It has been 12 days into 2011 so this makes it my first official post of the year. 😀 I have been really busy…it feels like there is always something I have to do! >.< And when you throw housework into the mix…let’s just say I don’t enjoy doing it. =x
Anyways, I want to share with you a recent purchase I made! Okie, it’s more like a gift I got in return for a donation to a local cat charity but it’s for a good cause! 😀
If you’re wondering why there are so many pictures of one cat in one calendar, you must be living at the bottom of a well. =x Duke is one of the most popular cats online! His fame spreads far and wide in cyber universe, so far that Dukakis (his fans) swoon over his mere presence every time they attend one of his parties. I kid you not.
So, if you’re a kitty lover and you want to do your part for the local kitty community and get this simple but adorable calendar (the cards come in a plastic photo holder frame) to adorn your desktop and have Duke accompany you every day, here is what you can do:
Changed the template so I can see the snow better…hehehe…well…I didn’t get to win the omy blogger contest where 10 lucky bloggers get to go for a 5 Days 6 Nights SEA Cruise! So lucky right? Remember Mui Yee, the blogger I had met on the half day cruise? Well, she’s one of them lucky buggers. Hehs. You can check out their blog updates etc on the official website itself.
So last Thursday, I attended a Women Leadership Forum organised by ipac (Women Mean Business). They had a talk and discussion on how companies should step up the beat and recognise for the wonderful talents that they are. Panelists include
Stuart Hendry, Managing Director of APAC Commercial Business, Cisco Systems
Aliza Knox, Managing Director, Online Sales and Operations, APAC, Google Singapore
Check out the pictures that were taken at the event…
It was quite the eye-opener for me coz I’ve never been to networking events such as these. I mean seriously, there’s a certain art to being able to mingle with strangers with ease and jump into the conversation with style. Quite fun coz I met people I would never have met under normal circumstances…lol…of coz I might have run into them at the bus-stop or the kopitiam but hey, how do you know that they’re the Managing Director of so-so company, right? Not unless they go around announcing their position. =x
Well if you’re interested in joining such events and meet new people (always an exciting experience), ipac has more events coming up next year! One of them which I’m particularly keen in participating in is “A Man Is Not A Financial Plan‘. The more people joining, the cheaper! =3
You might think that as a single, you don’t need to attend such talks but hey, it doesn’t hurt to learn more about female financial independence! You know how it is, when women get married, they tend to leave all financial matters to their husbands. And when their husbands leave them or pass away, these women are at a loss. =x
So don’t leave things to chance. Start planning for your future. =3
Yes, that’s it. Almost. Unfortunately by the time I got there, our sexy blogger was already slipping into her very convenient tunic dress so didn’t manage to snap any pictures.
Next time maybe. LOL.
Anyways, you must be wondering what I was doing in the vicinity of a sexy blogger. Why, that’s coz I was invited for a half day tour on board the Legend of the Seas courtesy of Royal Caribbean International and omy.sg on Monday (22 November)! =D
First shot of the 'Legend of the Seas' from the Singapore Cruise Centre
It was quite an exciting thing coz I…ahem…have never been on a cruise ship before. But that’s beside the point! Now I can tell everyone I’ve been on one! Ahem, despite the fact the ship didn’t take me for a ride. =x malc even wants me to sing this song while I was on board:
I think he’s trying to get me on Stomp or something [an online portal where people can post anything, especially scandalous ones]. =.=
Okie, so a little background on the ship I went to. Legend of the Seas is part of a fleet of ships under Royal Caribbean International, which are divided into six classes namely the Oasis, Freedom, Voyager, Radiance, Vision and Sovereign. Legend of the Seas is under the Vision Class. It’s considered one of the smaller ships coz it can only carry up to 2076 passengers but then again, the Singapore Cruise Centre Harbour is not exactly very big, so ya. =x
Our very warm guide, Caroline, told us that if we want to take one of the larger ships, we gotta fly to another country to take the ship from there. It’s like so, wah, atas. =x If you ever become a tai-tai or a jet-setting power gal, you can try out the more luxurious ones under Royal Caribbean. Oh and because there is no limit to the amount of luggage you can carry on (if I remember correctly), Caroline said that it actually makes more sense to hop on board a ship, sail to shopping paradises like Hong Kong, shop like there’s no tomorrow and cruise back with all your loot! It’s like so radical, right? Man, shopping crazies had better take note. =3
So on Monday, I set out bright and early for HarbourFront. It took me two whole hours just to get there but luckily the group of 40 bloggers hadn’t set out yet.
