Fragile Things

nothing easy is ever worth it.

2012-01-28T16:29:00.002+08:00

it's been 730 days.

between our hectic schedules (my dance rehearsals vs his training schedule/races, schoolwork), long-distance (me going to Europe for 6 months on exchange, him coming over to get me), spending every breathing moment = too much time together (us touring Europe), him doing his attachments, me starting my internship...

it wasnt always all sunshine, rainbows and daisies. but i couldnt ask for more.

because it can't be easy loving me.

and i've been blessed with someone who is immensely patient, tolerant and giving.

so we celebrated the past 2 years and the years to come last night.

Cheng Wei took me to privé at Keppel Bay. he made a huge secret out of the whole location and refused to tell me where we were eating. hahah. but okay, it was a very successful surprise! the place was niceeee (we had a well-prepared candlelit dinner by the window with a very attentive wait staff). he even left a bouquet of roses with the waitress beforehand to present to me after dessert.

i wasnt too shabby myself. i made him a pictorial cum scrapbook. heh. he was pretty amazed because i've been beyond busy recently. late nights + early mornings (rising at 4am to get in some scrapbooking time before i leave for work), can do wonders.

the night wasn't without its surprises though.

.
.
.

i was stunned for a good few seconds when i saw this. wtf.

the silly boy, when he made his reservation, told them we were celebrating our anniversary. the kitchen staff thought it was our wedding anniversary. our waiter even said, "i understand today is a very special day for the both of you."

yeahhh. okay.

sitting pretty on my table

thank you for loving me <3

CNY updates

2012-01-27T14:57:00.000+08:00

i know i've not been updating religiously of late...so there's a major photo heavy post from my first day of CNY! :D

Papa Bear and Mama Bear

baby bears, all presented and accounted for

additions :D

parents are too cute.

my daddy.

mummy's Tai Tai picture

my sisters

brother was indignant over my height (heels. hee)

they were mocking my pink polka dotted umbrella

i hope everyone had a fabulous Chinese New Year! it's not over yet so hurry cram in your last few days of feasting! :D

my word is always good.

2012-01-18T11:18:00.000+08:00

i've been extolling the virtue of a good classic pedicure to the boyfriend for ages - the heavenly feeling of dead skin cells getting sloughed off, leaving your feet, arguably the ugliest visible part of your body, fabulous. it now looks, feel and smell great!

well, the brainwashing worked.

i received this message a week ago.

evidence in case he wimped out.

naturally, i screenshot it, posted it on Facebook, and told him it was a date. in that sequence. my poor boyfriend has no street cred to speak of now.

anyway, guess what we did the following weekend?

my boyfriend at his first ever pedicure session.

i make good my promises :D

celebrating the joy of the printed word.

2012-01-17T09:17:00.001+08:00

ironically, in a video. life is a paradox.

Tiger Beer's Tiger Translate

2012-01-12T09:43:00.000+08:00

Sydney where Beast meets East.

so everyone knows about Tiger beer. but not many know about their project Tiger Translate:

We're cross-cultural.
We're multi-disciplinary.
We're East meets West.
We're Tiger Translate.

Tiger aims to 'generate the next big bang in creativity through exposure to different cultures and experiences'. they head to different cities (so far, Hanoi, Beijing, and Sydney) and showcase fusion works from artists all over the world to inspire all.

the works so far: http://www.tigertranslate.com/artist

i'm only down to the Fs in the collection and i'm in awe. Ee Shaun and fFurious from Singapore i really like (whoohoo, national pride!), then there's Crystal Chung from US, Chantal from Taiwan and Andrew Mohacsy from Australia. those are styles i'm pretty into.

am very excited that my company is working on this project with Tiger.

watch out for Tiger Translate Singapore! :D

homesick

2012-01-11T22:49:00.000+08:00

to chase away those midweek blues: mail from Korea! ♥

exactly a year ago today, i was on a flight to Sweden - my home away from home for 6 months.

they say home is where the heart is.

right now, my heart is with them; the cutesy Korean girls who made me sushi because i had a craving, the crazy loud and affectionate Brazilian elder sis i acquired who shared many a pizza party with me, the OTT fun-loving Canadian and our sauna then subsequent junk food + tv sessions, the smooth Italian boys who made me pizza/pasta from scratch, the not-so-smooth but oh-so-sweet french boy who made strawberry jam crepes for dinner, the adorable Asian-loving Swede who baked THE BEST banana nutella chocolate cake ever...i could go on forever.

we bonded over food (i think that was pretty obvious) and late night conversations.

i miss them.

more so now. after i received SuJin's card and realised today was the 11th of Jan.

so yeah, i am homesick.

Asian men woes

2012-01-09T19:39:00.004+08:00

came across this today when i was trawling the web:

Asia's first-ever homage to Dieter Rams' core beliefs (the ten principles of good design) by ten graphic designers and we get this. self-depricating humour, i would suppose.

FYI:

"The notion that penis size varies according to race, for example, is false."
-LiveScience, Penis Myths Debunked

every race has their, ahem, varied range of sizes. just like how every country has their idiots/great thinkers.

first day of internship

2012-01-05T22:14:00.003+08:00

it was a pretty good first day :D

a slice of nostalgia by a non-tech geek

2012-01-03T23:29:00.003+08:00

a Laser Disc player is by all standards, stone age technology today.

but at age 5 or 6 and my parents got one? exciting times.

video tapes were on their way out then and our Land Before Time video tape was a special treat. my siblings and i had a very impressive video collection of almost 50 disney tapes and cartoons.

forgetting to rewind a video after you watched it meant a wait of 15 mins (or was it longer? it hasnt been all that long but i can't seem to remember) and was always the cause of anguish as waiting, since time immemorial, has never been man's strongest suit.

that was my favourite thing about Laser Discs. that you never had to remember to rewind them. (not that i operated the machine often. i was 6. it was expensive. i tried not to touch it) it sounds so silly now when you think of DVDs.

Laser Discs were so expensive compared to $9.90 DVDs today, and more than 5 times the size.

my parents still have Batman Returns, Power Rangers, Disney Sing-a-long and a few others kept lovingly in my TV console's bottom drawer.

alas, my player at home has long been tossed out when it expired. taking its place, a sleek DVD player and a home surround Bose system.

a couple of months ago though, i discovered that my boyfriend's family had kept theirs. it holds its own beside the newer, more used and perhaps more loved DVD player in their living room.

so i bought this along today when i went over to his place :D

Tim Burton's Batman Returns with Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.

"Life's a bitch, now so am I."

i dont know if it's because it was the first Batman movie i saw and i was young and impressionable, or Burton who did such an amazing job in directing her scenes or that leather body hugging suit with the whip used so well, or Pfeiffer was just too good at being a psychotic bitch, but hands down, she's my favourite Catwoman of all time. Anne Hathaway has some big shoes to fill.

the Laser Discs have stood their test of time. the sound was spotty in a few places (give or take a couple of minutes) but image quality was as i watched it more than 10 years ago.

technology scares me.

people bear the brunt of the passages of time. we get older, mellower and wiser but with each breath, we oxidise and are this much closer to our innards starting to decay.

technology will be the last one standing.

oh well, at least i didnt die last year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :D

2012 huh

2012-01-01T04:00:00.004+08:00

2011 was a year of many adventures and revelations. it has certainly been an exciting year. my most exciting one to date in fact.

but it will not be my last.

there will be many more to come, starting with this one.

have a good 2012 guys <3

because every couple needs a good sunset picture (:

all i did today

2011-12-30T22:20:00.002+08:00

kindred spirits

2011-12-29T03:13:00.000+08:00

Source: danni's blog

hi danielle, i miss you. that is all, at least till we're back on the same continent (:

blessed, i am

2011-12-27T00:45:00.000+08:00

our christmas tree, having discharged all its presents and offerings

like everyone else, i've always loved christmas.

the twinkling, sparkling lights, the dazzling displays on streets and malls, the carols - oh the carols, the feel-good christmas movies, the spirit of goodwill and giving, it all makes one ever so glad to be alive.

but above all, i love christmas because my family, though not of the catholic faith, celebrate it every year with both sides of our extended family. it's an excuse to congregate and spend time together with good food and good wine.

ever since i could remember, my parents would have a tree. the size didnt matter, a tree was a tree. when they were young, just married with kids and not a lot of cash to spare, it was a tiny tabletop tree. as the years went by, we grew up and the (fake - real ones drop pines all over the floor) christmas tree 'grew' with us. we would get a new tree when the old one gave out.

