power at all, because if you don't rent this place, someone else will. You either sacrifice your quality of life or fork out whatever they deem fit. Don't even get me started on the real estate agents. They're not interested in your welfare, they're just after the money anyway. Then my anger expanded to include our capitalist and materialistic society, and the monetary system in general. Oh yes I was one very angsty girl today.
So the weekend has passed and I am no closer to having a home than before. I had to miss dragonboating, and I didn't do much work. I spent a lot of time loitering around with Housemate David doing nothing productive because there were a lot of lapses between the viewings.
It is getting increasingly difficult to squat at Jia Ling's because her landlord has voiced out her dissatisfaction. I'll have to revise the plan quite soon if we remain unable to get someplace. I know I said no whining. But at least I'm not out destroying public property or strangling people. Or chewing gum, that would show them.
I have lost all faith in humanity.
Read the previous post first.
So apparently it is another false alarm out of the whole string of false alarms that I have had so far. Ahaha. So it was a test after all. The irony of life hits you on the face like an anvil.
I am still homeless. I am pissed off, in a very fatigued fashion, that I don't even have the energy to be really mad about it. I'm like resigned to the fact that I will still have to stay at Jia Ling's for the time being, I have to tell my parents not to come this weekend, I have to blog and cancel all the sunshiney and cheery feelings that I had in the last post, just because some people are bastards.
What happened was we signed this letter of intent yesterday, agreeing to pay $1400 for the flat, and paid the landlord's agent $1400 as deposit. Apparently he used the letter of intent to show another party who was interested in the flat to raise the price to $1500. So someone else is paying $1500 for the flat, the landlord's happy and the unscrupulous agent gets $50 more in his agent fees, and we are left out in the cold.
I don't think he's going to go as far as not returning our deposit, because we do have a receipt for it. Yuen says that we should report this case to the police somehow. I have not spoken to Housemate David because he's still working at this hour and I don't want to disturb him. And what's funny is that, I trusted this guy. I thought he was being very professional and methodical yesterday when we spent like two hours going through the whole contract and signing thing.
It's not so much about not being able to get the place and not being able to realize all the plans that I was brewing for it. The bike that I was going to get, the stuff that I was going to cook, the housewarming party, the string of lights that I got from Bangkok that I was going to hang up under my room window.
It's realizing the fact that I'm a horrible judge of character and I would probably along the way be mauled by conniving wolves in fluffy sheep skin. I really trusted that guy. Hah.
Well at least I don't have to worry about dust and trucks passing by my window anymore. Cheers to that.
So apparently it is another false alarm out of the whole string of false alarms that I have had so far. Ahaha. So it was a test after all. The irony of life hits you on the face like an anvil.
I am still homeless. I am pissed off, in a very fatigued fashion, that I don't even have the energy to be really mad about it. I'm like resigned to the fact that I will still have to stay at Jia Ling's for the time being, I have to tell my parents not to come this weekend, I have to blog and cancel all the sunshiney and cheery feelings that I had in the last post, just because some people are bastards.
What happened was we signed this letter of intent yesterday, agreeing to pay $1400 for the flat, and paid the landlord's agent $1400 as deposit. Apparently he used the letter of intent to show another party who was interested in the flat to raise the price to $1500. So someone else is paying $1500 for the flat, the landlord's happy and the unscrupulous agent gets $50 more in his agent fees, and we are left out in the cold.
I don't think he's going to go as far as not returning our deposit, because we do have a receipt for it. Yuen says that we should report this case to the police somehow. I have not spoken to Housemate David because he's still working at this hour and I don't want to disturb him. And what's funny is that, I trusted this guy. I thought he was being very professional and methodical yesterday when we spent like two hours going through the whole contract and signing thing.
It's not so much about not being able to get the place and not being able to realize all the plans that I was brewing for it. The bike that I was going to get, the stuff that I was going to cook, the housewarming party, the string of lights that I got from Bangkok that I was going to hang up under my room window.
It's realizing the fact that I'm a horrible judge of character and I would probably along the way be mauled by conniving wolves in fluffy sheep skin. I really trusted that guy. Hah.
Well at least I don't have to worry about dust and trucks passing by my window anymore. Cheers to that.
This is not a test, I repeat -
This is not a test.
I've finally got a place! I've paid the deposit! I'm moving this weekend! Me, no longer homeless! Who would've guessed!
So yeah. Me and Housemate David (The reason he's not simply David is because there are too many Davids in my vicinity so I have to start a labelling system.) viewed the house and paid the deposit yesterday. The place is 50 bucks over my budget, but after weighing all factors I decided that it is worth it.
Firstly, it's near NTU. I am reconsidering the buying a bicycle, skinning my knees and terrorizing the pedestrians option. Otherwise it is only a ten-minute bus ride plus a ten-minute walk to my office. Secondly, I'll be able to cook and experiment in the kitchen because I'm only sharing with one male housemate who reportedly (Jia Ling being the reporter) does not cook and hence is in no position to judge my amateur cooking skills. Thirdly, I am anticipating a vibrant social life from now onwards because I'll be able to host CSers and friends over to hang out, in a space that I can call my own.
