303. copper colored quiet

Little sis is already going home tomorrow. The past couple of days with her was really nice, we didn't do anything much but chill and wander around neighbourhoods in Tokyo. Since she fractured her foot last month, we couldn't do anything adventurous. Also, because it's the rainy season in Japan, we stayed mostly indoors.

I brought her to some new places this time, like Koenji and Lalaport in Tatsuhi. We went to cute cafes and shopping mostly. It took my mind off some things for a little while. I think she liked Koenji best because of all the vintage stores. (I forgot to switch the photo mode on my phone and ended up taking everything in squares =_=)

We spent some time in Koenji on Sunday, and went to Hattifnatt for taco rice and matcha latte! We both thought the latte art was so spot on because that's how we used to tie our hair when we were kids. I bought, even more, books at Koenji's Village Vanguard. I think I can open up a library soon. We watched movies almost every night, like I said, her visit, this time, was just really chill. 

I'm also working on a new piece at the moment. I'm more excited for this one because I don't think I've ever drawn my girls' side profiles in a sexier, dreamy state. I've been frustrated with a lot of things lately which led me to re-think about my career, future, goals, dreams and what I want to achieve a lot more. Too many things and people have been pissing me off.

Today we got up early for Totoro creampuffs. We always head to Shimokita for coffee and Totoro cream puffs. This time, I brought her to a quirky zakka store and just roamed around the neighborhood. We left for Harajuku and Shibuya later in the afternoon and she ended up buying too many clothes. 

I'm kind of bummed she's leaving but I'll see her again soon, so it's okay. 

I've been talking more to friends on the other side of the world lately and can't wait for them to get back to Japan so we can hang out. Running on little sleep is probably really unhealthy but I've been having trouble falling asleep recently. My mind is soooo noisy... 

letlive.'s new album has been on repeat for about a week now. A lot of good album releases so far this year and it's only almost July. Musically wise, I am pretty excited. Other than that, I'm not. But we'll save that for another entry.

302. samorost / ...

I wouldn't call myself a gamer but I do enjoy gaming with my sister once in a while, mostly killing zombies. On my own, I like indie games and whenever I stumble upon one that suits my style, I spend a couple of days trying to finish it because I like to feel very immersed in another world.

Samorost is an indie game I stumbled upon a couple of months ago but didn't get to it until this week. I was really amazed by the art of this game, I left the tab opened on my browser for months so that I won't forget about it. I don't know much about games but what I really love Samorost's universe.

Just imagine a universe with giant anteaters, moths, overgrown mushrooms, evil monks and weird creatures. Argh, I really love the storyline and details put into this game I might just play it over and over again.

Samorost is a point and click puzzle game and honestly, some of these puzzles are almost impossible to figure out, I had to cheat by googling "Samorost 3 walkthrough". I still enjoyed my time in this cosmic universe, though.

It's rare to come by this kind of games so I whenever I do, I go a little crazy, obsessing over it.

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I haven't been updating lately because I've been stressed and busy looking for a job. Still, I found some time to go to a couple of shows this month. I went to see THE NOVEMBERS play with MONO a few weeks ago and was so happy I did because they finally played dysphoria! After so many years of liking them, I finally got to see it live. It's much better played live than the record if you ask me. 

They also played some new songs that I'm not too fond of. I do like one of them, though. MONO was really good live and it was my first time seeing an instrumental band play. I don't think I will see THE NOVEMBERS in a long time again unless I really like their new album. I doubt I will though.

The day after THE NOVEMBERS' show, I went to see Cyclamen, PALM, and Kayodot for a little bit. It's always nice to see PALM play and talk to them. I ended up talking to friends more than actually watching the bands. 

This month is not too happening since I haven't been hanging out with friends much. Mostly going to interviews and staying in, trying to save some money.

On Monday, I went to see Crystal Lake play with Shai Hulud and ENDZWECK. All the bands didn't disappoint. Crystal Lake's setlist for Truenorth Project #5 was really good, no covers and they played a couple of old songs. I was the happiest when they played MAHAKALA♡. As usual, hung around the venue talking to some friends before heading home. 

Little sis is actually in Tokyo now, she just decided to come visit me since she is still on sick leave. She bought her airplane ticket just a day before she flew. Looks like I'm gonna be busy for the next couple of days and I'm happy to escape for a little bit and just spend some time with her.

301. big fish

I have been watching a little too much of films lately, mostly re-visited them I would say. But the one film in particular that stood out to me was 2003's Big Fish by Tim Burton.

