Happiness is Key to keeping things Sane

Fruits only

2012-03-17T08:20:00.001+08:00

Didn't know that one apple can make you feel full. This is breakfast for me today. Realised that fruits tend to stabilise my intestines, so this is all I am having for breakfast. Anticipated lunch menu will be plain porridge and apples. Sobs!

Just when you thought only your stomach will be affected, your legs are starting to go jelly. As you hunch over, hugging your painful stomach, your shoulders and back starts to ache as well.

I am abstaining from coconut and all its related products from now on. Feel like going out for some fresh air today, but afraid my intestines will act up again. Been staying at home for far too long since Wednesday.

Hope my intestines get back to normal soon.

Aftermath: mixed signals

2012-03-16T12:03:00.001+08:00

I seriously wonder if the food poisoning is really over. I have stopped puking and the diarrhoea is over, however, after I eat something, my intestines start giving me mixed messages.

If I eat too little, it aches. When I eat too much, it aches. When my intestines are aching, is it too full or hungry? I am having a hard time deciphering while my intestines are trying their best to remain stable, we are both trying very hard.

I feel very unlucky to get food poisoning, sobs!!!

Stay Away from Nasi Lemak!

2012-03-15T14:41:00.001+08:00

Or anything that contains coconut in it! I got food poisoning due to nasi lemak, was horribly tortured for one night. Even after the puking and diarrhoea stopped, the headache and fever continued its damage on me. Very scary!

The doctor said my food poisoning is over for now but I still need rest. In a way, I am lucky that I was only tortured for one night, I have heard worse nightmarish stories from my friends. The doctor gave me sachets of Lactoguard, which actually smells like grape with no flavouring at all, so interesting!

This is a beautiful article! Practise it!

2012-03-13T11:15:00.001+08:00

更好的自己

（2012-03-13）

● 王嬿青
　　成就自己，成就一个更好的自己，也许比耗精力在和另一个人的关系上要值得许多吧！

内外

　　两个标致的美女在我面前为情所困：

　　28岁的虹一直没有遇到心仪的对象，担心自己年华老去。慢慢的，找对象的逻辑沦为了一种怪圈，和对方见过一两次面，因为一两个极小的问题，就不再继续，问她为什么：“他抽烟，他迟到，他没房子。我老了，我没办法和这样的人浪费时间。”

　　45岁的洁，以前是模特，后来成为职业形象培训师，但感情不顺，最近连工作都提不起神来。问她什么合作项目，无精打采，回话说：“我的情感没有着落，其他事情我没有兴趣。”

　　男人怎么看女人也会影响女人的心态。现在年轻的女孩子都担心自己老了，跟男人怎么看女人有关系。其实女人的生命魅力很长，画家女友说，40岁以前的女人都能算是少女，40岁以后才真正出现成熟的魅力。和男人一样，女人也有很长的时间来完成自我。特别想和虹说，谁说一定非在20多岁就遇到合适的人？20多岁的自己根本还不知道自己和这个社会的很多关系吧！

　　其实男女性接触最好的方法还是越自然越好，甚至先不带性别地去看对方。首先大家都是人，每个人有自己的优缺点，也有自己的可爱之处。太在意别人怎么看你，或者我该如何让别人喜欢，都很无聊。女人不必整天喊青春昂贵，男人也不必在女人面前摆阔。无论男女，太过实际的关系都在耽误自己，因为际遇，环境，健康都会改变，没有根基就只是浮萍！

　　至于洁，我总觉得一个人过了35岁，每天的问题还在爱情上是挺悲剧的。爱情的问题，翻来覆去就是那么几个：我喜欢他，他不喜欢我，他喜欢我，我不喜欢他。再有就是他有老婆，他父母不同意，他住在另外一个城市，癌症了……

　　反正爱情有很多烦恼，第一次经历的时候可能哭掉五桶纸，但到了第五次，到了45岁，既然单身是一种选择和方式，就要拿得起放得下了。第五次再悲痛，其他事情都不能做是不是有点矫情？

Continue here: http://www.zaobao.com.sg/fk/fk120313_002.shtml

2012-03-13T10:59:00.001+08:00

Life can kill relationships, so never let Life overtake you; instead, overtake Life - Mandy Zhang

How can I not love him?

2012-03-12T20:38:00.001+08:00


Xylan is so cute, right?

Of course, we still have an image to maintain, so a formal picture is still necessary, hahahaha

Well, who cares about image? Being happy is more important!

This is so amazing

2012-03-12T14:10:00.001+08:00

四脚蛇吃鱼. I have never seen this reptile/amphibian before, but it was a real eye opener after a heavy lunch! Mum said it's a 四脚蛇。This was taken at Senja community centre, outside Seafood Paradise restaurant.

The Three Siblings

2012-03-12T14:07:00.001+08:00

Eldest sister, younger brother in the middle and the youngest brother on the left. I was on tiptoe and that was the tallest I could get! Need to prepare the telephone directory next time

Xing Wang Hong Kong Cafe is

2012-03-10T23:59:00.001+08:00

Great for photo-taking! The lighting is customized to give you auto photoshop effects!

Eyeliner pencil is so fun!

2012-03-09T19:48:00.001+08:00

I found something new to play with, creamy eyeliner pencil! I bought the brown one from Majolica Majorca and it is so smooth! Doesn't hurt my eyelid and it acts like an eyeshadow(probably because I drew too thick a line, hee hee, first time using it). It allows the midnight blue mascara to show up more! Now I want to get the green, red, light pink and silvery-white eyeliner pencils!

Higher cheekbones

2012-03-08T20:31:00.001+08:00

I decided to put the emphasis on my eyes today as I tried out the midnight blue mascara. However, it seems like I ended up with higher cheekbones instead. The effect is rather surprising. My nose looks sharper too?!

Memory Salvage Project: It has always been there

2012-03-07T22:04:00.001+08:00

As I mentioned previously, Discovery Channel is showcasing a special on what has happened after the tsunami that took place in Japan last year. "Rebuilding Japan" is being shown every night till Sat, 10 March, focusing on a different part in every episode.

Tonight was about the 'Memory Salvage Project'. It touched my heart very deeply and I believe all the photos that are left over will be put in a museum as remembrance of the people, lives, friendships, ties and bonds of everything that was of the town before it was washed away by the tsunami.

As the Civil Defence forces were cleaning up the debris after the tsunami, they found a lot of personal items, including photos. This professor decided to start a project called "Memory Salvage" where volunteers would clean up the photos and have them returned to the people of Yamamoto prefecture. It was a race against time as seawater destroys pictures very quickly. Other than that, it was a laborious process to gently and slowly rinse off the mud on 750,000 photographs, then arrange them into a tracking system so people could search for their photos easily later on. From their efforts, you can see the heart and soul volunteers have put into this project. They kept thinking of better and new ways of helping survivors locate their photos, which led them to the idea of using cloud computing and facial recognition programs.

As you look at Yamamoto prefecture now, it is just wasteland all around. It is as if it had been empty all along.

The tsunami did not just take away lives and property, it had taken away the existence of the people who once lived there. In this situation, photographs are the only physical proof that's left to prove this existence. And all the more precious these photos have become. This is why volunteers have kept going tirelessly and endlessly to clean up, compile, arrange and digitalize 750,000 photographs. Amazing, isn't it? New pictures of hope are constantly being created in people's hearts during that depressing period.

This is still a very beautiful world, "Memory Salvage Project" affirms that. Hopefully when I make my trip to Japan, I get to take a look at all those photos that remain and get a glimpse of how the towns looked like and get to know the bonds formed by the people through the photographs.

The work may be over, but it will continue to inspire people of the future to remember this disaster in a different way. At least for me, I no longer recall the terrifying waves that engulfed cars and buildings, but the hundreds of photographs that are hung up to dry in the corridors after cleaning whenever I think about the tsunami now. The warmth of the "Memory Salvage Project" has replaced the hapless horrors of the tsunami.

The owl speaks to me

2012-03-06T18:14:00.001+08:00

Why do I feel that this owl speaks to me with its sparkling eyes?

Me and Xylan

2012-03-05T19:48:00.001+08:00

I was very excited to know Xylan's coming to my class today. I specially toned down my make-up so as not to scare him! Hahahhhaahah! So delirious to see him again. Glad to see him showing his true colours and more relaxed around me now.

Only realised Xylan has a dimple on the second meeting, so I specially requested him to smile like that [bottom right corner]

My favourite top at the moment, feels like I am back to Sherlock Holmes times!

I Want This!

2012-03-05T10:56:00.001+08:00

In actual fact, I an so impressed with the way they filmed the entire movie that I am so enchanted now! Forget the budget, I want to earn more money just so I can buy not just the mascara, but the entire Glass Trick collection by Majolica Majorca! http://www.majolica-majorca.com/sg/

Watch Discovery Channel

2012-03-05T09:52:00.001+08:00

Discovery Channel will show a program, "Rebuilding Japan", showing you the latest situation in Japan after the 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that took place on March 11 last year. Not sure about the timing in your region, but for Singapore, it will be shown tonight at 9pm, Channel 422.

2012-03-02T14:21:00.001+08:00

I look like I'm going clubbing, hopefully the parents and students don't find me overdressed. A friend, Esther gave me this dress and it looks really fabulous, Thanks Esther!

Tried brown eyeshadow and pink lip colour with the creamy reddish blush today. I have confirmed that pink lip colour does not go with reddish blush, thinking of getting a nude lip colour, wonder if it will be suitable. I am more able to blend the creamy reddish blush today during the second try. Will continue to try out and improve!

