starofnite 's reminiscing chinks

Definition of a female dog

2011-09-27T19:05:00.002+08:00

I really hate her for she just touched my laptop as she is a really selfish person. I curse her to death. Hope that she is the one who is dead instead of my dad. She is a real BITCH true to the word, an awful person to the core. A REAL HYPOCRITE which I really wish to nail down. She SUCKS real time !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Qualifications of Effective Teachers

2011-09-13T13:25:00.002+08:00

Just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed.
-Irene Potter

Quote

2011-09-05T22:41:00.002+08:00

Love is the greatest refreshment in life.
- Pablo Picasso

U-Drag by One Way [Korea]

2011-01-02T14:19:00.003+08:00

this Korean R&B guy group is recommended by my music friend, AJ. I particularly like this track "U-Drag" which sounds old-skool American-influenced R&B. Give it a listen...

Shinhwa Eric discharge from army 30.10.2010

2010-10-31T01:48:00.003+08:00

Eric Mun from the legendary Kpop idol group, Shinhwa, caused media & fan cam frenzy today. Actually he's the rapper from Shinhwa and I like the way he raps [though I'm not really into the genre itself]. Here's his digital single which he came up with before his mandatory military duties.

Song : Right Back ~ Eric
Mediafire DL: http://www.mediafire.com/?jgtly5e9rzjh19l

Youtube credits to crystalis0324
Music credit to TOP Entertainment

Kpop tune - Tony An of H.O.T 's new digital single

2010-09-15T23:14:00.008+08:00

Went back to the Kpop craze again. Was talking to an online FB fren and we were chatting abt the 1st gen kpop idols and she recommended me the very 1st one - H.O.T. And only 1 member caught my 'ear' - Tony An whose counts Damien Rice as one of his influence and his music is v much Western influenced and i do like his vocals. He was released from the Korean army after abt 2 years of compulsory NS... I just posted his new digital single which he worked on dur his army days. Very Tony-style.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Credits to hsy729 of DTH
Translation Credit to Kiwi_JTL_HOT @ DTH
Title : Going To Meet You Now - Tony An of H.O.T
Mediafire DL : http://www.mediafire.com/?dl9y3bajtnbauoy

English translation:

Going one step closer to you
Our separation will not be there ever again
Because of the existence of you guys during those time in the past,
So much to thank and so much happiness
I am always beside you and protect you every single day
I am with you forever and ever, we will go together

Going to meet you now
Your beautiful appearance, happiness
Try as hard as I can to step forward
I can now see this brilliant future

2 years (you) gave me love and power
Truly became my power, thank you so much
It was so difficult to say goodbye at that moment of separation
But now we will never be apart
Will always be at your side whenever there's hardship
In love with you, I love you, we are together

Going to meet you now
Your beautiful appearance, happiness
Try as hard as I can to step forward
I can now see this brilliant future

Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)
Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)
Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)
Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)

Going to meet you now
Your beautiful appearance, happiness
Try as hard as I can to step forward
Look into your eyes
I thank you for the times that you've waited for me
(only you) I really love you!

Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)
Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)
Going to meet you now (oh oh oh)
Going to meet you now

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

NEA Eco Music Challenge

2010-08-02T22:11:00.002+08:00

Seriously want to write songs - here's a chance...

http://nea.ecomusic.sg

Blue Moo in Jul

2010-07-24T16:47:00.000+08:00

Went to help out @ blue Moo last evening...

Feeling rather fatigued [bcoz of working way too hard ystd, no thanx to the officers who came to check my workplace] & dismal [wat happened to the ppl helping out ?].....

The guests who came flooding in were friendly and it was rather nice to talk to a regular patron/Budak fan. Even b4 the show started, the crowd weren't as much as before esp the old-time regular patrons. I felt disappointed and sad as i recalled how we used to hit an all-time high of not enough seats and ppl standing around, blocking my view from the reception table where I do my seating admin.

Of course it was rather cool that we hardcore Budak supporters like Dan L, Lizzy & YM, Riz, Yeo CC still come despite almost 70% turnout. The fans needed to be woo-ed back, seriously...

Korg X-50

2010-02-08T21:04:00.001+08:00

So happy that finally... finally... FINALLY... i can afford the Korg synthesizer and its X-50 !

Will let when i lay hands on it... Just @@ fwd to owning it... Haiz... post-degree blues....

Happy New Yr...

2010-01-02T00:46:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year !!!!!

At least I get my life back for 2010...
New job = new life ? We'll see...
I may have nothing but Budak's CD title says a lot for me -
Nothing also happy

Movies in 2010 to look out for...

2009-12-05T13:40:00.009+08:00

i hope to catch these 2 movies next year:

Princess & the Frog
~ a lovely twist on the classic tale of a princess with the frog prince...

Alice in Wonderland
~ Tim Burton's eccentric take on the classic tale with my fave eccentric actor Johnny Depp, haha !

Amazing Grace the movie

2009-06-20T23:24:00.010+08:00

Just finished watching the movie "Amazing Grace", a stirring yet compelling real-life story account of William Wilberforce, the 18th century activist who brought about abolition of the slave trade with his like-minded friends. Really, the movie deserves more than the 5 star rating by the Amazon.Com reviewers. Esp the actor Ioan Gruffudd [ acted as Dr Reed Richards in Fantastic Four the comic movie ] who portrays Wilberforce with such magnetism and reality and insight into Wilberforce's character and his anti-slvery work.

Info about Willliam Wilberforce on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce

Wilberforce [1759 - 1833] was a deeply religious English member of parliament and social reformer who was very influential in the abolition of the slave trade and eventually slavery itself in the British empire.

William Wilberforce was born on 24 August 1759 in Hull, the son of a wealthy merchant. He studied at Cambridge University where he began a lasting friendship with the future prime minister, William Pitt the Younger. In 1780, Wilberforce became member of parliament for Hull, later representing Yorkshire. His dissolute lifestyle changed completely when he became an evangelical Christian, and in 1784 joined a leading group known as the Clapham Sect. His Christian faith prompted him to become interested in social reform, particularly the improvement of factory conditions in Britain.

The abolitionist Thomas Clarkson had an enormous influence on Wilberforce. He and others were campaigning for an end to the trade in which British ships were carrying black slaves from Africa, in terrible conditions, to the West Indies as goods to be bought and sold. Wilberforce was persuaded to lobby for the abolition of the slave trade and for 18 years he regularly introduced anti-slavery motions in parliament. The campaign was supported by many members of the Clapham Sect and other abolitionists who raised public awareness of their cause with pamphlets, books, rallies and petitions. In 1807, the slave trade was finally abolished, but this did not free those who were already slaves. It was not until 1833 that an act was passed giving freedom to all slaves in the British empire.

Wilberforce's other efforts to 'renew society' included the organisation of the Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1802. He worked with the reformer, Hannah More, in the Association for the Better Observance of Sunday. Its goal was to provide all children with regular education in reading, personal hygiene and religion. He was closely involved with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He was also instrumental in encouraging Christian missionaries to go to India.

Wilberforce retired from politics in 1825 and died on 29 July 1833, shortly after the act to free slaves in the British empire passed through the House of Commons. He was buried near his friend Pitt in Westminster Abbey.

Amazing Grace ~ the lyrics

Amazing Grace (How sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ'd!

Thro' many dangers, toils and snare,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall profess, within the vail,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be for ever mine.

~ lyrics taken from http://www.amazinggracemovie.com

Pink Panther 2 !

2009-02-22T22:09:00.003+08:00

Despite the bad reviews on Pink Panther 2, i still went ahead to watch PP2 with my family and the movie is damn silly and funny with stellar comedian Steve Martin & his funny French accent as Inspector Clouseau. Found a premiere pic of the huggable Pink Panther Mascot with Steve Martin & Jean Reno which made me wish that the Pink Panther mascot is mine to hug...

Art making ? Just an opinion...

2009-02-20T21:40:00.002+08:00

Being an artist is a self enpowerment to watch the world goes by in perfect
harmony and/or disharmony. It's a self made privilege that is only
sustainable if: (1) your spouse and parents are rich enough to support you,
(2) APPRECIATION level for what you do is high and people/company/ authority
are willing to support out of appreciation, (3) you strike To-To, (4) you
inherited some stolen fortune of a distanted relative, (5) all the above.

Without the above, you must be totally talented to endure in any of the
following:
(1) eternal suffering in poverty for the rest of your life.
(2) forced to be part of a business guru's master plan to benefit himself.
(3) curry flavour with perfect sweet tongue and honeyed words for the
support that you will need.
(4) become a business man yourself.
(5) just do what you are told to do and use only successful formulae of
others.
(6) lose your ability to speak honestly.
(7) become a perfect entertainer for the crowd...

With great vision that we can believe in, is a world in order and grace.
With great illusion of material gain, we all are too busy snatching and
dominating our properties and food.

But, a perfect renunciation of materials is too lame to be workable in the modern
times, and a perfect achievement of materials is too clever for its own good...

That is the perfect irony of humanity, where there is only the possibility of a perfect storm
but not an utopia in this lifetime. We can be one step closer to a perfect vision,
but never totally there. With this, we need to admit the imperfection of ourselves
and not try to cast our shadows on others.

This is my "perfect" suggestion for "perfect arts" at this point in time:

Generous doses of APPRECIATION <=> Generous gift of HONESTY

~ written by Tan How Choon
Artistic Director Director (Education)
for ECNAD as posted on Arts Community Yahoo! Group

The Lonely Dragon by Theresa Heine

2009-02-11T19:35:00.000+08:00

The Lonely Dragon by Theresa Heine

A dragon is sad
Because everyone thinks
A dragon is fierce and brave,
And roars out flames,
And eats everybody,
Whoever comes near his cave.
But a dragon likes people,
A dragon needs friends,
A dragon is lonely and sad,
If anyone knows
Of a friend for a dragon,
A dragon would be very glad.

Orange Moon

2009-01-18T16:24:00.002+08:00

Frankly i normally have a distaste for certain kind of mandopop esp those cutesy cum no substance ones. But recently i favored one despite Khalil Fong 方大同.

The only song i used to be familiar was "Love, Love, Love" which was broadcasted on tv once in a while. But then i really took to him when i was on my way back home in SG on the plane from my Taiwan holiday. I was like browsing thru the mandopop music collection on the flight. Too many those lullabic tunes until i was listening to Khalil fong's music collection titled "Wonderland".

I was drawn to his musicality and his soulful vocals which was so near to those Western R&B and soul musicians like Stevie Wonder. It's amazing how he could sing those genres in Mandarin and not make them sound like chinked out/watered down like LH & JC. He even sounded better than David Tao as i felt that DT had lost his unique R&B style over the years.

No wonder ppl says that Khalil Fong is the next best singer beside Eason Chan in HK where Cantopop is dwindling or sucky. Yes, he have a fan in me and the next thing i knew is that... i bought up 3 albums of his - Wonderland, His live concert DVD and the latest offering "Orange Moon" - which i think is the best of his 3 albums so far.

See "Orange Moon" review and hear tracks ~ http://aznplay.com/2008/12/21/review-khalil-fong-orange-moon

Goodbye to my K2s...

2008-12-01T21:49:00.005+08:00

As this new term starts at my work place, i was somewhat not very enthusiastic about it.
Upon seeing my K2s or rather my ex-students, my heart gave a funny lurch.

I felt sad when i saw them entering the K2 classroom and I was in the PG/N1 class. I didn't even look at them in the morning when i took the PG/N1s away to wash hands. The bond between me and the PG/N1 is missing as this is the 1st time i took them. I had already felt unhappy even during spring cleaning because of my 2 partners and the way they work. I just kept quiet.

The whole day i couldn't help but worry abt my remaining students in Jo and Ke's class - Alicia, Faith, Meredith, Justin, Russell, Hao Ze, Ho Ping and Lucius. I talked to Russell briefly and later Justin, Alicia Faith and Meredith and it was great to talk to them. They still greet me cheerfully as usual and I had a extremely hard time keeping my voice at a neutral tone.

At the end of the day, when i was packing my things at my cupboard, Meredith and Faith kept shuttling and giggling behind me at the glass door parting the PG/N1 class and the K1/2 class. Meredith even asked me why i was no longer in the K2 class. Tears just welled up and i had to fight valiantly to control them. The bond between me and my K2s is strong and i've seen how they had grown and progressed and improved sicne Jul 2007 last year till Nov this year.

I really, really miss them terribly and i treasure the times since last year when they are in K1 and i believe that the memories will hold me forever. I'll treasure the remaining times we have left in school and Teacher Ching Mei will keep you in my heart...

Hana Yori Dango... Final !

2008-09-13T15:40:00.003+08:00

Watched HYD final thrice - crazy rite ? I'm a big fan of Hana Yori Dango [HYD] series which i have the VCD/DVD of the the 1st 2 copies. Despite unflatttering review of the final instalment, i still love HYD. Frankly the J version of HYD is much better than the T version as it's more fast paced and had some new scenes. Loved the glittery poster too...

Jap-O-Drama...

2008-07-28T00:19:00.004+08:00

Juz feeling bored of the K-dramas and HK ones and also whatever was broadcasted on TV... Caught my 3rd Jap drama since GTO & Power Office Girls eons ago...

The Jap drama fever caught me when I started watching Hana Yori Dango (HYD) 1 & 2 months ago. Then Nodame Cantabile & its SP, Proposal Daisakusen & its SP, Death Note 1 - 3. Lately I finished watching Yukan Club (feat. Akanishi Jin (nickname: Jin) from Jap boyband KAT-TUN), + Nobuta Wo Produce, Tatta Hitotsu No Koi (Only Love) feat. Kamenashi Kazuya of KAT-TUN followed by. Yes, I went into a frenzy of buying up VCD/DVD from TS or Poh Kim. I even bought the ultra ex CD of Arashi (feat. Matsumoto Jun of the group) and KAT-TUN (feat. Akanishi Jin & Kamenashi Kazuya) Jap music CDs are outrageously EX !!

Currently out of the Jap dramas I've watched, I love HYD & One Pound No Fukuin (One Pound Gospel) the best. I'm crazy over Kame (Kamenashi Kazuya's nickname). I admit I had a not-too-good impression of Jpop but KAT-TUN is really good so far (even better singers than Arashi in my opinion as each member can really sing esp Kame & Jin). So here's the cover of One Pound Gospel which is my fave Jap drama for now...

Friend

2008-07-17T22:22:00.003+08:00

Found this on Facebook. Thot i post up here as i'm juz in need of something cheerful...

Met up with 2 close frens Froggy & Piggy @ Coffee Club for some catchup. It was a good, well-spent time despite it being quite short. Well, friendship time is never wasted.

Mayday with a dash of Milo Peng

2008-05-05T21:32:00.003+08:00

Still suffering from the after effect of being too"high" on Mayday music and holiday (forgive the pun), Yes, it's the month of May ! Yeah, juz being crappy.

Soooo happy that I was able to score the BEST seat during Mayday concert on 26 Apr. Terrific band with terrific music by my fave band - Wu Yue Tian (a.k.a May Day). Even my friend regretted not getting the most ex seating. I finally get the most ex and best seat - 4 rows center from the stage !

This time the lucky fans were the ones sitting on the side as each Mayday member ran on a platform, which was a smaller version than was in their previous concert in Taiwan. But obviously Mayday were really grateful for SG fans' support. Must be that reason that they have the same concept in Singapore. A real sold-out concert ! Masa's bday was also celebrated and the band gave an outstanding performance despite playing too hard the night b4.

I was amused when Mayday still stayed behind to cheer the fans on with the dance version of "Li Kai Di Qiu Biao Mian". They were like still dancing on stage as though that they were celebrating that SG was the FIRST stop of their world tour.

