De-junk your life

Now that the new year is almost here, I shall strive to do many things.
1. De-junk
2. Save $
3. Eat healthy and well
4. Be fit
5. Sleep more

I feel these are rather universally mundane resolutions. Some of which I have manged to put into practice already. Wait a while till I show off my crazee list.

Bonne nouveau annee!

Once in an Electric Blue Moon

This thursday we will see a blue moon. I'm secretly hoping it is
electric blue. In the meantime, please enjoy the handywork created on
my new apple toy.

hide and seek

Hiding all the stars - chicane

You can say what you want
Find the path that you’ve lost somewhere
Be a fly on the wall
Take a dive or a fall in prayer
Everyday there’s a choice
Nothing gained from the path we know
There the ones to be wrong
Hiding all of the stars out there

i can see your faded halo...

are you being served?

choose your battles wisely. i had the unfortunate experience of meeting my landlord for the first time in the presence of a legal arbitrator (or should it be arbitra'i'tor). as tight fisted as she was, i have lost more money to this lady than what actually went down the toilet. if anyone ever has to deal with a real estate agent from SJK properties, or is looking to rent a 3A flat at telok blangah, please, please check with me to be sure you don't end up renting the property of the female of the canine species that i had the pleasure of battling with. afterall, the arbitrator said this was a business relationship where the landlord provided a service, and wherever there is bad service, there will be a proportional complaint.

moving on to more service related complaints. mobile one, has been awesome at customer service, until they introduced the iphone. by selling the iphone, the seem to believe that they are somehow, 'cooler' and more hip and so the customers don't matter anymore. but my guess is that once neil montefiore quit m1, they have been struggling. now that he's joining starhub, they're probably shitting in their pants. im looking forward to the new starhub where i wont have to wait 20 mins to connect to a pathetic customer service officer. (i reached the dhoby ghaut service station faster than my call could connect to a real human on the phone)

in any 'case' all this was a learning experience. happy things will still happen, like imogen heap coming to singapore... i only hope i manage to get the tickets in time *fingers crossed*... or it will be like listening to 'yellow' being played live over a telephone...

music of the night

mascots, materialism and macarons

this blog has lost perspective. calvin doesn't jump off his swing anymore. i need a new mascot and spongebob doesn't cut it. i could try amelie, but she's nothing in black and white. what am i left with then, to fill the empty space below my idiosyncrasies?

apparently my horoscope said that since sept 2007 until early november, the stars have enjoyed messing around with my life. apparently for my good. unfortunately, i do feel this is true. if only they had the courtesy to tell me about these little drama scenes in advance, i wouldn't have gotten fussed over so many things in the first place. but for starters, i am thankful that the black septembers are over, and proudly, with the help of many many important people and my self, i have survived.

this also means it is time to adopt a new mascot, calvin was and will always be a special eccentric to me, but we need to move on.

here are a few suggestions:

1. phua chu kang - knowing how much i despise his mole

2. little miss sunshine - i could always use some cheering up

3. my blender -preferably in its immacculate form, it's lime green by the way

4. my lomo diana F+ - the poor things never been developed properly

5. an iphone - so that i can relish the things i don't have

6. mcdonalds logo - to remind me to stay away from that FAT and the coupons

7. ice cream - a long term relationship that hasn't managed to melt away

8. things in general - to remind me of my futile, utterly materialistic existence

9. a macaron - because you know how much i love this french stuff

10. coco chanel - not herself, but the tatou version, just because she used to be amelie

i would add rowing to the list, but i need to test the waters in terms of endurance. my best bets on the macaron, because ideally, that's my slice of life!

her royal fussiness and the scull

picky. persistent. fussy. perfectionist wannabe.

if you put all the idiosyncrasies together, it would make a terrible concoction of bitch-flavoured attitude.

however, i must say, apart from exercising my royalty, i enjoyed sculling (or whatever little i tried my hands on). after this i intend to revisit my windsurfing abilities, perhaps canoeing, and some rock climbing.

also, if you're ready to brace the 'oh-so-many' stairs to old school at mount sophia, do check out the exhibition 'labyrinth'. expressive and exotic works of art on display.