2012-03-02T00:46:00.001+08:00

Found a new way to show my eyeshadow colour, pretending to sleep in the picture! It also showed me if my mascara needs more work! Haha!

I like the first picture very much!

Red cheeks!

2012-03-01T13:36:00.001+08:00

Tried out this new creamy reddish blush and my cheeks look very red now! Creamy blush is not easy to use, definitely a new challenge to play around with!

Born to be your Enemy

2012-03-01T10:47:00.000+08:00

Looked through photos of a friend who went to Taiwan to take wedding pictures, followed by a trip afterwards this morning. Seeing the alleyways, streets, train stations in the background made me miss Taiwan. It was all negative emotions about Taiwan ever since I got ditched. But it's strange, there are just some things that you can never truly hate; things or people that are destined to be the "natural enemy" or 天敌 in your life. It confuses me at this point, although there is actually no confusion, it is about whether I am willing to accept the fact or acknowledge it. I am just looking for trouble.

Surprisingly, Mum knew about my anxiety that happened last weekend and asked me about it last night. Well, I did come from her belly. Anyway, I played a fool but she seemed to know my anxiety was long gone and she put her mind at ease afterwards. I will tell her about Aunt one day, probably when I get a reply from Aunt. Let's see what happens.

I bought the gift and card. Went searching for letter writing paper, but think I need to try town for this. I am still thinking of how to write the story of my disappearance of 2 years in the best way possible. I do not intend to just walk in and say Hi and expect to be accepted. A mistake is a mistake, it's the truth. Nevertheless, I still hope to be accepted, so I am nervous about writing the letter.

Although I have decided March to be the start of Spring and the start of Change, here is a backlog of photos from last weekend, was too blue to post them previously.

Lifeless Doll look


another work outfit

Love my locks! They turned out amazingly well after I dried them last night.and could not resist taking pictures of them!

2012-02-29T22:16:00.001+08:00

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit.

- Aristotle

2012: Conquer the History Library

2012-02-29T13:10:00.000+08:00

I have sorted out everything, everything that I want in 2012. Here it goes:

Family Time:
Have already achieved this while planning my work schedule last December. So it's still going to be weekday family dinners as much as possible and dinners with friends from time to time. Sundays are also reserved for family too. Life is short, who knows if I will be gone tomorrow. I'm persistent in having no regrets about family time! (I'm lucky that I do not have to leave my hometown for work and only see my family once a year, so all the more I should treasure this.)

Money:
I am quite satisfied with my current salary for now, although I do not mind taking up a few more tuition if time permits and the chance arises. Will limit my spending to a maximum of $300 a month and save the rest. No more spending on cosmetics, clothes, hair accessories, jewellery, shoes, bags and gadgets. I have bought enough in the last 6 months to last me for one whole year. It is going to be SAVE, SAVE and SAVE!

Being Pretty:
Yes, I will keep up my fun with cosmetics! There is no going back. I am super vain and super narcisstic now. And I am only young once, so more pictures! I am not going to cry at 50 and regretted that I did not wear those mini skirts while I could. However, due to the use of cosmetics, I will concentrate more efforts on skincare. Will also devote more time to hair-care, foot soaks and body lotion. If your skin, hair, feet and body feels good, you feel good too!

Work:
I want to deepen my expertise on Secondary school Science. I want to read up more, know more, gain more and teach better in Physics, Biology and Chemistry. I will know these 3 fellows inside out by year-end. In the meantime, I am switching back "strict-Sensei" mode, or rather, Hiroki style as shown in Junjou Romantica. (He throws books at his university students! He earns my respect.) During the last three months where I went back to being nice, students are less cooperative in knowing what to do in the classroom already. Time for them to wake up.

Learning:
This is the new part. There should be something new in your life every year, you only live once. For 2012, it will be Gaining Knowledge. I have been thinking about whether I really want to further my studies. The answer is No, although I will grab the chance if it comes my way. However, I will not give up just like that. I do not need a Masters or pHd degree to prove my worth in History. So I have decided to conquer half of the World War II History books in the Woodlands Library by year end as a start. I used to sit in front of the History Channel and watch all those documentaries on tank battles, Hitler, D-Day etc. I am allocating Tuesday and Thursday mornings for this, the library will be my new hang-out spot.
I am interested to take photography classes, but I think informal shots will suffice for now.

Health:
I got careless and fell sick recently. It made me remember why I hate being sick. Lethargic is a worse word than sian. So no more accidents, I am going back to daily doses of nuts, cranberries and climbing stairs! For the benefit of my health, I am also going to reduce the usage of my iPhone, it's getting too addictive for me, it takes up too much of my mind, eyes and time, very unhealthy.

Friends:
Wendy is leaving for Australia for further studies in June and will be gone for one year, so I want to meet up with her as much as possible before she leaves. Will also grab friends to check out new places like the colourful Kampong Glam I read in the newspaper today. New experiences and new memories with friends to be created.

Marriage:
Do I really want to get a boyfriend and get married?
I have been asking myself this recently. My conclusion is to keep my options open and grab the chance if it comes.
What the fortune-teller told me brought me hope and led me out of the darkness, so the harvest is already plentiful.

So that's all. Hopefully I would have accomplished what I set out to do when I check back with this post in December.

Respect and Education

2012-02-29T11:07:00.002+08:00

Was going to take the time to type this out, but found the online version:

尊重与教育

（2012-02-29）

闲云舒卷

尤今

　　“师生关系，是校园安全的生命线。”

　　中国当代极具影响力的教育家孙云晓教授，最近受邀到新加坡讲学时，说了以上那句掷地有声的话。水能载舟，亦能覆舟；师生关系好，能挽救许多处于悬崖边缘的生命，然而，师生关系处理不当，亦能摧毁如同嫩苗般的生命。

孙云晓教授举了发生于中国现实中的两个例子。

　　一位中学老师，在辅导一位女生时，对她说：“你成绩这么差，又长得这么难看，以后连坐台小姐也当不了！”女生不堪侮辱，当天就从高楼跃下，花季生命猝然凋萎。另一位老师，在班上高声读出一位学生的情书，结果呢，女生受不了同学的嘲笑，亦惨惨地让宝贵的生命画上了句号。

　　孙云晓教授发聋振聩地说道：

“没有尊重，就没有教育啊！”

Continue here

Credits go to Zaobao newspaper

Victory of Today!

2012-02-28T19:24:00.001+08:00

Went to let out some stress and hit the arcade. I was a little rusty at the start but I did well as I got more practice. Think hitting the arcade buttons will stop my itch of wanting to slap horrible students! Hahahha.

My most victories win of the day, with my right hand. ( I'm left-handed). Project Diva lets me train and re-wire my left and right brain constantly by switching hands for different songs.

On my Rest Day!

2012-02-28T13:52:00.001+08:00

Happened to get a Rest Day, so I geared up to wear a short skirt! And decided to go for a wild touch in the photos.

2012-02-27T16:02:00.001+08:00

I got the address!

Can finally set my mind at ease!

Going to send a card, letter and photos tomorrow! Oh yeah, I have to get gifts too!

Feels so glad!

Trying Harder

2012-02-27T12:01:00.001+08:00

I have decided to bombard his email address till I get a reply!

Hopefully it does not end up in junk mail.

Why I prefer Cats

2012-02-26T07:57:00.001+08:00

2012-02-25T16:27:00.001+08:00

Did not sleep much last night.

After a deep recall, managed to recall my ex-boyfriend's email address. I emailed my ex-boyfriend and hoped to get the mailing address of Aunt. Even if she had forgotten about me, I still want to send a card or a letter. Hopefully I get a reply.

Feeling Sad about Myself

2012-02-24T23:44:00.001+08:00

Watched this show on youtube which made me think a lot.

This is similar to a travel program. Every week, they would send one celebrity or artiste to a country to learn something. In this episode, the Japanese tv program sent the male artiste to Penghu Island, Taiwan, which is a fishing port. Its pristine beaches are also a famous summer destination.

The artiste stayed at a fisherman's house, similar to a homestay program. The old fisherman, about 56 years old, would bring the male artiste out to fish in the sea, rocks etc, teaching him how to catch fishes with fishing lines, nets and a harpoon-like weapon. During the period of his stay, the male artiste(20 years old) addressed the old fisherman as "Otoosan", which means Daddy in Japanese. Can see from the footage that the old fisherman treats him like a son.

On the last day, as "Otoosan" was speaking to him, the male artiste looked like he was about to cry. Although they could not understand each other's language and words totally, body language is enough to convey the bond that has formed between the two in the four to five days they shared.

It could be fake, for the sake of pushing up tv ratings but I think I can understand a little bit of the reluctance the male artiste felt.

This artiste is an only child and has grown up in Osaka, however, his career is mainly in Tokyo. I do not know if his parents stay with him in Tokyo but for those who leave their hometowns to seek a job in the city, they usually live in the city on their own. It is not easy to do so, and it is much harder when you are striving in the entertainment industry.

When you are away from home, and happen to meet seniors who share an affinity with you, there will definitely be a sense of loss when you have to part with them, even if you have only known the person for a few days. Bonding is about affinity, not about minutes or days.

Upon watching this, I suddenly felt a deep sense of regret. There was someone like that for me when I went to look for a job in Taiwan.

This Aunt invited me over for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner that year. She was about 50-60 years old, with 2 children and 1 grandchild. My ex-boyfriend introduced his colleagues to me and she is the Mum of a male colleague. After knowing I would be alone on Chinese New Year eve, she invited me over. I was very touched, surprised and honoured. Back then, other than my ex-boyfriend and his colleagues, I did not know anyone else in Taiwan.

