Summer lovin', had me a blaa-aa-aast

As alluded to in my cryptic Cliff Richard song-a-ma-post, I went on my much-awaited holiday to... the UK! (for obvious reasons). I managed to redeem my dad's frequent flyer miles AND get myself on an A380 for the leg there - economy class isn't much different from the usual but the in-flight entertainment is really good. Of course, as everyone was boarding, many passengers tried to sneak a peak at the business class cabin. which naturally led to envy... and 13hrs of it...

Thanks to the great in-flight entertainment, I managed to pass the time by watching several movies I didn't get to catch in the cinemas, and listening to complete music albums to drown the screams from the toddlers sitting a few rows in front. Despite the anticipation, I did get a few hours sleep that thankfully adjusted my body clock to fit European time. Through some nifty maneuvering, I cleared customs really quickly and grabbed my suitcase and ran walked swiftly out to the arrivals terminal. :)

It felt really comforting being back - and I was enjoying just being in the car together as Josh drove back to Birmingham from Heathrow. :) Once back and after a quick nap and lunch, I settled into one of my favourite roles - GROUPIE! Yes! I have actually missed being a groupie, carrying drum and cymbal bags and loading them into the car, helping unload, setting up for rehearsal... I did get to watch the sound check for Big Band's gig from the wings and wander backstage at the Warwick Arts Centre - it brought back loads of fond memories.
While they were doing sound check on stage, I ran off to meet my film buff ex-classmates! And they really are film buffs, considering they are still in Warwick because they are all MA students (and Hannah has already gotten funding for her PhD!) We had a blast in the Learning Grid (yes, i know!) as they had taken part in the Warwick Shootout, a 24hr film competition, and were rushing to finish editing the 4min entry. funny how even though we haven't seen each other for a year or kept in contact much, the banter went on for hours. it felt great talking about film stuff again with people who know exactly what you mean and actually take your suggestions into consideration (hey guys, do I get a claim to the award you guys won? hehe...)
As it happened, Sports Fed Ball was also on that evening and I got to catch up with some of the Tap people at the pre-Ball drinks (i.e. on the Piazza)!

Trying to squeeze in as much "reunion time" with Uni friends as possible, I had lunch with some of the lovely Tap girls the next day in Leamington Spa -Pizza Express! mmm... The weather was lovely so we decided to sit in Jephson Garden and enjoy some ice creams.
Perhaps it was the fact that all of us were rather tired, but somehow the time together felt more mellow than I thought it would be. We were all in a rather pensive mood - talking about "the next step" and how life after Uni is filled with possibility and is so... different. and a tad bit scary. and all so... grown-up.

Maybe it's a good thing - you know how one always looks back and wishes one is able to go back to relive the fun times of one's youth? In a way, I've gotten some closure from this trip back. Everyone has moved on in their own different ways and its time to not cling on too much to the memories...

After the frenzy of the weekend spent largely on campus, Josh and I finally got to spend loads of time with each other. Which naturally led to lots of hilarious self-portraits...

We had planned to go on a road trip to Cornwall (something we've wanted to do for a long time but never got around to while I was still a student) so in preparation for it, we got the car cleaned inside and out at the nearby car wash.
Our bags packed, we set off on our 5 1/2hr drive down down down southwest.Along the way, we stopped for lunch at a pub in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, that Josh knew of from the time he was working at a client's office in the area. I decided to do the full shebang and have a mixed grill, while Josh got one of the specials - a rack of ribs. All I can say is, "mmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Great mixed grill, though the steak was a bit overdone, and the ribs... oh the ribs... I should also mention how much I miss drinking shandy... The pub had a nice bright, airy feel and pretty good menus. I was particularly impressed by their kid's menu - kid-sized portions of the adult mains and desserts for only 4quid. Now THAT is what children's menus should be. Not rubbish like chicken nuggets and chips. I think that's the first step to getting children to eat proper meals - when kids eat the same food as adults!

As we still had a long way ahead (not to mention, we had left Birmingham late AND taken a longer than expected lunch), we stepped on it a bit down the M5. That didn't stop us from taking pictures while driving... In fact, after a few tries and placing the camera on timer on the dashboard, we got some pretty good ones.
As I could not drive due to insurance problems, I amused myself documenting the journey (and the changes in landscapes)...
At the halfway point of the journey, we turned off the M5 and got onto A-road...
As we approached the B&B (which involved driving on some very winding B-road), the weather got a bit British. :)
The view from the edge of the B&B, Tregiffian Farm, which is actually a working farm (!) - the coast is covered by the fog.

Armed with recommendations for good fresh seafood restaurants in the area from the hostess, we set off to the nearby town of Mousehole (pronounced mao-s'hol).
We initially tried to get a table at the second-choice restaurant and fortunately they had no empty tables. Wandering around, we found The Cornish Range, the B&B's top recommendation.
Josh, who is rather seafood (esp. fish)-deprived, couldn't wait for the food to arrive...I had a really nice locally-produced cider while Josh enjoyed his extremely refreshing elderflower presse.
The meal was fantastic, starting with the hearty bread and olive platter served as we waited for our appetisers to arrive.
The seared scallops with chorizo, served with asparagus spears, packed a punch,
while the avacado and lobster salad saw the deliciously creamy avacado and dressing, the succulent pieces of lobster and the crunchy salad leaves harmoniously balancing each other.
In our excitement, we forgot to take pictures of our mains - pan-friend sea bass served on top of ratatouille, with asparagus spears, and trio of lemon sole, halibut and skate with a hollandaise sauce. The ratatouille was flavourful and matched the sea bass very well while the lemon sole was clearly the best fish of the trio as the halibut was a bit too fishy and the skate a rather bland.

