varms - Centuries dreaming...

Meeting Angelina Perete and Roger Wang at Bella Italia

2012-01-08T00:03:00.001+08:00

Joined a Breeze magazine contest 2 days ago (got tagged by Dino) for a free CD and a Meet and Greet session with Sabah's very own songbird, Angelina Perete, and fingerstyle guitarist, Roger Wang, at Bella Italia Restaurant. All I had to do was tell them why I liked Angelina Perete. An hour later, I found out that I won! (should totally join more Breeze contests...)

My aunt happened to be there so my mum and sisters sat with them and enjoyed the 50% discount off pasta and pizza every Friday from 3pm to 7pm. Friday nights are also jazz night I think. It's funny when I looked at the menu and found that one of Bella Italia's main attractions is this really old bartender named Ajit! He has probably been there since Kota Kinabalu was still called Jesselton and uses hearing aid. He's quite pleasant and smiles at everyone.

The four winners (my face looks fat here! huhu...)

I received an autographed Butterfly Baby single CD, got a front row table and chatted with Angelina Perete (who I'm super distantly related to, no matter what my mum says) and Roger Wang and family (found out we go to the same church! Really classy family..). There were three other fans there as well, a junior from my high school-Danica (thanks for the photos!), Kenneth (who reminds me of my old housemate Dexter, haha) and one other girl who sat too far from me so I didn't catch her name.

Performing Butterfly Baby! ♥

Li'l cousin Stala wanted in on the action too, complete with tutu!

When Angelina sang Butterfly Baby with her daughter Este, it was amazing and she had everyone's attention. She credited Roger Wang because he was the one who arranged the song since she admitted that her voice is her only instrument. I've seen him play at one of the KK Jazz festivals (2nd, I think) with Mia Palencia and I have one of their Double Take CDs. Anyway, she did a wonderful job despite having 3 mouth ulcers after coming back from Manila! Mouth ulcers can really make a person irritable and miserable (true story)..

(Forgive the selipar buruk, it was raining and I had to walk over from Jesselton Point...)

During the meet and greet session, we also managed to ask them a few questions about how did they get this far in their music career. Angelina has been singing since she was 5 years old and won a few karaoke competitions when karaoke was first introduced. Roger has studied under a few teachers and taken a lot of courses to be as good as he is today. Currently, Angelina hopes to put out a new and original album this year as well as perform at the KK Jazz Festival and Roger Wang will be having a concert somewhere in March or April in three states if I'm not mistaken. I guess we'll just have to keep on the lookout!

A big hearty thanks to Breeze magazine once again for the opportunity to meet talented Sabahan artistes!!!

Uee & Lee Jang Woo as new Music Bank MCs!

2012-01-07T22:22:00.002+08:00

Two of my most favorite TV people are hosting Music Bank this year! Though I'm sure they will be plenty of guest MCs especially when both of them are actors, meaning plenty of projects in their schedules. Uee even has to juggle being a pop idol in After School. Hope she doesn't get too burnt out. Lee Jang Woo (Smile Donghae) makes up the other half of this good-looking duo, though I think he's rather more popular as T-ara's Eunjung's hubby in reality TV show We Got Married.

P/S: Catch more Lee Jang Woo hotness in this music video! (Zia - The Way I Am featuring Ha Dong Kyun)

Time To Go On a Diet!

2012-01-03T22:23:00.000+08:00

*SOB*
UEE puts me to shame. TO SHAME!

Proposal Daisakusen goes Korean!

2011-12-29T19:58:00.000+08:00

Ooh, I can't wait till February!!

I was pretty obsessed with this drama back in university!! (many thanks to my roomie, Eva, for burning the drama into DVDs for me.) No posters are out yet except for a bit of casting news. Park Eun Bin and Yoo Seung Ho are supposed to be headlining this drama which is a reunion of sorts since they were previously in The Legend (태왕사신기) together. Still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Yoo Seung Ho will be the lead. 0_0

Anyway, back in those days (here we go), I was head over heels for Yamapi (Tomohisa Yamashita of Jpop boyband NEWS) and watched everything he was in but I had to stop after seeing his cotton ball hair in Code Blue and pink-lined basketball uniform in Buzzer Beat. I even watched Kurosagi for him!

Ah, the things we do for love. *delusional*

I have had this song in my phone's playlist since 2008! *swoon*

Mongol 800 - Chiisana Koi no Uta (Proposal Daisakusen OST)

P/S: For some reason I can't embed any video that isn't Youtube on Blogger today (e.g. Dailymotion). Weird.

Good memories...

GAH

2011-12-18T21:38:00.000+08:00

What is with every other website affiliated with Google changing their interfaces (Youtube, Blogger etc)? It looks dull and I suppose, more mobile-friendly. But I hate learning where everything is again when I was perfectly comfortable before. Anyway, enough about that.

As pretty as I think the Facebook Timeline is, I hope they get around to editing their privacy settings SOON. Not only do I, myself, not want to see what a hare-brained twit I was years ago, neither should other people. And it's pretty tedious to remove every single post manually from 2007. Grrr....

Inspire me...

Three Week Roundup!

2011-12-17T20:29:00.014+08:00

I've been neglecting my blog completely these past three weeks. But the past three weeks have not only been busy but uninspiring and miserable for me. Maybe it's the lack of sleep, female maladies or the fact that my bedcovers make me itch but I have been in a terrible mood recently and only these last few days have my spirits started to lift... And I'm terribly sorry to all the people I inflicted my non-existent good humor to recently.

And that usually means bloggy time! :D

These past three weeks in a nutshell:

1) New Girl (new sitcom besides HIMYM!)

Love this adorkable show. Nearly burst a blood vessel when watching episode 8 which should totally come with a warning for weird nerdy bedroom shiz. Will continue to enjoy this show for as long as it runs because it's worth it! :D

2) Hobbycon 2011 at Suria KK

Umbrella Corp guy, I hope you're as hot inside as you are on the outside, and if you are, call/tweet/buzz me! ;-)

This is starting to become a yearly tradition. Every year I attend these things with my little sisters in tow who actually know how to identify all the anime characters in my photos, every year they hunt down Kakashi for a photo. However this year, it seems like all the interesting cosplayers came on the first day.

3) Carolers from Lifeline, Sacred Heart!

I wish I played the guitar half as well as my friend, Joanna!

4) Gaya Street Christmas Fair 2011

Pic's kinda bad but this was one of the most inspiring things I've seen all year in Kota Kinabalu. A group of carolers JOYFULLY singing to the the tune of a guitar despite the extremely heavy rain. While everyone else was scrambling for shelter, these guys' spirits weren't dampened the least bit, in fact they sang more energetically! They were the best sounding carolers I heard this Christmas season! :D

Fireworks during the closing ceremony at the Nativity Hut. I could not resist a giggle when I noticed that the Three Wise Men were heavily draped male mannequins.

5) My dear air hostess sis, Saree dropped by for a couple of days!

She's gonna kill me for posting up this pic of her chillin' at Shamrock's before watching *rollseyes* Breaking Dawn. Teehee!
(P/S: That book under her skinny arm is Jane Costello's Girl on the Run. Highly recommended if you like chick lit!)

6) And FINALLY! For all the Baek Ja Eun/Hwang Tae Hee shippers!

Oh Happy Days!

2011-11-27T10:19:00.006+08:00

Dinner at Sailor's Cafe at Grand Millenium with the 8TV Without Boundaries crew (who btw are pretty awesome people) and *ahem* who dropped by little ol' KK again after a shoot at Mount Kinabalu recently.

Pic Credit: Cheryle Justin

*ends fangirl moment*

Little Wonders...

2011-11-16T20:53:00.009+08:00

After finally relenting to my baby sister's insistence that I watch Meet the Robinsons (2007), I finally gave it a go.

And enjoyed it immensely! Which is saying a lot since I don't usually like animated movies. Especially the new-fangled ones. Gone are the days of Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Cinderella and Little Mermaid. Their heydays are long over and what's left of them is lurking all over Disneyland.

Meet the Robinsons is a little wacky, a little bumbling but like lot of Disney movies are - all heart. A lovely story about how we have to keep moving forward even though we may fail and how precious families are.

If you haven't watched this yet, you should!

P/S: *sheepishly* I kind of dearly hope there's a sequel!

Meet the Robinsons Soundtrack: Rob Thomas - Little Wonders

~~~

Wilbur Robinson: If my parents figured out I brought you from the past, they'll bury me alive and dance on my grave!

~~~

My Heart Skips a Beat

2011-11-13T22:01:00.010+08:00

Currently listening to some Lenka while typing this out, hence the sappy title. :)

BEHOLD~

Okay. I AM SO HOOKED. LINE. AND SINKER.

Pics are actually unsupported GIFs from Episode 29. A pity.

I should probably get a Tumblr too since I enjoy stalking Ojakgyo Brothers updates over there. At least the GIFs work.

Maybe. Someday. Probably. Hopefully. (I wonder how long I can dodge this before I will actually admit that I am too caught up in my own dramas like updating my FB, Twitter AND blog to bother...)

And all this on top of saving the world, one fish at a time. ;-P

The One That Got Away

2011-11-13T21:19:00.010+08:00

I am a genuine sucker for these kinds of videos. I ADORED 'Thinking Of You' and 'The One That Got Away' is another of my favorites. Keep making story-based music videos like Taylor Swift and I might just fall in love with every leading male character in their videos! =D (In this case, it's Diego Luna!)

Earlier this month, Mrs. Russell Brand puzzled me greatly with her slew of melancholic posts whenever I happened to glance at them in my newsfeed. Now that her video's out, it's like someone just shone some light in my hazy memory. I've reposted her teaser updates in case I ever wanna look back on them because they are lovely photos!

Could you still sketch every line of their face?

Do you remember what it was like to hold your hand in theirs?

Do you ever get a strange feeling of Déjà Vu?

Do you ever wonder if you’re staring at the same sunset as them?

Would you give anything to have them sitting next to you again?

Do you still laugh at their jokes?

What do you miss?

Is there a song that reminds you of them every time you hear it?

Do you ever wish they’ll magically re-appear?

Rejoice!

Absolutely stunning video. Surprisingly directed by the same lady who directed E.T. If you are unable to tell, I adore Katy Perry! Manufactured for teenagers-whatever critics might say, I think she worked really hard to be where she is today.

Image Credit: Katy Perry's Official FB Page

Trailer voiceover by Stevie Nicks:

The past is like a handful of dust,
it filters through your fingers,
little by little...

I wish for one day I could go back.
In another life,
I would do things differently.

Quizzie of the Day

2011-11-10T00:43:00.009+08:00

Tagged by Fauzee

THE RULES:

TERMS & CONDITIONS:
1.You must post these rules. 2.Each person must post 11 things about themselves in their journal. 3.Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post. And create eleven new questions for the people you tagged to answer. 4.You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post. 5.Go to their page and tell them you have tagged HIM/HER 6.No tag back! 7.No stuff in the tagging section about "YOU ARE TAGGED IF YOU ARE READING THIS" YOU LEGITIMATELY (a.k.a REALLY, TRUST, WITH ALL HONESTY) have tagged 11 people.

(Alright. I just realized I've been tagged out of the blue, so here goes...)

11 Things JustFauzee Needs To Know

1. 3 words that describe you
Realistic. Bookworm. Anti-social.

2. Coffee or tea. Why?
Tea! Coffee does bad things to my biological clock. But can't resist the occasional Starbucks Caramel Coffee Frappuccino.

3. If you were to be a fashion label, which do you choose to be?
Haha. Never thought about it. Marchesa!! Though I think I'm more of a down-to-earth dresser like Gap.

4. Who's your icon?
Good question.

5. What's your main goal in life?
To live comfortably and have a good career. (I also want to see a real live pineapple sea cucumber.)

6. Favorite movie
Easy! Music from Another Room. My sisters are so sick of me watching this movie.

7. Favorite singer
Changes a lot with my mood. But I guess you could say Adam Levine.

8. Do you believe in happily ever after?
I believe in compromises.

9. What turns you on?
Wavy hair and smexy accents! XD

10. Greatest things that ever happened to you...
Hmmmm, in no particular order: When someone I liked shared a taxi with me. Winning a gold medal in sailing. 5A's in UPSR. When I started working at MERC. Meeting my closest buds in uni. :)

11. What was the last time you did something for the first time?
Yesterday when I touched an anemone for the first time. Damn, that stuff is itchy.

New questions:

1. Describe yourself in one sentence/word. 2. Name your favorite book/author. 3. What was the last thing that made you laugh? 4. Describe one embarrassing moment that happened to yourself recently. 5. Favorite animal? 6. If you could be one person for a day, who would you be? 7. Favorite band? 8. Your best subject in school/uni? 9. Your worst subject in school/uni? 10. What do you like most about yourself? 11. What's your guilty pleasure?

Okay time to tag some new people! I don't really see the point in this because since this isn't Facebook, it wholly depends on who regularly reads your blog.

Vadee
Elixelle
Feli
Kristen
Jacko Wacko
Dexy Wexy
Ebababa
Beverly
Liyana
Angeline
(Coz I can't resist an Ojakgyo Brothers insert! ♥)

Gawky Poses People Do Best Forgotten

2011-11-09T10:31:00.008+08:00

Ever seen a pose that you thought looked terrible even though the person doing it is a mega hot fiiiiiine piece of...well, you get my drift. I'm sure if I asked a guy, they would have plenty of other suggestions but here are just three that occurred to me while typing out this post.

1. The Angry Chicken Pose

E.g. Sohee from the Wonder Girls (middle girl) - BTW their new album WONDER WORLD is out! Check it out! :)

I have never seen anyone pull this off and still look attractive. (Also known as The Stomach Ache or Pelvic Thrust)

2. Woman Draped on a Car Pose

No offense to auto babe ladies everywhere, but I can never find this not tacky. It must be difficult to twist yourself in a sultry pose on a heap of metal (something I, a mere mortal, can never hope to achieve) and I'm glad that at least you're being paid for it.

3. Cutesy Asian Poses

There's a whole multitude of these but I'm pretty sure you're familiar with the like. E.g. Peace Sign (I'm totally guilty of this, Asian thing), puffed out cheeks, kissy faces, creative use of other fingers and/or other hand to frame the face while winking/smiling/making 'O' shapes with their mouth, etc etc. So I'm just posting just the one, as it's as much as I can bear to have on my blog.

Admittedly, it might be cute. And some guys dig it. But I shudder at the thought of my grandkids pulling out a pic of me doing something like this.

That's all for today folks!!!

