Carpe Diem

Last Holiday

2011-12-08T23:57:00.011+08:00

I've been meaning to type this for a long time but have been distracted by games on my new phone! It's already one week into probably the last ever holiday I'll have, not including the period after I graduate. That will be considered unemployment. So, I have come up with a list of things to do this December holidays, which I promise I will complete them all as I doubt I'll have so much time in future again!

~~TV Programmes~~
US typically takes a break during this holiday season so there isn't really much shows for me to catch up with since they'll all be back only next year. There isn't many nice Japanese dramas for me to watch too and I'm not really chasing any anime right now, so the only show I'll be watching is LOST!! A few years too late, but I'm gonna finish up seasons 5 and 6! I'm a few eps into season 5 now and I'm hooked so I have no doubt I'll finish this up soon! I've been meaning to watch "One Piece" but I doubt this one month holiday is sufficient for me. If I'm not wrong, I think there's close to a thousand episodes already!!

UPDATE:
I've finished LOST but I'm starting on Gossip Girl! And ever since I found a new site to watch the US dramas that Funshion removed, I've been catching up on the past few episodes of Fringe and Glee. To continuously practise my Japanese, I've also found a few new anime to watch. In short, I've been watching lots of shows such that I've been neglecting the other tasks!

Books
I've downloaded a few ebooks, coupled with a few other books I borrowed from the library:

The Vampire Diaries Series

Sword of Truth Series

Stephanie Meyer, Twilight books

Inheritance, the last book in the inheritance cycle. I'll probably reread the rest too since I've forgotten what happened in the previous books. This final book has been a long wait!

~~Totto chan!~~ I started reading this a long time ago but it's not very comfortable reading it on the computer screen! Now that I can read it on my phone, albeit the small words, I can probably finish this soon too!

~~Books borrowed from the library.~~ I should probably finish this first and I should stop borrowing for now considering I still have dozens of books to read.

Clean My Room

Wash blankets

~~Wash bedsheets~~

~~Air the mattress~~

~~Wash my sweaters~~

~~Organise my wardrobe.~~ Time to throw/give away those clothes I seldom wear. My wardrobe is running out of space. But that's not because I have too many clothes; rather it's because my wardrobe is too small....

~~Organise my study table and shelves~~

And finally, one last thing:
~~Transfer all my stuff from my old Acer laptop.~~ Perhaps I shall get the screen repaired and give it to my mother to use?

UPDATE #1:
It's been 2 weeks since I typed this and I've only completed one task! The good news is I've finally gotten round to washing my bedsheets and airing my bed. I'm putting off washing my blankets for now as it is pretty cold these few days. I'll probably get around to transferring all my stuff from my Acer laptop later today. And not forgetting there's still FYDP research which I've yet to do...

UPDATE #2:
I've finally transferred (all) my stuff over to my not-so-new laptop. Now all that's left is to organise those stuff and delete all unwanted things (which there are a lot). I've decided not to repair the screen as the laptop is running real slowly. Perhaps I can figure out how to remove the CPU from the laptop to sis's spoilt desktop (if it's even possible). It has a much bigger screen which is easier for my mother to see too.

2011-11-20T14:43:00.003+08:00

I found my first strand of white hair! Or more technically, it's only a third of a strand. Is this a result of too much studying, or is it a sign I'm getting old?

2011-11-15T23:27:00.002+08:00

加油丽敏！我能熬过多半年的！尽情地享受最后能读书的时光吧！

2011-11-15T00:12:00.000+08:00

stupid hormones....

2011-10-18T23:31:00.000+08:00

对不起大家。。。

I'm sorry

2011-09-27T18:08:00.002+08:00

I didn't exactly do or say anything but watching him walk off after drinking a cup of water, I dunno.. sort of makes me feel a little bad. He was just doing his job and I sorta made it a little more difficult for him. I should be flattered he wants to photograph us. Somehow slightly older people seem to invoke these kinds of feelings in me... Or maybe it's just the time of the month. He probably is used to these kinds of things happening when he's trying to take pictures and I'm probably just being too sensitive. But still, I'm sorry and I hope you don't take it to heart.

2011-05-14T22:14:00.003+08:00

I should stop watching disturbing Jap movies. Battle Royale, Confessions, and many others which I had watched but forgotten the titles... Psychological thrillers just leave me feeling.... disturbed... I should just return to harmless, comedic dramas to sooth my disturbed mind.

2011-05-05T20:20:00.002+08:00

I want to go to Japan!!! SIA is offering flights at $398 only!!! For 2 to go! It has always been my dream to visit Japan, regardless of what happened there, and now the low prices are seriously tempting me!!! The only problem is that I can't go because I'm on attachment now!!! And the offer is only valid till departure on or before 31 May! To be more exact, this offer ends on 6th May but you can book a flight anytime till 31 May. They aren't extending it to the June holidays- which doesn't really concern me cos I still cannot go- but I hope they'll have a new promotion come end July/August. Not that I'm hoping that Japan doesn't recover of course.. I just want to visit too much... Perhaps I should instead focus on saving up now so that I can go there for my grad trip in about a year.

2011-04-08T20:16:00.002+08:00

一旦说出来，一切都变得很真实。

哭到眼红鼻塞，哭到喘不过气，但哭过就好了。

第一次出远门，第一次搭飞机，就独自一个人。搭的不是新航而是中航，难免有些焦虑。不是因为是中航，而是因为不是新航，没有自己人的照应。

虽然还有两个多月，但已经感到紧张。

2011-04-04T19:29:00.001+08:00

もう子供じゃないし。だから、もうわがままできない。

2011-04-02T20:13:00.000+08:00

Breakout- ~~The Musical~~ The Pimples

2011-03-22T23:09:00.001+08:00

Oh the irony.... This was taken from chapter 171 of "Skip Beat!"

Wants

2011-03-21T18:39:00.003+08:00

I want a new laptop. I want a new Fujitsu laptop. I want to master Japanese. I want to pass JLPT level 1. I want to go to Japan. I want Japan to recover from its current crisis. I want the radiation threat to be over. I want money. I want to have enough so that I don't have to think twice before I spend every penny which I have to. I want lots of things but of course nothing beats the happiness and health of myself and everyone around me. I still want money. Money isn't everything, but without money, there's hardly anything you can do. That's the reason everyone is working so hard for. The big "M". No, it's not MacDonalds. And I forgot to add: I want the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. And perhaps a phone plan to go along with it.

Lost...

2011-03-17T18:53:00.003+08:00

I left my pouch used to keep my earphone and bluetooth headset in the pockets of my uniform after changing out today! I've had this pouch for as long as I remember. I still remember that I got it from those vending machines and the pouch is kept inside those plastic balls. Because they are many different designs inside, there's this anticipation you get when you open them. And now I've lost it!! Hopefully the laundry service will not find it in the pockets and discard it and hopefully I'll be able to wear back the same pants when it's done washing and find it still inside!

If I really do not find it back, I hope that this is an indication that something good will happen, because like what people always say, "When something bad or unfortunate happens to you, it will usually be made up with something good." That's why I always comment that if you happen to be unlucky enough to have a bird shit on your head, go buy 4D immediately cos chances are you'll win big! As for my case, since those machines originated from Japan (I think), I hope that my losing of the pouch means that Japan is on the road to recovery. That the nuclear plant problem will be taken care of and there will be no more explosion or further radiation leakages and that if anymore aftershocks are felt, it would be minor and cause no more damage and that the death toll will stop rising. I don't mind not being able to find it back if all these were to happen. Ok, this is perhaps pushing it a little too far. But hey, who is to stop me from wishing everything to be well? But perhaps if all of the above happens and I manage to find my pouch, it would be the best scenario =D

Earthquakes and Tsunamis and Radiation

2011-03-15T18:22:00.003+08:00

Lunchtime

A friend received a forwarded message from her mother, informing people not to stay outdoors for too long after 4pm today due to possible radiation present from the nuclear plants in Japan. Watching the muted Channel News Asia on TV made me feel very emotional as I've always felt a close affinity with Japan despite not being there even once before. This is probably attributed to my huge interest in Japanese culture and music. Looking at all the destruction and carnage just broke my heart.. I wonder when Japan can recover from this tragedy. When they do, I believe they'll come back stronger than before. Something like a fresh start for them.