Despite being stuffed, we HAD to have dessert - creme brulee. It was heavenly, and the cornish cream on the side, on which sits the fish biscuit, was divine.

The next morning was glorious - from our room window you can see the coast!
This is how cut off from the world we were...
I was very tickled by how lazy the farm dog is... she remained in that position as we reversed out...
We set off for St Ives, a popular seaside town. The B-road to Penzance is incredibly beautiful albeit single-lane at some points so we had to be a bit careful and look out for vehicles coming in the opposite direction.
We drove through Penzance..and got onto the B-road to St Ives...
Finding a parking space took almost an hour because many of the roads in town are one-way so we kept going in circles trying to find a lot as near to the town centre as possible. We finally parked at one of the bigger car parks up a hill.
St Ives from above.
The gorgeous views from the pier...
Side note: everyone in St Ives seems to own at least 1 dog.
There were lots of little shops to peer into - this one was selling very funky cufflinks!

We stopped for lunch at Seafood Cafe where we shared a blended seafood soup served with garlic bread,
Cornish crab cakes on a bed of leaves with a sweet chilli dipping sauce
and classic fish and chips
Overall it was a good meal but Josh was not too pleased at the end when the waitress clearing our plates accidentally caused the spoon in the ketchup ramekin to somersault and splatter some sauce on his shirt. She wasn't very apologetic so we decided not to tip.

(I do miss the practice of tipping - the idea of showing your appreciation/displeasure makes you feel like you have more say in how good the service is)

There were quite a lot of menacing seagulls out that day - stealing Cornish ice cream cones off defenseless little children. And Josh.
St Ives looks like a Agatha Christie-Hercule Poirot set! *hums the tune song* :)
People were out in full force surfing (there are a few surf schools on the beach) and enjoying the sun.
After a relaxing day in St Ives, we trooped back to the Farm feeling very well-holiday-ed.
On the road back we passed a ruin - breathtaking...

Since we were in the area, we planned to watch a show at the Minack Theatre, an open-air amphitheatre cut into the cliff at Porthcurno. The view at the car park was already beautiful...
but the view as we walked towards the theatre was even better!
The stunning (and rather scary) theatre - as you can see, we were perched rather precariously on "box"-like seat. I was a bit freaked out for the first fifteen minutes.
Each seat had a name of a performance carved into the rock.
Breathtaking...
If you zoom in, you can see our seat - we were sitting on the small two-seater just below the top "box" with the "railings", where the blue blanket is.
The show that evening was family-friendly Pinocchio - very pantomime-ish. I was cringing slightly at the beginning but it got better as the night progressed.It was actually pretty cold and we had to clamour up to the car park to grab reinforcements in the form of extra jackets during the intermission. Most of the people seemed seasoned regulars - they came with their ice boxes of sandwiches and pasties and wine/champagne with strawberries. And almost everyone had a portable seat-cushion! It's basically two square cushions joined by two strips of fabric on the sides and it can be zipped up and carried by the fabric handles.
Our seat was 'A Midsummer Night's Dream (1968)'
The Minack Theatre swimming in post-sunset light.

On our last morning in Cornwall, after checking out of the B&B, we set off to the famous Land's End, only to find out when we got there that we had to pay 3quid for parking because apparently the tourist destination is also home to a shopping village!
So we snapped some pictures from the car and turned around. hehe...
Remember Mousehole? We had seen some funny names of towns and villages along the way so we decided to drive around and take pictures of all the other amusing road signs.
Like Drift. By the way, what is up with the chilli and the lightning bolts?
And Sheffield. Imagine our surprise seeing this sign when we were clearly driving in the opposite direction to the other Sheffield...
This, though, takes the cake -
We got very excited looking for funny Paul signage. HAHA...

Driving down the steep and narrow road to Penzance one last time (the car's clutch worked really hard on our road trip...)

We made a quick stop at Marazion on our way back to admire St Michael's Mount.
It was cold, windy and the sky was beginning to look overcast...
Yes, it was THAT cold. And I wasn't kidding when I said windy.

While in the car we realised we hadn't had cream tea yet! We could not let the opportunity for cream tea IN CORNWALL slip so we turned off at Bodmin and found a quaint tea shop to have some scones, local jam and CLOTTED CREAM.


At some point along the way back, we crossed the 1,000th mile (since Josh drove to Heathrow to pick me up). YIKES!

I had a great time, and as always, it was so hard to say goodbye.

But with each passing day, we inch closer to the future...

Summer holiday!

