Ginseng Power!!

Recent haul - Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil, Hello Kitty utensils case, origami papers and a huge pink plastic file to hold my notes when school starts in 1 and half months' time. :(

I was supposed to watch Sweet Rain/Accuracy of Death (the movie starring Takeshi Kaneshiro as a Death God) on Wednesday but the tickets were sold out! So Jaslyn, Wendy, WeiKiat and I went to have dinner instead. (Speaking of Wendy, I currently have 5 Wendys in my phone records because there's a new Wendy I met in French class, gosh!)

We ate at the Korean BBQ Chicken restaurant at Cineleisure - yes, the hot pink one at the basement, with the huge screen that airs Tohoshinki/DBSK videos and concerts!!! Woot!!! Jaslyn and I like U-know best while Wendy likes Hero:

Jaslyn:"U-know, u-know, u-know?"
Fiona:"I know I know I know!!!"
Wendy:" -_-U I dunno I dunno I dunno..."

As for the food... I recommended the Ginseng Power Crisp that I had with Tracy the last time, hahaha! I had the chicken tortilla this time, and iced chocolate. 2 tortillas with french fries and salad = too much food. -faints- I do think it can be shared. Plus the salad came with at least 2 tablespoons of thousand island dressing, which means at least 200 calories alone from the dressing!!! -shudder- Oh well, I hope it all goes to my chest. (Speaking of chest, I saw Mr Papaya-milk that day at PS, but I didn't take note of his moobs-building progress. I vaguely remember he said he'd stopped papaya milk though, and switched to soy milk or something. I like soy milk! But... -shrug-)

Jaslyn's going to further her studies so she probably won't be continuing Jap lessons next year, and the others are also probably not, but Wendy's definitely continuing. I don't know if I should continue. :x I wouldn't want to screw up my results just for Jap.

So my results this semester were just so-so. (They were released on Wednesday midnight!) I'm very thankful to have passed econs though!!! It's like, hallelujah!!! Because I seriously did less than 50% of the final paper which accounted for 70% of the grade... so I suppose the prof pitied me? I liked the prof, he could be cranky and egoistic at times but thus oh-so-amusant-et-adorable!

Anyway, recently I overheard a conversation my mom had with a fat little Primary 6 student of hers -

Boy: I'm going to XXX later with my mummy!! (some place I can't remember)
Mum: Oh, going shopping?
Boy: No, going for lunch!
Mum: Huh, are there eating places there? (apparently there are no restaurants at that place)
Boy: Ya, MacDonald's lor! :D
Mum: -_-U HUHHHHH

Lol! Kids are so easily bribed with fast-food! I used to love MacDonald's, but now I can't stand it. :P So then my mum started lecturing him about how unhealthy fast food was, "Don't eat French fries, they cause cancer!!!" Lol.

A package just came for me and I got a scolding. Shall reveal it next time!

P.S. You may have noticed, but I hardly ever appear on MSN messenger these days (except for when I had to do my French project). That's because I've moved home!!! (There are so many more interesting things to do at home than to go on MSN) So I didn't block anyone or anything ok? Sms me or something! Bisoux!!

Gyu-kaku @ Chijmes

Remember the Gyukaku kimchi? Well, my sister discovered that Gyukaku has restaurants in Singapore as well. We went to the one at Chijmes yesterday to celebrate my dad's birthday. We had beef, venison, scallops, prawns ($10 each -faints-), asparagus, mushrooms and seaweed soup. I had grapefruit juice as well, it was yummy. (I really like grapefruit, apparently it helps you eat less, and energises you.)

I really liked the scallops! They're humongous and fresh and yummy, in a slurpingly good garlic and butter sauce! And roasted mushrooms taste surprisingly good. You can dip your meat in 2 types of sauces - the one on the right tastes way better. (Unfortunately, I have no idea what they are.) And you know, when I was eating the $10 prawn, I had no idea it was $10? So I didn't savour it with the amount of reverence it deserved... Haha! It tasted beyond. It came with a chilli soy sauce dip which was (according to my dad) really hot, but I didn't try it cos I can't take hot stuff. :P

Not bad, the food's quite reasonably priced if you avoid the seafood, and the ambience is good. Like an upscale version of Seoul Garden.

Also in yesterday's news - I've finished my French role play! It was très intéressant! There was this group, they had 2 guys and a girl, and they were given this situation where the guys are supposed to ask the girl out. They meet each other, talk about their interests, then...

