I'm so tempted to get the whole set of these Pet Trees! They are being sold at Bugis in one of the push-carts.

Find out more about Pet Tree at http://www.pettree.biz/ or check them out below!!!















The original name of An, which means young lovers, is Dragon's Blood Sedum .They generally have the form of red roses. With much care, Ans become green and eventually have red flowers.
(An flowers are difficult to have and it is said they flower as the love between young lovers deepen.)



The original name of U, which means neat, mean truth and grace, is Kalanchoe.
The scent is so rich that it can spread as far as 40 kilometers. They are given as gifts of thanks. When you want to share your feelings, think of Us.




The original name of Mi, which means the beauty of women, is Elephant Bush. They have the magical scent of complementing and sustaining the beauty of women.




The original name of ssam, which means respect, grace and gratitude for life, and healthy longevity, is String of Buttons.
It fosters the birth of healthy life, and the value of a wise life.




The original name of tomo, symbols of peace and friendship is Moss Rose.
It is the guardian of peace and brings peace and well-being to the grower and the family.
It also means ever-lasting friendship.



The original name of Victo, symbols of victory and the winner, is Echinus maximilianus.
It always brings luck and victory.



The original name of Nin, meaning young lovers seeking fun and joy is Rattail Crassula .
It is also called ¡®watch chain plant¡¯, since it looks like the chain of a watch.
It can grow differently according to how it is grown.




The original name of Rance, which endures the ordeals and hardships of life, is cactus.
It gives unchanging love and courage to us in this world of turmoil.

how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

Why can't i be Master Yoda??

how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

*keeps light saber and walks with the aid of my cane after an intense fight*

Meet Furong Jie Jie.

Click on photo to go to her English blog.

I mean, it's good to love your body, whatever shape you are in. And a healthy sense of self-worth is commendable.

But she's really pushing it.

Steven Lim. You've met your match.

(More on her at Kenny Sia's blog.)

The day was going not bad, y’know?
Managed to do a few rounds of personal emailing at work, y’know?
Then discussion with the boss (or cousin) was smooth AND I had lunch at Parkway Parade! Big improvement, y’know!!!

After lunch I even got a latte from Pacific coffee. Big deal for a Kaki Bukit dweller, mind you. Clutching my latte, I glided along the corridors of the newly revamped Parkway Parade Mall. Then, I saw a Veela.

That woman, how come so… preeetty one?


OMG! It’s Zoe Tay!!!!

AHHHHHHHH…… and as she walked past me, she left a trail of golden dust behind.
Hovering near were a few schoolboys looking clumsy and well, star struck.

Me? I shuffled to my cousin and whimpered, “Zoe Tay just walked past leh…”

Gosh, and I’m not even a fan…

Onz form project back in action.

Nine reasons why i want a pet dog........

3rd July 2005

Harry Harry POTTER!

J K Rowling's official site

Go check it out! Pretty interesting things inside to go through...

Has anyone seen this version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

It's the original Scholastic over. The one i own is by Bloomsbury.



This looks so much better don't you think?

I'm obviously really bored here.



I'm going to go to Causeway Point's Popular at 7.01am tomorrow to collect my pre-ordered Harry Potter!! Muahahahahahahahah.......

Check it out!

Take a look at how young and starry-eyed we were....

Left-right: Huiwen,Jiaying,Weiwei (Mrs Ga),Suyi,Wenhao and Jane.

Because... ...




So we had a party which resulted in fun times as documented below... ...





We really should have more weddings... ...

I love him.
There's no simpler way of putting it.




Or perhaps just, "Hee hee hee..."

It has been such a long time since I blogged and I feel slightly embarrassed at the very thought of it. But embarrassment I often feel, so that’s not too difficult to handle.

For the record, there are quite a few things going on this week and it’s getting me pretty excited! I shall not spoil it for myself by raving about them here then raising my expectations and end up falling splat on the floor like the egg perched stupidly on the wall.

Let’s look at some earlier events.

On Father’s day (2 days before actually) we had a really good Japanese dinner. I felt slightly guilty eating the food because it was expensive! So expensive I had to overcome my personal barrier to order the food. I don’t think I deserve such lavish fare at this point in my life but of course I still ate because the action of put-food-in-mouth has been programmed into me. Haha! And the food was good.
I thought about it again later and was finally convinced that I didn’t have to feel guilty about having the dinner (not that I’m brimming with pride either, it was just justifiable). Why? Because my parents, they deserve to eat whatever they want and the better the better. However, they wouldn’t splurge if it were not with us (Ming and I) so it was good that we were there together and had a pretty good time. If I had suddenly opted out of dinner (which I won’t because I am normal) that would mean depriving my parents of it and spoiling the night for all and reinforcing to my family the brutal truth that I am somewhat weird. But I have proven myself normal once again. (I win!)

