So, it's with great pleasure that I will be going on a 3 week break in April. Yes, back to Singapore to spend time with the family, relatives and all my awesome friends. It'll be nice to enjoy squeezing on public transport (which has become a novelty ever since I began driving), and everything is within easy access. I'll go crazy again in Kinokuniya and sing my lungs out at the KTV sessions. Of course, who forgets the one big obsession of Singaporeans?

The foooooood!

Anyway, I don't usually blog here on LJ because my peers are old-skool and they all hang out around Blogspot. Sigh.

I can't believe it's already easing into April really. I booked my air tixs with Emirates (for the first time) because Singapore Airlines was being such a pain to my wallet. I also wish they could stop deducting my KrisFlyer points every few months. Why!? I'll never accumulate enough to use them. Is that what you want, SIA!? (Yes actually). I am looking forward to flying with Emirates though, I'd heard some good stuffs about them, and I love it that they include 30kg worth of luggage weight for a AUD780+ return airfare from Melbourne. 30kg is unheard of in recent travel practices for non-students! The most stingy one being Qantas (and they aren't even the most fantastic to begin with).

Been contemplating whether I want to get the nendoroids of Mio from K-ON, and Rin from Fate/Stay Night. They're cute beyond words, and I already smile in a silly way at my Kagami in Mikuru cosplay nendoroid. Oh, too cute. Why are all of you so irresistable?




Must Watch!

I fell in love with the show, and no wonder it won Best Drama at the 53rd Television Drama Academy Awards. How could anyone not like it? It made me feel melancholy (in a good way), and the romance was not sugar-coated to induce mental diabetes. It made you feel like you weren't the only person with problems. Well, in this particular instance, the drama characters had problems like anyone else too. I love such themes with friendship, romance, communication and real-life issues. I cried for some really touching scenes in this drama.

Love it, love it, love it.

I was in Canberra sometime earlier this month, because I had to sit for 2 exam papers (long story). Anyway, I'm never nominating Canberra as my next exam venue, and will just stick to Sydney. I hadn't visited Canberra before, and now that I was there, I don't think I'm going back again. Boring as! Yawn. At least I visited the Masterpieces from Paris exhibition, but having visited the actual museum in Paris before, it wasn't as exciting as it should be. But yes, it was still definitely worth a peek.

I'd been thinking about what to do with myself, since I'm single and I think I'm wasting all my time doing things to benefit myself. I know, I sound funny to myself. I just went past the 1 year milestone of my accident, which happened on 23 March 2009. Well, a whole year had gone by since then, and I'm sitting here wondering whether I can do something to help others. I think I certainly wouldn't be where I am without those support, care and prayers from everyone. Like most people, I want to succeed at my job, I want to pick up new skills and I want to travel and enjoy what the world has to offer. Spiritually, I want to be even closer to God beyond my weekly bible studies fellowship, and the occasional volunteering at church events. Because I'm single, I do have more flexibility and time on my hands. I haven't watched anime or followed manga chapters as regularly as I used to, and that doesn't mean I've lost all interest though. I guess I'm in a transitional period of thinking, "Is there more to just fulfilling my needs, my wishes, my wants and my whims?" 

Oh, I'm certainly no saint or prophet. I'm not going to give up all my material comforts like my car, my apartment (soon to be completed next year around this time), my job, my clothes, my money, yada yada. I guess, because I'm hitting 30 this September, I really don't want to act like I know nothing about the suffering around me, and I want to feel like I can be used in a way which can benefit others. I don't really think giving away clothes I don't like or wear anymore counts. I mean, I didn't want them in the first place. In the Bible, the poor widow who gave away all her possessions (2 copper coins) was worth more than a rich man's bag of gold coins (since he had tons more sitting somewhere else).

I'll probably get a culture shock when I return home for a visit. I know things are different there, the speed is quicker, everyone's priorities are almost made the same so competition is fierce. It's different, for its own reason and because of our history, culture and demographics. I'll be very interested, actually, to gauge how I feel when I talk to my longtime friends again, and as I carry one baby of theirs to another, how I find myself reacting to their lifestyles and goals in the future.

Will be very insightful, I reckon.

It certainly has been a long time since I even looked at my LJ.

Lots of things happened, but trust me, nothing of the "usual sort". It involved the destruction of an apartment, injuries, police, ambulance, colleagues, friends etc. But it was all in March, and to me, that seemed so far away now. And as I sit here clicking through my previous posts in all my different blogs, I realise how I am now changed from the inside out.

Nothing remains the same, and in this manner, I am actually happy that I have gone to a different level of spiritual understanding and attained a wonderful sense of peace and calmness. No, not from yoga or pilates, not from meditation or emptying my mind. Not from self-help books or DIY seminars. In fact, when I lost everything and even my identity, I gained so many things in a tenfold order.

So, am I the same? Perhaps I still am, in terms of who my friends knew when we were young silly kids. My mannerisms, my jokes, my expressions and my voice. But they all know, they just know, that I am now way different than anyone of us in our contacts, for I have seen and experienced more than the usual 29 year old.

The old adage of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger is undoubtedly true. Trust me.

Anyway, enough of the seriousness of the topic!

I'm back to watching anime - albelt more slowly, more intentionally, and more thoughtfully. Orly.

Topics by d_angel 

1. Soul Eater
2. Manga
3. Australia
4. Kuroshitsuji
5. Singapore

( A Long Ramble! )

In case anyone is interested, the Osaka Twilight Festival is on this Sunday.

I'm going, just to poke my nose around. :)

More information on programs here!


