phoebe the artist

Jake, are you okay?

2011-04-20T10:26:00.003+08:00

I think I worry too much about my terrapin...

The Singing Chef

2010-05-17T23:26:00.004+08:00

Irene Jansen & Friends will be performing at the Esplanade this week!

This Wed & Thur (19 & 20 May) 7.15pm and 8.15pm at the Esplanade Concourse (and again the following week, 26 & 27 May, 7.15pm & 8.15pm).

Come down and check out their awesome performance! You might even get to try Irene's Hot Chocolate, but first you must learn the lyrics to the Hot Chocolate Waltz! Come down and you'll understand what this is all about!

http://www.esplanade.com/whats_on/programme_info/the_singing_chef/index.jsp

Check out videos of her previous food show for Sutra.

The Singing Chef (Part 1)

The Singing Chef (Part 2)

The Singing Chef (Part 3)

The Singing Chef (Part 4)

See you there! :)

6 months later

2010-04-25T17:17:00.003+08:00

Since the last post...

Here's an update:

Apparently not many things have changed. Come back soon bunny!

When Phoebe Meets Carrie

2009-09-05T00:10:00.004+08:00

One day, Phoebe met up with Carrie (amazing how it rhymes!)

They had waffle.

Then they checked out the national museum.

Nothing to say about this.

Don't really like dead horses.

Reminds me of Photo Journalism.

Carrie's back view.

This is damn cool.

Best fries are from Timbre.

Best pizzas are from Timbre.

And if you didn't know, the best beers are from Timbre too.

Shah's 21st

2009-08-04T01:26:00.004+08:00

Our Indian boy finally turns 21 :)

While some things are different now, others will always be the same.

Faridah's got a haircut.

Shah & Avie always up to something.

The boyfriend and the girlfriend ignores Faridah.

The birthday boy and his girlfriend.

Altogether now in the middle of Orchard Road.

Good food, good friends, good riddance!

Of course we had Jaime with us in spirit.

But we forgot to steal a menu for Shah - damn!

Whatever Sarah Says

2009-07-29T11:23:00.004+08:00

As nasty and mean as I am (just forget about the previous post), I somehow have this soft spot for kids like Sarah. That also means I almost become a different person. Meaning I suddenly have a strong interest in Spongebob Squarepants, Taylor Swift is the coolest chick, and stickers are the funnest things to collect.

Sheesh!

Oh and Sarah enjoys playing with my camera...

Being nice is easy

2009-07-15T00:43:00.002+08:00

I know you (yes, you reading this now) won't believe that I'm nice.

It's easy.

Just hang around happy people, eat ice-cream and smile.

Did I tell you that I walked into my bedpost earlier today?

Hello I think I'm in Heaven

2009-06-22T22:25:00.003+08:00

I tried my best to behave that night.

I was just...

Well, everything was...

Then Avie...

Hello, am I in Heaven?

Dronk!

2009-06-04T23:20:00.001+08:00

Phoebe says:
i like long island

gabriel says:
long island is deceptively potent

Phoebe says:
it rocks!

gabriel says:
tastes so.. pleasant and tea-ish
and then suddenly WHAM

Phoebe says:
haha
blame it on the chinese blood
sometimes i forget that i'm chinese
then drink drank... drunk

gabriel says:
dronk!

Phoebe says:
no such word!

gabriel says:
that's the sound you make when your head slams onto the table

Phoebe says:
HAHA!

When we're one (wo)man down

2009-05-27T13:39:00.002+08:00

Adventures won't be as fun.

Things just look different.

And the rest of us just don't feel the same anymore.

Card Collector

2009-05-19T00:19:00.002+08:00

In less than one week, I've collected two 'member' cards.

This spells trouble.

Friends

2009-05-16T16:04:00.002+08:00

Casey, a good friend, once gave me some very useful advice - The Friend Theory

She told me that, in life, we'll meet 3 kinds of friends.

1. A friend for a reason
2. A friend for a season
3. A friend for life

And she told me that it was important to distinguish and be certain about each friend we had.

A friend for a reason is someone who just happened to be at the right place and at the right time, going through a particular complicated situation with you. For that period of time, you both had that situation in common and had to rely on each other to overcome it. And that's about all there is to the friendship.

A friend for a season would pretty much be like colleagues and classmates. For a longer period of time, the both of you hang out together, share gossips, giggle and chat for the 5 days a week you spend with each other. But when one leaves the workplace or when you graduate, you will eventually drift apart because you both won't have very much in common anymore.

A friend for life is someone who you really care for and will make sacrifices for. No matter how far apart you both are, you will still make the effort to keep in touch. A friend for life should also surpass seasons and reasons - that's why she/he is your friend for life.

Now here are some of my thoughts:

Friendship is literally a give and take. The favours, the sacrifices, the effort are some of the 'goods' we exchange with our friends - it has to be mutual. And that makes it so much more important that we be sure about the kind of friends we have because we don't want to end up being 'empty', meaning giving up too much to the friends who may not return the 'goods'.

The shoes under my bed

2009-05-10T16:54:00.000+08:00

I'm still packing my room (since the beginning of time).

I still can't find any space in the shoe cupboard for my new shoes.

Say hello these lovely shoes, living under my bed.

Sheesh

2009-05-07T23:14:00.001+08:00

Did I tell you that I was made redundant by the three very efficient interns? Well, of course I'm still the best, but we should give others a chance to prove their worth - right?

Sure.

When you think it can't get any worse...

2009-04-20T23:07:00.000+08:00

Try falling off a treadmill.

Snatch Thieves

2009-04-07T23:22:00.000+08:00

i like your outfit

2009-04-05T13:48:00.000+08:00

The Ting Tings!

2009-01-16T21:44:00.001+08:00

And I'm not even their biggest fan...

I guess I love my job.

Let's Get Lost!

2009-01-11T16:14:00.005+08:00

It's been ages since my last blog post. The real reason is complicated, but the backup reason is that it really is almost a chore to blog since Facebook made it so easy to update your friends about your activities. But for those who still haven't gotten themselves connected on Facebook, here's what you need to know..

So the day started bright and early, and we made our way up Mt Faber.

We stopped for a while cos this group of sec school kids, who were walking ahead of us, were so damn noisy!

Upon reaching the Henderson Waves, we were so excited that we started running all over the place.

Then we took a break. Liz and Faridah decided to do some push-ups while the rest of us relaxed. I think I was trying to do some squats (they're good for your bum!).

Hello, peek-a-boo, we approached the Forest Walk.

We meandered through the Forest Walk.

And ended up at Hort Park with the Tin Man. Trust me, you don't wanna know what Dorothy looks like!

Happily eating some ice-cream while Liz insists that she shall not put back those calories that she'd burned.

The show-stopper was Mr Green, a tree snake that we spotted along the Canopy Walk. It even had some opening shrieks from Jaime (and I can't remember who).

Presenting, our heroes from WWII. (Now you know why we lost!)

Burnt Caramel

2008-08-20T14:22:00.001+08:00

No one seems to like it. I wonder why?

On A Whim

2008-08-03T20:26:00.002+08:00

Happy 20th Shah

Like tradition, we give Shah a present, a cake, and a menu from whichever restaurant we dine at.

