Monday, December 28, 2009
Fluid and Mush
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas 09 is coming
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bethel Family Church Camp 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Hols are here!!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Me as Zebra
We did a photoshoot this afternoon at our school's very own photo studio, called DryCab, run by the cca group SMUSAIC. Anyway, doing my hair was a nightmare. It was so painful and a lot of hairspray was used on me. I can't believe I'll have to do something like that again on the real days.
Remember, tickets are at $20, 22/23 January 2010. Come support me! You'll love the musical. :) Tickets sold at SMU. Contact me if you need tickets.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Fantastic Mr Fox
Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animation, very unlike the Pixar animation that produces seamless animation. Yes, Mr Fox was produced by piecing frame by frame. In my opinion, this filmography is a fresh take from what I'm used to.
I never read Fantastic Mr. Fox, so whatever I watched in the movie was new to me. It's about Mr. Fox who derives some sick satisfaction from thievery, his excuse being that he's a wild animal and not one to be tamed. He and his family and other animals get chased underground by 3 farmers as a result.
I love the show. I REALLY REALLY DO. Far from what many people have said, it's not a children's movie. OK, maybe it is. But the exultation of thievery and wit here makes it a very adult one. There were several scenes when the director just over exaggerates. E.g. the incredible athletism by Kristofferson (i love the name) contrasted with his loser cousin. The script is really good. I dunno, you really have to just watch this for yourself.
Ok, one more exam tomorrow. Finance 101. At this point, I'm just so unmotivated to go on. :(
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Jan to Nov
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
How much do you know about capitalism?
I totally forgot to blog about Capitalism: A Love Story!! I watched it with Josh a week ago. Well, another fabulous documentary by Michael Moore. The movie is deliciously biased against capitalism. I think it had to be, given that the upside of capitalism has been preached to us for years. You'll be sad because a lot of people's lives were badly affected by the financial crises. You'll laugh because some parts are funny, in a dark humour kinda way.
BUT... I don't think the show is still in the theatre. Really should have asked you guys to watch it earlier! (well, we all know we don't have to go to the cinema to watch movies..)
OK, back to studying!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Comfort Zone
Yes I drew that :)
It's not meant to be a scary message. I was just looking at my life and realised that 'darn, I wanna do something.' I'm definitely grateful for being in a loving family, the youngest and only daughter of 3, I'm pampered and well-fed. SMU's a good school, I love my CCA, I love singing and I don't suck at it. When it comes to academics, since PSLE, I pretty much have it smooth-sailing. But the absence of hard knocks in my life has taught me little.
I still complain a lot about everything. I feel for everything but do nothing. (I feel for the unfortunate, for the environment, for God's kingdom and more) My cell group needs leaders and yet I like to think my superficial contributions are enough. I can sing, I can make people laugh, I can speak and there's a dozen more 'I cans'. But along the way, I keep forgetting who gave me my I-cans.
And right now, you're probably like me. Just because you can hide behind a myriad of activities (in and out of church) doesn't mean God can't see you.
So what's next? That's simple. Repent.
To end off, read the poem, "The Tandem Bike" in Joshua's blog.
Monday, November 23, 2009
It's a slow fade
The lyrics caught my ear "Be careful little eyes what you see... People never crumble in a day." I kinda figured this must be about compromise. So, abandoning Corp Reporting for a while, I checked out the lyrics, and it turns out they are really powerful.
"It's a slow fade
When you give yourself away
It's a slow fade
When black and white are turned to gray
And thoughts invade, choices are made
A price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day
(The verse that struck me)
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises
Leave broken hearts astray"
There are more verses, I just picked and choose which were meaningful to me. The message of the song is not new but it sure was a timely (it's always timely to remind yourself of these things) one. If you're thinking this shouldn't happen to you cos you're not committing adultery, watching porn, gambling and the likes, be careful... Your slow fade has probably just started.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Singapore's Universal Studio's Theme Park
Adult ticket prices will be :
$66 (weekday)
$72 (Weekend)
$118 (Consecutive 2-day pass)
You can get an express pass costing between $30 to $68 (on top of admission price) to bypass long queues. Talk about the rich-poor divide. The express pass is just another way to show why the rich always win.
According to Shirly Chen, Vice President (Sales Development), Resort World Sentosa, "We have pegged ticket prices for Universal Studios Singapore at an incredible value compared to major theme parks worldwide" Let's see if she's right.
According to Disneyland:
1-day Parkhopper ticket is priced at US$97, and 2-day pass at US$151.
YUP, Shirly Chen is right, Sentosa's Universal Studio's theme park is going to be cheeeeeeeap. Quick quick, save up now. It will not be long before they increase ticket prices. (they always do)
Universal Studios Singapore will feature 24 attractions, including the world’s biggest single collection of DreamWorks Animation attractions such as the world’s first Far Far Away Castle from the world of Shrek, Madagascar theme park ride and the world’s tallest dueling roller coaster. Wow wow wheeee!!!
