post no.50: best films of 2010

50 blog posts a year! *applause*

this shall be my concluding post for 2010.
as we all know, nothing interest me more than MOVIES.
in fact, ever since exams ended, i've been watching 3 movies per day~

i hereby proclaim 2010 the year of animation! *applause again*

Inception
Toy Story 3
Confessions (Japan)
志明与春娇 (HongKong)
大叔 (Korea)
The Secret In Their Eyes (Argentina)
The Ghost Writer
Rapunzel
Despicable Me
The Social Network

*applause until my next post*

all i want for xmas...

is to see snow in singapore (dun ask me go SNOW CITY).
santa will grant my wish since i have been SUCH a good boy.
(who am i kidding? erm i'm referring to e "santa" part, not e "good boy" part)

31 days to new semester...说长不长，说短不短~
which is why i've decided not to work!
strictly speaking there's only like...15 working days?
(provided that i start work in Jan...who am i kidding again?)

to-do list for these 31 days:
sanguosha sessions with GGB
mahjong session with binbin, janjan, lynnlynn
drama class outings
early spring cleaning (though my room is like SO tidy, e drawers are damn messy)
shopping for clothes/berms/shoes (then spring cleaning for my wardrobe)
watch all e award-winning movies n drama serials in my laptop
......
in short, ENJOY LIFE.

it doesn't feel like december

because:

1) the wind can be quite chilly even on a sunny morning. singapore does have winter after all~

2) two-thirds of december is spent on revision & exams. and i actually studied A LOT for open-book exams~

i better maximise the final 11 days of 2010. end it with a BANG-BA-BOOM!
on a side note, 2010 is/was a good year for me =D

PS: results will be released (only) 26 days after NTU's last paper.
poor profs. we mug like crazy, they mark like crazy.

too much time for revision?

hoho 1 Dec was my last day of sch so...I have 2 freaking weeks for revision.

BUT the more time u have on ur hands, u tend to procrastinate.
which is why...I din really do much today.

luckily not much memory work for this sem!
open-book exam is not such a bad thing after all?

esp when i took my exam timetable into consideration when registering for courses.
14, 16, 18, 20 Dec...woohoo nicely spaced out!

like i said, i'm NEVER gonna put myself thru the torture of 2 papers in 1 day.
a paper a day is enough to deplete my battery from 100 to 0.

what would life be like without drama?

Fri drama classes have officially ended.
Thu drama classes only 1 week left.

now that there's no more daily rehearsals before/after class, I should be happy.
but still feeling a little empty.
okie maybe more than a little.

my drama friends have been posting facebook statuses abt withdrawal symptoms (looks like the girls are more affected haha).
will miss the times we spam comments on each other's photos and walls (and of course, the flooding email notifications).
i knew it right from the first lesson that this is gonna be an awesome semester full of drama.
it turns out to be more awesome than i thought.

it is AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEE.

busy/tired/busy/tired/busy/tired

my life is full of drama.
Mon Tue Wed rehearsals, Thu Fri drama classes.
too much drama, in fact.

i think my free day (Mon) is officially gone for the rest of e semester.
despite completing assignments WAY before e deadlines, i still feel stressed.
doesn't help that my Fri drama instructor is such a control freak.

HELLO, DRAMA IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT RULES & REGULATIONS & ADMIN INSTRUCTIONS!!!
dun teach drama lah u...go work in a govt organisation.

first day of Nov, and i'm oredi looking forward to the last day of Nov.
oh, wait. no. NOOOO. 6 weeks to exams.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEST RECESS WEEK EVER

I THINK I JUST HAD THE BEST WEEK OF 2010!!! =D

celebrated at places i've been wanting to visit ie. Porn's, Egg3 Cafe, Marche~
for more info, pls refer to facebook album "ROOSTER DAY 2010" haha!

shoutout to GGB & SPATS: yeah continue giving me makeover every year!!! i dun even wanna look at my past bday photos liao HOHOHO it makes me cringe...

special mention: for my army frens gathering on Fri nite, my two fav bosses came!!! WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE LAH (haven't seen them in like...3 years?! they still damn yandao)
was treated to dinner, late-nite KTV and given a ride home~
I LOVE GENEROUS WORKING ADULTS HAHAHA

now that heaven week is officially over, hell week is coming soon...
i'm ready. BRING IT ON.

recess week = rooster week

HOHO this year i'm fortunate enough to have my bday during recess week WOOHOO~
will be out everyday from Wed to Sun MUAHAHAHA!!!
shall complete all my assignments before Tue...

on a side note: drama class rehearsalS have commenced...SO EXCITING OMGGGGG
i love school.

stay home kid

I actually look forward to going home after school.
Despite the 1.5 hrs journey which I have somehow gotten used to.
Morning rides: sleep, read MyPaper (I really dun like Today)
Evening rides: read I-Weekly/readings, watch drama on laptop

Sleeping/waking early makes me less prone to pon lessons too (HURRAY)!
Dun need to crack my brains over dinner (if i settle myself, surely eat fast food)!

