Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you had a great time feasting (and bonding) with your family and friends :) All that turkey and log cake is making me feel (just a teeny weeny bit) guilty. I'm looking forward to opening up my presents tomorrow!

Anyway, I wanted to share with you guys about my little adventure last week. Guess what happened? This.

Last Sunday was, by far, one of the most tiring, expensive, nerve-wracking, frustrating and painful (sunburn!) days ever. Yet, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Bet you're wondering what I was doing, right? Fashion shoots (yes, we did two!) for NP's very-own HYPE magazine. Mention planning a fashion shoot to the man-on-the-street and he'd probably think - "HAH! Easy! Just get clothes, find a location, shoot some pictures, DONE!" Well, that's exactly what I thought too. And boy, was I WRONG.

If I were to document everything I did for the shoot (and I wasn't working alone, mind you), this entry would be like 50 pages long, I swear. Getting contacts, negotiating sponsorship of clothes, scouting for locations, arranging for models, finding a day that fits everyone's different schedules, collecting clothes and so on, was a month-long process.

We managed to get some fab clothes sponsors (THANK YOU Retail Therapy and eggthree) and perfect, though pain-inducing locations (Punggol! So pretty in pictures, but oh, how we endured the many cuts, bites and horrid sun).  

But hey it's OVER! You cannot imagine my relief when everything ran as planned and the shoot wrapped. We may have to end up paying for damaging a pair of shoes, but with the over-40 items we borrowed, I'd say only ONE mistake is pretty awesome. I can't post all the pictures or anything but here's a quick preview:

I really have to thank everyone who helped-Lukas, Isaac, Amber, Sean, Florence and Bailin! wWthout them, we wouldn't have been able to complete a great shoot. :) We spent more time than planned on the shoot, compromised when problems cropped up, got terrible sunburns... but all in, it was fun and most importantly, we seriously learnt a lot!

Last photo of the day!

Never again will I say being a stylist is an easy job. NEVER. By the way, if you want to see the whole thing (and you should because it's going to be nice, trust me), be sure to pick up a copy of HYPE late Jan/early Feb! I think OneRepublic is going to be on the cover, but don't quote me on that. :P

Now, weren't you just bursting with pride during the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games? 

Ever since the event kicked off at Vientiane, Laos on 9 Dec, I've been glued to my TV screen. At first, it was mostly 'cos I had to research and write weekly pieces for my Mass Comm radio journalism module. But then, soon enough, I got hooked on watching Team Singapore snag medal after medal. For those who have not been following the Games, let me put this in numbers.

Out of the 11 countries that participated, Sg finished the 10-day competition at sixth place with a final medal tally of 98 with 33 Golds, 30 Silvers and 35 Bronzes. That may not sound super impressive to the uninitiated, but then consider this. 192 Team Singapore athletes participated at the Games (that's a smaller contingent than last year) with HALF competing for the first time. Plus WE WON MEDALS IN JUST ABOUT EVERY SPORT! 17 out of 18 sports to be exact (all except petanque). To put it sinply, this is one of our country's best performances ever and it makes me so proud to be a Singaporean!

I thought it was incredibly cool that our first gold medal at the Laos SEA Games was also Singapore's record 23rd successive gold medal in SEA Games history for water polo (team, men). You can check out the glorious momoments here. Really hope we score a 24th gold in the next 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia!

Doesn't this feel like an early festive present for Singapore? :)

Well, it's that time of the year where everyone walks with a little skip in their step. :) Yep, we're just four days away from Christmas and I'm feeling gooood! Just as you've been busy decorating your home for the holiday season, we too have been adding some festive atmosphere to our poly. People, check out the shops at the atrium and the radioheatwave.com room! :P Looking at Christmasy decor makes me happy. I'm sure you know what I mean. :)

While last week was common test week for some, I was having normal lessons (yeah!), which meant a a relatively emptier multi-purpose court. Translation? MORE STREET SOCCER PLAYING TIME for ME! At least that's what I thought. Unfortunately, it rained and rained and rained. :( Luckily, there's always GymWerkz to keep me in shape even when the weather doesn't feel like cooperating. :)

So anyway I was at NP's Sports Complex the other day and happened to catch a soccer game in progress on the field. At the nearby track, I noticed that the track and field CCA group was also traning. It made me think- hey! NP actually offers a wide range of CCAs. No, seriously, even writing this feels like an understatement. On any given day of the week, you can see many different CCAs in action all over campus, like netball on the courts and soccer (boys AND girls) or touch rugby on the field... you name it. It's like some mini olympic event taking place every evening. :) A cool sight.