Let me break down the math for you, let's say we take the $118 2-day pass ticket that hopefully lets us complete all attractions, it's like only 5 bucks per attraction!!! I'm hyperventilating already...
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Mugging Time!
I woke up at 7am, to jog. This is physical training for a mental war against Corporate Reporting, Finance and MPW exams. Will be back to normal mode after 1 Dec.
In the meantime, in appreciation for my blogging efforts, you could send me exam welfare packages. In particular, snacks like Pocky, Jagabee, Wang Wang, or any Mark's & Spencer's chocolate biscuits would be awesome.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
An email to my cell mates
How's it going?
I was just planning my 2010 plan and guess what? There's simply, I realize, too much to do, see, hear, try, taste, smell and touch. There's be singing, acting, traveling, internships, mentoring, leading, following, moving, competitions... If you're thinking, wow Anna, I wanna be you. Let me just say, there's a price to everything.
In the past weeks, I've been struggling to surrender my life to God. You see, God wants to be the Lord of my everything, if not, He's just not Lord at all. With all the things going around, I can just hear the Holy Spirit grieving at how I sometimes push him into the margins of my life. (I bet some of you do too!)
It's not that God wants you to be ONLY involve in church stuff, it's not that he wants you to be holy-schmoly, no hint of a secular life. To some of us, he has put us in certain academic, professional, or social circles for a reason. AND let me hear from you what reason it is?? Yes, it's to glorify Him! Light is after all seen brightest in the darkest of places.
The truth is.. Ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin, life sucks. Yes, life sucks because of sin. Life sucks because it makes us feel stuck at where we are. Hate your job? Life sucks. Hate your school life? Life sucks. Just wanna crawl into a hole? Yes, life does suck. BUT being a Christian is not abt denying life sucks! It's about proclaiming that despite THAT, we have Jesus who overcomes the world. That although life sucks, He is now our new Life and in Him, life is actually beautiful. Most of all, while life sucks, we can find true love in Him. And, hey, I think that's more than enough for me.
(If you've read so far, thanks!)
So now what? Try putting away your work and draw close to God. Pray and let it be an honest prayer. Worship and mean it. While you chew on these thoughts, the next section contains information about this week's cell!
Love, Anna
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Sexy Post by Josh
It's hilarious.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Week 12
During the week, I sat through a very interesting presentation in one of my classes. It was about why some cultures are more open to pre-marital sex. The group presenting had some really interesting speakers! There was a charismatic American and two Indians. Naturally, they compared US and India and Scandinavia, dubbed as the sex city of the world. [NOT THAT Scandinavia is a city!]
I found one of their hypothesis regarding marrying age pretty interesting. Looking at average marrying ages, you can predict a pattern. Countries that experienced higher marrying ages were found to be more prone to practising casual/premarital sex. In the words of one of the Indian speakers, 'If you know you'll get married at like 23, and you're 17, hey, why not just wait another 5 or 6 years and then you can get sex. But if you know you'll get married in 15 years at the age of 33 to 35, you'll be like, why wait? Just experience it now while I'm 17.' I found this particular argument pretty convincing. Don't you?
In any case, the Bible has very clear commands concerning sex outside marriage. No doing IT, and why not? In Joshua Harris' Boy Meets Girl, he explains that God has such a rule not because he's legalistic. Rather he loves us so much and wants the best for us. The best sex is therefore one that is within marriage. :)
Michael Jackson's This is It
Thirdly, his voice is no longer at its peak. THAT IS NOT TO SAY he doesn't sound good. No, he still sounds really good, at some points, I could feel the hairs on my arms stand. But, his voice is just not as zai as the one I hear in my iTunes. THEN AGAIN, it's not easy to sing live as compared to a recording.
I left the cinema knowing that MJ was a genius power packed with talent. He was simply oozing with talent. It's kinda scary how someone could be that good. Well, where more is given, more is expected too.
You should watch This Is It. Watch it with the question, 'so what was he like in the months before his premature death?' If you watch it to be entertained, well you'd be entertain except that your money would be more well-spent in some action movie.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Things I'm inspired to do
1. Be in a musical
2. Go on a BSM (I'm going on a Business Study Mission to Israel next April!)
Things I wanna try out:
3. Create a tumblr blog for which the blog theme is solely on WALKING WITH GOD.
4. Sign up to help out with some conference event next year. (actually I do have a particular one in mind)
5. Start a Youth Choir in church. This is something I've been chewing on for a number of years already. And every time I think of it, a million objections appear in my mind. When will I just do it?
6. Go for 6 month or summer internship. And possibly chuck the 'must go on exchange' idea.
So many things to do and try. But the one real question is, what would He want me to do? And before I do, let me be. *
* meaning it's more important to develope your being than your doing. :) Agree?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Julie and Julia
Yeap, are you jealous? If you're from SMU, you might think I'm a terrible project mate cos it's Week 10 *screeeams* and I actually had the mood to watch a movie. Oh well, YOU GO get a life.