In French:
Guy A: Do you wanna go to the discotheque? -boogying movements-
Girl: Nah... I don't like it.
Guy B: Do you wanna go (do something fun which I can't remember)?
Girl: No... I prefer to go to the museum (or somewhere boring, I can't remember).
Guy A: Do you wanna go to... l'hotel?
Girl: -gasp- NON!!!
Both guys: You're not amusing at all!!!

Hahaha!!! And there was another pair of guys, who were talking about travelling, and which country they preferred:

A: I've been to France, it's fantastic!
B: Oh, have you been to Singapour?
A: Ah, I don't like Singapour...
B: Why not?
A: C'est ennuyeux... (It's boring!) And it's petit (small).
B: Why do you like France?
A: Because I like to go walking in the mountains!
B: Ah, but I prefer petit montagnes! (small mountains!)

Hahahaha!!! Gosh they were funny.

Now I've got to work on my presentation. A month passes so quickly! I still remember on my first lesson I was very sad because everyone had applied for special sem with their friends and I was alone, but I got to meet new people. (: Soon we will have to bid each other au revoir...

The Beauty of Beethoven

On Friday I went to the Esplanade straight after summer school to do my French project with my classmates. I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to go to a concert that night so it was good that we'd arranged to meet there! Haha! Our project is on Monet, Manet and Impressionism. I chose Impressionism because it's so fascinating - it's pretty much an optical illusion. Instead of blending colours, you use little dots of primary colours that don't look good up close, but transform into amazingly fresh secondary colours from a distance as your eyes mix the colours up for you. Clever isn't it? It makes colours appear purer and more vibrant, plus all the paintings are about how light washes the object or the scene. Très magnifique!

I realised that both my group members had S/Ued French, and that lots of my classmates have S/Ued as well, which was quite surprising to me. Ah well, I'd better mug then. I haven't been studying consciously - I just take my French notes out to read when I'm on the MRT going for French. And I only read for about 10 mins, cos it makes me sleepy and I'll nap for the rest of the long journey.

So after that, I had dinner at Cafe Cartel with my sisters and we went to watch The Beauty of Beethoven. The programme was thus:

• The Creatures of Prometheus: Overture, Op. 43
• Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
• Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92

It was a gala featuring Leila Josefowicz who's a really engaging violinist. She's really expressive and I am truly enamoured of her. I read this article about her and one quote just about sums up what I totally agree with - "In the end, technical conventions don’t really matter as long as you get your point across." Music's more about successfully and accurately conveying your message, rather than stuffy, rigid rules. Also, you musn't forget the importance of good body language, it makes for a much more enjoyable performance! She has great body language and she has biceps of steel! She can really bow strongly, and you can see how she flexes her muscles. -faints- Sheer inspiration.

Anyway, once the Symphony No. 7 in A Major started, my sister was like, "Doesn't this sound familiar?" It was the music from Nodame Cantabile! Hahaha! I almost burst out laughing. It was interesting listening to the difference. After the concert, we had a browse around Marina Square which was open for late night shopping. Topshop has black fishnets at $9 and maroon leggings at $13!! My mom likes fishnets, my sis thinks they're trashy. Please help me make up my mind?
Then back at home, I switched the telly on to watch House, but when the commercials were on I started channel-surfing and chanced upon this Korean movie, "Windstruck". It was so touching!! On hindsight, it lacks substance and has too many close-up shots of Jun Ji Hyun (to captivate the male audience I suppose), but it's still a very nice movie. Your eyes will become extremely dehydrated after watching it, I assure you! If not, you have a heart of stone. :P I watched it till 1.45am though I still had to work the next day.

(The funniest part was when Kyung-Jin told Myungwoo about the legend of why people join pinkies to make a promise. There was a princess who had many suitors, so in order to find The One, she stuck out a finger behind her back and made them guess which it was. The 1st guy stuck out his thumb, the 2nd guy stuck out his index finger, the 3rd guy was met with a gasp and a slap from the princess [HAHAHA!!!], the 4th guy stuck out his ring finger and of course the last guy got it right with his pinky.)

Suffice to say, I was totally stoned on Saturday morning. I had to break my coffee fast, and I was quite broke, so Starbucks was out of the question. There's this little Each-a-Cup outlet at Parkway, and it's not bad, so when the maid in front of me ordered an Oreo Coffee, I decided to order one too! And it's totally yummy for a $2.40 drink. I'm totally craving it now! I'm quite glad to have found a cheaper coffee option. XD
During break, I went to Gramophone to enquire about Jeux d'enfants (Love Me if You Dare), but they had been out of stock for months and I was so miserable! Then I went home and realised my sister has the VCD.-_-U

Here's a video of the slapping dare:


The storyline seems nice and all and during the childhood scenes, it's stylistically similar to Amelie. Thing is, Amelie's a happy movie while Jeux d'enfants has dark undertones. The dares seem harmless at first but then you realise they are seriously creepy, and the movie ends with the couple reunited happily, oblivious to the fact that they're being buried alive in wet concrete. And so they become immured in a slab of concrete for eternity. Disturbing, no? The part about unrequited love might elicit sympathy at first, but after seeing how their dares are selfish and juvenile and hurtful to the other party, you won't feel so sympathetic anymore.

