The Escapist

a quote

2009-05-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

"that the past is a lie, that memory has no return, that the wildest and most tenacious love is often nothing but ephemeral truth" - one hundred years of solitude

The Cosmos Replies

2009-05-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

I am: Alpha/Omega Light/Dark Life/Death Hate/Love Pain/Pleasure
I am: Everyone/You/Him/Her/We/Us/Them
I am: Inyouaroundyoueverythingeverywhere
I am: The gods that you worship. I am but one and all.
What I am not: The Void.
Which do you choose?
The Cosmos and Be? or the Void and Be Not?
Which do you choose?

The Void Speaks

2009-05-05T10:10:00.000-07:00

No alpha nor omega
I am the void.
No light nor darkness
I am the void.
No life nor death
I am the void.
No hate nor love
No pain nor pleasure
There is only nohing.
Because I am the void.
Come into me
And bask in my oblivion
Oblivious to everything but my nothing.

to her

2009-01-03T20:26:00.000-08:00

to the girl who
pinesforhimlongsforhimyearnsforhimwaitsforhim
pinesforhimlongsforhimyearnsforhimwaitsforhim
pinesforhimlongsforhimyearnsforhimwaitsforhim
pinesforhimlongsforhimyearnsforhimwaitsforhim
you need to stop
(but i think i might have an inkling of what it's like for you)

updated version of anchor

2009-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

they were aimless.
drifting floating waiting
for possession
(so as to be)
no longer wandering
no longer wondering

empathy

2009-01-03T20:18:00.002-08:00

empathy
is a funny thing
once you have it
something you once laughed off
doesn't seem so
funny anymore

2009-01-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

fiery disposition
from the mum.
short stature
from the mum
child-bearing hips
from the mum
i am her.

narcissist

2009-01-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

loving you might be narcissism
cause you're so like me too like me
it's scary
unlike anyone else i've met
before.
am i loving me or you?
me or you? me and you?
but maybe it'd be ok
because it's you(me).

Childhood

2008-11-09T10:51:00.001-08:00

Grasping onto the last vestiges of Childood
She takes her place at the mast of the ship
She slots a one-million coin into the slot
And she sets off on an adventure
Through exotic seas.
In search of exotic lands.
In search of Peter Pan Forever Boy
So that she can be his Wendy Forever Girl
Fulfil Promises of Non-Adulthoood, of Forever Childhood.
"It cost 20 cents the last time you took it"

And it had to take inflation to remind her how long it was
Since she was last a True Child.

Capacity for Love

2008-11-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

she doubts her own
Capacity for Love
Doubts proclamations of
"I cannot live without you"
"I cannot go a day without you"
because she can
oh she can
and thus she casts her own
Humanity
into question.

2008-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

なんか。世界は恋したいっていう乙女で溢れてる気がします。
友達との相談で、ブローグで、みんな恋オーラがだしっちゃう。ゲッ。ｄ＾＾ｂ

Anchor - dedicated to Zhili

2008-03-03T08:12:00.002-08:00

where once, we were two wisps of
aimless drifters - formless, shapeless
But
by luck? by chance? we were joined
to each other
by god? by fate? we were joined
to each other
no longer wandering...
no longer wondering...

Hard love

2008-03-03T08:12:00.001-08:00

I scream you scream
You shout I shout
In love's cacophony.

Cosmology is romantic

2008-03-03T08:08:00.000-08:00

Listen to the death cry of stars lost in oblivion
Hear them weep, what melodious sound
Swept into a vortex of endless night
And there, await rebirth.
Cosmic seeds, hence sown by unknown hand
Persist despite the void, the vacuum
To spring forth in light and frission
Into landscapes of boundless stardust
The soil from which we emerge into being, into

consciousness

And then there was light

what the fortune teller said

2007-11-11T09:45:00.001-08:00

Foreigners bring you luck
A life-changing experience at 26
Married by(at?) 27, maybe 32 it depends
A strong but infertile woman
A man who can control you.
A Scorpio maybe.
A Taurus would be good, too.
Libras are too fickle.
Take care of the heart
Money won't be a problem
A workerholic, you'll need wider vision, like her.
You're too cold. Learn to be warmer, like her too.

"How do you know?"

The palms don't lie.
(I'm a professional Astro-palmist!)

One last thing:
You will deal with glamour.
Because you have an eye for beauty.
But take heed not to be

Destroyed by beauty.

red moon

2007-11-11T09:39:00.001-08:00

and there she was
right there

in her crimson glory, barely clothed
in strips of black cloud
all sensual
and smothering
with hidden promise

like a tiger
in the forest of the night

she mesmerised me.

and called out to me.

was she a portal to another world?
a portent of disaster?

i was in a trance

and then she was gone.
in her place: darkness

i waited and waited
but she did not return

and the next night
only her pure white sister came.

a note to a friend

2007-11-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

a question asked over the pacific ocean.
"where are you going for the holidays?"

a simple question, almost perfunctory
but oh! the insecurities it raised.

my answer: same old malaysia
yours: peru

peru?
south america?
exotic and foreign and unfamiliar and strange
that which u might become
if i'm not careful
if we're not careful

i take comfort that we still have
the same love for japanese dramas
the same love for music
and shared past experiences
and shared idols
which i hope, i fervently wish
will last us through adulthood

if we're careful.

so that the distance that stands between us now
does not turn from
kilometres to incompatible minds/hearts

"if only i could go too!" I exclaimed.
"let's go to europe together next year!" you said.
i hope we do.

happy day

2007-10-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

destination 1: got her wallet fixed
its punky again

walking down orchard road
same but different
with heightened senses
heightened from a sudden delight
that sprang from nowhere
at the revelation of being human
of living
shouts heard of a snatch thief apprehended
outside Wisma Atria (Topshop)
who sruggled like a trapped insect under a finger
limbs flailing wildly flabs a-jiggling
when restrained by 3 security guards

moving on
she was given a red balloon from Gap
her first in years, many years
again a pang of wonder, child-like, poignant, nostalgic
when last had she felt child-like wonder, she wondered

brisk steps forward
a yellow butterfly joins her in her happy solitude
offering a brief companionship, although she hadn't felt lonely
for once.
a friend(a lover from a past life?)
it fluttered erratically around her, circled her,
close to her face
close enough to see it's speckled brown spots
on its beautiful lemony yellow wings
it landed on her hand, passing touch
then on her turquoise blouse

it was as if it knew her

and then she was all at once red(balloon) black(hair) beige(skin) yellow(wings) brown(specks) blue(shorts) turquoise(top) purple(sandals)

her heart was light, it was as if maybe, she could rise into the deep blue sky with her red balloon

and then it left

coming through,
a handicapped peddler
she buys 5 lottery tickets (5 chances at wealth)
5 wishes?
with her orangey ten-dollar note
yusof ishak smiles at her
(for her altruism?)

