Pages

Search This Blog

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 7

The full list here.

Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6


Day 7: A Song That Reminds You of Someone


Many songs remind of of many different people. Like Britney's and Avril's old songs remind me of an old friend. The choir song (Double Trouble) from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban reminds me of my best friend. Like Phantasmagoria's Gensoukyoku Eternal Silence reminds me of a couple of exs...





All the GazettE songs remind me of one person, but for this particular question, I'm going to go for SCANDAL's Namida no Regret ("tears of regret"). It was one of the last songs he sent to me, and one of the songs that pierced my heart the most.


The lyrics, in some contexts, matched our relationship almost perfectly. We didn't actually say goodbye and went on with our own lives. He said "let's be friends", but my Christmas and new year greetings went ignored. The entire song itself described how I felt, and my thoughts when we broke up.


This song used to make me cry - memories came flooding back, words repeated in my mind. Everything that was, now nothing. But then again, this song did kind of help me let go. Moving on, even if the summer colors between us disappeared.


Translation taken from LyricsMania.com:

Tears of regret spilled from a smile
As the summer colors shined brightly from the city
Instead of saying goodbye, we exchange small nods
And we start to move on

As I was waiting for the bus
Twilight seemed to approach slowly
I wondered, we didn't look bad as a couple, did we?

In the window glass
I saw the broken reflection of the two of us
We were trying to grow up

Like a bad boy giving up
You joke about breaking up
With that that subtle face
I still know what you were thinking
Even with my eyes closed

My tears weren't about the heartbreak
Up until now, I still loved you
When we began to say goodbye
I couldn't promise you that we could move on

"I'll call you," you said
But I could tell you weren't telling the truth
From the way your hand was shaking
We were nothing more than just childhood friends

I still hate hearing that
I should have endure the life in the city

Tears of regret spilled from a smile
As the summer colors shined brightly from the city
Instead of saying goodbye, we exchange small nods
And we start to move on

I only feel that I begin to hate myself trying to be strong
Every time I look back at my loss
I would hear your voice

I don't know if I can bear it
But I can't help to keep moving on
We'll see

I hold my tears
I keep hearing words
Saying that one day it'll be hard for me
Is this really goodbye?
It's a promise that we can't take back

The summer colors disappear

I also did a voice cover for this song (volume down, please, it's a J-rock song =D):




Even if I hear this song now, it still reminds me of him, but in a more positive way - fate had let our paths cross, and we both learned something from each other. And like he said, I'll try not to let anything negative from that past affect me again.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 6

The full challenge list here.

Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5


Day 6: A Song That Reminds You of Home


Home is where the heart is. For me, home is where the family is. The first song that came to mind was The Bangles' Eternal Flame. It was one of the songs I first started singing, and my family (my aunt in particular) always reminisced the times when sung the song in my soft singing voice since I was a little girl.





I think a more appropriate song to use here would be The Eagles' Hotel California or Michael Jackson's Jam. To suit the sentimental mood that I interpreted from the challenge question, I think I'll go for Eagles.


My parents were fans of older music, like The Eagles, ABBA, Aaron Neville, etc. I remember playing MJ's Dangerous CD (the only MJ CD we had) with my dad's home theater system, and dancing out of tempo to the songs.


My dad owned a Mazda Etude (now it's my sister's car), and I forgot how, we also happened to be able to drive around in an old Honda Accord, that had a CD player (the Mazda only had a cassette player). On long road trips, short road trips, shopping trips to The Mines, my parents would play The Eagles CD.


I can't remember any other songs, but I remember Hotel California (my first and so far only trip to karaoke with my dad, he picked the song, and sang it completely out of tune and tempo). Reminds me of the days where we would all excitedly get into the Accord, then drive out to wherever - my dad behind the wheel, my mum beside him, and us sisters in the backseat...

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 5

The full challenge list here. Also, check out Maira's and Ken Min's blog! They're doing this challenge, too!


Day 5: A Song From An Artist You Wish Had Never Started Singing


How I interpret this challenge question: he/she has released singles, albums, etc, but I wish he/she had never even made their debut before. The first person who came to mind was Bieber, but I realized that I actually like some of his songs...


I'll be honest, I don't really know any artists that I don't like, because I automatically pay more attention to artists and music that I like.





I think for this one, I'll go with African-American rappers, like Lil Wayne. I'm alright with Flo-Rida, I just don't like Snoop Dogg's face, but Lil Wayne... He's just annoying. I don't know if rapping constitutes singing, but like I said, this is how I'm gonna interpret this challenge question.


The lyrics, the music, the video... Put them all together, and there you have a cocktail of things I don't like. I'm not hating, but just saying that I don't like him or his music. Don't bash.

Monday, January 28, 2013

A very nice (Aussie) weekend

21st JANUARY 2013
"Miruku chokoratto no ie" by Meiji

My mum got a Meiji Milk Chocolate House for her birthday last year, and we've just only gotten round to trying to make it. I saw Ochikeron's chocolate house tutorial, and kinda had a picture of what to do.

The house base template (other parts of the house walls under the template card), chocolate pen, sprinkles, and milk chocolate which were supposed to be the roof.

The attempt failed - due to temperature problems. It's too humid here in KL so the chocolate had to be put into the fridge so that it doesn't melt (just holding the chocolate bar for 3 seconds and my fingers were sticky), and the "cement" was melted chocolate.

