nEverland

I would choose the vampire, anytime.

I could not really remember what I read in New Moon. I just remembered that there is very little of Edward and that was why I did not bother reading it again.

I am not very amazed by the hot bods of Jacob and his pack. I always had not like beefy men with their huge bodies and obscenely tense muscles that did not seem to fit their frame. And no, I am certainly not turned on by a largely protein diet and lots of weight lifting.

If it is of any consolation, I got to see Edward HALF-NAKED!!!!! Like OMGWTFBBQ sauce, his bod certainly beat those wolves. The pale smooth white skin complete with well-shaped abs. *swoons* And I love his expression, his amber eyes when he said those lovely lines. I had melted in my seat. LOL. SO SHUAI CAN?!

The plot was ok. As I can’t remember what I read, I couldn’t nip-pick on the parts that were wrong or not there. But he did keep complaining about the fight at The Volturi which was supposedly non-existent. I guess the movie just need to be more action-packed to satisfy those males who were unwillingly dragged into the cinema by their gushing girlfriends.

I did not particularly like the CG. The wolves just did not look like the werewolves I had imagined. LOL.

As if it is not obvious enough, I am clearly on Team Edward. So I turned to him at the end of the movie and told him that.

“I’m on Team Harry Potter,” he replied. –.-“

And that’s why I love you. :)

I have not been blogging much coz work is a bitch. And for that matter, home too.

It’s not that I do not enjoy it. I enjoy it very much as I have so much interaction with animals. It is just that animal husbandry is tiring shit, literally. You clean tanks, clear up after the tortoises shit and feed them. Occasionally, there is the bonus of seeing the vet medication/injecting a sick one.

Work is so tiring that I return home a dead ahbu. I would just nap a few hours off and wake up to dinner, some work, some Heroes/anime, chat with him on the phone and then sleep off till the next morning again. It doesn’t help when your mum is cranky and does not want to talk to you. I feel like returning to a home without warmth; more like a hotel to spend the night.

If she is still angry over me rebutting her undecided  choice of tau huay last Saturday (I totally hate “anything”, “see first” and the epitomes of undecided-ness), she is still quite nice to prepare me meals every day despite her threats. I hate it whenever an argument surfaces, she uses money and things that she has a hold on me as a threat. It sucks being at the loser end of the food chain. I hate feeling so inferior and dependant.

I already took the initiative, but nothing happens. 

It is no wonder that they say walking a dog is so therapeutic, especially after a long working day.

I walked ACRES’ 2 dogs today- Sunshine and Scrappy.

As the leash was held above their heads, they jumped up and down eagerly, bumping into each other. Click, the leash was on and off we go.

The dogs hurried out, scampering one after another on the road. Sometimes, the humans were leading the dogs, but most of the time, the dogs were walking the humans.

I held onto Scrappy’s leash as she poke her nose into the roadside grass, fallen fruit and fresh air! We stopped at every other lamp posts and made herself known by peeing at the base. Occasionally, she fell behind Sunshine who ran a few steps forward to chase a bird. But as best buddies, Sunshine always waited.

Towards the end of the predestined route, Scrappy pulled me into a jog, as if it was the last dash to the finishing line. And as if she knew that the turn was the end before turning back.

So we walked back, nothing much seemed to interest the dogs as they had passed the same route the way they had came. Just we neared the entrance of ACRES, as if instinctively, the dogs knew that they were home and they trotted in.

A short walk, a simple routine, yet so satisfying.

 

Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Everyday I love you more and more

Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time

Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you

And there's no mountain too high no river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide
But I love you until the end of time

Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day
Oh come what may, come what may
I will love you

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place...
Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day

---

I love this song. I love its beginning more than it’s chorus.  It reminds me of the first time I danced with a guy in Sec 3 on stage. It reminds me of the time our class came in first for something other than our results. It reminds me of the first time we made Pandian proud.

