Bookworm

Munch! Munch!

I'm in a munching mode right now.  Munching books as you can guess from the tittle.

I have been busy preparing for my exams, but now that exam period is over, I can at least loosen up a bit.

What I meant by a bit is that majority of my time now is occupied by my work, leaving me with a small amount of time to relax and enjoy.

Sooo Yes...

Being the typical kiasu and kiasi Singaporean, I have successfully landed myself a job way before the commencement of the exam (actually the HR from my previous job called me up), just before the job rush whereby the 'A', 'O' Levels plus the polytechnics and Uni undergrads will all compete with each other in a heated fight for job.

Luck?

Not really. Even if I did not received the call, there are plenty of vacancies out there, especially since now is the Christmas festive period. Besides, they are still plenty of jobs available for grab even though it's been a week after the exam period across the levels.  As long as you don't be overly picky, I'm certain that there will be opportunity knocking at your door

To be honest, I kind of regret my decision of accepting the job because now and then, I see better job offers posting everywhere else. As the saying goes "Good things come to those who waits". Me, who rushed into things, missed out on the better opportunities. Therefore, making me wanna kick my self at the back for being overly Kiasu.

So back to the munching part. After being parted with my beloved hobby for so long, I decided it's time I pick up the reading habit back. Especially,  since my concentration level is gradually increasing and I get restless easily over things, like reading my textbook which I used to find it quite alright. Hopefully, reading will increase my focus ability.

During the last two papers, Dad flew to China for a short business trip so I had him bought Chinese books while he was there. My friend told me that books there were tremendously cheap! What we got here is a three quarter less there. So I thought, why not make use of this golden opportunity!

When I first knew that he was flying over, I didn't really have any books that I wanted to buy. But the cheap  pricing makes it irresistible for me, that if I don't pounce on this chance, I would probably regret. Hence, I frantically rummaged through my brain, to squeeze out whatever author or recommendation that I have come across which I may fancy. Eventually, I managed to squeeze out 7 book tittles.

I wrote him a list and there he went, poof ! And back home with 5 of the books I wanted. It is really touching to know that he specially went out of his way to go book shopping for me, even though he was there for a short and rushed 3 days trip. I didn't hold much hope at first for he had forewarned me that he might not have the time. Still... here they are, all wrapped and yummy looking.

I am sure they look pretty familiar with some of you guys.

The thicker ones contains 2 books each. I had gobbled up the one in the center and now, I can't wait to finish the others.

I would have to thank my auntie-ness character ( being price conscious and jumping at any chance of a cost saving), if not I would have missed out such good books!

It's been sooo long since I have last sit myself down and enjoy a good read. For the past 3 years, the books that I read were textbooks or lecture notes. 

And then, the shopping bug got me. I became a little addicted to buying of books. I wanted more! I wanted to see more Chinese books on my bookshelves, sitting there waiting eagerly for me to devour them.

Hence,....

 I went on to buy 2 more Chinese books at the popular book fair. Heheh


But you know, shopping is a girl's worst nemesis.

It's like a drug. The more you consume, the more hooked you are. So the more I read, the more un-contented I am. Because, the books that I'm left to read decrease.










SO I GOT 2 BOOKS! 

This time thicker!

See that? Been meaning to read the classics as I have always been reading the children's version. I wanted to to read more in depth and pick up what has been left out from the children's version. PLUS IT'S ONLY $12++ FOR THAT HUGE BOOK!!! AND AND AND I DON'T NEED TO PAY A CENT! ( Dad paid for it.. hahahaaha)

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Of COURSE BUY IT! TOO GOOD TO MISS OUT!
 (ya I know, sound so auntie)


There are still books that I wanted to buy, but earn money first heehe..

*stomach growls*
Okay back to munching~

It's coming! It's coming ! It's coming!

What's coming?

                  おおかみこどもの雨と雪!!!

 It's pronounced as Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki. It's was rumored to be on screen during the month of July back in Japan and even though , it may not be in Singapore any time soon it's great that it will be on screen. Because that means, I can watch it on any Internet sources soon! 

It begins with the encounter of Yuki's parents. Yuki's father is a wolf while her mother is an ordinary human. Both met through college. Life was difficult but all start to fall when Yuki's father died in a car accident. 

This is where Yuki's life truly begins, where she live her life as a wolf and human until the time to choose comes.

Honestly, I have not watched movie, just 3 chapters of its incomplete manga , and it is FANTASTIC! Just three chapters and I'm hooked! I kept re-reading and re-reading!

