Miss ya 2008!

What? Already the last hour of the last day of 2008? Where did the year go? What have I accomplished? Has 2008 been AWESOME?!

#1 Awesomeness
I'm still alive. I'm still able to laugh and cry, to enjoy precious moments with family and friends. My family is well. My friends are happy. Yes, I'm extremely thankful for every tiny bit of these mundane things that we take for granted until they are snatched away from us, especially in this turbulent year, filled with more sorrow than joy for most. Thank God, it's been more cheer for me. May the new year put an even wider smile on my face for the next 365 days (^___^*)

#2 Awesomeness
I've escaped a restrictive work environment into one that liberates, to continue to do what I enjoy with an awesome team whose spirit bears the same flame of passion. One of the best calls I made this year was to use my right brain, to reject a very attractive job offer in March because I was following my heart, and my heart said it belonged to the creative circle. After 10 years of love and sweat, I couldn't just quit being around the creatives, or rather, being creative (^___^*)

#3 Awesomeness
I discovered 2 great new places which will see me going back for more - ONE, the natural beauty of the great wilderness of Sichuan, and TWO, the natural beauty of the metropolis of Tokyo waiting to be discovered by those who look hard. And not too far away from the hustle bustle of Shinjuku lies the wild side of Japan, still waiting to be discovered by yours truly in the new year. In April (^___^*)

#4 Awesomeness
I haven't had so much faith in fate lately if not for what I've experienced this year. Many things had seemed pre-orchestrated by powers greater than myself. For a start, I made a new friend out of nowhere in Feb when he stumbled upon my contact while researching L&Y for his job interview. It turned out he's my ex-classmate's brother! A new friend from Wales who taught me what free-spiritedness really meant when I traveled in Sichuan, new friends in my final weeks at L&Y, and of course, the wonderful new friends at ASUS who are the reason I don't mind going to work everyday! But even more precious are the old friends with whom I'm having the chance to soldier on once again, an old friend whom I care for in Chengdu whom I didn't expect to see this year cuz the earthquake had somewhat foiled my plan but somehow, I still managed to visit (^___^*)

#5 Awesomeness
WALL-E and Ponyo. In all the craziness of our daily lives, sometimes it really helps to take a step back and reflect on the things that matter the most to us. WALL-E tickles my sentimental vein while hand-drawn Ponyo trips me back to the good ol' days before 3D when good stories could carry themselves just as well, if not better, on the pencil tips of animation artists like my Uncle Walt in the 1930s to 50s, and Uncle Miyazaki today. Ponyo, dear Ponyo, when was the last time I felt happy and smiled everytime I saw the trailer for a film on TV? (^___^*)

So I guess it's been a truly AWESOME year for me and I hope it's the same for you guys too. I would ask for more time to see through some of the things which are still sorta up in the air ... but hey, that's what 2009 is for rite!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 充实的过了2008， 2009 会更美好哦！

Ponyo is a MUST WATCH!

Sweetest ever. How I miss the genius and beauty of those cel-shade 2D animations.

Ponyo is so delightful, it's so worth watching repeatedly. I hope it comes out on Blu-ray soon!! Absolutely my second favourite film of the year after WALL-E v(^___^*)v.

Well, it's not so thought-provoking as WALL-E but every bit as beautiful and emotionally-engaging as the love of the old robot and his hi-tech girlfriend.

Ponyo is the strange girlfriend from the deep sea. It is essentially The Little Mermaid but Japanese style, that means a great deal more kawaii than even Ariel. The storyline is not the least bit true to the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, except for the essence of loving someone for who she (he) really is.

It's also quite a departure from Miyazaki's older films which always had several layers of story-telling going on (think Spirited Away) but Ponyo is very linear. It makes for fabulous children entertainment and even more awe-inspiring for those of us kidults with that child in us struggling to be let loose (^___^*)

Oh and you'll be so pleasantly surprised by the end credit roll ... I guess if you're as dorky as I am ... haha. Well, yeah, I'm a fish ... now I know why I'm always so sleepyzzzzzzz ... v(^___^*)v

The film is 100 minutes or so but for me, it was over at the bat of an eyelid! Hey, any film that doesn't have me counting minutes is an awesome film for I'm a real impatient person for a couch potato. Hehe ...

I also saw Bolt yesterday ... ahh hate to say this of a Disney film but it's just an ok film cuz I checked my watch a couple of times. Not bad but not that great either. Just watchable. Guess Disney's at its best making those gorgeous, magical cel-shade animations! I'll be looking forward to having them bring the craft back into their productions and let the Pixar boys be in their element creating 3D magic.

Ponyo finally coming to SG!!!

Debuts in Singapore 01.01.09 - yippie! Been waiting a loooooooong time for it v(^___^*)v - especially when it's produced in the dying animation art form of hand-sketching.


A synopsis of Ponyo On The Cliff (崖の上のポニョGake no ue no Ponyo):

A small town by the sea. Five-year-old Sosuke lives high on a cliff overlooking the Inland Sea. One morning, while playing on the rocky beach below his house, he discovers a goldfish named Ponyo with her head stuck fast in a jam jar. Sosuke rescues her and keeps her in a green plastic pail.

Ponyo is fascinated by Sosuke and Sosuke feels the same about Ponyo. He tells her: "Don't worry, I'll protect you and take care of you." But Ponyo's father Fujimoto -- once human, now a sorcerer who lives deep under the sea -- forces her to return with him into the ocean depths. "I want to be human!", Ponyo declares. Determined to become a little girl and make her way back to Sosuke, Ponyo escapes.

But before she does it, she empties the Water of Life, Fujimoto's precious store of magical elixir, into the ocean. The sea waters rise. Ponyo's sisters are transformed into enormous fish-shaped tidal waves that climb as high as Sosuke's house on the cliff. The chaos of the ocean world envelops Sosuke's little town, making it sink beneath the waves.

Reflections on A Whole New Mind

Finished reading Daniel Pink's A Whole New Mind, leaving a trail of thoughts in its wake. Really, without knowing it, I've been practising some of the principles Pink brought up but some of which I've since given up in the name of, yeah you guessed right, L-directed "work".