Come what may, I’ll face it before I throw in the towel. Be assured that what happened last night wouldn’t happen again unless absolutely necessary. :)

Wanna vanish inside your kiss……

Dear Matt kor kor,

Thanks for looking after me for the time while I’m in Perth. You have been a great friend and lunch-buddy! Thanks for making me a guinea pig for all your not-so-awesome cooking (joking lahz!) and sharing our Singaporean spirit! LOL! It’s nice to have a such great friend who shares the same cultural background in a place so far away from home. Thanks for all the encouragement and enjoyable hour-long lunch talk, without which, work would be sooooo boring. And finally, thanks for helping me carry 5kg of my luggage home! LOL! If not I would not be able to bring all the things I’ve bought home. >-<

I wish your ahma good health and see you soon.. in Singapore! :)

Love,
Your little sis.

Webcam with ginnah over MSN. She was wearing her Sakura wig and make-up. She’ll be cosplaying as Sakura from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles on Day 1 of AFA 09. She has a very cute shark hand puppet from Minitoons in this screencap. I miss shooting Cosplay and hanging out with my Cosplaying peeps. :(

Can’t wait for AFA 09 next week.

It was like reading Twilight all over again but even better. Picture Perfect deals with a touchy issue of domestic violence which is a vicious cycle.

Cassie Barrett woke up to find herself lying on top of a grave, with no recollection of her past. She was rescued by Will Flying Horse, a half-native Indian and white, and later claimed by her celebrity husband, Alex Rivers. She could  not believe that she was married to the man the whole America loves, with all the fame and fortune. She lived in a fairytale-like mansion in Bel-Air with luxuries and servants to wait on her.

Alex was a handsome and doting husband. He would make love to her, so good that she begs for more. (The love scenes are explicit and aplenty! lol) He would surprise her with sweet gifts and was so ever thoughtful and caring. However, hidden deep within this perfect lover was a scar. He was a victim of his father’s domestic violence and whenever he flew into an uncontrollable rage, he will take Cassie as his punching bag. When it was over, he would hug Cassie, apologise and cry. It was not as if he could help it.

Cassie, being so in love with her husband who was equally in love with her, thought she could take his beatings until there was a third person involved. Their child growing in her tummy. She made the decision to protect her child, to run away to Will, to live on an Indian reservation till the child was born. Will was ever so caring and willing to hurt himself to protect her. She saw herself in Will, hurting herself to save Alex.

She had to make a decision whether she could save Alex or protect their child from him. Though she loved him so, she choose the best way to hurt him.

----

The ending was quite expected. It was a dilemma. I would be lost too if my lover was like Alex. But it felt like Bella choose Jacob rather than Edward. The one who wouldn’t hurt her.

Peter: Forget them, Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown up things again. 
Wendy: Never is an awfully long time.

 

I had never wanna grow up. That’s why I have ahbu with me. But never and forever don’t exist.

P.S: Peter Pan IS SO GODDAMN SHUAI CAN?!

Only one thing’s a constant. “Ten years from now,” I say, “I’d be Kate’s sister.”

Beautifully written like all Jodi Picoult’s, this story is about love, love within a family and the strong bond that sisters share.

This is an awesome read. Like seriously awesome. I was totally taken aback by the ending, especially the epilogue.

What intrigued me at first was the unique style of writing. This is not the first Jodi Picoult I read but it is the first she wrote in first person. Not just one person, but of most of the main characters. The chapters are not marked by numbers but names of the characters. The story unfolds through the individual characters’ point of view, taking you through their thoughts and emotions. But the irony is that the story is almost never written around Kate, which the story entwines around.

---

When Kate was born, she was supposed to die. But along came Anna, who was born to keep her alive.

Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) when she was two. Her parents, in a desperate attempt to keep her, designed a baby, Anna, who would be her total biological match, a twin, a vessel for harvesting cells and organs.

When Kate’s kidney’s start to fail when she was sixteen, Anna filed a lawsuit for her rights to rejected her parents’ decision to make her donate her kidney, which could also mean that she would lose her sister. Anna was only thirteen. At what age could we start making our own decisions independently? It was not to attract her parents’ attention, it was not for her selfish needs. But she was confused. She wanted to be herself but at the same time, keep her sister alive. It was a difficult decision to make.