Now this 2 weeks after thr concert, i have this band music fetish and so... i started to listen to Mi Lu Bing (a pun after SG fave kopitiam drink = Milo Peng/iced Milo). They were the Superband champions of 2006 and really have potential. I agree with one reviewer that the record co was too commercialised and made the album too "safe" for listening. I was darn impressed by their 1st single, "Tears " "Lei" which had a tinge of U2 (obviously their fave band). Got other nice sounding tunes like "Bai Wan Bao" (main theme of Mediacorp drama of the same title) and "Adjust" "Shi Ying" (now playing on my blog for the time being till another come up...)

A life changed...

2008-01-26T21:14:00.000+08:00

I'm blogging after a long period of dryness but crying inside...

After his demise, i was left in a state of blur-ness, feeling blank. Till now, i'm still like this.
Suddenly my life is turned upside down, having to deal on my own. The house no longer rings with his chatter. No life. No peace in my heart.

I found it hard to look at his framed photo without flinching. Esp the dread felt in the morn before I left for work. And the night when i feel the emptiness. It's the darkness of the event is swallowing me.

I still couldn't accept it despite my mum saying that it's an illness. I refused to look at the photo as he is to me, alive. Everyday I'm putting a mask of happiness when i'm dying little by little inside. Bitterness towards Him is also there. Even work made me tired and fatigued and my appetite went a rollercoater ride.

But yet this morn, i manganed to glance at his photo w/o flinching. Maybe it's a start of hope.
Many things remind of me of him which are fond memories which i hold onto.

Ode to Ah Ma

2007-11-22T18:57:00.000+08:00

Just 3 days ago Ah Ma had gone to the place where all the saints live with the Father - heaven.Though i was sad and was in the daze for the past 3 days, i felt glad that Ah Ma no longer suffer the agony of the final stages of colon cancer. As during the wake, i just couldn't talk about Ah Ma in public so I decided to write an "Ode To Ah Ma" here.

Ode to Ah Ma

Thank you Ah Ma...

for the best chicken curry I ever have and your tasty "sharks skin" during CNY

for remembering that i love only chicken wings

remembering all my favorite food better than my mum

always buying food for me when i was much younger

putting your love and heart into your cooking for me

For babysitting me when i was a kid

Saying words of advice through the phone

nagging me sometimes

your incessant prayers for me to do well

I'll miss you always in my heart

HK drama nostalgia...

2007-11-05T23:03:00.001+08:00

So happy that i finally managed to get the 3-part series of My Date With A Vampire (MDWAV) - my all-time fave HK drama !

I remember that the series was so ex (abt $60 per serial) which i almost gave up thinking of buying them. Just a fortnight ago, I saw the 3 parts of MDWAV) which was abt $24 each at TS. I was so elated & crazy enuff to buy up part I & II 1st then a week later part III.

Frankly my fave is part II where Tin Yau & Siu Leng ended up together. Both of them are my fave characters in MDWAV. In I & II, the story lines were good but III was bordering in between absurdity and sadness.

Though I watched many a HK dramas on TV, MDWAV is still unrivalled as my all-time fave...
For more, drop by http://star.virtual-palace.com/mdwav ...

Wart or wort ?

2007-10-31T17:45:00.000+08:00

Really"GREAT" week i had... After going to the podiatrist at Singapore Footcare Ctr, my warts had just gotten worse. Worse as in more intensive pain after a change of ointment - a stronger one. Now my feet feels as though there were a thousand bees stinging. My left foot hurts worse.

Ok, i'm not making sense as the pain on my soles (e stronger ointment is eating away my warts & nerves) is making me lose my common sense of language.

But the good thing is that my fave "son" Russ and Faith held my hands to support me when I was hobbling away like an old lady. The pain intensifies each step i took. At the sight of my K1 students Russ who put his pillow behind my back for support and to massage my shoulders and legs + SY tlling me that she prayed for me 5X. The pain somewhat lessened. He even offered to spray the insect repellent on my legs. Well, i told him that it was for mosquitos though he pretended that it was oil to sooth my legs.

What really made me cranky was that i wnt for so many rounds of docs from the GP to the S'pore Footcare Ctr to the polyclinic then finally CGH A&E. Sickening ! Why is that so ? All becos of the dumb warts on my feet which was practically eating away my soles. My stupidity in delayed treatment which had caused the spread of from 1 area of the sole to another.

At least the painkillers that was prescribed helped much. So nice to rot at home with wary feet..

A really stressed week !

2007-07-12T21:08:00.000+08:00

This week is a SUPER STRESSED WEEK !!!!! I was on the verge of mental breakdown (or rather tear breakdown) due to a huge load in my final school project yesterday. The whole class was shot down by my lecturer. And i had this insufferable show-off classmate who kep asking questions but her activities were shot down too, haha ! (i know it's bad of me but she go this irritating way of showing off dur classes, which i'm sure the others couldn't stand her)

But on the good side... i get to see my fave student, JS everyday along with Jacob, YK (in the K2 class though i dun get to teach them). Dunno why I like JS so much - he 's still got this innocent aura esp when he's sleeping. He would always greet me almost everytime he sees me in the centre. His fave is the Pokemon monsters which he could describe in great detail.

Today before i log off, he asked me if I will be coming on Sat. I could tell that JS liked telling me about th things he sees outside of school. Another one is YK, whom Teacher LJ & i dubbed him the Macho Man privately. This is becos he always have this air of machosm though i've heard him cry once before, which i think to him meant a great deal. I was impressed that he remembered cleaning and feeding the terrapin this morning as i had told him to the day before. Bravo, YK ! =)

After 2 months or so, i found that i really like my current job and i dun miss my previous students as much as i used to. I still think of them sometimes but it's ok. So the scar of my retrenchment had healed. And i actually look forward to going to work each day as the kids are my driving motivation to work.

Mayday rocks ! =D

2007-06-09T15:21:00.000+08:00

Finally find time to blog ! Went for my 1st ever mega-ex concert @ Expo... Mayday, my fave rock band ! =) Though the tic was really expensive (cost like $128) but i say it was worthwhile. Frankly most artistes will go through the trouble of changing into flowery costume and can't sing properly. But for Mayday, even if they just wear normal T and jeans (like the last time i went for their autograph session), they still rock as a rock band !

Indeed i feel Mayday deserve my respect as they proved to be a band who is really versatile in re-arranging their own compositions with their own unique style. Even their concert has this unwavering theme of love and freedom. Not like this band whose lead had the same name as Mayday's lead. Who don't compose their own. Such a band i have lack of respect.

Anyway the stage had these gigantic white dolphins which had me wondering whether their existence was necessary. But the concert started with this movie-like short videoclip with Mayday acting with a little girl. Which had that feeling of world's end. Other than songs from their most current album, Born To Love, it was the songs from their previous album that seem to be more favored by the fans.

The highlight of the show was Masa who didn't mind being comedic when he spoke in this Taiwanes-accented English which i though was really cute. But hey, his English is better than those from the Taiwanese variety show hosts whose English is simply atrocious. Masa sang Coldplay's Yellow which won appreciation from the fans, yeah !

Mayday has always been known to interact with fans really well esp when they had the fans doing actions with the song "Lian Ai-ING", a cutesy love song. It was really funny to see how they had the fans following them at every action at the word L-O-V-E. And it was also amazing to see fans from HK, Taiwan and US who flew in just to watch Mayday. If i have the $$, i may just do that ! =)

Obviously the 3-hour long concert proved to be not enough for the fans even me too ! Actually Mayday do dote on their fans such that they went overtime beyond the 3-hours. For me, i'm just amazed at how they have that energy to do a world tour.

Ballloon sculpturing on 19 May 2007 @ MYMCA

2007-05-26T15:01:00.000+08:00

Finally have time to blog about my latest fad - balloon sculpuring ! I went for this basic session on 19 May with my supervisor and my fellow colleague for the workshop at Metro YMCA (MYMCA) at Stevens Rd. I've had just realised that MYMCA & YMCA are just 2 different organisational entities, though i don't know how different they are...

Anyway the workshop was really fun but i really struggled to keep up with the fast pace that the trainer was going. Even my colleague sitting beside me had to help me twist some of the ballons into shape! Haha, I'm really slow, hor ? But hey, my balloons did not even burst even while I was twisting them, so it was a victory for me !

flower

sword (out of shape, keke...)

Ooh, the "wabbit" that looks really curious !

The black swan that looks more like the Black Cobra

My red teddy bear with a white balloon !

the squirrel mouse which was supposed to be a mouse !

The Last Breakthrough OST by Raymond Lam Fung

2007-05-04T22:10:00.000+08:00

The Last Breakthrough OST by Raymond Lam Fung is really nice tho i have yet to watch the show. The story line sounds good though i wanted to watch becos of raymond lam, haha ! Too bad i got no SCV so gotta wait long long...

Twin "dragons" on TV !

2007-04-22T18:55:00.000+08:00

Ever since i've started work, i barely have time to watch TV shows, after being tired out from juggling studies & work. I'm just physically & mentally exhausted... But I'm never "tired" when it comesto watching TV esp HK dramas ! Anw there's 1 show i've crazy about and never failed to catch... my fave HK drama,
Legend of the Twin Dragons or Da Tang Shuang Long Zhuan, featuring one of my fave lead HK TV actors, Lin Feng Raymond Lam with another cute actor newbie Ron Ng Wu Zhuo Yi.

[left: Ron Ng Wu Zhuo Yi; right: Lin Feng Raymond Lam in Twin Dragons]

As for Lin Feng, i always liked him when he acts in those era drama (he's looked more handsome, keke). I first took note of him when he acted in Lu Zheng Xin Ren Wang as a budding lawyer. He also managed to act serious and funny at the same time, which i think that is versatile of him. Many people say that he got noticed as an actor due to his semblance to Louis Khoo Tin Lok (same dark skin). Boy, he can sing ! He sang in quite a few of the theme songs in his shows. Recently a HK tabloid also showed a survey that he's got the most support for to turn into as a singer with his own album. Yup, he also sang the theme song for Twin Dragons too !

Anw back to talking about Twin Dragons, I've been faithfully watching the show. As usual, there's the usual sword fighting scenes and war zones and revenge plots but it's interesting that how HK can creatively come up with such story lines. In Twin Dragons, Lin Feng acts as Kou Zhong who's a good hearted rascal-like fellow with big ambitions while Ron Ng acts as his fellow quiet buddy Xu Ziling who's content with what he has and is a deep and calm thinker.

As history always shows, heroes have their "hong yan zi ji" so both guys have rather interesting "zi ji" in the show: Kou Zhong with the frank and loud rich lady, Yu Zhi and Xu Ziling with the serene, wanting to-save-the-world-Shi Fei Xuan.

[ Kou Zhong with Song Yuzhi]

[ Xu Ziling with Shi Fei Xuan]

Anw i now take note of Ron Ng too as he portrays his deep thinking character as Xu Ziling really well. Ay, he got really nice big eyes... Really... i can't wait for the next episode ! Wonder why Mediacorp don't allow dual language for HK dramas but for Korean and Jap ones ? I want to learn Canto but so pian sim....

Indie rock rules @ blue Moo on 9 Mar 2007

2007-03-15T21:09:00.000+08:00

If you're a regular of blueMoo, you'll definitely feel weird if you were to step into a less-than-half-filled blue Moo. Only Budak seem to be able to pack the house to the brim i.e 250 ppl over the capacity. But frankly, the cosy atmosphere is definitely there without being squeezed like sardines...

Anyway, there were 2 groups performing: NUS alumni a cappella group Equivox and an indie rock trio 1point Brilliance. They were back for the 2nd time since Dec last year. And i was more attracted to the latter group because the musician in me responded to their music. I'm always crazy about playing in a band as i had the experience playing my church band for umpteen years before. Just last year, i joined with 2 other friends to form a jamming band which try to jm once a month, ranging to pop, rock, jazz(something that we have yet to try...).

Ok, back to 1point Brilliance, they were really good ! Recalled in Dec 2006, Danny, Pearls, myself and a few other blue Moo were raving abt them after we heard Danny's CD recording on his car stereo on our way to our usual supper place. The recording/mixing was done using the blue Moo sound system mixer and it sounded as if it was recorded in a room rather than the outdoors with all the background noise. And it sounded like CD quality ! Then we all decided that the group will be back again and so true enough, they are !

Well, i managed to capture the song "The River" by 1point Brilliance on my digi cam but sorry for the bad lighting, so here it is...

Taiwan TV soap wave

2007-02-22T13:18:00.000+08:00

Have been watching hua yang shao nian shao nu (a.k.a Hana Kimi) as i found that the TV programs were really boring and had no sense excitement. But ever since Meteor Garden, i haven been so crazy over Taiwanese soap. But Hana Kimi is really funny and frankly Jiro and Chun in Farenheit (a.k.a fei lun hai) acted pretty well (at least better than F4) in Hana Kimi.

It's a pity that KO One is not shown on channel U but watching it on Youtube, KO One has a mixture of Hokkien (known as 'guo yu in Taiwan) and Mandarin so prob that's the reason it wasn't shown in Singapore. Btw KO One (feat.Arron, Calvin & Jiro of Farenheit) is quite good a show despite having scenes of lameness. The theme songs in both shows are pretty good except that the saccharine sugar voices of SHE is one that i cannot stand. But Tank is pretty good except that his style is too close to David Tao. But he pens really good songs.

Hokkien dian see kee ?

2007-01-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

Found this Olympus TV ad from Youtube off this blog - http://blog.galvintan.com . . to think the director can come up with such witty and simple ad..

Here's another really lame one... Hokkien James Bond frm Youtube too...

blue Moo on 26 Jan

2007-01-28T22:59:00.000+08:00

Last Fri, i rushed from my lunch appt with church friends at Plaza Sing as we (Adrian, Barry & Joel) celebrated Joel's bday at Swenson's. Should have met earlier at 1pm as i had to rush down to blue Moo to arrange chairs & tables. More like lugging things around...

Reached blueMoo really late like ard 3.45 pm as usually some of them will be there by 1pm to start preparing. Upon reaching & to my relief, nothing much was started. A guy named Eu joined us for the 1st time though he went for a few Budak performances at blueMoo. He wrote in to ask whether he could help out and so we invited him !

Yay, blueMoo got NEW chairs ~ black foldable ones from Ikea, nice !! Unfortunately the weather was really moody. Before i could think of any chair-table arrangement, it started to pour down heavily and the brand new chairs got wet though a few of us tried to bring them in. The rain only only stopped around 5.30pm and then we start work !

Just as we were hoping against hope, we were all not spared of the rain. The show was delayed for almost 1/2 hr as we scrambled to wipe the wet chairs and I was walking up and down like a pasar malam woman, distributing tissue napkins to the audience, haha ! Thankfully the audience were really patient, phew !

Anw the jazz-inflicted repertoire from KE just suited the rainy weather. Not surprised if quite a few left after 1st half. Jazz is one genre which one really need to appreciate unlike the usual blah blend of pop, r&b, rock. I think this time round the songs were better but they definitely cut down on the humor part (must be after my "kind" comments on their humor department !) Not that i dun miss Budak but the atmosphere is just not therew/o Budak. I' msure a lot of fans miss Budak at blueMoo as i know some of us were just not satified with their concert last year at the Durian. Really just not so them.

I enjoy being a girl ?

2007-01-23T17:37:00.000+08:00

A really comical video featuring Caterina Valente, who along with Chita and Carol Burnett is singing "I Enjoy Being A Girl" ala Morticia (and in three part Andrews Sisters harmony no less!). And the poster on Youtube mentioned that the grave digger is Boris Karloff and the show that it's from is THE ENTERTAINERS...

When i went back...

2007-01-08T17:23:00.000+08:00

I went back to my old working place to pack up my barang ands visit my ex-students. You really couldn't imagine the joy that i had at seeing my "darlings" (Faith, Tim & Matt, the twins)again !! When i hugged Faith and Bao, my tears were near to spilling out, it took all my willpower not to cry then. Tim and Matt said that they didn't see me and my heart just broke. Teacher still love you, dearies!