And on a whim, we bought ourselves tickets to the reverse bungee and the new GX-5 swing. The guy manning the ride soon found out that while he sent up 3 ladies and 2 guys, 5 ladies landed instead. I wonder why.

you talked me into this

2008-07-29T00:30:00.001+08:00

am I too nice? or are you just too good at talking me into things?

I'm glad we found something in common.

Mr Wong Won't Fall

2008-06-23T15:57:00.002+08:00

Jaime: eh i want to buy this punching thing, like a bu tao wong
Phoebe: hello? you have a stupid bunny there.
J: whats a bu tao wong in english called?
P: hmm
J: mr wong wont fall
P: HAHAHAHA
J: it actually sounds like a chinese name hor
P: im trying to control my laughter here
J: but seriously, whats it called?
P: my mom watching tv prob thinks im nuts, MR WONG??!!???
J: maybee..

Hello?

2008-06-11T01:06:00.002+08:00

When I'm bored and aimless, I usually imagine you talking back.

Seriously.

But I don't usually remember what you say anyway, so I guess it can't be that important.

Graduation!

2008-05-31T15:05:00.006+08:00

It's been three long years...

Carrie's looking good now.

and trying to make me cry.

big wide smiles expressed our sense of relieve.

Jaime thinks we're too hot for this frumpy outfit.

Jaime gives her mom a big hug. (I wonder why)

altogether now.

sexy ladies in black and the indian boy.

trying to be Carrie Bradshaw.

the boyfriend and the girlfriend.

"Whatever Shah", said Faridah and Avie as they both rolled their eyes.

Felicia

and we're thinking of something naughty again.

Happy 21st Avie!

princess for the evening.

yum yum!

here's to the birthday girl.

everybody do something stupid!

finish up, we've got to get to Zouk!

A Girly Sleepover

2008-05-26T22:54:00.009+08:00

On a Saturday afternoon, Jaime and I checked into Robertson Quay Hotel.

Jaime giggles at the scenery

while i complained about this recent mosquito bite

we met for dinner with the rest

with Avie, who was all green

hanged around Clarke Quay a bit

let the games begin!

but before we start...

some photo taking to remind us of how we looked while we were still sober

and now we aim to build a tower to compete with Magnum Force

Raf, no naughty games!

and we made it with Raf's bum being the highest point.

TABOO!

and of cos, Jaime and Phoebe always win.

Earlier in the afternoon...

Jaime: eh, I bought a can of Lychees! Later we can have martinees.
Phoebe: Yay, then you got bring can opener?
Jaime: I brought a wine opener though.
Phoebe: great...

And now Jaime will demonstrate how to open a can of Lychees.

first, use the vodka bottle to hammer the wine opener to create a hole in the can.

next, wriggle the wine opener to create the hole.

when you've finally made a hole, use the blade to cut open the can.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jaime really did open the can of Lychees. Amazing!

and now, back to where we were. Avie left for a midnight movie with her family, and Winnie comes back from the long conversation with her boyfriend. Felicia also returned from a birthday party.

who loves waffles?

Winnie sets a rule:
Everyone to stand on the bed while playing the drinking game!

I need a break.

Winnie sets another rule:
Everyone who has to drink will have to say the chi-chi bom-bom cheer!

we continue...

this is how Raf takes a break.

this is how Winnie takes a break.

and this is how Jaime does the chi-chi bom-bom cheer. (she thinks she's a Magnum Force cheerleader)

The rest of the stuff we did are secret. Goodnight.

Grow up, Jaime!

2008-05-21T23:09:00.010+08:00

The annual gathering at Fish & Co. - how unexciting.

We met up for a 'pre-birthday' dinner, cos Shah, Raf and Winnie would be away on Jaime's birthday.

pretending to enjoy our dinner

the cake she shamelessly picked and made us pay for.

1 for 1 martinis, and Shah with a gay non-alcoholic drink.

with a peanut in between her fingers and the sign of peace, Jaime expressed her heartfelt joy.

And now for the real surprise party:

Jaime didn't know that Phoebe, the mastermind, actually planned a surprise for her. As everyone gathered at her tiny Bishan hole, Julie keeps Jaime out of the house while the rest of us get ready and others...

sitting ducks pretending to be useful before Jaime arrives.

Jaime finally arrives:

And for the party:

Charades, how can we forget?

the bunny suicides.

to Jaime's amusement.

kids were invited.

and Kisha is already trying to turn her bad.

for some reason, Jaime and Cherie look so much like each other. i wonder why?

altogether, SMILE :)

a tribute to the two boys who won't be attending graduation:

Harry Potter,

and the Order of the Phoenix.

when i grow up, i want to be just like...

2008-05-07T23:05:00.003+08:00

While I was at 938LIVE, i wanted to be just like Deborah - professional, precise and almost always perfect.

She was so good at presenting, whether it was the news or an interview. I would listen to her voice on air every afternoon and just think of how soothing and lovely it was. Honestly, I would never liken anyone's talking voice to lovely, but Deborah's voice was just wonderful, like a dream.

Now I wish this was all just a dream. But if you haven't heard it on the news, Deborah passed away yesterday.

Here's the article posted by CNA http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/346051/1/.html

I remember how I was so shaken the afternoon I heard about Deborah's illness. I took over her Health Bites capsule while she was on MC. And that very afternoon, I happened to be recording my first ever radio capsule for broadcast. It was so difficult trying not to think about her and yet recording a health related capsule which was one of her fortes.

Now, she's probably taking a well-deserved rest and I'm happy for her.

what took you so long?

2008-05-04T20:06:00.004+08:00

After two bloody long years, Peter Yap Wanshern finally made his way down to sunny Singapore.

Tokyo Drift

2008-05-02T02:52:00.000+08:00

Tokyo is so busy that you'll feel so bad for being lazy. Well, unless you're on a holiday.

The streets are plastered with bilboards and all sorts of neon signs flashing here and there. Night life in Tokyo is actually quite happening. But I'd rather not talk about that.

You can seriously get lost along the streets because for one, you probably can't read japanese, and for another, all the bilboards and signs look the same! And it doesn't help that the people there speak limited English. But hand gestures, sound effects and stupid actions helped us through.

The last few days hanging around Harajuku and Shinjuku, the popular shopping streets of Tokyo, was overwhelming, confusing, and just plain messy. But it's an experience after all.

And I still don't understand how purple and green and black and yellow and red and blue and stripes and polka dots go together.

A promise to put up many pictures. It's time for bed.

Something's Fishy in Hokkaido

2008-04-26T09:19:00.004+08:00

It really smelt like fish over there in Hokkaido. After all, it's got a big fishing industry there.

I managed to catch the morning buzz, or rather, squeal, of the morning market in Hakodate. The crabs were bigger than my head! Not that my head is really big, but whoa, their claws are big enough to pinch not only my fingers, but my whole arm! Okay, I might have exaggerated that bit, but wait till you see pictures of those creatures.

The crabs I ate will make Jaime eternally jealous.

The Royce chocolates I bought will make Shah a happy man. Royce is produced in Hokkaido, and limited edition stuff will only be found in Hokkaido itself. Are we lucky Shah?

Of course I thought of everyone else. Every piece of purple item reminded me of Kisha. Every beggar on the street reminded me of Avie. (Okay, I'm kidding, don't poke me)

So to get back to reality, I'm in Mt Fuji and it's freaking 7 degrees and my mom is bugging me. Bye!

