hello, gorgeous.

my newest friend.
the macbook 2.4 GHz intel core 2 duo, 4GB memory,
250GB hard drive and the glass multi-touch trackpad.

thursday was an interesting day. actually so was wednesday.

wed was a day of going back to NIE and getting a project done. then i met with C and D for some drinks at xin wang at siglap and laughed the entire afternoon away.

(which job allows me to be paid and have holidays for 1 month plus?)

thursday was a day of crowds, which left me with a splitting headache after it all. first was the insane charles&keith warehouse sale crowd which was already packed by 11am. all these singaporeans like no need to work like that. :| me and XH managed to get some really good bargains and headed for lunch with M near her new workplace. :) then i met up with the biochem boys to scour the IT fair at expo.

hence, hello my new best friend. :) it looks totally sleek and beautiful. and i'm so glad that V and i managed to convert 2 of the boys to mac. now they are the proud owners of the beautiful iMac desktops. and J went all crazy for the credit card roadshows, signing at least 4 new cards at different banks. and he carted home so many freebies that would surely make his mama proud. and my mama too. so head to the fair if you want freebies! contact J if you can't find the booths. :)

so a week of shopping means this week will be dedicated to many new books to read (some chick lits, obama's 1st book, bourdain's latest book etc.), new dvds to watch (alias s5, lost s3, some movies), a new laptop to explore, new CDs to listen to, a wardrobe to clean out and catching up on readings and prep for YC and christmas and songs to memorise for the concerts.

sounds like a plan.

retail therapying.

ok so the batam trip didn't materialise. which was met with a half-hearted sadness, having spent many many dollars helping the singapore economy grow this weekend. (1 bag, 1 dress, 2 tops, 1 book, 1 magazine, 1 pair of shoes, 4 CDs - david cook, john coltrane, sting, johnny cash, 2 DVD TV boxsets, 2 movie DVDs). in my defense, 90% of my loot is discounted heavily. :)
anyways thanks to J our batam trip has been miraculously transformed to a paintball trip, a BBQ+wii+games+rock band overnighter. yay.

(just realised my 4 new CDs are really a strange mix. eclectic. sounds nicer.)

my service learning project is over! in the midst of the planning frenzy and all the last-minute drama, all my frustrations were replaced with joy and love for the sweet children i met over the course of the 2 days. and i admit i play favourites with children that are lovely and cute and sweet and some who say the darnest things.

(in response to a boy who was throwing tantrums at the reception area) this girl looked up nonchalantly from her drawing and colouring and remarked,
"i feel like throwing naughty children down the rubbish bin... and flush them down the toilet."

someone please slap me if i spend anymore money before my japan trip (with the exception of c&k warehouse sale).

and speaking of trips, berlin photos are here. :)


the brandenberg gate in its sun-shined glory. :)


yummy breakfast at a breakfast joint opposite the train station.


the amazing marble artwork on the pillars of the entrance to the Reichstag. the reichstag first housed the parliament of the german empire, before hitler wrecked havoc, overthrew the government, declared dictatorship and you know the rest. reichstag was burnt down to the ground during the nazi years and they rebuilt it.

the roof of the reichstag.


the inside of the dome. amazing architecture.


the glass roof of the dome on the reichstag building. so beautiful.



this is currywurst, everyone. german sausages with curry powder and tomato sauce. really really good. road-side and delish. :)

the WWII memorial. in the middle of the city.


an old church in the shopping district of berlin. it's partially destroyed by the war, bombed by the allied forces. they left the destroyed bits as they were, perhaps as a reminder of the horrors.


shian, my dear friend on attachment in berlin, showed us around and brought us around for good food and provided free accomm. :) and my banana beer, oh-so-good part 1.


this is oh-so-good part 2. pork knuckle! my travel mates and i were already dreaming of this, german beer and german sausages before we even came to germany. :) :)

the end of madness!

the ground of the WWII memorial
berlin, germany

my semester is over! well short of one final comm skills lesson tmr, and 3 assignments to complete over the holidays, but still! i'm in the midst of the OC season 2 dvd marathon. boy, do i miss it. and i just finished studio 60 on the sunset strip on dvds. and the subtitles help with the rapid-fire dialogue, so i'm quite glad to bask in aaron sorkin's genius writing since the west wing ended.

well this holidays i'm looking forward to the sister being back from all her travels and finnish work and tell me all her stories. plus christmas! i love the songs for this year's concert, as always. and learning choreo for big dance numbers are always tiring but i shall press on and find my youthful energy again! there's also a batam trip, a japan trip, and a pending bangkok and hongkong trip. yay. with trips-planning comes thinking about past trips.

germany photos are akan datang!

renaissance.

i'm becoming a huffingtonpost addict. my routine has become: open firefox, check gmail, check facebook, check huffingtonpost, check google news, check what day it is (for new TV episodes).

i remember starting to read huffpost back in 2006, when then-creator and exec-producer of brothers & sisters jon robin baitz used to blog there. then i discovered many actors and directors who also write there and how good they are! then i discovered huffpost's other sections which are such interesting reads. from fashion and style to entertainment to watchamacallit. then i discovered (after my west wing marathons) huffpost's left-leaning, bush-bashing tendencies.

then i discovered their amazing coverage (though lefty) of the elections. well that just about tops it all and made me go back and check everyday. also 'cos everyday sarah palin does something or says something so ridiculous that i have to go there for the videos.

anyways, now is all about senate races, prop 8, the congo civil unrest, the economy, the president-elect filling his administration, the GOP in tatters, palin talking about a 2012 run (you must be joking RIGHT?)

