summer is here. :)

before tp started; horsing around with photobooth

after tp, life's been good. we keep saying it's our last chance ever to relax, chill out and have fun before we are released to schools to bear to brunt of working life and horrible students.

summer is here early and it's hotter than ever. coupled with fieldtrips to sungei buloh wetland reserve, labrador park rocky shore and macritchie nature reserve, makes for plenty of heat rashes, mozzie bites, sticky skin, cold drinks, air-con blasting.

time has been mostly spent with my crazy nie friends. my other friends are all working in the day. so gatherings, dinners, lunches, movies, east coast park, badminton, weddings (indian temple, catholic church, zoo reception) etc. have been spent with them.

we have eaten everywhere in singapore. we have travelled everywhere in singapore. east, west, north west, northeast, south, central. from city center, traffic jams to the most ulu parts of singapore.

i'm reminded that love is all around. :)

i have started baking again. :) to which i'm very happy about.

i have learnt a lot about plants, sea creatures, animals and birds.

i'm falling in love with my new DSLR and lens. awesome photos.

i love the american idol finale. i love both kris allen and adam lambert. i love the 10,000 performances for the finale show. i love that some kind souls on the internet have made the m*p3s of the performances and studio versions of the songs available. :) and i like the music education i get from american idol.

i realized that kris allen's cover of bob dylan's to make you feel my love, makes me cry.

i have learnt that hope in God's promises is what drives me day to day. and i have to be conscious of His promises so i do not lose sight of what is important in life. that i don't drift from event to event, job to job, day by day. and to see His creations so diverse, creative and lovely, however small and insignificant they may be.

sea anemones

inter-tidal zone of labrador park rocky shores

love(r)s in japan.

(spotted on montage of lovers in japan, coldplay concert 2009)

Kinkaku-ji (the golden pavilion)
Kyoto, Japan

the coldplay gig was nothing short of awesomeness. this year has brought many good gigs (stars, jason mraz, rachel yamagata, ethan hawke) and talented musicians to our sunny shores and i can live through this year a happy girl. :) i think i'm very blessed and lucky to have caught all these gigs and to have been to 2 coldplay concerts. to think that i just bought the tickets without anyone to go with (so in the end if i really didn't find anyone, i can sell them and make a decent profit). but J my concert buddy is a dependable girl for a rocking night. :)

well i really enjoyed this one better than twisted logic back in 2006. ironic, since chris has visibly aged, but still has that boundless energy. running everywhere onstage.

even though i didn't know lyrics to most songs on viva la vida and the EP (having just bought them not too long ago), i really like this album at the first listen, 'cos it's more layered, textured, melodious, soulful, meaningful and emo. the lyrics speak of deeper meanings and emotions, and you can see how the band has matured through the years, both in terms of the musicality and also the writing and arranging of songs.

so in a way, not knowing the lyrics allowed me to just listen to the music that is playing. to hear the words being sung. and to really enjoy the concert without screaming and singing. :)

highlights:
12,000 strong crowd singing along to familiar favourites from all albums and EPs.
watching chris's hands work the piano as he delved into tortured-artist-emo state.
the giant screens flashed a super impressive live streaming of the stage, complete with effects and b&w, sepia and much more. it really looks like the end-product live concert DVD kind (after post-production editing and special effects added).
the impressive set design. the laser shows, the lights, the backdrops, montages.
the awesome jackets. :)
the coldwave aka mexican cellphone wave aka kallang wave with handphones in darkness. the twinkling lights were magical.
the acoustic 2-song set opposite us. damn those $188 seaters who can reach out and touch the guys.
the set done on our side of the stage. which includes my favorite part of all concerts - the stripped-to-bare-essentials the hardest part, feat. chris on piano and will on backing vocals. the harmony sent shivers up my spine and arms and piano-only postcards from far away.
the many piano-only interludes and intros and outros of life in technicolour - sounds so good live.
discovering that everyone in the band plays more than 2 instruments, and that will (the drummer) has an amazing voice.

and of course, the beautiful butterfly glow-in-the-dark confetti that rained down on the center block during lovers in japan, the montage featured sights of japan that i love so much (it was hard to focus my attention 'cos there's so much to look at!), chris going a bit nuts with the japanese umbrella. thanks j and d for saving us some butterflies. :)

Coldplay Live in Singapore!

Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face
Talk
The Hardest Part (Chris piano, Will)
Postcards From Far Away (piano instrumental)
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Speed Of Sound (acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer (acoustic - Will vocals)
I'm A Believer (Neil Diamond Cover - acoustic)
Viva La Vida (remix interlude including Coldwave)
------
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
-------
The Scientist
Life in Technicolor ii
The Escapist (outro)

- photo: joshuachan28, coldplaying.com

hokay. despite my fatigue from coldplay concert, lesson observation went as well as it could. my prof gives very good constructive comments. gotta work on it. and hopefully he doesn't come the day after rachel yamagata. :)

beyond what i am able.

on a ferryboat
en route: bainbridge island to downtown seattle, USA
may 2007

another trying week gone. and the Lord has graciously kept me and answered my desperate prayers for strength, wisdom, perspective and stillness. though i still get nerves for presentation, i can rejoice in the Lord's goodness and His presence.

i wish i could learn how to sail. there's something exciting yet therapeutic about hauling those ropes and tying knots and seeing the sails get caught in the wind. something about getting your sails to that prime position for the wind to carry your boat. something like of all the things we want to control, ultimately it is letting go and letting God lead us to wherever He has planned for us to go.

another week starts. less hectic, but still stressful nonetheless. looking forward to December while i prepare my heart for christmas and reflect on the year. and how comforting it is to know that.

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man;
but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
1 Corinthians 10:13

beauty in the chaos.

the sun casts its beautiful colors before it retires for the night.
simei, singapore

sometimes i get pleasant surprises flipping through old, uncategorized photos. like this one. and it reminds me again of the goodness of the Lord, and the promises He gives, from day to day.

"Blessed be the name of the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore!
From the rising of the sun to its going down
The LORD’s name is to be praised.

The LORD is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens."
- Psalm 113:2-4

election laughs.

on a recent "late show with david letterman",

The Top 10 Barack Obama campaign promises:

10. To keep the budget balanced, I’ll rent the Situation Room for sweet 16s.
9. I will double your tax money at the craps table.
8. Appoint Mitt Romney secretary of lookin’ good.
7. If you bring a gator to the White House, I’ll wrassle it.
6. I’ll put Regis on the nickel.
5. I’ll rename the 10th month of the year “Barack-tober.”
4. I won’t let Apple release the new and improved iPod the day after you bought the previous model.
3. I’ll find money in the budget to buy Letterman a decent hairpiece.
2. Pronounce the word nuclear, nuclear.
1. Three words: Vice President Oprah.

hurhur. i especially like #10 and #4. #10 is a great way to balance the budget, instead of tax cuts or cutting spending, find ways to raise money for the government!

congrats to the obama campaign for winning the south carolina primary in a landslide. (: i almost jumped up and down when i saw the win on CNN.

***

speaking of money and government, i've been wondering where in the world did GI*C's money come from. how did our government become so rich? any business student would like to enlighten me? and not just G*IC, tem*asek hol*dings is another formidable power. and all these talk of SWFs in the papers have made me quite curious.

***

my thoughts are with heath ledger's family. i will certainly miss watching him in breakthrough roles in film. i loved him in 10 things i hate about you and brokeback mountain. it amazes me how versatile an actor he was. how talented he was. and how sad that we lost such a great actor.

another death this week was ex-indonesian president suharto. well his health was failing him and it was time.

***

i love the reuters photographers blog. the photos posted up there are so beautiful and they really speak a thousand words and convey emotions that normal photographs cannot accomplish. the photos come from all over the world, from the fields of hanoi to the desert plains of afganistan to the city skyline of frankfurt to the elections in taiwan to the elections in the US to the soccer stadium in england to a surgery operating theatre in berlin to a woman's prison in buenos aires to the tennis courts of the australian open. and this is just the first few entries. and these photos speak of current affairs and global and domestic issues around the world.

very nice.

***

another week starts. 5 days of FYPing to go before the weekend. have a feeling that i'm gonna be horrifying busy this week with experiments. hmmm. social calendar seems a little empty, other than the switchfoot concert on thursday. hmmm.