. weekly feature: plant a dream #3 .

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I had a dream – to show the world the beautiful colors of emotions on the big movie screen of life.
Along the way…
I danced my first self-choreographed dance in front of the entire school and dreamt of being a dancer.
I joined singing schools and dreamt of being a singer.
I was scouted by producers, did acting, and dreamt of being an actor.
I started writing songs, recorded them, and dreamt of being a composer.
I spent my last university term on an exchange program in Shanghai, so that I could get away from the rat race of jobs application blah bloo blah, and really think about what I want to do with my life. I was thinking, after realizing everyone else’s dream for me; perhaps…just perhaps, it’s time for me to do something about my own dream. By that time, I had neatly summed up my dream –
To become an all-rounded artiste, who can sing, dance, act and compose. I’d paint emotions and stories with my voice, my craft.

– Val –
co-founder of I believe that dreams can come true

Website: Plant A Dream

After putting in an average of 15 hours of work a day for the past couple of weeks, he’s finally getting his OFF days this week! 3 Cheers!

. when the sun goes down .

Last weekend saw me attending a couple of exciting events which definitely exposed me to a world of schmoozing that I hardly get to see in my everyday life. Needless to say, it was extremely fascinating to observe the pros socializing, mingling and conversing with one another in a social-business setting. After all, they make networking appear to be such an effortlessly easy skill or some might say, art to grasp and master. On another hand, the skeptic in me cannot help but wonder what lies beneath this world of glitz and glamor … is this really just a facade? Fun as those events were, I think (for now) I’ll stick to events that are more casual and informal because those are the ones that make me feel more comfortable in my own skin. sigh, when will i ever learn to get out of this mentality?

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Champagne Launch Party for Digital Nights 2010 at Singapore Art Museum(SAM)

I was invited to the opening party for Digital Nights 2010 last Thursday, courtesy of JZ and Zocard. Thanks for the invitation! 🙂  Held in conjunction with the much hyped about Grand Prix Season Singapore, Digital Nights 2010 serves as a platform to showcase the various interactive, visual and new media works of both foreign and local artists. Indeed, it was an eye-opening experience for Koey and me as we immersed ourselves in this modern extravaganza of digital art installations. Most of the exhibitions interact with the audience via a change in movements (or so i think) and so, it wasn’t an unusual sight to catch people waving their hands/moving around frantically to alter the movement captured by the motion sensors. The movement displayed by the art installations is a result of this interaction between the audience and the exhibits, hence giving rise to the term “interactive art”. As you can tell, it’s quite a challenge for me to explain this form of interaction in words so for the best visual treat, you have to experience it yourself!

The digital art installations are currently displayed at 2 locations – the heart of the shopping belt, Orchard Road and the home of arts in sg, SAM. Admission to view the Digital Nights @ SAM installations is free for all.

PS: Credit to JZ for all pics on Digital Nights 2010.

A Digital Experience
“A Digital Experience is a sound and light interactive installation. It translates Visual System’s representation of a city of the future, inspired by the artist’s vision of Shanghai. It presents different aspects of digital contemporary art, immersing the viewer into a network of poetic and interactive works. A musical composition accents and completes the digital universe.”

Artist: Visual System (VS)

Framework f5 x 5 x 5
“Framework f5x5x5 refers to informatics’ modular workspace called a framework. It is an interactive kinetic light sculpture which extends the bi-dimensional screen space by transportation of its pixel resolution to the physical space. A modular infrastructure, this exhibition is a communication and computation system, propagating in the form of light and sound in the spaces it inhabits.”

Artist: LAb[au]

Binary Waves
“Binary Waves is an urban and cybernetic installation based on the measuring of urban flows and their transposition into luminous, sonic and kinetic rules. This exhibition relates the micro-events happening in the area to a unified play of light, colours and sounds directly derived from the city flows.”

Artist: LAb[au]

Ultra-Nature
“Ultra-Nature is a Monet-inspired generative and interactive virtual reality installation. It creates an impressionistic virtual garden with several varieties of luminescent, scalar plants, vibrantly coloured herbaceous vegetation and bright yellow flowers.”