Aunt's cooking is great and she showed me warm hospitality that night. Although it was the first time I met her entire family, I felt very at ease. I also visited her after that, bringing her little snacks from time to time.

However, I deeply regret now that I did not bid her farewell in person when I left Taiwan. There should have been a proper farewell. It did not occur to me to do so back then. I thought that I would go back to Taiwan again and that I could visit her with snacks from Singapore.

But there are some things in life that only comes once. Once it passes, you never get it back again.

After I got ditched by my ex-boyfriend, I severed all my ties with Taiwan. Contact numbers, emails, pictures, memories, everything was erased and deleted from all the records I held. So now, even if I want to contact Aunt or her son, I do not know where to start. Although I will never forget the warmth I felt from her, I will never again be able to contact her. How silly can I get, that it never occurred to me to at least get a mailing address so I can send letters or Chinese New Year cards from time to time? It took a tv program for me to feel regret, how pathetic can I get?

Or maybe I am just not trying hard enough? I don't know. I just feel sad about myself whenever I think about this.

Glasses nerd

2012-02-23T14:38:00.001+08:00

This is probably my best glasses pic:

Fearless Britney

2012-02-23T12:36:00.001+08:00

She's always good.

This is very cool! The colourful wrath of the females.

当文明变成一种生活习惯

2012-02-23T10:40:00.001+08:00

Take note of the last four paragraphs

Students......

2012-02-22T20:21:00.001+08:00

This perked me up:

Want to get well soon!

2012-02-22T17:45:00.001+08:00

I want to get well asap and be back to the energetic me again!

It's lethargic and sleepy when you are not fully recovered. One of the worst things in life is to get sick, sigh.

Hellsing OVA 9

2012-02-20T21:21:00.001+08:00

The fight between Alucard and Walter is good.

Love this outfit!

2012-02-20T20:05:00.001+08:00

Sights today

2012-02-20T16:05:00.001+08:00

lots of colourful.watches


prizes for students' exams

this sesame grinder looks.like a windmill! Cute!

Without my bear

2012-02-20T13:30:00.001+08:00

Without my bear, I look like

Day 6: Starbucks bear

2012-02-20T12:50:00.001+08:00

I finally got a day off (well, half day), so decided to wear something really short and sweet! The sweet look has to be complimented with a stuffed toy, right? Here's my Starbucks bear!

Roses on my finger

2012-02-19T12:33:00.001+08:00

The three pleasant roses on my finger lights up my day

Day 5: focus on cheeks

2012-02-18T12:46:00.001+08:00

Tried new stuff today: the clueless look, pretending to be at the beach and hands on the knees

The kind of society we have become

2012-02-17T12:21:00.001+08:00

Truly reflected in this article I came across in the newspaper today:

Love Life!

2012-02-14T12:05:00.001+08:00

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

- Henry David Thoreau

My Cute Valentine!

2012-02-13T21:48:00.001+08:00

To the lousy man who wrote this

2012-02-13T12:54:00.001+08:00

Fuck you

Turned out to be more talented than I thought

2012-02-13T12:52:00.001+08:00

He turned out to be more talented than I thought. Daito Shunsuke- more than just a pretty face who wants more out of life

Did not think he did a good job portraying Kyouya Ottori while watching the first episode, but changed my opinion when I saw an extract of how he 'taught' Haruhi a lesson in one of the middle episodes. He was more concerned about acting his role than the negative comments he may receive due to it. Think about it, people are bound to say something when a male actor uses his full body weight to suppress a girl on a bed.
I have a new respect for his professionalism ever since then.

Be patient with this one. He is acting as a gangster here, quite different from the goody-two-shoes image of Kyouya Ottori

Make up fun!

2012-02-13T12:49:00.001+08:00

Bought make up and having lots of fun with it!

What Motivates Me:

2012-01-29T21:45:00.000+08:00

Fully Focused.

Lady Dior Collection, $3400.

Wearing a Qipao

2012-01-23T23:01:00.002+08:00

After months of hard work and perserverance, I finally slimmed down and went to get a qipao. A qipao or cheongsam is a traditional dress worn by ladies from the 1930s to 1970s. And I really love this blue one I got! Just kept taking pictures of me in it and refused to take it off hours after I got home from Chinese New Year visiting.

Me in Dad's car

Me and Mummy

Intending to get another qipao! And want to try out those Victorian-style dresses one day! Seems fun! Hopefully a kimono too!

At 28

2012-01-09T13:49:00.000+08:00

Loving it!

It's been good

2011-12-31T23:08:00.002+08:00

I've been lucky and very fortunate.

Thank You.

Finally Remembered

2011-12-20T17:51:00.000+08:00

I finally remembered how I spent the last day of 2010.

I went to bed early about 11.30pm and heard happy cheers ran through the HDB block as I drifted to sleep, I think. Much better than how I spent the last day of 2009.

Wonder what will happen this year.

Looking Back......

2011-12-19T16:52:00.002+08:00

http://hanamandy.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-first-sporty-watch-bday-list-and-fab.html

This is the last post of 2010, stating my birthday list and my aims for 2011. Looking back, I achieved 90% on the list. Most surprising would be getting the iPhone, cos I changed about 3 phones in 2011! (Damn you, Sony Ericsson and Blackberry!)

Although I did not go on the trip to Vietnam with friends, but I did went to Malacca with Yuying and Peiyi, so I guess it was only a change of venue, the rest stayed the same. At the same time, realised that I had not traveled via plane this year. However, the yearly trips and little adventure in Taiwan probably made up for it.

In conclusion, glad that I achieved most of what I wanted to do in 2011.

New Look

2011-12-14T23:52:00.001+08:00

Loving the new iPhone apps my student helped me download. The effects of the pictures turn out well!

The Ali Baba pants are so fun! Super Comforty too!

Universal Studios Singapore

2011-12-14T23:51:00.001+08:00

Went with Yuying, Jiayun, Yun Yun, June and Peiyi to USS on 11 December 2011. I took the Canopy Flyer and swore never to have the naivety that roller coasters are "slow". Love the Waterworld show. Love taking pictures with the various characters. Pissed off at the stupid delays of the Transformers ride. Still thinking about Candyman Gingy and has decided to bring it home by the end of the year. Looking forward to bring Mummy there next year!

Isn't it nice to wake up to see the lovely eyes of Puss and just melt?

My Favourite pic!

I passed by Shrek's home

Even the Queen needs to change the baby's diapers

The silly boy has a street named after him

Even Frankistein is scared of the cold and needs a scarf

Nearly rushed over to grab a cup of Starbucks latte when I saw the signage. Too bad, it's not Starbucks

My first Coach Wristlet

2011-12-14T23:36:00.001+08:00

Yuying, Jiayun, Yunyun, Peiyi and June got me a Coach wristlet as an early Birthday present! Thanks Gals!

It was wrapped elegantly

Me posing with the wristlet

I like the metallic pink and the heart-shaped Coach logo on it

In one of the Best Places now!

2011-11-28T22:39:00.001+08:00

Let me use pictures and words to tell you why:

I'm alive! And it's great!

I have a lovely Mum!

A Doting Dad!

My two supportive and cheeky brothers as siblings, so I have never been lonely since young

Clubbing and Dancing the Night away at Highlander was extremely exhilarating!

Mummy's cooking

I conquered my favourite song! Want to learn this fan dance!

And all my FRIENDS! (Wendy, Yuying, Jiayun, June, Yun Yun, Peiyi, Esther, Adeline......and the list goes on!) And EVERYTHING!

I'm a very very ultra lucky Lady!

Will the Devil come knocking?

2011-11-21T00:41:00.001+08:00

Was going to talk about my sneezes etc, but all these just became second fiddle the moment I read the latest Kuroshitsuji chapter. Just couldn't resist, who can NOT work hard with a sensei like this?!

But,

Loves his expression here! Even a Devil needs some help, haha. (Sorry, couldn't resist sidetracking!)

I would like to personally make a deal with a Devil. Be my loyal lover, have a lifelong marriage with me and I will give you my soul when I die. I mean, since my soul will be harvested by the agents of Death, does it really matter whether it ends up with them or the Devil? To the Devil, I'm probably another boring human looking for trivial but of cos, at the end of the day, it depends on what you want. Of course, the typical arrogance of the lady also feels great if the Devil falls in love with her in the end, double victory, you know? But in life, or rather, the reality is, a deal is a deal, that's all it matters, nothing more and nothing less.

I wonder, is it the same with love and marriage?

It's easier if it is a deal. But if it is as easy as ABC, would we crave so much for it? Or is it just an overly hyped fantasy in the end? Look at Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. She is one of the hottest women out there, yet beauty and looks do not necessarily keep the man. So what does? Luck? Money? Kids? Love?

That's why making a deal with a devil really is quite a good deal. The human probably stands to gain a lot more than the devil. A lifetime vs a few moments on the taste buds, who really gains more? Wait, everyone measures time differently though. But is a soul really the only thing that the devil wants? I mean, they are not stupid to strike a losing deal, right? Don't know, can only tell you the raw deal when I really get to make a deal with the Devil.

Back to sneezes...... Not sure where I caught the chill, but my throat has been inf lammed since morning and the sneezes are gaining speed. Have a feeling I may have to rest at home this week. Hopefully I don't suffer too much in the process.

After 5 days of consecutive practice and close to $100 worth of Timezone top-up, I can proudly claim that I have conquered the three songs I wanted to this week! And I noticed that ever since I started playing Project Diva/Vocalaid, I have stopped getting bruises totally! It cures clumsiness! Hahaha! It has amped up my focus, alertness and accuracy by a lot!

