The Possum Bistro

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One by one, they crept out of the woodwork. Some scurrying, some crawling at a lackadaisical pace, oblivious to the sheer activity around them. Ears popped, tails grew, busts expanded, colours exploded - the metamorphosis had begun, and Halloween was here.

Walking around campus on Oct 31, I had already noticed that students here are seriously into the whole festive spirit of Halloween, decked in superhero costumes that tend to exagerrate rather than accentuate existing figures; or witch hats and wizard capes; or another random monstrosity from one of many forgettable horror flicks churned out every year. Occasionally, the mainstays - Scream masks, Frankenstein - would surface, lending to the timelessness of their appeal.

Fred picked us up from Rieber Hall at around 3pm, taking an alternative route to his house that took about 2 full hours just to beat the horrendous traffic that Los Angeles is so well-known for. The freeways were beginning to pack tightly by mid-afternoon, though the weather was more forgiving this Friday as clouds had peppered the sky since Thursday afternoon. It was amazing to think that drivers in LA could acclimatise somehow to the claustrophobic pressures of being stuck in traffic for a good 2-3 hours on a daily basis without having the urge to take public transportation, which also underscores how inaccessible and inefficient the system is here.

Arriving at Fred and Rose's house, the familiar sight of their humble abode simply washed off the tensions generated from one hectic week at campus. Upon the steps of the front porch, we heard the comforting, staccato (yes, Preeya, I got it right this time) barks and pit-pattering of paws on the parquet flooring as Chi-chi scurried forth to greet us. He is such an adorable dog, and I never thought I'd ever find myself being acquainted or comfortable with an animal around me, since I've never been one to keep a pet.


Which marks one of several firsts in California: my first time that I've had a chihuahua sit on my lap, cuddled comfortably as he lets me stroke his back, behind his ears, ruffling his skin around his neck. Chi-chi has definitely earned his place in the hearts of us three, and Fred joked that the only thing we could remember when we returned to Singapore would be Chi-chi - we were literally showering so much attention on the little one!

While waiting for Rose to prepare her baby back ribs, oxtail and saffron rice, we headed out into the neighbourhood to preview the decorations that others had laboriously set up.

As you can see, the pumpkin makes for a good bolster of sorts.

Be wary of the seductively beautiful...

...for evil lurks closely behind.

Obviously, some undertaker tried to scrimp on the six-feet-under prerequistite.

We also had, in order to please our constituencies, take some time out for campaigning. The difference between us and political action committees (PACs) that are behind the Obama and McCain campaigns? We are self-funded (so no special interests linked to Washington - score one point), self-staffed (Preeya and Kaixian are members of my group, Preeya and I are members of Kaixian's group, Kaixian and I are members of Preeya's group), and self-absorbed.

The Republican...

...the cynical Democrat...

...and the disgruntled Independent!

The girls' best attempt at looking kawaii!

Fred had bought these sheikh robes from Egypt, and Rose simply insisted that I wear them just in the festive spirit of Halloween, along with the girls on one end of the room egging me on. In any case, I did not convincingly look like either Saudi royalty or the rich owner of Chelsea.

This was Michael's first Halloween, so it definitely was special - even more so that his first and our first Halloween experience would coincide! His inexperience was evident when he said "trick or treat!", and then proceeded to walk past the front door, into the house before stopping midway and standing there, wondering what to do next.

Peter Pan just kept his globular eyes trained on my D60.

And to top it off, Rose had noticed that I had mentioned that I love crossaints the other day, so she actually made them herself for us to bring back to our apartments to eat the following morning! Her oxtail was just fantastic, seriously - the faint wisp of red wine diffusing as one chewed through the succulent, soft meat off the bones of oxtail was irresistable. Couple that with delicious baby back ribs that were glistening off the oven rack, and fragrant saffron rice that reminded us of the type that we usually have back home - we truly are grateful to have Fred and Rose take care of us here, and we thank both of them deeply for everything they have done so far to make our stay in California so much more memorable.

On the campus front, we've been able to handle the workload rather efficiently so far, even though I must admit that somehow psychologically, it was indeed rather taxing at one point in time. And her voice penetrated the negativity that was beginning to surround my vision at that time, like a sunbeam piercing ruthlessly through, evaporating the darkness and showing me what I was actually capable of. She reminded me of who I am, why I am here, and that led me to recover from that brief and unsavoury encounter with something that I have always vowed never to become.

To her, I dedicate this entry, just like every other entry before - for each letter that I scribe, I feel the inspiring power of her words run through the course of my veins, into my fingers as they fly across the keyboard, surging with purpose. I feel the tenderness of her voice permeating the harshness of the static generated by the travelling of sound waves across continents as they are filtered through numerous channels and devices; and as it arrives, it electrifies even with its gentle embrace.

I cannot find words to display my gratitude, and so I endeavour with every inch of effort I can exert from my mind, body and soul to keep her safe, because to see her hurt would render my heart asunder; to let her keep me safe, because I trust her as I have never trusted anyone before; to devote to her my heart, because we deserve each other.