As I always tell Ming (and she reiterates it to me now), we should eat now while we can, better to enjoy a little now in preparation for the days when we’d become old & shriveled and possibly extremely poor. Sometimes I look at the aunties with their short silver tongs, clearing dustbins along Orchard Road and I wonder if by any turn of events, I may have to do that someday.
Which is not to say that is bad, it is still a decent occupation albeit a rather uncomfortable one. I feel a little sad when I see them out of either compassion or fear.

I was telling XY that I seem to think people either much better off or worse off than myself. It is a thought I want to joust from my brain because I actually hold a belief that everyone is equal in terms of happiness. (Happiness = the most important thing in life.) Life, I feel, can only be judged at the end of it. As your lithe soul floats away from the body, you find that your total happiness adds up to be 50% and sadness 50%. The exact same percentage that is given to the next dead be him richer or poorer, pleasant or depressed. No more, no less.

With this, I contemplate how much happiness I have spent and if my definition of ‘the feeling of happiness’ is the same as God’s (my personal God). Would the joy of eating Haagen Dazs set me back 0.5%? More like 0.005%, I think. What do you think?

I had a really tiring day.

Was working at the Communic Asia 2005 trade fair at the Expo for WatchGuard. A firewall hardware company based in the States. Thanks to Jac (Ron's best friend's gf), i earned $150 today just giving out brochures and directing traffic to the booth.

This was my "costume".

If i charged $5 each time for every photo taken of/with me, i'll earn an extra $60 today. Gosh. The UNCLES were ogling at me. But that helped me get them to fill in the form and drop their name cards. Hur hur hur.

I was even given a soft toy and chocolate by some guys.Gosh. IT people sure are funny.

Anyway, i bought this nice and smart handphone pouch for Ron from Golla. In khaki colour. It's like the ipod socks material. Here's how it looks.

It's from Finland and not sold anywhere else outside Europe. So he'll be one of the lucky few in Singapore that owns one.I wanted to get more things but only a selected number of items are sold as the rest are samples for this Trade Fair. Dunno why they need so many samples. Irritating.

Congratulations Wenhao, you are...

Scarlett Ting of joewei.blogspot.com

You are independent, smart and beautiful. Its too bad you don't see that yourself because life's little difficulties brought down a lot of your self confidence. As a result, you talk cryptic and you don't trust people easily. You care a lot for your friends and your loved ones, sometimes even more than you care for yourself, although they don't always seem to appreciate it. Don't let that affect you. As the saying goes, you don't miss the water till the well runs dry. So hang in there, you're a star in the making.

Which Singaporean Blogger Are You?

UNVEILING.......... my toe!

This was how it looked yesterday after the incident.

This is how it looks like now.

OH!

Another new game for you all to try. It won't take long. Less than a minute IF you figure it out.

HAVE FUN!!

PETALS AROUND THE ROSE

Bad karma.

I decided to skip work today as my tummy wasn't feeling good. Instead of getting off at Buona Vista Station, i went to Chinese Garden Station instead in order to give Ron a surprise. Visions of a day of nuah-ing with him and then to yoga at Fitness First Plus danced in my head. All went well until we were preparing to leave for breakfast.

I accidently knocked his half-filled Nalgene water bottle off the table UNKNOWINGLY. The next thing i knew, there was an intense pain in my right foot. The stupid bottle landed right smack on my TOES.

Tears welled up and i started bawling like a baby. IT HURT!!!! I rolled on Ron's bed for almost ten minutes. Though he tried his best to comfort me, the pain was simply unbearable.

I checked my toes gingerly when the tears subsided. The 3rd and 4th toes were slightly red and showed signs of swelling. He helped me out to the living room and a sharp pain shot up my foot when i tried to walk.

Ron had to leave me at home to ice my toes when he went to buy breakfast. After breakfast, my toes showed no signs of recovering and we decided to pay Jurong Polyclinic a visit.

We managed to persuade the receptionist that my case was urgent and was in and out of the polyclinic in an hour. Even x-rayed my toes and fixed an appointment at Alexandra Hospital as there was a slight FRACTURE on my 4th toe.

Next stop, the hospital.

The final verdict is a fracture of my toe and 1 month MC. I won't have to be put in a cast/splint but walking is a bitch. And i'm gonna be working from home this week.Harhar! It's so silly!

All because i skipped work. But i'm enjoying it. *winks at Su* Hurhurhur.

The Story of The PIANO

Mom just sold my piano for $1950. It has been with me for 18 years. Now that i don't have any use for it, it has to go to contribute to the family fund.

My piano reflects my relationship with my parents.

They bought it in 1987 for close to $6000. At a time when they were so poor they couldn't even afford to renovate their newly bought maisonette. Just so that their beloved daughter can have something to practise on.

