Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas everyone!

May your turkey taste specially good and your mistletoes hanging aplenty!

Animals Are Happy Fruits

Animals are always able to do what they are best at: to make me laugh whether they were trying or not.
Winners of the Cat Show At Catster
Winners of the Dog Show At Catster

Note: Happy Fruits = 開心果

The Thing With Some Singaporean Men

While surfing the Internet and doing some research for a new job, I came across this page on Yahoo! Singapore Answers.

The Question posed by Katie Anne: What do men find sexy/cute in a woman?? What attracts you to a girl??

Some of the answers, granted, were honest albeit generally superficial. But that's still okay, because Answer 9 really took the cake:

softness of speech,behavior ,feminine touch.inviting eyes ,big voluminous hairs,lusty lips,attention acquiring female curves,balance of right feature on face. she MUST not be high headed or arrogant and accept that she was made a woman ! not try and copy man's style in dressing or anyhting whatsoever . most of all , her response and behaviour , the way she wd look at a man's face . no man , repeat no man , worth his masculinity like a pretty but chavunistic woman.

I only got through half the first sentence and I was bowled over invariably coughing madly whilst laughing my lungs out. This lousy excuse for a person is probably very pleased with his maladroit vocabulary in this post, yet blissfully oblivious that he has completely butchered the English language. And I haven't even got started on the BIG FAT irony!!!

Okay, okay, it's not fair to pick on a person's horrible English because maybe he wasn't even making the effort to craft a good post. (Or couldn't even if he tried *snigger*) So, let's all be the sympathetic and understanding people we are, and overlook that. Let's call this guy 'Jack Kass' so I can properly address him.

Jack Kass here, is probably describing a 淑女 who looks like a model with "big voluminous hairs" (hahahahaha). She must also be excessively subservient to truckle to his every whim, and ideally worships his masculinity. What he means is that he really isn't actually that manly, so that's why he really needs a girl to coo and fan at his ego. A real man will be manly even AMONGST other men!

Oh Mr. Jack Kass? I think you need to consult the dictionary to properly use the word 'chauvinistic'. You think you can do that? Are you saying that women who dress androgynously think females are better than males? I'm sorry, women don't waste their time by doing something stupid like trying to build a false sense of superiority by comparing two different genders. Let me just help you out here; chauvinists are convinced that their gender and kind are superior to the other. OMG, Jack Kass, doesn't that sound really familiar?

Yes! Your post! Here's the truth, your post is so ridiculous it's funny!!! In fact, I laughed so much, that I'm too exhausted to be disgusted with you!
You give Singaporean men a really bad name and considering that they are already in a rather precarious situation (guys will agree), your input is as redundant and unimportant as you are.




"attention acquiring female curves"!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

*wipes tears off*



Oh, oh!
Answer 15: the whole packet
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Oh, I had a good day laughing today.

Happy Birthday To...

Happy 22nd Birthday to Daniel!

We're all really old now! Now's just the late November and December babies mwahahaha!

Happy Birthday To...

Happy 22nd Birthday to Chui Jia!

Had a wonderful dinner out with the 7ners on Saturday night at Menotti. Definitely a night of laughs and good fun! Also saw a little more outgoing side of In, which is good! Haha! More meetings to come.

And every sentence in this entry was a fragment. That's bad, but it's a blog entry, so give me a break~

Happy Birthday To...

Happy Birthday to Zul!!!

And it's BIG BANG's TOP's birthday too!

031106

One year ago, my Keera died.

I never stopped blaming myself; I could have found him.
Somebody hit him. He was hungry and scared. He left the world starving, choking, injured and scared out of his wits.

I told him, "You're home, you're gonna be okay."

I could feel his life ebb away. Even when I begged again and again, "Keera, please don't die", God took him away. He never made it to the hospital.

My only consolation is that he died in my arms. Even so, I don't really know if he knew.

Office Mails

It bothers me that some people sign off with short forms. In most normal circumstances, I use "Regards", "Best Regards" or if I really like that client, "Warmest Regards". As I do not use signatures, I type every word out in every mail.

I'm highly doubtful of any sincerity in a mail that is signed off with, "Rgds" because the person couldn't care to spell it out. If you're unable to do so, then use the signature function. Self-appointed truncations are the bane!

A List Of Things Perrine Is Dangerously Addicted To

In no order of preference...

1. Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert that makes you fall to your knees and thank god you're alive. I was partly introduced to panna cotta by Yoko, kekeke. It's like italian purin. Apart from having the perfect texture, the Panna Cotta from Indulgz also has the right amount of Earl Gray which prevents it from becoming too sweet. In comparison, TCC has lychee flavoured Panna Cotta but it rates high on sugar.

2. Spearmint Mentos
Has anyone seen me down spearmint mentos? It's insane.

3. Kimchi
This is old news right? Half a litre in one sitting, no more than half an hour.

4. Dramas
The same old cliche story, yet I still watch it and cry buckets. There's no saving grace for this one.

5. Pretty Heels
Okay I have reasonable self control on this one. I don't buy every pair I fancy. Pretty is a requisite but my shoes must be stable, comfortable and the soles have grip. And, they must have a nice sound.

OH I have to rant about this. I get extremely pissed off when women carelessly run down stairs or omg, escalators at the train station, letting their heels go 'clock clock clock' at 1 gazillion decibels! The balls of your feet are there for a reason, USE IT. Are you trying to announce your arrival in hope that people will part a path for you?!

