Cry Ophelia

It's funny how the heart tries to forget...
To eliminate, to shut out the unbearable.
But the curtain between reality and illusion
is still too thin.
The biting cold lingers,
drifts in stealthily...
Hits you in the chest when you least expect it.

Yet, the heart tries to forget.
Lest the mind goes wandering....

Return of my long-lost childhood friend....

Guess who my mum found while clearing out the store-room? :)

Alternate Title for Alias

Last nite, May and I were ranting about Alias again (yes, freaks tt we are!)....specifically about how depressing it was that Sydney Bristow had NO FRIENDS in Season 3. This was May's response: "good, she deserves NONE. she's a curse. everyone she knows DIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. heh heh hehhhh."

She's just upset that her fav character, Will, was pulled out from the show. heh! After that we proceeded to consolidate a list of characters who died (well, seems like nearly all of them had a turn! go figure.).....and RETURNED from the grave. Nobody ever REALLY dies on TV. Chey!
So May designed this pic in 'celebration' of our fav TV show. She came up with such a winner of a tag-line too.....i was in fits of laughter for the longest time.

The French and The Saunders: Lord of the Rings

This is a wicked,genius of a parody by French and Saunders. I love the Brits! They're so irreverent. It's quite a lengthy clip, but oh so worth it! :)

I'd let you know some of my fav bits...but I think it wld ruin the fun for u guys. Hehe! Enjoy!!!

Apple "Get a Mac" ad: Work vs Home

This is sooooo creative, and so hilarious! Andrea and I just adore the entire series of the "Get a Mac" ads. To view the rest, just go to http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

Silly

You know that you're really tired and zombified when you try to open the front door of your house with your EZ-LINK CARD. heh! But that's not the end of the story....i then proceeded to struggle with the key, cos I didn't realize I was turning it the wrong way. Nevermind tt.....I later sent out an sms to M, when I really meant to send it to C. Sigh.

An Evening Stroll

I was taking a break from work, when i decided to walk to Thomson Plaza (or YAOHAN as some old-school pple still insist upon). You know when they storm out and say "I'm going out for a walk" or "I just need some fresh air" on TV.....and it seems totally ridiculous and unreal, cos nobody says that in real life. But the whole 'goin for a walk' idea is really quite refreshing...for me at least. Should do it more often....esp. since I am gonna be shifting soon. *sobz* I'll miss thomson!

So there I was....taking it all in. It was a breezy, peaceful, beautiful night....and I found myself talking to God, and hearing His beautiful voice during that little stroll. :) It was one of those "Yes God, it's just you and me" type of moments....just lovely. I had to make a mental note to myself, not to laugh and sing aloud in public. haha! This has happened quite a few times.....me giving strangers on the streets a little shock, as I like to sing softly on my way home. Well, it's late when I go home! I just kinda assume nobody's walking abt.

Anyway, God gave me many exciting ideas for the new syllabus...which was so absolutely cool, I was furiously typing them into my phone, so as not to forget. I'm so grateful, cos i've been hitting a writer's block, which can be so frustrating! Also felt prompted to pray for the Australians (ie. Pam and Audrey)...who are having exams, major assignments down under.

Then I suppose...by association, my evening stroll reminded me of my holiday in Sydney last Nov. Eunice and I spent many chilly nights, wrapped up in our warm jkts, walking around the city area. Of course, most of the shops would be closed at that time, except for eateries and Cole's (the huge supermkt),which we frequented almost every night. (and i was walking to Thomson Plaza to buy groceries, specifically Nutella,...hence the association lah.)

I really need to travel again man. Heh! I wld like to actually wear my pink Zara jkt! It's not been worn since i bought it last Dec (read.....temperate country!!).

Flowers in my hair

The more work I have to do, the more frivalous and bimbotic I get. Interesting correlation eh?
Yesterday, i met up with Rie and May for dinner.....and we ended up at Metro gushing over and trying out super sweet, gu-niang hair-bands/ hair-clips/ scarfs/ hats etc. (wait, i shld clarify....it was Rie and I gushing...May was like all irritated, and "can we go do something fun?")

