Just a quick one... I can't stand the atrocity of this so I got to blar out here!
Yet another stranger wanted to add me on FB. His profile pic was that of him waist down, sitting on a chair. But with his hand holding his cock... Yes, NAKED!!!
Too shocked.
I pressed the 'delete' instantly. Can't help but feel a bit violated.
Doesn't FB has any clauses or rules prohibiting such obscene profile pics? This destroyed my feeling of 'Zen' - Hair salon followed by organic facial & oxygen facial. The 5 over hours I spent doesn't really improve my looks - I still look the same. I got them for insurance - so that I don't deteoriate too much with age.
But now just a disgusting pic spoiled all my 'Zen-ness'!!!
FARK!!!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
KL with my Divas-slash-Bonita & Jillina's Workshop
A much anticipated trip!!!
Date of departure: 16th August 2008
Date of arrival: wee hours of 20th August 2008
Mode of transport: Nancy's husband's car
The group: Me
Anita Sebastian
Jasmine Kang (Jas)
Nancy Zhu (Nan)
Jieting Chen (JT)
Designated Drivers: Jas & JT
Designated Navigator/ treasurer: Me
With excitement, we took off! Jas took to the wheel first and man, she speeds! She was travelling so fast at 160km/hr that I was wondering why the truck two lanes away was staying still in that lane and not moving at all on the highway? And then I realised that the truck was actually crawling at half our speed.. we were too fast! That's why it seemed that the truck was not moving at all. SCARY!!!
When me & Jas got bored entertaining each other in the front seats, I turned around and snapped pictures of the babies sleeping comfortably behind - Nan, JT & Anita.
Haha. Oh and all 5 of us carry Naraya bags. It's huge enough to lug our barangs during our gigs and thus, most certainly large enough for our KL trip.
When it comes to food, we abandoned all pretense and dug into our food heartily.
I was constantly hungry, and hence constantly searching for food. The indian coffeeshop a couple of metres away from our hotel became me and Anita's nightly haunts and to fix our milo addiction. Their 'nasi goreng USA' is the best! Oily, frangrant and totally appropriate!
Towards the end of our stay, we decided to do personal maintainence - hair treatment & mani-pedi. The treatment costs $38 and mani-pedi $32... Good hor. I was showing off my nails in the below picture while midway through the pedicure.
The salon guy impressed me... he had a male client sitting beside me and the end result looked like some of the Taiwanese young male stars. Time-consuming though, first I saw him doing a light perm, then he cut a bit here and there. And after some styling, his hair's atas! Wah, so tv stars actually had to sit for hours. Or maybe not. Since they are popular stars, they sit on diamond-studded chairs with fluffy slippers while sipping hot exotic tea and exchanging tips on who's the best plastic surgeon in town. My,.... nasty!
We chanced upon this accessories store by the name of 'BONITA'. This was the name we call ourselves during the competition last year.
On to our workshop at KL PAC:
18th Aug 08
Jillina is larger than life! She's like the Jamie Oliver of cooking, John Clang of photography, Tiger Woods of golfing, Ian Wright/ Samantha Brown of travel programmes... you get the drift.
Her techniques are precise and strong; her pace of teaching well-controlled; she encourages free styling to adapt the choreo to fit one's performance and she takes a holistic approach to dancing - Why one wants to dance in the first place, to be grateful for health, never take things for granted, to give love and receive love... Beautiful.
The 2-hour session was intensive with yoga style warm-ups, techniques, combination and finally a drum routine. Jillina is such an experienced teacher that she accomplished a lot during 2 hours. To aid memory, she pre-typed the steps and handed out to us - save us the stress of trying to recall blindly when all we could do at the moment was to try to follow and keep up.
This was the TOUGH part. By the end of the first hour, we felt the strain. Our eyes were glazed and our brains simply cannot retain information. I still remembered thinking to myself: Wa! another 2 more hours how to tahan?
This is when Jillina's theory of muscle memory works. Truly when one is so exhausted from repeatedly going through the motions, somehow when the music starts, the body regurgitates out all the previous steps without having the need to tap on your brain cell reservoir. This is true for most part of the choreo because no matter what, all these were new to us... there's bound to be moments where we freeze, forgetting what's the next step.
All throughout the 5 hours of hard-core dancing, I never see Jillina's energy level going down one bit. 神呀！
Although Jillina's more heavily built than me, I looked so fat beside her??? And I duno how to photshop pictures at all... Pearl, teach me this Sunday ok?
By the time we left, it was like 11pm. We lost our way in KL for about 45 minutes. I think I can't see clearly at night. (Ok, later I go see my optician - som pah & swear).
Once we hit the highway, we didn't dare stop for any toilet breaks and reached Tuas checkpoint around 3am. Even when changing driver, Jas just climbed over to the back and JT climbed to the front without getting out of the car. The officer wanted to check our boot and JT opened the fuel part wrongly... for 3 times before getting it right. This was when the officer got suspicious and
"Whose car is this"
"There, my friend's husband car"
"You sure you have license?"
"Yes OF COURSE!"
*indignant look on JT's face*
We were spluttering with laughter.
Haha.
Oh, I know Nan don't read my blog... so here's the secret: Jas and JT didn't know the car has a footbrake instead of handbrake. So was wondering why the handbrake signal still on but the car can still move... and then KA-CHING!!! smoke billowed out of the car. Don't tell Nan hor. She will choke.
Date of departure: 16th August 2008
Date of arrival: wee hours of 20th August 2008
Mode of transport: Nancy's husband's car
The group: Me
Anita Sebastian
Jasmine Kang (Jas)
Nancy Zhu (Nan)
Jieting Chen (JT)
Designated Drivers: Jas & JT
Designated Navigator/ treasurer: Me
With excitement, we took off! Jas took to the wheel first and man, she speeds! She was travelling so fast at 160km/hr that I was wondering why the truck two lanes away was staying still in that lane and not moving at all on the highway? And then I realised that the truck was actually crawling at half our speed.. we were too fast! That's why it seemed that the truck was not moving at all. SCARY!!!
