My Fluffy Pillows

Over the long weekend in Bangkok...

2009-12-01T23:35:00.005+08:00

Disclaimer: Please read * before proceeding

*Please ignore the stupid image of me in the mirror trying to take a photo of the bed*

Fluffs pillows and jumps on bed

I've never had a king sized bed all to myself ever ever ever!

All alone, and i'm not complaining :)

View from the bathtub

My only regret is that, I didn't use use the bathtub :(

So loved the room because it is so pretty

During the weekend when I was in Bangkok, the Thais commemorate the deaths of the thousands who lost their lives during the construction of the Death Railway. A Light & Sound Display performance was staged as the locals reenacted selected scenes of the World War.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

This is the Death Railway I recall reading from my social studies textbook when I was in primary school. I've never thought that I'd have a chance to catch a glimpse of it.

The middle part of the bridge was reconstructed after it was damaged by a bomb attack during the war.

It was a spectacular display of fireworks and floating lanterns. The performers were ignited in flames and jumped down the bridge into the river to extinguish the raging flire. The only downside was that the entire presentation was in Thai and I did not understand a single word.

On a random note, look!

My phone is super super cute and I love it!~

Other Things You Do When You Get Bored At Wedding Dinners...

2009-11-17T18:54:00.000+08:00

Salivate while figuring out the list of dishes in line for the night.

And decide when is the best time for you to take time off to go to the toilet.

Things you do when you get bored at wedding dinners...

2009-11-11T20:07:00.000+08:00

Here's my Ah Ma, pretending to check out the new apps on my iphone.

Deliciously Turkey

2009-10-26T22:27:00.000+08:00

Lo and behold!

153! My highest score ever at bowling!

I don't bowl often, and my average score usually hovers around 60 when I play.

So yes, this is a big deal :)

Sildenafil citrate

2009-10-04T00:12:00.000+08:00

A tiny little blue pill that performs huge wonders.

V is for victory.

It does not seem that small after all.

To scale with the dollar coin.

Because it is not what you think it is.

It has a huge capacity and requires a usb port for enhanced performance.

How to look 5 inches taller

2009-09-29T18:11:00.000+08:00

Notice anything?

No???

It's the hair! The super pony tail!

It's cute, adds 5 inches to your existing height and you can do it only when you are 5 because it will not be cute at all if you are past that age.

There is another sister missing from this shot. It's difficult to tailgate kids that closely and snap photos of them when their parents are close behind and might notice that your phone is in camera mode.

I don't like Dong Bang Shin Ki

2009-09-23T22:25:00.000+08:00

I just realise that one of my friend classify me as a "lovely nobrainer".

How utterly contradictory is that!

How can a nobrainer be lovely!!!

And how can you be a nobrainer and lovely at the same time..........

Shit, that is possible!

Never mind. Lim Pei Lun you! (sic)

Pun Pun Pun intended to the full capacity! :P

2009-06-29T23:23:00.001+08:00

I don't feel like blogging anymore!~

2009-06-18T22:43:00.005+08:00

We are pro divers* who are certified, who have yet to recieve proper certification

I am serious when it comes to diving

He is serious when it comes to diving.

Pros are serious when it comes to diving.

It was damn difficult to take those pro looking shots ok!

In full gear minus goggles and fins.

Our instructor, dive buddy and us.

Spent entire 4 days on board.

Took me 2 days after we disembark to not feel the 'waves' or the 'sea' when I walk around.

PS: The oxygen talk is damn heavy!

2009-06-09T22:57:00.004+08:00

This is gonna be my last post about Sydney.

Try to spot the difference between the next two photos.

Photo 1

Photo 2

See any difference?

They were taken at one of the must-see natural attractions when you are in Sydney, the Blue Mountains.

I went there with my family the last time I was in Sydney, that was more than a decade ago. I remember questioning my parents that "it is not blue what!".

Guess what, it still isn't blue!

Australians are colourblind.

Anyway the difference is that in the first photo, i was blocking one of the sisters!

See, those 3 random pieces of rocks are named The Three Sisters after some aboriginal fairy tale.

On the whole, we both thought that the Blue Mountains pale in comparison with the national parks in Utah.

Blue mountains; pale in comparison. Sometimes I think I am so smart. Haha.

Our favourite spot at the Blue Mountains range was these trees!

It's the first time I see awesome Autumn looking trees

On a random note, here's a photo of me running as fast as the city trains in Sydney!

Faster than a speeding bullet :P

2009-05-31T22:41:00.004+08:00

Ok. I shall continue blogging about Aussie stuff again.

The other iconic icon of Sydney - Opera House!

Say cheese~

This shot might be a lil blury, but I like it a lot :)

We went over to Bondi Beach too. But it was so cold and windy, we didn't attempt to go anywhere near the waters. How can people still surf and play in their swimming gear at such temperatures and weather conditions?

Blown away - almost literally

Anyway, we had pizza for dinner one night.

Try and make out the pizza toppings

It's kangaroo pizza! Like kangaroo meat!

Yes, for a moment, I did think of Koala pizza too.

Here's the menu just in case you think I was kidding about the Kangaroo.

Check out the phase 'loin of Kangaroo'

2009-05-28T22:49:00.006+08:00

I have a confession to make.

I bought FIVE dresses within the span of one month!

That's considered a lot according to my standards.

May God rest my shopaholic soul.

sydney

2009-05-25T23:06:00.006+08:00

Day 1 in Sydney

I don't know if anyone watched the Harry Potter movie series and remember this crowded alley where he goes to get his school supplies. The place where he spots the Nimbus 2000!

Maybe it's just my wild imagination, but this mall, The Strand, in Sydney reminds me of Diagon Alley!

Living in a Harry Potter fantasy land

Anyway, the must see 'thing' in Sydney which got hoards tourists snapping away - The Harbour Bridge

Which is more important, your own face or the bridge??

It's ok, you can always try again. It's the reign of the digital camera! No film!

At least we got more than half the bridge this time

Of course the highlight of Sydney will not be complete unless we did a jump shot!

Check out my obasan hairdo!

Wrapping things up with a traditionally 'nice shot'

S.C.U.B.A.

2009-05-18T19:18:00.002+08:00

The most difficult part is lifting my oxygen tank and taking off the wetsuit.

Holiholiday

2009-05-08T22:02:00.001+08:00

No high heeled shoes.

No make up.

No home.

I'm escaping Down Under!

Times are Bad

2009-04-26T14:28:00.003+08:00

Not enough funds to get the lock properly repaired, so you whip out the pair of chopsticks for your lunch takeaway and voila! Fits almost perfectly.

Don't you just hate it!

2009-04-11T15:37:00.003+08:00

You got onto the MRT and made yourself comfortable on one of the seats when you looked up and...

Ok, i know. Everyone has hairy armpits.

But not everyone displays them so proudly and openly in public at your face.

Or maybe I'm just too sensitive when it comes to other people's armpits. I think it's damn distracting!

1, 2, 3 JUMP!~

2009-04-05T17:05:00.010+08:00

I was looking through some of photos the other day and realised that I've taken quite a couple of jump shots.

By jump shots, I mean photographs that captured me in midair.

That inspired me to blog about some of the Do's and Dont's of taking jump shots.

DONT's

Don't cover your face.

The basic rules of photographing yourself is to allow yourself to be photographed. But you might look past that (literally) when you get excited.

Don't hesitate for too long.

Boing boing???

Don't photograph with someone who is out to steal the shot.

No one person should dominate the screen shot.

DOs

Do invest in a good camera.

Either the subjects are jumping at lightning speed or the camera sucks.

Do try to jump off the ground the same time as your partner.

Synchronise your jumps.

Jump within the framework.

Know your limits.

Once again, do jump within the framework of what the lens is able to capture.

This picture was not cropped or edited in any way.

Make sure your legs can be seen.

Don't hide your calves behind your thighs when you are suspended in mid air.

Get a good photographer who knows how to capture the moment.

Scenario whereby the photographer was too quick to judge.

Do get a partner who is as excited as you about the jump.

Subject on left: Really into it

Subject on right: Blah

If not, you can always force or threaten you partner to make the photo look good.

Much better.

And finally, do remember where the photographer is.

Enthusiasm is always a plus factor for jump shots, but try not to get too carried away.

There!

Have fun taking jump shots too! Just try to photograph at places where there aren't too many people you don't know :)

i 财神爷

2009-04-02T22:17:00.004+08:00

My parents were standing there, looking at Mr 财神爷 in awe.

The i 财神爷

There was a digital numeric display of Singaporeans favourite pastime - 4D,well within the temple's premise.

