Blame it on..

Brittany: Everybody drink responsibly

Tik Tok by Ke$ha is featured in Blame It on the Alcohol, the fourteenth episode of Season Two. It was sung by Brittany with Artie, Mercedes, and the New Directions singing backup vocals.

The New Directions were asked by Principal Figgins (who pronounced Ke$ha as "Ke-Dollar-Sign-Ha") to perform a song at the assembly for Alcohol-awareness-week. The New Directions performed this song while being hungover after a party the previous Saturday night, and after drinking Rachel's "mixed drink." Before the performance each one of the members drinks some of the Mixed Drink. During the song, Brittany tells Rachel that she is feeling sick. Rachel responds by encouraging her to "power through it." Unfortunately, Brittany throws up on Rachel at the end of the song while on stage, which is followed by Santana also throwing up. Principal Figgins later credits the "special effects" during this performance for the fact that no McKinley students showed up to school intoxicated the day following the assembly and gives the New Directions prizes.

Source: Glee Wiki

Well, for starters, let me just elaborate here a little. Over at sunny and humid Singapore, our Television programes aren't really that awesome, splendid nor spectacular, I assure you all. Let's see, back around the early 2000 (year 2000 for those of you who may be confused a little ^^ ), the hottest television programe on Singapore television was called Music Station. In short, Music Station is:

a Japanese music television program. It is home to various performances as well as single rankings and other corners. Many Japanese groups and singers make their debut on Music Station. The show has also been host to many artists from around the world, which included O-Zone, The Cardigans, Scatman John, Babyface, Me & My, Mr. Big, Green Day, Fishbone, The Blow Monkeys, Deborah Gibson, Tiffany, Swing Out Sister, Kiss, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Boyz II Men, Lenny Kravitz, Meja, Charlotte Church, Alanis Morissette, Enya, Destiny's Child, Michelle Branch, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, Beyoncé, Holly Valance, Mariah Carey, Avril Lavigne, Hilary Duff, The Offspring, Ana Johnsson, Backstreet Boys, Stevie Wonder, James Blunt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Daniel Powter, Fergie, Sarah Brightman, Delta Goodrem, U2, John Legend, Kanye West, My Chemical Romance, Maroon 5, Leona Lewis, Flo Rida, Lady Gaga, The Black Eyed Peas, Oasis, Christina Aguilera, Norah Jones, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Ne-Yo and Carly Rae Jepsen.

Source: Wikipedia

In other words, Music Station is the must-see show for the latest chart-topping hits from Japan, the hottest stars of the moment in Japan. And the same show which started me on a Namie Amuro craze. However, all telecasts from Music Station in Singapore is almost always a month late. I had an ex-colleague who had a friend always specially bringing back taped shows straight from Japan for her to watch. And that's how she knew it's always showing a month late over at Singapore. And silly me didn't even know until she told me D:

No doubt, the Glee shows in Singapore should probably be a month late, or even more. Although I cannot understand why shows like The Amazing Race and Survivor are always same-day telcast as the U.S. ones. Same goes for shows such as, say football. If they can afford to bring in boring shows (they are boring to me anyways) such as The Amazing Race and Survivor, why can't they do the same for music programs such as Music Station.

Reason why I feel these 2 shows are boring..

The Amazing Race: Racing and bitching about other teams

Survivor:: Racing and bitching about other team-member(s)

Not much of a difference in the end, huh?

But no thanks to the sudden invasion of K-Pop in the early 2000, there were no more Music Station shows shown on Singapore television anymore. Which is such a shame that I personally feel, it's like, the same as Japanese anime shows, almost everyday, there's always new singles, CDs, and artistes in Japan almost on a daily basis. If they actually have the balls to delay good shows like this for a month, at least have the decency to carry on showing Music Station. But no, they have to can it!

For this round, I blame K-Pop. Was never a fan of K-Pop, will never be a fan of K-Pop. I'll be honest, if I were to compare Japanese words with Korean words, I'll gladly pick Japanese anyday. Why? It's really not hard to guess, especially if you learned or know Chinese/Mandarin. Here's an example of a simple word, Morning:

Japanese: 朝

Korean: 아침

For me, it's Japanese without question. Just look at how the words are written in the respective languages, Japanese and Korean. And to quote my mother: "Korean words full of holes and dashes, how to read??" I couldn't agree more -_-

Ultimately, it still up to the individual on which is easier to learn. I find Japanese easy as most of their Kanji is actually derived from Mandarin words, and since I am Chinese, it's just the issue of knowing the pronunciation in Japanese. And sometimes, it's actually surprising to know that some words can actually mean the same thing, whether in Mandarin or Japanese.

What about you, my readers? What's your favorite TV shows that are still showing now or is no longer showing? Which language is seemingly easier for you to learn if you have a chance to? I would like to know more :D

Feline Friday #3: 28 September 2012

Image Source: Go Aww

It seems that Friday is a good day to clean out the basement..

Received: CH-120824 from Basel, Switzerland

Received my 4th postcard from Basel, Switzerland just a few hours ago ;)

Ah well, this mighty little ant traveled from a wonderful and snowy (we all like to believe that snowfall happens 365 days in Switzerland, don't we? Beautiful sight to behold!!) country called Switzerland. Ah well, on the topic of Pixar, one of my favorite movies from Pixar is definitely from A Bug's Life. They may be small, but they are mighty when the need arises!!