Osaka

2008-04-18T19:03:00.002+08:00

It's been 6 days. Osaka could never be more exciting, every day was different place, different scenery, different japanese cuisine and lingo - it's kinda overwhelming.

I've stayed at a ryokan at Mount Koyasan. A ryokan is a Japanese temple which houses people like an inn, so I guess it's an inn as well. You would imagine prayers all day long and monks roaming along the corridors or ringing bells or a big gong. Nothing of that sort! In fact, it's simple tranquil setting, together with a typical traditional Japanese interior of wood floorings and tatami mats made everything zen and peaceful. That's what I call an ideal retreat.

And oh, the weather was a little cold - actually, it was very cold (10.1 degrees to be exact). The only heater was located in the rooms. So the corridors are always cold. Imagine going to the toilet? And shower? Brrrrr...

Strolling along Shinsaibashi was fun. Looking at kawaii Japanese girls and really cute Japanese boys (enough for each of my girlfriends). The people here dress really well. But of course there are some who think that yellow and blue and green and red and black and strips and polka dots go well altogether, but that's another thing on its own. But for the rest of the normal Japanese population, they look great. The men dress well, the women actually bother to make-up (I would say a good 90% of the women are all well made-up). They dress so well that they make our typical Singaporean dress code look like pyjamas!

If I go on to talk about the food, this post will never end. I will put up pictures when I return on 1 May. Till then, to many more happy days in NIPPON!!!

Hokkaido here I come!

if you look closely

2008-03-19T17:19:00.007+08:00

if you look closely, you'll realise that...

jaime is two-faced - for real.

avie stands still as the world goes by.

(seriously, what was the indian boy and chinese girl thinking?)

everyone didn't know what to say or do about jaime's unattractive habit.

saturday

2008-03-17T21:13:00.015+08:00

Last Saturday was a gathering like no other - with my new nikon.

it was too early, but i met up with kisha at the airport to send terence off anyway.

we loitered around and showed off our new cameras.

before long, it was evening. so we met up with a few of our homies at arab street.

and kisha insists on homer.

as i went on fooling around with my nikon.

jaime is undecided.

you can tell so much from the way a person is sitting.

and i realised we were sitting around a well-worned table. (it's shah in the background btw)

avie pretending to be quiet.

shah trying to act cool.

ben being confused, and faridah trying to confuse him.

check out the new local sitcom - House of Japan!

or you can check out Aljunied Brothers.

bye! (jaime, close your mouth!)

Malaysian Dreamgirl by Jean

2008-02-22T23:41:00.005+08:00

Everybody! Pay attention!

Taken from Jean:
---
I'm in the running to be the very first Malaysian Dreamgirl!
Only last week I thought such an honour was beyond my wildest imagination, but now it is a reality!
This is truly something new and challenging to me. But I can expect the fun to overwhelm any bad vibes along the way. Actually, the auditions, even though tense, have been fun!
Come 1 March, I'll be living the Malaysian Dream, living in a Dream Home with the other great potential models. Guess what? One of the sponsors is Ted Baker. I think we'll be doing a lot of fittings in One Utama.
Yes, all this sounds great! And I'm looking forward to living my dream come true.
I hope you will support my dream. Thanks!

You can check out the official website here http://www.malaysiandreamgirl.tv/.
I'd like to hear from all of you. Please email me at malaysiandreamgirl@gmail.com.
---

One-stop website here.
Jean's Facebook here.
Jean's fan page here.
Jean's group here.

I cheat on Peter with Jean, so do check her out!

Health Bites

2008-02-18T22:00:00.003+08:00

If you haven't got a chance to see me recently, why not hear my sexy voice on-air?

Every weekdays at 7.45am, 12.45pm, 3.25pm, 6.25pm, 9.45pm, on 938LIVE, let me deliver the health nugget for the day to you! (produced and presented by Phoebe Pong)

You can also listen to my interviews with doctors and researchers, and Daily Doses on Body and Soul every weekdays from 3pm-5pm.

okay, publicity aside, I'm glad everyone is back. It was a difficult, long and tedious 20 weeks. I'm glad it's over.

Next up, Pam's 21st birthday bash!!!

long overdue

2008-02-14T12:36:00.018+08:00

This happened a good 3 weeks ago, but better late then never eh?

A tribute to my past 20 weeks of internship together with Glen and Joyce. I think the most memorable event for the year (meaning 2008) was the Hua Song Museum tour by The Living Room, 938LIVE.

Everybody, Hua Song Museum is part of Haw Paw Villa (and that place is still open). This museum showcases the lives of early chinese immigrants in Singapore. So let's take a look.

so this is an example of what it's like on board the ship - or hell hole. cos only 1 in 5 men make it to Singapore from China alive due to the terrible living conditions. The tour guide said that some of the men even commit suicide by throwing themselves off the ship into the sea.

so there were plenty of wax figures. that place was really well maintained. and i think millions were spent to set it up. freak!

so here's what they portrayed the typical kitchen to look like. and food always amuses me! i think stanley wants some too.

i imagined myself to be a housewife, and opening my little... whatever that thing is called.

and killing a snake. ew, that looked quite real.

then they showed us how after an era, all the men chopped off their plaits and started wearing shorter hair. here's a demonstration. not a pleasant experience.

glen was trying to immitate some wax figure. we think he looks like liang po po.

welcome to phoebe's mama shop. if you ever try to steal, i'll wack you with my metal scoop!

eh what happened to my green beans? one whole sack is missing!!!

oi you joker, give it back to me! (you have to admit, joyce looks convincing in this picture eh? i couldnt help but to laugh!)

and finally, the three of us decided to do a collaboration. so i was trying to buy something from joyce and glen, the naughty kid is trying to throw an orange at us. how creative.

so what chinese new year greeting shall i write for you sir?

my favourite breakfast set - made of silicon. ew, you've gotta try touching it. gross!

after the tour, we were waiting for our lunch. we were starving. Finally the really really good tim sum by Made in China Restaurant arrived. whoaaa, it was so good, no one had time to take pictures of them.

and this is probable the last photo we all took together as interns of 938LIVE :)

Singapore Slingers vs West Sydney Razorbacks

2007-12-20T00:22:00.000+08:00

the pictures are rather self-explanatory (you may have to click to enlarge the photos to get my idea)

after weeks of selling our CDs, it's time for some fun!

