Speaking Of Fangirls...

Check out this super cute girl who was ecstatic to meet Harry Potter (and Ron).

One Degree Of Separation

(Follow up from here.)

OMG! I officially confirm that I am separated by just one person from the Backstreet Boys!

One of my bosses (the one I mentioned before) strutted over to my desk and pointed to a news clipping of the BSB performing at the upcoming Singapore's F1 race, "What's this?!"

I said, "Oh, I'm going to the F1 to watch them, cos they're performing!"

"Oh, is it?"

"Oh I heard you knew them!" I exclaimed.

Proudly, almost smirking, "Yes, I even toured with them for a month."

Of course, the little fangirl went all impressed and "Wah!"

Then he pointed to Nick and said, "He's very girl crazy. The rest... are pretty okay."

Yay! How exciting to know a bit more about my fantasy boyfriend. I almost can touch his face already!

MM Lee Sees Great Potential In Me

We were not in an unfamiliar environment - at a grassroots function. You know, I used to be part of the grassroots organisation...

He came up to me and said, "I've been noticing you and your contributions to the community. Once you have a firm stand in the working world, I encourage you to be a grassroot leader. I see great potential of you becoming stellar in politics."

Of course, it turned out to be just a dream.

Be A Freshmaker

Who could forget the brilliance of Mentos commercials? Relive some classic ones here!

And because the concept was so classic, Mentos commercials have since then become synonymous with having a brainwave. Which brings me to this episode -

In my school days, we used to hang out around the Starbucks tables in the canteen during our breaks. These tables were prone to losing their rubber ends and rocking about.

Once, we got irritated over a particularly rocky table. Gek Leng took out a piece of paper and started humming the Mentos song while folding the paper. Then he bent down and slotted the paper under the shorter leg.

And ta-dah, a Mentos commercial idea was born! The ingenuity was not the paper but singing a Mentos song to accompany the scene :D

Sometimes, don't we just need a stroke of brilliance to entertain ourselves? *winks*

Will The Real Chowchow Please Stand Up?

(Edit 14 Jul: Scroll down for answer...)

Throw in your guesses, everyone!

Chowchow is in the second picture. The first one is Lee Serene. We are said to look alike. Here's a picture of us together :)

1-for-1 Jugs Not For 2 People

(Note: This story was from last July.)

The Boyfriend and I had a chichi dinner at Robertson Walk and decided to pop by Zouk, since he hadn't been there before and we were on leave the next day. And I wanted to see what had changed after a two-year hiatus from Mambo Night.

Things I learnt that night:

1. The Mambo mix had included songs from the early 90s - songs I actually heard on the radio when I was little! It was quite disturbing to learn that the song list evolved with time too.
   
2. The dancers on the podium could dance to a new with the same moves without rehearsal. Certain lyrics must go with specific moves. It was funny to see dancers interpreting a new song differently.
3. Never to order 1-for-1 jugs of potent cocktail mix when there were only two of us.
   

I told The Boyfriend how I had seen the ugly effects of Long Island Tea on my friends. Being the gungho drinker, he wanted to try too, "Let's get a jug!" he shouted.

11pm to midnight was usually the 1-for-1 offer. And he came back with two jugs of Long Island - one for each of us.

Knowing how bad the drink could affect the less seasoned drinker, I sipped my way through the whole jug. While he gulped it down, very cool okay.

And it did made me very tipsy. I couldn't stand or walk straight as I stumbled out to get a cab home. Walking on air was a great feeling!

As we got out of the taxi, The Boyfriend gasped and leaned against a pillar. And he regurgitated our expensive steak and wine.

"It's all the taxi's fault," he exclaimed later. Apparently, the taxi was jerking too much for his comfort. "And I was punished for giving in to beef," he added - Some time back, he abstained from beef for reasons I couldn't comprehend.

Our two hundred dollars went down the drain just like that. And yes, I guessed it was the taxi's fault ;)

For Silky & Straight Hair, Walk Straight Ahead

As seen on my bottle of Herbal Essence Dangerously Straight Silky & Straight Conditioner -

Use me: Massage me in, rinse me out, walk straight ahead.

The Chow Sisters: 失恋篇

Baby Chow came home one day with a solemn face. She put down her bag, change out of her dress and put on rubber gloves. Then she took a broom and swept the floor with zest, filled up a pail of water and cleaned the toilet furiously and stacked up the routine mess in her room.