it was a ritual to take down the tree from storage. dad would get his tall ladder where up above mum's walk-in closet there would be a hidden alcove. important things get put away there for safe-keeping.

we would get out too, shoeboxes upon shoeboxes of christmas baubles and ornament of all shapes and sizes. mum never threw anything away. new additions will sit pretty beside the well-loved ones on the tree.

it was always an exciting affair to decorate the tree. my siblings and i would all gather to untangle the christmas lights, drape tinsel and hang up everything.

as we grew older though, the tree seemed to set up by itself.

more specifically, my younger sister would set it up with my dad.

my elder sister, me and my younger brother got caught up in school and a whole host of other activities that consumed large quantities of our time.

i rue the times i was too busy to help with the tree.

for when i come home to a christmas tree all done up and lit, i'll get this immense thrill right down to my toes.

this year, my younger sister and i did up the tree with my boyfriend who came by to help.

the number of people around our christmas dinner grows every year. on top of my relatives, my parents warmly invite our friends, there's my siblings other halves, my mum's childhood friends...

it's nice having everyone whom loves you and you love in your space.

family time spent over setting up the tree, cooking the christmas feast, sitting around just shooting the breeze..it all is so precious.

i won't give any of this up for anything in the world.

i like red lipsticks

2011-12-23T21:42:00.003+08:00

unfortunately, the boyfriend doesnt share the same sentiment.

i love lunches at Itacho - sushi there is always satisfying. the company helps too (:

a friend of the heart.

2011-12-20T19:49:00.004+08:00

in this entry, i've said that the difference between friends of the heart and friends of the road was that no matter how far they went, the good friends find ways to stay in touch.

3 years down the road, it's still true.

FLORAL HIGH CUT NIKES. I AM IN HEAVEN.

2011-12-19T21:09:00.001+08:00

Nike And Liberty Of London's third collaboration

Xmas present from the parents! i've been eyeing them since they came out a year ago. alas, i couldn't find the heart to splurge two hundred bucks on a pair of shoes.

thank god for sales (50% off whaddup) and uber awesome parents who got them for me! :DDD

we are designed to feel slightly dissatisfied.

2011-12-17T00:25:00.003+08:00

between Before Sunset, a purely dialogical movie that runs for slightly over an hour, and the complete and unabridged works of Orwell, a giant tome i've taken to lugging around on public transport this couple of weeks, i feel as if my brain is about to implode.

too many note-worthy things to think about struggling for their time in the sun. my head's in a muddle, a delightful one but still a huge tangled mess.

funny how ideas we thought unique to us have surfaced many a-times in history, in times before we were born.

it all makes me feel as if life is unspeakably meaningless. why are we going around in circles for fucksakes.

people debate the human condition, the living condition. the general consensus is that time past was always better.

in Before Sunset, the male protagonist put forth the view about how the world might be evolving the way a person evolves - a young person is healthier but whacked with insecurity. an older person has deeper problems, but are more equipped to handle them.

i prefer this response as compared to dissenting voices on how our world is going to shit nowadays what with biochemical warfare, global warming and other ills.

you might say i'm an optimist. but that in itself is an arbitrary response.

sometimes i get into one of my moods, when i feel as if everyone should be educated. not in the sense of going to school. but in reading voraciously. traveling extensively. in being open to any and everything.

there is no use in brass opinionated puffery save a waste of matter and oxygen.

you are only truly dead, in Orwell's sense, if you lose the power to take in a new idea. when you think the same thoughts over and over again, when your mind is stopped inside. you 'just keep moving backwards and forwards on the same little track, getting fainter all the time, like ghosts'.

the common aspect of Orwell's works is that there is hardly a definitive ending, much less a happy one, for the middle classes and the politics in which they're caught up in. it's about making peace with your situation - at least that's how i saw it. his lesser known novels, Burmese Days, A Clergyman's Daughter, Coming Up for Air and Keep the Aspidistra Flying had none of big bang/fanfare as compared to Animal Farm and 1984 that shocked with radical ideas of their time, instead each novel meanders through the struggles and self-realisation etc of proletarians, which eventually comes to naught.

nothing the characters have been through means anything in the end. or perhaps i should put it this way, it might have meant something to them, but it did not make a difference in the way they lived.

as if time was a mental construct instead of a physical reality.

it's like Before Sunset where one day meant more than the 9 years the protagonists have not truly lived (such cliched small words that do not take the same significance as they did in my head).

if i were now to insert some random quote about how life is about us going through the motions as dispensable parts of a great machinery*, i'll despise myself.

* i pulled above-mentioned quote from memory. it's likely to be jumbled up and a mishmash of different sources.

still a favourite

2011-12-13T04:11:00.003+08:00

Dance camp 2011: life lessons and dance.

2011-12-12T00:05:00.001+08:00

i always learn a lot during camps.

dance camp is no different. this year would be my second, for i missed one in my Year 2 when i was away on exchange.

my first dance camp was in 2009. i couldnt really remember the difference between camp then and now so i dug up an old blog post:

Friday, December 11, 2009

[...] i had an awesome time, in spite of all the bruises and muscles aches and basically feeling inferior because everyone is dope. it's true.

the level of intensity and concentration when dance workshops were conducted were so high that i figured if we harnessed all that energy buzzing the the room we can light up our own twelve foot christmas tree.

i am very much struck, once again, by how passionate some of my dance mates are about dance. they live, breathe, eat dance. and i am in awe of that raw passion.

i wish i could be as single-minded and as driven as them. it must be nice, to know what you want [...]

so that was my Year 1 dance camp experience.

and it still holds true.

i'm still in awe of Mel and Nicole. i still feel pretty much useless because i catch steps kinda slow (less slowly then before, but still). i'm still envious of the dancers who make dancing their whole life.

i love to dance. it makes me happy. i want to be better. but it's not my everything.

i guess i wish i was as passionate about something, anything, as they are about dance.

this year, we had 8 workshops, 8 different instructors and their varied genres of dance, over the course of 3 days.

a revelation i had was that different genres of dance are like different kinds of people.

you can't say you don't like something if you've never tried it. you must know how to do it, be able to do it well, before you can say, 'yeah i can do it. it's just not my thing.'

same for people. if you don't understand someone well enough, you can't say you don't like them.

the french have this saying, 'to understand all is to forgive all'.

anyhow, i learnt a lot about dance ethics, types, origins and evolutions of various dance forms from the instructors this camp.

1) the break in breakdancing stands for the break in the music they dance too.
2) dance hall was a genre of music which evolved in reggae.
3) for popping, it is possible to pop shin muscles. seriously.

hard work makes a good dancer.

a thick hide helps too. those who don't try never look foolish. but as our BBoy instructor told us, all he has to teach us is like a buffet spread before us. if we are too shy to help ourselves (read: ask questions), we stay hungry.

i am always so motivated to dance after camp - so many awe-insipring instructors/seniors.

next semester is internship = earning (minimum) wages = cash for dance classes! :D

xmas cards

2011-12-08T01:51:00.001+08:00

i'll mail them out tmr before dance camp.

according to Singapore Post's website, for the countries i'm attempting to reach - mail to Brazil and Korea take the longest, Canada and Italy take the same time somewhere in the middle whilst Australia, US and UK is uber quick!

i don't understand because if it's based on geographical locations that doesn't make sense. oh well.

i just hope it gets to each of them before christmas!

ps. i smudged the writing on the cards so no one can read the message except the person it's meant for. heh. i feel so smart.

say what?

2011-12-06T22:35:00.001+08:00

i love how my hols are being filled up by people i love. and who love me. i am very blessed. i just can't believe Li Qian brought this DVD (pictured above), to Corinne's today and actually expected us to want to watch it.

we didnt, of course.

hahahah. it was the most wtf moment of the day.

i proposed.

2011-12-04T23:37:00.001+08:00

last night my university dance friends stayed over. Yong kai, who graduated earlier this year, was discussing his impending nuptials with us. it's so exciting. i can't believe people in my social circle are getting hitched.

we all seem so young.

tonight, my girls came over. Kim just flew back for the hols. her plane from Sydney got in late last night. there was the usual hugging, catching up face-to-face in real time (we're not on facebook time anymore) as per each 6 months when we meet during semester break.

strangely enough, somehow the topic of marriage came up in between our junk food binge and random thought tidbits.

i texted the boyfriend in Mandarin. i think it's because English is our first language* that things dont seem as 'rooted' when said in Mandarin. it's easier to say the things that scare you/you feel for the most.

it's like my favourite Stephen King's quote from Different Seasons,

“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a tellar but for want of an understanding ear.”

translated, i texted, "i want to get married."

his text read, "good! then you'll have to marry me! :D"

then he called me and was all, "you're gonna marry me!"

i said maybe.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*sidenote, i never knew English was our first language. in Singapore, we have 4 national languages though if we had to choose one it'll be Malay as our national anthem is in Malay. but when applying for exchange overseas, i found out from the embassy that officially, English is our first language. bilingualism is something only Singaporeans do from birth (apparently). though when all is said and done, i AM more comfortable with English though my Mandarin is really not bad okay!

