Flower Power 2

Mood: immersed in the dramatic overtures of Phantom of the Opera



CONIFER [See Blog-entry dated Dec 05, 2005]
AGE: 3 weeks old
HEIGHT: 11.5 inches [0.5 inches taller]
CONDUCT: shedding grain-sized acorns
by the bucket; the cutest thing
to sit inside my window sill.
TIP: this breed of conifer do not scorch
under direct sunlight, so allow it to drink
up the warmth of the sun!



Be wary of what you say: You never know when you have to eat your words *lor*. [See Blog-entry dated Dec 05, 2005 for what this writer accused about flowering plants] I introduced an orchid sister to my conifer. Why had I overlooked this breed of flower?

FENGSHUI TIP: For those born in the year of the SNAKE, place a plant that has red/purple bloom, such as orchid, is rumored to encourage luck in romance. Unlike GARDENIA, my orchid baby is as much a breeze as care-taking for my conifer. There are pretty things which aren’t a pain in the ass.


ORCHID
AGE: A week old
BLOOM: 23 [9 more from date of purchase]
CONDUCT: standing prettily immediately behind my front door, welcomes me home with her reddish-purple bloom.
TIP: even though orchids adore moist conditions, its roots ain't too happy sitting in water or very moist soil...use charcoal instead of soil in pots...charcoal absorbs water and time-release it as moisture!


*Which plant shall I bring in to accompany the existing two?* anyone with an informed suggestion: perhaps an herbal one, such as basil or dill?

Christmas

VENUE: Home
WHATS ON: Ocean’s 11

Of all the festive occasions, Christmas warms my heart most. *3 seconds of the ‘am-I-sure’ frown* 100% Yes!

Perhaps because Christmas is a celebration I wasn’t born into. Chinese New Year is an event I enjoy by the colour of my skin; birthday [the perfect excuse to turn narcissistic] is…was the product of my parent’s decision or pleasure or both. Ideally, my birth date would either be 16th September or 29th September so I could be blessed either with the social charisma Minister Lee Kuan Yew had or the good looks that made Won Bin hot. Delusional Cow, I am!

Christmas, very simply, I chose to celebrate it. Yes, I am talking about those of you who had received a present and/or text messages that goes beyond those over-sent greetings. "Thank you!" You had given to me, sometimes more than I deserved. This song speaks my mind at this instance:

"Nothing comes from nothing

nothing ever could,

So somewhere in my youth or childhood

I must have done something good"

*Teary-eyed…reach for tissue…wipe away the extra-spicy sauce of the corners of mouth..continue to munch on favourite fried chicken*

X’MAS EVE

Kicked off the day with the exchange of gifts with a good friend over an expensive MOS BURGER lunch…gave him a CD which he recently bought *dramatic gasp*…received a miniature MENTHOS sweet dispenser that reads “Sperm Balls”...*dramatic i'm-not-sure-what-to-say pause*...I hoped he liked his lousy present as much as I found mine cute!

Spent a brief hour shopping along the funky district at BUGIS…old age worn us down…rooted ourselves inside a café and tried to revive our [late-20’s] old bones with tea…and we came to an agreement that we prefer people watching at FAR EAST…our cuties are all there…[Yup! Good friends make cheap thrills fun!]

Are you a Bernese Mountain Dog?

According to Which Breed of Dog Are You, I am a…

Bernese Mountain Dog

No bones about it, you're a good-hearted, people-loving Bernese Mountain Dog. Down-to-earth and loyal, no one works or plays harder than you do. You put your nose to the grindstone when it really counts, but you never neglect your social calendar. Simultaneously strong and sweet, you're very tuned-in to the feelings and needs of the other dogs you run with. Without having to be asked, you always have a helping paw to lend and a sympathetic shoulder to lean on. "Communication" is your middle name, and when that's paired with your unswerving devotion, you get a breed that everyone respects and trusts. Woof!


Do me a favour. Go for the test; Tell me which dog you are. Aren’t you curious what kind of dogs are out there, reading the same writer’s blog as you are? Your match in heaven may be out there reading this now…So place a comment on which dog you are, and who knows u might be this lucky care bear!

