I'm going on a short trip on a cruise tomorrow! So glad to leave behind the whole load of work, school and other stuffs, even if it's for a temporary basis.
Oh my 30" luggage, where are you? (horror?!) Ha ha, even though I'm a typical vain-pot, I'm definitely not going to carry a bag that I can smuggle myself in for a three-day trip :p (even though I'm tempted to do that...) It's time to pack!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
top 10 fav animes
Yes, I love watching Japanese animations despite the impression I give to people in person. Here's a list of my all-time favorites:
- Bartender- it is one of the rare animes that calms you down.
- Slam Dunk - a classic that all (locally) who plays basketball know about.
- Liar Game - clever and unique storyline about outsmarting others
- One Piece - you can never predict what comes next in this insanely long-running but exciting anime
- Skip Beat - all animes are based on mangas (comics). They are categorized as shounen (boys) and shoujo (girls) mangas. I usually prefer shounen to shoujo mangas, but this shoujo manga has me addicted. It is about a girl's accidental step into the show business.
- Monster - gripping storyline about a skilled surgeon being framed for murder.
- Hikaru no Go - about the world of Go (a strategic board game). For those who are interested, I would recommend going straight to reading the manga instead as the drawings and plot are more detailed.
- The FullMetal Alchemist - a story about alchemy set in the era of the European Industrial Revolution.
- Claymore - Similar to the function of a weapon of a claymore sword, female warriors who are half-human, half-demon are called a Claymore. These soldiers void of emotions are tasked with killing the demons to protect human race.
- Initial D - about car-racing on hills. Lots and lots of drifts in here.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
these 2 weeks
I'm in the midst of these two weeks that are packed with lessons everyday and looming deadlines for projects and test.
I was worrying about them, how to manage my time for school, work and helping out my parents; and whether I'll be able to do well for all of them.
Then I got fed-up of worrying. What the heck, just live through it.
"Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."
~ Winston Churchill
I was worrying about them, how to manage my time for school, work and helping out my parents; and whether I'll be able to do well for all of them.
Then I got fed-up of worrying. What the heck, just live through it.
"Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."
~ Winston Churchill
Sunday, June 28, 2009
R.I.P. MJ
It's sad that people tend to remember or recognize a person for his good attributes only after he died - think how happy he would have been if he knew. I hope that we all remember him as the indisputable "King of Pop" and all the fantastic songs and performances he left behind in our heart.
Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.
Monday, June 15, 2009
10 places I want to visit
With recession and yet another global virus casting a gloomy dark cloud upon us all, it's no wonder that magazines are dishing out articles on destressing tips.
While having my hair done, I came across this article from one of the magazines in the salon about what you can do to unwind yourself.
In this UK-edition of Marie Claire, a writer suggested that we could come up with a list of 10 destinations we would like to go.
Here's mine (not in order of preference):
1) Palais de I'Equilibre, Neuchatel, Switzerland 2) Northern Lights, Alaska 3) Mount Roy, N.Z. 4) Peruvians
While having my hair done, I came across this article from one of the magazines in the salon about what you can do to unwind yourself.
In this UK-edition of Marie Claire, a writer suggested that we could come up with a list of 10 destinations we would like to go.
Here's mine (not in order of preference):
1) Palais de I'Equilibre, Neuchatel, Switzerland 2) Northern Lights, Alaska 3) Mount Roy, N.Z. 4) Peruvians
- Peru: For those archeology-lovers and explorers-at-heart, who could resist not wanting to get lost in the mysterious and rugged beauty of the Sacred Valley of the Inca (there is a village that is constantly occupied for over 500 years!); the vibrant cultures of the indigenous; and part of the majestic Andes mountain?
- New Zealand: In the beginning of its tourism commercial: "...Welcome. To the youngest country on earth..." Metaphorically true. Natural beauty, mesmerizing glaciers, Mount Cook, Bay of Islands... Need I say more?
- Japan: Getting your feet sunk in the snow-capped mountains and indulging in hot springs in Hokkaido + filling your desire for incredibly fresh seafood in the Shinkansen (bullet-train) + shrines-divine in Kyoto + youth culture and trendspotting from Harajuku to Shibuya in Tokyo = my kind of holiday :p
- Alaska, U.S.: Other than the adventurous activities, the one I want to do most over there is to witness the phenomenal Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights).
- Tibet: Despite its political conflict with China, one can never ignore Tibet's rich cultural heritage and the Tibetans' deep faith in their religion. Those are what I'm drawn to, plus the expansive rugged mountain terrains and the world's largest canyon. Not forgetting Mt. Everest too, though I'm definitely not up to the task of conquering it, unlike the commendable group of Singapore girls.