Arthur Christmas

2011-12-03T04:07:00.000+08:00

so my baby sis is up in arms because i caught Arthur Christmas with the boyfriend instead of with her. she's all huffy even after i tried to make amends and offered to bring her next week. my bad for going without her cos the movie was reallllly good.

feel-good christmas movies are rarely imaginative/creative works - movie studios have so many ways to flog a dead horse.

but Arthur Christmas filled me with a childlike wonderment right from the get-go, that five minutes into the movie, i turned to my boyfriend, "shit, now i feel so guilty for catching this without my baby sis."

it was a refreshing take on the whole santa claus angle with a well-executed modern day spin.

i'll watch it again without qualms. and i think i probably will but this time with my baby sis.

a Banksy

2011-11-29T16:57:00.001+08:00

allegories of male sexualities

2011-11-27T20:57:00.001+08:00

http://jfmaho.wordpress.com/tag/literary-analysis/

according to this 'critic', pooh is a symbol for the penis and the honey pot the always-accessible whore.
(you can read more about the other characters and the blasphemous allegations above.)

BUT NOTHING CAN RUIN POOH FOR ME. NOTHING.

lizards begone!

2011-11-25T15:06:00.001+08:00

apparently peacock feathers will keep house lizards at bay. mum told me that last sunday when we were having breakfast.

my mum has always been displaying many a dozen peacock feathers at home in long stemmed vases. i thought it was purely for aesthetic purposes - they're so pretty!

i reallllly dont care for the sound lizards make. it's such an icky feeling. and i have this weird notion in my head that they're watching me with their large bulbous eyes. i know they help us keep mosquitoes in cheek. but, still not a fan.

last night i couldnt sleep for i was so sure there was one of their kind lurking in my room somewhere.

gonna go steal a peacock feather from mum's vase to put in my room tonight.

let's do this

2011-11-24T08:11:00.001+08:00

(read from bottom - up)

but i did get my A. so the ends justify the means. crap. i wish i was more anti-establishment. but no, my grades matter to me. i am not all, "i-should-study-fucking-everyday-all-semester!!" but i take pride in the work i submit and when i sit down and cram, i make sure it counts.

those we don't believe in magic will never find it

2011-11-22T00:55:00.000+08:00

Roald Dahl was one of the reasons why i love to read. his tongue-in-cheek adult poems are my favorite.

mum used to buy his books by the dozens. she preferred us reading him (once we've graduated from Enid Blyton - i believe between the 4 kids at home, we have the complete Enid Blyton collection. serious.) as compared to the Sweet Valley/Babysitter's Club 'rubbish'. her words. not mine.

i've been rereading a Roald Dahl book nightly before bed. it's not exam procrastination. err, it relaxes me.

anyway, i realised we do own quite a couple. books that i've striked out are ones i have at home (either owned by my elder sis or me)

i've omited collections on my list that were released with the same short stories. though i'm sure some short story collections i left up will contain one or two stories from the other collections.

i am kinda sad over titles that i cant seem to find.

for xmas this year, i want to (re)read the books i dont own. and purchase my favs for keeps.

Children's Books
~~• The BFG~~
~~• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory~~
~~• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator~~
~~• Danny, the Champion of the World~~
• The Enormous Crocodile
• Esio Trot
~~• Fantastic Mr. Fox~~
• George's Marvelous Medicine
~~• The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me~~
• The Gremlins
~~• James and the Giant Peach~~
• The Magic Finger
~~• Matilda~~
• The Minpins
• The Twits
~~• The Vicar of Nibbleswicke~~
~~• The WitchesNovels~~

Adult books
• My Uncle Oswald

~~• The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More~~

• Sometime NeverPoetry
• Dirty Beasts
~~• Revolting Rhymes~~
• Rhyme StewShort Story Collections** one of my favs :DD
• Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life
~~• The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl~~
~~• The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories (Umbrella Man)~~
~~• Lamb to the Slaughter and Other Stories~~
• The Mildenhall Treasure

• Completely Unexpected Tales

• Further Tales of the Unexpected

• More Tales of the Unexpected
~~• The Roald Dahl Omnibu~~s***
• Over to You

Autobiographies*

~~• Boy – Tales of Childhood~~

~~• Going Solo~~

~~• The Great Mouse Plot~~

~~• My Year~~

*all intact on my sister's bookshelf :D

**one of my favs, but i couldnt find it at home! )):
***mum got this for my elder sis for xmas one year, leather bound. i think we lost it when we moved ):

tumblr-ing

2011-11-21T09:35:00.001+08:00

hopped on the tumblr bandwagon just so i can have gifs and post irrelevant photos.

but this space will always be my first love.

link's the picture on the left under Tumblr-weed. was gonna put an actual picture of a tumbleweed but that one's brighter and happier. so it'll stay, for now.

your scent lingers

2011-11-20T19:42:00.001+08:00

i once read somewhere that the olfactory system is most deeply entrenched in memory. you are more likely to recall events when you associate a smell to it as compared to a visual (or the rest of your senses)

it's true. i am able to place events based on scents. place emotions. place decisions.

they have the ability to befuddle me. to engulf. to transport.

i love the way you smell. even when you're all sweaty from training. the next best thing when going to sleep is having your scent on my sheets. the next best thing on cold stormy nights, like tonight, is your sweater.

it smells like you. it feels like you. but it is not you.

the best thing would be you.

keep safe in India. i'll see you in a bit. x

Versace for H&M

2011-11-17T02:00:00.000+08:00

come 8am today, H&M Singapore will open their doors 2 hours earlier for the sale of Versace for H&M.

once everything on the shelves is gone, it's sold out. really. there's not going to be any restocking.

i cant be half-arsed to fight the crowds. but this ad is certainly something ♥

exam woes

2011-11-16T00:00:00.000+08:00

Studies have shown that well-organised students normally get As.

I spent the whole night filing in front of the tv.

Red ring file = COM492
Blue ring file = COM401
Pink ring file = COM428
White envelope file = COM432
Yellow folder = Forensic Science

Now i just need time to read them all before next week. *gulps*

那些年，我們一起追的女孩

2011-11-15T11:03:00.001+08:00

“You Are the Apple of My Eye”, 那些年，我們一起追的女孩, is one of the better movies i've seen this year. big words coming after Real Steel.

First time director author Giddens Koh captures our attention with universal truths about what being a teenage boy, and what his journey to being a full-fledged man, kinda, is all about. there is not one male i know, who will not identify with this movie:

ahem, 打手枪 (endless wanking).

And this is perhaps the movie's greatest strength, perceptive insight about the human condition, that got us to feel for the characters.

Initially skeptical, the boyfriend had dismissed it as a light-weight coming-of-age film (the lackluster movie poster and very common-ish trailer didn't help my case either) but he came out of the movie admitting it was a good 2 hours spent and even went, 'i used to be like that!'

I dont think he was referring to the wanking. He meant how his friends and him were all usually suave and confident-like, but everyone just wilted in the presence of girls.

Split into three stages of their lives: high school, university and working adults, each section of the movie illustrates not just the different levels of relationships between the male and female leads, 柯震東 (simply too cute!) and 陳妍希, but also the everyday trials and tribulations of the characters.

The film was poignant and heart-warming with moments of hilarity interspersed. Also, wait for the twist at the end. But this was so well-executed you can't fault it. (I'm trying my best not to dish out spoilers!)

Effortlessly entertaining, all aspects of this film felt real. it's not a dramatization of real people in most movies, but you feel as if they are real people living real lives - a result of all characters being thoroughly fleshed out, even supporting roles. There were no loose plot ends, for that i was grateful, and cinematography was exquisite for a directorial debut.

You need to watch this. go.

that time of the year again.

2011-11-14T23:04:00.001+08:00

so it's exam season.

in Singapore, students either camp outside, and then in, the libraries or they stake out Starbucks 24/7 with just one measly cup of coffee throughout.

everyone is doped up to the gills on caffeine. as tempers run short, panic mode is on.

and i know people think no one can beat us in Kiasu-ness. but in Korea, it's a national effort.

