Michael Jackson tribute…

Nice remix of the songs. Especially like how they did it acapella style. =)

roadblock…

Encountered a roadblock today. Not really able to think now. Maybe I’m numb. It’s like looking forward to something that did not materialise.

Should I still press on? or should I turn back?

rested…

Went for a short getaway to Batam over the weekend (yeah.. wish I could have written Bali or Bintan), but oh well, Batam is nice in its own rustic way I guess.

Scenary wasn’t exactly picturesque. Maybe it was because we didn’t have the bright blue sky there. But the trip was relaxing, the company excellent.

What else to expect from a group of 7 gals besides knowing how to pamper ourselves by starting off with a spa/massage immediately after we arrive. Then it was to A&W for dinner and shopping. After that, it was back to our rooms for noisy card games, photo-taking with weird and wacky ideas and the filming of a pringles commercial! *wink* Went for a city tour the next day where it was just going along with the flow. A frenzy shopping trip in a supermarket and then it was home.

A short two days which felt much longer. A wonderful weekend well spent which left me recharged and giving me that extra boost to tackle the work ahead.

It’s been a year…

I started work one year ago on this date…

It’s been a thrilling ride so far. Been exposed to a lot of new things, picked up new skills, had many new experiences…

I guess I just wanted to post on my first year anniversary…

To many more wonderful memories to come….

One of those days…

Can’t believe I suddenly had the impulse to blog today because I had a blah day today… Oh wells, it was just one of those lousy days whereby things didn’t go very smoothly. Bitched enough about it I guess. So I see no need to harp on it. Time to move on…

Been plain lazy the past few months I guess… see no need to blog about a boring life. It’s been mainly work. Trying to re-regulate my work-life balance. And trying to pursue other things in life. Played badminton with some colleagues yesterday during lunch. Not a bad idea to spend Monday lunch running round a court. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking at picking up deutsch again. But didn’t because the class I wanted to attend was full. Now, I’m unsure of the practicality of it.  Maybe Korean or Japanese or perhaps even French would be more practical.

The most exciting that happened was me making my annual ‘pilgrimage’ to Hong Kong about one month ago. Shopped and ate a lot. Had a good break and didn’t feel like returning to work. Mwahahahaha…

This year’s been a pretty uneventful year so far. Caught a couple of theatre productions (Cats, Breakout, Sing Dollar). Read a couple of books… watched a couple of movies. And that’s about it.

Oh… and random info of the day – my laptop is back! bigger (memory space!) and faster!!! yay! Ok.. it came back about a month ago. But I’m glad its back!

sobs…

The symptoms were all there I suppose… It no longer ran as fast, was plagued with persistent problems, fainted a couple of times… Guess it’s about time…

My trusty ol’ laptop died… I don’t really know how it happened. It was still fine 2 days ago. Didn’t touch it yesterday cause I was too tired. But I think it was because I installed an update and when I tried to start it up this morning, I got the DEADLY BLUE SCREEN!!! Sigheth… and it’s a public holiday today… so can’t seem to get the computer repair men that I know.

I’ve spent many nights with my trusty ol’ laptop. Churning out papers, mugging for exams, watching and laughing at xman videos, chatting late into the night, completing many games and even spent 5 months with me in Switzerland, being my gateway back home… I’ve been trying to will it to work. But it’s still not responding. Sigh.. I’ll miss it.  

Am just thinking if it would be worth it to repair or to just get a new computer. Another laptop? or a desktop? Given that a desktop is much more stable, but i’ll lose out on portability. But I don’t really need to move my computer around since I’m at work everyday and only need it. Plus, a desktop is cheaper as well. Decisions. Cause I guess even if the laptop can be repaired, I would probably want to replace a few things like the hard disk, the processor speed and stuff which makes getting a new one more practical. Sigh.. if only my laptop can awaken from its coma now…

Cats…

I just came back from watching ‘Cats’ at the Esplanade Theatre a couple of hours ago. Thanks so much for the invitation! It’s a production with very nicely choreographed and coordinated dances, with fun and catchy songs. In my opinion, it’s a rather ‘light’ production compared to other heavyweight musicals like Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables. But I enjoyed the show very much and the songs are now echoing in my head. I’m actually rewatching some scenes on youtube. Hahaha… nice memories… 

When I first heard that Cats was going to be staged in Singapore, I wasn’t super keen on catching it cause I didn’t feel like it. Maybe cause I didn’t really know the story (and I still don’t think there is a very strong one). But now that I’ve seen it, I would probably wanna catch it the next time it comes again. It’s a happy kinda show and I really liked the songs and the dancing. The performers were all so sleek and feline-liked. I especially liked the dance scene for ‘The Jellicle Ball’. They were all so coordinated and very very graceful. 

