March is gone! Time surely flies...

Photo of the Month
Day 77: Shattered

From Project 365 (v.2010)

I feel that I didn't take as many good photos this month (due to an amount of circumstances that caused me to hate my life). I could have chosen Day 87: Hong Kong Skyline, but that would probably have been too stereotypical. Then again, I suppose the light bulb pretty much sums up March nicely.

LOL Factor
Day 66: Domo??

From Project 365 (v.2010)

It's a pile of Domo-kuns invadi...uh...occupying a window! Need I say more...?

Bleh Photo
Day 73: The Hunt

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Simply because this photo really reminds me of how much bullshit can go on in one go.

March? It's been one of the shittiest months ever. The amount of stress piled up, people who don't seem to understand exactly what I've been going through...it's crazy. While being surrounded by people, when you're going through the motions, nobody else seems to understand you - unless if they're in the exact same situation as you are.

There's too much resent and anger going about. I'm still trying to let it go, but it's difficult to do so when the other parties don't want to even remotely try to look at things differently.

One of the things I love about being an unofficial tour guide is going to places you don't normally go to. Like going to Victoria Peak!

From Project 365 (v.2010)

The view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak. On a really clear day, it really can be a beautiful sight. From here, you can see some of the buildings that have been built on the slopes - truly something that's difficult to accomplish. But hey, that's what makes Hong Kong!

You know what I dislike about shopping? Is shopping for things things that you can't even fit! Consciously! (What I mean is...not by accident - and are things you know you're never ever going to wear - not even remotely.)

Seriously...

From Project 365 (v.2010)

These are five pairs of size 40 shoes that I had to buy for my mini collection. It really sucks not to be able to wear them myself after. Baaaah.

Ever felt creeped out by old style elevators? I'm not exactly scared, but I do get nervous if the lift suddenly stops and I have to wait for hours to be rescued.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This is the inside of an old lift in Sham Shui Po. It's fitting for scary movies you know! (Especially if it stops all of a sudden and there's nobody nearby to rescue you.)

Today, I has.....a coRtALoS! =D An awesome friend of mine has finally made it to Hong Kong on vacation. And of course, this means we finally meet properly...after 7 years of internet banter (has it really been that long?). In all honesty, I couldn't believe it myself either - it felt...pretty surreal to meet someone in flesh instead of simply watching the lines "coRtALoS is typing..." on my computer screen on AIM/Skype. It's amazing how circumstances can lead to the meeting of the minds. (Thanks Diablo 2 and Starcraft!)

Nevertheless, I was in tour guide mode - and knowing me, I will want a person who's on vacation to see as many sights as possible while having a gazillion amount of fun at the same time. Hahahaha.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This is the classic Hong Kong skyline - shot at night with the Symphony of Lights show that goes on every night from 8pm onwards. Tonight wasn't as clear as it should be, but luckily it was clear enough to see the lights properly.

You know what I totally love about micromalls in Hong Kong? The cool stuff you get to see!

From Project 365 (v.2010)

You can't see it clearly, but it's a Grim Reaper...in a trendy micromall in TST. I totally love it! (And it's not everyday you see something of this category of creepiness in a well-lit area, unless if you're up for a tattoo.)

This is something that my aunt has always said about me: "You've been on more airline flights than on bus rides in your life." I honestly cannot count the number of times I've been on a plane, but I suppose what she says holds true, given I've pretty much been a frequent flyer since the age of...2 months.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This is the table on Cathay Pacific - a really familiar sight for me. Whenever I see myself seated in an airline seat...I feel...like I somehow belong here in a way.

Today, featuring...March of my calendar!

From Project 365 (v.2010)

March features Uruha of the GazettE - the photo on the left is his get up from Before I Decay, and the photo on the right is for The Invisible Wall single/DIM album. By the way, the one on the right is also the wallpaper for my Nokia N97 too...*faints*

Wow, it's been over 10 days. You can blame it on several factors, which I have stated in some of my entries (and am not going to repeat here, because it's 4:30am and I would very much like to sleep for another 2-3 hours before I get up for yet another torturous day).

So, other than Day 81 (which will be updated at a later time), here are the rest!