Kinda feel like my most hardworking semester so far...GO GO GO!!!

PS: recess week must NOT be hell week for me...it's bday week YEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAH~

GLEE vs MODERN FAMILY

the two TV series i've been raving about all year.

after months of waiting, SEASON 2 IS BACK!!! premiere in the SAME WEEK somemore!!!
this battle is never gonna end huh?

GLEE won the Golden Globe, MODERN FAMILY won the Emmy (seems like a tie)...
i got a feeling they are battling for viewership ratings now.

may the best show wins!

PS: if i'm a voter at the awards, and i die die must vote cannot abstain, i think i'll vote for...MODERN FAMILY. (despite the lack of eye candy, it never fails to make me laugh in an unglam manner)

potentially my fav semester so far...

i LOVE my classes.
what a great start after my Taiwan exchange.

will i excel? no guarantee.
will i enjoy? HELL YEAH!

had my first CDP434 drama class today.
all it took was 3 hrs for 12 of us to click so well!!!
搞戏剧的就是搞戏剧的，一拍即合.

and i have a new Jap friend. DAMN CUTE LAH!!!

i'll be so looking forward to Thursdays n Fridays now~

AY10/11

new academic year. first lesson today.
wah the last time i had lessons in NTU was like...10 months ago.

oh wow i'm a year 3 student now!
oh shit i'm a year 3 student now.

happy workaholic

so glad i signed up to be a student buddy with NTU.
amazing week so far.
i spend time meaningfully, i get paid, i make new friends (from all around the world), i promote my country, i entertain people, and my supervisor thinks highly of me.
what more could i ask for?
actually i dun mind working all day all nite...

but when i'm not working, that shitty feeling is back again.
that feeling i desperately wanted to get rid of by fleeing to taiwan in Feb.
that bottleneck phase when i can't seem to enjoy things to the fullest.

staying in hall alone for the past few nites actually made me very happy.
no need for unnecessary human contact and formalities.
just me and my laptop. and i can sleep at any time i want.

dun i have stories to share? of course i do.
but only with people of the right frequency.
why share when i know i can't get the response i'm expecting?
sometimes, keeping things to urself is even better. really.

me is youtuber

hmm i spent one whole afternoon on YOUTUBE.
so it's possible...
blame all those links on the sidebar!
link me from one vid to another & another & another (x100)~

now my fav is NIGAHIGA. bye bye annoying orange!

ROTTEN

腐烂中~
应该每天都出去吹吹风，晒晒太阳。

可是又懒得出去。
出去又懒得回来。
在家又懒得走动。

真的闲不下来/不能闲下来。
闲太久会变懒/烂。

下个礼拜开始做工赚钱咯！
做三个礼拜也好。
赚个几百元也好。

不要待在家就好。

WTF films

I have been spamming my laptop with loads of movies these days.

A normal stay-at-home day for me would be something like this: late breakfast > movie > late lunch > movie > afternoon nap > dinner > movie > supper > drama serial.

Just within 3 weeks, I encountered 3 films which made me go "WTF JUST HAPPENED" when it ended. I swear I would have left halfway if I was watching in a theatre.

Similarity: Those award-winning arthouse films had random events which made me lost track totally (despite paying full attention). I had to rely heavily on film reviews/analysis to get a slightest clue. Well, maybe I'm just not sophisticated enough. Or maybe the director infused too much of his own style and didn't spare a thought for his audience.

Having said that, GOOD FOR U if u understood these 3 films on first viewing:

蔡明亮 《脸》
The Coen Brothers 《A Serious Man》
David Lynch 《Mulholland Drive》

INCEPTION

i've waited for this film for MONTHS.
it was sure worth the wait.

seriously, if u're gonna watch only one film in your entire life, this is IT.

dun even ask about the plot. experience it for yourself.
i simply entered the theatre with an open mind, knowing nothing could go wrong with Christopher Nolan/Leonardo Dicaprio/Joseph Gordon Levitt/Ellen Page/Marion Cotillard/Ken Watanabe/Cillian Murphy. (award-winning is really a credential, just like how branded goods never fail to disappoint!)

my eyes were glued to every single frame on the screen for 140 mins.
and i'm gonna watch it again.

there are soO0 many interpretations about this film, it can almost be a research topic on its own! i RESPECT films that require a thinking audience.

B.O.R.E.D

This is my 9th day back in S'pore.
And I'm already so damn bored.

Some say I should have stayed in Taiwan a little longer.
No point. I'm already bored of Taiwan. HA!

I guess I'm just easily bored of STUFF in general.

One more month before I start my one-month job at NTU. (Yes, NTU!)
Receiving exchange students and helping them settle down.
I simply love exchange students (and being one), dun I?

In the meantime, I REALLLLY wanted to learn something.
First on my list was guitar.
But after doing some googling, I gave up the idea IMMEDIATELY.
Supposedly it's NORMAL to have sore fingertips with calluses and hardened skin after playing guitar.
OMG.
I can't even bear to get myself cut/bruised/scarred.
I guess I still love my skin more than anything.