Faith was clinging to me, sitting on my lap. She had gotten a big bowl of rice and was really struggling to finish her food. But she took the effort to finish as i obliged her request for me to feed her. She sat on my lap as she did in the past. I had to follow her around even when she had to search for Teacher J to feed her medicine.

I was very much saddened when i saw how subdued they seemed when Teachers J & W took the class. Where's my lively, talkative children gone to? I still remember their eating and other habits and their personalities, which they only show to me. My heart still ached at the thought of my dearies...

Some thoughts... sad and glad

2007-01-03T14:48:00.000+08:00

Ystd was a pretty relaxed day for me. Having lunch at Coca with the blue Moo family 3 of the Budaks (Gordon, Danny & Joe). Well, lunch was quite ok though i didn't eat much due to a lurch in my stomach - hai, my indigestion problem again ! I admit that i didn't want to go at first as a result of lack of sleep (as in sleepover at Joy's house & waking up at 7am in the next morn to have a cell retreat). Boy, i was glad that Gordon & the little girls (as in Nic & Amanda) were there. So sweet of the 2 girls esp Nic ! I just get really softhearted when i see children. Made me miss my little princes (Damien & the twins, Timothy & Matthew) & princess (Faith). Dunno how i got the strength to last the past 2 days.

I can't believe myself that how calm and composed I am (more like feeling nothing) when i told Joe that i was retrenched. Frankly i really don't know how i feel abt getting retrenched now. Previously i cried the whole week when i got the news about the retrenchment and the sadness continued till Budak concert. I'm was then really in my downs ! That i wasn't really paying attention to what i'm seeing and listening to during Budak concert. That's why when Gordon asked me for feedback, i just said that it was good. So robotic of me.

Ok since i'm on the topic on Budak concert which was titled Budak Pantai Unplucked. The stage had this retro ball hanging and some toys setup on the floor. I only noted the green toy snake twirled around the baby chair. Budak sang mainly "hits" from their current 4 albums like Abuden, All Rice. Leap. I really loved Ai Piah Jia Eh Ya which was a definite improvement when they first sang it at blue Moo in Oct 2006. Six O'clock was good as usual and Gordon changed the 2nd verse and added the bridge (which i didn't take to the bridge part). But it wasn't that bad per say as maybe i'm just not used to it. But i loved the verse & chorus of the song !

I think the "song" of the concert was Titanic Wars (which goes to say Titanic with Star Wars treatment). Joe was supposed to be "Darth Vader" but the effect wasn't too great as the sound engineer should have added a little effect as in the deep throated voice of Darth. Then the audience will probably catch it. I like the part where Gordon (the R2-D2) was drowning and Mike (the taller golden robot which i forgot its name) was trying to speak to R2. What a funny sight !

Also as they forgot to bring their metronome, Mike had to be the human "metronome", haha. Pretty good , i say ;)p Danny was kept amused by the antics of Gordon & Mike that he kept laughing at times and couldn't start playing his guitar. Even i was drawn to amusement ! Well, Mike did his usual teasing of Kak and they sang the Stalker song, which the humor of it was unfortunately lost on the audience. So unlike the blue Moo crowd would probably get in hoots of laughter.

Anw i'm not in the mood for anything today. Just felt like rotting and nua-ing at home. I guess that i will start my new part-time job search tmrw...

My New Year thankyous...2007

2007-01-01T23:59:00.000+08:00

I should have done this at the the end of 2006 but too shacked out to do so... i guess it's not too late to do this thank-you thing at the 1st day of 2007.

Thank you to...

God - for Your peace, strength and providing me with the job and losing it. But the peace you gave me transcends all understanding. And the talent that you gave me sincethe age of 14 - a keen sense of hearing with a touch for music.Thank you for the opportunity to serve You in NTM & Kum Yan (outside of church). I long for more opportunities like this. I want to have more faith & more dependence on You this year. And oh, to read Your Word with times of refreshing...
Agape I CG - for being so encouraging despite my rebeliousness. Let's stay true despite all the ordeal around us.
blue Moo - has been great fun serving God in a unique alternative way & alongside with all of you with all the laughter & humor. Esp so to Pearly for giving me the chance. I've definitely learnt the meaning of servitude.
Caslin - thanks for trusting me to play background music for your musical drama for the children ministry at Kum Yan in Dec 2006 for His glory. I'm truly blessed and humbled by the whole experience, let's do it again at the end of the year... :)
Budak Pantai - You guys has always been a great inspiration to me in a cappella singing though I'm in the midst of going back to singing in an a cappella group again. You never fail to wow me with your odd-sort singing, haha !
Gordon - I really thank God for your kind words over msn sometimes. Really, as i said over msn, i do appreciate you ! I pray that the Lord will grant You joy & peace in your heart. Here's a big fat hug =)
Froggy & Piggy - for your friendship & crazy emails. The friendship between us is unique and strong. Super dino hug from me !!
Bighamster - thanks for helping me with Budak vids & live recordings all these while when my cam & mp3 went berserk on me. I truly appreciate you ! I make you my "zhu4 li3 ("assistant" in Chinese) !
Crappiecake - really happy 4 u that you've found a new job & happiness. Thanks for watching Budak concert with me :)
Judy & Mabel - thanks for trusting me to write the God-inspired tunes for you and to arrange them in an intimate manner. It's a form of ministry as you've said .

Ok, that's all i can thank for though it seemed to be shorter this year. Well, i can still find things to thank for along the way !

Colicky week with blessings

2006-12-16T23:45:00.000+08:00

Decided to change my blogskin again as i needed something more cheerful to look @...

Well, helping at blue Moo on last Fri (8 Dec) was good. Lugging food & drinks with pearls was like stocking for a whole year of food supplies and my arms ached from all the weight the very next day. There were 2 groups performing that day - Equivox ( a cappella grp spun off NUS Resonance) & an Indie rock trio band, 1-point Brilliance. Really had no idea what's indie rock as it sounded more like fusion music (percussion + guitar). But the band was pretty good, so i hope that they'll perform more often. Danny recorded the whole performance on the mixer and the recording was quite clear and sounded as though it was in a room rather than live.

The last 2 weeks, i am really out of shape. Not that it's physically but more of emotionally.... which had me really drained. When my friend called me, i was holding back my tears really hard as i was hit with the bad news that very day. Thankfully i didn't meet up with certain friends or i'm sure that i'll burst into tears even before i can chat with them. Being the temperamental / emotional person i am, I'm not one who can hide emotions or thoughts very well, so......

Today was quite a relief for me. My friend Cas called me during the week to play the keyboard for her musical drama. I agreed to help her even though i wasn't even in the mood. But i was glad that i did. Cas was invited to have her musical drama by her friend's friend who turned out to be a ministry worker from Kum Yan Methodist (small world hor?). Guess what? the place was really far at Woodlands at a secluded apartment occupied by Kum Yan for the elderly and children ministry. Really unique.

The ministry worker seemed to be i/c of the children's ministry as my role was to play carols and provide backgrd music for the drama. This is a first time for me doing extra than the usual worship songs. As i saw the drama unfold and the children (from the heartlands) who were watching, i am really thankful to God who gave me the musical talent - the ability to play by ear despite my classical music training since the age of 7. Seeing the children from the heartlands reminded me of the many blessings that i have and that God loves me in spite of my familial troubles.

All this while, i never forgot my promise to Him that i use my talent to serve Him. I'm grateful to Him for the pockets of opportunity that He provided me to play outside of church, which is rare chance for me. So praise be to Him, my loving Friend & Father.

M-Pact in concert at UCC & more...

2006-11-27T22:07:00.000+08:00

I guess i was twice "blessed" to have free tickets to watch 2 a cappella concerts - Rockapella & M-Pact. Went with Grace last night to watch and we were sitting just 4 rows away from the center stage. Wow, saved me lotsa $$ this time but !

Frankly i was disappointed with mpact the last time round at the open mic. I was impressed with their jazz-pop arrangements with intricate tight clashing harmony. This Nov i really spent a lot on concert buying... CDs. Always have a weakness for them unlike clothes. However, i did feel mpact & rockapella have different styles. Mpact tunes were jazz-classical-tinged pop while Rockapella is jazz-rock-pop. But the latter had more stage presence and were able to involve the crowd much better.

The opening act Nanu did not shine as their glittering outfits. They were like ah-so-not-hot trying to be hot. They were not able to bring out the feel of the song as they sang out of tune a few times. Tic Tac Tone though seemed plainer in their outfit is a more convincing intermission act and their Shang Hai Tan (which was a serious tune) invoked some laughter from the audience. TTT did held back a bit as they were guest performing.

Finally today i got a call from Gwen of The Voice that Budak actually commanded $3000/20mins !! Which is way EX !! Of course we couldn't hire them though we would love to.
So now it's either Tic Tac Tone or Vocaluptuous, i'm crossing my fingers...

A Cappella open mic

2006-11-23T16:36:00.000+08:00

Last nite Grace, Lizzy, WJ & i went for the open mic @ SAC. I thought we're in for a treat as there were 3 groups performing - M-Pact, Agappella & TAS Youth. Not that i regard listening the 3rd grp a treat:X I was looking fwd to checking out the 1st 2 groups as i had never listened to them before.

Agappella was not bad for a budding amateur grp but their sound was sparse and i feel that that the grp had a tat too many members. Their repertoire were quite ok despite the fact the song arrangements were traditional and choral-like.

TAS Youth were very...well... blah. I expected it and the grp had just a slight improvement. That's why i'm never keen on promoting sec sch age a cappella grps. I shall put it here in a la Singlish manner: will not watch 'em even u give me free tix !

M-Pact proved to be a disappointment as i expected their signature hiphop tunes instead of traditional singing which was.... dunno what to say. Anyway Grace & i managed to score a pair of tickets to watch their concert, so if i can change my impression of them then. Even WJ & i agreed that Rockapella is way better ! This open mic was quite not what i like it to turn out to be and i still prefer the singing cum jamming session as always...

Rockapella !

2006-11-16T20:59:00.000+08:00

My oh my ! Really "earned it " le !!! I got 2 pairs of free tickets to Rockapella concert last night. I have to say it's worth and stall seats some more. Wj & i were wowed by the fact that we are 4 rows away + center from the stage. Anyway i bought their CD titled"Rockapella: Live in Japan" and a cappella score book. Blew quite an amt....

Rockapella catapulted to stardom after singing the really earned their namesake ! From the classic oldies like My Girl (by the Temptations) to Motown-tinged tunes, they gave an edgy sound to each & every song. While most groups tend to do to overdo the vocal percussion bit, the group's beatboxer, Jeff Thatcher's percussive beats were smooth and balanced.

They brought easy listening hits such as Love Potion #9, Use Me, Long Cool Woman and the audience really lapped it up. The group even threw smiley balls at the audience and one of its members got to the audience side to invite a lady onto the stage and seranaded her. Rockapella truly milked the audience who were enthralled by their comedic antics & sleek choreography.
Indeed the group did get a standing ovation which is no mean feat for their first time performance in Singapore. I would say that Rockapella gave a stellar performance which is truly electrifying !

A relaxing 4th of Nov !

2006-11-06T21:38:00.000+08:00

Phew ! Thankfully last Sat Trinity Grade 5 piano theory exam was easier than i thought or rather practiced... Had to reach the exam venue by 9am so i had to sacrifice my Zzzz.... I didn't stay in the exam room for long (abt an hr & 15 mins) as my brains were frozen to bits ! All the madness & cramming paid off ! Yes, i will take a darn long break from classical piano !

I was supposed to meet up with WJ around 1.45p.m but i ended up at library@Esplanade to return my long overdued book. Before that i dropped by HMV along the way & bought Corrine May's "The Gift" Christmas album - her latest. Got it for $18.95. Really mellow & simple with a traditional arrangments to the usual carols. But... her vocals are really soothing & heartwarming.

Finally WJ & I reached his vocal teacher's house, he had his usual lesson. Guess what, the teacher's vocal friend who had studied in Germany for umpteen years taught the basics in German. Wow, really tough as German has a lot rules & exceptions & even the "rolling of Rs". Even the language sounds gutteral but heck, it was fun learning a little bit of German. I've definitely benefited a lot from just an hour's session !

Later i left halfway thru the lesson to join my youngest brat of a sis to catch "Sinking of Japan". Well, its a typical disaster show with all the calamities & panic save for an exaggerated visual effects. The director is obviously very imginative in piling 1 disaster after the other in span of few seconds. What's not to have for a hint of romance in the storyline. The movie is a mark of heroism where the insignificant person in the world of politics gave up his life to save all. So touching ?... That remains to see...

I want to learn guitar !!!

2006-10-24T16:34:00.000+08:00

I went to Esplanade supposedly to meet my fren WJ & ended up in Esplanade shop, Maestro Guitars which sells guitars & pianos & books. Then i saw the sign which says "$50 per month" (cheap?) then i saw a nice blue classical guitar which costs only $68 ! It took all my will not to buy that as its so CHEAP. Whats's the point of buying when i can't even play the instrument itself ?

Previously i didn't get to learn becos my dad refused to let me learn due to reasons like impracticality, fingers get callused & hard etc. But i don't mind, you see... So i signed up for acoustic guitar but was put on waiting list till a class is formed for my requested time slot on Sunday.

Then i turned around & saw my fren Eug working at one of the Esplanade shops. I chatted with him for a while before i set off to do what i wanted to do: borrow music books from library@Esplanade. Well, after borrowing the books i wanted, i saw Jon at S'pore Art Cafe & i watched a guitar performance there. Not bad for an amateur. It was similiar to the a cappella open mic as in the performing & jamming style. Quite cool !

Corrine May concert sounds good but her concert tix is really ex !!! But she's really good & maybe i can pick up a tip or 2 from her music... like Gordon did. Anw Gordon's debut song "6 o'clock" from Oct 13 blue Moo was inspired by her & a real good try with a nice tune though melancholic lyrics. Anw this song is short of a bridge that will sound hopeful. Yeah, Gordon, jia you, i'm cheering you here & be behind U, yippeee !! I like Goth:23 a depressing sounding tune inspired by Evanescence but the song is really strong in tight harmony. It's definitely unusual of Budak music. Budak really wow me even more.... I think Budak really outdid themselves le, muahaha...

Anw i'm getting my hands flexed to write a cappella scores again... this time for Kent Ridge A Cappella [KRA]from NUS. I told Joel (my church fren who happens to be in KRA as well) that i can let them try my transcribed scores, "Say Goodbye" - Toxic Audio & "Budak's "Yi Bei Cha".
Anyway i've been meaning to have them sung & so far nobody had sung my pieces yet. Really need to work on more songs....

what happened to the BAND?

2006-10-09T22:09:00.000+08:00

Received news that one of the band members is dropping due to him not being table to commit. I admit that i was disappointed & still am... But i guess we all have to stay as a quartet (drums, bass, vocals & keyboard). Actually i can't really blame him for dropping out as he has commitment playing at the music cafe which has weekend slots for him in time to come as well as.... impending work.

For me, i'm not sure if i can jam from Dec onwards as i have to go back to a no-life kinda style = study + work. As for me singing, i just sort of tire of it esp a cappella singing. Sure, i have the passion but it seem to be starting to fizzle. As to when i can recapture the passion, only He knows when...

Well, i have 2 days of leave which is today & tmrw. The leave is "forced" as i can only carry 7 days' leave fwd to next year or else they'll be forfeited. So might as well take a break...