I'm pretty happy about it. Although the place faces the main road I figure that it is still the best option that I have right now, so I'll try not to worry too much about the dust and noise level. At this point I'm just superbly thankful that my days of living out of a suitcase/boxes are numbered, and I can finally put my life in order and focus on my research. You'd be surprised how the inability to find a pair of socks can have adverse effects on a clear, inquiring mind.
Right now having bright colourful thoughts about furnishing my room. Happiness =)
I've finally got a place! I've paid the deposit! I'm moving this weekend! Me, no longer homeless! Who would've guessed!
So yeah. Me and Housemate David (The reason he's not simply David is because there are too many Davids in my vicinity so I have to start a labelling system.) viewed the house and paid the deposit yesterday. The place is 50 bucks over my budget, but after weighing all factors I decided that it is worth it.
Firstly, it's near NTU. I am reconsidering the buying a bicycle, skinning my knees and terrorizing the pedestrians option. Otherwise it is only a ten-minute bus ride plus a ten-minute walk to my office. Secondly, I'll be able to cook and experiment in the kitchen because I'm only sharing with one male housemate who reportedly (Jia Ling being the reporter) does not cook and hence is in no position to judge my amateur cooking skills. Thirdly, I am anticipating a vibrant social life from now onwards because I'll be able to host CSers and friends over to hang out, in a space that I can call my own.
I'm pretty happy about it. Although the place faces the main road I figure that it is still the best option that I have right now, so I'll try not to worry too much about the dust and noise level. At this point I'm just superbly thankful that my days of living out of a suitcase/boxes are numbered, and I can finally put my life in order and focus on my research. You'd be surprised how the inability to find a pair of socks can have adverse effects on a clear, inquiring mind.
Right now having bright colourful thoughts about furnishing my room. Happiness =)
Two consecutive posts! I am on fire!
For those who are concerned about my depression and state of hunger, I have recovered and am now in a happy blogging mood. The mood swing that is my life, and the wonders of mediocre hawker food.
Different aspects of my life have also improved for the better - for instance, I'm going home today, woohoo!! This is totally unplanned, and I'm only going home because Tan Kuan Sheng was selling his bus ticket off, so I thought what the heck and took it. So I'm going to be home for the long Raya weekend =D
Put me and Asa together in a chatroom and we'll be up to no good - we decided yesterday that we will go for a roadtrip to the east coast this weekend, and do some camping along the beach! We are going to find some random nice beach, set up my four season tent, barbecue vegetables and burn marshmallows. It's going to be great.
And with regards to homelessness, I have found two housemates to share a house, so the remaining problem is just to get a place. It is rather cool to be able to rent a whole place and not having to take any shit from existing people who live there. I'm already fantasizing about the freedom that I will be able to have. *stares dreamily into space*
Also, I had the most invigorating discussion with my supervisor yesterday. He knows where I'm coming from, what motivates me and what my research needs - and he's prepared to support me in the mad schemes that I am already starting to devise. He even encourages the mad schemes. Quote from him: "we wouldn't want that to get in the way of your travelling", and I assure you that he meant no sarcasm at all. At some point I was so overwhelmed by his coolness that I blurted out, "you're the coolest supervisor, ever!" and I meant every syllable of it.
So yeah, life has been great, and the emails this morning from Robert and a Singaporean girl that I met in the Burning Man are cherries on top. Hugs to Val whom I miss, to LL whose email I have yet to reply, and to the peeps in KL I AM REACHING TONIGHT, and to all the wonderful people I met in the States and are actually taking the trouble to read my blog - I love and miss all of you.
*hops away in hyper happy mode*
Different aspects of my life have also improved for the better - for instance, I'm going home today, woohoo!! This is totally unplanned, and I'm only going home because Tan Kuan Sheng was selling his bus ticket off, so I thought what the heck and took it. So I'm going to be home for the long Raya weekend =D
Put me and Asa together in a chatroom and we'll be up to no good - we decided yesterday that we will go for a roadtrip to the east coast this weekend, and do some camping along the beach! We are going to find some random nice beach, set up my four season tent, barbecue vegetables and burn marshmallows. It's going to be great.
And with regards to homelessness, I have found two housemates to share a house, so the remaining problem is just to get a place. It is rather cool to be able to rent a whole place and not having to take any shit from existing people who live there. I'm already fantasizing about the freedom that I will be able to have. *stares dreamily into space*
Also, I had the most invigorating discussion with my supervisor yesterday. He knows where I'm coming from, what motivates me and what my research needs - and he's prepared to support me in the mad schemes that I am already starting to devise. He even encourages the mad schemes. Quote from him: "we wouldn't want that to get in the way of your travelling", and I assure you that he meant no sarcasm at all. At some point I was so overwhelmed by his coolness that I blurted out, "you're the coolest supervisor, ever!" and I meant every syllable of it.
