sharon stoned.

when we talked about obtaining world peace, we meant more than just hand signs.



Taken from the Shanghaiist

Well you know it was very interesting because at first, you know, I am not happy about the ways the Chinese were treating the Tibetans because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don’t like THAT.

And I had been this, you know, concerned about, oh how should we deal with the Olympics because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine.

And all these earthquake and stuff happened and I thought: IS THAT KARMA... when you are not nice that bad things happen to you?

funny, when all these earthquake and sharon stone opened her big mouth and i thought:

ARE YOU DRUNK, Ms Stone?"

sai baba judges you!

shocking, i must say, the stuff that hollywood can churn out. Aside from obviously brilliant minds like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and such, you also have the likes of ms stone who obviously is as brilliant as an energy saving light bulb - looks good but not very bright.

well, karma is a bitch, we all know that. we make references in our daily lives about how we are all due for eternal damnation in the fiery pits of lucifer's lair. that's between common people. you know, you and me. just the two of us.

but, when you are an a-lister (or b, who really cares, basic instinct kind of propelled and let you go), and the media hangs on every word you say, you cannot get away with saying things like that.

According to kathy griffin, america's favourite b-list comedian, sharon stone once held a charity gala for AIDS i believe and was due to give a speech.

she got up on stage, looking as usual stunning, and proceeded to recite a speech that brought tears to her eyes and to the eyes of many affluent in society. her speech went as such:

"Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one..."

she goes on to say she met john lennon on the street corner one day and he was without shoes and money.

folks, there you have it. hollywood grime.

i honestly have absolutely no aim in this post really. just wanted to embarass sharon stone. it's not every day you can do that. heh.

on a serious note, my heart goes out to all the victims of cyclone nargis in Mynmmar and the earthquake in China. it's not fair that the innocent are suffering and the world's prayers are with you. may those affected find the strength to carry on, and those who have perished, may they rest in peace.

so ms stone, do i score karma points for that?
just joking lah.

love is the answer

And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy,
And sometimes life can be deceiving,
I'll tell you one thing:
its always better when we're together

better together, jack johnson

my brother is now officially married.
i'm so happy for my brother. extremely happy. i'm happy he found someone so perfect for him. i'm happy that his wedding went without a single hiccup and that i was relieved to see my brother genuinely happy.

he smiled, from day to night, non stop. i've never seen my brother so happy before. apart from the day he got engaged, he hasn't smiled so wide before. and she, my sis in law, was gorgeous, and very happy too.

they were made for each other.
you can just tell from the smiles illuminating from their faces.



i'm too lazy to load up all the photos, i promise soon!

as selfish as this might sound, i miss my brother.

today, i came home to him surrounded by boxes. he was packing the last of his things to move to his new place. my sis in law was folding some clothes into a big bag, he was shoving his computer into a box.

then, he said, "so this is the last night i'll be here."

it hit me. this is the last night.

you know, i was prepping myself for this day for the longest time. since 2weeks ago when i suddenly realised that he would be away from the house, i began mentally preparing myself.

the song playing in the background of his room, was Better Together by Jack Johnson.
it is really better when we're together.

for 21 years, he was just a wall away from me. and he would be there, on his computer, hidden behind a clothes rack. we don't talk much at home but, just knowing he is physically there for me is more than enough comfort i need.

for 21 years, every fight, hug or conversation we had was never restricted by time. we could talk all night, or all day not worrying that we had to return back to where we were suppose to be.

for 21 years, he was my brother.
now, he's a husband. in time to come, he'll be a father.

i've not come to terms with my brother not being around all the time. i know i've got to grow up. it's not like he passed away or moved to another country. technically, he's an hour away. but that's 59mins 57secs further than usual.

it just takes time to get use to. i know he deserves this. and i, one day, will have to move out away from my parents. my mom's so stoic. she's pretending it doesn't bother her.

but i know, she's so affected by it, she went to sleep early so she didn't have to see my brother pack. come on lah, my mom cried when my brother went to tekong for BMT. (haha!)

anyway, tmrw, there'll be more missing going on, pardon me if i seem a little more down then usual. it's tough to come home to no one to call kor.

just want to say this very simply to my brother:

i love you kor, and it's hard to know that you'll not be around for me as much as you have been these past 21 years.

from willingly sheltering me from jason and wyane's football throws when i was 3 (he still has scars from that incident)
to walking in the rain the other day so i could use your jacket to keep dry, i'm grateful for every ridculous thing you ever done. (even for buying me neon green nail polish when i asked for pastel colours. heh.)

