Jan 2006:
I caught Dengue Fever... Had high fever and for a first, was shivering uncontrollably in tropical Singapore...
This is very unlike me, who was wearing a cotton t-shirt with jeans in Australia just a month ago in Dec when the rest were all huddled up in their thick jackets...
Had to be hospitalised for 3 days due to dangerously low blood platelets level... Worst experience in my life... I NEVER WANNA STAY IN HOSPITALS AGAIN....
Feb 2006:
Back in business... Starting new job... Sports channel branding promos... Why don't sports presenters look sporty at all???
March 2006:
Never seen so many projects involving kids in my whole life...
April 2006:
More kids projects coming my way...
May 2006:
My uneventful, relaxing birthday....
More kids projects coming my way...
June 2006:
One nagging, never-ending project.... Yes it involves kids, animals, and the great outdoors...
July 2006:
At last, my lasik consultation... Surgery to be on 7th and 8th August... Can't wait....
Queer As Folk brightens up my life... Finished 4 seasons in 2 weeks... Hold it, make that LESS THAN 2 weeks... Gale Harold (Brian Kinney) is one serious hottie actor... Love him to death...My nagging, never-ending project is seeing some light...29th July - It's showtime!!! CABARET!!!!
Aug 2006:
Finally my wait is over...Had my lasik on 21 and 22 Aug...will soon have perfect eyesight....but had to rest & be temp blind for a week....
Sep 2006:
A month after lasik and can see very well, except eyes tend to be more dry than before lasik... Have to consistently lubricate them with eye drops...
Oct 2006:
Nothing much eventful.... except my bro's housewarming that came two months earlier than his chinese wedding ceremony... and it's also on children's day.... yes my bro is born on children's day... no joking....
Nov 2006:
Projects piling up.... busy as a bee... projected to be busy till end of year... Never seen so many drama queens and kings in my entire life... Is there something seriously wrong with the people that go overseas for further studies??? Why do they all become snobs when they come back and look down on others, even though their own glass is only half-filled??? I wonder...
Dec 2006:
My bro's long awaited wedding on 9th Dec...
Never slept so little in my entire life and yet worked so hard...
Can't believe everyone caught a nap before the dinner when I was busy slogging away at the wedding video... Even my mum took a nap before she went to the salon to do her hair... Poor 'ol me was stuck at home editing the hours of footage within 4 hours' time frame... Now I understand why professionals charge so much for express editing... cos it's ultra stressful... even more than doing professional editing work... fortunately everything went well... despite e comp hanging on me a couple of times... I survived!!! And the product went well with the crowd...
Month of X'mas alas... My fave public holiday.... but unfortunately no turkey this year cos of some unfortunate events...
Sunday, December 31, 2006
哎。。。
哎。。。
真是很烦。。。
真的很衰。。。
今年真的不是我的年。。。
一点都不旺我也就算了。。。
怎么可以每次以来到节庆的时候。。
我就会很不幸地被“病魔缠身”呢？
农历新年，死伊蚊害我入院三天。。。
圣诞节，久违的鼻窦炎再度爆发。。。
现在是2006年的最后一天了。。。
我的“健康克星们”竟然约好一起出现跟我一起倒数。。。
相信多数的金牛座人士都会有这个问题。。。
我们的鼻子和喉咙是最脆弱的。。。
通常身体都蛮健康的我们，都会因为鼻子或喉咙出现了问题，便大病一场。。。
真得一点都不好玩。。。
鼻子连续猛打喷嚏，呼吸道塞得无法正常呼吸。。。
喉咙也发炎了，一吞东西就会疼痛。。。
还好没有发烧，不然就真的非常非的扫兴。。。
真是很烦。。。
真的很衰。。。
今年真的不是我的年。。。
一点都不旺我也就算了。。。
怎么可以每次以来到节庆的时候。。
我就会很不幸地被“病魔缠身”呢？
农历新年，死伊蚊害我入院三天。。。
圣诞节，久违的鼻窦炎再度爆发。。。
现在是2006年的最后一天了。。。
我的“健康克星们”竟然约好一起出现跟我一起倒数。。。
相信多数的金牛座人士都会有这个问题。。。
我们的鼻子和喉咙是最脆弱的。。。
通常身体都蛮健康的我们，都会因为鼻子或喉咙出现了问题，便大病一场。。。
真得一点都不好玩。。。
鼻子连续猛打喷嚏，呼吸道塞得无法正常呼吸。。。
喉咙也发炎了，一吞东西就会疼痛。。。
还好没有发烧，不然就真的非常非的扫兴。。。
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
For all e snackers out there....
Read this on an email from my aunt...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, avoid eating these products.
************************************
PLEASE TAKE NOTE - STOP EATING THESE SNACKS ......
Pass it on !
Hong Kong has ordered stores to pull 16 popular Japanese & Chinese
snacks
off their shelves because
they contain an unapproved sweetener which some studies have linked to
cancer and other health problems.
The products are :
1. Glico chocolate pretzels,
2. Kiss mints,
3. Pringles potato crisps (mild salt flavor),
4. Kiku Prawn Crackers,
5. Kiku cuttlefish crackers,
6. Koebisen cuttlefish crackers,
7. Ika Mirin shrimp crackers,
8. Kiariri prawn-flavoured pretzels,
9. Nissin cup udon (beef, curry and tempura flavours),
10. Nissin UFO Oomori Yaki Soba Instant Noodles,
11. Nissin Tatsujin Tonkatsu Ramen Instant Noodles,
12. Natchoro sweetener
13. Qiaqia melon seeds from mainland China,
14. Popular chocolate and strawberry flavoured Glico Pocky biscuit
sticks,
15. Garlic Chip Rice Crackers,
16. Koikeya Don Tacos Spicy Beef.
They had also been removed from sale in Singapore after labs found they
contained STEVIOSIDE,
a sugar-substance not approved for consumption in HongKong or
Singapore.
Tricia Lim
Business Development Dept
NTUC Income
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi, avoid eating these products.
************************************
PLEASE TAKE NOTE - STOP EATING THESE SNACKS ......
Pass it on !
Hong Kong has ordered stores to pull 16 popular Japanese & Chinese
snacks
off their shelves because
they contain an unapproved sweetener which some studies have linked to
cancer and other health problems.
The products are :
1. Glico chocolate pretzels,
2. Kiss mints,
3. Pringles potato crisps (mild salt flavor),
4. Kiku Prawn Crackers,
5. Kiku cuttlefish crackers,
6. Koebisen cuttlefish crackers,
7. Ika Mirin shrimp crackers,
8. Kiariri prawn-flavoured pretzels,
9. Nissin cup udon (beef, curry and tempura flavours),
10. Nissin UFO Oomori Yaki Soba Instant Noodles,
11. Nissin Tatsujin Tonkatsu Ramen Instant Noodles,
12. Natchoro sweetener
13. Qiaqia melon seeds from mainland China,
14. Popular chocolate and strawberry flavoured Glico Pocky biscuit
sticks,
15. Garlic Chip Rice Crackers,
16. Koikeya Don Tacos Spicy Beef.
They had also been removed from sale in Singapore after labs found they
contained STEVIOSIDE,
a sugar-substance not approved for consumption in HongKong or
Singapore.
Tricia Lim
Business Development Dept
NTUC Income
Friday, December 01, 2006
私は大好きのロイ・チウ。。。
经过了好久好久，好长好长的等待。。。
终于在网上再次看到有“他”的消息了。。。
虽然天天都能看到“他” （房中的海报啦，嘻嘻）。。。
但有时望着“他”时还是会突然怀念起“他”往日的种种。。。
“他”写的歌词。。。
有“他”思想的深度，有“他”独特的哲理，有“他”心情的写照。。。
启发了我对生命的另一种领悟。。。
“他”唱的歌曲。。。
有“他”自我的演绎方式，有“他”对音乐的执著与热忱。。。
触动了我的心弦。。。
印象中的“他”。。。
性格坦率，想到什么就说什么，也不会以虚假的一面面对任何人。
惜字如金，自认好的答案得来自好的问题。
沉默寡言，无聊的问题，就没有什么好说的，不是吗？
忧郁神秘，不说话时像在沉思，或是想到什么令“他”伤心的回忆，让人觉得无法亲近。。。
调皮幽默，当慢热型的“他”“开窍”后，就像个搞笑活宝贝，让你开心到眉开眼笑。。。
双面人？双重性格？
人多多少少都是带着面具与他人交涉的，无论是好是坏。。。
多开朗乐天的人都有忧郁悲伤的时候。。。
但应为社会的关系，不能不把悲伤藏起来，戴上开心的面具面对众人。。。
我们不是每天都在这样做吗？
不喜欢的人，我们不是都暗忍着不满，而换上微笑的面具来面对他们吗？
其实能像“他”这样有多好。。。
象小孩一样无所禁忌，想说什么就说什么，想做什么就做什么，多逍遥自在。。。
----------------------------------------------------------------
Pictorial《ロイ・チウ 華流スター特選フォトファイル》
是“他”的第一本写真集!!!
有“他”第一次大胆尝试，而被粉丝争论的日本艺妓造型。
我认为没什么啦，写真集本来就应以百无禁忌、无所不能的艺术角度来欣赏，所以我可以接受“他”的这种造型。
好像还有“他”在入伍之前直到剃发时的珍贵画面。
太感人了，男儿为国而落发。。。
哦，不对，是为“他”心爱的排球。。。
DVD 《Roy Chiu ロイ・チウ》
“他”的私密“自传”，让你给深一层地认识“他”。。。
---------------------------------------------------------------
咳。。。
糟了。。。 糟了。。。
“他”才入伍一阵子就已经开始想念“他”了。。。
接下来的没有“他”在的15个月要怎么过呢？？！！
终于在网上再次看到有“他”的消息了。。。
虽然天天都能看到“他” （房中的海报啦，嘻嘻）。。。
但有时望着“他”时还是会突然怀念起“他”往日的种种。。。
“他”写的歌词。。。
有“他”思想的深度，有“他”独特的哲理，有“他”心情的写照。。。
启发了我对生命的另一种领悟。。。
“他”唱的歌曲。。。
有“他”自我的演绎方式，有“他”对音乐的执著与热忱。。。
触动了我的心弦。。。
印象中的“他”。。。
性格坦率，想到什么就说什么，也不会以虚假的一面面对任何人。
惜字如金，自认好的答案得来自好的问题。
沉默寡言，无聊的问题，就没有什么好说的，不是吗？
忧郁神秘，不说话时像在沉思，或是想到什么令“他”伤心的回忆，让人觉得无法亲近。。。
调皮幽默，当慢热型的“他”“开窍”后，就像个搞笑活宝贝，让你开心到眉开眼笑。。。
双面人？双重性格？
人多多少少都是带着面具与他人交涉的，无论是好是坏。。。
多开朗乐天的人都有忧郁悲伤的时候。。。
但应为社会的关系，不能不把悲伤藏起来，戴上开心的面具面对众人。。。
我们不是每天都在这样做吗？
不喜欢的人，我们不是都暗忍着不满，而换上微笑的面具来面对他们吗？
其实能像“他”这样有多好。。。
象小孩一样无所禁忌，想说什么就说什么，想做什么就做什么，多逍遥自在。。。
----------------------------------------------------------------
Pictorial《ロイ・チウ 華流スター特選フォトファイル》
是“他”的第一本写真集!!!
有“他”第一次大胆尝试，而被粉丝争论的日本艺妓造型。
我认为没什么啦，写真集本来就应以百无禁忌、无所不能的艺术角度来欣赏，所以我可以接受“他”的这种造型。
好像还有“他”在入伍之前直到剃发时的珍贵画面。
太感人了，男儿为国而落发。。。
哦，不对，是为“他”心爱的排球。。。
DVD 《Roy Chiu ロイ・チウ》
“他”的私密“自传”，让你给深一层地认识“他”。。。
---------------------------------------------------------------
咳。。。
糟了。。。 糟了。。。
“他”才入伍一阵子就已经开始想念“他”了。。。
接下来的没有“他”在的15个月要怎么过呢？？！！
Thursday, November 30, 2006
OMG 100th entry!!!
How time flies...
It's only been close to a year and I already have 100 BLOG ENTRIES!!!
Well this might be chicken feet to some regular bloggers, cos they probably blog everyday...
But for someone who sometimes don't see daylight/ the sun when you go to work, or come back from work (during busier times)...
THIS CALLS FOR A CELEBRATION!!!
So to celebrate my 100th blog entry....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I got a new hairstyle and hair colour!!!
HIP HIP HURRAY!!!
Same Old Brand New desu
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings" Music Video
This is so exciting, the first high definition music video that I was involved in for filming and color-grading is finally on TV!!!
Too bad it's not shown in its original high definition quality. That would have been so much more beautiful...
Please note that we didn't do the editing of the video nor the conceptualization parts. We only shoot the video tomake sure the visuals were beautiful and filmic, and color graded the edited video to make the visuals look more stunning...
BUT the studio shots were our suggestions... The original concept did not include the mesmerizing studio shots of our Singapore Idol 2006... Don't be mistaken, I still think Jonathan should have been our Singapore Idol 2006, but I do think Hady looks close to mesmerizing to me in the studio shots...
