the family was laughing at me when we were in the car on the way to porta porta...coz they thought that i looked like bruce lee:

eek?! haha it's the just-had-a-swim hair, i tell you! haha

someone was drunk. again. he's very funny when he's drunk. muahaha

raelska says: are you druuuuunnnkkk?
drunk says: im so drunk
drunk says: oktoberfrst
raelska says: i'm so crever
drunk says: zzzennnnn
drunk says: i need to tell you that im drunk
drunk says: hahhhhhhhhhhhhhha
raelska says: yes darling...drunk people should go and schllleeeeep
drunk says: i feel bumb
drunk says: numb
raelska says: not bumb, not numb, you're DUMB
drunk says: too bad loorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
drunk says: i 333333333333333333
drunk says: whoops
drunk says: sorry
drunk says: hahahha
raelska says: u 3333333333 ah...
drunk says: im approimately 70%
raelska says: ok.....i 5555555555555 ok?
drunk says: 100% being so drunk that im stupid
drunk says: and 0% being noral
raelska says: so u are not noral

drunk says: dun bedunm
raelska says: but u'r 70% unnoral
drunk says: br fum
drunk says: DON'T BE DUMB
drunk says: dun take advantage of me supre drunk state
raelska says: supre is a brand in melbourne...like this fashion, for ang mohs
:
:
:
drunk says: you must tke care of yorusld
drunk says: vecase i misht be too busy to chekc in on you
drunk says: rahhhhhhh
drunk says: i miss tha rah
drunk says: i not dcared
drunk says: io go lsepse now
drunk says: gniet
drunk says: oogdnight
drunk says: gnote

-----
i think drunk fell asleep on the floor between the computer and the bed after those 3 attempts to get his "goodnight" right. and i believe that he's at work with a massive hangover right now. muahaha!

let me sleep
for when I sleep
i dream that you are here
you're mine
and all my fears are left behind
i float on air
the nightingale sings gentle lullabys
so let me close my eyes

and sleep
per chance to dream
so I can see the face i long to touch
to kiss
but only dreams can bring me this
so let the moon
shine softly on the boy i long to see
and maybe when he dreams
he'll dream of me

i'll hide beneath the clouds
and whisper to the evening stars
they tell me love is just a dream away
dream away
i'll dream away

so let the moon
shine softly on the boy i long to see
and maybe when he dreams
he'll dream of me

*edited!

i had a ball of a time reading the newspapers this morning.

not when i was reading the serious issues of course - the guy who made a little girl perform oral sex on him over a period of 6 years from when she was just 5 years old is just sick sick sick!!! he even made her do it on him in his children's bedroom, while her parents were outside chatting with his wife!!!!!!! that's just so wrong on so many levels!!!!! how can anyone do such a thing?!?!?!

and he's only given a 21-year jail sentence and 8 strokes of the cane. he deserves to be made to perform oral sex on one million homophobic, fat, ugly, pedophilic bastards. he deserves to die.

the poor little girl is scarred for life, her family highly traumatized (imagine her parents, their guilt for having entrusted their child in this menace's care), and let's not even go into how this must be affecting the bastard's wife and 2 daughters!!!

fuck. why are there such people around?

serious issues aside though, there were some amusing gems packed in those dirty pages. or maybe i'm just in a good mood haha (all riled up by the reports on that bastard, but still in a general good mood =/)

today page 20: if roads too dangerous to drive, take the "bmw"
a certain mr john chye wrote in in response to the idea of the death penalty for traffic offenders, and proposed that drivers who think singapore's roads are too dangerous for driving should take the bmw:

• bus - slow and steady. even if a driver swerves into your lane, it is not you who has to appl the brakes abruptly
• mrt - nobody is going to cut into your lane
• walk - exercise is good for you

i'd rather have a real bmw actually...one of them 5 series would be nice...or the 6 series coupe...or the x5... *dreaming*

straits times prime page 4: boosting ties with gift of bull semen
am i the only one who did a double take after reading that headline?

apparently, a singapore government agency (international singapore enterprise) has helped boost ties with china's shandong province - and its cows - by donating a bumper batch of high-quality bull semen.

the semen - sufficient for 200 cows - was procured from prize american and canadian bulls and presented on monday by singapore's agri-food and veterinary authority to the shandong provincial husbandry bureau.