When me & Jas got bored entertaining each other in the front seats, I turned around and snapped pictures of the babies sleeping comfortably behind - Nan, JT & Anita.
Haha. Oh and all 5 of us carry Naraya bags. It's huge enough to lug our barangs during our gigs and thus, most certainly large enough for our KL trip.
We reached our destination in record time. The hotel's real disappointing so I shan't waste my energy to even type out our unbelievable frustrations. The ONLY redeeming factor is that the hotel's very near to our workshop location.
Workshop starts only on Monday, sooooo we had loads of free time on our hands! The whole weekend in fact... to wine and dine and SHOP and SHOP. And shop. And shop. And shop. And shop. Shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop shop.
(Oi, I not stew-pid, can copy and paste instead of type repeatedly)
That night, we went to this atas restaurant/ bar. The decor's really impressive: well-stocked bar counter, plushy couches, koi pond, lovely staircase.
One embarassing detail: Jas and me got ourselves 'trapped' inside the toilet cubicles side by side - we almost screamed for help when Jas striked upon this brilliant idea that hey, we should push the cubicle door instead of pulling it. MY! That was utterly bimbo.
When it comes to food, we abandoned all pretense and dug into our food heartily.
I was constantly hungry, and hence constantly searching for food. The indian coffeeshop a couple of metres away from our hotel became me and Anita's nightly haunts and to fix our milo addiction. Their 'nasi goreng USA' is the best! Oily, frangrant and totally appropriate!
Towards the end of our stay, we decided to do personal maintainence - hair treatment & mani-pedi. The treatment costs $38 and mani-pedi $32... Good hor. I was showing off my nails in the below picture while midway through the pedicure.
The salon guy impressed me... he had a male client sitting beside me and the end result looked like some of the Taiwanese young male stars. Time-consuming though, first I saw him doing a light perm, then he cut a bit here and there. And after some styling, his hair's atas! Wah, so tv stars actually had to sit for hours. Or maybe not. Since they are popular stars, they sit on diamond-studded chairs with fluffy slippers while sipping hot exotic tea and exchanging tips on who's the best plastic surgeon in town. My,.... nasty!
We chanced upon this accessories store by the name of 'BONITA'. This was the name we call ourselves during the competition last year.
On to our workshop at KL PAC:
18th Aug 08
Jillina is larger than life! She's like the Jamie Oliver of cooking, John Clang of photography, Tiger Woods of golfing, Ian Wright/ Samantha Brown of travel programmes... you get the drift.
Her techniques are precise and strong; her pace of teaching well-controlled; she encourages free styling to adapt the choreo to fit one's performance and she takes a holistic approach to dancing - Why one wants to dance in the first place, to be grateful for health, never take things for granted, to give love and receive love... Beautiful.
The 2-hour session was intensive with yoga style warm-ups, techniques, combination and finally a drum routine. Jillina is such an experienced teacher that she accomplished a lot during 2 hours. To aid memory, she pre-typed the steps and handed out to us - save us the stress of trying to recall blindly when all we could do at the moment was to try to follow and keep up.
And to be fair, she often rotates those standing at the back to the front and those at the front to the back of the studio so that everybody had the chance to learn effectively.
Haiz.... I wish I am half as good as her! She's awesome when she dances; good stage presence.
Footnote: PAC stands for performing arts centre, ridiculously gigantic - from the gate to the studio is a 5-minute drive through its gardens. There were another 5 S'poreans among the class of 30. One of them happened to be my friend's girlfriend. How cute! She self-introduced and informed that her bf showed her my FB profile pic; she wasn't sure it was me as my face's covered except for my eyes.
19th Aug 08
We rushed there at 4.45pm. For 2 hours of techniques plus combinations. She made us repeat until we could do it with eyes closed before moving on to set 2. Set 2 was a killer. Many turns, turn 1.5 round to face the clock behind then turn 1.5 round to face the front then camel 2x (or isit hip twist) and then step to R and turn 1 round face L and then step to L and turn 1 round face R and twist again.
In total, there were about 5 sets. At the end of the 5th set, I had no idea what I had done in set 1, 2, 3 or 4. Jillina's relentless drilling was merciless - but her theory's that it improves muscle memory. TEACHER IS ALWAYS RIGHT OKIE???!!!
After a 45minutes break, the second fusion session started.This was the TOUGH part. By the end of the first hour, we felt the strain. Our eyes were glazed and our brains simply cannot retain information. I still remembered thinking to myself: Wa! another 2 more hours how to tahan?
This is when Jillina's theory of muscle memory works. Truly when one is so exhausted from repeatedly going through the motions, somehow when the music starts, the body regurgitates out all the previous steps without having the need to tap on your brain cell reservoir. This is true for most part of the choreo because no matter what, all these were new to us... there's bound to be moments where we freeze, forgetting what's the next step.
All throughout the 5 hours of hard-core dancing, I never see Jillina's energy level going down one bit. 神呀！
Although Jillina's more heavily built than me, I looked so fat beside her??? And I duno how to photshop pictures at all... Pearl, teach me this Sunday ok?
By the time we left, it was like 11pm. We lost our way in KL for about 45 minutes. I think I can't see clearly at night. (Ok, later I go see my optician - som pah & swear).
Once we hit the highway, we didn't dare stop for any toilet breaks and reached Tuas checkpoint around 3am. Even when changing driver, Jas just climbed over to the back and JT climbed to the front without getting out of the car. The officer wanted to check our boot and JT opened the fuel part wrongly... for 3 times before getting it right. This was when the officer got suspicious and
"Whose car is this"
"There, my friend's husband car"
"You sure you have license?"
"Yes OF COURSE!"
*indignant look on JT's face*
We were spluttering with laughter.
Haha.
Oh, I know Nan don't read my blog... so here's the secret: Jas and JT didn't know the car has a footbrake instead of handbrake. So was wondering why the handbrake signal still on but the car can still move... and then KA-CHING!!! smoke billowed out of the car. Don't tell Nan hor. She will choke.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sub prime
This whole thing is quite a nightmare. Although the company I am in is not in the eye of the storm but nonetheless, the general market conditions are really complex and affects the whole industry. Talking about a black cloud. This is it.
