oh i decided to do alucard for the coming cosfest. in case anyone's interested, it's on 7th (ngee ann city), 14th & 15th (downtown east) for july! here's how he looks like:


i'm doing the one without the glasses and the hat though... unless i'm able to make the hat or find the glasses. or else i'm going with red contact lenses... which i'm still having trouble finding since i don't have any experience wearing contact lenses..


here are his props:


i've actually already almost finished the costume except for the pentagram on the gloves, which i tried drawing last friday but realised the placement was incorrect, so i had to bleach the gloves to restart. might try drawing again later since i've brought it. i'm also gonna be holding one gun... well 2 is too much for me to make, besides i don't have black spray paint!
i used leftover corrugated board (from cutting the vp helm) with newspaper in between to give the thickness, then masking taped it all over the place for the uneveness and whatever wa poking out from the gun.


after spray painting it for 1 layer, i thought it wasn't really thick enough.

so i sprayed like 2 more layers after it dried. i won't mention the passerbys that gave mstified looks at the 'gun' i laid outside my house, as well as the strange indian music.

and it's done! well, it looks pretty good in photos but in reality it still looks like a paper gun. i had a terrible time finding the words i should put on the silver gun, since most only showed what was on the black gun or that the wordings were too small. magnify didn't work since it was still pixelated! oh well. at least i think what i wrote should be correct on 1 side... and 90% correct on the other... hope no one has a sharp eye... i'm not gonna take out the gun unless necessary anyway. bluarghz.
oh and about the big red coat. i got 2m of red cloth for $3.99/m, spotlight again. managed to make the coat AND the tie. not very fantastic. the collar is a bit weird but it's still wearable. and my toy sewing machine aka fashion centre didn't work very well cos the stitchings came loose easily, so i had to resort to alternate stitchings heh heh (cheaterbug way, but who knows?). and i did a vest from my sister's fitness first black tshirt. wahahah i may even wear it out, but my sewing is HORRENDOUS. i know it, don't tell me.
oh ya, i hope zhifu can do anderson with me!

wonder how's it going...

i managed to cut out the twirly patterns on the side of the helm and stuck it to the sides! it looks pretty good!




then i realised my linings and stuff kept peeling off, and plus i used like 3 layers for everything so the top layer kept uncovering to reveal the unpainted layers underneath, so i had to keep glueing and glueing it, and glue gun SO TOTALLY DIDN'T work. don't buy the mini boston trigger thingy.
then i experimented with the plastic cover thing which i bought a roll at popular for $2.50 (spotlight having clearance at $2, so i've 2 rolls now which i doubt i'd use). it wasn't very sticky because it didn't stick properly (duh).



eventually i removed it because although it looks pretty normal on camera, it's weird to have a waterproof plastic helm. and the removal process was pretty easy - it's like removing post-it notes, just that this post-it was a little stronger. i'm glad it didn't take away any paint or tear anything! i bought this huge chunk of crafty white glue from spotlight at $3.95. hmm hope it sticks well. no drastic effect but i'd go home and check if it's still peeling. it looks better without the plastic i think.

Coconut

Coconut Water contains organic compounds possessing healthy growth promoting properties that have been known to help:
Keep the body cool and at the proper temperature
Orally re-hydrate your body, it is an all natural isotonic beverage
Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells
Naturally replenish your body's fluids after exercising
Raise your metabolism
Promote weight loss
Boost your immune system
Detoxify and fight viruses
Cleanse your digestive tract
Control diabetes
Aid your body in fighting viruses that cause the flu, herpes, and AIDS
Balance your PH and reduce risk of cancer
Treat kidney and urethral stones
Boost poor circulation Coconut Water Information complied by John Kohler The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from Spanish and Portugese word coco, which means 'monkey face.' Spanish and Portugese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey's face in the three round indented markings or 'eyes' found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchace of goods until the early part of the twentieth century. Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning 'nut-bearing.' The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India , the Pacific Islands , Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, meaning 'tree which gives all that is necessary for living,' since nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some m anner or another. The coconut itself has many food uses, including milk, meat, sugar and oil as well as functioning as its own dish and cup. The husk was also burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fibre called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm's sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from dried coconut meat, is used for commercial frying and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics. Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year, so fruit is constantly forming yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut's name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known. If you've ever opened a fresh coconut, you will have seen the thin, opaque almost clear coconut juice or water which has a slight almond flavor. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the coconut milk. However, the water is consumed as a drink fresh from the coconut by many, and it can also be used in recipes. Here is some information about Coconut Water:'It's a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak.' In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers. Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.
Coconut Water is More Nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and NO cholesterol!
Coconut Water is More Healthy than Orange Juice - Much lower calories
Coconut Water is Better than processed baby milk- It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk
Coconut water is naturally sterile -- Water permeates though the filtering husk!
Coconut water is a universal donor-- Its identical to human blood plasma
Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level we have in our blood.
Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV. Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue... and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural!', according to Mortin Satin, Chielf of the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization. Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks. Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg! Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars. Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg. Data is based on a 100ml drink.

so far on my cosplay:
$22 on spray paint (gold, silver, blue, gloss)
$8 on red cloth
$7 on glue gun
$5 on 1kg of white clay
$5 on corrugated board
$4 on plastic sticky wrap
$4 on tiger wire
$3 on stockings
.............................................. so far: $58
maybe $20 on daily disposable contacts
planning $80 on wig
.............................................. expected: $158

and this is actually for 3 characters i'm gonna be cosplaying. hey, not so bad!

and while shopping for my cosplay stuff, i happen to buy:
$47 on a mango skirt
$23 on an a&f top
$15 on lace clogs
$5 on leggings

and of cos i need to maintain some essentials right?
$45 for bus pass
some $90+ on food. average of $3 each day? (after all the restaurant treats, going out for lunch, snacks, etc) WOW. i thought i packed bread?
perhaps about $40+ for presents
............................................... unexpectedly: $265
............................................... i guess it's $423

it's actually not so bad... calculatively. but then again... in reality, where's all my money??

oh man! the meiji milk is only 40cents here! haha. and 2 litres for $2.50 (expires in a week though) i just finished a bottle (the small one of cos), feel so satisfied. and there's some singtel deals going on too! for the more expensive plan, i can get LG Shine at $88, normal classic at $268... but without plan it's $598, what a big difference... the point here is i sometimes feel so delighted as a HP employee! (",)

by the way, i just realised that my phone's resolution is not so bad! you can actually see the cracks! the photos were bigger though but it's pretty hard to scroll through big photos and i didn't want it to be too small either.

the first day of PVC (Project Valkyrie Cosplay) i cut the helm shape in flat dimensions and used newspaper to make the 3D parts so that i can easily clay over them.




and afterwards i went to put wire at the front connecting to the back in a cross path. this was to give the shape when you wear the helm, and also so that you COULD actually wear the helm. (did you think i would put sticky tape on my head?) turns out a bit messy but i thought it should be better after claying anyway.