We couldn't understand the sudden eagerness to help out at home, for she was usually the princess who does little.

As as she wiped the tiles in the bathroom, tears starting streaming down her face.

原来是失恋了。 

Mourning

A family which mourns together, bonds together.

P/s My Mum is addicted to Youtube for its vast bank of MJ videos.

Still On The Man Who Makes White Socks Look Damn Cool

Baby Chow wailed (after watching a very spectacular MJ from Dangerous Tour 1992): "I wished I had paid more attention to him before. Now it's too late!"

Just to show you how spectacular it is; check out his exit from the arena from 6:10 onwards):

Thanks For The Memories, Moonwalker

Sigh. I'm still suffering from MJ withdrawal symptoms. An overdose of his videos doesn't seem to help :(

Moonwalker is the film to see MJ during his most glorious moments. When I was just a little 9 year old, Papa brought home the Moonwalker LD (laser disc). That was the first time I truly appreciated his supremacy. I watched his string of amazing performances on repeat.

One of the highlights was Badder, the kids version of the Bad video. It's fascinating and very cute. Check it out:

And my favourite-st segment was undoubtedly Smooth Criminal, full version. 7:16 - the gravity defying leaning move was real, y'all. It was performed live many times :D

P/s My earliest memory of MJ was Thriller. It was the theme song of a Mickey Mouse cartoon video that I watched over and over again when I was four. I wanna share the video here too:

Double sigh.

Coke The Supreme Quencher

Under the sweltering heat in Siem Reap, the one drink I couldn't live without was good 'ol Coke. Plus lots and lots of ice :)

会唱歌的男人早结婚？

That's my colleague's theory, the rationale being these guys are better at charming girls. Indeed, the singers in our office all married before they turned 30.

Do you agree? :)

The Chow Sisters: 心狠手辣

When the Chow Sisters were little, they bickered all the time. Mel Chow was always too soft- hearted to mean what she said. Baby Chow, on the other hand, took the most extreme measures to show that she was really mad; she would go and destroy Mel Chow's most precious possessions.

Once, she marched over to the Mel's prized bookshelf, took out a random book and slashed the pages. And she threw the book in Mel's face, "Take that!"

Books were the most important things in the world to young Mel then. She was devastated.

This incident happened when Baby was just 4 years old, even before The Death of Kaka .

别相信男人的话

我告诉妈祥烊的睡眠品质差, 常睡足8小时却还感觉疲累。或许是工作压力太大，或枕头床褥不适和，或其他原因。

他说只有我陪他睡，他才能真正休息。

妈说： “男人的话你也相信？！”

妈妈的话真有道理。

My Shoes Are Not Wearing Out Fast Enough

My wretched pair of cardboard shoes covered in gold glitter refuses to break so that I have a reason to throw them away!

There are at least 6 pairs still in their pristine boxes waiting to be unwrapped. I'm not wearing them out fast enough to keep out with my new buys! While I'll like to start wearing them for different outfits on different days, the Grand Dame at home hates that I have so many pairs of shoes on the shoe rack. She thinks my lovely shoes create clutter. 

I should have my very own walk-in shoe cabinet, just like how some people have walk-in closets and walk-in beer fridges ;)

What's Your Reason For Not Exercising?

In an effort to get my Mum, the only sedentary person in the family to work out, I invited her to join me at my company gym.

After 6 half hearted minutes on the cross training machine, she decided to stop because "the gym was spooky".  I was training at the pool, in plain view from the gym, with at least 20 other colleagues. How spooky could it be?

Lol. Excuses, excuses.

She said, "I think I'll sign up for a yoga package." Let's see how that turns out.

Slumming It

You have heard of eco tourism, dark tourism, medical tourism. What about poverty tourism? This is a term I (thought I) coined myself to define the tourism of visiting the villages or slums in developing countries. Only to learn that this is not a new concept - poorism.

Poverty tourism or poorism, also known as township tourism or slumming is a type of tourism, in which tourists travel to less developed places to observe people living in poverty. Poorism travel tours are popular in places like India, Ethiopia, and even places that have had natural disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis. After Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana became a big poorism site.

Critics say poorism is likened to a kind of voyeurism, exploiting people less fortunate, snapping pictures and leaving nothing in return. - Wikipedia

While researching travelling materials to developing countries, I see lots of pamplets encouraging me to "experience a day in the life of the native folk".

