May find peace in your accomplishments, a calm haven no matter where you go and end up in.To a family I was fated to dislike. Be it reincarnation, Heaven or hell, or whichever land of death in whichever religion that ended up to be true, I wish you peace there.
Can't sleep... Been talking to Julia and watching some videos recently. And there's the problem with my grandfather. Well, money. I admit that I am not living in a family that lacks it. We are not terribly rich but there isn't anything I want as of now that I cannot afford (well, as long as I don't want anything that's too luxurious). But still, money is a problem. It's not because it's not there or it is there. It's just... It being what it is. People feel that it worth something and they are entitled to a portion of it. They have all the right reasons of course. "Supposed to be mine" usually comes up. There's "the other party is too greedy too". I mean, the amount is not even that large, yet people can just throw away their relationship for it. I don't understand.
Recently, I saw this picture of a diamond ring. Darice is engaged! And I am happy for her. But it made me start thinking about when can I save up for one, when can I offer a girl one. Ok, now I'm 22. Assume I get my masters in 5 years. that's 27-28. Then I get 5k salary. Assuming I spend 2k, save 1k and save the rest, I can save 1.3k after CPF. That's almost a year for a 15k ring. Which translates to engagement at 29 assuming no other major spending.
Hahahaha! Talking about the effect of NS on birthrate. This one right there. I would imagine about 5% of guys gives up the idea of marriage thinking about this (however, they may change their mind due to other events). And after that a house, a car... Getting the big picture yet? You hit 40+ right about then. And don't forget the kids.
Won't be an easy life but I know, everything will turn out right. It is hard to explain but I know it will. Not because of all the Christian theories but I just know. It will be alright.
Recently, I saw this picture of a diamond ring. Darice is engaged! And I am happy for her. But it made me start thinking about when can I save up for one, when can I offer a girl one. Ok, now I'm 22. Assume I get my masters in 5 years. that's 27-28. Then I get 5k salary. Assuming I spend 2k, save 1k and save the rest, I can save 1.3k after CPF. That's almost a year for a 15k ring. Which translates to engagement at 29 assuming no other major spending.
Hahahaha! Talking about the effect of NS on birthrate. This one right there. I would imagine about 5% of guys gives up the idea of marriage thinking about this (however, they may change their mind due to other events). And after that a house, a car... Getting the big picture yet? You hit 40+ right about then. And don't forget the kids.
Won't be an easy life but I know, everything will turn out right. It is hard to explain but I know it will. Not because of all the Christian theories but I just know. It will be alright.
What do you do when you lose faith in yourself? I usually talk to my parents, pray and listen to music. Talking to parents is not a long term solution. They are human. They won't be always there for me or be always patient enough to listen to me. I can't take that as granted. Praying yields strange result. While God has always provide me with answers, part of me just refuse to believe it. Though it is just a very small part of me, this internal conflict still drives me crazy. It whispers all the things I'm trying to stuck away. It says I'm weak, cannot be relied on. It says I'm useless, not worthy to be walking along those who are radiant. And music is like drugs, very temporary.
Right now, I am combining the three to achieve the best effect. But without something better, I don't know how long these can last. Though I guess I'm also ignoring the temporary nature of life. This just makes life feel more and more like a game in which you need to keep up the "Happiness" meter... Hahahahaha!
Right now, I am combining the three to achieve the best effect. But without something better, I don't know how long these can last. Though I guess I'm also ignoring the temporary nature of life. This just makes life feel more and more like a game in which you need to keep up the "Happiness" meter... Hahahahaha!
Not really in a great shape and definitely not in a great mood right now. I try to hold things I feel within me but sometimes, outside forces pushes against me and they spill. It's nobody's force but my own. And this place is often the overflow room. Aren't you guys glad?! Hahahahaha!
Anyway, I enjoyed today's dinner. It was... A surprise.
Anyway, I enjoyed today's dinner. It was... A surprise.
It is a bell the waiters use to inform you that your food is ready. Pretty neat!