And after admiring the image of the postcard, I was stuck by how many postage stamps there were on this particular postcard. Made me feel sad and sorry for the sender as it does seems rather hard to be able to write some more stuffs with all the stamps jostling for space back there.

Over at Singapore, I'm actually amazed that it only costs S$0.30 to send a postcard around the world. Yep, that cheap it sounds. But the time needed to actually have the postcard arrived at it's destination may differ from they distance you see on a world map. Kind of found out about it when a postcard that I've mailed to China wasn't the first to arrive (it took 20 days). The first postcard to land at it's destination was actually The Netherlands, which took 9 days.

I am definitely amazed at the difference in distance when comparing between a world map and post office standards. Interesting, don't you think?

Received: US-1836596 from United States of America

My apologies for not updating this as soon as I received the 3rd postcard from overseas. But I was getting really excited to received my 4th postcard as well, and then upload and talked about them all at once. It has been a thrilling experience to receive postcards that are far from Singapore, and I simply cannot wait to send and receive more. But first, I must introduce the USA and Switzerland postcards before doing so.

Received my 3rd postcard from the beautiful country where hopes and dreams lives on, United States of America.

As you can see in the image above, this beautiful postcard featured a scene taken from Times Square, New York. The vibrant city life where the pace is always fast, sometimes, I just enjoy that one moment where I'm rushing to do something and finally getting to know that the task has been completed. As compared to Singapore, we really don't have such wonderful and colorful streets. If you've walked down or even go past Orchard Road in a transport (car, bus, cab, etc), you've sort of pretty much see the "town" area.

Some day, I would like to be able to travel to Times Square, New York. To soak in that fast-paced environment, visit beautiful sights that I may never have heard or known of, and not forgetting... Manhattan Pizza Company. Now, that is another extra motivation to want to travel to USA :)

And well, lucky her in anyway possible. USA tend to have more dogs on leashes than Singapore's stray cats that eye you and decides whether to chase you around for some fun or not. In Singapore, I definitely see more stray cats and probably unleashed dogs too. Most dog owners in Singapore are over-confident that their pets won't chase and attack other humans milling about doing their own business, although I beg to differ.

(I've been chased by some dogs when I was younger, and the stupid owner actually thought it looked funny. I nearly died of an asthma attack and needless to say, I was young and oblivous and hence went up to the dog's owner and spit on her to show my displeasure.. -_-" )

The sender of this wonderful postcard is a lady and her postcard preferences includes:

• UNESCO sites, ancient sites, historical sites, aerial city views, castles, palaces, monasteries, mosques, temples, universities, libraries, maps, and unique architecture.
• Art: Islamic art, orientalism, old movie posters, and b & w photography.
• People: historical figures, royalty, politicians, artists,and common people dressed in traditional customs.

And i definitely truly agree with her that not only just receiving a postcard from a stranger is a wonderful thing. Getting to know how someone else live their daily life is just as interesting to know about too. Like, how work-pace differs, how school-life is different in terms of school subjects, etc etc

Swoop Giveaway(s)

This post was re-edited because of the sole reason that Swoop ruined my birthday. We all know that birthdays only happened once a year and nobody should be allowed or even had to feel that their special day is ruined. And guess what? My original post was detailed and precise about their site, but was not chosen the winner due to the layout the blog post was presented in. Which made me think that they should have rephrase that contest as "Introduce Swoop in a blog post, preferably one that is more on images and not much text that left you hanging and wanting more due to the shortage of explanation" instead of "Blog and Win a iPad3".

And at the same time made my realize something, these people don't know shit about blogging nor blog post. What I've previously written constitutes as an actual blog post. They want non-text blog post, they should ask for entries to be submitted from a Tumblr blog instead.

And unluckily and unfortunately for me, this company decided to ruin my special day a.k.a my Birthday by dealing me such a lousy blow. Thanks for ruining that one special day in my life and at the same time, made me feel like a complete idiot for buying your tricks. You want the previous entry re-instated? Sure, make me the rightful winner of that crappy iPad 3 and I may consider doing so, via judging how sincere and honest you guys are ;)

Who doesn't love a free gift or even an occasional giveaway every once in a while? It could be the latest iPhone that every is toting around and raving about how slim and lightweight it is. Or maybe a much needed facial spa that you really deserved, on account of how fatigue and dull your skin is? And if you are thinking that in Singapore, giveaways are few and far, you have to accept this fact. Nope, you are not off-course in finding out these wonderful deals, but most times, it's the real message that you need to take note of: There's no such thing as a free meal!

Introducing Swoop.com.sg, the #1 website that promises, but doesn't really quite delivers. But what exactly is Swoop and what is Swoop all about? In simpler terms, think of it this way, but in my own definition. (Just humor me a little since I am uber pissed at the way they handle things. While I try to explain this in a comical way somehow) You're a magnificent prey flying in the sky, and lo and behold, you suddenly see something wonderful, something glittering in the sunlight. It catches your fancy, and you go in for the kill, er.. I mean go in for the swoop. And snag! You got yourself a glittering, twinkling.. necklace. Well done! What looks like a 155 carat diamond necklace ended up morphing into a 1 carat necklace. Looks can be deceiving, and I assure you, my readers that it is so.

Oh, I was explaining in terms of a crow actually. Sounded more fun this way, since there have been known cases of flighty animals making away with small security cameras xD Besides, I hate owls with a passion, especially the ones that goes around Orchard Road, trying to scare little kids and making them cry.