how you present semen, i don't know. but i do know that there will be lots of angmoh-looking cheena calves running around in the near future...

life! page 4: grey matters
yes i know that life! is frivolous, but it's more often than not the first section i read everyday. today's offer's full of old people doing stuffs and looking really young - is it just me or does the supposedly 70-year-old singer on the front page look distinctly un-70-year-old?!

anyway...tee hun ching's life's journey column put up some precious quotes that were from the not dead yet column in the Times of london. shall trawl the net for more, but here are my favourites from today's column:

"from an Aids information leaflet picked up at the border of botswana and namibia: '...sexually active people (defined as between the ages of 19 and 40)..." ~simon fernley, bath~

"some truths about ageing: things you buy now won't wear out. you can have a party and the neighbours won't even notice. your secrets are safe with your friends, because they won't remember them." ~mike & pam bird, kingsdown, bristol~

and i found this especially sweet:

"now that i'm in my 70s, i keep telling my wife what an advantage it is for her to be married to a palaeontologist: the older she gets, the more i love her." ~stuart baldwin, witham, essex~

aww gime a palaeontologist please!

.: baby, don't not-yet-dead people's ramblings sound so much better than dead people's ramblings? haha! :.

today timepiece special
i laughed out loud when i chanced upon this ingenious swatch ad:

the large men in poofy girly tutus, fat feet encased in delicate ballet shoes, and that forlorn little girl in the corner - priceless!

thus ends my review of today's newspapers. back to work! *roar*

was looking through my photos and saw these that hock and i took sometime back when we walked past a display case at cine.

naughty naughty!

and the name of this figurine really doesn't go with her *ahem* ample bosom:

here we have proof that yellow is a dirty color...dirty in more ways than one:

and i thought cineleisure's a place for good, clean family fun... =/

it was my parents' 25th wedding aniversary yesterday, and we had a yummy dinner at a quaint little italian restaurant.

porta porta is located opposite the changi prison, along a row of nondescript grocery shops. it's a very small restaurant with less than 10 tables and is run by a very affable couple - nino and rozi laino. it's all very cosy, with lots of personal touches, and a friendly nino going around checking that everything's to your liking.

we ordered a house meal that gave us mini portions of several items (appetizer, soup, 2 pastas, calamari, 1 meat, 2 desserts), roasted lamb, and a swordfish.

the tender lamb was a winner, and so was the chicken that came as the "meat" in the house set. the swordfish was a tad too tough for my liking though. and i want to try the chicken roll in mushroom sauce thingy next time!

the house set gave us a sample of porta porta's tiramisu and apple pie - which were yummy! so yummy that i couldn't resist ordering a larger portion of tiramisu, and fawn ordered some mushroom-shaped ice cream (chocolate and cream flavors) just coz it looks funny.

it was, on the whole, a very warm dining experience and i give this quiet taste of italy two thumbs-up! will definitely be back to try more of their delicious food.

the fam at porta porta:

if i ever get married, i want it to last forever, and have a family filled with love and laughter.

noolnai's illegal immigration went without a hitch (for me...except that the cake didn't come with a knife and i had to use the handle bit of a plastic spoon to cut the cake up...)...

happy birthday ian! lana cake is yummy. even though i can prob do a better job with the words...

group photos taken through the night/morning:

and no party's complete without the mystery face (and finger) that finds any nook and cranny just to show abit of skin in other people's photos..

i attempted to take a nice couply photo of the beauty and the beast...but the beast seems to take pride in ruining pictures:

aww still sweet lah still sweet! heh

photos of rustee's yummy bbq and early, impromptu birthday celebration where the other cake i purchased came to good use will not be posted...coz rustee's shhhhyyyyy...muahahaha!

