She always desired to belong to nothing and everything at once

She always desired to belong to nothing and everything at once. She was flighty and prone to take off at a moment's notice, trading a boxed-up concrete place for a colourful world that was pulsating with life.

The confines of living in a tiny island nation increased her already voracious appetite for the world. The hunger to know and see more of her world, a mere speck in the universe, continued to burn deep within even after her return after a brief stay in Tokyo.

Sakuras move so quickly. The snowy pink tints, the dying embers of a transitioning season. I am thankful for the chance to catch and be enchanted by their brief spell. Japan was a heady experience that will be continually relived in my mind for its wonder and strangeness. 

My 3 hour wait for amazing sushi

Ever since I watched the documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I have had my own daydreams about chewing on a big piece of fatty tuna sushi, slowly savouring the taste and texture.

Since Jiro's restaurant is a crazy expensive place to dine in, I decided to try another highly raved but reasonably priced sushi restaurant at Tsukiji market, Sushi Dai. The only caveat is that reviews online mention that queuing for Sushi Dai takes about 2 hours, on average.

The reviews did not mention that Tsukiji market is darn hard to navigate especially in the dreary cold rain. Since I got lost and was cold, wet and miserable on my first attempt at finding the place, I ended up at another sushi restaurant on the outskirts of the market with my travel companions for the day. It was a good platter of sushi, but I was hankering for the best.

Sushi, not from Sushi Dai

After checking the weather report for the following day, I decided that I will not leave Tokyo without eating at Sushi Dai, and promptly made my way to the market for a second time. This time I had the good sense to ask for directions at the information counter (that was closed the day before) and successfully joined the snaking queue for Sushi Dai.

30 minutes into the queue, I overheard the lady in charge of the queue telling someone that the wait would be approximately 3 hours. I died a little inside and had an internal debate on the possibility of leaving and eating at Sushi Daiwa instead. Eventually my crazy, illogical side won and I stayed in the queue with my trusty kindle for entertainment (since I, and only I was crazy enough to want to queue for this, I had no companion).

2 hours into the queue, the midday sun was out and the sweet lady came out with umbrellas for us. By then, quite a few had given up and left. I was famished and imagined myself passing out. And then the queue moved and I moved on to the queue that was right outside the restaurant and in the shade. This.was.pure.torture. We could see the lucky 12 happily enjoying their meal while we stood and waited outside.

Finally it was my turn to enter after waiting for 3 and a half hours. Once seated and served some delicious miso soup, the brutal wait flew out of my mind and it was my turn to eat some sushi! I chose the omakase chef set, which included 11 pieces of sushi chosen by the chef, plus one additional piece of my choice.

Fatty tuna (toro)

Sea bream 

Sea urchin (uni)

Horse mackerel (aji)

Egg (tamago)

Clam, so fresh it was still moving (hokkigai)

Lean tuna (akami)

Baby prawns (amaebi)

Tuna rolls

Baby squid

Everything was amazing.At the end of the meal, I chose to have another piece of toro. Oh and if anyone was counting, two pictures are missing because I forgot to take the picture of my red snapper and eel due to my hunger and eagerness to eat.

Good Friday Getaway

This time last week, I packed my bags and jetted off to Tokyo. I still dream of great weather and the freshest sushi ever tasted. It was indeed a good time away from work and reality.

During my short 8 days in Japan, I met fellow tourists who were on relatively long term vacations. Ah, to live the dream. It must be amazing to be able to take off for weeks, without thinking about the work left behind.

6 stories across 6 different times

Every so rarely are we struck by a film that haunts and enchants, begging to be revisited if only to increase the viewer's understanding of the story.

I had the chance to see Cloud Atlas yesterday and it blew me away completely. It is intricately woven together by stories that are vastly different but connected, at the same time. The idea of soul mates almost caused my eyes to betray my emotions (especially since it is a sore spot for me at this point in life) but filled me with hope.  

 

I loved the idea of the music of the Cloud Atlas sextet binding the stories together. The ebbs and flows of the piece corresponded to the highs and lows, and the moments of suspense and peace in each of the character's lives.

This is a story that I need to revisit. Now to grab a copy of the book!

"Our lives are not our own.We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future." - David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas

I Like Me Some Wide Open Spaces

Ever since the government released a white paper on growing the population on our tiny little island-country to 6.9 million, I've been savoring every uncrowded moment. It feels a little ridiculous to import the numbers that the powers-that-be desire, and to try to accommodate everyone by importing sand to reclaim land. This baffles me and my inner-wild-child-who-longs-for-wide-open-spaces can no longer keep mum about this issue. Le sigh.

Because of that, I greatly appreciated my quiet little moment this morning, cradling a Starbucks mug while working in a uncrowded corner in town. The pleasures of telecommuting. No crowds! No jostling for space to stand! Alas, it was not to last, and people started streaming in as the clock continued to move towards noontime.

Less than two weeks to 2013!

The world reels in the wake of the Newtown tragedy. My heart continues to ache whenever I read news coverage about the incident and I find myself holding back tears. It is hard to believe in a benign creator of the universe when there is so much violence in the world.

I have been reading a lot these days now that I am left with a empty vacuum of time. It is amazing how much time lovers spend together; it is amazing how much of a presence my ex-other-half had in my life. And now, I am slowing rebuilding my life and learning to be happy and comfortable on my own.

Anyway, here are a few links to the articles that I have enjoyed reading lately (courtesy of Longform):

Why Go Out :A brilliant article on loneliness, being alone, and needing people.

Remains of the Day: Not quite "Happily Ever After". The nosy person in me had always wondered about couple life after the marriage vows.

"I am Adam Lanza's Mother": A Mom's Perspective on the Mental Illness Conversation in America: This reminds me of the harrowing read, "We Need to Talk About Kevin".

And we have less than two weeks left to the end of 2012! Time seemed to have zoomed by. Not that I am complaining. I have great plans for the new year and can hardly wait for all that is in store for me!

Two young lovers, in their kingdom by the sea

Finally managed to catch the much touted and the latest Wes Anderson film, Moonrise Kingdom. And I must say, it is such a refreshing change from the standard Hollywood fare that has been flooding the cinemas lately.

Moonrise Kingdom is a charming tale of a blossoming romance between two young outcasts, who were lucky enough to find each other. The film follows them as they run away from the adult world and into their temporal kingdom by the sea (somehow the scenes of them in Moonrise Kingdom reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe's poem, Annabel Lee). I cheered silently as the two young lovers emerged triumphant and managed to retain their autonomy despite pressure from society.

Wes Anderson managed to weave in the nostalgic charm of an older period, untouched by modern technology. I really enjoyed the film.