And off I head, in search to rid the heart of worries

Something simple yet classy: floating tea candles

To the readers of The Tempremental,

It has come to that time again: the moment when I'm taking an indefinite hiatus from the blog to straighten things in my personal life. This time around, I'm heading on a travel exploration (that may be deemed as the farewell goodbyes by some acquaintances/family members) before the semester intake.

I'll slide in sporadically, however, to update you on my current whereabouts or to visit my fellow bloggers when I have stable Internet access. To be honest, this is beginning to remind me a tad bit too much of the Perth trip, where I was forced to go cold turkey for 3 weeks, haha.

With that being said, don't expect to find me on Facebook, updating my timeline or browsing the notifications either. Messages will be read and replied to (even on Whatsapp), but in a slow manner.

Please, please bear with me and pardon the inconvenience imposed on you and me.

You may be wondering, when will I be regaining my full access? Since the Internet plans in Adelaide and Kuala Lumpur differ, I can't promise you, my readers, anything, but one thing's for sure. Expect me to see me bouncing around on February 16th onwards.

Warm Regards,
Ciana Carrie
(or Waverly Charlotte, depending on what you know me as)

A metamorphosis?

Dear readers,

Have you ever taken the time out to reflect on your life's journey thus far? Or, have you wondered how things would be if you had/ hadn't taken the other path (also known as the plan B)?

The abovementioned questions resurfaced after the tele-conversation with the English classmate that I pondered on the past that shaped me into the person I am today. To be honest, it's been years since I've actually allowed myself to contemplate on the choices I've made because it's too miserable for me. Now, I'm however more than willing to admit that although there are faint traces of my gregariousness (to the point where the opposite gender may misinterpret it as flirtatious), I'm more reserved with my feelings and thoughts.

I filter the words that I choose to say.

I'd rather hold back on the topics of the conversation, remaining on safe grounds instead.

And practically not many people are able to decipher the inner workings of my mind, which is what I've always longed for. I don't want to be someone whose brain is as lucid as the clear, spring water... the time after graduation up until recently returned me the sanity to rethink the decisions I've concluded in the past year. Some were with no regrets (thankfully!); some with the deepest contrition that involved broken hearts and dashed hopes (yikes!)

A particularly striking one has been resting in the mental psyche. While I don't regret meeting the person, I am repentant for what transpired after that.

If I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was, why did I delve head-first into it?

It's all part of life; words shall no longer chip away at the shield I've build around me. What's best for me at the current moment is to strive hard for the major come February and excel in all of the classes, becoming the person that I am capable of turning into (something similar to what Ammar tweeted once or twice, I guess?)

Tuesday's Story #9

Author's Note: I can't believe that this copy actually took a week for me to compile all of the pointers and combine it into one short story. Oh, man, how am I going to cope with the endless case analyses in university then? I wanted to slot in a drawing of an individual standing on her balcony of the fifth floor of Summer Villa Condominium and pondering on her thoughts while overlooking the pond aptly nicknamed "Lake View", but let's just say things didn't fall into place.