But the correct definition of Swoop's Giveaways is like this:

Click on the image to view a larger version~

But in the event your eyes are still glued on the words "giveaways", kindly allow me to explain how this scam pulls you in and ensnare you completely?

• Step 1: First thing first, you have to sign up as a member of Swoop.com.sg. If you don't sign up for an account, there's no way they can spam your email inbox with nonsense and crap you actually don't really need in your life. This method actually leaves you high and dry while making you want more, only to disappoint you completely.
• Step 2: After becoming a member of Swoop.com.sg, you will then need to enter yourself in sponsored giveaways just so you can have a chance at winning your coveted prize. But we all know it's utter bullshit, me thinks everything is rigged in there. You can be aware of the fact that you are a lucky person all your life, and this will bring you crashing down to earth, destroying your trust completely.
• Step 3: Do you know that Swoop.com.sg has their own "Swoop Draw!" as well? To get tokens, you just need to log into Swoop everyday. Each daily login earns you a token. While playing playing the game, you suddenly realized the fact that most times, it's more of a "You've broke even this time" than the factual "You earned 2x/3x/4x the chance for a lucky draw"!!
• Step 4: But why do I need to login to Swoop.com.sg daily? If you think that daily login is just for accumulating tokens for the draw, then you're just only half right. Logging in daily ensures that you waste at least up to 15 minutes of your life, waiting for a kindness that doesn't reciprocate at all.

Convinced? That's great! It is too good to be true, take that from someone who wrote a well-detailed and precise post but wasn't chosen for the grand prize cos the blogger who wrote this previous post painstakingly did the error of uploading her entry too early. And thus giving latecomers a chance to see how I blogged about it, and at the same time, lifting my ideas for their own posts. Before I wrote the previous post, nobody thought of uploading the "Perks" images, but after my post was shared, every other entry after mine suddenly came with the "Perks" part. This already shows how much ideas of mine were copied, but not being honored for it in the end.

In short, having the most detailed blog post doesn't necessarily net you anything. In fact, people can just "steal" your concept. Then they re-worked it into their own posts, making it seemed like it was their idea in the first place. And then submitting their entries close to the deadline, so they can simply be rewarded with your own ideas, right smack at your face. It's almost like being slapped verbally.

Don't linger, especially if you don't want to have your ideas and hard-work indirectly stolen for someone else's post. It's really a scam. Really.

Awww...Mondays: 24 September

Image Source & Copyright: Facebook

For today's Awww...Mondays, I'm featuring a FB friend's baby photo. I always enjoyed the thought of logging into my Facebook account and getting to see her weekly baby photo being uploaded. Always brings a smile to my face no matter what :)

Awww...Mondays Meme Source: Awww...Mondays @ http://www.awwwmonday.com/

Skin Allergy Information

Q #1: What is skin allergy?

A: Skin allergy refers to the condition in which the skin turns red, swollen, experiences pain, peeling, pimples and acne etc after using skin care products. From the biology of skin cells, we know that the skin is made up of countless cells, and every skin cell has the function of absorbing nutrients and secreting waste. This is the metabolism of skin cells. Skin allergy is the function of metabolism through the secretion of waste in the skin. There are four types of skin allergy:

• Normal Allergy
• Vicious Allergy
• Allergy caused by wrong application
• Allergy caused by food

Q #2: What is Normal Skin Allergy?

A: Normal allergy refers to the use of skin care products of good quality, whose ingredients are only beneficial and do not contain any poisonous substances. After use, any sensitive reaction of the skin is normal as it is due to the functions of metabolism. This is due to the product working on the skin, enhancing circulation of blood and oxygen, performing the absorption and secretion functions. After the skin absorbs the nutrients, toxins and dead cells are released in the process.

Q #3: Who suffers from Normal Skin Allergy?

A: Firstly, those who suffers from poor quality skin, those who do not take care of their skin or have not used skin care products before, may experience Normal Skin Allergy when they use products enriched with nutrients that stimulate metabolism. It is a sign of the sudden absorption of too much nutrients. As a result, the skin cells are not able to accommodate so quickly. Allergy caused by the process of over-nourishment is a normal biological process and is known as Normal Skin Allergy.

Secondly, those who have poisoned skin, caused by using inferior skin care products with poisonous elements (in certain whitening and freckles treatment creams). Once they switched to good quality products, the products will exercise a function of detoxification. It will secrete the toxins underlying in the skin cells. This creates a detoxifying allergy of skin.

Those who experience Normal Skin Allergy must have patience and confidence in using good or superior skin care products. The symptoms will disappear after about a week, when the skin's metabolism returns to a normal state, and skin will become more beautiful than before.

Q #4: What is Vicious Skin Allergy?

A: Those who have been using inferior skin care products which contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, hydroquinone and iodine to treat their freckles and pigmentation may find that the products work rapidly, but the side effects also occur quickly. Constant use of such inferior products will result in skin poisoning. Dark spots will appear and are more obvious under the sun's rays. This is Vicious Skin Allergy. Users should stop application immediately as in the long run, continuous use of such products will result in the poison entering into the body system and affecting one's overall health.

A #5: What is Allergy caused by wrong application?

