hollywood has not been easy

Adventures of a Young Man in Japan

2012-01-29T10:42:00.000Z

As is often the case, this spring cleaning season has uncovered a few treasures, even though as a result of my mother's enthusiastic packing I seem to have lost my ballet slippers. Among the amazing things we found, like some hardcore filmmaking equipment from my father's production-house days, are the following photographs taken by my Dad during his stint in Japan as an intern at an electronics

Test Roll on the Seagull

2012-01-27T19:22:00.000Z

It could be because there was a similar camera in the Lomoshop that I decided to buy a Seagull Camera from that rag-and-bone shop on Dongtai Lu in Shanghai, and at 300 yuan, which adds up to about 60 Singapore dollars I guess it could still be considered quite a steal. However to deny the influence of a sudden impulse to whip out some cash and purchase the camera on the spot would be to give

2012-01-24T07:11:00.000Z

I don't think it is fundamentally hipster to enjoy using your hands to create things, even though "craftiness" does encroach into the twee aesthetic that can be quite easily found in many hipster magazines. Perhaps, as part of my adjustment to this new desk-bound job, I've begun to crave some hands-on activity, the results of which are more immediate and visible. Extremely impressed with this

(shrug)

2012-01-21T17:00:00.002Z

What I thought was a speed bump turned out to be a hill, and now that I have conquered it, things at the firm seem to be sliding swimmingly. So much so that I have even the time to help a fellow trainee (swamped at the last minute) out with some vague research points, feel ill and take a day off, etc. Things seem to be interesting enough, or at least the drama does, to keep me occupied in these

Initial thoughts about practice training

2012-01-14T15:18:00.003Z

Cable cars in Jakarta After all that hullabaloo of law school, I think I should be pardoned when I say that starting work at the law firm has been an anti-climax. It takes more skill navigating round the people in the firm than the law itself, which I suppose is saying something about how anti-social this long break from any sort of interaction with so-called strangers like customers or new

December's Window

2011-12-16T19:13:00.000Z

December is coming down heavily upon me, and it's hard to keep up with everyone's varying energies while I deal with my own anxiety about the end of this long break. It crossed my mind recently that I often try to meet someone else's energy rather than wait for the other person to level with me. Maybe this is not something I want to bring to my new working life - it gets exhausting, and I believe

Polaroidizing My Life

2011-11-28T14:25:00.001Z

It's a pity I don't use an iPhone because for all the flak that the Hipstamatic Instagram app has gotten for being phony (why don't you use real film instead/ why are you such a hipster), I really love the photos it produces. Since I use an Android phone I suppose I have to make do with the Polaroidizer, which is just as, if not more hipster and phony than the hipstamatic, because Polaroids, at

Solaris 800 | Ferrania

2011-11-27T11:36:00.001Z

With a little bit of time on my hands I've managed to start exploring some of the possibilities in using different films to create subtle tones in a photograph. My first test roll: Solaris (800 iso) by Ferrania. This Italian-based company very likely does not produce the 800 iso film anymore, but the rolls shouldn't be expensive, unless like me you happen to be based in Singapore where everything

Bomb Ponds (2009) | Vandy Rattana

2011-11-22T13:14:00.001Z

I'm glad I caught the Signature Art Prize finalists on display at the Singapore Art Museum today. One of the finalists, Vandy Rattana, presented a very moving video along with some photographs depicting holes caused by American bombs in Cambodia, which had turned into ponds over the years. These are two of them: Photos from www.vandyrattana.com What struck me the most was how something

Bangkok Dreams

2011-11-09T16:56:00.000Z

Bangkok is exactly as I imagined it to be. It is sweaty and noisy and the signs don't make sense even if they are in English because I don't know the city at all. It's been a while since I've been to a place where I couldn't speak the language, I recall. The last was Denmark, I think, but that wasn't really counted because I had been driven around a great deal and didn't really have to worry

2011-10-13T18:09:00.000+01:00

I cannot be the only one who only has an appetite for Rachmaninoff after midnight. His music, at once intense, dramatic, plaintive, yet sombre and still somewhat disciplined is hard to swallow in the crowded daytime when the senses are overwhelmed by other sights, sounds and things to do. Perhaps not incidentally, it is at night that the soul begs salvation and so this sublime music gets to

