piecesOfme

it's time to be there

2012-01-12T01:00:00.004+11:00

big changes ahead!
erin's taking her first steps being an adult and moving away to melbourne for a year. it would be interesting to see how she'd cope. i'm excited for her! she's growing up!!

sharie's engaged. can't believe that. am equally excited for her.
she's always been the stable one in the family and am glad she's found happiness and her true love.

2012 is gonna be a big year for them and i'm gonna do what i can to be there for them.

as for me, it's usual. i'm not sure what's in store for the year ahead, and i like it that way!
first stop is the usual CNY diving trip - this time back to philippines! looking forward to get my head underwater. these are my most relaxing times and the only way i can recover and recharge from the hectic year that passed and the holidays that recently gone by.

WELCOME 2012!

refresh

2011-10-17T02:08:00.000+11:00

alright! i've done it.

updated my computer, updated my phone. i feel so in-touch with the techy world. unfortunately, i accidentally clicked on an icon in my blog's template which changed it into this! *crap* my old template took me quite some time to get it looking like it was. i liked it coz i felt like it reflected who i was truly.

*sigh* oh well, i suppose it's part of the whole "updating" process. change is suppose to be good! it keeps us current, it keeps us up-to-date, it keeps us on our toes.

i like the familiar, the comfortable. there's something heart-warming seeing the familiar. like today for instance, it felt good to come home to my parent's place for dinner. we ate the same meals we've had for years. it felt great!

change is good as well. we always have to keep on moving forward, improving ourselves. that way we grow and learn. it keeps us relevant in this ever-changing world. (my oh-my, so many cliches in one paragraph!)

i've digressed. i wanted to use this post as a reminder to myself. back in the earlier years, i used to be "in-the-know" in what's the latest and greatest. now i find myself being the last to know about anything. this will absolutely not do! i need to keep myself "updated" as much as i can. on items that are, of course, relevant to me.

it shall begin tonight!

flip it!

2011-09-05T23:29:00.002+10:00

september is going to be a better month!

finally going to catch lion king before the run ends, managed to book a few decent films to watch during the international film festival, erin's turning 21 (geez, i feel my age), finally got a decent project in the office that is smoothly running.

things are getting better for the both of us - we're slowly getting rid of the heaviness that is lingering in our home. it's not as easy as saying "expecto patronum!" but slowly and surely, things are looking much brighter!

blank

2011-08-09T12:29:00.002+10:00

i've think i've lost my mojo (or perhaps i've never really found it)

i've lost the passion i used to have when i'd go to work

i've lost feeling inspired looking through design blogs

i've lost all my thoughts

i've lost my drive!

let's make things...

2011-07-31T19:19:00.001+10:00

this was a weekend of making things. he had the sudden urge to make macarons (again, his second attempt) whereas i researched and thought about what i wanted to make as a poster for our new place. it was a long and tedious process but i think the results were quite good! we're still far from our favorite laduree but at least the ones we made were edible this time!

this isn't going to be a post of "how to make macarons". instead, the process of making macarons opened us up a little - we learned that we both DO NOT have anything much in common and personality-wise, we are total opposites.

it made me wonder, how is it that we can hang around each other with NOTHING much to talk about, yet still be comfortable with each other. it kind of makes me anxious and worried, wondering if we'll get bored of each other at some point, and at other times, i also find myself not wanting to "stir shit"- why screw up something that's working fine, i ask myself. i've been with people in which we both have similar interests and as you can see, it never works out. so i guess it's good that we're two different people, with different perspectives in life.

in a way, the new place has definitely brought us closer. we've had mini arguments and there has been moments where i want to poke his eyes out. but we've also managed to share with each other more what we both like and want out of life. i realise this though, there's one thing that we both have in common - and that is : we are generally introverts in nature, and will not really open up to share things until we can't take it no more. we both have a high threshold and this moment of "not being able to take it no more" won't happen for quite some time.

i'm not exactly sure what this post is all about, but just wanted to pen down these thoughts before it's lost in my scattered mess of a brain. it's not meant to be a complaint; nor is it suppose to be some sort of reassurance. it was a nice breezy late afternoon and i felt like doing some "journal-writing".

blip

2011-07-19T23:22:00.002+10:00

yes, the travel bug has bitten me again. oh, and the diving bug as well.

i spent a good part of the afternoon thinking of the next 5 places i want to go immediately. however, this time, as i thought about the countries and cities i would like to see, there was a nagging voice behind my thoughts saying things like "i'm not as young as i used to be & age is catching up with you, you sure you should go there, or, you better go to XXX while you still can" which i found really annoying and at the same time, it made me wonder why?!

was it wrong to still dream about exotic places to visit? am i not suppose to go? why can't i go? yes, i know i've reached the 30s.. the age where most people settle down and start families and prepare for whatever else needs preparing. these are the years when you're suppose to be mature adults and be more practical and always have plans for the future.

yes, i do know this is required of me, but at the same time, it's because i get the feeling that, as time flies by, it gets more and more difficult to plan for such exotic trips - be it because of work, or family, or whatever other commitments..

that's why i thought i should write down this list of the next 5 places i'd like to visit, just to remind myself that i don't think that it's impossible; it might be a little more of a hassle, but definitely doable!

diving destinations :

palau, raja ampat, donsol, moalboal, manado

countries to visit:

turkey, istanbul, brazil and/or the rest of south america, egypt

let's see whether i manage to cross any of these items off in the next few years!

resolution and a half

2011-06-26T13:17:00.001+10:00

for the next half of the year, i aim to be a decent cook!

time to bring out any smidgeon of julia child in me.

the recent holiday inspired me to try and see whether i have what it takes.

and this is what the numbers says

2011-06-05T22:08:00.002+10:00

had this conversation with a friend yesterday regarding the last decade of my life.

upon reflection, i'd say that :

25-27 were the best years of my life

27 was when i felt like the world was my oyster, and i could do anything. i had a rough idea what to do with my life and a few guidelines were set up to ensure that i accomplish my goals.

29 was when i felt a little lost, and decided to make some changes/adjustments in my life to get back on track....

and that's where we are now...

not as lost as before, but not exactly where i thought i'd be - but not complaining coz i'm definitely happy with what i have with my life so far and won't exchange it for anything!

we've hit mid-2011 and i feel like the year is still starting out. there's still lots of new things waiting for me within the next few months, and i'm a little excited to see how things will turn out!

conversation starters

2011-05-24T21:54:00.002+10:00

when we first travelled together, i was really worried that we'd have awkward silences or moments where we just can't seem to keep our chats going.

but in the end, i didnt have to worry at all!

we've had ALL SORTS of conversations : from discussing serious issues of the world, to the latest hot gossip from the entertainment industry, to our most secret of secrets - whether it's embarassing or just something we've been dreaming of since forever.

my favorite time to have good conversations - dinner.

just a small table separating you and your companion, appropriate lighting and settings, a nice glass of wine or aperitif to kickstart the evening, and your night is on it's way.

hello neighbour

2011-05-02T20:32:00.004+10:00

i finally had the opportunity to get out of manila and explore the rest of phil. i know that it's quite shameful that i don't really know my own birthplace. but hey, i finally did it!

cebu was awesome, it's pretty much like bali and phuket, and other "island" cities. fairly decent infrastructure, the usual minimal land attractions, the same dodgy looking bars with exceptionally cheap beer :) the major difference would be the WATERS. ohmygawd. the travel books weren't kidding when they say that the beaches and other water activities are a must to do there.

the first time i saw clear waters in my life was when i explored the east coast of australia with yvette. (our catamaran ride along the whitsundays, the 3day trip around fraser island - gosh that trip was eons ago). i didnt think that it would be possible to see such crystal clear waters so close to home!

it was a gorgeous trip. no regrets planning it. the underwater life in cebu is so much more different to the ones in tioman. there's weirder looking marine life and bigger fish. i'm upset that i didn't get to see my shark! ah well, we WILL meet one day, for sure!

wish we had more time to explore the rest of the island, but i guess it wasn't meant to be. totally slipped my mind that good friday holiday in philippines would equate to nothingness - the malls, restaurants, shops were all closed! there was no way we could've gotten out of the main city area and do anything, coz everyone was paying respects.

next stop in philippines - palawan!!

nothing like going back..

