. when the dead comes alive .

Happy Halloween !!!

. postcards from the beach .

A day at the beach with the boyfriend, puppy & nico digi camera.
. Splendid .

. birthday celebration for the boy .

18/10/07. The day when we were first introduced to each other, through our mutual friend. It was then his 21st birthday, where his best pals had him hand-cuffed ( handcuffs from a sex shop lol) and engaged in S&M with 21 female strangers. Now, don’t get any dirty thoughts into that mind of yours… What I meant was him getting spanked with a whip by 21 random ladies. All in the name of harmless fun. KINKY. We drank, danced and grind to the beat of the music at ZOUK. And, the highlight of the night? Me puking over his arm. What a fantastic first impression, huh? 18/10/08. Separated by distance, I was in USA while he was half way across the globe, in Singapore. Nevertheless, with the help of good, old fashioned snail-mail, I managed to surprise him with a series of unexpected gifts!
So you might ask … what’s planned for 2009?

18/10/09

A place, where we were treated to a spectacular view of the city skyline & marina bay views. All in the comfort of our room, at the 56th floor of the tallest hotel in Singapore, Swissotel- The Stamford.

Aerial snap shots of the city, using my minuscule Nico Digi Camera.

Where the sea meets the sky. The tiny boats/ships that dot the surface of the sea. What a picturesque sight!

Romance, by the river side

Al fresco dining @ Sizzling Rock

A birthday celebration wouldn’t be complete, without a dinner date. For this special occasion, we decided to put our free dining vouchers, which we won in the couples’ race earlier this year, to good use. The dinner for two started off with a cold dish of mango prawns, topped with a dash of thousand island dressing & half a dozen of buttery escargots. For entrées – [The guy] Succulent tenderloin with large prawns & [The girl] Tender Sirloin with fried scallops. Both dishes come with baked potato and salad for sides.

To top it off, the restaurant manager was attentive to details which made our dining experience even more so memorable. Good food, with a wonderful view.

Taking the Plunge

Swim or Sink. That was the decision that MK had to make, when faced with a challenge to face 1 of his fears. Taking the plunge to ride the ultimate bungy ( in Singapore lol ) G-MAX. Acrophobia. Well, my initial plan was to take up the bundle package and get him to ride both the G-MAX & GX5 XTREME SWING at one shot. Said to be the “fastest & most thrilling bungy in the world”, the G-MAX shoots the ball 60m in the air and, at max speed of 200kph … sounds just like the ideal ride ( at least in Singapore ) to get him to face up & overcome his fear of heights. No chance of breaking out in a cold sweat anymore, MK!

That’s bound to be something to make him remember his 23rd Bdae for life =)

Truth to be told, the G-MAX ride was alright. At least, in my opinion. That’s not to say that the ride wasn’t thrilling… It sure felt exhilarating to experience up to 5 g-force but something about roller coasters still excites me more! After all, the extreme G-MAX experience lasted only for a couple of seconds … too fast to even register the fact that I had even sat for the ride. Next !!! Im up for a real bungee jump and sky-diving. Bring it on! 

Magnificent Night Views

Dancing in the moonlight

Electrical Lights

With dazzling city lights like these, it is almost impossible for the both of us , despite being amateurs , not to play around with our cameras. Colourful swirls of lights. Light beams. Blurred Motions. Multi-colour streaks. Rays. Blurred prismatic swirls of light. Visual Orgasm.

This has got to be my favorite attempted artistic pic of the night. By employing slow shutter speeds to overlap two different frames, I managed to visually “relocate” the Singapore Flyer to be above the Esplanade. Setting the camera shutter at a slower speed also allowed me to capture the stunning lighting in the vicinity, thus creating sorta movements & motions in the picture. Just sth very amateur, though I’m still proud of my attempt.

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Happy 23rd Birthday, my boy.

Ever Ours.

. soy-a-thon .

Dates with my beloved Soy H, who is always spontaneous enough for any impromptu activities!

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Sexy Magic, Urban Illusions

A night of sizzling magic & celebration

Attended the much-raved about magic show performance by illusionist duo – Magic Babe Ning & JC SUM. Courtesy of MK, who got both Soy & I free tickets. The gig at St James was a preview/teaser to their performance at the same venue, in Jan’10. My review? To keep it short, the duo entertained with their stunning & dramatic illusion acts. Instead of placing too much emphasis on production value, such as having theatrical props or dazzling lightnings), the duo chose to connect with their audience on a more personal level by engaging their audience with their affable personalities. Im kinda ( & still am) a skeptic when it comes to magic, because I honestly don’t believe in its existence but I gonna give them the thumb-ups for putting up such an entertaining & highly sexy performance.

