Can't Fake It

Today’s post is about a song which amused me silly this morning. You may not find it as interesting as I did, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. :P

I was getting ready for work this morning and had my radio tuned in to Nova 106.9fm. I normally have it switched on just to cut out the silence and I don’t pay too much attention to the songs. Not until this particular song came on – This Heart Attack by Faker - and I couldn’t help but listen closely to the lyrics.

Anyhoo, this was my first time hearing the song and when they got to the middle, I was more confused than anything. Not sure if you guys have heard it before but the lyrics go something like this:

I’m going away to be alone I’m coming back with answers
Don’t try to call my telephone it’s disconnected
And I don’t know where I’m going but can you guide me
But if I find love where I’m going will it survive me
‘Cause in your own space you’re disconnected and in your own mind you’re not affected
And in your own time you’re still attracted but in your own life

This heart attack I’ve gotta get away not coming back
I want some downtime so call me when you can and I’ll be fine
I’ve found the time to be alone I don’t know what you’re asking
I’m waiting by the telephone and you’re still barking
My heart stops it isn’t… going could you revive me
I think I’m lost without knowing so come and find me
‘Cause in the same space we’re disconnected and in your own mind you’re not attracted
But in your own life over reacted and in your own time

This heart attack I think I’ll go away not coming back
I’m off the line so call me when you can some other time
This heart attack I’ve gotta get away not coming back
I want some downtime so call me when you can and I’ll be fine

Sometimes if we don’t go sometimes you don’t know
You don’t go I don’t go I don’t go you don’t go
I’ve got your back but you don’t got mine
This heart attack then I’m feeling fine

This heart attack I’ve gotta get away I’m not coming back
I’m back to flying so call me when you can some other time
This heart attack I’ve gotta get away not coming back
I want some downtime so call me when and I'll be fine
I’m going away to be alone

Do you see it? Scroll back to the second line of the lyrics. He says “Don’t try to call my telephone it’s disconnected”. Fair enough. But then he goes on and laments for someone to guide him and call him. And then he wails to say he’s waiting by the telephone and then asking someone to call him again. And then of course, he ends the song again by asking someone to call him.

First thing that came into my mind this morning was, what the!? Didn’t he already say in the beginning that his phone was disconnected? Talk about inconsistency. I was so confused at the end of the song that I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Perhaps it’s occupational hazard that I’m paying so much attention to words...

Here’s the music video if you’re interested.

A Greek Catchup

Pen and I met up with Nick and Jess yesterday evening at West End for a catchup over dinner. We picked Kafe Meze, a little eatery tucked away at a corner street, for some authentic Greek cuisine. The set-up of the place wasn’t impressive – at a glance, you might even mistake it for one of those old coffee shops in Malaysia selling Ipoh Hor Fun or Teh Tarik. But the food, oh man, was good, very good.

We were overwhelmed with the Greek words on the menu and wasn’t sure which dish to pick in order to savour the true taste of a Greek meal. So in the end we ordered an eight course meal for all four of us! It was $33 per person and we were treated to pita breads with an array of dips, a vegetarian platter with grilled mushrooms, eggplants, beans and vegetables, Souvlaki (lamb, chicken and pork skewers), Greek salad, to-die-for pan fried goat cheese, a giant mushroom, a pork sausage (can’t remember what it’s called) and a BBQ squid. Every single dish had its own unique and rich flavour. My favourite was the goat cheese. :p

The total bill is a bit pricey (would have been worse if we didn’t have our entertainment book voucher) but good food and company made up for it.

Here are some pictures taken with my new Canon Ixus 75. (Thank you Pen!)

Nick (with goat cheese) and Pen

Me and Jess with the pitas and dips

Pen tucking into the salad

Vegetarian platter - May not look too appetising here, but it really is yummy!