Inspired by:
Il Divo & Toni Braxton's "The Time of Our Lives" music video for World Cup 2006.
And Patrizio Buanne's "Il Mondo" Music Video
Now that you are inspired...
Some promo and publicity tidbit videos before the actual thing...
Hady Mirza's Music Video Ad
* Note: Footage taken during the filming of the music video.
Hady Mirza's Debut Album Ad
* Note: Footage taken from his music video.
Now... The actual thing!!!
Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings" Music Video
So what's your verdict?
Jonathan, when is YOUR album and music video coming out???!!!
Cheerio,
Same Old Pro da kamsa hamida
Too bad it's not shown in its original high definition quality. That would have been so much more beautiful...
Please note that we didn't do the editing of the video nor the conceptualization parts. We only shoot the video tomake sure the visuals were beautiful and filmic, and color graded the edited video to make the visuals look more stunning...
BUT the studio shots were our suggestions... The original concept did not include the mesmerizing studio shots of our Singapore Idol 2006... Don't be mistaken, I still think Jonathan should have been our Singapore Idol 2006, but I do think Hady looks close to mesmerizing to me in the studio shots...
Inspired by:
Il Divo & Toni Braxton's "The Time of Our Lives" music video for World Cup 2006.
And Patrizio Buanne's "Il Mondo" Music Video
Now that you are inspired...
Some promo and publicity tidbit videos before the actual thing...
Hady Mirza's Music Video Ad
* Note: Footage taken during the filming of the music video.
Hady Mirza's Debut Album Ad
* Note: Footage taken from his music video.
Now... The actual thing!!!
Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings" Music Video
So what's your verdict?
Jonathan, when is YOUR album and music video coming out???!!!
Cheerio,
Same Old Pro da kamsa hamida
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Random snaps of newly acquired...
The shopaholic is out on the loose again...
I'm sure this is a fave for ALL of the female species...
HANDBAGS....
Check out my new bags...
I'm sure this is a fave for ALL of the female species...
HANDBAGS....
Check out my new bags...
Cheerio,
Same Old Shopaholic da kamsa hamida
*PS: The bright pink chair is from Ikea...
Monday, November 13, 2006
Random snaps of e new workroom...
The light in my life now...
My office table lamp...
Doesn't it make my corner nice & cosy???
Reminds me of country houses in laidback London, England...
Speaking of London...
I miss the fish & chips, wrapped in newspaper and soaked in vinegar!!!
YUM YUM!!!
And all the salespeople say "Cheerio" to you when you leave...
Such nice, warm & good customer service....
Not like somewhere...
*sign*
I am dreaming of building snowmen in snowy white winter wonderland...
Cheerio,
Same Old Nostalgia da kamsa hamida
Sunday, November 12, 2006
MY Singapore Idol 2006....
I really have no idea why there has been NO NEWS of ANY record label signing him on...
But he will ALWAYS be MY Singapore Idol 2006...
Jonathan Leong....
"You Give Me Wings"
"Chasing Cars"
"Should I Stay"
"If You're Gone"
"Running Away" (with Electrico & Hady Mirza)
"Hey Ya"
Cheerio,
Same Old Fanatic
But he will ALWAYS be MY Singapore Idol 2006...
Jonathan Leong....
"You Give Me Wings"
"Chasing Cars"
"Should I Stay"
"If You're Gone"
"Running Away" (with Electrico & Hady Mirza)
"Hey Ya"
Cheerio,
Same Old Fanatic
Our Singapore Idol 2005's New MV
Here's the new MV from Singapore Idol 2005 - Taufik Batisah...
"All Because Of You" 2006
Comparing to last year's MV... It looks like a remake, like what 8 Days said, it looks like a National Day Video.... with all e family, elderly, kids, couples elements... Very patriotic indeed... And throughout the entire video Taufik is seated behind the piano, which he can't play, and he hardly seems to be pretending to play it. And isn't this song not very piano-oriented, so up-tempo, the piano is like just one of the instruments backing up the keyboards and guitars...
I dunno who did this video... cos it's not the official one from Mediacorp, that we all saw on TV...
"I Dream" 2005
Now I am SOOO looking forward to see Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings" MV up on TV... I think it looks much better than Taufik's... Aside from the fact that both are done with probably the same small budget, I think the difference in sets made a huge difference. But honestly, I think Hady could do with more practice in his moves, cos he does look a bit stiff in "You Give Me Wings" compared to Taufik in his "I Dream" MV...
Cheerio,
Same Old Critic
"All Because Of You" 2006
Comparing to last year's MV... It looks like a remake, like what 8 Days said, it looks like a National Day Video.... with all e family, elderly, kids, couples elements... Very patriotic indeed... And throughout the entire video Taufik is seated behind the piano, which he can't play, and he hardly seems to be pretending to play it. And isn't this song not very piano-oriented, so up-tempo, the piano is like just one of the instruments backing up the keyboards and guitars...
I dunno who did this video... cos it's not the official one from Mediacorp, that we all saw on TV...
"I Dream" 2005
Now I am SOOO looking forward to see Hady Mirza's "You Give Me Wings" MV up on TV... I think it looks much better than Taufik's... Aside from the fact that both are done with probably the same small budget, I think the difference in sets made a huge difference. But honestly, I think Hady could do with more practice in his moves, cos he does look a bit stiff in "You Give Me Wings" compared to Taufik in his "I Dream" MV...
Cheerio,
Same Old Critic
Song Dedication for Alwaysane
Ms Alwaysane,
you can click on this link to go listen to the mv, or alternatively, look for it in my blog entry "TVXQ Korean MVs"...
Miduhyo (Believe) - TVXQ
[Micky] Girl, Let me prove that my love is real
I'll give all my love to you, Please Trust me
[Xiah] I believe...I believe that one can fall in love at first sight, though I told you that it wasn't possible.
I only hid this thought from you because I was afraid that you would look at me as if I was careless and hasty.
[Max] To tell the truth, ever since I met you I only lived with thoughts of you.
There was only one thing on my mind from when I woke up in the morning to when I went to bed at night.
*[All] I believe in you...I will send all my feelings for you through the the way I look at you.
Do you know how my heart feels, how I want to keep the feelings I have for you hidden?
Even the fearful feelings for when you might leave me one day.
[Hero] You...
[Micky] Love is a nervous feeling that flutters your heart...
it is like a breathtaking lonliness...
[U-Know] Please keep looking at me with the same eyes...always and forever like this.
[Xiah] If only you could stay close enough to me so that my heart can relax...
just so that I could see you...I would be very happy.
*Repeat
[Xiah] You...
[Hero] If I could stay by your side like this...
If, in the end, it is that I don't know anything about how much I love you.
*Repeat
[Micky] I can't let you go You are the only one in my life
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight - TVXQ
Take my hand, hold me tight, and take a rest in my heart so that you might feel the heat simmering in.
I can't take it. Your small shaking makes me want to put you on and never take you off.
Stolen my soul Stolen my heart, I'm filled with you so much that I can't breathe.
Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the earth.. like tonight..
Your embrace is warm like the early morning sunlight.
Now I know why those people are saying "love is blind"
I believe my heart belongs to you.
I love you more than I do..
Like a fireball you're spreading a fire in my heart.
I love you
When I saw you, when I touch you, when I feel you
When I fall in love.
You've got an endless passion.
Stolen my soul, Stolen my heart, I'm filled with you so much that I can't breathe.
Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the earth.. like tonight..
I can feel you living and breathing inside of me to the fullest.
I don't have the courage to face these deep feelings.
The love that you've given me is slowly swallowing me.
I know, our love's a miracle...
You ease the pain in me and slowly the pain becomes my delight..
My love can be.
Stolen my soul, Stolen my heart, I'm filled with you so much that I can't breathe.
Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the ground.. like tonight..
Your embrace is warm like the early morning sunlight.
Stolen my soul Stolen my heart, You're filled in me so much.
I can't breathe. Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the ground.. like tonight..
---------------------------------------------------------------
Whatever They Say - TVXQ
(Micky) Girl, don't listen to what they say, They can't stand to see Together. Come onListen(Hero) Baby girl, You're my good fortune, the one girl who's just like me
(Xiah) But all those around us are waiting for us to separate
Oh if that is our destiny, stop believing in fate
*(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
My only wish is for you to believe what I say
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(Hero) It's hard trying not to lose you
(Uknow) Baby I don't know what to say, just that my feeling for you will never change
(Micky) People always want to compromise with the world
(Hero) If that means I'll lose you, I want to challenge the world
**(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
We're all different and they just don't understand us
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(Xiah) It's hard trying not to lose you
(Max) Many times I've wanted to let you go for your sake
Your love and trust give me great strength
*(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
My only wish is for you to believe what I say
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(
Xiah) I can't lose you
Oh no Don't leave
**(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
We're all different and they just don't understand us
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(Xiah) I can't lose you
(Micky) Baby girl, You're my fortune Oh~
---------------------------------------------------------------
Alternatively, if you are in a bad mood, you can check out "Balloons" MV, cos it's 超可爱!!!
Cheerio,
Same Old Romantic...
you can click on this link to go listen to the mv, or alternatively, look for it in my blog entry "TVXQ Korean MVs"...
Miduhyo (Believe) - TVXQ
[Micky] Girl, Let me prove that my love is real
I'll give all my love to you, Please Trust me
[Xiah] I believe...I believe that one can fall in love at first sight, though I told you that it wasn't possible.
I only hid this thought from you because I was afraid that you would look at me as if I was careless and hasty.
[Max] To tell the truth, ever since I met you I only lived with thoughts of you.
There was only one thing on my mind from when I woke up in the morning to when I went to bed at night.
*[All] I believe in you...I will send all my feelings for you through the the way I look at you.
Do you know how my heart feels, how I want to keep the feelings I have for you hidden?
Even the fearful feelings for when you might leave me one day.
[Hero] You...
[Micky] Love is a nervous feeling that flutters your heart...
it is like a breathtaking lonliness...
[U-Know] Please keep looking at me with the same eyes...always and forever like this.
[Xiah] If only you could stay close enough to me so that my heart can relax...
just so that I could see you...I would be very happy.
*Repeat
[Xiah] You...
[Hero] If I could stay by your side like this...
If, in the end, it is that I don't know anything about how much I love you.
*Repeat
[Micky] I can't let you go You are the only one in my life
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tonight - TVXQ
Take my hand, hold me tight, and take a rest in my heart so that you might feel the heat simmering in.
I can't take it. Your small shaking makes me want to put you on and never take you off.
Stolen my soul Stolen my heart, I'm filled with you so much that I can't breathe.
Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the earth.. like tonight..
Your embrace is warm like the early morning sunlight.
Now I know why those people are saying "love is blind"
I believe my heart belongs to you.
I love you more than I do..
Like a fireball you're spreading a fire in my heart.
I love you
When I saw you, when I touch you, when I feel you
When I fall in love.
You've got an endless passion.
Stolen my soul, Stolen my heart, I'm filled with you so much that I can't breathe.
Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the earth.. like tonight..
I can feel you living and breathing inside of me to the fullest.
I don't have the courage to face these deep feelings.
The love that you've given me is slowly swallowing me.
I know, our love's a miracle...
You ease the pain in me and slowly the pain becomes my delight..
My love can be.
Stolen my soul, Stolen my heart, I'm filled with you so much that I can't breathe.
Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the ground.. like tonight..
Your embrace is warm like the early morning sunlight.
Stolen my soul Stolen my heart, You're filled in me so much.
I can't breathe. Like a small child caught in the rain.
Like the love sprinkled on the ground.. like tonight..
---------------------------------------------------------------
Whatever They Say - TVXQ
(Micky) Girl, don't listen to what they say, They can't stand to see Together. Come onListen(Hero) Baby girl, You're my good fortune, the one girl who's just like me
(Xiah) But all those around us are waiting for us to separate
Oh if that is our destiny, stop believing in fate
*(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
My only wish is for you to believe what I say
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(Hero) It's hard trying not to lose you
(Uknow) Baby I don't know what to say, just that my feeling for you will never change
(Micky) People always want to compromise with the world
(Hero) If that means I'll lose you, I want to challenge the world
**(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
We're all different and they just don't understand us
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(Xiah) It's hard trying not to lose you
(Max) Many times I've wanted to let you go for your sake
Your love and trust give me great strength
*(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
My only wish is for you to believe what I say
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(
Xiah) I can't lose you
Oh no Don't leave
**(All) Whatever they say, don't listen girl
They're only jealous of us
We're all different and they just don't understand us
Whatever they say, I don't care I love you
(Xiah) I can't lose you
(Micky) Baby girl, You're my fortune Oh~
---------------------------------------------------------------
Alternatively, if you are in a bad mood, you can check out "Balloons" MV, cos it's 超可爱!!!
Cheerio,
Same Old Romantic...
Saturday, November 11, 2006
For my dear hammie Otto Dao...
Something very sad happened yesterday evening...
After a long day of filming, I came back home...
And my mum rushed to me to inform me...
Mum: "I think your hamster is dead... You better check on it..."
Me: "HUH??!!! WHAT!!!"
