Saturday, January 29, 2005

it's a free-wheeling kinda thing

Driving seems fun, ain't it? What freedom it brings. More late nights out and road trips for the young lads and lasses. Lo and behold the adventures which are about to spring onto these independent youths!Driving's also convenient eh? There’s no need to wait 20 freakin’ minutes for a bus to rumble along. Forget the crowds and all the shoving and elbowing to get onto public transport.
However, before one gets to enjoy these perks, one actually has to learn how to drive. *gasp* How did that slip our minds?

And guess what? Driving isn’t as easy as it looks either. Just hop into your car, turn on the ignition and off ya go? Think again. You also gotta release the handbrakes, fiddle with the clutch pedal, and accelerator and check for on-coming traffic before the ‘off you go’ actually takes place.

For now I’m still the beginner: grappling with the wheel, desperately trying to co-ordinate my feet and anxiously twitching my head left and right. Initially the Queen of Stalling, I'm now the Queen of Free-Wheeling. I wonder which is more dangerous. *ponder ponder* Looks like it’s gonna be quite a while before I morph into one of those seasoned driver who can smoothly manoeuvre the vehicle.

I just hope I don’t turn into one of those hazardous drivers. *grins*

Posted by quirkyditz at 10:39 pm 0 supernova(s)

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Hong Kong

The city is a swirl of colours.
It is a symphony of sounds.
A different scent with every breath you take.

The air is cold, so cold that it bites deep into your bones. It is inevitable that your nose clogs up and bits of white flakes form on your skin. Cracks run down your palms like that of a hard and dry desert ground.

The city is a swirl of colours:
In the day, the neon lights glow ceaselessly. At night, they are blinding – a stark contrast to the pitch black backdrop. Looking up, billboards and gigantic signboards hang haphazardly from above, all vying for the attention of passer-bys who are too busy to give them a second glance. In comparison, the signboards and advertisements of local shops seem tacky, as they sit side by side with the names of global corporations with their slick and sophisticated advertisements. Blocks of paint-peeling, grimy walls juxtapose against towers of shiny glass surfaces that reflect the sunlight, the throngs of pedestrians and vehicles zipping by.

It is a symphony of sounds:
A zealous shop vendor beckons you. His voice rises above the smattering of Cantonese, spoken by the lady in smart office attire who walks by briskly. The beeping of the traffic light intensifies and the clicking of your boots on the concrete sidewalk quickens.

A different scent with every breath you take:
Thick exhaust fumes and the fragrance of sizzling claypot rice from road-side stalls fuse together. It is just one of the many combinations of the startling smells that waft up your nose.

It is jam-packed everywhere - from the open boulevards to the narrow streets of the night markets.

The city is a swirl of colours.
It is a symphony of sounds.
A different scent with every breath you take.

Posted by quirkyditz at 9:28 pm 0 supernova(s)

Friday, January 07, 2005

O come the new year

So, there goes 2004. And welcooome *drumroll* 2005! Rite, this entry is 7 days behind time but ahh - heck!

Back tracking to new year's eve. There i was, thinking that i would be in for a mighty treat - Corrine May's gig by the esplanade waterfront. Boy, was i wrong. Not that her performance wasn't enjoyable. The problem was that dear Mr. Weather was throwing tantrums and being exceptionally temperamental (read: passing drizzles). Hence the incredibly long wait before we were awed by corrine's gifted set of pipes. On top of an un-cooperative Mr. Weather, we also had to deal with Mr. Electrical Current who decided to trip in the midst of a song, once again making the gig come to a halt. Argh.

Unlike other years where everyone would be in the highest of spirits to usher the new year, there was a tinge of sadness hanging in the air during the countdown. Instead of embracing the new year with a big bang and a large display of fireworks as planned initially, 2005 was received with a sombre minute of silence, in memory of the tsunami victims. Well, of course the countdown ended with some cheering. But i guess it was somewhat disheartening to know in some places nearby, monstrous waves have just wrecked the lives of many and that mountains of damages are still left unrepaired.
With that said, hopefully 2005 will be a better year! :)

Posted by quirkyditz at 2:45 pm 0 supernova(s)