Thursday - 11th Oct 2007

After a day's of errand, since it is my off day from school, I treated myself to a conversation/lecture session at the Asian Art Museum. It was held one day before the "Stylized Sculpture" exhibtion is due to open. We had Hiroshi Sugimoto, Akiko Fukai, and the Associate director for Japanese Art, who acted as the main speaker. Sugimoto is a well-known artist who specializes in photography. Fukai is the chief curator of Kyoto Costume Institute. They discussed about the emerging avant-guade designers in Japan during the early 1980s. Mainly Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo. They went on to interprete how Japanese cultures inspired the grown of such designs which initially were perceived by the international fashion community as radical, questionable beauty. It gradually became the "new aesthetic" of European Fashion. It was interesting to hear how Sugimoto, part of the curator for this exhibition, his concept behind the display of the mannequins. There will not be any panels to explain each garment, he wants the people to have their own response and feel the artworks by themselves. He followed the Sanjusangendo temple in Kyoto, where there are 2 entrances and 1001 Budhha displayed in a row. Similarly, the exhibition is minimal, with black walls, black platforms with subtle lighting. I can't wait to visit the museum again.

After the lecture, I watched a movie at home. A classic cult movie, Harold and Maude. The movie had a weird plot at the beginning and it didn't make much sense about the characters. But slowly, i realised that cult movies's themes are non-mainstream. In the end, I appreciate the randomness and the humor. By the way, thanks Olga for the recommendation. :P

Friday - 12th Oct 2007

I bought a pair of rollerblades for $20! Cheap brand, just in case my interest fade after 3 weeks. haha I just did 45 minutes of blading around the neighbourhood. Almost gave up after 1 round, but i continued. It was fun! and un expectantly tiring. :P
I want to work out my thighs and add more variety into my "an hour a day exercise" routine.

Saturday - 13th Oct 2007

The kitchen is so dirty, basin full of gross dishes and cups. The table is full of take-out boxes, the living room is full of empty drinks bottles and more cups and dishes. The room is full if dirty clothes, clean and dirty all jumbled together.........:(

i'M in SF

I haven't blog anything for quite some time. Some people might know, I went back to Singapore for the last 2 weeks before school starts. It was mummy's birthday and I want to be home with her and everybody else. I had some FIRST experiences. I made tiramisu (by myself) for the first time, and it tasted goood. hehe Kiran complimented that I should sell it for $5 at some coffee club. Also I went to ZOUK for the 1st time! I am not a big clubbing girl, but i wanted to check out the night life scene in Singapore, and promised Zhen that I'll definitely go with her at least once, and since i've been very flaky with her, i had to go. I also met up with a childhood sweetheart that I haven't met for 11 years!! It was quite awakard but eventually, i managed to pull my guts together and said things. :P anyways, Peter said whenever i meet someone for the 1st time, i'm always quiet. is it true?

i went to watch an indie movie, My Best Friend (french movie) this evening. It takes a lifetime to understand what true friendship is, and the main character, Francis had to realise it within 10 days. Linda told me the day before that we have alot of friends, and they are called good friends. But those who see us through a long period of time, through thick and thin, are true friends. Cheers to all my true friends out there! :)

Bye bye New York...

It is 5 minutes to 6am on 27^th August. I’m in the airport terminal waiting very patiently for my flight home, back to Singapore. I haven’t slept at all. Been on the go non-stop since Sunday morning (26^th August).

I met up with Carol for brunch all the way on the upper west side, near Columbia University. I had an important errand to run, an errand that I have to complete with her in order to leave New York. But, I took the wrong train on the way there, thus, was in a rush couple of blocks, climb through steep stairs of a park to get to where she was waiting. Very unfortunately start of the day, but fortunately, the Tuscan Omelette, thick cheese, spinach, topped with prochuittos made the tedious walk worth while. It wasn’t such a bad work, but I hurt my right knee after jogging on Friday morning.

I heard a lot about Kee’s Chocolate in Soho district. The owner is a Chinese lady, who used to be in the corporate world. She quit her job and started her own cacao store. My housemates said the shop is unique in their flavors, including Thai Chilli and Black Sesame chocolates. I went there after brunch to buy some for my folks at home. Also got a smaller bunch for Kei, this Japanese guy I met through the internship. He has been very very kind to me since I arrived and sharing the sweetness of chocolate with him is the least I can do. Hope he enjoys it. I haven’t even indulge in it yet.

