Wayward & Parliament

Gone with the furrowed brows and nagging doubts. Patho test killed us. But at least we are past the hurdle. Microscope slides is my nightmare. It’s tons worse than abstract art, because it’s not opinions they want from me. Answers I don’t have.

Back to discussing about school all over again. Term 2 is not that bad. (we have ph tomorrow!~ Living in a multi-racial country who’s been there and done that with all the racial riots and colour dissent is great.) I was so not looking forward to op-tech today because the word pindex gets this big question mark from me, having forgotten everything I’d watched from the demo video. But help along the way from various people like Liane & Justine did me a huge favour. Still lagging, but i’ll live one day at a time.

We had our first introductory lecture on periodontics. (I’m not going to discuss at length every single lesson that happened yesterday. not.a.record.log.) What I just want to mention is this interesting condition called furcation of something. Meaning extensive gum recession and all that jeez until the 2 roots (or 3) of the molar are visible to the naked eye. I bursted out laughing when I saw it. Giving the phrase ‘caught with your pants down’ a somewhat different connotation.

It’s becoming customary that we celeberate every completion of test. Bad or good, it’s not going to reduce our appetite anyway.  The nellites trotted to vivo for some thick good chocolate ice-cream. We sat on the blue benches blissful in our little (pretty) cups of Hei ice-cream and watched a photoshoot which was going on at a distance away from us. It was quite cool. Modelling is such an easy job open to the exchrisive few. So annoying. The rest of us unfortunate ones have to contend ourselves by peddling with what intellect and menial labour we can offer.

I’m starting to think that I can’t very well catch what people say to me. Did ants crawl up to my ears when I’m sleeping. All the eating on my bed, leaving crumbs for neither hansel nor gretel, having my parents pouncing at the chance to say “you see! I told you so!”  if they espy even one pathetic single ant. Or is all the nagging around me starting to take a toll on me, myself blurring the words people say just so i can classify them as white noise and continue with my oblivious and tranquilised state of mind.

Liane, Shuyan and I on our way back from lunch had this intriguing conversation when I posited my theory on what omnipresent really means when studying for the darned subject. We decided to take pathology application to a brand new level, meanwhile sharing our common dislike for a certain band of people, a certain school of something. Discovering a book is not discovering anything.

& I just realised I’ve been mispelling elicit for..probably ever since I learnt of this word. As illicit. dang. What went wrong. Along with the countless mispronunciations I say I’d been mangling the english vocabulary for a good many years.

Another significant monday

This is so upsetting. School starts tomorrow. The sunday night before usually pass with much dread and blahh. And to think last night Kay Eng said during our line dinner we should be happy that school starts tomorrow.

“That means the next holiday is coming!” 

Ten Weeks. Ten long weeks packed with back-to-back labs, lectures and tests.  

Eeleen was telling me how she & cara fervently count down the weeks to the next hols all the time. The brimming excitement when the mid-term mark is reached. “5th week already!”

& not that we can cherish what precious remaining time we have by bumming harder than usual at the eleventh hour. I spent my last days poring over robbins and trying in vain to prep myself for the upcoming test. I have no problems looking and touching livers, lungs,kidneys,what have you. Brains I’m a little queasy. But this patho pots tested my limits.

Teratoma! gross.

We squirm, we cringe and we close that darn window of that picture of someone’s poor ovary with hair long enough to do ponytails. Braids,even. And inside its menacing teeth snares at you. (yes, teeth. The ones we have in our mouth. Like premolars and molars) Is that where the movie Teeth got its inspiration from? I thought staring at those evil lesions crippling the parenchymal tissues and organs were bad enough. Because that’s what kills the person who has it, right.

Now I do wonder if i have teeth in more places than i should.

“32,32,32,32…” ><

phattt

<3 The Lard Brothers “Enemy” 

More of the music arrangement. And the unapologetic phat crap. oh, and the three bobs too.

& hide, to seek.

Yes, a little nostalgic. But it would be nice if more people came to hear about this great piece.

“Otokoyo” is a game of hide & seek played by children near the ruins of an abandoned old city. The children who play it disappear, believed to be spirited away by demons. Kakurenbo follows the trail of Hikora, who joins the game in a bid to find his sister, who went missing after playing the cursed game.

