Lost In Translation

This is how I work.
This is how I tolerate.

Despite people telling me over and again already, I have always worked this way, and hence, the reason to why I reckon I don't hold grudges if ever someone were to offend me for far too long. It's easy for me to forget about it, sleep it off maybe, and forgive. Because I see where the heart is. To not just focus on the action, but the reason(s) behind the actions as well. A certain person might be rude and rough, odd and freaky, stupid and silly, or all the above on the surface. But deep down inside, it may be a different case altogether. Maybe that's why my dad thinks I'm too trusting. I appear to have more faith in people than what should be expected in the real world. I don't believe that people were meant to grow to be mean and evil at heart, despite the things that they may have been through to scar it.

Where the heart lies betrays the rational to their actions, their words, their way of thinking. And if you could read a person so clearly, it could all be stripped down to be 'fair enough', I think. Despite how screwed up some things may be, it usually all makes sense, as long as you can understand them.

This all, of course, sounds rather nice, doesn't it?

Well I believed it in until recently that is.

I don't know really what sparked the thought. But I think some things just can't be excused.
It's not necessarily all about the intentions. Someone can so mess things up, despite having the best intentions to it. Can that be forgiven? Yes. But it doesn't change the effect the action would have created on circumstances and situations. In a (very) extreme example, for instance, say an occult leader leads an entire congregation of his followers to commit suicide. I'm sure not many would actually reckon that for some twisted reason, say 'Yea it's understandable. I can see how this could've happened'. I mean, think about it. The cult leader may have really believed in his cause and lead others to believe in it as well. Does that make it excusable? Just because he 'had a cause'?
No.

But this is how the world works. This is how conflict arises.
Despite us trying to understand the opposition's party more in order to 'reach an understanding', some things just cannot be compromised and discounted. Just because something can be argued and reasoned to be convincingly fair, it doesn't necessarily make it alright.

Is this extreme? Is this cynical?
I'm not sure.
Just sorting my brain out a little.

Silas touches everything. In a non-perverse way, that is. But it's disgusting.
Yet he somehow found a tiny crab in all those rocks. Which was kinda cool. It was alive. 'Was' because Silas bit it off soon after I took this picture.
No, I'm just kidding.
Still, Silas touches everything.

[edit: that is silas' hand up there. he is my friend and very much human. as entertaining the thought may be otherwise...]

I know it's stupid, but I love hitting the beach on a cold day.

The festive season is ending. Well, what little of it, that is. CNY just ended on Sunday, and I got my very last angpow that night after church from the Keoh's. They took us out to dinner at Preston in C-Culture. Had some crab noodles (Can I have some drools, in the house?). The feast was awesometh.

But yes. As of the end of this week, the Moonlight Cinema in the Botanical Gardens is also coming to an end for yet another year, and along with some friends, I'm planning to catch The Holiday before it goes.
But up on Saturday, Moomba is on. Can you believe that in my 4 years+ here, I've never been to Moomba before? This will be my first time. A virgin I shall be no more.

I've sorta made it an unspoken resolution this year to explore and appreciate Melbourne as much as possible. Tis my last year in uni (fingers crossed), and I think that I've really yet to experience the true flavour the city has to offer. You know, like the little nooks and secrets it has. That quiet little cafe along that dim alley serving the most mouth-watering choc brownie. That discrete stairwell leading to some bookshop with the craziest collection of literature you can find in town. That jazz bar behind somebody's apartment with the smoothest acts all over Australia. Stuff like that. I don't know. But I'm planning to find out.

Not compromising on my studies, of course.
Tis my third year. Tis time for some serious effort put in.
(fingers xx-ed)

While I'm still young.

Entry removed by author.

That's pretty much what Moomba was like for me.

It had been about 55 seconds since the loud voice announced that the fireworks was to begin within the minute, right after the short message from our Lord Mayor John So (he's my bro), when April who was sitting beside me turned and said, "Eh, hasn't it been one minute already?"

BOOM!!!

I thought that was the funniest thing that happened all night. Especially when she shrieked.
I think.

The fireworks display was impressive. The bunch of us who went there got a pretty good spot right in front of the main stage along the river, as we secured it about 3 hours+ before it begun. We were so close to the river that when the fireworks went off, we were showered by the ashes from the works. But I guess it was still worth it in the end. It went on for a good 10 minutes, including a little show where these dudes on little rafts in the river starting swinging these fiery rope thingies and attempted to fight the wind and light up the word 'moomba' on a grill plate on their rafts. It was comical to see "m---ba's" afloat the river. Yet again, like I said, the fireworks were still worth it.

I didn't bother trying the games or the rides though. The cheaparse that I am thought that it'd be wise to save that $30 on a ride that would last for only 3 minutes, as exhilarating as they looked.

The weather was alright during the evening. It was supposed to get cooler at night, but I guess due to the large crowd of people there, it got rather warm instead. To a point where it got rather disgusting, I think. I mean, sweat plus ashes? Not exactly impressive. But I'm a winter person anyway, so that's a biased opinion. As far as I noticed, everyone else were having a ball. Quite literally too. For $10.

ok, so maybe not this bloke here. he had a stick.

o_0

It was a great evening. My very first moomba.
Yay.