We got some tickets to watch the Singapore Slingers play against the West Sydney Razorbacks at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. and this is the mascot for the Singapore Slingers. urgh!

so with a Merlion, where's all our Singaporeans??? I mean these ang mohs were wearing jerseys with 'Singapore Slingers' all over, and i soon found out that these are Australians and they only have 3 Singaporeans in the team, who happened to be sitting at the reserve bench - hmm...

well, being so close to the court, at the media/corporate booth, it was prestigious anyhow.

who cares if Singaporeans don't get to play on the team when you've got a cute player like Shane McDonald! (or number 7, that's what we call him)

so cute. and i guess you've probably figured that we were more interested in this dude rather than the scores.

and you can tell by the looks of this.

and then we've also noticed this booth right across the court. 'RateMyTurban.com' - seriously??? haha. and this particular sikh had this DIY hailer which he rolled out of a gigantic poster to yell at the West Sydney Razorbacks whenever they get to shoot a penalty, hoping to distract them. how weird.

oh and the Slinger girls were pretty. but the Nets dancers were much much better at performing.

the game went on for more than an hour. i was getting bored. the free Brewerkz food and snacks were not entertaining me anymore. and i started to look for something amusing... then realising that number 13 is called 'Rush' and i wondered why the referee is called 'Hummer'. hmm.

oh and this Harvey Norman blimp kept hovering around. its quite amusing though. there was this guy holding a remote control, manouvering it around. i wish i could have a go with it. haha

and that was my first experience at a professional basketball tournament. wow. it was amusing!

a handful of sugar

2007-12-18T21:57:00.000+08:00

and that's what all these are made of.

but aren't they lovely?

someone delivered a box of these to our station today. and of cos, grab them while they're still available!!!

after eating so many this morning, i started having a headache.

then i decided to stop.

my headache got worse.

i decided to drink some green tea.

which didn't help.

i ate 1 more macaron.

and i got well again.

conclusion: macarons are magic - literally!

all i want for christmas is... MACARONS! (lots and lots of macarons!)

a friday night

2007-12-04T09:53:00.000+08:00

Last Friday was the Singapore Radio Awards. We intended to kaypo around - then we found out that we had lots of stuff to do - little did we know how much fun it was!

all made up, hair styled, and raring to go!

this is Mr X, my purple willy wonka.

here we are, backstage, and chilling while we can.

and of course, doing what girls do best

I realised i havent taken any pictures with the 'stars' that night. but here's to the best interns for the night! woohoo!

and the photoshoots go on...

and on...

till we decided to take a break at starbucks at the end of the whole event, which ended around 11.45pm for us.

the nicest picture of joyce at starbucks.

we stole the VIP poster, which joyce is so thrilled of.

and courtesy of joyce, the photographer, who thinks that those lamps look really good above me head. hmm.

camel with a simple plan

2007-11-27T23:38:00.000+08:00

it's been a while. and i've been on a rollar coaster...

joyce had eyelash extensions last week. she looks like a camel now. i can't stand it. its so pretentious - but its joyce after all.

yesterday was the most exciting day as an intern. i got to attend a preview of SIMPLE PLAN's new album, meet the guys and interview Pierre Bouvier the lead singer and frontman. whoopee!

I was nervous, but thankfully, Pierre was really friendly and excited to talk about the band's new album - made my job so much easier.

their new single is so different from their previously whiny and angsty teenage music (imagine 'Perfect', 'Untitled', 'Welcome to My Life'). now they're moving into maroon 5-ish, green day-ish, nickelback-ish. very very different, more mature, and i think they're going to do really well. All the best ang moh boys!

happy birthday phoebe

2007-11-12T00:04:00.000+08:00

Happy 20th to myself.

a hearty japanese dinner with carrie

movie outing with my brother

a day out with my mom

many birthday greetings from my friends

especially liz, peter, yien, jean, shah, jaime and avie - thanks for the calls, smses, video conference, and even a very funny birthday song through msn video chat. haha.

and to end it off, my dad thought that my birthday fell on the 5th.

me: daddy, can i eat my cake now?

dad: why do you want to eat your cake now? can't you wait till tmr?

me: huh? why do i have to wait till tmr?

dad: isn't your birthday tmr?

me: argh! WHAT?

that's my dad. and he had this baffled kind of look, and i bet he was wondering if i was trying to play a prank or crack some kinda joke.

oh well.

the Lana Cake was good. yum.

Happy Birthday to me!

so excite!

2007-11-03T22:51:00.000+08:00

it's always fun to hang out with karen. i can't explain this exceptionally phenomenal chemistry we have when we're together. it's extremely mind-boggling, and it started way back when we were primary school kids. wow, we're getting old!

anyway, it's always fun with karen. we never had to pour out our deepest and darkest secrets to understand each other. in fact, we never talk about unhappy stuff. we're always poking fun at each other - actually, we poke fun at others. it's awfully mean, and meanfully awful. but you know what? we like it that way. so excite!

the secret tunnel

2007-10-25T21:13:00.000+08:00

In the heart of Labrador Park Nature Reserve, lies a series of secret tunnels. Guys, i've found a new place to explore the past and history of world war 2.

in we went into tunnels that reeked of kerosene.

the word here is 'store' and this tunnel is supposedly a storage area for their kerosene.

dark, and a little creepy. some claimed to have seen the unclean. fortunately i didnt.

some of the ammunition behind a lamp, that's suppose to represent the kerosene lamp they used in the past.

this place is so freaking cool, you have to check it out. google it or something. you have to visit it at least once in your lifetime. it's really one of Singapore's best kept secrets.

out of the blue

2007-10-21T22:55:00.000+08:00

i've never met anything as out of the blue as ben.

seriously, ben is something so outrageous, that he should just be in 'Ripley's Believe it or Not'.

last week it was a motley crew gathering of kamil, faridah, ben and i - actually, ben was the motley crew, the rest of us were quite normal.

first we started out eating toast box. my idea of course.

then we shopped a bit. stress from work obviously led to some purchases out of impulse.

finally, ben revealed his blue colour.

we were exchanging our new company passes when suddenly, ben asked faridah.
"don't you wish you had an 'L' in your name?", as he looked at her SPH pass.

the rest of us stared at him, wondering why the hell he said that. faridah asked "why?"

ben answered, "well your last name is 'Saad'. If you had an 'L' in it, then it would make it 'Salad'!"

"WHAT?" the rest of us chuckled out of disbelieve and at his outrageous suggestion.

"ben, why the hell would faridah want to be called salad?" I asked.

"well, isn't it special to be called salad? I mean I had a classmate called vanilla, and everyone used to laugh and make fun of him." ben replied

"so faridah would want to be called salad so that everyone will laugh at her?" I retorted.

"erm, forget i said that!" ben shrugs, and shrinks into his seat. (I was sure he blushed at the same time)

ben, seriously, you're as random as ben. i doubt anyone can beat you to that. and you know what? maybe we should just give you a talk show - "Ben, believe him or not!"

unexpected endings

2007-10-17T23:02:00.000+08:00

it was getting dreadful, the job i mean.

an unexpected call from peter made my day - or evening.

i decided that i like going to the gym.

i dreamt of liz the other night.

my mom decided that our family should paint the house and we made pineapple tarts last weekend.

and im busier than i've ever been.

but so far, so good.

a long time ago

2007-10-04T12:58:00.000+08:00

thats bheope last year in june having lunch at out of the pan.

thanks for visiting!

so far, so good

2007-10-02T22:39:00.000+08:00

it's been 2 weeks,

I've been scolded by a lunatic caller. I've been eating a lot of mooncakes, and I'll be surprised if I do not look like a moon.

I've been learning how to cope with the workload and mess on my workspace.

I've been good - so far.

On other thoughts,

the short but wonderful time i spent with yien and mari was unforgettable. to many more years of friendship and fun!

the weekend demand

2007-09-21T21:18:00.000+08:00

I have survived the first 5 days of attachment and it's still not the end of the week for me.