I have had the DVD for years, and it's been sitting on my shelf untouched for so long now that it has become so dusty. I used to not like it at all because I found it boring and too much of a drag back then but I decided to give it another chance last night and I am glad I did. I see it in a very different light now and have a new appreciation for it. The cinematography in this film is really unique and quirky. What I love most about it, is that it's so surreal, it's hard to tell whether it's fantasy or reality.

But, I guess that is the point of the film. The film is about Edward Bloom, an old man who likes to exaggerate tales of his past until one day his son, Will Bloom, starts questioning his own father and they did not talk for three whole years. Until his mother informs him that his father is dying of cancer and wishes to speak to his son for one last time.

I like how you feel like you're on an adventure in this entire time, with Edward discovering a giant, a secret town, the love of his life, siamese twins and the best day of his life was the day he caught the big fish.

gifs by gotham.tumblr.com

Have you ever heard a joke so many times you've forgotten why it's funny? 

And then you hear it again and suddenly it's new. 

You remember why you love it in the first place. 

- Big Fish (2003)

The hospital scene made me really sad. Honestly, almost any hospital scene in movies nowadays is a tear jerker for me. Though some of them are not that emotional or depressing, it just reminds me of certain things and I get upset.

It is really different from all the other Tim Burton films and I guess that's why I love it.

Though I have been pretty busy lately, I still make time to watch and discover "new" films. It helps me relax and let my mind wonder off... I really need that now because I feel stressed most of the time. I have so many films I want to write about but I'm just gonna take my time. 

2016 seems to have a lot of promising new movie releases and I can't wait to watch them.

300. sky of poppies, chichibu

Sunday was spent going to the poppy fields in Chichibu. After probably too much talking, Yuri and I finally were on our way to the Poppy fields at 3 in the afternoon. It wasn't too far away by car from her place, only a 20-minute drive. I really enjoyed the drive up the mountains because of all the lush greens, small houses, and rice fields. There were already some poppies in sight even before we began going up the mountain.

It was quite crowded and we had some trouble finding a parking space since it was Sunday. Lucky for us, Yuri's car is a small compact one so we didn't have to drive too far away from the fields. She somehow managed to squeeze into a small space somewhere, at the side of the road. We walked down to get to the poppies, the entrance fee was only 200yen.

There wasn't much there except for maybe 3 food stalls, selling dango, fish and yakisoba. The line to use the loo was even longer than the line for food, haha. There were some traditional performances happening, so Yuri and I decided to watch it for a bit before looking at the poppies.

We were greeted with a sea of red as we slowly walked towards the fields. It was the last day of the poppy viewing so it wasn't as many poppies compared to the peak of it, but I was still pretty impressed. It was my first time seeing so many flowers and thank god I am not allergic to poppies. 

It was warm that day and though the sun was really strong and bright, it would get cloudy every now and then, resulting in some not-so-nice-looking photos. The poppies against the blue sky were more ideal for Instagram worthy photos if you ask me.

The poppies actually look nicer in videos swaying in the wind. The view from the fields was really pretty, other than seeing the flowers, the mountains in the distance also added this tranquility that I will never get in the city. 

We didn't spend too long there since I still was planning to leave Chichibu at about 6 that evening. We got back to the car and went to get dinner before heading to the train station. 

The view of the sky and mountains there was just so calming.

I left Chichibu at about 6:30pm and got home, yes, three hours later, at 9:30pm. I had a lot of fun visiting Yuri, it was a first for a lot of things. I'm glad I got to experience the countryside because I don't think I ever will if she wasn't living in Chichibu. 

Having lived in Singapore most of my life, I never got to experience so much nature because Singapore is just a small city where everything is man-made. I have no intention of moving back at all. Maybe that's why I appreciate this kind of trips so much more. I felt a lot better since coming back, I guess I would like to escape every now and then from city life. 

Other than our long, girl talks about almost everything and anything you can think of, I enjoyed hiking with Yuri the most even though we are clearly unfit and don't have the proper attire. We even laughed at how pathetic we are, haha. The next time I visit her, I hope to go to the lake or river. I've always loved lakes and rivers, so I can't wait for that!

Actually, going to the countryside did make me see how different this lifestyle actually is. I don't think I will ever move to the countryside because I am so used to city life, I'm such a city girl. I need to go shopping, go to nice cafes, art exhibitions, and concerts to be happy. Though, I do think that when I get old and stop caring about these unnecessary things, moving to the countryside would be lovely and a fine way to spend the last remaining years on earth.