So yeah, life has been great, and the emails this morning from Robert and a Singaporean girl that I met in the Burning Man are cherries on top. Hugs to Val whom I miss, to LL whose email I have yet to reply, and to the peeps in KL I AM REACHING TONIGHT, and to all the wonderful people I met in the States and are actually taking the trouble to read my blog - I love and miss all of you.
*hops away in hyper happy mode*
Burner Tales Compilation #1
Here's a description of the Burning Man to help you by: *click*
And a funny video of it that features The Simpsons: *click*
I binned the previous endeavour and started anew because that post wasn't going anywhere. Here goes the new one in sections:
#1 - The Carnivorous Wine
Nick, playa name Igneouss, and I
Just by the virtue of hanging out in the Golden Cafe alone and emitting irresistible charms in my salwar-kameez, I was invited by Igneouss to his table and for fine dining in the evening at the Supper Club. There I was served gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, among other delicacies which I have forgotten, by an award-winning chef. There I was entertained by friendly sparring between the Americans and the Canadians of the old school calibre, gentlemen of average age 55. There I was enthralled by Lucifer who told us the history of the wine that we were drinking, and how they fed lab rats to this rare breed of carnivorous vines that they grew at the edge of the Black Rock Desert.
Brian whom I met later, a ninth-year Burner told me that this was a classic type of jokes that they tell at the Burning Man. I went "allalalalalalala shut up lalalallalalala" but then after googling it when I got home, I am forced to admit that there is no digital evidence of any carnivorous vines online. Therefore it is quite probable that I was had. Bleargh. But the great food and company were real. (Arggh can't believe I fell for that.)
#2 Flavour-tripping berries
I went for a tasting of this miracle berry with Ted and Dave, roommates from New York, the most energetic and chipmunk-like duo that I've met, my buddies in camp. The miracle berry does things to your taste buds and for about half an hour, you are unable to taste sourness.
I had lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar like I never had before. The best was the balsamic vinegar, it was so sweet! The cool thing about flavour tripping is that the vinegar still burns your throat a little when it goes down, so you know it's still vinegar, but when it is in your mouth it is deliciously sweet and aromatic.
#3 Carving with the Sun
I was walking along the dust road with Brett the Brit that I had met in the Centre Camp, when we saw this man sitting beside the road concentrating very hard on something. We stopped and observed.
It is one of the coolest art forms that I have seen in a while. This man was using a magnifying glass to burn patterns onto some wooden ladles. I was so intrigued that I stopped and helped.
Picture expertly taken to block the true star of the show and to convey no meaning whatsoever on what I am doing. Check out the hot girls on bikes at the background though.
Up close shot
Apparently it's very good for meditation too. Just remember to wear protection for your eyes.
#4 The Golden Cafe Bar Procession
I went back to the Golden Cafe to gift Igneouss a pewter keychain that I had brought from KL, when they were about to start the march. Somehow I was roped into being one of the shield bearers, and we set off carrying the Golden Calf, mascot of the cafe and collector of kisses from hot ladies. It was a very merry affair, with us marching and yelling and setting up the bar at random camps. Then we offered cocktail shots to anyone within the vicinity, and sneaked shots ourselves, so by the time when the procession ended, all were tipsy and having a whale of a good time.
---
More still to come. I have to prepare for going to the university now. Oh btw, Jia Ling managed to convince me that the house that I am going to shake on later today, is a bad idea. She is truly the beacon of my life. However I am homeless, yet again. O sigh.
And a funny video of it that features The Simpsons: *click*
I binned the previous endeavour and started anew because that post wasn't going anywhere. Here goes the new one in sections:
#1 - The Carnivorous Wine
Nick, playa name Igneouss, and IJust by the virtue of hanging out in the Golden Cafe alone and emitting irresistible charms in my salwar-kameez, I was invited by Igneouss to his table and for fine dining in the evening at the Supper Club. There I was served gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, among other delicacies which I have forgotten, by an award-winning chef. There I was entertained by friendly sparring between the Americans and the Canadians of the old school calibre, gentlemen of average age 55. There I was enthralled by Lucifer who told us the history of the wine that we were drinking, and how they fed lab rats to this rare breed of carnivorous vines that they grew at the edge of the Black Rock Desert.
Brian whom I met later, a ninth-year Burner told me that this was a classic type of jokes that they tell at the Burning Man. I went "allalalalalalala shut up lalalallalalala" but then after googling it when I got home, I am forced to admit that there is no digital evidence of any carnivorous vines online. Therefore it is quite probable that I was had. Bleargh. But the great food and company were real. (Arggh can't believe I fell for that.)
#2 Flavour-tripping berries
I went for a tasting of this miracle berry with Ted and Dave, roommates from New York, the most energetic and chipmunk-like duo that I've met, my buddies in camp. The miracle berry does things to your taste buds and for about half an hour, you are unable to taste sourness.
I had lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar like I never had before. The best was the balsamic vinegar, it was so sweet! The cool thing about flavour tripping is that the vinegar still burns your throat a little when it goes down, so you know it's still vinegar, but when it is in your mouth it is deliciously sweet and aromatic.
#3 Carving with the Sun
I was walking along the dust road with Brett the Brit that I had met in the Centre Camp, when we saw this man sitting beside the road concentrating very hard on something. We stopped and observed.
