The day Kia overtook Lamborghini ...

Shortly after we were out of the first toll plaza headed for Tuas, a blindingly white Lamborghini raced past us. We gaped in awe ... it was so white ... and so fast. In a matter of minutes, the car was out of sight.

When we reached the second toll plaza (there were 3 that we had to pass through before we arrived at the Tuas checkpoint), I wondered if the Lamborghini had already reached Singapore.

Shortly after we exited the second toll gate, we ran into a small jam. Police check. Guess who was being checked?

THE WHITE LAMBORGHINI!

Lol ... it was super hilarious, we couldn't stop laughing. So the almighty super speed blindingly white Lamborghini was getting a ticket for speeding. But I really think the main reason must be that it's not everyday that you see a Lamborghini racing down Malaysian highway, so might as well stop it to have a closer look. Anyway, the police seemed to be so checking out the white beauty ...

... and our Kia drove past the super racer, which never caught up with us ;)

Okaeri (Zettai Kareshi Theme)

I love this song. Everytime I listen to it, a sense of melancholy sweeps over me, as though I'm in the same predicament. Night knows that they cannot lead a normal life together and does not want Riiko whom he dearly loves back. So he chooses to be destroyed. And Riiko is aware of and accepts the fact enough to let Night go. She is happier though. At least there's still Soshi who loves her. Sigh ...

By the way, Ayaka who happens to be the wife of Hiro, the actor who plays Soshi, is now quite ill with a thyroid-related disease which may completely destroy her musical career even after she recovers. Pray she gets well soon.

A friend and colleague had a major operation yesterday to remove cysts in her womb and below her stomach, These were discovered unexpectedly when she went for a checkup with her husband as the couple plans a family. It's scary isn't it? Had she not gone for the checkup, she wouldn't have known that these cysts exist and only God knows what they would grow into. I haven't been ill in 3 years! And my encounters with doctors have never been more than a prescription for flu and sore throat. When people my age and younger are getting sick (because they happen to discover it!), am I really as healthy as I seem?

成都，我爱你

The film closed the Venice Film Festival 2009. 好期待 (^___^*)

Family - Yasmin Ahmad for MCYS

Just found out that this MCYS infomercial was also by Yasmin Ahmad (other than the one where a widow speaks of her late husband's imperfections that made him perfect at his funeral). I remember seeing "Family" for the first time and was swept over by emotions (I cried, to be exact), and everytime it came on again after that, I'd turn away, or switch to a different channel. She was that good. In putting unabashed emotions on-screen that speak to the right spots in people's hearts, and draw a deluge of raw emotions from the audience in return.

Still can't believe we'll never have films like this anymore.

R.I.P. Yasmin Ahmad

Damn, this is the second passing that saddens my in merely a week >.<*

Goodbye Yasmin Ahmad, you'll be dearly missed. But your films have made a point, and our country can rejoice. Your films will be with us physically always, and so will you, in spirit.

成都美食

Chanced upon this Chengdu food blog. Oh man, wish I could be there immediately to hunt down these places! (And I'm not one who would usually go hunting for food ... but these ... are so tempting)

看尽了成都美食我想我最想吃的应该还是雪做的普通川菜．

说到食物嘛, 忘了是否有在这里提过. 我每一次看到马铃薯都会想起<熊猫回家路>的小陆对胖胖说的话,”这个超好吃的哦！是很贵的！”.　在小陆的生活中，食物的排名是这样的 - 红薯，番薯，马铃薯，米饭 ("超贵的！连叔叔都不舍得吃！你再不吃的话，我真的不知道给你吃什么了")．

看过＜熊猫回家路＞我再也不会用以前的眼光看待马铃薯了．今天下午和妹妹们一起去吃Serangoon Gardens那里的尖头面包咖理. 婷说她的咖理不要鸡肉，只要马铃薯．玲问那会比较便宜吗?　卿说不会．玲说那不是不划算．我说其实马铃是很贵的　．．．她们看着我，卿和婷应该明白因为我有跟她们讲过．但是玲也没有追问，食物来了，我们也开始吃了　．．．

Solar eclipse

Sigh ... I was fairly tempted to head out to Chengdu earlier so I could catch this morning's eclipse but didn't because there's not much time to plan the trip (from when I had the whims late last month) and I didn't think it's all that worth it to rush for a phenomenon that'd last less than 5 minutes (albeit this would be the longest duration of any solar eclipse for hundreds of years to come - 500 to be exact) ...

