the absolutely lunatic things i do

so i was shopping at zara one fine day in london (oh london i miss you) when i heard this really nice song playing. now, normally what i would do is whip out my trusty iphone and shazam it. however, me being in london and having no wifi or 3g or cellular data whatsoever, i resorted to whipping out my trusty iphone and recording a voice memo of it. note that this was done by me wandering about the shop pretending to look at clothes but really trying to find the best spot with the loudest speaker, upon which i furtively flipped my phone so that the mic would pick up the most of it.

of course, me being me, i promptly forgot i even did that. (i know, how can anyone forget doing something that insane? you can if you do insane things like that all the time.)

so almost a month after i return to singapore, i was going through my voice memos when suddenly i see this and go HEY! then promptly copy it to my computer, blast the speaker as loud as possible and at long last shazam the song.

which is how i discovered my new favourite song, lost then found by leona lewis and onerepublic :)

also, i do so adore my trusty iphone.

the current happy song

if i could be your superman
i'd fly you to the stars and back again
cos every time you touched my hand
you feel my powers running through your veins
but i can only write this song
and tell you that i'm not that strong
cos i'm no superman
i hope you like me as i am

superman
joe brooks

revelations and epiphanies.

I spent the whole morning before we met that day thinking to myself: "This means nothing." Telling myself over and over again.

Halfway through the day I realized I didn't need to tell myself that anymore. This really means nothing. This is what we are, and all that we'll ever be.

I didn't have a huge epiphanistic moment, just a quiet revelation that occurred around our third location of the day, which is way better than that devastating burst of ohmygod-this-is-it.

And you know what? I'm really okay with this. It's a resolution of sorts, but also a step towards something else. Something more honest and open.

Ironically there seems to be a subtle shift with us. I used to be the more active person between us, and now it seems I'm the more passive one. You're initiating a lot more than you ever used to, even before this whole insane debacle happened.

It's actually sort of curious how this whole incident has changed the dynamic between us. And I suppose, changed us a little. It feels like a good change, something positive for us. Something really positive for me. It's been awhile since I've felt this light-hearted and happy.

Then again, maybe it's that odd optimistic feeling that seems to be dancing around me of late. Maybe working in a place where you get to play with Kung Fu Panda and the Madagascar penguins everyday is rubbing off. I'm not as grumpy and cynical as I used to be. It's kinda heartening.

And maybe it's the fact that I've got a cold and my head is so stuffed it feels like I have cotton for brains.

I don' t know if I should be disturbed that I'm feeling slightly cheery by that thought.

For the first optimistic and hopeful feeling I've had in a long while.

I'm not surprised, not everything lasts
I've broken my heart so many times
I stopped keeping track
Talk myself in, I talk myself out
I get all worked up then I let myself down

I tried so very hard not to lose it
I came up with a million excuses
I thought I'd thought of every possibility

And I know someday that it'll all turn out
You'll make me work so we can work to work it all out
And I promise you kid that I'll give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

I might have to wait
I'll never give up
I guess it's half timing and the other half's luck
Wherever you are
Whenever it's right
You'll come out of nowhere and into my life

And I know that we can be so amazing
And baby your love is gonna change me
And now I can see every possibility

And somehow I know that it'll all turn out
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it all out
And I promise you kid I'll give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet

They say all's fair in love and war
But I won't need to fight it
We're getting by it, we'll be united

And I know that we can be so amazing
And being in your life is gonna change me
And now I can see every single possibility

And someday I know it'll all turn out
And I'll work to work it out
Promise you kid I'll give more than I get

Oh you know it'll all turn out
And you'll make me work so we can work to work it all out
And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get
I just haven't met you yet.

haven't met you yet.
michael buble.

It's six minutes to the end of Christmas. This is a bittersweet time for me, because it's the end of my absolute favourite holiday of the year, and it'll be a whole year before Christmas comes around again. At the same time, today has been a very lovely Christmas day for me.