(read: South Korea shuts down for exams)

they win. hands down.

the heart longs for what it can't get

2011-11-13T02:06:00.001+08:00

Lynds' from Canada. i met her whilst in Sweden on exchange and we became fast mates.

as did i with many others.

(till we meet again.)

what do you do when you leave behind bits of your heart with people who matter, and now it's scattered all over the world?

last wednesday, all Singaporean students who went to Sweden for AY Spring 2011 on exchange were invited to the Swedish Ambassador's residence for a barbecue.

the prospect of hearty Norse fare and a chance to converse in (my really shitty) Swedish got me all excited when i got the invite.

but when i was there, i just felt like i needed to leave. pronto.

the ambassador's residence was grand, reception was warm, the food was good.

it wasn't them. it was me.

tiny Swedish flags were laid out all over the place. they made me start to tear up. i had to move away from my friends during dinner on the pretext of taking touristy photos of the place.

i signed so many flags before i left.

but i didnt get one signed myself.

someone offered me a flag. i forgot who. i said i'll get one the next day. i lied.

i didn't want that memento.

at that point in time, i didnt want to leave, yet i was glad i was coming home. there were people waiting for me here too.

when people started leaving Sweden one by one, onto greater adventures, the floormates got up early to prepare breakfast. we woke up at 6am to prepare breakfast and had our final meal. it was a cryfest as we bid our goodbyes.

i was one of the last few to leave.

the day i left, after Nanda sent me off. i cried the whole way to the airport. she cried all the way back. i know cos we were still texting whilst i was on my subsequent Eurotrip. Nanda was my big sister in Europe.

now, though i still Skype and FB all of them. it's just not the same.

i bought christmas cards last week and got the addresses of all the closest and dearest who are not where i am right now. not just to the lovely people on exchange but also Singaporean friends studying overseas who will not be back in Singapore for christmas. i'll be mailing letters to Canada, Korea, Brazil, Sweden, Italy, UK, US and Australia.

but as Lynds would say with an infectious laugh, "no big deal."

11 11 11 is motivation

2011-11-11T00:43:00.001+08:00

apparently today is huge. the 11th of the 11th month of the year 2011.

i myself am not averse to calling out, "it's 11:11am, make a wish!", to my friends when i spot it on my lappy/watch and have everyone turned squinty-eyed, hands clasped to make that silent call.

there is something magical in making wishes.

it takes you right back to Snow White's pining around the well, wishing and hoping for the one she loves to find her ♪ today ♪. it brings forth Peter Pan's "all you need is faith, hope and pixie dust" to fly. it makes you want to burst into Cinderella's "a dream is a wish your heart makes ♪"

(wishing is so inherently Disney i am hard pressed to conjure up an example not from the happiest place on earth. and yes, i could not help digging out my Disney soundtracks. they are playing in the background now as i type.)

to dream, to wish, to hope is to place faith in the realization of those wants.

everyone needs something to dream about and reach for - it's motivation in its purest form.

will there be enough faith and pixie dust to go around on 11 11 11? for if everyone is making wishes, who's granting them?

one can hope you will.

Campari latest ads

2011-11-08T11:49:00.000+08:00

Feburary: Hurricane
January: Tsunami
March: Desertification

ancient Mayan prophecy, indicates the 21st december 2012 as the possible “end of the world” day.

To exorcize this fateful event, Campari realized a calendar on this theme. In the shots the actress Milla Jovovich wears 12 surreal dresses representing some of the possible disasters that will end the world.

Needless to say, the calendar ends the 21st of december.

Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG, Milan, Italy
Executive Creative Director: Giovanni Porro
Creative Director: Erick Loi
Creative Director: Dario Villa
Art Director: Erick Loi
Copywriter: Dario Villa
Photographer: Dimitri Daniloff
Production Company: Seasun, Barcelona
Post Production Company: Sparklink, Paris

other months include Aliens (invasion), Glaciation, Volcano...etc.

best ads i've seen for spirits/wines in a long while.

indeed.

2011-11-07T18:41:00.003+08:00

"The funny thing about me is that I want everyone to like me regardless if I actually like them back. It’s sick! I can seriously hate someone’s guts but I will freak out if they hate me back. “Wait, you don’t like me? Why not? What can I do to win your approval, Person I Hate Anyway!” Everyone is so self-conscious and afraid of being That Person who enters a social situation and people are like “Uggghhh. This dude. Jesus.” We have a right to be afraid! We can be cruel judge-y people! One false move at a social gathering and people will get ideas fixed in their head about you."

- Ryan 'O Connell, Thought Catalogue

vainglorious

2011-11-06T00:18:00.000+08:00

Izzy: "this picture sums up our entire friendship"

WERRRRRK. Tyra would be proud.

BIG HAIR.
my boyfriend reminds me of the gnome/troll with the funky coloured hair we used to play with as kids.

ice ice baby

2011-11-05T01:09:00.001+08:00

last wed at Forensic Science lecture, both guest lecturers were absent. their substitutes didn't show either -one thought the lecture was the day after, the other was given the wrong time slot. yeahhhh. so there you have about a thousand odd students just sitting around the auditorium waiting for one of the subs to hightail it down.

Izzy-cat and I left.

and went to get ice-cream.

that's 6 flavours of goodness looking at you. best day all week :DDDD

Witchery and Foolery

2011-11-04T00:30:00.000+08:00

"You will believe that today, tomorrow you will still try to force life into your belief - and then it will be dead and gone like all thoughts which have never entered into the shapes of reality."

- Francis Marion Crawford, The Witch of Prague and Other Stories

it holds true for all arguments between people. the two sides of every story? it doesnt matter who is right or wrong in the end. nothing is real.

reality ceases to be reality the moment you forget.

Crawford is always a good read.

but like you need a cheeseburger, or two, Kate Moss

2011-11-02T09:49:00.003+08:00

source: http://www.butyourelikereallypretty.com/

老天爱笨小孩

2011-10-31T15:34:00.004+08:00

every so often, we have situations like this. you start off with wild optimism, full of excitement and hope only to have it turn around and taunt you before chewing up all goodwill you posses and spiting it in your face.

but there's a saying in chinese: 老天爱笨小孩. loosely translated, it means 'god favours the foolish'.

so you throw all caution to the winds and do it anyway.

and hope it all turns out for the best.

A Clockwork Orange: Book vs Movie

2011-10-30T02:13:00.009+08:00

*all you can expect from a rambling self-indulgent post past 2am.

Last friday, i had the pleasure of watching A Clockwork Orange on the big screen. this is significant, especially in Singapore. if you know what i mean.

I first came across A Clockwork Orange at 17. it was exam season and i had no particular interest in doing legit school revision. i've long finished all required reading for my Literature module before school had even started (as with all other students, i only persist in subjects i enjoy) and dystopian texts for my A Levels such as Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Huxley's Brave New World whetted my appetite for satirical political commentaries.

I reread Lord of the Flies, buzzed my way through Orwell's 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Neuromancer, The Chrysalids, as well as the abovementioned A Clockwork Orange during revision week.

I was on a high.

Common across all dystopian texts were your themes of Free Will, Religion, Duality (man vs machine, man vs govt, apathy vs interest etc) amongst others, used to explore social and political structures set in a projected future. A Clockwork Orange has them all.

So the movie was pretty disappointing for me.

Before you, my dear reader, get all riled up. i must disclaim: i try my best to avoid movie adaptations of books. they distress me. for more often than not, on occasion when i do get tempted, i lament my inability to stick to my resolve.

On paper, it was THE movie to watch. Director Stanley Kubrick is a legend and the material he had to work with is pretty damn awesome if i may say so.

I have watched the movie in bits and pieces on my laptop whilst on exchange in Sweden. thanks to the lovely Nicole Ye who passed it to me for cold winter days but alas, i kept getting interrupted and never managed to sit down properly to finish it.

What little i've watched however, left me with a vague idea of impressive cinematography. hence it was with high hopes that i got the boyfriend (who had actually watched the entire movie proper whilst i fell asleep halfway in my 4th attempt) to attend the screening with me.

I didnt have any problem with the movie leaving out the last chapter - the movie kept the debate about free will vs. 'the greater good's safety' but the perspective changes because of the omission. in fact, i thought the omission worked in this cinematic context.

My issue of contention though were the poor portrayals of Alex's victims and hyped over-joviality of rape scenes. Nudity, like verbal diarrhea, was liberally scattered throughout the movie. I enjoy nudity as much as the next person but there is such a thing as too much. if i wanted naked people, there's always porn.

