dancingupastorm

This post is going to be filled with a lot of Cate...

2012-01-26T22:39:00.005+08:00

even though it is really a CNY post on what I did and where i went.

Cate is my one and only niece out of the other three nephews I have which means that I am going to be very biased for her. She's a girl after all and baby clothes and toys for girls are just a lot cuter.

Cate is like your high school cool chick. Actually she's also like a cat. I've never had a cat but for those of you that do, you know how cats are. They don't give two hoots about anyone or anything, and only give you a smidgen of attention when they feel like it.ONLY when THEY feel like it...or maybe when you have some cat food in hand.

Cate has this nonchalant and disdainful expression on her face almost all the time which I now refer to as CATtitudE.

So, here you go. This is Cate at my cousin's place wearing the dress I bought for her from US!

Cate has this thing about surveying who is manhandling her. If you look at the two sets of photos above they can be summed up with two sentences.

Who is that?

Oh.

On the second day we go to my Aunt's house at Sentosa.

Cate is like wo-ahh falling..falling...FALLINNNGG!!!!

That is a distressed look if I ever saw one.

Cate holding her red packet #LIKEABOSS
Brother is lying on the deck chair #LIKEABOSS
Kids these days...all #LIKEABOSS

In true CNY spirit we call for McDelivery!

There was also KFC, but not pictured here because this was our third lunch of the day. The Myanmese delivery guy got lost while trying to find the apartment and my poor cousin had to go hunt him down. I mention that he's Myanmese because he's command of English was very poor and nobody could understand him. In the end the security guard at the guard post hopped onto a buggy to look for him and found him waiting at an obscure part of the garden.

Cate has taken a liking to my cousin and is pinching her cheeks. Aw, sooo cute.

So that was my CNY in pictures.

A Freak Show

2012-01-26T01:21:00.001+08:00

Top by Christian Dior

An animated fashion spread by fashion photographers Pamela Reed and Matthew Rader (AKA Reed + Rader). This is my favourite picture from the set. View all here

Reunion

2012-01-25T17:49:00.009+08:00

My mother is candid and with this comes thought provoking nuggets of wisdom like this one which I am going to share right now. When my grandmother passed away, my mother said this - brothers and sisters are strangers with the same mother, and how very true this can be sometimes.

Past CNYs have normally started with my mother packing us of into the car for a short ride to our Grandma's place. There, while waiting for the rest of my maternal relatives to arrive, we'ld snack on the trays and turn tables of traditional CNY goodies. Peanut cookies, kueh bang kit, prawn rolls, pineapple tarts and crunchy koi shaped agar agar that my Grandma would religiously make and then sun every year. Grandma would be wearing a Peranakan sarong kebaya with her freshly permed hair, all smiles as she hands out her second red packet to each of her grandchildren. She gives us one before CNY, I'm not sure why, but she does anyway. It's hard not to like your grandparents.

The greedy few of us would camp at the dining table and wait for my Uncle to return with boxes of Pei Tor (Rabbitfish) which the Chinese believe brings good luck. The best part of the Pei Tor is the innards - the liver, heart and kidney are all consumed and the special treat in every Pei Tor is either the egg sack of a pregnant female fish, or the sperm sack of a male fish. Lunch time is the usual lo hei with a big steaming pot of my Aunt's brother's famous chicken curry and then we break away into groups - the Aunties bring out the mahjong table and the younger ones try their luck at a few games of black jack.

CNYs have always been a treat - good food, family reunions and catching up with cousins. Everyone should know how difficult it is to get everyone to be at the same place at the same time, and CNY is just one of those days when it becomes a priority to get together. It's a nice feeling really.

This CNY, we didn't go to our Grandma's. There was no agar agar or pei tor, and I didn't get to see all my relatives. Instead of two red packets, I got a cheque.

My grandmother was, if you would call it, our social glue. Everybody made it a point to come together and celebrate when she was around. With her gone, things start to unravel, even if just a little bit. My CNYs are going to be different now, I wonder what will happen for the CNYs to come.

CNY

2012-01-24T02:20:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

This year I managed to hit Chinatown to join in the festivities and even managed to see the fireworks during the CNY countdown. It was POURING then but we managed to buy ponchos, so while everyone was cowering under their umbrellas, we were walking around #likeaboss feeling extremely invincible.

All the stalls were trying to clear their stock so on the day before CNY eve, vendors were selling boxes of mochi at Buy 5 get 8 free. On CNY eve itself, they were going for $10 a plastic bag where you could stuff as many boxes as you could into that plastic bag. In the end we managed to get 21 boxes of mochi for $10 and were on a CNY high for being #SoSingaporean.

3 photos from today on the way to my cousin's house:

6 things from Gothenburg

2012-01-20T01:41:00.003+08:00

The Central Station where you can catch a bus to Copenhagen or board a train to another part of Sweden.

An Ice-Cream kiosk at the Saltholmen ferry terminal to Styrsö

The 'small' Willy's about 15mins away from our apartment.

The door to my apartment! And right next to the laundry room too.
You will realise what a PRIME location it is during winter.

My room. Day 1.

The map on my door of Olof and all the other Singaporeans' room numbers

You Are A Visitor, I Am A Vacation

2012-01-19T15:48:00.000+08:00

A keeper from Thought Catalogue

By Stephanie Georgopulos

You are coming to visit so I will tidy up this room, I will change the sheets and flip the pillows and set the clock right so you’ll know exactly what time it is. I will clean up all the mess so that when you arrive, you will feel like no one has ever been here before.

I will wait by the window, I will help you with your bags and I will hide my disappointment when the weight of your suitcase confirms it: you won’t be staying long. This is just a visit, you are just a visitor; I am a vacation.

You will ask me for a tour and I will take you room by room: the living room that seat isn’t yours, the kitchen ignore the photographs, the bedroom don’t open the closet, the bathroom stay out of that drawer. Then the guestroom: sanitized to your liking, fit for someone new, and if you wander out of it I can’t promise that you’ll like what you find. There’s only so much space to hide the things others have left behind.

We will share a drink or four; we’ll get to talking. You’ll be aware of how foreign I am, this is, it’ll take some getting used to but soon enough you’ll find familiarity in this lived-in space. It will remind you of a time when you called someplace home.

And you’ll remind me of a time when life felt less cold, when summer was endless, when I could pad around barefoot on wooden floors. When body heat was mass-produced between these four walls — on very cold nights, even I have trouble believing that it ever happened. But right now I believe it because it is warm, you are warm, you are a vacation.

You will shed your tourist skin and I will let you open that drawer, sit in that seat, look at those photographs. We will play house and it will feel wrong and right, all things considered. All things like, you have no intention of staying. All things like, I knew that before I let you in. All things like, can’t we suspend the inevitable and have breakfast in bed one more time? Things like that.

Your last day here will sneak up on us, even though the clock in the guestroom announced it was approaching. One belabored tick at a time. On that day, your open suitcase on the bed will reveal what we always knew we were: a visitor, a vacation, a guest, a distraction. We will stand in the doorway for longer than what’s comfortable and you will remark that your luggage feels heavier. Everything will feel heavier.
When you walk out of the door, a draft will rush in to fill the space you once occupied.

I'm a CHIJ girl and I don't do one night stands.

2012-01-18T23:43:00.006+08:00

Source

"In need of a one night stand. CHIJ girls please stand up!"

The furore over Filter Members Club's usage of the school's crest on their recent posters for a themed party has ruffled many a feather and some IJ girls are really turning blue in the face from indignation and disgust.

I studied in CHIJ for 10 years of my life and I can say that I practically grew up in the blue pinafore. I'm a true blue IJ girl and I'm proud to be one.

The poster insinuates that all IJ girls are loose, cheap, slutty, and all the other sexually derogative terms you can list. I do not agree and neither do I condone the usage of our school crest with the slogan that came with it.

HOWEVER, I can find the ability to look at this with a sense of humour and I did have a giggle about it. I'm not offended and it's because I understand that -

#1 It came from a NIGHT CLUB.
Comeee on..not the saintliest place to hang out is it?

#2 It was, at the end of the day in the name of fun and brazen marketing
Even though there was no malicious intention behind the 'sacrilegious' posters, it's not to say that it should be overlooked or that it is absolved from all blame . I respect the IJ girls that are standing up for our school, but let's not start a witch hunt.

#3, The idea that CHIJ girls are into one night stands is just a stereotype.
I don't know how this image birthed, but most of my life, I've had new friends and acquaintances tell me, "Oh, I heard CHIJ girls all very havoc one hor", which is entirely untrue and false. If anyone is actually convinced that such a statement is true, I'ld personally find it very difficult to take this person seriously because clearly, they've been very ignorant for the most part. And then... why bother with ignorant people?

#4 I don't do one night stands
And that's enough for myself as an IJ girl, and everyone else who want to see.

It's like that series of light bulb jokes that play out steoretoypes of the junior colleges in Singapore. Some of them are far from flattering. My favourite ones are on ACJC, SAJC and CJC haha.

If you've never heard of them they go like this.

Q: How many RJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 4 whole faculties. One to design the new bulb, one to manufacture and test it out, one to write a proposal on it and one to market it.

Q: How many HCJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: The whole school. To compete with RJC.

Q: How many VJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: The whole school. One student to screw it in and the rest to cheer and wave flags and banners to give him/her support.

Q: How many NJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They can study without light.

Q: How many AJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They're too busy trying to be one of the top 5 JCs.

Q: How many ACJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They'll rather use all their money to employ YJC to do it for them.

Q: How many YJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Only one teacher to tell them what a light bulb is in the first place and to demonstrate how to change the light bulb.

Q: How many CJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They'll prefer it to be darker. (Hmmmm? *raises eye-brows* )

Q:How many JJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Their physics is so bad that they made their macho male physics teacher cry.

Q: How many TPJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Would they even bother?

Q: How many SAJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They believe in praying for it.

Q: How many NYJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They are still using oil lamps.

Q: How many SRJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Huh, what litebarb?

Q: How many PJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Heck the light bulb lah, the principal would do something about the rightbarbs. Let's do 300 jumping jacks for not wearing the proper school attire.

Q: How many MJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They are too busy trying to get promoted.

Q: How many IJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They are Innovians. They'll find ways out of the dark.

Q: Who wrote all this?
A: A TJCian.

Q: How many TJC students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. They think they are already very bright.

Yes, you can definitely take fun a little too far, but it goes down easier with a pinch of salt, or with bottles of Belvedere like the Members of Filter seem to like to do.

2012-01-17T18:02:00.002+08:00

New items at candypulp!

There was supposed to be a Chanel inspired Wheat necklace (Spring-Summer 2010) in this collection but it wont be delivered till mid Feb. The supplier was so SNEAKY and put up the tiniest notice possible that the factories were closed for CNY.

Anyway have you guys planned out your CNY outfits? I had one in mind but it just came in the mail and I'm not feeling crazy about it.

Fatify!

2012-01-16T23:56:00.002+08:00

Yup, this could be me in 20 years. But I hope not. haha.

23 things I did when I was 23

2012-01-09T22:16:00.002+08:00

For the most part, 2011 was a comparatively boring year for me. I spent half of it holed up in NUS and the other half travelling. Ok, I guess when I type it out like that it doesnt sound half bad.

So here are 23 things that I managed to do while I was 23.

------

Travelled to USA with Rox where I

1. Had a helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon
Big deal to me because I've never sat in a helicopter. And how many of you can add that you were tipsy while in one too?

2. Ooh and Ahh'ed at the beautiful Disneyland fireworks in Orlando.

3. Visited the Harry Potter Wizarding World which is THE BEST THEMED AREA I have ever been in an amusement park to date. Also got to try Butter Beer and we sat our favourite rides twice. :)

4. My very first experience at a fortune teller at Brooklyn
Still really wished I paid another $5 more to have a tarot card reading .

