Pink, green, brown and white

Am I the only one to think that this colour combination is absolutely beautiful in interior decoration? It has that natural, rustic, country or classical feel with a touch of romance. Pink and green reminds one of gardens as well. I relish the chance to decorate my own home.

Work in Progress

A snapshot of my workspace in the art room today. I'm well into finalizing my designs and getting started on my final product! Words can't describe how excited I am to show my friends what I've been working on for the past seven months. It's been my dream since I was eleven to do fashion design, and I think I'm really fortunate to be able to realize it.

While trying to create some order in my room yesterday I came across my old journal once again. Flipping through the pages, I was amazed to discover an entry that said I wanted to be a fashion designer. This was when I was 11. I can't believe that this has been my dream for so long! I can't imagine how anyone can NOT have a dream. I've always been a dreamer, perhaps too much so for my own good. And I can't believe that I still sound the same in my writing as when I was 11. Sometimes introspective, sometimes shallow, sometimes bubbly, sometimes wistful, sometimes overenthusiastic, sometimes restrained. I guess I'm one of those people who hardly change.

The Dark Knight- Heath Ledger

I watched the Dark Knight on Friday night after my Japanese lesson. I know many people have been saying this, but Heath's performance is truly BRILLIANT. He is so creepy as the Joker. His lines are delivered with great impact ("Why so serious?") and scene of the Joker dressed in a nurse uniform is the single most disturbing image in the entire movie for me. It even beats Daryl Hannah dressed as a killer nurse in Kill Bill Vol. 1 (complete with that single eye-patch and spine-tingling whistle tune). This makes me so upset, that an actor with this much talent departed from this world prematurely.

Buys from Art Fest

Is it weird that I'm buying from my own CCA? I don't care. These are just too nice for me to resist! I bought the earrings even though I haven't pierced my ears and the ceramic pieces were found in a musty cupboard in the art room. They were made way back, in 2004 according to my art teacher. I've been feeling tribal/ethnic-inspired lately.

More henna fun

I think I'm addicted to the henna design on my hand. I love pairing jewellery with it. But already it's fading. Help!!!

Steps to updating online CAAL portfolio with class CIP

1. Log in and go to Student Centre -> My Profile

2. Click on 'View My Details'. A window will pop up.

3. Select CAAL and under 'Activity Search', check the box that says 'CIP'. Leave 'Group' and 'Activity Title' blank. Under the drop-down bar that says 'Year', select 2008. Click on 'Search Activity' and a list of items will appear.
Note: Do NOT click 'Add CIP Activities' as that is to add a new CIP activity to the database.

4. Click on the fifth item, 'Class Home Adoption Programme'. Under 'Involvement Type', select the last one- 'Tutoring/ Reading Programme'. Under 'Involvement', choose 'Participant'. Put the 'Tutor to Endorse' as 'Ms Chen Wei Hong Willa'.

No. of hours allocated: 1 1/2 hours for each session + 2 hours (for organizing)

Crystal- 4 sessions
Yi Lin- 5
Shufang- 5
Bingxin- 5
Ernest- 3
Baoru- 6
Abel- 3
Jamie- 3
Enqin- 5
Kim- 5
Xiaochen- 5
Sophia- 5
Fangyu- 2
Gloria- 5
Ziyin- 6
Audrey- 3

Please add one more session if you are going for the one on this wed (which is the last session). If you're not sure of anything pls sms me or leave a comment.

Snapshots from Art Fest

Body art as an accesory

I got my hands henna-ed (traditional Indian art of dyeing a pattern on your body) by a friend on Friday. Here's its progression through the three stages of colours:

When the ink is first applied it appears black.

After the ink dries and hardens it flakes off to reveal an orange stain...

... before finally darkening to a rich brown.



I'm loving my 'tatoo' now. Indian brides actually cover their large portions arms and legs with intricate henna patterns for their wedding day.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennalounge/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennalounge/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hennalounge/


I'm intrigued by the pictures of henna patterns on the legs. Maybe I'll try that next time. Today I took care to choose an outfit that complemented my 'tattoo':

I wore a pale blue dress with a white floral pattern that somewhat resembled my 'tattoo' and layered multiple bangles on my wrist. I really like the look!


