I (finally) dyed my hair!

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Hey, I didn't know Pomegranate Ruby had caffeine!

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Can you see the difference?

Shades of grey

I love black and white photos. It always seem to tell so much more..

I languish the days back in nj when I can create my own black and whites. I could spend an entire Saturday from 10 to 4 alone in the darkroom printing. I could experiment with anything and everything I wanted, and not stop till I've got my perfect print. Such fond memories!

Sunset in the heartlands

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Suddenly, I'm beginning to think that there is no such thing as true love..

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One thing I love about living where I do, is that I get to have the view without having the heat.

But I still wouldn't mind getting back my condo life anytime!

I *heart condo life!

Bimbotic moment

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Early Wednesday morning, I heard the announcement that Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest was extended over TV Mobile. The Singapore government expressed its disappointment to the Burmese government.

Reports on the cyclone and Sichuan quake has since taken over, and no more was mentioned of the extended house arrest.

I hate the Mayanmar junta.

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I was crossing the road near my house earlier today. Admiring my newly-done manicure, I noticed the green man coming on. As I took one step out onto the road, I heard someone say "Careful!”.

For that split second there, I freaking thought that was my conscience.

"I don’t want to die just after I had a manicure!” I told my conscience, and briefly hesitated in the middle of the road.

Then I turned around and saw a woman who repeated herself.
"Careful!” The exact same tone. “Watch out for the cars!”

Sheesh!

Do you see what i see?

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I once met this guy, and he said to me "I hate all those B pluses!" And I thought "Wow. This person is very intelligent."

Sometime later, I met another guy and he said to me "To me, B plus is very lousy." And I thought "What a showoff."

Amazing how some people just come across as losers, isn't it?

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Picture of Dorian Gray

Stoopid Shaun! What kind of a book was that??

Now my brain is screwed. As well!

Rainy season!

Woohoo! The sweltering heat has finally passed.
Kissed away by the merciful rain clouds.
hehe suddenly feel very poetic
Swift as the passing storm
gentle as the rising sun
Quiet and unbeknownst to all
who pass below hurriedly

Nothing but a PR scam?

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Finally got that huge, irritating *cough worse date ever *cough load off my chest!

Hehe. Happy days to come :)

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Mediacorp ran the charity show tonight. Quite a hastily put up show, obviously. But somehow, I just have my doubts about it.

What is it about the Sichuan quake that warrants an emergency charity show?

It is not the first or only major disaster in recent times. Why is it the only emergency charity show?

September 11 - nothing; Boxing day tsunami - nothing; Hurricane Katrina - nothing; Nicoll Highway collapse - nothing; Cyclone Nargis - nothing.

Not saying that there wasn't anything done, just nothing on the media besides Front Page attention. Why arh?

Pretty blood clot

Last night my nose bled and I spat out a new record of one blood clot (usually it's ten or more).

Ta-dah!

Pretty hor?

We cannot..

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Why can't there just be a good, simple and elegant slipper around??

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We cannot hold hands. That special feeling will come.

We cannot get drunk together. Something will happen.

Haiz. Shit.

Confession

Today, someone confessed to me. Sort of, kind of, maybe, perhaps.
He said "hmm... but i quite tempted to chase u".

I do not know why, or how is it, that I did not feel anything when he said it. There wasn't the anxiety of anticipation, or racing heart from excitement.. I was just, normal.

This person, is someone very dear to me. Someone I ever told I did not want him to fall for me.

This topic has been going for quite a while. Since last year, I think. How we could stay as best friends, how we were maybe getting too close, what we should do if one of us gets a partner.

People don't get it. They all suspect something, or predict something. But, there was nothing.

Our conversation continued with me explaining how we won't work out together, and he accepting it. Then he said that it was my decision, so he won't regret. Then he went off to bed.

I don't know what he's feeling, or how he felt.

Maybe everyone who knew would say "I told you so". Maybe I'll be able to weather it out and reply them "I told you so".
Maybe, perhaps, possibly, probably.