HAIZ i'm kinda disappointed by my lack of motivation/determination/talent.

B.A.C.K

飞机快要降落的时候，忽然有点鼻酸，眼睛湿湿的。
不是因为可以回家而喜极而泣。
因为自己真的独立了而有些感动。
因为舍不得在台湾的朋友（毕竟不知道什么时候会再见面）。
因为四个月竟然就这样结束了。

why i prefer my room in singapore

dun be misled by the title.
i'm not back YET.

so there are still a few things i dislike abt my tsinghua hostel:

1. mosquito-infested common bathroom (every nite when i turn on the shower, more than 3 mosquitoes will appear and somehow I always fail to kill them)

2. sucky phone signal (every time i wanna make/answer a phone call, i have to step out of my room and walk a distance OR stick my head out of the window like an idiot)

3. my neighbours (do they HAVE TO slam their doors behind them every time they leave/enter the room?! does it give them some kind of pleasure which i simply can't understand?! and do they HAVE TO speak so loudly in their native language at 3AM?!)

4. my roomie (well~ what else can i say...)


ONE MORE WEEK.
although i'm not really THAT eager to return home now.
i'm gonna miss my TW/HK/china/indonesia/france/paraguay friends here~

学学小蜜蜂，别做懒惰虫

唉，在台湾真的养尊处优惯了...
现在只剩1个报告，2个考试，11天。
可是一点动力也没有。
好想继续slack下去...

我最高分的科目肯定会是戏剧创作和电视制作课。
可是都结束了...
只能期待考试结束后的庆功出游！

我就像一只懒惰虫，周围环绕着许多小蜜蜂...

19 days to home...

Sorry if I haven't been updating my blog diligently.
I'm busy enjoying school life, finally.

The best is always saved for the last...WHY???
I was still counting down few days ago, but now I hope the clock stops.

I'm only starting to make frens NOW.
Well~ better late than never!

goal achieved

那天晚上，和其他交换生聊起 “为什么会选择来台湾”，“想在台湾achieve什么”。
那么有深度又reflective的问题，很明显不是我问的。
或许是因为只剩一个月，大家开始look back。
有人“忽然间”发现自己一直在读书，现在才惊觉时间不多了，决定开始出去玩。
有人明明一直都在玩，可是觉得还没玩够。

没错，这里的“玩”，当然就是旅游，到台湾各县各市各乡开开眼界。
这时，我才忽然发现原来我来台湾不是为了旅游。
明明有很多地方还没去（不要被我的facebook albums骗了），可是也不会特别想去。

原来我一直往台北跑，看演唱会/签唱会/舞台剧/综艺节目录影。
对啊！追星没什么可耻的。
也不会因为少去了很多地方而觉得可惜。

被逼回答“想在台湾achieve什么”，原来我的答案独一无二。
除了上述的那些，就是想交很多很多朋友，所以才选了戏剧创作和电视制作，这些需要teamwork的课。
刚开始还有点失望，怎么那么难交朋友？大家自己来上课，上完课就走，也不一起吃饭聊天...
还好到了后期，如我所料，分组之后大家开始熟了，一起排戏/想剧本/拍片，发现跟台湾同学真的很click!

也好，在房间里待久了，才是虚度人生咧~
而且讨论到11点多根本不算迟，好不好？
你要我那么早回去干嘛？陪你听交响乐/看历史小说啊？
CHEY!

出走的勇气

今晚出席了一个短片影展 《跟着镜头去旅行》，两部作品都是台湾艺术大学电影系女生的FYP。

〈游幕民族〉： 一个女生为了追求电影梦，游遍了世界，除了有机会出席各大国际影展/追星，也结交了各地爱好电影的学生。

〈那个夏天〉： 一个女生几年前去了西藏/新疆背包旅行，拍了许多照片。几年后，她决定重返故地，寻找照片中的人们，亲手把照片交给他们。

感觉上，〈那个夏天〉比较感人，也确实拍得比较好。
不过，映后座谈却是〈游幕民族〉导演的一番分享，令我开始反省。

她说自己在家人朋友当中都是被宠的，所以有些任性/自我，常常take things for granted。
她觉得自己需要“出走”，到一个没有靠山的地方，到一个没有人认识自己的地方。
一走就走了六个月，爱上了一个人旅行，每当觉得孤单，就继续向前走。
一路上帮助她的陌生人，令她觉得世界就是她朋友。
孤单的时候，自己就是自己的朋友。

唉，我觉得我没那个勇气。
虽然我的确很想“出走”。
我很想拥有她所拥有的那种纯粹的快乐/为了自己而活的快感。
可是我的意志不够坚定。
旅行，对我来说，不能充满未知。一切一定要安排得妥当，衣食住行都要舒适。
看吧！我还是继续当我的王子好了。

王子病

yeah i'm a spoilt brat and i'm not ashamed to admit it.

when i stay overnight in other parts of taiwan, of cos there are economical accommodation everywhere (can be as cheap as S$20 per night)...BUT even if it's just for sleeping purposes, i need my room to be 单人房（最好是双人床）, 有冷气，有电视，有浴缸，枕头要厚，邻居不能吵...yep and i'm willing to pay for all these.

