20080723

Quivering..

Under this absolutely horrendous weather, the Missy decides to seek shelter here, and she's in shivers from head to toe..

It might be due to the 8°C that seems to mock at me through slashes of rain and mighty wind, OR even more likely, because yours truly celebrates the 24th in less than 2 days' time!!

That's 2 full rounds of the Chinese zodiac circle, my friends. For those not so acquainted with the 12 animals (myself included), let's cut the chase short: Yes, I'm a Rat.

So, I've been asked this, on several off-guard moments. You know, off-guard as in when you were skipping happily through the voyage of imagination, pastures of love spread vast ahead and your every senses brings warmth to your heart.. and it happened. It's uninvited. You're unprepared.

A little knock on the side of your mind's window, a tiny but nagging voice haunting your dreams, "What are you so happy about? What have you done to claim these happiness? Do you even DESERVE to be happy? Don't lie to yourself, or maybe yeah, go ahead and try.. because you can lie to everyone in this world, but you can't lie to one person, and that is me, which is yourself, which eventually is controlled by me anyway.. yada yada yada yada.."

A Rat, by my definition, is a sneak. A smart sneak at that. It goes around sniffing for food, and by the holy cow's milk I pray, don't they always find it? And without getting caught too. Gotta give them credit for this.

Myself? I don't just sneak around. I sneak around myself. Yes, you got that right. I even try to deceive myself, that's about as sneaky as anyone can get. And oh, don't even get me started on the morale and social issues that come with it, because that will just push me further, or should I say "deeper" into deception?

Anyway, with birthdays come the unforgiving responsibility of growing up and learning that you don't know everything. I kinda look forward to that actually.. but no, hang on a minute, I don't think I do..

But I say, why not ditch all this talk and seek comfort in good ol' companies, happy foods, a drink or twenty four, and forget for a moment, Damn I AM a Rat!



20080722

Smell with your heart

7.36am, the air is still and cold.

Early morning does wonder to my senses; I may not be able to see or notice things that are right in front of me, nor will I be alert enough to plan things right, but dearest all, don't challenge my sniffing radar on these early mornings.

Cos baby, I can smell a fresh brew from 300 miles away..



And yes, my heart will be flowing that direction and stay there well till lunchtime is over.

The beauty of senses lies in how each different sense complements each other and brings out your most imaginative power.

The strong, nutty aroma dancing in the morning breeze. You can almost taste the milky froth of soy before the stinging sensation of bitter cocoa touches your lips. Two steps down and you'll be greeted by the buttery taste of warm, crisp croissant; soft and fluffy, with lightly browned shell edges that give way to the slightest touch. Nutty and buttery, for a moment you'll be living the idyllic past time of Parisians among the outdoor boulangeries.

Ah.. caffeine.. I'll have me a skinny latte now, please



20080720

We have moved!!

Okay people, welcome to the Home of Tran ;)

Last year this time, I went missing for a bit mainly due to relocation. As you will have picked up, we have since moved out of the high and dandy of Chevron, into the cosy and homey South Yarra love shack.

It was a pain, moving and cleaning and all. So may I also take this chance to say how much I love and thank you guys:
Val & Leon, and Dexter. Without you guys, we most likely would still be crawling with china bags up the trams until next year. So yeah, WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!

Now that we're settled (we just finished unpacking last night) and can officially call this our home, allow me to present..

The Home of Tran..

Before: The empty space that is/ will be the lounge


After: The warm little room to chill and have guests ;)


Before: A cold room

After: Where Master and Mistress rest their heads at night



You might not get the vibe through these pictures, but trust me, it's shouting "Love me, and you can't bear to stay away for too long!" all over the place. It is, afterall, a place of our own :)



We spent some hubby-wifey time yesterday turning this space into a home, pampered ourselves with a simple feast using the oven, and just laid back to watch a movie or two.



I'm all filled with love. If you have a minute to spare sometime after lunch, feel free to join me counting the blessings :)

Stay well, my dears.



20080710

Rainy Days and Thursdays

Somehow I thought of Carpenter's Rainy Days and Mondays this morning. No, I take that back. I wasn't just thinking; I practically couldn't get that song out of my mind!

Well, it IS afterall a rainy day. Only it's Thursday here in Melbourne, 8.7°C with little diamond droplets falling from the sky.

Weird to say, even though I was repeating this song over and over, and over, in my head the whole morning, I did not in the least bit felt the rain got me down. In fact, I couldn't be any chirpier considering I finished late last night, went home for a brief sleep and up I got for work again at the break of dawn this morning. IN THE RAIN. At 7°C, might I add. I could almost feel my blood frozen during its journey to the tip of my fingers. I imagine ten little red popsicles with green and purple jelly strips that you might have seen when you were little, very much so like the one in your imagination.

Ok, that's random, but anyway, since Missy's on a random roll this morning, here's the song for those of yous who'd like to know, or would love to revisit oldies..



Rainy Days and Mondays

Words & Music by Paul Williams & Roger Nichols
Talkin' to myself and feelin' old Sometimes I'd like to quit Nothing ever seems to fit Hangin' around Nothing to do but frown Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down. What I've got they used to call the blues Nothin' is really wrong Feelin' like I don't belong Walkin' around Some kind of lonely clown Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down. Funny but it seems I always wind up here with you Nice to know somebody loves me Funny but it seems that it's the only thing to do Run and find the one who loves me. What I feel has come and gone before No need to talk it out We know what it's all about Hangin' around Nothing to do but frown Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.
I'm beginning to see this in a lighter.. erm, light. And maybe everything in life can be seen in a lighter shade, if only we deviate from the usual heartbreaker. Try and see how it works for you, and don't forget to let me know ;)

Oh, and regarding that yoga path I was dying to take? I'm seriously looking into it. I might just fly off to India someday for all you know. Yes, I'm THAT into it now.



20080703

What defines a 'friend'?

"Friend" - what does it mean, really?

I have been keeping myself happy, or trying to anyway, these past months. And may I say I've done a bloody good job! I've learnt to look at things in a brighter and more desirable light, as opposed to the image of a broken bulb, that is.

I'm still learning. It never was easy.

I remember I once said to an acquaintance, years back, over bottles glasses of Riccadonna and slices of greasy pizzas, 2am in a street side cafe.

In my vocabulary, there's no such a thing as 'friend'. There's only acquaintance, or your best mate; and the line between is too thin to accommodate 'friends'.


Today, out of the blue, I thought about this notion of mine, years back.

4.22am. Wide awake, lying on my side. Thousands of thoughts pushing through with rush hour tickets. I wanted to sleep, I really did. But it wasn't a luxury I can afford lately.

So, back to 'friend', maybe it was the process of growing up, or maybe it was just darn tired of being pushed around, OR MAYBE I was just mad at myself for being the easy target to be pushed around; I'm back to declaring, NO, I have NO friends.

Only because those whom I hold dear to my heart are NOT friends. They are my soul. And because those whose existence I couldn't care any lesser, well then.. I really can't be fucked.

Life is still beautiful. Don't blame me, honey, I'm just a bursting bubble trying my very best to recreate the protective sheen that is as fragile as myself.