Missing you....

I can't believe that i'm saying this, but i miss MOntreal and the East coast! Considering that I told myself repeatedly that I won't be going back to Nth America in a while, I'm rather fickle minded. Ooops... I miss the little brick house and my cute french landlady, the snow-laden x'mas trees lined on the sidewalk, braving the cold and snow on the way to McGill, and of course my beloved sin-food of all time, Poutine... I miss poring over travel websites planning for weekend trips... I miss surfing MidnightPOutine for the latest food reviews in town. I can't believe i'm saying this, but i miss walking on the streets of NYC...

Into the Wild

So I've been doing some reading since I'm back in Sing... I love the feeling of being able to sit down with a good book in hand, my cold cup of milk, lying on the ever familiar 'chinese-ancient' style sofa in my living room. Its quiet and surreal, which is much needed as an evasion from the hustles & bustles outside my little house & the blasting heat rays.

Been reading this book 'INto the Wild' by Jon Krakauer, which has recently been documented as a motion picture with the similar title, as directed by Sean Penn. REading the book for one thing, didn quite hit me on the impact of Chris McCandless's story, till I caught this afternoon's Oprah Winfrey's show guest featuring Sean Penn, Jon Krakauer, Emile Hirsch, & Chris McCandless's sister (the narrator in the motion picture). IT was interesting to see how total strangers (other than his sister) spoke of Chris McCandless as if they knew him personally, when Sean Penn describes why he decided to make this story a motion picture, Emile Hirsch recounts of reliving experiences Chris McCandless experienced, Jon Krakauer defends the boy from responsibility towards his own death. All in all, they know what Chris McCandless did and they are awed at what he did. Probably, by directing an independent film, assuming an ill-begotten role , investigating and penning an unkown story were their individual methods of 'going into the wild', a form of emulating Chris's motto of escaping realities and mundanes of life to live out life as it is.

Then again, how many can adhere to this, to what Chris has done, to live out life as it is, without bothering about the eye of others, without having a concern for the concerns of this world. We'd need a hell lot of guts like Chris McCandless.

The past couple of days has been a time of exercise for my brain. My mind has been filled with thoughts about what 2008 is gonna be like. Unlike 2007, when i had such a grip over what i was gonna be doing or thinking; this year, i have no idea whats in store for me. The feeling of inadequacy irks me, and the story about Chris McCandless resonates this inadequacy. LOved ones around me whom I saw 4 months ago, seem to have aged and grown in weary. Serving as a reminder that its time to grow up, and do some serious thinking....

Overwhelm

A walk in City Hall overwhelmed me with the generation of 'kids' decked in spaghetti tops, hot-shorts, dollied-faces, self-conscious expressions. Trust me, its not the good type of 'overwhelm'. It reminded me of the OTaku culture as criticized in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', simultaneous to the Japanese youths of anime-avid fans 'obsessed' in anime productions, resulting in an insufficient or absent interest in a world outside the anime-realms. Compare that with Singapore's 'otaku-culture', is a generation of Singapore youths absorbed in having fun, with each other, oblivious to the realities beyond their teenage years. I'm sure i've been there before, or rather my 'Otaku culture' was obsessed in books. Then again, i can't help being critical of the school-aged children today. Attributing it to the education system would be an easy way out, blaming the government is always the easy way out of relating responsibility to self; attribution to the family culture portrays the generation as the 'innocent victims'; attribution to the youths themselves reflect a 'monkey-see-monkey-do' generation.

An unfathomable city

After tRavelling for 20 days, over 7 cities, new york has emerged as the most intriguing city of 'em all. Or rather, the unfathomable city as i would term it... I can't quite fathom its character as an intellectual city of intricate railway lines and carefully planned city organization, or as a decaying city with ignorance towards the forgotten generation of lower class citizens. On the other hand, the decaying city portrayal projects a tinge of intellectualism as i marvel at how this generation strives for a living. Be it busking with an acoustic guitar in hand, walking through subway doors to beg for a living, or simply chatting up with someone in the hope that a generous hand would be offered.

