Archive for April, 2010

Chicago – The Musical

April 26th, 2010 by admin

It was a Tuesday I was looking forward to since months ago when I heard that Chicago is coming to Singapore.

I first wanted to watch it when it first launched in London, where all the posters of risquely dressed ladies in fishnet stockings and had their modesty covered by a chair, giving the most smoldering looks they could manage were posted along the neverending escalators.

But, there was an age-limit set for it, and the fresh meat in the form of me was too young for it.

I didn’t go back when I was 18, cos I was too shy to ask anyone to go with me, and a group of us shy girlies made do with CATS instead.

I fell in love with the movie which showcased Catherine Zeta Jones’ talents, though I was still not quite buying Renee Zellweger’s performance..

It was one of my favourite movies cos I was captivated by the music and all that slickness, boy oh boy. Pure seduction.

Betrayal, fame, suspense, empowering females, a flamboyant lawyer, and awesome choreography, what’s there not to love?

I was a little apprehensive that the musical wasn’t gonna to match up to the movie, especially since I already knew the plot, and the numbers, and how can anyone match Catherine Zeta Jones’ charms?

The cast were all Australian, and even their usual lead Velma Kelly wasn’t going to be performing for their Asia tour.

Then again, sometime in 2006, a reader once told me that the best Phantom he had ever seen was from Australia, and it is a land of theatre talents overlooked cos the masses’ hearts are with New York Broadway and London West End.

Nonetheless, I was very much looking forward to it and literally counting down to 20th April, right after my driving practical!

I even refused a practical that day cos I was adamant not to miss something that was going to make me that exhilarated. Waited at Esplanade on a nice, breezy evening for the others.

I even got to witness the sun setting on an almost perfect evening.

That’s me at Esplanade with the floral skater dress I had fell in love with on www.theoneparade.com and Jo from Foggiare had sent me in the little package of surprise. Can you imagine my shock when I received the exact same dress within couple of days of each other?

Nonetheless, I love the dresses to bits cos the material was just so soft, and it was perfect for a long day out, and if not for the driving practical, I could have glam it up more for the occasion.

An article had featured the lead actress Sharon Millerchip who plays Roxie Hart, and it was pretty impressive as she had became the only actress that had won award for playing BOTH the role of Velma Kelly almost a decade ago, and Roxie Hart recently.

That’s her in the musical’s banner behind me.

I have had read lukewarm reviews of the musical after its first couple of nights of run, and yet kept an open mind about wanting to enjoy my night to the max.

I love the square outside Esplanade, for it is just such a quiet place…. with so much anticipation for the show to start.

Of course, there’s the beautifully lit city lights glamming the place up.

And the resident cam-whore basking in the evening right before the splendidly dazzling Esplanade.

We made our way to meet Cheyenne for dinner at Thai Express, and there was nothing express about the service there.

Our order was mixed up, and they didn’t serve one of our orders, and we had to wave 159 times before they could bring us the bill, which conveniently included the item which wasn’t served.

Still, we got the chance to camwhore while waiting for the food, and I was getting a tad giddy from the day out.

By then we got a little impatient because they were taking way too much time to get back to us that we might actually missed the musical’s timing, and we were not about to let that happen.

The four of us half-ran to the door to the stall seats, and made it just in time to catch our breath and for the lights to be dimmed.

And what a show it was.

Every bit of it oozes sexiness and sensuality and despite it was a plot we were all too familiar with, the live singing, and all the impressive dance moves just made us indulge in the pure beauty of theatre.

Yes, it doesn’t have the lavish set of Phantom, the costumes of CATS, the charged numbers of We Will Rock You, or the humor of Avenue Q, but it was still one hellava show and I mean, all the tight fitting costumes and fish net stockings and sexy people… it gotta be explosive!

We got to see the sexiness upclose and personal and the brilliant seats meant we could see the dancers’ sweat, and every bit of their bodies as they writhed to the music, and even their expressions.. which shows the professionalism of each and everyone of them.. even in the most obscure positions, they would be in character and were every bit of fabulous.

And then, there were the tight asses of the boys… OH. MY. GOD. The male casts were relatively younger, and they were ALL HOT.

Those tight fitting pants hugged their asses so snugly that, YOU JUST CANNOT MISS THEM.

When they did their sways and hip thrusts, you first notice the perkiness, before you have your gazes held by the spectacular bulges. Giggles.

There were plenty of hand gripping, and bated breaths as we sat through the routines.

Especially there was this part when the female cast did a standing split against a male cast and it was HOT HOT HOT!

Watching it and the dance choreography makes me wish that I could dance like that. It was inspiring.

Was pleasantly surprised by Deone Zanotto’s portrayal of Velma Kelly and though everyone was probably more in it for Sharon Millerchip, I found myself more impressed by Deone’s performance.

Billy Flynn has all the flair but is a tad lacking in the vocal department.

I mean, these people do it 8 times a week, every week! How do they do it?!

Musicals just show how much talent these individuals have and I am just glad I caught it and we cheered we clapped and we had plenty of fun.

There was some standing ovation, and though it still didn’t meet my benchmark, it was close. I remember the squeals we gave when the male casts took their bows and the guys 2nd and 3rd from the right just made our hearts skip a beat.

Joanne Peh and Jeanette Aw were there to watch it together and a naked face Jeanette Aw still looks amazing, I must say.

I can’t wait for Marina Bay Sands’ Lion King to open in October. Still a long way, but I am just glad to get my fix from Chicago.

***

Headed off to have supper at Hotel Rendevous and had a good laugh over boys’ conquests and their tiny victories that seem so significant to boys and yet so trivial to us ladies *blows nailpaint dry* since it was drizzling at Esplanade… and the dreaminess of it all when we stepped out of the musical lingered on such a gorgeous night.

Posted in Piercing the mundane | 4 Comments »

Ting’s VLL #4 – Wireless leeches

April 26th, 2010 by admin

This lesson is for the internet junkies out there who are tech morons, which is a fatal combination that yours truly unfortunately is.

