Confessions of an Undisguised Drama Queen

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Camera Overload (Part One) : Of automobiles

Didn't get to go swimming after all because of some change in plans. There goes my hope of burning off some calories.

But it was a nice afternoon though - still got to meet Grace and visited her two lovely canines, Fluffy and Rush, and her very shy Topsy the cat.

And I got home early today, so I decided to unload some of the photos in my phone and my camera.

So here it goes...

NTU students are getting wealthier and wealthier. Or maybe their parents are. Sometimes, walking along the North and South Spine's carparks is almost like visiting car showrooms. There's the Audi sports car, occasionally a Merc SLK, several Hyundai Tuscanies, and on one very fine day, a very delectable MINI!

So pretty. I wish I could just jump into in and take it out for a spin. Only it's not mine. And I don't have a driving license yet. Jeepers.

Lovely as it is, I've still yet to see my dream car around the campus.

VW Golf GTI! I like it so much that if I were to ever see someone driving it in school, I might just beg the person to take me for a ride! Ok, maybe not. I'm not THAT desperate.

Anyway, cars in Singapore are so friggin expensive, hell knows when I'll be able to afford one. I should probably consider something more practical, more attainable... like maybe, a scooter? Think vintage, like a Vespa. Classy too!

The Italians ride it along the streets in Milan that line the Prada and Gucci boutiques and what have you. And man, it will definitely help me score some points with the hunky Italian men when I decide to visit the country (hehe... they're HOT!)

ET4

Or maybe something a little more sporty from Piaggio? I swear this will look like a Batcycle (or Batscooter, if he rides one) in black.

Piaggio X9

Actually my best friend will probably object to me learning to ride. She thinks motorcyclists are a road hazard. They endanger their own lives AND pose a threat to drivers... ah well...

Okay, back to my own pictures...

[Time of Confession] 7:48 PM
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Camera Overload (Part Two): Of my days and activities

Most of you would know that I spend most of my days working in my school lab helping out with research and stuff.

Sometimes it almost feels like we're really scientists. Almost.

Like last Saturday, when we had to come all the way back to finish up with one part of the project, and no one else was around. I really can imagine myself doing this in future. Scuttling to and from the lab and my appointments. Working 24/7. Shit, I'm going to be such a workaholic! Haha.

Me at our tidy workbench. And you know who made it all so tidy right? I bring my obsessive-compulsive behaviour everywhere I go. Check out the pipette tip boxes behind me. I had them arranged and labelled according to colour.

One of the drawbacks of working in the lab? Chapped lips and dry skin. Seriously. It's really cold (plus the frequent exposures to the -80 or -20 degrees storage) in the lab.

The thing about doing research also, is that there's loads of waiting time. Waiting for results, waiting for cells to grow, etc. Which is why, it's wonderful to have a cafe just downstairs, which we visit once in a while, for some coffee or snack.

And once in a while, we get to see interesting things like this gigantic moth. Alright, probably not that interesting. More of freaky.

And yet another. Of course there are also the occasional visits by Mr. Millipede to our building's lobby. So to those who frequent our school building, be careful not to trample on him.

I always complain that my Panasonic D-snap/mp3 player/voice and video recorder is way too lousy as a digital camera. But hey, even too slow a shutter speed is compensated with my superb photography skills.

See, I managed to capture the very moment of KNOWING. When Peck Chin opened and saw the birthday present we got her!

More @fotopic.net

[Time of Confession] 7:40 PM
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C'est un beau jour

The day's just beginning but I know I'm going to have a good time.

Just had a large serving of my mum's killer chicken curry for brunch (after a 10 hour good's night sleep) and am getting ready to head to town to meet up with my best friend to look at pretty gowns for her ball. Window shopping's good enough for me! (Thank goodness I'm nothing like Rebecca Bloomwood)

Then we'll head to Bayshore for an evening swim (hope the pot of curry won't show in my swimwear... oops). Finally, I am getting some exercise after all these months.

And did I mention, no work at the lab today = no need to see Smelly Nelly! Woohoo!

Now all I need to do is to pray for fair weather.

Dear God...

[Time of Confession] 12:29 PM
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Something Guys Should Take a Peek at

Want to know why you're still single??

