Thought Of The Day: that's the funny thing about romance. if you had to ask for it, it takes away all the romance.

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Friday, May 28, 2004

it's over!!!

it seems as if everything is coming to an end. first...it was 'friends'. i've been watching 'friends' for the past 10 years and as i've said before...i've seen them grow from bad hairstyles and terrible editing to one of the greatest tv shows today. unlike andrew...i wasn't weepy at all when i watched the final episode. once again...unlike andrew...i only watched it once...hehehe. anyway...i will dearly miss downloading 'friends' every friday :)

i watched the final episode of 24's third season last night. it was one exciting episode. then again...24 has always been exciting. i have no idea whether there will be a fourth season or not. i'm pretty sure there would've been some sort of big announcement if it was the final season so since i haven't heard any news on it i'm assuming that they will continue their run.

anyway...since there is nothing else to watch i've started downloading gilmore girls. i find the relationship between mother and daughter in that show very interesting. i only hope that i'll have that sort of relationship with my kids (gasp...if i do have any). it would be freaky though to imagine me having that sort of relationship with my own mother. i guess things like these have to be nurtured from a very early age. right now i don't think my mom and i have any chance of being best friends.

so i was reading through some back dated articles on a news portal and i found out that north korea is the only country where internet access is restricted. it is also the only country where television sets are programmed in such a way that they cannot receive broadcasts from anywhere outside of north korea. apparently their president (btw he's some young dude who just got the role cause his dad decided to die) seems to think that outside influence will corrupt his people. well...to some extent i think that is true. we're all influenced by some culture or another. i personally am influenced by the western culture. other..like member of the al-qaeda and other terrorists cells are probably influenced by the nazis. but we all have the freedom to make our choices and to decide whether to be influenced or not. i'm no politician but i do believe that north korea is in serious need of some changes.

here's some fun facts:

- napoleon bonaparte owned more than 50 white horses and he conquered italy when he was 26 years old.
- in puerto rico...wiggling your nose roughly means 'what's going on?'
- in north korea...one phone is shared by 20 people
- there is a town in alaska called 'chicken' and a town in arkansas called 'okay'
- in the year 2000...a man who had just undergone extensive surgery to become a woman said that he wanted to change back to a man after realizing how badly women are treated in iran.
- the hindu's acknowledge six seasons...winter, summer, autumn, spring, the rains and the dews.

ok...that's enough fun facts for today. till tomorrow....

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Tuesday, May 25, 2004

pre-sale to mega-sale

i was taking a stroll at plaza singapura on my day off today and i realized that the pre-sale to the great singapore sale is on. everything is sooooo cheap. i wonder how much cheaper it can get during the sale. i found a pair of hush puppies loafers for 20 bucks. too bad it didn't come in any nice colours. anyway...the whole town is preparing for the mega sale. at least it's something to look forward to.

i just finished watching donnie darko on divx. i am stunned. i heard great reviews on the movie but i didn't want to build up great expectations for it so i tried not to read too much about the movie. after watching it i have to admit i was slightly confused. it's kind of like the matrix where there is no 'one' (no pun intended) particular explanation to the ending. it could go either way and even so...the explanations are not very logical. so i went to imdb.com to check out what other people had to say about the movie and there were heaps of comments in the forum. everyone had a different point of view and were arguing their case. in the end...i have to say that everyone was still pretty clueless. anyway...i enjoyed the movie heaps.

i actually wanted to go watch zaitochi at cathay cineleisure today. so i was on my way to orchard and i decided to stop at plaza singapura for a quick bite to eat and to walk around to try to find a proper pair of working shoes since i wore out my last one. so i was walking walking walking and i stumbled upon this shop called O.A.M.C which stood for 'own a mix comfort' and they had some interesting clothes inside. so being the itchy person i usually am i went in and bought a top. after spending the money that i planned to use to watch zaitochi i had no choice but to go home. sow is going to kill me for choosing clothing over zaitochi.

anyway...that's the trouble with being completely independent over here. there's an opportunity cost to everything. if i were to eat bread for lunch and dinner today...then i can afford to watch a movie tomorrow. you get the point. i've calculated living expenses and if i want to save as much as i can i have to spend 10 dollars a day on food. surprisingly that's pretty easy to do here seeing that a bowl of chicken rice only costs 2.50. in any case...i'm hoping to come back with heaps of money after the 2 years so that i can jump start my 3 year travelling plan.

it's back to work tomorrow. i'm hoping that i'll still be sick so that i can go to the doctor in the morning to get an MC. i have a seminar to attend tomorrow though. they're making me attend teaching conferences and seminars and training. i personally think it's a waste of my time cause most of the things that they talk about is nothing new to me. but oh well...they pay me to attend those things so i might as well just haul ass.