Lunch at St. Regis

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I wonder. Am I the only who thinks that Mahatir's mud-slinging is getting abit too childish? It was already childish before, it's just getting a bit too much now.

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My mum and brother decided to have lunch at St. Regis as a belated Mother's Day celebration. When my brother told me about the place, I somehow had the notion that it was a restaurant called San Wedges at Tanglin Shopping Centre. Then again, their reply "Tanglin Shopping Centre there" to my question of where the place was doesn't bring much surprise.

So the three of us headed out in a cab to St. Regis for lunch.

When the cab alighted us at the doorstep of the hotel, I immediately regretted not putting on any makeup. Darn, this place spills with class.

Service was impeccable even with the lack of experience. We had lunch at the Les Saveurs restaurant which happened to be all about French fine dining. All three of us got the executive lunch set.

It was quite an eye-opener really. Sparkling water, or still water. Fruit juice or any other beverage. Crackers, multi-grain, breadsticks with butter... My brother ordered a Bloody Mary without knowing it was Bloody Mary. Ha! He was soon flushed red from the alcohol but still insisted there wasn't any alcohol in it.

I used to think that I wouldn't fit in or feel comfortable in such fine dining atmospheres. But surprisingly, I fitted in quite well. I wasn't out of place or uncomfortable, or unsure of what to do. In fact, I was quite comfortable, didn't feel restricted and was quite happy. Hm.. Maybe I'm not as uncouth as I thought I was.

Appetizers was a Profiterole or a Spanish Cacciopo. That one went quite uneventfully. Just a bit of cross-tasting and exclamations.

Then came the main course, which was a choice between pan-seared cod or black angus beef. My mum chose the fish since both my brother and I chose the beef.

Pan-seared cod

Black Angus Beef

When the main course was served, my brother took a look and said, "Darn, I should have chosen the cod."

"Why? Too small har?"

"Yeah la."

"It's French dining wat."

"Never knew it was this French."

When we started on the main course, I immediately wished I hadn't listened to my mum and brother for my beef to be medium.. If I had dentures, I would have swallowed it already. Next time, I'll go for medium rare.


Dessert was an interesting course. Mum and bro ordered some banana and chocolate nem. I ordered Cherry, which was supposed to have cherry ice cream which tasted more like sorbet. But the surprise was that the ice cream was served atop creme brulee that was camouflaged so well I thought the caramel crust was actually the base of the plate. Haha yum yum!


After lunch we headed to Marketplace Paragon. It's a high-end supermarket catering largely to expats, judging from the product range and lack of Singaporean accents over there. They do have quite interesting offerings, like olives stuffed with chilli, saffron strips, lemon pepper and all those stuff not usually found in our NTUC.


With a morning like this, someone tell me I don't live in a HDB flat..

Applications closed

Today, I learnt for the second time that the female homo sapien, being the gender less physically developed, is in no position to stop the male specie from doing what the latter intends to. At all. (Second time because I had actually known it very early on, but clear for all to see, I didn't learn my lesson.) *pui

I CAN'T STAND IT!

And I've finally gotten it into my thick head that attraction based on looks gets me nowhere. At long last, "Ability to hold an interesting conversation for a prolonged period" moves up to number one on my list. "Looks" and "Accomplishments" banished to five and six. But "Intelligence above mine" remains second. I don't need insecure guys because I just so happen to be cleverer than them (and have them proclaiming their achievements repeatedly to cover their inferiority complex). Yuck!

A friend once said that my No. 2 criteria would eliminate three quarters of the guys out there. But oh what the heck, if my market's gonna be smaller, then so be it.

Irritation aside, I think I've lost that special feeling. The skip of a heartbeat, rush of endorphins, blushes, shyness.. Feels like a dead knot permanently sealed by a flame. Hm..

All of a sudden, I feel so bent on my single lifestyle. Hectic, but satisfying.

I remember I ever posted an entry declaring "Applications Open" like about one year back. I'm not exactly sure what the status is now, but after tonight, I've decided. APPLICATIONS CLOSED.

