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Your Birthdate: June 21

Being born on the 21st day of the month (3 energy) is likely to add a good bit of vitality to your life. The energy of 3 allows you bounce back rapidly from setbacks, physical or mental. There is a restlessness in your nature, but you seem to be able to portray an easygoing, "couldn't care less" attitude. You have a natural ability to express yourself in public, and you always make a very good impression. Good with words, you excel in writing, speaking, and possibly singing. You are energetic and always a good conversationalist. You have a keen imagination, but you tend to scatter your energies and become involved with too may superficial matters. Your mind is practical and rational despite this tendency to jump about. You are affectionate and loving, but very sensitive. You are subject to rapid ups and downs.

My trip has been postponed to 18th May (Wed). There has been so many changes this few days that I'm actually wondering what I have gotten myself into....:P The place I'll be in is called Balapitiya. We'll be building a community hut for the refugees to carry out communal activities and beds and shelves for them as they are now currently sleeping on thin mats on the soil, which will be problematic when the rainy season sets in about now. And also carrying out activities for the children and women. I'm not feeling fantastic about the accomodation as there is only one toilet, the primitive type and we may have to dig additional holes for our erm, waste disposal (!!). I'll be there till 2nd June and will go off on a short trip with some of the team-mates to Kandy to see some archaeological sites. Will be back in S'pore on 5 June. I'm really excited about seeing the sites, when I was young, I dreamt of being an archaeologist, having been fascinated by what I read about Egypt, the Incas, Angkor Wat etc, and watching the Indiana Jones movies. LOL. Vesak Day will also be spent in Sri Lanka, it will be really interesting to see how the Theravada school celebrates this holy day. I also realised I'll be spending quite a lot on this trip, when I havn't even secured a job (sighz). Never mind, in my typical escapist mode, I'll worry about the money and job later! :p

I've just been accepted into a SIF team to Sri Lanka to help out in the tsunami reconstruction effort! Yay! Details are not out yet but they are rushing to get us there by 15th May....which leaves me with 1 week of preparation after the exams?! OK, I'll see how it goes....

What is it with falling windows these days? Today, I nearly ended up cut and bloodied. I was on bus 10 on my way home in the afternoon and sleeping as usual. Suddenly, I was jolted awake. I opened my eyes dreamily (yes, I am a very heavy sleeper even when napping on buses) and got a shcok of my life. The entire window beside me was completely smashed in and shards of glass was all over the seat and probably me as well. I was too shocked to check. The man in front of me was cut on his head and was bleeding. Some passengers checked on him while I got up. Some shards fell off me and I realised there were some minor cuts on my hands. Luckily I was wearing my jacket or my whole arm would have been cut too. The incredible thing is that no one checked if I was ok. The smashed window was just directly beside me! I switched to another seat and it was only when I asked a girl what happened (the bus was hit by a side mirror of another bus, I think) that she then asked if I was ok. She gave me a plaster for the cuts and a man then told me there were shards on my hair. I flicked my hair hard and the big pieces fell off. Thankfully, the shards miraculously just landed without cutting my scalp, unlike the poor guy. The bus driver called for an ambulance, my cuts were confirmed to be superficial and the man was sent to hospital. I was too tired and shaken then and called my father to come and fetch me. I'm still thinking I'm extremely lucky to have escaped unhurt. I could have bore the brunt of the fallen window and been injured. It almost seems as if the shards just landed gently on me. I'm almost thinking that a spritual force is at work, protecting me. Ok, maybe it's just pure physics, the shards lost its force by the time it made its descent on me. :P I am really thanking Buddha and my lucky stars.

The downside of all this? My family had been thinking of going to Bangkok in May for our long-awaited family holiday. But when I commented to my mum that this incident just caps a horrible year for me, she freaked out and said it was too dangerous to go now, especially with the unrest in South Thailand. What the hell? I have been so looking forward to this! I can only hope that I can convince her that she is just being superstitious and paranoid.....

My home computer's been infected by a bloody virus on Mon and I still can't get it fixed. Norton Antivirus has deleted the infected files and I also managed to remove the spyware that it installed on my computer. Speaking of which, I am highly amused by the spyware developers' lack of shame. They had the audacity to ask questions like "Pls tell us why u would like to remove our software?" and I had to complete all these questions before they can be deleted! But now, Norton itself seems to be down. Auto-Protect cannot be enabled and the Email scanning keeps showing an error message. Hello, it's supposed to be the vanguard against viruses and now it's down too?! And this irritating pop-up window shows up every few seconds telling me that I'm at risk of viruses because Auto-Protect is not enabled. Yes, I do know that! Aaargh, I want an iMac!!