Julie and Julia is really two movies pieced to make a sweet concoction. Julie is a young 30 year old hot wife with a hot husband. In the midst of her meaningless life, she decides to throw herself into a cooking project that aims to complete more than 500 french cooking recipes in 365 days. On top of that, she has a full time job. What I loved about her? Her husband! Haha. I was surprised in the middle of the movie to find that the man in her life was not her co-habiting partner but her husband.
Let's talk about Julia. Julia Child teaches us that life begins at 40. You're never too old to imagine great things. That the things you do are not so that you would have NOTHING to do. Well, she does seem a little cuckoo at times, but we should all have cuckoo moments.
Should you watch the movie? Totally if you're a lady and for men, I don't know if it's for you. There's not much action and the entertainment was found in the script and glorious images of the food! OH THE FOOD!
"I know it's not polite to say this.. but yum!"
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Emperor Penguin
As a defence against the cold, a colony of Emperor Penguins forms a compact huddle (also known as the turtle formation) ranging in size from ten to several hundred birds, with each bird leaning forward on a neighbour. Those on the outside tend to shuffle slowly around the edge of the formation, producing a slow churning action, and giving each bird a turn on the inside and the outside.
Source:
Pinshow B., Fedak M.A. , Battles D.R, & Schmidt-Nielsen K. (1976) "Energy expenditure for thermoregulation and locomotion in emperor penguins" American Journal of Physiology 231(3): 903–12
God gave us clear instructions to be united, no matter what. He doesn't throw the concept of 'unity' to us and say, 'Go figure it out!' Nope, the evidence of unity can be found in what He has created, penguins being one of them! I hope we can only be humble to learn from their example.
'The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind -
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they'll be unified and together as we are -
I in them and you in me.
Then they'll mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you've sent me and loved them
In the same way you've loved me. '
John 17:20-23 (The Message)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Hectic weekend ahead
Eunice said that it's better to work with acquaintances for projects. This way, you won't spend too much time talking about everything under the sun except work. "Cos you don't want to see their faces, so you'd quickly chop chop." Interesting perspective. I'm not one to go all out unsure in picking group mates randomly.
I had an audition in school this week for a musical that will be shown next January. I got the callback audition and that's going to take place this Sunday. That also means missing Youth Service and seeing the new youth pastor for the first time. So adults from the 2nd service, I'll see you this Sunday.
It's been a long time since I went for an audition. It's a scary thing! My audition took place at 7pm. My nerves started at 3.30pm. For that few hours, my heart was racing. No kidding. How can performers do this on a regular basis? And auditions are a one-timer. You blow it, that's it. I think I did average, which is not too bad. Musical auditions requires you to sing like a soloist, something I'm trained AGAINST in choir. Ironically, in choir, I get critiqued for not blending in.
I was just looking through my 2007 blog posts. Oh My. 2 things, firstly, I look so different! Secondly, it got me squirmy reading about my JC days and seeing through my eyes how I saw things then. Any stranger who wants to know me quite sufficiently just has to read this blog from the very first post to the last and there you have it, the Profile of Anna. Well, then again, that's more than 240 posts. Good luck with that.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Happy 28th Anniversary, Mum and Dad!
In celebration, my Dad bought my mum a diamond. And I can tell you it's expensive!!!
I asked my Mum, 'So, 28 years already. Any tips for me and Gabriel?' Mum said, 'Must learn to give and take lor.'
Considering that 1/3 of marriages in Singapore end up in divorces, I will definitely take that advice to heart. Well, that depends if God wills for me to marry too!
I watched Defending The Cavemen at SRT yesterday, with Amanda and Julia. It was a solo comedy that took about 1.5 hours. That's a lot of script for one man to memorize! Most parts were funny, but it is after all a solo, it's definitely not easy to engage your audience alone. For the Act I, I wasn't totally paying attention. But Act II was funny! Basically the entire thing was about the differences between men and women. The takeaway point: Men are hunters, they zero in on the hunt and pretty much sees nothing else. Women are the gatherers, they take in the surroundings and every detail. I think I laughed more at the women jokes. There's something very comforting in laughing at your sex.
And I played l4d again yesterday. Someone, please tie up my hands!!
So much work to do. SIGH.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Another week of my very interesting life
1. Last night, Abi and I stayed over at Amanda's house. We wanted to celebrate her 20th birthday [Happy birthday, Amanda!!] but come to think of it, we didn't really celebrate officially. We talked a lot, some rubbish some serious. We gave some really funny advice to Abi that traumatized her. I don't think I can say it here, ask her! AND...
We painted our nails!!! I was the manicurist. I purposely bought the multi-purpose base coat+top coat+clear shine polish yesterday. Amanda and Abi are pretty noob when it comes to nail polish. So, usually you have to put one base coat, 2 paint coats and one top coat. That's 4 coats! I painted for their finger nails and my own toe nails. It was so girls' night out. Amanda's mum baked the best banana muffins with chocolate chips. It was the most banana-eey muffin ever, I think they just whacked the bananas mans.