Rushed home to continue my ever-procrastinating job of packing my baggage. Had only 1 ½ hours to pack before I head over to Queens for a feast at Kei’s apartment. He made fabulous homemade vegetable tempura, cold soba, edamame, squid with wasabi, cheese dipped with avocados, and sake. It is simple Japanese food, filling, yet not STUFFED like Italian food. As usual, Kei, you are such a good cook. What I really love about his apartment is that his kitchen window leads to the roof top. Camera around my neck, I sneaked up there to capture the stunning sunset of Manhattan skyline. It always make me so happy when I’m immerse in a breathtaking environment. I can’t bare to leave this city.

After dinner, Kei played a Japanese movie : Ping Pong. A comedy/drama about high school Japanese boys obsessed with Ping Pong. It goes into friendship, rivalry and seeking one’s natural talent. One really has to believe in themselves to bring out their true self. Left his place at 11:25pm, got home around 12:10pm. Then begun my last phrase of packing…..

I am very stubborn. Peter went to the airport (LGA) via super shuttle, which cost him $16. He suggested me to do the same. I’ve made up my mind long ago that if I fly JFK, I’ll take the ultra convenient subway which will cost me $5 compared to $21 (shuttle) or $60-$75 (Taxi). Such difference! Peter was afraid that I might not have the strength to carry my luggage and what if I hurt myself, the cost will be much more. I thought he might be right. (well, he’s almost always right all the time, which I have to admit) The more I thought about it, the more I KANJIONG à singlish, English term = panic. Then I rang Super shuttle to make a reservation….THEY ARE FULL! HAVE TO CALL 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE! Phuc told me that New York Subway is 24 hours. But…..really meh? Then I went to search for the schedule online. It was already 2am…and I just finished packing. I can’t care less, I don’t want to spend so much on taxi fare, and since there is no more shuttle option, I’ll brave the “weight” and go for the efficient and reliable New York Subway.

The reason why I want to take the subway is because I felt that I’ve spent too much money in this city. Since I like to visit places, I should start learning to travel on a low budget.

Fortunately, at 3am in the morning, there were still people roaming the streets in my area. As I approach the subway entrance, a 20 over flight stairs under ground, a gentleman was walking in front of me. He saw I was dragging such a heavy luggage and offered to help me carry it down. He even offered me the exact route to get to JFK, as on weekends, some trains down run in certain direction. I got to the airport within 45 mins. Too early. I had to wait 4 hours for my flight. However, it was a smooth check-in process as there was already a long line by the time I arrived.

I want to thank the man who helped me. He just knocked off work as a bartender that was why he was still on the streets at 3am in the morning. I felt that it was planned that somebody will eventually help me along the way. That was why I trusted my gut feeling that I should take the subway.

P.S. I should have published this blog long ago. However, I couldn't find the international adapter for my laptop charger. hehe had to wait for mummy to come back and find it for me. haha

New England

BOSTON! Yes! We arrived in Boston this afternoon around 2pm. It was a 4 hours long ride from New York City Chinatown. I did a last minute, yet extensive research on the internet last night so that I will be more oriented when I arrive. The time spent proved to be successful, I had an easy time navigating around, considering I don't have a map of Boston. Just a T subway map. A smooth start.

1st stop was the USS Constitution. It is the oldest commissioned ship by the US Navy. It started construction in 1797 in a shipyard in Boston. This frigate (2nd in line to the battle ship) is one of the 1st six ships of the new US navy. This ship is most famous for its victory battle against Great Britain in June 18, 1812. More than 200 years old, this ship still sail down to Boston Harbor 8-10 times a year. Peter and I were just in time for their last tour by US Navy sailors. It was a good historical lesson
experience.

Thereafter, we checked into our hotel in central Boston, the Radisson, got the room via priceline, it cost us US$100 per night. A very good deal, considering it is Boston City and during this time of the year, many visitors are in town for their children's orientation. Boston is literally a tertiary education city. Renown colleges includes Harvard, MIT and Boston Uni. There are also many smaller colleges surrounding it.

After chilling and leaving our "stone-heavy" backpacks, we headed out to Faneuil Hall, getting off at the Government Center Station. I got information from my elder brother that Union Osyter House is not to be missed if you are craving for Oysters and Lobsters. We were truly famish by the time we reach there as we missed our lunch. We put our names down on the 30-45 minutes waiting list. During the wait, we bought clam chowder at their mini bar. I put 2 packets of crackers into the chowder and gobbled down the creamy liquid. It felt heavenly! :P

The bivalves were great. However, it made it not very much enjoyable because Peter and I ended up arguing over dinner. It is so hard when we are on hiatus and trying to un-tie the tight knot. Kate told me it is hard at the beginning to try to solve relationship problems. It felt like we are so clinging onto each other and don't want to have a clean cut. I have no idea where this is leading us to.

