apples of gold in settings of silver

Beanified penguin!

2006-08-03T12:29:00.001+08:00

IMG_1784
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Finished!

2006-08-03T12:29:00.000+08:00

IMG_1783
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

All loose ends tucked away and seam sewed. If you look carefully, I think you can see the place where I seamed... but it's not obvious, and with stretch and wear, will blend in even more.

First Finished Object (FO)!

2006-08-03T12:28:00.000+08:00

First Finished Object (FO)!
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Beanie for a friend who was going overseas. Here, the knitting is completed, but not the 'finishing' (i.e. sewing up and tidying of loose ends)

Cute Li'l Furball

2006-08-03T12:27:00.000+08:00

Cute Li'l Furball
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Cats grow up so fast. I look at this pic and I wonder... was Anakin ever this small??? Small she was, but wilder, pouncing on our moving ankles any chance she got. Now she's much more contented and domesticated, but still occasionally savage...

Revenge of the Sith

2006-07-01T21:35:00.000+08:00

To all who might be confused, my cat's name is Anakin, not Muah Chee ;) And it's a she, not a he... I named her before the vet told me the gender! Lalala...

2006-06-29T11:10:00.000+08:00

I never used to think this, but I can be really crabby, uptight and defensive if I'm stressed and/or lacking in sleep. Rrgh. Sorry to those I've snapped at or been impatient with!

My Little Jedi

2006-06-26T13:30:00.000+08:00

Anakin
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Rescued from being a stray (thanks to a set of incongruously powerful lungs in that hungry body), Anakin is 7 months old now and teetering dangerously on the wrong side of the line between Dark and Light. Names, even when conjured up on the impulse at the vet's office, are prophetic.

Muah Chee - must try!

2006-06-26T12:58:00.000+08:00

Muah Chee - must try!
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Traditional snacks seller

A time for change

2006-06-26T11:56:00.000+08:00

"For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

What do people really get for all their hard work? I have thought about this in connection with the various kinds of work God has given people to do. God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. So I concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-13)

An old friend whom I haven't seen much in the last 5 years, upon observing me dropping some brown food on my pale clothes in the course of coffee and snacks, commented with amusement, "You haven't changed, Elaine."

That simple comment struck me with a sudden terror. I twitch even now, thinking about it. What an awful penance, to have lived 5 years and not fundamentally changed.

But of course, I have changed, in myriad ways, some fundamental, some superficial, even though I still knock things over in crowded shops, even though I still occasionally, accidentally, non-seriously injure people with my flailing elbow as I gesticulate, even though my white pants conceal yellow curry stains in the folded-up bottom hem. I have changed in ways that are not obvious even to myself, even when I face down a situation and handle it better, or just differently, than I would have even 2 years ago, I don't sit thunderstruck, realizing that I have changed, I am different now.

But the fact that I have changed gives me so much hope to face a new day. One of my greatest fears is to live a boring life. Another is the fear that I will be one of those obnoxious, irritating people who can't see the light and incur other people's condescension, irritation or ridicule as they crash, blind-bull-like, through life. Hmm. Knowing that I have changed so much in these 5 years, a somewhat short-but-long time, gives me hope.

Richard Gere cannot count

2006-06-12T16:01:00.000+08:00

Mr Brown show roxxors!! Download the podcast and listen! Die laughing!

Beauty, brains and bees!

2006-06-12T15:11:00.000+08:00

Beauty, brains and bees!
Originally uploaded by F8th.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's.... a BEE??!! Attempted viral marketing at work... Bees work in community, a honeycomb has cells.. it's all part of a grand plan to promote friendship and participation in small groups in church! The three sporting fellas are three friends of Buddy the Bee attempting to search for him after his disappearance. Deployed into the church grounds, they bzzed around and harassed people with "Missing Bee" flyers to get them intrigued about an upcoming church event.

I feel so touched

2006-06-12T14:42:00.001+08:00

I feel so touched
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Our bees got a lot of... contact from the youths at lunch!

Have you seen Buddy?

2006-06-12T14:42:00.000+08:00

Have you seen Buddy?
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Bee drawn by trusty brother, Andrew! Cute a not??!!

Great X-Men III Review

2006-06-12T14:07:00.000+08:00

Exactly what an X-Men fan is thinking as he or she watches The Last Stand ;)

I just watched the final half of Spiderman 2. Why can't all comic book movies be made with such love, humor and pure excellence?! *rant continues offline*

Ultimate X-Men

2006-06-09T14:01:00.000+08:00

Ultimate X-Men
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

The X-Universe has undergone more schisms, planetary upheavals, and alternate scenarios than you can count. The number of mutant characters also multiplied until long-time fans like me just couldn't care less anymore. The series underwent a major 'reboot' a few years ago, written under the title Ultimate X-Men. So far it's really good, slightly different from the traditional, but v good.

Rogue & Gambit

2006-06-09T13:59:00.000+08:00

Rogue & Gambit
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Two of my favorite characters from X-Men, drawn by one of the best - Andy Kubert.

Update

2006-06-09T13:51:00.000+08:00

I have exceeded 1 month in the updating-regularity stakes. Argh!

Micro-update

1. I'm taking my GRE's on 21 June.
- Argh! I can't remember how many prime numbers there are between 30 and 50!!
- What do you mean, '1 isn't a prime number'??!!!
- Subtle sense of impending doom
- Dismal regret at prior hubris in scheduling the exam leaving only a month to study

2. I worked out 3 times a week for the last 2 weeks!
- Found out from Runner's World magazine that the correct pace of exercise to improve cardiovascular fitness is a pace where you can comfortably talk. What?! You mean you don't need to feel pain to gain??

3. X-Men 3 was a fun watch but absolutely heinously offensive in how they tweaked, no, massacred, storylines and characters to make a B-grade movie out of A-plus material

4. I eagerly await Superman's Return to the big screen!

5. I'm a comic-book fan, and I will never be too old to be one!

6. I seem to have (temporarily) lost my attention span for reading novels.

7. At the moment, comics (or graphic novels for the snotty) are satisfying my thirst for narrative and imaginative thought, while I re-gather my tolerance for more 'serious' stuff

8. Reading: Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" & "Ultimate X-Men"

This is too good not to post

2006-05-04T17:35:00.000+08:00

A thoughtful essay based on personal experience, not commentary of any kind.

I have a choice

2006-05-02T20:55:00.000+08:00

I have a choice to make this Saturday. And as I live in a contested area for which 12 people are running for 6 places, 1 of whom is a notable person who mostly wears white, but has been known to wear maroon shirts and red kurtas on occasion, and for whom this year's elections will serve as a 'report card' of approval. For this reason, it will be a very, very interesting decision.

I can't control what anyone else votes on the 6 May. I can only influence my vote. 2 choices, white or blue. 1 vote. 1 decision.

Hmm.

Yet another update!

2006-05-02T20:42:00.000+08:00

OK, in response to Sean, here are some resolutions which are more specific:

- Lights out by 12am this week (previously 1-1.30am =P)

- Jogging twice a week and swimming once a week.

- At least one serving of fruits every day this week, increase to two next week (I made it yesterday even though I was real full from dinner - not a good idea actually; today..??)

Why the health-y resolutions? Cos I realize I flip out when stress loads become larger, so I see taking care of my health as the groundwork for an Elaine that can handle stress better.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a scene from the movie Sideways. While I don't recommend inebriation (i.e. drunkeness), Virginia Madsen's character, Maya, gives a really beautiful description of why she enjoys wine:

"I do like to think about the life of wine, how it's a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing, how the sun was shining that summer or if it rained... what the weather was like. I think about all those people who tended and picked the grapes, and if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I love how wine continues to evolve, how every time I open a bottle its going to taste different than if I had opened it on any other day. Because a bottle of wine is actually alive -- it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks -- like your '61 -- and begins its steady, inevitable decline."

It's a brilliantly romantic description of the time, effort and elemental energy that goes into wine, but it also works as a great metaphor for time passing, opportunities, and time wasted. The '61 she mentions is a wine that her friend and possible romantic interest, Miles, has in his collection, a particular wine from a year that is supposed to be really good for that wine. That vintage's peak flavor is now, this very year, but Miles still hasn't opened it, hasn't found an occasion worthy to justify opening it. Maya tells him, "the day you open a '61 Cheval Blanc, is a day worthy of celebration" or some such.

Argh. Talking about time can be pretty stuffy. Let me put it in point form

- Wine is more than the liquid in a glass bottle. In a very real way, it represents an extended amount of time, with the perfect amount of delay before opening the bottle (e.g. 15 years or 2 years, depending on what harvest) making the product even more 'perfect'. Cool. So it is with knitting *grin* Time wound up in strands, fibers, taking shape as a scarf, or sweater, or toy whimsy. But so too everything else that we spend time on - the spreadsheet for work, the honors thesis, our blogs....

- Which makes time spent without anything tangible to show for it (time wasted travelling cos you took the wrong route, time spent in traffic jams, time spent rereading Calvin & Hobbes or Harry Potter cos you don't want to study) scary. Because.... you have nothing to show for that time spent. And time is like.... there's just not enough time to satisfy anyone! Argh! *angsty moment*

- But then again, I detest people who only ever want to be productive and disdain 'wasting time' ambling around town, chatting with a friend, rereading a treasured novel or just chilling. There's only so much activity and meaningful thought you can squeeze into a day - though time is limited, packing in too much leads to a loss of the joy and meaning that makes time valuable.