1. Let mom tell, repeat her stories. Be more patient with her as her snippets (which sometimes can amount to annoyance when I'm in the wrong frame of mind) could provide invaluable holistic understanding of her life back home now that all of us are miles away from her most of the time. Me, the researcher, of all the people, should've comprehended this a long time ago. But I've neglected.

2. Comics!! Though I've only been seriously feeding on comics in the last 5 years or so, it's been an on-off love affair of a lifetime (once in Art class and I was hopeful the teacher would repeat the exercise but tough luck, no ... ). How to integrate this interesting art form (where the readers provide the story - indeed! We can only interpret with our broad imagination what the artist can convey in 4 short frames) into the larger picture of work and life? For a start, I have my daily fix of some of my favourite comics on iGoogle.

3. Hours spent browsing magazines at the bookstore. Oh yes, remember those days when I'd scan most teen and entertainment magazines, keeping tabs on my favourite music personas, events and well, just general trends in the "creative" circle, criticising this and that. Honestly, if it's not a form of release of pent-up frustration, it's a decent training of the critical eye.

4. Volunteering. Back in NUS, I volunteered for 2 years, and then another 2 after graduation but as the complexities of worldly matters caught up, I gave up volunteering. From the experience with the MINDS Guillemard children, I get what Pink had to say about autistic children and those who are L-handicapped. I remember Teck Wee, my charge, unleashing his artistic side when presented with paper and colour. He picked up on origami pretty well too. Now, I'm beginning to wonder where the children - Teck Wee, Weixing and Kunqi - are now? Where will I find them today within the working society?

5. Laugh! Haahaahaaaaaaa ... who'd thought my favourite pastime is actually a great cardiac exercise? To quote: "it takes 10 minutes of rowing on the home exercise machine to reach the heart rate produced by 1 minute of hearty laughter." No wonder laughter is the best medicine.

6. Spirituality. Yes, very important, which is why I, and most other people, are hoping to go to Tibet someday. I ended up in Sichuan this August, in the quest for peace (this was what I told my friend in Chengdu and he replied, what profound meaning. Well, yeah, so I guess it was more meaning than peace, or really both as they are quite inseparable, that I was looking for). Although not quite Tibet, I scaled the Buddhist mountains of Emei and Leshan, had some inner reflections, found some peace and some meaning. It's quite magical, and 2 particular incidents stand out.

First, it's a really bad day when I started climbing Emei - rainy and cold. I'd climbed a long time, the afternoon was quickly disappearing. I was fatigued, was wondering how long more before I would arrive at the next stop to spend the night (there're only 4 stops on this 3,098m mountain). A black dog appeared from (was gonna say nowhere but ...) and walked with me until I was feeling better, happier, stronger.

The second incident was on Leshan when I was heading towards a temple "somewhere up there". There weren't signs. There weren't people so I could be sure there's really civilisation there in the great wilderness. But most importantly, at that time, I was struggling with an emotional tug-of-war - the exact situation I was faced then and there - should I continue or give up and turn back? I chose to continue, and the temple appeared round the next turn.

Hope I'm successful with the "story" part of Pink's 6 Senses albeit not quite in 50 words. I'll keep trying ok! Now onto the game part ... Little Big Planet here I come!

v(^___^*)v

What have I done today?

1. Watched Ratatouille (on Blu-ray ... whhheeeeee!!!!!). Finally!! And luving it!!!

2. Bought a second piece of a favourite top. Crazy girl! Sometimes I really marvel at myself. If I don't like something, there's no way in hell anyone can force it down my throat. But if I really like something, I obsess over it incessantly.

3. Got a long overdue haircut with mech highlights (dull green that's quite nice actually). In line with several research that show women opting for more conservative self expression in this time of recession (duller lipstick colour and longer skirt with earthier tones) ... okie ... now my hair goes from red to mech. I'm trendy!

4. Playing Little Big Planet, still trying to get past the ghost level. Gimme a break guys! Float away!

Independent films from China

I'm glad to have attended the 3 screenings of the New Realist Cinema: Independent Films from China, having regretfully missed the other 2 on Thu and Fri nights - arrrghhhh!!

The films from underground young Chinese film-makers can never be shown in mainstream Chinese cinema (just like Royston Tan's 15 could not be shown in Singapore theatres when it was first released) because they highlight the ugliest side of Chinese society, which traces back to a lackadaisical government more concerned with upkeeping a prosperous image like the one it successfully pulled off on the world stage during the Olympics.

The first 2 films were documentaries while the third was a feature film which also carried a deep social message. All three films examined the moral values of new China amidst relentless material pursuits. Interestingly, I came across this interesting discussion today on the moral values, or the lack of it, of Mainland Chinese.

The first film, 活了一分钟，快活六十秒 (For Every Minute I Live, I Enjoy 60 Seconds)， featured a narrative of the life a man left behind by China's rapid progress over the last 30 years. It's an interesting "ethnographic" peek into the man, a divorcee named Dagang's down-and-out life, void of ambitions because he believes there wasn't anything he could do to reverse his "fate".

His motto is exactly the film's title. I thought it interesting, very optimistic. I could also relate to the rationale of not dwelling issues which are unsolvable (because I have the tendency to worry too much, mostly unnecessarily, a habit I'm dying to kick).

I think such films provide a window to the state of China today beyond what's reported in official news sources. Great source for research ... hmmm ... how do I get my hands on those tapes??

海角7号

终于看了海角7号。也明白了它为什么会是史上最受欢迎的台湾作品。

看了海角7号，有了许多感触。特别是友子的那句话， 我爱上了阿嘉。我不是没有谈过恋爱,只是这次很奇怪，也不知道为什么。

这句话对我来说算是蛮贴心的。我个人深深地相信，也体会过，当你无法解释为何那么喜欢一个人的时候，那应该就是爱吧。

这种爱也是最辛苦的，因为自己不知道到底该不该勇敢的去爱，可能就会因此错过一段美丽的缘分。

就好像战争时代的友子和那位日本教师。

Getting old ...