I immediately stares hard into the cage...
Only to see Otto Dao lying with eyes closed at its sleeping area...
I lifted up the cage and took a close look...
It didn't move a bit like it used to when I lifted the cage...
I gave the cage a shake...
Still no movement...
And it's body looked soft... And fragile...
I felt a pang of pain and pity for the poor thing...
Mum: "It was still energetic when I came home around 5... But then suddenly it just stopped moving... It looks terrible when it dies..."
AGAIN... I felt a pang of pain for my poor hammie...
I will definitely miss the times we shared together....
The way you liked to climb up and down the sides of the cage hoping there was food, whenever I walked near...
The way you felt when I held you in my hand, soft, warm, fuzzy and cute...
The way you used my fingers as ladders to climb up and down...
The way you swimmed around in the tub...
The way you looked when I dried you after swimming...
WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
My Hammie Otto passed away....
Now I'm only left with Itti Ming...
After I've taken care of Otto Dao's remains, I went to check on Itti Ming... making sure that it was moving and energetic...
But I still dunno why it hasn't been really drinking the water...
Is it because I've changed to feeding it vegetables and fruits which have high water content, that it doesn't need that much water???
I am in depression now...
I need consolation...
I need a hug from 金在中 and/or 金俊秀 now...
* Note: Here's a video with Jaejoongie in his Hamtaro PJs... Reminds me of my Otto Dao... *sob sob sob*...
邱泽 and Joshua Chasez where are you guys???!!!
no cheerios for now,
Same Old sob sob... ;~~~<
After a long day of filming, I came back home...
And my mum rushed to me to inform me...
Mum: "I think your hamster is dead... You better check on it..."
Me: "HUH??!!! WHAT!!!"
I immediately stares hard into the cage...
Only to see Otto Dao lying with eyes closed at its sleeping area...
I lifted up the cage and took a close look...
It didn't move a bit like it used to when I lifted the cage...
I gave the cage a shake...
Still no movement...
And it's body looked soft... And fragile...
I felt a pang of pain and pity for the poor thing...
Mum: "It was still energetic when I came home around 5... But then suddenly it just stopped moving... It looks terrible when it dies..."
AGAIN... I felt a pang of pain for my poor hammie...
I will definitely miss the times we shared together....
The way you liked to climb up and down the sides of the cage hoping there was food, whenever I walked near...
The way you felt when I held you in my hand, soft, warm, fuzzy and cute...
The way you used my fingers as ladders to climb up and down...
The way you swimmed around in the tub...
The way you looked when I dried you after swimming...
WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
My Hammie Otto passed away....
Now I'm only left with Itti Ming...
After I've taken care of Otto Dao's remains, I went to check on Itti Ming... making sure that it was moving and energetic...
But I still dunno why it hasn't been really drinking the water...
Is it because I've changed to feeding it vegetables and fruits which have high water content, that it doesn't need that much water???
I am in depression now...
I need consolation...
I need a hug from 金在中 and/or 金俊秀 now...
* Note: Here's a video with Jaejoongie in his Hamtaro PJs... Reminds me of my Otto Dao... *sob sob sob*...
邱泽 and Joshua Chasez where are you guys???!!!
no cheerios for now,
Same Old sob sob... ;~~~<
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Thanks to... Alwaysane...
hee hee...
alwaysane-san,
totemo arigato gozaimasu!
kono shashin wa watashi wa dai suki desu ne!!!
demo, moi ichi no shashin wa onegaishimasu!
ne.... watashi to jaejoongie to junsooie no shashin wa onegaishimasu!
cheerio,
Same Old nihongo...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Translated in PLAIN ENGLISH...
hee hee...
alwaysane,
thank you very very much!
i love this picture very very much!!!
but, can you help me do one more??
erm.... one with me and jaejoongie, and one with me and junsooie , please!
cheerio,
Same Old japanese...
alwaysane-san,
totemo arigato gozaimasu!
kono shashin wa watashi wa dai suki desu ne!!!
demo, moi ichi no shashin wa onegaishimasu!
ne.... watashi to jaejoongie to junsooie no shashin wa onegaishimasu!
cheerio,
Same Old nihongo...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Translated in PLAIN ENGLISH...
hee hee...
alwaysane,
thank you very very much!
i love this picture very very much!!!
but, can you help me do one more??
erm.... one with me and jaejoongie, and one with me and junsooie , please!
cheerio,
Same Old japanese...
Monday, November 06, 2006
I want _____
I want _____ to finish up my pile of drama series, movies, etc...
I want _____ to catch up on my beauty sleep...
I want _____cos it's raining and it's hazy (PSI >50), and I just wanna sleep in my cosy bed...
I want _____so that I can rest my stuffed nose, and prevent any sinus attacks from recurring...
I want _____ so that I can rest my lasik-ed eyes...
I want _____cos I just wanna chill out and be mesmerized by Jaejoongie and Junsooie's voices all day long...
I want _____ cos I wanna let my imagination run wild so I can finish up my script...
Basically I just want _____ ... but when is _____ going to come???
Cheerio,
Same Old _____
check out our new CSBT bulletin!!!
I want _____ to catch up on my beauty sleep...
I want _____cos it's raining and it's hazy (PSI >50), and I just wanna sleep in my cosy bed...
I want _____so that I can rest my stuffed nose, and prevent any sinus attacks from recurring...
I want _____ so that I can rest my lasik-ed eyes...
I want _____cos I just wanna chill out and be mesmerized by Jaejoongie and Junsooie's voices all day long...
I want _____ cos I wanna let my imagination run wild so I can finish up my script...
Basically I just want _____ ... but when is _____ going to come???
Cheerio,
Same Old _____
check out our new CSBT bulletin!!!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
hmmm.... is this major right for me???
| You scored as Education/Counseling. Related majors that match your highest scored category: American Sign Language, Art Education, Business Education, Counseling, Early/Middle Childhood Education, Music Education, Physical Education, Psychology, Rehabilitation Services, Social Work, Special Education. Consider all majors in your OTHER high scoring categories. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it. Consider adding a minor or double majoring. Please post your results in your myspace/blog/journal.
WHAT MAJOR IS RIGHT FOR YOU? created with QuizFarm.com |
Monday, August 28, 2006
random snaps of my lasik post-op kit
please pardon me...
blame it on my boredom during the period where I was painfully deprived of all contact with the world.... couldn't use the computer, or watch TV, or go out...
I had gleefully wasted my time snapping and snapping and snapping away at things that are not very impressive...
but they mean a lot to me now...
now that I've got close to 6/6 vision...
these will be landmark pics that signify my triumph over the evil Dr. Myopia...
walla...
my masterpieces...
my companions for the week...
blame it on my boredom during the period where I was painfully deprived of all contact with the world.... couldn't use the computer, or watch TV, or go out...
I had gleefully wasted my time snapping and snapping and snapping away at things that are not very impressive...
but they mean a lot to me now...
now that I've got close to 6/6 vision...
these will be landmark pics that signify my triumph over the evil Dr. Myopia...
walla...
my masterpieces...
my companions for the week...
please welcome all the members of my lovely post-lasik kit...
Ms TobraDex Antibiotic eye drops, seen here with Baby Tears Naturale Lubricating eye drops.
Here's the twins Baby Tears Naturale 1 & 2. They are my natural tears in a tube...
Alas, the main star. Mr Goggles! Doesn't he remind you of the protective eyeshield we used to wear when we do experiments in the chemistry lab???
Here's a closer look at Mr Goggles.... Isn't he illuminating a healthy glow???
Friday, August 25, 2006
My experience with lasik
hello...
long time no see....
finally i can see rather clear without the aid of specs or contact lens....
it's e 3rd day after my lasik surgery for my left eye, 4th for my right eye...
and i'm seeing things in a much clearer view already....
after my post-op checkup on 23 Aug, my doc already said that I have 6/6 vision... whatever that means... I'm nearer to 20/20 vision I guess....
Let me check it out....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok ...
By looking at lots of people, eye doctors have decided what a "normal" human being should be able to see when standing 20 feet away from an eye chart. If you have 20/20 vision, it means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what the "normal" human being can see. (In metric, the standard is 6 meters and it's called 6/6 vision). In other words, if you have 20/20 vision your vision is "normal" -- a majority of people in the population can see what you see at 20 feet. (From here on, please assume that the word normal has quotes around it.)
Ha ha.... that means I have "normal" vision now....
ha ha ha....
kudos to my doc... he did a great job!
he talked me through the entire op, I was able to feel much more at ease lying in the op bed, in such a compromising position (I had a bulky equipment right above my head, where I was supposed to look at the blinking red light thoughout the op) with 4 people in op robes around my head ( 1 nurse, a anaesthecian, an intern, plus my doc).
now I'll tell you more about the procedure....
When I arrive at 8.30am, I registered myself, and paid for the surgery first. They probably think it's better cos most ppl can't see well immediately after the surgery. Then I was asked to sit and wait outside the lasik suite. About 5 to 10 mins later, a nurse wearing op gown, mask & cap comes out from the lasik suite and calls my name. I enter the suite with her and she goes through a series of questions on my current health and condition, and checks my IC number, and doublechecks with me which eye I am doing for the day, and asks me to wear a cap and shoe covers to enter a room to have my pre-dilation pupil size scanned. This is the same room where I will be having the lasik surgery.
After the pupil scanning, she then brings me outside and administers 2 types of eye drops into my right eye, which has a bit of stinging sensation. The I'm instructed to keep my eye closed for at least 5 mins to help my pupil dilate faster. And I am lead to wait outside.
This dilating eye drops process goes on for about 3 times (each time about 15-30 mins apart) before the normal human's pupils will dilate. Some may take only 2 times, while some need 4 times.
At around 9.30am, my pupil is dilated, the nurse informs my doc, who rushes down to the lasik suite and gets himself ready for the op.
My doc then checks the equipment while I'm being prepared for the op.... Here I can hear the sound of the laser going "zzzzz tiak tiak tiak"...
The nurse then calls me to go into the suite to doublecheck my IC again, the dilation level of my eye to be operated, then asks me to wear a cap, a pair of shoe covers, and a op gown. After which, she drips antibiotic eye drops into my eye, and then proceeds to sterilise my eye to be operated with iodine. First she cleans my lower eye lashes, then my upper eye lashes, with a cotton budstick soaked in iodine. Then she wipes my entire eye area with a cotton pad soaked in iodine.
Wah la... I'm ready for lasik....
My doc then calls me into the op room, where I have to lie in the above-mentioned compromising position. He then tells me to relax, and that this is a very straight-forward procedure, and not to worry. I just have to help him by looking straight at the blinking red light throughout the entire procedure.
After adjusting the position of my head on the op bed, he tells me that he is going to cover my non-operating eye to protect it during the op. I see a plastic eye cover being taped over my non-operating eye. Then he says he's going to tape my eye lashes to stop them from interfering with the op, and he tapes the upper lashes first, then the lower lashes. I can only see and feel tape going over my eye, and a piece of plastic going over my face. Now I can only see through the hole through the plastic, aka only my eye area.
He then says he's going to place a clip into my eye to keep my eye open during the op. I see a metal thingey similar to what women use to pluck their eye brows, coming towards my eyeball, and I feel it being placed on top of my eye ball, and pushing against my eye lids.
The doc then tells me that I'm going to feel some pressure on my eye as he places in a circular thing into my eye, and that the blinking red light is going to disappear for awhile, and that it's okay, and I just have to keep looking straight, and I can blink gently as normal, just not to squeeze my eye. I can see his hands going over my eye, and I feel something circular going on top of my eye, and some pressure, which caused me to start tearing. The red light disappears and I can only see a blurry image, some what like his hands doing something to my eye, but can't tell what.
He then tells me that after approximately 10 to 30 secs later I'll see the red light coming back. And I can see through my blurred vision, his hands exiting, and the red light coming back on. He then tells me the most difficult part is already over, and now it's time for the laser part. And that I have to keep still and look straight at the blinking red light. He then says he's going to help me by holding my head still. At this point I can only see the blurry blinking red light, and feel his hands holding my head, then I hear the laser sound. The doc then tells me to ignore the sound of the laser, and relax, and keep focusing on the blinking red light.
As the laser sound goes on "zzzz tiak tiak tiak", I can smell a burning smell, and it's actually not easy to ignore the sound plus the smell, cos you know that they are lasering your eye, and the burning smell is coming from your eye... So I mentally diverted all my attention to the blinking red light, and took long breaths of air, slowly letting them out, and listening to my doc's voice only (thank god his preppy voice has this soothing and calming effect), cutting out the laser noise... I can only hear the doc telling me that I'm 1/4 way through, I'm 1/3 way through, I'm 1/2 way through, I'm 2/3 way through, I'm 3/4 way through, and I'm done with the laser process!
I feel his hands letting go of my head, and he says that he's going to wash my eye. I hear and feel a clear liquid being squirted onto my eye, and I see a pair of gloved hands holding something (a gauze held by a pincer??) to clean my eye. this goes on for about 2 times. Then I feel and see my corneal flap being covered back onto the eye. Then he tells me that he's going to put a contact lens into my eye to help protect the corneal flap, and that he'll take it out tomorrow when I come back for surgery on the next eye.