On my way home

It was drizzling a little after I alighted from the company bus and my friend immediately whipped out her umbrella and shared it with me. Another friend followed suit. I decided to take the bus home instead of walking since it was drizzling but when the bus turned out of the interchange, I realised that it wasn't. Nope I wasn't afraid of the radiation or anything, just decided to accompany my friend and top up my ez-link card at the same time. Serious.

On the bus

The bus was quite packed and an elderly man was the last to board after chasing after it. When he boarded, the bus driver said (in Hokkien), " Hey, haven't seen you in a while!" The elderly man gave replied something which I don't remember and they continued their conversation in Hokkien. During a short lull in their conversation, the bus driver commented, "Japan is in a terrible situation now," to which the elderly man said "Heaven is punishing them," in reply.

Elderly man: You've never experienced it before but back then (he was referring to WWII) we all had to wear some form of identification around our arm and if they (Japanese) happened to dislike your face for whatever reason (this is my own translation but what he actually said was if they suspected you of being against them or something), they'll load you on a lorry and that'll probably be the last time anyone sees you again.

He went on to say that heaven has punished them 3 times, but the only one I know of was the Kobe earthquake in 1995 so I couldn't figure out what other serious disaster has befallen Japan since the war. Or perhaps he was referring to the triple tragedy: earthquake, tsunami, nuclear leak, but somehow I don't think so. I shall try and google to find out.

After that, the bus driver gave a (bitter?) laugh, saying, "Heaven is punishing them."

etc.,etc.,etc.

I wrote a lot more after this but due to a connection problem during posting, all of them was not saved under drafts and I've lost my train of thought...Anyway I was mentioning about how some people were gloating over Japan's misfortunes and how many other people were sympathetic enough to give these "gloaters" a piece of their mind. I was also talking about how the war tends to be mentioned at these times and how those gloaters might not gloat so much if (touchwood) the radiation leak becomes a worldwide crisis.

All I'm trying to say here is that we should be sympathetic towards them. Even if you are not sorry for them, gloating only shows how childish and immature you are.

Musings part ∞

2011-02-16T18:53:00.004+08:00

They said we're being treated as if we're invisible but perhaps we're not trying hard enough?

I should stop being so easily influenced. Responsibility first, play second.....

Guilty...............................

Printed in Singapore

2011-01-19T23:15:00.003+08:00

O.o I didn't know Singapore printed books. Just realised that the manga I bought are printed in Singapore too! Oops I feel like a "sua ku" now..

Cooking and such

2011-01-19T14:54:00.004+08:00

A random google search for Japanese curry recipe got me hoooked onto two blogs: norecipes.com and justhungry.com, of which the writer of the former is half Japanese while the latter is Japanese. norecipes.com boasts a wide variety of "recipe-less" recipes (lol the irony), ranging from American to Asian to the Mediterranean dishes. While Marc (the writer) does provide steps to follow for some of his dishes, he usually encourages people to vary the ingredients according to their preferances, instead of trying to obtain the "perfect" taste. This is probably suitable for people who already have a feel for cooking and are thus able to tweak the ingredients while still keeping the food edible. For someone like me who has totally no experience in cooking, aside from those using instant mixes- I once tried cooking something from scratch and it ended up tasting so awful a starving man will turn his nose up at it- the not-so-specific instructions are not stopping me from trying out his recipes, especially when the pictures look so good! The first recipe I'm going to try is the Daigaku Imo, literally translated as "university potato", which is simply fried sweet potatoes covered with a sugar coating. One thing that is holding me back from cooking is the process of finding all the ingredients required, but this Daigaku Imo only requires the simplest of ingredients which can probably be found in most kitchens.

While norecipes.com is mostly about Marc's experiments with different cuisines around the world, justhungry.com talks more about the Japanese culture and food. Since the food are all Japanese, there might be a little difficulty in finding the ingredients, not to mention that they are usually quite expensive as well! Not really worth the money if I were just to make it once and keep the ingredients until they turn bad.. So until I'm ready to start cooking more often, or to cook for more people, these two sites will remain a good read for now!

Oh and as I was browsing through the recipes, I found one for Sukiyaki, and right at the beginning, Marc wrote :"No… I’m not going to burst out singing that Japanese pop song from the 60′s that got renamed for the US market by some culturally insensitive ~~prick~~ record executive. Instead you get my rendition of this ubiquitous dish that’s become synonymous with Japanese food. Not that I have anything against record execs, or even renaming songs, but really… did ya have to name it after a hotpot dish? I wonder how that guy would have felt if I took a song like “Unchained Melody” and renamed it “Beef Stew” in Japan because it’s easier to say and more catchy." This really cracked me up! Imagine "Beef Stew"! HAHAHA!

2010-12-07T23:44:00.002+08:00

I'm currently typing this using my phone.guess this is what happens when I limit my computer time to only 1h per day huh.and that's when i'm watching 破天网.hmmm apparently singaporeans like watching such shows.it's intriguing and everything but perhaps a little more comedy?or perhaps it just doesn't work with our actors.i can't imagine any of them acting in,like say, nodame. Ok that's all for now. I'm off to find a japanese language download for my phone so that I can type in japanese! Haha nope not back to studying yet. It's tiring to surf e net on e phone!

2010-10-26T16:22:00.002+08:00

Actually if you think about it, we're not all that different afterall. I'm sure students from all over the world will have moments of laziness in which they just want to slack off no matter where they are, no matter how much studying might be a privilege to them or no matter how much they love to study. Afterall, we're students! We have other things to do besides studying! So it sorta makes me wonder when we all started to get so different when we all started off feeling the same way...
Perhaps it's when we started learning the harsh reality of society that extremists started appearing, and so, we start to deviate.

On another completely unrelated note, I find it amusing how some people will complain of "feeling a dizzy sensation" when all we felt was a tremor of an earthquake. What about those people who were IN THE MIDST of the earthquake? Perhaps the poor guy will never be able to board a ship.

Sorry for sounding so sour today. I'm not in a particularly bad mood but neither do I have the energy to be nice and find a reason to defend certain reasonings.

2010-10-03T15:21:00.003+08:00

Just realised I haven't been here or anyone else's blog in a long time! And here I am now because I simply have no mood to do anything right now, which is bad, considering I have tonnes of stuff to be done by tmr, tue, wed, thu,... there's basically something going on everyday next week! I need a break! I badly need some time, just one day will suffice, for me to just rest and relax without regretting it afterwards.. 2 more weeks to recess... I'm counting down already. But first, I'll have to survive whatever is left of the first half of semester..

2010-08-20T10:20:00.002+08:00

A good night's sleep is not making me feel any better. Or perhaps a night riddled with dreams is not considered a good rest. I guess only time will heal everything. Perhaps it is all fated. Perhaps something good might happen to me to offset the disappointment I'm feeling now, just like how someone whose head got shitted on by a bird tends to strike the lottery. Or perhaps it is just my own way of consoling myself. I might feel better when school starts. At least it will keep my mind occupied.

信じられない

2010-08-19T23:04:00.002+08:00

Note to self: Be persistant. Even if it might inconvenience others.

Doesn't sound very nice, but it shows your determination. Do everything to the best you can lest you regret it. Time is something that cannot be turned back. Life's not a video game where you can save and load as you like, until you achieve the ideal outcome.

2010-08-19T21:07:00.002+08:00

I am totally exhausted right now. Disappointment is indeed mentally draining... I cannot believe that I forgot such an important matter.... Just because of my forgetfulness and desire to laze around at home, I've wasted 26.5h over 8 days just to have everything come to naught when there are only 2 days left. I shouldn't be at home right now. I shouldn't have given up so easily. Since they were willing to give me an extra 15min, who is to say they would turn me away when I arrive another 15min later? I know I am pushing my luck but I should have tried. There's no harm trying. At least I might have felt better even if I was rejected after trying. Afterall I was already there. I should have just boarded the first taxi instead of letting it go and deciding to take another one, wasting precious minutes. Because of my hesitation, I am now left with unanswered questions like "Perhaps I could have made it if I took the first taxi", or "Perhaps they would let me in if I went and asked". Hesitation is indeed what causes opportunities to slip away. If I hadn't hesitated, I might not be posting this at this time. I might be posting the relief I felt when I was let in, at a later time. All that I'm left with now is regret and hate at myself....

2010-08-05T19:05:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow is finally my last day of work!! I've been counting down to this day since last week and I'm amazed at myself for being able to work there for 2 months and 1 week!

Will I miss working there?

Probably not since I'm feeling quite happy and relieved at being able to rest after tomorrow.