I don't mind contributing money and time to help improve the lives of the poor in these regions. But if laying two bricks on an unfinished village school and posing for photographs in the process just for the thrill of feeling charitable and sympathetic, I say no thanks.

Some places are so developed in poverty tourism that the visiting route is all planned out for the traveller who wants to "slum it". Recent trip to Siem Reap really opened my eyes to this superficial farce.

Indeed, we leave nothing behind when we visit the slums except the sense of inferiority. What gives us the right to peer and take pictures of people who are hard at work in the fields and fake our sympathy? I say it is fake because most of us will not take sustainable measures to help the poor when we are back in our cushy beds at home, no matter how saddened we are during the tour.

Oh yes, I was also guilty of being the affluent tourist who travelled to the slums to gawk at the villagers "in their natural habitat" as if they were animals at the zoo.

We took a river cruise on the Tonle Sap River whose main attraction is the floating village. We were fascinated by the floating homes, floating markets, floating chapels and basketball courts. We stared in wonder at the river folk while our boat weaved through their homes.

We were then brought to the floating provision shop to buy some stationery for the poor children studying in schools. "We will bring you to see the children later." Immediately an image of happy children hugging my legs while I give out pencils popped into mind.

At the little shop, 8 pencils cost USD$4 and 10 exercise books cost $12. Exorbitant! When I took one packet of pencils, the guide prompted, "Get more. That's not enough for the children," and smiled widely.

The our guide took us to the floating school where the children were having lessons. It was the most awkward experience! There were just 2 of us. When we stepped into the classroom, the teacher stopped and smiled at us. The blackboard was filled with mathematics equations and the children were apparently doing their work.

We looked at them and said hi. The children just stared at us, just like how they stared at the many damn foreigners before us. They did not swarm around me like I imagined. We tried to pictures with them and realised they were not responsive. After a few hasty attempts to be friendly, we scooted off. We really did not want to make them feel like an exhibition.

I don't know if the money paid for the stationery will eventually help the families. It took me a while to grapple with the fact that I was no different from any damn ang mohs - I participated in poverty tourism.

Reliving

Met up with some ex-colleagues last night and as usual, we were reliving the funniest moments that got us laughing till we were gasping for breath.

On Vietnamese beauties

D: I heard Vietnamese girls from the North are pretty. The Southern ones, not so. So which part are you from, M (our Vietnamese colleague)?

M : The central part.

D: Oh, no wonder.

M looked incredulous. The rest of us goggled at D in disbelief, What?!!

On Koreans

M: Has anyone seen the Korean? Has anyone seen the Korean?

J: What Korean? Have you seen C? He's in the other room! (We had a Korean colleague.)

M: What are you talking about? I'm asking about the Korean who delivers documents to us!

M was actually talking about the courier.

On Italian chapels

Me: I may be going to Europe with my boyfriend and his family next autumn.

A: I think the parents are planning to make you marry their son in Europe! Imagine passing by a cathedral in Rome. They'll push you in and lock the doors. They will even prepare the gown.

Me: What?!

A: Just double check their luggage before you leave for Europe. Make sure there's no dubious white dress in their luggage!

Meow!

Eating alone by the riverside has always been a romantic concept to me. I always feel happily lost in the great city, thinking of the million big dreams to fulfill, and countless distances to conquered. It is always nice to sit by the bank and listen to the waves.

Doesn't The Sail look utterly unspectacular? It is dwarfed by the neighbouring office blocks. I remember its sales pitch was to draw people to stay in the city, above the city. And the artists' impressions showed that it stood above the sparkling lights of the city, and everything else. Hmm...

I digress. I actually wanted to say how I enjoyed Cats The Musical. See, I got a really close view of the stage :)

Spoiler alert!

The opening act began with a long sequence of orchestra music. We were anticipating the performers to appear on stage, until one by one, we felt something breathing down their necks. Hordes of Cats had swarmed the theatre without warning, and were prowling among the audience. Although I clearly knew they were actors in disguise, I had to breathe hard and keep still to stop myself panicking. See how close they got:

Don't judge me for being afraid of actors dressed as cats, cos they were really life-like!

And of course, the rest of the musical was breathtaking. I enjoyed every bit of it.

So glad I insisted on watching it even when no one could accompany me :))