Back to the point, what I mean by a 'nice' sound is that I like my heels to have a sound of authority. I'm not sure if everyone gets me here, but there's a difference lah. And you know how some shoes have a 'plastic' sound when the main sole touches the ground? I don't mean to say this in a bad way, but it makes the shoe sound cheap, and chances are, they probably are. So I always disguise my cheaper shoes with a rubber sole, hee! No point if the 'clock' sound is nice but a 'piak' sound follows it. Am I being a little too anal about this?

Is anyone surprised Chocolate isn't on the list? Chocolate has become a necessity I no longer feel a longing for. I've stuffed myself with so much chocolate that I only crave for the really good ones. And since the good ones aren't available/don't come by often, I don't find myself addicted to it. Does that make any sense? Ignore me if it doesn't cos it's 2am. Practical tomorrow, sleep now.

Happy Birthday To...

Happy Birthday to Jillene!!

In All Sense Of The Word

Unworthy.

Aha!

I caught my fishes sleeping this afternoon! Damn cute lah <3

And The Answer Is...

If we were in a science class, the answer would be B. Your field of vision will always remain the same unless there is something blocking you. A bird has a complete field of 360 degrees of vision. This is because they had eyes on the side of their head. It's almost the same for the deer.

A human, however, only has 140 degrees of vision.

BUT, if you are taking a Riders Theory Test at CDC, the answer is A. As wrong as it is, you must answer A. The instructor 'explained' that because you are going fast, you can only afford to concentrate on what's in front of you and not beside you. I was horrified to see that the whole class kept quiet (perhaps in agreement?!) and the only one who protested was an ang moh. It's very disappointing.

What the question should have been was: When your vehicle speed increases, your area of concentration...

Easy Question?

Okay look at this question and think about what the answer is.

When your vehicle speed increases, your field of vision
a) decreases
b) remains the same
c) increases

What would your answer be?
The answer coming up in the next entry...

Happy Birthday To...

Happy Birthday to Ming Fen!

Happy Birthday To...

Happy Birthday to Zeng Zi/Dolly!

If

If we were really really close friends, is there anything you couldn't tell me?

I should think not.

You get hurt the hardest by the people you care for the most.

I Want Real Food!

Since I got back from Melbourne, my health seems to have deteriorated to a shockingly low condition. There were bouts of food poisoning, headaches, diarrhoea, and coughs. It's highly frustrating to work for the entire day and look forward to having dinner out only to bear some really "stomach-clutching" consequences afterwards. What does a girl need to do for a good meal?!

Although so far, as long as I cook my own food, I will be spared of the toilet visits and Po Chai pill treatment.

Apart from bodily illnesses, I've been accident-prone. While I was looking for something in the storeroom, I tugged on a bag and a thick - but thankfully empty - file fell hard on my left cheek. It hit the exact same spot I injured badly a week back. OW OKAY! I think there's a small bruise there now and being sick and in pain is making me sulky. I did a little search and scientists believe that accident-prone people do exist!

Can You Feel Me?

City & Suburb Sights

This past month in Melbourne, I saw...

An ang moh Chae Yeon. She really looks like Chae Yeon with specs.

An ang moh andro. Fwah! I was so excited I smsed Manda to tell her!

A girl, I suspect to be a butch. Omg, so cool. She started walking in front of me after she came from the left and walked into Mekong. Then I saw her again at Melbourne Central! It's fate!!! So if you were the one wearing a gray cap, a grey jumpsuit and black jeans, carrying a red sports bag on the 30th of August 2007, I think you're really cool!

Someone that looks like Lee Seung Gi! Hahah omg!

Some guy who sat opposite me on the tram that looks like a mix of Shin Hye Sung and... Daniel Ong! FWAHAHAHA

This really cute waitress who served us at Koko Black. She is so cute. & her specs make her all the more irresistable.

This ang moh guy who sat opposite me on the tram. He looked like he walked out from Final Fantasy. And then the other day, I bumped into him again on the streets.

And... many dogs and cats. Even saw an Irish wolfhound called Ed. Oh, once I saw this little dog running across the road and a car was coming.. Thankfully the car slowed down and I called to it. It came to me and I carried it, trying to find its home. Then another dog appeared and stared at me, and stood in the middle of the road AS WELL! AIYO. In the end, the 2nd dog led me to its home which housed 2 dogs, and 3 cats (who live happily together). It's heaven!

My Monday Friend

While at the laundrette, I took a walk and met an old lady. She was checking if she got any mail, and I was just sitting at the bus-stop bench then we met with a smile.

She came to speak with me and although I was afraid I'd feel awkward, it turned out alright. She lives alone two blocks down from my brother's. For some strange reason, I didn't feel it was appropriate to ask if she had any children so I asked if she kept pets.

"Oh no, I don't like pets. Don't keep them."

But she said she might have friends drop by today, and for her sake, I really hope they came. She was surprised that we all speak English in Singapore, and that we use it in school. I learned that she used to be a primary school teacher and she spoke a little French.

The morning sun was warm and glaring. I studied her face a bit and tried to gauge her age. She could be seventy or more. Her eyes were droopy but it's hard to tell if the appearance was caused by age or a melancholic sadness. We spoke a bit more and then towards the end of our conversation, she said I was young and... gentle. I was guffawing inwardly. If I had laughed out lous, it would have been a guffaw!

And as we parted she said to me, "Come by when you have time."

Maybe I will.

Decisions, Decisions

The days seemed to pass really quickly this week.

Property is pretty hot business in Melbourne. Some Melbournians live in mini-Edna Mode homes, I swear. We're trying to find my brother a new home since the one he lives in is only temporary. Screw the car, get the home you wanna come home to every day and go, "This is so worth it!" Of course, I'm not the best financial planner around but one can always dream. Besides,the trams are zippy here.