Will I miss the people there?

I'm not sure. The people there have been quite understanding, and sometimes even tolerant of me, since I feel like I did not do a great job in carrying out my duties.

Do I give people the impression that I'm not serious in my work?

Perhaps. Today I got reprimanded by a doctor, saying that I should stay in the doctor's room more often instead of staying outside and to check that the items in the doctor's rooms are all stocked up and everything should be there for the doctors in case they need it. Perhaps the other doctors are too polite to tell me so. And since I have a predecessor before me, it means that I have huge shoes to fill, according to the doctor. I guess this means that the person replacing me after tomorrow will have an easier time since it isn't exactly that difficult to do a better job than me. There are times when I get the "Why so serious" feeling. Yes, I think that I might be brushing some things off or not taking them as seriously as they should be but that's because I don't see why I should stress myself out. Perhaps this is also what irritates people about me...

Anyway, through this job I've got to learn about myself a little bit more. I learnt that being a secretary is not a job for me. I can serve people, just not one particular person all the time. Being in customer service is much better since you get to meet lots of different types of people. Though some may be more difficult than others, every meeting is a learning experience, and there are also many very appreciative people out there who can really make your day.

On a side note, this has been a really busy week for me! Starting from the Singapore Science Festival exhibition at Marina Square on Sunday! It was fun seeing all the exhibitions! Feels like being back in school looking at all the simple but interesting experiments done! The cornstarch one particularly reminds me of my childhood!

Seeing the little kids' faces as the hammer hits something hard as rock and yet so liquid the next moment reminds me of when I used to play with cornstarch and marvel in wonder at how the wet cornflour flows through my fingers so freely at one moment, and refuses to budge when I try to move it!

The water chromatography was another experiment that caused me to reminisce as I recall drawing a black dot using a marker in the middle of some filter paper I "took" from school and trying to see the colours spread, only to fail everytime because the marker was waterproof -.-

There were other more complex experiments which left me looking in wonder as I try to understand the science behind them. All in all, it was a fun experience as I revisit these simple yet intriguing phenomenon we never think to question most of the time!

I was out late the past three days too, attending training and jap lessons. I was supposed to be out today too watching "Inception" only to be put aeroplane! But anyway, I'm glad to be able to be home early today, even though I know I can be home all day long after tomorrow if I want to!

OK! This is a long post for a busy week! And I have tons to say about the upcoming YOG but too tired to continue now. I'll leave this for another time then!

Motivational Post

2010-07-28T23:21:00.001+08:00

IS IT RIGHT OR JUST SAFE?

Some are good at basketball.

Some are good at poker, or needlepoint, or driving me crazy.

But we’re all great at storytelling.

We tell ourselves why it’s okay to stay in a job we hate. We tell ourselves why it’s okay to tuck away our great idea for another month. We tell ourselves it’s okay to stick right where we are, where it’s safe, sound, and secure.

We’re good at it, but we’re often wrong. It’s not always safe to do the “safe” thing–because that safe thing will eat away years of your life. It will keep things from changing, advancing. It will keep you precisely where you are.

Is that precisely where you want to be?

2010-07-23T00:43:00.002+08:00

haha i'm very amused by this video. This was taken from Yahoo!Singapore news regarding overcrowded trains during peak hours. I've heard of these professional "pushers" in Japan before but seeing it with my own eyes? I'm speechless. Experiencing it myself? I hope not.

Happy Monday System

2010-07-19T02:15:00.003+08:00

I was just googling on some random stuff when I found out that there was this "Happy Monday System" in Japan! Apparently it was implemented quite recently in order to allow workers who have a 5-day work week enjoy a longer weekend! It's simply achieved by moving certain national holidays to a Monday instead of giving it a specific date, something like how Mothers' Day falls on the second Sunday of May and Fathers' Day falls on the third Sunday of June! Seems like a pretty good move, I think, since no one will complain about having a longer weekend =D

Distance Fares

2010-07-08T18:45:00.002+08:00

Recently, I have been too caught up in the World Cup fever to realise that 3 July has come and gone. Yes, 3 July is the day when distance fare is implemented for all our trips on trains and buses instead of the usual transfer rebates. The thing is, I have never understood how this distance fare works even after watching the explanation on the news a few times. The related authorities said that majority of the passengers will enjoy lower rates due to this new system while 30% (can't remember the exact figure but I think it is approximately this number) will see an increase in fares. Since I'm using train concession, I didn't really notice the implementation of this system until my sister came home one day and told me that her journey to Raffles Place from home now costs $1.67, from the previous fare of only $1.50+. I was shocked when I heard it! That's like an increase of more than 10cents! I then proceeded to check out the changes in fares for some other stations which I often travel to and found out that the fare from Pioneer to Jurong East is $1.01, to Clementi is $1.21, and it costs $1.73 to travel to Bugis!! If my memory doesn't fail me, I remembered that the old fare was also $1.50+, maximum $1.60 so this new fare indicates an increase of more than 10cents! Think of the number of people travelling to Raffles Place and other CBD areas everyday! Such a huge increase for a small number of people (according to LTA) sums up to a huge amount everyday!

From whatever I recall from the news a few months back, this new system works such that you pay for the distance travelled. The further you travel, the more you pay. The transfer rebates will no longer apply. I think this will probably be more beneficial to those who take buses since there is no way you can reduce the distance travelled by train.

However I really wonder if majority of the people will really enjoy lower rates like what they claimed. A shorter distance doesn't necessarily mean greater convenience or shorter time spent on travelling. I for one will prefer having one direct bus or train to take me to my destination rather than transferring multiple times as the bus or train you are transferring to does not come immediately after you alight from the previous one. Multiple transfers are really inconvenient as you can hardly do anything on the short journeys. You can't take a nap without fear of oversleeping and you have to keep squeezing with others when you board the next bus/train. In fact, for certain people, there may be a limited number of buses near where they live and these buses happen to bring them to their destination, albeit travelling a slightly longer distance. Does this mean that they have to pay a higher fare just because taking this single trip is more convenient than transferring to another bus which brings them to their destination using a shorter route? In my opinion, this is just a ploy to increase fares and this is what makes me mad. If you want to increase the fares, just say it straight out instead of disguising it in what appears to benefit passengers. It's like wrapping shit up really nicely and giving it to someone as a gift. I wonder who would appreciate it...

In fact, this also deters me from taking short distance bus trips since in the past, the transfer rebate of 50cents means that I only have to pay 19cents for the journey. However, I have no idea what I have to pay now.Perhaps those who benefitted from this new scheme can inform me so that I stop being so bitter about having to pay much higher fares for the same trip.

Back to Primary School!

2010-07-08T00:17:00.002+08:00

I went back to JWPS with 3 of my other primary school friends today! Stepping into the school, I realised that I don't really have the "ahhh I remember this" kind of moment. In fact, as we toured the school, my friends were gushing about where they sat in the art room, science lab, and classroom but the only vague memory I had was where I sat in the classroom! And that was after some reminders by my friend! Somehow it feels as if all my memories are mixed together, from my memories at PTPS, to those at JWPS, and even to a certain extent, to the lower secondary days at NHSS! Things which I thought happened at JWPS didn't really occur there and I only realised the mistake as I walked around the school today! I guess the filing system in my brain is as disorganised as my room! I also couldn't really remember the names of the teachers who were there when I was studying there.

Anyway, we toured the school with our Chinese teacher as a guide! It's nice to know that she's still there after so long! While we were there, we also witnessed the end of recess! It's a really interesting sight! At the end of recess, a blare(sounds like a siren) will be sounded using a loudspeaker. During the sounding of the alarm, the entire canteen will fall into silence and when the siren stops, everyone will start screaming and rushing to get back to class! And I realised I don't really remember the food I ate in school, if I even ate in school at all! All I know is that I usually played catching with my friends during recess instead of eating so there wasn't really any food which brings back memories for me! All the snacks and fried beehoon I still remember were probably eaten in PTPS! Now that I've gone back to JWPS, the clutter in my brain has become slightly more tidy. At least now I know a little clearer what happened when!

