here comes the end of 2006.. welcome 2007..

i must say this year has gone by in a flash.. i guess it felt faster than ever cos i spent a good part of it overseas and time spent overseas juz feels like a dream now.. unreal..

and as usual i like to do those customary recaps at the end of the year.. what have i done? what have i learnt? what resolutions?

well, the greatest 'achievement' this year would definitely be going away for exchange in Taipei.. 5 whole months away from home.. Taiwan is like familiar, yet unfamiliar place.. we see so much of it on TV but still i dunno much abt the country beyond that..

but thru the exchange, i've definitely learnt more about myself, know what is truly independent (can't even go home for the weekends u know..), appreciate my friends, family and country more, tried many new things, got to know frens from HK and Taiwan, improved my Mandarin, travelled a good portion of Taiwan, understand Taiwan better, understand the importance of having a global outlook and many many more... it's quite a self-discovery process that I went thru and it was really an awesome experience.. of cos it was not 100% smooth-sailing and there were the down moments but I would still go for it again.. so i really really recommend anyone who has the chance to go out and see the world and Singapore from another angle..

other than the exchange, everything else that i did pales in comparison.. after settling into life back in Singapore, my life feels very much routinised.. going to school on weekdays, going to work on weekends.. it's so fun to be able to plan weekend getaways and round-the-island trips.. i simply adore planning my own trip cos the sense of satisfaction is so much better and also i would truly look forward to going on those trips.. there's always so much to do in Singapore that trips would get postponed and in the end cancelled.. argh!

life in yr 3 as an ebm-er has been pretty good so far.. i'm actually enjoying it.. but then u also know the importance of having good group mates, and learn to appreciate them when you actually find them... and also getting to know a lot of ppl that i hardly interact with before this.. CS is so small and yet i must say there are still a lot of ppl that i dun really know.. and now that we are divided into out divisions, it's quite hard to get to knoe those outside EBM liaoz..
then taking audio and video together is not as bad as i thought it would be.. i survived it and thought that my results are not too bad either.. next up is internship at mediacorp 958 and i pray hard that i'll be enjoying my time there..

2006 is indeed a fruitful year.. a year that is really relaxing for the first part and really busy for the second part.. i still can't believe that it's already the 31st and i'm going to start work in 3 days! bye 2006!

明けましておめでとうございます！　良い２００７年を！
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAVE A GOOD 2007 AHEAD!

被骗

我被邮局骗了。

原来六毛钱的邮票是足够我寄卡片到台湾的，而且只需五天就可以收到。

希望香港和英国的朋友也可以顺利收到卡片。

可能寄到日本其实也不需要一元一角那么多。

总是被邮局骗。

postage charges

i knoe the postal charges increased but din know it increased that much..

now it costs 65cents to send to taiwan and hong kong.. and $1.10 to send to japan and europe.. god.. and cos i lazy to go out early before the post offices closed today and also not knowing that SAM machines no longer haf the weigh mail function, i had to guess the postage which resulted in my underestimation.. looks like my mails are going to reach my frens via sea instead then..

so Siok, Christine, Iris, 思惟 and 婉瑜... you all will have to wait for a while before my Christmas cards are going to reach you!! so sorry..

and thanks Siok, Christine and Iris-> I received your Christmas cards!
Christine-> god your card is noisy.. haha but i like..

to everyone else out there..

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

somehow i've always liked christmas cos it;s the season of giving.. and i guess also cos my bro's birthday falls on christmas and we'll always have some family gathering which i always love! and of cos there are the presents (tho i do get less of them as i grow older..) still the christmas mood is joyous and ppl are generally kinder during this time of the year you see.. so ppl get out and enjoy this season of joy!

________

yesterday was my last official day working at IRO and all of us were treated to an organic lunch at this place called Bollywood Veggies.. it's an organic farm and it's a pretty cool place.. the IRO director drove us there and the ride there felt so surreal.. like we were travelling out of Singapore and we even saw a couple stopping in the middle of the highway to take wedding photos.. But it would be hard to get there without a car cos it's located in ulu Lim Chu Kang.. where the army camps and cemetaries are.. but i do think that there's a shuttle bus there every hour.. will definitely wanna go back there for a little tour of the farm.. feels like kampong with good fresh air..

anyway also like to say that the staff at IRO have been really great to us.. only discovered the wild side to them over lunch that day.. the pranks they do in uni, the things they say are so hilarious.. even tho the work can get monotaneous at times.. at least the ppl there are nice which made it a lot better..