Apparently, as Germaine mentioned the other day, we have more than 100 CCAs to choose from! Plus! If you can't find the CCAs you want, you can always just start your own. Isn't that awesome?

I envision plenty of pigging out and unhealthy living during the approaching Christmas and New Year parties ahead, especially since the school HOLIDAYS have started and I have even MORE time to stuff myself! AS SUCH, I intend to fit in as much exercise as i can before i expand horizontally from the festive feasting. :)

There's this one other thing I'm pretty excited about- the Midea Youth Choice Awards, but more on that in my later posts!

Happy Holidays! (=

So while everyone else was doing cool stuff on their weekends, I spent my last one museum-hopping. Okay, I admit it was for school (Advertising! I had to do some competitor research, hehe. Won't explicitly state who my client is, but it's got something to do with history!) and I wouldn't do it otherwise. But it was more fun than I expected! The first place we visited was the Malay Heritage Centre at 85 Sultan Gate (very near Haji Lane), which I liked the best for its general ambience. I mean, just look at this:

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Miniature Malay Heritage Centre

It's less museum and more resort, I think. As I sat on one of the benches there, I almost felt like I was in some chill beachside hotel in Langkawi. It was so calm and peaceful. It's hard to believe something like that exists in the middle of such a busy area.

Entering the premises is free though you have to pay $4 (if you're a student) to see the exhibitions inside, which isn't all that expensive. It's interesting inside if you're into heritage stuff and I hear they stage cultural performances too. The next place we visited was Peranakan Museum at 39 Armenian Street (for the clueless, it's somewhat near Plaza Singapura). BTW, Ngee Ann students go in free (INCENTIVE!!!). The museum sits in a rather pretty building:

It's really much bigger than it looks and the inside is even more impressive. This is nice if you like that kind of thing. It wasn't the most fun for me, because I get easily bored in museums, but my friends REALLY LOVED it.

There are tons of exhibitions and shiny things to look at, plus a cute activity (meant for kids, but who really cares) where you can emboss different Peranakan-related symbols on paper (it's really more exciting than it sounds, I promise). Ooh and there are tons of videos and a SERIOUSLY COOL display panel (I'm not faking this, I WAS HONEST-TO-GOODNESS IMPRESSED). I mean, LOOK AT IT! I swear, it's more impressive when you're there.

It's so pretty and clean and just one of the most beautiful ways of displaying videos. Maybe I'm just deprived but, HEY, it really blew me away. We didn't really spend that much time there because we wanted to go to another location, which was the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) - ALSO FREE FOR NGEE ANN STUDENTS. Thank you very much, National Heritage Board! I admit I'm not much of a history/heritage buff, but ACM has to be one of the better museums in Singapore. I'm sure everyone has visited it, but when I went, they were having a special Philippines exhibition - SUPER PRETTY with shiny, shiny gold things.

Messing around at the lobby. The only thing filipino-related I took a picture of!

I wasn't allowed to take photos inside (heh, took some and was made to delete them in front of the guard) because of 'confidentiality' issues, so you'd have to go down if you want to see it. The rest of the museum was awesome and slightly creepy:

YES that last picture is me, because we are huge dorks:I love that we can dress up! Hahaha, I was so excited when I saw the box of props and random Chinese clothes to wear and play around with, thus the sheer amount of camwhore pictures (there were much, much more but I didn't post them up). For once, I ignored my usual picky self and just had fun despite the many (read: possibly sweaty, sticky) people who may have worn it before.

And thus ends my museum adventure! Now I can say I've been to all these museums (can you?!) and momentarily immersed myself into different cultures. It's always fun to do something out-of-the-ordinary! :) 

Woah, time seriously does fly! Christmas is already round the corner and 2009 is coming to an end. 