ok! let's see, i went to get some more materials on saturday, coincidentally, at holland v. well, i didn't expect to get anything there but after meeting up for a glue gun (it's pretty useless, don't buy the small ones), i went up to the shopping centre above cold storage while waiting for the rest of BLEWKY (KY only though) to come. and right in front of me was the all-in-one DIY kinda store where, as frank says, you can't really look for anything but which only the store owner knows where everything is. and i managed to get my gloss coat and golden spray paint for $5.50 each. i subsequently managed to walk around with yun after lunch and got a coil of tiger wire for $3.50. eh well, i'll have some use for it later i guess.
on sunday, i woke up around 830-9am and started claying my helm all the way till 3pm, and it was so terrible because the linings all dropped off once i bent it a little, and the clay hardens so fast that i wasn't able to mould it properly.




i discarded the whole thing after trying a little golden spray paint on the side.


it just looks so terrible with all the cracks!
and then i started all over again using the same corrugated base and trimmed the borders so that it appeared smaller. the helm was a bit big anyway. i used the best material i could manipulate - paper, and i found that i have LOTS of hard paper at home. heh. i did them in parts so i can spray them separately and connect them back together.






i did my renewed project fromm 4-10pm. and also the linings at the side which i thought i would spray the next day and lined them on.
so, yesterday after shopping for swords and katanas (which i end up empty-handed, *relieved*), i went home to spray my linings gold. my neighbour was around and i could hear them 'who's spraying and spraying' in their irritating indian accent with bollywood music as the background, and a dark head peaking from behind their sofa to realise i was squatting at the front of my house polluting the air. ah well, at least i got it done. i tried glue-gunning the linings, but it was so irritating because the glue just comes out as and when it likes and not when i trigger it, and it dries sooo quickly that it doesn't really stick properly. so i ended up using double sided tape (it wasn't very sticky, but it's much cleaner and easier to use!).

ok... so i slogged my weekend on my failed helm and eventually redid it in the evening... using paper! will upload the pictures soon. i'm so bad with clay. and this white clay sucks so much that my few hours of hard work went to cracks and eventually got trashed. oh well. at least i took a picture as a sort of remembrance. it looks really bad. considered repairing it by putting another layer, but really, it's in a 'no medicine can cure' state already. so that's my sunday.

Which 'Angel Sanctuary' Character Are You?

You're" Kira. You're the patient type and, though you care deeply for your friends, everyone sees you as cold hearted and tries to keep their distance. If someone wrongs you, however, you like to bid your time and, when they least expect it, strike back. You can be pretty ruthless, but only if you're pissed off. You're also the reborn soul of Lucifer as well as the Messiah's best friend. Pretty conflicting positions you have there, but you're a good friend to Setsuna and you help him out of a lot of scrapes, often putting yourself in danger to get him out of danger. Those that become your friend never regret it and everyone mourned you when you left.
Take this quiz!

(Personality) What anime psyche conveys YOUR personality? (With Awesome Anime Pix)

Depressed Type: Your anime personality is the Depressed Type. You come off as stone cold or careless, and people have trouble getting to know you. You don't let your guard down very often, and hardly ever let your real emotions show through. That would be a weakness. You're quiet and reserved, but are easily angered. People learn not to get on your bad side, and yet you aren't really as cruel as you let on. You hide and inner sadness. Element: DarknessWeapon: AxePet Peeve: People who are TOO perky
Take this quiz!

i just found a superb japanese cosplayer! apparently this person is a 'she', but mostly cosplays as a 'he', and does a flawless job at it! awww makes me want to cut my hair short too. the link is at the side under a cool cosplayer. even her websites are amazing, every link brings you to a different design. totally out of the world. and it's not those typical click on the side of the content page to navigate, so it might be hard to find what you want. idol!

yay! i figured since i have so much time, i should do a log of my 2 years cosplay project! and the figure i'm embarking on... lenneth valkyrie! (yes, my most adored female character and all time favourite game~)



so yesterday, thanks to a free ride on frank's car, i headed to art's friend and quickly found the materials i want - corrugated board: up to my shoulder tall and about 3 times my width for around $5; blue and silver spray paint $5+ each; white clay (some japanese brand): around $5 per kg.

i'm still thinking about whether i should carve the bird logo on both sides of valkyrie's helm and on her arms using melted candle wax, on a wooden block then chop onto the wax OR sculpting on the clay. i'd probably get the most accurate effect on the wax, but i seriously have 0 experience on wood carving!



looked for a few pictures to explore the possibility and maybe decide how and where i should start from. the helm looks to be the most complicated part with all sorts of dents and designs on it.



oh yes, and thanks to zhifu who helped me check the prices at spotlight (didn't get anything from there eventually!). and you are right! there are 4 feathers on each side. but they all look about the same size anyway. i'll probably still get the feathers from chaptehs instead of the death note pens (that's gonna be $2 x 8 = $16, O_o`) . i'm counting on you for the bird logo you know?

i was surfing this website and someone called gingeranne takes in donations to proceed with her cosplay props making... and yes it is VERY expensive to do good props, so i wouldn't mind any donations either! haha! except i'm probably not worth investing in since i'm just an amateur. that's why it's gonna take me that long to finish... and probably even longer. (-_-`) maybe i should calculate this project's IRR... or NPV. wait i don't need to - both will be negative financial-wise! sheesh...

no thanks.
i'm hungry but it's ok.
i've got no lunch packed but i'll fill somehow.
hottoite kudasai.

Nothing is Perfect

A man walks into a bar with a paper bag. He sits down and places the bag on the counter.

The bartender walks up and asks what's in the bag. The man reaches into the bag and pulls out a little man, about one foot high, and sets him on the counter. He reaches back into the bag and pulls out a small piano, setting it on the counter as well. He reaches into the bag once again and pulls out a tiny piano bench, which he places in front of the piano. The little man sits down at the piano and starts playing a beautiful piece by Mozart!

Where on earth did you get that?" says the bartender. The man responds by reaching into the paper bag. This time he pulls out a lamp. He hands it to the bartender and says..."Here. Rub it."

So the bartender rubs the lamp, and suddenly there's a gust of smoke and a beautiful genie is standing before him. "I will grant you one wish. Just one wish...each person is allowed only one!" The bartender gets really excited. Without hesitating he says, "I want a million bucks!"

A few moments later, a duck walks into the bar. It is soon followed by another duck, then another. Pretty soon, the entire bar is filled with ducks and they keep coming! The bartender turns to the man and says, "Y'know, I think your genie's a little deaf...I asked for a million bucks, not a million ducks."

"Tell me about it!!" says the man... "Do you really think I asked for a 12 inch pianist?"

Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second
richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very
interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha ,
that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has
everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies.
He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals
for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.
He has given his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any
of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time
after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only
5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with
Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But
when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates
became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself
and

Remember:

A. Money doesn't create man; it is the man who created money.

B. Live your life as simple as you are.

C. Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.

D. Don't go for brand name; just wear those things in which u feel comfortable.

E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on those who really are in need.

F. After all it's your life so why give chance to others to rule your life."

FF versus 13 Trailer

Commentary by Mark Gilbert

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- A famous series of jokes attempts to define political systems. In communism, for example, you have two cows, your commune seizes them and charges you for milk. In a democracy, you have two cows, the cows outvote you 2-1 to ban all meat and dairy products, and you go bankrupt and starve to death.

