Lost In Translation

So the final month of the year is here. Christmas is just around the corner. The holiday mood is slowly seeping in. The weather has been scorching; the flies unrelenting, yet christmas trees, mistletoes, and the likes of lights seem to glitter at every corner of the city block anyway. An image I've yet to get used to despite being here for 5 years already. I know it's an American image - the whole white Christmas thing. But it just seems so right at the same time; my two favourite seasons put together (holiday + winter). And Rachel's enjoying that right this very moment too.
Sigh.

Well, the good news is that despite the heat, the festivities have yet to stop.

Yours truly here have been pretty packed with activities during the weekend, and there's more to look forward to this coming week as well. For one, my parents are here. It complicates life a little as I only have a set of keys to myself and now I've got to share that with them. So when I'm out and not having the keys, I'd have to make sure they're home or reachable before being able to get home at all. But it's good in another way as well as for this coming 2 weeks, I don't have to pay for my meals as often (wink, wink).

Alex is then arriving back here tomorrow. It's been so long since he left for London, and now he's back here for the hols. Can't wait.

Shum-bum has a projector at her apartment. Movie nights are inevitable. We just had a Ratatouille night last night. It was the Moonlight Cinema at home.

Which reminds me that there actually are many things to look forward to during this season. Outdoor cinemas are coming back. Moonlight's just one of them, and it's kicking off with The Darjeeling Limited. I so want to watch that. Been waiting for it since Slashfilm wrote about it in July. Yes, I said July. Australia's awesome in that sense, getting movies at its shores so quickly. Still, anybody gonna be sticking around to want to catch that with me?
I also plan to catch this sometime this week, hopefully. It looks beautiful. Anybody care to join me with this as well?
Christmas is then around the corner.
Followed by the new year.
Then Conference. At Brisbane (woohoo!).
And Moomba as well.

In the mean time, many are graduating. I'm still working everyday. And taking lots of photos.

The summer might not be too bad after all.

Today I:

Had lunch with mum in the city while dad played golf.
Received my flash order.
Caught up with many missed faces at Terence's graduation.
Had dinner with Winnie, catching up with events over the week.
Caught a red sun that painted the sky purple.
Got lost finding Terence's house at some dodgy suburb.
Met baby Aidan for the first time.
Had the best laughs in ages reminiscing old times, like the top-ten TK list.
(too hot to blog)

I miss such good company.
When nothing is sacred. We're just family.

The lyrics have nothing to do with it but Beirut always makes me want to take a holiday.

The Darjeeling Limited was awesome.
Not for everyone, I guess. But I loved it to bits. I would definitely rank it as one of my personal top three from 2007; with the other two being Mukhsin and perhaps Paris Je'taime. It was funny at all the right bits and it struck the crowd silent at all the right times too. That with the perfect cool weather and an open sky just made the whole experience much better.

Jason Schwartzman, the co-writer and star of the film made an appearance just before it began. I didn't know. Brodie did. He spoke a bit about the film (it was filmed in India for over three flippin' years!), how he thought that night at the Moonlight Cinema - being his first time in an outdoor cinema - has got to be one of the best nights of his life, and took a picture of the crowd as we waved back at him. For his family, he said. Really nice guy.

Summer's been treating me pretty well so far, surprisingly. I know it hasn't reach its peak yet in terms of the heat, but it really has been pretty relaxing so far. The coming week is my last week working at the deli before it closes for holidays. So after the 21st, I'd be really free till after conference.

My parents have also left for Malaysia already. Finally after two weeks, I'm back to sleeping on my bed. Not the couch. Yay.

Coming Monday night, let's watch Into the Wild.
Anyone?

It has not been my week. Things are all over the place. I am tired. Christmas is just 5 sleeps away and I have yet to get all Christmas-y stuff in order. I am getting broke. And it feels like something's wrong all the time.
Nevertheless, I pull through. I go to work and do my best to smile at the customers still, despite the eyebags. Then in the evenings, I'd keep Alex and Jaclyn company. Well, most evenings at least.

Still, the lure and temptations of escape is drawing me in again. The need to get away to seclusion. To a quiet place with a nice couch, light jazz and good soy chai lattes. And no one else around. No incoming e-mails with attached rosters and responsibilities. No phone calls. No media. Nothing.
Just me. And God.

The past week has been pretty eventful though, despite all this. Fun at times.
The graduation season is here. I'm supposed to graduate yesterday, I think, if all had been fine and dandy in my degree. But it just dawned upon me yesterday that the only three people from Eltham (my high school) who are doing Commerce in Melbourne are the only ones not graduating this year. Alana, Jaclyn and myself. Ironic.

Terence, TK, KG, Andrew, and Erwin are among the few graduating. There are many more but I seriously can't be bothered. At the rate things are going, I'd have to go to uni everyday for someone else's graduation. I don't have that much spare time, really. But for the times when I've been there, it has been fun. Ever since Terence's graduation last week, I've been seeing more ACCF faces through the week. Alex being back is a key factor I guess. The bugger has been the main cause of my lack of sleep this past week (that #$!@%). But it has been so good during those catchups, I must say. A taste of the old times again. Too bad he's flying off tomorrow already. Given he doesn't miss his flight... again.

I finish work at the end of this week. The deli will be closing till the 2nd of Jan but I'll be flying to Brisbane on the 4th, so I guess I'll finally be on a real break. Well, at least I hope I'll be. Things never go according to plan these days. We'll just have to see.
As for now, I've got a stack of cards to write up and some presents to wrap. I have a list of to-do's procrastination has robbed of for about 2 and half weeks now. I think I need to deal with them too. Till I write again, I'll leave you with a photo of a scar I picked up yesterday. I'm quite proud of it, actually.
Unless it gives me tetanus, I think it's boosting my masculinity.

Happy Holidays.

It's been one heck of a year. And God has been good throughout.
Thank you for everything.
I love you all. And so does Maxie.