Learning to count with the Koreans

What else the South Koreans are known for beside for the girl and boyband, and kimchi?
Hint: No, not their nuclear technology.
But of course their creativity in posing for pictures! Let's learn one thing or two or three from them on how to pose for that portrait.. Cos we want to take picture of nobody, nobody but you.

Zero

Zero point Five

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Ten

Eight and nine are not figured out yet. Maybe you have suggestion? ;)

Sources:  AsianPoses 

Sometimes..

Sometimes..your knight in shining armor is a retard with a tin foil.

-Anonymous

Cigs are like hamsters

YamiAmy said:

"Cigarettes are a lot like hamsters, perfectly harmless until you put one in your mouth and light it on fire. amirite?"

Laugh and cry with the same amount

iSick

The iCraze of iGeneration.

Trolling

Did you know..
An escalator in Port Pobedy in Moscow Metro (of course they don't call it "MRT"), Russia, stretches 126.8 meters, and it took three freaking minutes from one end to the other.

So, cut it out already.

The things I learn from my hamsters

My rendezvous with these cute little rodents started in April. But they're so much more than grater machine with a cute nose. They are teachers in their own ways.


Always clean yourself.
Always clean your hands, mouth, feet, genitals whenever you can. Especially after your meal.

Exercise more.
Run and run and run. Then don't forget to clean your body after exercise and before you go to sleep.

Enough sleep is important.
Life has to be balance, you run (read: work hard) much, you rest much.

Drink enough water.

A lot of running and a lot of sleeping can be dehydrating.

Stock up (prepare for the days ahead).
Nobody knows what tomorrow might bring. Could be more food, could be no food at all. So when there is food (read: opportunities) just grab as much as you cheek can fill

Know your place.
Youngest or oldest? Novice or professional? Always watch your position. Don't try to be smart, don't be bossy towards the older ones.

Be nice to your family
You can fight whole day (maybe over the food), but always make up before you go to sleep. Especially if you're sleeping with your siblings. Your family will be the first to be there when you need them, and the first to steal -I mean, share- the food.

Who would've thought that such humble creatures can teach you so much!

And the world mourns...

 

Of all the mysteries in human life, death is still the most unbearable.

"Such a awful day... R.I.P Steve Job..." -Vicky Andhika. It is indeed.

I'll tell my children, in the next generation, that this is the greatest leader ever lived.. Well, after Alexander the Great, of course.

Message by Tim Cook in Apple website

People who love us are those who want us to be better than ourselves and themselves.

[That's why the love of our parents are undeniable?]

Don't worry --be happy!

"Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, 
than risk being happy."

-Robert Anthony

Checked out my Facebook today, and here's what I saw:

"i feel like crap..."
"why so difficult to smile and be happy when you're feelin stressed....?"
"menjadi pribadi yang berguna di lingkunganmu tanpa harus terlebih dulu membuat list panjang kekuranganmu. seharusnya USE jadinya USELESS!"

And the likes --so many likes. Well, seems like they haven't heard what the wise men said:




"If you want to be happy, be."

-Leo Tolstoy

"If only we'd stop trying to be happy we could have a pretty good time."

-Edith Wharton

"Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy."

-Cynthia Nelms

When was the last time he slept with you?
When was the last time he even touched you?
That's how you judge men.

-Aggie of The Sleeping Dictionary

Now I know..

THIS is what I've been missing whole my life

It's a walk in the park..

With people shooting right at you and throwing hand grenades.

-Jim Eastwood of The Apprentice

Bumblebee?

The headquarter spotted in Tanjong Pagar.
And it's hot.

Do you want a code with that post?

I grew up in Batam, lived there for 20 years and counting. Been living in the same house for 13 years now (if I remember correctly, that is). I used to have pen-pals when I was younger. That's how I learnt to write addresses correctly and remember what the postcode of my area is.