In the end, Rie bought 2 lovely scarfs at $5 each (they looked like the came out of "Felicity"!),
and I bought a glam blue hair-band, and a clip with sweet pink flowers attached to it (think Jasmine Trias). This reminds me of my stressful honours days in NUS......I remember getting so thrilled when Shujun bought me this flower comb thingy....i shrieked so happily, "i've got flowers in my hair!!!!" :) Hey, you've got to entertain yourself somehow, when u're stuck all day in a little office cubicle k. haha!

The past few days, I've been meaning to get down to serious syllabus planning in the office (since its supposed to be term break n all, so no lessons). But somehow, there've been lotsa surprise visitors to the office, and quite a few tea-sessions/ dinners with frens and students.....which is all incredibly fun, catching up with them....but it also means less productivity for me...which gets me kinda worried and jittery.

Gosh, i hope i manage to clear my work before the term starts again!!
(sorry frens, if i've been tardy in answering your smses/ msn msges...or worse still, forgetting to answer u at all! Been quite engrossed in work.)

Oh....final random comment: is it just me who's ignorant, or does everyone know that there is some unspoken rule with regards to cereal??? I got yelled at by Rie n May when i asked if you could mix KoKoKrunch with other cereal (erm, i personally like to mix it with milo balls, or honey stars). [don't ask me why we're talking abt cereal. we have this 'Seinfeld-istic' friendship...where we just sit ard talking abt nothing. heh! ]

"*horrified gasp, accompanied by threatening murderous look* Did you just BLASPHEME against the Koko Krunch???" (like its some entity lor)
" That's just gross man..."
" You can only mix them if they're geometrically similar" (ie. Koko krunch being crescent shaped, cannot be mixed with round milo balls etc)
"But they're different colours!!"

River

(Central Park, NYC)

"I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on..."- 'River' by Joni Mitchell

Listen to this playlist at: http://jazzymoo.multiply.com/music
1) River- Joni Mitchell
2) Waiting in Vain- Annie Lennox
3) Never saw blue like that- Shawn Colvin
4) Here comes the flood- Peter Gabriel

Spin Doc

I've uploaded A LOT of new music onto my multiply site. http://jazzymoo.multiply.com/music
Do I hear cheers? Yes, go on and download away......Steph, I did this for you esp!!! haha!
Looks like I've become a blogger's spin doctor eh? Well, with iTunes...it's definitely become a lot easier to organize my music, and create playlists.

Anyway, you can expect some live jazz, rock, Christian rock too, and some soundtrack music on the newly uploaded playlists. All good stuff basically! Groove along to the sweet sounds of Eva Cassidy, Sarah McLachlan, Creed, Delirious?, Sonicflood, Salvador, Abe Laboriel, Blur, U2 etc.

21 Things

I got tagged by Rie to share 21 things that have happened to me since 1st Jan 2006. Yupz, we all like to do 'quizzes' like these. heh! This particular quiz has helped me to pause and reflect on the past yr though.....so tt was gd. Ok...so here's the list....some points are deep, some are just plain frivalous. :)

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1) I've realized anew that it's a huge blessing, and relief to find solace in music. Sometimes, the music is really your most constant and loyal friend when you're at your lowest.

When no one is there, you just pick up that guitar/keyboard and sing a tune....and *magic*....immediate comfort! I know that sounds really dark....but I think music folk will attest to the truth of that statement. Anyway, it was my boss who mentioned it....and i was furiously nodding my head in absolute agreement. There is something profound and deeply spiritual about music.

