真的是求人不如求己啊。

随着成长，很多事，变得越来越不单纯，越来越不简单。曾经以为很要好的关系，在关系到金钱时变得紧张。 在金字面前，原形毕露。人人皆求自保。

人生真是场无止境的学习旅程啊。。。

My sunflower seedlings have sprouted!

Ok, so as expected that seedling didn't make it. Haiz. I thought it might be the transport that killed it, but the remaining seedlings at my uncle's house died too. Hmm... going to try growing from seeds myself. Bought a packet of seeds from NTUC and a 10-inch pot from Giant. But I'm worried that the pot might be too small, cos I read that sunflower roots can grow to 4 feet below the soil surface (!!). I don't know what species that author is referring to though...

≪外面的世界≫

齐秦 《外面的世界》
词: 齐秦 曲: 齐秦

在很久很久以前
你拥有我
我拥有你
在很久很久以前
你离开我
去远空翱翔

外面的世界很精彩
外面的世界很无奈
当你觉得外面的世界很精彩
我会在这里衷心的祝福你
每当夕阳西沉的时候
我总是在这里盼望你
天空中虽然飘着雨
我依然等待你的归期

外面的世界很精彩
外面的世界很无奈
当你觉得外面的世界很无奈
我还在这里耐心的等着你
每当夕阳西沉的时候
我总是在这里盼望你
天空中虽然飘着雨
我依然等待你的归期

天空中虽然飘着雨
我依然等待你的归期

Hiwamari

Got a sunflower seedling from my uncle's house today. With zero gardening experience and tools (no fertiliser, no soil, no pot!), its future looks bleak.

Life is dear, love is dearer. Both can be given up for freedom.

生命诚可贵，爱情价更高，若为自由故，两者皆可抛。

Petofi Sandor桑多尔.裴多菲

He got married!

Attended my cousin's wedding yesterday (since it's past midnight now; I ought to be sleeping soon). Hmm I've attended other wedding dinners before, but this is the first one of someone I was close to (or used to be close to when I was a kid). So yes, it does feel kind of different. My cousin made a speech on the stage, it was kind of too mushy for me, but I can feel that he really loves his wife sincerely. He is a good person and I wish them both everlasting happiness. :)

On a sidenote, there's something about weddings that makes you want to fall in love and get married too. Maybe it's the atmosphere of love and happiness rubbing off. Maybe there's a tiny part in every one that wishes for a fairytale ending.

那些年，我们一起追的女孩

青春是一场大雨。即使感冒了，还盼望回头再淋它一次。

 不记得最后一次这么被牵动是什么时候。

我一个人去看了《 那些年，我们一起追的女孩》。没有任何干扰，一个人，静静地把自己迷失在电影里的世界。

真的很好看。

我很喜欢柯震东的表现。虽然这是他的电影处女作，却完全演得不留痕迹。那一场在公园的哭戏，不加修饰毫无保留地哭，很raw的emotion自然能拉动我的心。

在电影的一开始，我们看到男主角柯景腾正在准备出席一场婚礼。谁的婚礼？婚礼上，男主角脑海中闪过多年来的点点回忆，我已忍不住开始哭了。。。(Watch out for what's written on the 孔明灯!!!)

在这里就不透露太多了，你去看了就会明白。这部戏很棒，我不知道怎么形容，就是很棒 。很简单，不过分煽情，却让我很感动。青春，应该就是这样吧，很热血，也很单纯。爱，要勇敢说出来。错过了，就只能遗憾。

SPOILER ALERT!!! 

Below are some quotes from the movie.

柯腾：我跟你打赌，我十年后就算不知道log是什么也能活得很好。
沈佳宜：。。。
柯腾： 你不信？
沈佳宜：我相信。
柯腾：那你还这么努力念书？
沈佳宜：人生本来就有很多事是徒劳无功的啊。

柯腾：我想成为一个很厉害的人。因为有了我，让这个世界而有一点点的不一样。

柯腾：原来在最喜欢的女孩面前，我是个胆小鬼。

沈佳宜：你想知道答案吗？我现在就可以告诉你。
柯腾：拜托不要现在告诉我。请让我，继续喜欢你。

沈佳宜：柯景腾，你特地办一个比赛把自己搞受伤，你怎么会这么幼稚啊？
柯腾：对，我是幼稚。我就是幼稚才会喜欢你这种努力用功读书的女生。我就是幼稚才会追你追这么久。
沈佳宜：那你就不要追啊

沈佳宜：笨蛋！
柯腾：对啦，我是笨蛋！
沈佳宜：大笨蛋！
柯腾：大笨蛋才会追你追那么久！
沈佳宜：你什么都不懂！
柯腾：我就是什么都不懂！

柯腾：成長最殘酷的事實就是，女孩永遠比同年齡男孩成熟，女孩的成熟，沒有一個男孩招架的住。

柯腾：或许，在另一个平行时空里，我们是在一起的。
沈佳宜 （若有所思地微笑）：真羡慕他们。

Flying red horse by John Gorka

They think they can tame you, name you and frame you
Aim you where you don't belong
They know where you've been but not where you're going
And that is the source of the songs

well I guess I've caught the tumblr bug... though I still don't really know how to use it. Is there anyway to share a tumblr post onto facebook or blogger, other than manually saving the picture?

