Photo Update: 1st-7th Feb 2017

Lunch time reunion with Cali and Lin at this fancy place that serves crepes. 

We ordered beef pate and some other savoury crepe, both which I did not enjoy :< The soup was nice though, haha. 

Present from my sweet Lin :3 

Dessert!

Dinner time with my lover. 

He brought me way too many snacks for our movie, I appreciate it so much <3

Last babysitting session!

Miss these cute kids. 

Korean dinner to catch up with Fion!

Using my last few days in town to meet as many friends as possible. 

Lunch at my girl's work place, Joo.

My qt bingz. 

Soooooo good. 

This qt took care of the bill as a send off meal <3 

No pics of sweetie Sharan but we had froyo for dessert and she brought me to this famous cake shop to get some cake for my family! 

Back to pick the bestie up after work!

We spent the rest of the night eating, chilling, and then.. she fell asleep on me hahahaha.

CNY visit to the boy's house over the weekend!

His mum whipped up an amazing lunch (: 

Advanced Valentine's Day celebration for us :3 

Hahahaha funny shot the boy caught of me. 

I love this <3 

I've heard many people rave about Fat Cow but have never thought to come because I'm not exactly the fanciest kinda diner. But it was so nice to be brought here (: 

It was so so so so so so soooooo good <3 

We had nowhere to go after dinner because we're old and lame so we went back to mine to play lame two people mahjong until my dad came home to join us :P

Quick meet up with this girl for some cuddles. 

Then back home where my family threw a farewell lunch for me. 

All of mum's and dad's speciality dishes :') 

<3

We also played Blackjack where I fared terribly, but all in the name of fun!

Special day out with my jiejie! 

Then a quick meet up with old friends from Canada!

Then dinner with sweet baby Julius who's growing up so quickly!

Tried to carry him away to let his mum and dad have some peace eating but he was not being fooled. 

Quick meet up with this kitty who was lapping up the sun

Waffle with Heather after! I had such a hectic week! (: 

The People You Love Do Not Stay Dead

the problem with the people you love dying
is that they do not stay dead. here's a hand on
your lap in june. here's their head on
your shoulder in october. here's their
lips on your cheek before the night ends,
and here it is happening all at once.
the breaking and the mending at once,
the fury and the light at once.
when you speak it is not your voice you hear
but theirs, speaking the words they taught you.
say "please" and "thank you," again,
i dare you. your heart is in your mouth
and you chew it. your stomach burns
and you do not feed it. you read what
the stoics say about grief. what Kristeva
says about grief. but you don't really
care for ethical principles or Epictetus.
philosophy can't help you. there are spaces
on your body the shape of their hands.
when you reach to fill the gap, your
own hands disappear. it is bottomless.
you will no longer be whole. but look,
when you open your mouth to speak,
is not your voice you hear, but theirs.
so you say their name and yours a
hundred times before bed, touch
the ghost of their head on your shoulder,
and say — thank you, what a gift it is
that the people you love do not stay dead.

By Diana Rahim

QLRS Vol. 14 No. 4 Oct 2015

CNY 2017

We had a mostly uneventful CNY this year. Many of our distant relatives don't come around/aren't in the country during this time, and those who are around usually only visit granny. To be honest this yearly affair has become a somewhat tired one for us, with not much to do and not many people to see, but I see appreciate the extra time for family. 

Popped out early on CNY eve to meet this beautiful girl for lunch!

I would loveeeee to have this right nowwwww, hands down my favourite chicken rice. 

Yearly family steamboat! As usual there was way too much food. 

So much love for these 3. 

First day of CNY means cheongsam for me hehehe. 

Chubby baby nephew! 

Nearest and dearest <3 

Sis and I with the bunch of our nephews and nieces, they grow up way too quickly! Look at the eldest one?? He's huge!! I don't even know when he got this big? My most vivid memory of him and his sister is of them jumping on my bed when they were tiny... 

Blurry pic with my paternal cousin. We spent all evening together with our other cousins but didn't take a single photo!

Leftover from the night before, for lunch! I love fish tofus so much. Sam bought me a small packet here before leaving, I'm going to savour it slooooowly. 

Day 2 of CNY, we had already run out of relatives to visit so Sam and I headed out. 

No. 5 was pretty quiet. 

Met up with my sweetie meimei. 

With her bf lol. 

Trying to savour the last 2 weeks I had with this boy. 

Because he was craving for burgers. 

Mahjong night with our fav couple because Tim was back in town! 

Day 3 is allocated for our yearly family yumcha. 

This year we got real fancy and went to Raffles Hotel. 

Lol centre parting was my nemesis but now I've fully leaned into it. 

Family is the best <3 

My granny is so boss. 

Amazing Shanghainese dinner with Damian & Ovi. 

Ovi refused to take a pic but we had such a lovely time together. 

Visiting Roxy baby. 

And of course her beautiful owner. 

Maccas is the bestest especially when they deliverrrrr. 

Wuv. 

Being two

 I.

If death is letting go then life is small doses of dying.
In lamplight, a shadow trails a pen in love.
In this manner, always, there is recollection,

a tight-spaced box, crowding ghost words
in teaspoons and minutiae,
passing blips no scale registers.

On a stagnant page even the brightest words are shadowless.
In a cul-de-sac I turned, walked over you.
In a cul-de-sac the impossibility of apology.

          II.

A green pen, on a green pillow.
The flowering of blue ink thoughts, spilt like Rorschach -

when the mind is phrased to certain lips
and turns of tongue,
there is, always, that inability to return
a same meaning.
This is the blot of being two.

By Edlyn Ang

QLRS Vol. 4 No. 1 Oct 2004