Location:
Treasury Gardens, 2-18 Spring Street, East Melbourne

Date & Times:
22nd February 2009
4.00pm - 8.00pm

I still don't get it. I never want to.

I don't understand what was going through the minds of the arsonists when they deliberately set things alight, when they re-ignited put-out regions. People are up in arms. Prime Minister Rudd thought they should just rot in jail. I reckoned that was the best personal opinion of any high-ranking politicians in recent decades.

Bushfires occur in Australia often, but Australians have lived with the fact that arsonists are usually responsible for some fires as well. As one survivor said, "There would always be idiots."

The death toll is expected to rise up to 300.

I echo the sentiments of Rudd. They're mass murderers.

So far, heartwrenching stories have emerged from survivors. A wife who had to leave her husband of 47 years, because he adamantly refused to evacuate from the house as the flames licked their doorstep. She only survived because a neighbour picked her up by the road and drove them to the nearby golf resort. She didn't know how to drive, it was her husband's job. He remained sitting at the balcony. That was the last she saw of him.

Or to be reunited with your spouse after spending 4 agonising days wondering whether s/he is still alive, after being separated from the thick fumes and smoke.

Or trying to drive to safety in your car, only to feel pure liquid glass trickling down your arm because the heat from the approaching wall of fire was so intense, it not only melted the windows, it melted the paint, it melted the alloy wheels and basically reduced your car to crap. You were forced to abandon it and run.

My CEO told me that most people weren't actually burnt to death. The radian heat from the flames killed them, or basically, cooked them alive so that they were dead by the time the flames actually arrived, burning the bodies/cars/properties afterwards. Some houses exploded first, from gas implosions even before the wall of fire approached.

Usually, a fire is measured in the scale of 1 - 100. An expert reported that this was on a scale of 330. The intensity from this fire was equivalent to 660 Hiroshima bombs. No one could survive, within its radius.

And I can't believe that arsonists are striking again, just last night. I really can't. God will have His vengeance, but seriously, this is far too much. I'm sure they'll be put away in jail for the rest of their natural lives. I know back home, we have life imprisonment (until you die). But in most western countries, 'life imprisonment' is only for 20 years (which I find implorable for certain cases).

This is a very good slideshow of some terrible damage done around Victoria, and also very close to home. To be honest, if the weather conditions had continued its 100km/hr wind and 45-46 degree celsius combination, I'm sure even places like Templestowe, Doncaster and eventually my suburb would also be in the line of fire. Just seeing Upper Ferntree Gully and Narre Warren under siege was really scary.

In the meantime, I'm glad to be helping out in one way or another - through my line of work and personal donations. It's the first time I'm actually in the proximity of a natural disaster (Singapore is really iron-clad safe from natural elements) so I have never experienced anything much.

The Singapore High Commission called me up to check if I was ok. I felt like royalty! But I was seriously very touched.

I was caught up with the tennis fever (yes, literally, because we had that freaky heatwave) that captivated Melbourne. I am not a tennis fan, I am not even a sports fan. But strangely, I'm game to watch anything as long as there are people sitting beside me, and they're able to explain what's going on during certain intervals.

So, I sorta 'fell in love' with Roger Federer when I saw him play. No, I didn't go "kyaa" or anything. I just naturally felt supportive of him. No idea why, seriously! But anyway, it turned out that he was touted the best player ever in tennis (such claims are always oh-so-dramatic!). But there is no doubt that he is a very, very good player. Well, who am I to say anyway? I'm just regurgitating what I learnt from the commentators and Wikipedia. Hoho.

Anyway, without knowing much about tennis, I will be following his career from now on. Strange that Tennis no Oujisama (Prince of Tennis) didn't make such a big impact on me, especially since I was so mad about it, and even followed Tenimyu (Tennis no Oujisama Musicals). What? You didn't know there were musicals from anime series? Well, surely you jest! Yeah, real life people cosplaying and singing and having fun on stage, performing to a crowd of crazy kyaaing fangirls. Now that's what I call a career!

I digress.

Gake no Ue no Ponyo | 崖の上のポニョ,

I watched this last evening, and obviously being a doofus, I also knocked over my can of Fanta all over the carpet floor. Well done.

Anyway, I thought this was a really cute movie. First off, I have never prepped myself up in any way before a Miyazaki Hayao film. I just watch his works as presented before me, but not in a dumbshell blondie way, but to accept his movies as portrayed on the screen.

I had some people tell me that it was boring, or it was too childish, or simple. Well, perhaps. We're almost bred with movies that want you to think, wrestle, and muse for ages. And we're probably conditioned to think that simplicity is lacking. I don't know, I enjoyed my time whilst watching it. I don't really care about what happens after the ending either. The movie ended there, so be it. It's over. They don't go on until the director puts in a sequel (which usually sucks). Just accept it. But anyway, I also understand where they're coming from. I would think they're pegging Mr Miyazaki into a fixed box if they expect a certain feel or movement of his movies all the time.

Well, I loved it! It's a simple cute story, and I had a good break, forgetting my worries for that little bit of time.

There are some things I should never access at work. I'm going to collapse from pressure on my veins someday (from trying not to laugh out loud).

( Print this! )

After machinistm reminded me about my non-posting status on LJ, I was compelled to write one! Lol.

There's nothing much to note in my life, although I know I used to write TONS in my previous blogs. Moving to LJ has probably been an unwise move because there's so many distractions! I'm surfing endlessly through Community updates, and then clicking on one link which leads me to another. It's a vicious thing really. *ahem*

( More? )