Giraffe

Here's a post to prove I'm still alive.

I've not been writing frequently as well... I don't do travel posts anymore (by the way, Kunming was great).

Life's alright. And as I'm moving towards 2019, I've hastily set up a PRS account to start investing (in this case, into the government).

While it might not be the best choice, I'm sure I'll learn better when the consequences are real (ie losing money). One small step towards financial literacy!

Also, I had this random recollection of a kid's joke I never understood:

Question: What's a vampire's favourite food?
Answer: A giraffe.

Okay. Aside from remembering an obscure joke from a Halloween book when I was 11 (I traded my World Cup 98 picture book for this shitty ass thing), I have only recently found out why I didn't understand the joke at that point.

Here's a bit of backstory. You see, as a kid, my parents had unsubscribed to all the cartoon channels off Astro, a major network provider outside of the local channels. So in order to stave off boredom, my siblings and I opted to watch the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and National Geographic. We all caught up on context? Cool.

So as a kid, I never understood why would a giraffe be an ideal choice (its for the neck, duh). As a predator, I'd pick a more sufficient prey. Why take an easy-ish target like a giraffe when I can snag the prey with the most blood-to-body-mass ratio? A giraffe was so inefficient, and this was me overlooking the fact that I'm role-playing a goddamn vampire, a fictitious entity.

Clearly I was overreaching with the logic gate there but hey, that was me back in the day.

Anyway, happy belated Christmas and here's to a better year.

posted from Bloggeroid

Glow

It's 3 am midweek.

I'm exhausted from a long day at work, an equally long FIFA catchup session, getting caught in a monsoon downpour, and working to eradicate yet another unwanted cockroach in my clean (promise) bathroom.

And yet, instead of sleeping, I'm staring at a picture of you, so I can see you in my dreams. I hope you obsess over me just as much.

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Chase

Our dreams are odd reconstructions of daily mishmash, and yet, I find them somewhat (really) intriguing to decipher.

We recall familiar faces and characters, and our subconscious selves tries to piece together constructs into semi-tangible entities to fill in the gaps of logic.

A few weeks back, I "had" this lady. I knew it was a dream because she carried no scent on her. We roamed the city, walked through parks, and even disturbed the owner of some temple nearby (it's a dream, don't ask too much). We flashed discomforting smiles as we scuttled from the last scene.

She made everything easy, and we were very comfortable around each other. I prodded her arm, she nudged me back, simple gestures of some form of coy endearment. Behind her bob cut, stood a bubbly, adventurous and whimsical lass.

I was still smitten by the time the low hum of the ceiling fan dragged me back into reality. I immediately tried to lull back sleep to find her again. A vain and naïve (filled with a hint of uneasiness) attempt to chase a fleeting image.

I wanted to dive back in not just to see her, but because I didn't know her. Not that face. In fact, I couldn't place her looks. I knew her personality, but not her appearance. She's made up, and I don't know her inception.

posted from Bloggeroid

Face

In one of the many YouTube videos I had downloaded in backlog, I came across a Nat Geo segment on the youngest recipient of a facial transplant.

What was a quick 2-minute tease showed the important bits of context. A young lady needed a facial transplant after a traumatic injury. After three years, she finally found a suitable donor.

Upon being (thankfully) baited into reading the entire segment on Nat Geo, I was shown a very delicate and fascinating story of a family recovering from a tradegy and persevering through many difficulties and placing their faith in both God, and modern medicine.

It was very touching, to see the empathy of human beings at their very best. Without spoiling too much, I emplore you to check out National Geographic's segment called "Katie's Face". And big warning, many images are graphic as it involves loads of surgery.

Sidenote, I'm trying to push for a double date next week as Shufs's boyfriend is coming down to Malaysia and I've never met the guy before. Seeing as Shufs has never met my date, it seemed like a good, terrible, cute idea to have.

Here's to hoping she's free.

posted from Bloggeroid

Mission

Sorry. There's not been much to talk about, really. And most of my thoughts have either been expressed to my friends or have been resolved in my head already.