Amanda and Abigail, you girls are my bestest friends. I love you and really appreciate you. You guys give great advice and support. Who needs boys when I have you? :)
2. I watched Funny people with Josh last week, thereby continuing my movie-once-a-week streak. I keep talking abt that because I used to watch movies like once in 3 months. This movie-watching behavior is so new to me. Anyway, we watched it at Illuma Film Garde cinema. There weren't student tickets! It was M18, meaning lotsa F words, and one or two nude scenes. But it was a good movie! Quite draggy, but great script, very sharp and witty. Adam Sandler was awesome.
3. I've been playing l4d. Twice in the last two days. XIAO right? Cos I'm so not that type of girl. I guess you should never put one in a box. Amanda just suggested going for another session of l4d later. NUTS, absolutely. And 8 hours ago, she said she's not going to touch l4d again. [for a long time at least]
Well, ciao. :) Have a great week, y'all!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
True or false
"Why didn't you tell me you wanted Macs?"
"Cos I know you're anti-Mac!"
"How would you know?"
"It's true right?"
"Yeah."
How did I know? Call it intuition, whatever. I believe, our physical being and personality can give off huge signals about ourselves. We may not catch all aspects of a person's total-ness, but who can? I don't even understand myself sometimes, only God knows each one of us perfectly. Anyway, I always hear people claim, "I'm different. I'm actually very introvert/extrovert. Most people don't realise this certain thing about me" And so on. Really? I think FEW people are difficult to read. These few people are often either in a world of their own or have a damn high self-monitoring disposition. [that's an MPW term!]
Anyway, my friend and I played a game during dinner. We are to make observations of each other by saying quite specific statements which are either true or false. A true statement earns you one point. The first to 5 points win. I kept shooting off statements like, 'You like your poodle more than your golden retriever [false]', '60% of your T shirts are white. [false]', 'You were from a sports cca in JC [true]'... In any case, I lost. My friend came up with much fewer statements about me, but they were more accurate.
'You are close to your parents.' True.
'You hate soft toys.' I declared that this is not counted cos many girls feel that way at my age.
'You don't wear dresses' Generally true.
'You never had a boyfriend.' True. I'm still trying to figure how he came to this conclusion.
I can't remember the last one. I really should have won.
Monday, September 28, 2009
The little Prince and his rose
The fact is that I did not know how to understand anything! I ought to have judged by deeds and not by words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I ought never to have run away from her... I ought to have guessed all the affection that lay behind her poor little strategems. Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young to know how to love her."
Women are flowers.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Inglourious Bastards
1/3 of the movie's in English, the rest was like French and German. And since I cannot tell the difference between either, had to call on Joshua to let me know who is speaking what. My favourite character was Colonel Landa, the sharp evil detective with a very warp sense of humour.
I've been watching a movie a week, and usually people is quite impressed with how much time I have. But Lebbeus said that he watches 2 a week, ha, so I'm not that bad. :)
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Healthcare in Singapore
So, tell me the difference between Medifund, Medishield, Eldershield and Medisave.
You can check http://www.watsonwyatt.com/europe/pubs/healthcare/render2.asp?ID=13850 to find out.
I also went to Wikipedia to check out "Health care in Singapore". [No actually, I first Yahoo-ed it, which led to Wikipedia. And yes, I'm so geeky.] Some sentences which are strange and that I don't agree with:
1. Singapore's system uses a combination of compulsory savings from payroll deductions (funded by both employers and workers) a nationalized catastrophic health insurance plan...(italics my own)
How in the world is our health insurance plan a catastrophic one???
2. Singapore's medical facilities are among the finest in the world, with well qualified doctors and dentists, many trained overseas. (Once again, italics my own)
It is, yes it is, implied here that doctors trained overseas are better. Excuse me, to the person who wrote that article, a lot of so-called 'trained-overseas' doctors went overseas because they couldn't get into our local med school in the first place. Yes, NUS med school is that good. And yeah of course, there are exceptions la, some singaporeans have gone to Ivy league med schools.
After reading all that I read, I felt some pride in our nation. God has really blessed Singapore much.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Expectations
"My NS expectations
I decided to put this document here so that all those that see it can come and ask me and check with me regularly if I've been fulfilling all that I want to fulfill :) Haha.
Expectations of my 2 years in NS
1) Stand for my convictions and “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
2) Give my best and do “it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”(Colossians 3:23-24)
3) Be a testimony through my actions and to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should not only look to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4)
4) Be a testimony through my speech. I should neither “let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29) “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving” (Ephesians 5:4)
5) Glorify God in camp through my speech and actions “that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16)
6) Persevere with a smile “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:3) “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
7) Reach out to all my friends in camp and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) verbally and through my life testimony.
Do keep me prayer! :) haha. I'll see all of you after two weeks of isolation :)
Bye! :D
I hope you're encouraged by it!
Week 5
1. I watch The Ugly Truth with Joshua this week. My movie-watching rate is once a week. I'm so cool.
2. Before choir recruited new people, we were a 24-strong choir. We accepted 26 new people! Now we're huge!
3. Fatimah invited me to her house this evening, for Hari Raya Puasa. Food was good. It's a pity my good friends couldn't make. I enjoyed myself, but in the company of new people, must deal with ambiguity.