5. Finally got a niece after 3 nephews.
She is so cute!

6. Went to Phuket
The two things that stick out the most in this memory is the motor boat ride where a fat lady squashed my face by falling, and in that process ended up sitting on me too, and our lovely hotel room.

7. Had a surprise birthday party with all my friends!

8. Revisited Shanghai

9. First overseas trip with the Oogas. This is a big deal because we have been friends for over a decade! And with that, also add
10. First time I sat a bus to Kuala Lumpur.

11. First time to an animal themed cafe, and is Seoul no less. Scroll down to see.

12. No longer single.

13. Went back to school after a 1 year hiatus.
Oh, the pain.

14. Won a WHOPPING $0.05 cents in Las Vegas.
The sadder part is that it wasn't even a profit. I cashed out early to prevent a negative $1.00. So after the $0.05, I was a negative $0.95.

15. Missed out on the Reflecting Pool while in Washington D.C.
*stabs self* and whoever decided to renovate the place. Seriously, how ugly does it look like that?

16. Sat the KTM train to JB before it closed down.

Honestly nothing fantastic, but here because it closed down.

17. Went for the National Day Parade after a good 10 years!

I really enjoyed myself and hope I can go again this year! Something about the atmosphere which almost feels like...a sense of belonging. And here is the shame and glory of NDP 2011, captured forever on the Internet even though the organisers of NDP tried to bury it and pretend it never happened:

THE FUN PACK SONG.

what would NDP 2011 be without it.

18. Anders
Because a lot of my friends commented that, "HE IS SO H.O.T" plus/minus the 'OMG's ,squeals and hyperventilations, I guess he was a highlight. If you can't go to Sweden, then a little bit of Sweden can come to Singapore. It helps if he is good looking, and is mixed.

19. Visited the Swedish Ambassador's residence

After coming back from Sweden, I insist that everything remotely Swedish or Scandinavian is considered a highlight.

20. GRADUATED

and made some really good friends in my last semester. This is both the happy and sad thing - That I made great friends, but only in my last semester. Where did all this wonderful people go to in my first, second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh semesters? I don't really blog a lot about school, mostly because it makes for a boring read. But here are some rare pictures that I have. Since I am a Year 4.5, a lot of these people are returning back to NUS and I almost feel like I want to go back to school again, just so I can take the same modules as them!

21. Attained my one and only 2011 goal
which was, to very simply, pull up my CAP. I still remember receiving my final semester's results while I was in Seoul. It was about 9am in the morning and we were in the lobby using the computer. I received the SMS update and opened it with much trepidation. Honestly, I was expecting good results, but oh, the fear of not meeting your expectations. But after actually working very hard for the semester, I got what I wanted, which made the trip happier!

-------

Since it is another 3 months till I am actually 24, I will leave #22 and #23 blank for now. Perhaps I will fill it in with more exciting and eventful memories that have yet to come in the remaining months before I celebrate another birthday.

Tosokchon Ginseng Chicken

2012-01-09T15:56:00.004+08:00

You cannot make a trip to Korea and get away without a meal of Ginseng Chicken or Samgyetang (삼계탕). One of the most famous and probably the best Ginseng Chicken restaurants in Seoul is Tosokchon - You can tell by the snaking queues.

We went during lunch time and waited about 20 minutes which wasnt too bad. The guides always recommend that you go during off-peak hours but the queue does move pretty fast.

We ordered a baked chicken, which was so moist and succulent! Think they use a wood fired or charcoal stove, something to that effect.

And of course, the star of the show!

Another picture of the Ginseng Chicken Soup for good measure.

In total we ordered 3 whole chickens which I thought was going to be way too much for the three of us girls. But it was so good we mostly gobbled up everything on the plates.

We had Ginseng Chicken again at another unknown Korean restaurant and Tosokchon really proved to be so much richer and tastier. It's so good it's even on the official Korean Tourism website where you can find more information!

Woof!

2012-01-09T15:05:00.006+08:00

While shopping around the Myeong-Dong area in Seoul, we paid a short visit to one of the dog cafes in the area after spotting their Snoopy mascot. They also have cat cafes but we couldnt locate it. The cat cafe has a Garfield mascot! If you catch them walking around Myeong-Dong just followed them and they'll lead you to the cafe!

Entrance fee was 8000 won which includes a free drink.

The dogs are allowed to roam free in this area, and the place was actually very clean and smelled sanitised. The workers there clean and disinfect an area as soon as any dog...marks it. The weather in Seoul probably helps too. Some of the dogs looked mangy but all of them didnt have any smell...which is not what I can say for my dog back in Singapore who still stinks even after a bath.

A lot of the dogs were napping at the soft cushion seats which we already taken by regulars. So if you ever make a trip down, make a beeline for the cushions and the dogs will snuggle up to you on their own accord! It's quite hard to get their attention/affection otherwise because they really can't be bothered with you. They must see so many different humans everyday.

This white Maltese decided to befriend me and thus begins the cooing and cuddling.

"Say hi to the camera doggy!"
"Yawn. Now what is this retarded human doing..."

When you enter the cafe, you order a free drink and they give you a chart (left) to inform you of the dogs' names but more importantly, to warn customers which dogs bite. And as you can tell by my worried face, the white Maltese I was playing with was one of the biting dogs. "DO NOT TOUCH", it says in big, bold letters.

Too late.

The Maltese was super temperamental. Liked me in the beginning but got rattled after a while and...bit me! Story of my life. Tried to pass him to Amelia but every time Amelia reached out I could feel the dog growling. That was a clear warning sign. Then tried to pass him to Xiao Wei and he finally got pissed off and turned around to bite me.

"Stupid human. Stop passing me around!" :(

Ah but it was so fun! I love animals! I wish Singapore had such animal cafes!

Hello & Goodbye

2012-01-01T20:42:00.002+08:00

To KL

2011-12-31T01:42:00.003+08:00

Post xmas - The Ooga's finally made it on a holiday together. If you're wondering what 'Ooga' is, it's a nickname that we gave the five of us during our secondary school days. I know, it is rather lame, there's no meaning to it either.

We took a coach there...which might not have been the best idea because the ride back and forth was so long.

Check out Alyssa's leg and my leg. Not cool.

Drove up to Klang with Alyssa's cousin to have famous herbal Bak Kut Teh.

Stayed in a suite which came with a living room.

Us when we're sane.

Us when not quite.

Checked out Sky Bar where lo and behold, bumped into Dhan just as he was leaving! Sky Bar is supposed to be a hot spot because you can see a bird's eye view of KL. Wasn't that great though.

You also get to do it by the pool which isnt that good an idea if you happen to be drunk...

After Sky Bar closed we made our way to Changkat Bukit Bintang, ate lots of lok lok in between...

And ended our trip with Cheryl fracturing her foot. Very typical CHIJ heehee.

Love these girls!

Irina Werning

2011-12-30T22:02:00.003+08:00

Christoph 1990 & 2011 Berlin Wall

these are too precious. view more of this series at her site.

夜上海

2011-12-29T22:18:00.004+08:00

My second time to the vibrant city of Shanghai! I prefer Shanghai in the night when the city looks more awake and there are less people around. Im not good with crowds.

This time around all I did was eat and shop, shop and eat. Good thing we had Jesse to show us around and bring us to the famous restaurants.

Famous goose at Lao Beijing. Every time the chef sliced through the skin, all the juices and fat would flow out.

They cook the goose 3 ways, so for every goose you order you get the skin, the meat, a pot of soup and some goose fried with vegetables. The whole night I thought I was eating duck. Even now I'm actually still not so sure.

We also made a trip to Lost Heaven which serves Yunan and Burmese cuisine. We ordered this egg and crab dish, which looks a lot like Singapore's Chilli Crab sauce, except it was an omelet stuffed with HUGE chunks of juicy crab meat.

The last place Jesse brought us to was Hai Di Lau which is China's most famous steam boat place.

The drawing quality of the restaurant is supposed to be their different house made meat balls and their impeccable service. And when i say impeccable, i mean impeccable. To quote Jesse on this - anyone who thinks that there is no service or etiquette in China has to come to Hai Di Lau and you'll be blown away by their service standards.

They provide you with aprons, even spectacle cleaners, hot towels, refill your drink immediately, pour in the steamboat ingredients for you and say 'please enjoy your meal' at least like 15 times in one sitting. Their toilet area also provides customers with shaving kits, toothbrushes, moisturiser and hair spray.

The service was so meticulous we all got a bit creeped out.

A must order is their hand pulled noodles (7 yuan a serving) where the designated noodle guy (for lack of better words) pulls the noodle at your table.... in a dance routine. *jaw drops*

The night we went for steamboat was also the night we decided to check out Phebe 3D Nightclub. Im not sure what is so 3D about it but a lot of the international students frequent this joint because of their 100yuan (SGD20) all night, free flow, alcohol booth.

Didnt really like their music..especially not after the amazing experience at Ellui in Seoul. Clubs in Shanghai have live performances through the night that can range from raunchy routines to comedy acts. Managed to catch a sub-par Britney Spears routine from two dancers, one of which kept trying to keep her hot shorts pulled up throughout the entire dance.

I'm in love with the idea of Shanghai, more than Shanghai itself

2011-12-25T03:24:00.008+08:00

Some photos of Shanghai! And listen to the tracks while you're looking at the photos! That's the kind of feel I have when I think of Shanghai...Although we're in 2011, I'm continually riveted by visions of old Shanghai - The squalor, opium, gambling, underground gangs, red lips and coquettish women who sell you desire.

The second track is from one of my favourite CDs called Shanghai Lounge Divas which does remixes of famous Chinese songs. Definitely worth a listen!

Not for Long, My Forlorn

2011-12-25T01:04:00.003+08:00

Back in Singapore this year for Christmas. I spent the last one in Vienna, where it was cold and quiet. This year seems not so different.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Utrechtse Krop

2011-12-25T00:52:00.001+08:00

Utrecht goitre (Utrechtse Krop) is the title of a collection of photographs by Paul Kooiker. The book includes images of the file Utrecht University Hospital, some of them around 1890. >>more

Ann Siang Hill

2011-12-14T22:40:00.003+08:00

The Little Drom Store - I love this place for the little knick-knacks and old school memorabilia.

Found this book at the store called "I don't friend you" and it was illustrated and made for children of the 80s. Flip through this book if you have the chance and you'll see what I mean. It brought back so many memories of primary and secondary school days.

Cake at Kki which is attached to the Little Drom Store - it was a white chocolate and mango with candid ginger on top.

Ended the night with coffee at Shots.

Reindeer Moss

2011-12-09T03:09:00.002+08:00

Jurassic Wand by Amado Gudek that I bought from Haji Lane whose resident cat is called Jack

Caught New Year's Eve and it was Halle Berry's story in particular that really tore me apart.

White Rabbit

2011-12-05T23:13:00.003+08:00

Had date with Amelia over the weekend and we decided to head to White Rabbit at Dempsey. Have been wanting to go there for dinner for a while now, mainly because of the location. White Rabbit was an old church which of course is now a restaurant.

I ordered the quail with foie gras, mushroom duxelle, roasted asparagus and morel sauce. Amelia got the 48-hour Braised Short Ribs with bacon, sauce bourguignon and pomme puree aka mash potato.

A picture of my quail because I think it looks so cuuuttee. Like a mini-chicken...a dead stuffed chicken. The quail was cooked really real and the produce was very fresh. But overall it was just alright...