Day 71
Day 72
Day 73
Day 74
Day 75
Day 76
Day 77
Day 78
Day 79
Day 80
Day 82
Day 83

I have a huge ass living room I tell you!

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Please excuse the mess on the floor, but hey, I really do want to show off my living room at the new flat. I swear I could put like...3 more industrial sewing machines if I wanted!

I've never been to a Miyavi live before, so can you imagine how ecstatic I was when an announcement went by saying that there's to be a live broadcast of his rehearsal of his tour to celebrate the release of his Neo Samurai Concert DVD and his new single Survive?

SPAZZWOOTZ.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Miyavi live on his webcam! I managed to watch the first half of his broadcast because Singtel decided to start sucking half way through. Please remind me to sue the company for sucking and forcing me to miss out half of the live cast.

We went to Universal Studios theme park in Sentosa today! Got to love the soft opening - short queues, and not so many people filling up the place (ahahahah). So Squishy and I officially have bragging rights: We've been inside!

Got to say I was lucky that I managed to secure tickets on Sunday...

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Some of the prohibited items on the D380 Air Coach on Enchanted Airways to Far Far Away: poisoned fruit, magic beans, non-prescription potions, flagons of mead, flaming kilts (LOL)...oh! Even durians are banned! AHAHAHAHAHA.

I've never smoked before in my entire life, so I was really really persistent about wanting to try to smoke the hookah for years, but never actually got a chance to until today (since nobody wants to experiment with me!).

Thanks again Squishy. =)

From Project 365 (v.2010)

The hookah, which is a smoking device from India, is a great way to smoke without getting that nicotine addiction. It feels a bit weird tasting the smoky apple and peach flavours in my mouth (and it felt a little stuffy if you're not used to smoking things) - but it's been an interesting experience.

For obvious reasons, if I were writing this on the actual day, I wouldn't post this entry on the actual day.

Anyway!

In order to celebrate 2 occasions, I bought 2 keikku: 1 for Squishy's birthday, and 1 for me and my flatmate to celebrate end of term, new apartment, and getting through this dark week. What better than to buy Awfully Chocolate?

I first tasted this cake some time in 2008 back in Shanghai when a friend of mine took me out for dinner and told me, as we passed by the store (that's on the same street as I was living at the time), that it carried the best chocolate cake ever. Well, I didn't eat it on the spot, but when the opportunity arose in the form of somebody's housewarming, I decided to buy it as a gift.

Oh. My. Wonderous. Tastebuds. OISHII!

I can't rave enough about this cake. It's the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten: rich dark chocolate that isn't too sweet, it's moist enough, slightly spongy, and it sort of gives this creaminess in your mouth as you eat it. Ever since, I bought this cake (or maybe some variation of it from the store) twice more there, and again over here. This totals to around...patronizing the brand 4 times already, which is quite a lot on my terms. The funny thing is, you don't know what the store sells unless you ask. And I can't buy their cakes in slices, because they don't sell them in slices. Meanies.

Oh, and for a spot of Japanese lesson:
チョコレートケーキ is pronounced as "chokoreeto keeki". But I like "keikku". AHAHAHA.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Best. Chocolate. Cake. Ever. All thanks to Awfully Chocolate for creating the perfect chocolate cake.

This really has been a nightmare week - possibly one of the darkest moments in my life. And here's more to pile it on.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

I sort of dropped dead on the couch at home after reaching the front door, so I didn't take a decent photo. But keeping to the spirit of Project 365, thankfully, I actually took a photo today - which is a message from one of the teachers.

One thing keeps happening after another. I was totally cranky for the entire day - especially after receiving a certain piece of news that really got me blown up to the point where I wanted to break things. Especially as I wasn't even able to sleep as there were people fixing things in the rooms. Those slow pokes sure took their time as I mustered all my strength and energy into trying not to doze.

I wouldn't go into some of the details, and I'm feeling better about the entire case (at the time of writing this - which is...nearly 3am on 25th March), but I'm still upset and disappointed.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This broken light bulb came from the desk lamp that I bought for my bedside. It got squashed in the box during the move, so it did come as a shock when I took it out to see the light in this state. I never knew that the construction of a light bulb could look like this! But yes, it matches my shattered feelings - unexpected and twisted.