2nd destination reached:
OG orchard
she goes to find those "comfortable scholl shoes"
her mum likes
black, sensible, responsible, plain
she frowns
they reek of adult
of days spent at the desk
crunching numbers
and she's reminded of the painful blisters at her heels
she decides against buying them for now...
thoughts interrupted, by the vibration at her chest
her phone lights up

"hello"
another friend to join her in her happy solitude
she speaks of the thief the balloon the butterfly
almost incoherently
thankful for someone to share

"sorry for asking you to sing the other day"
an apology for a present?
a first in her life

"goodbye"

a small setback.
but her joy at this excursion is too great
to be shadowed

oh happy day
her heart sings

about tokyo

2007-09-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

listening to tokyo by yui

This song came at the right time. Thanks.
Everyone has a tokyo in their hearts.
Reminding me of all those who left, of myself who stayed behind.
Aren't we all on a journey then? New finds, new discoveries that may not be too pleasant or kind. But we have to go on don't we?
答えを探すのはもうやめた/間違いだらけでいい
And I think I should leave it at that and let Life spring its surprises on me. But its hard isn't it? Let this song be a reminder then.

正しいことばかり選べない
それくらいわかってる ?

東京

2007-09-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

住み慣れたこの部屋を出てゆく日が来た
新しい旅だちにまだ戸惑ってる

駅まで向かうバスの中
友達にメールした

朝のホームで電話もしてみた
でもなんか違う気がした

古いギターをひとつ持ってきた
写真は全部おいてきた

何かを手放してそして手に入れる
そんな繰り返しかな？
強がりはいつだって夢に続いている
臆病になったらそこで途切れるよ

走り出した電車の中
少しだけ泣けてきた

窓の外に続いているこの町は
変わらないでと願った

古いギターをあたしにくれた人
東京は怖いって言ってた

答えを探すのはもうやめた
間違いだらけでいい

赤い夕焼けがビルに途切れた
涙をこらえても

次の朝がやって来る旅事に
迷うことだってあるよね？

正しいことばかり選べない
それくらいわかってる

byゆい

back

2007-09-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

haha its been a long time since i last blogged. i guess i should. cause i wouldn't wanna forget my life experiences.

so... TOO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

2006-11-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

今から人生は始まる。

轮椅老人

2006-06-09T02:42:00.000-07:00

轮椅老人
早已失去
双脚的掌控力
以变稀少的头发
也被染成雪白
皮肤从黝黑褪色
到苍白
身体渐渐开始
不听使唤。

在这清爽的早晨
他把自己推到
组屋楼下
把自己推到
被朝阳晒到的一个角落
尽情的享受日光
既使面临枯萎，
他和萌芽一样
对太阳有着无限憧憬。

l'arc en terre

2006-06-09T02:19:00.000-07:00

我发现了一道

躺卧在地上的小彩虹
似乎还没经过成长期
没有弧形，也没有传说中的
那盒金银珠宝。

旁人都没发觉它的存在
只有我。
想分享这个喜悦
但周围也只有陌生人

它悄悄地躺在那儿，
安静地，好像想透漏
它的秘密给我听
我试着去触摸它，但
捉摸不透。

只能把影子打在它身上
而本在影子之处的彩色
短暂的烙印在手上

2006-06-09T01:53:00.000-07:00

oh beautiful reckless youth,
(please)let me tame your wild, unruly curls
so that I may stop loving you.

bilibalibomp pipi

2006-04-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

just tell it to my face,baby. :P

bilibaliboo i choose u.

2006-02-25T04:26:00.000-08:00

You Are a Warrior Soul

You're a strong person and sometimes seen as intimidating.
You don't give up. You're committed and brave.
Truly adventuresome, you are not afraid of going to battle.
Extremely protective of loved ones, you root for the underdog.

You are picky about details and rigorous in your methods.
You also value honesty and fairness a great deal.
You can be outspoken, intimidating, headstrong, and demanding.
You're a hardliner who demands the best from themselves and others.

Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

as promised....洪水泛滥见真情。:)

who is anonymous and haha.............

what is faith without the faithful? bilibaliboo............

bilibaliboo

2006-01-31T06:13:00.000-08:00

there are those who are worldly and then there are those who are otherworldly(like me). bilibaliboo.

奶奶家的落日好美。

peekaboo

2006-01-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

heyheyhey

hohoho

heyhoheyhohey

:P

bonkers bonkey bonk.

お別れ

2005-12-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

「惚れてるよ。馬鹿で、わがままで、自己中の道明寺に惚れてるよ。」
飛行機を追いかけてなんか変な告白をして、夕暮れに甘いキスしてから泣くほど感動させるお別れだ。このように、短く九週間続けた花より男子というドラマがお終い。ノブタをプロデユスも終わった。なんか寂しくなった。

Singaporean Giants

2005-12-03T05:52:00.000-08:00

The victorious 4 x 200m Men's Relay Team - Bryan Tay, Gary Tan, Mark Chay, Marcus Cheah

MAJULAH SINGAPURA

There's always a but though. Olympics is to Singapore as RJ is to yours truly.

Majulah Singapura to the winner dog dream...

loser dog

2005-11-21T01:02:00.000-08:00

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The answer might vary with people but ultimately the answers always appear to be white collar, glamorous jobs like say, actor singer doctor lawyer, etc. Who wants to be a roadside cleaner? Not me. Who wants to be a waitress? Not me. And thus the seeds of expectations are sowed in us from a young, tender age.

But people like me always fall short of expectations, be they expectations of others or expectations of self. People like me, the mediocre ones, hover on the line between winner and loser, Thus we seek to distinguish ourselves, set ourselves up to be judged but in the end, we are never as good as Them. Them being the winner dogs. The beautiful ones, the clever ones, the ones that everyone wants to be but can never be because we're not tall enough not pretty enough not slim enough not photogenic enough, and the list goes on. Expectations expectations.

Take me for example. Having harboured from young dreams of being a glamorous singer, I auditioned for School Superstar, hoping to get a shot at stardom. But of course I failed. Before I went for it, people who heard me sing had said, "Hey, you sing quite well." "Hey you're quite pretty" And even after I came down stage after my defeat, people said "You were good, but too bad the judges were too stringent." Then it dawned on me... Singing well does not equate singing splendidly. Being pretty does not mean one is beautiful. And being good does not mean being excellent. Its all a matter of degree really.

But why do we still keep on trying? Why do we doggedly chase for that elusive acknowledgement that we are a cut above the rest? Why despite the many failures before? All because of that persistent tinge of hope, of dreams dreamt from young. Of glory and honour, of fame and popularity. Of being accepted instead of rejected. Such is the power of the dream. The loser dog can never give up because of that one brilliant dream, that calls out to it, telling it "You could be the Winner Dog if you tried hard enough, you know." Despite knowing that winners always number in the minority.

Oh well. There's always Singapore Idol next year.

Up next, here's an ode to the winner dog of my dreams.

Song Hae Gyo of beauty nonpareil
Queen of Korean soap dramas
She tears and we weep
She smiles; the heavens sigh
Hae Gyo can turn gay men straight
With her picturesque face
The tinkle in her eyes
We can't escape
Immortalised in frames
A painting in motion
Oh Hae Gyo!

2005-11-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

Fallen into the
Trap of the Rat Race
Paper Chase
Bits of cheese
Serve as rewards
Dangled from a height
If we jump high enough
While the Feast sits
Out of sight and laughs

2005-11-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

took a four hour nap today and woke up at dusk, thinking it was dawn. blue tinge to everything, as if the air was rarified somewhat. some people say in the purest of whites lies a tinge of blue. lay in bed waiting for the sun to rise. but then, dawn was really dusk and it could only get darker.　there's something about the twilight that puts things in perspective.

