That Bit Of Happy
April 3rd, 2009
thank you to those who wrote kind comments in the previous post or sent me such lovely emails :) i really appreciate the time you guys took to comfort me or to leave me a little bit of your stories. the primary purpose of that post was closure, and i believe i’ve finally found that now within myself, with Martian, and with all else. and having achieved that, i want to close this chapter of my life. i thank all of you for your kind comments, but i really am so done with all this baggage. right now i just want to chase that bit of happy. happy that is found in things like:
#1 cupcakes! these are my favorite red velvet cupcakes from the Hummingbird Bakery in London, and they truly are the best cupcakes in the world. you think Magnolia is good? nothing in New York compares to this. absolutely nothing. these came with much love all the way from across the Atlantic, on an almost-missed flight, and really brightened up my week. i finished them all the first night they got here, and now i regret not making them last :(
#2 emily coming from the UK to stay, though i dont have any pictures of us :( actually, i barely saw her while she was here cos i was so busy with deadlines. wtf. she went out shopping one day and then couldnt come back into my dorm room cos i’d crashed after finishing all my work and didnt pick up her calls… so she had to go and stay with her other friend. yes i am the worst host in the history of the universe. /ashamed
#3 SPRING IS HERE. I LOVE THE WARMTH AND THE SUN.
it’s even warm enough to sit out in the grass now. i spent a delicious afternoon yesterday catnapping in the sun and getting a bit of color back into my pallid post-winter skin. it’s so good to be able to wear shorts again.
#4 Friday Me-Days. last friday was the first friday in the semester that i actually didnt have anything to do, papers to finish or people to meet. of the nine fridays this semester, i’ve spent three of those out of town, and the remaining six agonizing over work that just never seems to diminish… so it was absolutely lovely to have a nice spring friday all to myself to poke around the city. i used to have such frequent Friday Me-Days during my first few months in NY, but ah, how times have changed :) i have, quite tragically, become one of those college students obsessed with obtaining a 4.0. nevertheless i had the best friday i’ve had in a long time, exploring Hell’s Kitchen and having a quiet brunch by myself with a good book <3
at Good Enough To Eat, my favorite breakfast place near college!
Good Enough To Eat is really into cow motifs. the cuteness!
an anti-doormat at a card boutique in Hell’s Kitch
#5 The Strand, a huge secondhand bookstore in Union Square, and one of my favorite places in New York. i can spend hours in there just reading. spent half a day there last week reading a volume of Virginia Woolf’s letters, random cookbooks and travel stories, perched on a ladder in a quiet corner of the bookstore. the smell of crusty paper remained in my hair hours after i’d left. bliss.
#6 prawn mee. even if it’s americanized. it’s STILL PRAWN MEE.
#7 awesome things in the mail :) truly AWESOME things. i know i’ve been neglecting my What I Got In The Mail category… but one day very soon, i will put up all the pictures of the beautiful cards and gifts that you guys have sent me over the 8 months that i’ve been here. y’all have no idea how much i appreciate these things and the thought that comes with them. miraculously, i always find something in the mail whenever pangs of homesickness and sadness hit me hardest. sigh. and then i am happy again because i am reminded what’s most important. some sneak peeks:
yes i really did get this in the mail… haha.
#8 Food Expo. omg yesterday we had this Food Expo in our dining hall where random food n beverage companies set up stalls to give out free stuff during brunch hours. i wanted to kick myself SO HARD for having eaten breakfast and thus couldnt really eat much more. BUT THEN… i got a free sample bottle of what is now my new favorite tea — this brand of fruity tea called Guayaki. the passionfruit flavor is yums.