Broken walls and melting chocolate. Everything just kept falling apart, no matter what I tried...

Warm chocolate on cold surface - BAM! The melted chocolate hardened before anything could stick properly.


***
 

Now that I look back, I really don't know WHY my house was suddenly full of people - relatives from other countries, from the far east Japan, to Australia down under. Despite this lack of supposed information, the weekend was beyond awesome, despite a shocking incident.


Anyway on Saturday morning, I was woken up pretty early (7-8am-ish, and I recently sleep only at 4-5am) by a hoard of people intruding my room. Didn't really like being woken up, deprived of my usual morning privacy, but I was glad I woke up anyway. =D

My new bikinis =D But now that I have them, I have no idea where to wear them to @_@
4GB Angry Bird's pendrive. I'm like literally shoving something in and out of a butthole =__=
My aunt from Japan had come over to visit, along with my uncle and his wife from Singapore. We were later joined by my mum's cousin and her son, whom I shall refer to as my cousin. We had lunch together (I've completely forgotten what we had for lunch...), then spent some time in the living room looking at old photos, chatting, and in my case, wrestling with my cousin.

My younger sister, cousin et moi at BR Seri Petaling. This guy had a chocolate lava cake, with strawberry sauce, and chocolate mint ice cream - talk about weird combos.
At about 3pm or so, we took a drive out to Pantai Bangsar (my driving got PRAISED =D) to visit an uncle, then drove back to Seri Petaling for some Baskin Robbins. I notice that I tend to choose cream, cookies, chocolate, or coffee flavors...

He's really, really, really comfy like that. =P And yes, I'm now accustomed to making the duck face for selfshots.
We arrived home, and while waiting for dinner, my cousin took the center of the three-seater sofa, leaned toward my sister, and took my arm as a bolster - a pre-dinner snooze.

I love this stuff. I tried making my own tamagoyaki before, but each attempt came out complete failures where aesthetics and presentation were concerned.
Dinner was a delicious combo of fried glass noodles, salted egg crab, satay, and a few slices of tamagoyaki (there were other dishes, but I didn't really touch them). The last note of dinner was some delicious home-made kopi-C, courtesy of my dear uncle. Rich, creamy, and absolutely heavenly! The only reason why I haven't started learning to make it is because then my "diet plans" would seriously be flushed down the gutter thoroughly.


The next day's lunch was porridge, cooked by my younger sister (I am the only one in the house who currently does not know how to make porridge), complimented by the flavors of spring onions, century egg, salted egg, and fried dough sticks, finished off with some kumquats.


After sending my aunt and uncle off, the three of us (sister, cousin, y yo) snuggled upstairs and watched Despicable Me - a movie that my cousin has been wanted to finish, since he watched only the first half of it on his last trip.

Partially dolled up. I left my fedora in my mum's car, and he had some fun with it =P
There was another short round of wrestling (resulting in BRUISES) before I went to prepare to go to a full moon celebration. I didn't really want to go barefaced since I was wearing a tube top with red pants, so I just smacked on some eyeliner thickly, smudged it out, applied mascara and a red lip gloss.


On to Cheras, and the food was catered, again, by Le Oriental. My favorite were the fish fillets, actually. And the fillets weren't even crispy - they were gummy. There was some really good roast pork, though. Had a glass of orange juice, a game of Snap, and some good, cold Carlsberg (which resulted in me looking like I had a skin allergy).


The journey back home was alright, until we got a call - the uncle in the hospital just got transferred to the ICU. It was the first time ever I wad confronted with a situation like this... About two hours we were there, and we got the good news that his condition had stabilized.

Getting a little too comfortable... Entire body and face structure suited to a male model's, though...
Dinner at Maiu, Seri Petaling. *bitch face*

The next day was my cousin's (and his mum's) last day. At 3pm, we picked them up, spent some quality time together, then had dinner at Maiu~ After a good dinner (a few servings of ice cream), we took a long journey to LCCT (super far away... WHY?!) and sent them off.

Brandon and Kit.

We were left with these two as "souvenirs" - we've named them Brandon (darker shell) and Kit, after their previous owners. They were somehow "smuggled" in from Hong Kong. So far, they're really cute, and instead of the tortoise (not turtle) food Brandon got them in Hong Kong, we give them leaves from cabbage, choi sum, broccoli, whatever greens we can get.

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 4

Full list here.


Day 4: A Song You Couldn't Live Without


This is a really tough one. In general, I don't think I could live without music - let's face it, WHO CAN?! I need music to wake up, to drive to campus when I feel like nodding off to sleep, to drive home, and keep myself sane enough to survive the day.




I'll go by feel then. When I saw the question, a sudden surge of Westlife and Michael Jackson songs surged through my mind - I did practically grow up listening to them. But I couldn't pinpoint a particular song. And then some Whitney Houston came in as well, but the only which stuck is Roxette's It Must Have Been Love.


I guess a song one can't live without is supposed to be epic, but Roxette is epic! So is the song, at least for me it is... I could say Gackt's RETURNER ~Yami no Shuuen~, or L'Arc~en~Ciel's My Heart Draws a Dream, or something from Miyavi, or the GazettE, or Kagrra,, or Versailles.





