PASSWORD TO UTOPIA

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

2012-01-16T13:03:00.000+08:00

Work on Saturday

2012-01-07T09:31:00.002+08:00

Not a fan of coming in to the office on Saturdays, but a girl's gots to do what a girl's gots to do!

Met up with Tink and TehTarik last night. Was good to see TehTarik again, and her boy's simply gorgeous! Went for Japanese food at Restaurant Hoshigaoka. The food was pretty good! Would have liked a wider selection of sushi, and was disappointed that they were out of hamachi, but overall, it was a great dining experience. The food was good, the wagyu shabu-shabu was delicious, as was the green tea, the service was excellent (which is becoming so rare these days!), and the prices reasonable. Of course, the company definitely made it a great evening!

And just like that, I complete one item from my Day Zero Project list - treating my girls to dinner, and start on another item - eating at a restaurant I've never been to.

Walked around a bit, then decided to bus it home. I'd forgotten how LONG the bus journey is from there! But I had my music and my book, so I was good to go.

Stayed up late chatting, and didn't get to sleep until about 4am. Needless to say, I woke up late for work this morning. Now I have a headache and am dehydrated and tired.

That's how you know you're getting old...you get hungover without any alcohol.

Haiku Of The Day

2012-01-06T10:44:00.001+08:00

'C' is for Cookie;
Choc chip cookies! Made by my
favourite colleague.

Afternoon Haiku

2012-01-05T15:37:00.002+08:00

I pick up my cup.
Oh no! So disappointing;
There's no more coffee.

GeekStart

2012-01-04T07:42:00.002+08:00

Ganked from two of my favourite geek celebrities whom I follow on social networks. This was a brilliant start to my day!

From George Takei on Facebook:

And shared by Will Wheaton on Google+; I just love Google from the bottom of my geeky little heart.

Reading List

2012-01-03T13:20:00.001+08:00

I was listing out some books that I intend to read this year, when I remembered that I once did a "100 books meme" on LJ. I looked it up, and decided to c/p it over.

---

The Big Read reckons that the average adult has read only 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.
1) Look at the list and bold those that you've read.
2.) Italicize those you intend to read.
3.) Underline the books you LOVE.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (this one is STILL sitting on my shelf)
6 The Bible (Does it count if I've read parts of it, during Sunday mass?)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (I just cannot finish this one! One day, I shall)
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (I have this sitting on my shelf too!)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (Borrowed this from Belle a while ago; still haven't made it through)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I'd like to say I want to read it but just...no. I'm not that intellectual, thanks.)
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray -
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

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How is it I didn't have a tag for books and reading? No matter, this has been rectified.

Back to Work

2012-01-03T07:25:00.001+08:00

I'm on the way to the office, for the first work day of 2012. I must remember to change the date on all documents! Last year, for a good week and a half, I was sending out documents dated 2010...

Anyway. Traffic's a little heavier today than it's been the past couple weeks, but still isn't too bad. Apparently not everyone's back at work today! I'm rather knackered. All those late nights are definitely catching up on me! Gone are the days of boundless energy. I might just require a Red Bull to make it through the day!

Also, all that feasting over the Christmas and New Year festivities has led me to my new best friend: the elasticised waistband.

- Posted from KiP

2011: A Year In Review

2011-12-31T09:50:00.002+08:00

Yoinked this meme from Neko, who posted it on her LJ.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
I voted!

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions. I did Mission 101, or the Day Zero Project, and my 101st day was in September. I took a hiatus from it in 2009, due to illness in the family, but looking over it now, I realise that I've completed several of the items, and have done so much more to boot.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! TehTarik gave birth to a gorgeous little boy, my sis gave birth to an even more gorgeous boy, who is now my Godson. And even though we're not close now, so it doesn't really count, TW has a girl.
Did I miss anyone?

4. Did anyone close to you die?
I do know a couple people who passed away, and we were closely related, but sadly, we weren't close.

5. What countries did you visit?
The UK and France. To be more precise, the two cities of London and Paris.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Wouldn't mind having a kitchen of my own!

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory?
None in particular, really. I have such good memories of this year, but can't remember any particular date.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I became a godmother. Not quite an "achievement"; but definitely the greatest honour.
I grew closer to family, I made new friends. I travelled alone.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Failure?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Isn't OCD a mental illness? Several bruises, far too many papercuts, and the occasional case of the sniffles.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I have to pick one? I guess my Macbook; I use it almost every day, and I love it. Oh, and my 3 terabyte hard drive. Ugh, I think I'm turning into a geek.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
I don't think I've ever celebrated behaviour...

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
I'd rather not say, but it's pretty much the same person that I complain about all the time!

14. Where did most of your money go?
Ugh. Taxis. Stupid, bad habit. Oh, and food. And travel, which I don't regret at all!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Trip to London!

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2011?
The soundtrack to Les Misérables.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
1. Happier or sadder? Definitely happier.
2. Thinner or fatter? Fatter. Ugh.
3. Richer or poorer? Richer! Which also means more money to spend on food, thus making me happier and fatter!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Travel.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Binging on cookies and jaffa cakes.

20. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?
Spent it with family and friends, as always, and had a brilliant time. Too much food, lots of alcohol, loads of fun.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
People talk on the phone? To other people?

22. Did you fall in love in 2011?
Stayed in love. Started moving on.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?
I don't kiss and tell!

24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Too many to mention! I was hooked on:
Criminal Minds, White Collar, Suits, Sherlock (BBC), The Walking Dead, QI...the list goes on.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
"Hate" is such a strong word...

26. What was the best book(s) you read?
I guess I didn't read any great books this year. Nothing that I felt was blogworthy, at least.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Jeez, I don't know. I know I did discover a few bands that I've come to love, which is always good.

28. What did you want and get?
A KitchenAid! A MacBook!

29. What did you want and not get?
ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Oh, and my driver's licence.

30. What were your favourite films of this year?
Didn't really watch any films this year...

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Went out for drinks with Bar Boozer and Shoes and Tink, and had a brilliant evening.
How old? I hit the big Three-Oh!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
Ahahahahahahahaha me and fashion. I wear what needs the least effort.

34. What kept you sane?
'Sane' is such a subjective notion.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ooh. Where do I even begin? Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt Bomer are the most beautiful, that's for sure.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The "Elections".

37. Who did you miss?
Hey, moving on, remember?

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Best new person? They're all brilliant!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
That the easiest way to let go, is to simply let go.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?
I don't remember lyrics.

'Tis the Season!

2011-12-29T15:19:00.000+08:00

I might actually blog properly about Christmas, but it was pretty much summed up on my Facebook status a couple days ago:

"Good loot, too much food, lots of alcohol, and great time with family and friends. I declare Christmas 2011 a success."

And it's not over yet! Taking leave after Christmas was a brilliant idea. What a shame I didn't have enough annual leave left; I go back to work tomorrow! Not sure how I'm supposed to go back to waking up by 6am, when I've gotten used to going to bed at 3am at the earliest! Going out tonight for more drinks, and prolonging the inevitable.

Tomorrow, I work; today, I eat, drink and make merry.

Acronym Attack

2011-12-21T14:21:00.000+08:00

Had a brilliant conversation with Neko. It made my afternoon, it did!

Neko: haha, convo between me and my coworker
Neko's Coworker (NC): btw, do you know that the word laser is actually an acronym?
Neko: yup
NC: XD
Neko: Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
but to say that..my Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation pointer.
NC: nah doesn't sound as cool
Neko: my Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation ray gun.
Neko: i shoot Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation out of my eyes
hahahaha
NC: look! The cat is playing with the Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

Neko shares that with me, and of course, we then get our geek on.

Ki: i knew it was an acronym, but i never remember the full thing. It's like SCUBA
what is that, self contained....underwater breathing apparatus. That sounds about right.
Neko: yeah, it's right
i'm gonna go self-contained underwater breathing apparatus diving today
Ki: Will your Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation pointer work underwater?
Neko: XD i was just gonna say that i'm gonna bring that
Ki: well, as long as you stay on the RAdio Detection And Ranging, you should be fine.
Neko: if not, i'm sure you can find me by SOund Navigation And Ranging device

Neko: now i want to find more acronyms to play with except, eh, too much work

Ki: i find myself geekily turned on by this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_acronym
i stopped playing because i got lost in WikiWorld.

Neko: ... hahahaha, omg, acronyms referring to itself
Ki: i know, i LOVE it
Neko is lj-ing this conversation
Ki is blogging this conversation too!

The Introvert Who Reads

2011-12-21T13:30:00.001+08:00

I recently read a couple articles that seemed as though they were written about me. They resonated so strongly with me, and I feel the need to share.

A Girl You Should Date
Some excerpts:
"You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow."

"Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book."

"She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are."

10 Myths About Introverts
This one made me so relieved to know that I'm definitely not the only one who feels this way. Many a time, I force myself to put on my extrovert mask, and I go out and have a brilliant time, partying away. More often than not, these events make me feel drained and depressed. Reading this article helped me realise why I get agitated after a while in a club, or why I breathe a little easier if I have my earphones in while negotiating crowds.

New Year, New TV Seasons!

2011-12-21T12:30:00.000+08:00

I pointed you at the White Collar promo trailer a few days ago, now have a sneak peek at the new season!

Also, Sherlock's back on New Year's Day! Here's a look at two clips from the first episode. It's out of order though....sheets are before matches. But omg, sheets!

Two of the most beautiful men in the world, back on my screen in January.

First Thing In The Morning

2011-12-21T08:57:00.000+08:00

First thing in the morning, Boss walks into my office.

Boss: Ki, I need the XYZ documents that I gave you last month.
Ki: Which documents are these?
Boss: They were for the CO7.
Boss: You know, they were in a yellow folder.
Note: Ki gets documents in/out in yellow folders almost every day.
Ki: .....Ok.
Boss: They were documents from Vendor C, and were signed by MG when he was here.
Ki: I know the documents you're talking about, but why would you have given them to me?
Boss: I asked you to file them.
Ki searches high and low for said yellow folder.
Ki gives up and goes to Boss' office.
Ki: Are they part of another system that I might have filed it under? I don't have it in my office.
Boss: Hmm...hang on.
Boss opens bag and voila! Yellow folder containing XYZ documents are in his bag. Boss grins sheepishly.
Boss: Could you file these under the CO7?

Moon Madness

2011-12-10T22:48:00.000+08:00

So there's a total lunar eclipse tonight. I'm usually interested, but this time...I'm not in the mood for stargazing. Or moongazing, as the case is.

I'm just having a pretty bad day. Haven't been in the mood to do anything. I'm hungry, but I don't feel like eating. I'm tired, but don't feel like going to bed. I might just indulge in a diazepam today.

The only good thing about today is that I made rock buns, and BabyGirl loved them. And I had a couple of good laughs with Mum, so that helped me get through the day.

I blame the moon.

By George!