So he ended up heading back to the hotel while I cool it off at Harvard Sq. I didn't want to go back to the hotel so early because time is limited and I am just someone who cannot sit still. I called up my friend Kunaal and we went to Finale, a well-known desert place in MA.

We had molten chocolate. Their classic. It was a thin moist chocolate cake with thick gooey chocolate inside. It came with coffee ice cream and toasted almonds. Along with a glass of desert wine, it was amazingly satisfying. Thanks Kunaal!

I really enjoyed Boston. Not as busy as New York City, in fact, it felt smaller than San Francisco. The whole academic environment made me want to improve myself and learn. If only I'm more academically inclined.

Peter arrived yesterday at Noon. He just finished his finals and was very deprived from sleep. Slept a lot yesterday and today. And he is still sleeping right now. I hope he will get back on track with his body clock, he can't be sleeping when there is a city to be discover! haha


On Saturday, we went to the Chelsea Art Museum to check out an exhibition that ends today. Was recommended by Carol (a friend I met through another friend here). Titled: Human Nature by Federico Uribe. He did a big installation of sculptures depicting safari jungle animals using puma shoes and shoelaces. Quoted from the website, this exhibition "focused on the environment, artificial and natural, longevity and ideas about the human impact on the planet." It is fascinating to see how he transformed simple objects into works of art, giving them a different meaning and function. He sculpted huge scale by dismantling the chosen material (shoes) and used every single part of it to make these animals look so life-like. It made me wonder how much advances in human history is slowly eliminating these animals the chance to live in their natural habitat.

After the musuem, we went to Don Giovanni's Pizza. It was recommended in the guide book. The oven baked, thin crust pizza is quite a good treat if you top it up with some sangria. :)

Cosi Cosi!

Olga, Lilla and me are at Cosi Cafe. It is around 7:07pm and we are here after work exchanging music and photos on our computer.We are sitting in a roll and occupying 3 tables in this small 2nd level cafe. I'm so glad I purchased my newly owned Western Digital 120GB hard disk. It made the process so much easier. :) I will have 4000+ new songs on my ipod and great pics that will leave great memories with me. :)

Eating out is expensive, no matter where you are. I spent so much today on food. Lunch=Panini and Iced Chai ($10.24), Tea Break=Yogurt w fruits ($3.50), Dinner=Sandwich ($8.01) ALMOST $23!!! Either I am really hungry and can't stop eating, or my brain is just too hungry and crave for food all the time. Whatever the reason is, New York has certainly made me put on some weight. I'll do something about it, when I go back to SF, as for now, I'll just enjoy myself to the fullest. :P

I thought of going home. To see my family before Fall semester starts. This means missing the fashion show. :P The show might not be as important compared to seeing my folks, but I've never experienced a fashion week before and have tickets to see the show of one of my favorite designer.
And also, the plane ride ticket is pricey, I'll suffer great jet lag when I start school, so...........I've decided to go back end of the year instead.

Random acts of kindness aren't that rare actually. We just need to observe a little more than usual. I was on my way home after dinner with a friend and entered a subway entrance. It was one of those entrance without the vending machines to buy tickets, just the gates. There was this Asian guy who didn't have a ticket (a ride is US$2). So he took out $2 and asked some guys whether they could offer him a ticket. 2 young dude said they didnt have extra tickets and went through the gate. However, another older Hispanic guy, who just got out of the gate offered to slide his card and let him through. I guess he got an unlimited pass (US$76 for 30 days). He didn't even take advantage of the $2 the dude was holding in his hands. Such simple acts do put a smile on my face. :)

It rained heavily last night. SO HEAVY that it is nice to be in bed sleeping. :) There were lightning and thunder, felt like Singapore. However, not a very good sign in New York. Things get messed up over here whenever it rains. The subway got flooded in some parts of town and most lines stopped working. I managed to barely squeeze into my 1st train which was just 2 stops to my transfer station. When i got to West 4th Street, the number of people waiting for the blue line train was massive! I figured out that something fishy and decided to walk to my work place which was on W. 39th Street instead of waiting in that sauna-like platform. There were many people on the streets waiting for the bus and taxi. I haven't been in that part of town during morning hours, so I didn't suspect anything. But as I approached midtown, there were just unusually too many people on the streets. And I overhead many people on their cellphone complaining about the subway delays. I was fully convinced that it was the aging infrastructure of New York City that couldn't withstand harsh weather. Remember the steam pipe explosion few weeks ago in midtown, it happened due to rainwater seeping through the ground and got in contact with the pipes. Well, all these problem can't be compared to the devastating flooding in India right now.

