Varsity Voices 2009

~ MUSICA MODERNA ~

come watch Singapore's best varsity choir sing some of the world's most intriguing and entertaining contemporary choral pieces.

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

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

i urge you to take advantage of the $13 tickets before time runs out!

if you have any questions, do not hesitate to email me at pehcm@hotmail.com or leave a message on the chatbox.

hope to see you there!

i saw something disturbing today.

my best friend & i were walking along huaihai road after a delicious lunch in a warm restaurant, hands full of shopping bags. it was a wonderful conversation and we were feeling very happy.....then we saw a lady eating from a trash bin.

to be exact, she was drinking the droplets left in a discarded bottle of milk tea. then she dived headfirst into the trash can, trying - but obviously to no avail - to find something nutritious to help her get through the harsh winter day.

we gave her some RMB to get some decent food. but no matter how much we give, the cash will only last her a while before she has to go back to ingesting rubbish for survival.

it is evident that the PRC needs to provide more welfare! and the filthy rich should try to do something too.

6 years ago, i saw a scene like this when i first came to shanghai. to see something like this on shanghai's Park Avenue in 2009, when china tops FORTUNE's 50 Richest...how to describe it? disgusting would be an understatement.

but the PRC govt policies + billionaires' minds = not something within my power to change.

in this new year, let's make a difference by giving some moolah when we see these unlucky peeps OK!

after all, it only takes 30 sec to give a fellow human some decent days. worthy exchange, no?

*

on a lighter note, weather woman says it may be snowing tomorrow! let's do the snow dance!

p/s: i went back to ssis on tuesday. only saw half the juniors/teachers i want to see. and can't meet all the lovelies outside ssis, bcos i am leaving so soon! (yes i am greedy) pffft. ANGRY! and it's all bcos i lost track of time when i.......

p/p/s: saw choir again (: new choir teacher is sincere, lovely lady but she is not chorally trained (!!!! what is SSIS doing?!) so she asked me to take over for that session. of cos i gladly obliged. choir has improved slightly. lovely lovely memories with the lovely lovely SSIS choir rushed back during the 1 hour i was there. love you guys! must work harder OK!!

p/p/p/s: it may snow tmr!!! oh, i think i already said that. yep, i did.

"Child elopers' Africa plan foiled

The three were trying to travel without passports or money

Two German children - aged five and six - have been stopped by police from eloping to Africa to tie the knot in the sun, reports say.

The budding lovebirds, identified as Mika and Anna-Lena, packed bathing costumes, sunglasses and a lilo and headed for the airport.

They even had the presence of mind to invite along an official witness - Anna-Lena's seven-year-old sister.

The three got as far as Hanover railway station before police intervened.

The young couple were "very much in love" and had decided to get married in Africa "where it is warm", police spokesman Holger Jureczko told the AFP news agency.

Sun-seekers

The idea for the getaway wedding was born as the children's families celebrated New Year's eve together and Mika regaled the two girls with stories of a recent holiday to Italy.

They can still put their plan into action at a later date Holger Jureczko Hanover police spokesman

The following morning, as their parents slept, the intrepid trio walked 1km (0.6 miles) to the local tram station at Langenhagen, where they hopped aboard a tram for Hanover central station.

But the group aroused the suspicion of a guard as they waited for a train to the airport, and police were called in.

Officers persuaded the children they would not get far without tickets and money, but consoled them with a free tour of the police station, where they were shortly picked up by relieved parents.

Although any marriage plans have been put on hold for now, police did not altogether rule out the possibility of an African wedding.

"They can still put their plan into action at a later date," AFP quoted the spokesman as saying.

"

from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7811686.stm

my friends and i were laughing over this....but oh, what is a helpless young romantic to do!

it's so freaking cold in shanghai, i think i will turn into an ice block if i were to step out of my apartment. so i will not entertain any possibilities of leaving my sofa and blanket!!! until tomorrow, when i will meet my best friend and have a shopping spree.....

i've just returned from taiwan. a gorgeous trip with my beautiful family & friends in a wonderful island (:

i had never taken the name Formosa seriously because i thought the Spanish simply wanted to market it, just like the explorers who named an icy, barely hospitable region Greenland to entice politicians and businessmen to go there...but Taiwan has proven itself to be a true Formosa (Spanish for "Treasure Island"). i think i understand why the Spanish, Portugese, Japanese (and several other nations which i shall not name) scrambled over themselves to claim the territory.

you see, if you want good shopping, there are the trendy, cheap wu-fen-pu street stalls as well as Taipei 101 and her neighbours. taiwan street style seems to emulate japan's, but to good effect. in fact the taiwanese do kawaii so well, they have a special way of pronoucing ke-ai. =P

also, all towns have night markets that serve delicious pearl milk tea, juicy lu rou fan, fragrant fried cuttlefish and other local fare at its best, provided (of course) you choose the stalls with long queues. my favourite is Shilin Ye Shi because it is the biggest, and it is sheltered - a very important feature in winter because it rained every day when i was in Taipei! i think everyone has to like ye shi at least a little bit, but my father absolutely fell in love. he explored the night markets like a child unwrapping his christmas presents!

for nature-lovers, there is the Taroko National Park with grand mountains and treacherous white-water rivers. and 20 mins from the Taipei CBD, there is Yangming Shan - gorgeous waterfalls and refreshing scenery for anyone who wishes to take a break from the bustling city that never ever sleeps.

should you feel like resting in a hot spring, Yilan (just a few hours' drive from Taipei) is waiting with all her natural springs and cute little hotels.

for a dose of culture and exquisite beauty, there is Gu Gong which is more valuable in terms of the importance of relics from China's 5000 years of jade, porcelain, painting & other fine arts than the whole of PRC Mainland itself because Chiang Kai-shek had exercised great foresight when he selected the most gorgeous pieces from Beijing's museums during/before he sought refuge from the reigning Communists in the 1940s.

and for crazy festive celebrations? the New Year's Countdown at Taipei is fantastic with a hysterically happy, young audience that seems to know the words to every single song that A-Mei and Mayday performs.

a definite plus for Taiwan = her people, who provide such great service that it is hard not to believe that the Taiwanese are just born hospitable and gregarious. anyway, i always think you can tell how developed a city is by judging the quality of the service people. in Singapore, Manhattan and HK, a hotel receptionist would politely decline your request because of a company policy, and then offer an alternative. in China, you simply have to ask to see the manager or maybe insist a little bit more. then you will get your way, because the systems are new and not fully established yet. in Taiwan, the hotel receptionists are the most polite and cheery - the people are just naturally charming. even the random passerby would help you with street directions, with no hesitation whatsoever and many warm smiles.

also, Taipei and her neighbouring towns are beautifully planned, partly due to the almost-fastidious obsession with perfection that is a most distinctive idiosyncracy of the Japanese, who ruled the island for 50 years from 1895 to 1945. however i hope it is an influence that the Taiwanese will soon outgrow, because the architecture and customs of the island bear too much of a resemblance to have an allure that is authentically and absolutely Taiwanese. but i suspect that many will say such things about Singapore too. after all my beautiful homeland was, essentially, a British colony made up of immigrants from all over.

regardless, Taiwan is a charming island and i cannot wait to return to see the beautiful places in the central and southern parts of Taiwan - treasures that i could not see within the 8 days i was on the Formosa!