I t ' s a b e a u t i f u l r e f r a i n .

Get Spirited

IU - Alicia

I feel a little revived watching the making of video for this song. Talents go a long way. :)

Watch video here.

Fester or Heal?

Be freed, this injured heart. Disperse that anger that clutches you. Run from it. Paint beautiful images of sunshine and warmth, so even your shadow will be dancing. Dream and dare to dream, chase after them with abandon, because the days are shorter than before.

Epicurean Delights: Must-(not)-have and Must-dos

When a  meal of fried starters, burgers and fries, ice-cream and cake enough for four people comes to a bill of nearly $150, you know that the eatery is worth visiting only on special occasions. It was my first time at Relish with my kins. The pine finish tables, expansive menus that stretch across walls, inscribed with whimsical handwriting in chalk, and soft, orange lighting add to the comfortable and utilitarian feel of the eatery.

I like that place for I can luxuriate in the ease of eating slowly. Every diner seemed to be taking he or her own time, eating and having conversation. There was neither a queue for empty tables nor harried wait staff that had to attend to impatient patrons. Even the piped music had a slow tempo that was played at a comfortable volume. I may return to that eatery to try another of its overpriced burgers. This time, I will have my beef well done. On a special occasion.

*

I applaud myself for my resolution in finishing reading a book, Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window, by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. Heaven knows how many moons have passed since I last touched a book. I had to read it to teach my primary four girls and how I am glad for this book, because I thoroughly enjoyed it. The translator is brilliant, in my books, because it seemed that the sensitivity of the language and nuances that were originally written in Japanese are retained beautifully in English as Dorothy Britton presented the plot and its characters. I liked how my mind was filled with visuals of how Tomoe Gakuen was run, the precociousness of Totto-chan, her run-ins with trouble, her interactions with other students at the very unusual school, her progressive headmaster and so on.

Oh, if only the author allowed this to be made into a movie! Still, I can understand her reason for turning down all the producers' offers to put this wonderful story on film or other medium. It can stifle many readers' imagination and upset their mental images of the story -- those that had already read the book and those that have yet to. After watching the movie, Peter Pan, and having read through some five chapters of the book, I must say the written form is always a better treat. Now... it's time for me to work on those lesson plans based on these two titles. Wish me luck.

Back to School

It is time to hit the reset button in my brain because I now have to contend with chasing after buses and finding my way around the big campus of NTU in search for the right lecture halls and tutorial rooms for the next nine months, all for the sake of moulding the future generation. I wish I could say I welcome the barrage of readings and group assignments but I honestly prefer to continue teaching, trained or untrained! I miss my girls and the craze of rushing from classroom to classroom, the screaming to capture their divided attention and even the endless marking. I miss my colleagues too.

Alright, now for that attidudinal shift that is critical to preserve my sanity during this nine-month crash course -- I must love the journey of learning at the institute, because I am doing it with the pupils in mind. I shall continue to psych myself while I launder the stinky heap of clothes in that basket.

Ellipsis

I met new people and watched new dramas. For months on end, this feeling has been the same. To change is to scale a wall of self-imposed inertia. Overcome, I must. Blog, I have not forgotten you. I just ran out of words to write.

Turn Loneliness into Love

If sadness can be 'written away', I would have inscribed thousands of words on paper or in electronic text. If every tear could be translated into a word, then there might as well have been pages after pages of them. The affable pastor at Lighthouse preached a sermon on loneliness, an affliction of the humankind that is no less worse than poverty. The ninety minutes in the cool and classy basement sanctuary let me experience some degree of peace, safety, and very short bouts of sadness and feelings of wanting to weep. Perhaps because I felt inadequate. Or because the topic was too close to heart. People get lonely because of a riff between themselves and God, isolation, low self-esteem, and several other causes. So terrible is this emotion!

I avoid dealing with the subject by drowning myself with work, food, long naps, music, and music videos, in the hope that these will bring some respite to the feelings inside of me. They do not, I know. Now that the pastor provided six solutions on dealing with loneliness and that I have written them down, I should alleviate this frigid, gnawing loneliness by paying heed to his words:
- Acknowledge the problem.
- Determine the causes of these feelings.
- Do something!
- Allow Jesus' Word to fill my mind.
- Get myself some good Christian friends.
- Make Jesus the fulfillment in my life.

The solution is right here.

What Will I Do?

Career crossroads have a timetable of their own. They show up when you don't expect them and force you to make a turn to unexplored places.

My Weekend

Hurray for my latest paycheck as it came in together with my quarterly bonus. It clears some of my bills, at least. My older sister also offset my purchase of Bella Pierre mineral makeup. I paid $90 for a foundation, a blush in peach color and a pot of lilac eyeshadow for what would have cost twice that amount. Why, she is just a very generous person and April is my birthday month. I'm hopeful that the natural makeup will prevent my skin from getting more milia seeds!