2) I attended a worship conference 2 wks back, "Saturate"....and it's really been a while since I've gone to one. It was a very simple affair....but the song-writing workshop really moved and refreshed me. The speaker, Ben Gowell (who has such a gorgeous, warm singing tone, and is incredibly cute and who plays guitar for Paul Baloche. I was smitten...but he's married. Darn darn!), mentioned a few memorable quotes that really revived a forgotten dream in my heart:

"song-writing is a great responsibility...it's about putting words into the mouths of God's people"

"Never underestimate small moments of inspiration....keep a song-writing journal"

"Always be tuned in to the spiritual realm"

"Song-writing is life set to music"

"the best songs are honest songs"

Hence, one of my key bible verses for the year is:
" My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer." -Psalm 45:1

3) My best friend Lishan has claimed that I'm subconsciously becoming like my mother, who loves to decorate spaces. Now that I have my own desk at the office....I've been bringing ridiculous things like pink cushions; pink teddy bear chairs (yes, seriously. haha!), photo frames, potpurri, Lord of the rings calendars/bkmarks....to make my work space more homely and comfy. Like my boss observed from my personality test results, I have a strong nesting instinct. haha!

4) Like quite a few of you out there, I've been on a dvd TV series/sitcom rampage. It's really become a nightly routine that I sit down and watch my dvds before I sleep. It helps me to wind down....and well, besides bringing laughter and entertainment....I do feel that there are lessons to be learnt in these shows too. Afterall, the best shows are those that pple can relate strongly to. :)

So far...the shows that have kept me up at night are: Frasier, Friends (classic lah!), Seinfeld, Buffy, Felicity, and Alias (!!!).

5) I've gotten an aromatherapy massage at the Amrita Spa (Raffles the Plaza). This was about 2 wks back. It was free, cos Lishan had a $100 voucher. How shiok rite?? haha! It was absolutely heaven.....i want to go bk!!!

6) I've been trying to cook more...even though it's only been baby steps with portobello mushrooms (with cheese and italian herbs), and pasta (Marks n Spencer has lovely sauces!).

7) I realize how much my grandma and aunts really love me, as reflected from their generous, sacrificial actions.

8) My life has been an exhausting emotional roller-coaster since Jan.....yes, a lot of you have commented on how drama my life is. Relationships, friendships, family probs, new responsibilites at work etc. But it's not been 'exciting' as you think.....just really draining. Never had to go thru so much drama before, in a span of a few mths. I just pray I don't become numb at the end of it all.

9) Old and new friendships have really been subjected to harsh tests. It's been painful seeing some friendships (that in my mind were seemingly strong) crumble and turn sour.....it was heartbreaking to be misunderstood and worse still, betrayed. It showed me that relationships are so volatile and unpredictable......and that there are so many sides to pple, some aspects of their characters only appear in certain circumstances. It's been shocking.....hurtful....and certainly made me re-evaluate the notion of trust. The ones closest to you, are the ones who hurt you most.

On the flip-side...it's during times of crisis that you see who your real friends are.....these are the ones who really go the extra mile for you, who will truly stand by you, those who REALLY know the real you, and they come out as gold in these awful situations. Thank you, you know who you are. :) Well...with regards to friendships.....as cliche as it is....you win some, you lose some.

9) I'm not one who opens up easily to pple.....I really only let a select few into my inner world. But once I do....it's usually a very deep connection. I've discovered that i live to make that meaningful connection with people! That's why I love to sing, teach, and write. :)

10) I remember a dear bro mentioning this to me end of last yr. "You're stronger than you think you are" (this was after I told him in exasperation that I was sick of being strong for myself...for so long). But now I realize that what he says is true....and it probably applies for a lot of you out there as well. We'll all go thru our times of testing....I like to quote Bono from U2. "It's just a moment, this moment will pass."

11) I've been appreciating my students all over again. Thank God for students who cheer me up, crack ridiculously funny jokes in class, and encourage me with their warm affirmation.

12) I've made more long-distance phonecalls/ smses in the past few mths, than I've ever made in my entire life. Specifically, to Australia....where Pam and Audrey are, my precious ones. :) Indeed, mere distance will not come between true friendships

13) Ever since I've gotten my new MacBook and iPod....i've gotten a bit better at techy language/specs. (eh, last time, i didn't even know wot RAM or wot a USB port was!) Of course, huge amt of credit must go to May...who is like my friendly, neighbourhood IT consultant. She knows everything mann!!! hurhur!

14) I've eaten prata more often than I usually do in the past few mths. Thanks to May again! The Roti Prata shop at Thomson road has become our hang-out place for many late nites now....and we've had a few strange encounters with the staff there too.We concluded that the staff there are suffering from serious lack of sleep (since its 24 hrs), which is why they look and act like they're high on drugs, and say the weirdest things to us.