Bloggers from all walks of life, award-winning or otherwise
According to our schedule, we were supposed to have cleared customs and boarded the ship for our opening speech by 10.45am but we ended up boarding the ship only after 11am. =x
As we were passing through the customs, the officer checking my ticket asked me what we were doing curiously. Maybe he thought we were a group of reporters or something. LOL. Well, in a way we are. So I told him that we going on board the ship for a half day tour. Then we proceeded to the waiting area where we, well, proceeded to wait for forever. =x
Security was so tight that they probably checked our details again and again. And again. =x
We were divided into 4 groups and I was put into the same group as Muiee, a fellow blogger. =D Apparently she does quite a bit of travel writing, most of which focuses on Japan and all her intricacies. Luckily she was there to tell me interesting tidbits about Japan while we waited or I’ll be really bored to death. Security was so tight that Groups 3 and 4 were left waiting for more than 15 minutes while the other two groups were allowed in first. In the end, this tall and menacing security guy took over and waved us through after he got our guides to collect our identification cards. Of course, we all had to wear this sticker on our sleeves to show that we were temporary guests on board the ship.
Muiee, mah fellow blogger from Group 3! Hello!Pardon the poor camera-womanship...my camera is not exactly good with indoor shots. =x Anyways, the entrance to Anchors Aweigh!
It’s like whew! Finally, we’re on board the ship! Then I spotted this tall and handsome (maybe a bulkier type of Legolas) angmoh guy standing near the entrance of the ship. I would have requested to take a photo had we not in a dreadful hurry. T.T That’s the beauty of working on a cruise ship. You get to meet all kinds of people from all over the world! Anyways, we were hustled into the Anchors Aweigh Lounge where we were given a briefing by our Royal Caribbean guides and omy representatives (hello Janet and Alvin!).
The place where we supposed to receive our briefing and the tantalising baits of a 5D4N Isle of Southeast Asia Cruise if we were the top 10 and a 7D5N Western Mediterranean Fly-Cruise if we're picked as the Grand Prize winner! Wheeee!
We were introduced to our respective guides and our half day (actually less than half by then…lol) tour began. Will be posting some nice pictures just to tantalise you guys. Muahaha. If you want to see more, go book a cruise on Royal Cruise! =x
One of the grand staircases in the shipRoyal Caribbean International: The Nation of Why Not Shop at Duty Free Shops On the Seas As WellOne of the cinemas where you can watch movies in stylish atas-nessWe weren't allowed to take pictures of the interior so I took one of the entrance. The Casino was surprisingly small, cosy if you will. =xThe Schooner Bar, where you can chill out the nautical wayEnjoy a spot of soothing music while you sip your atas wine.The Viking Crown Lounge where you can dance the night away! Looks like a great place for people to hold their weddings coz there's a nice dance floor in the middle. =DIt was a darn hot day so this outdoor pool is just nice for working on that atas tan! =3Relax while you watch the...seas go by while you toast in the sun. Atas-ly =xIf you're tired of toasting under the sun, you can putt away here! A bit small but hey, still atas! =xThere's even rock climbing! Kewl right?A tad small for my liking, they only have a few machines like Guitar Hero. But I guess they have all the most popular video games in there ba.If you want to dump...I mean put your child under expert care, here is where you can leave them to the songs of Lady Gaga! =3 At least, that was the song that was playing when we were in the room. =xOr if you have teenagers who wanna have some fun of their own, you can leave them here to mix around with other young people. No worries. There's no alcohol sold. hurhurhurSeeing this brings back images of the Hot Tub movie, lol. The sexeh blogger who gave us the bikini action did it in the other jacuzzi while I was busy taking pictures somewhere else. ZZZZZZZZZThank God for indoor pools. Although it was not significantly cooler than the outside, at least there's air con. =x Feels a bit like one of those old Roman pools right? After swimming, you can go pamper your skin at their spas...