Sheena's Haven

Sheena, The Saikang Warrior

2010-04-30T23:21:00.002+08:00

Maybe this weekend wouldn't hit rock bottom just yet.

I've been informed earlier today that I'll begin licking boots and kissing asses in 1 week's time.

And then just a couple of hours today, I've been hinted that I'll probably be treated to exquisite Japanese cuisine with a special advance order of the freshest Taro Sashimi in the next 2 days.

Maybe I can choose the option of being a refined fermented tofu served in fine dining.
YEAH! Who said only wine can age finely!
*Feels self-conscious straight after finishing the last sentence.*

Men age like wine. Women age like...

2010-04-29T23:05:00.003+08:00

Tofu?

Probably, cos I do feel pretty fermented ever since I got back.

This place is so deserted, I feel like I'm rambling to myself. Whatever. Writing to myself seems less pitiful than talking to myself.

Life updates.
Still job hunting. Still sick of talking about it.

This weekend is a very sorrowful weekend.
Like as if my life isn't bitter enough.

Although my faith is flickering like a candle in the wind, my passion is still burning like the sun. Still, age is against my favour this weekend.

Aside from the fact that 3May is right after the weekend.... NO WAIT! BECAUSE 3May is right after the weekend, I have lost ALL my guts to publicise my fangirl(?) behaviours.
It hurts ALOT (almost suffocating) to know that one fifth of TVXQ is on the same island as I am and yet I'm too chicken to enter the battlefield.

Despite being a fan, I sincerely hope that Singaporeans will give the other twin a balanced amount of screams and support. Don't make it too obvious that they are only there for the cheese and not the twin.

Honestly, I'd care less for the twin and scream my hearts out only for the cheese, which is partly why I chose to ~~hide~~ stay at home.
Yea... It's an excuse, but whatever makes me happy right?

P.S. even if I don't see 22 candles, I still feel rotten. The only consolation I can give myself is that at least I'm not drying up yet, cos by then, I'll probably never be able to prove that I'm not drying up no matter how much tears I produce. No wait, I probably should be more careful whenever I cry cos it may speed up the wrinkling process.

Nonetheless, I'm still fermenting. FML.

Changmin turns 22!!

2010-02-19T01:01:00.003+08:00

And I'm a day late. Didn't manage to get home in time to write an entry b4 midnight, but even so, it's waaaaay past midnight in Korea now.

생일 축하해 창민아!

CNY is not officially over, but I've reached the end of grace period. I'm pressured to start writing my resume and get hired.

Lately, I've been facing pressures from all sorts of people. And you'd think the life of a slacker is stress-free.

It's a known fact that Na is a commitment antagonist and overindulges in independence and freedom. She is also absolutely against long-distance and generation gaps, and I mean lightyear size gaps.
I'm tolerating all the nonsense only because it's CNY and I want everyone to enjoy themselves. I've made my stand very clear. From now on, I'll ignore all absurdity and endure until it's over, that's if it ends before I get pushed to the edge of the cliff and be forced to jump to my death in order to avoid all the craziness going on.

If only I can sleep for a week and skip the next 7 days.
GET IT!?

Happy Birthday YUNHO!!

2010-02-06T01:43:00.001+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YUNHO OPPA!!!

Na still feels the most comfortable fangirling TVXQ.

Na will stop her “Photo Birthday Tribute” posts since its heartbreaking to read any TVXQ related news lately.

I even forgot to post an entry on Junsu’s and Jaejoong’s birthday. But it’s alright since they are ~~traitors.~~

Anyways, Na’s daddy finally bought Wii. And the Ng offsprings chipped in $$ for Band Hero. Na’s ready for home parties!!! BOYB please! I’ll charge $0 for corkage. :D

Call me! ^^

Swearing off Kpop fandom*

2010-02-04T03:12:00.003+08:00

*With exceptions.

I’ve underestimated the growth of Kpop in Singapore. Kpop’s influence in Sg wasn’t like this 5 years ago. People laughed at Koreans, thought their music was gay. Now you can’t walk on the streets and not notice a Soshi, Hottest, VIP or ELF. Still, up till today, when Kpop fangirls roam the streets of Singapore, the number of Cassies amongst these girls are scarce, let alone finding a Shinhwa Changjo (maybe old fangirls who have Hottests and Soshis as their offsprings).

SHINee’s 4D3N adventure in Sgland has got to be an eye-opener for both the group and the management. FT Island has long realised and taken advantage of the potential market in this tiny country, JYP is informed about this market but the Dancing Gorilla has plans on bigger fishies. Finally, SM Ent sees the beam of light struggling to shine through from Sg.

This 4D3N adventure was quite a rollercoaster for Na both mentally and physically. Although thankfully, I didn’t suffer from any external bruises, Na’s heart is severely wounded and has declared “Bones too brittle for fandom”.

After much persistent and loyalty, when Kpop finally arrives in Sg, Na has gotten too old to keep up with the younglings and has thus, declared defeat.

STILL! My loyalty for Kpop remains. Being a Noona fan has 1 advantage over the youngsters; Na has more freedom and ability to spend $$ and Time. Na shall Always Keep The Faith for TVXQ, and wait it out for Jaebom’s return to 2PM. Of course, concerts are a sure thing for Na :D There’s no ticket price too $$$ for a Noona fan who has patiently waited for 5 years.

Girls go for a haircut and image change when they are broken hearted. Na probably did the same thing for her setback in Fangirling. It’s an image that Na hated when she was a girl and it’s definitely not her No.1 man’s ideal look. Still, thank goodness I have CNY as an excuse for the image change so my mom wouldn’t start questioning.

Poor SHINee (and Bobby Kim). Right after they touch down, they had to attend an award ceremony in Seoul, at least they had a Bonsang award, but so did many other bands. And Onew’s legs looked perfectly fine during the performance. He looked as springy as all the other RDD performances. Fans really do think too much.

Many sour Sgreans who didnt get to watch SHINee sing OR/AND buy an expensive lousy quality album for a priceless autograph have the international fans frowning on Sgrean fan~~girl~~s. Despite belonging to the 2 categories above, I still have to say, having waited for 5 years for a Kpop band that I truly care for to arrive in Sg when I’m around really makes me a selfish fangirl. Kpop often arrive in other parts of Asia EXCEPT Sg, so there’s no surprise we’re acting alittle selfish and crazy.

Fly more bands over at closer frequency and we’ll soon settle down like other parts of Asia. FT Island is a perfect example. I heard because of SHINee’s arrival, the fans in FT’s events are watching and screaming more comfortably without much competition.

Lastly, SM Ent is really getting on Na’s nerves.

1. Yunho introduced himself as JUNG Yunho and not UKNOW Yunho on his latest Evisu Photoshoot for Elle mag. DAMMIT!

2. WIth only 9 members left in their ceremony appearances, Super Junior should change their name to Super Shi Dae and introduce themselves to be rookies aiming to become like SNSD Unnies.

3. SM should get SHOT for making Super ShiDae perform Super Girl now that SJ-M is in a hiatus due to Hankyung’s lawsuit.

4. SM is dodging all the artistes who sued them and avoiding the solution of the problem by covering up with Super ShiDae performing and introducing Yunho like a solo artiste. I BET SM has already made future solo plans for Yunho and Changmin.

URGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Show Flat Only

2010-01-12T19:48:00.002+08:00

This is just a specimen, "showroom" of Na's Haven's next concept.

It's been a tough struggle to include 2PM in the design, but now that Na's candle of faith is losing strength, it's a very sad decision made.

Okays! UPDATES!!

Na's back for 3 weeks :( SG SUCKS!!
If only Na has stayed in Brissy for 2 more weeks :( :( :(
If only Na has considered Vancouver as a choice for immediate pursue of a Masters Degree.
Na has YET to unpack her luggagesss. The mess is getting on her mother's nerves. Her mother is getting on her nerves.
Na wishes to have never returned.
Na occassionally gets paranoid about the amount of download quota she has left.
Na constantly forgets that shops closes at 9pm.
Na is not used to travelling w/o bus, train & ferry timetables.
Na almost looked into a bus uncle's eyes and greeted him.
Na misses her room in Unit 5.
Na misses her bed and pillows in Unit 5.
Na misses her housemates in Unit 5.
Na misses her life in Brissy.
SG Sucks. Reality Sucks. Life Sucks.

Now let me pretend to be an emo teenager for a while. I promise to bounce back as soon as I find a new degree and country to chase after.

Vancouver?
Seattle?
LA?
Tokyo?
Seoul?
or should I really go Indonesia and study Law just to escape from this place?

Tentative Hiatus in Renovation Progress

2009-12-19T14:24:00.002+08:00

Due to financial constraints (insufficient download quota), the renovation works of this blog is going to take longer than predicted.

A little update to keep all informed:

Na has graduated and is officially holding a Bachelor in Business Management (Marketing) from University of Queensland.
Na is NOT a graduate of University of Indonesia with a Bachelor in Law.
Na is returning JUST before Christmas.
Na is currently suffering from allergic reactions from taking anti-inflammatory medication and looks revolting now. I looked so fugly last night, I deserve to kill myself.
Na has NOT started packing her room AT ALL.
So Na will be busy clearing her ALL her belongings and vacating the lovely country for good.
Na still loves TVXQ, and now also loves 2PM. Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances (insufficient download quota), Na is VERY back-dated with the latest updates of their wellbeing.

Lastly, renovations will resume after Christmas. Sorry for the inconveneince caused.

Under Construction

2009-11-29T10:17:00.001+08:00

Keep Out!

Blog under renovation for a new look.

Reopening soon!

Uknow Loves Na!

2009-11-16T00:33:00.001+08:00

True to form, Na has 2 papers 12 hours later, and she’s here blogging again. Is like she only blogs when she have other things that she needs to do but resigns doing it.

She finished revisions for 1 paper and has yet to finalise revision for the 2nd paper. So she’s up here taking a break in between, looking for company online.

It may be 2am in Aus, but it’s only 12mn in Sg, and god knows what time in the afternoon in Europe. Her Europe (not European) friend who’s nice enough to keep me entertained on msn just brought our friendship to a whole new level.

When we first met, we talked about boybands and boys.

As we grew older, she started experimenting her <s>mom’s</s> maid’s kitchenware and got us all interested in that topic during conversations.

Tonight, marks the night where conversations have moved beyond the kitchen and to other parts of household chores.

Age really does wonders. The moment we hit 21 is the moment our conversations turn old and boring.

Or maybe that’s what uni and exams do to Na’s brain.

P.S. This friend doesn’t know that I have 2 papers in the afternoon, otherwise she’ll probably chase me back to my books.

Oh! She also admits that Uknow loves Na! :)

Evidence:

Are you watching, Leadja?

2009-11-12T14:59:00.001+08:00

2PM – Heartbeat

Jaebum must be so relieved he didn’t have to tie a ponytail on the top of his head. And I’m not being sensitive, but the vocals really sound super hollow without Jaebum in it.

Still, they decided to put Wooyoung in front, relieving Jay’s lines and doing the final move at the end. *Lovess* Though Jay would have done it best, Wooyoung is undoubtly the 2nd best :D

If watching 2PM can get me so emotional and heartbroken, I wonder how will TVXQ’s next on screen appearance affect me.

Thanks to TIme2Sub2@YT, the subbed version of JYPark breaking the silence on Golden Fishery is finally out.

After all that said, I still wish for Jay to return asap. He can’t blame the fans for putting pressure when the situation looked like chances of Jay’s return are slim. It’s nearly 3 months, yet it feels like half a year had gone by. Netizens have moved on, and Hottests are still waiting.

I guess Jay won’t be back for this album’s promotions. Let’s hope he finds it enough punishment to miss 2PM’s 1st album and return for their next release whenever that will be.

2PM without Leadja really sucks.

Procrastinators, Leaders of Tomorrow.

2009-11-10T00:44:00.001+08:00

Na is having her first paper in 5 hours time and she’s youtubing/blogging right now.

Other than the official commencement of Na’s last exam period in Aussie Land, tomorrow is also the release of 2PM’s first album without Leadja Jay Park.

Speculations have been flying since Jay’s departure, with the latest believe that Jay will someday return because JYP still owns him (contractual-ly). But also notice that there has been no announcements from JYPE reappointing the new leader of 2PM, so there’s a likelihood that Hottests Fans are not the only ones pinning hope of Jay’s return.

This has been such a horrible 2nd half of the year. I miss TVXQ and 2PM so much! Why must it be Na’s 2 most important boybands!?!?

Just as I’m fretting about boyband troubles, Na would also like to announce that amidst all the bad luck she’s been having lately, a miracle has landed upon her, and she’s gratefully thankful for whoever’s responsible for the miracle.

Na ponders: “It might have been my own doing, a combination of quick thinking and agile hands, but I better not get too full of myself in case I jinx it.”

Maybe I already did. Bad luck might have returned for a visit this week. Na found a small lump underneath her skin on her neck. Based on some past experiences at home, some general knowledge, google and wikipedia, she suspects its a lymph node. The bill fits, but then again, the only thing I’m certified to diagnose is Kpop.

Just pray that the lump is benign and stays that way until I fly home for cheap clinical fees.

Nothing to Say

2009-11-05T21:32:00.001+08:00

New updates on TVXQ’s lawsuit.

So many controversies, so many press releases, news releases and official statements, no idea which one to believe.

The only thing fans should believe is “Always Keep The Faith” inked on Jaechun’s heart and Yunho’s promise made for the past 5 years.

Yunho’s drama just ended shooting, Changmin is starting to shoot soon, Jaejoong’s tv-movie opening soon. SM should be damned for their official statements released after the court rulings.

My Secret

2009-10-19T20:28:00.003+08:00

I've never felt so alone since my grandmother left me.

Amidst all the glitz and glamour that had blinded me for more than a year, I finally saw the superficiality of it all.

When it happened, my heart pounded so hard, I could lay flat and get a heart attack. I cleared my thoughts and struggled to stay calm. I had other important things to handle, so I musn't break down. I pulled myself together and set my thoughts straight. The business had to go on.

Then it occured to me, it was Sunday. I webcam with my parents on Sunday nights. I've had occassions where I skipped our meetings and don't feel much, but after what has happened, I need to hear their voices more than ever. They always knew the right things to say and the right things to do. They will know what to do in situations like this.

No matter. I've got an urgent incomplete business that will require more work after the crash. So I pulled an all nighter with a 2nd hand and borrowed wireless and completed just enough to make up for the loss.

With my crooked spine aching and my brain overworked, I only had 1 thing in mind, my bed.

Dragging myself back into reality again, I rushed to get the 2nd hand connected for a bit of consolation. Aptly called the '2nd hand', it slowly worked its way into the network and took nearly 6 hours to get on track.

This is when I had time to sit and think. I couldn't wait. I called my mother, eager to hear her voice. This was when the waterworks opened and wouldn't stop. I realised that just hearing her isn't enough. I was hopeless, desperate and stuck in a rut all alone. I yearned for her arms, my brothers' gaze and my father's touch. I've never missed home so badly since my first few nights in Brisbane.

I have nice friends all around me, but there are sides of me that I do not want to reveal. Ever since starting life on my own in a foreign land, vulnerability has been the first thing that I do not allow myself to succuumb to. The only place private enough for me to hide my vulnerability is the shower, where not only can I hide my face from the world, I can also bluff myself of my tears for an hour.

I hate myself for wanting to give up and take a plane home.
I hate myself for being vulnerable.
I hate myself for making others worried.

My head is pounding from the endless stream flowing down my face.
Time to hide under covers until the sun finds me.

I've disappointed you

2009-10-15T23:31:00.003+08:00

The rush in my 3rd entry within 6 hours could only be spurred on by 1 reason in the entire universe: TVXQ.

I've recently changed my iPhone wallpaper to default and plastered my Postcard perfect shot of Sydney Opera House on my HP Laptop.
It seems like the prolonged inactivity of TVXQ has elicited a dry spell in my die hard fanatics.

However, all I needed was a tight slap in the face or the No.1 male lead in my life to be rushed to the EU to rekindle the flame I once had burning ferociously for TVXQ.

It was revealed that my darling Yunho was rushed to the EU on Monday due to facial contractions which led to fainting.
The first thought I had was, "Facial contractions? Issit like a seizure? fit? spasm?"
Whatever the case, Yunho did more than the typical idol collapse, there was added drama to his fall, almost like his body is responding to his stressful acting debut.

I know I can't hide it any longer. Being a Very Supportive Yunho fan, it hurts to admit that his virgin acting gig sucks.
Despite having a reputation of being an over-protective fan, I still want to insist that it really isn't Yunho's fault for the lousy drama.
Yes, I did cringe in the first 2 episodes for reasons unknown since it could be either I'm uncomfortable seeing him as another person or he really needs improvement.
But as the drama gets along, you can't help but notice the choppy scenes that disrupted the flow of the story, and the diversion of the storyline, gradually moving away from the main plot and confusing the audience.
I'm sure the director, producers and script writers would have responded to the not so pleasing feedbacks and might have done an improvement on the subsequent episodes, but Na has unofficially lost interest in watching the drama.