Went to the back of the restaurant after dinner which was a very bad idea because it was pitch black, and there were a lot of ants - which we did not, and could not see. Spent the next 15 minutes freaking out and getting bitten by the ants. It was gross.

Not itching to go back to that place anything soon (pun intended), especially not at night when I cant see all the insects.

Went over the Ben & Jerry's after that for some coffee and live music. The lead vocalist was so good! She can sing LMFAO's songs in acoustic and they sound good. How impossible is that?

Ended off the night with an episode of New Girl at E's place.

Black Bird

2011-12-03T05:05:00.002+08:00

You cut out wings from my heart that
will never feel wind
beneath.

I am like the dirt that
anchors roots. Grounds you
such that you may never take flight.

forgiveness

2011-12-01T15:23:00.001+08:00

I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.

The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

Gute Nacht

2011-11-30T15:27:00.000+08:00

I wanted to write “stay”
on your sides, surround
your bed with oceans
of salt. I hope he folds you
into a fox, loves you
like a splintered arrow,
brandishes the kill
of your lips. May the bouquet
of your hips wither.
May the wolves
forget your name.

— J. Bradley

Private Moon

2011-11-30T14:57:00.003+08:00

I first saw Leonid Tishkov's Private Moon series at the Singapore Biennale almost three years ago. I didn't understand it back then, but I understand it now, although in my own way. It is a beautiful set of fairy-tale like photos, but also piercingly lonely.

I interpret it as solitude and seclusion. A lone man serenading his moon. He cannot take his eyes off her, he takes her places, loves her with every muscle in his body. He holds her hand to sleep, whispers secrets in her ear till morning where she disappears. Reappears again at night, faithfully, there but always vacant. She's nothing more than a dead lover - A beautiful dead lover.

"We could, conceivably, turn to someone for support. But we are still lonely… However, that shouldn’t make us grieve or suffer. Loneliness of this sort means that we exist, we are here, we are at the center of the universe..."

Read Tishkov's interpretation here. Truly a very inspirational series.

New Designs!

2011-11-30T01:43:00.000+08:00

S H O P!

The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn

2011-11-26T17:05:00.005+08:00

Caught the movie TinTin with a few of the NUS CNM kids the other day and I was very confounded by the animation because it looked too . Kept thinking they were real actors and had to constantly remind myself it was an animation. The movie was good! If anything i'ld watch it for the animation.

And of course, I have to tie watching Tin Tin back to my to Brussels, Comic Strip Center. How can I not! Tin Tin is, after all Belgium and was created by Belgium artist, Georges Rémi who wrote under the name of Hergé.

All the exhibits in the museum are printed in French. So.

All the exhibits in the museum are printed in French but you can still have fun taking photos with many sculptures and drawings.

Captain Archibald Haddock

I do remember that Tin Tin was purposely drawn to not any specific race. He can be African, Russian or Chinese!

Here is my other post on the Comic Strip Center

Belgian Comics Strip Center
Rue des Sables 20
1000 Brussels

Wicked

2011-11-26T16:30:00.004+08:00

Wicked the musical is coming to Singapore and i'm really excited because it is one of the most amazing musicals and when I watched it, the cast was pitch perfect. I was blown away by their vocals, the costumes and set and the whole production!

I was very lucky to be able to watch this musical with the original cast in London! If you watch it in Singapore, you will be getting the Australian cast. Not sure whether it will be as excellent but can't help but say i'ld feel a little cheated. Happened when I went to watch Chicago in Singapore with the Australian cast...I mean, wouldnt you prefer to watch the original cast? AND i also have to gripe about the Singapore prices because I paid 25 quid for Row H. That's 8, eight rows from the front. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Can't even begin to say how amazing it was sitting so close. Think you'ld have to pay SGD255 for those seats in Singapore

so excited that i have a lame photo of me as so

The Apollo Victoria theatre runs Wicked almost everyday. The set, was unbelievable. The whole show ran like clockwork.

walking towards our seats. If you look closely at the set, all the gears work! So does the dragon!

Thoroughly engrossed and captured throughout the entire show. You know how sometimes there are always some parts in plays that are so slow and boring? None of it in Wicked! The cast was extremely charming and I love Galinda's character.

But enough of that, please go and catch it if you can. :)

Mülheim

2011-11-26T15:49:00.004+08:00

1 Year ago while on exchange, we flew over to Switzerland and got stranded there, not once, but twice. Here's the low down....

We were due to fly back to Sweden from Basel and this was the second attempt because the first was already cancelled. After 2 hours of waiting it was confirmed that our flight was once again "cancelled"...as were 90% of the other flights, due to the horrendous weather.

Throngs of angry crowds

We spent the next few hours hanging around the airport to claim accommodation from the airline. In between there was a lot of frantic energy, desperation and annoyance. Everyone was trying to use the internet terminals to book another flight out and that's when we found out our next flight back was 4 days away, an insanely long time. We'ld already overstayed by 3 days. In the end we gave up and sat down in the lobby and waited for the airline to sought things out.

They packed us off into a taxi and we were supposed to go to France, but ended up in Germany - long story short.

The first thing we did was trudge out in search of dinner, and found salvation in the form of the golden arches.

Rowena and her bottle of dettol antiseptic lotion

The next morning

Breakfast!

Hotel Courtyard

we walked to the train station to find another travel option

Success! We bought tickets from Germany all the way back to Sweden.

Stocking up for the train ride home

It was a 15 hour train ride and it was over before we knew it because it was an overnight ride. Practically slept through the whole thing. When we woke up we were already in the Swedish territory. Never been happier to be home! Amanda, Rowena and I had to forfeit our trip to Amsterdam because we couldnt make it back in time but I guess we had fun. Only on exchange.

Scandinavians in town!

2011-11-16T14:59:00.002+08:00

Over the weekend Anders popped by Singapore, along with his Danish friend, Jie (chinese but danish). We met Anders in Sweden and he's a really neat character. He speaks Swedish, English, Chinese and Cantonese - the latter two because he's mixed.

Good excuse to meet up with the rest of the Sweden exchange girls.

Brought Anders and Jie to Newton for some good ole' Singapore chow, none of which i could have because I was having a sore throat. :( Sat there pityingly eyeing the chilli crab, fried carrot cake, rojak, sambal kangkong and stingray.

Headed back to Anders' hotel room for some party games and relived our Sweden exchange days. Those were good, good times!

The Most Beautiful Suicide

2011-11-11T00:19:00.000+08:00

On May Day, just after leaving her fiancé, 23-year-old Evelyn McHale wrote a note. ‘He is much better off without me … I wouldn’t make a good wife for anybody,’ … Then she crossed it out. She went to the observation platform of the Empire State Building. Through the mist she gazed at the street, 86 floors below. Then she jumped. In her desperate determination she leaped clear of the setbacks and hit a United Nations limousine parked at the curb. Across the street photography student Robert Wiles heard an explosive crash. Just four minutes after Evelyn McHale’s death Wiles got this picture of death’s violence and its composure. The serenity of McHale’s body amidst the crumpled wreckage it caused is astounding. Years later, Andy Warhol appropriated Wiles’ photography for a print called Suicide (Fallen Body).

Reasons to Travel while you are Young

2011-11-05T21:55:00.004+08:00

Inspired by this post to make a little list myself.

A few events that really jump out at me are my visit to Auschwitz and spending NYE in Gotthenburg. ♥♥

Stayed on a boat in Stockholm
Went lobster fishing in Grebbestad
Flew to Paris for $50
Kissed a Swedish boy
Made a police report in London
Flew to Athens alone and spent 12 midnight - 7am hoping I wouldn't get killed
Got stranded in Switzerland
Husky rides in Kiruna
Sun-burned in San Francisco
Slept in a wood fired cabin in Swiss mountains
Helicopter toured over the Grand Canyon
Pretended to be a beggar in Austria
Saw a nudist at Barcelona (and took a picture w him!)

Had lunch with a few Year 4s the other day and one of them related her regret of not going for exchange. She said she had wanted to pull up her CAP and i sat there thinking to myself that i was this close to doing the same thing. Im approaching the end of my academic endeavours and my CAP is still dangling by 0.04 to the next grade. If i don't reach it, I know i'll be disappointed, who wouldnt be. But i really wouldnt give up my time spent travelling.

It has been the best decision in my life, to date.

Go travel the world. Really.

And am ending this post with that exact picture for good measure.

The birds can hear it

2011-10-27T22:08:00.002+08:00

2011-10-27T21:52:00.000+08:00

STRESS OUT AND DIE +

2011-10-25T00:27:00.002+08:00

Weeks like this, I feel like I need some yoga/meditation classes to harness my inner zen.

I AM SO SWAMPED WITH WORK. FREAK OUT.

I need to learn how to chill. I feel like a duck on water. Face looks quite placid, yet feet is going at bajillion miles per hour.

On another note, this is week 11 of the academic calendar which means I only have 3 official weeks of school left. After this hell period, i'm going to be DONE with school. Cant decide if that is a motivational factor or not. Maybe for now I will fixated my attention to the holidays and bum life that will ensue on Thursday, 10 November.

2011-10-23T00:22:00.002+08:00

Kung-Fu shoes at Chinatown, such good pizza at Castro, Alcatraz, Hole in Alcatraz door, Ocean Beach, best lunch eva!

Toss up

2011-10-20T23:56:00.002+08:00

Here is the most mismatched set of photos.

2011-10-15T22:33:00.001+08:00

It's pretty amazing, I feel content. It must be love.

Trying to have some semblance of life

2011-10-07T23:47:00.002+08:00

but not materialising,
because a good portion of it is being spent on bus rides to school.

a ▼ a l o n

2011-10-01T12:34:00.001+08:00

Here is an awkward picture of Amelia & I at Avalon, Singtel+Robinson event.

2011-09-27T01:35:00.000+08:00

i used to stand at the very edge of a cliff and wish that i was a bird. when i finally accepted that it just wasn’t possible i started imagining what it would feel like to jump. only i didn’t want to hit the ground. i just wanted to feel the wind on my face and my heart in my throat.
— Cortney Morgan

The Year of Pleasures

2011-09-27T01:32:00.000+08:00

I hoped we never had to realize all the opportunities we missed in this life.

Elizabeth Berg

I used to be in Robotics

2011-09-26T02:38:00.006+08:00

I know it's hard to believe, (sometimes I cant believe it myself) but it's true. Honestly, it's one of my favourite bragging rights hoho.

need proof? Here's a picture of my CCA slip from eons ago. Eons, i know. But still....

If you couldn't spot it...

I was in the AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS CLUB, and it was every bit as geeky and nerdy as it sounds. Proud to be an ex-member of ARC! Ok i wish I could show you more pictures, but in 2003 when I was still part of the club, people like us were still using analogue cameras because handphones didnt have cameras and digital cameras still cost around $1k each. Amazing huh. I feel super old.

So if any of you Geekalites have heard of the Robotics competition in Singapore, it's know as the National Junior/Senior Robotics Competition. All the primary and secondary schools used to duke it out with Lego pieces and sensors trying to complete specific obstacles like move 3 balls from point A to point B. There was also Robot Soccer which was one of the more interesting events I paid attention to.

My full-fledged geek side has come out now. You guys think I only know how to 'dance up a storm' right? I am a major fan of Robot Wars by the way. It is an amazingly old show but I love it when the robots RIP each other up. HARDCORE.

So, it makes total sense that im psyched that this 'Robotics' movie of sorts has come up.

Finally!

Synopsis from IMDB: A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and centered on a struggling promoter (Jackman) who thinks he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he also discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.

E and I have seen the trailer in the theatres a few times and he's always very impressed with this particular scene on top because the robot has very smooth, human like movements. Being the typical Engineer that he is, he's very impressed by the mechanics of it all. I promptly had to rub it in his face that it was probably CGI, guy in green suit punching and then they fill in the robot parts later. right?