Newest Obsession: Game of Thrones

2011-11-04T22:24:00.008+08:00

Just a brief look at my current crack: HBO TV series Game of Thrones based on the book series Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. There are seven freakin' books! I love the supernatural/medieval bits in it but is all the nudity really necessary?? True Blood is practically conservative next to this TV show.

Characters I adore! Honestly, half the time I don't know why I adore them, I just do!

L-R: Cute little Bran Stark, the bastard son Jon Snow, the dancing teacher Syrio Forel, the sweet and fearsome Daenerys Targayen and the feisty little Arya Stark.

Honorable Mentions: Eddard Stark, the wilding lady caught by the Starks, Samwell Tarly

Characters I loathe/absolutely do not like no matter how much you try to rationalize their actions to me:

L-R: Lena Headey as Queen Cersei, Lysa Tully and her wretched son, Sansa Stark, Joffrey Lannister and his trusty bloodthirsty sidekick, The Hound.

Honorable Mentions: That Whatsisface Commander at The Wall, Petyr Daenish, random witch lady

A heavily censored version of Game of Thrones should be airing on HBO on Astro at the moment! You will probably find that infinitely better watching. If a few pieces of information escape you, you can try buying the book like me though I have no idea where to find the sequels in Kota Kinabalu as bookstores like Popular, Harris and Times only seem to stock new books that are high in demand.

2 more episodes to go till I can put down my thoughts of the show in a proper review!

~Winter is coming~

Awi Rafael is waiting for you everyday!

2011-11-03T19:46:00.007+08:00

I giggled when I heard the Manglish version of this song which you can hear for yourself in the video above. I heard the Malay version on Suria.fm Sabah (I don't actively listen to this radio channel), I actually prefer Hitz.fm-I love you two, Rica and Cassie!!! *blows kisses* But yea, they played this song often enough at the staff canteen for it to get stuck in my head.

Sorry for subjecting you to epileptic fits when watching this vid. Malaysian music is so funny! The BM version is better but it kinda reminds me of 24:7's song. Teehee!

Chorus:
Mungkinkah aku yang tidak sekaya
Mungkinkah aku yang tidak bergaya
Haruskan aku pun tetap menantikanmu
Berikan jawapan
Pulanglah sebelum ku runaway
Aku menanti kamu everyday
Aku menunggu dari Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Aku tak ingin tak perlu
Pulanglah sebelum ku runaway
Aku menanti kamu everyday
Aku menunggu dari Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Aku tak ingin tak perlu
Aku dah bingung

I still not-so-secretly like this song.
XD

Halloween Short

2011-11-01T01:31:00.003+08:00

Excerpt from this article in TIME about what scares the people who scare us:

“There were eight or nine of us at a restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina, and we were telling ghost stories. The friend of a friend said, ‘When I was a girl living in Texas, I had a recurring dream. In this dream, I was walking down the street of my hometown, and a man would walk toward me. Sometimes he was older and sometimes he was younger. He didn’t always have the same face, but I always knew it was the same man. He would get closer and closer, and I would know that something bad was going to happen, but I would wake up each time before he reached me. I would be terrified.

One night, in my dream, we finally got face to face and I spoke to him. I said, “What is your name?” He said, “My name is Sammy.” And then I woke up, and I was so afraid that I couldn’t go back to sleep. I went to my sister’s room and said, “Can I get in bed with you? I've just had a really bad dream.” My sister said, “Was it Sammy?” I said, “What did you say? How do you know Sammy?” And my sister said, “I don’t. But you just brought him in the room with you.” I turned on the lights and I saw that my sister was asleep.’”

- As told by Kelly Link (horror writer)

I don't know bout you but this gave me the creeps! *shivers*

How To Spot A Diver/Newbie

2011-10-20T13:42:00.002+08:00

You can spot divers by:
* Funny Tan Lines (people have laughed at my "leggings" and slipper tan lines. I kid you not.)
* Big Watch (Okay, I haven't gotten one of those yet.)
* Says "Huh" alot (Ppl say I'm blur.)
* Scars from trigger fish bites (Thank God, I haven't felt one of those yet but white damselfishes are pure evil!)
* Expertise on anti-histamines

You can spot old time divers by:
* Funny Tan Lines
* Big Expensive Watch
* Old Jeep with bad shocks
* Log Book has volume number on cover
* Deaf in at least one ear
* Has multiple scars.
* Has cylinders older than you are
* Talks about making their first wet suit
* Dive gear is faded
* Limps from Dysbaric Osteonecrosis

You can spot newbie divers by:
* Sunburned
* Timex Watch
* Nice car
* Fills in all the blanks in their logbook
* No diving related scars
* Says "Wow, did you see that" alot
* Equipment looks nice
* Perfect hearing

Hee hee! Found this over at malaysiaunderwater.com. A lot of funny divers out there... XD

Konnichiwa Japanese Fair ^_^

2011-10-11T19:52:00.008+08:00

Dropped by Citymall KK to check out the japanese fair there last Saturday all thanks to my otaku sister! It was held from the 7th-9th October. Though not as exciting as the yearly Hobbycon, there was a dancing competition and sushi competition. Here are a few pics from the event (I'm not in any of them because I was playing photographer for the day...):

Mr Danboard greeted us in the parking lot...

This group of schoolboys strongly reminded me of Max 24:7! Most of the performers danced to Japanese songs sung by Koreans... @_@

Didn't get to see these army people perform!

You can buy collector items like samurai swords here!

Spotted Plue from Rave Master at one of the stalls!

Bought a couple boxes of Koala cookies (made in Thailand =_=') and sushi from Hana Restaurant's sushi stand! My mood that day wasn't so great because I was born a girl (cramps are evil). Can't believe I get dragged to these things by my baby sis every year. It amuses her somehow.

New Phone! :DDDDDD

2011-10-08T20:42:00.005+08:00

Okay, so scratch that Blackberry. I settled for the more reasonably priced HTC Wildfire S in pink (I couldn't take my eyes off it when I first saw it!). My very first smartphone... *blushes* I know I'm a little slow on the bandwagon and it was like complete phone-culture shock using it at first, but I think I've more or less got the hang of it!

I have decided to call my phone Lenglui (my lappie is Princess Sophia). Don't judge. ;-P

I really do hope it will at least last a year without any problems. So far, I'm just enjoying using the apps especially HTC Peep, Facebook for HTC Sense, Fruit Slice, Foursquare, Angry Birds, surfing anywhere with Wifi (haven't subscribed to an Internet package yet) and playing around with pics in the gallery... I could do this all day long!! *swipes to the next picture*

The novelty will eventually pass I'm sure since there are lots of other fabulous phones on the market, but for an entry level phone for beginners like me, it's adequate and pretty to boot! :D

Guilty Pleasure: Ojakgyo Family [2011]

2011-10-01T21:01:00.007+08:00

I give you, my latest craze: Ojakgyo Family (오작교 형제들)! I know watching K-dramas may not be the coolest hobby out there but I thrive on the stuff. Especially those family dramas where you can see how tightly knit Asian families are (just ignore all that stuff about birth secrets and evil stepmothers). I tend to gravitate to the cuter kind of family dramas, not the makjang ones where everybody seems to be cheating and spitting poison at each other.

Ojakgyo family is pretty addictive, though this is actually the second weekend drama that I've picked up (the first being Smile, You). Weekend dramas tend to be about 50 episodes unlike trendy dramas which usually span about 16 episodes. I have only watched one daily drama - You Are My Destiny starring SNSD's Yoona. Daily dramas can be over 100 episodes! Phew!

MY THOUGHTS:

Uee/Joo Won - (or Baek Ja Eun/Hwang Tae Hee) Not nearly enough Uee/Joo Won moments! NOT ENOUGHHHH... Uee was quite spoilt in the beginning and hopeless even though she's what, 22 in the drama? Joo Won, NO COMPLAINTS, he's so much more awesome as the male lead rather than the villain he played in Baker King Kim Tak Gu. I am reminded why I watch OF everytime they're onscreen...

Grandma & Mama Hwang - So annoying!! They should learn to give people a break...

Daddy Hwang - So mild mannered and cute! He's also the same dad from My Tutor Friend (How could I forget? Cow testicles, pfffttttt. Unforgettable yo.)

The Hwang Brothers - Eldest brother, Tae Sik, seems to have inherited his Dad's temperament. Very, very innocent (and SO different from his douch-ey character in Coffee House). Tae Bum, the second oldest and a reporter with the IBC, is the roguish, sly and charming character so commonly associated with journalists who have no integrity at all. Tae Pil, the youngest, is just like his name. A real pill. I have no love for his character or his stupid Ronald McDonald hair (harsh). Whenever they all have brother issues, as Tae Hee (Joo Won) is actually their cousin but brought up as one of them, it just breaks my heart.

Team Leader Cha Soo Young - Woman must've learnt manners from her mum. Completely dreadful and as screechy as she was in Smile, You. She looks much prettier here though. I was quite ready to like her character really until she went all, MARRY ME! YOU WILL MARRY ME! TRY DATING ME! FALL IN LOVE LATER BUT MARRY ME NOW!

The Cha Parents - It's killing me slowly to watch their parts. Like nails on a blackboard. Grating.

Misuk - Another lady from Baker King Kim Tak Gu. I sometimes half expect her to go - Ma Jun!, when she sees Tae Hee and Tae Hee - Tak Gu omma!, if they should ever bump into each other. Tee hee. She's obviously meant to be paired with Tae Sik but so far it's been ho hum.

So far I'm up to episode 11 but I actively seek spoilers since we're 'bout 3 weeks slower than the Korean air-date. Nothing much happens anyway, the spoilers are more like previews!

Follow Joo Won & his dimples every Sat & Sun (6.50pm GMT+8) on KBSWorld!

P.S. I've just discovered that Tumblr (click here) is a really good source for spoilers if anybody's looking. Soompi should be a goldmine too.

Some people are never happy

2011-10-01T20:54:00.002+08:00

Maybe the stress is getting to me.

Picture of the Day

2011-09-22T19:47:00.002+08:00

For whenever you feel like life has been handing you one too many lemons...

Miss AM - 'Goodbye Baby' Parody

2011-09-20T09:15:00.003+08:00

This sort of thing where a boy group performs a girl group's song always gets me giggling. I present to you, Miss AM's dance practice of Goodbye Baby! I think Jo Kwon is Min, Jin Woon is Suzy (I very nearly died) and Chang Min is Jia. So I guess Seulong must be Fei! XD

I doubt I'll be writing up a serious blog post anytime soon... I expect I'll be blogging in bits and pieces for the time being, so please bear with me... Hey, at least I'm blogging!

The Nyan Cat Re-emerges Again

2011-09-18T22:28:00.006+08:00

This seems to popping out a lot in people's conversations lately. I forgot who introduced this infamous cat to me, I think it was one of my silly sisters a couple of months ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the infamous Nyan Nyan Cat.

Click to visit Nyan.cat in all its glory (with music!) and see how long you can nyancat. @_@

Ah, Internet memes. XD

MBLAQ Doesn't Know...

2011-09-13T21:28:00.002+08:00

...how much I love them! Call it a passing fancy but their latest offering to kpop fans has got my toes curling in squeelified goodness.

I find MBLAQ's performance of I Don't Know (모르겠어요) charming somehow... And it finally got me interested in MBLAQ as I find Lee Joon boorish and even though Mir is somewhat adorable and Sandara Park's brother is in the group, they just never had a song I actually liked.

Well, I Don't Know definitely marks a turning point for me, kinda what Beautiful did for me and B2ST. Now I adore both groups!

The only guy I've seen who can pull off Harry Potter glasses:

Previously unbeknownst to myself, G.O. (or Jung Byung Hee) debuted as the member known for his...facial hair. Pffft.

He's still a cutie though. :D (G.O., I hope you know what I'm thinking!)

And that episode of Invisible Youth where the MBLAQ boys are paired up with the girls and face horror sequences cracks me up till today!

P/S: Blogger is so buggy today. Either that or Internet in Malaysia is crap.

Korean Music Wave 2011 in Malaysia

2011-09-04T09:11:00.005+08:00

Date: September 24th
Venue: Stadium Merdeka

Wish I could go but I don't think so! Unless I can successfully propagate and culture money in the lab (or so my friend says).

Confirmed acts: Big Bang (TOP, Seung Ri and G-dragon), FT Island, Teen Top, 4minute, U-kiss and Park Jung Min

But there may be even more acts to come! Oh, if 2NE1 comes I'll be eating my labcoat.

For more information: Tickets / Facebook / Twitter

Jdorama rambles...

2011-09-04T08:45:00.006+08:00

I've been looking for a jdorama to pick up ever since I graduated because all I've been watching is Team Medical Dragon 3 (I'm a TMD fan!!) and Honey and Clover (the things I watch for Osamu Mukai...). So far, I'm down to two different titles, both with vaguely interesting premises and well-known actors and actresses.

Zenkai Girl

Synopsis: Devoted to becoming an international lawyer, Ayukawa Wakaba is full of ambition. Her hard work pays off when she lands a job at an international law firm, but to her disappointment, the first prestigious assignment that is given to her is to babysit the boss' 5 year old daughter, Hinata. Wakaba loathes kids and nursing, but unwillingly takes on the job as she is fixated on wealth and success. One day when she goes to a preschool to pick up Hinata, she meets a man named Yamada Sota. Sota is a man without higher education, wealth, or a future goal, someone that Wakaba absolutely cannot stand, the complete opposite of her ideals. Once again, contrary to her will, she ends up looking after Hinata and a few other kids along with Sota. Despite being exhausted from all the first-time experiences in child care, Wakaba begins to realize what is truly important to her. A heart-warming comedy about work, relationships and love. -- Fuji TV (Dramawiki)

Nishikido Ryo! Though I don't know if I've gotten over him playing a psycho in Last Friends. Still love Yamapi better!

Ouran High School Host Club

Synopsis: The story revolves around a high school girl named Fujioka Haruhi (Kawaguchi) at the prestigious Ouran Academy, who stumbles upon a group of male students who have formed their own club as hosts. Accidentally breaking an antique vase, Haruhi ends up owing the club a vast amount of money, and she ends up posing as a host in order to repay her debt. (Dramawiki)

I did eye this earlier after they started casting (or miscasting rather). Ratings looks terrible so I might not be checking it out though the anime and manga were absolutely delightful. :)

P.S. So many dramas and so little time. TWdrama Drunken to Love You seems awesome too and I have yet to finish Hotaru no Hikari 2. Though I'm still embracing my inner himono-onna! =D

Storytime!