36 christmas cum farewell party!

after the gruelling competition and now that i'm officially off work.. time to do some back tracking.. i was so tired yesterday at work that i was falling asleep and my head was hurting me.. din realise playing darts could be so draining..

anyway.. 36 had our annual christmas party on the 20th.. it was also meant as a farewell for those leaving the hall for GIP/overseas attachment/internship/just moving out... tho not everyone was around but most ppl where there and there was a lot.. and i mean A LOT of food.. jason n joanne do know how to cook.. very good dinner and many drinks later.. we are as usual fooling around..

click here for pix (and videos.. :P)

i guess it's really fate that brought this group of ppl together under the same roof of 36.. there were those that loved our spirits and joined the 36 family later but still we live in lotsa fun and laughter and sometimes a lot of noise too.. it's a pity that this past semester we din get together as much.. cos there's no more can 3 that we can go to together for our mass dinner.. and also cos everyone is busy with their own stuff.. still it's nice to know that there are so many frens around and that no one can qi1 fu4 us.. hahaha..

it's sad that so many of us are moving out next sem and after that many of them are also graduating already.. time passes, things change, ppl move on.. but we muz let the spirit live on ok? muz meet up often, do the usual crappy, crazy stuff we do and juz haf fun! even if i move back to 36 after my PI, i guess everything will be different.. i will def miss all of you.. every single one!

dart IH SILVER!!!

yeah!!! my first (and prob last) IH medal.. hmm act i think i had a swimming silver in yr1.. but somehow it just doesn't feel as good as this... haha..

it might be a silver, but i think it's already as good as GOLD for me.. went there with no expectations, so the happiness is even more... guess we are an experienced team so it's no doubt that we are among the tops.. i've believed at the bottom of my heart that we cn definitely reach semis.. finals was a PLUS! of course it's good that we won SILVER while i was the captain (but i must say that i did not really fulfill all the responsibilities of being a captain... do feel very sorry about it) must really thank the team cos i think they are really really great.. i am prob the weakest player so they are the ones that made it possible -> Shawn, Dickson,Alvin n Angeline..

there's also special special thanks to the official sponsor of hall 7 darts IH-> bob. he's like the greatest manager you can ever get and he sponsored 2 dozen cans of beer for the guys.. that must have done it to put them in good form for us to progress so far.. haha.. and also he's the one that sets up the boards everyday for training and basically i think he's the pillar behind the team this time! he chose the gold coloured team flights, so either way hall 7 darts team already had gold in us.. haha! BIG THANKS!

act before this, i was really looking forward to the end of darts IH.. cos it was getting bothersome to go for training and also the title of captain was really putting strains on me cos i really dunno wat is expected of me and wat i should do.. i know i had to do sth but i juz dunno wat.. so i juz kinda feel bad abt it.. i did not set any goal for the team cos i know that they are all senior and experienced enough to just be left to do their own thing.. and perhaps it's this that act worked for us.. not trying too hard just do our best and no stress.. hope at the end of it everyone enjoyed the IH experience.. as much as it's a chore going down to training sometimes, once i get started it's act fun to be playing those games with the guys (esp when i get to beat them.. haha).. also ultimately at IH knowing that my trainings had paid off.. tian1-ing ppl, beating ppl by 3-0, checking out my double ones and having 1 dart check-outs.. of cos i also got beaten 3-0 but luckily i nv get tian-ed.. haha..

IH is definitely an integral part of hall life i guess.. i dun think you can say that u've experienced hall life until u trained and took part in an IH game.. i'm glad i took up darts, i'm glad i represented my hall, i'm glad i left hall with a silver medal to my name.. thanks darts team 2007 for all the memories!

Sneak peak...

The winning team! (shawn, alvin, angeline, me and dickson) Yeah! *peace*

group b's score.. hall 7 was top of the group and moved on to the semis.. and then finals! (this is a confusing chart to follow, really)

The stressful playing arena.. games in progress.. *check-in* *check-out*

Celebrations at Sakae Sushi.. Look at the sizes of the guys and you know why we can clear so many dishes.. Ha!

Formula to success: Golden dart flights and lots of beer!

More photos here.

stomach pain pain

greedy me must have eaten too much at the buffet just now and am suffering from stomachache right now.. tho i must say that Sakura buffet is not exactly the most delicious buffet around..hmm.. but it was well earned dinner i guess and a treat from the lao shis at hui guan for the birthday video that i did.. i'm really really glad that everyone liked the video cos i really did put in quite a bit of effort, spending every night after work for a whole week to do that video.. and strictly speaking that is really a video i can call my own cos i made all the editing decisions myself, without anyone's help (well other than the shooting of the footages lah..), so i'm really proud of that too.. :P

ok enough bragging.. i guess there's a lot to update cos it's really been some time since i last blogged.. turn out that holidays (as always) is not exactly much slacker than school days.. my typical day goes like this the past week..

wake up.work.lunch.work.off work.nap.watch goong.dinner.watch tv.darts training.watch goong.sleep

and with this routine, i managed to finally finish Goong! Yeah it's a good show... cos i really feel irritated at what's happening to the characters, wanna kill someone in the show and loved the OST. See, Korean dramas have interesting plots (actually it's juz the usual 4-way relationship and a evil/irritating female character), beautiful sets and costumes and also a great sound track to go with it.. and not forgetting chio and yan dao casts... no wonder they can succeed internationally.. when can Singapore's drama ever make it? i'm really hoping for that day.. tho i do believe that sg's shows are pretty favoured by chinese in malaysia..

