Sundays With Sarah: Tea & Books

It was another write-in day today at the Art's House, with only five of us in attendance, Seriously Sarah, Raven Silvers, Joelyn Alexandra, Avariel and I. It was a short write in since batteries ran out early, so we decided to go to TWG teas for, well, tea. We've been talking about going for tea there for a while and since Sarah was the adventure leader, we thought, heck it, let's just go.

We caught the high tea period, which resulted in a long wait. However it was worth it. Sarah and I shared a set, which included a pot of tea and a scone each. Out of the hundreds of teas, we chose a tea that totally describes our inner romance novelist; Sexy Tea. The scones were served with clotted cream and orange jelly.

The tea was actually green tea with a slight citrus taste to it but personally, I thought it tasted mildly of lemon grass. It was a refreshing drink, though I didn't feel any sexier after the drink.

After the tea break, we ended up at { prologue }, the upscale version of Popular book store. I should have known that the store was going to be awesome the moment I saw the dinosaur at the entrance. The 20% off storewide didn't hurt either.

We started at the second floor where the stationery section was to die for. I coveted all the notebooks there. All the faux Moleskine and the ones with the flowery cloth covers made me want it all. ALL.

While I was wondering around, I saw an interesting art installation at the door to the car park.



On the first floor was where all the books were. Aimlessly wondering led me to this shelf of nothing but sex related books. It was interesting since it was the first time I had ever seen such a large collection of sex tips books.



As we walked through the fiction book stacks, I came across this book, In Bed With, a collection of erotic short stories by, quoting the blurb, "best selling, award-winning and well known novelists under their x-rated pseudonyms."



It was strange that I didn't get anything at Kinokuniya yesterday, when they had their 20% off sale but I made up for it today. After reading the first story on the way home, I did not regret the purchase at all. I'm definitely going to enjoy reading this book.

Next week, Sundays with Sarah might be going to another book store after the write in.

Vivid Technicolour Dreaming - Future Plot In The Making?

I've always had a very good imagination and November always puts that imagination into over-drive. Sometimes it helps with my NaNoWriMo writing but other times, the scenes in my head ar so complex that it takes a long time before I could put it into words. Sometimes, this vivid imaginations of fictional worlds and scenes find their way into my dreams. Last night was one of those instances.

I wouldn't classify the dream as a nightmare but I would say it was more like watching a horror movie in my sleep. In the dream, there was a creature called a Blood Monster. It was just a blob of nothingness that assimilated human beings into it's body for their blood. It was like watching a white blob of mucus, sucking a man into it, slowly digesting him and turning red as it filled with blood. The limbs of the victims would sticking out at odd angles through the mucus body of the creature.

It was a very interesting dream, especially when the monster developed a taste for blood and started to actively hunt for humans, leaving a bloody trail everywhere. I would have loved to see the ending of that dream, to know what happens after it 'ate' that third victim.

Too bad I woke up due to the excruciating cramps on my left calf. Maybe I should write my own ending to that dream. Hmmm...

My Maternal Grandfather

On the way home from work yesterday, I was walking behind an elderly man with salt and pepper hair. He reminded me so much of my late grandad.

My grandad was a tall man. He towered over almost everyone in the family. Every morning, he would have three pieces of those Ping Pong brand biscuits to go with his black coffee. He would sit in the living room with his breakfast, reading yesterday's paper or sometimes, he would compose a ditty on the toy piano that we had lying around the house. He was always dressed in his white cotton singlet and his sarong that may or may not have a hole from where he had accidentally dropped his cigarette butt on himself.

Sometimes, he would  go to the nearby coffee shop to meet with his friends to get the day's newspaper and a cup of coffee. He would normally be back by lunch time and he would spend the rest of they day reading the paper, watching tv, napping and listening to my grandmother when she discussed what ever family stories that someone had called to tell her.

My grandfather was a strict disciplinarian but I knew that he loved us very much and wanted only the best for us. He always thought that sparing the rod would spoil the child and he rarely spared the rod when we deserved it. He used to smoke the pipe, filling the house with the sweet scent of pipe tobacco, something that I could never forget.

