Preserving memories, sharing memories, through the lenses

This picture was taken with my Samsung DJ Beat mobile phone camera. Sometimes, I am really amazed with the quality of pictures taken with mobile phone camera.

Photography technology has progressed so much these days that even the mobile phone camera can yield pretty good picture quality and with the applications downloaded into the phone, interesting effects can be achieved. The iphones, the various smartphones models from brands such as Samsung and Sony Ericsson, are all equipped with decent lenses, and with a good amount of megapixels, one can snap photos almost anytime and anywhere. 

I got my first camera from my parents when I was twelve, only to lose it 2 years later when I attended the Teacher's Day celebration at my primary school. I had to persuade and guarantee my parents that I was able to take pictures, without photographing only half or even a quater of my subject which many people had done. I also had to convince them that I know how to use the pinhole and that I had manage to take pictures with my friends' camera. I showed them a two to three pictures and then, I got my first camera.

I suppose you can say that I like photography the moment I know how to use the camera. Of course, there were alot to learn but when I was much younger, with the limitation of not knowing and understanding all the technical jargons and with parents and adults who scoffed at the idea that a kid could like photography, no one was there to share the knowledge and joy of photography. All I know was, as long as the subject was "smacked" right in the middle, I could press the shutter. That's all I know.

About 6 years later after losing my first camera, I HAD to get another camera. No one was willing to lend me their camera. My mother had a good point and shoot analogue camera, but she was afraid that I would lose the camera again,so, was reluctant to lend it to me. But I needed a camera rather desperately because I had to do an assignment for the polytechnic's departmental quarterly updates. Eventually, I bought my very own second camera with my own money earned from the part time jobs I had then. It was another Kodak 35mm analogue and it cost S$72.00. I thought it was a real steal. I was able to take loads of decent pictures with my camera and it was then that I realised that one does not need to have their focus their subject "in the middle" all the time. (By the time I know and understand the rule of thirds, I know that there are many a times, one should NEVER focus their subject "in the middle".)

Anyway, in 2001, I took my Kodak 35mm with me to Melbourne when I was studying at University of Melbourne. Because film processing was not cheap (it has never been cheap, even now), I was pretty stingy with the pictures I wanted to take. Unlike digital photography where one could snap as many photos as they want and then checking on the screen within seconds, one never knows how the pictures will turn out until the photos have been processed. You can say that many students were pretty stingy with photography. Fortunately, I did not have the bad experience of bad photos. The only lament I had then was that my camera did not have a zoom lens. Otherwise, I could have pictures with better focus.

Some of my friends had digital cameras, but the quality of the pictures then were bad (come on, that was like way back in 2001, when digital photography was just introduced and 3.2 mega pixels was considered the best!!!). Just very bad - grim and gritty and BLUR!!! So, for a while, I was not a fan of digital photography.

I also remembered back in my Uni days, I would re-develop photographs from my friends' negatives, especially the ones which were nicely taken. We would exchange our negatives to re-develop the photos which we wanted.

And then, the arrival of the much improved digital cameras!!! By the time I bought my very first digital camera in 2005, which was an Olympus miu 300 (S$299), I thought I had one of the best camera in the world. I thought that digital photography would allow me to take those super-nice photos I see in magazines. I thought digital photography and digital camera was the answer to PERFECT photography. HOW WRONG I WAS!!! I could take more pictures then ever but not necessarily better pictures. With the digital camera, I could take as many pictures as I want and experiment as much as I want, but, that does not mean, perfect photography (what is perfect photography anyways? Is there such a thing?) or nicer pictures.

And then, when I spotted the Sony T100 with an optical zoom of 5X, I thought I had bought the most updated camera, only to realise that I had paid S$699 for the name. After a few months, my "friend" bought a Panasonic Lumix with an optical zoom of 10X with only S$569 or was it S$599 after "coercing" my other and I to buy the Sony T100. Despite paying so much for a Sony which was not very popular with amateurs and with limited specifications, I was glad to say that I have been, even now, able to take pictures I was happy with.

After digital cameras, it is now the age of DSLR!!! In the past, I always think that DSLR is only owned by hobbyists who are serious about photography, armature photographers, full-time photographers and perhaps, those who are often appointed as official photographers for their company events and stuff.

