Happy Jack-O Day!

Are you home yet? Don't stay out too late ... the vamps and ghouls and spirits and werewolves and ... are roaming the streets tonight.

Better be indoors, like where I am now ...

... but mostly, it's really because I'm so zong'ed out from staring at the computer screen scanning headline after headline on a gazillion websites ... I need a break fro Bits!! Luckily I'm just sitting in for my colleague ... phew.

Well, anyway, just a reminder it'll be November in a few hours. The last two months of the year. Where did the year go?

Facebook Addict Now

Aiyoh, I've resisted joining this notorious online social network for the longest time but finally succumbed to peer pressure and now I'm an official addict!

Ahhh ... I spend time (that amounts up to hours!) everyday biting friends, and growing my slayer and zombie armies. Or staring blankly at sea creatures swimming in the Huizquarium. And now blogging about it. Geez ...

Plus I love my (fluff)Friend xue to bits. Come pet him sometime, he's a little homesick here in tropical Singapore (and a lil hungry too cuz I lost his food munny at the races! Poor xue!)

香港迪士尼乐园~好玩!

Everytime I go to Disneyland, it's MAGIC. Besides, it's Halloween so there're special costumes for the characters ... Mickey is handsome as ever, and Minnie coquettish. Unfortunately, we didn't get to take pictures with all the characters :( - only with Mickey and Minnie cuz there's simply no time! Even when the park's the tiniest in the world ... sigh. To think we actually had a 2-day pass ... but only spent 1 day at Disneyland cuz we wanted to see more of HK (my sisters and mom were on their first trip there).

Sitting here on a Sunday night, on the threshold of another work week, I wish I was back in the magical world of Disney.

The magic really begins with the train ride into Disneyland. The special train comes with plush seats and Mickey windows and wrist rings for standing passengers (though this is quite redundant cuz the train's empty all the time we were there ... maybe during peak seasons like school holidays or the Chinese hols, then it'll be packed)

I was really there for the shows. Didn't care much for the rides although this is the first time in Disneyland where we don't have to queue up to 30 minutes for any ride. Although they have Fastpass for a few attractions, I dun think it needs to be exercised except for maybe during major holidays like X'mas or CNY.

The 3D and live musical stage shows were superb. I'm convinced only Disney can pull this off. The experience is all encompassing - sound, visual, tactility - u name it ... e.g. when they bring us into the 3D underwater world of Ariel the mermaid, they spray just the right amount of water on us and then sea bubbles and Flounder float before our eyes, just within reach. You really feel like u r part of that world!

The park may be the smallest but there're interesting things all the way, unlike at the Movieworld at Gold Coast, I was bored by noontime. Good thing is, the HK Disneyland is still expanding. They are building new attractions so eventually it may reach the size of the other parks.

Also, within their own constraints, they manage to pull off a magical finale. The regular finale for the American Disneylands is a spectacular performance of Fantasia followed by fireworks. In HK, it's just pure 20 minutes of fireworks display, played to Disney's animated features' soundtrack from Beauty & the Beast, etc. There're also projected images from the cartoons on the walls of the Sleeping Beauty castle ... I never thought fireworks can be displayed in so many different configurations! It's a pretty awesome show in its own right. The fireworks show is probably even grander than the American ones (maybe cuz it's cheap in China ... but really, it's not doing any good to HK's hazy skies)

The disappointing bit is the famous Disney On Parade - it's so short and unimpressive. Also, the food is so lousy and overpriced I wish we had brought our own sandwich. And the cast members (staff) are not as friendly and enthusiastic as the Americans who seem to really enjoy their jobs. Here in HK, it seems like just another job dealing with some stupid irritating customers ... there are some nice ones though but most are just plain bo chap. Worst of all, the park closes at 8 PM!!!! The American ones open till midnight.

The Disneyland Hollywood Hotel where we stayed ... nothing special. Just a regular hotel but with Mickey ears plastered on everything - bathroom slippers, shower foam bottles ... the cutest is the way they fold the hand towel into Dumbo. Have taken some pictures ... will upload later - damn, Imagestation is closing down ... need to migrate my albums :( and update my links here!

Oh well, anyway, here's the link to those pictures :)

4th Pilgrimage to HK. Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, this time, I'll be in Hong Kong. Haha ... I realise it's been like an annual pilgrimage - I've been going there every year since 2003, except in 2005 when I was unemployed :)

Looking forward to it. Especially this time round, there'll be Disneyland and we're staying 2 nights at the Disneyland Hollywood Hotel! Cuz Hui Ching gets a 50% discount, thanks to SIA. This is really the prime reason why I have to make this trip for God only knows if I'd ever stay at a Disneyland hotel ever again. They are too expensive, completely not worth the money but it's gonna be a blast having breakfast with Mickey v(^_^)v

Dream. Believe. Dare. Do.

Okie, off to bed now. Flight's at 0645.

爱: For Elaine!

Two more weeks to the wedding ... you must be real excited girl :)

3月9日: Sangatsu Kokonoka

I've found my theme song. At last. Lol. Why someone would write a song with this title is beyond me. It's by a Japanese band Remioromen from their album Ether. According to Wiki, both singles and album were released on Mar 9, a year apart, in 2004 and 2005 respectively.

A song about finding strength in new challenges, I can easily identify with the song, especially when it is also the soundtrack of an inspirational true story about the struggles of a girl who continues to live optimistically even as life fades away from her with each passing day.

3月9日 is featured in Japanese drama, 1 Litre of Tears, which is based on the true story of Aya Kitō, a 15-year-old who was diagnosed with spinocerebellar atrophy but carried on living for another ten years more earnestly than most of us who have taken life for granted. During that time, she chronicles her struggles as a spinocerebellar atrophy patient in a diary, 1リットルの涙 (1 Rittoru no Namida).