Similar thinking can be applied to financial markets. Here, then, is the world of money recast in bovine terms.



Leveraged Buyouts

You have two cows. You come home from the fields one day to find Henry Kravis chatting to your spouse at the dining-room table. Two days later, you have no spouse, no farm, and no table. Two guys the size of sumo wrestlers have saddled up the cows and are riding them around the farmyard.



Currency Market

You have two cows. China has 1 trillion cows. Guess who sets the price of milk?



Bond Market

You have two cows. One is Brazilian, one is Australian. They yield 25 quarts of milk per day. That's half as much as three years ago, when you traded your less-lactiferous German and U.S. cows for them. You are thinking of swapping for a pair of Namibian cows. They only have three legs but, hey, they produce 26 quarts per day.



Derivatives

You have two cows. You repackage five of them into a Collateralized Lactating Obligation, pay for a AAA credit rating, slice the CLO into 10 pieces and sell it to investors, skimming the cream from the milk for yourself. Three of the cows fall ill, and the credit rating plummets. You get to keep the cream.



Hedge Funds

You have two cows. A guy in an open-necked shirt drives up in his Bentley and offers to take care of them for you in return for a year's supply of steak and 50 percent of their milk. They won't be allowed to leave his compound for two years.

Six months later, you have half a cow, producing sour milk. ``You have to be willing to lose rump today to get rib-eye tomorrow,'' the hedge-fund guy mumbles through a mouthful of sirloin and champagne.



Economics

Assume two cows.



Carbon-Emissions Trading

You have two cows. They produce 1.2 tons of methane gas per day. After a hefty donation to the re-election campaign of your local representative, the government gives you enough emission permits for six cows. You sell three permits, buy another cow, and apply for a European Commission grant to build a methane-gas power station.



Microsoft Corp.

You have one old, tired cow. A recent heart transplant may have come too late to save the beast.



Google Inc.

You have no cows. You slap advertisements on everyone else's cows. The milk floods in. You use the proceeds to reinvent the cow.



Apple Inc.

Nobody wants your cows. You design the cutest little milk bottle. Now, everybody wants your cows.



Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

You have 26,467 cows. They are strapped into the milking machines 24/7. Some of them have more hay than they could ever hope to eat. Others aspire to one day having more hay than they could ever hope to eat. The cows with the most hay end up with big government jobs.



Pension-Fund Management

You have two cows. How boring is that? You pay a month's supply of milk to a consultant, who advises you to sell one cow and buy two aardvarks instead. The aardvarks die. The consultant charges you four months of your (now reduced) milk supply and advises you to sell half of your remaining cow and buy a wombat. The wombat dies. The consultant charges eight months of milk for a copy of his new report, ``Two-Cow Strategies for Alleviating the Impending Pensions Crisis.''



Russian Energy

You have two cows. Comrade, those cows are an environmental hazard. We suggest you hand one of them over to us.



Credit-Default Swaps

You have two cows. You buy insurance against them dying, and tuck the contracts into the middle of that tottering pile of documentation on your desk. One dark night, Henry Kravis sneaks off with your cows. By the time you track down the paperwork, your now worthless contracts have expired.



Interest-Rate Swaps

You have two cows. You pledge one of them to me as collateral in a swap for some of my pigs. I pledge the cow to my neighbor as collateral in a swap for some of his sheep. He pledges the cow to his cousin as collateral in a swap for some of his cousin's goats. Better pray the livestock market doesn't crash and we have to try and round up that cow.



Commodities

You have lots of stocks and bonds, but no cows. Are you crazy? Cows are the hot new market. Here, buy this exchange- traded cow futures contract. It can't lose. It gained 40 percent in the past six months.



Gold

You have two cows. You wear a cap you made out of tin foil so that the tiny black helicopters can't read your thoughts. You spend your days blogging about how the government's decision to abandon the cattle standard in 1933 was part of a global conspiracy by the world's central banks to destroy the value of your herd.



(Mark Gilbert is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)



--Editor: Henry (jmg).

Are you drinking the right tea?

1. People who use their "brain" to work or students who study hard day
and night --- should drink more chrysanthemum Tea.

2. People who need a lot of body energy to work or those people that do
a lot of exercise everyday --- should drink Wu Loong Tea.

3. People who travel on a bike or work in dirty and polluted places ---
should drink Green Tea.

4. For people who likes to sit down all day long and not doing anything
even exercising --- must drink Green Tea and Flower Tea.

5. People who smoke and drink a lot of alcoholic drinks --- should drink
more Green Tea.

6. Carnivore (those people who must eat meat) at least once a day, or
feel sick or not feeling well --- try to drink some Wu Loong Tea.

7. People who go to the washroom too often or too less --- should drink
more Honey Tea

8. People with high cholesterol and high blood pressure --- Wu Loong
Tea,Green Tea.

9. Those who work with computers everyday --- need to drink a Lot of Tea
(any tea will do).

Whenever you are working with the computer, you should make some tea;
drink it when you are free.

Drinking Tea is healthy --- it can protect and prevent the harmful
Ultraviolet light from harming us (when using computer).

Furthermore, it can also cure us when we are tired and help making our
body feel fresh again.