很多人告诉我： “只是睡一晚罢了/有四面墙壁和一张床就行了/出国旅行不要那么计较...” blah blah blah~

WHATEVER. 我要就是要。你管我。

PCK shd only be famous in Singapore

when introducing Singapore to foreigners, do i really have to mention Singlish & Phua Chu Kang?

okie i won't deny that he brightened up my day a few times, but that's it. does the whole world need to know about his existence? apparently our Tourism Board thought so by arranging him to appear on Amazing Race in his signature attire (i know that was eons ago but...ARGH)!

so i'm in taiwan, and someone suggested screening clips of Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd during International Week. SERIOUSLY?! how is it gonna boost our tourism trade, and how am i gonna intro him in chinese?! “他是一个家喻户晓的电视角色，穿着黄靴子的承包商，没文化的大老粗，动不动就抠鼻屎，可是我们都觉得他很好笑”...?!

i'm not ashamed of him or anything. okie maybe i am.

if u really wanna intro 经典电视角色，at least choose someone like 月娘 （小娘惹） lah! can link to nyonya culture blah blah blah...

EmoNoMore

so i deleted all the emo posts written in taiwan.
reasons being:

1) i'm not supposed to emo in taiwan.
2) this is not supposed to be an emo blog.

so between 10 Apr and 2 May, it's not that i din blog.
my loyal readers would have read those now-censored posts.

i shall TRY and enjoy the remaining 50 days to the fullest.

再见萤火虫

the last time i saw fireflies was 15 yrs ago.
memorable, yes.
but not in a pleasant way.

1995, family vacation at Brisbane Australia.
visit to fireflies caves after dinner.
struggled to walk on slippery rocky paths while holding onto a torchlight.
we were told to beware of bats and leeches (in the end i saw both).

by the time we reached the caves, i was already frightened to tears.
totally no mood to see thousands of fireflies blinking at me.
can't wait to return to our hotel (or even Singapore).


15 yrs later, didn't know what to expect.
just hoping there wun be bats and leeches, or unknown noisy creatures.
and so, here came 北埔大湖村赏萤区.

7pm, sky wasn't pitch dark, but the fireflies were already out to play (and mate).
IT IS A SIGHT TO REMEMBER, EVEN WHEN I'M 75 YRS OLD.
grasslands covered with fireflies, blinking and lighting up the paths like guardian angels.
even the stars fade in comparison.

after a few failed attempts to capture them on camera, i simply gave up (not like other persistent folks who kept adjusting their camera settings and positions, but also to no avail).
BASKING IN THE MOMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT.

just being there makes me feel so blessed.

闷，就要找事做

唉！当初选那些没考试/报告少的课，也是希望可以轻松点。。。
可是现在也未免太轻松了吧？！

怎么大家都有做不完的功课啊？！
算了算了，我自己出去玩，我不要当宅男！

星期一是我的free day，刚好下个星期三的课延到星期五了，所以我星期一/三都没课！
星期二才一堂课，也只是看电影罢了，就翘课一次吧！（回来了再下载来看）

所以。。。星期天到星期三，我会南下到高雄！
其他人都有课，so I'll be travelling alone。
那里的民宿都没有单人房，所以我订了一间位于爱河旁的蜜月双人房。
well done。（还好不会太贵）

PS: 朋友跟我说 “dun wait for things to happen, make them happen”。
听起来很像大道理，其实用在我身上 = “dun wait for ppl to jio u out, u can go and jio them。”
怕寂寞就要厚脸皮一点，人家给你面子就会陪你，哈哈！

I'M BACK!

...back from 一场大病，back from 文化之行。
是的！我完全康复了，胃口也回来了，还跟清大的其他交换生去了一趟文化之行！
希望没有瘦太多，我要快点把营养补回来。

两天一夜的文化之行，去了集集/日月潭/清境农场。照片都在facebook 请自便，哈哈！
交了一些新朋友（印尼，印度，越南），还有一个来自Paraguay的帅哥！！！
PS: Paraguay is located near Brazil & Argentina.

后续：我没投诉那家害我上吐下泻的“六王子铁板烧”，可是今天经过那家店时，发现里面暗暗的，外面挂着“店铺出租”。
我猜是清大帮我报了仇，因为教官有问我是吃了哪一家的东西。哇塞，一家店因为我而倒闭...

生病了，好想家

下午本来还在开玩笑：“我在新加坡每一个月就生病一次，来到这里变得好健康哦！”
话真的不能乱说。
晚上吃铁板烧就吃坏了肚子，上吐下泻不下十次，最后没有东西吐了还在吐。

还好有室友在。
宿舍的教官载我们到医院的时候，已经凌晨四点了。
迷迷糊糊中，觉得四肢无力，又酸又麻，打针时根本无法握紧拳头。
应该打了有四支针吧： 抽血，打点滴，止吐针，止泻针。
其中两支还打在屁股上，OMG。

医生交代只能喝运动饮料，只能吃白粥/白面包。
原来运动饮料那么好喝。
我就靠运动饮料过活吧。

现在还有点晕晕的，走几步路就喘，肚子里好像刚发生海啸。
我还是去睡吧。
大家不用担心。

dinner with host professor n family!