人に自分らしく生きてくださいって言われるけど本当の自分らしさは何でしょうか。

first blog in ages

2005-10-08T04:13:00.000-07:00

kbox was fun. bleagh long time in ages. going again next week and maybe next next week if i get my way mwahahaha. the lunch time slot is really worth the money..

anyway exams are over.. woo hoo.. i have to face the music next week.. damn. i need divine help if i'm ever going to get s paper.

just read tuesdays with morrie. first proper book i read in an eon. oh my god it is the first book that has made me cry. sometimes death isn't as bad as it seems. its dying with dignity that counts. human relations? I suck at them but i guess i gotta work harder... probably have hurt some people unwittingly due to my tactlessness... bleagh. but ah well "love each other or perish" , morrie's favourite quote by the poet auden. love.. how can someone like morrie, suffering from a terminal diseased(some kind of sclerosis) that takes his independence away by first destroying his ability to walk, then to wiping his own ass, only indulge in self pity for a few minutes each day,and finds the strength to meet people everyday to share his experiences and insights on dying and be a teacher to mitch albom to the last. kind of like a modern-day jesus. it is true that many pioneers of religions were often teachers like jesus buddha and lao zi. i need to read more. what is the meaning of life? hmm..haha reminds me of this blog i last wrote about embracing death... i've still got many questions though. what would morrie think about euthanasia? hmm... what if he met that guy in "the sea inside"...

it seems that we never truly live until we start to die. tension of opposites between what we want and what is expected of us prevents us from truly living, making us go through our daily routines half-asleep, thinking trivial things important. but it is so hard to break out of it all and go beyond. death would be the best catalyst.

i'm rambling aren't i but the bottom line is. TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE IS A GOOD BOOK! GO READ IT NOW! i shall buy a copy for myself.

replies:

[shape]:are u jianxin? if u are i miss u too.. hmm huizhong ask me join u all for the combine concert but i think i cannot make it leh... i haven't touched the cello since i left nanyang...

slenderfingers: miss u! yes dachangjin rox! but i have a new love--- wang zi bian qing wa.. but poor substitute for jewel though.. mingdao is cute though.

pheywa: yes kbox! again! ah! haha we should have a 4/ll gathering soon...

aiyo y so chim

2005-09-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

i think i wasted my weekend...

the only productive thing i did was reading gp bull for bull**** and well the rest of my weekend was spent languishing the afternoons away and catching up on beauty sleep. bleagh i gained some weight. i wonder if it's due to the cast... shall take the worst case scenario and start dieting.

haha friday was wenhan and huiwen's birthdays... HAPPY BIRTHDAY.. thanks wenhan for the treat...i hope you enjoyed your hot date. and i'm broke now.. with more to come in the coming days.. what is it with birthdays in september? ah well...

ok so gp bull isn't for bull**** and ok i didn't waste my money seeing as my vocabulary has been boosted. what i have i learnt in just one and a half hour of reading gp bull?

bigotry
languid
prima facie
raison de'tre
hue du jour
aggrandisement
buttressing
demagogues
grandiloquent
inchoate
echelon
zeitgeist
inimical
cosseted
cavort
atrophy
modicum
avant garde
virulent
ergo
insidious
banality
denouement
trite
cronyism
chicanery
staid
filibuster
scurrilous
ostensible
sine qua non
depravity
vicarious
emancipate
voyeurism
iniquity
theocracy
didactic

37 words! that would be quite worth my $2 grudgingly paid. hmm i ought to kowtow to the gp gods who wrote those gp essays that were almost grandiloquent. although there were those who wrote in straight forward english, there was one who was rather fond of foreign languages, which explains the latin and french words in the list. too chim lah wah buay hiao leh. thank goodness for my electronic dictionary... or else i wouldn't have bothered to check every single word. i think its time to build up on my thematic vocab, it hasn't risen much beyond the o level level... the price of being a science student. well the only new vocab you learn are words like adenosine triphophate, the argument of deter, sigmoid curve, ionic equilibria and various other scientific and mathematical jargon.

i am seriously deprived of literature.i swear, after the promos i will devour the books i've been wanting to read since forever. nowadays the only books i have time for are teen flicks that aren't too heavy and don't require thinking.. i fear it might lead to a mental atrophy of sorts.

anyway, reading the masterpieces of the gp gods was quite a humbling experience. words i never knew existed and seemingly obscure(at least to me) examples were pulled out of nowhere and crafted into their seamless and cogently expressed essays. i must start to be more interested in world affairs... i feel like a frog. 井底之蛙。

thinking of frogs, is anyone watching 王子变青蛙？Haha my new craze after jewel.. (kudos to 8 days for writing about my darling jewel in the latest issue!) but it can hardly match up to jewel but at least better than horrendous meteor garden, at least it has believable acting...you must be wondering why i'm watching so much tv. amount of stress felt is directly proportional to amount of tv watched. i AM an escapist after all. aiyo must go and study liao...

by the way if lin pei fen is the dj then who is ye peifen ar? i quite blur..

replies..

hi louis! how'd you get to my blog..

中秋节

2005-09-11T02:53:00.000-07:00

大家好中秋节过得怎么样？

昨天我过得很愉快。首先，我去了bukitpanjang plaza去完成追星梦。也不完全是追星lah只是身为绝对superstar的忠实影迷，想去看看《绝对》参赛者的庐山真面目。你们也很想看吧?kelvin真人蛮帅的。

我带伤上阵喔。

从上面看还是太多人我太矮了。

石欣慧，伟连蛮搭的。

叶佩芬！

中间那个忘记他的名了

kelly and candyce

绝对金童玉女。

欣慧比较向ｓｕｐｅｒｓｔａｒ

机器娃娃在握手。空姐训练应该派上用场了吧。

夫妻相。

为什么我所有的俊扬照片都有那个女人！哎哟短短的三十分钟握手会，只能听得到他们清唱的声音。匆匆的来了又匆匆的走了。

我家附近举办了中秋晚会。

猜灯谜吧！

随地吐痰，有何坏处？（成语）

答案：感人肺腑

滚滚红尘，扑面来（国家）

答案：埃及

《谁家母鸡不生蛋〉〉来了！（字）

答案：丸

屋里没有死人。（字）

答案：至／阔

studying is my cold turkey

2005-09-07T20:58:00.000-07:00

i finished watching jewel...

dear chamgun is now happily married to her palace official, has an 8-year-old daughter and is still happily practising medicine...

me?

i've gone into withdrawal.

when there was jewel,

i got out of bed once i woke up, eager to kick-start the day with a daily dose of jewel. eager to find out how her enemies get their just deserts. keen to know how she gets out of her daily fixes to emerge triumphant over dark conspiracies. now i laze in bed, wondering how to get pass the rest of the day.

you taught me perserverance, tolerance, morality and love.

chamgun... when there was you, i was happy. everyday was lived with meaning. although there was anguish, pain, but there was happiness and joy too. there was purpose.

now. life is a void. i am in limbo. my flat, once warm with anticipation of the next episode of your life is now cold and claustrophobic. my immobility is all the more obvious, and sticks out like a sore thumb. no jewel no life...

i wish u good health forever.

studying is my cold turkey. i must forget you. and i will. but i don't want to...

itchy!