From sub prime, then FM & FM. And Lehman Bro, Merrill sell-out, AIG scrabble for aid and possible WaMu. To me, it's like SARS. If you do not quarantine one of the potential virus carrier, the result will be like an avalanche. You keep running but the snow still chases at triple speed.
And this quarantine job belongs to the central bank! So sit tight, all of us. For the time to tighten lotsa stuff has arrived before the realisation has sank in.
Sub Prime! 你害死好多人! heart palpitation, sweaty palms, increased blood pressure... Are the doctors earning more in this economy?
From sub prime, then FM & FM. And Lehman Bro, Merrill sell-out, AIG scrabble for aid and possible WaMu. To me, it's like SARS. If you do not quarantine one of the potential virus carrier, the result will be like an avalanche. You keep running but the snow still chases at triple speed.
And this quarantine job belongs to the central bank! So sit tight, all of us. For the time to tighten lotsa stuff has arrived before the realisation has sank in.
Sub Prime! 你害死好多人! heart palpitation, sweaty palms, increased blood pressure... Are the doctors earning more in this economy?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
我与你别
在我朋友的博客读到她对北京奥运２００８的感想，让我惊觉虽然我偶尔有收看一些比赛项目，却没有想过把我的感想记载下来。 我与她同样是人，同样对一些事物有感言，同样有博客； 却对观看同样的节目有着不同的反应。
这就是我与她之别，我与你的分别， 男与女的不同。
就说陈冠希吧！ 他和众多女明星（都属美女级）的翻腾覆雨都被视为是一种传奇。 一种对男人的肯定。反过来主角若是位女明星，那她必定背上贱货的不雅称号。就象璩美鳳那样，为什么焦点不在有妇之夫；而是在批评她呢？
尽管我们已踏入科技世纪，社会还是保留着一些抹不掉的观念。 有时候在办公室看一看周围，会想到为什么经理级的多数是男性？我认识好多位女生都有着非常傲人的工作才能 - 可是每当到了评论表现这一关时， 总是男性独占熬头。是社会的偏激; 还是真的是表现能力比较强？
这就是我与她之别，我与你的分别， 男与女的不同。
就说陈冠希吧！ 他和众多女明星（都属美女级）的翻腾覆雨都被视为是一种传奇。 一种对男人的肯定。反过来主角若是位女明星，那她必定背上贱货的不雅称号。就象璩美鳳那样，为什么焦点不在有妇之夫；而是在批评她呢？
尽管我们已踏入科技世纪，社会还是保留着一些抹不掉的观念。 有时候在办公室看一看周围，会想到为什么经理级的多数是男性？我认识好多位女生都有着非常傲人的工作才能 - 可是每当到了评论表现这一关时， 总是男性独占熬头。是社会的偏激; 还是真的是表现能力比较强？
难道平日对穿着打扮讲究的我，一定是无脑的金发辣妹子嘛？ 不能是一位冰雪聪明，才智过人的贤惠女子？
哇铐！
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
I do go into my FB account every other day or so. And every other day, my account will pop out a list of friend requests.
Out of the 8 friend requests, I knew none of them. They are total strangers. And every other day, I have to click on 'Ignore' request. Going by the math, if every other day I have 8, at the end of the week I would have about 20+. At the end of the month, I would have 100?? Click 100 times per month on 'Ignore' button??
The next time I go on holiday, I will go away for a month and see what happens to my FB account.
Over the weekend, I was reading my inbox messages on FB. And I saw one stranger whom I have just 'ignored' his friend request sending me a message:" Please please add me to your friend list!"
Can like that one meh?
Please just leave me alone. Get a life!!!
If not, just farking go and die.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Routines that took my breathe away
The search for America's favourite dancer is what SYTYCD is all about. 10 couples to start with and each week, 2 dancers are voted off. If you go by permutation, there would be 55 routines at least... not counting in the extras when the top 20, top 18, top 16 and blah blah performs each week. I watch season 3 diligently each week, even when I already knew who won eventually.
Out of the so many routines, I will now make it a point to share with all of you a few of my favourites every now and then. And so I present my shortlisted ones over the last three weeks...
FIRST,
Sara & Jesus. (Btw, Jesus is pronounced as "A-sus"). They did krumping, a form of hip-hop.
0.10 - 0.13: note how Sara krumps onto stage and pushes Jesus away with such attitude!!!
1.08 - 1.11: they did the throw-themselves around turn so effortlessly and so to-the-beat of the music.
A little write-up on Krumping:
"Krump is an acronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise. It is a relatively new dance form pioneered by Tight Eyez & Lil C. Krump is an aggressive and spiritual form of dance with christian roots; characterized by free, expressive, and highly energetic moves involving the arms and chest, and has become a major part of hip hop dance culture. Krump has to be distingushed from clowning and "stripper dance"--two stylistically similar forms--by its seriousness of purpose. Among the "don'ts" of Krump, are the exaggerated bent-knee wobble-walks of clowning and the buttocks-bouncing of stripper dance. In one instructional video, Tight Eyez speaks of the 3 levels of Krump, those being "bucking" (making aggressive-looking movements), "amping" (becoming genuinely filled with the emotions one is portraying through choreography), and "spirit" dancing (in which the dancer moves beyond choreography and is lifted into a religious dance "in the spirit")"
Krumping's not easy, mainly because you got to do the movement with force yet control the backlash. Eg. I tried the chest-popping and hand thumping thing,.. had to slice the air with your arm very quickly,... with force so that it looks super-duber attitude yet control where the punch end. Very hard lei. You try? I hear my elbow crick after 3 tries.
Next up,
Anya & Danny. Simply beautiful and stunning. Yes, Anya & Danny! I've mentioned them before previously under "100th Post".
0.32 - 0.38: Danny holds Anya's head and both swirl their heads gracefully, WHILE the feet are also making turns round the stage. Very difficult!!! You try? Giddy boh?
0.51 - 0.56: Anya looks like a swan doing the spinning but observe and you will see Danny's the one doing the harder bit. His feet got to step around very fast. In comparison, Anya only has to spin on the spot. A duet's all about teamwork.