I'm heading up to Boston next weekend with Peter! I can't wait. It is going to be a relaxing trip and hopefully it will help us rekindle our wounds. :)

I am in YingYing n Chris's room now. The twin-window fan thing isn't cooling me down in this humid heat, even after a COLD COLD COLD shower (Boiler in the building stopped working today.) I don't know when they will fix it, system here isn't as efficient. But I need to shower tomorrow morning before I go into office....how???

yakusouku?

Just like how I was addicted to Bleach, the Japanese Anime, and all the other lame YET entertaining Taiwanese Drama, I am once again hooked onto some long winded love drama by the Koreans. I don't do that often, just once in a rare moon, and since I have some time right now, why not. yeah? :) I'm watching Stairway to Heaven. It is an old drama series. I feel they cheated my time when they drag so long!!!

I finally received my English version of the long-awaited Harry Potter and the Deadly Hollow~ Julie said that it is better to read the Book 5 to refresh memory, but there are so many books I need to read this lifetime, I guess I might just indulge in this juicy book. :P

I learnt how to make Udon Salad from Kei (Japanese Intern). Very simple!
all you need:
1) A packet of Udon
2) Japanese Mayo (with a cute semi-naked boy logo, red cap)
3) Tomatoes
4) Cabbage
5) Cucumber
6) Some-kind of Soba sauce (have to get confirmation with Kei again)

Boil the udon, chop the vegetables to bit sizes for easy chewing.
Place udon in a bowl (bottom layer), cabbage (second layer), tomatoes + cucumber and put as much mayo to add flavour. (remember, extremely high calories for this!) Then pour the soba sauce little by little to make sure your taste bugs get adapted to this Asian salada. Enjoyyy~~

I'm hitting the hay, will continue the marathon tomorrow.

I just finished cooking a massive amount of food that will last me for 10 days!!!! But the delicious peanut broccoli pasta isn't really for me to indulge alone, it is for Kate's farewell party tomorrow! She is one of the intern that works at production department. Gradually, the great friends that I've come to make are leaving for their hometown to continue their studies and life. It is very saddening, because that means my summer holidays are ending soon and I'll be back for Fall semester too. :( I'm going to miss every single one of you gals. and guys too! :)

I went to visit the exhibition, "Luxury", at the Fashion Institute of Technology museum. It is free admission (good for everybody) and opens late (till 8pm). This exhibit is a chronology of fashion from the 18th Century till today. It is a good starting point for anyone interested in learning a brief history lesson on western fashion. Great designers such as Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel, YSL, Dior, Balenciaga master pieces are displayed on mannequins. They also have recent designer works such as Rodarte, Victor and Rolf, John Galliano, etc. What I really like about this exhibit is the "somewhat" big collection of period costume, before Paul Poiret's time. Curves and volume were the main fashion statement. Most pieces were tiny top and huge bottom. There wasn't any reflective glass panels between me and those pieces of history, thus I could observe at a close range the detailing used by lavish individuals during those times. There was massive usage of brocade silk, velvet, lace (lots of lace!!), feathers, embroideries, ribbon, tassels and golds. To come to think of it, modern designers use these materials too. I am not sure if it is constant exposure to the inner operations of the company I'm working for, but recently, everything I see in the market, I could relate it so well to the brand. I hope it will influence the way I design in a positive way. :)
-----------------extra extra : Do you know that Purple is an expensive color to manufacture? Thus those who were able to dress in Purple before the Industrial Revolution are really loaded! :P

I'm planning to visit Niagara Falls when Peter comes to visit. But a few people told me that the view from Canada side is much better than US side. However, Peter holds an Indonesian passport, might need extra visa.....wonder if he willing to go that extra mile. :)

Where should I visit next?

I finally had Taco Shits this evening..........very "shiok" (feels good in Singlish)

multiple multiple

Friday 27th July 2007

It was Julie's 21st birthday dinner. She is also an intern at the same company. An Indo-Singapore girl, a pleasant and sweet character. She did her restaurant research and brought 5 of her friends to a Thai place near Union Square. The interior design is very Anna Sui-like. Purple wallpapers and doors, crystal chandelier and a space like atmosphere. The food is sort of "French cuisine" prepared, paying details to beautifying the plate. The Espresso Duck was my favourite dish. The duck was tender and dripped with rich dark coffee sauce.