2011-03-28T00:57:00.003+11:00

there's nothing like it at all! it felt so refreshing to go back down again after the long hiatus.

i think i'll retire from diving the day i go to maldives and raja ampat. i think if i quit architecture, i might just join some non-profit organization that cleans up the oceans and/or find some marine biology researcher and help him out with his quest for knowledge or (whatever it is that he needs to research)

work's been better this week. glad that things are working out now. i am slowly beginning to understand what i'm suppose to be doing in this office. let's see what else the next few weeks will bring.

scarlett's preparing for the concert of the century! it's our biggest gig so far, and i'm glad to see that it's for charity. i'm sure that we will be performing our hearts out! am wondering how we can top this one after we finish it. whatever happens, it's definitely going to be some night to remember!

another week is going to begin. let's see where it'll take us.

fly

2011-03-16T00:07:00.002+11:00

this is indeed the year of travels!

quite randomly, in the middle of the day, this struck me :

jan - weekend in bangkok

mar -weekend in tioman (ok, this doesn't really count but i just want to add it in!)

apr - phil

may - weekend in bali?

june - mebbe france? mebbe greece?

then later half of the year - i'm hoping to go for another dive trip *cross fingers*

looking at this list brings a smile to my face

millions of thoughts

2011-03-08T22:51:00.004+11:00

why do people still blog? do people even blog anymore? or has it boiled down to mere tweets and status updates?

a thousand questions are running through my mind right now.

what is my role at work? why can't there be something steady and constant? instead of extremes? from having too much to do to now nothing to do - is there something i'm not understanding? is there something i'm not doing right? i left my old company to better myself, but now it seems i'm back to where i started, which is getting frustrating. should i continue this path? mebbe i should just stop and do something else, but what? and how? what if everything else will be the same? why can't i find a good balance in my life?

perhaps i should learn to be more patient, and enjoy the stillness while it lasts..

just a little frustrated that's all. you'd think that at this point in my life everything will be a little bit more stable or i'd be growing..

i guess i just got to wait and see

let's open up a little

2011-03-07T00:31:00.003+11:00

he has taken up diving!

am excited (and anxious) for him. he just finished his pool sessions and so far he's enjoyed it. we are going to our first dive trip in 2 weeks and i hope that he will like it. i know he has some reservations on going down lower than 5m underwater, but i think that once he sees how gorgeous the sea can be, he will like it as much as i do. got myself a new pair of fins to commemorate the event, and prepared the camera to take photos of him! let's see how things go!

this is definitely one of the many steps that brings us closer in our relationship. in exchange, i'm to learn how to play golf (at some point)! which i don't mind really, it'll be good to pick up something new again. it's been sometime since i got a new hobby, and so what's better than to take up something we can both do together?

i like that we appreciate each other's interests and hobbies, and are supportive of one another.

dust off that planner

2011-02-08T00:40:00.002+11:00

happy chinese new year!

it was a VERY chilled weekend! recovering from a flu meant lots of sleeping and resting and doing absolutely nothing in particular for the first 2 days of CNY... and i loved it! think my body sensed that i could relax for a bit so it went totally rubber-y. it was an intense jan and the rest was very much welcomed.

the next few days were just spent getting some fresh air and planning for the trips to come!

i can't wait for april!

the past few days were also birthdays of the fab feb babies and it kinda got me thinking of what i've done for the first half of my thirties. last week i admit i kinda gave myself a jolt to the biological clock - wondering if i should be worried that i'm still... not where one should be at 30.

i slapped myself back to reality. not everyone has to follow the rules. we should be able to do what we want and be comfortable with our decisions. we shouldn't force ourselves to do anything just cause it's "suppose to be the right time" . prolly sounds like excuses but i truly believe in this!

so far the week has begun nicely, work's been ok

the travel planning has hit a few bugs, but nothing too major yet.

let's just see what comes our way shall we?

chomp

2011-01-25T01:58:00.002+11:00

just got back from a great recharging weekend in bangkok!

it feels great to get away from work and spend sometime outdoors!

think the trip has kickstarted the travel bug. i'm now wondering where else i can go this year.

there's a few travel plans in progress - the most upcoming would be the visit back home to phil.

after that, wondering where else i should go!

*hmmm*

whoosh

2011-01-15T14:03:00.002+11:00

it's mid jan already?

wow, where did the weeks go.

need a mini-break!

can't wait for bangkok next weekend!

it's been almost 6 years since i last went there?

need to recharge

need to clear my mind and spend some time thinking about my personal life and other important things - other than work!

i'm beginning to think that 2011 is a year of BIG changes

au revoir '10, bonjour '11

2011-01-01T21:40:00.003+11:00

hello to the new year!

am loving the nice cool weather we're experiencing today, kinda feels like the rain is washing away all the ugliness and "dirt" of 2010, so we can start 2011 clean and fresh!

2010 has definitely been an interesting year for me. if you'd compare it to the past years, 2010 would seem quiet and almost boring, but i would say it would be otherwise! even though i didn't party as much, nor had time to do other fun activities, i'd say that the year was still eventful! a new job, a steady relationship, turning 30, and other things. i'd say that the main challenge of the year was trying to find balances between work, family, friends and Francois - although i think i can still do better at this aspect.

i don't know what 2011 will bring. i hope to achieve the following though :

1. better myself at work - there's a few challenges i would like to give myself and introduce a couple of changes and after which, i think i would be very much better in the office.

2. live healthy - go for yoga, eat healthy, get back to doing some sports, cut down on the unhealthy stuff and focus on a better well-being. fell sick too many times this year, which is something that has never happened before. don't like it and don't want it to be the start of something.

3. fun stuff - i wanna learn how to cook! so far some recipes i've tried with francois have been delicious and it's quite fun be able to come up with decent food that one can eat. i would like to continue this! i never thought i'd say this, but i quite like being in the kitchen!

4. travels - a few trips are being planned. i'm itching to go travel again!

5. financially more stable - nothing new about this, *sigh*

and so, to end off, WELCOME 2o11!

tak!

2010-12-18T14:12:00.001+11:00

i finally feel christmas is in the air!

action reaction

2010-12-12T19:34:00.002+11:00

i'm speechless.

it's amazing how the world works sometimes. i just finished a leadership training course a few weeks ago, thanks to my company and basically this course teaches you how to work with your peers and your team mates to make sure that the work place moves efficiently, everyone is happy, work gets done, etc etc.

today i experienced secondhand something extremely disgusting which goes against all that was taught in that course. i never thought it would ever happen in real life - i thought the case studies in the class were just theories and "what-if' scenarios.. and no one in the world would be that heartless and stupid and ridiculous to expect things from employees and/or peers.

but i guess i was wrong.

there ARE people out there who step on others toes and stab them in the back to move ahead in their career; not caring if people get hurt, make others look bad in order to make themselves shine and look good. and the worse thing is that.. the higher powers buy into the shit and believe that these people are really good workers.. and that they can't do anything wrong

geeeez!

what do you do if you were in that situation? do you stay and hope one day they will open their eyes and realise that they are killing the office? or leave them and tell them to "forget you".

i know this post isn't making any sense right now. i'm just... reacting to a situation that happened earlier. trying to reason out pros and cons to see if one should stay working or quit asap. does quitting mean that you are a loser and a failure for not trying hard enough to work things out? but how long do you stay before you lose your sanity and health? is working there all that important? do you really need this job to survive?

what does one do??

fluttering about

2010-11-18T19:09:00.005+11:00

My dad went back to our home in Philippines over the weekend to take care of some family stuff.
He took the opportunity to look through our old things and shipped them here to our place here..

3 boxes arrived today and they were filled of all our old photos of me and nas when we were barely 1 year old, my parents when they were still dating up to the point of their wedding day, even their childhood pics!

It may sound cliche, but pictures really are worth a thousand words.. They really capture the atmosphere of the events!
Whenever I look through these old photos, esp my parents, it kinda amazes me that they had such a different life before I was born.
It didn't really matter to me much before but I guess now that I'm approximately the same age as they were when they took the photos, It seems more identifiable.