2011-09-03T13:40:00.004+08:00

A long long time ago, before the world was created and humans could set foot on it, virtues and vices floated around, not quite knowing what to do. One day, all of them were gathered together and Ingenious came up with an idea playing "hide-and-seek". Everyone like the idea and immediately, Madness shouted "I want to count, I want to count."

Since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed. Madness leaned against a tree and started counting. As Madness counted, the vices and virtues ran off to look for places in which to hide.

Madness continued to shout out: "...79,80,..." By then, all the others were well hidden except for Love. Fickle as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. And this shouldn't surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.

Just when Madness got to 100, Love jumped into a rose bush. Madness turned around and shouted "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Laziness was the first to be found as he did not have the energy to hide. Then Madness spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, Lie at the bottom of the lake and passion at the centre of the earth.

One by one, Madness found them all, except for Love. He was getting desprate. Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness "He is in the rose bush". Madness" jumped on the rose bush and he heard a heartbreaking cry. The thorns in the bush had pierced "Loves" eyes.

Love appreared from the bush, with both hands covering his face. Blood oozed from his eyes and trickled down his fingers.

"What have I done?! What have I done?!" Madness screamed. " I have blinded you! How can I repair the damage?" Love answered, "You cannot repair my eyes. But if you really want to do something for me, you can be my guide."

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness.

-Anonymous-

(Found this posted as a note on Facebook by my friend, Bel, and I just thought I'd share...)

Mt. Kinabalu - A First Timer's Experience

2011-08-25T20:50:00.013+08:00

*tired face*

Ah, a day of firsts. Two days in fact. First time climbing Mt. Kinabalu. First time standing 4095 metres above sea level. First time where wearing 4 layers of clothing isn't warm enough. First time I'm walking like penguin. Most of the pictures below are from Audrey's camera since I'm not a really diligent photo-taker. The weather was fair for those 2 days. Small blessings because it poured the day before, and some people have dreadful experiences climbing up in rough weather as it can be very cold!

This is where everyone stresses how important and vital your training should be before climbing. Well I'm going to skip that part, because I honestly am regretting it at the moment. I packed 2 warm jackets, 2 tshirts, 1 torch (though seriously the headlamp is better), 2 pairs of thick socks, 1 pair of leggings, a bottle of water, wet wipes and stuff to munch on. You won't really shower there because it's icy cold but boy, did I stink afterwards.

Zendo fixing up my tongkat sakti (they were out of the cheaper wooden ones (RM3), metal ones cost RM40 but it's RM16 to rent from the van drivers)

I went in a group of 5 and a half, which consisted of me, Dyanna, Nova, Noell, Audrey and our magician guide, Zendo, who disappears and reappears at will, but cheerful always. Dyanna, who invited me to join in this trip, has climbed up 9 times already and was practically our guide. Alright, so the trip we took was just for 2 days and a night at Gunting Lagadan, which is located less than 200 metres away from Laban Rata Guesthouse.

Whoa!

I (somehow) managed to carry all 4kg of my stuff up to Laban Rata which is more than 6 km away. At the rest stop (around the 3km mark) before Pondok Layang-Layang, we ate the packed lunches we were given. Imagine my dismay when I found out that I had been lugging an apple, 2 bananas, 2 boiled eggs and 3 sandwiches plus an extra bottle of water for 3 km.

A bunch of guys were bringing down the huge Malaysian flag that was hung up on Aug 1

Climbing up, you'll meet a lot of porters going up and down, leaping easily from rock to rock, in rubber shoes or slippers (our guide was wearing sneakers). Legs of steel, these people. Besides mattresses and gas tanks, we actually watched one guy lift a whole washing machine up! *salutes* Anyway, they would always smile and tell us "pelan-pelan" (take it slowly) but that is not as exasperating as my friend's exclamation of "dekat sudah!" (almost there!) even when we were faaar away from the next rest stop or whatever.

Anyway, the squirrels in Mt. Kinabalu are more like what I think squirrels should look like, not the skinny ones we see here in KK. But they act like rats in all the dustbins, scavenging for leftovers. Super cute rats. The shrubbery and trees were unlike anything I've seen before and they are adapted to withstand strong winds with their bonsai-like branches.

Brrrrrrr!

Laban Rata Dining Hall

When we reached Laban Rata, we were greeted by a huge gust of wind. It was 9 degrees Celcius up there. Lunch was delightful, I really appreciated the buffet lunch we had there, it was filling and the hot drinks were heaven-sent! But drink up, because hot food doesn't stay hot for long, as the case was with our soup. :-(

Maggi time!

Gunting Lagadan dorms have blankets, 2 pillows and little wooden bunkbed which is more than adequate (I was expecting something truly horrible with no blankets), toilets (but no hot water) and a kitchen with a stove, sink, pots, kettles and very basic kitchen utensils. So we didn't have to walk all the way back to Laban Rata for supper (maggi and instant tea/coffea mixes!), since the trek up to the top of the mountain starts at the entrance pathway next to the GL dorms. And then...

SUCCESS! The scenery up here just takes your breath away. I also finally saw the actual Donkey Ears Peak!

Okay! So after all that climbing to the peak from 2 am we finally reached Low's Peak in time to see the sunrise at 6 am. AND IT WAS COLD. After a few pictures, I hastily climbed down to seek warmth and only fell on my ass once when I slipped on a wet area. I avoided wetness every chance I got after that episode. My legs were shaking when we reached the dorms again 3 hours later. After packing, we headed down to Laban Rata for breakfast which was delightful as usual. There was a possibility that we might miss lunch so I stuffed my face there.

More much-dreaded stairs going down!

Breakfast! Mmmmmm....

We left Laban Rata at 11 am and we rushed to get down to Kinabalu Park for lunch (it's only from 2-4 pm). Let's just say, I lost the feeling in my legs 3 km later and hobbled like a disabled person for the next 3 km to Timpohon Gate, almost twisting an ankle and nearly falling down really embarrassingly. I now understand why some people never even get halfway up, give up climbing to the peak or have to get carried down the mountain by porters/guides. It is truly strenuous, being as unfit as I am.

Before actually reaching the gate, after all those stairs going down, I was greeted by a looong flight of stairs going upwards. Talk about nightmares coming true. An old guy at the counter kept peering down at me, at my tortoise-like progress and Dyanna was in stitches. But at least she borrowed me her other walking stick so I could hobble along at a slightly faster pace. =_='

After all that rushing for lunch, we made it to Balsam Buffet Restaurant where the employees were pleasant enough to pack lunches for our friends who couldn't come down in time for lunch. I got my coloured printed certificate and that's that. My friend quipped that even though we didn't have much of a stamina, at least we have a lot of mental strength. Heh. :)

My only fault with Balsam is their long flight of stairs to the restaurant! *sorrow*

.
.
.

One thing to cross off the bucket list!

Leave a comment if you found this in any way helpful! :)

Kpop Influences in Malaysia

2011-08-25T20:21:00.005+08:00

I nearly had an epileptic fit when I heard the lyrics and saw the promo pics of the K-pop influenced Malaysian band called Max 24/7! I love that Malaysians are starting to dance in their music videos and not just jump around singing rock songs or sway melodiously to music (which is what I look like when I try to 'dance').

However that's the only good thing I can say about this band. The song's vaguely catchy but it's catchy in a I-like-to-sing-this-to-annoy-ppl kind of way. A Rebecca Black song. Dance needs a little more energy. At least a handful are not bad-looking. Potential. Weird how the girl band Gula-gula (mostly comprised of Sabahan gals) is getting slammed more than these guys by Malaysian gossip rags and blogs. Probably has to do with the girls being 'sexy' I guess. But they do need a better song.

BTW, congrats to Ruffneckz who won the Kpop Hitz Talent Show and got to perform their dance at LotteWorld in Seoul! Previously this year, they also won the Halo! YG Day competition! I love love love their spunk and I hope to watch one of their performances one day. I've been a fan since the Korean Wave Contest they had last year organized by KTO. They didn't even place but I think they rocked the house.

Here's a few clips of their performances.

Halo! YG Day sponsored by YG

Kpop Hitz Talent Show Finals sponsored by Astro

Last year at the Korean Wave Contest

Their Facebook Fan Page here

Scent of a Woman (2011)

2011-08-12T21:02:00.008+08:00

Just started this today because the recaps sounded oh-so-good and my friend keeps raving about it on Twitter. And I don't regret it one bit. After the immaturity and fluffiness of Heartstrings, it's a bit of a relief actually to watch something a little angsty and dare I say, sexy?

Ratings are pretty good too but I can't say I'm surprised, Lee Dong Wook sure packs a punch in his comeback drama after military service. TWO shower scenes in a row? And his expressions! Argh, Hyun Bin and Lee Dong Wook came back as new men. ;-)

The title makes me think back to the first time I watched the 1992 movie Scent of a Woman starring Al Pacino as a blind and bitter ex-soldier. Highly recommended coming-of-age story.

Curiously, both have themes of tango in them so maybe therein lies the similarity that links them together.

Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar

Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah

Darn, I've gone and gotten myself invested in another SBS drama! (Maybe I'm speaking too soon but I'll definitely be following this for a while...)

P/S: Still watching Heartstrings but I'm hanging on (barely) just for Ki Young, Jun Hee and Yoon Soo's wardrobe.

On Hiatus

2011-08-10T21:15:00.005+08:00

August has been a hectic hectic start to the month so far and I will try to squeeze a post or two during my free time but the workplace is so busy during summer and the heat is getting to me.

Will update on current stuff later but I'll share just one with you now.

I have Astro Beyond HD now!!! I did wonder why some people had a different colored Astro satellite dish, turns out it's to receive the HD signal. There's quite a few new channels but the two I appreciate the most are One HD (SO MUCH KOREAN DRAMAS I COULD PUKE ON THEM) and FX HD (which is pretty much Fox). Watched My Name is Earl yesterday, I finally get the jokes. Even HBO and Starmovies are in HD! Oh sweet mother of teevees. I appreciate my flatscreen so much more now!

Yeah, so that keeps me busy nights aside from friends. Jace is back from NZ, Sylvia and Jill just went flew off but I'm looking forward to Matilda being back towards the end of September! Course there's also Wongy and Kim Wong to bother here in KK! :D MIA: Vivian, Grace, Rachel & Lavee (Oh when will I see you again?)

I'm gonna put off rock-climbing till I get Mt. Kinabalu over and done with. August is tiring enough. Lord, give me the patience to deal with people this month.

Till less busier days!

You can't be serious?!

Awesomeness

2011-07-31T21:09:00.003+08:00

How I Met Your Mother makes for good dinner TV! Refreshing myself on all the shows I've missed... My sisters seem to have watched nearly every episode while I've only just begun.

I think that I finally get the appeal of motivational posters... :)

Falling For C.N. Blue

2011-07-22T07:32:00.009+08:00

I think I've grown more fond of this group ever since You've Fallen For Me/Heartstrings started. Call it a new-found appreciation (for Min Hyuk) if you will. ^_^

Love how this song is about forgetting. The version that Park Shin Hye sings in episode 7 is also quite lovely!

I also noticed that 그럴 겁니다... 잊을 겁니다... (I will... forget you...) is also the title of the episode.

TRANSLATION

I will forget you. Starting today,
I don't know you. I have never seen you.
We never even walked past each other.
I'm okay. I forgot everything. I'm happy with my busy life.
I've met a great person too.

Love is always like this. It fades away after some time.
Can't even remember it, Oh.

# When love goes away, another love comes again. It definitely will.
Even if it hurts now, it will hear a little later.
It will forget. I will too.

It's not difficult. I will forget everything after today.
I'm just getting used to my changed life. Oh~ No.

Love is always like this. It fades away after some time.
Can't even remember it. Yes~

# REPEAT

I will erase everything.
I definitely will.

When love goes away, another love comes again. It definitely will.
Even if tears fall now, I will smile a little later.
I will (now) forget you (now). Just like a wound heals...
I will. I will. I will forget you.

TRANSLATION: 1takeKK@Cnblue-sky.net
IMAGE: Deenakahara

Maroon 5 Appreciation Day!

2011-07-18T20:38:00.005+08:00

I declare today as Maroon 5 Appreciation Day! (If Taiwan can have a Lady Gaga Day, so can I!) Because who can deny that Adam Levine has one of the sexiest voices of the century? His voice makes me wanna spontaneously ovulate! *blush*

Vanessa's Maroon 5 Playlist (in no particular order)

Sweetest Goodbye
Never Gonna Leave This Bed
Won't Go Home Without You
Harder to Breathe
This Love
Goodnight Goodnight
Gotten (Slash feat. Adam Levine)
Sunday Morning
She Will Be Loved
Pure Imagination
Secret

I'm such a sucker for these kinds of songs. I loved Savage Garden before Maroon 5 when nearly everybody was into BSB and N'Sync. Well, at least I know that Adam Levine's straight. Don't want my heart broken twice. ;-P

TV Shows: A Run-through!

2011-07-15T20:54:00.006+08:00

I haven't really been keeping up with TV shows recently, what with work taking over most of my time as well as drama-watching. Here's a list what I need/want to catch up on:

1) Chuck S3-S5
I am still somewhere in Season 3! Because I have an undying love for Zachary Levi, I aim to sit this one through and eat as many Subway sandwiches as possible (when will they open a Subway in Kota Kinabalu?). This will be Chuck's 5th and final season.

2) Gossip Girl S4-S5
I'm wondering if I should drop this one. The story gets so tiresome but the clothes and the people=still very pretty. Word is Chace will lock lips with Liz Hurley and Dianna Agron is currently dating GG badboy, Sebastian Stan in real life.

3) Vampire Diaries S3 (September 15)
I am a couple of episodes away from finishing Season 2. DAMON. You are the only reason I'm watching this.

4) True Blood S4

What I'm looking forward to:

1) GLEE! Though looks like Finn, Rachel and Kurt will be graduating in the next season... But I hope the newer members will have an equally talented set of pipes!)

2) Neil Gaiman's American Gods (HBO TV series)
I'm really into the fantasy and mythology genre, so even if I did not necessarily enjoyed the book, I have my fingers crossed about this one! Plus Gaiman has mentioned that the storyline will run a different course from the book so fans won't always know what's gonna happen next.