But i wasn't interested in music. I gave them so much grief every week when it was time to practise my scales and exam pieces.

This went on for many, many years whereby they switched countless piano teachers. Hoping that their beloved daughter will at least be able to do something they never had the opportunity to learn.

Finally, the lessons stopped. The PIANO was left to decorate the living room.

And now, it is gone. Gone to another bright young thing. Hopefully, she treasures it more than i ever did.

Weirdly, i cried when i realised the piano was sold. I didn't realise i'll miss it till i heard the news.

My parents spent a huge amount on me at their own expense because they love me and want me to get the best. But i never did appreciate it nor made them proud. My entire life till now has been one huge disappointment to my parents. And it took the sale of a piano for me to appreciate them truly.

TO WEIWEI.........

Here's the link to another game.

THE MYSTERY OF TIME AND SPACE

Have fun!

* call me when needed! *

Why am i still up at this un-earthly hour?? (3am)

Cos i'm Friendster surfing! Muahahahah......!!!! They added so many features!! I'm uploading photos to my friends. So convenient!! No need to email photos anymore!! Yipppeeee!

*Ok. I sprout rubbish at this late hour*

NEW LAYOUT YET AGAIN!!!!

Use the comments as i removed the tag board.

Try this game out when you are bored! It's pretty addictive. Got it from Jesse's blog. I managed to clear Stage 1. Stuck on Stage 2 now.
Stage 1 is called CRIMSOM ROOM
Stage 2 is VIRIDIAN ROOM
Here's the guidelines to the game. Look around the room for items. 13 items wins the game. Sounds pretty easy right? Wait till you try it!
If u've found:
0-6 items, Go Kill Yourself, Please.
6-8 items, Just stick to Gunbound yeah?
9-10 items, Welcome to the Average IQ club.
11-12 items, You are pretty good with the mouse!
13 items, Congrats! You are as good as me!

Diagnostic Criteria

1. The presence of Agoraphobia related to fear of developing panic-like symptoms (e.g., dizziness or diarrhea).

Criteria for Agoraphobia

• Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or situationally predisposed Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms. Agoraphobic fears typically involve characteristic clusters of situations that include being outside the home alone; being in a crowd or standing in a line; being on a bridge; and traveling in a bus, train, or automobile.

Note: Consider the diagnosis of Specific Phobia if the avoidance is limited to one or only a few specific situations, or Social Phobia if the avoidance is limited to social situations.

• The situations are avoided (e.g., travel is restricted) or else are endured with marked distress or with anxiety about having a Panic Attack or panic-like symptoms, or require the presence of a companion.
  
• The anxiety or phobic avoidance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder, such as Social Phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to social situations because of fear of embarrassment), Specific Phobia (e.g., avoidance limited to a single situation like elevators), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (e.g., avoidance of dirt in someone with an obsession about contamination), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (e.g., avoidance of stimuli associated with a severe stressor), or Separation Anxiety Disorder (e.g., avoidance of leaving home or relatives).
  

1. Criteria have never been met for Panic Disorder
   
2. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.
   
3. The symptoms do not re.present Bereavement.
   
4. If an associated general medical condition is present, the fear described in Criterion A is clearly in excess of that usually associated with the condition.

The blog has been lonely... sighs. Blame work, blame work!

I just had tuition with Jesse's cousin, he's called Jim. I must say he inspires me some times. He's writing a play now and I thought the story is pretty interesting (but I shall not say it for it is his story and his copyright) and I thought he's a lot more matured than my cousin Suemin (whom I thought was matured) but that is a digression. I mean, how many times had I thought of writing something like that (A play! A story!) when I was younger, but I didn't. Alas! Those years have drifted me by and I no longer have the heart or the pen of a nubile sixteen. A pity.

Anyway, Jim is a very colorful character and he likes the Beatles (like me!) and he's quite an artist. Interesting, interesting! I must say, I look forward to the tuition though he probably dreads it. It offers the most welcoming respite from my work week. My job.

My job. I'm almost embarrassed to talk about it because I dread it so much. So I shall not. Whatever comes out of my mouth would be complains and I have complained too much about the job already.

Oh! But I remembered one thing that I wanted to say and it's not a complain. (WH knows this!) Part of my job is to crop all the employee photos (All! From all over the world! Thousands of them!) for some E-job description thingy. The point is, I Photoshop-ed some of the pictures to give the employees better skin! Hehheh! Am I kind or what? (what?)

Well the intention was kind!

Thought it would make my work more meaningful that way. And Jesse, now that I know your brother's name, does he wanna pay me to make him look better? Hehhhehheh...
The coincidental thing is, when I was at the cinema with Ming last Sunday, I saw one of the girls that I Photoshop-ed! So I quickly pointed her out to Ming. And that was that.