Her parents, being parents, tried to love all their children equally. Though the family’s life centred around Kate, they tried to give their children equal attention and that includes Anna. She was not less their child as she was Kate’s keeper. Her parents, being parents, tried to make correct decisions all the time. They might not be legal, they might not be moral, but they were the best for their family, their children. It was all about keeping the family together.

---

My favourite character is Campbell Alexander, Anna’s lawyer. My impression of him from the book is that he got to be hot and cool. But a peek at Wiki tells me that Campbell in the movie is NOT. And they left out Julia in the movie!!!!! ROARS! The relationship between Campbell and Julia is so interesting! But the movie left it out. zzz…

I’m still gonna catch the movie anyway. So superhints to you! *winks*

It was almost an impromptu decision. I thought I had woke up to a lazy Saturday with nothing to do again when Prof suggested that we go to Penguin Island. We were given 30min to pack and off we go!

We tread across 1km of sea to reach Penguin Island. It took about 30min. The water was cold lashing against our feet and the sun warm upon our skin. The sand was soft with occasionally dips, but the water never past my chest level. It was quite an experience, watching against the resistance of the currents, over a large distance from one shore to another. Certainly beats riding the 2min ferry boat with an hour waiting time.

Penguin Island, the island with seagulls. And lots of bird shit, that it smells of bird shit.

Long beaches full of birds and their by-product, but the sand was really soft that it sinks under your weight.

Seagull

I dunno what this bird it but it’s pretty. <3

 

Another photo of the pretty bird.

I like this photo! When I saw that seagull perched on that little hill, I saw a photo opportunity and I spent such a long time shooting it only to realise that the composition can be so simple.

Some caves formation.

Caught a chick! (It’s illegal.. >-<)

View from the lookout. Gorgeous sky isn’t it?

Another one of my favourite shots.

Ok lahz.. There are penguins on the island- only 10 in captivity. Actually, you needa pay $5 to go in to watch the feeding and the commentary. But Prof happen to know the lady at the ticketing counter as his company does bird sexing for them. So we got in FREE! :)

Re-define forever…

“Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you no matter what. They say that nothing lasts forever, but I am a firm believer in the fact that for some, love lives on even after they are gone.”

Gerry was the man who was Holly’s lover, her best friend, her rock. When he left her after putting up a fight with brain tumour, Holly was left basically in a shell of her former self. Having lived with Gerry with a good seven years of her life, she was lost without him. When she discovered that her dear husband had left her letters to open at every month for a year after his death, she played along to his game.

Gerry’s love had lived on through those letters even though he was gone. There was a shadow of him in those letters. Every month she opened them, she could feel that he was there, watching her, predicting her reactions. Some months, Gerry had installed surprises that even Holly wondered how he had managed when he was terminally ill. And with his loving instructions, Holly slowly moves on in live without him, but at the same time still loving him.

Holly found love in friends and her family, who were very supportive throughout the whole ordeal. Her friends found new love, got pregnant and moved on happily with life. At the same time she was happy for them, she was reminded that she could not have such luxuries, not without Gerry. She would brood over her friends’ happiness as if it was a sin. And I find this surprisingly familiar. 

“Remember our wonderful memories, but don’t be afraid to make some more,” Gerry had said.  It is indeed sad to love and live with someone for a whole lot of your life and then comes a day when one has to go before the other. He/she has become so much of your life that the one left behind would have to fumble to live on while keeping dear memories of the deceased alive. 

Well, I immediately got this book from the library (Murdoch’s library is so AWESOME!) when my colleague Alana told me about it. Today, when I finished it, I whined to her about the ending, which I did not like. She informed me that in the movie, it ended differently and that I would like that ending even though the movie sucked coz it missed out important parts. And also, the actor is CUTE! Wahaha.. I’m so gonna catch it! (*superhinthints at someone to help me get it so that we can catch it together!!!!!) I also hate the ending for the reason that it ended with 2 words that the worst stories can end with- THE END.

