Heavenly good food

Bella & the Jets @ The Red Bean Bag, Publika.[

Wednesday is always joyful as you know you have successfully gone through half of a dreaful week - far from Monday & a little bit more until Friday. And also, especially when you only have a 90 minutes class in the morning... Or maybe it'st just me. Double joyful Wednesday.

My girls & I decided to go The Red Beanbag at Publika for brunch (the correct usage of word I reckon, having Jamie Chin's pet peeve regarding brunch in mind). I decided to have Bella & The Jets since I'm craving for mushrooms constantly - don't judge, and  a refreshing red apple & dragon fruits Smooshie which is absolutely a-MAH-zing (trying to sound like Penny here).

While we were walking around Publika after our satisfying brunch, we stumbled upon an art exhibition, the 50 Shades of Malaysia project contributed by Artemis Art to celebrate Malaysia’s 50th Anniversary on 16th September 2013 with the theme of reflecting the younger generation's thoughts & views on their home land (How do you feel about Malaysia?)

While browsing through all the beautiful arts presented by various artists, a particular painting caught my attention.

「Index Fingers」by Celine Wong - Lihua

"Although a supposedly democratic country, there are loopholes in our voting system. This work relates to the recent GE13 general elections where the purportedly indelible ink used could be easily washed off, giving rise to fears of potential vote fraud..."

Isn't it interesting? What do you think? & what is your thoughts on our home country?

x Jess

Summer book challenge #4: Sh*t My Dad Says

Sh*t Justin Halpern's Dad Says.

This book has been on my to-read list for a long while. When I had the RM200 book vouchers on hands, guess what's the 1st book I searched for on the Kinokuniya search machine?

... And the Kinokuniya machine directed me to the philosophy category and I managed to find this book out from few racks of Ancient Greek philosophy literature. You are on the same level with Socrates & Plato, Mr. Sam Halpern! (I wonder what will he say)

Anyway, I was expecting many funny moments & deep, witty, sarcastic but meaningful golden quotes from Mr. Halpern given that many Goodreads user have rated this book 5 stars, & I am not disappointed.

I have to say that this book is my favourite read from my summer book challenge list apart from Beautiful Ruins. Unfortunately I did not manage to finish Middlesex & Shadow of Night before the break ended. :(

“People are always trying to tell you how they feel. Some of them say it outright, and some of them, they tell you with their actions. And you have to listen. I don't know what will happen with your lady friend. I think she's a nice person, and I hope you get what you want. But do me a favor: Listen, and don't ignore what you hear.”

"Don't ever say stuff just because you think you should.That's the definition of an asshole."

“If you work hard and study hard. And you fuck up. That's okay. If you fuck up and you fuck up, then you're a fuckup.”

“There seem to be a lot of gay people there...Oh please, as if that's what I meant by that. Trust me, none of them would ever want to fuck you anyway. They're gay, not blind.”

“No, you can't go getting mad at people because they're shitty. Life will get mad at them, don't worry.”

On Lego's:
"Listen, I don't want to stifle your creativity, but that thing you built there, it looks a pile of shit.”

On Telemarketer Phone Calls:
“Hello?…Fuck you.”

One day I was on a walk with him and my dog, Angus, who was sniffing around in a bush outside a neighbor’s house. My dad turned to me and said, “Look at the dog’s asshole.”
“What? Why?”
“You can tell by the dilation of his asshole that he’s going to shit soon. See. There it goes.”
It was at that moment, as my dog emptied his bowels in my neighbor’s yard and my dad stood there proudly watching his prediction come true, that I realized how wise, even prophetic, he really is.”

So thank you Mr. Sam Halpern, for all the philosophy you've taught Justin & indirectly, us.

x Jess

Happy Endings: More please!

Bumped that Happy Endings got cancelled. It is a show about 6 grown ups that act like children - Dave, Alex, Jane, Brad, Max & Penny, which have been friends since like, forever.

It was really funny & I like the friendship between 6 of them even though I'm constantly annoyed by Max. Brad & Jane are my favourite characters, thumbs up to Damon Wayans, Jr. & Eliza Coupe. Oh well, at least I can see Damon Wayans, Jr. again at New Girl. (On a side note, isn't Damon Wayans, Sr.'s cameo appearance the best apart from RuPaul?)

Just Brad & Max having their moments.

Here's my favourite quotes from Happy Endings.

Penny: Davey what's the name of that movie about the horse that goes to the war?
Alex: Uhh War Biscuit, Duh.

Alex: I get the P shaped sandwiches for Penny and Pete, but what is with the lower case b's?

Jane: Wait Big Dave is coming to town? God I love your dad!
Alex: Ugh, the man hates me for no reason.
Everyone: You left Dave at the altar!!!

Max: You know what I was thinking about? If Mary Tyler Moore married and then divorced Steven Tyler, then married and divorced Michael Moore, then got into a three-way lesbian marriage with Demi Moore and Mandy Moore, would she go by the name Mary Tyler Moore Tyler Moore Moore Moore? Hm.

Growing up is no fun at all

Just Something △ Gather Street △ Miam Miam △ Häagen-Dazs △ Pik Nik △ Mei Tip Thai Food

Meeting friends is my favourite part of the holiday besides spending quality time with my parents. However it is often very hard to have a good meet up since everyone is so busy with their lives and also due to the weird semester break arrangement since we are all from different university. Thankfully we had a Raya holiday on the beginning of August so everyone is back including a friend who is studying in the State (summer break, hee).