#9 umbrellas. when i first arrived in the city and was constantly getting rained on, carol sent me the cutest stripey umbrella in the mail. last week i took it out during a rainy night and accidentally left it at a bar :( went back the next day to get it but it was no longer there. sigh. as commemoration, here are some pictures of me, the lovely carol, and our umbrellas, meant to be put up a long time ago, from a day that carol and i traipsed down to Chinatown in search of bak kwa and hokkien mee:
#10 one of those days where everything is just perfect. oh and canceled meetings on sleepy afternoons :)
Entry Filed under: College Life, New York City, Photos
61 Comments Add your own
1. shadowking | April 3rd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
It is really nice to see that you are better now :)
I am really happy for you :) You cant really be sad with such a nice weather
I am totally happy right now as well because of all the sun
it makes me feel like summer will actually come again
and just like that i am celebrating right now in front of my computer ;) because all my friends are out with their girlfriends but i am single… well nothing to do about it :)
anyway enjoy your time I get a new beer
dont wanna write more
i am tired and drunk and writing gets harder and harder
2. luvanmusiq | April 3rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
I’ve missed you’re posts Su Ann! I live in London and haven’t actually heard of or tried Hummingbird Cupcakes?! Glad to see you are well! x
3. SK | April 3rd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Having a quiet meal by myself with a book is 1 of the things that I really love to do if I have the time. Obviously I am the only odd one who love to do that. =)
4. Michelle | April 3rd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
The weather here, on the contrary, is making me sad.
It’s Autumn, the skies are grey, the trees are balding but still, there’s Moo in my fridge.
:)
And Norah Jones singing.
5. yapthomas | April 3rd, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Ahhh… i love spring! I love nice sunny days…
6. sweatlee | April 3rd, 2009 at 11:04 pm
it. is. not. warm. enough. to. wear. shorts.
i’m so angry at the weather god right now.
7. kiasu andrew | April 4th, 2009 at 12:06 am
you better come tomorrow we take sexy pictures
8. yumii | April 4th, 2009 at 12:10 am
uwahhhh!!! secondhand bookstore!!! T-T i likeee~
9. Nicole C | April 4th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Love the last picture of you! Great smile! :)
10. p | April 4th, 2009 at 1:23 am
theres a crazy man that talks to himself on that corner in ctown.
11. Claire | April 4th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Good to know that you’re fine..
Enjoy yourself~ =)
12. mac | April 4th, 2009 at 2:25 am
yes … spring, beautiful. i think it is so wonderful to have seasons.
13. ZeekNotGeek | April 4th, 2009 at 2:39 am
welcome back Pau.
its blue sky and everything nice finally! . gone are the cold winter days. i should really really plan for my NYC trip real soon.
14. mabel | April 4th, 2009 at 4:34 am
LOL at passive-aggresive note :D
15. voon | April 4th, 2009 at 5:26 am
eee so little comments one. need more drama la :D:D
16. sheon | April 4th, 2009 at 6:37 am
you sealed it with #10………..i love #10.
17. Sam | April 4th, 2009 at 6:44 am
wow, the book store, can you tell me where do find one as huge in KL?
18. melissa | April 4th, 2009 at 10:12 am
#1 testimony to how awesome your London cupcakes are: my mum walking by whilst I was reading your blog and going “Wow those look good!” and then getting happy because the bakery’s in London and we’re going to London to leave me behind in the UK for university. And she can get em cupcakes on the way! :D
#5 I <3 second hand bookstores! except that they make me sneeze a lot. :(
19. tamago | April 4th, 2009 at 10:37 am
welcome back pinkpau! its been a while since you’ve blogged with such optimism i really enjoyed this post and im glad you’re glad =)
20. mifeng | April 4th, 2009 at 11:12 am
your place looks wonderfully bright! in comparison to uk anyway. *sighs wistfully*
21. darellk | April 4th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
it warms my heart to see you so uplifted!
this post made me so happy because i would have intuitively liked and done the same things that you did, only in new haven! second hand bookstores! <3
22. pamsong | April 4th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I love that umbrella!!!
23. Gin | April 4th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
hamster shirt T_________________T
24. Adrian C | April 4th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I spent a lot of time in London when I was studying in Wales 10 years ago. Wow. It’s been so long. After reading your post, I think I must go back and visit soon :).
25. Adrian C | April 4th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Woops. I suddenly realised that you are writing about The States. That’ll teach me to skim through instead of read … :P.
26. chm | April 4th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
yup yup yup….. bookstores are bliss. though i dont agree with your reading material ^^
27. fatcat | April 4th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Aw… me-days. :D My me-days used to be the weekends where I’ll either isolate myself to think or rot in front of the tv/computer. But I don’t get me-days now since almost every hour of my life is spent on school work and traveling. And by traveling, I mean on the bus/car/train, not going overseas. Sigh.
