頑張ります!

Came across this quote that I like very much:

"The quality of your life depends less on what you are doing with your body, and more on what you are doing with your time and spirit. Keep your soul nourished and everything else will fall into place."

Even though my circumstances resulted in me having a job I don't like, I do feel alive and rejuvenated whenever I'm studying. These steps I'm taking may seem like baby steps, but the time and the joy of working on my chosen field of interest in university constantly remind me that I have to keep moving on to my goal regardless of the odds.

頑張ります! (I'll try my best!)

the start of something wonderful

The break of dawn illuminates shades of orange hues across the horizon, signifying the arrival of a brand new day.

Since life is a short-lived luxury that is engulfed in a cycle of light and darkness, let this marks the start of something wonderful that's here to stay.

~A.W.

Happy New Year everyone!
May you and your loved ones be blessed with joy, good health and fortune throughout 2010!

a simple Thanks

It has been a whirlwind-kind of ride for the past few weeks. I'm grateful for those who helped me get through it.

Thanks to a few of my classmates and friends (especially "pink and baby blue juniors") for being so understanding about the difficulties I have juggling work and studies. You have no idea how much support both of you have given me since I started this course and I really appreciate it.

More importantly, thanks to my dear for enduring all the irrational and unreasonable behavior I have been having towards you everyday. Instead of escaping from me, my whole load of burdens, and my appalling mood swings; you stayed beside me throughout it all.

Thank you.

x'mas 2009

It's that time of year again. Spectacular lighting, gifts, parties and the reappearance of the grand conical-shaped trees decorated with all things sparkly and colorful.

Here in this tiny tropical red dot on the globe that encompass several religions and ethnicity, it seems that the Christmas season can only be felt in town because of the holidays' decorations.

You'd think that since it's the Christmas season and December, the weather might be a little cooler even though we don't have the four seasons here(such as snow).

Not at all. The weather lately has been insane, clocking up to 35 degrees Celsius. We've been fixated with denotations of winter wear and freezing weather associated with 'Christmas' that seeing the majority of the people wearing shorts and flip-flops(thongs) somehow doesn't add to the already diminishing holiday ambiance.

Still, I've got to say that the holidays' decorations during Christmas is usually the grandest (maybe due to the competition among shopping malls on who has the best decor) and it's one of those times in the year that I get to receive gifts!

My schedule is fully packed and it's to be an extremely hectic month for me. But that is not going to stop me from immersing in this jovial season. Hope you are able to take a break from your daily chaos and enjoy yourself!

Here are some old school clips of Peanuts about Christmas I hope you will enjoy:

gone

Gone, gone are those friends
in which naught replaces close in its definition.

Gone, gone are those essential conversations
that forms the important part of relationships in life.

Gone, gone are those flickers of happiness
no matter how ethereal they may be.

Gone, gone are those moments
never to be re-captured ever again.

Gone, gone are those chances
when you could have changed those bad decisions then.

Gone, gone are those carefree days
where together with your childhood, your youth,
and all the sunshine and laughter,
become past memories you long for now.

Gone, gone are those vibrant colors of life,
that fade away along with your very own existence

~ A.W.

10 telling signs that I'm stressed

1. Laugh awkwardly
2. Smile, frown, smile frown (you get the point)
   
3. Binge on potato chips and Nutella hazelnut spread
4. Indulge in lots of chili padi (chili pepper)
5. Behaving like a true-blue insomniac, complete with no. 3 & 4 in the wee hours of the morning
6. Hairstyle that looks like I just got off the bed
   
7. Run while listening to metal,rock music or just Alanis Morissette's songs
8. Pile up stacks of research materials on my bedroom floor
9. Ordering overly-sweet coffee like toffee nut latte when all I want is a cup of cappuccino
10. Singing at the top of my voice when I drive alone

Seriously, I really need to get that punching bag soon...

Personal Life by Tokyo Jihen

東京事変 - 私生活
Uploaded by utadalove. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

I'm wasting oxygen, seas, gasoline, and a lot of kindnesses.
I'm working for life and eating up the city.
I hope that the mechanism of your left cheek doesn't fall into disorder when you smile.

To the fair wind here, please blow for me.
Things behind me are just memories.
When I'm able to take in the opposing wind, I'll finally be renewed.

I'm wasting sunsets, Autumns, and a few encounters.
I keep on going back and forth, to butter up people/the times/the age.
I must seem miserable and pathetic in your eyes.

Compass, now, please show me where I am and point to the right direction.
Even if I have to memorize the existing maps, I'll definitely head towards you.

I want to stay gently close to you when you are feeling alright.
How long is there for me to live? Please don't go away.
Let me catch up with you. Please wait a little while more.
You're living your life, further and further away from me.
This makes up how I lead my life.

The Hurt Locker

In the war-torn Iraq of 2004, terrorism is rife. Bombs can be found anywhere, even in the most inconspicuous plastic bags at the roadside amidst the rubble of what might once had been a wall at the nearby building.

In The Hurt Locker, we see the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the US Army is tasked with the perilous mission of defusing these bombs in this hostile landscape.

I may give the idea that I know a lot about this film before I watched it, but I don't. I usually 'do my homework' on movies before I choose to catch them, but in this case, I watched it without knowing anything except a vague description of "many explosions" from my bf.

Which is why it came as a pleasant surprise for me to watch this fabulous movie.

"Real and raw" is what I would describe this dramatization of urban warfare. I love how cinematographer Barry Ackroyd seizes your utmost attention (& panic for me) as he seamlessly weaves the critical scenes into one great film. By capturing both the macro and micro angles, he not only shows tension, but emphasizes on it while adding the 'real' element in it.

Director Kathryn Bigelow does a great job at depicting the insecurity and life of the three soldiers in the Bravo company. This documentary-like film portrays how their daily missions there is like a huge gamble they make on their lives well everyday by just carrying on with their tasks.

This gripping movie has won me over with its brilliant cinematography in fifteen minutes. 116 minutes later, I walked out of the cinema as a fan.