this note was typed with bogota blackberried finger nails. maybe next week, you'll be swept away by some miami beet.

adieu for now,

HRF - her royal fussiness

Princess Amelie of the Internet

the first signs of ageing...

sometimes it's not easy to realise that times change. you make mistakes. you get older. maybe wiser. maybe not. atleast someone else can learn from your mistakes.

as clichéd as change has become, it's something we all need to learn to embrace. it's never easy. sometimes it's self-inflicted, sometimes it's wanted, and sometimes it's a shocking revelation.

for example, when i was gifted my first anti-ageing skincare treatment. i never thought i would be below the quarter century mark when i used my first collagen filled eye contour cream. my initial reaction was shock. slight sadness, but ultimately, acceptance. in fact, i do have fine lines around my eyes and it's better to get over the denial stage and start dealing with it. within a week, i can see a difference.

in life, i've had my share of unexpected change. a period of drought in the social scene, montonous existence and basically more 'me' time than i wanted to have. ultimately i pulled through this with the help of my family and friends. sometimes you can count the number of people on one hand, if you're lucky on two. it's during these times you nurture friendships that last. you know that whenever you really need them, they will pull through for you, and you for them. no matter what.

their shoulders will be soaked with your tears. their ears deaf with your repeated stories. immeasurable hugs. sometimes, their phone bills are hiked because they call you at 4 in the morning from some freezing house, just to make sure you will sleep alright. they will also drive you to and from semenyih and cameron in a day. go on aunty holidays with you. drive you 1.5 hrs to the airport on a scooter. send you a daily dose of youtube videos. wear green stickers with you, just for kicks. encourage the yoga-er to kickbox and twist. talk to you in french on demand, encourage your work. not leave unless theres a 'laugh' :P. cook with you. eat chips and salsa on a HOT sticky day. watch horrible/ingeniouous movies together. party all night...sometimes with feathers...

these memories could go on and on.. with every new day, they keep increasing.

and i know i am truly blessed. Sometimes, like the collagen cream, it just takes a change to open up your eyes...

dirt road

dirt road
Originally uploaded by insee

in the end, if it's the journey that counts, why take the shortest route?

Love Songs - Anjulie

Love songs and limousines
Wishing wells and make believe
Disco balls and dancing queens
I fall so easy

Rich guys and candlelight
Telling me the things I like
I'm too young and they're too right for me

I fall so easy for cheesy things in life
Sad, sad movies make me cry
Pretty people I admire
I used to hate

I fall so easy for the stupid little lines
Hollywood and sunny skies
Fancy restaurants with three forks and knives
I fall so easy

Until you came my way
Turn my clouds to white from gray
Showered me with pink champagne
I let go so easier

That girl I used to be
Cynical and heartbreak free
Confidence exude in me now


I fall so easy for the stupid little lines
Hollywood and sunny skies
Fancy restaurants with three forks and knives
I fall so easily in love

i fall so easilee...tan tan ta ta nan tan tan

retro effect; going with the flow...

retro effect
Originally uploaded by insee

unplannedness took over the planned weekend. pretty much everything i've wanted to do for the past 3 months squeezed into 3 days. i've watched 2 movies, each 2.5 hours long, after a 4 month movie drought. watched my favourite live band perform. caught up with friends after eons, binged on junk food. enjoyed the wanton noodles from bugis. randomly mad-hatted at attica in a french burret (if i got the spelling right). sikh kebabs in the morning/afternoon. masala teaing soon after. coco-nutting the evening. thai-ing the night and kacanging for dessert. not to mention the mundane laundry and room cleaning that got its deserved attention. in fact, i think my days couldn't have been spent any better. unplanned perfectly, going with the flow.

bin tere kya hain jeena

don't let the stars get in your eyes.

if we could be heroes... for just one day

at times i am engulfed with ideas, chasing a whim to explore when i find myself crammed within the thoughts that should be processed so that i can make it to the end of the day. its like bottling up a feeling and waiting for the right time to release it. somehow though, these feelings are made of whispery thread. like compost, they disintegrate with time. locked up for too long, the ideas disappear. if only the freedom to live like marchesa was bestowed upon us all creating art would be as simple as just living.