He's been gone eight years now and I still miss him. Sometimes I would still wake up, expecting him to be there in the living room having coffee and biscuits. The scent of pipe tobacco would always remind me of my grandad. Always.

Freedom From Exams

All that studying last week finally ended after my exam on Thursday night. To say that I was relieved that it's over (at least for this semester), is an understatement. No more hitting the books. No more writing notes till my hand cramped up. Even though I still have classes to attend due to some unfinished class presentations, I don't really mind.

I can finally concentrate on my NaNoWriMo Novel and I'm a little over the half way mark.Still 25k words to go and there's still two weeks left. I hope that I can actually finish it before the last weekend of November but that means intensive writing over the next week or so. I've done it before and I can do it again.

The one thing that always happens during November is my tendency to Ctrl+S (of Command + S when I'm on the Mac) every thing I do. It's one of those annoying little quirks that hits almost all the WriMos I know because you tend to be very paranoid about losing your work, hence the obsessive saving. As I typed this, I've almost hit Ctrl+S at least thrice and I'm still fighting the urge to do that.

My blogging quality and frequency have plummeted since November. First due to exams and now with NaNoWriMo. I'm not doing NaBloPoMo this year, so that's why the aren't that many updates this time around. Come to think about it, I haven't even hung out at Starbucks to write yet either. I need to squeeze that in some time this two weeks.

Anyway, not much going on right now other than the insane writing spree. I wish there were more things to say but at this moment, not so much.

Praying For A Safe Return

This clip made me cry so hard. My cousin's husband will be deployed to Afghanistan in a few weeks and they won't see him for at least 18 months. I hope and pray that he stay safe and can come back to us as soon as he's done.

Assume Study Positions. Now.

I'm off from work over the next few days to study for my exams next week. Unlike everyone else, my studying style might be strange to some people.

Back when I was in school full time, I could study for hours with just the music on and no internet.

Now, I have my notes scattered all over the sofa, the notes that I'm referring to are on my lap while I take down more notes on the foldable computer stand that over hangs the couch, my legs stretched across the coffee table where I have to be careful not to kick over my mug of tea and my computer.

Then I have my ears plugged with my earphones while I study and watch videos at the same time.

Multi-tasking FTW. Last semester, I did the same thing, though I finished three seasons of Dexter while I studied. This year, it's CSI NY.

If this post doesn't make sense then I apologise. Exams studying at my brain.

Dear Starbucks

You and I, we can't seem to be separated. For you, I waited in the rain for the shuttle bus just so that I could come to you and get my dose of caffeine. For you, I would make and extra stop before my destination just for a whiff of roasted coffee beans and a gulp of the dark ambrosia. You are like a drug I can't seem to say no to.

It's NaNoWriMo month and that means, you've brought in your Christmas drinks. My friends have been going on and on about your toffee nut latte. Personally, I think it tastes too much like the local dessert, chendol, for my liking. Don't get me wrong, I love chendol. Just not when it's supposed to be coffee. I do remember way back when you had the peppermint mocha, I seem to like it but knowing your style, you always seem to make the drinks too sweet. I thought that an extra shot of coffee would not only mask the utter sweetness but also give me the extra caffeine that I crave, so a triple shot grande peppermint mocha it was.

Oh, Baby! It was perfect. From the first sip, it was almost like a religious epiphany. It had everything I wanted; a coffee drink that still tasted of coffee, syrup to add just enough of the flavour and absolutely no whipped cream (yetch!). I loved it. I love the way I can taste the chocolate, the coffee and the peppermint just right. I especially love the minty tingle of the peppermint at the back of my throat.

Sure, I still have to wash it down with plain water in the end but it was a beautiful drink. At least in my opinion. I'm not much of a flavoured coffee but the peppermint mocha is an exception, but only with enough coffee in it.

Though, as I sit here, typing this and finishing up my coffee, I can't help but wish that you'd brought in the gingerbread latte as well. It'll be something different but totally Christmasy.

Until the next visit, Darling.

Love,
Me