For my brother's birthday:

I was googling for some vintage cameras and found some great pieces on Ebay. But unfortunately, most of them are sold at prices which I can't afford for now.

However, I was watching some TV programmes on Channel 8 a week ago and came across this book store which sells vintage books and unique cameras. So, I googled again and found that the book store is called 'Books Actually' and is located at 5 Ann Siang Road. I was also lucky enough to find a blog featuring Book Actually. After reading it, I am more or less decided that I should pay a visit to the shop this weekend to see if I could get something from there. Is anyone free enough to accompany me (and probably my sister)?

On side note, I found this website selling cakes, also located at Ann Siang Road. Super creative cakes and croquembouche. Am really tempted to get one though the price is a little on the high side. Gonna make sure I drop by this shop too if I visit Ann Siang Road this weekend!

Red lights districts, foreigners, run-down houses.. I'm pretty much used to it. More than often, people perceive Geylang as being a so-called 'dirty' place. It is unsafe, messy and low-class. 

"Uncle, please take me to Geylang Lorong 31," I said to the taximan. And for an instance, I thought I saw him wrinkled his forehead. I feigned ignorance and continued glancing out of the windows. 

Lorong 23.. lorong 25.. lorong 27.. lorong 29.. Karaokes, pubs and hotels hurried past me. Others find these a turn-off, but these are a comforting sight to me. Irony, isn't it? These places have more or less become a  familiar sight to me over the past years. They are like landmarks which remind me that I'm not far from home upon seeing them. 

"Miss, you live in Geylang? It's not a place where you young girls should roam know?" 

I frowned and managed a short reply. "Yah."

So, he continued on with his talk about how Geylang is full of gangsters, whores, and so on. Deep inside, emotions went critical. I think I dislike it when people talk bad about my home. 

Afterall, this is a place where I lived rather peacefully for 19 long years. And that place have given me more than I can ever ask for. I found my best buddies there and it gave me shelter since I was born. I've loansharks as neighbours, but they were nice people. I used play with their daughter and I've to say that they are just like any ordinary people that we see on streets. I used to have a tinge of resentment towards foreigners too. I felt that they were noisy, unhygienic and unfriendly. However, when I couldn't open my door on one occasion, they have kindly lent their helping hands. I wouldn't have known what to do if they haven't gave me help. 

Geylang is like my territory. I know her like the back of my hands. I've roam the streets like eternity. I had my fair share of happiness and laugthers there. It is where I walked my first step, did my first sketch, celebrated my first birthday. Under the patch of grass below my house, it is where I burried my dead pets. The place where I thought my pets would be safe. 

Now that I've moved, I hope to see that Geylang still preserve its unique glory. For someday, I might just return.

I didn't know that I was so weak.

It has been a week already and I still had difficulty adapting to my new environment. Subconsiously, I had the thinking that this was just temporary, and I could return back to my old home after a few days. But somehow, the fact was otherwise. 

I'm not saying that I dislike my new home or whatsoever. Just that I missed my room, my bed, my neighbours. My usual routine had also been affected. I wished I could still sit there in the kitchen and daze for hours looking out at my windows. I wished I could still walk circles in my living room. I wished I could hug my pillows and lay awake in the familiar scent of my room. 

For the past few days, I've lay awake in bed for a long time. I tried to think of my good old house, every single details. And that brought about a tinge of comfort in this unfamiliar surroundings. 

Mum, could you bring me home?

Haha! I've finally master the full piano piece named Un Myung. This is a OST of the korean drama Full House. It sounded really good, and my sister is saying that she feels like watching the show again after hearing me play. And I'm looking forward to the arrival of my new upright piano next week. The same week when I move house. Ah, I'm so excited.

Anyway, I'm currently surfing Youtube and came across a Chopin song. The thing about his song is that its always so grand and it doesn't make you feel embarrased if you play it in public. Somehow, there's this professional touch to it. But it can really take me a whole lot of time just to learn a page or two. And normally, the piece comprises of five or more pages. Furthermore, I've got small hands. Haha! And that makes it even harder for me to master it. >.< 

For now, I've taken an interest in Brahms Hungarian Dance No.5. Wish me luck in this piece!

Omg, I just realised that I haven't been blogging for like 2 whole weeks. Must be school that causes it. Haha! 

Well, the new semester had finally begins a week ago and I'm already in the final year of my Poly life. Great great. That means I've got the final lap to really buck up on my GPA or I'll jolly well end up working right after Poly. No offence to working life though. I just felt that it's a little too early to start working right away and I would very much prefer to continue with my studies. 