next thing.. Diya made it to the next round of Superstar!!! really happy for her.. but i can really see the discrepancy in standard between the male and female contestants.. the overall standard for the males are really a notch better than the females.. so it looks like it's going to be more trips to Mediacorp and more calls to make.. tho i'm going to commute to Mediacorp everyday from Jan next year anyway.. hmm.. kinda looking forward to that actually.. just wan a change of environment.. and really pray that i'm going to like it.. i realised that i do get bored easily doing repetitive things and just sitting around.. like my current job.. i mean the people there are really really nice and all but me having to stay put in that chair staring at the computer all the time actually kinda bored me out.. tat's why i'm actually glad that it's going to end soon.. and i'm positive i'll die doing an office job..

looking at my schedule, i'm not really going to get any long breaks before I start work next Jan. My trip will nv materialize liao... sigh.. i actually really really wanna go on a holiday to somewhere.. anywhere.. but things just keeps popping up and I just have the habit of taking many things up as long as ppl ask I'll prob say yes to it.. so schedule for next 2 weeks looks like this..

1. last 3 days of work at IRO
2. Darts IHRG
3. blk 36 christmas cum farewell party for those leaving (for exchange, internship or just moving out)
4. maybe meet up JC frens
5. do recording for iGlobal07 after Christmas
6. go on shoot for documentary on last painter of Haw Par Villa

and i still need to pack and move out of hall.. that's like a lot of things to be done.. there's so much things going on sometimes i think that i;m doing everything with only half my heart.. i must learn to put my whole heart into what i'm doing.. cos i'm just going to regret it afterwards if it's half-hearted work cos I'll know that I won't be proud of it in the end...

ok i'm just babbling.. on and on..

7th Dec 2006

8:10 am	Wake up (tho most unwillingly)
9:00 am	Report for work
1:30pm	Break for lunch
2:30pm	Return to office to continue work
5:50pm	Leave office
6:10pm	Reach hall. Start to clean up room - clean ceiling fan, change bedsheets, wash laundry
6:40pm	Start to edit video
7:30pm	Have dinner in Comm Hall
8:00pm	Rush back to watch Superstar (meanwhile continue to do editing)
9:00pm	Go for darts training
10:00pm	Return to watch pilot show (still editing)
11:00pm	Go back to darts training
12:30am	Return from training. Continue to edit video
1:45am	Bathe
NOW	Still editing...

It amazes me how packed my day is... And it's the holidays...

superstar!

this is an overdus post actually... haf been wanting to comment on last week's superstar results since, well, last week..

I'M SO SAD KENNY IS OUT!

man, he's like the cutest of all the male contestants la and we really tot that he would be kept in the competition by the sheer amount of fans he has.. but i guess most of his fans are all talk no action ones like us.. so *sigh* he's out... still moaning his lost from the competition really.. tho i muz say that he's not the greatest singer in the competition.. then and again, how many singers in the industry ARE good singers? looks CAN get you somewhere. period.

and so, i must make sure that good singers stay in the competition.. that's why all of you reading this post should vote for TAN DIYA this wednesday! she's F6 and she really did a splendid performance and she garnered the highest score among the female contestants in the 1st round.. dun pray pray..

so be sure to catch project superstar, pick up ur phones and vote for

F6 TAN DIYA this wednesday!! (u'll probably see me on tv screaming my lungs out for diya also.. really 没有形象）

_______

actually i think that the conspiracy theory is working here.. they purposely kick out the hot fav in round one to make ppl feel the pain and therefore will vote more from now on.. sigh.. this is the media... out to make money..

yAy exams OVER!!!

another rainy rainy day today.. can't it stop raining for a day.. been like this for the past.. 2 weeks? but i guess this kinda weather is still better than weather in Taipei.. one day it's 32 degrees, and the next 13 degrees and then going back to 32 degrees.. really CRAZY! i was obsessed about checking the weather forecast every morning when i was there.. had to plan what to wear for the day based on weather forecast.. i dun even give a damn about weather forecast in Singapore.. it's just rain or no rain so just have to have an umbrella really all the time.. haha..


AND.. exams are over!! woohoo~ tho i din actually feel especially relieved or released after my last paper yesterday cos i felt as if my exams ended last friday.. haha.. and also i think this must have been the most heck care exams in NTU i had.. and also one with the least number of papers.. just 4 and 1 of them GE.. so naturally quite slack la.. my poor roomie has 6 and still have 2 more papers to go.. my neighbour better, got 9 papers (like taking O levels liddat).. so to all out there who's still struggling with exams.. work hard so you can play harder later.. 加油！！がんばって！Baxia!

since i've gotten into EBM, there are lots of production and hence lots of production stills.. so to end of the semester, here's a peek into what goes behind the scenes.. thanx to all those who took pretty pictures of me.. tho they might not be the glamourest side of me.. haha (photos galore.. enjoy!)

Kejar (The Chase)

my personal fav shot! hard at work PA n cameraman; ready, get track, go!


trying to feel relevant on set; academy award winning cast (both in blue)


break time!; nat, the mastermind behind these shots (we obviously have a love-hate relationship with the camera)

Artitude (on-location)

somehow i look good when caught with the camera but i'm not good AT the camera.. ha!


setting up.. always setting up; showdown!