I didn't particularly enjoy it because I don't appreciate being left feeling deeply disturbed after a movie, but it is interesting, so do watch it if you get a chance. I know it screened at the Alliance Francaise recently, but I couldn't find anyone to go with me.

Anyway, I want to watch the Sex and the City movie!!! (:

Review: BB Creams

I have a French test tomorrow, but I'm lazy, so ta-dah!! Presenting my puny collection of BB creams.

Swatches, from left - Scandal Magic, Coogi Flowertox, SkinFood Aloe (Shade 1 Light), SkinFood Aloe (Shade 2 Natural).

Scandal Magic
Looking at the photo, you can tell that the colour's way duller than the others, which is why I don't like it. It blends ok, has pretty good oil control, matte medium buildable coverage and smells nice, but the colour's just lifeless and wrong. It's pretty cheap, you can get it from SASA at $19.90 for a 50g tube.

Coogi Flowertox 3 Action Super BB Cream SPF 25 PA++
This has a pink-toned colour which blends easily (it's quite runny), smells flowery and provides light to medium coverage that's not very buildable. Positive - it controls shine really really well, not matte but in a nice glowy way. Negative - it oxidises. I think they're having a sale for this in Korea so it's really cheap over there, but you'll definitely get a little ripped off if you purchase it from a middle-manwoman. It's available in 30g and 50g tubes.

SkinFood Aloe Sun Blemish Balm Cream SPF 20 PA++
This is my sort-of favourite. It smells really pleasant and sweet, blends ok (it has a thicker texture so you really need to moisturise first), and provides medium buildable coverage enough to partially conceal eye circles. It's passable at shine-control. I prefer the Fair over the Natural shade because Fair's more yellow-based while Natural has a pink undertone, but you can actually mix both shades together to create your custom shade. This costs $38 at SkinFood for a 50g tube.

Right now I'm quite over BB creams cos as a MAC NC25-30, the shades are all a little off, so I passed them all to my mom who looks amazing and glowy in SkinFood Aloe Shade 1 - she's very fair so it matches perfectly and makes her skin look really creamy. Seriously, my ex-tutor complimented her skin and my mom recommended the BB cream to her! (I wasn't at home at the time, so my mom took it from my room and showed it to her. Haha!)

Maybe I'll try them again if I get fairer. (They'll probably suit skintones of MAC NC25 and below best.) Oh, and you're always supposed to use makeup remover/cleansing oil to remove BB creams, or you might break out. The most irritating thing of all is that my mom's so lazy, she doesn't remove it, yet her skin is like crazy-good. -_-U

My mom is so lucky to have a daughter like me who introduces and gives her such great stuff for free all the time! Haha!

Oh, if anyone wants samples, please ask from me! My mom can't finish them all cos she still has tonnes of products her wonderful daughters bought for her! And I'm thinking about selling my SkinFood Aloe in Shade 2 Natural, I only tested it once, so tell me if anyone wants it!

[Background info: BB creams are a Korean invention, they have healing properties and stuff like that to help skin recover from cosmetic procedures. They've mentioned BB creams in 8Days and CLEO, but I got into them way before the articles were published, so there!] :P

[Update on July 10, 2008 - I still have samples of Aloe Sun BB Cream in Shades 1 and 2, Coogi Flowertox, Scandal Magic, and Dr Jart Black Label Detox! I also have a brand-new tube of Aloe Sun BB Cream in Shade 2, and a brand-new tube of Dr Jart Black Label Detox to let go.]

Haircut

Ooh baby am I in a good mood today! I had a spur-of-the-moment decision after French lesson to cut my hair, and I did! I look kind of butch-ish now, but heck! The weather's been so hot these days, I need to cool down!

And the guy who did my hair is... kinda cute! You knowww, in the non-conventional, blur, Fiona's type-ish way. (Same old, same old. My preferences never change much.) He wore the type of dress shirt that you know I love, the sleeves ending after the elbow, and I love it cos it shows off the forearms and I love skinny-ish, toned forearms. -faints- Ok, he's new and he cuts like really slow, so he asked if I was in a hurry. "No, no," I reassured him. HAHAHA.