Next thing, I have (FINALLY) been offered a Conditional Offer at Warwick University. Conditional meaning they still need me to send in something before they will Confirm my placement. What they need from me is another reference letter which I have approached my handsome Italian ex-lecturer to write. Why I didn't approach him in the first place, is because he has left NUS. Now though, I have no choice because most of my lecturers have left NUS and the remaining ones... didn't do too well in their modules.
So anyway, he has agreed to write the reference for me! Yay! And in the last email he sent, he said, "You can call me U______" (referring to his name, instead of having me always writing "Dear Sir," I suppose!)

I am so thrilled! Haha!

It's a cheap thrill but, he is really very handsome! Ask Wei!!! She knows!!! I think I'm being rather blatant here... if ever he comes to know of this, I shall deny.
But as I always say, "If I ever become famous," you guys can sell this, not a problem. Make some money.

One last thing and I dedicate this to HW. Was looking through my JC diary (of sorts) and I'm so impressed by my younger self. I can't begin to imagine the flood of angst and emotions I used to feel! How long ago was it? Gosh, I use to write with such passion. I feel I was direct but never too brutal. I feel that my writing was laced with a quiet pain. At least it looks like that to me when I read it now. Oh, and sometimes I was poetic! (WH, I used to write poems to myself but not anymore.)
I think I'm a lot more Zen nowadays and that although healthy, is not something which breeds creativity. Do you remember Lu Lao Shi said once that all the famous philosophers (Like Confucius) came about during war-torn times? Like Luan4 Shi4 Chu1 Ying1 Xiong2 kinda thing. The happier I am, the more insensitive I become.

Where go my morose soul? Sometimes I want you back!

Children! I'm working!!!

Got a 3 month contract temp at ST Microelectronics. The place is not that far from my place - got straight bus. I'm starting tomorrow... wish me luck! (Yay! Got pay now!!!)

Plus, I'm giving Jesse's cousin tuition... I'm so hardworking... Jesse, if this is not too wordy for you to read, your cousin is kawaii!

And I'm helping Wei do some interviews for her project... kinda fun but tiring! Wei, watch the tapes! Hope it's what you want! Gotta thank Timothy! Jane, help me thank him, he's so helpful! Runs in the family I suppose?

I had some stories to blog but couldn't find the time... busy as a bee... so cliche... haha!!!

Wenhao!!! Poor thing... and how's your job?

I'll blog more when I un-bee (how original!) myself... but people who read are resigned... hehheh, I know. And this is not a substantial blog entry... hehheh, I know.

THE EYE 10 is really good! It's a good mix of humour and horror. Try to catch it if you are a fan of The Eye 1 & 2. But it's definately a $6.50 show.
Anyway, the true scare of my day wasn't the show. It was being molested. Bloody hell.
I was sitting on the 3rd seat from the aisle while my fren was beside me on my left. The perpetrator was on my right. Initially, i was worried that he might not enjoy the movie as he was an Indian MAN.30-40 years old. Very decently dressed. I thought he was some Indian white collared worker who was into Chinese horror movies and decided to catch it alone after work.He laughed at the right parts and seemed freaked out at the scary bits. (which amused me abit UNTIL...)
I had a pack of nachos balanced on my lap and my mobile was between the pack and my tummy. Obviously, i was pretty caught up in the movie and didnt notice anything until i felt some pressure on my right thigh. I tot my nachos were sliding off my thigh so put my hand down (my hand was covering my ears....) to place the errant nachos pack back to the center. HOWEVER, i encountered a HAND! Bloody hell!! I apologised and he withdrew his hand. I tot i was sitting too close to him so i shifted closer to my fren. BUT. I was 60% sure his hand shouldnt be there no matter how close i was sitting to his side.So i took more notice of him. (from there on, the show wasnt scary liao.... i had a REAL-LIFE terror beside me!) He was fine for 10-15 more minutes. When i placed my hand down on the seat beside my right thigh, i could feel his arm near me AGAIN!! This time, i was certain i wasnt enroaching on his space. Felt pissed liao. Was waiting for him to make another move and was contemplating making a scene in the cinema. But being the "scaredy-cat" i am, the next time his hand came really near my thigh, i said "EXCUSE ME!" damn loudly and he removed his hand. I turned to my fren and told her as i was wondering if she would help me go out and inform the cinema workers while i kept watch on the guy. I decided to sms Ron and see if he could gimme an idea on how best to handle this situation. However, the monster felt that i was gonna spring into action and he immediately left the cinema on the pretext of answering a phonecall.And he didnt come back.
Bloody hell.After the show, i was running through so many different scenarios on what i should have had done to embarrass him. But wat's the point? He's gone.
Hope he gets nightmares tonight from the movie.BLEAH!