Coincidentally, or rather unfortunately, this weekend happens to be the Parenting Congress, organised by mediacorp and I'm down for duty. there goes the weekend.

on happier thoughts,
I've been keeping in contact with Jaime, Avie and Shah. all are doing well. just wondering if shah's getting sick of curry. oh wait, he's fasting - oops.

Everyone in the office has been really nice and helpful, despite the crazy first week I had, trying to learn as much as I can from the current intern, Andrea, who's leaving next week. I'm getting really nervous cos I'm still not exactly very good at handling the daily duties. sigh. You can suggest that there's Glen around to help. seriously? Glen? ah, just kidding la. he's been a really good partner/colleague to work with. and surprisingly, he hasn't been late at all, not even a minute!

To a happy attachment, less mistakes, and no stupid stunts.

Happy Weekend.

im ready

2007-09-16T21:55:00.000+08:00

like i have a choice.

secretly, i can't wait to start attachment.

honestly, im so freaking bored with nothing very important about my life to worry about. well, other than coming up with another strategy to lose weight.

but nevertheless, im ready to get busy.

sigh.

the big break

2007-09-15T18:19:00.000+08:00

its almost the end of whatever break i've got and im glad to have enjoyed every bit of it - the aimless outings with avie, the early morning run, the wonderful trip to KL, and the start of missing my 3 very close classmates.

but then again, that's when attachment comes in to fill up that empty space while i wait for them to return. i miss them already.

on happier thoughts, yien is back. i can't wait to see her :)

in a few

2007-09-12T14:03:00.000+08:00

in a few hours - i'll be getting a brand new green ipod nano.

in a few more hours - jaime and avie will be setting off for bangkok and i'll be lonely.

in a few more more hours - i'll be having fun at the zoo with carrie and selene, reminising, and celebrating carrie's 20th.

in a few days - i'll be starting my attachment, the anticipation.

in a few weeks - yien will be back, i like the warm feeling of hanging out with someone you grew up with.

in a few months - jaime, avie and shah will be back from overseas attachment and it'll be a happy gathering.

in a few more months - i might see liz again.

i can't wait for a few more months.

the real karma

2007-09-09T22:15:00.000+08:00

this is it everyone - the real karma.

all that making fun of jaime and her leg, its coming back at me.

my knees are aching. and there's only a 3 possible explanations.

1. i've been running way too much
2. i'm getting old
3. karma

and i really think this is karma. all i've been doing is running about 3-5km each time and that's can't exactly do much damage unless i've been doing funny things even i am not aware of, but i highly doubt that.

on top of that, i haven't even turned 20. so the only reason i'm feeling this pain - karma.

KL

2007-09-07T20:31:00.000+08:00

The last 4 days was spent up in KL with 4 wonderful friends. I supposedly dragged Avie and Jaime up with me so that I could meet Peter and Jean, Peter especially, cos I haven't seen him since... a really long time. So after much enthusiasm and improptu planning, we set off on a so-so coach ride up to KL.

Jaime deep in slumber, and we've just left immigration not too long ago.

Tiffin's at Starhill, this super attas shopping mall, for dessert that's so good, i was lost for words.

and the lovely decor. beautiful sofa covers and lampstands made up of teacups and saucers.

on the second day, bright happy and ready for peter to pick us up from our super huge service apartment - and this is only the living room!

2007-09-07T20:27:00.000+08:00

Peter drove us all the way, far far away, to the Curve which looks so much like Clarke Quay in Singapore.

there we had pancakes from the Paddington. A really nice restaurant that serves all sorts of pancakes.

2007-09-07T17:44:00.000+08:00

in the afternoon, we went to KLCC to walk around, and once again, girls being girls, we went gaga over shoe shops like Vincci.

then Jaime decided that she had to try KFC in Malaysia, so she bought herself a piece and while the rest of us walked around the supermarket, she was busy eating her chicken.

once again, Jaime eats. this time we made it to Bangsar Village, with shophouses along the streets, looking very much like Haji Lane. We had to take a break at Baskin Robbins.

and after eating, Jaime needed to sleep. as usual. this is the most glam shot i have of her sleeping. she sleeps most of the time. and as Avie puts it - Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow. (you really don't wanna know what her 'anyhow' sleeping shot looks like)

in the evening, Peter and Jean brought us up to SkyBar, on the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel. it was a lovely sight. and Peter is sleepy.

Overlooking the Twin Towers, it was gorgeous. with a pool and jacuzzi in the bar itself.

drinks and kachang, we made merry.

well, the drinks were not as good as we expected, but the ambience made up for it.

on the 3rd day, we planned to go up to Genting Highlands. We were utterly excited!

we made a stop at Peter's new home cos he had to fetch his sisters from school. we made ourselves very much at home. With Jaime and Avie insisting that I play the piano for them, and seriously girls, im really not any good. Finally we decided to watch some tv with his really good sound system.

after waiting and waiting, Peter finally brought his sisters home and we set off for Genting!

it was such a fun ride up.

on our first ride, it was so fun! Peter is sleepy again.

Jean is scared of all those thrilling rides. she claims to have a weak stomach. but we managed to get her up on a few rides.

and Jaime, as usual, amused at anything and everything. doesn't she look like a little kid?

now they both look like little kids.

I can't remember if this ride was Peter's idea, but I was awfully bored.

but Jean looks happy to be on it.

and I suppose i looked happy to. but that was only because I was posing for a picture.

this ride took my breath away. literally. imagine going up 25 storeys and waiting there for a long time and plunges while you're unprepared. It was such a long long wait. I was hoping that I'd have enough breath to scream through the whole plunge. only Jaime seemed to have enjoyed the ride - or fall rather.

then we needed to catch our breath again. so who's idea was it to get onto this? it was such a bad ride, we got bored as soon as it started.

that's why we started taking pictures.

we had so much fun, it was time for dinner already.

then to kill whatever time left, we took this very very slow gondola ride in the indoor themepark that goes one round big round around the indoor park. photo op.

Jaime was obviously very happy on the ride, but i can't quite explain what she's doing with her mouth.

and to end off the wonderful day, we had cake and tarts at the Bakery.

I had so much fun the last few days, can't thank Jean and Peter enough for taking care of us, driving us everywhere so that we're safe. We'll meet up soon :)

for more pictures from our trip, wait for Avie to blog about it. she's got plenty of good shots.

where's my elephant?

2007-08-27T22:01:00.000+08:00

i received a call one morning, quite long ago, from a pleasant lady from UPS/DHL/Fed-Ex (i forgot where she said she was from already) telling me that I have an elephant ready for delivery. well done carrie, what a funny joke!

and recently, i came to know that my elephant has since passed away - under the very meticulous care of carrie. seems like she isn't very caring after all eh?

so where's my elephant?

karma

2007-08-19T00:55:00.000+08:00

"karma comes in all shapes and sizes" as chang recited it to me - again - it really happens i tell you.

making fun of people is no fun after all. i met up with karen, gen and chang. it was some kinda post-ij syndrome and we couldnt stop laughing at all the stupid people/incidents in school. oh and i took many stupid photos which i intended to upload to make this entry more exciting, but oh well, my blogger account seems to not allow me to do so. i really am a tech-idiot eh?

and is it pure coincidence or am i a walking jinx? three times it happened today. i insisted that there was a ya kun kaya toast place at the basement of bugis junction. i dragged karen all the way there and it seemed to have disappeared! first disappearance. then i figured that we could chill at coffee bean instead. walk walk walk, whoa! its gone too!!! i swore those two places existed... a few months ago? years maybe. well, i havent been to bugis in a long long time. and then finally, when gen and chang arrived, we decided to go to billy bombers for dinner. "where is it?" karen asked. i looked at the directory and replied "2nd floor". "oh no, phoebe shouted it. it's going to disappear too!!!" and what do you know? it really wasnt there anymore. freak. what kind of coincidence is this?

hmm, this post wasnt about karma after all.

oh well.

humble pie

2007-08-17T00:31:00.000+08:00

most of the time, people write about how they've eaten their humble pie - how they feel blah about this and that and oh, things will change from here.

this time, its a conspiracy to feed someone his humble pie.

i wonder what it tastes like.

good luck.

avie, go away!