Well, my decision of not travelling there for the eclipse is understandable, but for 雪 who is already right smack in the middle of the action to almost sleep through it if not for his mom waking him up ... sigh ... don't know whether to scream or laugh at him :)

Plenty more photos here. I'm sure there're loads more by independent observers.

R.I.P. Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt, the boy from Limerick who has inspired me that there are things in this world which are worth fighting for if we don't give up, passed away on 19 July 2009.

Rest in peace, Mr. McCourt.

我们的生活充满阳光

不知道为什么的，最近被这首 《我们的生活充满阳光》深深的吸引住了。通常都不会喜欢这种我会称为太"China"的音乐。可是这首歌却越听越好听。

听听看吧！

坚持与固执

有一位朋友问过我, 坚持和固执有什么区别. 我告诉他, 坚持是快乐的, 固执是痛苦的. 当坚持变成了一种痛苦, 就知道自己太固执了. 但是, 很多时候, 如果不坚持到底也真的不知道结果会怎样, 是快乐还是痛苦的 ... 总而言之最后还是会受伤就对了.

我却每一次深深的被很有可能永远都得不到的东西吸引住 ... 唉 ... (>.<*)

爱情就像便便

呵呵 。。。太可爱了 。。。

Love is like shitting

When it's here, you can't resist it

Love is like shitting

Once it's flushed away, it'll never return

Love is like shitting

It always feels the same, yet not quite the same

Love is like shitting

Sometimes even after a long try, it's still nothing more than a fart.

Massage, McCurry, Nite Fest, Rain & Sky

I was out hardly 6 hours yesterday ... and yet, it was quite eventful. Definitely quality that counts, not quantity :)

I went for a wonderful relaxing massage at Touche TQL, the Bugis branch, at 4 pm. Ahh ... that was bliss that I wish could go on and on ... I had signed up for a package earlier, which is interesting because I get 24 ++ (plus some free) sessions that I can "redeem" for either massage or facial. Think the majority of this will go to massage because I'm still happy with my current facial service, and I think a beauty regiment is one of those things that you need to build up over time with your beauty advisor who will know how your skin has evolved over time, and will thus be able to suggest better treatment solutions.

So around 5.30 pm, I walked out of Touche rejuvenated, and all ready to learn from the image master Steve McCurry at the Asian Civilisation Museum (ACM) ... gosh, can I say this visit is long overdue! I knew about it on the day it opened at ACM on 19 June. Had a good mind to join the competition (albeit the prize - printers - is not too alluring) with some pictures that I'm quite proud of. The theme is "Unguarded", and over the years of travels, I've collected quite a number of those that I think would strike a chord with McCurry.

But alas, the competition is already over (keeping in mind that the exhibition ends next Sunday, this is not too surprising). The winners, as well as participating photos, grace the wall near the entrance to the ACM. I could clearly see why all the pictures had won over McCurry except for the First Prize winner in the Open Category. To me, it is an interesting picture of a little girl, donned in lime green against a backdrop of towering women in white veils that cascaded in a rhythmic pattern behind the girl, whose eyes transfixed on the photographer instead of the prayer ceremony that was going on during one Hari Raya last year.

Nevertheless, it did not strike me as a very compelling picture on its own, but as I went through McCurry's exhibition on Level 2 - his work in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar - I realised that this picture actually struck an emotional chord with McCurry beyond its visual portrayal of "unguarded" nuances of a person's life defined by culture, environment and circumstance. It was a very small exhibition (a little disappointed at this, but what can I expect when it is free) but eye-opening. And nostalgic.