It's been a rough week. I was genuinely prepared to go to my new home to sleep when I got a text from a friend to meet up for a chat. What I wouldn't do for a change of atmosphere to get away from it all...

From Project 365 (v.2010)

One of the bands playing for the Mosaic Festival on the open stage at the Esplanade. They're Korean, but they're playing Jamaican/Reggae stuff. The bassist is so funny when he's playing barefooted with these weird poses. LULZ.

Yeah, my mood may have improved after finding a flat, but it's still pretty dark, given I haven't slept well for the past few days. *fingers at the thought of a certain someone*

Enough of that - let me introduce one of my favourite meals in Singapore.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Pepper Lunch! Cooked rice is served with raw meat on a hot plate, and all you need to do is simply grab a spoon and mix until your food is cooked. What I like about it? The fact that I don't need to queue for a long time for this meal and that it's got a DIY feel to it.

We've finally found a flat! Guess this meal is probably some sort of celebration thing going on - so I decided to try this variation of Nasi (I don't know what sort, but I know it's not Nasi Lemak).

From Project 365 (v.2010)

A form of nasi, a kind of Malaysian style staple dish. The taste of the rice reminds me of briyani and it's surprisingly delicious with raw cucumber and pineapple.

And so the hunt for a new flat continues. I'm still feeling stupidly bummed out, but it can't be helped. This technically shouldn't even be happening.

If my grades are going to be totally shit to the point where I'll die, I know exactly who to haunt for the rest of eternity.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Apartment listings on the internet. You know what I hate? The fact that agents either promise to call you back but never do, or the fact that they have absolutely no basic telephone etiquette. Is this Singapore's true nature?

The landlady dropped the bomb...she announced that she was kicking us out of her apartment. The reason? Because she was getting cold feet that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) might take her apartment away if she continued to let us stay.

In all honesty, I felt pretty damn sick in the stomach at that moment. Given the amount of work I had to do, it had to come at the worst possible time. And she only gave us 3 days notice.

Three.

Fucking.

Days.

What the hell?

Her dishonesty and money hoarding schemes disgust me.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This is the window railing in my room. It best reflects how I feel...trapped in work and trapped in a situation. Bye bye sleep.

One of the reasons why I love going to cell group? It's the food! I suppose having good food and being surrounded by good friends has always been a source of happiness for me, given most socializing done is over meal times.

By now, the groupies know that I'm a bit of a bitch about taking photos before eating. So I try to take photos before people actually gather around to sit down (so that they don't hate me for holding up their hungry stomachs).

From Project 365 (v.2010)

It's a close up of cheese and potato bake. And the lovely friend who made it brought proper mozzarella cheese (3kg!) worth back from Italy. And it doesn't make me feel sick! (Lactose intolerance ta...)

I've only just started learning how to use markers properly, and I feel that I still suck with them. Won't be doing any markering for my project though!

From Project 365 (v.2010)

I know, the skin colour isn't right (since I didn't have the correct colour at the time), but I was doing a demo with a rough sketch for my flatmate after I've spent an entire week watching YouTube and looking at deviantArt tutorials. Because I've never been conditioned with markers, I still feel kind of insecure using them now. The demo isn't awesome, but with enough practice, I'm certain I'll get there, and I understand at least some of the markering basics.

I took this photo during class time when the teacher was doing some draping revision - and I was so out of it by the end of the lesson I didn't feel like taking another photo when I got home. At least it's good to have insurance.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This is the side of a school mannequin with an arm hole (complete with a muslin made stuffed arm). I needed a reminder of the 1cm reference point from the actual hole with the pins...

If you know me well enough, I've grown up with this drink from the moment I learned to walk and open the fridge. Obviously I wasn't able to obtain it back during my school days on a certain island, but whenever I was back at my grandparents' place during the holidays, I'd have to have at least 2-3 bottles everyday. Boy, was I ecstatic when I was able to find Yakult in the supermarket during my university days. And of course, being in Singapore also means I can have easy access to the drink, even though they do have some weird flavours in some of them, namely apple, orange and grape. (I still say the original's the best.)