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Monday, May 24, 2004

guess what i did on my day off...i made like a singkie and went to a shopping mall. it was the singapore equivalent to atria i suppose. small little shops with names that don't stand particularly stand out. sad to say..that was the closest shopping mall to the place i stay. even so...it was a bus ride away with a full 6 stops. on the up side..the mall had mcdonalds, kfc, burger king, pizza hut and taco bell. i've learned my lesson which is to just play it safe and go to plaza singapura if i want to do some shopping.

did i mention that i wore out my sandals with all the walking i've been doing? the straps on my 'tangs studio' sandal gave way sometime last week. i believe it's because i've been doing an excessive amount of walking ever since i touched base in singapore. i would assume that my legs would be more toned by now but i have yet to see that effect. i do believe that i've put on extra weight...unfortunately at the most overt area. my jeans don't seem to fit anymore. i thought all the extra walking would balance out the extra eating...i guessed wrong.

anyway...i went to watch shrek 2 yesterday with a friend. yes...finally after weeks of solitary confinement i ventured beyond serangoon. the last time i actually went out was to have dinner with a friend at takashimaya and ice cream at haagen dazz. that was the week after i arrived. this time...i went to plaza singapura to catch shrek 2. now i really know what people mean when they say that singaporeans spend most of their time walking around in shopping malls. they were swarming like bees out on a sunday evening. it was fun to see the locals in their natural habitat. anyway...the movie was hilarious. only so because it's a sequel and sequels usually don't live up to their expectations. so when shrek 2 actually made me laugh out loud i was pretty stunned. but i have to say that one has to be a bit of a movie buff to be able to fully grasp all the comedy. even then most of the bits were from the more obvious movies so i guess everyone will be able to enjoy. this was definitely better than troy.

anyway...i went to this place for dinner after the movie called 'cafe cartel'. it's kinda like a lower class fridays/chillis. the food wasn't all that great i have to say it's pretty cheap. the service was weird though. a very self service type establishment. on the menu it said that there's a free flow of bread for meal orders. well...i only found out that i had to go to the counter to take my own bread after i finished my meal. they do have a wide selection on their menu though. and apparently most of the ice cream/dessert stores in singapore are playing with the idea that desserts is actually stressed spelt backwards. funny how the malaysians aren't using that as a gimmick. or are they and i just haven't realized it yet?

well...time for me to go catch up on gilmore girls. my HDD is running out of space so i figured i should watch them all and delete them as soon as possible.

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Saturday, May 22, 2004

caught in the act

ok...so i think my landlord caught me smoking in the toilet. how did that happen? well...trust me to be indiscreet about this kind of thing. i'm so used to whipping out a ciggie anytime anywhere without having to worry about getting caught or in my current situation...getting kicked out of the apartment and left homeless. not to mention wasting my S$300 deposit by breaching my tenancy agreement. i went to have a ciggie in the toilet while she was sleeping...at least i thought she was. i came out and she was standing in the kitchen doing nothing in particular. i hope she didn't notice the foul stench of my one measly stick. oh well...we'll know soon enough :)

tomorrow i'm going to catch shrek 2 with a friend at the cinemas. woohoo...i'm finally going out. i have gone out a grand total of 1 time ever since i came here. a friend of mine was sweet enough to take me out for some teriyaki chicken and haagen dazz ice cream a couple of weeks back. well..the same friend is going to watch a movie with me tomorrow. yes...i only have one friend over here...at least only one that i can hang out with. i sound so lame and pathetic but i'm actually getting used to the whole solitary confinement thing.

look on the bright side...i'm going back next week for a grand total of 10 days :) schools out for a few weeks so i get about 10 days holiday. i can't wait. my last trip back was so shortlived and i didn't get to do the things i wanted and see all the people i wanted. but then again...i'll eventually have to leave and come back to lead the boring life. then i'll look on a different kind of bright side...$$$$...and how all this suffering enables me to make lots of it.

i think i'm coming down with a fever. please please tell me i'm coming down with a fever....but please let the fever wait till tuesday to come down so i can call in sick on wednesday. i can't exactly call in sick on monday or tuesday cause i don't work. i'm definitely falling sick someway or another.