and i know you'll always be there, in a split second, you will be next to me. not that i will call you every five mins, i know your limits.

i'll get use to the lack of top gear updates, and lack of free music. i'll get use to not fighting over the last bottle of yakult. i'll even get use to not finding my cd's in your room.

yes, we're better together, but we'll do great apart too.

i wish you everything good in this world, not because it's the right thing to do.
but because you deserve everything good in this world.

i love you kor, and will always be your little sister.

with unconditional love,
karen :)

unwell.

it's a disease.
i spent 5 hours finding album art.


heh.

snap it up.

bubblegum nation by me.


A change of speed, a change of style.
A change of scene, with no regrets,
A chance to watch, admire the distance,
Still occupied, though you forget.

new dawn fades, joy division.

i spent the entire saturday photographing.
ENTIRE. with kev and kenneth.
and eventually mer and victor.

i forgot how much pleasure i get from the sound and shake of the shutter.


it's incredible how colours and composition can move.

i wish every saturday can be like that, but we all know i'm just to lazy to keep it up to speed. soon, i'll also be too broke to develop my films and such.

edit: arthur has agreed to lend me his LCA. you can't see it but i am doing a victory dance that will make all 300 spartan warriors blush.

these are only the ones that were taken with the trusty hp.
just for kicks.

from church to park

coming up, photos from the holga 120CFN and nikon N-401.


now, next step:
sustain the passion.

old school is not new school.

"graduation" by ~jennee, deviantart.

Seen on the Straits Times Forum, 16th May 2008:
Universities should be clearer about entry criteria

"CREDIT must be given to the Ministry of Education and the institutes of higher learning for being forthcoming in releasing application figures for places in our local universities.
The number shows the enthusiasm of our young in pursuing higher education.

It would be ideal if every student who meets the minimum entry requirement can be admitted to a local university. This is particularly so for A-level students who chose to study for another two years after their O levels only to find that they now have to compete with polytechnic graduates for admission to a varsity.

I am not against diploma holders pursuing a degree. Indeed, if they are capable, they should further their studies later and get a postgraduate degree.

But based on reports last year, 32 per cent of university applicants were polytechnic diploma holders.

This being so, I feel that universities should spell out clearly their criteria for admission.

If the criteria are aimed only at picking the best from each group, that is, A-level graduates and polytechnic diploma holders, this should be made known to O-level graduates early so that students in school can make informed decisions about whether to pursue a diploma first or to continue with their A levels.

If resources permit, our polytechnics can work with foreign universities to confer degrees on their deserving graduates.

In this way, we can free up more places for A-level graduates in our local universities without some having to resort to going overseas to pursue their degrees.

By Patrick Sio"

###

a bit too much right, Mr. Sio?

Recently, a 14 year old secondary student who is local complained about how foreign students were stealing top spots from local students due to their 'motivation to please their parents' and 'being older than her'.

I say, enough. Firstly on Mr. Sio. With all due respect, I think you are having a rather superficial view. A university degree, especially one from local university carries weight in our ever changing economical and global climate. True, My Paper carried a report about how employers are more inclined to experience, but in the end, it's that piece of laminated paper that gets your foot in the door. Now, the bare minimum is a diploma, and even then, to survive in our expensive world, its tight.

With the paper chase being so adamant in our society, why shouldn't JC kids get more dibs? Yes, A Level students are loosing out in terms of experience at the end of 2 years because they only graduate with an A Level cert compared to a poly diploma. A poly student is ready to be and can be employed in a respectable job while A Levelers aren't very sort after. This isn't kindergarten.

But think about this, Mr. Sio: what makes an A Leveler more deserving of the degree than a poly student? Is it because he or she spent '2 years' studying FOR uni? Is it because a poly student took a more specialised approach to education since he or she knew what she wanted to do in life? What makes a JC student more deserving?

What makes a JC student better than a poly grad?

The reason for your view is because you see poly grads as "already graduates". why rob JC students who have don't have any certification? Poly student deserve just as much as JC students to get into the uni for the pure reason that it is simply harder to go through admissions. We have to not only be in the top percentile, but be consistent for 3 years (compared to just the alevels for JC), have a sparkling record, juggle projects upon lecturers AND as if that's not enough, we still have to be scrutinised by the public for being the "not so smart o levelers'.