No, no, no. On second thought, I choose Kagrra,'s Utakata. Utakata was my first Kagrra, song (the band's name is stylized as "Kagrra,"), and I was more smitten by the song than when I discovered Meevs, GazettE or Versailles.


Their mix of J-rock, sounds from the koto, and oh, Isshi's voice! May you rest in peace, and continue singing in heaven, Isshi-sama! There's the softness of classical Japanese music, and the hardness of J-rock - a perfect combination, brought together by Isshi-sama's unique, emotional voice.


It's the perfect song for some, I think. It has a good enough balance of peaceful calmness, emotion, and rock, at least it is for me. As much rock music as I prefer, sometimes I do need some soft music.


I don't know how to describe it exactly, but this song is pretty close to my heart, even closer than Pledge, or Cassis. You could say this song, along with the PV and the band, encompasses the entire Japanese culture - the traditional, the visual movement, the music (both traditional and modern), and the beauty...

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 3

The full list here.


***


Day 3: A Song That You Absolutely Despise


I don't hate Psy's Gangnam Style. I don't hate Justin Bieber's Baby. I hate Teriyaki Boyz's Tokyo Drift.







I hate the starting, the annoying girl's voices, just everything about the song. I think my dislike for the song heightened when my sister played it all the time around the house when it was hot, which was around 2006 when The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift first hit the movie market. People around school loved it as well.


I still get annoyed when my mother's phone rings now, because she has this song as her ringtone. Ugh. I would walk out of the room if I could whenever I hear this song.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 2

Do this challenge with me!!! I love challenges! The full list here.


***


Day 2: A Favorite Band


Do I really have to tell you this? I love lots of bands - local band RELENT, Versailles, Kagrra,, etc. Most of these have the element of rock in their music, one way or another. For whatever reason, Japanese rock appeals to me more than rock from other countries.

Source. the GazettE's look for their 10th Anniversary live - The Decade. The clips are all over Youtube. Watch them before
the GazettE. I discovered them in around 2009, I think. It was a result of another fangirling incident, I downloaded Cassis illegally, and fell in love.


At that time, I was already submerged halfway into my obsession with Japanese music - I watched Music Station on Animax every Saturday, and was totally blown away by Gackt and L'Arc~en~Ciel. I had ventured a bit into Miyavi's music... then BAM! I was completely smitten. Ballads, poprock, metal, they've covered almost all genres of music already... STILL AWESOME!





My official first song from the GazettE was Cassis, but I remember a promotional video (I think it was a teaser or a preview) for Filth in the Beauty when I was browsing for GakuHai (Gackt & hyde) videos on Youtube.


My love for GazeRock has changed my life in many ways - men with long hair, painted nails, and make-up weren't gay; multiple piercings were cool; and rock wasn't just noise anymore. It also was the reason why my "first love" and I got together and started talking in the first place.


I'll refer from the image. From left is Aoi, guitarist. He is one of the only two people in the band who's active on Twitter, and has a penchant of cute dancing~ He's the oldest among all the members, and has the earliest birthday in the year (20th January).


Reita is the bassist, and is known for his signature nose band and love for cockatiels. He is practically never seen without the noseband, and has a dislike for drummer Kai's cooking.


Vocalist Ruki is the shortest and youngest of the 5, and writes lyrics for the band's songs. He has a pet chihuahua named Koron. He's the most active Tweeter in the band.


Kai is the drummer of the band, as well as the leader. He is known for his dimpled smiles, and his passion for cooking (you can find a video of him making French toast for his band mates on Youtube). He has the latest birthday in the year (28th October).


Uruha is my bias, has 9 piercings, is the guitarist of the GazettE, and drinks like a maniac. His favorite alcohols are Moet et Chandon and Smirnoff. His signature look is the false double eyelid make-up (but recently it changed into a heavy smokey eye).


For 10 years they've been making music, and they're getting more and more popular around the world. So many of their songs are my favorites - Chizuru, The Invisible Wall, Reila, Silly God Disco, and the list can go on. (watch the videos in highest quality possible, please, give the music some justice)














Feel free to browse and bask in GazettE awesomeness. =D

Friday, January 25, 2013

Improved 30 Day Song Challenge: Day 1

I would typically wait for the start of a new month to start a challenge chain, but since most challenges are 30+ days, and the next month is February, I thought what the hell. You can find the entire list here.


***


Day 1: A favorite song


To ask me to name a favorite song is almost impossible, since I listen to practically everything. But the moment I saw it, the only song I can hear in my head is the GazettE's Cassis.





Cassis was my first the GazettE song. I was fangirling over Taiwanese pop star Jiro Wang at that time, and I had collected a couple of pages of a magazine interview that he did. In the interview, his passion for the GazettE was mentioned, and he recommended Cassis.

Source. Their look for Cassis.
The acoustic guitar solo at the beginning, then the piano and electric guitar combo bridge, Ruki's deep, sultry voice...All the electric guitar solos by Uruha and Aoi... This is the only song that I can still remember every word to, even if I haven't listened to it in a long time (which is quite rare).


Even if it was Miyavi who sparked my interest in the visual kei scene, it was the GazettE which anchored me there. the GazettE is also the main reason why I'm into androgyny. I mean, all but Reita (bass, second from left) and Kai (drummer & leader, second from right) looked like girls to me at that time. HOW BEAUTIFUL CAN URUHA BE?! (he's the guitarist, by the way, on the far right)


I was so obsessed that I took up the guitar (gave up a couple years later because of university), got a stretched piercing, and got 9 piercings in total like Uruha (although not in the exact same places as he has them).