The phrase, "A clockwork orange" was never even mentioned, neither was the dramatic inquiry of Alex, "Am I to be just like a clockwork orange?"

it's a classic case of book over the movie for me. although perhaps i am biased because i read the book first.

BBC: Facebook sets up data centre in Lapland, Sweden

2011-10-29T13:51:00.006+08:00

Source: BBC
Mayor of Lulea looking delighted at welcoming FB into the city.

‎"Temperatures in the city of Lulea, in the north-east of the country, make it the perfect location for the social media giant's first non-US data centre [...] it can use outside air for cooling its servers for up to 10 months of the year."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15477194

THIS IS HOW COLD LULEA IS. HAHAHAHAHAH.

god, i miss being there.

even when it was -33.3 degrees and we were shopping in the outskirts of town with the biting wind nipping at our fingers and our toes.

Smells like Halloween Spirit

2011-10-28T08:06:00.005+08:00

we bumped into ghouls when out and about the other day. Izzy was so excited. she is morbid and into gore (see: her birthday, and tons of other pics, with hair covering her face, crawling down stairs on fours Ju-On-esque).

her getting her shopping on. too pretty. why so pretty ):

coincidentally, she was Halloween shopping that day. last year she was a dead indian bride and the year before something equally scary. none of that slutty, animal ears shit for her. Halloween is serious business. but this year, she's gonna be a Christmas tree. You know, like that Blink 182 song.

of course, what's a day out without food diversions.

curbed my bubble tea craving with Happy Lemon. their queue number is pretty rad.

Happy Lemon's not bad. they have weird flavours like rock salt + cheese that i'm was too chicken to try though.

was craving otah toast so i dragged everyone to toast box.

i'm a true-blue Singapore Girl. i love half-boiled eggs, toast and milk tea with condensed milk. and i'm of the firm opinion that you can eat it any time of the day.

even at 4pm.

2011-10-23T10:56:00.006+08:00

one of the things that have always fascinated me is making full use of small spaces.

small well-designed functional spaces > huge monstrosities.

this takes the cake.

-

Source: Design Milk

Located in Tokyo, Japan, this small home by Mizuishi Architect Atelier, this small home was built on a tiny triangular site along a river. With its small footprint of just 29 square meters, the home makes good use of space for its inhabitants – a couple and their daughter.

Ingenious.

victory cry

2011-10-22T23:25:00.002+08:00

there are many battles to be fought. i've just won one.

there will be many more to come.

right now though, give me the night to savour this one.

assignments pouring down like a hail storm

2011-10-18T22:56:00.002+08:00

Observation Report #3

Theme: Travel Apps

For your final observation report, you will become a travel writer. Your assignment: Travel by Smartphone - Singapore. You will use your smartphone to plan and experience a 1-day vacation in Singapore. This means finding out how mobile apps can be used for travelling, which are the ones available and applicable for travelling to/in Singapore, and how they made your travel experience better or worse. After that, you will write a travel piece.

You can decide the scope of your travel. It can be an arts trip, a science trip, a shopping trip, a spa vacation, a gastronomical experience – the only requirement is that you have to use your smartphone for this. Be creative!

Since it’s more fun to travel with one or two companions, you have the option to do this report in a group of no larger than 3 people. This also ensures everyone has access to a smartphone. Of course, if you like travelling alone, you can do so as well.

Stick to free apps as much as possible, unless there is one you absolutely want to purchase for personal use. Also consider the tourist who does not have data roaming plans, so source out wifi hotspots.

I got this idea off an article in Budget Travel. You can read it here.

The article should not be longer than 1,000 words, and please make it fun to read. You will present your article to the class on November 8, 2011, which is also when this piece is due.

Have a blast!

this is the best of the lot.

i know i know

2011-10-17T21:30:00.003+08:00

makes sense.

OMFG

2011-10-15T01:49:00.003+08:00

JUST GOT WORD THAT WE'RE DANCING IN FRONT OF STEPHANIE SUN 孙燕姿 TOMORROW.

I GREW UP ON HER SONGS.

I CAN SING ALMOST ALL OF HER SONGS. SHE IS AMAZING - BEST LOCAL MANDARIN ARTISTE OF ALL TIME.

PLEASE DON'T LET ME MESS UP ON STAGE TMR.

pffffft

2011-10-12T16:01:00.002+08:00

gonna indulge in a high fat/high oil/very satisfying double McSpicy meal after my very disappointing Forensic Science mid-terms today

traditional media and why it works

2011-10-10T17:15:00.010+08:00

Read it here

i've been following the occupation of Wall Street and came across this article today. I like what it said about newspapers.

"Forgive an old newspaper hack a moment of sentimentality, but it is somehow reassuring that a newspaper still has traction in an environment preoccupied by social media. It makes sense when you think about it: newspapers convey a sense of place, of actually being there, that digital media can’t. When is the last time somebody handed you a Web site?"

the tangible form is so important. i like having the papers spread all over the table when enjoying a morning cuppa or over breakfast on sundays. the smell of ink and recycled paper is all part of the experience.

sure, i read the BBC news daily online. but nothing beats having a concrete object in hand.

same for books.

i love libraries. the smell of libraries (what you think is the smell of old paper but is actually millions of dead skin cells, i take in with delight), the ice-cold air-conditioning, the returning and checking-out of books...

i don't understand virtual bookcases on the ipad where people place virtual books ):

for me, actual books > the kindle/iLibraries anyday.

no smiling

2011-10-09T22:20:00.007+08:00

i got carded for an M18 movie the other day.

Also, after i got it cut, the hairdresser asked if i was 16.

i think i am too smiley so that, with the bangs = kid. the frozen bitch/no-smiles thing works with this hair. i look all distant and grown-up.

hence to cultivate that image, i will not smile until my bangs grow out :D

(virtual smileys don't count)

self-declared holiday

2011-10-07T15:32:00.005+08:00

i played hooky today to do something very exciting :D

if it turns out really nice i'll share it with all of you! if not...i'll think about it.

watch this space!

My Professors are pretty cool

2011-10-04T13:02:00.006+08:00

Liew Kai Khiun = Prof Liew. He took me for my Visual Communications module 2 semesters ago where we had to do DSLR photography and HD filming.

I like him, he gave me an A minus :D

Wicked! the musical coming to Singapore soon

2011-10-04T00:09:00.002+08:00

Wicked! was a musical i had my heart set upon watching after a friend shared with me the soundtrack when i was 18.

I've read the book - frequent readers + friends would know of my rule to never watch movies/adaptations of my favourite reads. they never measure up. but for this, the soundtrack was too good to be steadfast.

It was on my bucketlist. that's how much i wanted to catch it.

so we did.

and we got our minds blown.

the best musical i've seen in my 21 years, caught on June 2011, London, with the boyfriend.

we managed front row seats at only 25 pounds (that's like 50 SGD) after flashing our student identity cards.

an unnecessary shot of us being all mushy and happy.

They're coming to Singapore in Dec/Jan. Tickets are mostly sold out and for same seating we got in London, it's $250 SGD here. I would like to catch them again (the exact cast is performing) but it would be a shame to sully the magical experience i had if i were to get lesser seats with a partial view this time around or if something else were to go wrong. Also, on a more practical note, i do not have $250 to burn.

so yes, i will be content with that one time.

Their soundtrack has been on replay the past few hours. I really like For Good. It makes me cry.

censorship.sg + Perspectives FIlm Festival 2011

2011-10-03T15:38:00.011+08:00

I was doing background research for an assignment when i remembered this short film i saw a couple of years ago.

Way back in 2004, renowned Singapore director Royston Tan made "Cut", a short film about censorship in Singapore, because you know, directors create pieces on issues that are pertinent to them.

As expected, the film was openly denounced by Dr Lee Boon Yang, then Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.

When you cannot laugh at yourself, it is because there is some truth in the matter.

Still, watch the following hilarious entity with a pinch of salt.

Wait for them to break into song and dance. that's the best part :D

Continuing in the same vein, a group of students from my school are bringing in previously unscreened films into Singapore for Perspectives Film Festival 2011.

"It will showcase six masterpieces from around the world that challenge norms and question tradition – films that have sparked controversy and elicited bans and censorship."