Finally,
Sabra & Dominic. A rhumba number. Considering what you see on taiwanese variety shows, this is refreshing. Instead of Latin songs, they dance to PCD's Stickwithu. A pop song, unusual choice but a smart one!
0.36: Okie, this is funny to me. Because during their practice, Dom's wearing a sleeveless top and Sabra's gotta plaster her hand on his armpit. Wahaha! Get my point? To perfect routines, you have to sacrifice.
0.39 - 0.41: Sabra slicks down onto the floor and slithers up between Dom's legs. Not easy to make it look graceful but they did.
1.21 - 1.23: They fell many times practising this move. Observe and you will find Dom puts most of his weight on his right while having to support Sabra's right leg. The amazing part? Sabra leans her FULL weight onto her left without losing balance. To find the equilibrium is the key and thus lies the tough part. You try? Bet you would fall down countless times too!
With such two individuals pouring their souls into each move, what fault would you lay upon them? Absolutely nothing!!! It takes sheer discipline to do what they do. Even when you don't see it live, you can still see that they danced with their life, with all they've got, with everything possible to create that perfect snapshot no matter which minute of the video you stop them at.
*APPLAUSE & SALUTE*
A little sidetrack to talk about one of my favourite choreographers on the show - Mia Michaels. She has worked alongside celebrities such as Celine Dion, Madonna and with Cirque Du Soleil. Her choreos are simply stunning. The one I posted before on Lacey & Kameron where Lacey jumped onto Kameron was choreographed by Mia Michaels.
To me, a good choreo accentuate the song/ music. It makes you much more aware of that certain beat/ accent that you normally won't take note of if you are just listening to it in your car. To illustrate, look at the below video to the song "Hide & Seek" by Imogen Heap. Choreo courtesy of Mia Michaels of course. The starting of the song:
" Where are we?"
"What the hell is going on?"
All 6 dancers turn their heads to their right at the word "ON", making you so much more aware of this note in the song. You have to admit that you won't really take note of this beat in the music if you are just simply listening to the song with your eyes closed - these 2 lines would just be lyrics to you. Same theory goes for the chorus part where they formed a circle and stamped their feet to the lyrics.
"Mm,what you say?
Mm, that you only meant well? (Well, of course you did.)
Mm, whay you say?
Mm, that it's all for the best? (Ah of course it is.)
Mm, what you say?
Mm, that it's just what we need? (And you decided this.)
Mm, what you say?
What did she say?"
"Hide and Seek" is the first single by Imogen Heap from her album Speak for yourself. The song is performed with the sole accompaniment being the sound produced by a harmonizer (DigiTech Vocalist Workstation), creating an altered a-capella sound.
I adore the lyrics. It's like Mm what you say? Mm that you only meant well when you asked your kid to go for piano / swimming / ballet / acting, etc. Well of cos you did meant well. Mm, that its all for the best when you decide that your parents should stay in an old folk's home. Ah of course it is for the best. Mm, that it's just what we need when you tell your he/ she that yes, it's time to break up. And you decided this. When there's you and he/ she in a relationship. Mm, what you say?
Mmmmmm, What you say about who gives you the right to take away his/ her childhood, his/ her environment to live out old age, his/ her right to decide together the outcome of the relationship? What you say? What he say? What they say? What she say? What we say?
___________________________________________
I forgot to mention that BKK has the funniest English language. I bought stockings and on the plastic cover, the words are: "Craning neck to look into the distance advance guard's trend, you is given in the best design to the taste fashion life." I think what it meant is if you are "craning your neck" searching high & low or trying to anticipate what the "future trend" of stockings would be in fashion... then fret not, "look no farther" as this brand would be the trendiest of all.
___________________________________________
Why I hurt my ankle the other week was because of this tie-leg event during our department retreat!
We also built a 3-D sand dragon on the beach. We "treasure Hunt-ed" around the house. We had to be up-close with different colleagues... Don't pass gas in my face, Chris! *Yicks!*
Out of the so many routines, I will now make it a point to share with all of you a few of my favourites every now and then. And so I present my shortlisted ones over the last three weeks...
FIRST,
Sara & Jesus. (Btw, Jesus is pronounced as "A-sus"). They did krumping, a form of hip-hop.
0.10 - 0.13: note how Sara krumps onto stage and pushes Jesus away with such attitude!!!
1.08 - 1.11: they did the throw-themselves around turn so effortlessly and so to-the-beat of the music.
A little write-up on Krumping:
"Krump is an acronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise. It is a relatively new dance form pioneered by Tight Eyez & Lil C. Krump is an aggressive and spiritual form of dance with christian roots; characterized by free, expressive, and highly energetic moves involving the arms and chest, and has become a major part of hip hop dance culture. Krump has to be distingushed from clowning and "stripper dance"--two stylistically similar forms--by its seriousness of purpose. Among the "don'ts" of Krump, are the exaggerated bent-knee wobble-walks of clowning and the buttocks-bouncing of stripper dance. In one instructional video, Tight Eyez speaks of the 3 levels of Krump, those being "bucking" (making aggressive-looking movements), "amping" (becoming genuinely filled with the emotions one is portraying through choreography), and "spirit" dancing (in which the dancer moves beyond choreography and is lifted into a religious dance "in the spirit")"
Krumping's not easy, mainly because you got to do the movement with force yet control the backlash. Eg. I tried the chest-popping and hand thumping thing,.. had to slice the air with your arm very quickly,... with force so that it looks super-duber attitude yet control where the punch end. Very hard lei. You try? I hear my elbow crick after 3 tries.
Next up,
Anya & Danny. Simply beautiful and stunning. Yes, Anya & Danny! I've mentioned them before previously under "100th Post".
0.32 - 0.38: Danny holds Anya's head and both swirl their heads gracefully, WHILE the feet are also making turns round the stage. Very difficult!!! You try? Giddy boh?
0.51 - 0.56: Anya looks like a swan doing the spinning but observe and you will see Danny's the one doing the harder bit. His feet got to step around very fast. In comparison, Anya only has to spin on the spot. A duet's all about teamwork.