2011-12-10T15:31:00.000+08:00

I am feeling all the feelings! A fangirl, I am.

Is it January yet?!

Christmas Come Early

2011-11-28T21:13:00.001+08:00

Look what arrived today!

It made my Monday. *happy dance*

- Posted from KiP

Burned Weekend

2011-11-27T23:21:00.000+08:00

I did absolutely jack all this past weekend. Planned to bake pineapple tarts, but didn't. Planned to catalogue my books, but didn't. Planned to clear out my old shelving unit and toss it, but didn't.

The best-laid plans, ey?

Instead, spent all weekend eating, sleeping, and watching reruns of White Collar.

Seems just like yesterday I was walking out of the office for the weekend.

Tomorrow, I shall do a spot of shopping for Christmas, and stock up on the baking essentials. Look out, Phoon Huat, here I come.

Amazon Woman

2011-11-24T09:36:00.000+08:00

Got an email this morning, telling me that my KitchenAid stand mixer has been shipped, and will arrive early next week. I'm well chuffed.

How sad is it that I'm this excited over a stand mixer? Then again, it's not just any old mixer. It's the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer, in Empire Red!

Awe-Inspiring

2011-11-15T01:01:00.000+08:00

Watch it fullscreen, in HD. Now this truly is awesome.

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Mouthwatering Monday

2011-11-14T23:31:00.000+08:00

Today started out pretty bleh. Wasn't too keen on getting out of bed, and had a tough time kickstarting myself, but I had the prospect of new episodes of QI and Walking Dead, and like I mentioned earlier today, cheesecake brownies!

I made brownies for Shoes and family last week; I used my favourite brownie recipe, but added chopped walnuts. I'm sure Shoes wished I'd put more walnuts in. Thing is, I have a slight allergy to nuts, and I'm not fond of nuts in my brownies (hur hur), so I rarely use nuts in my cooking.

But yes, favourite brownie recipe, in my favourite brownie pan!

my Baker's Edge® All-Edge Brownie Pan

But remember, dear readers, do NOT lick the bowl and/or spatula. There are raw eggs in there!

Hello, delicious Salmonellosis!

Decided to whip up another batch of brownies today (with no nuts!), since I had all the ingredients, but this time, I added a layer of cream cheese and blueberries.

The batter was so yummy that I was tempted to eat it raw. It's a good thing Mum was in the kitchen; I might have started digging in otherwise!

fresh blueberries = healthy dessert!

Managed to resist eating the batter, and popped the pan into the oven. Half an hour later, voila!

too hot to eat, urgh

I decided that a burnt mouth wouldn't be very pleasant, so decided to be patient. The wait was well worth it! Of course, I had to be disciplined! One piece for the Mother Goddess, one for the Dadman, one for Nanny, one for Babygirl, one for Di....two for me. But I'm not eating any more tonight! Going to give some to Sis2 and her clan; gotta share the calories!

This is what discipline looks like

Monday Meh

2011-11-14T07:17:00.001+08:00

My sleep cycle kinda got screwed up over the weekend, especially since I was sick on Friday, and slept the whole day. Then the staying up late for three nights in a row didn't help matters.

It's Monday. It's raining. I'm on my way to work.

I'd rather be in bed.

But hey, I've decides to bake cheesecake brownies after work, since I have all the ingredients. Besides, do I really need an excuse for cheesecake brownies?

- Posted from KiP

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Christmas

2011-11-13T23:46:00.000+08:00

Christmas baking has commenced! I can't do the sugee cakes just yet; it's still a bit early for those. But I've decided to start on the things that can keep.

Like mince pies! Nothing says Christmas like mince pies!

I had to resist eating the mincemeat. It had rum in it!

I've just baked 10 patty tins of mince pies. That's ten dozen. That's a hundred and twenty mince pies, all ready for Christmas!

.....

Ok, I lied. There are a hundred and fifteen mince pies, all ready for Christmas. Shuddup. They were hot and yummy. And I had to taste test, of course.

Now to resist until Xmas...

Giving Credit Where It's Due

2011-11-12T01:31:00.000+08:00

I'm lying on the couch, fiddling with my phone. Mum's watching telly.
She'd just changed the channel to one of the movie channels, and credits are rolling. I'm in a bit of a silly mood and decide to ask Mum, "Are you waiting for a movie, or are you just enjoying the credits?"
To which Mum replies oh-so-seriously, without missing a beat, "I'm practising my reading."

Deadpan one-liners. I loves them.

Buckle up!

2011-11-10T19:24:00.001+08:00

On my way to Shoes' place now. Decide to hop in a cab (what's new?) since I'm running late (again, nothing new there). Flagged down the first available taxi I saw, and to my chagrin, it was from a taxi company that I don't quite like. They're usually my last resort cab company.

The driver is an idiot. I'll not expound on that; I'm irked about that enough as it is. What's really gotten my goat, though, is I'm that there are no seat belt buckles. I always buckle up, and now I feel extremely uncomfortable, to say the least.

I'm tempted to report this driver to the authorities. But 1) who's in charge, the LTA or the traffic police? 2) will it actually accomplish anything? and 3) I'm not comfortable with putting someone's rice bowl at risk.

Then again, safety first right?

I find myself in quite a quandary.

- Posted from KiP

Location:In a cab

But What's In The Barn?

2011-11-10T13:23:00.003+08:00

Don't Dead Open Inside? That doesn't even make sense!

Someone asked me what I think of this season's Walking Dead. Well...so far so good. I haven't given up on it yet. Without being too spoilerific*, here's what I think of it so far.

One-Expression Lori is annoying me. I hope her bug eyes get eaten by a Walker. And really, it takes longer than a second to do what she did at the end of Ep 4 (Cherokee Rose). Come on.
She's so annoying, but she's one step behind Whatsherface Sophia's mum, who really needs to grow a backbone. Crying isn't going to solve anything.
Every time Old-Man-In-Hat shows up, I find myself wanting to punch him. His sage worldliness makes me want to turn this show into a drinking game. Whiny-Bitch is only slightly less annoying this season; she's less whiny, but still stupid. Token Black Guy (why is he still alive?) has moved up in the annoying list. Well, his one-liner in Cherokee Rose made me laugh, so I don't dislike him as vehemently as I do OldMan.

What with most of the characters being stupid** and whiny and annoying, one might wonder why I'm still watching it.
Simple. Redeeming features; it has them.

Shane. Oh, Shane. Shane, Shane, Shane. Last season, I wanted to kick you in the gonads. This season, you've proved to actually have gonads. Well done, you. If I were wearing a hat, I'd take it off to you. Original Canon may have killed you off, and at one point, I'd wished AMC!Canon would do the same, but now I'm glad - Pollyanna level of glad - that you're still alive and clearly kicking.

Glenn. Oh, dear, sweet Token Asian former-pizza-delivering Glenn. Awkward, snarky, geeky and gutsy as hell. And in Cherokee Rose, he gets a moment! In the pharmacy! Well, one hopes it was longer than a moment...That trick with the rope was mighty impressive too.

Daryl. Oh, dear, darling, racist, redneck Daryl. I kinda liked you at the start, and now I like you even more. You tell it like it is, and you're the only one in the band who shows any sort of character development at all. I heart you and your sleeveless shirts. Keep on rednecking.

The gore. Oh, the gross, gory gore! This season doesn't have much (as yet), but it looks like quality is beginning to win out over quantity. Loved Ep 3, what with the dude who topped himself and the live bait; Loved even more the dude suffering from water retention in Cherokee Rose.

4 days to go til the next episode, and I'm actually looking forward to it. The first couple episodes almost had me quitting, but I'm glad I stuck it out! Was worried when Frank Darabont was fired, but so far...it's promising. Slow, but promising!

*Several (actually, most) links in this post lead to tv tropes, which may contain spoilers.
I also accept no responsibility for any wikiwalking or archive binging.
**There's so much stupidity going on; I've come to the conclusion that the only reason these characters are still alive is that none of them have any braaaaaains.

Utterly Slashy Antics Network

2011-11-09T14:15:00.000+08:00

This is the teaser for Common Law, a new USA network show premiering in January 2012.
What with White Collar, Psych, Suits and now this, they might as rename themselves SlashNetwork.

Couples therapy.

Tous Pour Un, Un Pour Tous

2011-11-08T23:47:00.000+08:00

Went to Jurong Point today after work to pick up a few things. As always, I ended up buying things that weren't on my list! It wasn't my fault though. I didn't know that The Cocoa Trees just opened an outlet in Jurong Point! It's not my fault it was on my route to the supermarket!

I decided to just pop in and have a look. After all, Christmas is coming, and I want to get stocking fillers for the kids (as well as the grown-up kids!) I'd walked almost an entire round of the shop, didn't pick up a single thing to purchase.

That's when I saw it.

The shelf of 3 Musketeers bars! Screw the diet, hang the cough, I said! I'm getting me some nommies!In my defense, the last time I had a 3 Musketeers bar was back in March of Oh-Nine! They had Milky Ways too, and believe me, I was tempted to get both! But as it is, it only comes in packs of 6, so I decided not to get a dozen candy bars. See? That's discipline, right there!

More chocolatey than these three

They were having a promotion, like I mentioned - 50% off any second item (equal or lower-priced, of course). I did consider getting the Milky ways, but that would have been a bit much, even for me. Seeing as how I still have two boxes of Jaffa Cakes left.

I did get me a bag of Quality Streets though. What, I'm not THAT disciplined!

Now in a brave show of discipline (using up whatever last vestiges of willpower I possess), I'm not going to watch this week's QI. Nope, I'm powering down, showering up, and turning in.

Discipline!

Food & Sleep. Too Much of Both.

2011-11-08T12:29:00.001+08:00

I'm glad this past weekend was a long one. Well, technically, I didn't get a long weekend, seeing as how I was in the office all day Saturday. Still, I had Monday off, which worked out really well.

On Sunday, we went to see a play by We Colour People, which is a non-profit theatre society. They've staged an annual production since 2008, and I started attending them in 2009. I adored the past two productions, and was looking forward to this year's. It was called SABOsTAGE, an improv comedy which was pretty much Whose Line, only with a local flavour. Although I do feel that improv has a long way to go in Singapore, on the parts of both actors and audience, I quite enjoyed this production.

After that, we adjourned to Newton Circus for Singaporeans' favourite hobby (well, after shopping and complaining, of course). Foodage! And oh my gosh, there was so much foodage. As is the case whenever BIL!S is around! His motto: "Don't think; just eat". And eat we did.

Barbecued chicken wings, oyster omelette aka or luak, barbecued stingray with lots of sambal, fried squid, mantou, which were lovely when dipped in the lala (clam) gravy, all washed down with sugarcane juice. Oh, and I think there were vegetables too, of which I didn't touch.

