i must say i'm pretty impressed by how efficiently can be done here... just applied to convert my foreign driving licence last tuesday and i received it via registered mail today! it took ONE week... even though they told me it would prob take two. anyway, reason why i was so ON about converting was cos fren told me that they are going to change to new system soon whereby if u convert ur foreign licence to spore licence, u will only get class 3A instead of class 3, and cos dad drives manual car, means i'll never be able to drive here if i get a class 3A licence (auto cars only)... and i'll prob take ages to pass if i attempt to take manual driving test here... so i cheated and converted while old system is still in place =P but actually dunno how true rumour was... but better to be kiasu and get everything over and done with than hav to go through all that trouble right... =P

i finally watched two shows i've been wanting to watch for a long time- Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love, and Zhang Yimou's Not One Less . Despite many ppl telling me otherwise, (eg. mum said show only worth watching for the many cheongsams Cheung looked ravishing in) i quite liked the former... true, Wong Kar Wai's films aren't exactly the most exciting films to watch, but i kinda liked how he explored the simple theme of what happens when your spouse strays? so then is it justified for you to be unfaithful also? (on other hand, think 2046 has more themes packed into it and i dun quite understand quite a few bits) i actually quite liked how the characters Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung played remained for the most part mere companions though they liked each other and despite it being so tempting for them to gao3 extramarital affair... sad ending though. and i didn't get why Tony Leung had to go to Cambodia to whisper his secret... what was significance of Cambodia?
Not One Less reminded me how rare an opportunity it can be for some kids to even attend school... and the different ways poverty was portrayed in the show reminded me how i always take things for granted, complain about trivial things, mull over silly probs... to some, even having chalk can be a luxury. or having a sip from a can of coke, which you share with 15 other classmates...

songs are supposed to lift your spirits but i think so many of these Chinese songs have such sad and depressing lyrics that they can make you more depressed... and songs jun sent me are so sad too... why's everyone pining for loved ones all the time...are there really a lot of broken hearts out there. maybe cos when we're happy we revel in the moment with others and tend less to pause and reflect. only in our darkest moments do we really think about lost friends/relationships/things that didn't work out that are still haunting us? and i'm totally overplaying JJ's Jiang Nan (which i only very recently discovered); i bet i'll grow so totally sick of it =P

ps: why are pop song lyrics mostly about relationships or relationship problems. imagine if a pop song has a nice melody but lyrics dominated by political content/ preachy stuff/filial piety/poverty in Africa.... would it be able to gain as much popularity/ become a megahit?

i'm actually quite disgusted that many sec sch kids hav the latest handphone models in town.... and are more than willing to flaunt their expensive high tech gadgets.... not because i myself have an 'outdated' phone but cos i think it's such a waste of money...? i wun be surprised if many squander their parents' money to compete with classmates to see who has the coolest/latest phone model... how often do we need all these 3G services and all the additional functions that come with phones these days... well at least i only use my phone to call ppl and sms... i dun really understand how many ppl here are so "phone-conscious"... like when new models come out then like must go and change new phone kind... though phones are getting more and more advanced, i still personally feel that energy spent on making cooler gadgets that sometimes have somewhat limited practicality can be better invested in other industries/ used for coming up with more meaningful inventions?

sounds-like-she's-sore-old-spinster entry
i'm really happy cos meeting up with old frens the past few weeks reminded me that i have quite a few old RGS frens and a couple of JC frens i can always rely on... and i'm thankful that things haven't really changed much even though i was physically separated from many of my good pals. i hope all these friendships will last a long time to come, though i'm worried i'll be left with fewer and fewer when i gradually lose my single frens as other things take priority in their lives.
was also having nice talk with y and we observed the curious phenomenon of many perfectly eligible but still single RGS frens... and postulated some likely reasons (not ranked in order though)

1) a lot of guys out there cannot make it. or put it in a nicer way, maybe we have too high expectations. ;P
2) girls we hang out with are from biased sample. quite right to say many of us are conservative folks who prefer to get to know ppl better first instead of immediately diving into relationships. but how often do you get the chance to really do that. (and like-minded ppl are gradually disappearing...) on the other hand, if u're the clubbing and partying sort, maybe diff story?
3) choice.... so often affections are asymmetric. sad but guess hard fact of life.