:)

the power of TV/film on the young

the other night my family had dinner at the hawker centre at East Coast Park and a rat ran across the floor a table away from us. seated at the next table were a large group of young children with their family. upon seeing the rat they all screamed.

then one little girl yelled, "REMY!"

the importance of strong family ties

is especially evident during the Great Singapore Sale. because shopping with your family means that you have the spectrum of credit cards between you to garner additional discounts on top of the slashed prices.

down memory lane

i started off this weekend by reading Kafka.

now, little children, reading Kafka the first thing after waking up on a Saturday morning is not the wisest choice to make. really.

so to counter the impending depression, i dug into my book cupboard and took out some of my favourite books from a bygone era.

Sweet Valley Twins.

:)

oh, and to top it off, i watched about 6 episodes of Gilmore Girls last night.

shutdown weekends

call me anti-social but most of the time on weekends, all i want to do is just spend time at home with the family. which involves watching loads of TV, driving with my family in tow, having long chats with my mom (maybe sneaking a bit of "errand-running" a.k.a. "shopping with a purpose" from time to time), eating at home... recently though, i've been trying to make good on a resolution i made earlier in the year - to read more. i had this feeling some time ago that work was making me stupid. in an existentialist way. yes i've been reading but the sort you do for work doesn't give you the buzz. you know, that wonderful feeling of stimulation when you read a book and pause to ponder something beyond P&L (though in my job, i thankfully don't have to think of P&L).

the past two weekend have thus been spent devouring books (1 reasonably thick one last weekend and 2 in the past two days) that i picked up at the MPH warehouse sale on Labour Day. bought at the bargain price of $7 each, they've each been a joy to read, and while some are not exactly academic material, they really did give me that thrill.


Book Review

to appeal to the nerd/intellectual in you, i would heartily recommend this collection of short stories by Chinese writer Li Yiyun. the book is a collection of very touching stories, of Chinese people trying to cope in a post-Mao China/Chinese society. while my mom stopped at the first story as she found it too depressing, it really is a rewarding book if you can get past the rather sad storylines/premises.

What Would Barbra Do, on the other hand, is utterly funny. perhaps the reason why i really enjoyed it was because i adore musicals. Emma Brockes has loads of funny anecdotes from her interaction with musical-lovers and musical -haters, and even has a chapter attempting to explain why men hate musicals (and suggestion of musicals that might change their minds!).
what sold me to buy the book was the synopsis:

Film musicals: you either love them or they make you want to kill yourself slowly with plastic cutlery. Nothing has the power to lift your heart or turn your stomach like Howard Keel in fake sideburns singing "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" or Julie Andrews singing...well, just about anything. There are few situations where the question: What would Barbra do? doesn't have relevance in a world which is much better lived to a soundtrack of show-tunes. This is a book for people who know that: people don't tend to die in musicals, but those who do deserve it; true love waits long enough for an element of mistaken identity to be introduced (especially if one of the couple is a Nazi); and, women carry the show. Talented women wind up alone...But they have the consolation of the torch song, which in Hollywood musicals is more fulfilling than a husband.



Now the last book on my review is in a word, FABULOUS. if every woman in the world read this book, ahhh, life would just be DIVINE. we'd be having lovely formal dinners, people will actually write thank you cards for gifts received, we'd all be CIVIL to each other... oh what a world it would be. :)

Blimey!

now i bet you didn't know there is a COCKNEY BIBLE! it's hilarious!

and i'm sure somewhere up in Heaven, God is chuckling as he reads it...

Excerpts:
Jesus feeds five thousand geezers
(Matthew 14; 13 - 21, Luke 9; 10 - 17, John 6; 1 - 14)
JESUS' chinas met up with 'im. Jesus and his little group of apostles didn't even have time for a bite to eat. So 'e said to 'em, "Oi, fellas, let's pop off on our Jack for a while and have a little rest and a feather."
So they got into a nanny and headed off to a quiet place.
Loads of people saw them leaving, so people from all over different towns ran like the clappers by land and arrived at the same place Jesus was headed for.
When Jesus got out of the old nanny, 'e saw this bloomin' huge crowd.
Now time was getting on and a little alligator, his disciples came up to him and said, "It's getting a little late, boss, and this is a really lonely place.
"I think we should send all these Hank Marvin people to some of the farms and villages dahn the old frog so that they can buy some nosh to eat."
"Why don't you give 'em something to eat?" Jesus asked. "Now 'ang on, boss," they said. "Are we gonna have to spend two hundred silver coins on Uncle Fred in order to feed this lot?"
Jesus asked, "How much grub have you got? Go an' 'ave a butcher's." They told 'im, "We've got five loaves of Uncle Fred and two Lillian Gish."
Jesus then told his disciples to ask all the people to get into groups and sit dahn on the grass.
Jesus then took the Uncle Fred and the Lillian Gish. He broke the Uncle Fred into bits, gave it all to his disciples and told them to give some food to everyone. He also broke the Lillian Gish into bits and told his chinas to pass it on.
Now, would you Adam and Eve it, everyone 'ad enough to eat!