So, I was thinking, if I had a Robot that could fight, what would it's main function be? Despite the fact that im a closet geek, im still very much a dancer at heart so obviously my Robot must be able to do a..... side split kick!

Like this:

YEAH. Amazing. Can fight 2 robots at the same time! Sure win one.

Catch Real Steel in cinemas this 6 October 2011 and like the Official Real Steel Singapore Facebook Page!

Too much food

2011-09-25T15:06:00.003+08:00

Just polished off a pot of meesiam and I feel like Jabba the Hut high on MSG. Been eating way too much JUNK over the weekends. Need to detox. School starting this week will come in handy, because the food in the canteen sucks so bad there's practically nothing to eat.

Food log :

Friday
2 eggs, black coffee and toast
Bubble Tea from ComeBuy
Fries and Hot dog
Churros
Chilli Fries
Hoe Nam Prawn Noodles (TWO BOWLS and drank all the soup. Thinking about the cholesterol makes me nervous)

Saturday
chips, juice, biscuits (any snacks i cld lay my hands on)
Diam cake
Swedish Meatballs (guzzled down all the sauce) + more fries
Shrimp platter (more cholesterol!)
Soft serve
Fishball Noodles

Check out all that processed, sodium and trans-fat laden food.

Robinsons and mio TV presents PRIMETIME FALL FASHION

2011-09-21T20:39:00.010+08:00

My idea of fashion?

Is lots of yummy, yummy jewellery.

It doesnt matter if you're wearing a thrifted shirt from the Salvation Army or something you dug out from your mom's closet because a statement piece (or many pieces) of jewellery will turn your outfit from a zero to a hero.

I also like fur very much - synthetic fur for me please. And I believe my immense adoration for fur came about when I went to Sweden and lucky them, they have Winter! Singapore is not the place for fur, what I would kill to be able to wear some out though. So here's how the Scandinavian hotties do it:

I really need that animal around the guy's neck and that abominable thing perched on her head!

This post is a response to Robinson's and Mio TV collaboration: Hit this site for more information! Robinson's is revamping themselves and things are looking to be exciting!

http://www.nuffnang.com.sg/robinsons/

New Stuff On CandyPulp!

2011-09-21T02:47:00.002+08:00

I picked out my favourites in this post which would have to be this heart shaped pair of studs and a Daisy ring which goes so well with my sea foam green polish.

I especially also love the black shiny material I picked for the shoot! I didn't edit anything except for the borders and text and the results turned out amazing!

Ok shall not bore you further, do check out the rest of the post. Pieces inspired by Stella McCartney and Martin Margiela too!

Click on image to view rest of items!

▲▲▲▲

2011-09-21T02:45:00.001+08:00

I googled my name and this came out.

I ♥ Chowchows!

In the future I hope to have one, can you blame me?

Look into my Eyes

2011-09-20T01:00:00.001+08:00

The song that's currently on loop on my playlist.

You and I, can paint the sky Together

2011-09-20T00:46:00.005+08:00

We decided to visit the Chocolate Buffet at the 57th floor of MBS for XW's birthday. Best part about the buffet were the macarons which you can buy from Sweet Spot. Was raving about them the last time and I still love them and think they are the best macarons in Singapore. Do try their passion fruit flavoured ones.

After the buffet I was reminded that I'm not a chocolate person at all. I always order vanilla ice cream over chocolate and i'll take a key lime pie over a chocolate tart any day. The first desserts I dived into were all fruit flavoured, non-chocolate petits fours. I ate 2 chocolate based desserts and decided I had enough.

We decided that the next time we come, we'ld pack our swimsuits. #mischievous

After the chocolate overload we lounged at the lobby for a good 3 hours with free flow of coffee, tea and bottled water.

This is a lot of bokeh for one blog, but I love bokeh!

whisper

2011-09-19T14:07:00.000+08:00

"You are the only one who has understood even a whisper of me, and I will tell you that I am the only person who has understood even a whisper of you."

Little One

2011-09-19T02:39:00.001+08:00

Yummy things

2011-09-18T22:19:00.003+08:00

I will love you as the iceberg loves the ship

2011-09-18T15:55:00.000+08:00

I will love you as the iceberg loves the ship, and the passengers love the lifeboat, and the lifeboat loves the teeth of the sperm whale, and the sperm whale loves the flavor of naval uniforms. I will love you as a child loves to overhear the conversations of its parents, and the parents love the sound of their own arguing voices, and as the pen loves to write down the words these voices utter in a notebook for safekeeping. I will love you as a shingle loves falling off a house on a windy day and striking a grumpy person across the chin, and as an oven loves malfunctioning in the middle of roasting a turkey. I will love you as an airplane loves to fall from a clear blue sky and as an escalator loves to entangle expensive scarves in its mechanisms. I will love you as a wet paper towel loves to be crumpled into a ball and thrown at a bathroom ceiling and as an eraser loves to leave dust in the hairdos of people who talk too much. I will love you as a cufflink loves to drop from its shirt and explore the party for itself and as a pair of white gloves loves to slip delicately into the punchbowl. I will love you as the taxi loves the muddy splash of a puddle and as a library loves the patient tick of a clock.
— Lemony Snicket

We are like roses

2011-09-18T15:53:00.000+08:00

We are like roses that have never bothered to
bloom when we should have bloomed and
it is as if
the sun has become disgusted with
waiting

—Charles Bukowski

Camera Pre-Order #2

2011-09-14T17:03:00.002+08:00

>> HERE

Instax Film from $10 a pack!
And Fujifilm Cameras from $99!

Thinking of getting the Hello Kitty one because it is so ridiculously cute. Im not a Hello Kitty person but this mouthless cat has some cult following which makes her childishly cool. On a side note Im still very sad Polariod stopped producing their film. :(

I am free

2011-09-07T14:21:00.000+08:00

A story about bagels

2011-09-06T03:21:00.001+08:00

It was a rainy night. We had soapy green pea soup for dinner in a restaurant we wandered into. Pitter patter the rain fell onto our lone umbrella. It was wet everywhere. the light from the street lamps danced in the puddles. You put your arms around my shoulder and I put my arms around your waist. It was the only way we could stay semi-dry. We pulled each other closer. It felt a little warmer, felt a little fuller.

Then we reached home and went to bed. We never got to eat the bagels.

A year gone by...

2011-08-30T15:21:00.003+08:00

since i first landed in Gothenburg!

Read my scanty interview with TakeMeToTravel Student Exchange here.

In my mind the interview would have read across as more exciting and amazing...i sound so..contained, for lack of better words. If i were the interviewer, i would have asked myself this, "tell us something you think everyone should know about Sweden." And i would tell them how the men there are so drop dead gorgeous I want to kidnap all of them home. The girls are so effortlessly chic, i want their hair and their eyes, and their entire wardrobe. And also how ALL the Swedish, even the elderly, look so beautiful and glowy,. I think it's the water. There's something in the water.

Their water, also another story. Their water is so delicious. How does water taste delicious one asks. Well, have a glass of Sweden's tap water and you will understand what I mean! Better then bottled water, or whatever Fuji mountain lame water. Everytime we head to another country, we always come back to Sweden and think how amazing the water tastes. It's like sweetish, no horrible mineral traces and just so refreshing.

Here is another interview on TakeMeToTravel on what i ate in Sweden.

Want Swedish food? Your best bet is Ikea!

I always had the impression that as with all these commercial enterprises, their so called 'Swedish Food' would be a watered down version to suit the palates of mass consumers. However, you really, really cannot get more Swedish than the food at Ikea. Especially all the desserts that they serve there, true blue Swedish.

There's this Swedish restaurant in Haji Lane called Fika. Other than their bottled and canned drinks, pretty much nothing else is Swedish! Quite a pity that a lot of the dishes were very loosely adapted and also overly infused with Singaporean style.

TGIF..T

2011-08-25T18:06:00.003+08:00

This is my Thank God It's Friday...Tomorrow post! Yes!

At the end of school every Thursday I feel like I've ran a mental marathon and there's nothing more I want to do then to rot in front of the television, play a mindless iPhone app or catch up on my Youtube subscriptions.

School has actually been quite fun but I wonder if i've bitten off more than I can chew. I decided to overload and read 28MCs this semester which includes 4 Honours modules, a marketing module and a level 3000 module. Every Wednesday and Thursday I have 9 am lectures, which means I need to wake up at an ungodly 7am.

I've just confirmed the extent of how badly I take to waking up early in the morning.

So my Double Death Days (DDD) start off with a cup of black coffee no sugar, and for some reason it totally kills my appetite so I dont eat until I get home at about 5pm. On that topic, I dont really have a break to sit down and eat anyway.

And here is a random picture i took in US to end off the post.

TGIFT!

Old Photographs

2011-08-16T01:45:00.002+08:00

Some photographs that were on display at MoMA.

Today was one of those unsatisfactory days.

Week 2

2011-08-13T22:18:00.003+08:00

Trying to busy myself so I can get into the swing of things. School is hot.

Had a lesson in the new NUS business building today and it is so modern now. No more brick walls and the million and one steps. It's all glass, white washed walls and lifts. The highlight of today was discovering many, many dishy Scandinavian boys in my class.

Eating at Jalan Alor and Around Bukit Bintang

2011-08-01T21:04:00.000+08:00

Back to KL over the weekend!

Was a very different experience from the last time I went there to live and work for a month.

The trip started off with a disastrous plane ride. Woke up at 5am to catch our plane at 6.25am but when we actually reached KL, they were facing bad weather so we couldn't land. The pilot was circling the airport for about 30 minutes (which means 30 minutes of turbulence) before they decided that they had to TURN BACK to Singapore. -_-

Don't ask me why things like that always happen to me. See here and here. I must be cursed.

In the end we boarded another flight at about 11am and only managed to get to KL city at 2pm. By that time the jams were in full force. I thought only BKK was congested, but after I saw the vehicles at the Bukit Bintang area I am thinking that perhaps even the traffic in BKK is better.

Anyway the good thing though was that we got a hotel right behind Sugei Wang shopping center so we could walk everywhere.

The first thing we did when we got to KL was go grab lunch. E brought me to a restaurant called U-Village at the ground level of Sugei Wang and made me try their Char Siew.

Im actually quite a food virgin when it comes to a lot of the more common foods. For instance, I've NEVER eaten a Ramly Burger, never eaten a Big Mac and never tried Buk Kut Teh until about 3 years ago. Similarly, i've never eaten any other form of Char Siew except the ones we get in Singapore.

THIS Char Siew was soooo yummy (RM18). Very fatty and you could really taste the carmelisation on the skin. The rest of the items on the menu all looked good and if you order their iced teas you get free refills!

Would definitely come back here again next time.

And then for dinner, E brought me to Jalan Alor which I never knew about despite my 1 month stint here. Shame on me. E says it's like the Newton Circus of Singapore.

It's an open air street with a lot of street stalls.

Tried Lok Lok for the first time and ordered the boiled items which defeats the whole purpose of lok lok, but I wasnt very interested in anything else.

Anyway, wasn't impressed.

This was the gem that we found - Penang Lim's Tau Foo Far.

He's a little down the street but you cannot miss his stall. For one thing, his stall is never without those panda soft toys. His tau huay was so good we went back twice just to eat it.

Well firstly, his tau huay is smooth. SILKY SMOOTH. Tau huay is already smooth to begin with, but his is like, even smoother than smooth. Can't even describe! And although it's so smooth, somehow every bite is so thick with flavour. Bottom line is that his tau huay very amazing la. MUST TRY.