Jazz at blue Moo

2006-09-30T12:34:00.000+08:00

Last evening, i went to help out at blue Moo for Kak's jazzy solo performance. It was quite disarming to have so many SMU students helping out when the no. of ppl coming is less than 100. Anyway, cowpat & i tried jamming with music blasting our ears from the sound system.
The English songs didn't quite work out but we both managed to jam 1 Chinese song, haha ! Hey, it's a pretty good attempt leh!

Btw Bessy the cow had grown "fatter", haha ! Danny put it there & it must have had too much milk, muahaha, see below....

It was his 2nd solo gig without Budak but surprise, surprise... a first with the other 4 Budaks singing as guest performing. Kak really made improvement in singing ( maybe becos of his SLS lessons?) & humor department. Though he seemed nervous at times, he can hold the audience pretty well. Well, there's always room for improvement.

It was a last min surprise when 4/5 of Budak (as in Mike, Joe, Gordon & Danny) performed. Mike opened the performance with his ultra comical "Somewhere over the rainbow" with a tiny guitar. Joe sang the vomitable (is there such a word?) "Unbreak my heart" which had the audience laughing.

Kak sang mostly slow jazz songs most of the times with some mid-tempo bossa nova tunes, like Wave, One Note Samba. He did a convincing song in Prelude to a Kiss which is quite nice. The evening was really pleasant & soothing with a jazzy snazzy feel to it. Kak displayed his humorous side through his "accidents" (like tripping over the stage lamp, knocking things off) & joking on stage. Well, he shld do this solo more often !

Musical thoughts

2006-09-28T21:30:00.000+08:00

Yin1 yue 4 nao2 hai3...

It was fun jamming tunes a cappella style ystd evening at S'pore art cafe. It was as though i was brought back to the time when i was in TP choir singing a cappella inpromptu. Those memories swept thru my mind when i saw Kent Ridge aca singers. It was also great chatting , jamming with them.

I do miss singing a cappella but being not in an a cappella group anymore. I guess those months with beats & pieces kinda killed my joy. I still love a cappella & it will always be a part of the musical me. Rite i am goin back to my very 1st love - pop keyboard. Going to ai qin hai made me miss playing onstage a bit so it was fun jamming onstage there ! A long time ago, i wanted to form a band of my own playing a mixed bag of genres. So i'm tinking on keyboards in jam band with adrian, kim, joel !

My musical roots & main influence was Christian contemporary. After playing Christian contemporary for almost 10 years now, i felt really tired & exhausted musically to the point that playing in the adult worship team became a real drag for me. It was like a signal for me to move onto other genres of music. So... in the past few years, i dabbled in a cappella singing (Budak Pantai-mad?), pop-rock(english & chinese), mandopunk+hokkien rock (crazy over Mayday a.k.a wu yue tian !!) & of late, jazz esp bossa nova. Which actually recharged me musically.

I'm glad that i switched to a cappella singing which is a total cutoff from playing keyboards / piano. And even the other genres which broaden my spectrum of style of playing. Rite now i only have 1 wish - zi 4 tan2 zi4 chang4 (singing while playing the keyboard)...

Aegeam music cafe

2006-09-26T21:12:00.000+08:00

Ystd i went with wj to support my friend kim for his performance at ai qin hai Music Dreamer cafe. Then juz the nite before wj said that he wanted to sing at the Audience nite there & the song was Wen Rou by Mayday (my fave Chinese band! =))) ). I was to accompany him on the keyboard. Unrehearsed.

I didn't expect myself to go onstage to sing Chun Zhen (by Mayday again!!) as i was down with a sore throat juz a few days and have yet to recover.... But it was nerve-wracking as i fumbled thru the words as i couldn't see e lyrics well as my vision is usually blurred at nite. So i went twice to play keyboard for wj UNREHEARSED - wen rou & the reason (which sounded weird to my ears on plain piano). Despite only 3 tables which we each rotated in performing, the feeling was great !

Juz then jian li & ming yuan (aqh's singers) were there too & then i felt kinda shy. Jianli can really play the keyboard & sing at the same time well ! Cool ! Love the homey & warm atmosphere at aqh. Ya, i definitely will be there whether be it to watch the performance or audience nite... it'll be my one of my fave music haunts !

2nd jamming session

2006-09-24T21:15:00.000+08:00

This time we had a better studio at Peninsular Plaza basement with better instruments despite being a cramped place. We managed to do All The Small Things by Blink 182, Ode To My Family by Cranberries, Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton, Yellow by Coldplay & yeah, The Reason from Hoobastank !

Quite a good session tho my fren the lead vocalist seem kinda lost in some of the songs. But it was fun as the 2nd session. I do hope that we can jam Chinese songs like Mayday, David Tao, Liang Ru etc... Yeah, looking fwd to the next one !

the bandster

2006-09-10T20:14:00.000+08:00

Today i went for a jamming session with esther, adrian, kim, joel & kim. So this was the band line-up:

me = keyboard

esther = vocals

adrian - bass guitar

kim = electric guitar

joel = drums

We jammed quite a few songs such as Blink 182's "all the small things", "Killing me softly", Eric Clapton's "Wonderful tonight" & the Cranberries "Ode to my family". The session was really fun tho' the instruments themselves really CMI (my keyboard range is horrid, drums sounding really squeaky). So.... it was my long-lost dream to play in a band who plays a mixed genre of jazz, pop, rock so i'm really @@ to the next one ! Here comes rockster me !! =)

Oh... HaPPy BirTHday !

2006-09-03T21:16:00.000+08:00

The aftermath of spending my birthday this year... Feeling 'lao' already, hahaha...

Anyway i spent my bday with wj & hm in ai 4 qin2 hai3 folk song cafe at the peripheral of Marina sq last nite. It was a time of laughter & craziness as my 2 frens 'sabo-ed' me. They wrote a Happy Birthday message & when the cafe singers read it on stage, i was literally dragged on stage, giggling at the same time. Though i was jested at by the singers, it was quite a funny experience for me. The 3 of us were laughing the whole time we were there & i ended up in stitches ! The atmosphere in the cafe was really heartwarming and yes, i would want to go there again !

After haggling for so long, i finally got a 2 GB mp3 player of some unknown brand (not what i originally wanted). My dad, sis & me went to the Comex IT fair on Fri nite but then i saw the Creative Zen V plus, 4 GB which i thought wasreally sleek. I like Creative products becos of its extra line-in which other mp3 brands dun have. Creative is releasing a 60 GB one...

Well, Samsung is cool, sleek & its quality is v good but rather ex... Well. i'm gonna save some $$ for my dreamt abt Creative mp3. Ok, the good points abt my new unknown branded mp3 is that it can play videos & store pics & direct transfer & is an ipod/Samsung yp look-alike.

I've just realised that i spent too much these few days (abt $200), such as meals, cabby & a jazz compilation & my fren's album (which is much better than her previous 2 albums) entitled A Girl Meets Bossa Nova 2. Haiz, i'm a real "Big Spender"...

Food for thots...

2006-08-30T19:48:00.000+08:00

One of the amazing things we have been given as humans is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of a better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams.

Think of it: We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families; dream of better financial lives and better emotional or physical lives; certainly to dream of better spiritual lives. And what makes this so wonderful is that we have the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan, along with the step-by step strategies, to achieve those dreams...

So what are your dreams and goals?
What is it that you really want?
Have you ever sat down and thought through your life values and decided what you really want?
Have you ever taken the time to truly reflect, to listen quietly to your heart, to see what dreams live within you?

Your dreams are there. Everyone has them. They may live right on the surface, or they may be buried deep from years of others telling you they were foolish, but they are there.So how do we know what our dreams are? This is an interesting process and it relates primarily to the art of listening.

This is not listening to others; it is listening to yourself. If we listen to others, we can never be fulfilled. We will only chase elusive dreams that are not rooted deep within us. No, we must listen to our own hearts.Let's take a look at five simple steps on hearing from our hearts on what our dreams really are:

Take time to be quiet... This is something that we don't do enough in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet, to peer deep within. It is when we do this that our hearts are set free to soar and take flight on the wings of our own dreams! Schedule some quiet "dream time" this week. No other people. No cell phone. No computer. Just you, a pad, a pen, and your thoughts.
Think about what really thrills you. When you are quiet, think about those things that get your blood moving. What would you love to do, either for fun or for a living? What would you love to accomplish? What would you try if you were guaranteed to succeed? What big thoughts move your heart into a state of excitement and joy? When you answer these questions you will feel great and you will be in the "dream zone." It is only when we get to this point that we experience what our dreams are!
Write down your dreams as you have them. Don't think of any as too outlandish or foolish—remember, you're dreaming! Let your thoughts fly and take careful notes.
Prioritize your dreams. Which feel most important? Which seem most feasible? Which would you love to do? Put them in the order in which you will actually try to attain them. Remember, we are always moving toward action, not just dreaming.
Focus on the big picture: Life is about pursuing your dreams. Someday your life will near its end and all you will be able to do is look backwards. You can reflect with joy or regret. Those who dream, who set goals and act on them to live out their dreams are those who live lives of joy and have a sense of peace when they near the end of their lives. They have finished well, for themselves and for their families.

Remember: These are the dreams and goals that are born out of your heart and mind. These are the goals that are unique to you and come from who you were created to be and gifted to become. Your specific goals are what you want to attain because they are what will make your life joyful and bring your family's life into congruence with what you want it to be.

Meaning of ur name...

2006-08-29T17:28:00.000+08:00

Instructions: What you do is find out what each letter of your name means. Then connect all the meanings and it describes YOU. (Pretty accurate but take it with a pinch of salt) (Isn't it GREAT!!)

PS: If you have double or triple letters, just count the meaning once. ==========================================
A - You can be very quiet when you have something on your mind.
B - You are always cautious when it comes to meeting new people.
C - You definitely have a partier side in you, don't be shy to show it.
D - You have trouble trusting people.
E - You are a very exciting person.
F - Everyone loves you.
G - You have excellent ways of viewing people.
H - You are not judgmental.
I - You are always smiling and making others smile.
J - Jealously
K - You like to try new things.
L - Love is something you deeply believe in.
M - Success comes easily to you.
N - You like to work, but you always want a break.
O - You are very open-minded.
P - You are very friendly and understanding.
Q - You are a hypocrite.
R - You are a social butterfly.
S - You are very broad-minded.
T - You have an attitude, a big one.
U - You feel like you have to equal up to people's standards.
V - You have a very good physique and looks.
W - You like your privacy.
X - You never let people tell you what to do.
Y - You cause a lot of trouble.
Z - You're always fighting with someone

I was wrong, i admit it...

2006-08-26T11:01:00.000+08:00

After the 1st 2 songs of their 1st set, Crappie & i was already half wishing that Budak was singing instead. KE's rattling on & high-ended jokes makes the show seem like ages. Thankfully the show ended 11/2 hr later. Yay, Crappie agreed with me abt their super high-ended jokes that Mike's funnily intellectual jokes seems better. At least, it's human understanding. Yup, i now "appreciate" him even more, ;). Unsurprisingly abt 1/4 of the audience went off aft 1st half.... all becos they can't hold a cafe performance at all. Their stage presence is only good in concert halls or maybe recital studios. Danny who was adjusting the sound system seemed a little lost at being subjected to such a blah-blah kinda performance

KE was supposed to be a jazz grp but there's this song who was just made up of vowel sounds which doesn't take well with the audience will. Well, i'm ok but.... As Pearly & her fren, me sat in Danny's car on our way to supper, we were also talking abt KE's performance at blue Moo. I agree with what Pearly said: KE were unsuiatble for such a cafe setting. As Danny commented in the car, KE sang in ala school-choir style . At each change of song, they either said that the next song is sung by who&who or who&who arranged this song. Frankly, i cant even rmb any one of the songs they sang ystd !

After last nite, Eug, Crappie & me & a few others were "missing" Budak. I felt they ended the performance. It's just singing out of obligation. And yes, there were ppl who asked at the booth for Budak even before & after the whole performance. So i jokingly told them to petition. I think Budak will be back in Sept before the juices ferment, keke... Can't wait !! Really miss u guys, Budak. So poor Crappie & i + others had 2b satisfied seeing 1/5 of Budak = Danny.

What possessed me to have such a title ? Yes, i thot of Budak's Fann's Song aft watching KE at blue Moo last nite. Yeah, this is one of my random butchering of Budak's songs.....

Budak's "Fann's song" a.k.a Qiu Ni Hui Lai (Please Come Back) - chorus

I was wrong, i admit it
Wo qiu Budak hui lai
I am soli
Pls forgive me
Pls come back to blue Moo...

Muahaha.... i know i'm being lame but heck ! Hahaha !

Quality quotes

2006-08-07T19:27:00.000+08:00

Quote 1:
Ever hear the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure out how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars. "What?" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!" So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill." The man sent a bill that read: Tapping with a hammer $2.00 Knowing where to tap $9998.00

=> Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.

Quote 2:
One of the most memorable case studies I came across on Japanese management Was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc. but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

=> Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem. Learn to focus on solutions not on problems. Be simple, solve simply

Food-ology

2006-07-29T19:13:00.000+08:00

Went to Dragon Gate restaurant @ Harbourfront with my familyfor my mum's birthday lunch. The food there wasn't too great & the service is so... blah. The manager's attitude really sucks but the asst manager is at least more sincere in his service to us !

The food was kinda bland to me. I was wishing that i was at Hua Yu Wee restaurant (juz located opp my ol' home) instead. The food though plain-looking + unglam place, was better in my eyes and mouth and the aunties serving us was more sincere. That sincerity added flavour to their food.

Yes, sincerity in food is impt. Just like the daddy chef in this old Korean drama who actually produced good zha2 jiang4 mian4 which customers loved is because he put in sincerity in cooking. His source of strength is that he always thinks of cooking good food for his son. This kind of sincerity showed in the food that he cooked for customers and his food got raving response from anyone who tasted his food.

Yes, sincerity can be tasted. And that was lacking in the food at Golden Gate restaurant which looks impressive but food is lacklustre. Obviously the person who cooks the dishes failed to put the heart & soul & sincerity in cooking the food. But can't totally blame him as the mentality of Singaporeans is - discount, cheap, value for $$. Oh, crap !

Very National Day songs, hor?

2006-07-26T17:26:00.000+08:00

My friend zhaong sent me this, very funny & true actually...

WE ARE CHIN KANG KOR
There was a time when people said that bus fares won't increase ...... but it did
There was a time when people think that CPF contributions won't decrease ..... but it did

We build a nation with nothing free
Reaching out together, for all your money .....

Chorus:
This is my country, this is my flat
Is there any future, or is this a lie...
What happen to my family,
what happen to my friends...
We're Chin Kang Kor,
Chin Kang Kor

Singapore, our homeland, it's here that we're conned...
All of us united, one people struggling on...
We worked so hard together, what have we achieve...
Singapore forever, a nation with price increase...

COUNT MONEY SINGAPORE
You and me, our jobs to part
Stand together, crying our hearts
We're going to show the world what retrenchment can be
We can achieve, we can achieve
There is something in the Toto booth that we can strike for...
We were told of 4D dreams that we could try for...
There's a spirit in the air
It's a retrenchment feeling we all share...
We're going to put a bigger stake for you and me
Hope to win, hope to win...
Count money, Singapore
Count wrongly and you'll lose even more
Count on me to give my savings and more
Count money, Singapore

Throaty...

2006-07-25T20:54:00.000+08:00

Wah... many ppl fallin sick including me who's still recovering from a bad throat & a bad bout of flu. This morn i really feel like taking another day MC + regret not asking the doc to give 2 days instead of 1... So i went to work like a zombie & the kids drove me nuts !

I wonder if anyone feel tsunamied by mountains of work ? What a dumb qns, ay? I bet every Singaporean is suffering the tsunamis syndrome = overworking. I am currently suffering that, blah, blah, blah...

inpromptu...