but nothing conclusive derived from discussion, mere casual banter.
aiyah but life is so unpredictable maybe the next time i see them they'll be giving me wedding invitations =P then again, recently been wondering why ppl hav to get married. why is it so wired into the brains of our parents... even many of our peers...even myself...and if u come to think of it, marriage is such a huge commercial ploy... ppl willing to spend tonnes on wedding, cos what it's "zhong1 sheng1 da4 shi4". and marriage always gets romanticised by relevant businesses; even media perpetuates possible myth. u hav ur classic nice happy bride in white gown looking really xing fu, deceiving innocent girls who then grow up with image in minds. then some ppl never think properly, once reach marriagable age then think of getting married. or we somehow automatically think we ought to get married some day...doesn't that sound scary. we've all been brainwashed in some way.... haha hmm... oops i think i suddenly made something supposedly so lang man sound like a huge plot. mmm.. unintended lah. just rambling =P

recently mum's been hinting that i should dress more nicely when i go out... complains why girls my age all know how to da3 ban4 nicely and i just like to be tomboyish and wear jeans all the time... given that sis has bf that parents approve of, whom i still have not had the "honor" to meet in person, wonder if these are subtle hints that if i dun want to end up being old spinster i have to care more about my appearance... but seriously, if a guy only cares about a girl's appearance, he is hardly worthy of any attention lah. think sis quite cute, subtly bought things for bf while we were shopping in hong kong but like never say outright... but we all know who they are for... jealous. sisters for so long never buy for me.... haha just kidding. happy for her =)

MINI REVAMP
just spent few hours doing a mini revamp. not impressive, as usual, cos i'm still html idiot, but tried to insert picture... was looking at old pics and found one of myself in dad's glasses! will update pic with other kid pics from time to time. (if i have time =P) did away with tagboard, but changed comment box such that anyone, not just blogger users, can comment... so feel free to leave comments/criticisms, whatever =)

was reading through lyrics for Yuan2you2hui4 in Jay Chou's Qi Li Xiang album and i was struck by how certain lines were really well written. esp the bit bout how longing is lengthened tog with shadows in the evening, and how the admission tic pei2 him count sheep... ok i am giving a horrible translation here, but it's really nice in Chinese. simple longing written in such a lovely manner.... i did catch some parts of it when i listened to it some time back, but not all the lyrics...
also recently purchased Nakashima Mika's album and it has this really nice song too... Yuki no Hana, it sounds a bit familiar though. might have heard it before. not a new song. unfortunately i can't play songs here...

funky specs for me?
just went to the optician and i realized that 'in'-est frames now are cool plastic jap/italian plastic frames that come in all shapes and colors... and they really look pretty funky =P made a more normal-looking one, but also tried on all the cool funky ones... actually wearing specs can be quite fun =) and so much more convenient than wearing contacts, perfect for lazy ppl like me.
and so i tried on this bright purple one which actually looked not bad. and a bright blue and orange one... and white opaque plastic ones (not the primary sch type!) i was so tempted to buy them... but then again might be wasting money cos after the fad is over i'll be left with really odd-looking specs haha. i want to do something fun, but then i dun want ppl to think that i go to halloween parties everyday or something... but i also realized that i am gradually growing more bochap about what ppl think of me... that's progress. so maybe i should really consider buying those bright purple ones.... =P

Snippets of my holiday

somehow seeing these dingy old buildings in hong kong shows never really left deep impressions on me. only goin to the place itself and seeing how some ppl live, did i really realize how cramped the living quarters of a sizeable portion of the population can be. there are many buildings much worse than this. though a little unsightly, but i thought they were really unique.
a bit random, but this pic was taken while scaling the 264 steps to the Tian Tan Buddha at Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It's apparently the largest bronze seated outdoor Buddha in the world. Lantau Island is really mountainous and i thought it was interesting to have marble(?) handrail (hmm or whatever u call it) against some really pretty trees... unfortunately the extremely bad weather made everything a lil foggy. but in the end it kinda created a nice overall effect.

Hong Kong actually has a really pretty skyline... and buildings on Hong Kong Island look really nice when you look across the bay from Kowloon. This was taken behind a tall glass panel on a walkway linking a shopping mall to the MTR... i'm pretty impressed by Hong Kong's MTR =P haha and talk about Singapore being crowded... it's even more impossible to escape from the crowds in Hong Kong. It has twice Singapore's population; and even though it has a bigger land area, only a small area is habitable... supposedly less than what we use. and no wonder they have really really high rise residential buildings and extremely small units.

i am melting in hong kong... haven't been doing that much really, but some memorable sights/experiences include getting droplets of water falling on you at random spots and getting scolded by dad for being silly when attempting to figure out where random drops came from (from older airconditioners suspended outside residential units above the shophouses); the old dingy residential blocks scattered all around the city... hong kong's also a lot more mountainous than i expected it to be... dun really think it's a place i would like to live in, but i definitely dun dislike it. it definitely has a lot of character...

with a well-intentioned but really rather naggy and risk-averse dad who suggested cancelling the trip for fear of typhoons hitting Hong Kong, a mum pissed with a prefer-to-stay-at-home dad and a sis not used to walking for long periods of time, i wonder what my mini getaway with my family to Hong Kong will be like? it's been like nearly ten years since the whole family went on a holiday together... and i'm really rather scared that i'm so used to travelling with frens that i will not enjoy myself... sometimes i really wonder if i'm getting really self-centred. but aiyah, am trying to be optimistic about it and it's a chance for me to spend time with my family members... will still attempt to blog when i'm there.. but if not, i'll be back on Thursday =P

btw Together by Chen Kaige is a really good, tear-jerking show as well =P has a very good, touching plot; it also raises some problems faced by rural folks wanting to move into the cities...think it won quite a few awards.