BBQ squid which I couldn't eat much of due to my allergic reaction to Aussie seafood

Wishes from Afar

新年快乐 (Xin Nian Kuai Lei) from Pen and me! I thought it might be good fun to pull out this photo we took during our wedding shoot. Haha. :p

I had to drag myself out of bed this morning. It sure feels strange to work on the first day of Chinese New Year. :( There are no lion dances, Chinese songs or red lanterns here, so it was up to me to surround myself with whatever Chinese New Year spirit I could muster.

Pen and I put up some simple decorations around the house which my mum had bought for us. We also have a bowl of mandarins on our kitchen table. All we’re lacking are some red and yellow pineapple thingys to hang on our front porch.

Hope you all have fun with visitations today! I miss you guys! *hugs*

Yearning for Tradition

Hello faithful readers of my blog – Can’t believe it’s already February, almost two months since my last entry. Where did the time go? Well, I never really liked “Januaries” very much anyway because it meant having to start everything all over again and I would usually still be recovering from my holiday mood and dragging my feet into the new year.

Nevertheless, I got through it yet again, this time with a visit from my brother and a memorable trip to Fraser Island. We took heaps of photos which I’ll post up really soon. Loong Loong went back to Singapore on Monday, leaving a tearful sister behind. :*( It is amazing what a few weeks can do to bond a relationship. We took him to the Australia Zoo, Sirromet Winery and the Gold Coast over the weekends while he roamed the city streets by himself during the weekdays. Poor thing must have got really sick of the city, South Bank, Cultural Centre and the Valley by the end of his trip! I was really glad he came – it was good to catch up and have some brother-sister time. At least I’ll get to see him again in March when I visit Singapore and before he goes for his National Service!

Today is the eve of Chinese New Year! I’m still in disbelief that I’m actually not spending it with my family back home, not having our traditional spread of Hakka cuisine and not eating mandarins with my mum! Most of you would already have heard that my leave wasn’t approved for February and I wasn’t able to go back home to celebrate Chinese New Year. I’m still nursing my disappointment as this would be my first ever year that I won’t be celebrating one of my favourite festive seasons. If you don’t already know, I’m a traditional girl who hates changes so this is really hard for me.

My only consolation is that my mum has promised to cook up a feast when Pen and I visit next month. But it’s not the same!!! My grandma (Nei Nei) has also “announced” to the family that she will not be cooking my favourite “Wu Dad Bun” (A Hakka dish – circular-sliced yam fried with mushrooms, cuttlefish, pork and dried shrimps) this year for their reunion dinner because she will be saving it for March when I return! Awww, she is so lovely.

On a happier note, the Thie family will attempt to have their first reunion dinner tonight with the likes of roast duck, steamed chicken and abalone on the menu. The Thie daughters-in-law are quite determined to bring the Chinese tradition into the family but I think it might prove to be a rather challenging journey. See below for my conversion with Pen this afternoon.

ME: We have to go buy some mandarins for tomorrow!
PEN: Okaaay...
ME: Maybe a box because we have to hand quite a few out.
PEN: Huh? How many people are you giving it to?
ME: Your parents, the pastors and all them!
PEN: But my parents won’t know what to do with them!
ME: Huh? Just eat them lah! And we can eat the extra mandarins too. We have to eat mandarins during Chinese New Year ok??
PEN: Okaay... Can we give rock melons too?

And another...

ME: Yay! We’re having a reunion dinner tonight! I can’t wait! It’s Chinese New Year!
PEN: Yeah...
ME: So exciting. We have to make sure we get to your mum’s on time tonight. We must be early, we have to eat together!
PEN: Huh? Eat together? That would be a bit hard, so many people.
ME: But that’s the whole point! It’s a REUNION dinner, you have to eat together as a family.
PEN: But it’s a reunion at my mum’s house every night!
ME: *thinks – this is quite true seeing all the Thie brothers and their wives eat there almost every night* YAH! But it’s Chinese New Year ok? CHINESE NEW YEAARRRR!!!
Pen: Uhh.

I hope you guys have a wonderful Chinese New Year with your family and friends, and for those of you who are not married yet – hope you get lots of ang baos too! I’ll be thinking of you guys (especially you Singapore people). Can’t wait to see you all in March.