Mush

After coming to Australia for my studies, I realized that it is very important to have a supportive environment to work/study in. So I just want to thank the people who are there for me even though we are physically apart, who take the effort to make me feel better and ask me how I’m feeling when you see me online. You rawk!

-end of mushy post-

"爱卡"?

It was a day for...

Ekka!

It was a freezing great time but too tired to blog about it now ah... And my internet cost has gone up again! Shitto! Go hang around first, got cheaper internet access then blog ok?! :D

National day party @ Mercury

I was at a belated National day party at the local club! But hor, I think I was the most “national” person because I wore a white top with my red flower pin! Somemore my pinkie got the red and white French manicure leh.

DIY lah… That’s why only pinkie got. Heng ah! If not people think I nationalistic pervert.

I didn’t see anyone else in that color scheme. Maybe not cool to be patriotic but I don’t care! 我们是一个新加坡! Or maybe it wasn’t really a national day party because the biggest word was MAMBO?

Red color! Huat ah!

So what did we have at this MAMBO party? We had interesting games! The very new and innovative best-dressed people competition!

Lesson from the pic: When in doubt, wear black. You are considered best-dressed then!

But I don’t think they were judged based on dressing leh. About as much judged on dressing as the American Idols were judged on their singing. Hahahaha… If you look good you win lah! It’s all a popularity contest in the guise of a competition. But why don’t have any games related to Singapore wan? Like those very fun trivial quizzes such as asking who is the author of the blog “Crap & Such”. Haiz…

I also tried to do my part for diplomatic relations by asking to the point of coercing my two Malaysian housemates to the party.

Alcohol here don't come in jugs ya!

It was also a night of revelations.

Revelation One: I realized I look like I am “surrendering” when I dance! Maybe that’s why my friends said the bouncer was looking at me.

Even my accessories were white!

The yellow shirt guy changed positions already while my elbows were still locked!

Revelation Two: This is more like a confirmation: vodka sucks! The Smirnoff increased my heartbeat and gave me gastric pains and headache!

Thanks a lot you cheap $8 buddy!

Revelation Three: Parties here got more yandaos than bashes in Singapore! Haha… Not strictly true la but maybe because it was brighter here and thus easier to spot them. Tee hee hee…

For girls who like the boyish. (Yes, Luke looks totally like my way-younger brother and my camera’s night mode sucks. Want to sponsor a new one? :P)

For women who like the manly. (Yes, this is the MOST unflattering picture of bouncer Mika. His cute dimples are missing! Yikes!)

The MAMBO night was fun! Not because they played MAMBO songs (on the contrary, the DJ missed out the classics from Belinda Carlisle and Bananarama) but because there was a happy vibe in the air! No shoving like what you have in Singapore where people push you to get past to go wee wee. Generally, everyone was friendly till I met an eerily friendly guy who claimed he was in Brisbane as a professional gambler (o_O”). When my friend told him I was his "girlfriend" because I wasn’t too keen on talking to someone who stood too close too soon, he told my “boyfriend” that he didn’t care, he just wanted to make more friends. Later, when this guy saw me again, he muttered, “Oh! This is the one with a boyfriend.” Hmm… Sometimes I think it’s good to live in such a simplistic world where you categorize people according to whether they are attached or not. Poor Luke also got targeted by him! Too friendly!

So, Mercury was great fun because we had a bit of Singapore and I introduced my housemates to MAMBO moves and ah lian chants (Ai yo, ai yo, ai yo!). Too bad they didn’t play national songs; I was dying to sing “Count On Me, Singapore.” ):

Joke on Mt Coot-tha

Tripod owner (male) to camera owner (female):
Where's your hole? I want to screw it.

+

=

???

Lunar 7th Month

Is so not the time for taking photos that turn out like these:

First it was just two.

Then it was all four.

No photography/editing tricks were employed. Camera was on top of a pillar and photos taken with self-timer. Yes, all four subjects are still alive.

Believe me. The flowerfied faces are for your own good.

Singapura!

We is a xx year-old Singapore! 然后hor在Australia有很多新家坡产品; 多到很多我都没有看过. 你见过它们吗?

它是谁?

它又是谁?

不过, 我知道她是谁!

是美女与菜单! Hahaha!

Yes! This is how Singaporeans speak! No perfect english like what they have on tv hor! We is going to belated national day party here! :D

Noted!