Being away from home doesn't mean I intend to be clueless about what's going on back home. Four of my colleagues are leaving the company by the end of August which translates into half the company gone when I get back. We've foreseen this coming, really, so it comes as no surprise. But for it to be so soon is rather unnerving. I'm not about to go back to a fruit party and be happy with it. In any case, I already had some intention to leave because the travelling was getting to me, and not seeing my pay come in is making the decision a lot easier. Like changing an open-ended question into a yes/no question. The only real problem is what to do after I leave. I don't need everyone to tell me, "Find a new job."

My brother suggested I move in with him. Now that's a thought.

Sleepy Words

I clean forgotten what I wanted to blog about.

I'm barely 50 centimetres from the heater, with the keyboard on my lap. I'm slightly annoyed because the fridge is humming and the whirr of the laptop is giving it some unnecessary competition. So here I am, staring at the screen wondering what in the world was it that I wanted to say. I refuse to sleep early because it's awfully dreadful to wake up in the middle of a winter night.

No actually it is only dreadful because the room is cold, haha.

Melbourne is a really good mix of east and west. Asian groceries are easily found in asian marts and some even cheaper than back home. Kimchi here is half price! The Brits are here, the Italians, the French, the Koreans, the Chinese, the Indians, the Vietnamese, the Thai, the Singaporeans are all here. Multiracial society? Nahh, it's globalisation working the chops!

I feel that I should do more on my trip here, so it wouldn't be a waste.
Being here has somehow made me feel pretty worried about where my life's headed. I'm thinking of putting plans (one year late) to action...

*feels sleepy*

Oh I'm knitting a little scarf for the unnamed bunny... with chopsticks. Bunny is cute. He says, "Hug me!" And I say, "Okay!" Our little heartfelt moment is killed when my mom said I'm like a weird old lady.

Doing Time

We ought to be really thankful that we are not citizens of Melbourne in the 1860s because you could be sent to the gaol just because you were a vagrant. The youngest prisoner in the Old Melbourne Gaol was 3 years old, for being Idle and having Disorderly Behaviour. What's this!

Some were quite wrongly hanged in my opinion because cases weren't exactly solved on the basis of evidence then. I don't know if I should be thankful I didn't opt for the night tour because the night tours include performances and a follow-the-guide by candlelight, so that sounds really fun and creepy. They should have more things and stuff in there though, because the place was almost boring. The way the people were hanged was cool because they created a trapdoor that fell away from under the feet of the convicts.

And the best part I found out, was that hanging a person requires some study and knowledge. You'd want to snap the neck of the person without creating scratches and bruises on the person's neck. If the length of the rope was too short, the person would suffer from prolonged strangulation. If it were too long, the entire head might break off. Ultimately, the ideal situation shows immediate separation of the neck bones. Ain't that kinda cool?

PIXAR Is Twenty!

I went to Federation Square to take a look at the PIXAR exhibition.
It's interesting how Edna Mode was actually the hardest character for them to create and materialise. Edna Mode was previously slim and rather tall, then she sported a mohawk, then she became pudgy. It was only after Brad Bird's voice acting samples when they nailed it on a tiny lady with a big personality. Man, I love Edna Mode.

The exhibition was full of character development, storyboards, colour scripts and clay models. The Zoetrope was what really took the cake though. Basically, it was a huge discus with over 200 Toy Story figurines on it. Then it spins and strobe lights will flash, giving the illusion of a 3D animation 18 fps right in front of you. Cameras weren't allowed in or I would snap a few shots. I saw a guy film it down though, haha.

I bought some postcards from the exhibit too! I was so tempted to buy a shirt but I didn't think $40.00 was worth it. I quite like the museums here. But they are usually not very intensive. And it's a real pity they close at 5pm. Actually everywhere closes at 5pm except for some late night days.

I want to blog but I'm running out of topics. I'm still lonely and bored here. We're so bored that my mom took to knitting and I made a stuffed toy for my brother.

I'm lonely

I was walking along Bourke Street and I saw a group of breakdancers performing. They were really good. One could even do a windmill flare, my god.

That was the only thing that cheered me up for the past few days. I'm down and lonely. If someone don't come to accompany me soon, I'll fly to Brisbane to join Jaslyn. After I visit all the museums BY MYSELF or something.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday I saw Boss and her family off at the airport. :(

I was very hurt by my mom last night, so I ran out and stayed over at Wenling's place.

Jaslyn misses me. Yay!

Should I go out today? Funan and Spotlight? Sounds nice..
I will have to pack my bags too.

Tomorrow, I will go for Baybeats.

How, Like That?

Finally a chance to blog!

I think I won't be able to drive cars. Because whenever the windscreen wiper is switched on during rainy days, I find myself unable to take my eyes of the wipers. More accurately, I like to watch the rainwater swept to the middle of the screen and then mercilessly swept downwards by the right wiper.

I also stare endlessly at the condensation on the windows that trickle down. Then once in awhile, I'd look at the streaked window and go back to staring at little scurrying droplets.

How, like that?

Working

All I can say about working is,

Wah damn tired sia.

And I've been so busy I can't read smses properly.

But! I can MSN freely. People can catch me on MSN.

Yeah. And I hate having no inspiration you know! I'm gonna bring stuff and mess up my desk with inspiring stuff.

A Degree-holder

My god, I haven't updated for so long? Oops.
Today (or yesterday, if you want to be that anal) I finally collected my BA degree. Yeah it's Honours but so what?
I finally did it. It was a hugh sigh of relief for me, you guys who know what I went through will understand why.

