Hi people. It has been waaaay too long since I last posted. At crazy, busy times like this, I'm reminded yet again that (contrary to what some non-poly people claim), life in poly is NOT all fun and games. THERE'S ACTUALLY WORK. HAHA. LOTS AND LOTS OF WORK.

I'm currently in my final year of Mass Communication at NP. What with my electives this sem (book writing, radio journalism, acting and directing), I've got assignments piling up left, right and centre. I'm finally comprehending the importance of not procrastinating. One of the best things NP has taught me is discipline. We're given lots of work but we are also given lots of time to complete them, so whether or not projects pile up depends on our own planning. :/

I have random thoughts floating around in my head now, so pardon me if I keep flying from one topic to the next. i wanted to tell you about my acting class last week. I had alot of fun 'cos we basically tried impersonating each other! We were secretly told to observe a specific classmate for a period of time without him/her knowing, then later, to speak and act out the same speech and behaviour sequence observed. It was pretty freaky watching others act out their interpretation of me. Really made me realise how my perspective of myself differs greatly from others' perspective of me.

Second random fact: I'm very proud of myself this week. Why? 'cos despite my heavy workload, i still managed to squeeze in weekday gym sessions after school! It helps that NP's GymWerkz isn't super crowded so i don't have to wait to use the great machines.:)

Random fact #3: I'm a Youtube addict and I've been especially hooked on watching Storytellers. This is a TV series where singers/bands perform in front of a small audience and intersperse musings about their life and songs in between sets. It really works 'cos you get an intimate feel of the artiste and his music, unlike the regular concert where you just hear song after song.

When Jack & Rai performed at NP last sem, they tried doing the same thing and it was a hit. The students got to find out a lot more about them while listening to their 'live' sets. Speaking of Jack & Rai (ya'll know i'm a big fan by now), i've got news fresh out of the oven! They may very well be coming to NP again sometime next year to perform so watch this space for more news!!! (: Anyway, it is more discipline and back to my books for now. More work to complete before i can escape again to my youtube world! To end off I'd like to share a couple of vids with you guys!! The first is a VH1 Storytellers performance by Matchbox 20:

The second one is reeealy, really funny so if you're not rolling on the floor with laughter by the end of it, then I WILL COME OVER AND MAKE YOU ROLL. WATCH THE WHOLE VID. It's a short one (; Single Ladies Gone Wrong!

HELLO PEOPLE!!! Were you one of the thousands of RED Campers who screamed the house down at Ngee Ann Poly (NP) last week?! 

Well, we miss you already! This is guest blogger Matt bringing you a special post-event report on RED Camp 6!

Organised specially for graduating 'O' Level students, RED Camp is an exciting annual event where campers are given the exclusive opportunity to experience the unique Ngee Ann lifestyle over three activity-packed days. From 17-19 Nov, RED Camp 6 campers thronged NP to get a first-hand feel of the various diploma courses offered by our academic schools. Students toured NP's state-of-the-art facilities, participated in fun activities, watched dazzling performances by NP's award-winning CCA groups, cheered their hearts out and of course, made lots of new friends!

Spicing things up were MediaCorp celebs like Michelle Chia (and the Polo Boys!), Jade Seah, Kui Jien, Max Loong and Singapore Idol's Top 4 contestants who made special appearances at the event. Local singing duo Jack & Rai also proved to be a real hit with the campers who were singing along to every song of their set. And of course, RED Camp's ever-popular Hop Night was such a blast! What can I say? You guys CAN DANCE! :)

Three days filled with cheers, laughter and memories that I'm sure every RED Camper will be remembering for a long time to come. What camp? RED Camp 6!!!!! :)

Girly is probably not the best word to describe me, EVER. But after a recent shopping, dessert-filled, headband-wearing day, I may just have to add that to 'description of Jiahui'. Okay, I'm not saying girly is bad. It's just really out of character, especially for me. It all started with the headbands...

Hehe, yeah, I'm pushing it. Next to Gossip Girl's Blair Waldorf, I just can't compare. But, hey, pretty headband anyway, right? Makes me look 10000x ~sweeter~, which is so not me. If a simple headband can do so much, maybe I should start accessorising more.

This pretty thing was from Urban Outfitters, but I think it's sold out. There are tons of other pretty ones there too though, so check it out if you want. It just adds a whole different dimension to your look.