Then my grandma told me to help her remember the magic numbers, she says she also want to play.

Play what? I didn't get her.

She took out some loose change from her pockets and went to the fancy box. Slot some of the coins in then pushed the button excitedly.

The temple's piggy bank

The numbers changed!

I know I know. No big deal yeah. But I was kinda awestruck.

Singaporeans behave like little kids when it comes to those 4 numbers.

HUAT AH!~

The Hairy Boy

2009-03-30T00:09:00.004+08:00

It's a cap with uber fake dreadlocks that matches his Crocs!~

I only just realise the "matches his Crocs" part after I uploaded the photo!

Anyway, I honestly think he can carry it off.

Take Deep Breaths

2009-03-24T22:17:00.003+08:00

The noise continued to rumble steadily in the background.

I rose from sleep. It was coming from my left.

I looked, but there was nothing there.

The snoring continued. But the bed on my left was empty.

I thought I was imagining things because I was still drowsy from sleep.

I started to roam from room to room, thinking that the noise might be coming from a different direction.

No snores from daddy and mummy's room. And all is peaceful and quiet at ah ma's room.

I tried to go back to sleep. But the sounds of some one's snores beside me sent shivers down my sleepy spine, because I can hear but I see no one.

I tried to trace for the source.

Out the window to my left...

This guy who parked his car downstairs was sleeping inside and snoring so loudly that I actually thought the sound was coming from somewhere beside me.

I swear I saw the car vibrating as he inhale and exhale.

And for a moment, I really thought there was some one beside me.

Just Shoot!~

2009-03-18T19:00:00.002+08:00

And they call it crow culling

I was elated when I saw a man pacing the streets with a rifle in hand.

Guess what? The NEA decided to grant my blog wish!

I should hope to sleep peacefully and wake up to the glorious sounds of nature - minus the sickening croak of black crows.

Woo hoo!~

2009-03-10T18:58:00.002+08:00

All birds should die if they chirp...

Whoever said that waking up to the sound of birds merry chirping obviously haven't heard of crows.

Pun fully intended!

I miss those days when a marksmen Bangala steps into the estate ground with arms loaded, shooting away at those $%^&*!

A wave of euphoria rushes over me when he fires his bullets into the air and a lump of black mass descends from the skies.

Sometimes, ammunition is required so that peace and harmony can be restored.

The Present

2009-03-04T14:09:00.003+08:00

She sat on the chair, inclined at an angle which he could see her better.

It was a long time ago when she did it. She was feeling apprehensive.

He insert it into her mouth and began to eject showers of liquid. At the same time, some one helped to suck up the excess.

She clutched her fists tight and squirmed under the pressure. Her toes curled up anxiously. When she could not take it anymore, she moaned and wailed for him to stop.

Once she took a breather, he continued despite her ailing in pain.

"OK. I'm done." he exclaimed.

She relaxed her shoulders and went to the sink to spit it all out.

"Well, he was better than the one I went to the other time." she concluded. "The other one was more painful."

The account was inspired by my friend, Miss Kristine when I accompanied her to claim her belated birthday present - A visit to the dentist.

Can you see it?

2009-02-25T18:58:00.003+08:00

Seems to me that there is a spaceship hovering above the Supreme Courts.

Because of the stark contrast of the colonial architecture against the modern looking Adelphi, I thought it was funny.

Aliens in Singapore :P

Mr Dentist

2009-02-20T18:13:00.003+08:00

He asked me the same question again, the same way he did a couple of months ago...

"Are you feeling fat"

Instead giving a stunned confused expression like the previous time, I dutifully replied "Yes."

The dentist was referring my tongue, asking if the effects of the anaesthesia is working its magic and numbing the area surrounding my wisdom tooth.

I got the third one out!

Don't worry, no more graphic photos this time.

He managed to saw my one wisdom tooth in half and pick them out in 2 separate pieces.

The video of this extraction can be found through the Youtube link listed below.

Nah, did u really think i filmed down the entire process ;p

po po po poker face po po poker face...

2009-02-18T21:19:00.002+08:00

I have a friend whose MSN nick goes something like
"po po po poker face po po poker face...".

That's like sooo bimbotic rite!

It's the title of a song by Lady GaGa by the way. Just in case you didn't know :)

Kentucky Fried Cruelty

2009-02-04T20:56:00.004+08:00

I'll have my 2 piece chicken meal any day.

Nope, not that I don't feel anything at all after watching the video. But logically speaking, if you get affected and ban KFC at your meals, I don't see why you can carry on consuming other meaty animal products. You should just become a vegetarian.

But having said that, I do applaud PETA's creative efforts and campaigns.

Hands up meat-tatarians!

2009-01-29T17:43:00.002+08:00

What do you see?

If you response was something simplistic like 'a pair of pink heels' or 'fuchsia peep toe sandals', then maybe you wouldn't be able to add the oomph to make products sound desirable and spunky.

Here's what they call it.

I wonder if it is part of the designer's job to make his product sound more buy-able.

sweet intestine

2009-01-20T21:40:00.002+08:00

I didn't know that they come in flavours.

wiggle wiggle

2009-01-15T21:57:00.003+08:00

The propensity for one to exhibit childish behaviour is not limited by age or physical size.

The boundaries are limitless.

月娘

2009-01-12T23:04:00.001+08:00

I came across this picture at http://mrlim.isthebest.net.

月娘damn tak glam! Haha.

A sign of the looming economy...

2009-01-10T13:13:00.003+08:00

People start to lose their trusts in the banks and leave their savings at home in biscuit tins just like the old nostalgic times.

These days, banks don't usually collapse in a physical manner anymore. Plus, most HDB flats don't come with brick walls whereby you can tap on a piece of loose brick and hide your wades of cash secured by a flimsy red rubber band.

Though in my opinion, those tins with the rounded and depressed top cover might enhance security issues because you'll need the help of a metallic fork or spoon to pry open the covers.

Khong Guan soh da pia might see a surge in their sales this year

Just cause the nonya fever's in town...

2009-01-03T13:34:00.002+08:00

Just cause the nonya fever's in town...

Most of them don't wear beaded slippers anymore.

And occasionally, they like to showcase their wild side of fashion.

It's fierceee! *wags finger in the air like Tyra Banks in ANTM

The same nonya caught in a paparazzi shot just as she is leaving the house for a wild night out.

One of the most disgusting picture I'd came across online...

2008-12-24T15:16:00.001+08:00

One of the most disgusting picture I'd came across online...

Go figure.

The most orbit EZlink card

2008-12-13T14:53:00.003+08:00

I swear I can almost hear the drum beats and clash of the cymbals every time I look at my EZlink card.

Then one day, when I was sifting through the contents of my Dad's wallet, I saw his EZlink card.

It looks so cute compared to mine!

So I decided to do an exchange. Nope, not because it has a higher stored value but the picture is way better than what I previously had.

Anyway I think the lion dance card suites him more.

A Behind the scenes footage...

2008-12-03T22:18:00.004+08:00

The studio.

The camera.

The reflector.

The mess.

Up close and personal!

Lust

2008-11-27T22:26:00.002+08:00

Have yet to find that special someone who'd steal your heart away?

Sloth

2008-11-22T13:02:00.002+08:00

Lazy bones.

Greed

2008-11-20T21:01:00.003+08:00

Money face.

Ok. Stop laughing at me. I know I look funny.

Gluttony

2008-11-15T15:06:00.002+08:00

A human delicacy.

Yummy.

Pride

2008-11-12T19:40:00.001+08:00

You are my world.

I have the whole world in my hands.

Wrath

2008-11-09T14:06:00.003+08:00

*Warning
The following content is non-halal

Envy

2008-11-07T17:57:00.005+08:00

The 7 deadly sins

More sins will emerge.

More scenes to be revealed.

More to be seen.

@ the IT show

2008-11-02T13:14:00.003+08:00

This advert for Panasonic's Toughbook was strategically placed.

It has a spill proof keypad.

Kinda cute yeah.

Notes

2008-10-29T19:51:00.003+08:00

6 years of education.

30 over thousand dollars spent.

Monetary returns of $3.20 earned when sold to the karang guni.

Calculate the percentage of returns on your own.

Don't forget to factor in the costs of depreciation.

Cuppy cake

2008-10-25T00:22:00.001+08:00

I think his lip synching skills are superb!

Black Board

2008-10-20T20:21:00.004+08:00

No no no no!

You cannot seek any of the assistants around if you need help. You need to let the staff on duty know that you require assistance and only then will they send an assistant over to help you.

And no, my English is not perfect and everyone makes mistakes.

