the thing about propaganda.


HAPPY NATIONAL DAY... not.


It's that season of the year again. With national day approaching, national tv is flooded with drama, variety shows, commercials tailored to grind into us the spirit of nationalism.


Code Red (爱上小红点) on channel u, 830pm.
Honour and Passion (宝家卫国) on channel 8, 9pm.
Corresponding commercials on channel 8 in-between honour and passion.
NDP competition on Kids Central.


It's balantly shouting out 'propaganda' in all directions. But i guess there's no other way to build up nationalistic spirits, with citizens from all races and religions, and with 1/3 of the population made up of foreigners. Moreover, Singlish is rated as broken English. So, this little city-state continues to harp on how japanese soldiers tortured us during WWII, the crying PM during separation, and how our forefathers have fought to bring us from a third-world to first-world within one generation. All and all when almost half its population has never gone through these before.


And the climax of everything is during national day parade when the fireworks go off and a (floating)stadium-ful of audience sing nationalistic songs at the top of their lungs, waving tiny singapore flags in their hands. Momentarily, i'm confused. Are we grateful to be Singaporeans because we can see beautiful fireworks?




I thank God i live in Sinagpore. It's just that propaganda makes me scringe.

Every Penny Counts.


This article motivates me to start saving up to pay off my loan, and for an apartment. It's very tempting to live a life of ease, to spend as and when I like. Buy new clothes, be fashionable. Go out with friends and spend on drinks and good food. Yet, before I have the luxury of doing so, I have to learn the art of saving up.


It's all about priorities. Do I want a latte, or an apartment?

Bidding has started. I can smell school. Woohoo.



These are the modules I intend to take this semester.
*Cross fingers and pray*

NM2208 Principles of Visual Communications
NM3215 Advertising Strategies
EL2101 Structure of Sentences and Meanings
EN2112 Reading American Texts
EL3253 Critical Discourse Analysis
SSA2218 Singapore Film: Performance of Identity



It's gonna be a six-module semester again. I'm so making full use of my expensive school fees. Let me know if you're intending to take any one of these modules this semester okay?

I'll be uploading most photos directly to blogger instead of photobucket, to allow for easy kop-ing of photos. But please give credits back to me. :)




Went to Taiwan Delights 臺灣小吃 yesterday.
(Thanks junyao for the photos. Thanks myself for editing. Whahahha.)




It's at bugis, alongside Icon.



Apetitizer, preserved cucumber i think. It's sourish and sweet, like pickles, and it's very 開胃, i like. =)



This is 鹽酥雞, crispy and tender, slightly saltly. Yumms.



This dish is called 傻人乾面. I like the seasoning, 甜甜的. But would prefer it if there's meat or veges, not just noodles.



地瓜湯圓綠豆湯. Okay only.



珍珠奶茶. It's different from the usual bubble tea. It has this plum taste to it. I quite like it, but some others think it's weird.



Carrie and her friend winnie.



Sisters! Clockwise from top left: Huifang, Doris, Johanna, Guanzhen, Me, Maureen, Kezia, Jesline, Huimin.



Brothers! Clockwise from top left: Zhenzhong, Junyao, Edmund, Jeffrey, Joe, Benaiah.



Overall, the food is okay lah. Different but not say very good. But all in all, it's the fellowship that matters. =) *cheesy*

just a series of questions.

i try: my best to live life.
i know: what i should do but yet i don't do.
i want: an unlimited supply of chocolate.
i wish: to never leave God.
i hate: (mostly) myself.
i miss: (being in love.)
i fear: growing old.
i hear: the tv.
i search: for answers to endless (useless) questions.
i believe: in God.
i wonder: what will God say to me after i die.
i regret: giving up ballet, and so many others.
i love: (i try to.)
i care: but pretend not to.
i always: oversleep.
i cry: easily.
i fight: not.
i write: therefore i am.
i win: by losing sometimes.
i lose: when i try too hard to win.
i confuse: people when i can't convince them.
i listen: to good music (not genre restrictions).
i need: to clear my debts after graduation.
i breathe: too hard sometimes.
i should: try to save money.
i dream: of roaming the world.
i feel: alot (too much).
i am not: perfect (not even good).

i miss school.





i miss doing readings.
i miss printing and copying notes.
i miss attending lectures.
i miss eating yong tau foo.
i miss arts canteen.
i miss gathering at hq.
i miss rushing to catch the last bus of 151.





so in short, i miss school.


(bidding for modules starts on monday. school starts next mon. yippee.)

Guess what am I going to blog about.






Hahahhahaha. Okay. Remember 花樣少年少女?
Now, Fuji TV is releasing the japanese version of Hanazakari no Kimitachi e!





I've always adored Japanese drama, since 同一个屋檐下, Overtime, blah blah blah. I've also watched Itazura na Kiss, the Japanese version of 恶作剧之吻, and i think it's wayyyyy better than the taiwan version. So, i've pretty high expectations for hanakimi this time round.


Character introduction!