Can you imagine when you are almost dying from withdrawal and frustration, you realise the only thing that is separating you from your fix is your stupidity?!

It is like you see someone having a heart attack, and you are the only one around… with the defibrillators right next to you but you thought those are just for ironing the emergency creases on your shirts or something.

I was blogging halfway last night on my notebook after putting Minibean to sleep, sorely missing my desktop after watching an episode of glee and CSI Miami without regular sound cos the speakers ain’t working when plugged in, when my internet connection died on me.

Just like that *snaps of fingers*.

After hours of attempt to try to revive it, I still couldn’t get it working. I even woke up to check if it works when I changed Minibean’s Drypantz in the early morning, but it still wouldn’t give me any sense of hope.

How sad is that?

This afternoon, the withdrawal got the better of me, and I tried again.

Then I saw the wireless connections of neighbours and one that said excellent connection but I cursed slightly when it was actually secured network.

Since I have had my internet connection for the past… gasp, almost 3 years (which was why I got this notebook for free), I have sometimes saw the same stingy basket who had locked up the connection, which would have sometimes solve my internet woes when using my notebook in the hall.

But since it is rare, my gripes towards the stingy basket weren’t as strong as it was today, since I know my survival is solely base on the wireless since I couldn’t got on the internet via the modem.

I don’t agree to be an internet leech, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Imagine how I could have find troubleshooting solution online!

In the saddest story ever told.. I was left with a desktop with dead motherboard, and a notebook without working internet connection. FML.

A call to Singtel brought forth more revelations than one.

The story got sadder, and sadder.

My network card died indeed, and it could be due to my itchy hand when I tried to clear my notebook of more files.

And then, I was told my modem has always been a wireless too.

I have been wanting to leech the bugger for almost 3 years, only to realise the stingy bugger is myself and the network key is on the bloody modem.

(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

And the ready wireless had been there and for all the years I leeched off weaker signals (may I add, only on two occasions I ever did that and less than 10 minutes!), and cursing the stingy bugger, I had been talking about none other than my own, brilliant, self.

BAH!!!!!

THE NETWORK HAS ALWAYS BEEN MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!

SO SAD RIGHT?!?!?!?!

And now, I am liberated back into the internet, with my wireless network losing its virginity for the very first time in almost 3 years.

Next time anyone of you come my house and I won’t give you a sad little face to tell you I don’t have wireless connection and you would respond with your dejected puppy looks that would make me feel badbadbad.

It was a very “duh” moment but then the joy started seeping in cos all hopes were not lost for me to get online, you know you know?

So, lesson learnt. If you are a tech moron like me, most likely the answer is easier and more straight forward than you think it is.

Just like how last night, an eureka moment dawned upon me with other issues that… “Most of the time, things are the simplest at its most complicated, and most complicated at its simplest.”

I do feel that it holds true that way for many things.

And suddenly, I don’t quite trust myself to dismantle my hard disk from my desktop already.

Posted in Piercing the mundane | No Comments »

Beautifully wrapped

April 26th, 2010 by admin

This is the best way to describe the weekend that ended a fabulous, fabulous week.

I finally got some access to the internet, though still have no guts to dismantle my CPU, and it was a great, great Saturday out, and a quiet Sunday in which saw me repaying all those sleep debt and spending some time squabbling with Minibean.

I met up with some ex-colleagues at Vivocity on Friday, before making my way down for a very very late dinner with Edmund, which explains why I was so low on sugar that I actually wanted to lie down on the food court cos I was feeling way too giddy.

SBB and his boys picked me up from town, before we ended up at Balestier for supper with Caryn.

Saturday was one that saw me lazily dragged my ass out to meet the peeps for Acro Polates 2nd anniversary.

Highly charged, and plenty of touching moments, and seeing how everyone’s hard work paid off was… electrifying. It was great to be able to involve some non-pole dancing friends so they could have a better understanding of this sport!

Will dedicate an entry just for it!

The smiles the hugs, the grace.. the happiness, I can feel the sincerity and beauty of the event, very inspiring!

Feeling super high from the event, the even more exhilarating news was Manchester United had beaten Spurs by 3 – 1.

Who can forget the new map discovery that recharged the love for all things zombie.

Alas, everyone had a hectic day at work and we ended the night early, but I got to enjoy the ride home :)

When I got back, fridge was stuffed to the brim with durian. How can a day like this not be perfect?

Since there was nothing much to do on a Sunday with a reluctance to head anywhere, dinner was McDee’s 1/4 pounder and something tells me my appetite is getting a tad too big after I finished the upsized meal, corn cup and a box of cinnamon meltz, I was still feeling a tad hungry.

When I got on twitter and saw the trending topic amongst my network, I switched on the television and found the hideous carpet and IKEA children’s department star-lights on the ceilings too familiar and too  much of an eye sore. Nonetheless, tweetbitch went on and on and I am now having an insatiable urge to hug the bashful Mark Chao too. So cute. Hurhurhur.

I actually found this year’s better than last year’s cos last year they muted the speech, and it was horrid.

So some of the snippets from twitter post award ceremony and things we learnt:

1) Many started developing the lust to hug Mark Chao all thanks to Li Jing’s efforts to spice up the ceremony.

2) Quan Da Ma unintentional reference to Zhou Chongqing’s Bu Nan Bu Nu in front of Li Jing.

3) Many people don’t like Felicia Chin, just like how Minibean didn’t.

4) Most people had wished Ann Kok to win instead. So did I.

5) Constance Song’s win made some of us feel warm and fuzzy.

6) Zhou Chongqing is hot. (I got a crush on him some half my lifetime ago when I met him in Ngee Ann City and he smiled at me for 15 minutes when I was going up and down the escalator and we were heading same direction ahem)

7) Apparently a journalist had said 7 out of 10 of the top 10 male artistes are gay. I can only find 4 whom I know for sure. :( 2 are married, one is a manwhore who has small kkj cos I personally know 2 women who slept with him, one is a manslut and picked up chicks at clubs, so it makes 4 like totally quite confirm not gay right? Only 2 I not sure, but one is a childhood friend of my friend and he is apparently not. So… the other 5.. Hmm…

8) Chris Lee was trying too hard to look like Johnny Depp and failed pretty badly.

