Choosy, friend and it's alright.

1. I enjoy the feeling of knowing I've picked the exact word, the precise one I want to convey a piece of information or emotion (or sometimes to intentionally leave it ambiguous) when crafting a sentence. Language, to me, is one of the reasons we live. I was struggling with a description and then I came across someone else using a particular word to describe their own object. It stuck. It's tragic but I've found it.

2. A random, spur of the moment lunch. And a lift home

3. Being validated for how I feel and knowing that I am not crazy or delusion or making a mountain out of a molehill. Others would feel the same way.

Another, ethnic lullabies and with a heart wide open.

1. Other people's random thoughts.

2. I'm tired of the songs they play on the radio and I spend more time flipping stations. Finally I press the "mode" button and the CD player kicks in. Since I'm driving Mum's car it's one of her CDs. I know what it is. Old Hindi songs from the 60s and 70s. They're the songs Mum use to sing to us when she would put us to bed. You got "Rock-a-bye Baby", I got the classics. The change in sound quality, pace, subject matter is calming. Remembering the words and humming along to the music transports me.

3. I heard this song while in Segamat, probably on one of those ridiculously long days, road tripping in a van. John Mayer's going to play at my wedding. Unless I marry him of course.

Parosols, say what? and American Boy.

1. Walking into a huge florist that sells fresh flowers, fake flowers, vases, baskets and parasols. The parasols were hanging down from the ceiling.

2. Rashaad and I come up with our own quotable quotes that no one else would ever get.

3. This song is playing through my head.

a. Kanye sounds divine.

b. I don't actually like American boys. I'm more into Brit boys myself with their "bollocks", "bovvered", "innit", "rubbish", "love".

c. The video is super sexy. Especially when Kanye whispers in Estelle's ear.

Birthday Party - Since we were 11, babes and beautiful people.

1. Two of my oldest friends show up before I'm even ready.

2. My NUS babes came up from Singapore. Neha came up on the day of the party and left the day after.

3. Adam, Adnan, Ahmad, Amin, Andrea, Ariff, Ashaari, Ayesha, Cat, Daleel, Dwayne, Hanifa, Hui Mei, Husain, Husna, Ibtissam, Izuan, Khat, Liyana, Mehboob, Neha, Nicholas, Noura, Olisa, Shaun, Syifa', Taha, Vinita, Zain.

BONUS - Opposites, wasting away with you, high school, family, not dating, relief, kid sister, playing catch, and friends and family.

4. Shakeel met Taha who is incredibly tall. Shak just looked up and stared and stared and stared.

5. The night ended with Everlong by the Foo Fighters.

6. Having the high school gang all together again, going through our high school yearbooks.

7. The whole family-ness of the affair.

8. Noura and Olisa, the perpetual non-couple.

9. I was anxious with how things would turn out since the party was a little bit of a hodge podge but it turned out just fine.

10. Husain got picked up by his dad and 9 year old sister. I remember when his sister was born and sometimes she chats with me online when she's using Husain's account. I finally got to meet her.

11. Neha stayed over and we spent the whole night catching up because I hadn't seen her since February.

12. When you realise that you don't need the people who hurt you and bring you down when you already have the ones who love and care and most of all make you happy.

Faisal, anticipation and Singaporeans.

1. Big brother's in town. Faisal is Mum's first cousin but since he was 13 when I was born he's more like an older cousin or an older brother. He flew to London for work but only spent 14 hours there. He tells stories of how he ended up sightseeing in a cab while it was stuck in London traffic for an hour. And how he randomly bumped into an old family friend of his parents while at the airport.

2. I get home and in the afternoon it's running errands and getting things ready for the big night.

3. The reasons I love Singapore and the reasons I ache whenever I leave that country are here.

Behind you, come up and party ware.

1. Finding out that you have more support that you actually thought.

2. My grandaunt and granduncle are in KL for my birthday party. They come all excited and agree with Mum when she says "It's just her birthday. Can you imagine when she gets married?".

3. A shop that sells party ware - balloons, pinatas, streamers, party poppers, masks, party hats, gifts.

Visitor, chorus and techie.

1. I call Mum to tell her I'm at the train station and she can come pick me up but her phone is answered by a different voice. At first I think it's Shakeel but the voice says "No". So it could only be one other person. Freda is now in KL.

2. Mum mentioned the Prophet Joseph and I started singing Any Dream Will Do from the musical Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Mum and Freda then chimed in.

3. I know have a super-duper fast computer. Thank you David.