Finally,
Sabra & Dominic. A rhumba number. Considering what you see on taiwanese variety shows, this is refreshing. Instead of Latin songs, they dance to PCD's Stickwithu. A pop song, unusual choice but a smart one!
0.36: Okie, this is funny to me. Because during their practice, Dom's wearing a sleeveless top and Sabra's gotta plaster her hand on his armpit. Wahaha! Get my point? To perfect routines, you have to sacrifice.
0.39 - 0.41: Sabra slicks down onto the floor and slithers up between Dom's legs. Not easy to make it look graceful but they did.
1.21 - 1.23: They fell many times practising this move. Observe and you will find Dom puts most of his weight on his right while having to support Sabra's right leg. The amazing part? Sabra leans her FULL weight onto her left without losing balance. To find the equilibrium is the key and thus lies the tough part. You try? Bet you would fall down countless times too!
With such two individuals pouring their souls into each move, what fault would you lay upon them? Absolutely nothing!!! It takes sheer discipline to do what they do. Even when you don't see it live, you can still see that they danced with their life, with all they've got, with everything possible to create that perfect snapshot no matter which minute of the video you stop them at.
*APPLAUSE & SALUTE*
A little sidetrack to talk about one of my favourite choreographers on the show - Mia Michaels. She has worked alongside celebrities such as Celine Dion, Madonna and with Cirque Du Soleil. Her choreos are simply stunning. The one I posted before on Lacey & Kameron where Lacey jumped onto Kameron was choreographed by Mia Michaels.
To me, a good choreo accentuate the song/ music. It makes you much more aware of that certain beat/ accent that you normally won't take note of if you are just listening to it in your car. To illustrate, look at the below video to the song "Hide & Seek" by Imogen Heap. Choreo courtesy of Mia Michaels of course. The starting of the song:" Where are we?"
"What the hell is going on?"
All 6 dancers turn their heads to their right at the word "ON", making you so much more aware of this note in the song. You have to admit that you won't really take note of this beat in the music if you are just simply listening to the song with your eyes closed - these 2 lines would just be lyrics to you. Same theory goes for the chorus part where they formed a circle and stamped their feet to the lyrics.
"Mm,what you say?
Mm, that you only meant well? (Well, of course you did.)
Mm, whay you say?
Mm, that it's all for the best? (Ah of course it is.)
Mm, what you say?
Mm, that it's just what we need? (And you decided this.)
Mm, what you say?
What did she say?"
"Hide and Seek" is the first single by Imogen Heap from her album Speak for yourself. The song is performed with the sole accompaniment being the sound produced by a harmonizer (DigiTech Vocalist Workstation), creating an altered a-capella sound.
I adore the lyrics. It's like Mm what you say? Mm that you only meant well when you asked your kid to go for piano / swimming / ballet / acting, etc. Well of cos you did meant well. Mm, that its all for the best when you decide that your parents should stay in an old folk's home. Ah of course it is for the best. Mm, that it's just what we need when you tell your he/ she that yes, it's time to break up. And you decided this. When there's you and he/ she in a relationship. Mm, what you say?
Mmmmmm, What you say about who gives you the right to take away his/ her childhood, his/ her environment to live out old age, his/ her right to decide together the outcome of the relationship? What you say? What he say? What they say? What she say? What we say?
___________________________________________
I forgot to mention that BKK has the funniest English language. I bought stockings and on the plastic cover, the words are: "Craning neck to look into the distance advance guard's trend, you is given in the best design to the taste fashion life." I think what it meant is if you are "craning your neck" searching high & low or trying to anticipate what the "future trend" of stockings would be in fashion... then fret not, "look no farther" as this brand would be the trendiest of all.
___________________________________________
Why I hurt my ankle the other week was because of this tie-leg event during our department retreat!
We also built a 3-D sand dragon on the beach. We "treasure Hunt-ed" around the house. We had to be up-close with different colleagues... Don't pass gas in my face, Chris! *Yicks!*
Before the retreat, we were all asked to write our individual fantasies in confidence. At that time, I remembered I just watched 'Hancock' and so I chin-chai wrote:" My Fantasy is... To be a good-looking super hero. Because... How nice to have others to look up to me & depend on my superpowers in times of emergency?"
During the retreat, we were asked to guess which fantasy belonged to whom. It was funny in a warped kind of way. Kok Pang's so good with photoshop that he fulfilled each of our fantasy and here's mine..... *drum roll please*
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
Dun LAUGH HOR!!!!!!!
......
......
......
......
......
......
TA-DAH!!!!
You burst out laughing??? Ah dui! Heh heh.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
How is it possible to spend SGD1,300 on a fully-sponsored BKK trip?
The answer is yes, it's very possible when one hadn't been there since 4 years ago. Considering that I did not pay a single cent for airfare/ lodging and spent very minimally on food, I astonished myself!
Breakdown:
DFS Cosmetics - $200 approx. (before I even left SIN)
DFS Alcohol - $250 approx.
DFS Cosmetics at BKK - $40 approx.
8 Naraya bags - $60 approx.
Cosmetics - $40 approx.
5 pc of 'Atas' clothes - $200 approx.
Wacoal - $200 approx.
5 pairs of shoes - $40 approx.
And that, my friends, already chalked up to $1,030!!! So that leaves me with $300 on some casual tops, skirts, shorts, dresses, hair & other accessories, food, drinks, fake eyelashes. I know, a lot of my money went to cosmetics. YES!! So WHAT if I am a make-up junkie? I need to replenish my collection... I call my makeup collection 'warfare' since I always used them to warpaint my face for combat time during gigs. Plus their shelf life's not very long once you opened them up. So effectively I save money when I bulk purchase at DFS and overseas. In this case, L'oreal is real cheap in BKK: double extension mascara, super liner, architect. And so I have to stock up. Who knows when I get to go there again? *wink*
I threw away those past their use-by-date and see the new ones lined up in my collection. I am particularly proud of a store in MBK that sells Gino McGray cosmetics. They're really fabulous!!! Comes with lotsa glitter that's perfect for stage so I got the same thing in green, bronze, silver, gold, pink and another shade of green. Whoa!
