I HAVE MOVED.....TO HERE!
Picture of the Day??? "European milk farmers have dumped three million litres of fresh milk onto pastures and roads in a massive, organized protest against lowered dairy prices. In Belgium, farmers spread milk across roads near the southern town of Ciney. Elsewhere, about 300 tractors dragged milk containers through plowed fields in southern Belgium, dumping a day's worth of milk production in that region."** **Extracted from CBCnews.ca To read more click here! Milk farmers say prices dropped so low they had to sell products at half their production cost, leaving increasing numbers of farmers unable to pay their bills. To highlight their desperation, about 300 tractors dragged milk containers through plowed fields in southern Belgium, dumping a day's worth of milk production in that region.
A protester spraying milk (direct from a cow's udder!!!) as part of their protest demanding greater support from the EU. Thousands of European farmers have brought Brussells to a standstill, spraying milk and manure onto the streets and pelting police with bottles and chickens in a protest against falling milk prices.
Only 25 years old and I'm already breaking down in all the wrong places....
First it was the ankles which over the course of many repeated sprains is now pretty much busted.
Then, there was the torn calf muscle which left me immobile for about 2 weeks.
Had a pretty bad lower back (L4, L5 and S1) problem about 4 years back - acute facet joint dysfunction, which with the help of physiotherapy got me back into action only after 4 months +
and apart from the other random injuries sustained....
.... I'm back to being pretty much immobile again - with a sprained lower back that is!
Not sure how it got aggravated, but was playing touch rugby on Saturday and somehow I probably landed in a damn awkward position when I was going for a try. The pain got progressively worse through the day and now it freaking hurts just to change positions like getting up from the chair bed, bending down or even sneezing...etc. My range of motion has been narrowed down to possibly a pathetic 10 degree of flexion and hyperextension of my back.
Doesn't help that today's Hari Raya and Monday is a public holiday. No freaking sinseh/chinese physician is open! I'm trying to avoid pain killers or muscle relaxants, but the thought of it sure is tempting just to relief myself of the pain. I have to say my threshold for pain is pretty high.... so when I say I'm contemplating pain killers, you kinda get the rough picture right? Wonder if back pains in the late stage of pregnancy is as bad as this? I hope not!
Crap now my training plan is gonna get screwed up big time. How to run and train for half marathon? Dammit!
Any good chinese sinseh to recommend???
I've kinda taken a liking to this song... Fireflies by Owl City.
Don't exactly know how to describe it. It's not a mega awesome track or anything, but I like its simplicity of the lyrics and the fairytale-ish, kiddish-dreamy sound of it. Kinda makes you reminisce those childhood days.... carefree and all....
Disclaimer: This is not the original music video. Got it off Youtube, done by some girl. I think it's kinda cute and really compliments the song. :)
Owl City - Fireflies (lyrics)
You would not believe your eyes
If ten million fireflies
Lit up the world as I fell asleep
Cuz they fill the open air
And leave teardrops everywhere
You'd think me rude, but I would just stand and stare
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Cuz everything is never as it seems
Cuz I get a thousand hugs
From ten thousand lightning bugs
As they try to teach me how to dance
A foxtrot above my head
A sock hop beneath my bed
A disco ball is just hanging by a thread (thread, thread)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Cuz everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)
Leave my door open just a crack
(Please take me away from here)
Cuz I feel like such an insomniac
(Please take me away from here)
Why do I tire of counting sheep?
(Please take me away from here)
When I'm far to tired to fall asleep
To ten million fireflies
I'm weird cuz I hate goodbyes
I got misty eyes as they said farewell (said farewell)
But I'll know where several are
If my dreams get real bizarre
Cuz I saved a few and I keep them in a jar
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Cuz everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Cuz everything is never as it seems (when I fall asleep)
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams
It's about time to revive this domant blog of mine...
3rd Sept, was invited to attend the UWA (Faculty of Science) Alumni Cocktail Party held at the Singapore Cricket Club. It's different now that everyone has graduated and moved on to start jobs and families. Was really great to see most of the Human Movement and Exercise Science gang again, especially since I left good ol' Perth in 2006. Back then we were exchanging lecture notes, now its fancy namecards. Haha...
Great networking, made new friends, met super 'alumni' students and of coz, met one of my favourite lecturers -Kerry Smith! Honestly, she's tops. A motherly figure back during my uni days and someone who has given me such wonderful opportunities which has got to where I am today. Proceeded with drinks at an Irish pub somewhere along Boat Quay, and it was only a Thursday night. :)
So much to update, so little time.
I've always had a closet interest in watching freestyle motocross events . This interest prob dated way back since I was in JC. If you have no idea what freestyle motocross is, it's basically a competition/event whereby bikers perform aerial jump stunts. It's kinda similar to BMX stunts you see during X-games competitions...just that these are done on motorbikes and the heights they reach are usually much higher! It's amazing shit I tell you....Below is just a preview of what motocross really is...