My Chinese Otanjoubi

VENUE: Bedroom
MUSIC: Swaying to *Day Break*

This Lisa Ekdahl's piece articulates my mood most aptly when I am in a good one. In a good mood, my mind has a sense of clarity. Therefore I realise that six posting have gone by, and this very writer has not satisfied curiosity with the 'must-have' introduction of himself.

*shy shy smile* Do I need to?... ... ...*silence*... ... ...Very well, I will take silence as consent *wink*

I was born in the year of the Fire Snake [1977], in the month of Taurus [May] and in the day of the Fire Rat [19th]

For those of you with a thirst for Chinese astrology, seeking to find out accurately which day horoscope you are, you need two tools to help you.

FIRST TOOL: You need a Western-Chinese Calendar Converter. Input your birth date, and it will assign 2 Chinese characters each to your birth year, month, day and hour. This would be the 8 CHARACTER that Chinese has used to chart a person’s character for many moons before Christopher Columbus even discovered America. Please choose a calendar converter based on the Gregorian Calendar unless you are more than 423 years old. In that case, I'm afraid you are a product of the Julian Calendar instead.

The Western horoscope has its own devise to translate your birth year, month, day and hour. But instead of 8 CHARACTER the Western astrology has 12 HOUSES. I have decided against using the Western horoscope because of a [how shall I say this nicely] complication. There are actually 13 star signs and not just 12, as conventional wisdom has dictated. The 13th sign sits between Libra and Scorpio, is known as the Serpent Bearer. This complication draws throbbing pain to my lazy mind, and I turn to the Chinese horoscope with comfort, and without such arithmetic complications.

SECOND TOOL: The HEAVENLY STEM and EARTHLY BRANCHES charts. These 2 charts convert your 8 CHARACTER into familiar concepts such as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth and the 12 animal signs. By now, you will have enough information to calculate [apply common sense if all else fails] any types of compatibility, from date to job.



ADVANCE TOOL: If you are looking for a good relationship compatibility, the horoscope of your birth year is the least important. The horoscope of your day is the information you need. Followed by the month you were born. Even the hour you crashed into this world is prior to the year in importance. There is a system of logic behind this importance but I am too lazy to post it here. You would have to take my word for it.

ILLUSTRATION: I am born in the day of a Rat. In Chinese animal signs compatibility, the number 6 is a big no-no unless you have a taste for Potter-Malfoy sadism. I would be wise to avoid a person born in the day of a Horse which is 6 animal signs away.

You don’t need a fortune teller to chart your 8 CHARACTER. You only need me. *Count Dracula laughter* Dare you to give your birth details to me to translate. Of course, subjected to avaliability of time and how politely you ask...

Fly Me To The Moon

VENUE: Living Room, watching a re-run of ALIAS
MOOD: Unemployed, sulky.

I love jazz. Doris Day's rendition of Fly Me To The Moon brushes away most of the stress of the day. I love to sing along with her. Sadly, I sound like Phoebe [from F.R.I.E.N.D.S] but blessed with EQ. I am aware of other pairs of ears around me. I can shut up and content myself with mere listening...*9 seconds later*...Think i better keep my mouth occupied with ice cream, some berries and chocolate thrown in.

I am not terribly fond of Christmas this year. I have no date to affectionately kiss at the stroke of midnight or none to cuddle alongside 2 cups of warm coffee. I had no date last year. Still, I had a fruitful Christmas 2004. I was working in my cafe last year, celebrating my customers' Christmas. Gave this couple a pair of perfume; and this other pair of children, special kid's XMAS meals. This year, I am jobless and dateless for Christmas. How hopeless can it get beyond this?

9 Reasons

I am a film director. I name the movie, you follow my direction and watch it. I haved included reasons why you should watch the films, *of course!* but mostly, so you have a excuse to feel intelligent about it. My reasons are subjective and are a product of my belief/delusion that I KNOW films well. You may choose to doubt my reasons, but I am a film director. I name it, you watch it. The best cinematic experience is to go watch a film you are not familiar with, enjoy the throbbing sensation of not knowing what you are going to get. Trust me.....

DISCLAIMER! Some of the pictures are not snapshots of the movies listed here. They are good looking nevertheless.


1. Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le: If there is a modern fairy-tale you should indulge in, reward yourself to this romantic masterpiece. You'll love the actress, her story and all the colours that comes with it. [See Picture, Left] if you find at least one metaphor of yourself in any of Amelie's encounters, *congratulations!* you are human after all!


