I know it's been a while. But for someone who writes for a living, I really can't be blamed for the occasional lapse in my blogging; writing is hard work, and heavily dependent on inspiration/creative impulses/boredom/lack of nothing better to do/a fulfilled sleep debt. Nevertheless, I cannot possibly disappoint my loyal reader (s) out there *dramatic sigh* so I have forced myself to pen my thoughts on this very late evening after a LONG day at work...
[Also, not to rub it in or anything *snigger* but I just polished off a Sri Lankan mango.. Oh man, heaven in a juicy, green skinned fruit! As you can see, I have already returned to my chirpy self]
I must share this line from the book I am currently reading: 'It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting...' -'The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I quite agree with him. If not for our dreams and hopes and ambitions, life would be quite dull I think. Or it would be ok, but just going nowhere interesting. We'd just exist, rather than live.
I was also quite over the moon that I finally got my hands on A Thousand Splendid Suns and finished it the other day. Admittedly, Khaled Hosseini is a really good author. What makes the book even better though, is the realness of the story- it captures human emotion so well, and makes you feel how and what the characters feel. Between this read and The Kite Runner though, I still liked the latter more. But I strongly recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns to those of you who weren't too sure if it is a worthy read- it definitely is.
I haven't had the chance to write about My Sister's Keeper yet- so here's my take on it: If you're trying to decide between reading the book and watching the movie, my advice is to ignore the existence of the movie and buy the book instead. It's been a while since I've read something that had me this hooked, and I honestly can't remember the last book that made me cry. Reviews about this have been good and bad, and a lot of people were disappointed about how the story ended, but I think its subjective- you need to read it for yourself and decide. It's a beautiful and bittersweet story, and hats off to Picoult for doing such a good job.
Ok, onto less bookworm-ish issues: My long standing desire to lie on a beach and be happy was finally fulfilled last weekend- in Phuket :) I need to post another separate little entry about the trip itself, but it was a really awesome weekend getaway. I am such a beach girl at heart. And I love Thai food.
Speaking of food, our first ever string hopper lunch at work was a rockin' success! Complete with masi sambol and some chicken curry + dhal from the local prata uncle.. Much thanks to the sibling for lugging 250 stringhoppers all the way from home. And more thanks to mother dearest for being so great about feeding people :)
I've also been down with the flu for the last week. I suspect it was the infamous H1N1 (it is now cool to have had it, because everyone has- the need to feel included maybe?) which has almost become a trendy disease, but I am glad it's passed its worst. As far as my immune system's concerned anyway. Them poor little white cells..
And.. *drumroll...* I am now properly qualified in basic bhangra dancing. Don't even ask. It's a lot of fun and a pretty good workout though. And I never pass up a chance to laugh at myself. And valiantly fail at improving my graceful nature.
I will thus end for now on that merry note and go curl up with a book. And try and forget all the deadlines I need to meet yesterday. Laters folks!
ps. In case you were wondering about the coolly confusing title of the post, I just discovered today that 2 of the 6 kinds of quarks are called charm and strange. I shall keep this in mind as possible childrens' names in the future..
For lack of a catchy title
August is here, and I am excited. Tradition has it that I celebrate the first day of every month, mainly because it usually all goes downhill after that :p
So today I cleaned my room, dressed up, hit the town, watched a movie, hung out with the sibling, and slept at a decent hour (2am).
I think I shall go rollerblading tomorrow. If I can actually crawl out of bed before sunset.
Also, Singapore and the rest of Asia needs to start importing in apple and cinnamon muesli. Seriously. It is to die for.
I am even more convinced now that I belong in Europe :(
Seeing Callie yesterday (I hope you're reading this babe!) brought back fond memories of my third year at NUS, of completing the crazy business minor, of Vivien, and of how much fun university was in spite of exams and assignments and deadlines ALL the time. Aiyoh, I sound and feel like an old woman :P
I miss my girlfriends back home. Though they're scattered all over the world right now. Hopefully we shall be reunited at Christmas :)
I can't wait for next weekend :D Sun, sand, sea and snorkelling. What else can a girl possbly want?!
So today I cleaned my room, dressed up, hit the town, watched a movie, hung out with the sibling, and slept at a decent hour (2am).
I think I shall go rollerblading tomorrow. If I can actually crawl out of bed before sunset.
Also, Singapore and the rest of Asia needs to start importing in apple and cinnamon muesli. Seriously. It is to die for.
I am even more convinced now that I belong in Europe :(
Seeing Callie yesterday (I hope you're reading this babe!) brought back fond memories of my third year at NUS, of completing the crazy business minor, of Vivien, and of how much fun university was in spite of exams and assignments and deadlines ALL the time. Aiyoh, I sound and feel like an old woman :P
I miss my girlfriends back home. Though they're scattered all over the world right now. Hopefully we shall be reunited at Christmas :)
I can't wait for next weekend :D Sun, sand, sea and snorkelling. What else can a girl possbly want?!
Courtship in the 21st century.
Oddly true, but ever so funny... :D
'Things have changed. People don't just meet organically anymore. If I want to make myself more attractive to the opposite sex, I don't go get a new haircut. I update my profile.'
'I had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies.'
'He MySpaced me.'
'Oh girl I don't know about that... My trampy little sister says MySpace is the new booty call.'
'Things have changed. People don't just meet organically anymore. If I want to make myself more attractive to the opposite sex, I don't go get a new haircut. I update my profile.'
'I had this guy leave me a voicemail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies.'
'He MySpaced me.'
'Oh girl I don't know about that... My trampy little sister says MySpace is the new booty call.'
