#also there's just a lot of flavor combinations i wouldn't have considered

[piedoesnotequalpi]

I do not discuss my cooking habits or lack thereof much on here but Cook As You Are is already my most-used cookbook relative to how long I've owned it and I am recommending it to everyone who has to cook for themselves

[greywindys]

Food for thought: I’ve seen other people mention before that society could not handle Murdoc if he was hypothetically conceived as a woman instead, no personality or backstory change or anything. I kinda have to agree, considering that Murdoc (maybe with a name like Maria or something?) would piss off conservatives with the blatant display and pride in her promiscuity and sex, but I also think it may make certain people on the left and not willing to dissect it? With her obvious hypersexuality trauma response and her problematic behaviour after the horrid events of her backstory?

I dunno, again just food for thought, there’s potential essays worth of content and analysis in this one ask I think��

Hmmm good question! Personally, I think society could handle an afab Murdoc. While not a 1:1 comparison, I've read a number of books featuring women who had some combination of complex trauma, moral ambiguity (or evilness), promiscuity and unlikability. Well-written, detestable women characters exist! IMO the main different here is the audience. Gorillaz with afab Murdoc would likely have an entirely different fanbase (no yaoi potential with 2D = no 2Doc community for one) and might not be as popular because there definitely is a significant portion of middle America they just wouldn't appeal to due to misogyny. But this version of Gorillaz would definitely have fans and a place in pop culture. I'll also add that, in my experience, there are conservative cishet men who completely on board with promiscuous women (a different flavor of misogyny), so imo, I wouldn't count them out as potential fans in this hypothetical scenario.

And idk, I think she would inspire a lot of thinkpieces! But it's possible that different groups would be more protective over their interpretations of her.

And you're absolutely right that this could be a long essay or research project lmao. I'll probably think of like, ten more points to add onto this answer later tonight. But these are my initial thoughts 🤔

[marshmallowprotection]

Hmm what do you think the favorite candies of the RFA + the minor trio are?

Oh. That's a fun question! Let's think about this, shall we?

Jaehee isn't huge on sweets that she doesn't make herself. So, I'm torn. I don't see her as someone who enjoys any candy. I think she's more likely to consume a treat when it's something she baked for her cafe. But, I suppose, if pressed, you may be able to get her to admit a small memory from her childhood. Her parents used to buy her some Pepero, that's a Korean take on Pocky.

I went over this when someone asked me about what kind of treat Zen likes before and I think my answer stands. Hotteok! You can't go wrong with street pancakes... and you can't go wrong with a center filled with caramel or nuts. His parents wouldn't let him have candy as a kid and as an adult, he doesn't bother with candy, not because he remembers what his parents said, but because he doesn't want to break out!

Yoosung eats star candy like Tic-Tacs. He is Shooting Star Yoosung! He loves to eat candy that invokes his sense of self, and it's cute. He loves to be cute, despite whining about people calling him cute, he's determined to be the cutest. Imagine if you asked him for candy and he just hands you these. That feels right, doesn't it?

Jumin isn't a candy guy. But, do you know what I think he enjoys if he wants to indulge in a treat? I think he likes Oreos. I don't know why, it feels right. The way he was looking at those sugar-coated strawberry in the most recent photo from Cheritz told me that he's not big on pure sugar as a snack. But, an Oreo? It's a cookie with the sweetest center that has people debate by and large the right way to eat one. He'd enjoy that conversation! Does it dunk it or pull it apart first? I'm not sure!

I just know Saeyoung loves sour candy. I don't know why I feel that way but considering that he loves the combination of Honey Butter chips and Dr. Pepper, I know he's down to mix different flavors for a good time. Sour and sweet? He is a risk-taker, he is willing to try any food that comes his way, and that exploration lets him find out new combinations you might never dream of. I also think he'd love a dirt cup, that's pudding, oreos, and gummy worms.

I don't know what it is about Jihyun, but I get the sense he loves to see art in his candy. You can do a lot of cool stuff with rock candy, I saw someone make an entire geode out of chocolate and sugar for an experiment. He wants his candy to inspire him and what's more of a kick to a guy like him if not a candy that can be shaped in to be all kinds of stuff?