Soya Bean
~~~~~~~~~

All of us know that Soya bean drink provides good protein to our body,
but many of us doesn't know that there are certain days we should avoid
on the drink.

Soya bean drinks are best consumed on hot sunny days where the sun is
burning and glaring. The Soya milk will gives lots of nutrients to the
body, as the body is able to absorb the protein well.

However, avoid the drink when the weather is cloudy or anng. Taking the
drink in these weathers, the body will not be able to take in the
protein thus will result in a disease called "GOUT" or "high acidic
urine" due to the high protein residue in the body, after a long run.

This disease will cause pain to your knee joints and it will only be in
control when you control your food intake of proteins and medications.
The pain is unbearable and usually you will have no idea what you have
taken to cause the pain. Food like Soya beans, ikan bilis, broccoli, spinach,
peanuts, animal organs (i.e. pork liver) etc will have to be avoided to
prevent the pain from attacking.

Bananas, Anyone?

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again .

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit.

It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.


Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest
ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and ma gnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, 'eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"


PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit.

5 Important Lessons In Life‎

LESSON 1
A junior manager, a senior manager and their boss are on their way to a meeting. On their way through a park, they come across a wonder lamp. They rub the lamp and a ghost appears.
The ghost says, "Normally, one is granted three wishes but as you are
three, I will allow one wish each"
So the eager senior manager shouted, "I want the first wish. I want to be in the Bahamas , on a fast boat and have no worries." Pfufffff. and he was gone.
Now the junior manager could not keep quiet and shouted "I want to be In Florida with beautiful girls, plenty of food and cocktails." Pfufffff. and he was also gone.
The boss calmly said, "I want these two idiots back in the office after
lunch at 12.35pm."
MORAL OF THE STORY IS: "ALWAYS ALLOW THE BOSS TO SPEAK FIRST"


LESSON 2
Standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand,
"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?"
"Certainly," said the young executive.
He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.
"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the shredder machine. "I just need one copy."
LESSON II: "NEVER, NEVER ASSUME THAT YOUR BOSS KNOWS EVERYTHING"


LESSON 3
An American and a Japanese were sitting on the plane on the way to LA When the American turned to the Japanese and asked, "What kind of -ese are you?"
The Japanese confused, replied, "Sorry but I don't understand what you mean."
The American repeated, "What kind of -ese are you?"
Again, the Japanese was confused over he question.
The American, now irritated, then yelled, "What kind of -ese are you
... Are you a Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese!, etc......??? "
The Japanese then replied, "Oh, I am a Japanese."
A while later the Japanese turned to the American and asked What kind Of 'key' was he.
The American, frustrated, yelled, "What do you mean what kind of -kee'am I?!"
The Japanese said, "Are you a Yankee, donkee, or monkee?"
LESSON III: "NEVER INSULT ANYONE"


LESSON 4
There were these 4 guys, a Russian, a German, an American and a French, who found this small genie bottle. When they rubbed the bottle, a genie appeared. Thankful that the 4 guys had released him out of the bottle, He said, "Next to you all are 4 swimming pools, I will give each of you A wish. When you run towards the pool and jump, you shout what you want the pool of water to become, then your wish will come true."
The French wanted to start. He ran towards the pool, jumped and shouted, "WINE".
The pool immediately changed into a pool of wine. The Frenchman was so happy swimming and drinking from the pool.
Next is the Russian's turn, he did the same and shouted, "VODKA" and immersed himself into a pool of vodka.
The German was next and he jumped and shouted, "BEER". He was so contented with his beer pool.
The last is the American. He was running towards the pool when suddenly He steps on a banana peel. He slipped towards the pool and shouted, "SHIT!!!!!!! ......... "
LESSON IV: "THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU SAY SOMETHING, BECAUSE SOMETIMES ACCIDENTS DO HAPPEN"


LESSON 5
The organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was In charge. Each organ took a turn to speak up:
Brain....... .. I should be in charge because I run all body functions.
Blood....... . I should be in charge because I circulate oxygen for the
brain.
Stomach... I should be in charge because I process food to the brain.
Legs........ . I should be in charge because I take the brain where it Wants to go.
Eyes........ . I should be in charge because I let the brain see where it's
going.
Asshole..... I should be in charge because I get rid of your waste.
All the other parts laughed so hard and this made the asshole very mad.
To prove his point, the asshole immediately slammed tightly closed and Stayed that way for 6 days, refusing to rid the body of any waste whatsoever.
Day 1 - Brain got a terrible headache and cried out for relief Day 2 -
Stomach got bloated and began to ache terribly Day 3 - Legs got cramps and became unstable Day 4 - Eyes became watery and vision became blurred Day 5 - Blood became toxic and poisoned the body Day 6 -The other organs agreed to let the asshole be in charge.
MORAL OF THE STORY: "NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, OR HOW IMPORTANT YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU WILL FIND THAT IT IS ALWAYS THE ASSHOLE THAT IS IN CHARGE".........

Colorgenics Analysis
Presently, you are trying to break away from a situation that is causing you considerable worry and concern. Things are getting on top of you and you are feeling depressed almost to breaking point. Obviously there must be a way out - but at this time the solution seems to be escaping you. You want to 'get away from it all' and as a consequence you appear to be sullen and introverted and refuse to get involved in any discussion or arguments which could aggravate the situation. Accept the fact that 'as you feel - so your body will respond' and 'pretend' to the world about you that everything is going beautifully as, if you act as if 'all is going well' everything will, whether you believe it or not, work out as you would like it to.

You are in need of rest, some peace and quiet. You feel the need to be close to that someone special, that someone who can give you that special consideration and unquestioning affection that you seek. If you don't find that 'special someone' and resolve your problems very soon, you are liable to become extremely introverted and cut yourself off from society.

You are confined and trapped in a distressing or uncomfortable situation and seeking some way out. Whatever you seem to do to resolve the problem hasn't worked out. Fortunately you are able to gain some aspect of relief from someone close to you.

You are experiencing considerable stress which is essentially the result of on going rejection and hostility. You are in the unpleasant position where offers of trust, affection and understanding are being withheld and you are being treaded with a degrading lack of consideration. You feel that you are being denied the appreciation that you deserve, which is essential to your well-being and self-esteem, but you have to face up to the situation because as matters stand at this time there is little that you can do about it - you feel that you are getting nowhere and the continuous struggle is a lonely one: all difficulties and no encouragement. Whatever you try to say or do is met with continuous hostility and no matter how much you protest you are consistently misunderstood. You need to escape from the situation but you are so perplexed that you cannot find the strength of mind to make the necessary decision.

In the past your trusting attitude has often been misunderstood and so you have needed to protect yourself against your tendency to be abused and taken advantage of. As a consequence you possibly adopt an aloof and critical attitude and you are only willing to let your guard down once sincerity and trustworthiness can be assured.

Museum-hop till you drop

Life! suggests a whole day museum hopping itinerary that ends with a mug of beer at Ice Cold B’s at SMU.

i still do read SMU daily alerts and i happen to see this. those who went work and travel with me will immediately burst out laughing. IF i sign up for this. HAHA.

for those who have no idea...
we basically spent 1 day walking in washington, hopping from museums to museums, and i totally HATED it. we had to walk LOOOOONG distances, the weather was scorching and there was no edible stuff anywhere. ughh... terrible experience. and i swore i'll never go washington again.