2. Persona: As complex as Ulysses is to Literature in the genre of film, you will appreciate a 'normal' film better OR grow to become picky about 'normal' film thereafter... ...if not, at least you know the inspiration behind ABBA's music video!

3. Silence of the Lambs: Bloodthirsty suspense. If you want to know how to edit a film to outwit your audience, analyze this one. *You may want to use this film to prepare the faint-hearted for surgical elements*

4. Grave of the Fireflies: If you want to know how children cope in the climate of war....Or simply cast a change from Uncle Sam-manufactured animations....Please watch!

5. Gosford Park: Watch this closely and you realise that there isn't any scene where the characters are alone. As long as you are willing to watch it beyond the murder mystery, you will witness a finely-tuned commentary on how people are constantly monitored by their social status in spite of who they really are.

6. Teaguki: Won Bin. The beautiful actor who is the first to make it socially acceptable for a man to cry, to display tears as affection, in Korea. And for the rest of the world, it is OK if you have a big brother to protect and pamper you, especially in the context of war. How romantic!


7. La Chambre de Officiers: In the event that a war makes a man disfigured, what becomes of him? We have films that honours heroes who died in the line of duty, and some, thankfully, become classics we remember about. What about those that appreciate those who are in physical or emotional truama because of war. Few become classics memories in this theme. I hope this one is!


8. Se7en: If you want to stir up interest about the importance of the deadly sins, why don't you mention Brad Pitt is inside this one. And the masterful pace of the storytelling will do the rest. And remember to watch it twice to catch how many times the villian was right there at the crime scene but went unnoticed!


9. Brazil: This film is bizzare. Go watch and persuade me otherwise.

Ground Hog Date

VENUE: Undiscolsed but trust me, it is cursed!
MOOD: Love is Going...

DISCLAIMER: The story is true but the names has been changed to protect the embarrassed and closeted.

Once upon a time, about eight weeks ago, there was a Prince Manabu who wished upon his Conifer plant. [Read Blog dated 5 Dec 2005 Flower Power] He prayed to find a worthy prince, bring him home, and look after one another happily ever after. The Prince kicked off 3 blind dates with such a heck of a 'Cinderella-Dream'. So far, it all ended in 'Shrek-Reality'.

PART 1: TWO's A DATE, THREE IS...WHAT THE HELL?!

During a 2 hour conversation

Date No.3: "I like the center room of your house more than
your chic bedroom because I can see a display of books."
Prince: "Ah! But i have 4 wooden crate of good books hidden in
my chic..." [interrupted]
Date No. 3: "Because the room I have now has fucked up setting
in that I have no shelves to impress with a shelf
of books....By the way, I'm attached."
Prince: *eyes darted in surprise. Vaguely, a scene from Desperate Housewifes flashed across his mind. But before he could put a finger to the ass of that thought...*

Date No. 3: "But I hope you don't ask me anything about what
I just said...'cos if it is OK with you...I won't
want to answer..."
Prince: [grab hair with one hand] "Of course it is not OK..."
Date No. 3: "I hope we can still be platonic friends"

Prince: [bedroom starst to spin] *of course! we just did IT to become platonic friends! makes utter sense, of course!* BUT the Prince instead said "Yeah...Partly 'cos I won't want to be the other guy"

It turns out on two occasions, his dates already has their princes.

*Darn! Think i have got to start drinking heavily soon. Wait a minute! I should stalk them both and force a sum to keep all our bedroom liasion quiet. Then, I could use those money to drink even more heavily...*

There is a second half to this tale. It is too much like a tabloid to post. You know, sex...and more sex. But if u are privately curious or simply want to finish what I started, write in with your mail address.

20 Japanese Keeps Insomnia Away

VENUE: On a noisy MRT train heading home
MOOD: People can't help but stare at owner's of foreign language story books

It takes 10 new, Japanese words to bring me into a foul mood. Learning another 10 in a day puts me to sleep. I suck at studying hard. [Yes, I know.] I break out in cold sweat thinking how I had to be in constant trauma when I was learning not one, but two languages as a child.