Labels

2006-04-29T02:53:00.000+08:00

Ok. It's been a reeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaalllly long time since I've blogged. There are quite a few things I wish to say, but either insufficient words to say them, or a sense that it's inappropriate to say. Which means I might have to set up a new blog. Hmm!

OK, let's start with happy stuff.

I finished my (one and only) exam today!! Yes, I only had one, but as a Master's student, I don't really have the luxury of a one-week Reading week to study for the exam, I spent reading week scanning subjects, and repeat-scanning subjects who were unlucky enough or didn't-follow-instructions-enough to have to come for a repeat, marking term papers (ack) and working on my independent research project (smaller scale run-up to my thesis, which hasn't taken any written form yet). Yikes. To make things worse, I foolishly left the house at 8 for the 9am paper (*slap head*) resulting in my being late by 10 minutes =( Never mind. Managed to get most of what I had to say but as I left the venue I was mentally slapping myself for spending too much time flipping notes (it was open book) and thinking than writing down the thoughts I'd already thought. All this combined to form a slightly disturbing sense of heightened physiological function (heart rate, slowed digestion etc) that lasted even by the time my fellow Master's student, YY, and I reached Holland V for lunch. Yikes! But going to Holland V was a great decision. We had yummy Thai curry rice sets at Thai Express (sigh, where else?) and then, even better, we went SHOPPING! You'd be surprised, but there are quite a few very nice shops in Holland Village. One in particular, Closet Treasures at the Windmill, was so nice that I bought 2 items and YY bought 1! Our combined purchases got us 4 chops on a collect-a-chop card - 12 chops would get us 30% of our next purchase. Quickly, we calculated that coming back to the shop once every month for the next 2 months would achieve that goal. Then the shop girl told us that new arrivals come every 2 weeks. Save me!

Yes, that was my shallow moment of the day. Even as we were leaving the shop my eye was caught by a gorgeous shade of royal blue belonging to a Victorian-style top near the entrance, and YY had to firmly drag me away. Heh. Well, today I also got started on the next phase of my project! Fine, it didn't involve much effort on my part - a computer script detailing the mouse movements and clicks needed to get BrainVoyager to run statistics on each of the 42 brain regions I had identified to be of interest had already been written by my supervisor and a former research assistant. So all my supervisor had to do was show me how to use it. We troubleshooted a tiny thing, and then the procedure was off and running. Sup said, "OK, that's probably going to take 2 hours, good excuse for you to go home now." At 4pm! Whee, my kind of day.

Well now, the bad thing about shopping? With my new outfit I need new shoes. Hmmmm. *Self-control!!!*

Updates (in point form, like at the end of the exam when you have no time to form a complete sentence)

- Met a really old friend, and found out that he is moving all the way from Clementi, to the next street from me! Altogether now, SMALL WORLD!

- Have become a bit more organized (any progress is good in my books)

- Realize I am... impatient

- Would like to be more... patient

- And less... snappish at times. PMS and stress do not justify rudeness to my family =P

- Stuff to do now that exam is over!!

->Finish knitting my cropped cardigan. Muaha. Maybe I can finish it before the dang things go out of fashion.

->Bake bagels!

->Watch MI:3. No I don't like Tom Cruise, but it'll be a good family film.

->Go rollerblading, swimming and running

->Read

->Sleep (so what am I doing now?? Sheesh...)

->Finally go to the art museum??

->Read up on scuba diving

Right. Meant to make the list short and manageable. Well... OK, I think most of this stuff can be done in a couple of weeks ;)

Resolutions for 2nd quarter:

- Learn to priortize

- Learn to do things faster

- Learn how to motivate myself in healthy (non-ice cream) ways.

Hmmmm.

Modern Crystal Ball

2006-04-03T00:35:00.000+08:00

itunes oracle

My dear independent friend did this on her blog and it was hilarious. Fun for a frazzled night.

Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.
[Music player of choice: iTunes 6 on Dell Inspiron Notebook.]

How does the world see me?
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve

[Musical but tragic]

Will I have a happy life?
Genki wo dashite - Hitomi

[Apparently it means Cheer Up in Japanese! So that's good]

What do my friends really think of me?
Desafinado (Slightly Out of Tune) - Quarteto-Jobim

[Ha! True...]

Do people secretly lust after me?
The Way You Look Tonight - Michael Buble

[Yeah, baby]

How can I make myself happy?
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Steve Tyrell

What should I do with my life?
Separate Ways - Faye Wong

[Split myself in two???!!!]

Will I ever have children?
Goodbye - Alicia Keys

[Oh no...]

What is some good advice for me?
The Remedy - Jason Mraz

[Perform in a comedy, or embark on a dangerous liasion!]

How will I be remembered?
Donde Estas, Yolanda? (Where are you, Yolanda?) - Pink Martini

[They won't even get my name right at my funeral]

What is my signature dancing song?
Cheek to Cheek - Steve Tyrell

[True! This is creepy...]

What do I think my current theme song is?
Be Still and Know - Steven Curtis Chapman

[A good one to keep in mind]

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Rhapsody in Blue - DA PUMP

[Funky]

What song will play at my funeral?
Ela Carioca (She's a Carioca) - Quarteto Jobim

[Although I hold a Singaporean passport, secretly I'm a true-blue native of Rio de Janeiro]

What type of men/women do I like?
Men: Twisted Logic - Coldplay

Women: X & Y - Coldplay
[I like twisted men, or manly women.]

What is my day going to be like?
Fly Away - Corinne May

[My favorite pastime]

That was in '04...

2006-04-01T00:58:00.000+08:00

and they still haven't got their act together.Maybe I should file a class action suit too? Argh.

The Apple iPod Mini - 1 year on

2006-03-29T12:15:00.000+08:00

1 year on... I am disillusioned with the IT/design giant that is Apple. Supposedly a multinational corporation with a powerful brand name, heavy investment in tech development and design, along with a loyal following, would construct products which, even if they cannot be passed down to my grandchildren, should at least, at least, give me 2 years of pleasurable utility.

Which the 2nd generation iPod Mini (Hot Pink) did not. When it came out, it was heralded as a substantial upgrade in terms of firmware and battery life (18 hours compared to 8) from the 1st generation Mini. In fact, road tests by several noted review sites such as CNET and PCMag online rated the battery at 24 hours, exceeding the estimated life quoted by Apple itself.

I bought my very own Mini in April 05. To my delight, it provided me with 3 days of continuous listening per charge (roughly 6-7 hours per day) as I studied furiously in preparation for my final examinations as an Honors student. 24 hours per charge indeed.

2 months after I bought the Mini, I was puzzled as to why each charge only afforded me 1 and a half days of listening pleasure (4 hours on a plane ride to Beijing, and a few hours spread over 2 nights in the hotel, zero charge for the journey home).

6 months after I bought the Mini, I was irritated and angry with how, after 4-5 hours of usage time, the iPod would shut off, claiming an empty battery. After a few attempts to revive it, the unit managed to squeeze out another 1-2 hours of play time.

8 months on, I only expected a charge to last me on the bus journey to and from school. If I didn't charge it after that, it might last me half a bus trip the next day.

11 months on, I'm sending it in for battery replacement, covered under warranty. Next to me, I listen to a man ranting about how he had to spend hours of his time sending in his faulty iPod for evaluation and repair. 9 months after receiving a replacement unit, it too gives up the ghost and the service personnel has the interesting suggestion, "The hard disk is damaged, probably not worth repairing. We can't replace your unit because it's no longer covered by warranty. Why don't you get a new iPod?" That certainly sent the customer into a tizzy. My service center officer then mentioned to me under her breath that I might want to consider getting extended warranty, otherwise I'd end up in the same situation as the poor gent to my left. Er, no thanks. I'd rather upgrade - to a more reliable, consistent product without such a volatile half-life in terms of battery and hard disk integrity. Another friend's iPod Photo, less than a year old, has gone kaput. Hangs within 30 minutes.

I am not an idealist when it comes to tech, I recognize that IT products we buy, whether mp3 players, digital cameras, color printers or computers, will probably only be used up to 2 years before they become out of date and it's better to buy a new unit. But during those 2 years, couldn't we have some enjoyment out of our product, rather than coaxing or forcing the unit to revive, rather like an ER physician giving a cardiac massage to a carwrecked patient?

Mononoke with Moro the Wolf God

2006-03-28T13:16:00.000+08:00

San and Moro the Wolf God
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Prince Ashitaka

2006-03-28T13:15:00.001+08:00

Ashitaka
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

V and Evey

2006-03-28T13:15:00.000+08:00

V and Evey
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

So Phantom of the Opera!!

Vengeance is mine

2006-03-28T12:22:00.000+08:00

Somehow, over the course of a weekend when I was supposed to read 3 chapters from my biological psychology textbook (movement, memory and planning), I somehow managed to watch not one but two movies, one on a borrowed DVD from a friend, Princess Mononoke, and one at the cinemas with Steph and Maryam (too lazy to come up with aliases, and their initials would be too.. disturbing), V for Vendetta.