So when I joined Google Adsense I confidently wrote down my postcode as 29432, cos that's what I've been using for the 2-year pen-paling era of my life. But since October last year, I haven't receive my cheque. Google said the home address that I put down does not exist. So, going to its alter ego, I searched for a list of Batam island postcodes, and guess what? My postcode does not exist. The remarkable organization of Batam government.
Can someone tell me, then, what is the postcode for Nagoya Garden? Is it under Lubuk Baja or Kampung Seraya?

And to make life easier for our fellow Batamese, here I compile all the Batam postcodes that I can find.

BATAM KOTA

1. Sei Panas (Eks Bukit Jodoh) 29456

2. Belian 29464

3. Teluk Tering 29461

4. Sukajadi 29462

5. Baloi Permai 29463

6. Taman Baloi (Pec. Baloi Permai) 29463

BATU AMPAR

7. Kampung Seraya 29454

8. Batu Merah 29452

9. Tg. Sengkuang (Eks Bkt Senyum) 29451

10. Sungai Jodoh 29453

BATU AJI

11. Bukit Tempayan (Pec. Tiban Asri) 29424

12. Buliang (Pec. Tiban Asri) 29424

13. Kibing (Pec. Tiban Asri) 29424

14. Tanjung Uncang 29423

BELAKANG PADANG

15. Sekanak Raya (Pec. Blk.Padang) 29411

16. Tg. Sari (Pec. Blk.Padang) 29411

17. Kasu 29415

18. Pecong 29414

19. Pemping 29412

20. Pulau Terong 29415

BENGKONG

21. Bengkong LauT 29458

22. Tg. Buntung (Pec. Bengkong Laut) 29458

23. Bengkong Indah (Eks. Harapan Baru) 29455

24. Sadai (Eks. Bengkong Harapan) 29457

BULANG

25. Pulau Buluh 29471

26. Batu Legong 29474

27. Bulang Lintang 29471

28. Pantai Gelam 29473

29. Temoyong 29475

30. Pulau Setokok 29476

GALANG

31. Air Raja (Galang Baru) 29484

32. Subang Mas 29483

33. Sembulang 29481

34. Sijantung 29485

35. Rempang Cate 29482

36. Karas 29486

37. Galang Baru 29484

38. Pulau Abang 29487

LUBUK BAJA

39. Batu Selicin 29441

40. Lubuk Baja Kota 29444

41. Baloi Indah (Eks. Pangkalan Petai) 29442

42. Kampung Pelita 29443

43. Tanjung Uma 29445

NONGSA

44. Batu Besar 29466

45. Sambau 29466

46. Ngenang 29468

47. Kabil 29467

SAGULUNG

48. Tembesi 29434

49. Sei Lekop 29434

50. Sei Binti 29434

51. Sagulung Kota 29439

52. Sei Langkai 29434

53. Sei Pelunggut 29434

SEI BEDUK

54. Tanjung Piayu 29437

55. Duriangkang 29437

56. Mangsang 29437

57. Muka Kuning 29433

SEKUPANG

58. Patam Lestari 29427

59. Sungai Harapan 29421

60. Tanjung Pinggir 29428

61. Tanjung Riau 29422

62. Tiban Indah 29426

63. Tiban Lama 29425

64. Tiban Baru 29425

Sources:
http://batam-island-group.blogspot.com
http://fendies.wordpress.com

"Maybe that is why as a little kid in Sunday school I learned that God didn't want false gods or idols.

I thought it was terribly selfish of God as a child but I think I get it now...

He knew we wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, the shame, the glory, or the power the spotlight brings."

-Kelly Clarkson on Amy Winehouse's death

A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.

Henry Ford

I lie much better than you tell the truth.

- Derrick Webb in Gossip

Define 'large'

It's all began when my boyfriend started to picking up words used in advertisements around Singapore. Being a marketing graduate, he likes to point out what's wrong with an advertisement --and apparently he finds a lot of satisfaction in Singaporeans' advertisements.

Then he pointed out, why is it that the Fountain of Wealth in Suntec City quoted as "the World's Largest'? Heck, I've never taken into mind the little little words around Singapore's tourism campaign. He kept nagging about it, so it got into me as well. Yeah, why is it so? Let's look at the facts:

Fountain of Wealth is slightly less than 14 m high, 66 m in diameter and occupies about 1 km sq area.

