VARSITY VOICES 2009

~MUSICA MODERNA~

come listen to Singapore's best varsity choir perform some of the most intriguing and entertaining contemporary choral pieces.

21st February 2009, Saturday
University Cultural Center, NUS Kent Ridge

early bird discount - $13
after 8th Feb - $16

quick, grab the tickets while the discount lasts!!

email me if you have any enquiries - pehcm@hotmail.com
or just holler at my chatbox.

hope you can join us in the long-awaited night of Varsity Voices 2009.
see you there!

fashion's biggest names designed beautiful Matrioshka Russian dolls for Vogue Russia's 10th anniversary.

here are my favourites:

Stella McCartney

Marni

Giorgio Armani

Moschino

Antonio Marras

aren't they the loveliest things?

more at http://www.vogue.co.uk/celebrity-photos/gallery.aspx/id,250?Page=1

a-Carol-Ling! ;D

Hilton Shopping Gallery

i conducted today (: it was fun.
i have learnt a lot.

thanks people for your guidance and tips!!! (:
especially Harris who has generously and patiently guided me
& of course my dear Ling, Carol, Yiling, Jiatian, Khairul and Jeremy (in order of SATB! mua ha ha!) who actually stayed back to be my personal mini choir so that i can practise conducting the carols (:
also of cos the rest of NUS Choir...just for singing, which is beautiful in itself!
thanks dears!!

wonderful experience!

my awesome supportive family who came to Hilton and then...

followed us to Forum Shopping Center! gam sia haha
and thanks jing wen, zhi xian & aaron for coming too!! (:

carolling with NUS choir has really made the Christmas season (just like we sing) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

dear santa, i've been good all year....and i'd be ever so merry if you would just give me

soft colors by musicarousel


furrrrry by musicarousel


recession? what is that? by musicarousel


I brought my grandma out today (:

She spent more than S$500 in two hours.

Conclusion: I cannot be blamed for shopping a little too much sometimes. After all, it is in my blood.

here we come a-carolling

we're here to spread the festive good cheer!

did something new and enjoyed it

i am officially one giant step closer to one of my "Before I turn 30" To-Do items (FYI, i blogged about it on 03.09.08)

6) Dine alone in a fancy restaurant and enjoy it.

to enjoy being alone...not because of unforeseen circumstances like a friend caught in traffic, but because one is able to survive and indeed, enjoy, without the usual, typical habits of depending/interacting with others...i think it takes a very confident, self-content person to do that.

so...inspired by a friend's innocent remark, "you're alone now? what a loner!" i was travelling on the MRT after shopping with friends...so there was plenty of time to conjure plans up...and ta-da, i decided to experience going out by myself...just because i've never done it before.

of course shopping or movie-watching do not qualify for this concept because these activities are rather engaging and do not require much company. i chose to go to the Botanic Gardens because there would be lots of time to think and to be with myself. *oooomm...namaste*

here are the beautiful momentos:

frangipani in the loveliest shade of pink.
i wonder why they are associated with pontianaks, the opposite of the gentle beautiful flower.

so, where to?

i randomly picked paths and ended up at a place my friends & i failed to locate in previous trips (which were all cut short because of bad weather or time constraints) - the Orchid Garden!!!

this shower of sunshine has a beautiful name that i cannot recall at this moment!

student's admission fee for the Orchid Garden: just $1
for the rest of Botanic Gardens: a healthy pair of feet

so i enjoyed it (: that was a new way to enjoy a day!

so, how about you?
are you ready for an adventure at the Botanic Gardens?
try going there with yourself...and maybe you'll discover beautiful places too!

michelle in singapore (:

michelle!! (:
woman, you have been ignoring our plans to jio you out for a meal!!

something i would love under my christmas tree - lots of candy and maybe even a cute moving toy train!

granny's lovebites

this is mostly to document the masterpieces my grandmother churns out every day without fail.

but of course, the secondary purpose is to make brandon and other possible singaporean-food-deprived friends/readers drool in front of their computer screen.

are you ready?

3,
2,
1.

you may drool now:

chicken curry (:

just the right amount of coconut and chili - spicy enough to excite your senses, creamy enough to soothe and satisfy.
the chicken is sweet and succulent because it (my grandma uses drumsticks only - the rest are, in her kitchen, good enough only to cook stock) is cooked first in boiling water so that the excess oil is left in a separate pot, before my grandma cooks it with the curry.

fried rice - organic.

fried rice easily turns out to be either too greasy or too dry but this is perfect because olive oil creates a smooth texture (as well as light fragrance).

hor fun.
i finished the lobster before i took this picture so you just have to imagine it.

my grandma boils pork, chicken, dried scallop for 3 hours to create the stock for this. the result: hor fun that melts in your mouth, leaving a sweetness that lingers and tempts you to ask her to cook the same dish the next day.

so how much have you drooled?

***

cream teddy bears (:
also known as carbonara pasta.

my work seems puny beside my grandma's, like a 5th-grader's art piece beside picasso's. but it's a step toward one of my many aspirations - to make food as beautiful as my grandma's.

*

as you can see, much love is put into the cooking - with no corners spared of attention.

cooking is my grandma's way of expressing her love and care for everyone else. she takes care to include someone's favorite in every meal.

ah-ma is already 76 but she labors on, insisting on cooking dinner for 10-18 people every day.

and that - the selflessness, the strong will to live strongly and productively - is something that deserves respect.

it is often said that the stomach is the way to a man's heart. indeed my grandma has won mine, if not all of ours.

i couldn't decide which picture to start off with, until i recalled how much huixian loves this bridge. so this shall be a tribute to huixian's favourite bridge.

grace & i playing with the display at

Clinic - wheelchairs n all that barang barang.