We were all stuffed! And we couldn't even think of dessert. Until the table was cleared. My family, being the OCD sufferers that we are, had to get the table cleared before we could relax. After that, all of a sudden, all of us had room for dessert! BIL!Mike and I shared a bottle of really, really cold beer, and there were bowls of ice kachang all round.

Good food, great conversation, excellent company. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday!

Finally got home about 1, where I vegged out on the couch while putering. Staggered upstairs to bed about half 3 in the am. Thank goodness Babygirl let me sleep in yesterday!

Wouldn't have made much of a different if I hadn't slept in.... instead of going to IKEA as previously planned, I ended up napping all afternoon, catching up on some much needed Zs.

Not sure how I managed to get to sleep last night, after having slept so much in the day, but I did sleep well. And woke up bright and early this morning for work. Got to the office at 7!

Of course...now I'm started to get tired again...

Knocked Up

2011-11-03T18:07:00.002+08:00

Had quite a bizarre exchange with a girl from another department today. She comes to my office to hand me some documents, when the following ensues.

She: Hey, you're pregnant, right?
Me: ....No.
She: But...you're pregnant!
Me: No. I'm not.
She: Are you sure?
Me: *thinks: Am I sure?*
Me: I'm not pregnant. I'm fat.
She: Why? You eat a lot is it?

Me: ....ok, you're being rude and I don't want to talk to you.

Clearly, I need to go on a diet. Thing is, I'm not sure if she's just daft or rude (or both!), but that was such an odd conversation for so many reasons. Who goes around telling people they're pregnant? Why would you ask if they're sure? What if I really were up the duff and wanted to keep it on the down low? And why, for the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, would you keep shooting your mouth off after you've put your foot in it?

I think I'm surrounded by very strange people. But...if I perceive everyone else to be strange, doesn't that make ME the strange one? Well, if that's the case, I revel in my strangeness.

My fat and very unpregnant strangeness.

I'm alive! Alive, I tell you!

2011-11-01T15:30:00.000+08:00

It's true, Ki, sometimes when you've had a difficult day, or met difficult people, been let down, disappointed, or heartbroken, it's easy to completely forget the most important thing of all... you're alive.

Without even trying.

Who loves ya?
The Universe

You're alive, Ki, and you will be really happy again (if you ever wondered).

Seven Billion

2011-10-29T00:43:00.000+08:00

When I was born, I was the:
4,542,871,977th
person alive on Earth

79,186,843,076th
person to have lived since history began.

The world's population is expected to hit seven billion in the next few weeks. Find out where you fit in at BBC's app The World at Seven Billion.

My mind. Consider it blown.

TV Rots Your Brain

2011-10-26T10:50:00.002+08:00

I love this time of year, when all my favourite tv shows return for a new season, and new ones start airing too. I have stuff to watch pretty much every single day, which isn't necessarily a good thing, because I have so many other (more important!) things to do that have been put on the back burner. But there are just so many good programmes on! And some mediocre, but enjoyable ones too.

American Horror Story
This is a new one, and Cat recommended it, after I was talking on Facebook about the creep factor on The Walking Dead.

3 episodes in, and so far, only the first one really creeped me out. The second one had its moments, but now...I'm just watching to see how the story unfolds. What's creepiest about the whole show is the brief, almost subliminal flashes of...something. That's so psychological; glimpsing something that freaks you out, but not getting a good look at it, not being able to properly identity it. That's what plays on our minds, that's the way our mind plays with us. What helps to reduce the creep factor is turning down the volume. That's right, it's the music that creeps me out the most. And this show doesn't make for the best pre-bedtime watching!

My verdict after 3 episodes:
I'll give it a few more episodes before I stop wasting my time on it.

Chuck
Season was supposed to start last Friday, but it was postponed to this Friday. I'm looking forward to it, but am glad that it's the final season. They've dragged it on for too long, and the plot was getting a little too thin. Perhaps with a bigger budget, they could have pulled out more stops, but special effects can only bring a show so far. I have a feeling that this season might be the best one since season 1. Chuck will meet his final big bad this season, played by Angus Macfadyen, who's also guest starred in Criminal Minds and Psych.

Verdict:
Bring it!

Community
Funny as always. So many pop culture references, it's impossible to catch them all. This is one of the most genre-savvy shows I've watched, and I still love it.

Verdict:
3rd season still going strong, but how long before they graduate?

Criminal Minds
This one's in its 7th season, and while I'm so very glad that the family is back together (JJ, hurrah!), I'm kinda getting bored with it. Doesn't help that I can't marathon it, the way I did the first 5 season - my ADD allows for obsessive viewing, but keeping my attention when I have to wait a whole week? Not so good.

I've always enjoyed this show; the dialogue is good, the character development and interaction have always been interesting. I do like that they're focusing on each member of the team, that each of them gets their time in the limelight, but really, the plots for this season eps? Could we have fewer of the "obscure mental illnesses causes unsub to snap"plot , please?

Verdict:
I'll keep watching, but I'm hoping they pick it up a bit.

How I Met Your Mother
Another show in its 7th season. Barney Stinson is awesome, goes without saying. Everyone else, meh. It's just a pleasant way to pass twenty minutes, really.

Verdict:
Effing tell us who the mother is, already!

Psych
I didn't think much of last season's finale. The ending to the Yin-Yang arc was, in a word, lame.
This season, they seem to have brought back the ingredients that made Psych so lovable to start with.
I'm glad they're not placing too much emphasis on the Shawn/Juliet, but I suspect that might change. I do hope not though.

Verdict:
Shawn and Gus are the crime-solving duo that will continue to entertain me.

QI
How do I love this show? Let me count the ways. Stephen Fry in all his delightful geeky genius, how he gets excited over the nerdiest things. Alan Davies and his self-deprecating adokableness. The questions that make me question. The General Ignorance segment. The savvy contestants who try not to answer with the obvious, but unwittingly set off the klaxxon.

In its 9th series, now on the letter I. Still intelligent, inane, irreverent, insane, irresistible and of course, quite, quite interesting.

Verdict:
Isn't it obvious? I love this show! It makes Mondays easier to bear, knowing I have a new episode of QI waiting!

The Big Bang Theory
Season 5, and it's still quite watchable. I still don't get a lot of the nerdier jokes, but what I do get, I love. I'm glad the Leonard/Penny is over; that just annoyed me. It's still witty and amusing, it's only 20 minutes long, and the rapport between the characters is great.

Verdict:
My geeky little heart still adores this one. And Sheldon.

The Walking Dead
It's in the second season, just been renewed for a third, and it had better bring it. Several of the characters are grating on me, and some parts are just really really annoying. It's veered away from the comics, which I don't particularly care about, but it's kinda getting slow and annoying. And really, could Lori please get another facial expression? Bug-eyed horror is old.

I did like the way the 2nd episode ended. Now I HAVE to watch the 3rd ep to find out how they get out of that one!

Verdict:
I'll keep watching it, but I'm not sure how much I'm going to enjoy it.

To round up the number of shows mentioned to ten, here's one that's been going on for years and years, and I've finally decided to start watching.

Doctor Who
Doctor who? Doctor the Ninth, that's where I've started. I'm only one episode in, and I love it already. Christopher Eccleston is brilliant. And and Billie Piper! I want a TARDIS of my own.
And I have David Tennant to look forward to!

Verdict:
OMG. Love it. LOVE IT. And I have SO MANY EPISODES to get through! Who needs sleep? I have Doctor Who!

In My Sleep

2011-10-25T12:38:00.000+08:00

I think I'll be okay, for a while
I know you, never mine to keep
I know I'll see you in my sleep
But time has been unkind and kept me far from you
But I know you will be holding me in my sleep...
And I know I miss you, I'll always miss you
And I know I'll see you in my sleep.

View From The Top

2011-10-18T14:37:00.001+08:00

After being so determined that I'll never go on the Singapore Flyer...I went on the Singapore Flyer on Sunday. Only reason was that it was with the family! And BIL!Mike had a pass for 5 people, and Sis!S had cheap tickets for the rest of us. All 13 of us went, excluding my niece Nix, as she had a class to attend.

So there we were, making our way to, in the words of nephew Neal, the Giant Ferris Wheel. How would I describe my first (and mostly likely only) flyer experience?

In a word: Boring.

I mean, seriously, we're all stuck in a capsule, right? And it's going round ever so slowly, and we can't do anything while we're up there, and it's BORING. It was only enjoyable because of the family.

I think the ones who had the most fun were my two older nephews. When they weren't fascinated by the view, they were busy monkeying around.

Neal & Shay

After we were finally back on terra firma, we did what any self-respecting Singaporean would have done. We went fooding at the Food Trail, of course! It really did bring back so many memories, more so for my parents and grandmum, of course. The food was a little pricier than it would have been elsewhere, but oh so nommy!

There was so much food on our table! My favourite dishes were the rojak, or luak, and ice ball, washed down with a refreshing bird's nest drink. Oh, and the ting ting candy too!

Hmm, now I'm having a candy craving.

Brokus Maximus

2011-10-12T19:06:00.001+08:00

Just spent $650 on a couple dresses and some lingerie. Ouch.

And now I'm getting my hair done. My credit card isn't too pleased with me now.

But hey, I'll look brilliant!

- Posted from KiP

Holiday Planning!

2011-10-11T11:41:00.000+08:00

I've used up all my annual leave for this year, what with my summer holiday and my upcoming Christmas leave, and my random days off, so the next holiday has to be next year.

And Neko and I are planning to holiday together! We've decided on the where and the when. All that remains is to sort out the silly bits, like flights and whatnot.

Neko has come here for a weekend, I've gone there for a weekend...now we're finally going to holiday together!

Just me and my wifey. It'll be like our honeymoon or something.

What does it look like?!?

2011-09-22T19:30:00.000+08:00

Mum was watching X Factor, and she'd walked away and missed part of it. She came back to hear Simon talking, and she asked what had happened. Thing is, I'd missed it, because I'd had my earphones in.

Mum: What happened?
Me: I dunno, I missed it.
Mum: Never mind, I'll watch it again later tonight.
Me: *starts tapping on keyboard*
Mum: Don't Google it!
Me: How'd you know I was Googling it?!
Mum: You had your Google Face on!

Post It!

2011-09-22T15:56:00.000+08:00

This just fills my Post-It® loving heart with glee.

In Love, In Fear, In Hate, In Tears

2011-09-21T23:42:00.000+08:00

Now I've swung back down again, it's worse than it was before;
If I hadn't seen such riches, I could live with being poor.

Tech (un)Support

2011-09-18T17:41:00.001+08:00

I'm having a problem with T-Rex, and I can't seem to solve it (yet). Of course, that's mostly because lil ol' me is trying to figure it out on my own. It would be so much easier if I still had my personal IT geeks. Don't have them now, though. Had to fire the first one, as he'd proved unworthy of the Ki-Crew. And the second one is on a sabbatical now. That just leaves...me. IT supportless.

Ah well, I'll figure something out eventually. Google, don't fail me now.