2006-07-15T14:44:00.000+08:00

Went for a cappella open mic at S'pore art cafe (SAC) on Wed with wj and zh and his fren. It was great watching an amateur grp who had a potential there. My fren's grp performed too though they were doing not too good. But still it's an opportunity to perform which my ex-grp failed to grasp.

I enjoyed myself immensely despite having a cold that day and fatigued. I was even "dragged upstage" by Jon the organiser. It was really an experience trying to sing with stuffy nose and fatigue on your body. But heck, it was FUN!! Hope that there will be an a cappella vocal jam there at SAC any time soon...

Finally got time to hear Elisha's cd which was a r&b, hiphop . Yes, i was one of the backup vocals in his song "Dip into my mind" & named as QM in the credits on the album sleeve. It's kinda cool being able to sing in an album & it's a first for me ! Well, his album was quite good for a debut. Not too sure if the album will on sale in stores locally but heard that it got quite a review in the US.

a cappella crazed...

2006-07-10T20:37:00.000+08:00

Woo hoo! After leaving e musically stifling bnp, i felt so invigorated after so long & ready to sing again ! * stretch arms, legs & muscles. If i actually get to do vocal lessons, i plan to sing pop, jazz style in the a cappella genre.

Now it's the seasons of the arts. U can literally feel 'arts is in the air' atmosphere locally. So i'm not li4 wai4.... Recently Budak got this vomit-inducing song in "Unbreak my heart" which had yet to get me tickled. As to why it' "vomit -inducing", the xuan2 ji1 is in e lyrics, hehe... Maybe i need a long time to "digest" most songs. Just like gordon's "king of wishful thinking" which by now i came to love the song ! Except for "pedro's song" which had been "blacklisted" from my mp3 player & ears 4eva! Muahaha... :)p Anw, Budak songs often inspire me when it comes to a cappella arranging ! a cappella wan4 sui4 !

Well, i started to transcribe Budak's "the reason" arr but only the intro part which i particularly like. But the bad thing is it's going at a super snail pace due to me being unable to get e notation right. My sightreading so "good", rite? Anw, i'll be going for e A CAPPELLA open mic this Wed, details are as below... @@ down here lor...

GOT! A CAPPELLA OPEN MIC AT THE SINGAPORE ART CAFE
GOT! stands for Gathering Of Talents. And that is exactly what is happening each Wednesday evening, at the Singapore Art Cafe, located within the Esplanade library. The open mic session on July 12 will feature vocal bands. GOT! A Cappella will showcase 2 budding a cappella groups M18 & Vocollision on July 12 (Wed) . It is hoped that such open mics will help raise the profile of a cappella music in Singapore. Established groups are also encouraged to participate in the open mic so as to provide inspiration to the younger ones.

Sing, sing a song...

2006-07-08T16:25:00.000+08:00

Feeing tired out after work recently. I've finally squeezed some time to sing in tp choir after struggling with my free time. I found that... i missed singing in choir. Even more so than in beats & pieces (bnp) ! Ever since i've started work, i found that i had to postpone / give up a lot of my music passion like a cappella singing, jazz piano, vocal lesson etc.

What really make me relaxed is the place of blue Moo. Even w/o the Budaks singing. blue Moo indeed have a special place in my <3. Lis, yimei & myself carrying the cake (which almost slipped off my hands) went down to celebrate Kak & Joe's b-day. Yes, Kak blew off Joe's candle by error & the lighter refused to light up when we tried to relight Joe's candle, haiz...

Memories of a cappella singing (performing, vocal jamming) flooded my mind while watching Budak rehearsing juz before 2nd half of the 30th Jun performance. I was then watching gordon singing at the corner of my eye. That very passion that reminds me what i've lost. Which made me a little sad. After the show, i finally managed to talk to mr serious but sarcastically funny Guy who usu rushed home. Well, we talked stuff so don't bother to ask me what we talked abt.

An hour ago, i finally said it. I told ek thru msn that i'm leaving bnp for good. No matter what the decision is, i will still leave the grp. Sounds like a breakup line, haha... I guess i finally reached my threshold of tolerance of bad music. Maybe it's my musician temperament acting up or that i had mellowed over the years.

Lessons from a Tree's Life

2006-06-26T21:13:00.000+08:00

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and fulfillment of your fall.

Encouragement:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don’t judge life by one difficult season.
Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.

Getting quizzical

2006-06-24T11:49:00.000+08:00

Your Birthdate: September 2

You're so intuitive, it's like you have a sixth, seventh, and eighth sense.
You connect with others freely and easily - and you tend to have many best friends.
Warm and caring, it's hard for you to close your heart to anyone.
Affection is like air for you - you need to give and receive it to survive.

Your strength: Your universal compassion

Your weakness: Your unpredictable mood swings

Your power color: Mauve

Your power symbol: Butterfly

Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

You Are 50% Weird

Normal enough to know that you're weird...
But too damn weird to do anything about it!

How Weird Are You?

You Should Get a MFA (Masters of Fine Arts)

You're a blooming artistic talent, even if you aren't quite convinced.
You'd make an incredible artist, photographer, or film maker.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

You Are a Pineapple Jelly Bean

Easy going and undemanding, you have good taste but aren't a show off about it.

What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You?

You Are Dublin Mudslide Ice Cream

You won't remember any of this in the morning

What Flavor Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Are You?

Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino

Smooth and sweet, you fit in to almost any crowd. No one would suspect you of being a coffee tweaker!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

You Are an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

On the surface, you're a little plain - but you have many subtle dimensions to your personality.
Sometimes you're down to earth and crunchy. Other times, you're sweet and a little gooey.

What Kind of Cookie Are You?

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you.
But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft.
You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily.
You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

You Are Rocky Road Ice Cream

Unpredictable and wild, you know how to have fun.
You're also a trendsetter who takes risks with new things.
You know about the latest and greatest - and may have invented it!

You are most compatible with vanilla ice cream.

What Flavor Ice Cream Are You?

1/2 day out @ Chinese Garden with my "kids"

2006-06-21T18:48:00.000+08:00

At first, i was supposed to stay behind with some of my "kids" who are not going to the excursion to the Chinese garden. I admit i felt left out as i've been going with my kids from my N1 class in the past few excursion. Being the worrier i am, i couldn't help worrying abt my kids who signed up to go. But due to shorthandedness, i was assigned to go at the very last minute ! I was elated !

It turns out that Chinese garden is a big disappointment. There wasn't much things to see for me & the children. Mien kept asking to see the turtles which were practically non-existant save for 2 tiny ones in the pond. Chinese garden was indeed picturesque and one can be brought back to the times of the Tang dyansty or ancient Chinese times. Becos there wasn't much things to see, it wasn't a rush for the children except for the rush for picnic time !

Dinosauria !

2006-06-13T19:41:00.000+08:00

Went to the S'pore Science Centre with my "kids" today. Guess what? The Brat came too! I knew that he was bad news when he came along. True enough, he can't keep still most of the time and kept tugging on my arms. I was half wishing that i could leave him in some ***forsaken place in the centre... Anw, he was like a dinosaur or maybe worse, bleurgh!

I juz wanna say bravo to my kids esp my fave Mien who didn't show any fear in the omnitheatre. Well, during the documentary, i at times talked to Mien abt the dinosaurs in the show which i thought help to remove his fears. However, it was the naughty kids in my working place who cried while watching the show, how ironical is that? At least this trip wasn't as tiring for the kids unlike the one at Jurong Birdpark last time...

GDOP after-effect

2006-06-05T21:26:00.000+08:00

Went to GDOP (global day of prayer). Really thankful to God for providing the good weather though it was humid. I could handle as the Chinese saying goes... xin1 jing4 zi4 ran2 liang...
Skipped dinner as the buses left the church around 5.15 p.m to reach the stadium juz by 6p.m or so.

The experience was really humbling for Christian Singaporeans as 2 sides of the leaders publicly 'humble' themselves to apologize to each other. As to whether it's real, only He knows. They washed each other's feet as an act of humility as seen in how Mary washed the feet of Jesus. I'm not trying to be preachy here but having to wash one's feet is not easy let alone to put asie one's pride.

Well, this morning was a drowsy & sleepy one for me as i slept at around 12+ due to the GDOP event ending at 10p.m the night before. The day was smooth-sailing for me save for tantrums from the 2 clever kids in my N1 class, haha!

Great week !

2006-05-26T19:45:00.000+08:00

This week is tiring as usual but very fulfilling... I was elated to hear 1 of my twin kids who had delayed development asking me abt absent classmate. He said:" Where is Meg?" It took me by surprise as both the twins can't speak words very well. But after the surprise came the elation. Yes, i'm making some headway for the twins and for myself as a teacher ! It really made my day today!!

Another good news is that i may "work" on Sat as well for enrichment classes with one of my church frens. It's still extra income as my own salary is really pathetic. Looks like i have to put my plan to take vocal lessons on hold. But my piano is still priority... it's still a choice.

a choral Saturday...

2006-05-21T20:02:00.000+08:00

I had to work OT on a Saturday? It's juz so ridiculous! Butasfor yesterday, it's no choice as it's my workplace's Family Day where the whole grp had to climb Bukit Timah hill early in the morn. I had to sacrifice my precious sleep juz to climb for 2 hours of OT. Well, the kids and i was taking it rather well when we climbed up. But this was not the case when we walked down. Many of us showed fatigue and i suffered painful soles as i walked down the hill.

After that i went home to rest and before long, i fell asleep. My hp rang and woke me up at 5.45p.m when wj rang to remind me of the choir concert we're supposed to go. Great, it was around 6.15pm that i got ready and reached city hall mrt by almost 7p.m. I met up with grace and wj at Marina Sq's Carl's Junior and quickly wolfed down some soggy cheese fries which was not even worthy of $6.20.

We went to watch this Finnish choir known as YL (which stands for Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat) Finnish choir who performs with our SSO at Esplanade concert hall at 7.30p.m in the evening. The choir was pretty good esp when they sang with the orchestral backing. So clear and so strong. However, SSO needs more work in the way they end the movement and transit from one movement to another. Even wj and grace told me that the choir they went the week before was much better which made me wish that i had gone to that one instead. Frankly it'd be better if i can just hear the choir alone then...

I want to watch MOVIES !!

2006-05-17T21:21:00.000+08:00

hat a tiring week! And so many good movies to catch up... MI-III, X-Men, Da Vinci Code...
Actually the one that i really @@ fwd to is Pirates of the Carribean 2 : Dead Man's Chest. Yeah, my fave actor Johnny Depp ! He's considered one of Hollywood's most bankable stars... dunno wat dat means... mayb he can be exchanged in monetary terms? Hahaha... Hope that movie come out soon !!!

Frankly i hardly watch movies becos firstly... many have crappy storylines... secondly... a lot of cliches and oh-so typical-scripts.... thirdly... a lot of flower vase actors/actresses. That's why i feel indignant and fussy what i watch @ the cinema. Ok, ok, i want to give my 2 cents' worth on the so-called must-catch movies.

MI-III : Tom Cruise, the actor/producer behind the hype. Though 4 stars is given for the review, well... i just keep my fingers crossed...

X-Men : Frankly i think this show is a better catch as i used to watch the cartoon series when i was young. The 1st instalment was enjoyable and hope this one will be just as good...

Da Vinci Code : the show that will take the Christian world by storm. Also non-Christians alike. Anyway the author of the book of the same title had been sued by the author of Holy Grail, another book of Christian heresy. How on earth The Last Supper, a painting of Leonardo Da Vinci create such chaos? I'm just amazed that codes can be hidden in a painting ! My sis had already read it. I had yet to read the book though i doubt the book will shake my faith in God. If i have the time, i probably borrow and read it.Even though i have not read the book, i will definitely catch this one. For the curious, check out this website, www.davincideception.com.

Tiring !

2006-05-07T21:07:00.000+08:00

Really feel tired & juz wanna SHOUT out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that my psycho maid had left our house and the chores is left to my mum to do. I admit i, being the 1ooo gold gal, feels indignant abt doing chores esp when i'm tired out from work. My weekends are spent feeling tired.

Such that when i went to church, i was in tears while singing in worship to God. I was literally pleading with Him. It's no joke that u haf to handle 20 3-year olds in a class and having to "entertain" them with their tantrums, i-want-this & i-want-that & the like. Sometimes i really feel like a clown. Ok, i haf no inspiration to blog more so i shall stop here for now.

A touch of peace !

2006-05-03T20:07:00.000+08:00

Yes, i have 2 days of peace becos this super-vocal kid BS is absent from my class ! I always felt that he is super spolit. I know that i'm supposed to love all children but this BS is one whom i (for now) cannot stand his "spolitness" ! Right now i feel if the kid is absent 4eva, my world will be @ peace ! =) *grinz

Ok, enuff complaining... Well, on May Day late morn, i went to weijie's vocal lesson. His teacher lydia was really young for a vocal teacher and a superb voice to match! She even tested my vocal range which turned out to reach below weijie's lowest note that he can reach (a left hand C, i think) and a right-hand B ! That makes me a mezzo soprano ! Really happy for words! Anw, grace was to do a duet with weijie but lydia said that my highest note for now is the same as grace.

I told lydia that i hoped to sing Latin and jazz esp shanghai jazz. She recommended me to sing Italian songs which i dun even know how to pronounce the language! Haha !! She even asked me to choose a song on my own but i dunno what song to sing leh...

2nd week of work...

2006-04-29T14:23:00.000+08:00

It was a whirlwind week or should it be the start of more days of whirlwind for me? I admit i felt indignant that my colleague R called up to scold early in the morn juz to say that i'm selfish to keep the 2 worksheet resource books for myself for the weekend and that i should have my own copy for myself and rattled on and on. She even threatened to 'sue' me in front of the centre manager and that was really unreasonable ! While she rattled on, i juz shut her out mentally...

Juz becos i'm new in the centre, she took chance to pick on me ! Crap! Frankly her tone sounded whiny like a PG kid... Thankful teacher K warned me abt her 'bullying' beforehand so i managed to take it in stride... Should haf gone for sign language class but i was too tired out to go so stay at home and do more research on ECE stuff for the children. Tonite still have Hokkien svc to play at. I really need strength...

1st week of work !

2006-04-21T17:48:00.000+08:00

Well, i'm now working now at a childcare ctr near my place. Well, thankfully it's near as i, the nite bird always fails to wake up super early ! My bio-clock is around 9a.m but i hv 2 wake up before 7a.m? Thrice i took a cabby !

I'm i/c of N1 & N2 children which i admit is a handful for me. So i'm still learning to handle them with <3 & care... Frankly everyday i'm struggling with the routine things in the ctr, which caused me a lot of mental stress. Furthermore my Lasiky eyes havn recovered totally and that added on to my frustration...

U know, there's this boy Mien who is really advanced in intelligence for his age and really cute & lovable. He really liked my animal puppets ! I always 'melt' whenever i see him... hahaha ! Frankly i really need a prayer of <3 & patience towards the children as well as strength (physical, mental & emotional) strength...

Lasik...the aftermath

2006-04-12T16:08:00.000+08:00

It's been quite some time since i blogged... feel really fatigued as i'm typing this. Why? I underwent Lasik just about 2 weeks ago & my vision has yet to be totally recovered. Now my right eye began to feel prickly + scratchy whenever its dry. Currently, my vision in the evening gets blurry such that when i helped out at blue Moo just last Fri, I could barely see anyone who's within a feet of me. Even Budak looks "blurry" and their stage spotlight is glaring down at me.

blue Moo & Budak were pretty much the same but somehow i felt unsatisfied. Maybe good things don't last very long. The session was shortened as Kaks had to leave becos of his medical appt (so late?) Upon hearing Gordon's "The Reason", i kinda like it now as i didn't take to their rendition the 1st 2 times i heard it. Wang Chun Feng seems to sound better. Yup, they also sang one of my faves - Qing Ren De Yan Lei !