P.S.: I love you too! :D

Yes, I have applied for an Animal Science degree with direct Honours and I received my conditional offer yesterday. This means that once I get my VeT Diploma and my official transcript, I’m ready to enrol in Murdoch next year July! (School’s actually starting 4 August. But there’s a week of orientation starting 26th July.)

Because I have a polytechnic diploma, the 4-year direct honours degree is shortened. This might be a bit complicated to understand. I (or rather my mum) would be paying for 2.5 years of modules but I would be here for 3.5 years max. This is because some of the modules are only available at certain semesters. But I would chiong as much as I can so that my mum need not pay so much for too many years here.

Then again, I might be staying for a good 6 years here. The good thing about Animal Science is that after a year there is a good 50% chance I might get into vet! I would get some subject exemptions too as some topics in Vet are also taught in Animal Science. So IF I’m smart enough to make it to vet and that my Dad strikes lottery, I might be staying 1+5 years in Perth and would be back with a DVM (Doctor in Vet Medicine) and a degree in Vet Sciences. If not, I would be contented with an honours with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science in 3+years.

I want a degree but not just any degree. I could have easily done any course in NUS or NTU with my 3As in A levels. But I wanted a career that has animals as a part of it. Since Singapore does not offer any undergraduate course of that nature, the next best choice is Australia, which is cheaper as compared to say, UK or America. But don’t worry, I won’t abandon all you wonderful friends on that sunny little island and migrate here. I would return, eventually.

Basically, I’m shooting for the moon. Well, even if I miss, I would land among the stars. :)

This party was actually my idea as I thought in a Westernised country, they would be more open to dressing-up for the Halloween. And I’m glad it turned out well, besides having lots of food left. For one thing, the kids sure had lots of fun being in costumes and chasing each other around the pool.

This was my first time that I celebrated Halloween and had a party and the first time I got so drunk. I only had drank 1 bottle of ale, 1 bottle of Carlsberg and vodka+Red Bull and I was half drunk, talking silly. But someone was actually very amused. –.-“

I haven’t convinced myself how I took the following photos but yea…

Prof’s daughter, Claudia came down from Albany with her boyfriend and they bought pumpkins to crave. Amazing skill!

A family fully dressed in Halloween costumes. I must say that they are so enthusiastic! I didn’t expect people to dress up, especially the adults, even though Prof made it compulsory. But oh well, the turn-up was great!

I didn’t even expect this salesgirl that Prof meet in a shop and randomly invited would turn up. But she did! With 4 other friends!

Music and dancing under candlelight.

Look at all these food I helped prepare! We spent the whole day plus Friday night doing all these. It was very tiring. I was almost knocked-out even before I had alcohol. But I’m glad the guests love the sushi I helped roll.

Decorations we spent so much time sourcing and putting up.

I applauded this kid for his amazing creativity for this costume! A SCARY BUSH! And he can actually transform into a bin-like bush but putting his head, arms and legs into the green bin! So creative lahz!!! <3333

And this is Pirate Bu! Boring but yea, I saved some money. It was great fun dressing up! Haha.. I always wanted to do it after seeing so much fun my Cosplaying friends have. :)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS! Ahbu had a great, out-of-this-world (literally, as I was drunk) Halloween!!!!! <3

“So the story goes that if you dropped an eyelash and you happen to see it, hold it on your fingertip, close your eyes, make a wish and blow it away gently. Your wish might just come true…”

That was what Shell, Aileen and I believed when we were all 16. Now, at 21, I still make an unconscious move to blow away an eyelash whenever I see it, hoping that some invisible fairy dust would be sprinkled upon my gentle breath and make my dreams come true.

Just as I picked up one just now, I closed my eyes ready to make a wish but I realised that I don’t really have one. The last one which I was repeatedly wishing for has been granted by a mystical force. I am rather happy, pleased and satisfied now.

And so this wish is for you…   

I hate to admit it but I am homesick.

As much as I am loving life here, I am missing the comforts of home, friends and family. I can’t believe I am saying this but I actually miss the humid, warm weather too! lol..