It seems when it comes to shopping, I can't stop myself from gushing! Ceri, Carol and me make a fine trio! Each day, we will cover one floor of Platinum Mall. And you only need 3 pieces to get wholesale prices. It's a paradise, I tell you!!! Most times, we end up buying more than one piece each. Too bad Carol couldn't join us on the last two days. I wonder why do people still go to Chatuchak market when Platinum Mall is the equivalent version with aircon. Perhaps they still liked the authentic idea of pasa malam market under scorching heat operated on weekends only.
I so LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEEE Platinum Mallllllllllll!!!!
(Okie, you sing this to the tune of Don'tcha by PussyCat Dolls ya?) Here it goes:"
Don't you wish if everyday can shop in the mall?
Don't you wish S'pore got Platinum Mall?
DON'TCHA!!!!!"
And the taro milk at the foodcourt there's really delicious! The cup got little chocolate spots all over like a cow. Mooooooo.....Hee hee. After shopping, I got myself another one - honeydew milk. Nice wor!
Breakdown:
DFS Cosmetics - $200 approx. (before I even left SIN)
DFS Alcohol - $250 approx.
DFS Cosmetics at BKK - $40 approx.
8 Naraya bags - $60 approx.
Cosmetics - $40 approx.
5 pc of 'Atas' clothes - $200 approx.
Wacoal - $200 approx.
5 pairs of shoes - $40 approx.
And that, my friends, already chalked up to $1,030!!! So that leaves me with $300 on some casual tops, skirts, shorts, dresses, hair & other accessories, food, drinks, fake eyelashes. I know, a lot of my money went to cosmetics. YES!! So WHAT if I am a make-up junkie? I need to replenish my collection... I call my makeup collection 'warfare' since I always used them to warpaint my face for combat time during gigs. Plus their shelf life's not very long once you opened them up. So effectively I save money when I bulk purchase at DFS and overseas. In this case, L'oreal is real cheap in BKK: double extension mascara, super liner, architect. And so I have to stock up. Who knows when I get to go there again? *wink*
I threw away those past their use-by-date and see the new ones lined up in my collection. I am particularly proud of a store in MBK that sells Gino McGray cosmetics. They're really fabulous!!! Comes with lotsa glitter that's perfect for stage so I got the same thing in green, bronze, silver, gold, pink and another shade of green. Whoa!
It seems when it comes to shopping, I can't stop myself from gushing! Ceri, Carol and me make a fine trio! Each day, we will cover one floor of Platinum Mall. And you only need 3 pieces to get wholesale prices. It's a paradise, I tell you!!! Most times, we end up buying more than one piece each. Too bad Carol couldn't join us on the last two days. I wonder why do people still go to Chatuchak market when Platinum Mall is the equivalent version with aircon. Perhaps they still liked the authentic idea of pasa malam market under scorching heat operated on weekends only.
I so LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEEE Platinum Mallllllllllll!!!!
(Okie, you sing this to the tune of Don'tcha by PussyCat Dolls ya?) Here it goes:"
Don't you wish if everyday can shop in the mall?
Don't you wish S'pore got Platinum Mall?
DON'TCHA!!!!!"
And the taro milk at the foodcourt there's really delicious! The cup got little chocolate spots all over like a cow. Mooooooo.....Hee hee. After shopping, I got myself another one - honeydew milk. Nice wor!
Ceri's my room-mate at Amari Watergate and boy, she's really great fun! I can never ask for a better kaki than her. And I'll always remember how we chat for awhile lying on the bed and the minute we said 'Good-night', we slipped right in to lala-land faster than you can say 'Hi'. Every morning, we were woken up by Max or Chris, the two chirpy men who never seemed to oversleep. Haha! Me and Ceri couldn't wake up on our own, not even to save our own lives.
But who can blame us? Just look at the room!!! So huge and comfy.
Ceri is an even bigger shoe junkie than I am. She bought 8 pairs (2 for her sis) and together, we had 13 pairs displayed in our room.
Our challenge was of course to squeeze our purchases into our luggages. I did mine in the green hard-case plus maroon naraya (left side of picture). While Ceri (right side of picture) had her box, paper bag, pink naraya and black luggage - which she ultimately bought a bigger bag to contain the box and the paper bag.
Hanging out with the 5 of them's really fun! I don't know why we kept laughing or am I too ticklish? Everything just sets me off!!! Carol mispronouncing 'Baiyoke' as Bai-yolk-kee, Max asking where to see floating market, Ceri trying to fit everything into her suitcase, Chris soaking in jucuzzi with his sunglasses which I thought was goggles, Kok Pang and me kept harping on the band singing 'Umbrella' as 'Umbre-rra'..e-rra, e-rra, eh eh eh. Wahaha. Kok Pang is funny. Carol is even funnier. Ceri is the funniest. Chris is the angmoh kind of funny. And Max is the most Hokkien kind of funny.
As for the dinner, most part of it went well except the lotus flower concept. Some last-minute cock-up. The fireworks were spectacular, the weather held up well, the long drum entrance moment was bombastic and the HODs were sabo-ed to our heart's content by the pool!!!
Max's really a great co-emcee; spontaneous and totally wacky! My, I should say he's THE thunder of the night.
Oh, did I even mention about our CEO yet? I have never met such a sincere, sweet and personal CEO before. We all know how busy CEOs are but this CEO makes the extra effort to email each and every staff on his/ her birthday. I guess mine must have a out-of-office reply and so I received a birthday greeting via a text message. So I thought maybe it's a auto-generated message and so I purposely texted back to say thank you and see you in BKK. And lo and behold, he replied and said you are most welcome and see you in BKK too! I am super impressed. His gesture is simple, yet speak volumes. Sometimes, in our daily course of being preoccupied with a millionth stuff, we forget the most basic and the most fundamental way to touch another person's heart.
Loads of picture awaiting to be shared by Chris; our unofficial photographer. Til then, ciao bellas (and dudes)!
