I was just thinking.....

happy thoughts..
take.time.for.REFLECTION.

oh.smile.for.us

wacky girls on a crazy bus

just us! for fun!

power.walk

Suddenly, it has been one week since I last blogged.We had 3 days off over the last weekend. Monday was a public holiday, being Vesak Day,when Buddhists celebrate Buddhism.

So anyway did i tell you that I took part in The Newpaper Big Walk with Kamahl? Ten kilometres! I don't know how much is that in miles, but it's a long way anyway (somebody pls convert that) =) So it took us almost 2 hours to complete the walk...and I thought I was making big progress with my small, quick steps! There were over 50,000 people (gasp!) so it was a scorching hot and sweaty event. I was glad I took part anyway, because I wanted to do something different and fun over the long weekend. So that morning, I woke up at 6.30am (again, another gasp!), picked up kamahl and his brother, adam, along the way and we were good to go. We plan to join again.

So this was it, nothing much. Just a small nugget of my humble activities over the weekend...

What have you been up to?

clarice.bean.teaches.me.a.lesson

What did I learn today from Clarice Bean?

That, sometimes how others feel is more important than what you think! Clarice Bean Spells Trouble was a very charming book I just read. She's whimsical and wise in a very childlike way.

So, the next time you're about to shoot off your mouth, remember clarice beans...


Clarice Bean Spells Trouble by Lauren Child

an.interview.with.god

I'm neither religious, not spiritual..but I really enjoyed this presentation. You may have already seen it..seeing how it has been hailed as a phenomenon. I've provided this link on my blog to share with all who visits my blog as well as for me to refer to, whenever I feel under the weather a.ka. picture above. Thanks Hazel..Check it out, it'll only take a few minutes, I promise! Click here.

Have a great weekend.

Yes, it's You!!!

Watching the 2- hour season finale of the Amazing Race last night, I've lost count of the number of times my heart almost leapt out of my chest. The race to the finish was nothing short of nail-breaking, hair-pulling excitement. I was yelling so loud my father came into my room asking me to please shut up.How could I? I wanted so much for the Agus (the black couple) to win. They had done everything right and faced all challenges with optimism and good attitude. How could anyone not root for them? In an earlier episode, Joyce even made the ultimate sacrifice, to shave off her crowning glory of long locks! No kidding!Till the very last leg of the race, a short distance from the finishing line (and a million dollars), they still had the presence of mind to think about paying the cab driver his due fare. They are such nice, decent people..so unlike Rob and Amber. (Rob maybe smart, but he is so ill-mannered and crude.) So anyway, I really felt very satisfied that they've won. I am so inspired by them and their love for each other. They're deserving winners, having fought (and begged) so hard...

the.need.for.space

Growing up in a very small country, I long for open spaces where I can take a breather. Space is a rare and expensive commodity in Singapore. Every little area of space has been converted into blocks of buildings, malls etc. We have so many malls in this tiny island...we really don't need another one. What's the point if they're all the same anyway? And because we're so small, everywhere I go is so crowded. Often, I end up getting more bothered than relaxed, after a day out.

To avoid all of that, Kamahl and I have taken to the beaches to unwind regularly. But even the beaches are getting crowded, especially the food centres.

Strangely enough, I've come to the realisation that this is not where I would like to spend the rest of my life in. I don't know..maybe in time to come, I'll have a change of mind. But I'm really quite sick of how cluttered and crowded this place is. I've no room for thoughts, no space for freedom. If I have a choice, I would make room for nature. I would leave the little pockets of whatever jungle, bonafide rivers we've, alone. But I don't.

In the end, I just have to retire to my cosy, yellow room, which is sadly, the only santuary I know of.

because.all.is.one

Meet Jack Jenkins...an adventurer and fellow blogger I stumbled upon and was compelled to find out more.

Check out:
MOAB WAYS

for poetry long forgotten..

Up, up and Up!

I'm seriously pissed! They've done it again! They've raised the prices of movie tickets yet again..barely after two years of price adjustment.

Movies have always been one of the greatest, best indulgences for Kamahl and I..we love watching movies. A typical date for us almost always consist of a movie plus dinner. Now with the price hikes (kicked in last Saturday), we've decided to turn to Cineleisure and Shaw House for our movies. They are the only organisations who are not raising prices. For most theatres, tickets will now cost $9.50 each on weekends and fridays! Weekdays tickets are not much better- between S$7-8.50. And forget popcorn. They cost almost as much as the stupid tickets.

How are they going to win the fight against piracy if they keep raising prices... I don't condone pirarcy but really, think about it, if it cost someone $3-10 to buy a pirated movie and keep it for life, why not? A typical movie date will easily come up more than 20 bucks anyway. Hey, we can count too! For every dollar you increase, you stand to lose ten other loyal movie patrons somewhere. The reasons they gave for raising prices hardly seem justified too. (We didnt asked for cushier seats, did we?)

Costs keep going up. For a change, somebody should lower prices.

Now, that would really grab our attention, wouldn't it?

what's the big hoo-haa??

Bloggers have been in the news lately. Mostly, negative publicity, I must add. Some local scholar based in the States decided to post some racist remarks on his blog and got some mud for it (here and abroad, in the US).
And there has been some issues about bloggers not taking responsibility for what they post, running the risk of getting sued. (I think most bloggers know better than to name names anyway.)

So...some professor in some university decided to write a long column in which he goes into details about how some bloggers assume 'a different persona' on their blogs and how some of them use their blogs as a means of stabbing people behind (or in front) of their backs. He touched briefly on the positives of keeping a blog but did not elaborate. I just remembered thinking..." this could only come from a non-blogger who clearly doesn't know his subject very well."

Starting this blog has affirmed my identity. It has become an extension of myself since this is where I express my thoughts and opinions quite freely. I can be myself on Dwellings, more than I can be myself in the office, or even at home sometimes!

Since starting this blog in Jan, I've...

- Made several new friends I would NEVER have otherwise met
- Keep in touch with old friends
- Hone my writing skills and mind
- Discovered an avenue to just let go and indulge
- Found support in the most unlikely places

I"ve also visited blogs where

- Bloggers share their interests and passions
- Share their views on political, societal issues
- Showcase their talent for poetry
- Find likeminded people who's gone through a similar emotional ordeal

I'm sure that for most people (besides that scholar), blogging has been more of a positive experience.
So really, what's the big hoo-haa? People like professors and scholars should just relax.