The famous Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas shoot up water up to 76 m and the 'lake' on which the fountain reside measured up to 36 km.

While the current biggest fountain in the world is the King Fahd's Fountain that is located on the red sea (300 km in width). The fountain is measured 312 m high, 32 m higher than the highest building in Singapore, and it can be seen by all the people in any spot in Jeddah.

So, what's so large about the Fountain of Wealth?
Is it the largest indoor fountain?
Well, perhaps, in 1998, it was the largest. Now, it has to move on. The Guiness Book needs to update its records.

Love Guru

The last rule of guru is to rid [the] student the need of [a] guru.
-Guru Tugginmybuddha.

Tumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen.

Pour myself a cup of ambition.

Yawning, strecthing, try to come to life.

-Guru Pitka, '9 to 5'

What if..?

A few days ago, I watched the movie 'The Number 23' again.
Being one of my favorite movies, I can watch it again and again even though it's depressing.
Well, you see, a good movie is like your favorite shirt. You can wear it again and again, you still like it by the 100th time you wear it. But some movies are like a bad coffee: you have it once and you swear you won't drink it again (you might not even finish it the first time).

Anyway.. The main character of the movie, (played by Jim Carrey, btw), makes an interesting statement:

I'd like two words on my tombstone: What if.

What if..?
You must have asked the same question in your life.
What if I've chosen this university instead of that one?
What if I've married that other boyfriend of mine?
What if we don't actually exist and this is all a dream?

Have been asking the same questions to myself lately. What if I've made different choices in my life, what would happen? What could have been different? Would the differences make any differences?

Guess we'll never know.

There is a difference between poor and stingy.

The case of :

- Evil twin?

- Bawang Putih/Bawang merah?

- White Swan/Black Swan?

- Hallucination?

- Photoshop?

Some don't remember, most don't even know:

I'm a feminist.

Here's a lesson that I learnt: As soon as a guy (bf/husband/spouse of any kind) puts you below his friends, drop him and move on.

Drop him like a fungi-infested bread that you almost bite.

If he puts you below his god, god of any kind, it's good.

If he puts you below his family, it's even better.

But if he puts you below his friends.. run as fast as you can. You're better than that.

If he puts you below his work.. are you kidding me?! Do you even have to ask that?

Love is a leap of faith?

I'm sorry, I'm afraid to fall.

I don't want to be a fool.

Black Swan

So, even though I spent my Valentine's Day as a single (only on that day, ok), I had a lot of fun. Yes, I'm that kind of person that like to celebrate days, unlike some people.

Started the Day of Love suck-ily, including bashing someone at the Ministry of Manpower, but I had fun nevertheless.

Went out with my friends to watch the long-awaited movie, Black Swan. Yep, the one by Darren Aronofsky and with Natalie Portman in it. First got mixed between The Cathay and Cathay Cineplex of Singapore (as I always do. Sorry, guys), but we made it to the right cinema, and thus to the movie, just in time.

It's a dark movie.

That's what can be said about it in short. If you're suicidal, please don't watch the movie.

Oh well, seems like that's the only thing you can expect from a director that made Requiem for a Dream.

It's a mysterious movie even the way it's produced. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've been a movie enthusiast whole my life, and I haven't encountered a movie that has 7 different promotional posters that are equally distributed and only 2 stated the name of the director. Isn't it funny that he prefers to be known as 'the director of The Westler' rather than 'Darren Aronofsky'?

And most of them are in the color of black, red, and white.

To my fellow conspiracy theorists, you must know what it means.

For my fellow movie enthusiasts, esp. those who already watched the movie, don't you find it odd that Natalie Portman should play such character? When I got the ticket, I noticed that they printed M18 hugely. When I watch the movie, I thought it's only appropriate. If you're underage, going with a children, or a sex addict, please don't watch the movie.

But I love it.

To be honest, the only other movie I've seen by Aronofsky is Requiem (cos there's Jared Leto in it! *promotion*).

I think I should go watch The Fountain and The Westler now.

