I'm supposed to get something, but I'm just not getting it. And the stress bug is just around the corner.

And yeah, I'm feeling the winds of change coming.

*plays Scorpions' Winds of Change*

----------------------------

Oh yeah, I will only be available online on certain times...my laptop has just got spazzed off. Electrocuted, I mean.

Heyloz (again)!

Okay, I know I haven't been writing for quite some time, so here it goes:

Man, I'm currently enjoying myself in Singapore (quite the case, since there are some work to do). Allow me to present....

Day 1 (20 December 2007)
Left Kuala Lumpur at around 8.55 a.m.
It's way later than we expected since we (Mom and I) were seemingly hogging everyone.
When we reached there, though, I have only seen Grandma and Aunt Suet Chin.
Merissa, Katrin and their parents were actually getting themselves breakfast outside! Time-lagging....
Fortunately the car was enough to fit all those packed things; luggages, sling bags, presents (lots of them) and all. And still enough to fit 6 people in a car!

Then, the journey....
Halfway in Ayer Keroh, my Mom was worried that Aunt Suet Chin did not have enough petrol to last the drive. The meter said that it was around 176 kms left.

Okay.

However, it started raining when we reached Johor (in fact, halfway towards the Pagoh exit). The rain was pretty heavy; it seems that area is flood-prone (remember the 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters'?). But it hasn't flooded yet.

Good.

But...
When we reached the Senai Airport exit, my aunt's car was running low on petrol. Grandma said that once the meter shows nearly rock bottom, the meter will move faster than usual. It proved pretty true; the meter was hitting almost rock bottom when we reached the last toll plaza in the Second Link, and Mom was doing a countdown on how much kms the car could actually go.
Fortunately, there was a Shell station somewhere along the way...and we had a good run for it.
(The meter, by then, was showing 4kms left.)

Great.

Then, we had to go past the Tuas Checkpoint. There were fewer glitches than usual: maybe the public holiday has caused that. In addition, we were the last to go past the counter for checking-in before it closed for the day.

Phew.

Reached Singapore by then. The usual unloadings at destination after that.
And started decorating the Christmas tree. ;)

Later, we had to fetch Aunt Pek Cheng and Uncle Chee Wah from Copthorne Orchid Hotel (it's the Singapore stop for the Nice coaches travelling from Malaysia to Singapore).
Not many glitches, too.

After that, Aunt Suit Fong (my close relative in Singapore) have taken all 10 of us (Uncle Teik Soon was out of the country, cousin Sara fell sick that day) to Boon Tiong Lim for dinner.
But when we reached there, we were told that there weren't any tables at that moment; we had to wait outside. This made it quite unfair since my aunt had booked a reservation at that restaurant in advance.
To add salt to the wound, one lady bringing a large group of people came barging to the counter and told the lady in charge to give them a table straight away while we were waiting. Apparently they were trying to go past the waiting crowd, claiming that they are regular customers there.
The lady, however, did not allow that to happen.
After a few minutes, the lady gave us a table upstairs before the charging group. (It seemed there was a miscommunication downstairs: that's why the reservation did not go in.)
The charging group then came upstairs about 15 minutes later, going to another table.
The food there, other than the chicken and lotus root, were nothing much to shout about.

There was nothing much after that.

Haha.

Sorry for the late posting...had a lot of stuff happening lately. That's what you get in ACCA. ;)

On to stuff:

The portions of these video (after the opening song) is the highlight of the whole thing. The sleeping scene and the morning after that. Laugh at your own risk! XD

If you would like my opinion on this show, I'll tell you this:

There are some very exaggerated and outrageous scenes, and some that can make you laugh and cry at the same time.
I find myself pretty much like Xiang Qin (the lead female character), but I like Zhi Shu (the male lead) the most.
Fortunately, this one's pretty light, so you won't get any lasting feeling for the night, or maybe a few those nights.

If you are looking for some villain characters creating a good impression of themselves, it's a strong 'NO'. They do not plan their stuff either!

-----------------

BTW, got hooked into this by a few friends of mine.
And my mom seems to be addicted to it now. XD

I need the Security people

Thanks, Mr. Jay!

Quote of The Day

"When a psychologist or psychiatrist testifies, he shall wear a cone-shaped hat that is not less than two feet tall. The surface of the hat shall be imprinted with stars and lightning bolts. Additionally, he shall be required to don a white beard that is not less than eighteen inches in length and shall punctuate elements of his testimony by stabbing the air with a wand. Whenever a psychologist or psychiatrist provides testimony, the bailiff shall contemporaneously dim the courtroom lights and administer two strikes to a Chinese gong."

(Lee Strobel's The Case For Christ,
1990, page 192, lines 1-11)

Imagine having a female psychiatrist or psychologist to do that...wait, shouldn't that be chanting incantations over a stick pot?
Come to think of it, do courtrooms have sufficient space to place the stick pot(s)? XD

-----------------------------------------

BTW, this quote is taken based on an amendment suggested in 1997 by Duncan Scott, who thinks the experts who 'testify that the defendants are insane'.

"Apparently Scott's cynicism was shared by a majority of his colleagues - they voted to approve his tongue-in-cheek proposal!