As I looked at his photos, I couldn't help remisniscing my own journeys in South Asia and Egypt. The boy with the bread reminds me of the boy balancing a tray twice his own body size on his head, full of bread, dashing down the stairs of an apartment block in a poor part of Old Cairo, presumably after a home delivery? Or maybe he lived here and was just off to work. I've been to India several times, and never before to any of the famously over-crowded train stations. Was I afraid? Should I be? Ah ... I should return to India very soon for I do realise that this is a great place to ponder and reflect on the meaning of life as we become more complacent in our material success but will drop in a flash if we were left to survive on close to nothing.

Like the woman with a child in her arms begging for a few rupees through the passenger seat window in a monsoon downpour. A common sight in India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. My oh my ... I was guilt-stricken as I stood frozen in front of that picture. A boy of 11 or so with a naked toddler brother followed me when I came out of the grand fortress of the Sheraton in Dhaka. I did not give him any, hastened my pace and lost him through the maze of lanes in a nearby neighbourhood. A couple of hours later, I returned to the hotel, and there he was again with his toddler brother. He followed again, and begged, until he was chased away by a gentleman. I did not give him any money because I feared more beggar kids would ambush me from their hiding holes. But I've constantly regretted this decision. What would 10 taka have meant to me, and what would the same amount have meant to him, whose basic survival from day to day is an enormous question mark? I pledge to practise philantropic travel whenever it's within my means.

I walked away from the exhibition before the ACM closed at 7 pm, with lots of mixed feelings and thought-provoking quotes from Steve McCurry:

"If you wait, people will forget your camera and the soul will drift up into view."

"I try to capture what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape, that you could call the human condition."

"If you want to be a photographer, first leave home. Go as far as you can. Be a stranger in a strange land. Acquire humility."

It was still early for the Night Festival (had planned on going with Fauzie, Pauline and Karen but they're tied up yesterday and Fauzie was still exhausted from the previous night's show). So I popped into Raffles City to try to get rid of my $20 Topshop voucher from Citibank. Alas again, I can't use it on sale items so I promptly left with much annoyance. Ah ... maybe the Night Festival would cheer me up.

Since it wasn't starting yet, I popped into the National Museum to enjoy the aircon and to pick up a programme booklet. This year's lineup was not as awesome as last year's. The highlight would be a pyro show on the facade of the museum but would only happen around 11 pm or so. Meantime, cultural performances had started on SMU's campus so I decided to go take a look and if I didn't like it much, would move to PS and go home early. Then I received Hui Ching's message that they'd be heading out to Jalan Kayu for food, and I asked if they'd pick me up.

A big crowd had already gathered, and though I didn't realise it just yet, so had a big cloud. I stood in the crowd for maybe 15 minutes before I felt the first drops fall on my arms. I didn't think it would amount to much, probably just a light drizzle that would go away shortly. I kept my eyes on the stage where a little boy was teaching the lady MC Chinese tongue twister. Because it was SMU, there were no lack of cute guys ... one in particular kinda caught my eye as he moved from the crowd to somewhere behind me ... my gaze didn't exactly follow his movements as what was unfolding onstage was quite interesting.

As the performers launched into a cultural dance, the drops became bigger and more intense. That quickly turned into a downpour. I was forced to retreat to the foyer, and at the same time, HC called to say they were on the way. So great, I'd start my journey to the Cathay where I would wait for them. As I walked to the sheltered foyer, I noticed that cute guy was also escaping the rain, a few persons ahead of me.

When I got out my weird "Hug Me, Kiss Me, Love Me" umbrella from Lund, Sweden (hehe), someone came up to me, and asked which way I was going.

Oh shit! It's that cute guy!

Haha ... I was quite honestly stunned ... but this one's a smooth talker, he very quickly put me at ease and we had a constant conversation going in that 10 - 15 min walk under my weird umbrella to the entrance of Rendezvous Hotel where we parted ways (oh man! Can't believe this irony of ironies ... Rendezvous. Parted ways. Sigh). He lived near Sunshine Plaza so of course he didn't have an umbrella with him because the rain was unexpected (but I think it's a guy thing ... they never bring an umbrella when it's not rainy) Well, I was headed for the Cathay so I couldn't exactly shelter him home all the way ... hope he got home okay.