Saeran consumes Strawberry Bon Bons. I know if you're American like me, you've seen someone in your life with these candies before. They're the candy you might see your grandma eat! They were old in the twentieth century and they're even older now! My man is coded to be a cozy grandpa style these days, and it makes sense he would eat these up once you handed them to him. It's only a matter of time until he gets called old!

Controversial opinion. I think Vanderwood likes candy corn and I don't know why I feel this way but I do. Someone has to like this candy and the only person I can think of who would never want to admit that is Vanderwood. Good luck getting that out of him if you can, guys.

If you give Rika some dark chocolate Kit-Kats, I think she'd be set for life. Something about breaking them apart brings her some joy. I like to imagine she shared some with Mika that night in the hospital and it was one of the best days of her life, even if it was bittersweet. Life was cruel to her in that moment, and a small joy made a difference.

[songstuckinmahead]

Ranking Taylor Swift's albums based on how many songs are in my playlists:

Number of songs that are in parentheses are additional songs that were not part of the original album rollout (soundtracks, remixes, vault tracks) and will be listed after the original album songs.

Okay, Let's go:

11th: Taylor Swift (self-titled Debut) - 0

It's common for an artist's first album/EP to simply be a collection of the songs they made so far and that's what this is. This isn't really an era but more just a beta test of Taylor.

But i do have a feeling that Debut tv will have the biggest amount of rerecordings as well as the biggest change in the vocals which scares me.

10th: Folklore - 1

The first of Taylor's depression decade starts with a typical COVID-19 lockdown depression yearning for a cottagecore escapism.

Following the dip of Lover and the lack of publicity due to quarantine restrictions and a surprise release made this album appear in low profile but between the times and the message of the songs it was better for it.

Songs: Cardigan.

8th (tie): The Tortured Poets Department - 2

Despite me being fully on the Eras Tour/the rerecordings/Midnights hype train, TTPDs double album and several variants started to feel a bit too much. It just felt being the 50 kg cherry on top of the thousand flavor, million calories oversaturation dessert.

This is an adult album written by an adult woman for adults. Rawdogging real life as it is with all the problems and each problem with it's own bullshit. And also a lot more swearing than before.

Songs: Fortnight, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart.

8th: (tie): Fearless - 2

The princess of the midwest waiting for her high school prince find out that she exists. That's Fearless, this album invented the cliche of removing the glasses of the shy nerdy girl to see and show the world how pretty she is.

Unlike Debut's truck country genre, being a princess in an all american high school fairytale seems to work better with her songwriting skills.

Songs: Love Story, You Belong With Me.

7th: Speak Now - 1(+2)

It makes sense for being known as the Enchanted era as this underrated album feels the least like a "Taylor Swift genre" and the most like other popular 00s grudge rock subgenres of the time, similar to Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Paramore and Fall Out Boy (which the latter two appeared in the album).

Songs: Better Than Revenge, Electric Touch, I Can See You.

6th: Evermore - 2(+1)

Jack Antonoff once said that Taylor wrote Willow in 20 minutes it was quickly followed by the decision to make a second "COVID-19 lockdown depression yearning for a cottagecore escapism" album, and thus Evermore was born.

Honestly considering how much the two album share the theme, mv continuity, and release year. Folkmore should have been a single double album from the start.

When you read this treat the two Folkmore reviews as one in two parts.

Songs: Willow, Marjorie, Carolina.

Top 5:

5th: Midnights - 3(+1)

Now this is a type of depression i can relate to! culture counters culture and Midnight's more upbeat songs were perfectly made to counter Folkmore's cottagecore calmness. Beyonce released Act i Renaissance around the same time a bit after the COVID-19 pandemic because "the world needed to dance" and Taylor saw that regarding Midnights as well.

As much as i like the retro vibe of the album, I haven't really been able to define it (undefined vibe can be better than defined), especially with the Midnights era being the eras tour era.

Songs: Lavender Haze, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Karma (remix feat. Ice Spice).

4th: Red - 6(+1)

The most Taylor Swift album. Period. The perfect combination of the three archetypes of Taylor transitioning from the 00s country to the 10s pop while having both happy upbeat songs and sad poetic songs.

2011-2013 is a critically iconic time period and it wouldn't be the same without Red. I consider We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together as one of the holy trinity of iconic 21th century pop songs.

