The taste of a laid-back life

31.05.2013

I am reliving the moments I had back in the middle of year 2012, when I was living a laid-back life. I mean, I am starting, or rather, continuing with my hunt for coffee shops. My tipsy escapades were fun but I am not exactly one for drinking, and my buddy became pretty busy with something else. I'll have to come up with a new name for my coffee adventures. :)

So far I have tried seven cafes, namely Artease, Dr. Cafe Coffee, Raindrops Cafe, The Muffinry Bakery and Cafe, L'Etoile Cafe, Kith Cafe and Sun Ray Cafe. I have visited SOHO Coffee, Loysel's Toy, Forty Hands, and Smitten Day Makers Tea and Coffee Bar before, though that was a really long time ago. Anyway, I'm returning to my laid-back lifestyle so I will have more time to visit coffee shops and update my blogs.

I seriously need to update my blogs.

I am visiting coffee shops and drinking their coffee even though I don't really know how to compare one coffee drink from another. I am not excatly particular with my coffee drinks as long as they satisfy my palate. Hence, I cannot really describe the taste, aroma, texture, acidity and such.

Why do I visit coffee shops then? Chained coffee shops are good but they are overrated and I also want something new. Discovering new cafes is also like an achievement, for my little Dora self. Furthermore, finding them is more of an adventure. It is also a way to kill the monotony of my everyday home-work-home routine.

Chained coffee shops are standard. Stand alone cafes are mostly artsy, and peaceful. I realized that I enjoy my cup of coffee the most in a relaxing and peaceful environment. So, visiting cafes way off the city entitles me to peaceful coffee time and reading or writing time. Seeing artsy cafes alone keep my spirits up. I love arts, and cute stuff by the way.

Basically, visiting stand alone cafes is just part of my selfishness. I just wanted to have a visual feast from seeing new things and to enjoy my cup of coffee the posh way. I can also say that it is to reward myself, for all the hardwork I've done.

This is a prelude to my upcoming posts about my coffee adventures. Stories and pictures of my foodie adventures are coming soon. Now then, let the brewing begin. :)

March: sad endings and new beginnings

25.03.2013

Been away for a really long time from my blogs and alter egos. I miss this.

Seeing real time people every now and then is also a good thing. And meeting new people, both in the real world and virtual world, is fun too.

Real world and virtual world both helped me expand my horizons. See things in all aspects. Experience things of different kinds. Learn things in various ways. As Floria says in Vita Brevis, the world is vast and there is so much to see...but life is so short.

Being stuck in one place and on the same phase is just dumb. As rational creatures, we have the option to improve ourselves in all sorts of ways possible. Our comfort zone shouldn't hold us back. Instead, it should be supporting us to move forward.

I had my options, and I decided to expand my circle a bit. I made new acquaintances through friends. I drank spirits and beers. I smoked cigarettes, and I don't know how many now. I stayed up until morning waiting for the first bus ride home. I slept over at a friend's house. I went to the beach just to hang-out with a few friends and people I don't know. I became a tour guide for friends who came over the weekends. I flew to another country for a holiday. I saw a starry night. I enjoyed myself with water sports. I did so many things that I actually can't remember every single one of them.

The past few months that I was out of here have been very eventful for me. It was actually tiring in a sense, but it was fun. Now, I'm starting to return to the old rhythm of my life - being laid-back.

I wanted to go back to visiting coffee shops. This time, only for a cup of coffee and a slice of cake or some pastries. And maybe a stick of cigarette too. Coffee shops away from the bustling city, not a chain, and not located inside a mall allow me to have a peaceful coffee time. There is a kind of comfort in visiting artsy coffee shops. Besides, I can take my time there and I can write in my journal or read my book. Being there just put me at ease and I can think more clearly, about the my life. Sometimes it is good to let yourself be taken back. Being on guard at all times is pretty much boring. So I will let myself loose a little. I need a breather.

March is ending. It has always been a special month. And it continues to be. It marks beginnings and endings...of seasons, of relations, of life's phases and of other various things. It will always be a month to be loved. And cherished. This time though, I will definitely set myself free. I kept myself chained to my memories, but someone helped me realized that I shouldn't be like that. It was thanks to that person that I can free myself from the chains that I placed on myself.

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Check my posts in the The Turtle Trail as well.