So, I've been thinking lots recently about my future after I graduated. And I finally came up with a few paths that I want to take. 
First, I very much wanted to enter NTU. Haven't thought of the courses though. If I do manage to squeeze myself in, I would be in the same year as my Brother. No more going to orientations alone! Alright, this is getting too far. But I do have to admit that this is the major motivation that pushes me to work hard for my modules for the previous few semesters.
Next, one of my dreams is to pursue music in greater heights. I do know that having a Grade 8 cert for piano is rather common nowadays. It will be a hard case if I want to use this cert to challenge for a place where music is concerned. Hence, if possible, I do hope that I could achieve some acknowledgement in terms of music. 
Finally, I might have mentioned to many that I do have an interest in serving the nation. And that means I would gladly oblige if the army wants to employ me. Many a times, others would find that it is almost impossible for a girl like me to be interested in such stuff. For a fact, I feel that I'm think like a guy for many occasions. I love NS. I love swords. I love the feeling of firing rifles. And I also love Muay Thai. 

Okay, maybe I should review on my futures again and see if I could come up with something more feasible.

My eyes are just going to shut themselves up any minute. Just returned home from swimming with SQ and I'm feeling dead beat. I kind of made the decision to get a new pair of goggles while in the midst of doing my lap. Water would enter my left lense and that made me swim with my left eye closed. Not to say I felt a little like those pirates. I wonder how is it that they are going to swim with an eye masked up when they failed to hijack the ship and got push into the waters instead. Haha! 

My fam, together with my cousin, attended my father's monthly corporate gathering  some time last week. It rather fun with the fact that there's free flow of food and drinks, and Bingo to play. Yes, Bingo again. This time, we won twice and got chocolates and air freshener. My cousin was pretty excited that he kept his eyes locked on the ticket throughout the time. 

The recreation centre where the gathering was held is really nice. They've got Arcade, Karaoke Room, Pool tables, Squash court, and a couple more. Its only available for members though. All of us had a match of pool and some spot-the-difference game in the arcade, and only agreed to leave when it's around 12 plus. 

I'm looking forward to the next trip there this month! 

I was scanning through the whole list of mails in my inbox one fine day. Having pretty much nothing to do, I decided to click into one of the mails that my friend sent.
I was glad that I did. The mail gave a link to a story written by a local author. This story is rather capitivating that I actually sat there and read the 17 chapters straight. The last 3 chapters weren't given though. Will have to purchase the book in order to get the ending. 

                                              

 If there's anything in this world that would successfully scare me, it would be non-other than our lovely lizards. I find it amusing too. I'm able to overcome my fear for cockroaches, fear for height, fear for sudden scream of others... but the fear for lizards remains. 

My fam and I returned from our shopping last Friday, and there was a really big, fat lizard which invaded our kitchen. I was pretty much relieved that I was not the first one who spotted it. I do most of the time though. Somehow, I felt that these lizards are out to get me. >.< And they find pleasure in seeing my pale face upon spotting them. 

So, while I successfully walked through the kitchen and into the bathroom, my mother let a scream. Must be the lizard, I thought. You know, hearing screams in our house is not uncommon, and it's mostly due to the fact of being petrified by the sudden outburst of lizard. 

Where? Where? My father asked upon hearing the scream. I bet he's quite used to the screams already. *.* So, he took a stick out of his back and tried to coax the lizard into leaving our house from the kitchen windows. The lizard refused to even move when my father nudged it with the stick. By then, my whole fam had already given our utmost attention to the lovely which just remained glued to the wall. 

I think my mother got a little impatient and she passed a pesticide to my father, asking him to spray our lovely. My father refused at first, saying that if the lizard dies there, he'll have to do the cremating for it. Haha! But he relented afterall and sprayed it. But whoops, I think he pressed a little too forceful and the spray became fatal to our lovely. And so, our lovely fell from great height and did some somersaults while falling. Omg, this sent my whole fam into fits of laughter. Especially my brother. He was pretty much amused by the sight and was a loyal spectator right from the start. 

I still think big lizards are terrible. But small little ones are alright if they don't wiggle their tails as much. 
And lo and behold, I'm proud to annouce that one of these love-lies died under my hands. I don't have much of a choice as its too much of a hinder making circles in the living room. 



On side note, my brother did something really funny while we were out on a family shopping. We were at Topman while he set his eyes on a white Tee-shirt with a picture of Woodstock on it. And he happily declared that he wanted to try on it, and walked away to the fitting room. While waiting for him, mother and I chose a black pants for my father and asked him to try it on. So, there he goes too, into the fitting room. After a while, my father came out and decided to purchase the pants. My brother is still not back. I was complaining to my mother about the long time he took to try on a shirt, and there he was behind me. 

Eh? How did you teleport to my back when the fitting room is just in front of me? I asked. 

Grinning, he pointed to the direction behind me. 

Omg brother, that's Topshop's fitting room! I exclaimed in between heaps of laughter. 

No wonder the queue is full of girls. Haha! He replied.

My mother, sister and I went into giggles.