Just came back from my former boss, Daniel's daughter's 2nd birthday. What, two years old already?! It's barely yesterday when I heard they're finally thinking of starting a family! (Daniel and wife YP had been married for years but had been too workaholic for a family until 3 years ago)

Oh man, can't help but feel a wee bit (just a wee bit ok) old today ... haha ... the other Spinnets whom I met today were from generation whatever since I left, I barely knew anyone! Luckily for those few familiar faces :)

Got my first henna on my back at the party! Quite nice eh? Hehe

IJ girl? Err ... not really ...

Oh, I'm never ever gonna freely declare myself an IJ girl after watching this morning's episode of Little Entrepreneurs. My God, those girls were little brats! They deserved it when they lost the game to the other team who were way more cohesive and creative. Even their teacher seemed more helpful. All that the IJ girls did were whine and complain ... they didn't even have any good ideas of what to sell, what they ended up selling was their teacher's idea. And one of the girls' parents donated $100 to the "charity" ... oh big deal huh! Duh!

The other team's efforts command way more respect, especially the part when the two young violinists from the team had an ensemble with the busker at Waterloo Street (they on violins and him on flute) to deliver a beautiful (but made me a little tearful) rendition of 月亮代表我的心. Of course, they received much applause and donation!

Wanderlust with a meaning

Must be the recent unfortunate events in India, and the year grinding to a close, and me feeling extremely thankful for first being alive, and then having a great job that I enjoy and being surrounded by wonderful people in my life everyday, and the fact that my friend is now out there in Beichuan lending a helping hand in settling the earthquake survivors for the imminent winter which can be bitter like last year's, that I feel I should be doing my part for the greater good.

Wish I could join him. Wonder how long his activity there will last cuz I have 5 days of leave to clear this year with nowhere specific in mind for a holiday. Why not wind up 2008 and usher in 2009 with something meaningful like heading out to Beichuan to see what I can do for the people there, even for a brief 2 weeks or so?

The girls (story on Boston.com) remind me of the ones I met last year at the Qiang village 萝卜寨 (also destroyed in the quake). They need help. What can I offer? I'll ask!!! \(^___^*)/

Children receive winter clothes donated by a group of volunteers as they line up preparing to leave the temporary school near the quake-hit Beichuan county on Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A young girl helps to arrange belongings as she moves into a new house, leaving her temporary tent housing with her family at the Leigu Township on November 25, 2008 in Beichuan County, China. Reconstruction work is accelerated in the province as those still living in makeshift houses prepare for challenging winter weather. According to state media, over 15.6 million houses were damaged in the May 12 Sichuan Earthquake and the Chinese government plans to spend three years to rebuild infrastructure and homes.(China Photos/Getty Images)

Men with babies

I think men are the most adorable when they have a child in their arms, and obviously enjoying the moment with the baby (^___^*)

By the way, congratz Elaine, on the much anticipated arrival of Emma ... see you ladies soon!

Thankful

1st of Dec. World AIDS Day. The first day of the final month of a turbulent year. Asking the same question I asked half a year ago - what's my greatest achievement in the last half of the year - I must say, being alive. And incredibly thankful for it. Thankful for still being able to breathe, to wake up morning after morning, to go to work, to unleash my passion, to laugh, to cry, to love, to be loved, to travel, to stand still, to pine for and to look forward to so many more meaningful moments in life.

Although filled with sadness to learn of Lo Hwei Yen's murder by the terrorists in Mumbai, in the very hotel I had stayed in some 8 months ago, I quickly brushed it off my mind as I didn't want to dwell on that extremely unhappy incident.

It took but a glimpse of someone's My Paper on the bus this morning to plunge me into pensive thought again. The very fact that she went to Kylie Minogue's concert got to me. I didn't go but my friends did. Just before it started, I texted them to enjoy the show cuz I knew what a showgirl Kylie is. Reviewers would later give the concert 2 thumbs-up. Hwei Yen must have really enjoyed herself that night, oblivious to the terror that would strike her less than 24 hours later.

Last Monday, the same time as now, she was still alive. She would be attending Kylie's concert the following night, just like I had attended the Linkin Park concert last year, the night before I left for Bangladesh. While the deadly Cyclone Sidr hit the next day I was in Dhaka, killing thousands, Hwei Yen's young life was snuffed out by senseless killing on her first night in Mumbai. Why didn't she miss the early flight to Mumbai, having stayed up late at Kylie's concert?

Why is there so much hate in this world? I'm reliving the Japanese Occupation through The Little Nyonya now. Didn't think the show would move me but today's episode has surely done so because a loving couple has to be separated by this senseless war.

I used to hate the Japanese too after hearing so much of their atrocity during the 3 years and 8 months of their terror act in Malaya. But having seen and read more, even from the accounts of the Japanese themselves, it seems the regular soldiers were also victims of the war they wanted so much to end. Their only mistake could very well be their patriotism, probably very much in the same breath as the jihad spirit of the terrorists who gunned down the innocents in Mumbai.

Why has the human spirit taken a backseat in all this brutality?

New toy! Merry Christmas!

Been lusting after this ever since I saw WALL-E ... hehe ... what's the connection? Just so I could watch my favourite movie of the year on Blu-ray! Placed my order for WALL-E, Kungfu Panda, Ratatouille and Cars on Amazon just last night ... should have done so much earlier cuz *FREE* Super Saver shipping takes 5 - 7 days ... add shipping from Oregon to Singapore ... oh man, it'll be 2 weeks before I get the discs (that means tough luck for next week's long weekend!)

Oh well, at least it'll be in time for Christmas rite? Hmmm ... this is the third consecutive Xmas I've got myself electronics for Christmas (2006 - the sexy iPod Nano PRODUCT (RED) and the super duper Canon Ixus 850, 2007 - the ultra gorgeous Samsung 40-inch LCD TV and 2008 - the one that resembles the love of WALL-E's life *Eve* Ceramic White PS3 (I asked the girl if she had white in stock at SITEX where I picked it up, or else I won't be getting it! Ho ho)

For now, I'll just be content with LittleBigPlanet and F1, polishing my motor skills hehe ...

Somebody else's phone

Nice! Posted the below straight from the website ... Somebody Else's Phone.