(:

Hot Stone served pretty good steak.
however, the DIY concept = clothes that smell of food.

huixian is too tall for something =P

silvery and christmasy~~

tsuz, don't you dare to die in NS ok!!!!
(: (:

note: all pictures are from grace's blog.

going out now, can't stop to blog. but this, i need to post.

SOME THOUGHTS
by Paul Smith

• Start something new
• Take pleasure seriously
• Work is not about shorter hours or longer hours, it's about every hour
• Look at the world through the eyes of someone you respect, admire and love
• You can't do it without doing it
• Make room to break the rules
• Stop making sense... Logic is predictable... Think differently

"I was sitting in my office one day and jotting down some thoughts about life - and then I just left them on my notebook and someone from the team came in and saw them - and the next thing I knew they were framed and on the wall. Then the New York team requested them because they wanted them on the wall of the New York shop..."

From Vogue.co.uk

christmas came early this year

school is officially out so it already feels like christmas. of course, the beautiful lights and decorations along Orchard and Esplanade helps greatly in reinforcing the festive mood.

but before anything else, some shoutouts:

happy anniversary, mom & dad (:

happy birthday, tau!

get well soon, ziying jie.

have fun in japan, jing wen!

so today, i'm snuggling in my bed with my laptop because nothing is more important than catching up with Gossip Girl Season 2!!!

was supposed to go for a haircut and (another) KTV session with my cousins, but eugenia isn't feeling well :( carolling is also cancelled :( i don't feel like going out anymore.

had a delightful day: manicure (my nails are a pretty maroon!!! i love it) with Jing Wen, a lovely lunch at T.A.K. (soft-shelled crab...yummy...), KTV with my friends (yay! it was fun! haha), and then dinner with MICHELLE!!!

we ate at Glutton's Bay, which serves reasonably-good hawker fare at not-so-reasonable prices. but i think the atmosphere of the place was good: Esplanade, seaside, street music.

it started raining halfway through our glutton session, but we were freaking lucky because we were seated at one of the few sheltered tables.

it felt so nice talking to a close friend, sheltered from the rain and well-fed and watered.

first time i was caught in the rain while going out (as michelle reminded me, it's because it's impossible to get in the rain when you're in a shopping mall) but my cute little umbrella saved the day!!!

we took some pictures, and i plan to upload them soon.

just not today. it's the first day of my holidays and i deserve an excessive amount of sleep, procrastination, sleep, Gossip Girl, sleep, chocolate, sleep and good clothes...before i awake and start holidaying proper.

in lieu of all that festive good spirit, happy holidays everyone!

mmmm... the tantalising smell of freedom

at this time tomorrow, i will be done with my last paper!!

if you happen to be my mother (hi mom, i know you read my blog!) or a very caring friend, you may be thinking: what the hell is she doing? isn't she supposed to be mugging? well, i swear i will be off in...10 minutes time. Umm actually, how about 15?

anyway, i just cannot wait for tomorrow's long-awaited manicure with dear Jing Wen & dinner with Michelle whom i'm so excited to be finally meeting again!! (: (:

and then, there's KTV and carolling on saturday, my grandpa's death anniversary on sunday (i think it's glorious to pay tribute every year, because it's like meditating on the loss while having some semblance of the person's presence - a good way to approach it. i'm tempted to go on, but i should probably time this musing for some other day.)

there's just so many things i can/wish to do this holidays!

oh, my BFF is going to prison!!! not literally, but as in NS =P do you guys have any ideas how to send him off?? because hx and i were thinking of asking him for ideas. but knowing his i-am-a-party-animal-with-no-boundaries nature, i'm quite apprehensive of just doing whatever Tsu Ern says.

i'm cooking cream teddy bears for lunch. do you want some too? (:

btw, i just can't wait for this movie to come out. it's only the big-screen adaptation of my favourite book of all time - The Time Traveller's Wife.

the movie release dates are not out yet, but i'm pretty glad with the casting - Eric Bana (who was superb in that show with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. I cannot recall the name!!!) and Rachel McAdam (gorgeous!!)

the promo posters aren't released either, but do read this book!! it's a darling that will definitely make your holidays feel lovelier and warmer.

P.S. I did some surfing on Hersheys.com and I realised they provide some recipes for baking!! Ahh, inspiration strikes!! I shall bake a Christmas log cake! Let's see how this idea turns out... (: (:

In the meantime, Happy Holidays!!

the pink ribbon project

breast cancer is lethal - for men and women alike. so, bring yourself and your friends for a check-up today. it could save lives.

http://nm2220.co.nr

disclaimer: it's my team's Media Writing project. so do not try to call any of those numbers or to write a check to us. if you kindly wish to contribute to the breast cancer cause, you could contact http://www.bcf.org.sg/home/index.php

this is why the death penalty should not be abolished.

jail and caning only? seriously?

Nov 28, 2008

Teen raped on birthday

By Sujin Thomas

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_307942.html?vgnmr=1

they're so disgusting, they ought to be wiped off the face of the earth!

all you can do is to take a breath. a really deep one.

we were 40 minutes late for my Marketing finals today after getting caught in the traffic jam at the ECP, leaving us with 2/3 of the time we need.

needless to say, we were in quite a state of panic!

but we survived (: finished the paper ahead of time after some crazy scribbling.

after that, had a great day with great people!!!

premature celebration, considering my paper on friday?

anyhow, i'm in love with her style - so young, so elegant, so hopeful. i just want to steal her clothes. but i would have to fly to paris first.


take a peek: http://www.thecherryblossomgirl.com/