28. Maianra | April 5th, 2009 at 12:43 am
I’m glad you’re happy now. :)
Btw, that cupcake’s so tempting!
29. crazyboutu | April 5th, 2009 at 1:45 am
wow, i like the hamster t-shirt. So sexy and can see your bra also… hahaha.. best pic for this post …
30. JY'z T. | April 5th, 2009 at 4:37 am
Finally ur old-style of blogging is back. If u look back at ur old post, it’s all short and emo-ish. haha! glad to have the old you back. =p
31. pinkpau | April 5th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
shadowking : haha my friend, singlehood is a time for the festivities :P
luvanmusiq : you MUST check it out. there is a shop in south kensington, and another one in the middle of portobello road!
SK : haha no you are definitely not the only one. lots of people do it :)
michelle : by moo do u mean pork! ahh norah jones :) i do like.
yapthomas : i am jealous that u get that all year round and i dont :(
sweatlee : why??? shouldnt it be warm there too?
kiasu : le sigh
yumii : <3
nicole c : ahha thank u!
p : haha loads of those all over manhattan
claire : u too :))
mac : spring and autumn are my favs <3
zeek : YES COME!! :D
mabel : haha hae u been to the website?
voon : you create some la!
sheon : ;)
sam : 2nd hand? have you tried skoob in brickfields? there’s also a secondhand bookstore in amcorp mall, and another in subang parade.
melissa : OH BUT YOU MUST. red velvet there is the best. everything else is good but not as good as the red velvet. the shops are in south kensington and portobello road :)
tamago : haha i like how everyone is like “welcome back” :P i didnt realize i’ve been so depressed over the apst few months…..
mifeng : yaaaa im glad for the brightness. its been gloomy for so many months now!!
darellk : i cant wait to see new havennnn this weekend. ive never been!
pamsong : it’s gone now :(
gin : haha cute or not. did u see the hamster pic on my plurk? that ones even cuter
adrian : hahaha indeed :P /smacks u
chm : WHY NOT
fatcat : bus-time is very good me-time too :)
maianra : im glad too :) btw if ur ever in london, you must get the cupcake. must.
crazyboutu : wtf!
jyz t : hahahaha i dont know why everybody keeps saying that. i was very emo meh???
32. carol | April 5th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
haha limsuann ya these photos were taken a loooong time ago lol. eh how ar now no umbrella. spring rains wor.
okay okay so. one of these days. you. me. the strand. okay?! okay. set. :D
33. pinkpau | April 5th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
carol : i already got caught in the rain twice :( but chang gave me his umbrella, so i is safe and happy now ahha. though his umbrella quite uncool…. big and blue le sigh
34. zthon | April 5th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
sometimes little things in life make huge difference to us. and it’s those things that cheer us up when we’re at our worst.
glad that you’re able to go on. hope everything is well :)
35. Michelle | April 5th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Moo ice cream
36. ck5354 | April 6th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Happy to see u happy
Sad to see u sad
Glad u are happy and fun again
37. KY | April 6th, 2009 at 1:42 am
but do they have pork in prawn mee???
38. Annabella | April 6th, 2009 at 8:15 am
I usually read but rarely comments. I have to say, I admire how you try to find that little bit of happy. That’s what I do when I face challenges that makes me sad and uptight. A little bit of sunshine here and there adds up to a lot of happy smiles.
Even the weather’s looking up for you. *winks*
39. xiangyun | April 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I have stopped visiting your blog for a bit but have just recently returned to my religious readings of quaintly.net.
Your words are beautiful and seem to touch my heart. Here’s to you finding your that bit of happiness and feeling better knowing that strangers like me actually care to comment and offer you comfort =] Don’t forget to smile, the world needs more of that.
40. Jing | April 6th, 2009 at 9:03 am
Mm, Su Ann, where’s that Bakery?
41. Everything Malaysia | April 6th, 2009 at 9:42 am
I added your blog to Everything Malaysia. Help to promote and wish can help to increase traffic among the blog !