Well, anyway, I was at Raffles City because I wanted to buy some new shoes...Nine West, anyone? I got myself a pair of awesome-but-slightly-expensive strappy heels (in black! Always black). I hardly ever wear heels though, so it was kind of a 'first' for me to go shopping SPECIFICALLY for heels, you know? Like wow, I'm totally growing up :P

Then we got hungry and headed to Canelé at the basement for some tea and a yummy nougat dessert. I don't remember the dessert name but it was under the 'ice-cream' section (I really felt like some ice-cream that day!). It costs like $8 and I thought it was going to be the typical, pathetic tiny ice-cream thing most places serve despite charging slightly high prices...but it wasn't! In fact, the portion was HUGE. On top of that, we also had some nice rose tea.

On the topic of desserts, I have to tell you about this other great place for sweet treats - Sun with Moon. It's an amazing Japanese restaurant at Wheelock Place (there's also one at The Central), which serves super yummy sushi and even better desserts! I usually order the Tofu Cheesecake (SCRUMPTIOUS and totally worth the $5.50), but this time we decided to try the special dessert box, which was a reasonable $10.

Clockwise from top left, introducing the grape jelly with fruits, brown sugar pudding, mango ice cream (with real mango bits!) and a chocolate mousse (I didn't actually eat this, but my friend swears it's delicious). SO. GOOD. The desserts depend on the day though, but if you ever get the same combination, you're going to LOVE it. Especially the pudding!

If you ask me, it's absolutely essential to calendar in therapeutic days like these devoted to indulging in plain old "I-don't-care-if-you-judge-me" FUN. It helps to relieve stress and makes you a happier person (even if it means people now think I'm girly). What do YOU do to escape from reality?

With work and everything starting to pile up even though it's ONLY week 3, I find myself on the constant lookout for the ideal study spot. We already have popular chill out areas in NP (read: Lifestyle Library, OurSpace@72, The Atrium) but of course, me being picky me, I demand that my perfect study venue allows for some good old FUN activities in between study marathons and bouts of fretting over tough assignments. So it seems my fairy godma heard my thoughts and now we have just such a perfect facility at NP :)

Welcome to Ngee Ann Poly's new digital playground Studio27! To start off with, this is a great workspace. There are breezy outdoor areas:

and cosy indoor areas like this cute beanbag zone called Peer2Peer Space:

I love BEANBAGS! Snoozing on beanbags on a lazy afternoon = one of the best things you can do in school! :) Of course, if you fancy proper desk workstations for serious studying, there are lots of those too. But what really impressed me was the sheer variety of digital activities you can indulge in when you need a break from the books.

Jam with your band, record an album or pretend to be a rock star at Jamwerkz, a jamming and sound recording studio equipped with a HD Digital Audio Workstation and studio PA system.

Create and edit your own indie movie with the help of equipment like ProHD studio cameras, multi-format video mixer and studio lighting system at the fab video production studio Dreamwerkz.

And introducing my favourite zone in Studio27...drumroll... IDM Workspace/Gamerz Arena. This is a training and production zone for IDM content creation (think 3D animation and modelling, rich media web design, PDA application development and e-learning content development). It is also a LAN gaming facility equipped with Playstation 3s, Xbox 360 elites, Nintendo Wiis and desktop gaming PCs. I feel my gaming soul tingling as I type this.

This is me failing at the game

I have to say, I'm really not that lousy at racing games, or games in general (REALLY I'M NOT). I'm just not super used to it! *cough* I'd only ever played PS3's Gran Turismo, which is way easier (to me). Not everything is up and running but I nosied around and found out that most should be in by next month, so yay! The one I'm really looking out for is the Wii! And it would be so AWESOME after they install all the programs 'cos I heard they're going to have Left4Dead!

Are you excited now?

And apparently, there are also lots of FREE workshops! Omg, the kiasu Singaporean in me is just dying to try them all, especially the one that would teach us how to develop killer iPhone applications :)

I'm pretty sure I'll be checking out Studio 27 again very, very soon!

NP's Studio27 is open Mondays to Fridays (9am-8pm) and closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

If you're like me, you'll need your daily dose of potent caffeine to start off your day. So you can imagine how mad glad I was when I chanced on this at OurSpace@72 (insert extreme sound effects).