Stressful Day At Work

2010-07-05T22:15:00.002+08:00

Work today was really stressful. There were close to 120 patients in a span of 8h. That's 15 patients per hour, which comes to 4min per patient, assuming the doctor takes the same amount of time to see each patient and doesn't take any breaks. There were 70 patients already for the morning session and a sarcastic doctor doesn't make things any better, so I snapped, "You're being sarcastic". Yes, I snapped. I was surprised at myself too. I'm sorry for being useless and not being able to take the initiative to get someone to transfer another doctor down to help. I hate being a messenger and having to come running whenever you sound the buzzer. It makes me feel like a dog which has to come running whenever its name is being called. Perhaps a dog might enjoy it but I'm not a dog so I don't. I feel like I've been here 1 month too long. I should have left long ago and I will be doing something different now. I've been bringing forward my last day of work by myself. The contract states my last day as being 27 August but I've since brought it forward to 13 August, and now I think I might bring it forward to 31 July. Technically, I'm not lying since I told everyone who asked that I'ld be working till August. I didn't say when exactly so 31 July is still considered working till August. Start of August. Hopefully I won't decide to bring it forward anymore, but it's hard to say since I'm currently working with a few people who keep me busy when I'm not in the doctor's room, which is the place I'm responsible for. This post was initially planned to be longer but I'm too tired to continue typing. All the anger is draining what little energy I have left after work.

On a side note, I went to an interview after work today (which I was almost late for due to the large number of patients) and I'll know the result by the end of this week. Hopefully I won't be categorised under the "rejected" pile. I think I might fall into the "KIV" stack but I'm crossing my fingers that I'll receive a call this week.

Germany vs Argentina

2010-07-04T00:05:00.002+08:00

Wow... I knew the match between Germany and Argentina would be exciting, and from however much(or little) of the match I watched, I wasn't wrong! But I definitely wasn't expecting Argentina to lose by so much! In fact, if you look at it this way, England is not that bad either then. At least they scored 1(+1) goal(s) against Germany! The Germans were fast and made use of every opportunity they had to score even when they were leading. I was amazed at the speed they had even towards the end of the match! They're indeed an amazing force to be reckoned with! Due to my limited vocabulary, the only word I can say now is AMAZING!

The Amazing Race: Train Edition

2010-07-01T17:50:00.002+08:00

Standing in the middle of the train, I looked around me. First to the right, at the people around 1metre away from me, then to the left, at the people slightly closer, but still far from me. Is it because of my extremely sour face, I wondered. Or perhaps I have BO??? I took a few deep breaths. No, this isn't it. Ahh... A sudden realisation dawned upon me. That's because I'm standing IN THE MIDDLE of the train while the others are crowded around the train doors to compete for 1million dollars in a race to see who exits the train first!

Japan vs Paraguay

2010-06-30T00:55:00.002+08:00

GAAAA!!!! It was so close!!! Poor Komano... I think he'll never forget that moment... But Japan did well. They're defence was good but they had lots of missed opportunities when attacking. And I was just saying that penalty shootout was really stressful for the penalty-takers and goalkeepers alike, not forgetting us supporters as well! I was literally breaking out in cold sweat and wishing that the Paraguay players will miss their shot or that Kawashima can make a save. He was close on certain occasions but not close enough. Ok. The World Cup is officially over. There's nothing left for me to look forward to. First Korea was out, then USA, followed by England, and now Japan. Will the day ever come that an Asian country can win the World Cup? Perhaps it would be less frustrating to support the hot favourites. *sighs* This has been a great World Cup. Thanks everyone.

Germany vs England

2010-06-27T23:36:00.002+08:00

Somehow I've taken to blogging about the round of 16 matches. It's 81 minutes into the match and the score is 4-1 in Germany's favour and I think this will be the final score for this match. Everyone says that England is an overrated team and I think so too but somehow they just manage to give people false hope all the time. Even if they don't win, at least don't lose by so much... Oh well, I didn't watch the match and even if I did, I can't really tell what is considered good play or otherwise so I can only comment on the score. It's really a disappointment..

USA vs Ghana

2010-06-27T05:02:00.003+08:00

I just finished watching the match between Ghana and USA! I didn't watch the entire match though, just the second half of the extra time when I went to the FIFA website wanting to know the final score only to realise that the match has gone into extra time. It was so close! I was sort of hoping USA can win, or at least score another in the extra time to go into a tie-breaker penalty kick since Ghana managed to score a goal during the first half of the extra time. And yeah I saw lots of time-wasting/acting by the Ghana players -.-

I think many were surprised when USA managed to make it into the round of 16 and I have to say that I was too. So when I watched the last 20 min of the game, I was hoping that USA can proceed on to the quarter-finals but alas, that was not to be.. They put up a good fight though but have to concede to Ghana 2 goals to 1.

JAPAN FTW!!

2010-06-25T06:22:00.004+08:00

I was really excited when I woke up this morning. Excited to know how Japan did in their last match in the group round. This feeling was similar to when I was checking my exam results! Finally, the moment of truth came and viola, Japan has advanced into the next round with a score of 3 goals against Denmark's 1 goal!

Anyway, they'll be meeting Paraguay in their first knockout round. It seems as if the European countries cannot play outside their home soil since both Italy and France, the winner and runner-up of the 2006 World Cup both didn't manage to advance. Ok, I'm no soccer guru here, just commenting based on the scores.

If Japan wins against Paraguay, they'll be meeting either the first of group H or the second of group G and currently the 2 teams who will confirm be advancing in group G is Brazil and Portugal. Whichever country wins tonight's match will be in first place. And I think the group H teams are all very friendly since all of them have played 2 matches each and everyone has won once so their current score tally is 3 points each. Whoever wins the last 2 matches will be the ones advancing on to the next round. However, all this is not important since I think they'll lose to Brazil or Portugal in their first knock-out round, which brings me back to my main point. I think Japan is a little unlucky to be placed in the same block as Brazil/Portugal. Supposing they manage to win against Paraguay, they'll be meeting some tough competition in the round-of-8! So of course I'm hoping that some tyco scoring can be made by the winner of group H so that they instead of Brazil/Portugal will advance but I think it is not very possible since these two teams have been playing consistently well in their group matches (or perhaps the other 2 teams just need to practise more).

Oh well oh well, somehow my fever has cooleed off a little already since I haven't really been watching any matches, but I'll definitely support Japan all the way! JAPAN FTW!!

Come on Singapore. When are you going to make it into the World Cup so that I can start supporting my own country. When that day comes, the ideal finals match-up for me will be Singapore vs Japan!!

Ok I'm starting to crap. The above comments are made by a fanatical Japan supporter soccer noob so please do not take offence in anything. Gtg or I'm gonna be late for work! Great job Japan!

Do First, Think Later

2010-06-21T18:50:00.003+08:00

All of a sudden, when I only have 2 years left in school and 3 semesters of lessons left to take, I realised that there is still so much I want to learn. I want to take a minor in linguistics, I want to learn Spanish and French level 1,.... I really want to take the minor but I realised that I may not have enough time to complete the course. Coupled with the fact that certain modules are available only in either the first or second semester, I have limited choices since some require pre-requisites which can only be taken in another semester. No wonder people always say you must plan ahead. I'm not much of a "planning ahead" kind of person but rather a more spontaneous one as I would like to think so I guess this is the result huh. Nonetheless, I still hope I will be able to get another linguistics module but since I would have cleared all of my unrestricted electives if I manage to get my Japanese level 2 module, I don't think I'll be considered for the linguistics elective anymore. Ahhhh headache... Nvm.. Guess I'll just wait and see. Yep, that's the attitude I take with lots of stuff. Wait and see. By the time I "see" it, it'll be too late for me to do anything to change it. Perhaps I should start adopting a "do first, think later" attitude.

2010-06-14T19:20:00.002+08:00

Japan will be playing Cameroon today in their first match in the World Cup!! Since I'm not really into soccer, I have no idea of the capabilities of each country so I can only wish Japan all the best in all their matches!! Go Japan!!! Hope you achieve your aim of making it into the top 4 like you want to and even better!

Leave

2010-06-14T15:30:00.008+08:00

I'm on leave today! And the reason I give myself is that I was out late yesterday and needed today to rest, lest I be tired the whole week. Yep, it's just an excuse since it wasn't reeeaally very late and I was not resting at home today. Guess I just wanted to take a little break from work which is really tiring, especially since today is Monday and there will be many people seeing the doctor so as to be able to rest for one extra day.

Anyway, I was out by myself today and I have to say that I like being out by myself, plugged into my mp3 and just moving along at my own pace. Too bad my bluetooth headset ran out of battery halfway so I was music-less at the last stop.