For all the 'O' level leavers out there, it's also a nail-biting, head-scratching time. :) You guys must have been partying like mad (at NP's RED Camp!!) after all that 'O' level mugging. But I'm sure in between all that merrymaking, you're secretly worrying like crazy about your results and more importantly, your future. (Wah, I suddenly sound so serious and wise ;P)

How much are you gonna score for your Os? Will your grades get you into the course you want? Do you even know what course is right for you? What's your dream job? Which educational institution can provide the right environment to help you achieve your goal? Questions, questions and MORE questions. You're still not sure what path you wanna take. You mind says A and your heart says B. Worse still, if Mom says C! Well, take it from someone who's been there and done that, DO YOUR RESEARCH! 

Taking advice from friends and reading up is one thing. But I assure you nothing quite beats visiting the poly you are interested in and talking face-to-face to the lecturers and students who've been through the system. Every school is different, and really, the one for your friend may not be the one for you. And wouldn't YOU know better than anyone else what's good for you? Soooooooooo, my point is....

Mark this date down on your calendar.

7-9 Jan 2010

Because darlings, this is one open house you cannot miss.

:):):) Yup, it's the Ngee Ann Poly Open house. The very same one where you can ask our lecturers a million and one questions about our 47 courses, go on faculty tours, visit our cool campus facilities and find out out more our CCAs (we have more than a 100!).

If I were you, I would completely milk this opportunity for all its worth. Like sort out even the tiniest/seemingly insignificant questions in your head, like are there free shuttle buses to NP (Yes! We save sooo much money because of this!) Is the Cheers convenience store open at 9pm (Yes! There's always something to eat even when we're cramming in school) Can I kiss Paul Twohill if I see him at the Atrium? (Yes! hahaha, well you can always TRY). There is no question that is too stupid (except for that last one) as long as you think it will impact your poly journey in any way.

And I would sooo drag my folks along too if I had the slightest doubt that THEY had queries in their heads. Cos seriously, do you think you would know MORE about the course you're interested in than the lecturer TEACHING IT? :):):) I rest my case. :P Let the lecturers do all the convincing for you! hahahaha. (oooohhh, btw, you reeeeally gotta check out this coool Facebook Quiz which matches NP courses to your personality type :P)

I was just checking out NP's Open House website earlier on and well, you guys are having it goooood! This must be the best line-up we've ever had! I mean, just take a look:

After sorting out all that serious decision-making on diploma courses, you can indulge in a million other fun things like:

- do your first MAGAZIINE COVER SHOOT (omg, omg, omg) at NP's new digital playground Studio27

- pretend to be a rockstar and RECORD YOUR OWN DEMO in a professional studio (Adam Lambert, get in line)

- scream your head off and JUMP OFF A THREE-STOREY structure at NP Adventure Park. And yes, you will do it for no other reason than just 'cos you're super brave.  

- oogle NP celebrity graduates (shhh!!! I'm not supposed to say more ;P)

- THIS is my favourite. Have a picnic with your friends under the stars while catching a FREE MOVIE at NP! How often do you get to do that in Singapore? That's not all, YOU get to vote what you wanna watch. See epoll on the right. The movie with the highest votes will be screened on 9 Jan at NP's lush green field! I'm gunning for Monsters vs Aliens. :)

Okay talking about this really got me all excited even though I'm already a student here! I'm still gonna come for NP's Open House just to kaypoh around and check it out!

Hope to see you here!

Tis the season...

It's Christmas season and my plate's been full to the brim. Besides schoolwork's atttempt to murder me in my sleep, my mind's been filled with thoughts about how to enjoy Christmas, despite the issues of global warming, world hunger and even the potential Armageddon that's apparently upon us. (And uni applications too, of course, since my graduation is just months away.)

With so many things in mind, guess what's my (and almost every other girl's) self-prescribed therapy?

Shopping, of course!

But not just any shopping... I'm still concerned about the environment and social responsibility and stuff, so... it's shopping, but it's the environment-saving, bargain-hunting, karma-building kind!! You know, for stylish bargains while saving the world (and your soul) and making someone else happy, this is almost too good to be true.

My secret? Okay... It's not really a secret, but everyone doesn't seem to acknowledge it-- it's The Salvation Army stores!

Seriously, this is the best kind of shopping there is. If you're doubtful... please read on about the adventures of Adrianna and Co., and their quest for awesome bargains (to save their souls).

(Myself, Ms Lee and Auntie)

One fine day, these three gorgeous people decided they had had enough of being depressed over being broke. They decided to go shopping on a meagre budget of $25! (Barely enough to buy half a dress from Topshop, seriously?) Soooo...they made their way to the nearest Salvation Army store at Bukit Timah, just a couple of bus stops from Ngee Ann Poly :)

Guess what?