Bollywood Veggies

2011-10-11T05:29:00.000+01:00

Bollywood Veggies is a small plot of farm land that is being cultivated by the inimitable Ivy Singh-Lim which aims to educate the public about garden farming. It's difficult to say what it actually is, and the crowd that comes here is also a mixed bag, but if the weather is good the place is a splendid afternoon tea in the making. We were lucky to be given a tour of the place by the

2011-10-05T08:21:00.003+01:00

With this as my inspiration, it's time to go find some fabric! This has been news for some time now, and I do think it's time for another pair of colourful trousers. Elsewhere, some other designers have been catching my eye lately.This was easily my favourite from Valentino's latest collection. It's not quite the same as when he was still the king of the red dress, but I think this is rather

I've Always Wanted To Be This Cool

2011-09-30T08:25:00.003+01:00

Some of my favourites from Dries Van Noten SS 2012. There were other pieces that were much more colourful, but I found these more striking. I've always wanted to be like that.

Thing of Beauty

2011-09-20T03:42:00.002+01:00

Was very taken this morning by this photograph of Tomas Saraceno's latest Berlin exhibition, Cloud Cities. Very other-worldy, and also reminded me of some lovely short stories by Borges.

Algerian Coffee Store, Old Compton Street

2011-08-25T18:38:00.005+01:00

A few days after the riots: still some policemen/ policewomen patrolling the area rather actively. An earthy kinda guy walks past the Algerian Coffee Store, but he does not enter. This is a rather amazing shop. Whoever walks past stops to look, either at the beans they have on display, or the tea leaves, or the coffee pots of diminishing heights and diameters. If memory serves me right, this is

Preparing to Say Goodbye

2011-08-13T22:07:00.005+01:00

Yes I have, in these few weeks of packing and shipping, and packing and moving and packing then leaving, considered the fact that if everything was indeed digitised, and packed into a massing hard drive, or uploaded to the internet and thus accessible from everywhere, my life would be infinitely easier. No need for the mountains and mountains of books and magazines I have collected over these

2011-08-04T22:59:00.003+01:00

I'm relieved that it rained all day today. It was starting not to feel like I was in London, especially over the past three days when it was sweltering. So I've opened up the windows to my new room (I'm staying at Ven's while she is grappling with brick-hard pillows in Korea, and still living out my big-city dream while it lasts).I have a view of St Paul's cathedral from here, so I'm leaving the

On Poskod.Sg

2011-07-31T21:46:00.003+01:00

It doesn't happen often that local charm is celebrated in Singapore. But I think this does not fully capture the kind of relationship a lot of people my age feel towards this tiny city state. Not impervious to the global trend of romanticising the local and colloquial, we enjoy seeing ourselves, our surroundings, our streets through rose-coloured glasses, not unlike tourists.It's taken me a while

Alba Prat's Graduate Collection

2011-07-29T23:01:00.003+01:00

Seeing this collection makes me sad about leaving a temperate country. I don't pay a lot attention usually to graduate collections, but I happened to chance upon this one. I know the shoes seem to reference the McQueen shoes that Gaga wore in Bad Romance, but still I think the styling of the looks are pretty cool, especially for a graduate show!

A Side of Indonesia Not Usually Seen

2011-07-16T14:21:00.000+01:00

Trailer: "Tales of the Waria" from Kathy Huang on Vimeo.

Glad Rags for Kids

2011-07-12T22:35:00.005+01:00

If like me you grew up in the 90s, your wardrobe as a kid probably consisted of hand-me-downs, t-shirts with random cartoons on them, maybe the mosquito net t-shirt that was perfect for Singapore weather. I was lucky enough to have home-made dresses by my aunt, but even then the fanciest those came to were simple piping in lovely patterned fabric. Coming across this collection, by BabyLady, I

FW: Sex, Love and Power!

