recently, i've been contemplating the delights of moving out and having an abode of my own. all this passion for my own home was rekindled when the boyfriend and i spent an evening over at his photographer friend's place. Aida's accommodations being nestled somewhere in the quaint settings of Dakota Crescent. 'Dakota' here brings to mind the girl who acted beside Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds. it also reminds me of the many laughs my army mates had back then over the 'Fanning' (or more like the Fanny) in Dakota. ugh. Straight people are so uncouth.

but i really like Aida's home. it's neither something Martha Stewart would approve of. nor a spread Home and Living would do in a picture of 'Grunge housings'. but it has plenty of electronics and designer touches in it. the randomly placed arty DVDs. the stacked copies of designer magazines. the beauty in the messiness (not that your house is very messy or what, Aida) is what makes the home really personal. plus, the humble 3-room apartment was used for a photo shoot with a hot Brazilian model with 'pink nipples' and 'she does Sudoku while waiting for the next shoot' as i roughly paraphrased Aida's words, it's so Bohemian. perfect setting for an Indie film.

i was smoking outside my temporal home of 8 years just 20 minutes ago, when it dawned upon me that if i were to get my own Bachelor's pad, it would have to be sanitary. not in a Whisper ultra-thin kinda way. but more like the surrounding estate would have to be pretty clean. at least a bit better than where i'm staying at now. Chua Chu Kang is not exactly the cleanest estate in Singapore. the road-sweeper in-charge of cleaning my estate is this slow rheumatic Indian lady who seems to take her own sweet time to do her work. bless her soul for doing something as altruistic as making the environment habitable. but maybe a fit and healthy Banglah would be more willing to do the same job much faster. plus, i always gave cigarettes to the Banglah that used to maintain my block of flats. he's a nice guy, albeit, reeking of yesterday's leftovers.

another requisite for my very own home would be that it has to be in the heartlands. not that i'm too concerned with staying in the very expensive city center. in fact, with the money i pay for rental in an Orchard Road apartment, i could have several more rental hotels tucked away in the heartlands. that would give me bragging right to say things like 'Oh I'm going back to my Summer home in Toa Payoh today'.

the thing about living with the auntie and uncles of the heartlands is that you don't really have to give a shit as to what you wear when you need to go downstairs to get some tofu for brunch. it's quite a hassle to have to put on concealer when you want to avoid scaring the many secondary school students located at the nearest shopping outlet, which happens to be a shopping mall. plus, cigarettes are almost always 50 cents cheaper here, compared to those you get at 7-11 or the mamak stalls in the city.

i used to obsess over the need to live in a high-rise apartment stuck in the middle of the city. and when i looked down from my balcony, i can see Heeren on my right and Suntec City on my left. that comes from watching one too many episodes of The OC and Nip/Tuck. i used to envision myself during my early 30s. i would come back home, open my refrigerator with the metallic door, help myself to some Pinot Noir, lying on my designer divan, with some melancholic bossa nova playing in the background. that was a phase that tided me through my time with the previous organization.

now, all i want is just a simple place with a king-sized bed. i think the motivating factor lies with the fact that i can actually have the boyfriend sleep over. of course lah, it all starts with the $$$. which is like practically non-existent now.

oh well, at least i've got a roof above my head now.

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