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

I finally went to see "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn" today! I've been reading the Tintin comics since I was in primary school and really love them. I was super excited when I heard that Steven Spielberg was going to adapt the series into a movie a few years ago, yet apprehensive that the movie might lose the comic's magic However the movie has received rave reviews, and deservingly so. The movie cleverly weaves the stories of "The Crab with the Golden Claw", "The Secret of the Unicorn" and "Red Reckham's Treasure" seamlessly into one. I like how Captain Haddock told the tale of the Unicorn. I guess that's where cinematography comes into play. Instead of him reading off Sir Francis's diary (as in the comics), we have Haddock remembering the tale in a rare moment of sobriety in the desert and again when he consumed medicinal alcohol (thanks to Snowy ^^).

My favourite scene was after the performance of Bianca Castafiore, the "Milanese nightingale". Tintin had entrusted the Captain with the parchment from the ship's mast. The Captain, stepping out to avoid Castafiore's singing, was briefly tempted by a bottle of whisky offered by Alan, before shaking his head clear and tucking the parchment safely into his pocket. (I went, Good for you, Captain!) Later, a dejected Captain informed Tintin that the bad guy took their copy of the parchment. Tintin angrily accused the Captain of drinking, and Captain Haddock attempted to explain, "No, it was Alan, he..." His feeble attempt was cut short by Tintin, who grabbed him and said quietly, "I can smell it on you." (Aww what have you done, Captain?) Tintin then walked away, leaving the Captain in astonished silence. What a powerful scene! I can sense Tintin's disappointment in Captain Haddock, which created another dimension in their relationship. The Tintin in the movie had more emotions than in the comics. Likewise, the movie Haddock had a more world-weary feel than the comic one. He explained that he drank because he could never match up to Sir Francis's bravery and ability, and he felt like a loser. It's hard not to feel sorry for him.

And I think I finally realise why I think the CGI characters look weird to me. Because Haddock and Tintin's eyes were very blue. Very beautiful, but in the comics they were just, well, two black dots. xP

Looking forward to seeing Professor Cuthbert Calculus in the next movie!

The 1% are the very best destroyers of wealth the world has ever seen

"In a study published by the journal Psychology, Crime and Law, Belinda Board and Katarina Fritzon tested 39 senior managers and chief executives from leading British businesses. They compared the results to the same tests on patients at Broadmoor special hospital, where people who have been convicted of serious crimes are incarcerated. On certain indicators of psychopathy, the bosses's scores either matched or exceeded those of the patients. In fact, on these criteria, they beat even the subset of patients who had been diagnosed with psychopathic personality disorders.

The psychopathic traits on which the bosses scored so highly, Board and Fritzon point out, closely resemble the characteristics that companies look for. Those who have these traits often possess great skill in flattering and manipulating powerful people. Egocentricity, a strong sense of entitlement, a readiness to exploit others and a lack of empathy and conscience are also unlikely to damage their prospects in many corporations.

In their book Snakes in Suits, Paul Babiak and Robert Hare point out that as the old corporate bureaucracies have been replaced by flexible, ever-changing structures, and as team players are deemed less valuable than competitive risk-takers, psychopathic traits are more likely to be selected and rewarded. Reading their work, it seems to me that if you have psychopathic tendencies and are born to a poor family, you're likely to go to prison. If you have psychopathic tendencies and are born to a rich family, you're likely to go to business school.

This is not to suggest that all executives are psychopaths. It is to suggest that the economy has been rewarding the wrong skills. As the bosses have shaken off the trade unions and captured both regulators and tax authorities, the distinction between the productive and rentier upper classes has broken down. Chief executives now behave like dukes, extracting from their financial estates sums out of all proportion to the work they do or the value they generate, sums that sometimes exhaust the businesses they parasitise. They are no more deserving of the share of wealth they've captured than oil sheikhs.

The rest of us are invited, by governments and by fawning interviews in the press, to subscribe to their myth of election: the belief that they are possessed of superhuman talents. The very rich are often described as wealth creators. But they have preyed on the earth's natural wealth and their workers' labour and creativity, impoverishing both people and planet. Now they have almost bankrupted us. The wealth creators of neoliberal mythology are some of the most effective wealth destroyers the world has ever seen."

Adapted from http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/07/one-per-cent-wealth-destroyers by George Monbiot

Earthflame by Himekami. This was used as the theme song in the show " 向世界中心出发", but I'm pretty sure I've heard it used in some other dramas before. Sad song...

I just found out that the labels on certain The Body Shop products can be peeled off to reveal another layer underneath. This allows them more space to present additional information since their instructions are in so many languages. I realise that the ingredients of the product are usually printed on the bottom layer, carefully concealed from consumers such as myself. Bleh. Anyway, all along I had thought that TBS products are very natural (doesn't it give off that vibe, with all the emphasis on plant extracts) and contain less harmful chemicals than other brands. But the ones that I'm currently using (shea shower cream, guarana berry shampoo and seaweed night treatment) contain parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl), hydrolysed wheat protein, sodium laureth sulphate, cocamidopropyl betaine etc. I don't really know what harmful effects these chemicals may have, but guess I'm less obsessed with TBS products now.