We bought the cosmetics right outside River Island at Raffles City Shopping Center. I have always been wanting to try out mineral makeup but found its price too costly, so to own three mineral makeup products made me a happy gal. The staff did a partial "makeover" for my sister and me for us to see just how differently the makeup works on our acneic skin.

The loose mineral foundation in #4 did a wonderful job in covering the blemishes and recreating an au naturel look for us. The makeup's versatility did it for us too. Mix pink eyeshadow powder with lip balm, and voila, you get lipstick. Dip a damp brush to a pot of black eyeshadow, you get liquid eyeliner.

What won me over was that these products have anti-inflammatory properties and are suitable even for sensitive skin like mine. They do not contain talc and won't clog pores.

Truth be told, I needed to touch up with my usual pressed powder from ZA because my skin shines very quickly, but I am sure I will be able to skip the layers after my Roaccutane clears the oiliness. (I was on it for four months, my skin has never been better, but the acne came right back after I stopped the meds, so I'm restarting another course now.)

In my unyielding craze for Japanese and Korean dramas/movies, I spent several hours after work each day and during weekends unwinding in front of my laptop. Kkotboda Namja has finished its run, I've completed Watashitachi no Kyokasho and Mei-Chan no Shitsuji, skipping Star's Lover, and on this weekend alone watched Kaikyou o Wataru Violin and Antique Bakery twice. I've found a favorite with Antique Bakery for its strong storyline, direction and wonderful cast. I don't mind watching this a third time! See trailer here:

Antique Bakery Trailer

Bonjour!

Wednesday

Run

Swap self with man in suit.

I am thankful for technology like the Live Messenger that lets me connect with friends outside of work during work. It tells me that I still have a life.

Escape from the Heat

Summer Snow

Sissel

Love You Much

Mydear

Lovely colors here? :)
From www.cuteoverload.com

Step Up

One good thing that happened the past week -- thrice, I ran around my neighborhood and cut down on my lunch portions. It felt good to sweat and feel the back of my shirt all wet because it meant calories are expended. I want to say "goodbye" to all heaviness in my tummy, butt and thighs.

Chasing Numbers

The three days of filming in studio is over. The sheer amount of manpower and time that go into a production makes me appreciate TV programs more now, because entertainment does not come easy. I hope the company will produce more than just two English language programs! It's definitely more varied than writing copy on my desktop, although I love the latter too.

My head still hurts. Sometimes I feel I can't do anything I want because of it and life just wrings me dry.

My colleague says she wants to find a boyfriend and that will be her resolution for this year. For me, I just want to save up enough money for botox and a rhinoplasty procedure. And lose weight. It doesn't matter if I have or do not have a boyfriend. I am getting used to being single. Or maybe I am just numb to relationships now. Whatever it is, I feel okay without a guy to hold hands with, cook for, or go to the movies with.

どうして君を好きになってしまったんだろう

TVXQ - Doushitte, Summer Dream

Here's a lovely performance by TVXQ - Doushitte kimi wo suki ni natte shimattandarou (Why did I fall in love with you?) at last year's a-nation concert in Japan. I love how beautiful this tune is!

<3

TVXQ - Love in the Ice

My current love with five uber-hot and talented singers. Just watch this performance!

Hello, Ice-Cream!

Ta-da! I bought a LG Ice-cream mobile phone (LH5000) for my mum as a surprise for Chinese New Year. I am anticipating her reaction when I present it to her later.

This "phone for girls" is just what she needs right now.

Kawaii, isn't it? 

Icecream1

Icecream2

(Above: Models with phones in white, pastel pink and blue. Below: What I got for my mum.)

Features:

• 101 grams
• 13.6mm thick
• 2.2 inch display
• LED front display; number and emoticon light up with orange
  
• 2MP camera
• 3G
• Email
• Electronic dictionary

An Oldie But A Goodie

Frank Sinatra - Moonriver

なんで

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009.

I had a quiet New Year, doing the same things on a regular day as in the previous year. It did not feel like a day of grand beginnings. I just let the first two weeks of January pass by working, and coming back home to find a sister who is struggling with her tortured mind and a mother who is very distressed by her condition.

Does it run in the family?

I assumed she was in one of her prolonged hissy fits, but recent incidents made ward admission an impending decision. I want her to snap out of this quickly. I want to talk her out of her world.

Toma Love!

Toma4

Toma6

Nothing like having eye candy and a cute pup as a salve to boredom.

Bon Appetit

Caffeine courses through my veins
And cheesecake from my bro who came home in a plane,
With delicious dinner my mama made --
I ate them late.
See my belly, it is growing soft like jelly!

Ha-ha! This passage is so elementary it makes me laugh. Will someone teach me how to write a poem, please?