I also had a Pig's Stomach Pepper Soup at Lot 10's basement food court. Can I tell you, that it was the best pepper soup i've ever had in my entire life. It's from the same stall selling Pork Noodles. Amazing stuff I swear. Good deal of kick and a thick, thick broth.

Let me just sum up my food experience with one word - SHIOK.

U-Village Restaurant Sdn. Bhd.
LB-R1 Sungei Wang Plaza
50250 KL
Tel : 03 - 2148 9686

NUS CORS why, WHY!

2011-07-28T02:53:00.004+08:00

Very frustrated about my modules at the moment. Not because I have no points in my account or that the module I want isnt going to fit into a 3 day week. I am super frustrated because...I dont have any modules to take! Guys this is serious. If i dont get myself one more L4000 module Im not going to be able to graduate this semester.

Feel so pathetic and angsty at the system for being as it is.

As of now Im locked out of a lot of good modules because I did not fulfil a pre-requisite which means that at the end of the day, Im going to have to take a module im totally uninterested in, JUST to fulfil my requirements to graduate. I don't get it. Are we in university to learn or meet point requirements???? (Ok i shall not go there)

Anyway I have 3 major horrible options to choose from -

1) Thesis. Bad idea because i'ld have to juggle another 3 modules with it.
2) Independent Study. Another horrible idea as i've to plan everything myself.
3) Advance User Experience Design. Don't even know what this means.

Why. Why like this.

I feel like the department is going to throw this "bad planning" reason in my face which is undeniably true to an extent, but not justified entirely. The way I look at it, I would have needed to have the perfect planning to pull this off without getting myself in this rut. I mean, who knew that I would take up a 6month internship and then fly off to Sweden for another 6 months right?

How to foresee that I would have ever needed that pre-requisite to get myself a module?

Just to add, i emailed the department, making sure to add in some subtle desperation (I am), but all I got was a "read the thesis" PERIOD.

WHAT.

WHAT IS THIS.

I write in for some sincere advise and I dont even get a "we are sorry but we cannot do anything. Why dont you try...."

All I get is a one liner and I was so disappointed after that. (Why, why nobody humouring me at least) I don't think Im going to get much help there.

So that's issue #1.

Issue #2 is that I have a bit of an OCD with my CAP and Im trying to pull it up. I just need another 0.04 to get a rank higher and it's so near but so far....

Every thing's very complicated. I have many options, but no choices. Feel like my brain is going to fry thinking about all this.

For women who are “difficult” to love.

2011-07-25T01:26:00.006+08:00

you are a horse running alone
and he tries to tame you
compares you to an impossible highway
to a burning house
says you are blinding him
that he could never leave you
forget you
want anything but you
you dizzy him, you are unbearable
every woman before or after you
is doused in your name
you fill his mouth
his teeth ache with memory of taste
his body just a long shadow seeking yours
but you are always too intense
frightening in the way you want him
unashamed and sacrificial
he tells you that no man can live up to the one who
lives in your head
and you tried to change didn’t you?
closed your mouth more
tried to be softer
prettier
less volatile, less awake
but even when sleeping you could feel
him travelling away from you in his dreams
so what did you want to do love
split his head open?
you can’t make homes out of human beings
someone should have already told you that
and if he wants to leave
then let him leave
you are terrifying
and strange and beautiful
something not everyone knows how to love.

Warsane Shire

Woven Bracelets

2011-07-22T02:08:00.006+08:00

My manicure for the past week was a dark Russian blue with gold trimmings. They didn't get much air time so here they are.

Was up to some crafting this week and made these Aurelie Bidermann inspired woven bracelets. The original ones cost over GPB200 (SGD400) and as simple as they seem, the look SO GOOD when worn.

I used 18k gold plated chain which was so difficult to find because I needed the really thick, bracelet kind - if that makes any sense. Seems like all the jewellery making shops only sell thin chains now for the more dainty pieces now.

And if they look easy to make you are so wrong! The threading itself takes up a good bulk of time because it has to hook through every chain link. And all the threads have to be really neat too to get that polished look.

Which is why I will jump in and offer to lend a pop of colour to your outfits! You can customise one or purchase them at CandyPulp. Right here.

Also, we're going to be bringing in some toy cameras soon. Very excited about this one!

Edit// Been receiving a lot of orders for the dark blue with gold thread colour combination. Measuring thread and havent even started weaving! ORDER THE COTTON CANDY ONE!!! Colour palette is based on an original AB!

Harry Potter. The End.

2011-07-19T22:32:00.002+08:00

Never the one with the coolest costume. Clearly.

Was very jealous after seeing Jesse Long Stick and Amelia Loveley because their outfits were so perfect. The idea, i mentioned in another post, was to dress up as Harry Potter characters to catch the last and final instalment for Harry Potter.

I was actually very psyched...but I thought that everybody would flake on the costumes so i didn't dress up. Was out buying $75 worth of crafts at Spotlight before the movie and finally spotted them from across the cinema hall a bit before the movie.

And they looked so good! *jealous* By the way, please give them major props because Amelia Loveley actually painstakingly drew out the Gryffindor crest you see on her jacket.

I was actually a teeny bit bored during the movie because I couldnt remember what Part 1 was about. I caught about half of it on my flight back from USA and the remainder of it on my computer.

I got the most excited during the last part of the movie where *SPOILER* Malfoy has kids called Scorpious and Astoria.

I can't believe that I've actually grown up with this Harry Potter franchise. My favourite book is still the first, and the Goblet of Fire.

Domestic Violence

2011-07-17T13:28:00.002+08:00

Been meaning to share this for a while.

One of the most powerful videos i've ever watched.

Produced for the Coalition Against Battered Women

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

2011-07-13T20:34:00.002+08:00

Guys are you excited? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows premiers tomorrow in Singapore!

A bunch of friends and I are going to catch it on Friday and the intention is to dress up as the Harry Potter characters although im not sure how that is going to pan out.

If only I bought a stuffed Hedwig from Universal Studios in Orlando because i absolutely dont have anything that can pull off a HP costume!

By the way, this is Rox and and I at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The shop fronts are very cool! Rox is standing next to a Quidditch chest and the balls move! The people in the pictures move too!

Parked right in front of the Homesmeade entrance is this truck selling Butter Beer. You can get it normal or in a Slurpee style.

Jealous yet?

BUTTER BEER

You should be!

In front of Hogwarts.

Everybody. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, is, AMAZING.

I dont count myself as that much of a HP fan but this theme park was too good to be true!

One of the things that I love most about HP is the magical world J.K.R created which made my imagination run WILD. Things like every flavoured jelly beans, chocolate frogs that actually jumped about and the whimsical platform 9 3/4.

In Honey Dukes. You can really buy Chocolate frogs and Bootie Bert's Jelly Beans here!

If you ever had to imagine what a Harry Potter world would like it, it would look like this. U.S. did such a good job. Apart from the very, very intricate details and touches to this place, the rides are out of this world. Best rides in the whole of U.S. if i say so myself.

There's a simulator ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which brings you on a wild escape out of Hogwatts. Basically you're supposed to feel like you're riding a broomstick and tailing after Harry, Ron and Hermione and wow, IT FEELS SO REAL. Along the way you meet dementors and dragons. Rox and I sat this ride twice and I couldn't help screaming each time the dementor popped up in front of me.

There's also a roller coaster called Dragon Challenge made up of 2 dragons, a Hungarian Blue Dragon and a Chinese Red Dragon - something like that. You MUST sit in the front row if you take this ride because the course is positioned such that it looks like you'll crash into the other dragon. This isn't your average kiddy roller coaster. I was pumped with so much adrenaline after sitting it! We sat both dragons to see if there was a difference in the course but both are just as good.

My favourite place was the 'Public Conveniences'.

Actually, it was a very normal toilet, but I was so pleased to find that they didnt stinge on any single detail! While I was doing my business (Ok, this, is too much detail), I could hear Moaning Myrtle in the background talking in her creepy voice. Perfect way to take a dump if i say so myself.

I was going to end off with a video of a WORKING Maurader's Map but the video is so laggy you can't see the footsteps.

Can't wait for Friday!

Picnic!

2011-07-13T01:05:00.004+08:00

When I think of picnics, I think of ladies in frocks and men in top hats. It's a very beautiful thought.

None of that in this picnic, but we had a beautiful lake view and the most important thing of all...shade!

Grand Canyon Helicopter Tour

2011-07-12T01:56:00.005+08:00

This was something that I was immensely excited about. Mainly because I really wanted to ride a helicopter. It wasn't cheap but I was pegging an experience to the price.

Recently i read in the papers that hiring a chopper in Singapore for a 30min ride costs about SGD2,000. Then suddenly this didn't seem that ridiculous after all because our flight time was around an 1hr or so and we definitely paid less than that amount!

After a bit of research and consideration we booked our tours through Viator.com, which is a really good site for USA. We chose the All American tour that included 2 way transfer from our hotel to the helicopter site, 2 way helicopter ride to Grand Canyon, landing in the Grand Canyon as well as a picnic.

We also had other Grand Canyon Tour options like the bus tour, but the ride sounded excruciating long. I think it might have been 7 to 8 hours. There was also a boat+helicopter tour, but this one just sounded too good to resist.

Bright and early and still in a daze. They were playing a safety instruction video in the holding room while the helicopters were being prepared. And this could have been the worst decision in my life, but I wasn't listening because I thought it would be useless like the safety videos you hear on commercial air planes.

I was wrong.

I realised the minute they made me put on this life jacket -

that i could potentially die in a desert because i didnt listen to the safety video.

But in all seriousness, they might as well have done away with it. i felt like I was wearing a fanny pack more than anything else.

The helicopter seatbelts were another tricky device to use because they came with 4 straps with specific spots for you to clasp it in. I was fumbling with it and our pilot had to strap me in - Another reason why you should always listen to safety videos in the future.

Before we knew it we were up in the air!

Amazing views from the top. For once I wished I paid more attention in A Level Geography classes because they were coming to live, right before my very eyes.

Here's a blurry pic of the Hoover Dam.

And before we know it, we've reached the Grand Canyon!

Correction, we land IN the Grand Canyon!

Ah, so here's the really funny part. After landing in the Grand Canyon, I have awesome bragging rights, but i have absolutely NO CONCEPTION of what the Grand Canyon actually looks like because I was......in it!

How silly is that?

Anyhow, beside landing in the Canyon, they also provided a picnic for us which included champagne. I should have known better than to even go near it with a 10 ft pole, because the alcohol went straight to my blood which made me drowsy and I practically slept the whole way back in the helicopter. Which wasnt such a bad thing because 5 minutes to landing, Rox woke me up and i was hit by a wave of nausea. Was SO close to vomiting when the helicopter landed. Phew.

The whole experience lasted about 4 hours and we had the rest of the day to ourselves after that.

Our designated driver revved up our limousine...

...and sent us back to the hotel.

Yes, the package included 2 way transfer in limos!

Limos don't seem like such a big deal in Las Vegas compared to Singapore. Every club or establishment that offers transport seems to offer the limousine service, for free. (conditions apply of course)

Thinking of booking a helicopter tour while in the USA? They offer loads of that in a lot of states, but it seems to be the cheapest in Las Vegas. The cheapest one i came across was a night tour across the Strip that goes for only about USD99. And I think when there are special offers it's USD70! The downside is that there is only about 10 - 15 mins of flight time and you only get to see the Strip, which is too short, and pointless in my opinion!

Well I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

Rox and I, being greedy, wanted everything. And this tour suited us perfect. Overall it was an amazing experience and I wouldn't have traded it for anything! Riding a helicopter was something I would have definitely put on my bucket list, and now I can cross it out!

Thai Thai at Mandarin Gallery

2011-07-09T02:35:00.002+08:00

Rox brought us to Thai Thai for her 23rd birthday dinner.

