Oct 2008

Wah... Never realised how long it has been since I last updated my blog...

Just a very brief summary then...

Oct 26 - Zombie Day

Despite the rain and wind, a number of zombies turned up today at Marble Arch. It was hilarious how seriously some of the participants were. Their make-up and attire were top-notch! Pretty scary when they get into their roles and act zombie-like. Otherwise, it was just a big party. Lotsa laughing and of course, handphone-pic snapping away.

Oct 28 - Study Time

I haven't been wasting my time running around London and enjoying myself. I do take the time out to study and do my assignments. As most of my lessons are online discussions, I don't have to go to school very often (once a week?!). However, knowing myself, I study best when I'm out in the open and in a public space. Strange, but that's me! *grin*


Oct 29 - Omu-noodles

I'm really glad of my culinary skills and willingness to experiment with my food. I much prefer noodles to rice, and so I tried my hand at making omu-noodles today. It's a modified version of the japanesse omu-rice, fried rice in omelette. Not too bad. I was able to envelope the noodles neatly in the fried omelette.


Oct 30 - GBK & Mousetrap

Yeh! Met up with an old fren and had a good meal of burger (MEAT!) and fries. Followed by the Agatha Christie play "The Mousetrap".


I have watched a number of West End musicals but this would be my first West End play. Very nice. The storyline was good and I didn't expect the ending at all. Maybe I should go borrow more of her books to read. In general, I find that I prefer the original text versions of these dramas and converted-shows.


Oct 31 - Jazz at National Theatre

What a great way to end the month. Introduced a new friend to the free daily live performances at the National Theatre. I wonder if and when Esplanade will be able to have such regular FREE performances. I do know that they do have them occasionally, usually together with some special art and music festivals.

On chocolate high

I need to keep this up... Work hard on Monday through Thursday. Catch up on my blog and Facebook on Friday. Do my volunteer work on Saturday. Then reward myself with a good and leisurely Sunday.

Had a great time out just now. Enjoyed 2 evenings of outdoors movie screenings at Leicester Square. Didn't finish last night's one before of the rain and my KCL Film Society movie screening, and was late for tonight's one. But well, better late than never! So, highlight 1 was updating my Facebook today, and managed to talk with a number of my friends and students online too.

Managed to put together my 'picnic bag' of food but it wasn't up to standard. Spent too much time earlier this afternoon updating my Facebook photos and forgot about the time. Sorry I was so late! But well, highlight 2: catching the series of old silent movies which slowly progressed to ones with colour and sound. Watching the movies at Leicester Square. And the experience is totally different when one is alone vs with company. Highlight 3: having someone serve as a guinea pig for my cooking. I've always enjoyed cooking, esp for other people. Hope his stomach is made of steel... *grin*

Had cold food in what was already a chilly evening. But moved on to a Chinese restaurant for some hot soup. Highlight 4: Ordering food using Cantonese. Yes, Cantonese are proud people. And I've never been more proud of being able to speak Cantonese. More than I am of being able to speak Chinese, actually.

Highlight 5: Having someone listen. I thought I had learnt to shut up in Singapore. Or maybe because I was talking all the time when I teach, so I grew to shut up after I started teaching. But now that I'm a student again, and was being encouraged to think more and speak up in class, I think I'm starting to be my talkative self again. Of course, one needs a nice person who listens... Thank you for listening! Do shut me up more often and talk about yourself next time, k?

Highlight 6: Being told that I'm a 'young and attractive' gal, I was (and still am, in fact) pretty stunned to hear that. So I kinda missed which noun you said after the 3 words... I think I have never heard that ever... So, thank you!

Highlight 7: See picture below. Look at my face. Enough said...

Sex education for young needs a revamp

Seriously, aren't parents supposed to educate their young? Why do they insist on teachers 'teaching' everything?

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The article was first published in The Straits Times on 22 Oct, 2008.

The article is reproduced from AsiaOne.

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All-time Fave Songs 3

Right! I've finally introduced a Chinese song in my list of fave songs. Here's another Chinese song, and a duet too!

I loved these songs before I know who sang the songs.

Hm... I wonder if there's a theme to these songs?

All-time Fave Songs 2

Since we are on the topic of my all-time fave songs, I can't miss out on my all-time fave singer - 張國榮!

And here are 2 of my fave of his songs from the movie 金枝玉葉.

I could especially relate to this movie (1996) because this was the year I entered JC and started on my 'female-isation'. *laugh*

For those who don't know me pre-JC, I was a super tom-boy back then. Super short hair and often mistaken for a boy. My father even started introducing me as his 'eldest son'... And *lol* I actually had a junior (yes, gal) who had a crush on me!

So just when I was in JC for some time and started liking boys, this movie came on, what a coincidence!

Not to mention it had 2 of my fave artistes - 張國榮 and 袁詠儀.

And that brings me to the 4th song on my All-time Fave Songs list. It's the song that my KTV-pals are probably sick of hearing me sing it. It was the only song I would sing before I took singing lessons and it was a song I finally mastered after I took singing lessons. Anybody can guess the song yet? *grin*

All-time Fave Songs 1

Sigh... Fate had it that I came across another of my fave songs while searching for the Chinese version of my fave Korean song.

Loved this song when I saw the movie - who wouldn't love a movie with 梁朝偉 in it (although I still don't really understand 色戒). Never knew what the song name was until my friend sang it at KTV.