When I first began to have interest in the Japanese language, it was not about the language at all. I wanted to look smart and cute in the Japanese school attire. [See Picture: If you have a sharp eye, the 4 young men are laughably too old to be in school. So am I. They still look smart and cute in it. Now that is the point...pause for dramatic emphasis]


***


Yet, a year and a half, and roughly 3000 Japanese vocabulary later, I am still reading the language. I have my reason to be intellectually masochistic. No, it has nothing to do with uniform. [Maybe a little still *wink*] It has to do with insurance.

When I pass the Elementary Level in Japanese, it was like paying the first premium in insurance. I was feeling good about myself and thought enthusiastically about how, one day, I will get to use it for my own benefit.

Intermediate and Advance Level came, passed and went. By now, I feel exhausted in the same way I feel spent paying for the insurance premium. I begin to realised how far away I am before I get to converse fluently with a Japanese man the same manner the matured amount in insurance can seem so far away half way through paying for it.

Still, it was intellectual suicide to stop and forfeit all the premium already paid. And so *Drum Roll!* I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2 on 4th DEC 2005...can bet on having NO date for Christmas that I will fail it...needed to take it to give me a direction to keep working towards. If not, I'll content to watch anime on Arts Central... ...*Heart Breaker!!!!*

This is my testimony to anyone who is struggling to give up learning a third language. Being masochistic in this course of action will bring you satisfaction...not to mention cute uniform...But I'm beginning to find Korean students looking a lot cuter. Now how? *User proceed to surf for sites on Korean language*...........

If you have a tip or two on speaking chic Japanese, won't you be so kind to post it up?

Flower Power

VENUE: Balcony @ Home
MOOD: Aged, but hormones keeps me disgruntedly awake STILL

A week ago, I came home with her [See Specimen picture, left] She is a member of the conifer family. Her cousin is the pine tree, and size does matter here. I would hate to lug a 10 footer baby tree home; when I can get them cute at 12 inches...oh la la? She inserts easily into my classic blue scandinavian vase.

I adore that she is not high-maintainance. Warm shots of morning sun and an inch of cool watering keeps her all perky this holiday season. [Easy to tell, her pointed leaves are all erect, not drooping.] Every few days, give her that extra surpise: keep her soil acidic with a few spoonful of leftover tea in the kitchen.

Certainly, she is not as dramatically pretty as a Gardenia. [See Bloom Speciemen below] I've raised one pot previously. She simply refused to re-bloom after her spectacular virgin blossom. This flower is blessed both with looks and aroma [most flowering plant has only either]. She also demands more attention, and attract unwanted visitors *bugs! yeek!* in larger flocks. Fertiliser is a must if one wishes to woo her into a blossom again... ...

My conifer cutie is an evergreen. Once you get USED to her ordinary prettiness, she will not disappoint you all year round by fading into a lower grade.

I may even get to see her bear miniature versions of the pine cones which is a classic 'posing tool' for squirrels, oft captured by nature photographers. But if you have a fetish for squirrels with nuts...I recommend you watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory *wink*

But of course, the size of cones my conifer cutie will bear *probably* can be mistaken as a grain of rice turned brown. The only kay-poh creature who would like to carry it away would be idiotic ants... ....

I am seeking someone with a crush on conifers too. Shall we chat over a warm cup of coffee?

A Little Night Education

VENUE: Komala's @ Peninsular, Coffee Club @ Raffles City
MOOD: Evening well spent

1st Dec, met with Korean maestro for dinner. Walking into CONRAD to pick him up, I became a little flustered, and heavily peppered with excitment.

What was I to expect of an acclaimed musician? Was I ill-prepared to bridge any artistic and intellectual disparity, between an amatuerish me and his professionalism? How the hell did I have the privilege to dine with an elite like he is? I almost cursed the lift bringing him down to stop working but I realised it will only mean he will be in a terrible mood when we eventually meet. A joyful masetro is better... ....

Safe and sound he came, and we met. Dressed in simple class, of white polo tee and beige pants, Bruce quickly put me at ease with his polite, articulate English spoken, and which is in such a comfortable accent to listen to [can!].

A man well informed, I picked up much in our rigorous conversation from Bruce about the ancestry of beautiful people in Korea. Did not know that, it is in statistics, the south-west territories of Sothern Korea has a higher incidence of good-lookers than any where else! I've got to buy a house on that district simply because it is most likely to be also populated with actors... ....

However, this list of actors are exhaustive. Anyone with a better list of darn hot Korean celebrities?