Not sure if I am into bears but look at this,

Feels like I have two polar bears as pets, so cute! My blur brother was asking if it will grow bigger like water babies, hahhahaahahaha. I bought this tumbler from Starbucks last night while out with Yuying at Plaza Singapura Starbucks. It was super noisy from time to time and the queue just never ends at the counter! Roaring business!

Went to watch "The Apple of my Eye" with my brother and my mum. Overall, it didn't really touch me but I guess it was meant to be subtle. It's a very typical Taiwanese movie, with its local culture and small town charm, so it didn't really get a raving review from me. Or maybe the allure of Taiwan is long gone and rubbed off me already.

Eagerly waiting for Puss in Boots and he is everywhere already!

Saw this at a bus stop

This was pasted across the glass entrance of Cineleisure

Kudos to The Adorable

2011-11-13T14:32:00.001+08:00

This Starbucks Bearista Bear is all over the place in my online associations(blogspot, facebook etc). Never felt so tempted to get a soft toy, hopefully this is not the first of many to come!

Was with Esther to chill over coffee at Starbucks Raffles City Shopping Mall overnight when I went up to the basket of bears and just picked up one nonchalantly. I started flapping its arms, using its hands to make funny expressions on its face, poking its backside and swinging its apron up North! I felt like a naughty girl, hee.

After that, I put it back into the basket and went to order my coffee. But somehow, I just picked the same bear up again and just could not put it back anymore. The bear became stuck to me, or rather, I bought it, so it has no choice but to go home with me, muahahhahahaha. I tried the other bears, but this particular one was just so irresistible. And strangely though, although the bears are mass-produced, each bear does look a little different from the other. It's probably the eyes of this particular bear that makes me want to pat its head every now and then.

Here's me and him! He's proud of me as his owner, right? Of course! He's beaming!

After a light MacDonald's supper with Esther, I took the NightRider home and sat next to this adorable guy. He looked about 28 or 29 years old and as the bus journey became a lullaby, he started to doze off, hitting his head slightly against the glass window. Felt tempted to pat him on the head too. Of course, I did not want to be misinterpreted as a molester, so I did not do anything. He must be really exhausted, as he either did not realise he was hitting the glass or he did not bother that the glass hurt slightly.

Kudos to The Adorable!

Things to Do in November

2011-10-28T00:49:00.000+08:00

List of things I want to do in November:

- ~~Buy potato chips and tidbits to satisfy my cravings~~......mission accomplished on 29.10.11

- ~~Go Kinokuniya for some book browsing and ordering of Japanese anime calendars~~......not going to order anime calendars, think I should save the money, but still going Kinokuniya, probably in the second week of November

- ~~Watch TV, especially the History Channel(my WWII history!) and TLC channel~~......mission accomplished on 30.10.11, anticipating Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull on Channel 5 on Monday!

- ~~Buy crystals.~~.....mission accomplished on 4.11.11.

- ~~Go USS~~...... mission accomplished on 11 Dec 2011, "Gingy, where are you? I miss you!"

- Go IKEA
- Meet up with as many friends as possible (I miss you ALL!)...... mission accomplished, have not met up with everyone, still making arrangements, but going to organise a gathering to meet up with my primary school mates in Dec! Hope it works out!

- ~~Catch a movie : The Three Musketeers, Puss in Boots, One Day etc.~~ (I missed Smurfs and Johnny English on the big screen!)...... mission accomplished on 8.11.11, watched The Three Musketeers with Wendy!

- Rent the DVDs of movies I have missed out during this exam revision period when they come out
- ~~Enrol in hot dance/ exotic dance classes~~...... mission accomplished on 1.11.11

- ~~Watch anime~~...... mission accomplished on 12.11.11, re-watching Junjou Romantica and Saiyuki, Hellsing, Ouran are next!

- Read Ouran High School manga
- ~~sleep in on weekends~~...... mission accomplished, been staying up late and sleeping in for first two weekends of November already!

- ~~prepare the new texts for next year classes~~...... mission accomplished and some are still in the works!

- finish reading the magazines that's been stacked up since June
- ~~clear out old stuff at my workplace to make way for new materials.~~..... mission accomplished on 31.10.11

- ~~perm my hair and dye my hair.~~..... mission accomplished, dyeing of hair in mid Dec

- ~~Go Mustafa with Mummy~~...... going to cancel the trip as Mummy is busy and I should save the money

- Library book hunting
- ~~settle insurance planning stuff~~...... mission accomplished on 3.11.11, meeting my insurance agent soon

- ~~think of fun and never-done-before activities and do them before the year ends!~~......saw 10-15 kites flying high today, anyone interested to go kite-flying?

- ~~buy Christmas decorations at~~ ~~Daiso~~......going to drop the idea, think it will be a waste of money in the end

- ~~put up my curtains~~......sigh, it looks bad, I'm close to giving up. Eventually, it ended up in my study room. Why did I buy a romantic curtain?

- ~~chill at Starbucks~~...... mission accomplished, have been there so often that I got two free drinks on my Starbucks card this month!

- ~~Mon-Friday and Sunday dinners with family~~...... mission accomplished, stayed home for family dinners for a few nights already :)

Music Love

2011-10-27T12:40:00.002+08:00

Nice?
Was thinking of a student who wanted musical notes as the theme for her pocket lamp design. As she is kind-natured, I decided to add hearts into the design and came up with this. More colours do create more fun

Slowing Down

2011-10-27T11:36:00.001+08:00

As time enters the last week of the revision schedule for exams, my level of activity is slowing down. In a way, I am not used to it, as the reduced activity keeps me suspecting if I have forgotten about any tuition that I am supposed to go for today and I would scramble to my phone and notebook to check on my additional appointments/extra tuition that had been planned since weeks ago. It keeps me unsettled somehow when the search turned up futile.

On the other hand, I am glad that I no longer wake up with a slightly hoarse voice or slightly sore vocals from the intensive tuition these two months. It feels good to know my voice is having a good time as it should always be. And the sights of all the tidbits and fried food are starting to look tempting. A few more days, I keep telling myself and I can buy all the potato chips I want! Even if my throat is going to be affected for half a day after Tuesday next week, I do not have to be overly worried or concerned, as the students' exams have ended.

I've been living on a rather plain diet for the past two months and it is getting hard to keep up with the discipline when you know the deadline is coming and you can break the rules like a sore thumb sticking out in your face. Whatever it is, hope I do not fall sick from too much fried food.

I need to keep my chin up! I'm the cheerleader for my students! ~~If I go easy on myself now, my students will go easy on themselves too and that is the wrong path to go.~~ 80 marks and above is still the minimum grade!!!

Everyone has the potential to Score

2011-10-25T11:24:00.004+08:00

I was so impressed that I decided to give away my prized and treasured Doraemon sticker

Jolene is great too!

Everyone has the potential to Score!

Into Octopus now......hee

2011-10-25T11:22:00.001+08:00

My laptop of 3 years looks like this now

I'm keeping the mouthrinse bottle to draw on it too! Hee!

My Favourite design so far

2011-10-17T00:30:00.000+08:00

Update (21 Oct 2011):

Eventually, the student chose this design:

Shy guy, right?
Just puts a smile on my face.

I was very inspired by one student's request to have HIS pocket lamp designed in pink, as he wants to give the lamp to a girl he likes and it got me designing. This is my favourite design this time round:

It's simple and sweet, but if he wants to relay a more subtle message, maybe this is not the best of choices.

We'll see.

2011-10-11T13:22:00.000+08:00

We hire people who want to make the bestthings in the world.
SteveJobs

I want to create minds, hearts and souls who aspire to achieve their best in life.

Mandy Zhang

Ocotober just whizzed past me like vroom!

2011-10-10T13:13:00.002+08:00

It's been 10 days since we entered October. And I'm like, didn't 1 Oct just hit?

It's been 10 days already? How did time whizz by so fast!

Maybe it's the artwork on the Children's Day presents that caused me to lose track of time, or maybe it's the pace of revision I'm doing for all the students where my focus is on improvement, goals, targets and feedback or the amount of things I have to keep up around me, but October is whizzing by too fast.

Originally, I thought I could bum around for the whole of November since students' exams would be over and tuition would be stopped for a while. Turns out I'm wrong, cos PSLE results come out in late Nov. Looks like I'll probably only bum around at home, timezone and Starbucks for the first two weeks of Nov. My mind will start to think about work from the third week onwards, which is good actually. From experience, four weeks of rest is too much, my brain totally stops working and getting the engine started becomes a doubly hard uphill task, it's like climbing Mt Everest twice with the avalanche under my feet.

Right now, already making plans for November. Going out with Esther and Adeline in the first weekend of November and the Sec Sch Gals to Universal Studios in the last weekend of the month. Hoping to meet up with the rest of my friends too, will book up as many friends as possible the moment I come up with outing ideas! It gets a little stagnant when you always go for a meal, chit-chat and then go home. I mean, even kite-flying is worth a try, right?

Hoping to go for dance lessons if possible next year. I say this every year, but it never gets done, sigh. If anyone knows of any place that has hot dance classes, Britney-style kind, and they are in the North, please let me know. I want to learn something new, it's about time.

2011-10-06T01:23:00.000+08:00

Nice? I do have a creative flair, right? Even I feel a little amazed at myself, I can actually do artwork!

Fear vs Cheerleader

2011-09-28T10:24:00.002+08:00

I wonder if the devil and angel in us can be akin to fear and cheerleader respectively, cos I'm facing these two invisible yet very tangible existences at the moment.

Fear is holding me back.

The cheerleader in me and my friends are moving me forward.

Who will win?

It's ironic, for me, cos I'm the one who is always telling my students "We work hard, play harder, so let's GO GO GO!"