My first stop was MPH at Millenia Walk! I don't know when it first opened but it must be fairly recent since they're having an opening promotion. You get 20% off for purchases below $50 and 30% off for purchases $50 and above. Spending above $30 in a single receipt will also entitle you to a free MPH membership which is only valid till the end of the year, but still, it's free so I can't complain. I bought the Inheritance Cycle book by Christopher Paolini there. It's 2 books in 1 (Eragon and Eldest, the first 2 books) and contains some unseen manuscript in the original copies according to the book. That costs $26 before discount and I bought another book for my sister so the amount adds up to $50 and I get 30% off so I spent $35.49 here.

Next stop: MPH at Citylink Mall! The purpose of my visit there after the visit to MPH at Millenia Walk was to find the third book of the Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr. I was there last Wednesday and saw it going at $12!! The original price was over $40 when I saw it at Millenia Walk and since I've already bought the first 2 books, I thought it's a good idea to just collect the entire series. However, much to my disappointment, I couldn't find it there today... Apparently it has been snapped up by others.. Oh well, I'll just take it as $12 saved. Perhaps when the 4th and final book is out, there will be another 2-in-1 book like the first 2 books, with extra parts inside so I'll just wait and see.

Final stop: Kinokuniya at Orchard! They're having a 20% member's discount from now till 26 June and I continued buying the manga series which I started buying 2 years ago, and was also the main reason why I signed up as a member. I also bought the book "Battle Royale" by Takami Koshun. They had this book in the NLB database but apparently there wasn't any copies available in libraries. The Chinese version was available but I think I'll be able to enjoy the story more when reading the English version.

I also took the Circle line for the first time today! I changed to the red line at Raffles Place, then changed to the circle line at Dhoby Ghaut and took it all the way to Promenade, which was right in front of Millenia Walk. I'ld have to say that it'll be faster if I just walked there from City Hall since I spent 6min waiting for the train to Dhoby Ghaut, and another few minutes at Dhoby Ghaut, waiting for the circle line train to move off.

Here are my NETS receipts for today:

Hopefully the first digit of my bank account still remains the same, but I think it'll definitely drop tomorrow as I draw out $200 to continue another 12 lessons of Japanese classes.. There goes my 2 weeks of pay which I haven't even received yet. All within a short span of 2 days. I realise I spend a lot more when I go out by myself since there isn't anyone to discourage me from impulse buying. Oh well...

Here are some random pictures I took of Takuya Kimura while walking around in Watsons!
This is a little blur cos I was afraid of being spotted and took it in a hurry!

YOG

2010-06-04T23:14:00.002+08:00

Yay! I'm so excited that YOG is coming!! Perhaps it's because I'm involved in it or perhaps it's something for me to look forward to in the midst of my currently mundane life.

While many will give negative feedbacks or comments about the YOG song/jingle sung by JJ, you have to admit that it has achieved its aim of:
1. Getting Singaporeans riled up about the YOG.
2. Creating a very impressionable tune which can easily be remembered by the young and old.
3. Getting everyone to "dance" along with it due to its simple actions.
The reason I'm blogging about this is because there's a colleage at my workplace who has, in recent days, taken to singing and laughing at the song and the actions! I have to admit that the song is a little cheesy (I don't know if this is the right word to use to describe the song) and stuff, but hey, sometimes it's the lame stuff that works! And it's growing on me such that I'll randomly feel like singing it sometimes!

End of Semester

2010-05-27T00:12:00.003+08:00

If you ask me, I think the entire semester really ends only on the day you know your results, and not on the day of your last paper. Prior to that, everything is in the unknown. I can say that I'm very relieved that this semester has finally ended. The anticipation was a little too much for me. This is probably due to the fact that I felt that I have put in effort this time round. More effort than the previous semesters.

The moment when the page is loading is the most unbearable moment. You seem to have some sort of super power giving you super quick reflexes such that seconds seem like minutes at that point of time. That you never know when the page will finish loading and show you what you are here for doesn't make it any better. Then once again, the moment is over as quickly as it came. Disappointment, relief, or even joy may be the only emotion you're feeling seconds after the moment, and finally, you're back to living your carefree life just like after your last paper of the semester.

And so once again, another semester is over just like that...

2010-04-30T20:24:00.000+08:00

Came across this quote from one of my subscriptions: "It's not the hours you put into your work that count- it's the work you put into the hours." by a guy called Sam Ewing. How true this is indeed. Sometimes I feel that I put a lot of time and effort into something but the results often let me down. Perhaps I did put in lots of time but the effort was not there yet. I guess it's time for me to start putting "my work into the hours"!

Much Needed Break

2010-04-29T16:11:00.002+08:00

It used to be about getting A's, now it's all about being able to pass. Life was much better when I only had to worry about A's. I have exactly eight days before my next paper. Hope I'll make good use of this time to study and rest well. No more staring at the question with nothing in mind.

wanted to type this using my phone but I can't so i'm typing this in e title.wanted to rant abt how terribly I did in e paper and how stupid I was...

2010-04-27T20:34:00.000+08:00

2010-04-06T19:50:00.002+08:00

Yay! Yay! And triple yay!! I've always wanted to suscribe to the Animax channel ever since Starhub provides it but since I do not pay the bills and have no wish to pay extra for the channel, I ended up living without it. But now Animax is included as part of the Basic Entertainment package!!!! WoohOO!! Off with the computer screen, HELLO! ANIMAX CHANNEL!!

2010-03-29T09:12:00.002+08:00

最近一直觉得和忧郁。。。
丽敏，要开心哦！\(^o^)/

2010-03-26T23:24:00.001+08:00

リーミン　幸せお願いします

2010-03-25T19:46:00.004+08:00

I finally can understand why there can be so much unrest in the world. Differing opinions, viewpoints, thoughts and everything else can make someone so mad that they may just decide to bomb the whole world.
A guide or a template is just there for the reason it is there for- to guide you along. There is no need to follow so closely to it. If everyone does that, there will be no variety AT ALL. And who was the one to decide that the guide given is absolute and the best? If everyone were to follow it so closely creativity will die off and the smart-alec who created the guide can just become a billionaire and wait for money to drop into his laps as he charges people for following his guide.
I am an easygoing person and is always open to new ideas as long as you can convince me that the idea works or is better than the one I have. I know I sound like a snob now but sometimes it is not necessary to state everything out so explicitly or to classify everything in "proper" categories. No wonder so many people want to be their own bosses. So that they'll always have the veto rights. I wonder how I'm going to survive in future when such a small matter is already taking a toll on me...
Or maybe it's just differing personalities.
I'm going "tsk" all the time now that I'm afraid it's going to become a habit. I hate it when people do that, regardless of whether it is done to me or because they are frustrated with themselves.

2010-02-06T13:36:00.002+08:00

Yay! I'm glad I went to the YOG briefing and the so-called interview! Now that I'm involved in it, I feel pretty excited! I think it's going to be lots of fun!

2010-02-04T14:47:00.003+08:00

I just came home from cny grocery shopping with my mother! and boy, we bought lots of stuff! There's this canned buddha jumps over the wall, nuts, drinks, candies,.... and not forgetting the 2 huge bars of chocolate i bought! that's actually more of a brain food for me rather than cny snacks. i just made use of the rare shopping opportunity with my mother to buy these things cos it means i don't have to pay for them muahahahaha! this is probably the best time to stock up on snacks cos there'll be more discounts and promotions! i'ld probably be stocking up lots more to tide me over the entire semester!

2010-02-01T12:17:00.002+08:00

Are dreams just a figment of your imagination or are there some truths in them? Some say dreams are the opposite of reality, some say they will happen, just that the when is unknown. Me? I choose to believe that sweet dreams will come true while nightmares remain just as they are.

2010-01-29T17:38:00.003+08:00

Yay! I'm currently using google chrome browser and I'm loving it! It has a wider screen due to less clutter at the top and it feels like I'm viewing things in full screen all the time. Or perhaps I should just disable some toolbars from internet explorer.. But I guess it doesn't matter since I use google all the time. Google search, google bookmarks, google popup blocker,.... Even blogger.com belongs to google!

I found an online radio station playing Japanese songs almost all day long! It's not exactly an official radio station but a listener supported station. Mediacorp radio shouldn't stop its online broadcast of radio since I use my computer most of the time and there isn't enough power plugs for me to use both the computer and the radio at the same time. Not mentioning that I'll be wasting electricity too..

Ohh.. and the ntu toolbar rox!! I'm having fun exploring it! The library workshop session today was very fulfilling! I didn't know there were so many things I can do/find on the library website!