Meet up sessions had always been great; we talked about our pasts & our future (which nearly made us jizz our pants - really not looking forward to the uncertainties). I'm happy and sad at the same time - I'm glad that we are still friends and still have each others in mind, but sad because in spite of feeling everything is still the same, deep down you can't help but feel that everything has changed.

Soon we'll be talking about internship (already talking about that though), convocation (pfft, some of our old high school friends are already graduated), jobs, wedding, babies, diapers and whatnot.

Sigh, I wish I can rewind the time to 2007 sometimes.

x Jess

You dream alot when you sleep alot.

So I was sitting beside Lady Gaga (wtf #1), and she was supposed to write me a song for my album (wtf #2). While we were sitting at a coffee shop or something discussing the lyrics, her backup male dancer was poking me like I was a piece of cooked meat (wtf #3).

I said to her, "Do you mind... You know, your dancer? He keeps poking me,"
And Lady Gaga looked like she just had the whole universe figured out, and sang, "Po po po poking you po po poking you."

(Wtf #4).

Not knowing this was a dream, I said, "What the fuck is wrong with you people."

She ignored me, and proceeded to explain a stage I was to perform with her (wtf #5). It was basically a swimming pool with an open bar in the middle of the pool & we were supposed to sing (& dance) around the bar. And I told her, "I can't do it. It's too fucking slippery!" (wtf #6) She ignored me anyway.

And then we were shifted into a back alley suddenly and someone shouted "IT'S DINNAH TIMEEEE!" and a pack of bulldogs in several sizes including the cartoon version bull dog you saw in Tom & Jerry ran across the alley toward the kitchen while I was standing in the middle of the road. And they stomped past me as if I was a camera in a movie shooting scene (wtf #7).

And then I woke up. Wondernig what the fuck just happened.

x Jess

Summer book challenge #3: Tell the Wolves I'm Home

There's always a wolf, living inside your heart, and no matter how many lies you tell yourself that everything is okay everything is fine, at the end of the day the wolf will still bring the guilt out of you, corroding your heart & mind in the middle of the night.

#4

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times,
in life after life, in age after age forever.
My spell-bound heart has made and remade the necklace of songs
that you take as your gift, wear round your neck in your many forms
in life after life, in age after age forever.

Whenever I hear old chronicles of love, its age-old pain,
its ancient tale of being apart or together,
as I stare on and on into the past, in the end you emerge
clad in the light of a pole-star piercing the darkness of time:
you become an image of what is remembered forever.

You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount
at the heart of time love of one for another.
We have played alongside millions of lovers, shared in the same
shy sweetness of meeting, the same distressful tears of farewell--
old love, but in shapes that renew and renew forever.

Today it is heaped at your feet, it has found its end in you,
the love of all man's days both past and forever:
universal joy, universal sorrow, universal life,
the memories of all loves merging with this one love of ours--
and the songs of every poet past and forever.

--Rabindranath Tagore

One of my fav poem.

 

x Jess

 

The official end of my semester 4.

I guess the burial of lecture notes underneath my study desk helped – saying goodbye and that we will not meet ever again assured my heart that I will pass this semester.

Results were released on Monday right before I got really sick and slept for 2 days consecutively. I got 2 friggin A- (& 1 A for Korean, my elective), 1st time in 2 years of studies. I was really really happy, but asked myself not to be cocky or too self-confidence and be sure to work extra hard for the coming semester at the same time.

Bummed that I have to go through the episode for 2 more semesters (but then studying is still better than working full time no matter how... according to some friends). The final exam was really hard for me. I did not do well for my midterms (and the only person I can blame is me) so I had to push myself real hard so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself further. Yes pride is my weakness (or the opposite) and it can either helps you or kills you. Bear in mind that I am really not a study person – Making it extra hard to memorise all those shits especially when they didn't even make much sense to me. I wanted to give up, hide in a corner to sulk and pretend I don’t care but I can’t. I can’t forget the humiliating moment when I found out that I got the lowest mark of a subject midterm paper out of my class. I broke down cuz I couldn’t deal with the pressure anymore, I couldn’t sleep, I was angry at myself and the universe, I cried in my boyfriend’s arm… But I’m glad in the end it’s all worth it. Thanks to my friends and my boyfriend for supporting/motivating me endlessly and also the universe/god for answering my prayers, or law of attraction, don’t care it’s the same to me… I do believe religion exists for a reason no matter you believe in it or not, perhaps we’ll talk about it the other time.

Summer book challege #2: Beautiful Ruins

So. Many. Feelings. ;___;

First of all, whoa so many characters along with back stories in a book! But all lead to the same point in which sometimes life just doesn’t play out like what you have planned or what you have in mind of, but it will turn out just fine eventually. Just like what Pat (senior)’s mom said, “Sometimes what we want to do and what we must do are not the same. The smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be.” - Noted, Antonia. Thanks for the tips.

Of all the mini stories, Maria’s got to me the most - She loves this American stranger more than every man she’s ever known, and that’s why she had to let him go, she knew that there’s no future between them.

"But I think some people wait forever, and only at the end of their lives do they realise that their lives has happened while they were waiting for it to start."

I guess it applies to all of us - We’re too beautiful ruins.

Summer book challege #1: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Whose Stars?

There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There’s .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I’m likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.

John Green – The Fault in Our Stars

Just finished reading this book. Didn’t like it nor hate it. It was funny at the beginning and lots of tears in the end. Augustus & Hazel talk like script writers instead of teenagers. The book was enjoyable nonetheless.