- He's Just Not That Into You
Uninspired.
To blog. To take pictures. To get out of this nice comfy little hole in the ground I've dug for myself. I think my creative side's in a coma right now.
I really can't complain though; life has been great :) I'm finally learning how to rollerblade. I managed to find a new read which gave me goosebumps, after weeks of books that all blurred into the mundane. I spent an awesome weekend in KL, and my total expenditure over the two days: $5. The prodigal sibling returns next week, and brings with him food and the comfort of family. Lots more challenging projects coming up at work in the next few months. And the office peeps still make me howl with laughter on a daily basis.
Something's missing though. And I think I know what it is.
The connection. The simplicity. The zest. The zeal.
I believe the quarter life crisis has arrived.
I really can't complain though; life has been great :) I'm finally learning how to rollerblade. I managed to find a new read which gave me goosebumps, after weeks of books that all blurred into the mundane. I spent an awesome weekend in KL, and my total expenditure over the two days: $5. The prodigal sibling returns next week, and brings with him food and the comfort of family. Lots more challenging projects coming up at work in the next few months. And the office peeps still make me howl with laughter on a daily basis.
Something's missing though. And I think I know what it is.
The connection. The simplicity. The zest. The zeal.
I believe the quarter life crisis has arrived.
MJ sure rocked my world :)
I was watching snippets of his memorial service on TV today and was reminded of a quote from a book by Jeffery Archer: 'the popularity of an individual in life often only manifests itself in death'.
I wish people had appreciated MJ more in life, especially over the last few years, when he wasn't actively performing or at his peak; that they had judged his talent and music less by who he was, and more by how uniquely different and great it was. The outpouring of grief all over the world just goes to show how much his music brought people together; how one of the greatest entertainers of our era made an impact on people's lives that will probably last generations to come. I grew up listening to Billie Jean and Liberian Girl; my brother grew up trying to perfect the 'moonwalk'; my parents still have his albums that they bought in the 80s. I'm sure he's sold more albums this weekend than he has over the last couple of years, but music like his is timeless and he changed the face of entertainment in a way only few other people have. He may be gone, but he's left the world with a lot to remember him by.
As a personal tribute to him, I'm posting my favourite MJ video- I loved watching this as a kid, more for the changing faces in the video than anything else, but the song is still on my playlist today :)
I wish people had appreciated MJ more in life, especially over the last few years, when he wasn't actively performing or at his peak; that they had judged his talent and music less by who he was, and more by how uniquely different and great it was. The outpouring of grief all over the world just goes to show how much his music brought people together; how one of the greatest entertainers of our era made an impact on people's lives that will probably last generations to come. I grew up listening to Billie Jean and Liberian Girl; my brother grew up trying to perfect the 'moonwalk'; my parents still have his albums that they bought in the 80s. I'm sure he's sold more albums this weekend than he has over the last couple of years, but music like his is timeless and he changed the face of entertainment in a way only few other people have. He may be gone, but he's left the world with a lot to remember him by.
As a personal tribute to him, I'm posting my favourite MJ video- I loved watching this as a kid, more for the changing faces in the video than anything else, but the song is still on my playlist today :)
White boy + Singlish = Whinglish. Go figure...
This is absolutely hilarious :D
Look out for 'Wah, I smack you boy' and the bit about the 'kancheong spider' *wink*
Thanks for this QJ!
Look out for 'Wah, I smack you boy' and the bit about the 'kancheong spider' *wink*
Thanks for this QJ!
Secrets to splurging
The basics: Roam around in a mall, unsupervised, for the better part of an evening. The mall will ideally have stores such as Forever 21, Mango, I.P. Zone, Espirit, John Little, Cotton On, Bodyshop, Charles and Keith, Popular and several smaller boutiques specializing in costume jewelery, quirky hand bags, sandals and hair bands.
Chances of splurging increase exponentially with situational circumstances such as the Great Singapore Sale (GSS), discounts for Citibank credit card customers, seasonal clearance sales, ridiculously good looking male sales assistants, and weak (or absent) will power.
Being accompanied by a shopaholic girlfriend (or a recovering shoe addict who has since donated 3 of her 36 pairs of heels to charity) greatly increases the chances of impulse purchases, loss of the sense of time, fits of hysterical giggling near changing rooms, pseudo modeling worthy of Project Runway, and a lot of fun.
The flip side: Splurging can often also result in cognitive dissonance upon returning home and unpacking one's purchases, chronic depression at the end of the month when credit card statements arrive, further trips to Ikea and Home-Fix in futile attempts at wardrobe space expansion/storage, and having to then find the perfect pair of heels to match that brand new turquoise top.
But hey, women were born with this God-given right (and weakness?). We might as well make the most of it ;)
Chances of splurging increase exponentially with situational circumstances such as the Great Singapore Sale (GSS), discounts for Citibank credit card customers, seasonal clearance sales, ridiculously good looking male sales assistants, and weak (or absent) will power.
Being accompanied by a shopaholic girlfriend (or a recovering shoe addict who has since donated 3 of her 36 pairs of heels to charity) greatly increases the chances of impulse purchases, loss of the sense of time, fits of hysterical giggling near changing rooms, pseudo modeling worthy of Project Runway, and a lot of fun.
The flip side: Splurging can often also result in cognitive dissonance upon returning home and unpacking one's purchases, chronic depression at the end of the month when credit card statements arrive, further trips to Ikea and Home-Fix in futile attempts at wardrobe space expansion/storage, and having to then find the perfect pair of heels to match that brand new turquoise top.
But hey, women were born with this God-given right (and weakness?). We might as well make the most of it ;)
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