4. I learned today. Do not say, 'Hey you remind me of so-and-so!'. You can only say that to someone if you are comparing upwards. For e.g. "you remind me a little of this Korean actress.' Not "you remind me of this girl in my class, so and so, you know her?' 99% of the time, unless that referent girl is hot, the person you are speaking to will be offended, be it openly or inwardly.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Heard of Zune?
The New York Times: Tuning in to a Zippier Zune
Would you buy it? I'm being very presumptuous, but this is my guess:
No, because you think that the Ipod is way superior. Since everyone has it, that makes Zune and the Zuner outcasts. Bottomline: Apple is hip and Microsoft isn't.
Yes, because you are and want to be different. You know Zune isn't as superior as the Ipod, Apps and store-wise. But you don't care, cos it gives you satisfaction to know you are just different.
I'm usually the 'no' person, and I suspect you are too. But sometimes, I want to be the 'yes' girl.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The suicide pact tragedy
As we know more about the story, I keep wondering how in the world did he reach such a mindset? He really believed that 'the only way to become a slayer (and save the world) was to die and be resurrected as one'. The report said that he was inspired by a dream.
The only thing that stopped it from becoming 8 teenagers committing suicide (and becoming 2) was a blocked roof access. I would take that as a sign of God's grace. If there's anything to learn from this incident, it is to realise that the spiritual realm is not one to be played with. Though God is a spiritual being, so are the many evil spirits and demons out there. When you call out to someone who isn't God, you can be sure it's something ungodly.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Jump
"“JUMP” is a non-verbal, 80-minute hyperactive sitcom. From the same producer of the recent sell-out show “BREAKOUT”, it promises audiences action of the kind they would see in cross between Jackie Chan and the Matrix movies, live on stage, without the use of harnesses or any special computerized effects. An entirely new and creative genre, “JUMP” expertly blends Asian martial arts including Taekwondo - the ancient Korean martial arts form with dazzling acrobatics and a healthy dose of uproarious slapstick humour into an action-packed, family-friendly production."
My opinion:
Super good. Excellent. It's one of the few performances that makes you laugh real hard. If the same people ever come back again for a different performance, I die die will watch. And if Jump comes back for the 3rd time to Singapore, please go watch it! My friend and I had excellent seats! Middle and Foyer stalls. Quite pricey though.
I love the arts, not all forms, mainly the musicals, plays, choral, and dances. I always gripe how pricey they are though. There's a saying, 'the arts are for the rich'. It's a little true, I think. A girl, in ICC class today, said that Singaporeans generally don't appreciate the arts, and that has led to certain characteristics in our culture. I wanted to argue but I didn't. Everytime I attend one of these things, it's always full house. If the arts aren't patronized, attendance would be bad. So, i theorize that it's usually the same kind of people who go for these artsy fartsy stuff. I try to be this kind of people sometimes, consequently burning a hole in my wallet though.
Next up, I'll be watching Defending the Cavemen!
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Week 4
Me and a few choir mates went to Ben & Jerry's All Chunk Fest at Marina Barrage. It was a hot hot day! Pretty fun too. I tried some new flavours. Like one with peanut butter, another with oatmeal cookies and another one that is chocolate with honeycomb. Simply delicious!
Must go Marina Barrage to fly kite some day. So many people were doing it, it made the sky more beautiful.
Jon went army on Friday! It was a little sad. But as my good friend Josh says, all local guys in Singapore go through it, no big deal.
I watched a movie called Gamer. It's M18 and rightly so! It's very sexually provocative, and gross. But other than that, the storyline is intriguing. It's about the world in 2039, where humans can control humans. "Pay to control or paid to be controlled." So there's a game called Slayers where it's something like L4D, just that you're controlling real humans! Anyway, it didn't get good reviews I think. But not a bad movie for me. :)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Week 3
Giant tortoisesPolar Bear
My favourite: Giraffes!
Lama
I had a pretty good week. Check it out:
1. Played L4D with Abi, Jeremy and Joel. It's some lok-kok area near Joel's house. Air-conditioner hardly worked. We managed to complete, but with me, Abi and Jeremy dead. Haha.
2. Watched Year One with Joel. It's a super crude show, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. My brother Gabriel was surprised that I watched it. It's so his type of movie. I thought it was funny. The storyline was mainly about 2 guys living in the Genesis period.
3. Joshua, Amanda and I ate supper at Ah Chew's desserts on Thursday. SMU students get 10% off! But I forgot to flash my matric card, so we missed the discount. We were supposed to study that evening but Joshua kept disturbing me. First was '50 things guys should know about girls' [it was uncannily accurate], then it was Oxbridge's charity calendar featuring naked ladies posing tastefully. No, it wasn't porn. It's just nudity covered up, in a way la.
4. Today, I went to the zoo. I'm serious! And I loved it. The zoo is beautifully designed. The animals are smaller than the wild, of course. The pictures are above. My church celebrated 'Family Day' there. Thanks Bethel! And thank you God for the great weather!