I've been hearing a lot of love stories recently, particularly related to how the couples got hitched (Yes, many of my pals got attached recently. Love is in the air!). Most of these conversations were with my female friends and what was interesting was not the tricks and mind games being played (We know there's always that. No simplicity where love is concerned.); rather, it is about who popped the question first.

Now, this is not about whether a love confession has been made or not. In most cases I pried into, both parties have expressed their liking but I found a commonality! Guys are not concerned about status! The question "what are we now" totally does not concern them, whereas the girl wants some sort of confirmation regarding where she stands with a particular guy. Only time when the guy wants to ensure the relationship is what he thinks it is is when the girl has other suitors. Tut tut... Territorial instincts.

Tell me if this isn't true.

Mysterious location revealed

I think the suspense must be killing the so-many 3 readers who bothered to reply to my previous post. So I shall reveal the venue of the photograph. To refresh your memory, this was the place:

And this is a... *drumroll*

Cafe!

The Three Monkeys! Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil! But not true la! I did alot of gossiping inside as I'm sure that was what the other patrons were doing too. I caught words like "affair, bed, big and bitch", so I shall let your imagination run wild. The deco of the cafe is simply bombastic! It's not like those international brands where their logos are printed everywhere; rather, the cafe gives you the feeling of a darker, cosier Central Perk (from friends). You would almost think that you are a guest at somebody's house. Furthermore, the staff are extremely friendly and there is even a backyard where you can enjoy your hot-but-soon-to-be-cold coffee in winter coolness.

Warm cosy lighting. If you think this place is ideal for making out, pray banish the thought. This is a cafe that is frequented by friends or nerds who act like grand chess players. Smooching would be way out! So don't be a cheapo; get a hotel.

I'm not sure what the theme is, but I think we got a "tribal" corner. If you look up, you will see the above view. "Look up" and "above view" geddit? Lol... I'm good.

The other patrons are pretty far from you so it's a good place to blurt out your secrets. Unless I'm around of course because I am really observant and have really good hearing. How else do you think I caught snippets of the "affair"? :P

Looks like a good picture right? Sorry to disappoint you; these were what the previous customers had. All dirty and germ-filled. Remember, photographs are but an angle on reality. Just like blogs. So if someone is not taking photos that represent reality as you see it, take your own! :D

Definitely tribal. If you're good, you can start on the drums and drink dead insects from the pot.

But these are not the best parts. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you...

Da sinfuls!

Da heavenly chocolate sin

Da creamy blueberry cheese sin

Da dreamy mocha sin

Da smoothy cappuccino sin

And...

Da sinner!

I beg my diet's forgiveness for I have let myself go.
I beg my wallet's pardon for I have made a hole in it.
I beg my heart to slow down for I have over-excited it.
I beg my waist for a reconciliation for I have expanded it.
I beg my mind to forget them for I have had cravings since then.

Begging is useless for I now need to plead with the sky for a good weather as I have to wash my drool-drenched pillowcase. And I even have pictures to remind me of my sinful temporary but delicious lapse.

I savored the last chocolatey morsel

I drank the last frothy drop

I licked the cheesy plate clean

I was made to pay for my sins for at the end of it all, I turned into this:

Please note the contented look on my face though

Poll

Wanna guess where this is taken from?

Wacko tango

Went for a tango class on Thursday! But it wasn’t all that fantastic. There was something fundamentally wrong because the instructors did not look passionate!

How can! Why didn’t the girl bite a rose and why was the male wearing a ski cap? On the other hand, he was a total hottie though too short. +_+ Ah well… What was interesting about the class was the students. While people were mastering the steps, I was observing them and bitching about them to my partner. Hahaha… So I have forgotten most of the moves by now but I still remember the few categories of students we met!

Overdressed Wannabe
I think they are those who think to themselves: if I cannot tango, I should at least look the part. But for an introductory course, it’s over-the-top lah. What’s with the rose in the hair and the red and black combination? Dancing shoes too? OMG!!! All you lack now is a male prop from Argentina to complete your outfit. Oh! And replacing one of your two left feet with a right.

Amateur Tango Expert
Logically speaking, experts hardly need to attend tango classes. But you will see some people with dancing background going for these classes and acting like there is no difference between Chinese dance and tango. What they do is to strut around like a professional, swaying when none is required, grinding when hips are supposed to be still and smacking lips when the lyrics calls for slapping. Ahhhh… Act-likes are so damn annoying.