2007-08-11T00:55:00.000+08:00

avie likes to poke/push/pinch me.

just cos she's our photographer, and blah blah, she takes advantage of this authority to mistreat me.

i feel so abused.

go away!

monsoon drought

2007-08-05T21:22:00.000+08:00

interesting how in a day, we can have a thunderstorm in the morning and have the rest of the day hot and humid.

and funny how my mom can change her mind that fast and unreasonably - well maybe not that unreasonably, but to me, it's always unreasonable.

once again, im in need of a job/cash/whatever.

oh well, and i guess that's the way the cookie crumbles.

good bad day

2007-07-31T23:26:00.000+08:00

today was a good bad day.

the morning was bad.

the afternoon was good.

i ate breakfast in the day, and dessert in the night.

and that makes it a good bad day.

bread and money

2007-07-22T17:23:00.000+08:00

bread is what i've been eating all week.
money is what i really need.

don't worry, im not seriously broke. i just feel like eating bread all the time. kaya and bread. comfort food? perhaps.

as for money. everyone needs money all the time. so this is called whining.

have a nice day.

how giraffe are you?

2007-07-21T00:08:00.000+08:00

as the semester nears the end, and the last few weeks drag by, jaime and i were desperate for some motivation. under the comfortable lift lobby of block 56 in school, we came up with a giraffe rating for people. so on a scale of 1 to 10. one being not a tinge bit giraffe-y at all, to ten, which is not something you wanna be cos that just means that, my goodness, you're a giraffe?

so yea, how giraffe are you?

a pact with Harry Potter

2007-07-16T22:54:00.000+08:00

I made a pact with Caleb today. He says that if he gets gold for NAFA, i'll have to buy him juice. and if he doesn't, which would most probably be the case, he'll have to buy me 2 teh-o, kosong.

better get your money ready Caleb!

and i watched the fifth instalment of Harry Potter with Carrie today. whoa, another great adventure ride. but the movie was interrupted periodically by some good-for-nothing schoolkids. idiots!

and for what i've been doing the past few days:

taking pictures for my final assignment

and unexpectedly flashing. but hey, im the real photographer, so i call the shots!

caught in action.

and a final gathering of the crew. photographer - phoebe. talents - cherie and lye. extras - shah and avie (who were not doing anything, other than snapping nonsense shots)

but it was fun anyway.

im a model

2007-07-15T12:57:00.000+08:00

avie says that i can only be a hand and feet model.

hmm.

buangkok

2007-07-05T22:48:00.000+08:00

it was interesting. that's all i can say about what i saw today.

avie and i visited buangkok. wow.

seriously, this isn't pulau ubin or some far away place, this is singapore!

to emphasize how ulu buangkok is - this is called Woody Lodge.

its abandoned. but i bet all the druggies and illegal immigrants are living in there.

it's a super big place. looks like a primary school from here. with murals on the walls, reminds me of IJ back then.

its state property now.

nice painting on the outside walls.

avie says that these are probably what they use in oil rigs. seems like it.

a chance to exercise some creativity.

this place freaked me out i tell you. imagine a super deserted area, with just avie and i. walking alone... it's scary.

after a really long time, we finally reached the kampong we were looking for. yes, there is still a kampong in buangkok that not many people know of.

pleasantly surprised by the beautiful flowers they grow there.

avie's face looks funny here.

welcome to Lorong Buangkok - actually, i dont know what the sign says.

i still can't believe this is singapore.

this is such a cute front gate with the letter box and all.

thank goodness we made it out alive. i had some crazy idea of a psycho running after us with a chainsaw - like texas chainsaw massacre. okay, too much tv phoebe.

glen & gen

2007-07-04T23:44:00.000+08:00

very kindly and spontaneously, glen and gen helped me out with my photoshoot by posing for me. they were really easy to work with, very fun and enthusiastic.

unfortunately, the shots i ended up with were 'snap-shots'. wayne thinks it isn't enough, it's too literal, too simple, too happy.

hmm.

but anyway, here are some of the better shots i have of them.

black and white

2007-06-29T22:56:00.000+08:00

some pictures from my film SLR.

this is sort of dark, but i like the mysterious feel to it and it helps that jaime has nice cheekbones.

shah took this. no, seriously, he shot this. not bad eh?

and avie took this.

i really like this picture of avie and the birds. i told her to chase the birds, haha.

and of cos, the award goes to avie mercado :)

typewriter

2007-06-28T11:46:00.000+08:00

my dad calls my film SLR camera a typewriter. his analogy is that computers are already invented, so people should just dump their typewriters out because they're deemed useless. likewise, digital cameras already invented so he doesn't get why the hell i'm learning how to use a film camera in school.

i've given up trying to explain to him.

but here's two pictures from avie's negatives.

class gathering

2007-06-25T09:06:00.000+08:00

it's been 4 years, its nice to see them again. my sec 4 classmates from ij.

all obviously more mature.

prettier.

happier.

just that georgina's size still baffles me. she eats so much. so why is it that she's still so small?

the official number is 11. that's all that turned up. the rest had work and other commitments, some overseas. well, this definitely won't be the last class gathering for us.

tea and stilettoes

2007-06-21T23:12:00.000+08:00

i've been drinking lots of hot tea to keep warm and stilettoes really kill i tell you.

its been almost 4 years since i've graduated from IJ. and we're going to have a class gathering soon. im so excited to see what everyone looks like now.

and to remind myself, im turning 20 this year. freak. that's a big number.

im suppose to be having 2 weeks of break. its feels nothing like a break. i've been going to school every day. what nonsense!

argh.

jolly car ride

2007-06-14T10:42:00.000+08:00

yesterday we went for a mediacorp visit. our lecturer steve chia gave us a lift, us as in the 6 of us. how we managed to pack ourselves in the car? we did anyway.

the problem came when we were trying to get everyone in the picture.

so we tried doing this - and joachim was missing.

then we did this - and marissa went missing.

and then finally, everyone fitted nicely in the car and the picture.

did i mention that it was a vintage mercedes? just imagine the rough bumpy ride and sitting behind packed like a can or sardines. im hungry!

breakfast all day long

2007-06-10T00:42:00.000+08:00

today avie and i went out on another food hunt. or whatever its suppose to be. well actually the main task was to shoot a roll for photo journ. and shah tagged along - kaypo. but he was good company la.

we walked. and walked. and walked.