Nice ad for Buenos Aires Zoo

Great video! *sob* *sob* **APPLAUSE**

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICKEY & MINNIE!

My all-time idols turn 80 today!!! Long live Mickey and Minnie! Looks like you guys had a wonderful magical birthday celebration \(^__^)/







I wonder if it's a coincidence or Disney deliberately planned to release WALL-E today (^___^)

The highest level of GENIUS

Found this comment on The Pixar Blog, and wonder what does it take for a visually stunning film to have even the visually handicapped community who can see none of the images appreciate its genius?

Is there a way we can find out if the DVD or BlueRay release will have the DVS track included? I'm blind, and I love the Pixar films. If you're wondering why, it is simply the story, every time. But, this movie specifically requires description. DVS stands for Descriptive Video Service. Pixar contracts the Media Access Group at WGBH Boston to create the descriptive narration for theatrical use. It so far has never made it to a Pixar home video release, despite the begging and pleading of many of us who simply can't visibly see their genius. I would hope that they would include the descriptive track for this film if no others, simply because the entire thing short of a few scenes on the ship will be lost on a visually impaired audience.

WALL-E Bluray/DVD out TODAY!

Finally ... iPod disfigurement!

I've had my little iPod Nano (RED) for almost 2 years. Have taken great care of it for almost 2 years.

Today, it fell from my grip as I crossed the road to the Expo MRT station after work. I suppose it's not majorly damaged internally. The physical damage could have been much worse too.

Nevertheless, my poor lil iPod suffered minor bruises so it's not that perfect anymore. I guess now it's a little more like Eve after she goes on the rough and tumble with dear ol' WALL-E :)

WALL-E on Bluray and DVD tomorrow!!!

Dinner with "long-lost" family

Had family dinner today with our legendarily rich uncle and aunt whom we haven't seen in ages. Mom had wanted to visit my aunt who just had an operation for a slip disc but they invited us to dinner at Yan Palace in Chinatown, which served pretty good food - the restaurant is also well-reviewed for dim sum but we were too late for that (>.<) - before adjourning to their penthouse condo at Dunearn Road.

The condo was old although the penthouse idea's rather cool. It fell a little short of expectations anyway cuz I was imagining the type we always see in movies where the elevator opens to the living room ... oh well, not this one.

But when they mentioned their other apartment at *drumroll* THE SAIL, whatever doubts I still had of their wealth went *poof*. That's like my dream residence! How can I ever own a unit there?!

Hmmm ... at least I can look forward to stepping into one and enjoying the view for some precious hours!

Hehe ... oh, whatever ...

Life caching II

Oh man, is this pure coincidence or when you focus your thoughts on a certain subject, object, maybe person, everything, down to the details, becomes more apparent?

Another friend commented on the fragility of digital life caching. Isn't it even scarier when the trend into the future is toward cloud computing, when data are stored on giant servers somewhere in the world instead of on our own local drives?

Isn't it scary, or if viewed through an optimistic lens, interesting, that the "digital cloud" age may undo the purpose of life caching, bringing us back to zero?

We log significant events we have so that we can own, keep track of and impart those moments, stories and experiences to future generations. So with the convenient, accurate, wonderfully precise technology that enables us to shoot and preserve true-to-life accounts, as human nature dictates, the average person will not resist to record more.

So we're running out of local storage space or the exercise of data backup is putting a strain on our already hectic lives cuz we need to play so many roles today even though we still have the same 24 hours that the cavemen did.

So voila, "cloud computing" takes off. Google says you'll never have to delete an email again. Hotmail says we'll give you 5 more gigabytes of storage, Yahoo! says we'll match that ... when will this end?

Of course the consumers - you and I - won't complain. The more the merrier! Now I can store all my digital files on those FREE online spaces! YIPPIE!!

Yippie? Think again. How many times do we ever revisit our terabytes of photos, videos, emails, conversations, diaries ... ? Do we even remember which exist where? Are we likely to "stumble upon" any of them like my friend did upon the postcard from El Paso dated 25.08.01?

They are more likely to fade into insignificance. What we have cached will be uncached by the very act of over-caching.

Uh-huh.

He rejected Google!

He said he's been dreaming of working for this company for as long as Google existed. But when he received an offer from them yesterday to head the Latin American experience research team, he told them NO, THANKS. The reasons were he believed he still had not accomplished all that he had set out to do at his current company, and that he believed the team is full of promise and there's so much more that we could learn and achieve together.

I'm on his team. I'm inspired.

It sure takes an immeasurable amount of faith to make this decision ... what would I do if one day, just maybe, I receive a similar offer from Disney?

Life caching

Just when I'm pondering this topic, a friend messaged, telling me that she stumbled upon a postcard from El Paso dated 25.08.01 that I sent to her. Must be that morning before the NSYNC concert. I still remember writing the postcards at Burger King, nibbling away at my BK breakfast ...

Wow. Seven long years ... over in just a blink! And now it's all coming back to me!

P.S. 25.08.08: I was in Chengdu, a very memorable day and trip.

Doesn't get any better than this ...

It's been a looooooooooooooooong looooooooooooooooooong time since I walked into office with a heavy heart but felt assured, relieved, stress-free, even happy after a talk with a motivating, inspiring, appreciative, humble team leader.

I got lots to learn. 加油慧诗!

拍拖

Not me la ... hahaha ...

Over the weekend, found out some of my friends have found their other halves. Cause for celebration! Hehe ...

我呢？ (^___^)

The world rejoices ...

Stock markets rallied for the first time in months today. Not just Americans rejoiced at the prospect of positive change in America.

The world rejoices with her.

By virtue of Obama's lineage, he's gained the support of many nations, continents even, around the world - Kenya and I'm sure Africa too, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia even! Haha ...

Of course, China will welcome a friend rather than one who is suspicious of her growing clout in the world's economy. India, at first split between Obama and McCain and seemed somewhat wary of Obama's earlier protectionist promises which could be detrimental to India's massively US-dependent IT outsourcing economy, may not have too much to worry about in the end as Obama would probably not opt for measures that contradict American companies' bottomlines.