2005-09-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

i think sometimes we take being able to scratch our itchy parts for granted...

take me for instance...

my right foot is in cast! it spans from just below my toes all the way up to below my knee...it used to have the incredibles stickers on it.. but they fell off...

yes u heard that right... don't believe? haha too bad i lazy to take picture of my daikon leg and put it here.

why u ask?

i didn't break any bone... so why the hell did i get myself into this itchy hell? ahh!!!!!!!!!! it itches... i'm so pathetic i've taken to scratching my leg with the handle of my natsu matsuri fan.. oh heaven pity me and grant me numbness..

ok back to the topic? why is my foot in a cast? hmm... it has been there since 1/9/05 and i have to keep it on for six friggin weeks. which explains why i'm currently homebound with only jewel(fortunately) to keep me company...

well anyway, its because of an old injury that never healed properly, so apparently preventing it from moving will help it heal completely..

so now, i'm an honorary member of the handicap association for six weeks...

it really makes a difference u know..

once i left the hospital, people kept offering seats to me even though i can very well stand on my own because my foot is not broken. hell i feel like a cheat for cheating my way to get seats on the bus... haha.

argh... do you know how troublesome it is to be in a cast? i can't get it wet! which means.. i have to raise my leg on a stool to keep it dry.. i bet it'll stink after i remove it...

you you you and you.. better not scratch in front of me.. it'll be like rubbing salt in my oh so itchy wound..

and do take pity on me... call me if you are bored... cause chances are.. i'll be even more bored. either that or trying to get rid of that itch. i must sterilise my natsumatsuri fan after these six weeks.

even as i type the itchy spreads its ugly influence on my leg... oh for want of relief!

thank goodness for jewel..

"oh my buddha!" yingting upon knowing of my cast...

oh my veggie darling!!!!!!! haha good to see u here! come by more often...

aiyo i can't tag on my own blog... but u guys keep tagging k? i love tags!

anyong haseyo!

2005-09-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

Been too busy to come online nowadays because ah haha my dear mummy has borrowed "jewel in the palace"(大长今） from her colleague...

For those of you idiots who still don't know what the hell is "jewel in the palace"... Well its the very very famous Korean drama serial that has taken not just Korea, but also Asia by storm. It chronicles the life of a palace maiden, Chamgun(roughly that pronunciation). hasta la vista winter sonata(ah ha that rhymes)

Why is it worth watching? Sure it doesn't have supposed hunks like Bae Yongjun or plastic babes like what'shername, it is definitely more worth watching than winter sonata... "Jewel" portrays life in the palace and the shows us the trials that Chamgun faces in her journey towards becoming the chief cook in the palace kitchen. Along her way, jealous rivals and dark conspiracies lay in ambush at every step of her path, hoping to entrap her and prevent her from fulfilling her ambition. One minute her life is in peril and the next she stands victorious over her rivals' underhanded schemes. To enhance the flavour of "jewel", unfulfilled romance between Chamgun and a palace official peppers the show throughout, adding poignancy into the simmering hotpot that is "jewel". One thing I like about "jewel" is that romance is never the focus of the story, but rather a minor subplot to add some spice, which takes out the unneccessary melodrama we find in many sappy(even cheesy) Korean drama serials nowadays.

Life in the palace is never simple. "皇宫是孤独的" Amidst the scheming, we get to learn more about ancient Korea, look at mouth-watering delicacies served to the Emperor that us commoners can only dream about. 望梅止渴。 Indeed, "jewel" isn't merely another long-winded, drawn-out Korean drama serial but a historical epic in its own right. Even its soundtrack isn't just a compilation of some run of the mill pop songs but traditional Korean folk songs and instrumental interludes to add to its authenticity.

"Jewel" has entrapped me, sucked me into the vortex of Chamgun's daily tribulations and every tear she cries is fully resonated by the audience. We egg her on, boo her detractors and pray for fruition of her dearest dream. Hearing the tinkling lilt of the Korean language(I watch it in Korean with Chinese subtitles) has transported me straight to ancient Korea and where women walk the streets in colourful hanboks. Watch "Jewel in the Palace" and get an intoxicating whiff of Korea.

Haha maybe I should abandon Japanese for Korean...

"所谓宫女就是皇上的女人"

i think i might be a bimbo

2005-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

reading other people's blogs make me feel so shallow whiny superficial and lacking in depth.... and reading other people's blogs make me feel like i have nothing better to do. cause everyone else's one(pheywa rina huizhong) got poem i don't have. ok i shall write a poem too.

i am stupid i am stupid
i am so very stupid
i have very low iq
only single digit.

(can be sung to darling clementine)

i told u i was a bimbo.

geh.

2005-08-22T05:42:00.000-07:00

its been a loooooooooong time since i last blogged. geh. well what to do... what with promos coming up and wonderful wonderful pw. u could safely say that i'm on hiatus.. at least.. didn't really feel like writing lately. been rather stressed lately and u could attribute 90% of it to my lovely pw group.

today was fairly enjoyable. i was cranky and spouted nonsense all day long. xixun and jeff and yingting got the brunt of it.. gomen ne. anyway.. was busy people-bashing and i'm happy to say it was rather therapeutic. no wonder jo does it so often. thanks guys for listening.. haha but it was fun being in crazy mood. where everything that comes out of my mouth was essentially politically incorrect and guess what, i didn't give a damn. woohoo. that felt good. better than a sugar high.

quote of the day...

"gwenlyn's always cranky these days... i think its the hair." -class himbo

second quote of te day

"mam, what's square root?"-class himbo

u could say i'm not that comfortable being crazy in rj as i was in nanyang. the level of familiarity is not there, and i think it never will be there. in rj, i'm subdued to the point of being meek so much so that it is quite stifling. lost the exhuberance i once had.

geh. more later.

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY SINGPORE.!!!

2005-08-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

oh man.... my country is middle-aged....

I am bored. at home with mountains of homework but no motivation to do it.

An ode to Dumbledore.

Oh Professor Dumbledore
You were so wise but never a bore
Your jokes made the story less a snore
And your death made me cry yes even my pores.
Oh Professor Dumbledore
Our only chance at the fore
Against Lord Voldermort
What will become of Hogwarts' core
Now that you are never more?

plagued...

2005-08-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Seventh Lunar Month!!! No wonder I so suay... Look at what's that beside me... 大哥大姐放了我吧！

it's a suay day.

2005-08-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

hmm. what a suay day it is.

first, i was late for school due to a bad jam.

bad weather, damn humid.

i really don't know how to host jap people.

the sports carnival and national day celebrations were quite embarassing.

i discovered my jap conversational skills suck.

i think my conversational skills are horrendous regardless of language.

i am having a pimple outbreak.

then there were so many people at junction 8 i couldn't watch my willy wonka.

then i lost my ez link card.

went retracing my steps all over j8 and leaving my telephone number everywhere.

waited ages for the friggin bus.

then i reached home and realised i didn't bring my keys.

had to wait for parents at the library for two hours despite being desperately sleep deprived.

finished reading harry potter only to find that dumbledore died(ok i knew that but reading for myself makes it true) and hogwarts is probably closing down.

harry potter is in love with ginny weasly.

on top of that, I'm fat and ugly.

it's a suay day.

me a mother?

