The Pink Bathrobe Chronicles
February 13th, 2007
every 3 days or so, there will inevitably be one night where i dont sleep and just head to school in the morning, cranky and with dark circles under my eyes. such is the notorious life of a thursday-night partyer and a tuesday-night webcrawler. apologies to all collegemates for having to put up with my tulan sleep-deprived attitude every monday wednesday and friday for the past 8 months.
so i was grumpy on the plane, mostly due to a lack of sleep from sunday-night procrastination-correcting efforts, but i must admit a good portion of my sullenness was directed at KLIA’s Godiva shoppe. there has been an exorbitant raise in their chocolate prices since the last time i patronized their business a month and a half ago. so what if it’s Valentine’s season? i dont give a fuck. this is robbery. and why do the cynics of the season always cite Hallmark and florists as the focal point of their angst? why not Godiva too? their chocolate isnt even that good to warrant such a jackup in price. in fact, Godiva is completely overrated. that said, i went and bought my usual box of chocolates anyway. hypocrisy is okay when it comes to whatever makes you happy.
the plane was surprisingly empty, and not a gay steward in sight. only one non-effeminate male among the bevy of beauties (yes this flight had really hot stewardesses), and he was quick enough to offer me a blanket upon noticing i was wearing a skirt too short for me to cross my legs decently in. why thank you, i trilled, quite thrilled. no worries, he said, shooting a meaningful glance at a young man a few rows up the aisle who had been indiscreetly eyeballing my legs. we shared a little conspiratorial smile, before he swished off to tend to an old chinese lady, with a subtle flick of his wrist right before he turned away. non-effeminate, but gay.
the Leg Eyeballer is a music junkie and a Seth Cohen lookalike. he later switched seats to sit beside me, but across the aisle. sensing a chat-up, i quickly put my book away and went to sleep. and i didnt wake up until we touched down on HK soil.
my return here is strangely uncomfortable - i almost feel like i should not be here - but this disorientation has since been quelled with many Martian kisses and the requisite pack of Vitasoy malted milk.
i had lunch with Martian this afternoon, at a cute noodle place on Wellington St where the wantan meen is superb and the waiting staff are psychic. and after he went back to work, i walked around Central on my own. being in hongkong always makes me feel younger and calmer, and i take in this feeling with much relish. being amongst the throngs of people walking 2 steps too quickly and barking orders down their Blackberries, i feel carefree. i can walk down Queen’s Rd Central at lunchtime without worrying about bumping into anyone i know. i have no idea why there is a disinclination towards the prospect of running into an acquaintance, but there just is one, and it is deep-rooted. back home, my senses prickle with the possibility of this occurence all the time, and i am always alert when in public places. perhaps it is fatigue. my body is telling me i need to see less people, and to spend more time alone.
i decided to have dinner by myself the other day. pasta marinara and a good glass of wine paired with The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter in one of my favourite restaurants sounded very appealing to me. when i sat down, there was a couple at the table in front of me - a caucasian man and his girlfriend. she was very animated and very giggly, leaning against him the whole time and chattering away merrily about what they can do for valentines day.
i later find out that the caucasian man is married, and not to the woman he was with that night. he texted me today, asking me where i was spending valentines, and i said ‘in hongkong, the land of dim sum, you?’. and he replied, ‘in italy, where all good things come from’. his wife is in italy. i cant help but wonder what tale he spun for the benefit of his other woman. i cant help but wonder if she saw right through it. this whole thing reminded me of one of my favourite chinese movies, the City of Glass. in it, shu qi and leon lai are cheating on their respective spouses with each other, and she says to him as they’re breaking up, ‘now you dont have to come up with lame excuses not to spend your birthday and valentine’s day with me’.
how is that supposed to feel, knowing that your significant other is spending his or her special day with someone else other than you?
Entry Filed under: General
23 Comments Add your own
1. Cheryl | February 13th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
I really have to say this : you are really good at writing. =)
I hate to know the fact that monogamy is not the way of life, it’s a choice.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
2. Cla | February 13th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
do you always go to HK? @_@
Happy Valentine’s Day
3. sewjin | February 13th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
i will get her in bed with me. and while we’re fucking, i’ll ask, “so is he better?” then quickly take out the butcher’s cleaver where i hid in the bedside drawer, lean it closely to her face and wait for her answer.
oh yeah. happy valentines day.
4. beetch- | February 13th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
Do you believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it ? Being used to a person or adoring a person, i believe u know the difference. On the other side, ignorance is bliss. Whichever you prefer to be. At least you would be happier, for a moment. You should understand what I am saying. Dont get me wrong, I am not judging.