没有什么渴望不能抑制；就算是最爱，亦终有一日可以舍弃。

有些记忆，不想破坏，想好好藏起，这是留住美好曾经的，唯一方法。

I-weekly 10 Nov 2011

Back from dinner with MS and WQ. Pity LJ couldn't make it though. It's kind of scary you can be so overworked you fall sick. O.o

Anyway, it feels nice to do some catching up with old friends. If I were a Sim my social bar will go ++ to green. X)

The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn

♫ It's Tintin time! It's Tintin time! ♫

"It turns out that it takes the computing resources of a cutting-edge data center to bring to 3-D life the world Hergé created using only pen and paper. "That's probably the thing that impressed me the most about the books," Spielberg says, "that Hergé was a filmmaker in his own right."
He pays a deft homage to the master in the opening moments of The Adventures of Tintin. We first meet Tintin sitting for a portrait by a jovial sidewalk artist, who then holds up his work. The portrait is recognizably the iconic Tintin of the comics. The artist is recognizable too, at least to fans. It's Hergé."

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2097373,00.html#ixzz1buL6CESC

I can't believe the Tintin movie is finally out! My heart just swells with fondness at the thought of Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock and the Thomson and Thompson twins. Don't think Professor Calculus will be there though... Counting down to 10th November 2011, can't wait! :)

what-ifs

What if...?

So often this question crosses my mind. What if I had done this, what if I hadn't done that.

What does it matter? Life is lived forward, not backward.

Reading some of my previous posts tagged under 'school'. What entertaining reading they make :) They make me miss my uni days, sort of. Doesn't mean I want to go through the whole thing again, but it does make me a little wistful. It's like looking back on a different life, like looking in the Pensieve. I guess that's where JKR got her inspiration from, the idea of memories as a form of story-telling. I realise that almost all my posts were complaining about school, about my fears and worries, and most of all (especially the later ones), about FYP. Indeed, FYP has been such a busy and hectic stage of life that threatens to crush me every single day. Yet looking back isn't it the miserable suffering that made it all the more memorable?

At this point I realise that I will no longer write any new posts tagged with 'school'. 'Work', perhaps. It's time to move on.

The Psychology of Dictatorship: Why Gaddafi Clings to Power

None of this means we can excuse dictators for their crimes. But our brains simply weren't designed to wield absolute power. Dictators may fight to the end because they don't understand that any end is possible. Gaddafi should stand down before he loses everything; Mubarak should have left Egypt weeks before he resigned; Hitler could have brokered for peace; Saddam Hussein could bargained for his life. But dictators are too strong militarily and too weak psychologically to bargain. That's why they invite annihilation.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/26/the-psychology-of-dictatorship-why-gaddafi-clings-to-power/#ixzz1bL41kxrg

Time to give an update on my life.


I had my birthday 2 weeks ago, and very unfortunately, my grandmother passed away on the same day. I don’t think it’s very sad that she has moved on, for she has lived a very long life and has many grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. Reminds me of what Dumbledore told Harry in The Philosopher’s Stone, something about how dying for an old person is like going to bed at the end of a very long day. How true.

It was my first time attending a funeral and witnessing a cremation. The atmosphere was really tense. I was originally quite composed, but when my relatives started wailing I couldn’t help but be moved and started sobbing uncontrollably. Whoa.

The following day I reported to PSB for 2 weeks of temp job which was recommended by TH. It was an eye-opening experience for me, doing HR work and observing office interactions. I was kind of uncomfortable, but I guess things would be better if I had more time to know my co-workers better?

Yesterday I attended the MOE Appointment Briefing. I had been placed on a contract basis, which makes me feel kind of uneasy. Like you won't know if you'd get it or not, it's all depending on your performance. Guess that could a source of motivation to work hard? :)

I finally received a letter from MOE yesterday. I've been offered a position of contract teacher (1 to 1.5 year), starting next Jan. Next JAN, that's like 3 months away, what am I supposed to be doing in the meantime?! I should have applied earlier... If only... And I'd be in NIE now already...

I realise a few of my friends have locked their blogs. Maybe once you start working, you have to be careful what you say online? Since I guess there isn't really any anonymity... Who knows when this blog will be locked? Hah

How time flies... It is September already.

(♫ "Wake me up when September ends". Totally random.)

Yet another totally random thing: while reading the blog statistics I found I have more American visitors than Singaporean ones. Most intriguing... ((+_+))

United States

123

Singapore

38

Last December, I removed my first set of wisdom teeth and placed my name on the waiting list for braces at the National Dental Centre. I knew it was going to be expensive, but thought I would have found a job by the time it was my turn (I was told it would take about a year plus).