9) Watch the show to bitch. Or just to see the fashion sense of everyone. Get-out-of-bed hair is the in-trend apparently.

10) Personally I would just watch for Quan Yi Fong and Guo Liang lah. I don’t think Zhao Yao Dong deserved it more than Dasmond Koh.

Okay, shall end my post. Was thinking if I should go pick up some diapers and drop off Jay Chou concert tickets at Claris’.

Posted in Senseless Quickies | No Comments »

Fried desktop

April 24th, 2010 by admin

My trusty HP Pavilion desktop of almost 3 years was fried by the recent storm, on 22nd April.

It was an excited day for me and I came to find that my desktop couldn’t boot up, which I self-troubleshot and deduced that either my motherboard was fried or the power supply was killed.

The sad thing is, it is likely to be former and it would mean a $600+ fee to get it fixed by HP. Which translates to not quite worth it especially I could probably fix up a brand new desktop with that price.

My desktop still have all the plastics on its CPU and monitor… and my meticulous care of it means I am quite heartpain to part with it.

I am now just praying my data are sitting prettily within its casing and waiting for my rescue.

Either way, I can’t access to any data and stuff on my desktop and an agony evening passed with me having severe withdrawal from my usual internet activities.

It was when my data plan came in handy and I could access some but not all function of twitter, facebook, or even my blog when I HAD SO MUCH TO WRITE ABOUT!

Had supper with the chaps at Balestier and took the chance to meet up with Caryn (the lovely babe bought me something from her trip to Bangkok!) to collect my laptop which I only use when I am overseas, or like, now, desperate times.

At least I can’t complain with my dosage of internet.

I have to say I am half-tempted to pry open the casing and save the data NOW, by myself!

Which, er, is going to be one of those BIG feats I will ever achieve in my life, and I can perhaps put as one of those stories I can tell my grandchildren next time.. “YOUR AH MA ME, THE TECH IDIOT, DISMANTLED A PC AND RESCUED THE DATA, ALL BY HERSELF!”

I know I said something about doing things I don’t think I would ever attempt… but I am not sure if this is one of those….

.. I shall just bear with the anticipation…

Just no Glee, no CSI… boohoo.

Be patient.. I shall be back, very soon :)

Posted in Senseless Quickies | No Comments »

ADV: Handy Manny Earth Day with Minibean!

April 19th, 2010 by admin

Heeeelllllooooooo everyone! It has been a long while since I last made my special appearance on Mummy’s blog, and look how much I have grown! Yes, that’s me, I am now a responsible, sensible big girl who knows how to twirl my spaghetti on my own *beams with pride*.

Though I still give Mummy plenty of grief sometimes with my terrible threes, but with age (ahem, you know how we girls are sensitive about that), there are just so many new things that I learn everyday which awe me plenty as I grow aware of the world around me.

Of course, what brings me here today must be something of great importance, and being a big girl now, I know I have more responsibilities on my tiny shoulders, and I should play a part in bringing you a very important message, one that is not only close to Mummy’s heart, but also one that is now close to mine.

So now, I want you to give me your full attention and listen to what my tiny voice gotta say! Because like I said, it is very, very, very, very, very important!

It all started on Wednesday, when Mummy was out doing work, and a man dropped by with a colour package meant for Mummy.

With the attractive colours and Disney logo I oh-so familiar with, it didn’t take long for me to hijack the package to myself, and assumed ownership of it all!

Inside there was a folder with Handy Manny’s picture on it, IT MUST BE FOR ME! For you aunties and uncles out there from a different era, Handy Manny is an animation program of Playhouse Disney, which was launched the very year I was born! See! It says TV show for preschoolers, that means it is for ME! I am a preschooler!

There was a towel that I know is perfect for my swimming classes these days, a CD of something I didn’t know how to play without Mummy’s presence, and a pack of shower gel in the shape of Flicker – which is Manny’s youngest tool, and is easily excitable, cheerful and affectionate, pretty much just like me!

I conveniently hijacked all the contents of the package when no adults were watching, thinking it could be for no one else but me.

It was only when Mummy returned, and the towel was the ONLY item she could find.

I thought I did something wrong, and scurried around the house to search for all the items and surrendered everything back to Mummy (though I did misplace something somewhere…).

Sorry Mummy.

Amazing, the usually stern Mummy didn’t scold me, but sat me down with the folder, and got me on the internet! So I am a happy camper again!

I feel like an adult to be surfing away, and Mummy started to browse Handy Manny Earth Day site with me, nagging explaining away and it was a day I learnt a lot.

Mummy says it is important for us babies kids to know about this because eventually, we will be the very ones who will inherit this place and we should start doing our parts young. So aunties and uncles out there should also let my fellow playmates learn about taking care of our earth!

Handy Manny recognizes the significance of starting us young and thus, he will be getting handy with the Earth, and we should help him to fix the Earth! He will be championing for Earth Day, 22nd April, on Playhouse Disney and get us ready for it!

And that’s what I am here to share.

Earth Day – 22nd April

Earth Day falls on 22nd April, and it is going to be its 40th year this year! That’s like more than my age plus Mummy’s age!

The significance of this day is to raise the awareness and inspire the appreciation for the Earth’s environment, as well as highlighting many, many environmental issues and problems so that we, meaning you and Mummy and me, would take on the personal responsibility to act in favour of the environment.

It is because we are living on this earth, and it is our home we are talking about!

It is the first Earth Day I am actively involved in, and I am excited! I realised there are already other ways I have been involved since I was a baby, and more on that later cos I have to tell you the environmental issues we are facing!

Environmental issues

Earth Day highlights issues such as, but not limited to:

Climate Change – Global warming. The Earth’s climate is significantly changing at a faster than normal rate. One thing remains clear: our actions are behind these changes. And it means if we control our actions, we can do things that are of bigger good.