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Weekday mall trip

24th JANUARY 2013

It's a public holiday here now, but which public holiday it is, I have no idea. For one, I have no classes anyway; and there are so many public holidays throughout the year in Malaysia that I can't be bothered to keep track of them.

 My younger sister mentioned to me the night before that we would be going to Mid Valley (again, but still our favorite mall). I fell asleep the previous night waiting on Skype, and thinking of how to do a voice-over for my video without including all the background noise from a shared house on a main street. Doing it at night includes some free background music, such as endless cricket sounds, as well as random dog orchestras by the many dogs who live on my street.


Despite sleeping late, I woke up alarmingly early. But just early enough that my mother walked in a few minutes later with the intention to wake me up, presumably by roughly shaking me, or pulling back my covers, or something just mean and sudden. I think. I can't say. Anyway.


We were so early that the area around the escalator entrance was pretty bare. Wanted to get my splitting ends trimmed at X-Cut, but then saw that they raised the price from RM15, to RM16, to RM18. I might as well drop by Zola Hair Shop, and have Ronnie trim my hair. =D


There was a temptation to get the new Horlicks Cocoa from Chatime, but they weren't going to be open until half an hour later. By that time, we were enjoying assorted meat pies from Just Pies after shopping for some CNY cards at Hallmark.

What happens when I get dragged out for shopping with only less than 4 hours of sleep and no coffee. I either look like death, or I'm hyper like that. My mum spent a lot of the day shopping for oversized plastic peonies.
For some unfathomable reason, my sister and I were the main subjects for my mother's photography of the CNY display items at the Center Court. I thought I'd be funny and make some faces, which made some parents throw me dirty looks. Hey, I'm having my own fun!

FINALLY!!! Suribachi bowl from Daiso. I'm one step closer to actually making my kuro goma ice cream.
We had a short stroll through Jusco for CNY clothes for mum, after taking a look at shoes at Nose (abandoned again while I obsessed over stilettos and platforms). We walked up to Daiso, where I got some *ahem* fishnet stockings, and my suribachi mortar (more like a bowl) for my kuro goma ice cream~ Couldn't find the surikogi pestle, though...

Sister's sirloin steak set.
For lunch, one suggestion from my sister: Pasta Zanmai. Just before the lunch rush, we were comfortably seated and ordered our food. My mother ordered her usual, while my sister went all the way to a wafu pasta restaurant to have sirloin steak with rice and miso soup.

Kaki Kimuchi Soup Pasta - RM28 (regular); RM13 (mini). Subject to taxes.
When I like a restaurant, I would usually try as many things as I can from the menu. Today I tried out a miso kimchi soup pasta with oysters. The soup was a little spicy for my taste (I love spicy food, but my tongue still can't take it), but the overall dish was beautiful - the oysters were perfectly cooked, and even better, they were fresh! Would've opted for a little less veggies, though.


We were greedy, and ordered a chocolate banana parfait. Seriously, it's getting less and less worth the money. The parfait is made up of a layered concoction of chocolate and vanilla ice cream, banana slices, cornflakes, crushed chocolate cookies, and whipped cream. The ratio of cornflakes to all the other ingredients is almost 1 : 2. For RM16? I'd rather have the rock melon parfait.

I wanted another red, but the red for this series looked too dark for my liking, and I didn't want to get the red from Revlon or L'Oreal, so I opted for Coconut Blonde =D
I want a new hair color for CNY, after trimming my hair, that is. I've never used conventional DIY hair dyes, so I opted for another bubble formula dye. Instead of Liese (RM30.80 I saw today at Watson's), I opted for Gatsby's Bubble Type Bleach & Color. I'll probably do a separate post on this one when I get round to using it. It's cheaper than Liese and Schwarzkopf (RM32.80-ish), where bubble hair dyes are concerned.


Didn't get my BB cream, though. I saw an ad in the latest edition of Women's Weekly Malaysia for the new Hada Labo 10-in-1 BB cream. Pore minimizing, hydrating, skin tone perfecting, UV protection, and a few other awesome benefits ... for RM46.90. Uh. No. Even two boxes of hair dye doesn't cost that much. I'll stick with Za.


We made a rare trip to PJ Old Town, thinking to make a stop at the haberdashery that we used to frequent. The crazy traffic and lack of parking made us go home, not before making a stop at Edible Foods to find some nice cake boxes for my mum's CNY cakes.


We came home. Mum started to make soup for dinner, sister proceeded to transferring photos (but to no avail) from my mum's phone, and I started taking photos and blogging. Such is life for me. And today is categorized as a fairly eventful day, despite me walking around like a zombie due to the constant lack of sleep for the past month or so.

Review: Bobbi Brown lip gloss

I recently acquired a few tubes of lip gloss from my aunt. I'm not a real fan of gloss, because I'm the type who likes her hair somewhat always in her face, and this always leads to hair sticking to my lips. *super annoying!*

These are samples, so they're in irregular sizes. =D
The exception, however, is that these glosses aren't the usual plain pink-tinted or clear ones that I've used before. Each gloss is a different color all together. I've only used them on their own before, without a lipstick and/or balm base.