今晚太有口福了！

My host prof (yes he's an angmoh, but he teaches philosophy in very fluent Chinese) invited me and another 北大 girl (knew her at my movie class) to DIM SUM dinner at a 5-star hotel!!!

Too bad i din take photos...seems impolite u see...it's not as if i never see those food in singapore before haha! but the amount they ordered is like...OMG! 叉烧包，虾饺，烧卖，珍珠鸡，肠粉，小笼汤包，萝卜糕，桂花糕，苹果酥...i think i only listed half. HOHOHO!

Best part is...they lived in singapore for 2 years before while my host prof was teaching at NUS! haha so they were sharing some funny stories over dinner. IT WAS DAMN FUNNY!!! eg. His wife was trying to order Banana Smoothie (she said ber-neh-ner), but the drinks stall uncle din get it. So she pointed at the signboard and the uncle said: "OH we call it Banana Ice Blended (he said bah-nah-nah)". Worse still, he made her repeat after him.

WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR SINGLISH CAN.

PS: their son Ethan has such beautiful eyes. 混血儿 ROCKS!!!

周末。在清大。

大家都在忙着赶报告。
看来我选的课太轻松了。

觉得有点闷，却又不想自己一个人去台北。
我的ｒｏｏｍｉｅ每逢星期一都自己一个人去台北。

以前总觉得没人陪没关系，不用为了迁就别人而苦了自己。
在ｒｏｏｍｉｅ身上看到了以前的自己，却又觉得他ｌｏｎｅｒ。
自己一个人确实自由，可是来到台湾真的应该这样吗？

忽然发现我一直在积极结交新朋友，也不是怕寂寞，只是觉得不这样做有点浪费。
每次想主动认识别人，又怕自己过分热情／对方反应冷淡，有点难拿捏。
我真的不介意别人跟我“装熟”，因为混久了真的就会熟。

因为很少ｒｅａｄｉｎｇｓ，所以ｗｅｅｋｄａｙ　ｎｉｔｅｓ蛮闷的。
还好星期二有免费电影放映，星期三有世舞社　（是的，我在学跳舞），星期五有人陪我看《超级星光大道》。
其余的晚上就看那些下载的电影／连续剧。

周末的清大比我想象中热闹许多。
好像ｆａｍｉｌｙ　ｄａｙ一样，一家大小一起放风筝，ｒｏｌｌｅｒｓｋａｔｅ，打羽球。
可是，小孩子也太多了吧？　哈哈！

有点意外，我最爱的“胖达ｃａｆｅ”照常营业，而且有我最爱的德式布丁（平时都买不到）。
挑了靠窗的座位，看着一家大小共享天伦，以为又会想家，还好没有。
只是ｓｉｎｃｅｒｅｌｙ为他们感到开心。

这时，一群小孩子推门而入，本来觉得有点大煞风景。

孩子们：　（争先恐后）我要一杯果汁！
店主：　（装生气）我欠你们的哦？
孩子们：　（调皮）请给我一杯果汁，谢谢你帅哥！

还好有他们。

i'm afraid of dogs. STILL.

Tsinghua is FULL of dogs.
If u saw my facebook photos, they are EVERYWHERE.

Lunchtime in the canteen can be such a horror, with dogs of all sizes and colours sniffing around tables and "patrolling" from seat to seat. After 3 weeks of this, I actually thought my dog-phobia has decreased, since I can now cope with them lying centimetres away from my chair.

I was wrong.

Just 10 mins ago, I was on my way back to hostel, merrily drinking my grape milk tea. Suddenly there was this poodle-like dog behind me. I thought maybe it will overtake me or detour in another direction sooner or later.

I was wrong AGAIN.

It followed me all the way back to my hostel gate. 而且一直紧跟在我脚边，好像我是它主人一样。 It looked up at me with that oh-so-innocent gaze. AH HA I think it wants my milk tea. So I left my cup on a grass patch, and ran towards my hostel block. As I turned around, I saw it circling my cup, as if figuring how to drink it. (okie so dogs dunno how to use straws)

Before I realised, it was heading my direction AGAIN.

So I ran across the corridor, scrambled for keys, unlocked the door (while the dog was running across the corridor, just like I did), entered my room, slammed the door, locked the door.