Artist: Miguel Chevalier

Invitation to preview & taste the array of food at the newest premium & luxurious member in the dining scene, KU DÉ TA

Your Invitation to a Lifestyle Less Ordinary. That is exactly what one should expect to experience upon stepping foot into KU DE TA. A franchise of the luxurious KU DE TA Bali that has often been dubbed as “the Ibiza of the East”, KU DE TA Singapore aims to awe the sophisticated crowd by bringing the glamor factor up a notch at its sprawling 14,500 sq feet premises. Consisting of a restaurant, club, pool terrace and al fresco bar, KU DE TA promises to be THE place to fulfill your every need and whim. Since I’m certainly not one who’s willing to pay a bomb for dining experiences ( a meal will set you back at least $100/pax), I thus jumped at the rare opportunity when my love invited me for a free food tasting session.

While I eventually concluded that I’m a hawker centre girl at heart (alternatively, I’ll pick a quaint cafe tucked in some hidden corner over a posh & exclusive restaurant any day), the experience of being treated so professionally by the well-groomed staff and to a feast of scrumptious gourmet meals prepared by award-winning chefs was inevitably one that truly made me felt like a “VIP” guest for the evening.

Located on the 57th floor of Marina Bay Sands ( 1 level above the MBS Skypark observation deck), one needs to be warned to get ready to be mesmerized by the magnificent panoramic city view that KU DE TA has to offer. With a playground so close to the skies, rest assured that you will be treated to an unparalleled spectacular  & breath-taking view of our city’s skyline that is not to be found at anywhere else in Singapore. To quote them, Experience the high life like never before.

My lovely companion of the evening, Shermin and yours truly at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark, where we truly felt like we were on the top of Singapore.  It was only when we were greeted by this awe-inspiring sight at MBS that we finally realized that our stunningly striking skyline is certainly one that’s comparable to other major and bustling cities.


Volunteer: Celebrate an early Mid-Autumn Festival with the old folks at Kwong Wai Siu Hospital

As part of the festival, the old folks were treated to an evening of singing and oriental wushu performances put by volunteers. The hospital also managed to successfully raise an estimated $280,000 in donations, much thanks to the throngs of sponsors who bought either a  handmade lantern or lotus through the “Light A Lantern, Warm A Heart” program”.

Lotus floating on the Wishing Pond

My virgin attempt at being a flea market “stall owner” for the Down Memory Lane @ Crescent Flea Market

Discovered a pus-filled inflammation/lump at the side my boobs and had it checked out at a breast specialist clinic because the family general practitioner said that there was nothing that he could do about it. Fortunately, the lump turned out to be nothing serious (no cancerous cells) but it required a very minor operation aka a simple cut at the inflammation to squeeze the pus out. A dose of local anesthesia, 10mins of excruciating pain from the squeezing of pus later, the lump had subsided though a dark scar remains thus serving as an ugly reminder of this incident.

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While I do still adore following the rat races, I’m happier following it on my own terms and not for anyone else.
– Heidi –

. weekly feature: plant a dream #2 .

# 2 Post

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In the midst of listening to other people’s stories, telling their stories, I grew up. And today I realized what TEACHING truly means to me. It is not about imparting a skill or knowledge, TEACHING means sharing and inspiring. I have been the student all these years, learning and being inspired by all these people who have shared their stories and life with me. And it is my turn to share, to inspire, to pay it forward.

– Tay –
co-founder of I Believe That Dreams Can Come True

website: Plant A Dream

. rainbow in a bottle .

* my new trinket from Diva

. the long weekend .

The ideal of a long weekend for me would be to either take a short break & travel overseas or to spend the days exploring the rustic places of attraction in Singapore (St John island/Pulau Ubin anyone?). Unfortunately, due to my facial laser treatment ( the skin tends to be very sensitive after laser treatments and thus, it is not advisable to be exposed to the scorching sun), the long weekend turned out to be a self-imposed stay-at-home weekend. Oh well, a reason for me to get in touch with my homely side i guess! Much of the weekend was spent watching television programmes (Oh! What will I ever do without cable TV?) & dvds, taking long strolls with the boy and the dogs in the evening, completing the finishing touches for the “Plant A Dream” weekly blog feature and believe it or not, I actually cooked! Well, I exclaimed out loud because you have to know that I’m actually a total lazy bum when it comes to cooking.

The Oscar-nominated and much acclaimed movie, Julie & Julia, inspired the cooking spirit in us to rise from within as we whipped up a couple of self-proclaimed mouth-watering & scrumptious dishes – Golden deep-fried prawns dipped in wasabi mayo sauce (I admit though, we had to refer to a recipe for this particular dish) and  ratatouille, the perfect healthy vegetable stew!