Well, I got a call from them and am going to see the dentist (or orthodontist-trainee) tomorrow. Still undecided on whether I should just go to a private clinic... (p_q) 

The fallen angel

I was preparing to bake a pumpkin pie in the kitchen when an unusually strong wind suddenly started blowing, toppling bins, clocks and what-nots. I paid no attention, though it felt pretty scary. Upon returning to my room, I found my commencement group photo on the floor, together with the magnets that had held it onto the whiteboard. As I picked up the magnets I discovered with horror that the magnet had come off the aboriginal girl that I'd bought atthe Taoyuan airport. My mom tried to console by saying that I can at least keep the toy. I thought, that's true, and that's when I made another horrible discovery. One of the ears had broken. I rushed back to my room, cursing the unwanted wind. I finally found the missing piece on the floor and was contemplating how to glue it back when I saw that another small pie e of her head was chipped off. And one of her wings is broken. And lost. (T.T)

青玉案 元夕 [辛弃疾]

东风夜放花千树，更吹落星如雨。宝马雕车香满路，凤箫声动，玉壶光转，一夜鱼龙舞。
蛾儿雪柳黄金缕，笑语盈盈暗香去。众里寻他千百度，蓦然回首，那人却在，灯火阑珊处。

Happy 15th Anniversary to SPEED ( ^ _ ^)∠☆PAN！

当你毅然放下心头最爱，原来在最初的最初，爱从来不是占有。

On 31 October in 1981, Voldemort entered their home. James told Lily to take Harry and leave while he held him off. James, however, was killed before Lily and Harry could escape the house. Trapping mother and son in Harry's nursery, Voldemort, honouring Snape's request to spare her life, offered Lily a chance to step aside. She steadfastly refused to stop shielding her son, and Voldemort killed her. Because Lily's death was a willing sacrifice, not a mere casualty of war like James's, Harry was marked with the protection of her love, and Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded off the one-year old, destroying the Dark Lord's body and temporarily defeating him. If not for Snape's love for Lily, which led to him to beg Voldemort for Lily's life, her death would not have been a willing sacrifice, and there would have been no Boy Who Lived.

Taken from http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Lily_Evans

I've never fully appreciated the significance of Snape. Can't stop thinking about him since DH and now the track 'In the end' is stuck in my head...

Listening to this brings me back to Snape's memories... Aww so much pain...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Went to watch the final instalment of the Harry Potter movie franchise just now. I have been afraid of how sad I will be when it's all over, and indeed am very sad, even though I finished watching the movie smiling with tears.

It was wonderful, despite what ys might say. Perhaps to him this is merely another one of the many movies that he has watched, but to me it has a very special meaning. It is personal. Perhaps I am clouded by my love for the book, but I really do think that the crew have done their best to do justice to the book.

Well, the 3D glasses kept sliding off my nose (I finally understood that commercial for contact lenses!), it was highly annoying and disturbing. I want to watch the movie again, in 2D to better appreciate the plot, and maybe alone. I want to remain in the theatre as credits roll and immerse myself in "Hedwig's theme"...

I definitely recommend watching the movie in 3D. The Dementors at the beginning of the movie seem so real. And the ride at Gringotts reminds me horribly of the rides I took at USS. :P


**SPOILER ALERT**


I love how the movie started with the grave of Dobby. And how Snape stared broodingly as students marched into Hogwarts, a lone figure on a high tower. I paid extra attention when Harry spoke with Ollivander, for I have read reviews that raved about John Hurt's performance, but I failed to see what's the hype. Maybe it's too 内敛 for me. I felt it was a pity they didn't have time to develop Dumbledore's story. Dumbledore's guilt, his pain, his desire to see his family reunited, they made it so painful for me to read the cave scene. I cried when Mrs Weasley hugged Ron as he cried over Fred; at the sight of Lupin and Tonks' bodies, their hands finally holding each other (I'm not sure about this, cos it appeared to me their hands were not in contact, but I'd like to think that they are). The whole thing just feels like this epic tragedy.

My favourite part of the movie is, of course, Snape dying in the Shrieking Shack. Not that I want him to die, of course, but his final words, asking Harry to look at him, saying he has his mother's eyes (I'm glad they used the lines from the book, they're brilliantly written), are just so heart-wrenching. Then Harry poured the memories (I don't know why he collected Snape's tears. Maybe it looked more romantic?) into the Pensieve (I noticed they changed the Pensieve to a  mobile washing-basin-like thingy), and I know Snape's tragic tale is going to unfold. The young Lily and Severus are so adorable. However I think the film transitioned from the two of them being friends to adulthood too fast. It should have included Severus calling Lily 'Mudblood'. That was a turning point.  Severus regretted that and my heart never failed to ache when I read that part. But Alan Rickman was so, so wonderful. His acting was so convincing I could totally feel Snape's desperation when he pleaded with Dumbledore to save Lily, feel his pain as he hugged Lily's body. He might not have been a good man, but to do good things against your usual nature out of your love for someone, I think, takes greater courage.

19 years later... Of course it was corny, all n years later scenes are. The young Albus Severus Potter was adorable, and again, I'm glad they used lines from the book when Harry reassured his son about sorting. I love the scarlet Hogwarts Express, I love platform nine-and-three-quarters, I love how they used the same music as they did in the last scene also with the train  in "The Sorcerer's Stone" ("Leaving Hogwarts"), and most of all, it was most apt to end with "Hedwig's Theme".