Rich Color Gloss in Pink Cocoa 12 (7ml); High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Black Ruby 8 (7ml); High Shimmer Sparkle 15 (4.2ml).
Two of the glosses are from the High Shimmer line, which contains an abundance of fine glitter particles. I've never really liked glitter, but these glitter particles are nice and fine - obvious enough without being obscenely chunky.


Black Ruby is a deep red with a hint of gold reflective glitter. Bare Sparkle is a clear gloss with gold glitter. Pink Cocoa is more of a nice pink-brown nude gloss, with a very light touch of shimmer. Perfect for natural looks.


Pros:
  • fairly pigmented
  • doe-foot applicator for precise application
  • long lasting - I had an entire drink with this on, and it didn't budge AT ALL (didn't last through dinner, though)
  • shimmer is fairly fine (not chunky)
  • dries into a non-sticky surface =D
  • stylish packaging
Cons:
  • a bit thick for smooth application
  • need a few layers of product if you want intense color

All in all, these would be glosses that I might be using much more in the future, especially when I want color without the hassle of lipstick. =)


I wore Black Ruby to a full-moon celebration, paired with a simple smudged liner look and mascara. I literally applied black pencil liner to bare lids (without the usual primer) and smudged it out with my fingers, finishing off with just a touch of mascara. Looked made up enough without shouting "look at me!".

Breathless

The only things keeping me alive recently - a certain someone, chocolate, and mind-blowing music. Some recents since the last post that I've been listening to since:



Davide Sonar Natural
Never been interested in music like this before, but a sudden whirlwind made me fall in love. This particular music is called hardstyle. The way Davide mixed electronic sounds with a few hints of orchestrated notes here and there - MIND-BLOWING. I've been listening to this for a week already, I think. On constant replay. For 12 hours straight each day. So you can imagine how obsessed I am. =D



Miyavi Ahead of the Light
This is his new single. As usual, his fingers on the guitar strings, his voice, especially when he uses strength (no idea what the jargon is). This is a little different from his other songs - for me, it's more city-inspired. J-rock forever~



Toneshifterz Psychedelic Wasteland Defqon 1 Australia Anthem 2011
Totally new to this music, but loving it anyway. Thanks to Brandon for the introduction when I was tipsy. =D 
***


That's basically it. Just thought I'd share some music. =D Sharing is caring. Video is exporting now, by the way, but it's gonna have one ugly watermark there.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Music favorites + new discoveries

To say that music defines my life is kind of an understatement. I'll listen to anything that sounds good - from classical, opera, to techno, and hard metal (usually my foremost preference). But then again, if you look around, "music defines my life" would be more applicable to those who really live with music, for the music. I am merely another person on earth who listens to music. =)


So, here are a few of my favorites, especially in the past month or so.



RELENT You Still Love
I've been listening to this since I started volunteering for CYW. I could safely say RELENT is the only local band that I actually like. This would be a song that I might have performed at my wedding (if it ever happens), and the band members are really friendly, especially vocalist Neil, and percussionist Cuzario. =D





曲婉婷 我的歌声里 (Qu Wan Ting You Exist in My Song)
I think in the later part of 2012, this was the hit song in Malaysian. Performed by Malaysian Wanting, the song has been voted for over and over again on various music stations (I listen to OneFM). It's a song Jasmine and I like to sing along to.




Rie Tanaka Ningyo Hime (Mermaid Princess) [Chobits ED2]
This used to voice my feelings so much - of clinging to every strand left, never letting go. Although those thoughts are pretty much behind me, it's a song I like to sing along to. Romanji lyrics and translation here.



the GazettE PLEDGE
Emotional, intense, and the lyrics are just beautiful. The guitars, the bass, the drums, Ruki's voice - every emotion screamed from this song... Romanji lyrics everywhere, and the translation here.




Roxette Listen to Your Heart
I have a soft spot for love songs with a touch of rock, like this song here. My sister and I used to put it on replay while playing MapleSEA.



Tainaka Sachi Saikou no Kataomoi [Saiunkoku Monogatari ED]
Another anime song. It's impossible to be addicted to anime while not getting addicted to their songs. Modern Japanese songs have almost always stood out from the crowd for me, and this is just one of the songs that I used to hate ('cause I couldn't reach the high notes), but came to love slowly.



Utada Hikaru First Love
According to my friends, this was THE hit song when we were in primary school. The thing is, my first Hikki song was Flavor of Life, and I didn't hear of First Love until only recently. In primary school, I was following the trend, listening to Britney, Avril, and some Taiwanese pop groups. Now it's a song I sing to annoy my sister. =D



Jade from SWEETBOX 1000 Words [Final Fantasy X-2 soundtrack]
No person can be qualified as an FF fan if they don't know this song. This was THE song when I was in my early years of secondary school, just when I started discovering Gackt, hyde (and subsequently L'Arc~en~Ciel), Miyavi, and the GazettE, followed by many other visual bands.

The lyrics of this song are just beautiful:

Oh, a thousand words
Called out through the ages
They'll fly to you
Even though I can't see
I know they're reaching you
Suspended on silver wings

If you listened to the song while actually playing the video game, I can guarantee that you'll need tissues to try your tears.


