Six Flags Hurricane Harbour

I was watching this show on the great waterparks in the States on Discovery Travel & Living. Needless to say, KD's wasn't mentioned. And so was Six Flags'. Does it mean it'll suck?? Oh well, I don't really dig waterparks anyway, but I kinda hoping I can be a lifeguard this time round...and the show showed how waterparks are actually quite cool. Contrary to my perspective, they have great variety of water slides and wave pools and those lazy meandering streams that are just awesome. Yes I used it, 'AWESOME'. So, I hope the one in Hurricane Harbour will at least be a fraction of the awesomeness as some of the ones that I saw on the show.

Another great show that I watched is Kelly Osbourne: Turning Japanese. Very very funny and insightful. It brings you to see Japan as if you were living and working there (cause Kelly Osbourne takes on various types of jobs) and not just a tourist. Kelly couldn't stomach some of the weird practices that the Japanese have, and quite frankly, I couldn't either!

For example, the first job that she got was to work as a waitress in this teahouse for the geeks ( I think they call them Otaku). Yea, those people are seriously geeking looking, and these waitresses, dressed to look like milkmaids (except with rather short skirts) are to serve these Otaku with utmost politeness (including if they want cream in their tea, and should the waitress add the cream for them, and should she stir it for them, blah blah blah). Oh and they have to call them 'master'. Weird...

At the end of the day, Kelly was asked by the owner of the teahouse to massage him! Apparently the girls take turns to do that. He wanted her to clean his feet, massage them, then clean his arms, and massage them. Of course Kelly wasn't at all comfortable with the task, and gave him a very long explanation to politely reject him. He kept nodding like he understands...then he asked 'How about you just massage my shoulders?' He just doesn't get it does he?

The very interesting job that she got for that first episode was one in a Love Hotel. She was a receptionist and cashier. The whole thing was very weird cause that hotel is like a themepark for the Japanese couples' sexcapades...and all the time she was squirming and screaming and laughing really awkwardly. I would feel weird too if I have to work there, but it was fun to watch though HA!

A Sorta Birthday Celebration

Dec's the month to deck the halls, be jovial, watch snow (or foam in Orchard Rd, they don't dothat anymore do they?) fall or party crazy out at Sentosa. For my family it's my sister's birthday celebration. She's a Xmas eve baby, and that's already special.

Ok my dad has this voucher for a selection of restaurants. He had decided to take us to Breeks at Marina Sq last week. Now it's been a very very very looooong time since I checked out that branch of Breeks. But the last time I was there (like, 6 years ago), they offered buffet. So I was quite skeptical if they still had it because I saw a new branch in Causeway Point and it was named Breeks Cafe, and they definitely did not have a buffet.

But like, what gives? We'll just go take a look and if they don't have a buffet, we'll just go for ala carte. Little did we know, Breeks Cafe at Marina Sq looked like it was some sort of Kopitiam (not the neighbourhood coffeeshop but the air-conditioned food court like place), and even my dad was not really keen on eating there. So we choose somewhere else, and I decided on Billy Bombers.

I like the concept of Billy Bombers, made to look like an American diner with the red cushioned seats and pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe hanging on the walls. We were initially given this table with chairs as 2 of the seats. I was quite disappointed cause I want those cushioned seats for all of us; don't know what you call it but those partitioned cubicle seats. But by a miracle (in the spirit of Xmas I use such non-scientifically related term), the waiter asked if we want to move to one of those seats that I long for. I immediately said 'Yes Pls!'.

We praised the waiter for his good judgement, but it was later that I saw a 'reserved' sign placed on our previous table. Dammit...so it wasn't out of his good intentions. We got a good seat out of it anywayz so...


That's mom and sis with their enormous burger. Forgot what it's called though.



That me with my dad and my Betty's half spring chicken with potato salad on the side. Deeeeleeecious! My dad ordered Philly cheesesteak, which is really a sandwich of roastbeef fillings. Wow, one can never go wrong with roastbeef. I gotta say, it's my favourite type of beef!

So we didn't get to use that voucher in the end cause Billy Bombers wasn't on the list. However, my parents, especially my dad, was all praises for the eatery. Have a hunch we'll be back. Open one in Causeway Point leh...