When I write on my blog, I sometimes wish that people will read. Yet when people are reading, it means that you cannot bitch about them...

Universal Studio Singapore

I went to Universal Studios Singapore with HF and TH today. Gosh I still feel dizzy from the rides. The concept is very similar to Disneyland, I guess, with mascots, rides, 4D movies and interactive performances. We went on a Monday, but it was still awfully crowded. Should be feeling happy for Singapore's economy, I guess, but the queues were crazy (45 minute wait for a 5-minute ride?), and the tourists (esp those from certain countries) are downright annoying, cutting queues everywhere, taking up the center block of seats despite the emcee's repeated prompting and using flash photography in a dark room. Maybe the park will be more enjoyable if it wasn't so crowded. And hot. I also feel that the staff could do with a little more enthusiasm. I mean, some of them sounded like they were reading off scripts. (Which they were, I suppose, but must it be so obvious?)

We had arranged to meet at VivoCity at 9.45am as USS opens at 10, but due to an unforeseen fire drill the entrance from the MRT station was closed. After making a roundabout we managed to enter via another entrance. It's really cool to walk inside an empty shopping mall. :D

Upon arriving at USS, the first ride that we took was "Madagascar: A Crate Adventure". It was pretty unexciting, though the animals were cute. Next, in Far Far Away (hah), we took the "Enchanted Airways", which is a short roller-coaster ride that I was totally unprepared for and ended up screaming alongside TH. Luckily it didn't last very long. By then, people were starting to head for lunch, and we queued for "Donkey LIVE", in which a computer-generated Donkey talkedwith the audience, much like Stitch in Disneyland. Started feeling hungry then, so we searched around for food. Naturally the price was exorbitant, and we settled for "Fossil Fuels" (hah doesn't it sound like we're eating crude oil).

After lunch, we joined the quque once again for "Shrek 4-D Adventure". The chairs shook a bit, but after the horrifying "Enchanted Airways" earlier, I felt rather at ease. No, it was the "Revenge of the Mummy" at Ancient Egypt that broke me. It is an indoor ride, much like the Space Station one in Disneyland. (That one was a nightmare too.) TH was pretty spooked out by the mummy jumping out, but it's the motion that got to me. The feeling of ascending, coming to a halt, and plunging, taking with it my guts and what-not, is one that I do not foresee myself wishing to experience again in the near future, which is why I did not join HF on the "Battlestar Galactica" later. I don't care what people say, but it's just freakin' scary. You feel like screaming but you can't quite find your voice; yet there is nothing you can do except to close your eyes and scream. Gosh I still shudder when I recall the ride.

Rounding back to the Lost World, we finally got to try the "Canopy Flyer" after queueing for an hour. It didn't look like much when I was walking beneath those people, but it was scary. I screamed a lot and some bad language came out (sorry TH :P). And then it ended and I was sitting there, shaken and exhausted, when the kid in the next car returned smiling... Brave kiddo.

This is beginning to sound like a list of what I did... Ok I shall just summarise what's left,since the fear portion is largely over. haha... Next we did "Accelerator" (which was kind of no kick), "Lights, Camera, Action!" (really cool!) and "Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure". The rapids ride was ok; dinosaurs roared occasionally from both banks, the waters got a bit turbulent at times. Towards the end we entered a dark tunnel, which I knew for sure was a bad sign. It was so dark you can barely see your fingers, it was so oppressive. And then we ascended vertically and there was this T-Rex with jaws wide open above us. But I wasn't afraid of the T-Rex, I was dreading what I knew was imminent. Sure enough, the gates behind us opened and we were plunging, my back facing the open air. I was so scared I wasn't thinking properly, and I screamed, and only when I had swallowed mouthfuls of water did it occur to me to shut my stupid mouth. So we emerged, looking foolishly wet.

We met the 'Pharaoh' in Ancient Egypt and took photos with him. *smiles at muscles* Just as we were nearing the exit and I was feeling abit sad and unfulfilled, we saw Frankenstein. The guy (I should think it's a guy) inside is really interesting and came up with all sorts of interesting poses. I can't really explain it, but he feels warmer than other mascots. Maybe it's because he's Frankenstein, who is sort of a tragic figure, or maybe because he pretended to strangle me (hah), or simply because he waved to people on his way back. Whatever the reason, Frankenstein left a warm fuzzy feeling in me... :) (I'd imagine that's how drinking Butterbeer will feel like.)

Look at those soles! lol

Building a grocery store (model)

Bought this model of a grocery store at Taiwan and decided to make it for my sister's birthday. I was taken aback by the difficulty of it though. Yah, my arts sucks, but working with miniature stuff is just crazy.

So here's the cover of the packaging:

And the back showing the contents:

It comes with an instruction manual too:

The various parts:

Building the crate. I hate the smell of the glue.

One part down. I hadn't expected the price labels to be so small. Had to use double-sided tape in the end because the glue didn't stick very well...