To make matters worse, the release of BigBang TOP's drama titled 'Iris' was quite a success, which could have been the spark that caused Yunho's drama to get the cut. Thankfully it's just a 2 episode cut and not a withdrawal, otherwise it'll be detrimental to Yunho's morale.

Upon reading the news of Yunho's trip to EU, Na immediately changed all her wallpapers to Yunho for some moral support.

Na thinks, "Yunho's bad luck might have been caused by me losing interest in TVXQ's current inactivities!"

"WAHHHHHHH think too highly of yourself LOL" - Rach.

A little "Me" update

2009-10-15T22:04:00.005+08:00

The sudden rush in entries only mean 1 thing: Na is procrastinating her deadlines again.

"Not So Fun" Fact I learnt in my F&B lecture today:
'Alcohol stuns weight loss progress'

Apparently alcohol encourages your body to retain fat, and thus preventing weight loss.
BUT it is also proven that red wine reduces the risk of heart diseases.

Now Na has absolute motivation to ditch Jim and Johnny but she's still perfectly capable of indulging in the occasional reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Rosé and Pinot Noir (Lovesss!)

Na ponders, "DANG! I'm so tempted to open the bottle of Reserved Shiraz sitting on my shelf right now."

I'm thinking, I might have announced to the entire world that Na is indecisive about which apple to buy.
Issit Fuji? Granny Smith? or Golden Gala?
Okay, old joke.
Other than having the perfect weather to ditch apples and dive into watermelons, Na also have the craving for apple for the ears.

When asked for recommendations and suggestions, most family and friends' reply are coincidentally generic.
All of them pretty much started with, "It depends...", followed by "you should get [recommend product]...." and ended off with "but personally, I prefer [product]."

Seriously! It's like saying, "Don't ask me, but if you really must know, I hold no responsibility for your possible regrets."

I've thus decided to put off the purchase (typical Na's way of handling situations), and decide a few months later if I really need to spend this $$.

And btw, Na only recently plead guilty of her impulse buying behaviours when she realised that she was turning into a victim of POS (Point-of-Sale) displays at a Woolies checkout counter while getting her groceries.

Therefore, the above gesture is an act in hopes of resting my case.

Rewind 3 Months Ago, Fast Forward 2 Months Later

2009-10-15T19:08:00.004+08:00

Rewind 3 Months overdued photos thanks to Mich.
Obviously we have to catch Dreamworld's Biggest Stars and take a photo. If only they were more educated, I would have been able to grab an autograph.
My mom will probably be putting up this sign all over Singapore after graduation.
The best ride for a facelift, literally.
Churios for everyone?
Okay, so Fast Forward to December.
DAMMIT! FT Island with Jaejin's new hair cut and their new single!
BEG's Abracadabra with Ga In's solo!
HELL NO! 12 December!?!?
Na is missing FT Island AGAIN!?!?

To all those in Sg right now, grab those tickets and don't fall into regrets like me.

Aussie Habits

2009-10-10T13:34:00.004+08:00

For the longest time, I've been complaining about college kids binging on alcohol, parties and maybe sex.
The thing is, while age is inversely related to wild parties, it is directly proportionate to alcohol (and sex).
Comparative to the people in uni, I'm too old and rickety for the dance floor. To tell the truth, I was hardly ever too fascinated by strenuous sports.

Unknowingly, Na has fallen prey to the addiction of alcohol, starting first with the excuse of keeping warmth in the winter, and slowly turning to Jim and Johnny for solace. I no longer have to yell at myself in my room as much to vent my frustrations and stress because I have Jim and Johnny by my side.
Coincidentally, I've been experiencing irregular side effects every month since I came back this winter. At first I thought it was my body giving feedbacks on the frequent readjusting needs, then I realise it might be the Janes inside me protesting because they can't get used to Jim and Johnny.
I saw the light when it came right after a glass of Absolut since a week of abstinence.

No worries honey, I don't have sex, but I do talk about sex.
It's weird how I always seem to find myself amongst the tamed people who ONLY drinks socially and shy away from sex talk when I'm actually engage in the 2 activities.
Well, I can drink alone, but I can't talk to myself.

Na is currently pissed with a friend I met in Brissy. She's a Singaporean and she gets on my nerves. The reason partly involves in sexuality and talking to Jim and Johnny doesn't help much.
I did a mental checklist of friends I can confide in and found only 1 person I can talk to without any reservations.
I can't reveal much of our conversation in here because the WWW is a lot more public than the bus stop outside your door, but rest assured that my problems with this friend is nothing on cat fights for sex partners and merely on who has a longer vocabulary list in the Sexford Dictionary.
Childish it may sound, but you wouldn't know until you've heard the full story.

Fortunately, at any age and any race, there is ONE thing all uni kids in UQ have in common; Jacarandas.
The blooming of the purple flower trees sends ONE unison signal to the students in UQ; the Finals are coming.
True enough, yesterday was the release of the exam timetable.
And for the last time in Brissy, Na wants to say: "Screw UQ and their timetabling schedule!"

Take My Hat Off

2009-10-04T20:29:00.002+08:00

To: Liow Wen Li Yvette Sabrina.

Thank you for properly passing the message to our friends of how I'm doing right now. Also because of you, I found out that our friend(s) is doing very well right now and hasn't actually ~~grew smarter~~ changed much.

I know that recently there has been tragic news reports of a terrible earthquake that killed a thousand, trapped thousands and devastated the rest of the affected areas. Therefore, I am here to inform everyone that Na is still alive and kicking, and is progressing very well in her Law Degree in Indonesia.

Yes, everyone! The truth is, Na has been lying to all of you about studying in Australia. I am in fact, studying Law in Indo. But no worries, I'm hardly affected by the quake because I currently located in the Southwest of Indonesia, where most of my relatives are residing in. Also, I am 1/4 Indo-chinese, which makes more sense for my Mom to send me over to Indonesia to study where there is family to take care of me.

So Sab, I haven't burst YB's bubble, if you know what I mean. I'll let you clear the clouds for me. Thanks in advance.

P.S. NS does make guys dumber.

XX,
Na

Turmoil, Vacuous, Xcitement, Queries. [umm... random much?]

2009-10-03T21:10:00.009+08:00

After all the controversies, TVXQ's Mirotic Shanghai concert ended smoothly.
As I read fan accounts and scanned through every single concert photos, a billion thoughts flooded through my mind.

Since their debut in 2004, TVXQ has never once spent more than 10 days apart from each other. It hurts to know that they've spent a month living and working separately. It's been awhile since they gathered and stood on stage as One, so stage personas aside, how do you think TVXQ spent the night living together again?
Were there any catching ups?
Did they grow distant?
Or did everyone went to bed like nothing happened?

And then there was the problem of readjusting.
I first had troubles getting used to watching Yunho as an actor.
After 6 episodes of watching actor Jung Yunho, I'm having trouble viewing him as Uknow Yunho instead of Cha Bong Goon (the name of the charac his acting as).
Uknow Yunho gave a shout out to the Shanghai Cassies, "The Five of Us Will Never Part!", which reminded me of the promise Leader shii made at the start of TVXQ's career. He promised that no matter what happens, as the Leader of TVXQ, he'll never let the 5 of them separate.
Big words for a rookie, but because it's Yunho, so I know I can believe him.

Junsu is on my radar again!!
2nights ago I suddenly starting missing Junsu so badly. I realise that I haven't seen him in ages and I miss his voice and smile so much!
I sound absurd but I really felt the pain. I think I missed Junsu more than I miss my family.
I'm glad that he looks the same, maybe fatter? Which is a good sign since he's soooo skinny! Junsu must have been hanging out at his Papa's pizza shop too much lately.

Missing Junsu reminded me of Changmin.
But oddly, there were more Changmin stalker pics compared to Junsu's. Maybe cos it's easier to find Junsu than Changmin.
Hmmm... I think TVXQ members said that once. Hahahas!! Predictable Junsu.
Changmin looks the same, except for that hair that's growing and curling out of control. Time for the salon darling magnae.

NO comments on Jaechun. Seen too much, hear too much. It's time to split them apart. As a Yunjae fan, they are only adding oil to fire, period.

Red meat like no other.

2009-10-02T21:09:00.004+08:00

Na is absorbing all sorts of Aussie Experience as much as she possibly can before she leaves.

Next on the list is: Kangaroo Meat.
Kangaroos are legal to kill in Aussie because they are over populated. But they still manage to keep it as humane as possible by limiting the number of Kangaroos they can kill a year.
According to the packaging, it is:
98% Fat Free, High in Protein, Low in Saturated Fat, High in Fibre, Gluten Free and it's apparently Good for the Environment. Beats me, but sounds like I should have more of these instead of my "only chicken" diet.
So a trick I learnt from a real Aussie Chef in my Wine Immersion Program trip at Stanthorpe is that while cooking red meat, you'd want to keep it cooked, but still red and tender in the centre for the best texture.
The best way to do it is to cook it on a pan for 1-2mins on each side, and then pop it into an oven to sit for the same amount of time it was on the pan. It wasn't a successful attempt, but I have leftovers to try again.
Okay. The serving looks pathetic with a pitiful size of Kangaroo meat and Potatos carved into smiley faces. We were trying to be cautious of the new dish we were trying and in case we didn't like it, we have the potatos to mask the flavour and booze to console ourselves.

Oh right! So in conclusion, Kangaroo Meat doesn't smell like lamb or beef, but you can still smell meat from it. It tastes like something familiar but we couldn't identify any similarities. You should try it yourself if you're really that curious.

BUT it definitely doesn't taste like chicken.

Sydney is SEX, and Canberra is FAG!

2009-10-02T19:58:00.012+08:00

I'm just gonna upload the photos and caption as little as possible because I can.

Let's Begin!

Virgin flight on Virgin.

Arrived just in time for Chinese food: Sweet&Sour Pork, Stir Fry Kailan and Salt&Chili Fish Fillet.
Day2: Rides on Triple Decker Trains
Calls home at a Real (not theme park exhibit) Red Telephone Booth
Stroll up the Observation Park for a skyline view.
The Rocks @ Sydney
No idea what we were getting ourselves into. Dutch maybe?
Fascinating isn't it? I want to buy a house that cooks with these in the future.
Dodgy homemade noodles that tastes like stringed bread. But the mushrooms in sour cream masks the bad noodles.
Puppets & Toy Shop @ The Rocks
Intricate puppets that has "Do Not Touch" labels all over. Best place to go for Orientation Camp's night walks.
Day3: Birkenhead Point Direct Factory Outlets
By Ferry, aka, Sydney Cat.
Brissy should have River Taxis too.
Postcard Perfect shot of Opera House taken on the Cat.
It's a coincidence. Out of convenience, we managed to strike off Opera House on our list while taking the Cat back from DFO to the City.
Luna Park: Been there on my previous trip (3-4years ago?). Cheap thrill.
Dinner at poshy Jordons with their signature Jordons Seafood Platter. BEST MEAL EVER! pretty pricey too.

Day 4: Sydney Fish Market!
SUPER FRESH OYSTERS!! and lobster and scallop and mussels.
Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!
Poshy Chocolate Brand's Cafe
Cheers to 3 Lindt Iced Chocolate take outs!
Na succumbs to backpackers. Quite an experience though.
At least there was A/C.
Marmak for dinner.
PRATA & Teh Tarik!!!!!!
Onion & Egg Prata!! OMG! I miss it so much now!!
Nasi Lemak. Lina's cooking was better.
Na arrived at Canberra. This is how their bus ticket looks like. Reminiscing the old SBS paper ticket machines.
Stayed at a hotel within ANU (Aus National Uni, similar to NUS's status in Sg).
Feels like I'm back at Union College. It looks older than my mother, but at least it is clean and it's a 2 Bedroom Suite (:
We ended up having Shin Ramyun for supper to beat the cold night in Canberra. Rach eats from a decent bowl, while I eat from a teacup, which made me look like a primary school kido.
The irony of the hotel toilet.
Never ever come to a 鳥不生蛋 place to live or study in. Super Ulu, Super Inaccessible and Super No Life.
I was only there for 2 days and I can barely find anything to do already. I was so glad to return to Brisbane.
The few interesting places that's worth visiting is Cockington Green Gardens of Miniature Buildings.
Here's a sample: The real building is behind and the Mini-me is exactly the same. Even the landscaping is copied to a T.
Beautiful, isn't it?
Their Rose Garden Exhibition Room displayed a collection of doll houses.
Which is all really exquisite and detailed. You can even see towels in the drawers and fork & spoon in the kitchen sink.
Oh! and I went DFO too! But got too engrossed shopping. Here's a "Na was here" photo of Cockington Green Gardens.
Lastly, our last meal for the trip at Canberra's Pancake Parlour (another franchise of Pancake Manor).
Na's Canadian Pancake Set Meal with Buttermilk Pancakes, eggs, bacon, pineapple and bananas all pan-fried and toasted.
J and Rach's Mexican Chicken Crepe.
Satisfying indeed.
Say Pancakes!
This is the most interesting building we found in ANU that was worth a snap.

After this trip:
Na....
would prefer living in Sydney,
is thankful for not having to stay for long in Canberra,
and will never complain about how boring Brissy is ever again.

Red Skies

2009-09-24T00:32:00.002+08:00

Accomplished all deadlines and now my plane awaits me... that if everything goes smoothly.

SERIOUSLY!! It's like as if fate is playing tricks on me!!
First pack deadlines all together, then 1 day before I fly they have to gimme obstacles!!

Dust Storm a meterological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions and arises when a gust front passes or when the wind force exceeds the threshold value where loose sand and dust are removed from the dry surface (Wikipedia 2009).

Basically it means having a sandstorm in urbanized areas. Why does the country have to have such a big plot of desert smack in the middle and why must it be the driest continent on the planet!?!?
So Suay Dust Storm must occur today and worst hit city is Sydney, NSW somemore!! THEN So Suay wind direction change and send the dust storm from Sydney to Brisbane, Qld within hours lar!!!!
It better clear up tomorrow otherwise I wouldn't know what will happen to my flight!!!

WAHHH!!! After I return from my holiday still have to clean up the room from all the red "sand"/dust that cloaked my room!!!!!!!!!

People should provide red alert maid services in Australia that specialises in cleaning up the mess that dust storms create for the victims like me.
My eyes are itching from the dust.
Better go sleep before it swells up.

Bummer.

It's like they know

2009-09-22T23:12:00.002+08:00

Deadlines and plans always seem to love to squish themselves together real tight and cozy.
You can now pick up a gun and shoot me right in the head and save me the responsibilities that is weighing me down right now.

This has been the tightest deadlines I've ever encountered in my 17 years of life as a student.
Monday: Individual Report 2500 words
Tuesday: Group Assignment Progress Report 2 pages
Wednesday: Group Report 4000 - 5000 words
Thursday: Flight to Sydney at midday.

Wednesday's deadline is approaching and I've over fried my brains and dried my eyes. I'm nearly turning into a piece of meat lying on my bed rotting away.

It seems like I MIGHT be reliving days like this in the November ~ December period once more.
Maybe then a gun wouldn't be suffice. I might need someone to drive a train and crash right in my face for any hopes of salvaging my life.

Recap: 23 April 2008, Wednesday - "I'm getting emotional"

2009-09-19T20:08:00.000+08:00

I was searching for an older entry (don't ask why) and stumbled upon this: 23 April 2008, Wednesday - "I'm getting emotional"

The last 3 paragraphs gave me a shock. I never remembered how it felt like thinking like that. I don't even remember I had this side of me.
Thinking back, I feel so weak and feeble now.

I had the motivation to become stronger, I'm thankful for all those around me and i exude this aura of optimism.

Now, I'm all negative, dark and analytical.

I must have spent too much time cooped up alone.
I need to learn to embrace the world like I used to.

I need to keep away from the bottles of wine in my room before I finally get too drunk in pain to stop myself from snacking excessively.
Emo drinker? NOT!!
...more like Wasted Porker.

EPIC EPIK!!!

2009-09-18T19:46:00.002+08:00

LOVESSSSSSS!!!

No Worries!! It's no typical Korean stuff.

NO singer will ever dare to film an MV this STUPIDLY RANDOM!!

Epik High: Wannabe

GENIUSES!!!
It's like some pro homemade video, script and scenes taken from a school boy's random comic scribbles.
EPIC PURE ENTERTAINMENT!!!!!!!!! =D

Life Report

2009-09-17T12:25:00.002+08:00

My kid bro msn-ed me to inform me that he now wants a maltese.
Like as if I'm gonna fall for that.
So unless he can find a dog with my characteristics, I'm not even gonna consider at all.

Characteristic guidelines:

Eat
Constantly constipated
Sleep too much
Loner

Note that that's the guideline for the dog, although its really up to you to decode the above however you wish to.