THEY FOUND LOTS OF AWESOME STUFF.

Here we see Ms Lee drowning in clothes. Because seriously, they have LOTS of clothes. There was something for everyone from FUR COATS to BALLROOM DRESSES and even up-to-date trending things too! See Ms Lee's vest. After some begging and puppy-eyes at the nice auntie at the cashier, they went for just $8. It was embroidered and beaded, and would've probably gone for something along the $30s-$70s range in Mango. That fur hat Ms Lee's wearing? That looks like a $60 Zara doncha think? It was hers for 12 bucks :D The suede boots would've been a great buy too 'cept it was just too too small )):

That's the only downside. There's only one of every single item so you gotta FIGHT FOR IT, then hope and pray that it's the right size for you.

Here's my stash (don't be surprised ;)

L: Anne Klein silk-lined cotton jacket // R: U2 corduroy blazer

Pretty, pretty, pretty black-and-white embroidered sundress

L: Mango wedges // R: Mimosa wedge sandals

...ALL for less than $25 IN TOTAL. Am I awesome or am I awesome?

There was lots of other stuff there too, like spiked/studded heels, leather briefcases, coats (I WAS SORELY TEMPTED FOR THAT FUR COAT ;_; unfortunately common sense won me over) and even books, exercise material, jewelry, etc etc. Really good stuff.

Now. So much stuff for that much money? What's more, it was really fun 'cos I got to spend it with friends, and the hunt was exciting and borderline-ridiculous, especially when we decided on an impromptu fashion show involving wedding dresses, biker jackets and fur boas. XD;;

I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to go on a shopping adventure. ;) From Ngee Ann, you can just hop onto bus service 75 or 184, head for 500 Upper Bukit Timah Road (9 stops) and arrive at shopping heaven in 15-20 minutes! :)

Have fun and come back here to tell me all about it!

Back when I joined Ngee Ann in Year 1, I'd already heard talk that our hip-hop dance group NRA was pretty good and relatively famous. You've probably seen them around NP, decked out in their cool, oversized tees and baggy pants. Apparently, NRA dancers now number more than 200, a big jump from the mere 8 member-club it was in 2000. Old School Hip Hop, New School Hip Hop, Jazz Funk, Street Jazz, Popping, Locking and Lyrical Jazz...you name it, they've tried it. Well, what I wanted to say was...NOBODY told me they were THIS good!

Impressive riggggght? This was the prize-winning performance put up by NRA's Seven Crew last Sunday at international hip-hop dance championship 'World Supremacy Battlegrounds 2009'. These guys flew to Melbourne for the competition and did NP proud by coming in a crazy SECOND place, just behind the Philippines! To top it off, NRA alumni crew If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands snagged the third place! (Don't you just lurrve the funny name?:)) I seriously got goosebumps at the last part when they did that amazing piano dance.

That's 2nd AND 3rd spots for Singapore, all thanks to Ngee Ann's NRA :D Obviously, watching all that just made me feel like digging up more NRA vids :P Look! Back in 2007, our NRA ladies were already putting Beyonce to shame:

In August this year, the club flew to LAS VEGAS to participate in the World Hip Hop Dance Championships. NRA crew Joyce and the Boys beat competitors from Germany and the US to clinch the third place! Watch it here. Amazing, really.. So if you lurve dancing or aspire to be as cool as these guys, then you know what CCA is the one for you when you come to Ngee Ann Poly (: Once again, kudos to NRA! We're so proud of you!

Hiii! Sure feels good to be back here yakking to you guys! As Shaun said, school has been BUSY, which means less time to do the random stuff I love doing. But last week, I managed to scrape together some precious hours to meet a friend for dinner and for a blast of a time...

Alright if you still haven't guessed, that's the G-MAX Reverse Bungy at Clarke Quay. When my friend waved the tickets excitedly in front of me, I swore I was all ready to throw our friendship of 5 years down the Singapore River. Hahaha. You see, I have an immense fear of heights and fast rides that involve bringing me higher than I can jump. The last time I took the Viking, I cried! ): When I saw this...

...my knees turned to jelly. Suddenly an innocent-looking seat looked scary as hell to me. My friend had to drag me up the steps onto the platform. In fact, they kinda had to strap me down while I turned into the palest shade of pale. I still remember the person in charge joking, "If anything happens, aim for the river!"

