Anonymous asked:
y u so cool ah
I don’t know. Must be the air conditioning in my room
Norwegian Wood
I finished the book the night before Christmas Eve. I finished the movie today. Spoilers up ahead.
I’m home bound
Round up of all the selfies and ‘fashion’ shots I’ve taken during the holidays thus far
I’ve been everywhere
Singapore, Jakarta, Medan, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattaya, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka, Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Rome, Capri, Los Angeles, Perak, Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Selangor.
I don’t travel to get away from where I am, I travel to get where I want to be. It’s as innate as it is apart of my upbringing. The acknowledgment of the smallest space one takes up is an appreciation of the great worlds that lie beyond our doorstep. And when that tug in my soul is relieved, when I’ve taken the first step off a plane, bus or car, that’s when I know I’m nourishing myself, my own Vitamin Me.
Evidently I’m pretty well nourished, I pay lots of attention to myself. You can see how your Vitamin Me levels fair by taking the test here.
My last trip to Queensland was almost nine years ago. Us and two other families that we adore rented a van and drove around the great Gold Coast soaking in the shopping, the sights and of course the sun.
We hit the beaches which were a stone throw’s away from our apartment. We were so collectively dazzled by the sand and the waves that one incident actually resulted in us searching for my childhood friend who had wandered off quite a far way from us. It’s a story we now tell with humour and something we’ll never forget.
With four ‘then-kids’ in tow it’s without a doubt that we hit the big theme parks like Dreamworld, Movie World and Sea World. With time and monetary constraints we missed out on Wet’n Wild, a place I promised myself at eleven years of age that I’d visit the next time.
It humbles me to now see that, that precious holiday I took with the people I loved is but just a glimpse of the beauty I’ve yet to see. There’s Tropical North Queensland, something which comes a little closer to home for me when I’m missing Malaysia and the lush greenery and the warmth.
Fitzroy Island
Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas
There’s Queensland in the Outback, a more typically Australian country feel that I’ve yet to experience.
Lawn Hill National Park
Dirt n Dust Festival
Brisbane needs no introduction. There seems to be so much I can’t list out and these are just 12/48 hot spots boasted on its travel page here.
I need to go again. For the experience, the culture, the food, the great times with the people you care about, they all make up my Vitamin Me. All the best to everyone else in winning the $5,000 dream holiday to Queensland by Nuffnang and Tourism Queensland.
All photos in this post belong to Tourism Queensland
On Rough Days
Somedays I wonder if the soul of a shih tzu puppy was mistakenly transplanted into my body. And if you knew how much I disliked dogs of all kinds you would also know how my canine species knowledge is limited to the kinds of dogs my dog lover friends have so excuse the weird analogy. I’m not talking about days where I feel the urge to pee in the garden or scratch my ear with my foot or anything. I’ll lend you a peek into my head for the moment.
I had my first Ramly burger in years the other day. Lerk came to my rescue and I got Jon to tag along.
I expected the truck to be emblazoned with the Ramly logos and colours. We met Daniel there who brought us around to the menu. Burung unta, arnab and kambing (ostrich, rabbit, lamb/goat) populated the top right list. I don’t think it was legit Ramly, in the literal interpretation of being real Ramly patties. Actual meat content not in question obviously because there are too many to ask.
We took three burgers away to Ming Tien. I wouldn’t let myself have a whole one so I shared with Jon, a daging special (beef wrapped in a fried egg) the same order Daniel had. Lerk had a double lamb special.
“Ramly” or not this was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. They get a bit soggy when you takeaway because of all the mayo and Maggi chilli sauce but if it’s any consolation, the flavours merge together forming a lava of amazingness. Downed with watermelon besar (large) and you’re set for the rest of the night. Like Daniel said, eating healthy is fine and all but once in awhile, burgers to share at midnight amongst friends are just really, really, good.
No longer scowling at Taiwanese dessert houses
I wonder if it’s more ridiculous to expect myself to be able to write at least a blurb a day even if its to spare just a single thought into words when so many whizz through my mind while I’m awake and asleep. Or to expect myself to be able to write at least a blurb a day by capturing a single thought into words when it so elusively escapes me like a wood nymph that escapes me each time because she is so repulsed by my being.
I turned 20 a week ago. 51 weeks left till I’m 21. There are too many numbers in that last sentence for me to not feel the finality of that.