So the world may rejoice for now ... this young, energetic, normal person of a President may jolly well pull it off (^__^)

OBAMA!

I don't follow the presidential election and today's the first time I saw Barack Obama speak in full, and as the President of the United States of America.

I was awed.

Not by how articulate he was or how well he delivered his first presidential speech.

Instead, I thought, "He's so normal!!!"

Here, the person I saw on the screen, is just another regular guy who could easily be that helpful neighbour or the guy in the next cubicle in the office. The subjects he talked about were mundane everyday problems which cannot be more real in the lives of millions of average Americans especially in today's economic climate.

Like Daniel said, he's a person.

By that normalcy, yes, I do believe America can finally sober up from its long years of stupor.

The Cheng Ho Connection

I suddenly recall this conversation with my friend in Chengdu.

Friend: 我很想去马六甲走一走.
Me: 为什么呢?
Friend: 我想去看马六甲海峡啊.
Me (laugh): 马六甲海峡有什么好看的?
Friend (shrug): 就是想去看看嘛.
Me: 你下次来新加坡时,去新山就看得到了.
Friend: 还是想去马六甲看一次.

I think it's so cute that someone would want to go to Melaka just to have a a look at the Straits of Malacca. Especially since the Straits can be seen anywhere along the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Lol. Very cute.

Speaking of the Straits, The Little Nyonya premieres on Channel 8 this Nov 25. It's such a big-deal drama and honestly, I'm quite sick of all the promo that's been going on for months now. All the blitz is taking the impact out of the drama instead of creating hype. Personally I think the greatest impact is created when something (or for that matter, someone ) just quietly steals into your life and explodes into a million colours, butterflies and stars *****

However, I do kinda look forward to it. The drama reunites the 3 Straits States with a culture that is uniquely theirs - the Peranakan culture. Even as a Malaccan, I cannot claim that I truly know or understand this culture fully. Hopefully, the film would open my eyes!

Oh yes, it sure would in more ways than one ... heh heh ... cuz Dai Yangtian (戴阳天) plays a dashing Japanese photographer who falls in love with a Nyonya but eventually, together with his Nyonya wife, is killed by his fellow countrymen who would go on to ravage Malaysia and Singapore for 3 years and 8 months. Hmmm ... I also wonder what the actor, a Chinese national, feels being cast into the role of a Japanese who lived during WWII albeit a good one.

So ... the Straits of Malacca - the Straits States - the Little Nyonya - the little conversation that me and my friend had in Chengdu - the maiden journey of Admiral Cheng Ho to the Far East in the 15th century and his return to Malacca with the Chinese princess Hang Li Po as a gift of friendship between the Ming Dynasty and the Malay Sultanate of Melaka, the union that gave birth to the unique Peranakan race and culture. The Cheng Ho Connection. Haha ... gee ... why this sudden bout of nostalgia?

It's the rain.

Chindia: Hot 'n Numbin'?

Saw this interesting claim while researching on India.

"India's curries can be even hotter than the fieriest of Chinese hotpots; likewise the temperature of the two economies."

I'd really like to compare who goes to the max! Can India's spiciness be hot and numbing like the Chinese Sichuan hotpots? Gosh ... if you accidentally bite into a 花椒 (pepper - those seeds floating in the seething broth - lethal!), it's really no joke!

A380 in the Sky

If I wait, no matter how long I wait, it'll not appear.

But once I'm not keeping tabs, I see it not once, but twice.

Yesterday, saw two A380 land in the space of an hour. Think they're from London and Tokyo.

I was once again disappointed, like when I first steppd into its cabin in June. The jumbo airliner is indeed overhyped. Or so I feel.

Flying in the sky, it's not as monstrous or jaw-dropping as I'd anticipated. Just a double-decker plane the size of a normal one. In fact, it looked overweight and clumsy compared to the sleek aerodynamic body of a regular 747.

Oh well, maybe I'm increasingly stuck in the past. I'm becoming an old fogey.

P.S. WALL-E comes out Nov 18 v(^_^)v

TC: Top Combine

China's jumping on the boyband-wagon? This new group looks set to be the first Chinese Shinhwa-like band ... haha ... especially when one of the members is Korean! The other four are former contestants of 快乐男声 (the male version of talentshow Supergirl).

Kinda exciting ... anxious to hear what they are capable of especially when I'm friends with the cousin of one of them (马雪阳 - can't tell from the poster pix cuz it's so highly stylised!! Think it's the one in the centre?) heh heh ... I still dig boybands can? :P

*(0,0)*

*(!_!)*

*(=_=)*

*(+_+)*

\(0,0*)?

Went to the airport for a ride home on No. 27. Had an intense urge of flying up the escalator to the departure hall, get a ticket and board a plane.

To somewhere. Anywhere. Impromptu.

Hehe ... that'll be fun. Totally kewl.

Maybe that's why my passport's in my bag all the time.

In awe of UX

Really. My UX team leader, DA, opened my eyes to what UX truly is. What communication to, and with designers really is. How he shrunk a whole chunk of text to a few pictures and some words, and still conveying the intended message.

I've got loads to learn. Gambatte! 加油!

Homecoming gift ...

So Weijie went back to Indonesia with his wife to visit his in-laws. In today's volatile economy, we figured that he shouldn't be gone too many days without catching up on Singapore news.

So ... \(^_^)/

I sooooo WANT this!

New old colleague

A new colleague who's an old colleague, WL, joined the company today. Haha ...

The gang initiated her in a couple of "stunning" ways (of coz pre-planned on Tue to perfection!) ... hehe ... she's quite literally stunned! First, we got her into the conference room to present her portfolio to the gang. Then, one by one, they left the room, till only LG and me who were her old colleagues left in the room. WL was quite perplexed but continued her presentation cuz despite having worked together previously, we didn't see everything that she was capable of.

Then, the gang reappeared with a cake and a birthday song!! Haha ... WL has to tell everyone that it's not her birthday and we looked at LG accusingly cuz he had 'told' us it was her birthday. So WL played along for a while ... cut the cake ... thanked us again and reminded us it wasn't her birthday.