It is one of the coolest art forms that I have seen in a while. This man was using a magnifying glass to burn patterns onto some wooden ladles. I was so intrigued that I stopped and helped.
Picture expertly taken to block the true star of the show and to convey no meaning whatsoever on what I am doing. Check out the hot girls on bikes at the background though. 
Up close shot Apparently it's very good for meditation too. Just remember to wear protection for your eyes.
#4 The Golden Cafe Bar Procession
I went back to the Golden Cafe to gift Igneouss a pewter keychain that I had brought from KL, when they were about to start the march. Somehow I was roped into being one of the shield bearers, and we set off carrying the Golden Calf, mascot of the cafe and collector of kisses from hot ladies. It was a very merry affair, with us marching and yelling and setting up the bar at random camps. Then we offered cocktail shots to anyone within the vicinity, and sneaked shots ourselves, so by the time when the procession ended, all were tipsy and having a whale of a good time.
---
More still to come. I have to prepare for going to the university now. Oh btw, Jia Ling managed to convince me that the house that I am going to shake on later today, is a bad idea. She is truly the beacon of my life. However I am homeless, yet again. O sigh.
Vegetarianism and a home at long last?
I am working on some posts on the Burning Man, but they're coming on really slowly. I hate the paradox where you resolve to blog your best, but that intention hampers your writing abilities instead because pressure kills inspiration. You then feel like you cannot write to save your ass and would be better off doing something else, such as learning the ukulele. By you, I mean me, of course. And I would really love to learn the ukulele.
Anyway, pressured writing has never done anyone any good (I tend to leave them as drafts, and you tend to never get to read them), so here I am on a break, to give you an update on the exciting life that is mine!
Firstly. I have turned vegetarian. I even bought a t-shirt to seal the deal on the day that I made the decision to commit, that's how serious I am about the whole thing. I only buy t-shirts with messages that I mean.
This picture is taken by Yuen, my officemate (to new readers of my blog). We are supposed to do a writeup about ourselves and send in a professional-looking picture, to put in the university website. This is the picture that I am putting up in the site, taken by Yuen with her cell phone. This picture is also a statement that the university does not pay us enough to take studio pictures. Yuen's is also taken with her cell phone, with a thinker pose, with a chin-propping arm in the picture.
But I digress. I've told my mum my decision, and being the cool mum that she always is, she gave me no beef (pun intended) and respected my choice. Right now she's on a mission to get more information for me on how to eat properly without denying my body of necessary nutrients. I love my mum.
Why I'm doing it? My primary motivation to change my diet is to lessen my footprint on the environment. It might be apparent for some of you who have followed my blog for a bit, that I am quite passionate about global warming. There are times when I feel that we are headed towards a brick wall, or off a cliff, or any mode of inevitable death that occurs to me at that moment.
It is deeply unsettling. I want to do something. I'm aware that just by living, I consume energy, whether I like it or not. It does not help that I have an insatiable thirst to travel, and flights contribute a lot to carbon emissions.
I've been thinking about vegetarianism on and off through about two years, from when I was travelling with Val and Robert. Along the way I met many others, who have inspired me incrementally - until the fateful last day that I spent in San Francisco, where I met this guy Jim on the train to Davis. Jim is a soft-spoken guy who used his credit card to help me buy a train ticket because I only had cash. We started talking about a variety of topics, until we touched the subject of vegetarianism. I don't know how or why, but I found myself telling Jim that I would do it. I would commit to never eating meat again.
The last time I promised some random person that I would stop eating something was at Motueka, New Zealand, where some people were rallying for a petition to stop McDonalds from being introduced into the small town. I signed the petition and promised never to eat McDonalds or KFC ever again. I have kept this promise for two years to date.
Most people I've met do it for animal rights. To be brutally honest, animal rights would not push me over the brink. I mean I do sympathize with all the animal suffering, but I've never been passionate enough about it to stop my meat consumption. But when I became aware that probably the most effective way to stop global warming and environmental pollution is to stop eating meat - each bite became increasingly laced with guilt. Maybe I will blog at length about it someday, I'm feeling rather sleepy now and am in no form to lay down cogent and extensive arguments. Read this and this instead.
I also realized today that a vegetarian meal has a pleasant side bonus of being at least 50 cents cheaper than the normal meal with meat. The narrowing down of my options mean that I spend less time wondering about what to eat, and just be thankful that there is something on the menu for me. Often there are not. Other issues that I am thinking about is my continuation of dairy and egg consumption, although they too come from the farms that cause the damage, but I don't think I can drop eggs and cheese for the time being. I am also wondering about whether to cut myself some slack when it comes to fish - although that would make me a pescetarian instead. Decisions decisions.
*topic change*
Today I viewed a room. True to my tradition of taking the first room that I view, I have decided to take it. So I am going over on Monday to shake (hands) on it. It is marginally cheaper than my previous room but much smaller. However the living environment seems to be much cleaner and I do appreciate not having to cringe at the body hair on the bathroom floor every time I enter the bathroom. So, does it mean that I am going to have a home soon? I certainly hope so, if there are no creepy landlords or crazy housemates out to get me. I will be staying with a Chinese family (pregnant mum, six year old kid, granny - three generations, oh gosh) and a Mexican guy.