Interestingly, both films centered on the theme of revenge and all the implications and repercussions associated with it. Briefly, Princess Mononoke, far from being a happy adventure of a pretty anime princess in a fantasy land, is a violent, beautiful tale set in a primeval Japan where forests are temples inhabited and cared for by pagan animal gods. Set in the warlord era, humans are pitted against humans, pitted against the trees and animals and spirits of the forest. I won't go too much into plot details, but suffice to say that this 'cartoon', by genius Hayao Miyazaki, is one of the most complicated depictions of hate, revenge and violence that I have ever seen or read, and conversely the most subtle advocate of peace. The film's tragic, noble protagonist, the young Prince Ashitaka goes on a quest to lift a curse he incurred while saving his town from a boar-demon, but in the process discovers that the evil inflicted on him is a result of a result of something else, a choking spiral of wrongs, spite, misdeeds and revenge that can seem to find no resolution. The film works as a strong metaphor for the encroachment, rape and defilement humans have inflicted on earth, but really you can relate to it in many ways. Ambition, power, deception, greed, courage, spite, tragedy, all grand Shakespearan themes, handled ably and never hamhandedly by wood sprites, a good looking anime prince and princess, and talking boars and apes. It is a truly remarkable film in that every one is trying to do the best they can, and you can empathize with so many of the characters, even when their work and actions wreak harm on others. Can balance ever be found on this earth if each individual organism can only ever seek fulfilment and utility for himself? At the climax, the feeling is one of bittersweet peace mingled with uncertainty - a possible third alternative is glimpsed, but it's so difficult.

V for Vendetta, what can I say about it? It's a testimony to the strength of the story conceived by Alan Moore that the movie manages to engage, entertain, horrify and inspire, despite so many changes from the graphic novel. A friend commented though that V, the ambiguously noble, erudite and destructive avenger of the movie's title, might not see much visible support in Singapore - hardly anyone would heed his call to stand in front of the Parliament builidng if he announces he wishes to blow it up. Parody and exaggeration might be a literary device in highlighting to the viewers the danger of surrendering liberties and freedom of choice to a government in exchange for security, power, and protection, but it's precisely the suffocatingly totalitarian, violent and deceptive nature of the party, contrasted with the tactics of V's strategic terrorism, which stoke the people into nonviolent but total revolt. In modern society, power, influence and restrictions come more subtly intertwined with rewards, prosperity and moral superiority. I'll leave you to think about it.

Blogger drought

2006-03-09T13:09:00.000+08:00

The drought strikes again! Well, I've been tagged with the 7x7 meme, which seems so large, onerous and requiring of self-knowledge that I just haven't got around to it. Let me start with the 7 movies, since that's easy.

1. Star Wars Episodes IV-VI

2. LOTR trilogy

3. Happy Together

4. Spirited Away

5. Chungking Express

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas

7. Amadeus

Argh, so limiting! Anyway.

Seven Things I Say (That's hard!)

1. Woohoo!

2. Lunch?

3. Arrrrrgh (death rattle)

4. I don't know...

5. Teatime!

6. I'm hungry...

7. Yay!

Seven Books I Love (Waaaah, this is hard!! Rated by how many times I've read it...)

1. Macbeth

2. Hamlet

3. Of Mice and Men

4. The Belgariad and the Mallorean by David Eddings

5. Pride & Prejudice by You-Know-Who

6. Original French Fairy Tales, collected by I'm-not-sure-who

7. The Cider House Rules (because it didn't get into my Top7 movie list)

Seven Things I Cannot Do

1. Roll my tongue

2. Use the name of the Lord in vain (!)

3. NOT cry at touching scenes in movies (it's embarrassing...)

4. NOT talk during a movie

5. Skip a meal (as you might have gathered)

6. Kill myself

7. Think unemotionally

Seven Things to Do Before I Die

1. Scuba dive

2. Grand Tour of Europe

3. Make a positive, unique difference in a few people's lives

4. Learn to clean an apartment-sized space in less than a day

5. Finally have a neat, pretty room, without junk in the corners

6. Own a cat

7. See a polar bear, a dolphin, and a whale in its natural environment (Manitoba, here I come!)

Seven Things That Attract Me To... Movies

1. Entertainment value

2. Identifying with emotions

3. Introducing me to situations I might not usually find myself in - what would I do in such a case??

4. The mood it evokes

5. Heroism in LOTR and Star Wars - "All you have to do is to decide what to do with the time that is given to you." The bestestness that a person, Hobbit or elf can aspire to be.

6. Empowerment - "yeah, go Eowyn!"

7. Learning lessons vicariously - would add a caveat that it hasn't really worked. The lessons are identified post-hoc

Seven People to Tag

1. sweetpotato

2. anlin

3. celticbiohazard

4. ariel

5. andy

6. nat

7. benedict

Whee! I did it!

Finally Together

2006-02-27T00:10:00.000+08:00

Finally Together
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

The first 4/13 gathering in what seems like a long time. A great, laid-back evening of light food and oily snacks (yay for Hello Panda!), cool music and cool people talking rot and catching up. It's been shudderingly long since we were actually part of the same class, but memories die hard, and we're still forging new ones together every day. And it's nice to see that some things don't change - like Alma's ditzy-isms! Ha! Ok, I'm not that quick on the uptake either. Email me if you want the rest of the pics!

Rivers, stars and happy things.

2006-02-21T12:31:00.000+08:00

OK, I haven't posted for a very long time. There are a number of reasons, but the main thing is sianness and worry over work. There. It's too mundane, dreary and terror-inducing to go into, so I won't.

The reason I am posting now is that a number of nice and happy things happened recently that are worth commemorating. OK lah, not so formal, but you should know what I mean.

Firstly, last Sunday Anlin, Qin and I met up for light lunch and heavy knitting at Boat Quay. Boat Quay! It must be one of my favorite spots in Singapore. OK, definitely in the top 3. I wanted to take photos but the sunlight was blinding (it being 12 noon and all), but it felt good on my pasty lab-skin. I admired Sir Stamford Raffles (white) and meandered around to Raffles Place MRT to meet Qin after parking the car (driving! another pleasure). We then proceeded to Genesis Health Food Restaurant (must promote) at Circular Road, where we had really good scones and toast with alternative kaya made from - you'll never guess - pumpkin! And coconut probably. But it's supposed to be low-fat.

We then went to TCC at Boat Quay to meet Anlin for knitting. The TCC there is really really nice, with beanbag cushions and low coffee tables so you can lounge around, a good thing if you're going to be doing 2-3 hours of knitting straight. And it's pretty quite and not very crowded, so no guilt over table-hopping. Nice drinks too, though expensive. It was really fun to be so crafty, and it feels good to knit for a friend too! A worthy, quirky friend who triple-majored in physics, psychology and philosophy, who told me to just look at the stars, and I'll realize that the petty, silly issues I get worked up over are just... too small to bother with. I do look at the stars now, every time I walk outdoors at night.

I also finally managed to meet up with my independent friend, last night, in a super out-of-the-blue, spur-of-the-moment outing. Ha. Sometimes spontaneity is better. Two sides of the mobile phenomenon, and all that jazz. =) But it was really fun. We watched a movie which was... good, and thought-provoking. More on that at another time! Waha.

5 Simple Pleasures in Life

2006-02-09T11:50:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged to write about 5 simple pleasures I find in life. Hmm. Ahh... Actually it's good to be reminded of simple pleasures at a time when it seems you'll never have a free moment, let alone feel pleasure again... Sigh, so dramatic. Hahahah... Well, updates, it's Week 0 of my study. Week 0 because it's the work before the experimental intervention can actually start! *pathetic face* Heehee. I realized my response to stress is totally silly, I get really worked up and kan cheong over little details, and I feel like I'm going to die. My colleague who is working on the same project as I am had to whack me on the back and say, "Relax! It's just a study. NO ONE IS GOING TO DIE!"

Right, well. Hmm.

Ok, 5 simple pleasures in life! I'll write about the recent things I've experienced, cos I really do enjoy simple pleasures and it's not just 5 for me!

1. Walking my dogs on a cool, breezy night and looking at the stars after goodness-knows-how-long.

2. Meeting up with friends to talk cock sing song, eat ice cream or watch dvd's.

3. Eating hot, well-cooked, yummy food.

4. Playing cards with my family

5. Watching TV with my family.

Hmm, I wanna get into some simple pleasures now, like namely, ReversO ice cream from Island Creamery!!!! Woot!

I tag zyn and dio and sweetpotato.