I'm thankful for the digital camera and the ability to take almost an infinite number of photos and uploading albums on facebook.. Still, I kinda like flipping through pages of photo albums.. I really should take the time to print out my photos for keepsake.

It'll be interesting to see them again after 10 years or so!

tick off another from the to-do list

2010-10-14T01:14:00.003+11:00

and we managed to go surfing. i didnt think i could do it. tried it once in goldcoast with lilian but failed miserably - didn't get a chance to stand up then.

but this time in bali, maybe it's coz the waves aren't so big, we used a beginner's board (just for the first lesson) and we had a coach that watched us constantly, we did it! the rush when you ride the waves towards the shore is really fun! it's tiring too, i took this picture of him while i was taking a break during our sunset surf session. nevertheless, we're hooked and we can't wait to try this again sometime next year when i go back to philippines.

the break was great; the timing couldn't have been better. work was getting stale and boring and i felt the need to recharge and refresh myself. the trip was good. even though we've gone here just months earlier, it still felt very fresh and there was stuff that we didn't get to do before.

and now it's back to routine and normality. i've come to realise that i usually feel much more revitalised when i take holidays that aren't in cities or in urban settings. my mind really can relax when i am surrounded by nature, the sun, the sea, etc. usually in cities, i get overly excited coz there's just so many buildings you want to check out, streets to explore, museums, galleries, eateries, etc.. that by the end of the holiday, you're just tired and prolly feel the need for another holiday to recover from the previous one.

anyway, there's nothing planned from now till next year. this year has been a quiet year for travelling. at the beginning of the year, i didn't really feel like going all out on big trips - no real inspiration to explore, which was kinda weird coz it's been almost a yearly event to go somewhere at some point in time every year. but now that the year's almost over, i think i'm ready to go exploring again next year! am already wondering where i should go...

time to start putting money aside

return!

2010-10-01T00:13:00.003+10:00

i can almost smell the sea breeze
holiday here i come!

under one's wing

2010-09-19T12:07:00.002+10:00

i'm back!

it was a crazy first half of the month - our design team in the office was taking part in a competition for a new office tower in singapore. the big boss really wanted to win this, and so we gave it our all. still no news about the results.. still hoping!

anyway, during the past few weeks, i noticed that whenever i have to work as crazy as this, i tend to think more about my own personal life and reflect on various aspects of it. and last week was no exception.

1. i realised that i haven't seen my friends for quite some time (since sept started i think), so it was quite nice to catch up last friday with decent food and drink.

2. also managed to spend some time with my family - i guess it helped that my day off kind of coincided with erin and my mom's free time :P

3. did a little "evaluation" on my r/s - we've been together for almost 9 months now and everything is still great. the cynical part of me is kindasorta waiting for something bad to happen to snap me back to reality, whereas the girly foolish side of me is already imagining all sorts of nonsense. of course, foolish side is being greatly repressed as i do not want to think too far and get ahead of myself. shall continue to just see how things go.

can't wait for our holiday in bali again in october. it'll be good to getaway :)

4. work-wise, things are getting interesting. my boss wants me to take on a quick project so that i can learn how things are done in the office. he wants me to use this as a training ground - which is great coz finally it means i stop doing competitions and design proposals and work on actual projects that WILL get built.

slow and steady now.. work smart, be efficient and hopefully things will continue to go well.

i can't say that this year is as eventful as last year.
i'd say 2010 is a year of adjustments and change.

silence on my part

2010-08-20T21:48:00.004+10:00

it's strange but i feel uninspired lately. why do i say it's strange?

well, for one, it's not like i'm not designing at work. there's a SURPLUS of ideas being thrown around our discussion table, so needless to say, it's not like my creative juices aren't flowing.
everyday we come up with new ideas, most of the time it'll be thrown out the window, but at least we still come up with weird and sometimes crazy stuff.

i've been catching up on my reading too. currently reading 2 books at a go. finished one, entitled "eat, pray, love". this is the first time ever in my life in which i hope the movie is better than the book. hope the other one is better.

none of my clothes seem to make me feel happy. it used to be that before i step out of the house, i make sure that i am 100% happy with what i'm wearing. lately, i just can't seem to be bothered and just plop one whatever feels comfortable.

i think i need to break my monotony. i need to find something to break the rhythm of my week.
just can't seem to find something interesting... yet! it's funny but you'd think that being in a creative field, you'd be able to come up with a million things to do to pass time..

something is definitely not right.
hmmm

original

2010-08-07T14:26:00.000+10:00

no one makes videos like these anymore

coming soon

2010-06-20T01:18:00.002+10:00

the gotangcos just had our family portrait photoshoot. we've been trying to organize this for our parents for the longest time. we finally got down to doing it - as a birthday present for our dad.

can't wait to see how our pictures turned out. there was many awkward moments, especially for me. i'm not one who loves the camera, given the chance, i'd be more than happy to just sit at the background. don't have many photos of the shoot itself. this was taken by nas, while i was trying my best to give my most serious face - as you can see, it's really going well.

it was still fun to do though. we're suckers for mementos, and so i know these photos will be great keepsakes. something to laugh at when we're old(er)!

girly lapse

2010-06-18T10:25:00.003+10:00

Marin: Are you crying?

Erica Barry: Yeah. Its my new thing. Ive gotten abnormally
brilliant at it.

Marin: Why? What is it?

Erica Barry: Im in love. Aint it great? Seems like I gotta learn
how to that... love-them-and-leave-them stuff, you know?

Marin: Oh mom, I hate this. Now do you get my theory about all this?
You gotta self-protect.

Erica Barry: You dont really buy this stuff you say, do you? You
dont actually think that you can outsmart getting hurt?

Marin: I think its worth trying.

Erica Barry: Listen to me. You cant hide from love for the rest of
your life because maybe it wont work out... maybe youll become
unglued? Its just not a way to live.

Marin: Are you telling me this is good? Whats happened to you?

Erica Barry: I think you should consider the possibility that you and
I are more alike than you realize. I let someone in, and I had the
time of my life.

Marin: Ive never had the time of my life.

Erica Barry: I know, baby. And I say this from the deepest part of my
heart. What are you waiting for?

Diane Keaton from Something's Gotta Give

on board the bullet train

2010-05-30T12:39:00.003+10:00

is may already over? my god - where did the time go!

a lot of new experiences came by this month - a new job for starters.
it was a slight culture shock, getting used to the large premises, many many colleagues and the hierachies that follow.i'm working on my first big project ever in my life - a very large residence. it's a little overwhelming but it's also quite fun! let's see how the next few months go, hope to meet my employer's expectations!

goodness we're hitting mid-2010 already. i can't get over it! it still feels like just not so long ago, we were celebrating the feb babies birthdays. sheesh, where did the time go!

it's definitely going to be a very different 2nd-half of the year. i hope to squeeze in a trip somewhere at some point. up till now i haven't a clue where i feel like going this year. i need to FEEL excited about going to a place - otherwise i know, for sure, that it would be a wasted trip. so i want to make a decision on a place VERY carefully!

my cousins also came by the last week, it was very nice to meet up with them again, after so long. wish we could see each other more often! miss them already.. maybe year end perhaps? hehehe

shall head on out for a coffee soon!
cheers

level 2.0

2010-05-09T13:59:00.003+10:00

and so begins the next chapter of my life.
i spent the last week basically clearing out and tidying my room - throwing out old stuff which i don't really use anymore, re-arranging my shelves and storage boxes, redecorating my walls, etc. it felt good! very therapeutic actually! knowing that i was creating more space for new things like clothes and books and cds made me quite happy!

i love getting rid of the old to prepare for the new.

the next few weeks are rather uncertain for me, am still not too sure what to expect and what i've gotten myself into. but i'm ready for the challenge!

alrightey, i shall enjoy my sunday for now.
till the next entry.

i stumbled onto...

