Whisk me away

The first week of college was... okay, for the lack of a better adjective. I wouldn't hesitate though, to be anywhere else in the world, in this moment, in a breath. Then again, I always feel this way.

Certain half-deserted streets

Ghost Town (noun)
by Merriam-Webster

: A once-flourishing town, wholly or nearly deserted, usually as a result of the exhaustion of some natural resource. First known usage of lexicon: 1931.

Quotes from the Lesser-Known: Part 19

'Hey Tiara! What's a place you'd like to visit before you die?' 

'Africa! I want to be one with nature. And animals. I love animals.' 

'Let's talk about the local education system. Is there anything fundamentally wrong with it?' 

'I think the problem with the Singaporean education system is that there's just too much focus on results. It doesn't matter how you get there, but as long as you hit the mark, you're gold. Even if it means sacrificing sleep, or mindlessly memorising till you can't absorb anything else. Do kids even learn anything that way? Do they even remember half of what they've learnt once exams are through? I know I didn't.'

Tiara C, 20

Doodler. Has a cat. 

Cicada summers

Tomorrow will be the end of summer as I know it. Holidays are coming to an end! It's crazy. It feels as if the last exam of Y1S2 ended yesterday and I was just getting ready to relax with friends & a stack of good books. The thought of fourteen more weeks of assignments & stress... geez. Apologies, it's just the regular school blues. It's been a good summer though.

Every since seeing the scene in the movie Bridesmaids where Annie is handed a tall glass of pink lemonade by the classy waiter (so good that she had to stop & say, 'God, that's delicious.'), I've been trying to fabricate the summery beverage. God knows we need a drink for weather like this. The base recipe for lemonade is dead simple right? A mixture of water, lemons & sugar that you bung into the fridge to chill & twenty minutes later, voila! Lemonade. It's a bit harder than it looks though: the key to getting the perfect lemonade is to get the right ratio of ingredients to suit your taste. In my case, I like my drink more tart than sweet, the light pink shade that cranberry juice gives, & I love the extra fizz that soda water gives, unnecessary as it might be. Most of the time, the best things in life are the non-essentials.

I've been making this since summer last year, huge quantities at a time to last for as long as a week. It can easily be turned into an alcoholic party drink as well, just add a splash of schnapps or light rum, whatever you have in your fridge really. Garnish with lemon & orange slices, turn on a Beach Boys / Gold Motel album (or anything from this summer playlist), & sink back into relaxation.

Pink Fizzy Lemonade

You can halve, double or triple the recipe as long as you remember the base ratio (mine is 1:1:4). Remember that not everyone likes it as tart; you may have to add more sugar to make it sweeter, or more water to make a less-concentrated drink. Also, if you are serving this quite some time later, add the soda water to the mixture just before serving or all the fizz will be gone by then.

Ingredients

12 medium lemons (enough to make 2 cups of lemon juice)

2 cups of white sugar

8-9 cups of club soda

Cranberry / Raspberry Juice

Orange slices

Ice cubes to serve

1. Squeeze most of the lemons, leaving at least one to be sliced for garnish. Put lemon juice aside.

2. In a large pot, heat up 2 cups of club soda under medium-low heat, adding in the 2 cups of sugar slowly till it has dissolved into a thick sugar mixture.

3. Add the lemon juice, stirring constantly for about 3 - 4 minutes till everything has melded together. Allow to cool for a while

4. Pour the warm mixture into two large pitchers, and add the soda water. Add the appropriate amount of cranberry or raspberry juice to colour the liquid a light pink shade, while constantly stirring with a wooden spoon.

5. Put in the fridge to chill for about an hour. Add ice cubes, and garnish with lemon & orange slices.

Makes approx. two 1.5l pitchers 

Quotes from the Lesser-Known: Part 18

'Give a brief description of yourself.' 

'My name is Dylan (Chan). I'm 16 & I attend SOTA, a local arts school. I specialize in visual arts & even more specifically, graphic design (typography!). I consider music my hobby, an unprofessional art form. Both are things I'm highly passionate about.' 

'Do you have an artistic role model?' 

