Nodame Cantabile

Phew, I finally finished watching all 11 episodes of the J-drama Nodame Cantabile. As the name of the serial suggests, it is about music. Cantabile. But I don't understand why it is named that way.

The show is hilarious la. Credits to Ann Gee who told me about it.

Anyway, it is not a very lovey-dovey show and forever romantic and you cry not because you pity the leads, but because you felt in awe and the jubilation that can be rather...nice. It's some kind of feeling that is a bit familiar in a way that I am a performer too.

NC is adapted from a manga and its anime version, to which the characters are quite alike to the real-life ones. The ending is sweet, those kind that you'll weep. Haha.

The setting is in a music university in Tokyo, so there was a lot of piano and orchestra. Violin solos, oboe concerto, etc. No tuba in sight. =( Never mind... And a lot of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky etc.

I must say that the cast really knows how to act, it was as if they were really the ones playing. Maybe for some la, haha, but I know there was a few substitute pianists.

Oh and the female lead, Juri Ueno as Noda Megumi, was the tenor saxophonist from the movie Swing Girls. And this other also prominent character in the drama was Strazemann, an eccentric conductor from Europe, and the actor also starred in SG as their math teacher-turned-conductor.

Won't be a spoiler so I won't go into the story. And Chiaki is damn handsome! =D

I'm waiting for the second season! If there is one.

The eccentric conductor
Nodame and Chiaki sharing a meal
Chiaki conducting

Umur

I find that maybe as I grow older, I am increasingly reluctant to accept my age.

!

Of course with my face and the way I carry myself people would laugh their heads off if I tell them I'm forever 16.

It's just that I'm turning 20 this year.

Usually when people ask for my age before my birthday in the year I'll say the age I'm turning into. Uh. As in I'll say I'm 16 when I was going to be 16 on my birthday that year instead of saying I'm 15.

And this time, I say that I'm 19 instead of 20.

Saya takut! Haha.

And out came a pencil

I forgot to bring a pencil to Mus'Art practice today when I thought I threw it in my bag.

When I desperately needed one, I asked Yin Xuan who was sitting beside me if he had one. The next thing I knew, the pencil seemed to pop out of his tuba like magic.

Then I found out what was the 'magic'.

The Ikea pencil

Amazing! Haha. I didn't know there was such an accessory in the market. The black thing is like hooked to the tuba with another holder for the pencil and it costs US$2+. Not a very good deal since it's only a small piece of plastic, but it is rather useful if you do not want to misplace your pencil (which I always do).

Ah, a good invention.

A landmark molecule

Ah. I finally completed the essay. Woots. Time to slack a bit and go back to work. Must be extra extra hardworking this week, it'll be a damn busy week for me.

Just relieved I finished up the essay, but I didn't complete all the 1,500 words needed. I was at about 1,400 plus, including cheating. I typed the question and the bibliography in too. Haha. But excluding the figures' comments la.

Yeay. A load off my shoulder. But actually the second assignment is here already. Quite interesting, it's a group project in 3 (Nathalie and Ayuni are in my group) and we have to take photos of things be it structures, sculptures, etc, that shows chirality. Interesting right. Nathalie got an idea, I got an idea too but I don't know if it's good, and I haven't heard from Ayuni (not Ayumi).

Oh anyway all these are for my SP1201 module.

Upon reflection...

While having a quick shower just now I thought of how I am doing so far in this semester.

Academically-wise, lagging, as usual.

But I'm rather happy with my hectic schedule. It keeps me going, gives myself time to think while rushing here and there.

There wasn't a day in the entire week when I'll sit down in the com hall and have my dinner there without rushing anywhere. Partly because on Mondays and Tuesdays I have lessons from 6 - 8, and Wednesdays and Thursdays I have NUSWS sectionals and combined practice. However I like to rush around. Speeds up my mind a little.

Just hope that all these wouldn't make me lose concentration on my life. Yoohoo.

Back to work, got an essay to rush at the last minute.

Now the love story of grandpas and grandmas

In the previous post, I wrote about my parents' love story. Recently I got to know of two love songs - one in English and the other in Mandarin - about grandparents' love story. They have the same style of expression. Here goes.