The Lord's Prayer
(Luke 11; 2 - 4)
HELLO, Dad, up there in good ol' Heaven,
Your name is well great and holy, and we respect you, Guv.
We hope we can all 'ave a butcher's at Heaven and be there as soon as possible: and we want to make you happy, Guv, and do what you want 'ere on earth, just like what you do in Heaven.
Guv, please give us some Uncle Fred, and enough grub and stuff to keep us going today, and we hope you'll forgive us when we cock things up, just like we're supposed to forgive them who annoy us and do dodgy stuff to us.
There's a lot of dodgy people around, Guv; please don't let us get tempted to do bad things. Help keep us away from all the nasty, evil stuff, and keep that dodgy Satan away from us, 'cos you're much stronger than 'im.
Your the Boss, God, and will be for ever, innit? Cheers, Amen.



P.S. The translation was done by school teacher Mike Coles and is approved by Dr George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury who feels that it puts energy and passion back into the stories.

my two cents worth

my theory is that Boris beat Ken not because he is the better politician but because Top Gear has ruined Ken's image with its constant repetition that Ken is an idiot for all his policies on road pricing.

TV celebrities 1: Politicians 0

another reason why the media plays an important role in checking the government.

i wonder when that will be true here.

the world would be a better place if

Monty Python-esque diplomacy was employed and Monty Python songs/skits/movies/TV were vehicles of some globally agreed-upon propaganda.

you wouldn't have all these uncivilised and frankly, rather over-the-top, reactions by the Chinese, and everyone will get along splendidly.


The world today seems absolutely crackers,
With nuclear bombs to blow us all sky high.
There's fools and idiots sitting on the trigger.
It's depressing and it's senseless, and that's why...
I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees,
Yet they're always friendly, and they're ready to please.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
There's nine hundred million of them in the world today.
You'd better learn to like them; that's what I say.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They come from a long way overseas,
But they're cute and they're cuddly, and they're ready to please.

I like Chinese food.
The waiters never are rude.
Think of the many things they've done to impress.
There's Maoism, Taoism, I Ching, and Chess.

So I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
I like their tiny little trees,
Their Zen, their ping-pong, their yin, and yang-ese.

I like Chinese thought,
The wisdom that Confucious taught.
If Darwin is anything to shout about,
The Chinese will survive us all without any doubt.

So, I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees,
Yet they're wise and they're witty, and they're ready to please.

All together.

[verse in Chinese]
Wo ai zhongguo ren. (I like Chinese.)
Wo ai zhongguo ren. (I like Chinese.)
Wo ai zhongguo ren. (I like Chinese.)
Ni hao ma; ni hao ma; ni hao ma; zaijien! (How are you; how are you; how are you; goodbye!)

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
Their food is guaranteed to please,
A fourteen, a seven, a nine, and lychees.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
I like their tiny little trees,
Their Zen, their ping-pong, their yin, and yang-ese.

I like Chinese.
I like Chinese.
They only come up to your knees...


Now, some people have asked me how I can find such a song so hilarious when they are pretty much making fun of my race. My response is, even if they are mocking the Chinese, how can "wo ai zhongguo ren" sung by a group of ang mohs not guarantee a smile on your face?

and if I were one of the millions in China outraged by recent apparently insulting actions of the West, "wo ai zhongguo ren" would sound pretty appeasing to me... there pretty much isn't any way of misinterpreting that statement, if you ask me...

i have a suspicion the Lees have read Kafka

I picked up an old copy of Franz Kafka's short stories recently. The first story was 'The Great Wall of China' and this paragraph really stood out:

Nowadays one can perhaps speak about it without danger. At that time for many people, even the best, there was a secret principle: Try with all your powers to understand the orders of the leadership, but only up to a certain limit—then stop thinking about them. A very reasonable principle, which incidentally found an even wider interpretation in a later often repeated comparison: Stop further thinking about it, not because it could harm you—it is not at all certain that it will harm you. In this matter one cannot speak in general about harming or not harming. What will happen to you is like a river in spring. It rises, grows stronger, eats away powerfully at the land along its shores, and still maintains its own course down into the sea and is more welcome as a fitter partner for the sea. Reflect upon the orders of the leadership as far as that. But then the river overflows its banks, loses its form and shape, slows down its forward movement, tries, contrary to its destiny, to form small seas inland, damages the fields, and yet cannot maintain its expansion long, but runs back within its banks, in fact, even dries up miserably in the hot time of year which follows. Do not reflect on the orders of the leadership to that extent.


And the recent security debacle in Singapore and the debates in Parliament seem to confirm this...

don't you sometimes wonder why/how the oddest, most random pieces of information are retained at the back of your head?

like how your toilet paper should face out because it tears more easily than if the roll faces inwards.

(from the first episode of vintage Singapore sitcom 'Three Rooms' - anyone remember that?)

mmm... custard...

as my mom had a box of Marks & Spencer all butter tartlet cases sitting around in the kitchen for some time, i decided to bake this weekend and use them up before they ended up like the christmas pudding of 2006 (or maybe it was 2005?).

i was surfing Epicurious.com for a tart recipe (something that is foolproof) and chanced upon this, which had very positive ratings and reviews. as i only had 8 tartlet cases and the recipe made 24, i quartered the ingredient amounts and made 6.

To make Portugese Cream Tart (filling):

Whisk together 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of all-purpose flour in a heavy saucepan.