Seven Days of DFC
Day One
If ever I was unsure of the idea of a long distance relationship, I think now would be the time to reaffirm my disbelief in it. I have so much trust in you, far more than I’ve ever had in myself and it’s been like this since the beginning. Our love is unwavering, we’ve put it to the test time and time again. Yet at this moment, I’ve got both my hands gripped so tightly around the cool steel poles of the barrier with two thoughts on my mind.
‘You’re coming’ and ‘you’re not coming’.
My head is a mess. A feeling I’m accustomed to yet never comfortable with. I think about the words that flew across the screen, asking, planning and deciding for you to come here. My mind puts together a rusty lie detector that runs its needle through our words, combing for what I cannot foresee. You don’t lie. You love. And that’s why you’re coming. You don’t lie. You love. And that’s why you’re coming.
Every fibre in my body believes you. I have so much trust in you, far more than I’ve ever had in myself. You’ve packed your bags. You’ve printed out your ticket. You’ve gone to the lounge, lined up, and texted me every free moment. I believe every step. Except the one that says it’s all happening to me.
Ten minutes have passed. You’ve yet to let me know if you’ve landed although the screen says you have. I call and I hear you but I snap at you because I’m nervous. My eyes are peeled now, drawing a dotted outline of the figure of you I remember onto the exit sliding door. And before I know it, you fill in the blank. And you get larger and larger as you approach but the pebble in my throat doesn’t go away no matter how many times I swallow.
It doesn’t feel real until you’ve got your arms around me. And your smell fills my sensory systems with familiarity. My hand is in yours but I’m the one leading you back to the beginning.
Day Seven
Six days ago I had the the best birthday I can remember. My parents adored you, always curious and you always happy to oblige with answers. As such all wasn’t purely focused on me but for someone as selfish as myself to be able to say it, I’m so happy I got to share it with you.
Five days ago we had what you proclaimed to be the best chicken you’ve ever tasted. A popular hawker styled restaurant native to Malaysia is not where I ever thought I would have the opportunity to picture you in. I don’t think I could argue that comment about the chicken. You met my godparents and got along well with my godbrother.
Four days ago was reunion dinner. There was so much food on the table you didn’t know. And like a trooper you tried them all. It’s okay that you didn’t like most of them. I took lots of food for you, part to feed you, part so I could keep stealing glances in your direction, so I know you’re still real.
Three days ago was the first day of Chinese New Year. You wore red and I wore pale pink. We went with the whole Indonesian entourage to my grandmother’s place. The rest of the day we took luvos and watched Modern Family
Two days ago we went to meet my paternal grandparents. You went through the final rite of passage, and as much as you dirty-looked me, I will forever be so proud and so grateful to you for that. Later, you met my best friends, friends that I have had since I was eight years old. They have so much history of me that you don’t. But in conversation amongst the four of us, no one missed a beat.
One day ago passed just fifteen minutes earlier. I waited till you went down the escalator, till you lined up at immigration, till your last wave, till the reflection of your shoes in the shiny marble floor was long gone. I turn around, half expecting you to be standing there with arms open, to prove to me that you are real. You’re not there but it’s okay. I can wait a couple more weeks for you to show me.
Golden Anniversary
Flying back from Hong Kong on the 27th, I was immediately thrown into the pandemonium that is the entire paternal side of the family scrambling to organise a ‘non-Low’ like event for our grandparent’s golden anniversary.
GXFC
Have been struggling to keep my eyes open since 10.30 after an amazing reunion dinner put together by Mother, Grandmother and the extended family from Indo. Internet is also down and has been sporadically down hence the lack of updates, I’m typing this on my phone.
Chinese New Year this year feels like its going to be so different from the others. I’m not really feel the mood and I’ve already put on the expected CNY food baby so I’m not looking forward to squeezing into my cheong sam either. But at the same time I’ve been so lucky and blessed these past few days that I’ve been in a good mood and even when I’m pissed off it doesn’t take a certain someone long to come cheer me up.
After the New Year break the end of my holidays will start to loom over me and it’s back to academic mode for the second year of university. I absolutely love long breaks like this during uni years because it means I don’t have to study for advance preparation or play the kiasu game I have been all my life since primary school. Though maybe it’s not that I don’t have to, I just choose not to but I get by like this anyway.
Well that’s my little segue away from what is obviously the subject matter based on the title. It’s well past midnight and in case anyone has forgotten, I’m sure the sound of my neighbours booming fireworks will remind you. Happy Chinese New Year lovelies. Let’s all try to just be thankful and get through what is forecasted to be a hard year on most of us. Besides, aren’t the ‘gimme ang pow’ jokes getting a little old?