1 crazy day, 2 cakes, 3 noisy kids, 1 bbq, 1 semi-illegal immigration, 1 early celebration, 1 belated birthday...

i came home with 2 very painful eyes, 48 photos, 1 full stomach, and 1 mozzie bite...

i hope it's not an evil aedes mosquito!!!


if not, there'l be 1 very ill zenn (or 1 very dead zenn)... =/

time to sleep...i'm knackered, but it was fun...photos next post!

damn...coaching at 10am...zombie teacher zenn...zzzzzzzzz

lightning sometimes strikes at the most unexpected moment. you get hit, and you don't know what to do next.

it is warm, exciting, and as the current courses through, you feel alive. happy.
but it's also dangerous.

the great unknown lies ahead. live for this moment that's making your heart sing, and bask in all this joy? or let it go, coz the more wonderful something is, the greater the potential fall will be.

i am a risk-taker...when i think it's worth me giving my all.
i am a dreamer...filled with hope (however misplaced it may be).
i may be silly...but at least i dare to fall.

and i don't regret trying.

for gracie:

*makes out on a park bench*

i don't know with who haha but you can compare now...heeheehee

made my way to the office all groggy this morning, after a late night out watching cinderella man with the birthday boy and gang.

but you perked me up with that drunken early morning skype =) the ringing that came on as soon as i logged in, and the sound of your sleepy voice, got me off to a lovely start...

waf.

-----
in other news, i thoroughly enjoyed dinner at din tai fung and the movie that followed. haven't been out in awhile, and it's good to see everyone again (even though minmin stayed home, eh no, she went starlight then went home to her new baby nano haha).

cinderella man was painful to watch. not coz it was a bad show, but coz of the punches and the blows, the blood and the broken bones...OUCH!!! no one i love is allowed to box. ok?! no one!!!

it's a very touching, feel-good, rags-to-riches, celebration-of-hard-work-and-determination movie. very enjoyable, made me tear and the kids - especially that cherubic little girl - were gorgeous!

only thing that marred the movie was renee zellweger. her acting just made what were supposed to be the touching scenes less touching. and the comparison below may not show it very well, but she really does look like a chipmunk...

=/

i think i sprained my right ankle when i was asleep... =/

i am...(inspired by mrbrown)

i am one who dreams big dreams, and who falls flat on her face. i am the girl who picks herself up, brushes off the dirt and hobbles on.

i am the one who cried. i'm the soul you saved from the ditch.

i am the kid who jumped around with her cousins after school, and looked forward to each time the bus dropped me off at grandma's. i am the child who had lovely birthdays surrounded by family members. i'm the little one who went to grandpa's shop and ate more than i sold.

i am the daughter who caused you heartache, and for whom you created an unforgetable doughnut cake. i am the little girl with two ponytails, who roamed the corridors, played with the dogs and went into the sea right after i scrapped my knee.

i am the sister who shouted at you, and the one who hugs you. i am the banban you love.

i am the mediocre student who only shone in subjects i had a passion for. i am the stubborn bull who never gives up. i am the weakling who flailed.

i am the prefect who stood in front of the school, and shouted out commands at flag raising. i am the fairy in that dance, and the compere for that ceremony i sacrificed a trip to disneyland for.

i am the sweaty girl tearing round the tracks. i am the breathless captain, racket in hand. i am the lass who swam lap after lap, aching.

i am the excited face that you sought for in the stands, your personal cheerleader. i am the woman you told me you loved too much to be with. i am the girlfriend you didn't come after.

i am the one who waited. and waited. and waited.

i am the girl who flew alone, and set up house in another country. i am the one in the purple uggs who sometimes speaks in class, who gave a presentation on a robotic dog, who loved walking around uni. i am the girl who finds your friendship invaluable. i am the mess you had to live with and whom you are so kind to.

i am the graduate who returned. i am the singaporean in love with many countries.

i am the nickname you nudge on msn.

i am the friend who sometimes doesn't say much. i am the madwoman who prances around spouting nonsense. i am the swinging wet blanket who dampens spirits. i am the girl who disappears.

i am the coach who feels the warmth of those tiny tots. i am the teacher who hugs and plays, yet scolds and punishes. i am the big sister who gives them chocolates.

i am the annoyed who hates smelly people. i am the dreamy one who looks at the stars, listens to the rain, plays catch with the sea. i am the girl who loves your sunsets.

i am the one who stays up late to chat with you. i am the girl who fell. i am the sleepyhead you stayed up to skype with. i am the girl whose heart is with you.

i am the woman who looked up and smiled. i am the destroyed who shed tears alone in the dark. i am the heart with hope.

i am the tree with roots planted firmly on the ground. i am the bird who flies wild. i am one who dares to love. sometimes.

i am the girl who feels, but can't find all the words to describe everything. i'm the one who has said too much.

it hits. and you find yourself suddenly flying on a magic carpet ride above cloud 9...

sometimes i wonder, of all the friends and acquaintances i have, who actually really considers me someone worthy of companionship.