Making the sack of yellow what-nots:

Done! Don't think I did it correctly though...

Wooden planks for the shelf:

Materials to make jars of tea leaves (the body is actually plastic tubing):

Tying the golden wire around a malleable 1-cm plastic tubing with that small piece of cloth is enough to drive anyone crazy... Seriously.

Candy jars:

This is supposed to be preserved fruit... xD

Materials for the blackboard:

Blackboard. Didn't have pen with white ink... And they didn't provide chalk!

A small piece of wood and a strip of black paper...

And you get a blackboard duster!

Materials for weighing scale:

Materials for hawthorn string:

Materials for the top of the shop:

The finished product!!! Not very stable because the glue isn't very sticky...haha... Don't know how to keep out the dust tho... :P

After the previous disastrous attempt at baking fruit tarts, I decided to go back to what I am more comfortable with, to rebuild my confidence, i.e. egg tarts.

Baked on 15th July, so TH can try them the next day ^^

And another batch yesterday. I pre-baked the crust this time round so that the bottom would not be soggy.

I don't know how to modify the recipe; it always gives me more filling than crust.

I'm finally going to watch HP7 part 2 next week!!! Can't wait!!!

My first time making fruit tarts shall also be my last. What a complete disaster.

1) There were clumps in the custard.
2) The custard was waaay too sweet. And watery.
3) The tart was super hard. Kind of like Hagrid's rock cake, I guess.
4) I failed to make the apricot glaze miserably. It was liquid when it boiled but clumpy after it cooled a little.

No more tarts for me.

Intriguing picture

Saw this picture in this video by JW Griffiths. Dunno where the director found those 2 people, but they are really beautiful ^^

Made an apple pie last Sunday using a pre-made crust bought from Fairprice Finest. The crust tasted pretty good, but the filling was way too sour.

Apple pie

Tried making the crust myself based on the 'Miracle baking powder pie crust' recipe and combined it with 'Fresh blueberry pie I' recipe. Boy it's really expensive to make a blueberry pie. I used 3 boxes of blueberries which cost nearly $8. And I used one whole stick of butter for the crust... I'd made the crust last night to leave it to chill in the fridge overnight, but when I got it out today it was hard as a rock. Think there's something wrong with my fridge. Anyway I got a terrible shock just now while baking, because when I went to check after 40 minutes the filling was flowing out like some volcano eruption. Goodness! Maybe I've baked it for too long? Anyway now the bottom is all soaked in blueberry juice. :( Waiting for the pie to set now, so probably will slice it at around 8-9pm.

Disfigured blueberry pie. *So embarrassing!*

9PM: Tried the pie. The filling was okay, but the crust was too salty. Hoped I hadn't mistaken the tablespoon for teaspoon. Think I handled the dough too much cos the crust is a bit hard.

Just finished reading 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'. Reading it again to prepare myself for the upcoming movie. Argh is it possible that I still cry every time I read about Dumbledore, and cry even more than I did before? The first time I read the book it was shock plus sadness, yet the more you re-read, the more certain sentences make sense (and make me cringe)...

Oh JKR I thank you for bringing such a wonderful creation to this world!

Just went to play badminton in school with Jane. Super cui ah, my hand still kind of shaking now. I can just imagine how much it's going to ache tomorrow. :X

Feeling a bit nostalgic walking about the campus just now. Walking from YIH towards science reminds me of that time 4 years ago when I was walking down that same road during orientation camp... Ended up buying a dry-fit polo at co-op even though I doubt I will exercise enough to need it. Hah.

I am SO excited about the final Harry Potter movie. Can't wait to watch it, yet watching it means everything is over... Alas, I can always read the books (again).

《感谢你用心爱我》

《感谢你用心爱我》 - 彭羚

昨天的我泪流心中
茫茫人海中孤帆只身独漂流
千般温柔没人能懂
渐渐我忘记幸福滋味是如何
你伸出手挽留下我
点亮了去路让寂寞无处可躲
你伸出手拥抱着我
爱让我灵魂的火找到了线索

若没尝过寂寞苦涩
如何体会生命创痛
仿佛风雨中的秋天无力摆动的失落
而你的手是如此有力量如此的温柔
改变我生命颜色
此刻的我爱在怀中不再回头
梦想又萌芽在心中

此刻的我不求太多
千言万语化成旋律
悠悠的唱着这首歌
感谢你用心爱着我

Chemistry Graduation Dinner 2011

The graduation dinner sort of gives a sense of finality to the whole end-of-student-life thingy. What's left is only the commencement ceremony. How fast time flies... I can still remember attending the whatsitcalled ceremony during year 1 at University Cultural Centre. So symbolic that we start at UCC and complete the circle by ending at UCC as well.