As Time Goes By

2006-01-30T01:27:00.000+08:00

I watched Wait Til You're Older at the Singapore Island Country Club today with my parents and my brother. A short plot synopsis: Kwong is an unhappy child whose mother committed suicide 3 years ago. Soon after, his father married an evil stepmother (Karen Mok). Kwong hates his life and can't wait for the day when he saves up enough money to leave home for good. One day, he meets a quirky old man with a potion that accelerates the natural aging process. Kwong steals some, and matures overnight into... Andy Lau! Right, you might be thinking, another Big type fantasy. However, the movie was not nearly that escapist. There are a few fish-out-of-water or grown-up-fantasy joke set pieces, but overall the theme that the movie powerfully conveyed is that everyone makes mistakes, and you can't ever go back into the past to change it, because time marches inexorably on. Because Andy Lau overdosed on the potion, he ages 20 years overnight, and by the 4th day, he looks like a decrepit, 80 year old man. He's learned a lot in those 4 days, and he wants to go back to where he was, to be a good son to his father and stepmother, but he can't. Time moves on, and it can't be magicked away. Such a true thing, yet very few people really live each moment for all its worth, and too many look back to their past mistakes, past pleasures, past glories (secondary school reminisces anyone???) without looking forward to the hope of creating an even better future. I'm guilty of that as well. Some of my most painful moments come when I think how good things were back *insert appropriate year*, or when I think about what could have been different if I'd just chosen differently xxx years ago. But the past is really past. Nothing I do now can change what I did then. But what I do now, and what I think now, can change the person I'll be in the future. It's so hard to write about this without being maudlin. But the fact is I'm still having a hard time letting go of the past, especially the good memories. And like Kwong, the naughty boy, I regret the bad things I have done and wish I could turn back time so I could have a second chance to avoid them. But the message of the movie isn't to avoid mistakes, because the very idea is laughably impossible. As my dad summarized, the lesson of the movie is - if you make a mistake, don't make the further mistake of wasting even more time avoiding the consequences, or regretting the mistake. Quickly rectify it and make it better. Because there's little that's more tragic than wasting the minutes and hours that make up a life.

News

2006-01-24T12:42:00.000+08:00

I frogged (knitting parlance for mercilessly unraveling your knitted work to the yarn from which it was born - "rip it, rip it", geddit??) my lovely plummy-blue scarf. Argh. It is know 15 rows of stitches. A rectangle?? Argh. What does that say about my life?

Who wants to get high on cough syrup?

2006-01-20T09:34:00.000+08:00

After 3 days of thinking I don't need to drink codeine-laced cough linctus (linctus, from contextual clues, refers to a sticky, syrupy liquid with a cloying taste. Brrrghhhh), I had to cry uncle last night. Yesterday was the horriblest day ever, I was hacking and coughing every 20minutes, which leads to wheezing, which leads to not enjoying myself even on a night out courtesy of my supervisor, save for a calm moment (after another blasted round of rain) at Siem Reap, Asian Civilizations Museum, listening to romantic, lightly swinging, downbeat vocal jazz. Ahhh. Went home and took two spoonfuls of cough linctus, one tablet of drowsy-inducing anti-histamine and plonked right into bed. Debated with myself over whether to come to school this morning, then my conscience (plus the memory of undone tasks) won. I'm in school now! Haha. Should stop blogging then.

On a high note, I heard Moon River live!!!!!!! The Indochine jazz singer is a lovely lady with a mature, low, velvety voice; her rendition was a little faster than what you normally hear, but it was really really lovely. Ah. The cherry on the chocolate cake was when she sang Cheek to Cheek at the end of the set. Whee!

Weeeird Day

2006-01-19T03:04:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I had a really good, productive day, followed by today: a lousy day where everything went wrong. My experiment participants suddenly don't want to participate anymore, the participants who do come make strange mistakes, rendering their data unusuable, my friend's mother falls ill, making my friend sick with worry, I miss your class because of experiments gone wrong, and to top it off I forget to bring my already-overdue DVD's to return to Video Ezy. Then just as suddenly, the day turns out right, when I go out for prata supper with 3 good friends from NUS, followed by a relaxing shared tub of Ben&Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream on my patio with Lulu for company, followed by a spur-of-the-moment, oh so fun trip for MORE Ben&Jerry's at the Night Safari! Sudden brain wave - the unlikeliest yet most logical place to go for ice cream in Singapore, at the middle of the night, on a weeknight (NYDC is open late on weekends!). Night Safari at 12am is a magical experience. The ice cream was yummy, the company hilarious, and the toilets astounding (trigger-happy me took pictures!) To top it off, there was an array of stunning, nearly-life size lanterns in the shape of elephants, tigers and giraffes. Pictures are coming!

And then, suddenly, at 2.30am, a phone call from a private number that chills me to the bone, because I have no idea who the person is, and he or she sounds... how should I put it... crazy.

I'm still awake. God protect me!

Winding Road

2006-01-17T15:30:00.000+08:00

Well, it's been 1 year and 6 months (or so) since I've started this blog. Much has changed in my life and this blog is starting to feel a little... stale. Well, no plans to move/start over/revamp/trash everything as yet. But stay tuned ;)

I Carry Your Heart With Me - e. e. cummings

2006-01-17T15:20:00.000+08:00

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who would have thought to hear this beautiful poem in a chick flick?
Well, in one of the most touching scenes I've ever seen, Cameron D
reads out this poem to her sis, played by Toni Collette, after a
rollicking ride in which they have a bitter fallout, and then a
bittersweet reunion, after fully understanding just how much they have
shaped each others' lives, and how much they want to continue being a
part of the other's life. I appreciate the movie (and the novel by
Jennifer Weiner) for honestly dealing with these themes. OK, so some
parts of the movie are pretty stilted, the guys are dorky, some lines
are lame, but the overall message is valuable and beautiful ;)

And Cameron D can read poetry! Who would've thunk it?

Sun!

2006-01-13T13:20:00.000+08:00

Finally, a sunny day!! And hardly a dark cloud in sight!!! *fingers
crossed* Finally, the clothes can dry, and my bath towel will no
longer smell like... wet towel, and my dogs will no longer smell
like... wet dogs. Ew. And they're getting a bath today (courtesy of my
long-suffering maid) and they'll have the sun to dry off in!!! God is
good =)

Time Encapsulated

2006-01-12T00:17:00.000+08:00

Blues
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

This scarf represents the time I spent today waiting for something to happen, or finish happening. On the bus, on the way to school, at NUH, waiting for a brain scan to complete, on the MRT, on the way home. Wow. I waste a lot of time every day! In a way that's the nice thing about knitting. It occupies your hands, freeing up your mind to think thoughts, and you have something palpable and pretty-colored to show at the end of that in-between time (unlike the ephemeral result of levels gained and brain cells expended after hours of playing on the gameboy)!

Sugar Plum Fairy

2006-01-12T00:15:00.000+08:00

Sugar Plum Fairy
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

This ball of yarn was dyed by Anlin and generously given to me to make my first knitting project! Whee! Hope I can do the lovely colors justice. The colors come out a bit weird on my camera phone, shall try to take a pic with my digicam soon!

Canst Thou Believe I Made This?

2006-01-12T00:14:00.000+08:00

Scarf in the Making
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Presenting... skinny scarf in the making! With baby blue ends and a sugar plum (blend of russet blue and plum) body.

Knitty Tribute to Macbeth

2006-01-12T00:13:00.000+08:00

Knitty
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Is this a knitting needle which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight? or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?
I see thee yet, in form as palpable
As this which now I draw.
Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;
And such an instrument I was to use.
Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,
Or else worth all the rest

Xmas 2 - Normal Perspective

2006-01-12T00:11:00.000+08:00

Xmas 2 - Normal Perspective
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Normal perspective. The pic behind us looks vaguely obscene. Please keep in mind that the ambiguous curve is the model's ELBOW!

Xmas 1 - Gandalf and Frodo

2006-01-12T00:10:00.000+08:00

Gandalf and Frodo
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Through some weird distortion of perspective, Andrew looks huge and I look like a dwarf. This was taken Christmas afternoon, where the two of us, with our colors combined... made Christmas!!

Sunday

2006-01-09T13:01:00.000+08:00

I was completely astonished at the sheer volume of rain that poured
down over Singapore yesterday. From 2.30am on Saturday night/Sunday
morning, when I finally slept, till I woke up at 9.30am, through the
whole morning, and afternoon, until 11pm, it kept raining and raining,
not a drizzle, but a steady downpour significantly wet-inducing and
puddle-forming to make driving a hazard and walking a soggy affair. I
was put-out by the weather cos I'd been looking forward to my Sunday
swim, but my day wasn't a wash. Indeed, it turned out to be a very
good day, in spite of, and to some degree because of the weather. No I
didn't get to swim, but I did run on the treadmill, have breakfast
with my mum and brother, lunch and shopping with Serene, Pan Liang and
Yun Jie, dinner at home, and finally Star Wars Episode III - Revenge
of the Sith on DVD in my living room with Maryam, Steph and Kaarsten.
Whee! In a way it's a good thing I didn't go swimming, cos I got to
spend more time with people at Bishan, eating, shopping and eating
some more (ice cream overload - result: sore throat today). And it was
also fun walking through puddles and sloshing up water (I wore cheery
pink flip-flops that dried quickly and did not squish; joy!). And I
didn't leave my umbrella at Junction 8! (well I almost did, but I
remembered in time and Pan Liang and Yun Jie gallantly returned to
Sakae Sushi to retrieve it for me, while Serene and I ordered ice
cream). Yup, it was a cool, wet, friend-filled day. Just what I needed
;)

I have fabulous friends

2006-01-06T02:32:00.000+08:00

I have a friend who's been dolled-up, made over and full-out interviewed
and featured in People Magazine (that's right, People magazine
USA!!) for losing weight in (gasp!) a sensible, disciplined fashion,
including low-fat, high fibre meals (that she largely prepares
herself, no shortcuts there!) and exercising (not just exercising but
running! She's got up to 4x a week now!)