Hmm ... that really lifted my mood and ended the day on a high note (^___^*) What a night of ironies, sheltering Sky from rain ... hah ...

P.S. ... so that was Sky, political science graduate from NUS. Way too young for me, but oh well, he thought I was studying at SMU but I told him, nope I was from NUS and I'm an old girl. He laughed.

彩虹诗界

为什么雪之世界没有彩虹呢? 当阳光照在晶莹的雪晶上, 不就变成彩虹了吗?

诗界就不一样了! 诗界是个乐园, 每一瞬光都会变成彩虹! (^___^*)

纯洁虽然重要, 但诗界如果有了不同的颜色是会更美丽的! 在说当这些颜色结合之后, 最终还是变回纯洁的白光啊 ...

所以为什么人们就是接受不了文化的多样性, 搞到要自相残杀? 其实大家都是有一个共同的目的 ... 那就是可以过个更好的生活, 可以给子女更好的未来. 如果社会和平, 好让我们实现这些梦想 ... 不是更好吗?

After days of sad news stories from Xinjiang, this song is a relief. This is what my world should be. Stop the violence in Xinjiang. Why do people kill each other when we can focus this energy of diversity to make the world a happy, colourful place?

Director:

Masashi Kawamura + Hal Kirkland + Magico Nakamura + Masayoshi Nakamura

SOUR official site

2009 Zealot Co.,ltd / Neutral Nine Records

Your heart that gently reflects in the puddle
is your tone, as you pass through the maze of everyday

Footsteps of spring
the city starts adding color
The melody flowsLE LU LA LI
Through the colored lenses

ReggaeDubHiphopTechnoLatin
Between the waves of all the different values
JazzRockPops Category no more
Whats the most important thing?

Spinning and turning on the overpass
as we overtake that season
this and that, which color is your melody?
Sometimes you could get confused

ReggaeDubHiphopTechnoLatin
Between the waves of all different values
JazzRockPops Category no more
What are you thinking of now?

If we can embrace all the differences
It will shine the sky in rainbow colors
Your heart that gently reflects in the puddle
is your tone, as you pass through the maze of everyday

You can see it in any color, because of your clear feeling
Dont worry about it, lets just go as we are.
If we can embrace all the differences
The rain will stop, and the sky will shines in rainbow colors

Your heart that gently reflects in the puddle
is your tone, as you pass through the maze of everyday
You can see it in any color, because of your clear feeling
Let your tone shine like the rainbow

Pass through the maze of everyday
And start playing your tone

不完美中的完美

Perfection in imperfection. That's what makes us human.

I saw this quite some time ago but only found out today that it's by my favourite Malaysian director, Yasmin Ahmad. She is so good with emotions! Be sure to check out Sepet and the LRT commercials, as well as a series of festive ads for Petronas and Tenaga Nasional.

That time of the year again

I somehow feel compelled to make this entry again this year after I made the first one last year.

I am thankful for the opportunity to make this entry. I am thankful for being alive.

Oh sure, there wasn't any magnitude 8.0 earthquake that killed 90,000 this year in one swoop. But as we speak, the severity of the H1N1 virus spread is still uncertain. Already, hundreds have died. And thousands more in unfortunate accidents that shouldn't have happened. There have been a number of horrifying air crashes, some fatal train collisions, a couple of bus explosions, countless miners buried under collapsed shafts. Oh yeah, and we lost one superstar that everyone has been talking about since last Friday, and is still talking about today and maybe tomorrow ... and the next day ...

So I'm thankful, very very thankful, to be able to sit here tonight writing my thanks. For my family. For my friends. For the cats and dogs of SPCA and those wandering the streets. For places, faces, names I've had the good fortune to be acquainted with and especially those I've received help from.

Thank you.

Foxtrot's Tribute to UP

Walt Disney lives in 熊猫回家路

"那是你们科学家的事. 我不懂." (That's the business of you scientists, I don't know anything about it.)

The statement is a reminder of Walt Disney who challenged, and eventually moved, the authorities. Like what happened in the simple film of loneliness, friendship, love, courage and perseverance that I just saw - Trail of the Panda 熊猫回家路.