In the meantime, I stil have everything backed up on Trip. Trip? Trip who, I hear you ask.
He's this lovely little thing that holds lots of stuff. 3 terabytes worth! I'll fix T-Rex in a bit (hehe, a bit, get it?), but for now, Trip is doing a brilliant job.

My Black Dog

2011-08-25T10:57:00.001+08:00

I've been in a funk for a while now, and I didn't even realise it, although it's felt naggingly familiar to me. At first, I put it down to jetlag, but that's long behind me. I thought it could be PMS, but that's come and gone. I thought it might be holiday withdrawal, but looking back, I realised this actually started when I was in London.

I haven't had very much appetite lately, and just haven't been in the mood to eat. And when I do feel like eating, it's comfort or junk food I turn to. Or I'll binge, then go a couple days barely eating. I've been so very tired, and just feel like sleeping all the time. I get headaches every day, and I've had a couple migraine attacks recently. I'm not motivated at work, and I don't enjoy doing the things I used to. For want of a better term, I just feel blah all the time. I've been more irritable than usual, and I've come close to snapping at the people around me. I feel like crying several times a day, and often have to excuse myself.

Yes, I've had a couple reprieves, most notably on my birthday weekend. I can still go out and get caught up in the moment, which is a good thing. But I still feel all hollow inside, and it really does seem like a dark cloud's been following me around. I didn't want to go out at all. Really, all I wanted to do was curl up with a bottle of wine. If I lived alone, I prolly would have done just that.

It only just hit me this morning why this feeling is so familiar. I felt this very same way back in 2006. This same hopelessness, this same eff-it-all attitude, the same why-do-I-even-try feeling. I hate using the term, but it's true; I'm depressed.

Good thing is...I've hit rock bottom before, and I've learnt to be a little more aware of my emotions and my triggers. I guess I'm glad I was in such a bad place years ago; the experience has provided me with the tools I need to get through another dark period. Therapy was good for something!

And I'm fully aware of what's triggered this...episode. The first two catalysts, I can't do anything about; I'll just have to accept them. The third one...I've tried to deal with it, and I failed. Over and over again. And I think I've given up, but a little part in me says to keep trying. And I don't know what to do. The fourth, I can't do anything about for at least a year, so I'll just have to wait.

There are several others, but...all fairly manageable I think. At least, I'm trying to manage. It would be a lot easier if I could just talk to someone about all this, but to whom? Everyone's carrying their own burdens, some of which are far far heavier than mine; they don't have to listen to my piddly little issues. Then again, I guess this post is my way of talking to you guys. And I know you'll ask what's wrong, but I'll say "nothing, I'm fine." Because honestly? Nothing's "wrong". Besides, I don't know how to articulate any of what I'm feeling.

It does help somewhat to know that I'm not alone. Reluctant Mom expresses it better than I can. It's nothing I haven't experienced before. I'll still smile, and I'll still laugh. Because I'm supposed to be the happy, strong one. I'll still carry around this ball of despair until it dissipates. And it will, because like all things, this too shall pass.

But in the meantime, this fucking sucks.

"If you're going through hell, keep going." -- Winston Churchill

Death by Cake

2011-08-21T11:05:00.003+08:00

Went over to the Ks place for dinner yesterday. SisS's in-laws were in town, and they're flying off tonight, so they wanted to celebrate BIL-S's birthday. BIL-S turned 30 just two days before me, so they wanted to celebrate that. Also, Neal turns 4 next Saturday, and SisS's in-laws wanted to have a little celebration since they'll miss his birthday.

Dinner was...amazing.

Well, there were the "appetisers". They were actually meant for teatime, but we only got there past 7pm. Blueberry muffins, and chocolate cupcakes with Thomas the Tank characters on them. Of course, Neal can name all the characters!

Then...dinner. Wow.

From Mum's kitchen, we had Chicken Curry (with chillies from Mum's garden!), and Tongue Smore (how Eurasian!), and Aunty R cooked up Birthday Noodles (for longevity!), Pineapple Pickle (mmm, spicy!), and of course, which Eurasian get-together would be complete without Shepherd's Pie?

Om nom nommity nom! Of course, I had a bit of everything, and boy was I stuffed after that!

Of course...not too stuffed for cake. And it's a good thing I saved room for cake...there were, not one, not two, but THREE cakes! Yessirree, they got me a cake too!

Mine, BIL's, Neal's

Birthday present from the Ks is a classic. I burst out laughing the second I saw it.

How well they know me!

Why yes, yes I do think I can spell. Yes, I'm incurably competitive and overly confident. But no, not even I can spell all the words in this book! It's brilliant, and I have so much geek love for my sis and BIL!

Then going home, BIL-S gave me a giant bar of Toblerone. At least, he said it's for me. Turns out he told Mum, Babygirl and Bro the same thing. So 4 of us had to share. Which is just as well, really. I still have LOADS of chocolates from London!

Sunday is rest day. Gotta recover from all the food and alcohol I've consumed over the past couple days!

Quiet Celebration

2011-08-20T12:55:00.019+08:00

This time last year, I thought that I'd want to do something big for my 30th. A huge party perhaps, or a day out; something wild, something crazy.

This year, by the time my birthday rolled round, I'd completely changed my mind. After all, I'd already done the trip to London for my birthday treat! And I still have Jaffa cakes and rolos and Galaxy bars to feast on...among other goodies.

Decided on going to Overeasy for dinner with Bar Boozer. I made it just in time for happy hour, wahey! Was rather disappointed though, that rum wasn't included in the happy hour drinks. Nor was Red Bull, so I couldn't have my usual Rum&Coke, nor my substitute poison, Vodka RBs. My other choices? Gin or bourbon. Seeing as how gin is even grosser than bourbon, I settled for a bourbon whiskey. Had two of those, afterwhich I switched up to rum. Best Roman Coke ever!

Was a decent dinner, they do good burgers. But the service wasn't exactly the best! Since it was rather noisy, we decided to stroll across the bridge to the Esplanade, where we hung out at Harry's.
Decided to move on to SoCo 7-Ups, which I hadn't had in ages! Harry's was rather understaffed that day, but I'll give them this: they mix brilliant drinks! JUST the right ratios.

Shoes arrived not long after, and Tink joined us when she was done with work. And then....shots all round! Tequila...it makes me happy! Plus, Patrón tequila is good stuff!

So...alcohol consumption was...let's see if I remember this.

2 x bourbon whiskey
2 x rum & coke
3 (4?) x SoCo 7-Up
4 x tequila
1/2 x Guinness
Few sips of some very good single malt.

A decent amount for a 30 year old, especially one who was on the tail end of jetlag, hadn't been sleeping well, and had been in the office since 7.30am. Not too bad at all!

I was PLENTY buzzed, I can tell you that! Of course, after having the requisite prata and teh tarik supper, I was sobered up, but feeling oh-so-happy after spending a wonderful evening with 3 of my best mates.

And then I come home, and I see this waiting for me:

Thank you, Doof!

Flowers also make me happy. (Mum told me they'd arrived just after I left for dinner!)

Another thing that makes me happy? Starting the alcohol headache before I sleep, which means minimal hangover! Plus, as a wise old woman of 30, I now know enough to stick to either dark or light alcohol, drink lots of water, and to keep a bottle of water next to me. Woke up feeling tired, but no headache!

And then dinner today at Sis2's place. Weekend of friends and family. As close to perfection as it gets.

The Big Three-Oh!

2011-08-19T08:11:00.001+08:00

Hmm. I've waited 30 years for this day. So far, it's just like any other...
I know that one day I'll look back and laugh at me thinking that 30 is old. But for now...omg, I'm so old!

How the hell did it get here so soon? I don't wanna grow up!

City of my Heart

2011-08-18T19:47:00.000+08:00

From the second I stepped out into the wonderful city of London, I felt like I was at home. I felt like I belonged like never before. I can't even begin to express how much I am totally and completely in love with London.

I might get around to actually blogging about it eventually. I'd planned to write one blog post every day, but I was too busy having a blast and soaking it all up that I never sat down to write. There was so much that happened, so much I saw and did... and there's still so much that I didn't have time to get around to!

I might just go there again next summer...

And when I grow up, I'm moving to London.

HOLIDAY!

2011-07-29T13:02:00.000+08:00

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go....but first I have to work for 3 and a half hours!
Then it's home for shower, grab my bags, and off to the airport I go!

Woohoo!!!

London Itinerary

2011-07-27T01:46:00.000+08:00

My itinerary is filling up fast! I've scheduled a few things that are must-sees for me, and certain things are only on particular days and times. Plus, there are the things that I've made reservations for.

Eve and I have made reservations for afternoon tea at The Wolseley, so that's been blocked out on my schedule.

I've booked tickets to see Les Misérables, and I've been looking forward to that. Have wanted to see it for ages, and I'm finally going!

Neko shoots me a text today, to ask if I like musicals, and if I would watch Wicked. Turns out, she wanted to buy me a ticket for an early birthday present. Bless her heart, she bought me both the ticket AND dinner!

This is shaping up to be a brilliant holiday, and I'm not even packed!

3 sleeps to go before I fly, and I'm going now to cut that number down to 2.

Goodnight!

At least it's not Monday!

2011-07-26T07:27:00.001+08:00

If I cab it to work, I almost always take the exact same route. Today, I decided to take the old route, so I could give bro a lift.

I now remember why I switched routes. The number of traffic lights! The amount of traffic! Regular route has two junctions before I hit the expressway. This route? I'm already at the 4th light, and I'm still an 8-minute walk from home.

I'll now be late for work. Damn my thoughtfulness! My bro's an adult, he can jolly well go to work on his own!

...oh, who am I kidding? He's still my baby bro, I'll still knock on his door to wake him, and I'll still give him a lift if I'm taking a cab.
Besides, if I'm late, I just get sideways glances and not-so-subtle hints. He's late, he gets charged.

6 minutes to get to the office. I am...not going to make the 7.30 mark.

Oh, one more thing. You know how there are very few things that actually taste good after you've brushed your teeth? Yoghurt is not one of those things. Learn from my fail, my friends; learn from my fail.

- Posted from KiP

Location:on the road

Leavin' it to leaven

2011-07-02T23:48:00.003+08:00

Baked bun susi today, like I said I would. Really easy, really fun, and omg, really yummy!

And I've been doing cakes and cookies and muffins and pastries, and I'd completely forgotten how much I love working with bread dough. Note to self: bake more breads!

More pictures later on, but these are of the rising dough. It's like magic!

Before rising

10 min later. Wow, that's fluffy!

20 minutes later OMG HALP IT'S ATTACKING.

First it was sugee cake. Now it's bun susi. I'm becoming Eurasian, one dish at a time.

ETA:
There will be no pictures of the finished product after all. The product was finished too quickly for photos to be taken. And yours truly was in such a rush that photos were not taken before the hungry hordes attacked. Oops!