Oh! Talking abt constipation, I went to to the mall yesterday for some stupid Retail Mgt assignment research and had a sudden craving for pitted prunes. I headed down to Coles (supermkt) and searched the aisles 3 times before finally finding the rack of raisins and prunes. I headed straight home and started snacking on prunes.
I thought: "No guilt here on snacking since prunes are suppose to be pretty nutritious right?"
WRONG!
Within 3 hours, my stomach started grumbling and ummm.... yea.... *ahem*
So it ummm...... grumbled for the whole night.
Now Na knows: Eat prunes in moderation.

Bloody room inspections woke me up at 11am, asked random questions and wished me "have a good nap!" upon leaving.
Like EXCUSE ME? I just Freaking Woke Up!

I have a lot more to rant about, but I realise I'm just PMS-ing. It's been going on for the entire week but I only JUST noticed it. But no worries... I've been suppressing it, carefully not to offend anyone with my own issues.
URGH! It's so hard this semester!
My body is showing signs of confusion in adapting.
Ignore me.

SuJu joins the streak

2009-09-16T15:46:00.003+08:00

Gotta do an edit on the list of Jinxed Kpop Boybands:

All the Top Kpop Agencies' Top Boybands are jinxed this season.

SM Entertainment: TVXQ -- Contract Law suit

YG Entertainment: Big Bang -- Daesung's fatal accident

JYP Entertainment: 2PM -- Jaebeom's abrupt departure

DSP Entertainment: SS501 -- Hyunjoong's swine flu [Recovered & Recuperating]

**Newest!!
SM Entertainment: Super Junior -- Kangin's assault case

Though representatives have clarified that Kangin wasn't involved in the brawl, he was just a bystander, an eyewitness, it's scary/tarnishing enough to put SuJu on the Jinxed List.

That was quick

2009-09-15T10:45:00.002+08:00

Just as I was typing, asking boybands to return, Super Junior M must have heard my cries in the Southern Hemisphere and released their latest MV straight away.

Warning before viewing: Zone out on the lyrics, don't even bother reading or listening. Just watch and hear.

HappyHappy!! They pull Henry to the front, put Donghae beside him, and FOCUSED ON THESE 2 BOYS!! WHOOOTS!
Though everyone thought Siwon was a little neglected in the MV, so unlike SuJu since Siwon is the best looking man they've got on the team.

Oh.. and CNA has shone some light on Korean reality. THIS IS WHY JAEBEOM LEFT!!

Quote Sab: "If this continues, Koreans will soon face extinction."

Na goes: Muahahahahahahahaha!!! So Yunho can escape and find solace in my arms!!
*Grins*

NO mood

2009-09-14T14:11:00.002+08:00

Haven't had mood to sit and type in a while, but duty calls as deadlines draw nearer and Na switches on her "Procrastinator" sign again.

Saturday was my last River Fire in Brisbane. 30minutes long of Fireworks along the Brisbane river, shooting from the boats, bridge and buildings across the river in the CBD skyline of Brissy.
Too lazy to load photos on blogger, so you'll just have to deal with descriptions.

And within 2 days, an impromptu holiday down to Syd & Canberra was decided for the mid-sem break. Despite having concrete plans already laid out, no one seems to be enthusiastic enough to take action. So up till now, it's still an idea bubble above our heads until tickets and hotels are booked.
**Why do I have a feeling that I'll have to take the lead again**
After being in the middle for all my life, it sucks turning into the oldest of the lot.

Na gets even more Emo now that Kpop is evolving into an empty shell.

All the Top Kpop Agencies' Top Boybands are jinxed this season.

SM Entertainment: TVXQ -- Contract Law suit

YG Entertainment: Big Bang -- Daesung's fatal accident

JYP Entertainment: 2PM -- Jaebeom's abrupt departure

DSP Entertainment: SS501 -- Hyunjoong's swine flu

NA HAS NO MORE MOTIVATION!!

And so.....
Kpop is turning to the Chics to liven up the stage.
Not that it's a bad thing since it's a once in a lifetime opportunity for newbies to garner as much attention as they can get before the sunbaes return (in 1 piece).

The only problem is that the absence of testosterone on stage might soon turn me into a Bi.
True story. Amber from the new SM girl group F(x) is turning me on.
Girls imagining Amber in a dress is almost like fantasizing SHINee's Taemin in a girl outfit!
Curious?

Spot the "boy" and you'll see why Na can't get her eyes off the kid.
There's barely any humps on her and throw her into Suju or SHINee and no 1 can tell the difference!
Her resemblance to SuJu's MIA-man Kibum in her debut teaser photos might actually win her a spot in replacement of Kibum to smoke the presence of 13 members on stage!!
(and Wooyoung and Taec's appearance at the end of the video just screams pain! 2PM yah! Jay!! Come back!!!)

In any case, boybands better make the scene soon before I start having wet dreams over a girl.

**Looks forward to SuJu M and Taeyang's return**

Black + White = Grey

2009-09-07T22:58:00.003+08:00

This morning, I had a revelation.

I realised that while everyone is constantly moving forward, I'm staying still in the same spot, running on a treadmill.

I still feel the betrayal, but the emotions were clear-headed and rational. You see, the difference was 1 was hidden in the dark, while the other came out into the light.

While maybe the additional information of the existence of "guilt and conscience" helped to a certain extent, it was not enough to get me out of an aged long dilemma.

Then I wonder, with the new me who feeds on company with friendship, and with no reservations to engaging in social activities, would I then react differently if the real person ever stands in front of me?

Afterall, the new me is not an upgraded version of my personality. It's a dug out portion of Na that was forced hidden for a very long time.
It seems like people who grew up in the same country, but stranded in another, doesn't seem to mind "straightforward, blunt, and sarcastic" people.

This then blurs out the previous friendship theory I was working on:
I make friends whom I want to keep,
I entertain those that benefit,
I leave the rest who are not worth it.

Now there's a grey area hiding behind the lines. Or maybe I'm looking at this too academically. I should just go out there and let the music go with the flow. Spontaneous reactions aren't my specialty, but then I'll know what my true feelings really are.

Once I've let the cat out of the bag, it'll take double the effort to keep it in captivity again. People claim to embrace change, but will they tolerate change that they've once pushed away?

I know you've always been on my side. You were the only few who accepted me for who I am.
Which is why you've now blurred the line I drew.

This new grey area is unfamiliar and strange. I'm not sure how to feel about it.

Pardon me.

You will never starve to death

2009-09-02T15:36:00.003+08:00

If you're multi-talented.

In other words, you're versatile.

He's by far the model with the most versatile poses in a photoshoot.
His Evisu print ad posters showed a wide array of complex poses that make us all wonder how he did it.

I doubt anybody actually notices msn display pictures anymore, so unless you're on my list of frequent chatters on msn, I don't think you'll realise that my recent DPs are all Yunho's Evisu photoshoot.

Yunho aside, I have been investing a lot of time in developing depth in friendships lately.
Despite complaining that I've been losing a lot of alone time, this semester, Na has been holding a weekly 3 hour leisure chatting over lunch, and an immediate impromptu company whenever ppl request that I'll never reject.

So finally, when Na gets to spend time with herself, she was enlightened by her recent actions.
I make friends whom I want to keep,
I entertain those that benefit,
I leave the rest who are not worth it.

Then again, it sounds like what everyone is doing.
Oh Wells.

I don't mean to sound crude

2009-09-02T14:33:00.002+08:00

I'm not swearing, not at all!!!

Austria's Fucking Town:

Even if the whole point of travelling to Austria is to take photo with the road sign... It'll look awesome on Facebook and increase the no. of activities/hits on your page.

WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO???

2009-09-01T22:31:00.003+08:00

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN SINGAPORE!?!?!
"Nobody" on 987's top 20 and No. 5 on chart for 3 weeks!?!?!
It took Korea 1 entire year to get sick of this song. Let's see how long more Singaporeans can tahan this repetitive song.

As you can tell from my task bar, I'm busy with assignments. Back to work!

Not Kpop related

2009-08-31T19:36:00.002+08:00

Before I begin,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Mr. ACW!!!

Now, despite being away from home, Na still gets concern over Singapore matters.
With the convenience of the internet and a huge Singapore community here at UQ, we are able to get hold of the hottest topics that Singaporeans are chatting over coffee right now at your nearest Kopitiam.

Let me know if I'm out-dated, but I only JUST received this from a fellow Sgrean frm uni.

Some find it entertaining, but most find it torturous to watch.
I personally found someone whom I can judge as much as I want to because it wouldn't hurt to have 1 more person criticising her.
Still, at the end of the video, I could feel the pain in my ears throbbing overwhelming my sense of satisfaction while throwing snide remarks about her Engrish.

*TskTskTsk!*
Why is it that only pretentious girls sign up for pageant while the intelligent ones rather climb the corporate ladder?
Or maybe because most of our pretentious wannabes are both stupid and ugly, while the pretentious girls from other countries can also be pretty and have great acting abilities.

After saying all of the above, now I wish I was born a boy, so that I'd be spared from being judged according to my above statements.

Na whispers under her breath: "I'm not pretty, and not particularly smart. But at least I know my limits...."

WATCH WILD BUNNY EPISODE 6!!!!

2009-08-25T21:06:00.002+08:00

But for the noobs of Kpop, first watch this:
Brown Eyed Girls (BEG) - Abracadabra

Remember the dance moves, then watch this:

Dirty Eyed Girls - Wash up

Before I go into crazy mode, ignore Jokwon, the pink guy. He gives me the goosebumps and thankfully he's not from 2PM. Jokwon, the pink guy, is from 2PM's brother group, the ballad group, 2AM.
Now, let me start fangirling:
They shouldn't have chopped up Chansung's solo dance portion!
It would have been better if they extended the screen time of BEG.
DID YOU SEE the Ending?? JAEBUM, KHUN and junho Joined In!!!! They could have extended that part too!!!!
My Wooyoung is sooooo adorable in the entire MV =D
and Taecyeon, surprisingly, didn't try to steal the limelight out of everybody in this video.

Well... even if you're not a Kpop fan, the 2nd video is worth watching for some entertainment and as a stress reliever after a long day at work/school.

Have fun laughing your ass off!

Credits to sakupp1 and ivy7979 @YT for the videos.

Weekend at Stanthorpe Wineries and Vineyards

2009-08-24T21:51:00.003+08:00

This is a little overdued.
So I spent the weekend in Stanthorpe, southwest of Brissy around the regionous mountains and hills of Queensland.
So along our 3 hours drive down the country, one of our pit stops was a morning hike up a hill for some tourists' favourite activity: photo-taking sessions.
The view was absolutely breathtaking at 7:00 in the morning.

Right after it was straight down to the wine tourism college for some wine appreciation lessons.
Let's skip all the dull and technical wine preaching and head down to camp!
It's a little cottage set in the wilderness, literally. The bus had to drive off the road and into the woods to get to this place.
Believe it or not, this is Na's first attempt in sleeping in a bedroom set like this.

If you think the earlier photo was pretty, you haven't seen anything yet.
Na isn't one who bothers to capture a picture perfect all day long. All these scenery photos were taken casually.
The thing about Australia is that this country seems to have a good relationship with cameras. Anything that the camera captures looks almost perfect, good enough to pose as a bogus professional photo webbies collect for their desktop backgrounds.
Na loves Queensland!!!!

Chef Na had an opportunity to learn a few tips of wine & culinary. One of the itinerary for Na's wine immersion program was to cook wine infused lunch for ourselves *yawnssss*
Na's Lamb with sweet potato and Tempranillio wine sauce.
Na also made prawn, scallop and pear salad to be paired with Chardonnay.
Chef Na with her master, Chef Andrew. (=

Pardon my horrible grammar and sentence structure. I'm watching KangXiLaiLe in the window next to this.

Na was ALMOST wasted

2009-08-17T20:24:00.003+08:00

ALMOST but not yet wasted.
I didn't make a scene, get really high or make a mess out of myself.
Na just stopped functioning.
Meaning, I'm on the verge of dropping dead in the middle of nowhere.

The 2D1N wine immersion program Na spent for the weekend was the first time she drank so much with justifiable reasons. OHOH! and Na drank in style and sophistication.

Endless wine tasting flights, wine & food pairing, wine sampling, and wine culinary is waaay more than anyone could ask for for a 195AUD trip down to Stanthorpe Vineyards and Winery.

Quite a few of the wines Na had costs so much more than the entire trip itself!

BUT! if you had to take into consideration the physical and mental drainage Na suffered through the weekend, the costs would have covered all the expenditures the vineyards and winery spent.
I almost didn't make it to uni on Monday morning for lecture.

Na is thankful that none of her close friends where there to witness the 1st defeat of Na. There goes my winning streak of Alcohol V.S. Na.

THE MAIN POINT IS aussies have the coolest education system ever!!
After our visits in the day, we bought a carton of wine back to camp for some fun at night. (This was when Na almost got drowned in wine) Our lecturer had so much to drink, he got so drunk, he couldn't walk straight and banged into the door when trying to get to his dorm.
If this ever happens in Sg, parents would be calling the school & MOE and the lecturer would be fired. The very next day, the lecturer's face will be all over the local newspapers.

Na has never enjoyed schooling in Aussie this much!
I don't think I'll ever join a Sg education institution anymore.
Overseas ROCK!

Photos on another day... or not.

Youtube overload

2009-08-14T21:24:00.003+08:00

Just before Na hits the sack for her Stanthorpe field trip at 0530hrs tmr, Na urgently needs to proclaim her elation!

During dark times like this, TVXQ still keeps us all hopeful of our future together. (=
TVXQ - 노을.. 바라보다 (Picture of You)

This is Na's No.1 ballad in the Mirotic Album (before the release of Love Bye Love).
SM didnt choose to produce "Don't Say Goodbye", but instead, chose the song written by Junsu himself! WHOOOO!!!!
OH! AND! TVXQ hasn't released a Korean ballad MV in a billion years!! The last Korean ballad MV was........ "You're My Miracle"?? And it was just a compilation of concert and performance clips lar!!
Sadly, Na never got to listen to this song live. It'd definitely be excellent if they included this song in their Mirotic concert songlist instead of songs like "Paradise" and "Rainbow".

And then there's the release of TVXQ's song in the soon to be released SM Town Summer 2009 Album:

Which is a total relief because SHINee, SuJu and the SM Town songs were cheery, chirpy and cutesy for TVXQ's current image.
They are, afterall, the sunbaes of Kpop ya?

Screen caps of AATVXQ3 is rapidly flooding Kpop/TVXQ related blogs.
I'm sooooo gonna watch the clips of TVXQ's dogs. Mangdung and Taepung!!!
Xiah & Xiahky looks super sweet in the caps ^_^
And then the games is Na's next most anticipated segment!! Watch TVXQ unstyled & undressed!
The hotel room clips, swimming pool tricks and TVXQ's Hot Bods seeing daylight at last!!

But Na hasn't forgotten what Wooyoung's gotta give really soon:

Together with Taec and Chansung and 2 other members from 2AM, this is the preview of 2PM & 2AM's version of Abracadabra by BEG. Scary and embarrassing to watch.
Love Wooyoung's hair though... so cute on him (=

*Crawls under the blanket*
Annyoung!

Na gets distratcted

2009-08-13T22:58:00.006+08:00

So while Na's Darling TVXQ goes on a sabbatical to set things straight with their boss, Na distracts herself with another boyband.

May I present: 2PM (w/o Taec)

Khun is absolutely the most perfect looking person ever!
Even if you put him in shit, he still looks perfect!

Well, he's not in shit here, but he just soooo adorable with that girl!!!
Catch Khun at 0:28 the one who spoke english saying, "soft hands, kind heart, stop child trafficking" and then turns to the little girl and said, "right?" in korean.
Khun is followed by Wooyoung, Na's favourite 2PM entertainer. He's not the best looking person in Kpop, but he's one heck of a joker. Jay and Wooyoung are Na's favourite 2PM entertainers!
Khun's just super nice to ogle.

Since the subs of the interviews are not released yet, Na put her korean language into practice. Taec is missing from this CF, because as explained by my fav Wooyoung in "making of the CF" video, Taec was in the US while filming this. ^_^

Na ALWAYS pick the boys with the best moves.

The song that shot them to fame: 10 out of 10.
Never digged their image/hair when they debut, but rest assured 2PM looks gorgeous now:

Okay.. but maybe they are still lacking in the costumes department. Tell that to JYP the dancing gorilla.

Na exclaims: Yunho Yah!! You're still my No.1!! But there're only stalker pics of u (& ur members) circulating right now so don't blame my eyes from drifting away... just for now.

Vid credits to mylove2pm@yt & pic credits to allkpop & wherever they got it from.

Edit
Thought I should add this in to prove my point:

XOXO to JYPEntertainment@YT.

Hail!!!

2009-08-12T16:49:00.003+08:00

I'm not hailing anyone.