2011-07-08T10:46:00.001+01:00

W!LD RICE Theatre Company :: eBuzz :: Singapore Theatre Festival 2011 This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. www.wildrice.com.sg

David Douglas Duncan & Picasso

2011-06-28T01:21:00.000+01:00

Summer in London

2011-06-26T19:20:00.002+01:00

Height of the summer in London. This is just WRONG. We cannot be naked, stripped to the skin and sit somewhere on a beach while the waves lap at our tanned/ burnt caves but yet we have to endure this heat. I think sympathetically of The Sartorialist and his horror to find that no one has bothered to dress up because of the weather. He, like me, loves this building after all.I'm sitting at the

Chasing Daylight

2011-06-25T17:52:00.002+01:00

I'm not sure, if having a life in which I have to turn up at work every day will make me happy, regardless of what I do. People work because it gives them a rush, a sense of satisfaction at having done something right along the way, and being someone important, but being a stranger to these feelings of achievement, I don't know what I am missing. And to do all this for money fills me with a sense

Portfolio On Its Way

2011-06-15T20:27:00.003+01:00

Finally taking some steps towards creating a proper portfolio of the writing I've been doing, now that I have the time to do so. I just think the pages are so nicely laid out, and also the photographs are so pretty that it's a waste not to be able to see them without flipping through the magazine. I've added the Tumblr to the sidebar, so have a look if you've got the time. Tumblr is a really

Blue Blazer Days

2011-06-15T00:28:00.004+01:00

I know the blazer has been a big thing for a while now, but it hasn't been convincing enough, at least for me, as I haven't found the perfect one yet. But I think this one by Reed Krakof almost hits the spot:I don't think it's just my weakness for blue clothes speaking here. And it has been a while since I've last posted something on here: no real reason, only that I've been busy enjoying this

Blue Blood | Foals

2011-06-01T22:33:00.003+01:00

Foals - Blue Blood from Blink on Vimeo.Music videos have always been a something of an interest of mine, and now I'm completely addicted to this video of a magnetic young boy dancing to Blue Blood by Foals. This one goes up on the list with Coffee and TV (Blur), and Attitude (Suede). And I suppose, for this reason, I don't really go to gigs. No music videos to watch at a gig. :(

2011-05-27T22:42:00.002+01:00

It's been a week since I've been free from ALL academic obligations, and what better way to celebrate than a mini-party at Professor Guest's place. The man is a complete enigma, and all the more so even when we've had drinks at his place. We've found out, so far, that he loves art, he like poetry and antiquarian books, and he lives alone. Nothing yet of his personal life, his taste or preferences

Travel Plans

2011-05-24T00:09:00.007+01:00

Things, as they usually do, fall into place quite nicely: Just today I received a mailer about a Rene Magritte exhibition at the Tate Liverpool, and since I haven't been to Liverpool, I'm thinking this is the perfect chance! Not really a HUGE Beatles fan, but it seems wrong to leave the UK without having seen Liverpool. And Dorset, with the Jurassic coast! Tim has been telling me all about it and

Isbells | Time's Ticking

2011-05-12T02:14:00.000+01:00

Completely addicted to this song. Especially because it's so incredibly depressing - it expresses exactly the melancholy of saying goodbye, even after you know it's the right thing to do.

I Miss Shanghai

2011-05-08T01:59:00.002+01:00

Really could do with some Xiaolongbao and cheap shopping right about now.

WHAT IS GOING ON

2011-05-06T01:44:00.003+01:00

I feel insulted when the Deputy Prime Minister has to tell me what a tough time it will be for the Prime Minister when his ministers are voted out. Much as I think he is a likeable person, I've always thought the Prime Minister was supposed to care for my well-being, not the other way around. If he cannot do the job well with the way the country has voted, perhaps he should consider stepping

Marrakech Bombing 27-4-2011

2011-05-01T01:02:00.002+01:00

It does hurt, to think about how the happy chaos that was Marrakech must be at this present time, shaken by the bomb attack at Place Djemma El Fna, and it did not really hit me until I got some photographs back yesterday. It's hard not to think about all the people that we met on the trip: our wonderful hosts at the hostel, the little girl that followed us around on our first night, and all the

Homelessness in Singapore

2011-04-25T16:00:00.002+01:00

Just a small bulletin, for reference's sake.

This Corner of The Earth

2011-04-19T14:38:00.003+01:00

Lunch hour at the Monocle Shop, and I'm sitting outside trying to study for the exams. Not sure why I'm here today, but am pleasantly surprised at how Hot it is. For the first time in London I've gotten myself an ice-blended coffee from Starbucks: a rare treat. It makes me think about the first time I had a mocha frappucino - The only thing I could taste was the coffee and the only thing my

2011-04-02T23:32:00.001+01:00

"Lots of people will tell you they love crab, and then order one of those hockey pucks of carefully picked-over white meat as proof. That's not loving crab. That's patronising crab. That's demanding crab meet you on your terms. Somebody who really loves crab wants the whole damn thing in front of them, shell on, claws uncracked, beady eyes staring them down with that "come and have a go if you