Good Timing

2011-07-01T12:52:00.002+08:00

I was just thinking of my holiday plans, and felt a tinge of apprehension. A few minutes later, I realised that I hadn't yet looked at today's affirmation. So I looked at it. And here it is.

from the I Can Do It® 2011 calendar

by Louise L. Hay

Plus, I have my St. Christopher medals. I'm good to go.

July

2011-07-01T12:45:00.000+08:00

This month, I celebrate my own independence. I choose to be free of all negativity, anger, fear, insecurities, jealousies - and any thought that makes me feel "less than". I no longer choose to live in the prison of my mind. I choose thoughts of love, joy, prosperity and unlimited creativity and opportunities. What I focus on is exactly what I attract. Joy brings joy.

London's Calling!

2011-06-30T19:27:00.001+08:00

Flights are booked!

Look out London, Ki's a-comin' to town!

We're all going on a summer holiday
No more working for a week or two!

Rocking the World

2011-06-30T15:34:00.000+08:00

Discretion, dear Ki, is the better part of valor.

Spontaneity is the better part of brilliance.

And imagination is the better part of making dreams come true.

Yes we can,
The Universe

Things I learned, Ki, from a bard, a scientist, and a child who went on to rock the world.... Yes you have.

Browser Wars

2011-06-27T14:31:00.002+08:00

This cheered up my Monday afternoon real quick!

Go check out more illustrations at The Shoze Blog. They're brilliant!

Everyone Deserves to Love and Be Loved

2011-06-18T21:02:00.002+08:00

Today I stood up for the freedom to love, with 10,000 Singaporeans, and was surrounded by all kinds of awesome.

more of a pink blob than a dot

Pink Dot SG is a non-profit movement started by a group of individuals who care deeply about the place that LGBT Singaporeans call home. It is a group for everyone, straight and gay, who support the belief that everyone deserves the freedom to love. With openness and acceptance, we hope to bring LGBT Singaporeans closer to their family and friends. (from Pink Dot's facebook page)

In 2009, the inaugural Pink Dot, held at the same venue, saw 2,500 people in attendance. In 2010, this figure nearly doubled, to 4,000. (from Pink Dot's blog)

I don't expect attitudes to change overnight, for taboos and discrimination to be dissolved any time soon. But baby steps are being taken. The fact that support for Pink Dot SG has been increasing so much, that so much awareness is being created proves that. Today marked a page in Singapore's history, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it.

D is for Dictionary

2011-06-17T23:44:00.000+08:00

The other day on the way to work, I heard a DJ on the radio talking about some album or other. She said, "This is the ultimate collection, it's the PEnultimate collection!"

Then today, my sis shoots me a text:
"Martha Stewart just said: we have the penultimate actress on our show today."

Yes, language is constantly evolving, but that's often because of people not bothering to really understand the meaning of a word before using it, to the point that the "new" meaning becomes the accepted meaning.

Do YOU know the meaning of "penultimate"? Why don't you look it up and get back to me? No wait, let me rephrase that in what seems to be the popular usage now:

Why don't you look it up and revert to me?

I'd like to teach the world to speak proper bloody English.

Twisted Fairy Tales

2011-06-17T19:05:00.000+08:00

Doof told me about a dream that he had, which reminded me of a dream that I had this morning.

There's a theory that we subconsciously remember every face we've ever seen, and we sometimes see these people in our dreams. If that's the case, I'd love to meet the bloke I saw in my dream!

He was well fit, and we were just chatting. I remember we leaned closer, and then we kissed...and it was such a lovely kiss...

and I woke up.

Down Memory Lane

2011-06-17T16:21:00.003+08:00

You know... It wasn’t all just food food food on Tuesday. There were other activities involved, believe it or not!

After lunch, we walked down to the National Museum. Well, most of it was a stroll, but there were a couple of quick sprints when Shay and I competed in footraces. I won both times! It would have been quite embarrassing indeed to lose to a 9-year-old. I did, however, slow down slightly towards the end, so it looked like a tie. It would probably have been just as embarrassing for Shay to lose to a girl! I have to admit though, he is pretty fast. I’m giving him a year, tops, before he outruns me. As it is, my niece provides fierce competition at arm wrestling!

The museum was lovely as always. It’s funny. No matter how many times I go, there’s always something that holds my attention. Seeing as how it was a weekday, it was lovely and empty! Except that there was some sort of private function in the evening, which meant that we couldn’t go under the swinging chandeliers. For some reason, I’m fascinated with them!

There was a section where they had newspapers from the 1930s. Vee and I sat down to read them for a bit. The articles were interesting, the advertisements were brilliant, but what amused me tremendously was the “Women’s Corner” in the paper. I wish I’d taken pictures! They had all sorts of useful information for women, such as… the type of women that men will want to marry, how to keep your husband happy…it was like reading Cosmo! They captured Vee's attention for longer though. ADD-girl got tired of squinting at the fine print in the dim light!

Seriously, I do so love museums. Even though I did get somewhat bored after a while, and just started wandering aimlessly, there’s something about the quiet and the calm, and the sheer history of it all that gets to me. It’s just awe-inspiring, really.

What was also pretty damn awe-inspiring was seeing Mum walk a tremendous distance yesterday, and negotiate pedestrian crossings so steadily. I'm so unspeakably proud of her.

Had such a wonderful day out with the family. Isn't life just grand?

Food for Thought

2011-06-15T08:08:00.002+08:00

I had the afternoon off yesterday, and I went for lunch with Mum & Baby Girl, Sister Vee and her clan, and Nan. We went to this delightful little place on Queen Street called Mary's Kafe. Bad spelling aside, it's brilliant! It's cosy, everyone's warm and friendly, and the food? The food is Eurasian cuisine. It's good Eurasian cuisine.

The babi pongteh was brilliant, as was the curry and the meatballs. Mary's fruit cake is to die for, and her carrot cake is fantastic. Her sugee cake isn't quite as lovely though. If I may say so myself though, my sugee cake is a lot nicer.

But the best thing of all? The bun susi. Baby Girl loved it SO much, as did the rest of us. I have now been inspired! I have decided to make bun susi for Godson(to-be)'s baptism. That leaves me just under two weeks to experiment, to make it perfect!

For dinner, we went to Popeyes® at Cathay. I hadn't eaten there in so long! Great chicken, fantastic mashed potatoes, brilliant fries....but the one thing that cannot be missed: the biscuits. When they're fresh and hot, they're just heavenly. I was so engrossed in conversation with Nix and Shay that I totally forgot to grab a half dozen to bring home. I only realised it when they closed! But no matter. I'll grab some for Baby Girl next time I'm in town. Or...better yet, I'll just bake some! Fresh out of the oven, with butter and jam... or fresh out of the oven with homemade gravy... Oh wow, inspiration's hit me yet again.

Went to Marché® for Sunday lunch after mass with Mum, Dad, Baby Girl, Sister S and her clan, and Nan. We managed to get a table for all nine of us (yes, Baby Godson counts as a full person; he was given a Marché® card too) right in a cosy little corner which was just perfect for us. The food, as always, was lovely - savoury crepes, rösti with cervelat, fried calamari, pork knuckles, all washed down with ginger beer. And then...dessert. Oh. My. God. Dessert. The bread and butter pudding (with vanilla cream) is a family favourite, so that went down well, of course. But the trump card had to be (drum roll please)...

The apple pie. What's that? The simple and humble apple pie was my favourite dish of the day? Oh, my dear readers, there was nothing simple nor humble about this apple pie. It was almost 4" high. The crust was tasty, yet not overpowering. The apples...oh wow. The pie was just chockful of perfectly sliced apples, cooked to just the right degree, with a lovely amount of cinnamon, and a generous dollop of cream on the top.

Once again, I've been inspired. The simple, yet satisfying apple pie. Comfort food at its best.

So, as ever, my to-bake list has grown yet again. :)

What a Wonderful Monday!

2011-06-14T02:44:00.001+08:00

Monday started off rather drearily, as always. Did NOT want to get out of bed! Finally dragged myself to the office, and it was all uphill from there! Just had a general good day at work, and then went to tutor Kay and LG after that. Had such fun with the kids as always, all four of them! And then went out for a couple beers after with Shoes. Well, I say 'couple'. It was only a pint and a half of the black stuff. Would have had more if it hadn't already gone midnight! Isn't it great to be mates with your students' mum? Better yet, drinking kaki!

Got home about...12ish? Chatted with Mum for ages. I always love our late night chats, where we talk about serious stuff, and throw in completely inane things as well. Back in the day, when a teacher in school (I can't remember which one, but I remember what was said!) told us that our parents are our best friends, I didn't believe her. But my Mum is by far one of the best friends a girl can have.

Anyway, it's 2.30 in the a.m. now, it's just started pouring; thunder, lightning, the whole shebang. Perfect sleeping weather! So off to sleep I go, with just under four hours before the alarm goes off.

And tomorrow! Afternoon will be spent with Mum, Sister V, Mike D, their kids and Baby Girl. (I get to work in the morning first, though!)

What a fantastic start to a week that is just filling up with loveliness! Thank you, Universe. I am so very blessed. ♥

PS: Doof, know how I said I'll email ya? Well...not going to, now that I've blogged. :p

Blast from the Past

2011-06-11T10:05:00.000+08:00

These Sunday Sweets brought back memories of a brilliant childhood.

And most of these 40 things made me feel nostalgic and old all at once.

I'm chuffed to be turning thirty, but I'm not sure I want to grow up...

Saw this and thought of you

2011-06-11T00:08:00.000+08:00

You know who you are. ♥♥♥

June

2011-06-01T23:56:00.000+08:00

This month I choose to only see positive energy wherever I go. If a problem comes up, I repeatedly say: "All is well. Everything is working out for my highest good. Out of this experience, only good will come. I am safe."
By repeating this, I calm down and give the Universe time to fix the situation in the best possible way for all. My life is a joy!

2011-05-30T15:41:00.000+08:00

I'll love you no matter which path you choose, Ki, and more, I'll be there ahead of you.

We one,
The Universe

So choose based upon your own happiness, Ki, that's how I do it.

Out of Steam

2011-05-27T09:59:00.000+08:00

I was super productive the first half of this week. I was working through half the lunch hour, I stayed late one evening, and I got a lot accomplished.

At home, I went into a cleaning frenzy; I cleaned out my closet and got rid of quite a lot of clothes. I did some major cleaning out of my desk and dresser area. I'm waiting for my brother and bro-in-law to be around over the weekend, so they can do some heavy lifting. Getting rid of the table/shelves in my room, and moving a shelving unit from Mum's room to mine.

In short, I accomplished a lot in a couple days. And I had such fun too! Don't even get me started on how happy I get when I'm organising things.

Yesterday and today, however...my mojo seems to have taken a break. I'm all bleh and meh now, and quite unmotivated indeed. Did I use up all of my productivity quota at the beginning of the week?