A hail shower just paid St. Lucia a visit and made college kids cry for their car windscreens.

Na's 1st hail experience was on a farm in New Zealand when I was 11. That was real 100% hail.
Tonight's hail is only 50% ice.
Hmm... Na's hail encounters are all on the southern hemisphere. Coincidence?

All Hail Chef Junie!
Upon our request, my Taiwanese friend made an impromptu decision to cook dinner for us.
He made a total of 4 dishes:
客家小炒
蝦仁炒蛋
魯肉
and Pan fried seared salmon.
The lou bak was my favourite!! He's waaaaaaaaaaay better than Chef Na!!
Can't wait for his next gig: Dumpling wrapping party at his place!!

Ekka 2009

2009-08-11T15:35:00.009+08:00

She ate, she watched, she entertained, and she searched.
I know I look the same in the photos, but I had a horrible wound on the other side of my face due to bad climate.
There were car stunts, motorbike stunts, almost as if I'm watching the X Games live.
Everybody knows that Na Loves Chicken.
Since she's been experiencing a dry spell in the love department, Na decided to search for her Mr. KFC at Ekka.

First, we have Mr. Handsome Cock.
Then we have Mr. White Kentucky
Contestant No.3 is Mr. Dark Knight.
Contestant No.4 is not a chicken, but a bird "dressed" like cruella.
Those are real feathers from the bird itself. The (maybe deformed) bird was born like this.

And our last contestant is Mr. Na's-Only-Love.
And the winner of Na's Ekka Mr. KFC Pageant is........ *Drumrolllll*

Mr. Na's-Only-Love Chicken!!!!!!!!!!!
And they live happily ever after.
*Pops Champagne*

Yunho photo credits to tagged labels & sharingyoochun@wordpress.

Catch my breath

2009-08-03T14:54:00.004+08:00

That previous entry was real, and now I'm gonna add the details because now I can breathe.
I'm still feeling uneasy, but at least I'm not suffering from shortness of breath anymore.

Since the night on 31st July, I felt stifled and giddy, almost like I was suffocating because news of 3 members of TVXQ filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment. (Go google for details).
The fact that only 3 members made the decision and the other 2 members venturing into acting gigs got rumours on WWW turning into a tsunami in the Kpop industry.

On 1st August, TVXQ kicked start Japan's A-nation Tour tgt with artistes from Avex Entertainment, confusing all the fans about the status of the group.

Straight after the concert, on 2nd August, TVXQ flew home, splitting into 2 groups thereafter; the lawsuit group went into a meeting for a discussion on the current situation and the actors, with 1 heading for the filming scene and the other ??? (I hardly see stalker photos of this 1.)

Today, 3rd August, representatives of the lawsuit group held a press conference stating that the rumours of disbandment are all untrue and how SM has misdirected the media into releasing the actual reason behind the charges.
In the press conference, SM's unreasonable "slavery" contract clauses were revealed, spilling out quite abit of their dirty linen to the public. I can't imagine how future parents will allow their kids to dive into this black hole ever again.

In any case, this lawsuit has stirred up the Kpop industry and the Asia entertainment industry, since TVXQ IS one of the largest boyband in Asia.

After hearing all this (sort of) good news, I could feel my heart settling, not entirely, but enough to prevent me from an asthma attack.

And my mind started to wander. The magnitude of this issue is so big that Na could only pity the rest of the Kpop industry who'd be struggling to find a spot in the entertainment news sector.

Take for example SS501's first Asia Tour concert held in Seoul on 1st August. They are also one of the more influential boybands in Kpop, thus their concert should have been front page material. And I'm quite sure they planned for front page news with Hyunjoong (leader of SS501 and 1 part of Korea's F4) STRIPPING and Lee Minho , KimBum and Goo Hyesun (Cast of Boys over flower) amongst the audience rooting for SS501.

But NOoooo! TVXQ had to swoop in and blind everyone from all other Kpop news.
TVXQ is the leader of Kpop (atm), so anything that could jeopardise their future is bigger than the Great Wall of China.

Conclusion is, if you're planning to hit the front page of Kpop, contact TVXQ to make sure that they are not conjuring any soul frightening news to twart your plans.

Frightened

2009-08-01T20:45:00.003+08:00

There's so much going in my mind that it's whirling.
*Stretches into drawer and popped panadols for some relief*

Ever since last night, bad news have been flooding my laptop, striking me with almost the worst news I could imagine. Different forms of speculation started stirring up which made me more unrest.

My mind twirled with concoctions of what's gonna happen while praying that nothing happened and all will be good at the end.

Remember when my msn nick reads "Na cries herself to sleep nowadays". I didnt mean it literally at that time.
But I'm afraid the tears that haven't seen daylight in quite a long time is gonna come out to play really soon.
*Fingers crossed*

I really wanna be optimistic, but past experiences tell me otherwise.

Let's dress up to go to the beach in winter!!

2009-07-31T21:22:00.005+08:00

Well, that's what the organisers of this sem's Bunker Party has in mind.
Semester 2's Bunker at Crommie's theme is Luau and it's right outside my window.

You know when a huge party is about to begin when at 4pm, college speakers and bass are turned on at full blast. Then, fire alarms strikes off at 5pm. And suddenly, there's a deadly silent at 6pm. Because the kids have to eat dinner and start dressing up to appear at the entrance at 7pm. This is when the noise level reaches maximum. The only sign of possible noise reduction is when it's nearing midnight and you smell alcohol from the gust of wind seeping through the window sills.

It's 11.30pm, the redbull car just drove off, and the police car just checked in. This means the party has ended and I'm about to stuff my nose with earplugs.

I figured that no matter what I do, the noise is gonna be there for at least another hour, so my as well put it to good use.
So I watched this video:

Well, the video has nothing to do with the noise, but tonight, I'm fully capable of screaming my hearts out and not get complaints from my neighbours.

This is almost as awkward as watching myself on TV.
I'm so used to portraying him on TV as a singer in his usual on stage persona. Seeing him taking on the small screen makes me giggle in embarrassment.

Btw, it's been confirmed. Changmin is starring in the drama, Paradise Ranch. Jaejoong finished his side of the job for his acting debut, so he is accompanying Yoochun to release a Japanese single for *rolls eyes* Hello Kitty's birthday. That mute old feline is giving me more reasons to not like cats. Like TVXQ needs more reasons to prove that they are not gay.
Now let's all forget that and treat it as TVXQ and Hello Kitty have common target markets. Which brings us to: "All we have left is - Which market is Junsu gonna choose?"

Na prays: "Go find Junho and make a mini-album together!! It'll definitely be more impactful than the 3 actors and 1 kitty friend's gigs!"

Thanks to ichigoKJJ for the video.

Edit
I see 5 Suns, walking leafs and a "corn?banana?surf board?" outside my window.

It's a matter of getting used to

2009-07-28T16:46:00.006+08:00

It's almost a week since the flight home, but Na hasn't really used the kitchen stove for decent purposes despite filling the fridge and cupboard with real food.

Na reasons her actions because she misses the food here, Nandos, Vietnamese chicken wings and salad, chinese food from Sunnybanks, etc.

Ever since Yunho's news of starring in a drama filled all the Kpop websites, I'd assume Junsu to be begging LSM for a shot in some camera, lights, action! I think so because Jae and Su are normally the ones who act like children who wants whatever the brothers and sisters are having. Then Changmin would be sneering at his hyungs and goes back to doing serious stuff while Yoochun is in his room playing the piano and computer, minding his own business.

Na hears that Changmin might be the 3rd TVXQ to start acting (and smooching actresses).
WHY??
Nothing wrong with Changmin acting ONLY ACCEPT THAT CHANGMIN IS THE MOST AWKWARD PERSON IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA!!
Has anyone (Maybe the Producers) EVER watched Changmin in... umm... short story dramas that he has never been a lead before??

That kid is the most awkward person in front of the camera since debut. It may have gotten better in recent years, but whenever he's trying too hard, it gets back again.

In any case, before there were any concrete news of Yunho's acting gig, rumours were all over the place and SM representatives denied all the possibilities. Therefore I should assume that I cannot be for sure until SM makes the announcement.

Well, I hope I'm right and the fire-starters are wrong. Changmin REALLY is an eye-candy (seen it for myself), but I'd very much prefer him to appear on TV as it is.

Yunho had been seen with Go Ara (lead actress) for script reading sessions... Something I've totally have to get used to seeing this PLUS more intimacy if I wanna get excited and anticipate for my Yunho to appear on TV on a daily basis being someone else, much less watching it.

P.S. If the above blocks of words didn't make sense in certain parts, it only means that Na was typing it with House M.D. or KangXiLaiLe episodes back to back rolling in a window beside this one.

Oh No

2009-07-27T17:30:00.001+08:00

My mother registered a twitter account and started following me today.
Thank goodness I only use twitter to follow others, such as wonder girls and 2PM.
Scary~

Everybody loves reviews

2009-07-25T19:51:00.002+08:00

So I was told to give the american TV series, House, a try.
It wasn't the first time somebody tried to do so, but I've been pretty sick of hospital dramas (See the pun? no? Nvm, it wasn't planned).

Despite being extremely judgmental, I would normally give everything a 2nd chance.

Na's thoughts: "Maybe because she knows she is extremely judgmental, that's why she'd give everything a 2nd chance, in case she's wrong."

In any case, I gave the TV series a chance to prove itself.

The good things is, there's no "I love you, you love me, he loves me, I can't love him, she loves him, you cheat on me, I cheat on you" drama.

The bad thing is, without the drama above, this series is almost like sitting through advanced biology class with a little (ok, maybe a little more) suspense.

So why am I still watching it?
Na found a new person to look up to. Not exactly an idol, but someone she can learn from.
The lead character in the series happens to be a cynically sarcastic person filled with negativity. Sounds familiar?

Na answers: "Isn't that.... Na??"

No. Well, not really. The main character, Greg House, can get away from being cynical and sarcastic just because he's all fictional. And he's even a few notches above me, yet people love (watching) him!

Now I wish I was fictional, so I can flood all my thoughts out loud and everyone will still love (watching) me.

Settlers

2009-07-24T21:42:00.007+08:00

Settling down isn't much of a problem this semester if I didnt had so many activities packed straight after my plane lands in Brissy.

First up, Congratulations to all the fresh UQ Graduates!
And Thank you Bel and Bel's mummy for a sumptuous dinner on the day we arrive.
Well, I made it sound like the dinner was for my arrival, but it's actually for Bel's graduation and final trip home to Sg.

I might have escaped the kitchen duties on the day of arrival, but Na still has to eat, and Chef Na frowns on an empty fridge.
So the next day, it was Sunnybanks for some Asian grocery shopping, followed by Coles for regular grocery shopping.

Na made a promise to her college friends to visit Dreamworld last semester, so today, on the 3rd day back in Brissy, Na and her college kakis train-ed down to Dreamworld for some fun before uni starts.
Frankly, Dreamworld's rides are far inferior to the Movieworld rides. There was barely any adrenaline rush and i felt more pain than excitement on most of the rides. I even dozed off while riding one of them.
My last trip to Movieworld included a bonus pack of 3 bruises on my arms and a boggling headache after leaving the themepark. Maybe because the rides in Dreamworld are not as fast and violent, I didn't spot any bruises on my body at all.
There's only a slight chance of me uploading photos of our endeavours IF I could get hold of them and IF I am not too lazy to.

Youthful Brissy Na hasn't set in yet. Maybe because Oldie Na has been too busy to answer the doors. I'm being hopeful that Youthful Brissy Na will coming knocking soon.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Na hears that YUNHO IS CONFIRMED ACTING IN A KOREAN DRAMA!!! AS LEAD SOMEMORE!!!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
and the drama so happens to be soccer related... like the first thing that popped in my mind was Junsu's face turning green with envy.

Okay. So the drama is expected to be released in early September. TVXQ currently have the A-Nation tour and their following "Hello Kitty" related single release on their hands. The "Hello Kitty" related single, aka COLOURS - Melody & Harmony (CMH), will mean more Music Japan, Music Fighter, Music Station, Music Fair, and other Jap talk show to appear in. This is also often followed by Jap magazines such as Arena 37, Pati Pati, Oricon, Ray Mag interviews and photoshoots. Not to forget their Bigeastation commitments too.
HOW ON EARTH IS YUNHO GONNA FIND TIME IN KOREA TO FILM A DRAMA!?!?!??!!

Then again, there WERE rumours saying that TVXQ MIGHT release a Korean Mini-album later in the year, so is there a possibility that SM signed a package deal in the contract?
Buy Yunho and get TVXQ to sing OST at bonus price.
This way, even if the drama doesnt do too well, the DVD or Drama Soundtrack CD will sell like hotcakes and make up for all the loses made in mainstream productions.

I analyse a little too much.

Maybe leaving isn't such a bad idea

2009-07-19T00:49:00.007+08:00

I expected alot more for my last weekend in Singapore... Now all I can think of is escaping to Brissy where I have no expectations for life at all.

This is by far the most miserable weekend I have in Sunny Sg, throwing tantrums and exposing all my negativity to my closest friends, thus becoming the wet-blanket of the party, and finally drowning my sorrows in the only place where I can get FOC free-flow of a wide variety of liquor while controlling my sanity by waiting for Ronald's delivery to fill my stomach.

20th July, 2009 @ 2:18AM --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above is an unfinished post blogged in Ber's room while he was in the kitchen cooking noodles and mixing drinks.
Waking up in the "morning", feeling a lot more sober than before, I realised that this vacation not only brought Na home from Brissy, the spoilt, selfish and insensitive brat from Na's younger days found her way back in authority as well.

After much turmoils and tragics in Na's history, she has learnt to lock away the person she grew up as, out of reach from everybody, in case any harm comes to her friends or herself.

But the frequent adjusting and readjusting in life, checking in and out of reality at least twice a year, is becoming very confusing.
It's almost as if she has lost a sense of belonging to anywhere and now relates herself to nowhere at all.
In the midst of exchanging attitudes and social standing positions, the multiple identities that Na has been comfortably juggling all these years are starting to collapse, allowing the true Na who has been suppressed for more than 5 years to revisit daylight and cause torment to people around her again.

Na's body reasoned her comeback with her absence from home for too long, making Na totally oblivious of the terror within her.
In her last weekend in Sg, when all negativity gets so overwhelming that it engulfs everyone around her, she finally came face to face with her real self, meeting her for the first time so directly since her return.

Right now, it's too late for any reconciliation. Na can only hope that time will heal all wounds while she escapes back to Brissy with her cynical self (to settle scores with her) and return once more with the legit and preferred Na in a few months time.

"Adult" no more

2009-07-10T00:07:00.001+08:00

Ignoring my "signs of aging" issues highlighted in my previous entry, I am no longer entitled to use the word "Adult" when addressing older people when I talk.
This is because people aged "children and below" now calls me "Auntie", which categorizes me into the other "A" word (mentioned above) in their dictionary.

Therefore, I've chosen the term "Old people" to subtly refer to people with bigger real age numbers relative to me.

In any case, this isn't what I came to write about.

Despite being in an all-english-speaking land with greener grass for a long time this year, Na still finds herself loyally listening to Korean and Japanese music only. So pardon me when I say that I've only recently really listened to popular acts like Lady GaGa and Kathy Perry. (Did I spell their names right?)

Yes, go ahead and judge me for being outdated, because I judged everyone in Singapore for going bananas over the "so-last-year" song, Nobody, by the Wonder Girls.

What really baffles me is the new fashion trend/statement Hollywood is trying to set recently.
I first noticed the "No Pants" wardrobe when Lady Gaga made a brief appearance in S.Korea's entertainment gigs.
Then, I see Kathy Perry and Beyonce spotting the same almost bared bottom look on MTV.
Next I know it, Jolin Tsai picked up the wardrobe for her MVs as well.
And I think there's a high chance that 2NE1, the current coolest korean girl band, is doing a monkey-see-monkey-do for their upcoming mini-album release.

It is a known fact for years that Na is NEVER a fan of pants. With climate like Singapore and body made of heat conducting materials, Na resists anything that's meant to keep one warm. I only learn to embrace the heat/warmth retaining abilities of pants/jeans after toughing through my first winter life in Brissy.

But still, Na knows that it is always at all times polite to keep her trunks to herself (and possibly anyone special) with perhaps some cloth that safely covers and yet unrestrictive.

If this is Hollywood's way of telling Na that mini skirts and hot pants are no longer enough to keep the heat more baerable, I think we should expect to see the current "1 piece swimsuit paired with panty hose" lookalike trend to succumb into walking lingerie/bikini average looking women in the next decade.

With absolutely no relevance to what I've written above, I think this is the first Jap CF I've seen so far, and I absolutely DIG IT!

Aside from flaunting their great a capella skills, this is exactly the image of Tohoshink I'd be envious for Dongbangshinki.
The fastforwarding of Doushite and ???? dance moves Cutesified the CF to the Max!

