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November 24, 2005

not-so-distant past

it's weird to be in warm weather in november and not seeing the usual christmas shopping rush or hearing the bells of the street santas.

it's thanksgiving day now in boston, and people are worrying whether their turkeys will come out just perfect from the oven, or for those who won't bother the hassle, are already enoying their turkey dinners at fancy restaurants, or having peking duck dinners in chinatown. while the rest are enjoying their long weekend by taking trips or staying at home catching up with sleep.

i think i've caught the post 6-month bug. the dawning realization that tells me: shit, i really ain't going back there again. this is not just another vacation at home! i actually live here now permanently! suddenly i am missing anything and everything, including even the one thing i hated the most: winter!

i miss watching the trees getting all dressed up with lights and storefronts decorated with mistletoes and the reds and greens of christmas. i miss the smell of cold air and my wool overcoat. i miss the feel of fluffy new snow on the sole of my boots. i miss making snow angels and watching the falling snow from my apartment windows. i miss those long nights of practice for the yearly natal bersama with the other indo kids, which, though exhausting, were always full of laughters and a warm sense of togetherness.

i miss the impulsive drives to new york city, standing in line and eating kebab at 4 in the morning on the sidewalk between 6th and 53rd. i miss subway rides to the city and saturday nights at cafe wha? in the east village. i miss cirque du soleil and the summer shows at wang theatre. i miss those fabulous free concerts at berklee and summer gigs at copley square.

i miss those random walks on newbury street and going to the movies by myself without worrying about traffic. i miss watching weird indie films and gratuitously bloody, sketchy hongkong martial art movies on the big screen. i miss shopping for little daily stuff at cvs. i miss harvard square and the little anime store at the garage. i miss spending a weekend afternoon at barnes and noble or trident and just read for hours. i miss the flaming reds of leaves turning in new hampshire hills in september and the yellows of comm ave park with people walking their dogs in the evenings.

and i really really miss my morning walks to work and the old black guy playing saxophone on the stairs of copley T station. i miss taking the T and go wherever i want, where sometimes i'd end up on that C green line operated by this wacky guy who apparently had this continuous need to talk and joke incessantly with his passengers through the loudspeakers.

i miss wearing whatever i want without having people stare at me or make unnecessary comments. i miss spending time with myself without having people look at me funny just because i have coffee or eat dinner by myself in a public place. i miss not having to answer strange personal questions by people i'm not closely acquainted with. i miss working with people who actually know what they're doing and are fully aware of what a deadline is. i miss having 24-hr access to broadband internet connection. i miss spending summer days at the public library, borrowing 5 books at a time or just reading in the little garden inside. and i miss miss misssss shopping at amazon so much! oh ohh, the comfort and ease of it all!

November 23, 2005

belia

the long-overdue redesign of this fun, girly website was first launched in early august by a team of highly dedicated people (motivated, enforced and slightly enslaved by yours truly :P) and now has a new front page! even if you're not a teenage girl, i hope you'll at least enjoy your visit at belia.com :)