if i don't call, will no one call me?

it feels that way sometimes.

i had a craving. so i skipped down the road and located the nearest carl's jr!

mmm anyone drooling for a guacamole bacon cheeseburger?! (without onions and tomatoes)

and, just for you, i actually asked for the low carb version this time muahaha

i got certified both low carb and special (i sound like some anorexic autistic child).

it was a messy messy meal, and i couldn't finish it coz it's massive. but ahhh *satisfied grin* =p

it's lovely starting the day with sweet sleeptalk =)

even though it made me late for work haha

i got into the cab, and the driver didn't know where amoy street was. he said, "sorry i new driver". i told him, "take pie then nicoll highway then via cross street". he didn't know how to get to pie from my place.

then i had to tell him that he needed to exit paya lebar to get to nicoll highway.

i showed him amoy street on the map. and he still needed directions to get to cross street.

bleah. plus the fare was way higher than what i usually have to pay. hrmph. good thing he was rather nice and humble.

oh and i saw a purple car over the weekend!

it's actually quite ugly...but er...it's purple! =)

it's as if i've been leading a nun's life - all shut up at home online and spending time with the family.

but i'm happy and i haven't been so happy in a longlong while.

filled with warmth and hope,
a hop, a skip, and always a great big smile in my heart.

the world will be gorgeous when my babes and friends have a moment (or two) for an us-time with me.

and it'll all be perfect when the turtle returns... (no it's not meant to make any sense).

i love you...all of you who are closest to my heart...(i hope you know who you are)...

in turmoil.
bittersweet.
confusion.

resolve.
relish.
bask.

give.
receive.
share.

elation.
touched.
warmth.

smiles.
secrets.
laughter.

fast forward.
yearning.
impatience.

madness.
sense.
unknown.

apart.
connected.
missed.

dreams.
hope.
love.

maybe.

"tuition tomorrow at 3pm ok?"
"i can change to monday? tomorrow is mid autumn festival"

yah right...there's a huge moon up there in the afternoon for you to drink tea, light lanterns and eat mooncakes to.

RAH!

happy birthday, my darling tian...

i'm in love......


with skype!


it's amazing...it's FREE! it's fantabulous...yipee doopeeelous!!! and it's even better when combined with msn webcam...muahaha

me: "why are emoticons bald?"
rustee: "coz they're brazilian"

it doesn't make sense at all
and yet, it makes perfect sense......

i've started giving tuition to this monkey of a secondary 3 kid from china.

and arty farty me who didn't do well in my sciences in secondary school is tutoring him in physics and chemistry. thank god he's in combined science.

it's agonizing teaching kids who can't, and don't want to, speak english. every english sentence i said to him was met with a blank, sleepy gaze. i had to use my rusty chinese to convey some points to him. and he had to use his english-chinese dictionary to check almost every other word.

he wanted to deal with his chemistry yesterday, so we went through a 2-page worksheet (yes, only 2 pages, in an hour and a half) on acids. he had to dictionary "acid" before he knew what i was talking about (and that's the topic!). his handwriting is atrocious, he'd copied down things he didn't understand, and he didn't even copy them right.

i got him to memorise what weak and strong acids are. i bet he no longer remembers.

it took him half an hour to learn how to spell HYDROGEN...and he still can't find it in the periodic table.

he nodded off while learning to spell NITRIC ACID...and i hit him on the head with my pen (he woke up and gave me a cheeky grin).

he's a very naughty boy. rah.

this warm warm feeling of being loved...today is turning out beautifully.

to my babes...

who look out for me,
who advise me,
who tell me when i'm wrong,
who encourage me when i'm down,
who let me sandwich them (sometimes),
who laugh with me when i'm silly,
who pull me out of longkangs,
who rah me when i'm dumb,
who are there for me.

you put a smile in my heart and lighten my load.

thank you.

please know i'm here for you too.

i'm a tad late jumping on the bandwagon - i've been trying my absolute best not to be unfaithful to my mini.

but......a little boy was strutting around the house showing off his new toy...and he made me turn absolutely green with envy.

now i'm wanting a nano tooooo...
ooooo so pretty!!! should i get one? should i get one?! *dilemma*

my poor ipink mini must be feeling so dejected...(but i can give it to my sis! muahaha)

hmmm

i love it that you looked so tortured last night =P

just read of the fresh terror threats supposedly from al-qaeda, that picked out los angeles and melbourne as the next targets.