They then start taking out the tapes, plastic, eye cover on my eyes. And I can see blurrily the equipment over my head moving slowly backwards away from my head. And I see the nurse coming to me and telling me to not get up first until the equipment is clear from my head. Then she helps me off the bed, and outside, where another nurse helps me get out of the op gown, cap and shoe covers.
This is when my doc comes out with his intern-in-toll to check my eye. He says my corneal flap is perfectly in position. It was so perfectly in place, that my doc had to make it a practical example for his intern-in-toll... and that intern directed the light too much into my operated eye... which made me start tearing like mad... and e doc had to dry my tears for me...
After some instructions on eye drops, wearing of googles, and things to note, I was able to go home after confirming my next op appointment with the counter staff...
When I get home, after 15-20mins ride on the cab, it's already 10.20am. The whole procedure took about 1.5 hours, but the actual op was actually about 10-15 mins tops. Most of it was waiting for your pupil to dilate.
After the first 2 hours, the anaesthetic eye drops went off, and I started to feel some pain in my eye (the sort of pain when you get shampoo into your eyes, a stinging pain). It lasted for about 3 to 4 hours. During which I had religiously dripped lubricating eye drops every 15 mins, and antibiotic eye drops every 2 hours, into my operated eye. I had my handphone buzzing me everytime it was time. I closed my eyes and rested them throughout the first day, except when it was time to drip the eye drops, to eat, to go to the loo, to bathe... And when I slept, I consciously maintained my head straight, to prevent any form of banging on the googles that I had to wear, for the first 24 hours, and after that every night for a week. It was not very comfortable, as my back ached from sleeping in the same position. But it was worth it, cos my corneal flap was still perfectly in position when my doc checked my eye before I went for the op the next day. And I could already see very well, according to my doctor, when he heard my eye test results.
So I guess it wasn't that scary after all... So I thought I'd share my experience with everyone, and if anyone wants to try lasik, can ask me for information... Cos I know how much it means to know you get can info from someone who did it before... Cos I got my info from two gals that have gone through it before, and it made the process so much easier for me...
And of cos if you've got a good doc, you've already won half the battle, the other half is your own psychological barrier. Quoting my doc, he said that if you are psychologically prepared for this, the post-op and recovery process would be much easier and bearable, even though different people experience different symptoms. Some might feel immense pain and tearing, some might feel nothing much at all. Some might realise that they experience different symptoms from both eyes after their op!!!
So whatever it is... Just be mentally and psychologically prepared for lasik, cos it'll make your experience a whole lot easier....
cheerio,
Same Old Blur Vision No More!!!
PS: Thank you to my wonderful doctor once again, for making me "see" again!!!
long time no see....
finally i can see rather clear without the aid of specs or contact lens....
it's e 3rd day after my lasik surgery for my left eye, 4th for my right eye...
and i'm seeing things in a much clearer view already....
after my post-op checkup on 23 Aug, my doc already said that I have 6/6 vision... whatever that means... I'm nearer to 20/20 vision I guess....
Let me check it out....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Ok ...
By looking at lots of people, eye doctors have decided what a "normal" human being should be able to see when standing 20 feet away from an eye chart. If you have 20/20 vision, it means that when you stand 20 feet away from the chart you can see what the "normal" human being can see. (In metric, the standard is 6 meters and it's called 6/6 vision). In other words, if you have 20/20 vision your vision is "normal" -- a majority of people in the population can see what you see at 20 feet. (From here on, please assume that the word normal has quotes around it.)
Ha ha.... that means I have "normal" vision now....
ha ha ha....
kudos to my doc... he did a great job!
he talked me through the entire op, I was able to feel much more at ease lying in the op bed, in such a compromising position (I had a bulky equipment right above my head, where I was supposed to look at the blinking red light thoughout the op) with 4 people in op robes around my head ( 1 nurse, a anaesthecian, an intern, plus my doc).
now I'll tell you more about the procedure....
When I arrive at 8.30am, I registered myself, and paid for the surgery first. They probably think it's better cos most ppl can't see well immediately after the surgery. Then I was asked to sit and wait outside the lasik suite. About 5 to 10 mins later, a nurse wearing op gown, mask & cap comes out from the lasik suite and calls my name. I enter the suite with her and she goes through a series of questions on my current health and condition, and checks my IC number, and doublechecks with me which eye I am doing for the day, and asks me to wear a cap and shoe covers to enter a room to have my pre-dilation pupil size scanned. This is the same room where I will be having the lasik surgery.
After the pupil scanning, she then brings me outside and administers 2 types of eye drops into my right eye, which has a bit of stinging sensation. The I'm instructed to keep my eye closed for at least 5 mins to help my pupil dilate faster. And I am lead to wait outside.
This dilating eye drops process goes on for about 3 times (each time about 15-30 mins apart) before the normal human's pupils will dilate. Some may take only 2 times, while some need 4 times.
At around 9.30am, my pupil is dilated, the nurse informs my doc, who rushes down to the lasik suite and gets himself ready for the op.
My doc then checks the equipment while I'm being prepared for the op.... Here I can hear the sound of the laser going "zzzzz tiak tiak tiak"...
The nurse then calls me to go into the suite to doublecheck my IC again, the dilation level of my eye to be operated, then asks me to wear a cap, a pair of shoe covers, and a op gown. After which, she drips antibiotic eye drops into my eye, and then proceeds to sterilise my eye to be operated with iodine. First she cleans my lower eye lashes, then my upper eye lashes, with a cotton budstick soaked in iodine. Then she wipes my entire eye area with a cotton pad soaked in iodine.
Wah la... I'm ready for lasik....
My doc then calls me into the op room, where I have to lie in the above-mentioned compromising position. He then tells me to relax, and that this is a very straight-forward procedure, and not to worry. I just have to help him by looking straight at the blinking red light throughout the entire procedure.
After adjusting the position of my head on the op bed, he tells me that he is going to cover my non-operating eye to protect it during the op. I see a plastic eye cover being taped over my non-operating eye. Then he says he's going to tape my eye lashes to stop them from interfering with the op, and he tapes the upper lashes first, then the lower lashes. I can only see and feel tape going over my eye, and a piece of plastic going over my face. Now I can only see through the hole through the plastic, aka only my eye area.
He then says he's going to place a clip into my eye to keep my eye open during the op. I see a metal thingey similar to what women use to pluck their eye brows, coming towards my eyeball, and I feel it being placed on top of my eye ball, and pushing against my eye lids.
The doc then tells me that I'm going to feel some pressure on my eye as he places in a circular thing into my eye, and that the blinking red light is going to disappear for awhile, and that it's okay, and I just have to keep looking straight, and I can blink gently as normal, just not to squeeze my eye. I can see his hands going over my eye, and I feel something circular going on top of my eye, and some pressure, which caused me to start tearing. The red light disappears and I can only see a blurry image, some what like his hands doing something to my eye, but can't tell what.
He then tells me that after approximately 10 to 30 secs later I'll see the red light coming back. And I can see through my blurred vision, his hands exiting, and the red light coming back on. He then tells me the most difficult part is already over, and now it's time for the laser part. And that I have to keep still and look straight at the blinking red light. He then says he's going to help me by holding my head still. At this point I can only see the blurry blinking red light, and feel his hands holding my head, then I hear the laser sound. The doc then tells me to ignore the sound of the laser, and relax, and keep focusing on the blinking red light.
As the laser sound goes on "zzzz tiak tiak tiak", I can smell a burning smell, and it's actually not easy to ignore the sound plus the smell, cos you know that they are lasering your eye, and the burning smell is coming from your eye... So I mentally diverted all my attention to the blinking red light, and took long breaths of air, slowly letting them out, and listening to my doc's voice only (thank god his preppy voice has this soothing and calming effect), cutting out the laser noise... I can only hear the doc telling me that I'm 1/4 way through, I'm 1/3 way through, I'm 1/2 way through, I'm 2/3 way through, I'm 3/4 way through, and I'm done with the laser process!
I feel his hands letting go of my head, and he says that he's going to wash my eye. I hear and feel a clear liquid being squirted onto my eye, and I see a pair of gloved hands holding something (a gauze held by a pincer??) to clean my eye. this goes on for about 2 times. Then I feel and see my corneal flap being covered back onto the eye. Then he tells me that he's going to put a contact lens into my eye to help protect the corneal flap, and that he'll take it out tomorrow when I come back for surgery on the next eye.
They then start taking out the tapes, plastic, eye cover on my eyes. And I can see blurrily the equipment over my head moving slowly backwards away from my head. And I see the nurse coming to me and telling me to not get up first until the equipment is clear from my head. Then she helps me off the bed, and outside, where another nurse helps me get out of the op gown, cap and shoe covers.
This is when my doc comes out with his intern-in-toll to check my eye. He says my corneal flap is perfectly in position. It was so perfectly in place, that my doc had to make it a practical example for his intern-in-toll... and that intern directed the light too much into my operated eye... which made me start tearing like mad... and e doc had to dry my tears for me...
After some instructions on eye drops, wearing of googles, and things to note, I was able to go home after confirming my next op appointment with the counter staff...
When I get home, after 15-20mins ride on the cab, it's already 10.20am. The whole procedure took about 1.5 hours, but the actual op was actually about 10-15 mins tops. Most of it was waiting for your pupil to dilate.
After the first 2 hours, the anaesthetic eye drops went off, and I started to feel some pain in my eye (the sort of pain when you get shampoo into your eyes, a stinging pain). It lasted for about 3 to 4 hours. During which I had religiously dripped lubricating eye drops every 15 mins, and antibiotic eye drops every 2 hours, into my operated eye. I had my handphone buzzing me everytime it was time. I closed my eyes and rested them throughout the first day, except when it was time to drip the eye drops, to eat, to go to the loo, to bathe... And when I slept, I consciously maintained my head straight, to prevent any form of banging on the googles that I had to wear, for the first 24 hours, and after that every night for a week. It was not very comfortable, as my back ached from sleeping in the same position. But it was worth it, cos my corneal flap was still perfectly in position when my doc checked my eye before I went for the op the next day. And I could already see very well, according to my doctor, when he heard my eye test results.
So I guess it wasn't that scary after all... So I thought I'd share my experience with everyone, and if anyone wants to try lasik, can ask me for information... Cos I know how much it means to know you get can info from someone who did it before... Cos I got my info from two gals that have gone through it before, and it made the process so much easier for me...
And of cos if you've got a good doc, you've already won half the battle, the other half is your own psychological barrier. Quoting my doc, he said that if you are psychologically prepared for this, the post-op and recovery process would be much easier and bearable, even though different people experience different symptoms. Some might feel immense pain and tearing, some might feel nothing much at all. Some might realise that they experience different symptoms from both eyes after their op!!!
So whatever it is... Just be mentally and psychologically prepared for lasik, cos it'll make your experience a whole lot easier....
cheerio,
Same Old Blur Vision No More!!!
PS: Thank you to my wonderful doctor once again, for making me "see" again!!!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Lasik on Monday & Tuesday!!!
Finally my wait is over...
Am going for my lasik on Monday & Tuesday...
will soon have perfect eyesight....
but have to rest & be temp blind for a week.... cos cannot watch TV...
can someone pls help me vote for jonathon leong???
Cheerios,
Same Old Brand New Me
Am going for my lasik on Monday & Tuesday...
will soon have perfect eyesight....
but have to rest & be temp blind for a week.... cos cannot watch TV...
can someone pls help me vote for jonathon leong???
Cheerios,
Same Old Brand New Me
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
See e light at e end of e tunnel....
Alas...
After months of slogging... We're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this kids' project we're doing...
Halfway going to 3/4 way settled...
Just gotta push & push & push a bit more to settle e last 1/4...
And hopefully i'm going to be free for sometime to do my lasik...
Which has been pushed back to 21 & 22 Aug...
After months of slogging... We're finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for this kids' project we're doing...
Halfway going to 3/4 way settled...
Just gotta push & push & push a bit more to settle e last 1/4...
And hopefully i'm going to be free for sometime to do my lasik...
Which has been pushed back to 21 & 22 Aug...
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The key to perfect eyesight...
L.A.S.I.K.
At the request of some, here's the key to perfect eyesight....
At least for those 21 and above...
FYI: This is the doctor that will be creating the miracle of perfect eyesight for me...
Cheerio,
Same Old Sight
________________________________________________________
My eyes, my brain seek out escape routes wherever I am sent.
Jack Henry Abbott
At the request of some, here's the key to perfect eyesight....
At least for those 21 and above...
FYI: This is the doctor that will be creating the miracle of perfect eyesight for me...
Cheerio,
Same Old Sight
________________________________________________________
My eyes, my brain seek out escape routes wherever I am sent.
Jack Henry Abbott
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Life is a cabaret ol' chum so come to the Cabaret....
Just watched Cabaret the musical at Esplanade theatre yesterday, and boy was it a disappointment...
I'll list the +s and the -vs below...