Yet here I am, holding back. It's not going to be so effective on my students when I myself have doubts on the above life motto. I have to set the example and follow the motto through! I'm an educator, not someone doing paperwork. I have TO BE THERE, anytime, anywhere and be ready to motivate the students to GO!

I am going to DO IT, no matter the odds. Yup, I'm going to emulate Britney Spears and dance with a python around my neck! I will kill the python before it even dares to think about it. Yea, this is the only route and choice I can leave myself, no more no less.

Britney Spears Mad Genius

2011-09-22T08:57:00.001+08:00

Whether it is true or just a package, her hard work is undeniably true, you know just by looking at her live performances, every move is precise at every second:

This is just one of the live performances that has turned heads again and again. If you think the above is not that full of omph!, here's another one to convince you:

Heartache

2011-09-21T10:15:00.002+08:00

Feeling extremely sleepy after a roti prata breakfast, so I'm doing something light like blogging before most of the blood comes back to the brain when digestion is over, otherwise I will just fall asleep on the bed and miss out on my work. My brain is in standby mode, really struggling to stay awake now.

Anyway, this is titled heartache as some of the things I just bought either went missing or got sprinkled by the rain, sigh.

Bought a doorbell for the first time in my life and was so amazed by it, as it runs on a three-pin plug, rather than having to change the battery now and then, very convenient. It's wireless too, so incredible. However, the doorbell was gone one day after I put it up. I put it up in the morning and it was gone when I came home at night, could not believe my eyes! But it still happened. Mummy said I should have bought a doorbell that requires a screw and bolt, not double-sided tape, sobs! Inexperienced me! If only I knew. Sigh, took it as a lesson, at least I know the RIGHT doorbell to get next time.

Bought my first ever branded handbag and felt so happy over it. Coach is really good with service, design and versatility! I love the staff and I left the shop feeling like a million dollars! However, it got sprinkled by rain on the second day I used it. Of course the bag will not be spoilt just by that, but still, my heart was feeling the pinch.

Btw, please do NOT go Kate Spade, the service sucks. I was totally ignored while three of the staff just stood there and chatted with each other. I mean, I don't dress like a tai tai, but hey, even MacDonald's says Hi to you, right? Anyway, Kate Spade products do not look that fantastic upfront too, plus the lousy service, it totally puts me off. It's in the delete box indefinitely.

Last heartache I want to mention here is one of the PSLE student I have. Ten more days to the start of PSLE and he still gives me shit. I really don't know what he wants and hope he sees the mistake in the choice he is making soon, so feeling the heartache. He's 12, not 5, he should know better on the right choices to make, hope he wakes up soon, and not waste the time and effort the teachers, parents and his family have spent on him this past one year.

On to happier moments, been waking up early to catch up on life with Mummy, as most of my nights now are filled with tuition. It's fun to follow Mum around the house as she gets ready for work, that's how I chat with her and keep myself updated with her life. The air is fresher in the early morning too! Still have to slog for one more month before my break in November, then I can spend most of my nights at home with Mummy for dinner! Hopefully, good movies like Smurfs, Johnny English etc are still in the cinema, I want to watch them! But not much time to really sit down in the cinema and be in that movie mood as it is my peak period now. My mind is more occupied with planning revision schedules for classes, looking through exam practice papers, printing exam practice papers, marking compositions, preparing oral materials, lesson plans, and and and............................................................................I will survive!

With so many things on my mind, I nearly forgot Children's Day is around the corner. It was a really lucky thing one of my students reminded me about it by chance, otherwise, I will end up too embarrassed to show my face anywhere during Children's Day with no presents bought! Anyway, this part is now covered, so it has put me at ease.

Looking forward to meeting the Sec school Gals this Sat, can have a short break as it will be the last PSLE tuition slot this week, so a slight relief of duties before I get started on the rest of the students come Monday.

Quite surprised at myself

2011-08-23T14:40:00.005+08:00

That I'm into yaoi(boys love) anime/manga, or rather into this anime/manga called "Junjou Romantica".

It's a strange name by itself, though.

Anyway, it was one of the related videos featured on the right side while I was watching another anime. Who knew it would turn out to be such a good anime? Life is really full of surprises!

Watching this anime makes me feel like I'm being put on another level of thinking, need to "power up" my thinking to understand some parts of the story. Actually, even after I have finished season 2, I am still trying to comprehend the last two episodes completely. It's not hard to understand in the philosophical way, but more in the part of needing more experience in life to fully understand it.

Summary of Junjou Romantica: There are three couples in this anime,

The main storyline- Takahashi Misaki (19 years old) is suddenly having some unexpected and odd problems. What started as a need for some college entrance exam tutoring has somehow led him to being romanced by a suave older man who also happens to be his big brother’s best friend. Confused by all of his brand new emotions, Misaki struggles to deal with his suddenly very odd life. And if that wasn’t enough, his suitor, Usami Akihiko (28 years old), has plenty of issues of his own. A man-child who decorates his room in giant teddy bears and toys due to his deprived childhood, Usami is a famous novelist, who has won many notable awards and at the same time, also writes steamy boys’ love novels under a different pen-name on the side.

Junjou Egoist: Kamijou Hiroki is a broken man, consumed by unrequited love for his childhood friend, Usami Akihiko (the boys' love novelist). Along comes Kusama Nowaki, whose name "Nowaki" means "typhoon", an orphan working his way through life since middle school. Like the typhoon he is named for, he whirls into Hiroki's life and heart, blowing all resistance away before him.

Junjou Terrorist: As fate would have, Miyagi You (the professor that Kamijou Hiroki works for as an assistant professor) and Takatsuki Shinobu, Miyagi’s boss’ son AND his ex-wife’s younger brother, would cross paths. Shinobu, who says whatever’s on his mind, tries to break into Miyagi’s world, saying things like, “its destiny!” While the 18 year-old tries to invade Miyagi’s world, the 35 year-old still harbors a deep-rooted love for his late teacher. Being the Terrorist he is, Shinobu breaks down the walls that Miyagi has caged himself in, dramatically changing the Professor’s heart and demanding Miyagi take responsibility and face destiny…

Put the yaoi/boys love thingy aside, the anime is actually very realistic as all the characters struggle to keep their relationships going amidst the reality set before their eyes.

Other than the age gap, the need to catch up to their more established other halves, the necessity of keeping their relationships inconspicuous, there is also the issue of acceptance as it is a totally new way of living for some of the characters. However, it is also undeniable that the care and concern they have for other each other, responding to each other's emotional needs and sacrifices are true and sincere too.

I'm quite struck by this anime as I feel myself being attracted to two characters.

One of them is Kamijou, the go-getter who's very serious yet very fragile emotionally, as I'm quite like him. I'm quite similar to the way he deals with relationships too, so I identify with him somehow. That's why I find the creator of this series to be someone who is very observant about people. Maybe her characters are based on real-life people that she knows, it's hard to say.

The other character is Usagi-san, the talented novelist who has a flair for writing ever since young. From the way he shows his love, I now have a clearer idea of how I want to be loved by the man in my life. Usagi-san may be an over-bearing person at times with the way he shows his love, but I feel myself deeply attracted to it, maybe I am a masochist or something, hee.

Anyway, will continue to read the manga since it is still on-going even though the anime has ended, and many fans are petitioning for a Season 3. That's how popular it is, cos of the good storyline. Hopefully when I re-watch the last 2 episodes in season two when I'm older, say two years from now, I will truly comprehend what the series was trying to convey in the end. I do need to grow up more too.

On to other things:
The London riots was a real shocker and it has made me fortunate to stay in Singapore. I mean, it is actually good that it is illegal to riot in Singapore and trust me, the riot will not even last one night, it will be taken care of by the Singapore government even before it takes shape.
London is really disappointing and it has made me shelve my plans to approach Medieval England next year. When I think of England now, it's not the mysterious elves and forests anymore, it's four nights of crazy burning and looting.

On the other hand, Italy seems really mesmerising now. My eyes seem quite set on Europe, hee.

Saw this travel program on Turkey the other night with Mummy and we both commented that Turkey is quite worth a look, other than the un-appetising food......not sure if we are adventurous enough to try the food there. The feel of the country sure is exotic.

Well, planning for next year is a little early. For now, I'm thinking more of the celebratory plans with my P6 students after their PSLE is over, I mean, after all the hard work from Jan-Sept, there should at least be a survival toast at the dinner table. For now, we are thinking of LAN shops and LAN gaming. I also wonder about Christmas plans with the Ladies too. Hmmmm......lots of food for thought already, so I'll just go with the flow for travel plans! Who knows, maybe I'll just go on a spontaneous trip like the one I did with Yuying and Peiyi to Malacca the other time!

Experience has taught me not to plan for things like these. Just go with the flow!

Been down with an inf lammed throat, sore throat and slight cough since Friday till now. It was not serious and I was still able to teach so I went ahead with lessons as all students are having their CA2 exams now. I was very touched by all the students who "stood by me" during this time.

They were very understanding towards my lack of voice and did their best to make my voice as comfortable as possible,

like not complaining at all when I turned on the fan instead of the air-con as the cold air would make my throat worse(they usually complain that it's very warm, the air-con is too little/too cold etc etc),

like keeping quiet as much as possible so they do not interrupt me with useless banter,

like not chatting about stuff in their lives with me that day cos I would start chatting away happily without regard for my already hoarse voice etc. etc.

I have good students, sensitive, sensible ones actually.

Even though they may be naughty at times, but that's the way we interact with each other. I like being amused by them all the time, especially by the sparkle in their eyes and the "amazing" thoughts and ideas they have sometimes.