Whisk in 150ml of heavy cream (I used Dulla Pure Cream), 2 large egg yolks, some lemon zest, a pinch of salt and 2-3 drops of vanilla extract. Cook over moderate heat and stir constantly. The custard will thicken. Take it off the heat once the first bubble appears on the surface (which will take about 10mins).

Transfer the custard to a bowl to cool, whisking until just warm. Spoon the custard into the cases and bake in a preheated oven (at 200 degrees Celsius) for about 10mins until the crust has browned.

Remove from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Sieve some icing sugar and ground cinnamon over and serve either warm or at room temperature.


the custard smell filled the kitchen as i was enthusiastically whisking it over the stove and it tasted really delicious. the generous dusting of cinnamon also helped balance the sweetness and sharpness (thanks to the lemon zest) of the custard. initially when i found the recipe i thought it was for Portugese Egg Tarts but upon taking my first bite, i realised it was far from it. but it turned out to be a good thing as this custard can be used as a base for many different tarts (e.g. fruit tarts where you layer pieces of fruit over the custard) so i'll definitely be filling this for future use.

HIS faith has made me whole

because the victory is already mine

I see all my sins nailed to that shattered form
Now grace as healing flows
To me You gave

For you

i'll be your perky cheerleader...

i feel like i'm playing Monopoly and i landed on 'Community Chest'/'Chance'

on the way home from a rather pricey dinner (sigh - it was yum though so COMPLETELY justified...) and had to withdraw cash from the ATM. was rather dismayed at the balance displayed on the screen after the money was spat out and while walking home, was calculating where all my money disappears to each month.

bemoaning the "loss" of my monthly paycheck, i arrived home and realised i had mail. from the insurance company. gosh, i thought, maybe it's about them asking for payment (i.e. my direct-debit/GIRO failed to go through again this month).

to my pleasant surprise, the rather fat letter read:

Dear Policyholder

We refer to our letter dated 28 February 2008.

We wish to clarify that there was no need for you to submit a fresh GIRO form. You may wish to know that we have already forwarded the GIRO form submitted previously to your banker for approval. We shall be writing to you again upon receipt of the bank's approval to confirm the deduction date of your premium.

As a gesture of regret, we have enclosed a S$20/- TANGS shopping voucher.

We apologise for the confusion caused and thank you for your kind understanding on this matter.


whoa! God has a great sense of humour. AMAZING. especially since on the way home doubts were running in my mind about His provision for my finances.

and you know what's the kicker in this? He sent me a shopping voucher! indeed God, You are all-knowing and such a cool friend... :)

IT HAS ARRIVED!

just came today in the post. :)

hey, even the President can be a tad bit cool...

(click on image to view full clipping)

someone once asked me, "why learn Tap dancing? you can't really USE it compared to other social dance forms like salsa..."

well, this just proves you can Tap anywhere, anytime, just because... :)

the most disgusting way to eat fast food

is to have it with salad.

after all, the point of fast food is to revel in the greasiness and lack of nutrition. basically stuff that leads to obesity.

dare i say 'yum'? :)

but to counter the atrocity i committed (and to make peace with all outraged hard-core junk food fans), i tucked into my delicious chicken while in bed, with my eyes glued to the TV (actually, my laptop but who's keeping track here, eh?) watching Gilmore Girls (season 2, if you are interested).

ahh, life is beautiful...

in RETRO-spect

these past days i've been doing something very old-fashioned: instead of taking my Zen Stone Plus to work, i've been carrying my Sony CD-Walkman - YES I KNOW! which also means i've been digging into my CD collection for CDs to listen to.

and somehow that has resulted in me listening to some very retro material. take for example Monday's CD of choice:erm, Geri Halliwell's "It's Raining Men", anyone?oh then Wednesday's was MTV's Fantastic Females! does anyone remember Jennifer Paige?!? and my CD came with a bonus VCD of 5 of the music videos. Celine Dion's "Immortality" with the Bee Gees has got to be one of the best/funniest videos!

Thursday's retro CD-of-choice was...that soundtrack is like doubly retro! a 90s movie set in the 80s and me listening to the songs in the 00s! haha..."Oooh heaven is a place on earth"... "turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so da-da-da-da-da-daaaa"... "karma-karma-karma-karma-karma- chameleon!"... hehehe...
oh and Friday's CD was Robbie Williams - "Rock DJ" is a GREAT song! i can still remember the music video (the one that caused quite a stir) which had him stripping - and peeling off his skin and muscle till he was just a skeleton dancing on stage (with afro-sporting models on rollerskates). ahh... those were the days... when i was a massive fan of his music...

this whole retro-music thing put me in a nostalgic mood at work - and something someone said in the office suddenly reminded me of childhood cartoons and... Stoppit and Tidyup! i got so excited i went around asking my colleagues if they remembered it. and no one did. me being me, i searched for it on youtube and found it!

i remember being very tickled by this cartoon. and The Big Bad 'I Said No'. i loved the quirkiness of this cartoon. which if you watch it when you are older, reminds you very much of Monty Python (very Flying Circus).


and who can forget Zoo Cup! sadly i was unable to find any episodes in English, but hey, football transcends language barriers, right?

I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST!