Singapore hosted its first ever Red Bull X Fighters (Freestyle Motocross) exhibition tour last Saturday (16th May) evening. Location.... the F1 track just behind the Singapore Flyer, which provided such an awesome backdrop. It was such a 'sick' event... and I mean it in a good way! Aside from the fact that the event was FREE.... the stunts those bikers pulled off was pure magic!
Glad that I decided to head down to catch the event with my biker-crazy friend (who too brought along a few of his other biker fanatics). As usual, even though we got there an hour early, a long queue had already formed. Never knew that Singaporeans were into such stuff! Then again, possibly coz its free. *duh*
Anyway, as this was just an exhibition tour, they only brought 4 riders down to perform. But the stunts that these crazy guys pulled off more than satisfied the adrenaline crazy crowd! The best stunt of the night.... THE BACKFLIP!
Seriously, you wonder to yourself, how in the world does one execute such stunts on a bike, less on a motorbike which weighs so much more. I can't even do a backflip on the ground for crying out loud! Didn't manage to take photos of the guys in the air.... they move a tad too quickly for my lousy pocket camera. Added some videos taken by others for now, too lazy to upload mine. Enjoy.
Hopefully, Singapore will eventually play host to more of such events to come such as the Red Bull Air Race and possibly future Freestyle Motocross events. That would be sweet!
The ramp with Sg Flyer in the background
A little blur... but that's 3 of the 4 bikers who performed (the last one is hidden behind) 
Playing around with my camera while waiting for the event to start
The venue 
Hell yeah...
Ja's very own home-made garlic bread (with loads of garlic...yums!) The 3/4 prepare dinner table...
As mentioned in my earlier post, the siblings and I have decided to prepare dinner today and here's the outcome....
Fresh green Garden Salad
Rosti with Chipolata Sausages
Stir fried Asparagus with mushrooms
Thank God for the long weekend! It's about time.
I think I might have gone a little overboard on the sports and food during this period. Chels and I might have gotten a little too carried away with our touch rugby sessions and decided that since it was a public holiday, we should go on with a game on Friday and Saturday.....
So yes, 2 games, one after another. I must say it was swell despite the unforgiving heat. I sweated buckets! I really hate the fact that I sweat so much. Either I have an hideous amount of over-active sweat glands in my body or my body really hates the Singapore climate bad. Anyway, I'm upset. I've been labeled for life. :( The guys at touch have just adopted a new name for me, and I really have no idea if it's something to be proud of. The guys insist that its a compliment but I beg to differ. In short.... they have nicknamed me after one of the current All Blacks rugby players, but why Him???? There are like 14 other players to choose from and I have to be HIM??? :( (If u really want to know, Chels has kindly revealed my nickname to the entire bloggersphere in her latest post).
Weihao finally got down to the arrangements and invited a few of us over to his house for a Brownie baking session. Well.... the final product was ok, but not as good as the one Chles and I previously made. Nonetheless, we all dug into a generous serving of freshly baked brownies along with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.... sinfully sweet and gratifying. WH's mum was really nice to us and cooked us curry and never stopped feeding us from the moment we stepped foot into her house. I think she loves us. Hahhaa... Dammit, I'm such a suckup and Aunty Killer. I must admit I'm pretty good at it and my friend's parents can't help but love me. Heehee... hey, it's always essential to built good rapport with your friend's parents ok! Not everyone can do it.
Can't believe it's already Sunday. So tempted to take another day off tomorrow. It's only 1.30pm now but I've enjoyed my Sunday thus far. Had a simple but yums Dim Sum breakfast with my siblings after church this morning (of coz I had to foot the bill!). It was great just spending time and catching up with them coz I think we haven't managed to spend much quality time together coz all of us are busy with our own lives. This evening the 3 of us are gonna whip up dinner for the family.
On the menu: 
Another great way to spend time with my siblings and show over love thru our cooking to our parents. Our parents have definitely taught and brought us up well. I reckon we are all pretty decent cooks. Hahhaa....
Chilling @ Wala Wala Timbre @ Old School It makes u ditsy at times, making u do silly stunts in the middle of the road.... HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Yes yes, I'm in a desperate need of a short getaway. I'm thinking some beach in Thailand... either Phuket/Patong or Krabi, just to laze on the beach, some snorkeling, rock climbing and of coz some cheap shopping??? Still trying to find someone who's interested to go along... if not, I'm actually contemplating going on this getaway on my own. Some alone time might actually do me some good I reckon.
Enough with the boring rants on my life....
Yashi and Me
Timbre @ Arthouse
Ok, this portion is just something random. Chels is so gonna scream at me for posting these pictures on my blog. Haha. But, it kinda went along the line of what alcohol can do to you and just me reminiscing our good old housemate days back in Perth. Enjoy!
But despite all that... we really do lub each other.
Sometimes it only takes someone to say something nice to make your day!
*double grin*
The Touch Trio
The group when we started off 
When we first played at Bishan Park - our current homeground!
