Shut Up & Listen!

        

Last night was our second concert under Live!Empire. Barely knew much about the bands performing for Shut Up & Listen! so it took me a month to download and insert the relevant songs into my mp3 to accustom myself to the lyrics. Also, Trisha won us Anberlin meet-and-greet passes through a competition! 

Tonight Alive

Matt Best (drummer) who kick-started the show with a sick drum intro.

Jenna McDougall (lead vocalist) being as amazing as she is.

Whakaio Taahi (lead guitarist)

He has the most adorable moves on stage -- the way he bobbles his head while hopping all over the place like a little boy and occasionally smiling at the crowd + his Hitler moustache makes him the cutest thing on Earth.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

I was joking with Trisha that I'd wear a red jumpsuit to the concert just for the sake of TRJA, but I couldn't find one in time and I wouldn't have worn it even if I did anyway.

        

Ronnie Winter (lead vocalist)

For a 30 y/o, this man has the swag and his voice is a melody that I'd put on replay. The amount of feels he managed to stir up in me when he sang Your Guardian Angel was just......... too much to handle.

^ This was how I felt when they played Your Guardian Angel. So dreamy, so ephemeral. 

        

Josh Burke (lead guitarist)

19 y/o, from New York, ripped and plays the guitar. Ladies, have your ovaries exploded yet?

Randy Winter (rhythm guitarist)

P.s. he has Ronnie's vibes

This was TRJA's playlist set (all hail the classics). It was thrown off the stage and it landed on me and everyone around me was eyeing to snatch it but I was like "IT'S JUST PAPER GUYS IT'S JUST PAPER". I mean like, I didn't even try to catch it, it just flew across the stage and towards my chest and bam, I caught TRJA's friggin' playlist set. Achievement unlocked? Heh.

Anberlin

Joseph Milligan (lead guitarist)

Stephen Christian (lead vocalist)

Deon Rexroat (bass guitarist)

I don't know why but throughout the whole performance, my eyes were fixed on him. He kept smiling towards my direction (not implying that he smiled at me) but he was just so charming and he kinda looks like Josh Ramsay except he's a better looking version. I like his Born & Bred shirt too ^.~

Also we made new friends at the concert (excluding the photobomber at the back hahah)! Laura and Claire were infront of us in the queue before we entered and they were really affable when we exchanged conversations about the concert merchandise.

Before the M&G session with Anberlin, Trisha and I literally couldn't stop fidgeting 'cause 1) I don't know what I should do when I'm inside should I shake their hands hug them or rape them 2) I'm afraid I'll mix their names up 'cause I only learnt their names a few hours before the concert 3) I was too eager to meet Deon even though I only realised about his existence today 

I took a selfie with the one and only Deon Rexroat, guys!!!!!!!

It was funny how Joseph was kinda neglected during the M&G 'cause he's the least popular member BAHAHAHA sorry Joseph but I love Deon more. Nathan Young (drummer) was really cute too, it's a pity I didn't manage to take a picture of him during the concert because he was hidden in the shadows of the backdrop. But anyway, here's a shoutout to my beebee: Thanks for winning the Anberlin M&G passes and letting me have the honour of attending it with you. :-*

Took the last train home and here's one of the craziest night I've had in ages. 

xx

NamNam Noodle Bar / Tiong Bahru Bakery / Ssikkek BBQ

Yesterday, Trisha came to visit me and Edmund at work and since we were nearby Raffles City, we decided to give these two places a try:

NamNam Noodle Bar

Lunch Set: Beef Pho, Southern Rolls, Iced Lotus Tea

First to be served were the Southern Rolls. The skin was tough and doughy but other than that, this Vietnamese popiah was a delightful dish, especially when consumed with the dip that comes with it. For the beef pho, the mild spiciness of the fresh chilli and sourness of the lime blended really well to form a concoction of perfection and the portion of beef was really generous. I would have to say though, that the iced lotus tea was a spoiler. If I had to describe how it tasted, I wouldn't be able to because it was tasteless.