This is what I get. A few strips of bacon, plenty of brie (one of the few types of cheese I know how to appreciate) and whole meal bread. Doesn't seem much but it's really filling. Taste is not out of the roof but decent. Price is a bit too high for what I get (about $15) but I guess that's what I kind of expected. Presentation is really nice and it comes in a heart shape... o_0
The coffee is quite nice, not very strong (perhaps because I got the ice blended version) but rather... comforting. It feels like alcohol, makes you forget your problems, but only for a while.
Overall, it's a nice meal. I thought it wasn't enough but it's actually quite filling. Though it's still more of a desert place than a place for dinner. A nice place for old friends to catch up. Seems to cater for couples too (the flowers and heart-shaped bread) but the ambiance is not nearly private enough for that purpose.
Why remind me? The names, the time, the happiness... It was supposed to be forgotten, forever. But it creeps up. It creeps up to us all! We are rational beings. We try to rationalize every experience, every event. But we forget that this world cannot be rationalized. For God's sake, He created the world! If we can rationalize everything, won't we be as great as He? Yet we still try, I still try...
Maybe that is, sin.
Or maybe I'm just crazy!!! Muahahahahahahaha!
Maybe that is, sin.
Or maybe I'm just crazy!!! Muahahahahahahaha!
Nice ambiance. The large crowd today afternoon, yes, a Tuesday afternoon actually helps with the ambiance, making the place more vibrant and somewhat homey.
And the eaters (payers too) who are with me, my lovely parents!
The food is ok. Noodles aren't amazing but fine. Main selling point of this place is the fact that they offer you different hardness of noodles. Yes, noodles, from soft to medium to hard to very hard. We went with medium which is pretty much what you get at normal ramen stores. Soft, we believe will be somewhat like instant noodle while very hard is like your deep fried noodle which is another style altogether.
The price however, is pretty expensive. We spent about 100 bucks. We were full but not bursting. Each of us had a bowl of noodles with all three extra addons. They are fine but not fantastic either.
And the eaters (payers too) who are with me, my lovely parents!
The food is ok. Noodles aren't amazing but fine. Main selling point of this place is the fact that they offer you different hardness of noodles. Yes, noodles, from soft to medium to hard to very hard. We went with medium which is pretty much what you get at normal ramen stores. Soft, we believe will be somewhat like instant noodle while very hard is like your deep fried noodle which is another style altogether.
The price however, is pretty expensive. We spent about 100 bucks. We were full but not bursting. Each of us had a bowl of noodles with all three extra addons. They are fine but not fantastic either.
The soft core braised egg.
We also had this extra dish which is pretty much raw beef. Not bad, would be better if the meat has less tendon in it.
Overall, a really expensive meal (glad I went with my parents, hahahahaha!). The food is alright but really doesn't justify for what I spent.
Second one in the list of restaurants that I'm visiting. The original plan was to go to Hatched but unfortunately, it's closed on Monday. Thus, we went to Jone the Grocer instead.
Jone the Grocer is quite a funny place. It is both a market and a restaurant. It sells products like wine, canned food, cheese imported from Europe at crazy prices and provides breakfast, lunch and dinner at its restaurant (at a more reasonable but still rather steep price).
And the people accompanied me this time is a lovely couple:
Here's the food. Pretty expensive but well worth the price. It's fine dinning with a somewhat affordable price.
I love the ambiance of this place. Perfect for social gathering. The price is a little too expensive for my liking but I'm going to let it slide because the food is generally enjoyable. Not a place that I'll commonly visit but I'll probably enjoy going there once in a while.
Jone the Grocer is quite a funny place. It is both a market and a restaurant. It sells products like wine, canned food, cheese imported from Europe at crazy prices and provides breakfast, lunch and dinner at its restaurant (at a more reasonable but still rather steep price).
And the people accompanied me this time is a lovely couple:
Oh, I feel almost obliged to put this one up
Here's the food. Pretty expensive but well worth the price. It's fine dinning with a somewhat affordable price.