We also opened a bottle. The 1st time my friends and I opened a bottle was at an Indian bar in Clarke Quay (Singapore), was a Jack Daniel's. But it is only over here that the people I've encountered open bottles at dinner. Also, many friends I've met here love alcohol very much. So drinking has become a common norm in this period. Reminds me of the days in Tokyo,living a very decadent lifestyle. :)

Head home early, because I had an appointment with myself and the Cooper Hewitt-National Design Museum.

Saturday 28th July 2007

Got up early, did my 30 minutes jog and head out to the museum.

My main goal was to visit the Design Life Now: Emerging Ideas from 21st Century designers in fields including animation, new media, architecture, graphic, interior, fashion, furniture and technology. I would consider this the best museum experience I ever had. The exhibits are modern, innovative and inspiring. Also, I had one of those moments that I'm grateful to be in the art world industry. :) Very creative intriguing learning experience. An exhibition that I'll consider getting the catalog.

Head to Soho to meet Julie for shopping therapy after. Soho is an all-crowd thing everywhere on weekends. I can't do the therapy. But I love seeing the crowd enjoying their weekend and I am part of them, very stress-free.

I brought her to The Market NYC. A school-gym-but-weekend-turn-to-shopping-haven place. It is similar to a flea market, but the booths sellers are independent young designers selling their crafts. Comprises of accessories and clothes. I LOVE IT~ i love supporting younger designers and of course innovation and talent can be felt everywhere. I got a crochet choker that I simply have to have very very much.
I need to learn how to crochet one day. :P

Do you agree that shopping is one of the best exercise? It does burn lots of calories after all the walking and bags carrying. :) Had Soba for dinner at a "Chinese Revolutionary" interior design noodle bar in Greenwich Village. I remembered going to an expensive Sushi bar in San Francisco (my previous boss's treat) and the interior was furnished with a variety of sake bottles, very modern and sleek. Whereas for this noodle bar, they used the same concept, but instead of alcohol bottles, they used soy sauce and chilli sauce bottles. It certainly added a twist.

Wanted to try the famous Magnolia Cupcake, but the line was going around the corner. So, no cupcakes for desert. :P

Sunday 29th July 2007

Through someone's tutorial http://www.metacafe.com/watch/740736/watch_latest_streaming_movies_tv_over_the_internet/
and hungry for some movies, I watched Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock. A documentary featuring him trying to prove that eating fast food(mainly Macdonald's) is not good for one's health.(duh!) I hardly eat fast food, I know the harmful effects. However, occasionally, if the desperation/urge to settle my tummy, I'll go for a fish or chicken burger. But after the movie, it dawned me that fast food is a NO-NO! Coke/Sugar Drinks are a NO-NO! Fried food absolutely NO! Eating fast food will lead to multiple health problems, the heart, the liver, the fats floating, depression, most importantly lowers the sex drive.

After the movie, I explored the website www.goveg.com A vegan website with many information to become one and the cruel methods of killing animals video. There are also interesting vegetarian receipts if you don't know how to start. I made a vegetarian wrap last night (with salmon though)!! It is amazingly full and not that stuffed. Gosh, I think my culinary skills are getting better compared to the 1st meal I made in Iowa City. (I cooked instant noodles and it wasn't quite edible, and had to discard it :P )

soy nuts!

Stop Motion Art

Quoc, my animation friend from school/online recommended a stop motion animated film - Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride. I've always like this genre of animation but didn't know it was called stop motion. The School of Visual Arts (animation department) tour last week - college shopping for my baby sister - opened my eyes to the wonders of this form of art. Since it was a rainy/gloomy monday, I borrowed the film, brought my Dell and went to a randomly searched (on www.yelp.com) bookstore con cafe place to watch it.

Before I dive into the film...............

I bought a cup of ginger ale and a slice of raspberry crumbler bar. Happily, I brought it to the table and another lady came up and we shared the same table. I offered to plug in her Mac's battery power plug, since the outlet was at my side, and as I straighten my clumsy self, my elbow hit my full brim ginger ale and spilled all over the floor. :( *well, nothing unusual about that. She felt bad and bought me another cup. I don't know if she is from here, but I guess my human interaction experience in New York has been a bless so far. :)

Back to the film, since I borrowed the DVD, there were many special features to explore. I really got to understand how stop motion animation are directed. It is such a tedious process of making 200 over puppets, filming each movement or frame one at a time. Imagine, moving the puppets, capturing the shot, shift the puppet, and get the shot again, and doing it 1 step at a time. Such a painstaking routine. It is really a pity that CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) has taken over
most animation, resulting in stop motion a dying art.