Stuff I watch out of boredom: Bones, White Collar, the CSIs and How I Met Your Mother

Stuff I want to try: Modern Family and Mad Men

Dissatisfaction

2011-07-13T14:26:00.006+08:00

Image credit: Mei Tzeu

不爽 (Dissatisfaction): I just found out what it means! And I thought it was a very poignant reminder, smack in the middle of the city of Kota Kinabalu, of how we bear it, walk over it and remain apathetic about it...

I'm going to go back to reading my book, The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss! And yes, I managed to find it in KL. In hardcover! The bookworm in me delights in this juicy find. I'm reading it slowly just to savour it because the Kingkiller Chronicle really IS that good.

Staying in because Harry Potter is sold out. For the next two nights!! Bummer.

How Do You View the World?

2011-07-12T20:57:00.007+08:00

I thought this was very cute.

Click to make the image read-able. (I don't think that word exists)

I don't know who to credit for this diagram, but I found it on sweatlee's blog.

Especially love the meth addict and the aboriginal!

(I feel that I am developing a habit as of late of posting twice in one day to make up for all those days where I don't post a thing. Hee.)

MIDE 2011 + B2ST Fanmeeting

2011-07-06T20:33:00.008+08:00

Just came back from KL 3 days ago. Took me 3 whole days to blog about MIDE because I had to recover from the extreme crowd explosion in KL. Ugh. Headache, headache. Btw, KL is rather hazy these days.

Anyway, MIDE was quite an experience! I don't know if I'll go back there again next year. There's all these people hopping in front of you and shoving brochures in your face. It was a 3-day event (1st-3rd July) and we went on the 2nd day, but word is prices get slashed on the 3rd day. Bumped into lotsa Marine Bio seniors and some UMT staff!

Some of the more memorable booths there were:

- Reef Check Malaysia
- The Save the Sharks booth (I signed the petition! Have you?)
- Rainbow Runners (where I got my Mares Superchannel fins from a terribly annoying guy)
- A & L Enterprise (where I got my Atomic Aquatics Frameless Mask)
- Hydro Sapiens (Cute graphic tees!)
- Sea Shepherd (Great tees! Expensive though, from France)

Everything there is just so much cheaper than anywhere else in Malaysia. So if you're looking to buy diving gear, dive accessories, fish ID books or cheap diving packages, you should definitely pay them a visit next year! If you want diving gear head-to-toe in pink, you'll probably find it here! I didn't realize there were so many scuba diving brands out there. Only familiar with Mares, Seacsub and Scubapro.

Though the crowds are gonna make me think twice before going there again next year... Phew! And it's not just PWTC (where MIDE Was held) that was packed, it was everywhere! KLCC, Midvalley, Lowyat, Berjaya Times Square, you name it!

Mega Sale + summer holidays + weekend = crowds of massive proportions

I can't seem to locate my camera so no piccies. :-(

Oh oh, and we were at Sunway on the day of the B2ST fanmeeting and I got to see the long line of fans waiting to get in and I HAD to buy some silly fangirly souvenirs (hehe) because there were just so many selling outside!! There were even people drawing and coloring their signboards and lights with the group members' names that you can wave around. My only regret is that I did not get the T-shirt (lol).

Dancing white ants! This was worse than Siberia seats! Hot damn, I think I see Doo Joon! XP

My obsession with Korean stuff knows no bounds. We even paid a visit to The Street Cafe at Sunway because I had a coupon thing from K-popped!, only to find out later that it could only be used at the SS15 outlet. I thought it was the one near Asia Cafe in Subang but oh well. Food was okay, I didn't order anything creative, just beef mixed rice and peach soda (which turned out to be peach-flavored water) but the kimchi rocked! It's pretty simple fare all around.

Image credit: Koriot

C.N. Blue's Min Hyuk in You've Fallen For Me!

2011-07-06T20:18:00.007+08:00

Main reason I'm watching You've Fallen For Me (MBC)

OHMYGAWD is this little guy cute or what??! But he's so expensive to feed! Min Hyuk (from the popular band C.N. Blue) acts as Jun Hee who is the ever-hungry drummer in the fictional band The Stupid. Owkaaayyy....

The drama is also known as Heartstrings and sorta plays out like a shoujo manga and runs around the theme of traditional music vs. pop/rock music and college students. At least that's my first impression of it anyway. It also helps that it's riding on the coattails of the hugely popular TV series You Are Beautiful.

I'm terribly drawn to dramas that involve music. Gotta ♥ musicals! ^_^

Picture vomit time!! =D

P.S. I AM ALREADY ADDICTED.

Good Reads: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

2011-06-28T20:10:00.007+08:00

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss kind of appealed to me since I'm a fan of Trudi Canavan's books. I think I'm noticing a running theme here. *points to book cover* Of course the difference here is that Patrick Rothfuss spent 7 years writing the Kingkiller Chronicle which was eventually split into 3 parts starting with The Name of the Wind and following it with The Wise Man's Fear.

I'm no expert on literature nor am I a good judge of reading material but I really enjoyed this one! After a while you just get absorbed in it. Kvothe is the flawed protagonist in the book and in the story, he's dictating his past and how he became a legend, to a scribe.

Elodin has got be my most favorite character in this book. He's the kooky master arcanist at the University who's the best Namer there is. This means, in layman's terms (or to people who haven't read the book), that you can control something if you know its true name.

Favorite quotes:

"Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man's will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself."

"Elodin proved a difficult man to find. He had an office in Hollows, but never seemed to use it. When I visited Ledgers and Lists, I discovered he only taught one class: Unlikely Maths. However, this was less than helpful in tracking him down, as according to the ledger, the time of the class was 'now' and the location was 'everywhere."

Favorite bits:
- Whenever Kvothe plays the lute
- Chapter 46: The Ever-Changing Wind; where Kvothe tries to get under Elodin's tutelage for the art of naming (HAHAHAHAHA)

~As I lay there, counting my blessings and broken ribs, Elodin stepped into my line of vision. He looked down at me. "Congratulations," he said. That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen." His expression was a mix of awe and disbelief. "Ever."

And that is when I decided to pursue the noble art of artificing.~

-------------------------------

Currently on the lookout for the sequel: The Wise Man's Fear. It came out in March but it's still hard to find in KK... Will continue hunting for it in KL! =D

Image credit: Marc Simonetti

Captain Awesome!

2011-06-25T20:59:00.010+08:00

First of all, I am not referring to the much-loved character (Devon) on NBC's Chuck.

This article in the Daily Express (Page 3) today, kinda made my day a little bit more awesomer than usual.

Nothing like more encouragement to push forward and keep improving!

And baby sis did us all proud by getting 3rd in class this semester! *hugs*

The brat told everyone I paid her for poking around my old boxes when I was spring cleaning my room (I couldn't stop sneezing from all the dust). I wanted to throw stuff away last night but unfortunately I am struck by an inconvenient malady which leaves me disconcerted (to put it mildly) by ugh, roaches.

So she got one buck for each box.

P/S: 5 more days! :DDD

6 More Days to MIDE!

2011-06-24T22:52:00.002+08:00

The Suunto D4 dive computer.

PRETTY.

Will not have $ for anything else if I buy this there. Oh well.

What Can I Do (Seungri) english cover by MoA

2011-06-17T19:52:00.007+08:00

I kinda dig this better than the original, autotune and everything. MoA disappeared online after legal battles I presume, but I think this english cover of Seungri's (Big Bang) What Can I Do was by far her best.

Download link: Mediafire

I still love you, Seungri maknae!!! <3

On a side note, B2ST will be having a fanmeeting in Sunway, KL on the 1st of July and I'm absolutely DYING to go! I hope they'll perform Fact or Fiction or Beautiful!!!

*opens dusty wallet* Maybe I'll just have to be content with fanvids... :-(

Rock-Climbing at SICC

2011-06-17T11:03:00.015+08:00

This was a few months ago and Christine (co-owner of SICC) was belaying [Pic credit: Aaron's BB]
So I just started my belaying class 2 weeks ago at the Sabah Indoor Climbing Center. I've been climbing since last year and I've been belaying people illegally (with a qualified belayer overseeing of course) and my friends were like-"I've seen you belay lots of people! Why are you learning only now?" Wakakakaka! I'm absolutely dying to try the blue wall on the right because I haven't gotten to that one yet!!

The belaying class is about RM40 but I was just in time for the RM20 promo price before it ended in June. :) The support staff (Roy, Ronnie, Vincent, Irene & others) there are really friendly though I usually get called Gayana by the people there. =____=

Anyway, the lesson is done in four hours from 7-8pm on weekdays and a different time on weekends and public holidays but my memory fails me.

First lesson was how to use the GriGri, which is this chunky heap of metal right here:

It's best suited for thinner or softer rope and is supposed to be safer than the ATC, because of its safety lock mechanism.

Second lesson was using the ATC:

This is the more commonly used device and most people prefer it because you can use it with harder and thicker rope. It also has a greater stopping power because it utilizes friction.

You don't just learn how to use these equipment during the lesson, you also learn how to brief your partner how to climb safely with the rope between their arms and double check their knots before allowing them to climb. I've forgotten what comes after in Lesson 3 but assessment comes after that and I hope I will have gotten it down pat by then. Should ask Beverly for tips!

If anyone's interested in climbing at the Sabah Indoor Climbing Center, it's RM 21 for first-timers which includes your registration fee (RM5), entrance fee (RM10) and equipment rental (RM6). Bring your own socks and keep your fingernails short! Best not to climb if you have a cut on your finger or risk reopening the wound (by my own experience). Curse you barnacle!

Hopefully I can get my own gear someday, but probably after I get my diving gear first. 13 more days to the Malaysian International Dive Expo (MIDE)!!! ^^

And 1 more month till I take a step higher to a new frontier: Mount Kinabalu!!! WHOA WHOA WHOAAAAAAAAAAAA

K-drama: Baby Faced Beauty (Thoughts)

2011-06-15T21:44:00.012+08:00

So on the K-drama front, I haven't been dutifully watching anything recently, just bits and pieces...but I think I'll pick up Baby Faced Beauty again because last night's episode was so cute! (it's episode 10 on KBSWorld and it's the one where she's crying on the ground and then comes penguin hug!)

At first I thought Daniel Choi was overdoing it a little bit on the dorky guy act but it can be quite refreshing and charming sometimes. :) Especially if you look like Daniel Choi.

Elsewhere, you can't imagine my relief when she finally comes clean about her age, I thought the whole idea was preposterous anyway as lying about your age will only backfire. Can't wait to see what happens next week in the aftermath of her confession! Dun dun dun.

P/S: Someone told me that all I blog about is Korean dramas and all I can say is that FYI I usually blog about what I'm thinking about at the moment and to record stuff I did or went through at some point in time (kind of like a diary). I actually meant this blog to be more article-based but those kinds of posts are a bit stuffy. :-P

Other dramas airing at the moment you can check out:
1) I Need Romance (TVN) - Sort of like Sex and the City. A little risque.
2) Romance Town (KBS) - Young Hee!!!
3) City Hunter (SBS) - Too Athena/Iris-ish for me.
4) Miss Ripley (MBC) - Femme fatale con-woman on the loose... It's Micky!
5) The Greatest Love (MBC) - I don't dig the actress or the story. Mianhae, Cha Seung Won oppa!
6) Lie To Me (SBS) - YOON EUN HYE & KANG JI HWAN

Take your pick! Nothing really standing out at the moment but I do keep up with BFB, RT and I've just started on INR (Kim Jung Hoon, rawr!).
XD

Internship Reunion!

2011-06-13T00:00:00.009+08:00

Internship two years ago was kinda unforgettable. Really glad I got to meet up with some of them tonight for Pizza Hut and Yoyo Lintas!!

(L-R) Audrey, me, Liyana, Shafwan and Fendy

Missing here are Herman, Billie, Maryam and Si Putih (Dolum)... Hope we see each other again soon! (Hopefully with the rest of the gang) :)

All night long Fendy kept jabbering about his ring. Honestly, I was dying to rip it off his finger and fling it to the nearest bush. (Plus I think men's oversized bejewelled rings are a li'l tacky) =_=

Sleepiness. Gonna grab some shuteye now...

Images are from Audrey's Iphone.

Ouran High School Hostclub jdorama this July!

2011-05-31T19:02:00.009+08:00

Stumbled on this piece of news today... The extremely popular manga/anime Ouran High School Host Club will be receiving the drama treatment this July! I've been wondering when they would do this ever since they did Mei-chan No Shitsuji (don't bother).

The casting according to Dramawiki is as follows:

Kawaguchi Haruna as Haruhi

Yamamoto Yusuke as Tamaki

Nakamura Masaya as Mori

Chiba Yudai as Hani

Takagi Shinpei & Takagi Manpei as Hikaru & Kaoru

Daito Shunsuke as Kyoya

Images source: Akibatan

I'm all for Kawaguchi Haruna (sweet child) and Daito Shunsuke (he was Shun Oguri's li'l bro in Hana Kimi!) as I'm familiar with their dramas and I find them agreeable. The twins (I'm surprised they found some real twins!) might not be too bad and the guy casted as Hani looks adorable. The guy casted as Mori has potential too (being tall just like his character). The main problem I find with this (myself and my sisters included)?

Yamamoto Yusuke as Tamaki. *thunderclap* This looks like a disaster waiting to happen. I'm actually HOPING Haruhi doesn't end up with Tamaki. Fingers crossed that this jdorama doesn't suck. It's been awhile since my last one (Hotaru no Hikari 2). I just happened to be rewatching Yankee-kun to Megane-chan when I stumbled on this piece of news.

May Quickie

2011-05-31T13:58:00.002+08:00

Hey everybody!! Kotobian tadau tagazo do kaamatan, sumandaks and dogos of Sabah!

If anyone's been wondering why my blog looks different every week, it's because I can't seem to stick on one layout for long!! I might just go back to my dark and dreary layout because I simply cannot deal with colours!

Quick Updates (because I am a lazeh blogger):

- Added Pages to my blog. Still under construction.
- Started on a new kdrama, with the cheesiest title everrr, Romance Town! But dang is this stuff addictive. Mostly centers around a bunch of maids. More on that later. (FYI Young Hee aka Kim Min Joon looks like a sex god.)
- Will be getting a smartphone next week, Blackberry probably, fingers crossed! There goes my phone bill.
- Watched Kungfu Panda 2 with Wongy! (still not a fan of animated movies...)
- Is Glee's prom episode awesome or what??!!! Almost as good as the Britney episode! Artie, you're such a doll. (Isn't She Lovely is my current ringtone)
- 30 more days to MIDE!!!
- Am gonna miss Cheryle lots... But I know it's for all the right reasons. All the best in your next stage in life!!! ♥
- Finally showed my face at the Kinabalu Yacht Club after half a year! (Or more.) Gosh, how people have changed. People who seemed scary, now seem so small. People who were the coolest, now look old. Kids grow up and glorified memories sink in the brunt face of reality. I'm not that shy girl with low self esteem anymore.