Artitude (in studio)

cameraman (and woman) hard at work; view of studio from control room

thanx Trio for their splendid performance, really cool music they have..


and before we know it, it's over.. *sob* time to dismantle sets but before that we juz haf to goof around a bit first; (right) the MV team behind the BEST MV muahahah!


there goes the set.. everyone trying hard to haf fun doing all these.. ha!


getting up close with the notes (wif serene, the artist behind this huge musical set!); my masterpiece piano key blocks :P

Finally.. the team behind ARTITUDE! "Remember, Singapore has Art with an Attitude!"

雨天

雨天 果然不是读书天

整个星期应该没有一天是没下雨的，所以每天都不是读书天

天气又凉又阴暗，真是睡觉的好天气

更可恶的是，因为这一场又一场的雨

有好多东西飞出来叮我，叮得我不得安宁。

救命啊！

juz one more...

it's come to the time where i've juz got one paper left.. but i'm acting like i'm done with my exams..

things i did this weekend:-
watched 2 epis of deperate housewives, 1 epi of lost (which is going to stop till next feb.. wth?!?) and 4 epis of amazing race season 10.. and also snippets of amazing race asia.. haha

TV addict me is making a comeback.. but actually i was staring at the computer screen la.. wat would i do withour BT manz.. ha

for now i shall get to studying for my audio exam on thurs :P
____________________________________________________________________

on different note here..

my former maid came to visit today.. she left us when i was in taiwan.. so did not have a chance to say a proper goodbye.. actually it felt kinda weird having her visit us.. i dunno to treat her as a guest and serve her drinks or wat.. i mean it's like reversal of roles.. (not that i always get her to serve me la.. still...) i guess she must be feeling weird that we are fussing over her arrival too.. haha..

but it's nice to see that she's doing well somewhere else.. owns a sparkly new handphone better than mine.. haha look forward to seeing her again..

exam jitters

exam in 12 hrs.. here i am blogging..

this must be the most unprepared exams.. considering i started proper studying only on saturday? but then i'm also not very uptight about the whole exams this time too.. it has come to a stage where results dun matter that much already..

____________________________________________________________________
外篇

昨天做了场梦。

我回到了台湾。

想做的第一件事：去买早餐

想念台湾的早餐阿！ 尤其是古早味的萝卜糕和红茶豆浆、肉松蛋饼、火腿起司蛋饼、饭团、三明治。这么这么多选择阿。

新加坡的早餐相比之下好无聊。我现在每天啃面包，快变面包超人了...

adrenaline rush

i think i've been surviving on adrenaline rush the whole day.. so much so that i dun feel hungry and am eating for the sake of eating..

studio recording is really a stressful experience.. sitting beside the SD i totally feel the stress and nervousness from him... as much as i feel that we could have done better in the studio works, i'm actually very happy with our caption story and the MV.. it's just the interview section that could haf been better i guess.. but under the pressure at that time.. i do pity the SD.. i bet i would have broken down manz.. plus with IO kinda breathing down ur back.. it's even more stressful...

still.. i had many happy moments working on this projects as much as the ugly moments.. very happy that i've made new friends thru this.. gotten closer to ppl that i've practically not talked to the past 2 yrs in CS is refreshing and of course joyous.. there are ppl who you would not know them till you work with them and they are the SPGMs.. juz haf to pray that i dun haf to work with them again..

now that the video recording has come to an end, marking the end of the module, it suddenly dawned unto me that exams are in a week's time and i've NOT started studying at all.. there is also a strange sense of emptiness in me.. like there's nothing more to work towards.. even tho i still haf a 2000 word chinese essay to write, it juz does not give the same level of satisfaction as when you complete a video project or audio project.. guess that's why i'm an EBM-er.. haha..

i would say that i've gotten away with more great moments than sucky moments in this project and even tho we went thru A LOT to get to this point, (almost) everyone have been great mates!!

remember, we have ART with an ATTITUDE! (i'm proud to say that i came up with the programme name "Artitude" tho i might have actually heard it from somewhere else and juz use it in context.. heheh)

*adrenaline still accumulated and totally not giving much damn to the pending 2000 word essay...*

CUTE!!!

well.. not all's bad and lost in the ugly proj struggle..

meanwhile check these out man!! they are soooo cute and the blue hippo is my darling!!! so proud of him.. (ok i always thought it's a him but somehow he got dressed as a girl for the mv.. oh well) 46 hrs of shoot and countless hours of editing and photoshopping.. def the best mv of the cohort this time.. hahaha!

project politics

it's really getting very overwhelming.. a seemingly harmless school project turned into an ugly situation.. sigh... can't we just do proj normally and peacefully.. guess partly it's cos 13 is too big to form an effective working group... still.. i think cs ppl are a little tooo bitchy n narrow minded..

conflicts make a good script, a good drama.. and i think sometimes cs is has much drama going on.. while it's sometime fun and actually entertaining to be bitching abt ppl.. it also can get onto my nerves..

i think just get to work n bitching less might salvage the situation better.. things will not always go right for you and you've just got to take it in ur stride...

may the world be less bitchy.. that shall be my resolution..

holidays that were not meant to be..