Colin Raye - Love me

Verse 1:
I read a note my Grandma wrote
Back in 1923
Grandpa kept it in his coat
And he showed it once to me
He said
Boy you might not understand, but a long long time ago
Grandma's daddy didn't like me none
But I loved your Grandma so
We had this crazy plan to meet
And run away together
Get married in the first town we came to and live forever
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet instead
I found this letter
And this is what it said:

Chorus:
If you get there before I do
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But i'm not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then
Until I see you again
I'll be loving you . . .
Love me

Verse 2:
I read those words just hours before
my Grandma passed away
In the doorway of a church
Where me and Grandpa stopped to pray
I know I've never seen him cry
In all my fifteen years
But as he said these words to her
His eyes filled up with tears

Chorus:
If you get there before I do
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But i'm not gonna let you down
Darling wait and see
And between now and then
Until I see you again
I'll be loving you . . .
Love me

Breakdown:
And between now and then
Until I see you again
I'll be loving you . . .
Love me

JJ Lin - 会有那么一天

一九四三 世界大战
阿嬷年轻的时候
爷爷爱他那么多
他们感情很深
但是爷爷 身负重任
就在离乡的那夜给了阿嬷一个吻
轻声说道

我要离去 别再哭泣 不要伤心
请你相信我 要等待 我的爱 陪你永不离开
因为会有那么一天 我们牵着手在草原
听鸟儿歌唱的声音 听我说声 我爱你

夕阳西下 鸟儿回家
阿嬷躺在病床上
呼吸有一点散漫 眼神却很温柔
看着爷爷 湿透的眼
握着他粗糙的手 阿嬷的泪水开始流
轻声说道

我要离去 别再哭泣 不要伤心
请你相信我 要等待 我的爱 陪你永不离开
因为会有那么一天 我们牵着手在草原
听鸟儿歌唱的声音 听我说声 我爱你

Love story of Dad & Mum

No of course I'm not gonna be too explicit about their story. But it all started with my dad telling me yesterday that they got married because my mum thought he was handsome.

But it was a lie la. Haha.

And I didn't know my dad was hot la. My mum was his fifth girlfriend -_- And his first girlfriend was some girl who was selling stuff at Bukit Timah. During his NS days. Tsk tsk tsk. Havoc.

Anyway, I was damn amused la. Haha. Like my mum telling me why she chose my dad and all. So sweet. Haha. I think my mum's really lucky to have a man like my dad as her husband. Her other sisters don't seem to be as lucky actually. My mum also thinks that she's fortunate. Haha. Like so nice right. Hopefully I'll be as lucky as my mum too.

The problem of being big

There was a bazaar at Central Forum today and I saw a pair of slippers that I quite like, and it costs only $10. Their largest size is 40, so I decided to give it a try. But it proved to be too small for me.

Therefore I didn't buy.

Early last month I saw a dress at Forever 21 that I like. But they only have size M.

I didn't even get to try.

My mum chided me for not buying anything though my dad sponsored me $200 to buy clothes for the coming CNY.

Even my dad complains that I wear the same stuff.

It's not that I don't wanna buy nice dresses and/or clothes and shoes and slippers.

It's not that I don't wanna shop. In fact I do. When I can dig out the time.

It's not that I am picky about places like Bugis Street. I never shop for clothes and shoes there, simply because they have a lot of free sizes or L size that is too small.

It's not that I am reliant on the Western shops which are more pricey. They tend to have bigger sizes. Sometimes.

It's not that I like to wear the same clothes over and over. I don't have much to choose from my wardrobe.

Neither do I have much to choose from the shopping world.

Week 2 of school

Week 2 of school.

Tutorials haven't started yet, only my English module will start this week. Nevertheless, I already have a chunk of homework to do.

Gotta write about a molecule's history, significance, and artistic/aesthetic values for the Freshman Seminar module. 1,500 - 2,000 words.

Another at most 800 word essay for Science of Music. About how sains and teknologi have got an impact on a concert I'm going to watch.

Tutorials to complete before next week.

Linear Algebra homework to hand in by next Monday.

So on so forth. 8 a.m. lecture in the morning, and I'm still awake.

I ought to buck up more.

Juggling six modules, and NUSWS. Will be taking a break from Mus'Art after the concert on 3 February. Yes there's a concert on that day and I haven't been advertising because I don't know much information about it anyway. And then I'll go back for Mus'Art after the exams. That'll be in May.