But from both movies, I can already draw the distinct styles of the director.

The camera panning, the switching between scenes, the lighting, the synchronization of the visual and the audio, and smooth blend between real shots and CGI.

And the music. Both Requiem and Black Swan had taken the famous music from legendary composers. In this particular movie, the original music from Tchaikovsky was "played backwards and in a distorted manner".

How cool is that.

The soundtracks of the movie stuck in my head long after I went back home, esp. the last scene where Nina performed as the Black Swan. And I don't usually remember musics. It's just all brilliant.

Cinematography aside, the story talks about ambition, obsession, and control, both to ourselves and to other people. It reminds us, everything that's excessive is not good.

There's also the play on mirrors. Mirrors seldom fail in spooking people up, but Aronofsky takes it to the next level.

Then there's the acting and the dancing. Gosh, I forgot how much I loved ballet. Natalie Portman is not only admirable as an actress, but also as a ballerina. Watching her as Nina, one can really see how dedicated she was for the movie. I shall not say further, lest I ruin the movie for you.

Oh yeah, you really should go and watch the movie. Esp. guys, you don't want to miss out the kissing scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis.

"I was perfect."

730th day

"I want you to know that no matter what happens between us in the future, I’ll always look back and fall in love all over again with you."

My favorite love songs of all time

-:Y- Hear-melting -Y:-

Christina Aguilera: Without You, Bound to You.

Robbie William: Angels.

Westlife: Every Little Thing You Do, Close, In This Life, That's Where You Find Love.

-:Y- Fun -:Y-

Boyzone: All That I Need

Taylor Swift: Hey Stephen, Mine.

10/27/10

An inception of an idea

Had a chat with one of my close friends today. I don’t know what got into him when he suddenly said, “How about you created a blog that completely dedicated to write about your boyfriend alone?” My first reaction was, “Are you crazy?” cos the sweet things that I wrote about my bf in my private diary will surely make even Shakespeare blushes and the bad things I wrote about him would make him enrage. Besides, I already have ten blogs under me (literally, which half of them I never updated anymore).

However, after one, two blank blinks, I actually think it’s a good idea. It would be a memento, a white board, and a decoder at the same time. A memento for myself, that decades from now, I’ll be able to look back and remember how much I’ve been loved and how much I’ve loved. A white board for other girls out there, to learn from my love story and decide for themselves, what kind of guy they should choose to accompany them in their life journey. A decoder for guys who keeps saying that girls are difficult to understand, so by reading my blog, they’ll see a relationship from a girl’s perspective.

So I’ve been thinking about it all the way home from my campus. I decided that I’d titled it Journey on Mars. No, not a plagiarism from 30 Seconds to Mars, although they are an inspiration. I just don’t want the title to be mushy like The Love of My Life or random like the one my friend recommended: Zee Zho Zhall Zot Ze Zamed (from He-Who-Shall-Not-be-Named). Just something easy to remember, artistic, and represent the purpose of the blog.

So.. look out. The Journey will start anytime soon. Thanks, kid, sometimes you’re quite inspirational too (translation: kadang2 loe pinter jg yah).

Hot and cold

Really, honestly, truly? There are only two things I want to see before I die, and they're the opposite of one another. Two of the most magnificent things on earth. One is of nature, one is of mankind. Both are mysterious. Both are my absolute favorite things on earth, yet I haven't seen both for real.

When I was younger, I had this friend whom I made scrapbook with. And in the book, we called ourselves 'winter girl' and 'summer girl' :D Guess which one am I? ;)

I've learnt..

..it's important to reply what other people leave on your Facebook wall.

Otherwise, there could be misunderstandings and sometimes, it could be hurtful.

Yep, that's how much Facebook has changed our lives.

Cherish everyone that walks by your life (even the annoying ones!), cos someday, they might walk away and you'd never see them again.

..life should be like train: it has a purpose, it knows where it's going and it has the motion needed to reach that destination.

- as been said by Dagny Taggart of Atlas Shrugged

The funny things in life

Along the way, I notice that there are many things that are (ironically) funny about this life. Or to be exact, about people. Here are some of them. I'll update this post when I find more funny things..