wat's new? i'm spending tml's holiday in sch.. doing project.. sigh.. this is life in CS.. 凶地

anyway.. some news first.. finally gotten reply from Mediacorp Radio.. I GOT INTO 958 news!!
ok.. i quite look forward to it lah.. tho i din think that news is really my cup of tea but at least i can work in the chinese radio environment and there is a possibility that my voice might be heard over 958.. haha..

still no news from Mediacorp TV.. are they EVER going to get back to us? but now i dun really wanna go there also lah.. cos i think it's just going to be loads and loads of sai gang... and i'm seriously not a video person.. always feel lost in video editing..

the days of project rushing have arrived.. loads of planning, shooting, editing... group work, group politics, power struggle... great groupmates, sucky groupmates.. always a part of my semester at this point of time.. doing project with someone is really the best way to get to know what a person is like..

still in the midst of all this crazy project schedules, i managed to squeeze in a night of KTV last thursday... heheh... have been dying to go since forever!!! always a great way to destress..

6 months of my life... decided in 10mins...

had my first internship interview today... mediacorp radio 958 programming cum news selection..
it wasn't technically one of my choices since my first choice is 933 n well who else but JK would be selected.. i applied for that knowing that this would happen.. but still i wanted to try my luck.. anyways 958 was where i got redirected n i really do not mind being there..

it's funny what my siblings' reaction was when they knew that there was a possibility that i was to go to 958..
"why you go to auntie channel?" was the first reaction.. i guess growing up with this station was not one of the best moments we had.. but at least the branding of the station sticks with us.. and i know that my father, my mother, my grandparents will be tuning in to that station.. haha

the interview lasted all of 10mins.. and like they say it's going to be for 6 months of my life so i have to like what i am doing and be learning something.. i was happy that they said i had a good voice which could be put to use.. i just hope that i won't be manning the hotline too much..

internship suddenly sounds very daunting.. i'm really going out there to face the world.. whether i'm ready or not..

till confirmation comes that i'll be going to 958, i'm still awaiting the interview from mediacorp tv..

why are we waiting?

damn you haze...

PSI: 150

what the heck?!? that's unhealthy! hate the haze.. makes me think it would rain, makes me not want to go out, makes me feel unhappy, makes my throat feel itchy... (maybe that's psychological.. but still it's the haze's fault...)

this has been the worse since 1997 i beleive...

i still remember my non-singaporean friends not believeing that we are so lucky as to not even be affected by typhoon.. the taiwanese have to deal with earthquake AND typhoons so frequently... and i told them our only natural hazard is probably lightning.. i do remember reading report that says Singapore has the most frequent lightning strikes.. now i can add HAZE as another natural hazard...

don't like the way the Singapore skies look like now.. grey and hazy.. plus that burnt smell in the air.. yikes...

这是新加坡中秋夜的月亮... 你看到的又是怎样的月亮呢？（由于烟雾的折射，月亮是橘黄色的）

好怀念台湾啊！

观看着8频道的‘铁定好玩 ’，真的好怀念台湾啊！

台南的安平街、虾卷、棺材板
高雄的旗津岛、海鲜、新屈江、爱河、六合夜市

我饿了...
看了节目，发现原来即使去过了这些地方，但还是有很多没有玩到的旅游景点啊！

台湾旅游局在新加坡打的广告还真频密，不过台湾的确有很多好玩的地方！

the non-existent recess... and a great show!

as always.. the recess week is packed with activities so much so that i still have to come back to sch everyday.. i've learnt not to expect to be able to rest and relax during recess week.. AND i actually wake up earlier everyday during the recess week than normal school days because i had to meet for project discussions.. alamak!

and just yesterday, i had to be in city hall for project discussion in the morning, be back in school for ENERGY campus concert in the afternoon, then get back to city hall again in the evening to watch Forbidden City. Then it's back to hall again to spend the night.. best!

BUT Forbidden City is definitely worth all the trouble.. what is ENERGY man.. seriously.. they have zero appeal to me.. Kit Chan is da BEST!!!

the sets are pretty minimalistic, yet versatile and stylish.. singing was definitely great! costume good, lights good, acting good.. makes a wonderful evening at the Esplanade.. and somehow ancient chinese history appeals to me.. becos it's so mystical.. no one actually knows what really happens, what's fabricated and what's not.. then and again all things we see today are probably fabricated in a way or another.. (conspiracy theory!)

so glad it was Kit Chan cos i've heard others who had gone to caught this run and it wasn't her.. a very big part of my motivation to part with the money to catch this play was becos of Kit Chan.. i would still go catch the show if it's not her, just that i might not spend that much.. haha..

i'm pretty into theatre these days.. spend more than a 100 buck these 2 months catching plays in theatre.. from chinese, to english, kids' show to mature themes, experimental plays to musical, i've seen them all these 2 months.. i've always liked theatre, but it's just too expensive a hobby to maintain.. sigh.. i wan more!

Forbidden City's great hit in Singapore is possible mainly due to Kit Chan and Dick Lee's appeal, or so i feel... and this kinda mega success in Singapore is only achievable in the English theatres.. i dun think i remembered any Mandarin plays staging in the Esplanade Theatre having such a long run with such response yet..

i remember doing an interview with TODAY not so long ago, lamenting why Mandarin theatres are lagging so far behind the English theatre in terms or participation and viewership.. Even with artistes like Nick Shen and Cai Li Lian in Snakes and Lovers, it probably only managed to draw 5% or less of the attention Forbidden City is having.. Blame it on budget maybe..