2011-03-23T11:22:00.002Z

A rare positive day in this dreary period of panic and defeat. Managed to squeeze in a little bit of light reading with Keith Richard this morning over a cup of Milo. The Milo has become thin now that the supply of powder I have left is rapidly depleting. I feel like an Icelandic family running out of firewood in the cold winter. But the weather has been strangely sunny this morning, but still

Your Pop Cultural References Elude Me

2011-03-02T00:46:00.003Z

Maybe this is a sign, that I've been to Paris too many times? I remember things that probably are not mine to remember. Did you see these places in the music video too?While I might have been mistaken about the first two I definitely got the third one spot on! Piano bar selling crepes with lots of notes stuck to the wall. Awesomebeans.

Beyond the Night sky, there is still Tomorrow

2011-02-28T01:46:00.002Z

There are times when I would like to go into hiding from the things that bother me and bear down on my heart and shoulders. And there are places aplenty where I could go: perhaps in a tiny shop in Marylebone, where I can talk to strangers all day and partake in their semi-exciting jet-setting life while I earn an indecent wage (at least compared to them). Or I could seek out the people who could

Notes from a Small Aaland

2011-02-25T01:24:00.003Z

I was about to close up the shop on Monday when the strangest fisherman-like old chap walked in and said hello. There I was, the display bike already inside the shop, lights dimmed, speaking to a bearded, white-haired, yellow trekking jacket old man who was somewhat thrilled to be in the shop. He had not packed any English reading material on purpose as he knew my shop would have some precious

Sympathy For The Devil | Rolling Stones

2011-02-13T00:57:00.006Z

It's so strange to think this song was inspired by the book The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Reading is such a quiet activity, after all. I'm not much of a Rolling Stones fan but I thought I would educate myself a little while I read Keith Richards' memoirs this week. I guess it isn't such a stretch that Jeremy would be the one who procured the copy for me, since essentially what we

See it could be you, Tomorrow or next year

2011-02-06T14:38:00.005Z

I've found a rare hardworking bone in me recently, and so have hauled myself to the library to get an essay done. It still feels a little like escapism, but I comfort myself in the thought that I can really only do one thing at a time. It feels nice, to have projects, even if they might not be the most interesting in the world, and the mahjong party yesterday really did help, I think (it's

Did You Know?

2011-02-02T02:39:00.002Z

We were off to Billingsgate the first time I watched the whole series of Mameshiba with Lee Ping, Charmaine, Mel and Cheryl. Debby had just introduced me to this wonderful world and it had us all rolling on the floor. A few hours later we all took the tube, bleary eyed, to a freezing fish market, only to come home with big black bags full of seafood. It was also this day I learnt to gut a

Captious

2011-01-31T00:08:00.002Z

Somewhere along the line, maybe in the past few years or something I've become exceedingly captious about things, people, and myself. This. has to stop, somehow. Because things are just getting tedious and tiresome.

So Begins Hardworking Life!

2011-01-29T22:30:00.003Z

I think the scariest thing is to find out that hard work, willpower and determination are not enough. Having lunch and hot chocolate with Yi Jie was one of the better things I did for myself this week, that, and getting a new part-time job. Every time I talk to Yi Jie I am reminded of how much more effort I ought to be putting into my work, and that I shouldn't just aim to get by, as it were.So

Crazy Trousers FTW

2011-01-25T23:19:00.005Z

The good Lord knows, among other things, that it's not easy to wear crazy pants. But this season Dries Van Noten provides some vindication to my recent acquisition of not one but 2(!) pairs of trousers, which are already not giving me an easy time.It's still pretty easy to be look normal in Dries Van Noten, I think, especially here. But there's something very cool about being unflappably cool in

TWG Place Vendome Tea

2011-01-22T13:57:00.003Z

We just opened the canister of Place Vendome tea from TWG, a gift from the brudders. It's a really mild, floral green tea that's best for the night, especially when it's been so cold lately. I'm not too sure why it's named after the famous square in Paris, but I can definitely envision this tea being served in Springtime in a posh café in the vicinity, the type with cream coloured table cloths