A: Non-adherence to instructions, wrong use or overuse of skin products will lead to burning and darkening of skin. In serious cases, the skin becomes inflamed and begins to peel. Such users should stop using the products temporarily, or use only mild products. After a few days to one week when the skin has recovered, they can then use the products, gradually increasing the dosage.

Q #6: What is Allergy caused by food?

A: Skin allergy caused by consuming high-level hormone seafood or stale seafood contaminated with bacteria is known as Allergy caused by food. However, consumers often neglect the above-mentioned facts and instead wrongly assume that their skin reactions or allergy are due to the use of poor quality skincare products.

Q #7: How can skin allergy be treated?

A: If you discover that you have developed Normal Skin Allergy after using skincare products, do not panic or rush to consult a doctor as some products do not contain ingredients that are harmful to the skin. The allergy is a sign that the product is being absorbed by the skin cells and resulting in the secretion of toxins from the skin cells; or is the symptoms caused by the absorption of nutrients that are suddenly fed to skin which is in poor & weak condition, or has not been properly cared for; or is the symptom of secretion of potential toxins in the skin which has been using products containing toxin elements. This is a sign of detoxification.

In the case of skin allergy, do not be worried, this is a normal symptom. You can either continue to use the product or use a smaller amount. Or, stop for a few days before continue using again.

Feline Friday #2: 22 September 2012

Image Source: Go Aww @ http://goaww.com/

Getting ready for a date~ TGIF!!

P/S: The reason why I stated my Feline Friday post(s) as #1 and #2 respectively is because this blog is still a newcomer to Feline Friday. Hope this clarification clear up any doubts :)

3rd Hospital Stay

So on Wednesday, my father was scheduled to go back to the hospital to check up on his legs for signs of infection, blah blah.. And he ended up having to stay in there once more as the wounds on his right leg was infected once more. And the bad news is that, the little toe (a.k.a the last toe) on the right leg may have to be amputated as it doesn't seem to be getting better despite a little more than a month already.

And until yesterday when I visited him in the hospital, he mentioned that the doctor(s) decided to wait a while more to see if the toe is capable of healing before making the final decision to amputate it. We all know that once a digit gets amputated away, it will never come back. So, I'm guessing the doctor(s) decision is to avoid having to amputate it for good. I'm hoping the same as well.

Besides, Mid Autumn Festival is coming soon. I would definitely like to see my father being home for good for the festival. I don't mind about not having mooncakes, but I know it does suck to celebrate Mid Autumn in the hospital.

Display Lanterns are already up at Eu Tong Seng area

Display Lanterns are also up at Chinatown too

I still remember having to stay in the hospital overnight on Christmas cos the doctors involved cannot make up their mind(s) whether they should just operate on me or re-schedule for an actual operation on a later date. And I did felt like a freakshow of some sort, having to show my stomach for it <.< What's worse is that in the course of their indecisive minds, I didn't get food nor drink throughout a 24 hour period..

Yea, that I can imagine. They starve you of food and deprive you of water in the event you may need to be operated on. And end up having not to, cos they need to "discuss" it further. Sigh...

1st Manhattan Pizza Company adventure!!

Ah, even the takeaway paper bag is approved by Joey Manoli ^^ Both sides of the paper bag, I must stress!


I still remember the first time I stepped into Pizza Hut when I was still in Secondary school, I was around 14 or 15 years old at that time and the meal was paid by for a friend's boyfriend ^^;

To be honest, Pizza Hut was all about the "Stuffed Crust" rage back then, and the pizza we ordered was a "Stuffed Crust", which disappointingly came to our table, minus the stuffed crust. And ever since then, it's actually more of a hate relationship I had with Pizza Hut's claims. All promises, never deliver, I would personally say. Even those 1-2 times I ordered pizza from Pizza Hut hotline (where they deliver to your house) still proves the same as always, asked for stuffed crust, received pizza, minus the stuffed crust I asked for. And they never even stopped to think why despite being a "member" of their chain for close to 10 years, I only house-call for pizza twice only?

But then, I got wind of another wonderful pizza house coming to Singapore, straight from Manhattan New York. Yep, you may have gussed it right, it's Manhattan Pizza Company. They don't give promises, just 1 that says “We put the XXX in XXXL.” No kidding! Those are some huge pizza slice I've seen in my 20ish years of pizza hell and finally, a glimpse of paradise is beckoning me, closer and closer. If you don't believe, check out the images below!!


Instead of a snack-bag, Manhattan Pizza Co's takeaway pizza slice do come in individual little boxes, just snug enough for your slice of takeaway pizza!




This Margherita Pizza is definitely longer and bigger than my face, and yes, definitely longer and bigger than P.H. Hmph! Take that, P.H.



Comes with a drink too. If you happened to have a membership keychain, you get free upsize for life. Just flash for the upsize, but I say, what for? Just that is already enough to send me to pizza paradise!!



And won't you just check out my bill? I ordered a Classic Manhattan Combo, which comes with a slice of pizza my choice + a drink, which costs an affordable S$5.90. Wowee!

Ah yes, Pizza Paradise is getting nearer and nearer~ *grabs and holds on*

And this Margherita Pizza isn't even oily, unlike the ones I've tried before. So for some of us who wants to enjoy a slice of pizza without fearing for the oiliness that follows, MPC is the one.