In my opinion, it is ok to let others laugh at your mistakes because sometimes, it is part of the learning process :)

San Francisco

2008-10-18T00:47:00.005+08:00

Lesson 1: The roads in the city are really steep.

Going up and down the city on foot was really tiring!

Just a shot to show how inclined the roads are.

Lesson 2: The sign boards along the roads look different.

Can someone please tell me what this means.

Lesson 3: Liberal.

This shot is a little blurry because the train was starting to move off when I whipped out my phone. Anyway, it is promoting 'gay television on demand", I'm guessing it's something like gay cable.

I swear you won't find an advert like this in Sg.

Lesson 4: Everyday is a good hair day!

I loved the way my hair looks! Think the perfect humidity conditions was one of the key factors.

This photo, in my opinion, makes me look like a docile and submissive air stewardess in their promo adds :P

Atop the car, with great hair and my rotting shoes.

Anyway, I discarded my shoes at the end of the trip, with a heavy heart. If not for the air holes that appeared at the tip of my shoes, I will still be wearing them.

It got kinda irksome when I have to walk on my heels or the sides of my feet when the sky was pouring and continuously side step puddles after the rain had stopped.

I transformed it from a pair of regular Adidas sneakers to one with climacool features!

I know Lesson 4 sounds really bimbotic. But it's true and I really miss my hair!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!

2008-10-15T00:17:00.003+08:00

I saw them doing it in broad daylight while I was on my way home.

Mango plucking in progress.

This illegal act of mango 'harvesting' is usually done late at night by some uncle, armed with his zhng-ed weapon of choice, usually an extended broomstick or bamboo pole.

Mangoes are slightly pricier compared to most fruits, with the exception of those honeydews sold in Japanese supermarkets.

But I think the thrill of getting them with your own hands along the road somehow makes the entire experience more, ahem, fruitful.

Böh géy

2008-10-11T11:56:00.004+08:00

According to this x-ray, I have four wisdom tooth.

Or should I say I have four wisdom teeth because there is more than one tooth?

Anyway, I went down with the intention to extract both wisdoms on the right side of the x-ray. The tooth on top causes a little discomfort at times and the bottom one is not growing out properly, plus, it caused some gum infection.

Then, the dentist recommended that I take the bottom left (according to the x-ray) tooth out as well because although it is not giving me any problems now, it might in the future. And if that happens, the adjacent tooth is likely to get affected because the wisdom is sort of pushing against it.

As for the top left wisdom, neither can I see it or feel its presence despite it growing at such an odd angle. It is hidden.

WARNING!
Viewer discretion is advised for the following content!

-

OUT! With part of my raw tissue fibre still attached.

The dentist advised me to soak the tooth(s) in bleach should I want to keep it for a longer time. But since I just want to keep it for a few days to show a few people, it is highly recommended that i remove as much of the tissue as possible so that there is no foul smell. You know, the smell of rotting flesh.

Anyway, it's really difficult to 'touch' body samples without gloves. I tried to remove the tissue fibre with the protective layer of plastic but it was too stubborn and I ended up scraping it using my bear fingers.

Fibre removal almost complete~

I immersed them in mouthwash and hope that the tangy mint will kill off some of the stray tissue that I wasn't able to completely remove. But the mouthwash only stained the fibres blue. Haha.

A chunk of fibre.

Yeah, I know what you are thinking.

"Sheila! You eat rice so free ah!"

"Wa lao eh! You are damn disgusting la!"

"Do you think I'm interested to look at those gross pics you uploaded?"

Haha. Relax ar. It's quite an enriching post if you come to think about it. Plus, I am unemployed and have nothing else better to do and I did warn you didn't I?

As inspired my CX's post, 'I'm looking for La-Bell'

2008-10-09T12:20:00.003+08:00

As inspired my CX's post, 'I'm looking for La-Bell'

I was at the clinic, waiting patiently in line to consult the dermatologist.

A Joker went to the counter to purchase her facial cleanser.

Joker: Hi, I want to buy cleanser.

Clinic Assistant: Which cleanser? We carry quite a few different types of cleanser.

Joker: The one for wash the face one.

Clinic Assistant: Hmmm, do you remember what is the name of your cleanser madam?

Joker: Cannot remember la.

Clinic Assistant: Hmmm, how much was your cleanser?

Joker: Oh! You put around like the 20cent coin on your hand then rub and wash your face.

Joker smiles, satisfied with her descriptive insights.

Clinic Assistant wrecked her brains, trying to think of other unorthodox ways to resolve the issue.

I tried to continue reading my book resisting the urge to laugh out loud.

Washington DC

2008-10-06T15:36:00.007+08:00

Surprisingly, the nation's capital did not seem as boring as I thought it was going to be. We spent a day roaming The National Mall, entering countless museums and walking under the scorching sun from one monument to the next and covered the tour entirely on foot.

That day, I learnt that sometimes, objects appear far closer than they seem. We walked from the US Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, which is 3km apart. In between, we stopped by at a couple of National Museums and the Washington Monument. I'd say that we easily covered a distance of 10km that day.

One of the perks that day was that the entrance to all the museums were FREE! We basically paid for the bus ride from NY to DC and toured DC without spending a singe cent, except for meals and some drinks. Plus, the museums have water coolers! Haha. The cheapos we are.

The Capitol.

The Capitol - personalised.

The Capitol with an imitation of the American bald eagle.

The Capitol and the Singapore girl.

The Washington Monument taken against a wrong angle of the sun.

The Washington Monument with the sun correctly angled and 2 clowns having fun photo taking.

At the Lincoln Memorial, too tired to jump. Plus, the place was crowded.

The man himself (I wonder if any tourist clasped their hands in prayer in front of Abraham after witnessing what they did to the Merlion)

The Washington Memorial viewed from the Lincoln Memorial against the Reflecting Pool.

At the White House where Bush is serving his final term.

A Nip in the Butt

2008-10-04T23:50:00.003+08:00

I was driving along the roads about to enter the CTE through a slip road and stopped the car at the give-way broken lines, watching out for the oncoming traffic from the right.

I tilt my head all the way to the right and watched as the oncoming cars headed for the entrance of the expressway and involuntarily 'headed' for the window.

A loud bang resonated in my ears. I wasn't sure if it was the sound of me ramming my head against the window or the van slamming its bonnet against the rear of my car.

The attacker.

The victimised.

That marked the day when I had my first official accident. Let's hope that there is no more to come.

Anyway I will hold 2 private first price bidding auctions. The 2 categories are: Van and Car.

The top bidder* in each category will have the licence plate numbers to buy 4D.

*winners will be notified by email.

Stylo Milo

2008-10-01T14:57:00.003+08:00

This person's Ah Ma looks damn cool huh?

Ah Ma in her tinted shades.

This cool Ah Ma is my Ah Ma! Happening right! Haha.

Anyway, she signed up for the upcoming Subaru Impreza Challenge 2008!

Practicing before the big day.

Nai-gwa Fore

2008-09-28T16:54:00.007+08:00

Don't be mistaken. That was how our tour guide pronounced Niagara Falls. My boyfriend was slightly better, he calls it Ni-ah-ga-ra Falls. Haha. It should be Nai-air-gra i suppose :P

Being the cheapskates on a tight budget, we booked the cheapest tour we could possibly find and wound up with the Chinatown tour pack. No, I'm not being insulting to label them as such, but the agency was literally named Chinatown tours. You've been warned.

Most of the guides managing the tours spoke survival English, meaning they only know enough English to sustain life in the US. I am not being mean, just plain honest because the non-Chinese people on board did have difficulty conversing with our guide. It was both amusing and frustrating at the same time, trying to make out what he was trying to tell us when we were on board.

For example, he informed that we would be staying at the 'Four-sai-in', to which I gave the what-the-hell-is-he-trying-to-say-now expression for the umpteen time during the trip. We were spending the night at the Fall Side Inn.

Anyway we arrived at the falls and then it started to rain.

Then the both of us were like 'So sway! We came all the way to see the waterfall and it's raining?'

Almost drenched within 5 minutes upon arrival.

Then the bimbotic couple realised that it wasn't raining, but the wind was bellowing the fall's mist into our direction.

I can't see no shit waterfall cause the mist is blocking everything.

Anyway, I learnt on that day that the Niagara Falls was actually made up of 3 seperate waterfalls - Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Viel Falls and the America Falls.

The America Falls during the day.

The America Falls at night with light displays and a shutter adjusted appature to make the waters look smooth.

The next morning, we decided to go on the Cave of the Winds tour for a closer look of the falls.

We arrived at the foot of the falls after an elevtor ride down and made our way along the seemingly haphazard construction of wooden walkways.