***

Now for some new discoveries. Lately I haven't really been musically adventurous, playing the few songs above again and again and again, without really getting tired of them. Just a few days ago, though, I decided to try out some new music.





Guns N' Roses November Rain
I have a guy on my Facebook friends list called November Rain, and I have a few friends who are rock enthusiasts. I was listening to songs like Hotel California and Every Breath You Take, and found this on the suggestions box. I told myself, why not? I am now officially completely awed by Slash's badass-ness.





Davide Sonar Natural
I'll be honest. I've never really liked techno until I started listening to J-rock. I'm not a party person (even if I wanted to), but I like songs with a beat. In a way, I came across this by accident, and it just totally blew my mind. My first dose of Italian hardstyle, and I'm lovin' it!




Davide Sonar Dedication
You can rest assured that this will be only music in my room for the next week or so. I'll have it on replay until my ears burst from an overload of auditory orgasms.


***

I know. The video has been under editing for more than two weeks already. I'm trying really hard not to rip my hair out, because the software I'm using to edit the video now stalls a few seconds every time I do something.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Primary schoolmates' mini-gathering

13th JANUARY 2013

After going to Comic Fiesta 2012 with Kah Yeng and Ken Min, we've pretty much been very excited about cosplaying next year. No idea for which anime, but we just felt like it. Kah Yeng invited a few of us out for a mini-gathering to discuss this, and all of them are people from my primary school. =D

Look of the day: neutral browns from Maybelline's Three Chocolate shadow trio, and winged liquid liner. I love my facial structure in this photo =D

I was pretty much unceremoniously woken up by the Chinese drums playing at the funeral going on at my neighbor's house at 8am-ish. The Buddhist chanting and drumming went on almost all the way until just before I went out of the house, which was around 10.30am.

With Kah Yeng =D
There were supposed to be 6 people in total going there, but two were unavailable. In the end, Ken Min, Boon Ping, Kah Yeng and I headed to Sunway Pyramid with me behind the wheel of my little Satria Neo (it's been some time since I've been driving regularly, and I've gotten quite impatient).


I thought parking would be a complete headache, but surprisingly, after browsing through about 3 completely full and jam-packed parking levels, we came to one which was almost completely empty, but chaotic because every car that arrived on that floor wanted to park there.


We went up to Asian Avenue, and took random strolls through random shops. There'll be another shopping trip with Ken Min when he gets his salary. Let's just hope I don't get too carried away by buying too much make-up for him. @_@


We stopped by Payless Shoesource as well, and Sun Paradise was right beside it. I popped in to take a look at the bikini prices - RM399 for a bikini... Isn't that a little too expensive? I didn't check out bikinis from Ogival, though...


A bit nostalgic, strolling through Asian Avenue, especially past Offline Blogshop (I kinda miss the I Am Not For Sale volunteering campaign...). I remembered there were corsets for sale at Offline Blogshop, so I went in for a look.

The only local band I like =D

There were no corsets, but there were RELENT's CDs for sale. I've been wanting to get my hands on those CDs for a really long time, but due to financial restrictions, I just got one - Acoustic Previews.


Tracks in the CD includes:
  1. More to Life
  2. Crooked
  3. Save Me
  4. Fixed on You
  5. You Still Love
Yasai kakiage (tenpura-style fried vegetables) - RM3.90.
Ten-zaru soba (cold soba with tenpura)- RM15.90.
Since none of us ate, we joined the 5-10-minute waiting line outside Sakae Sushi. I don't know why, but I ordered two servings to tenpura...

Camwhoring in F21!!!
I have a weird attraction to the lingerie section of most stores =D Would you buy/wear this tiger print bra?
We had plans to visit F21, and Daiso, but we kinda ended up just calculating our Sushi bill in F21 (total RM120, miscalculated that Kah Yeng ate over RM70 worth of food!), then camwhoring. =D


We took a short stroll through the cosmetic racks of Watson's, in preparation for Ken Min's future cosmetic shopping, then got into Daiso. I've been craving kuro goma (black sesame) ice cream for a very long time, and I've found the recipe for it. But I'll need the Japanese style pestle and mortar (or at least a newer one, the one I have at home is worse than the surface of an old tar road) to make my own black sesame paste.

Black to gold polyester folding fan~
I was disappointed, however, when I couldn't find what I wanted. I did get something, though - a folding fan. According to the tag, it's supposed to be a fan for men, like when they do performances or drag, I think. It looks nice, and it's pretty useful, given the Malaysian heat and humidity.

Lot's matcha ice cream. RM3 per cone~
Kah Yeng, Ken Min, and I were basically still hyped with Japanese stuff (who am I kidding? We've always been hyped!) so we went for a last round of Lot's matcha ice cream~ Delicious stuff~

With Ken Min. This face again, 'cause I don't know what other face to make while camwhoring @_@
We had another round of camwhoring, and had a lot of fun especially from my imitation of a lady's "oh, bitch please, I'm sorry" face. Additional photos later, when the others have uploaded them. =)


I drove Ken Min home, and the girl's to Bukit Jalil LRT station. It's satisfying to see people sleep in a car that I'm driving (at about 110km/h *ahem*). It's good to know that they trust me enough to close their eyes when I'm behind the wheel. =D


***

I'm now editing the day-to-night tutorial video. I had to use WonderShare Video Editor because CyberLink wouldn't work for me, and it's not being very friendly. I promise I'll try to get it done as quickly as I can!!!