I am going to Malacca tomorrow morning to meet my parents. I haven't packed. I haven't done my laundry. I haven't tidied up Jia Ling's room so she won't have a fit when she gets back from Shanghai on Sunday. It is 2:43am now. Woe is me.
Right, I better get going. I think I am actually inducing jet lag upon myself. I think I deserve it.
Anyway, pressured writing has never done anyone any good (I tend to leave them as drafts, and you tend to never get to read them), so here I am on a break, to give you an update on the exciting life that is mine!
Firstly. I have turned vegetarian. I even bought a t-shirt to seal the deal on the day that I made the decision to commit, that's how serious I am about the whole thing. I only buy t-shirts with messages that I mean.
This picture is taken by Yuen, my officemate (to new readers of my blog). We are supposed to do a writeup about ourselves and send in a professional-looking picture, to put in the university website. This is the picture that I am putting up in the site, taken by Yuen with her cell phone. This picture is also a statement that the university does not pay us enough to take studio pictures. Yuen's is also taken with her cell phone, with a thinker pose, with a chin-propping arm in the picture.
But I digress. I've told my mum my decision, and being the cool mum that she always is, she gave me no beef (pun intended) and respected my choice. Right now she's on a mission to get more information for me on how to eat properly without denying my body of necessary nutrients. I love my mum.
Why I'm doing it? My primary motivation to change my diet is to lessen my footprint on the environment. It might be apparent for some of you who have followed my blog for a bit, that I am quite passionate about global warming. There are times when I feel that we are headed towards a brick wall, or off a cliff, or any mode of inevitable death that occurs to me at that moment.
It is deeply unsettling. I want to do something. I'm aware that just by living, I consume energy, whether I like it or not. It does not help that I have an insatiable thirst to travel, and flights contribute a lot to carbon emissions.
I've been thinking about vegetarianism on and off through about two years, from when I was travelling with Val and Robert. Along the way I met many others, who have inspired me incrementally - until the fateful last day that I spent in San Francisco, where I met this guy Jim on the train to Davis. Jim is a soft-spoken guy who used his credit card to help me buy a train ticket because I only had cash. We started talking about a variety of topics, until we touched the subject of vegetarianism. I don't know how or why, but I found myself telling Jim that I would do it. I would commit to never eating meat again.
The last time I promised some random person that I would stop eating something was at Motueka, New Zealand, where some people were rallying for a petition to stop McDonalds from being introduced into the small town. I signed the petition and promised never to eat McDonalds or KFC ever again. I have kept this promise for two years to date.
Most people I've met do it for animal rights. To be brutally honest, animal rights would not push me over the brink. I mean I do sympathize with all the animal suffering, but I've never been passionate enough about it to stop my meat consumption. But when I became aware that probably the most effective way to stop global warming and environmental pollution is to stop eating meat - each bite became increasingly laced with guilt. Maybe I will blog at length about it someday, I'm feeling rather sleepy now and am in no form to lay down cogent and extensive arguments. Read this and this instead.
I also realized today that a vegetarian meal has a pleasant side bonus of being at least 50 cents cheaper than the normal meal with meat. The narrowing down of my options mean that I spend less time wondering about what to eat, and just be thankful that there is something on the menu for me. Often there are not. Other issues that I am thinking about is my continuation of dairy and egg consumption, although they too come from the farms that cause the damage, but I don't think I can drop eggs and cheese for the time being. I am also wondering about whether to cut myself some slack when it comes to fish - although that would make me a pescetarian instead. Decisions decisions.
*topic change*
Today I viewed a room. True to my tradition of taking the first room that I view, I have decided to take it. So I am going over on Monday to shake (hands) on it. It is marginally cheaper than my previous room but much smaller. However the living environment seems to be much cleaner and I do appreciate not having to cringe at the body hair on the bathroom floor every time I enter the bathroom. So, does it mean that I am going to have a home soon? I certainly hope so, if there are no creepy landlords or crazy housemates out to get me. I will be staying with a Chinese family (pregnant mum, six year old kid, granny - three generations, oh gosh) and a Mexican guy.
I am going to Malacca tomorrow morning to meet my parents. I haven't packed. I haven't done my laundry. I haven't tidied up Jia Ling's room so she won't have a fit when she gets back from Shanghai on Sunday. It is 2:43am now. Woe is me.
Right, I better get going. I think I am actually inducing jet lag upon myself. I think I deserve it.
creak creak
So many different parts of my body are aching. My neck, my shoulders, my arms, my back - the lower limbs seem to have fared better, only a huge bruise on my right knee where it banged on the dragonboat repeatedly while trying to steady my body.