The cars we have grown comfortable to is one major culprit with the gas emission. And this is also why trees are very important, it will help to lower the carbon dioxide level, keep the planet healthy and reduce global warming!

Conservation and Biodiversity – This is one issue that is close to my heart. I love animals, marine life and the vast liberty of nature, and it explains why Mummy loves bringing me to the zoo, Night Safari, Underwater World and I know the names of different plants in the garden.

It pains me to know that with the modernisation of the world, and the greed of human, many animals are at the edge of extinction because either their homes are destroyed, or because the animals are by-products of luxury goods, or perceived delicacies.

Mummy says if we don’t respect nature and these animals, they would all die by the time I grow up, on a selfish note, I love animals and I don’t want to see it happen, but the bigger picture is that tipping the balance of the natural food chain will cause more environmental issues.

Natural resources – Our key to energy. We will dry up our resources if we keep using them abundantly and take them for granted!

Water – Mummy says if there is no water, there is no life. Do you know only 1% of water is for human consumption? Mummy says there are many people out there who do not have the luxury of clean, drinking water like us, and with water pollution, the lives and health of these people are at stakes.

After hearing all the explanations from Mummy, I have so many “Why”s going on in my head, and it is a real depressing picture painted to me.

I realise how sick our earth really is, and it is because of us human that it became this way.

And Mummy says there are many things we can do together to do our parts, and for aunties and uncles reading this, here are some tips I learnt!

TIPS FOR ALL PAPAS AND MAMAS OUT THERE

1) Don’t waste water!

I love playing with water and have recently started my swimming lessons, where Mummy would also dip in the pool with me.

And every time when we shower together after our swim, she will always nag me the importance of water, and how precious water is because when I was younger, I used to insist on having a longer bath so I can play with the water, and splashing it everywhere.

Now I know how wrong it was of me to do that!

Mummy now would turn the water off when we are soaping, and she will not leave the water running when I am brushing my teeth. She says using a cup for me to rinse my mouth is enough, and it will help to save the bills too!

Mummy is also strict with me when it comes to the bathtub, because she says it would waste a lot of water and it gets my skin all wrinkly too! I guess my rubber ducky would have to come to the pool with me if it wants a swim.

2) Save electricity

Mummy always make sure she switches off the lights when we leave the room, and she explained the importance when we plunged into total darkness on Earth Hour just mere weeks ago. Saving electricity will help conserve natural resources.

As much as I am pampered by the luxury of air-conditioner, Mummy says that I can manage with just the fan in day time as it consumes much lesser electricity.

Truth is, when I am tired, I can’t even notice the difference!

3) Reuse

I have recently learnt to write the alphabets and doodling is now my favourite past time.

Sometimes, I create artistic masterpieces that don’t make sense to Mummy, but because how everyone says not to limit my creativity, she is still encouraging when it comes to my career as an artist.

Mummy will pile all these unwanted letters and documents together, and use the blank pages at the back for my canvases. She says this will not waste other paper, and it is really easy for everyone to do so!

Mummy also says when we go shopping, we could carry a BIG, lightweight bag like this:

Well, we are not talking about fashion sense here are we, so don’t preach me about the fashion disaster of it all! As I was saying, bringing a big shopping bag to stuff all the purchases into it instead of using plastic bags!

4) Recycle

There is a few recycling bins at the void deck of our apartments, and through the sorting out of the materials, I have learnt how to catergorize things and knowing their elements through it. It can be educational in that sense, and a great bonding task to do!

5) Sensible shopping

During my birthday last year, this was what Mummy got for me and my little friends:

They are pretty indeed, but it would be even better if they are biodegradable. Mummy says this year, she will bear in mind to get biodegradable disposable products for my party!

6) Walking!

Walking the distance instead of taking the car out is not only environmental friendly, it also helps me to work off those excess sugar in me so Mummy would have an easier time with an active being like me!

Along the way, Mummy would make conversations with me, showing me the greenery and makes me appreciate the wondrous of nature even more! Suddenly, Mummy sounds so much smarter than her usual self!

Someday when I muster my balancing on my bicycle, I would be able to tone my legs!

I know it is not possible to walk from Jurong to Changi, but there is always public transport as option!

7) Make friends with nature and animals.

I love the outdoors, I think it is something I am born with, and I know flowers by their species since I could speak.

I am always amazed by the birds flying in, and the new plants sprouting in the garden.

I watch the trees go by whenever I am travelling, and they are so beautiful.

I love animals and I love to mimic the sounds they make.

The adults I grow up with have exposed me to the great nature and the animals so that I can love them more. It had spurred my interest, and I learn not only a great deal about the world beyond us humans, but also the importance to respect nature, and other animals.

Going to places like zoos, Underwater World, let me know more about other existence on earth, and Mummy told me there is nothing nice about Sharks’ fins, especially when it has high mercury content which is bad for kids. It is also very cruel what they did to them sharks.

During my last trip to Underwater World, I finally got to see the dolphins I so love!

I was told by everyone that I should love them and treat them gently, because we have our papas and mamas to take care of our well-beings, but their well-beings are dependent solely on our mercy.

8) Do things together!

This one gotta be my favourite because I get to bond with Mummy and Papa and we can do good things!

I get to help grandma and grandpa to plant their new plants after our trips to the nursery to get seeds and I get very happy when they slowly grow over time!

Or. A trip to the beach has whole new meaning because I not only build sand castles and bask in the sun, but I can also do my part by doing beach cleaning, picking some trash from the beach, so that they will not be washed into the sea and harm the fishes and marine life living in the sea.

It will not be nice if rubbish suddenly rains into our homes too, right?

Then Mummy and I can do silly things and laugh ourselves silly, and it is a recipe for a nice, simple, happy day!

There are so many things we can do, and it all takes little efforts for us to do our part. If we start doing it, it will become habitual, and can you imagine everyone of us do a little big, it will roll into a very BIG, MASSIVE bit?