堀北真希 as 芦屋瑞稀



小栗旬 as 佐野泉



生田斗真 as 中津秀一



Hibari FOUR~!



Now they're into their 4th episode, and so far, I LOVE IT! WHOOOOSH! Whahhaha. I'm an objective critic okay? Even though i find Ikuta Toma REALLY REALLY CUTE. There are stuff in the taiwan version which i wish were included in the japanese version. Yet overall, i still prefer the japanese version.

1. The acting and storyline's more natural.
2. Yet at the same time it's hilarious.
3. The storyline's more developed and goes at a faster pace too.




To end off, here's the first episode, from veoh.com
(I can hear zz start talking about ip. Erm, there's no other access to it, since i seriously doubt that it'll air in singapore, hence.)
(And i shrunk the video box to fit my blog. Go veoh.com and the video quality would be better.)


I don't always put videos of dramas on my blog. So i guess it shows how much i love this drama. The first episode itself made me tear.

PART I

Online Videos by Veoh.com

PART II

Online Videos by Veoh.com



Go watch lah! Highly recommended yo. Haha.

HELLO!



Sorry haven't been blogging cuz i've been busy. HAHAHA. I know you must be wondering what is a non-working student having holidays busy with. Well, yunno... stuff. hahahhaha.




Anyway, today is MAUREEN'S BIRTHDAY!!




HOOHOO. Happy Birthday Maureen!! =D



We got her a BEAR for her bday present. Not any ordinary bear, but one we MADE OURSELVES! The bear's name is maumau o.o and has a heartbeat. Here are the steps to build a bear.






And then joe kissed the bear's heart. Whooo~.



In the evening, we went to partyworld to celebrate her birthday.




MAUREEN.




Okay, that's all. Yupps. A picture-ful post. If i have time i might post again later. =)

You know, there's one good thing about having migraines. Serious. Yesterday i had migraine and because of that i missed two meals. BUT also because of that, the tummy that i've been growing over the holidays is now GONE. Woohoo~!




I just finished gymming in school. And had my sushi. Now, i'm as happy as i can be. Hoohoo. Seriously, that feeling of having worked out is woohoo~. The best part of it all, is weighing myself and finding my weight back to ideal. YIPPEE.



good evening everyone. =D

had migraine the whole of today. argh. spent the whole day at home. sleeping and popping pills. alrights. here's some random photos.



went to bugis junction last wed with sia, wen, dxx, yuting.

gigantic wedding cake.


at this superheroes shop.

look at the difference in price. before and after discount. woohoo.


then i went to somerset s-11 to meet jesline for dinner.

and the auntie gave me this HUGE bowl of yong tau foo. OMGosh lah.



i just think this is super funny.



the forever-sleeping-cat. i love his life.

i am two weeks wols already.



BUT. You know something? After Live Earth and all its advertising, now i consciously make an effort to switch off lights when not in use and use less toilet paper. -.- OKAY, i know there are much more that i can do, like sorting out garbage for recycling blah blah blah, but hey, i'm too lazy.



Madonna proved herself a diva for now. Oh ya, and look out for the Singapore flag.




Seriously doubt if what we do can actually help save the earth. It's like we're just trying frantically to delay time.










Quite funny lah. watch lah.

eternal sunshine of the spotless mind


Prolly the longest movie title i've ever come across. It was shown on Ch 5 yesterday night. I don't have scv, so i live on whatever entertainment aired on local channels. I'm more of a plot person, which is prolly why i didn't like transformers, and why i'd pay to watch inde/artistic films. I enjoy movies that gives you ideas to chew upon for a long time after.


Synopsis:
(edited from wikipedia.com)
Emotionally withdrawn Joel Barish (Carrey) and Clementine Kruczynski (Winslet), a dysfunctional free spirit, strike up a relationship on a Long Island Rail Road train. They are inexplicably drawn to each other, despite their radically different personalities.


Although they do not realize it at the time, they are former lovers now separated after two years together. After a nasty fight, Clementine stormed out of Joel's apartment and impulsively hired a New York firm – Lacuna, Inc. – to erase all memories of their relationship. Upon learning of this, Joel was devastated and decided to undergo the procedure himself. However, while unconscious and having these same memories erased, he rebelled, realizing he wanted to hold on to his memories of Clementine after all.






Much of the film takes place in Joel's mind as he struggles to preserve at least some memory of his love for Clementine. We watch their love and courtship go in reverse. The memories are slowly erased while Joel tries his best to resist the procedure and hide inside his own mind.


In separate and related story arcs, the employees of Lacuna are revealed to be more than peripheral characters in scenes which further demonstrate the harm caused by the memory-altering procedure. Patrick (Wood), lonely and socially inept, became fixated on Clementine and uses the personal mementos that Joel gave to Lacuna, as part of the procedure, in order to seduce Clementine. These romantic entanglements turn out to have a critical effect on the main story-line of Joel and Clementine's relationship.