Between the rise of the breakup songwriter reputation(a justified reputation considering she has a 10 minute breakup song), screaming goats, and her influence reaching global levels, Red is the most important album of the Tay-lore.

Songs: State Of Grace, Red, 22, I Knew You Were Trouble, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Everything Has Changed, Message In A Bottle.

Top 3:

3rd: Reputation - 8(+1)

The more famous you are, the more haters and scandals you'll have, and once you reach that global stardom there's no way to avoid that. And after what happened between Taylor and Kim and Kanye, the only way to stop it was to vanish.

The pre-reputation blackout was a "you had to be there" moment when she cleared all of her social media, the snake teasers, Game Of Thrones' season 7 finale, all leading up to the 2017 VMAs.

The Look What You Made Me Do MV and the other reputation MVs was the first time she personified and dress-coded her past hits and doing it by killing them all.

Another important part of Reputation lore is the counter to the big strong bass in Delicate, her showing her vulnerability to the public hate of the past few years, while showing mostly the heavy mental toll being famous does.

If it seems like it might be my favorite album of her then how it is only 3rd place? Well we just have to wait for the rep tv vault tracks (clowning here but i never stopped loving the idea of Ready For It remix feat. BLACKPINK).

Songs: Ready For It, Look What You Made Me Do, Gorgeous, End Game, I Did Something Bad, Delicate, So It Goes..., This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, I Don't Wanna Live Forever.

2nd: lover - 8(+2)

Culture counters culture and Lover was conceived to counter and balance Reputation. Replacing the grim rainy cold metal cities with a pastel sky full of candy clouds. All the frustration was unleased with the last big machine album leaving an empty slate for her loved ones and onwards to deal with real life political problems.

And an empty slate is exactly how the album starts with I Forgot That You Existed which feels like the after therapy of This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things.

Lover is very simple, positive feelings like love, happiness and friendship as well as not to overthink your anger.

Songs: I Forgot That You Existed, Cruel Summer, Lover, I Think He Knows, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, Paper Rings, You Need To Come Down, ME!, To All The Girls You Loved Before, Lover (remix feat. Shawn Mendes).

1st place:

1989 - 7(+4)

This is it, global stardom has been reached and now she's a superstar, and as one she a bit outgrew the previous genre and city she had and was ready for a rebirth.

Taylor Swift was born in 1989 and was reborn with 1989.

Embracing pop and shedding her fake southern accent has only brought main pop girl hits while also criticizing the industry she just joined and worldwide people's reactions who were just exposed to her (Shake It Off criticized her genre transition, Blank Space criticized her breakup songwriter reputation, Bad Blood criticized the industry's "feuds").

However, even though i was there during the 1989 era, afterwards i kinda forgot the definition of the era and couldn't really remember. It just felt like the transition between Red and Reputation until i remembered it's true meaning when 1989 tv came out. It's just a main pop girl music, this was her Please Please Please (the song after the song that placed her at the top).

Of all the rerecordings across all albums Wildest Dreams had the biggest upgrade and Bad Blood remix had the biggest downgrade.

Songs: Welcome To New York, Shake It Off, Blank Space, Style, Bad Blood, Wildest Dreams, New Romantics, Bad Blood (remix feat. Kendrick Lamar), Slut!, Now That We Don't Talk, Is It Over Now?.

[solarmusick]

@nothingbutland-blog you gotta understand, the material in Masques was really toned down from the immediately previous sets. saga had cards that could get stuff on the board ridiculously quickly, we're talking turn 1 wins in standard. Masques had free spells like "1/2 with protection from black" ... and they were contingent not only on things like what lands you controlled but also on what lands your opponent controlled (in the case of the previously quoted card, they need a swamp and you need a plains). sure, we had daze -- a free counterspell -- but there's nothing like force of will, a hard counter without any board requirements. you need an island to cast daze, you have to bounce it off of the table, and daze only adds 1 to the cost of the opponent's spell. the spellshapers were slow and costly. rebels did well, but none of their cards were really busted either on their own or in combination. they were just a new white weenie mechanic that ensured you wouldn't run out of creatures to play -- perhaps a necessary balancing force, since white is not known for its card draw ability. none of the free spells had the urza's block interactions with untapping land, which was a busted thing to have included in a block with tolarian academy and gaea's cradle. overall the casting contingencies were stricter and the power level was modest. (except maybe snuff out...love that card.) masques itself (prior to nemesis and prophecy) was especially cautious, and i feel that prophecy barely made an impact on the game. i can't remember the last time i saw someone playing a prophecy card other than rhystic study. you want all my lands to be tapped? weird ask, but ok...