It was also a night of celebration as both illusionist were presented the prestigious Merlin Awards, for winning the Original Illusionist of the Year & Original Female Illusionist of the Year, by none other than the CEO of the International Magician Society, Mr Tony Hassini. A truly remarkable feat, considering that they are the first Asians ( and Singaporeans!!! ) to win such an award. Cheers!!!

On a side note, I got to admit that I was pretty much enthralled by Magic Babe Ning’s charisma ( lesbo tendencies? haha ), for she exudes lots of confidence and oozes sex appeal, which definitely made the show even more so entertaining. That babe definitely has a certain X-FACTOR man. Watch out for their show in Jan!

* All pics credit to Ning’s Magic Diaries

Youtube Video of their “World Record 15 Illusions in 5 mins”

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I Survived All Shapes

where size doesn’t matter

Organized by All Shapes Ladies’ Fitness Centre & supported by both the Breast Cancer Foundation & Singapore Heart Foundation, “I Survived All Shapes” aerobathon is a charity event that aims to promote healthy living amongst Singaporeans. In the name of health, Soy darling & I decided to pick up the challenge of pushing ourselves to a 2 hours NON-STOP session of “bootcamp”. Where we participated in a series of dynamic exercises such as Bolly Jolly, Body Sculpting, Kickboxing before ending it off with Power Stretch.

About 1hr into the session, we were both not only drenched in perspiration, but also panting from sheer exhaustion. Honestly, it was no kid having to work out under the scorching sun, when the weather was insanely hot ( im not giving any excuses, but the weather was truly unbearable!!! ). For a moment, my vision went completely blank and I felt as if I was in a daze as I wasn’t really able to analyze whatever that was happening around me. In fact, it almost seemed as if the world around me was spinning in circles & that i could not get a grip of myself. I only managed to snap out of the daze once I sat down & bent my head down to get the blood circulated to my head. That wasn’t the first time that I had experienced an incident like this … In fact, such almost-fainting spells usu. occurred when Im in the midst of my period, so the likely reason for that should be due to low blood pressure & dehydration. Scary. To sum it up, the mass aerobathon was quite taxing but boy, was I proud to have completed it. I survived, for the most of it anyway!

As a gesture to thank us for participating in this activity, All Shapes is offering us a 1 month trial membership at its Fitness Centre. It’s a sign – to get me to exercise & it’s free. However, it’s at Joo Chiat!!! So freakin’  far from both my house & workplace ( which is now, a 2mins bus ride away. Lucky!). The motivation to head to the gym to exercise is slowly, but surely, diminishing. Now, that’s an excuse.

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Part 2: Butterfly House

where the exploration continues

The Butterfly House @ 23 Amber Road intrigues me to no end. Having seen, from pictures, just how majestic the back of the house looks like, I pestered ( successfully! ) Soy to accompany me, after the aerobathon, to the house so that I can have a glimpse of the significant “butterfly wings” architecture. True indeed, the backyard looks a lot more impressive than the front. Guess that the distinctive crescent arch, floor-to-ceiling window panels & neo-Renaissance style play a huge role in creating the impression. Now, all that remains is an empty shell with an overgrown & unkempt garden.

As I looked around the outer surroundings, it was hard to imagine that this very place used to be a beach front house … and that the road where I stood was once the seashore. Taking a step closer to the house, I can’t help but to feel a lil’ spooked by the eerie vibe given off by the house. Yes, despite being in broad daylight. Was I being paranoid? Im sure I was, as usual.

A glance at its grounds indicated signs of renovation being in the works. So, as with a lot of historical buildings, I wouldn’t be surprised that the next time I visit, all that remain would probably be just the front potion.

- The land, where the sea once met the shore. Now, it’s all reclaimed land. -

. moove love .

Time to get spotted

“Invasion of the Yellow Polka Dotted COWS”

It is virtually impossible for anyone to miss the sights of the various, brightly-coloured yellow polka dotted cows frolicking throughout green landscapes, island-wide. For those who do not notice the existence of these colourful cows, you must be either living in the cave for the past couple of years or not take the time to enjoy the sights of sg. For those who do, have you ever thought of owning 1 of these lovable cows? Of course, through legal means … & not stealing, like what some cheapo people do. If so, then here’s a piece of great news for those who are avid fans of these moove cows! You can now, bring home a piece of your favorite cow !!!

Moove Love is a 3 month long charity campaign till 31st Dec, targeting to raise $100K for The Home Nursing Foundation ( beneficiary: needy elderly ) through sales of Moove Love merchandises. Be a collector & get a piece of the signature personality cow in different forms: Badges, Pilot Ballpoint Pens, Tissue Boxes, and even, Stamps.