I also have a fabulous friend who has gotten over her breakup with her
boyfriend of 6 years in a spectacularly vulnerable yet brave, sassy and above all unique fashion. Instead of wallowing, she has wised up, seen him for who he
is, and is now lavishly spending her freed-up time and money on
fabulous food, activities, family and friends! I will miss the
zingingly-pink blog, but I'm glad for you =)

And last but not least in the very brief list of fabulousness, I have an independent friend who's so beyond-fabulous that she makes everyone around her look, and more
importantly, feel fabulous. Thanks for 10 years (and counting!) of
friendship and green melon-sandwich jokes ;)

My life is all-kinds-of-awesome-fabulous. Hurray for 2006!!!!

New Year's Resolutions

2006-01-06T02:06:00.000+08:00

Parcel out work, duties, assignments into smaller portions and work on them as soon as possible (i.e. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!!!)

Read the Bible more.

Be less hot-tempered.

Be more patient.

Be not double-standarded ;)

Spend more time with my lovely doggies.

Sleep 8 hours every day (this entails sleeping before 12)

Exercise 4 times a week (hee!)

Eat more vegetables and fruits

Maintain a proper organizer instead of double-booking appointments constantly.

Pick up lindy hop

Take yoga classes

Further refine excellent taste in music and food.

Catch up with friends more often!

Smile more =)

Paradise Lost

2006-01-03T22:00:00.000+08:00

This article took my breath away like a punch in the stomach. Awful, awful, awful. How do you take the measure of a man? Carefully, and with a grrrreat deal of time. Yargh!

New Song

2005-12-30T21:24:00.000+08:00

Gold teeth and a curse for this town were all in my mouth.
Only, i don't know how they got out, dear.
Turn me back into the pet that i was when we met.
I was happier then with no mind-set.
And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree
And i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

New slang when you notice the stripes, the dirt in your fries.
Hope it's right when you die, old and bony.
Dawn breaks like a bull through the hall,
Never should have called
But my head's to the wall and i'm lonely.
And if you'd 'a took to me like
A gull takes to the wind.
Well, i'd 'a jumped from my tree
And i'd a danced like the king of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

God speed all the bakers at dawn may they all cut their thumbs,
And bleed into their buns 'till they melt away.
I'm looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find.
Without a trust or flaming fields am i too dumb to refine?
And if you'd 'a took to me like
Well i'd a danced like the queen of the eyesores
And the rest of our lives would 'a fared well.

__________________________________________

I finally bought Oh Inverted World by The Shins and it's really quite good. The best thing are the quirky/weird lyrics (example above) belied by the New Age spacey Simon&Garfunkel-meets-BeachBoys sound. Hmm!

Fabuloso 30th bday party for Faith

2005-12-30T21:23:00.000+08:00

DSCF1863
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Photos from Faith's bday party in August, yonks ago (Nat only uploaded these photos recently). I can't believe so many of us dressed up in costume! Your face is that big, Faith (I mean that in Chinese!) Heehee!

Spongebob is taken captive!

2005-12-30T21:20:00.000+08:00

DSCF1877
Originally uploaded by F8th.

What the...??

2005-12-30T21:18:00.000+08:00

DSCF1881
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Frodo unleashes his daaark side...

Mummy awakened

2005-12-30T21:15:00.000+08:00

Mummy awakened
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Too scary!

Super... underwear

2005-12-30T21:14:00.000+08:00

Super... underwear
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Stab

2005-12-30T21:13:00.000+08:00

Stab
Originally uploaded by F8th.

This is too funny. Cheerleader from Bring It On bites back!

There's Punggol... I mean, Mordor!

2005-12-30T21:12:00.000+08:00

There's Punggol... I mean, Mordor!
Originally uploaded by F8th.

Ah, my little hobbitses...

Just to clarify, Faith's party was aeons ago... It's just that SOMEBODY went to Thailand with these pics and only just gave them to Faith to uplod. Tsk. =)

Ramses and Lara

2005-12-30T21:11:00.000+08:00

I love my Mummy!
Originally uploaded by F8th.

In a weird alternate universe, Lara Croft and the mouldering, undead Imhotep from The Mummy fall in love.

Moral of the story...

2005-12-26T01:43:00.001+08:00

IMG_1572
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

You can try to take picture with chio girl, but chio girl might not want to see your face

Lucky Painful Boys

2005-12-26T01:43:00.000+08:00

IMG_1571
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

In spite of their attention-seeking behavior, I did want to take a picture with the Painful Boys, and I did! From top left, Edwin, Joshua, Christon, Lionel, Brian. Gals from left: Anlin, Minhui, me! After carolling, about 2.15am(!!!)

Gals... or not!

2005-12-26T01:40:00.000+08:00

IMG_1569
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

This is supposed to be a nice pic of 3 gals. But unbeknownst to us....

Beanie!

2005-12-26T01:35:00.000+08:00

IMG_1567
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

I like this pic. Although the beanie doesn't look like a beanie, it looks more like a hat on me... Anlin knitted the beanie all by her capable self for Andrew for Christmas (I got a peppermint pink-and-green capelet! Woo! pic coming forthwith), but Andrew think I look better with it, hence this pic! Don't I look so jap? Heh. Hats are nice for keeping your ears toasty.

Anyway, this pic was taken on a late-night carolling expedition. After the end of our church Christmas program (such a special event! I enjoyed it loads) we loaded onto a bus armed with music files and a guitar, and trawled, sometimes chatty, sometimes sleepy, accompanied by sugary food, through the dark streets of Singapore, to regale near-strangers with songs. Ok, the near-strangers are actually church members or friends of church members, but I didn't really know them well. At times we were overpowering (40 people crowded into one living room, singing to a family of 5!) but I think they enjoyed it, and we did too. Whee.

Innocent Baby Seal

2005-12-24T01:08:00.000+08:00

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Merry Xmas to one and all!!!

Green Frog

2005-12-24T01:06:00.000+08:00

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

A cute little clay frog in the middle of lovely green leaves, in front of a neighbor's house.

Perfect Lunch at Corduroy & Finch

2005-12-19T14:19:00.000+08:00

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Wood-roasted chicken and mesculun salad. Yummy! I didn't know that the particular salad I like has a name, and the name is mesclun.. Here's the BBC Food definition: "This is the name given to a mixture of salad greens. The term comes from the Provençal word for 'mixture' and refers to a mix of young field greens such as wild and cultivated chicory, lamb's lettuce and dandelion leaves, but may also include rocket, chervil, purslane and oak leaf lettuce. The idea is to create a good balance of strong- and mild-flavoured greens."

That's what I like, the balance of strong- and mild-flavored greens. Normal salad as interpreted by most other eateries in Singapore are horribly bland and dominated by tasteless iceberg lettuce. Bleugh. Well, back to Corduroy & Finch. It's a very pretty place, they wisely designed the seating on the 2nd flooor as a loft, which gives it an airy, out-of-Singapore feel. Very nice. And full of Caucasians! Why?? It may be the special stuff like proper mesclun salad.

Naps

2005-12-19T14:02:00.000+08:00

I just discovered a fantastic place in the middle of NUS for a short cat-nap. It was a bit hard to believe, cos my mental images of NUS are of hard concrete, brown floor tiles and outdated facades, but I did. It's actually a table-bench set on the corner of a corridor. It's a pretty busy corridor, but right now during the break not many people go by, and no one cares if you're lying flat on a bench, snoozing. Also the fact that it's on a corner of the 4th-storey means lots of cool cross breezes. One side abuts a green area of forest, and you can even hear cicadas chirping, buzzing or whatever you call it. When I closed my eyes I could almost imagine that I wasn't in NUS but rather on the hillside of Gunung Lemback in Malaysia. Nice.

Outdated Songs

2005-12-16T09:17:00.000+08:00

One Fine Day

One fine day you'll look at me
And you will know our love was meant to be
One fine day you're gonna want me for your girl

The arms I long for will open wide
And you'll be proud to have me by your side
One fine day you're gonna want me for your girl

Though I know you're the kind of boy
Who only wants to run around
I'll keep waiting and someday darling
You'll come to me when you want to settle down Oh!

One fine day we'll meet once more
And then you'll want the love you threw away before
One fine day you're gonna want me for your girl

_____________________________________________

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps (Quizas, Quizas, Quizas)

You won't admit you love me
And so how am I ever to know?
You always tell me -- perhaps, perhaps, perhaps

A million times I've asked you,
And then I ask you over again
You only answer, "Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps."

If you can't make your mind up
We'll never get started,
And I don't wanna wind up
Being parted, broken-hearted.

So if you really love me
Say yes, but if you don't dear, confess
And please don't tell me, "Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps."
"Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps."

____________________________________________

Get a grip girls! He's just not that into you!