- Rome, Italy: I would love to immerse in the historical architectural sites in which I was in awe with as a child when I read stories about the Roman empire.
- France: Eat, learn (Lourve Museum), and experience (exploring Lyon or walking down the vineyards to the hidden cafe down the alley on the cobblestoned street sounds nice to me).
- Scotland: Castles and highlands galore!
- England: It's a place where I get creative with my dressing without getting stares on the street! Cities I'm dying to visit - London, Bristol, Manchester, Nottingham and York.
- Australia: I want to go there again!
Monday, June 8, 2009
mood = stormy
Which is worse: Not knowing what you want in life and spend your days confused, or knowing exactly what you want in life and everything just does not fall in place no matter how hard you try?
Been feeling troubled by the same old problems for several years, to the extent they are like old 'friends' likened to wounds now. These are the hidden wounds that everyone has, at least one, depending on one's own definition of 'problem'.
Even the personal mantra of 'putting on your best mood, to face the worst situations', a literal translation of my favorite mandarin saying, have overstretched my limits of optimism.
It is pretty frustrating and depressing to find that no matter how hard one tries to make things even a least bit better continuously for such a long time, regardless of how optimistic one tries to be despite carrying a heavy heart; there is bound to be the final straw that marks the point of giving up.
Been feeling troubled by the same old problems for several years, to the extent they are like old 'friends' likened to wounds now. These are the hidden wounds that everyone has, at least one, depending on one's own definition of 'problem'.
Even the personal mantra of 'putting on your best mood, to face the worst situations', a literal translation of my favorite mandarin saying, have overstretched my limits of optimism.
It is pretty frustrating and depressing to find that no matter how hard one tries to make things even a least bit better continuously for such a long time, regardless of how optimistic one tries to be despite carrying a heavy heart; there is bound to be the final straw that marks the point of giving up.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
tech versus me
The earphones are defective again. My third one this year. Since last year, I've changed a total of seven earphones. I've tried earphones from various labels, but all of them just gave up on me somehow at the end of the few months I had used them. Everyone seems to have the same old one with them that lasts as long as their iPod, all except me.
It's been almost two weeks since the 'demise' of my last pair of earphones, with its left side exposing two mini red wires and a sticker labeled 'HQ 1814'. I'm so fed-up that I'm temporarily boycotting earphones for now.
Which is why my iTouch is pretty lonely these days. I still carry it along in my bag out of habit, but I didn't touch it at all. I used it as a device to read the ibooks, play games, organize my schedule and listen to music. And even though I could still use it for most of its functions, I didn't bother to charge it. It just doesn't feel the same without the earphones.
That leads to the fact that I repel technology. While most people would have no difficulties sending files via email from their mobile phones, I need to find different positions for my mobile phone to gather the strongest signal in order to send. For all the attempts at it, I succeed only once. After close to two hours of sheer stubborn determination. And I realized only after sending that I could actually use its memory card to upload the files.
Just the other day, I nearly call my Internet Service Provider to tell them about what I think of their poor-quality modem. I had switched everything on as usual, and when I clicked my Mozilla Internet icon, this notification of disconnected server popped up.
Thinking that I might have missed some steps, I switched everything off and on again. Same thing happened. So I tried every single thing just to get connected. And you might have already guessed it, all to no avail. I called my boyfriend for help. Being a tech-geek himself, he patiently go through all the precise steps to check and repair it. I, on the other line, was going to erupt soon.
I was exhausted from working the whole day till 11 pm.; the suppliers and customers were not exactly nice to me; and the last thing I needed was a faulty Internet connection, especially one that still refused to work after you spent two long hours to repair it.
And nothing changed after going through these measures. That was the last straw. I started crying and venting it out on my unsuspecting boyfriend. When I tried to go online the next day, everything worked just fine, as if all the troubles I went through the night before didn't exist.
Know what I mean? I hate technology, I repel technology, and yet I can't live without technology. I used to think that unlike the Digital Natives that most of you probably are, I'm one of those rare few cavemen who can live free from technology without a hitch. Ha ha fat chance. I had already caused all hell to break loose on that night I could not use the Internet.
It's been almost two weeks since the 'demise' of my last pair of earphones, with its left side exposing two mini red wires and a sticker labeled 'HQ 1814'. I'm so fed-up that I'm temporarily boycotting earphones for now.