I'm switching to evergreen.

One of my aunts once said, "When women reach a certain age, we'll gain weight just by sitting still."

I stepped on the weighing machine just now.

Hm.. how true

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I was watching the tv in my first few hours of freedom and saw this whole commersial by Singapore Sports Council. It's surprising well done leh! just that the inspirational words don't really seem to fit in.

Can just check it out at singapore.sg

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Hehe I kinda ran out of stuff to talk about, but my random thoughts are still going on.. So the star of the post today is my random thought!

my God-mindedness

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I have a bit of inspirational problems with the story, so I'll just leave it hanging first while I get on with my life

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This entry might not appeal much, if at all, to non-Christians. But oh well, the purpose of the blog's existence sure is more than entertaining you.

I marvel at how I look to God only during exams, and not much during the rest of the sem. Sure, I got quite burn out during the sem, but I chose to continue to rely on my own devices despite the tiredness (if there's such a word).

I didn't realise my 零时抱祖脚 mentality at all until I saw my grades for a 20% assignment. C+. Oh... my.... goodness... Le Hia is actually capable of getting C+ (I'll admit. With this line, I have highlighted 1. my un-God-mindedness, 2. my arrogant complacency)

That was the first C+ I'd ever seen. Not surprisingly, it didn't elicit the same feelings as when I saw my first A+.

It just totally came back and hit me hard, right smack in the face. This is where I get when I rely only on myself. Me, myself and I. The perfect formula for failure. C+.

Why didn't I look to God during that time??

It's so easy to say things on hindsight, isn't it? Sighz. The folly of Man!

The Lord has indeed helped me with my grades everytime I asked Him to (He's a faithful God, wat). Sure, some people might say I still got a B even though I prayed and put my entire faith in Him. But hey, I got A pluses too. Notice the plurals and singular. I got 1 B each for sem 2 and 3, none in sem 1. But the A pluses have been increasing from sem 1 to 3 (from 0 to 3).

God helps. But only when you ask for it. Fortunately or unfortunately, I only seem to remember him during the final exams, and less so during the semester. Suffice to say, it's quite obvious that my A pluses come from modules with heavy weightage on the final paper, and the Bs (and B pluses for that matter) come from moduels with low weightage on the final paper.

It's such a startling revelation isn't it?

This was a verse I found after randomly opening a page

The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 6:63

(NLT)

Chapter 6

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I seriously think Thailand did the right thing in announcing they will not cut rice exports now. Someone should give the fella who made the decision a Novel peace prize.

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The ruffian shielded his eyes from the blinding sun as he turned a corner off the back alley. Right into the priest himself.

Partially blinded and unable to see, the ruffian squinted long and hard before he could make out the vague outline of a long robe.

"Good day, Father. What a surprise to see you around town." He managed uneasily.

"Only a surprise if you don't expect me here."

"Why wouldn't I expect you here? It's not the church but it's still the town and you have every right to be here, even if it's at the corner of a back alley with very few people." The ruffian grew confident as his eyesight restored.

"You're still a case of wits aren't you, Ruffian? Tell me, have you got anything to do with the popularity contest?"

"I'd love to say I didn't just to spite you, but you'll know about it anyway when I go confess my sins at the end of the week. Of course I had something and everything to do with it! The whole town had. We voted, yeah?"

"Very clever remarks, but my question remains unanswered."

"Dear priest, you are an intelligent man yourself. Don't come looking for me alone and expect me to talk. Gather the whole group and we'll be more than happy to tell you what we think, then see for yourself if it was ever our doing in the first place." he paused. "Good afternoon, Father."

The ruffian raised an imaginary hat, spun on his heels and walked away mocking a gentleman.

The priest watched the ruffian vanish around the corner and sighed. A turmoil of anger and resignation swirled giddily inside, sending an acute shot of migraine straight up his spine. He turned and began a painful walk back to the church.

Chapter 5

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I wonder. Is Singapore the only country that didn't really wanted independence in the patriotic, protest-y way so rampant now?