[Time of Confession] 11:50 AM
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Monday, June 27, 2005

Monday Blues

It must be one of the suckiest day at the lab.

I could already feel the negative vibe when we stepped into the office this morning. Blatant and undeniable. I would be able to taste it if I stuck out my tongue.

For one, my head hurt like crazy all day. It started with the back, just above my neck, then by
noon, the pain migrated to around the sides and everywhere else. Till now, I'm still getting a throbbing ache on my left temple.

Then, everyone seemed especially moody today. Ultra-touchy-irritable-cantankerous moody. Stingy with the smiles and devoid of friendliness. What the heck's going on?

Oh right, Smelly Nelly is back. No wonder last week was fun and smooth-sailing; she was on a one-week leave.

Smelly Nelly is someone who works in the same lab - and of course that's not her real name. It's something Von and I came up with, for easy reference when we're talking about her.

Why the name? The first thing that came to my mind when I thought of her was "nails on a chalkboard". Simply because her very presence irks and causing cringing. So I tried to think of a nickname that sounded close to 'nails' and Nelly came to mind. Then Von commented that Nelly's good, because it rhymes with smelly (she doesn't actually smell bad).

Smelly Nelly really gets on our nerves. Other than the fact that she brings the bad karma around (sounds crazy but how else do you explain for the wonderful and almost heavenly past week??), she's horrid, gossipy and totally hypocritical.

Like this morning, when she was looking for an enzyme, she couldn't even ask for it nicely; then when I found some in another fridge (not supposed to be there but someone may have misplaced it accidently) and passed it to her, she shot an annoyed look and started bitching to another person about how come the enzyme's not in the right place blablablabla... like it's my fault.

Then she kept watching Von and I throughout the day and that really put me off. What the hell's her problem??!! But when she wanted to share the gel which we had cast, she changed her tone completely to sound all nice and friendly. Pui!

The thought of having to face the bitchy Smelly Nelly for the next week or so is nauseating. Yuk...

[Time of Confession] 6:03 PM
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Sunday, June 26, 2005

Everything that's me

I was taking a break from the cleaning (it's Sunday right?) and came across this personality test so I decided to entertain myself a bit and see how true the analysis is.

The questions are abstract; very unlike the usual tests that pose questions of plausible situations in our everyday lives. So let's take ME apart and see what's inside...

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

Sounds pretty much like me - I avoid conflict! And I'd like to think that I'm rational and impartial... 80% true!

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Oh yess... intellect and drive SO turns me on! Ahem, 85% true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

C'est evident. It's probably a nice way to say that I have a problem committing? Hope not. 90% true.

The seriousness of your love:
You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Careful I don't get too serious. 87% true for the first part. The second part, still yet to be proven right. (Helloooo, Mr. Right, are you reading this??!!)

Your views on education:
Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.

Whoa ho... so not true other than the living on my own part. I want to study as long as I live. Long live the nerd in me! Oh wait, I also want to earn money... but any idea how to do that without having to work?? Overall, 30% true.

The right job for you:
You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

Guilty as charged. Which is why I always say that I'm the Jill of all trades, master of none. 80% true.

How do you view success:
You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

Errmmm....welllll, I'm not really sure about this. So much for confidence yea? 60% true.

What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.

SPOT ON!! 100% true.

Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

It's so true, it almost scares me. 98%!!

This is one freaky personality test. You think?

[Time of Confession] 3:14 PM
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Living Paradox

It's just one of those days when everything seems blah.

Nothing satisfies, nothing's good enough.

Like how I'm bored even though there's much to do;
I'm craving for lots of food even though I'm so full and bloated;
I'm tired but I don't feel like sleeping;
I'm not sad but am far from happy;
I'm not alone yet loneliness engulfs me.

C'est la vie.

[Time of Confession] 12:30 AM
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Thursday, June 23, 2005

History Repeats

Every 4 months or so, my best friend, Grace, returns home from NZ on vacation. Without fail, we will take a trip to Europe. Spain, specifically.

More specifically - MANGO of Spain.

This was us last year:

THEN: Gracey with long hair, long fringe, a dazzling smile and 2 large shopping bags.