Barely Meeting Expectations

2011-01-19T18:01:00.006Z

A small moral victory, I think, putting off however temporarily the job that I wasn't too sure about. I think a lot of the discussions I had really made me think about who I am and who I want to be, in the not-too-distant future. But mainly, since I've never worked in a place that I didn't love, I don't think this was a good time to start, even though there were lots of things and people with

On Social Tyranny

2011-01-16T13:08:00.003Z

"Society can and does enforce its own commands; and if it issues wrong commands instead of right, or any commands on matters that it oughtn’t to meddle with at all, it practises a social tyranny that is more formidable than many kinds of political oppression."-- John Stuart Mill, Liberty

Little Bit of Drama

2011-01-14T09:58:00.002Z

The plan was always to graduate first and then take my time to find a job, even if it meant I had a to wait for the next round of recruitment. If faced with a gap year I would have easily found something cool to do while waiting for time to pass. I always thought I had time on my side, but developments these few weeks have turned the situation upside down. Like my father said, this is a happy

Unready

2011-01-04T17:38:00.004Z

I've noticed that this year's New Year post has come a little late. It's hard to write about something that you know nothing about, and truth be told, the second half of the following year is still a big question mark for me. It's an exciting time, but somehow I can't help but feel like my short term goals over the last few years have come back to bite me in the ass. I feel as if I can't take

2010-12-31T09:18:00.001Z

I'm finding it difficult to recalibrate myself into the space of others, and as a result am chattering and rambling more than normal, perhaps out of nervousness. I can't remember whether it was the same last year.

2010-12-25T02:16:00.003Z

It's Christmas so what better way than to celebrate it with some photos from the Berlin Potsdamer Platz Christmas market? Christmas markets are a really big thing in Europe, because that's where you get the coolest Christmas goodies and supplies. It's supposed to be where to get gifts for friends and family, and it's a nice outing for people with not much to do at night.Lego Santa!Stall selling

2010-12-16T01:38:00.003Z

After leaving Germany the last time with an INTENSE taste of Sauerkraut in my mouth, I was eager to give German food another chance this time in Berlin with Sharleen. This trip to the capital was an unusually educational trip, with my travel partner being a former history classmate after all. There were lots of escapades, including an over-enthusiastic tour guide called Terry who used to live in

2010-12-11T16:34:00.003Z

Really quite an epic week, in many senses of the word. Besides the recent return from Shöne Berlin with Sharleen from a brief weekend trip, there's been a lot of art, drama and even more feasting. No choice, but to split up the week into a few posts. But I think this is a good start:Thanks to Mel, I had the rare opportunity to see a great master at work. Rafal Blechacz was the 2005 champion of

The Great Accessorizer

2010-12-01T10:16:00.005Z

Never been much of an jewellery person myself, but couldn't help being blown away by the superlative style of Lizzie Fortunato's Jewels. I was instantly reminded of something out of Roald Dahl because everything was so fantastical and in between fantasy and reality.This collection, appropriately named Fly Me To The Moon, ticks all the right boxes. It seems there is something for everyone.But

The Walrus and the Carpenter

2010-11-28T23:36:00.005Z

It sounds a little like the Owl and the Pussycat, which will be the name of my pub if I ever open one, but this is one super rock and rollin' little restaurant. This tiny place opened in the 70s, and started its poster collection ever since. Every theatre company, band and string quarter that has passed through the little town of Bath has left a mark here, and the family, who have run the place

An Apt Song for the Weekend

2010-11-28T21:24:00.000Z

Guess who has tickets

2010-11-21T11:44:00.002Z

Juliette Greco: First time in London in ten years!

Bad People Being Cool

2010-11-17T22:35:00.003Z

Sometimes there are people that can be so cool that it doesn't really matter whether they are utter douchebags. I was obsessed in the past about being unapologetic about the things we do, the things we say, the things we think, but I'm beginning to think it's less about being unapologetic (which is essentially thinking you're right all the time), and more about being freaking awesomecool.Two

Arthur Ganson, Robotic Artist, Engineering Extraordinaire

2010-11-12T16:09:00.005Z

This is a bit late, but I thought it would be nice to post up some of the lovely finds with Novita in Boston the summer before last. Also have been thinking about suitable avenues for posts like that, but then that's not that important. Increasingly, this has become a scrapbook full of things I want to remember more than a platform for serious discussion about the facts of life anyway.But in the

Breakthrough

2010-11-12T01:44:00.003Z

I've finally come to a sort of breakthrough with respect to the portfolio I've been trying to build, and so the uphill task of properly building one begins!