2010-04-21T20:29:00.002+10:00

i stumbled onto claire's website earlier today. i love the stuff in it! made me miss australian fashion. sometimes they're really quirky!

i'm not one who's fashion - savvy, i don't really follow the latest trends nor look out for what's "really hot this season". i tend to try things out and see if they work (sometimes they don't, sometimes they do!) i'd like to think i wear things that defines my personality and character.. it's more fun that way!

this website just inspired me to try and jazz up my clothes. i just gotten hold of a few 2nd hand items and am excited to see what i can do with them.

can't wait when i have some free time come may. i've got some projects in mind, which i hope to accomplish! i wish i could start on them now actually...

:)

back to old habits!

2010-04-15T18:28:00.001+10:00

woohoo! signed up for a dive trip at the end of april. i'm PSYCHED!
it's been.. 1 year and 2 months since my last dive.

it's confirmed! better dust off my old gear!
counting down...

oh mee oh my!

2010-04-15T12:30:00.002+10:00

thanks sophia aka shins for finding this pic! i can't get enough of them gorgeous men! julianne moore is so lucky!

an urge

2010-04-14T20:10:00.001+10:00

the sudden urge to draw
swirls, circles and curls

hmmm

2010-04-09T11:54:00.001+10:00

... i've been daydreaming lately...

of traveling (where to go!)
of new prospects!

it's rather exciting!

2010-03-26T15:48:00.001+11:00

i dread opening my cupboard in the mornings

sometimes you just feel like a cookie

2010-03-23T21:27:00.007+11:00

(no) thanks to WC's sudden craving for parmesan cookies, i had the sudden urge to bake something over the weekend. i realise the last time i baked anything was wayyyy back before i left for melbourne - my usual, tooth-achingly-sweet, diabetes-inducing cheesecake! Didn't feel like doing something tedious so decided to make lovable choc chip cookies.

i like baking, more so than cooking. i personally feel that you can't go wrong with baking -you either get it or you don't. cooking, on the other hand, sometimes depends on people's tastes and preferences so sometimes a particular dish can end up being totally not what you expect. i like following the recipes in baking, coz everything is exact and precise. you're almost certain that it can't go wrong - unless there's something wrong with your oven or you used the wrong ingredients. baking to me is very therapeutic actually, until the point you have to clean up!

this is my first attempt in making cookies. the last time i did this was back in home economics in high school! that was a failure coz i wasn't used to the oven and i wasn't watching it carefully - was too busy with gossip and other nonsense girls did back then... haha.

it's a success! the recipe is here :)

2010-03-18T20:33:00.001+11:00

i'm beginning to like wood on ceilings.

it's really happening

2010-03-17T21:21:00.003+11:00

the first quarter of 2010 is about to end - i know i'm thinking far ahead, but i must say, so far, it has been rather interesting! i've kept to my motto for the year so far - "chill 2010"! at the beginning of the year, i told myself not to expect too much, inspite of it being the year i become 30 (gasp!). i didn't make any major plans to travel, had no expectations on what the year meant for me.

and now here we are.

am trying to move up the ladder work-wise (let's see how this goes)
am with someone i feel totally comfortable and at ease with, and it's been great so far, no fuss, no stress, everything is nice and simple and goooooooood. it's been a while since things went so smoothly. i'm thankful that there has been no major drama moments (yet). not sure where this will go, i'm happy now and that's all that matters (i think)
i also decided that i should try and spend more quality time with my closer friends. so far, i managed to maintain regular meetings with most of the people i hang out with, but i think it's not enough! i need to work on this more.

i've come to realise that this blog has grown - from one with a lot of random "what'sgoingoninmydaytoday" posts to lots more of reflections and personal thoughts. i hope it's not a sign of age nor a sign of me repeating myself.

on a lighter note - i would like to end this post with this. i heart this photo a lot :)

one of my favourite things

2010-03-16T13:07:00.000+11:00

reflections after a movie

2010-03-05T19:27:00.002+11:00

finally had some time to myself to watch a little tv and unwind last night. "the bucket list" was showing on hbo - which was great coz i haven't seen the show at all. a lot of my friends have been raving about it : how inspiring it is, good cast, good plot, etc etc. so i was quite glad to have a chance to see what the fuss is all about.

my friends were right. it is a good show. very simple plot and it is indeed rather inspiring. before you start thinking, "oh god, she's going to talk about her own bucket list now".. hang on hang on.

this blog isn't about any bucket list - although i do intend to do up my own sometime eventually.
no, this little entry was inspired by the movie because it made me think about death. made me think about how i hope i would die. if i get sick when i'm old, i hope to have a quick death
- no long surgeries,no painful meds. i don't want any relatives/friends waiting outside the theatres, anxious of the results of the surgeries; don't want to put them under too much stress.

i actually would like to have a party instead of a funeral. if possible, i would even like to attend my funeral party! just a small gathering of close friends and family - no sad music, no photo montage slide show, instead we should just all chill and have drinks and talk about the years gone by. that way, we all can share the good, the bad and the ugly.

i think it would be a nice way to go, don't you think?

deja vu

2010-03-01T21:15:00.002+11:00

wow, i was browsing thru archdaily (an architectural website) when i came across this image. i didn't get a chance to read through wha the project was about, but i was immediately brought back to a rendering i did for my final year project. it looked EXACTLY like this! talk about deja vu. similar material palette, even the floor levels and the view is the same.

it kinda got me nostalgic about designing. i miss designing. be it from scratch or A&A. i don't do that at work anymore, i realise. nowadays, it's just mostly project management and coordination work between consultants, contractors, suppliers, etc - which is equally challenging/fun/stressful, but it's not really the same. i kinda miss having the "eureka" moment whenever you start brainstorming and you get a decent enough concept to guide your design.

ah well, another monday has passed! let's hope this is a good week ahead.

angel / jack johnson

2010-03-01T18:54:00.003+11:00

so far, things are going pretty well and smooth-sailing. i think i can safely say that it's been a long time since i've felt truly comfortable, happy (intensely i might add) and totally at ease with someone. anyway, i'm not going to go on and on about this.. not sure where things will be, i'm not thinking that far ahead - don't want any disappointments or pressure.

i'm just taking things one day at a time
:)

and then there was silence

2010-02-20T17:57:00.002+11:00

scarlett just finished our first gig for the year, after a 6month hiatus (i think). overall, it was a good performance. it was nice to see so many friends and family members supporting us. it was been a while since i had the adrenaline rush from a performance. think the last time was almost 12 years ago! but it was worth it. i had a blast playing last night, inspite of the initial jitters, considering that the last few days i was away, and unable to attend the nightly practices. i can't wait to see photos and videos!

i recall the manager of the cafe saying that it was rare to see so many passionate people coming together & play. i think it's quite hard to find people whom you can click and feel comfortable playing with, and i think i'm quite fortunate to have met these wonderful girls who appreciate the same songs i do and we can come together and goof off/jam/perform.

i had a very good rest last night. it felt good to wake up late, and not having to rush off to do errands, etc. am looking forward to a nice, relaxing, chill weekend!

passion rules our lives

2010-02-10T16:36:00.000+11:00

i heart scarlett

i hate packing

2010-02-08T01:31:00.004+11:00

japan is coming! i've started packing now, coz i realise that i'm going to be pretty busy the next few days and i probably won't have time to sort out what i want to wear in toyko. even as i type this post, i'm already in a dilemma deciding what to bring and wear there. it's the ONE place where you can get away with wearing whatever kooky thing you have on the streets and getting away with it. i definitely want to make full use of this opportunity.

it's been a fairly interesting week; maybe interesting wouldn't be the right word to describe it but the first few days was definitely... eventful... the biggest highlight is of course, the muse concert! :D

glad that the weekend was fairly normal, uncomplicated, easy and simple. and it ended off nicely with a quiet day by the beach.

alrightey, i think i shall end here. time to get back to packing.

not only does it rain, it pours

2010-02-03T19:30:00.005+11:00

in situations like these, sometimes you just need to find the humour in it

life is beautiful

2010-01-27T15:58:00.004+11:00

it's been a good january so far. inspite of numerous nights in which i find myself having difficulty sleeping, i'd say that it's been a nice, chill, cosy, month

february looks to be a little more exciting, with the family trip to tokyo + osaka (yay, another city to cross off my list), scarlett's performance, friends coming back to singapore for the chinese new year holiday. shall keep this post simple and short... to fabulous feb!

a little something to end off my week

2010-01-17T16:28:00.003+11:00

some funk and blues to end off my musical endeavours this week.
my dad introduced me to this guy - eumir deodato. it sounds really disco-y and 70s funk! i especially love how the bass line moves!

when roses are red...