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Friday, May 21, 2004

i am a walking talking disaster

okay so remember how i said that i managed to iron my outfit and it wasn't a disaster? well...i took a look at it today and it is a total disaster. i also realised that my laundry skills are also disastrous. the hems of my blue east india top and another top i bought at cats whiskers are completely gone. it looks as if i've just washed it a hundred times and the collars and edges are starting to 'flower' as some people might put it. on top of that...my tangs studio sandal strap just broke on me today at work. fortunately for me it was temporarily repairable (if there even is such a word). it's time for me to buy a new pair of sandals. i think i'm wearing my shoes out with all the excess walking that i do around here. i'm losing my voice. my students don't listen to me unless i speak louder than all of them combined together (when i say all i mean all 6 of them 4 year olds). i wish i'd really lose my voice then i wouldn't have to go to work for a day or two. but then i'd have to make sure that i lose my voice between wednesday and saturday so i don't waste my off days. gosh..i need to sleep. early and long day tomorrow. this has been a tough week.

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Thursday, May 20, 2004

immortality..take it it's yours?

it's back to work after being home for a few days. i had so much fun and even though everything looked the same it somehow felt different. it felt as if i was a visitor in my own home. everyone was being extra nice and making sure that i did what i wanted...ate what i wanted...saw who i wanted. it was nice but it felt weird. oh well...i guess that's a change that i have to get used to. i managed to see most of my friends...those that i really wanted to see :) i'll be going back again next week for about 9 days so i'll have more time to see everyone else.

ben was kind enough to accompany me to watch troy even though he's already watched it. i wanted to see it cause it was showing in singapore but tickets are expensive so since i was back in KL i decided to catch it back home. i only paid RM7 for the ticket.hehehe. anyway...my thoughts on the show?? not so great. brad pitt is over-rated. i don't get the whole 'immortality..take it it's yours!' shit. most of the lines were just plain corny and what's with the outfits? it had so much promise. and what's with orlando bloom and the bow and arrow? deja vu of LOTR ey? oh well...i'm the only one who didn't exactly think the movie was all that great so far.

first few days of work really sucked. my students are stressing me out...i'm stressing myself out by setting such high standards for me students. contrary to popular belief...most of the kids here are under achievers. i would assume that by being singaporean their parents would probably have set high expectations and it would be a very competitive environment. well...maybe i just haven't met those kind of students yet. most of them are spoiled brats. hence...their parents usually don't want them to be pushed to do things that they don't want to. i guess my area of studies isn't exactly as important as english or mathematics which is why parents don't push their kids to excel. on the other hand...there are students who enjoy coming for class and they make the effort to practice and to understand/appreciate music. those are my dream students. the ones who actually 'want' to come for class as opposed to the ones who are being forced. i only wish i 'wanted' to go to work as much as they want to come for class.

anyway...did my community service today. kicked some scrabble ass once again. apparently scrabble isn't the only thing they play. they want to play chor tai ti next week. i doubt it involves money of any kind. but heck...i'm getting paid to do community service so anything goes. i had to fold bed sheets today and help print the hospital name on the sheets too.

i was talking to a friend today and he said 'i'll mail you soon' and my first reaction was 'i won't hold my breath'. he was a bit disappointed at my lack of enthusiasm but i find that when guys say they'll email it usually doesn't happen. guys prefer real time conversations i.e. face to face conversations..instant messages rather than correspondence i.e. emails..snail mails. the only form of communication that is widely used by both sexes are phone calls and sms's. this of course doesn't apply to all guys...i know a few that are an exception to the rule...very few :) oh well...just an observation.

time to watch an episode of west wing and it's time to go to bed. once again i can't believe i'm saying this at 11pm. ooh...i bought my first ironing board and ironed my first outfit today :) it wasn't a total disaster.

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Thursday, May 13, 2004

i am leet

i finally managed to get my ass down to starhub and apply for broadband. i've been meaning to do it but i couldn't cause my work permit card wasn't out yet and even when it was out i didn't have the time. so anyway...i am not hooked up to the internet and it feels good. the one thing i missed a whole lot was being able to be online so i guess that's now cured. in the effort of saving S$50 i had to set up the whole thing myself. i'm not very good with gadgets and wiring but i had to save the money if i want to get myself a brand new leet phone :) luckily it was quite straight forward...i wonder why they charge 50 bucks for a plug and play installation. anyway...once again...woohooo...i am now connected :)

anyway...did i mention that one of the conditions of my contract is that i have to do community service once a week? well...you must be wondering what kind of weird job i got myself into but i did attend 2 hours of community service today and i actually enjoyed it. i went to this hospital called the 'ren ci' hospital and did some volunteer work. it's actually a hospital mainly for mental patients but they placed in the ward that holds the people who are ill and have no one to look after them. most of them are really old but i met 2 middle aged men and spent most of my time playing scrabble with them. the hospital is really nice though...kinda like a 5 star hotel for hospitals. it's really huge and very clean and the people there are all very friendly. they have tonnes of board games and things for the patients to do. it was quite fun and i wouldn't mind doing it again. the best part about it is that this community service thing that i do for 2 hours a week is part of my work so i'm actually getting paid for it. anyway...next week i'll be playing boggle with them.