Who will be my financial advisor??

2009-07-09T15:51:00.004+08:00

Shopping, a.k.a. spending excessively, is the new swine flu inhibited in my body.

This morning, I was awaken by my alarm set the night before to welcome my BKK buddy for a photo-grabbing session and movie date arranged a week ago.
Being accustomed to the mundane adult habit of checking emails right after the post-getting-off-bed trip to the bathroom, I thought I no longer needed a coffee for an "old people morning caffeine booster".

My mom had emailed me (and CC-ed my dad) a request for an arrangement with my time because she needed help home after a check-up at the doctors for the taboo "C" word in medical terms.

Without hesitation, I canceled my movie date and headed down to the vicinity to chill while waiting for the call.

I'm using my words very loosely here, because chilling turned out to be a torment for my wallet and my ATM card. Having suffered enough bruising and bleeding from other parts of the world, I can't help but hear soft cries of agony from my handbag.

Hours later, there was still no call from the nurses. I headed down to a cafe and ordered Iced Latte and a piece of cake for some adult quick fix. I really took my time to enjoy the a/c and time alone without parents judging while complaining about bills, but the silence from my phone was getting frustrating. I sent a msg to my mother, despite knowing that handphone radiations are probably something she cannot be in close proximity with, and received a reply almost immediately that contained 3 embarassing words.

It read: "It's tomorrow lar."

There, I waved for the bill, ignored my change and headed straight to the bus stop for home.

She called getting worried about my silliness to wait for nothing, but I was more concerned about my silly spendings during my wait for nothing.
Since she called, I made sure the check was something routine and there was nothing to worry about. So yea, it's a routine check for family history diseases, which got me questioning, "Am I eligible for one myself?"

Anyways, for a trip out for nothing, I found myself making purchases I already own because they are all sitting at home in the place of land with greener grass.

I swear that every trip I make back to sunny Sg, I find myself stripping my sg room barren and stocking up my properties in a place I've decided to leave for good in less than a year's time.

With regards to my relationship with caffeine, I am known for my mental age issues among my ozzie friends, but I still find myself living a life fit enough for a youth. However, everytime I leave the place I've gotten so used to the past few months, I find myself aging mentally so much that it's also starting to get physically draining as well.
The first trip home last semester got me sleeping and waking up in regular adult hours.

The second trip to home and bkk this time seemed to have added a couple of decades to my real age. In Bkk, I couldn't survive without coffee fixes on a daily basis. My bkk buddy could be my witness for that. Ber said it was the jet lag that caused the syndrome, but I'm into the end of my 2nd week in Sg and 3rd week away from Brissy and yet I still need the old people remedy to awakening to get my life rolling.

And it only gets better. I'm returning to Brissy in less than 2 weeks time, so the next time I'm back in Sg, expect Mother Earth, God, or whoever the culprit is, to add digits behind my age so that I can check myself into the doctors and get a prescribtion for rheumatism due to the year end wet weather climate in Singapore.

Blogger has been hanging on me

2009-07-06T01:20:00.003+08:00

And I can't be bothered to change my web browser or do anything about it.
Which is why this post is so long overdue.

If you're expecting to see my BKK photos, please proceed to the "x" button on the top right corner of your window right now because I haven't uploaded them on the laptop yet. It is still in the unpacked handbag sitting on my luggage.

Seeing that I'll only be home for a few weeks, I my as well live off my luggage and save the trouble of messing up the organised cupboard/wardrobe in my room. My mother enjoys cleaning up the room every time I leave for Brissy.

Normally after any vacation away from my laptop and the world wide web, I'd always have the immediate urge to connect myself to technology and get piping fresh updates on my Korean Darlings.
But because this BKK trip got me up close to my TVXQ Darlings, I felt a strange and foreign emotion that I was really afraid of feeling. I was actually sick of reading about TVXQ on my laptop. I'd the tendency to skip all of their latest news, photos and videos and I found more joy in watching TV than clicking my mouse.
That was super scary. I thought I was jinxed. Maybe I really meant it when I said I'd retire after seeing them live.
But I couldn't! Retirement is NOT an option right now because the Mirotic Concert WASN'T SATISFYING AT ALL!!!
Fangirls yelling, exploding my eardrums. I could barely concentrate on their voices.
I watched both concerts, on 27th and 28th June.

On the first night, there was a Changmin fan who would scream at super high pitch whenever Changmin sings. I was partially deaf halfway through the concert. Both my hands couldn't leave my ears because you never know when her piercing screams will start slicing through my eardrums.

On the second night, a few bigeast fans, aka Japanese fans, were sitting behind me. Like me, they were really calm and sat down almost throughout the entire concert. I mean, even if every1 was standing for the fast songs, such as Purple Line and Mirotic, they were sitted, fully enjoying the performance with composure. I like them.
Believe it or not, other than the first 5minutes when TVXQ first appeared in flesh and blood in front of me, I spent the rest of the concert really composed, trying my hardest to concentrate on their voices and dances amongst the screaming, distracting cassies.

Therefore, I was right before. My ULTIMATE LIFELONG DREAM is to watch TOHOSHINKI's JAPAN LIVE TOUR one day, preferably their Tokyo Dome, which looked fantastically excellent in photos!!
If only I had friends who are time and wallet rich enough to splurge on Tokyo Dome... I'd probably have made the decision to skip Mirotic and jump straight to Tokyo Dome for some 100% Live Secret Code.

So while Na was recuperating, Donghae and Siwon were such sweethearts to remind her that she still loves Kpop. But even if she doesn't, LSM's possible intention of moving part of his overcrowded money plant to the Chinese market is really a consolation for her.

Donghae is such a cutie and Na is surprised at how she doesn't hate Ariel but instead, feels super sweet when they act as a couple.
So maybe I'm not a selfish fangirl, it just depends on who's the girl feeling up and down my Korean Boybands.

Evaporation in Progress.

2009-06-27T00:03:00.003+08:00

I am dead tired, but I'll pull myself together for 1 more entry before I head to bed for whatever sleep i can get before the BKK flight.

Just updated myself and HOORAY!! Yoochun chopped his curls. Although not enticingly short, but at least it's closer to his Mirotic days.

Next, RIP to Michael Jackson. He's been a great inspiration to my Darling Yunho and many other people out there.
Despite being the ultimate Hollywood freakshow in the last few years of his life, MJ is undeniably the Legendary King of Pop.
Let's just all remember all the splendid songs he sang and the iconic dance moves he created that pathed the way for all mainstream popular music right now.

His classics will always be missed (Even if it had been reminisced even b4 his death.)

Shocking Revelation that goes "HOORAY!!!"

2009-06-25T17:16:00.004+08:00

I've been so busy with moving, exams and packing, I've only JUST realised it was 24th June yesterday.

What does 24th June means??

Well, in Na's life, 24th June 2009 would mean that she Can Drive Without a P Plate.
Yes, it's been a year since I am professionally declared a non-life-threatening "road hog". Note that I used the word "road hog" in quotes because of the sweeping statement: "Women are bad drivers".

Despite passing the test on my first trial, I wasn't trusted behind the wheels. It might have been because of what a klutz I've always been, or issit really?
On my part, it was more like discrimination of feline on wheels.

Now a year later, all the confidence I once had was long out the window. In fact, I feel so much safer on the wheels with the P Plate standing out of the windscreen even if it MIGHT be illegal to use it when you don't have to.
C'mon! I'm pretty sure there aren't any chapters in the Driver's Basic Theory Textbook stating the consequences of using a P Plate after probation.

Anyways, why do I even care. It's not like I'm allowed to drive the "new" merc when i get back. Although Daddy didn't explicitly say "No", being 4th in line to the inheritance of that "new" piece of moving metal, I am in no place to enjoy its services when the crown prince (that's my brother) doesn't even dare to roll down the window shades of the car, in case he scratches the glass on Daddy's precious.

Going totally out of topic, today is probably the 2nd coldest day I've felt since the start of winter. How exciting. Imagine sleeping in the coldest winter night so far in Brissy right now and plane down to (maybe) the hottest day in Sg almost immediately. I can't, but I'll keep you updated about the possible carnage, that is if what's left of me includes my fingers and my brain.

Speedster Na

2009-06-24T19:38:00.003+08:00

After much experience in packing/unpacking and moving, I've finally mastered the skill of quick pack & unpack. Within a day, Na moved all her assets from the old sunlight infested room into her new spacious and cold room. Not only was all her possessions moved, it was nicely unpacked and arranged by 6pm.

The brisk move was mostly motivated by the fact that Na has her most feared paper due at 8am tmr, and in spite of aiming only for 16%, Na isn't confident of achieving even 10%.

Now, before I fly off, let's begin the tour.

When you first enter Na's new bedroom. You're welcomed by her forever unmade bed.
Of cuz I had to Dongbang-fy the room. It isn't Na room if it isn't Dongbang-fied.
The desk. Hmm.. never noticed how messy it is until checking out this photo for the first time. DO Note that I've only just moved in and I still have to mug for 1 more night.
Do you see TVXQ Wall Calendar on my wall?? Sexy Jaejoongie!! Can't wait for Yunho's month.
As you probably can (or cannot) tell, this room is at least 1.5times the size of my previous room. Na is actually super not use to the space since both her rooms in Sg and Brissy were pretty compact. It's so big that I've actually no idea what to do with all the extra space.

In my opinion, this room is everything Na wants, except the part where it's pretty tiring for a lazy woman to be walking up and down the room to get from her bed to her desk.

Na needs to move in 1 day

2009-06-24T11:40:00.002+08:00

It's been confirmed. Na can move to her new room earlier than the contract stipulated date. But the catch is, I need to move in within a day. So Na chose today, 24th June, the day before her final paper to move. Really... aussie are pretty inflexible people, I have no choice.

On top of that, I've also partly given up on this paper. I've calculated and I only need 16% to pass the overall, still, I cannot be conceited and totally ignore the books. I did read 2 journal articles and I'll make myself read 2 more articles and 3 more chapters tonight for tomorrow morning's last fight.

Then after, it'll be down to the city for some Krispy Kreme before heading back to Singapore where good doughnuts don't exist.

I do have a feeling that I'll be able to provide a few more entries before my immigration frenzies.
But in case I don't, friends and family, Na is super worried about going home. The weather is so gonna kill me. It was horrid the last time when I return in spring. Now that it's winter here in brissy, going home would be asking for my life. Rach says it's tolerable, we'll see.

Last night while Na should have been studying:

Everything seemed professional until half way through when Junsu and Taec decides to vie for attention. But the best part is that nobody actually bothers about what's going on in the foreground. At least all I was watching was Wooyoung stuck onto the wall, Junho looking pissed but still self-conscious and Khun... umm... neither interested to join in nor amused at his hyungs and dongsaengs. Awww~ poor Khun Wooyoung and Junho. They've probably been practicing the whole night thinking that this might be their last round and the boys had to mess it up because of their own egos.
Still, Khun at 2:22 is Delicious!!

I'm more lazy to study than to blog

2009-06-21T21:32:00.004+08:00

It's Michie's 21st on the 22nd. So we brought her to the Casino for a buffet dinner.
With our long time no see "unbalanced ying yang" college friend.
"Unbalanced Ying Yang" college friend is a 100% decent guy. I just call him that because he always find himself in an "unbalanced ying yang" dinner table in college - No, it's not a table filled with gays, but more like a table filled with girls.
He has this thing about having a balance in genders on a table, but I see no reason for him to complain being surrounded by girls. Some guys never get that randomly lucky in college.

We headed down to the broadwalk to clear our sins from the buffet table.
It's quite amazing because it's this XXXkilometres long of (seriously) floating road on the Brisbane river. The most sua gu part is when the cat (citycat a.k.a. ferry) passes the bridge at high speed, sending waves to the bridge, making it feel almost like we're on a stationary boat on the river. Well, technically if you think about it, it IS a Ginormous piece of float(ing device) that's keeping us off the water, instead of across the river.
Plus, it has a magnificent view of Brisbane's CBD skyline.
The birthday girl wanted some1 to give her a piggyback on photos, so I offered.
If you can't tell from her neverending legs and porturding head in group photos, she is waaaay taller than I am. More specifically, she stands at 172cm, the height of an average Singaporean dude. I had trouble lifting her legs off the ground.

As you can tell from above, Brisbane, despite being near the city, don't spend alot of $$ lighting up their streets. Aussie is nothing like Singapore's "Deepavali lights festival" every night.

So, our "unbalance ying yang" friend invites us to his super cheap but super good view place for a some photo taking action.
Imagine waking up every morning, sitting up on your bed and all you see is this view through the full length, from 1 corner of the room to the other corner of the room, windows.
We had to go out to the verenda/balcony to take photos, BUT! our dear friend doesn't own any outdoor lights on the balcony. So this is as good as our faces are gonna get.
Finally, despite moving for every semester I'm gonna spend in UQ, she's gonna be Na's neighbour for ALL her UQ life. And Na loves that because we're also the Dong Bang Friends of Brisbane.
Cheers!

Despite having 1 more paper undone,

2009-06-21T06:09:00.004+08:00

Despite having 1 more paper undone, Na decided to let herself free and enjoy her last Saturday for this semester. Photos with descriptions comes later (or probably never, if I get too lazy).

Marilyn is gone. T_T
I'll probably never ever get to see her again. Unless my plans for higher education ends up in the US like I'm hoping to. But since when did my plans ever listens to me? I've always thought I'll squeeze my way into JC no matter how difficult it was but I ended up in Poly, which I ultimately thought was a better choice for me. I planned to take my degree in the US and I ended up in Brissy, which also turned out to be a better plan, since it's less far from home. Who knows? I might end up in UK or Canada or possibly SKorea for my masters. You can never be too sure about your future.

Okay, it's 8am, I woke up an hour ago to see Marilyn off and I only slept at 5am ~~last night~~. I needed time to chill from all the fun and excitement that ended late last night. By the time I could relax, it was nearing 5am.

Na reads back: "Excuses, excuses, excuses."

Well, at least now we know that because of her partying, Na is no longer sleeping baby hours anymore.... I hope.

I just read an article that's probably whats keeping me from going back to bed right now.
The highlight here is to read what Changmin's secret is.
You know, instead of making him more manly, as a person who's super sensitive to scents, I can imagine how much of a turn off his "manly scent" is.
Based on my knowledge of TVXQ, Changmin sweats the most and is probably the hairiest in the underarms area.
Got my hint?
Go figure.

Credits: 神采奕譯@東方神起百度帖吧
Trans: shaine@sweetfig.blogspot.com

Stupid Excuse

2009-06-18T09:43:00.007+08:00

Yea... I really should be studying.
My life is pretty screwed right now. I feel like my sleeping habits in Brissy is moving backwards with time/age.
I now sleep for only 3-4hours in intervals. Pretty much like an infant.

Anyways, I slept at 1-ish am and woke up at ard 4am. Laid in bed to see if I can sleep some more but to no avail.
At 6am, I decided to give up and see if books can bring me back to bed. No luck with that yet.

So I decided to blog about it. But somehow, I ended up changing the entire blogskin. I kept the old 1 though. It was too TVXQ-fied to delete. Rest assured that the old skin will return as soon as my life gets back on track.

Oh yea.. and my choice of the template is quite surprising. Like I said, my life/mind is screwed and mental atm. I still love Yunho the most, but I'm just feeling this Junsu "귀여-ness" (GweeYeo-ness, aka cuteness). Seeing these faces cheers me up during times like this.

FYI, I typed the Korean in this template. Word for word. Ooo.. I can count that as revising for my exam. (:

I really suspect this baby sleeping habit thing is getting to my head. Because I'm paying ALOT of attention to Changmin in the latest Incheon Airport photos.
There's something about him that is different from before, but I just can't pinpoint what exactly.
Sense of style?
Finally revealing his TVXQ persona for real?
I mean, he's been this tall and this sculptured for quite sometime already, but it's only since Mirotic that got him outshining.
I still don't get it. Why can't I keep my eyes off this photo of Changmin????

Na hears: "Please put your brain into better use for now."

Photo credits to DBSKnights & as tagged.

Like as if the heat isn't enough to keep Na out of Singapore

2009-06-17T20:00:00.002+08:00

Singapore's government has to announce another piece of "GREAT" news.
Singapore's total population grew to 4.84m in 2008, up 5.5% over previous year
Seriously, I never once thought this is possible, but it seems like the grass IS greener on the other side, Australia's side.
I'd suggest all of us to stop popping babies and ship our parents to suburban countries so that they can enjoy retirement with style. This way, we can keep our country young and spacious.

Na says: Did you just take me seriously!? I wouldn't trade anything to keep my family together. But I'm quite serious about stop popping too many babies... unless I marry a husband who absolutely adores kids, who coincidentally happens to be from a top selling SKorean boyband in both SKorea and Japan and all of Asia.
v(^.^)v

Shared via AddThis

Being 21 is Sinful!!