When I called my mum and realised I missed an epic family dinner for my grandmother’s 80th birthday, I felt kinda empty. It's rare to see ALL of them turn up for dinners and it has been long since I have seen my paternal cousins, aunts and uncles. Not to mention my cousins brought their prospective partners too! But I missed all that. And I am missing my granny’s (maternal grandmother) birthday dinner this Sunday too. :(

When I saw new photos of ahzu’s new DGM shoot on sgcafe, I was happy for her for the awesome work but I felt my heart cringe when I know I wasn’t the photographer. I know I have always been complaining about her cos-ing Kanda, Kanda and Kanda all the time, this time I missed it and it felt bad. The other day I even told my boy that I’m desperate. Even if it’s repeated characters, come Reno, Zero, Cloud, I’ll shoot them all!!!! Oh mianz.. This group of cosplayers have became so much of my life that I didn’t realise I would miss shooting Cosplay so much even though I am still actively using my camera while I am here.

Weekdays are okay coz I am busied with work. When the weekends arrives, they can get rather boring and lonely, especially when I have nowhere to go and I am just stuck at home, staring at my laptop with the lousy internet connection. So if you see me talking to you on a weekend on MSN, please entertain me! Thank you!

I also wanna let my dear friends know that THEY ARE MISSED! I miss going on random window shopping trips, playing Guitar Freaks at the arcade, reading mangas at AMK, gatherings, Kbox, watching movies and TAU HUAY!!! And oh yes, chicken rice, sweet and sour pork, chilli crabstick, yong tau hu, etc.. you are missed by ahbu too!

JUST ONE MORE MONTH! Where I would be able to catch my favourite Cosplayers in their awesome costume at AFA!

JUST ONE MORE MONTH! And I’ll be back to the sunny little island I call home!

JUST ONE MORE MONTH! Before you slip that ring back onto my finger. <3

I just read an article from February 2006 issue of National Geographic taken from Prof’s library of them. Just wanna share this article- This Thing Called Love, which discusses the sciences of unexplainable joy of being in love.

Dopamine and love

When researchers MRI-ed subjects who were “madly in love” for an average of 7 months, one showed 2 photographs-one of their loved one and the one neutral, it was surprising to find the parts of the brain linked to reward and pleasure lit up when they saw their love. It is an area which contains a spread of receptors for a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which can be termed as our endogenous love potion. Dopamine can create intense energy, exhilaration, focused attention and motivation to win rewards, which explains all the crazy things we do while we are in love.

 

Antidepressant and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

Love and OCD could have a similar chemical profile as experts compared serotonin levels between lovers and OCD patients and a control which are neither in love nor have OCD. OCD patients have serotonin imbalances which can be alleviate by prescribing the drug, Prozac. This means that love and mental illness may be difficult to tell apart. So it is technically not wrong to say that one is crazily in love.

Use of antidepressants, like Prozac, can damp down sex drive and jeopardizes one’s ability to fall in love and stay in love. By damping the keen edge of love and its associated libido, relationships can go hay-wire.

 

Past, present and future

Romantic love may be rooted with our easiest intimate experience with our mothers during breast-feeding and her care. These things of pure conflicted comfort may be what we try to recapture as adults. Hence, we love not so much because of the future we hope to build but because of the past we hope to reclaim. Love is reactive, not proactive. We might fall for one coz she or he has a certain look, smell or touch or sound that activates buried memories. This goes very well with oriental beliefs of that destined someone in past lives and are fated to be together for the next few lifetimes. Haha!

 

Evolution

Of course, it has long been debated that we look at our partners qualities we do not posses to propagate the next best generation. Men looks at women’s waist-to-hip ratio to determine the success of having an offspring. Women look for “the rugged look” in men as these men with a good dose of testosterone probably has a strong immune system and more likely to give his partner healthy children.

 

Passion and a lifetime

Passion does not last a lifetime. I like this sentence, makes it sound so scientific. lol!