just looked up the show and it has a terrible english title!! (most hong kong movies do, actually) but the chinese title, mei you ni mei you wo, is really appropriate and totally makes sense... =P it has a pretty nice cantonese song at the end too =P

sometimes those late night channel 8 Hong Kong shows with ulu and seemingly random and forgettable titles can be surprisingly good. i really haven't watched any hong kong movies on tv for a long time and i was just sitting at the comp trying to search for something online with the tv on.. and my attention was increasingly drawn to the TV till i just sat in front really engrossed in the show...ended up sobbing by myself (luckily) at 2am at night in front of the tv. just a simple plot but the scriptwriters managed to make it really touching. ok lah a bit cheesy but still... haha. maybe was a bit moody and got too drawn into the ju4 qing2.

thanks to huining, i got a really late but pleasant belated birthday present- Howl's moving castle soundtrack =P now shall just try to get the DVD when i go to China to complete my collection.... i would love a Calcifer (the sometimes spiteful but endearing fire demon in the show) plush, but nobody sells Howl merchandise here, sadly.
i'm really upset and mad with myself cos my comp crashed!! aargh. and lazy me DID NOT backup my files.... and got scolding for being careless...all my data might be gone... oddly and quite sadly when i think about my files i care so much less about the papers i spent so much time writing and instead fear the worst for some of my most precious pictures... and all the songs i have painstakingly accumulated... of course things that i need, like my resume, major assignments, papers i was very satisfied with are terrible to lose, however these are still replaceable...but not all those special moments captured in the past. =( guess it's my fault.... reinstalled ARES yesterday and was happily happily downloading lotsa jap songs. maybe got some virus...

tech talk
after reading about the newest addition to the Canon IXUS series, the 7.1 MP SD500, on the comp magazine my dad orders, my urge to get a new and better digital camera returned... not that my V2 is bad or anything... it has served me pretty well the past 3 yrs... but i feel like splurging on a new dig cam now that i am slightly more into taking pics... =P and so went down with dad to Sim Lim Square... but nearly every shopowner recommended a different camera to me, ranging from Pentax Optio to Konica Minolta cameras.... when obviously Canon IXUS series cams are one of the best compact cameras around (according to the many online user reviews i've been reading) which makes me wonder how honest these dealers are? are they all trying to cheat my money.. promoting the less popular models to me, such that i will buy a model that is more difficult to sell... since without even trying to promote Canon IXUS cameras customers come in demanding them? hmmm after reading the reviews and seeing some cams for myself today, i wonder if i should switch loyalties and purchase the Panasonic Lumix FX8 that's pretty good and chio and has a huge LCD screen... instead of the Canon IXUS SD 400 which i know i'll prob like...

Singapore is SO overcrowded... one day out and ppl EVERYWHERE kinda got on my nerves... and i feel like with every break i grow increasingly aware of and affected by this... took the MRT home tonight, not only was it extremely packed; this bunch of p sch kids returning from some NDP rehearsal streamed into the train and made so much noise that this old man couldn't stand it and started ranting and shouting at them... though i don't exactly approve of shouting at ppl for making noise, it is true though that rowdy sch kids can give you a terrible headache.. esp when u are jetlagging and tired and just want some peace...
on some days i really wish i were a guy; then i can be totally gluttony and eat all the good cheap food EVERYWHERE... then i won't be forbidden from travelling alone and be restricted from touring all the places i want to visit. though i dun really see how significantly less dangerous it is for a guy to travel alone... but unfortunately my parents think so =(

coming home is always some kinda discovery for me... at the airport, when my dad's car pulled up at the loading area i was just innocently admiring how new his car was and how scratch-free it was... and wondering how he managed to keep it so intact though he has had his car for quite a few years now... and then secretly condemning my poor driving skills.... only to discover 10 seconds later that he went and bought a new Nissan Sunny in the exact same color in March... he prob told me some time ago but i totally forgot about it and made myself a laughing stock... how typical of me to do things like that.
also found new pieces of furniture at home but somehow everything seems kinda random... also discovered a pretty chio new LCD screen tv at home, but placed on top of this old wooden coffee table in the chapalang room... cannot help but laugh. i think the longer u live in a place the more difficult it becomes to make everything go together...u get all kinds of interesting juxtapositions of 'new' and 'old' and i really dunno what to make of everything... my bedroom and bedsheets make it seem like i am perpetually stuck at age 12 or something... =P but it's kinda sad how short my stays here usually are, for me to actually feel motivated enough to do something to my home...

i'm going home! =P