Awww...Mondays: 17 September

Awww...Mondays: 17 September

Image Source: Go Aww @ http://goaww.com


Awww...Mondays Meme Source: Awww...Mondays @ http://www.awwwmonday.com/

What is Awww...Mondays Meme about, you may wonder? It's really easy. On every Monday a.k.a the 1st day of the week (I know Monday is depressing, that's why you need cute photos that makes you go Awww to take away the depressing mood), upload a photo of anything that makes you go Awww right onto your blog. You can even describe the uploaded image if you prefer, I'm sure the owner for Awww... Mondays wouldn't mind. As there may be some of us whod like to read a description or explanation on why a particular image/photo is chosen for the Awww...Mondays meme.

Once you are done uploading the image/photo to your blog, head on over to the Awww...Mondays at http://www.awwwmonday.com/. Type in your name and URL of the blog post, and click Enter next. Afer that, if there are other bloggers joining and are listed in the list, just go on right ahead and give them a visit and maybe leave a comment about the image/photo chosen.

For rules and how the Awww...Mondays Meme came about, go read about it over at Awww...Mondays Meme.

So...

Scavenger Hunt Monday will be the last Sunday blog meme I will be participating due to the reason I have highlighted in the image below:



As apparently, I do not have children (due to still being single) nor pets (due to being asthmatic). I joined initially because of the fact that I love doing re-interpretations of old photographs of yester-year. Until when I saw this particular requirement, which deeply made me feel upset that such a requirement must be strictly followed. And I thought blog memes are supposed to be fun, but having such rules/requirement like that just somehow kill the fun a little and I felt like wasting my time doing something that may not be allowed.

So, goodbye to Scavenger Hunt Sunday and hello to Awww...Mondays instead. Pretty sure I won't be indirectly chatised for using kitty photos for that :)

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: 16 September

So, I miss out on at least 2 Scavenger Hunt Sunday posts, partly due to my father's traffic accident. But now that he's better, it's back on!! Woohoo!! And here's my interpretation for this current Scavenger Hunt Sunday issue. Enjoy and give me your comments too :)


1. Kiss

My interpretation of Kiss. Back during my mother's young adult days until the early 1990s, bold red Hollywood-style lipstick color and salon curled hair were almost the rage everywhere. Starting from the left of the photo is my late grandfather, I always enjoyed looking at old photographs of my late grandfather as old photos of yesteryear tells a story that we may not be aware of.

Beside my grandfather is a relative whom my whole family don't really like. When I was still young and schooling, every year we would go to her house and pay our respects during Lunar New Year. And each year without fail, she would bragged about how her grandchildren are always in the top 3 spots during exams, and then proceed next to ask about me and my brother's school grades. One fine year, my father got so pissed with her brags that we stopped visiting her and has never visited her ever since. We only saw her every now and then, whenever we held birthday celebration(s) for my late grandfather.

The lady in red and looking uber pale is my mother. This photo was taken during her wedding ceremony. Notice her hairstyle? The rage during her time ^^ And she always tells me about how when she was a teenager, her fine was so beautiful that it looked like the hair of models you see in current hair commercials. Too bad she didn't want to keep it long after she got married.

Next is another relative we also dread. Whenever she called our house, my mother would "entertain" her phone call(s) and she'd talk on and on and on and on, without realizing that she need to stop as people need to sleep or have houesework to do. We ended up getting a caller ID partly because of her too. If her number pops up, we'd just ignore and hope she'll stopped calling since nobody answering a ringing phone is the equivalent of no one is at home.


2. Askew

This photo was taken by my father shortly after my parents got married. The location was the old World Trade Center where people can buy tickets and hop onto ferries that will bring you to neighboring Sentosa or further away islands such as Kusu Island and St. John's Island. Now, this complex is renamed as HarbourFront Centre. And the spot where my mother is standing? It used to featured the whole map on the map using tiles and all the time you can see, are actual real-time from different countries shown here. Too bad this was also demolished to make way for upgrading of the old World Trade Center into the current HarbourFront Centre.

Also, "askew" photographs during the early 1980s and 1990s were considered "avant garde". But I simply harbor the thought that they were trying to take a proper photograph and trying to find the perfect angle when they slipped and ended up snapping the photo "askewedly".


3. Fragrant

Ironic that I choose this photo for the interpretation for the word Fragrant. You see, back in the early 1980s, children use a small little bucket where they learn how to pee and poop on their own. Like a mini toilet bowl for little kids. The "hat" that I am using on my head? That's the mini toilet bowl where I learned how to pee and poop >.< And my parents who took this photo actually let me use it as a temporary hat.. Yea, fragrant it is, but on the other side of the scale.


4. Simple

My interpretation of the word Simple is really simple actually. In the early 1950s to 1980s, life were pretty simple, cheap and affordable. As you can see in the photo, even pillow case and bed sheets were also simple, cheap, affordable and at the same time reminds one of the comforts of being home. No matter where you go, how far you go or even when life takes a beating out of you, you are always ensured of the little simple fact that there's a home you can go to. Where warmth and family, smiles and happiness waits for you, taking all the days away from you while you rest and relax without having to worry about the issue at hand.


5. Plant

This shot was actually meant for my tumblr blog. But I thought I'd break "tradition" by using it for this Scavenger Hunt Sunday post instead.

When we first moved to our current residence, almost all of our neighbors on this stretch of balcony were growing plants, except us. Less than 10 years ago, my mother decided to "join" the plant-growing activity and the very first plant she tried growing was a pot of chilli padis. However, someone, probably from the floor below us decided to pluck away her hardwork whenever the chilli padis were ripe for the taking. My mother re-planted a new batch and each time, someone kept harvesting our chilli padis without us knowing. Finally, she changed to growing aloe veras instead and the plant-lifting activity stopped once and for all.