*_* Wonder if I will ever have the opportunity to live an atas lifestyle liddat. *hint hint*Then after the spa, you can further sculpture yourself to an even higher level of PERFECTION! After all, you don't want to go on an atas cruise looking all flabby right? =x Ok, just kidding. You can cruise in all shapes and sizes. =xI took pictures of the other suites but I shall just show you the ROYAL SUITE aka the ONLY ATAS PEOPLE CAN BOOK IT room. =x Ok la, if you're rich enough, you can go ahead and book. Hehehe.The royal bed...See the indian couple in the background? Actually they were the Royal guests and no one even took notice until it was like...a few minutes later. LOL. But luckily the couple was very gracious and allowed us 'peasants' *coughcough* to ooooh and ahhhhh over their expensive suite. LOL.The royal bath tub...good for a romantic moment or two or three or...So convenient right?! You don't have to wait for your SO to finish using the toilet while you hop outside. Royal people can do it altogether! =3FINALLY! After trooping all over the place, we finally GET TO EAT! Atas-ly, of course. =xSee those nice looking gentlemen by the tables? When you pay for atas-ness, you get your personal waiter! Each waiter is assigned to one table so they can take care of your needs. I heard from Caroline that the waiter are so professional that they actually remember your personal preferences! Oh and there's no such thing as a couple table. You gotta eat with the rest and make friends! Cannot be anti-social! As you can see we only have a few choices, but no worries! Muiee and I ordered different food so you can salivate on your keyboard! Muahaha. =xI ordered the chicken soup as my appetizer...quite nice, it had mushrooms and wantan in it.Muiee ordered the shrimp cocktail...For the entree, Muiee ordered the Chef's Halibut...wished I had ordered that instead. =xThis is my entree, the lamb shank with rosemary...mmmm let's just say that the mint jelly (the green stuff on the side) made the meat taste better. =3
And last but not least…
Our dessert! =3 Really liked the texture and it wasn't too sweet either.
Yup, so our free atas meal was the conclusion to the half day tour on board the Legend of the Seas. =3 It was quite an eye-opener to walk about the ship, although things were a tad small for me. HAHA. But imagine what it’ll be like on board a BIGGER ship. =x
Do I stand a chance with my witty captions of atas-ness? LOL. Anyways, thanks omy for inviting me along! =3
Over and out before I hit the iceberg of deadlines for this blog entry. XDDD
If there’s one thing that this movie proves, it’s that bad news and stories travel faster than the speed of light. You know what the Chinese say, “好事不出门，坏事传千里”. In short, it means that people don’t give a damn about your good stuff, just the nice juicy bad things that they can spread and gossip about. Oh, and when you take the shit for others, don’t expect them to reciprocate aka 好心没好报. Humans are selfish. Period.
Yes, Easy A is a story of how people hear only what they wanna hear and see only what they wanna see. Plenty of high and mighty people passing judgment when they shouldn’t be the ones to throw stones to begin with.
Emma Stone (as Olive Penderghast) is the girl whose reputation goes haywire after a fake story about her bedding an imaginary guy over the weekend spreads like wildfire. Her story sort of parallels The Scarlet Letter novel where the heroine had to suffer the indignity of having the letter ‘A‘ sewn onto her clothes. Check out the 1926 version starring Lilian Gish:
Like woah, right? Silent movie it might be but the intensity of the acting is pure wow. =3 This is the Demi Moore version that Olive likes to compare with the B&Ws and yes, it seems that she loves taking baths. LOL.
Olive was not so humble though, she decided to thumb her nose at her dissenters by sewing As of her own onto sexy corsets and purring her way down the school corridor. LOL. Emma Stone sure makes a convincing harlot.