“Or maybe you’re the one who needs an antibiotic, because the partner you once loved and cherished and saw as though saturated with starlight now feels like a low-level infection, tiring you, sapping all your strength.”

It is confirmed worldwide that passion indeed ends. The reasons romantic love fades may be found in the way our brains respond to the surge and pulse of dopamine that accompanies passion and make us fly.

For a lifetime of companionship, the couple has to move from dopamine-drenched state of romantic love to the relative quiet of an oxytocin-induced attachment. Oxytocin is a hormone that promotes the feeling of connection, bonding. It is released when we hug our long-term spouses, or our children. In long-term relationships that work, oxytocin is believed to be abundant in both partners. In relationships that crumble once the high is gone, chances are that the couple has not found a way to stimulate or sustain oxytocin production.

Love-making can trigger oxytocin and make you feel closer to your partner. This can be applied to arranged marriages or marriages done not in the name of love. It’s sorta like an acquired “taste”. The more you do it, the more you like it. Sounds rather unpleasant, eh?

Well, I have outright likes and dislikes. I have never been an acquired taste person.

Departures.

This is such an awesome movie!!!! I have been wanting to watch it since like forever. Finally got to yesterday. Thanks Matthew! <3

Basically it is about this middle-age man, Daigo, who has an ambition of becoming a cello player but unfortunately lady luck wasn’t looking upon him and he was out of a job. He goes back to his home town, tracing back memories of his father who left him and of course, find a new job. He chanced upon this advertisement about a high paying job and short working hours. Without finding out more about what the job entitles, he went for an interview. And the Boss, seeing that it was one of the rare chance that anyone ever comes for an interview, offered him the job of casketing.

Like all stereotypes, he find the idea of having to deal with corpses repulsing, unclean and disgusting. But gradually he began to see the joy in the job from the great gratitude the families of the deceased showed him. After seeking approval from his heart, he still requires acceptance from his friends and his wife. They were adamant that it was a cursed job till one of their loved ones passed away and Daigo had to perform the casketing for him.

Left with blur memories of his father who left the family with another woman when he was 6, he met his father on the death bed. He remembered the story his father told him when he was a child: In the past before there were letters, people pick out stones to give to each other. Depending on the size, colour and texture of the stone, the message and feelings will be conveyed as such. His father died clutching onto the stone Daigo gave him as a child. As his father passes on, Daigo presses the little stone to his pregnant wife’s tummy. The message has been passed from father to child, from one generation to the next. 

I wouldn’t say this is arty, just slightly abstract. Behind the laughter and tears, there’s a message about societal stereotypes, death and of course love, in every essence of it. I like the casket Boss lahz.. He’s so comical, he seldom smiles. I like how Japanese honour and respect their dead too. It’s so complicated, so sad yet so beautiful. It’s an eye-opener to Japanese culture. I laughed so much when Daigo was naively tricked into the job but cried and cried when family of the deceased relate their tales. The last straw was when Daigo’s father was dying. Omg! I have no idea I can cry so much when it is not even an ahbu movie. But omg! This movie is so awesome! All must catch it! :)

When Prof said we are going to stay overnight at Yanchap National Park and I heard the house is rather run-down and dirty, I prepared myself to a night of outward-bound-like experience. I was thinking of all the negative thoughts and how bad it would be so that I would be mentally prepared for the worse. But it turned out so much better that I had expected!

We arrived in the night. It was dark all around us. A dirt road lead to the lone house standing in the middle of the wilderness. When we entered, I was elated!

Old fashion TV set and even a heater! The floorboards creak under your feet as you walk. Damn rustic feeling!

And sofa too!

There was 3 rooms with 2 beds. I took the one with the double deck one. And erm yea, I brought Ahbu along. :D

It was nice to sit on the bed, tucked in the warm blanket, hugging Ahbu, reading a great novel and listen to the sweet sound of nature outside. Many stars were visible too.