Finding Neverland

One of the whimsical little films that manages to touch your heart and makes you want to believe once again. Johnny Depp is awesome in his role, he IS J.M. Barrie, with his eyes lighting up with his imagination, the pain and anguish when he could not get his wife's understanding, the closeness and bond he shares with the boys and the connection with Kate Winslet. Makes me proud to be a fan of his (and an early one at that)! It's sad to see how Barrie and his wife, despite loving each other deeply, had to separate in the end. Barrie was keen to let his wife into Neverland but she was too caught up in the adult world to believe and imagine. Kate Winslet is also great as the strong mother who wants her boys to have a normal and happy childhood again. I like the way her relationship with Barrie was depicted, it was a quiet connection that needed little verbalisation. It's so sad that she died and the boys were orphaned. The movie is sad but inspiring as well, gently pushing you to feel and reach for more.

Roman Tam and the Three Bears

I watched the above play on Thursday. It's a doublebill: Between Chinas, and Everything but the Brain. Me and my friend read the review in Life and intrigued, decided to go for it. Between Chinas is about an ABC who goes to Hong Kong, the birthplace of his parents to "search for his roots". Fired up by his new-found Chinese pride, he expects a Hong Kong that is infatuated with China. He finds to his dismay that the people of HK are somewhat still fond of the days under the British and are unwilling to see HK being China-nised. They see themselves as distinct from China (from their nonchalance towards Sun Yat Sen) and latches on to homegrown icons like Roman Tam, with his pioneering brand of Cantopop and rags-to-riches story. Somehow, I feel the play bites off more than it can chew. The issues are dealt with quite superficially and I don't know, if I am a Hong Konger, would I be offended by this Singaporean playwright who tries to dissect our mentality? An outsider may see things more clearly but I don't think I got many insights from there.
Everything but the Brain is a poignant and touching play about a daughter's relationship with her father who has suffered a stroke. The play brilliantly contrasts the daughter's present role as the caregiver with the father's role in the past. With their roles switched, they understand each other better and their love for each other becomes stronger. The daughter's desparation to halt the deterioration of her father cumulates to her resorting to using the theory of relativity in an attempt to slow down time, an irony considering she's a Science teacher. The three bears, by the way, refer to three characters in her subconsciousness. In the end, the play teaches us about treasuring our loved ones before it's too late. I should appreciate my parents more. Highly recommended....the plays end on Sunday!

What an exciting day it was yesterday! Haha...I was a fangirl for the first time...Thanks shaney for your company! Thank god we were not captured by the Channelnewsasia camera! :p

The queue for the doors to open was long and hot, but oh well, this must be part and parcel of being a fangirl. I knew that many Malays supported Taufik but to see them overwhelm the Chinese yesterday was still quite a eye-opener. Does he really have so few Chinese fans? Hmm, if I'm a member of a minority group, I think I would adore the guy too for succeeding against the odds.

I think the crowd didn't intentionally laugh at the China girl. She was too nervous and blabbered some indecipherable words and I think everyone was amused by how nervous she was rather than her poor English. When it became clear that she's from China, I thought the laughs died down and Taufik was so nice to help the poor girl out. If anything, I think the party showed how PR-savvy (look at the way he deflected the Leandra question) and how he has quite a wicked sense of humour (when he interacted with his brothers n the hosts and when he parodied the SI judges). It's a pity though he didn't sing a complete song...no "I dream" pls....I'm kind of sick of the cheesy song. His fillial piety was also on display....it was heartwarming to see him acknowledge his mum....she should be so proud of him! He was also amazingly friendly. He agreed readily when I asked to take a photo of him but the guy's such a pro at posing for pictures by now that he dropped his head immediately to the table to continue signing once my flash went off. And I didn't manage to shake his hand....drats! The minders should have known beforehand that 5 items were too high a limit for each person and should have enforced a 1-item rule only right from the start. It's quite unfair to the later groups to be restricted and rushed.

I wouldn't say I was star-struck cos he seemed so much like a regular guy-next-door but it was still great to get so close to him! Am I glad that he was the one who won SI!

Here's the long-awaited pics....Hope it comes out....first time I'm posting a picture and under a cut.