I do learn a lot from them sometimes, though not as much as I would like to admit, hee. For sweet people like them, I believe buying sweets and chocolates is one way to return the favour! So it's going to be candy week for these students this week! Although they may see it as only a slight relief from the gruesome nightmare they cannot escape from as I reel them in for the preparation of their end of year exams starting this, oops, no, last week.

It's not that easy to be under me, winks^^.

Of course, there were bastard students, two, in actual fact, who deliberately made my life difficult when I was sick during those days. But, don't need to focus on them. Cos unwanted things go into the delete box.

Focus on the sweetness and you'll smile, right?

Oh well, going to get a change of clothes and head out for some shopping. Hopefully I finally make it to IKEA this Friday, dim sum with Yuying this Sat and lots of fun, candy, class and games with my students this week! (Their CA2 ends this week! Finally! After 3 weeks of intense preparation! A Breather, for me and for them!)

Mayor crushes illegal car with tank

2011-08-05T13:28:00.001+08:00

This is the kind of man I will definitely marry and the kind of firmness I want to emulate and practise

Friday kopitams and next IT investment

2011-07-22T13:28:00.006+08:00

It's been a long time since I was able to finally haul myself out of bed and go down to the kopitam/coffee shop near my house for breakfast. I actually thought it would be quite empty, cos it was a weekday and it was already 10am, the morning crowd should be gone by then. However, I was rather surprised. It was quite happening, busy and there was a good feel about it.

Maybe because it was a Friday and some people have taken the day off to start an early weekend? But I do like the energy in the kopitam. It does make me wonder if people were also late-wakers or were they having breakfast or lunch, since 10am is quite a weird time for plates of rice or soup noodle meals which a lot of people were having.

And there were two cute kids I saw, that I could not stop observing as I took in the energy of the coffee shop and sipping my coffee slowly.

This 2-year-old boy was climbing onto the stool, hugging the stool like a teddy bear onto a jar of honey, which was so cute! And he just kept doing it again and again! His elder sister is also a very sweet girl. Not just in looks, but also in her behaviour. Her mum gave her a kiss on the cheek and she blushed. As she kissed her mum back shyly in the same gesture, I was instantly envious. I want to have my daughter kiss me on the cheek like that one day, feels so sweet just watching it.

Hopefully I will continue to go down for breakfast on Friday mornings, cos that's what I plan to do from now on. I've been a little too addicted to Starbucks lately and think I should vary my preferences, not too good to stick to one.

And I went walking around last night, cos I'm considering a LCD screen, since the quality is really good. I truly believe watching anime will be a lifelong commitment, so thinking of investing in the LCD screen. The only problem is I have no idea where to place the LCD screen due to the huge magnetic board right in front of my desk. If the LCD screen were to be there, it would block me from looking at the notes and reminders I have on my board. Other than space constraints, I also need to get a CPU and keyboard, quite a hassle, but went to check the electronics out anyway.

And guess what? I think I found the perfect solution.

Acer recently launched a new product, the Acer Revo 100.

It is a CPU that is as slim as my laptop and only the size of a jewel box. The slim and elegant design attracted me immediately. What's best, it can connect to the TV and the TV can be used as the monitor!

I can just watch my anime on my TV screen and use the good stereo speaker system in my living room at the same time! If nothing goes wrong, there is a high chance that I'm getting Acer Revo 100 at the upcoming IT fair in September.

For now, Acer Revo 100 is priced at $800, quite affordable, but since I'm in no hurry, I can wait a little while. Though it looks better and better every minute I think about it, making me rather anxious to get it, will still ask my brother about it, since he is more knowledgeable about IT stuff than me. I truly trust the opinions of IT experts when it comes to electronics. Maybe Funan or Sim Lim Square will have a better price or a better promotion, hope my brother comes back earlier from his re-service today, so I can ask him more on it!

Here's a video on the Acer Revo 100:

Recently

2011-06-30T13:35:00.009+08:00

Been a really long time since I last posted, partly because of FB and partly becos I've been lazing around. Been super relaxed after the exam period and has been slacking in all manner ever since late May. But things are picking up speed and as this is school-re-opening week, this is warming up week before the engine starts running on the roads come 1 July.

Life these days have been good, back to a good momentum and direction. Likes going back to a full working schedule although I'm still getting adjusted to it. The weather's been great due to the cool winds and beautiful sleep-in mornings! Just love the weather nowadays! And it's great to grab a Starbucks after an arcade basketball game or dinner with friends.

Watched the movie "Hangover 2" last weekend and is still on a high whenever I think of it. It is so hilarious! I'm glad I went out last Sat to meet Yuying for this movie. Although human traffic is a hassle on weekends, the movie's great, the company's great and I saw the long stretch of Transformers 3 movie poster along the traveletor in Dhoby Ghaut MRT. Too bad I was in a rush and did not take pictures! It looks so great that I HAD to slow down and ogle at Optimus Prime. He's the hero! Although it's weird to have a boyfriend with a voice like that, can you imagine,

"MANDY, ROLL OUT"
"MANDY, WANT SOME POPCORN"
"MANDY, YOU LIED TO ME ABOUT THOSE SHOES"

I will seriously laugh my head off! But his "AUTOBOTS, ROLL OUT!" always makes me swoon, can't help it! My Optimus Prime. When I get a son, he's either going to be called Optimus Prime or Robin Hood (due to Russell Crowe version influence)!

Talking about sons, I was shopping in Causeway Point when I saw this amazing boy which made me stop in my tracks, for two reasons:

-First, he looks really refreshing and cute for a 14 or 15-year-old boy.

-Two, he was holding his Mum's hand happily, like he was going to pay for everything like how a boyfriend does.

I mean, a Secondary school boy holding his Mum's hand(HAPPILY!!!), I've never seen that before. Then the most amazing thing happened. The young boy saw his friend and as he exchanged words with his friend, he still held on to his Mum's hand instead of brushing it away like some plague. His friend had a weird look on his face momentarily as he was also shopping with his mum, but not holding his mum's hand.

Isn't that young boy so charming? He held onto his Mum's hand the whole time. I can truly feel the glow on the Mum's face/body emanting all the time. If it was me, I would be proud to show off such a son too! Not just charming, but so sweet too! At that moment, I tell myself, must train my son to be like that too! Charming and sweet! Dress him up in the right clothes and inculcate that style and level of thinking in him, it's a MUST! There must be a reason why I saw this scene that day!

For now, I'm into this anime/manga called Ouran High School Host Club. Very funny and of cos, eye-candy is what I look at it mostly for. The humour and layers of storyline are not to be missed too. The evil lord, Kuoya is my all-time favourite, but Tamaki's charm is catching up rather quickly too. Here's two videos for a brief introduction on them and a third one for some humour to get you watching the show:

Skip the intro song if you do not want to wait. This episode focuses on Kouya, don't have to watch the full episode if you are busy, the first 15 mins would have told you some stuff about him already, hee. Kouya is nicknamed the Shadow King of the club, managing the club's finances in name, but in reality is the puppet master, I love his evil-ness but likes more of his gentle and kind side which he prefers to keep low on

This is Tamaki, the song really reflects his flamboyant, narcisstic nature, but he's very cute. He's the one with blond hair and blue eyes

This is one of the funniest episodes in the show, enjoy!

Already finished the whole anime, but found the ending to be rather rushed, probably cos they are aiming for a second season, which there's no news yet. Currently reading the manga and it's much more wicked than the anime! Haha!

It's quite subtle, surprising

2011-05-04T13:05:00.003+08:00

When I first heard about Saiyuki Gaiden, it was from the trailer for the DVD. As I've mentioned earlier in my blog, I have been looking forward to it. To say the truth, I was screaming so loud in my heart as a fangirl and rushed to read the manga. Although the screaming and gushing never went away, the melancholy mellowness did get to me.

Watching the raw version of Saiyuki Gaiden part one on youtube today made me scream in excitement, but I'm surprised things have been toned down so much too. It is not so cool like all the Saiyuki tv series before it. It is more of four fugitives fighting their way through, a little desperate and a little trying to act strong. That's how I feel about the first part of Saiyuki Gaiden. But because of this, it makes their struggle, their beliefs and their personalities more real than ever, more like us, where our lives are constantly filled with the struggles on doing things according to the "right/rigid" order of things or fighting against it, where friends and family help to make everything easier, with a little jest as accompainment. I cannot wait for the second and third part of Saiyuki Gaiden to come out, yet I am not so looking forward to it too, cos what comes next are more of pain, sorrow and a dim of hope which was only realised after all their hearts died.

Here's an extract of Saiyuki Gaiden part one, the one I had thought to be full of cool action, but turned out to be a little sad:

Mummy is an Angel

2011-04-07T21:18:00.004+08:00

I've been out fors 9 days due to an ongoing fever, sorethroat, cough, flu, exploding head, hungry but no appetite and it totally wacked me out for the first 3 days.

DAY ONE: Stupid me tried to self-heal, so slept, took panadol and drank water

DAY TWO: Did the same thing and had to cancel classes as I coughed when I took a breath

DAY THREE: Finally hauled and crawled to the doctor nearby and took meds(officially). Could only sleep while sitting cos I will go into a spasm of coughs and mucus whenever I lie on my back

DAY FOUR: Felt 10% better and went for one class, nearly collapsed and had to get Mum to bring me to another doctor. I was so touched when Mummy saved me as I out of strength, out of breath, feverish from head to toe, aching everywhere, cos she comes back at 7pm and wakes up at 3am to go to work. By taking me to the doctor, she will miss about 3 hours of sleep. For someone who works long hours, every sec of sleep time is precious, so I was especially touched. That night, went to sleep comfortably with new meds. And so HAPPY! Mum took me to the doctor

DAY FIVE: 20% better

DAY SIX: 30% better and quite sick of porridge

DAY SEVEN: 50% recovered

DAY EIGHT: 70% recovered and still having porridge

DAY NINE: Went back to the new doctor for new meds as I ran out. Right now, arranging make up classes and list of extra lessons to prepare for students' exams. Going to pay bills for parents, finish up errands for parents and go print tons of worksheets tomorrow. Time to push their limits!

