Breathing Easy

Just back from a pretty fruitful study session with Chris and Kirsten. It started out at the library, then Kirsten and I left for Starbucks because we felt very strongly that the library was too brown. Extremely valid reason, I say. Green-and-red Starbucks just reeked of Christmas; it was like someone was pumping concentrated Christmas spirit into that tiny coffee shop. Listening to non-stop Christmas carols, from jazz to reggae to opera... sipping their divine peppermint mocha, which tasted like a molten After Eight chocolate square (the one caffeinated beverage I actually enjoy)... well yeah, the whole warm fuzzy atmosphere did get a little cloying after a while, but we found a good spot and I realised that I mug better when there's a comfortable level of noise and activity around me, as opposed to my surroundings being completely still and silent. Had a FILLING dinner at Mellow Mushroom, a stone-baked pizza kitchen. We shared an italian sausage and spinach pizza with the thickest, densest dough ever... real good.

Yesterday's Singapore and Malaysian students' party was a ton of fun. I actually put some effort into dressing up after many weeks of just dashing out of the house with frizzy hair and the same ol' windbreaker. Put my sneakers away and wore the gold/khaki pointies Beth got me. Didn't realise the power of an eyelash-curler until I borrowed Sobeyda's... now I'm gonna get one of my own :) We had a really cool bachelor-pad-ish function room to ourselves, and there was rendang, prata, curry chicken, noodles, fish ball soup, red bean dessert (!!!), bread-and-chocolate pudding.

After stuffing our faces, we had a really entertaining gift-exchange - the kind where you could steal other people's gifts. After swiping the sparkly Victoria's Secret body lotion from Soehan's girlfriend Adeline, I was shown the same charity when Pammy took it from me. Haha. I ended up with some designer chocolates, so I'm not complaining. It was just cool to meet a bunch of new people. Nice people, good food. That's all you really need for a party. An annoying-but-infectious festive soundtrack helps too. "Laaaaast Christmas, I gave you my heart..."

Still waiting for better party photos. 1. my newfound fellow Asian English major Kimee 2. Chris with the ladies