THEN: Me with mid-length and copper brown hair, muscular (check out my left bicep man... yuk) and one large shopping bag.

And to see if things have changed:

NOW: Gracey with long hair but funky short fringe, a cheeky grin and 1 large shopping bag.

NOW: Short, black hair with a don't-know-how-to-describe pout and 1 small shopping bag.

Trend: Hair gets shorter and shopping bags get smaller! Maybe next year I will don a cropped do??!

Last night, Grace and I caught the summer blockbuster "Batman Begins".
See her reaction to the new Batman (played by Christian Bale):

"Wahhh..."

When I first read that he was going to be the latest Dark Knight, I went "Christian WHO??"
I didn't know what to expect for this prologue of the first instalment of the comic book adaptation (played by the curly hair Michael Keaton).

For the other instalments, the outcome of the movies were increasingly disappointing. With George Clooney and Chris O'Donnell in Batman & Robin (and not forgetting the very corny Batgirl), there was no doubt that the movies couldn't get ANY WORSER.

And thank goodness, Christian Bale lived up to the heroic portrayal of the caped crusader.
I once thought that Val Kilmer was the best Batman, but looks like I may be wrong!

The movie is excellent: thrilling, gripping and humorous in the right places. Don't miss it!

On the other hand, Initial D is easily missable (if there's such a word).

I haven't read the comic so I'm pretty clueless about the story behind the film but the movie didn't help me much... the plot was thin and half of the scenes were blurry images of cars on the race track.

Lacks the adrenaline pumping power and glitzy glamour of The Fast and the Furious.
The show's watchable, if 7 bucks is not too much for you to spare, but then again, it kinda seemed like a 2 hour extended MTV of Jay Chou; minus the music.

(Looks like Jay's waiting for me in his car ya?)

[Time of Confession] 7:45 PM
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Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Scheming Sisters...

I will be taking a 5 day hiatus come mid-July. I will be flying to Bangkok for my long-deserved holiday!

I'll be tagging alongside my mum who's off for a conference or some business-thingy over there. So while she's busy at meetings and all, I'll be free to conquer all the street markets to hone my very amateur bargaining prowess.

Just when I thought it will be a LADIES EXCLUSIVE trip of shopping and eating (read: only my mother and I), my sister broke the sky-crashing news that my younger brother will be tagging along too!!!

Arghhh!!!!!!!

The pretty dreamy bubble of an ideal holiday burst in an instant.

Rain clouds gathered as I imagined him complaining as we shopped (I still want to buy the cheap lingerie there!!)... or worse, if we had to share a room and fight for the toilet! NOOOOOoooooo!!!

I have to act, fast! I must try to deter him from wanting to go on this trip! As long as he doesn't want to, my mother will never make her darling son go against his wishes. But how?? He seems really keen... dammit!

Instead of cornering him with the meanest sister-glare I can muster and threaten to strangle him unless he agrees not to go, I decided to use a more subtle tactic, and maybe incorporate some reverse psychology.

(In the sweetest voice) ' Kennethhh.... are you going to Bangkok too??'

'Yah, Mummy said I can go'

'Oooh, great! You know, Bangkok is a great place to shop! Nothing else better to do there also... so we can go shopping all day long! And you can help to carry the bags ya? Since you're the guy....??'

'Harrrr.....'

Seemed like my plan was working, but I was so wrong. Apparently shopping didn't scare him enough. Luckily for me, I have an astute little genius for a sister and she knew exactly where my brother's weakness was...

'Korkor, you want to go for the trip ah?'

'Yah.'

'Oh, means you'll miss 5 days of school?'

'No lah, 4 only.'

'Wah, like that means you'll not get $20 of allowance leh.....'

'OH YAH HOR!!'

I think he might have changed his mind about going already. Muahaha... money makes the world go round!

[Time of Confession] 11:46 PM
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Sunday, June 19, 2005

Lazy Sundays

Sundays always get me down.

I'm a lazy, unkempt mess that mops around the house every last day of the weekend. Almost every Sunday. God forbid anyone to catch a glimpse of me in my Sunday clothes - other than my family of course (Bless them...).