Good thing it's FRIIIIDAAAAYY.

I need a nap. Preferably one lasting at least 3 hours.

The Silence of our Friends

2011-05-25T12:27:00.000+08:00

Watching this video restores my faith and hope in humanity.

Forgotten Dream

2011-05-24T08:24:00.000+08:00

I know I had yet another really interesting one, but I can't remember it at all. I do know that I was waking a lot though.

I think I just got up too quickly this morning. The past three mornings, I'd lain in bed a while just recalling my dreams and committing a few aspects to memory. This morning, I woke up too late to do that.
If I do have the same dream though, I'll know.

But for now...it's time to focus on my waking life. Which isn't nearly as exciting, but pays a hell of a lot more of the bills.

Repent! The End Is Nigh!

2011-05-24T00:32:00.003+08:00

In the past three nights alone, I've dreamt of zombies, the apocalypse and someone putting explosives in my house. In that order.

I can't remember, but what I do recall:

Zombies
Exactly what it says on the tin. Similar looking to the Infected in I Am Legend, most of these zombies were lying at the bottom of a pool, seemingly asleep.

Side note: water in my dreams tend to reflect my general state of mind. In this case, it was calm...but full of undead people. Hmm.

Anyway. I was part of a volunteer group to kill zombies. I remember walking across a bridge, looking down at all the zombies at the bottom of the pool. At one point, there was a human who had been trapped somehow, and managed to escape via a tunnel that was under the pool. But by swimming towards his escape, he awakened the sleeping Undead, who then started to crawl and claw their way up and out. As soon as they broke the surface, one of us volunteers would shoot it.

And that's all I remember.

The Apocalypse
Well, I don't know what else to call it. I was in a deserted suburban area. I was with a group of survivors, and scenes alternated between running for our lives, and hiding out in a makeshift shelter.

I recall that there was fire and explosions, and I felt that something was perpetually coming after us.
Another huge worry we had was dissension among ourselves; there were a few arguments.
Oh, and I was worried that my phone was dying, and I didn't have a charger for it.

In my defense, if I needed advice on how to survive the apocalypse...well, there's prolly an app for that!

The Explosives in the Empty House
This one was really strange. Even though I had two strange and vivid dreams two nights consecutively, I found this the oddest of all. And perhaps that's what's really odd. But anyway.

My POV started off as that of a bloke, breaking it off with his (my) girlfriend. And then I switched over the girl's POV.

I remember there was a small lawn, and a car in the driveway. Why is it that I often live in the suburbs in my dreams? But anyway. The house was a crime scene, and police were leaving. As I walked through the front door, I focused on bits of grass and dirt on the carpet. You know how in Psych, Shawn Spencer focuses on a clue that lights up? Well, that's what happened. I leave it, and continue walking in. I walk through the house, and it's empty. It seems to be somewhere I lived with my (non-existent) boyfriend/husband, and he wasn't there.

I try pushing open the kitchen door, but it seems to be jammed. I don't notice it, but seeing as how it's MY dream, I'm also omniscient, therefore I know there's a rubber hose leading from the outside into the kitchen.

I walk away, and notice that there's a message on my answering machine. I hit play, and the message is for me. A bloke called Godfrey? Geoffrey? was reminding me that the show starts in five minutes. Omniscient me knew that it was an usher calling from the theatre. At this point, I'm slowly starting to lucid-dream, and I'm lucid enough to realise how silly that phone call was.

That's when BabyGirl woke me up.

I went back to sleep, and managed to lucid-dream myself back to the same situation. I then realised that the kitchen was rigged to blow up the minute I (or anyone else, really) opened the door.

BabyGirl woke me up again, but it's a good thing I managed to fall asleep fast enough to call the police. Unfortunately, by that time I was a bit too awake to see the rest of the dream through, so I'm not sure what happened after.

----

For those of you who believe in dream interpretation, yes. You've probably interpreted correctly. And yes, the main recurring theme is...definitely something that's going on right now. I am facing a few challenges which I can and will overcome.

In the meantime, I embrace these challenges, especially if they make the nighttime so gripping and intriguing.

What exciting situation will I face tonight? It's time for me to go find out.

All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream
-- Edgar Allan Poe

Rapturous Weekend

2011-05-22T22:30:00.001+08:00

Went to see The Lion King with Mum yesterday, at the Sands Theatre. We left rather late, so it was a rush to get there. Thank goodness we made it on time, although I felt really bad about Mum having to hurry so much.

It was a brilliant production. Although the acting and singing were good, they didn't really blow me away. The set design was amazing, the costumes were breathtaking, and the orchestra was fantastic though, so I enjoyed myself tremendously. The most important thing is that Mum loved it, so mission accomplished!

I'll have to admit though, the theatre has a long way to go to achieve the kind of standards I'm used to, after going to the Esplanade so often. Although the foyer is quite opulent, and the theatre itself is huge and equipped with great technology, I think that the Front of House was nowhere near as professional and friendly. I did encounter one FOH personnel who was helpful and friendly, but the rest of them seemed... well, it just seemed as though they weren't trained enough. Hopefully they'll improve in time, but I was less than impressed.

We went to the food court after that. Now that place is pretty impressive, with loads of stalls. We might as well have gone to a restaurant though, for the prices of the food at the food court!

I did drop by the chocolate shop though, and picked up a couple bars for Mum and a bag of Revels for me. They're so nommy! But I've been quite disciplined lately, which means that I actually still have some more left! I just can't figure out which one I like best.

I enjoyed a wonderfully lazy Sunday today. I did bake brownies though! Half a tray for my home, quarter tray for Sister2, and the last quarter for Shoes, whom I'm seeing tomorrow.
They turned out pretty well, if I may say so myself!

It was quite amusing though. I measured out the brown and white sugar into a bowl. Then I sifted the flour and cocoa into another bowl. Then I opened the fridge to grab the butter...and realised that I didn't have enough. So I had to run to the shops to grab a block of butter, and decided to drop by my sister's place to pick up more chocolate chips. Because really, there's no such thing as too much chocolate.

Making brownies really is so fun with my Baker's Edge® All-Edge Brownie Pan. I have a ton of recipes to try out in that pan, I can barely wait.

I'm going to enjoy the rest of my weekend now, whatever's left of it. What a shame the Rapture didn't really happen yesterday. It just means I'll have to go in to work tomorrow after all.

Although I did have an apocalyptic dream last night, so perhaps it was an omen of things to come.

How I Feel

2011-05-18T15:40:00.002+08:00

How you feel, Ki, is more important than anything else.

And this is something you get to choose, moment by moment.

Supercoolhappy works for me,
The Universe

Sunrise, Sunset

2011-05-16T23:47:00.000+08:00

My brother booked out today, since tomorrow's a public holiday, and he's booking in tomorrow evening.
He just got home, and he's wearing his army uniform.
At the risk of sounding vaguely incestuous, he looks so gorgeous in his uniform! And then he took off his uniform top, and he was wearing his tank top, and he's all phoar! His girlfriend better be careful, my bro's grown up to be quite the hottie!

Seriously though. Perhaps I'm just biased, but I think my brother is gorgeous (well, of course I do. We share the same genes, and I'm gorgeous too. Just not in an army uniform). However, I just never quite got why girls go gaga over men in uniform. Looking at my bro today, I think I finally kinda get it. It's almost as if overnight, my baby brother became a man.

All his bodybuilding and weightlifting didn't quite give him that look, but today...it finally hit me.

My baby brother is all grown up. That little boy who wanted his big sister to cuddle him to sleep. That adorable kid who would lie down on my lap when we watched telly.
My gorgeous, adorable baby brother has grown up.

And I will confess to having had to blink back a few tears.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

2011-05-16T00:44:00.002+08:00

Woke up much later than I'd planned, which left me very little time to do all I needed to do.

Rushed to the shops for ingredients, and made my way home to start on brownies. Such an easy recipe, but what delicious brownies! Plus, I got to use my Baker's Edge® All-Edge Brownie Pan for the first time. What a great brownie pan! It really makes me want to bake so much more!

Also made Rice Krispies Treats, which are easy and quick, and everyone loves them.

Reason for my sudden baking spree? Picnic in the park, of course.
Went to see the Scottish play down at Fort Canning Park today with Missty and her mates. (Everyone loved the brownies, yay!)
It was a pretty good production, all in all. It was a great set and the space was used really well, the lights were pretty well done, the sound was pretty good for an outdoor venue.

The acting though...the acting left much to be desired, I think. It doesn't help that I know the play really well, having read it for my GCE "O" Levels, and that I've seen other productions. Lady M is such a powerful character, and the actress playing her just wasn't of the calibre that Lady M deserves.
I usually love Adrian Pang in all his roles, but I do think that Shakespeare isn't quite his forte. He just didn't quite bring out the raving madman that Maccers had become by the end.

Verdict: It was a great way to spend an evening, but I was left with a vague sense of disappointment.

Got home, and the Ks were over (sans kids). Gave them some brownies (I made so many that we couldn't finish them all), and they loved them. When Foodie!BIL says they were good, it's high praise indeed!

I think I'll watch me an episode of QI before turning in. I just hope I can fall asleep, seeing as how I woke up so late today.

"Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!"

Kismet, I tell ya.

2011-05-15T03:05:00.003+08:00

Went out today after work, to meet up with a bloke I recently got to know. Met up with him for coffee, which is really just leaving an escape route, no? If we don't like each other's company, hey, it was just for coffee, and we can cut and run. If we enjoy each other's company, we can extend the evening.

Which is what we did. Ended up going over to his place, where he cooked dinner and we just hung out for hours. Had such a lovely evening, really!

Left his place about half eleven, even though I was really tempted to stay a bit longer (and I knew I was welcome to!), and was thinking that I'd just had two wonderful evenings in a row. I was going to grab a cab from where I was, but I decided to swing by 7-11 first. So I walked the other way towards 7-11, and I actually walked the longer way by mistake. Clearly, the mistake was meant to be made, for that's when I ran into none other than my favourite older male first cousin. (The fact that he's my only older male first cousin is completely irrelevant, of course.) I didn't literally run into him, but I would have, had I not looked up from my phone!

It was a total "coincidence" that we saw each other; he had picked that exact moment to walk out of the building, and I was walking past at the very same time! I don't believe in coincidences though...the Universe totally wanted me to meet him! I hadn't seen him since Christmas, and we haven't had a proper conversation in bloody years! So we decided to hang out for a bit, and we spent a lovely couple hours catching up and just having a laugh.

And I had not one, but two pints of Guinness. Doof had better be proud of me for that one.
I'm so very glad we got the chance to sit down, just the two of us. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed him until today. We used to be really close, and in fact, he was at one time my best friend, the big brother I never had, until life got in the way and pulled us apart. I'm hoping...nay, I'm planning to keep in touch with him more often. I'd really, really missed him!