As mentioned earlier, I didn’t feel like there is a strong storyline and I don’t see a protagonist in this production even though it is about the cat ‘Grizabella’. Instead, the parts were rather spread out among a few cast members who had their own solos and dance sequence. It just got a bit hard to differentiate the cats after a while cause they look rather alike.  

Hmmm… wish another musical can be staged here soon. I wouldn’t mind if Lion King comes… or maybe Wicked the Musical. I heard they are pretty good productions, but I haven’t had the chance to catch them yet.

Walk Away – Kelly Clarkson

I’m bored, i got this off facebook and decide to put it on my blog so less people can read about it… 

1. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

4. Tag 10 or more friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from.

——————————————————–
IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY?” YOU SAY?
孙悟空 – Mayday

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
怕 – Kary Ng

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Wake Me Up When September Ends – Greenday

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
사랑이 오지 않아요 – Junjin 

*eh… i dunno what this means… translation please? I would love to know my life’s purpose…*

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
The Street – Shinhwa

*erm… nice motto? But this is a nice song…*

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
仰慕者 – Alan Tam & Hacken Lee
*Wahahahahs… ok

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
The Show – Lenka

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
All Out Of Love – Olivia

*Not that desperate lor…

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Lydia – F.I.R.

*Not very apt leh.. I dun have a friend called Lydia.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Hey Oh Tonight – Norwegian Recycling
*Tonight what?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
你有心 – Jade Kwan
*Bleak huh?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
疼你的责任 – Pin Guan 

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
榜样 – Kevin Wong

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
幸福 – Fang Hao Wen

*that’s nice to know…

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
I Wanna Love You Forever – Jessica Simpson
*That’s pretty sweet.. I’ll try to remember that

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
无条件为你 – Fish Leung

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
易爱难收 – Chris Wong

* So I fall in love easily?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Which Star You Want – Kim Jong Kook

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
你要的不是我 – Lin Junjie

*That’s kinda true….

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
What I’ve Been Looking For – Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens (Yes… I have the soundtrack of High School Musical)
*looking for death?

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
光芒 – Jane Zhang

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
寂寞广场 – Vanness Wu

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
明天 – Lin Junjie

*true.. it’s Monday tomorrow…

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Mockingbird – Eminem

*what does this mean?
WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Isle Of Inisfree – Orla Fallon

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
心愿便利贴 – From the soundtract of Fated to Love You

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Everyday I Love You – Boyzone
*Why would I want to change that? 

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Breaking Free – From High School Musical…

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Walk Away – Kelly Clarkson

Weekend rendezvous…

Weekends are for slacking, for resting, for detoxing and for trying to forget the bad things that happened during the past week.. and i guess for looking forward to the next weekend…

The previous weekend, the gals came over for mahjong on Fri night… We finally managed to finish 1 round with all 4 winds… but I guess we are getting old.. or at least I feel that I am. I need much more ‘recovery time’ after staying up the whole night. Hahaha… and that kinda concluded that weekend. 

As for the weekend that just went by, surprise surprise… I spent Valentine’s Day at home in the afternoon and went out for dinner with my parents at night… Just another Sat I guess… But Sunday was more happening… went to watch Breakout! which I thought was pretty cool albeit a little too short. It was only 1.5 hours and that was including the encore! But it had quite a cool story-line with bits of sexual innuendo, exhilarating dance moves and funny parts… A nice way to chill and forget the stress of the past week!

Bidding Goodbye

In case your first instinct was to wonder if I’m gonna stop blogging (not as if I’m blogging a lot now, but…), no no no, have no intention of announcing a hiatus. 

Sent my lil sis off at the airport last night. She left for Australia to pursue further studies… Though she’s 19, she’ll always be my lil sis… When someone has been an integral part of your life for a long long time, it’s hard to just not have her around all of a sudden. But this is just part of growing up and something that invariably comes with our choices and decisions.

It’s gonna be kinda weird with the house being quiet (she’s usually the noisiest one around) . Will definitely take some getting used to. I’ll miss her weird antics, chatting with her till late at night, our swimming sessions, the random meals and occasional shopping and just her I guess. 