But hold and behold, look at the number of people, be it men or women, girls or boys, young or old, lumbering and looking professionally with their bulging DSLR!!! Some of my friends claimed that owning a DSLR is now a sign of wealth (what wealth?) and that they are a class above the rest (Huh?). Some of my friends also believed that having a DSLR will make their photos more superior than the rest (another HUH???). And of course, there are people out there who spend more time editing their photos (shot with DSLR), then trying to take a good picture in the first place. And people who loath at those taking pictures with just the usual digital camera rather than DSLR.

I am NOT a professional photographer and my knowledge is extremely limited, so, I am NOT in position to criticize any one's works. But I have learn alot from my friends who are serious about photography and have been teaching me and sharing their fantastic works with many others online, especially on Facebook. In a way, I have learn alot. But, that's what these serious photographers will tell you too - look and learn to appreciate others' works to improve.

Someone bought a DSLR and told me that the photos were good. There were even some who said the pictures were good and some who would only talk to those with DSLR. Honestly, DSLR, or not, good photography comes with practice. This incident just reminded me of the time when I had my first digital camera and thought "I would be the best photographer in the world". (Read a few paragraphs ahead)

I came to know about scrap booking in 2006 and this has strengthen my interest and love for photography. And it was also around this time I know about photoshop - enhancing photos with software. I soon learn how to use some of the easier functions. Now, I know that photoshop and DSLR photographing goes hand in hand together.

I still believe that good photography comes with experience and practice.

Whether is an analogue, compact digital, semi-DSLR, DSLR, Lomography or any kinds of camera, photography comes with practice and leaning from others. One can only improve their photography skills by reading and learning from books and online forums. At times, attending classes will also aid in learning more.

Be critical about your own work and be generous with your comments when you spot a good photo.

For those who are keen in showing off, sorry,  I will just "speed-see" your photos.

Photography, is all about preserving memories and stories to be told behind those pictures. I love pictures which tell stories or evoke certain emotions or which are simply a piece of art itself. I love pictures which share information too. Pictures for showing off, sorry, this is just too much for me. Sorry. If you want to tell me that I do not know how to appreciate your photos, go ahead. Compact digital cameras with superior specifications can also yield results which are almost DSLR quality.

Meantime, if you love photography, do continue to snap, snap, snap and snap.



523 Days

25th June 2011 - we watched Kungfu Panda 2 together

6月25日的一个星期前，发个了简讯，问他是否要看动画片《功夫熊猫 2》

他，发回的简讯，只说，周日大家得工作，所以，很难配合时间。

所以，一向来都习惯被拒绝的我，并没有想到他，竟然通过Facebook,发了个电子邮件，

问我是否还想看《功夫熊猫 2》。

就这样半开心又有点害羞地跟他一起看电影。（对呀，我也有害羞的时候，ok!)

他，像个小孩似的，对着放映室东张西望。

他，看到《蓝色小精灵》(Smurfs)时，很开心地告诉我，这可是他小时候常看的动画片。

他，看到好笑的情节时，就这样，很单纯地，很开心地，发自内心地哈哈笑着。

他，的确有点单纯得可爱。

看完电影后，就一起去吃个late lunch-

边吃边聊些有的没的。

那么，就看着他吃着一小碟又一小碟的超辣辣椒！

然后，就在街上这边逛逛，那边逛逛，

这里聊聊，那里聊聊。

然后，就到Cold Stone Creamery,

边吃边聊。

聊着聊着，

就问他是否也要结婚了，

他说，523 days later。

聊着聊着，

就问他是否找到了他的Miss Universe,

他说，maybe not Miss Universe to you, but she is certainly Miss Universe to me.

然后，他说我的T恤很可爱

也说我的手表很特别。

但，

他就是没说我怎样怎样... ...(也有可能，我不给他机会)

看来，还是放弃他好了。

他再怎么好，我也不可能是他心目中的Miss Universe.

算了，反正，也习惯被拒绝了。



523

Last day of Railway service - 25th June 2011. And then, the railway station still be shut down and be part of history.

While many Singaporeans and even the foreigners who are living in Singapore headed to the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and Bukit Timah Railway Station for some last photo shots of the railway station, as part of memory archival, I woke up to see an unexpected message in my Facebook inbox.