I hope it's not waiting outside my room now.

dreamt abt singapore

最近几晚都梦到新加坡的人事物。
是潜意识里想家了吗？

在台湾12天了，吃得惯住得惯玩得惯。
醒着的时候真的一点想家的感觉也没有。

跟家人的weekly MSN conference好像也没了那个必要。
不会想念家人朋友的样子和声音吗？
暂时是不会。

可能只有在梦里才不会逼自己不去想家吧。
可是每次醒来时发现自己在台湾，是有点失落。
于是打起精神上课，结交新朋友，那种失落感又自动消失了。

和我一起飞过来的中文系同学，有些几乎天天MSN conference或打长途电话。
偶尔会有点羡慕他们对家人朋友的attachment。
我和家人分享近况，都用facebook inbox。
什么地震，寒流，旅游好去处...都用文字来分享。

万一回到新加坡，和家人朋友疏远了怎么办？
是有担心过这点。
总觉得如果真的这样，也是无可避免的事。

至少现在的我，还蛮独立的。
这是好事。我为自己感到骄傲。
一个人在外国念书五个月，好像也没想象中那么难。

过完这个周末，Week3就开始了。
到了Week18，就可以开始收拾行李了。

T.A.I.W.A.N

As of now, I'm too lazy to blog...
So just make do with my facebook photos ba!!!

phonebook

I was backing up my handphone data from my SIM card when I came across a few names.

Jeffrey, Dorothy, Regina.
I cracked my brains and I still cannot recall who are they or where I met them.

Perhaps I should have saved their contacts in greater detail eg. Shaun SPH, Johnson Hall4.
I usually do that only when I have multiple "Shaun"s or "Johnson"s in my phonebook.

So I thought my memory was failing me.
Or perhaps they were just acquaintances I met during my internship at SPH or SSC.
Ya know...those kind of "business partners"...exchanging contacts just for the sake of it...

Last resort: FACEBOOK friends.
Still, no Jeffrey/Dorothy/Regina.

I doubt I'll ever gonna recall them so I deleted their contacts.
Another form of "spring cleaning".

To play safe, I renamed all my contacts in detail eg. Joyce HP101, even though there's only ONE Joyce in my phonebook.
Who knows, I might have erased Joyce from my memory in three years time...
Nah just kidding Joyce.

gimme drama (korea)

新加坡有“红星大奖”，台湾有“金钟奖”，香港有“TVB台庆大奖”，美国有“Emmys”。
直到去年年底，我才发现韩国也有电视圈的奖项，叫“大赏”（daesang）。

好奇地research了一下，原来是三大电视台（KBS，SBS，MBC）各颁各的奖，感觉比较像family affair，自己颁自己爽。

男女主角奖项不只一个哦！还分成：迷你剧，中篇剧，长篇剧，日日剧。
演得最好的可以拿到“最优秀男子/女子演技赏”。
演得最最最好的可以拿到“年度演技大赏”。

这样说来，拿到“日日剧优秀男子/女子演技赏”也没什么好开心/光荣的吧...
日日剧一播就是一百多集，一年能播几部啊？竞争对手少之又少吧...
如果你是一部日日剧的男/女主角，这个奖应该非你莫属了。

“年度演技大赏”其实好像也没什么。
如果某个电视台决定颁两个，还要和别人平分，哪来的荣耀啊？
说好了是BEST OF THE YEAR，颁给一个人就好了嘛，搞得好像在分猪肉。

Or maybe they are just trying to encourage their employees, to make sure no one goes home empty-handed.

Did I also mention they have all sorts of 人气奖？
十大人气明星奖（红星大奖anyone?），网友人气奖（男/女），人气新人奖（男/女），最佳情侣奖（竟然可以有四对得奖！）... ...

如果你在韩国娱乐圈混，一个奖都没拿过，you have a problem。

choosy fussy picky me

YEAH if u haven't realised, i was trying to imitate Tata Young's "Sexy Naughty Bitchy Me"...

Since my mum has started baking her CNY goodies, that means i won't be enjoying home-cooked food for...two weeks.
Which also means my lunch & dinner will be some hawker food takeaway, since my dad dunno how to buy from Tampines One/Tampines Mall/Century Square.

It is only the THIRD day, and i'm already cracking my brains over the lack of food choices.
So i followed my dad to a hawker centre and a foodcourt he frequents the most.

ARGH. I'm not ashamed to admit this...but i AM a spoilt brat.

走了一圈，竟然没有一摊看得上眼的。

Mostly local fare...Rojak, Chicken Rice/Porridge, Mee Soto/Rubus/Goreng (i still can't tell the difference), 杂菜饭，云吞面，鱼片米粉，Char Kway Teow, Carrot Cake...

Damn disappointing. They closed down the Western & Teppanyaki stalls.

So i settled for Nasi Lemak with FRIED fish fillet, FRIED luncheon meat and FRIED chicken wing. 最接近我口味的也只有这个了...

Well...looking on the bright side, at least i won't be missing the food when i leave for Taiwan.

(PS: I'm gonna have the 台湾小吃 at Century Square basement for dinner tonight!!!)

做戏

How I miss the Mediaworks-era Channel U... (not for personal reasons hoho)
Due to a lack of competition, MediaCxxx is getting complacent with the mediocre shows they are producing.

刚刚公布的2009节目收视率排行榜，一看就知道是MediaCxxx搞的鬼。

8频道排行第十的节目，竟然比U频道榜首的节目收视率高出三倍！
谁相信啊？

都已经合并那么久了，有必要继续打压U频道来突显8频道的superiority吗？

话说回来，把韩剧都放在U频道是对的。
毕竟，哈韩风是U频道带进新加坡的。

8频道就继续播你们自制的又长又臭又吵的缠脚袜长剧吧！
反正我又不看。

whatever...bitch

Boycott the restaurant at IKEA Alexandra.