Kindergartens

2005-12-13T14:58:00.000+08:00

This is an open appeal for help. My supervisor is looking for a kindergarten for his adorable and precocious son (who's 4 this year), hopefully somewhere that's intellectually challenging, fun and not exorbitant (unlike certain schools in Singapore). Hygiene is important too, he went to an expensive one in Orchard today that didn't smell very nice (urgh!). So, anybody know of good schools? Did you like the kindergarten you attended? Do you think it doesn't make a squatload of difference?? Comments, tags, emails all welcome =)

Deliberately obfuscated post

2005-12-12T22:56:00.000+08:00

Something has happened recently which might mean a drastic change in my life as society defines it. But I'm not afraid - nay, I'm excited! After all, it can't make me feel any worse than I already feel now (do I hear a small voice saying, "Famous last words"?) =)

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2005-12-12T12:35:00.000+08:00

Breakfast at Tiffany's
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Brilliantly funny with a thrillingly romantic ending. It's just hard to resolve if anything in this movie could ever have happened the way it did. And it's very different from the book. The whole thing is made coherent and touching by Hepburn's vulnerable, innocent yet sassy and melancholic portrayal of Holly Golightly, as well as a lovely score. I always thought 'Moon River' was a terribly boring song, till I heard it in the film. Needless to say, I am now in love with the song, and even more firmly in love with Audrey Hepburn.

Moon River

2005-12-12T10:02:00.000+08:00

Moon River, wider than a mile,
I'm crossing you in style some day.
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker,
wherever you're going I'm going your way.
Two drifters off to see the world.
There's such a lot of world to see.
We're after the same rainbow's end--
waiting 'round the bend,
my huckleberry friend,
Moon River and me.

Vixens and Submissives

2005-12-08T11:51:00.000+08:00

To clear up my opinion on a few comments on my tag-board recently, which started off with one comment on the image of Asian women in Western literature/media as sultry vixens. There definitely is a fantasy in the West which features Asian women as exotic, submissive sex objects. I've even read in Time that in Africa, if you're an Oriental lady you get a lot of rude, lascivious comments - the Africans perceive Oriental women as sex fiends because of the rife distribution of Japanese pornography there. Conversely, we may perceive Western women as sex fiends here in Singapore because of the image portrayed in popular TV shows and movies. But that's just what they are - fantasies and stereotypes. Speaking as a psychology major, we do learn that stereotypes are very powerful 'cognitive shortcuts' - when you don't have a lot of time to analyze a situation, you take a shortcut and make assumptions and judgments based on the stereotypes you have about a situation or type of people. For example, you behave in a very stereotypical fashion to board the train, you don't have to think about what you do, you perform a series of complicated actions very automatically because of the stereotype of the situation. But all of us must be careful to avoid stereotypes when it comes to forming opinions about other people.

Anyway, Sean, maybe you're right to say women shouldn't become too rebellious and difficult just because that's the way things seem to be swinging in these politically correct times, influence from the West or whatever. By "rebellious" I'll take it to mean being negative just to be contrary, and not for objective, justifiable reasons. Very few women I know are negative just to be contrary. Some of course (yours truly included) could definitely learn to be more tactful. But it's not an ideal to be submissive either. Submit to what? All of us, women or men, should have a good reason to do what we do, and we should choose what we do, not just go with the flow of whatever seems alright at the time. That's my main gist: the ideal is not just to embody someone's 'ideal' of a woman or man, but to develop your own idea of who you are, what your principles are, what's important to you, and then go about sticking to that.

If I have been very circular, feel free to let me know. *grin* Anyway, it's not an attack, Sean, I'm not saying you want us to be submissive and brainless. Just wanted to clarify what I felt on the subject =)

Jetty

2005-12-07T01:06:00.000+08:00

Jetty
Originally uploaded by F8th.

I didn't take this, but I wish I did. And I wish it had me in it! Somehow I wasn't in a photo-y mood during the Batam camp, I guess cos I knew the more photographically talented and equipped (hello Nikon D2's and D70's!) would do a better job than me anyhow =)

Tooth

2005-12-07T00:42:00.000+08:00

A little update on the tooth (or recently achieved lack thereof): the swelling has completely gone down, and I've returned to chowing solid food (along with the usual or even slightly increased amount of chocolatey snacks *cringe*). I'm still a little ginger around the area though. heh. So don't hit me on my left cheek for a while. Heh!

Heartlanders

2005-12-07T00:39:00.000+08:00

Last night, I paid a visit to my independent friend's rented flat in the boondocks, I mean, the first Housing Estate in Singapore *meaningful look*. No seriously, it's at a great location, super close to her workplace *2nd meaningful look* and really near to the MRT station. Since her online presence is sort of anonymous (a tenuous sort of), she shall be known as my independent friend henceforth. Doesn't it have a nice ring to it? Anyway, it's my 2nd time there and we're planning a party already! Woohoo! The great thing about no parents... Not that we're planning to do heinous things during this get-together, it's just that staying up and random spillages and messes when I and certain others encounter food and drink are so much less stressful than in a parent-ful house. Parents are great of course =) my independent friend and I concurred that however much they may annoy us at times, family is really important. Hurrah!

Anyway, I just came back from church camp at Batam. It was really nice to experience church and the company of family and friends away from Singapore for a while. I walked on the jetty during sunset, and it was awesome. Sea all around, green, fulsome kelp below and gorgeous colors playing off fantastical cloud-shapes in the sky above and around. A truly 3-D yet painting-like experience. A walk on the 2nd day to a further jetty was really nice too - we saw mudskippers (I was very proud to point them out and have my friends yelp in surprise as the previously camouflaged fish moved on the rocks) and crabs and other creatures - from a safe distance of course. We had entertainingly funny sermons too =) and pool games! Woohoo! The slight downer was that before the camp I had this romantic notion that I would find quiet spots on the island to ruminate and write in my diary - but I didn't. There were so many activities and people to talk to that I barely had time to sleep, let alone to think. Hmm. Nmind, I do value the time I got to spend with people on the camp. I will look for quiet spots in Singapore, the island that a friend of mine has so recently praised, to do my rumination. Another friend of mine who came to NUS on exchange would occasionally hop on the bus to Sentosa on a Friday afternoon and sit at the beach to read (and hopefully not get drunk). That sounds like a pretty cool idea, tho' it might cost $4 a trip including entry and bus fare. Heh.

Sideways

2005-12-05T13:36:00.000+08:00

I just watched one of the more hyped small films of the year, Sideways. It is really good, and very funny. But I liked the talky bits even more than the funny bits. Wine and the business of wine-growing is used as a metaphor for life, its wonderful potential and the crushing disappointments that come as a result of high expectations. My favorite description of wine comes from Virginia Madsen's character, who says what she likes about wine is that it's constantly evolving - if you drink a bottle of wine today it will taste different than on any other day you'd decided to open it - and in that sense, a bottle of wine is alive (!). It's a much more optimistic view of wine, and ergo of life, than the character played by Paul Giamatti, whose life is symbolized by a prized '61 bottle of Pinot that he still has not opened, even though the current year is the peak in the life of that wine - after that, it'll just go down hill, slowly, inexorably. His view of life is failure and wasted potential and hence his predominant mood is self-deprecation and melancholy. The great thing about the movie is how the characters bump against each other and how the road trip of two buddies into wine country reveals the ugliness within themselves that each man was trying to escape. Hee. It's always good to think about new perspectives on life; that's what the best movies - and your best friends - gift to you.

Poisoned

2005-11-26T21:50:00.000+08:00

Argh. I've been hit by MSG poisoning. Symptoms: feeling of constriction around the chest and soreness of the arm muscles, difficulty breathing, back of neck felt hot. Argh. Not comfortable, especially when I'm trying to drive safely at night! Argh, I hate driving at night, poor visibility, the feeling that I'm going to be hit from behind when I change lanes cos I failed to see someone, or someone switched suddenly into my lane. Do people drive worse at night? Feels like it. Anyway, blargh. I feel ambushed by this MSG thing, I've only had it so bad once before, when I ate assam steamed fish at a cze cha stall with my mum, we both got it, but I think she only felt the hot flush at the neck, whereas I got that constricted feeling like I'm having a heart attack or something (touch wood). If I remember from bio psychology, apparently MSG overdose causes that cos it mimics glutamate, a neurotransmitter in the body, causing neurons to fire wildly or something. Bleah. Yeah, the bad thing is that you never know which crazy stall uses tons of MSG. All I had was fish slice bee hoon soup, and I didn't even eat most of it cos of my sore gums. The soup must have been loaded with the white stuff. Sneaky!

I am the less wiser by a tooth

2005-11-26T18:35:00.000+08:00

Taking out a wisdom tooth is horrible, painful and incapacitating... unless you don't mind returning to work/school with a Big Mac face. Oh, and no solid food for a while either. Sigh. Anyway, I did it on Tuesday, it's now Sat and I look like a normal human being already. Heh. Still a little swollen but manageable. And I have to nibble at food and chew only on my right side so as not to stress the wound. This will do wonders for my figure!