each dying idea deserves a blogpost, but in the age of efficiencies and economies, here will lie their mass grave. spare a minute for these unbegotten souls.

any the hoo, this was supposed to be a much deeper post, but my mindset has transferred to lackadaisical. to understand the sentiment, please consult sheldon cooper.

the mental blog

it has been a good so many months since i've visited my own blog. partly because i've been living in a whirlwind that is 'oh so totally' wrapped around me, me and me. this accentuated selfworth seems to originate from the time i have become too busy/tired to sleep, cook and some times eat. i do not condone such a lifestyle, but it has its rewards, even if it does not show up on the teller.

coping is quite difficult, as usual with a shrinking bank balance, hectic lifestyle and new abode. marking territories, boundaries and achievements hardly afford the time to write about the dialogues that run in my wired up mind. which is what brings me to the mental blog.

at the end of each day, i seem to need to 'wrap up' the events and conclude all the happenings on my way home. this monologue runs in my mind, right about the time i start to head back. sort of like a mental blog, with many many interesting and sarcastic jokes worthy of sharing. however the hitch is when i finally reach home, after the routine facebook and email checking, i shut down the computer and lie in bed. the interesting anecdotes of the day die an oblivious death as my eyelids drop and i fall asleep.

how many of you have got stuck in this infinite loop of almost non-existence? it is not something to be unhappy about, but i'm sure it is something of great concern to anthropologists and sociologists alike..

Who is Peter Walsh?

I am Peter Walsh. I am also Clarissa and Sally. I could be Septimus, but I would rather not be.

Mrs. Dalloway was not an easy book to read. At a maximum rate of 10 pages a day, it is finally back on the bookshelf. It took me a while to digest, fluttering through the characters' minds, confused as a reader, this book deserves (or needs) seconds. Apart from admiring the language, the wordiness and the characters (whom i think combine to form an alter ego of me) these are some excerpts that stuck.

"Rigid, the skeleton of habit alone upholds the human frame."

"What does a brain matter,.... when compared with the heart?"

"What is this terror? what is this ecstacy? he thought to himself. What is it that fills me with extraordinary excitement?

It is Clarissa he said.

For there she was."

from Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

time for tea

time for tea
Originally uploaded by lomokev

when it's all pouring down on you. take a break.

a cup of tea usually solves everything. :)

scoop the goop

if you want the scoop on gwyneth, you go to goop. i love chris martin, and for that reason i love gwyneth palthrow. she's seems nice, in a sweet sort of way. but, i think 'goop' is not a cool name for a website. i think i get the logic - (gwyneth + scoop = goop) but somehow it does not digest well in my mind.

anyway, apart from ranting about the name, the site is good. and it has a lot of personal articles that won't necessarily interest all celeb stalkers. it's a lifestyle page of someone who's pretty, rich and famous AND has a rockstar husband. not forgetting that she gave birth to (an) apple and moses.

heres a list of pages i found particularly interesting, heartwarming, or useful

GO- Paris
her father said to her "I wanted you to see Paris for the first time with a man who would always love you, no matter what."

BE- Watch your words

avoid the 'evil tongue'

MAKE- Detox (excellent article)

detox with yummy food and no starvation

i hope these will keep you busy. i found them interesting and subscribed to the newsletter. i hope they (the website people) decide to change the name of the site, or atleast offer a better explanation of its existence.

i am off to compose another junbox entry, so i bid you goodnight!

sleep well my friends,

amelie

itchy fingers and irony

all my best ideas are born when i'm doing the most mundane of tasks. and somehow, it escapes me to write it down. so here i am, trying to recollect what important idea i wanted to share... ooh!

that was fast. anyways, after the conversation yesterday, on logos and business cards, i did some research. and like all research i start off with, i found something irrelevant but interesting. a good ad website with a good ad.. ha :)

http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/telmex_video_security?size=_original

other things on my mind were, packing, writing, composing the song that hasn't been composed yet, updating the junkbox, and ofcourse blurting out my views on mrs. dalloway and how much i love her.