After a week of asking that Mr Someone if he would be interested to catch a movie with me, and expecting a "no, I won't free" reply, it was surprising to see him send me a message asking me if I was still interested to catch a movie. I was happy, but did not hold much hope. Seriously speaking, after knowing for a while, I was actually unsure of how to behave and what to say and so on now that I could go out with him - yes, just him and me. Besides, I am so used to "No" as replies that his initiative to contact me really caught me off guard.

He thought I was I going to ask a bunch of people, and when I told him it was just going to be him and me, he, I think, sort of "oh". Hesitation? I am not sure. I then told him if he was too shy to just go out with me, he could ask a friend along. Well, it was just me and him.

Mr Someone was really sweet. He told me it would be alright to catch "Kungfu Panda 2". He booked the tickets online after finalizing the details with me over the phone. Honestly, I was not sure if I was to be happy when he called me on my mobile. I know, this may sound kind of stupid (come on, is only a phone call, why the excitement, right?) but, me being me, oh well... ...

And so, there you are, just the two of us, catching "Kungfu Panda 2", having a really late lunch at Ria Ayam Penyant at Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road, and checking out Kinokuniya, and then a sweet treat from me to him at Cold Stone Creamery at Orchard Central. We chatted and then I asked him when he'll be settling down. I do not know if he is genuine about it or just teasing me, but he told me, "523 days later". And when I asked him, does that mean he had found his "Miss Universe", he replied, "Maybe not to anyone, but for me, yes, she's my Miss Universe."

I was a little upset, of course. I mean, I know all along that there was someone who loves him much much more, than perhaps more than he knows about it. And he may have already decided that she IS his Miss Universe. Sigh... ... Really do not know what I am getting myself into. I also do not know if he is just kidding with me either.

Mr Someone is indeed a nice guy. Down to earth and really sweet and I enjoyed myself with him. Listening to all his crappy stuff. Listening to him laugh and listening to him talking about his childhood and that he watched "Smurfs" when he was a kid.

很少有这种纯真的感觉，尤其是跟一个男生出门时

虽然，我们不可能在一起

但是，能够跟他去看场电影，让他认识我多那么一点

也让我认识他那么多一点，

可能，这样的甜美回忆就足够了。

他，真的是个好好先生。

就算不能在一起，

也希望他能找到一个，

配得上他那可爱，他那纯真

的一个好女孩。

It does not matter if we ever end up together. It really does not matter. I am just glad for this very lovely outing. A simple movie, a simple lunch, a simple sweet treat, abit of strolling along Orchard Road and chitchat.

Love the sweetness for the day. 



Appreciating Photography - the Lomo way




The above photos were shot using a digital camera (using camera to take picture of photographs). The actual pictures were shot using a Kodak compact camera, loaded with Lomography brand 35mm colour negative film, ISO 400. Sorry, I have yet to convert the pictures in negative to CD or DVD format which will allow proper upload. Will load more later on, I hope.

I was given a Lomography (lomo) Fisheye analog camera by my friends. My other photography enthusiacs called the lomo camera "toy camera" as the lens were made of plastic. In fact, the entire camera is made of plastic. There's practically nothing NOT plastic.

The first time I tried to take picture with the camera, the "mission" was pretty much a flop. I thought the camera was similar to the usual compact analog camera with the glass lens and was expecting similar quality pictures after developing the first roll of negatives. But, oh my goodness, the pictures were all very grainy, dim and looked pretty much like bad quality pictures! And the focus, a huge failure at that. After seeing the first set of lomo fisheye photographs, I thought it was due to a poor quality negatives and that the negatives were badly developed by the service centre or photo lab. I had a second attempt and this time, I loaded the camera with the film of negatives from the Lomography brand.

The quality was better, yet, the grains "still stay". For a while, I thought it was because I had used the wrong ISO negatives. The overexposure was definitely the result of the wrong ISO negatives used. After analysing the photographs with my phography enthusiac, it was then I came to learn that the grainy effect of the photo was, in fact, the true effect of lomography!!! How silly of me!!! With the advance of technology, I did not bother to find out more about lomo and insisted all along that it was all bad photography to begin with.