F A M I L Y
I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye.
But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMILY Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

Normally, when you board the bus, you flash your ezlink card and move in and when you get down the bus, you flash your card again at the exit door (located at the middle of the bus). We all know that if we forget to flash the card, full fare will be deducted from the card.
Below is something not known to public:-
But if you alight from the front door (the entrance) and you flash your card while exiting without informing the bus driver, the card will capture another entrance fare instead of exit fare thus meaning that two full fares will be deducted from the card as no exit was being captured for the two entrances.
For example, you board a crowded bus at Pasir Ris (where it terminates at Jurong East) and decided to get down ten stops later. If you flash your card at the front door without informing the bus-driver, a second entrance fare will be captured instead of exit fare thus you are paying for two full fares ( 2 X $ 1.90 = $ 3.80 ) instead of one fare (approximately $0.83).
This is a useful info. Here's the solution:-
Go to the "big" machine (ie machine for U to top up the card) located at the MRT stations. (1) Insert your EZ link card (2) Press the function key "Check card" (3) Press "more"
The above function will show U the last 20 transactions. Information on the fare deducted, bus no, boarding time and the boarding and alighting point will be reflected on the screen.

Last but not least, call the hotline line: 1800 767 4333 when the incorrect fares are deducted.

I also made a quiz for you all! Harhar! Such a copycat. SU!!! I did so badly in your quiz.....

Take my Quiz!

Check out the Scoreboard!

And since we are into quizzes, try this one out too!! Huiwen, some of the questions might be like your AS ones!!

You Are Incredibly Logical

(You got 100% of the questions right) Move over Spock - you're the new master of logic You think rationally, clearly, and quickly. A seasoned problem solver, your mind is like a computer!

How Logical Are You?

Saw a quiz my cousin made on herself and I made one on myself too! copy cat!
You'd never think you could put your knowledge on me to any good use but now you can! (ponder over the use of phrase 'good use')

Hope the questions are not too difficult... think I may get some of them wrong myself!

Take my Quiz on QuizYourFriends.com!

Gosh, sometimes the world just feels so... sad. Morose, they say. (DPS)
Pathetic. It's the song and the night. I'm sure.

People have been asking me, "What have you been doing these days?" Ahhhh... although I only have one mother (and she's definitely not you), I shall be nice enough to explain myself, in length, here.

The answer is everything and nothing. How philosophical. I shall explain later but first, let me show you my timeline.


1st Oct 2004: Officially stopped work after which I tried to dedicate my every living, breathing moment to the preparation of JLPT (which I passed!!!) and GRE (which was ok, I think).

8th Nov 2004: GRE test

5th Dec 2004: JLPT test

(2 days of doing everything and nothing)

8th - 30th Dec 2004: Went for a holiday in Australia

31st Dec 2004: Started my application to unis*.

26th Jan 2005: Sent out my first application.

27th - 30th Jan 2005: Went KL

31st Jan 2005: Continued with my application

8th - 11th Feb 2005: CNY

12th Feb 2005: Continued with my application

25th Feb 2005: Sent out my 2nd and 3rd application

26th Feb - 9th Mar 2005: Did everything and nothing

10th Mar 2005: Realize I missed out something in the last two applications and proceeded to prepare for said document.

14th Mar 2005: Sent out said document

14th - 18th Mar 2005: My, my! Has it only been a week? Did everything and nothing.


Application to unis*

This procedure, I shall call it a procedure, I'm sure differs from person to person. Basically, one has to go to information portals (for e.g. the internet) to look for information regarding universities and from there, narrow the choices until one finds the suitable university(s) to apply to. Then one can, very simply put, apply to the university. The application itself involves some information from the applicant such as name and address and the usual school/degree thing. Many times, it also requires reference letters (commonly 2 or 3) from the applicant's former lecturers and definitely a transcript. When one has all these ready, one is also ready to mail them over to the uni. (Some applications can be done online but transcripts and letters will still have to take the traditional route)

For me, naturally, choosing a uni in itself was already an arduous task! Don't ask me why, it just is! I'm picky and I mull over the feeling each university gives me before I can finally decide. Of course, you should know that I took some time deciding on the course as well. Many hours were spent hunched over my beautiful work table busily clicking away at different websites (tons at a time) to look through the different unis and courses etc. (etc could mean, the place the uni is situated, the application dateline and application requirements... very scared you all ask me to explain further later on.)

Before I sent out my first application, I was largely looking at the unis in the US and then later, HK. Although there are only 3 unis in HK and only one potentially suitable, I dunno if you know but there are A LOT OF UNIVERSITIES IN US. So that's where I spent all my time before the 26th Jan. of course, I also contacted an ex-lecturer and my ex-boss (for referee), wrote 2 essays (takes more than a minute!) and applied for then collected my transcript from NUS.