This is sis with the mini log-cake we bought her, on the night of her birthday, and yes, that would be Xmas Eve. She was sick, and still is at this point of time, so it was a quiet evening.

Oh and what becomes of the voucher? We're going to Crystal Jade for dinner later. Causeway Point. Come on it's just a dinner so why do we need to travel so far rite?? The previous sentence is for those who went 'eee, Causeway Point...'

More Gatherings

FYP ongoing, blood still spilling. That's the inevitable.

More gatherings worth mentioning, even in these troubled times. Such are the buoys that keep my raft afloat!

Met up with a few of the WAT gang peeps for a SweeLye farewell, Xmas and Zhiqian birthday ultimate combi celebration on the 16th. It was BBQ at Swee's place and I met Wenghong at Kovan station. We had some trouble getting there.

Ok, so it being an Xmas party as well, we'd have to exchange gifts. Well, I'm not good with such things so I figured that chocs were the best way to go. Plus, the budget for non-working participants was $10 hahaha and those working $20. I didn't think I'd need to wrap my gift, but they've already got that covered. They bought the wrapping paper, so most of the stuff was wrapped with the same paper (the army would've been proud of that...uniformity). That's me doing some last minute wrapping.

Zq said we were suppose to go atas, but Cynthia didn't think much of it. She wanted traditional BBQ food like crabsticks (which is really just made of flour...) and the normal type of hotdogs. They had no choice but to accommodate her...

Siewling and I started the fire. I figured she's the one with the stamina, so I let her do the fanning. Did a good job, I can't complain. I just got my hands dirrty with the charcoal. Yea, coincidentally, we were the 2 people with new hairdos that night, haaa.

Swee, Zq, Weng and Cynthia took over as the cooks for that evening, while the rest of us just goofed around and chilled.
Oh the cheese filled sausages were rather messy because they spurt cheese when you bite on them. That, was enough material for yellow jokes, for me at least =P I enjoyed the bacon wrapped mushrooms...not really mushrooms but I don't know what it's called in English, and those steaks as well. We threw Zq and Swee the challenge to make our steaks medium rare. And they did it! Good work. Thanks to Swee's parents for the chicken and steak.


Then it came time for pressie exchange. We had to redraw so many times cause people kept getting their own present. I got mine like, 2 times! But in the end I got Zq's gift and I thought it is something that my living room needs: a remote control holder. Nice. But I didn't think it would be anything good before I opened it though, cause Zq laughed really heinously whenever we mentioned his present. Swee got my gift. Needless to say, he was sian cause chocs just don't do it for him haha. Sorry man! We thought Jean brought the nicest gift of all (and it was nicely wrapped too! Obviously she's in the jingling mood <--her msn personal msg now). It was a small portable radio designed to work in the concept of a gramaphone. Really unique and cool. Lester got it dammit...


Xinyan got what she always wanted: a diary...awwww....
She was so elated she couldn't stop laughing LoL!



The gathering ended with a few of them playing mahjong till late, while Cynthia, Siewling, Xinyan and I left earlier.

*************************************************************************************

Another meet up that I went to last week that was kinda long overdue was with my unit's friends. We (actually it was just like one of them who suggested, then the rest of us, being very easygoing people, just agreed and followed) decided on this Turkish Cuisine place in Suntec. I'd never tried it before and thought it was a good chance to do so.

I had some mash potato with stewed beef I believe. The mash potato had a very strong herbal taste which I thought was unique. We also ordered this lamb thigh or something that was served with their type of rice and it was absolutely delicious! We couldn't get enough of it!


What was interesting at the dinner table that night was Wong Tien actually threw a sarcastic remark at Neo! Wow! When he said I was like, oh my goodness...that completely raised the bar. Of course Neo was cool with it and even egged him on to open up and make more of such comments, though he's planning how to detonate his home in the meantime. One big step forward for Wong Tien in the land of dishing sarcasm.

Neo introduced me to some new shows that he's been watching: Drawn Together and Robot Chicken. I can't say much about Robot Chicken because I totally don't get it. I couldn't make myself watch more than 1 episode of that stuff...