Harmonica Player, Luxun Park, Shanghai

2010-11-10T22:03:00.002Z

It was probably (but not necessarily) a weekend when we were in Luxun park. We had just been to the garment wholesale market at Qi Pu, and bought a bunch of things for a bunch of people. All shopped out we went to the park for some R & R. This evening everyone was out for some fresh air after the rain. We walked past a harmonica player, who knew a thing or two about Singapore.There are not many

Back from Edinburgh

2010-11-09T11:07:00.004Z

Back from a big trip, now very behind in homework. Catching up is going to have to be something I become good at. I would love to share all the wonderful things from Edinburgh, Bath and Oxford, but I can't bring myself to stop this rather nice momentum I got going for my Jurisprudence readings, so this will have to wait.In the meantime, it's really getting unbearably cold now in London, and the

Domestic Goddess (Not)

2010-10-27T20:42:00.002+01:00

This might not be a recent development, but I found a bunch of lemongrass stalks at Sainsbury's, and quite timely as well, because I had planned to use the instant Tomyam soup. Left with a bunch of lemongrass stalks, there was no one more suitable to consult that the Goddess that writes for rasamalaysia.Found an interesting sounding Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe, and decided to try it

Taxidermia

2010-10-25T12:07:00.002+01:00

Not sure when it started, but I've recently acquired a taste for the grotesque and taboo. I suppose it all started when I read about and (unfortunately) saw photographs of the one-time cannibal now minor celebrity Issei Sagawa, who murdered and ate a classmate while studying in Paris. But that exploration has brought me to other things. Last night, a hungarian film about sexual frustration, world

Iced Tea Season

2010-10-12T23:06:00.003+01:00

The Mariage Freres tearoom and shop in le marais, ParisEver since I bought the Iced Earl Grey sachets from the lovely Mariage Freres tea shop in Paris I've been slightly ever so obsessed about good iced tea. I think if there was one thing my café needs to have is an excellent array of good iced teas, especially if it's going to be in someplace hot like Singapore. The iced Earl Grey is mild and

Sleeping at the Wheel

2010-10-08T00:35:00.003+01:00

It's probably not supposed to feel like that but it's the end of thursday and I'm completely knackered from the week. Or, strictly speaking, just the last couple of days, because that's when things really started to heat up. I guess I better start doing work on Mondays too... :(But nonetheless I would say things have gotten off to a good start in uni, and that so far the subjects that I have

Walking with Karen (SS11)

2010-09-28T22:26:00.005+01:00

I suppose I could be considered a fashion victim: I like being told what to wear by others. Especially if that person is Karen Walker, who has remembered the 60s in her latest collection. I know, the whole vintage look is beginning to bore everyone, but take a look at these and tell me they are not lovely/gorgeous.I like most of all that the ladies who wear these designs need not be stick thin;

Tea and Tiramisu

2010-09-20T18:29:00.005+01:00

Although it's location took me two weeks to find the place, the Cottage Café didn't disappoint. Somewhat hidden deep in the French Concession, it is a quiet and dimly-lit place perfect for escaping the Shanghai summer heat.This could be anywhere in the world, and would still be considered kind of cool, because everything looks so spontaneous in here. Candid polaroid shots of happy customers,

Random

2010-09-18T00:18:00.004+01:00

Today I heard Joan Holloway use the line "you've crossed the line between being lubricated and being morose", when referring to Roger Sterling's emo-drunkness at Don Draper's award-win and I thought it was kind of brilliant. In fact, now that I am three and a half seasons into Mad Men I think it's an awfully well-written show, as usual, years later than everyone else. I'm not sure, but this

Carole King Says You're So Far Away

2010-08-28T20:33:00.001+01:00

The beauty of buying things so cheap is that if makes you wonder if things have a real value beyond what you assign it. You feel like you could indeed have the world if in fact you didn't care for it. Something like (but not necessarily) how the rain never comes when you have an umbrella, and even less so when you have a couple's umbrella (which I will possess in a week or two for its pure

Putting On Your Face

2010-08-28T04:09:00.001+01:00

Here they believe that there is no such thing as an ugly woman, only a lazy one. And from what I've seen on variety shows about using makeup to enhance your features (both facial and non-facial), and all the waist-slimming, backside-toning creams, I am beginning to think it is true. There are diamond-studded everythings now, and you wouldn't believe the wonders a simple black eyeliner can do. I