I was helping out at the rooftop that Fri since 3 o'clock and running up and down. By the time Budak started singing, i was too tired out to really pay attention to their singing. Since i couldn't see Budak really clearly, i closed my eyes at times to bask in the mood of the songs. Really wonderful feeling... After blue Moo had ceased operation, i decided to help pack up the place and join them for supper @ Geylang. The blue Moo gang were quite nice and Danny said that they always goes to this eatery which serves pretty good dim sum ! yummy ! After that, i reached home around 1+a.m.

Well, that's the good part. Here comes the bad part...
My mum had been nagging to get a JOB. Any job in fact. If i can do any job, i would done so a long time ago ! I really need to trust in God for this. So if i'm going thru a rough patch right now, this is it...

Hokkaido trip - 12 to 18 Mar 2006

2006-03-22T15:44:00.000+08:00

I just recovered from the after effects & jet lag from my recent holiday to... HOKKAIDO !
I realised that i really miss the place. Really wish that i could stay longer.... haiz, really ex for the cost of living in Japan. Anw, we stayed in Hokkaido for 6 days then went to Tokyo for 1 day. It was my Mum's and my regret that we didn't extend for another day in Tokyo as it was really very rushed for us to do shopping or even try the sushi and ramen in Japan, haiz...

Hokkaido is really so cold that my mouth went numb at times esp when the strong wind blows. But yes, i managed to bask in the snow blowing in my face even though it's nearing the end of winter. The tour guide Chris (a Taiwanese who immigrated to Japan with a huge dose of humour and wit) said that winter ends in April for Hokkaido.

Well, my Mum & i went under a tour grp since we can't converse in Japanese. My flight was 11.30p.m and the journey to Tokyo-Narita airport is 6 hrs. That's not the end of it. Upon reaching Narita airport, i was freezing and we had to take an hour long coach to a domestic flight airport (can't rmb the name, shld be Hokodate airport bah...) to take another 1.5 hrs to Hakkaido.

Thankfully we took another coach from the airport from Hokkaido to have lunch which was a decent Japanese bento or set meal. The snow crab was big & esp sweet and juicy ! Later we stopped by a supermarketour 1st hotel - Tokachigawa Daiichi hotel, which is actually a pretty good hot spring resort.

The yukada (which resemble the kimono) had to be worn to the hot spring or public bath as stated in the hotel. You can choose to soak indoors or outdoor in the open. The outdoor bath is much comfy as the water is not too hot but the indoor ones is super hot which is about 40 degrees !

Our itinery within Hokkaido, Sapporo, Hakodate and Otaru. Hokkaido is famed for its raw products, seafood and melon Kit Kat and of course...

yummy white lovers' choc !

the exquisite packaging

the white lovers' choc (bai2 se4 lian4 ren2) which only found in Hokkaido only and not found in other parts of Japan...

There's also Otaru city which resembles a mini European town with a history of about 100 years or so.

When you enter the place, there's a mini cafe which is famed for serving 6 flavours of ice-cream in a plastic cup. Melon, cheese flavor and more ! My mum and i shared the 6-in-1 flavors there ! After that we travel to another place to take photos and proceeded to have dinner which was a nice steamboat dinner. After dinner, i ate ice-cream when it's freezing outside, cool !

What i really liked is the huge snow crab - its claw meat is naturally juicy and sweet rather than the hairy crab with its thorny claws and hairs tickling your mouth when you attempt to eat it.

snow crabs

hairy crabs

Ok, there's so much to say actually but i let my Hokkaido trip photos do the talking !

Vision cleared...

2006-03-09T18:03:00.000+08:00

Went for Lasik assessment on Monday which lasted for 3 hours 15 mins. My vision was blurred for 2 days due to the eye drops that the nurse administered to my eyes for refractive corrrection for the tests. Today, i finally can blog about this as my vision return to normal liao...

My eyes kept auto-focusing that i had to have 1 extra drop ( the norm is 3 drops: 1 drop/10 min interval) to dilate my pupils. Good news is that i'm an ideal candidate for Lasik becos my cornea is thick? After the round of tests, i found that my left eye vision worsened & realised that i had astigmatism. My left eye astigmatsim was 200+ while my right was 50+. All becos i smtimes rubbed my left eye.

I guess i'm happy that i pass the criteria for Lasik but the bad news is that i can't go for Budak's concert on 31 Mar at YMS Arts centre as i have the op on 28 & 30 Mar. The op schedule is as follows:

28 Mar - op on left eye

29 Mar - follow-up

30 Mar - op on right eye

31 Mar - follow-up

U see, how to go 4 Budak's concert? Boo hoo, I WANNA GO !!! At the most i'll go to watch with sunglasses on which is really mad + ridiculous of me to watch a concert with sunglasses?

MOOve it, mOOve it !

2006-03-05T20:11:00.000+08:00

I was late for an hour yesterday when i went to help out for "springcleaning" at blue Moo at 2p.m at the rooftop. So by the time i reached there, the things are almost laid out in an organised heap (?) by Danny & Pearly. So there were only 3 of us ?

The weather was scorching HOT & we were sweating madly or turning red. Lis & her neighbour came later... Yes, we were lugging stuff into bags and boxes under the scorching sun. Lis & her neighbour & me escaped under the shelter to cool off and we kept hydrating ourselves with the water cooler !

We were packing the cloths and blue Moo T-shirts when we noted most of them were rather small and some even were child-sized ! The T-s were really nice but i seldom wear white T-s for fear of getting dirtied... Danny made me read the lable on the white T which was launched together with the orange CD which read - "Orange What?" Oh, pronounce it the Singlish way?

So much junk ! I think we pretty much emptied half the 3 sheds and lug 5 bags of junk down! Btw, Danny's wife & daughter Nicole came to help too. Nicole had a PDA as she siad that her mum gave it to her... Ai yo, so young got PDA. When i was her age, i dun even haf a hp leh ! No lah, her mum told me that the PDA was a hand-me-down... So it was more of a toy lor !
Hey hey, this cute cow came home with me ! I just realised as i was typing this that i forgot to take back the aprons that i got from Pearly... oh well, maybe next blue Moo then i get from her !

I left around 6.15p.m and took a cab to Hokkien svc. Was so tired by the walking up & down the stairs & carrying trashbags that my hands really 'bo luck' in playing the keyboard. I was struggling to play firmly and had to use double my arm strength. The church went into a blackout just when i was about to eat my dinner so i had a blackout dinner instead of a candlelight one, haha ! By the time i went home, i juz knocked out on my bed after my bath.

Survivor's Law

2006-03-01T09:53:00.000+08:00

28 Feb 2006 marks the day.... * drums rolls, gong clangs*.... of my GRADUATION DAY !!!!!
No more classes 4 nites/wk, burn midnite oil, lose sleep etc... Juz wanna shout YEAH !!
Well, the class had a feast & too much food, that it makes my stomach turn, cripes !

Boo hoo, my fave HK drama Survivor's Law (lu4 zheng4 xin1 ren2 wang2) for the month is going to finish ! Quite sad because i enjoyed every chapter which is really rare for me the HK drama junkie. Haven seen a decent HK drama much because usually the story is boring or very typical. I usually enjoy their police or law-related show because they can come with a really good case which keeps you guessing. Hey, after all, HK is also well-known for their strong police or law TV show in the past. It's still as good as eva !

The review for Survivor's Law was good as i read from i-weekly. The show was thought badly of due to having new actors as the main cast but later enjoyed high viewership. I started to watch because there was no nice show on tv and my Dad told that Lin Feng ( the male actor of Verdant Gold Lofty water) acts in it. When i recall that old show, my Dad & I couldn't help but laughed the really weird English title that HK dramas always seem to have. The English title always don't fit in with the Chinese titles, haiz, haha !

Ok, here's the synopsis of Survivor's Law... it's in 'chim' Chinese. If u can't read, i'm not going to to tell U, haha! read 4 urself, ya? http://tvcity.tvb.com/drama/survivor_law/story/index.html

ok, intro the cast to U...

Le Bin

Qing Ling

Sijia

Weiming

I like Le Bin the best becos of his zhong1 hou4 lao3 shi2 look ! He really @@ diff wearing specs. He does resembles Louis Koo w/o specs. I think he was chosen becos of the resemblance & the dark skin he used to have...

Hat..shopped

2006-02-23T20:28:00.000+08:00

Maybe my post title sounds weird or even offbeat. But there's a reason for it...
Well, i went lunching cum shopping with my mum today. Took a day off or rather many days off, hehe !

My parents & i went to Fortune Ctr to eat this famous bak chor me or minced meat noodles which i thot couldn't compare with the $5-6/bowl @ Marina Sq hawker ctr which is the BEST in my years of eating bak chor mee ! Plus a super potent but fragrant cup of kopi ! Afterward, my dad parted ways with my mum & i & we both went to Dynasty travel to pay up for our upcoming Hokkaido trip.

I was reading the itinery and hot spring baths were part of the package, yippee ! Really @@ fwd to soaking in the hot springs ! The tour agent even said that Sapporo are famous for their melon products esp melon Kit Kats. Frankly, i @@ fwd to eating the authentic Japanese food esp sashimi (the real McCoy!) there. Furthermore it'll be v cold there. The weather can reach up to 0 degrees Celsius in the day & - 2 degrees Celsius in the night. It's still winter season in Mar and spring only comes in May, burrr...

After settling the payment, Mum & i went to Rochor hawker to have the v famous beancurd dessert but to our disappointment, it was sold out ! We then proceeded to OG to look @ some winter clothing. While Mum was browsing through the winter clothing, i went to the shelf of hats.

I tried 1 hat after another in front of the mirror. Guess what? The hats i've tried gave me all sorts of looks.

beggar look.
xiao zha bor look.
cancer patient look.
robber look (my sis said that i looked like that when i went to Beijing a few years ago with my family.)
curry puff look (the hat was quite puffy on top with tons of space)
elongated head look

Haha, i have a chameleon head, ya?+ a big head (literally!) ;D ! Then... from OG, we "moved" to Bugis Junction then to East point & this is what we got from our shopping spree..

a big winter hat
2 turtle necks
a blue-white tanktop
a khaki 3/4 pants
honey roast chicken
sushi & vinegared ginger
boursin (yummy cheese brand!)
veggies

I realised that i haven't shopping for quite a while and i still feel the same way about shopping. I can't shop for 3 hours ! I started feeling edgy and restless after an hour of shopping. I'm the see- fast, get-fast, shop-fast kinda person. It was on the MRT trian on our way home that my mum decided to stop at Simei get more veggies @ NTUC while i wanted to get my pens because my sis always take my pens and they run out of ink fast...

Well, that's my day for today. To the day of slacking, hahaha...lolx ! Finally...

Your Scholastic Strength Is Deep Thinking

You aren't afraid to delve head first into a difficult subject, with mastery as your goal. You are talented at adapting, motivating others, managing resources, and analyzing risk.

You should major in:

Philosophy
Music
Theology
Art
History
Foreign language

What Should You Major In?

Reach...

2006-02-21T14:00:00.000+08:00

Searched thru Yahoo 4 e lyrics for this really lovely tune which Budak sang at blue Moo juz recently with a S'pore workout -like choreo + a short Wong Fei Hung interlude. It's titled Reach, originally sung by Gloria Estefan.

Reach by Gloria Estefan

Some dreams live on in time forever
Those dreams, you want with all your heart
And I'll do whatever it takes
Follow through with the promise I made
Put it all on the line
What I hoped for at last would be mine

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be stronger
Know that I've tried my very best
I'd put my spirit to the test
If I could reach

Some days are meant to be remembered
Those days we rise above the stars
So I'll go the distance this time
Seeing more the higher I climb
That the more I believe
All the more that this dream will be mine

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be stronger
Know that I've tried my very best
I'd put my spirit to the test
If I could reach

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
I'm gonna be stronger
From that one moment in my life
I'm gonna be so much stronger yes I am
Know that I've tried my very best
I'd put my spirit to the test
If I could reach higher
If I could, If I could
If I could reach
Reach, I'd reach, I'd reach I'd reach
I'd reach so much higher
Be stronger

Anyway, I'll be back in action as a keyboardist for Hokkien svc in March ! It means i gotta brush up on my Hokkien 'gua1' .... :D Oh my dear, tonite it's my 1st time playing 4 a funeral service for a fellow church member. What a way to officiate my coming back in the worship ministry after 2 years of dormance...

Freedom...at last !

2006-02-20T19:08:00.000+08:00

After a grueling 2 weeks of attachment, i'm finally free... frEE... FREE ! Today i really feel slack & checking my email, updating blog & website. Went food-shopping wif my mum @ Bedok NTUC. Bought my fave almond beancurd @ Mr Bean, yummy !

Finally pluck up the courage to call National Eye Center for eye assessment for Lasik. Decided to go 4 it though i feel apprehensive despite ppl saying it's safe. It's always a risk dabbling with your body such as liposuction, plastic surgery etc...

Well, i finally blog after so long after my last entry since CNY. Wanted to blog but things kept popping up. Goals for this week:

finish attachment report by 25 Feb
practice my a cappella grp's piece
practice my piano esp scales (which i dislike earnestly)
do some Grade 5 theory
write some songs which had been swimming in my head for some time now

Some updates on the Budaks: 2 new vids added, yay ! (my 2 fave songs) thru the Windows Media Encoder which was pretty good to convert my avi vids to wmv format !

V-day of 2006

2006-02-14T22:27:00.000+08:00

I went to the SIA club for dinner with my parents. My sis even chided me for being a "light bulb" on the V-day, haha! But i juz want to have a decent food. So silly of us to drive when we can actually walk to the place, haha, 3 "sua ku-s" !

We were supposed to try this new Chinese restaurant but felt that the menu was more suitable for a bigger crwod of ppl. Thus we decided to try a 2-week old Japanese cafe resturant there. My mum and i shared a $50 set meal (wah, so ex?) while my dad ordered his fave tempura despite the fact he's never been crazy on Japanese food. Guess what? Few hours later i had diarrhoea. Shld hv taken cooked food then take the raw stuff, haiz...

I was reading this off Min's blog & decided to post it here... Really refreshing for me as a servant of God in the worship ministry...

Worship is NOT the music...worship is NOT the preaching...worship is ALL of the acts and elements through which WE MEET GOD. Worship is the CENTRAL REASON for our existence and the CENTRAL PURPOSE of the church."The difficulty will not be so much in the writing of new and great music; the test will be the godliness of those who deliver it." (John Wimber)" As people like Saul demonstrate, anointing does not guarantee godly chracter and right motives. In fact, it tests them to the extreme." (Graham Kendrick)"

To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God." (William Temple)Worship is about GOD...worship is for God...worship is to God."

Worship is to give God what is rightfully His. We were created to worship God, we were made with a yearning for intimacy with our Maker...the divine priority is this: Worship first, service second." (Richard Foster)The role and jobof a worship leader/team is: To lead God's people into His presence.From 'For the Audience of One' by Mike Pilavachi:...

A worship leader needs to work hard at worshipping the Lord on his or her own...In our activist Christianity, we are often doing things all the time, existing in a continual state of achieving. We need to learn that the heart of the Christian faith is realtionship with Jesus, and the way that God has chosen for us to express relationship with Him is through worship...

To learn to minister to the Lord when no one else is ther is preparation for ministering to the Lord when thousands of people are there...Worship and the relationship that surrounds it is not something you can switch on and off. Instead, it is my responsibility to talk to the Lord, to worship Him and to read His Work regularly, otherwise when I come with others to worship there is nothing there but empty words...

Worship is not a spectator sport, it is not a product moulded by the taste of consumers. It is not about what we can get out of it. It is all about God...Another reason our worship goes stale is that we simply have lost the wonder of our salvation...The reasonable act of worship is to offer ourselves to Him. (Romans 12:1-2, 9-16)

Frankly, i don't celebrate V-day. As for loneliness, i am quite immune to it alr...