Took part in my first Standard event for Magic, some two weeks back. Mainly because I wanted to support the LGS and built a deck with all the spare parts I've cracked from packs.

I've promised not to spend money on standard as it's a huge cash sink, but I'm unopposed to taking part in some events, if the prize structure is fair. I'm mainly in it for cheaper booster packs.

I guess that's the brunt of this write-up. Just a brief update on my uneventful life.

I've been told that I've a problem in which I can switch from full empathy to absolute emotional detachment. But I don't see this as an issue. Is that odd?

Maybe it's because I'm living with a rather emotional housemate who lashes out at world when things don't go her way. I mean, she's a friend, but she's also ostensibly reactive to the world, as though it's out to get her.

Lastly, I just watched Mission Impossible: Fallout with the parents. Great movie. And it seems that the quality of the movie is inversely proportional to the amount of screen time Tom Cruise is running in.

Also, Vanessa Kirby? Hot damn.

posted from Bloggeroid

Transit

Sorry. I've not been posting as much as I've been writing. Here's one from my trip to the US, almost two months ago:

The 6 am weather is biting, as I find myself temporarily away from my parents. European punctuality is a refreshing, if not unforgiving, when it comes to their public transport service.

As I disembarked into the mildly uncomfortable spring breeze, I noticed a Dutch couple standing across the bus stop. They're both arched towards one another. The lady has a foot planted onto the platform, the only thing posing as an obstacle between them. It seemed that nothing else mattered to them. Certainly not the cold.

You could see the glimmer in their eyes. Their gazes locked, unmoved. I noticed the wrinkle on their eyes and cheeks. They must be in their 50s, at a minimum. The grey roots on their dirty blonde hair vindicates that guess.

They've now pulled closer, and spoke further. As curiosity and fascination took over, I was drawn to their conversation. Of course, I'm a terrible lip-reader, especially since it's most definitely in spoken Dutch. Stubbornly, I pressed on.

Once the last words were muttered, the man places his hands on her face, cupping her cheeks. She quickly lays her hands onto his.

They slowly closed the gap separating their love, and exchanged an intimate kiss.

It was only then that I felt like I needed to move on. They were so open and expressive of their love for one another, that I felt somewhat moved by this observation.

It didn't feel like I was overstepping in their relationship, which is oddly intrusive of me.

And in an odd roundabout way, I was invited in. It was merely a glimpse, and that's all I could have asked for.

That casual observation had inspired me to love things more. This elderly couple, in a distant foreign land, had taught me how to be a better person. All this, without the use of a single word.

All this, so that I can love you better.

posted from Bloggeroid

Go/no go

"No seat belts?'

I shuffle in my seat, in what I used to call a van. Now it's a deathtrap for six. Five of which I care more (sorry, driver Chong).

I take a sniff of my clothes. A faint scent of vanilla on cotton. Good, I thought. Certainly doesn't reflect the past half hour of me running around the house, packing up for this trip.

Yeah. I'm going back to Iowa, for my Liang's graduation. And like I was three years ago, I've no plans nor ideas of what I'll do there.

My connection with the United States is odd, really. I love the people I've met there, and yet I loathe the nation it has become since my absence (no correlation there).

But yet again, here I am, about to meet lady liberty again. This time, for real. Yep. We're stopping by NYC.

I'm glad I got to take a nice break from life. I'm even more excited to see the people who are still around the area. And I'm anxious to unpack the last three years of my life to them.

I just hope they feel the same way.

posted from Bloggeroid

Print

It's near. I'm finally about to print the first copies of my book to be secretly sent to some awesome people stateside. Why them?

Because I'll be there in a few day's time. Liang's graduating so we're going to Des Moines before heading to Boston and New York City.

So I'll be rushing to get all my errands sorted out on Wednesday, before heading to the airport post-dinner. I'll need to print my book, head to Sentul to get US SIM cards from Yu Liang (who's on his way back from the US), and collect the printed and binded books, all while having packed already.

I have only packed two shirts for our two-week trip.