and walked some more. all around little india. then we moved on to bencoolen and then bugis. then finally orchard.

we explored areas that we've never been before. see things that we would never have imagined. like the thieves market. when they say that if you lose something, you can buy it back from the thieves market, its true. seriously. they have all sorts of funny items there. from toys to clothes, to tv remote controls, to mobile phone chargers - whoa!

and then we realised that we've been eating breakfast food all day.

in conclusion

2007-06-05T22:36:00.000+08:00

all work and no play makes jack a dull boy.
all chocolates and no exercise makes you really fat.

its true.

and you know how truth hurts?
well, its also ugly.

expectations

2007-06-04T23:10:00.000+08:00

i expect many things to happen this way, like i expect it to be.

and when things don't turn out this way, i get disappointed - i think that's how my parents are feeling. and it sucks.

it sucks not knowing what to do because whatever i do is never good enough.

so don't expect too much. because anything worse than making anyone upset is making someone disappointed, especially if that someone happens to be your mom or dad.

and i expect them to be disappointed about now.

cherries and sunny afternoons

2007-06-03T13:53:00.000+08:00

the weather is crazy. its making everyone at home nuts.

i like cherries.

anyway, jean is coming down this week! i can't tell you how excited i am to see her again! it's been a long long time since i've last seen her, and peter.

sigh.

but anyway, jean is coming down this week! yay :)

money isn't everything

2007-05-24T00:31:00.000+08:00

wayne is such a good teacher. i really admire him. so much.

he told me that money isn't everything. just when i was going around telling everyone a couple of weeks ago how money is almost everything. i changed my mind.

im getting more and more intrigued by photography, its like falling in love. you don't exactly realise it. and when you finally do, you realise that you have already developed such strong feelings for it, and you can't take it back cos it'll just leave an empty gap.

its crazy, but i really like it.

boys

2007-05-21T22:12:00.000+08:00

jaime: so do you think that phoebe is fat?
al: yes
me: *sigh*
jaime: so would you rather a pretty and plump girl, or a ugly and skinny girl?
al: of cos pretty and plump la.
me: hmm

my brother: you know what i would have said when jaime asked al that question?
me: what?
my brother: none of the above.
me: huh?
my brother: i want skinny and pretty.
me: sigh, boys.

talking to the tree

2007-05-10T00:43:00.000+08:00

i lost my $2 note. can't remember which pocket i put it into. i swore it was in my jeans. guess it decided to hide in another pocket, somewhere out there.

that was random.

we developed our roll of film today. wow. it's so freaking cool in the dark room. its literally pitch black, all dark, no lights sort of dark room. but its so fun!

and i was so excited to see what i shot. wow. that's all i could say. it was so unexpected really. and im glad i shot mostly people, the life they bring to my 36 shots on my film is just so unexpected. there's so much in their faces, their eyes say so much.

too bad its going to be hard being a photographer, especially being a girl. but i like it. a lot.

whining over spilt milk

2007-05-03T01:43:00.000+08:00

i spilt two glasses of milk today. literally. how clumsy can i get?

and now im whining over it. everything on my table smells like milk now. books, thumbdrive, boxes of film, even my hair brush and make up. yucks.

and then i spilt another glass of milk. figuratively. and i wish i could cry over it. off to the gym in the morning i guess.

the vicious psycle

2007-05-02T00:01:00.000+08:00

its crazy.

i wake up with so many things spinning in my head. i drag myself out of bed, and head for the gym. i exhaust myself. i return home. im so tired, i sleep.

what an easy way to get things out of your head. so for the next few hours of the day, im barely conscious enough to think.

and when i finally wake up. im so groggy that i cant concentrate on anything.

hmm. then later on into the night i have problems getting to bed. staying up till 3am.

and it goes on and on, in a vicious psycle. driving me crazy!

photo journalism

2007-04-26T23:58:00.000+08:00

first lesson got me thinking, a lot.

second lesson got me thinking, even more, to the extent that im baffled!

the word he used was 'compassion' and i've yet to understand what he meant. he said that pictures without the 'compassion' will just be snap-shots.

i was out today and snapped some shots. i still don't get it. how can my pictures help whoever or whatever i've shot? i can't get it, yet. somehow, i'll get it.

its so intriguing. i've never thought so hard about anything before. wow.

if only

2007-04-24T23:45:00.000+08:00

last friday, i found a purse!

i was just walking around raffles city with jaime and i stepped on something. i looked down and found a black purse. i opened it and there was a car key, an atm card and lots of $10 notes. and being such an honest person, i brought it to the information counter. the guy at the counter told me that they've ran out of forms for lost and found items so he couldnt take down my particulars and all. so i just left the purse there.

damn. can you imagine if the purse belonged to this young, hot and single guy. too bad i couldnt leave my number. sigh.

if only...

monday with lydia

2007-04-24T00:30:00.000+08:00

what happens when you put two silly happy girls together?

lydia and phoebe happens.

shopping, a lot of eating, and the talking never stops.

it made monday feel so much better.

oh... its already tuesday. hmm.

today, i start saying hello

2007-04-19T20:19:00.000+08:00

i started school this week. and today i start saying hello.

you must be wondering what the hell im talking about. well, yesterday's photojournalism class has given me a whole new perspective to life, people and choices.

our lecturer taught us many life lessons, and i bet there's more to come. being a photographer is not only about how well you can handle your equipment, skills can always be learned. the first thing is to never judge a person by how he or she behaves, what he or she says, or how he or she reacts. we will never know what that person has gone through and its not fair to judge that person based on what you see.

he dislikes our singaporean culture. i understand why. its somehow embarassing that 'face value' matters so much to us. 'it doesnt hurt to say hello to a stranger'.

he pointed out the neglected old folks of our society, especially in chinatown area. it was like a wake up call to do something about it.

in that few hours, i've learnt so much.

so today, i start saying hello.

movies

2007-04-14T00:25:00.000+08:00

i watched two movies today.

i've never done that before. and come to think of it, i spent half my day at Shaw House today. and im kinda sick of it now.

Shooter was... too confusing that it became boring.

Meet the Robinsons was so freaking funny! i loved it.

i had fun today. im happy.

carrie and friends

2007-04-12T21:04:00.000+08:00

i like carrie. i like talking to her, editing radio capsules with her, having lunch with here and sharing my thoughts with her. carrie, you're a strong girl. remember that. being strong doesn't mean that you cannot cry. its perfectly fine to cry when you're upset. the difference between someone who is weak and someone who is strong is that the weak person will just cry, while the strong person will cry and then pick herself up from there and move on.

i feel blessed to have good friends.

and a smaller bum now. that picture was taken before trekking up mountains. im pretty sure my ass is smaller now. i can't wear that pair of jeans without a belt anymore.

my dear goddaughter

2007-04-07T17:01:00.000+08:00

my dear goddaughter has been a very good girl (really?).

her godpapa misses her very much.

happy easter.

good friday

2007-04-06T22:12:00.000+08:00

happy good friday to you.

i finally went out with lydia, and she totally loved the funny black doll with detachable eyeballs and mouth i got for her from Chiang Mai.

funny how we get along together so well.

thanks for the little thoughtful gift, i love it :)

Chiang Mai - the proper post

2007-04-03T22:22:00.000+08:00

looking awfully unglam 8am in the morning on the plane. it was so exciting!

a little more glam, up and ready to set off.

this is a radio production studio at Chiang Mai University. look, they're using Apple and even have a soundproof room for recording! freak... uber cool.