Lovely interior. I love how it looks modern with the right amount of Thai flair.

We ordered the Duck with Longan, Sam's favourite. You can see it peeking out from below the picture.It's served with some fresh vegetables and a mean dipping sauce. It was so good I was sold. I came back here the very next week with E and made him try the duck too!

Too hungry, too furious. The food was gone in minutes.

Candid group shot! Oops left out sam.

There we go, some of my favourite girls :)

And we round of dinner with a birthday cake.

Me, being greedy.

"Mmm CAKE."

By the way, I need to share this. For the longest time this year, I actually thought I was still 22. I have no idea why. But when it finally dawned on me that i was 23, I was shocked. I guess this is how you lose track of your age and I now realise that it is very possible. I think it might have something to do with how people tend to use only one candle for your cake, or they try not to remind you of your age. Ever.

Credits to Sam&Rox for the photos!

PHUKET Pt 2.

2011-07-07T00:39:00.002+08:00

Besides the Phi Phi Island Tour we also opted for the White Water Rafting tour which was about a 2 hour drive away. This included a trip to the Island Safari where we sat ATVs, rode on an elephant, had a fish spa and also a watched monkey show...which turned out to be more than we bargained for.

No guys, that's not a finger.

Image of a cuter monkey to wipe that image off your minds.

The rafting was immensely boring.

They need to call it a drain water rafting instead because we were a man made canal with controlled water flow. That's me sitting in front of the dam quite excited because i was expecting rapids and rocks and lots of high action.

The only action we ended up getting was getting splashed in the face with water by the guides.

Best part of the trip was that they brought us to this little waterfall here and i had my first taste of cliff jumping.

Im not sure if you can call it a cliff because it wasnt that high, but i guess it was high enough to give me second thoughts. Im not afraid of heights, but there's nothing i hate more than the feeling of free fall because it drives my stomach into dead knots.

The fall down, I barely felt, but then when i hit the water, the sensations started to kick in. Your body has a natural tendency to float, but when you jump from a significant height the only direction it's going, is down. i saw sunlight then darkness, lot's of bubbles. I felt the cold fresh water close in around me...by the way did i mention im scared of drowning?

I surfaced, and thought to myself what an amazing shot of adrenaline that was.

Best Buffet in Las Vegas

2011-07-06T02:00:00.008+08:00

Rox and I spent a large part of our time in Las Vegas, not gambling or boozing, but stuffing out faces at the various buffets.

Buffet at the Bellagio - Quite Good

MGM Grand - Average

Everyday we set out to try one buffet, and on our last day in Vegas we actually spent the whole day walking from the start of the Strip, all the way to the end, to eat at Wynn.

Which turned out to be a good decision because by far, Wynn served up the best buffet we had.

Best part about the buffet were the Alaskan crab legs and the most amazing veal.

The mains at Wynn were really good. Rox was very, very impressed with their Char Siew buns which were hand made by chefs from China.

Wynn's desserts were a bit of a let down but overall we both enjoyed the buffet very much.

Also loved their iconic towering fruit and flower arrangements which made the ambience very pleasant. I felt a bit like an Alice in a Wonderland.

There's another seating area on the inside but Rox and I requested to be seated here among the fantastical decorations.

The price you pay for any buffet in Las Vegas is a very good indicator of what you can expect to get.

The cheapest ones from USD15.99 and they serve up non-fancy scrambled eggs, sausages and pancakes. Mostly instant foods that you'ld probably be able to cook in a 1) Microwave 2) Toaster 3)Deep-fryer. Not my kind of thing but if you don't care, Monte Carlo or Flamingo has the cheapest buffets.

The buffets that go from USD20 - 25 are your safest bets, serving pretty good food with enough variety to keep you interested and full.Then they go up to about USD40 for hotels like Wynn which serves things like the Alaskan crab legs (assuming it is a big thing there).

Although I must say, I do prefer the buffets in Singapore because there's always a seafood counter with loads of oysters, mussels, sashimi and likes. There's nothing like a (huge plate of) good oysters with lemon and Tabasco to start of my idea of a buffet. The closest thing to that you'll find over here is cold shrimp, and not even as nice as the ones from Ikea.

On the flip side, the buffets come with free flow of any non-alcoholic beverage. Juices, teas, fizzy drinks - you name it and the friendly waiters will serve it up to you with their smiles of steel.

As we were leaving Wynn with very stuffed bellies I got one of the chefs to cling warp a candied apple for me to takeaway. chefs looked a bit unsure at my request, maybe it's a taboo, but they did it for me anyway and I walked away very satisfied indeed.

NDP 2011 Fun Pack Song, "Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

2011-07-05T14:20:00.001+08:00

Was waiting for this. haha

Going Gaga over the Fun Pack

2011-07-04T00:47:00.005+08:00

I like this year's Fun Pack for the National Day Parade.

Comes in 4 designs and I forced E to give me the Orchid print one because I thought it was the prettiest. The others were of our HDB flats and Changi Airport's control tower.

The bag has some usual items you'ld expect every year, like a book of coupons, a national day flag and bottles of NEWater.

It also has a packet of these cute Kong Guan biscuits in the shape of the Merlion. We got a nice surprise when we opened the bag.

And of course some memorabilia from NDP's resident sponsor, Jolly Bean.

I think it's supposed to be a water bottle of sorts. Barely 10 seconds after i removed the wrapper i accidentally pulled out the foam leaf on the top...I'm not sure how you can avoid this.

But the best part of the Fan Pack, is not any of the above.

This year, the Fan Pack comes with a Fan Pack song, of course called, the Fan Pack Song.

And it is sung to the tune of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance and it goes like this...

Easiest thing to Bake

2011-07-03T16:20:00.005+08:00

Yesterday I decided to revisit Nathaniel's super easy recipe for Apple Crumble. It's so easy to make it will blow your mind.

Apple Crumble consists of 2 - 3 simple layers. The first is the bottom crust (optional), the second is the apple layer, and the third is the crumble top.

All you need are 4 ingredients

1. Plain Flour
2. Sugar (brown or white)
3. Butter
4. Apples

Optional ingredients include cinnamon sticks for the apple filling.

The first time I cooked this was in Sweden. We were cold, bored and our kitchen had an oven. I think another reason why Nathaniel gave us this recipe was because it required the least, and cheapest ingredients too. Hot, steaming Apple Crumble tastes soooo good on frigid cold days. Perfect!

Back in Olofshöjd in Rowena's Kitchen!

If you are a methodological baker you'll be able to find tons of recipes online but if you're a lazy git like more and you don't buy into this hocus pocus, all you need to know is the magic ratio of 2:2:3 Butter:Sugar:Flour and you'll be able to whip up an amazing Apple Crumble. I did the rest through estimation and FEEL.

The logic is simple: More butter = more doughy and less butter = more crumbly!

So when making the base, add more butter and mix them all together until you get a doughy, sticky consistency. Something like this.

When making the top for the crumble, add more flour till you get a sandy, crumbly texture to sprinkle on top.

For the apples, get the cheapest ones you find. Peel them and cut according to how you like your Apple desserts. Big pieces for chunky apple pieces and so on. The trick is not to cut them too thick otherwise they'll take a bit of time to reduce.

Put into a pot and sweat until the apples are semi soft, semi crunchy. Add sugar and cinnamon to the mixture. Don't add water if you can help it.

Once you're done with the crust and apple filling - layer 1) the bottom crust 2) apple (drained) 3) top crumble into your Pyrex and pop into the oven.

Set at 180 degrees for about 20 - 40 minutes.

Play with the recycling bags while waiting...

and finished product!

Our gloppy Apple Crumble.

This is wrong by the way guys. Every site will tell you how an Apple Crumble should look like, but nobody will tell you what it should not look like!

Yours should NOT look like this haha. As you can see there's too much butter for the top crumble part and the apples are too watery.

But the amazing thing about this is that no matter what, apples and buttery pastries always taste good.

Thanks to Rowena for the photos. Try baking an Apple Crumble now!

Do the HULK SULK!

2011-07-02T02:19:00.005+08:00

My mood is like the Hulk Roller Coaster at Orlando's Universal Studios (Hella aweeesomeee btw). It goes up and down and round and around at the drop of a hat. I dont know why sometimes I just feel like SULKING, other times I feel rather high. And there can absolutely no reason for either. But sometimes the most inane thing can set me off too.

Ridiculous isn't it. I wonder if it's my hormones or if im just too wilful for my own good.

Thank you to all the people who put up with it.

Anyway if you think that coaster looks scary, it wasn't! I'ld give it like 6/10 for nausea factor. 10/10 meaning it's so fast and winding it'll scramble your brain juice and make the ground shake beneath your feet.

My favourite coaster gave me a headache but it was so good.

Think this ride lasted almost 4 -5 minutes because it was so big! The 90 degree incline up was enough to get you crazily psyched out.

Now we're talking roller coaster!

Cate with a C

2011-07-01T15:33:00.002+08:00

I finally have a niece!

Things to do at Patong Beach

2011-07-01T14:26:00.004+08:00

Patong by Day

Leave your husband at a daycare centre

Laugh at sun burnt ang mo. hoho.

Join in with the instant skin ageing process of sun tanning and rent a deck chair and umbrella for the day for 150B.

Go para-sailing with one of the many, many vendors dotting the whole coast of Patong Beach. Prices are 1,500B and you cannot bargain. :(

OR GO JET SKIING

Best decision made in Phuket!

Never knew jet skiing would be so fun and exhilarating, even more fun than snow mobiling and riding ATVs! I think it also had something to do with the really huge waves at Phuket while we were there though.

We opted for a 30min ride which was more than enough and spent the entire time trying to crash into the waves so the boat would rock. Got a good ass thumping on that and capsized twice. Better make sure you get yourself a life jacket with at least 2 working buckles or risk drowning.

Patong by Night

Phuket is a little like Las Vegas. It has a hangover in the morning and comes alive at night.

In the day there's light shopping to do, but at night all the little make shift night market stalls open and the beats of the clubs and bars start to pulsate through the streets. I thought it would be a very sleazy place but it wasn't at all!

It felt like clean good fun to me.

Well on the surface at least.

The Phuket Must Eat...

2011-06-29T00:26:00.006+08:00

is a very humble stall selling prata/roti canai/crepes/pancakes/fried bread - whatever you call it in your country - with a variety of fillings. They cost between 35B to 55B depending on your choice of topping.

It's hard to miss this because you can find them everywhere.

After a few days in Phuket and some 5 pancake stalls later, we decided that our favourite one was this boy at Kata beach who was very generous with his chocolate sauce and made the pancake really crispy.

Nothing like the combination of chocolate and banana to hit the sugar spot.

PHUKET

2011-06-28T17:01:00.004+08:00

We stayed at the Sugar Palm Grand Hillside which is one of the many Sugar Palm hotels you'll find in Phuket. It's a little more secluded and is 5 minutes away Kata beach. Loved the infinity pools here and you can choose to book a room with pool access, meaning you can open your door and jump straight into the pool!

There's not much around this area compared to Patong but I like the area for a good mix of peace and parties. If you're here for the hardcore thumping night life, you should most definitely stay at Patong Beach instead. Taxi rides cost about 400B from Kata to Patong for 15 minutes, one way. For Thai standards, 400B is really steep!

Booked two day tours while we were in Phuket which took up most of our time there. These tour shops line the streets of every single beach area from Karon to Patong and you can practically find one every 10 steps. You'ld think that prices are competitive because of this but it's not true! The pamphlets print prices between 2000B - 3000B which is a price you should never, never pay for!

We managed to get a Phi Phi Island tour (inclusive of 4 other islands) for 1000B after some bargaining from the original 1500B .