The series has 11 episodes, and I've just finished episode 3 on Youtube. This is the episode when Aya and her class perform the song at the school choir contest in the morning. That afternoon, she confirms that she's been stricken with the disease. And hence her life will change, as she tells best mate, Haruto.



I've also found the music files for 3月9日 here.
And the OST of the drama here.


3月9日: Sangatsu Kokonoka
March 9

Nagareru kisetsu no mannaka de
In the middle of this drifting season

Futo hi no nagasa wo kanji masu
I suddenly feel the length of the days

Sewashiku sugiru hibi no naka ni
In the midst of these quickly-passing days

Watashi to anata de yume wo egaku
You and I dream away

San gatsu no kaze ni omoi wo nosete
With my feelings on the March wind

Sakura no tsubomi wa haru he to tsuduki masu
The cherry blossom buds continue on into spring

Afuredasu hikari no tsubu ga
The overflowing drops of light

Sukoshizutsu asa wo atatame masu
One by one warm the morning

Ookinaa kubi wo shita ato ni
Beside you, I’m a little embarrassed

Sukoshi tereteru anata no yoko de
After a huge yawn

Arata na sekai no iriguchi ni tachi
I’m standing at the door to a new world

Kiduita koto wa hitori ja naitte koto that
What I’ve realized is that I’m not alone

Hitomi wo tojireba anata ga
If I close my eyes

Mabuta no ura ni iru koto de
You’re behind my eyelids

Dore hodo tsuyoku nareta deshou
How strong has that made me?

Anata ni totte watashi mo sou de aritai
I hope I’m the same for you

Suna bokori hakobu tsumuji kaze
The dusty whirlwind

Sentaku mono ni karamari masu ga
Tangled up the laundry, but

Hirumae no sora no shiroi tsuki wa
The white moon in the morning sky

Nan daka kirei de mitore mashita
Was so beautiful, I couldn’t look away

Umaku wa ikanu koto mo arukeredo
There are things that don’t go the way I planned

Ten wo aogeba sore sae chiisa kute
But if I look up to the sky, even they seem small

Aoi sora wa rinto sunde
The blue sky is cold and clear

Hisu ji kumo wa shizuka ni yureru
The fluffy clouds float by quietly

Hanasaku wo matsu yorokobi wo
If I can share with you the joy

Waka chiaeru no de areba sore wa shiawase
Of waiting for the flowers to bloom, I’ll be happy

Kono saki mo tonari de sotto hohoen de
From now on, I want you to be quietly smiling beside me

Do You Know?

       I have a secret.
       I can't tell it ...
        ... so I post it.

PostSecret: You Gotta Read It. See It.

I've heard of this project before - PostSecret - but haven't actually seen it, read it. And the fourth book has already been published! Oh boy. What have I missed.

Anyway, I am blown away. It is such an amazing project. Makes me wanna tell one of my own secrets. A secret a day makes a lifetime of secrets. And if one was off-loaded each day, I should be floating from the lightness of heart ... sweet :)

爱: 我好想睡觉！

Memories of Manila

Just came back from another whirlwind research trip. This time, to Manila. While it's not exactly a tourist destination, the city does have its own charm, where you know to find it :)

Like Jollibee. And Grower's peanuts. And Boy Bawang, which eluded me when I was there last week, and which dear Chevy, a good friend from Manila who is now based in Singapore, just told me as I recounted my nutty obsession. Peanuts were the only souvenir I brought back from this city. A mega-variety of them. All of them delicious, like nothing we can find on the shelves of NTUC or The Happy Place (Carrefour).

It seemed I had a misunderstanding, thinking we'd been checked into the New World Renaissance whose rooms were to come with free Internet access. So I lugged my laptop all the way there to find that we were booked into the Mandarin Oriental.

Nothing I could complain about this luxury hotel, except for the lack of free Internet. And that housekeeping threw away my almost empty bottle of talc powder and tube of toothpaste, and my toothbrush cover! The over-enthusiastic housekeeping also 'helped' me hang my clothes in the wardrobe, which I almost forgot to pack into my luggage when it's time to go home. Out of sight, out of mind. So thank you very much, I'd rather you just leave my clothes sprawled on the couch, just the way I'd left them.

Sigh ... other than that, I only have praises for the warm staff and super breakfast spread, though out of the five nights I stayed there, I only enjoyed two morning's worth of meals. Alas, sleep wins.

The research went pretty alright. Like previous trips to developing countries, it's a reality check for me here in Manila; witnessing the juxtapose of two economic extremes within such close proximity - slums with emaciated kids running naked, skin glistening with sweat inflicted by the merciless late morning sun, at the gate of a prim 'n proper plush neighbourhood - was mind-blowing.

We had a cheery driver, Bernie, who was despatched to rescue us when my colleague fell ill on our first day in Manila. A short ride in a claustrophobic cab from Makati City had left her queasy so we had no choice but to request for the office all the way in Quezon City to send us a SUV. They sent Bernie and he'd been our driver everyday except for one. Bernie and his Air Supply-era music on the stereo. Priceless.

Tara, the local researcher (whom I thought looked incredibly young!), made us feel so at home, making sure that all our needs were met. I've learned much about mobile phone habits and pricing from her. Excellent.

Although I must say that Manila is definitely not a tourist's choice given the bad traffic and low quality air, there are the lovely sides - the hospitality of her people, delicious food and flavourful peanuts - you can't find elsewhere in the world.