The yellow raincoat and sandles were provided for the tours which you can choose to keep or recycle.

As close as it gets.

Then we headed down for the Maid of the Mist tour, a ferry ride to allow as a full view of the falls. It is impossible to get a proper view of the falls on the America side. The Canadian border will provide the full panoramic view instead.

A fellow ferry making a u-turn back towards the dock.

On board the ferry, someone offered to help us take a photo with the Horseshoe Falls as backdrop.

I really appreciate the kind gesture, but we were bolcking the bloody waterfall!

The Lousiest Photographer in Sg

2008-09-25T15:08:00.004+08:00

I present to you my Lardy POS sister.

The following is her attempt to capture a family photo during our decent in a glass elevator.

Failed attempt 1: Her ugly face was obscured.

Failed attempt 2: Her fat face was huge and whole but my mum's face was blocked.

Failed attempt 3: Mum's face is clearly visible but she left out mine and her own.

Failed attempt 4: She barely managed to capture my beautiful eyes and lost one of her eye.

Final failed attempt: At least the crest of my head was inside.

After our elevator ride, I showed her what being 'pro' meant and using the self-timer function of her phone, I did this.

An almost perfect shot, with our heads and shoulders knees without the toes.

On a different note altogether, I thought that this little piece of embriodary added a really exquisite touch to the table setting.

The lazy susan, nicely decorated.

And yes, that spining thing on the table of resturants has a name, literally.

Amuse me

2008-09-22T13:25:00.005+08:00

We were along One Fullerton and he was trying to take a night shot of the Merlion regurgitating water into the river.

What started off as a light drizzle got heavier and we decided to leave the place.

Then I saw them; hands clasped in front of their chests with their eyes closed and heads slightly bowed. They were praying, to this!

Mini Merlion with his nemesis The Merlion at his back.

Stunned and amused, I went "Faster! Take a photo of them praying! It's a priceless shot!"

Too late, they saw us literally gawking at them with out mouths slightly open and moved off awkwardly from the 'alter'.

All I have to do is kneel down and kowtow to this statue in full view of the afternoon crowd and I won't be surprised to find joss sticks, candles and fruits placed on the ground by some aspiring 'entrepreneur' the next day.

Or they can do the thing whereby you 'bath' the deity with scopes of water scattered with flowers and light water candles.

PS: This post is not meant to show disrespect to religion of any sort. I am just making fun of the family of tourist, who are most probably from Taiwan (according to their accent).

PS again: Is the Merlion male or female? It's quite difficult to, ahem, see :P
Anyway, I am thinking it's asexual, seriously.

The Candy Empires of NY and Shopaholic!

2008-09-18T14:16:00.006+08:00

The signature Hershey's chocolate store at Times Square turned out looking less impressive than what I saw in Project Runway. In that episode, the contestants had to pick up the store's merchandise to design costumes for their muse. The floor area was much smaller than how it looked like on tv.

How a Hershey's construction worker looks like.

How a Hershey's chocoholic looks like.

Btw the rectangular package on his left arm is a real block of chocolate for sale. Who will buy that? It's like bigger than the computer keyboard I am typing at right now. The syrup bottle is empty, just in case you were thinking it's filled with chocolaty goodness.

Just across the street was the M&Ms store! 3 levels of M&M madness. They had all sorts of packaging ideas for the melts-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hands candies. Besides that, you can also get M&M pillows, luggage trolleys, t-shirts and even make your own M&Ms coins. The store was so colourful it just made you happy to be there.

Anyway there were endless rows and columns of M&Ms filled with different colours and mixers for you to choose from.

The good old M&Ms with a whole lot of other unique colours not commonly found in the usual over-the-counter packs.

Special blends which are already pre-mixed.

My personal favourite is the Valentine mix. It just looks so cute.

There is even one dedicated to Indiana Jones, because M&Ms was one of the sponsors.

And a Central Park special.

Anyway, I personally think that the marketing team for M&Ms is brilliant. It's a really plain and simple product, but look at the creative ideas they are able to churn out.

Many were going gaga over the selections and were buying bags and bags of candy. But not us. Instead, we were picking up the pieces of candy from the in the trough and had our own tasting session of different coloured M&Ms. The black ones taste different :)

On our last day in the city, we were heading to Central Park when I saw Barneys! The super atas departmental store where Becky Bloomwood worked in when Shopaholic Takes Manhattan.

Just took a quick snapshot of the store front without wandering inside.

And a mere 10 minutes walk away, I saw the Plaza Hotel! Where she got married with Luke Brandon in Shopaholic Ties the Knot.

Ok, I better stop it before you guys think I am paranoid. I am not. It's just this wave of emotions you get when you finally see what you've been reading about.

The Plaza. I was able to recognise it because I googled it after reading the book :P

Just across the street stood the Apple Store I was trying to locate. I read from the papers that the architecture of the store was really impressive and was kinda looking forward to viewing the building. But like most Apple products, the hype only lasted for a while during the initial phase. It's really just a glass facade, the store is underground and it looks like any other apple store in Singapore, only bigger and filled with ang moh iphone fanatics.

That's all, really.

At Central Park trying to mimic a fairy tale pose at the spot Giselle from Enchanted had her sing-along entourage finale.

Along the streets of NY

2008-09-15T17:17:00.007+08:00

I tried to hunch in bid of emphasize the towering stance of the King Kong Building.

Sometimes, you can stand along the streets. At other times apparently, you are not allowed to.

Grand Central Station with the the Chrysler Building hovering behind.

On a random note, I always thought that the Chrysler Building looks way better than the so-much-more-famous Empire State Building. My thoughts were vindicated on our first day in NYC.

With Morgan Freeman at the entrance of the wax museum. Looks damn real, I didn't dare to stand beside him :P

With a random house along 5th Avenue which looks really pretty. Actually, all the houses along the famous street looks damn gorgeous and atas.

Times Square! The feel is totally different in daylight and at nightfall when the billboards light up.

I can't resist taking a photo at Times Square with the drain cover cause that's the gateway those people from Enchanted came in to the real world.

Ground Zero.

After this shot, I actually felt that we were quite zek ah. People died during the collapse of the twin towers and following that episode, tourist began to flock to the exact spot to take photos and gawk at the construction site.

But then, a mere 10 minutes walk later, we saw this.

New Yorkers are kinda zek ah too.

Along the Hudson River with the NYC skyline as a backdrop beneath Manhattan bridge with Brooklyn Bridge in middle ground.

One of the 4 constructed waterfalls along the cruise ride.

This has got to be the 4 most artificial waterfalls I've came across, it can't get more man-made than that. But then again, that was the intention of the artist who constructed them.

Lost in New York

2008-09-12T14:21:00.009+08:00

We arrived in Newark, New Jersey without any of our baggage because of some screw-up by the airline company. Our bags were placed on the following flight to NY which was slated to arrive some 6 hours later. Our only comfort is that the bags will be delivered to our hostel.

However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we won't have to lug our bags around the city or waste time checking in our bags before we tour the place.

Anyway we had to pay $15USD for a one way train ticket to Manhattan. The ride only lasted 10 minutes and I paid 15 Benjamins for it. I'd recommend anyone who is on a domestic flight within the US, on their way to NY to schedule a flight which lands at the JFK instead. The train ride from JFK to Manhattan costs only $4USD :)

I can take the MRT for more than one week after currency conversion.

Yeah, expect leather seats and all after paying for your ticket.

Our first day at NYC was done almost completely on foot.

The train arrived at Penn station, Medison Square. From there we walked over to The Empire State building and I stepped into Macy's to use the ladies room :P

Then we moved on to Grand Central Station and the Chrysler Building and we tried making our way to the Rockefellas.

Searching for the Rockefeller's, which we didn't manage to locate. Grrr.

From there, we made our way down to Times Square and Broadway before making our way to the pier for a cruise around the city.

Consulting our travel guide amidst the crowd at Times Square, gotta look like a tourist when you are one.

And yes, we did that on foot and only took a train to our hostel around midnight.

Miami, Florida

2008-09-09T00:15:00.005+08:00

Pristine beaches, clear waters and an endless sea of fun seekers (pun intended). Welcome to Miami Beach!

This photo is photoshop free, the waters are really clear.

I'll recommend a free salt scrub using the sand at the middle tier of the waters! You have unlimited heaps of fine sand and my skin was like super smooth for almost a week. Haha. I always see contestants on Survivor do this while slacking at their campsite.

Anyway, we went snorkeling off the coast of Key West which was really gorgeous.

Us on the ship to the middle of nowhere for our snorkeling trip.