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A deliberate chain of knocks sounded through the cellar and a long line of light briefly illuminated the dark insides. The door silently swung shut and a bolt latched into place. Deft footsteps fluttered down the stairs and a small kerosene light came on.

"Did you hear what happened to the paper boy?"

"His only mistake is working for the papers."

"But that's not even his fault"

"The fault should probably be ours."

"But we didn't do anything! Much, at least."


The rush of hushed voices increased as the participants got more excited. Deep in the cellar of the diplomat's house, the diplomat's wife, the clockmaker, the wine seller and the local ruffian had gathered in the midst of the afternoon siesta.

"Who else has the priest talked to?"

"The milkmaid, so far all I've heard."

"What did he ask her about?"

"Oh. The popularity contest I guess."

"Ha ha! The milkmaid thinks everyone is nice. How could he ask her? "

"Oh well. I guess every bit helps?"

"Who do you think he'll find next? "

"Me. I'm the most undiplomatic diplomat's wife around. "

"Oh please. It'll definitely be me. I happen to be the hooligan around here ya? "

"Agreed." The wine seller and clockmaker answered in unison.

Silence fell on the quartet as they contemplated their situations.

"If he comes to look for me, then so be it. I'm not afraid." The ruffian proclaims.

"Me neither." Wine Seller replies. Clockmaker and Diplomat's Wife nod in agreement.

The kerosene light snuffed out as silent footsteps ascended the stairs.

Chapter 4

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I just realised an ex-boyfriend of mine is a very useful object of fantasy. No wonder I thought I couldn't get over him. Hm...

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The crow of the rooster signalled the rise of dawn. The priest opened his eyes and stared at the peeling ceiling above him. Hm. We need a new paint job soon.

With a long creak of the mattress, the priest arose from his bed and dressed up. He had not forgotten his promise.

After a quick meal of plain broth and bread, he headed out into the morning sun. Walking along the main street, he saw the villagers go about their routine, opening up their stores and displaying their wares.

He saw a milkmaid and stopped her in her tracks.

"Morning, Father. Surprised to see you here so early in the morning."

"Good morning, milkmaid. Indeed, I would like to hear your views on a matter."

"Sure thing, Father. What is it regarding?"

"I came to know of this popularity contest ran by the newspaper. Have you heard about it?"

"Oh yes, I have. It was quite a big affair, running for a couple of weeks in the papers, I think."

"Excellent. Do you know about the Top Ten Unpopular People then? The list was just published two days ago."

"The Top Ten Unpopular People list? No, I haven't heard about it. Maybe I missed it."

"Well then, let me just ask you what do you think about our dear bell boy?"

"The boy who rings the church bell? Oh, he's a pleasant boy. Met him a couple of times, quite like him, I feel."

"Alright. Thank you for your time, Milkmaid, it's been a good time talking to you. God bless."

And they parted ways.

What a pleasant little girl. The priest thought to himself, and walked on.

Chapter 3

The priest left the paper boy's house feeling proud of his successful rectification.

"At least that'll stop the boy from spreading nonsense through his papers." He thought.

As he walked back through the town square, he noticed the sky turning dark and decided to head back to the church instead. Back in the church, he made a quick beeline to the bell boy's room; he was eager to let the bell boy know what he accomplished for the day.

But when he stepped into the tiny room, he saw the bell boy in tears.

"Why are you crying, my dear boy? Who did what to you now?"

Still sobbing uncontrollably, the boy pulled a crumpled sheet of newspaper out from his drawer and showed it to the priest.

"Not only do the people not need me anymore, they don't like me either!" And he crescendoed into amazing howls.

The priest took the newspaper from the boy's hands and saw the mentioned article in a tiny corner.

Top 10 Unpopular People in our town
1. The Tax Collector
2. The Squire
3. The Bell Boy
4. ...

The priest sighed and looked at the wailing boy.

"It's ok, my child. Rest early tonight. I'll go speak to the people first thing tomorrow morning."