The joke got asfar as the House of Representatives, which eventually blocked it from becoming law."

At least....XD

A Short Tribute

"And I never want to let you down

Forgive me if I slip away

When all that I've known is lost and found

I promise you I, I'll come back to you one day

Morning is waking up

And sometimes it's more than just enough

When all that you need to love

Is in front of your eyes

It's in front of your eyes."

(February Song, Josh Groban
from his 2006 album, Awake)

Happy Father's Day, everyone.

Arguably the best album composed by Kitaro, Kojiki is one of the main gems of classical new age. This album is based on the Japanese version of how the world actually formed, as differ from the Chinese. All the songs in this album interrelate to each other as they depict a story of their own; from joy to battle to festive mode. From the beginning to the end, you'd be truly mesmerised by the sheer instrumental brilliance of the songs...some even more poignant than the rest. The songs are repeatedly played countless times; in concerts (notably the U.S. concert) and in numerous occasions and ceremonies, but haven't been transcribed into a play or a musical (yet).

No, this is not your typical noise ground: Kitaro conjures melodies that will be music to your ears (Silk Road, The Soong Sisters OST, anyone?)...but not as melancholy as his earlier compositions.

Playlist:
1. Hajimari (In The Beginning)
"In the beginning, the heavens and the earth were one. The sky was of angry black clouds and the sea was nothing more than a seething, murky swamp. Life as we know it did not exist.
Then one day the clouds began to swirl and grow, thunder crashed and a terrible rain began to fall. It rained night and day for weeks and months, as if it had done so forever.
At last the rain stopped, and the heavens and the earth had separated. From the waters and the mud the gods began to appear, like young shoots of grass springing forth from the east.
This is how the world began."

This is very apt: the melody composed brings in the beginning of a story.
"Once upon a time..."

2. Sozo (The Birth Of A Land)
"The last of the gods to rise up from the chaos were Izanagi and the goddess Izanami. From the Bridge of Rainbows in Takamagahara, far above where the other gods live, they stirred the sea with a spear. When they withdrew the spear, the drops of mud that fell from it created a most beautiful group of islands. Izanagi and Izanami went to live in the land, and were married. There, Izanami gave birth to many gods including those of the wind, the sea, the mountains and the earth."

This song gives a mood of accomplishment; one that is slightly victorious, but not too much.

3. Koi (Love And The Death Of Izanami)
"The last god to be born was the god of fire, after which Izanami died. Her death caused her son Mikoto, the god of the night, terrible pain and grief. At last his father, Izanagi, disturbed at his son's weakness, expelled him from the land of the gods. After much wandering, Mikoto, found himself in a village terrorized by the Eight-Headed Dragon and where the beautiful maiden Kushinadahime lived. It is here that Mikoto first discovered love."

Ahem, a little romance in the middle?

4. Orochi (The Eight-Headed Dragon)
"The Dragon was a terrible creature with eyes as red as Chinese lanterns. It had eight giant heads and tails long enough to span eight mountains and valleys. The monster dragon had already destroyed the village and devoured Kushinadahime's seven sisters, and it was feared he would soon return to claim the fair maiden. Using all of his cunning and strength Mikoto defeated the monster in a long and brutal battle."

One of my favourites of this album, this is battle royale. Although the plot goes slightly slow and a tad redundant, this song is great. Simple.

5. Nageki (Sorrow In A World Of Darkness)
"After Mikoto was thrown out of the land of the gods, his sister Hikaru, goddess of the sun, took pity on him and invited him to come live with her in Takamagahara. Mikoto was happy to do so, but his mischief soon caused Hikaru much grief. Hikaru fell into great despair and went to hide in the Celestial Rock Cave, plunging the world into total darkness. For this, Mikoto was thrown out of Takamagahara."

One of the more melancholy ones.

6. Matsuri (The Festival)
"Mikoto prayed and prayed to his father Izanzgi to get Hikaru to come out from the cave. Meanwhile, some of the other gods gathered around the cave to sing and dance in a happy and joyous festival. Hikaru, thinking it strange that people were holding a festival in a dark and cold world, opened the stone gate before the cave to see what was happening. Just then Tajikarao, the god of strength, pushed away the stone and pulled Hikaru from the cave. The festival had been nothing but a trick."

The most renowned track from the album, it has been played countless times everywhere. Remember the song that resembles a festive mood every time you get to ceremonies? This is one of the background music that accompanies this.

The ending shows an expectant mood as Tajikarao pulls his sibling out of the cave.

7. Reimei (The New Dawn)
"As Hikaru came out from the cave, her light shown brilliantly in Takamagahara and throughout all the lands. Flowers began to bloom, birds began to sing and peace returned. With Hikaru's blessing, Mikoto and Kushinadahime were married and lived happily ever after. It was the beginning of a new dawn in Yamato (Japan)."

Although this song carries the same mood as Sozo (and quite the same melody), the bells behind it choruses a celebratory mood: the wedding of Mikoto and Kushinadahime. Electric guitars make this sound a bit like Scorpions and Queen, but not as heavy.

Source:
Transcription from here