And someone actually said I wasn't a romantic... *laugh*

Anyone heard of the chinese version of this song?

Sigh. 真是情深缘浅...

I heard and fell in love with this song when I first watched 파리의 연인 (Lovers in Paris) some 4 years back. Actually went as far to buy the original VCDs and soundtrack. For people who know I'm very stingy when it comes to dramas and music which I can get freely online, it means I must really LOVE the show and the soundtrack...

Anyway, I heard the Chinese version of this song some 2 days before I left Singapore at Aegean Sea. There, it was sung as a duet but the original Korean version was sung by a male singer. So, I'm not sure if the Chinese version has been changed to a duet version or the singers at Aegean Sea decided to sing it as a duet version. I actually took the time and effort while listening to the song to write down some of the lyrics so I can google the song, but in the rush to pack my stuff for the trip to London, I lost the piece of paper... *sob sob*

Well, if anyone has heard of the Chinese version of this song, can drop me a note? I would be so grateful!

Mixed feelings about the merger

I have such mixed feelings about the merger. On one hand, I know it makes "operative sense" - RI and RJ are already at the same campus. It'd be easier (and probably cheaper too) for management to do things as one unit.

On the other hand, they have built in their alumnus such a strong sense of identity and loyalty it's hard to adjust to the thought that there's not going to be an RJC anymore. RI(JC) just feels so awkward, and such a mouthful.

Yes, yes, there are those who are saying that RJC was a sprout-off from RI just 20-over years back anyway. It's just going back to where it started.

But that's the thing. In these 20-over years, the 3 schools have built their own student cultures and the re-naming of RJC to RI(JC) just makes the RGS students feel like they are joining RI instead of moving forwards to a new place. And what about the RI(S) boys who move onto RI(JC)? Would they feel any different when they move from Year 4 to Year 5? And of course, we cannot leave out the students coming in from other schools to Year 3 and Year 5. There are students coming in from other schools to Year 3 and Year 5 right?

Looking at the blogs of a number of present students at RI, RGS and RJC, they sure don't like the idea of the re-naming of the 2 schools either...

Hm... More links regarding the Raffles merger...

• Press Information: A New Era for the Raffles Schools


• Raffles JC and Institution merge: Combined school to becalled Raffles Institution. By Lin Yanqin.
  Article first published in Today on Oct 14 2008.


• Raffles Girls' Alumnus to helm new Raffles Institution next year.
  Article first published in 938Live on Oct 13 2008.


• Balderdash Post on sgBlogs


• I was/am/will be from RI and/or RJC, not RI(S) and/or RI(JC)! Facebook group

Super upset at DHL

I am super upset at DHL right now. Thank god for the technology of Skype and I got a decent operator. Feeling a little bad for him now... *smile* Not only did he have to pull off the late night/early morning shift, he got this crazy lady here talking to him sternly about how angry she is at being double-charged and given a bill for VAT for sending over personal effects, and on the double-charged freight costs.

But it was a lesson in assertiveness. I doubt I have ever stood up for myself so valiantly. I'm usually someone who doesn't really want to make waves in the water and would rather let things be than disturb the peace. I don't mind being on the losing end if I feel that the loss is worth keeping the peace among all the parties concerned.

But hey! No way am I lettings things be when I'm being double-billed to the tune of 500-over dollars and to add further insult, pay another 300 bucks on VAT!

So people, stick to SingPost for deliveries. They do a pretty good job. And they do have door-to-door service like DHL. Only slightly more expensive, I think. But no problems with admin, VAT, etc.

Market research

Yeh! I mentioned before how the London Business School pay people here to take surveys right?

Got another today - on decision making in auctions and negotiations. How interesting. This one only took me about 15-20 minutes to finish it. But not as simple as the last survey. Had to write more about feelings and emotions in this one. But nonetheless, good money! Hope there will continue to be more of such surveys in the near future!

Then walked down to Leicester Square to check out the restaurants available for dinner. This Jap girl I got to know in my hostel recommended this Misato restaurant - budget and huge servings. Definitely a place to bring the guys to makan when they come at the end of the year. But then again, quite stupid to pay so much when you can get cheaper and better Jap food in Singapore.

Walked up to this other Thai restaurant that had good reviews. But I'm craving for Jap. So can keep that for another time.

Then proceeded to Leicester Square Park to do my reading. Found a nice bench and did my reading. Until this stupid guy sat on the next bench and started smoking some foul smelling cigarette. Urgh!


Too timid to tell him to move away - easier that I find somewhere else to sit. Besides, I was kinda getting bored and cold...


Iggy messaged about watching a play over at Barbican but we'd still meet at Leicester Square for dinner, so I found myself another bench and continued with my reading.

Started getting distracted and bored after a while and I took out my camera to take photos... Sian of taking photos, continued with my reading...


Finally, Iggy arrived and we went for dinner. Interesting that he mentioned I chose the noisiest park to study in. The most quiet place is the noisiest place and the noisiest is the most quiet. Guess that's me - bipolar.


Anyway, proceeded to Misato for dinner. Slight queue but not that long. Ordered tempura udon when I saw their huge servings of rice. Wanted to have Jap curry actually, but NO WAY was I going to be able to finish the HUGE mountain rice that they serve. Maybe the next time. After I starve myself for 24 hours... Iggy had a bento set with a variety of sushi and other small items.


After dinner, the play at the Barbican was really strange. Indescribable...