I think I seriously like dragonboating enough to commute an hour plus every week just to go to Kallang River to torture myself. I don't know what it's about - it's just really therapeutic to focus on the rower in front of you, trying to keep the rowing in sync, and gliding on the waves when everyone's timed correctly. It's social but not too social - teamwork is essential but conversation is not. You hear energetic yells pushing you on ("Longer! Harder! Deeper! Twist those bodies!") instead of the voice in your head complaining about how bored you are on the treadmill.
Oh and of course, fit (and straight) guys galore =D What more could one ask for.
It's almost 3am and I'm quite sleepy, but I can't sleep because my smart self forgot to turn on the washing machine at 12am after putting all the laundry in. 2 and a half hours later, I return to the machine, wanting to dry the clothes - only to find out they're all still dry. Washing powder and all. Eff.
I've told my chief tenant that I'm moving. I'm rather sorry, I do like my housemates, but I'm glad that I've finally made a decision. The landlord has been evading discussion for almost a week now, the cowardly bastard, and the past week I was just having this eternally tiresome internal debate arguing over the pros and cons of staying put. So yeah, I join the league of homeless people, yet again. I'm squatting at Jia Ling's for the time being until I finish all my travelling and come back to settle down.
Amidst all the tiredness and the fact that I haven't finished either of my tasks deadlined today (!!), I'm actually pretty happy and contented right now.
I think I seriously like dragonboating enough to commute an hour plus every week just to go to Kallang River to torture myself. I don't know what it's about - it's just really therapeutic to focus on the rower in front of you, trying to keep the rowing in sync, and gliding on the waves when everyone's timed correctly. It's social but not too social - teamwork is essential but conversation is not. You hear energetic yells pushing you on ("Longer! Harder! Deeper! Twist those bodies!") instead of the voice in your head complaining about how bored you are on the treadmill.
Oh and of course, fit (and straight) guys galore =D What more could one ask for.
It's almost 3am and I'm quite sleepy, but I can't sleep because my smart self forgot to turn on the washing machine at 12am after putting all the laundry in. 2 and a half hours later, I return to the machine, wanting to dry the clothes - only to find out they're all still dry. Washing powder and all. Eff.
I've told my chief tenant that I'm moving. I'm rather sorry, I do like my housemates, but I'm glad that I've finally made a decision. The landlord has been evading discussion for almost a week now, the cowardly bastard, and the past week I was just having this eternally tiresome internal debate arguing over the pros and cons of staying put. So yeah, I join the league of homeless people, yet again. I'm squatting at Jia Ling's for the time being until I finish all my travelling and come back to settle down.
Amidst all the tiredness and the fact that I haven't finished either of my tasks deadlined today (!!), I'm actually pretty happy and contented right now.
busy busy patooie
Time trickles from the tips of my fingers onto the keyboard, into the computer, and splashes onto my monitor - onto grant applications, onto papers, onto procrastinating blog posts and chats.
Too many things on my plate right now. I have two deadlines on June 15. Both are almost finished, just need some icing on the cake, at least I don't have re-bake the cakes. One is a grant application, the other is a paper submission to the forum I'm going to in July.
Boston trip too many admin things and the whole non-academic staff of our school has gone to Bintan for a team-building activity. No one is around. Joy.
Money... why do you like rich people...
Then there's the housing situation, I've been swinging like a pendulum whether to move. Or not. To move. Or not. Housemates are nice. Landlord's a bastard. House electricity fuses whenever it likes. At least it is at the highest floor. Fridge doesn't work. At least bathroom is reasonably clean.
Oh sidenote. I finally know the rules of cricket now and have been spending some time watching it with my (male) housemates. The Twenty20 World Cup is on now. I'm supporting the Kiwis. But I haven't seen them play yet.
Landlord is supposed to come talk with us but has not. I had sharpened my knives preparing for a bloody clash, on Wednesday, but he pulled a no-show on us. I am seriously inclined towards moving but I need to iron out some kinks. And muster up the courage to tell my cricket-watching buddies that I am fed up and adios.
Asa where are youuuuuuu. Our India trip howwwwwww.
To others, I promise I'll reply your emails! But since I don't have Internet access at home, and I'm uber busy in the office (working or pretending to be working), they might have to wait till next week. Extra love.
Ah half-hearted update. Don't care lah. Have to get back to work.
Too many things on my plate right now. I have two deadlines on June 15. Both are almost finished, just need some icing on the cake, at least I don't have re-bake the cakes. One is a grant application, the other is a paper submission to the forum I'm going to in July.
Boston trip too many admin things and the whole non-academic staff of our school has gone to Bintan for a team-building activity. No one is around. Joy.
Money... why do you like rich people...
Then there's the housing situation, I've been swinging like a pendulum whether to move. Or not. To move. Or not. Housemates are nice. Landlord's a bastard. House electricity fuses whenever it likes. At least it is at the highest floor. Fridge doesn't work. At least bathroom is reasonably clean.
Oh sidenote. I finally know the rules of cricket now and have been spending some time watching it with my (male) housemates. The Twenty20 World Cup is on now. I'm supporting the Kiwis. But I haven't seen them play yet.