the urza's and tempest blocks had been really experimental. masques was somewhat experimental too, in that they experimented with whether they could still print free cards without breaking the game, but it was incredibly restrained compared with the open-ended powerhouses printed in the urza's block (mind over matter, for instance: the price of discarding a card seems high, but urza's block had jaw-dropping draw capacity, so the card -- with no mana limits or other resource constraints -- became a powerhouse). tempest saw intruder alarm, which is still a lynchpin in what seems to be an infinite number of infinite combos. tempest block had dream halls ffs. that's a crazy card. there was nothing like that in masques. player moaned and complained about the drop in power level. now, were there cards in masques that could pull their weight or impress a player? sure -- conspiracy, for example; a card that did a lot of work in a set that cared about creature type. prophecy gave us some staples. but you can't judge the block by cards like rhystic study: overall, the rank and file cards were a little junky. it was stuff like this:

mind you, back then you took damage if you drew mana and didn't use it. and there were tons of cards in the set that cared about whether your lands were tapped at the end of your turn. but it was kind of a crappy thing to care about. why would i include something in my deck that required me to forego all things like counterspell or the chance of responding to a creature with haste before it attacks? i get that "making choices" is a virtue for r&d, but this was not a choice that made the game more fun. so it was a set with little to show when the final tallies were made. maybe they knew what they were doing when they picked that flavor text.

anyway, that's my essay on why the masques block was considered underpowered at the time. there are key cards that really work, and i'm sure they still see play in legacy/vintage, but there just weren't as many game-breaking single cards or combos, and that was the goal.

your mileage may vary

You have said that R&D made Mercadian Masque a "weak" block,but its a block with free spells, rebel, Brainstorm, spell shapers, if it was printed into Standard today it would probably be the most dominant set being played. How in R&D's eyes was the block made "weaker"?

It was significantly weaker than Urza's Saga Block. : )

[acealistair]

🌙🌸🌻🌟❄️❄️ for dnd char of ur choice hehe

Gah, I got hit with an unreasonable amount of work the last few days so that's why I'm just getting to this now, sorry! 😭 But thank you so much for sending it!!! I'm gonna do Finch bc she's my fave right now lol

🌙- Does this oc have any unusual hobbies?

Yeah, I'd say so. Tinkering! Finch is an extremely hands-on person so she likes just about any activity that fulfills that, but she's found she loves creating mechanical/magical things. In-game, she made a friend who is an artificer student at a university, and in her downtime Finch frequently goes to visit and learn from him. It's to the point that I've considered multiclassing her to artificer, buuuut the benefits I'd get from that aren't quite what I want for her. My DM and I are working something out where she'll be able to get proficiency in tinker's tools and maybe one or two infusions.

🌸- What's this oc's favorite and least favorite color?

Red is her favorite for sure, she just looks good in it lol. Least favorite... ironically probably like a lavender/pastel purple. I say ironically because that's my favorite color, but she wouldn't like the femininity of it and she wouldn't look great in clothes of that color. She doesn't think too hard about it though.

🌻- What's this oc's mental health state?

LMAO it's uh. sure something. Not as bad as like, Lyrie's, but Finch is a fucking mess. She was emotionally neglected by her father, physically and emotionally abused by her siblings, and then anyone who didn't know her secret of being a tiefling either feared or revered her for being royalty -- not really conducive to forming normal, healthy relationships with people. Now that she's escaped the palace, she's paranoid, anxious, and selfish. She has a serious lack of empathy and doesn't think about/care how her actions impact people, particularly strangers. She also avoids all her problems like the plague, which we're now starting to see the consequences of in-game so that's super fun (genuinely, from a player's perspective, just not so fun for her 😂).