Harboring the desire to purge the betrayal from her heart, she acted on instinct and drove to the hills, carefully managing the bends that curved around the road. She was driving on auto-pilot as her mind wandered off to better moments in life. As much as she suppressed the rising memories of the past, it rose with the fury of an uncontrollable flame and it left her emotionally uneasy.
    The hype that surrounded the area on weekend mornings had already subsided upon her arrival; there were still people walking up and down, ready to begin their exercise regime or ravenous for a well-deserved breakfast at the nearby cafe. The cold showers did its part to reduce the activity converting the highlands from its breathing normalcy to an eerie, silent path into the jungle. Permeating the air, on the other hand, was the increasing condensation that threatened to block her vision of the road ahead. She pulled her cardigan even tighter and braved her way in; the back of her mind being lucid about the ever-looming presence of the family of slithery sly.
    The gloomy weather did nothing to soothe her crying heart; the serenity, in fact, added more salt to the wound, making her more miserable and feeling worse than when she first arrived. She emerged from the forest an hour and a half later and wanted to break down in a crying episode alone in the car, but she willed herself to stay strong and focus on her next task, which was to satiate her voracious appetite. She decided to browse her favorite nearby haunts after purchasing a moderate-sized cup of café latte from the famous coffeehouse and slowly sipped the hot drink while waiting for her bestie to arrive; they were scheduled to have a round of breakfast and (more) coffee at the shopping mall.
    Just as she was about to enter the Iranian shop selling fruits and nuts to purchase a packet of cranberries for her mother, Magenta's heart skipped a beat when she saw someone who looked familiar; she couldn't quite place who the person was. This chap seated on the foldable chair was blessed with the same features and hairstyle as the ex-friend; those sparkly round black eyes and that unique smile made her uncomfortable being in the shop longer than necessary yet she felt drawn to stay back and strike a conversation with him. The gleam in his eyes instantly brought her to the memories of the past.
    "Don't apologize." He forced a smile. "It's not your fault that we don't have mutual feelings for each other, my dear. Everything has its time and place in life. I can only sigh and rest my fate."
    "Please don't say it like that," Magenta pleaded. "You know I'll feel really bad."
    "But it's the truth. Nevertheless, please promise me that you'll live your life a happier person than you are now."
    Sensing that she was losing him as a close friend, she hugged him tightly without answering him and mentally absorbing the final moments with him, knowing that she'll have to treasure their beautiful friendship forever.
    Just as she thought that she could make that leap and mend the awkward feeling with him, she received news that he moved on with another lass barely six months after their last encounter. She didn't want to believe it partly because she wanted him to be with the girl that he deserved, not some chick off somewhere due to desperation; it wasn't until she saw pictures of him with his new girlfriend being all lovey-dovey and hearing about her perfect demeanor from mutual friends that Magenta accepted the news and rested her case.
    Yet, it bothered her now as much as it did back then because there was still unresolved business between them both. She forced herself to look away, bringing herself back to the present and paying for the items that her mother needed. As she smiled her thanks and departed the store, she accidentally exchanged eye contact with him. It felt so much like him. A part of her even wanted to think that it was the ex-friend and that he flew in from Chicago for a summer visit without informing her beforehand, but the rational side of her concluded it was merely his clone, not him. The shop assistant confirmed it by acknowledging that the young chap was her boss's son helping out for the day.
    Deep in her heart, however, she still wished if it was her ex-friend. There were too many questions that she needed answers to and things that she wanted to ask him.

I is very the belly schleepy

Title translation: I am very, very sleepy (it's more like the child in me speaking...)

Oh, wait! ✋

Before I forget, something funny happened earlier in the afternoon. After catching hold of Mr. Layng at the staircase between levels 4 and 5 to pass him something, I flew down to level 3 to find Ms. Skura while being on the phone with Shaney concurrently. We were like agreeing to meet each other on the ground floor before a quick lunch with the remaining legs of the gang.

See, there is nothing more comfortable than being with the friends from one's own batch, I suppose.

When I exited the fire exit, I swear, I heard a familiar voice squealing on the phone and behind me. I had to turn to see who it was and found the three of them (Shaney and the "bears" - Teddy and Husky) waiting for the elevator and breaking out in a wave of surprise and laughter. As it turned out, the one shrieking was Husky because he couldn't believe his ears; he heard my footsteps and voice becoming louder as I approached level 3 as well as on Shaney's cell.

Talk about the beauty of turning up unannounced! 😅

I don't know why, but every time I return for a visit, there's always something new to discover as a graduated senior. Although someone warned me that the indoor unit for the air conditioner in the lounge finally blew out, I didn't quite believe it until I saw three industrial fans in the room. That's sighting number 1. Sighting number 2 was the acquainted students loitering outside CPU will have a tough time recognizing me if I enter the building while wearing my favorite oversized sunglasses.

What the hell? Does it however illustrate that they can't address me because my name slipped their minds in that point?

Well, I'm not sure, but nah, *shrugs*, it doesn't matter anymore.

I'm just too curious. =P

On the contrary, I've been feeling extremely uptight as of late for unknown reasons and chose to take a run around the neighborhood to disperse the amassed negative emotions. I know that there are some neighbors who jog without listening to music (I've seen them around), but for me, if I want to vent my emotions through exercise, I need music and in the lines of Eminem and A7X to boost the speed. 😵 😱 I still remember how I use to write that badminton is my favorite sport and such, but running seems to present another benefit in the form of relieving the soul of its worries, you know. The wind is blowing in my face while the supposed cool (it all depends on the time and temperature) air that I'm breathing is coating the body with warmth. The best part? I forget all of the worries even if it's momentarily.