2010-01-27T23:09:00.002+08:00

I cringe whenever I hear Japanese being spoken on 过好年. It just sounds so... un-Japanese. If I'm Japanese, I'll definitely speak to my parents in my native tongue even if my entire family is multilingual. I think the guy acting as 野口成り康 needs to brush up on his acting chops. He is entirely unconvincing as a Japanese. And I'm not expecting perfect pronunciation by him but the least he could do is to try and recite his lines well enough so that it doesn't come out in bits and pieces when he speaks. A commendable performance is probably by Pan Lingling. She may have fewer Japanese lines than Remus but the aura she exudes and the fluency in which she recites her lines just makes her a little more convincing.

Somehow I feel that the show is trying too hard to fit in those Japanese lines such that you can hear the characters speaking in a mixture of Japanese and Chinese in a single conversation. It all sounds a little forced and fake. I don't think viewers will mind if the "Japanese" were to speak in Mandarin. I know I won't and I'ld most definitely prefer it that way. I'ld probably speak to my family and friends in both English and Mandarin in a single conversation, but then again, this is Singapore and I'm a Singaporean. Well well well... The reason I'm still watching the show is probably because I need some entertainment and some time away from the already becoming stressful school life despite it only being the 3rd week of school...

On another note, I think MTV's JK Hits should probably be renamed Korean Hits considering as how I could only hear Korean songs during the half hour I watched just now. I know Kpop's the buzz almost everywhere now but since it's called JK Hits, I was expecting to hear at least one Japanese song! No, perhaps I should rephrase that sentence. I was expecting to see at least one Japanese artiste on the show since I do not consider Big Bang's Gara Gara as Jpop. There's a very distinctive difference between Korean and Japanese music as I'm sure everyone who listens to either one or both will know. Or perhaps it's because the Japanese songs I listen to just happen to be very different from the Korean songs that are heard everywhere, which have a techno feel to them and can easily be played on the dance floor.

Yep yep.. And we just got suan-ed, or perhaps I should say reprimanded, by our Jap teacher last Friday. He said sth like: "You three are clever. You understand the grammar the first time I say them but when it comes to vocab... Pls pls pls study at home. You have to start studying NOW to prepare for JLPT." At least that's the gist of what he said from the string of Jap that he spewed out at one go haha.. And... here's my reply to him: (the reply I formed in my head at least)
私も勉強したい。でも時間がない！すみませんでした。私たちは頑張ります！
Hmmm... I wonder if I should continue with the lessons when my second session of 12 lessons end in a few weeks time or rest for a little while before continuing... The fees are not cheap and like what he said, if we do not study at home but only revise once a week whenever we go for lessons, I think we'll take forever to learn. On the other hand, the lessons at the end of each week is something for me to look forward to. I recall staying at home on Hari Raya last year in November which happened to fall on a Friday and feeling all weird because I was watching the Friday variety shows which I usually missed (yep I should be studying then but somehow I wasn't, which somehow defeats the purpose of staying at home).

I'm starting to play catching with my sleep now. I need to catch up to it but many other factors are hindering me from doing so. And I think typing this can be considered one of the unnecessary hindrances I create for myself haha.

2010-01-15T22:57:00.003+08:00

Sign of procrastination:

You start doing things you normally put in second place over something you'll do when you have time when you are supposed to have something more important to do. The second choice is just to allay your guilt.

2010-01-11T10:23:00.001+08:00

First day of school!!! It's time to study!!

2010-01-09T21:10:00.001+08:00

やっぱり！家は一番凄かった！

2010-01-01T12:45:00.000+08:00

Happy 2010!!!

了结

2009-12-31T18:54:00.003+08:00

2009 即将离去，2010 即将到来。我再次的感到一种不明的忧郁。2009年所发生的事我没能一一地列出来。前半年所发生的事现在回想起来犹如好久以前发生的事，而后半年发生的实记忆比较清楚：有开心的，也有伤心的、有令我兴奋的，也有令我沮丧的。在这一年，我体会了很多东西，也学会了不少。我终于了解世界并不是以我为中心围绕着，我也感受到从未感受过的感觉，而我并不是很喜欢这些感觉。这些感觉是在告诉我我已经不是小孩，是时间长大了吗？

随着2009的离去，我也带走我现在所有的遗憾、带走我犹豫不决的个性、带走我所有的缺点、带走所有的不开心。新的一年，新的开始。我不会再此立下任何新年愿望，因为我知道这都只不过会是纸上谈兵。要成功地改变自己、成功地完成一样事情，是需要每时每刻、每分每秒的专著，而不是单靠几句话就行得通。

这，都是我在2009年的最后一天回顾我这一年所体会和学到的事情。希望新的一年会带给世界平安快乐。我也会尽我微薄的能力，让我唯一写下的新年愿望实现。

在凌晨11点59分，秒针慢慢走向12时，请跟随着那秒针，看着每秒的离去把你在这一年所有的不愉快带走。

在此，我想提前祝大家新年快乐！明年（天）会更好！

Just Do It!

2009-12-31T11:20:00.004+08:00

Your first instinct is usually the most accurate representation of what you really want or feel. The more you think things over, the more reasons you'll find to convince yourself not to do it. This is perhaps your body's self defense mechanism. To keep you from getting hurt when things do not turn out the way you expect. Or perhaps it's just nerves. But once you make the first move, you'll usually find it's too much trouble to turn back. Yes. The first step is always the most difficult one. Even if you do not reach your destination, at least you know you've tried and will not spend the rest of your life thinking "What if..."

Random Musings

2009-12-29T10:15:00.002+08:00

2009 is coming to an end soon and once again, I can feel the onset of melancholy within me.. I wonder why.. Isn't a new year just like another day? Isn't it similar to the hour hand of a digital watch changing from 9 to 10 to mark the beginning of a new hour? Perhaps the changing of the hour occurs too frequently for us to pay much attention to it. If anything, there are definitely times when we wish that the digit can jump from 8 all the way to 17 immediately, but not once will we hope that the same happens to the year, perhaps with the exception of children.

Time flies when you're having fun? I'ld say time flies the older you get. So get your lazy butts up and start doing things you've always wanted to do but have never gotten around to doing! Time waits for no man. Do not leave things till it's too late.

2009-12-29T09:56:00.001+08:00

I must be crazy! But NO! I'm NOT going to chicken out. At least I hope not... AARGH!! Jiayou LM! Jiayou!

2009-12-26T21:04:00.002+08:00

Is it desire,
Or is it lust?
Is it fear,
Or is it uncertainty?
Is it me,
Or is it you?

One thing is sure:
It is unchartered territory.
Better steer clear.
Or not.

2009-12-18T23:13:00.002+08:00

Somehow I'm suddenly reminded of the song from 出路. Don't remember the title but it goes like: 飘洋过海我吃得起苦。。。。。。

2009-12-14T16:04:00.002+08:00

I wonder when the day will come when I can finally add "Japanese" to my language proficiency....

2009-12-13T18:35:00.002+08:00

HOLIDAY!!! It's barely a week and I'm proud of my accomplishment!!! I'm finally doing almost everything I said I would do unlike past holidays. Somehow I feel like I should get a job. Just a holiday job or a part time job which I can do even after school starts but not tuition. I just can't teach. I've tried teaching friends before but apparently I can't make them understand and not mentioning the fact that I've probably forgotten what is being taught in schools now... Having a job will make me feel less guilty about spending money. At least it's money I earned myself and not pocket money given by my parents, which should probably go towards my studies. So currently, I've not bought a single item I said I wanted to buy: A bag, a pair of shoes and/or slippers, a watch, a new phone (probably not), a new pair of spectacles (probably not either),...

OKK enough with the money stuff! I tried putting a christmas song on my blog using mixpod but I can't and now I know why. Haha thanks zl but I'm lazy to change my blogskin and I probably don't know which is suitable either so I guess no christmas song then. Perhaps I'll just change the picture to a christmasy one!

2009-11-28T20:30:00.002+08:00

I want an Aino! Or a Satio! I think I prefer the Aino. A W995 is similar to the Aino in terms of function and more pocket friendly in terms of price but the Aino has a much sleeker look. I'm so going phone window shopping after the exams!!