on the 4th aniversary of the september 11 attacks, a masked man delivered the following threat in an 11-minute video:

"yesterday, london and madrid. tomorrow, los angeles and melbourne. allah willing. and this time, don't count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion.

we are muslims. we love peace, but peace on our terms...

we love peace, but when the enemy violates that peace, or prevents us from achieving it, then we love nothing better than the heat of battle, the echo of explosions, and slitting the throats of the infidels."

watch excerpts from the video here.

to listen to these utterly devastating words actually come out of a man's mouth, to know that all that he said had been done before, to see that humans are actually capable of such inhumane acts.

the possibility of tragedy makes all my other worries seem so frivolous. the helplessness so acute.

i worry...for all my loved ones overseas, and for my beautiful melbourne.

and all i can do is hold my breath, and pray that nothing ill will happen.

it's always nice, to have someone look out for me, and who is sensitive to my moods (yes i know i am swingy).

but it's especially gratifying, when someone bothers to talk to me about my problems, and help me take note of my eccentricities.

for a better me.

i acknowledge my defects. i will work on them. and if i don't, you can rah me to remind me.

i love you babe. thank you.

i am dumb. =(

so yesterday's korean double started out abit weird, coz my beautiful girl, mari turned out to be french subtitled instead of english.

WHAT? you mean singaporeans can't read french?! shame on you! tsktsk

we sat through the entire animation, and ended up as lost as we started. i got a few words, made out that the cute little kitty's named yo, the lead character nam-woo had a wet dream, and the producers're all probably on weed.

i was all prepared to pay for everyone's tickets coz i'm so sorry you guys had to sit through a movie no one can make head or tail of. but thanks to ian (and the fact that it's not my fault silly cathay cine and the korean embassy both failed to mention about the french subtitles --> click here for proof), i didn't have to. we even got compensation in the form of a free movie pass and a free drink each. woot!

we had a 20-minute break between movies, so we went downstairs to the foodcourt, where the hungry people ate and the non-hungry me took photos:

i have no idea why my gorgeous minmin is camera-shy (must be coz cannot take photo with canon ixus, can only do so with sony ericsson mobile)... heh

the next movie, mapado, was heaps better. with english subtitles *phew*, it was quite a barrel of laughs, with a nice bit of sadness injected in, and a hilarious ending. this time round the characters were on weed - what is it with koreans and marijuana??! and it helped that the lead actor's hunky dory =D

we each headed to our own homes thereafter, but not before i did some touristy photo-taking!

as you can see, the hat was very popular.

-----
oh, and hock and i had dinner before the movies, at this ching chong place along river valley road that served not-bad-but-quite-salty food. we were kept entertained by firemen hosing down the road right in front of the restaurant, after a tow-truck removed the burnt remains of a van that was barbequed right down to its frames. i hope no one got hurt. didn't bring my camera down, so no photos, sorry!

it started pouring when we're having dinner, and it was a good thing ah hock had very wisely brought a big brolly outta the car. with strong winds whipping our skirts (er...my skirt) and the downpour turning my heels into buckets, we managed to get back to the car unscathed, albeit rather wet.

there was a jam on the way to cine...so what's 2 bored photowhores to do but get snappy?! heehee

apb has a new motto:

*grin*

i've got my song! i've got my song! *does the crazy bhai dance* (if you don't know what a crazy bhai dance is, msn me)

thank you sweetie...for this and more! =)

Det är nu som livet är mitt
Jag har fått en stund här på jorden
Och min längtan har fört mig hit
Det jag saknat och det jag fått

Det är ändå vägen jag valt
Min förtröstan långt bortom norden
Som har visat en liten glimt
Av den himmel jag aldrig nått

Jag vill känna att jag lever
All den tid jag har
Ska jag leva som jag vill
Jag vill känna att jag lever
Veta att jag räcker till

Jag har aldrig glömt vem jag var
Jag har bara låtit det sova
Kanske hade jag inget val
Bara viljan att finnas kvar

Jag vill leva lycklig för att jag är jag
Kunna vara stark och fri
Se hur natten går mot dag
Jag är här och mitt liv är bara mitt
Och den himmel jag trodde fanns
Ska jag hitta där nånstans