Just remembered a comment a friend made about me yesterday. She told me I'd be representing Pulau Gaya at this year's Unduk Ngadau. zzzzZZZzZZZZZ

Musings on a Friday morning

2011-05-27T08:30:00.002+08:00

"This is the mythosphere. It's made up of all the stories, theories and beliefs, legends, myths and hopes, that are generated here on Earth. As you can see, it's constantly growing and moving as people invent new tales to tell or find new things to believe. The older strands move out to become these spirals, where things tend to become quite crude and dangerous. They've hardened off, you see."
— Diana Wynne Jones

It's Our Time to Shine!

2011-05-21T21:18:00.008+08:00

Meant to blog about this earlier while it was still fresh in my mind, but I guess a few days doesn't make any difference. I heard that an 8TV crew was coming over to interview us at MERC so I was like, yea, must be another over-excited and energetic Chinese dude exclaiming how beautiful the place is (due to my experience of watching 8TV cooking shows). Then we found out it was Henry Golding coming over, and we were literally screaming in the office! (Don't deny it, girls!!) XD

Okay, so I made a terrible first impression. It kinda went like this.

(Introducing ourselves.)
HG: Hi, what's your name?
Me: *stunned* Henry Golding...
HG: That's my name! I asked for yours!
(Everyone bursts into laughter)

Yeah, that's pretty much how ditzy I can be in front of hot guys. I even got tricked into holding his hand for the interview by him and the crew, who initially said yes, this was standard protocol, and all started giggling when I fell for it. =_= That was when Petrina said we should learn not to believe anything they say.

Diving was short and sweet, visibility was just so-so that day... One of the best parts of the day was finally getting to try the food at Alu-alu Seafood Restaurant!! James (the chef) is amazing!! My fave was the beancurd and vegetables. :D

L-R:Jeffry, Khairi, Petrina, Amin, Asman & Henry, Front Row: Cheryle, Kristen and me

I get the feeling they do this all the time!

Anyway, the whole crew was genuinely friendly and playful! I guess you have to be when you go traveling around meeting lots of people all the time. The show's called Without Boundaries and the first season's about islands. I'll be tuning in when it airs (hopefully when I'm not in the office) and it should be good!

Henry and Cheryle (one of my fave shots because of Asman leaping in the background, haha!!)

We cam-whored towards the end of the day so everyone was visibly tired out by then. I kept a reminder of the day which set the girls in stitches on the boat back to the city. Ah, Vanessa, bless your crazy soul. Vienna (the MERC princess) was on holiday in Paris at the time with dear Sarah Passoni (we all miss you lots, soriot!) and told us to send her regards to HG!

All in a day's work... Till next time! ♥

Dream Camera!

2011-05-21T21:00:00.005+08:00

The previous camera on my wishlist was the Canon G12 before I laid eyes on this baby!

The quality of the pictures with the Panasonic Lumix GF-1 just seem soooo much better! I'm no pro when it comes to cameras, but I like fiddling with a Canon G10 when I take underwater pictures. The price of this baby and the Canon G12 seem more or less the same, but the underwater casing for the LUMIX is waaay more expensive!

Arrrgh, but I can't go shopping for other stuff till MIDE is over!

MIDE, MIDE, MIDE~ (Can't wait!!!)

Thought this diagram of smartphone users was hilarious!! Doesn't help me decide which to get though...

Sharks in Sabah Are Going Extinct

2011-05-14T10:29:00.008+08:00

Attended a talk about sharks by Prof Steve Oakley from The Green Connection at The Sabah Society last Thursday.

If you knew how shark's fin was harvested, would you still eat that bowl of shark's fin soup?

The fins are chopped off when the shark is still ALIVE and the shark is then thrown back into the sea to make room for more fins (more valuable than shark's meat).

What do you think happens to the shark later?! They can't freakin' grow back a new fin can they? The sharks are unable to swim normally and either suffocate or get eaten by other fish. Can you imagine the waste?

Here are pictures by someone called Dicky Ho who encountered a dying baby whale shark.

This cute baby whale shark was swimming in shallow water at the beach... But what you can't see in this pic is that...

...the shark's fin was missing. And it was badly cut and scratched all over. They had to put it out of its misery.

Whale sharks are huge, harmless, plankton-eating sharks in the sea. And this one was just a baby. Next time you see shark's fin on the menu, remember what the shark went through to give you that 'dish'.

Malaysia is the 10th highest shark-hunting country. How is this possible you ask when there are barely any sharks left Malaysia? Most of it is caught by deep sea fishing vessels that even sail as far as Hawaii.

Sharks can only be spotted by divers in the deep sea of Borneo now and only in the shallow waters of Lankayan and Sipadan island in Sabah. I have never seen any sharks in Mengalum (KK area) aside from the migrating whale sharks that visit every year. There are no more sharks left in the peninsular.

Sharks keep our seas healthy and balance our ecosystems. They generate thousands of $ for the tourism diving industry. Tourists are not paying $ to see finned sharks at the fish market.

Do sharks a favour before it is TOO LATE!

P/S: BTW the cheap frozen shark's fin at stores like Giant is actually a gelatin-based vegetarian food. Don't go bothering the manager about it, haha...

At Last!! punches air

2011-05-10T21:40:00.005+08:00

Finally found Trudi Canavan's latest addition! I like her novel The Magician's Apprentice but I wasn't intending on reading The Black Magician Trilogy because I didn't like what I read in the spoilers...and then I found out that her latest trilogy, The Traitor Spy Trilogy, will be a sequel series to it. So I bought the books and finished them in a week, they were that good! (I'm a slow reader)

The Times bookstore in Warisan Square seems to have restocked recently and I'm lovin' their new higher shelves! Too bad for midgets though. Times seems a lot better than Popular these days in terms of English reading material, though Harris isn't that all bad (they have the best deals sometimes)!!

Though nothing beats Kinokuniya, Borders and MPH in KL but we're getting there. :)

P/S: Can't help being reminded how my favorite author, Diana Wynne Jones, passed away earlier this year (may her fantastically imaginative soul rest in peace). Now I'm determined more than ever to buy everything she's written (Even if they ARE children's books). I have about 24 of her books, maybe more. *shrugs*

Though I do believe it's spring in France

2011-05-08T23:40:00.007+08:00

So I rewatched 500 Days of Summer. Which was so much better the 2nd time round when you know they're serious when they tell you first off that this is NOT a love story. I was like, fiddlesticks shiznit when I watched it the first time, not to mention really bored. But after relaxing, I could actually take in how pretty the cinematography was, how indie the music was and how meaningful the movie really is. Who cares about the girl or guy of your dreams? Go for what's real and always remember that there's plenty of fish in the sea if things don't work out. *vaguely a spoiler* I love how Tom, as cynical as he has become, still gives in to his ideals of true love and destiny at the end. *end of spoiler*

Summer + May reminds me of this poem, Sonnet 18, that we 80-ers HAD to learn in highschool.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

P/S: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MUMMY!!! (Eventhough I'm not sure if she reads my blog but I'm pretty sure she does) And bon voyage, mon amie, Vienna!!

Places We Should Have Gone

2011-04-28T12:55:00.006+08:00

One of my favourite videos from Wongfu Productions.... I secretly think it's the best.

(FYI Wong Fu Productions is an independent production company that creates short films, music videos and vlogs on their own. Starting out as dormmates, Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang, have made the company what it is today. Their videos have Asian touches, which is part of their appeal I guess.)

Was scouring their Youtube channel after I enjoyed their video, Strangers Again, when I came across this little piece. Enjoy! :)

Love the music and the scenery. Actor and actress are just normal people and their parts were filmed in just ONE NIGHT. Read the Director's Commentary here for more information behind the scenes.

Cleanliness is the best policy

2011-04-27T23:46:00.004+08:00

Why dads should wash their cars and not leave them to collect dust if they have itchy-fingered kids:

You know we love you, Daaaaaaadddddd!!!!! ♥

Can't Wait For Lie To Me (2011)!

2011-04-27T23:35:00.005+08:00

Remember this? *points at sticker on my make-up box*

Ah, those were the days. Back in 2007, Princess Hours was all the rage and I remembered how I paid some girl to burn them for me and Korean dramas (VCDs) were 200 bucks per box for originals. 'Course they're a lot cheaper now thanks to the wonders of Internet streaming and the birth of the DVD. This was also Yoon Eun Hye's breakout role in the K-drama story. Her dramas are usually hits and misses for me. She always does a rotten drama after a good one. So hopefully her latest will be the bomb!

Am totally looking forward to Lie To Me, airing in South Korea this May!

Looks totally cheesy but heck, it's YOON EUN HYE! And Kang Ji Hwan! Though the former's popularity alone is more than enough to guarantee the success of a drama. I don't know much about the plotline, except that it seems a li'l rushed which makes me go uh-oh.

I do hope they won't resort to writing silly unnecessary plots to keep the story going even though the production is rushed. Ho hum. We shall have to see!

K-Movie Review: Petty Romance [2010]

2011-04-25T19:29:00.008+08:00

One of the funniest Korean movies I've come across so far. Just when I thought it couldn't get any funnier, it bowls me over in another fit of chuckles. I expected a few laughs but this was a riot!

Choi Kang Hee is GENIUS at portraying her character of a sex-columnist-turned-manhwa-storyboard-writer (FYI, manhwa=Korean comics). And Lee Seon Gyun (RAWR) is as arrestingly charismatic as per usual playing an erm...erotic manhwa writer in dire need of a writer 'cause his stories suck. How can a plot like that not be funny??? Especially since the 'sex columnist' is a virgin, who bases all her knowledge on women's magazines?

Previously acted together in My Sweet City (2008)
This was for me what I was hoping Cyrano Dating Agency would be like for me (which was a snorefest or maybe I expected too much). Maybe the drama wrought out at the ending felt a little random but it's expected in every Korean movie ever made. I really liked the use of comic strips and effects bordering on anime in this movie.

Damn women's magazines!!
I'm trying not to spoil it for anyone, but I loved the hot chocolate scene as well as watching the heroine fumble to prove how 'experienced' she is. (My sis thought I was crazy, shrieking by myself at the computer... =_=')

Highly recommended for lovers of the genre!!!

I heard this song on 2 Days & 1 Night just now. It's called Hawaiian Couple by Humming Urban Stereo and it's the soundtrack for the movie My Love (also starring Choi Kang Hee and eep! Reaper Boy from 49 Days!) :)

Wish I was at the KL Bieber concert!

2011-04-22T14:20:00.012+08:00

I have never seen Malaysia get so excited over a singer. Justin Bieber was definitely more popular than David Archuleta and Bruno Mars when they came over!!

From flashmobs,

To Hitz.fm playing Bieber songs all day yesterday AND tweeting about it like crazy,

Good Charlotte frontman, JOEL MADDEN, was there for a special appearance singin' Don't Wanna Be in Love and Selena Gomez for support (my sister's a big fan of Selena),

Malaysia's very own, MizzNina, opened the show with her hit song, "What You Waiting For",

Here she is, doing a sound check before the show

Even Daphne Iking was tweeting about the rain and how she salutes anyone who can come to a concert with high heel and falsies. Wakakakakaka!!

The thing about Justin Bieber's My World concerts is (according to my li'l sis), he picks one lucky fan to be his "One Less Lonely Girl". This was Malaysia's one less lonely girl:

:-)
His Malaysian fans look so cute wearing his signature colour=purple.

Hope to see you again soon in Malaysia, Justin!!

P/S: Excuse the fangirliness in this post. I do realize there are certain age-related issues here, *ahem*, but the boy is still a darling. And a lot of people who have watched his movie say they are amazed with what he went through, from a boy who came from a town with 32,000 people to garnering over 9 million followers on Twitter. #NEVERSAYNEVER

Image source: Hitz.fm's FB Page, MizzNina's Twitter and JinHitz's blog

April Blues

2011-04-10T22:11:00.006+08:00

When the mundane gets even more mundane, what shall I do?

Might be heading over to New Zealand in September for the Rugby World Cup (like I know a thing about rugby) just to show some home support for the Malaysian team! Plus my aunt's married to the Sabahan rugby coach (main reason for going). It could be really interesting...right? ~~'Cept people say the night life in NZ is zzzZZZ.~~

And when I think of New Zealand, I think of...

and

and of course...

Middle earth!!!

I do know a few people who are happily studying/working there so I'm sure there must be more to do there than meets the eye... Like getting a cool Maori tattoo! Or the wonder that is crêpes! Or good old-fashioned hiking!

Before I end this post, I know a lot of people are busy cramming for finals, with last minute presentations, tests and projects before exams in a couple of weeks so I wish you all the best!! (I secretly can't wait for uni hols to start to I have my friends back again. :D)

Malaysian International Dive Expo 2011

2011-04-03T12:20:00.006+08:00

Coming soon!

DATE: 1st-3rd July 2011
VENUE: PWTC, KL

SO TEMPTING!

For more information:

MIDE Facebook
MIDE Website

Flashback: Teen/College Comedies

2011-04-03T08:52:00.015+08:00

If you were born in the 80's and grew up without watching any of these teen/college comedy flicks, then you have missed out! Well, you haven't missed much I suppose but these were fun to watch back in the day and still are! I still like 'em better than what passes muster for teen flicks nowadays. *cough*twilight*cough*

Here are my Top 15 teen/college comedies!

1) National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002)

Van the Man, man about campus and King of Coolidge College. This guy knows all the tricks, all the moves and knows just the right thing to say. And Tara Reid was still hot. Van Wilder, I crown thee Best College Flick ever! Seriously, I wish college was like this.

2) The New Guy (2002)

Where DJ Qualls teaches us there shouldn't be a social hierarchy in high school and an important message about bullies. Bring on the funk.

3) She's All That (1999)

One of the many Freddie Prinze Jr movies that made him drool-worthy and the object of many a girl's teenage fantasies. Is popularity really what it's made out to be be?

4) Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (1997)

Awwww, don't we all wish we could one-up all the bitches and jocks from high school ten years later? Nerds rule! Kristen Bell's You Again reminded me of this movie.

5) Dude Where's My Car? (2000)

ASHTON KUTCHER and SEAN WILLIAM SCOTT made it difficult for me to order takeaway from a drive-in with without smirking. And theeeeeeennnnn???????? Ridiculous in extra-terrestrial proportions. A recent similar movie would be The Hangover.