au revoir mes amis,
amelie

sunflower out of focus

sunflower out of focus
Originally uploaded by insee

yellow, like my fingernails painted.
happy, sick, but not gay.
shifted points of view.
deliberated, calculated.
twisted in the light of day.
anxiety. apprehension.
melted.
gone away.

breath. beats. bounce.
air consumes me.
fly, i must. today.

hawker hero

hawker hero
Originally uploaded by insee

self reflection. recollection.
there are certain pivotal moments in life when you walk directionless, in a seemingly pointless existence. these moments, propagated by long aimless, bus rides, fueled by chance, captured by cameras, and inscripted in little pink books have a detox effect on the mind. like withdrawal symptoms, the flushing out occurs after the worst has passed. and in my diary, this was the moment, the time and the day. thanks to friends, family and this little pink book, the random bus, on that fateful hawker day, i looked up and believed, that yes, i am my own hero.

Time and Eternity

Death
by Emily Dickinson

BECAUSE I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school where children played
At wrestling in a ring;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then ’t is centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses’ heads
Were toward eternity.

mango-watermelon on ice

mango-watermelon on ice
Originally uploaded by insee

here's something natural to help you cope with the weather.

alternatively, you can use the aircon and contribute to global warming, dry up your skin and dehydrate yourself.

also, you may continue to use toilet paper and propagate deforestation, or you could just buy a bidet for a cleaner, more eco-friendly washed bottom.

the choice is yours.

[this post was inspired by shigeru ban's toilet roll. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/square-toilet-paper-shigeru-ban.php ]

Le toi du moi

Je suis ton pile
Tu es mon face
Toi mon nombril
Et moi ta glace
Tu es l'envie et moi le geste
Toi le citron et moi le zeste
Je suis le thé, tu es la tasse
Toi la guitare et moi la basse

Je suis la pluie et tu es mes gouttes
Tu es le oui et moi le doute
T'es le bouquet je suis les fleurs
Tu es l'aorte et moi le coeur
Toi t'es l'instant moi le bonheur
Tu es le verre je suis le vin
Toi tu es l'herbe et moi le joint
Tu es le vent j'suis la rafale
Toi la raquette et moi la balle
T'es le jouet et moi l'enfant
T'es le vieillard et moi le temps
Je suis l'iris tu es la pupille
Je suis l'épice toi la papille
Toi l'eau qui vient et moi la bouche
Toi l'aube et moi le ciel qui s'couche
T'es le vicaire et moi l'ivresse
T'es le mensonge moi la paresse
T'es le guépard moi la vitesse
Tu es la main moi la caresse
Je suis l'enfer de ta pécheresse
Tu es le Ciel moi la Terre, hum
Je suis l'oreille de ta musique
Je suis le soleil de tes tropiques
Je suis le tabac de ta pipe
T'es le plaisir je suis la foudre
Tu es la gamme et moi la note
Tu es la flamme moi l'allumette
T'es la chaleur j'suis la paresse
T'es la torpeur et moi la sieste
T'es la fraîcheur et moi l'averse
Tu es les fesses je suis la chaise
Tu es bémol et moi j'suis dièse

T'es le Laurel de mon Hardy
T'es le plaisir de mon soupir
T'es la moustache de mon Trotski
T'es tous les éclats de mon rire
Tu es le chant de ma sirène
Tu es le sang et moi la veine
T'es le jamais de mon toujours
T'es mon amour t'es mon amour