But as for Drawn Together, I'm totally diggin Foxxy Love! Yea, she makes the show. I would also like to totally slap Toot.

A November Dinner at Zig's

Alrite this updated is on a dinner back sometime in November. Didn't blog then because of all the stuff that was going on (and by stuff I mean schoolwork and the brooding of some drama with some people that I would totally not associate with if I can make the choice all over again). Also just got the photos from Zig recently so it makes it more conveniently to write about it and post the pix at the same time. I can't let this gathering go unwritten because this is the first time in possibly 4 or 5 years that we have a dinner at Zig's. Used to do it quite often during JC but now it's seldom. I kinda hopping that we keep it at least as an annual affair cause it's always fun to hang out with Char Zig and Poonie.

Zig and Char love cooking and while I, don't...and for this dinner, they each had decided to prepare something. Zig asked me what I want to prepare, but my mind draws a blank. Then on the way to the supermarket I thought of mussels with melted cheese, a dish that my family is quite fond of, and decided that I won't go wrong with such a dish.

Char saw me with a packet of New Zealand mussels and some shredded cheese and asked me if I am making mussels monet or something like that. I was like, 'what the hell's that?' And she was like, 'mussels with cheese on top, usually they would put cream too' but I was like, 'err...I don't know man, I only know it as mussels with cheese' LoL.

She made soup and cupcakes. She was making the frosting for the cupcakes when I tasted a bit of it and loved it. She told me there was a batch of frosting made earlier and asked me if I wanted it, and yes, I was crazy enough to finish it...didn't feel full initially but when it came time for dinner, I was definitely done for the night...

But that doesn't mean I didn't eat though. Zig stirred fried some veggies, made chicken claypot rice and one other dish that I forgot was prepared by Char or Zig. With such succulent food placed before me, I cannot resist but try them.


Yeah and Zig was disappointed that we didn't want to dress up for the night (it was close to Halloween) but the rest of us felt kinda weird and troublesome to have to do that. Maybe next time huh? Nah...not likely. Inertia grows with age.




Oh yah I love the cupcakes. Actually, I love the frosting more. I don't know why but I just had a craving for fattening foods that night haha.

The Horrors of Silent Hill

Dad was cleaning out the storeroom today and saw the new keyboard and mouse that came with the CPU we bought a few months ago. We've conveniently tucked those away as I found the current ones still adequately functional, but as of recently, the mouse has got on my nerves because dust kept collecting on the rollers and it irritates when it doesn't roll smoothly. Luckily the new one is optical, which means I don't have to constantly clean it's innards =P

Alright, recently just watched Silent Hill on DVD. My goodness, I've heard of the game, like how dark and disturbing it is, but the movie, oh my goodness, is seriously out to please all horror and gore fans.

I won't give a summary of the story, because that can be easily found on any website. So I should just write like how scary this show is. It didn't just have horror, it too is gory and really is something kinda disturbing. Whenever the air raid alarm sounds, all those creatures from hell will manifest and terrorise whatever humans are around. The protagonist of the show, Sharon's foster mother Rose, found that out after 2 or 3 rounds of encounter with these creatures. These creatures are not the in-your-face type of scary but the type that creeps up to you and mentally distraughts you before ending your life in misery. It is not a good way to die...



An example would be the dead janitor in the last cubicle of the girls bathroom. He was all tangled up in barb wire, his mouth open, and a piece of clue is found in his mouth. Naturally Rose freaked out when she saw this petrified janitor, but when she read the writings on the wall, she realised that she has no choice but to go obtain this clue, a clue to where her daughter might be. While she slowly walks up to the corpse, I had my eyes fixed on him. I was thinking if it does so much as to flinch, let alone turn into something more heinous, I am just gonna faint. It's scenes like this one that is disturbing because it's so uncertain! He didn't move though and I heaved a sigh of relief. Oh but when the alarm sounded this dead janitor came to life and he crawled on his stomach with his whole body arched like he's got his feet attached to his head. And when he touches the walls red stuff that looks like viscous coagulated blood will stream from his fingers and cover the whole wall. Imagine just standing next to the wall...yux...plus beetles start to crawl out from everywhere...kinda like The Mummy.