I didn't attend the graduation ceremony. I hope the Loughborough Representative wasn't Simon Downs because I adored the lecturer despite the short acquaintance. My mom really wanted to see me go through the graduation ceremony though. Especially cos she never got the chance to attend university and the such, I suppose. I felt so bad I had to tell her, "Mom, I'm not going."

Anyway, since I'm starting work, I will try to take on more financial responsibilities, and draw up a plan that will allow me to study something part-time. Then, I will go to the graduation ceremony in the academic gown and cap like she wanted. Because I would be able to say I put in hard work and effort and have earned it solely on my own (not that I didn't earn my Graphic Communication degree on my own, of course).

I expect to be really really busy until past Chinese New Year next year. That's kinda sad, if you think about it, but most importantly, I hope to learn as much as possible. Suddenly, I miss the UK. I want a cold winter. Okay when I go Melbourne, I cannot complain about the cold~~

Manda met up with me and gave me a congratulatory card! You have no idea how happy I was k! We had a so-so dinner but we always have fantastic face-to-face talks. I can't sleep now because of the conversation we had just now. I really need to sleep though... Okay I should go do that now.

Weezer - Island In The Sun

I never liked sunsets. They make me feel upset.

But I like sunrises.

On Reading

The other day, I asked, "Mom, why don't you read books anymore?"

"Because the words are too small."



-_-"



Well I wanted to, and did, get Mitch Albom's For One More Day for my mother as a Mother's Day gift. I first read it at Rendy's. It was very touching, so do read it if you can get your hands on a copy.

Some Bullshit You Hear Often

"Everything happens for the best."
No it does not you dipshit!

"You're going to hell cos you don't believe in the Bible."
I'd believe the bible if it states you're a total ass. You're supposed to believe in God, not a book.

"Good things come to those who wait."
Yeah tell me that when I need to pee and the bathroom's full.

"Smoking is wrong."
Smoking is bad for health, not wrong.

"They will get their retribution."
So I'm to sit here and wait?

"Life is not a bed of roses, you know."
Of course, not when you're in mine!

"That is a fact."
So every other time you speak, it's a lie?!

"Master your emotions."
There is a reason why they are called emotions

"... for the common good."
And yet people who say this are never communists. The perfect case of No Action Talk Only!

Lines Revised

How to say, "I'm not interested in whatever you're saying!"
I'd really love to stay and chat but I have to get home to watch my toenails grow.

How to say, "Get lost!"
We need a lot of distance between us.

How to say, "You have no logic to speak of."
Your way of seeing things is really out of this world! Literally!

How to say, "Let's break up."
Let's start from the beginning where we didn't know each other, and keep it that way.

How to say, "WTF."
WTF.

One for you, one for me

One for you, one for me, one for you, one for me, one for you, one for me...

If it's an even, we get the same.

If it's an odd, we share the last one.

And it will be so until our teeth drop and we breathe our last.

The Capture

Just after I saw Disturbia that night, I had my own adventure in the kitchen but I thought I'd save it for another entry. This entry!

I have been on a 'stake out' on this particular cockroach and two lizards were 'sacrificed' (hahahaha) in the process. Two nights ago, I caught sight of it again and so I mapped out two strategically fitting positions for the glue traps.

02:00 to 03:00 - Saw the little bugger but it managed to pull a disappearing act on me, just like the previous times. I decided to switch off the lights and come back again when it think it's safe.

04:00 - I came back and saw it retreat, where I need it to be (YES!). Using whatever necessary, I tried to chase it towards the glue trap but it didn't move. As I walked over to the other counter to take the lighter, it tried to run away but! got its front foot caught on the edge of the glue trap. OMG the sight of it struggling was very traumatic. Not about its plight but more so because it's a damn cockroach and it's wriggling like that!

To cut the long (yes it felt like eternity) story short, I waited for it to get really stuck and used the lighter to singe it. Then I jumped about the room screaming for a little while. Don't laugh, you have no idea how cockroaches can dement your intellectual capacity, not to mention sanity!! But no matter how terrifying the situation is, I had to take revenge on it for the lizards and for endangering my mental health. *feels a few noble moments* So I left it badly burnt, and half dead before I escaped to my room.

Later at night, I asked my mom what she did with the bloody cockroach. She told me that when she found it, it was still alive (yikes) and she also used the lighter to burn it! HAHAHAHA I feel sadistically victorious.

Disturbed By Your Neighbours?

In future, when I'm facing any troubles, I will use JaeJoong's Ultra Super-Megaton action good boy flying kick! That's right, JaeJoong will save the day!

I am pretty sure I'm the first Singaporean to write about Disturbia! But of course, I know I'm not the only Singaporean that's downloaded and watched Disturbia. You see, while downloading it, I saw a few Singaporean peers doing just the same thing. And just to disclaim any suspicions or rumours (if you have heard any), I am not psychic. It simply takes a little bit of tech geekiness to understand. The movie's just been released in the US on April 13th, so obviously I got a CAM version. But it was worth the endless downloading (well, it felt like it!), and the hoping for faster download speed.

I just knew Shia LaBeouf wouldn't disappoint! For those who watch Veronica Mars, Shia's a really good mix of Kyle Gallner (Cassidy/Beaver) and Jason Dohring (Logan). Smart and a little geeky but yet he still manages to find that extra padding of toughness and be the hero he is. Keep your eye on this one if you haven't already. I suspect you might find yourself really familiar with his name in time to come.

Anyway, I won't bother to reiterate the synopsis. Reading this was what really got me interested in watching the movie, so go click on that. The show really kept me wide-eyed and literally clinging on to my seat. I'm not so sure if this is good for my heart. I was so caught up in the story that I didn't realise how far I was into the movie until Turner made his move. Of course the story had its flaws but who's nitpicking?