Je suis ton pile
Toi mon face
Toi mon nombril
Et moi ta glace
Tu es l'envie et moi le geste
T'es le citron et moi le zeste
Je suis le thé, tu es la tasse
Toi la putain et moi la passe
Tu es la tombée moi l'épitaphe
Et toi le texte, moi le paragraphe
Tu es le lapsus et moi la gaffe
Toi l'élégance et moi la grâce
Tu es l'effet et moi la cause
Toi le divan moi la névrose
Toi l'épine moi la rose
Tu es la tristesse moi le poète
Tu es la Belle et moi la Bête
Tu es le corps et moi la tête
Tu es le corps. Hummm !
T'es le sérieux moi l'insouciance
Toi le flic moi la balance
Toi le gibier moi la potence
Toi l'ennui et moi la transe
Toi le très peu moi le beaucoup
Moi le sage et toi le fou
Tu es l'éclair et moi la poudre
Toi la paille et moi la poutre
Tu es le surmoi de mon ça
C'est toi qu'arrives des mois si ?
Tu es la mère et moi le doute
Tu es le néant et moi le tout
Tu es le chant de ma sirène
Toi tu es le sang et moi la veine
T'es le jamais de mon toujours
T'es mon amour t'es mon amour

kangna

come... and burn your heart away

come... and burn your heart away
Originally uploaded by insee

reflecting on the past 7 days, i've realised that life does change. mine has been fluctuating like my bank balance. riding on a full tank of happiness and high on sun, sea and smiles.

i've discovered that there is such a thing as 'lightning wax' by diana king. developed my first lomo roll. i've tasted presshafruit juice from a triangular bottle. i've found the perfect foundation, crème and powder. finally got the perfect blush tint. i'm progressing en française. i've been on 2 budget airlines and i've been driven 1.5 hours on a motorbike/scooter to the airport. seen some beautiful seascapes. drunk chilled coconut on a burning hot day. not to mention i've had yummy food. sour sour mangoes with chilli. and i've been somewhere where the sleaze meter is so high that it made me feel safe.

all that's left to do now? go up in smoke.

au revoir,
amelie

we are going on a... summer holiday!

london cycling

london cycling
Originally uploaded by lomokev

It is amazing how things in life are linked. For instance, this photograph has connected some impossibly random people/ideas together (atleast from my perspective).

2004: this photo inspired me to try out a lomo camera.
2007: imogen heap is one of my favourite artists.
march 2009: i now have a lomo camera.
today: i read again and realise this is a photograph of imogen heap on a bicycle in london.

from 'little red riding hood' photo of the nameless girl, this becomes imogen heap. and this 'wow' feeling i got when i linked the dots will last perhaps an hour longer.

i'm sure you can think of a million join the dots instances at the drop of a hat. not all of them good, but 'wow', nonetheless.

Bonsoirée mes amis!
Amelie

pretty girls

crush

hevia - busindre reel

was in the mood for this, and dave matthews crush...

split personality

DSC00312
Originally uploaded by insee

cravings

strawberry strudel the second
Originally uploaded by insee

strawberries, cherries.... and an angel's kiss in spring.
my summer wine is really made from all these things...

The Flame Orchestra

DSC00440
Originally uploaded by insee

Breathe

(Song by Anna Nalick)

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,
"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,
I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"
Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes
Like they have any right at all to criticize,
Hypocrites. You're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button, girl.
So cradle your head in your hands
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe

May he turned 21 on the base at Fort Bliss
"Just a day" he said down to the flask in his fist,
"Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."
Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,
But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,
Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.
No one can find the rewind button, boys,
So cradle your head in your hands,
And breathe... just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel,
You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out
And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again
If you only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song
If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,
Threatening the life it belongs to
And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd
Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud
And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,
And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table
No one can find the rewind button now
Sing it if you understand.
and breathe, just breathe
woah breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe,
Oh breathe, just breathe.

shock shock horror! :)

Apple shocks world, reveals it is a huge corporation

although it is quite backdated, i absolutely agree with this post.

fdisk /mbr

i feel like somewhat of a genius. with zer0 background in computing, i managed to reformat my comp which had linux and windows booting on this thing called GRUB. this is an anal post for most of you computer geeks, but to the dimwitted, almost dumb blond that some may say i am, it was an otherworldly experience. it was the first time i ever booted windows from my CD drive for that matter, and i must say, i thoroughly enjoyed it. i only wish i could go on reinstalling windows forever. or run the grubby thing and linux indefinitely. it just feels so cool to hit 'esc' when the comp is rebooting and get this weird sorta BIOS screen. having no clue  nonetheless, i have this intense sense of achievement in a total 'godayata-magic' kind of way.