Here's how clear the waters are, you can see the fish even on deck.

The water was super salty too. But I can't possibly show you that in the pictures.

The view was not bad.

On the deck.

Under the deck.

Bar tender was topless (in case you were interested).

Us against the sail on our way back from the snorkel.

Anyway I must say that snorkeling and scuba diving was really fun. I can finally understand why some of my friends can become addicts or get so psyched when they talk animatedly of their dive trips or scrimp and save to throw their money off the shores.

Mac

2008-09-08T01:10:00.003+08:00

Because of the rising food costs, some mega dollar fast-food chains can't even afford to give you a full slice of cheese for your fish burger.

Did I mention that I didn't mention names?

Pictorial evidence.

Anyway, tell me I'm not the only person who noticed that their ice milo cup is getting anorexic.

Ok wait! I know what their reason is gonna be. Save plastic.

Cockroach

2008-09-04T23:54:00.002+08:00

You are the FIRST cockroach to die under my fingers*.

No doubt you are not yet fully grown and may have a bright future in the dumpster of my block's rubbish chute.

Consider it an honor mankind bestowed on your pathetic i-can-squeeze-myself-into-any-crack-no-matter-how-narrow-it-is soul.

*one uses THE FINGER to Shieldtox.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (continued again)

2008-09-02T22:34:00.005+08:00

Puerto Vallarta is the place to indulge. I don't think there is anywhere else where I can make a poolside order without feeling the pinch.

By the pool bar with our order (nope, we didn't just get a cup and fill it up with chlorine water).

Anyway, we were just chilling by the pool and had nothing better to do. Then I thought of something really stupid, and there we were, spending hordes of out time laughing at the stupid thing we can't stop doing.

You know, the super-model-coming-out-of-the-water shot. We were trying to recreate that with our less than professional photography skills and lack of modeling experience.

Here's how candidate 1 fared.

You don't usually come across magazine covers with half a model's head.

Wrong angle plus lack of a full head.

Full head, but model looks bald; bald = not sexy

Model has a water moustache. Moustache on girl = not sexy

Model did not make waves.

Here's how candidate 2 did.

Too trying to look sexy.

Too goofy looking with the water moustache.

Too angled up face.

Damn, I dunno why I am putting these up, it's like bloody embarrassing!

But well, now we all know how difficult it is to do one of those out-of-the-water shorts at least.

That's me!!!~

2008-09-01T00:02:00.001+08:00

http://donaldlim.net/photoblog/index.php?showimage=33

That's me!!!~

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (continued)

2008-08-27T16:02:00.007+08:00

We went on a boat trip to Marietas Island for a dive. The journey on sea to the destination took approximately 2 hours.

Me and my must-have companion for the day, SUNBLOCK!

Breakfast was included, plus free flow of beer and tequila and soda. Yeah, you'll say that all these was included when I paid or the tickets on this trip. But it's still really cheap. Anyway, I'm not a fan of alcohol anyway.

During our 4 hours on board, we just chilled and took random photos of...

Ourselves at the back of the boat getting a water massage - Bo liao factor x1

Him with his free beer - Bo liao factor x3

Me and my free beer - Bo Liao factor x3

Him with nothing in the background - Bo liao factor x5

The sail - Bo liao factor x5

His feet in the water - Bo liao factor x8

The slippers he was wearing - Bo liao factor x10

Then somewhere along the way, somebody got emo and went to sit at the edge of the deck alone.

Lonely = Bo liao

Close up of the emo and lonely person = Bo liao photographer

Too bad I didn't get to take a photo of how stupid and awkward I looked in the diving gear with weights strapped around the body and the mouth piece and goggles which I thought was leaking.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2008-08-24T14:13:00.009+08:00

Let's start off by saying that the transport system in Puerto Vallarta.

No doubt, the fleet of buses that they have are not entirely new or air conditioned, service was excellent. The waiting time was around an average of less than 10 minutes every time we needed a ride. The drivers provide change if you pay them in excess. Plus, they stop you anywhere along the bus route even if there are no designated bus stops.

Stealing a shot on our bumpy ride.

Puerto Vallarta in black and white. (in case you failed to notice, that's my big face)

Our daily must-go-to place - blame Americanisation :P

I guess quite contrary to the impression most of us have of Mexico, it didn't seem as dangerous as what I had in mind. The people were friendly and because of the strong dependence of tourism, most of the natives are able to communicate in simple English. The only words that exists in my Spanish vocabulary are gracis, amigo, siempre and hola!

Getting lost along the streets.

With the oldest church in Puerto Vallarta in the background.

Along the beach front.

We are all set to go on a long boat ride the next day when we saw this.

The rescue team was already at the scene, taming the fire.

This scene got the attention of everyone along the beach front with the cameras and cellphones in the air trying to capture the moment. Talk about a Stomp moment in Mexico!

I checked with one of the restaurant owners and he assured that this is the first time he saw something like this happen throughout his entire career life working at the coast of the beach.

Anyway, I already paid for my ride tomorrow. Heck~

Kids

2008-08-19T23:11:00.005+08:00

They can't wait to get older when they are young

Little Eunice in front of the dressing table with a compac mirror and powder puff in hand.

They wished they were younger when they got old(er).

Old boys Elson and Kian gaming till the wii hours of the morning.

You know you've arrived in Vegas when...

2008-08-15T23:36:00.014+08:00

There are slot machines in the airport.

If you really can't wait till you arrive at the hotel to hit the jackpot.

Pharaohs greet you at the entrance of the hotel.

Luxor! One of my fav hotels on this trip ;P

There are wedding chapels in every hotel.

No, I did not do a Britney and you can have a tour without wanting to get married.

The toilets are gorgeous.

Cam whore solo @ hotel Paris.

Here's a closer look of the sink just in case you are interested ;P

You find lions in the lobby.

That day was lioness day (on the far left of the photo).

The ceiling looks gorgeous too.

Taking a photo with the camera on the floor at Bellagio.

Even the Buddha has fun.

= (No evil) * (See + Hear + Speak) - I'll put up my version of this the next time if I remember

When hotels take on the facade of the Eiffel Tower.

Paris, the Paris themed hotel. (There was Rome, Egypt and New York too)

On a random note, I found this advertising board at one of the hotel lobbies.

I am aware that Asian artists hold concerts overseas, but it was kinda surprising to recognise Chinese words in Vegas k!

Anyway, I personally feel that Vegas is a great holiday destination even if you are making a repeated visit. It changes every few years. A new hotel is up every few years and there will be new places to explore , new shows to watch every now and then.

The last time I was there, tokens fall out of slot machines if you hit the jackpot. But now, you get a printed receipt instead and claim your 'prize' at the counters. Frankly, you don't get much kick when you win, but it is no doubt a safer practice to take home your winnings. Plus, you don't loose change (Pun intended).

Anyway, I just love Vegas~

Strolling for free* in beautiful hotels, buffets at a great price, KA, topless acts (I went to watch Crazy Horse at an almost unbelievable price), what's there not to love?

Ok. Maybe the 40 degree Celsius weather.

* there is a SGD$100 cover charge for local residents when the IR opens

Parking Woes

2008-08-14T13:40:00.003+08:00

Do you need to display a parking coupon or not when you spot a board looking like this.

Is the centre piece deliberately taken down?

Just in case you are not aware of how the board should actually look like, here's some help.

Ta dah~ A normal looking parking display board,

And better still, I saw one which looked like this at Holland Village.

Pole dancing at the parking lot anyone?

If anyone is that argumentative to not display a coupon despite it being Holland V - summon hot spot. All I can say is, you have balls.

Salt Lake City

2008-08-10T23:01:00.006+08:00

A trip to Utah is not complete without a visit to the Great Salt Lake itself.

Salt feast~

A coastline of salt lined the lake instead of grass or sand. The air gave out a pungent aroma of salt (go figure it yourself whether or not it was a positive comment).

Salt fiesta, it's everywhere~

Anyway, here's a random photo of some abandoned i-dunno-what, which i think looks stunning in pictures. We were getting lost in Utah while taking the train and found this scene at one of the stations.

Looks like a place Scofield and gang might run into, literally. I think Patoshik (the crazy math guy) jumped from one of those canister looking things btw. *info makes sense to Prison Break fans only~

Here is it in nostalgic old fashion mode.

Utah was really empty on 4th July. I guess many were away during the long weekend holiday.

Here's how the Mac looked like on a public holiday.

Here's how empty the streets were.

Here's the Temple of Mormon aka Temple Square aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yes, I did get confused when I was searching for places to visit in Utah. Because different websites put up different pictures of various parts of the church and label them differently, I thought they were different places of worship altogether. Oh well.

