Thursday, March 31, 2005
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Happy Bday Dad!
Today is the bday of the "significant" male of my life, Mi pa pa, Wo de Ba Ba.
Happy Bday Mr Wu! :)
Happy Bday Mr Wu! :)
My Easter Weekend
was spent with Park Shin-yang, Lee Dong-gun and Kim Jung-eun in a tale of Cinderella- poor girl meets rich guy, brothers falling for the same girl, girl faces societial and rich family pressure, 3rd parties, company takeover plot..gosh yes its that exciting, that i stayed up till 5am the 1st nite to finish half of it but the marathon continues for the 3 days. Lovers in Paris, korean serial, otherwise known as Des Amoureux Paris, click for the full story. I know i know its such a chick flick, there were times when the lines were really mushy and corny, but u still go awwwww.. totally unrealistic, but oh well you just need some hope sometimes eh...Plus the male leads are v gd looking too...:)
Monday, March 28, 2005
Never understimate the impact of Local Television
Its been a year since i watched Chinese drama serials on the telly and I did just that on Thursday, it felt strange but oddly familiar and comforting at the same time, made me realise an important and interesting fact: Its probably only in Singapore television channels, that you get English subtitles for Chinese serials ( even though they are imported from HK..hmmm do you get them in Msia too? tink they are in malay?)
So non chinese speakers can also watch the chinese channels too, aint that cool. I think watching local tv productions will give you an insight on the culture and lifestyle of the locals and what is important to them, what is the trend etc, excellent way of knowing more about the cty you live in, sure its no big Hollywood production with A class actors and actresses, still its very amusing and entertaining for me to watch local serials now and then, like Phua Chu Kang, the "Ah Beng" construction company owner, " The Best in Singapore, some even say to JB" :). But do take things with a pinch of salt eh.:)
Never appreciate this till I went to sweden, and everything is in swedish.....even the cartoons in cinemas, like Shrek 2, we have to go to the late night spots of 9pm to get the English version of the movie ( coz its after children watching hrs, mainly this time slot is for adults).
Made me realise too that what a strong influence are television programmes in shaping the value and belief system of a person. When i was watching the ancient chinese drama serial on Thur, its set in the Tang dynasty, several msgs keep popping up during the show, " You have to put your family's interest before yours", " The family's pride is more important that anything else" " You should listen to your elders" " Girls are to remain passive in terms of courting, and aware of what other pple might say, for it hurts their reputation more so than for the guys" True, this is set in the olden times, and times have changed, but i think growing up in an environment surrounded by subtle messages as such, you are more or less influenced in your value and belief system as well.
Imagine if you were growing up in US, Europe etc, what msgs do the TV programmes constantly bombard you with as you grow up, would you have a different set of value system then?
No wonder some parents actually ban their kids from watching TV programmes at an early age.
So non chinese speakers can also watch the chinese channels too, aint that cool. I think watching local tv productions will give you an insight on the culture and lifestyle of the locals and what is important to them, what is the trend etc, excellent way of knowing more about the cty you live in, sure its no big Hollywood production with A class actors and actresses, still its very amusing and entertaining for me to watch local serials now and then, like Phua Chu Kang, the "Ah Beng" construction company owner, " The Best in Singapore, some even say to JB" :). But do take things with a pinch of salt eh.:)
Never appreciate this till I went to sweden, and everything is in swedish.....even the cartoons in cinemas, like Shrek 2, we have to go to the late night spots of 9pm to get the English version of the movie ( coz its after children watching hrs, mainly this time slot is for adults).
Made me realise too that what a strong influence are television programmes in shaping the value and belief system of a person. When i was watching the ancient chinese drama serial on Thur, its set in the Tang dynasty, several msgs keep popping up during the show, " You have to put your family's interest before yours", " The family's pride is more important that anything else" " You should listen to your elders" " Girls are to remain passive in terms of courting, and aware of what other pple might say, for it hurts their reputation more so than for the guys" True, this is set in the olden times, and times have changed, but i think growing up in an environment surrounded by subtle messages as such, you are more or less influenced in your value and belief system as well.
Imagine if you were growing up in US, Europe etc, what msgs do the TV programmes constantly bombard you with as you grow up, would you have a different set of value system then?