Jag vill känna att jag levt mitt liv

now i just have to find an english translation to the lyrics... hee

you just gave me a beautiful start
to what will be a wonderful day
that i can spend with a hop and a skip
and a big smile in my heart

you just made my day

got out yesterday afternoon to catch a movie with gracie and adrian. sa som i himmelen or, as it is in heaven as it is know in english, is a swedish film touted to be "music at its most magical since les choristes".

now, les choristes (the choir boys) was magnificent and i really want to watch it again. as it is in heaven however wasn't all that fantabulous, though still very moving and very real. about an international conductor who suddenly interrupts his career and returns to his childhood village, as it is in heaven showed the very human process of getting integrated into a community, opening up, making friends and enemies, finding love, burying past demons, and daring to love.

the ending was a tad duh, but the one thing that stuck is the enchanting voice of helen sjoholm who, as the abused wife gabrielle, sang a moving solo that was specially written for her. i tried searching for the song, but i can't seem to find it. it's one about a woman's strength to live and overcome setbacks.

if anyone knows/finds out what the song title is, or best, send me the song, i'll be eternally grateful!

we headed to edmund's new pad at thomson 800 next for his birthday barbie. got lost trying to find the pool, and someone had to come get us in the end. we trooped into a lift that required key-card access, walked through a narrow maze complete with high walls, scooted through some low bushes, traipsed past the walls of the gorgeous, overflowing pool, before we finally got to the bbq pit. an adventure indeed.

beer and sausages, some undercooked pork and overcooked steaks, grilled bread, gracie-peeled prawns and yummy (uncleaned) mussels. delicious. we even made-over a bottle of absolute vodka into a bottle of absolute erdinger.

off to hock's to freshen up, read some newspapers and catch some winks before we went down to zouk for gabriel and dresden!

we're early and had the whole of members' almost to ourselves, but the people drifted in and it's packed in no time. gabriel and dresden turned out ok, especially when the hit tracks were spun and left me on a high on the dancefloor. but agnelli and nelson's still the best night of the year for me (so far).

we headed to newton for supper after, then i had to double back to zouk to drive a drunken adrian home. what was "i can drive i'm ok" had become an ah hock who couldn't walk too straight, so i think it was a good thing i have a license (even though i did a poor job reversing down that awful slope of his - i have sloporeversophobia!)

he insisted on walking us out to catch a cab, and we almost didn't make it coz his dead-weight very nearly caused us to end up in a ditch.

in true photohock fashion though, he was still able to pose for the camera, before he decided that the grass patch on the kerb's his new bed.

and yes, his puke got acquainted with the drain.

we left a stubborn i'll-walk-home-once-you-get-in-a-cab-hock after sexy sleepy gracie managed to hail us a cab. i don't know how he crawled back in one piece, but he called when he got home so all's good.

sleepy gracie took a nap on my lap as the cabbie speeded us home. i took the cam out and snapped shots of the early morning sky slowly getting brighter...

it's nearly 7am...and quietly beautiful.

on an emo loop...


the dawn is breaking
a light shining through
you're barely waking
and i'm tangled up in you

i'm praying for someone to hold my hand and walk with me through the years.
fresh new out-of-the-hole experiences and comfortable understanding.

i'm wishing for someone who'll sit by my deathbed and give me that one last mortal kiss.
forever growing love that will weather all seasons.

i'm needing someone to hold me, and that warm, fuzzy feeling.
flirty exchanges, hot disputes, sweet pillow talk, serious discussions, silent intimacy.

sad. hopeful. bittersweet.
love.

be with me.

i've only eaten two mini sausage pastries and a handful of cookies all day.

i'm so famished that my stomach's eating itself.

gonna die if mum doesn't get dinner ready soon...*whimper*

*huff huff puff puff*

i think i've got heatstroke.