Not that I'd rather be out frolicking in the sticky heat of summer (which happens to be everyday in Singapore) and being squashed by the merciless weekend stampede in town.

Sundays always lull by quickly. For one, it's because the hours are short (I have yet to see the morning sun on sundays..... you know what I mean). For another, I'll do things that just fill in the rest of the time that's left.

Today, I got up late after an eventful night (a whole night of disturbing dreams), fixed my brunch and sat in front of the TV for 2 hours for an award-winning film, La Promesse. Silently thought-provoking, like the others that have been acclaimed. But I think what I really need now is a Hollywood blockbuster to neutralise the after effects of the show. Gimme Batman!

Then I got on with the chores I've neglected all week - cleaning my hamster's cages, cleaning my room. Basically, just cleaning. (This is where the obsessive-compulsive thingy comes into play)

Then I took out my flute to make some noise in the empty and quiet house.

Thought I heard a neighbour grunting as he walked by the corridor. But maybe I heard wrongly. I think I may be half deaf after last night.

Yesterday was Fete de la musique and Alliance Francaise organized a concert to commemorate this special festival. I think they should rename it Fete de la bruit (noise).

Other than a few good songs in between, I only remember cringing because
1. The music was less than good.
2. The music was WAYYYYyyyy too loud (I could barely hear Ian's playing because the lead singer was taking pride in screaming)

And just when I thought I'd be in for a treat because a JAZZ TRIO would be playing next, I was only disappointed MORE. Well, the pianist (apparently some really fantastic songwriter blablabla) claimed that they have only met that very afternoon but honestly, it's the worst jamming session I've ever encountered.

The beats were off, the musicians couldn't coordinate, the pianist was stealing all the limelight with his incessant banging (note, it's banging and not playing), the double bass solo was a flop.

What a night!

Anyway, back to my lazy sunday....

[Time of Confession] 6:47 PM
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Saturday, June 18, 2005

I am...

Congratulations Joy, you are...

Scarlett Ting of joewei.blogspot.com

You are independent, smart and beautiful. Its too bad you don't see that yourself because life's little difficulties brought down a lot of your self confidence. As a result, you talk cryptic and you don't trust people easily. You care a lot for your friends and your loved ones, sometimes even more than you care for yourself, although they don't always seem to appreciate it. Don't let that affect you. As the saying goes, you don't miss the water till the well runs dry. So hang in there, you're a star in the making.

Which Singaporean Blogger are you?

[Time of Confession] 11:32 AM
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Rock On

It's finally FRIDAY; so after a productive day at the lab (because there was less sitting around and stoning), I headed to town to meet up with Grace, Ian and his band for dinner before their performance at Orchard Green for Rock On Singapore.

Honestly, the name "Rock off" would have been more appropriate.

The crowd was unenthusiastic, disinterested and for some people, plain rude and disrespectful. In particular, a group of juvenile boys (who we were describing as young, ignorant fools under muttered breaths) displayed really disgusting behaviour when Ian's band was playing.

Even if they didn't like blues and funk music (more like don't know how to appreciate lah, those low class idiots), they should have shown some respect for the musicians and just shut their big mouths up instead of passing loud and crude comments like some uneducated birdbrains.

Hmpfffhhh...

Anyway, there was quite a panic before the Raindogs got on stage because they were slated to play next but their lead singer was nowhere to be found! Their performance had been pushed forward because a few bands pulled out at the last minute... the members were so desperate they almost had to get Grace to sing impromptu for them... hehe... but luckily Jean arrived just in time.

Later at Coffee Club with Andy and Evon

Man, my feet ache after the long day. I still want that iSqueeze....

[Time of Confession] 12:12 AM
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Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Jour Trois

It's Day 3 at the lab.
Joy, the person arrived slighty late, around 9.45am. Joy, the mind was MIA.

There wasn't much to be done accept consolidating the protocol for yesterday (which I didn't have the time to do last night because of our french class outing in the evening after work), and doing some simple bacterial transformation that has to be left incubated for the next 14 hours.

So the rest of the afternoon was really just hanging around. Talking to Evon, going through our papers, trying to converse in french, stoning.

I was really beat from the long day yesterday.