Deep fried prawns dipped in wasabi mayo sauce
And, get this! In the name of adding spice to our romance, I decided to surprise the boy on Sat night by whipping up a simple dish of baked lemon salmon (again, based on a random recipe i found online) and oyster mushroom in HP sauce. If my memory doesn’t fail me, this is the very FIRST time that I’m actually putting on the apron and cooking something from scratch ( no more cheating = microwave or ready-to-eat TV meals) for someone. Inevitably, I couldn’t be more proud of myself & kept questioning MK incessantly if the food was to his liking. Of course, I wouldn’t take “NO” for an answer … :p

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A day at the Beach with the Dogs

The rule for the aftermath of laser treatments is to never be out in the sun. And, I broke the rule and made an exception … Twice! Of course, that came with a sacrifice too because I ended up looking like a complete weirdo with my huge hat and sunglasses at the beach. Pictures of dogs frolicking on the beach and making a dive to the welcoming waves reflect such a blissful portrayal of a dog’s happiness/contentment that it makes me want to bring both Archie & Frosty on an excursion to the beach. The only and main problem was that neither of us drive. Yes, it all boils down to driving again. Hence, for all dog outings, we always have to trouble my dad to be the chauffeur for the day. Thanks Dad! 🙂

Back to the topic, we brought the dogs to the nearest beach at Sembawang not once but twice because the first attempt was an absolute failure. We were barely there for 10mins when it started pouring heavily. Being the fools that we were, we conveniently left the umbrellas back in the car boot and ended up looking like clowns as all of us were drenched from head-to-toe. Though, I have to admit that our 4-legged companions seemed to be having a ball of fun frolicking in the rain! Needless to say, the rain was such a bummer and it kind of ruined my mood for the early part of the day but I was persistent in bringing them out to the beach soon again.

Thankfully, the weather was on our side during our second visit to the beach. We waddled into the shallow waters and taught the dogs how to swim which, by the way, is such a stark irony as I am not confident of swimming in the open sea.
Archie is a natural when it comes to swimming but he likes to bark so much that he swallowed huge gulps of water while swimming. Bad move, very bad indeed. The sea water made Archie so queasy and uncomfortable that he puked out nothing but water during our return ride home! On the other hand, Frosty exhibited signs of nervousness throughout the entire time  and very much preferred running on the sandy shores. What’s our conclusion? That as much as we envision the perfect doggie date out at the beach, reality told us otherwise.

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A Good Year

A Good Year is a light-hearted & endearing movie that makes an individual question about one’s identity and the pursuit of happiness. It’s fundamentally back to the simple question – Are we contented in life? A reminder to living life to the fullest aside, watching this movie is almost similar to watching a travelogue of the idyllic wine-making countryside of Provence. The stunningly breathtaking and scenic scenery of Provence provides just the perfect excuse to escape from the reality and wander off to this quaint and rustic vineyard to bask in the calmness of the countryside. It certainly sounds idealistic but who doesn’t yearn for that once in awhile? A toast to the good life!

Postcards from Provence, France

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. the flea experience .

Edited Post

Just returned from the flea market but I’ll have to head to a nursing home in a bit for a work-related community service project. To summarize the past 4 hrs of my Saturday:

Limited Edition Earrings: Only 20 pieces of the earrings were available and all were sold out by the time I got to the booth. Why only 20 pieces?
Sales: $1 from the sale of a retro ring that I bought from BKK for 60cents. So, profit from the sale of the ring amounts to 40 cents.
Purchase: $6 rainbow ring that I bought from CC
Total Deficit: $19

* new purchase: rainbow ring

How’s that for my first attempt as a flea market “stall holder”? Extremely pathetic & disappointing, to say the least. The turnout for the event was extremely poor, probably less than 100 people turned up. Lack of publicity? Perhaps, considering the fact that we expected a lot more out of this event. Nevertheless, let’s not point the finger at the organizers. Of course, having the company of Soy, CC, her lil’ sister and some of my long-lost friends helped take the focus away from the fact that I WAS NOT SELLING ANYTHING ELSE other than a ring! The distraction was much needed & appreciated. Haha. On a more encouraging note, I saw quite a number of familiar faces, re-connected with some of them (not all) and of course, it all ended with the inevitable exchange of contact numbers. Will this lead to more catch up sessions? Only time will tell.