And there will be things we are already doing, and we can help by spreading the word to others, so they can start doing it too! :D

If you need more tips, you can find them at Handy Manny Earth Day site HERE! Save it onto your desktops, and if you really have to print it, you can reuse those scrap papers like my Mummy does!

That is not all!

Did I say do things together?

Yes! Another thing to do together is to take part in the Manny’s Mini Garden Contest!

The contest will start on Earth Day, 22nd April, and it will be a fun and engaging activity for all papas and mamas and their little spawns.

All you have to do is to brainstorm together as a family and think of how you can get handy with the earth like Handy Manny. Draw it on the sketch pad on the site, be creative with the green message you want to send out, and just submit the masterpiece will do!

It is easy! Just like how easy it is for us to do our part for our Earth. :)

And we can do it together, on this meaningful Earth Day, come 22nd April!

Don’t forget! Let your children learn more about Earth Day on Playhouse Disney (Starhub Channel 34) 22nd April, 9am – 2pm!

Posted in Minibeanism, Tried & Tested/Advertorials | 2 Comments »

Embracing Mondays

April 19th, 2010 by admin

I think my blog mojo is somewhat back, which explains the fury of posts in this space.

And maybe cos my Monday has been pretty pleasant and thus I am not running out of fodder, yet.

I know it isn’t fair to say I like Mondays since I don’t have to drag my sorry ass to work, but my Mondays have pole-dance classes going on, and they have became the very reason to why I look forward to my Mondays.

Lotsa funny incidents happened during driving lesson today, and I think I should write one about my driving stories after I fail *be positive*  my driving test on coming Thursday.

The lovely surprise that made Monday all the more pretty is when I found this package in my mailbox today:

A mega surprise! :D THANKS @JOANWWY! on Twitpic

A lovely, lovely dress which I had been eyeing for a while, but had refrained from buying cos of my shopping ban.

I was asking for opinions about it on twitter, and Jo of Foggiare sent it to me after reading how much I adore the pretty dress!

I am very grateful to such a sweet gesture, and it was such a sweet surprise to sweeten a Monday afternoon :D And they are using their new packaging, which is a pretty envelope, which even has a discount coupon to be used in their store!

I have decided that is timely arrival  means that I have a new dress to wear for my Chicago night out tomorrow evening! So pictures to be posted up soon! I have to say the material is fabulous and it is so comfortable to wear :)

And yes, I have conveniently done a product placement – Microsoft Blue Track Mouse in white (damn pretty) since I needed something to cover my addy. Hahaha.

I went into Foggiare’s site and saw the newest addition will be launched tonight. Check out the black/pink ruched dress, and knitted off shoulder-top in white! Very pretty! (Note: not an advertorial, cos I really do like these 2 pieces and thought they are worth mentioning!)

Alrightly, time to head out in the rain for my pole-dance class (hopefully some pretty pictures and less bruises today!), before I have to fulfil my motherly duties to fetch Minibean home.

At least there’s someone out there like me who doesn’t hate Mondays! :)

Posted in Perk-me-ups | 6 Comments »

Of dreams of vampires

April 19th, 2010 by admin

I am not sure if it reflects a part of me with the incessant dreams of vampires, which most of the time are like cheesy, low-budget spin-offs of Twilight.

But it gave what Twilight franchise couldn’t give me, the surreal, vivid, and realistic feel.. that it was almost like watching a movie in 4D, and I was my own lead, though sometimes the heart-pounding I can do without.

Last night, I had yet another of such Vampire dreams, my 3rd, or perhaps 4th so far.

It was an action pack, yet dramatic, yet lust-filled, yet totally… excitable cos everything in it was so forbidden.

Like say, Mission Impossible meets Twilight meets some other movies..

I blame it on the excessive movies I have been watching these couple of months. I had watched 15 movies in a month, and all the plots, stories, scenerios and sceneries proved to have left a lasting impact.

So there was a dream of me being a vampire and hanging out with fellow vampires, and the most vivid part was me flying about and around, and my speed took me up the building by the walls.

(Like how Edward Cullen had plenty of speed, and remember those vampires playing baseball with those thunderous speed? You get the drift)

And the hunt for blood and the sweet scent of it (if you read the fourth instalment of the series, you would know what I mean.. I was dreaming myself to be Bella. HAHAHA!)

That was perhaps the only time I got to be a vampire, and the flying and swooshing was fun, cos I could almost feel the speed in my face despite it being just a dream.

Then I had another dream, of vampires, which was vague, and didn’t leave quite as big an impact. I remember I was almost converted, and it should have left a bigger impact, cos I did dream of Edward Cullen in the form of R Patz. I blame my subconsciousness for not taking the chance to like play out another scene from Book 4. The one that involved plenty of physical actions. Ahem.

I am such a prude in my dreams.

Last night was someone from my past, of yet another chinggalongchong boy from Chinese High eons ago. But of the story plot and scale of the dream, last night’s was perhaps worthy of a Hollywood production.

High octane drama when another group of vampires (in the corporate world, mafia style) was after this friend of mine, whom I was once attracted to more than a decade ago.

As I encountered explosions, ambushed lifts, and escaped from assassins out to get my life cos well, I was working for said friend of mine and I had no idea it was a vampire war.

And the funny thing was in the dream, I was in one of those car chases (I have a feeling cos of my driving lessons), and when the car screeched to a stop, I was at this beautiful landscape (must be a big budget dream that I get to travel!), and I started asking for answers.

We managed to hide at a posh hotel, in a presidential suite.

Then the secret came tumbling out, and I was actually looking forward for him to “convert” me. I was literally tempting him to do so, so there was lotsa necking and tumbling around the bed (even though it wasn’t a sexual dream hahaha!) he was trying to refrain, just like Edward did in Twilight.

I was almost like a guy in heat, thinking to myself, “Suck me, dammit!“.

I cannot explain why but my dream gave me quite a thrill. I woke up feeling damn disappointed I wasn’t converted in the dream. BAH.