I also realized that being in the Art world, artists are constantly being challenged by the times and technology advancement in their generation. Facing the fast pace of lifestyle with the endless hungry demands of today's consumers, I applaud at artists who continues to be convicted to their passions and stay true to their art. I am glad that I've been given the chance to be immersed in an art education. I'm very lucky.

Almost 7pm, the raspberry bar is almost digested and ginger ale is occupying my bladder. hehehe Maybe I'll get a falafel somewhere in the East Village before heading home.

It rained like cats n doggies this whole morning, and it dashed my plans of going to the Copper-Hewitt Design Museum in Upper East Side. There is an exhibit "Design Live Now" which ends this Sunday, so I'll definitely go there this Saturday, rain, shin or snow. :)

I kayaked on the Houston River Sunday afternoon. It was a great day to be out on the waters not too hot or windy. It was a free kayaking service by volunteers, you just have to sign a form of consent and you are on your way to a 20 minutes kayaking experience. They even have free lockers with locks to put your belongings. I enjoyed it, but not very crazy about it. Maybe water sports isn't my thing, just like how.....snowboarding isn't really fancy. But will do it again if I can. :)

Having nearly escaped from being knocked down by a car late last year, witnessing someone trapped in an elevator with sewage pipe bursting in the roof and water seeping rapidly into the lift, and 5 blocks away from the recent explosion of the steam pipe in Manhattan last week, I definitely thank the special people "up there" looking out for me. And today, with the terrible weather and stomach diarrhea , i happen to have my day off. Such great timings. :P

I'm going to borrow couple of movies later and watch to my heart's content. And i promise i'll start blogging down my amazing episodes in NYC more often. hehe

I can't wait for my cousin Peisong to send the final harry potter book from UK for me! I refuse to buy/read the American Version :P

can't eat you anymore...

My family should remember very clearly what happened to me the last time I had Durian when I was in Singapore in January. It was a Tuesday, and I packed myself with food from dawn to dusk. And even after that, I topped it off with pieces of Durian. Bloating like an explosive balloon, I suggested that my mom, younger brother and me to go Yishun driving range for some golf practice to digest the food. And then the drama begin..............i had to stop my mom halfway on the highway and even before the car could come to a halt, i push the door open and puke everything out! :( hellllla nostalgic. haha

today, i had some good Vietnamese food, and i topped it off with the fruit again. Just 1 piece, yet, that familiar sensation returned. That acidic saliva was nasty. i had to eat po chi waun. luckily, nothing drastic happened, i end up sleeping for 4 hours. and right now, i'm just getting really tired. I think i need to hit the hay......tomorrow is Sunday, i'll go jog my bridge. :P

Yes! Fresh clothes!!

Today, i finally did my laundry. My New York experience with a laundromat. I have been dreading to do my laundry because I didn't think I have the capabilities to operate a washing machine, other than the ones in San Francisco. HAHA I even thought of doing the drop off service where you pay more and have someone else do your chore. Nahz, i don't have that kind of extra money. Desperate for fresh clothes and towels, i conquered my fears and haul my bags down 1 1/2 blocks. Guess what? I spent $7 in the end (Wash +Dry) argh! I didn't check for the smaller machines and put all the dirty clothes into a $4.50 machine! When the clothes were spinning, then i realise...there is actually a $3 machine. But anyways, i had to clean my bedsheets too, so it wasn't that bad. i knew i'm going to mess up somewhere....like i always do whenever i go somewhere new. I really encountered some embarrassing moments since i arrived, quite inconvenient to share it in public. :P

Almost 3 weeks into working life. LOVE IT! no stress or homework. Then again, i'm just interning, so there aren't huge responsibilities on my inexperience shoulders. :)

It is going to be weekend. I am looking forward to the weekends. Time to relax, hangout with friends and just be lazy. :)I'll be checking out the MOMA here, some boutique, maybe watch an independent film and choose another bridge to run across. one of my aims here is to run across all the bridges that connects Manhattan Island. I've done Williamsburg, maybe i'll do Manhattan or George Washington or Brooklyn. lets see what adventures this weekend will bring.

after 1st week of work....

I didn't get the chance to blog as I started my internship, know why? working life is seriously tiring! haha i didn't realise it, i guess school is much preferred, at least we can choose our schedule and maybe register for afternoon classes to get more sleep.