Click to visit Disturbia's Official Website (Creepy music)
Click to read Wikipedia's page on Disturbia (Good synopsis, little spoilers)

I'm going to reveal some parts of the movie, so if you're really the type who wants your movie unspoiled, just scroll down right now. But if you're not into psychological thrillers as I am (else you would have downloaded it like me), and would like to see what I have to say, by all means, read on!

···::SPOILERS START HERE::···
Frankly, these aren't spoilers. They are just *some* loopholes that made the movie less believable. I don't see why Robert Turner would choose that moment to knock out Kale's mom because obviously Kale was watching him closely and the police just left awhile ago! And did he think that killing a boy that's supposed to turn up in court the next morning would be a good idea? He should have stopped at mom! Why did Robert Turner kill the policeman with a quick swift twist but then just twack Ronnie on the head? Does a psycho killer that's evaded detection for three years lose his rationality in a few mintues? And did he really have the time to take Kale's mom alllll the way in there? Plus, the square metres really don't add up. I know people can do a lot of renovating to their homes in three years but did you think he could have built a lab-like room and dug up huge basements complete with some kinda formaldehyde Sadako's well all by himself? Oh and the heroic shot of Kale and his mom when they emerged from the house was the most unbelievable. Hello I know Carrie Anne Moss was Trinity but we're not watching the Matrix here! Anyone who went through that ordeal would be running out crying and visibly traumatised. Come on scriptwriters, hair-flying heroic shots are just not for instances like these.

I love the ending shot though, like everyone else. For those who don't get why the video of Kale & Ashley's kiss would be the hottest clip on YouTube is because Kale's probably a celebrity now that he discovered a serial killer.

···::SPOILERS END HERE::···

If I've somehow got you interested in Disturbia, the movie only comes to Singapore in July 2007! Seriously what is up with that? Note: It's released in Australia already though!

EDIT: I just came across this. What perfect timing. Please read this entry on Waiter Rant: Hard & Soft. Recent news, especially of those here in Singapore, have been very depressing. I hope that although Singapore's thought to be safe, and that humans ought to trust each other, there really isn't any point in being complacent. I'd rather we be less trusting and at least, safe.

Do We Live On Dreams?

Today I spoke with my brother on certain issues. Sometimes, all we need is that little bit of courage, and that support we think we can't find in anyone.

We are all dreamers after all.

Landing on the Moon

Why is it that every time I try to step out of safe zone, I get terribly disappointed? It's like you say I don't do anything about it and when I try to, you dump a pile of bricks on me. Suddenly I'm reminded of why I sought refuge in the safe zone in the first place.

So much for hoping. I'd rather take my chances with trying to land on the moon.

By the way, another glue trap caught another lizard. I suspect that it caught the 'ninja lizard' my mom and I saw. "As fast as lightning," she says. This time, less whining, more action. Humans really do get desensitised after all. I don't know if this is the process of the hardening of the human character or the devaluation of life or the acceptance of the way the world works. In all cases, they are sad and I almost refuse to acknowledge them.

A link on Blogger took me to Jupiter One's blog. Alternative is always good!

Blog Assignment (glare)

I too, have a topic at hand.

I think name-calling and labelling is an extension of bullying. It is offensive and sometimes even emotionally damaging.

I've discussed this a few times with friends, about what we would hate to be labelled as. Back in Secondary school, 'ah lian' was quite the ultimatum. To gauge how offensive it is, one would have to consider the definition of ah lian. Crude, a strong advocate of really bad english, loud (in a somewhat flat, whiny and pitchy voice), etc. These are words I would hate to be associated with.

Using 'nerd' to describe someone can be offensive, but these days everyone calls themselves nerds. The same can be said of 'bitch'. Apparently some people like to think it's cool to say, "I'm a bitch and proud to be one."

When it comes to name calling, or labelling, I don't know about you but I think there are certain words that really gets under your skin and hits you right on a nerve.

Simple words can cut deep. What if you were called 'stupid'? Or 'useless'? I take offense to anyone who tries to impugn my intelligence or integrity. I am unbothered if people were to underestimate my acuity but it is a whole different issue if they assume a condescending attitude and look down on me. Or if my integrity was called into question, even being indignant would be a sore understatement. When that happens, it takes a lot of me to obviate confrontations and I feel that they are taking advantage of my manners. I'm not cool enough to be apathetic yet.

If someone were to call me an ah lian now, I would be somewhat offended, though not as before. I know how far it is from the truth, besides from the fact that I would be able to snap a satisfactory comeback.

I proably sound very pompous in this entry but there's a difference with being snooty and being confident of what I am. To some extent, I have to admit that I do care about what others think of me. I am not implying that I'm superior, or high and mighty. I just will not accept being seen as a subpar excuse of a human.

Related post: Blog Assignment (yawn)

Trapped

I strongly asseverate The Waiter's stand on how glue traps are the cruellest possible way to catch pests.

In the past, we had cockroach poison traps but the mom and dad haven't bought them lately. Last night, in my attempt to catch this awful cockroach I've spotted twice, I set up a glue trap Mom grudgingly bought.

And so 3am comes and I make my way to the trap to see if I've got the bugger (No pun intended). What I saw made my heart sink. A house lizard was almost curled up, stuck on its side to the adhesive. Just like The Waiter's experience, the little thing had defecated and what's worse, it seemed to have given up all hope. I didn't know what to do. Keera always did all the dirty work but now I was on my own.

I prodded it with the blunt end of a toothpick and it wriggled in response. Yet its golden eye didn't move and that's when I realised the other eye was glued down as is. I couldn't take another moment of that sight and ran back to the computer, trying to escape reality for awhile. 7am came and I was pacing outside my parents' door. I heard movement and called for my mom.