Another example would be the team of bloody nurses blocking Rose's path. These nurses each hold a knife, move like they have spasm in all possible joints of their limbs, have great figures, but the face is something else...put on a paper bag and we'll talk. These nurses are attracted to light, and will become very active in the presence of light. On the other hand, they are dormant in the dark. Rose figured that the only way for her to make it through to the other side was to switch off her torchlight, and carefully, quietly, maneuver her way between these creatures. I was like, oh man....heaven forbid anyone of them move when Rose is in their midst. Again the uncertainty strikes: are they gonna start a slashing frenzy when they realise Rose is in their midst? Or are they gonna just stay still since there's no light? Seems like Rose is not so lucky this time. One of the nurses started slashing when she was in their midst, but Rose managed to get to the other side unscathed, leaving the nurses to slash each other to death or whatever goals they are trying to accomplish by slashing each other because I think they might already be zombies...

And then there's the gore. There was this triangle headed creature I forgot what it's called but apparently it's quite a notable creature in the game cause the game fans were quite pleased with its construct in the movie. Well, this creature wields this big ass blade that my cousin says resembled the one from Final Fantasy Advent Child (I had no idea, haven't watched that film yet...) but he killed nothing with it. Instead it was when the alarm sounded and all other humans got into the church (yes, the church was a safe haven for these humans from the creatures from hell) except for this one lady, cause she wanted so much to throw stones at this seemingly deranged woman, and the triangle headed creature manifested in front of her, picked her up with one hand, ripped her clothes off with the other, and proceeded to rip her skin off...thereby killing her. OMG...that was seriously quite a scene.

There were many more scenes like this one, but I guess you should just go see it to experience it. It seems that there is Silent Hill 2, cause the ending insinuated continuity: Rose and her daughter, though they got out of Silent Hill physically, the environment in the outside world still looked like they're in the Silent Hill dimension. This is an all too familiar concept rite? You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave - and then the guitar plays us off to the end of the song...

Pictures taken from www.rottentomatoes.com

ŋaan lĭaŋ ?aacaan ?ŏy thîi raan ?aahăan Lemon Grass thîi Heeran

Right, am in the midst of writing my FYP report. Had just started on the intro and I'm already digressing to write this blog. Wonder how am I ever gonna finish it by the end of this month. If my projections are correct, I'm already a dead man...

A holiday is like no holiday at all...

But there are always something good in life that will keep you optimistic and look forward instead of mulling in distress and slump into depression. That, may I reiterate, would be friends and family.

Our ?aacaan phasăa thay gave us a treat at Lemon Grass yesterday. She brought along fɛɛn ?aacaan kàp nɔɔŋ (sorry la, couldn't one with the correct tone marker) săaw ?aacaan. One thing I noticed about the Thais is that they are very friendly, even to people whom they've just met (ok i can sense people are going like, duh, that's why Thailand is aka the land of a thousand smiles! So may I just emphsize this point? Seeing is believing rite?). The case was with Kesada (the post-grad in my lab), Xueyin's friend phîi Bii and now, fɛɛn ?aacaan. Very affable and very warm. I had thought it was going to be awkward since we do not know the both of them, but he just started chatting with us like we are his old friends, which really puts us all at ease. But of course, sometimes they spoke quite a mouthful of Thai that I just couldn't catch. This makes me reconsider taking Thai 2 instead of Malay. However, I think I should get a foundation in Malay instead; it's easier to build on a foundation by myself than trying to build the foundation on my own.


We had a great time just chatting, about us, about them and about Thailand. May I say there wasn't a dull moment! The food was also great. I especially loved the sour and spicy chicken, and the tom yam soup of course *mouth waters*. We did complain though, that we were disappointed that raw mây pay chim ?aahâan thîi bâan ?aacaan. She laughed and invited us to her place after the new year, before school starts. I was like, wow, another opportunity for a great gathering! And this time we will be able to see her Prada and LV collection LoL!