YAY! *does the dance of joy, Perfect Strangers-style*

i accumulated 14 demerit points during the test, 12 of which were while IN the circuit - Failure to confirm safety during 1) directional change [-4], 2) vertical parking [-4] and 3) parallel parking [-4].

on the other hand, while on the road, i positioned my car incorrectly at the junction (did not move far enough into the yellow box for the right turn) and failed to overtake when necessary (in my defence, there was a really expensive-looking Merc in front of me in the filter lane who decided he didn't want to turn right after all so he moved out but part of his car was still in my lane and i didn't think i had enough clearance space to overtake him without scratching his car OR inching into the lane of oncoming traffic). Thankfully these mistakes were "free" (as my instructor said, "you get to make mistakes like this for FREE" - cue excited expression in voice). the mistake that i did make which cost me 2 points was "failure to use appropriate gear". which in this case, not changing up to 4th gear. even though the fastest i went was probably only 50km/h. apparently the tester said that once i hit 40km/h i should have used 4th already. :(

BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER! BECAUSE I PASSED!

and am excitedly awaiting the arrival of my photo-card in the post in 2 4* weeks!

*due to some system upgrade...

My Funny Valentine

as the song goes, "each day is Valentine's Day".
my "sweet, comic","looks are laughable, unphotographable" and "figure less than Greek" Valentine romanced me at the swanky Changi airport during his 5 hour transit last night.you really make me smile with my heart.

Ahh... Tony! Barbra! my pals!

Smile, though your heart is aching.
Smile, even though it's breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky, you get by if you smile.
Through your fears and sorrow, smile.
And maybe tomorrow you'll see the sun come shining through for you.
Light up your face with gladness.
Hide every trace of sadness, although a tear may be ever so near.
That's the time you must keep trying.
Smile, whats the use of crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if u just smile.

That's the time you must keep on trying.
Smile, what's the use of crying.
You'll find that life is still worthwhile, if you just smile.
Smile.
Just smile.

hmm... interesting... (good news for me?)

UK bosses fed up with self-centred diva grads

Gen Y grads: Big headed, boastful, spoilt

4 February 2008

THEY want everything to fall into their laps.

And they boast about how tech-savvy, how educated and how much in demand they are.

Meet the Generation Y graduates - those born after 1982 - successors to Gen X. who were known for being cynical and disaffectionate.

If you're an employer in the UK, you probably wouldn't want to meet this particular bunch - the ones many employers are labelling 'graduate divas'.

They're the ones who lack initiative, over-sell themselves, and walk into an interview room chirping 'you all right, mate?'

A report in The Daily Mail says bosses in the UK are looking overseas for staff with a stronger work ethic in a bid to avoid self-centred, fickle and greedy employees.

The article comes after a report from the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) that revealed employers' recruitment difficulties on the low calibre of graduates.

Those in Gen Y are said to be career-orientated, but many bosses find them less than satisfactory. As a result, a quarter of employers now actively market vacancies abroad.

More than two-thirds of the 217employers polled predicted recruitment difficulties in the comingyear - up from 55.4 per cent a yearago.

And last year, nearly half had to leave prized graduate jobs open, even though universities turned out record numbers of students.

Some Gen Y graduates reportedly lack literacy and numeracy skills. Others present themselves poorly.

According to the report, based on responses from employers in investment banks, law and accountancy firms, some Gen Y graduates lack initiative and expect to be pandered to.

In one case, a new recruit to a transport company was heard on the phone saying to his mum: 'I have got to go to London tomorrow and they haven't even told me how to get there.'

MrCarl Gilleard, AGR chief executive, said: 'The employer threw up her hands in anger.

'Here was someone working for a transport company, was 21, spent three years at university and who was aggrieved because he hadn't been given a detailed map.'

Mr Gilleard added: 'There is a sense among Generation Y that they want it all and they want it now. Generation Y is me, me, me, but the employer thinks, no, it's us, us, us.

'I think there is a wake-up call... As far as graduates are concerned, it's really important they understand the rules of the game.'

The demand for top graduates is illustrated by the report's finding that the number of vacancies is at a 10-year high and is expected to rise.

The report also said that graduates are often seen as 'divas... who expect everything to fall into their laps'.

It noted: 'A quarter (of employers) praise the 'strong work ethic and desire to succeed' of overseas graduates.'

Mr Gilleard added: 'This may have wider long-term implications...and both employers and graduates may have to amend their expectations.'

Perhaps it's time for fresh grads, from any generation for that matter, to stop thinking that it's all about them.

source: The New Paper

interesting perspective

if you trust a hawker to bring you your order, how much more should we trust God to give us what is ours through His sacrifice?

what i learnt from this year's Chinese New Year

i have my father's genes when it comes to drinking - because if i had my mother's, i'd turn red really quickly. according to my uncle, my grandfather and my great-grandfather were like that as well.

phew.

Surreal

you came and went - it feels like such a dream. when i woke up this morning it felt as if the past few days never happened and if they did, they went by too fast.

much too fast... i'm wondering how long reality will take to sink in... that our short time together,
has already passed and it's a few months till the next one...

i can't get enough of you baby...

yes it's true... baby yes it's tru-ue...


