i found this in my pendrive recently. drew this (on powerpoint) one evening back in my torture chamber, within line of sight from the lair of the infamous miss nomer, right around the (6+x)th draft. this chart applies to every writing task she's commissioned. her "efficiency" still gives me the chill.

raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

#8
there's just something that i love about the city at night, the tall buildings in particular. they seem more imposing then than they do in the sun as they bask in amber glow of a thousand spotlights. sometimes i imagine them bending down like a gentle giant and carrying me off. i wish i remember who fed me this image. their facades seem all the more sturdy and stoic, but it's just that: a front, to suggest that there are no skeletons or surprises or secrets behind them. oh don't i know better. but i rarely have time to be curious -- for about the only time i get to experience this is if i worked late and need to walk to the open air car park which means that i would be too tired to think, let alone be inquisitive. all the better. i just walk quietly past, fully aware that i am alone and just enjoying the solitude. this explains my affinity for that city down south, for i get unhurried access and feeling safer when doing so. wish i was there now, but where i am, in a seaview hotel room with the balcony doors open, listening to the waves from the beach, here isn't too bad either :)

blackbird singing in the dead of night
take these broken wings and learn to fly
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to arise
blackbird singing in the dead of night
take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

sarah mclachlan :: blackbird (the beatles cover)

Friendship takes place when one person says to another, What? You too? I thought I was the only one. - C. S. Lewis

i'm in a fairly good mood. yay! mm nothing to blog about so here are some random stuff. the pics are big to make up for the lack of substance. hah!

• loved kungfu panda. i laughed and laughed and teared and laughed. i wanna watch it again. and again. and then watch the first one and then this one again. like po said it, aiiiii-lurrrrveee-youuuu-guyssss ^__^

• and there's this family who's waiting for me, and I CAN'T WAIT to meet them!!! :) but first, i have to spend a few days in the jungle. literally. 

• i'm hooked on this iphone game called Birzzle. it's a very simple gameplay, just drag the birds together and they will burst/explode. i can't seem to get past level 30 but getting there takes about 30mins.. and i've spent a quite a number of 30mins.. i might need help soon.

• meanwhile, bookdepository has been kind to me lol -- i bought two books during their 10% off promo in May and have just started reading this. i like this cover compared to other darker one :) but the book came with some dents :(

• bought two deals group deals recently - one from Groupon and one from Dealmates. in internet transactions i trust. *gulp*

that's it for today folks. have a good weekend!

i might have posted this before, but since i was asked again today what it meant, i would like to post it again, cos you know, i just love my name :D

[well, i didn't quite like it growing up, cos "ellis, as in alice in wonderland?" gets tired after a while..but i love the book though :)]

[and btw, i don't quite like to hear my name mispronounced *cough*jazz*cough* but yeah, i'm kinda used to it already. actually, no. hahaha..]

our bangkok trip pics are up on FB! *click here* :)

the jury is still out on how the trip went. let's weigh it out:

LOVE IT

• The two places we put up at in Sukhumvit were at good locations -- walking distance to both the MRT and Skytrain. We took the tuktuk only once, but otherwise, were travelling by trains. Very convenient. Most of the places we wanted to go are easily accessible, on land or water. +5pts
• Foot/body massage - only B160 per hour. Lurrrve it. ^_^ +5pt
• 7-11 is everywhere. We needed a lot of water. I also had a pack of Lay's chips every night. Hahaha.. +1pt
• Pineapple and mango are easily found too. Sweet, cooling -- just great for the weather. +2pts
• Thai street food is amazing. Cheap, delish, ubiquitous. *drools* +10pt
• Platinum Fashion Mall & Indra Swould have been a better experience had I girlfriends with me. The offerings are just overwhelming, maybe because I was too tired by the time I got there. Love the the cheap accessories! +4pts
• Jim Thompson's House was a nice tour - enjoyed the historical background, not so much the retail section (pricey) +1pt
• Chao Phraya River ride was quite nice. I lost half of what the guide was explaining cos her accent was rather heavy, but I love river cruises. +1pt
• Most Thai people are very friendly, but we met some who reacted as if we just said a bad word. 0pt

LOST LOVE

• The weather. PANAS GILA. seriously. -10pts
• After a scorching afternoon, it would pour then drizzle at night. This might have been a plus point, if we were indoors. But night time is food time. And we had to brave two nights of drizzle to scour for our meals. Many stalls were not open due to the rain. Bah. -5pts
• While lodging was conveniently located, we still have some grouses. The first place was kinda run down. The aircond was not working. The second place is very clean and comfortable but the water pressure was almost zero.. Did not enjoy the showers at all -- very important after a long day our. -4pts
• Did not manage to visit Chatuchak cos we went on weekday while the market only opens on weekend. No floating market experience for us too. 0pt
• Patpong Night Market @ Silom was terrible -- constantly harassed by purveyors of mass produced knockoffs and strip/sex clubs. Boring, boring. -3pts
• Suan Lum Night Market @ Lumphini has closed. And we found out when we reached there. -1pt
• MBK Mall was huge but I didn't quite like the stuff sold there. Can be quite kitschy though there were a couple of gems. -1pt
• Struck out with tomyum and green curry. Preferred the tomyum in Chiang Mai. Green curry -- is it a foreign thing? Hardly any place sold it. - 2pts
• While goods are cheap, the quality can be questionable. -2pts

Hahaha.. they about break even (margin too small to declare a clear winner). Looks like the jury's gonna be out a long long time. Maybe we will meet again some day, Bangkok.. :)

i worked late last night, leaving the office just as a carriage somewhere turned back into a pumpkin. but late nights are not common so i don't complain. plus i guess i need to make up for the cumulative hours i get in late in the morning. and the hours i spend not working. i digress.

i like what i do. some. there are a lot of things i wish could be better, but till the tide turn, here i am. and one of the things i enjoy is editing. by now i can somewhat confidently (yeah, contradicting, i know :) say that i'm pretty good at it. i think. i suck sometimes, i'll give you that. but overall, better than the average yusuf on the street. i have to be, it's my rice bowl :) i digress again.

i like examining the nuance of each word, then fitting and arranging them in a sentence not unlike a puzzle, throwing paragraphs around, weighing every comma and period, mindlessly making use of keyboard shortcuts, googling for alternatives and inspiration.. all until i hear the *click* and everything falls into place and all is well with the world. haha.. something like that. it's rather exhilarating. it's one of the few things that can hold my attention once i'm into it. but ultimately, it's time-consuming and totally exhausting. which is what i am now, totally ready to crash at 11:50AM.

so please don't insult my work with that 15-minutes chop job that you call "edit". but thanks for the attempt. gave me a good laugh.

my days are tired, my nights are sleepless

I walk, looking for inspiration

I sit, hoping for purpose

[mused the gnome]

[where are you now]