Beautiful.

Christ in gold.

There is this memorial building just beside the Temple constructed with such extravagent graandness that I was gushing with disbelief.

The celing of the memorial hall.

Ornate carvings decked out the entire hallway.

Pristine details framing the windows.

Adding a velvet finish to the parapet.

Plus, there was a solo violinist playing tunes of from The Phantom of the Opera at the lobby to the less than 5 people in the building.

River Rafting @ Moab, Utah

2008-08-07T21:10:00.009+08:00

Ok. We went rafting without actually rafting. It was more like a cruise because the boatman did all the work while we were busy admiring the view and taking photos.

Us two and our raft~

It was a relaxing and enjoyable journey down the meandering Colorado River, with some rapids along the way.

Our slow and steady ride down the river.

Our fellow rafters following closely behind.

After which, we stopped over at a spot along the river to have lunch. It was a simple yet tasty affair. Our lunch was strapped along with us all the time on the rafts.

The place we had lunch and stop over for some pee-time (that's the pee river in the background).

Please don't ask me "How did you pee over there huh? Just like that ar?". I can't answer that question because I did not attempt the 'stunt' in the first place.

Out boatmen preparing a spread of healthy sandwiches.

The rapids were fun! Bumpy and choppy and splash-y.

We were too busy trying to hang on to the rope harness and try to stay in the boat to attempt any photo taking while we were going past the rapids. Plus, we didn't want to risk the camera getting wet. But the thing is, although we did not get a photo, we managed to film a video. Don't ask me how he did it.

Me pretending to look as though we are rafting pass the rapids just for a keepsake shot.

To end the ride, we were given freshly sliced watermelons and some soda while still on board.

The full of humongous seeds watermelon and a super unglam me.

Driving in Utah

2008-08-04T00:31:00.007+08:00

Driving in Utah

In summary: Scorching hot with lots of files and shit.

First up, here's how the car looked like after we drove it for 2 or 3 days.

The rented car and it's many occupants.

Here's a close up of the front face of the car.

Flies!

And I swear, every 15 minutes or so on the freeway, there will be bird droppings. Too bad I have no evidence of that because it was really difficult to get a capture of the windscreen smeared with shit.

By the way, the birds in Utah drop their poo poos in a different manner as compared to the birds over here. Over here, the method is a direct 'plop' with minimum perimeter splatters.

If you get the picture :P

Whereas the birds in Utah 'scatter' their stuff all over the place.

Utah's birdies doing their thang. Don't ask me how they did it.

I'm not sure if you get the picture, but that was me trying to take things literally.

Here's how the drivers looked like.

No feet required because there is cruise control~

Yes, it was really damn hot can.

Spending Too Much Time Over The Com

2008-07-31T23:53:00.003+08:00

My mum came into my room to wake me up from my evening nap, then went towards the computer saying "I need to search for the ..."

"Wait!" I exclaimed before she had a chance to finish off her sentence. I hurriedly switched on the desktop for her.

She gave me a bewildered look, as though I didn't know what I was doing because I was still feeling drowsy from sleep. "I need to search for the bag I want to use tomorrow." she said, referring to my collection of bags which I keep right below the computer desk.

Of course! I forgot that people can physically search for things instead of just Google-ing them over the web.

Arches National Park, Utah

2008-07-25T15:09:00.007+08:00

Arches National Park, Utah

My personal favourite National Park in Utah has to be Arches, the home ground of the famous Delicate Arch.

Delicate Arch, after years and years of weathering.

You'll have to hike on foot for approximately 1 hour to get the slightest view of the Delicate Arch(and another hour back down the same path you went up). I climbed up the sandy steps, rocky slopes, across huge areas of smooth rock surfaces and finally up the winding mountain ridge before it comes into view.

You'll only get a glimpse of the arch if you reach the end of the trail, which means you cannot give up after a short hike and say that you've seen it from far away and that's good enough.

The following photo is evidence that I hiked all the way up :P

I managed to go all the way despite a few moments of vertigo.

The Landscape Arch was another amazing work of nature.

The right side of the arch became thinner years back when a huge mass of rock fell off from the main body without warning as tourists stood right below the arch taking photos.

The humans in the picture are there to depict the relative size of the Landscape Arch.

Besides the many arches, there are some other interesting rock forms like the Balancing Rock.

It rocks back and forth when the wind blows.

No, of cause I am kidding. The rock does not rock when it gets windy.

Below are some other random photos we took at the park, some of which are displayed solely for entertainment.

Double Arch and ePoser.

Muscle Arch, created by yours truly who was unable to properly integrate her biceps with nature.

You are losing focus, you were supposed to look at the beauty of the arch form and not the crazy human form.

A heart shaped formation we spotted by chance along the trail which leads to Landscape Arch.

Fiji water

2008-07-21T12:04:00.005+08:00

I bought a bottle of atas water because I had no choice.

Fiji and me.

All I can say is...

It tates the same as Ice Mountain.

And it's nicer than the other atas brand of botteled water which begins with the fifth letter of the alphabet :P

Truth or Dare

2008-07-16T11:43:00.008+08:00

I am quite positive you picked dare.

Try this.

Get onto an ATV.

An All Terrain Vehicle.

Carry a pillion rider who is more than 1.6 times your weight.

Step on the gas and crash into a tree.

Fall off the muddy slope.

How's that for a dare?

That's the stunt I attempted yesterday.

Just that it wasn't exactly a dare.

Anyway, I'm still in one full piece in case you are concerned about my well being. And so is the pillion, save for some cuts and bruises here and there :P

My heart hurts more because the pillion had to suffer for my mistakes and I have to pay for the damages :(

PS: Miss Lardy Ng and K. Chiu are NOT supposed to tell my Mummy and Daddy about my stunt. I'll tell them when I can get Skype running.

2008-07-07T02:48:00.005+08:00

I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms due to:

i) lack of Milo peng
ii) lack of Teh peng

Starbucks aplenty, but that doesn't ease my crave one bit.

Big Sur

2008-07-02T07:14:00.007+08:00

A picturesque coastal drive along the shore line of California.

The Big Sur extends to approximately 145km in length of hair-blowing magnificence.

Crashing waves and the distant hills against cloudy skies.

The coastal shores lined with wet rocks and vegetation.

Making our way down closer to the beach. (spot me and the LardyPOS in this shot)

The Bixby Creek Arch Bridge with an unidentified model.

What's photo taking without some poser shots. Here is a mini series of ePoserS @ Big Sur.

Left to right: Miss I-think-I-look-beautiful, Mr I-think-I-am-the-best-poser and Miss I-think-I-am-starving

The standard 'don't look at the camera shot' (it kinda look at though we took this picture against a green screen cause the backdrop looks like a piece of painting)

The next photo can be titled 'Middle Earth' as a tribute to the movie LOTR.

The trees are moving, it war! I've returned as a disciple of Gandalf the White to help big feet Frodo return the ring to Mount Doom.

We went for a short hike over at the Big Sur to reach Pfeiffer falls, a waterfall we found while browsing through the guide book.

Here's what it looked like in photos found over the web.

Quite pretty yeah?

Here's another shot of it from somewhere else.

This is what it really looked like.

The humans are there for comparative measures and scaling purposes. Did you spot the stream of water?

I must admit that it was a little disappointing because we thought it was a huge waterfall. Photography knows all about its angles and lenses to decieve the eyes.

By the way, I spotted the Buddha in meditation along the hiking trail.

Siddhārtha Gautama under the Bodi tree in jeans and slippers.

Lake Tahoe

2008-06-29T15:54:00.007+08:00

It took us close to a 3 hour drive up the winding mountains to Lake Tahoe: a lake above sea level, encircled by a ring mountains. But the view was worth the tedious drive.

Anyway, I gave up after a few a-winding turns while taking the wheel because I have this compulsive unexplainable urge to drive down the ridge of the road. Plus, I'm afraid of heights and it's scary when you do a sharp corner without the safety barricades. I know this is a little contradictory to the previous post, but yes, I am afraid of falling.

Against the magnificent view.

The gorgeous background (ahem, and foreground :P)

Here's a short series titled 'ePoser @ Tahoe'

No obstacle is too tough for me to overcome.

Set your sights afar and reach out for the skies.

You can achieve if you believe.

I know some of the 'inspiring' captions don't really match the photo capture. But that was not my point :P

Anyway, I must confess that I am a really lousy photographer. ePoser positions most of his shots my himself. I was basically a human tripod which held the device and pushed the button when he morphed into his various poses.

Next up is the 'I-am-falling-off-the-Cliff competition'.