Anyway, as usual I was very last minute getting cosmetics in the afternoon. Didn't buy the curling iron in the end cos not sure how to use it anyway. Bought the hair cream (extreme right in the photo) from Watsons. There were so many creams and milks and sprays I didn't know what to choose. The one that I'd bought didn't work at all. My hair was as messy as usual :(

What I bought for the dinner

The food was not bad, I guess. The emcees were awfully lame though. The only jokes that were funny were those related to GE... The rest of the time they were just... inadequate. Awkward silences, getting the names of professors wrong and getting us to clap for the smallest things. The most memorable moments were the magic show (SUPER funny) and the performance by the professors. Prof Chan YT can play the keyboard (he claims he does not have formal training), can you believe it, and it was really charming. ;)

Just finished watching "Juui Dolittle". How can I not watch it when it has Oguri Shun, Inoue Mao AND Narimiya Hiroki? I totally forgot the former pair used to be Rui and Makino when watching though. Good acting :)

Wah, I had expected the show to be over-flowing with cuteness and educational messages, but it wasn't. It was pretty subtle, and yet I've lost track of how much I've cried watching the show. My favourite parts were the stray dog+rabbit story and the pigeon one. I like how they have a running storyline throughout that ends in the final episode, on top of introducing 2 animals per episode. It's amazing how the Japanese can make shows that are so heart-warming without being clichéd. Tottori-sensei appeared cold and aloof at the beginning, but as the show progressed he began to show his human side. The transformation was convincing, unlike those Taiwanese shows where the characters go from main villain to repent-and-turn-over-a-new-leaf. And of course, I love the soundtrack!
Makes me wanna own a dog. :P

リバウンド

Just read this on wikipedia. "Rebound" started airing on 27April 2011. When I saw the picture below I was like, "Night and Riiko reunited?!" Can't wait!!!

Source Code

Went to watch "Source Code" with Tinghui today, after trying out the gowns for commencement in central forum. (Awaiting her pictures heee)

Colter Stevens: Lily awoke in an evening dress in an outbrook look. In her hand were 5 playing cards. At some point today, you're gonna hear about a failed terrorist attack on a commuter train near Chicago. You and I kept that bomb from going off. If you're reading this e-mail, then Source Code works even better than you and Dr. Rutledge imagined. You thought you were creating 8 minutes of a past event, but you're not. You've created a whole new world. Goodwin, if I'm right, somewhere at the Source Code facility, you have a Capt. Colter Stevens waiting to send on a mission. Promise me you'll help him. And when you do, do me a favor: tell him everything is gonna be okay.

this is not the end, this is just the beginning

Had my last paper (CM4241) yesterday. Which marks the end of my last semester in NUS. As always, there's no sense of joy. Just tiredness. And just glad that it's over.

It feels so unreal though, that I won't be returning to NUS after 3 months of nua-ing and a horrible round of CORS bidding. Right now it just feels like the usual May break.

I wish I can say I feel truly free now, but there's always a nagging worry about finding jobs at the back of my mind.

[Sidetrack a bit, sad to change my blogskin, but the misalignment of my sidebars made worse by my inability to understand html code is seriously getting on my nerves. Hence this new simplistic look.]

Time to catch up on Glee! :)

≪鬼迷心窍≫

詞:李宗盛 / 曲:李宗盛

曾經真的以為人生就這樣了　
平靜的心拒絕再有浪潮          

斬了千次的情絲卻斷不了　     
百轉千折它將我圍繞

有人問我你究竟是那裡好　
這麼多年我還忘不了
春風再美也比不上你的笑　
沒見過你的人不會明瞭          

是鬼迷了心竅也好　
是前世的因緣也好
然而這一切已不再重要　        
如果你能夠重回我懷抱

是命運的安排也好　
是你存心的捉弄也好
然而這一切已不再重要　
我願意隨你到天涯海角

雖然歲月總是匆匆地催人老　
雖然情愛總是讓人煩惱
雖然未來如何不能知道　
現在說再見會不會太早

As I age I find more and more flaws with myself.

The world is not perfect.

3 more days to my first paper of my final round of exams.

9 more days to my last paper.

29 more days to grad trip.

Counting down...

The more vulnerable a country is to Western pressure, the more likely its leaders are to step down when a revolution comes.

If President Hosni Mubarak had not been America's ally, he might still be in his impressive palace in Heliopolis now.

Colonel Gaddafi has so far managed to hang on because he is too way out, too friendless internationally for anyone to be able to stop him using his tanks and air force to bombard his own people.

So the West's care for human life and its free press are great at bringing down the less extreme dictators and not so good at bringing down the really nasty ones.

It is something to muse on.

How foreign media affect revolutions - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9421899.stm

Realised that I have gotten lazy... It's so much easier to write a random line on Facebook than to compose my thoughts here. :P

My mind is full of thoughts about my thesis. Hate it when my mom (or anyone else for that matter) ask me how's my progress, or about whether I still need to go back to lab. I'm SORT OF done with lab work, I guess, but there's nothing to be happy about. It's not because I have enough results. I don't. It's because I don't have time to carry on.

So I'm going to write a thesis that is barely different from my progress report. Which will leave the examiners wondering what I have been doing since December. Actually I've been doing a lot. Just that you can't report failed experiments.

I'm stuck and stuck on writing and I can't wait for all this horrible nightmare to be over. This semester really sucks. OM is the driest module I have ever taken. Equations after equations. Reactions after reactions that do not make sense. And the test is like, wth. But I have managed to scrap a pass, so I shall not complain.