The presentation continued and when it's over, WL got a second (or is it thir? :) round of shock. Her desk was covered in Post-It notes and a beautifully-packed bag of stationery (that all newcomers would receive from HR) which she thought was from us ... hehe ... hailing from her ex-company (mine too!) it's no wonder she thought that way! There's a card attached which said "We know it's not your birthday but we love having you here anyway."

Awwwwww ... she knew it's a prank ... but ain't we sweet? \(^_^)/

WALL-E Inspired

WALL-E has inspired creativity in fans! Some of these are pretty well done \(^_^)/

MUST WATCH: Get to know your WALL-E robots in "Lots of Bots" ... hehe ... really nice piece from the making of the movie.

Oh ... I made a boo-boo about the "hold hands" musical clip ... it's not Julie Andrews but Barbara Streisand! Whoa ... thot Streisand's, well, not too pretty but she looked ok in film so it never struck me at all that it was her indeed ... haha. The film's "Hello, Dolly" by Gene Kelly.

Lots of Bots!



WALL-E and EVE: A Love Story



I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Selamat Hari Raya! ++ greetings ++

To all Muslim friends and acquaintances:
Selamat Hari Raya! Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

To everyone else:
Savour this rare mid-week treat \(^_^)/

To Chinese friends:
国庆愉快! 特别是雪, 加油哦!

To myself:
Congratz! It's been exactly a month since I started my new job ... and still luvin' it! \(^_^)/

开心

呵呵 ... 就是开心嘛 \(^_^)/

是吗?

我现在所追求的只不过是一种幻象?

End of F1 Fuss

Despite declaring myself a non-fan, I watched the entire 3 hours of today's race and pre-race preparations, AND last night's qualifying rounds. It's actually quite thrilling actually, at least for the first and final 10 laps.

I feel kinda bad for Massa ... must be freaking frustrating!! But it's all good for Alonso who himself felt frustration arising from technical problems with his vehicle last night which prevented him from clocking a desirable time. But oh well, he has the last laugh! Ho ho ho ...

重看《如果.爱》

今天重看了这部电影, 再次深深的被感动到了 ...

Beneath the magnificent cinematography is an extremely sad love story, a love triangle. I marvel at how the present day story is told with spectacular song and dance routines that run parallel with a series of extremely pensive and emotional flashbacks. Some of the lines just leap straight into my gut, messing with my heart and mind ...

"你知道我最害怕什么吗?你根本没有爱过我.那我就傻了十年." - 林见东

"我最想拍一部简单的爱情故事. 故事发生在青岛 ..." - 聂文

"他老是把地方搞错. 是青海, 不是青岛 ... 故事从夏天开始, 冬天结束 ..." - 孙纳

记得看《爱情占线》哦!

Finally on Channel 8! Every Sunday, 10.30 pm, beginning TONIGHT! \(^_^)/

雪的中秋短讯

雪 sent me a Mid-Autumn Festival SMS greeting last week. I managed to decipher the message except for one word but thanks to Wall-E, I'm now able to read the complete message! The poetic words conjure up pretty images that warm the heart ... so I'm sharing it here with you. But of coz, it's only thanks to Wall-E that I'm able to type it out here cuz if I can't read, I can't jolly type! Haha ... I need to learn my Chinese way more diligently!!

Happy Belated Mid-Autumn Festival! \(^_^)/

蒹葭苍苍， 白露为霜，
薄雾茫茫， 唯风与光，
清秋时节， 霞瞬叶黄，
增衣添裳， 安生无恙，
此佳节至， 圆月共赏！
节日快乐！ 颜慧诗拜。

Wall-E: Disney Genius!

I finally saw Wall-E today! 3 weeks after its release ... phew!

I LOVE DISNEY. Who else could pull this off but Disney? Create a 90-min film that trips back to Charlie Chaplin days - no dialogue! Oh well, there were some here and there but mostly throughout the film, voice was non-existent.

I love the "good ol' days" theme. The film begins with a short, a feature so characteristic of all Pixar movies. The clip is styled in old-fashioned Disney cartoons format, but in 3D. Then, Wall-E shows Eve his collection of "artifacts" from about 1,000 years back (see, Wall-E is set 700 years after 2110) like the bulb, the VHS, the Rubik's cube and ............... the BUBBLE WRAP! Ooohh ... the simple joys of the good ol' days \(^_^)/

The soundtrack was simply awesome and I commend whoever found and inserted the clip of that Julie Andrews movie that taught Wall-E about love and holding hands as an expression of love. Despite the lack of dialogue throughout most of the movie, I was never once bored. The emotive soundtrack complements a straightforward script which reminds the audience that sometimes, life really isn't all that complicated at all. Why let the machines rule us? Why not just revel in the simple joys and be content and remain focused on what is instinctively significant, just like Wall-E has done?

Yes, I am not ashamed to admit that I was moved to tears at some points. I was connected to the story, the characters, their experiences, Wall-E. And his love of Eve from a different world. Can this really work? Well, it's fiction but still, if one stays focused, the goal may soon be within grasp. Like how Wall-E has always wanted to hold Eve's hands ... and he'd never give up till he's achieved just that ... even in spite of a motherboard change, he remembers ... hehe ...

I wanna trip back to last month ...

想念阿宝。想念阿宝之乡。想念成都。想念那碗香喷喷的麻辣牛肉面。

想念雪一口流利的，但有时候我听不懂的，华语 \(^_^)/

Haha ... I now love how native Chinese speakers speak the language. Have been swooning over the way my team leader (he's from Taiwan) and 雪 speak in those sometimes foreign tongues. Especially when they punctuate normal conversational dialogue with idioms and the like ... but the words flow out of their mouths so beautifully, like poetry, that they mesmerise me endlessly ...
d(^_^)b

Ahhh ... I miss last month (+.+)

Empty Fool

In a bus full of people
I feel
complete emptiness.

429,346 gold *GASPS*

Mid-Autumn @ Clarke Quay

Strangely the decor at Chinatown itself is sparse this year. The focus for this year's Mid-Autumn Festival (which falls on 14 Sep) is shifted to Clarke Quay. The light-up was probably last Sun ... when we drove past, there was fireworks display and after we finished dinner, the lion and dragon dances were commencing.