Ok. So this is pretty weird. For me at least. But it's okay. I'm confident of my place and sexuality (as Sharene so aptly puts it) in this relationship. It's cool.

On Friday, Esther joined me on my walk back home from uni, as I finish around the same time she knocked off.
She bought me flowers.

Apparently they're wild, exotic flowers. I don't know. The middle one looks crazy. Like if a fly lands on it, it'd just suddenly open up and *SNAP! Gone.
They smell good though. I'm just not too sure what to do with the bouquet as I don't have a vase at home.

You should've seen me walking back home with her holding the bouquet. It felt awkward. Actually no, it's good that you didn't see me then. But I just thought it'd be nice to brag about how loved I am. For once.
Not too often...

I'm compiling and making (although very slowly) my first scrapbook. Well, I'm not sure if it could technically be called a scrapbook in the first place, but it's basically a couple of pages (maybe 30) of photos and a commentary of the each of the photos I have taken. Simple stuff. Nothing too fancy.

It's gonna be entitled 'Home: where i'm from and what i love about it'. It's basically a compilation of a couple of random photos I've taken throughout the years of life back in Kluang, depicting little details of what I value most growing up there; My family. Friends. Church. Food. Uncle Jack and his kopitiam. The flood. Etcetra, etcetra.

Here's a peek at one of the photos I'm going to include.

That's Lat's Budak Kampung. It was first published in 1977, but I think I got the 3rd edition or something. I've had it since I was 8, I think, and to date, it's probably still my most favourite graphic novel. I especially like it since it's in old Malay. Words like 'kecil' is spelt 'kechil'. Stuff like that. I find old Malay very interesting, and the way he writes is simply beautiful. Way better than the English-translated one.

So yes, I'm going to do it. Something practical for once, and maybe (because you never know) meaningful.
Now, if only someone would teach me how to bind...
(hint, hint, iris)

Familiarity seeped in.
It was raining. We were sweating. The potpourri of smoke and aroma of food filled the air. The noise deafened.
And this.

I need to shower now.

Yep. In itsy bitsy teeney weeney polka dotted bikinis.
But that's something I'll keep to myself for now. I'm talking about another type of bimbo. I'm talking about Bimbo Deluxe at Fitzroy, where they serve some of the awesomest gourmet pizzas for a mere $4 during lunchtime on weekdays (and dinnertime from Monday to Friday too).
FOUR WHOPPING DOLLARS!!!

So Mel called and said we had to go to this place to try out the pizza one day. And to be honest, I'm not much of a pizza fan myself. But being so insistent about it, preaching it like it could save my life, I thought what the heck. And so on Thursday, Cliffe, Smellie and I hit Bimbo's.

I am a convert.

Mel's Aglio Olio

Cliffe's Salmon

My caesar

It definitely wasn't the typical Italian pizzas you'd expect. These were unique. I had my caesar pizza there (last pic) and it was heaven. I couldn't even finish it! The serving was filling! Oh, and they even had dessert pizzas like the chocolate pizza, which to my own disappointment, I couldn't afford to order 'cause I was so full from my own main. Only weird thing was that I was stopped halfway while happily snapping pictures of the food away by a waitress because apparently photography isn't allowed in the restaurant. I don't know. I guess they do have some originality in their interior design they'd like to protect? Or I might discover the secrets to making their awesome pizzas? Either way, weird.

But it's not stopping me from heading back again. Awesome food. Cheap price.
I didn't know such a combination existed in Australia...

Reluctantly, I ask,

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

To want you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart

-jarsofclay

It's Thursday! Meaning new-place-to-eat-day!
And this week, I decided to take Erwin & Mel to smxl!

Silas originally intended to bring Esther, Lydia and I to this place sometime last week, but was closed at that time. So today, I thought I'd take advantage of my day off and took the kids to this little spot which apparently serves the best sandwiches in Melbourne (because it says so on its windows).

So what can we say about it?

I had some pork sandwich

Mel had some tuna sandwich

And Erwin had hot chocolate.
(??)

It was interesting. My pork sandwich was sweet. And I mean really sweet. I really didn't expect that. I was originally gonna order the vegetarian one already when the sweet lady at the counter asked us if we had been there before. We said no. So she recommended the pork to me. Said it was really good. So I took it. And it was sweet. Not a bad sweet, mind you. I enjoyed it. Mel may beg to differ, though. Her tuna sandwich was good. But for some reason, none of us could catch on to why smxl's regarded to serve the city's best sandwiches.
They were... normal.

But Erwin enjoyed his hot chocolate though. It was really good. Better than Hot Chocolate's apparently.

Well, either way, it's not a bad place. Like I said before, the sandwiches were normal. Not bad. They're still good. Just nothing too special. They have great service. Nice feel to the deco (they had trees inside!). And the presentation was good too (as you can see above). And if all that fails to impress, well, at least I can say that I've had the (apparently) best sandwiches in town now.

It's a cheap entry, I know. But I really couldn't resist this.
Hands down, this has got to be the worst ad EVER.

"it's just like, it's just like a mini-mall"