I got transferred after the 1st day from showroom to production. Showroom internship was a disaster, not only did i not get to do anything, i didn't learn alot either! I'm glad for the transfer. Production is fun, i get to run errands to different contractors and cutting places and observe the inside-out of making clothings. It felt like living in a live soap opera, the tension between different departments and the phone calls. I might end up liking production more than design, who knows?

Today, I went to Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace in Union Square in New York. He is the 26th president of USA. Not many people know that his birthplace is here. It was an intense 2 hours history lesson. I really need to read A people's history of USA. so much to learn!!

My brother Yong Ming is coming to visit me next week! I've already got many places in mind to bring him. It is going to be exciting!! A tourist bring a tourist around. :)

I am in New York City!

When i was on my flight from Denver to LaGuardia Airport, I felt that this was it! I'm finally going to New York City and start my internship.............and explore one exciting/happening city~

I've settle down in my new place. Weather here is as humid and hot as Singapore. I knew it is going to be like that....at least it wasn't that bad compared to Milen or Shanghai. hehehe

I'm quite tired and HOT and can't breathe very well now. too stuffy. Think i'm off to bed soon. Will blog more tomorrow.

I MOVED!

YES!!! I moved out of my apartment that i've been staying ever since i got here. New environment, new surroundings, new neighbours, can't wait!!!! BUT! i haven't found a place to stay yet. Will do that when i come back from my internship. :) Moving house is such a hassle. It wasn't that bad when i moved from Iowa City to San Francisco. I didn't have much stuff. But this time, i feel like i'm moving a whole house! Luckily Peter, being the kind hearted person he is, helped me a lot. I'm so grateful to him, especially allowing me to treat his garage like public storage. :) Thanks!

I'm flying off tomorrow at 7:40am. I still need to weigh my luggage.....make sure i don't over-bring things. I also need a shower badly. been moving things from 7:30am-9pm. I don't know why, be suddenly when i stopped moving my things and relaxing, my whole body starts to itch so bad.........:P

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!! New York City!! here i come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WeeeWweeeee~~

New York..New YoRK....

Hello! I'm blogging again. I finished my Spring semester not too long ago and have been spending a big amount of time slacking off, and packing up my stuff. I am finally moving out of my place in Sargent street after 2 1/2 years. Couple of reasons. But mainly, I'm off to New York City for an internship and won't be in San Francisco for 3 months. I've grown smarter, I will not pay for 3 months of rent and not be here, like I did before. Another reason, I've been in this place for too long, I want to have a change of environment. Probably somewhere more convenient - closer to the train station and shops. Also, I'm tired of putting up with my unfriendly and money-minded landladies. They have been lying a lot about changes for the house and to my fellow housemates. I feel they are somewhat....unreliable. Better get out before it is too late. haha

I'm flying off this Saturday to the Big Apple. I can't wait....i'm so scare...and excited at the same time! It is such a emphasized city and almost everywhere I know who have been there loved it. And furthermore, i'm going to be working...not in an art gallery, as a dish washer, ice cream shop or a japanese restaurant waitress BUT!! in a fashion designer's studio!! wish me luck guys!!

I should go back to my packing. I still have a full closet of clothes to pack, and the small small things laying around my room. Be Blog Back~

I lOvE U

I haven't been blogging for the longest time. The first week of semester was not too bad, i was still able to come faithfully to this site and blogged twice, but after that, it became a continuous running of projects, homework and due dates to meet. Luckily, today, i had the mood and some time to drop a few updates.

Last Sunday was the end of daylight saving = which means that the time was moved forward by 1 hour. 1 hour might not seem a big deal. but it means, LESS 1 hour of sleep and that affects alot! :( and also, i felt that i am rushing through time and trying to do more things to gain back that 1 hour.

I am starting on a new sewing project. We are assigned to do 2 pieces of garments that we find on the runway and sew it up. I am going to do 1 dress and 1 coat. I just finished sewing my dress sample and it looks somewhat like the image, but i think there are lots more alterations to be done. I have 5 weeks including a week of "spring break" to do 2 pieces. It is alot of work, considering this is my 1st time making my own pattern without teacher's demonstration. My senior, Winnie, she did 4-5 times of sample for 1 piece of garment for her final collection fashion show. Clothes making is really time-consuming.

Other than school work, I am also helping out Winnie with her final collection. Running errands and doing random things. Learning quite a bit from her. It really benefits to see how other students are working and learn the good things and put it in my own working habits.