No wonder some parents actually ban their kids from watching TV programmes at an early age.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Friend Leaving...
Known Marek for only a short 2 months, and the 1st time we met was when i went to the company for interview and i saw this guy wearing a AIESEC in Poland tag, what are the odds for me asking" Are you Marek?" :)
Being the only 2 out of the 3 YOUNG, GD LOOKING crew, and also a part of the ex AIESEC trainee gang in Singapore, we naturally clicked. Pity you had to leave, sigh one lunch buddy down, no more WET ALOE VERA tissue papers for me...Will Miss You!
Being the only 2 out of the 3 YOUNG, GD LOOKING crew, and also a part of the ex AIESEC trainee gang in Singapore, we naturally clicked. Pity you had to leave, sigh one lunch buddy down, no more WET ALOE VERA tissue papers for me...Will Miss You!
Friends coming...
Kanako flew in from Japan and Fabien was also coincidentally in town from Indonesia before taking off for APX at Bangladesh, and we had a quickie reunion of aiesecy business.:D Gosh has been 1 year since i last saw both of them at my bye bye gathering to sweden...Greeeat to see you 2 again! Hugs and kisses!
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Life of a secretary
Am working in an environment full of women folk, or more specifically secretaries and i feel that my life is now littered with little gossips here and there which i find totally amusing and boring at the same time. The kind of details and information that they take note of is astounding, ranging from dietary habits of their bossess to newest gfs etc. But its a tough life to be a secretary to an expat boss, many a times you have to handle his ENTIRE personal life as well ( though by right you should only take of work related stuff), ranging from visas, to hiring filipino maids, to installing cable at their houses, paying for the kids' education, flight travel booking and having multiple cancellations!( i swear this must take up close to 88% of their working time!)...At the same time, i feel both admiration and sympathy, its irritating enough for me to hear all that crap but for them to do it, and yet remain their composure of being "sweet" and "nice" on the phone....just hang me.....:P
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Exciting things that happened to my life recently
was when i went to do a voice-over in MANDARIN ( yes....yes... can u believe it?! ) for a Hong Kong movie trailer last Sunday, at Mediacorp ( Singapore's television station) for " Turn Left, Turn Right," (english translation).So happens that my favorite eye candy actor Takeshi Kaneshiro is in it, so its a bonus ;). If any of it is going to be used at all, its only going to be a few secs max.
But its heaps of fun and definately a new experience :), recording is different from what we see in movies and television where you have a big room with a glass panel in between u and the producer and all, oh well at least not for me, am small fry ya. Just went to a small dark soundproof room with a mic, and i walkie talkied with Mandy, the producer of this trailer who is also my secondary school classmate, where we worked on some chinese poetry cd when we were 14 and thats how she ahem..discovered my "talent" haha shameless i know, but yeah it was fun, been ages since i read chinese text and i wasnt totally sure on the exact pronuciation for some words, since its going be on national tv, you have to be sure rite...definately have to catch up on my chinese reading...and then was reading with the kind of "feel" that she wanted, have to tell myself from giggling and be professional on this i know :)
Actually the voiceover trailer for this movie was ok, it was the other script where i just auditioned for the fun of it as Channel U is looking for a new voice. There was this portion where u have to read with a happy voice, then a sad one then the most hiliarious one was to read a scary ghost trailer,,,,i was cracking up inside hahaha,,,At the end of it, was cool to do something out of the usual desk bound job and earn a little cash while having fun. For pple living in Singapore, will tell you, if any of it comes out at all on Tv, supposed to be out end of next week.:)
But its heaps of fun and definately a new experience :), recording is different from what we see in movies and television where you have a big room with a glass panel in between u and the producer and all, oh well at least not for me, am small fry ya. Just went to a small dark soundproof room with a mic, and i walkie talkied with Mandy, the producer of this trailer who is also my secondary school classmate, where we worked on some chinese poetry cd when we were 14 and thats how she ahem..discovered my "talent" haha shameless i know, but yeah it was fun, been ages since i read chinese text and i wasnt totally sure on the exact pronuciation for some words, since its going be on national tv, you have to be sure rite...definately have to catch up on my chinese reading...and then was reading with the kind of "feel" that she wanted, have to tell myself from giggling and be professional on this i know :)
Actually the voiceover trailer for this movie was ok, it was the other script where i just auditioned for the fun of it as Channel U is looking for a new voice. There was this portion where u have to read with a happy voice, then a sad one then the most hiliarious one was to read a scary ghost trailer,,,,i was cracking up inside hahaha,,,At the end of it, was cool to do something out of the usual desk bound job and earn a little cash while having fun. For pple living in Singapore, will tell you, if any of it comes out at all on Tv, supposed to be out end of next week.:)
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Quotes from the instructor from Salsa Lesson No. 2:
" Guys drive, Girls follow", preaching for the 3rd time, to a group of 20 power dressed career women who came straight after work for salsa classes on letting the 6 guys lead for salsa dances.