Us students hung out for a while after the dinner at Lido, before making our way home. I am a little surprised that my classmates and I have gotten to be friends just after 4months of lessons, plus an ?aacaan who likes to hold gatherings, which gives us another chance to hang out. The reason for my surprise is I heard from my friends studying in the arts faculty that people don't usually make friends in arts courses, or for other courses like business where students don't have a fixed class. The relationship between people are mostly hi-bye only, so I'm quite heartened to see that most of us can communicate like good friends, and not just the hi-bye type haha. I guess it's the people and the type of lesson that we are in: it forces us to interact, and in the process we get know each other better.

2 new phrases:

1. pay thîaw - go for a holiday
2. dəən thîaw - jalan jalan, walk around for fun

An embarrassing thing was that I wrote 'plate's auntie' instead of 'teacher' on the photo we gave her. It was so funny when they spotted the mistake. But it's still pronounced the same though. I told ?aacaan that it's intentionally for comic relief...

KTV is My Hobby

Had the usual routine of KTV last night. Other than the usual Chantele, Xueyin and Lester, Zhiqian also joined us. "Defending your turf are you?" of course it was a negative LoL.

We first had our dinner at Spageddies (not sure if that's how it's spelled) and the food ain't good boy! It kinda tastes like I'm eating western food in NUS (this might even be a little insulting to NUS canteen). And of course the veteran foodie ZQ complained about the food. We originally wanted to go to Sushi Tei, but the queue was long, and the same goes for the queue at Ding Tai Feng. So what gives? We were in a rush and just needed some food to digest.

Xueyin brought along her colleague, Bee's the name, and she's Thai. And you know what that means...I get to practise! LoL luckily she understood most of the stuff that I said =P

KTV was hot (not literally, you, the reader, must know this about my lingo), Zhiqian introduced us to a whole lists of new songs that we ain't never heard before (although we should keep ourselves contemporary. We're still young you know) and Lester likes old (I mean those oh my goodness I can't believe he's singing songs THIS old) songs. LoL. Then there's the usual fare of Kit Chan, Sammi Cheng and Faye Wong from Chantele. She tend to sound a little like each of them, depending on whose song she's singing at the moment, however, I thought wasn't quite a compliment when Lester thought her singing resembled Cai Chun Jia LoL. And Yang, oh well, she was the one who did the rockin yesterday as my voice was stuck after drinking that stupid mango milk! I rem Jean telling me that such drinks would cause the voice to be so, and I guess I just have a knack for turning a deaf ear to good advice. Thanks to Lao Niang anywayz.



After that went to some hawker opposite Cine. That's where we had BBQ sambal stingray and fried oyster. Yums! ok it wasn't that fantastic but I guess it was good enough for that night. Would have been better if there were sugar cane though, but there aren't so I went with green tea. Not my usual choice but I thought it would be easier for Lester to order.



And during the supper we just started talking about the times we spent in VA, though much of the stuff I believe have been talked about many times over, I still find it refreshing to always talk about them. It never seems to get old. And time just flew by. Soon it was 3.00am and we should be going. The others had plans for the next morning while I had hoped the session lasted longer. It's ok anywayz, a gathering is always around the corner, so I look forward to the next one.

I think good friends are like a good book: you can read it many times over but each you read it you'd still enjoy and discover something new. That's the feeling I get when I'm with the Work and Travel 2006 gang.

After the Storm

Whew! The big E's finally over! Wow, I feel so energized now, unlike a few days ago: I was studying for my last paper (I had only 2 days to cover a whole semester's work cause I had previously not revised it and I've not paid much attention in class but I know that the questions in the exams are gonna be vastly different from what is taught in class judging from the type of questions the lecturer set for the midterm *breathes* so it's really not that big of a deal not really studying for it though there do lingers this fear that he might actually come up with questions from the notes and also to rid myself the guilt of not studying better for the exam if questions similar to what can be found in the notes do actually appear in the paper *breathes*) and I felt like life was draining from me. I had kept myself in my room for the whole 2 days, with the exam on the morning of the third day, and my cousin from down under arrived on the second day, so I felt quite bad for neglecting him then.