2010-01-14T03:02:00.000+11:00

the song of the week for me!
cat power's sea of love... :)

we gotta start somewhere

2010-01-03T23:43:00.002+11:00

the past few weeks have been great. here's some of the highlights

1. eunice and colin's wedding : it was great being a part of niz's wedding. in some ways, i still can't believe that she's married. we always joked that I would be the first one to be taken off the market. haha, but i'm really happy for her and her husband. it was a very beautiful wedding, couldn't have imagined it in any other way -it was her day through and through. i can't imagine a more perfect couple together. i wish them both all the best and i can't wait to see what their future brings them.

2. christmas eve : it was great spending a good part of the day with family as usual. wouldn't have it any other way. this year, it didn't feel as serious as last year, we were more relaxed and goofing around. not sure why, but it felt nice.

3. christmas gatherings : it was great being able to spend time with close friends, over good food and good drinks. traditions were kept and perhaps new ones were made? who knows! i just know that there's no other way to celebrate christmas.

4. of course, not forgetting greeting the new year at batam. it was a great way to end of the festivities. it was a good getaway!

to 2010, i welcome you. tomorrow is the official first day of work. i'm really "looking forward" to it. i feel it's going to be an exciting and challenging year ahead. a few plans have been made, can't wait to execute them! i'm sure there'll be little surprizes hidden somewhere. i shall just wait and see what happens.

i'm going to enjoy the last bits of the weekend now. g'nite!

2010

2010-01-02T12:37:00.003+11:00

happy new year! just spent the past few days chilling and having fun at batam. it was a blast, as usual. the new year means a fresh start and a new beginning.... let's see where this year will bring me!

4RR

2009-12-24T03:45:00.002+11:00

4RR has always been the place to go for christmas dinners; we've been having it for at least 4-5 years already? it almost didn't happen this year, esp since 2009 is "bo-pian ming". so i was surprized to get an invite, (just yesterday mind you) to head on down for the usual christmas feast! *yums*

welcome back, ming!

season's greetings!

2009-12-23T21:25:00.002+11:00

All I Want For Christmas Is The Octopus Pie Christmas Special from Meredith Gran on Vimeo.

found this cute animation online,
it's the perfect way to sing a christmas carol!

christmas is in the air!

side seat

2009-12-16T01:22:00.002+11:00

you know you've reached a certain age, when your little baby sister is sitting at the driver's seat of your car, driving you home from town, and you're having mini panic attacks at every turn/filter she does, and you feel SUCH a sigh of relief the moment you reached home and parked the car.

2009-12-11T17:54:00.005+11:00

saw these winners from a random poster competition. some of the graphics are great - simple yet effective. you can see more here

karma on my car

2009-12-06T04:22:00.002+11:00

it's been a long 2 days, staying at home and nursing a flu/cough/fever, whatever else i had. it felt great to be able to come out today and spend some time away from my room.

had a nice brunch, just us girls at hatch, where i finally got my pancake fix. (i now know where to go should i ever crave for pancakes again) after which, we headed down town to start work on our christmas lists. realised that it's been quite some time the 3 of us were out in town, just hanging out and chilling.

after our shopping was done, we went off our separate ways. i had to go to boh's house so i had to take the AYE/ECP. anyway, as i was driving, a tiny little pebble flew and hit my windscreen CRACK! an inch long crack right in the middle of the windscreen. *faint. of all the cars driving along that road, the pebble had to hit mine. SHEEESHHH! after cursing and swearing in the car, i calmed down, made the necessary phone calls to see how to repair the crack, when i suddenly thought about karma.

we joke about in the office about karma, always saying we should watch what we do and say coz karma will bite us back in the ass. i can't really say that i am a firm believer of karma, although lately, there's been too much going on to let it simply pass by. i kinda think that this year, has been bits of bad karma hitting me. i guess it's to balance off the good things that has happened the past years.

i hope so, i seriously hope so.

:)

2009-11-28T04:54:00.000+11:00

this just put a smile on my face

fortune cookie say....

2009-11-28T04:20:00.004+11:00

"you're constantly struggling for self-improvement"

i can't say it's spot-on, but it definitely hit a little something.
think i'm reaching a crossroad, lately i feel the need to do something major and dramatic to drastically change my life! can't really explain it properly. i'm still tossing thoughts about my head.

there's definitely been changes lately.
+ i've updated my flickr account
+ i've updated my blog (slightly)

+ i want to redo my room - i wish i had more wall space, more shelving space, hmm, mebbe more space? haha i've got all this little ideas, but everytime i look around my room, whenever i try to clear up one area, it just leads to another thing to sort through, and another, and another. it's definitely time for some major spring cleaning. it'll be interesting to see how my future home will look like - think it'll be like this eclectic MESS!

+ expand my book collection. went to booksactually recently and saw a couple of novels i've been wanting to get. it's been eons since i've gone to kino. i wonder if it's still the same.

hmmm
.....
...

ok, i just noticed the time. it's late, and i should sleep.
think i shall end off for now.

bon nuit mes amies!

truly fantastic

2009-11-22T15:45:00.002+11:00

wes anderson didn't disappoint. the movie was truly fantastic. i really enjoyed it. the soundtrack wasn't as good as his other shows, but nevertheless, if you're a fan of wes, it's something you definitely have to catch.

pictures = words

2009-11-19T15:55:00.000+11:00

*faint*
this just made my day

attack of the gross caterpillars

2009-11-16T20:30:00.004+11:00

we have this tree/shrub plant that seems to attract these caterpillars. they'll come, eat all the leaves, and disappear. the office is okay with them, coz they usually stay up on the tree and mind their own business...

lately however, because they finish eating the leaves VERY QUICKLY, they've begun EXPLORING OUR COURTYARD! what's worse is that they're SQUIRMY, EEKY-LOOKING, and HUGE!!!!!

we're stranded now. there's no way i'm heading out the backdoor (to my car). i gotta walk at least an extra 5 mins, IT'S OKAY! can you see, in the picture, one of the caterpillars is really close to our gate?! i took the photos through the safety of our glass doors. they're SUPER GROSS.... sheesh! i'm getting goosebumps typing this entry out.

ewwwwww!!!!

a line to remember

2009-11-16T00:29:00.002+11:00

my grand-dad and my sisters and i were standing around a corner, waiting for my mom and grand-aunt finish up their shopping. he said something to us; i can't decide if it's funny or sad... it went something like this...

granddad (to nas and erin) : "you guys are so skinny, you need to eat more."
*granddad grabs my arm and pinches my tricep*

"see! you gotta be like this! and starts shaking my arm around!!!

*cryy........
think it might be time to start up my exercise regime again.
:(

i miss you

2009-11-13T16:54:00.008+11:00

i was at work today, doing my usual "i don't feel like drawing anymore, maybe i should surf the web and see what's happening around the world today" routine when i came across this website. i really like this photographer's underwater shots, esp the b&w ones.

i really appreciate underwater photography. it's really hard to get a good shot underwater. not only do you have to deal with configuring your settings in your camera making sure you adjust your white balance, exposure levels, etc, you also have to deal with making sure you're stable enough underwater so that your shots aren't blur coz you're moving. it's really hard! i know a lot of divers who take the time and effort to get good shots of marine animals and environments, but i kinda prefer looking at compositional pieces, between the ocean, humans and if possible animals.

this photographer's shots are amazing! i especially like his free diver and swimmer series (b&W). i can't believe i've survived not diving this entire year (well, technically i dived in CNY, but if you think about it, it's the start of a new year, so in a way, it's still considered as last year? i think?)

definitely have to do it next year! i've already jotted it down in my "things to do next year" list.

music's the only thing in my head nowadays

2009-11-12T01:41:00.001+11:00

whenever i start reflecting on things going on in my life, it somehow ties back to a song. this is the song of the week for me at the moment. can't really explain why..