Tiong Bahru Bakery

Apple Crumble, Marron Cassis Millefeuille, Banana Chocolate Crumble

In personal opinion, the portions are generally huge and meant for sharing unless you are a dessert vacuum machine. Else, it'd be filling enough to be shared between two. Y'know how some apple crumble pies are too sweet some times? TBB's Apple Crumble pie was just right. Not too sweet yet not bland either. Same goes for the Banana Chocolate Crumble. Didn't quite fancy the Marron Cassis Mille-feuille though, because the cassis was too sour for my liking.

The next day, we met again for dinner as part of our Gourmet Tuesday plan!

Sikkek Traditional Korean Bbq Restaurant

Ginseng chicken soup was extremely unacceptable. I mean, you can't call it ginseng chicken soup if you can't taste the ginseng or the chicken. Ended up having to finish the Ddeokbokki all by myself 'cause nobody wanted it, and the glass noodle too (except I didn't offer it to anyone anyway 'cause it was so addictive). Nic was hooked onto the prata-like 'pancake' and she grew annoyed when I hid her garlic underneath the meat. The only meat I liked were the pork bellies and the garlic chicken. Overall, I'm not so much of a bbq fan so I didn't really enjoy this meal. But go for it if you are a meat enthusiast!

Au Chocolat

I can't express how physically and mentally relieved I felt when my last paper ended yesterday. Like, I can finally continue my life as a civilian instead of a walking zombie. Returned home for a short nap first before reuniting with Trisha, Edmund, Nic and Bryan for a gourmet session at MBS!

Au Chocolat

After you exit the MRT station, walk to Ferragamo, turn right, then walk all the way straight. And when I say "all the way", I meant all the freakin' way. This was exactly as instructed by the concierge, LOL.

Ultimate Benedict

I've gotta admit how disappointed I am in this dish because I had expected it to be legendary since even ladyironchef recommended it, but it was only average. The only plus point for me would be the abundance of spinach and bacon strips. Other than that, the taste gets sickening after awhile, especially when the pancake soaks up the gravy and becomes too soggy.

Trisha's Meat Lover Burger

Trisha was contemplating between this and the Au Chocolat Signature Burger but of course the carnivore in her was biased towards this meaty chunk. Again, the bacon was overloaded.

Truffle Fries

I personally have a self-diagnosed allergy against the smell of truffle but other than having to hold my breath before taking a bite of these potato sticks, t'was still good. The portion was pretty generous, considering that Trisha and Nic kept on nomming on them yet it seemed like a bottomless pit. Definitely serves more than two pax.

Nic's Shellfish Fiesta

Nic's only complain would be that they didn't take the clams out of their shells (critique invalid HAHAH), and it actually is more filling than it seems to be.

Edmund's Roast Chicken, Bryan's Duck Confit

Bryan feels that this beats Saveur's duck confit, but I beg to differ. If I'd to make a comparison between the two, I would say that Au Chocolat's has more of the sides (mashed potato, baby carrots, spinach and poached pears) but the duck meat itself is not as moist as Saveur's.

Caramel Apple Skillet

Entirely devoured within the first few minutes, 'nuff said. This deserves a best-dessert-of-my-life award.

My beautiful models :-)

Great food, better company.
Anticipating the food trails we'd be embarking on this hols, woohooz.

xx

What's so good about picking up the pieces?

Sometimes I look at someone and think to myself, "She's broken inside and I want to pick her up."
So I try. I try to be a little nicer, to be a little more observant and sensitive, to be a little more emotionally-attached to this being than I should probably be.

But, surprise; The tables are turned on me.

"Don't try to fix a broken person, you may hurt yourself from her shattered pieces."
Guess I should have heeded this advice huh?

