A lesson in carelessness, laughter, and photojournalism

'A young girl pledges an hour of her time to save the Earth.'

Earth Day
26/3/2011
Singapore Expo

Things to be thankful for in these past few days

1. Unexpectedly winning a ten-dollar Macdonalds voucher for Leng's 30th bowling par-tay! And the brilliantly-successful surprise party the day before :)

2. Good food: Seafood fare, homemade meatball pasta, and last but not least... spicy tuna on crackers!

3. The Great Ipod Recovery.

4. Friends. Luki and Ains who helped me with my ADM portfolio earlier today, Justin for singing a Kate Bush/Enya song over the webcam, and my coworkers who never fail to make me laugh.

5. Not losing the ability to have fun playing (sucky) volleyball or reading a Margaret Atwood novel. Simply put, not forgetting to laugh in the face of stress.

Lights

Le Weekend! (has been quite wonderful)

College essay turned reflection

The most influential person in my life is unknown to most. There are no books or films detailing her life and times; even her name is elusive to most. As a simple homemaker and the humble wife of a businessman, you will not find my mother's name inscribed in history textbooks or her face splashed on magazines. Nonetheless, she is an inspiration to me.

From the view of most people, my mother (whose name for the record, is Jorina) was destined for greater things other than being, well, my mother. Born into a well-to-do family, Jo was given an English education, complete with perks such as B&W television and music lessons, something hard to come by in the traditional '60s. Being artistic from young, Jo entered NAFA and graduated successfully as the first batch of graphic artists in Singapore. She began to carve a name for herself, going on to work in the burgeoning art industry; prestigious galleries and designing firms. However, when she became a mother, Jo prioritized her children above anything else; including her career.

Being a mother to three children was not easy, but Jo excelled in it. Besides the dreary household chores to attend to, she scorned the idea of paying tuition teachers an extravagant amount of money and took it upon herself to educate my sisters and I in Mathematics, Science, and the like. She bought scores of books from bookfairs and secondhand shops, introducing us to the fantasy world of the Brothers Grimm and Enid Blyton. Instead of watching 'junk' cartoons, as she called them, we grew up watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers' musicals and the entire M.A.S.H collection when we got older. Most importantly, Jo taught her to be kind and compassionate, and strong in our faith.

More so than I realise, my mother has shaped me into the person I am today. The girl whose life has become so immersed in music stems from her absolute conviction to get me started through piano lessons and buying my first guitar. The girl fond of Hemingway, Audrey Hepburn and Queen comes from her insistence that I learn to love the classics. The girl who goes to church every sunday and for missionary trips comes from her very own example to have a servant's heart. My mother continues to be a friend, a confidante, and the ultimate example of how I continue to live my life today.

The most terrible impulse to do something

' What is needed in order to really become a star is an extra element which God gives you or doesn't give you.

You're born with it.You cannot learn it.

God kissed Audrey Hepburn on the cheek and there she was. '

Billy Wilder

Take a vacation!

You know you're feeling worn out and in serious need of a vacation when you find yourself thinking of the sleepy 'hole' of a town you went to a month ago, and actually wanting to go back.

I miss a lot of places and people.




Another thing. Where on earth is all my online shopping?!

On Folk & Indie

Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
Sea Lion Woman - Feist
Blow Away - A Fine Frenzy
Rambling Man - Laura Marling
Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel
Cold Shoulders - Gold Motel
Sun Giant - Fleet Foxes
The Girl - City & Colour
Paper Aeroplane - Angus & Julia Stone
I Found A Reason - Cat Power

I love it when things are simple. Like how they should be.

And the drums, the drums, the drums.

In favour of (planning for) the Europe tour with Luki & Jen, I've been passing up on many great gigs... MGMT, Imogen Heap and even the entire Mosiac Fest. Found these long overdue photos of Laneway festival with the girls on facebook and well, if you can't go for em', relive the memories.

10-foot mudslides, dancing in the rain and Yeasayer stealing the show. Sorry Temper Trap!

Have been doing so much lately that I haven't had much energy to go out. All I'm saying is, it's nice to stay home on a weekend night and relax and watch old films. It's these times we live for!

The Great Audrey Hepburn Tribute

'Audrey Hepburn: At midnight, I'll turn into a pumpkin and drive away in my glass slipper...

Gregory Peck: And that will be the end of the fairy tale.'

Give me a kiss; can't the headlines capture this?

Do you sometimes get the feeling
that you've been gone for a long time?
Longer than ever
Longer than you ever thought possible.
Well, I know how that feels for sure
Waking up to tears,
wishing for something else to wake up to.

All I know is that I've been gone too long,
and the only reason I know
It's not over,
I've got you honey,
maple syrup sweet
The smell of spring on the table,
I've got you honey,
A love I can't deny.





Thanks to everyone who has been there for me this weekend, when I needed you most. IEspecially mom and dad :) I'm done with the crying and moping! Life goes on and God will surely take care of me.

Soliloquy

'To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep;
To sleep, perchance to dream – ay, there's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause – there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.'

Hamlet, Act III, Sc I