Here's another instance of body art being part of a look or outfit:

http://sallyjanevintage.blogspot.com

Isn't her floral tattoo so pretty? I don't think I'm getting a tattoo anytime soon because it might limit the kinds of styles I can adopt. Besides, I don't like the pain and the needles. But temporary body art like henna suits my purpose.

Breakfast

I know many people don't have breakfast. But I'm someone who has breakfast RELIGIOUSLY, everyday without fail. So Simply Breakfast is my kind of blog. The owner posts artistically-taken photos of her delicious and healthy-looking breakfasts everyday.

What would I like to have for breakfast? English milk tea, freshly-baked bread slathered with butter or dipped in olive oil and eaten with scrambled eggs and Spanish ham, fruit salad, Post cereal and many more yummy things. How did I come to like Spanish ham? Well, my mum's friends went to Spain for a holiday and brought back a pack of it for us. I loved it so much that I ate it on bread for breakfast everyday until the pack was finished. I still remember the glorious breakfast buffet we had during our stay at the Tokyo Hyatt Hotel. Must I mention the breakfasts on the Qatar flights that I took to Europe? Their omelettes were perfect. Oh, I'm also craving that yummy yoghurt I ate at my last breakfast in Tokyo last year. I wanted to stay behind just so that I could have more of it!

D.I.Y.

Spotted this necklace at m)phosis and it seems possible to make it myself with black ribbon and fake gems. But it'll have to wait till after 'A' levels.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

"Moon River, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style some day. Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker, wherever you're going I'm going your way. Two drifters off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see. We're after the same rainbow's end-- waiting 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend, Moon River and me."

------------ "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's

I watched Breakfast at Tiffany's in the June holidays and fell in love with it and its lead actress, the lovely Audrey Hepburn. She is so beautiful and her singing of "Moon River" so memorable. The setting of the movie, the plot, the character of Holly Golightly, the outfits and the romance all make for a wonderful classic film. It has the perfect blend of humour and sadness.

The story goes like this: a struggling writer, Paul, moves into a new apartment and meets Holly (real name: Luna Mae), a society girl who dates rich men as her livelihood. Holly's favourite place is Tiffany's, as the name of the movie suggests. Paul, who is probably suffering from writer's block as he has not produced any work for five years, also depends on a woman for his expenses. As the movie progresses, Holly's successive flings with men all fail and Paul comes to know of her past. Paul falls in love with Holly but she stubbornly continues believing that she can find another rich man to latch on to. The film ends with a romantic scene in the rain where Holly finally gains some sense and the two kiss.

"You know what's wrong with you, Miss whoever-you-are? You're chicken. You've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, 'Okay. Life's a fact. People do fall in love. People do belong to each other.' Because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness. You call yourself a free spirit, a wild thing, and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well Baby, you're already in that cage -- you built it yourself. And it's not bounded on the west by Tulip, Texas or on the east by Somaliland. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself."

------------------ Paul

Some screen captures!

Don't you just love the mood of these?

It SUCKS that I'm sick on my birthday. I don't know what I ate, but my stomach is upset. Could it be that I accidentally swallowed a bunch of ants in my water?

On Sunday night we ate at a Spanish restaurant in Clarke Quay called La Tapas. We sat outside by the river and the atmosphere was great. There were many people plus a live band. I liked the food as well! We ate tapas, which means small portions of various dishes, drank Spanish red wine named Sangria, ate baked rice (paella), and had churros and banana filo pastry for desert. Yum. I'm missing the pina colada I had at a Mexican restaurant some time ago. I wonder what cuisine we should try next?

This is part of the outfit I wore, which included a white top, blue velvet skirt that I've kept for five years (I love the feel of it), silver wedges, thin bangle and a vintage white beaded purse from Portobello Market in London. My sis pinned my hair in a loose twist.

Am I cold?