We're there again today and I've got some pictures of paper models of ancient Chinese people, as well as characters from Chinese legends and history like Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. There're also models of the zodiac animals.

Here're some pictures ... fewer people today cuz of the rain so the pictures are pretty good though I missed three of the zodiac animals cuz my camera battery died :(

Great Day 1!

It's been a good day! Not getting into the thick of things yet so my supervisor chased me out at 6.30 pm. Haha ... the environment's nice though I'm gonna miss the spread of food choices around Bendemeer :( Hmm ... guess I'll restart the pack-your-own-lunch movement. Can save money too so why not eh ...

Coincidentally, our friendly neighbour is Nestle. Peiru just joined Nestle last month so now we're at the same workplace! Hahaha ... have never had such luck with any of my friends before so this is really great. We can meet up for lunch and if we meet the rest of the gang, we can go together cuz Peiru drives! Too bad she lives in Bedok and I don't have a direct bus home from there or else she can tumpang me to the station ... hehe ...

New beginnings

今天是八月初一. The start of a good month - the eighth lunar month - as the Chinese believe it. It is the month of the Mid-Autumn festival, of bountiful harvests and the fullest moon of the year. It is a month of great unions (Chinese weddings spike during this month), love and beauty (symbolised by the Moon Goddess Chang-E 嫦娥) and longevity (symbolised by the Old Man on the Moon 月下老人).

Tomorrow is 1 Sep, the beginning of the ninth month on the solar calendar. Nine, 9, 九, is a symbol of longevity for the Chinese as it is phonetically identical with 久 (long). Tomorrow is also the first day of the Muslim holy month - Ramadan.

This great month is a month of new beginnings for the four of us.

Pauline is trying out something new - programme editing which hopefully makes better use of her creative talents - after 8 long years of corporate videos. Happy for ya girl!

Raymond finally receives a job offer after a long hunt since graduation day, and a good one if I may say, at Citibank. Great work bro!

雪 ... 认真的雪 ... is finally on the road again with some Singaporean tourists after 3 months of waiting in the aftermath of the 5.12 earthquake that devastated his usual route of Jiuzhaigou 九寨沟. Today he must be traversing the gorgeous terrains of Hailuogou 海螺沟. Hopefully, the tourists will return to Sichuan fairly soon ... I just came back and I can testify that it is home to some of nature's most extraordinary beauty!

Yes, I've come home. Although sad I've come to the end of this road trip, I am also grateful for having a job to return to. Me, too, like Pauline, Raymond and 雪, am embarking on a new beginning tomorrow. Having 3 other friends on the same journey makes this one especially meaningful.

Reminds me of that song by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis - At The Beginning. Have a great Sunday!

Life's firsts ...

I've air-travelled for at least 7 years and encountered many firsts. Today, I enccountered another - I missed my flight. Haha. Oh well, somehow, I'm not too unhappy about it. Just a change of place in where I spend the weekend. At my favourite teahouse :))

I have to be careful what I wish for. Haha ...

康定情歌之乡

Am now in the hometown of this famous love song - 康定 (Kangding). It's very chilly here ... below 20 degrees. Besides, it rained this morning.

Sigh ... I'm having not much luck. Thought I'd take a roadtrip out to Mogetso (hire a one-day jeep plus driver) but about 7 km before entering the area, there's a landslide so there's no way our vehicle could get through. However, the drive itself was well worth it as we passed by a gorgeous terrain of misty mountains, gushing rivers and plunging falls.

After turning back to Kangding, I visited a Tibetan temple called 金刚寺(Jingang Si). The temple is such a marvel ... the carvings and drawings are so intricate and the colours so vibrant. Simply gorgeous, I shall let the photos do the talking :) Go to Facebook, k?

Then, my driver who is a Tibetan brought me to his home which is also a guesthouse and had butter tea there. It's newly renovated for RMB400,000! Wow. It's quite a nice place with a hospitable family - my driver, his wife, daughter and his father. Would be quite an experience staying with a Tibetan family. Besides, he can help to arrange the itinerary to the scenic areas in these parts including Mt. Gongga and 九龙 (Jiulong) ... I have his contact if anyone's interested.

After that, I took the cable car up 跑马山 (Paoma Mountain) for an overview of Kangding. Thought I'd also spend some time on the mountain (though my friend said there's nothing much up there now that the annual horse festival is over) since I've got nothing very much to do anyway ... but it was getting really chilly up here I jumped on the next cable car back (well, almost) hehe! Should have heeded my friend's advice and brought the cardigan :(

I ended up watching the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in the afternoon. I don't mind since I missed it. But still, I missed the first 20 minutes or so and the performance of the controversial lip-synching girl again.

Maybe in a while, I'll go out for some tea at a Tibetan teahouse ... though the butter tea is not really my cuppa. Okie ... maybe not then ... well, maybe I'll just spend a lazy afternoon online posting my pix and head out for a bowl of hot and spicy 麻辣拉面.

Thank goodness this hostel has wi-fi. Not sure why I couldn't get connected last night, perhaps the router wasn't turned on. It's not very fast though so I'm not sure how long it'll take to get all the pix up ... stay tuned!

黄龙溪

This is a rainy day. From the moment I woke up till now. Non-stop! No wonder it was still so dark at 9 am and I thought it was only 7 and planned to get back into bed after a toilet break. Hehe ...

I was wondering why my friend had not responded to the 2 SMS that I sent yesterday (found out later that he didn't receive my SMS yesterday and thought I was not back from Emei yet ... grrr...) when I decided to head out to the ancient village 黄龙溪 (Huang Long Xi) instead of waiting, in spite of the rain. It is south of Chengdu, an hour by bus.

I didn't expect it to be so touristy!! Well, mainland Chinese tourists but tourists nevertheless. Still, there're some nice things to see including more temples, one of a huge marble Buddha at 大佛寺 (Dafo Si temple) which is accessible by a short boat ride on the river and the 古龙寺 (Gulong Si temple) where the Laughing Buddha and Guanyin reside. Other than temples, there're lots of good food and endless rows of stores selling "tourist trap" goodies (hailing from Melaka, I know these things all too well!)