Monday, January 7, 2013

Finally free + Singapore food trip

Not completely free, but free from my second semester. Right now, I've to find a part time job to fill in 3 long months of my holiday. =)

Royce' Nama Chocolate, Champagne flavor~ My new found expensive treat~
So right after our exams finished, we shared delicious lemon cupcakes made by Jeanna, and some Royce' Champagne Nama Chocolate outside Starbucks at campus. It was just LUSCIOUS - melt-in-your-mouth creamy, with the subtle flavor of alcohol~

I love this hat! It's warmer and more comfortable than the beanie I got from Daiso~
We started our 4-hour drive down to Singapore at around 3-4pm, with me in the backseat. I guess you could sum up my entire trip's wardrobe with one word: SHORT. Both dresses I wore were relatively short (shorter than I would usually wear), and I wore shorts in the evening. I accessorized the trip with my furry hat! Super warm~

The Welcome party, I shall call them. Found them on the guest bed - tuejitoki, Gloria and Melman~
The moment we arrived at the place we were staying, we put down our bags and immediately started making dinner plans. I have a number of relatives who live in Singapore, and in the event that we make visits, everyone calls everyone out for dinner, lunch, or a shopping trip somewhere, if their schedules allow it.


As with the last time, our first meal was at Old Hong Kong Tea House at Tanjung Katong. We had to park somewhat further down the street in the parking lot of another mall, but the walk was nice. The thing about Singapore is that it's always cooling enough - there's always a breeze, no matter how merciless the sun or the humidity is.

My arm candy~ Muahahahaha!
Red star: must try.
Old Hong Kong Tea House specializes in Hong Kongese treats and meals, from appetizers to tummy-filling meals, and hot drinks to cold, creamy desserts.

Appetizer: deep fried fish skin served with superior soup. The crispy fish skin crackles when you dip in into the superior soup before taking a bite~ Delicious~
Steamed custard buns~
I shall call this the Cholesterol bun. But delicious nonetheless~
My main dish: cheese baked lamian with pork with Portuguese sauce~ Tender pork slices, luxurious mozzarella cheese on top, what more can you ask for?
First round of desserts~ Left: durian cream with black glutinous rice and ice cream; right: durian cream with sago and pomelo~ Both are equally delicious, fragrant and smooth, with just enough sweetness to balance~


Second round of dessert: mango cream with sago and pomelo~
As much as I love this place, the service quality is limited, and the price makes the restaurant a place that you wouldn't go to often.

Outfit of the day: red striped short dress from Bangkok, Burberry-inspired headband loaned from sis~
The next day started with a morning swim, but swimming has lost the appeal it once had to me - now that the UniGym has a pool, I can go swimming whenever I want, without getting tanned. I took a few laps, and half an hour later I was out, up, and doing my make-up (tutorial to be made, I promise).

Tian Jia Fu Restaurant. Typical Chinese name for a restaurant, but the food here is daebak!!!
We then took a drive down to Clementi from Bayshore Road for lunch with my cousin and his family. The place was distinctly Chinese, tucked away in a rather silent corner of a block of buildings. Service there was superb, and for so many dishes, it only cost around S$180.

We had the fish head steamboat~
The specialty of the restaurant was fish head pot, I assume, since the item occupied the entire first page of the menu. The adults ordered an array of other dishes, mostly veggies. I made a conscious effort to try to eat more of the greens, but ended up drinking a lot of soup that came with the fish head pot~ Beautifully sweet, punctuated with the flavor of the fish and the vegetables they put into the soup - yam, tomatoes, and celery (yuck).

Doesn't look very pretty, but I can assure you, this is delicious, and well worth the money~
Veggies with cashew nuts~
Tofu with veggies and pork bits~
Another tofu dish~
Sambal-fried kangkong. Spiced to the max!
Egg fu yong. With sausages, peppers, mushrooms, and shrimp~
This is interesting. It think it's called Golden Chicken. Chicken skin, a thin layer of chicken meat, then stuffed with shrimp and fish. Served with a nice, tangy sauce~
Lunch was not to be completed with some additional dessert (the meal came with a sea coconut dessert). We took a walk down to Clementi Arcade, passing by many shops.

We didn't try it out, but the place seemed quite posh~
We happened to pass by a live seafood restaurant on our way, and despite the seeming classiness of the place (shaded terrace dining area), our group stopped and started snapping away. It seems a bit nostalgic - as a kid, we used to gawk at the live seafood in their tanks whenever we went to a Chinese restaurant which prided themselves for their fresh seafood.

Huge oysters! The size of a meaty crab!
Lobster king. XD
Fishes, crabs, shellfish. But this wasn't any old Chinese restaurant live seafood display - huge oysters, large geoducks (or as the Vietnamese call them: elephant cock snail), intimidating-looking lobsters, and most of all, Alaskan King crabs.

My first real-life look at Alaskan King crabs. Geoducks vaguely visible on the right~
That was what made us stop in the first place - the sheer size of all the shellfish there. My sister, having worked with Alaskan King crabs before, told us that this was smaller than what she had seen, and as it is, those crabs were almost two times the size of my hand!