The photos seen here were a result of my third attempt with lomo products. This time round, I loaded the lomo film into my Kodak compact camera. The grains are, unfortunately, still there, yet, the colours of some of the pictures were interesting. I would not say that the photography is fantastic or anything, but the hues and the effect - amazing! I have not gotten such effect with my digital camera or seen such with my friend's DSLR's shots. These must truly be the so-called lomo effect.

Alright, that's about it for now. Will show my friends the results of the latest attempts.

Thanks for looking!

 

I need rooms, rooms and more rooms!!!!!

Picture taken with a Sony T100, London, October 2010

No one seems to believe me when I complained that I needed more room and space for myself - physically, mentally and intelluctually.

I have tons and tons of notes, handouts, articles, magazines, journals and so much more reading materials that I believe I needed a room to accommodate all my materials. And on top of that, I still have music scores and books and textbooks to take care of... ... (HELP!!!) Even after discarding all my primary, secondary and junior college notes and handouts, I still have loads of reading materials to clear. I shall really check if there are still notes of more than 10 years still "lurking" around in my cupboards.

And of course, I need either a room or a decent racks for all my albums - the CDs, VCDs, DVDs... ... And if I get to have a room for all these, perhaps I can include a hifi-set?

And I obviously need a room just to cater to the ever-growing scrapbooking stash!!! I know, my friends are also asking me just how much stash do I need. Do I need stash for a lifetime? Hmmm, tough to answer that. Maybe other girls should also ask themselves just how much clothes, bags, accessories, shoes do they need, perhaps? ;) Thank goodness I have an alright collection of clothes for work, fun and formal functions. Talking about clothes, I should also pick and discard those I cannot fit anymore or donate away those which can still be worn. Hmmm... ...

Who do not need a room for themselves? I mean, to be all by yourself to reflect and to think about the future, for themselves or the future generations. Or perhaps, a room for yourself just to allow your mind to go blank after a stressful and busy week, month or even years of hard work. Or a room, just to find out which are the areas one will want to improve or better?

Or even a room for inspiration, a room for mojo?

I need rooms, more rooms, just more rooms please!!!

(Sorry for the random blaberring , must be the hot weather. Gosh, is so warm, humid. Time for another quenching.)



A look at the Pictures of UK, Germany and Russia

And so, there I was, went to UK and Russia in October 2010 to catch some real Barclay Premier League (BPL) and Champions League football action. And also off to Munich, Germany to check out that magnificent Allianz Arena Football Stadium.

Of the slightly more than 5000 pictures taken, it is definitely not easy to sieve out the pictures to share on Facebook. And it is only while selecting the pictures that I realised that I should have taken EVEN more interesting pictures. I know it sounds crazy, but I have taken quite a number of blurred pictures out of the 5000 plus pictures. Or pictures which were just not well taken. I suppose there were probably 3000 plus pictures, which I deemed are alright to share with friends online. But then again, will anyone want to see all 3000plus pictures of mine? (The last time I posted nearly all the pictures of my Taiwan trip on Facebook, I got complains from friends. Is true, unfortunately.)

Well, perhaps this will give me an excuse to go back to Europe again.

Munich - I have not have enough of Munich!!!!!

UK - So much to offer!!!!

I do not think I will travel to Russia in the near future. While there are loads I will like to see and do in Russia but the transportation and the language is posing quite a problem. And having used to travelling free and easy, going to Russia again with a tour group is not a likely option.

Hmmm, perhaps is time to do a layout on one of the venue.

Hope I will be able to upload a layout soon.

Happy Vesak Day!

The Voters of Aljunied GRC - Saviour or Villan?

Aljunied GRC is now officially, together with Hougang, under the wings of Worker's Party.

And so, the voters of the Aljunied GRC have been cheered for bringing more opposition members into the Parliament, in hope of bringing the voices of the people across.

With Aljunied GRC under the Worker's Party, two very capable Ministers and a versatile and talented Senior Minister could no longer hold ministerial positions in the Parliament.

And so, the voters of the Aljuied GRC have been jeered for causing the loss of worthy leaders.

So, are the voters of Aljunied GRC Saviour or Villain?

This is perhaps one of the most difficult question to answer. However, I believe the majority of the voters who voted aggressively for the opposition, did not vote for the opposition just for the sake of opposing, but, it was after thorough analysis of the various current policies being implemented. Even the Mr Prime Minister had told the media that this year's election will have to be carefully analyzed and to hear the voices of the people.