After I sent out the HK application, I decided that UK was pretty good too! So after CNY, I spent my time largely looking into the universities in UK (a lot too). There were 2 that I liked (good feeling) and I applied for them. They required different essays from the HK uni cos the course is different so I had to write again and had to apply for more transcripts etc. (etc could mean going through the application forms, double checking the essays and even mailing out the stuff)

Actually, preparing the application was in a way simpler than deciding on a place to go. I must say I spent more time staring at my lovely LCD, trying to find a suitable uni than writing the essay.


Doing everything and nothing

This is to say, I may not be doing anything specifically (like working) but I'm occupied everyday. I swim, I sweep and mop the floor, I go out for lunch... I very much function normally as a human! (What a surprise!) If you're wondering if I'm tare panda-ing across my sofa everyday watching TV, I am so not! Gosh, I barely have time for all my vcds! Poor vcds!!! (I did manage to watch 3 jap dramas through the months... A lot? Quite little? That's relative to your speed. I think it is pretty average, I could do more.)

I'm thinking how I can name everything I do from day to day.

Like, play with Photoshop. I can spend a whole day fiddling with it and then, again the next day. Or swim and read. Swim in the morning, have lunch then read the whole afternoon away... whole day. Or have lunch with (insert name) then walk around or run my own errands (go HMV spy CDs!!! I digress, Eelynn, if you are reading this, I bought a Tao Zhu CD at HMV for $9.95. It's his first (and best) album so I thought, can buy lar! High time they brought the price down too! Needless to say, there were no discounts for Jay's. Hehheh.)
Oh! There was one day I went to visit a friend's house and another I had to stay at home to wait for the SCV guy to come repair the box set. I also watched quite a lot of movies. Went for one temp job interview too but turned down the job in the end. (unsuitable)

You're enjoying life, you say, Yes indeed, I am!

Anyhow, to say that I only enjoy my life in the small periods of time listed under 'Did everything and nothing' in the time line is unfair. I do insert a bit of everything and nothing while I'm doing my application and what-not. So I hope you have a better idea of what I have been doing. Now I'm not bogged down by the uni application procedure anymore... but I'm thinking of applying for a (yikes!) scholarship which I think I won't get, which is probably why I have been procrastinating. And yeah, I should just apply first and see, if don't get also never mind, apply first lor! I never know what! Maybe they decide to give me leh! Yeah, I know... but I can still afford to mull a little. So that's what I’m gonna do… my mom say she's a procrastinator, I told her she passed those genes on to me!
Oh yah! One more thing that I do, I hang out with my mom at home! Fun!

(Yay! I wrote a lot!)

I'm gonna start looking for a part time job come Tuesday, 22nd Mar (have to be very specific here. Tues, not Mon, cos Ming is on leave Mon... hmmm... but my dad's away next week so I can use his car. What a waste to spend my time job searching...) so if where you're working is looking for a temp, can look for me!

You Are A Good Friend

You're always willing to listen Or lend a shoulder to cry on You're there through thick and thin Many people consider you their "best friend"!

What Kind of Friend Are You?

Hai… I’m bored. I wanna write in my diary but I can’t cos I painted my nails and now I can only type.

Nevermind, I shall go and watch 康熙来了... … too late already.

I shall show you some wallpapers that I made from Photoshop (thanks to Ron who got a copy for me and to XY too, who bought a copy for me not knowing that I already had it).

Hey! Look! I can use Photoshop, I’m not that old!



Halu... ru... (?) so onz or onst as Wei likes to put it and they are her dvds...


More of Halu... ru (?) As you can see, I'm smitten by Halu(ru)...


My current wallpaper... Ming says it looks unfocused... boo... boobooboo...


And you wonder what I do at home everyday eh?


I feel obliged to write more cos I’ve been so unconstructive in blog-writing I feel slightly guilty. Slightly only. Maybe I write more tomorrow. Maybe. Will try to get some inspiration from Raffles City… I’m finally going to eat at Menotti!!!

GMAIL ACCOUNTS TO GIVEAWAY!!! Contact me via email and i'll send you the invite.
I would suggest you all switching to GMAIL for all our discussions. It's easier to use cos all emails under the same subject will be grouped together. And the fact that there's 1G of space makes it damn good! Of cos, much safer than all your company emails too.....

I AM SO PISSED WITH BLOGGER.

While doing up the new template, i added all the relevant codes for Viewing Chinese and for Posting Comments on the articles. During the PREVIEW, all was well.


IT'S ALL MESSED UP AGAIN AFTER I PUBLISHED IT!

I guess that's the punishment for doing this instead of my revision.