I am excited to watch A Clockwork Orange on the big screen! :D

quote of the day

2011-10-01T00:29:00.003+08:00

my elder sister just called:

'i'll only be home at 3am+ and i forgot my keys! throw the house keys into a random flowerpot outside k.'

we're all gonna get killed in our sleep tonight.

which is why i now have an excuse to continue watching reruns of Family Guy till she gets home :D

Haters gonna hate

2011-09-28T02:39:00.007+08:00

deleted some random hating-on-me post on my tagboard.

it astounds me why people would post derogatory comments on other people's space. the anonymity of the web gives them an illusion of power. fucking loser.

it does affect me. (note: above vulgarity)

i get upset. i get defensive. then i get fucking annoyed.

if you don't like what i write, how i write or even why i write. why are you wasting your time on me.

i must be important to you then. i'm honoured.

in addition, a couple of years ago, i signed up for Nuffnang which pays me to host ads on my blog (bottom bar). as with all organizations, ads will only be hosted if the company is certain of ROIs. ie. if there is a large number of people from your target market frequenting a particular place, you make use of that particular platform to reach out to them. for that, you have to pay the source a fee.

so every pageview helps.

thanks for helping me earn some extra cash! :D

new haircuts and drunk people

2011-09-26T23:50:00.000+08:00

so recently, i got myself bangs again. the above is the sole picture in which my bangs look kinda decent.

anyhow, some context here: my dear Tiffanie Chia turned 21 and threw a Harry Potter themed bash. i went as Cho Chang. mildly successful. it was purely the bangs.

but i still think bangs is and never will be my thing. i have no idea what possesses me, every once in a while, to get them.

grow bangs, grow!

Skype love

2011-09-23T02:00:00.004+08:00

read the fine print.

only guys who are so confident in their masculinity can act so gay. heh. he's more like the girl in this relationship.

we're 603 days in today baby :D

♥,

BUT BUT

2011-09-22T11:17:00.003+08:00

then he's gonna cheat. which means you'll have to share your man.

Why I am not a feminist

2011-09-21T22:55:00.009+08:00

I don’t believe man and woman are equals. And I don’t believe we ever will be.

I know I don’t want to be their equal. This might seem to be putting years of feminism to naught with the struggles of women before my time dismissed frivolously. I assure you that is not what I mean.

People today equate feminism to equal rights, gender equality. They focus on economics - workplace rights of equal pay and opportunities. Women in first world countries call themselves feminists. Theie recurring argument: wanting to be equal to their male counterparts.

Yet, that can never be achieved if they still expect to be seen as a woman.

Note: Feminism is so much more than that. Feminist activists, though the ages, have campaigned for women's rights in politics (the right to vote, the ability to own property), in reproductive rights (birth control and abortion issues) and opposed the objectification of women (domestic violence, sexual harassment).

It is true that women were the lesser sex in those times. And in various parts of the world, especially third world muslim countries, women are still considered the lesser sex to be kept at home and at her husband/family/state’s beck and call.

But let’s just focus on the first world pains of Singapore. There is a cry for equal rights prevalent throughout the industries.

How can you obtain equal rights at the workplace if you expect your boyfriend to pander to your erratic emotional outbursts during your monthly visits from your aunt? I mean, if you want to be equal, it has be consistent across the board. If you want equality, don’t complain that guys today are no longer gentleman who open doors/do other acts of chivalry.

You wanted to be an equal. So man up.

even though we are not all blessed with extra plumbing equipment.

First world women today want the privileges of being a man, yet they still want to retain the privileges of being a woman.

I find that rather greedy.

Earlier, I proudly proclaimed that I do not want to be a man’s equal. It’s true.

I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. But it’s nice when my boyfriend picks me up after I end class. I am perfectly capable of paying my own way, in fact, I insist on going Dutch more often than not. But once in a while, it’s nice when my boyfriend picks up the cheque because he feels that as a man, it’s his job to provide.

And I agree. I feel secure and loved when he does.

I am not saying I am willing to be submissive and subservient. Hell, no.

I do want to be respected, to have my views and opinions carry weight in the opposite sex’s eyes.

I am an individual, I want basic human rights (which is what feminism is REALLY all about).

But I do not want to be a man.

What brought forth this post was a conversation I had earlier tonight in the train with my boyfriend.

He said that we are equals. I begged to differ.

His main argument: even though we do not contribute in the same ways to a relationship. There are contributions on both parts. So even though a man’s contributions (eg. monetary) are more tangible, a woman’s version of contributing would be intangible (eg. the womans’ touch).

But then is there not a disparity apparent?

For starters, tangible versus intangible. How can that be equal? They cannot be measured in the same way. Even the mere assumption that men are providers is sexist on his part.

Anyway, the real point of this entry is to tell the world that my boyfriend and I have intellectual debates. HAHAH.

Also, all the above was just points off the top of my head. In 2 weeks, one of my classes is gonna cover the topic Gender and Inequality. Our readings for that tutorial are crazy heavy. I am excited though. It seems interesting. Will attack them over recess week next week. If I have any new insights/opinions after consuming concrete research and professional opinions, I’ll post them up!

Happy mid-week everyone! Two days to the weekend! :DDDD

Crazy Stupid Love

2011-09-16T23:04:00.002+08:00

Emma Stone and Analeigh Tipton make me ever so certain that there is a God. pity Ryan Gosling didnt really do it for me today.

Speak Good English

2011-09-11T01:11:00.005+08:00

had a blast being one of the emcees for the Speak Good English carnival this past weekend.

I stole 3/4 of the balloons on display after work ended ytd to bring to Dinesh's 21st (filling an entire backseat of a taxi with them in the process).

I can now count Smiley, POSB's mascot squirrel, and Ronald Mcdonald as part of my posse. In addition, free cotton candy is nothing to sniff at. Through it all, i spoke good english.

i suppose i ought to talk about the educational and engaging programs. but nah, free stuff + mascots anyday.

i am witty, oh so witty

2011-09-01T18:34:00.004+08:00

my robots are in space.

i thought i was being clever. apparently 25 other people agree with me.

ahh, that smug glow of self-satisfaction.

i'm cheap

2011-08-28T00:42:00.001+08:00

this is how i save money on notes. unethical but yeah.

office resources ftw :DDD

gah

2011-08-27T15:45:00.006+08:00

sometimes siblings just drive you nuts.

thinking is tiring

2011-08-24T17:37:00.003+08:00

there's the upcoming Singapore Presidential Elections this saturday where all four men competing for office happen to share the same surname, Tan.

what a hoot. how amusing.

i could care less.

i have been keeping up with all political developments. i am genuinely interested in Current Affairs. i remember in Junior College, we'll actually have current affairs quizes during major exams and they're my favourite because you cant study for them. and i like easy As. (so don't you go accusing me of being an apathetic youth.) but now i'm just so tired of the public slandering, the backstabbing, media power play, forcing the people to take sides in the vicious backlash of things...

stupid politicians.

i can't vote anyhow. i would need to have turned 21 as of 1st January 2011. i'm 21 as of April 14th 2011.

so i give up.

what i do care about more would be the giving of all students monday off due to polling day on saturday.

school has been so hectic, even more than usual, my brain is about to hang on me. it needs a break.

in concurrent with the brain on holiday theme:

my goal would be to spend the incoming long weekend holed up in my room with junk food, watching sitcoms for hours on end.

in an ideal world, all my readings will auto-combust and die.

academic writings are brain hemorrhaging inducing. i mean, why use simple terms when you can use grandiose abstract terms to stymy and stupefy the common reader right?

but sadly i would still have to plow through them for assignments due immediately after the long weekend.

‎an example:

COM 492: NEW MEDIA AND SOCIETY
Observation Report #1

Theme: Technological Determinism

For your first observation report, your will explore how themes of technology determinism, utopia and dystopia are used to present new media technologies in popular media. Use your understanding and the readings on technological determinism and utopian/anti-utopian discourse to guide your analysis.

(700-1000 words)

1000 words is not a lot. but as far as communication and language goes —it is much harder to be succinct, than it is to be wordy when you have a point (or numerous points for that matter) to make.

the readings for this sole assignment is mother a lot. and we still need to find 10 other media sources. it's a fun module with lively debates and i really do learn a lot. a departure from my initial impression of what the course would be like, i initially thought it would teach us how to use social media and how to get the most number of twitter followers or smthg. lol. but it's good cos it makes, no, forces me to think.

also, i am an idiot in taking 4 communication studies modules this semester on top of a science module. modules from my school are known to be reading intensive and taxing.

oh well.

anyone has any good sitcoms to recommend?

i am cow.

2011-08-22T22:17:00.000+08:00

i suddenly thought of this during COM432 lect today and dug it out. heh.