"Mom, the glue trap caught a lizard instead of a cockroach!"
"What?! Don't let me see it.. I'm scared of lizards"

And there I was, hoping she'd take care of it. Dad was awake, flipping newspapers.
"Can dad do something about it?"
"He won't be bothered one lah!"

So I shuffled mom to the lizard (which already looks half dead now). She tells me to just dump it into the bin.

"But it's still alive!!!"

I knew I had to do the deed. I stared down at the lizard but its eye didn't seem to see anymore. It didn't give me any indication or approval to do anything. I was at such a loss, I almost cried. So I picked a pamphlet off the kitchen table and laid it gently over the trap. I held a slipper up in the air and whined.

And whined. And whined. And mom, who was sitting by the table trying to decide if coffee or tea would be a better drink for the morning, told me to just get on with it. WTF I'm killing a helpless creature here!! After many many many mannny moments of hesitation, I slammed the slipper down. And I whined. And immediately I hit it a few more times just to make sure it was really dead.

I am still a little traumatised. I know this sounds really drama, but you have to understand my 'history' with house lizards to see where I'm coming from. I think it's perfectly fine to use glue traps on cockroaches, them being so filthy (besides redundant), but not on lizards. Never mind the double standards, but I really don't feel that way towards lizards and so, seeing it stuck to the trap like that was quite unbearable.

It's all the fault of that stupid cockroach.

Congee Woes 2

Such is life.

Just after complaining about having nothing to eat, my parents took us out to eat. Happy for me until after some KFC, I realised it didn't quite agree with my stomach. Got home and after some stomach-clutching moments, I emerged from the toilet feeling weaker than ever.

Stupid food. I am SO learning new recipes that do not include fried chicken. Avocado salad sounds really exciting now. Some tofu and mushroom soup sounds nice too. ARGH but there's nothing in the house so I'll end up cooking congee again! Need To Go Grocery Shopping. Oh tmr's Saturday so I can get parents to buy! And get them to buy me lotsa lotsa avocado, tofu and mushrooms.

Music: 신혜성 - 같은 생각

Congee Woes

なんや、もうぅぅ～ そんなに簡単の事できるんだろう？ 本当にむくつくわ！KFCでCheese Meltz Buddy Mealを買うこと大変なのか？正直！おとん絶対できるから、安心してよ！ もうぅぅ～～～～

All I've had for the past two days was porridge. I've always wanted to know how to make that particular type of congee and there were no recipes online so trial and error it was! The first attempt wasn't quite right as the rice still ballooned two sizes too large. Today's attempt was rather satisfying. Not only did it have the texture I want, it didn't stick to the pot! Good stuff.

I must assert that the reason I haven't eaten anything else to eat wasn't out of convenient laziness, but rather the lack of ingredients at home. Wanna cook also cannot! I guess this explains the lethargy I'm experiencing? In all honesty, if I get to eat some KFC afterward and I feel like I'm resurrected, I'm seriously going to reanalyse the extent of the effect meat has in my life. If I was vegetarian, does that mean I'll feel this weak every day?! I wonder if NISSIN Chilli Crab instant mee will reintroduce some life into me.

I'm really in the mood to cook these days. Maybe it's because I'm watching 마녀유희 and Moo Ryong (Jae Hee's character) cooked a lot of food for Yoo Hee. For some reason Dennis O' Neil really looks like a celebrity chef. I'm so hungry right now. Tired and hungry. *whine*

Music - Se7en - 안녕

May the Gods Never Frown On Me

I realise I have a serious problem. I frown a lot, and very often unconsciously.

People have various variations of smiles but I have many variations of frowns. The slightly miffed frown, the suspicious frown, the deep-in-thought frown, the annoyed, the pissed off frown, the incensed and infuriated frown, the wtf-are-you-trying-to-do frown, the I HATE EVERYBODY frown AND you can tell these frowns apart!

I'm so worried that I frown so much that my frown muscles are developing too well. I even have a 'normal' frown where I'm just frowning for no particular reason. These days I feel like my frown muscles are actually aching! Gasp. I need botox.

Talking to my computer

I am now using Windows Vista speech recognition to type up this entry. So far, it has been pretty impressive but, it can get very frustrating. For example, I shall demonstrate what it has been like.

In a Singaporean voice:
My name is painful and Alison Singapore

In my "British accent":
My name is Perrine and I live in Singapore.

See what I mean? So for the past 1 hour, I have been speaking to my computer with careful pronunciation and deliberate articulation. Surprisingly, it can handle long words that are difficult to pronounce and yet foul up often on simple and common words.

Now I can tell a page to refresh itself, I can tell windows to minimize or maximize themselves anytime I like. And even "Switch to messenger" in between. The ambience can also affects the commands the computer thinks it is receiving. For example, the microphone might pick up little sounds from a noisy background and mistake them as commands. So suddenly, some options may be offered to you and you end up saying "cancel" so many times that you are so sick of it.

Oh god I'm so tired now~ I don't think I will be using the speech recognition for a blog entry anywhere in the near future. I really need a rest now, and it's almost 6.30 AM!! By the way, it does not understand laughter :/

Well, Goodnight!

A March Post

I've got my new computer with the pretty but RAM-eating Vista Home Premium~
Yes, yes, Aero is pretty but only because I have a kickass 19" monitor now!

If only Keera was around to see it.. He would have loved the boxes it came in.

I named my AMD dual-core processor computer 'March'. Ooooh imagine playing OMF:Battlegrounds on this.. Wheeee! I have a little annoyance with the graphics card though.