15) Going to Ikea is therapeutic for me. I thoroughly enjoy it. Mustafa is quite exciting too!! :) Rie and I had the most fun with our little game of "who can find the ugliest hand-bag" there.

16) I've been at my most productive creatively in the past 2 mths. Have never written SO MUCH poetry before!. The emotional drama has been a trigger...and the writing has proved to be an important avenue of release for me.

17) My drawer has accumulated lotsa new jewellery lately...courtesy of my grandma who has passed down to me her vintage jewellery, and her diamond bracelet. (i am a sucker for bling!)

18) For those of you dunno yet, my house has been sold. And I will be moving soon, to my grandma's place. ('room-warming' gifts will be appreciated). Uprooting from Bishan to Hougang will be sad....cos May and Rie are all around the thomson area. Bleahhh. No more Liquid Kitchen/ prata at thomson.

19) I've gotten addicted to "Blueberry muffin cereal" from Post. It's like summer in a bowl. :)
Interestingly, I got the urge to buy cereal cos I saw Sean, Julie, and Ben eating it for breakfast on "Felicity". haha! Then Bernice recommended that I try this cereal.

20) I've applied eye-cream/face-cream/ facial mask more than ever......the company shld give us gals a cosmetics/beauty pdts allowance I say. haha!

21) I actually completed a bk!!! Philip Yancey's "Rumours of another world". It's not that I read slowly...but it's tough to keep up the reading when you're working. So completing this bk is quite an accomplishment. I'm now on my 2nd Yancey bk. Yay!


I now tag: Audrey, Andrea, May (ehhh, u kena tagged TWICE! ha!), Steph, Pammy!

Shoot Me!

L: What's with your msn pic man? You Alias freak.
Me: I wanna join the CIA!!! Yeah yeah!!
L: Shoot me first.
Me: *slightly annoyed by now, because that's like the 2nd/ 3rd request to be shot in the wk*
Oh get in line!

Where's Will?

Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper) VS Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan)

(This is for you M. You know who you are. Yes, I cannot believe I'm actually posting this up.)

I have a theory, when you hit 25/26 you tend to hit a quarter-life existential crisis. Mebbe we've been engineered/ designed tt way. It just seems like way too many pple ard me, at my age are going thru some sort of massive career/ educational/personal upheaval. And this week alone....I've heard so many dear frens whine "I wanna go home!!!!! Take me home God!!!!!!" (home as in our real home in heaven of course. Earth can really suck. Thank God we're just passing thru) I totally identify with their feelings, cos I've been crying tt out to God too. Yupz....sometimes its just all too much to take. How far is heaven eh?

Ah well.....when times get stressful, it's the stupid, silly things that keep you sane. (whoa! check out my alliteration. hehhhh!) That is why, M and I have been having this huge online debate over who is the hotter guy from "Alias". Will Tippin (reporter who is Sydney's best friend) or Michael Vaughn (her handler in the CIA, and bf). Notice how it's Felicity all over again....same director for both shows too. J.J Abrams. Will being Noel here, and Vaughn as Ben. Sean is still there as Ben/ Vaughn's best friend too....except his Alias character's name is Eric Weiss. But we still refer to him as Sean anyway.

I actually really like them both, but if i were in Sydney Bristow's shoes...I think I'd have to lean towards Vaughn. M fiercely disagrees of course.....with protests of "Will hot. Vaughn not!"; "Burrow the furrow!" (erm...tt was in reference to Vaughn's furrowed eye-brows.) Feel free to take your own stand on this. haha! But well, we both agree that it was very disappointing and upsetting that Will disappeared during the 3rd season of Alias....he got into some witness protection scheme. Bah!

WHERE'S WILL??????? WHERE'S OUR DORKY REPORTER DUDE??? BRING HIM BACKKKKK WE SAY!!!!

(at this point of time....M wants to be a ninja, and I want to join the CIA, and learn how to shoot a gun, or wotever sharp objects at pple. I'm not even going to bother explaining why. haha!)