In third place, ePoser!

Too much body + fake expression + bad photographer (the human tripod)

In second place, eLard!

Nice angle, but wrong expression (you are not supposed to be smiling when you are falling off a cliff)

In first place, is myfluffypillows!

Beautiful angle + convincing expression + unglamm model = winning photograph

There are no physical prizes for the champion. But the joy of winning: priceless~

15000 Feet Above Sea Level (convert to meters/kilometers yourself)

2008-06-22T16:03:00.016+08:00

We officially kicked off our trip with an exhilarating skydive!

Harness - Checked; Smiles - Checked; Parachute - Don't have

Of cause we don't have the parachute on our backs, the jumpers are strapped with the parachutes, not the inexperienced novice.

All set and ready to go!

There is no turning back once you board the plane. Plus, I wanted photos for the jump. That means that my photographer has to exit the plane before I do. If I hesitate, he would have fallen way ahead and I will look like I am too far away for a good capture.

Anyway the first few seconds were a blur. I was like wow!!! and I didn't really care about how my arms and legs should be positioned.

I was looking for my photographer! But I can't seem to locate his presence.

I felt something tugging really hard on my right hand. I didn't really bother about it because I thought it was the harness or something.

Only when the pain was released, I realised that my photographer was holding on to me the entire time!

Damn! I could have got a really good close up shot!

Sometimes, you don't have to look very far.

And my jumper decided to cover my face when I paid USD$35 for the photographer.

Get off me! (just the hands, i don't intend to free fall all the way)

I have my way of getting back at him of cause.

Revenge is sweet :P

Ok. I'm kidding. I only realised that this was what happened up in the air after viewing the photos.

Free falling

It was fun fun fun!

Post-jump expressions

To do it again means throwing USD$100 from the skies.

This is the most expensive 5 minutes of our lives.

airport announcement

2008-06-20T08:58:00.002+08:00

"Parents with young children elephants please proceed to the boarding gate...."

Ok. I'm kidding. It should be "parents with young children and infants..."

But I really heard elephants. :P

The things people go through to look 'good'

2008-06-17T14:19:00.007+08:00

Pain. Discomfort. Bruising. Swelling. Infection. Bleeding. Unlicensed parlours. HIV.

It actually looks kinda cool :X

Check out the not-so-fresh wounds holding up the metallic clips.

Stringing it all together.

Getting them when you are young with a well toned bod is one thing.

Removing all of them when you are old and saggy is another issue altogether. (Pulling the string forcefully will possible remove the clips. But that's just my guess.)

Can you imagine. What if she was was putting on her bra and accidentally clipped it to the wrong buckle?

Somebody call the interns from Grey's! Greg House won't bat an eyelid on this case cause its not meningitis or some other abbreviated medical shit term.

I wonder how this will look like on guy. He won't have the bra buckle problem at least. Even if he has moobs.

OK, that's another issue all together.

Fish & Chips

2008-06-09T23:22:00.003+08:00

An ordinary looking plate of fish and chips.

With a manual lemon holder/clip/squeezer.

Nah, not the greatest invention in the world, but I just thought it's quite interesting.

Here's a close up.

Anyway I still gotta use my fingers in the end cause it's not very ergonomically designed for drying out the lemon. Hehe.

The Fashion Side

2008-06-07T01:48:00.009+08:00

I stumbled upon this website called Feminine Beauty, which aims to promote femininity in the female being.

I thought it was quite interesting because the author believed that most runway high fashion models had very unfeminine qualities such as – high cheekbones, a chiseled jaw, a tall and slim stature, a flat chest and a flat rear. These masculine features, as associated by the site author, are similar traits one will find in adolescent boys.

Which brings him/her to the question. Why do fashion designers hire models with masculine proportions to sell their clothes to women? One of the reasons he cited was because most men in fashion are homosexual, therefore the preference for such body type. Apparently, gays are supposed to find the physique of adolescent boys aesthetically pleasing.

And he/she accused many top high paying models to exhibit such unfeminine qualities.

Amongst the many that he/she listed on his site, I decided to single out a few of the more prominent, well-known faces in the fashion industry that were criticized. They are listed according to the ‘The Top Earning Models in the World’ list complied by Forbes.

First up on the list is Gisele Bundchen.

Secound, Kate Moss.

Followed by Heidi Klum.

Then Adriana Lima.

Rounding up the top 5 is Alessandra Ambrosio.

Apparently, they are all guilty of exhibiting manly traits.

And can I add that the site author actually compared them to other females whom he/she considers to embody the spirit of feminine qualities, he/she called them ‘glamour models’. In actual fact, they are porn stars with fake breasts and rears taken at rather ‘compromising’ angles in cheap outfits (if any) in cheesy photographic settings. How can you compare Alessandra Ambrosio to some nameless porn star? (Alessandra Ambrosio is my personal fav amongst the 5 btw)

In my opinion, there are reasons why high fashion models possess these traits.

High cheekbones and a chiseled jaw makes you look polished and works out great in photography because they can capture the lights well if you are properly angled.

And admit it, having a tall and slim stature usually makes one look better in clothes. Long legs shows off a short garment and compliments a long dress the right way. Comparatively, a shorter stature makes one look fumpy when dressed with a full skirt, and out of proportion when the dress has a long flowing train and overwhelmed when an elaborate couture outfit is worn.

Having a flat chest is quite necessary for runway models because most high fashion outfits have plunging necklines, which means they cannot afford to have support. Also, fully endowed female can look a little vulgar if she spots a low neckline gown.

As for the flat rear, aren’t you sick of most girls going “does my butt look big in this?”. Having a flat rear solves this issue.

In conclusion, I do not condone the site author’s thoughts, and many other people don’t as well. Or they will not be the world’s top earning models.

But, there is this important point that the author mentioned which I have to agree with, it is the image and impact the fashion world has on regular individuals. A lot has been said about that and I believe many of us can relate to it, so I shall not venture further :)

Man, is this one of my longest posts?

2008-06-04T20:28:00.002+08:00

I was waiting for the MRT when i saw it. Check this out.

Did you notice it too?

Nope, you don't have a clue about what I am referring to.

She looked like she was dress up for work or something, in a simple black skirt and quite a casual looking top. But she was wearing her bedroom slippers!

Here's a close up.

Well as you can see, I was bored stiff.

And I really should stop taking photos of others when I'm on the train.

library

2008-05-30T22:52:00.004+08:00

I've been overdosed with caffeine from Nestle's teh tarik on a daily basis for a whole week.

But thank goodness, this overdose is going to last for only a few more days.

Anyway, I was skiving during my study stint at the National Library and I was feeling so bored, I took this photo.

Then I realise I can turn it into some very meaningless blog entry.

So, you're supposed to 'spot the Singapore Flyer amidst the stormy whether'.

Found it?

Scrool down for the answer.

As you can see, I'm really tired of studying and can't seem to find anything else better to do.

When you really cannot afford to let your hair down

2008-05-28T23:01:00.006+08:00

Use the pen cap!

Ok. It didn't turn out to be very obvious on camera.

But you get the point right?

Strawberry

2008-05-25T23:06:00.004+08:00

What will you say these are? In Mandarin.

Left to right: Strawberry, mutated strawberry

I thought it was supposed to be 草莓.

Until I saw this written in a menu.

It's 士多啤梨 ok！

PS: My sis refused to eat the mutant.

Letter

2008-05-20T23:42:00.011+08:00

Dear Mr Parking Idiot who lives @ my block,

Please put in more effort to ensure that you park within the designated space marked out by the lain white lines painstakingly painted by the LTA.

Here is a photograph of your offence captured on 22 May 2008 at 2.55pm.

View from the ground level.

View from the 3rd level.

Also, as noted my my mum, this was not the 1st time you are guilty of such an offence. And because you always park with your butt sticking out, it just sucks to know that I have to see your ass when I look out of the window.

Should you require any lessons on vertical parking of a 4 wheeled automobile, do not hesitate to look to me for assistance. I live on the 3rd floor.

Sincerely looking down on your pathetic parking skills,
Thy friendly neighbour.

Consumers are a pain in the a** sometimes...

2008-05-17T14:19:00.004+08:00

Imagine the consumer at the supermarket picking out grocery items.

"Aiyo! Look at this apple! It's bruised! How can they expect me to pay for something like that? They never do their QC checks properly one."

Picture the same consumer reading the papers about the article 'Supermarkets to impose stringent checks on product quality - items which fail the checks are discarded.'

"Aiyo! Look at this apple! It's bruised! But still can eat what, why throw them away like that? So wasted! Give to me la! QC until so strict for what, some people don't even have food to eat ar."