The one other important lesson learnt from the election is that Singaporeans are not as subdued as many pictured to be. Unlike other nations, where the people will strike and stage riots, Singaporeans have decided that the best way to put their voices through, is to practice their voting rights. Only then, will the ruling parties and the opposition parties know what are the people's thoughts and worries.

Only when there are happy citizens, will there be a happy country.

And so, the votes have spoken

And by now, the votes have spoken. The hotly contested Aljunied GRC has been won by a very worthy opposition - The Worker's Party, taking 72165 votes while the PAP had 59732 votes from a total of 72165 votes casted. The results were very interesting as the Worker's Party won by 12433 votes!

While the Worker's Party has won seats in the next Parliment, the ruling party has also lost two ministers and a senior minister after Aljunied GRC fell into the hands of Worker's Party.

I do not think Singaporeans are childish and decided to send opposition into the Parliment at the expense of the very good leaders. All I can say is, Singaporeans today have decided to send a message across by their votes. Singaporean will like to have more say about improving the quality of their daily life, the future of their life and the children's as well as the aging population.

Like many out there, I am sad for Mr George Yeo and his group's loss while am also excited to see what the Worker's Party can do, not only for the residents of Aljunied, but perhaps, if they can deliver the voices of the people in the Parliment.

The next five years will be a test for the ruling party as well as opposition.

I believe both the ruling party and opposition are there for the best of the country, a home, which we call - Singapore.

General Election 2011

In a couple of hours' time, Singaporeans will get to vote who they want to represent them in the Parliment.

General Election 2011 has been very interesting. I think the last election which has caused so much fanfare, must be the times of our parents' and even grandparents' days. It has been a while since there have been so much talk about the general election.

A friend of mine has commented that there is a very good media coverage of the general election activities. I suppose given today's media technology, and thus, the real time updates of status and emotions felt during rallies via social network such as Facebook, Twitter and real time upload of rallies videos and any satire and parodies via youtube, the local media must be as prompt as possible in their coverage. And if the media coverage is not enough to quench the curious thirst, there are a number of bloggers out there who will generously share their views on their blogs.

Candidiates for the various parties have also utilized social network to garner support. In addition, netizens out there have also create groups on Facebook, which are either supportive of certain candidate/party or unsupportive of certain candidate/parties. Personally, I felt that all parties should not be defensive or unhappy with these support or "unsupport" groups, but to analyze the situation and perhaps, this will allow them to be better prepared for the next election to garner support.

I hope there will be interesting results for the voting later today. Like every other election, I will be with a bag or two of chippies, some coke and tea while watching the updates of results with my family.

I belonged to the hotly contested Aljunied GRC. I am sure looking forward to seeing the results and yes, I know my vote will be important. It is so much fun to be in a constituency which headlines all newspapers daily. There are people who felt that we should be contented with what we already have, and not make so much noise, but  I felt that such complacent attitude will not drive a nation forward. I believe every nation has room for improvement, like the competitors at the Olympics games, while being number 1 is the main aim, getting the gold medal and breaking either the game record or even the world record, is something sweeter. So, while Singapore enjoys peace and prosperity, we must still strive to break our very own records. Complacency will only slow down the nation's progress. We can try to slow down the pace of moving forward, but, we must still move on.

No matter who wins the Aljunied GRC, I just hope the party representing Aljunied will hear the people's voices and do something important, not just to pacify, but as a solution to the problem.

Scrapbooking for a good cause

It is nearly two months since Japan has been simultaneously hit by the monster earthquake and tsunami and the added nuclear plant meltdown and radiation alert. There have been enormous aid and donation from all over the world pouring in to help Japan to pull through one of the worst natural calamity and a nuclear crisis which is almost as bad as that of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear incident.

Just as I was about to donate a small amount of money through the Singapore's Red Cross when I saw a call for craft works  (be it scrapbooking layout, artist trading cards, cards, mini albums and so forth) from Tomoko Takahashi on one my friend's Facebook wall. Tomoko Takahashi is on the Design Team of Webster's Pages and her works are lovely. Through Facebook and her blog, Tomoko invited everyone from all over the world to send their works of art to her so that she can sell them on probably Japanese equivalent of etsy and ebay so as to raise donation funds for the Japan Red Cross.