Now, the question is: Are you COOL? ROCK? SEXY? CRAZY? FUN?

http://moovelove.blogspot.com/

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Thumbs up to Moove Media for coming up with such an ingenuous marketing plan to raise funds for their adopted charity. Doing my tiny bit to “moo” for charity, I purchased a handful of the badges (RSP: $2), which I thought were ideal as gifts, for my colleagues. To: The ones who make the start of my working journey so darn enjoyable & fun. Seeing that all badges are wrapped in opaque packaging, one would thus not know what she gets till she tears open the packaging… so, it’s kind of like a “pick & guess” sort of thrill.

The SEXY.CRAZY.FUN bunch with their new personalities !

SEXY
steph. zhennan.

FUN
wai mun. jingwei.

CRAZY
serene. victor.

♥

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The view that ZN wakes up to, every morning.
Lucky Bastard.  =P

. the silly things he does, that makes me laugh .

“When you feel low & down and it seems that nothing’s right.
SMILE 
Take control of the situation and be the sunshine of the owner you are!”

♥

Piglet.

“Oi Piglet! Why are you using my handphone?”
- Boyfriend

“Because you are sucha dumb boyfriend who can’t lift your girlfriend’s mood up so …
I, as both of your guardian angels, have to do it!”
- Piglet

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- Thanks Baby –

. simplicity .

. he came back and dropped a bomb on us .

The guy who flew to another country to meet his gf, threw her off guard & got down on his knees to propose to her.
Congrats to ZN on his engagement !!!
Im so delighted for the blissful couple.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

. get set, SNAP! .

New gadget alert

NICO DIGI

My latest indulgence – the Nico Digi lomo camera. Weighing only 85g & with dimensions of L60mm x H38mm x W20mm, the Nico Digi is no bigger than my palm. In fact, it comes in a form of a keychain, so say HI to the new pocket camera in the house. Despite its miniature size, the Nico Digi is still pretty functional as it is able to take videos, on top of just pictures. Only complaint is that it’s a high light camera, meaning that the camera lacks of the ability to take clear & vivid shots when night falls/in a dark room. All in all, Im pretty excited to try out my new gadget. Camera in a pocket.

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Snapshots
* credit to flickr.com

. the pink walk, butterfly house, mid-autumn festival .

A fun-filled 03.10.2009

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Reebok Pink Ribbon Walk 2009

It was early in the morning of October 3rd, when East Coast Park turned abuzz with life. Organized by the Breast Cancer Foundation, the Reebok Pink Ribbon Walk’ 09 aims to raise awareness of the no.1 killer of women in the world – Breast Cancer.  Together, men … women … & children, all clad in pink ( well, they ran OOS of pink tops for guys so poor MK was disappointed at being the odd one out ) and ready for the run/walk ahead.

Being the lazy bum ( which I have mentioned umpteen times on my blog ) , I opted for the 5km leisure walk instead of the competitive run. Hand-in-hand, MK & I enjoyed the slow stroll, taking in the sights of couples walking their dogs, parents with their adorable children in tow ( NO, no mummy instincts lol ), “Easterners” doing their morning exercise routine – be it, jogging , cycling or skating -  & even spotted a lone Caucasian man sitting by the coast & staring into the endless sky, looking as if he was lost in his train of thoughts. A great spot in the city to people-watch.

To cap it off, it was such a marvelous sight to see all the pink participants armed with an indomitable spirit and a great sense of enthusiasm. truly, Support in a Sea of Pink.

Here’s presenting everyone’s Favourite MILO^® Truck , that’s almost synonymous with sporting events. True indeed, there’s nothing more quenching than ice-cold milo drinks to look forward to, at the end of a race. Or, a walk in our case.

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Butterfly House @ 23 Amber Road

We came across the Butterfly House @ 23 Amber Road while walking from ECP to the bus stop. In fact, I happened to read a little about the unique house when I was surfing the net for info about abandoned houses in Singapore ( closet geek ). There’s just something about big, abandoned houses that fascinates me to the core …  Probably not just houses, but forgotten places like Haw Par Villa, the defunct Tangs Dynasty&  Kampong Buangkok. It intrigues me to no end as I try to imagine their past, glory days where they stood so grand & beautiful. Fully capable of creating memories for their past owners. Now, void of any form of grandness, the current dilapidated and unkempt state that these houses are in, do not do justice to their glorious past. Instead, all that remains are nothing but ruins of their past and an eerie vibe in the air. Will this be a vicious cycle?

More about the Butterfly House :

A historical house that was built in 1912, by Regent A J Bidwell. A reason why the house remains of such great architectural interest is due to the fact that it is the only private residence ever designed by Bidwell, who is also the man behind other memorable landmarks such as the Raffles Hotel, Goodwood Park Hotel, Victoria Memorial Hall & Stamford House. Sitting on a 1,095 square meter site ( huge!), the Butterfly House was once home to the Cashin family for generations. You might now know, but the Cashin family also once owned the Matilda House, aka. the lonely white house that sits on an empty field, located opposite Soo Teck LRT. As with all uninhabited houses, the Matilda House is a popular haunt for those who seek to explore the supernatural world. In other words, h.a.u.n.t.e.d.