Scene @ blue Moo 10 Feb...

2006-02-13T21:11:00.000+08:00

Last Friday... another wet & blue MOOny day ! Haha, juz like the last time i helped out @ blue Moo... Crazy to slog it out in the rain but hey, FUN ! Reached the place around 5p.m (rushed there by cabby !) & the place is almost arranged but then... tian1 bu4 zuo1 mei3 !

Upon reaching there, 70 % of the chairs were arranged then met Lis' Vietnamese classmate Hang. Quite a sweet girl. Halfway thru arranging, the sky decided to cry (it means rain, u doofus !). Oh, Mike, Lis & I chatted abt Mike's super pinky phone. Recalling e Mercy Relief event, my eyes almost prob popped out. Mike wore a pink shirt to match his pinky phone. I was super horrified & feel a little 'ku1 xiao4 bu4 de2'.

It didn't stop raining till 7p.m. The guests had to wait OT as we were busy wiping seats. Guess what ? Gordon & Joe & Mike helped to wipe chairs too ! Ok, i digess alr... It felt weird seeing the 3 Budaks wiping the chairs. Maybe i'm just unused seeing guys wiping chairs or anything for that matter. Esp my dad who never lift a finger to do household chores. Lazy, lazy, LAZY !

Yay, I missed hearing Wo Shi Zhen De Fu Chu Wo De Ai ! Gordon still sounded so GOOD as ever in that song ! There's this song Reach (i think it's sung by Gloria Estefan as mentioned by Joe) which i thought the choreo which suspiciously looked like our "S'pore workout" + a short Wong Fei Hung ditty was super hilarious. Love the song to bits! I got to hear my new faves such as Bukan Cinta Biasa, Lovers' Tears... To my amused horror or horrified amusement, they sang Pedro's Song again! Aargh, I defenitely have a PedroSongaphobia now!

Another record broken for Kak who sang lead for Girl from Ipanema, Stalker song ! Our dear funny male sop Gordon kept on making funny sounds & joking around dat Kaks almost couldn't sing properly. Btw, he really improved in the humor department esp so for Abba, Kudos, Kaks !

I think Danny got the weirdest present from Lis & myself, haha ! Oh, u wouldn't believe what we got him, hehe ! Well, It seems to me that No Matter What got the loudest applause despite the fact that it was sung like dunno how many times as Gordon pointed out. But then it still sound good as ever lah... k, i can only recall up till here. If i forgot any part, juz tag me, k?

CNY 2006

2006-02-01T10:09:00.000+08:00

Argh, i'm suffering post-CNY withdrawal symptoms ! lethargy, feel bored, sleepy, achy body....
the result of not doing work & lazing for 3 straight days... CNY visitation lor !

On the eve of CNY eve, i went for a quick bite with my CG @ Changing Appetites. Boy, did i ever say that i had a bad eating encounter there? I didn't ? Ok, juz dun eva EAT e choc fondue there. Super diluted like water & taste horrid ! Even the food there (according to my super-sensitive tastebuds) is not too great ! Oh, i had cheesy mussels which i thought will taste better if they're cooked in wine... The eatery is also lacking in variety esp for snacks.

After which we went to River Hongbao which we felt that it was rather boring. Ah, i saw this Thai food stall which sold those yumilicious Thai tomyam soup, food & desserts & even those colourful looking sweets ! Shld have eaten there instead ! Maybe the true festive spirit hadn't set in there yet... howeva, it's a diff matter in Chinatown. Crowded but at least i can move on my own without me moving with the help of ppl pushing, haha ! Ah, really regret that i din buy the colorful malt candy @ Chinatown...

Here's some photos that i had taken...

River Hong Bao

the lovely lanterns @ River Hongbao...

the Chinese palace with dancers of Chinese dance...

Chinatown

the "thorn" among the keropok
how come i look like i'm superimposed ?

Cool ! animals on the Chinese zodiac cast as shadows on the walls of this building opp Chinatown...

My visiting rounds took 3 days though actually it can be squeezed in 2 ... Felt funny dat my newly wedded cousin who's juz 2 or 3 years older than me who gave me an ang bao ! Haiz, my ang bao collection is pretty much the same & i've got a nice number, keke ! Ystd i had a reunion lunch with my family @ Riverview hotel minus my 2nd sis who went "pat-tawing" with her frens. After which i went too, to my CGL's hse for a 2nd round of food/steamboat. Almost killed me with a bloated tummy by the time i reached home... Hey, fun leh !

Ok, here's another quiz i took. It's so me !

You are a Musical Thinker

Musical thinkers:
Tend to think in sounds, and may also think in rhythms and melodies
Are sensitive to the sounds and rhythms of words as well as their meanings.
Feel a strong connection between music and emotions
Like many musical thinkers, Leonardo loved to sing, and had a fine voice

Other Musical Thinkers include Mozart, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix
Careers which suit Musical Thinkers include Musician, Music teacher, Sound engineer, Recording technician

What's next ? Feb 10....

Blog-skinned...

2006-01-26T13:42:00.000+08:00

Finally changed my blogskin. Dunno y i feel so sleepy & lethargic when i woke up this morning. Really don't feel like doing sch work so i started to change the skin here. Like it? I was inspired by this well-konwn bossa nova hit Corcovado (Quiet Stars & Quiet Nights) by Antonio Carlos Jobim. A very lovely mellow ballad in the like of Dindi, written by the very same person. The lyrics kinda reflect my feelings & my blogskin...

Quiet nights of quiet stars
Quiet chords from my guitar
Floating on the silence that surrounds us
Quiet thoughts and quiet dreams
Quiet walks by quiet streams
And a window looking on the mountains and the sea
How lovely This is where I want to be
Here with you close to me
Until the final flicker of life's embers
I who was lost and lonely
Believing life was only A bitter tragic joke
Have found with you, the meaning of existence Oh my love

Oh, here's some quizzes that i did, interesting...

You Are Chinese Food

Exotic yet ordinary.
People think they've had enough of you, but they're back for more in an hour.

What Kind of Food Are You?

You Are Lightning

Beautiful yet dangerous
People will stop and watch you when you appear
Even though you're capable of random violence
You are best known for: your power
Your dominant state: performing

What Type of Weather Are You?

Your Inner Child Is Surprised

You see many things through the eyes of a child.
Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded.
You cherish all of the details in life.
Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things.

How Is Your Inner Child?

What Your Face Says

At first glance, people see you as driven and ambitious.

Overall, your true self is reserved and logical.

With friends, you seem dramatic, lively, and quick to react.

In love, you seem mysterious and interesting.

In stressful situation, you seem like you're oblivious to the stress.

What Do People Think Of Your Face?

You Are a Freedom Rocker!

You're stuck in the 70s - for better or worse
Crazy hair, pot soaked clothes, and tons of groupies
Your kind showed the world how to rock
Is that freedom rock?... Well turn it up man!

What Kind of Rocker Are You?

My <3 cries out...

2006-01-23T11:33:00.000+08:00

Sat - went to Soma songwriting & recording seminar for abt 2 hrs. Though not much info as i liked, I did manage to pick up some tips on songwriting & even the local music industry. I never even thot of going into e industry. Too commercialised & way-down standard standard for my taste... esp the Mandopop industry. I betta keep my thots regrding this matter to myself or i'll find myself restricted... But then i hope to put my songwriting chops into practice, hehe...

Well, after the seminar, Lis & i met up with Crapgal for dinner @ Secret Receipe. I loved the Chocolate Indulgence. Smooth in taste though not too chocolatey (i like tons of choc !) but stll delectable. Then we went shopping & i got myself a pair of turquoise big-ring earrings which costs only $2.90. Loved it !

I've been binging on food of late. Hungry, i eat... not hungry oso eat... Do you know that i ate more than 1/2 of a pack of chips aft a western dinner becos it wasn't filling enuff? Riz mentioned that it's a sign of insecurity. Ok, maybe i fit in that category....On top of that, my schwork got heavier and i'm coping badly with the stress. Recently i developed this intense disdain for this lecturer. Frankly, i don't think she knows anything abt the class or even the subject itself. Bah, dun even wanna think of her !

Sun - went to Little India on my own for my project approach on clothes. However, didn't managed to find much stuff on them except or some names. At Little Indian, i had a fulfilling Indian meal and even got myself a set of bangles for only $2 at a furniture shop & an Indian pop music cd at a classical Indian music shop for $10. Cheap buy eh?

The CD was nice and even had a short a cappella segment in the intro of 2 of the tracks. Wonder if Budak will take up my challenge in singing Indian songs. Currently, Salaam Namaste & The Best of Shah Rukh Khan is the most popular. Unfortunately there are no lyrics provided for any Indian music cd...

Guess what? i asked the shop owner regarding tabla and sitar classes. $50 for group, $100 for individual. Frankly, i loved the uplifting sound of the sitar and the percussive sound of the tabla and even considered learning both as an instrument.

Wo 3 zai4 tou1 lan3...

2006-01-11T09:56:00.000+08:00

Ystd was rather stagnant but relaxing... Stagnant as in doing reports but relaxing as in i took a breather from the work to travel all the way to Jxn 8 to watch Budak perf for Mercy Relief.

It was really a small event or shld i say super small? Becos not much ppl was there & there were about less than 50 seats in the middle of e place. Makes me wonder if ppl was aware of this event. But even as more ppl came in, it was still not as crowded. Budak sang their 3 "getai" (Chinese opera stage) songs - No matter what, Abba & Yi bei cha. It's kinda weird 4 me to see Mike blowing the pitchpipe & Danny w/o the guitar instead of the usual tuning from Danny playing the guitar. Their slot lasted only about 10 mins or so.

Well, before watching the event Lis & i shopped for Gordon's present. Well, we've tried to find Dilbert or Superman but boy, both figures were yet to be found, we gave up & decided on a book of humor in Life bookshop. Frankly, i'm not too fond of that bookshop in term of selection of Christian contemporary music & pricing (most ex among the 3 well-known Christian bookshops - Trumpet Praise, Mt Zion). I like Trumpet Praise becos i can get my "supplies" there & can i safely say i hv a membership discount card? It's lifetime somemore...

Went over to meet Weijie as i didn't want to go home so early. We talked a lot of music stuff as voicing, music tastes and the like. WJ like the Abba ring ringtone on my hp and i transferred it to his hp thru bluetooth & hey, we were chucklling like mad when we re-hear the ringtone, haha... Yay, i managed to get Tic Tac Tone's Shanghai Tan" too from him! We even listen to his voice lesson recorded on his mp3. I like the way his voice teacher teaches. Ya, i want to go for vocal lessons under her to learn the basic techniques but now is not the right timing...

blah...blah...blah...

2006-01-09T21:52:00.000+08:00

ok, today is a mad rush doing this LC report. Got an SMS this morn from Joe that Budak is singing @ Junction tmrw for Mercy Relief show starting from 5p.m.

Went to the dentist at Kembangan Plaza to have fillings changed. Yow ! the injection hurts and i nearly cried. Alws been scared of injections. Yeah, Froggy, now i have a taste of what u went thru... My mouth feels like a puffer fish after it went numb after the injections. Couldn't smile or laugh as now it hurts to do those !

BP's "Mr Sean Connery" 's b-day cmg soon ! You'll have a surprise pressie from cowpat & me, hehe *cackles* Btw, Budak Pantai is singing @ blue Moo on 10 Feb ! Yippee, can't wait... hope that i can go / dun feel tired despite my attachment period frm 6 - 17 Feb. Crazy day really...

A public holiday where i slogged...

2006-01-03T18:09:00.000+08:00

Ystd was a pretty good day where i had lunch. Actually i wanted to bail out on the blue Moo lunch as i was really tired (2 super late nites on 30 & 31 Dec 2005 = hangover)and my stomach wasn't feeling too great (must be the KFC dinner that i had the nite b4...)

Thankfully i didn't. Met up with Joe & Liselle. Fuzzy wuzzy fuddy duddy... can't rmb as my brain cells are haywired, 2b exact... ok, 2 big tables. I'm terrible with big crowd people becos my brains alws go la-la land & i dun feel comfortable most times. So i crap a lot. Cool, 1st time, i actually ate my fave 'hum' raw' & it taste sooo much better as Dennis (one of the BM helpers)said...

Yup, i enjoyed the lunch as we actually talked abt the weirdest food that we ate. Dennis mentioned abt the big white maggot in Sarawak. When he mentioned that, i was reminded of this scene of Charle & the choc factory, where Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka had to eat this bowl of slugs, bugs & maggot concoction. Danny who was sitting beside shared abt him cringing at this chopped-up octopus which was still wiggling on the hot plate when he went with a client to Korea. There's also wrapping of the fish head and the fish could be seen gaping after it was cooked. Wow, cool ! Singapore fear factor ! Haha....

Too much food ! My stomach did a lurch at the amount of food swimming in the pot. Didn't eat much anyway... After lunch, I had to rush (as usual !) to my classmate's' house to do project & slog the day away. Ended pretty late around 7p.m and i reached home almost 9p.m to have my dinner. Well, so much for a public holiday !

A lite-hearted way to start 2006

2006-01-01T13:21:00.000+08:00

2 hours before 2006 - There's this outside countdown stage which was kinda 'cold' as the DJ was trying his utmost best to liven up the atmosphere. Went cyber-surfing with Cowpat @ this new cyberspace place @ L9 of Cineleisure. Looks like any other arcade game place except less noisy & it's COLD that my brain was frozen... I MSNed with Crappiecake, Hamster & even my choir junior. Looks like many ppl got foamed. Thankfully i din 'kena' or else my tired self will... Well, i reached home around 2+am. So tired.

Surfing other people's blog & i came upon this page. Well, those personality quizzes are not meant to be taken 4 real but it'll be interesting to find out....

Analysis:

You plan ahead, and are interested in beauty, design, outward appearance, and symmetry.
You are a shy, idealistic person who does not find it easy to have relationships, especially intimate ones.
You are affectionate, passionate, expressive, and future-oriented.
You are a talkative person, maybe even a busybody!
You enjoy life in your own way and do not depend on the opinions of others.

Well, pretty accurate except for the 'future oriented' part. I dun think i am ! haha... Well, to all who surf my blog...

HaPpY NeW YeAr

On the last day of 2005, the starry awards

2005-12-31T15:51:00.000+08:00

Today is the last day of 2005. Phew ! phew! Phew ! Hear my sigh of relief. Ok, this is my 2nd reflection for the year & i will write this better than last year's... Ok, this is thanksgiving time (macham like Grammy awards. "thank you to blah..blah..blah..") Would like to thank the ppl who appeared in my life in 2005. No particular order in merit, hehe...

Liselle - for your cheerfulness & optimism (i do need to be more of that !). Wow, i thot back of the time we knew each other thru Friendster then MSN then finally meeting U with your choc smarties brownie @ blue Moo in March . Hope that U don't grow up (i mean, in your heart) ! :D
Celine - heartfelt tags though we don't get to meet often except once in blue MOOn. Hope that we (U, me & Jewel) can catch up more often !
Jewel - You wow me with your undying...Wu Bai ge devotion to Budak (i suspect we all are) !
Froggy - Thank you for listening to me & giving me advice when i needed it. You do have a sensitive <3>
Budak Pantai - for getting to know you guys over A CUP OF TEA & later at Tekka. Anyway, i like your "Bollywood" dance. It looks more interesting @ blue Moo with all high-end jokes & lovely accents & instrument imitation.
CrappieCake - Though we knew each other really late but i'm really glad to know you & have your company. We do have things in common - teachers, don't really go out or spend too much $$. Yes, one day we both go to blue Moo together ! :D
Gordon - I know you're ultra bz but hey, take care, ok? Thank you for reminding what's impt. I think you're the most misunderstood one.
Adrian - hehe... sorry to bug you for all the IT stuff becos i'm really IT idiot one ! But really grateful for all your help.
Elvin - Thanks for coming down with me to help move mountains and hills (i mean, heave chairs & tables) at the rooftop of YMCA. It's great & a blessing to have a bro-in-Christ like you.
Budak frans (Weina, Yimei, Jezialle,Steph & others) - thanks for getting to know you all & see you guys @ blue Moo

There ! I've completed my top 10 thank-you-ppl list ! There're more to thank like my CG, my family...