I was very excited when I read this "call for help". Without much thinking, I told myself I would do five pieces of work and then send them to Tomoko so that she would have a variety of works to choose from for her inori. After much planning and getting the works completed. I managed to do some easy mini albums and some technically more challenging ones. Thanks to all the classes attended in the past, all five works were completed and air mailed to Tomoko.

Just saw some of the works which Tomoko is selling for the first time. My goodness, the standards are high and some of the works are by well known members of either design team or who have published prolifically in scrapbooking or  paper crafting magazines.

My works are rather simpler in style and techniques.

Nevertheless, do hope that my works would be able to sell well so that money can be raised for Japan Red Cross.

May Peace be with Japan and also everyone from all over the World.

Paint, Canvas and Brushes

Who would have guessed that by doing scrapbooking, it will lead to mixed-medium art works?

I have always thought that scrapbooking is all about paper and glue and embellishments of all sorts but by now, scrapbooking involves much more techniques than just knowing the placement of the photographs, knowing the colour combination and patterned paper to use. Today, scrapbooking has been taken to another level by the introduction of other craft techniques and even techniques usually used in fine arts.

After attending the Creative Escape 2011, I have been wanting to apply what I have learn into another project, this time, on a primed canvas. Have been thinking about it for a while but am now just too tired to set to work. Just too tired. Perhaps will try out what I have in mind comes Friday or Saturday.

How has your day been? Hope it has been good.

Creative Escape 2011



One of the bigger name in the scrapbooking industry in Singapore - Laine's Papeterie and sister company - Papermarket, once again, organised the very fun-filled, informative and interesting class (nearly boot-camp style) with celebrity mixed-medium artist Donna Downey. This is Donna's third Creative Escape in Singapore and if I remembered correctly, this is her only Asian class to date. According to Donna, the scrapbookers in US, Canada and even in parts of Europe where she has previously taught, were amazed that scrapbooking is quite popular in Singapore. Donna also told us her students were impressed that she could teach the Asian students without an interpreter or translator. Well, fortunately or not, English is the main language spoken and written and its importance has even supersede our very own mother tongue of all races in Singapore!

This year's class began with appreciation of the finer acrylic paints. There are many types/brands of acrylic paints in the industry but the wonders of the more expensive and finer ones are so much easier to work with and the effects were much better on canvas without priming with gesso. In using slightly inferior acrylic paints, the use of good gesso is probably a MUST so that the paint will stay and look better on canvas.

The second class was built on what we had learnt from the first class and most of us became better with the second project we were working on and before anyone know it, everyone was helping everyone out with lesser aid from the sweet instructors-turn-helpers. And the final class was the one which everyone had been waiting for - Inspired Journal. This is Donna's signature class and while everyone taught it was going to be a tough class, this turned out to be the MOST DIFFICULT CLASS!!! Just kidding. Inspired Journal was the one class which allowed each and everyone in class to use the various techniques taught and then to be further explored in any way each and everyone wanted to.

Having attended last year's class, I will try to incorporate last year's techniques and this year's to see what I can do to my Journal. I shall post some pictures when I am done. Just give me about 6 more months. Not much mojo lately.

Have a good week ahead!

Is all about memories, I guess

Many of my friends are finding it difficult to understand why I am so infatuated with scrapbooking. To them,scrapbooking is just another expensive and impractical hobby, at least in Singapore. For some of my shopaholic friends, they find shopping for clothes a better excuse to splurge their money on as clothes are "more essential" than spending so much money on craft.

Well, I suppose the one thing which really attracts me scrapbooking, on top of the lovely, interesting array of products available for all paper crafters, scrapbooking is one hobby which complements my other hobbies perfectly. For a decent scrapbook layout, in addition to all the materials needed, photographs are another important "must have". I love photography and after graduating from Melbourne Uni 10 years ago, I have been looking for a perfect "journal" to document the memories of my undergraduate days. I saw my fellow American hostel mate having a very interesting "journal" and had been hunting high and low for one when I came back to Singapore in 2002. I did not realise that the journal which my American hostel mate was holding, was, in fact, a scrapbook album.