(I'll try to vent my frustration without using profanities. BITCH is not a profanity.)

When my mum flashed her IKEA Friends card at IKEA Tampines to redeem a drink, she was immediately handed a cup.
When I flashed the card at IKEA Alexandra to redeem a drink, the bitchy cashier insisted that I go find the Friends counter, use my card to redeem a drink coupon, then go back to her to redeem my drink.

HELLO?! If your Friends counter is located at the entrance of the restaurant, then I dun mind.
BUT your Friends counter is soO0 out of the way, I even had to ask people along the way before I eventually found it.

So you expect me to "earn" my drink by doing exercise when I dun even care to exercise at home?! So I'm suppose to adapt to your inflexibility and bossiness while you comfortably sit your big fat ass on that cashier stool?!

It's not as if you have to keep the drink coupon for reference, or use it to wipe your big fat ass after you shit. Eventually the drink coupon will still be returned to me.

I'm already pissed, and our dear bitchy cashier brought it to a whole new level.

When I politely asked if I could pay by NETS, she said "WHATEVER" while looking in another direction.

THAT'S IT MAN. THAT'S IT.
我没有当场发火，算是给你老人家面子。
给你脸，你不要脸。

That totally justifies why I took a feedback form and wrote an essay-length complaint letter.

If you lose your job, you can only blame yourself for saying the "W" word...at a CUSTOMER.
You wanna be a bitch? I'll outdo you.
You wanna step on my toes? I'll step back on yours...and CRUSH them.

NOBODY SAYS "WHATEVER" TO ME.
GET IT? BITCH.
Enjoy your early retirement.
Dun forget to thank me.

gimme drama (US)

最近猛看连续剧，可是我的极限是一天五集，看太多头会痛。
而且我很容易半途而废，有些看了一集就不看了。
我专挑那种收视高/口碑好的，连续剧也有名牌的ok。

Here comes a series of posts entitled "GIMME DRAMA" (think Britney's "GIMME MORE"). First up, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

US:
After three episodes of "Gossip Girl", it is time to say goodbye despite a truckload of eye candy. A weak script is a weak script. No excuse.
Dun give me those "teen-drama-is-like-that" shit.

Look at "Glee", which I hail as the "professional" version of "High School Musical".
Most of the actors are from BROADWAY, and they're in their twenties (you can't tell at all).
They've got the looks, the vocals, the humour.
They've got IT.

Totally going gaga over Matthew Morrison, who plays the Spanish teacher.
O-M-G. I would totally take Spanish just for him.
And pretend I'm so dumb (yes PRETEND), so that we can have countless 1-on-1 consultations.

They really should have included a handsome teacher role in "High School Musical".

the best dun always finish first

Spent the afternoon youtubing my fav American Idol contestants.
Most of my favs were NOT the ultimate winners, but black female singers who can sing their asses off (that was a compliment).
And the only black female singer who ultimately won (yes the duck-like Fantasia Barrino), was NOT the best of the lot.

If you're interested, go youtube these incredible ladies - Latoya London, Paris Bennett, Melinda Doolittle. They sure deserved to win.
Erm but look at those who won - Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, David Cook. Where are they now?
Polishing their trophy at home every morning, while reminiscing about their glory days?

Season 9 is back!
Doubt I can catch every episode while I'm in Taiwan.
May the best man/woman win.

Oh yah to reiterate my point that "the best REALLY dun always finish first", look at AVATAR.
Golden Globes Best Picture & Director?!
My ass.

给全天下的坏人

从小就听说，天使和魔鬼在我们身体里并存。
人死了，好人就上天堂当天使，坏人就下地狱当魔鬼。

坏人啊坏人！
你生前再怎么不择手段/心狠手辣/心机算尽，到最后还不是下B18？
你生前再怎么成功/富有/出名/受欢迎，到最后还不是任魔鬼使唤？

好好的一个好人，就是因为被你欺负/利用/剥削/折磨，才会变坏人的！
你们“坏人俱乐部”就那么缺人吗？

看《妻子的诱惑》，就是要看：好人如何报复坏人。
就算好人最后变成坏人也无所谓，我还是支持那个最初还是好人的坏人。

被欺负，就要报复。理所当然。
这不是坏人才有的想法。
往往坏人也是在被欺负/利用/剥削/折磨之后，才会变好人的。

。。。 。。。 。。。 。。。
把好人坏人分得那么清楚，或许有点naive & childish。

不过，你做过什么坏事，你自己知道。
就算没有immediate karma，也只是时辰未到。
What matters is the ultimate karma:
IF YOU BULLY KIND PEOPLE, YOU WILL BURN IN HELL.

Let's see who will have the last laugh.