+:
1. Fei Xiang - the emcee
- He was marvellous as the emcee
2. Fei Xiang - the singer
- He sang beautifully
3. Fei Xiang - the dancer
- He danced gracefully, even as Hitler in a pink tutu playing around with a life-size globe ball
4. Fei Xiang - the joker
- His character provided all the essential joy and laughter in his lewd jokes and punts at sex and the male anatomy
5. Fei Xiang - the star
- He was the highlight of the show (for a lot of his matured female fans I think, as this auntie sitting beside me scampered for her binoculars whenever he appeared and put it back down when he exited, AND started CHATTING with her middle-aged daughter)
6. Other Characters - non-leads
- I don't deny that there are a few good ones here. The dancers and back-ups I mean. The leads were alright, doing their usual thing. But nothing inspiring there. But the dancers and back-ups... they were pretty daring in their costumes, dancing, moves, etc. Much in the spirit of Cabaret. Decadent. Inhibited. Sexual. Something you don't see everyday here out in the public.
-:
1. LATECOMERS
- I don' understand why they allowed latecomers to come in after the show has started. If they can forbid them from entering the concert hall when the show has started, why can't they do the same for the theatre? They can stand behind the glass window on ground level and watch the show, like they do for the concert hall. Cos it's VERY VERY DISRUPTING for them to enter and make EVERYONE in their way to their seats move and WAIT for them to SLOWLY grope their way around to their seats.
- WORSE yet, the ushers SHONE TORCHLIGHTS to help them find their seats. What could be worse than having a torchlight shone into your face when you are trying to watch a musical where the audiences are in the dark? Yes, you are temporarily BLINDED. And you cannot see anything, except for blinding white, for five minutes. Please, this is a musical. The only light displays we like to see are those from the stage, and for the stage only.
2. Plot
- I personally haven't seen the award-winning 1972 musical from UK, but from sources that have, this is TOTALLY different from what they have seen from the original. I don't know what the director Beatrice Chia was thinking, maybe she feels that Singaporeans can't take too much of the explicit content of a Cabaret, so she toned it down. But so toned down was the plot, that it practically revolved around the love lives of Kit Kat Club's Sally Bowles and the landlady (called Fraulein Schneider, I think).
- I know it's supposed to have some elements of the greyness in life during the period where the Nazis were trying to conquer the world. But I think that there was over-reliance, or over-emphasis rather, on the characters' love lives to portray the human element in the musical, or to show that it ain't all fun and sex in the Cabaret, and that there is a dark and human side to the story too.
- The result is that the parts where the Cabaret is all about are cut down to a mere 5-minuter in every 15-20mins of love stories... And the parts where the plot tries to show that the Nazis are a growing threat are not clearly portrayed, and audiences are left wondering what the brief stint meant. E.g. In one in-between-acts transition, 2 men were seen in the back alley, while another was standing on top of a building singing a song about revolution. The two seemed to be having a rendezvous, when suddenly one starts hitting the other. And eventually leaves the injured one to die on the street. In the span of less than 5 minutes it was over, and no one, I mean no one, knew what it was about. Until much later, when the crowd started to sing that same revolution song at Fraulein Schneider's engagment party, where one of the guys were exposed as a Nazi.
- This was nowhere near what they were selling it as on Arts Central. The promo was so explicitly Cabaret, but yet the real thing failed to meet up to expectations. Expected something better from Beatrice Chia, being the rebel artist she is...
3. Characters - non-leads
- Despite being a + point, it was also a -, as amongst the "girls" there were "guys" there dressed like girls to make up the numbers. And boy there was this girl that was so plump, she didn't seem to belong anywhere in the line-up. (No fat jokes here, but she really looked out of place in those skimpy outfits, along with the other skinny model-like girls)
CONCLUSION:
So my conclusion is that it was still worth watching it for the experience of watching a world-class musical lead aka Fei Xiang in the Esplanade Theatre. For my next experience it'll have to be something classical and world class like Phantom of the Opera, wouldn't it be insteresting to watch that in the Concert Hall? With all the organ pipes, etc... Wonder what kind of surprises can pop up... But the Theatre will do fine too I guess... Minus the disruptive latecomers...
Cheerio,
Same Old Brand New Moi
_____________________________________________________________
Can miles truly separate you from friends...
If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?
Richard Bach
I'll list the +s and the -vs below...
+:
1. Fei Xiang - the emcee
- He was marvellous as the emcee
2. Fei Xiang - the singer
- He sang beautifully
3. Fei Xiang - the dancer
- He danced gracefully, even as Hitler in a pink tutu playing around with a life-size globe ball
4. Fei Xiang - the joker
- His character provided all the essential joy and laughter in his lewd jokes and punts at sex and the male anatomy
5. Fei Xiang - the star
- He was the highlight of the show (for a lot of his matured female fans I think, as this auntie sitting beside me scampered for her binoculars whenever he appeared and put it back down when he exited, AND started CHATTING with her middle-aged daughter)
6. Other Characters - non-leads
- I don't deny that there are a few good ones here. The dancers and back-ups I mean. The leads were alright, doing their usual thing. But nothing inspiring there. But the dancers and back-ups... they were pretty daring in their costumes, dancing, moves, etc. Much in the spirit of Cabaret. Decadent. Inhibited. Sexual. Something you don't see everyday here out in the public.
-:
1. LATECOMERS
- I don' understand why they allowed latecomers to come in after the show has started. If they can forbid them from entering the concert hall when the show has started, why can't they do the same for the theatre? They can stand behind the glass window on ground level and watch the show, like they do for the concert hall. Cos it's VERY VERY DISRUPTING for them to enter and make EVERYONE in their way to their seats move and WAIT for them to SLOWLY grope their way around to their seats.
- WORSE yet, the ushers SHONE TORCHLIGHTS to help them find their seats. What could be worse than having a torchlight shone into your face when you are trying to watch a musical where the audiences are in the dark? Yes, you are temporarily BLINDED. And you cannot see anything, except for blinding white, for five minutes. Please, this is a musical. The only light displays we like to see are those from the stage, and for the stage only.
2. Plot
- I personally haven't seen the award-winning 1972 musical from UK, but from sources that have, this is TOTALLY different from what they have seen from the original. I don't know what the director Beatrice Chia was thinking, maybe she feels that Singaporeans can't take too much of the explicit content of a Cabaret, so she toned it down. But so toned down was the plot, that it practically revolved around the love lives of Kit Kat Club's Sally Bowles and the landlady (called Fraulein Schneider, I think).
- I know it's supposed to have some elements of the greyness in life during the period where the Nazis were trying to conquer the world. But I think that there was over-reliance, or over-emphasis rather, on the characters' love lives to portray the human element in the musical, or to show that it ain't all fun and sex in the Cabaret, and that there is a dark and human side to the story too.
- The result is that the parts where the Cabaret is all about are cut down to a mere 5-minuter in every 15-20mins of love stories... And the parts where the plot tries to show that the Nazis are a growing threat are not clearly portrayed, and audiences are left wondering what the brief stint meant. E.g. In one in-between-acts transition, 2 men were seen in the back alley, while another was standing on top of a building singing a song about revolution. The two seemed to be having a rendezvous, when suddenly one starts hitting the other. And eventually leaves the injured one to die on the street. In the span of less than 5 minutes it was over, and no one, I mean no one, knew what it was about. Until much later, when the crowd started to sing that same revolution song at Fraulein Schneider's engagment party, where one of the guys were exposed as a Nazi.
- This was nowhere near what they were selling it as on Arts Central. The promo was so explicitly Cabaret, but yet the real thing failed to meet up to expectations. Expected something better from Beatrice Chia, being the rebel artist she is...
3. Characters - non-leads
- Despite being a + point, it was also a -, as amongst the "girls" there were "guys" there dressed like girls to make up the numbers. And boy there was this girl that was so plump, she didn't seem to belong anywhere in the line-up. (No fat jokes here, but she really looked out of place in those skimpy outfits, along with the other skinny model-like girls)
CONCLUSION:
So my conclusion is that it was still worth watching it for the experience of watching a world-class musical lead aka Fei Xiang in the Esplanade Theatre. For my next experience it'll have to be something classical and world class like Phantom of the Opera, wouldn't it be insteresting to watch that in the Concert Hall? With all the organ pipes, etc... Wonder what kind of surprises can pop up... But the Theatre will do fine too I guess... Minus the disruptive latecomers...
Cheerio,
Same Old Brand New Moi
_____________________________________________________________
Can miles truly separate you from friends...
If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?
Richard Bach
Saturday, July 15, 2006
My fabulous & not-so-fabulous Year 2006
Jan-Nov 2005:
Brand new year ahead... A series of new highs and lows... IOC Session in Singapore... My own ideas put in action - Natural Beauty and Stretch & Tone... My first shoot (in this company) alone with the army, navy and air force guys...
Dec 2005:Two wisdom teeth extracted from upper and lower left, caused major fever and unthinkable ulcers and sore gums prior to surgery... Yes my teeth problems are not like the usual...
Betrayed & left to bleed to death by one-of-a-kind matriarch boss...
Almost cheated of pro-rated leave... How can it get any worst...
Well-deserved vacation in Melbourne... Experience Australia in a new light...
Jan 2006:
It just got worst... I caught Dengue Fever... Had high fever and for a first, was shivering uncontrollably in tropical Singapore... Had to be hospitalised for 3 days due to dangerously low blood platelets level... Worst experience in my life...
Feb 2006:
Back in business... Starting new job... Sports channel branding promos... Why don't sports presenters look sporty at all???
March 2006:
Never seen so many projects involving kids in my whole life...
April 2006:
More kids projects coming my way...
May 2006:
My uneventful, relaxing birthday....
More kids projects coming my way...
June 2006:
One nagging, never-ending project.... Yes it involves kids, animals, and the great outdoors...
July 2006:
At last, my lasik consultation... Surgery to be on 7th and 8th August... Can't wait
Queer As Folk brightens up my life... Finished 4 seasons in 2 weeks... Hold it, make that LESS THAN 2 weeks... Gale Harold (Brian Kinney) is one serious hottie actor... Love him to death...
My nagging, never-ending project is seeing some light...
29th July - It's showtime!!! CABARET!!!!
Brand new year ahead... A series of new highs and lows... IOC Session in Singapore... My own ideas put in action - Natural Beauty and Stretch & Tone... My first shoot (in this company) alone with the army, navy and air force guys...
Dec 2005:Two wisdom teeth extracted from upper and lower left, caused major fever and unthinkable ulcers and sore gums prior to surgery... Yes my teeth problems are not like the usual...
Betrayed & left to bleed to death by one-of-a-kind matriarch boss...
Almost cheated of pro-rated leave... How can it get any worst...
Well-deserved vacation in Melbourne... Experience Australia in a new light...
Jan 2006:
It just got worst... I caught Dengue Fever... Had high fever and for a first, was shivering uncontrollably in tropical Singapore... Had to be hospitalised for 3 days due to dangerously low blood platelets level... Worst experience in my life...
Feb 2006:
Back in business... Starting new job... Sports channel branding promos... Why don't sports presenters look sporty at all???
March 2006:
Never seen so many projects involving kids in my whole life...
April 2006:
More kids projects coming my way...
May 2006:
My uneventful, relaxing birthday....
More kids projects coming my way...
June 2006:
One nagging, never-ending project.... Yes it involves kids, animals, and the great outdoors...
July 2006:
At last, my lasik consultation... Surgery to be on 7th and 8th August... Can't wait
Queer As Folk brightens up my life... Finished 4 seasons in 2 weeks... Hold it, make that LESS THAN 2 weeks... Gale Harold (Brian Kinney) is one serious hottie actor... Love him to death...
My nagging, never-ending project is seeing some light...
29th July - It's showtime!!! CABARET!!!!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
My cousin made a discovery and here's what we're totally shocked about...
Make a guess who's that cutie with the cap...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It's Shan's bro Chris!!!!
And BOY is he cute.... MUCH (to e power of infinity) cuter than his bro over here....
Shan Wee's cousin, Shan, Shan's granny, Shan's bro!!!
NOTE: Photos courtesy of Shan Wee's moblog... Check out more pics there of him & his bro having a tan in the great outdoors of Ireland... Check out those biceps!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It's Shan's bro Chris!!!!
And BOY is he cute.... MUCH (to e power of infinity) cuter than his bro over here....
Shan Wee's cousin, Shan, Shan's granny, Shan's bro!!!
Shan Wee & his family...
NOTE: Photos courtesy of Shan Wee's moblog... Check out more pics there of him & his bro having a tan in the great outdoors of Ireland... Check out those biceps!!!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
My celebrity heritage
Lookie... lookie....
Tried out this site by recommendation of Alwaysane ...
And got a surprise!!!
Check out the results below...
This series has the highest celebrity likeness percentage...
.
.
.
.
.
.
And this series has one VERY surprising heritage link...
Tried out this site by recommendation of Alwaysane ...
And got a surprise!!!
Check out the results below...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This series has the highest celebrity likeness percentage...
..
.
.
.
.
And this series has one VERY surprising heritage link...
Can you see who it was???
ASHTON KUTCHER!!! 57%!!! Ha ha ha ha ha...
.
.
.
.
.
.
I am convinced...
Either I DO have heritage links with some of the celebs...