Alias

I've been an Alias junkie lately.....been watching episode after episode in the DVD box set. Well, anything to distract me from the stresses of syllabus planning. haha! Seeing agent Sydney
Bristow (Jennifer Garner lah!) kick-ass is very gratifying too. Stop rolling your eyes....I like to live vicariously can? Curiosity got the better of me, and I even visited the the CIA's official website. www.cia.gov

If you're feeling boliao like me....you can even do the CIA career quiz. It's quite lame lah. haha! My result was "Thoughtful observer", and May's was "Daring thrill-seeker". Rie....you know you wanna do it. HAHA! http://cia.gov/employment/CIAMyths.html

Anyway, back to Alias. This line is my one of my favs:
Sydney Bristow (to some stupid bad guy): Move out of my way. Or I will MAKE you move out of my way.

Woohoo!

Homesick

"A song for someone who needs somewhere to long for.
Homesick.
Because I no longer know where home is." - Kings of Convenience, 'Homesick'

One for the musicians....

This joke was shamelessly copied from Airhole's blog. Thanks bro!

If you get it, it's really hilarious! I apologize to the non-musicians for this rather geeky music joke. :p

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C, an E-flat, and G go into a bar. The bartender says: “Sorry, but we don’t serve minors.” So, the E-flat leaves, and the C and the G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished: the G is out flat.

An F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. A D comes into the bar and heads straight for the bathroom saying, “Excuse me, I’ll just be a second.”

An A comes into the bar, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices a B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and exclaims: “Get out now! You’re the seventh minor I’ve found in this bar tonight.” The E-flat, not easily deflated, comes back to the bar the next night in a 3-piece suit with nicely shined shoes.

The bartender (who used to have a nice corporate job until his company downsized) says: “You’re looking sharp tonight, come on in! This could be a major development.” This proves to be the case, as the E-flat takes off the suit and stands there au natural. Eventually, the C sobers up and realizes in horror that he’s under a rest. The C is brought to trial, is found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an upscale correctional facility.

On appeal, however, the C is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all accusations to the contrary are bassless. The bartender decides, however, that since he’s only had tenor so patrons, the soprano out in the bathroom, and everything has become alto much treble, he needs a rest and closes the bar.

Misread

Kings of Convenience never cease to amaze me with their music, that is at once enchanting, lyrical, creative (with their arrangements), and humourous too!! Check out the 2nd song below, "I'd rather dance with you"....the lyrics are quite funny, guys can relate to it I'm sure. The tune is very groovy too. haha!

The 1st song I've posted, "Misread", reminded me of something a dear friend is going through. I dun wanna write your name here tho'. Anyway, the song hit me with its ironic blend of breezy instrumentation and stark, honest lyrics that are so real....the truth behind it all cuts like a knife. Unexpected combination.

Listen to tracks from their album "Riot on an Empty Street" here:
http://jazzymoo.multiply.com/music


Misread
========

If you want to be my friend
and you want us to get along
Please do not expect me to wrap it up
and keep it there.
The observation I am doing could easily
be understood as cynical demeanour
But one of us misread
What do you know
It happened again

A friend is not a means you utilize
to get somewhere
Somehow didn't notice
Friendship is an end-
What do you know,
It happened again.

How come no one told me
All throughout history
The loneliest people were the ones
who always spoke the truth?
The ones who made a difference
withstanding indifference.
I guess it's up to me now.
Should I take the risk,
or just smile?
What do you know,
It happened again.

I'd Rather Dance With You
======================
I'd rather dance with you than talk with you
so why don't we just move into the other room
There's space for us to shake,
and "hey, I like this tune".
Even if I could hear what you said,
I doubt my reply would be interesting for you to hear.
Because I haven't read a single book all year,
And the only film I saw-
I didn't like it at all.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.

The music's too loud
And the noise from the crowd increases
the chance of misinterpretation.
So let your hips do the talking.
I'll make you laugh by acting like the guy who sings,
and you'll make me smile by really getting into the swing.
I'd rather dance than talk with you.