A remarkable architectural work of this house would be its significant butterfly wings – the crescent curve of the house. It was designed specifically to facilitate the seaside breeze, as it was then a seaside house ( refer to the pic below ) along the beach coast.

The initial plan to demolish this historical house to make way for yet another condo ( duh! ) created an uproar amongst a group of heritage lovers. After the petition launched by the HARPS, the real estate company decided to reach a compromise and retain a (small) portion of the house. It had agreed to “conserve porch and stair hall and integrate them into the facade of a new 18th storey condo”. Unfortunately, a butterfly house … it no longer will be. Its signature curved wings had to go as it is a very tight site.=(  Kind of ironic, as it is the famed wings that make the house so unique. Moreover, a look at the artist impression of the upcoming condo shows how utterly mismatched the building looks as there seems to be a lack of proper integration of the building.

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* Snippets of the Butterfly House. Credit to MK.

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Domestic Dystopia
by Ho Hui May

( Part of the SIPF’ 09  )

“In these spaces, Ho see conditions of a dystopia; erasure, neglect and decline in the interior spaces of dilapidated and unoccupied houses in Singapore. They suggest an absence, made more poignantly surreal by the races former inhabitants left behind; forsaken furniture stacked up and overturned in corners. Nails, calendars, posters, and bits of remnant decorations mark the walls. She imagines the multitude of human emotions, relationships, and memories that these houses would have contained in their past lives. She would lover her audience to experience and share similar evocations. The Katong area is rapidly changing with luxury condominiums proliferating everywhere as older buildings are demolished. Her photographs accurately juxtapose the historical and the modern, clearly demarcating the borders of the new and old, thus recreating a sense of dystopia.”

* Following 4 pics taken off the net

Back View of the House

Aerial View

Before reclamation, where the sea greeted the backyard

Proposed Integrated Condo

For further info:
http://www.irenelow.com/
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CurioCity : A Simple World through my toy camera

by bob lee
2.9.0.2 Gallery

“CurioCity showcases a slice of the beauty and daily life of these European cities seen through his toy camera.” As quoted from the photo-journalist, Bob Lee, “A simple toy camera leaves little room for technical modifications to enhance one’s images but the entire world of possibilities for creativity. This is my way of challenging myself and sharing these images with others”.

Very well-said. This photography exhibition showcases a series of everyday, street pics from 4 different but dazzling countries – UK, Spain, France & Germany. Looking at the pics, you might have thought that the pictures were taken professionally with an expensive DSLR but that wasn’t the case. Instead, all pics were shoot with nothing, other than a simple Holga camera. Simply put it, Bob lee manages to highlight how photography is a product of the art of spontaneity. Signifying that pictures are void of mistakes; that they need not be clear, vivid or precise in order to be seen as perfect. I simply admire how some photographers have this gifted ability to turn ordinary scenes from the streets to something so artistic & aesthetic. Very inspiring indeed. ♥♥

* All pics taken by Bob Lee

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Mid-Autumn Festival
Realm of Colours

Been so many years since I celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival. Recalled those times where my cousins & I would carry our childish lanterns ( those that play annoying music ) and stroll around the condo playground. Come this year, MK & I were determined to bring back the mood of celebrating mid-autumn fest. Known for its impressive lantern extravaganza & displays, the Chinese Gardens promised to be decked in a myriad of lights that’s gonna be brighter than ever. As such, the both of us wanted to be part of this celebration and also, to bask in the festive atmosphere.

However, having kick-start our long day at ECP, we thus felt lazy to have to travel all the way to the West and so, we eventually settled for the cheaper option of going down the DIY route. Bought a couple of traditional paper lanterns ( Damage: $5 ONLY ) and we were all set to go. Painted my garden with colours with the lighted lanterns. Inspired by an earlier visit to the photography exhibition, we attempted to be artistic photographers for the night as we played around with the camera functions and vibrant colours. Hey, I gotta admit that Im quite impressed by the myriad of colorful light blurs.  =)

Ended the eventful day with a romantic walk ( armed with lanterns) , around the neighborhood, under a full moon ( actually not quite, as we had mischievous Archie with us! ). Not surprisingly, my estate remained as quiet as the feather hitting the ground as there weren’t any signs of little kids trooping down the streets, with their lanterns in hand. Nevertheless, there were the rare occasions where we managed to catch glimpses of houses that had their porches decorated with lighted lanterns. Seems like not all’s forgotten. Oh, the enchanting spell of the night.

* TGIF again *