But it was a great gathering, nonetheless. It was nice to see most of my classmates turn up and chit-chatting like old friends despite the fact that we've only known each other for less than 2 months.

The company was far better than the movie we watched: Venus Beaute Institut - a 1999 dated french film that's supposed to be a romantic comedy but I didn't find anything romantic about it.
Anyway, we got so bored today that we decided to surf the net a little. I did a personality disorder test again (I've actually done the same test a few years back). This is something different from the many personality tests that are so common nowadays (I don't need a program to tell me what kind of person I am; I'll usually sneer at the inaccuracy of the results.) but this test is interesting because you'd never know what are the personality disorders you possess due to some behavioural traits.

Two years ago, I was 'diagnosed' with schizotypal, narcissistic, obsessive-compulsive and a little paranoia.

My report card this year says:

Disorder	Rating
Paranoid:	Low
Schizoid:	Low
Schizotypal:	Low
Antisocial:	Low
Borderline:	Low
Histrionic:	Moderate
Narcissistic:	Moderate
Avoidant:	Low
Dependent:	Low
Obsessive-Compulsive:	High
-- Personality Disorder Test -- -- Personality Disorder Information --

Looks like there's been some improvements! Still obsessive-compulsive nonetheless. What to do? That's the way I am...

[Time of Confession] 4:39 PM
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Monday, June 13, 2005

Chocolat

The first day of attachment at the school's research lab.

A mixture of emotions overwhelmed me when we were first briefed by our seniors who were explaining to us the projects' outline.

For once in a long, long time, I feel so small and ignorant. The things I have yet to learn are plentiful; the knowledge and skills I've yet to acquire, vast. It's a pretty intensive session, trying to understand what we're supposed to do and how to do it, and desperately trying to recall what we have once learnt in our Experimental Cell and Molecular Biology module (which, unfortunately, has been lost somewhere in time... and where the heck are my notes??!!).

But I'm glad I've got this opportunity to get some hands-on experience in research. It's better than just imagining myself doing this a few years down the road. Talking of which, I'm scheduled for an interview for a scholarship to do research after my undergraduate studies, tomorrow. Wish me good luck and pray for me!!! I really want this, badly....

And a little surprise that ended my day in a sweet way.

I bumped into a friend and look what I got......

Gourmet chocolate.

Wah, looks so damn pretty I can't bear to even open the bag.

Thank you Wuzzy!

I better plan some evening jogs for the next few days. Chocolate makes my clothes shrink.

[Time of Confession] 9:33 PM
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Saturday, June 11, 2005

Le Count de Monte Cristo

If I can watch the same movie twice in 3 days, it must be swell. And trust me, this film is worth every effort to get your hands on - from the video store or from the library.

This film is based on a story by a famous French author, Alexandre Dumas, and speaks of the quest for vengeance of a young french sailor (Edmond Dantes played byJim Caviezel) , who was innocently betrayed by a childhood friend (Fernand played by Guy Pearce) who had everything - wealth and status, but was simply dissatisfied and filled with envy because his lowly best friend could find happiness and love (with a very beautiful fiancee).

The blameless Edmond was then thrown into a prison on a solitary island, condemned to a horrible fate of captivity for 13 years, losing his freedom, his promotion to captain of the ship and the greatest love of his life.

With a twist of fate, he finds a companion in prison, protecting his sanity and their friendship transforms Edmond into a different person - one who is educated and skilled. However, he continues to feed the hatred in him and is bent on revenge.

As the story unfolds, there is more to the betrayal than just mere jealously, as more characters are insidiously involved in the scandal.

When Edmond makes an amazing escape from Chateau d'If, he sets out on a journey of revenge to take back whatever he had lost from those who hurt him.

It is a delirious adventure, seeing how he carefully plots his moves, and how the baddies fall into his traps perfectly.

In the end, like in most movies, good triumphs over evil. And Edmond Dantes has the last laugh.

And did I mention how amazingly gorgeous Jim Caviezel's blue eyes are? Well, they are.

[Time of Confession] 10:37 PM
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An Aching Heart

I just had to leave my house for less than 3 hours and I'm back, with a big hole in my heart and my pocket.

I hate June.

I detest the hot weather - the blazing sun, the lack of cloud cover, the unpredictable downpours.
I hate the fact that I have no income.