2009-06-16T12:18:00.002+08:00

Turning 21 gives me a reason to swipe my credit card and wipe clean the hard earned years of effort in my bank.

Yea, and you'd think I'm not the kind of person who saves $$. Just because I never owned a piggy bank half filled with coins doesn't mean I never learn. I am generous with the people I love but I'm thrifty on myself.
Well.... at least up till last year.

So! All About TVXQ Season 3 is scheduled to be released in end of July/beginning of August!! And it's definitely gonna cost me another freaking 100SGD!!
A mailer just came in from one of my TVXQ product supplier handling me the (good) news, and I'm already racking my brains for an excuse to not succumb to pre-order priviledges (yet).
Did I mention that my 1st paper starts tomorrow?
I really am putting my brain into good use.

(Pretending she's her mother reading Na's Haven)
Na roars in anger : "GO STUDY LAR!!"

Did I also mention that for the first time in Na's Haven I'm actually gonna admit that I Hate Korean Right Now.
Seriously, what was I thinking, taking up Korean Language as a subject when I couldn't even master my own mother tongue + dialects I've been exposed to on a daily basis since birth. Even if I probably over-expose myself to the Korean Language for the past 4 years, I was most definitely out-of-my-mind when I thought it wouldn't hurt to take Korean as an exam.

Na's pleas to her friends: Please firmly stop me if I ever decide to take up level 2 Korean next semester. Thanks in advance.

For once I don't want exams to be cancelled

2009-06-15T20:45:00.005+08:00

Not because I'm fully prepared but because I'm prepared for what comes after exams.

Oh! I missed the main point: Why on earth is there a possibility of cancellation of exams!?

If you don't already know, Australia is infested with swine flu carriers. It is mostly affecting the Victoria state, more specifically the 2nd Aussie City Melbourne.
Oh and I should have known! With exams starting and the end of SWOTVAC, kids would be heading back to uni from wherever they fled to for "revisions".

I'll try not to pass judgments here. So a poor kid from St Leos College kena swine flu. He visited the uni clinic, which was where I got my flu vaccination a week ago. I sure hope I wasn't there the same time as he did.
Thankfully I stayed indoors and avoided ~~books~~ libraries during swotvac.

Anyways, the exec director of UQ sent an email stating Very Clearly that the uni is still operating as per normal, continuing all functions, and that includes exams. *Na hears the college kids next door jeering* (The cutest thing is how kids from other colleges are encouraging the Leos to watch the movie Quarantine tonight.)

C'mon! In times like this, if Aussies can go to the AFL, what's there to be afraid in an exam hall. Oh wait. There IS something to be afraid of; the exam paper.

Interesting facts

2009-06-10T21:52:00.003+08:00

So, apparently Singapore is expensive to travel in.
But still cheaper than travelling to Japan.
However, SKorea gave us the most reason to travel to. (=
I've only been to Incheon once, but I've seen the arrival and departure gates of Incheon quite frequently in Youtube and photos, courtesy of Cassies of cuz. (=

I'm finding all sorts of reasons to pretend that I don't have to study. It is so much harder to study here as compared to college, despite more distractions from college kids, there were also more mood to mug in college since it is also a place filled with high achievers.

Na had a haircut by KOREAN hair stylists.
With the abundance of Korean immigrants in Australia, finding a Korean hair salon isn't difficult at all.
Okay, I know u can't see much from this photo. Na doesn't like taking photos in mirrors/toilets and apparently Lina isn't an expert either. I feel almost dumb and embarrassed doing something like that, but Na HAD to keep a momento of her Korean-styled hair.
I must admit, the stylist changed the shape of my hair, which I really didn't want to lose. Stylist in Singapore would normally blow ur hair straight, but koreans love to curl the ends. Na kinda liked it. Maybe I'd get soft curls/waves afterall.

Oh my. This korean thing is getting out of hand, isn't it.

Map illiterate

2009-06-08T20:27:00.002+08:00

Yes, Na can't read maps to save her own life. Which is precisely what's stopping her from her Hokkaido trip this July.
As it turns out, families that are touring Hokkaido will need to hire a car and navigate their way around the place. Unfortunately, only the felines in Ng Family are available, and so happens that the both of them are map illiterates. Sad to say, but the Men lead the way in this family.
So there's no way the patriarch is gonna allow us women to make a fool of ourselves in Japan.

I could see the disappointment in my mum's eyes while we were talking through the webcam. So I made a really stupid suggestion.

Na said, "Do you want to go Tokyo on the 4th and 5th of July?"

You may ask, why is that statement stupid?
Well, going to Tokyo on the 4th and 5th of July will eventually fulfill Na's NEW lifelong goal, which she only set for herself ONE Week ago.

Tohoshinki's Final Stop for their current The Secret Code Live Tour in Japan 2009 in Japan's Tokyo Dome on 4th and 5th of July!!!

Obviously my mother rolled her eyes and questioned the need to watch them AGAIN in less than a week span.
She OBVIOUSLY doesn't know and couldn't comprehend the difference of the 2 concerts.

I know it was a tough call having hopes that she will actually give in to me. But I should have known, the day she will become a fangirl is the day I marry Jung Yunho as his wife.

Na hears: "Keep dreaming."

My throat is super painful right now

2009-06-04T16:28:00.003+08:00

Because I screamed too hard while watching this:

Heaven's Postman kissing teaser:

Thousands of Cassies reacted strongly to this short clip. They even said that they finally know how the male lead in Doushite MV felt after watching this. TOTALLY!!
Now I'm not sure if I can handle the entire show anymore. I'll probably get more than a sore throat at the end of the show.

Na wonders: Where does Han Hyo Joo want Jaejoong to go with her??? I thought she's suppose to have a boyfriend in the script!? Grrrr!!! Slut!

Credits to allkpop and ichigoKJJ@yt

It's Yoochun's Day!!!

2009-06-04T13:33:00.005+08:00

Our Yoochun has grown a year older today!!!
This post is specially dedicated to our dandy boy Yoochun!!
Despite being my least favourite member of TVXQ, I still have 170 pictures of Yoochun in my laptop. Na LOVES ALL OF TVXQ!!!
And truthfully, if he had a nice haircut, Na would love him as much as all the other members. REALLY!
See!! With a nice hairstyle or beanie/hat/cap/head accessory, Yoochun can look cute too!!!
And we can't deny that he's the source of our TVXQ self-composed songs. There are so many of my favourite TVXQ songs compsed by him!!
Love Bye Love and Kiss The Baby Sky are on Top 10 Most Played Songs on Na's Kpop Songlist.
Keep the creative juices flowing and...
Na says: 육월이십발일 마나십보요!
Interpretor Na: Let's meet on 28th June! (Loosely translated)
유천오빠 새일축아해!
Interpretor Na: Yoochun Oppa Happy Birthday!

Na sidetracks alittle:
I MIGHT be going to Hokkaido this vacation!! WHOOOO!!! But that will mean less time in Singapore... I'm still considering if I should go Hokkaido or spend more time in Singapore. I'd seriously be on another immigration rampage if I accept the trip. 어떻게?
Interpretor Na: How?

Rush to blog about this ASAP

2009-06-02T23:40:00.005+08:00

I'm on Crack!

and Junsu and Changmin is on Roll!!
They're shining so brightly recently!! Rising to become cuter than Yunjae!!

The first half is alittle boring.
But the 2nd half is *Cannot stop laughing!!*
Changmin totally lost it!! He couldn't stop laughing!! And his laughter sounds waaaay too evil!!! I love how Changmin stands out in Japan right now. He used to just look awkward and uninventive on stage. Now he talks so much more, often witty remarks targeted at Junsu that makes Bigeast crackle. He's not afraid of doing his thing on stage, no longer imitating his hyungs, but showing that he can also lead the stage. He's finally bravely showing his personality on screen!! Hip Hip Hooray!!!
Three Cheers for XiMin!!!

It is time to find a new goal in life

2009-05-31T23:26:00.003+08:00

All along, I thought that I would make a super big fuss when I know that I'm gonna achieve my lifelong goal.
However, on May 29, 2009, when I finally saw the light at the end of my lifelong goal, I was stumped.
I didn't know how to react, it didn't seem real at all. It was all so unrealistically easy and lucky.
I mean, I've had many lucky occasions, the first was being born in this wonderful family, followed by a series of kind souls who made my life such a bliss. My life is so blessed with luck that I hardly have any regrets at all.

But this time, I was afraid of my luck. Despite people telling me that it really isn't luck, since I've put in waaaay too much effort. But when luck suddenly comes knocking on your door just after you've been through so many hardships and turbulence just seems waaaay too simple.

After confirming that I've most probably achieved my lifelong goal, I started going into denial. I didn't dare to admit that I've reached my goal, just in case I'll jinx it.

Last night, TBS Japan, a Japan TV channel, broadcasted Mirotic Concert in Seoul. Today, tonnes of youtube videos and download links are up on the web for me to enjoy. Knowing me, I ditched download quota limitations I set for myself and spammed youtube videos and download links of the concert.

Na had a revelation after watching the videos.

TVXQ sang InSa (Greetings) in the concert!!! They RARELY perform this song!!!!

It's one of my favourites and it always gives me goosebumps (in a good way) when they sing this song!!!

They also sang Tonight

OMG!!! Junsu and Jaejoong!! THEY OWN THIS SONG!!!
And so many others, but I can't post them all.. there's too many.

But at the end of it all, Na only had one reaction to all the performances:

Na SCREEEEAMS: I'M GONNA WATCH ALL OF THESE LIVE!!! IN FLESH AND BLOOD!!!!!! WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Only days ago, Na has achieved her life long goal: To watch TVXQ live. (Well, not yet.. but SOON!!) And she's is left lost in the maze of survival.
Now, she found a new motivation to keep her engine rolling.

Na's New Lifelong Goal: To watch Tohoshinki's Japan Live Tour one day because they SING EVERYTHING LIVE in their JapanLive Tours!!!!

I can finally face the truth and see that all this of is real.
Concert chasing might turn out to be addictive for me. ((:

Na Yells in Pain!!!

2009-05-29T22:48:00.004+08:00

For her dear Jaejoong that is.

Our dear Jaejoong shii has revealed his new inks on his beautifully sculptured back.
May I present to you:

Before new tats

After new tats

He's added 2 new inks on top of his originals. 1 is the 'wings' on the 2 mirrored treble clef, and another on his waist. Well, he didn't wanna reveal too much of his body.. so we only get a teaser of the lower tattoo. Yes.. what a pity.

Anyways, I thought Jaejoong was scared of needles. It's shown in 2006 A-nation where they had to take a vaccine jab or something in Japan. Unless our Omma is faking it for fan service... then again.. who cares. Na still Loves Jaejoong Oppa no matter what. =D

Photo credits to allkpop, minsarang@wp and as tagged.

So who would you side?

2009-05-29T00:48:00.002+08:00

Wednesday's (Thursday in Asia) UEFA Champions League Final was.... regrettable.
But what I'm more interested in was the participation of Park Ji Sung in the match.

This makes me wonder... so who would TVXQ, particularly Kim Junsu side with??
Issit Barca with their top player Messi?
or Issit Man U with their SKorean player Park Ji Sung?

Btw, Messi is Junsu's favourite soccer player. =D
Yes.. I know alot about TVXQ. =D =D

I also know that TVXQ loves their country alot.. but I also know that Junsu's mind works like a kid... ARGH!!!
I wished so hard that they are supporting Man U, just like me. *Fingers Crossed*

Okay.. this post was totally random..
And in case u were wondering, I'm quite sure TVXQ stayed up to watch the match.. or at least Junsu would. He's such a HUGE Soccer fan lar!!!

I really wanna know how big this is

2009-05-27T22:40:00.006+08:00

So if the mrbrownshow uses this song, then it must mean it's pretty huge.

Sunye's imitated adlib part at the end was funny.
The BEST was Yubin's rap at the end that cracked the hell out of me. Suddenly add Kim Jongil into the picture...
Msg to ppl who will misunderstand: Please don't be mistaken. The WGs are S.Korean hor..

And right at the end, ".... and it's always for nobody but cheu"
Well, the girls are studying english really hard right now and there's obviously some improvement:

(Their boss) JYP, aka the dancing gorilla, is trying to push them into Hollywood.

Na says: *tsk tsk!*

Looks like I can only return to Sg to find out for myself.

Na goes back in time

2009-05-25T20:29:00.003+08:00

And she chose to rewind 5 years into year 2004.

It was when Na steps into the cruelty of GCE O'Levels Year.
It was when Na bounced back from being stabbed in the back with brutal daggers by people and a person she never would have expected and forget.
It was when Na walked out of a relationship that only started because it was the only source of comfort she could get after she was mercilessly wounded.
It was when Na realise what kind of person she was, and how she could see humans with a different light.
And thus, it was when Na changed completely. Not for better, not for worse. Just different.

When Na was experiencing all of this, reaching a turning point in her life, little did she know that somewhere out there, there are 5 hardworking inspired youths slogging through hardships just like Na, just so that one day, they will find their way into Na's life and give her some motivation in life.

Not only did Na grew up and changed to be a different person, these 5 youths grew up healthy and skilled.
Not to mention the inkigayo cameraman also improved tremendously in his filming skills. It totally sucks 5 years ago, and now, they are the best at capturing the essence of every dance routine.

5 years ago, you could connect the heads and draw a straight line when they stood side by side.
5 years later, you'd get a line that depicts the no. of swine flu cases in SKorea.

In 2004, these 5 youths could play the see-saw (3by2) in their normal standing positions.
In 2009, the 3 on the most left will fly into outer space if the 2 on the most right sits on the other end of the see-saw.

I realised that reminiscing plays a huge part of my slacker life; dwelling in the past and procrastinating the future.

Straits Times Need More Hardworking Writers

2009-05-23T21:26:00.003+08:00

Singaporeans now say that they listen to Kpop when the only song they know is Wonder Girls' 'Nobody', which was so yesterday in the Korean Pop Culture.

Sexy Dance!?!?! They haven't seen Wonder Girls' earlier hit 'So Hot'.
Good Tune!?!??! Their most addictive tune is their first hit to fame 'Tell Me'.

BUT!!!
THE WORST THING THIS WRITER DID WAS TO MAKE INACCURATE REPORTS ON THE WONDER BOYS!!!
AND IT MATTERS!!!!

THE WONDER BOYS are FAMOUS INDIVIDUALLY in their own Boybands. Some EVEN MORE FAMOUS than the Wonder Girls in the actual Japan Korean Pop Culture.

They are NOT an Overnight Hit!!!!
And it's is NOT Incidentally!!!

The Wonder Boys, made up of members from Big Bang, Super Junior, SHINee and 2AM did their first parody of Wonder Girls' "So Hot" song for a program's anniversary.
It received good response and was requested to return for a year end ceremony of part 2 of their parody performance.

This almost feels like the Japanese going crazy over Taiwan's F4 only recently, when they actually shot to fame like.... 8 years ago???
This Nobody craze is only gonna die down like the Russell Peter and Hard Gay craze.

Well, at least there might be a possibility of increasing Korean Pop Culture fans in Singapore and thus raising the chances of SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment to send their cash cows to the lovely sunny island for concerts.

I wish.

Needs to curb on her spending.

2009-05-22T19:16:00.002+08:00

Is it possible that there's anyone out there who hasn't bought me a 21st birthday present yet??

It's only SGD56 if I you buy online.
Anybody??

This is a definite Must Buy when I get back to Sg for vacation.
Gosh. I'm emptying my bank account on this vacation. All my hard earned savings *weeps*

I sense danger.

2009-05-21T00:55:00.003+08:00

My mom is considering on a holiday vacation on my (coming) winter vacation that isn't really very long for me, especially when my Bangkok trip has been confirmed.

Na says: BOOO!! I don't have my concert tickets yet. But I'm still going anyhow. Gives me more motivation to snatch like a crazy woman for the tickets.

I need to keep my mum off my BKK trip. It's not cool for your mother to tag along in ur favourite idol group's concert lor!

I've been waaaaay too lazy to do anything productive at all. If I continue at this rate, I'll be so doomed for the finals. I MUST find a way to oil my engine so that any plane can take off in June at all.

`Brrrr~!!

2009-05-18T22:48:00.002+08:00

Seeing the Yahoo weather widget on my desktop, it seems like it's gonna be a rainy week in Brissy.
And normally, excessive rain in a drought country means the season is changing.

Oh dear... I sense winter is approaching.
Time to whip out my jeans, trench coat and shoes. I'll have to say goodbye my favourite Tee and skirt outfit for some warmth.

The 10 degrees sweetdreams everynight was a little unbearable at first.... But it's only gonna get colder.

I've been talking to Singapore peeps and family.
EVERYONE is complaining about the heat. Even my mum, the last person I'd expect to be complaining about the heat.
Goodness Gracious!!
Wouldn't I turn into a sweltering pig if I return on my coming vacation!?!?!
GASP!!!