I am an example. I had 12 points (R5) for my O Levels. It was enough for me to get into a JC. Not only did I understand the route poly will lead me (harder to get a degree) but despite of that, i chose that route anyway because i knew what i wanted to be. Call it far sighted, call it ambitious, but that's what poly students are.

We're not just a bunch of people who didn't do well enough and got to get stuck in poly. My course, or in fact many other courses require points that can get any applicant to JC. In my course, most of my classmates had between 9 - 15 (R5) for their O's. yet we're still here.

Also, it is onus on the O leveler to find out route he or she can take. There should be an ideal route, and a what-if route. At that age, future planning should already be cultivated, there shouldn't be a need for any Governmental statement to think about what you want to be and do.

To the A Levelers, if you feel as if you are being threatened, then work harder. Competition is the key to survival in our society. We Singaporeans are getting more and more complacent, and think simply by stirring some emotions, they can get what they want. Please, it's a dog eat dog world out there. If you don't put it up a notch, someone else is going to.

In the end, it's jobs and money we all want. Can't we just compete civilly in education so everyone can improve together? There is nothing wrong with private or overseas unis. More and more Australian, Britain and American uni's coming to Singapore to start a campus and there is nothing wrong with that. Yes, fees are slightly more expensive but if it's really "EDUCATION" you are harping about then this shouldn't be a problem.

Lastly, to that local girl who claimed foreign students are taking away top spots, i will be harsh and say: Grow Up. Just give the foreign students a break. They are away from the comfort and proximity from home, they are here to gain an education because back where they were, it is not as simple as our education system. They are here because they think we are good if not the best. Be happy that they are here, and you know, if you were smart enough, you would work with them and not against them.

Singapore, not everything is about winning. Sometimes you need to lose, hit rock bottom in order to succeed.

i never, ever regretted not going to JC, even though i know my mom is still disappointed in me for not going. Because I chose the path that i wanted, and I never looked back. I got rejected from local unis, and since it was the education i wanted, i enrolled into a private one.


See, competition is healthy.
except when China is hosting it. The earthquake, the Olympic conspiracy... who said "8" was a lucky number for the chinese?

lousy friend.

"on a lonely day by Sophie0305, deviantart

"But we have received a sign, Edith - a mysterious sign. A miracle has happened on this farm... in the middle of the web there were the words 'Some Pig'... we have no ordinary pig."

"Well", said Mrs. Zuckerman, "it seems to me you're a little off. It seems to me we have no ordinary spider.

"Oh, no," said Zuckerman. "It's the pig that's unusual. It says so, right there in the middle of the web."

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

it's strange how we lose track of what we set to do.
it's strange we don't notice things around us as well.
it's even more strange that we notice things that really don't mean anything.

it's human, naturally, to want more 'me' time then 'them' time. it's human and perfectly normal to be distinterested in others and see your life as a fragment of a hollywood movie. emotionally charged and action packed.

and when others don't see the "problem" like you do, it hurts because u know there's something wrong. but the others claim self-indulgence on your part. and they move on before you can figure out what's going on.

why is it that sometimes, i feel myself blocking out problems of others that seem significantly less than mine? why do i roll my eyes at genuine concerns of other people that are in fact, in their little bubble, problems.

fuck, i feel like such an idiot. not because i ignored.

but because i chose not to care.

i've been there, where your problems seem less then the world's plight. which is why i hate burdening people. everyone has their pain right, deal with it.

but what if you can't deal with it? what if, the only way to deal with it, is to leech on?

wah lau, i hate myself right now because after all the shit i say,
in the end, i still need you.

joy division luck club.

And she's clinging the nearest passerby
She's lost control again
And she gave away the secrets of the past and said
I've lost control again

she's lost control, joy division

me and kenneth caught the screening of Control (2007), the film about the eventful but premature life of Joy Division's front man, Ian Curtis. it was held at the substation.

the only way i can describe this film is riveting. i fell in love with ian curtis for 117 mins, only to fall out of love because of his untimely death. sam riley played ian curtis. i swear, it was almost like ian curtis possessed this man. i've never seen joy division perform - yes, i realised how stupid that sentence was since JD was from the 70s - but when i watched youtube and Curtis' performance, they were almost identical.

and what i loved about the film was that it was transactional. there were answers to all the questions on JD's fall. the direction, flawless. acting, immaculate. the script, could be improved but good. the entire film left me speechless. i was entirely captured. But i have to say that i didn't like the script. It was too fast moving for me, and also, it got a little too dry after the first half.