When morning came, I rushed out to snap a photo of this beautiful house, set in the middle of nowhere. Imagine sitting on the front porch on a quiet lazy summer afternoon, listening to the crickets creak and animals scurrying in and out of the bushes around you while reading a great book. Imagine sitting on the front porch, enjoying the night breeze and grazing at the star-lit skies. Imagine how nice it would be to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and stay here for a week! It’s a paradise next to nature lahz! And the thing is, this is a guest house and is not open to public! We got to stay there for FREE coz Prof happens to know the senior ranger in the park.

Otherwise, the public would have to stay in this Yanchap Inn. Paid accommodation by the lake.

This is how the lake looks like in the morning. I have always been to Yanchap at night that I didn’t realise that it could be so beautiful in the morning.

Demonstrating the Aborigine's emu dance.

  And the kangaroo dance.

Prof trying to get close to a pair ducks.

How nice it would be to have a wedding reception here, right? I also want!!!

We also went on a guided tour into the crystal caves underground. I was awed everytime I walked from one chamber to the next, so I kept snapping photos. But when I came back and looked at them, they all look the same! lol.. I am just glad my camera is able to shoot it in such dark conditions, without spoiling it with flash.

Old English cafe with beautiful vintage decorations.

Scones and tea- The Old English way.

Next, I went walking around Perth City Centre, armed with my camera of course!

Ye London Court. I like the quote under the clock. It says, "No minute gone comes ever back again. Take heed and see ye nothing do in vain."

Perth City Centre with lots of shops and recognisable brands such as Mango, Borders, Diva, etc.

  Town hall clock.

And this photo totally made my day lahz! All I wanted to do was to eat mashed potato at KFC coz I had a craving for it. Then I noticed that there was this old homeless uncle sitting at the corner wrapped in a sleeping bag. I wanted to shoot him secretly so I moved to a seat under the stairs from which I could see his face. Little did I know that I was very obvious that he noticed me! I didn’t realise it till I previewed this photo on my camera. So I quickly packed up my things and go. Luckily, he didn’t come after me demanding for money or for me to delete this awesome photo. Yes, it was processed to HDR. Looks a bit Dave Hill, eh? I must say this is my most successful HDR-processed shot yet. I think HDR works better on people than buildings or landscape ba. There are 2 other HDR photos in this entry but they didn’t turn out as well. See if you can spot them! ;)

I have always wanted to read Jodi Picoult’s books as I have friends telling me that they are good. And this first book I read from hers is just truly awesome!

 

Jack St. Bride was a highly respected high school teacher and soccer coach. But he was wrongly accused of a sexual assault by a student who had a major crush on him. After serving a eight months jail time and the humiliation he did not deserve, he moved into Salem Falls to start anew. He took up a job at Addie Peabody’s diner as a dish washer and slowly started to develop a relationship with her. Addie had a story to tell too. She was a rape victim and a grieving mother of a lost child. As the two began to open their locked hearts to each other, the small town of Salem Falls learnt of Jack’s past convictions and started to view him through coloured lens.  When you thought that his luck could not be worse, a quartet of girls with a secret turned his world upside-down again.

It’s difficult to write back and forth in time, to be in a timeline in one minute and another in the next. It would leave the reader utterly lost if not done properly. But Picoult did it in such a fine way that intricate details about the characters’ past were revealed with very leap in time. She weaved a compelling story about the complexity of human relationships, together with suspense and romance.

I thought I would only go ga-ga over teenage romance in Twilight or Princess Diaries but the deep love between Jack and Addie totally captivated me. She was a 30-odd waitress at a diner who the town folks coined “crazy-Addie” as she grieved over her long dead daughter as a invisible figure of a child running around the diner. He was a man down on this luck stumbling into the diner in hope of some solace from a foreign town. Without even knowing much about each other, they fell for each other’s mysterious yet attractive personalities. I never thought adult romance could be so sweet, just with words that touch and the trust that matters. It’s even more compelling as the two move passed their past shadows and allowed another to enter and share their lives…

“He pulled Addie close again and held her until their hearts tuned together in perfect pitch. Then Jack spoke softly, so that his words were nothing more than a thought set on the shell of Addie’s ear. “About the past,” he whispered. “I would do it all over. The conviction, the jail, the arrest-all of it-if that was the only way I’d get to meet you.” Shadows chased across Addie’s face in the spectral shapes of her rape, her daughter, her mother. “Oh Jack,” she said, her voice shaking. “I love you, too.””