Guess on the bright side, I can look forward to traveling to Australia… =) and… I’ll probably appear online more often to keep in touch…

Pincushion and others…

A couple of weeks ago, I went to this Chinese physician to consult him on a nagging back problem I’ve been having on and off for the past few years… He recommended acupuncture… so, after poking many many needles into me, he told me to just rest there for half an hour or so… as I was lying there, I just felt like a pincushion with so many needles sticking out of me… 

Anyway, Chinese New Year kinda came and is almost gone… Just loads of eating. and had relatives over on both the first and second day. So was kinda busy. It was nice catching up and just meeting relatives that I kinda only meet once a year, including my cousins. But… was also tired out by the ‘hosting’. Felt that the long weekend went by in a flash. Before I know it, it’s back to work with loads of activities being lined up the next couple of months…

Oh.. and I signed up for Yoga classes… Starts in end Feb… Hopefully will be something that I can pick up…

Welcoming 2009…

Heh.. couldn’t resist the urge to add this in… I’m glad 2009 is here cause the sporting cycle is starting again! Ok,it’s probably only like tennis and F1 to look forward to. But better than the off season where there was minimal news.

2008 has passed… Really?

I was on my way to work yesterday when I realised that 2008 is well and truly over. The realisation just hit me like a wall and I just felt overwhelmed then. I don’t exactly know why, but maybe it was the end of a ’symbolic’ year. It was a year of transition for me and many of my peers.

From a student with a rather carefree lifestyle, being able to sleep and wake up at odd hours to a working adult, keeping to a rather regulated lifestyle and only having weekends for myself. From someone who was reading and writing papers, makign notes to study to someone who takes instructions, writes emails, plan and organise events, meet people. It marked a change from a poor struggling student to someone with earning power and is now able to pay for things on my own. From meeting friends, schoolmates regularly to seeing my colleagues more than I see my family… It was truly a year of changes.

Other random highlights – The Beijing Olympics came and went. Justine Henin retired. Tavia Yeung won Best Supporting Actress at the TVB awards ceremony. These are all things of the past.

I kinda hibernated over the new year. After counting down with my family sans my brother on the 31st, we went out to buy Wii on the 1st. And instead of going out on 2nd Jan (was on leave that day), spent my day nuaing at home and playing the Wii. Mahjong with the gals on Sat was cancelled no thanks to a fever that made me sleep half the day away. Too bad I didn’t fall sick enough to get an MC on Monday…

So yeah… hence, it was only yesterday that the thought that 2009 is here finally sank in. It’s a new beginning. More challenges at work. New things to tackle. This is also the year tt my sis leaves for Aussie – in about a month’s time. I just realise that my brother is starting his 2nd semester in SMU. I started work and he started school on the same day. The only diff was that he had the December hols off while I still had to work (albeit with more breaks) and he has this glorious 4 more months of holidays to look forward to.  

Maybe it is better? At least 2009 won’t be fraught with uncertainties like 2008. At the start of 2008, I didn’t know where I was heading. I knew I would probably be working, but not as what. At least in 2009, I just have to stick to my job. Well… on the work front, 2009 is off to quite a hectic start… a lot of things to handle. All a learning experience. I think I need to be more confident in whatever I’m doing – but it’s hard when there is no one to guide you along. It’s kinda a chicken and egg issue huh? Work is kinda like solving a big and complicated maths problem. There are many steps and you kinda know how to do it. But if you miss a step, it could be inconsequential to the answer you want or it could cause you to arrive at the wrong answer. I try not to screw up the small steps – perhaps for fear of looking stupid more than fear of being scolded. But everday is an experience. No one would be there to guide you along all the way, 100%. Everyone has better things to do and everyone has their individual styles. Live and learn I guess.

Merry Christmas!!!

Wishing one and all a Merry Christmas! Love, peace and joy for you and your family!!!

New look…

Logged onto wordpress and realized they changed the layout of the dashboard and blogging panels.. Haven’t really explored it, but am liking it so far… 

There’s really nothing much to blog about nowadays… It’s just bad news everyday in the news… What of recession, retrenchment, economic meltdown, cases of fraud and cheating… was tickled though at the guy who pretended to be a wealthy man and had nicknames like ‘rich man’ or sth when he chatted online… Like.. putting ‘pretty gal’ as a chat nickname doesn’t make me one right? Hmmm.. whatever happened to internet safety and of the million stories/warnings we heard before that anyone can be behind the screen?

On a lighter note, Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat! Hee.,, I kinda miss caroling. Maybe i’ll go catch a performance one of these days. I haven’t exactly done my Christmas shopping yet… and… it’s Christmas next week! Time just flies! Looking forward to the BBQ with the gassy gals!

Shall end this posts with a couple of pictures of Ana Ivanovic, a Serbian tennis player who posed for a calendar for Verano, the distributor of Peugeotautomobiles in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia. (picts courtesy of Women Tennis Blog) 

 

 

I like how the colours of the accompanying items stand out in contrast to the model… It’s the end of the year… Most of the sporting seasons are over (except for soccer I guess…). Well.. not long before tennis will start again I guess…