The teahouses and makan places serve cheap delicious food like the 豆花 (dao-huay) and 饺子 (dumplings) that I had for lunch. I absolutely love the dao-huay!!! It's not like our silky smooth dao-huay in sweet soup. In fact, it's more like mashed beancurd and cooked in chilli broth ... oohhh, the spicy goodness!!! I must have at least another helping before I leave next Friday - don't wanna go home :(

I spent about 4 hours wandering the cobblestone walkway, praying at the temples, cruising the river, eating delicious food and kay-pohing at the work station of an elderly couple who make 草鞋 (grass shoes) which are good for mountain climbing (saw some people wear these when trekking Emei). Returned to Chengdu about 5pm and it's still raining so I guess it'll be an early night for me ... might as well so I can upload the pix and blog some ...

Hope I can start early tomorrow (think the weather will be fab tomorrow - seems like a pattern ... *pray*) ... will be heading out to 康定 (Kangding) of 康定情歌 fame on Tue through Thu. Flying back on Fri nite (NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ... will decide what to do on Fri morning ... maybe go visit my other friend - the pandas ;))))

Ciao!!!

Back from the mountains

My legs are screaming in pain!!!! Haha ... I underestimated the mountain. Thought I'd never do mountains again after the Kinabalu which gave me black toes and jelly legs for days (and that was 6 years ago) but I had chosen to attempt Emei. Ooooh ... on the map it looked great - the trails were well-planned out, there're guesthouses I could stay in along the way if I get exhausted and at 3,700-plus metres, it must be an easier one than the K. Wrong!

The slopes of Emei are very steep. While it does have proper stairs to climb (we had to climb stones most of the way on the K), it's tougher than the K going against gravity in a 60-70-degree kinda slope. Plus the rain. Scary!! Apparently, not many people attempted the trek. So for me, it's a far lonelier climb compared to the K ... and there're no persons or guesthouses for miles!!

In the end, I managed only one trail when there're at least 3. After only 6 hours of hiking, my legs could not take it anymore. I stayed the night at a family-run guesthouse at Wanniansi. The nice owner even took me to the temple and showed me the proper way of offering prayers to the Buddha the next day. Then, I took the bus up to the Golden Summit. Thankfully, the weather's good compared to the day before. Not exactly sunny but I got a pretty amazing view of mountains that stretch far into the distance. Awesome!

That wrapped up my Emei trip and I headed back to Chengdu on a 5.30 pm bus which departed at 5.15 pm when it was full. It'd be a 2-hour ride and I thought we'd be early but alas, we're caught in a jam just shortly before the expressway tollgate for an hour. In the end, we got back to Chengdu at almost 9pm and I was almost starving! I only had a local breakfast of noddles (which looked and tasted somewhat like dumplings) with some rice and an egg cooked in a sour liquid called the "laozao", which is a type of fermented rice wine. Tasted strange but not awful, though second helpings would be an overkill.

So here I am today taking it easy on my legs and basking in the sun in the garden at Sim's. Maybe I'll head out to the square later and spend the afternoon with the Mao statue and at some of the good makan places there ... like the Chen Mapo Tofu!

Posting pictures on Facebook ... check em out :)

Test blog in China

Though I've had the intention to blog, it struck me that Blogger may not work in China. But oh well, everything's good!!

I'm blogging from this lovely hostel called Sim's Backpacker. It's run by a Singaporean-Japanese couple (their 2 young daughters are just at the next table studying! Very adorable :( Little things like this make me happy). Got to this place by public bus from the airport. Wow! This is what I love. Get into the everyday lives of people. No matter if they were a rowdy bunch speaking in near-incomprehensible tongue (though if you listen hard enough, the Sichuan dialect is quite similar to Mandarin, just adjust the tones). It actually felt like home riding on those buses, somewhat like what we have in Melaka. It took about 1.5 hours getting from the airport to the hostel but well, it's worth that glimpse at everyday life in Chengdu :))

In the garden at the hostel now ... i's very breezy out here ... even a light shower just now. The general temperature in Chengdu is 30 degrees Celsius ... why have escaped the Singapore heat into another one!! Haha ... but soon I'll be out of it.

Think I'll head out to Emei Shan on Wed for some inner peace, dropping by the feet of the Leshan Giant Buddha en route. Should return to Chengdu on Friday and spend some catching up time with the friend.

Then probably Monday or Tuesday, I'll head out to former trading post between the Tibetans and the Hans - 康定 (Kangding). This is also the place the famous folk song 康定情歌 was based on. Next best thing since I can't get to Tibet... even so, being in western part of Sichuan, it's somewhat off-limits according to the travel agent here at Sim's, as long as I look and speak Chinese, shouldn't be much of a problem. At worst, I'll be deported to Chengdu.

Looks like I'll have to give up on the bamboo forests (属南竹海) this time cuz there's simply not enough time! My friend says Kangding is a more beautiful place, more culturally rich but of course.

Hmm ... ok, I'll have to give up either one cuz I'd like to really take the time and appreciate each place and this is supposed to be an ultra-relaxed trip!!! Haha ...

Update at 23:00

Took a walk around the neighbourhood. Feels like I'm finally seeing the real Chengdu. It's really bad going with tour groups as they only show you the best side of the city. Even in a city as modern and cosmopolitan as Shanghai, there are also the "heartlands", which we also discovered when we went on our own excursion around the city last year.

Last year too, Chengdu felt like a rich western city. Today I observe, for every rich man (there are some luxury cars zooming around town), there are many more struggling to make a living. Tiny homes double up as shopfronts selling dust-covered Pantene sachets and soft drinks. Little children sleep next to their moms who sew next to the window that opens up into a small cluttered bedroom, maybe about 100 sq ft.

Still, I saw computers in these tiny homes too. Mostly running gaming applications. Not sure if it's offline, online or MMORPG ... but the young 'uns were very engrossed.

And yes, people still use public phones operated by provision shop owners despite China being the fastest growing mobile market. Go west!!!