From the trailer, it was done by the same producer of 'Summer Wars' and 'The girl that leapt through tim'. For those of you who don't know what are they, they are both very popular movies back in Japan. You can google for more information. 

Here's the trailer! Enjoy!

 

Singaporean Stars Debut Overseas

I wonder if you guys know this but I'm pretty sure those younger would know.

 And that is the 2 Singaporeans who participated in the Korean audition has finally made their debut! Initially there were 3 but one dropped out half-way.

So here they are :

                                                                     SKARF!

I guess it must have been some years since their training. Honestly, I don't really like the song as it is really repetitive and I favour catchy and fast music more.

But I would just like to help them publicise a little , not that by me mentioning they will gain more awareness but just give a brief mention.

Initially, I'm quite skeptic whether if Singaporeans would actually made pass the audition and to my surprise some did. Then my next question would be "will they be good enough to debut" ?  I mean lots of young Singaporeans whine once they run into difficulties and complain when it gets tough but I'm just glad they made past all that.

It kinda shows that we youngsters wouldn't as weak as the elders thought we are.

I got more touched when I saw them on the music bank and I was like WOAH!

I mean you usually sees Super Junior , GG and some big stars performing on stage and there they are! Right there! On that stage!

So it's not the Singaporeans have absolutely no talent, it's more of we shine more when we are overseas. Or maybe that the opportunities offered here isn't really that great.

Look at some of our International Stars:

Stephanie Sun

JJ Lin

Fann Wong

 (I know what your thinking.. Fann Wong? Hey , she made it into Hollywood and has found all around the globe so don't underestimate her)

I know I'm missing out others such as Kelly Poon or Chai Cun Jia and etc But I'll just put those more popular ones. 

And we have Singaporeans debuting in Japan. Though, they are not that well known due to the Kwave.

Sea☆A

 I like their songs as compared to Skarf as their songs are much livelier. But I guess that's just Japanese style. And it's thrilling to know that their song was used as an ending theme in a Popular Anime "Card Fight!! Vanguard"

It must been hard to leave the comforts of home and to train overseas. And it gets harder when you are feeling low and there's no one to cry to.

Even though I still have some reservation on how popular they will get but I really hope they would prove me and the other Singaporeans wrong. (Don't act blur, you guys also have the same thoughts as me hor! ) Go out and SWORN the world! 

Tiny Spot

Whenever people think of the place they would go for a cycle or a small gathering, Pasir Ris or East Coast Park would come straight into their minds. Perhaps Silso and Palawan beach for the more wealthier ones. I guess the reason for their popularity is due to their close proximity to touristy attractions and chalets. People love to go to exciting and happening places and therefore these places were all now crowded. It's difficult to cycle constantly without braking for somebody to cross or prevent yourself from knocking into them.

But if you are still keen in finding a spot for a cycle with nice beach and just a little crowd, then Punggol Promenade would be the perfect choice for you!

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I firstly laid my eyes on this tiny spot when I happened to see this place in a show. It was just a fifteen minutes scene where the MCs wee  trying to guess where they were and then proceed on their scavenger hunt. I find the place quite beautiful and thus took some time off to check it out.

Boy, I was not disappointed!. I cycled to my heart's content and explored its tiny beach. There were people there but it was so much less crowded then Pasir Ris. It was already dusk and the sun was going to set. The sky was a bluish pink and the scene was just awesome. Quickly, I fished out my camera phone to take down the beautiful sight.
 

This is a nice photo as there were no people there to block out the view. The were all in fact, behind me. Heehe.


As Malaysia is just opposite, there were frequent patrols in the sea and you can see little speedboats circling around. As the sun set, the lights lit up. The industry next shore transformed into a flight of fireflies, just that they were rainbows instead of yellow. Too bad my phone doesn't have the strength to capture the view .
Overall , its a nice getaways and I heard they were planning to open up chalets there. In fact, they already had some of the houses built. There were not too many of them, so when it opens, the place may be more livelier.

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Garden By The Bay (Bay South)

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed.

It didn't seem soo interesting at all. Maybe because I have high expectations. I mean just look at the artist impression of Garden by the Bay released by the press. They were like a heaven and earth apart.

Source: Channel News Asia

The artist impression photo seems to give out a more jungle-like and futuristic feeling but in the actual place, it doesn't feel like it. More like another Botanic Garden. I know I shouldn't take the artist impression photo for real, it's just an impression. Well, it just ...unconsciously raised my expectations.

I admit the trees do seem amazing and the Garden is just half completed, plus I didn't include the two conservatoires into my examining criteria. So maybe the awesomeness of those two ( I'm assuming it is since I didn't go in), would make it up.