Landlord is supposed to come talk with us but has not. I had sharpened my knives preparing for a bloody clash, on Wednesday, but he pulled a no-show on us. I am seriously inclined towards moving but I need to iron out some kinks. And muster up the courage to tell my cricket-watching buddies that I am fed up and adios.
Asa where are youuuuuuu. Our India trip howwwwwww.
To others, I promise I'll reply your emails! But since I don't have Internet access at home, and I'm uber busy in the office (working or pretending to be working), they might have to wait till next week. Extra love.
Ah half-hearted update. Don't care lah. Have to get back to work.
One way ticket to India
Was in the middle of an air ticket transaction when my debit card was declined (probably due to lack of funds). So now Asa and I are proud owners of two one-way tickets to India. We will probably have to turn lesbians and set up a family underground there while pretending to be sisters. Since that's what you do when you buy one-way tickets to India. No?
I've decided to return to Singapore on Monday. The very thought of it weighs me down, sigh. After the trip back from Singapore last week I haven't done any work (for one whole week! the horror!) so it is time for me to go back and pay my dues.
There's also a very real possibility that I may have to move again, because my landlord is a creep. When I was in KL he opened my locked door, to "spot-check", WTF. He has also stated through email that he will continue doing that until he can trust us and we can "give him confidence", and it is his responsibility to ensure that we all "live in harmony and safety and enjoy our stay". (Does this sound familiar to anyone?) I am NOT bloody living in a hostel, and he's NOT my bloody hostel matron. As far as the tenancy agreement is concerned he does not have the right to do that, and I might seek legal recourse.
Though according to this page, Singapore is pro-landlord and there is no comprehensive law dealing with landlord and tenant relations. Then there's this forum page where the landlady went through the tenant's garbage (found a used condom and forfeited his deposit coz she accused him of bringing girls back but the guy was just masturbating with the condom) and his belongings occasionally. There's no solution in the threads, but some comments are just ridiculous.
WTFFFF RAGE NO INVASION OF PRIVACY?? "To ensure there is no drugs/illegal activities" is exactly the same reason given by my Creepy Landlord - and I am furious about it - because I paid good money to rent a personal space, not to be policed, and what about the flip side? I.e. who's going to be responsible if my belongings go missing, or if I am assaulted in my own locked room?
OK deep breaths. Chill. That's why la I think I will have to move. It's a pity because my housemates seem to be nice people, but I cannot live in a panopticon, and my situation now reminds me so much of Singapore in general that it's not even funny.
Have to detoxify my brain with all the hate and rage within. Indiaaaaaaaaaaaa. Bostonnnnnnnnn. Ohmmmmmm.
I've decided to return to Singapore on Monday. The very thought of it weighs me down, sigh. After the trip back from Singapore last week I haven't done any work (for one whole week! the horror!) so it is time for me to go back and pay my dues.
There's also a very real possibility that I may have to move again, because my landlord is a creep. When I was in KL he opened my locked door, to "spot-check", WTF. He has also stated through email that he will continue doing that until he can trust us and we can "give him confidence", and it is his responsibility to ensure that we all "live in harmony and safety and enjoy our stay". (Does this sound familiar to anyone?) I am NOT bloody living in a hostel, and he's NOT my bloody hostel matron. As far as the tenancy agreement is concerned he does not have the right to do that, and I might seek legal recourse.
Though according to this page, Singapore is pro-landlord and there is no comprehensive law dealing with landlord and tenant relations. Then there's this forum page where the landlady went through the tenant's garbage (found a used condom and forfeited his deposit coz she accused him of bringing girls back but the guy was just masturbating with the condom) and his belongings occasionally. There's no solution in the threads, but some comments are just ridiculous.
"If I'm not mistaken, there is no invasion of privacy here. The flat belongs to the owners and I know some of them will check the room (but won't tell you that they do) in order to ensure there is no drugs / illegal substance."
WTFFFF RAGE NO INVASION OF PRIVACY?? "To ensure there is no drugs/illegal activities" is exactly the same reason given by my Creepy Landlord - and I am furious about it - because I paid good money to rent a personal space, not to be policed, and what about the flip side? I.e. who's going to be responsible if my belongings go missing, or if I am assaulted in my own locked room?
OK deep breaths. Chill. That's why la I think I will have to move. It's a pity because my housemates seem to be nice people, but I cannot live in a panopticon, and my situation now reminds me so much of Singapore in general that it's not even funny.
Have to detoxify my brain with all the hate and rage within. Indiaaaaaaaaaaaa. Bostonnnnnnnnn. Ohmmmmmm.
Relinquishing my room today.
Damn no mood to blog lately. I am fine, just feeling uninteresting and stupid and have nothing much to say. But since I am in the midst of packing (read: leaving the room in about an hour and still have to unpack the stuff from my Random Stuff Box to try to fit in more random stuff) I shall try to write a little. To timestamp the momentous departure from my hostel life to being a citizen of the Heartlands of Singapore.
Heartlands = HDB = government flats = flats for people who are not rich enough to stay in the city centre, Bukit Timah or the like. Information provided by my local intelligence Yuen.
This is a random picture I took of the empty bed in my room when I first arrived.