Anyhow, ignore my incoherent blog entry and go do whatever you were doing before.

I found you!

Music: Nickleback - Hero

Tsk.

I have a bunch of useless friends and even more useless relatives.

The fuckets got a lot of explaining to do to God.

Future

I've been watching 궁 S and a scene in the show struck me. The English lecturer (from Oxford, no less) got everyone in the room to close their eyes and think about their future. He said that the future can be fear or joy. Only when they have found their answer can they open their eyes and leave the room. Woo, unconventional teaching, I like.

Kang Hoo (Se7en) and the Moon Sung Gong found themselves the only two people left in the room when they finally opened their eyes. Actually I think both didn't have an answer, and Moon Sung Gong probably found comfort in knowing that Kang Hoo was as undecided as he was.

Is your future fear or joy?

I think the show is promising. The first few episodes were disappointing because Se7en overacted all the time, like I predicted. But by the 4th and 5th episode, he's eased into his role much better. Only that it was probably too late to keep audiences it seems. I read that its ratings were quite terrible. Honestly the show improves a lot and it's got a better storyline than 궁, so people in Korea should give it a second try. But, if I can be honest about it, Moon Sung Gong is omgugly. I really love Yang Soon Eui though. Very very cute. I have nothing to say about Sae Ryung since she's quite a villain and doing a good job too.

I also watched Over The Rainbow on YouTube. Ha, only for HwanHee. And then I quite understood why it was a failure. First, HwanHee is portrayed as an arrogant superstar. I watched the first episode and though it was quite good, it gave me little motivation to continue.

I do want to watch the scene with Brian though. LOL. I remember they played a prank on HwanHee on the day Brian went for filming. "What's with the golden dragon?!"

I want to download the Downtown Gaki Batsu Game shows!! ><

Music: Whirring of the laptop.

What I was supposed to say on the 27th

The 7ners got together for Jo's birthday at Changing Appetites on the 27th.
We didn't have the company of Pwen and PK for obvious reasons but PK called to wish her Happy Birthday, so cute. Zhaoming and Junrong weren't there but they should be at Boss' birthday I hope. CJ promises to 'take' Zhaoming out on alternate outings, haha!

We were in a stump of what to get Jo, and in the end we decided to get Jo a service instead of a present. A free full pedicure, considering she's got herself so many open toe shoes. Feet need to look pretty in this society these days it seems. My philosophy for my toes are, to be as clean as possible and that's enough :D

Oh I NEED to plug this film/documentary. Check out THE KALLANG WAVE! It's a film directed and produced and practically every inch made by my MCM seniors. I think it's really touching what they are doing, though they always call themselves starving artists. I'm so proud of them! I ran into Hanafi when I was heading to Jo's bday dinner and he told me about the film. Come to think of it, I always bump into Hanafi on the streets haha~

If I remember correctly, I already saw rough trailers on their site Orbital (which is down now but do check back) a while back, and realised that they have been working on this project for years! Considering that they've been stressed over this for years, Hanafi looked really radiant leh! Sure he stressed anot ahahha. Anyways, it premieres on the 25th of March at The Picturehouse, and I hope to catch it. I hope all Singaporeans do.

Later...

Love Your Pet Day

I thought we would be together forever.

Nothing's changed except that I now live in heartbreak.

I admit

Okay fine, it doesn't stop at the shoes.
I really like bags too!! Isn't it surprising that I can relate to shallow obsessing too? Hee, had to safeguard my non-bimbo reputation. Anyways fawning over bags will just give me more chances to exercise my vocabulary. Rusty English is not attractive and no bag or shoe is going to help you with that.

Marc Jacobs (By the way I love his shoes), Chloe Paddington, Bottega Venata......
Why do they have to cost hundreds of pounds? (Which translates into thousands of dollars, btw)
Imagine being on the waiting list for a Hermes bag. That means you'll be about 10 years older when you finally get your hands on your bag. It might be way out of fashion by then, who knows?

Anyway, it really boosts my ego when the Anya Hindmarch Pipa bag I was drooling over was just acknowledged for its beauty at Purseblog.com. How's that for taste? =D

Since I'm on the topic of bags, the Fendi Spy bag is seriously being exploited by a certain Singapore brand. Ooooh can you hear the gasps? Sure, imitation branded bags are everywhere and especially cheap in China, etc. But a Singapore brand well-known enough to be a household name? Quite exasperating. It makes you think if the other, if not all, products they offer are simply copies of another person's hard work.

Are you guys staying up? It's 初一! So here's wishing you a Happy Chinese New Year!

Chanel knows her stuff

I don't look the part but I'm quite a sucker for shoes.

If I went shopping more often, I would have many many more shoes than I do now. I always have to stop myself from buying more because the occasion hardly calls for it. I really love how tweed is used on shoes. Now only if people weren't so good at grabbing the shoes I want, leaving none for me!

What Gets You Going

I think 'motivation' has a positive connotation. But honestly, I think in life, motivation works the best out of bitterness. Or Anger. Isn't it? How many times do you find yourself motivated positively?

Once I was motivated 'positively', was when I was studying with Manda and Rachel for our O level exams. Them being hardworking was a powerful influence. But, why I was studying so hard for A Math (other than the fact that I always fail it terribly), was that my A Math teacher and Vice Principal once approached me to 'advise' that I drop the subject. I understood that my grades was 'beyond help' and it would require a miracle for salvation. And then I was asked, "What is your goal for A Maths?"

"I just want to pass?"