A very nice gesture from the lion isn't it? A very very sweet one. Aww. I want a kiss from him too. I think I'll be touched to the extent that I'll cry if I really get one from a real lion. Haha.

OK. Back to reality.

I am so problematic

Really. Soooooo problematic. Dad drove me back to hall just now, and upon reaching my room then I realise that I forgot to bring my cell phone. T_T

I should just go and die (again).

Possibility that I'll pass through a week without my mobile if my dad couldn't pass by to pass the phone to me or I cannot meet him due to lessons whatsoever. I gave him Yi Xin's number in an attempt to reach me.

I feel quite handicapped.

Haha. Not the first time that I forgot about my phone when I left the house though. Left my phone in hall and left for Mus'Art practice. Which isn't the most tragic thing yet.

Today's the worst. Haha. How can I forget. With this pace of life now, the speed of communication is no. 1.

Oh and the wake-up calls. Oh this is tragic. So terrible.

=(

What the hell is wrong with me? So careless, so many problems, etc. Die la. Better concentrate on my studies above all else.

I got the Freshman Seminar module already, so everything is settled for this semester other than the tutorials. And that leaves dear me with 3 pathetic Programme points. At least it's P points, won't need that much of it already, since I completed my faculty requirements and only need the points for core modules. So now it's two GEMs and a breadth and more maybe.

Oh last night I rushed to Tampines Regional Library because I found a material that is needed for my Freshman Seminar through the online catalogue. The books were borrowed in the Science Library already -_- So quite happy that I got one book! Quite lucky, because there are only two of the books available, at Tampines and Toa Payoh. And the book is as old as me. So I am quite lucky for now. Heh.

I want my handphone. =(

Life can be so unpredictable

Last night Ai Lin told me that one of her modules got cancelled and her lecture group is supposed to find other modules for themselves, when bidding rounds are already over and it is hard to find another suitable module. So we were complaining about the system last night.

And then when AL came back from lessons today she told me that the reason why the module got cancelled was because her lecturer, A/P Ananda Rajah, passed away. It came as a shock, the most tragic thing I thought that would happen to the module was that the lecturer fell sick or something like that. You can read about the article in yesterday's Straits Times. In short the professor collapsed in his office while discussing a thesis with his student. You can imagine how shocked the guy could be.

This reminded me of last semester when I went to the computer lab to do my programming, and I saw paramedics outside an office in the level and they were trying to revive a man lying on the floor. Could be a professor, I'm not sure. Wonder if the man is healthy now.

There are too many cases of people collapsing when they have been leading healthy lives. I know my time will come one day, but I don't want it to be so soon because I wanna experience all stages of life. I seem to be only in Stage 1 or 2. Still a student and not into society yet. Sigh.

It also occurred to me that if I die, how will people around me remember me? And I wanna live life to the fullest before I can really let go.

Oh man. Quite troubled. =\

The Not-So-Boring News

Came across these articles.

Monkey see monkey do. About seven kids who died when they copied what they saw on TV. That's really dangerous. Apparently they saw Saddam's hanging on TV so they followed the same things. Some of them during playtime. Sigh. Talk about censorship on TV. No wonder I don't remember seeing the video around on the telly in Singapore. I wouldn't want to see anyway. It's scary knowing that kids really do follow what they see on TV.



Ah this highlights how egoistic some bloody males can get. Innately inferior to men?! Oh just go away. Disgusting Mars chauvinist boar. Hope Summers will get more pokes in the eye.

So bloody tired

Came back from NUSWS practice at nearly 11 p.m. due to the very low frequency of the shuttle bus. So tired.

And there are module bidding and tutorial balloting to get me irritated.

8 a.m. lecture later.

I think I'm going to be late for it. Like again.

They're bombing again

This is world unrest. =\

War, epidemic, H5N1, famine, natural disasters, etc.

A pretty shot, but an ugly one as well

And U.S. is bombing again. For some U.S. - Somalia conflict. Islamic militants hiding in some corner of Somalia; I can't be bothered to read on. This will never end.

When will the world have a day of peace?

First day of school

First day of school and I'm bloody packed to my neck.

Took an hour to reach hall this morning though my dad drove YX and I here, due to the usual morning jams.