Josh is coming to spend the next few days with me so please excuse me for being MIA (online, answering e-mails, meeting up...) since i have absolutely no idea when i will next get to see him (it could even be as far away as Christmas).

i will be "back" on Monday.

driving lesson anecdotes a.k.a. words of wisdom from the driving instructor

"your tester is an old man, probably in his 50s. he needs to be reassured that you are a safe driver because if he is not, he will not want to pass you. remember - he probably has a weak heart."

"erm, your left blind spot ah, is virtually non-existent (translation: you hardly check your left blind spot) and your tester sits on the left so he will notice it more. and it's harder for girls with ponytails? do you know why? because when you turn your head your ponytail will flick so if he doesn't see a flick from the corner of his eyes he will know you didn't check."

"why are you in such a rush to get through the course? the slower you take, the less things you have to do to fill up the 40min test time so you should go slow. then you will have less chance of losing points."

"sorry if it seems like i am dosing off. because i am. but your driving is pretty safe so good for me lor."

"remember, it's all about wayang... give the tester the impression that you are a safe driver... although you SHOULD also be a safe driver, not just act it."

oh what a beautiful day!

woke up to a lovely surprise today - Josh made a surprise visit to my house! see, he's en route to KL from London and had a 5 hour transit. complication was that i had already booked my driving lessons and could not cancel so we figured, nevermind, i'll see him when i do on Wednesday.

but he decided to get out of the airport and catch a cab to my place early in the morning simply to say "hi". and on the cab to my place he was getting worried i might have left for my driving lesson already (thank goodness i am the queen of maximising sleep time - and only wake up at the latest time possible).

despite only having half an hour together, it was very worth it! :)

oh and to top that all off, Bob Fitts led worship today - and there was extended praise and worship after the benediction since it was the last service of the day. wheee!

it's so bad it's good!

i feel like a total junkie now.

Moon lent me the ENTIRE series of Gilmore Girls. ENTIRE. SERIES.

it's like caffeine. administered via IV.

and i have a 3 1/2 hr driving lesson tomorrow morning.

like Lorelai would say, "COFFEEEEEEEEE..."

All around the world, let the praise begin

there's something very exciting knowing that you've got a prayer buddy halfway around the world and that you are both standing in faith together on matters close to your heart.

this week i was reminded that in all things, God will provide and that thought is enough to keep us going strong through the tough times.

Earworms

Main Entry:	earworm2
Part of Speech:	n
Definition:	a song or tune that gets stuck in one's mind and repeats as if on a tape; also written ear-worm, ear worm; also called cognitive itch, sticky tune

earworm for the day was 'Somewhere' from West Side Story - somehow my dreams seem to have a soundtrack and last night, it was 'Somewhere' and everything looked blurrily Technicolour-ish. sort of like in the film where all the colours were so rich and seemed to bleed into each other.

and speaking of earworms and dreams, i realised i havent mentioned any of my weird dreams recently. the oddest in recent memory has got the works (not to mention the very random pop culture references)! let's just say that there was Stephen Collins (as Rev. Eric Camden from Seventh Heaven), Swan Lake on Ice, Amy Winehouse (?!? - exactly what i was thinking when she popped up in my dream) and some very Paris Geller-esque behaviour (references to Harvard included). and soundtrack for that? 'When the Doves Cry' (version by Quindon Traver).

ah but perhaps the weirdest earworm this week must be 'Count on me Singapore'. i rest my case...

i am amused at all this talk in the air

about weddings, ever since word got out that someone got engaged. (congrats again!).

there's a buzz of excitement and wistful sighs once the story is repeated to the umpteenth person.

makes you feel a tad old but very grown-up indeed!

people watching on the train

a while ago i was on my way home from a driving lesson and sitting across from me was a teenager/boy in his early 20s who was solving the Rubik's Cube. and not like normal people do but in a puzzle-wizard sort of way. like speed-Rubik's-Cubing. amazing! (and i feel it was totally justifiable to be staring!) He was twisting the cubes randomly about 10 times and took only about 15 seconds to solve it. once in a while when he got stuck, he'd look at the pattern intensely and miraculously figure out what previous step he did wrong so that 1-2-3 rotations later, the colours all lined up.

GEEK!

yesterday on the way to work i was standing next to a lady reading a guide book on Paris. ahh... i was completely reading over her shoulder (alas! she was tall. but she was holding up her book pretty high - perhaps to show off that she was possibly travelling to Paris in the near future?). looking at pictures of gay Paris (no, not that kind of gay! it's the phrase commonly used to describe Paris - very Hollywood...), i imagined myself back there, and reminiscing about the good times spent wandering the streets of Paris (and lounging in the gardens, browsing the museums) made the journey to work so much shorter.

Oh how clever

when i was a student in the UK, i applied for tax-relief on the interest paid by my bank to me. every once in a while they send me a form that i have to complete (which includes a section that i have to fill regarding the number of taxable days i physically spent in the UK in the past few tax years) for them to verify that i am still eligible for it.

i recently received this form again. clever me made a note the last time to save all my calculations somewhere since every time i get the form i end up manually counting the days (it gets tiresome, especially since i travelled a fair bit). however, the not-so-clever part of me forgot where i saved my calculations. i spent quite a bit of time searching all my hard-drives for the document (frustration set in after 5 mins) to find nothing. good thing i spoke to Josh (to check if i had saved it on his desktop) because he remembered that i had posted it on my previous blog so that i wouldnt lose the file/info.

genius me, oh what a genius.

so now the form is filled and will be posted tomorrow! all for the sake of a few more pounds...

