|
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Let's just forget the fact that I'm turning twenty one this year with regards to this post.I am SO going to Avril Lavigne's Concert next sunday! If it weren't for the fact that I'm 20, I would be jumping on someone's couch by now, screaming for joy and pulling my hair out. For I have been an avid fan of hers since I heard the song "Complicated" on my portable radio on the way to school in Secondary Three. After her "Sk8er Boi" and "I'm With You" shot to number 1, I scrambled to buy her album. Then, when I was in Secondary Four, she came down to Heeren HMV one day to sign autographs. 4pm it started. I remembered, because I sat in line since 1pm. (And wrote it very excitedly in my then Diary that very night). To queue up with crazy caucasians for 3 hours straight is still a memory I keep (but need not necessarily cherish because they were just too damn noisy). And looking at her sign my album was a groupie's dream. Not to forget, I made her shake hands with me. Made, because I grabbed her hand and literally shook it a few times. I always cringe when I think about it, but then will console myself by saying "I touched Avril Lavigne's hand". Then she held her concert, and I didn't go. In 2006, she came and held another concert, but I didn't go too. All I did was to put up a blogskin of her, which, of course is the same one you are looking at now and have been looking at for the past few years. Let's see how long I'll last with this one okay? So, I've decided, after thinking long and hard, to go for next Saturday's The Best Damn Tour concert! I believe I will sing along to ALL her songs (I mean it) and scream "I lurve you" as many times as I possibly can. I just hope Zixin would view me as a normal person after the concert. Whoopee!!
12:30 AM
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
 Joyce and I are attempting to converse in Korean now. Cooool stuff!
12:44 AM
Monday, August 25, 2008
Where did I hide my instinct? It was quite a bad friendly match today. I had no idea what was happening, the ball kept flying past and my hands were not ready to catch it. Collided head-on with a teammate while dribbling the ball, then watched the ball roll away in slow-motion, and now am nursing a painful spot on the eyebrow. (why did I dribble the ball in the first place anyway, when I'm a centre?) Got shut out by the opponent during rebounding, who is smaller in size, and that adds to the frustration. Drove home in silence, thinking of all the things that went wrong. Think I forgot to put my faith in the right place, hence the lack of strength. Gotta bring my game back somehow. Shall try to motivate myself through various means. And cheer myself up, at least for the next few days. Maybe these'll help. 
Artwork by Ros, photographed by Col on my lovely hand.
11:25 PM
Sunday, August 24, 2008
It's 8.53am.I have been struggling to wake up just now, but forced myself to because my first referee assignment starts at 10plus. It's been a while since I whistled. I really need the money. I remembered once, for a final between two young teams in a tournament, the minister who was invited shook my hand and asked "So do you ref matches volunteerily?" I wanted to laugh. Oh, how naive. Other than that question, the only other thing that is fresh in my memory was her hairdo that could stand up, much like Marge Simpson's, but hers was shorter. And I did catch a glimpse of her on television during the National Day Parade. She was in white, waving the candy Flag with the other ministers, and gave a wave as she walked down the aisle with her hair bobbing along. Mornings arn't too good for blog entries-- I have vague recollection of what I've just typed. Last night, I came home with more DVDs, and my sister was shocked that I bought "Lost in Translation". She had bought the exact same DVD the day before. We really don't have much chemistry, don't we? Now, my "Lost in Translation" DVD is neatly shrink-wrapped, with the price still pasted on the sleeve. So if anyone would like to buy it for a good price of $14.90, do let me know. It's by Sofia Coppola, stars Scarlett Johansson (hot) and Bill Murray (credible) and the back sleeve says there are some nudity, so if it's Johansson who is naked in the show, it'll be damn worth it, but if it's Murray is the one nude, then let's just hope it's artistic. If you would like to bargain, I can try to give a better price, but if it's too ridiculous, you know what you'll get for your next birthday. Alright now, I have to dress up, and go to work now.