Phi Phi Island got very famous after The Beach came out so if you go during peak season, expect hordes of tourists crowding the islands.

I dont have pictures of the island which is dumb, I know. But my camera lens was unforgiving with the landscape shots.

You can choose to go to Phi Phi by a speedboat or a cruiser and if you have sea sickness or motion sickness of any sort this is a serious warning to take the cruiser instead.

Our 1 hour ride there on speed boat was so rough, half the people on the boat decided they would book their own transport back to Phuket. Halfway into the journey, the waves were so choppy I felt like I was on a rugged terrain instead of on a boat on the sea. People were screaming, I vomited (haha), someone sprained her ankle and then the boat hit a 2 storey high wave, everybody lost their balance and....wait for it.... a fat women FELL ONTO ME. Squashed by an overweight women, she smashed my sunglasses into my face till the end piece of it was bent out of shape. FML.

And the worst part was the weather was bad so we didn't even get to see Maya Bay which is where The Beach was filmed and the reason why we even wanted to come on this tour at all. Boo!

One of the stops we did make during the tour was Monkey Bay. Called Monkey Bay because...there are a lot of monkeys.

Stopped on another island for lunch. For some reason, they like to serve onion tempura here. Wonder if it's to cater to the Western taste buds.

Khai Nai island - Amazing how they find an empty plot of sand, stick many many colourful beach umbrellas into it and it becomes an island raking in the tourism dollars.

Over here we also found out that the water is so clear you can hold some bread in your hand and pretty soon a school of fish will be eating right out from your hand!

We got an underwater camera for our snorkelling and water pictures. Havent developed them yet but I hope they turn out good!

2011-06-28T15:48:00.002+08:00

Time to retire my old header of the amusement park ride in Gothenburg! I feel as though Im starting a new chapter in my life so it calls for a new banner of the lovely Kata Beach in Phuket.

Good-Time City

2011-06-25T15:18:00.002+08:00

Patong, Bangla Street

Back from a short getaway to Phuket 2 shades darker and a scrape on my right temple which is still hurting. Long story, that scrape. I'm still slightly miffed about how I got it.

What I loved was the Thai food sold from street vendors. They know only a couple of English words, enough to get by. They don't tell you to give them your best price, just serve you the best Thai food.

Phuket is the most commercialised city i've been too yet, teeming with restaurants serving European fare, alcohol sold from shiny, neon lighted trailers and singers crooning American classics.

I saw a lot of happy Caucasians getting their fill of 50B beers and 89B mixes, braided hair and lots of hot Asian sun. Good-Time City they call it. Good time indeed.

Baby,

2011-06-20T12:14:00.000+08:00

My Grandmother

2011-06-14T23:13:00.006+08:00

It was cancer, and the truth is, we were all waiting for her to die, as frankly as I can put across.

I received a text that day, "go see her today or you'll never be able to again".

She was put on palliative care at the ICU with a reduced morphine dosage. She had water in her lungs and found it difficult to breath. Her last few hours were spent slumped over the roll away desk, nestled in a castle of hospital pillows.

On the 6th of June, she passed away at SGH. I wasn't there when she slipped away. Her heart was pumping at an intensity it could not support and finally gave up after a long battle.

Our parents held a traditional Buddhist funeral to bid her farewell. In front of the coffin a black and white photograph of a young women dressed in a Nyonya Kebaya. By the side, a basin, a comb, a toothbrush, toothpaste and pair of spotless cream loafers.

A flurry of activity went past in a blur. Her wake, her cremation, a gaping hole she left behind.

These are the details of what happened, but this is not how I will remember it.

My grandmother was a a strong women whom I will always respect and admire. In her 80s, she bought a netbook (imagine that) and taught herself how to surf the Internet. She never completed an education but that never stopped her from learning to read and write, Chinese, Malay and English. She devoured Chinese classics, read the newspapers and eventually moved on to news wires. She worked her sewing machine like a god, sewing patchwork quilts which she sold to a middle man for a small profit. These quilts were later shipped to USA and sold off at a high price I assume. She wasn't interested in the money at all, it was just a hobby she enjoyed. Along with the quilts, floor mats, shirts, pants and the like. She was talented, intelligent, amazing and many more qualities I could only hope to be.

I'm very proud that I had a grandmother like her...and perhaps i shall just end here.

Nursing Home Abuse

2011-06-10T12:15:00.003+08:00

SINGAPORE: The Nightingale Nursing Home along Braddell Road has been suspended with effect from April 12, from admitting new patients, after some of its staff members were found to have mistreated a resident there.

The incident came to light after Channel NewsAsia alerted the Ministry of Health to a video, taken by a hidden camera on a patient's bedside.

The video showed an elderly woman patient sitting next to a bed without any clothes, while the ceiling fans in the room were on.

After a while, two staff members were shown lifting the patient and throwing her onto a bed.

In one footage, a staff member was shown slapping the patient after she moaned in pain.

The old lady has been a resident of the home for the past four years.

The nursing home said it has disciplined the staff involved, and placed additional measures such as getting senior staff to visit the wards and checking the conduct of its staff.

The measures also include holding regular meetings with patients and their family members.

In its reply to Channel NewsAsia, the Ministry of Health said: "There were significant lapses in the care standards provided to the patient in question.

"This should not have happened. There should have been tighter supervision of staff rendering care to vulnerable patients. Patients' dignity and respect must be upheld at all times".

A family member of the patient said: "Of course we are unhappy with the incident.

"We sent her there for the nurses to take care of her; we're disappointed with what happened.

"There are other old folks at the home. We hope by bringing this matter up, it will help to improve things at the home.

"We have since moved our mother to another nursing home".

The Ministry of Health said it will closely monitor the nursing home to ensure all additional measures required of it are properly implemented and subsequently ascertain if the suspension imposed on the home should be reviewed or further sanctions imposed.

It said: "Our inspectors regularly check that all nursing homes are properly maintained, keep their patient records in order and institute effective infection control measures.

"Nursing home operators are also required to maintain care standards on medication administration, fall prevention, housekeeping, etc.

"Nursing homes that do not meet the required standards or which require closer monitoring for any other reason will be subject to more regular audits. MOH will also guide them on how to improve their performance".

-CNA/wk
Article here

MOH did the right thing in suspending the nursing home from accepting more patients and more can be done. It is both chilling and saddening to see the care givers at the nursing home treat an old lady with no basic human regard.

Nightingale Nursing Home looks towards "tighter supervision" to rectify the situation which is in my opinion both myopic and useless. What happens when the senior staff are not around to complete their rounds and check on the staff? Supervision will only breed more discontent among staff who do not have the patience to look after the elderly who sometimes have, admittedly, difficult needs.

The staff in the video footage received disciplinary action from the nursing home but somehow it seems too light an action. I won't go as far as to say that they should be fired, but their actions and behaviour are appalling and disgusting.

I am not familiar with this industry at all, but my friend who is a qualified physiotherapist commented that the salary for nursing homes is too low which discourages them - young, competent and well equipped individuals - from entering this line. Perhaps these are some questions that need to be addressed as well. What are the interview procedures like for hiring such staff, what qualifications in health care do they need to have, and what training are they given in dealing with the elderly?

Fancy some Reindeer to go with your potatos?

2011-06-10T02:16:00.004+08:00

Doesnt the sound of reindeer meat sound so appetising? Hohoho. I wont be surprised if your stomach is churning at the idea but reindeer meat is a common meat in Scandinavia (i think) or at least further up north...dont quote me on this.

Anyway if you'ld like a taste of reindeer, you dont have to go further than Gorden Grill at Goodwood Park Hotel which is now offering some Finnish cuisine, including reindeer meat.

While we were up in Kiruna which is way north of Sweden, our guide cooked for us a very homely reindeer meal.

I dont know, what were you expecting? Something more cuddly?

I couldn't really tell reindeer apart from say, venison and I didnt think it had a distinctive taste either. Could have been because the meat was thoroughly cooked. The guide did mention that the markets had started mixing reindeer meat with deer meat which could also be one of the reasons why it tasted like normal...meat of some sort.

The next closest thing to reindeer i ate in Sweden was RAW ELK at Basement Restaurant & Bar in back in Gothenburg. Now that...was the gamiest thing i ever put into my mouth. ugh. acquired taste for sure!

raw elk (moose) eeks!

The reindeer meat was served with mash and brown gravy.

We tossed some greens and wala!

Oh, did i mention the lingonberry jam comes in squeeze bottles?? SO MUCH LOVE for lingonberry jam in squeeze bottles!

Have you ever wondered how come the Swedish meatballs taste SO good with lingonberry jam? If i had my way i'ld eat it with everything!!

Of course we didnt always eat reindeer meat though. Other nights we ate simple fare. Frozen garlic bread and swedish meatballs bought from the ICA supermarket, tons of junk food and our favourite wasabi nuts from the pick-n-mix counters.

Ah...warm toasty memories of Kiruna and our log cabin!

Which reminds me, i really need to go chase Amanda for our sledding and snow mobile photos!

2011-06-08T13:47:00.001+08:00

"I’m almost never serious, and I’m always too serious. Too deep, too shallow. Too sensitive, too cold hearted. I’m like a collection of paradoxes."

- Ferdinand von Schrubentaufft

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

2011-06-08T13:30:00.002+08:00

The Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is set to be relocated to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint from July 1 and the last train will officially pull out on the 30 of June.

Readers of the Straits Times sent in photographs of this "Singapore" icon.

I never saw it as a Singapore icon because it was drummed into my head since I was a child that that plot of land and everything on it belonged to Malaysia. (Also the same reason why that place looked rather shabby haha)

A friend of mine brought me specially to sit that train to JB.

Was there anything special about the train? No not really. Save for a few dubious stains.

The ride was short, barely had time to warm your seats.

But i guess the train station holds dear memories for some.

If you've never stepped into this place before. Make a trip down this June holiday before it's gone forever.

Why you are more likely to get FAT in Europe

2011-06-08T11:30:00.006+08:00

I think a lot of people have the preconceived notion that Americans are more unhealthy than the Europeans.

By unhealthy i mean...Fat.

Im sure we've all seen a handful of highly unflattering pictures of overflowing (hhaha)Americans around the net.

This baffles me really because after coming back from the States i think i lost weight. This is opposed to the weight gain in Europe though. People always say, "oh you will walk a lot in Europe, wont get fat one!"

ALL LIES I TELL YOU!!

So, here's why you are more likely to get fat in Europe:

For some reason, every European country i've visited has some sort of speciality chocolate you feel absolutely compelled to buy and stuff your face with.

For example the Ritter Sport chocolate store in Berlin which stocks lots of flavours you cant get in Singapore for a fraction of the price. How can you not grab like 10 blocks of this, seriously.

Französische Straße 24
10117 Berlin, Germany

Then there's Switzerland, motherland of all things chocolate. And where there is Kambly there's a heap of chocolate (and butter cookies) waiting to assuage your taste buds. There's NO WAY you can walk out of this store without grabbing a few bags.

And the worst part (or maybe the best) is that there is free flow of testers. Meaning you could practically spend the whole day in here consuming your 3 meals in Kambly.

I went to the Kambly 'factory' in Lyss but you can buy this from all supermarkets. My favourite brand of Swiss chocolates! my favourite flavour of Kambly is also this chococroc which is a chocolate coated biscuit. I know when i say it like that, it sounds very normal but trust me, it is amazingg.

Of course you can't leave out Belgium, which is really famous for the chocolate. But between you and me, Belgium chocolates are rubbish! Not nice at all. Bah!

The WAFFLES however, different story. Top them with ice-cream, chocolate sauce, syrup, whipped cream, etc - the list goes on.