All that goes to say is I dunno what I'd diagnose her with other than Issues™

🌟- Is this oc good at expressing themself through words or do they have to use other means?

Finch may have received an excellent education and therefore has a great vocabulary and can write formally, but she's AWFUL when it comes to verbally expressing any emotions other than anger or snark. The issue is she's also pretty bad at expressing anything genuine through her actions as well, short of like, having her party's back in combat (though even then it's usually them who have her back since she's by far the physically weakest). Her way of showing affection is by hanging out with people (and pulling pranks on them if they give funny reactions), but she doesn't totally realize that isn't a loud and clear way of saying she cares. 😅 Fun thing is, she's currently kidnapped and the party is on their way to save her, so I gotta think of how she's going to show her gratitude, if at all.

❄- What is this oc's favorite and least favorite food?

I've thought a lot about this; as it stands, she doesn't have any super specific dishes that are favorites/least favorites, but she loves street food and, as much as she loathes to admit it, cannot stand spicy food. These both stem from her diet in the palace, which our DM described as essentially fancy French food, where it's hardly seasoned to let the high-quality ingredients ~shine~. Therefore street food blew her mind with how indulgent and flavorful it is, while spicy food is way too much for her palate combined with her pitiful constitution score lol (also it's just funny because she's a fire-themed tiefling)

[babyboyblasty]

CHAPTER 9:

In the end it was Mina who had to take one for the "greater good" and promise to delete /all/ (and it was a lot) of her girl Kacchan pictures in order for Bakugou to agree to let them doll him up for the mall. The pink skinned girl had pouted when Bakugou made the bargain but agreed nonetheless because to hell she was missing out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

"You have to let us do /and/ dress you however we want though, okay? That's the deal" Uraraka reminded and Bakugou rolled his eyes with a 'tch', crossing his arms over his chest.

"As long as you don't make me look stupid, do what you want. Let's get this over with" Bakugou grumbled and the girls squealed. Mina and Hagakure immediately started digging through their combined pile of clothing they each took from their own closets and piled up on Bakugou's bed. Mina had a bunch of animal print and vibrant, loud clothing that just screamed 'look at me' while Hagakure's was a bit more simple but still very girly and cute. Bakugou was dreading what they were going to dress him in.

Kirishima waved goodbye to the girls and they all thanked him for helping them move their things to Bakugou's dorm. Not only were they dressing him but they also brought over their own things to get ready in his room too (they were dressing in their own rooms though). There were makeup bags on his desk, straighteners and curling wands plugged in as they helped do each other's hair, etc. It looked like a disaster zone as pinky and invisible girl dug through their things and carelessly threw them on the floor as they looked for what to put on Bakugou while simultaneously also looking for an outfit for themselves.

"I'll be doing your makeup, Bakugou-san. Do you have something in mind?" Momo smiled sweetly as she sat down in front of him, placing her makeup bag on her knees. Momo by no means considered herself a makeup guru but she did know a thing or two from watching videos and practicing on herself.

"Do whatever you think will look best on me" was all the blonde said and Momo gave him a nod. Based on his facial features already, Momo didn't need to do much. His skin was flawless already so she wouldn't need to do any spot treatments for acne or blemishes. Any eye bags were close to nonexistent too. Bakugou obviously took very good care of himself. All in all, Momo didn't think Bakugou even needed any makeup to appear stunning so something minimal just to make his best features pop out would be the way to go. Momo took a cute bunny headband to push his hair back and out of the way while she applied a sheer tinted moisturizer to his face. She started off with brows then moved on to a light pink/peach eyeshadow look with a small wing. Blush and a tinted lip balm for a coral wash of color was her next move. Cherry flavored. After that all that was left was mascara to make his lashes longer and fuller and a subtle highlighter for a dewy look. His makeup was kept to a minimum to make his natural beauty pop and if it was possible Bakugou looked even prettier than before.

"Wooow" Momo heard from behind her and turned to see Mina, Ochako, Jirou, and the rest of the girls looking over Momo's shoulder at Bakugou in awe. The blonde had his eyes closed since Momo had been applying a bit of highlighter on his lids so he opened them and looked at the girls with a raised eyebrow. For once Mina had nothing to say as she just appreciated the sight of her friend looking like an angel instead of an angry pomeranian for once.