And it’s amazing how people are willing to believe the worst things about you, especially best friends (Rhiannon, Olive’s best friend especially, refused to believe anything that wasn’t remotely scandalous). Like seriously, who needs best friends like these. =x
Anyways, the movie’s hilarious. There won’t be a lot of ahem action but the dialogue’s sharp and witty. Although frankly I find it hard to believe that Olive would be a nobody in high school. With her looks, surely there would be a suitor or two? =x And her parents? Wow. It must be such a liberating experience to have open-minded parents. 😀
Go catch Easy A for the laughs when it opens on 25 November 2010. It’s fun and who doesn’t like a gossip or two, right? XDDD
Whew! It had been a really hectic weekend coz Borders was having its sale at Suntec alongside the AFA event. Really crowded. Really squeezy. Everywhere we looked was…
people...people...and more people!!!
Quite scary. =x Plus there were tons of cosplayers milling about. Luckily they opened up another hall at the end of the level for the cosplayers to mix around and have their photos taken so the crowds weren’t as bad as they could have been, especially when there was a looooooooooooong snaking queue of otakus who wanted a piece of the AFA action.
One of the cosplays I took...was feeling a little more sianz than usual coz of the crowds. Would have taken more pictures but big cameras kept blocking my view. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
malc had booked the tix for the Anisong concert featuring Hatsune Miku, Jam Project and Ichiro Mizuki (fondly known as Aniki or big brother in Japanese) so it meant that we were able to gain access to both the stage (for guest appearances of other celebrity acts and seiyuus) and the AFA event itself. Lucky us. Hurhur. =x
Ahem…anyways, we didn’t stay long in the AFA hall because the place was so darn crowded. It was quite literally a feat to get from one end of the hall to the other but luckily we ran into malc’s friend who was an AFA helper and she told us we could get nice big (and free!!) photos taken against THREE different backdrops. Not ones to miss out on a freebie or three, we quickly availed ourselves of the opportunity to cam-whore. LOL. Would have shown you the pictures of the backdrops but the photos I took turned out blurry. 😦
Saw some cars though…
What's better than a hot babe and a car? A hot babe plastered on your car!The side of the same car...Wanted to check out the oft-raved-about butler & maid cafes but the queues totally put us off.
I heard the prices for the maid and butler cafes were like super ex though. =x I wonder if the standard of the food justified the prices. I mean, yeah la, the butlers and maids were more or less value added but… =x Oh wells…
StarHub was there to provide people with an opportunity to try being voiceover talents too. Would have tried if not for…you’ve guessed it…the loooooooooong queue. =x
Wanted to do some shopping but the milling crowds gave me a headache so with the lack of anything else to do, malc and I decided to venture into the dark cold stage hall to check out the seiyuus, Japanese voiceover talents for their anime, Milky Holmes.
The seiyuus (voiceover talents) were like any kawaii Japanese girl - fresh-faced and cute
They performed the following theme song from the anime:
Quite cute but I wanted to go check out the Borders Book Sale so malc and I decided to go our separate ways (he wanted more of the icy cold stage hall programme) until it was time for dinner. But ALAS! The Borders hall was crowded as well and the cashier queues were, if possible, worse than the AFA one coz they didn’t look like they were moving at all. Wanted to buy a few books de, then I took one look at the queues and felt very =.=. In the end, I just went to comfort myself with New York Cheesecake at Bakerzin while malc spent more time in the icy cold stage hall checking out guest appearances of Jam Project.
After dinner, it was time for the concert! So after popping a couple of painkillers (had a headache from seeing too many people), we happily trooped into the icy cold stage hall for the concert.
It was totally amazing. The audience was on its feet most of the time, with otakus of all sizes and ages jumping and waving their glow sticks as if their lives depended on it. The plump boy beside us was so energetic that we had to move out slightly into the aisle for fear of him hitting us. =x We were sitting next to the aisle so we could just shift slightly to the left.
The enthusiastic fans of Hatsune Miku, Jam Project and Ichiro Mizuki danced and waved their lightsabers/glowsticks/hands in the air as the performers ruled the stage with their powerful vocals and awesome stage presence. I’m telling you that these young people are truly WOW coz they could like sing word for word for every song the performers sang. =x
I totally ‘五体投地’ these young fans.