I hate the rampant temptations in town because of the GSS.

I hate the fact that there are SO many birthdays this month (of course I'm happy for the birthday babies, but these happen to be the birthdays of the people I care about the most - so I am highly vulnerable to being broke).

Oh sweet July, won't you hurry and come quickly?

[Time of Confession] 4:58 PM
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Friday, June 10, 2005

Smooth Jazz

Une nuit de bonne musique jazz.
Les photographies sont ici: Spectacular spectacular

[Time of Confession] 4:03 PM
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Thursday, June 09, 2005

The Big WHY

I'm young, I don't look all that bad, I have some substance in between my ears (read: a brain), I'm not mental or anything so, WHY?

Why am I still single?

Okay, to save myself from sounding desperate, being single has its pleasures, of course. I have the freedom that I need (and want) - I come and go as I please. I am only accountable to myself and my moods are not subjective to change like the weather because of HIM. I have the time to pursue my interests and to spend time with my friends.

But wait.

My friends rarely have the time for me.

You can say that I'm one of the last few who are single and swinging. Not that I'm complaining. Am I?

You Are A Realist

You are more romantic than 20% of the population.

When it comes to romance, you tend to take a realistic approach.
You believe that love takes time, and it's something you have to work hard for.
A bit cynical, over the top romance tends to get under your skin.
Your heart is difficult to win ... but it's totally worth it.

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

Well, this quiz tells me that I'm too unromantic. Not as if I don't already know. But it's just that I sometimes feel that in relationships, there's simply too much to lose. I have gotten this far in my life (okay now I sound as if I already have a successful career. actually it's more of academia and aesthetic achievements ya...), why bother add complications?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to deal with the emotional roller-coasters on top of my daily chores. Am I commitment-phobic then?

I guess I'll just have to wait for the person who is able to treat my phobia then.

[Time of Confession] 10:36 PM
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Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Dreams

What are dreams?

Are they truly, as I've learnt in art therapy class, a reflection of a person's innermost desires and subconscious fantasies; or are they merely random thoughts and hallucinations that frolic in the playing of mind games with our conscious states of minds?

It is not pleasant at all when I suddenly have a surreal encounter with someone I thought I have long ago released from my thoughts.

It's a haunting dream. Not nightmarish, but horribly thought-provoking.

Does this mean anything at all?

[Time of Confession] 4:23 PM
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Metal-Mania

Just when I was complaining that I need some sturdy hamster-wheels, guess what I found when I made a trip to the petshop? You got it! Metal hamster-wheels!!

In blue and purple some more... so pretty.

I was very excited to try out these new wheels on my 2 little rodents.
Experimental subject #1: Shasha Chua

Observations: Shows some initial curiousity but quickly got accustomed to the new object. Displays high adaptibility.

Experimental subject #2: Joy Junior Chua aka JJ

Observations: Extremely cautious and cagey. Has paranoia tendencies. Hearty appetite. Must watch out for obesity.
(Which is highly unlikely if the food supply runs low because of the giant hamster below):

[Time of Confession] 3:59 PM
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Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Wives and Lovers - Nancy Wilson

Hey, little girl, comb your hair,
fix your make-up, soon he will open the door,
Don't think because there's a ring on your finger,
you needn't try any more.
For wives should always be lovers too,
Run to his arms the moment that he comes home to you.

I'm warning you,
Day after day, there are girls at the office
and men will always be men,

Don't stand him up, with your hair still in curlers,
you may not see him again.
Wives should always be lovers too,
Run to his arms the moment he comes home to you.
He's almost here, hey, little girl,
better wear something pretty,
Something you wear to go to the city,
Dim all the lights, pour the wine,
start the music, time to get ready for love.
Time to get ready for love,
yes it's time to get ready for love,
It's time to get ready,
kick your shoes off, baby....

Dedicated to my married friends and those who are close to getting hitched ;P
Lovely song, I like.

[Time of Confession] 10:35 PM
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La Peur des Examens

Demain, j'ai un examen francais mais je ne etudie pas fini.

Totally not in the mood to study but the paper's at 9.30am tomorrow. How? I'm so freaking dead. I just hope my CA marks is good enough to help me manage a good grade so that I can continue with level 2.