ok!! my last try at hosting the image using imageshack worked! photobucket is so lousy... so yeah here's the new layout! it appears quite messy but who cares... haha~

it's strange but i spent like 3hours working on my new skin and it still turned out to be a flout. oh well. no new updates for now i guess.

Peanuts

Man and Ostrich

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.


The waitress asks them for their orders.

The man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order "That will be $9.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "A hamburger, fries and a coke."
The ostrich says, "I'll have the same."

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. "The usual?" asks the waitress.

"No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad," says the man.

"Same," says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, "That will be $32.62."

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. "Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes.
My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

"That's brilliant!" says the waitress. "Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"
"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.
The waitress asks, "What's with the ostrich?"










The man sighs, pauses and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with a big ass and long legs who agrees with everything I say."

ok... what's N'US doing on MSN

ooh... ever since my 13 sub splits of a single strand of hair, i thought nothing could be worse than that. a pity it was too miniscule to be fully captured by my camera before i lost it (yes, i tried to keep it inside my morey's piers keychain box, but i forgot i had kept my hair there and when i opened it back in singapore, it flew away). i just found another one, 5 splits, no less and here's how it looks like:



notice the arrow part - that's a backsplit. just like when you try to break a branch but only half of it (lengthwise) breaks, and that's the result you get. i thought i might as well draw my record 13-splits. most of it was branched out like the bottom part, with a few rare sub-sub-branches. maybe it was only 11 splits. i can't remember. oh well. if only i still had it with me, i might go into the guiness book of world records for the most no. of splits on a single strand of hair. haha.

ok, i don't think this is the worst yet.
i'm still doing small projects, and the big one is tentatively undecided.
that means i should expect my job to get a lot more worse.

that's really not an encouragement considering i'm only taking a breather now. just a very short one, i promise i'll get back to work the next second.

the only good thing i guess is that i don't have to do homework. oh yeah? i brought home an assignment on my very first weekend. like cheryl (my team leader) said, 'well, it's what working's all about, time to face reality'.

sidetrack. this is scary. my media player just played a line from the nana soundtrack, then returned back to ff11 soundtrack. i didn't put any nana sounds in my ff11 playlist now, did i...?

ok what am i doing reaching so early in the office when i was told to be able to come anytime i want? (-_-`)
now look at my dark eye rings... *sighs*

i don't think anyone has a better internship than mine... being able to do real things and enjoy at the same time! yay. ok time to go back to work.

6th May
Your ability to concentrate will be enhanced today, Christy-Bell. If you have studying or detail work to tend to, this will be an opportune time to get to it. Hobbies that require a lot of focus may also strike your fancy such as sewing, jewelry making or petite point. Even if a herd of stampeding elephants run through your space today, you're not likely to lose your concentration. So pull out your most intensive tasks and have a great day.

i just saw this today and it's so totally accurate! i spent my whole day working on this pair of $5 shoe that me and xm bought at far east the day before. i think the stampeding elephants probably referred to my mom's vacuum cleaner, which tried to plough my spread of materials. but it didn't matter, i manage to complete my shoe anyway! i took a few pictures of it. will upload it when i have the time heh. alrighty get to work!

i just realised i'm not the worse-off person in the world.
of cos, i already knew that, and i bet you guys who are reading this do too, but you just don't feel it.
eventhough qihan has been boasting his 7.5k internship, i'm satisfied with my 0.75k internship. it's a whole lot of difference, but this amount may mean much more to an entire family.
yes, an entire family - you know, mom, dad, 2-3 siblings. and there's really a family like that. i was like, that's the amount i'm gonna be earning for my internship... and it can support a family?!
i was typing in information for people who applied for bursaries... there was a lot, and it made me realised how there's still a big proportion of people who are poor out there.
like this kid whose mom's a babysitter with unstable income... dad's permanently unfit for work (some neuro problems), and their family income is only 500. and then there's those who does odd jobs, with income ranging below 400, single parent. there's also people with problematic marriage, and i know because i was nosy enough to read the legal documents they have attached to their application.
maybe next time i can have a family just by doing internships.

you know how sometimes you're just supposed to do your job and don't nose too much into others' affairs? well i don't do that. if i were plainly keying in data that would be much less fun. (ok, i'm not deriving happiness out of other's miseries. like, 'hey! she got f9 in every 'o' level subjects. HAHAHA.') at least i discover something by reading them. oh well, it's not like i know those people personally. they might have crossed my paths (there's how many thousands of woodlanders!). i read everything i key - testimonials, 'a' level results, chemistry homework, and hell, even financial manuals.

still i don't become smarter like that. i just know more. heh. the bad thing is, i have such a lousy memory that it really didn't matter if i read some important stuff cos i'll probably forget it anyways.

i was playing my silmeria halfway when i got a call from lien foundation, telling me to go for an interview at 245pm. (it was 1130am) when i told her it was a bit tight for me, she asked me to go at 2pm instead. (uh.. isn't there some kinda mathematical problem here?) she could give me 6pm, but i would probably be late, so i ended up rushing to school and reaching at 2pm. phew. and here's the most shocking information of the day: i realised i applied for the wrong interview... i wanted the 'design product and market it for the elderly', which was yong'en, but i applied for ncss - vwo database consolidation, and i have totally no idea what the hell that is. THIS IS ONE BIG SERIOUS MISTAKE. yes i know. i bet you have never seen anyone who could be clueless about what interview she's going. the lady was like 'you're a smart girl, but you're such a blur poke!' i'm thankful that she was nice enough to give me 'gentle' warnings but i think i screwed it up big time nevertheless. however, i did get to gain some insights and think about the stuff she asked (what do you plan to do after you graduate, what part of marketing do you want to do), and these questions were - well, guess what - asked again by HP. holy cow. how lucky am i.
and everyone! i think i just got my hp internship. apparently i've been called up for another interview at another hp place, and i had 1.5 hours of interview... and i think she offered me directly (congratulations, i will make you an offer for this internship - so that means i got in right?). i'm so happy now i'm up at 12.47am cos i can't sleep and i want to write a thank you letter to my interviewer. i think the road ahead will be tough though, from the way she says we gotta be self-managed (means do everything your self, 0 guidance). but hell, i'm looking forward to it! to work at hp! closest to my dream come true. i think i'm overly optimistic though. i might not be able to handle it, but who knows till you've tried? i really enjoyed my interview with her!! somehowshe just reminds me of my supervisors at morey's piers. hee. maybe that's why i did better for this interview.
i think i really gotta go sleep. i want to eat french toasts tomorrow! has been a hectic but enjoyable day. ..^_^.. i like the feeling of having done something useful.

OH YES. i got a call from HP. but it's from another department. now that i'm well-equipped with HP knowledge, i guess i wouldn't appear too stupid now, would i? and this may have been because marlinah introduced me to the marketing department? maybe the thank you letter did help after all. i can't screw it up again. NO WAY!!! i'm terrified. NOOOOOO... my luck is gonna end. it is gonna end. NOOOO.... O0o.`,