Anyways, malc was surprisingly energetic but I honestly can’t keep up with the energy levels. =x Too much effort required. LOL. Well, I did jump and dance a bit while I waved my complimentary glowstick coz one of the singers from Jam Project kept looking in my direction so I was kinda stressed to do something. I mean, if you were a singer at a really active concert, it’ll be highly disconcerting to have a seated person who looks sleepy, right? =x
And Aniki performed, OMG, song after song after song after song after encore after encore. Truly an established performer at the golden age of 62. OMG. I don’t know if I can still be active as him at that age. >.<///
Another person to 五体投地 to.
Granted, the performers were not really my usual cuppa but it was enjoyable and fun. Thanks Jam Project and Aniki. I hope you enjoy your stay in Singapore. If you’re thinking of checking them out next year, do watch these videos of their songs. Don’t be like the two couples who paid over $200 for the concert tix, probably didn’t expect what they paid for and left halfway. =x
So recently, I was invited to a movie preview of Let Me In by omg.sg at the Shaw Preview Theatre (the Shaw Centre that is behind the Shaw House, Lido building). The seats were like woah so comfortable. Hurhurhurhur.
Anyways, Let Me In is an English remake based on the 2008 Swedish film Let The Right One In and a novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The movies tell of a poor bullied boy who became fascinated by the new girl next door.
If you ask me, he was probably impressed by the fact that she walked across the snow on bare foot and also the fact that she solved a Rubik’s Cube within a night. Strong and smart, exactly the type of girlfriend he was looking for! =3
But on a deeper note, Let Me In explores societal issues that are so much more real than the ones certain sparkly vampires and an ultra emo girl had to deal with.
For one thing, the movies depicts your everyday person to be amazingly unobservant or self-absorbed. The unobservant who don’t check their car backseat beforehand get their throat sliced open because they take their safety for granted. The self-absorbed don’t know the whereabouts of their kids because they’re too busy being drunk on their couch. Nobody really took notice of the new girl and her mysterious guardian until the gruesome murders started. Everybody just concentrated on what they can see in front and very seldom taking stock of their lefts, rights and behinds.
For another, Owen (the boy lead) was facing the terrible ordeal of bullying yet no one, not even his mother knew about it. The main bully himself, was a victim of an elder brother who took pleasure in calling him ‘girly’. Actually if you think about it, bullies are part of a vicious cycle. They are bullied into inferiority and in order to regain a sense of control, they pick on those they perceive to be even weaker than they are. Sadly, parents and teachers don’t take action until it’s too late.
You guys should really catch Let Me In because unlike a certain sparkly movie, it’s both intelligent and morbid. It sets you wondering about your neighbours and surroundings. Are they really as normal as they appear on the outside? Are you very sure that the friendly neighbour you share the lift with every morning isn’t a closet serial killer?
I mean, of course even if they aren’t, it doesn’t hurt for us to get to know our neighbours* better. After all, neighbours are the best defence when burglars come a-knocking or even the friendliest babysitters around when you urgently need someone to look after your kid. I’ll admit that I’m a little aloof when it comes to my neighbours (aren’t we all?) but after this movie, I should probably make more effort to give a wider smile.
After all, what if they think I’m a serial killer, a cmi vampire or something. =x
PS: The movies are much tamer. If you’re looking for more scandalous action, go read the book. =x Hurhur.
OR if you wanna catch the original Swedish movie, here’s the trailer:
*This only applies to nice neighbours who don’t purposely go out of their way to place dengue-inducing plants in the corridor, steal your newspapers, pick fights with you, pour urine at your doorstep etc etc etc. You fill in the blanks yourself. =x
While you’re wiping the drink you’ve spilled onto your keyboard and closing your mouth, let me tell you that this girl is not singing nonsense. No, she is singing about a hen that is having difficulty laying eggs.
