Lalala

I bought a few Korean DVDs this week and I have just finished watching the award-winning movie,  “Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”.  Starring Lee Young-ae and Choi Min-shik (one of my fav korean actors), the movie is about a woman who embarks on a revenge quest after serving 13 and ½ years in prision.   

Actress Lee Young-ae surprised me with her convincing portrayal of an anguish victim in this movie. Compared to her other earlier movies, this is by far her best performance and I really think she deserves a standing ovation.  

Character actor, Choi Min-shik, also executed his role to perfection in the movie. Though an average looking guy, this man sure can act. I have been watching his movies for as long as I can remember.  

The movie has several powerful and nerve-shocking scenes but the most memorable scene to me was when mother and daughter met on the street in the snowing night. My tears started rolling down my cheeks when lady vengeance told her daughter these: “Be white.” “Live white.” A sinner mother’s wish for her young daughter to grow up pure and innocent is deeply moving.  

Visit the creative official site for the movie snapshots (in korean):

http://www.geum-ja.co.kr/

This week, I am reading one of Malcolm Gladwell’s best selling book, “Blink”. Half way through chapter 1, I suddenly had a crazy idea. I wished I could make a recommendation to the Registry of Marriage (R.O.M.) to make all young couples take a test before allowing them to register for marriage. The test would model after the ‘Love Lab’ test conducted by John Gottman and his team. 

Since 1980s, John Gottman has been conducting the ‘Love Lab’ test on thousands of couples. Couples are brought into a small room where they are videotaped while they talk about something involving their marriage. By watching the fifteen-minute videotape and analyzing a couple’s facial expressions and their positive and negative emotions, John Gottman and his team can predict with 95 percent accuracy if the couple's marriage would last and for how long.  

I am totally blown away by the ‘Love Lab’ test. If only R.O.M. would make young couples go through a similar test and help some of them realize that they are incompatible in their relationship, wouldn’t the divorce rate in Singapore drop drastically?  

Laugh at me if you wish; I am somehow convinced that the ‘Love Lab’ test is the way to go.

I made these. Nice? My fav is the ring. I wear it for formal occasions.

Wanna learn to make your own accessories? Check out the short courses conducted in the community centers. For less than $60 (excludes materials), you will learn to design and create your own pieces. Singapore Arts Museum (SAM) also conducts regular Jewellery Making Workshops. The course fees are more expensive than the ones conducted in the CCs but you get free admission to the galleries after the workshop.   

Jewellery Making Courses by the CCs:http://160.96.187.35/NASApp/cconline/courseMain.do

Jewellery Making Workshops by SAM:    http://www.nhb.gov.sg/SAM/ProgramsEvents/ArtXplorations/

Pinky nails again !

I like my NATURAL long nails. One of the nails broke beyond salvage, so I got the manicurist to give me a fake nail. Can you tell which one? 

A friend is in love. He is so in love that he postponed our meeting yesterday. He is on 24/7 standby, waiting for his dream girl to message him, waiting to see her and spend time with her. 

Someone once told me love is like a bell curve chart. We get excited at the beginning of a relationship, but over time, our love and energy wane. When a relationship goes on for too long, maintaining it gets tough. 

Whenever I see my friends falling in love, I think of the wedding bells and the bell curve chart. When love is heading south, forming the second half of the bell curve, I hope it gives off an alarm warning the lovers that their relationship is heading towards danger zone.

The tolling of a bell does not always equal bliss. For whom the bell tolls?

I am a moon child. I am extremely attracted to the moon. I feel calm and at peace when there is full moon hanging high up in the dark night sky.

The moon looks mysterious to me. Most times, it looks peaceful, but at times, it appears lonely and empty. Such beauty.  

I took these pictures when I was rushing to go home one night. I looked up and saw the moon and I stopped immediately. I was no longer rushing. The moon had an instant calming effect on me. “Ah, what a beautiful night.” I whispered softly to myself.

MOON IN CANCER

Your personality is very similar to a person whose Moon is in Taurus. You are both great fans of relaxation and satisfaction. However you are different in that you lack either the stability or stubbornness of Taurus, (unless your Sun or Ascendant is in fact Taurus!) Your personality is rather supple and flexible. You are quite emotional. Your surroundings play a large role in your mood. When you are at home, or somewhere comfortable, you can be quite sociable, friendly and charitable. However when your environment tends to be less comforting, you tend to hide yourself. You are conservative in nature. You may be close to your family, your mother in particular. You may be strongly attached to her, and may bear a strong resemblance to her with regards to your personality. Unless the Sun was in Leo, Aries or Sagittarius (these Signs are noted for their independence) when you were born, taking advice from others and following through on others plans will bring you good luck. You are very perceptive about others feelings. This makes you a good actor or mimic. This sensitivity also may be an indication of psychic abilities. You are strongly attracted to water, whether you are aware of it or not. You may live or vacation near large bodies of water, and may enjoy travelling by ship.  

(http://www.ofesite.com/spirit/horoscop/moonsign/moonform.htm)

Durians !

Durians remind me of Jeff, Umezono-san and Shirasawa-san, and that particular night when we were walking around Bugis looking for durians. I was playing host and wanted my guests to taste the king of the fruits. The guys were unwilling yet none of them was bold enough to say ‘no’ (Japanese culture?). It was funny watching their fearful look when I pointed at a basket of durians to them. I couldn’t help laughing inside. “C’mon guys, it is only durians!”

Read Durian Flavour and Odour at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durian#Flavour_and_odour

A little card brings on a smile. A friend gave me this card. I love it. 

(PS: Thanks, Bianca. You made my day.)

Has anyone read the book, 'Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus'? I am convinced that women and men have communication problem.

Flashed back. A few months back when I went to the wrong hotel for an event, I approached a guy at the front desk for direction and was told to go to the King’s Hotel to get to the Furama Riverfront Hotel. Both hotels, according to him, were next to each other. Nodding my head, I politely asked him where the King’s Hotel was and was told that it was next to the Furama Riverfront Hotel. Smiling, I then asked him where Furama Riverfront hotel was, and he told me it was next to the King’s Hotel. (He assumed I know where the King's Hotel was) My subsequent frantic attempts to draw out an answer from him were futile. Exasperated, I asked in a not-so-polite tone for the road name (now I wanted him to be specific) and I almost chewed up his head when he told me he had no idea!

Desperate, I sought help from a friend. His reply on the phone was not helpful either. “Where you are now is not the Furama Riverfront Hotel. You should take a cab to the Furama Riverfront Hotel.” Grrr…. what's wrong with these guys?

Playing forward. Today, I asked a friend for instructions on the insertion of visitor’s tracker log into my blog page. He said I would need a php file, and I should see the file somewhere, and I should be able to upload the file after that. Great, but where on earth do I locate the file? He couldn't explain how to find it. Poor guy. Is giving clear instructions so difficult?