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Today marks the day that I’ll lose my virginity. My virginity to setting up a flea market stall, that is. Got you there, didn’t I? It’ll be a joint attempt with good pals & fellow Crescentians, CC & Soy at our secondary school alumni event. It’s 8am in the morning and I have to be at the venue at 12noon to assist in the set-up. And, guess what? There is only 4 more hrs to go and I have yet to make a decision about the pre-loved clothes that I want to sell. Been so busy with work and attending events the past week that I barely had the time to sort through the growing pile of stuff in my wardrobe.

As mentioned, this is my first attempt at flea so frankly, I’m not quite sure what to expect either. If all else fails (meaning no profits or worst, no sales), I suppose the least that I can get out of this flea experience is to get my hands on that extremely cute limited edition earrings modeled after our school uniform. How adorable!

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. look what i received in the mail #4 .

“Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
brown paper packages tied up with strings,
these are a few of my favorite things.”

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It’s inevitable that we, as human beings, undergo through many different phases in life. Very obviously, my current addiction-cum-obsession is none other than the lovely things associated with snail mails, swaps and handmade crafts. True indeed, this addiction could be nothing but a passing phase in my life but it’s definitely one eye-opening experience. You might ask, how so?

Apart from anticipating an international mail in my mailbox, the next thing that I truly enjoy is how this exchange of mails opens my eyes to the creative world of people who finds much pleasure in crafting and just how generous they are with giving away their beautiful handmade stuff to random strangers from all over the world. The spirit of sharing & giving. On the other hand, I confess that I’m one of those who, more often than not, ends up sending out store-bought purchases rather than handmade crafts due to the lack of time (an excuse?). Without a doubt, the generous spirit of giving exhibited by some of these bloggers/swap partners puts me to shame at times. After all, it is always easier to fall into the trap of spending money on purchases than to spend time and effort to create something from scratch. A thought for me to think about and work on. I’m slowly but surely learning more about the swap etiquette.

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Here’s a beautifully painted bookmark by Linda from Netherlands. Thank You so much for creating such a charming bookmark! 🙂

A snail mail from  Maria , my new-found pen pal whom I was introduced to via the Dear Darlings project. Speaking of which, this reminds me that I’ve to start on my replies to 3 letters soon. My procrastination to pick up driving precedes me and even Maria has a word of encouragement to spur me on –“Driving equals freedom”. Indeed, a phrase that I cannot deny … If only I can stop wasting my time and embark on this mission that was to be completed 5yrs ago. Yes, half a decade ago!

Here comes the biggest surprise of the week! Wait a min, make that the entire time since I signed up for Postcrossing/Swap Bot. My swap partner who’s also, coincidentally, called Steph invested much time and effort in preparing this lovely parcel. If my memory doesn’t fail me, I don’t even think that I had received a parcel of this size throughout my entire semester in Buffalo. There were friends of mine who received parcels full of ready-to-eat Singapore delights such as Bak Kut Teh, Curry Chicken paste, Hainanese Chicken Rice whereas I had to be contented with flat mails like letters and cards. Oh well, I love receiving snail mails of all sorts so no complaints.

In comparison, my package for the Because you’re lovely swap pales in comparison. And, by this, I seriously mean that my package looks so pathetic that I feel compelled to dig an enormous hole just so that I can bury my whole embarrassed self into it.

A incredible bag full of goodies from Steph. Thank you, thank you and thank you … I simply cannot express how ecstatic I am to receive such a fabulous goodie bag!

It doesn’t just stop at gifts for me. The 2 beloved leading males in my life also received a range of goods-in-kind from the very thoughtful Steph. The dogs are such a sucker for food (especially Frosty. He eats anything and everything! I’m amazed that he’s not ballooning in size considering the amt of food he tries to eat/steal from Archie!), treats and toys and you have completely won them over with your new presents for them!

Now, I confess that I’m 1 of those who eschew the idea of online blog awards but for Steph, I’m willing to make an exception. Hence, here’s another blog award that I created specially for you to add to your growing list of blog honors! 🙂

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Finally, here’s to all fellow swap partners/pen pals/postcrossing addicts – Thank You so much for being part of this “Snail Mail” journey with me!