2 hours out hunting for a present for an overseas guest had my colleague and i walking from amoy street to raffles place, searching through all those shops at raffles exchange and caltex house, walking to fullerton to find that they only have a carpet shop, taking a cab to a disappointing millenia walk, looking through half of suntec and traisping to citylink mall before we found one decent-looking shawl at furla.

that thin strip of cloth's 10% cashmere, 60+% wool and godknowswhatelse cost us a hefty $307, with a 30% discount that lowered it to $214.90. and when i tried to pay with the $1000 note my boss had given us, the ching chong salesgirl said that she didn't have enough for change.

but that's alright...compared to the way she packaged the shawl. according to her, furla doesn't do gift-wrapping, but she kindly wrapped the shawl up in tissue for us, and after refolding it thrice, she managed to squeeze it into the cheapo cardboard thing they call a gift box.

she proceeded to place the cheapo box in a cheapo carrier, sealed the top with two cheapo sticky tapes, and *HORROR OF HORRORS* took out a box of ugly little furla ribbons that're tied up into ugly little furla bows. then she took a piece of double-sided tape that was about as large as the bow, fixed it on the cheapo carrier, and stuck one ugly little bow on it.

the end result?
we asked for a length of ribbon (non-bowed) so that we can dress up the box ourselves, but she said "sorry, i cannot. it's company policy we can only use the ribbon to make bows".

wtf. NEWSFLASH: my colleague just called the furla main office to ask about this "policy" and the lady said there's no such policy and as long as the store's not short of ribbons, there's no reason why we shouldn't get abit. well there was a whole spool of it in the store...so......

i am not impressed. what was it that the prime minister said about service again? =/

but anyway, that aside, all the walking and the sun almost killed me. it's so hot today that even the water coming out of the tap is warm. and i'm drowsy, bored, and very hungry.

it's no fun being in office when it's suppose to be your day off and you're suppose to be out wakeboarding and vegetating at home.

hrmph.

sometimes, it takes just one person to make my day.
a few choice words, and the sunshine's let back in.
what a beautiful way to start the day.


i'm a simple creature. =)

loon just told me:

"i can do the white lotus upside down sunshine flip"

i believe he was trying to sound sexy/kinky.

but i think he sounds just like a mooncake.

speaking of mooncake, these just got delivered to the office:

now that's what i call atas mooncakes in atas box.

can't say that i'm a big fan of the other (less atas) tung lok mooncake box design though:
eek. that's just scary.

quidam was an absolute delight!

from the feats of the dude (he was wearing a costume that made him look eye-poppingly naked!) wielding the giant hamster wheel:
to the beauty of the girls on the aerial hoops:
i tensed up every time this russian banquine team hurled each other high up into the air:
a collision/missed catch would have spelt disaster!

and these chinese chicas were stunning in their spinning diabolo tricks and acrobatic moves:
the tented arena had 5 overhead rails effortlessly wafting people and scenery on and off centre stage. the aerialists hung on to hoops, silk banners, "spanish webs" etc, in deft-defying stunts that left me awe-struck.
also the beauty of the couple (bottom and top right of the above photo) who made using extreme strength and balance to construct near-impossible movements with their bodies, look like a walk in the park.

the clowns deserve special mention as they filled in time with hilarious actions and getting members of the audience to participate in acts that had me rolling with laughter. kudos to those who were picked to go on-stage, for they very sportingly mimicked all the retarded moves the clowns made (scratching backside, pulling out intestines, going on a first date with a clown in a rickety car etc). it's affirming to know that singaporeans can be so spontaneous and creative.

i brought my sis along and we had a totally wild time in the grand chapiteau.
i know it looks like any other photo taken in any other location, but we're actually seated on our not-very-comfy seats 5 rows from the stage...heh

an unbelievable display of strength, balance, flexibility and grace, combined with seamless, gorgeous choreography. photos just don't do quidam justice.

hella fantastic!

have you ever seen a pink cat?

there you go, now you have.

so pretty right!?!? haha his name (yes, it's a HE...talk about metrocatual) is brumas. i'm sorry, but what sort of a kuku name is that?! (he's supposedly named after the first polar bear born in the london zoo).

he was actually white (no, i'm not being racist), but he went for a walk and came home a brilliant shade of pink. (i don't mind taking a walk and coming home with pink hair. hmmm i'll try it tomorrow...)

the cause of the new coloring's unknown, and it's not paint coz his fur's not matted. the vet has decided that it's not toxic, so brumas' safe.

i'm thinking maybe he decided to come out of the litter and show just how gay he is...

or maybe a female cat made him really really embarrassed about something.

no wonder he doesn't look too happy.

read the whole story here

yipee dippy! i'm gonna be catching quidam after work and am really looking forward to a good show put up by cirque du soleil.

blue-and-yellow grand chapiteau here i come!

still capable of making me tremble.

the cold pain washing over me
the involuntary shaking of my hands
the constricted heart sunk so deep into the pits

this horrible, all-too-familiar feeling that i so do not need.

alrighty people, tickets for our korean film double have been booked!

gracie, feng, els, dan, ian, loon, hock and of course me from 7.15pm.
ang, u'r up for the 2nd show from 9pm.