2005-08-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

i was walking home after eating breakfast with parents when all of a sudden, this boy of 3 or 4 ran up to me shouting "mummy mummy mummy!" and grabbed my hand tightly.

what's this?

me a mother?

"i'm jie jie not mummy!"

did i have selective amnesia about 3 or 4 years ago when i gave birth to a little boy?

at least he looks cute, with large eyes. if i were really his mother, his looks do me justice haha.

anyway, then the maid walked up and carried him away,though his hands were unwilling to let go of me, saying(in chinese) "no silly, she's not mummy she's jiejie... different..."

the grandma reiterated the same thing... and i walked away smiling at the boy... his stricken look which said "why're u not my mummy" wrenching my gut.

there can be only 3 conclusions why i was mistaken for his mother.

1) I look old for my age, therefore seeming to be around his mummy's age
2) I was wearing the same colours as his mummy and had the same hairstyle
3) He hadn't seen his mummy for so long that his memory of her has gone vague, thus even the slightest resemblance made him think of her.

I hope it isn't the last one though. i'd rather look old. abandonment isn't really good for a boy so young.

i am a dim sum dolly!

2005-08-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am happier now! Haha called minami today... she was quite shocked that we actually waited two hours in vain. but never mind, at least she didn't seem offended that we didn't see them off despite promising to, which was a relief. i mean we tried to. oh well, at least we were there in spirit. haha hungry ghost festival. we were there but they didn't see us. like ghosts.

at least after that we bonded through bak kwa in wenhan's van. haha... wenhan's parents sent everyone home. xixun and xiaoxuan to geylang. didn't see any open coffeeshops though. brothels all underground. it seems that singapore's sex industry isn't as well developed as japan's.

haha went to watch dim sum dollies today! was late because i left home late due to too much preening. and then... when i wanted to take a taxi... the taxi driver told me the roads were close due to ndp rehearsal. fine, so i go take mrt. then i called xixun and it turned out that the roads WEREN'T closed after all. what is it with the service in Singapore nowadays.... always giving CONSUMERS the wrong information. oh and it turned out that minami and co took economy class after all. so why were they at row 10? the stupid board got problem is it.

anyway, back to dim sum dollies. very funny show AH HAHA HAHA. very current. various mentions to the recent NKF saga to the casino to topless revues and etc. also very lewd. NKF replaced by NSB aka national sperm bank...
"the future of the nation is in your hands! please donate sperm!"-dim sum dollies.
"i cannot just come when u want me to come"-hossan leong in dsd.
haha many double entendres made the show damn funny.

"the soup is too salty!"-the only english that ziyi zhang can say.

"he promised to give me a hand bag from hermes but intead gave me herpes"-random song from dsd.

the trio was really good at mimicking accents. haha the "bring on bollywood" episode was damn funny. entirely acted out with indian accent haha.

watching the show makes me want to be dim sum dolly with my own toy boy "low my guy".

then we went to gluttons' bay for dinner... good carrot cake. heard a little boy singing this.

"happy birthday to you
happy birthday to you
happy birthday to singapore
happy birthday to you"

yeah its almost national day.. what with dim sum dollies having the national day special and nationlistic themes...

this is my country. this is my flag. this is my future. this is my life. this is my family. these are my friends. we are singapore, singaporeans.

the happy times

2005-08-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

Day 1 (1/8/05)

Brought Minami home straight away after SPA. Because it was early, we brought her around the neighbourhood for a short walk. She seemed amazed at how many HDB flats there were in the area. Its amazing how beautiful things we see everything can be in the eyes of a visitor. I suppose it is a rare sight for someone whose country had mainly terraces houses for residence. We treated her to lapis sagu 九层糕 whichh she couldn't take, I guess the taste was too weird for her. Then we ate egg tart which she said was good! yokatta.

Then we had dinner at the hawker centre below my flat. Wenhan the extra came to free load. To Minami everything was oishii, even though it was simple tsu cha fare like pork ribs, sweet and sour pork, spring onion omelette, toufu and szechuan vegetable soup. But its true though, their food is great, come on over to sample great delights.

Then i had to study for stupid bio test while minami wrote her diary. It was funny when she brushed her teeth though. She sat on the sofa to brush for about five minutes without spitting out the froth. Haha! I didn't know that Japanese didn't have the habit of brushing in the washroom....

Day 2.

Brought her to school by bus. she met the class and was greeted by gushes of "kawaii" and konnichiwa. Went to orchard. Haha, it seemed like Minami had an entourage that followed her around everywhere. the queen, the ladies in waiting, the eunuchs and the body guards. Was surprised at her shopping habits though... She shops like me, walk around a lot without buying anything. All this in spite of newspaper reports of Japanese students being avid buyers of branded items. Ate chicken rice... Oishikatta!

quote of the day

"uncle, 你有没有内藏？”wenhan asking for chicken innards.

Day 3
We had a party for the japs. Our 'because its singapore' was seemingly well received because i guess we looked quite cute with all the hand actions. and japanese girls can sing very high pitched. but quite an enjoyable performance overall.
Unlucky day. got my *** but despite that four of us, xixun, yuki, minami and me went to wild wild wet! tanoshikatta wa. I never knew such a small place like wild wild wet could be so much fun. took every ride there was, went round the Shiok River upteen times... got teased by cute lifeguards... and screamed our hearts out on the ula lah and what have u. ate washoku for dinner as she preferred at genki sushi. it seems the udon and ramen there is quite authentic according to minami. talked a lot about kareshi and stuff. minami had a gaijin kareshi in while in switzerland. omoshiroi ne. and it seems, Minami herself is bored by the reserved manners. "its so boring" and was highly amused by wenhan's wide range of facial expressions. there lies the difference between singaporeans and japanese. reached home at 11.00pm.looked at purikura, and wenhan joined us for a sleepover

Day 4. Last day. Took a lot of photos. they left. I was tired.

Day 5 ~##!@%@#^#$&$*&#@$%!#~ (refer to previous entry)

This entry is damn boring. no surprise considering it is 3.09am now.zz

ずっと待ってた

2005-08-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

ずっと待ってたわ。本当に。約束を守ったけど。

Something stupid happened today.We went to the airport hoping to send the Japs off and wish them a good flight but despite me rushing out two letters to Minami and Yumi, rushing to catch the train so that I might be on time to meet them, I didn;t get to see them at all.

Why, you ask.

Well let me start from the beginning...

I reached the airport terminal at 10pm, just in time to meet them. Checked out the departure board. It said that passengers for SQ 986 were supposed to check in at row 5. Ok. Fine, so we waited at row 5 for them. But it seemed that they weren't coming. At 10.30pm, we wondered, and we attributed the late-coming to the Night Safari(last thing on the itinerary) to be so fun that they had to look around a bit more.

So we continued waiting.

And waiting....

At 11pm, yvonne and xiaoxuan went into the check in counter to enquire if they had checked in already, just in case. the bloody ground crew, a man said it was confidential and he couldn't say anything. Ok, so we waited since their flight was at 1.10 am and we had time left.