After our Christmas Touch Rugby Session
Turducken Greens Touch Rugby Club (Blog)
Touch You There (A site for Touch Rugby enthusiasts in Singapore)
After much procrastination and deliberation... I finally got down to it!
Yes, I actually sat myself down at the hair salon for like 4 hours (possibly more) and got my hair rebonded for the first time! I reckon it really looks better now coz it appears less damage and dry. hur hur hur.... cheers to beautiful hair!
It was one of those random chats with the dad about life.
But what stuck me most was this sentence he said.
'The buying of a nice house is not important. What matters more is the building of a HOME.'
It really got me to stop in my track and ponder over the words that just came out of his mouth. Somehow, those words felt so powerful. I never mentioned it to him, but I realised that all these years my father has truly stuck by his believes and he has certainly built and nurtured an awesome home! I can never be more grateful.
Definitely something I will keep in mind when I start my own family!
A friend of mine was giving me a lift home yesterday and the song '1000 miles' by Vanessa Carlton was playing over the radio.
Halfway thru the song, my friend asked me a question which I thought was quite hilarious.
Friend: Please la, this song is rubbish. Do you even think any girl will walk a 1000 miles just to see a guy? Singapore girls walk a bit already complain. Don't think such things ever happen.
Me: *laughs* Well, I would walk! Ok, but maybe not 1000 miles. Max 20km still possible. :P
Friend: Aiyah, you different. I'm talking about girls in general.
Anyway, we came to a conclusion that the song was pretty gay especially when a guy sings it. Think it was all because of the movie 'White Chicks' that spoilt the entire image. haaha... but it was a hilarious movie.
On the point of walking a 1000 miles. It's time once again for the annual Standard Chartered Marathon. Will be doing the half marathon this year. Point is now, not sure if I'm gonna run coz was running a fever yesterday, but it's subsided since. Will see how I feel later tonight to decide. I hate it man, always falling sick at the wrong time! Same thing happened before last year's Stand Chart as well! Sucks mega time!
Can't wait for the rugby match between the All Blacks and England this Saturday night! Just checked the starting lineup on my all time favourite website: ALL BLACKS.COM and its a dream team of pure perfection! Sweetness!
Reserves:
(look out for the highlighted players! my favs.)
May the English squad crumble under the rugby boots with metal studs of the All Blacks! Hahha! May their defence dwindle under the relentless pressure and ruthless attacks of the Blacks! May oh so sexy Mr Carter convert all tries scored, may Ali Williams perform the Hakka with so much oomph and tongue-sticking-out passion, may Rokocoko sprint like there's no tomorrow and may McCaw lead the team to another sweet sweet victory. Ok, fine, I'm bloody biased. Too bad.
I finally got down to it. I submitted my application for my Master in Science (Research) program under NUS. I'm not exactly sure how I'm feeling right now. There's part excitement to a new academic chapter in my life, yet on the other hand, I'm starting to worry and get a little hesitant about what I have gotten myself into. So if anyone has any great suggestions (stupid or genius) please share and enlighten me ok?
As a good friend said to me "Ja, you're so gonna have no life for the next 2 years at least. Better find yourself someone now!"
Ummm... ok. I not too sure what my friend was trying to get at, but it definitely dawned upon me that I'll prob be slogging away for a good part of the next few years to come. I think it all boils down to discipline effective time management. How I'm gonna do it... I'll find out for myself. I love my sports hour, chill-lax sessions and friends too much to sacrifice.
The next thing to do is keep my fingers crossed and hope I get accepted into the program as well as the company scholarship I applied for. Please, please let me get it! As for the area of research I wanna do.... I'm still in a huge delima. It's so damn tough to think of a good research study to do! Arghhh.... I'm gonna age so rapidly at this rate! Save me!
Diverting from my ramblings... just awhile ago I was at my neighbourhood coffee shop having a cup of tea with my dad when we 'sort of' witnessed an accident unfold before our eyes (i said sort of coz I didn't really see everything that happened, only saw it when it started flipping over!). Somehow, this yellow Suzuki Swift made a U-turn way too fast, mounted the curb, crashed into the opposite sidewalk curb, flipped over and landed on its roof!!!! Shit man.... during the entire process, the only words coming out of my mouth were 'shit, shit, shit...oh my God!
What was worst... 2 patrons at the coffee shop immediately sprinted to the scene and opened the passenger side door and pulled out a little girl (prob around 3 yrs of age). They also managed to help the female driver out. Thankfully no one was hurt. Can't imagine how traumatising it was for the both of them.
As usual the typical Singaporean crowd gathered to provide eye power... but I was highly impressed with the 2 guys that literally sprinted at lightning speed to the scene to help. They were just eating, minding their own business... saw what happened, went to help and after the civil defence and ambulance came, sat back down at their seats to finish their meal. I'm glad there are such responsive people around who respond to such situations. It's comforting and reassuring.