If dream interpretations can be anything to be trusted…

Vampires, for most people, represent powerful and evil creatures. Dreaming about vampires suggests that the dreamer may be feeling overwhelmed in some areas of his or her life and is struggling with negative thoughts, feelings, and actions. You may be currently concerned about ethical or moral issues and are experiencing anxiety as a result. The vampire represents personal attributes or negative habits that drain energy and resources or cause emotional exhaustion. If you are being attacked by a vampire, you may perceive yourself as a powerless victim. Interpreting this dream’s message may help you to identify the source of your negative feelings and helplessness.

Seeing a vampire in your dream, symbolizes seduction and sensuality, as well as fear and death. The vampire represents contrasting images of civilized nobility and aggression/ferocity. It may depict someone in your waking life whose charm may ultimately prove harmful. Deep down inside you know that this person is bad for you, yet you are still drawn to it. Alternatively, to see a vampire suggests that you are feeling physically or emotionally drained. The vampire may also be symbolic for someone who is addicted to drugs or someone in an obsessive relationship.

But I doubt they have updated the definition of it after Twilight, cos it would have meant sexiness, romance, and embodies Edward Cullen. Tsk.

And oh dear, why are people from the past coming to suck me emotionally? And does that mean I am addicted to Edward Cullen since I dreamt that I was romancing him in my dreams?

Tsk, so worrying.

It is funny how sometimes my own dreams intrigued me so much. Let’s just hope I have more grade A big-budgeted production style dreams for me to live my life vicariously through them.

Posted in Senseless Quickies | No Comments »

Once upon a time

April 19th, 2010 by admin

I used to think what are some of the things I will really, really wanna do before my skin sags to the floor, and set out to strike them off the list. The list of things-to-do is not exactly lean, and thankfully, I am not too greedy and those that I don’t feel as strongly for, there is no urge in me to fulfil it.

Say, example, Japan. I don’t mind not visiting Japan, ever in my life. Someday maybe, but just not yet to be on the list.

Thankfully, being pushed out of my comfort zone, meant I have struck off some of those things from the list from the past couple of years… and I take some form of comfort from there.

I was wondering what I could possible do more.

And then I decided to explore the list of “Things I would never have the balls to do” and things “I will never consider or imagine myself doing”.

To complete the wants in my life is good, but it is overcoming the reluctance in my life that is going to be challenging, and brings on even more gratification, methinks.

And when I say “reluctance” it is more about like overcoming my vertigo, maybe someday take on my fear for public speaking and do a play or something…

… Just don’t expect me to don Chelsea or Liverpool gear and try out a relationship with the clubs. I am not cheap in that way. ;)

Posted in The Dreamer Within | No Comments »

Zest of Zepherra

April 16th, 2010 by admin

I don’t think I have ever quite say it outright, but when I do get invited for events, or receive products for reviews, or have requests for advertorials, I do have some sort of considerations whether or not I would write on the related topics.

It is like, some time ago, I was sent some IT products, but perhaps the technical idiot in me really didn’t quite feel the product had any major impact on me, I ceased to use it, and neither did I write about it. I mean the gesture was nice, but I just can’t seem to write about things I don’t really believe in.

Same thing goes for beauty products. A friend of mine was raving about her Holy Grail, but the same product didn’t quite work for me enough to rave about it, though I believe certain products will work better for some, and some others, not.

When I was first approached to do an advertorial, I do believe a person’s sincerity, the products, or sometimes, even the message is quite important.

Why do you go back to a place with good service, even if the cost could be a little higher? I believe good service is hard to come by these days, and the sincerity of the people who serve you is something I personally appreciate.

Same thing. If a PR person invites you to an event, there are certain things you will be looking for, and it might not be a lot, but some people just have that factor to make you feel that you would want to cover the event, just because he/she did a great job.

I have a regular brandless beauty salon I go back to, and heck, I don’t even believe in going for facials, but the only reason why I go back there is because I like my beautician who is never pushy, and gives me one hellava massage, and bothers to remember things about me which makes me feel like a friend I am returning to.

And I feel that if it is something I don’t “feel”, there is also a sense of responsibility in me when I share the information, and there is no point getting people’s expectations high, and then people get pissed off from the disappointment. So sometimes I rather review things/services I personally use/go to, simply cos it gives me the freedom to highlight the not-so-goods as it would make things more credible.

It is like, there are certain things out there I have tried cos of the advertorials I read online, but then I often get very irked when things I received are nothing like those people had paid to write said they were.

I know how hard it is sometimes to draw a line, since many things are objective, but I will just like to say that I hope to balance it as much as I can.

So far, even for some of the advertorials I have written before, I had became a paying customer myself, which means a great deal cos everyone knows how much of a scrooge I am!

***

Having said that, this post is gonna be an advertorial for an up and coming blogshop which I personally adore.

When I was first approached for this, I had asked for the site to take a look, with a disclaimer that I will only write if I see something I like and I would personally buy and wear on a regular basis, rather than requests for items that don’t suit me, take the moolah, randomly and shabbily post up the link, and eventually, either give the pieces away or sell them online.

Of course, what also matters a lot is the person I had the exchange with. I think sometimes you can sniff the sincerity, not only of the person to me, but also the person has for the customers. The follow ups also reflects a certain degree of customer service, and I think that is awfully important when it comes to blogshops after having a couple of really unpleasant experiences with some other blogshops.

I don’t just mean the I-am-super-nice-to-you-just-because-I-want-you-to-write-something.. but I just don’t know how to explain, you know you know!

Okay, cut the crap, cos what is important is for me to show pretttttttyyyyyyy things!

And may I proudly present to you one of the new blogshops in town (which I may add, shows plenty of potential!)…
spring comments - http://www.springtext.com

http://www.zepherra.com/

When I first went into the site, I really liked the layout and the format which makes shopping easy! And since I have an incurable fetish for dresses, the site definitely appealed to the (occasional) girly girl in me.

The first and latest collection of Girlish Fling was recently launched, and I am guilty to say I was only too eager to agree to writing an advertorial because I really adore the stuff in there.