" If the guy touches you, you should touch him back" in explaining a move where the girls are supposed to put their left hand on back of the guy's upper shoulder only AFTER the guy makes the first move of taking the hand.
" If the guy touches you, you should touch him back" in explaining a move where the girls are supposed to put their left hand on back of the guy's upper shoulder only AFTER the guy makes the first move of taking the hand.
Monday, March 14, 2005
My office at The Gateway
Thanks to the friendly tenant, Mr Lucini of the opposite building :), I can show you how beautiful and cool my office building.Let me introduce you to the fantastic building i work in, The Gatway, we have the East and West buildings, and I work in Gateway East, the one on the left, on the 31st floor. The storey where the cleaner is, when the photo was taken. The reason why its cool, is its sharp edges and unique structure, gives the illusion that its a 2 dimensional building instead of a 3.
Me and My Mochi Ice-cream
Have been consistently buying Mochi ice cream daily for the past 6 days ever since i rediscovered my "true love" again after an absence of 2 years. Funny thing is this is a japanese ice cream and i had my first taste of it when i was in New York visiting my sister back then from a japanese store. I even had thought of importing them into Singapore when i couldnt find any back home....alas these guys have beat me to it, and i got to experience "true love" again (hah, i know its getting corny) but its amazing.....i just love it! It comes in the flavours of peach, lychee, yam, seasame so far here in Cold Storage, introduced them to my swedish/british colleagues and bought them for family and friends, you know Singaporeans, cant resist but share all the good stuff and bargains in town hehe.If you are interested to know more about what am i exactly raving about, read an article on Mochi Icecream, mochi is actually made of glutinous rice btw.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Stlm Elux 5 back again
Sorry Nisarg, cant find the photo with us looking like corporate models at the time of this posting, will change it later :)
Originally uploaded by ying22.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Salsa Beginner Class 1
Went for my 1st salsa class with Chris yday and I have learnt more stuff about myself and the birds and bees during the class,
1. I am still a feminist by heart, as the instructor was saying that Salsa is a class where the guys lead and the girls just follow, something that I find hard to reconcile with harharhar :P There are certain dance movements, hand postures and turning indicators which have to be initiated by the guy which i just find it hard to be natural to i guess and would go instinctively " yah right" :P when the instructor drones about guys leading.
2. I am not girly enough compared to the girls in my class, who wear and CAN balance on their heels effortlessly, still sticking to comfy shoes like my dirty boots hehe.
3. The ratio of guys to girls in the Salsa dance class was what..1:6? and i must say the girls are really quite pretty as my other guy friend(but of course!) , George commented chances are that you will find attractive girls in salsa classes, as girls normally do alot of turning, and they cant really be too "big-sized" to do that or at least thats what he thinks. And as i told Chris, man you can get a gf here, just pick one.:P
4. In general Singaporeans are still kinda conservative on bodily contact, even small touches on the shoulder and on the back, the girls would giggle and avoid eye contact. Probably its just the first class, Chris says its alright from the 3rd lesson onwards...oh well....I still find it funny when the instructor talks about " Balls"....of your feet...:P
1. I am still a feminist by heart, as the instructor was saying that Salsa is a class where the guys lead and the girls just follow, something that I find hard to reconcile with harharhar :P There are certain dance movements, hand postures and turning indicators which have to be initiated by the guy which i just find it hard to be natural to i guess and would go instinctively " yah right" :P when the instructor drones about guys leading.