another first for today was the little mozart classes. i've been forced into teaching 4 year olds in group classes. i'm not exactly very keen on teaching 4 year olds...let alone teaching them in groups. i've never been able to control kids of that age. anyway..it was an experience...wouldn't call it an adventure though. i learned that kids should not be put together in groups of more than 4. they go wild. ooh...another interesting thing i witnessed today was a 4 year old boy kissing a 4 year old girl. he kinda leaned in...and gave her a peck on the lips. interesting...i thought children were supposed to hate the opposite sex until the age of 13/14.

anyway...enough about teaching. i've been meaning to catch troy in the cinemas. was thinking of going tomorrow but i think i have to do laundry tomorrow night. i'll be going home on sunday so i gotta clean house friday night. saturdays are 12 hour days for me so i don't think i'll be in the proper frame of mind to clean house. i don't want to come back only to find that the landlord has thrown all my stuff onto the streets.

it's shocking isn't it. i mentioned that i have to do laundry and clean house. never have i had to do any of those things prior to my move to singapore. another shocking change is that i wake up in the mornings. those of you who know me would probably know that i usually sleep at 9am and wake up at 5pm...the total opposite of a working person. but now i've changed into someone who sleeps before 2am and wakes up before 10am. oh the horror!!!!!

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Tuesday, May 11, 2004

23 year old kid

over the past one week...i've had to introduce myself to many people...my boss...my colleagues...my students and their parents. the only response i get is...how old are you? you came to singapore all by yourself? and then i get that facial expression that i can only describe as 'are you mad?'. it seems as if the idea of a 23 year old girl..who is the only daughter and the youngest in a family of 3 kids should not be venturing out into a foreign country to work alone. these people think of me as a 23 year old kid. someone who's made the biggest mistake of her life by leaving home and committing herself to work in singapore for 2 years. well...they might be right. i have over the past week thought of this whole experience as a big mistake. but heck..there's nothing i can do about it now.

i am once again sitting at burger king using the free wireless connection because i can't seem to get starhub to approve my application for broadband until i get my work permit card..which by the way should be tomorrow. even then...i still have to wait a week before they hook me up so i guess that means i won't have my own internet connection until later next week. the good thing about it is...i'm coming home on sunday. it's going to set me back financially but i really want to go home and see all my friends and my family of course. i'm hoping to make a trip back every fortnight...i hope all goes well. i want to be able to buy cheap ciggies and hang out at mamaks. did i mention that the cigarettes here suck. i actually took a trip to johor earlier today so i can buy cheap malaysian ciggies that contain 20mg of tar and 1.5mg of nicotine. either that or it's 1.5mg of tar and 20mg of nicotine. in any case...the only thing i've learned about cigarettes is that the more expensive they are..the less they have in content :)

i actually went out last night with a friend from high school. he's 4 years my senior and he was my brothers best friend back in high school. he was nice enough to take me out for teriyaki chicken and haagen daaz ice cream. it was nice to see a familiar face after being confined for a week. anyway...the sad part about going out in singapore is that i have to head back home before 11pm. the last train is at 11.30pm and the last bus is at 11.37pm so i have to play safe and start heading back at 11pm. i wish i had a car to drive myself around. i wanted to watch a movie last night...the suicide club. it's a japanese movie that is playing at cathay cineleisure on orchard. it was to start at 9.50pm but i skipped it because i figured i'd get out of the movie at about 11.45pm and i'd have to take a cab back. a cab ride back to my place from the city would cost me about 10 bucks...plus if it's after midnight i'd have to pay a 50% surcharge. i can't believe i'm actually counting the money in my pocket. once again...it sucks to have to be thrifty with money.

oh well...i can't wait to go home this sunday. it's the only thing i have to look forward to this week :)

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Sunday, May 09, 2004

singkies

thanks to sow i now call them singkies.

anyway...i've been here for a week and still no internet connection. i've resorted to making a 45 minute journey to the city to use the free wifi at burger king. a week without the internet is just torture. what do i have to say? well...as sow would put it...i'm fine here...still alive...the locals are not as dangerous...i still have enough money to get by.

here are a few things that i've observed...