"You did good, Yaomomo" Ochako broke the silence, one side of her head straightened while the other was still curved, the straightener still in her hand. They all agreed, each asking the black haired girl if she could do their makeup next. Momo blushed a bit under the praise of her friends and of course agreed to help them with their makeup.

Bakugou took out his phone to open the front camera and look at himself. He smirked a little. "Not bad, Ponytail" he looked up. Even he knew he looked good.

Momo smiled brightly. "There honestly wasn't much to do. You're already so pretty, Bakugou-san, so I only had to do a few things" she explained.

"Oi Blasty! Look what we have for you!" Mina and Hagakure both came forward with two articles of clothing. "Try them on!"

He took them. One was white and the other pink. "Fine" he mumbled, no other choice but to agree, and went into the bathroom attached to his dorm. He got undressed quickly out of his school uniform and put on what they picked out for him. The top was a white, layed, ruffled, off the shoulder crop top. The bottoms were a pair of high waisted, wide leg magenta shorts that sort of looked like a skirt if he kept his legs together. The combination wasn't bad and as he exited the bathroom, Mina gasped, putting her hands over her mouth like the drama queen she was.

"You look so good, Bakubabe!!! Here, I got these from my room just now. I think they'll pair well with that outfit" she smiled and grabbed some tan sandals with an ankle strap and a small heel. Bakugou took them and sat down to put them on. After that all they had to do was his hair. They didn't really do much but just brush it and add some product to make it fluffy and softer (which Bakugou definitely did not make a note of to remember and buy later). Hagakure spritzed him with a sweet smelling perfume and then he was done. By that point most of the girls had picked up their things and left to change clothing except for Mina who was changing in his bathroom since all her clothes were in his room already and Jirou who was already dressed looking like every girl's e-girl dream aesthetic.

Once she was done, Mina texted the class group chat to check if everyone was ready and that they'll be meeting in the common room in ten minutes so they can head over to the mall together. "We'll see you in a bit, Bakubabeeee" Mina waved him goodbye and she and Jirou left to their own rooms. Once they were gone Bakugou laid back in his bed to rest and mentally prepare himself for the rest of the day. After eight minutes he heard a knock and went up to answer it.

"Hey are you rea- oh" Kirishima's mouth snapped shut as he just stared down at Bakugou with red cheeks and wide eyes.

"Oh?" Bakugou tsked, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk. "That all you have to say?" The blonde was just joking but Kirishima immediately shook his head no.

"No! I mean- I.. you.. you look good. Very manly" he smiled nervously and Bakugou rolled his eyes with a snort. ‘Darn it’ Kirishima cursed himself for getting so awkward and not coming up with something better. It was like he was going back to his middle school self.

"Yeah whatever. Let's go, shitty hair" Bakugou grabbed his phone and room key card then locked the door behind him and started going to the elevator to go down to the common room with a strangely quiet Kirishima next to him. ‘What's up with him?’ he thought to himself.

Next to Bakugou, Kirishima's head was going a mile a minute. Every rom com movie he's ever watched with Mina was flashing through his mind right now and he kept imagining himself and his best buddy in the main characters' positions. Him picking Bakugou up by the waist, their hair moving in the wind while his open button up flew behind him like a cape. Him shielding Bakugou from the harsh sun while he enjoyed a popsicle snack (spicy mango is his favorite). Him tucking a flower behind Bakugou’s ear. Him kneeling down to buckle the strap on his sandal when it came loose. Glancing over at the blonde when they were in the elevator going down to the first floor, Kirishima smiled shyly but then looked away with a frown when he realized he was royally 100% screwed.

[word count: 1428]

[quarterbackpack-blog]

Singapore: Inside The Heart of Lion City

I gave this review a lot of time. I wanted to let my experience of this beautiful city-state completely sink in. This was important as Singapore was my very first foreign destination that I was going to travel without my family. Thus, it held a a very close place to my heart.  I wanted to recall every aspect of my visit so I can give a fair and unbiased view of the visit. The things I would discuss in this piece would be the general vibe, culture and sense of attraction one gets from the city. For a detailed travel guides and things to in city further blog posts shall follow.