2. I am not girly enough compared to the girls in my class, who wear and CAN balance on their heels effortlessly, still sticking to comfy shoes like my dirty boots hehe.
3. The ratio of guys to girls in the Salsa dance class was what..1:6? and i must say the girls are really quite pretty as my other guy friend(but of course!) , George commented chances are that you will find attractive girls in salsa classes, as girls normally do alot of turning, and they cant really be too "big-sized" to do that or at least thats what he thinks. And as i told Chris, man you can get a gf here, just pick one.:P
4. In general Singaporeans are still kinda conservative on bodily contact, even small touches on the shoulder and on the back, the girls would giggle and avoid eye contact. Probably its just the first class, Chris says its alright from the 3rd lesson onwards...oh well....I still find it funny when the instructor talks about " Balls"....of your feet...:P
Friday, March 04, 2005
Exams- Its a Family affair
My brother and cousin are getting their Cambridge A level results today, and apparently its a family affair. My parents are so worried for him and his results, then even celebrations for my mum's bday, which is this sat, have to be on HOLD, depending on the outcome of his results.They even told me and my sis to be extra careful in talking about this topic to my brother, for fear he has a panic attack. Guess they are sensitive to his feelings which is a nice thing i know but abit overdone.
The school system in Singapore is 6 years Primary School, 4 years Secondary School( where they sit for their Cambridge O Levels), 2 years in Junior College ( where they sit for their A levels papers) before gaining admission into university. And there are only 3 local universities in Singapore, and according to statisitics, only the top 20% of the cohort make it to universities, the rest either enter polytechnics or overseas unis. So yes its a big deal for them.
Its been some time since I have felt the stress and pressure of being a student in Singapore, all the way till Junior College (JC). University life is better as you are able to select the classes to go and its left up to you.But before that, its no easy task to be a student, where u have to do tons of homework, projects, go for tuitions even ( if you wish to excel in front of the class, and very common indeed) and manage the stress from your family, peers and more importantly yourself. True we are not as bad as in Japan and Taiwan, where there are only few MAJOR exams in a student's life which are critical entrance exams, that drives u to the extent of madness and even sucidial tendancies when you fail. Its sick I know, I guess its the whole societal pressure that drives them to the end, that FAILURE is intolerable and Education is a very important step in determining how successful you are in your future life and standing. In short, without education, you are nothing.
Anyways my brother did well, and we are off for celebration tonight, in conjunction with my mum's bday tmw, so all's good, and more food.:)
The school system in Singapore is 6 years Primary School, 4 years Secondary School( where they sit for their Cambridge O Levels), 2 years in Junior College ( where they sit for their A levels papers) before gaining admission into university. And there are only 3 local universities in Singapore, and according to statisitics, only the top 20% of the cohort make it to universities, the rest either enter polytechnics or overseas unis. So yes its a big deal for them.
Its been some time since I have felt the stress and pressure of being a student in Singapore, all the way till Junior College (JC). University life is better as you are able to select the classes to go and its left up to you.But before that, its no easy task to be a student, where u have to do tons of homework, projects, go for tuitions even ( if you wish to excel in front of the class, and very common indeed) and manage the stress from your family, peers and more importantly yourself. True we are not as bad as in Japan and Taiwan, where there are only few MAJOR exams in a student's life which are critical entrance exams, that drives u to the extent of madness and even sucidial tendancies when you fail. Its sick I know, I guess its the whole societal pressure that drives them to the end, that FAILURE is intolerable and Education is a very important step in determining how successful you are in your future life and standing. In short, without education, you are nothing.
Anyways my brother did well, and we are off for celebration tonight, in conjunction with my mum's bday tmw, so all's good, and more food.:)
Reflections from an "ageing" person
A sign that you are getting old is when you meet pple from different stages of your life on the street and you go.." hey that face looks familiar" and " is that really XXX" Obviously, this is accompanied by "scary" flashbacks to yourself, like how "innocent, immature etc" you were and how does this person remember you as and you wonder how much you have changed since that stage in your life. :) And of course this will be more relevant for you if you have lived all your life in the same country like me.
