Curry, Water, Wine and Pisco

2014 is a tall order

Life has suddenly in a matter of months become very exciting, very different. 2014 may turn out to be a game changer after all. I want to strap on my seatbelt and brace myself for the rollercoaster. I just hope no one gets hurt.

Four months in and the new boyfriend still feels new. Sure we have had some fights but none have made me sad yet and none have not ended in very graphic sex. With “I love yous” thrown around as often as the weather changes in Hong Kong, I feel that life has suddenly been filled with fondness of a kind I haven’t yet known. So I can only hope it lasts because I cannot grow tired of this.

Say NO to abusive bosses

I have mentioned several times in passing in the recent months that my boss is a worthless piece of shit. He really is. This human equivalent of a compost (though that is an insult to compost which is sustainable and useful) was the single biggest reason for why as of today I have resigned from my job. He is also the reason why I have taken a paycut in lieu of some dignity and peace of mind.

Like the ceiling can’t hold us

This right here is the fucking amazing Macklemore from the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concert I went to last night. I fucking loved them before and I love them even more now. These two men have gone against the grain and been immensely successful while putting out sick beats and rapping about hope rather than hate not to mention looking and being cool as hell.

Try dating an unemployed man: The luxury and pure pleasure of having a house-husband

I was at a dinner party 2 Fridays ago, it was being hosted by my friends from business school – a couple. Two other couples were invited as well, bringing the total to four. It was the first time in the longest time that I was going somewhere with a date, a proper couples’ thing (though to my friends’ credit, I am sure this was not a prerequisite for being invited) and it felt great. A French couple introduced themselves to us and I asked them what they did here for a living. The man had a job in telecom and the woman added  “I am a tai tai”. In turn, I said I worked for a bank and and when their eyes moved towards him, Ike chimed in “I am a tai tai as well”. I chuckled but not without admiring Ike’s sense of security to be able to tell strangers so easily that I was the breadwinner, as temporary an arrangement as it may well be.

In both unpleasant ways and pleasant, my life never ceases to surprise me. It has been a little over two months since Ike and I started dating. Considering my track record and luck, it surprises me that things are going this well between us so far. Knock on wood. But what surprises me even more is our whole arrangement – the whole living-together-this-early-in-the-relationship-with-a-stay-at-home-boyfriend. Never in a million years did I think I would be in this particular situation. Nor did I imagine it could be this pleasant. You live, you learn.

trouble(makers) in paradise

Tuesday was a horrible day for me. Work was absolutely rubbish – my not new anymore boss has been a dick to me with remarkable consistency. It seems that even my mere presence angers him, his tone and body language change and he blames me for every single issue in the bank. He’s basically an awful human being who has had it in for me since he met me and amazingly, lest you think this is some crazy paranoia on my part, even the other MDs seem to be noticing it. Anyway, my point is I had a crappier-than-usual day yesterday and I really did not want to share any part of it with my new boyfriend. My new boyfriend however had other plans.

…the best soy latte that you ever had and me

A small shiver just went down my spine as I try to put together in words my weekend with Ike. It was honest, relaxing and romantic without being contrived, without trying too hard. It was Friday night through Monday morning spent glued together, talking, singing songs, grinding beans and brewing coffee, watching movies, juicing, napping, cooking, doing dishes, holding hands and strolling, shagging, moving from one activity to the next in an organic manner without getting sick of each other. Not in a long time have I felt it this natural, this facile to spend this much time with someone and not run out of things to do or say nor feel any pangs of uncertainty or distrust.

3 stars: 2013 – A year in review

I am quite proud of the fact that I usually keep my new year’s resolutions, at least some of them, if not all. But it’s the 6th of January and present me is not smug at all. Because 2013 me pretty much shat the bed when it came to new year’s resolutions.

Tell me the truth boy am I losing you for good…

Freaking cool Graffiti in Poho

Well, after my epic moan nearly 5 weeks ago, I had very little to write about and very little time to write. My little brother came to visit me for a week, upon my own insistence. He’s off to do his MBA and settling in well in a European city as we speak. I am proud of him in a sense and while I am a little bit worried that this is his first real foray into the big bad world out there (he’s lived at home till now), I think he will be okay. I asked him to stay with me a week so we could talk about things, MBA-things, living alone things, long-distance relationship things. I taught him how to poach eggs (he loves them as much as I) and how to do dishes. I ordered him to do our laundry and make the bed. Important things as I don’t want him to live in squalor and disarray.

My one-third life crisis

Warning: This is one hell of a white whine. I know I have a lot to be grateful for and my life is far from miserable. Sorry if this made you tweak your nose in disgust. Leo, sorry, this is a repeat-rant of our phone conversation minus the white noise.

It has been a tough couple of weeks, or even month if you’re really keeping track. There was the excruciating bout of tonsilitis and then Sam dropped off the face of the earth. The trip to beautiful Myanmar gave me some respite but right after I came home to a shit-ton of work during what is doubtless one of the most stressful periods in the year (budget season) which in turn has been exacerbated by the fact that I sit ten feet away from the douchebag who dumped me using the “it’s not you, it’s me” excuse. I work till midnight and am convinced I look like shit so I try to dress better to make up for it. He seems to look better, more muscular with each passing day. Why is he at the gym when he should be bench-pressing me? And here’s the kicker – I have dated other bald guys in the past but I might officially like bald guys from this guy on. Barftastic.

When in doubt, smile – Ten days and nine nights in magical Myanmar

Written in bits and bursts in present and past tense while traipsing about Myanmar (Burma) between Sept 20 and Sept 30, 2013.

Jin, elvish pixie and I are heading tonight towards the enigmatic, problematic and hydromatic (oops) country of Myanmar. The old hindi song “mere piya gaye rangoon, kiya hai wahaan se telephoon, tumhaari yaad sataatee hai…” comes to mind (my darling went to Rangoon and phoned me from there to tell me he misses me) though ironically I am not sure I will have cellphone reception on the Burmese plateaus (spoiler alert: I didn’t). Our route is Yangon-Bagan-Heho-Inle-Mandalay-Yangon. This will include two days of trekking and home stays on the Shan plateau. On my last day, I will be by myself in Yangon and hope to make the most of it. I’ve borrowed hazel’s backpack and haven’t even managed to fill it up. 3 pairs of linen pants (shamelessly island-style), a long Indian skirt, 9 old and boring-looking teeshirts, a sports bra, flip-flops, a bathing suit, medicines and toiletries. No heels, no dresses, no finery – this is strangely liberating.