Started Christmas day with midnight mass at the Carmelite Monastery, breaking tradition from my usual Holy Family midnight mass. It wasn't too bad, although I did miss the familiarity of the Holy Fam service. Still, it was a lovely experience.

Big sis and bro-in-law came back from Australia this morning so got to spend a very crazy day playing Wii and games on my iPhone with my sisters and brothers-in-law. We did our gift exchange too and everyone loved what I got them. Got some very funky tech stuff for my new iPhone too :) Plus, we had a rather yummerlicious Christmas lunch! I love Christmas food. Turkey and ham makes me go yummmm. And had awesome chicken wings from sister's mom-in-law too! Double yummmmmmmm.

Dinner was over at Best Friend's place. Kinda missed not having her around but had fun nonetheless. BF's mama makes AWESOME Christmas food. I was stuffed from eating the whole day and I still had two helpings of dinner. SO good. Plus had a crazy fun time playing Pictionary Singapore Edition with BF's bro and company.

Then we skyped BF in London, where I finally got to show her iPhone and not-so-new hair. (Sidenote: BF's bro's lappie has a very brilliant set up for skyping.) Gabbed a bit with BF in privacy of her bro's room and got a firsthand proper look at very lovely winkwink gift! So happy to see her so happy :)

And now am gonna have a long gabfest with her :) It's a really lovely Christmas day! Merry Christmas one and all!

It's December.

The year seems to have gone by in a flash, and yet with the pace of a snail. Some days I remember vividly like it was just yesterday, others I wish I could completely forget.

It's also been the year of changes. The biggest one being, of course, leaving school and entering the workforce. After 16 years of being stuck in an education system that has at times both satisfied and pissed the hell out of me, I've left to see if these 16 years have given me any value in the "real" world.

This might sound like the start of an angry protest of the education system we've been stuck with, but it's not. Quite frankly, some of what school has taught has helped. And I don't just mean the technical stuff like learning how to do a spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel (which I have become quite adept at, I am rather proud to say).

But while I am grateful for having all these years of education under my belt, I know that I have been extremely blessed and fortunate to have found myself where I am right now. Especially so, considering that just five months ago, my choices were on a knife's edge that could have gone either way. If it hadn't been for three people who told me to just wait it out, I could be in a very different place right now, literally.

I don't know if they knew how conflicted I'd been then, or if they know just how much their text messages meant. Or spending hours talking to me on the phone. Or just letting me sit in the car with the engine running to talk it all out. Or, really, just being there for me through it all.

And it makes me so, so happy to say that I haven't regretted the decision I made at all, even during the long days with crazy stuff happening all over. The drained, exhausted resignation that I used to feel seems like a thing of the past. I don't wake up dreading the day, and I don't end it wishing for it to be over.

And for that, I will always be grateful to have the three of you in my life. So. Thank you. :)

the fabulously happy day

Had my first TOFFEE NUT LATTE of the year today. Anyone worth calling yourself my friend should know what this means. Heh. Didn't manage to ask for extra sprinkles, mostly because it inadvertently became a free drink and I was kinda embarrassed to ask for extra sprinkles. However, that will definitely be rectified tomorrow morning. (It really is a bonus having a Starbucks situated directly en route from the MRT to the shuttle bus stop.)

And the other fantabulously perfect thing to happen today was this:and what I've been coveting for five years since I saw him do this in Hwee Ying's Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes:
Am so thoroughly deliriously happy today :):):)

(BTW, I love HY, who deserves a superduper YAY for helping me get my copy of The Graveyard Book signed!)

Hurrays and hurrahs! I love love love today :)

So. It's been three weeks.
Have to say, it's been good. :)

pomp and circumstance

I graduated today!
And here's something to herald Convocation :)
(Also because I think the BBC Proms '08 Last Night conductor and audience are just adorably lovely)


And for all the non-classical music people - ♫ http://twt.fm/222517

Making a quick blog-stop just to say:
YAY FEDERER WON THE FRENCH OPEN!!
And wheeee for the awesome CAREER GRAND SLAM :)

squeeeeeals!