Dancetitude 2011: What We Live For

2011-08-18T00:00:00.002+08:00

‎6 months ago before i left for Sweden, i was booking my round trip tickets back to Singapore and there was the option to travel the whole of europe in 2 months or do just Western Europe so i could rush back a month earlier to be a part of Dancetitude 2011.

i made my choice then and am still very happy about it ♥♥♥

credits: Cheryl Lee

i can't but i do

2011-08-11T20:15:00.014+08:00

"I can’t love you because you adore me too much. Every time I wish for you to stop flattering me, to stop agreeing with me on every little thing, to stop fucking doing every completely nonsensical thing I ask of you, it makes me feel sick, ungrateful and mean. You’re wonderful for thinking I’m wonderful, but I can’t love you because you don’t love me for my flaws—you love me in spite of them. You don’t see me, you don’t even want to see me, for what I am—the ugly, pungent parts of my guts. You can’t and don’t want to tear these parts out of me while I scream. I can’t love you because you won’t defy me, because you won’t fight me when I’m wrong. I can’t love you because you don’t stand eye to eye with me and challenge me, demand of me, to be a better person."

you don't love me. you may say otherwise. you may think otherwise.

but i know better.

-

people shouldn't need other people. you can want. but don't you dare need. cos the moment you need someone, you're reliant. and that's not good. you start to have expectations. you start to want more. you start to need more.

and then it's all downhill from there.

but i really do love you.

so so so much.

i am

2011-08-05T19:49:00.001+08:00

...Humpty Dumpty. i ran down a flight of stairs, fell down another flight of stairs and busted my ankle (again) last night after dance practice.

this always always always happens near performances. 9 days to Dancetitude. am i stupid or am i stupid.

am a very angry angst-y person now ):

to do or not do. there is no try.

2011-08-01T03:13:00.001+08:00

i dont want people to come up to me after my dance concert to say, "your costumes were so pretty!"

i want them to tell me i did good.

Bridesmaids and other stuff

2011-07-30T02:51:00.006+08:00

"Why can't you be happy for me, and then go home and talk about me behind my back like a normal person?"

i had a good laugh tonight. it was a really good ending to a night out with my JC classmates.

we've known everyone for almost 5 years now.

things are changing. things have been changing.

it's been two and a half years now since we've graduated from junior college. the boys have been to national service and out, the most bimbotic girls i know can now all drive, the boys are entering university, the girls are entering our third year in university...

things are still changing.

Jason's heading to Vancouver in 3 weeks whilst Sam's bound for Los Angeles in 2. Dinesh is going to Law school right here on this sunny island and Vig's heading to the social sciences...

the only constant in life is change. but love is constant. so if my math is right, the equation should work out to mean that love changes. but i know that can't be right.

i remember being all panicky right before i left for exchange cos i was afraid that things would change whilst i was gone. here's a look at my unfounded fears. unfounded because when i came back, everyone was right here waiting for me.

i love how Cheryl, Michele, Sam and i can get-together after a long period where we're all busy with our stuff yet still able to pick up right where we left off. it's a really heart-warming feeling too when their parents are still able to recognise me/call me by name no matter the years that had gone by. (i feel so important. hahah)

we were singing today in Michele's car and then in Cheryl's car.

we were always singing in CJ. hahah. we were so loud. okay, we are still so loud. also, i nearly died twice today.

i love my girls.

today, Cheryl called dibs. 'i'll give the best bridesmaids speech ever okay!'

i dont know why but as i'm typing this entry out, it made me think of this: LOL

okay, dance practice in a couple of hours!

g'night all :D

hair-raising news

2011-07-28T04:04:00.002+08:00

i really want to do something drastic (think colourful and happy) to my hair.

i'll dance for you

2011-07-22T15:43:00.003+08:00

‎"there's nothing hotter than a guy who dances." word. although our girls are prettyyyy hot too.

we've sold out the evening show buuuut we've opened an extra afternoon slot. so come watch us dance on August 14th 2011! :DDDD

get your tickets nowwww: http://ntumjdance.net/dancetitude/ticketing.html

oh, david.

2011-07-19T19:27:00.002+08:00

flirting in Denmark in March

2011-07-17T12:00:00.003+08:00

remember this post?

wilson just uploaded the photo :D

6 months is a long time

2011-07-13T16:45:00.005+08:00

they tell me it's like riding a bike. you never forget. then again, i've never been good at cycling. only crashing.

it's taking me a while. and i'm scared i'm running out of time.

i'll get there. i promise.

August 14, 2011.

stupid mushy post

2011-07-10T01:04:00.006+08:00

on spending money on cab rides after we missed the last train/bus:

picture taken when we were in Santorini, Greece

"i'm spending money on cab rides - it's not like i club and waste the money on opening bottles. the money is spent on my girlfriend. i want to send her home. it's worth it."

my boyfriend is not a romantic. he doesnt buy me flowers, he doesnt get me presents and we go Dutch on most stuff.

but all the above, whilst nice to have, is not a must. because for things that matter, he does really nicely.

he can be 2 mrt stops from home and yet still insist on sending me all the way home before backtracking to his place. we live at opposite ends of the island (for Singapore though tiny, is not that small).

things like this make me ever so certain that he's The One.

i love you.

popsicles are my best friend

2011-07-09T00:59:00.002+08:00

live, laugh, love

2011-07-06T11:47:00.010+08:00

‎"Laugh as much as you breathe and love as long as you live."

one of the quotes i live by. which is why ever since i got back a week and a half ago to this sunny island, i've been meeting up with the closest and dearest, all of whom embodies the above.

there's been dance practices in preparation for my university's biannual concert on August 14th.

our teaser video shot and filmed by the dancers themselves :DDD

and i've been going out too!

last sunday, i went to Universal Studios, Singapore with the dancers!

playing is tiring business. we played for a solid 11 hours and rode Battlestar Galactica 5 times!

even though i was still jetlagged + my period just came + i havent adjusted to the weather = i wasnt feeling all that good, IT WAS STILL FREAKING AWESOME. heh. i'm very glad the dancers waited for me to come back before going. MJ love!

i should be on Project Skinny because of all the extra kilos i've gained in Europe (urgh) BUT as usual, i'm just stuffing my face. hey, i NEED to satisfy all my chinese/asian food cravings okay! don't judge me.

yes, it's a need, not a want.

ever since i got back, i've been having junk food with Tiffanie Chia, late night suppers with the dancers after dance prac, full-day food trails with the boyfriend, Sushi Tei with Meishan Wong and last night,

i met up with my JC girls for some Din Tai Fung lovin' :D

we ate so much our bill came up to a hundred bucks! then we we went to RuiYi for dessert.

i really adore these girls. my 2 years in junior college were spent in a blur of giggling, eating and studying with them. more of the giggling, eating and less of the studying. but still, we turned out alright! out of all the people i know, this bunch of people loves the hardest and they love unconditionally.

there's Meishan's 21st birthday party this Friday night and Michele's 21st on Saturday night. i'll probably see all my JC classmates/dancemates. ie. EVERYONE from my JC years. so that's something to look forward too :D

parting note: i really should dance harder and eat lesser. i'm worried about fitting into costumes for Dancetitude ):

off to dance practice in a bit!

i am home

2011-06-27T00:21:00.003+08:00

as our plane touched down on Singapore ground, my boyfriend turned to me, "i bet you're excited to be back! 6 months is a long time to be away."

indeed.

my Eurotrip has been major epic. and it has finally ended after 25 days. currently uploading pictures on FB slowly but surely. be patient with me. i'll do a long-ass entry soon (i hope)

meantime, dance practice tmr till 11pm. i have never been happier :DDDDDDDD

good night!

at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport

2011-06-05T16:01:00.004+08:00

there really is nothing to do at airports. save sleep.

and photobooth.

in his defence, i slept from 9pm - 4am. heh.

euro trippin'

2011-06-05T11:05:00.003+08:00

us at the Old Church Town of Gammelstad, Luleå, Sweden

leaving Luleå ytd was hard. especially walking away from Nanda and knowing that she'll cry the entire walk home.

"you're going to Greece! you can't be sad!"

i miss her already.

am immensely grateful the boyfriend is here and i didnt have to leave by myself. if not, i think i would cry till my first eurotrip destination.

we've spent the night at Stockholm's airport. Onwards to Santorini, Greece in a bit! :DDD

Thales ' Lindo

2011-06-04T13:22:00.003+08:00

*brought to you by the ever-attentive students of Thales' kitchen.

the man of the hour, Thales Paiva

By Sng Cheng Wei and Chan Luo Er

2 cups of water into a pot over a lit stove, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar into said boiling pot to taste.

let 125g of butter melt over everything.