This sicko fiasco has devoted me to Mummy angel. As per her advice, I will pick up driving, so she can stop worrying about this aspect. I actually had a moment of thought to get a car while waiting for a cab and watching cars drive by the busy Bukit Timah stretch, well, we'll see what happens. If possible, I also hope to buy carnations for her everyday/often, like I used to do, a long time ago.

Anyway, she really is an angel with light shining behind her. I worship her totally now! Mummy, I LOVE U!

Parents and their Children

2011-03-25T01:08:00.005+08:00

Most of my friends would know, I'm currently addicted to Saiyuki, a manga/anime/ OVA loosely based on the classic "Journey to the West".

I like it for the eye candy, storyline and humour.

As I re-watch all of Saiyuki, it made me realise the new thoughts I have now at 27, compared to watching it at 17 back then.

Other than friendship and a heavy dose of brotherhood themes in Saiyuki, it also focuses a lot about the connections between parents and their children.

In Saiyuki, Sanzo the monk acts like a father(eg. like falling down a spiral just to catch Goku) while Sun Goku, Monkey God is the cute kid who knows little about life.

Cross-reference it to the original story, it's similar. Cos Monkey God in the original story was someone without boundaries, because no parents were around to teach him about the ways of the world, hence nurturing his "I-don't-care-as-long-as-I'm-happy" attitude towards things that stand in his way.

Anyway, back to the father and son thing in Saiyuki, the latest DVD to be out is "Saiyuki Gaiden", where the actual storyline begins, which is why these four main characters-Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai, Goyjo are the ones making the trip to the West. For those who are lost(which you probably are)-

500 years ago, as Sanzo/Konzen, Hakkai/Tenpou and Goyjo/Kenren tried to save Goku from a death sentence, they died from fighting, eaten by a huge beast and crushed by the Gates of Heaven.

The video below will show it detail (Goku is the cute one, Sanzo/monk/Konzen is the one with long golden hair, Hakkai/Pig Bajie/Tenpou is the one in a lab coat, Goyjo/ Sha Zeng/ Kenren is the one with a strange fringe) :

So sad!

The trailer for the animated version:

Happiness is Key to keeping things sane

2011-03-06T19:20:00.005+08:00

Why do I say that?

Cos despite all the comments made by my mum saying I'm childish to watch anime at my age, none of the words went in. I believe, even if everyone in the world said this, it would still flow past me.

After I got re-connected with the anime/manga world, I realised how enjoyable it is! The humour, gushing over the cool guys, the storyline(mind you, I watch only the best anime) all entertains me to no end! So probably I will be an otaku for the rest of my life!

I'm currently re-watching Saiyuki. When it first came out in 2000, it was the talk of the year! Mostly cos the girls were gushing over how cool the characters are and ranking them differently as the episodes went by. Although the art is not as fabulous as now, it is VERY delicious! (especially Sanzo!!!)

The storyline is revolutionary too, which grabbed a lot of attention, in Japan and internationally. Here's one funny video from Saiyuki, laugh out loud!

I read the book "Dracula" and found it un-suspenseful. Maybe I had high expectations. Maybe the simplified version did not include more details. I definitely prefer Alucard in Hellsing. Looking forward to OVA 8 coming this year.

Rants include the sharp turns and sudden brakes of SMRT buses, they probably hope that everyone will puke on the bus and they have to clean it up. Stupid service on the trip to The Face Shop Northpoint too.

Why We Watch Gore

2011-01-23T20:01:00.004+08:00

As I looked at the poor results of the English test I gave them,

and then at the low spelling marks over the past consecutive three weeks,

and then at their faces demanding me to give them sweets as a reward if I want them to get good results in the future,

THE SCENE OF ALUCARD BLASTING THE HEADS OF ZOMBIES ONE BY ONE CAME INTO MY MIND,

just like below,

At that moment, I finally realised, this is how people de-stress through bloody gore in anime, games and movies. I'm going to watch Alucard kill and his boss, Wingates give a shit attitude to her enemies later before I sleep.

I also sent a student home today. After he had smacked his friend's head last week and slapped another classmate's face today. All in the name of fun. As I walked towards him, marker in my hand, he squirmed against the wall and said it was not fun to touch or smack him. WTF.

Influence of English culture
Well, on to the finer things in life......I've recently fallen in love with traditional English culture with all their pies, cakes, Vivienne roses, tea leaves, porcelain tea pot and tea time. All of them looks so comforting after a half day of work due to Kuroshitsuji.

The anime theme is rather bleak, set against the time where one disappears in London and no one really cares or really knows. At a time where adults and kids alike are kidnapped, sold into slavery, sexually abused, physically abused and you must walk with at least another person in the streets in the mist-surrounded day time.

Although Sebastian(the gorgeous, sexy, tall, dark, handsome, mysterious, etc, etc, etc) who got me interested in the show in the first place, I really liked the whole Season 1 as a whole, especially the bleakness of the setting and philosophy of life.

Who knew the mist can give birth to storylines like Hellsing, Kuroshitsuji, The Fairy and the Earl?

My first Sporty watch, Bday list and Fab 2011

2010-11-12T21:54:00.006+08:00

I bought my first ever sporty watch from adidas today! I'm not into watches, so used to think of them as items that tell time. However, after I saw the enthusiasm my brother expressed about his new watch, my perception about watches changed. Now, I want another sporty watch!

Bday List
-Iphone 4 (so I can buy the Doraemon cover I saw today! I like the games too!)
-a sporty watch
-Karoake session in JB
-50 visits to Starbucks in 2011
-a trip with friends to Vietnam
......will update more later!

Fabulous 2011
-Fab Body
-Fab Face
-Fab Hair
-Fab Money
-Fab Fashion
-Aim to see 300 cute, good-looking and attractive guys before 2011 ends (I'm becoming shallow! How am I going to count them?)

Carefree or Lazy?

2010-11-03T14:35:00.004+08:00

Had a relaxing night out with my friend Yuying last Sunday. Felt right that I organised the outing. Talked so much and heard so much, feels so familiar to hang out like a student again.

Will be meeting up with Esther and Adeline. I haven't seen them for almost two years! Think it will be a nice and long dinner tomorrow. Will be planning more meet-up with friends! I miss my friends!

Very looking forward to Christmas, NYE countdown and Chinese New Year! I'm not sure why the sentiment is so strong, probably because I was not in Singapore last year. That's why the desire is stronger this year. Maybe I should think about earning lots of money and saving for my dream house- where its many cozy bedrooms, Wii, PS3, XBox, dance floor, pool table, swimming pool, basketball court, outdoor dining and huge party space will give my friends to have fun and stay over! I've always thought of having a house like this, and there'll be comfortable armchairs for everyone to read books on the roof too!

Even though I don't have a house like this, my mood is like this now, relaxing and carefree...not doing much....lazy?

Also looking forward to Anime Festival Asia next weekend. Other than re-joining the frenzy of cosplay, anime and comics and its merchandise, I wonder how the butler cafe will be like. I went to a maid cafe in Taiwan before and nearly melted upon hearing their voices. (I wonder how the guys can take it...) Wanted to go to the Anisong concert where they have Scandal performing, but the tickets are expensive, so giving it a pass. Maybe fly in to Japan next time and hope Wendy will pop in at the same time...... You need Japanese to survive in Japan....

Let's see.....nothing much, next time!

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

2010-10-18T17:10:00.003+08:00

Been watching Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood anime after being attracted to its opening song "Yui - Again". For the first time, I'm attracted to a new show due to its opening song. And realised this show is great! After looking up more info on it, I believed the manga is much much better as it develops the characters deeper and the fast flipping of pages of the intense climatic action towards the end of the story.

I caught a really funny OVA (movie) of this show. It is really funny, so I'm introducing this to everyone to relieve your Monday blues! (BTW, Envy is a guy!)

Here's the opening song that attracted me:

Highly Recommended!

2010-10-06T17:29:00.002+08:00

I bet their concert is a blast!

The epitome of cool, rock and energy - SCANDAL!

This is SERIOUS

2010-10-01T17:37:00.001+08:00

NJ student’s suicide illustrates Internet dangers

By Ewen Boey – October 1st, 2010

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The shocking suicide of a college student whose sex life was broadcast over the Web illustrates yet again the Internet’s alarming potential as a means of tormenting others and raises questions whether young people in the age of Twitter and Facebook can even distinguish public from private.

Cruel gossip and vengeful acts once confined to the schoolyard or the dorm can now make their way around the world instantly via the Internet, along with photos and live video.

“It’s just a matter of when the next suicide’s going to hit, when the next attack’s going to hit,” said Parry Aftab, a New Jersey lawyer who runs the website WiredSafety.

more here

Take too long, and they slip away before you know it

2010-09-18T21:55:00.005+08:00

This Love

2010-09-14T17:45:00.002+08:00

Happened to come across a song called "This Love" on youtube. It's beautiful and seems to tell a story. Although it makes me feel a little lonely listening to it, I would like to share this song with everyone.

P.S. The images belong to an anime and is not related to the song itself

I'm Disgusted

2010-09-09T14:43:00.000+08:00

Doesn't she know what a dress is?