6) The Sweetest Thing (2002)

Just one of the slew of Cameron Diaz comedies that came our way after There's Something About Mary. Not exactly a teen or college flick but it rocked all the same! I love it when they sing a song in a movie, that's what makes them so epic. In this case, it's Aerosmith!

7) Heartbreakers (2001)

You know what, I kinda like Jennifer Love Hewitt as a bimbo. She has never been funnier! Hats off to Sigourney Weaver as her con-artist mum and Ray Liotta for that LOL fish-shooting scene on the yacht.

8) Eurotrip (2004)

Made college more fun. And the name, Scotty, a household name in college dorms all over the world. FIOOONAAA!!

9) Clueless (1995)

Did anyone else for Paul Rudd's eyes in this one? So deceiving (like Jared Leto's in Urban Legend). One of the best coming-of-age films out there and a classic. Also increased usage of the term, sporadically.

10) Bubble Boy (2001)

Nothing can ever make me see Jake Gyllenhaal as a stud after watching this movie. Not even his 6-pack in Prince of Persia. Nuh-uh. Endearingly offbeat and fun with it's own lessons to be learnt, this goes down in my Hall of Fame for all time favorite movies.

11) Josie & the Pussycats (2001)

More Tara Reid hotness! And I loved all the songs that came out of this movie like Pretend to Be Nice, 3 Small Words and You Don't See Me. Gotta rewatch this one!

12) Princess Diaries (2001)

Which girl did not feel a connection with this movie? Of being invisible, awkward and unattractive as a teenager. Anne Hathaway's breakout role. And who knew M&M's on a keyboard could be so adorable?

13) 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

An ode to Heath Ledger. Whenever I miss him, I just rewatch him charming the pants off Julia Stiles with his very bad karaoke of Can't Take My Eyes of You in the sports field stands.

14) Mean Girls (2004)

Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams shot to popularity with this movie that likens high schools kids with the wild animals of Africa. High school can be cruel to an outsider when you don't fall in the right stereotype. I can't count the number of times I've watched this one! :D

15) White Chicks (2004)

Truth be told, I never caught the bug about this movie but even though I didn't like it much, I could recite from it because it seemed the whole class could too. Like "oopsie, I had an oopsie!" and "you little chocolate man!". So in terms of pop culture references, this one could take the cake. Plus I will never be able to listen to "A Thousand Miles" the same way again.

Originally this was supposed to be a very short list but it gradually got longer as I thought, "I just HAVE to add this!" whenever a much-loved flick came to mind. I suspect there are more but this is what I can think of at the moment from the top of my mind.

I would add Easy A to the list especially since I really enjoyed that one but it's too new!

If you have any other additions, feel free to tell me in the comments!

I blame the weather

2011-04-02T20:43:00.006+08:00

The road to heaven is not always clear or straight.
Couldn't resist posting this screenshot of 49 Days (Episode 6). She's doing something as ordinary as taking out the trash but I like how it seems like she's walking towards a back-to-front sign of a place called 'Heaven'.

-----------------------------
"Heaven. Hell. Limbo. No-one even knows where we're going. Or what's waiting for us when we get there. But the one thing we can say, with absolute certainty, is that there are moments that take us to another place. Moments of Heaven on Earth. And maybe for now, that's all we need to know." - Denny Duquette

When will it change?

2011-04-01T19:55:00.007+08:00

PTPTN sucks. I mean, like not as in I owe a shitload of money for my studies which I have to pay back, but in the way they prioritize Bumis over non-Bumis to get the 1% ujrah loan conversion from the usual 3% interest rate.

Seeing other people not getting what's open to you simply because you're born with it sucks. Seriously, my fellow 'Bumis' (Malays, Kadazans, Ibans and other ethnic minorities of Sabah and Sarawak), do you really feel happy receiving all this when it's apparent that it's wholly unfair?

Answer this whosoever is in charge of these things:

Is it fair that Muslims get to build mosques left and right whereas it is difficult to get permits for other places of worship to be built legally, and not in some second floor shophouse? Should I even mention the defaced bibles of Kuching?

Is it fair Malays are prioritised in organ transplants when non-Malays make up the larger share of people who actually DONATE their freakin' organs?

Is it fair that non-Bumis have to work that much harder for whatever promotions there are to be had in a government-run workplace? Which they don't get anyway despite the years they've put in?

1Malaysia my tush. I don't know how they can keep bleating about the word when it isn't even practised here.

I don't even know how to be truly happy in this country when my conscience pricks me everytime I see this happening. In Sabah, I barely notice it. Thank bejeebus.

*end of rant*

P/S: Just in case it isn't inherently obvious, I'm Bumi too.

*UPDATE* 03/04/11: Good news on the Bible issue! :) There might still be hope yet.

*UPDATE* 09/04/11: A friend of mine recently got exempted from his PTPTN study loan for graduating first class! Glad to see they made good on that promise because I think a move like that will be a really good incentive for students to get exemplary grades, hence the increase to our country's brain pool.

49 Days: Please be good!

2011-03-27T19:00:00.008+08:00

I've finally found something watchable! Usually anything Dramabeans recommends is usually a good watch and 49 Days appears to land in that category. Four episodes in and I'm hooked.

Lee Yo Won is very endearing and I like her scenes way more than Nam Gyu Ri's, who I find incredibly creepy and plastic (I got used to it after a while). Bae Soo Bin is doing an awesome job as a villain and as for Jo Hyun Jae, playing the gruff but caring Han Kang, I'm SOLD! It also helps that the Reaper (details) is the smexy Jung Il Woo and goes around pushing on people's buttons in the afterlife as a Scheduler, on his fancy motorbike.

Brushing aside a paranormal plotline which involves a girl, wrongly a car crash victim before her time is up, having to collect teardrops from 3 people who sincerely love her besides her family (a task which looks even more formidable as each day passes), we have a light comedy smattered with obvious cliffhangers.

It must be in the way the plot ekes out tiny details about the GRAND PLOT behind it all as well as each character's back stories which were very reminiscent of another drama. And no wonder, as this drama is written by none other than So Hyun Kyung who was also behind other silver screen gems like Shining Inheritance (LIKE) and Prosecutor Princess (SUPER LIKE). The only problem is that her dramas get really weepy towards the ending.

TWO good reasons to watch this:

Reaper Boy (Jung Il Woo)

Han Kang (Jo Hyun Jae)

WALLAA! New Layout! cheers

2011-03-16T22:20:00.004+08:00

I'm so proud of myself for actually getting down to editing the blog layout! (Been dragging my feet since New Year's...) Thankfully Blogger has made it so much easier with their new template designer (well, not that new actually), I noticed it last year but I didn't bother with it then because I was still satisfied with my super emo layout.

Now all I need to do is make a new banner. We had some good times you and I, dear Gambit.

LONGEST. BLOG POST. EVER.

つなみ

2011-03-16T20:43:00.007+08:00

I really love this story about a father who was reunited with his four month old daughter in her pink bear suit after she was swept away from their arms during the tsunami. It's a miracle she survived drowning and was found by rescuers under a building two days later.

Small miracles in the wake of utter destruction. But the thing about Japanese people is that I know they'll pick themselves up again. They survived this long without accepting help from other countries and being a fiercely independent nation, I think they will get through this. It will take some time though.

So many people lost everything and it's even sadder how most of the victims are elderly people who couldn't get away in time. I can't believe how insensitive a certain shitty Malaysian newspaper (BERITA HARIAN) can be about the tsunami.

Grow a heart will ya?

Bloggy Issues: CSS?!

2011-03-13T13:32:00.004+08:00

Blog is so due for a makeover. But I can't bring myself to fiddle with and learn CSS all over again. Life sucks when you're a noob at web design.

Just realized a lot of my linkys are outdated or have moved to greener pastures. Will be busy updating that section.

Am so glad I'm off on a Sunday for once! (I'm jealous of people with 'flexible' working hours...) It's also time to spoil the mutts!

Smile, You Couple Gets Hitched!

2011-03-12T13:41:00.007+08:00

How adorable is this piece of news? I had no idea actor Lee Chun Hee and actress Jun Hye Jin were dating, much less getting married! One of the cuter couples in SBS drama Smile, You last year, this piece of news makes me wanna watch that drama all over again!

A big hearty congratulations to the newlyweds! Lee Chun Hee had this big goofy smile in all the other pics so I chose this one instead. And yes, Lee Chun Hee and his choco abs are off the market. I was wondering why Jun Hye Jin looks extra pretty...apparently she's 4 months pregnant. Wow, they really do glow.

Via AllKpop

Only whispers can tell...

2011-03-10T19:55:00.008+08:00

*dusts cobwebs*

Note: I know the title makes no sense to anyone but me, especially when I've been listening to Sky Sailing's Brielle the whole night (which is an achingly beautiful song)...

Today I feel like sharing a small glimpse of what my underwater world looks like!

Some kind of sponge growing over a piece of rope. I love the bright red that jumps out right at you!
I truly relish diving at the Biorock in Gayana! Even though it means I get tan lines by diving in shorts. And having to deal with the Dive Center. *thunderclap*
I like to imagine that you end up somewhere else at the other end, a different time and place...
I definitely don't miss this little sucker. It's either really brave or really stupid to nip me every time I come near it.

I should really start saving for my own underwater camera. The camera I'm using at work is a Canon G10 with underwater casing, though my skills aren't up to par yet with say, experienced underwater photogs.

I'm really enjoying the challenge of having a truly capable volunteer from South Africa, who's a dive instructor and resort manager (she has 10 years on me). She makes me push myself to do things I never thought I could do and improve myself. Can't get too comfortable. Like my uncle Asgari used to day, I should challenge myself while I'm still young! You will never know what you can achieve if you don't! ;-)

P/S: Sometimes it's grand to be surrounded by people who actually understand what you're doing and are well-versed enough in marine biology/aquaculture to ask good questions. These people tax my brain the most but keep 'em coming I say!

A big shoutout to Jason Ho who will be doing his Open Water scuba license this weekend!! Keep praying you'll see a whale shark! (I doubt he'll read this but it's fun anyway!)

Toodles!

One Last Miracle...

2011-03-09T21:52:00.006+08:00

I could listen to this all day. Whenever I'm sick of my other songs, this goes on repeat.

Adam Levine, you have the prettiest voice evah!!!

P/S: Have a blessed Lent to all you Catholics and Christians out there. Truth be told, I missed Ash Wednesday mass tonight. I really hate crowds. And I sort of miss the church parishioners in Kuala Terengganu... Out of sight but not out of mind! ^_^

Drumroll Finally spotted the elusive whale shark!

2011-03-08T20:44:00.005+08:00

I know I was so hyped up about this on Facebook but here it is again! THE WHALE SHARK. *with matching sound effect*

Let it be known that Vanessa witnessed this magnificent creature for the first time on Sunday, March the 6th in the middle of Gaya Island and Jesselton Point! Write that down.

Looking forward to swimming next to one next time! If I can get over my fear of unknown waters. On a different note, I absolutely haaaaate people who laugh like hyenas. Especially when they're laughing at you. One day, I'll laugh right back at cha. IN. YOUR. FACE. (A Dive Center dude pissed me off today. SERIOUSLY. I have lost my faith in ALL the Dive Masters in Sabah.)

Dream High is Over, So Help Me God...

2011-03-05T21:40:00.007+08:00

Shouldn't be using the God's name in vain but this feels like the sort of condition that requires divine intervention (or not).

Suffering from Dream High withdrawal. It's like Coffee Prince/Shining Inheritance/Baker King/Full House/any awesome drama ever made, all over again. To remedy this, I usually just rewatch the whole thing until I get well and truly sick of it. Then watch it again after a year. Hah!

It's like breaking up with someone and I won't be able to get over it for awhile until the next crack comes along! :D I have just added Kim Soo Hyun to my list of up and coming actors to look out for together with Park Shi Hoo. I'm also hoping for Dream High season 2, but not necessarily with the same actors!

For now, Sam Dong's song Dreaming accompanies me every morning on the boat to Gaya Island where I work! :)

Movie of the week: Heartbreakers (2001)

2011-02-26T20:45:00.005+08:00

I know I'm not a 'serious' movie watcher and while I do think that all those movies that make you think are good, sometimes they're just flat out boring. Like Black Swan, I got turned off by the artsiness off the bat and I absolutely hate the shaky camera thing. I like movies that don't hurt your head so much and does what it's supposed to do, let you enjoy one heck of a ride! Which is why I like comedies and fantasy/sci-fi stuff so much.

Heartbreakers (2001) is a GEM. I know most movie critics would disagree with me, but I laughed a hell lotta more in this one than say, Knocked Up or whatever that passes as comedies these days! Really! At first sight, you'll probably go like, chick flick alert, but I adore these gals for being so good at what they do - con stinkin' bastards out of their moolah.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is now my idol! For all the wrong reasons. I loved her portrayal of a skanky materialistic young girl whose trying to come into her own. And she's actually funny! Who knew? Sigourney Weaver is fantastic (just watched her again in You Again, which wasn't bad). But the one who got the most laughs from me has to be Ray Liotta, when they were all in a sailboat and he goes, "Look at all the fish!" *whips out gun, points and bang bang bang!*

Also (and this is the dealbreaker in movies for whether I like it or not), Jason Lee is a hottie in this one.

Tee hee.

Y U NO?

2011-02-19T15:21:00.004+08:00

I do not need stress first thing in the morning. It's bad for my health yo. Just after I've chopped off most of my hair, I DO NOT NEED THIS. There's a reason why I like my workplace being far from home.

My Japanese spitz cannot seem to keep her fur and it's falling out in tufts. My friends are asking me what I feed my dogs. I can't help it that she's got retarded kurap-y skin that needs shots every few months!! Ah, but I still love you, Coco, for your melting brown eyes.

I could do this all day! Get your own Y U NO meme at http://memegenerator.net/Y-U-NO.

Gave the doggies their usual shower everytime I get an off day (they FEAR me.) I will upload pics of my new and boring haircut as soon as my sister divulges the super secret location of MY camera USB cable. You would think they would learn to leave my things alone if it's in my room but noooooo. I need a lock and key for this room.

A really funny gal and dive instructor just moved to Pulau Redang for work. Bye Marina!!! May you spread your ultimate wackiness there and give those Terengganu people something to gape about. But technically, almost all island people are crazy. Must be catching. XP

Yamapi Riding on the Hallyu Wave

2011-02-19T10:49:00.005+08:00

Yamapi is heading over to Korea to promote his solo album and he'll start with Mnet's M Countdown next week! When does this ever happen? My favorite Japanese actor crossing over to Korean shores? Well it's happening next week!