I hold in my hands the LIMITED EDITION of Jason Mraz's We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things album, inside which consists of the album itself, the three EPs (1. We Sing 2. We Dance 3. We Steal Things), and - the best part of it all - THE LIVE CONCERT DVD!

bounceshrieksqueewhooohaahhhh!

Ahem.

This has obviously renewed my groupiehood status towards the genius that is MRAZ. And makes for many many swoon-worthy moments. Such as him singing A Beautiful Mess and the acoustic version of You And I Both.

Cue: awwwww and a Ratatouille beam

And now, excuse me while I return to my Mraz-induced haze of happiness.

familiarity

It just occurred to me that the month of May has been a sorta deja vu month.

There's the familiarity of being back at work a year after leaving, where flashes from 17 months ago suddenly hit you with an odd sense of surreality. And the fact that there are so many familiar faces around (albeit no longer under a factually pressuring thumb) just adds to it all. It's actually been pretty fun with the catching up and the bitching (naturally).

Of course, since the crunch period's starting, I think we'll soon forget the meaning of "fun" and just fervently wish for a good night's rest. Which kinda brings on yet another not-so-bright-and-happy familiarity in itself. But I suppose that's how it goes.

And then there's been this past weekend of hanging out with old pals. It's been awhile since we've all gotten together to just hang out. And, of course, being us, we have all sorts of hilarious moments like speeding to catch Star Trek (whee!), driving down a creepy dark road, and scouring the streets of Changi V. But then there were the pleasantly familiar moments like doing drinks at Wala's, studying/reading at a coffee place, and (of course) JAMMING. Innocence Again, no less (with little sidetrips into Zephyr).

It's really nice to know that despite no longer having daily updates (or even the specific details) of each other's lives, we can still pick up where we left off, singing the same song as if no time has passed at all :)

Yay! New Glee promo! Absolutely cannot wait for this show (May 19!), esp since a bunch of musical thesps are involved in it.
(Like starring Lea Michele from Spring Awakening, and guest starring Kristen Chenoweth and Victor Garber. Woot!)

mraz can take me home any time

(You didn't really think I was done with a two-sentence post, were you?)

Never have I had a more glorious birthday than last night. *Contented ratatouille beams* Every time I see Jason Mraz live, I just adore him even more, and last night was no exception.

Kick starting his awesomeness with "The Dynamo of Volition" and swinging right into "Geek in the Pink" (Wheee! One off my list!), Mraz got the crowd completely revved up, on their feet and jigging away. (And yes, that includes me. I am such a huge concert jigger, it's embarrassing.)

And, as always, the master of performers knows exactly when to mellow down his tunes, going on to his third song with "Unfold", this time with a sweet sax mixed in. If there's one thing about Mraz, he sure knows the best variations for every song he sings.

Okay, correction. There is no one thing about Mraz. It's his overall package that just makes him THE man. Whoo.

Anyways. As you can tell from my previous post, he sang "A Beautiful Mess" which is really among my top favourite songs ever, and I was just swooning away, sighing happy little beaming sighs next to Marina. There's just something about that song that makes me melt into a puddle.

But that wasn't his most awesome moment for the night. That one came after a brief intermission, during which his very rocking band played a wicked cool instrumental piece for a few minutes. When Mraz returned, his band slipped off stage, leaving him, Toca on percussions, and his keyboardist whose name I didn't catch but would really like to know too.

And then the opening notes of "Mr. Curiosity" begins. Naturally, the crowd goes wild (as we do for like, every song. Haha. I love concerts like this). But that wild is nothing compared to the reaction when he breaks into the opera bit in the middle of the song. (Which can be found on YouTube, though it really really doesn't compare to hearing him do this live. A real OMG moment.)