But its always nice to meet them again, be it on the street, on MSN, or even on your blog, of all the random and least expected places. :) Continuing on that point, i am suddenly reminded of this exercise from Stephen Covey's 7 habits for Highly Effective People, Rule No 2: Begin with the end in mind, where we are supposed to envision that we are at our very own funeral, surrounded by our family and friends, and then one by one they are to deliver their eulogy, "What would they say?"
Interesting isnt it, makes you reflect sometimes what kind of a person you are really, and being portrayed to others, and if you dont think you will like what they might SAY then...hmmm like " She's NICE or He's NICE" ( or it can get even worse :P), better get your act together now.:)
But its always nice to meet them again, be it on the street, on MSN, or even on your blog, of all the random and least expected places. :) Continuing on that point, i am suddenly reminded of this exercise from Stephen Covey's 7 habits for Highly Effective People, Rule No 2: Begin with the end in mind, where we are supposed to envision that we are at our very own funeral, surrounded by our family and friends, and then one by one they are to deliver their eulogy, "What would they say?"
Interesting isnt it, makes you reflect sometimes what kind of a person you are really, and being portrayed to others, and if you dont think you will like what they might SAY then...hmmm like " She's NICE or He's NICE" ( or it can get even worse :P), better get your act together now.:)
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Solutions for ADD :P
A response to my earlier ADD- Attention Defiency posting
by the ever talented Mr Shahrin Selamat, ID Number: (NRIC: 7802781I)
10 recommended and sometimes not so recommended ways to cure ADD **
1) put photographs of your friends all over the place to the point of making u sick (when u wake up u see their faces, when u eat, when u study, when u sleep, you see their faces)
2) record all conversations you have with them, and play it back when you are at home 24 hours a day, so that you get so sick of listening to them to the point that you just want peace and quiet
3) punctuate all conversations that you have with anybody with gossips and intentional mentioned of the names of different people to the point that it drives everybody that you are with nuts that they don't even want o be with you
4) learn to play with yourself, touch yourself more often. Soon the self-indulgence will make you realised that you don't need anybody else to reach mental, spiritual and physical orgasm
5) write long emails, each time you wanna say something, so that the replies you get will be equally loooong, and you will just be looking forward to new emails to write and long emails to receive
6) enter those anonymous chatrooms, especially the R(A) ones, and babble with faceless strangers. Tell them ur sex life (or lack of it), vent ur frustrations on them, or even share your innermost desires..once u have let go steam, u will be contented with urself
7) take up drawing, draw different scenarios, draw ur fantasy, draw deaths, soon ur parents will think u need medical help, u will be admitted into psychiatric ward before you can even say "it was merely a plan to get more attention". Once in the ward, u will realised that everybody enjoys talking to themselves
8) go to networking events, meet new people, exchange namecards. Then write a personal email to each and every new people u met, followed up by a call, then a lunch appointment or tea. Not only will you be growing your business contacts, you will also increasing your chance of being sick of meeting people
9) in case you are still not sick of meeting people, sign up for SDU or the "just lunch" dating game or choose from any of these dating schemes:
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/34360.asp
10) finally if you are still not cured, write blogs, since u love the attention, comments that you will be getting write more. And its also one way, you can talk and write as much as you desire, and no one can complain. Some kind soul might stumble into ur blog and read up abt u.