Oh whoa... before I forget, let me just remind all of you that I found a way to upload my song of the moment on the left side panel on my blog. I put it on auto-start i.e. the minute you entered my blog, the song will play but I shut the repeat mode off. So if you need to play some of the other videos scattered over some of my different entries, just go and pause the song so that you can hear the videos clearly, would ya?
Loads of picture awaiting to be shared by Chris; our unofficial photographer. Til then, ciao bellas (and dudes)!
Oh whoa... before I forget, let me just remind all of you that I found a way to upload my song of the moment on the left side panel on my blog. I put it on auto-start i.e. the minute you entered my blog, the song will play but I shut the repeat mode off. So if you need to play some of the other videos scattered over some of my different entries, just go and pause the song so that you can hear the videos clearly, would ya?
And thanks for all your concern, I am more or less better now. I have to be. Because after a concoction of four types of medicine just for cough, I don't know what else can the doctor give me if I am still in the cough war. During the whole day, I eat the two on the left. At night, add another two on the right. So I am perpertually super duber drowsy this week. Sorry if I sound less chatty when on the phone with some of you or if I am less bubbly while at work. I'll bounce back!!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Kissing
"A journey of the heart.
On a journey of the heart, there's so much to see.
As long as we believe, love doesn't get older.
You'll be right here, right here with me. Kissing, kissing."
______________________________________________
On a journey of the heart, there's so much to see.
As long as we believe, love doesn't get older.
You'll be right here, right here with me. Kissing, kissing."
If you have Blue Bar album, look under Disc 2 for the song - Kissing (by Bliss). Else, buy the SNTC soundtrack. The feeling one gets from listening to this song is really breezy and dreamy. That it should always be about a journey of your heart, of connecting your mind and soul and then relaying all that effectively to the one you kissed. "We could fly, You and I. On a cloud, Kissing, kissing." Never let it be just a foreplay when it could be so much more. Where it can vibrate your core while generating a one-ness value you attach predominantly to cosmic that is so intangible. Of almost being able to believe that the end is worth all the mountain climbing you have to go through in the beginning. ______________________________________________
20th Jul 08
To be a Mrs World contestant, you have to be married of course.
To be a Classic Mrs World contestant, you have to fulfill the above and be above 41 years old.
Interesting that there was a talent section.
Interesting that their husbands get to serenade them on stage during the Q&A session.
I am so bored of my own costumes!!!
Dear Anita came to my rescue... with her deep green velvet set.
I really loved the hair band (it's not a flower by the way).
Our performance was about 10 minutes, I whittle it down to 4+ minutes so that it can be loaded here. Anybody noticed that I stepped accidentally on my skirt at one point in time and almost lost my balance???
Skirt too long and was sewing away to shorten it the night before and still end up stepping on bits on it. Aiyo, next time don't be so hiao can??? Women!!! Swap costume here and there. 吃饱没事做！Crazy.
______________________________________________
Thank you to those who volunteered your set of Olympic mascots to me or offered to buy me one.
______________________________________________
Also thank you to those who made an effort to celebrate my birthday in one way or another. Now that I have grown up yet another year, I cherish all of you who have seen me in good and bad shape; who made me see that life should be colourful and whom, with your presence, made my world a bearable one.
Thank you particularly to my divas, I am very touched by the surprise you all sprung.
______________________________________________
Tend to get sick if I eat BBQ food so I prefer to BBQ the food instead of eating them. I only ate one chicken wing, three sausages and one skewer of prawn... still end up having slight sore throat and fever over the weekend! Along with my bandaged feet! Sprained toe/ lingament, whatever the sinseh say. How bad can things get??!! And the night cough haunts me again. 真的好难受喔! 是不是妈妈没有去庙帮我拜拜？
And over the same weekend, I had two house party invites - one in the east, one in the north. Can't turn up for both at all with such a battered body. So annoying eh?
______________________________________________
And so today, I hobbled to and fro work still with the bandage. It's extremely exhausting!!! I didn't even step out of the office much since my colleagues kindly offered to packet lunch for me. I was so exhausted with all the hobbling that I plop myself onto the bed straight after work and slept for 3 hours straight. Machiam like work in construction site whole day or what?
The strange thing is, strangers tend to be kinder when they see that you are an invalid. They hold the door open, wait up a bit in the lift, etc. The cleaner who saw me in the toilet asked me not to walk around too much; I said I need to shu-shu right? And then a stranger walked up to me whilst I was on my way home and tried to teach me the correct 'technique' to walk. Try not to lift the whole foot up but just dragged it along, stranger said. I replied that I am afraid of spoiling my slipper which was why I lifted my foot a wee bit when walking. Stranger smiled at me and left me to my 'technique' of hobbling.
So the next time I am ever so ready to be a cynic of Singaporeans; remind me that today proved that there are kind souls around, would ya?
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Sex is the oldest trade
Now is 4.30am and I just got back from a ktv club. Been a real eye-opener for me. Maybe some of you have been there lots but for me, since I went there for the first time, you just have to bear with my suaku-ness. The demograhics: 10 men and us 3 ladies. One of the men's birthday. I learn that:
1) About 20 KTV ladies lined up for choice. One of my girlfriend was asked to choose. In the end, the whole bunch was left un-chosen. (P.S. The second batch fared better)
2) Service is immaculate! Drinks replenished automatically, cake wheeled out on time. Cake was served to us on the plate one by one after cake-cutting. Champagne subtly placed on one side. Even the song you want to sing, the waiter will help you to key in.
3) Mamasen realised that girlfriend had the power to choose, and hence, she invited girlfriend to upper floor for better choice. (Mama-sen so modern looking wor)
4) Boy, girlfriend was beseeched by a flood of 40-50 girls just walking around dunno doing what.
5) And the amazing part was that there's a huge screen to monitor which girl is sitting in which ktv room and serving which customer now. Wao!!!
HIGH -TECH or not?????
Spoke with some of the ktv girls. Mostly MIC (made in China) and was surprised that we're the first S'porean girl-people that she spoke to for more than 5 minutes. C'mon, give them some credit even though I know most of you would love to hate them. They're humans too and it's just a job to them. Plus, it's kinda sad that they are treated like walking cunts. WALKING CUNTS!!! You know what I mean?