Then I couldn't go join Daniel to give out flyers for InTempo at Engin. Thank goodness Hui Shan could make it. Couldn't go as I had to clean my room.

And the first lesson of the day was at 12 noon. Science of Music.

At 1 p.m. plus the lecture ended, and I went to get food. Couldn't bid for the Freshman Seminar module because CORS was down. And then after that when the system was up again, I balloted for my English tutorials. Haven't confirmed the tutorials for Science of Music yet.

And then I went to the Dean's Office to check from the admin staff if I can get the Freshman Sem module since the professor had no problems admitting me into his seminar. I emailed him. But because of equity I couldn't go join the seminar if I don't bid. But the thing is, I don't wanna bid for any other modules and I don't have enough points to bid for Freshman Sem. Others were bidding in hundreds. Just now when I checked the next minimum bid was 1212 points. Crazy.

But I still went ahead for the seminar at 1600. The staff also said that I can hope that someone drop the module so maybe I can get to bid. Please let me get the module! I don't know what else to take. Please please please please please.

And then I had Linear Algebra I till 7 p.m. plus. Came back, watched Nodame Cantabile for some hours then I went to bathe and chit chat around till now.

Going to give out flyers tomorrow at Science fac.

Sigh. So many things to worry about. Why do I always start school with such anxiety?

Alright.

Gotta unpack my things.

Bye.

Earned my first USD

I've been subscribing to TIME magazine and yesterday the company from Hong Kong sent a mail to me, containing a survey about Olympus' advertising that I gotta fill up and send back. As I was flipping through the papers, I saw a US dollar note. Puzzled, I wondered why it was there and thought maybe it's just some gimmick and they sent us a counterfeit dollar note.

I stared hard at the note. And I picked up the note and smelled it.

My, the smell of money.

It so happens that the gave us the US$1 as a token of appreciation for us to complete the survey as stated in the letter.

1.0000 USD = 1.5374 SGD (as of 5 Jan 2007)

I could choose not to do, but since they gave me the US$1, I did the survey right away.

见钱眼开。

Botak Jones

I won't say that it serves extremely good American cuisine, but Botak Jones is affordable, tasty, and the best part - value for money. And the latter can be the worst part.

Haha. Please go there and have a plate of fish and chips. Meanwhile, please share the dish with a friend. It was like a torture consuming my food. But nevertheless I find it quite nice la. Affordable, it's the usual Western food pricing at food courts. Like the huge portion of fish and chips - two pieces of dory fish, lots and lots of chips, and a large serving of coleslaw - cost you only $5.50.

And where to find it? It's in a Kopitiam food court in Clementi, near the interchange. Go to the website and you can see the exact location. And other outlets too.

There's this burger which is made of 3 beef patties coated with cheese. Don't underestimate the patties please, they're damn thick. Very very thick. And it's called U-CRAZY-WHAT? And it's really crazy.

And blogging this makes me recall what a foodie I've been, and I should find time to explore eating places more often. GIVE ME TIME!

But ya, well. It's nice to eat good food in a food court.

Feeling good

Went for the first band practice of the year with NUSWS and I say, though the pieces are tiring (now I get a better taste of running notes which don't seem to end) I quite enjoy my band practice(s). Learning is more effective in a disciplined organisation where members are responsible people. Slowly making friends, and I'm taken aback by knowing quite a lot of nice people in the band. Like they have no conservations in making conversations. That's what I like. People who don't know each other well can still share a laugh. And so I like hanging around NUSWS. Motivation to go for practices. For now.

And I am ultra tired it's hard to keep my eyes open. No exaggeration. But quite a number of things to clear online tonight, so I gotta go do other stuff after posting this.