From the get go as soon as you land at the beautiful Changi Airport you are awestruck by the majesty of the place. It signals as an omen of things that await you. There is a reason that this airport has held the ‘Best Airport’ title since 2013. You quickly stumble upon MRT platforms to get you to the place you are staying. It was at the MRT station where I got my first cultural shock. The seating, cleanliness, the well-marked signs  makes one appreciate the effort that has been put by the planners. Being a Pakistani, I’ve always frowned upon the public transport mainly because we have not created this sort of culture nor the government has provided adequate facilities for us to appreciate such things. I am more used to driving from one place to another while being stuck in traffic for hours. Using the MRT in Singapore really made me appreciate the need for investing in more projects of such in my country of Pakistan.

After you’ve made it to the city you start exploring what it is. The mesmerising tall skyscrapers, clean pavements, excellent roads, amazing technological advancement all sound and look spectacular. Truly, Singapore stands as a great example of progress and development for third world countries. 

The beautiful Supertree Groves at the Gardens By The Bay with Marina Bay Sands behind clearly told me that this city would be anything like I have ever seen or will ever see. Yes it is as pretty as you ever imagined. Yes the “groves” do seem to be something out of Avatar. Yes it is indeed the first place that you’ll probably take that picture to post on Instagram.

Right next to Gardens by the Bay stands a true marvel of engineering. I am of course talking about the fascinating Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Every city wants to build a tall Hotel tower but I don’t believe any has combined a Museum, a Casino, a Shopping Mall and a Hotel so elegantly.

But these are just your run of the mill touristy places that I can ramble on and on about in later blogs. I can keep telling you about Clarke Quay, Botanic Gardens, Fort Canning, Sentosa and so on. But it’s just not fun. It’s what I like to call “puzzle or lego experience?” Let me explain.

Imagine you’re ten years old. You and your friend go and buy your favourite jigsaw puzzle. It is fun. It would come with instructions about how to put pieces together to complete the puzzle. The end result is a beautiful picture or image that you have completed by putting together each piece of the puzzle carefully together. But the problem is when you and your friend share your creation after completion of the puzzle with each other – it looks exactly the same. You both would have  similar challenges and experiences while putting it together. Now compare that to buying Lego pieces. You and your friend will have complete freedom putting together whatever creation you like. You both will have a different challenge putting it together and also a totally different creation.  

For me travelling is a bit like that. Do I want that linear jigsaw puzzle experience? Do I want to experience and share the same experience that millions of people have every year at the places they visit? Or do I want the “Lego experience?” I for one choose the Lego experience. I want to cut the body of the place, go deep inside, and separate it from the superficiality to see the soul and spirit of the place. I wanted to see the raw, untouched and pure heart of the city i.e. Singapore

I realise being in Singapore this can be tough. One can easily be fooled into believing maybe this place is just sterile and is all about its fancy buildings, gardens and development. One starts to wonder if this city actually has a spirit. Where is the grit and glory of this place?

So how do we find the spirit of Singapore? Let’s start with food. Everyone likes to go to the Orchard Road and explore its beautiful malls. All that roaming around can get a bit tiring especially in Singaporean heat. Now you have a choice. You can sit at one of the many international coffee shops like Coffee Bean and enjoy your iced Americano along with cheesecake...or you can just buy ice-cream bead. Yes, infamous ice-cream bread available at many carts alongside the Orchard Road. There is something about this thick slab of your favourite ice-cream put between a slice of bread that makes you appreciate the simplicity. Just select your favourite flavor (buy durian one for authentic Singapore experience) and indulge in the absolute delight.

Eat at a Hawker Centre. Oh the hawkers centres of Singapore. They are the places where this city, its people, its cultures are on absolute display. Being a Lahori I consider myself sort of an expert on food and believe me when I say this, Singapore has one of the best foods I’ve ever had. It is easily compatible with Lahore. Notable mentions: Chicken Rice, Penang Noodle Soup, Tandoori Chicken and so many other absolutely delicious foods. Just find your nearest Hawker Center, go to the favorite food stall, choose your meal, sit down and chow down on your succulent meal all the while observing the vibe around you.

