Today’s Co–Star said:
Your sense of humor is life saving.
And underneath that:
Stop rehearsing your tragedies. The same perspective that shows you how messed up everything is can also show you how hilariously human it all is. Laugh before you cry.
That felt a little too accurate.
Especially after yesterday.
I woke up around 7 beside Dylan, who was already scrolling through YouTube Shorts.
We just lay there for a while, recapping everything that happened.
Nothing dramatic.
Just talking.
And this time, thankfully, I had actually remembered to charge my phone overnight.
Growth.
Which meant I could finally play my Magic Chess.
Hehe.
After one game, I asked Dylan what time we were heading into the city.
He needed to go to Vagabond to pick up some Pokémon cards he had pre-ordered.
More importantly, he had already promised to show me around properly and teach me how to start collecting.
So yes.
Today was the day.
I was officially becoming a Pokémon Master.
I got so excited that I immediately started looking through the store website.
Different cards.
Different sets.
Things I could maybe buy.
Things I didn’t understand yet.
I kept researching until eventually I got tired again and fell asleep.
And then I kept waking up.
But every time I opened my eyes, Dylan was still beside me scrolling through YouTube Shorts.
So I never bothered checking the time.
If Dylan was still there, clearly it wasn’t time to wake up yet.
Blanket back over me.
Sleep again.
Wake up.
Dylan still there.
Sleep again.
Eventually I woke up properly.
Dylan wasn’t beside me.
Immediate panic.
I started looking for my phone to check the time.
10 AM.
Oh.
So I texted him:
Where are you?
Not even a minute later, he appeared at the door.
Apparently he had just gone downstairs to talk to his housemates.
That’s it.
No emergency.
No disappearing act.
Just me apparently developing separation anxiety before breakfast.
Amazing.
He went to shower because Vagabond opens at 11 and he wanted to get there early to make sure his pre-order was actually there.
Dylan started getting ready.
I remained exactly where I was.
In bed.
Under the blanket.
Completely unwilling to move.
Attachment issues.
By the time he was putting his socks on and getting ready to put his shoes on, I finally announced:
“I don’t want to move.”
He looked at me with absolute disgust.
“You’ve already had four naps and you’re still tired?”
I sat there silently for a second.
Not because I agreed.
Because I was preparing my defence.
Then I said:
“I didn’t have four naps. I just had one long sleep with rest sessions in between.”
There was a second of silence.
Then both of us started laughing.
Even I could hear how insane that sounded once it left my mouth.
Dylan genuinely could not believe I had tried to argue that point.
Eventually I gave in.
Shower.
Get ready.
Out the door.
Nothing particularly interesting happened until we got on the bus.
We ended up sitting in the priority seats.
Which, fair enough, Dylan probably appreciated because his legs need their own postal code.
I, meanwhile, immediately became weirdly self-conscious about sitting there when I didn’t need the seat.
So the second a normal seat opened up, I moved.
And then, shockingly, Dylan moved too.
Apparently we are travelling as a unit now.
Amazing.
On the bus, I pre-ordered coffee for myself so I could jump off and immediately collect my lifeline.
Priorities.
Coffee first.
Pokémon second.
Then we started making our way toward Vagabond.
And honestly, by that point my heart was basically arriving before the rest of me.
Dylan picked up his pre-order.
I, meanwhile, was completely overwhelmed by everything in the shop.
It was my first time there.
Cards everywhere.
Displays.
Sets.
Accessories.
Things I didn’t understand yet.
Dylan started showing me around properly, explaining all the cool things they do there.
Events.
Tournaments.
Promotions.
All of it.
And at that point I was gone.
Fully invested.
I wanted to open a pack myself.
I wanted the full experience.
So this is probably where I should clock out of the Daily Journey for a second.
The rest of the Pokémon story continues here: Route 101 – First Tall Grass
After Vagabond, Dylan said he wanted to stop by The Warehouse to buy something personal for himself.
Fair enough.
Then he added:
“They also sell Pokémon cards there.”
…
Fine.
You win.
Unfortunately, The Warehouse was a bit of a disappointment.
No Pokémon cards.
I was mildly devastated.
Dylan, seeing this, suggested we try Farmers instead.
Excellent suggestion.
Because the second we got there, I saw something shiny.
And suddenly I was cheerful again.
If you’ve read the Pokémon Journey entry, you already know exactly why.