/beetch-
5. alvin | February 13th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
it does not feel very good, according to my ex. :(
6. Artie | February 13th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
how the heck did u even meet this kuai lo???
7. kenji | February 14th, 2007 at 2:40 am
whoa, do u always speak to strangers? u must teach me ur PR skills, or did the caucasian man approached you first =)
8. Kevin | February 14th, 2007 at 8:53 am
Were you wearing the skrit I gave you? hahaha. Hmm at least I don’t think Jess spent her Val’s Day with another guy at that time hahaha..I think =P
9. Kevin | February 14th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Ohhh be safe on Val’s Day! =), don’t show your cooch to others this time heeh
10. splashmilk | February 14th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Ah … V Day in HK. Have a nice one.
11. pinkpau | February 14th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
cheryl : a choice not many people choose to make, apparently. happy vday to u too! :)
cla : not as much as i’d like to.. happy vday!
sewjin : you’re too nice, most people would just cleave away :P
beetch : it’s all very simple to me - i’ll do it as long for as long as i’m happy. one doesnt have to be ignorant to be blissful.
alvin : ur poor ex =(
artie : it’s a long story :)
kenji : yes, i talk to strangers all the time. that man must have known it, that’s why he has my number now. and i have no PR skills to speak of!
kevin : ur skirts are NOT wearable ok .. better off as a tube. haha didnt u spend vday with her?? skyping or something. and what i do with my cooch is none of ur biz :P
splashmilk : i will :) hey how was lou sang that day?
12. michelle | February 14th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
vitasoy malted soy milk!
how i miss those drinks
13. kellster | February 14th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
i guess, it will hurt but in life, i guess we need to just deal
happy valentine’s day !
14. TheRealAnnonymous | February 14th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
eh… i tot i replied to this liau? =p
How’s that supposed to feel? No words can describe such excruciating pain man. You feel mainly neglected, betrayed and anger i suppose. Probably mostly jealousy as well… and a whole lot more of other mixed feelings. =p Its something nobody should ever feel.
Having said that… I do remember reading one of Kenny Sia’s blog postups about a similar issue… about a discussion he had with a girl friend of his… i believe she said, if you wanna marry a successful man, then you’re going to have to accept him going out to other women… something like that.
I think its a very interesting topic to discuss… but its probably something thats very subjective to every individual. As for me… i’m a loyal person. =p i’d never do such a thing.
15. Miracle | February 14th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Maybe I haven’t felt that sort of loneliness, but I’ve got the curse of Horrible Valentine’s Day. Where each time, I’ve been let down a very different way. I think it’s a mixture of hurt, anger, understanding trying to find a foothold in your head and heart, a feeling of love that knows no bounds and excuses every hurt, and definitely a hope that next year will be better.
16. Bernard | February 15th, 2007 at 1:28 am
Happy Valentines Pau Pau see ya soon again :)
17. mrbherng | February 15th, 2007 at 1:41 am
That’s sad and it’s sad here too.
18. lishun | February 15th, 2007 at 11:38 am
hey, saw your restaurant review in r.age. if you love food, might as well get paid for eating it, no? hehe. good job. and happy belated valentine’s day. hope you had a blast cuz i did! hehe.
19. laziicat | February 15th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
how in the world do you fund your trips…considering you are a student and all that!! =P
i always cry when i watch city of glass…and if you liked city of glass you should watch tempting hearts…
20. tze | February 15th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
okay very sad post T.T and i need songjun’s msn! i wanna ask him something about nottingham *batts eyelashes
21. TheRealAnnonymous | February 15th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I FINALLY FOUND IT !!!!!!
Finally found mango rice and bbqed coconuts in Phuket! muahaha…
22. kit | February 16th, 2007 at 5:15 am
oh my, an 18 year-old girl who can write a’lil.
23. pinkpau | February 19th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
michelle : it is the best :D
kellster : and that’s the hard part eh. happy belated vday :)
therealanon : i personally dont believe that we should accept the fact that cheating is in a man’s nature. i have an ex boyf who felt that way. and i say, what bullshit. dont expect me to be around to tolerate that kind of crap.
miracle : it may be a bit pessimistic, but low expectations is always the way to go :)
bernard : yah dunno when that will be oso =(
mrbherng : it is?
lishun : yeaaa got moolah, heeehee. yup i had a great vday, good to know u did!
laziicat : i loooove city of glass. ok will look out for tempting hearts! but first… imdbing it! haha!
tze : sent!
therealanon : congrats :D
kit : oh my, blog police who cant spell vespertine.
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