Resolutions,mmm... frankly, i don't believe in 'em becos it's easier said than done. Well, i shall make them even though i know some won't be fulfilled in 2006...

Top 10 resolutions

Get a job that i really like (minimal 'politics' becos i have a disdain for them) No stuffy office jobs hopefully...
Peace in the... family (if my Dad gets less PMSY then the whole family'll be VERY happy.)
Health (I get the flu, sore throat attraction and the wateva-itis...)
Graduate from ECE (yes, that's in Feb but still have to re-take module in Aug, yucks !)
Complete Grade 5 theory (as in classical piano, no procrastination of doing those bothersome theory book)
Learn to play jazz, swing, bossa nova tunes on the keyboard/piano (anyone want to teach me?)
Discipline in completing the a cappella scores for..... (sorry, can't reveal as yet as i need to squeeze all my brain juice fro this...)
Teach pop piano (if you want to learn for the skill, i'm ok. Exams & classical music excluded pls !)
Take up vocal lessons (i really need to improve my singing tecnique if i still want to sing a cappella style...)
Renewed faith & trust in God (QT esp!!)

Ok, that's all for my reflections to close the year 2005. Juz hope that 2006 will be a better year for me and all i care...

Crabby me who needs some PEACE !

2005-12-29T10:17:00.000+08:00

Great. I actually lost my cool in front of my grandma's house guest. My dad and i were in a really heated argument. The last time i lost my cool when i was in pri sch days. I can't believe that i actually did that...

When i left the house for classes, i was fuming mad and wanted very much to slam the door and just storm off. At that moment, i wanted very much to be at Esplanade concourse area where i can always calm down. That place has a calming effect on me....

Yes, i need some peace. By the time i reached class, i was really drained as anger really sapped my energy. Anyway, my parents never support me in whatever i do. Music, studies, job, blah, blah, blah... All they do is pour freezing ice-cold water on me whenever i need encouragement or advice. Esp my mum. There are times i really dislike her.

Boy, am i glad to have this blog to vent my anger, frustrations, emotions or watsoeva... becos i learnt that ppl are not good listeners. Not that i'm one. I do try... Maybe i pop by Esplanade to 'cool' down...

2 days prior to Christmas

2005-12-25T21:15:00.000+08:00

My caroling session @ Paragon (24 Dec 2005)was quite ok except that the mic that i held was roaring loud to to ears that i literally toned down my singing for fear of Diana (my aca grp's lead) can't be heard. Frankly, singing outdoor is good as it makes me more sensitive to my singing than indoors. I think that i had matured as an amateur singer as i used to be really fretfully and superbly upset when i made mistakes on stage or sing wrongly on stage. Now, my thinking is: hey, what's the big deal? As least that's an experience. No need to have hoo-har abt it...

Maybe "suay" on my part. But i was down with cold and sore throat. Thankfully it was not laryngitis or throat infection or that i have a fever... or you''ll see me bed-stricken ! On the eve of Christmas eve (= 23 Dec), i had my cg party & brought my friend WJ. Looks like he enjoyed himself socialising with my friend's friends. Well, he's a more sociable person than me, a slow-to-warm kinda person.

Wow, soo much food ! To tempt your tastebuds... turkey ham, salad, roated chicken, log cake, pesto, creamy pasta + extra food that Esther's friends brought over. We definitely had more than enuff ! This year's Christmas food is definitely better. It feels Christmasy. Thankfully, my being with sore throat & cold didn't dampen my mood as I was still able to sing my solo for this song "so you would come" at the party. I feel surprised too as that day my throat was in a really bad state than the past few days.

My caroling session at Wisma - 18 Dec 2005! Weijie, Jewel & Celine, thx 4 cmg down to support me though i know my grp sounded like some unclean cassette tape playing, haha ! Thanks for the rose... though it's withered on my way home. Hey, but i really appreciate it with your great company & chatting away at Pastamania & Coffee Bean. Wah seh, i lost my voice right after singing the final song Budak's "Can't help falling in love" (the very 1st ultra-bad AKA version of Budak with the super horrid ending !)... Well, i tried singing Mike's guitar part (that caused me to lost my voice after the session.) inpromptu on stage. I think my grp mates were surprised by me lah, haha ! But i enjoyed this one...

the Christmas fortnight

2005-12-20T14:43:00.000+08:00

It's been a great week for me. Finally getting to watch Budak concert. I really burnt a hole in my pocket as i saved up about $50 juz to pay 4 the concert & compilation album. Not that i regret or anything. Anything to support my fave vocal grp - Budak Pantai. I loved the opening song " Hark the herald". Tied in nicely with "It came upon a midnight clear".

After the concert, my friend WJ feedbacked to me that Budak is getting stagnant in their music and should had gotten more material. Well, i'm at loss whether to agree with that esp when i listened to them @ blue Moo a tad too much. But then, WJ is a vocal music enthusiast and even pickier than me regarding music. So Budak, don't take it to heart...

I would say for myself that i am neither disappointed nor elated with the concert. I went on the 17th Dec which was the 1st day. But 1 thing for sure, the audience loved the old material of Budak as they gave a really loud ovation for "Abuden" & "No Matter". Esp "Abuden", that song always had a special place in my heart becos it was that song that had me listening for the very 1st time & crazy over Budak with that silly but funny ppt slide @ the final AKA A Cappella. And i never tire of that song.

Haha, i'm always feeling nolstalgic, ya? Actually i'm a sentimental kind of person though zhui3 ying4 xin1 luan3... But it's to reminisce about the past but not live in it. But when u recall, it can be either amusing, regretful or thankful when you had that experience. Well, there're some that i regreted...

a week of craziness !

2005-12-16T10:33:00.000+08:00

Juz when i thought i can have a RELAXING week, everything seem to bombard me all at once. Got this presentation that i've got to do.... my research lecturer called me up to bug me abt my survey... my head felt heavy despite having enuff Zzzz...

This morning, i woke feeling edgy and my throat feeling weird. Oh no, hope dat i'm not coming down wif throat infection. Aargh ! shouldn't have eaten the Hershey mlik choc kisses juz 2 days ago... i was really craving for choc & it's the Japanese strawberry choc kind. I had to settle 4 2nd best when it's out of stock. One would think that only pregnant ladies would have cravings but NO. When i want to eat for meals, i usually follow my cravings, hehe... :D

Oh, it came as a a surprise when Froggy mentioned abt Budak on Arts Xplosion mag cover. YAY, thankfully, i got TODAY berita sent to my house daily so i've also got the complimentary arts mag together as well. Never seen Budak looking so "patriotic" b4 ! Haha, well... that's Budak pose 4 U ! Ok, back to rushing 2 reports & 1 progm booklet...

Thots a la random...

2005-12-06T13:53:00.000+08:00

Yeterday I went to watch Chicken Little (CL) with my youngest sis. I always felt that watching cartoon animations in a cinema is a waste of $$ but after yesterday, i felt it was worth the movie pass rather than the $$ (got 2 free GV passes from my dad la...), hehe....

CL was really funny & full of cliches esp the part where Piggy recalls the Gloria Gaynor tune "I Will Survive". I guess i could identify with CL becos my parents never believed in me regarding music. My mum only think classical music is the way out ! In Singapore, classical music is viewed for the rich & exclusive. Not that i am in that RICH & EXCLUSIVE category.

Aft that, halfway thru my bus ride home with my sis, i got an SMS from cowpat to meet up in Orchard. Chocolatte was there too. But due to the last minute thingy, i couldn't get back home to return u your Budak tix, sorry 'bout dat, really rushed la...

Great to meet up with cowpat & chocolatte to talk, have a drink @ Coffee Club. Talked abt Budak stuff again & others... Speaking of which, cowpat nicknamed the Budaks after their upcoming 4th album, "Assorted Nuts" (weird title but i guess it's juz their NUTTY selves).

Gordon = serious/"leng3 mian4 xiao4 jiang4" nut (really, he's supa-serious & can joke juz lidat !)
Michael = talkative/madcap/extraordintelligence nut (becos he's always spouting his "chiminology")
Joe = sugar-coated, dancey nut (he's really sweet... oh, he loves to dance on stage?!)
Kak = colourful nut (the golden haired "gal" of Budak, always changing hair colour)
Danny = quiet/can't-keep-still nut (he barely talks & always moves abt on stage so v hard to capture on cam)

Ok, not bad for an explanation eh? So happen that i put info abt Budak under 'Nutty'... I guess their 4th album installation is so appropriate as their music is well... assorted & they're really nuts, haha !

Jazzy afternoon !

2005-12-04T08:46:00.000+08:00

My parents & I went to church early for 2nd svc. Usually my parents would go for the 1st svc as they wanted to accompany my grandma who goes for Mandarin svc (which shifted to the same time slot as the 1st svc). and thereafter bring her for lunch.

Surprised that the speaker for the month was my dad's friend, June's husband. The sermon was good that it set me thinking about my life for 2005. As i reflect back, 2005 is not really a good year for me. Many BAD things happen at home. Ok, i leave my reflections for 2005 to end of the year...

It was great spending time with friends like Silent, Chocolatte, Cowpat, Weijie, Froggy. 1st was the UFM mini concert that i caught with Celine, Weijie, Kelly & even Adrian. 2nd was meeting Chocolatte (sorry that i had to use her pseudonym for special reasons). 3rd was meeting cowpat & froggy. 4th was bumping into Kaks (i nicknamed him "polarbear" bcos he feels like one?) for the 3rd time at... Key Elements' concert.

Last Fri, i met up with chocolatte & cowpat for dinner @ Makansutra (the roadside stall concepted hawker centre built juz after the hit variety of the same title), the place which supposedly to sell the best food in Singapore.

After church, i went to say hi to June & talked about my grandma. As i talked, i felt tears behind my eyes as i felt really overwhelmed by bad events that happen this year. Felt worried for my grandma as she's worrying abt my uncle (her son, that is...) and she will start to cry. Feel really sorry for her as she has her rectum permanantly removed & having a disposable waste disposal bag attached to her body instead. It's really "sheng1 bu4 ru2 si3" !

After lunch, Joy & i went to her place to rehearse for IBHFC. We are supposed to jazz up the carols. Yes, i managed to play Budak's "God Rest Ye" & "What Child" (i like the jazzy feel for this one...) on Joy's keyboard. How i figure it out ? I juz listen briefly to my mp3 & got the chords out within minutes. We rehearsed till 4+ p.m then i left for my aca grp practice, which i dun wanna talk abt it.

My cousin's wedding !

2005-11-27T14:50:00.000+08:00

Saturday: my cousin from my dad's side of the family had gotten married ! It was really a crowd @ my cousin's house though i am not close to him. But wow, my cousin's wife looked pretty ! Well, as the saying goes, the bride looks the most beautiful on her wedding day. Btw, my 2 HK cousins flew in specially for this occasion. Well, they are both much older than me, @ leats twice my age ! But i got along well with both and communicated in Mandarin thoughout though one of them was struggling with her Mandarin as she was so used to spouting in Cantonese. Here's some phots that i had taken...

Paya Lebar Methodist church... really grand though the service was quite boring.

The banner on the church wall... i like the 5 men there.

My family ! My, i look FAT! boo hoo...

My 2 HK cousins & me ! sum gor leng ngue (in my horrendous Cantonese)

My closest cousin & me (happily 'single?)

Sunday: the wedding dinner @ Orchard Parade Hotel was quite an entertainng affair though at first i thot that the company i had was obnoxious &the food was not that great. Talking abt which U one graduate from & blah, blah, blah... Frankly i don't fancy social gatherings like this becos i am not one who can talk much. Unless i feel comfortable, then i start yakking like a llama duck (?) Yup, after a while, my table became the loudest table becos one of the guest kept joking throughout & kept us laughing away. I was really controlling myself not to burst out.

Well, my cousin & his bride wore the Chinese traditional costume as the evening wear. The red bouquet on his shirt should be bigger then really look like the original Chinese wedding costume ! I didn't think that my square-head of a cousin to sing his self-composition to his bride. We were so tickled by his song that we kept chuckling to ourselves. But hor, that's so nice of U to sing that to your bride. Thoughtful !

I was already half-dead by the time by the time i reached home. 2 days of celebrations relly wore me out...

UFM event ~ Zhen Shan Mei

2005-11-25T15:58:00.000+08:00

Finally find time to blog abt the UFM event which was organised at BAR celona on 19 Nov 2005, Friday nite. The place was cramped & small.

It was my 2nd time going for UFM mini concerts. My 1st time was at the Pavilion watching David Tao a few years back & saw Budak as guest performers & doing background vocals for him. I don't go for such events usually as i have a v low opinion on Mandopop. Below is my review for the event...

Other than Budak Pantai, there were other local artistes as David Tan, Seven, Hong Shao Xuan as well as Taiwnanese pop songstress Chen Qi Zhen.

David Tan is no doubt one promising singer/songwriter. He even double up as David Tao's musical team. Impressive ! His vocals is good too & sound really like David Tao ! However, his partner was a better musician than singer.

Hong Shao Xuan is our veteran xinyao singer. He is a pretty good singer esp when he hit the high notes. Quite ok for a singer.

Seven really rocks ! A husband-wife team. I really enjoyed their vibrant performance. It's a pity that the sound engineer didn't adjust the sound well that the minus 1 was loud that it almost covered the vocals.

The moment is here... drum rolls... BUDAK !! They really got the crowd responding. Hey, its better than the crowd @ blue Moo. Oh yes, they sang Abba, Sha Tan, Sim Ai Eh, the birthday song, Lovers' tears (the movie version).For once, ppl got the gist of the joke when Kak pointed to his GOLDEN hair of glory on the "Abba" song. Hi-5!* to the Budak golden haired "gurl" ! Happy that ppl finally respond when Kak tried to crack a joke. Even me who alr by now used to Budak humor couldn't help laughing.

Last but not least, the LAST guest artiste of the event: Chen Qi Zhen from Taiwan. Frankly, i don't have a good opinion of her as a singer because of her ultra saccharine + not-that-great vocals. So sweet that i believe that i will vomit out of over-dosage. Frankly, i was thankful for the "toilet breaks" i took. Her music was really sleep-inducing and lacked variety. Her sleepy kind of music + the voka coke made a powerful combination to make me feel sleepy after the event.

Haha, that's my review. But overall, i enjoyed our local artistes' performances which i felt that we Singaporeans has a lot of potential becos of multi-racial culture & differing music influences.

Well done to all ! By the end of the event, i was like 1/2 asleep & red like a tomato (due to the vodka...) that's why didn't say hi to Budak. Embarassing leh !

Budak Pantai Christmas affair

2005-11-13T13:42:00.000+08:00

"Sheep, Angels & the Mexican Guy @ the Bar: Christmas according to Budak Pantai"

Where? Esplanade concert hall
When?
17 Dec 2005 (Sat) - 7.30p.m
18 Dec 2005 (Sun) - 3 p.m

Tickets: $30 / $50 / $70 * prices incl $2 Sistic charge

Go get your tickets today at any SISTIC outlet !

Tada !! *** The most anticipated concert of the year.... Budak Pantai's concert !! Love the poster to bits, so cool yah? Check their blog at http:/budakpantai.motime.com for more info !! Well, it's definitely a musical-like concert, judging by the super long title...

*starofnite* 's reminiscing chinks