The paper turned out easier than expected (or was I too pissed tired to realise its difficulty??) and after lunch at home, I accompanied my cousin to Vivo and Orchard to do some shopping. I hate shopping in Singapore cause it's so expensive, well maybe I can discount the 'so' and go with just 'expensive', but hanging out with my cousin gives me a good excuse to visit Orchard and Vivo. Otherwise I would just avoid those places.

Met a JC friend Weiye at Topshop Wisma, and he told me that some of the JC classmates are thinking of having a gathering. Nice! Time to meet up with some great friends. I don't know why, but friends for me come and go...they don't really stay, so each period of my life is spent with different groups of people. I hope to meet with upper secondary classmates too. Good times those were.

Alright, done with the nice stuff, time to do some complaining.

First, though exam's over, there is still that shitty FYP report to be done. My experiments are more or less completed, less some characterisation. I really don't know how to go about starting it; the lack of knowledge and drive to do it is really great, so I have no idea when I'll start for real.

Second, it's about customer service. I recently (abt 2weeks ago) bought a new canon camera (really love this camera, smaller than the previous one I had, has all the features of its predecessor plus more, and costs less). But the purchasing experience really sucked, like, big time yall! It was at this camera store in Holland V. I shall not name it, but if there's only one electronics store in Holland V, that is it. The salespeople there, if they are even qualified to be called that, are damn unprofessional and seriously makes me wanna just set fire to their pants. It's like, I wanted to take a look at a camera, and alrite, he took it out from the box and showed it to me. Then I saw another one that looks quite like the one I'm holding, and requested that I see that one too. He then just took the one that I was holding and placed it back in the box, and placed the box back on the shelf, before bringing out the other one. I was quite surprised he did that because I did not say I am done with that model that I was holding, hmmm...strike one.

I was really impressed with the first camera that I was looking at (the model I eventually bought) because it had a wide range of functions and it's small! I didn't know it can get this small. All hail technology! (Incidentally my last paper is processing of microelectronics and so I shouldn't be this surprised but I rarely apply what I learn in class =P) Anywayz, the next camera that he showed me turned out to be really huge so I was like, "I'm sorry can I see that one again because this one is really bulky". Like, hah! make trouble for yourself only! So he did the same routine of switching the cameras. Then I wanted to test the camera (it uses 2 AA batteries). And he told me I can't be doing that. The reason? "Oh I don't have any test kit for this camera ah sir" and I was like, "doesn't this camera uses only AA batteries?" "Oh sorry I don't have any opened batteries" hmmm...and I do see them selling AA batteries. So, how hard is it to open a pack to let me test the camera functions? Strike two...

So seeing that he was reluctant to let me test, I thought I'd just ask him the capability of the camera. And you would think that he would know the camera functions right?

I asked him if the camera would auto adjust the exposure during the recording of a video (cause my older camera couldn't do that, so I can't record from the dark place to a bright place, and vice versa as it will result in overexposure and underex, respectively) but he just shot a straight, "let me tell you, digital camera like these, video recording is rubbish ok? So no need to talk about exposure or anything like that. Camera like these good for only photos". I was thinking like, f*ck man, I asked you a specific question CCB, don't be telling me what I didn't ask you for! So it was like, ok fine, you are a smart ass right? I'll ask you some questions about the still photo-taking capabilities then. "How long can the shutter open for?" He starts to fumble frantically, looking around the box, looking around the camera for an answer (this is just the essence of an open book exam: you can have all the printed materials you want to bring, but you can never find the answers to the questions asked) and sheepishly said "I don't know man, this one I don't know man" Not quite the smart ass you were huh? Strike three...(strike 3 means fail liao)

I was bent on testing that camera, so I asked him again for the batteries, and he started fumbling through the stuff in his store, while mumbling "I don't have opened batteries la" Then my dad came up with a great line to play him in his own game, "You just open a pack of batteries la, and I'll buy it from you" Yeah that's right, make him feel guilty for such stinginess. He finally opened a two battery pack and let me test the camera. He didn't charge us for the batteries in the end.