PS:Su, see if you can tweak things a little when you are free.

HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE
Found this on someone's blog. What do you all think bout her review?

"I feel pity for Hayao Miyazaki sometimes. Despite his repeated requests to retire from making animated films, it seems that his studio keeps demanding more and more of him until he is becomes so burnt out that even his ideas are no longer new-instead just rehashed versions of his previous works.Still, that doesn't mean that I enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle any less. Even though much of the art was practically re-used from 'Spirited Away'(千と千尋の神隠し）, it was still visually stunning. I suppose if it ain't broke, don't fix it... Anyhow, the juxtaposition of 2D animation with 3D art was quite difficult to get used to at first, but it gradually grew on me. (Sidetrack: I actually went to the Studio Ghibli Museum while I was in Japan and realised that it wasn't exactly 3D imaging that they were using, rather something called 'lithographs'-2D models moved in such a way to create a 3D illusion. I think it's the primary stage for all of Miyazaki-sensei's work.) What I liked about Howl's Moving Castle was the landscape views that were drawn because it made the world seem so vast and obviously, very beautiful. And the details! If you look very carefully, the castle is also a work of engineering genius! Towards the end, when the castle has somehow been torn apart, you are able to see the mechanism of the castle which consists of a simple axle-pulley system, not entirely unworkable.(But Miyazaki-sensei, why must they always cry big, glistening tears?!!) In terms of seiyuus, we find the same voices popping up again. If I'm not mistaken, the voices of Calcifer, Sophie and the Witch of Waste also featured in Spirited Away. Still my favourite voice belongs to マルクル(Markl) whose seiyuu is Ryunosuke Kamiki. XDXDXDXD He's one of the cutest child actors in Japan out there. So squishable! And he was so cool on that dorama! *licks* Okay, enough fangirling. (But he really is so adorable!) I was quite surprised by the the seiyuu of Howl himself, Takuya Kimura. Initially when I read the Japanese movie guidebook (koped a copy from Japan), I was thinking, "EW. Smap dude! He's like...so not male." But he made Howl sound quite hot really. Maybe his voice has got some kind of pheremone that works to seduce poor, hapless movie go-ers like me. *cackles* The plot in itself, is full of loopholes like: "Why is Howl such a coward?", "What's the point of the war?", "Why didn't Sophie's hair turn brown again?". To some extent I attribute this to the natural phenomena of movie plotholes, but at some points I was beginning to tear my hair out because I really, really wanted to know the background to the war and the characters. This could of course be a deliberate ploy of Miyazaki-sensei who always encourages people to imagine what happens in the blanks. Still, I was dissatisfied with the way that the ending tied itself up so neatly. I felt that given adequate treatment it would have been possible for the plot Howl's Moving Castle to have extended over two movies.Still characterisation was superb. I really felt sorry for Sophie when she got cursed. But then they chose to make her so uber-cool and calm about the situation. I vow that when I grow old I want to be as funky as Sophie the obaa-chan. XD To be frank, I envy Sophie because she got to go on all sorts of adventures even though she was very old. I dunno lah... Throughout the movie I was thinking, "What exactly have I done to make MY life worthwhile?!!" Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with many reasons, which sort of left me quite sad through the movie. One of the strange comments that I remember reading in a newspaper review about the movie was regarding Howl's supposed narcissism. I think this was prompted by the line, "What's the point of living if you can't be beautiful?!!" To the reviewer of the movie: you obviously didn't get it. Howl has lost his heart to a demon and therefore cannot think about anyone but himself. This doesn't mean that he isn't wholly incapable of doing so, it's just he needs someone to show him the way i.e. Sophie.Lastly... Like most Miyazaki movies, Howl's Moving Castle does come with a lesson/s. I believe that in light of the on-going strife between countries in these times, Miyazaki-sensei made this movie in order to tell the world to stop fighting. Many times in the movie, the words "foolish war" was uttered. Howl's evident distaste for such activities is perhaps parallel to Miyazaki-sensei's own feelings. And perhaps, the idea of a moving castle was to show the desire of most people to escape from their circumstances. So in that respect, Howl isn't exactly a coward as we are led to believe and neither is he selfish. Like everyone else, all he wants to do is live.Sophie: Who's warship is that? Ours or theirs?Howl: Does it matter? They are all murderers anyway.The movie also points out that to love someone doesn't mean loving them just for what they look like but for who they are. Howl does love Sophie even though she is in appearance much older than himself, and Sophie loves Howl even though in some aspects he is a demon and a initially a selfish one to boot. The movie also shows that for the one you love, you will do anything, even changing who you think you are in order to suit that person.*sigh*Okay, I've rambled for long enough as it is. Point of my own summary: Get the DVD so that I can watch it over and over again.
Edit: So now I'm confused. Diana Wynne Jones wrote the book on which the movie is based. But how much of the movie follows the book and how much follows the wanderings of Miyazaki-sensei's mind? Ohoho! Something new to research!"