So at 12.00am, we asked the ground crew again, another woman. This time, she said they had already checked in. AT 10.30 pm! !@#$#$%#^$&$ Hence we ran to the information counter, called for paging service so that at least they could come out to receive our farewell gifts at the entrance. We waited another 20 min. The information counter woman said that they were on the plane already. !!#$!@#^!!^@#%^

And there was, the night before, walking around like a zombie trying to get my last minute gifts for minami and yumi. then all the waiting, infringing on our own time. Fortunately wenhan's parents volunteered to drive us home, or we wouldn't have managed to catch the bus.

But the worst thing is. Minami would think that I didn't keep my promise to see her off. and there we were 7 out of the eight hosts already waiting from 9.30pm.　They would think that Singaporeans were a bunch of irresponsible people who didn't keep their promises. A mere 100 metres or so away from each other. So near yet so far. We waited. We really did. We kept our promise. but it was all in vain.

xiaoxuan " you grab that one(security guard) i grab this one, the rest of you chiong in."

I wonder why is there this BLOODY DISCREPANCY between what is stated on the departure board and reality. Masaka, they were really taking Raffles Class? In that case, they would all go to row 10 for check in despite what the board said. But how can it be possible...Are they so well-to-do? After all, it IS a student excursion...

And why is it that none of the Japanese called us? We all exchanged contacts and promised to see them off.. And Minami's swimsuit is still with me, they could have called...

Why is everything to do with Japan so jinxed? I think I am the jinx in the class with my 钒钛岁this year although we had agreed at the airport that it might be sensei haha. First it was all the scholarship crap, then this. We were so near each other. And some of us were walking around shops while waiting. But we never met. 縁がなかったらしかたない。

what to do. my fresh bak kwa wasted. minami said the fresh bak kwa nice that's why i wanted to give it to her as a souvenir. so we ate it on the van lor.

最後のさようならをいうのもチャンスがなくて、ごめんなさい、みなみ。

Just call me Miss Panda

2005-08-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

I am officially dying of lack of sleep.

Minami left this afternoon. Came. Left. Me. Sleepy.

2005-07-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

喜欢是一种泡泡。

yibing= great junior, great friend!

2005-07-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

me "i think i'll just graduate with average scores, go to uni without scholarship, then get a normal 9 to 5 job get married get children then die in peace. hai... there's nothing to look forward to in life."

yibing to the rescue!
(haha sorry to cut and paste ur email wholesale, if you're offended i'll take it down, but it was so funny i had to put it here)

yibing "u have such a pessimistic outlook of life! 9 to 5 job while brooding over kids - that's such a horrid and scrupulous thought. gwenlyn in ketch-up+mlik+vomit transmoguified apron running all over the house chasing breast-fed kids. that's so sad. NO GWENLYN! U CANT LEAD THIS KIND OF LIFE! NO - U SHOULD NEVER THINK OF LEADING SUCH AN EMPTY AND MEANINGLESS LIFE. what if u get sick of ur routine life, kids and same one boring s*x with ur husband and decided to walk out of it - u might be too late to start afresh already. lemme plan out ur life for u -

go nus/nrp/smu or anywhere lah .. university would do. finish degree ... take up masters somewhere pretty and nice like britain/austrialia --- find a few boyfriends - and take romance up as one of ur core subjects. settle on 1 guy u really like. have a ph.d behind ur name and .. then go to bars ... pubs ... high class restaurants and stuff - and enjoy life. then marry that guy u like ... then u would be a good nice 30 year old ... have a kid by 32 ... bring up the kid to be an elite in somewhere 'amoh' first ... then bring her back and ur husband (obvviously) to singapore - and u will be very refined and everything. ur husband must be well-to-do --- NOT UR UNI LECTURER HOR! then have a few gatherings with uni friends/jc/sec sch then show off ur pretty house and perfect daughter/son - that will be so cool man. "

haha yibing you rock can. i mean, how many juniors can help you plan your life? huh? huh? you have? you have? nanny nanny poo poo. i have you don't have! eh why cannot uni lecturer ar? i happen to like older men... hahahaha. uni lecturer rich ok... got lecturer in my school drive two-seater sports car can.

and i like the sound of it. Loh Wanzi Gwenlyn PhD (in romance) haha this IS the life. Loh Wanzi Gwenlyn PhD (in romance) will have two cute, perfect children, one boy and one girl. they love their mummuy. then i will have a trophy husband to cling on to at socialite parties. i shall particiapte grately in philantrophic activities. and the world shall love me and kiss the ground i walk on. ok i shall start mugging so that i may have the life you plan for me.

and today i called ms slenderfingers... I MISS YOU! go and do yoga can? wanna do with me? we sign up together? good for your back. i read in MIND YOUR BODY that yoga can help to straighten your back! Yes I have a curved spine. i reckon i can gain about 5 cm in height if it was straight.

and dear xixun: zerocool is..................................................

my guardian angel! haha you can keep guessin. you don't know him one lah.

methinks its time to smile again.

2005-07-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

HAHAHA.

crazy week. ups and downs. i'm officially menopausal judging by the way my moods have been changing. happy sad angry bored crazy. yes crazy. how the hell do you explain a one-woman puppet show staged by yours truly done by hiding under the table while flying a paper aeroplane, done to the music of "paper aeroplane" by sandy lam. i was trying to do an mtv. ok fine u may burst out in guffaws now.

crazy stage was brought about by the return of wenhan. suddenly felt an impulse to break out of my sullen moods. and there you have it, insanity born out of neccessity.

and i went for dinner at ritz carlton on thursday!!!! good food! good ambience! great live music. i would like to say that my boyfriend brought me there. but alas i have no boyfriend let alone a rich one. haha. anyway, my mum brought me there, i'm ever the filial one. because she and her colleagues had their performance bonus and went there to celebrate.

the dinner was one filled with humour and an undercurrent of uncertainty and foreboding. despite just getting their performance bonus, they were worried about retrenchment due to restructuring within the company. this bunch of women being the baby boomers are at most o level graduates and their age makes them a liability. nevertheless they faced the situation with dry humour and a joie de vivre attitude.

"if i get the golden handshake, i'll become a mamasan and invite all of you to join me at deska road." according to her, malay and chinese brothels are at geylang while indian one is at deska road.

"aiyah at most become ntuc cashier lor"

"her hymen haven't broken, got more value", referring to a newly employed employee young and therefore not at risk of retrenchment.

"aiyo got young girl here(me) don't talk like that"

the conversation turned to male colleagues

"if i see so-and-so at hotel 81, i think i will faint. not him"

"aiyah i got no motivation to come to work. no shuai ge. i'd be contented with just one but don't have. so sad." -newbie lamenting the state of singaporean man, her eyes lighting up when i said that my school has quite a few cuties.

then to children

"my girl got a letter from a classmate that says "i love you" leh she primary 2 only i can't believe it. then she reply him some more and let me vet it. i said, this is not suitable to reply him, mummy destroy it for you ok?" saying this, she kept it in her bag and promptly whipped it out to show her fellow colleagues.

"i like you but i do not love you. my lover is so-and-so. please do not tell your mother or let her see." words of a 8 year old girl. quite unbelivable, no?

its quite interesting to be in the company of older women who are not your relatives. but underneath it all, they're just like any teenage girl who likes to giggle and bitch, just with that extra burden of facing harsh reality.

replies:

yifang and slenderfingers: yeah let's all go together! I miss four eleven...

zerocool: no you cannot come. unless you happen to be a nanyang GIRLS' high school alumni my dear GOR.

dennis: you are crazy. either that or plain masochistic.

yibing: "rolls eyes" hey reply ok i reply you liao.