oh man!! i'm so super duper happy!! but i think this happiness is not gonna last long, cos the important papers are still at large. and the tendency is for my gpa to roll back to the original point after those grades are released. i got an A for my final exam paper for econs, and a final grade of A-. i wasn't expecting an A for the paper!!! i was only expecting a B+ for econs, and hopefully for finance and bp as well. that makes the 3rd A in a row!! wow!! i've seriously never gotten so many As in my university years. and my VERY FIRST A is from marketing research. i love sanjoy ghose man... guess all that stress and malacca trip was worth it. heh. i'm so worried about bp though. after that blur saga... now if i could just step up and grab an A+ for one of the modules somewhere in the distant future... then maybe, just maybe, i'll be able to verify that i haven't turned stupid...

oh man!! i'm so super duper happy!! but i think this happiness is not gonna last long, cos the important papers are still at large. and the tendency is for my gpa to roll back to the original point after those grades are released. i got an A for my final exam paper for econs, and a final grade of A-. i wasn't expecting an A for the paper!!! i was only expecting a B+ for econs, and hopefully for finance and bp as well. that makes the 3rd A in a row!! wow!! i've seriously never gotten so many As in my university years. and my VERY FIRST A is from marketing research. i love sanjoy ghose man... guess all that stress and malacca trip was worth it. heh. i'm so worried about bp though. after that blur saga... now if i could just step up and grab an A+ for one of the modules somewhere in the distant future... then maybe, just maybe, i'll be able to verify that i haven't turned stupid...

Today is going to be a great day for you, Christy-Bell, especially where your love life is concerned! It is likely that you have been a bit unsure about where you stand in your current relationship. Today you will be relieved to discover just how much you are loved. Of course, as we see it, what's not to love? You have many attributes. It's no wonder you have a suitor for every one of them.

ok, that sounds good, except i didn't have a very good day aside from the fact that my exams are just over. i made another silly mistake of the century - by not reading the instructions. haiz. i should've been familiar with such processes by now, but i'm not. whoever had heard of writing workings for MCQ papers?! it's just unfathomable. definitely not in my instinct. now i just pray that i can still get marks for my unruly handwriting and seeming working kind of workings. i absolutely DO NOT want to retake this module, especially since i have already estimated a year to go, and 1 more module is just gonna take me another semestre AND drag my gpa. sighs...

1) screwing up my online exchange application

what i thought i did:
submitted the online application.

what i actually did:
submitted the online application in a drunken stupor. hence, it was actually not submitted at all. i was imagining things.

how did i realise what i actually did:
had a teeny 'interview' session with my prof regarding the testimonials required for this exchange. he did not receive any emails for my application to write a testimonial. so that means i had NOT submitted it at all. great.

so what i seek to resolve issue:
called person-in-charge (office of international relations). she was kind enough to send me an offline version to fill in, although she told me i did not seem keen to join in the exchange. (that's the last thing you want to hear... no interest means you're not gonna be picked for the exchange)

and the outcome:
i sent the offline application.

2) screwing up my offline application

what i thought i did:
sent the offline application the day after i received it.

what i actually did:
put the application in my draft folder.

how did i realise what i actually did:
one week later, trying to clean my mails... and voila! 'why is it still in my drafts box?'

so what i seek to resolve issue:
immediately emailed and called same person up. she says they were having some meetings and were busy the entire week. did not have time to check through the applications. so i can still send mine in. phew.

and the outcome:
expected. i didn't get my rikkyo. they offered my second choice, APU, but i have to stay there till jan. that means more school fees (money-minded, wickedly scheming school), later-than-planned graduation. oh well, guess i'll try the next semester.

3) screwing up my community service

what i thought i did:
burning up my weekends, giving to the poor, showering love to the people

what i actually did:
sell tshirts. merchandise. basically profiteering out of silat's world championship. or rather, helping some organisation to profit, since the money doesn't go to me. just to get the hours, yeah?

how did i realise what i actually did:
received an email saying 'hey, your cip hours would not be recognised cos you didn't do so-and-so-and-so...'

so what i seek to resolve issue:
ok, so i didn't sign up officially for it. i didn't submit indemnity form. so that's 2 major boo-boos. went to the office of community service, spoke to 2 representatives from there. had an hour plus of intensive interrogation in between interruptions from my dearest friend, who had exchanged her bag with me cos her bad looked too unpresentable for an interview and now she wants her bag back (try tongue twisting that, my fingers almost crossed). oh joy. finally agreed to let me have my well-deserved 38 hours if i repent by doing another day-cip. better than nothing...

and the outcome:
haven't found my cip. will continue this saga after the exams.

4) exams clashing with phantom of the opera

what i thought i did:
checked my time table, made sure i was available on that day so i can finish my exams and watch the concert.

what i actually did:
i probably imagined doing all that.

how did i realise what i actually did:
woke up this morning. 'hey why is my 14th april marked?'... 'oh it's phantom of the opera... 2-4pm'... 'wait, ain't i supposed to have my business process paper on 14th april, 130-430pm?' GREAT.

so what i seek to resolve issue:
-emailed my prof. hey i spent $100 bucks on this thing, prebooked it last year, please let me have the paper earlier??? 'that's not a good enough reason to convince the register's -it's registrar, prof- office.' expected. i'll just try to beg and beg. see how.
-called up sistic. it clashes with my exams, can you please let me change the date and time?!? MAY approve appeal. but even if they have the seats available for me to change now, i may not actually get the seats if it gets taken up by the time the appeal is approved.
-find someone to exchange with me. hi, may i know who is kind enough???

and the outcome:
still pending. i just finished calling the person in between my mom calling me and me calling my sister to ask for the booker's details (i wasn't the one who booked the tickets you know).

5) retype retype retype

for my exchange application:
filled in my application, submitted and --> connection error. so filled in application, submitted and --> connection error. yes, thank you very much, that's why i can remember what i filled in already.

for my testimonials:
filled in the necessary questions prof wanted to write me a testimonial. thought i sent it. not in my sent box. oh great. it must be my connection error. so i write it again. not in my drafts either. great! prof says he didn't receive it at all! let's write it a third time.

for this blog post:
filled in my list of misfortunate misfortune. clicked 'save'. 'oopsy! you do not have the permission!' <--seriously, what's that!!! why do i need permission to blog in my own bebo?!?!?! so i have to retype all this shit and yet again remind myself of my miserable plight. and i'm so gonna copy and paste this somewhere first before the same warning comes out again. you know this got through if you see it posted now. and i will only have to write this TWICE.

Within Temptation - What Have You Done

Would you mind if I hurt you?
Understand that I need to
Wish that I had other choices
than to harm the one I love

What have you done now!

I know I’d better stop trying
You know that there’s no denying
I won’t show mercy on you now
I know, should stop believing
I know, there’s no retrieving
It’s over now, what have you done?

What have you done now!

I , I’ve been waiting for someone like you
But now you are slipping away ...oh
Why, why does fate make us suffer?
There’s a curse between us, between me and you

What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done now!
What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done now!

Would you mind if I killed you?
Would you mind if I tried to?
Cause you have turned into my worst enemy
You carry hate that I don’t feel
It’s over now
What you done?

What have you done now!

I , I’ve been waiting for someone like you
But now you are slipping away...oh What have you done now!
Why, why does fate make us suffer?
There’s a curse between us, between me and you

What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done now!
What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done! What have you done!