Oh, what a wonderful weekend I'm having. And it's not even over!
In the past two days, I've met someone new, and reconnected with two old and so very dear friends. Tomorrow, I meet up with another old friend and her friends, therefore more new connections for me to make! We're going to Fort Canning Park to see my favourite Shakespeare play of all time! Yep, that Scottish one, whose name we will not mention, for it's bad luck to utter its name.

My life is filled with blessings, and it just keeps getting better.

I am so happy right now, I can't stop smiling!

But I'm also really knackered, and if I'm to wake up early enough to bake brownies for picnic, I'd better get to sleep right now.

Thank you, Universe. I'm having such a beautiful time!

Attack of the Killer Lizard

2011-05-14T02:14:00.000+08:00

Wow, this has been some week!

Went out with the parents and Calis on Sunday, for Mothers' Day, and had a lovely time with them. Made plans to meet JJ for happy hour on Monday, but I couldn't make it for some reason I can't remember right now, so changed the date to Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon, Mum called me in the office and said that she had to go to the hospital. Turns out she was severely anaemic, and needed a blood transfusion.

Mum spent a couple days in the hospital, and she came home Thursday. I'm so glad and relieved she's ok. Calis missed her terribly when she was away, and I was, frankly, really worried, even though I played it down for Nan and Calis.

Anyway, I cancelled on JJ, and I also cancelled on My Girls (I was supposed to meet them on Wednesday), so I could take care of Calis and things at home. Today, I decided that since Dad was home and could keep an eye on things (and Mum!), I would go out for dinner and drinks. I'd spoken to Terry on Sunday, and we said end of the week, so I gave him a shout, and off we went!

Ended up going to Miss Clarity Cafe down on Purvis Street. I was there almost exactly a year ago! And me being me, I ate almost the exact same thing. Terry and I split everything - a lovely, thick mushroom soup, a delightful paella with chorizo, ham and bacon (can never go wrong with bacon, really), and the exact same dessert I had last time. And Terry and I both agreed that the best desserts are those that are a mixture of hot and cold, especially if there's chocolate involved.

Strolled around a bit, and went to Loof for drinks. It's quite amusing, really. I think the last time I met him, we ended up at Loof as well. We hung out so much longer than I'd thought we would, and I had a brilliant time. It's been years since we last met, and I really think we shouldn't let another couple years pass just like that.

Got home about 15 minutes ago, and popped into the shower. Hung up my towel, stripped, and then took off my glasses. Turned on the shower, and what do I see? A HUGE LIZARD. Alright, I'm really not sure how big it really was, since I'm blind without my specs, but I could tell it was pretty darn big. (Big for a house lizard, not big like monitor lizard. Thank goodness.)

I froze, lizard scuttled off. Thing is, I couldn't see where it had gone to. For all I know, it was hiding behind my towel! So I put my glasses back on, showered in double-quick time, brushed my teeth, and...well, I wasn't about to risk grabbing my towel! What if killer lizard had jumped out at me?! I COULD HAVE DIED.

Yes, I snuck out of bathroom butt naked and dripping wet. Thank goodness I always have a smaller towel hanging on the back of my bedroom door! I'm now safe in bed, and going to watch one more episode of QI before I have to wake up for work. In...4 hours, guh.

I hope lizard doesn't find its way to my bedroom. I really should booby trap the perimeter.

Marry/Shag/Cliff

2011-05-10T00:08:00.004+08:00

The rules:

1) Comment to this and (if you want) I will give you 3 (fictional) people.
2) Post this meme to your LJ with your answers.
3) Provide pictures/text descriptions and the names of the 3 people.
4) Label whom you would shag, marry and (push off a) cliff.

LJ user Oshunanat gave me:

Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory)
[Señor] Ben Chang (Community)
Jim Moriarty (BBC Sherlock)

Oshun wanted to issue a challenge (hers were far too easy), and a challenge it was! I really had to consider this for a while. But here goes.

Marry: Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D

Physically speaking, he's my 'type': tall, skinny, adorkable. We have quite a fair bit in common too, except that he takes my quirks and amps them up to 11. I'm smart, he's a genius; I have OCPD, he takes OCD to new extremes; I'm a bit of a geek, he's the über geek; I have mild obsessions, he reinvents the term; we're both smug and arrogant and full of disdain for others. He'll know better than to mess with my systems, and I'll understand not to mess with his.

Sure, he's annoying enough to make one want to push him off a cliff, but at least he'll keep things interesting. Also, I know we wouldn't have a sex life, but if anyone can build a sex toy robot, it's my Shelly. Plus, he'd easily solve all my computer problems. Win!

Shag: Jim Moriarty

Come on. Man looks great in a suit. He's so changeable, which would make for some exciting sex, I reckon. Check out his o-faces! He's not quite my type physically, but hey, that's what doggy style is for. Besides, he's Irish, and doesn't everyone want to have some Irish in them?

I admit, I did consider pushing him off a cliff, but hey. That's Sherlock's job. Cliff, waterfall, whatever. Besides, I'd much rather...

Cliff: Ben Chang

Dude's an annoying psychotic creep. He needs serious psychiatric help, which neither of us can afford. So really, I'll be doing him and the entire world a favour.

Bazinga!

Google Search Hell

2011-05-09T08:27:00.001+08:00

Monday morning funny. And oh so true...

2011-05-08T03:05:00.001+08:00

It is with a heavy heart that I shall go to bed.

Singaporeans just don't know what's going on. Stupid media puppets having their strings pulled by the ruling party.

So sad.

ETA:
I am somewhat mollified by the affirmation for Saturday, aka Election day.

Everything happens in the perfect time/space sequence.

Vote 2011

2011-05-07T07:56:00.001+08:00

Singapore goes to the Polls today.

I've refrained from posting anything on this blog; all my political statements and opinions have been on my Facebook page. But for today, I will make a special blog post.

Singapore goes to the Polls today.

It was mentioned to me by a friend who's a US citizen, just last week, that it seems like the big election news isn't so much the issues at hand, it's that there's an election at all! As I explained to him, the general election happens once every 5 years. But the ruling party has been in power for the past 50 years. Most people never had to vote, for there was no contest in their constituency, and the ruling party has managed to instil fear in our people. That if you don't vote for them, that if you speak up against them, the law will come down on you and your family. That your family will be blackmarked for life.

Well, all that is changing now. We now have credible opposition candidates, full of brain and full of heart. We have sincere opposition candidates, with the courage to stand up and say "I want to make a difference." The ruling party is being shaken up, and perhaps finally, finally! the voices of the common people might get heard. This is the most highly contested election since Independence, and it has its place in the history of Singapore.

Singapore goes to the Polls today.

With all the restrictions in the tightly-controlled mainstream media, our people could never get the full picture, could never make an informed choice. In the last election, political bloggers had to still their fingers. People spoke in hushed tones about the government. This year, I look around, and I see a change. With the loosening of the reins on the Internet, Singaporeans finally have a glimpse at what freedom of the press could possibly be like. Online newspapers have been telling the news that doesn't appear in the mainstream media. Political bloggers have been typing furiously. And the people have been making their voices heard through social networks.

Will the ruling party lose their mandate? No. Will they lose the power that they have over Singaporeans, especially the older generation who feel that they should be grateful for all that the ruling party has done? No. Will the margin be narrowed, will more alternative voices appear in parliament to speak up for the areas of society that have been left behind? Oh, I do hope so.

Singapore goes to the Polls today.

I can see my Polling Station from my bedroom window (also, my dining room window and my balcony, but I'm in my bedroom right now). There's a pretty good queue now, and voting doesn't open for another couple minutes.

I am a first-time voter, having been unable to vote in the last election for my constituency went uncontested, and in the election before that, I just wasn't old enough.

In the past 10 days, I have been inundated with information. I have participated in countless discussions. I have scoured the internet for articles and videos. I have attended rallies. I have reflected, and I have made my decision.

Singapore goes to the polls today.

Today, I vote for Singapore.

I envy Lisa

2011-04-29T08:15:00.002+08:00

I think I just developed a huge crush on Lisa's husband.

Can you blame me?

Funny Money

2011-04-28T19:09:00.001+08:00

I really have to inspect my change more carefully when I pay for anything. A few years ago, I received a few coins as part of my change. After a cursory glance, I put my change in wallet and went on my merry way.

Some time later, I discovered that what I'd thought was a one-dollar coin was in fact a 500-rupiah coin. Which is...not worth a dollar. I've kept it in my wallet since, though, as a 'lucky' coin. And what do you know, since then, my finances have been steadily improving.

This morning as I was paying the cab driver, I counted out what I though was the exact amount. Turns out I didn't have exact change after all; what I'd taken to be a 20-cent coin was... a US nickel.

Well done, me.

- Posted from KiP

2011-04-27T15:48:00.000+08:00

In life, Ki, you can only ever be scared, when you believe in limits.
You can only ever feel lonely, when you stop doing things.
You can only ever become bored, when you no longer follow your heart.
And you can only ever get overwhelmed, when you think the illusions are real.
Whew! Who knew it could be so easy to get back on track?

The Universe

And usually, Ki, it only ever seems hard, when you rush yourself.

Red Bull Week; Final Day

2011-04-23T13:51:00.002+08:00

It always amuses me to see someone else's desktop cluttered with icons. I simply don't understand how anyone can work with such a mess on their desktop. Makes me wonder if their physical desk is just as cluttered! How do they locate anything? Every one of my files are neatly labelled and slotted into their proper places. Just the way it should be. I like my desktops empty, save for the things I'm immediately working on. It's just so much better that way.

Speaking of the things that I'm working on, I can now transfer my presentations from my desktop to the proper folder. I'm done with presentations! If I may say so myself, I think I did a pretty good job. For the amount of effort I put into them...well, the output was a lot better than I'd expected!

Of course...that's just my opinion, which is quite biased.

I'm starting to get hungry....I think we're going for lunch in a bit. LUNCH!

---

After lunch now!

We all went to Han's, and now I'm stuffed. And oh so sleepy! Oh silly me, I didn't pick up a Red Bull on the way! No matter, I did have a coffee, I'm going to make myself a cup of tea now, and perhaps it's a good thing to not drink Red Bull - it would probably make my cough worse.

Urgh. Time to wake up and pay attention!

General Election 2011

2011-04-22T02:39:00.000+08:00

I must confess, this is the first time in my life I've ever been excited about a GE.
It has a lot to do with the fact that this is the first time in my life that I might actually get to vote.

Nomination Day is April 27. Singaporeans go to the polls on May 7th.

Sure, it means that I'll have to postpone going to The Lion King with Mum (I'm glad I didn't get tickets yet), but election!

There's so much buzz about it, so much contesting going on. I have, for the first time ever, starting taking an interest in the proceedings. It seems I'm not as apathetic as I'd originally thought. In a mere two weeks, the landscape of politics in Singapore might just change!