A young boy, Xiao Lu, goes against all odds to save and return a baby panda to his mother, a journey that eventually earns him the fatherly love of the man, Lao Chen, who has taken him in after Xiao Lu's parents perished in a fire the previous year, and the respect of a scientist, Xiao Feng, from the city who has hired Lao Chen to help find a panda for his research work in the early days of panda conservation in Sichuan, China.

In this incredibly simple film, there are only 8 characters - 3 of the human kind, 3 of the panda kind (a panda other and 2 twin cubs, one of which strayed, hunted but rescued by Xiao Lu called Pang Pang) and 2 hunting dogs. But wait a minute, the film is alive with snow covered mountains, deep forests, gushing rivers and plunging waterfalls of Sichuan so I guess these natural sights are characters in their very own right.

All these magnificent characters come together to tell one very linear and yet moving storyline - the focused effort of a young boy in search of a new sense of belonging in the wake of his parents' deaths that results in the rescue and friendship of Pang Pang. And then his selfless and relentless determination to return Pang Pang to his mother in order to protect him although this means another painful loss of a loved one, almost too much for one so young. As the story unfolds, he does not know it yet but the audience does, through his selfless act, he has indeed gained more - a new father.

The little one has taught the adults what they cannot see with their eyes when their hearts are shut. That the living wild offers so much depth that we, the civilised ones, cannot yet claim we have known them so thoroughly. Like the "fact" that adult pandas have the capacity to only care for one cub but Pang Pang's mother has continued to search for him days after his disappearance. Maybe the universal mother's love prevails, the film seems to assert. And this author seems to have been sold on the idea. Such is the magic of Disney films.

I like the film for its simplicity. I like it for its focus. There are no wasted shots. They are all just enough to convey a message or certain emotions. If there is any weakness, I would wish for certain parts to be lengthened so that the audience could sink into the moment and let our emotions develop before we're treated to the next set of feelings. However, I can understand the need for the director to keep the momentum here for a dialogue and character driven film such as this. Speaking of which, if the film had been in native Sichuan dialogue, it'd be even better because there is no way a Sichuanese will converse in regular Mandarin with their own people - not those from the city and much less the rural folks.

I like it for its Disneyishness. That many things aren't just what they appear to be. That facts can still be challenged. That authority may not always be right. But the heart is.

For all these, I shed a tear or two. At the start of the movie when Mao Mao, the mother panda which perished during the 5.12 earthquake, appeared with her cubs. And near the end credits with a sweeping panning shot of the pre-quake Wolong facility that nestled in the valleys of some very aweinspiring snow-capped mountains, my tears (to quote from the film) "比山上的雪水流的还要快" (flow faster than the melted snow water from the the mountain).

So I'm not unemotional even if I didn't feel nothing for Jacko's passing. It's just that, I have other priorities, other things in this world, no matter how big or how small, that are more worth my caring for.

So Jacko died ...

That was the first thing I heard this morning and all day ever since (honestly I'm quite tired of it now). I was not surprised at all when I saw the news on TV Mobile (Channel News Asia segment). In fact, I didn't really feel anything except for oh ... he died. Michael Jackson is no more.

I stepped into the office and colleagues told me he's dead. My reply, yah and so? A friend SMSed and my reply, I was more shocked when I heard Heath Ledger died. A few other friend Plurked and I said pretty much the same. At the end of the day, as I was about to leave the office, our HR lady said she woke up very sad this morning because Michael died. I said it was expected. She was shocked by my answer (probably thinking I had a hand with the crystal ball? Hehe ... ) I said, well, because he's already so screwed up.

Oops ... that's what I think but somehow the words had come out somewhat callous, especially to someone who is a mourning fan. I felt a bit sorry afterwards. But that is what I really think about the death of Jacko. Sure, no one doubts he's probably one of the greatest artistes ever. Sure, we all mourn his passing. But no, his death is not entirely unexpected. The man has undergone tremendous pressure all his life. We have seen umpteen times in the media, whether they were maliciously defaming him or reporting the truth, but his state of mind could very well be splintering.