Buttons

2005-11-18T23:33:00.000+08:00

After I reacted in childish, unpleasant displeasure to something recently, my mum commented to me that I have to grow up. Specifically, that I learn not to react when people push my buttons, even if they are really close to me, cos that would give them too much power, and I'll never be able to be fully in control of my life. Certainly it's something I've heard before, "don't let people push your buttons", but not anything that I thought would apply to my own life. But, coming as it does in the context of recent weeks' discussions on moving out, being independent vs being dependent, vs interdependence (as in staying at home cos you need your family but conversely your family also benefits from your unique presence) the comment has made me wonder whether I've still got a ways to go. This is a fundamental thing - I haven't grown up, not because I don't live on my own, but because in many situations I let circumstances or other people dictate what's going to happen. It can be anything from what time we leave the house, to how often I eat, to when I get angry. Recently my anger has been a defense mechanism - I get angry to avoid loss of control, to avoid hurt - but am I the real loser when I get angry? As Yoda wisely said, "Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate... leads to suffering." Yes there are times to put my foot down, times I should get angry, at other people, at myself; but when I get angry, sometimes the wrong people suffer.

Mean Girls

2005-11-18T23:23:00.000+08:00

IMG_1492
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Pai Kiah and Kid Sister

2005-11-18T23:22:00.000+08:00

IMG_1491
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Meena & Pai Kiah

2005-11-18T23:19:00.000+08:00

IMG_1493
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

This could have been our past-future in another timewarp.

Flowers for 200E

2005-11-18T23:17:00.001+08:00

IMG_1485
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Goodbye...

2005-11-18T23:17:00.000+08:00

IMG_1484
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Goodbye to a faithful companion, the first car I ever drove.

V for Vendetta

2005-11-17T12:47:00.000+08:00

V for Vendetta
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

I recently bought V for Vendetta by Alan Moore from Comics Mart, Serene Centre. They surprise me. I've been going to that shop for donkey's years and every year it looks the same, just that one year they started importing magazines in addition to comics, and the new comics shelf is always changing place. Other than that, the Warcraft figurines are still there, the Sandman mural is still up and the shelves are still cheap and white. But somehow, they have expanded without changing... now they have 2 more outlets in different parts of Singapore, and I found out that they're the suppliers for National Library's comics! Wow, talk about a big contract. So, go Comics Mart!

Anyway, yes. My purchase was probably catalyzed by the movie coming out soon, starring Natalie Portman, but in my defense I was into comics long before this. I've even read Watchmen! So yeah, this is hit 2 on the must-read Alan Moore list.

That got me thinking about the whole concept of 'must-read', 'must-see', or 'must-do'. Often you think that it's so overhyped. Many a summer blockbuster is hyped as the must-see of the year, but even if you do see it, your brain cells remain the same in number. Heck, you might even have killed off a few precious neurons in the 2 hours of low light, low oxygen, low blink rates, and high salt and butter intake. But looking back, I can agree that a certain HK serial I watched was a 'must-watch', certain places were a 'must-see', and many books were a 'must-read'. Because they have changed my life. And I feel better having done them.

Since the internet always welcomes a list, here's my short list of 'musts' that I have read, seen, done or watched. Short because I'm sure I can't think of all of them at one sitting. Feel free to contribute!

Must-see
- Phantom of the Opera
- Star Wars (III, IV, V, VI)
- Sunset Boulevard
- Wong Kar Wai's Happy Together
- Chungking Express
- BBC's Pride and Prejudice (Jennifer Ehle & the infamous Colin Firth)
- The Door in the Floor (adaptation of John Irving's 'A Widow for One Year', starring Kim Basinger and Jeff Bridges. Low-hyped but surprisingly good and a strangely original plotline)
- Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- The Truman Show
- The Cider House Rules
- etc

Must-Read
- Macbeth
- Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
- Brighton Rock by Graham Greene
- The Importance of Being Earnest
- Of Mice and Men
- Poetry in Sec 3
- Watchmen
- the Sandman
- X-Men comics (from the 80's and early 90's)
- Mary Poppins
- Enid Blyton (it's a developmental milestone!)
- Harry Potter (I anticipate flak)
- Hamlet
- the Bible!

Alright, this list is really short. I think I've watched so many movies that I can't think of all of them right now. Ditto for books. Anyway.

Memoirs Of A Geisha

2005-11-16T16:34:00.000+08:00

Memoirs Of A Geisha
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

I hope this doesn't fall into the category of "movies I hope will be good but turn out crap". The feature article in Time magazine made a good point, that Memoirs isn't going to be an attempt to capture a historical moment in Japan; better to approach it as a drama, a fantasy. There's an ineffable sense that outsiders would never be able to capture what is true or real about a time, a culture, a practice, especially one so loaded and mysterious that of the geishas. Like, I liked "Lost in Translation" but it doesn't tell you much about the Japanese. But Memoirs is irritatingly outsider - it's directed by an American musical director (recently of Chicago fame) and the 3 leads are all ethnic Chinese. Well, we'll see.

Anyway, Zhang Ziyi is playing the lead, Sayuri if I'm not wrong. It's a classic Cinderella story. Michelle Yeoh plays her mentor-geisha, while Gong Li is the smouldering, jealous arch-rival. Wah. I think Maggie Cheung would have fit the mentor-role better, but Michelle Yeoh is beautiful too. The one thing that irritates me about Asian movies recently that are made by Westerners is how the Asian girls keep flicking around unbound, long black hair (cf: Fann Wong in Shanghai Knights and Ziyi in Memoirs). Cos, like, in Asian culture, to flick around unbound, long black hair means you've gone mad.

So I was teased for being a mummy's girl

2005-11-16T14:57:00.000+08:00

Had dinner on Mon night with Maryam and Steph. Steph has just moved into a flat at Toa Payoh with a friend so she doesn't have to travel so far to work. And Maryam has been pretty much staying on her own in Singapore since JC. Which led both of them to tease me for being a "mummy's girl" (isn't it usually daddy's girl??) cos I was the only one present who still stays at home. What to do, creature and relational comforts are good. Anyway, I'm open to new experiences and branching out and stuff.. can't stay sheltered forever! *inward shudder at the un-coolness of the statement*

But hey-hey, I'm the first to see Steph's new digs! We spent quite some time trying to lock her louver (louvre??) windows shut so that people passing by in the corridor won't be able to reach through and touch her hair while she's sleeping (a shuddersome possibility that just happened to come to mind, because they can't unlock anything or come into the flat since there's a grill on the window). So the two of us were at it, and Steph's roommate came home and helped, and finally Steph achieved lockedness! Very retro experience, brings back memories of my old house. Hee!

Anyway, it's just so great hanging out with them, so at least I can feel connected to the past. I get weird comments sometimes, like "You're so demure now!" (Nat, from Hwa Chong) or "You're the Elaine Phua?? But you're so quiet and sweet in class!" (NUS guy and erstwhile ACS GEP-er who seems to know about me and all my friends though I didn't know him from Adam. He's my friend now so he won't mind me saying this right?? Hahahhahahahha) So, er, yeah. Me, quiet and sweet????????? Like since when???? Sigh, the power of the situation. It's like, you do need a solid surrounding of friends who've known you for a while and won't speak behind your back before you can really let loose and be crazy. And I wasn't crazy in a psychotic, "What's wrong with you??" sense, but I like to think I was (am!) fun and never boring. I was whining to Andrew one day, "What if I grow up and become an adult and work everyday and I'm totally boring?" and he said, "You'll never be boring!" Wow, what an affirmation! So hmph to the guys-at-the-comic shop, who thought I was taking something boring and not cool like psychology, implying that I'm boring!

It's a bit scary to think that so many of my most outstanding and defining memories (and true, cool friends) come from the days I spent in RGS (like will I ever have such a awesome time in my life ever again?) but the important thing is that I did experience them! And I'm so much the better for it. Yeah!

Reading List

2005-11-14T16:32:00.000+08:00

I know, I have an exam next Monday, but I went on a borrowing spree recently at the well-stocked NUS library and borrowed these books:

- Kazuo Ishiguro, When We Were Orphans
- Elizabeth Bowen, The Death of the Heart
- Haruki Murakami, South of the Border, West of the Sun
- Henry James, The Wings of the Dove

Suitably impressive? Ah, I foresee the expansion of my intellectual and emotional horizons, as well as the growth of new neuronal connections.

Jolie's Lips Are Redder Than the Sun

2005-11-14T15:23:00.000+08:00

Recently I watched Beyond Borders. It's one of the most pointless movies ever and I wonder which producer supported it being made in the first place. Not even Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen could save it from meandering crap-ness.

**spoilers**
Basically, Clive Owen plays a guerilla doctor-without-borders, as in he's a one-man act, healing and feeding the sick and dying in developing nations while terrorising international non-governmental organizations who ignore the needs of those he represents. Angelina Jolie sees one of his righteous outbursts and her knees melt basically. While her marriage crumbles (which is defined in two scenes, one of the two of them arguing, and one of her finding the hubby at home in the middle of a workday, sitting on the sofa with another woman, she flits off to help him save the world and all that jazz. But finally, he sells himself out to the CIA to get his refugee camp funded and gets kidnapped by big bad guys in Chechnya (from Ethiopia to Chechnya?? what the...) and Angelina flies there to save the day! There are a lot of almost-Lara Croft moments where she tells him to Get up! and move out and all that, but finally she sacrifices her life for him. But it's not really a sacrifice - she steps on a landmine and explodes herself before he can reach her and die as well.
**end spoilers**

Grr. It doesn't succeed either as a romance or a drama. Also, the scenes in Ethiopia, Cambodia and Chechnya are one-dimensional and serve only to justify the notion that "it's the same crap everywhere". The one good thing about the show is that it does highlight the invisible plight of millions in poverty-stricken or war-torn nations. Many of us feel powerless in the face of overwhelming statistics such as the number of children dying every minute from preventable diseases such as cholera and measles, but we can and should make a difference, one cent at a time. I'm going to find out how in the next couple of weeks, and keep it posted on this blog. Heh.