Sweden, i already told you has an insanely sweet tooth. You will NEVER find a convenience store without a huge pick-n-mix selection.

Copenhagen - Land of buttery danish pastries and insanely huge breakfasts!

The Royal Cafe
Amagertorv 6
1160 København, Denmark

Cafe Dalle Valle.
Fiolstræde 5, City center
(Strøget)

Paris: more butter pastries, macarons and crepes.

Yup, so here you have it. Why you are more likely to get fat in Europe than in American.

Given, American has all the Resses peanut butter cups etc, but because you can get them in Singapore, you dont feel as compelled to shovel them down your throat when you're there. And simply, also because European chocolates are so much yummier. mmm.

The Currywurst

2011-06-04T16:30:00.004+08:00

The fast food of Berlin is a sausage with curry ketchup called the Currywurst - no frills there - and the best one is supposedly the Curry 36 shop at the Mehringdamm U-Bahn stop.

However the real hidden secret at Mehringdamm is this Kebap stall.

Never thought i would say this about a doner kebap but it actually tasted refreshing and wholesome!

Yeah, ild make a trip down for the this doner!

Disneyland!

2011-06-03T00:01:00.003+08:00

What better way to start the post then with an awesome picture of the Orlando Disney castle and their fireworks show!

But it only goes downhill from here. This was definitely the highlight of that horrible Saturday where Disney World was STUFFED, PACKED and OVERFLOWING with toddlers and babies on steroids plus annoyingly rambunctious children, kids and pre-pubescent teenagers of unimaginable over enthusiasm. Please kill me now as i recoil in terror recalling the number of strollers and shrieking kids that ran over my toes and made the queues unbearably long....

ok ok... i exaggerate.

My favourite of the 5 Orlando Disney World Parks - EPCOT! It's like a giant Science Centre with rides sponsored and designed by bodies like GE and NASA.

Yeah i wore those ears for the whole day and i never felt more at home with a pair of furry black ears.

More Fireworks!

and this one made everyone ooooh and ahhhhh and awwww

So, do you think the Disney Castle looks like the Neuschwanstein Castle in Munich after which it was supposedly modelled after?

In case anybody ever wonders, here are some tips on purchasing tickets for the park.

Rox and I bought the 1 Day Park Hopper tickets which was clearly not enough. We managed to hit all the 4 parks in Disney which included the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios but we didnt have time to sit most of the rides since the queues were so long and we were trying to make use of the Park Hopper pass.

Your best bet would be to buy a 2 day ticket with the Park Hopper option and add on as many days if you decide you want to. Disney charges their tickets by tier now so the more days you buy, the cheaper it is! The Park Hopper is also a flat fee so you can add on as many days as you want for more value.

And thinking of buying those tickets online on third party sites for a better price? Forget about it unless you have a car! Buying straight from the Disney website was the best option for us.

Rox and I were scouring third party sites for cheaper ticket sales and we did manage to find 1 or 2 that were about 10USD cheaper but they all require you to collect the tickets from their office or you would have to call to place an order. Not worth the time and added hassle if you're a free and easy tourist.

Also, dont buy any tickets from Ebay because the tickets are linked to YOUR finger print so you cant use somebody else's!

Fast Passes are also FREE so make use of them before they run out.

Happily Ever After
The End!

New Berlin

2011-06-01T16:55:00.005+08:00

i just emailed a list of things to do and eat in Berlin to Rox who will be visiting this amazing place soon. I am a HUGE fan of Berlin, and Germany in general and im soooo excited for her!

One of the best free tours in Berlin is the Sandeman Tours. Those guys, i tell you they are GODSENDS.

On the 'New Berlin' tour, which is free (but please tip the great guides generously) they pretty much cover all your sightseeing needs in a concise and informative 1/2 day tour. Starting at the Brandenburg Gate to the Reichstag, Jewish Memorial, hidden Hitler Bunker, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, a few other cool takeaways and ends at the beautiful Berliner dom.

The Jewish Memorial at Behrenstraße just opposite the Reichstag and after the Brandenburg Gate is a particular place in Berlin that struck a chord with me.

This monument of the murdered Jews of Europe has 2,700 concrete blocks covering 19,000 sq m and sits in the middle of the old East and West Berlin very unassumingly. If you never saw the Memorial marker tucked away at the corner, you might have never guess that this labyrinth of smooth grey slabs, bear the horror and murder of the Holocaust.

Architect Peter Eisenman said that he fought to keep names off the stones, because having names on them would turn it into a graveyard.

Perhaps I am in no position to say this, for what am I but a visiting tourist with no connection whatsoever to the Holocaust, but the Jewish Memorial gave me a sense of serenity. I felt no hatred, no torment, no grudge in this undulating sea of nameless blocks. It is a place for contemplation and reflection, a mirror for self searching and maybe, repentance.

Having said that, this memorial was not without its controversy and criticisms. People have said it is too abstract, took too long to construct, that it would be used as a short cut rather than a memorial.

I dont really agree though. I appreciate how quietly stunning it is.

The Berlin Wall that separated East and West Berlin.

Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point between East and West Berlin during the Cold Wall.

Today its become rather touristy. Even comes complete with this guy below pretending to be one of the Allies. I think you can take a photograph with him for a small fee.

and also has this cool cosmocard machine which you can use to print out a personalised postcard.

our final product!

The finally, the Berliner Dom with the TV tower peeking out from behind.

The Shake Shack

2011-05-30T16:33:00.005+08:00

Within the hour of reaching our apartment on 86th street we rushed to the Shack Shack at Upper East Side looking to sink our teeth into these legendary burgers - or so I heard anyway. The original Shake Shack burger opened in Madison Square Park so it might be a good idea to start there instead.

We placed an order in 2 minutes and waited another quick 5 minutes for our burgers to arrive.

The Shack Stack is USD8.50 without tax and the secret ingredient that gives this burger a kick is the crisp fried portabello mushroom tucked under the usual garnish with their special ShakeSauce.

My verdict?

I thought it was... alright.

Gosh sorry to disappoint, i know you want to eat the picture above but honestly i didnt think it lived up to its hype and my taste buds were not piqued in anyway. I mean yeah, it was a pretty good burger but it was just... pretty good. Perhaps im not that much of a burger connoisseur or maybe the bar was set too high.

At the moment I'm still raving over Max Burgers which unfortunately you can only get in Sweden. Now THOSE burgers are AMAZING and probably because every component of their burgers are made from 100% Swedish produce.

Nevertheless, the Shake Shack is a must for the New York burger experience so go for it!

Oh Crystal Ball

2011-05-29T22:17:00.002+08:00

Decided to toy with fate and get my fortune told while I was at Coney Island in Brooklyn.

You know, I always expected this clairvoyant business to be a bit more fanciful.

With a designation like 'clairvoyant' you'ld expect some crystal ball spectacular with smoke and pyrotechnics. I always envisioned it to be a knobbly old women wrapped in a Persian scarf with Kohl rimmed eyes and suspiciously wrinkled fingers giving you looks of doomsday approaching... but there was none of that.

CHEY.

Instead she was wearing some obiang Coach trainers. Her only redeeming spooky factor was that she had that same nasal quality to her voice Chucky's bride had.

So, before I sat down, the clairvoyant told me to make two wishes - keep one to myself and tell her the other.

Then I stuck out both my hands and the lady started to tell me a bit about my personality - which was very accurate actually. Then she said something about my money always coming and going because apparently I'm very "distracted" and that I'ld have 1 successful marriage and 3 children.

Wow ok i cant wait to re-read this blog post 10 years later and either get the heebie-jeebies at her accuracy or scoff at her generic horoscope-like predictions.

I handed her USD10 after the 5 minute session and immediately wished i'ld topped up USD5 more for the tarot card reading. Crap! Bet that would have been way more interesting and eye-opening.

So, i havent got my fortune read by an Asian fortune teller before so i cant compare. I did notice that the clairvoyant made it a point not to touch me!. Which got me thinking, maybe she's got one of those sixth sense which is activated through human touch or... maybe she's just anal about her personal hygiene.

Overall it was a fun experience.

Better than the fortune cookie i got from a Chinese take away that read "ARE YOU TIRED? BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN RUNNING THROUGH SOMEONE'S MIND ALL DAY."

Back from USA!

2011-05-28T12:51:00.004+08:00

After 24 days of solid non-stop walking, every morning when i climb out of bed now, my feet hurt so much. I think i need to invest in an hours foot massage, my poor feet - most neglected part of my body which i abuse all the time.

On this trip Rox and I covered New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington DC and San Francisco. Of the five states, I'm still deciding if I prefer New York or San Fran more. Polar opposites the both are, one a bustling metropolitan and the other, the confused and laid back loony sibling.

Still working on sorting out the pictures and I am so lazy to do so. As it is, I have not even finished sorting out the pictures from my Europe trip.

Every time I come back I always wish I had taken more pictures but time never seems to allow for me to sit down at one spot and just take pictures of random, interesting people I see along the streets. I have come to realise that I enjoy taking pictures of people off the streets. They are living, breathing, representations of the culture, the place, the moment and emotion.

Flying to USA Tomorrow

2011-05-01T22:22:00.001+08:00

The title says it all.

Here are some parting pictures

Till then.

Haga: A quick glimsp

2011-04-20T14:51:00.004+08:00

If you remember my earlier post on Le Petite Cafe at Haga, here's more of Gothenburg's favourite street...ok maybe it is not her favourite street, but it is certainly one of MY favourite streets! The travel guides and online resources fail to give this amazing place enough credit. Do a quick search and all you will ever find is "Avenyn" which is the Orchard Road of Gothenburg.

So there you have it, another slice of Haga Nygata.

Sidewalk Cafes - Something which I've grown to love a lot and appreciate. It is nice to kick back and have a cuppa somewhere where the air is cold so you can sit in the sun to warm up. It's a feeling I cant put in words. Maybe you start to appreciate such trivial things when you live in a tropical climate with weather forecasts ranging from hot to sweltering hot. Sit outside in the sun to drink coffee? Must be kidding.

Antique Shops - another thing that absolutely fascinates me. One man's rubbish is another man's treasure hoho. This photo was actually a make shift flea outside the shop, but dont you just love vintage silverware and uh, pots? I like to look at these things and imagine the life that it used to have and I think how lovely it must have been to live in a time where people still bothered about having a good set of polished silverware.

The lone spice shop selling exotic teas and honeys from India and Sri Lanka. They even have those Chinse ginger candies for sale here.

An amazing cash register.

Good looking people and a French Bulldog.

This dance

2011-04-16T16:05:00.003+08:00

"I want to see you dance."

People tend to associated dancing with words like 'freedom', 'expression' and 'release'. Last night, the euphemism of it all dawned on me.

As I traced out a rectangle on the palm of your hand, it occurred to me that this freedom, exists only in a confined space, bound by arbitrary parameters. Dancers only dance within the cast of the spotlight. You dance, trapped on a stage, trapped on a pedestal the audience puts you on, trapped in a zone, a frame, a time, a moment, a place...trapped in a dance, caught up in a story of a dance.

This expression that you are allowed, is emoted only so far as you exist, as a dancer. After you clean off your make up and wash out the hair spray, you relinquish that role. When you step off the stage, you are no longer a dancer. Maybe you would like to believe that you are, but what is a dancer without an audience. The two cannot exist separately. You are robbed of that expression the second the lights go off. Maybe it is a release, but for what I know, it is only temporary.

Never let a loved one watch you dance. Never accede to their requests. Never be foolish enough to give them a ticket to your show. Because he will watch you. He will be proud of you.

But then, this dance that you do, you do alone. He comes, only as a spectator.

Never let a loved one watch you dance.

Teach him instead, how to dance with you.