A ride in the subway station has become one of the most exciting part of the day, whcih is also probably the most educational trip one can get in new york city. The observation of the dilapidated station, to the pple within the station, to the people in the trains reveal the plethora of population composition in new york city. I marvel at the musical abilities of the busking population in the station, the unique individuality of each passenger. I can't help realize that each individual stands out on their own: be it from their dressing, their facial expressions, the book they are holding on to, the clothes they are wearing. For example, i have become an expert at identifying a tourist from a local. Probably, the most intriguing people are the buskers i meet everyday: buskers voicing songs with their acoustic guitars; playing to the accompaniment of chinese pop songs with his erhu; swaying with the accordian; a duet between the viola and guitar to the hippish melody of mexican songs. I marvel at their dual-status as a busker and talented musician. Probably i marvel at how these starkingly different individuals are able to create a coherent identity as a new-yorker; are able to place 'emselves within the society of new york city without creating a sense of displacement.

This sets me wondering whether i have fully realized my identity or how true it is to my life. Conceptions with regards to myself prior to this 4 months now seem silly and gullible. ITs scary to realize this since everything i believed in were based on these conceptions. When these old conceptions go to past, new conceptions start to be conceptualized; old beliefs are annhilated and new beliefs are conceived. BUt i feel lost when these new beliefs and conceptions are not conceived nor conceptualized. The center of identity and self is lost and teh desperate need to recover this center arises...

2008 X'mas cards

IT's different this year cos i dun have all my card making materials!!! i miss my twilling pen... and my little foam tape. hehee... tried to make it look as exp as possible. HEhe... Its back to basics this year. C'est pour mes amis en Montreal!

BIG breakfast at Beauty's Luncheonette

Hearty breakfast at 'Beauty's' on Mont Royal

:D

Ooops... this seems to be becoming some food blog. HAha...

CoCo Rico, la Malajube et la poutine a la Pool Room!

It's been a testy day of my french today... HAha.. seems like the whole world wants to speak to me in french today.

WEnt to CoCo Rico, this portugues chicken place for lunch at the Pleateau in St LAurent. WEll, we were supposed to go to Schawrtz (this place famous for smoked meat), but the Q was juz too long. We couldn be bothered and settled for the chicken place right beside Schawrtz. WEll, schwartz ended up becoming take out for dinner. HEHE.. HHEHe... I've been wanting to try this chicken place for a while! And lo & behold, its good! and.. cheap! HAha.. we shared a place of chicken and ribs. Love teh ribs! N guess what! they have custard in their portuguese egg tart! I love.... custard! HAha... Of course, i tried to order in french. it went all right i guess. HEHe... Oh, and i found this bakery that sells D-O-N-U-T-S. I sooo need to go back there to get 'em. HEHe.. OH, and we caught 'Cirque Du Soleil' on St Laurent. HAha.. literally...

CoCo Rico REsto
See that BIG suckling pig there?! the guy there is SLICING the pig. Yes, slicing it....

Roasted chicken , portuguese style
Fleshy ribs!!! The bread is juz 30 cents! Hha..
My custard filled egg tart!!!

The totally run down lookin Schawrtz. WEll, the best food are always in run down places yeah? hehe.. so they say...
Check out the chunk loads of meat in the display... HAHa.. doesn look so appetizing now.
can you spot a guy on a unicycle?!! whatever they call it...

WEnt for Malajube concert in the evening at Metropolis. Beer & i practically waited for 2 hours before they performed! well, some unkown amateur bands were perfoming be4 them. AT least the wait was worth it. Malajube is juz so awesome!!! yes, they sing french songs.... but i juz love their songs! i can understand, provided i read the lyrics. Couldn quite catch what they were saying in between songs, except lots of 'Merci beaucoup'... Hehee... Their playing is juz sooo tight, and they have so much chemistry with each other. They had 4 keyboards btw. HAha... and the crowd is juz crazy....! ANd Beer was sitting beside this old man who claims to be the dad of the keyboardist.... right.....


The crowd grew from this...
To this!
Malajube!
The lights practically blinded me. tsktsk...




Oh, not to forgot, my dear Butcher from Montreal Pool Room has changed his cheese! He used inferior cheese for the poutine the other time. But i gave him one more chance today, and its back to the good old poutine! HAah... the cheese that melts with the hot sauce and piping fries!