Not gonna lie, it's exciting to be able to go back. But I've been engrossed in everyday life in a drone-esque job so much that it had only hit me last Saturday that I'm flying off.

Besides that, it was a huge moment last week, to have been able to cast my vote for the first time in General Election 14. And also, ultimately being part of history. 60 years under the governance of a single party has come to an end.

The Opposition party had won. It's a bittersweet moment, because the candidates are basically the 2017 US Presidential Elections all over again. My voting practice was extremely (and woefully) straightforward: just not them.

Who did I want to vote for? Not the same people as before. What policies should we adopt? Not the ones implemented previously.

I hope to be a better voter and a more informed citizen the next time I get to exercise my right to vote.

posted from Bloggeroid

Bisection

*Last message sent: one year ago*

That struck a nerve with me.

Has it really been that long? Time has been cruel, but so have I.

I've forgotten about you. I've moved on, whether onto better things, is ultimately up for debate.

But when did I actually start giving up? More importantly, _how_ could I have given up?

You were my best friend. Frankly, you still are.

But it's been one year since you read my messages. And it's been two years since we last spoke to each other.

I don't know what to feel about that. Can you tell me how?

posted from Bloggeroid

Demand

Somehow this was in my digital notepad scribbles and didn't make it to the blog.



My sister demands a lot of attention.

My brother demands a lot of maturity.

I demand a lot of patience.

My father demands a lot of foresight.

My mom demands a lot of tolerance.

posted from Bloggeroid

Invincible

Life's weird.

On one hand, you can find yourself realising that for once, you're not alone in the love department. Dating a complete stranger met online can actually be fun, and before you know it, you've unpacked the past five years of your life to a complete stranger.

You feel invincible, because you know that she'll be there for you, because in some magical way, she low-key wants to see you, too.

On flip side, you can find yourself trodding back home in the pouring rain. Somehow, your drenched clothes don't faze you. Lightning arcs threaten nearby as the raindrops hit you harder.

You don't give a shit, because you know you're invincible. Even after another fucking shitty day at work, you know that your boss won't get the better of you. Hell, you're even bullish enough to assume you aren't easily replaced.

But life goes on. You can only hope that you find your egress from this miserable job, so that you can enjoy every other good thing in your life.

P.S. She's not my girlfriend... Yet (but don't tell my parents a word).

posted from Bloggeroid

Book

Congrats, you let the villain in the book actually read a story about them in real life.

You dug up that old, traumatic event.

You didn't think to countercheck on who you're divulging info to.

You preyed on someone's curiosity and well intentions and sold them down the river.

Fang, you're a fucking idiot at times.

I Dare You - The XX

2018

It's the new year!

Two days in and I'm already down with some stomach flu and fever so that's... less than ideal.

Here's to less unfulfilled resolutions, for me, at least.

I know that I didn't quite list down last year's resolutions, as I had came up with a few along the way so I guess I somewhat got some done?

I wanted to be more outgoing in 2017, so I guess hiking KK, going on a blind date, and doing some bouldering did the trick.

For 2018, I'll keep it simple and focus on just two goals (for now).

The first, is to get that book published (going through final edits, promise!).  I'm hoping to get a few copies ready for when I revisit The States.  Liang's graduating in the Spring so you bet I'm work my darnedest to have a comeback tour of my own.

The second, and the main goal for the year, is to work towards achieving peak fitness.  I know, it's a big ask, coming from me.  However, I need to be more disciplined so I'm hoping to beat my head in with an excessive amount of running.  We'll see if it actually translates to hitting the gym more often, but for now, it'll mainly be running, futsal and the occasional badminton/swimming session.

Sidenote, The Usual Gang had a nice New Year's get-together dinner so that was great, especially since 14/15 (missing you, Suz!) of us were miraculously free that day.

It was a nice to have a Secret Santa session as well and I'm extremely grateful that Chin didn't receive mine (which was a grow-your-own-Mint kit) because he would outright kill it.  I got Pauline's present two years in a row now, and it's a knitted blanket in the shape of a mermaid.  Needless to say I won't be posting pictures of it... here.

Super Far - LANY