"Just One Drink" to Start the Weekend

You know what they say about having just one drink?  Well, it's never true.  Unless you're drinking just a glass of wine for a night cap.  But after work on a Friday?  Especially after leaving the office at 9:30pm?

Whoever invites you for a drink - or maybe even just a couple of drinks - is a big liar.

And at the end of the night, you'll be happy you're friends with these kinds of liars.

I left the office at 9:30pm (yes, it's a shame).  It's been a busy week at work, and I'm preparing for a big training next week.  I got a message from a friend who also happened to be working late on a Friday night, inviting me for a drink near his office.  Having eaten nothing but crackers since 11am and being brain-fried after a long week, the only logical response was yes.

So I went.  We went to a pub that serves food so I could have my dinner.  After a couple of rounds of Jack and beer, his friend came to join us.  Naturally, a third round was in order.  The bill came, the restaurant was about to close, but it was too soon to end the night.  We had been out of office for just a couple of hours anyway.  And with the conversation going well - from movies, to sexism in movies (there's a set of criteria for it), crying over movies (Free Willy and Breakfast at Tiffany's), how we love multidimensional villains, being away from home, food places in Singapore - we decided to head to a hidden bar in Boat Quay.

It's one of those bars that you never knew existed in an alley that you also never knew existed.  All you see is a sliding door from the outside.  You don't hear anything.  You do see people coming in and out, but you might think it's just a passageway to the parking lot or the main street.  You get into a lift and you press the button that takes you to the attic.

And when the lift doors open, it's a completely different world altogether.  The bar has a live band, a wall of drinks, a balcony that gives you a good view of the Singapore skyline from the fifth floor, a good crowd.  J bought the first round of drinks.  To make it fair, I bought the next one, and IP bought the last one.  Over the course of three rounds, we talked about life dreams, long-distance relationships, traveling around the world, different types of music, photography.  I guess you can say we became better friends just because we shared parts of ourselves that you wouldn't normally share in the usual party small-talk, which can get exhausting after some point really.  The next thing we knew, the lights were on, and the bar manager was almost begging us to leave.  It was past 3am.

All because of the simple lie on having just one drink.  One drink is never just one drink.  And it's always great to lie to yourself and to your friends about this.  Especially if you get great conversations out of it, you discover new parts of the city, and you feel more connected with your friends.

These are my favorite nights-out.  The ones that bring you a lot of surprises - the good ones - and new experiences.

Great way to start the weekend.

x

P.

Angels

I've always believed in angels.  It may be my Catholic upbringing.  I think most of it is just faith.

I believe they're always around us to watch over us, to guide us to the right path.  To guide our hands on the wheel when we drive.  To lead us to a detour path to avoid that accident.  I believe they're always around to protect us from harm.

I believe they're around to hold us when the world is crumbling.  To whisper that everything is going to be alright when our hearts are breaking.  To put us to deep sleep and make everything better in the morning.

Some of them come with wings - the ones whom we don't see, in whose presence we feel safe and comforted.  Others come in the form of family and friends.  Strangers with big hearts.  Loved ones who would rush to your side in a heartbeat.  It takes an open and grateful heart to see them and feel them.  They're everywhere, and I can't be more thankful.

Thank you God for the angels.

-P.

On Living Alone

For the first time in my whole life, I'm living alone.

When I was sixteen, I started living in the university dorm with three other people in the room.  That wasn't my first time to learn how to co-habitate as my brother and I shared the same room, but it was my first time to live with friends.  It was fun - especially that two of them have been my super-duper good friends since high school (and they will always be).

At twenty-one, I moved to Singapore for my first (and current) job.  Of course, with rent being so expensive, the only practical thing to do was share a flat with a flatmate.  I didn't mind really, as I'm used to living with other people.  In fact, this was an 'upgrade' because it was the first time I had my very own room.  It was easy.

Now, after six years, three Singapore apartments, and six (and a half) flatmates, I finally decided to live alone.  People ask me whether it's lonely.  It's not, and I honestly think it's one of the best things that happened to me as far as 'residency' is concerned.

Here are some of the best things about living alone.

1. I can have my own musical.  Anytime, anywhere in the house, with any outfit.  So far, I haven't received any complaints from the neighbors.  Not yet.
2. Everything's mine.  Even the mess.  It used to bother me so much when I left the dishes for more than a day.  Or when I left a scarf or a piece of clothing in the living room.  Or even when my own room was messy.  Because it might bother my flatmate, or worse, I might get slightly judged.  And the latter would sometimes be the trigger for fixing up.  Now, I clean up after my own mess everything because I hate coming home to a messy house.  I'm doing it for myself and not for anyone else.
3. I can run out of the bathroom to grab a towel in case I forget one.  Without hesitation.
4. It's a sanctuary.  I'm a very social person, and when I'm out of the house, I love being around people.  Despite this, I do need my alone time.  Time to recharge and write on my journal and read my books and work on my photos.  And daydream without disruption.  Time to be with myself.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not the type who would just ignore people (there are exceptions which deserves another blog entry altogether), but there are times when I just don't want to talk to anyone.  Just because.  Especially after a long day.
5. Music in full volume.  Any genre.  Whatever I like.
6. I can host parties anytime I want without bothering anyone.  I love hosting people.  It doesn't have to be the intricately planned gatherings.  In fact, I love the impromptu gatherings even more.
7. I can take Alanis Morissette's second advice.  If you get it, we've just become better friends.
8. I've become more responsible.  When I decided to live alone, it came with the decision to be more independent.  Which included independence from any helper. Now I do everything on my own - cleaning, ironing, cooking.  Everything.
9. I've become more organized.  Because of the extra space I have, it's much easier to organize my things.  I can use the living room closets freely.  And I've started organizing the kitchen too.
10. No remote control sharing.  I love my NatGeo shows and my HBO movies.  No one changes the channel.

The only bad thing is that no one can zip me up or unzip me for those difficult dresses.  But well...I've already figured out a way around that.

-P.