ian curtis became famous only after his suicide, but during JD's time, he was an unstoppable frontman. he was only 19 when he got married, 20 when he became famous, 21 when he found out about his epilepsy, 22 when he cheated on his wife and 23 when he hung himself in his wife's kitchen from a clothes dryer. his life, only meant something in those short 4 years, but in turn the made the film timeless.

watch it if you can, though the run is over in s'pore. i'm sure you guys can find ways to download/stream/rip from somewhere.

in other news, i went to develop my first holga roll today :)
surprisingly, since i've never lomo-ed in my life, the shots came out pretty decent. nothing fantastic of course, but i can pat myself on the back.



go to flicker for the full set.

oh, such an arts farts day. i have to spoil it with this:



these boots are made for walking, that's what they'll do. i realised why construction workers use them. once you put your leg in, you create a vacuum so mud and shit cannot get in. oh also, the vacuum sucks in your leg too, so...

yup. smart.


side note: i cannot deal with you anymore.


all in all, a happy ending.

threesome? maybe four?

Two lovers divide
Sound meets sound, babe
Her echoes the surround
And know that we need is one thing
Now what is there to allow?
Babe, it's time we give something new a try

no i in threesome, interpol

i call this "lunch time".

loveshack

glitter on the mattress
glitter on the highway
glitter on the front porch
glitter on the highway

with school starting and all, i had to make sure my time in the office was well spent.
i only see my colleagues for about 24 hours a week and pwoosh, no more.

of course by now, you can tell they are the most irrelevant, painstakingly funny, do-it-yourself people in the world. someone should write a children's book about them. "the little people of the village." tim burton should do a film.

so, it was lynda's birthday.
second time we celebrated together and first time we had to make our own cake.

Recipe for make-or-break your own birthday cake under 10 mins and $10

this is lynda


step one: you need a hell lot of pudding. always buy flavours that complement each other. in this case, we are using caramel and chocolate. always good.


step two: get a motherload of m&ms. in this example, we used minis because lynda is tiny.


step three: CAREFULLY empty the pudding onto a plate. we warn you that puddings might be slippery and tend to fall on your very expensive white prada dress when least expected. we putting aunty emily's (no reference) green and red hand crossed-stitched sweater with the two mating turkeys that you got for christmas instead.


step four: rope in the people around to help. it is vital to make this an enjoyable experience so do not, under any circumstance, throw pudding or m&ms at each other. SPRINKLE the m&ms over the pudding.


FINISH: there you go, a scrumptious hearty pudding cake that jiggles when u do.

besides the fact that it looked like paint, it was surprising good to munch on. the m&ms created this psychedelic colour contortion but if you can get past that fact, all is good!

we started taking really stupid shots.








my colleagues in order of sane-ness: mel, me, lynda, ian.

me and ian headed to town to catch Iron Man (2008)



no comments on the show cos i'm heading to watch with my boys on friday. they will torture me with medival methods which is alot worse than killing me. but i can't wait to see the boys reactions when

(highlight if u don't mind a spoiler)
iron man first steps out in his suit out of the caves. the gorgeous steel/metal suit. oh and when pepper potts is in her blue dress. the fight sequence was quite disappointing and of course, i can't wait to see their faces when the other iron man (obidiah) comes on from the dark and starts attacking people. AND of course THE moment was when iron man flew for the first time! OK LAH THE MOVIE WAS AWESOME. there i said it. end of spoiler.

we headed to haji by foot to have some nasi padang but opted for overly spicy mee soto of which got me craving for dessert so we walked over to beach road market for belgium waffles but that was closed. so we shopped for a p-cap at army market for jo. then we decided to walk from beach road to desker to see trannies and from desker to owen road for cake.

Domus Cafe is a damn nice tucked away little treasure. On their wall, it says DOMUS stands for Directly Opposite MUStafa which is a outright LIE! it was not only far but confusing and this is coming from a girl who lived in the area for 21 years and has best friends living there for at least 5 years.

when we finally found it, it just took my breath away.

these are interior and one courtyard shot of the place. nicely decorated and very quaint.










nice hor!?

we settled for a Chocolate Pecan Pie with Vanilla Bean I-Scream and A Chocolate Chip Cheesecake with Peanut Butter I-Scream.



it was, really awesome. esp the pecan pie. soft but chewy and the biscotti was baked to perfection. it was buttery and soft but not too soft so it just melts into your mouth. the cheesecake was alright, though it didn't really agree with the peanut butter ice-cream. it was passable, in my opinion. could have used a lighter kind of cheese.

the service, was well pleasant but lacking. the staff were very attentive but kept forgetting our orders. the pinnacle was when one of the waitresses broke a glass behind the counter and yelled something. she apologised very loudly and frantically to the manager. well, as ian said, it's part of service to break a glass but never break the confidence of a customer.

i would say go back again. it was nice, chill, lush. food good, and service could be good. overall damn good exp.

and thanks to ian, i laughed and cam-whored until my mouth hurt.











oh as like get lost thursdays, i archived our walking route.


map courtesy of map.gov.sg

feet. are. shouting. for. mercy.

talent is due.