We all know Singaporeans love good and spicy chilli padis. But stealing from a neighbor's pot is a big No No. But apparently, the chilli padi thief didn't think so..

Blog Meme Source: Ramblings and Photos by Ashley Sisk

Skin Type & Caring

WHAT's YOUR SKIN TYPE?

Even the most amazing products won't do squat if they're not meant for your type. Here's a suggestion what complexion category you fall into.

Skin Type	Characteristics
Dry	Small pores, dullness, skin feels tight postcleansing
Oily	Large pores, acne prone, frequently looks shiny
Combination	Forehead, nose and chin are oily while cheeks are drier
Normal	Simlar to those of combination skin but with less oil in the T-Zone area

Here's the basic cleansing and moisturizing regimen you should follow every day.

Daily Care for Every Type

Skin Type	Cleansing	Moisturizing
Dry	Wash with a mild, creamy, soap-free formula at night and just rinse with warm water in the morning.	Your skin can handle a cream that contains major hydrators like silicone, ceramides or glycerin. They prevent moisture from escaping your skin.
Oily	Oily sin needs a potent cleanser with salicylic acid alpha-hydroxy acid to get rid of dead skin and dissolve the excess sebum that plugs your pores.	Even if you feel you don't need it, you should use a moisturiser. Get a non- comedogenic one with a humectant, such as sodium PCA, hyaluronic acid or ceramides.
Combination	An oil free foaming cleanser with salicylic acid will get rid of the oil without stripping the dry areas.	If the dry parts are red and irritated, use a calming cream with chamomile or aloe. Otherwise, treat your skin as if it were oily with a humectant lotion.
Normal	Wash twice a day with a gentle soap-free, water-soluble formula.	Try out a bunch of lightweight non-comedogenic lotions until you find one that makes your skin feel its softest and smoothest.

Serve Yourself Right

Globbing on face products won't get you better results. Save yourself some dough by sticking to these usage guidelines.

Product	How Much To Use
Cleanser	Half a teaspoon will be enough for your face and neck.
Day Cream	Use about an inch-round dollop of lotion to cover your face and neck.
Night Cream	Night formulas are usually more concentrated that day creams, so use a little less.
Eye Cream	Divide this amount between both eye areas. The standard pot of eye cream is a half ounce, and that should last you about three months.
Zit Cream	Target only the zit so you don't dry out the skin around it.

Three Ways to Max Out Moisturiser

• Apply your cream to freshly washed damp skin within 3 to 5 minutes to seal in moisture that's already there
• Massage the cream in for at least 15 seconds to boost circulation and push the lotion as far into your skin as possible
• Screw the lid on tightly to prevent oxidation, which can decrease the potency of certain ingredients

Sample Collection Day

So as I have previously mentioned on my CozyCot Journey post, I forgot to check my email for the redemption I got on CozyCot's website. So, I hunt down another few more samples/freebies that I can find so I can make this 2nd CozyCot trip even more worthwhile.

1st Stop: DFS Galleria Scottswalk
I headed down to DFS Galleria Scottswalk as my first stop to pick up my 1st sample of the day. I thought it would be just 1 or 2 satchets worth of samples. Imagine my surprise when the lady at the counter told me there's 7 satchets' worth inside. She was really nice, sweet and friendly and proceeded to make conversation with me. Almost like we were actually old friends lol


It's an awesome and classy envelope.


Woo.. Samples ❤


Estée Lauder Advance Night Repair x 7 sample satchets in there ❤❤❤❤❤ *dies from happiness*

WHERE TO REDEEM A SAMPLE: Go to http://www.esteelauderanr.com.sg/?gclid=CJn3k7jB7rACFUF76wodq1r2ww, watch the video that is showing on the page. Next, answer a short question (the answer is 4 weeks) and fill in your particulars. You will receive a redemption email, print it out and bring it to any Estée Lauder counters stated in the redemption email. Falala~

2nd Stop: CozyCot Retail Store
Next, I hiked down to Orchard Central and headed straight up to CozyCot's retail outlet for my next set of samples. I bagged a total of 10 samples altoegther. Therefore, it'll be a while before I can finish using and reviewing them on this blog, but be patient with me. I assure you it will be well worth the wait.


Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Lotion Sample x 2, The Face Shop Arsainte Ecotheraphy Vitalist Serum Sample x 1, Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Ex Sample x 2, Organia Relaxing Olive Body Essence Lotion Sample x 1


CappaRoma Low Fat Coffee Mix x 1 sample. It comes in 25% less sugar, 50% less sugar, Regular and a cute little pouch


Ichikami Shampoo & Conditioner x 1 sample. Comes with shampoo satchet and conditioner satchet


Kiehl's Deep Wrinkle Filler x 1 sample tube, which I promptly hand over to my Mother. This should probably be the daily redeemable sample since the sweet girl in CozyCot's retail outlet has seen me twice in there


b.liv Facial Mask Sample x 2. Dullness Cessation Mask and Age Dismission Mask

WHERE TO REDEEM A SAMPLE: I got these samples free by doing the Quest / Coin Reward program as mentioned on my CozyCot Journey blog post. Have fun doing this as it takes less than 4 hours to complete most of it. You might want to accumulate the points first before deciding which reward(s) you want to redeem.

