score!

this trip in chicago was particularly productive. the usual morning routine- get into the cab "111 south wacker please" (the office in chicago). the cabby as usual(because cabbies love me for some reason) is checking me out through his rear view mirror. he asks where are you from miss? singapore i reply and then i explain how i ended up in chicago. I ask what about yourself? how did you end up here?

turns out mr cabbie is a grad student at de paul, doing a masters in management and science, obviously driving illegally on the side. so we talk briefly because i have arrived at my destination and before i get off i tell him i would like to interview him and he laughs. i take his email and phone number and promise to call him because i would really like to find out how he does this since he's not the only moonlighting student cabbie. he says sure miss- we can talk, you want to know our political views? sure we can talk. this will be my first interview he laughs.

awesome. after some practice in english i think i can muster up enough guts to interview my chinese masseuse too

how the heck do i create a link on my sidebar??? i tell you i am not stupid and have looked through the help pages and trust me i have done exactly as instructed but surprise surprise as with all technology and me, i have had no luck whatsoever. if anyone can help me out please do!

i am trying to create a link to deepmarket.com because if someone has a link to this blog, the owner of deepmarket will offset a ton of carbon through carbonfund.org. this costs nothing, so if you are smarter than me, please go and create a link and tell deepmarket.com blogger that you have a link and he can go and offset a ton of carbon. and really how difficult is this that i work in a technology company and cannot fucking add a link to my sidebar???

i feel like a traitor that i have started drinking diet pepsi instead of diet coke. honestly pepsi does taste better.

what carbon footprint??

wasn't kidding when i said that chinese massage was an indulgence. i went for it TWICE this week, making it the biggest expense after food. imagine that. i like alice because she has really strong hands and uses good pressure and really knows how to hit those trouble spots. today i was late for my appointment with her and she had to leave for another appointment a couple of blocks away. so i ended up getting 30 mins of massage from a DUDE. it was so strange because i had to take off my jeans and only had a towel to protect my dignity. then even stranger- he pulled the curtain across my legs so that only my knees and below were exposed to him. but he really did not know how to work it like alice. he was far too gentle and it felt like he was moisturising my feet more than giving a massage. after my half hour was up, alice had apparently come back so i relented and asked for 15 more minutes so she could work her magic. one of the things i hate most is leaving a massage feeling like i was not knead like dough.

i want to ride your bicycle

indulgences:

1) ronny brook mango flavoured drinking yoghurt
2) company-paid-for jamba juice in chicago
3) pad see ew from UN
4) fusion sushi from umi and the likes of
5) chinese massage -> this is really quite fabulous the day after yoga

yesterday i borrowed fede's bike. a terrible wreck of a machine, but it was about the funnest thing i have done in a while, cycling around the city. made me feel rather invincible for one because i felt like i never have to spend another cent on a cab and i can go just about anywhere i need with a bike in quite a flash. also before this i never noticed how many cyclists there are around. but when i am cycling, it is almost like i'm in a parallel universe and see only other people on bikes while pedestrians are almost phantasmic, just bodies that get in the way of me and my speed machine.

but the uneven roads and sidewalks make for a bumpy ride and you know the painful result of that.

once again the time of year when our apt becomes an asian refugee camp. six of us squashed into a tiny place sharing one bathroom.