Even now, the habit remains: as soon as I walk in the front door whenever I visit grandma, after dropping my bag and jacket on some sofa, I would go and wash my hands in the bathroom and open the fridge to help myself to a bottle of Yakult. Always in that order. Guess it says something about me huh...

For those of you who've never heard or seen it before, it's a probiotic drink developed by the Japanese made by fermenting skimmed milk with a dose of Lactobacillus casei bacterium, which is "good bacteria" that's "good for your gut".

From Project 365 (v.2010)

What is there not to like about Yakult? I love it to the extreme! And it's gewd fer you!

I genuinely feel dry in many, many ways...creatively, emotionally, mentally and physically. In fact, probably dry in all senses for the human body. So the photo will speak for itself.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

I drank all this within 2 hours. Even now, after I've sucked dry my last pack of lychee drink, I'm still bloody thirsty.

At Takashimaya, thanks to a local internet forum, I've managed to track down an Anime Showdown mini fair (which, to be honest, isn't really worth going to due to the choice - or there lack of - of anime goodies they have, ranging from the really old stuff like Evangelion and Gundam). And the fact that a girl who's manning a stall dressed up in a red Japanese school girl uniform suddenly appeared out of nowhere and handed me a leaflet. LOL.

If they really wanted to make a success out of merchandise, they should have considered selling stuff with One Piece, Fairy Tail, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and D. Grayman. There's too much of Eva going around (not that I hate the anime, I just wanted my own Reborn or Lambo plush or something!)

From Project 365 (v.2010)

Seriously, the only things worth looking at are the Domo-kuns at the Anime Showdown mini fair!

April...a month so near yet so far. I wish the end of March would come already.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

April on my calendar. No, I'm not going to tell you who is featured this month until I actually take a photo! (Patience!) Yes, I really want end of March to come already!

Taking a short walk downtown and through a shopping centre/metro station, I have to laugh at the concept of design. If a design is clever, you're considered a "genius" of some sort. Yet if is stupid, then you could end up being a laughing stock. Just like whoever designed the inside for this infrastructure.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

If there's going to be an open space like this complete with the hand rail, it might as well lead somewhere. Or at least make use of this space in some way. This tiny island is already lacking in space, why waste it?

I haven't watched the series in a while, and definitely haven't watched them back to back, so as a way to cheer myself up, I decided to do it the David Firth way.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

This is Salad Fingers. This came from Episode 4: Cage - methinks this photo really reflects how I really feel: I want to go home but yet I'm sort of trapped here mentally and emotionally. And today is one take only.

Normally, you wouldn't associate Singapore with durians since it's not well known for the fruit export (the credit goes more for countries like Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia), but durians are definitely in abundance here. For those of you who are not familiar, it's a huge spiky fruit that has a really pungent smell, but can taste really delicious if you can over come it. Just don't drink alcohol before or after eating the fruit (and vice-versa) for around a day or so - or else a nasty chemical reaction will happen to your body (which can kill - something to do with the breaking down of sulphur content in the system).

From Project 365 (v.2010)

My flatmate found this pack of delicious durian crisps in some shop downtown. Unfortunately, I hear that they frequently run out of stock because it's just so yummy, despite the rather expensive price tag. (It's still affordable, but just a bit of a rip off in my opinion.)

Singapore...a humid country...no matter how much water you pour into your swallowing canal, you still want more...and more...and more...liquids. And worst yet - you cannot survive without a working fridge.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

We finally have a working fridge again! It's a new second hand fridge - but I was so thirsty by then that I rushed to the shop downstairs and bought these drinks. And nothing but drinks. The humidity here is bad enough, but I always feel so dry in the throat.

Wow, beginning of March already! And we're on Day 60 too! And once again, I left this to...around 20 minutes before midnight to snap this. You know, I'm beginning to feel that absolutely anything can be photographed, no matter how ridiculously trivial it may seem.

From Project 365 (v.2010)

It's a pink Post-It note that I stick on my door if I don't want to be called out. She got the hint after seeing it once just when she was about to pound on my door on one of those days. Hahaha.