Sukiyaki song

2009-10-26T00:51:00.003+08:00

yep it's time to repost the countdown timers.. sigh time really flies during the school term. I still don't really know what exactly i've learnt.. anyway, the main purpose of this post is to talk about "the sukiyaki song"! I didn't know it was such a popular song until I googled it. And you can also find many different renditions of this song on youtube! I first heard this song at Permanent Fish's concert (yup I'm still talking about them. It's not that easy to cure an addiction :P) and I have no idea why I suddenly felt like googling or youtubing for the song. Procrastination perhaps. But anyway, it's a really soothing song! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I hear it. It's apparently a very popular japanese song sung by Sakamoto Kyu in the 60s and even made it to #1 in the US! An amazing achievement in that time I would say. I love the acappella version and I can't remember if I have the recorded PF version.. hmm time to go look for it.. I'm now actively looking for a complete japanese acappella version of the song! I found a short approximately 40s version of the song by ss501 on 4shared and it's not bad! but where's the full version??? the english version by 4PM is not bad too. Actually, I think all the versions are nice! sigh... how i wish i can hear PF sing it again... No wonder Tosea went "Oh my God" when we said we dunno the song. HAHA!

MySpace Countdown Clocks

MySpace Countdown Clocks

2009-10-18T13:30:00.000+08:00

我老妈回来了！！=D

Addiction

2009-10-18T12:52:00.002+08:00

Acappella 必唱歌: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Ahh I shouldn't have gone to the 2 acappella concerts! Not that I'm regretting it or anything. On the contrary, it has become a huge distraction for me! Hearing it live is really totally different from hearing it on a cd. Both performances were really great and I had a great time watching them perform but I have a "cold turkey" feeling after the concerts. A sense of loss. A 死而无憾feeling. Gosh! I'm addicted! It's only 2 concerts and I can't believe I'm feeling this way! I HAVE to stop replaying the scenes in my head! Now is not the time for that! I have to study hard now so I can earn big bucks in future to fly over to watch them perform instead of waiting for them to come! I'm officially banning myself from the computer to stop myself from stalking them. I'm becoming my worst nightmare...

2009-10-15T12:01:00.000+08:00

我变了。。。
是变得更好吗？
但愿如此。

2009-10-03T00:37:00.003+08:00

What is this world coming to? What with all the natural disasters happening one after another; what with all the tests and assignments due nx week.... Yes you can see how minute the latter is compared to the hundreds of lives lost, but somehow to me, it's as great as if an earthquake hit Singapore. Which technically isn't wrong since tremors can be felt here (not that I felt it though).

AARGH!!!! What's the point of studying so much when a tsunami might just sweep you away???? WHY WHY WHY WHY???? I don't think I can handle all the stress of studying in Singapore... Why oh why am I not born in Holland. The students there are so carefree. At least that's what it seems like on the travel show "Gracious Planet".

If I become the Minister of Education one day, I'm going to abolish all rankings AND (emphasis on the AND) the bellcurve. It's putting unwanted pressure on students and it's unfair to those who scored equally well but do not get the grade they deserve just because they are not better than others.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok i think i feel much better now... just needed to vent it all out...... please do not take any of my words above the "AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH" to heart. i know it's impossible. i just needed to type it all out to feel better.

Forums and Threads

2009-09-28T01:21:00.002+08:00

MySpace Countdown Clocks

MySpace Countdown Clocks

gosh i haven't been here in a while and when i came, i saw that the countdown clock has counted down to only 50+ days!! that's like not even 2months! i remember it being 3 digits when i first posted it....

anw the forums are really interesting to read. i was just reading a discussion thread regarding singlish at the straits times website and seeing the "crossfire" among the replies made me forget that i was tired. most of the responses were really intelligent and got me thinking. i really should do this more often. trains my brain to think more instead of just accepting things for what they are...

2009-08-16T00:54:00.006+08:00

Since I have no idea how to embed this in the skin, I've decided to repost this whenever I post a new entry so that it'll always be the first thing I see. If it's possible, maybe I should just put it as my wallpaper...

Anyways, I've had 2 huge "feasts" within a period of only 4 days and I look as if I'm 3 months pregnant! OK I'm exaggerating but I can still taste the food I ate as I try to burp, at the same time trying to keep all the food inside of me.

The first was Swensens ice cream buffet at ion. A pity I only ate 3 scoops of ice cream as I was stuffed with all the cake which I suggested to take a piece of each and I ended up finishing almost everything! -.-'' I didn't really like the one which they said was hazelnut but doesn't really taste anything like hazelnut to me. The others were pretty ok and I think I would have enjoyed it more if I weren't getting tired of all the cakes... I think I ate at least half a kg of cake even though the main lead was supposed to be the ice cream...

Next was Mr. Curry. I had a 20% of voucher so I went there to eat. It was my second time there and together with my sister, we spent a total of $38 after discount!! It's not that the food is pricey (maybe it's a little, at least that's what I think), but that besides ordering our own meals, we had an additional curry okonomiyaki and a kakiage sandwich, which I suggested we order because I thought I would not be full enough. I overestimated myself though. I should stop doing that. It's not healthy for my stomach!

I think I'm developing a habit of packing leftovers using serviettes and bringing them home! I did that with an almost untouched pie-like cake at swensens and I did it with the sandwich again at Mr. Curry! I just feel that it's a pity to waste all the food. Maybe it'll be better not to order so much the next time.

oh.. and i'm officially broke now... bread and water for the next week! haha!

2009-08-11T09:59:00.002+08:00

OK. I know this is a little extreme considering that this is only the first day of school! But I know I'll definitely be distracted when tests and everything start coming so I'm just putting the countdown timer there as a constant reminder to me! I actually wanted to just do away with the first timer and just leave the one counting down to the number of days to FREEDOM!, skipping out all the exams, but my conscience got the better of me.

Oh well... Anyways, I spent the last few days/hours of my holidays watching "Ugly Betty", not that I'm regretting it. It's a really nice show!! There's laughs, there's family, there's relationships, there's morals, there's basically everything you'll experience in your life! How I wish I can be like Betty! She's smart, confident, capable, and she knows her stuff. I have the looks and the fashion sense, so now all that's left is what's on the inside. Great.

Happy Birthday Singapore!!

2009-08-09T20:29:00.002+08:00

Happy 44th Birthday Singapore!!! Awww... How I wish I can see the parade live. For the past 20 years, I've been watching the National Day Parade from the tv screen at home and it definitely cannot be compared to being there myself. Even watching the preview, which isn't even on the actual day, gets me feeling more patriotic than watching the parade on the actual day at home.

Anyway, the bell which rings at 12pm on the first of every month rang at 8.22 pm today! If I were outside somewhere with a group of people, I'll definitely be reciting the pledge, but somehow it seems a little silly doing it by myself at home. Anyways, I love listening to all the national day songs!! They're all very meaningful and it really makes me proud to be a Singaporean!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAREST HOMELAND!! ^_^

2009-08-05T23:41:00.000+08:00

Sigh... Another flunked interview... No. Wait a minute. I shouldn't say another since that was the first ever interview I've ever had in my life!! According to the interviewers- there were 4 of them!- this was supposed to be the most informal interview we'll ever have in our life. I wouldn't know even if it's true since all the other "interviews" (if you can even call them interviews) I've been to were those "you're-hired-i'll-tell-you-the-job-scope" kind of interviews!

I'm not going to get my hopes up. I think the chances of me getting selected is like... 1%? Or maybe even less. Nope I'm not being pessimistic, just realistic. But since I'm not a very realistic or pessimistic person I can't help having a slight glimmer of hope deep inside me, that maybe a miracle will happen. However usually out of 10 times I hope a miracle will happen, it occurs only once... And that's a pretty optimistic figure!

Oh well.. I'm pretty good at comforting myself so I don't think I'll be any worse off even if a miracle does not happen. Or maybe it simmply means that I do not want it badly enough for it to upset me a lot more... I'll just take whatever I can get...

2009-07-23T22:23:00.004+08:00

Why am I always on the receiving end of such things?

"Ignorance is bliss". How true this is... On the other end, not acknowledging the problem doesn't make the problem go away....

my heart aches when i see you sufferring...

2009-07-16T07:22:00.002+08:00

THAT WAS DAMN AWKWARD!!!!

and embarassing... and weird....

I swear I'm never ever going to do it again. Ever.

Aargh!!! I can't stop the scene from being on replay mode in my head....

Happy!!