Urban Exploration

2010-08-23T14:11:00.002+01:00

As if rather wilfully I've made my way across Fuxing Road which spans across the whole downtown with the help of a bus. My head is filled with the cricket-chirps and birdsong from the Flower, Bird, Fish and Insect market on Xizang Road. The market was quite an eye-opener, even if it was

In Which I Speak Mandarin Like a Korean, According to Him

2010-08-18T01:58:00.002+01:00

With two bottles of Tsing Tao I bought myself some street credit and inched my way into the clique who bought me supper and some fruits at a nearby barbecue shop. It's tricky doing business in China - there are so many unwritten rules and politics that one needs to learn. i think I shared sentiments with Bing Lian, a fresh graduate who joined the team a mere six days before I arrived. Wang Wei,

One Person's Hoard

2010-08-15T06:51:00.003+01:00

I find Dong Tai Road quite easily emerging from Lao Xi Men metro station. It is shady, and lined with tiny pushcart stalls, each filled to the brim with bronzing, rusting junk. Unlike what many people think, not all junk is the same: while antiques in London tend to lean towards a functional side (furniture, old fans, toasters) the antiques here are far more ornamental - porcelain armies made in

Going Into Hiding

2010-08-12T07:17:00.003+01:00

I still can't face the daytime heat here in Shanghai, but momentarily I wondered in a lift if I could still speak English by reflex, so I must be getting used to the place. This city is revealing itself slowly but surely to me, but given this rigid schedule that I lead during the week, any adventure that I have must be sought out after impeccable planning. Planning, which has unfortunately taken

All the Fun of the Fair

2010-08-07T03:38:00.001+01:00

It's a strange experience being among the Chinese because I feel different yet

Loss for Words

2010-08-03T06:45:00.003+01:00

There are no expectations of me, but still I am drowning under my lack of words, and the online dictionary is my best friend. I am clueless; and drowning everyone in my cluelessness, but Yoko my roommate is trying her best to keep her head out of the water. Today she tried to source me a phone, and hopefully after I get my own number I will be slightly more mobile in this big city. I think to

Irony

2010-07-31T23:36:00.001+01:00

off to Shanghai. Will update if possible.

"While We're Being Racist, Let's Also Be Ignorant"

2010-07-28T17:45:00.003+01:00

"Where's home?" I asked Omer, a PhD student I met just a few minutes ago at Hootananny's - sounds like a sleazy joint, but actually more laid-back reggae and barecue than Stringfellow's. We are sitting al fresco in front of the taco stand. Sudanese-born, his family moved to Kuwait but he's been here since his undergrad days."I was just discussing this with Wenyu the other day," he started, almost

No Yellow Bricks

2010-07-23T20:50:00.006+01:00

I've been here for close to two years now, and this city still takes my breath away. Its chaos is especially charming: it is grimy, it is crass, but it is also rich, lush and colourful, and I often think Brick Lane has to be the most acutely London in this respect. Once the heart of the poorest area in London, the East End has now become heavily gentrified, and is now officially Hipster Heaven.

You Could Be Happy (Stomach ache cover)

2010-07-20T10:51:00.000+01:00

MTV Jus

2010-07-12T18:55:00.003+01:00

I don't know if anyone remembers this, but a while back there was a phase, where MTV would have this programme called MTV Jus, for their Malaysian and Indonesian audience. It was during this time that I fell in love with Sean Ghazi because his voice is lovely, and his ELOCUTION! sigh~Also really proud of the latest Singapore Idolyes, Singapore Idol is not that cool. But he's great!Edit:found this

Eyebrows of Determination

2010-07-11T22:34:00.006+01:00

Today through my younger sister's eyes I saw myself and realised that I was no longer a child.In Korean and Japanese dramas there is often a moment when the protagonist realises that he/she has been wilful and overly self-centered and has not considered the positions of the people around him/ her. Despite decidedly NOT being in a corny drama, am now undergoing such a moment (which begs the

Addresses in Paris

2010-07-08T12:08:00.005+01:00

Increasingly when I travel I feel an intense need to remember the places I have visited, with the view to visit again at a later date. Perhaps as an extension of the bad habit of living in the future, I visit shops, streets, cafés and restaurants as if I was sampling the place for another visit. Things seldom feel like the real thing these days. Having visited Paris a number of times I find