Oh, am incredibly pleased that he did quite a bit of the songs on my list, like:
"Geek in the Pink"
"A Beautiful Mess" (which will henceforth always be bolded)
"I'm Yours" (full band treatment but mixed with Bob Dylan's "Three Little Birds")
"Mr. Curiosity"
"Curbside Prophet"
"Sleeping to Dream" mashed with "You And I Both"

Also, he did his awesome "The Remedy" mash with "Wonderwall". (Rather coincidental, considering Oasis is scheduled to come to the Indoor Stadium exactly one month after Mraz.) And a good portion of songs from his first and latest album. Desperately wished he'd do "Plane" or "Did You Get My Message" (especially since his Selection For Friends EP had this wicked cool audience bit), but maybe next time. Haha.

Oh. A slight "hm" moment when Joy/Joie/Joi/whatever Chua came out and did Colbie Caillat's bit in "Lucky" with him. And then she enthusiastically hugged him at the end! Marina and I had a collective aaaargh-that-beeyatch!!!! moment. But it only lasted for a moment. Alright, maybe two. Or three. Ahem.

Oooh and let's not forget his very hilarious saxaphone duel in "No Stopping Us", along with the band intro and his concert tradition of snapping polaroids and tossing it to the audience.

I swear, I was just dying to catch the one of him. Sighs. But I still got the most fantabulous birthday night out of it, and I wouldn't give that up for the world. And I'm fervently holding out hope he comes back next year, and *fingers and toes crossed* does another acoustic show like he did at the Esplanade three years ago. Beams.

Whee. I love Jason Mraz. I'm still so high from last night, I'm not even forming my thoughts clearly. Hence the incredibly disjointed blog post. Whee. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Okay. Shall semi-hover back to earth for dinner before floating back up to my Mraz cloud of happiness again. Apologies for the extra-long rambly post. Shall organize thoughts for the next one. But probably won't if I'm still high. Which is quite possible. I think this high's gonna last a long long loooong time.

Stop talking now? You bet.

floating on a happy mraz cloud

He sang A Beautiful Mess!

And suddenly, in that moment, my tiny corner of the world felt like this perfect little bubble of absolute bliss and contentment.

the dream mraz set list

In anticipation for tomorrow night (and really, to procrastinate going back to studying psych), here is my wishlist for songs to be on Jason Mraz's playlist:

- Better (although the chances of this is next to nil)
- Love For A Child
- A Beautiful Mess
- Dream Life of Rand McNally
- 0% Interest
- Details in the Fabric
- I'm Yours, the original acoustic version
- On Love, In Sadness
- Geek in the Pink
- Prettiest Friend
- Sleeping to Dream
- Mr. Curiosity
- Plane
- Rocket Man
- Did You Get My Message
- Please Don't Tell Her
- Curbside Prophet
- If It Kills Me

Okay, so the chances of him playing half of the songs here is pretty low, but a girl can always hope. And, if nothing else, it's still gonna be one fabulous night of Jason Mraz :)

when a picture says it all

better

Swoons. One of my fave Jason Mraz songs ever. Wish he'd bring it back.
Or, y'know, play it live at the Indoor Stadium on March 5th.
BECAUSE I'M GOING!!!!!!!!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Okay. Am calm now.

HE'S COMINGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BouncebouncebouncebounceBOUNCE!
Am suddenly very much looking forward to my birthday this year :):):):):):)

The Baz Lurhmann High

Being that I'm still in a Baz Lurhmann/Australia mood, was randomly googling stuff (such as when the soundtrack is coming out - not anytime soon, damn it) and apparently his next two projects are film adaptations of The Great Gatsby and Wicked! Woohoo!

Okay, am way too excited for a film that might take years to appear. But still. I adore Baz Lurhmann's films. And I love The Great Gatsby. And if R&J is anything to go by, Lurhmann does great adaptations. Plus it's a period story, and he does fabulous period pieces (cue Moulin Rouge and Australia). Oooh and maybe he'll cast yummy eye-candy people then we can see them in yummy suits at Gatsby's fabulous party! Like Hugh Jackman! And Ewan McGregor! Squeals!

Okay. Am calm now.