$20 for everyone. ang, you get half price. haha

yipee can't wait!
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edited:
hmmm the way i wrote it, sounds like everyone GETS $20 for watching the movie...hah, you wish!

kimura takuya is god.

and pride kinda made up for me missing the premiere of be with me last night.

as halu satonaka, captain of the blue scorpions (scorpions! does this mean he's "determined, forceful, emotional, intuitive, sexually magnetic, obsessed equally with eroticism and power, and sometimes quite sinister"?), takuya graced us with his trademark half-smile/smirk and utterly delectable face, while tackling hockey and romance.

"ore wo suki ni naru" ("you will fall in love with me")? oh honey, i already have! was drooling like there was no tomorrow and could only gaze in raptured silence at his godliness. (oh blasphemy, desperation and the works.)

treating romance like a game. an old concept that comes to play in the show. is that really possible? to make a pact to be temporary lovers, then just say goodbye when time is up?

i know i'll never be capable of that.

but for that kiss from those lucious lips that sealed the contract, oh i will be this haru's* autumn anytime!

* haru means "spring"
-----
*GASP* and i just found out that he IS scorpio!!! wahahaha

completely frivolous but, here goes...

i've been reading up on my trashy hollywood gossips lately, and i now know what stars such as lindsay lohan, jessica simpson, paris hilton and nicole richie have been up to over the past week.

blogs, entertainment websites, magazines, life!, newpaper...you name it, i've read it. ahhh the beautiful people...what a life.

i love angelina jolie (and her pairing up with brad pitt - sorry helly heh) and i think maddox's the cutest (and luckiest) kid on earth:

check out the hair. awesome. i'm definitely on paris' team for this one.


-----
in other news, my whole body's aching. i need a swim. desperately.

after work perhaps? hmmm *splish splash*

stumbled upon these haiku comic strips just now. flowers made me laugh:

i like this one too:

you won't hear my mum say that...haha

one of those mornings, when nothing goes right.

when the alarm clock rings, but you still get up late anyway.
when you have to rush to get out of the house and pay $11 to get to work.
when the first person you meet in the streets, is the most disgusting person in the world.
when the first thing you hear, is something you don't want to hear.
when you have tons of work, but you just don't want to clear them.
when bad english irks you even more.
when you don't know what to do at all.

and all after a night spent with silent tears.

UPDATE:
ok! korean movie double set for monday, 12 september 2005.

my beautiful girl, mari @ 7.15pm
mapado @ 9pm

$10 per show and er, if this is an incentive, ticket holders will have a chance to participate in a lucky draw where they can win a trip to korea...(whoopee, if one of you win, one ticket automatically goes to me)

those who are interested, let me know latest by 4pm TOMORROW (6 september 2005). yes i'm kiasu. (and if you don't read my blog, you lose out HAH! hmmm but you won't know that you're missing out...hmm...ah whatever!)
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the week-long korean film festival is on from this thursday and the 8 critically-acclaimed films look really promising!

here's a look at some of them (you can click on the titles for additional info):

my beautiful girl, mari
the images of this animated film look heavenly! a tale of a 12-year-old boy who discovers a mysterious shining marble and goes on an enchanting journey that introduces him to an ethereal girl who floats just beyond his reach, and the beautiful confusion of adolescence.
10sept, 3pm; 12sept, 7.15pm

mapado
2 guys meet 5 grannies who haven't seen a single man for 20 years (oh man...talk about deprived). an outrageous comedy about a gangster and a corrupt cop who go to the island of mapado looking for a lost billion-won loot, but end up being slaves to very suppressed old women.
9sept, 7.15pm; 12sept, 9pm



marathon
about an autistic 20-year-old training to become a marathon runner. sounds like a korean forest gump who farts at inopportune times, dances in public, loves zebras and can memorize casual conversations.
8sept, 7pm; 13sept, 9.15pm




ooo so exciting! they're all showing at cineleisure, so log your interests with me and let's go korean! (optional korean meal before the movie)