:)

press press

2009-11-09T12:38:00.001+11:00

Pictorial Webster's: Inspiration to Completion from John Carrera on Vimeo.

letterpressing is fun!

flight of the conchords

2009-11-08T04:22:00.001+11:00

they're really ridiculous, love it!

2009-11-05T16:56:00.000+11:00

drought

2009-11-02T23:02:00.005+11:00

there is a drought!

there doesn't seem to be anything good out lately.

no good movie worth catching

no good band worth checking out, as such i've been getting my hands on bands of years past, as well as looking through my archive of songs.

no good book worth reading -okay this one, to be fair, i've not really spend some quality time perusing the aisles of kino. i prefer kino to borders simply because kino feels more organized and neater, therefore easier to find things you wanna read.

i feel the need to be inspired. i recently read up a little on my personality (aka the myer-briggs personality test) and it seems to say that my personality helps to inspire people. i dun really know if this is true, i don't find that i inspire people, although whenever i talk to my friends about our dreams and mini-projects we wanna start up, we do have fun talking about how we can go about getting things started.

haha the ideas are there, but somehow the execution gets lost along the way.

hmm, hmmm hmmmm, what shall i do this month?

back log

2009-10-30T02:32:00.005+11:00

i've been re-reading entries of years past. i tend to do that whenever a new month starts, i guess as a kind of a reflection of what went on the year before. sometimes, it's nice to reflect back and rememeber stuff you did. i don't know abt you, but there are days when i can forget what i did the day before!

even though this blog isn't really old, i've noticed a lot of changes has happened since i started it. i noticed that i've mellowed down a lot in my entries - it's becoming more and more pensieve, compared to the usual "what did i do today?" posts.

i guess coz when work becomes pretty much a routine, there isn't really much to write about on "what one did today"

i've spent the last few days "hibernating" or as boh would call it - hermitizing. don't really know why, but i just felt the need to spend some time alone with myself and soak in my thoughts, and reflect. i realise that i've not done this in a while! i used to have moments like these in melbourne, when i'd run to the nearest cafe with my journal or a good book and find a quiet corner to write out stuff, or doodle or just think about random things. i used to do this every fortnight in melbourne. gosh, i've been back in singapore for so long, i don't think i've done it here at all!

and so, yes, i spent some time with myself over the weekend. it was nice. it felt good.
it's over now. i'm out of my shell. i'm recharged and ready to face the world yet again.

november is here, christmas songs are in my ipod already, although i've not actually started playing it. perhaps i should kick start my morning with a nice jolly christmas carol tomorrow

we'll see.

comme des enfants by coeur de pirate

2009-10-17T20:36:00.003+11:00

i heard this song in one of the hotel rooms, during the trip. i was surfing channels and came across a french mtv. the video for this song is very "cute", unfortunately, i couldn't upload it as the embedding link was disabled; found this one instead.

i kinda like it. i sorta understand the lyrics; it's sickeningly sweet, so it matches the musical arrangement perfectly. i think the piano bits caught my attention. it's not something you hear in most songs nowadays.

it's the song of the week for now, have listened to it a couple of times on my ipod., partly coz i think i'm still suffering from withdrawal symptoms from the trip.

sighs, france je te manque.
:)

je retourne a singapour!

2009-10-06T12:43:00.002+11:00

i'm back!

it's been a great trip, a good break from work. france is absolutely gorgeous!
it definitely on my all-time favorite places to visit.. i can imagine myself going back there again and again and again. (money and time allowing that is) parisians were really nice and friendly.. i know there's this preconceived idea that all french, esp parisians, are rude and snobbish, but during my stay there, i found them to be really friendly and polite and nice!

on top of that, the 5 years of learning french really paid off! i could still recall how to conjugate my stupid verbs and i managed to make pretty decent sentences (at least i was understood!) . on my return flight home, i sat beside this old french lady, and she said that my french was pretty good! haha i was so happy. i know she was just being nice, haha.

it's back to reality. i feel jetlag kicking in. just unpacked my luggage and waiting for my hair to dry. so not looking forward to opening my work email etc. shall enjoy my last bit of free time today.

will upload pics asap!
:)

too beautiful

2009-09-30T16:49:00.004+10:00

france is gorgeous. i'm sitting by a beachside bed and breakfast, by the sea, in lovely corsica. i just woke up to the sounds of waves crashing by the shore. it's so pretty. it's 8am, and the sun's slowly rising by the horizon. so far, the trip hasn't been disappointing. everything is really just too perfect.

decided to get out off bed to blog about it. it's just too beautiful. it would be so nice if i could wake up to this everyday! so peaceful, so serene.. i've taken some pics, but will upload later.

what a perfect way to wake up and start the day!

je prepare...

2009-09-13T14:02:00.002+10:00

have decided to start packing for my trip of the year! haha been putting it off as long as i can, because :

1) once i start packing, i will get too excited abt the trip and i won't be able to concentrate on anything else other than wanting to travel asap
2) packing usually doesn't take THAT much time, i think.
3) haven't a clue what to bring/wear there! i wish someone would invent a traveling closet already haha

i've got a little map of the route of the trip. we're starting in paris, heading up north towards normandy to visit mont st michel, for a day trip, after which we'd head back to paris and head towards provence. we'll be spending some time there, hopefully at lavender fields and old towns and quaint villages, before heading to nice to catch a ferry to corsica! after corsica we'll slowly make our way up to montreux in switzerland to catch a wedding.

in the meantime, am reading up on the various arrondissements of paris, and other places we can visit within our pitstops. so many places, so little time! 18th Sept 09 - 6th Oct 09, dates to remember always :D

negative spaces

2009-09-03T14:22:00.003+10:00

was doing my usual pre-lunch surfing (distracted when i'm hungry). came across this website. think the illustrations are brilliantly done. it's called negative spaces, the illustrator tackles world issues with his simple yet rather ingenious images. love it

i will / the beatles

2009-09-01T02:00:00.000+10:00

this song has been stuck in my head for the last 2 weeks!
i can't get rid of it... gaahhh!

groans

2009-08-27T23:46:00.000+10:00

this has got to be, by far, the longest time i've ever had cramps.
pink pills didn't do it for me this time.

the ride home

2009-08-27T01:43:00.001+10:00

i ended work from site today, and i thought i'd try my luck to get a ride home from my mom since she works at buona vista. as luck would have it, she was just about done from her work at the moment i called her (yay, i don't have to cram into a crowded MRT to go home)

we took the farrer/adam road/lornie/braddel route home. en route, we passed by blessed sacrament church at the corner of queensway and farrer?... (not too sure) in which she told me that this used to be my kindergarten. i had no idea! i vaguely remember my schooling years before grade school. she told me that we used to live in jurong east (for some strange reason, i remember this... we were in a 2 room HDB flat with minimal furnishings). and how she'd take a bus from jurong east all the way to the church, with me holding her hand, while she carried nas on the other, ALONG with a baby bag AND a pram. when my school ended, since my grandpa would be done with work, he'd drive down to come and get me.

i totally don't remember this! i've seen pictures of my grandparents in orchard road way back then, but it never occured to me that they were here for work. i had the impression that they came to singapore for a holiday. wow.. haha things you learn about yourself, eh?

2009-08-21T20:34:00.002+10:00

http://www.superheadz.com/digitalharinezumi/

i have the film version of this camera. it's uber-cute. the only problem is that NO ONE in singapore develops 110 films in colour. they can only develop the film to B&W photos, coz the equipment for colour processing has stopped.

but now with this DIGITAL VERSION! we can see some colour!
wonder if booksactually or asylum will bring this in.

definition

2009-08-16T02:52:00.007+10:00

my friend asked me a random question today, "if you were a magazine, what would you be?" and the first thing that popped to my head was vogue living, or home and decor.

which is only partially true, i know for sure that there's more to me than that. i would like to think that i were sort my life into magazines, the following subjects need to be included :

1) music magazine - which showcases a top ten list, be it the latest "it" songs, or some old classics worth listening again, and even playlists for any occasion/mood. it would also include little trivias about musicians i listen to, where they'd be performing next, or what they're up to, and maybe even the next band to watch out for.