I will not be the hypocrite here because I am guilty too, sometimes.

Will you buy the bruised apple?

I won't. But at least I won't complain about it.

Look in the mirror before you leave the house

2008-05-15T23:14:00.014+08:00

It is always good to have a full-length look at yourself just before stepping out of the house.

Nope, not for aesthetic reasons of vanity but for a practical raison d'être. (that's Italian by the way :P)

Or you will end up like Mr Strips.

Perhaps you won't notice anything amiss, but that's because you are not looking close enough.

Te balek!!! Ok. I don't think I spelt it correctly but it doesn't change the fact that he wore his shirt inside out.

Call me a mean-nie. But HAHA!

I wanted to tap his shoulder and tell him about his slip up, but then I was sitting down and yeah, just felt plain lazy to get up somehow. So I ended up whipping out my camera instead.

When I showed Lardy this photo, she was like "Some brands purposely design their shirts like that one ma You dunno meh."

I know! But Bossini don't have t-shirts of that design as far as I know. And in this case it obviously was overturned.

I know that this is just a small matter. Why am I making a fuss and blogging about it? Why did I risk snapping a photo of Mr Strips on board public transportation with people beside me?

If you didn't notice, I have always been blogging about very random stuff happening around me. I enjoy making fun of other people and poking fun at myself when I'm with others, because if I can laugh at myself, I won't take it too hard when others laugh at me.

I'm not sure if all that made sense to you, but I don't care anyway. Haha. Relax la. Thank you for reading even if you don't get my point :P

Back to Mr Strips.

Damn! This one turned out to be blurry. The train was moving too fast I guess. Haha. It's tagged Bossini.

And I really should stop snapping photos of others secretly when I'm on the train. It's becoming a bad habit.

The Warrior!

2008-05-13T23:03:00.012+08:00

I saw a guy wearing these on the train a few days ago.

I know its really none of my business what others choose to wear and I am in no fashion position to comment. But still!

I mean, yikes!

It a pair of warrior looking, gladiator-like, SM-ish, Meet the Spartans footwear?

Anyway I didn't further probe into his fashion sense until I saw this 2 people wearing 'couple sandals' the next day.

Again its none of my business but her boyfriend was wearing really short shorts.

Is this the latest fashion wave to hit the town?

If this indeed is a wave, it is a tsunami and they need immediate help.

Somebody call the fashion police!

Atonement

2008-05-10T23:42:00.005+08:00

First up, this post was supposed to be up a few weeks ago, but I only came to remember it after browsing through the pictures in my folder.

Anyway for those of you who didn't know, I live on the 3rd story. And yes, the lift doesn't stop on the odd levels in my block, well, that's for now at least becuse the 'gahmen' is going to 'up glade' the lifts around my housing area.

So, I usually take the stairs if I'm heading down, as opposed to climbing to the 4th floor and waiting for the elevator cause I'm not exactly THAT lazy to walk down.

However I'll admit that I don't usually climb the stairs up because, paradoxical from the previous statement, I AM lazy. So I'll take the lift up tho the 4th floor then walk down 2 flights of stairs to reach the 3rd floor. Ok, let's not get into too much math.

Anyway, there was this piss stench because some #$!% decided to urinate on the staircase at the 1 and a half floor. Ya know what I mean right? Hee.

I couldn't take it because I use that flight of stairs almost everyday. So, I decided to do what Daddy always did when his sniff detectors are activated by the 'wee wee smell' along the stair wells.

Flood the steps!

See, my family has the habit of ahem, collecting waste water drained out by the washing machine to flush the toilets or occasionally, 'rinse' the corridor area. Reuse, reduce and recycle. You remember learning about the 3Rs in primary school don't you?

I heaved 3 pail fulls of H20 (cum washing detergent remnants and water soluble residue from the laundry) to the edge of the steps, unleashing the floodgates.

'HUAT Ah!' I went as the water cascade before me. Haha.

I washed away that #$!%'s sins and atoned for his wrongful deeds. Stupid asshole. Oops! I think it should be peehole in this case. *NC16 comment detected

Then I went damn! I should talk about this in my blog! And I need a photo so that you guys will know what I am talking about.

After which, I went to get my phone and switched it into camera mode before tipping over the pail of water. Haha.

The 2nd story floods up.

It was raining very heavily that day, so nobody will question about the lift landing area being so wet.

God is watching over #$!% and gave me the opportunity help #$!% right his wrongs.

Go to hell #$!% !

De-stress

2008-05-08T23:43:00.006+08:00

I've been going down the library so very often the past few weeks in preparation for the final examinations.
After returning to my seat from the washroom, me friends went “走！我们去arcade de-stress!”
“来真的啊？” I was a little skeptical of their sudden decision “走 lor！”

So the 4 of us blew 20 bucks on Initial D, House of the Dead and spent the most number of tokens shooting hoops.

Like when was the last time I went to the arcade?

Oh. Today.

Nobody snaps a photo of themselves in the arcade cos it's so un-cool.

Rubik's

2008-05-06T23:08:00.006+08:00

The Rubik's

My sister got involved in one of the fashion fads of 2008. Or maybe it was 2007.

She bought herself a Rubik's cube with the hopes of solving it all by herself.

Frustration.

Anger.

Exasperation.

Annoyance.

She gave up and threw it aside unsolved, all jumbled up.

And then came her elder sister, older and wiser.

Think out of the box, or in this context, out of the cube.

Who says you can only solve it the way regular people do.

Innovate.

Experiment.

Sheer strength!

PS: It was damn difficult to fit the last piece back ok!

2008-05-05T22:28:00.012+08:00

Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars.

Let me see whatever.

No. This is not Celestial by Goldheart (If I am not mistaken).

Ya know, that commercial where this girl is admiring her solitaire against the night of stars and crying, for God-knows-what reason, while chauffeured in a convertible.

Sometimes I just don't understand women,.They always pay so much to look like one of the other ladies beside them. Yet when you shop with them, they are looking for something 'unique' and 'different from what other people have'. But ultimately end up purchasing something different from what they intended to, an extravagant purchase nonetheless.

Anyway, I was just feeling bimbotic during the car ride to Giant.

Check out the man beside me man.

Daddy!

We were shopping for fruits, and my Dad went like “Hiayo, see that one. So terrible ar. Choose the grape one by one. How can like that.”

Yes, Daddy was talking about that auntie in the leopard print top. Her paws are perfect for grape picking. *scratch *oops!

Do you have to nit pick and be so damn particular about the grapes you are buying from Giant? Granted, you might bag the best looking grapes, but what's the point of wasting precious time on such trivial food stuff?

Anyway, I was pushing the trolley and thinking which supermarket was first to come up with the innovative idea of incorporating a child's seat within its trolley. These are, in my opinion, unique selling ideas people often take for granted because they have invaded the premise for as long as we can remember.

Look ma! No hands!~ Check out my Dad posing unintentionally for the lens!~

I think our Changi Airport will imitate this technology soon. I always thought that the wheel-around baggage trolleys in the airport were superior to the rest in other international airports because they don't slip even when the travellators are angled.

But these supermarket trolleys are even better, because not only are they anti-slip, but you don't have to depress the handle to move around.

Yeah, whatever.

Guess the Title of this Post

2008-05-03T10:35:00.002+08:00

Untitled - Cos You're supposed to "Guess the Title of this Post"

Forest

男人婆

Shit la

母老虎

She-lalalalalalalala...

You don't have to be in Mensa to get this correct yeah?

Encouragement

2008-05-01T22:36:00.002+08:00

I was walking to the Mama shop in the evening to settle this sudden ice-cream craving which hit me just after dinner.

Then I saw three men at the void deck.

Two of them seem to be in their late twenties or early thirties. The other looked younger, probably in his mid or late twenties.

The two older guys were teaching the other one who to ride a bicycle.

Nope, don’t get me wrong; I was not about to laugh at the noob for learning to ride at such a ripe old age.

But rather I kind of admired his courage and determination. I mean a big guy (he has quite huge arms, deltoids to be precise) at that age, learning in a public space amidst residents walking pass every now and then. Kudos to him!

Guys at that age who cannot ride don’t usually master the skill of cycling because they are unable to face the pressure of ‘humiliation’. They cannot see past the fact that it is called the ‘learning curve’ process but instead imagine people sniggering at them as they struggle.

It is not a big deal if you know how to cycle. But somehow, it becomes quite a big deal if you can’t. Especially if you are male.

His friends were really sweet in my opinion, offering advice and encouragement along the way.

I hope he will be able to zoom around the neighborhood soon – on two wheels.