um.

So. I’m back in KL. It’s great to see family again. And friends. And everything familiar and comfortable.

Then why do I feel so foreign?

perfection

A professor in uni once told me my work was perfect.

“Too perfect, in fact. And perfect is boring.”

Use the grid. Understand the principles. Once you have something that is well-balanced and harmonious, take one element and nudge it a little out of place. Make it feel ‘not quite right’. This is how you can create tension. And where there is tension, there’s energy. And the piece comes to life.

When everything is perfect, it’s too safe. Because you are following all the rules. When you put a little of yourself into the piece, it becomes unique to you. All your experiences from your past, your opinions, the way you see things, will lead you to make that one decision.

Know the rules. Understand them. Then break them. Because by then, you will know which one to break.

walk this way

KL-ites are a mighty privileged lot. No one walks ANYWHERE. You drive to the mall. To the shops. To see friends. To the mamak. Almost everyone’s got a maid. Or cleaning help, at least. Food’s cheap and always available. And laundry… LAUNDRY is done at home!

I am feeling like such a pampered little brat. And I’m enjoying every single minute of it!

Back in New York, I do my own laundry. Which isn’t in the apartment. I’ve to lug everything down five flights of stairs to the laundromat, and then lug it back up again when I’m done. When I go get groceries, it’s the same thing. And I WALK. Walk to get groceries. And walk back with them. Walk if I want a day of shopping, and then walk back with the goods.

And yes, I walk to work. Everyday. Sure, I get lazy and take cabs.

But that’s not the point. The point is, if I lived here, I’d be DRIVING. Instead of walking.

i’m never gonna make you cry

KL radio is awesome. Makes me feel like I’m in college again.

‘ello? Why the songs all still the same lah?

it starts

Wednesday night at Laundry with the SocialButterfly. It was nice just sitting there shooting the shit. There was a football game on, so it was quite a crowd. We just yay-ed and boo-ed along with everyone. Sajalah. Not like we knew what was going on. We were too busy gabbing.

Got a little lost trying to get to the car since all the exits were closed. Finally found our way down, then got lost trying to get out to the highway.

I guess alcohol really does kill brain cells.

what happens when you move away

My room is now the de-facto storeroom.

family unit

I love my family.

They all piled into the car and picked me up at KLIA. Driving back, it was questions non-stop. When we got home, my brother lugged my bags upstairs and then everyone DISAPPEARED.

And left me to my own devices.

I spent twenty minutes looking for a towel.

*chuckle*

They’re awesome.

waking

Quiet. Compelling. Intense.

I’m still too blown away to speak in complete sentences.

weekend viewing

Gotta love that Mr. Wilde.

it’s raining again

I love being home on rainy days. Curling up on the couch with a good book. Head against the window. A steaming mug of darjeeling or jasmine. Miki purring on my lap.

It’s funny how all my senses come alive. I listen to the rain hitting the skylight. A light breeze blows through the window, opened just a crack. I feel it brush my face. Stray raindrops sometimes make it through, landing on my arm, or the page. My fingers are wrapped around the almost-too-hot-to-bear mug. Miki’s a heavy, vibrating lump.

And I lose myself in another world.