'I am not really a fan of any human being. Most of the time you develop your own taste & style. But one ultimate designer I look up to is God the creator of the seas & the sky. Like good design, everything has its function & aesthetics. From the intricate nephrons in your kidneys to the expanse of the milky ways, it is impossible to ignore all the beauty around us.'  

'Why do you love the Beatles so much?' 

'The mere mention of their name makes me smile. The Beatles are wonderful! They're legendary. I can say without a doubt that they are the best musicians in the world, although to some people their sounds are a bit outdated, coming from half a century ago... But their melodies, tunes, lyrics & arrangements are just so skilful & thoughtful. 'Foot-tapping beauty'. Some lyrics are frustratingly simple. Simple chords, simple lyrics, all add up to an enjoyable experience of music. Great arrangements credits to the fifth Beatle, George Martin.' 

'What is music to you?' 

'Admittedly, I get excited at the topic of it. Music is immensely powerful. It determines mood, emotion & atmosphere. By nature, it travels through air, which makes it formless & free. What I love about music is the fact that it is there to keep. Forever & ever & ever. Today's technology has made that even more so... Music is unique in form, it exists in sound. It is unseen, which makes it even more real. To me, it's a whole new sense.'

Dylan C, 16

Art student, musician, & clearly suffering from well-known Beatlemania 

Out of the ash

'We should meet in another life,
We should meet in air,
Me & You.'

Sylvia Plath

'Ariel'

_____________________________________________________


We visited a decorative cemetery one weekend, in Whiskeytown CA. We were on our way to do some hiking & swimming in the lake, & so we almost missed it, nearly driving past the trees & wooden gates. I'm glad we didn't though, because it was quite something: those graves furnished with stone plagues, garden gnomes, whole nativity scenes, clay rabbits, toy race cars & assorted knick-knacks.

People don't usually find solace in drab places like cemeteries, but over there, it felt quite different... It was a hint of life, happiness, and most of all, peace. If I had a choice, all cemeteries would be like this... & then visiting them would be quite a different experience.

Quotes from the Lesser-Known: Part 17

'What do you think of the idea of soul-mates?' 

'Soul-mates are real to a certain extent... There may be one person out there for you, but as you change, so does your soul-mate. I believe you can try looking for your soul-mate, and your soul-mate can try to find you, but it doesn't always work that way.' 

'Here's the hard-hitter: what is love to you?' 

'Love simply means giving in & being there when he/she needs you. Love means loving the person at her worst.'

Alex T, 17

Drummer. Specializes in being hilarious, & also, weird.

Quotes from the Lesser-Known: Part 16

'Give a brief description of yourself.' 

'I'm Sheri. I'm a graphic designer, Stacy's sister & an avid believer in originality.' 

'Team Peeta or Team Gale?' 

'Team Gale! But it's never going to happen. I don't mind Peetniss though. Even if it sounds quite like a southern male apparatus.' (The fandom changed it to Peenis soon after, by the way)

'What inspired you to pursue art in school?' 

'I just have a passion for it... I feel the need to communicate through the medium. I don't take my passion for it lightly. I'm very, very lucky to have my passion aligned with what I study.' 

'What do you think of the art scene in Singapore?' 

'Bad. So. Ridiculously bad. We aren't trying hard enough. We have the talent. We don't have the opportunities, or the determination to push ourselves to go overseas. We are complacent & comfortable here, & we will die if we don't change. Art is a central point of my life & I think people who have this gift need to make it the centre of their lives too.'

Sheri T, 18

Graphic design student, curiously aloof 

A Spritely Sky

This post will be written in hash-tag form, because:

a) It's easier,
b) There's no better way to emulate the bursts of emotion one gets from seeing a brightly-lit sky, even if it is only for a few seconds.



#night #fireworks #fourthofjuly #spontaneous #colours #lights #people #families #cities #barbecue #awe #love #hands #America #red #white #gold #snapshots #noisebutthenalsoquiet #independenceday #humanity #joy #hope #tears #goodnights 

Nature, my creator

 'My river runs to thee,
Blue sea, wilt welcome me? 

My river waits reply.
Oh sea, look graciously! 

I'll fetch thee brooks
From spotted nooks, - 

Say, sea,
Take me!'

Love XI

Emily Dickinson