This morning (or last evening depending where you are), his heart simply stopped beating. It did not want the man to tolerate the nonsense that this world was tossing him anymore. Death may not be the most welcoming ending but it may not be entirely bad for Jacko. It could even be a relief.

One colleague commented that the only sad part is that Jacko was on the verge of staging a comeback and now he'll never be able to do so. But if the comeback had not gone in his favour, and shit continues to be hurled at him by the unsympathetic, even vicious, arms of the entertainment machine. Then, what?

In the words of another indifferent colleague when asked if he's sad with Jacko's passing, "Why? He died a legend." Oh yes, he most brilliantly summed it up in 5 words.

Disney/Pixar's miles of love go UP

The lengths and miles they go to bring magic to all.

The 10-year-old cancer patient was too sick to go to the theater to see the Disney-Pixar movie "Up," so an employee of the studio flew to her house with a DVD copy - which she watched just seven hours before she died, her mother said.
While waiting for the movie to arrive on June 10, Colby's mother, Lisa, said she asked her daughter: "Do you think you can hang on?"

"I'm ready (to die), but I'm going to wait for the movie," she told The Orange County Register her daughter replied.

"Up" is the animated tale of a grumpy old man who, after his wife's death, tries to fulfill their joint dream of visiting South America by tying thousands of balloons to his house and floating away.

"When I watched it, I had really no idea about the content of the theme of the movie," Colby's mother told the newspaper. "I just know that word 'Up' and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that (Colby) was going to go up. Up to heaven."

Colby, who was diagnosed with vascular cancer in 2005, saw previews for the film in April and eagerly awaited the movie. A family friend called both Pixar and Disney, which owns the animation studio, and the studio agreed to send someone to Colby's house in Huntington Beach, California, the next day with a copy for a private screening.

Colby was unable to open her eyes to see the movie so her mother described the scenes. After the movie ended, her mother asked if Colby enjoyed it. Her daughter nodded, Curtin said.

She died later that evening.

Blue hair n luvin' it!

Woo hoo! I've finally got my wish :) Blue hair ... hehe ...

Went to Chapter 2 Bugis to get my last free haircut (voucher expires today) and spent close to 5 hours there getting a bleach, colour, treatment, cut, ... and BLUE hair. Initially, I told my stylist Apple that I wanted a dark base and bright highlights, so we finally sorta decided on brown for base and blue for highlights.

When I saw that she wanted to bleach the same portion of the hair for the highlights, I said that perhaps we should do the highlights differently this time because I was getting bored of having it the same way everytime. I think up to this point it's a different blue that she had in mind. She advised against it because bleaching damages the hair so it's better to contain it to a certain area. Besides, if I were to bleach and highlight other parts as well, once the colour begins to fade, there'll be at least 3 colours in the hair. Now, that made sense and seemed gross. So I accepted the fact that we'd do the highlight in the same spot, though quite disappointed.

And here is why I like coming back to Apple cuz she's bold to provide suggestions which pique my imagination and the result of which is rather exciting. So after some minutes, she came over and suggested that I try a blue called, if I remember correctly, "Midnight Blue" on black base. She showed how the highlight would be applied and how she would change my hairstyle accordingly to have the highlight complement the look.

I loved the solution! I could imagine just how cool the haircut would look although I didn't quite know what kinda colour was this blue that I was getting. Apple also said that over time when the colour fades, there'd be stages of different colours ending with ash like what's on her own hair now. Gee ... the organic "aging" of my hair colour sounded very appealing! So of course I gave it a nod.

And when it's all done and I could see the blue, man, it's beautiful. It's velvety dark blue ... I really like it! I would put some pictures here but the camera cannot really capture it well. I'm sure this hairstyle would look fantastic with styling but hmm ... I'm kinda lazy in the morning and not a fan of those sticky hair products so we'll see. Hehe ...

P.S. This reminds me of a French girl who stayed at the Nikko Park Lodge ... she had the most amazing blue hair! Closely cropped very stylishly, she wouldn't look out of place in an anime ...