This short animation film is 25 minutes of heart-thumping suspense and thrilling action as we watched the children, one by one, fell prey to the very cheena oriental-inspired demons. Really, I won’t be surprised to spot something similar at the temple near my house. (ooops!) Back to the point, in an era where 3D animation is dominating the markets, here we see a very refreshing 2D cel-shading style that is impressive and intricately designed.

My favourite element has got to be the brilliant sound effects that largely influenced the horror theme of Kakurenbo. It’s not easy to send spider shivers up anywhere using animation, and what’s more, 2D style. But the creepy sounds, chilling bells and Surincha’s giggles, rapidfire drum beats are set to give a little more disturbing chills to your viewing experience.

Oh and I did mention the ingenuity of using fox masks to create ambiguity and distrust. If any to lament about, it would be the lack of sufficient time to develop more full-bodied characters and a little background plot to spice things up a little.

Much too afraid.

Churning out one of my many favourites from Stars. Don’t be afraid to sing surfaced from the deep recesses of old music collection in my ipod to jolt me awake with what beautiful and pure vulnerability and naivety only Torque Campbell and Amy Millan can do.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO SING

Your quiet eyes, your mouth that never tells lies
You’ve got one hour, its time you told your story
Eighteen alone, in love with the answer phone

And too afraid, you’re too afraid to fall for anything
And too afraid, much too afraid to sing

I won’t pretend, that I can see the end, but
Its far away, its in the distance
We’ll find a place, there isn’t room for two of us
The minutes drag, then there’s a world between us

And I’m too afraid, much too afraid to fall for anything
And I’m too afraid, much too afraid to sing, to sing

We all come to an end
And we all end together
We all end together

We all come to an end
And we all end together
We all end together

We all end together
We all end together
We all end together
We all end together

Star’s lyrics melt my heart, as always.

On another note, me loving their new EP Sad Robot:P:P While In our bedroom after the war’s an attempt of departure in style and somewhat heavily draped in themes and serious issues, i kinda missed the usual heart-wrenching melancholic and eloquent sounds more seen in their previous works. So imagine my delight when I first listened to 14 forever. I sing like a child, to keep me from dying.

Face like that I can stare forever

Eita Nagayama.

My type<3

 

(Photo credits go to http://pinkujisatsu.livejournal.com/229773.html :P tsank kiew)

hula girls

So i thought, my ipod needs more fodder to keep me awake during long train journeys every morning. Sifting through, Hula Girls seemed like Swing Girls, exported to a different setting, this time at Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, where the coal mining town was facing a recession due to the advent of oil being the predominant source of energy. Time has rewinded to the year 1965.

I love it. I never tire of zero-to-hero themes, maybe that’s why i love japanese dramas so much. Clever portrayal of the cynical & conventional coal miners who panned the whole Hawaiin centre idea because of whole incredulity of it, and their valiant attempt to protect their livelihood in the face of stark reality and deteriorating demand. How eventually, one by one, they began to recognise and acknowledge that the centre might just revive the town’s economy through the sheer perseverance and unwavering faith of the hula girls.

My first time watching Yasuko Matsuyuki, who charmed the viewers as a down-and-out former-8-peaches-turned-hula-dance-teacher Hirayama, a loose adaptation of Kaleinani Hirayama, the original kumu hula in Joban. (yes, it was a pleasant surprise to know that this is an adapted true account) She reminds me of Kitamura Kazuki, the kind who doesn’t dazzle you with their appearances at first sight, but intrigue you enough and implore you to keep watching them further. Toyokawa Etsushi was plain hilarious at the final scenes, where he chased the creditors away with his sickle.

I’d just noticed, most of the actors i really liked are in their thirties; Kanno Miho, Eri Fukatsu, Hiroshi Abe, Ryoko Shinohara, Kitamura Kazuki, Hideaki Ito. And the real promising young ones are Juri Ueno, Eita, Akanishi Jin (okay, maybe not. but he’s one of the JE boys I like)

Indie music is my love, but I’m a huge fan of Jpop too. Some really great ones, recommended by xiaoyan.