42. Anonymous | April 6th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Yeah…finally…winter is over! I can’t wait to have my legs expose to the sun again! I like your umbrella…
43. Journey to the West | April 6th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Sorry, forgot to leave my name for above post, don’t mean to be anonymous, :p
44. mich- | April 6th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I m going to have my velvet cupcake too
45. vvens | April 6th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
the cow seeds are so creative and so cute!!!!!!!
46. jay see | April 7th, 2009 at 1:38 am
pinkpau i love you.
but..but….i still hope you and martian can get back together
*pray hard
47. JianY [formely known by you as JY'z T] | April 8th, 2009 at 5:00 am
yeah.. to be honest, extremely. last time reading ur blog was really one of my hobby. because of u, i get to noe abt nice shop like Delicious and know how to apply for university in the US. But for the past few months, it was *just being honest* horrible.
48. Gin | April 8th, 2009 at 6:55 am
no wor @_@ where got hamsyter on ure plurk!
49. chm | April 8th, 2009 at 9:23 am
coz it aint my cup of tea? ^^
50. irvine | April 8th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
relaxing… lazing on the field…~
51. Sammy | April 9th, 2009 at 12:34 am
The Strand is awesommmeee :D
Did u see the collectors item books? Including the very 1st edition of Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’? Mahal betul.
52. mysty | April 9th, 2009 at 1:28 am
oooh i would love those cupcakes…they look deelish
53. pinkpau | April 9th, 2009 at 3:57 am
zthon : you are completely right :)
michelle : ah :)
ck5354 : hahaha i cant believe everyone keeps saying this…. zomg…. was i really that unbearable for the past few months!
ky : no… but got prawn… :(
annabella : there’s always that bit of happy hidden somewhere, yes? found mine in the crevices of youtube today :)
xiangyun : thank u for ur kind words :) dont leave me la! haha why is everyone so sick of my emoness….?! i find that i write so much better when i’m emo
jing : there’s one in the middle of portobello road, and another one somewhere in south kensington :) google it!
everything msia : thank u for the add :)
journey to the west : yaaaa :) i love the feeling of sun on my legs too.
mich- : where from!!!
vvens : haha that shop has a lot of cute things wan..! you see their cake cabinet.. so old school and cool
jay see : ahha.. doesnt seem possible anytime soon :)
jian y : ahaha WTF?!?! my emoness cant be THAT bad……
gin : got leh! the photo…
chm : :P then what is!
irvine : mmhmm
sammy : ahaha no i did not. eh but the next time u are there and exit at the union sq train stn, and if the stall is still around, you must buy the cold pear cider drink. OMG SO GOOD.
mysty : they are indeed :)
54. mshella | April 10th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
i’ve been reading your blog for quite sometime. but this is the 1st time i post a comment. i was taken aback by your previous entry. because honestly, i look up to you and your relationship. however, good to see that ure happy now. hope u can keep it that way. =)
55. cheryll | April 12th, 2009 at 3:21 am
oh su ann~ su ann~
i’ve been a fervent reader of your blog since eons ago, and now, because of ‘the’ cupcake. i have to make contact.
i’m in love with hummingbird cupcakes!!!!! passionately in love!!! sometimes i think of how twisted reality is when something like this makes us irrationally happy.
i’m in london and will be going to new york in may. if you want some i’ll gladly bring a box over!!!
from one cupcake lover to another,
cheryll.
56. Shingo T | April 16th, 2009 at 11:34 am
The cupcakes look very nice!
Should get them for my Wifey if the opportunity allows.
57. ssg | April 16th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
emily is the best bit of happy. because emily is awesome. the awesomest ever. amen.
58. pei pa tofu rocks. | April 16th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
cheh! moderated wan. borengzzz.
i should probably go sleep.
meh.
59. pinkpau | April 16th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
moderated ur butt la! u post all these comments that look like spam sure my spam control will block it :P
60. haha | April 16th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
:)
sien la.
i super miss you.
if you were here someone would be awake with me.
61. smartypants | May 14th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
..where is the “school’s out” post? …too sien to do anything right? fell like after a great battle? hehehe..speaking from recent experience mar..
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