You Are 20 Years Old

20 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

THE INCIDENT OF THE MRT STALKER
I was on my way home last night after class and was followed by some old man from Woodlands MRT station. Good thing i noticed him following me and managed to shake him off. Gosh. It's so unsafe around my neighbourhood now.
Let me attempt to relate The Incident of the MRT Stalker.

PS:I'm the pink oval while the dodgy old man is the ugly coloured one.




I was waiting for the traffic lights to change at the junction and wasn't really aware of my surroundings as i was engrossed in my conversation with Ron on the phone.




As i crossed the road, i noticed this old man walking past me and turning to look at me. He then slowed down considerably and whipped out his mobile, pretending to play with it in order to account for his sudden slowness. And he wasn't looking out for traffic but kept turning to look at me. That's when i felt that something was wrong......and decided to slow down too.




As we approached the walkways, i pretended to swerve to the right though the route i'm to take is on the left. He noticed and walked on to the right walkway in order to be in front of me as he knew that i was aware of him behaving weirdly.




Once he was in front of me on the right walkway, i immediately switched to the left walkway and speeded up. I turned and saw that he realised i tricked him but he wasn't able to switch walkways as it would be too obvious.




I carried on my usual route home but turning occasionally to check up on him. He was standing at the right walkway, watching me walk on.............

For Lian

酝酿已久的中文版终于登场！（可能有错字）

那天我姐又夸了我，说我很厉害。为什么我忘了。记得在日本的时候，Sandy,佩妤和你都常常这样讲，你们会说：“素仪，你怎么那么厉害？你怎么都会（怎样怎样）。” 那句话，我大概听过1000次了吧！（你也都一直赞我那满点的作文，它根本错字一堆，文法也都乱七八糟，你那个俳句才棒呐！等下我写给大家看！）

其实我一点都没有厉害。可是听你们这么说，心里总是乐，蛮高兴的。我是不是很肤浅？（其实我是刚好跟杰伦一样，喜欢听恭维话啦！很虚荣！我是说我，不是杰伦。他很好，他完美。）

好吧，现在让你知道，我其实很不行！做事情超婆妈的（天啊！我怎么会那么婆妈？），是个だめなやつ！我可不是在耍自卑哦！（反正现在也不流行这套，哈哈哈！对，在新加坡曾经流行过自卑。）只是突然有感而发。

我留意很久了，我前后左右好像有很多人觉得我身上藏着什么潜力。好像我随时可能迸发出什么英明的话语。文才，是文才。我姐，我爸，还有偶尔我朋友也会给我这种感觉。是我的错觉吗？有的时候我看着他们的脸，他们用无声对我说，你行的，你是行的。其实我这一型的，最不行了。

乐观一点的时候，我会沾沾自喜。自己也觉得自身なんか有点特别吧！可能会有所成就。心平气和的时候，觉得大家都是好人才会这样讲。可是每28天，总有一，二个礼拜，我觉得自己完蛋了。是不是曾几何时有施了什么法术，让身边的人都把我看得太好了，而时间的流逝，将会把我的平凡暴露无遗。劈开我的身体，我的灵魂，她是不肥也不瘦，平常得很。不知道大家是不是已经知道了呢？该不会一直都在等我承认吧？好吧，不要告诉我，因为我还没准备好。在这里，我也只是说说而已。

如果现在来个大揭发那又会怎样？我大不了坦然面对，过个庸俗的一生吧！可是nooooooooooo！！！我从小到大都觉得平庸套在我身上就是个罪！怎么可以就这样认定自己是个凡夫俗子？我不是！怎么可能？我破天荒得很！虽然明明也有想做那个最平凡的愚妇，不是吗？那样不是最幸福的吗？只是，那个我办不到啊。连做个愚妇我都心有余而力不足。

乱了乱了。写不下去了。平庸之躯要被看穿了。那怎么办？我就只好快手快脚地写多几个字出来，求上天保佑字里行间还有着些什么。大家读了觉得有趣，那就又瞒过你们一时了。其实也只不过是在安抚我自己那臃肿的自尊而已。


Lianの俳句:

二人きり
星を見に行く
夏の夜

（啊！我太爱你的俳句了！）


人的快乐会不会用完？我们在日本会不会太开心了点啊？这是足立花火大会。


我房间望出去的田端。

Just testing to see if I've screwed things up with the layout... seems like not.

"Part of me suspects that I'm a loser, and the other part of me thinks I'm God Almighty."
-John Lennon knows me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !!

create your own visited country map

That's all the countries i've stepped foot on...... You??