What I ate. Flavor is well balanced. A little sweetness from the pickled beet and a tad of sourness from the cream. The fresh spice (or vegetable) provided just enough crunchiness to balance out the texture. Though I REALLY regret not asking for medium rare. Medium is just too dry which brings me to another point: I think the meat patty was frozen. Come on! This dish cost me about 30 bucks, can't you guys at least don't freeze the patty (I may be wrong in this, maybe it's just the medium that made it this way)? Anyway, a dash of pepper is suggested before digging in. And the chips that comes with this is cold and oily and salty and seems not to be really very fresh. So you may want to leave it be or maybe try just a bit of it (unless you have some compulsive disorder to finish your food like me).
Should have made this picture brighter... Anyway, surprised that this dish actually made Meng full. Thought he will definitely ask for another serving of something else. He looked so starved when we arrived...
Love this picture! Anyway, looks to be quite unimpressive to my opinion. Breaking it down, there isn't really much to this dish. But its consumer (am I even using the right word?) seemed to have enjoyed it so I am going forward with the assumption that it is not bad.
I love the ambiance of this place. Perfect for social gathering. The price is a little too expensive for my liking but I'm going to let it slide because the food is generally enjoyable. Not a place that I'll commonly visit but I'll probably enjoy going there once in a while.
Little Part 1 Cafe at Jasmine Road. It's a nice place, ambiance is alright and the food is ok. Not spectacular but alright. I am slightly irritated by the proportion though.
My Shepard pie is the smallest portion out of these all and is not enough for me. While Kenneth's fish and chips is much more generous. They are equally tasty though. Oh, their mash potato is really good, tastes really milky for some reason.
And then there's the beef stew. Really spicy but tastes great too!
Anyway, a nice place to go. Not great, but nice. A little too pricey for my liking though.
Life is a truly horrifying process. I meet new people, thinking that knowing them will allow me to escape my past, only end up realizing that they are but an image of my past. I meet them, see them, expect them to be exactly like that someone I liked, I admired, I looked up to. I believed that with these new people, what I do to them, how I react to them are completely my decision. But it isn't. I am but reenacting the past, something from a movie, an experience, a thought. I am controlled and influenced by who I was and I am never who I am.
It is troubling. The only thing I can stick to right now is "Je pense donc je suis", "I think therefore I am".
Well... Unless we are all giant brains floating in tanks of liquid with this idea fed to us so we don't think too much. Oh that would make things fun.
It is troubling. The only thing I can stick to right now is "Je pense donc je suis", "I think therefore I am".
Well... Unless we are all giant brains floating in tanks of liquid with this idea fed to us so we don't think too much. Oh that would make things fun.
Went to Changi beach a few days ago to take some pictures and self-reflect. Though not quite the tranquil location I was looking for, the place is very quiet. Quiet enough for my MP3 to drown out all the other noises passing by my ears. I raised many questions at myself: Exactly how successful can I consider myself to be as of now? Have I spent my life till date in a worthwhile manner? Well, probably not. There are still many regrets I cannot make up to. There are still many aspirations I have yet to live up to. There are many debts I has yet or already can't return. And so so so very many things to be thankful about.
It is funny. When I'm alone at home, all the above seem to bring me a lot of pain. Out here, all doesn't seem to matter anymore. Slowly, as my trousers become wet in the splashes of waves, I think I saw an end to all these. Not an end that I can comprehend yet but an end nonetheless. A solution to the problems, so to speak. Maybe it is to become really f***ed up. Just stop caring about anything other than something simple, let just say "money". Or maybe it is to become truly "enlightened" if such a state exists. Hahahahaha! While seeking a simple answer, I just created another complicated problem for myself.
Anyway, the entire day is summed up into one single picture. There is something inside that I've been seeking for a while but I couldn't find. Now that I'm looking at it, I still can't quite grasp its meaning. But it's ok, I'll continue to seek. And while I'm still looking for it, I know I am alive.
Happy birthday, fellow architect! Have fun in next year's course (and I hope you would receive less weird assignments next year too. Hahahahaha!)! (Copied from Facebook)
Now, I'm actually quite proud of this picture that I took. It seems to be of the right settings, the right moment and my hand didn't shake like crazy. Especially proud of it in smaller format because I thought my depth of field control was a little loose.
Well, see you next time (whenever that is).
Now I feel like a traitor to so many things I hold dear... Better, the accusers are my parents and myself...