It's nothing much; for starters, however, it seems okay and it's extremely grave if I push myself over the comfortable limit. 😰



After listening to my Media Arts classmate's mixture of two songs, my hands were tempted to give it a go on Au and experience the result. If the melody is soothing to my ears, I could custom make a phone and message ringtones for my cell. 😂

Hell, I'm not referring to the Chemistry's periodic table where Au equals gold.

Let's just say that it wasn't a pleasing experiment; it gave me a temporary headache, although the subjects of the conduct test were two comforting classical music.

And on that accord, I shall take my leave before the rain suddenly interrupts with the Internet connection.

What I have to say to you, it is embedded in the song

9/16/2014

My acquaintance would always cringe whenever he sees me because he knows I'm floating in wave of worries, be it over the minute matters or the important issues. Yet, it's been ingrained in me; I fear that things won't be executed according to plan and honestly speaking, it's driving me insane.

I must need to learn to take things easy and one step at a time.

With that, I'm not going to chase the folks for a response this week because I don't want to overload myself anymore. Since I'm practically glued to the floor while waiting for them to revert, why not jump at the chance for some brief respite?

I'm turning around....

For reasons that I'll rather not divulge, we were in the city centre for an extended meeting with a longtime acquaintance. Based on previous sessions, we suspected that it'll be lengthy and encroach into our dinnertime and chose to eat at the nearby Pavilion's food court, Food Republic.

We've been here at least twice, so deciding on what to eat was an easy feat.

In the end, we settled for a sizzling bowl of dolsot bibambap (another version of the specialty). A quick research with Wikipedia revealed that it's the Korean version of our Chinese economy rice; it's quite a healthy dish, if you ask me, with the 7 colors of vegetables, fermented items and the minimum usage of sauces (soya sauce being the main choice?)



(I've found a trick on tackling the dish without burning my tongue, which is to allow it to cool down under the air-conditioned food court)

Teochew Mama would've bought another plate of char koay teow if there weren't any time constraints; our acquaintance is someone who stresses heavily on punctuality, a trait that I admire and applaud. I can't believe that even when we were pressured for time, she swerved to the little booth, Kurtos Spiroll, selling a Hungarian delicacy called kürtős kalács after being attracted by its presentation before purchasing the Nutella Walnut flavor. (To be honest, I was never thinking on writing about our modest dinner/dessert until she told the sales assistant that I'll be doing so.)





I actually cringed because I've eaten Nutella for toast out of curiosity in a friend's house and still remember the uncomfortable feeling of my teeth being coated with a layer of sweetness. Lo and behold, my suspicions were confirmed the moment I took the first bite. I was greeted not by the aromatic taste of the dough but the overwhelming aftertaste of chocolate; it even overpowered the subtle oomph of the crunchy walnut. But I know it's only just me with a sensitive palate; the taste is already perfectly balanced to accommodate the appetite of the general public.

Surprisingly, the dessert still remained fresh when I attempted to finish the remainder for supper with my mug of rolled oats.

I still have my moments when I struggle with my messed-up need to satiate the hunger. Still, I'm contemplating of buying this plus a couple of other flavors when I'm in Pavilion again, and who knows I'll be able to do an actual food review of kürtős kalács then?

We'll see about that. ^^

To be honest, no matter how exhausted I was from the journey, I couldn't fall asleep in the car because I wanted to watch the roads that guide us home being illumined at night and the seemingly mundane buildings being lit up with neon lights.

I know we should've slept in instead of arising earlier to catch some exercise at the hills after two consecutive late nights. To be honest, I'm pretty accustomed to it although I'll sleepily (and figuratively) roll myself down the bed and risk injuring my ankles or worse case scenario, the spine.



A shower and change of attire later, we were in Empire Subang to browse Uniqlo as the store was having their opening promotions. In addition, the autumn and winter climates of the Australian state I'll be in is similar to that of Auckland's, which practically requires me to purchase more winter clothes, especially hoodies and vests. The ones Teochew Mama bought from the Paradigm Mall branch two Decembers ago aren't enough either.

Oh, boy. =.="

It took us about 2 hours to settle with the necessary attire and it wasn't until a little after 6 that I was able to catch some rest when we returned home.