The kite and its string
Relationships are like the kite and godly wisdom the string. Little does the kite know that if the string breaks, the kite stops flying and now falls down to the ground. In relationships, when you meet someone you like, suddenly all boundaries seem non-existent or unimportant. At times, we fail to ask God if we're doing the right thing and at the right time. While the string on a kite provides tension, it's a healthy one. The boundaries set by God's principles can only be seen if we seek Him. And God's boundaries are always good for us when we follow.
I want to fly a kite someday! That'll be cool. :)
Friday, August 28, 2009
Week 2
I spent a substantial amount of time in school alone. Most days, i arrive in school at 8.45am and study. What a mugger! I wish I had more foresight earlier then I would have bidded my modules more in line with Amanda's. Then we could have more emo talk, then we wouldn't have to wait for choir time to start emo-ing. For the record, she pretty much does the emo-ing. Sorry, manda!
Another module I'm taking is called Intercultural Communications, or ICC for short. An anecdote of what we learn: An American exchange student was shocked when her Singaporean SMU classmate said, 'This morning, I was so stoned.' Do you get it?
For a school whose majority of students are girls, my finance and corporate reporting group mates are all guys. Weird. And I just noticed, on average, guys in accountancy are cuter. I think.
I've finally finished reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I recommend it! Next book up, Who moved my cheese?
Monday, August 24, 2009
Read if you can understand
Once upon a midnight dreary as I pondered weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of accounting lore
Seeking gimmicks (without scruple) to squeeze through some new tax loophole
Suddenly I heard a knock upon my door
Only this, and nothing more
Then I felt a queasy tingling and I heard the cash a-jingling
As a fearsome banker entered whom I'd often seen before
His face was money-green and in his eyes there could be seen
Dollar-signs that seems to glitter as he reckoned up the score
"Cash flow," the banker said, and nothing more
I had always thought it fine to show a jet black bottom line
But the banker sounded a resounding, "No.
Your receivables are high, mounting upward toward the sky;
Write-offs loom. What matters is cash flow."
He repeated, "watch cash flow"
Then I tried to tell the story of our lovely inventory
Which, though large, is full of most delightful stuff.
But the banker saw its growth, and with a mighty oath
He waved his arms and shouted, "Stop! Enough!
Pay the Interest, and don't give me guff"
Next I looked for noncash items which could ad infinitum
To replace the ever-outward flow of cash,
But to keep my statement black I'd held depreciation back,
And my banker said I'd done something rash.
He quivered, and his teeth begin to gnash.
When I asked him for a loan, he responded, with a groan,
That the interest rate would be just prime plus eight,
And to guarantee my purity he's insist on some security -
All my assets plus the scalp upon my pate.
Only this, a standard rate.
Though my bottom line is black, I am flat upon my back
My cash flows out and customers pay slow
The growth of my receivables is almost unbelievable;
The result i certain - unremitting woe!
And I hear the banker utter an ominous low mutter,
"Watch cash flow."
By Herbert S. Bailey Jr.
What a wonderful (and nerdy) poem of an accounting story!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Week 1
2. Vivace's over. It's basically a CCA day where all CCAs in SMU showcase its CCA through booths.
3. Youth Alive's carnival was pretty fun today. My favourite stall was the Fish SPA!!! It's so cool, these little special fish come around your feet and start nibbling at it. It wasn't painful, it felt like lots of kisses.. on the feet! Very ticklish. Abi and I kept screaming in spurts.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sophomore year starts tomorrow
Ok, get a grip, Anna! Looking on the bright, I've never regretted choosing SMU. I love the culture, the people and the place. And no, this isn't psychoing myself. It's just that, when the going gets tough, the tough HAS to get going. Well, me just likes to nua.
Anyway, it's off to school tomorrow. It's gonna be a great day. :D
Tablet drawing
Sunday, August 9, 2009
UP and about
Go watch it!!!!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
HTHT
My GFs and I like to discuss why people act in a certain fashion and why we have certain reactions to certain people. I think like 65% of the time, we always analyze why boys do what they do. Why do some send the seemingly suggestive signals and act all personal, when it's really just nothing? (2 theories: He really likes you but hasn't said yet or 'casting a wide net' theory) And we always analyze our own behavior. Over-analyze, probably. 'What does it mean if we always SMS each other?'
We have a few main conclusions. One, single women like us tend to be emotionally needy. The Bible says that the pursuit of pleasure will never be satisfied. And until we find our spirit and soul filled with God's love in our lives, we'll always be hanging on to poor second-bests. Now, I'm reminded that we cannot never imagine how deep, how wide, how long and extravagant is God's love. His grace and mercy is unmmatched.
HTHTs with close friends are certainly satisfying. But how much more I need that HTHT with God.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
20 km cycle
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Bummer
If I were the director, there'll be many things I would change. After all, such Korean dramas serve to make you feel good. Watching Shining Inheritance is like eating average Ba Chor Mee.