By faith, I declare the year ahead blessed

'Free' by Hillsong United
From the album 'To The Ends Of The Earth'

Would you believe me if I said
that we are the ones who can make the change
in the world today?
Would you believe me if i said
that all of your dreams in your heart
can come true today?
Would you believe me if i said
that life could be all that you want it to be today?

Chorus
And if had wings I would fly
'cause all that I need, You are
And if the world caved in around me
to You I'd still hold on
'Cause You're all that I believe
and the one that created me
Jesus, because of You
I'm free


Would you believe me if I said
that God can make miracles happen today?
Would you believe me if I said
that you don't need to wait for the answers before
you step out in faith?
Would you believe me if I said
that nothing is ever impossible for God?

Bridge
Just live your life with God inside
you won't regret one moment of it
and give all that you can for God
For God

Ice Kachang reprise

the past few days, i've found myself having lots of ice kachang (blame it on the weather and my family's choice of food for meals). and everytime my parents suggest we go for ice kachang, the song (lyrics have been previously posted) pops into my head, and i start to sing it to myself, much to the partial amusement of my mom.

it's catchy, it's funny - i'm spreading the joy!

how do you explain the concept of happiness?

over coffee today, R talked about how there is nothing really to be happy about, that success only brings feelings of relief that you've not failed.

i disagreed, saying that there are many things in life that he/people should be happy about, not just merely relieved for. his reply was "what then?". and it took me some time to answer that question. i guess i've never really thought about why i feel happy. i just feel it. there are so many things that make me happy. and happy as in 'brings a smile to my face' rather than 'not sad'. my answer was 'friends and family'. he said, 'but you can't choose family'. i replied, 'you can take steps to making things better'.

it amazes me how pessimistic and disillusioned with life a young person can be. or maybe i'm one of the abnormal ones. i'm happy with my life. genuinely happy. i've got a great family (and even though they may annoy me at times, there's something warm about being with family), a boyfriend who wants to be with me even though he is miles away (thousands, actually), a job where i'm trusted with a reasonable amount of responsibility - a job i rather enjoy doing, friends who are quirky and loveable. life isnt perfect but hey, i dont need it to be perfect to be happy. in fact i like it the way it is, idiosyncratic and all.

'tis the season for giving

this year, my brother gave me a Coach key-holder. my immediate reaction was, "is it because i carry my keys on a mini swiss army knife key-chain?"

"it's a weapon you know!"

i stare at the key-holder. he looks at me and says, "i don't think your swiss army knife will be able to fit in it."

"oh." and i look crestfallen.

"i still haven't gotten you a present. what do you want?"

"right now i just want a tick-free dog."

"oh."


there are some things that money can't buy. for everything else, there's Mastercard?

isn't it funny that all Hollywood/TV portrayals of Santa Claus

have him sounding like Sean Connery? maybe that's where his real fortune comes from - vocal coach to all aspiring Santas!

like "The Sean Connery School For Santas" where they train current and new talent to sound like Sean Connery.

ironic really, since Sean Connery basically can't do any OTHER accent/voice...



Merry Christmas one and all!

i love how

RGS girls don't seem to limit themselves to Singapore.

at a reunion organised by 2 very connected people (i.e. they know/are still in contact with a lot of influential people to get the message passed around), it was pretty amusing how the conversation went:

"how are you? what are you doing now?"

"oh, i'm working now, doing PR."

"in Singapore? permanently?"

"yup, in Singapore. it's a permanent job."

"cool. do you see yourself going back to the UK or anywhere else anytime in the future?"


it felt good to see some old friends again. the sort that you can just strike up a conversation with and it feels like secondary school was just yesterday.

then again, there will always be the "cool gang" that hang out among themselves and even after all these years, things don't seem to change...

the power of music

Currently listening to: "Every Summer Night", The University of Warwick Big Band Live at Montreux Jazz Festival 2006

music has the amazing ability to bring a smile to your face, yet fill you with sadness.

listening to your playing helps me feel closer to you - if i close my eyes i can imagine being right there at one of your gigs and enjoying myself. yet when i open my eyes i realise i'm not. that you are still there and i am still here.

and somehow night there seems more magical,more inviting there than here. there's something about the cold wind, the not-so-bright lights, walking/sitting beside you in the car and watching the scenery go by...

driving in the fast lane

i have learnt several things about myself the past few weeks:

1) i like to speed.
2) i'm not afraid to accelerate quickly to overtake a slower-moving car in front of me.
3) i tend to make turns in 3rd gear.
4) i tend to make turns in 3rd gear and at speeds of 30-40km/h.
5) i tend to make turns in 3rd gear and at speeds of 30-40km/h without slowing down before entering the turning lane.
6) i am able to brake in time when travelling at 60km/h as the traffic light turns amber (while on a downward slope) and stop just behind the white line.

i wonder why my driving instructor asked me if i've driven a car before. he actually said, "erm, you don't drive like a learner".

Gee...