I'll be playing for CSTD summer school starting tomorrow, at my old ballet place. Wish me luck, cos I don't actually have a clue what to play.

1st day of GSS

I was very glad to be accosted by people from Mercy Relief on Friday (the start of the Great Singapore Sale!) I had no idea how to donate to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake, and at Orchard, everyone kept shoving their tin cans under my nose so I donated every time they did. I know, Myanmar needs more help, but people don't donate there because you can't be sure that your money goes directly to the victims, which is sad, but that's reality.

Here's the stuff I bought, none of which was on sale or with discount, which is kind of dumb, but yea. (The little stone paperweight (?) on the left is an omiage from my Jap-ex-classmate. Nobody knows what it's for, but it's cute, lol.) From left: Muji SPF40 Sun Lotion, Muji Cleansing Oil, Ettusais flat liquid design foundation, Ettusais Acne Whitening UV SPF24 Dry Block. Will do reviews soon!

We went to the Muji at Paragon and it was really hard to stop myself from buying all the skincare products. The bottles are so minimalist and pretty! Especially the humongous toner bottles, I can imagine sticking a long-stemmed flower in it. I also love Clinique's toner bottles, they're so cylindrical, y'know? Pity they smell funny (very strongly of alcohol) even after I rinse them out.

We had lunch at Pepper Lunch and tried out the new Sukiyaki Beef set. It's really good! Then we had tea at Han's where I tested the macro mode of my camera.

Yin yang. It's confirmed - I've 100% most definitely kicked the coffee habit cos after I drank this, I couldn't sleep at night. And it's just a mixture of coffee and tea. I love yin yang though, it tastes so good! It's a taste that you can't recreate at home.

Rumball. Looks yummy, but a bit too nutty and cloying for me.

My favourite blueberry crumble pie!

Cheesecake.

After that I went to get a cake for Wendy's birthday (which was yesterday). She's 22! (Vingt deux is my lucky number!) I was supposed to return $$ to Samantha but that woman flew off to catch her plane straight after her last exam! Omg, it all sounds so dramatic. O_o

Anyway I also had dinner with Ming Li at Fish&Co the other evening. We had lots of mussels, yum!! :D You know there are orange mussels and white mussels, right? I've always wondered what's the difference. Guess what? Ming Li says it's because they're of a different gender!!! (I just went to Google it and yes! Females are orange, males are white.) Cool!!! Hahaha!

Lastly, I'm clearing out my books. If anyone wants one, gimme a holler and I'll bring whatever book you want the next time I see you. I desperately need to free up prime real estate on my bookshelves!

Mediocrity

'How can I hate someone who only ever gave me love?' thought Veronika, confused, trying to check her feelings. But it was too late, her hatred had been unleashed, she had opened the door to her personal hell. She hated the love she had been given, because it had asked for nothing in return, which was absurd, unreal, against the laws of nature.

That love asking for nothing in return had managed to fill her with guilt, with a desire to fulfil another's expectations, even if that meant giving up everything she had dreamed of for herself. It was a love that for years had tried to hide from her the difficulties and the corruption that existed in the world, ignoring the fact that, one day, she would have to find this out, and would then be defenceless against them.

-Veronika decides to die

I read this many years ago but it seemed a strange novel to me because I couldn't understand it. I find I gain more insight when I re-read novels now that I am old and grey. (I'm still a teenager ok!!)

There are many things I want to say but I can only speak of them to friends who are in the same situation as I am, because many are uncomfortable with the notion that they are... mediocre.

The title of this post? Mediocrity.

A: I regret quitting my piano classes when I was little.
B: Why don't you continue now?
A: Oh, I don't have time.
B: But with your level of competence, you can actually practise and submit a self-entry for the exam.
A: Ya, I know, but I dunno about the theory.
B: Oh, me too! But you can read up about it, can't you?
A: Aiya, I'm lazy! If nobody pushes me, I won't push myself!

Well, where does the problem lie? I hate it when people say "I don't have time" and then follow up with sentences like "I'm so envious of you, you have a regular part-time job, if I had continued my piano lessons I could also have one." Are you sure about that?

"If nobody pushes me, I won't push myself!" It clearly shows that A's passion is insufficient, A lacks drive. If you don't want to do anything about it, just quit complaining and move on to something better.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't force it to drink. I'm a nice person, I'll try to enlighten people like A, but most of the time, they never do. That's why they always end up as my acquaintances, not my close friends.

Anyway I just received a call. The woman I'm supposed to meet at 1.30pm later just called and said she walked out of the exam hall early. -_-U So now I'll have to go get ready. Au revoir!