It's soooo good to see him again! I gave up watching Buzzer Beat (ugh) and Code Blue (double ugh) but I adored him in Nobuta wo Produce and Proposal Daisakusen!

Let's take a second to poke fun at his dubious-sounding album name: SUPERGOOD, SUPERBAD. What the hell is that supposed to mean? I suppose it means about as much as Miss A's Bad Girl Good Girl-I'M F-ING BOTH SUCKAS. What is it about oxymorons in the music industry these days?

Source: AllKpop

Quick Update: Kwon Twins in What's Up!

2011-02-16T22:37:00.003+08:00

I did not have one iota of interest in upcoming musical drama "What's Up" until I noticed (or rather, my sharp-eyed sister did) one of the Kwon twins in the drama still below. Now I know I'll be waiting for this when it airs after Paradise Ranch!

This will be their 2nd appearance in a drama after Secret Garden. Adorable dancing twins! Squeeeee!!!! *gets carried away by little men in white jackets*

Love. Love . Love.

2011-02-14T22:29:00.007+08:00

Because we all need a little love in our lives.

사랑해요!!!
It's funny how everyone seems to be in such a gooooood mood today! Almost everyone seems eager to stop for a chat and I even had a glimpse of two hotties today *spazzes out*! I feel so blessed I work in an industry where shirtless men are everywhere.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the people I cherish always!!!

Not even the hoo-ha certain Malaysians are cooking up can tamp down the LURVE! The more you try to stop it, the more people will rebel against it (look at Egypt), that it's ludicrous. Another thing people often times do not realize is that single does not ALWAYS equal available. UGH, HONESTLY.

Buzzing Over Dream High!

2011-02-10T20:17:00.009+08:00

My current crack is Dream High (KBS) though I still do keep up with My Princess (SBS). I don't watch it for Taec or Suzy (both are terrible!) but because singing and dancing kids in school are the kinds of stuff that make me envious that high school was nothing like that for me. Ha. Ha.

Anyway, part of the main draw is also what netizens have dubbed the 'Milky Couple' or WooU (the Jason/Pil Sook pairing). Woo Young of 2PM is surprisingly more bearable to watch than Taec Yeon (whose acting makes me grimace). IU is as charismatic as ever plus she can still pull off the cute look. Best acting chops here go out to Han Eun Jung of T-ara (Baek Hee) and of course, Kim Soo Hyun (Sam Dong *squeeeeeee*)! To give Suzy credit, she's actually not doing too bad here. I love rooting for the characters as they claw their way to the top!

(Btw, I adore IU's locks in this picture! PREEEEETTYY! Extensions or real hair?)
My favorites are also the teacher, Uhm Ki Joon (he's totally a Mr. Schuester), JYP (wakakkaka, no words necessary), Ahn Sun Young (wackiest actress ever, love her!) and even the meanie loan shark who I can never take seriously because the man is incredulously scary and hilarious at the same time.

As long as they keep singin' and dancin', they've got me tuned in every Mondays and Tuesdays! =)

Song of the Day:
Just realized just how adorable this song is. Not such a big fan of C.N. Blue though I did like the drama You're Beautiful when it aired beginning of last year (lead singer Jung Yong Hwa also stars in it).

He wrote and sang it for SNSD's Seo Hyun who is his pretend wife in the We Got Married episodes. Never was a fan of the show but this song makes me want to push Seo Hyun unceremoniously out of the picture and be the object of Yong Hwa's affections in her stead.

Of Reefs and Books

2011-02-08T11:44:00.006+08:00

Google is being adorable today. The Google logo has turned itself into an underwater submarine and it starts with flying fishes on top of the water and you can slowly lever it down to see the fishes, seaweed and coral reefs. May be it's Coral Reef Day. Or maybe it's because Cyclone Yasi just hit the Great Barrier Reef. It's cute anyhow. I LIKE!

Am planning to redesign my blog template soon when I'm neither busy nor lazy so watch out for it! (Song of the Day: The Lazy Song) Should it be pink? White? Blue? We'll see!

I try to buy at least 1 or 2 books a month to make sure my brain and grammar doesn't rot and I've recently gotten this one. Still a quarter into it but it's awesome so far. All about REVENGE!!!

The cover was so pretty I couldn't resist. I was wary about about judging by book covers but I figured as long as there isn't a woman or any sign of a woman on the cover, it won't be weepy or porny. Had a few bad buys before. Audrey Nifflenegger's Her Fearful Symmetry was utter rubbish and I can't believe I wasted money on Love in the Time of Dragons which I wish I could burn to cinders. Though I do have a weakness for JR Ward's books. Guilty pleasure! (I blame Kim and Sara for this.)

Can't wait for my new rashguard and external hard drive!

Toodles!

Pleeease Keep the Sea Clean

2011-01-27T22:46:00.007+08:00

Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. -Indian Proverb-

I'm not saying we should all turn into hippies in their birthday suits eating rabbit food while singing praises to Scientology. But it's sad how the Earth could be dying because of what we do everyday to keep ourselves comfortable.

So whatever little bit we can do, like protesting against the coal plant in Sabah or No Plastic Bag Mondays (as annoying as it is, I admit), are baby steps into becoming a greener nation.

END OF THE GO GREEN CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL BREAK.

Which reminds me. Does anybody else hate those PTPTN ads on Hitz.fm Kota Kinabalu? As well as the ad with the 6 honking Myvi's (@&^&^#% as if I'm not stressed enough driving)? Though I do love the one about floating rubbish in the sea. DJ Natalie: "You name it, I've swum next to it!" I can attest to that statement alright. People, please refrain from pooping underwater. Thank you.

The Kwon Twins

2011-01-21T19:04:00.011+08:00

The cute back-up dancer in the 2NE1 Go Away performances has a name!!! Or rather two names because there's TWO of them! (Twins rock my world.) They're widely speculated to be YG trainees and are 22 this year.

One of them, Young Don, auditioned for JYPE in 2008 but didn't get through and they (Kwon Young Deuk and Kwon Young Don) are both back-up dancers for YG artistes. They can be seen again most recently in Seung Ri's Alice in Wonderland-themed music video, VVIP, at the Mad Hatter's tea table. They are a part of the Hi-Tech dance crew.

Previous works:
One of the twins was a backup dancer for Taeyang's Just a Feeling and IU's Marshmallow and GD's Heartbreaker. They were also spotted in Psy's MV Right Now and Gummy's There is No Love.

They even had a short stint in the hit drama Secret Garden and supposedly work at Se7en's chicken restaurant part-time.

For a duo that hasn't even't debuted yet, they sure have a lot of fans!
Fancafe
Young Deuk's Twitter
Young Don's Twitter

They're like the Korean (& cuter) version of The Santiago Twins. All I can say is, I'm already a fan!

Simon D in KK for a Day!

2011-01-12T13:24:00.006+08:00

And so, Simon D was in Kota Kinabalu for a day (9th of January to be exact) on vacation. Actually I'm a much bigger fan of Epik High than Supreme Team but he IS the cuter half of Supreme Team and I can't believe he was lounging around in Starbucks that day while I was working over at Pulau Gaya. He tweeted this picture that day on his twitter.

Hey, it's me, Simon D at Starbucks in Warisan Square! Wassaap?
A friend's younger brother was lucky enough to be there that time but the only thing he did was shrug and go "What's with all the Koreans?" *headslam* Anyway, I'm mostly familiar with Simon D because he's one of my favourite variety show celebs (his interactions with Min are funny!)

Also performing in Malaysia tomorrow, believe it or not, are Cube Entertainment's BEAST, G.NA and 4Minute at the Digi Kpop Live Concert! Where was I when all this was in the planning stages? Oh, working. I'm totally out of the loop else I wouldn't have overlooked this until yesterday... Oh wait, maybe it's because I'm not a Digi girl. Maybe I should switch phone operators. Or pay more attention to K-popped!. Hah!

I shall console myself with this video and delude myself that it's about me.

The Quest for More Crack

2011-01-10T22:10:00.007+08:00

Decisions, decisions.

Can't decide whether to watch THIS:

MBC's My Princess
Or THIS:

KBS' Dream High
On one hand, it's SONG SEUNG HUN doing COMEDY *rewatches He Was Gorgeous for proof he can be funny*. On the other hand, there's several rather cute pop idols (Taec! Suzy! Wooyoungie! Eun Jung! IU!) with a storyline that's pointing in a very interesting direction. Can't. Resist. School dramas. Complete with dancing and singing!

I'm obviously suffering from Glee withdrawal.

It's a good season for kdramas. I MIGHT JUST WATCH BOTH.

Listing Out My NY's Resolutions

2011-01-08T22:56:00.005+08:00

Gotta hate new year's resolutions. They're so hard to keep! But usually I manage at least a few of them. For awhile. Can't say I didn't try.

Anyway, laying them out here for the world to see (well, the ones I can think of on the spot anyway), hopefully with all the strength of will my character will allow, I will be able to stick to most of them.

Let's get to it.

Number 1: Eat more healthily. There's only so much crap this body can take.

Number 2: Use sunscreen in vast amounts this year.

Number 3: Gather the courage to talk to someone I've wanted to talk to for months.

Number 4: Don't be a pushover and take a stand. Sometimes I think I'm too nice.

Number 5: Let bygones, be bygones. Some things are better left in the past.

Number 6: Don't neglect my studies eventhough I'm working. Have to keep updated.

Number 7: Go to church more often. *sigh*

Number 8: To be more cheerful and outgoing eventhough I don't feel like it.

Number 9: Read more books. The number of books I've been reading recently has been dismal.

Number 10: Be more diligent at work.

Number 11: Something only I know about myself.

Number 12: Be more adventurous!

Number 13: Save more money. (So. Not. Possible.)

Number 14: Be more organized! Honestly, my room looks like a tornado hit it, I am a bona fide SLOB.

Number 15: Contemplate the meaning of life.

Just kidding about the last one, I'm fresh out of New Year's resolutions but there's already quite a number and I'm sure many more will pop up later this month. Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit, coming up soon! And next year will be the most awesome year yet in the zodiac because heating up the apocalyptic year, 2012, is the Year of the DRAGON! EPIC WITH NO BOUNDS.

Days Where Nothing Seems To Go Right

2011-01-05T13:26:00.004+08:00

Ever had one of those days where nothing and I mean, NOTHING seems to go right?

Like today for instance. It all started with filling up the gas for the car. When I shut the gas bit, there was something black and sticky on the lid. A dead cicak. Fabulous.

Then I went to the bank and bought McDonald's, and when I returned to the car, there was a traffic policeman scribbling on a bit of paper. After racing there, he just neatly passed me the accursed paper and ignored my apology. Such nice traffic police we have trolling around the streets today.

Stifling the urge to say something I'll regret, I drove off, only to have my fizzy drink spill in the car, drop my phone and to top it all off, the automatic gate froze on me today. Fantastic.

I shall label this day THE DAY I GOT CURSED BY A DEAD CICAK. Should I really be flying tonight? Maybe I should throw some salt over my left shoulder or something...

I'm your worst nightmare.

50 Things You Learn from Watching Korean Dramas

2010-12-31T13:14:00.003+08:00

This old list never fails to make me laugh and nod in agreement! Partly because I am a lazy blogger and for your amusement, here it is for you to enjoy! Happy new year folks and may you have the time of your life next year! I'm currently enjoying all the year end performances (Gayo Daejun) by all three Korean broadcast stations and I think I've fallen for B2ST! I finally get all the fan fervor over this group.

Now on to it.

1.Men who are hawt and rich fall in love with vulgar, outspoken women.

2.If you are a girl and have a best guy friend, he’s definitely in love with you.

3.Brothers/best friends/schoolmates/enemies always love the same girl.

4.You’re allowed to make U-turns anywhere in Korea. And there’s never traffic (or a single vehicle) on the side you want to turn to.

5.You get to run out of a restaurant without paying the bill. All you have to do is slap someone and storm out in tears.

6.Everyone has cancer.

7.You’ll get a flu/cold/fever after getting caught in the rain for 5 minutes.

8.When you’re sick, your boyfriend carries you on his back and races to the hospital. He hasn’t even heard of taxi/buses/hitching a ride.

9.Somebody gets into the pool/ocean with their clothes on.

10.If you’re rich, you’re bubble gum.

11.If you’re poor, you’re an angel.

12.Your brother is a retard. If said brother is a real (blood-related) one, he is a lazy, stupid, irresponsible bum who exists by leeching off you. He’s not even handsome.

13.You’re not studying hard enough unless you get a nosebleed.

14.If you have a nosebleed, it’s most definitely cancer. And you have no money to pay for the surgery that’ll save your life. And your liver is missing. The doctors are not sure where it went, but it’s making your cancer progress faster.

15.You always order orange juice or coffee at a cafe. And you never drink it. EVER.

16.If two people are talking confidentally, they will leave the door of the room ajar so that a third party will eavesdrop on the conversation.

17.You go to America and you come back miraculously successful. You go to England and you come back amazingly fashionable. You stay in Korea and the only thing that’s changed is your hairstyle.

18.And you come back to Korea because you have cancer.

19.Everyone goes to the same hospital no matter where they are.

20.Even if you’re poor and can’t eat, you never wear the same clothes twice.

21.If you play a poor kid, you always have dirt on your face and your hair is always messy.

22.If you’re saving someone from being hit by a speeding car, you’ll push them out of the way and wait for the car to hit you instead.

23.Everyone has a long lost sister/brother/twin.

24.If you don’t want to answer your lover’s call, you can’t turn it off. You’ve got to take out the battery.

25.All Korean men can drink hard, smoke long, sing well and play the piano. Usually all at the same time, at the same restaurant that has a piano. The girlfriend doesn’t know this until she sees him playing the piano at night.

26.If you’re in a relationship, you must, at one point, leave the country and have your lover tearfully come RIGHT before you board the plane (vice versa applies as well. You can be the chaser.) 60% of the time you meet each other, and 40% you’re roaming around in circles in pass each other about 6 times. But you don’t see each other.

27.If you’re getting off a plane, you’re always wearing sunglasses.

28.All guys wear hideous tracksuits zipped up to their neck. Even if they’re only doing jump-roping.

29.Girls will always storm off because they’re mad. The guy will stoically grab them by them arm and swing them back – by magic, not dislocate their shoulders.