I'm listening to Poema Alpestre. Really an acquired taste. Love it. But practising it is another thing. Energy consumed to practise the piece is a plate of fries from Botak Jones.

~~~~~

Concerts! Time for advertising again. Take note of the details of concerts I'll be putting on the sidebar. Man, I love the sidebar.

Two new lions

I got two more lions before the new year.

One was from Daniel Kang, the other from Alvin, both are Christmas presents. Daniel passed the lion and a photo frame with a message for me on band camp.

I just went to the post office to collect this parcel that got undelivered because no one was at home when the postman came. Since last Saturday when I knew about the parcel I was rather curious who sent it to me. So after queueing for quite some time today (which is the next working day that I can collect), I opened the parcel.


And saw a lion lying inside the box.


Ah. That's from Alvin. I dunno if I'm to laugh or cry. But I smiled. Thanks.

Do check the updated post on my lions in the sidebar under Features.

Sychronised swimming

By goldfish.

Blogging Marathon

There's not exactly such a thing, it's just me blogging all the events that I didn't have the time to blog or was just lazy to blog. A lot blogged and a lot to blog. Links on the sidebar. Help yourselves.

Just a teaser: There was a tiny war that broke out in the post regarding the MacRitchie Treetop Walk. Do take a look =D

=D

What's the smiley face for?

I just shit-ed.

=D

Gathering with JC friends

Went out with Pei Wen, Wei Wen, Jia Qi, Jorcelyn, Hui Ying and Shi Hui. Finally got to meet. And when we met they asked if so-and-so was coming, and I realised there are quite a few people I should've asked. Sorry. The group of us used to sit in the first row in classroom C1-3 back in MJC. Plus Jorcelyn who sat in the second row. So the whole first row was there and Jorce. Haha.

Walked around VivoCity (not again!) looking for a place that we can settle on to have an early dinner. Then we saw the Terra. The thing about this restaurant is that..it doesn't feel very much like a restaurant. Haha. Maybe it's their theme la...and the food..isn't good. Just average and nothing special.

Staring incident in progress
Wei Wen and Jorcelyn

Pei Wen, Wei Wen, Jorcelyn, Jia Qi, me, Shi Hui, Hui Ying
The Swedish ship Gotheborg which docked at Vivo so that people can go on the ship to see-see
Took a photo where SH's included too
Trying to take a picture of Wei Wen who took this picture of me. I.e. we were taking photos of each other

And hey, I didn't suan them a lot throughout the day. See, I've become nicer =D (yea right)

Of fluids and solids

And of the occasional gases, ahem.

Caution: This post may be a bit...hard to consume.

Last week (Oh my time really flies it was last week already) during the band camp I fell sick and then on the third day of camp I got into a bout of nauseousness plus some sort of bowel disorder. Haha. I.e. I thought I was having diarrhoea and have felt like vomitting.

So I came home the next day, felt like I had laxatives, went to the toilet for bigger business and vomitted for the first time in years as well. And I thought I need po chai pills. The ever ready saviour for my gastro-disfuntionalities.

I don't know how I can thank you for the invention of the miracle pills

And like a miracle, no more diarrhoea.

But now the trouble is.

I haven't been shitting.



Brief History of Po Chai Pills

Many years ago (100+ years) there was a plague in China. People there were having stomach-ache, vomiting and diarrhea. A Chinese Doctor was trying to make up a formulation that can cure the people. One night he received a special herbal mix from his dream. The next morning he started to collect the herbs and and gave the people the special herbal mix. The herbal mix was very successful. This Chinese Doctor was the founder of Po Chai Pills and his picture is on every box of Po Chai Pills today.

Po in Chinese means protection. Chai means the people. So the Name Po Chai Pills means protecting the people.

Merry New Year

And while I'm sitting in the living room watching the telly with my mum they were counting down to 2007.

So it's 2007 now!!!

Wow.

I won't say time flies.

But I'd say that nineteen new-years went past already.

And soon it'll be twenty.

Twenty!

Sigh. I need more comforting that I'll still be young. Haa.

This is my post exactly a year ago:

happy new year!!! yeP..happy happy..

new year resolutions?

1. i seriously can be happy.
2. get into university
3. 事事顺利

hope i can pass the next 7 months without thinking too much of the past.

What was resoluted was only #2. And the postscript. I didn't get any happier, and things didn't go well for me. Sigh.

New year resolutions this year?

I just wanna do well in school I guess. But how much determination I have is another issue in my case. I'm getting more and more insolent, more and more tired of schoolwork. However...this is my only route!

I also dunno what I want to do when I graduate. I hope some companies can offer me jobs before I graduate (which is nearly impossible).

Ah. New year resolution: stop daydreaming and get down to real world work. And stop procrastinating.

Oh and anyway, I just blogged about the MacRitchie Reservoir Hike. Take a look at it. Link is on the sidebar.