2) diving - self explanatory no?

3) travel and leisure - which would highlight countries i'm daydreaming of visiting at that point in time, or a particular restaurant i went to and i really liked the food, or a pub/club with nice ambience and music. it could also talk about my favorite shops : bookstores, clothes, accessories, stationaries, etc. it could also include the latest film worth watching, a festival or an exhibition worth checking out, basically anything and everything under the sun!

4) i do not think i qualify for magazines such architectural digest and AD, although i would think that i kinda sorta can relate to monocle or wallpaper, where you'd be able to read about the latest coolest thing on fashion/art/architecture/graphics/interiors, etc.

it was a good question.

all these years, i never really bothered about "defining myself". i never sought finding out who i am or how i should behave, etc. i know that many of my friends have various impressions of who i am, and it's always interesting to hear what people think of me and my character. but maybe it's high time that i should figure this out for myself for a change.

not really sure why this little exercise suddenly popped into my head.

i've had moments before when i decide that i should take some time to learn more about myself, and to understand why i do things a certain why, or why i always end up making similar mistakes and decisions. but somehow those moments start, yet it never ends successfully. i find myself suddenly distracted with other things. i do get frustrated with myself sometimes, when i make certain decisions, or act upon certain instincts that goes against my better judgement.

so, today i made it a point to remember that question, and to note down my thoughts, as a small reminder that i should do this more often. just so i can get to know myself better.

note to self : from this blog entry, i've learnt that it takes a lot out of me to pen out my thoughts. it's taken me half an hour to write this out. i either have REALLY bad writer's block, or i seriously need to take up a writing/vocab/grammar course to better express myself.

keane

2009-08-14T20:57:00.002+10:00

the keane concert was fun! they played most of my favorite tracks. they've got heaps of energy! it's no wonder the lead singer lost so much weight. i was shocked when he first walked out on stage. didn't recognize him at all! he looks better now though, that's for sure.

a surprize

2009-08-12T00:51:00.003+10:00

this song popped out when whiteness was on shuffle. i never knew i had this song, it's in the ost for "life aquatic with steve zizzou". it's such a simple song, yet so sweet and beautiful. couldn't find any original videos of it, so you just gotta enjoy the music

2009-08-11T16:23:00.000+10:00

song of the week

2009-08-11T01:58:00.002+10:00

song of the week.

there are days i wish life isn't so complicated

fun in the sun

2009-08-09T01:59:00.004+10:00

it's a long weekend ahead, and i have every intention to spend as much of it outdoors and away from any computers, papers, etc. i feel like i've been stuck inside for far too long! so, plans were made to spend a nice saturday out at east coast, blading/cycling/running AND frisbee!

i was quite happy that the gang managed to get out of bed earlier today to join me at east coast. i realise that it's been a while since we all hung out in the day, NOT in town having coffee, NOT at bars having a drink, but really out and about in the sun! think the last outdoors-y event we had was......... gosh, i can't remember! (my memory's failing me, was it the kelong trip 2-3 years ago?)

it felt good to just chill and unwind and relax, and just have fun. totally enjoyed our nonsensical conversations, our stupid little antics, and how CHILL we all are. it's nice to know that there'll always be people around who you can feel totally comfortable with, who you can call anytime, any place, and they'll come meet you, or answer your call when you feel bored/restless or just want company.

2009-08-03T20:15:00.001+10:00

silence is golden

2009-08-03T02:22:00.003+10:00

just got back from another wedding gig, the last one (for now).

scarlett's gonna be chilling for a while, think we all deserve the little mini-break. it's been intense weekends for the last month, practicing for the wedding that just ended today. the girls have been great. i like playing/hanging out with them. they're easy to click with and fun to jam with too. think it's crucial to find people you can relate/feel comfortable with when you wanna jam. if there's no chemistry, then no matter how many times you practice, i think there'll always be something missing.

not many photos from this performance (un)fortunately, as all of us didn't bring a camera. the polo club was really quaint. it's got this really surreal "hideaway" feeling to it, can't really describe it. i definitely wanna go back to try chilling there with a good book and a cup of coffee. think it'll be nice to just plug in around evening time and just sit lazily around, and watch the horses go by.

i noticed that i've nothing major planned for the next few days. i haven't seen my schedule this empty since...... god knows when. i'm happy! i'm glad that i'm gonna have some quiet time to myself, to chill and unwind, to ponder about stuff, etc. i can't wait to just VEG OUT.

alrightey, it's getting late. monday approaches...... *groan*

brilliance

2009-07-21T15:58:00.002+10:00

http://www.babelgum.com/3022304/coldplay-strawberry-swing.html

i think this is really brilliant!
a lot of effort on both parties to create this video
very smooth transitions, i can imagine that it was really fun to shoot!

mad hats goes well with mad friends

2009-07-05T23:33:00.004+10:00

twas a great party! i really totally did not expect it. a well kept secret - truly a surprize party to remember!

everyone who could make it was there; those who couldn't, texted me their warm wishes.
even though i didn't shed a tear, i could feel my heart swelling with emotions, i was truly touched! and the hats! they were gorgeous! love the enthusiasm. think this post is going to be my most sappiest but... i really love my friends! old friends, new friends, it doesn't matter. i love you all! :)

thanks for the night
thanks for the wonderful presents
thanks for being there for me all these years
thanks for celebrating my birthday
thanks for the memories, both good and bad, without them, i think my life wouldn't be as exciting

:)

TILT!

2009-07-02T01:59:00.001+10:00

we've past it!
the halfway mark!
july is here!!!!!

new ink!

2009-06-22T16:36:00.003+10:00

latest addition! i love it... so small and discreet. it's dedicated to the rebirth of music in my life!

i just got back from a yummy dinner with my folks at sgoon gardens. during the drive back, i plugged my ipod into our car stereo and blasted boogie wonderland for my dad.

my mom said to me, "did you know, last time when we(dad n her) were dating, we used to pool our money together, and save up so that we could buy vinyls? one vinyl a month"

to which my dad replied "save? really? i thought you bought it and i just borrowed it"

SO CUTEE!

things that go bump in the night

2009-06-20T10:36:00.002+10:00

couldn't sleep last night. *groans*

my body was willing, but my mind just kept on going at a gadzillion miles an hour - so many thoughts going through my head! work, the band, personal stuff. sheeesh.

i think i went to bed at around 1, but i tossed and turned, even got out of bed to surf the web a little. think i eventually got to sleep by 3 or 4.

but i got up by 8. my day hasn't officially started, but already i feel TIRED just thinking about the things i have to do later - appointments made, stuff to clear, etc.

someone get me a double shot skinny flat white.

flurry of activities ahead

2009-06-19T01:47:00.005+10:00

WOW, what a week.

work's suddenly decided to cram itself into a tiny miniscule jam jar; everything needs to be done by the end of june (what the....?!) haven't a clue how i'm gonna finish everything, but just gotta do it one step at a time, i guess.

it's gonna be very exciting times in the next few months. i've got a couple of things lined up, some confirmed, some not confirmed. hmmm, let's see...