30.If you hit your head in a traffic accident, you might lose your memory. But don’t worry, you will get it back when you hit your head a second time.

31.Surprises ALWAYS backfire.

32.There will be situations in an elevator and in a toilet. In the elevator, you gotta get stuck with the bastard you’re trying to avoid. In the toilet scene, there’s a high probability you get caught by that bastard you’re trying to avoid.

33.Or most likely because you’re in the men’s toilet.

34.Unless you’re fabulously rich, your in-laws will always hate you.

35.So will your sister-in-law.

36.Your brother-in-law might have a crush on you.

37.There are only 2 ways to kiss. You either press your lips against theirs with your mouth completely shut in a long and comfortable kiss, OR you devour the other person and suck their soul out. In both instances, the world spins.

38.If a car ever breaks down or runs out of gas, it will happen on a small rural road with no other traffic, late at night. The area will also have no cellphone coverage, and you gotta walk the whole 10 miles back to civilisation in your 5-inch heels.

39.If you want 2 rooms in a hotel, only one will be available, and that one room will only have one bed.

40.You’ll get pregnant the first time you have sex.

41.You’ll get pregnant if he kisses you on the forehead.

42.Hell – you’ll get pregnant if you hold hands.

43.If you overcome great obstacles to be together, one of you must die. Probably due to cancer.

44.A guy and a girl on a bus must sit in the rear next to the right-hand window. A lone girl/guy sitting at that spot will reminisce about the time when he/she did have someone sitting beside him/her.

45.One man can kick the butts of 6 gangsters, especially when they all stand in a circle and attack the guy 1 by 1. When each of them get their butts PWNED, they wise up and attack the guy at the same time. Then the guy will get pulverized and bleed out onto the dusty concrete floor of the empty warehouse they found to fight in. And the girl will have watched this the entire time, screaming in horror. Instead of calling 119, she’ll just watch and cry. But it’s okay. Because the next day the guy will be fine with a few random bandages and a few scars on the face. But never a black eye.

46.Good girls don’t drive cars. Bad girls do. Well, a good girl just might drive, but she will do it so badly it’s a wonder she was ever given a license.

47.Rich people live in mansions surrounded by brick walls. The others live in shacks atop high buildings in downtown Seoul, or in hillside slums on the outskirts of the city.

48.Korean schools and universities suck. To study anything serious, you must go abroad.

49.If you study in the States (preferably Harvard), you are one of the top students and you can speak perfect English (as assumed by the reactions of those around you). Why the rest of the world OUTSIDE the TV can’t understand a single word uttered in your melodramatic voice is beyond me.

50.For one reason or another, a guy comes out of the bathroom naked/chest bared. Utterly shocked, you cover your eyes while screaming and pointing at him, while the guy screams along and covers his… nipples?

LOL!

_____________________________________

Thanks to: kara_elayne @ SKKSoompi

Easy A

2010-12-27T20:59:00.004+08:00

Somewhere in the midst of social activity and work, I managed to find time for some movies and my dramas which are next to impossible these days with everybody trying to get me out of the house. Out of the movies, I've watched recently (Bruce Lee, Rapunzel, Red, Tron, Harry Potter 7 Part 1, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Scott Pilgrim), only one managed to knock my socks off this month. Easy A! Seriously, nobody makes movies like this anymore (I think anything with Michael Cera is crap).

I was never interested in watching this because I watched a clip of it where Emma Stone was doing something really silly with a birthday card, and it sorta turned me off. Plus, House Bunny didn't exactly give me a reason to like Emma Stone. As I watched it however, I noticed that it had a pretty good cast in Penn Badgley (blue devil, rawr!), Aly Michalka and Amanda Bynes (she's so good, you wanna hate her). Cam Gigandet was virtually unrecognizable here as the Jesus-loving, chlamydia-infested guy who can't pass his high school exams.

I may now eat my words because the movie was A+++ for me. Rock on, Emma Stone.

"Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80's movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80's movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life." - Olive Penderghast

Rainbow Before Rain?

2010-12-16T16:07:00.003+08:00

THIS gorgeous sight greeted me when I resurfaced after diving at Pulau Gaya yesterday! It's like a present from the sky! But I think the sky loved me a little too much and sent cold rain and blustering winds before I got out of the water...

I thought rainbows came after showers, not before. @_@

FML

The Rudest Song I've Ever Heard

2010-12-07T23:03:00.006+08:00

For your benefit, it's in French. Sounds a lot better that way if you don't understand French. Innocent enough but I can't say I'm a fan of French tectonic music or any tectonic music for that matter. Je Veux Te Voir translates to I Want to See You.

Lyrics

My jaw dropped when I found out what the song was about (dissing some guy named Cuizi from the band TTC in reply to their song, 'Girlfriend') and my first thought was that the person who introduced this song to me is a pervert! (HAHA, Moto!) My French friend laughed so hard when we all realized what the song was about.

Gonna go back to listening to Cee Lo for now. =)

Once Upon a December

2010-12-01T22:25:00.004+08:00

There's just something about December.
The trees seem greener,
The water looks clearer,
And overall, the island just seems more ALIVE somehow.
Everyone seems extra joyful and energized too!

Maybe it's nature's way of saying Christmas is almost here... And Advent has already begun! :D

P/S: I can't WAIT to see my sisters again! Currently thoroughly enjoying Secret Garden!^^ This stuff is like crack.

Taking a Peek at Secret Garden

2010-11-26T23:31:00.006+08:00

Being the korean-drama-obsessed freak that I am, I've started watching Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won's SBS drama, Secret Garden. Oh how I've missed watching this duo in comedic roles! It's been a long time.

I've only watched the first episode but I can already tell I'm gonna love it because the two main characters are just so unusual, what with Binnie and his sparkly tracksuits and Ha Ji Won as a tough stuntwoman. I'm not thrilled about Yoon Sang Hyun as Oska but he can be rather funny too sometimes, though how am I ever gonna take anyone named Oska seriously, I'd like to know.

At some point in the drama they're gonna swap bodies. Yup, you read that right. SWAP BODIES. I wonder how that's gonna pan out. Gumiho must've started a slew of fantasy-themed dramas or maybe the latest boy wonder movie, Harry Potter 7 Part 1, had everyone in the mood.

I really hope the latest gunfire among the two Koreas won't disrupt the airing of this drama as usual. Or encourage the scriptwriter to go all melodramatic on us. Don't do ittt!!!! Oh happy days~

P/S: Lovin' Baek Ji Young's song, That Woman, on the soundtrack. Boy, can that woman turn on the tap.

Jay Chou kicking ass in The Green Hornet

2010-11-23T21:49:00.006+08:00

I'm kinda digging this. Maybe it's the fact that Jay Chou has more face time in this trailer than Rain had in the whole of Speed Racer. Had to laugh at the comment, "Holy crap! It's not Jackie Chan!" Ah, Jay Chou, the most popular Chinese singer during my high school days. Imean, he was MASSIVE way back when. Check out the trailer below:

Stilted English and all, it's good to see he's still around and acting in the same movie as Cameron Diaz and Seth Rogen. I never knew that the Green Hornet was not one, but TWO guys! Well technically, Rogen's character will be the face of the duo but brushing aside technicalities, it's still JAY CHOU. Stinker or not, I'll watch it one way or another for nostalgic reasons.

The Green Hornet will be hitting theaters in January 2011.

Chuck Singing For Real!

2010-11-14T07:05:00.004+08:00

Heck, I know this was released a while back but it just came under my radar a few days ago. I know Zachary Levi busted a couple of showtunes on the sitcom Less Than Perfect and he should totally release a solo! 'Cause my heart literally stopped when he sang. :D

The only thing that annoyed me about this song is, you've guessed it-Katherine McPhee. But I guess it was nice of her to do a duet with him. Are you watching Chuck Season 4? Save Chuck!

Stompin' Sabah 2010!

2010-11-10T20:57:00.008+08:00

My friend had tickets to go see Stompin' Sabah 2010 at Jesselton Point (organized by Xpax) so my cousin and I tagged along. It was raining like mad that night and it didn't seem to let up even 3 hours later when we finally decided to show (it rains almost every night here these days). Turns out the tickets were VVIP(!) so it was awesome, we got to stand/sit in a tent and eat food sponsored by Imperial Hotel.

The view from the tent with Wicked Aura on the big screen.
I think Ella was the biggest name there but I didn't get to see her perform. Instead I watched performances by Shawn Lee (beatboxing prodigy), a funny guy who seems to be AF6's Toi aaaand a Singaporean band called Wicked Aura. That's as far as we got till we sped off to party elsewhere as it was getting late. It ended at 2am!

My cousin, Didi. Doesn't she look like a doll?
I recognized DJ Jin from Hitz.fm at the tent but I wondered whether to approach him for a photo or not but alas, courage failed me. What can I say, I'm very shy around good-looking guys... ^^ Anyway when I got back, turns out I did get a pic with him! He's the guy wearing the white shirt on the left.

Just realized how scary I look here!

YES. I AM THE LAMEST PERSON I KNOW. Can't wait for next year all the same! =)

PETS squeeee

2010-11-09T20:42:00.008+08:00

An introduction to my four adorable doggies (blinded by pet-owner's love)!!! I know they're not of any particular breed, all mongrels, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say!

To make-up for the lack of posts last month, I'm just gonna do a double post today for an extra whammy effect. Cue photospam.

This is Paddy.

He does not like to be photographed.

And this is the QUEEN.

Her name is Patches and she is one smart cookie.

Last but not least are my two midget dogs: Lucky and Coco. Both of them just play all day and act cute in general. Lucky is particularly good at begging very winningly.

I have just four at present, my dad shudders at the thought of having another dog but I am content. For now. ;-)

The 30 Day Challenge!

2010-11-09T12:39:00.006+08:00

Nope, still no Internet. But when I do get a continuous and reliable connection, I'm gonna try this out! My cousin Adna seems to be doing it at the moment over at her blog and I will wait for another month to start to do the entire thing, simply because it looks like fun! :)

Day 1: Your favourite song
Day 2: Your favourite movie
Day 3: Your favourite television program
Day 4: Your favourite book
Day 5: Your favourite quote
Day 6: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 7: A photo that makes you happy
Day 8: A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9: A photo you took
Day 10: A photo you taken over ten years ago
Day 11: A photo of you taken recently
Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13: A ficitonal book
Day 14: A non-fictional book
Day 15: A fanfic
Day 16: A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17: An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19: A talent of yours
Day 20: A hobby of yours
Day 21: A recipe
Day 22: A website
Day 23: A YouTube video
Day 24: Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25: Your day, in great detail
Day 26: Your week, in great detail
Day 27: This month, in great detail
Day 28: This year, in great detail
Day 29: Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30: Whatever tickles your fancy

The 30 day challenge came from one of a Youtuber, Petrilude's, videos.

P.S. Stompin' Sabah 2010 was great yo! Got to see prodigy Shaun Lee do his thing not to mention see the very hot Jin from Hitz.fm as well as watch Wicked Aura from Singapore play some truly interesting and original stuff. Had VVIP tickets to this event (OMGPICKLES). Thank you Dino and Aaron!

Just a blurb about this month

2010-10-24T12:58:00.009+08:00

My internet at home has been disconnected and until it is reconnected again I won't be updating much or at all this month. So this is a head's up. =___=

This past week has been a crazy haze of dinners, dancing, pinkness and relatives. I'm gonna repeat what my sis gushed about on her blog: I have IRISH cousins!!! How cool is that, love their accents to bits! SO SEXI. And my cousin invited me over to Dublin for her birthday in March and I totally want to go! (I wish.) And my li'l cousin, Johanna, whispered to me that they're Irish so they give you gold! HAHHAHAHAHHAAHAHHA! She thinks they're leprechauns or something. Sweet child.

Anyway, the dancing was crazy, never knew how difficult it was to dance in heels wtf, really need dancing classes to help me on that score (if I can get over dancing with a man with a nicer butt than mine). Probably gonna upload the dinner and wedding pics (my cousin Mary Joan got hitched last wednesday! Whoop whoop!) when I get reconnected again, for now I'm using my really really slow office internet.

Kdrama Talk: Have started on Sungkyunkwan Scandal on KBSWorld (coz I don't have to stream it... Gettin' lazier or too tired to bother.) and it's UH-MAZING!!!! So many pretty boys! *_* Story ain't half bad too but who's paying attention to the story???!! Set in the Joseon period where you get to see people wearing traditional dress and refined speech, it's a classic story of Hanazakarino Kimitachie set in an older period. In short, make way for the gay confusion/harem storyline/comic misunderstandings. I'm rather tired of this setup actually but Sungkyunkwan somehow has that zing and it also helps that I do like me my period pieces. :)

Watch me on Monday and Tuesday nights!

Katy Perry's Peacock

2010-10-10T15:21:00.006+08:00

Katy Perry has released a new single off her brand new album, 'Teenage Dream' and it sure is a feisty one. True to her 'I Kissed A Girl' days, the song, 'Peacock' is just as appalling but you get used it after a few listens. Though it really makes me wonder if it will ever hit the airwaves since everyone knows what kind of architecture Katy's admiring. :D

I was kind of grossed out by this video the first time I watched it. But the song sort of grew on me. And I had the brilliant idea of using it as my ringtone today at work... Not the brightest idea in the world since my phone rang in the middle of the office. FML.

Of Ultimate Frisbee and Ruling an Empire

2010-10-09T05:52:00.012+08:00

Lately, I've been busy. So busy in fact, that blogging and my social life is wearing down thin. I'm trying to strike the perfect balance so that my already almost non-existent social life won't be extinguished completely.

What I've been doing this last week:

Ultimate Frisbee
This game of pain will make all you couch potatoes huff and puff on the field like me. And I haven't ran so much since I ran for Boeing house in high school. But I have the perfect excuse to cry off from playing Ultimate Frisbee tomorrow. And yes, I have only recently been introduced to this sport.

It's not as easy as you think. Catching those little swirling plates of evil can be quite tricky to grasp and the game involves a lot of running from one side of the field to another. Being the clumsy fool I am, I fell down THREE times and bumped into TWO people at the same time, head-on. Mortifying. But the people ARE nice, so I might join them again another day. (Am I being too optimistic?)

Vanessa's latest obsession on FB:

This game is SICK!

And you know why?

Because I RULEEEEEEEE!!! Muahahahhahaha.... *invader zim's psycho laugh*

Think Asterix and Obelix, only we're playing the Romans out for their hide!

My sisters think I'm weird. *shifty eyes*