This is a picture of what my bed looked last night before I packed.
This is a picture of me in my new owl T-shirt.
This is a failed attempt of me trying to take a picture with Spongebob SquarePlush (present from Yuen) and Spongebob SquarePJs (present from Kukui). The picture would be complete with my Spongebob SquareMonopoly (present from XiaoCi) but it's at home. I have Spongebob-obsessed friends! (It's not me, no) XD
OKla have to go, really need to pack before my parents come. Ta!
Heartlands = HDB = government flats = flats for people who are not rich enough to stay in the city centre, Bukit Timah or the like. Information provided by my local intelligence Yuen.
This is a random picture I took of the empty bed in my room when I first arrived.
This is a picture of what my bed looked last night before I packed.
This is a picture of me in my new owl T-shirt.
This is a failed attempt of me trying to take a picture with Spongebob SquarePlush (present from Yuen) and Spongebob SquarePJs (present from Kukui). The picture would be complete with my Spongebob SquareMonopoly (present from XiaoCi) but it's at home. I have Spongebob-obsessed friends! (It's not me, no) XD
OKla have to go, really need to pack before my parents come. Ta!
No longer homeless (in a month's time)!
WAHAHAHAHA.
Just paid deposit for the place that I am going to move into in a month's time. It's within walking distance (like 15 minutes? Even nearer than my current place, which is a 25min walk), the room's big and airy, my future housemate looks like a decent fellow who's going to be married in a month and staying in the house with his new bride. The price is acceptable for the location and the size of the room. Although technically I am getting a raise in two months' time, I am actually going to be poorer because the room's going to be SGD200 more expensive than my current room, not counting utilities.
But still, I have a home in a month! And staying outside campus, I feel so grownup. MRT's within walking distance as well, like 25 minutes I estimate, and there's also a primary school right in front of my building. Not that I have any use of it at the moment, but we never know. There's even a secondary school a couple of blocks away. That's reassuring.
Anyway. I've got the music post blogged out in the drafts but don't feel like putting it up yet, maybe later. For now I am just going to ramble on for a bit. I studied like 2 pages today, was totally out of form - partly because I was nervous about the house, it's actually the first time that I've looked for a house on my own. Yuen couldn't come with me because she was rushing for an assignment, last minute work come second nature to students I've noticed - so I went, had instant rapport with my future Indian housemate and managed to negotiate a good price for the big airy room instead of the small dingy one that I was supposed to take (thanks Mum for giving me my magic smile).
*happy and relieved sigh*
So now that's settled, I just have to figure out the logistics, I'm moving out around the second week of May, have to pack and stuff, also have to buy a mattress. I'll have a fridge! Finally! And no longer have to pay for laundry... though I need to figure out how those pole thingies work. Wouldn't be fun to drop my laundry 12 floors down. There'll be a nice white wall to put my Map of Asia (With Europe Thrown In) on - I learnt to appreciate nice white walls after seeing some pictures of another HDB flat that I was looking at - bright pink walls with pink lacy curtains! Seriously. Why would anyone deface their house like that?
Gosh. Some guy's screaming his head out outside. Exam pressure I guess.
*continues dreaming happily about future room*
Just paid deposit for the place that I am going to move into in a month's time. It's within walking distance (like 15 minutes? Even nearer than my current place, which is a 25min walk), the room's big and airy, my future housemate looks like a decent fellow who's going to be married in a month and staying in the house with his new bride. The price is acceptable for the location and the size of the room. Although technically I am getting a raise in two months' time, I am actually going to be poorer because the room's going to be SGD200 more expensive than my current room, not counting utilities.
But still, I have a home in a month! And staying outside campus, I feel so grownup. MRT's within walking distance as well, like 25 minutes I estimate, and there's also a primary school right in front of my building. Not that I have any use of it at the moment, but we never know. There's even a secondary school a couple of blocks away. That's reassuring.
Anyway. I've got the music post blogged out in the drafts but don't feel like putting it up yet, maybe later. For now I am just going to ramble on for a bit. I studied like 2 pages today, was totally out of form - partly because I was nervous about the house, it's actually the first time that I've looked for a house on my own. Yuen couldn't come with me because she was rushing for an assignment, last minute work come second nature to students I've noticed - so I went, had instant rapport with my future Indian housemate and managed to negotiate a good price for the big airy room instead of the small dingy one that I was supposed to take (thanks Mum for giving me my magic smile).
*happy and relieved sigh*
So now that's settled, I just have to figure out the logistics, I'm moving out around the second week of May, have to pack and stuff, also have to buy a mattress. I'll have a fridge! Finally! And no longer have to pay for laundry... though I need to figure out how those pole thingies work. Wouldn't be fun to drop my laundry 12 floors down. There'll be a nice white wall to put my Map of Asia (With Europe Thrown In) on - I learnt to appreciate nice white walls after seeing some pictures of another HDB flat that I was looking at - bright pink walls with pink lacy curtains! Seriously. Why would anyone deface their house like that?
Gosh. Some guy's screaming his head out outside. Exam pressure I guess.
*continues dreaming happily about future room*
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