Which is why my iTouch is pretty lonely these days. I still carry it along in my bag out of habit, but I didn't touch it at all. I used it as a device to read the ibooks, play games, organize my schedule and listen to music. And even though I could still use it for most of its functions, I didn't bother to charge it. It just doesn't feel the same without the earphones.
That leads to the fact that I repel technology. While most people would have no difficulties sending files via email from their mobile phones, I need to find different positions for my mobile phone to gather the strongest signal in order to send. For all the attempts at it, I succeed only once. After close to two hours of sheer stubborn determination. And I realized only after sending that I could actually use its memory card to upload the files.
Just the other day, I nearly call my Internet Service Provider to tell them about what I think of their poor-quality modem. I had switched everything on as usual, and when I clicked my Mozilla Internet icon, this notification of disconnected server popped up.
Thinking that I might have missed some steps, I switched everything off and on again. Same thing happened. So I tried every single thing just to get connected. And you might have already guessed it, all to no avail. I called my boyfriend for help. Being a tech-geek himself, he patiently go through all the precise steps to check and repair it. I, on the other line, was going to erupt soon.
I was exhausted from working the whole day till 11 pm.; the suppliers and customers were not exactly nice to me; and the last thing I needed was a faulty Internet connection, especially one that still refused to work after you spent two long hours to repair it.
And nothing changed after going through these measures. That was the last straw. I started crying and venting it out on my unsuspecting boyfriend. When I tried to go online the next day, everything worked just fine, as if all the troubles I went through the night before didn't exist.
Know what I mean? I hate technology, I repel technology, and yet I can't live without technology. I used to think that unlike the Digital Natives that most of you probably are, I'm one of those rare few cavemen who can live free from technology without a hitch. Ha ha fat chance. I had already caused all hell to break loose on that night I could not use the Internet.
Monday, May 18, 2009
daily communication
This is an extract from the online newsletter from local news radio 938Live:
The poet Carl Sanburg once said, "I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it." For some, writing is an act of faith and a matter of spontaneous expression, the rules for which have been imbibed over years of reading good models of writing. For others, however, giving a piece of writing robust flesh requires mastery of grammar and control of vocabulary as the backbone for ideas.
Of the pitfalls in writing is the misuse of lexical items. Often the confusion arises because of mispronunciation. How often have we seen someone spell "deadline" as "dateline" for that reason? Alternatively, there are some who use words in the wrong context. For example, "spoilt" can be used for a watch but not for an escalator. We normally say that the escalator is "out of order" or that it has "malfunctioned". Similarly, you cannot "borrow" a phone; instead you can "use" someone's phone. Likewise, you take your child out for the weekend but not "bring" him out.
There are occasions when genuine errors arise because of translation from one language to another. I have often heard people use "outlook" when they wish to refer to someone's appearance. "Outlook" on the other hand is used to refer to prospect as in this sentence, "The outlook is gloomy." Some people who are doing a little clearing up say that they are packing their desks. Don't get me wrong. These people are not intending to move to another country. What they mean to say is they are tidying up. I suspect that "pack" is again a transliteration.
Haters of language may think of it as a system of pitfalls to trip them up but in the end, good grammar and vocabulary aid logical understanding.
~ by Asha Kumaran , Division of Communication & Media Management, TP
The poet Carl Sanburg once said, "I never made a mistake in grammar but one in my life and as soon as I done it I seen it." For some, writing is an act of faith and a matter of spontaneous expression, the rules for which have been imbibed over years of reading good models of writing. For others, however, giving a piece of writing robust flesh requires mastery of grammar and control of vocabulary as the backbone for ideas.
Of the pitfalls in writing is the misuse of lexical items. Often the confusion arises because of mispronunciation. How often have we seen someone spell "deadline" as "dateline" for that reason? Alternatively, there are some who use words in the wrong context. For example, "spoilt" can be used for a watch but not for an escalator. We normally say that the escalator is "out of order" or that it has "malfunctioned". Similarly, you cannot "borrow" a phone; instead you can "use" someone's phone. Likewise, you take your child out for the weekend but not "bring" him out.
There are occasions when genuine errors arise because of translation from one language to another. I have often heard people use "outlook" when they wish to refer to someone's appearance. "Outlook" on the other hand is used to refer to prospect as in this sentence, "The outlook is gloomy." Some people who are doing a little clearing up say that they are packing their desks. Don't get me wrong. These people are not intending to move to another country. What they mean to say is they are tidying up. I suspect that "pack" is again a transliteration.
Haters of language may think of it as a system of pitfalls to trip them up but in the end, good grammar and vocabulary aid logical understanding.
~ by Asha Kumaran , Division of Communication & Media Management, TP
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