OR I can BE a celeb already....
There are TOO MANY names repeated!!!
Ha ha ha ha ha.... Lucy Liu, Choi Ji-Woo, Sammi Cheng...
UNBELIEVABLE!!!
Cheerio,
Same Old State of Shock...
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Battle of the Clones (Not Star Wars)
It's the battle of the clones... oops not clones... it's "copycats"...
Check out the following series... proudly presented to you by Butterwalks...
1. the journey to the west series...
2. the spongebob squarepants series...
Cheerio,
Same Old dlO emaS
Check out the following series... proudly presented to you by Butterwalks...
1. the journey to the west series...
2. the spongebob squarepants series...
Cheerio,
Same Old dlO emaS
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Hear ye hear ye!!!
I'm a Talent!
You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.
Talent: 81%
Lifer: 26%
Mandarin: 37%
Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Three Colours Trilogy: (Blue/ White/ Red) Review
NOW I KNOW THE REASON THE OLD FOLKS WITH THE BOTTLES ARE PLACED THERE!!!
"High-concept filmmaking can be a dangerous endeavor. Too often, directors get overly bogged down in their own ideas or alienate their audiences with over-the-top stylization or sheer pretention. However, The Decalouge (a ten part television series dealing with the Ten Commandments, released in Poland in 1988) proved that Krzysztof Kieslowski was one of a rare breed. Along with writing partner Krzysztof Piesiewicz, he's able to fully dramatize his ideas and frame them with such visual and aural flair that harkens back to the golden age of filmmaking. So it fits that for his final project, he took on the unusual task of creating three films for France's bicentennial - each dealing with one of the colours on the French flag, and its corresponding attribute.
The first film in the trilogy is Blue, which is meant to represent freedom. Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), the wife of a famous composer who had been creating a piece to commemorate the unification of Europe. However, at the beginning of the film, her husband and five year old daughter are killed in a car crash. Unable to bring herself to suicide, Julie instead leaves her former life behind in an only semi-successful attempt to reinvent herself, despite the love of a colleauge of her husband's, Olivier (Benoit Regent).
The second film (often argued to be the weakest) is White, symbolizing equality. White tells us of Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a polish man living in France. His french wife Dominique (Julie Deply) divorces him after only six months because he is impotent and even frames him for arson. Having lost everything, he returns to Poland, where a suicidal friend named Mikolai (Janusz Gajos) helps him create a strange revenge against his lover.
The final film (and by far the strongest) is Red, representing the ideal of fraternity. In Red, Valentine (Irene Jacob), a Swiss model living in Paris stumbles across an elderly retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who uses surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on his neighbours. Instead of being repelled, her nature causes her to form an unlikely friendship with this man, and their bond has echoes beyond themselves - most notably with Valentine's young neighbour, a fellow Swiss citizen named Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit).
Stylistically, each entry is unique. Blue is a stark tragedy, laced with long visual takes and very deliberately spoken dialouge. The score of the film - a haunting and delicate affair by Zbigniew Preisner - was written before the film was shot, so that the action could move to the pace of the music. This is an unusual technique, but it works gloriously and fits in context of the story, since music is this film's "MacGuffin," if you will - it's the way the characters communicate what they are unable to say. Juliette Binoche is really the only STAR of the film - she gets almost all the screen time and her performance is nuanced and restrained. She reveals Julie very slowly and very strongly fleshes out the grieving process one goes through in reaction to such a devestating event.
White, on the other hand, is a comedy, albiet with the blackest of spirits a comedy could have. Karol's antics are sometimes almsot Chaplin-esuqe; witness the scene in which he attempts to hide a gun in his pants. Zamachowski's Karol is both a fun, intruigiung character and a bitter, unsympathetic anti-hero, often at the same time, and he's matched by Julie Deply's performance. Her icy beauty belies a chaotic underside that manifests itself occasionally, as when she torches her salon to get Karol out of it. Edward Klosinski's cinematography accentuates the subtext of the film - the bright idealised colours of the Parisian streets are contrasted with the cold, but somehow more real browns, whites and grays of Poland.
Red, however, is the masterpiece. Neither tragedy, nor comedy, it's a tale of the human spirit - Piesiewicz called it "a film against indifference." It uses such devices as telephones, dogs and carefully shot near-encounters to tell the story of isolated lives. Irene Jacob's Valentine is the idealisation of the modern woman (person, really). She lives alone, her boyfriend is across the channel, her work friends don't truly understand her nature, and yet she is optimistic, sweet and honestly believes in the good in people. Her connection with the Judge is important for both of them. The casting of one time hot-male-lead Trintignant is clearly conscious. Now robbed of the vitality he once had, Valentine gives him a second chance as much as he reveals herself to herself. I wish I could say more, but I really wouldn't want to give the awesome nature of this story away. Visually speaking it's also the warmest film of the three and the use of light throughout is magnificent - there's a scene in which the characters stand in the light of the Judge's old house that's absolutely breathtaking.
Although one could view the three films individually, it's only as a whole that they truly make sense, and noting the connections - both cinematically and symbolically - is one of the best parts of the series. For example, all three films begin with a sense of motion, shrouded in the colour the film deals with. Blue opens with a shot underneath a speeding motorcar on a cold, rainy day. White follows a particular suitcase of note as it moves down a conveyor belt at the Warsaw airport. Red moves us along telephone lines, tracing the path of a missed connection. Likewise, each film concludes with one of it's central characters looking at the camera through a glass of some kind.
The nature of all three films, however, is about love. Blue and White are both somewhat harsh in their treatment - freedom clearly comes with a price, and the power struggles inherent in equality can lead to more conflict than they're worth. Julie is shedding her past and Karol is getting revenge - both antagonistic actions, but Valentine - even when faced with a repulsive character, as the Judge originally seems, is willing to look for the best in someone. Fraternity is about forming real human connections - a deep form of love that's what's truly valuable. This is illustrated best in one of the most concrete connections between the three films: each of the main characters encounters an elderly woman trying to fit a bottle into a recycling bin she cannot quite reach. While Julie and Karol both only watch, even if with a real human interest, Valentine is the only one of the three who helps her. The end of Red, however, gives us all hope. Without giving too much away, three couples - one from each film - are united amidst the most tragic of circumstances - saved from doom by fate or chance or God or whatever you believe - and their meeting ties up the ideals of all three films into one amazing package.
Movies like this are the reason I love movies. They're visually beautiful, dramatically accomplished and honest-to-God moving. If you can only see one, Red is one of the best films of the 1990s, but all three are VERY highly reccomended."
"High-concept filmmaking can be a dangerous endeavor. Too often, directors get overly bogged down in their own ideas or alienate their audiences with over-the-top stylization or sheer pretention. However, The Decalouge (a ten part television series dealing with the Ten Commandments, released in Poland in 1988) proved that Krzysztof Kieslowski was one of a rare breed. Along with writing partner Krzysztof Piesiewicz, he's able to fully dramatize his ideas and frame them with such visual and aural flair that harkens back to the golden age of filmmaking. So it fits that for his final project, he took on the unusual task of creating three films for France's bicentennial - each dealing with one of the colours on the French flag, and its corresponding attribute.
The first film in the trilogy is Blue, which is meant to represent freedom. Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), the wife of a famous composer who had been creating a piece to commemorate the unification of Europe. However, at the beginning of the film, her husband and five year old daughter are killed in a car crash. Unable to bring herself to suicide, Julie instead leaves her former life behind in an only semi-successful attempt to reinvent herself, despite the love of a colleauge of her husband's, Olivier (Benoit Regent).
The second film (often argued to be the weakest) is White, symbolizing equality. White tells us of Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a polish man living in France. His french wife Dominique (Julie Deply) divorces him after only six months because he is impotent and even frames him for arson. Having lost everything, he returns to Poland, where a suicidal friend named Mikolai (Janusz Gajos) helps him create a strange revenge against his lover.
The final film (and by far the strongest) is Red, representing the ideal of fraternity. In Red, Valentine (Irene Jacob), a Swiss model living in Paris stumbles across an elderly retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who uses surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on his neighbours. Instead of being repelled, her nature causes her to form an unlikely friendship with this man, and their bond has echoes beyond themselves - most notably with Valentine's young neighbour, a fellow Swiss citizen named Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit).
Stylistically, each entry is unique. Blue is a stark tragedy, laced with long visual takes and very deliberately spoken dialouge. The score of the film - a haunting and delicate affair by Zbigniew Preisner - was written before the film was shot, so that the action could move to the pace of the music. This is an unusual technique, but it works gloriously and fits in context of the story, since music is this film's "MacGuffin," if you will - it's the way the characters communicate what they are unable to say. Juliette Binoche is really the only STAR of the film - she gets almost all the screen time and her performance is nuanced and restrained. She reveals Julie very slowly and very strongly fleshes out the grieving process one goes through in reaction to such a devestating event.
White, on the other hand, is a comedy, albiet with the blackest of spirits a comedy could have. Karol's antics are sometimes almsot Chaplin-esuqe; witness the scene in which he attempts to hide a gun in his pants. Zamachowski's Karol is both a fun, intruigiung character and a bitter, unsympathetic anti-hero, often at the same time, and he's matched by Julie Deply's performance. Her icy beauty belies a chaotic underside that manifests itself occasionally, as when she torches her salon to get Karol out of it. Edward Klosinski's cinematography accentuates the subtext of the film - the bright idealised colours of the Parisian streets are contrasted with the cold, but somehow more real browns, whites and grays of Poland.
Red, however, is the masterpiece. Neither tragedy, nor comedy, it's a tale of the human spirit - Piesiewicz called it "a film against indifference." It uses such devices as telephones, dogs and carefully shot near-encounters to tell the story of isolated lives. Irene Jacob's Valentine is the idealisation of the modern woman (person, really). She lives alone, her boyfriend is across the channel, her work friends don't truly understand her nature, and yet she is optimistic, sweet and honestly believes in the good in people. Her connection with the Judge is important for both of them. The casting of one time hot-male-lead Trintignant is clearly conscious. Now robbed of the vitality he once had, Valentine gives him a second chance as much as he reveals herself to herself. I wish I could say more, but I really wouldn't want to give the awesome nature of this story away. Visually speaking it's also the warmest film of the three and the use of light throughout is magnificent - there's a scene in which the characters stand in the light of the Judge's old house that's absolutely breathtaking.
Although one could view the three films individually, it's only as a whole that they truly make sense, and noting the connections - both cinematically and symbolically - is one of the best parts of the series. For example, all three films begin with a sense of motion, shrouded in the colour the film deals with. Blue opens with a shot underneath a speeding motorcar on a cold, rainy day. White follows a particular suitcase of note as it moves down a conveyor belt at the Warsaw airport. Red moves us along telephone lines, tracing the path of a missed connection. Likewise, each film concludes with one of it's central characters looking at the camera through a glass of some kind.
The nature of all three films, however, is about love. Blue and White are both somewhat harsh in their treatment - freedom clearly comes with a price, and the power struggles inherent in equality can lead to more conflict than they're worth. Julie is shedding her past and Karol is getting revenge - both antagonistic actions, but Valentine - even when faced with a repulsive character, as the Judge originally seems, is willing to look for the best in someone. Fraternity is about forming real human connections - a deep form of love that's what's truly valuable. This is illustrated best in one of the most concrete connections between the three films: each of the main characters encounters an elderly woman trying to fit a bottle into a recycling bin she cannot quite reach. While Julie and Karol both only watch, even if with a real human interest, Valentine is the only one of the three who helps her. The end of Red, however, gives us all hope. Without giving too much away, three couples - one from each film - are united amidst the most tragic of circumstances - saved from doom by fate or chance or God or whatever you believe - and their meeting ties up the ideals of all three films into one amazing package.
Movies like this are the reason I love movies. They're visually beautiful, dramatically accomplished and honest-to-God moving. If you can only see one, Red is one of the best films of the 1990s, but all three are VERY highly reccomended."
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
The World in Three Colors (Blue / White / Red)
Recently I've managed to watch this wonderfully filmed movie trilogy which had really beautiful cinematography...
Here is some information on the trilogy:
Three Colors: Blue is the first part of Kieslowski's trilogy on France's national motto: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), who loses her husband, an acclaimed European composer and her young daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew free of personal commitments, belongings grief and love. She intends to spiritually commit suicide by withdrawing from the world and live completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. However, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery and the music around which the film revolves heals Julie and irresistably draws her back to the land of the living.
Three Colors: White is the second part of the trilogy on Equality. Polish man Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) marries French female Domininque (Julie Delpy) and moves to Paris. The marriage breaks down when Karol is unable to consummate the marriage, and Dominique divorces Karol, forcing him into the life of a metro beggar and eventually back to Poland. But all along, he feels that the reason that he never got a fair trial is because he did not speak French. He never forgets Dominique and while building a new life for himself in Warsaw he begins to plot his revenge... He ends up as a wealthy businessman and makes a will to give all his money and properties to Dominique when he dies. Then with the help of his brother, a faithful friend, and his chauffeur, he fakes his own death to force Dominque to go to Poland. Upon seeing her weep at his funeral, he visits her and spends a night with her. The very next morning, the Polish police barges into her room on a warrant that she is suspected to have murdered Karol for the inheritance. She is jailed and Karol is seen visiting her in the prison. But he can only stand afar and look at her trapped in her cell, signing to him...