Mary (Dunst) turns out to have had an affair with the married doctor who heads the company (Wilkinson), a relationship which she agreed to have erased from her memory when his wife discovered the relationship. Once she learns of this, she steals the company's records and sends them to all of its clients, including Joel and Clementine.




At the end of the movie, Joel and Clementine were faced with the decision as to whether they should give their relationship another try. Would it turn out the same way as it did previously?







Alrights, give yourself a pat on the back if you actually read the whole synopsis. The main question in this movie is "If given a choice, would you erase any of your memories?" Memories aren't always pleasant. Some haunt you for life, and some hurt you so deep you never seem to be able to bury them. Yet they are your memories, phases in your life which constitutes to who you are now.


Another question posed is as to whether erasing memories actually help. Because eventually Mary falls for the same doctor she had an affair with, and Joel and Clementine were attracted to each other again when they met after having their memories erased. So the thing is, even though they had their memories erased once, they are liable to do the exact same thing all over again, because ultimately they're still themselves, with their personalities and preferences.


Lastly, if you found out that you had your memories of someone erased, would you choose to know this person all over again? Would it reap the same results as before? Can we actually change anything?




The whole movie is mind-boggling to me, as to what i can do and what i can't about everything i encounter. Even though i say that i regret doing X, given the same circumstances again, i think i'd choose to do X again. So, is regret only a privilege of the aftermath?




Okay, enough thinking.

Btw, my ratings: 9/10. COOL.

had a mini fellowship session yesterday with zhenzhong, maureen and carrie. =)



first we had dinner.
this is mine. see how huge the tempura is.



and then, this is maureen's. i shan't mention what it resembles.




and then we went to the arcade.
i'm seriously not an arcade person. apparently, i'm the only one.




and then we went to carrie's house.
where zhenzhong did a slam dunk.

erm, but the bball is too tiny.


and we were shocked that carrie kept all her notes since pri sch.

O.O



i'm too tired to elaborate much.
am going to sleep now. good night. =)

AnimalPlanet part II


That can of whiskas pumpkin posed with yesterday has found a tummy to rest in. It's an under-nourished stray cat I saw on my way home today. I figure it's new in this neighbourhood, because there are cat-feeders in my neighbourhood so it shouldn't be so skinny. Also it's not sterilised. =X









See how skinny it is.



I'm those kind of cat lovers who shun committments. Carry a can of cat food wherever i go, and feed skinny cats, that's all. I really admire cat-feeders who make the effort to feed the whole community of cats everyday, and bring them to spca for you-know-what. Salute.

Me, guan, ven, joe and zz watched transformers yesterday at tiong bahru plaza. (Sounds ulu ah? It's my first time there) Afterwhich junyao, maureen joined us. And junyao brought his dog pumpkin along. =D



I have to admit that i have a soft spot for cats and dogs, and i started cam-whoring pumpkin.




See how junyao strangles pumpkin.




Pumpkin and a can of whiskas.



Even though pumpkin's a mix-breed, he's still really really cute, and he reminds me of my dog. Unless we have a turtle for a pet, we prolly can't outlive our pets. Even though i had to cope with the loss of my dog, i never regretted having it. For many things in life, it's really the process that matters, not the outcome.



Good morning!

WARNING: this is gonna be a long and picture-ful post!


Yo. I am back! And have finally finished editing the photos!! Phew~!!



Camp has been total madness i tell you. It's so much fun i kept laughing until my tummy aches. Alrights, let the pictures do the talking!



The theme for this year's alpha camp is PRISONBREAK.
Story goes that Tan Siang An framed Yup He Ping for murder, and so He Ping's brother He Hua deliberately broke into his own house to get himself into jail in attempt to save He Ping. So, in this camp, we're all prisoners facing death sentence, and He Hua is trying to lead us all to escape from prison.



We played sports for the first day. Captain's ball for the girls, and soccer for the guys. I'm in CELL 3, and CELL 3 came in SECOND overall! Woohoo~!!



Our cell!



The next day, we were shocked to realise that YELLOW water is flowing out from the tap. Eew!



A mini inter-cell game we played at night. We were supposed to form the longest line. CELL 3 won! Woohoo~!!



It rained, and there were insects flying around during teaching.... Until they met sherli... PLAT!



不要拍我~！series. LOL!


When Sherli meets Liyi.




!?!?!



GROUP PICS~!



Though camp has ended, i'll always remember the 不要拍我~！, maureen's 拉面, carrie's 海姆.水姆., all the TAU POK~!!, floating along the corridor, sherli's "Al hayer~" and junyao's 古天乐．whahahahhaha. You guys are such a bunch of fun and laughter. Love you all~! =DD



Oh yes! God has been really good to us throughout the whole camp! There was no rain and all sunshine throughout our games, and the rain came only during teaching time, which helped cooled the weather. =) And we were waiting for the SBS bus when a mediacorp mini-bus stopped and the uncle offered to give us a free ride back to pasir ris mrt station. Woohoo~! So we all had a share in pretending to be stars. Wahahhaha.