On Sunday, I picked up a reserved book at the library - Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix. It's my first time reserving a book, do you know it costs $1.55? Previously I had only read Book 1-4, after watching the Harry Potter movie 6, i decided to fill in the gap by reading book 5. I must say that J K Rowling is really imaginative. However I felt that HP was pretty much just an angry boy for the first 3/4 of the book. Because the reader can only know what Harry knows, I felt quite bored reading it. For most part, HP was just an angry teen who felt that the adults were treating him unfairly.
From now on, I'm just gonna read books, take MacRitchie walks, study Finance and go to the gym. Sigh, just a few more weeks to school.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
MacRitchie Reservoir walk
The tree top bridge had a pretty good view of the forest and Upper Pierce Reservoir. As we walked along the boardwalk at MacRitchie, you can't help feeling that Singapore is really beautiful. Sure, you can't compare it to bigger countries which have far better breakthtaking views, but it's definitely a feat to see MacRitchie Reservoir in the city.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A feel-good day
Oh, it's such a funky gym! I love the toilets best. It's got a sleek woody interior and large posters of handsome men. It's the best gym toilet I've seen. Anyway, we spend two hours at Fitness First. 2 hours! I usually do some cardio stuff for 30 minutes and then go. But Fitness First makes you want to stay. Ok, enough free marketing for them already.
In the evening, Clar, Indra and I met up at Crystal Jade. My first time there in a long while and I love Crystal Jade. So food was good, but company was way better. In the middle of our conversation, Indra suddenly asked, 'Clar, I wanna ask you, what's your cup size ah?' We talked about experiences of school, friends, romance and with that, heartbreaks, and just plain nonsense.
All in all, it was one of those feel-good days. 'I feel good!... '
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
No more bad driving
A week ago, I took out the Aveo, the first time after coming back from Amsterdam and the first time I'm driving after 3 weeks.[note: I can be a really lousy driver.] At a steep slope, where I had to stop before turning because of oncoming traffic from the right, I braked and pulled the handbrake. Now's the difficult part: I had to balance the clutch and accelerator without stalling or rolling back. To my credit, I didn't stall, but definitely rolled back. And who's behind me? A nice, big Mercedes Benz! Anyway, the fella got scared and quickly went to the next lane. It was a bad experience.
Anyway, I'm fine now. I'm more or less ok with driving the Aveo. And I feel really good. Praise God!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Amsterdam VI (last)
This is the street which leads to my hostel. Take a look at the short cylindrical metal structure in the centre of the foreground. There's also the traffic light-looking thing on the right. Those are signs to indicate the entrance of a red light district. Apparently, my hostel is located just right at the edge of it. 3 doors away from my hostel is a prostitute already, though we did not discover this until 4th day. (We had only turned left when leaving the hostel then)
This plain empty space is in front of the street where I stayed. A very beautiful fort (or part of it) that is now a restaurant situates there.
The traditional windmill located in Zaanse Schans.
Walking down the streets of Haarlem, though this is no special scene. Red bricked buildings are packed close to each other. In Amsterdam, there's always this summer feeling around. Living in Singapore, we don't really appreciate the sunny weather we have all year round. But everywhere we go, people are happy that it's summer. But that's pure guesswork on my part, maybe Amsterdammers are just happy people. :) Or maybe the weather in St. Petersburg was way colder and wetter (sometimes) so coming here was a good change.
Ok, no more posts on my recent travels anymore. Other pictures I have won't really tell you much. Sigh, when can I fly off again???
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Amsterdam Part III
The famous Vondel Park of Amsterdam. We cycled inside. It was so nice seeing families together having picnic there. What was especially heartening was seeing a lot of fathers spending time with their young children. I recall a man jogging in the park and pushing a baby pram at the same time!
We went to Heineken Brewery. The first Heineken brewery was in Amsterdam. It's more like a museum now. It cost 15 euros to get in but it comes with 2 free drinks! I highly recommend this place to anyone who will visit Amsterdam.
On a Sunday, we decided to cycle to Zaanse Schans, which is about 20 km away from Amsterdam, North of Holland. It was quite an adventure, we passed by many scenic areas like the one shown in the above. What a treat to see the sky all the way to its horizon. At Zaase Schans, you can see traditional windmills. Honestly, the place is overrated and only tourists go there. I didn't get good pictures of them. But you can always google them out right? :)
I rode this bike for 3 days. It's apparently a child bike cos the smallest adult bike was too big for me to handle. We biked a lot, so much that I had 7 bruises, a fall and a butt ache at the end of it. Traffic in the Netherlands flows on the right. Same for all cyclists, so it was rather hard to get used to it at first. Because 1 in 2 people's personal transport is biking in Amsterdam, you can imagine it's not a leisurely thing. It did get us from Point A to B fast though.
Amsterdam Part II
This packet of fries is called Friets. Large-cut fries drowned in lotsa sauces. Very shiok but obviously super unhealthy. It's quite huge, though it's klein. (small size)
Vegetarian pasta with a lot of mushrooms. Not my usual kind of ordering, but it was delicious. However, like I said, the portion was huge. Could only take in two thirds of it.