The camera was really inexpensive, about 70bucks off the prices of major distribution outlets. That is why my dad brought us there. Seriously, my parents are thrifty, so they don't mind that idiot's shit; as for me, I'd rather let people who gives good customer service earn my money, and I don't mind paying more because I think these people should be rewarded. If it wasn't for parent's presence in the store I would've just walked out. I should also add that my sis bought a Lumix from them too, and the combined cost of both cams cost only about 500+ bucks.

I noticed though, they were all smiles and really patient when it comes to the blond haired foreigners. I have no comments on this.

The Big E's Looming to Destroy...Yet Again

I'm thinking like, hey, what's new this time round? It's still the same ol shit, just a different smell. This is the 2nd last time that I'll be facing it, the demons of every student's academic life, and soon it'll be more ferocious monsters out there in the society. In any case, life is not all fun and play, so these unpleasantness provide a challenge, so we'd all have something to bitch and complain about. Then our saving grace would be our family, relatives and friends. And all ends well at the end of the day.

So I should be studying huh? Yea...but it's such a headache reading those research papers. I'm alleviating this headache by listening to music and watching tv shows every now and then. Seriously, I can't understand why people would want to go for higher education. Some of my post grad friends asked me why I wouldn't want to further my studies, and I'm like, well, studying is seriously no fun...and the renumeration you get is not very attractive either. I guess that's why it's called renumeration. To think I have to endure another 2 years (for masters) and 4 years (for PhD) of studies, is really, what's the word? Unimaginable...

Right now I'm just thinking about that visit to ?aacaan ?oy's place after the exams for some authentic Thai food! *Slurps!* Then that trip to River Kwai in January next year, and to top it all off, my final Work and Travel USA experience which commences next May thank you. But in between that, MORE EXAMS!!!

Sammi Show Mi on the fateful 13 Oct 2007

Probably this is not gonna be a very favourable review of the show for Sammi, or maybe it was just us, the audience, who are insatiable and not easily satisfied. In any case, I hope to "pen" the observations and experience my friends and I had during the concert.


The one thing that my friend had commented when he did see Sammi's face on the big screen (cause we were too far away to see her face clearly, so we had to rely on the big screen from time to time) was that she is very beautiful. That is true, and her make-up that night was really simple, just really dark eye-lining and foundation...that really could be all that she put on her face that night. And maybe some SK-II prior to the make-up haa. While the simplicity was appreciated, I had sorta hoped that she would assume her chameleon identity ala those concerts in Hong Kong she had previously held. But that night, she was really plain and simple, and that applied to her hair and costumes as well. She had about 5 costume changes. It might seem a lot, but all these costumes weren't any feast for the eyes (except for maybe the second outfit, photo below) because they were all very very plain. Ok, I really was expecting to see flamboyant and bombastic outfits so these were really disappointing.


And one thing I had to complain about was the sound system! There were a few times during her dance that the attached mic failed to work. She had to adjust her mic halfway through her song. Those hand-held mic also gave her some problems during her slow songs. A sudden sharp screech prompted her to move the mic away from her mouth to stop the feedback. This made me recall reading about the sound system problems that Vanessa Mae had when she came for a concert a few years back. It riled her so much that she stormed off the stage. It was a good thing Sammi managed to maintain her composure and continue with the concert in style and in good spirit. She had 2 guests that night, and I had totally no idea that these 2 celebrities were making their appearances. One was our very own Stefanie Sun, and the other was LMF's MC Yan.

Sammi was really high that night. Jean commented that she was acting a lil crazy. Why is that so? She was jamming to the song Lu Guang (Green Light) during her performance with Stefanie Sun. And while Stefanie was composed, Sammi was all out to have fun. Another surprise came during the fast numbers. Those disco/dance/techno medleys of hers got her working out. She looked like she was clubbing instead of holding a concert! But some element of those performance resembled Madonna's performance of 'Music' on her Drowned World Tour.

I have never seen Sammi dance like this before. I had thought her dance moves would hardly make one sweat, but yet she got a total body workout that night. Maybe I didn't see enough of her performance to be comfortable with such a rigourous dance routine. I had to comment though, she has great stamina. She manages to keep her pitch and voice quality even with all those dancing and that's hot.