Stir, stir and stir (work those arm muscles) and watch the mixture simmer.

2 cups of flour thicken everything in a paste. Be patient. A little at a time does the trick. Keep in mind now, constant stirring!

3 eggs for protein. Fold the eggs into the mixture one at a time. Keep stirring. Stop only when it feels done. (You'll know it.) Place doughy mixture into a large icing pipe.

Heat enough oil to cause an artery constriction in a raised saucepan. Oil temperature should NOT be hot enough to singe your eyebrows if you go within kissing distance of saucepan.

Pipe in 2 middle-fingers-long of mixture into oil.

Crackle, Bubble, Fizzle, Pop.

Take out when golden brown.

Coat generously with cinnamon and sugar.

Now eat.

Thales' flew off ytd. i'm going to miss this crazy Brazilian.

ICE-CREAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

2011-06-01T04:18:00.002+08:00

B&J's Baked Alaska: vanilla ice cream with marshmallow swirls and white chocolatey polar bears are all you need on rainy nights in ♥

endnote: i dont think they sell this flavour in sunny Singapore! so even though i'm more of a Phish Food kinda girl on all other occasions, this is good too :D

>:(

2011-05-31T20:30:00.006+08:00

so this is it...in a bit

2011-05-30T10:08:00.017+08:00

the chinese never say good bye. it's not in our language. there is not a literal translation for good bye. what we do have is 再见. which means 'till we meet again'.

i said it to the boyfriend when i left for 6 months to come for exchange.

now i'm saying it to all the friends i've made here (and made space in my heart for) and i'm saying it to Lulea, Sweden.

the past few months have been spent in a sort of limbo. a suspended, intermediate state where i live encased in a bubble of good food, happy people and constant new experiences.

*all in pink are links to previous entries but after a while i got lazy to list/link everything.

I've lived through -33.8 Degrees Celsius,

taken roadtrips and gotten to know my coursemates from Singapore some:

1) what we did to catch a glimpse of the northern lights/dogsledding

2) how i high-fived Santa in Finland

caught the northern lights (not once, not twice but 5 times),

survived a Swedish Military Outdoor Camp experience (oh the things we do for school),

been to Denmark with Wilson, who's on exchange in Stockholm, and got taken shopping in Stockholm by Fifi.

spent a day exploring Brussels, Belgium and 10 days in Spain with a Spaniard, a Canadian and a Brazilian,

(i got mugged, filmed a commercial, and made friends for life in the form of Lynds, Marta and Nanda),

i've entered an official snowball fight tournament. i've seen various Swedish traditions. i've been to the Arctic Circle. i've celebrated my 21st birthday here. i've attended large wild parties, i've had tons of intimate dinner parties. i've had movie marathons, sauna sessions, gym sessions. i've explored Gammelstad. i've been to one of the largest rapids in Europe. i've conquered the wild outdoors when i ran in subzero degrees. i've had ice-cream outside in the dead of the winter.

and there is so much more that i've done in this 5 short months.

of everything i've done that i'm glad for, i've had many heart-to-heart talks with Yujin and Sujin and Seuk woo and Junmo. i have a special place in my heart for all the koreans i've met here (i swear i'm not racist but there are my favourite people here. hahaha. apart from Nanda and Sarah who is practically half Asian anyway).

people have started flying off (as i will be in 5 days). the farewells have been teary and sad.

we all have plans to meet. some i'll see again whilst traveling Europe, some i have grandiose plans of meeting again someday (there's a USA roadtrip in 4 years with the Spain-trip girls for one).

i was telling Fabio, one of the Italian boys, that 'i'll see you again' is just something people say. it's not true. how will you meet someone who lives halfway across the world from you. it's hard enough finding time to meet people in your own country.

one of the korean girls, Yujin told me, and i quote:

"i didnt want to be your friend at first. it's hard to give your heart to someone who will leave in a couple of months [...] but i'm sad also because we could be so much closer. at times, there are so many things i want to tell you but i can't because my english is not good enough."

here in Europe, english is a second language for almost all. (the korean/french girls speak English in the cutest accent :D also, Jeanne's the best. nicest french girl you'll meet. everrrr)

but we make do. not just make do, we are able to thrive.

though sometimes when we converse, Google Translate is on, ensuing hilarity as translating Portuguese/Korean/Swedish/etc on Google somehow never comes out right.

i'm gonna miss them.

when you're alone in a foreign land, with no family to go back home to at the end of each day, you create a surrogate family unit. this makes it so hard to leave. you just can't pack up and go. there's all that emotional stuff to take care off.

part of me can't wait to travel - the various parts of Sweden + Finland + Denmark + Belgium + Spain i've visited had been beyond awesome to me. but i'm excited to travel to new places, meet new people and do new things.

On the 4th of June, i'll leave Lulea, Sweden.

the rest of the trip goes as follows:

✈ Greece ✈ Italy ✈ France ✈ Netherlands ✈ UK ✈ Sweden ✈ Singapore

and part of me can't wait to go home.

but part of me just wants...i don't know.

i don't want my exchange to not end. i'm glad i'm here and i'm glad for the past months spent here but it's time to go. leave on a high note. 5 months away from Singapore (6 months if you include traveling) is more than enough.

i just wish it wasn't so hard to leave.

Springtime in Lulea, Sweden

2011-05-29T16:20:00.003+08:00

no Photoshop, no lens filter. what you see is what you (or rather, I) get.

i pass by this lake daily on my way to the University. and at any time of the day, it manages to make me pause for just that little bit. the above was at 11:45pm.

right now it's nearing summer and because we're so far up north, the sun sets at midnight and rises at 2am. soon it'll just bounce off the horizon and not set at all.

i'm going to miss this place.

hejhej

2011-05-23T17:30:00.003+08:00

i've been lazy about blogging because there's so much going on right now.

above is a shot i took of one of Nanda's birthday cakes- Chocolate + Nutella + Banana is a deadly combination.

click here for a picture story. start from picture one. that is all.

till next time folks! :D

supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

2011-05-14T17:07:00.005+08:00

there will be bigger things in life than going on exchange,

than turning 21,

than not having seen your boyfriend for 5 months,

than having said boy empty his bank account to fly halfway across the world to see you

but right now, these are the biggest things in my life.

so let me have this moment because in a few hours i am heading out to pick my boyfriend up at the airport and being excited doesnt even cut it.

of all the utter bull

2011-05-10T16:08:00.003+08:00

再见 (till we meet again)

2011-05-09T16:09:00.003+08:00

5 more days.

summer shopping...in my sister's closet

2011-05-06T21:16:00.009+08:00

my elder sister is selling clothes: http://luna-noona.livejournal.com/3757.html#cutid1

one of the perks of having an older sister is that whenever you run out of things to wear, you can go shopping...in her wardrobe.

this is because :

1. the resulting outfits always look better than anything you put together on your own
older sisters are always, and i mean always, more fashion savy as compared to you

2. they make you feel that tad bit more sophisticated
hey, i'm wearing my elder sister's clothes. enough said.

although things would be easier if she wasn't so tiny - she can fit into all of my stuff but it doesnt always work the other way around. not fair.

anyway, her blogshop's relatively new - my younger sister facebook-ed me to say my elder sister said to send me the link for it.

i hope this isn't a hint that i need to stop dipping into her closet and start buying clothes whenever i run out of things to wear.

so go check out her page, buy some stuff and maybe she'll let me borrow more clothes :D

need.to.do.work

2011-05-03T17:07:00.001+08:00

my room is always at its cleanest when assignments are due. i now have freshly laundered sheets, a newly-vacuumed floor and a sparkling toilet even my mum would be proud of.

Walpurgis Night

2011-05-01T14:14:00.008+08:00

Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) is a traditional spring festival held on the eve of May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. The Swedish students tell me it harks back to the days when they used to burn the witches.

but whatever the origins of this tradition, yesterday, the chilly night was resplendent with flying ambers from a giant bonfire and dazzling fireworks that consumed the sky with golds and pinks and greens.

there's something about fireworks that makes me catch my breath and love all of mankind just that little bit more. it's like, it's like that smell in the wind when you know it's going to rain or that tingly sensation you get which sends chills down your spine when you hear a pitch-perfect a-cappella rendition of Ave Maria or that oh-yeahhh moment when you bite into a piece of crunchy buttery toast and spray a satisfying smattering of crumbs all over your bed.

i'm glad i caught the fireworks with Nanda ♥

my thoughts on the royal wedding

2011-04-30T22:32:00.001+08:00

this would be all.