2009-07-09T00:00:00.002+08:00

Yay!! I finally found GReeeeN's latest album "Shio Koshou" for download!! Being a fan of them, I know I should support them and buy their cd but it's really a little too expensive for me to afford it... Maybe next time when I'm earning a lot more I'll be able to buy all their albums, past and present. And of course, I won't forget my dearest Kazuki!! Afterall you were the one who got me hooked onto jpop.

2009-06-26T01:27:00.001+08:00

sigh... how did things turn out to become like this? at least it's resolved...

mixed feelings...

2009-06-23T22:35:00.002+08:00

i hate making choices.. especially when i yearn for both equally.. sort of.. but the lure of one is just a little greater... this reminds me of a compre i did back in jc i think, on choice and conformity.. whatever...

this sucks...

Money Woes...

2009-06-06T17:18:00.002+08:00

OK. My salary is officially all gone. After I include all my past expenses after the school term ends that is. So basically I'm spending future money, which is terrible! Argh and I haven't even bought half of the things I want to buy! And it's the GSS now and the IT fair is coming up too if I'm not wrong. More spending of future money..... I'm going broke! Really.

Sigh.. I really really want to buy GReeeeN's 3rd album which is coming out on the 10th of June but if things continue as it is now, I think I will have to forgo it.. OK I think I have to survive on air for the next few days! Or perhaps for the next month until I get my next paycheck....

2009-06-05T22:30:00.004+08:00

Yay!! I've finally bought a earpiece which I said I wanted to buy a long time ago. It's a noise- isolating in-ear earphone so it means that I no longer have to blast the music in my ears even when the surroundings is noisy. Since it's not exactly very expensive, the noise-isolating capabilities may not be as good but it is definitely an improvement from my previous one, which is one which I took from a free portable radio and is already going a little cranky on one side.

Oh and it's finally payday! But somehow I have a feeling that the 1week's pay is not going to last me very long... I am still planning to buy an external hard drive, since I have a feeling my laptop is on the verge of a major breakdown, and maybe a 3-in-1 laser printer as well. The printer can cost me my entire salary, and not forgetting the fact that I am going to be jobless again pretty soon... I need a job!

Sigh... I've bought my laptop for barely a year and I've reformatted it like what? 2, 3 times? I can't remember.. Either I'm not taking good enough care of it or the laptop is problematic in the first place... Maybe I should invest in an antivirus programme or something since I definitely do not have sufficient money to buy a new computer if something happens to this one (touchwood!). On the other hand, the antivirus programme may possibly wipe me out too....

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world

Money, money, money
Always sunny
In the rich man's world

Aha-ahaaa
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
Its a rich man's world

2009-06-04T23:41:00.004+08:00

THE HIVES ARE BACK!!!!!

2009-05-22T22:18:00.002+08:00

Ugh... I can't believe I just did something that I dislike others to do to me.... Yeah and like what I said, I've never liked sales and today just reinforced my dislike of sales...

Good experience? I dunno... But I don't think I've done anything to be proud of. I slacked almost half the day away. Luckily my leader was too focused on selling her own such that she has no time for me.

スエルスは　私の　キャラじゃない！

Humpty lock dumpty key

A Killing Frost

2009-05-15T02:38:00.002+08:00

I was updating my visual bookshelf on facebook and thinking what books I've read and liked when I suddenly thought of the Jack Frost series by R.D. Wingfield which I read quite a while back, when Jurong West library was still in Jurong Point. Don't ask me when it was because time seems to fly nowadays and I think that was back in my secondary school days. Anyway I remembered that I really liked it then and would always go back looking for more of the series, only to realise that he had written only 5 books.

Back at the visual bookshelf, I typed in his name and saw an unfamiliar title "A Killing Frost", which I don't think I've read or seen before so I went and googled his name(R.D. Wingfield, not Jack Frost), only to realise that he had passed away! Prostate cancer, according to wiki. Somehow it came as a shock to me. Similar to when Charles M. Schulz, author of "Peanuts" the comic strip, passed away in 2000. Somehow it feels as if I know him at a more personal level since I've read his books and stuff.

Yeah and that was a new book which he completed before he passed away and was published just last year, after his death. I'm so going to the library tomorrow (or rather later today) to borrow the book!

2009-05-12T19:02:00.001+08:00

ugh.. i should stop having lunch at 3 in the afternoon. it's spoiling my appetite for dinner...

2009-05-11T21:01:00.002+08:00

小时了了，大未必佳

how apt...

i hate how things appear to be turning out....

2009-05-08T22:36:00.002+08:00

Ok. I've decided not to while away these 3 months of holidays which I will only have again 1 year later. Even if I do find a job, I think I should do something more meaningful, like learning something new. And this will be a very good opportunity for me to learn HTML, which I've been wanting to learn for a while now, and maybe even try drawing. ^^

I just had this sudden realisation that I won't have this much time to spend once I start working so I should make the best use of my time instead of just wandering around my house like a wandering ghoul!

Okok! Enough blogging! Time to go watch as many dramas and animes as I can, read as many books as I can, and learn as much stuff as I want to!! Haha I think this is a pretty fulfilling way to spend the holidays!!

2009-05-08T08:49:00.005+08:00

Oh boy oh boy! I was still groggy with sleep when I just woke up not long ago when I was greeted with the huge face of Mas Selamat on Lian He Zao Bao. The headlines read "The escaped horse has been captured"! Wow... The headlines on the papers these past few days had always been on the latest update on the swine flu status, including the current alert level in Singapore that the different wording and colouring must have attracted my attention.

In my opinion, anyone who threatens the security of a country should be hanged or shot or just have their lives taken away or whatever. We hang drug dealers yet we allow other scums who threaten the security of the country, or the world, to live.

On second thought, these people probably did what they did with the intention of death in mind so killing them might not exactly be the best deterrent or punishment. No. ~~They should be tortured instead to reveal all that they are planning and if all else fails, then there's no point wasting the country's resources to keep them alive.~~

Gosh! When did I become such a sadist.....

Just My Luck

2009-05-02T21:08:00.003+08:00

OMGoodness!! Had I known earlier that McFly is guest-starring in "Just My Luck", I would have watched it much much earlier than just tonight when it premiered on Channel 5!! WOO THEY ROCK MAN!! Jonas Brothers' great too but I love almost all of McFly's songs!!

I <3 bands!!

2009-04-16T19:14:00.002+08:00

Flash Countdown

wooo!! confetti! even though I won't get to see it count down to zero, it still feels good!

haha i saw a graduation one but i think it's still too early to put it now! not when i don't know the exact date! haha! can't wait for the day when i can finally use it! or not... i dun wanna go out to work!!!

2009-02-26T15:41:00.001+08:00

after thinking about it for so long, i've finally done it. dunno why but i don't feel too good...

anyway it'll wear off after a while.

TIME TO STUDY!!

2009-02-24T19:59:00.002+08:00

i knew i couldn't resist the temptation! i shouldn't even have tried to in the first place! i'm now halfway through kazuki's 2007 live gig on youtube which means i'll probably finish watching the whole thing! gosh! i feel my love for him reigniting! wonder when his 09 gig will be, if there is one. now i really really really feel like going to watch him live!! i suddenly have the urge to work super hard and earn lots of money during the 3months break to save up for a japan trip! hopefully it's during his gig period! looking at the figures in my bank account now, i still have a long way to go... so please pardon me if i act like a scrooge for this period of time! it's hard to save when you're not earning anything and when you do not get a steady allowance...

R-0-B-O-T-S

2009-02-23T09:36:00.002+08:00

I Love TOFU!!

2009-02-21T21:24:00.001+08:00

haha saw this on mtv's jk hits just now and find it very cute and funny!

2009-02-20T15:10:00.000+08:00

sorry ayaka, you'll have to make way for kazuki!

My Newest Obsession- Kato Kazuki!

2009-02-17T18:54:00.001+08:00

2009-02-14T18:56:00.003+08:00

i just finished watching the entire "Zettai Kareshi" a.k.a. "Absolute Boyfriend", all in one day. it's about how this girl, Izawa Riko, is always rejected by guys and how her life changes when she was approached by a company which offered to find her her ideal boyfriend, not knowing that they're offering her a robot for a free test trial for 5 days. it's a really nice show. funny, yet touching at the same time. the ending was pretty sad but not in a bad way.

jdoramas are short enough to finish in 1 day, and not too long such that it spoils the story

ああ、私は　ドラマを　だいすきですよ！

じゃ、ご飯を　食べます。i've been surviving on cindy's cookies and hui ping's chocolates the whole day and i'm starving now!