2005-07-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

嫌い。大嫌い。プロジェクトワクのこと。私しかこの仕事してる人はない。大変疲れてる。組の人死でほしい。人を殺したい。でも怒ること体によくないから私は我慢してる。今年速く終わって。

rain

2005-07-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

its been raining non-stop these days.

its strange how the rain affects my mood. on monday, it rained the whole day and xixun and I were sucked into the abyss of melancholy. sullen, sulky faces were the dress codes of the day. and ever since then, bouts of melancholy have been hitting me on and off. as the rain comes and goes. pitter patter. try as it might it can't fill up the void in my heart.

the island is worth watching. something like gattaca. but the chase scenes made me dizzy...

sick..

2005-07-16T02:43:00.000-07:00

there is a flu spreading around in 1so3w....

symptoms are first, a sore throat, followed by lots of phlegm, a cough, runny nose, fever...

if u have the above symptoms... STAY AWAY FROM SCHOOL. the great infallible xixun has been toppled too, followed by wenhan, then me...

haha luckily i'm ok now, my highest record for the fever is only 38.3 degrees.. wen han won with 39.4 degrees. xixun a close second with 39.0 degrees. easily cured by lots and lots of sleep and lots and lots of water. i have full faith in my immune system.. but if only this came a bit earlier. then i could have skipped school. bleagh. wasted my tickets for ny foa..i'm sorry lim en for making you waste your ten bucks....

anyway four eleveners.... GO FOR THE FOUNDER'S DAY DINNER CAN????????? 20 BUCKS ONLY... FOUR ELEVEN REUNION...... GO LEH...... haha i wonder how many of you guys will read it considering that hardly any of u tag nowadays... hai... i feel so pathetic that most of the time i'm tagging on my own blog...

oh yeah?

2005-07-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

not cute? not adorable? haha this is the picture to prove xixun wrong.... guess which one is me????

the 2nd one from the left....hmm.. this is a picture from k2 graduation.... haha actually i was 5 but in k2, so technically, i graduated from k2 TWICE. yeah, i was too much of a genius and skipped k1.. i think, actually i also don't really know why i took k2 for two years.. what happened to k1? haha must check with my mum... anyway, note that i'm one of the taller girls despite being one year younger than he rest... haha what happened? why am I so short now? omg... it must be something to do with my diet... haha i was the tallest in my second k2 class... shall look for pictures and post later...

i love fridays

2005-07-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

yeah i do. not just because they sum up an entire week and mean the start of a weekend, but because i get to hang out, get to chill with my darling lians. whether is it braving the hot sweltering weather to get the bowl of sumptious ban mian, with cheap bubble tea afterwards, or re-enacting ah lian pa lang scenes, or even just plain chilling in some weird ulu corner of the school. the thing about us lians is that we really connect. haha it seems fate has planned our meeting since the start of time. its really hard to find people who click at this age, when everyone has friends of their own and rather than putting their hearts on the line in order to make new friends, prefer to stick to their old gang.
yeah. so 生まれ変わってもあなたに会いたい(i want to meet u even in my next life)。and that applies to everyone who made a difference in my life. yeah. that means u and u and u and u. :)

LIAN

2005-07-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

this is a picture that tingjie drew for me! haha I was not well and thus did not go to school and they did this because they missed me! haha.. this is testament that indeed, you can find true friendships in jc. we are the lian. don't mess with us.

if you love me

2005-07-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

if you love me
tear your heart
out and serve
it to me on a
platter I might
partake of it
in a feverish
delight or play
around with the
red crimson glory
unsatiated
unfulfilled
or perhaps
I just might
give you mine
in return.

slacker

2005-07-04T03:36:00.000-07:00

i think i'm the world's biggest slacker. despite the fact that i have three jap compos and one chemistry tutorial to finish, i have done nothing other than lying on my couch, watching japanese anime from 1-5 eating chocolate biscuits occasionally. this is the life.... of a pig. argh.

hisashiburi..........

2005-07-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

hey people!! long time no see..... other than the fact that my computer was down for the past week, i was busy being a mugger to cope with my common tests...

bleagh mugging really sucks, but i think my mugging power not high enough... must master it until level 10: Muggerita Personified...( recall the wuxia novels where every different level of one gongfu style got their own long long name...) I reckon I'm just at level 5: Poseur Mugger now... why? because even after one week of studying... i still left many blanks in my common test... !@##$@$%%^@^@#@# but anyway, haha now i can take a long long break....(at least until promos)

yeah, and later i'm going to an interview for a part time job at one fullerton haru japanese restaurant... am i crazy? u ask.. no, i just feel my life is lacking a bit of spice so going for this job would help me spice it up a little... despite objections from my parents.... haha but i don't know how i'm going to juggle schoolwork and work work at the same time... but never mind i'll try my best, seeing that i have nothing much to do for cca side anyway...

let's recap the past week...

hehe last saturday i went to watch swan lake by the royal ballet!!!!! it was fantastic... certainly the stuff that dreams are made of... the male principal was hottie ivan putrov while the female principal was roberta maquez... they dance very well.. like duh... haha i wanna watch more ballets...

shopping is fun but tiring.. do you know the walk from city hall to suntec city can take 3 hours? its true if you are 3 girls very deprived of shopping (due to mugging and exorbitant prices in japan) and u are ambushed by signs like "50% off 70% off 80% 90% off"... all around.. unfortunately the only price we DIDN'T see was 100% off. too bad. we went into practically every shop... fcuk, topshop, u name it we went in. haha not that we bought anything... everything we bought in the end was from carrefour... hahahaha can u believe it.. i bought a belly dancing dvd!!!!!!!!!!! oh my god. but it was only 7 bucks... and it promised nice abs and a cardio workout... getting fat these days...due to all the chocolate my parents brought home from europe... i think i shall start eating sushi everyday... no oil no fat.. very healthy....

and did u know that.... at around 1030 everyday... at carrefour... you can get sushi at one for one!!!!!!!!!! BUY ONE GET ONE FREE! haha i sound like an auntie... anyway, me, wenhan and xixun were there at the sushi counter even before the announcement was made... and we were the only people there... then the announcment was made... and singaporeans, being singaporeans flocked to the sushi counter grabbing the sushi like it was meant for their last supper... you'd think they'd neve eaten sushi before. they were practicallly like vultures, diving in for the last piece of meat... of course... we participated in the scavenging. and had a very fulfilling supper...

hehe that's the end

2005-06-23T02:45:00.000-07:00

for more picture please go to photos.yahoo.com/rence88

i'm too lazy to put up any more photos...

anyway, i highly recommend the movie BE WITH YOU (AI NI YUKIMASU) that is showing at cineleisure now.... go watch it...... it made me cry oh my god! and i hardly cry for movies ok.... except the slip where i cried watching the disney parade.. sorry must be some sort of hormonal inbalance....