I have yet to mention that her voice is still in tip top condition. I have to admit, I was a little worried that she might not sound as good after her illness (think Mariah and Whitney), but she still scored with her voice.

I've gotta improve my Cantonese. I can hardly understand her when she starts speaking, and she did a lot of it! I was thinking she should just shut up and sing. I mean, I love her Canto songs, and want her to sing Canto songs instead of her Mandarin ones, and I'm fine with her speaking Canto, but don't talk so much! There was this segment where she was recollecting the events of her life that took place in the last few years, interweaved with some songs at appropriate moments. I didn't understand a word...and quite frankly it was torturous...If I could I would just tell her to shut up and sing...really...

And the most disappointing part of the concert was, THERE WAS NO ENCORE!! But Jean told me the day after the concert that 93.3FM said that the last part of the show was actually the encore. However, JJ saw on Wan Bao and they said that there was no encore because she is sick. So...which source to believe? Which media is reporting the truth and who is covering up for her? I guess it's straight to believe my own eyes, and that was, NO ENCORE.

The feeling straight after the concert was one of sheer disappointment. and many of the audience shared the same sentiment as well. How did I know? I heard the words, "It was a disappointment" all over. However, I felt that it wasn't as bad the next day. I guess it may be just us, the audience, who are insatiable lol, or I've come to terms with reality and be consoled with what I had. In any case, I've made up my mind to watch HK singers' concert in HK in the future, if I ever get to doing it that is...

Why Viewers Shouldn't Vote on American Idol

Alright this blog has lapsed into a ranting and complaining outlet for me. I guess the usual avenues for complaint really isn't enough for me (and by that I mean friends) so now I go global. It wouldn't reflect well of me to be such a cynic but I promise to pen happy moments in my life as well, just that I think this issue on American Idol deserves more attention at the moment...=P See if you agree with my views.

Result shows on American Idol, as I have mentioned to my friend while I was watching it yesterday (she was out of the house, so I updated her), lately would require parental supervision, lest one faints while watching it. Yes, it can be as exasperating as receiving your A level results and not getting the number of As that you have expected. And if this trend goes on, by the time University comes, there really isn't much excitement when the results come since there really isn't much to be expecting...and this will be the fate of American Idol if the poorer singers are continued to be voted in.

First, I must express disappointment on Alaina being voted off the show before Antonella. In any way one looks at it, Alaina is 110% a better singer and better performer than Antonella. Even if you go down to looks and personality, Alaina is still the winner. Funny thing I noticed when I was watching a youTube post of Alaina's performance of Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks (for I had missed it on Tv). Halfway through her performance the words 'Alainafans.com' flashed across the screen. Not sure if this site exists but those fans would sure to be disappointed cause they would only have 2 videos of her on AmI, discounting those from Hollywood Week and the audition. Not to tease them, cause I share the exact same sentiment, and yes, you can call me an Alaina fan, and I am not ashamed of that. The Result Show on which she was booted was especially difficult to watch because her crying really broke my heart. It actually did. The crying was so hard that she couldn't even sing her song properly for the last time. And all this while Antonella is watching by the side thinking that she herself deserves to be in the top 16.

Why am I so sure that Antonella thought that way? All because of her arguing with Simon Cowell about her singing ability. She has the cheek to say well, everyone is different, "I'm not trying to copy their style and they are not trying to copy me". That may be true, but girl, your style just does not fly on AmI, and you wonder why nobody would want to copy your style eh? And she looks like a piranha when she sings. Yes, all that big teeth of hers jutts out so much from her mouth that they look set to pull you in and then slowly chew you to death, just how she does with her singing. But, I'm glad that in the end, she does not make it to the final 12. That was such a huge relief! I am just sore Alaina did not get to perform another week on AmI.

Talking about the top 12, someone undeserving did make it to the top 12 though. That guy have the most atrocious hairdo and physique to be on Tv. I really don't understand why he was voted into the top 12, but that is another subject altogether.

Goodbye to Saddam

Saddam was hanged like 2 days ago. Looks like his brother did not draw up a plan and get into prison in time to help him breakout. It would've been quite exciting...