I enjoy reading and writing and now, blogging. Scrapbooking incorporates "journalling", and I find that this makes scrapbooking more meaningful because together with photographs, this will make the memories more vivid than ever.

And before I log off, here's a cheap alternative for fellow scrapbooking hobbyists in Singapore or anyone else out there who live in countries or cities where the Japanese Daiso is available. Daiso sells foundation/make-up sponges which are good for distressing. They are much cheaper and makes distressing easier, especially if you are new to scrapbooking or are unwilling to part some money for those foam applicator. These cheaper alternatives work just as good and are able to endure the Singapore's weather slightly better. Unless you want really clean fingers while working with your projects, try these cheaper alternatives.

So, do check out those sponges when you can.

Scrapbooking with Grannies

Last year this time, I was at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, enjoying a spectacular performance from my favourite Mandarin Rock band - Mayday. How time flies indeed.

And a year later ... ...

Well, did something meaningful today. My scrapbooking friend, who is also a scrapbooking instructor, was invited to teach scrapbooking to a group of elderly ladies. Gosh, imagine my excitement and abit of fear when Jenn asked me if I could help out. Excited - well, is all about sharing my hobby with more people for a good cause, Fear -  the elderly ladies sometimes only speak their own dialect, which could mean, I will have difficulty communicating with them. Besides my now very very broken Hainanese (I used to speak much better dialect when I was a kid as that's the dialect I spoke with both sets of my grands), I speak a haphazard collection of Hokkien and Cantonese vocaubulary!!! Horror, I know.

Thank goodness, the grannies all know bits of Chinese here and there and after getting all the more complicated parts completed for the grannies, it is interesting to find the grannies find joy in cutting some of the finer details with a less precise scissors. (Note: for safety reasons, the organizers have given the grannies those child-safe scissors for the grannies) They even requested that they wanted to cut the finer details themselves! Lovely! And it is also interesting to see the grannies helping each other out too!

So, on a very stuffy and scorching Sunday afternoon, I have a meaningful time spent doing meaningful stuff. Just that I am kind of dehydrated now. Drowning myself with water now.

Alright, hope to be involved in such interesting activities again, be it in the near future or far future.

Yes, as long as the dates do not clash with my concert days or "out of town" days, I will always be able to help out.

Now, facing a difficult Monday tomorrow.

Cheers!

Coming Soon

Wow! Just realise I haven't been updating for such a long long long time.

Is not that I have been having a very boring life - NO WAY! How could I be leading a boring lifestyle if I have made it out to Europe, caught numerous Mandopop concerts and Classical concerts?

Truth is, I have been very hooked on Facebook... ...

Alright, I will try to update soon.

Meantime, good night.

There's a Nodame and Chiaki in each of us

I got myself a pair of free movie tickets to catch "Nodame Cantabile - The Final Score" part 2. Prior to catching the movie, I had never read the manga, watched the anime, the drama series, the shinshun special series as well as part 1 of the movie. So, without any so-called "background reading or watching", I went to watch the finale with my friend and by the time the movie was over, we had become Nodame fans.

Watching the series and movies, I came to realise that there is a Nodame and Chiaki in each of us. For instance, when Nodame first entered the music conservatory, she had difficulty in getting used to the teaching system and was depressed. Having gone through such situations numerous time, be it in school, at work or anywhere else, it brought back many scary and sad memories.

Fortunately, with the help of her own  strong will, friends and fellow classmates, she was able to overcome the difficulties and excel in what she does best.

Hmmmm, it will be a long time for me to find my own strong will to overcome what I am going through.

Will update again soon, I promise.

决定放弃

2010年6月1日，2358

我决定了，
我决定放弃。
我决定完全放弃小熊，
因为，我不想在看完一场演唱会，尤其是跟“死党”一起High翻天后，还来不及慢慢地回味着演唱会带来的快乐，就得知小熊已经有要好的女朋友或要结婚的消息。

我承认，
我非常自私。
我已经不能忍受好心情再次被破坏，
再次，被某些人取笑。

反正最近也听说了
很多人都在替小熊找个门当户对的女生，
所以，在还没投入很多的喜欢时，
我，还是放弃吧。

感情，本来就不能强求。

不过，小熊，
既然，我们还在一起工作，我们还是保持同事之间的距离吧。

最后，希望以后关于任何感情上的坏消息，请在演唱会之前通知我，
这样，我可以借着演唱会，把一切的不快乐与任何的伤悲通通发泄掉。

Happenings in May

We are 12 days into the month of May. And May is a very exciting month for me.