We need more support on the Mandarin local theatre scene!

纪录片

每看一部纪录片，我就有想拍一部的冲动。
第一次是在政大观点系的毕展。因为是学生作品，所以认为自己也可以做到。

这次是看了一位台湾导演吴乙峰拍的纪录片，是关于921大地震的。
地震震碎了许多人的生命
每个灾民都有他们的故事
每个人都有他们面对死亡的方式。

喜欢纪录片，因为它有令人发自内心地感动的能力。
喜欢纪录片，因为它会发人深思。

我想拍纪录片。

拍纪录片，要拍看得到的，更重要的是拍我们所看不到的。
虚构是为了表现我内心更大的真实。
-- 吴乙峰

life's trivia

The Funky Scooter









this is such a cute scooter and it just brightens my day to see it around school.. esp love the carpet grass..









The Apple Slicer


this device is such a wonderful invention.. it's so simple yet so useful.. it just up-ed my apple eating pleasure by 5 notches.. FYI you can get this at IKEA.. you will totally have an apple a day after that..

finally.. i can listen to 飞声

i've been trying to find out what's the problem with my com, how come i cannot listen to Radio Fusion when my roomie can.. i keep checking the proxy again and again, even reinstalled my windows media player.. and then i realised it's my zone alarm settings.. aiyoh.. at least now i can listen to 飞声。

Had my 1st live show today at Can B! have been looking forward to that.. cos i've been wanting to try out the new booth at can b.. for those who have caught the show.. hope you guys like it..

we had some minor screw up with the system in the beginning but the rest was pretty smooth going.. well it wasn't perfect but i felt it was pretty good.. but it does feel weird getting funny stares by passerbys.. but at least when i ask the ppl who walk by to wave, they do.. proves that NTU students are not so unfriendly afterall.. and i sang my first song on-air.. happy birthday song to Peter (who ever that is...) you should feel honoured...

so go on to radio.ntu.edu.sg to tune in to Radio Fusion now.. we have 24 hr streaming programs alright.. must catch my capsule prog from 6-8pm tml.. hehe.. eh but i must say the quality not very good ah.. cos it was pretty rushed work... will strive to be better!!!

decided...

decided to take radio prac even tho it's on friday night.. yes night.. 630pm to 830pm
decided to stay in PAC since it's just going to be one semester..
decided to not join impresario since 1) i did not know when the recruitement drive was and thus have missed it and 2) i would not be able to commit myslef to the planning since i'll be away on internship..

still there are decisions to be made: where shall i go for my internship??

a rain tree has to rain

it was the most amazing sight: rain pouring from a tree and a broken lamp post that still works.. (wait till i get my hands on the photo)

that was what we saw as we took a stroll down clarke quay after watching the screening of Smell of Rain.. how apt..

as we were in awe at witnessing such a supernatural occurance and contemplating calling the news hotlines, we saw a sign in the vincinity that read: Miracle, Biennale Arts Fest. BUT i checked the website and it says the fest would also kick off on 4th Sept this yr.. so can anyone tell me if what we witnessed was really part of the fest or a supernatural occurance?!? if that's part of the fest, it really cool.. if not, it's still cool..

now abt the movie screening... if there is one thing that irked me most, it's the sound design.. why is there korean dialogue when the TV was obviously showing a channel 8 show?? and the dialogue is the same in scene 2,5,7,9,14,20..... every scene that has a tv switched on.. at least haf the cheek to change it ok.. even tho i dun understand korean i still know that it is the same dialogue.. there no really no part of the sound design that i like.. non at all.. other than maybe some of the original music.. bad sound is really a turn off..

ok i'm an ebm student, i can never watch movies the way others do.. it really becomes a torture sometimes.. white balance, lighting, steady cam shots, continuity, jump cuts...... these things will inevitably run thru our mind when we watch something..
it's THE CURSE..

p.s. at least i think the male lead is cute.. and the female lead also not bad to look at.. haha..

伤心沮丧中...

I tried to digitized the tapes with the footages of The Cat, The Bride and 廖妈妈 performace only to realise that the videos DO NOT haf audios!!!

I feel so bad for the actors and actresses involved.. We could only see their spectacular performces in mime.. sigh...

Things just have to screw up when we do not have a backup plan..

新面貌 :: new look

希望換了個新面貌，大家看不到我打得中文字的問題也得以解決。

雖然我越來越少用中文寫網誌。:P

用中文需要一股“心血來潮”。

yet another production..

it's the end of yet another production by hhk youth drama troupe..
yet another fulfilling production..

it's always a jovial affair, working with the friends there.. always an enjoyable event as the people are forever so dedicated yet also play really hard..

it's nice to be involved with people whom were away and missing-in-action for a while.. those from my batch.. there is no other batch of friends like them.. we literally grow up together..

it's nice to be getting to know the younger ones.. it's wonderous seeing them grow up.. (tho i feel that most of them just grow up physically and not mentally.. esp the guys.. haha)

having being involved in other productions before, there is nothing like working in a hhk production.. the kind of bonds, the kind of dedications, the kind of commitement, the kind of support we get.. the people are simply great!