1. 80% of the people who get off the MRT stop at little india are indians
2. 90% of singaporeans spend most of their time fiddling with their handphones or sending out sms's
3. singaporean chicks have taken the term too superlow to an extreme...it's called 'i'm going to show u my ass crack superlow'
4. there are no such things as ah jangs and ah lians here...in singapore...ah jangs and ah lians are the norm
5. food here is cheap :)
6. sundays are domestic workers day at orchard road...they even have like a gala at the park behind the orchard road MRT station complete with their own musical instruments and dances
7. smokers are highly frowned upon
8. escalators move faster when you're nearer to the city...otherwise they move at a normal speed

when i find out more about the people and their ways i'll take a note and post them up.

other than that i guess i have to say that things are ok. my habits have changed drastically. i've been sleeping at 11pm and waking up before 9am. i haven't seen a familar face in a week and that really bums me out. everytime i want something i have to count the money in my pocket first. that's the problem with not having financial backup. oh well....it's time for me to learn. ciggies are really expensive here. i've actually cut down smoking but it's not because it's expensive...it's because i just don't have the time. i can't smoke in my apartment so i have to go downstairs to smoke. the idea of having to take the elevator 12 floors down and then come back up 12 floors just to have a ciggie isn't very appealing. when i'm not at home i'm either at work or in a bus or MRT and those are non smoking areas. because i've cut down smoking i've actually put on weight. i know it's only been a week but i can feel it. i eat 4 meals a day...don't ask me why...it's probably cause i'm bored out of my mind. i take 4 showers a day just to pass time. yes...i've gone mad.

anyway....i hope everyone is doing ok. i'm hoping to be back next week...specifically on the 16th of may. if all doesn't go well then i guess i'll have to wait till the 30th of may. sighz...i am soooooo home sick. i miss all my friends...i miss my mom and my bro (can't believe i just said that)...i miss having a car to drive...i miss playing mahjong and hanging out with the guys...i miss my bed!!!!!

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Sunday, May 02, 2004

T - 18 hours

in about 24 hours i shall be in singapore. can't believe i'm actually counting down the hours...thanks to a certain someone. anyway...this isn't going to be my last entry in KL...i'm quite sure that i'll be back on and off so i'm not going do the emo thing. besides...even if it was i don't do the emo thing. i'm all packed...at least i hope i am. can't believe i have to fit my life into 2 suitcases. i wish that i was earning big bucks...then i'd just bring myself and buy whatever i need when i get there. i've always believed in travelling light...but i've realized that only people with money can say that.

anyway...i'm a bit worried about my load. i've got some...ok...some might be an understatement...i should say bundles. i've got bundles of pirated dvds camouflaged behind some not so pirated cds. hopefully i'll manage to get in without being arrested...heehehe. but then again..i wish i had AIDS so i could get out of the whole work thingey without having to compensate so maybe being arrested wouldn't be so bad after all. the only other problem i have right now is cigarettes. oh well...i'll probably figure that one out when i'm on route to singapore. right now i just wanna relax and eat moms home cooked food.

thanks for all the well wishes and the gifts :) i should go away more often...get more gifts and free dinners. i didn't anticipate all the commotion cause i never really saw myself as 'going away'. singapore ain't that far and i'll be back once or twice a month. you guys probably won't even notice my absence. some of the friends that i never see on a monthly basis actually took the initiative to call up and wish me farewell....others who are overseas also made the effort to call...thanks you guys!!! these past few days have really made me realize how lucky i am to be in the company of such amazing and wonderful friends.

my only wish is that things will stay the same when i come back for good in 2 years. i can't say that i expect things to stand still in spite of my presence and continue when i come back but i hope that my friends will still be around when i get back. things change over the years and if i were to say that we've all been 'united' in one way or another i'd just be in denial. certain friends come and go...others stick by your side like glue....some aren't always around but i know that i can count on them if ever i am in need. regardless of which category they fall into...they've all made an impact in my life and we've shared experiences and memories that have only brought us closer together. i'm going to miss being able to see my friends daily...and being able to just show up when someone calls.

but hey....change is good. i'm hoping that time will fly by faster if i just keep telling myself that. anyway...i'm only an email away...for those of you who have my email...use it. for those of you who don't have it...there's probably a reason why. i'll check in once i secure an internet connection in singapore :) cheerios!

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