I miss autumn already...
BOOO!!!

Chef Na gets lazy

2009-05-17T16:32:00.003+08:00

It's been almost 3 months. About time for Na to get into slack mode.
So, she makes fried rice and glutinous rice balls.

Also, Na has been having ceasar salad for the rest of the other meals when she's sick of eating the things she cooks.
It's not that Na is running out of ideas. But the menu in her agenda is too much trouble for the worn out Chef.
Chef Na probably won't be able to produce any more results until next semester. Let's call this the season finale, tentatively.

Next, Na wants you to take a good look at this photo:

No.. I'm not "zi-lian-ing" and I'm not playing selca at all.

Now Na wants you to watch this:

Changmin!! Your hands!!! *Turns Green in Envy*

See anything in common between the above photo and the video???
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
This is quite a story.

1.5weeks ago, Na dropped by a korean mart in brissy with a couple of friends.
Rach and I got curious about this packet drink in the freezer together with the ice cream. I mean... milkshake in the freezer?? What? Is this to extend the shelf life of the product??
We contemplated on buying 1 to try it out.. but we chickened out.

A few days ago, Na is back to keeping herself updated with TVXQ's ongoings and found this CF. The first thing that shot my mind was, "OI! THAT MILKSHAKE IN THE FREEZER!!"

And before you know it, Rach and I are back in the Korean mart getting our hands this mysterious milkshake that TVXQ has decided to endorse!!

I must say... I always find myself closely tied to the thoughts of TVXQ. First it was Junsu's shoes, then the laptop Yunho was using, now the milkshake!!

Na says: "Shut up and let me immerse myself in the world of TVXQ!"

Victory is MINE!!!

I feel like I'm enlightened.

2009-05-14T00:07:00.004+08:00

All these while, I've lived my life thinking that Singapore is a great place to live in, and it would be totally perfect to maintain life as the way it is in Singapore.

But after experiencing life in a foreign land, I've seen how things could work differently, and how overprotected Singapore is.

Truthfully, our government is like the perfect nanny caring for a four year old, when in actual fact, we're already in our Forties.

What I'm saying is... Is Singapore over-reacting to swine flu?
I'd put most of the blame on Singapore's press. As the most widely circulated paper in Singapore, just like any other day, The Straits Times published swine flu on it's front page, and all I'm reading in The Australian's front page is the pope and iraq wars.

The swine flu would get full page reports on updates from all over the world. An article for each country in The Straits Times. And all I'm reading in The Australian is a less than a quarter page of it in the last page of World section.

I was required to search for articles for an assignment, which brought me to newspapers from around the world. And it did get slightly better than Australia. The swine flu got a quarter page in The Wall Street Journal for god knows which page of which section.

The Straits Times, like always, in every other matter, is controlling the minds of Singaporeans, making us overly sensitive and overprotected.

Whoever said that kids from broken families and suspicious backgrounds are not good and nice children?

If you haven't noticed, I'm consoling myself for the fact that Thailand just announced 2 cases of swine flu (fortunately, the 2 people have recovered). This is soooo NOT what I need right now.

Singapore's press is making Swine flu sound like SARS!!!
And they're ruining my chance of flying to Bangkok!!!
CURSES!!!

If in any way am I consoled, is the new news that the Asian summit might be postponed to October.
Na says: Phew! Less political chaos.... but more pandemic epidemic woes!!! *That is IF it really IS postponed*

Na's coming home!!

2009-05-12T18:21:00.002+08:00

It's been confirmed. However, this is gonna be a really short trip compared to the previous 1, especially short if my Bangkok trip is confirmed, which Na prays super hard for it to come true.

Aiyo... I'm not even sure if I have time for everybody when TVXQ is on the top priority. So make your arrangements early... don't blame me for not telling u.

Anyways... Na just watched Star Awards 2009.
Na's thoughts:
Wah! So many pattern this year ah!
And the beeper is super annoying lar.
The best part is when Jeanette Aw never win Best Actress Award, instead Joanne Peh snatched the title from her. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Jeanette Aw should quit the entertainment business.
No respect for Zoe Tay!! Go Zoe!! Shut Jeanette up for being disrespectful and cocky!!

Bel cooked for us on Sunday. It's the first time she used her kitchen this semester. Na has photos to blog about, but decides to not blog anymore cuz she's too lazy to upload them on the net.

*Prays for Bangkok Mirotic Concert tickets*

Insomia for 2 reasons

2009-05-08T01:16:00.005+08:00

Ok.. maybe 3 reasons.

The first one is probably the most probable reason. I have been sleeping really late, like 3-4am-ish late.

The second one is probably reasonable because I have a presentation in a few hours time. Which is really surprising since I hardly freak out on presentations after so much experience. But it's been awhile since so much expectation is required for a presentation. I've forgotten what it feels like to have the pressure of producing an excellent presentation.

The third is neither probable nor reasonable. It is the MAIN reason why despite shutting her eyes tight, her brain can't seem to rest at all. It's already 8th May but the uni website hasn't updated on the exam timetable.
I know it'll only be released in the morning, but I seriously can't contain the excitement anymore. Within a few more hours, I'd know the fate of bestest birthday present for 2 decades.

How thrilling.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And for the supposedly (self-proclaimed) aged users of Na's Haven, as promised, I've enlarged the font size for better ease of reading.
Oh great... with the excessive photos/pictures and ginormous font size, my blog now looks like a kid's diary.

Heartbreaks!!

2009-05-06T00:39:00.003+08:00

After reading This, Na's heart literally felt uncomfortable.

Na is now too worried to sleep or concentrate on writing her presentation speech on friday.

Now Na has another reason to Never forget 3rd May 2009.
You have no idea how painful it is to watch the fancams.

The long awaited entry on how Na spent her 21st

2009-05-05T23:23:00.007+08:00

Curious Curious.
What is it like spending a significant day of your life in a foreign land?
It's Na first birthday in Autumn. How sweeet~

First and foremost, the people closest to Na in Brissy were nice enough to make sure Na never forgets this day.
And as usual, the first suspect of the day: Lina
Her task: Fulfill Na's day. (as in literally when the sun is up)
She's my first friend in Brisbane. Really, the first person I met. Fate does wonders.

She's been bugging me since weeks ago to think of what I wanna do on my birthday. And she's the only person who showed any concern.

Finally, on Friday, 2 days before the actual day, I've decided that we shall go (flea) market hopping!

First stop: Riverside Market.

Had tako, which isn't really excellent, but who cares when u're stuck in a foreign land.

And as usual, when I'm out with Lina, plants is mostly what we talk about.

Na surprisingly doesn't yawn. She starts to notice that other than providing shades, trees, like human, are special on their own.

2nd stop: Pancake Manor

It was suppose to be the last stop. But Suspect no.1 convinced me to make it our 2nd stop.

Na has always wanted to visit this legendary place.

Indeed, reminiscing on these pictures make me hungry at 2A.M. right now.
Na's Hot 'n' Troppo

Lina's Ultimate Combo?

Everytime Na goes to the city for her Korean Food Fix, she'd walk pass the shops in envy. She has long wanted to go frenzy in the city shops.

Shopping with a wind band was a breeze.

It was SUPPOSE to be a Market Hop Day.
But Suspect No.1 had to go home to skype with Mummy, so we had to go home.

We took the cat home, which Na thought was a clever way to stall some time instead of taking the bus. Na helped Lina pick this flower, which she said, was 1 of her new discoveries.
Na goes: ????????

So Na got home to find 5-6 bags of trash in her kitchen.
Na screams: WTH!?!?! I thought I only saw 1 bag in the morning before leaving home!?!??!

Anyways, Na went back to her room and Lina chills with her.
Na saw Marilyn (Suspect No.2) ~~walk~~Zooooomed out of her room.
Na wanted to greet her, but...
Na thought: hmm.... oh wells, maybe I'll greet later when she walks back.

So then Lina offers to bring the trash down but there's only so many she could carry.
Na went out to help her. There was nobody at home and Na was the last to leave the house. Na locked the door behind her.

Surprise Surprise!!
Everybody + Suspect No.1 & 2 started singing Happy Birthday with Ms Michie Superwoman holding the cake.
Which was later handed to me for a picture perfect.

Apparently, the kids have prepared a BBQ behind my back and Suspect No.1 Lina was left as a decoy so I'll be out of the building.
Everyone chipped in. And knowing Na's a chicken lover, the BBQ only had chicken.
Wahahahaahaahahahahahahaha!!! LOVES!!!!
Next, it was present time. And mysteriously, the whole gang managed to get Na's hands on Tohoshinki 2nd Live Tour 2007 FITB DVD, which is OOS in major CD stores in Taiwan, Hongkong and Singapore.
And then, Marilyn made us Fondue in Na's favourite Dark Chocolate. It was 70% cocoa, but Na would have loved it in 80%, since the fruits would already be sweet enough. Still, Na LOVES it.
I know it was the weirdest way to end a party, but channel 9 started to show Borat on TV and Marilyn and Lina haven't watched it.
So..... yea... this was how we ended the party: Watching Borat.

NA CONFESSes
After planning for Lina and Marilyn, Na did suspect something from Unit 5, especially when Lina kept probing throughout the week.
In addition, I remember Network Ash noting my birthday in her organiser on Pizza night. And Network Ash is not a person who would miss out on occassions.

I admit. I knew Rach wasn't meeting Joceline and she avoided going Coles with me on purpose. I had to persist to make sure I was right.
And if Rach was avoiding me, Ash would be the accomplice.

Ann and Marilyn's part would only come in at night, after the day activities.
Na was more surprised to find the house pitch black and empty when she returned from shopping.

Lina was texting non-stop in the day. It was as if some1 was spying on my every move and every shift in location. Na thinks it's either the suspects and accomplices or it's just her bf.

When Lina prompted to bring the trash down, I still couldn't figure out why we had so many rubbish, and I never noticed that Marilyn went out of her room but wasn't in the kitchen/living area and disappeared.
BUT! I knew something was about to happen.

Na suspected the bin area at first, but found it quite stupid to surprise me there.
So I thought the trash was to throw me out of the house so ppl could enter and surprise me when I return.

The BBQ pit was an unexpected place for the surprise.

But yea.... Na was expecting a surprise. She just doesn't know where and who's involved.

So yea.... I didn't wanna burst ur bubbles at that time. I guess, perhaps, days after the party is over, the adrenaline and sense of accomplishment gone, I can finally reveal the truth w/o disappointing all those who put in so much effort for Na.

Thanks gals!!!
and Thanks Mummy & Daddy for sponsoring all of Na's activities on this day (:
and Thanks to all who remembered.

Even though it was not how Na had dreamt it to be, it was waaaaaay better.

KibummiEEEE!!!

2009-05-02T19:54:00.004+08:00

Not enough!!

After so long of M.I.A.ing, this is all I get!?!?!?!
And what's more! They had to throw him to a corner, behind the tallest girl!!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!

He's totally excluded from Sorry Sorry Promotions, and judging from the situation, he seem to be in solo activities already!!!
WHAT THE HELL!!!
Is this LSM's way of secretly disbanding SuJu???
Let the members slowly, individually disappear in the 13 people crowd in a low-key manner!?!?!?
Using my Kibum as an experiment, guinea pig for his original plans of the Super Junior Project!!?!??!

I WANT MY KIBUM!!!!
I miss that smile....
보고십어요 기범이!!!!

:::EDIT::: Time Now -- 1:36AM, GMT+10:::

Who's smile is brighter??
Kim Kibum

or

Kim Bum?

One of Na's traits: Being really loyal to the people she loves.

KIBUM 사랑해!!!

Isn't he the cutest!!!!

I can't believe I spent the first few minutes of Today catching up on my M.I.A. cutie. And the rest of the first hour talking to my parents on webcam.
They make me wanna cry.... ((:

It's getting closer

2009-05-01T14:24:00.006+08:00

This is all I can think about every day, every minute, every second.
I'd check my.uq.edu so frequently in hope that the release date of the exam timetable would be announced.
Alas! It's been confirmed. 8th May shall be the deciding day of my Greatest Birthday Gift for All My Life.

I know I say this almost every year. Labeling the greatest gift for that year the Greatest Birthday Gift for All My Life. If my memory doesn't fail me, last year's greatest gift was from my lawyer brother. I don't remember if fat brother gave me anything. I've got a feeling he did, but it's not significant enough as compared to the other brother.

In fact, I don't rmb what my both brothers gave me. But I'm pretty sure it's a specially requested TVXQ related present. Oh... then again... last year's presents were super TVXQ related.

In any case, no matter how TVXQ related this year's presents they are gonna be, it'll never get any better than the one I'm giving myself... or maybe getting my parents to get for me...

And if anybody is gonna fight for the first to mail out their presents, don't bother.
I haven't actually officially thanked my 2 brothers for my 21st birthday present. Although not TVXQ related, cuz apparently according to them, it's a waste to buy Korean stuff for 21st birthdays, they are Gorgeous!
I swear I'd cry but I couldn't... cuz otherwise, my eyes will swell in the plane, seriously.

Thank you so much for the Citigems diamond necklace and Swarovski earrings!!
I'm super proud of the gifts and I'll definitely wear them on my Graduation Day!!
Although probably none of you can fly over, I'll wear them and take photos as evidence.
On 2nd thoughts, the necklace and earrings could be your representatives. Wearing it will feel like the both of you are here with me. How Wonderful!!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh No... BanFest at IH tonight. The noise and stench of beer is gonna give me headaches soon.

Usual retail therapy as stress reliever

2009-04-30T10:47:00.002+08:00

It is turning into one of my guilty pleasures. But it'll be fine as long as it stays affordable.
Urgent reports and proposal deadlines accomplished, presentation completed, and exams thinly scraped past.
The long awaited shopping spree is finally here! A trip down to DFO!
Na got herself another checkered Esprit blouse, a long cardigan and skirt, and a Country Road tote. I must say, the new navy colour is the reason why I finally bought one of these. It's like the Esprit tote trend in 2003, u'd see almost most Aussie girl and Aussie metro men owning at least one of these.

What's next?
Harbourtown before the exams?

In any case, Na's also been spending on downloads. Particularly, YT.

This was months ago, but Na only started noticing the band 2PM recently. I mean, I've known them since their debut but took little notice of them.
Isn't Nichkhun (pronounced Nick Khun) a Hottie?
Thai bred in L.A. and working in Korea. He's such a cutie pie.

Super Epic Moment for Super Epic Year

2009-04-29T23:53:00.004+08:00

This is gonna be a HUMONGOUS YEAR for Na!!!

Although there're no concrete plans yet, but everything seems going smoothly, excluding the final deciding factor that can shred the plan into pieces.
Let's put this plan aside first and digress alittle.

So many Na's Epic Moments are happening this year!!!!!!!

Firstly, the more obvious Na's Epic Moment of her life: Na's 21st!
Since I was little, I've dreamt of this day more than I've imagined my wedding. Quite frankly, I've never given much thought about weddings.
The kind of party I'll hold, themes I'll put up and dresses I'll wear.
But I've never ever expected that not only do I not get any of this, I'm celebrating my 21st in a foreign land, in a place I call my 2nd home*, without my family with me.
*It really is my 2nd home cuz I live in uni.

Second Na's Epic Moment of her life: GRADUATION!!!
Oh YEA! By the end of this year, Na would officially be a Fresh Grad!!
This is another unexpected turn out of my life. Judging from the rigorous road throughout my academic pursue, I've never thought that with a brain like mine, I could go through uni and live to wear the robe + hat in my entire life!
Suddenly pursuing masters doesn't seem that impossible afterall.

In Na's perspective, Na's Most Epic Moment of 2009 and the rest of her life:
THAILAND MIROTIC CONCERT!!! (Tentative)
No concrete plans yet, but it seems almost possible now!!

Possible obstructions/obstacles:
- Asian Summit postponed to July. Concert is on 27/28 June, so hopefully nothing stirs up at that time.
- Parents are a chore when it comes to 2 girls who just turn legally responsible for themselves, going to a politically fragile country.
- Availability of Concert tickets/cheap air fares
- Lastly, and this is the DECIDING Factor on whether I can make it to the concert - Na's Exam Timetable.
As it turns out my exam period ends on 27th June. So there's a possibility for my paper to end on exactly 27th June (*touch wood*).
This is why everybody should keep their fingers and toes crossed for Na so that her exam would end latest on 26th June so she'll have 27th June to go through immigrationsss and arrive in time for the 28th concert.

I was suppose to blog on my DFO shopping trip today, but this is waaaay better to blog about. And it gets me hyped up. Super hyped up.

**Na tells herself to calm down and don't keep her hopes up too high in case of jinxing it.
Cheers!

Another option

2009-04-27T12:34:00.004+08:00

Na found a new place to let down her hair and stretch her legs in the mids of this hectic deadline frenzy period.