SP3202 (okay I'm going to complain again) is terribly heavy. Had the practical exam at HTA last Friday. It was interesting, but would have been more enjoyable if the conditions weren't so harsh. Our group tio a jewellery shop, which was quite dim so it was difficult to take photos. There were many display counters so it was difficult to walk. The most INTOLERABLE part was the sweltering heat caused by the numerous spotlights. Imagine dressed in a multi-layer gown with shoe-covers and gloves that had been torn while pulling masking tapes and a paper face-mask that is falling apart due to all the sweat it has absorbed. It was HORRIBLE. I was so glad when it was over. So glad that I forgot to let the TA sign my sketch plan.

And now we still have to write a report due next week. Then there's another trace analysis presentation in week 11.Which is also when I have to submit my thesis.

...

I will make it through. Or die trying.

I guess there's a reason why they say 'The less you know, the better'.

Cos the more you know, the more scared you will be.

Ever since I installed this drugs app on my phone I realized that all drugs have side-effects. Like this antibiotic I'm taking for my tooth surgery, metronidazole? It causes cancer in rats. :/

没时间

从来没有像现在那么的紧迫。it's like being in a pressure cooker, being exerted upon from all sides, and you really don't know how much you take before you burst.

So much to do, so little time.

PS sincere piece of advice: do not take sp3202 when you are in year 4. Unless you are suicidal.

-

Sick of her whining

Grad trip... *ing*

Ok, so it was a misunderstanding. I got all emo for nothing. (and my mom got all happy for nothing.) Fen had told me xl has some problems and MAY not be going which I took to be WILL not be going hence my emo post. But now things have been cleared up. So that's that. Let's keep our fingers crossed that no 突发状况 will arise between now and when we are finally physically in Taiwan.

Graduation trip (?)

Our group of friends had planned on visiting Taiwan after graduation. How great it is that we can graduate together even though not all are doing year 4. Although my mom was against it, at some point it seemed that we would still be able to go. However, recently this trip had been plagued by many problems. A new situation arises after the previous was solved. Somehow I feel that the outcome will be negative... Or perhaps I'm meant to spend that period looking for jobs... :P

To my dear chem folks, if you are reading this,I'm not complaining about anyone. I know that it's nobody's fault. Just feel kind of 无奈.

11.45pm: well at least one person is happy. My mom. She said I'm destined not to go. Lol

Mad World

All around me are familiar faces Worn out places Worn out faces Bright and early for the daily races Going no where Going no where And the tears are filling up their glasses No expression No expression And in my head I want to drown my sorrow No tomorrow No tomorrow And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had And I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very... mad world... mad world... Children waiting for the day they feel good Happy birthday Happy birthday Made to feel the way that every child should Sit and listen Sit and listen Went to school and I was very nervous No one knew me No one knew me Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson Look right through me Look right through me And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I'm dying Are the best I've ever had And I find it hard to tell you I find it hard to take When people run in circles It's a very, very... mad world... mad world...

dream

I just dreamt that I got married in a church. Weird.

Sherlock Holmes

(from wikipedia) Though initially their relationship was little more than one between casual acquaintances sharing a set of rooms, Holmes and Watson ultimately become the best of friends, almost like brothers. By the time they shared "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs", Holmes was so attached to his friend that he nearly lost his composure at the thought that Watson had been fatally shot. Watson wrote, "It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation."

For the ninety-nine bad things that happen to me, hopefully once I will be lucky.

Today is that lucky day. I really can't believe I managed to do an external calibration at one go in 2 hours without having to redo the analysis, without having to rerun the calibration, without having to keep aligning the graphite tube.

But after my calculations, my joy soon turned into dread. This is my third time comparing external calibration and standard addition using chicken muscle, and my SA results are consistently half that of EC. Mind, SA is supposed to be more accurate.

My THIRD time. Could it really be that I did something wrong? Something that my mentor wasn't able to identify and thus resort to asking me to repeat and repeat?

Well, I consulted another graduate student, and it turned out that I had made a mistake in my calculations. See, I added 2g of sample solution to 2g of acid and measured the absorbance, so the actual concentration has actually been diluted by half. I can't believe he made me repeat the experiments for nothing!

But oh well... at least there is no major problem...

my progress report

Only one word to describe it. Disastrous. It went about as bad as it could have gone. My slides moved according to my rehearsed timing, out of control. Lyl looked like she was sleeping, which peeved me a lot, but then she wasn't. She's like the crocodile pretending to be a log, waiting to pounce and catch the deer unaware. The q and a was wayyyy too horrible. Aww I dont want to think about it. I had spent such a long time preparing the slides for blank correction, mass fractionation correction and whatever shit, but what did they ask? How does hydrogen peroxide digest meat? (I should have thought if that, really... Coming from an organic chemist)how does feed affect the sr analysis? To be fair, their questions weren't that unexpected... It's just... a very very sad day for me and coupled with the gloomy weather I just want to waste away on my bed, but no I'm stuck in sch in the horrible formal wear bcos I have lecture later at 6. Wth