After that, we moved on to my favourite section in the whole place.
The best-smelling area.
The perfume section.
Whenever I go to Farmers, this is basically the only section I care about.
At this point, I’ve even become friends with the fragrance trainers there, Jo and Dan.
So of course I wanted to go over and say hi.
Then Dylan spotted something that caught his attention too.
Not a shiny Pokémon.
Something arguably more dangerous.
A shiny bottle of Versace Dylan Blue.
And apparently it came with a Versace bag.
Of course Dylan would be attracted to Dylan.
Just the Versace version.
BAHAHAHAHA.
Safe to say, Dylan is the sensible one in this relationship.
I tried very hard to convince him to spend almost $200 on perfume.
He did not fall for it.
He said he would think about it and maybe come back on Sunday if he still wants it.
Reasonable.
Boring.
Responsible.
Fine.
At least that gives me another thing to look forward to with him.
Because Sunday is already becoming a whole event.
He also promised to bring me to the Pokémon tournament at Vagabond.
So potentially:
Pokémon tournament.
Perfume.
Dylan Blue.
Very efficient day.
Killing two Pidgey with one Geodude.
Geodude, Use Rock Throw!
After Farmers, we headed toward the Viaduct.
Dylan was going to work.
I was heading home.
Am I not working today?
Correct.
I called in sick.
Not physically sick, exactly.
Just mentally exhausted after everything that happened yesterday.
I genuinely didn’t have it in me to go back into work today.
So I messaged James and Steve, asked if I could take the day off, and both of them said yes.
Everything was sweet.
No drama.
No guilt.
Just one day where I didn’t have to force myself through a shift I knew I wasn’t ready for.
While I was waiting for my train, this older Chinese lady suddenly told me I smelled nice.
Hello, Johnny Depp.
I had sprayed a bit of Dior Sauvage on myself while we were at Farmers.
Apparently it worked.
We started talking about perfume and she told me her favourite was Dolce & Gabbana No. 1.
Okay.
Lady knows her perfume.
And she looked stylish too.
Like properly stylish.
Even older, still carrying herself with that kind of presence.
Honestly, I want to be like that when I’m old.
Then she asked where I was from.
I said Malaysia.
And suddenly she started speaking Bahasa.
I was shook.
She told me she was from Singapore but had spent time studying in Malaysia, which was why she could speak it.
Immediately:
Aunty.
We chatted for a little while until her train arrived.
Then she went on her way.
I kind of hope I run into her again someday.
She seemed cool.
And there was something strangely comforting about standing in New Zealand and suddenly speaking Bahasa with a stranger.
Just for a few minutes, it felt like a tiny piece of home had appeared beside me on the platform.
When I got off at the station near home, I still had one more stop to make.
There’s a game shop beside my apartment.
Literally beside it.
If I jumped off my balcony, I’d probably land in front of the shop.
And somehow, I had never been inside.
I never had a reason to.
Until now.
Starting this Pokémon journey has apparently given me permission to explore places I’ve ignored for years.
So I went in.
And honestly?
Worth it.
[CONTINUE READING: Route 101 – First Tall Grass]
After that, the rest of the evening was quiet.
Another nap.
Hot tea.
A bowl of instant noodles.
Me sitting there recollecting everything that happened today.
And editing the blog layout so my Pokémon Journey finally has its own proper place.
Looking back, today’s Co–Star was probably right.
Your sense of humor is life saving.
Not because everything suddenly became funny.
Not because yesterday stopped mattering.
Not because the things that upset me disappeared.
But because today gave me enough stupid little moments to stop replaying yesterday over and over again.
Four naps that apparently weren’t naps.
Separation anxiety because Dylan went downstairs.
Priority-seat panic.
Coffee as life support.
Becoming a Pokémon Master at almost thirty.
Dylan Blue attracting Dylan.
Killing two Pidgey with one Geodude.
A stylish aunty appearing out of nowhere and speaking Bahasa with me on a train platform.
None of those things fixed anything.
But maybe they didn’t need to.
Maybe humour is not always avoidance.
Maybe sometimes it is just how I make the heavier things small enough to carry.
Some friends are already calling me out tonight.
I don’t really feel well enough to go anywhere.
But maybe being around people is exactly what I need.
I don’t know yet.
Either way, I’m leaving today here.
If anything worth remembering happens later,
it can belong to tomorrow.