First, let us check out the menu. They also serve a page of japanese food and another page of chinese food.
Some sauce and cooked onions to go with the food we ordered, korean style.
Typical Korean restaurants would serve free-to-flow appetizer. This place serves good kimchi!
First served is squid and pork belly kimchi soup. I thought the other restaurant Wah served the best Jigae. This pot has too much chilli oil. It itches my throat.
Next served is our BBQ pork belly and beef brisket.
The Jigae serves 2 people and the BBQ platter serves another 2. There were 4 of us, but we were all girls.
Somehow, by spending a little more time, with some company, we manage to finish everything we ordered.
This is probably the higher tiered korean restaurant we've patronised so far.

Lower Tiered: Wah
Middle Tiered: Matdongsan
Higher Tiered: Hanuri
The city needs more exploration for more korean food.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Na is really waaaaay too occupied with uni.
Last night, Na had a video conference with her parents.
They seem particularly interested with my agenda for next weekend, specifically Sunday.
It's really weird cuz normally they'd be more curious of what I've done for the week, than what I'd be doing for the coming week.
Na only realised the occasion after checking the calendar.

Wow. Na never realised she's nearing the end of April and almost 2 months since her return. It feels like only 1 month has passed. There has been so much to do. I just finished a proposal and there's a test tmr morning. And another presentation to prepare straight after. GIMME A BREAK!!!

Why issit that when I am finally enjoying my time here, the clock seem to speed up so much more.

Ways to get Elaine on Camera

2009-04-23T21:49:00.004+08:00

It's actually pretty easy.

First method, hoax her to take a photo of the precious moment. But the drawback is you'd only get 1 shot.

Second, force her into the picture. Grab her and drag her in the middle, right in front of the camera.

Third, do a candid shot.
Position your camera at her noticeably, shout for her name, and snap right away!

Or lastly, go overseas for a very long time and do a video call with her.
Hit print screen on your keyboard and there you go.
Picture Perfect Elaine!
I'm probably ruining my chances of video conferencing with her now, but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity I cannot miss.

Smile Laine! You're on Candid Camera!!

If only the weather could stay like this forever.

2009-04-22T17:03:00.003+08:00

The weather has been Awesome!

Yesterday, according to a friend, it was 17 degrees in the middle of the day. But yesterday, Na was still in T-shirt and shorts for the entire day in uni.
Come to think about it, it's been really comfortable lately.

Today, Na feels light hearted and almost too carefree to have any motivation to mug for friday's paper.
All because of this:
It may look like just another rainbow, but if you take a closer look, about a few cm above the first rainbow is a hint of another rainbow!
Here's another angle of the rainbow. Super faint, but it is there.
Double rainbows. A rare sight. You have to be really lucky to meet one. Today, the folks in St Lucia must be having a good day. ^^

Too much life

2009-04-22T16:30:00.000+08:00

Too little TVXQ.
I'm turning Na's Haven into a boring place!! (In Na's context.)

Na's Haven isn't Na's Haven without TVXQ!

Something recent.
Tohoshinki's Asahi Ontama episodes.
It's pretty JaeSu-fied this time round.

Jaejoong rocked this episode:

Joongie's face when imitating Changmin. *ROFL!!*

SMS killer Jaejoong in action!

Ahhh!! It's cute to see how they phrase their thoughts. Junsu sounds so much like a kid in here.

They are all funny here. But the highlight has gotta be JUNSU'S ButtCrack!!!

And the last bit of TVXQ ganging up on Junsu. How typical.

There are 2 more episodes that are also hilarious.
1 where Jaws came into the picture. How imaginative!
and another that's suppose to be on TVXQ's stage errors/regrets, but turned out to be Junsu's errors. How perculiar. And I thought Junsu makes the least mistakes. How cute.

Lastly, abit of Changmin love ^^

Sometimes I wonder... would Tohoshinki be closer to the real TVXQ or is DongBangShinKi the real deal?
I mean, most fans love DBSK better than Toho, but recently, I came to realise that as their popularity rises and command of Japanese improving, they start to be alot more of themselves rather than the quiet/polite/respectful/rigid Tohoshinki. I mean, they are still polite and respectful, but they are also showing alot of their true selfs to the BigEast. Whereas in DBSK, there's an image to uphold and the netizens to be wary of.

Oh no! Na is turning from a Cassie to a Bigeast!!

Oh wells, as long as it's TVXQ Love. (:

Chef Na back in business!

2009-04-21T22:10:00.003+08:00

The journey to regain my cooking abilities have been toilsome, but Na still managed it. Here's 5 dishes to regain your cooking abilities.

First up, sunny side up.
It sounds ridiculously easy, but at least you wouldn't fumble and screw it up. Seriously, anyone who screws up egg frying shouldn't even be allowed to step into the kitchen.
Second dish to regain your cooking abilities: Mashed Potatos and Gravy.
Recover your fear of sharp objects in the kitchen by starting with a potato peeler. It's the last sharp thing you'd expect to cut yourself with. Butter knives aren't sharp.
When you're almost ready, season some chicken, bake them and make chicken rice out of chicken stock. Na's surprised!! This really taste like chicken rice at home!!
To fully regain confidence, Kimchi Jigae is the answer! Chef Na wouldn't be Chef Na if there isn't any Korean in her cooking. Add some vermicelli in the broth and you'd get a nice bowl of Kimchi Soup Beehoon!
How creative!
Finally, when you've accomplished all of those mentioned above, you're alas ready for the finishing touch of professionalism.
Greenbean soup. Sounds easy but you'll need a precise judgement of quantity and procedures to accomplish this dish.Oh! Did I mention I also baked double choc chip cookies? But that's out of a premix, so it shouldn't be something Chef Na should brag about.

Chef Na says: No electric mixer lar! Don't blame me lar!

Sheena's Haven says: Yea right.

Marilyn's Birthday!!

2009-04-21T20:28:00.005+08:00

I don't think she reads my blog or knows it exists since I hardly do any publicity for Na's Haven.
Anyways, Marilyn just got home from US this morning, and it was her birthday yesterday, so the 3 kids at home decided to throw the woman of the house a surprise birthday ~~party~~ dinner.

First of all, every birthday needs a cake. We could have bussed down to indooroopilli to get one from the coffee shops, but it'd be no fun anymore.
Well, Chef Na may be in sabbatical, but her spirit is still in the house!

Marilyn's Birthday cake shall be homemade double choc chip cup cakes!
Premix of course. We'd make one from scratch, but an electric mixer wasn't within our budget. (Yea right.)
Fill up the colourful paper cups until half full and line them up on a baking tray.
1 for Marilyn, 1 for Lina, 1 for Ann and 1 for Na!
And in goes the cup cakes.... You have no idea how gruelling the 20minutes of baking was. The scent/fragrance, the sound of the oven fan, the joy of watching the batter rise into delicious little things. You'd think you've walked into a house of CMI Cheerleaders when the oven went "Ding!"
Take the cup cakes out to cool for a while. In this case, 1 night, cuz Marilyn was arriving in the morning, and being a surprise, we had to do it the night before so she wouldn't find out.

Next, make the choc icing!! (yea.. premix again.. cuz no electric mixer lar!! (yea right.)) And spread them evenly on the cakes. Sprinkle choc rice quickly before icing hardens.
Being the inspirational Chef Na, I bought the metallic ball candy thingies to decorate the cakes.
And what do we do with the left over icing?
Strawberry "Fondue"!!!

Well, a dinner can't be only cup cakes. So Lina plans on making... guess what!?!?!?
NASI LEMAK!!!
And an essential in Nasi Lemak....
Ikan Billis!!!

Umm... there's only so much lazy people could do. So deep-frying is out of the option.
Instead, we have this sambal ayam paste thing that Ann contributed to complete our Nasi Lemak combination.
It's not fried chicken wings, but it's still chicken wing that taste excellent!
We lay out the table and wait for Marilyn to walk out of her room.
Oh.. the yellow thing is egg tofu omellete.
Once dinner is over, off the lights go and out comes the Unit 5 choir singing the birthday song for our dear Marilyn.
Happy Birthday Marilyn!!

Na's Haven in Brissy

2009-04-16T22:29:00.005+08:00

Curious, Curious.

Yes, I do have people asking me what my room in Brissy looks like now.
Last semester I did a house tour but this semester, after I moved, I got too busy with life so I didn't get the chance to hold a house tour in Na's Haven.

First of all, unlike last semester's suite, this is not a very big room. So not much touring is needed.

Welcome to Na's Haven in Brissy.
Please enter.

First up, Na's workstation.

It looks absolutely neat in real life, but somehow it translates differently in photos.
Next, you'll get to see how Dongbang-fied Na's room is.

The white doors (or you may think is a wall) with loads of pictures stuck onto it is my wardrobe. And yes, those are ALL Dongbang pictures. ^^

OhOh! Sh and Qp! Spot the card you gave me for my pre-21st! (:

And lastly, where no magic happens, Na's hibernation nest.

Uh Huh! More Dongbangs!!! I Love It!!!
Although not as Dongbang-fied as my home sweet home in Sunny Singapore, but this room is pretty dongbang-fied for a 1 year accommodation.

Sab! Yl! Mich! Nz! Spot the Star Card you guys gave me b4 departing last year!!

A random fact: Na has 7 calenders in this room. Guess why.

Long time no see Sunnybanks :)

2009-04-16T22:08:00.003+08:00

Straight after the easter holidays, a group of 9 girls headed to Sunnybank for Dim Sum at Landmark Restaurant.
Sunnybank is a asian-fied town 30-40mins bus ride away from uni.
After Yum Cha, we split into our own groups to do shopping. I, obviously joined the M&Ms club.
Next stop, dessert!!
There's a taiwan/hongkong-ish dessert shop nearby, so we stopped by for tauhua.
We did our asian mart shopping, buying stuff like frozen pandan leaves, fishballs, rock sugar that cannot be found in Coles or Woolies (local supermarkets).
Nearly 4-5 hours later, Bel had to leave for her Zefron movie and so it was just the Lodge Trio left for dinner.

Just a little trivia.
M&Ms gang = Lodge Trio + Bel.
Lodge Trio = Ambassadors of Unit 3/5/6 of Campus Lodge.
And we're all Singaporeans.
Which brings me to my next photo.
Our dinner place: Little Singapore in Sunnybank.
The menu looks absolutely fine at a first glance.
The usual Nasi Lemak, Laska, Curry, etc.
But when you take a closer look and read the menu intently, you'd realise that OBVIOUSLY A SINGAPOREAN DIDN'T WRITE THIS MENU!!
How Ironic!!
*Hint: Try finding Roti Prata in the menu.
We took a loooooooong time to decide on what to eat. It's been a while since we had anything Singaporean-ish. So long, that all the waiters/waitresses had each came up to us to ask if we were ready to order.
Ooo! And guess what??
NONE OF THE STAFF WERE SINGAPOREANS!!
HOW IRONIC!!!!!!!
You get Korean staff in a Korean restaurant,
Japanese staff in a Japanese restaurant,
Thai staff in a Thai restaurant,
Vietnamese staff in a Vietnameses restaurant, and
Taiwanese staff in a Singaporean restaurant!!!
Ash: Chicken Char Siew Curry Dry Noodles
Rach: Laksa
Na: Seafood Horfun

You'd think that judging from the photo, laksa would taste the best.
But Nooooooo. I thought mine was the best. ^^

Southbank Movies Are REALLY Cheap!!!

2009-04-16T21:50:00.003+08:00

On Good Friday, when all the aussies are spending time with their family, homesick people would look for other activities to entertain themselves.

So Southbank here we come!!

That's a Possum up on a tree taking a nap. They look really cute like that, but they are such irritants at night while fighting with the Turkeys for who knows what.

The weather was...... cloudy. It rained for almost 2 weeks straight in Brissy.
Na got herself another airbrush in the Lifestyle market. It has been decided that there will be no inks. Just random airbrushes/henna whenever Na gets the opportunity.

And off to the movies we go!
In Brissy, students get concession movie tickets!
Sg should learn from them!
But did I mention that it's free seating in the theatres here?
I guess we should all learn from each other.

Yea, I know.. It's the kind of movie that you'd least expect Na to go watch. But seriously, there weren't much to choose from and Lina is a huge HSM fan... so yea.
Na did get her Zefron drools for the rest of the day.

My Brissy Family... well, part of it (household).

Pizza Night

2009-04-08T12:22:00.003+08:00

I love Yoochun!!

SO SUAVE!!!

JAEJOOOOOONG!!!

KAWAIIIIIII!!!!!
His rendition of Changmin's face. WAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Last night was Pizza Night!!
First was to Coles to get drinks, tabasco and grated cheese.
Next is to BWS for some vodka.
Lastly, it's dominos.com for PIZZAAAA!!!
The last thing to make this pizza night perfect:
Na's Tohoshinki T Tour DVD!!!!
(Not shown in photo.)
Aussie's pizza really taste better than those in Singapore.
**Satisfying**

After that, we chilled in the cool autumn night and talked until.... 3ish in the morning, just 1 over hour short of sunrise.

Truly an enjoyable night, with satisfying food and drinks, excellent entertainment and good company. ((:
Thanks mates!

Chef Na goes on sabbatical

2009-04-07T13:30:00.003+08:00

Chef Na has debut for barely a month and because of this,

Chef Na has decided to go on a sabbatical until further notice.
Therefore, this shall be Chef Na's last entry indefinitely.

Chef Na's latest dish served:

Kimchi Seafood Jigae,
with korean preserved anchovies and sweet chilli fried tofu provided by Ash
and Rice by Rach.

Inspired by too many episodes of Family Outing.
My housemates and Ash & Rach tried it and they all loved it!!
Success on first trial!!
Until next time, eat well everybody!

Bleeding Walking Zombie

2009-04-06T20:09:00.004+08:00

Sunday just ZOOMED pass and here's Monday.
Somehow, my engine isn't ready for Monday yet. There are signs that tell me I'm aging rapidly.

I woke up and dragged myself to a 12noon lecture.
12noon is suppose to be a late class, but it seems like sunrise to me!

I got sugar overload in lecture, and felt like a pot junkie high schooler.

I was suppose to go home after lecture for lunch. But I circled around uni 1.5times just to find the destination I was heading towards.

I only remembered I have a tute at 3pm at 3pm.
and I walked incredibly turtle slow home after tute.

I needed more sugar and my banana was rotting so I decided to make banana milkshake. I ended up taking out pasta sauce and carrots from the fridge.

While I was peeling the carrots (and I still have absolutely no idea that I'm not suppose to peel carrots for milkshake), I told Ann that I could cut my own fingers in this state of mind right now bcuz I thought my fingers looked like carrots.

And true enough, I did.

Lina freaked and rushed to bandage me. I thought it wasn't as painful as I imagined it to be. (clearly, I've gone bonkers)

Then I remembered about my milkshake, but I was already half way chopping up garlics.

So, totally unplanned, I had pasta for dinner.

Surprisingly, I'm super clear headed right now and could work an exam right this instant. Although I would totally dread exams, it's just a metaphor to describe how awake I atm.

No wait.
After this evaluation, I doubt I'm aging. It's just a sign that Night Owl Na has returned!
I'm back to the Na who functions better at night than in the day when I was Seventeen!!!
Whooooo~~!!

Gardener Na

2009-04-04T18:44:00.005+08:00

Na skipped lecture on Tuesday to join Lina in the uni glasshouse to water plants.

I'm not playing truant, the lecture is really too boring.

And in the glasshouse, we don't just water the plants with a spraycan. We water the plants with distilled water from the tap (Yes!! They have distilled water from water taps!!) and this machine thing that tells you how much water to fill the pot with!!!

The glasshouse looks bright and cool and all, but it really is OVEN HOT inside!
So after we're done with the chores, we hanged out outside for some fresh air.
Doesn't the sky look like it's taken from The Simpsons?

So there you go. You want Na's life, Na give you Na's life in Brissy. Na is gonna try avoiding to read her blog for the past few post due to the lack of TVXQ.

**Na chills with her new apple/watermelon/mango flavoured Licorice while typing this post.**

Chef Na

2009-04-03T00:47:00.002+08:00

Na has been cooking alot recently!
This week was curry week.

We have:

Lina's fish curry and Na's Japanese curry.

Na had to split her curry into 2 pots because she hasn't bought a big enough pot and the pots provided in the apartment is only enough to cook maggi mee.

Lina, on the other hand, proudly cooked her curry from scratch. That means, from plain water and curry powder, into real curry! No paste! No shortcuts!

But it ended up tasting only like curry powder and coconut milk in water.

So, it was Chef Na to the rescue!
Lina and Ann couldn't figure out what was wrong with the curry. All they could tell was that the curry wasn't tingling one of our taste receptors.
Just then, Chef Na appeared and offered for a food tasting ceremony in order to find the missing ingredient.

Chef Na's Food Review: The stock was missing!
Chef Na questioned the ingredients in the curry and found that there were not enough fish to flavour the soup!

And so, the day is saved!
Thanks to Chef Na!