What have you done now!
What have you done now, What have you done?...

I will not fall, won’t let it go
We will be free when it ends

I, I’ve been waiting for someone like you
But now you are slipping away ...oh What have you done now!
Why, why does fate make us suffer
There’s a curse between us, between me and you

I, I’ve been waiting for someone like you
But now you are slipping away ...oh What have you done now!
Why, why does fate make us suffer
There’s a curse between us, between me and you

An event that you might not even be aware of, Christy-Bell, could trigger the release of some long-buried emotions from the past. Images you thought you'd forgotten could emerge from your unconscious. Don't be surprised if you even shed a few tears, and then chide yourself for being ridiculous. Don't! This is a healthy development, and could result in your feeling as if a ten-ton weight had been lifted off your shoulders. Relax, let it come, and go with the flow.

well... probably tears of happiness.

right guys take a look at my new vuunderfoool screen...!!

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

i've never seen a better disguised demon in angelic form.
oblivious;
breathing in pain,
lashing out silently.

3 little birds sat chirping in a tree
"chip chip chip" but i can't hear thee
prance around the leaves and dance around the bee
"chip chip chip" dump an axe on me

Sixpence None the Richer - Still Burning

you are still burning
the flame that is turning
my smoldering ash into a bird
so stay close my brother
I couldn't stand the loss
you are the bridge of action
I need you to help me cross
I need you to help me

Chorus:
so when you break
my arms I'll take hold of you
I know your hearts a hand that takes hold of me

my hand that is breaking
is the hand that is making
all the dead things in me grow
a gift of a holy loss
this burning at the dross

so when you break
my arms I'll take hold of you
I know your hearts a hand that takes hold of me

Bridge:
why do you set out to break the one thing
the one thing that I have to give
its hard to believe that I could
that I should begin again
but I know you heart is a hand

so when I break
your arms you'll take hold of me
you know my hearts a hand that takes hold of you
so when you break
my arms I'll take hold of you
I know your hearts a hand that takes hold of me
so when you break
my arms I'll take hold of you
I know your hearts a hand that takes hold of me

mere exposure effect
-when shown something positive or neutral, the more you get exposed to that something, the more positive feelings you have towards it.
i.e. +ve / 0 >>>> ++++++ve
-when shown something negative, the more you get exposed to that something, the more negative feelings you have towards it.
i.e. -ve >>>>> -----ve

where >>>> = no. of exposures.

hence, when you are feeling depressed, the more you keep to yourself and think ab0ut how depressed you are, the more depressed you get.
that is how people fall into slumps.

so if you're happy and the more you think about it, the more you smile foolishly to yourself.

happy valentine's day to everyone~

how refreshing, to be able to spend it with a few buddies this year :D shopping! just before the new year. yay~

i'm glad all my midterms and stuff are over. finally can enjoy myself. skipped kendo yesterday. haiz. why am i the only one getting reprimanded for that... urghh... can't i at least relax for a while... maybe i should've went and whack my anger away eh. rather than stay home, eat and get fat. oh well. at least i learnt something useful yesterday.
i think i should increase my demand: 9999 kawasaki roses!!
let's see, i took an hour to do 1, so that's about 10,000 hours = 416days = 1.141 years.
patience, people, patience.

Today, you may understand the deeper meaning of the values of your milieu, Christy-Bell. You will gain understanding of your parents' past, as well as of the motivations of your grandparents and other people in your family. This may be a very big day for digging deeper into your roots. And you will benefit greatly from this profound new understanding of your past.


woah. maybe i really was born from a rubbish bin, like my mom says. then i shouldn't dig deeper eh.

a little pain
作詞: OLIVIA・Masumi Kawamura
作曲: Hiroo Yamaguchi

Travel to the moon
君は眠り　夢を解く
誰もいない　星の光　操りながら

強くなるため　忘れた笑顔
きっと二人なら　取り戻す

* 気づいて
I'm here waiting for you
今とは違う未来があっても
I'm here waitng for you
叫び続けて
きっと心は　つなぐ糸をたぐってる
あの頃の私　目を覚ますように
no need to cry

Travel in silence
手をのばせば　触れるのに
君は遠い
それは　思い出の中のこと

声が聞こえる　目を閉じれば
小さな痛みさえ　いとしくて

見つめて
I'm here waiting for you
風に吹かれ　一人迷っても
I'm here waiting for you
空を見上げて
ずっと心は　手を広げて守ってる
あの頃の君が　振り返るまで
no need to cry

(Feel something　Feel nothing
Listen closely　Listen closely)
Wide open ears
Disarm the dream tickler
In the constant moment
(You will find me　Where it's quiet
Listen closely　Listen closely)
Let the blood flow
Through all the spaces
Of the universe

* repeat

i'm starting to think i ain't good at anything.
eventhough i've tried to convince myself.
you know what? your powerpoint sucks.
the colour appears all wrong. don't you know by now that you should have adjusted your background according to what would be reflected on screen? can't you even test it first? you should know people don't like complicated formulas and mathematical procedures appearing. no long sentences. we don't want to read it, we don't even understand it. your animations are distracting. your background is too colourful. we don't get what you mean. you suck. your presentation sucks. and stop stuttering because we won't know what you're trying to get at.
oh, by the way, you really can't draw.
you don't have the proportions. they don't balance. they still look like primary schools. you can't even copy well. why should you pride yourself on imitating a drawing? there's no real skill in that. and the worst thing is, you can't colour! there's no point in doing black and white these days, especially if they are not a good black and white anyway. you try to shade, but they just don't look as good as the real thing. you try to 'anime'-lise your characters, but they are just not cute. you tried but you failed.
you can't sing or act for nuts.
you go out of tune, you can't sing high enough even if you have long ago believed so. you have a really terrible voice. and you try to sound it out by the weird joke-y noises. huh. you're just lousy. you are expressionless. i feel hair standing just seeing your actions. you're trying too hard. you can't do it.
your experiences measure up to nothing.
in the end you still can't do anything, and you forget everything. why do you do so much for? they just don't matter in the end.

stop. wallowing. in. self. pity.

how does it feel to be awake at the time you're supposed to be sleeping, worrying about that 2.5 marks you got taken away needlessly?
well, not just that.

for example,
the below average i.e. quiz.
the misinterpretation of my interview question.
running away from my internship talk and feeling like a thief afterwards.
not being able to contribute for my b.p. project.
being left out in my m.r. project.
passing by a person i really want to say hello to.
seeing someone pretending not to see you.
trying to agree to everything but finding that you can't accomplish anything.
finishing something fast and making lots of mistakes in it.
feeling like everyone's laughing at you.
feeling desperate.
feeling like running away from everything.
feeling like everyone shouldn't really believe in me.
letting everyone down.
that i can't keep up anymore. lagging behind. seeing the backs of people shrinking.
being someone you're not.
keeping up appearances.
having no one to understand.
being ashamed to talk about it.
tired, and yet unwilling to admit it. because you once said it. and so did you. and now, you.
as your face burns up, and you just want to shrink into nothingness as your eyes well up. time and again, you just can't help it.
not wanting anyone to notice.
wanting someone to notice.
having me giving up on myself.
and my stinking feet. smell of souring.
wanting to tear, but you can't afford to reapply that cream. what a joke.
having a mess on your table. ants crawling around, but too lazy to reorganise and clean up.
ants crawling around your bag, wherever you go.
blood spilling everytime you visit the loo.
blemishes on my face.
fats on my arms and tummy.
wanting to look good and slim down. but still continue to eat.
wanting to get something, yet don't want it at the same time.
mistreating someone who deserves better.

and erasing everything here.

oh ya, please refer to below-mentioned post for reasons to:
not going home for dinner for every other day
going home for dinner on tuesday
not going out to shop
not going to kendo
not going to part-time job
sleeping late and waking up early (actually this doesn't really require a reason)

bahh.
whatever.
please add to the list.

do i have a common face?
i had a high school friend telling me that 'i' appeared in a driving centre. (i just fired my instructor, won't be appearing there anytime soon anyway) - i was in school.