Hehehe

2011-04-22T02:30:00.002+08:00

A chemist and his buddy walk into a bar. The chemist says, "I'll have a cup of H₂O." His buddy says, "I'll have a cup of H₂O too."

The funeral is Thursday.

Red Bull Week; Day 5&6

2011-04-21T20:15:00.000+08:00

The past couple days, I've been pretty ill. That silly bug that was making its rounds clearly hit me.

I feel so much better now, in time for Easter!

Today is Babygirl's birthday! And I'm not at home with her and the family, I'm in class. Hopefully everyone will still be there when I get home! At least I'll be around for her birthday party on Saturday.
Still won't be eating any meat though, so I'll have to forgo the lamb until Sunday. Yep, it's always the last week of Lent that's the toughest!

Wow, my thoughts are all over the place right now. Mostly because I'm multitasking - listening to lecture with one ear, trying to absorb stuff as well.

Oh, and turns out that I'm not consuming all that much Red Bull after all. I've been enjoying the knock-out meds far too much!

Oh alright, I should stop trying to blog, and start paying attention!

Red Bull Week; Day 4

2011-04-19T19:05:00.002+08:00

One red bull wasn't enough. I'm in class now, and I'm beyond knackered. I'm also ill; sore throat, dizziness, aching all over, cold....not fun.

I'll try to pay attention now.

I can survive two and a half more hours, can't I? I'm definitely taking a cab home. Don't think I can face the train, and the walk home.

ETA:
One hour to go, and I'm struggling. Even after that red bull and a coffee, I'm fading, fast. Really, really struggling. DEFINITELY cabbing it, expense be damned.

Red Bull Week; Day 3

2011-04-18T23:28:00.000+08:00

Actually, no Red Bull goodness today. Might explain why I'm so tired! Had a presentation in class today; it went alright. Managed to cobble something together just before I left for class. Not too bad for a half-arsed, last minute attempt!

Nothing else new today. I'm enjoying classes, but really, it's all so crammed that there's not much time to prepare/revise anything.

I know I should prolly do some of the reading, but I'm so knackered now. I'm just going to watch an episode of WLIIA and then go to sleep. I be exhausted. Did I mention that I'm beat? I'm clean tuckered out.

Red Bull Week; Day 2

2011-04-18T01:48:00.001+08:00

Managed to make it to class on time, and felt knackered all day. Had a good time in class though, and it was lovely catching up with SheelyD and Sham and Koko. I think I might actually enjoy this module! It's a pretty interesting topic, and one that's quite relevant indeed to my interests. There's a lot of class prep involved with this module, which is always useful, of course. And our lecturer is really cool too; had some interesting discussions in class. He's so knowledgeable about this topic and I'm looking forward to more dialogues with him.

After class, I made my way to the National Library, where I started on my presentation for tomorrow. Well, technically, today now. Didn't spend as much time as I'd expected, because Bar Boozer's arrival time was a whole hour earlier than expected! Which just meant I got to see him a whole hour earlier than I'd expected!

Oh, it was simply lovely hanging out with Bar Boozer for the first time in five years! One would think that'd it be a bit awkward, what with not having seen each other for so long, and having the barest of communications in the meantime. After all, we just kept up with each other's lives mostly through Facebook statuses. But no, it was just so easy and comfortable and fun from the get go!

I find it rather amusing that we ended up getting tapas for dinner, seeing as how the first time I had tapas was with him, and when we met at Clarke Quay the last time, we also had tapas. What is that, our signature cuisine?

Really looking forward to hanging out with him again in July, when I get to crash at his place over my summer hols.

Decent tapas, good drinks, great conversation and chilling out with an old mate. Now that's a perfect way to end an awesome weekend!

Oh, and where did the Red Bull come in? Right after lunch, of course! It's almost 2am now, and after only about 5 hours of sleep this whole weekend, I'm more than ready to crash. Say g'night, Ki. G'night!

Timbre Rock & Roots

2011-04-17T19:08:00.002+08:00

Day 2

Oh my goodness. Yesterday's performances were, in a word, AWESOME.

I got there just before Imogen Heap was up, and boy oh boy, am I ever glad I was there before she started! From the minute she stepped on stage, I was smitten. I loved her music ever since I first discovered it a couple years ago. She's gorgeous, she's funny and quirky and rather eccentric, she's full of fun and her voice...omg, her voice. I've developed such a crush!

Trombone Shorty was up next. I'd never heard of him or his music, and I was wowed! I'll tell you, it brought back a few memories. Being a former band geek who once dated another band geek (who played trombone!), I've always loved the sounds of the trombone. I've never quite heard it being played like this, and omgomgomg, he held a single, pure note for more than two minutes. I've known of circular breathing for years, but I'd never actually seen anyone do it, and I. Was. Wowed. So in awe!

John Legend closed up the night. That man has a lovely, lovely voice, but I daresay his performance could have been a little better. The man comes on stage, starts singing....and not a sound came out! The mic wasn't on! And he was singing one of Adele's as well. What a shame! The whatchamacallit, sound mixing? left quite a bit to be desired. The music was so loud that his voice was drowned out. Finally, when it was just the piano and his voice, did I truly appreciate how lovely his voice really is.

It was a fantastic weekend of music, and I enjoyed myself tremendously.

Met MyEvilTwin and her friends, and we went up to Ku De Ta. The view of my city from up there was breathtaking. The almost-full moon, the lights of the city below...I rediscovered a new love for this wonderful city I call home.

Danny Tenaglia was spinning at Zouk for their 20th anniversary as well, and I would have loved to go. I love me some Tenaglia, I love zouk, and quite a few of the old crew were there! And actually, I very nearly did go, especially since MyEvilTwin was there and I love clubbing with her. But sense kicked in, and I decided to head home for a couple hours sleep before class today. Shame about missing Tenaglia, but that's what comes with being a semi-responsible pseudo-adult!

I barely slept all weekend, my feet are swollen and hurting, my legs and back are aching and I'm feeling oh so knackered.

All signs of an awesome weekend. And it's not even over yet.

Red Bull Week; Day 1

2011-04-16T16:30:00.000+08:00

Slept just past 3am this morning, woke up at 6.30 for work. It's now 4.30pm, and I'm about to leave the office, and rush off to meet Missty for Day 2 of Rock & Roots.

So far so good...I seem to be holding up alright. One coffee in the morning, a Red Bull an hour ago; I'm doing alright.

Imogen Heap! John Legend!

And now I gotta run to catch my bus.

2011-04-16T09:27:00.000+08:00

from the I Can Do It® 2011 calendar

by Louise L. Hay

Timbre Rock & Roots

2011-04-16T03:08:00.001+08:00

Day 1

Went to see Bob Dylan in concert! Well, I say I went to see him...I just caught a few glimpses of him; I was too far back in the crowd. Enjoyed his music, as always. That man has a great voice! So first time ever at a Bob Dylan gig, that was good.

Then saw Michael Franti & Spearhead on stage after that. Another first! Have loved his music (well, most of it) since I first heard some of his stuff years ago. Wow, that man can perform! Had such a great time!

Now my feet hurt. And I'm so very knackered. It's just past 3am, and I have to be up in three hours for work.

Tomorrow! Another first! Imogen Heap! Oh gosh, I'm really looking forward to seeing her.

I have a can of Red Bull in the office, and I have a six pack on standby in the kitchen. I'm good to go, I reckon.

Now, I sleep.

2011-04-15T16:02:00.004+08:00

Though folks never suspect this in their times of crises, Ki, no one is ever more than a few wispy thoughts away from a rebound, breakthrough, or blazing new trails with friends, in love.

Burn rubber on me,
The Universe

Let's Play Stupid Questions!

2011-04-15T08:39:00.003+08:00

Doof and I declared Wednesday to be Stupid Question Day, after Doof asked me a stupid question. Well, we usually ask each other stupid questions anyway, but I was on a short fuse on Wednesday. Anyway. Turns out we were one day early.

It was yesterday that was definitely Stupid Question Day.

Overheard in the office (it was about to piss down out there):
Guy: Would you look at the colour of the sky?!
Ditz: Which one?
Guy: There's only one sky!

Getting a 'teh' from the 'kopitiam'; they put takeaway drinks in packets:
Me: One tea, please, packet.
Dimbo: Tea, in packet?
Me: Yep.
Dimbo: Takeaway?
Me: ....Yes.

I'm surrounded by idiots!

ETA:
Not about a stupid question, just about questions. In particular, the A Google A Day questions. I love them! I think they're great practice for improving one's Googlefu (even though I have something better than Google - I have a Neko and a Doof).
So first page I opened today showed me today's question, and I was thrilled to know the answer! No googling required! The trivia geek in me applauded, I'll tell you that!

2011-04-15T07:54:00.001+08:00

from the I Can Do It® 2011 calendar

by Louise L. Hay

Reality Check!

2011-04-14T15:54:00.000+08:00

In all of time and space, Ki, can you think of anything more valuable than just another day?

Well if you can, I'll give that to you as well.

Feeling groovy,
The Universe

How's that for a reality-check, Ki?

This just in...

2011-04-12T10:42:00.000+08:00

More than two feet of paperwork, you guys! And yes, instead of rolling up my sleeves and tackling the stack, I blog about it. Is that wrong?

Oh hello, overtime!

Good times, man. Good times.

Monday Bleh

2011-04-11T07:08:00.002+08:00

Woke up earlyish today. But I missed the bus anyway. Decided to get a cab, and be really early for work. Took me half an hour to get one.

Bright side: I'll still be on time for work. In fact, pretty early still.

Also, I have to call the phone company and give someone hell. Receiving text messages ten minutes to two HOURS after they were sent? Not being able to make/receive calls? No connection to the Internet?

Not Cool. At this rate, I might have to go back to previous phone provider.

Feeling a sore throat coming on. Good thing I have throat lozenges in the office. Two different kinds, even. And must really remember to take my vitamin C. And zinc. The bug going round my office doesn't seem to want to stop attacking me. Well, I'm counterattacking now! Still. Being tired makes me a little more vulnerable.

Urgh. Doesn't help that there's no sun. Well, I'm sure there is, but grey clouds are blocking it out. How dreary. I need to feel the sun on my skin. Afterwhich I'll mutter something about it being too damn hot, and scuttle back indoors.

Gah. Is it obvious that I'm not having the best morning?

No matter. The day will get better.

- Posted from KiP

Ennui

2011-04-09T20:21:00.000+08:00

So many things are going on right now, and I find myself being rather overwhelmed. I know what to do, I know where to start; I just can't seem to muster up the energy and enthusiasm for any of it.

Certain people in my life aren't helping much either. What with their being unable/unwilling to communicate...well, sometimes I just look around in complete bewilderment.

But as with all things, this too shall pass.

Unmotivated

2011-04-09T15:06:00.000+08:00

Yeah, what it says in the subject line.
So much to do, so little motivation.

At least I got a lie-in this morning.