Funny how there's more freedom of speech, but fewer people who speak up their minds.

Funny how there are many who are conceited, but few who can truly love themselves.

Funny how when you've never experienced something, you have no problem living without it. But once you've tasted something --anything.. you crave it, miss it, addicted to it.

Funny how people don't like to be lied to, but only a few who can handle the truth.

30 Seconds to Mars - Hurricane + Alibi (live acoustic piano) 19/03/2010 in Vienna

It's expensive to be a woman..

..when you're happy, you want to celebrate with shopping.

..when you're sad, you want to cheer yourself up with shopping.

..when you're bored, you want to fill your time with shopping.

..when you're sick, you want to make yourself feel better with shopping.

But don't worry boys, SOME girls actually know how to earn their own money to spend (and some boys actually ask money from them).

Mrs. vs Mistress

I had a dream last night. I think I read Atlas Shrugged too much; too obsessed. The dream was very much like the lame Korean TV series (sorry for those who's insulted), but nevertheless affected my mood in the morning. Esp. when I'm not a morning person and I'm pretty much bored in this glorious Saturday.

Anyway, the gist of the dream was, my bf in the real world -Z- was actually married and I'm just his mistress. In the dream, I had an illness and was dying (told ya it's like Korean TV dramas!). Ironically, Z's wife was my friend but she didn't know about our affair and she's the one who came to my house to take me to hospital. When I was in her car, Z was there, with their children too. But Z refused to talk to me, or even acted like he knew me at all.

It feels so sad. You know how the feelings are real even though it's just a dream. And it got me thinking, I used to think that it's better to be mistress (no arguments yet, please):

Wife: Clean up the house, take care of the kids, cook, wash, iron, deal with the in-laws, live at the mercy of monthly allowance from the husband, no time to dress up and exercise > accused of being ugly slob.. *the list goes on*

Mistress: Need only to attend to the guy once in a while, have time for career and exercise and shop, get expensive stuffs and gifts from the guy, no need to attend to the in-laws.

Well, you get the idea. But of course, I know better now. The above statements work only when you don't love the guy. When you do love the guy, it's miserable to be the second lady -or nobody at all, depends on the mercy of the guy. Imagine the feeling of being abandoned when you need him and how he won't recognize you in public. Imagine the torment (esp. when you're dying like in my dream)!

So remember the next time you're in a cross-road of choices: don't ever want to be the number 2 and don't ever get involved with an attached guy. I can give you a long cliché reasons and arguments, but here's a short one: if you believe you deserve nothing less than the best things, don't.

Additions: Seems like this blog has aroused lots of strong opinions. I guess I have to straighten few things out. So don't complain if this most has become longer, you better read it all, you asked for it.
First of all, the reason why I mentioned Atlas Shrugged is cos there's a sideways story of the main character where she's become a so-called mistress. That particular story affected me so much that I kept thinking about it. And that's probably why I dreamt what I dreamt, cos when I read/watch something, I tend to think too much about it. When I think too much about it, I tend to dream about it.

Secondly, I said 'lame Korean dramas' just for the story line. I didn't compare or mix the two (Atlas Shrugged and Korean dramas) together; there's no way for me to do so. The story line of my dream is lame, but there's nothing lame about the feelings. Imagine you're at the edge of life and the person you love the most was there, but refuse to acknowledge you. It's not lame, it's heartbreaking.

Thirdly, let's not take life literally, shall we. 'Wife' or 'mistress' are just labels. Failure of human language; my bad. What I meant earlier was, being the mistress is being the number 2 (or beyond) in a guy's life. You could be married to him legally, have a ring with his name on it on your ring finger, but if he couldn't care less if you leave him anytime, then you're not more important than his job or his maid, therefore, you're just a mistress by definition.
Or on the other side, you both could be just 17 y.o., but he shares everything with you, from his dreams to his phobia, from his strengths to his weaknesses. Then you're already his "wife". Get it? Oh well, "if you don't understand, I can't explain it."