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/tennis/gallery/-/7910195/3

The Power of Hands

2010-09-04T17:41:00.005+08:00

Watch out for the guy in white aka Byakuran. He's the menace for the anime I'm following right now(same as the one Squalo appeared in). The author is a genius! Episode 200 is epic! Mandy's going gaga! And I love Byakuran's voice, very fitting for a devil!

Gold is much much more valuable

2010-08-16T15:12:00.002+08:00

I love this article!

You're ready. You have the entire scene planned out in your head, every detail plotted and mapped until it's perfect. At the climax of this mini-drama, he will bend on one knee and present to you a beautiful diamond ring -- or, if you're the one proposing, you will watch as her expression changes from surprise to utter delight when she sees the ring. And that's when you'll know: Yes, you're getting married.

Or so the diamond industry would like you to believe. The sole purpose of this appealing fantasy is to drum up sales. Once you look past the mythos of the diamond engagement ring, you'll see that it's not much more than a shiny rock. Here are five good reasons to skip the diamond engagement ring.

1. It isn't an ancient tradition -- just marketing. For all intents and purposes, "A Diamond is Forever" and the idea of a diamond engagement ring is Sprite's "Obey Your Thirst" and Nike's "Just Do It." It is Gary Dahl's "Pet Rock." De Beers controlled supply by buying up and closing down any diamond mine discovered, and they controlled demand by making it sentimental.

More here

What do you do on a holiday?

2010-08-09T12:24:00.002+08:00

I wonder: What do people do on a holiday, like today is?

Other than Chinese New Year, I remember that I've been working on National Day, Children's Day, Teachers' Day, Deepavali, Hari Raya or even Christmas Eve, as long as there is a need for it.

This is why, I'm left wondering, what I can do today. I'm supposed to have tuition with two students today, but due to a cold since last night, I need to rest and thus cancelled the tuition sessions in the end.

As I looked around the quiet surroundings in my neighbourhood, I wonder if people are all in town or squeezing in the shopping malls. There's no smell of food even if it's lunch time and the football field is quiet. I wonder where everyone is. And how I should spend this National Day holiday till 4pm where I'm meeting my friend for a movie.

Feels bored and sleepy....

The Right Learning Attitude

2010-08-05T15:40:00.004+08:00

I wonder if the right learning attitude is something the local education system is involved in or whether a student learns it from another aspect of his/her life.

My definition of a learning attitude is that you can learn something from anywhere around you, be it a new book of facts, your daily experiences or the people around you. The right learning attitude is seeing the real meaning of something you have just learned and apply its relevance to yourself in the days to come.

I used to have a student who was smart like a fox, but had the wrong learning attitude. Coupled with his laziness and arrogance in his own intelligence, there were times I sent him home knowing that the answers in his assessment book were copied from the answer key at the back of the book. How is it possible that he can get the correct answer when he has no idea what the question is talking about?
Perhaps to him, learning means getting the correct answer and to have full marks in his work, even if deep down in his heart, he knows it was not a glorious win.

Recently, I met another student who makes me wonder the definition of his learning attitude. To get an extra mark in his work, he will give me non-sensical arguments to show that I had marked him wrongly for that particular question. Not only does it look childish on a 14-year-old, it also looks silly to me, especially when he himself knows his arguments do not stand. The tactic of "Peking Duck" never works with me. A mistake is a mistake, even if you argue for three days, it is still a mistake.

Although I've always told students that even half a mark is extremely in important in changing a B grade to an A grade, I think this student has taken this to an extreme level. The worst part is that he still believes he's right in his own arrogance, as long as he gets an extra mark.

As we advance through our studies, being able to see the bigger picture and giving mature reasoning becomes a very important part in how we see a student. This is the same as to how we look at a person in life. I believe this is the reason why the right learning attitude is so important. What you really learn at the end of every new fact and every new experience in your life, dictates how you live your life; dictates your changing perspectives and the way you act. In a way, we base on these to judge you as a person.

Sometimes, when I meet students who take more time to understand a certain chapter in their textbook, I only remember the amount of time, hard work and that pair of determined eyes that want to do well, despite the difficulties they face. That pair of determined eyes have also been used to achieve any personal goals that they have.

A right learning attitude is the key to success in life.

Many likeable guys in Varia

2010-07-31T21:21:00.004+08:00

Remember the silver long haired but loud Squalo and gay Lussuria? That was the comical and chibi version.

I'm posting up their original selves in this clip below. In this clip, the Varia, is up against an enemy in war.
Other than Strategy Captain Squalo and Lusuria, we have Bel, Flan, Levi and Xanxus(Boss). Flan is probably the first character in this anime that is being liked by fans the quickest world-wide.

Isn't Squalo's hair really beautiful? I'm jealous.

Below is a clip of Squalo having a video conference with another headquater in Japan, a ten-storey building. Turn up the volume to enjoy!

I'm having sons only

2010-07-31T20:52:00.004+08:00

As I was having tuition with my Sec 4 student, somehow, the topic veered to his dating history.

I listened with amuse and a little surprise that he had three girlfriends so far. And he was two-timing his first girlfriend, which made me wonder if all these so called "relationships" were just puppy love or silly hormones. The girlfriends that he had during two-timing were twin sisters and he had to end the relationships with them because they found out about his navie act.

I'm not sure if he's bragging or telling the truth, but it has strengthened my determination to have sons only.

All along, I've always wanted to have sons, if I do get married and start popping. Other than boys been more active and adventurous, I worry little when they are teenagers. I rather be the mum who smiles and says, "My boys are dating now. And their girlfriends are quite pretty too, aren't my sons amazing?" Besides, they must have either the looks, skills and, or charm to get the pretty girls, right? (I'll probably start training them to be gentlemen since young, heehee)

I do not want to worry and start sweating when my teenager daughter starts dating and runs away from home just so some stupid guy tells her to do so. I'm not interested to chase her to the ends of the world and chain her up like some barbarian.

But being my kids have it tougher. I've seen too many ridiculous parents and even more ridiculous kids, so I swear my kids WILL turn out well, or I rather bury them myself.

Africa the new 'world factory'?

2010-07-25T15:38:00.002+08:00

Is Africa the new 'world factory' after China in the next 10-20 years?

Africa can lead global recovery: Gordon Brown
Posted: 25 July 2010 0131 hrs

In a speech to be delivered to African leaders at a summit in Kampala, Brown said lower income countries in Africa are forecast to grow at a 5 percent rate this year, compared to 2 percent average growth predicted in high income countries.

"Africa can drive the global recovery, but not without Africans driving the global agenda," said Brown, who resigned as British premier in May after his Labour party lost the general election.

More here

Have a laugh

2010-07-12T09:11:00.004+08:00

In short, Varia is a group of killers.
Lussuria is gay.
Squalo is his colleague.
They have an ill-tempered boss called Xanxus.

I Did It!

2010-07-01T13:27:00.012+08:00

I finally finished watching all 100 episodes of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

I last watched this anime/cartoon two years ago when one of the cable channels was showing it. As it started to be re-telecasted on tv last week, I realised I couldn't wait and went online to search for the remaining episodes. Turns out, this anime is still being made and is into its 190th episode currently. It took me about a week of numb butt and tired eyes on the computer screen to finish 100 episodes!

So, I'm proud that I accomplished this feat! (The last time I watched so much tv was probably in primary school, when my results were rather shit)

Anyway, check up on the story yourself if you are interested.

Here's a clip of my favourite character, Hibari. (He's the good-looking one in a mafia suit)

Do Australians feel cheated?

2010-06-25T16:05:00.004+08:00

Do they feel cheated that the prime minister they voted for got ousted without their permission suddenly?

Do they still need "that next election" when a few people can replace the prime minister at their own whims anytime? I thought midnight executions belonged to the Nazis in an autocratic rule solely.

I'm not an Australian, but I am, indeed, aghast.

Cloak-and-dagger plot yields Australia's first woman PM
Posted: 24 June 2010 1846 hrs

SYDNEY: Australia gained its first woman prime minister -- and lost a once-adored leader -- Thursday after a cloak-and-dagger plot hatched by shadowy backroom operators.

Though appearing to head a stable, if weakened, government, Kevin Rudd was suddenly deposed in a hasty and undignified fall from grace, less than three years after being elected in a landslide.

The dramatic events that ended with Julia Gillard sworn in as prime minister were precipitated far from the public eye, and had started unfolding only 24 hours earlier, according to widespread media reports.

More here

The Dimension of Time

2010-06-23T21:57:00.003+08:00

I've been reading Rich Dad's Guide to Investing recently and was given a new perspective of time.

In his book, he preaches that time is an asset. Although he talked about time from an investment point of view, it does make sense. Otherwise, why is youth and beauty so valued in our society nowadays?

I met up with my Secondary school classmates last Saturday. There we were, sitting on comfortable plush seats, having a cup of tea and chatting about the past, the present and the future and complaining about the rude waiter who scowled at us for no reason. Doing a count, we have been friends for 13 years. In this dimension of 13 years, we have stayed the same, yet our state of mind and demeanor is no longer that of a silly schoolgirl anymore.

Sometimes, when I look at the backs of my friends when we walk around, shop or are going off, a strange creeps up. It's strange that the back of a person can evoke something so tingly in me: We've grown up gracefully and beautifully.

We are no longer unsure like high school girls, no longer rebellious like a full-blown teenager, no longer finding our place in a world we didn't know much about, when it was our own identities that we were did not know much of.

In a way, I'm glad we all turned out well eventually. And I am curious what the future holds for us. Will we still meet up every now and then after some of us get married, take up a job overseas or starts having babies? Will our ties change as some of our positions in life change?

Time is really a funny thing.