What a strange question. More accurately it should be: do I come across as cold? I do realise that I never speak to my cousins who are all male except for the little ones. When I visited Japan the only interaction I had with my half-Japanese cousin was when he stared at me like I was crazy when I placed my sashimi in the hot pot to cook. It's not that I detest sashimi, just that I prefer certain breeds of fish cooked. Bleh. Maybe I should smile more.

Floral-print shoes

I've never thought about floral-print shoes but these from Delias are highly cute.

I realised today that I suffer from a total incapacity to control and discipline children. Shouting at naughty children to behave is such a foreign concept to me. I suppose this is a disadvantage of being the youngest in the family. My eldest brother is 10 years older than me; always more mature and wonderfully behaved. As for my young cousins, I only see them once a year and they are perfectly sweet. I think I've always possessed a great degree of self-discipline which is one good thing I can say about myself. My parents were never the sort to be constantly breathing down my neck or checking my schoolwork. They left it to me to take responsibility for my own learning. In turn, I think it's only fair of myself to work hard not to disappoint them who've given me so much, and also not to disappoint myself. I recognize that, left to their own devices, not everyone can have this degree of self-control which is pretty much what's happening to most children who are neglected by their parents. Frankly, it's quite sad. I wish I could do more for these children.

I reached home feeling drained today and unexpectedly it was my mum who opened the door. This simple act conjured a strange feeling in me that I can't a put a name to. It felt both unfamiliar and nostalgic. You see, I can't remember the last time my mum greeted me at the door. The fact is that with her long working hours she always reached home much later than me. I've been so caught up with schoolwork that I'd forgotten that she was returning from her week-long business trip today. Only when I saw her did I realise that I'd missed her. I'd missed the smart, pretty mum, who despite her age appears much more youthful and energetic than many of the mums younger than her. In other words, a total contrast to the sour-faced women I sometimes encounter on the bus who seem to be nursing a grudge against the entire world. Chatting with her about her work, I also realised that my current workload is NOTHING compared to hers. I think the most important thing I've learned from my mum is her zest for life, which is what keeps one young.

Floral skirts

I want to try to sew a few floral skirts for myself, in the style of those above.

Style Idols- Jane Birkin

I have quite a number of people I look up to for style inspiration. Icon Jane Birkin is one of them. The Hermes Birkin bag was named after her, which is testament to her influence.

I love her bangs! Her daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillion are equally stylish and are my style idols as well.

I watched Beauty and the Beast on Saturday. It's been a VERY long time since I last watched it and I'd nearly forgotten how the entire movie goes. The songs are really lovely! The charming candlesticks, little clock, teapot, cups etc. tottered around singing songs like "Be my Guest..." and "To be Human again...". And of course, who can forget the main song played when Belle dances with the Beast? Classic Disney movies have the best songs. Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Lion King are the ones that occur to me right now. I think my favourite is Lion King! I have an old cassette tape of the Lion King soundtrack. Can You Feel The Love Tonight continues to move me, even after years of listening to it.

I know they're often criticised, but Coldplay is one of my favourite bands. I like the spacey-ness of some of their songs like Clocks and Speed of Sound, the catchy-ness In My Place and Yellow, and the intriguing lyrics like that of The Scientist. Some of their music videos are really cool, like Speed of Sound in which there's a huge screen that creates stunning visual effects. I long to go for a Coldplay concert!

Displays in my home

Comics

I've drawn a few comics in the past. I kind of like to look at them as they remind me of my naivety somehow (plus my substandard drawing skills!)


This is a rather frivolous comic done in Sec 1 featuring two cars who decide to have some romance of their own when their owners meet up for a romantic candlelit meal. I was too lazy to finish colouring.



Taking a hit at George Bush and his favourite phrase "weapons of mass destruction". He steals Iraq's weapons and uses them to attack the planet of Moo Roo. Lame, I know. Where do I get all these silly ideas in my head?



This was an assignment done for the superheroes module of Language Arts in IP1. I had quite alot of fun inventing my own superhero called Icicle. She can shoot streams of ice from the third eye on her forehead! Her mother was actually an alien who left the planet of Frost and married a human. Icicle has to keep her powers a secret from others and her father as well. I think her mask is very cool too.