Three Colors: Red is the final part of the trilogy on Fraternity. Valentine (Irene Jacob) is a young model living in Geneva. Because of a dog she ran over, she meets a retired judge who spies his neighbours' phone calls, not for money but to feed his cynicism. The film is the story of relationships between some human beings, Valentine and the judge, but also other people who may not be aware of the relationship they have with Valentine or/and the old judge. Redemption, forgiveness and compassion... Valentine frequently crosses paths with Auguste, a law student studying to become a judge. Both of them are attached - Valentine to a boyfriend that frequently travels overseas and is rarely with her; and Auguste to a blonde law senior. Auguste's girlfriend meets another guy during the trial of the old judge (he sent letters admitting that he spies on his neighbours to his neighbours and the police). She cheats on him. He goes on a vacation cruise, where Valentine is also going on to go for a fashion show, and to visit her boyfriend. What they don't know is that what happened to the guy is exactly the same as what happened to the old judge. The cruise meets with an accident and only 7 survivors are found, amongst whom are Julie (Juliette Binoche) and Olivier from Blue, Domininque (Julie Delpy) and Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) from White, and of course Valentine (Irene Jacob) and Auguste...
My observations and comments:
1. Beautiful Cinematography
One can literally see, feel, hear, smell and taste what the visuals were trying to convey in the scene to us. It was a sensory experience.
Clever use of lighting was blatant in Blue, where the opening started with a defocused shot of the blue crystal lamp shade that Julie had in her house, played against the light. It was iconic and symbolic, and yet subtle and beautiful at the same time.
The opening of Red caught me by surprise, as it reminded me of a scene in Royston Tan's '15' which also had speeded up shots of the camera running through the telephone lines, pipes, expressways, etc... I guess he might have gotten his inspiration from this movie...
2. Great Sense of Continuity through use of dominant and iconic colours
Needless to say the iconic colours were blue, white and red respectively in each of the movies, which shows that it is not that cliche a technique to use to create a subtle or blatant sense of continuity in a movie. You'll see the colours appearing in various ways in the form objects or costume.
In Blue, it appears as the lamp shade in Julie's house, and a blue light of various shapes and sizes shining on her when she goes into her own world. Further into the movie, the blue light shines in smaller and smaller shapes and sizes, until a black screen comes up whenever she retreats totally into her own world to flush out the past.
In White, I only can remember seeing white in the snow in Poland, and the pigeons present in many points in the movie, the white porcelain bust that Karol has, and Dominque's wedding veil. It is not as frequent as the other two movies. Maybe it's a hint or pun that there is a lack of equality, compared to the other two movies, as well as in the movie.
In Red, the colour is most prominant throughout the movie. Valentine is almost always dressed in red whenever she appears. And her bubblegum ad is blatantly set against a dominant red backdrop, down to the blood of the dog she knocked down, and even Auguste's Jeep is red in colour. Subtle, yet in your face.
3. Emotive Music that provided strong support to visuals and creation and maintenance of mood
The music in all three movies is very grabbing. It helped to get me into feeling the way the characters would have felt in the movie. I think Blue's use of music is the most grabbing, especially during the parts where there were only black on screen with heavy and strong music playing on.
4. Strong Storyline and Definitive Plot that drives home the themes
The first film in the trilogy is Blue, which is meant to represent freedom. Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), the wife of a famous composer who had been creating a piece to commemorate the unification of Europe. However, at the beginning of the film, her husband and five year old daughter are killed in a car crash. Unable to bring herself to suicide, Julie instead leaves her former life behind in an only semi-successful attempt to reinvent herself, despite the love of a colleauge of her husband's, Olivier (Benoit Regent).
The second film is White, symbolizing equality. White tells us of Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a polish man living in France. His french wife Dominique (Julie Deply) divorces him after only six months because he is impotent and even frames him for arson. Having lost everything, he returns to Poland, where a suicidal friend named Mikolai (Janusz Gajos) helps him create a strange revenge against his lover.
The final film is Red, representing the ideal of fraternity. In Red, Valentine (Irene Jacob), a Swiss model living in Paris stumbles across an elderly retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who uses surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on his neighbours. Instead of being repelled, her nature causes her to form an unlikely friendship with this man, and their bond has echoes beyond themselves - most notably with Valentine's young neighbour, a fellow Swiss citizen named Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit).
5. Attention-grabbing performances by cast
I think the cast did a great job in all three movies. Juliette Binoche was very captivating in her role in Blue and it won her an Oscar too I think. As for White, I thought Zbigniew Zamachowski was really grabbing. His performance made me start to feel pity for the character, and I found myself saying "Poor guy... so poor thing...". For Red, I think the old judge and Irene Jacob had a really good chemistry between their acting. You can sense something more that they feel for one another, be it father-daughter or maybe even man-woman relationship...
6. Funny add-on - Funny old folks trying to throw a glass bottle into a quirky looking recycling bin???
I noticed that in all three movies, an old folk (old lady in Blue and Red, and old man in White) were trying to throw a glass bottle into a quirky looking bin (which I reckon is a recycling bin). But even though they struggle for very long, and the shot lingers on them, the cast never offers any form of assistance. Well except for Valentine in Red, who helps the old lady push the bottle into the bin and we hear it crashing. I'm not too sure what it was meant to symbolise, but maybe it shows that the first two are too self-centered and focused on their own problems that they never show any concern or interest to greater things happening around them - i.e. social problems like ageing population, consideration, courtesy, etc. Or maybe he was trying to promote recycling efforts?? I don't know...
7. Use of Transnational Characters set in France - French, Polish and Swiss
Blue's cast is all French. Julie is French, Olivier is French.
White's cast is half French, half Polish. Dominique is French. Karol is Polish.
Red's cast is Swiss and ???. Valentine is Swiss. Auguste is Swiss. I don't know if the old judge is Swiss or French since it is set in Paris.
They are all in France. Although White moves to Poland when Karol returns home after the divorce.
Click on the link above for more reviews and information on the movie trilogy...
Cheerio,
Same Old Movie Buff
Here is some information on the trilogy:
Three Colors: Blue is the first part of Kieslowski's trilogy on France's national motto: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), who loses her husband, an acclaimed European composer and her young daughter in a car accident. The film's theme of liberty is manifested in Julie's attempt to start life anew free of personal commitments, belongings grief and love. She intends to spiritually commit suicide by withdrawing from the world and live completely independently, anonymously and in solitude in the Parisian metropolis. Despite her intentions, people from her former and present life intrude with their own needs. However, the reality created by the people who need and care about her, a surprising discovery and the music around which the film revolves heals Julie and irresistably draws her back to the land of the living.
Three Colors: White is the second part of the trilogy on Equality. Polish man Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) marries French female Domininque (Julie Delpy) and moves to Paris. The marriage breaks down when Karol is unable to consummate the marriage, and Dominique divorces Karol, forcing him into the life of a metro beggar and eventually back to Poland. But all along, he feels that the reason that he never got a fair trial is because he did not speak French. He never forgets Dominique and while building a new life for himself in Warsaw he begins to plot his revenge... He ends up as a wealthy businessman and makes a will to give all his money and properties to Dominique when he dies. Then with the help of his brother, a faithful friend, and his chauffeur, he fakes his own death to force Dominque to go to Poland. Upon seeing her weep at his funeral, he visits her and spends a night with her. The very next morning, the Polish police barges into her room on a warrant that she is suspected to have murdered Karol for the inheritance. She is jailed and Karol is seen visiting her in the prison. But he can only stand afar and look at her trapped in her cell, signing to him...
Three Colors: Red is the final part of the trilogy on Fraternity. Valentine (Irene Jacob) is a young model living in Geneva. Because of a dog she ran over, she meets a retired judge who spies his neighbours' phone calls, not for money but to feed his cynicism. The film is the story of relationships between some human beings, Valentine and the judge, but also other people who may not be aware of the relationship they have with Valentine or/and the old judge. Redemption, forgiveness and compassion... Valentine frequently crosses paths with Auguste, a law student studying to become a judge. Both of them are attached - Valentine to a boyfriend that frequently travels overseas and is rarely with her; and Auguste to a blonde law senior. Auguste's girlfriend meets another guy during the trial of the old judge (he sent letters admitting that he spies on his neighbours to his neighbours and the police). She cheats on him. He goes on a vacation cruise, where Valentine is also going on to go for a fashion show, and to visit her boyfriend. What they don't know is that what happened to the guy is exactly the same as what happened to the old judge. The cruise meets with an accident and only 7 survivors are found, amongst whom are Julie (Juliette Binoche) and Olivier from Blue, Domininque (Julie Delpy) and Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski) from White, and of course Valentine (Irene Jacob) and Auguste...
My observations and comments:
1. Beautiful Cinematography
One can literally see, feel, hear, smell and taste what the visuals were trying to convey in the scene to us. It was a sensory experience.
Clever use of lighting was blatant in Blue, where the opening started with a defocused shot of the blue crystal lamp shade that Julie had in her house, played against the light. It was iconic and symbolic, and yet subtle and beautiful at the same time.
The opening of Red caught me by surprise, as it reminded me of a scene in Royston Tan's '15' which also had speeded up shots of the camera running through the telephone lines, pipes, expressways, etc... I guess he might have gotten his inspiration from this movie...
2. Great Sense of Continuity through use of dominant and iconic colours
Needless to say the iconic colours were blue, white and red respectively in each of the movies, which shows that it is not that cliche a technique to use to create a subtle or blatant sense of continuity in a movie. You'll see the colours appearing in various ways in the form objects or costume.
In Blue, it appears as the lamp shade in Julie's house, and a blue light of various shapes and sizes shining on her when she goes into her own world. Further into the movie, the blue light shines in smaller and smaller shapes and sizes, until a black screen comes up whenever she retreats totally into her own world to flush out the past.
In White, I only can remember seeing white in the snow in Poland, and the pigeons present in many points in the movie, the white porcelain bust that Karol has, and Dominque's wedding veil. It is not as frequent as the other two movies. Maybe it's a hint or pun that there is a lack of equality, compared to the other two movies, as well as in the movie.
In Red, the colour is most prominant throughout the movie. Valentine is almost always dressed in red whenever she appears. And her bubblegum ad is blatantly set against a dominant red backdrop, down to the blood of the dog she knocked down, and even Auguste's Jeep is red in colour. Subtle, yet in your face.
3. Emotive Music that provided strong support to visuals and creation and maintenance of mood
The music in all three movies is very grabbing. It helped to get me into feeling the way the characters would have felt in the movie. I think Blue's use of music is the most grabbing, especially during the parts where there were only black on screen with heavy and strong music playing on.
4. Strong Storyline and Definitive Plot that drives home the themes
The first film in the trilogy is Blue, which is meant to represent freedom. Blue is the story of Julie (Juliette Binoche), the wife of a famous composer who had been creating a piece to commemorate the unification of Europe. However, at the beginning of the film, her husband and five year old daughter are killed in a car crash. Unable to bring herself to suicide, Julie instead leaves her former life behind in an only semi-successful attempt to reinvent herself, despite the love of a colleauge of her husband's, Olivier (Benoit Regent).
The second film is White, symbolizing equality. White tells us of Karol (Zbigniew Zamachowski), a polish man living in France. His french wife Dominique (Julie Deply) divorces him after only six months because he is impotent and even frames him for arson. Having lost everything, he returns to Poland, where a suicidal friend named Mikolai (Janusz Gajos) helps him create a strange revenge against his lover.
The final film is Red, representing the ideal of fraternity. In Red, Valentine (Irene Jacob), a Swiss model living in Paris stumbles across an elderly retired judge (Jean-Louis Trintignant) who uses surveillance equipment to eavesdrop on his neighbours. Instead of being repelled, her nature causes her to form an unlikely friendship with this man, and their bond has echoes beyond themselves - most notably with Valentine's young neighbour, a fellow Swiss citizen named Auguste (Jean-Pierre Lorit).
5. Attention-grabbing performances by cast
I think the cast did a great job in all three movies. Juliette Binoche was very captivating in her role in Blue and it won her an Oscar too I think. As for White, I thought Zbigniew Zamachowski was really grabbing. His performance made me start to feel pity for the character, and I found myself saying "Poor guy... so poor thing...". For Red, I think the old judge and Irene Jacob had a really good chemistry between their acting. You can sense something more that they feel for one another, be it father-daughter or maybe even man-woman relationship...
6. Funny add-on - Funny old folks trying to throw a glass bottle into a quirky looking recycling bin???
I noticed that in all three movies, an old folk (old lady in Blue and Red, and old man in White) were trying to throw a glass bottle into a quirky looking bin (which I reckon is a recycling bin). But even though they struggle for very long, and the shot lingers on them, the cast never offers any form of assistance. Well except for Valentine in Red, who helps the old lady push the bottle into the bin and we hear it crashing. I'm not too sure what it was meant to symbolise, but maybe it shows that the first two are too self-centered and focused on their own problems that they never show any concern or interest to greater things happening around them - i.e. social problems like ageing population, consideration, courtesy, etc. Or maybe he was trying to promote recycling efforts?? I don't know...