THE CAT, THE BRIDE AND LIAO MAMA..

-- yet another quality production by Hokkien Huay Kuan Youth Drama Troupe

"我们是一群自小一块儿长大的朋友。我们这群一块儿学习说标准话语、唱歌、上形体活动、学习剧本创作等课程的朋友，在福建会馆度过了无数欢乐的岁月。"

Father of the Century

From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I stink.

Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he’s not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars–all in the same day.

Dick’s also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much–except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. “He’ll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'’ Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an institution.'’

But the Hoyts weren’t buying it. They noticed the way Rick’s eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,'’ Dick says he was told. “There’s nothing going on in his brain.'’

“Tell him a joke,'’ Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? “Go Bruins!'’ And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, “Dad, I want to do that.'’

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described “porker'’ who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. “Then it was me who was handicapped,'’ Dick says. “I was sore for two weeks.'’ That day changed Rick’s life. “Dad,'’ he typed, “when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!'’

And that sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon. “No way,'’ Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren’t quite a single runner, and they weren’t quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?'’

How’s a guy who never learned to swim and hadn’t ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they’ve done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don’t you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you’d do on your own? “No way,'’ he says. Dick does it purely for “the awesome feeling'’ he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time’? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992–only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don’t keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the
time.

“No question about it,'’ Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the Century.'’

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. “If you hadn’t been in such great shape,'’ one doctor told him, “you probably would’ve died 15 years ago.'’

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other’s life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father’s Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

“The thing I’d most like,'’ Rick types, “is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.'’

Source: http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?t=1380350

YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS!

got axed!

早安您好 just axed us from their show on thursday morning for national day rally reports.. what the heck?!? to think that it was one of the first medias that confirmed with us.. THANKS LEH!

i was actually pretty excited on going down to the studios on thursday.. oh whatever..

still do look out for the report on The Cat, The Bride and 廖妈妈 on Thursday's TODAY papers..

come and support the show!

decisions.... to be made

should i stay on in PAC?

should i join impresario?

should i take radio prac since it's on friday evening?

many questions to be answered, no time to think them through properly.. my mind is overloaded.. really..

The Cat, The Bride and 廖妈妈

time to do some publicity here!!! since it's been publicised on Zao Bao, UFM, Wo Bao and RSI already and also coming out in TODAY and 早安您好.. hehe.. juz have to publicise it here too!!

A cat in search for the perfect gift
A man on a quest to select his bride
A woman on a duty that never ends

A triple bill in 2 ½ languages exploring the simplicity, eccentricity and sacrifices in life.

一只在寻找完美礼物的猫

一个必须做出选择的男人

一位永远不用睡觉的母亲

一点偶剧、两种语言、三出戏。共同分享生活里的纯朴、荒诞与奉献。

Presented by Hokkien Huay Kuan Youth Drama Troupe

Date / Time: 25 - 26 August 2006 (8 pm)

26 - 27 August 2006 (3 pm)

Venue: Play Den At The Arts House

(The Old Parliament House)

Ticket Price: $18 (Not inclusive of $1 ticket surcharge)

Look for me for tickets now!! I promised it will be a great show!!

here's the link to the program on RSI.
the cat, the bride and liao mama

B-U-S-Y

my life goes in a spin.. for the past week i'm shuttling from one place to another, one event to the next...

lessons from 10 to 6 on Monday.. really tiring.. but i'm really enjoying audio..
tuesday is another pretty packed day with lessons.. but we had siok visiting us and staying over which was really nice!

wednesday.. li sheng jie campus concert... he is really good live.. it's a pity i had to leave early to shoot my video project..

it was quite an eventful shoot.. haha.. firstly the camera refused to work cos of condensation problems.. then being the 7th month and us actually shooting a somewhat horror video, we actually scared a passerby in the process.. shunyi is really successful being a ghost.. haha..

and today.. i travalled 3 hrs back and fro to toa payoh only to be there for like half an hr.. all these to get an interview with Today.. hope the article will come out good manz..

and there's stil more editing to do, one last campus concert of Wilber Pan tml (if i decide not to stay on in the committee..)and the performance next week to take care off.. my yr 3 life has definitely started with a BANG!

fireworks...

i believe everyone has a little soft spot for fireworks.. everyone just love to watch them..

and for Singaporeans, it's especially so since fireworks is always linked to NDP and how the nation celebrates its birthday and its progress thus far... i think many of us just link fireworks to national day naturally.. and the increasing amount of money we are spending on fireworks display each year definitely shows something..

as for me.. there's definitely a soft spot for fireworks in me.. i'm so glad i actually got to play with them myself in Taiwan.. too bad it can't be done here.. of course the display is barely 1% of the magnificence of what is seen on display here.. at least i thought friday's display was great.. ) but still the feeling is completely different when you know that the fireworks was meant for you and you only and you actually physically light them up yourselves..

i definitely wish to play with them again someday...

back to school..

i've never been so happy to be back in school.. seeing those familiar faces and going back to the familiar setting that i left 8 months ago... was really excited to see my friends again.. it's really a very cosy feeling sitting by the benches and having packet lunch with them, bitching about this and that, making lame jokes, just hanging out..

if going for exchange has taught me one thing, it is cherishing my friends and not taking them for granted.. really.. so glad that i'm back with all of them around me.. in school, in hall, in my CCAs.. feel so happy just having them around.. they are always ever so entertaining..

it's the official start of a crazy semester.. video I and audio I would be quite a killer.. I'm already having 3 hr video tutorials starting tomorrow when this is still the first week of school..

welcome to the world of an EBMer..

happy 21st, Siok!