Big Feet Seeker
Stop stepping on my feet! Ah! It was so irritating to have people who were so into themselves that they failed to mind where they placed their feet. Maybe they mixed up flamenco with tango which explains why I was stomped on and not merely stepped on. Didn’t they hear that tango is social dance and one of the most important lessons is to know how to avoid other couples? Tut tut… Must be too busy looking the part to listen to the instructor. Or maybe really into getting big feet at the end of the class so they had to stomp about.


But then again, it was a free class so all things considered, it was quite fun. At least there was one eye candy and lots of interesting personalities. Blue-black toes do not rawk though. ):

Experience Australia - Gold Coast, Clubbing & Tree Animals

Woooooo!!! Went to the Surfer's Paradise and failed to see kick-ass waves! Neither did I see any surfer hunks. But saw a beautiful beach with blue blue sky. Bikini-clad women are all over the place but standards... erm... varied.

So many people here in winter!

I think I can take some of the sand back and mix it into my housemate's flour. She won't know the difference. Until she eats it that is... Tee hee hee...

Surfer chick must be very disappointed with the lack of waves and hunks. I was.

It's always the time to force a guy to be my prop for an artistic pic!

Yes, I realised I'm overdressed for the beach but we will be there for all of 2 hours and heading back at night when it will be cold! Cold can die ok!

I was thinking about how Singapore wants to turn Sentosa into the Gold Coast of Asia. I think you will need a damn bloody lot of space to do it. But I think Sentosa is doing a great job so far. It can't be THAT easy to ship in that much sand to make those beaches. Though I doubt they can import waves. On the good side, Sentosa is better in the sense that there are toilets along the beaches while there is none on the Gold Coast (as far as I see anyway). I suppose this would mean that the sea is saltier in Gold Coast? :P

***

I don't know how we managed to summon up energy but we went clubbing at night. My first time clubbing in Australia and it was smashing baby! Ok, I'm gushing now, but there were alot alot alot of cuties. It never hurts to get some eye candy eh? The club should rename itself from Friday to Candies. Hahaha... I think the place turned me into a blonde too...

I look so wannabe here!!!

It also marred me for life ah! They are still using those ugly ink stamps! And gave me a mole bigger than Phua Chu Kang's!

Where's the UV chop baby! I felt like a cow being given a stamp of ownership. Moooooooo... By the way, milk is damn cheap here. 1 liter for A$1+.

In those days when I went to Boat Quay and they gave us those inked stamps, I used to think that they were collaborating with schools. This is how it would go:

Teacher: Bloody Hell! Stop yawning! You're disturbing my class!
Bloody Hell: No teacher! It wasn't me! I had a full night's sleep!
Teacher: Don't lie to me Bloody Hell! *stomps over to take Bloody Hell by the wrist* Ah ha! What's this I see! The clubbing mark!
Bloody Hell: Bloody hell...

So is this being done in Australia? Ok... I know I'm lame... Moving on now... Some of the locals were very friendly! When we were taking pictures, they offered to take for us and joined us as well. I think in Singapore, we get pissed at people taking photos in clubs and call them newbies. Heh heh...

So here's the "group" photo with half the group and some extra people we didn't know. (:

The drinks here are also supposed to be cheaper but not at the club I went to. I think it's slightly cheaper than Zouk. A$7.50 for Baileys? But they did not serve lychee martini. Lychee cost like gold here. $20 for 1kg? I cannot remember but I know it's sold under the exotic fruits section. There goes my dream of making R.S's milo dinosaur for sales here. Damn!

Of course it's not all a bed of roses. Sometimes, there will be people who pushed and shoved and kicked glass bottles towards us. Racist or not I do not know. I just know it was hilarious when a group of Caucasians tried to talk to us and when we didn't reply, they threw out all the Asian languages such as Japanese and Korean. So here we are, all Asians with nary a difference between distinct nationalities. Categorizations are such headaches, aren't they? (:

***

More excitement awaited us the next day. Armed with my digital camera and a very fair* housemate, we went to get chips from the school's vending machine. On the way back, we saw this little friend...

Can spot it anot? On the right there!!! Must be doing exercise with such a pose.

Yes! It's an animal! We have no idea what it was and finally decided that it was more likely to be a possum than a squirrel. It was so cute!