I was devastatingly torn between:

The ASOS-inspired sweetheart dress, which is exclusively manufactured by Zepherra, that comes in 4 yummy colours. I was particularly in love with the white, yellow and light blue!

Tulip workdress in gold.

And this:

The chiffon cross back dress in white!

All so pretty! And I didn’t know which to choose!

Eventually, I decided what is important to see the quality of the clothes, is through the exclusively available pieces, and I decided on the sweetheart dress… in baby blue!

And when Miss Zepherra (am not sure if she would be comfy with me naming her) said she had sent the love (my chosen piece that is) my way, I was so excited that I would check my letter box even over the weekends hoping the pretty thing would reach me sooner!

When it finally reached me, I couldn’t wait to wear it out for the fabulous weekend I had with Minibean last Saturday! :)

The dress turned out to be fabulous, with the cutting to be flattering, and the “sweetheart” part to be symmetrical (haha you can say this is a weird thing to say but have you seen some of the blogshops self manufactured pieces with nice designs but the workmanship is just crap?), and the best thing about it is, the material was of impressive quality.

In fact, a couple of people’s very first comment is that the fabric is really nice to touch when I show the dress to them, which was exactly the first impression I had when I opened up my package (which had a big and sweet “Thank You” written on it). On top of that, it even comes with this comfortable lining which is not like those cheap, thin linings some dresses out there have.

I immediately dropped an email to Miss Zepherra to compliment the cut and the quality of the dress, and her reply was :

I love the material too. It’s an expensive grade of cotton I chose specially for this dress; feels so smooth and luxurious to touch. :)

Which I thought was really sweet that lotsa thoughts had went into it :)

And it was the perfect sundress for a weekend out!

Heading out with Minibean in my sweetheart sundress in blue! (Pardon the bad hair day, heh)

On the way out with Minibean’s incessant requests to camwhore.

Her recent “favourite” look, the shy shy act coy look, laughs.

I think I accidentally took this. How? I don’t know?

I love how she looks in this picture! And yes, she will look into the camera even when she smooches Mummy.

She is into a phase of jackets and cardigans, and even with the recent insanely hot weather, she is still adamant about keeping her jacket on, and zipped.

More pictures!

I find it annoying when the “elders” always bring her for hair cut when I wanna keep her hair long. But as her hair is growing, her natural curls have made her hair pretty unruly.

Her smile melts me in this pictureeeeeee! I love love love!

She and her smelly chow chow! And this pillow case of hers, was actually a cloth bag for a set of my pyjamas with the same prints. Funny how it becomes such an integrated part of her childhood.

My turn to camwhore with someone trying to sneak into the frame when I wasn’t looking!

Had lunch at Paragon after a traffic jam hindered my plans to head for my pole lesson. Canele! For the glorious macarons!

I seriously have to stick to my diet and not eat the food my doctor had advised me to avoid! Which is everything seen above!

When there’s food, it is not easy to take a flattering picture of Minibean…

If I am not wrong, she was looking at the little boy she was flirting with at the next table.

HAHAHA another not-so-nice picture of her chewing her food, which I can blackmail her with when she grows up!

Walked around town after lunch!

She is getting heavier….

And it is evident in this picture as I struggled to keep her from sliding down. Bloated tummy so obvious from first day of perrriioooddd. Booohoo.

Outside Gucci, a perfect place for the narcissistic. Despite it being a really warm day, the material was actually very cooling and the luxurious feel makes it really comfortable for a day out :)

Which was not quite a smart place to be at… cos…

“MUMMY, THE BAG VERY PRETTY!,” and there, the spawn dragged me into Gucci.

GASP!

(By the way, did I mention I like the back of the dress very much?)

And inside Gucci, she created quite a chaos when she insisted on grabbing every single pair of shades to try on.

The white ones, the red ones, and then she would tug the hems of my dress to get me to take pictures of her. I quickly took one in case I get chased out of Gucci by the staff.

Scooted off to Far East to get a pair of cheap, comfortable flats from Mondo, before rushing down for my driving class at night.

Thereafter, I concluded the day with some goofing around with Minibean at home!

She says she wanna be a ballerina :)

I think with her chor-lorness (taken after me), she can perhaps try martial arts instead.

Maybe some day I can be as flexible as she is. Cough.

I know she doesn’t have my smile. Pfft. *roll eyes*

Took some pictures of my new lovely dress from Zepherra which I truly truly like!

The ribbon was coming loose after all those “dancing” and jumping around with Minibean.

But when the ribbon is tied, the cutting is really flattering.

I really like it so much that I was contemplating on getting the yellow one cos it is so sweet. I would have gotten the white one if not for the fact that I would probably stain it within 10 minutes I wear it out.

But don’t just take my word for it, do check out Zepherra site and see if there is anything that catches your fancy :) From my exchange with Miss Zepherra, I believe more exciting things will be coming up and I can’t wait!

And the end to a nice evening like this… is some pampering for self..

Macarons! I shall one day have my macarons from Pierre Hermé or Ladurée *dreams*

I think between Canele, TWG and Bakerzin, Canele still have the best tasting one. TWG’s crust was too soft for me (some things are better hard, ya know?), and Bakerzin’s filling is not that consistent.

My favourite?

Canele’s hazelnut :)

And that sums up a brilliant, brilliant Saturday evening.

Posted in Life's Fillers, Minibeanism, Tried & Tested/Advertorials | 2 Comments »

Of Ching Chong boys

April 15th, 2010 by admin

I have been having quite a fulfilling past couple of days, and I am not sure I am used to such a smooth flow of things. And in retrospect, I have realised the one most important element that has set the different pace for 2010.

It would probably take a wee bit more time for things to fall into place, but all’s good thus far. :)

I have been feeling some sort of lethargy these couple of days, with this strange fatigue dragging my pace slow. Yet I am half-willing myself through the motions and the endorphins from how I forced myself into pace seem to be doing me some good.