This is raw herring. Apparently, the Dutch people love it. They slurp it down in no time. It cost S$6 ok! And we only finished half of it. Too fishy to chow down anymore. I was quite scared to eat it, but well, once in a lifetime, so try lor.
Banana waffles with ice cream. Waffles there are a little different, probably nicer than Singapore's. We heard much about the pancakes and waffles in Netherland. Yeah, they're nice but overrated la, not to mention more expensive as well.
This apple tart super nice!!! Never tasted anything like that in Singapore yet.
Amsterdam Part 1
The first picture was taken from Google images. The second is to give you an idea we exactly we are. Yup, we obviously did the touristy thing by taking photos with the iconic sign 'I amsterdam'.
The bus stop's name is called Stayokay Haarlem because the only thing near it is the hostel called Stayokay Haarlem which we spent the night in. It's quite far from Centruum.
Behind our hostel is a beautiful park, which we only took 1/2 hour to explore. Too bad we didn't give ourselves more time. During our night at Stayokay Haarlem, a couple of boys started knocking on our windows from the outside. It was about 12 am, when we just finished bathing. We got really really scared. Imagine, in the quiet suburbs come urgent knocks on your windows from the outside!! And it was just us 3 girls. The older American lady staying in the same room had left for the bar. We quickly grabbed our valuables and look for the staff. It turned out that those pranksters were fellow boarders. They were warned and subsequently, nothing else happened.
This is the iconic church in Haarlem at Centruum. (Centruum meaning Central, I think) The people in the foreground are just hanging out in the early evening, probably drinking beer. Cafe-seating is a big part of the culture in Netherlands, as a matter of fact, in many parts of Europe too.
Russia Part III (last)
On our last night, we went to a club called Rossi. We were brought by our gracious new-found friends, ladies from the Maria Ensemble. (They are an amazing vocal ensemble. Super good) We kinda got a private room, so it was just US. We tried some dancing though the music wasn't good at all. Overall, some just threw themselves into the mood, heck, since we're already there right? :)
One of the best night shots I got. Nice right? :D It's about 12am when I took this shot. Yup, the night's still young. You might have noticed that generally, buildings in St. Petersburg are quite European-styled. When Peter the Great first built this city, he invited the best architectures all over Europe to help build the city. So if you ever travel in Russia, you'll find SPB quite different from other Russian cities like Moscow. I can't vouched for that though, that's what the tour guide said. I didn't go Moscow, so I'll just take her word for it.
All photos have been arranged chronologically.
Russia Part II
Obviously, the reason we could go St. Petersburg was to sing! I believe this was our competition day. This picture shows 5 out of 7 sopranos. Yup, I'm a soprano! Singing high notes can be really difficult, but if you really train and be disciplined about it, high notes can be sung very well. I did not start out as a good choral singer but I eventually climbed my own mountains. :D Anyway, we achieved 2 silvers.
The above and next two pictures are from our day trip to the Summer Palace called Peterhof. Peterhof has 155 fountains! It's beautiful and I coulde just imagine Russian princesses and princes walking along the fountains and gardens everyday.
At the back of Peterhof is the Baltic Sea. So yeah, the vast waters behind me is the Baltic Sea. Imagine my thrill when I saw such a beautiful sight. Apparently, durin the Russian Revolution, many nobles escaped by walking on the frozen Baltic Sea to Finland.
Russia Part I
Me trying out my sofa bed for the first time. I was to sleep in this tiny thing for 10 nights. Thank God that every night was a peaceful one and I had no need to worry for the lack of space. It's surprisingly comfy. But tiny. I had to share the room with 4 other sopranos. We sure showed our messy sides as we tossed clothes everywhere. Once, after washing my panties, I hung them on the side of my bed. When the boys came in, I ran to hide them away. Hahaha.
This rarely-seen Chinese restaurant is called Red Tower, or 'hong lou'. We ate here twice a day, breakfast and lunch. For many days, amongst other dishes, they served pigs' ears and tongues. Yup, you did not read them wrongly. Out of ignorance, I ate them quite heartily at first. But when the lady boss told us what they were, I stopped. Most of my choir friends complained that food was simply too salty there. That, I can't dispute. But I'm really thankful that because of Hong Lou, I found a special place to feed my Chinese palate.
This is a canal, but I can't remember what's it called. This is my first picture with the canal, I'm standing about 3 minutes walk away from my hostel. You can obviously see the excitement on my face at seeing a canal, little did I know that I was to walk pass here everyday and probably more than twice.
This is an inactive church called St. Isaac. This is one of the more touristy ones. Inside is a museum on religion. There's also another entry up into the observatory deck, which I went a few days later. A good shot! You might be thinking that the weather there is simply perfect, cool climate and yet so bright and sunny. Ha, St. Petersburg receives only 60 days of sunshine a year. We happen to come during the White Nights season. Yup, the sun sets at 11.30 pm and comes up at 3 or 4am. Even night fall was a greyish tone, not the dark kind.