8:53 AM
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
"nerves of steel and temperament of Buddha"
10:32 PM
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Chasing Sunset.  
1:19 AM
Saturday, August 16, 2008
 Eat dust, South Korea. When it comes to sports, I'll surely be damn patriotic. :D
1:14 AM
Friday, August 15, 2008
Dr Strangelove (Or How I Stopped Worrying and Love the Atomic Bomb)I bought 3 DVDs last week. One of which was of the aformentioned title, the second was Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn in her first leading role (and she won an Oscar for that too) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. These are flicks of yore, classics in their right. I was so eager to watch them all, that I finished 2 over the long weekend. I have yet to conquer Dr Strangelove, but trust me, I will. Learnt a fair bit from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I have been hearing of this title, wikipedia-ed it, and after watching the movie, I know why it swept the Oscars in 1975. Won for Best Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Director (Milos Forman), Best Actress (Louise Fletcher), Best Screenplay and obviously, Best Picture. The story is about a petty crimminal who comes to live in a mental ward with other patients in order to avoid jail time, and while doing so, strikes up a friendship with these mental patients while trying to challenge the authorities of the hospital, in the form of men in white uniforms and Nurse Ratched, a super cold-faced woman. The ending was extremely horrifying, which gave so much depth to the story. Kept me tramuatised a bit, but it was damn satisfying and mind-boggling. Someone, borrow it and watch! It's totally inspirational. While I am on the same topic as old stuff, here's two pictures that are highly unrelated to the DVDs I bought. The pictures made me tramutised a bit too, because it is amazing how much I have grown (physically, plus one "bi xie" mole) Guess which one I am?  
1:40 AM
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
anti-you. My stomach growled. I glanced at my watch. It was 12pm- lunchtime! The standard operating procedure, or SOP in business terms, would be to clock out and go for lunch at the nearly Depot Lane canteen. But then, there I was, no longer in a container office jumping at every phonecall directed to me or Katia because that would spell problems. The dusty cupboard, disgusting keyboard which gave me rashes, and Chinese chatters were gone. Instead, I was among one out of about a thousand students (although it felt like a million to me, but let's be rational) seated in the Lee Kong Chian lecture theatre, listening to an almost bald lecturer with a bow tie about strategic business units. Yes, school has started. All that's familiar in NTU has gone back to its routine- the hopeless canteen B food which only two stalls are edible in my opinion, the attempts to exercise creative illegal parking, Jame's lecture whereby the movies shown challenge my ability to stay awake, and of course, the moments where the whole school is bustling and yet, no one I know well enough is among them, leading to self-reflection/study sessions at undisclosed locations. There is a constant reminder to self at the back of my head to work harder this semester, for all the things worth working for. It seems that this semster will be a test- of perserverance, of confidence, of ability, and other things which will show themselves sooner or later. I can't say that I'm really prepared for all the challenges that lie ahead, but at least I will try not to make a mess out of them. So wish me luck, as I bulldoze (hah. Good use of word right, gwen) my way through the challengers and emerge a bona fide.... er... bulldozer. *insert sly, winking emoticon here*
5:57 PM
Monday, August 11, 2008
 Wire, briar, limber-lock Three geese in a flock One flew east, one flew west And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.