3rd Stop: 313 Somerset
The Pharmacist in there only starts work at 12 noon, so I had to go to Orchard Central first before heading back to 313 Somerset again.


AHA Facial Wash For Oily & Acne Prone Skin x 1 small sample bottle.

It was a fulfilling morning at Orchard as I round up all my beloved samples. Now, I just need to check, re-check and then re-check to see if my fund transfer to The Sample Store is verified yet. Else, I can't get my free samples.

WHERE TO REDEEM A SAMPLE: If you want to give this product a try, you can grab a sample bittle via Therapeutic Dermatologic Formula (TDF)'s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TDFsg

Click on the link under Like and Message button that says "Grab Free Sample".

Feline Friday #1: Burnt Food Dude

Image Source: GoAww

Received: DE-1564685 from Erlangen, Germany

Received my 2nd overseas postcard from Erlangen, Germany (Deutschland).

Whenever I touched on the subject of history and historical monuments, the ones in Singapore aren't really that much. Considering the fact that Singapore had a rather short history until now, less than 100 years to be exact. So, whenever I have the chance to, I'll actually go online to the vast Internet and searched for history-related stuffs. And if random searching proves no results, my next best choice would be to log into StumbleUpon instead. Sometimes, even a simple historical statue can tell a wonderful history moment that happened centuries before I was even born.

Hey, don't ask me the exact details of anything that happened before I was born. If I do know that, I'll probably be able to tell you wonderful stories from my previous life too ^^

I'm definitely sure the sender of this postcard is a woman, rather than a man. I don't know why, but I just felt that way. And Google confirmed it, and I truly hope so or I'm going to give myself a whack on the face (a.k.a hard facepalm) if I got 'punked' by Google. She works as a chemical engineer in Germany, loves oriental food and tea. I sort of like it, but I'd prefer non-Chinese food though since I'm already a Chinese. It wouldn't be adventurous if I kept eating food that is of my racial origin, isn't it?

Furthermore, she loves small animals like rats. Surprising, since most girls/women flee at the sight of rats. And I have to admit, although her avatar shows a picture of her pet rat, but it actually doesn't look like a rat to me. I thought it was a little hamster ^^ And also, lucky for her, she can actually grow her own vegetables as well. Singapore space is too limited and 'confined' to be able to do that. And we cannot just simply find a plot of unused land and proceed to plant something on it. We would have to apply for the land plot, and if it's successful, we have to pay money for it. Unless you live in a semi-d or bungalow with your own garden plot, then that's a different situation altogether.

I'm underneath the foot cast + FW Peek

As promised in my previous post, I did managed to leave my "mark" on my father's leg cast. Took a few days before he finally decided to take a nap in the afternoon, and I was already ready for days with a marker on standby.

Unfortunately, that spot was the only available spot enough to scribble half my name and a smiley face on it. But still, it's better than nothing!! And it's uber clear for everyone to see as well.

I've tried googling for the origins of signing well wishes on leg cast, but ultimately came up empty. The nearest ones I did managed to find was for the phrase: Break A Leg, which just have nothing to do with a person in a leg cast.

On the other hand, my father did complained a little about not being able to move his bowels properly after the traffic accident. And he did mentioned that while he was in hospital initially right after the traffic accident, 2 doctors were actually arguing over him. Both had different views on his situation.

The 1st one insisted that they do something about the "blood in the stools" issue, while the 2nd one insisted the priority should be focused on his injured legs, not his stomach. I somehow agreed with the 2nd doctor. You see, my father had an accident and hurt his legs, not his stomach. it's not that his stomach isn't important. But primarily, attention should first be on his legs, then his stomach. Once his legs are confirmed "ok" according to the doctor(s) or hospital standard procedure. Then, they worry over his stomach. A scan didn't turn up any results as to what happened to his stomach either.

After my father was discharged from the hospital following his 2nd hospital stay, we went out to the same hawker centre (where he had his chicken rice) for dinner. And he ordered steak. It costs close to S$10, but the portion did justify the price. After that, we took a walk around, and decided to make our own version of pork chop for dinner the next night. Horrible for me, as the sauce chosen (Black Pepper sauce) was too spicy. I was literally "crying" while eating my pork chop.

Once we were done with our dinner-grocery shopping, we went back home. And my father promptly announced: "I need to take a poop!" And apparently according to my father, the steak for dinner did the trick, and he could pass out some stools with no visible blood in them o.o

And it's still the same 3 "headless chickens" fussing him from front door to the toilet, by the way.




Click on the image to see a bigger and nicer version!!


So, there's this new MMO game (Multi-Massively Online). If you're living in Asia, you would have probably saw television advertisements for the asian servers. There's US, EU servers as well, but it's on a different website for it.

A little info on what Forsaken World MMO game is all about:

DYOS CREATES A WORLD
Dyos discovered a world in the universe, and named it "Eyrda." It was a bleak place, with only a giant tree connecting the sky and land. Dyos discovered a giant star-wheel at the top of that tree. Within it were countless sparking stars, and Dyos saw that these were portraits of gods! Dyos not only found his own image, but that of Nyos too.

