Ten Simple Pleasures
Someone was asking me what my ten simple pleasures were. I had to take a few days to think about it.
- Train rides to unknown places: from Singapore to Thailand (done), and hopefully on to Laos and China eventually; but this year, 4000 kilometres around India, and still hungering for a Trans-Siberian fix (Singapore – Beijing – Ulan Baatar – Moscow – London – Helsinki?). Locomotive nut is too mild. I love eating hot meals that come with a tin foil (much better than airline meals), drinking chai I bought outside the window, while staring out into the unchanging scenery. My feet in the linen, head against my backpack, listening to the chatter of languages I don’t understand, relearning toilet habits. Reaching across my berth and finding you there.
- Taking showers in the dark. It always seemed natural to me.
- Sleeping in on a weekend, waking up with the person I love, then having a lazy brunch or day at the beach (or planning to; we usually end up ordering in and sleeping in somemore).
- Walking around Little India alone on my routines: buying the Indian news magazines, reading them at Khulfi Bar, drinking masala tea, eating chaat. Talking to people; chatting for hours with retired Tamil textbook authors who want to teach me the secrets of the Thirukkural. Sitting at Blu Jaz with free wifi and thinking of my India: it always reminds me of walking around Calcutta alone, snacking on bhel puri, papri chaat and katti rolls, and sipping one rupee teas, weaving through the human traffic around Lindsay and Free School Streets and New Market, delighted and at home.
- Spending hours in a bookstore. And hours. And hours.
- Scribbling furiously into my moleskine on the bus, at my desk, in the middle of lecture, waking up in mid sleep just to write.
- Waking up, opening my window, and seeing Kanchenjunga (third highest mountain in the world) — with Everest sticking out behind it — sipping my Darjeeling tea and eating an omelette for breakfast, all without leaving my bed. Getting to do this more than some people ever will (twice for now with more to come).
- Feline fun: walking home at 2 am, passing “Cat Square”; stopping to play with three lovely cats.
- Abrupt cravings: sometimes I suddenly crave squid ink pasta, Mellben creamy butter crabs, or Sausage McMuffins — actually having it that same day, is a great pleasure.
- Ayurvedic tea. It’s my new indulgence. Anyone heading here, with an Oxford Cha Bar in your city… I need my fix.
2006
22
Jun
- Posted by popagandhi at 03:12 am
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I know that author-turned-publisher-person. Everyone in Singapore who’s studied Tamil knows that author-turned-publisher-person.
Oh, the memories.
He’s pretty much adopted me and keeps trying to convince me to learn Tamil or Malayam as my first Indian language, instead of one of those infidel Sanskrit ones… :)
Ayurvedic tea? Now that I have to sample.
just wanna comment on something that’s nothing to do with this post.
‘Send Popagandhi on the Trans-Siberian Railway After Graduation Fund’
hmm.
:)
Yes, my dear cousin. You won’t see me for 52 sundays!
just wondering what you write so passionately about in your moleskin…
>You won’t see me for 52 sundays!
you’ll be gone for a whole year?
Brandon: Well, I am working on something..
LTH: That’s what I’m intending, though I find it too short.
you mean you’re gonna leave me here for the whole of my a levels year or something?
ahh, that’s it. i will NOT donate!
haha
You’d better — when you need a storeroom to stay in when you run away from home to go to Parsons, don’t come crawling back to beg me! :)
hello, been following your blog for a while now and was wondering if you could tell me where you got your moleskine and for how much? thank you :)
ebay, or foreign friends :)
otherwise, kinokuniya sells a few, as well as Cho Lon in Jalan Merah Saga (near Holland Village, the same block Original Sin is in).
i have to save up for the air ticket first
Actually, Malayalam *is* derived from Sanskrit. You’re right about Tamil though.
That apart, would you mind cloning yourself? I think I’m in love with the author of this post and I know she ain’t looking!
You really should try the Trans-Siberian ride. I swear, there’s nothing more orgasmic inducing, locomotion wise than that trip. Stop in Ulaan Bator too, you’ld love it.
And why didn’t you tell me you’re into Ayurvedic tea? Gee.. I could’ve gotten more for you. As it is I’m fresh out.
Life’s Simple Pleasures…
My current life is almost all about school and World Cup. School assignments come in a bunch, and go as a bunch as well. The fresh new bunch of assignments is already rolling into my life now. Sigh.
Sometimes it’s good to slow down and enjoy some…