I have my days filled, how? I have no idea, but getting home at 2am after a bak kut teh supper last night proved to be something I can’t quite afford these days – my excessive eating habits. Yes, I might not look like I am anywhere near over-weight but it is just the sudden appetite surge and bingeing looks kinda worrying for me.

I got home and surprised myself that I had some spare energy for news-catching up, and an episode of CSI, some photoloading and all, before I concussed for a very deep slumber.

***

It was good sleep, except that I had a very, very bad dream while I was sleeping. I wasn’t sure what was worse, the content, the feeling it gave me, or just… the people?

Honestly, it wouldn’t have been that bad a dream if not for the bloody cockroach. Well, in my dream that is.

And always remember, dreams don’t make sense, so don’t expect the below content to do.

I remember this barrack style camp. With strict security, and our moves were monitored by the strict military that showed no compassion to any of us.

I remember some people from my past were in it. Like, strangely, Mr KG.

And in an attempt to search for posts about these people in my past, I found one, and I read it with bated breath from start to the end. I had forgotten to breathe.

Isn’t it funny how someone from 15 years ago can still have such impact?

Anyway. I dreamt of him, and his long-time girlfriend.

And somehow, there was someone else in the dream whom I ran to with my stories of confusion.

My reality was disengaged with the dream, apparently, yet had no way to escape from it.

I remember while catching up with an old friend recently, he asked if I had my closure from whatever happened between me and Mr KG, though blissfully unaware of Mr KG’s identity.

He asked me if given the choice, would I allow it to happen again? I said, indeed, it was perhaps what I needed. And it was perhaps for the first time, Mr KG shed some light on the self he had so fiercely guarded.

I remember smiling and blushing from the distant memory, cos it was once sweet, and reminded me of the old, innocent days.

They both appeared in the dream.

Anyway.

The dream was tainted by a cockroach. Which apparently had crawled into my clothes and I had accidentally crushed when it was at my left lower back.

I remember feeling grossed out, and the rest of the dream had me walking around with my back braced, and looking for someone to clear the mess for me cos I was so freaking scared and almost hyperventilating from it all.

I remember feeling as if the mess of a crushed cockroach was THERE, but I had refused to touch or feel it and didn’t even dare to go into the shower cos I was afraid when it is washed away, it would land on the floor and touch my legs (I KNOW HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS BUT IT WAS IN MY DREAM!).

I remember sneaking into the males’ barracks just to find someone brave enough to wash my back for me.

I never got to that part, so there left no chance for the dream to become steamy. Dang.

I woke up from my sleep with a very good, deep sleep, however, a very tense left lower back and apparently I had tossed and turned and whimpered in my sleep cos of the bloody cockroach.

I woke up to make sure there wasn’t any crusty mess left behind my back.

***

Was on my way out to my driving class today and like with any other lessons I have had recently, we had a problem again.

I forgot my PDL.

Woops.

Nonetheless it was a fun day and I was seriously thinking about not going for lessons till test date so I could save on some moolah, which of course isn’t quite a wise choice.

I seriously wonder how probable it is for such a clumsy person like me to be on the road, and the chances of me passing the test with such last minuteness.

I have less than 10 lessons under my belt (not to mention some are only an hour lesson), and my test is technically less than a week away. Gasp.

Oh well, come what may. Heh.

***

On my way back home, the sun was still blazing when the thunders made themselves heard.

On the train, this RI boy in shorts, looking all scrawny and nerdy found himself engrossed with Twilight.

Somehow, the picture was quite wrong and I almost wanted to take a picture of it… but thought it was quite mean, cos you know, nerds just have a way of making you go “Awww…” so I thought it was quite cute.

And it prompted some twitter exchange of how I have fetish for nerdy RI boys.

They couldn’t be further from the truth, I am a cheenah girl at heart, and I adore the cheenahchinggalongchong Chinese High boys. There is just this down-to-earthness to them that makes me go weak in my knees, and a man who knows his mandarin well, oh my gosh, how sexy is that?

I know it sounds damn fucking wrong cos I am talking about boys below 16 when I am now at a grand old age of 29, BUT I was 13-16 once too, alright? I am in no way a paedophile just because I was gawking at a 13/14 year-old boy reading Twilight. He isn’t my type, ahem.

And when I was younger, the ching chong boys were my type!

And then I suddenly remember, I dreamt of ching chong boys last night! You see.. Mr KG was one of those Ching Chong boys from my past… hahaha!

And fuck! I still have my ex-boyfriend’s pictures in my wallet, and I wonder if the police will launch an investigation if they ever search me and find a 16 years-old chap’s passport picture in my possession, wearing, yes you guessed it, Chinese High uniform?

If you know about wen yan wen, Tang and Song dynasty poems and prose, you are sexier than the Greek gods to me. Knowing you Hong Zhong, Bai Ban and Fa Cai is sometimes good enough too.

What disturbs me is the fact that I have not dated a guy who are either of the above for more than a decade. Gasp!

Sigh *hand on chest* Oh well.

***

While walking home today, a guard at the gate beamed and chirped, “Hello! Welcome home!“. I have never met a guard be it be in my own estate, or any estate in that matter, to say this.

Honestly, it suddenly felt damn good to be home. I don’t know, but I thought that was damn sweet :)

I managed to do much on what I had set out to do today, and I have finally filed my income tax, which was quite a painful event though I missed out a few categories cos of the “grey area” of it all.

Nonetheless I am glad that is over and done with.

I was safe from the angry skies as it only started to get real bad after I stepped into the comfort of home.

Did some amendments for an upcoming advertorial for submission while I tried on this pretty fabulous sample product for my face and did some self-pampering externally, and internally (macarons! food! snacks! woohoo!).

Even got time for a random, mundane blog piece like this!

And maybe, after this, I shall blog about all things pretty :)

P/S: I finished this post 2 hours ago at 7ish, almost 8pm. But apparently, the usual doofus in me forgot to publish the post. Like, how duh?! *facepalm*

Posted in Life's Fillers | 6 Comments »
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