（PS: 大家放心，没人欺负我，只是看坏人不爽罢了。）

大男人老爸

我老爸又惹到我了。
不免要跟他抬杠一番。

Case Study 1 -

故事背景：我阿姨（老妈的姐姐）是生意人，口才了得，跟陌生人也可以聊到天花乱坠，我一直觉得她很street-smart (in a good way)。偏偏我老爸看不顺眼。

爸：（对老妈说）你那个姐姐，跟不认识的男人也可以聊那么多，混一下就熟了，真随便。
我：我也很容易跟人混熟，那我也很随便咯？
爸：你不一样，你是男的。
我：姐姐也很容易跟人混熟，那她也很随便咯？
爸：她不一样，她是我女儿。
我：你女儿就不是女人啊？你老婆的姐姐不是女人啊？这样就叫随便？！你回去古代啦，起码可以抓她去浸猪笼... ...我看你活在现代也活得很辛苦！这个叫人缘，叫交际手腕... ...哎呀，你不懂的啦！因为这些你都没有。
爸：*无语*


Case Study 2 -

故事背景：为了讨论替我外婆请女佣的事，我叔叔在他家召开了家庭会议，出门前老爸对老妈再三嘱咐。

爸：（对老妈说）等一下开会，你不要讲太多话，让你哥哥弟弟去商量就好了。
我：为什么老妈不可以讲话？请她去开会，分明就是要听她的意见。去那边不讲话，还不如不去算了！哦，老妈是女儿，所以没有发言权是吗？要在那边静静坐着当花瓶是吗？再说，what do those uncles know about hiring maids？以前我们家的女佣，还不都是老妈选的？
爸：*无语*


看吧！碰到这种情况，叫我怎么积口德？

a day with me, myself & i

Lazy weekend afternoon.
Parents are out.
Decided that I should be out too.

Haven't tried Express Teppanyaki in donkey years, ever since the one at Century Square basement closed down.
Guess what? It's back at Tampines Mall basement!

Teppanyaki in Jap restaurants are often too pricey.
Tried satisfying my craving once at Sakae, but ended up feeling cheated.
Express Teppanyaki is still DA BEST!
Under $10, u get garlic beef, bean sprouts (all time fav), green veg, rice, soup & drink!

Went Tampines library after lunch, cos I feel stagnant. Or rather my brain sent me a signal telling me it feels stagnant, since I haven't touched books for... ...one month plus.
(Imagine the number of books I touched for my CDP101 drama module.)

Searched for books by Mitch Albom.
ALL ON LOAN.
He should be proud.
He's a DAMN popular author.

Turned to Nick Hornby instead.
Ever since I watched "An Education" (which made my Top 10 films of 2009), his wicked sense of humour never fails to impress me.
Just 3 pages and I knew: "Slam" is the book I'm gonna lend.

Ended my afternoon with a sneak preview of "It's Complicated" at GV Tampines.
Go watch it! Lots of yellow jokes. HOHOHO.

PS: Meryl Streep is really an acting legend. Is there ANYTHING she can't act?!

女扮男装

I'm surprised at my vulnerability for sad endings in comedies.

刚看完韩剧《原来是美男啊》，前几集笑到不行，最后几集哭到不行。

因为又是女主角女扮男装的桥段，所以刚开始看的时候，还有些不以为意，想看看“炒冷饭”能炒出什么新意。

现在只能说：我心服口服。完全被征服了。
才短短的十多集，就如此emotionally attached，我看我完了。

当初看日剧《花样少男少女》的时候也是这样。
结局没人死，也没人患绝症，女主角只是哭着一一道别罢了，我哭个屁啊？

有些剧集太煽情，摆明了要观众哭，我却哭不出来。
像这种偶像剧，前面嘻嘻哈哈，后面丢个催泪弹，我就哭惨了。

没办法，入戏太深就是这样。

PS：女扮男装，混入男生群中，好像不容易被发现。那么，男扮女装呢？

Q&A

Q: "Eh how come ur blog no photos one ah?"

A: "Eh wanna see photos go see my Facebook profile lah!"


Q: "Eh how come ur Facebook photos no captions one ah?"

A: "Eh how come u have so many qns ah? U stalker ah?"

side effects

Took my H1N1 vaccine today.
Doc said there's a 10% possibility of suffering from side effects eg. flu/cough/sorethroat.

Since it will take about one week for the side effects to surface, my dad CONVENIENTLY asked me to stay home and rest for the week (wow what a valid reason to ground me...as if I'd be grounded by THAT).
What's more: he FIRMLY believes that the 10% cases must have been serious enough to be hospitalised (the statistics ie. 10% must have been collated by hospitals to be published in the media). OH WOW.

So it's EITHER i suffer no side effects, OR i suffer side effects soO0 serious that I have to be hospitalised.
I better not sneeze even ONCE during the following week man.

Dad's theory: sneeze = flu = vaccine side effects = hospitalisation
EQUALS pls come and visit me at the hospital if I ask u to.

first discovery of 2010

Facebook Photo Uploader.
I FINALLY figured it out.

Sayonara to the SIMPLE uploader.
Cos it SIMPLY gets on my nerves all the time.

YAY expect more (overdue) Facebook albums from me!