The Daily Scoop's menu~
After a walk under the merciless sun, we arrived at Clementi Arcade, and found a table in The Daily Scoop Ice Cream Cafe. Specializing in freshly made ice cream, and an array of drinks, the place was quite crowded, with seniors, college students, and families alike.

Fresh ice cream in the making. The container is basically a very cold one. They pour the ice cream mixture into it, leave it for a while, then mix it around with the spatulas. The process continues until the ice cream is done, and is then packed into 400g tubs, or served to customers in the cafe~


Their selection of ice cream flavors included old school flavors like Simple Vanilla and Simple Chocolate, but also had some more interesting flavors, like the Durian Mao Shan Wang, Strawberry Shortcake (real, tangy strawberry with seeds!) and Bailey's Chocolate (wasn't available that day).

Ice cream in a chocolate-coated cone?
Plain scoops? Left: Durian Mao Shan Wang, right: Lychee Martini.
Or on a beautiful, sexy waffle, dusted with confectioner's sugar?
The ice creams are served either plain, in chocolate-coated wafer cones, or on freshly made waffles. My uncle kept suggesting that I get a waffle, and so I did, topped with a scoop of Kookie Monster (chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookie bits). This is how I will describe it: SEXILY SINFUL~

Real, live (at least it was) Christmas tree~
During the walk to and fro, we passed by this part of the old Singapore KTM track. I saw it, and felt the sudden urge for creative photography (not so successful though =P). The creepers, and rust, gave such a short bridge such nostalgic and calming feels~
We took a relatively dreaded walk back, then went for a visit at my cousin's new place. I would say that this would be the residence I would look to as reference for my future home. Simple, homey, yet modern and cute.


When we arrived back at Bayshore, most took to the bathrooms immediately, then took a nap. Due to reasons I shall not disclose, I decided, against my brain's screams at me to get some rest after an all-nighter study session before the exam, to stay awake, along with my sister.

I have developed a particular attention to Lancome's products, thanks to darling Michelle Phan~
I entertained myself with iPad games, and rock music pounding in my ears, drinking coconut juice to stay awake and beat the heat~ I took some time to take a look at the Lancome Rouge in Love lipsticks that my aunt gave us. A bright red with shimmer, a slightly muted coral, and a nice shimmering peachy skin tone.


For dinner, we went out near Siglap to LTN Food Village. It's right next to a Fair Price outlet~ I'll be honest, I could just spend my time in Singapore, sitting in a parking lot, watching all the beautiful cars drive past. I mean, in Malaysia you could hear a loud revving engine, but more likely than not, it would only be a modified Proton Saga, Proton Wira, more commonly Perodua Myvi, or the most disappointing of all, a Perodua Kancil or Viva.

You seldom see this car on Malaysian streets. At least I haven't. =P
In Singapore, any revving you hear comes from Audis, Maseratis, Jaguars, you name it. Too bad the speed limit in Singapore is so low. =P


Anyways, we had another pretty Chinese dinner, but I wasn't complaining. I finally got to eat my long-awaited coffee pork ribs! I've missed it ever since I had it once at Paradise Inn (Funan Digitalife Mall).

Another egg fu yong~ Different style, different taste, but delicious as well~
Tofu with veggies. Blur photo because of low light and I didn't want to flash.
Ginger and onion stir fried beef. A little lacking on the ginger.
Highlight of the night: coffee pork ribs. Succulent ribs, coated in a sticky coffee sauce~ Used sister's flashlight for this shot~
My uncle worked as a professional photographer, and he gave me a few tips for night photography. This fish dish with garlic and veggies is taken with flash, about a foot and a half away, -1.5 exposure.
Crispy fried chicken wings~! Scrumptious - crispy on the outside, super juicy on the inside~
My sister wanted a round of dessert at Old Hong Kong Tea House, but instead we got some juices from a petrol station, then shared it among each other at the squash courts of the condo, catching up with each other. Nothing beats a nice talk session. =)


We were supposed to go somewhere pretty nice for lunch the next day, but we were so caught for time that we had mixed rice at LTN again. We set out by 3pm, so if we went anywhere further than Siglap, we would be home only past dinner time.

My mixed rice: stir fried potatoes with pork bits, omelette, and braised fish~ Simple, yet decadent~
The interesting thing is that the mixed rice there are cooked by Malaysians. The food is decent, they're generous with the portions, and the price redefines the term "economy rice". In K.L., a plate of rice, with two servings of veggies and a serving of meat would cost RM4 at least, depending on where you eat, and usually the portion sizes are just meh.


Though the exact price is unknown, each plate of rice, piled high with various servings of veggies, meat, and fish, cost just over S$3, which is around RM6, given the current exchange rate. RM4 for a flat plate of rice with meager side dishes, or RM6 for a mounded plate of deliciousness? You do the math.


We brought home some yummies, if the entire food trip wasn't enough~

Wines and whiskey~
The other two variations of Royce' Potatochip Chocolate: Original, and Mild Bitter. The salty, crispy potato chips, coated on one side with creamy chocolate~ The flavor contrast is interesting - salty and sweet, as is the texture contrast - crispy and creamy. We've opened the original, and so far I prefer the White Chocolate Cheese flavor~ RM45

***

I have filmed the tutorial, and shall edit it within this week, if I can. Fingers crossed that I can get it done quickly!