** disclaimer - try at your own risk
by the ever talented Mr Shahrin Selamat, ID Number: (NRIC: 7802781I)
10 recommended and sometimes not so recommended ways to cure ADD **
1) put photographs of your friends all over the place to the point of making u sick (when u wake up u see their faces, when u eat, when u study, when u sleep, you see their faces)
2) record all conversations you have with them, and play it back when you are at home 24 hours a day, so that you get so sick of listening to them to the point that you just want peace and quiet
3) punctuate all conversations that you have with anybody with gossips and intentional mentioned of the names of different people to the point that it drives everybody that you are with nuts that they don't even want o be with you
4) learn to play with yourself, touch yourself more often. Soon the self-indulgence will make you realised that you don't need anybody else to reach mental, spiritual and physical orgasm
5) write long emails, each time you wanna say something, so that the replies you get will be equally loooong, and you will just be looking forward to new emails to write and long emails to receive
6) enter those anonymous chatrooms, especially the R(A) ones, and babble with faceless strangers. Tell them ur sex life (or lack of it), vent ur frustrations on them, or even share your innermost desires..once u have let go steam, u will be contented with urself
7) take up drawing, draw different scenarios, draw ur fantasy, draw deaths, soon ur parents will think u need medical help, u will be admitted into psychiatric ward before you can even say "it was merely a plan to get more attention". Once in the ward, u will realised that everybody enjoys talking to themselves
8) go to networking events, meet new people, exchange namecards. Then write a personal email to each and every new people u met, followed up by a call, then a lunch appointment or tea. Not only will you be growing your business contacts, you will also increasing your chance of being sick of meeting people
9) in case you are still not sick of meeting people, sign up for SDU or the "just lunch" dating game or choose from any of these dating schemes:
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/34360.asp
10) finally if you are still not cured, write blogs, since u love the attention, comments that you will be getting write more. And its also one way, you can talk and write as much as you desire, and no one can complain. Some kind soul might stumble into ur blog and read up abt u.
** disclaimer - try at your own risk
Getting your 1st salary
Got my 1st salary here in Singapore as a permanent employee today, was happy and on the verge of having big celebrations, before i stopped short and began planning my budget and separating the amount of money i should contribute to the household, my parents and my grams. Lets just say its alot of money hahahaha.. found it so funny that i decide to blog about it, since i guess its a mainly chinese custom to actually give money and giving money to your elders. Perhaps its the filial piety that is ingrained in the minds of chinese people that your parents look after you when you are young, so when they are old, you look after them too, or rather in most of the asian families, you live with your parents till you get married, more so in Singapore when the universities are all in the 647km square area, so you dont have to go some other state or city to study in your university and hence live on your own, so you feel you need to contribute to the household income when you live with your parents as well.
Alright, in any case, the 1st salary that you get is more important than the subsequent ones. So its crucial that you know what is the " market" rate and evidently the rate that is in your extended family as well, so you will not be making the mistake of giving too little or giving too much ( as in time it is harder to maintain at that premium level, hehe). So off i went to sms my sis, to tell her how "rich" i felt even after getting my salary, and this was her advice which i find it hilarious in times like this :" Market rate is 10% of pay go to parents. For grams, another 10% for both of them, but its only a one time thing". What professionalism :D
Alright, in any case, the 1st salary that you get is more important than the subsequent ones. So its crucial that you know what is the " market" rate and evidently the rate that is in your extended family as well, so you will not be making the mistake of giving too little or giving too much ( as in time it is harder to maintain at that premium level, hehe). So off i went to sms my sis, to tell her how "rich" i felt even after getting my salary, and this was her advice which i find it hilarious in times like this :" Market rate is 10% of pay go to parents. For grams, another 10% for both of them, but its only a one time thing". What professionalism :D
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Swedish film festival
So funny that i am watching swedish films when i am out of sweden and back in Singapore, though it makes sense as the swedish films back there do not have english subtitles. Well in truth, i got to know of this film festival from Joel, my swedish co-worker at electrolux, and he bought the tics for us. As mentioned by Tee and Michal, the movies are really good, even i was quite pleasantly surprised, afterall swedish films are not known worldwide.. I saw 2 movies back to back, Ondskan (Evil) and Mitt Liv Som Hund (My Life as a Dog), quite a movie marathon really, but they are worth it. Enough said, think Tee has done a better introduction of the movies, being my movie buddy for these 2 movies, so check out the writeup on her blog :)
An interesting thing was when i saw the winter snow scene during the movie of My life as a dog, it just brought me back to the qn Nisarg asked me during my farwell party, Name 3 things u will miss when u leave sweden? my No 1 answer is Winter... true enough, seeing winter just reminds me of Sverige and ahem of course the cute guys or boys in the movies as well hehehe :D
An interesting thing was when i saw the winter snow scene during the movie of My life as a dog, it just brought me back to the qn Nisarg asked me during my farwell party, Name 3 things u will miss when u leave sweden? my No 1 answer is Winter... true enough, seeing winter just reminds me of Sverige and ahem of course the cute guys or boys in the movies as well hehehe :D