and yesterday, a primary school friend claims that 'i' appeared at orchard. phew, luckily you didn't ask her if she was me - i was at home.
mahhh

am waiting for xm to finish her career consultation. arghhh i'm screwed i'm screwed!!!!!
i had 3 tests in a row!! let's derive joy from poor old me's wonderfully exciting schedule:
monday: finance quiz, bp homework due, ft interview recording (and i so totally blew it)
tuesday: i.e. quiz (below average standing... oh well i must be getting stupid)
wednesday: consumer behaviour quiz (why did i think it was gonna be simple... huh.), oh shit xm just reminded me that i have an internship talk. and i have my bp meeting today. the woes of poor planning.
thursday: oh yay! i'm gonna skip my part time job.
friday: marketing research quiz
saturday: (and i'm skipping kendo for the 3rd consecutive time. i feel so bad. i want to sing kbox today though)
sunday: business process midterm (holy, CHEERS, i got a test on a sunday.)
monday: finance midterm (man i love my schedule.)
tuesday: -i pray there won't be any more shocks to come-

wink.
wink.
wink.
wink.
wink.

i guess this is all how it started.

?属天使
☆作?:施人?☆?曲:??淳☆
☆作曲:Tank☆
☆主唱:Tank☆
我不会怪你 ?我的?装
天使在人?是?藏好翅膀
人?愚蠢?莽而你??善良
怎能?你 ?了我被碰?
小小的手掌 厚厚的温暖
你?能平?我不安的夜?
不敢想的梦想 透?你的眼光
我才看? 它原来在前方
没有?能把你?离我身旁
你是我的 ?属天使
唯我能独占
没有?能取代你在我心上
?有一个 ?属天使
我哪里?需要 ?的愿望
小小的手掌 大大的力量
我一定也会 像你一??翔
你想去的地方 就是我的方向
有我保? 笑容尽管??
没有?能把你?离我身旁
你是我的 ?属天使
唯我能独占
没有?能取代你在我心上
?有一个 ?属天使
我哪里?需要 ?的愿望
要不是你出?
我一定?在沉睡
?望的以? 生命只有?夜
没有?能把你?离我身旁
你是我的 ?属天使
唯我能独占
没有?能取代你在我心上
?有一个 ?属天使
我哪里?需要 ?的愿望

1. My friends...
where are they?
2. I am listening to..
some serial drama dialogues from the living room
3. Maybe I should...
just slack all the way!!
4. I love...
squall leonhart!!
5. My plan...
don't seem to be able to be fulfilled
6. I don't understand...
why do you act that way... and why i respond that way.
7. I lost...
my life back there.
8. People say...
things that i don't want to hear
9. I'm missing...
life at morey's...
10. Love means...
being both tense and comfortable around that person
11. Somewhere, someone is...
waiting for me (HAHA)
12.I'm always searching for...
the answer.
13.Forever seems....
just like a fantasy.
14. I never want to....
do this to you.
15. My mobile phone...
has a byakuya wallpaper
16. When I wake up in the morning...
i sleep again and try to wake up again (and loop those actions)
17. I get annoyed when...
i get criticised in something i put in a lot of effort on
18. Parties are...
fun and annoying at the same time.
19. My cat is ...
that fat garfield downstairs heh.
20. Hug and kisses..
cookies and cream~
21. Today I...
had a marketing test and slacked all the way till now (i'm still slacking)
22. Tomorrow I will...
be working (haizzzzzzzz, boring)
23. I really want...
to get out of school
24. I...
am wondering why i'm doing this (-_-`)

Happy Birthday Wini~!!!
(was just forced to add this in after seeing her an hour ago (-_-`) wahhaha. even if it is 3months late... oh well~)

Drinking Cold water after meal = Cancer!

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you.
It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold
water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will
slow down the digestion.

Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed
by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine.

Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink
hot soup or warm water after a meal.

A serious note about heart attacks

HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE": (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!)

Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be
the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.

You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart
attack.

Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms.

60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not
wake up.

Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful
and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could
survive...

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10
people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read
this...It could save your life!!

Let's say it's 6.15 pm and you're driving home ..

Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that
starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are
only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home.
Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far.
You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did
not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

"HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE":

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without
help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to
feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing
consciousness.
However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly
and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each
cough, deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside
the chest.
A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds
without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be
beating normally again.
Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements
squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing
pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm.
In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as
many other people as possible about this. It could save their
lives!! "

would it have been different if certain things didn't happen the way they did?

19th September 2006

You will try to know better the people you have met recently. Indeed, today's celestial energy will give you this desire to deepen your relationships. You will have to adapt to this new frame of mind. But, you will have to understand that some people's feelings might be different from yours. You will see that you will be better off if you share your energy with the ones who care about you.

is this referring to the one who just logged in, or the one whom i got a reminder of? either way, i'll just stay shut for a while.

this little leaf floated from tree to tree. got trapped in one and wrung itself free. got caught by one and stuck on with it. got loved by one and ran away from it. this little leaf couldn't decide what it wants, and now it's all too late.

i want to go back to wildwood!
miss those good ol' days...

me faltas...

187, perfect.

he really looks like him... maybe just a little difference in height...

urghh... phat thai phat thai...
fat thighs.

some species of people i've observed:

1. people who doesn't try and gets it.
2. people who tries and eventually and or occasionally makes it.
3. people who tries too hard and doesn't make it.
4. people who sometimes tried to and sometimes gives us
5. people who doesn't try and doesn't make it.

which are you?

i tried, but i failed. so i guess i'm not about to try anymore.

can't imagine i was in malaysia just yesterday...
US just a month ago...
and now i'm back in singapore.
in school.
now.

sighh... should i say life is boring or just too fast?

i realised i have msn here!
and hola, look who messaged me first.
you made my day!!! te quieros!!

too much time makes you wonder...
too much silence makes your mind wander...

i saw that face and i knew better.
so i saved an apology today.
i guess when your circle gets wider, doesn't matter if it shrinks an inch or so, even if that inch was built up over 7years.
because you know, that inch was about to fall out anyway... so why not save the pain of incision?

why is everything so complicated with you?
why is everything so simple with you?
why can't i say what i want to you?
why do words slip so easily with you?
why do i have to re-write and re-type every sentence to you?
why do i just type whatever i want to to you?
why is there pain...
why is there peacefulness...
why are you so far away?
why are you so far away?

忘れたくない...
彼はまるで大切な人になったんです。しかし、遠いからなにもできません。あのひとへ私の心を飛びでいった...
許さない。
知っていますが、忘れたくない。

it's just an automated message for god's sake!
why are you so happy about it?

because someone did something that generated that automated message, that's why... ..^_^..

Nickelback - Far Away

this time, this place
misused, mistakes
too long, too late
who was i to make you wait
just one chance
just one breath
just in case there's just one left
'cause you know,
you know, you know

(chorus)
that i love you
i have loved you all along
and i miss you
been far away for far too long
i keep dreaming you'll be with me
and you'll never go
stop breathing if
i don't see you anymore

one my knees, i'll ask
last chance for one last dance
'cause with you, i'd withstand
all of hell to hold your hand
i'd give it all
i'd give for us
give anything but i won't give up
'cause you know,
you know, you know

(chorus)

so far away
been far away for far too long
so far away
been far away for far too long
but you know, you know, you know

i wanted
i wanted you to stay
'cause i needed
i need to hear you say
that i love you
i have loved you all along
and i forgive you
for being away for far too long
so keep breathing
'cause i'm not leaving
hold on to me and, never let me go