My statement must have sounded like "I'm rich and I will give you $10K," because suddenly their faces were awash with hope and they 'stretched out their arms' to me. I was surprised by their reaction and later, disappointed and angry. What's that supposed to mean? From what I gathered, if I had aimed for something like a B (which is as possible as I am Jesus) they would still 'advise' that I drop the subject. I'm not good at Math, neither was I bad. I got a B3 I believe. For A Math, I had a special problem for my A Math teacher was my instant lullaby. I could be bouncing off walls in class and the minute she walks in and starts her lesson, I'm out like a light. However I was taught trigonometry and integration by my brother and thereon, I rarely got a trigonometry or integration question wrong. Aha!

I wouldn't go as far as to put the blame on her but the way she teaches just doesn't work for me. I tried to keep awake in class, believe me. In fact, I tried so hard that I ended up sleeping with my eyes open, just ask my class. The newfound mutant power simply gave me chances to sleep in other classes. Sigh. But back to the point, it felt like they gave up on me when I felt it wasn't entirely my fault and when they see that my aim is so low, they must have been thinking they could achieve that.

In the end, I never sought any help from my A Math teacher and instead, found motivation from Manda and Rachel. And my hard work paid off. I got an embarrassing C6, but I passed and it was a incredible improvement from my usual F9s and occasional E8s.

Still, the core motivation came from a not-so-pleasant situation. Isn't it true of many other cases as well? It's common that you hear of a plump lady who works hard to slim down after being victim of cruel words or harsh rejections.

Motivational quotes? Pssh. Works as well as Windows.

Music: Se7en - Sad Parting

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Chong Chong!

and Happy Birthday to 屋朝くん～　
お誕生日おめでとうございます!　\（＾～＾）/

Feeling Like I Need Some Ruffles

I haven't been going out much lately. I've been busy trying to catch up with the translations I'm doing.

I have though, met up with Pwen a few times. On one of the occasions, she came over and we baked scones and cake. I would put up the pictures I took but I don't have an imageshack account or anything like that. My blog has always been without illustrations anyways.

In our most recent get-together, we arranged to eat at Ma Maison but upon arriving, we were told that they had a break between lunch and dinner hours. So we took a bus to our 2nd choice, the Awon Korean Restaurant, and it also had that policy! In the end, we went to Menotti at Raffles City. It wasn't too bad but I still need to be convinced for it to reach my Die-Die-Must-Try list!

Not many people know this, but I caught two goldfish at the Natsu Matsuri (Japanese Summer Festival) in August last year. Well I had three actually and I named them 胆, 小, and 鬼. Because 胆 was brave, 小 was the smallest, and 鬼 was all white save for its red cap. Soonafter, 鬼 really became a 鬼 and there was an epidemic of tail rot that aroused this whole bout of panic and anxiety. I didn't know much about goldfish so I did my research and found that they fell in the category of Fantail Goldfish. (The one that died was an Oranda, if you wanted to know) They do have very mesmerising tails. Staring them is as therapeutic as your Hidamari. My grandma can stare at them for hours, so I would know. My dad bought another Fantail recently and I was shocked by the contrast in colours. I read somewhere that Goldfish turn white if they are not exposed to sufficient sunlight. Perhaps my 'faded' fishes are not getting their supply of Vitamin D?

I think as we grow older, we learn to take things in our stride. Or maybe we've just become more apathetic without realising it. I can't decide if it's a good or an unfortunate thing.

Music: 배슬기 - Tomboy

난 알아요

Oh god. Have you ever tried reading on Epistemology? Trying to read the explanations of what the school of thought focuses on is already a headache. And the theories are popping up from everywhere. Not taking into account arguments from so many other philosophers yet.

Simply put, "How do we know what we know?"
As confusing as it is thought-provoking. It also tackles as to what constitutes to the truth.

If I told you I've eaten this new burger at MacDonald's, and it's called the 'Prosperity Burger', you'd probably believe me.
1. You trust me.
2. You have seen Prosperity Burger advertisements and you take it to be true.
3. Many other people have told you that they had it too.
4. You have eaten it before.

But what if 2, 3 and 4 doesn't apply? You've never seen its ads, neither do your friends know about it, and obviously you haven't tried it. Would you deem it to be true because you trust me? The fact is: I haven't so much as smelt the Prosperity Burger, much less tasted it.

It has become such that knowledge in the truth isn't as simple as "Seeing is believing". I think PIs need to read up on epistemology. It would help them much I think.

This reminds me of Mr. Jeremy Lo, a really mischievous lecturer of mine at Ngee Ann Poly, who once told me that he's going to teach in Nanyang Poly. It was a complete lie, that bugger. But I wasn't particularly gossipy then and I didn't pass that message about. But once I did tell a friend and she bumped into him and asked him about it. Turns out he had totally forgot about it and he simply wanted to see how fast the news would spread. See where the truth is? The only truth is that I believed him.

But in the words of Se7en, 난 알아요.

The Fourth Saturday

Hi, I'm back in blogger.

I suppose I felt compelled to write. It's one of those days you feel especially thoughtful and talkative and you find yourself needing an avenue to express yourself. A few blogs has accompanied me for a very large part of my life and they safekeep many past memories and thoughts. So it's no surprise I start writing again, huh?

It's the 27th of January 2007. I'll be 22 this year.

Twenty-two seemed so far away back then. Now it seems like the big 3-0 is creeping up on me faster than I could have ever imagined. The future is never too far away it seems. And I'm making some plans for the future. I hope it is good to me.

I think I shall stop writing here. So much for being talkative.

Postscript.
Oh perhaps I should add, I have read horoscopes for the year/month and it seems like it has all turned out astonishingly accurate thus far.

Music: Clazziquai - Sweety