Yes, my friends. A hen that is experiencing the intense process of laying eggs. Can you feel the tension? If you want a more professional tension, here is the original:
=x
Ahem, well, have fun aiya aiyiyoooo-ing. Up next, an article that should give you a very good reason for leaving work on time and in good health:
The whole thing just reminds me of the Crimes of Fashion series by Ellen Byerrum where a writer just happened to die at the desk where the female protagonist currently sits in the books. =x
You guys should go read her books. Quite refreshingly fashionable and cute.
So on Halloween weekend, I went to the *Scape Horror Museum with my bf. I had bought the tickets previously and was really excited about the event coz their pamphlet seemed gorily interesting with pictures of decapitated heads in bowls of blood, info about zombie face-painting etc . =3
But unfortunately when we got there, all we saw was an exhibition of popular monsters that had ever appeared onscreen or told of around smokey campfires plus roaming scary characters who tried their best to sneak up on you. =x
You might not be able to tell but I was really happy to be taking pictures with the monsters. =xThe Judge of Hell and his trusty constables who bring in the spirits for judgment A scene from the wut-another-sequel-?! 'Saw' movieI think this is supposed to depict a doll being possessed by evil spirits but somehow, the girl looks scarier. =xDah man we all know and love-JasonBraaaaaiiiinnnnnsssssssWithout camera flash, this picture brings out the spooky aspect of the bloody monster better.Human flesh for dinnar?????
I’m not sure if it’s coz we were there too early or what but it was a terrible let-down for me. While the exhibits were well-done and there were quite a few good attempts to scare me, it could have been better. Really. Like maybe they could have done up a haunted house maze and have random monsters jump out from around the corner or something. =x
Yeah there was the free movie screening that night but we had the Nano kick-off party that day, so we couldn’t make it back in time to watch it. =x Sigh oh wells.
Less than 70 of those who RSVP turned up... =x But oh wells, it means more food for the rest of us! =3
So I’ve been hearing much about this Koi Bubble Tea trend that has been subtly invading the taste buds of Singaporeans. Almost everyone has gushed about it and every time I walk past a Koi Bubble Tea outlet, I see crowds of people waiting patiently for their turn to get their paws on a cup. If you don’t already know, Koi outlets work according to the queue number system. You pay for your purchase at the counter, then get a queue number that will earn you a wait of about 10 to 20 min, depending on the crowd. It’s supposed to ease the long queues at the counter and facilitate faster transactions at the outlets, I guess.
Well, I finally got a taste of the milk tea from the outlet at Bishan and I must say that it’s not bad at all. They give you a choice of how much sugar you want in your milk tea so you can monitor your diet with more freedom than ever. Not a bad concept. I ordered the Plum Green Tea, which was quite refreshing. Not too sweet and thirst-inducing. =3
Well, I guess it justifies the large crowds and not so cheap price tag. But I wouldn’t really drink this on a regular basis. It’s good when I want something different but really, normal milk teas sold at $1 to $1.50 are just fine with me. =x
Imagine spending $2.40 or more on a beverage every day. It could very well bankrupt me. =x
So this year I’m gonna do my best and hit the word count target for the Nanowrimo initiative! I had joined this event some time ago but couldn’t meet the target due to my laziness. =x This year however, I’m gonna work extra hard! So by hook or by crook, I’m gonna have something out! And to start things off, Sarahcoldheart has organised a KICK-OFF party for writers in Singapore! There’s gonna be cake and lots of talks to educate the newly initiated. =3
Do come join us if you’re a writer in Singapore. RSVP by joining Nanowrimo and head straight for the Singapore forum where Sarahcoldheart has details on the event. =3 See you there!
PS: Oh and watched Enhiran, a Tamil movie that has apparently taken Bollywood by storm…
IT WAS AWESOME! IT’S LIKE OMG! Th effects were amazing, the (inevitable love) songs had catchy tunes and the male lead was omg….simply charismatic and funny. And the female lead? OMG. Beautiful. Loved her in all her dance moves and costume changes. =3 This movie is definitely better than some of the Hollywood movies I can think of.
Lilian Wu 