Falalalala la la la la
I have been reunited with my Nalgene. I’ll finally get some sleep tonight. 
Since I was in a public area (*cough* the communal bathroom in my residence), I was relatively subdued when I told Dave this thrilling piece of news. He actually said, “Whoa. You just said that so calmly…as if it weren’t a big deal for you.” Heh. And you wonder why I love him. The man accepts me, craziness and all. Nay, he loves me.
Since I had to go to Holland Village to collect my precious Nalgene from Kalm’s, I got to eat some decent food. While canteen food at NUS is far superior to many abominations served on North American campii (campuses, if you must), it is a shame to eat just that when there are loads of delicious offerings in hawker centres and restaurants just minutes away.
I had some “small wok noodles” (小碗面) that were deeeeeeeelicious. $4 for piping hot goodness. I really love the fresh fish balls you can get here in S’pore at Teochew stands. They are smooth, soft and just springy enough. Yum. I wonder if my Teochew ancestors would be proud.
On my suggestion, my study buddy had his first try of dolsot bibimbap (돌솥 비빔밥) and ate it with *gasp* plastic chopsticks. I don’t know why it bothered me so much; but I kept telling him to go back and get a metal spoon. He’d happily munch on small clumps of rice and cheekily say, “I’m an ignorant Westerner who likes eating with chopsticks.”
Blaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I think he was just trying to torment me. Classic Robert. I sincerely doubt that it was worth it, though. Think about it, dear foodies, dolsot bibimbap with plastic chopsticks! Initial stirring with a plastic Chinese soup spoon. Insufficient mixing of ingredients! Teeny tiny mouthfuls! Aaaaaaaaah!
The premature Nalgene mourning post and the screaming about wrong utensils are probably giving you the wrong idea about the things that get me going; but surely evidence of my wacky sense of humour and idiosyncratic nature are more entertaining than talk of my exam preparation. I thought so. 
Even though I had gotten a late start, I was actually able to get some studying done at our cafe of choice, the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. I showed incredible restraint and had a non-fat latte and a biscotti. Woot woot! They offer many fanciful calorific concoctions including some new holiday editions that involve peppermint, chocolate and espresso.
My parents called me to give me the family update; and as usual, I ended the call with a grin on my face. I love my folks. They are really cool people. My mother gave me all kinds of interesting news such as the details of my brother’s upcoming impromptu Vegas getaway (Have an awesome trip, gor!) and a taste of the nailbiting drama that requires some serious vibe-sending and praying. Oy vey.
I had less exciting news to report as my last-minute studying never really phases them. They also seemed satisfied with my claim that everything is in order for Tuesday’s post-exam departure to Hanoi. Bird flu threats and all.
I also gave my mother the lowdown on my Christmas plans and was pleased that she didn’t find my Toronto-Montreal-Boston-Toronto plans to be unreasonable. Even though this is only our second holiday season doing the almost-married thing (Christmas with my family, New Year’s with his), both sides of the family are completely down with the system. Hurray! I am definitely a fan of spending Christmas together as a couple. It’s loverly. 
It’s especially lovely when you have to miss your 3-year anniversary because of geographic barriers. So hurray for holidays at home!
Peace out, homies! ‘Tis the season to be jolly!
