1. Days here begin with the sun. My room gets a full blast of sunshine around 8am, so I wake up to wonderful warmth, and beautiful cast shadows on the wall to my right. Then, a ride to davis commons, via a secret route that takes me there in under ten minutes, without sight of a single road vehicle. On the menu, santa barbara cobb salad from Habit burger grill – get your greens with tomatoes, eggs, bacon chips, avocado and bleu cheese crumbles.
2. Some people say Davis is ugly, but these naysayers must not like sun, sky, and clear infinite paths. Yesterday we spent the better part of the afternoon exploring a quiet campus that was getting ready to welcome students back into the grass. My favourite moments were those on the porch of Veihmeyer Hall, feet up on the cool stone benches, wondering how sunlight and cold can possibly co-exist. I am such a born and bred Singaporean that it feels slightly unnatural to have both, but I am finally living in my dream daytime weather. At any given minute in the afternoon, there are both girls in skirts and people wrapped up in tweed coats. Sartorial freedom temperatures!!
3. A movie ticket stub is all I have to remember one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had so far. Went out to dinner at Bistro 33, Davis’ hip restaurant for the young and trendy, but with a kind couple that poked fun at themselves for being old and uncool throughout the evening, and their daughter and her boyfriend. Over burgers and paninis, we talked about everything candidly, from films to the military to Asian Student stereotypes. For the first time ever I spoke my secret wish out loud, and it finally felt real, like I was allowed to override pragmatism for a few brief minutes. Surprising encouragement followed, worlds collided, and then I thought that I might not be crazy for hoping after all.
this week: my housemates arrive, school begins. there are poetry readings to be attended, writing classes to be had! tomorrow, maybe a music gig that’s “something in between nirvana and the beach boys”!
retrospectif: a notebook 
the first thing i noticed were the thumbtacks stuck into the people’s eyes in that last picture. makes them look kinda deranged :/
lol wans your comment name!! love it.
yeah i kinda like the thumbtacks, makes them look like they’re mad suffering poets, pardon the cliche. this brochure was on a board in one of the halls, guess students do this at any age, all over the world. wonder why connie post and bryan dietrich were spared though.
haha… mad suffering poets? i think francisco alarcon looks more like a mad doctor with crazy glasses though.
davis looks so pretty! unlike nus, the giant factory.. D:
happy new year from singapore!! life in davis seems so soft, lovely and perfectly cold. hope all is well, especially tt nonsense NUS admin shit – has that been sorted? xx
happy new year to you!! it’s lovely here! today is grey though, i hope it doesn’t last too long. thank you for putting me in touch with wei fen — she’s been so helpful, and helping me feel less lost and more hopeful instead.
i haven’t sorted that because the offices are closed. in case i’m not cleared for the spring quarter as well, i’m trying to squeeze all my credits into this quarter. on the waitlist for my final class!