7. Use of Transnational Characters set in France - French, Polish and Swiss
Blue's cast is all French. Julie is French, Olivier is French.
White's cast is half French, half Polish. Dominique is French. Karol is Polish.
Red's cast is Swiss and ???. Valentine is Swiss. Auguste is Swiss. I don't know if the old judge is Swiss or French since it is set in Paris.
They are all in France. Although White moves to Poland when Karol returns home after the divorce.
Click on the link above for more reviews and information on the movie trilogy...
Cheerio,
Same Old Movie Buff
Saturday, February 04, 2006
“霍元甲” / "Fearless"
你看了“霍元甲”了没儿？
若你还没看“霍元甲”，你听到了同名的主题曲了没儿 ?
是周杰伦写曲的。。。
MV 也是他导的！！！
真是不能不对他刮目相看。。。
独特的LOCKING扇舞。。。
配搭了中国嘻哈风格的编曲。。。
还有周董的招牌三节棍。。。
真是看得我只有“哇哇哇。。。"
若你还没看“霍元甲”，你听到了同名的主题曲了没儿 ?
是周杰伦写曲的。。。
MV 也是他导的！！！
真是不能不对他刮目相看。。。
独特的LOCKING扇舞。。。
配搭了中国嘻哈风格的编曲。。。
还有周董的招牌三节棍。。。
真是看得我只有“哇哇哇。。。"
Friday, February 03, 2006
My brush with dengue... during Chinese New Year...
I've officially hit rock bottom in my luck...
I had fever a week before Chinese New Year!!!
My fever started on Sat21 Jan and lasted till Mon 23 Jan. There was a break from the fever on Tue 24 Jan, so I thought I was cured... I just survived on Panadol alone, endured my muscle aches, and didn't bother to see a doctor...
But it wasn't over...
It had something else in stall for me...
On Wed 25 Jan, the day when I was supposed to go for a premiere for "I Not Stupid Too" with my cousins... My fever came back at full force... And I mean FULL FORCE...
I was shivering like crazy from the slightest draft that came into my house... I had to wear the thickest long sleeved top for the premiere, and I still brought along a jacket... but it was still not enough... once I stepped into the cinema, I immediately felt shivers going through my body... fortunately my cousins had brought along couduroy jackets, and I put them to good use... Throughout the entire show I was wrapped up like an Eskimo in the 3 layers of clothing... And it could only barely keep me warm...
By the time I reached home, I already felt nauseus and wanted to puke really badly... This is a lesson, NOT to eat fast food when you are sick... I ate a double cheese burger for dinner... and apparently it didn't go too well with the sick body... I puked everything out once I managed to get myself into the toilet...
The very next day, Thu 26 Jan, I went with my mum to see my family doctor... He immediately did a blood test for me, and the results came back that my blood platelets level was lower than the average at 110. Normal blood platelets levels range from 150 to 450. For those that don't know, blood platelets help your blood clot and stop bleeding when you get a cut... So if you have insufficient of them, you can bleed to death whether you get an external, or an internal cut... So if you have dengue, be careful of your blood platelets level. And since your blood pressure will also decrease, you might feel giddy easily, so have to be extra careful when you move around...
He gave me some medicine, and I was told to go back for another blood test the next day on Fri 27 Jan.
This time my blood platelets level hit an all time low of 41... I was immediately advised to get myself into a hospital in case my internal organs bleed... By this time, my fever had already totally subsided...
At the hospital, I was told to inform the nurses, whenever I needed to relieve myself, or simply do anything... Cos I was supposed to rest in bed, and not move around at all... Another series of blood tests were done... A total of 3 bottles, and 5 test tubes of my blood was drawn that afternoon... What made it worse was that as my "ward-mates" were all old ladies... they were bed-ridden, and kept calling out for the nurses whenever they needed to relieve themselves, or pretty much do anything... so the WHOLE night I was kept awake by their shouting and the bright lights from the nurse station directly opposite my bed... Yes I was in Class C wards... open wards... What made it even harder for me to sleep was that an old lady was hospitalised at the wee hours of the night, and she was transfered to the bed right next to me... So pardon the scurry of activities and buzz of sons, doctors and nurses around her bed... I only got 1 or 2 hours of intermittent sleep...
Day 1 Fri 27 Jan (blood platelets level hitting an all time low of 41):Hand with pipe & ID tag lying on hosipital bed with nothing better to do...
Day 2 Sat 28 Jan, which was also Chinese New Year's Eve... I had to spend it in the hospital with 3 old ladies... As my blood platelets test on Fri 27 Jan when I came into the hospital was 44, and Sat 28 Jan's was only an increase of 1 to 45... Not up to acceptable level to be discharged yet... Of cos it would be low, I had so little sleep yesterday night cos of the buzz of activities...
Day 3 Sun 29 Jan, first day of Chinese New Year... Not only was I unable to watch the festive programmes... I was unable to collect Ang Pows.... And I had to spend my time in the hospital... On the bed... How boring... I never felt so bored and restless in my life before... And my blood platelets went up to 73 only... But the doctor gave me false hope that I could be discharged, as the levels were showing an upward trend... After informing everyone that I can be discharged... I overheard the nurse asking the on-call doctor if I could be discharged... And to my biggest dismay... He said the doctor said that they still had to wait for my dengue and blood culture tests' results which were not out yet... so I had to stay ANOTHER DAY to wait for the results... Just to be on the safe side... TALK ABOUT POURING A BUCKET OF COLD WATER ON YOU WHEN YOU ARE IN THE SNOW!!! And by this time, I was already very fed up and desperately wanted to go home to get a good night's sleep, cos peace and silence are REALLY RARE traits here... Complaining and nagging old ladies nagging about the bland food... Complaining about their aches and pains... I didn't know how much moaning and groaning I could take before I would break down...
Day 4 Mon 30 Jan, second day of Chinese New year... Again I was waiting for my daily drawing of blood at 6.30am every morning... but this day there was no needles in sight... Apparently the doctor thought that since my blood platelets were showing a rising trend, there was no need to do anymore tests... So I was basically still in the hospital for the sole purpose of waiting for my dengue and blood culture results... Alas another doctor came in for the day due to Chinese New Year... Most doctors were on leave... This doctor (I overheard another doctor addressing him as a Professor) deduced that it was definitely dengue that I had, and there was no need for me to stick around just to wait for the results. So he advised for another blood test to be done for the day, and as long as the blood platelets levels were higher than yesterday's 73, I could be discharged!!! Blood was only drawn at 9am... And around 11.30am, the nurse reminded the on-call doctor that my results were not out yet... As I had to be discharged before 1pm, or there would be another day's charges... So finally he called the lab, and the results came back as 173 (within the normal range), and finally I was given the green light to be discharged...
Day 4 (day I left the hospital with 173 blood platelets level): CU hand with pipe... Going to remove pipe soon...
Day 4 (left hospital, on my way home): there is a silver lining behind every cloud...
Day 6 ( back at home): green blue black patch on arm from drawing of blood for 3 bottles & 5 test tubes on day 1...
Close Up of the greenish blue black patch on my arm...
Day 8 (back at home): More blue black patches on hand from pipe insertion... Note the dot in e area between index and third finger... That's the point of insertion...
Day 9 (back at home): Close Up on darkening blue black patch on hand from pipe insertion...
I had fever a week before Chinese New Year!!!
My fever started on Sat21 Jan and lasted till Mon 23 Jan. There was a break from the fever on Tue 24 Jan, so I thought I was cured... I just survived on Panadol alone, endured my muscle aches, and didn't bother to see a doctor...
But it wasn't over...
It had something else in stall for me...
On Wed 25 Jan, the day when I was supposed to go for a premiere for "I Not Stupid Too" with my cousins... My fever came back at full force... And I mean FULL FORCE...
I was shivering like crazy from the slightest draft that came into my house... I had to wear the thickest long sleeved top for the premiere, and I still brought along a jacket... but it was still not enough... once I stepped into the cinema, I immediately felt shivers going through my body... fortunately my cousins had brought along couduroy jackets, and I put them to good use... Throughout the entire show I was wrapped up like an Eskimo in the 3 layers of clothing... And it could only barely keep me warm...
By the time I reached home, I already felt nauseus and wanted to puke really badly... This is a lesson, NOT to eat fast food when you are sick... I ate a double cheese burger for dinner... and apparently it didn't go too well with the sick body... I puked everything out once I managed to get myself into the toilet...
The very next day, Thu 26 Jan, I went with my mum to see my family doctor... He immediately did a blood test for me, and the results came back that my blood platelets level was lower than the average at 110. Normal blood platelets levels range from 150 to 450. For those that don't know, blood platelets help your blood clot and stop bleeding when you get a cut... So if you have insufficient of them, you can bleed to death whether you get an external, or an internal cut... So if you have dengue, be careful of your blood platelets level. And since your blood pressure will also decrease, you might feel giddy easily, so have to be extra careful when you move around...
He gave me some medicine, and I was told to go back for another blood test the next day on Fri 27 Jan.
This time my blood platelets level hit an all time low of 41... I was immediately advised to get myself into a hospital in case my internal organs bleed... By this time, my fever had already totally subsided...
At the hospital, I was told to inform the nurses, whenever I needed to relieve myself, or simply do anything... Cos I was supposed to rest in bed, and not move around at all... Another series of blood tests were done... A total of 3 bottles, and 5 test tubes of my blood was drawn that afternoon... What made it worse was that as my "ward-mates" were all old ladies... they were bed-ridden, and kept calling out for the nurses whenever they needed to relieve themselves, or pretty much do anything... so the WHOLE night I was kept awake by their shouting and the bright lights from the nurse station directly opposite my bed... Yes I was in Class C wards... open wards... What made it even harder for me to sleep was that an old lady was hospitalised at the wee hours of the night, and she was transfered to the bed right next to me... So pardon the scurry of activities and buzz of sons, doctors and nurses around her bed... I only got 1 or 2 hours of intermittent sleep...
Day 1 Fri 27 Jan (blood platelets level hitting an all time low of 41):Hand with pipe & ID tag lying on hosipital bed with nothing better to do...
Day 2 Sat 28 Jan, which was also Chinese New Year's Eve... I had to spend it in the hospital with 3 old ladies... As my blood platelets test on Fri 27 Jan when I came into the hospital was 44, and Sat 28 Jan's was only an increase of 1 to 45... Not up to acceptable level to be discharged yet... Of cos it would be low, I had so little sleep yesterday night cos of the buzz of activities...
Day 3 Sun 29 Jan, first day of Chinese New Year... Not only was I unable to watch the festive programmes... I was unable to collect Ang Pows.... And I had to spend my time in the hospital... On the bed... How boring... I never felt so bored and restless in my life before... And my blood platelets went up to 73 only... But the doctor gave me false hope that I could be discharged, as the levels were showing an upward trend... After informing everyone that I can be discharged... I overheard the nurse asking the on-call doctor if I could be discharged... And to my biggest dismay... He said the doctor said that they still had to wait for my dengue and blood culture tests' results which were not out yet... so I had to stay ANOTHER DAY to wait for the results... Just to be on the safe side... TALK ABOUT POURING A BUCKET OF COLD WATER ON YOU WHEN YOU ARE IN THE SNOW!!! And by this time, I was already very fed up and desperately wanted to go home to get a good night's sleep, cos peace and silence are REALLY RARE traits here... Complaining and nagging old ladies nagging about the bland food... Complaining about their aches and pains... I didn't know how much moaning and groaning I could take before I would break down...
Day 4 Mon 30 Jan, second day of Chinese New year... Again I was waiting for my daily drawing of blood at 6.30am every morning... but this day there was no needles in sight... Apparently the doctor thought that since my blood platelets were showing a rising trend, there was no need to do anymore tests... So I was basically still in the hospital for the sole purpose of waiting for my dengue and blood culture results... Alas another doctor came in for the day due to Chinese New Year... Most doctors were on leave... This doctor (I overheard another doctor addressing him as a Professor) deduced that it was definitely dengue that I had, and there was no need for me to stick around just to wait for the results. So he advised for another blood test to be done for the day, and as long as the blood platelets levels were higher than yesterday's 73, I could be discharged!!! Blood was only drawn at 9am... And around 11.30am, the nurse reminded the on-call doctor that my results were not out yet... As I had to be discharged before 1pm, or there would be another day's charges... So finally he called the lab, and the results came back as 173 (within the normal range), and finally I was given the green light to be discharged...
Day 4 (day I left the hospital with 173 blood platelets level): CU hand with pipe... Going to remove pipe soon...
Day 4 (left hospital, on my way home): there is a silver lining behind every cloud...
Day 6 ( back at home): green blue black patch on arm from drawing of blood for 3 bottles & 5 test tubes on day 1...
Close Up of the greenish blue black patch on my arm...
Day 8 (back at home): More blue black patches on hand from pipe insertion... Note the dot in e area between index and third finger... That's the point of insertion...
Day 9 (back at home): Close Up on darkening blue black patch on hand from pipe insertion...
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