***

i'm supposed to be doing my final assignment for the semester. my cramps are getting the better of me, giving me an excuse to do rubbish things like surf huffpost and play traveler's IQ on facebook. and write rubbish here.

***

in the wake of the elections, i've been reading articles on michelle obama. i'm mesmerised by her not because she's pretty, but by her grace and poise. her intelligence (princeton and harvard), her love for her kids, for her husband. and most of all, her sense of style. :)

she has worn many pretty dresses that flatter her pear shape and are affordable. none of the $150,000 spree at saks 5th ave. i love that she mixes and matches separates, and even when the cameras are on her 24/7, she mixes them up and has no qualms wearing the same jacket with different bottoms and a different brooch. i love her Gap and H&M dresses (the first lady shops at H&M? like ME!), and the midrange Narciso Rodriguez and Maria Pinto.

her turquoise DNC dress by maria pinto, the view black&white dress by some label, her election night red and black shift dress by narciso rodriguez, her meeting-at-white-house red dress by maria pinto are just some of the amazing dresses she wears. avoiding the stuffy pantsuits of hillary clinton, the power suits of palin and laura bush or the dismal cheong sams of our PM Lee's wife, or the strange things that our first lady wears.

oh yes! and i love how she matches her daughter's clothes to hers and barack obama's tie colour. at the DNC, it was a mix of turquoise and purplish tones. on election night, it was black and red! it's so cute. and their daughters are cute.

anyway the net was abuzz with a debate over her red shift dress on election night. a red and black sleeveless narciso rodriguez shift dress with a black satin band criss-crossed at the waist, red spots splashed all over, black cardigan (it's fall!), kitten heels, and the prettiest loree rodkin earrings.

photo: Ron Sachs/Rex Features

some hate it. some love it. i love it.

for one it's super flattering. it shows her curves, her height, her toned legs and hides the midriff by illusion of black. the red and black are perfect colours for her skin tone, and the pattern is interesting! instead of settling for a boring number, she chose this amazing dress and played it up somemore with diamondy loree rodkin earrings. and she's comfortable. which shows a lot about what kind of person, mother, wife and first lady she is.

i love her! :) and to get to know her better i watched some of her videos online and her major DNC speech, which was amazing. it's true when barack obama says she is a better speaker than he is. she's a gifted public speaker and she speaks with emotion and heart. with the same passion and love that her husband has.

and another reason why i love huffpost. they have these slideshows of people/events and one series under obama slideshows is the obama PDA moments. and it's incredibly sweet and "aawwww". you can tell a lot from body language and it shows. their love for each other and their children is genuine and i suspect it is this love that keeps the president-elect grounded.

what great role models the world has now. :)

instyle's converage on michelle obama's style

huffpost's why all women should love michelle obama

huffpost's obama slideshows collection

oh before you think how the title of this post relates to, well, this post - renaissance is michelle obama's secret service codename. apt, ain't it?

it's only for now.

avenue Q didn't disappoint. :)

the singing was on par with the original broadway cast recording and i think they did very well! the set was not as magnificent was the musicals i watched in US or london. maybe that's the problem with travelling companies.

SRT should really bring in wicked next. i'm sure everyone'll love it too. another heads up: CATS is coming next year. get your early bird tix now at 10% off!

well the past week passed really fast. and as i reflected on the year i realized 2008 was a really happening year! personally and in the world too. i wonder if i can say the same for my spiritual state.

anyways the media is still all over obama-darling and his new administration. i can't help but notice how chui he has become since his campaign, juxtaposed against how much his daughter has grown! well hope he doesn't age that much when he takes over the presidency, which is virtually impossible. look at the white hairs that have grown since PM Lee took office. and obama is gonna have so much more problems compared to the good life PM Lee has. plus the $3M-a-year paycheck.

i wonder if obama would do a speech when he comes to singapore next year for APEC meeting. hope he does. and hope there are tickets. if anyone on obama's administration happens to google this blog, come and give a speech on education!! :)

the line from the song "for now", last song on the avenue Q soundtrack, never sounded sweeter. :)

Only for now!
(For now there's life!)
Only for now!
(For now there's love!)
Only for now!
(For now there's work!)
For now there's happiness!
But only for now!
(For now discomfort!)
Only for now!
(For now there's friendship!)
Only for now (For now!)
Only for now!

Only for now! (Sex!)
Is only for now! (Your hair!)
Is only for now! (George Bush!)
Is only for now!

Don't stress,
Relax,
Let life roll off your backs
Except for death and paying taxes,
Everything in life is only for now!

- For Now, Avenue Q OST