Encountering this unknown thing wheel and seeing the other figures filled him with an unknown weakness. After his discovery of the wheel, Dyos continued to live in Eyrda for another ten million years, all the while he tried to see through the wheel, but he was unable to uncover its secrets. During those ten million years, he called on other gods to build Eyrda into a wonderful, booming world. At last, Dyos left his three children- Tytan, Illyfue and Vyda, and gave them the gift of Eyrda. His parting wish was that they managed and cared for this world as he had. Dyos then departed Eyrda, to continue his trip throughout the universe.

THE CHILDREN
During the following tens of millions of years, Dwarves, Humans, Elves and Stonemen were created. Each race had a unique beginning: Tytan needed a short but industrious race to mine for him so he created the Dwarves. Humans were created by Illyfue who imitated Vyda's appearance, who were settled in western Ousta. Though Vyda pretended not to care for the Humans, he secretly loved the race that bore his resemblance, and taught them many ancient secrets. Illyfue created the Elves in his own image and he put them in the forest to become his servants. Stonemen were carved from Giant sacred stones by Tytan. A strange race that contains only men, they generate descendants with the Stone of Birth ceremony.

THE ADVENT OF NYOS
The first time Nyos visited the great world of Eyrda, he was bent on destroying it. But he too discovered the great wheel. Dyos fearing the wheel had great power, had previously left behind clues to its false meaning to confuse Nyos and directing him to follow the path of Dyos. Before leaving however, Dyos bestowed upon Eyrda his own child, Mylvada. Mylvada yields the power to destroy and has the appetite of destruction.

THE FIRST GREAT WAR
Mylvada was not welcomed into the world. He was shunned by the other three gods, and this strife caused first war among the gods to break out. The war took place in the northern land of Norta. It lasted for one hundred years and in the end Mylvada failed to achieve his goal of destruction and retreated from the world. Eyrda's northern land Norta was greatly damaged during the war and eventually sunk into the sea.

As time passed Mylvada saw another opportunity to bring war, and invaded Eyrda a second time. This act triggered the second great war among the gods. Tytan relied on a newly discovered weapon, the Ancient Relic's. These relics contained great power and whoever had them in hand was surely to win any battle. Armed with the relics and with the help of Vyda and Illyfue, Tytan defeated Mylvada once again. But the central land called Shyntola was giving birth to a black hole due to the harsh war, so the three gods had to open the Ancient Fissure and take the cursed land into the Fissure in order to save Eyrda from doom. Only the western Ousta was left untouched.

Source: Perfect World Entertainment

Honestly, the game play looks rather impressive. Since it's not based on any real actual mythology, only the aspects of the MMO game like classes and races are. I have once seen a screenshot taken where there's this dwarf class (female dwarf) who was standing idly at a quest zone (PvE server) with the character name of TallOne. As expected, dwarves are mostly small size, almost looking like little toddlers. So, you can imagine what funny reaction ensues when someone screen-capture a dwarf with such an impressive name.

As usual with such "high graphics" MMO game, the occasional lag is pretty much expected. I think the worst is when you went from the world map to an instance run, while the screen loads, you can just "hang" without warning. And that kind of risks getting kicked out of a party, if you unfortunately happened to lag while hopping from Point A to Point B. Luckily for me, I tried my first run of an instance called Nightmare Carnival, but wasn't kicked. However, the lag was taking a little too long for my liking and when I finally got in, the 1st round was over. And I missed some game tokens from that particular round.

I'll post up some more screen captures from Forsaken World when I next logged in to peek around. If the screen captures are way too much, I'll probably start another Tumblr blog to showcase all those "Instagram'ed" screen captures too. And for the record, I did not spend a single cent on the Bard's (screen capture above) "fashion clothes". it's actually free, but you will need to do special-related instances to have enough of them. Kinda trying to see if I am patient enough to save up for a better looking mount. Oh, the pet was free too. The owner of the account (that I used to play on, but gave to a friend as I had quit playing) didn't logged in for months and when I log in, walala~ Freebies in the mailbox inside town!!

Received: NZ-73358 from North Taranaki, New Zealand

Received my very first overseas postcard from North Taranaki, New Zealand.

Countries other than Singapore (in particular, I guess) have such beautiful scenery. For example, look at North Taranaki, New Zealand. This is just simply breath-taking and exhilarating just to look at, with the oceans crashing against the cliff. These are the moments where I wished I wasn't in Singapore right now, but at beautiful places like New Zealand, for example, overlooking such a lovely paradise.

The sender of this beautiful postcard is from New Zealand and he is a teacher, according to his profile at PostCrossing.com. Well, teachers in Singapore are mostly under-appreciated, I dare say. Back during my school days, we feared our teachers almost as if they were God themselves. Everyday at school when it's time for a particular school subject with a teacher notorious for meting our punishment, we would all sit in fear and wonder who's going to "get it" today ^^

But now, students in Singapore are just too mollycoddled. If a teacher so much as to raise his/her voice, expect to see police arriving in school or the parents making a huge-ass complaint to the Ministry of Education where 50% of the complaint is fact while the remaining 50% is exaggerated and added-in stories that didn't happen. Teachers may be strict and gives out punishment when we did something wrong, but on the overall, it's still for the students good.

Look at the current adults, for example, your parents and grandparents, they had strict teachers during their schooldays and look what happened. They teach you the importance of life when you are still growing up, things that they got from their strict schoolteachers. If you want your schoolteacher to be just your BFF only instead of a teacher AND a good friend who listens to your worries, I really wonder what this particular schoolkid will turn out as?