Sianzation.

Holidays are not fun when you don't have the dough. I am feeling the pinch on my bank account after Sunday's escapade. Not a very uplifting sight when I saw the balance. And it doesn't help that I'm not raking in any cash these 3 months because my students are on holiday as well - I have no income from giving tuition.

The lady sings the blues.

I can only draw comfort from my little hamster, JJ, who seems to be eating well again and putting on a fair bit of healthy weight. I was worried for the past few days when she seemed to have become skinnier and lethargic.

The lack of physical activity might explain for why she was lethargic the past few days. Her cage has been wheel-less since last week because she broke her wheel AGAIN.

Since the time I first got my hamsters, I must have bought at least 5 wheels. None of them lasted more than 3 months each. Either my hamsters are amazingly strong for their puny sizes or the quality of these wheels are far below standards. But if it's the latter, I should be hearing similar complains from my friends what... HMM...

I think I need to get a custom-made wheel of titanium or something.

Blablablablabla...

Ooh.

A thought just struck me. MAYBE I'm feeling restless because of the lack of exercise too. I need to get out my dusty racket and hit some walls soon, before I forget how to play squash completely. But where are my squash kakis??

[Time of Confession] 12:12 PM
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Sunday, June 05, 2005

Super Shoppers' Sunday

I've just spent 1 hour getting all irritated at the TV. Not that it's the TV's fault though. But really, the movies they show!

Supposed horror-flicks like Jeepers Creepers are so freaking lame. I mean, the characters in the movie are either dumb or stupid. Why must they be so kaypoh and go check out the abandoned church/ house/ any place dark and eerie when they already KNOW that something dangerous is lurking there or when someone warns them not to?
Tskkk... no wonder they say that curiousity kills the cat. Those kaypohs ALWAYS end up dead and really, serves them right.

Anyway, other than that terribly lousy show, the day went well.

Everything sweet and pleasant.

After a 2.5 hour basic make-up course at iNUOVI with Theresa and Evon, I was dying of hunger. And since we were at Suntec, I just had to have my prata!

Waited and waited with my growling stomach because the Q was never-ending and didn't seem to move and finally, after 20 min, I got my prata!

Mmm...Theresa's ecstatic too

Then we went on a mini-shopping spree to get some basic necessities and I got some CDs from HMV:

This is for me

This is for my dad...
and for me to borrow coz I like Frank Sinatra too...

For the whole 10 minutes I was walking home from the MRT station, I was smiling to myself. Come to think of it, I must have seemed idiotic. But I couldn't help it... there was this girl walking 2 dogs; a gorgeous golden retriever and a miniature schnauzer. They were so lovely that I couldn't stop myself from walking towards them and asking if I could play with them.

Sigh, I miss my dogs.

My mum finally got me a clothes rack to hang up some of my tops, skirts and pants from my bursting wardrobe and I erected it without any external help... tada!

Alas! More wardrobe space and greater viewing pleasure...

[Time of Confession] 11:31 PM
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Saturday, June 04, 2005

Opposites attract?

What do you get when you put two people of completely opposite characters together?

Chaos?

My sister and I are poles apart. I've inherited my dad's penchant for everything neat and organized (I can be quite the fanatic like Monica in FRIENDS sometimes) while she has the terrible sense of organization, which is really quite evident in my mum too.

And to have to share a single living space, our room is pretty much like heaven and hell.

The line between good and evil is obvious... as you can see.

This is the work area that I've slogged to keep neat with minimal stuff because space is really limited.

But at the other end, the table is cluttered with things upon things. Think it doesn't look too bad? But of course. This is only after I made my sister tidy it up and throw away the useless stuff (like clothes tags, plastic bags and junk mail) that amounted to 2 bags full. Sigh. And I had to be all naggy or she'd NEVER get down to it.

It's terrible. The mess she accumulates. Not to mention the dust and the bugs. Yeah, literally. I actually found 2 bugs crawling among her stuff. Yikes.

Anyway, I decided that today shall be my room-cleaning day. I spent the afternoon vacuuming, wiping and tada, my room is now spick and span (except for my sister's table lah)!