I hope the other part of the Garden would be more awesome. My suggestion is to build some hand on areas where visitors can participate. Don't need it to be something exquisite , but something we all enjoy. Can be really simple.

If you are interested you can access this place by MRT or walk from some near by place.

By MRT :
Take to Bayfront Station.
First you take to Marina Bay station then you switch to the circle line. (Just one station)

By Foot:
If you are living in the Integrated Resorts Hotel, just make your way up to the highest level, there's a link way for you to walk to.
Otherwise , if you are coming from the like say Marina Square, walk through the Helix Bridge. Go into the IR , locate where the convention rooms were, then look for escalators that lead to the highest level. You can walk all the way to the Garden by the Bay.

NDP

Getting a NDP ticket to any of the previews or the actual show is as difficult as striking a lottery, especially ever since they shifted to the floating platform.

Why?

Because they number of seats available has decreased and therefore the probability of getting the tickets decrease as well. 

After denied of the opportunity to celebrate National Day, I 've finally gotten a chance to go watch NDP preview!! My cousin gotten free tickets and was willingly to share with me, so of course I'm really elated!

It was my first time sitting at the floating platform.

The backdrop view of Integrated Resorts and Singapore River was spectacular. But unfortunately, it started pouring and we have to miss out some parts of the show like the parachuting event.

It was more frustrating when people sitting in front of you took out umbrellas when they were wearing raincoats blocking 70% of your view. Too bad for my friend, her view was blocked 90%

The show was awesome, not because the performance was superb , I mean it was good but the awesome factor was that, they were able to make you feel all-the-sudden patriotic and emotional.

You suddenly feel teary and proud of being part of this tiny nation who has struggled through thick and thin and has now managed to become an internationally worthy metropolis.

When the national anthem was played, everybody rose and sang the national anthem though mostly the loudest singers were the children. It was such a emotional scene because usually some people don't even bother to rise. 

I admit that I wasn't really very patriotic, about 60%? But, I do feel proud of being a Singaporean, no matter how much I find some parts of her irritating.

You just can't help but love your own motherland.

By the way, the night view was awesome!

How to fall into a slumber more easily?

I have troubles falling asleep and to cure this I have tried zillions of methods. I google them, I looked up for healthy lifestyle books in the library, Google some more. And after much efforts done, I have finally found the right solutions to my problem! Hooray!

So I know some of you guys out there share the same trouble as I do. Therefore, I'm here to share with you what methods worked and those that don't- at least for me. 


1. Music


After searching for remedies on the Internet and having tried them out. Music is one of the ways to get you into sleep. Not any kind of music. It must be a relaxing one , something to smooth you down and not make you break into a dance. Classical music would be a good choice. If not jazz is pretty good too, just that make sure it isn't loud or anything. I tried for a month and there were a few occasion that it didn't work but so far 70% of the time it did.

If you do not have any classical music discs or not willing to splurge on one, just use the radio. I always tune in to Symphony 92.4 and let it play all the way till when I wake up.

2. Herbal Foot Pad

 I'm not trying to suggest any brand here. But these really helps in falling asleep. I bought mine at the Gmarket which was pretty cheap compared to retail's. Plus, it helps in removing toxin from your body. All you have to do is to just stick it on your feet when you go to sleep. When you wake up the next morning, the foot pad turned black. It will subsequently fade away if you try for a week. Works 80% of the time- tried a week.

You can try Watsons or Guardian. They should have it. Or else get it cheaply from Gmarket. Took around 2 weeks for it to arrive though. 



 
 3. Medicine

WARNING: PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE CONSUMING THIS. IF YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES I SUGGEST YOU NOT CONSUME IT!


IF YOU ARE ON MEDICATION PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR !

This medicine here was prescribed to me by a Chinese physician. It's a Chinese medicine. 36 capsules a bottle. Supposedly it has no side effects. 2 tablets thrice a day. I was able to sleep more soundly. Tried for 2 weeks, works perfectly 85%. I was a bit skeptic when I was introduced to this. But, it worked somehow so I'm going to continue until I am able to fall asleep more easily without any help.

4. Warm Bath

Take a warm bath before going to sleep. It calms your nerves down. It will be easier to fall into sleep. Tried for a few times, don't always work but it's really a good feeling. I washes away all your weariness and you'll feel a bit more refresh. 

Okay

That's my top 4 working list. I'm still exploring for other alternatives but these so far work the best. Let me know if these methods work for you or suggest more ideas! That would be even better