Like pieces of flesh in a market, waiting to be chosen. God, don't you guys know any shame in your horniness to have fun while your wives/children are kept away in a space of yours that you have most likely chipped in to provide? I guess not. It's all just a guy thing or men-are-supposed-to-have-fun thing or I-want-to-feel-shuang thing. Haha, if I am not a girl, I would most likely have one beside me as well. Just for kicks you know? Ain't it shiok that if a soft, sweet, young, fair-skinned female form is for my cuddling?? WAOOOOOOOO...................... Shiok-ke-nathan.
1) About 20 KTV ladies lined up for choice. One of my girlfriend was asked to choose. In the end, the whole bunch was left un-chosen. (P.S. The second batch fared better)
2) Service is immaculate! Drinks replenished automatically, cake wheeled out on time. Cake was served to us on the plate one by one after cake-cutting. Champagne subtly placed on one side. Even the song you want to sing, the waiter will help you to key in.
3) Mamasen realised that girlfriend had the power to choose, and hence, she invited girlfriend to upper floor for better choice. (Mama-sen so modern looking wor)
4) Boy, girlfriend was beseeched by a flood of 40-50 girls just walking around dunno doing what.
5) And the amazing part was that there's a huge screen to monitor which girl is sitting in which ktv room and serving which customer now. Wao!!!
HIGH -TECH or not?????
Spoke with some of the ktv girls. Mostly MIC (made in China) and was surprised that we're the first S'porean girl-people that she spoke to for more than 5 minutes. C'mon, give them some credit even though I know most of you would love to hate them. They're humans too and it's just a job to them. Plus, it's kinda sad that they are treated like walking cunts. WALKING CUNTS!!! You know what I mean?
Like pieces of flesh in a market, waiting to be chosen. God, don't you guys know any shame in your horniness to have fun while your wives/children are kept away in a space of yours that you have most likely chipped in to provide? I guess not. It's all just a guy thing or men-are-supposed-to-have-fun thing or I-want-to-feel-shuang thing. Haha, if I am not a girl, I would most likely have one beside me as well. Just for kicks you know? Ain't it shiok that if a soft, sweet, young, fair-skinned female form is for my cuddling?? WAOOOOOOOO...................... Shiok-ke-nathan.
Hmm, come to think of it, everytime I make my way to the loo, some other men from other rooms who happen to be in the passageway will give me the once-over look, from my head all the way to my bottom. Hell, I am not working there ok? Stop looking as if I am a piece of meat.
In all honesty, I can understand why it's fun for men. Because even I find it fun. Or maybe it's easier for me to say this since all the men tonight are just friends. I think no sane woman can see her partner behave the way all these men did and not feel anything at all. And so I wonder had it ever crossed their mind what kind of damage their outrageous behaviour will cause their relationships. Is it too much to just ask for someone whom you can grow old with and possibly care enough to do whatever he can to protect that kind of connection built over years of tears/ fears/ doubts/ laughter/ encouragement? I suppose for a night of pure fun and men egging on each other, it's pretty hard to reject a hostess least one'll be considered a pussy. To contain the fun purely in the ktv room is one thing. To take the fun out of the room and adjorn elsewhere is pure destruction. And I always wonder why there are no similar concept for the female gender. Maybe it'll be really cool (or damning depending on how you look at things) to balance the equation for once.
But then; Ever knew that the army needs comfort ladies? Then what less do you expect of modern men in an ever-changing society? Sex has always been the oldest trade. Even older than demand-supply theory or whatever you think you are selling now.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Prime Society
This is Prime Society - An apt name. This is where "steak perfection is revered and upheld to the highest decree. Ensure that thou has brought thy appetite before embarking on this epic journey."
I love my meat. I love my steak. And this is why people who knew this suggested I try Prime Society. It's new, barely a year old - a blend of old-world charm with laid-back warmth. There's a island bar counter in the centre of the restaurant. Most are seated indoors and the front or back patio's good for after-dinner drinks & chat. A lot of the ambience comes from the brick walls and pillars littered around the restaurants.
I started off with a Saketini - had to try it the minute I saw it. Partly due to the fond memories it brought back when I was in San Frans last year. The Saketini at this fantastic Jap restaurant is so so good that I will always remember how it tasted like. I remembered being really happy with the drink, with the food, with the company and the quick chat we had with one of the owner. Of course I didn't have the luxury of just taking off on a plane to go back there just for the drink and so I'm constantly on the lookout for anything close to that.
It's not too bad but still not close enough. Out of 10, I would give it a 7. The SF one is a 10 of course. Another reason is that I like to start off my dinner with a drink these days. And anyway, steak has to go with wine so the wine will come later. I had the portobello and fillet mignon, the finest cut of meat. It may looked really small but actually quite filling. So filling that I only managed to do 1/3 of my fries before I raise my white flag. Hmm...
Portobello had loads of garlic and something else on it. It was after a few more bites that I distingushed the pistachio. Interesting receipe! My meat was juicy, tender and went really well with the blue cheese butter/ red wine sauce. This restaurant has a sense of humour. On the table, there was a drawing of a cow and descriptions all over the drawing to explain the different cuts of meat. How it describe rib was:" This is the Kate-Moss type of cut. Loads of bones and not much meat." Totally WEE-KAT!! Oops, Wicked I mean.
My ratings:
Ambience - 9 out of 10
Service - 8.5 out of 10
Food - 7.5 out of 10
Drinks - 7 out of 10
Overall - 7.3 out of 10
I must qualify that I am a bit strict when it comes to overall rating. Or rather, maybe I should say my overall rating's determined within the first 10 seconds when I get to the place... how the place looks, how long did it take for the greeter to notice me and the feel of the first few seconds of encounter. So it's really more of a feeling thing than ambience/ service/ food/ drinks put together. Picotin still is tops at 7.8 for me; followed by Oosh at 7.4.
But if your take is steak, then Prime Society is indeed a cut above most.
__________________________________________
Funny Boh??? Kakakah!!! Don't know who is the car owner wor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)