Started with making my bed. There's Trevor with my loads of cushions and pillows.

Looks inviting yea?

Next is my dresser... had to keep the cosmetics away in the drawer and put away all the styling products I have been using back in the shelf.

Then it's the shelves. Gosh, the amount of hair and body products I have. And the magazines I can't bear to throw away.

Finally, my bookcase and my CDs. This is the easiest task because it's always neat.

And last but not least, my hamsters' cages.

While busy with my chores, I discovered something amazing. JJ (the female lead of my comic strip) is an aspiring spiderwoman!

Up she goes...

Reaching the top...

Hanging upside-down!

[Time of Confession] 9:28 PM
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Monstrous Movie

I detest JLo; and Jane Fonda means nothing to me.
The movie doesn't boast a great plot either. So why on earth did put myself through 2 hours of Monster-in-law?

One indisputable reason. Michael Vartan.

But unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed.

The lack of personality and charisma in the role was something that puzzled me. Why would any good actor want to do a movie like this? A brainless and cheap comedy, no less. (and yes, I was the bigger idiot because I actually went to watch it. but at least the tickets were complimentary)

I'm aghast. Is this the actor that I've been so crazy over? Seriously?
Sigh. What was I thinking? Yeah, he still scores big time on the good looks, but with that plastered-on white smile that screams "hollow personality", the allure has been greatly reduced.

Alas, I think I'm pretty much over him.

If there's one good thing that resulted from the 2 hours, it'd have to be the fact that my sister enjoyed the show much more than I did. And that's all that matters actually, since it's pretty much her day and not mine.

more of us @ fotopic.net

[Time of Confession] 12:19 PM
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Friday, June 03, 2005

C'est fini...

After 5 weeks, 15 days and 60 hours, I have completed the French Level 1 course. Enfin. Well, almost. I'm just left with the final exam on Wednesday.

This is the day that I've been dreading for the past few weeks. Not just because it's the last day of our french lessons, but more because it's THE day of our oral exam.

I was pretty freaked out by the thought that I might just encounter a complete mental block when the examiner sputters a string of French words that don't make any sense to me, and all I can think of saying is "Je ne sais pas..." (I don't know)

It didn't ease my nerves too, to find out that my preparation for the oral topics looked terribly scanty beside Evon's.

I could only hope for a nice examiner - preferably female, because we all know that French men are.... well... intimidating.

Lady luck must have been grinning really widely today, because we got a really wonderful examiner who was kind and warm. AND, the oral was done in pairs.

So I had the comfort of having a good friend beside me through the gruelling 10 minutes. They always say "You fu tong xiang, you nan tong dang", and we really did share weal and woe. Despite a few momentary pauses trying to catch what the examiner was asking (I was guessing most of time but it's a good thing my instincts were spot-on today), the dialogue went pretty smoothly and Mademoiselle Isabelle was rather impressed with our performance.

She was really encouraging but a little over-extravagant with her praises. Her sentences were peppered with "Bravo!", "Super!", "Tres bien...." and "Perfect!" that it made us feel embarrassed.

Later in the afternoon, Evon and I were returning back to class when we met our tutor a distance away, in the same corridor. I just smiled was about to enter the class but Evon held me back.

"He's calling us," she told me. "He was psstt-ing at us to ask us to go over."

He had that frown plastered on. Were we in some kind of trouble?

We walked over and the first thing he did was to bonk me with the paper he was holding.

"Ey, your examiner said you two were perfect you know. You better continue with french level 2.... Don't waste ah!" he said between gritted teeth.

Not a very nice way to encourage students to continue pursuing a language if you ask me, but I guess that's his style.

I guess I might try for French level 2 in the next inter-sem but only if Evon agrees to share this woe with me.

It's a bittersweet farewell to bid.

I will miss the fun we had in class, interacting and learning more about each other. Evon said she found it all so ironic - that we were only with our French classmates for 5 weeks but we're already so much closer than compared to our bioscience tutorial group which we've been with for the past TWO YEARS. It's a pity we're not having as much fun studying biology as we are studying french. Then maybe, life in BS would be more enjoyable.

[Time of Confession] 11:59 PM
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