1:29 AM
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The august unpatriot speaks.It was in early June, during my stint at my dad's company, when I went for lunch and noticed a huge wooden billboard erected near some HDB flats. It was a National Day billboard. There were faces of smiling MPs, and a huge slogan that said "Celebrating the Singapore Spirit" was written across the billboard. It made me think. What exactly is the Singapore Spirit? Ironically, and it's really beside the point, National Day falls within the Chinese Seventh Month, which led me to believe at one point in time, that the slogan had two celebratory meanings within its message. One stone, two birds? It wasn't until a few weeks into July, that I truly felt National Day was coming. No thanks to the NDP Preview that caused jams in the Marina Square area on saturdays, the only day of the week that I was able to go to town. Plus, the Chinese radio station 933 began to play NDP songs of yore, and I found myself humming "We will get there" and "Home" out loud unknowingly in the office. And I really started thinking, what does Singapore mean to me? As a product of its rigorous education system, as a resident and citizen, a holder of the pink IC and red passport, a reciter of the Pledge, an would-be eligible voter in a few months time. There are certain times this island frustrates me. With its vague laws, eg. on defamation and freedom of speech, and the intense competitive spirit it embodies. To quote (quite illegally) from a friend's viewpoint, "Irony lies in the fact that you study hard so that you can get a good job. JUST MAYBE, its something we do to hold on to something we instinctively know is good for us, but turn a blind eye to in the face of overwhelming social pressure into creating a mould for what progression is, with only the journey of being better in mind, and not actually about the greater good or the end in sight. It is merely for the sake of progressing, and personally, and today - very very personally, I feel that this very progression we all uptake with such enthusiasm is really just regression in the subtlest and most harmful form." Progression- this word almost sounds like a dirty word in her dictionary. It is the most basic expectation that we have come to demand from this country, and vice versa. The Pledge states "...to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality, so as to acheive happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation." Our National Anthem is titled "Majulah Singapura" which translates into "Onward Singapore". Suddenly, there seems to be an invisible force egging us to push forward, and the force starts to become more powerful as we grow older. It is as if there is no edge. But there is. And many of us have tumbled headfirst into the valley, picked ourselves up and try to integrate ourselves into the society again. How many people have I known who have to crumble under the pressure of A Levels, to weep openly when the results are out, and have to think of ways and means to get back on the track to university? Plenty. For me, who has stood by these people, watched them consider the various options left, looked at them take the longer, windier paths to squeeze themselves back into the crowded University route, it was almost carthatic. That I may fall too, was a thought that hung precariously at the back of my head. You see, we are so obsessed with the notion of "progress", that some of us have forgotten that the path trodden by many may not be the one we want to take. But stubbornly, we still walk, trudging along grudgingly, in order to make "progress" a reality. It is a price we pay for peace, for prosperity. As the chinese saying goes, better to kill all then to let go of the right ones. But before you label me an ungrateful bastard who has done nothing for her country, save for the 2oo hours of CIP she clocked when she only had to complete 80 hours, I do feel blessed to be born here, in a land where the country does not owe anyone a living, where the red passport open the doors to everywhere else, and most of all, where there are no natural disasters. There are, indeed, sacrifices for everything. Maybe there can be no control without restrain. As for me, after putting up unflattering nicknames on my msn about this tiny island for two weeks running, I shall be good for the rest of the year and be productive for the sake of progress. Then, hopefully, I'll be off to test my mental psyche against the elements of a foreign nation. I shall try to dismantle the roof of my sheltered, Singaporean life.
1:09 AM
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Filmology. Went to film in some field near Serangoon North.  About the things we lost while we tried to move forward.  See, even my shadow is fat!  Put this photo up for convenience's sake, since I'm putting up photos so might as well. And people mistake this other lady for my sister. Well, just cos her name is "Leanne" and mine is... you know... She once told me, someone thought our dads were best friends who decided to name their daughters similar sounding names. Haha. It's been 3 crazy years knowing this psuedo sister person, and she still won't get bored of me. Woohoo.. Back to school on monday!! Back to seeing people stream into LT1 (super miss that!) and I'm sure Apple Lee will stroll in fashionably late (pun intended), as usual. Fizzah will still kill people with that stare, Joyce will still have her hearty laugh, Felicia will still sing spontanuously at the top of her lungs, Cathy will still go Oh Shit, Chee Harn will get bored of seeing me all day, Ros will still look shorter than Col even though they are the same height, Eveline will be back in school, Jingting will still ask people to stroke her palm, and I, well I will resolve to be wiser and more hardworking. (and try to spend more time on personal grooming before coming to school) Sem 1 Year 3 here I come!!!
10:55 PM
|