Exciting and busy.

Here's a recollection of what I have been doing since Mayday:

1st May 2010 - Attended Sam's Wedding in Ipoh
2nd May 2010 - Chelsea beat Liverpool
3rd May 2010 - Received call from Kinokuniya @ Orchard that 《下课后，怪兽家点名》 is ready for collection
4th May 2010 - Caught "Ice Kacang Puppy Love" 《初恋红豆冰》
5th May 2010 - Bought 《下课后，怪兽家点名》
6th May 2010 - Buy microstars and Match Attax Cards - World Cup series
7th May 2010 - Microstars and Match Attax cards shopping continued
8th May 2010 - Attended Scrapbooking retreat at Simei CC
9th May 2010 - Mark Webber won the Spanish F1
10th May 2010 - Dinner Pizza Hut and Applebee
11th May 2010 - Sales of 30,000  五月天DNA Unlimited Final Show @ Taichung, Taiwan completely sold out in about an hour's time
12th May 2010 - Going to work zombie-fied

More excitement to look forward to:

15th May 2010 - Another match
22nd May 2010 - Show Luo's concert at Singapore Indoor Stadium

That's it for now.

我们订婚了

Date: 27.04.2010


Time: AM吧



那天

跟着他一起工作时

他说

“我们已经订婚了。“



我嘛，

就这样地回答：

“哦，那就恭喜你了！”

“而且，也是给女生的一种交代和肯定。很好啊。”



那天，

他什么也没多说

他还是跟往常一样，很“姐妹”地聊着。

只是，从头到尾，他没怎么谈到他的未婚妻。



他没说是什么原因让他看上她

他只说他和她已经交往了四个多月

他没说他们婚礼的筹备

他只说他和她将到那里去玩。



整个谈话中

只觉得他决定踏入后青春期

以前，那个“想当和尚”而不想结婚，觉得女人是很麻烦的他

最后，还是跟着其他人，决定结婚去了。



只记得当年，

我曾经向他“发出挑战书” -

他，会为了钱途，而辞职

他，也会结婚的。



当然，

这一切发生时，

我，也选择“移情别恋”

我，也跟着五月天，一起唱着“我又初恋了”。

如果有一天

最近，身边的朋友都在问：

“如果有一天，你的‘前绯闻男友’甚至是‘现任绯闻男友’有了女朋友，而且就要注册结婚了，你会觉得怎样？”

其实，在多年以前，我也曾问过我自己这个问题。
结果嘞，我发现/觉得，既然没真正地付出任何感情，也没真正轰轰烈烈或简简单单恋爱-ing，无所谓啦。
会难过、可惜吗？不会啦。

人生嘛，暗恋或单恋，也只不过是人生的一个phase。
有缘分的话，就能白头偕老。
无缘无份或有缘无分，也就不过如此。
所以，我能够接受我曾经喜欢的男生最后没有选择我的事实。

我并不是装坚强，
Honestly speaking，
我也没有付出任何effort and energy去“争取”恋爱。
就连在准备论文或审查的当儿，我竟然可以忘掉“前、现任绯闻”男友的存在！

也许，这是魔蝎座自私的恋爱观：
在不确定他就是Mr Right时，
宁可偷偷单恋或尝试暗示他，也不会100%的投入任何的感情，
原因只怕伤害自己。

可能有些朋友会担心我，
会想办法帮我度过这个可能会发生的“如果有一天... ...”，
但是，
我觉得他们的担心是多余的。

去年，他的一个决定，
已经让我完完全全的失去了当年对他的喜欢。
眼泪，
也让我看清了他已经变成了我不想看到的他。

我没有说谎，
也没有装坚强，
我只想告诉大家，
不管最后的故事结局是怎么样，我很庆幸，我有一群最佳“损友”让我emotionally依靠着。



PS: 叫你们“损友”是对的！因为，你们没有阻止我买五月天的Monopoly!!!!!