Sold to the gentleman in the green hat

2010-07-07T13:25:00.005+01:00

With slightly more work than I'd like to have any time I have on my hands feels like it has been stolen, and this morning I woke up with the impunctuality-dread thinking I had to be at work. It frustrated me so much that with a vengeance I slept till close to 1 in the afternoon. I hold on to every second I have, cautious after June flew by in a flash. Being on holiday is a little difficult for me

What Do You Want From Me

2010-06-22T02:30:00.008+01:00

more photos from Croatia on FlickrToday I reached a kind of mini-epiphany that I hadn't seen before. And I realised that sometimes I am helpless, and there's really nothing I can do about the things that are unfolding before me. I cannot kiss bruises better, I cannot make the awkward comfortable. But I can try and then I can cut my losses, and I can at least ask for reasonableness. It is a

On Hoarding

2010-06-17T20:07:00.004+01:00

Over the years the habit of hoarding things has become for me rather identity-forming. Little things, photographs, emails, texts, written-on napkins have all become small reminders of time that has passed, preciously, not-so-preciously, and my desk, wall, room has become a library to this otherwise inconsequential life.I've put up the wall again... the one of which I was rather proud because it

To Dubrovnik We Go

2010-06-07T22:36:00.004+01:00

Where does one unload the petty gripes and sharp comments we collect over the days, weeks, months, that weigh down the heart and remain lodged in the spleen after the dust has settled? Herein lies life's small dilemma - labour the friends and have them tire out from your exhaustive list of complaints, or labour your enemies and have them think of you as the petty and small-hearted person as you

Singaporean (dis)Band

2010-05-30T03:28:00.003+01:00

I'm dying for a proper mindless shoujo drama. Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese (at this point I'm a little desperate). Like meteor garden, preferably with eyecandy. Bad acting optional, although unfortunately I have the expectation of such.but that's just a side note. I finally found this REALLY old song by a local band. I don't think they play anymore as a band but it used to be a theme song

Being Spleened

2010-05-26T04:15:00.003+01:00

My mom's visit was very important to me even though I didn't know it at first. She gave me a special strength and I'm going to try and make it last a long time.I don't think it's difficult to see why I feel hard done by of late, with difficult people and situations to deal with, much less difficult exam papers. But I won't keep a record of these: they will pass and are not worth holding on to. I

Penner's advice

2010-05-24T14:22:00.001+01:00

"As with the bare sub-trust/ non-bare sub-trust distinction above, feel free to make points, but in an exam recite the accepted catechism to begin with"

Foucault on Derrida

2010-05-20T12:40:00.000+01:00

He writes so obscurely you can't tell what he's saying, that's the obscurantism part, and then when you criticize him, he can always say, "You didn't understand me; you're an idiot." That's the terrorism part.

Are We There Yet?

2010-05-19T10:52:00.000+01:00

In twitter-worthy length now (like all my outgoing emails and texts)In my memory I don't think I was the kind of kid that asked these kind of questions. But then now that I've grown up a bit the question is constantly on my mind. When is enough enough?Can we at least claim to be having fun?

Unsticky

2010-05-12T23:45:00.005+01:00

I don't think there's a better word to describe these times as completely unsticky. Everything slides off, whether for better or for worse, when my mind is far away.Nevertheless, some songs.It's a lovely song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs that has been playing in the shop. I'd like to say I'm a fan, but in truth, I've been totally hooked on to something way more low-brow, like Super Junior. Their songs

How To Trim Your Own Ego, Be Fearless.

2010-05-05T22:07:00.004+01:00

So in the end I found a pair of bathroom scissors and cut my own hair. I had been shifting from getting a massage, to getting a haircut to getting a haircut with a massage (at a lovely Japanese salon) then I decided to save the money and do it myself, though not before I consulted more than ten annoying youtube videos about how to cut hair.If you haven't watched a haircutting/ styling/ makeup

5 Years Time

2010-04-28T21:40:00.004+01:00

We give so little of ourselves to others - we share the pleasantries, the things that catch our fancy, that new bag, the new song, our new culinary pursuits, things that we can articulate, the things that may or may not matter but nevertheless dwell at the surface of our hearts and minds. Just as we feel alone in our infinite basic space within us so there must be an infinity in others.Perhaps it