By the way, I hate husband stealers. Of any kind.

How You Live Your Life

2005-11-08T23:54:00.000+08:00

How You Life Your Life

You seem to be straight forward, but you keep a lot inside.
You're laid back and chill, but sometimes you care too much about what others think.
You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly.
You tend to dream big, but you worry that your dreams aren't attainable.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Pretty accurate, except that I do try to hold onto the closer friendships.

The Keys to Your Heart

2005-11-08T23:44:00.000+08:00

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.
In love, you feel the most alive when your partner is patient and never willing to give up on you.
You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change.
You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic.
Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love.
Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.
In this moment, you think of love as something you can get or discard anytime. You're feeling self centered.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Is blogging about food Freudian?

2005-10-28T11:38:00.000+08:00

Hmm, yes, my latest posts have been about food.. lots of it. More updates: my favorite nearby carrot cake stall was commended by Makansutra! My brother and I feel vindicated. The stall-owner is constantly slaving away from from 6pm-1am, but he always has a cheerful smile and seems genuinely to love his job, making heavenly carrot cake to soothe the savage belly. Sadly, he is facing some new (and stiff) competition in the form of a char kway teow/fried hokkien prawn mee stall 2 stalls down, also recommended by Makansutra. I committed food adultery last night by ordering from the char kway teow stall. It was good!!... but I felt black on the inside afterwards. Ooer.

Food. Freudian? The reason I say so is that I have been guilty of soothing myself with food, which is bad and heinous and affects health negatively. Yars. Like last night, I skipped dinner to be somewhere on time, and only had two slices of fruit (kiwi and papaya) which interacted with my empty tummy to produce bloating. No I didn't pollute the air around me, it kind of got lodged in my tummy and made me really uncomfortable the whole evening. So after I got done, I went with my parents to Ang Mo Kio St 11, to that yummy coffeeshop with 2 Makansutra-recommended stalls. There, we indulged in bee hoon soup (Dad), roti prata (Mum) and char kway teow (Me). See our family culture? Yup, and in my family, food is associated with family time. Dinner and supper (and often breakfast) are the times we haul butt to the nearest market or kopitiam and sit over food, tea, and talk. So, food soothes discomfort, and it is also the cement (or grease) that gels our family together. Wah.

Something soul-searching. Ok. I've realized that worry is horrible, and I have a horrible habit of worrying. Lots of people I know don't really have a problem with this, but I know others who incapacitate themselves ( e.g. freezing during an exam which they have spent hours mugging for) by worrying. For me, I worry about the past, or I get wound up hoping, wishing that things right now will go right, and worrying over the things that could go wrong right now. I worry about the future too - for example, what am I gonna do after I complete my Master's at NUS?! In my worst moments, I gnaw my fingers and chide myself for choosing this path, and I start thinking that a Master's by research is sort of an academic no-man's land. It doesn't get me an academic position (except maybe as research assistant) and it doesn't give me skills or qualifications to become a psychology practitioner. Sigh sigh moan moan. Then again, I think I'll trust in God's plan and provision, that I'll have a happy life and productive existence, that choices will become clearer with time, and I should just enjoy the moment. Or so I (and my good friends) keep telling myself ;)

Rochor Road Beancurd

2005-10-26T11:16:00.000+08:00

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Wow.. had a really retro (and yummy) experience last night at Rochor Road eating Tau Huay... very old style coffee shop that looks just like it must have in the 60's. Their beancurd really is something special, smooth and pillowy-soft.. great, unique texture. Yum! They serve great Portugese-style egg tarts too. It was a pretty cool experience, sitting at a rickety folding table and idly reading my book as I savored my tau huay, watching the strong aunties heft large, clean pails of their heavenly tau huay to feed the hungry hordes... Sometimes I fear for these cheap (60cents a bowl!) yet oh-so-yummy delicacies which require so much hard work. Why don't these aunties just leave with the profits and go retire in the Maldives? Hmm, or maybe the real bosses are already enjoying themselves in the Caribbean, and these aunties are merely employees, left to slog to satiate our appetites. Hmm.

Multimedia message

2005-10-26T11:09:00.000+08:00

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Ya kun kaya toast and tea.. Ze best!

Makansutra Legends Food Tour

2005-10-25T11:32:00.000+08:00

Makansutra Legends Food Tour
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

For the die-hard foodie... 15 hawkers have been named legends by the renowned Makansutra, experts of Singapore's good hawker food. Check out the site for ideas on mini-food tours to sample these legends.

Oh yeah, yet one more food recommendation from moi: Golden Mile Claypot Rice, #01-65 Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Road. Yummy! But beware of a)long wait for food and b)crazy cleaners who want to clear your half-full pot of rice away. 5pm-10pm daily, closed on Wednesdays.

Taiwan Porridge Buffet

2005-10-25T11:21:00.000+08:00

028-Coffee-Lounge-Taiwan-Po
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Porridge!!! Buffet!!! *Swoon* I love porridge! Yums... if I'm not wrong if you go after 11.30pm there's a promotional rate... Any takers??? Haha...

031-Cafe-LEspresso-Delight

2005-10-25T11:19:00.000+08:00

031-Cafe-LEspresso-Delight
Originally uploaded by Phuazzie.

Free advertisement for Goodwood Park Hotel's English High Tea...!!!

English High Tea anyone?

2005-10-25T11:01:00.000+08:00

Hmm, I shall cheat by splitting my posts into two!! Haha... well it's legitimate, they're on entirely different topics. Yes, well, I buy 8 days on occasion, and many times a big reason why I buy it is for their food recommendations! Bizarre but true... anyway, there are two recommendations in this week's issue that I want to try out. One is Goodwood Park Hotel's English High Tea. The scones are supposed to be scrumptious (as they should be) and they even serve cucumber sandwiches! Those in my secondary 1 class should know that cucumber sandwiches bear fond memories for me... if you want to know why, ask me when you see me. So high tea is jolly good in my dictionary... The only problem: it's quite frankly overpriced: $30+++??? Why are there 3 '+' signs?? Sigh... food in Singapore... I shall see if I can find any compatriots to go with me to have hazelnut scones, tea and cucumber sandwiches.

Another mouth-watering recommendation is the kaya toast at Tong Ah kopitiam on Keong Saik Rd... apparently the toast is toasted and re-toasted 4 times to make it super crispy... my mum says bad for throat but who cares.. Hahahah...!!!! Well.. the next time I pass through Chinatown... you know where I'll be! ;)

Another honorable mention is Marche Suntec.. do they really have a different menu from the Heeren branch? Anyway, they have a fried dory fillet with spaghetti set that is delish.. the spaghetti is tossed with your choice of cream or tomato sauce along with carrots and leeks... yum. Ok, why do I keep talking about food? Food is bad in a way... good food entices you to eat more than your day's portion of calories, and eating out eats up my money... well can't complain, it's precisely the food I miss when I'm not in Singapore!

Resucitation

2005-10-25T10:49:00.000+08:00

As the title suggests, this blog is in dire need of a new breath of life... or at the very least some updated posts... Anyway, just thought I'd update with a few thoughts of the day...

Well, I'm 3 months into my Master's program at NUS. It's pretty different from undergraduate life in the sense that the focus is more on research than on coursework. I'm actually doing only 1 module this semester.. good huh? The trouble is, this module is a cheem statistics module and we have homework and a quiz every other week... Other times, I'm testing (torturing) participants on their performance in cognitive tasks in an extreme environment - the cold magnetic resonance imaging scanning room. Wahh!!!! For more information on fMRI or functional magnetic resonance imaging, check out Columbia University's fMRI website. Better yet, check out my lab's website! I'm officially part of the FBI - Functional Brain Imaging Lab to be exact.

It might seem weird that I belong to a lab; after all I'm not a chemist. But actually, any group of researchers who collaborate on research of similar theme and methodology can band together and call themselves a lab. The great thing is that we have our own space to conduct experiments and do work on computers, not all the psychology graduate students are so lucky. And I like this lab, everyone's supportive and quite fun. My supervisor's really nice to work with too - he relates with us more as friends and colleagues than as teacher-student. I also like the fact that his family is really important to him. He's really sweet to his wife (she works in NUS and comes over often to have lunch with him) and is really patient and fun with his 3-year-old son Hugo, who comes over once in a while to charm us all with his impish smiles. All in all, this Master's scholarship was a great thing to happen to me.

Multimedia message

2005-09-12T14:39:00.000+08:00

My first attempt at moblogging.. Pic is of a (very expensive) yummy roasted chicken with high-class mesculun salad. I think that means an assortment of imported veggies and baby greens that adds up to a really yummy mix. Had it at expat central corduroy n finch on a nice red armchair.. Ambience makes a diff, both in your experience and the price