The book also touched on issues such prejudices against ex-offenders. As soon as the town learns of Jack’s convictions, they did not even hesitate to investigate and proceed to ostracise him. They were adamant that if a rape charge was put against him, he must be the culprit. If he had done it once, he must had done it the second time. But who are we to judge?

Picoult also explores issues such as child rape, prostitution and women issues. In brief memories of Jack’s mother, a feminist who even took in the prostitute on top of whom her husband died on, Picoult drew an image of a capable woman willing to help other women in distress. She took an innocent young rape victim who thought it was a form of her uncle’s love. In that short little chapter, we saw the impacts of child rape on a small girl and of course more of Jack’s caring charisma even as a 10-year-old. I think this little chapter serves more than that purpose especially when all was revealed at the end of the book. Those who had and is going to read this book please tell me if you agree with me.

With all the detective work, courtroom drama and forensics investigation, it fuels to my interest and truly serves as a thrilling read. I especially love it as Picoult reveals bits and pieces of the situation, leaving you to your imagination what exactly had happen until the realisation hits you at the very end. I recommend his book to all readers who love suspense and thrill sprinkled with sweet romance.

“Have you ever really held the hand of someone you love? Not just in passing, a loose link between you-but truly clasped, with the pulses of your wrists beating together and your fingers mapping the knuckles and nails like a cartographer learning a country by heart?”

Have you ever?.. I thought I did.

我坐在床前
望着窗外回忆满天
生命是华丽错觉
时间是贼偷走一切

七岁的那一年
抓住那只蝉
以为能抓住夏天
十七岁的那年
吻过他的脸
就以为和他能永远

有没有那麽一种永远
永远不改变
拥抱过的美丽
都再也不破碎
让险峻岁月不能
在脸上撒野
让生离和死别都遥远
有谁能听见

我坐在床前
转过头看谁在沉睡
那一张苍老的脸
好像是我紧闭双眼

曾经是爱我的
和我深爱的
都围绕在我身边
带不走的那些
遗憾和眷恋
就化成最后一滴眼泪

有没有那麽一滴眼泪
能洗掉后悔
化成大雨降落在
回不去的街
再给我一次机会
将故事改写
还欠了他一生的
一句抱歉

有没有那麽一个世界
永远不天黑
星星太阳万物都
听我的指挥
月亮不忙着圆缺
春天不走远
树梢紧紧拥抱着树叶
有谁能听见

耳际眼前此生重演
是我来自漆黑
而又回归漆黑
人间瞬间天地之间
下次我又是谁

有没有那麽一朵玫瑰
永远不凋谢
永远骄傲和完美
永远不妥协
为何人生最后会像
一张纸屑
还不如一片花瓣
曾经鲜艳

有没有那麽一张书签
停止那一天
最单纯的笑脸和
最美那一年
书包里面装满了
蛋糕和汽水
双眼只有无猜和无邪
让我们无法无天

有没有那麽一首诗篇
找不到句点
青春永远定居在
我们的岁月
男孩和女孩都有
吉他和舞鞋
笑忘人间的苦痛
只有甜美

有没有那麽一个明天
重头活一遍
让我再次感受
曾挥霍的昨天
无论生存或生活
我都不浪费
不让故事这麽的后悔
有谁能听见
我不要告别

我坐在床前
看着指尖已经如烟

－－－

好美的歌，歌词更是棒！听着听着我都哭了。

生命如此短暂，到了最后人只能叹息它的空缺与遗憾。错过了就无法从来，错过了怎能回到那一年，又怎能改写呢？

就算有痛苦的后悔，伴隨着的也是最美，最甜的回憶。只要勇敢面对现在，当生命如烟逝去时，也会含笑离去。谢谢你。