Day 2, up the long long flight of stairs to this temple.

lots of kids sitting around dressed in tribal costumes to make some money. sigh, this kid is too adorable. i paid 20baht for this picture with him.

a huge gigantic bell, donated by... someone to the temple.

the sky was such a nice blue, and carrie and i are all brightly dressed. sweet.

if the temple doesnt interest you, find something else to do then. take some funny pictures.

it was so freaking hot, feels good in the shade.

a waffle dog from a street stall. waffle was good, them pointing at my boobs - wth.

Day 3, a long long walk around the city. through a local market.

nice car eh.

this is... i honestly have no idea. but it sure is freaking huge!

resting at a really interesting bench. look at the tiles!

biscuits!!! an awfully old-school shop.

a visit to the night market. and they were selling puppies for 1400baht (that's about $60!)

this guy makes keychains, and he's so freaking cool. all his tools are attached to his wrist and fingers. uber cool he is.

squeezing in a song tiao, all 14 of us.

Day... i cant remember already. we were waiting to record our forum with the Chiang Mai University students on our topic on 'Culture and Tourism'.

haha, look at shah!

Start of our 3 day trek.

and my shoes were already giving way.

hmm, what's ben doing?

its only the beginning, that's why we're still smiling.

this dog has a RED nose! whoa.

lunchtime.

trekking was uber fun!

we were literally thrown into the forest, far far away from civilisation. staying over at the Karen tribe village. with this awfully skinny puppy.

and pigs.

the air was dusty from the forest fire. explains why joyce is wearing a mask. most of them were down with sorethroat and cold. i think i was lucky to be fine.

this is one of the Karen tribe shelters, where we slept for the first night.

good thing they had a toilet. its fine going in the day. at night... whoa its spookily dark!

more trekking the next day. it was so freaking hot and dry.

and we went for a really uncomfortable elephant ride. oh my goodness, the elephant kept shooting snort at us. ew.

we finally reached the waterfall, where we stayed over for the second night. uber cold the water is. and for the first time, i jumped off a cliff into the waterfall pool. no big deal? hell it is. especially when you cant really swim well. uber scary, but it was uber fun! what's ben doing again?

sleeping in mosquito nets. hell this place has freaking lots of mosquitoes.

the waterfall was lovely.

this is the toilet at the waterfall, a 15m walk away from the shelter we slept in. i drank a couple of cans of beer chang(one of their local beers) that night while playing bridge with everyone. hell i needed to pee so badly, it was so freaking dark. carrie and i were screaming all the way there.

we ended the long long trek with bamboo rafting down the river. it was crazy. in fact, we didnt need the bamboo rafts at all cos we were spending most of the ride in the water. hmm. and getting dunked so many times i cant even remember. only thing left of that ride are bruises on my shins. i look like i've been abused. ouch.

Day after trekking. COOKING CLASS!

a housewife in making eh?

actually, mr felix is the real pro. check that out!

10 days passed so quickly, time to pack up and go. memories of room103 at Riverside Guest House. sigh.

taking a last bite of cakes and ice-cream at this cafe. sweet ending.

Chiang Mai

2007-04-02T23:57:00.000+08:00

im too lazy to upload pictures at the moment.

tomorrow perhaps.

in a nutshell, i had a great time. having good friends and getting to know others better.

bruises and cuts, memories of the 3-day trek up and down the mountain, off a waterfall cliff and bamboo rafting down the river.

im happy.

avie

2007-03-17T11:26:00.000+08:00

this is avie.

avie is a good photographer. she makes me look cool.

she makes me look good even when my hair is in a mess.

she makes me look smart.

and pretty.

avie is really talented i tell you. anyone wants to hire her?

year 2

2007-03-06T23:31:00.000+08:00

year 2 is finally over. i think i took a little too long to write about this. but anyhow, it's over.

i thought that i'll get a job, work hard, earn big bucks. i guess not.

i thought that i'll have more time to pack my room, tidy up my stuff. i guess not.

i thought that i'll be having a lot of fun, doing all sorts of things i never got to do during school terms. i guess not.

i thought... wrong.

well then, i think i better get going with the initial plan. it always feels better to have tried than to not try at all. how cliche. but that's not the point.

im sick

2007-02-26T23:24:00.000+08:00

chasing after my running nose.

that's what i've been doing all day.

it's quite tiring.

happy ching chong new year

2007-02-22T01:19:00.000+08:00

the best thing about CNY:

1. bak kwa
2. pineapple tarts
3. ang pow

i only look forward to these 3. its the only time of the year you get to have these in large quantities. bak kwa is still the number one joy for me for CNY. and no one can ever beat my family's secret pineapple tart recipe. i tell you - no one! as for ang pow. the more the merrier! but its ranked number 3 cos i dont get to keep the money. sigh, mom 'saves them up for university'. sigh.

to more bak kwa this ching chong new year. and ang pow to all!

my parents

2007-01-29T18:05:00.000+08:00

something is not quite right...

my mom just bought a pair of red patent peep-toe slingbacks. she thinks they are quite cute and she says that she can wear them with jeans.

i caught my dad listening to Fort Minor in his car. his favourite song is 'believe me', though he doesn't quite understand the lyrics.

hmm.

My Ambition

2007-01-24T21:47:00.000+08:00

It seems all too familiar a topic to write about. Brings back fond memories of my younger self writing about being a doctor with childish pride. It was fun. I'm nineteen, and my ambition is... to be a mother of 5 kids. No kidding. My mom thinks I'm crazy, my friends won't believe me. Of course I'm going to continue studying, get a job, do what I really love - fashion design, radio, tv journalism. Whatever I end up doing, I just want to be happy, doing what I love.

what movie?

2007-01-08T20:12:00.000+08:00

Jaime and I were having a conversation and deciding whether to watch a movie.

P: have you watched the golden flower movie yet?

J: nope, we could watch that.

P: oh ya, haha, you can't watch that with al.

J: whoa he'll beat me up!

P: hmm, I don't usually watch chinese movies in theatres.

J: ya, I don't watch ching chong movies either. I haven't even watched that.. what's that? turning dragon spitting fire movie?

P: WHAT?

photography

2006-12-25T00:29:00.000+08:00

If radio and television fails, then maybe photography ain't that bad an idea. No training, no knowledge, no experience, what am I talking about? Well, at least I've got a camera. Here's my story.

Honestly, I've no idea what makes a good picture. But I know what I like. I like it when Jaime looks like she doesn't know what's going on.

This is a dead bird. What's so good about this picture? The dead bird I guess.

I thought Avie looked good that day. I asked her to catwalk down and I snapped a shot. Later, I realised that this ain't such a happy picture after all. There's a sad old man on the right side. sigh.

I think I work better as a photographer. I fidget too much and can't seem to stop grinning. Avie was trying to take emo shots of me. Oops.

Earlier it was a decomposing dead bird. Now what? A sleeping cat. Its head is propped up and its eyes are tightly shut. Oh cats are so lovely.

Arab street is a lovely place. And I like this shop with an ice-cream parlour in it - Pluck