( Taufik's pics )

Hooray! Singapore beat Indonesia 3-1 yesterday in the Tiger Cup final first-leg! (Pity abt the last min goal by Indonesia though) I must say this is the first time I am impressed by how the Lions played in a long long time. First time I'm seeing the Lions take the lead so early in the match, managing not to fall into complacency when they had the lead, tackling with gusto, stringing some nice, flowing passes, and LOL, singing the national anthem so loudly and with pride. What a contrast with the teams of the past...I can really see how this current team can go on to win the cup and I think the new coach is quite fantastic, to be able to gel the team together and and foster a sense of belief in the players. Now, I am tempted to go watch the second leg in the National Stadium next Sun! The last time I watched the Lions live was, gasp, 10 years ago during the 1994 Malaysia Cup....

Interesting....I managed to get GEK 2506: Drugs and Society as my breadth module and guess what, one of the questions for the term paper goes like this: "Drugs have been used to create storylines for the television series Crime Scene Investigations (CSI). Discuss."
And I just rented Disc 1 of Season 1 before I knew about this. Is this a sign or what? :p

Err...here's my results too....

PL4207: Social Psyc - Theories & Methods: B+
PL4213: Cognitive Neuropsychology: B+
PL4214: Evolutionary Psychology: B+
PL5223: Psychometrics & Psychological Testing: B
MKT1003: Principles of Marketing: S

No As...Kind of expected the results though cos I admit I didn't work hard enough this sem....so many "if onlys"...

Now that everyone's in Singapore now (anyone going off again?), let's have an outing! Next week?

We have a range of choices:
-Exercise our vocal chords: Karaoke
-Eyeball: Movies (suggestions?)
-Just a Dinner
-Sun, sand and wind: Cycling in ECP
-Touch base with nature: Visit Sungei Buloh Nature Park etc
-Embarrass ourselves: Bowling

Hehe....hope to hear ur views coming in!

You Are the Peacemaker

9 You are emotionally stable and willing to find common ground with others. Your friends and family often look to you to be the mediator when there is conflict. You are easy going and accepting. You take things as they come. Avoding conflict at all costs, you're content when things are calm.

The Crossroads

This is the inviting and welcoming personality type that is most well known for recreational activities and general partying. Always happy in a crowd, the Crossroads love to converse, to relate, and above all to have fun. This personality tends to think in a more holistic approach than many of the other personality types, covering ground piece by piece in a hodgepodge fashion rather than following a single line of logic from beginning to end. Like a crow they are attracted to shiny objects, new ideas, playful exciting colors and the thrill of a new personal relationship.

This is a weird personality test...I'm guessing half the time...:p

Say it loud and proud: “Ich bin Deutsch” You would feel most at home in the country of snow-capped Bavarian Alps and the Black Forest, of the Rhine and picturesque Beer gardens.

Your personality makes a good fit in Germany, too. Like many Germans, you have a strong pragmatic mind. You tend to reject fantasy and daydreams and refuse to stray from what is tangible reality. You appreciate order, quality engineering and take pride in your own work; you are efficient, hard working and driven in what you do.

That said, you are also a great pleasure seeker. You have compartmentalized work and play in your life and in your mind: when you are working you are focused only on that, but come play time you are greatly attracted to concrete pleasure. You love nature and robust outdoor activities; cuisine is healthy and hearty; home life is simple and hospitable.

Munich is your soul city, with its picturesque architecture nestled away in the mountains, its warm, hospitable beer gardens and polite, welcoming people who work hard and play hard.

Take the What's Your Song? quiz and visit Castle Diqueria.

People....pls help me answer the following simple question....would like to know ur responses....

Click on the comments link only after you have come up with an answer!

A father and his son were driving along the expressway when the father lost control of the car, swerved off the road and crashed into an electric pole. The father died instantly, and his son was crtitically injured. An ambulance rushed the boy to a nearby hospital. A prominent surgeon was summoned to provide immediate treatment. When the surgeon arrived and entered the operating theatre to examine the boy, the surgeon burst into tears and became hysterical. "I can't operate on this boy," the surgeon said, "He is my son!"

Can you explain this? The father died in the crash, so how could the boy be the surgeon's son? Think of as many explanations as you can.

Damn, Li Jiawei lost...It's not her fault though cos her opponent was playing so defensively that she couldn't display her usual attacking flair. The Korean girl made the match so slow and a torture to watch. But, I just wished she could have shown more patience and coolness and turn the match around....:(
Anywayz, what a campaign it has been so far for the S'pore table tennis team! They can hold their heads high for a job well done. They showed that S;poreans have the physical and mental strength to match the best in the world. Perhaps, luck just surpassed them a little.

Itching already for next year's SEA Games! :p