----------------

This week has been nothing short of heartbreaking. There are times when it gets overwhelming for me to know that people just brush me aside like how they flick wandering ants off the table. Then it gets worse when people tell me point-blank in the face that I'm imperfect, not in the perfectly okay way, but the you-are-fat-so-you-should-stop-eating way. I don't like confessing that negative comments turn my entire world upside down, but truth is, it does. Sometimes for a minute, sometimes for a day, but sometimes, I immediately cancel all my plans and coop myself at home, stare at myself in the mirror and cry because.... idk I'm just the ugliest fuck in the world so no one deserves to have their eyes blinded by me.

Times like these I'm just grateful for people like Nic and Bryan who make me feel like I'm at least a 50%.

Misfit

i. People should really stop assuming that I have all the time in the world just because I seem to be having fun all the time on Instagram, but that's only because I don't post photos of myself slogging my ass off for projects and exams. The only times I have fun are during meal breaks when I'm not down with work. So piss off if you think it's easy being a poly kid, or in fact, piss off if you assume I always have more time than I need.

ii. I get extremely annoyed when people request for this and that but they don't want to move their big fat ass for it. You want it? Go get it. I can do you a favour once or twice, but don't expect me to spoon-feed you for your entire life.

iii. Do you ever feel like a donkey trying so fucking hard to fit into a group of Andalusian war horses? They're so prestigious, and I'm just sitting there like...... I don't know what I'm trying for, because these classy stables don't ever seem to acknowledge my presence at all. I've never felt like I've truly belonged, and I will always be the misfit.

Life in fragments / FOB concert

i. 'Pretty in Punk' as a Fall Out Boy tribute

ii. Virgin shot of Jägermeister before a meal at Werner's Oven with the fam. Had beef brisket after and it was kickass, just sayin'.

iii. Turkish eggs with smoked salmon and toast for brunch at the highly-raved Penny University

There was a night when I mentioned about the cafe while P and I were on the bed waiting to fall asleep, and I mispronounced the cafe name as "Penny's Cafe". That sick little child was giggling to herself and it took me a minute to realise why.

iv. Merely Ice Cream after graphic comm submission. (P.s. I am so contented with our finale pieces, love you guys)

v. Jinzhuang's birthday celebration at Mong Kok Char Chan Teng with them 2E homies

These days I've been running around, to places I've never frequented before; especially so to Kallang and Raffles City. In the past half-month, I've met up with this bunch for at least 5 times and it feels as though we're back to the notorious 14-year-olds again. Sometimes it's unfathomable how I'm able to bypass all the childish acts we do, like playing card/computer games all evening and calling each other lame names. In retrospect, I feel unashamed of being stupid and retarded even in public, for we're all in this together again.

vi. (as you can see in the sudden enlargement of pictures,) the Fall Out Boy concert was the highlight of the week.

Trishabee and I literally ran for our lives in our formal suits straight after our last presentation in school and managed to sneak through to the front of the queue by the time we reached Fort Canning Park, teehee.

EMPRA was the starting band and they're more than the average or at least more than the starting bands of all the other concerts I've attended. The few first songs were a little draggy but I particularly liked 'Only Love'.

It took like more than 10 replays of the screen advertisement after EMPRA's performance before Fall Out Boy finally made their appearance. All I could remember was the tall Q-moh guy pissing off everyone behind him because his hair was falling all over the place and blocking the view, and us losing our mind when Pete Wentz crowd-surfed and when Andy Hurley stood up with his smokin' hot tattooed body. Also, Patrick Stump's voice was stunning and Joe Trohman was so cute with his afro bouncing up and down throughout. Swear I felt like a piece of Heaven was presented right in front of my very eyes :')

Took me an hour after they played their encore pieces to accept the fact that that was the end of it all. Sigh, all we could do was find ourselves the nearest convenience store for a drink, sit by the fountain and accept reality (while airing our sore feet).

I recorded some videos too for memory's sake (because Patrick's vocals are legendary). Pardon the short clips 'cause my phone ran out of friggin' memory after the last video despite me deleting two apps out of desperation.

Alone Together

I Don't Care 

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up) 

 And yes, if you hear screaming at the back, that would be none other than Trisha.

Till my life gets any more interesting,
xx