Monkey Majik: Time

If you, like me, grimace whenever japanese bands start spewing out english lyrics which sounds like unapologetic gibberish, Monkey Majik might just be your answer. The Plant Brothers, which front the band, hailed from Canada (ooohh, canadian musicians<3) are fluent in both japanese and english. Their breakthrough with the single AROUND THE WORLD was the theme for Saiyuki, the 2006 japanese drama featuring Eri Fukatsu & Shingo Katori. Oh, the one where they had Takuya Kimura to do a lame cameo in the opening as some beaked demon.

Utada Hikaru: Heart Station

When I first listened to Utada Hikaru performance of Heart Station in music station, it was hardly memorable. It was only when I watched Last Friends, I began to listen more seriously and I found myself loving most of the songs, especially Heart Station, Prisoner of Love and Flavor of Life. Prisoner of Love is very aptly named for Last Friends. It somewhat epitomised the state Ruka, Michiru, Sousuke & Takeru commonly shared.

Also, Utada Hikaru mentioned in Music Station that she drew inspiration from sitting at cafes and restaurants and eavesdropping on others’ conversation. It’s pretty interesting to note that some lyrics from her songs were probably inspired from conversational snippets of the private lives of strangers.

Some of my other new favourites include Asian Kungfu Generation (which in japan it would sound more like “ajian kanfu generasawn”), Greeeen, Aquatimez & Sambomaster. Ayaka and Yui, for their occasional tv show and movie themes. I loved Ayaka’s I BELIEVE, OKAERI, REAL FACE. Some of her ballads were pretty great to listen as well.

I think i’m close to outgrowing Kat-tun, returning back to listening proper good music.

hortparkpotluck

Since my first visit to Hortpark I’d been pretty raring to come again and spread the good word. Yesterday’s potluck was fun. I didn’t want to have my expectations high, to avoid any possible moodswings temperflings. Mummy prepared chicken wings and sambal prawns.

Hongyi was sweet to join us at vivo for the buying of drinks and utensils. Jac mentioned he felt bad not being able to join us despite me changing the date to accomodate him. T’is okay. Syazzie also stayed with us til evening time.

My initial worry of reaching so early was assuaged when everyone took to playing cards & cam-whoring(hortpark is really pretty & scenic) The chapteh I brought didn’t last long. (me suspect qianli’s evil slippers shed all the feathers pronto) We played a real exhilarating game of frisbee on the carpet lawn. Fun cuz the team of us, comprising Qianli, Ziying, Huijing and myself won. hur hur. We had some good camaraderie between the quartet of us. But it was exciting, a good workout for the lazy asses among us.

Break fast! We sat in a cozy circle around the food spread and munched on Liane’s very yummy beehoon, with chicken wings, prawns, fishballs, sausages, salad, chips, fries, brownies and grapes to satiate us ravenous demons. Liyong joined us after his dinner! Spontaneity rocked. We blew our minds with blind accusations in polar bear and finished the leftovers with the usual number guessing game. After clearing up we walked up the bridge, in dazzling shines, and sat for a while, occupying ourselves with mindless chatter.

hehe, i took this photo! too bad justine was doing her ??? face again.

I had a good time. The best part, to me, is organising something and seeing everyone enjoy themselves. We all chipped in, and jac coordinated the f&b part. It was all so relaxed and laidback, i like.

wednesday trotting

Bought SB-600 yesterday before visiting City Hall for a steal of $315 at Alan Photo. Please tell me it’s a bargain.

Our first densoc meeting. I myself am pretty excited with the new commitee this year, not to mention being more at home with the scope of duties I am now in charge of.

Netball! Was keen in supporting our netball team. It’s our final stab at getting into the semi-finals. I was there to cheer and watch, but my slowness and constant fiddling with the bells and whistles lost me time and crucial moments, me missing on most of the points scored. Darn. Sports photography is something else.

Chomp chomp next, for supper, along with Liyong, Lihong & Jacqueline. We shared satay, strawberry ice kachang and one measy chicken wing each. lol, okay lah, most of us not exceptionally hungry. Liyong recommended Egg Tauhuay with nata de coco. Superb. Custard sweet and incredibly smooth.