Walking around on the streets of Singapore and checking out the authentic neighbourhoods of the city was my next favourite thing. Singapore is a safe city and roaming alone at whatever time of the day became my favourite activity. Meeting different people and witnessing strangest cultural trends made me realise that this city is truly indeed more than just a web of skyscrapers. I strolled in Geylang to enjoy the infamous Singapore fruit “Durian” and realised it is far more than just the red light district that it is notorious for, visited Chinatown countless times which was full of activity and culture as the Chinese New Year was just around the corner, got captivated in the allies of Little India where Bollywood songs were blasting on high volume, soaked in the hip and funky vibe of Arab street and Haji Lane which albeit was little touristy but was fun exploring. It is in areas like these that I found the beating heart of Singapore.

So what is traveling all about? It is about turning into streets that no one is talking about on the internet, going to places that are forgotten. Places where you need not pay for tickets for everything. Those landmarks that are yet to make it to Instagrams top trends. It is in these places where you’ll get the actual buzz and adventure of the place. There is nothing wrong in going to touristy places and taking pictures to put up on Instagra. I mean what evidence do you have of visiting Singapore if you haven’t taken a picture besides The Merlion Statue. But for me that isn’t the whole package. For me the soul, spirit and heart of the city are living and thriving in some other places. That is what feeds me. These will be the experiences that I will cherish. Place after place that reminds you that Singapore might have moved from, “third world to first world in a single generation” but at its core it is still closely connected to culture and history.

EVIDENCE!

So does Singapore have its own identity, soul and spirit? Absolutely. Will I visit it again? Hell yes.

For more on my Singapore stories visit my Instagram and watch my Singapore Highlight. More blog posts shall follow soon!

Also follow my friend Hassan Muzaffar on Instagram without whom this whole trip wouldn't have been possible and was an amazing travel buddy. Who also has better shots of the city too:

[the-haunted-office]

Thursday brushes her shoes off on where there is indeed a designated place to do so - the front entryway mat lying just beyond the turnstile doors inside the vestibule. After that, there is a second set of doors that may be opened either manually or via handicap buttons. Thursday pushes open herself and walks through, holding them open for Artair as she does.

"Ah, excuse me, I'll be the judge of what constitutes as 'weird' flavor combinations. I mean, what's weird to you might not be weird to me, right? Some people consider pineapples on pizza weird, and wouldn't you know it? I don't!" Thursday laughs.

Just beyond the front entryway is the lobby, which is your typical Office lobby set-up. Shiny tiled floors, although these have been made distinctively less shiny with age, a front desk on which sits an older 2010's style desktop computer and piles of paper, and chairs, lots of them, more than would ordinarily be there, and not all of them match either. The decor also looks out of order and randomly placed - a tall potted plant here, a filing cabinet with a cactus there, some kind of feng shui clock there, an enormous beautiful landscape painting there that doesn't match anything but takes up almost the entire wall. It's like whoever put this place together has no sense of interior decorating and just put out whatever they like best regardless of whether or not it matches anything else around it.

"This is the, of course, the front lobby," Thursday says, gesturing around at it. "We don't really hang out or do much down here, it's just like, here, ahahahahaha. The elevator is back over there, or we can take the stairs, whichever is easier for you. Most of the time we sort of gather around the fourth floor employee lounge. It's sort of like, just like the most popular area for us to gather." She shrugs, as if that explains why it's the most popular, although it doesn't explain anything. "I figured we could go up there and you could drop off your pizzas, and then we could, you know, go from there."

It's relieving at least, that the longer they speak, the less the feelings from her linger in something unpleasant. He smiles a little more, feeling the tension ease, his grip on the pizza relaxing just a fraction.

He follows her without question. "I'd love to see your place, actually. You made the office sound really interesting last time." Though-- remembering how he'd responded to the idea of it being alive at least left his cheeks dusted with a faint pink, at how embarrassing that had been. Still, she had taken it in stride then, so he tries his best not to get too hung up on the memory. "And don't you know a brick oven makes all the difference? Just you wait, it's gonna be amazing. And then you'll be hooked on my super rad and cool pizzas. I'll have an excuse to keep coming back and feeding you weird flavor combinations or something."

At the turnstyle, Artair pauses, before entering after her. In the entrance, he immediately looks for a place to wipe his feet-- he's not even sure they have one, but it seems-- rude to track anything in a building that's alive.