NOT funny. I was all ready to run away because I can't swim. :/:/:/

We were allowed to choose between a countdown or a surprise. Of course my friend had to insist on a surprise while I wailed helplessly for the countdown. In the midst of my wailing...I was flung straight into the sky.

For the first few seconds, I was speechless. Mainly 'cos my freaked out mind couldn't process a thing. When it finally struck me, I yelled like there was no tomorrow.

This how it looks from the ground if you're just one of those watching people screaming their heads off:

This is how it looks if you're actually one of those people screaming their heads off:

Even though this ride scared the daylights out of me, I gotta admit I secretly liked the adrenaline rush that came with it. It took away the stress I've been feeling from my school assignments! :D Worth the money, worth the experience! At the end of the night, I managed to conquer a tiny percentage of my fear of heights.

And yeah, the friendship is still intact. :)

Yes, I know this teen vampire

sequel topped the US box office over the weekend. And yes, yes, I KNOW it has already taken in more than US$230 million since it opened 11 days ago.

BUT.

This is a public service announcement. Do not - I repeat, do NOT watch this movie. You're doing yourself a favour. No need to thank me, and I quote New Moon vampre blondie Rosalie Hale (played by Nikki Reed), "This is not the life (movie) I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone to vote NO for me."

This painful experience started when I, against my better judgment, agreed to accompany a friend to last week's New Moon gala premiere. After saying 'okay', I could not, for the life of me, shake off the awful feeling of impending doom. I was right.

When we arrived at Lido to collect the tickets (packed in an OH-SO-TWILIGHTY envelope and a ticket holder with the poster printed on it), we were greeted by loud, piercing shrieks. A Twilight lookalike contest of some sort had apparently been going on, and fans were going nuts. "Presenting...the Bellas!" *cue loud AIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEs from the mainly-female audience* It was at this very moment that I knew I'd made a huge mistake. I could only pray for help to last through the night.

Fast forward to the movie. I think it'll be easier to list my thoughts throughout the movie in point-form, so here goes:

- Oh dear Lord, it has begun. Please don't scream. Please.

- Is he seriously sparkling in the sun? HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOT GLITTER STUCK ALL OVER

- Why the slow, dramatic walk, Robert Pattinson? Guys, it's not sexy.

- Heh. This corny dialogue and horrible, wooden acting is actually kind of amusing.

- *half an hour in* The movie has ceased to be amusing. I kind of want to leave.

- Bella: "EDWARD LEFT ME. I CAN NO LONGER LIVE BECAUSE A GIRL CANNOT BE WITHOUT HER MAN" (this goes on for like 45 minutes)

- I will now do dangerous things just so my vampire bf can appear to me in the air

- 17-year-old Taylor Lautner (playing Jacob Black) takes his shirt off. People scream.

- Bella is an insult to feminism, I swear.

- This is a vampire movie without vampires.

- Off with the shirts again! This time with four(?) other guys as well. Man. Is this a movie or an Abercrombie & Fitch ad?

- I think I'll play Sudoku instead.

- Is this movie ever going to end? What's going on anyway? Oh, you Matthew McConaughey-wannabes again (Hint: Google "Matthew McConaughey hates shirts"). Back to Sudoku I go...

- After like the 5000th time you've taken your shirt off, it kind of loses its appeal, you know?

- An actor who can finally act, and you put her in the last 10 minutes of your movie. Smart choice.

- Bella's dramatic screams and spasming can rival The Watchmen's very own Nite Owl

- How many endings is this movie going to have? It's like LOTR: ROTK all over again, but indescribably worse.

- It ended like that? ...........really? Can I have my 2 hours back?

Nutshell: Painful dialogue, bad acting, Plot? What plot?, Girls - BOYFRIENDS ARE YOUR WHOLE LIFE, Boys - take your shirts off AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Sheesh.

Twilight New Moon YouTube Spoof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJS8RTIO4so

If you want to read actual reviews about how bad it was, check Rotten Tomatoes. There's a reason why this movie scored a less-than-stellar 30%.

How on earth did this New Moon beat The Dark Knight in box office sales? How can it be the one to overtake one of the best-earning movies of all time!? No matter how much of a hardcore Twilight fan you are, why in the world would you make a freaking felt womb?

It's official. The world is ending.