It was so tiny and out alone braving the cold winter air! Little soldier! Right... It was probably laughing at me who was swarmed from top to toe with woollen clothes. x_x

I think it was probably not used to two giggling girls taking pictures of it because it kept turning towards the flash. Perhaps trying to figure out why the lightning was so close tonight?

Here's a close-up. Please drop me a coment if you know what it is. No need to tell me its a furry mammal that's commonly found on trees in Australia. Thanks!

So after 30 minutes of shooting and almost blinding the poor fellow, we were on our way and guess what! We saw more!

Two of them! Maybe they are very common here, just that we were suaku. But I don't care! I is excited!

I think this is a different animal but whatever it was, it was like the first and enjoyed posing for my camera. Though it had serious red eye problems. Tut tut...

It dawned upon me that they were perhaps seeking treatment at the nearby vet clinic. Haha... Maybe I'll see a kangeroo or a crocodile next time. Hmmmm... Ok... Scaly reptiles can be on their way without any disturbances from me nor my camera.

*Being fair is an advantage for traveling at night because some drivers do not on their headlights and streetlights are few and far between in most places. So my glowing housemate doubled up as a torch in the dark! Heh heh...

Death of the dialects

I think it is quite sad when I see how many Singaporeans do not understand their dialects. A large part of this may stem from broadcasting censorship. I fondly recall the days when we had TV2 and could watch Cantonese movies and dramas. Nowadays, if you do not get the programs from cable, you are hardly able to find dialect spoken on television. At most, you have an elderly muttering one or two phrases in locally produced serials meant to tug on your heartstrings. Or maybe those dialect-based operas shown periodically on Arts Central.

While I am not a polyglot of dialects, I do understand some of my parents' utterances. I have friends who cannot differentiate their dialects from other dialects because they are simply not exposed to it. Maybe the "Speak Mandarin" and "Speak Good English" campaigns are successful in the sense of getting more people to use these two languages, but at what cost? In the past, if you cannot speak your dialect, some people may even say you "bo ka si" (without proper upbringing in hokkien). Nowadays, the dialects that help us identify our ancestral roots are all but lost on later generations.

I feel there is something heartwarming when I see how kids can converse with their grandparents fluently in dialects. My late granny used to howl at how I pronounced my Cantonese but I did try after all. And I was happy when she laughed.

Beautiful place to study?

I am currently at one of Australia's most beautiful universities (according to its website anyway). The campus is especially charming at night where you can sport couples making out (it is not because of this that I consider it charming) and strolling along in the cold winter night.

Part of the great court

Great court is bathed in romantic orange glow when night falls

Even the Staff House in the background is pretty

And the campus has 3 lakes that are simply spectacular in the evening

Where ducks swim around undisturbed by the public (most of the times)

See how there is careful garden landscaping to enhance the overall beauty of the campus

With places where you can enjoy the bright blue sky with its fluffy white clouds that look almost edible

Where the Art Museum has picturesque (though not night-mode-compatible as seen in the poor quality of this photo) water features that makes a joy to visit at night, perhaps a world apart from the University Cultural Center in NUS that has been criticised as having too "cold" an architecture

Here I am thinking about the next poop I should crap on my blog at the faculty of Business, Economics and Law (BEL) and I managed to excrete a Nokia 7620

After looking at all the scenic photos, I asked myself this question: Does studying at a beautiful campus make any difference? Sure, I might have more venues to take pictures and if I am a poet, I might be inspired by the aesthetically pleasing qualities of the university. However, would its beauty be of significance to most students?

This brought to mind a complaint I once heard. Why are the schools in Singapore so excessively designed? By excessive, it is meant that there are many features in the schools that are not there for functionality. These include structures such as canopy over the roof (so it's not there for shelter) and glass walls. So who's paying for all the renovations? No one wants to study in an ugly school but doesn't having designer schools at the primary level sound a tad extravagant to you? Do you think children at that age would appreciate the garden sculptures or the water features located at different parts of the school? I would think that the taste of the food in the canteen would be of more import.

Back to the point of having an attractive campus. If you look into the lecture theatres and tutorial/seminar rooms of even the most beautiful university, I think you would be hard-pressed to differentiate it from another university. It is because the basic features would be the same. The tables, chairs, carpeting, lightings and room temperature would all be similar and I think even the most amazing architecture and design would not move a student to study if he/she is simply not into it. Being business enterprises, I think having more beautiful campuses would only increase the normative pressure on other universities to keep up.