Meet Ernest and Samantha, final-year Business Studies students and owners of Ngee Ann Poly's new F&B hangout Smooch Cafe@72!

I don't know about you but I think it's absolutely amazing to start your own F&B biz at the tender age of 19! What's even cooler is that our poly showed its support by awarding them $3,000 from NP's student entrepreneurship programme EnterpriZe! Scheme. :)

Often enough (especially when I'm stressed and rushing projects!), I would think to myself "If only there was Starbucks / Coffee Bean near NP". Tada! Now we have an even better deal. A cafe like Starbucks IN Ngee Ann with much lower prices!

Think icy-cold mocha and blackforest frappes for $3.40-$3.60 and piping-hot hazelnut and caramel lattes at less than $3. There's also cafe fare like chocolate/blueberry muffins and lots of puffs! Chicken mushroom, curry, tuna and black pepper chicken, take your pick. My favourite Smooch bite? The Smooch Special Hot Dog Set Meal. Don't expect the cheap, cheap sort of sausages. The ones they serve here are juicy bratwursts with creamy cheddar cheese. It's YUMMY i tell you.

And of course, how can one end a good meal without sinful dessert, right? My friends and I shared the three for $2 eclairs filled with delish coffee/chocolate/strawberry ice-cream (from holland ok, don't play, play). Verdict? EVEN YUMMIER! I also couldn't resist pinching a little of my (annoyed) friend's portuguese egg tart. YUMMIEST!

You should sooo check them out. Smooch Cafe@72 is located within OurSpace@72 at Ngee Ann Poly and opening hours are Mondays to Fridays, 9am-7pm. And you can find them on facebook.

I'll definitely be back for more!

So...it's week 3 at school and I'm (still) trying to yank myself out of bed every morning! Not an easy task after the luxury of sleeping in for two whole months during the holidays :P

To reward myself for successfully waking up with alarm-clock precision (it involves considerable effort on my part), I had dinner somewhere really interesting:

There's much to rave about. For one, Benny, the head chef of Eighteen Chefs, is the ONLY Singaporean to have trained at Fifteen, Jamie Oliver's famed restaurant in London (Yes, I'm referring to THAT naked chef). But wait, MORE on the food later. First, I wanna tell you a little about Benny.

Now this is an inspiring story. Benny overcame a 15-year battle with drug addiction to become the restaurant owner he is today. And his four Eighteen Chefs outlets (Eastpoint, Fusionopolis, Yishun 10, Tiong Bahru Plaza) aren't just great restaurants with great food. They are restaurants that fill your HEART as much as your tummy. Everytime you enjoy a meal there, know that you're supporting Benny in his quest to help troubled youths and ex-convicts on the road to recovery. Here, Benny aims to provide a "safe and non-judgemental working environment" where youths can acquire F&B skills and at the same time, reintegrate into society.

Frankly, I'm totally impressed, and I think you should be too! It's no wonder Benny was made the Yellow Ribbon Ambassador in 2007. If you're scratching your head about the restaurant name, yes, there are indeed 18 very important people in the Eighteen Chefs team. But Benny shares that 18 is also a reference to the name of a local gang. He said,"I want delinquents to know that life offers many alternative paths. You don't have to identify as a gangster. You can be a chef". Food for thought.

Okay, okay, this brings me back to the main point of my post- food! Now, doesn't this Seafood Aglio Olio look absolutely divine?!

And how to resist this toastalicious Open Mayo Sandwich with crunchy fries?!

What I had when I popped by Eighteen Chefs- quote Benny, "Singapore's best baked rice!"

The food at Eighteen Chefs is not just yummy. It's also affordable! Very important info for cash-strapped teens like us. For $6.50, you get a choice of either pasta or baked rice, a glass of their special homemade iced lemon tea AND a scoop of ice cream.

By the end of the meal, despite being incredibly full, I gave in to temptation (and pure greediness and a helpless weakness for chocolate and meaningless excuses) and ordered the decadent Black Beauty dessert - a slice of homemade brownie with 2 scoops of ice-cream. I can't even BEGIN to describe the experience. Let's just say I feel like drooling onto my keyboard now.

You guys should so give Eighteen Chefs a try when you're freeee! (: Then tell me all about it here!