Happy 21st Birthday, Siok!

ha it's finally your turn! too bad you had to spend your birthday attending some boring seminars.. hope you had a great dinner yesterday yah.. feels good to have half the restaurant singing the birthday song and cheering for you? heheh...

it's actually my first time at Jumbo and i realised my first time eating black pepper crab! so much for it being a Singapore delicacy and having spent 21 years of my life here.. but the crab was really good.. yummy..

the added (unplanned) surprise of celebrating your birthday with 2 Norwegians and 1 American was cool wasn't it? and they actually met at a pub here and just decided to have dinner and hang out together.. it's cool.. this is what should happen when travelling man.. i remembered this saying clearly from a discovery travel and living program.. "travelling is about the people you meet along the way." i totally agree with it.. experienced it myself while travelling around Taiwan...

now i'm digressing..

feasting on the black pepper crabs! yum yum.. there was also the fried fish with nonya sauce which was really delicious!

a photo with the 2 norwegians and the american.. the lady is an american by the name of maryann i think.. did not quite catch the other 2 names.. haha.. they were really nice ppl who offered to treat us to dessert upon knowing we were celebrating siok's bday.. and it was with their help that half the restaurant got involved in singing the birthday song and wishing siok happy birthday!

it's the season for gatherings...

as the holidays come to a close and school is starting.. it's time for gatherings again..
secondary friends that i haven't seen for god knows how long and rjco jie meis which i haven't met for at least half a year..

it's nice to meet up with friends again.. catching up and all.. and knowing that among my ex-classmates are aspiring doctors, lawyers, occupational therapists, musical therapists, engineers, accountants, businesswomen, economists, life scientists and the list goes on.. to think that we had the same interests when we were 15 yr olds which made us chose the same subject combi in sec school and hence becoming classmates.. but we are all now going on to pursue such varied interests..

class of DHS 4I'01... there were more that turned up.. wait till i get my hands on the group photos..

my dearie jiemeis which made my life in rjc so happening! still short of one who's somewhere in the US..

給思惟

我看我得多用中文寫網志。
可以練習我的中文，也可以讓臺灣的朋友看懂！

我寫的英語太生活化了，讓他們都看不懂！

總之最近很忙，很多事做，不過忙得很充實很開心。

電腦鍵盤終于修好了，還好還在保證期内，不用花一分錢。

昨天去當了臨時演員，一下是幕後花絮。

life as an extra...

i experienced life as an extra for almost 10 hrs yest.. 8pm to 6am.. and i think we're only going to be paid 25 bucks.. that works out to be 2.50 an hr?!

actually we only had to be there till 1 am but being poor students and not wanting to let the taxi uncles earn our 25 bucks which prob would be gone on midnight surcharges, we decided to hang around till the 1st buses and trains start running and we had extra screen time cos of that(or so we belief)

so glad i met jocelyn and the rest there cos initially i was there alone a feeling kinda lost and out of place till they arrived.. we spend 70% of the time gossiping and 30% of the time fliming.. haha

and we met this guy from tp who was there on internship.. he so hated his job that he swore off productions altogether.. and i've also concluded that i would not wan to intern at mediacorp doing productions.. radio maybe but def not these drama stuff cos it's full of sai kang and u had a warped sleeping pattern.. now that was wat i wanna find out from being an extra this time..

behind the scenes of Without Warning (the show we're filming for)..

what a flimsy sign.. mediacorp could definitely do better..

my image for the show.. a passenger running away from a bomb scene.. with dirt on my.. haha

posing before the first take.. we are always full of ideas to get more screen time.. haha.. our 30secs of fame on national tv..

the scdf personnel.. they haf to carry so much equipment with them it's really hard on them.. bet they are paid more too lah..

getting bored of waiting..

we do wat cs students do best.. gossip! while waiting for the next shot..

the kids there are amazing.. they dun cry or make noise at all! dun even emote much.. they also dun seem to need to sleep.. but the lure of the sweet is too much for him.. he's juz so cute.. dun even know if he actually knows wat is going on with all the make-up he has on..

the make-up artist having a busy busy time.. but they are really doing a good job.. those injuries looked so scary i tot i was at fright nite again!

camera man hard at work.. extras busy whining away while we continue to gossip.. haha..

i dunno why those ppl are stoning away while there are injured ppl having a hard time.. if it were real i would curse at them for not helping loh..

so do look out for my 30 seconds of fame on "Without Warning", to be screened sometime in October! but u'll prob hear more of our screams than actually be able to see us.. ha!