oh, winter

oh, winter

Sometimes I wish there were seasons in this part of the world. I miss winter. Snow, unlike rain, dances in the sky instead of plummeting straight down. Laying a soft veil over the world, it paints everything white and creates a world of its own. Snow tastes mildly sweet on your tongue, something like morning dew, I'd imagine. 

I miss the cold on my cheeks when I step out of the house in the morning. The routine of picking out the outfit for the day, layer by layer, becomes precious in retrospect; and the act of bending over to zip up my boots sacred; and of course, the soft crunch of snow under my feet as I sink my boots into the white carpet magical. 

The cold air feels different in my lungs - reinvigorating. It courses through my body, makes my blood tingle with life and finally exits through my mouth in a puff. Winter changes the whole state of being. It makes me feel... alive. In the land of cold, I'm the only source of warmth. In the night sky, the shooting star is the only light, charting its own course, leaving a burning trail. 

Oh winter, I miss you so. 

of rainbows

of rainbows

Glasgow, 2010.

On the eye of the Lunar New Year, after a magnificent bout of afternoon showers, a double rainbow rose over the Singapore skies. It was beautiful. (Or so I've learnt afterwards, looking through the endless stream of photos on Facebook.)

In another time and place, we were together, our feet soaked from the wet grass, standing atop a hill, in the middle of the Necropolis. Then the evening sun peeked out for a wee bit, its rays hitting the tiny droplets that were dancing in the air, forming a rainbow halfway across the sky. I was so thrilled. This must be a sign that, put in the most cliched words, we will brave all our storms together. 

Rainbows, I hope they'd always remind me of that afternoon in Glasgow. 

2012 so far

2012 so far

I am bouncing and bursting with excitement as I type this. Not the usual I'm-so-excited-about-this-party-I'm-going-to kinda excitement. It's more of a rich sense of anticipation, like watching a good movie and smiling before the end reveals itself because you just know. 2012 holds so much potential for and promise of beautiful things waiting to happen and there's such a certainty in my heart that I'm about to first implode then explode with joy.

In this moment, as my fingers dance across the keyboard following some cosmic choreography, this is the last day of 2012 and the last day in forever. In this moment, I imagine life to be a long, winding railroad cutting through breathtaking landscape and snaking through dark caves. In this moment, I alight at a platform perched on a cliff, where I have the astounding view of the past, the present and the future. The platform is today, the last day I'll know, until the next day comes. 

So, the last day. We won! And damn, it feels good! It's been a long time coming. Fast backward a couple of months. I was stuck in a rut, sick of commitments and tired of trying. I didn't want to play anymore. Somehow I stayed. Somehow I played. Today, I remembered why I love this game and why I love this team. I am good at this. The dive, the speed, the hands. I've got it. Today, we showed it. 

40 minutes and a victory later, I see a text from G, wishing me luck and reminding about Uncle G's birthday dinner. Boots in hand, dress unkempt and bag over my shoulder, I ran barefooted to the lobby into the cab that I called. In a rush. Headrush. Heady from all the love and attention from people who are quite suddenly, family. 

"How's your eye?" "How's your eye?" "How's your eye?" 

In the year 2012, I had a serious eye infection. I saw four different doctors and spent a Sunday evening waiting at the A&E. But I've never seen this love so clearly before. This love is fierce. This love is tender. This love has cradled me through pastoral paradise, brushed past jagged cliffs and brought us into the heart of the stoic mountains that stand majestic. We are in a clam, serene place. It's a good place to be in. 

I stand on my tiptoes and cast my eyes further into the days. The rest of 2012 in retrospect: wearing my sparkly prom dress to a wedding dinner, witnessing the exchange of vows as the sun set over the ocean, being an hour early for class on the last first day of school, cannonballing into the sea from the roof of a yacht, partying like a rockstar at my first hen's night. 

This moment is over. The whistle has sounded, the conductor beckons. I step towards the train, one foot on the tread, and took one last long look, not quite believing that I've sort of tumbled and cavorted through all of that in the span of 17 days.The whistle sounds again and the wheels chug. Here we go, 2012! I absolutely cannot wait for the rest of the 348 days. 

why i love Christmas

why i love Christmas

There is something truly magical about Christmas. Being a non-believer, it has little to do with the birth of Christ or going to Church. Being a non-consumerist (or so I'd like to believe), it is not all about sales and discounts. So why do I love this festive season so much? 

Maybe it's the lights that go up in town every year. Maybe it's the gifts and the excitement (and often headache) of picking out gifts for the ones I love. Maybe it's the eating, the drinking and the partying. Maybe it's the funnily shaped conical trees decorated with lights and globes and angels. Maybe it's the idea of Santa. Maybe it's the endless renditions of Holy Night. 

More likely, it's a combination of all of those. 

But it's also the time of the year to wrap up and take stock, to find time and reflect, to stop work and have fun, to look back and give thanks, to remember and to love, to laugh and to smile. It is the whole year's laughter and tears drawing to a close, of happy moments and the in-betweens. It is when the whole world, finally, stops for awhile to celebrate a season of love. The mad rush to close accounts in the office, finish up Christmas shopping, wrap all the presents - all just so we can go home for a good meal together, with family and friends. 

Urban life is often an endless loop of work, appointments, projects, assignments, deadlines and whatnots. The 25th of December and the few days after which lead up to the new year allow us to pause and take a deep breath. It's a bookmark, a snapshot, a fullstop. It's Christmas. 

2011 in pictures

2011 in pictures

Beginnings: 

Started the year with my girls home for summer break. 

Kicking off the lunar new year with a boisterous affair at home.

Turned 22.

Summer:

Did the same things I said I'd never do again and had a helluva time.

Had a taste of adulthood during summer internship.

Pranced on the tracks for the first and last time.

Remembering old times in Montreal.

Took a shot at dreams I've always kept. 

Drove in Malaysia for the first time on a roadtrip with the AC peeps. 

Watched G toss his mortarboard into the sky. 

Marked our second year.

Flew to Bali, to celebrate graduation, anniversary and first job.

Second half:

Missed these girls terribly at school.

Walked on the bright side. 

Still rolling in the mud.

Took some time to appreciate art. 

Rediscovered the wonders of technology. 

Went on adventures mid-semester. 

Adapting to school without G.

Thrown into the life of Honours year. 

Spent time with the dog.  

Rolled around on the lawn at U-Town. 

Marveled at my #1 motivation.

The last stretch:

Celebrated surviving the first half of the Honours battle! 

Had an epiphany for my longest essay yet. 

Getting honked at in the middle of Orchard Road with these silly girls.

Found time to be alone and be happy alone.

Elated to have this girl home again.  

Gearing up for my favourite time of the year.

Counting 10 years of friendship and more.

Found that crossroads sometimes bring people together. 

Made new friends.

And new dreams too.

To 2011, cheers.