+ 2 gigs in early july (mebbe, not confirmed yet)
+ illustrations for children's books (i really hope this can happen, i've been itching to do this for AGES! )
+ more illustrations for a website (confirmed)
+ 2 more gigs in august! (confirmed)
+ a new tattoo (coming REAL soon)
+ i've got some ideas for some craft work i wanna pursue, the list is growing longer and longer. i hope i can tick off ONE item by this year!
+ meeting a reallyreallyreallyreally good saxophonist tomorrow for a lesson. can't wait for this! i hope i can absorb all that i can within the half-hour!

i think, inspite of all my complaints, i secretly like that i've got such packed schedules. it's just that when i feel that i have a lot of things to worry/think/plan about, my life gets a little more organized? i find that when i've got too much time on my hands, i tend to get lazy and drift into wonderland and daydream or idle around or something, whereas if there are deadlines to meet, i can whip up schedules quickly, set priorities, plan ahead, etc etc.

i feel more alive, even though i'm dead tired.

weird, i know.

back to basics

2009-06-15T01:23:00.004+10:00

nawoo popped by studio ghibi's museum on his trip to japan, and bought little paper cutouts of hayao miyazaki's room as souvenirs. and so for the past 2 weekends, we've spent a part of our sunday afternoons just sitting around cutting out random shapes and gluing them together, to re-create miyazaki's home. the creators of these little masterpieces really took the time and effort to design flattened versions of real objects. not only do they have to convert 3d objects onto 2d planes, they also have to consider how to glue the corners together, so that everything can stick nicely.

kudos to them.

the final cut-outs are REALLLY small. the base is probably no bigger than a piece of A5 paper.
so you can imagine the size of the pieces we had to cut before we could glue them all together. we've already done 2 - one took us 3 hours (?), another 1 hour! we've got one more to go then we're all done!

looking at the models, i can't help but imagine how the artist would work in these spaces - with a dimly lit table lamp on, in the middle of the night, furiously sketching out his fantastical adventures.

it's the end of another weekend. think i managed to catch up on some R&R this week, just in time for sy's return - reunion time!

mid june's around the corner, geeez where does the time go!!!

aahhh-eeeee-ahhh, dancing in september!

2009-06-07T23:53:00.005+10:00

had SUCH a blast performing last night. super fun.
am super grateful for the girls for allowing me to join their band :D
really think i'm quite lucky that fate has brought us all together.

you can view videos of our performance via facebook!

to think it allll started with tennis!
hehehe

something soothing this way comes

2009-06-04T02:51:00.000+10:00

a tornado hits

2009-05-30T02:43:00.003+10:00

a rarity has occured. am home EARLY on a friday night. it's been ages since i got back by midnight. not complaining, just feels good to know that i have a GOOOOOOOOOOD sleep ahead.

anyway, as i wait for my hair to dry, i scan my room and realise that it's a MESS! yes, i admit i'm a messy person. i'm one who never clears her stuff away immediately. i tend to leave my things around, let them linger for a while, then tidy them up.

i can never keep my room neat and tidy. it just can't be done. i've tried organizing my cabinet - according to colours, according to frequency of usage (clothes i'll never wear again but can't really throw them away yet are in one corner of my cabinet; whilst those i can keep on wearing forever and ever are at the other). nothing seems to work. a week later, and everything's back to my weird logic of organized chaos.

think i need to be more disciplined. i think comparatively, i used to be more disciplined when i was younger. way back then, i'd bother to make sure everything is in order, in their proper place. nowadays, it's not that i can't really be bothered, it's more like, i want to put things in places that i can easily find them, places that make sense to me. i think this is the order in my room. i realise that everytime my sisters come in to borrow stuff, they can never find things. i guess it's good, at least i know that nothing can go out of my room without me knowing. i know this drives my mom crazy. she always comes into my room with a HUGE sigh and gently hint that "maybe it's time to do a little spring cleaning?"

but i want to change. i want to see my clothes in a neat row, my bags in a nice little corner where they're easy to find instead of me literally HUNTING them down and turning my little mess into a big mess. i think i need a good quiet weekend to pursue this little "adventure". a good quiet weekend and a BIG BLACK trash bag to throw away things.

yes, i tend to throw things away easily too. My friend E thinks it's amazing that i can simply throw things away without batting an eyelash. She can't bear to throw things away unless they're broken, out of fashion, or simply unusable anymore. personally, i think i can get easily bored with things fairly quickly. that's why i think it's easier for me to get rid of things quickly. sentimental things, on the other hand, are trickier. eventually, i do get rid of some of them, but it takes me YEARS to clear them away.

ooh! hair's dry... time for bed! full day ahead tomorrow. should get my shut-eye while i can.
niteys

music's in my bloood!

2009-05-25T01:31:00.003+10:00

updates!

highlights of the week - reuniting with an OLD 'friend' from yesteryears : monsieur tenor sax. how, you may ask, well, my friend (fyi, am talking about a real person now) recently wanted to get one of her own in order to tick off an item from her "childhood dreams" list. and i was fortunate enough to tag along her little excursion. anyway to cut the long story short. she bought it, and i will be starting sax lessons with her, and teach her all that i know (or at least still remember).

a wedding's coming up, and the band (oh yes, i've recently joined a girlgroup) is gonna be doing a few numbers for the bride and groom. today's the first day of rehearsals, and i got a chance to play the sax. let me tell you, the memories of band practices in high school and jc just kept flooding back. hours of rehearsals, sectionals, the workshops, the competitions.

and it hit me, that i actually miss those days.
yes, it might sound strange, but i do miss it.

lately, i've been itching to play piano again. i've always wanted to perfect some classical pieces from chopin, beethoven, etc. perhaps i should get our piano fixed and start practicing. it's been so long, i'm sure my fingers are RUSTY. the technician at yamaha said something which made me reflect - "a kid can spend 6-10 years moving up grade to grade on the piano, a bit of a waste to throw that all away don't you think?" ( something along those lines anyway). which is true in a way. i think i spent a good quarter of my life in music. i definitely do not want to waste it all away.

music's something i'm very thankful that my family introduced me to. think it all started with my grandfather, and his endless collection of vinyls, tapes and CDs, then my aunts, who loves performing and singing, and dad, with his own collection of CDs. i can't imagine life without music. when i grow up, i hope to be able to be like those old folks who sits in their lounges, playing jazz all day long.

i think that would be really lovely!

budget cut

2009-05-18T20:18:00.004+10:00

yes, it's been a dreary monday. not sure if it's coz of the hectic weekend or the usual monday blues, coupled with the heavy downpour.

my usual workday begins with me turning the computer on, heading to the pantry to prepare my cup of coffee, walking back and looking through my personal email/usual bookmarks before i start with the work emails, which then leads to the start of WORK.

but today was different, i started with WORK first. i felt like i was in the zone! i was happily sketching out details for random things, listening to god-knows-what, when i got my first msn msg from a good diving friend, who was asking me when was i diving this year, coz he wants to come along with me. i gave my standard answer for this year - "no diving, saving money for...." which then led me to the thought i mentioned in my entry title.

i had a convo with another friend of mine which is sort of related to this post - how do people live life? i always wonder how people can go about their lives earning their salaries, working their lives away, only to save the money for "a rainy day". which, don't get me wrong makes perfect sense. but what it kind of makes you wonder what that rainy day is, coz really, the people who think like this can really just go on and on and on and on with their daily lives in this manner : "wake up, go work, come home, sleep, repeat". it's good and all coz these people will never have to worry about ever being broke. they're stable, they're self-reliable *well done!*

i have come to realise that i'm not one who saves for the rainy day. i save to get by, which, frankly speaking, is 75% maneagable most of the time. so far, it's been great! whatever i save, i spend on trips, pretty little random things, etc etc.. had no regrets. wonderful memories made, experiences accomplished. but for some strange reason, this year, there has been one too many moments in which i wished i was more financially stable so that i can do the things i want to do, rather than being stuck here.

i wonder if it's related to the fact that i'm almost reaching the big three-O, and my personal accomplishment list isn't exactly shortening, in fact, it's increasing everyday.

perhaps i shall list out my "things to do before i hit 30" on my next entry (there's not much time left really!)

old frens meet up again

2009-05-18T02:03:00.003+10:00

as we took this photo, i thought to myself, it would be quite interesting to super-impose this image over the big group picture we all took during our graduation. unfortunately, i'm not too sure where i placed that photo. i do recall it being processed from film. which means it could be in one of the many shoeboxes of photos i have stashed in my room somewhere!

anyway, i digress. it was a fun night! the couple looked gorgeous! congrats to you both! really happy for you guys. enjoyed seeing familiar faces again. you don't really notice how much time has passed until one of these reunions pop up. hopefully we all can meet up and catch up again soon.

it's been a busy weekend, feeling the fatigue kicking in. think i shall have a early night tonight, as soon as i finish posting all of my pictures on facebook! heh

bye!