anyway, be with you is about this woman, mio, who comes back to be with her family without her previous memories, in the rainy season one year after she dies. and she must return to wherever she came from after the rainy season ends. cue the tears can her husband, aio takumi and child, yuji(very cute!) win her back before its too late and will she fall in love again? will she get her memories back? and what happens when she finds out the truth behind her reappearance...hehe suspense and romance and familial love all in one. it is really worth watching! really sweet and poignant love story....a series of flashbacks superimposed on the future. even better than the classic(the korean one) i must say...in japanese with english subtitles... watched it with some jap a seniors and classmates.... woohoo. tear fest.

anyway, haha well there was some weird sci-fi explanation for her coming back.... but i shall not spoil it here.... shall just quote zhuang1 zi3 (some ancient chinese philosopher)"Is this life just a dream? Is this my dream or the butterfly's dream?" ok apparently, he dreamt of himself as a butterfly, and when he woke up, he wondered whether it was him dreaming of himself as a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming that it was him in his waking moments... well... so much for philosophy...

back to the movie. most powerful quote..."たった一人の相手" haha in the movie the possibility of soulmates is raised and that is the recurring phrase that came up throughout the movie. it means something like the only soulmate that a person could have... hard to explain in english.. hehe the bottomline is, there is only one match out there for each and everyone of us..... bleagh sounds cliche but haha sorry i think i was under another bout of hormonal imbalance..emily should have watched this show man...she and her true love...

but watching the movie really makes me feel that yes, there could be true love. haha sometimes, looking at a (cute)stranger in the eye, eternity stretches all in a span of an instant and you know you could fall in love with him. and because of that eternity you two just shared, you know that the feeling is mutual. but you don't. but what if you did?

hehe... when i'm in normal mode i attribute it all to raging hormones. and yeah. i'm a logical person. crushes are just hormones. attraction is just due to random pheromones flying in the air. and one shouldn't let the hormones take over. cause time can cure anyone of anything, even the strongest infatuation... and i tell myself, if it was more than an infatuation, then it could stand the test of time couldn't it? oh my god i'm in romantic girl mode. GET ME OUT OF HERE.

2005-06-23T02:32:00.000-07:00

lian2 power! oh and that's nicole kidman behind us.

2005-06-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

arrows........ oh....... cupid's love arrow!!!!!!!! haha sorry the night scenery was really beautiful.... everyone was in the mood for love...especially emichan... hahaha

2005-06-23T02:30:00.000-07:00

ooh multi colour....

2005-06-23T02:29:00.001-07:00

four great beauties in the ferris wheel..... you know what? we were in the ferris wheel with li heng and sensei... wanted to bend down so we couldn't be seen and thus cheat another ride..... "baka mitai antatachi" was what sensei said.. but followed suit anyway... but unfortunately.. the door opened... and the ride person looked at us like we were a bunch of crazies.

2005-06-23T02:29:00.000-07:00

the beautiful ferris wheel at night......

2005-06-23T02:28:00.000-07:00

hey we're statues of liberty!!!! liberate us!!!

2005-06-23T02:27:00.000-07:00

ok that's me in the dark but..... I'M IN NEW YORK!!!! SEE THAT'S THE STATUE OF LIBERTY BEHIND ME....... ok lah its just odaiba again.... i don't know why they have the statue there... for some commemoration... and next to the statue do u see rainbow bridge? yeah famous landmark of japan...

2005-06-23T02:25:00.000-07:00

some undergrad ah bengs.... actually the guy holding the guitar can sing quite well....

2005-06-23T02:24:00.000-07:00

waseda university.... haha we saw this guy who looked like pm lee there.... unfortunately i forgot to take a picture with him... nvm...

2005-06-23T02:23:00.000-07:00

last picture with family and dog(tom as in tom cruise apparently okasan and makiko are big fans of the actor). oops i blocked her face.

2005-06-23T02:22:00.000-07:00

last day...... sob....

2005-06-23T02:20:00.000-07:00

kboxing in japan.... the girl at the extreme right is risa, naoko's good friend...

2005-06-23T02:19:00.000-07:00

can u see miyamoto kun???? he is right behind and he seems to be holding hands with iwahashi kun (my host's crush).... she was devastated when i raised the possibility of DOUSEI AI(gay)...

2005-06-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

josue, sasaki sensei, bruno (all brazillians) and me... you know the two brazillians only go for lessons like art and pe... and they get their own apartment and allowance in exchange for raising the level of makuhari's football team... sasaki's the coach.. and.... they're always at the library to brush up their japanese with the coach.... if you're wondering why i'm wearing my pe attire.... that's because i was going swimming for the next period... they have an indoor swimming pool..... and u know what......... the japanese girls have bloody good stamina..... they swim and swim and swim.... and don't swim tired.... me the singaporean and rebecca the australian pale in comparison....

2005-06-23T02:13:00.000-07:00

more simon....oh yeah, learnt some dirty secrets about him here, but shall not say much lest he sues me for defamation if he sees my blog... but all i will say that he knows where to find the cheapest love hotels in shibuya...

2005-06-23T02:12:00.000-07:00

haha skipped math and went to the makuhari library........ simon!

2005-06-23T02:10:00.001-07:00

this is the one taken with MIYAMOTO KUN! ok he doesn't look that great here, but trust me.. he looks MUCH better in person... u know, cuter than that tennis guy who made u (meaning yifang and ziying) drool....

2005-06-23T02:10:00.000-07:00

ok rotate ur head again..... nawa kun!!!!! he is very very friendly!

2005-06-23T02:09:00.000-07:00

me and rebecca.... haha didn't listen during japanese history and geography lessons at all... we chatted.... by paper... you get the picture.

2005-06-23T02:04:00.000-07:00

note the little girl on the right. she is very cute!! very pretty features! eurasian girl with japanese father and french mum.. weird thing i noticed.. her mum speaks french to her, her dad speaks japanese to her and her parents speak english to each other.... a natural third langer she will be... urayamashii yo.

2005-06-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

otousan, okaasan, naoko, me, makiko(her sister) this photo is taken at the ferris wheel at odaiba

2005-06-23T01:58:00.000-07:00

simon, rebecca me and naoko, my makuhari host.....

2005-06-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

kabuki... note: they're all men

2005-06-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

on to shibuya makuhari high.... our welcome session by the choir....

2005-06-23T01:55:00.000-07:00

cinderella and prince charming... swoon.

2005-06-23T01:53:00.000-07:00

me and yingting....

2005-06-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

oh here come the disney photos!! me and sleeping beauty!!! pink versus blue.. sorry i don't know how to rotate the picture so u can rotate ur head.

2005-06-23T01:51:00.000-07:00

what is wrong with the display??? look closer... the cat is real.

2005-06-23T01:50:00.000-07:00

ohm..... this is an onsen for feet only. ohmm......

2005-06-23T01:48:00.001-07:00

japan has many many mountains... taken while i was on shinkansen.

2005-06-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

ajisai that was blooming everywhere.... if i'm not wrong its hydrangea in english?

2005-06-23T01:47:00.000-07:00

yon sama in japan! ~!@#@#@Q%$

2005-06-23T01:46:00.000-07:00

wagashi i made.... kawaiiiii..... oishikatta yo.

2005-06-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

kobe class photo!!! class 1-2 2005

2005-06-23T01:41:00.000-07:00

bucchi..... japanese ah beng

2005-06-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

random classmates whose names i know not.

2005-06-23T01:39:00.001-07:00

me and miyu....