"john 3:16" by ty.

i've always been a sucker for talent, so as candy likes to say.
guys with talent mainly, be it singing or juggling.

someone once said that everyone has talent but the talented are those who put in that extra grunt to nurture and grow. well, i beg to differ. i think when you can't sing, you can't sing. when you can't draw you can't draw. and if you can't publicly speak, then you can't do a eulogy.

when it comes to talent, i'm completely happy to dish out where credit is due. if you're good, you're good right? say for example, tianyu, a mighty good friend of kenneth. never really met the guy, when i talked to him once, i accidentally hung up the phone on him.

but his talent, phenomenal.

i've seen his work and honestly, the latest one is awesome. Ok, some of you might beg to differ with me on this, because it's an acquired taste.

the picture right on top actually spells out "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" from John 3:16.

just a bunch of lines eh? it's a font he came up with that each letter is a line in a different direction or angle. putting them together creates a form of art. typography is redirected into a different sort of art now, a wildly fancinating and visual stimulating art piece.

words. now seem so useless.

to illustrate how it works, his website has the entire song "let it be" by the beatles in this font. see video here

you just see his work. he is, well a designer, a photographer and an artist.
and he is talented.

see, there's a difference between "I WILL DO IT" and "I CAN DO IT".
he, can.

go to ty.sg

go to system.ty.sg

all images are original art pieces from tianyu.


talent.

fight club.

"an old chinese couple" by *beeinbloom, deviantart

Send me a postcard, drop me a line
Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say
Yours sincerely, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form
Mine for evermore
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?

when i'm 64, the beatles

on my way to meet the usuals for timbre last night, i was walking along selegie road and i stopped to wait for the lights to change.

there was an old couple, about 60 - 70 years old. the woman looked like she was a starlet back in her hey days, her hair was a very beautiful ivory and she had skin that wrinkled at the right places. her creases accentuated her timelessness, and she had bold lips.

the man, a quiet looking gentleman with a mysterious allure. he had the saddest eyes, also looked like he was strapping in his day. they were holding hands, (now everybody say awwwww) and waiting for the light to change, as i was.

as i stopped my ipod player to change songs, i realised that they were arguing. nothing written on their faces though, just words to guide me to that conclusion.

ok, granted i was not suppose to listen in (i refuse to say eavesdrop), i could not help but cling on to their every word. the woman, dainty and sharp with her words. the man, careful but firm with his.

the argument, or discussion more like it, carried on across the traffic junction and onto parklane. the woman, now changed her position and chose to hook arms with her husband instead. her arms were a little more flamboyant but her face soft and her words, nurturing.

the man, one hand in his pocket, one hand on his abdomen. he listened for a while but seemed to have a stand on this issue. i could not see his face, i was walking behind them but i could sense every muscle in his body tensed for reflex.

now, this might seem like a rather stalkerish thing to do, but i assure you, i was heading in the same general direction. oh, i was still pretending to listen to my ipod. heh.

finally, we parted ways. by that time, the argument had died down, and the couple seemed rather pleased with the result. the man, firm and daring with his points, the woman, standing up for what she thought was right.

they were arguing about bread.

sunshine or gardenia.
whole meal or white.
high fibre or softer.

bread.

it got me wishing i had someone to argue about silly things to. about which soap to use or who is more trashy - britney or paris, or which type of detergent can leave your clothes whiter than white.

it's that whole idea of comfort. the comfort that you and that someone can talk and comment on everything under the sun. the big things to the tiny things you thought never mattered until you start talking about it. i wish i had someone to have comical teases and careless bitch fights with.

and it's not that i'm looking for drama. these fights should never end in tiffs. these arguments are there to solidify, to compromise and to ignite the relationship. i haven't argued about things that don't really matter.

i guess, it's just a matter of time, before i find someone i can have random fight clubs with.