I've been reading this book called "Insights" by Gordon Onslow Ford. This is an image book displaying his drawings that he sees when he is in deep sleep. The paintings are child-like drawings and he wrote different quotes with it. I find his quotes very inspiring and i'm going to share it with you. Overcoming demons or seeing through them offers an opportunity for a growth of consciousness. Face the demon and see what happens. Have faith in the mysterious functioning of the Universe. Miracles happen through acting according to intuitive certainty about hidden laws. They are all my favorites. :)

I've been waking up at 6am-6:15am for 2 weeks already. This is to avoid the "bathroom" congestion as i'm sharing 1 with 2 other housemates. One of them seems to go in and takes forever to come out. That is why i rather sacrifice at least an hour of sleep just to get ready. I'm also taking good breakfast in the morning and able to prepare myself promptly before my 8:30am classes.

Today will be the beginning of my 1st sewing project. After being traumatized by an OBASAN last semester, I am very determined to learn as much as possible and take it slow for this project. Recently i received a birthday card and this person wrote lots of quotes on it as a form of encouragement. And out of the many, I particularly like this "It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop".

My muni is coming in 8 mins. GTG!!!!!!!!!! RUN~~~~~~~~~

Wonderful Birthday

I had an awesome 22nd birthday. I woke up in the morning, and breakfast is being made as i replied the numerous SMS birthday greetings i've received. After, I took a warm shower and dolled myself up. And as usual, Peter starts to complain about my sense of "style". He commented that my eyeliner was too thick and it made me look fierce. My skirt didn't match with my top, and wanted me to change into jeans. He didn't like my matching belt and wanted me to tie up my hair. Argh! On my birthday! and he needs to complain so much. I don't know why he just can't get along with my new approach to looking and feeling good. I think he just needs to brighten up his own wardrobe.

We caught a movie. The Pursuit of Happyness. Note: Happyness is spelt with a "Y". Played by Will Smith and his own son. Very touching and motivational movie. My favourite part was when Will Smith told his son that nobody can tell him what to do and what not to do. If you have a dream, you have to do whatever it takes to protect it and pursue it. It is a rag to riches movie and even though some parts are exaggerated for box office sake, I really admired Christopher Gardner's strength to pick himself up when nobody believed in him. Makes me want to train myself to be stronger emotionally and face my fear.

This year, i had 3 birthday cakes to celebrate with. 1st was cut before I left for San Francisco at home with my family. 2nd, I bought a Japanese Cheesecake to celebrate with my housemates and 3rd, 3 of my housemates baked a cake for me! Lots of cake eating. I had a taste of ShiSha (Watermelon flavor) again. I had the apple one in Singapore. They call it Huuka over here. I'll definitely post some photos. :)

This week is the 2nd week of semester. Today's consultation went well with my design teacher. I'm glad. I'm still catching up with some friends for lunch or dinner. I wanna meet up with them before i get too overwhelm with school work and won't have such luxury.

Yesterday, i was working on my design project. Doing some research for my inspiration. I was using watercolor and colorpencils. Peter came into the room and felt thirsty. AND Guess what? He drank the water from the cup that i was using to wash my brushes!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA i cracked up till i can't stop. Luckily he got the message fast enough and spit the water out. :)

My new theme will be focusing on the word RAW. It is another attempt on something more conceptual instead of literal. I feel that doing something this conceptual involves a level of risk. With risk, I can experiment more and get a different approach in the process of designing a collection. I am in Level 4 - which is the start of my 3rd year. My instructor said this level is more experimental and breaking the rules. It is going to be exciting. :)

Tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be going out for brunch with Peter and his aunt. She is bringing us somewhere. At night, i think i'll get a cake and celebrate with my housemates. Tomorrow is the big ball game in US. Football - Colts vs Bears. I am not into it, can never understand the game.

it is 10:23pm now, i wanna return some emails, take a warm shower and start my designs. I'll sleep by 12am...i hope. :)
YuTing, I will go out with you lor..............:P

The Sweetness of Home

I just returned to San Francisco 36 hours ago. Surprisingly, when i told my body not to get too jet lag, it didn't get that screwed up as before. I woke up today at 5:48am and couldn't sleep till 9:15am. And the next time i see the clock it was 2pm. I had a good nap. and had a strange dream. I dreamt of my flute seniors ZhengGuo and Fathir playing the violin. My primary school friend Zi Cong was also playing the instrument behind them. It was a huge size orchastra, but lots of empty seats. I was with Peter's Aunt Anas and we were watching the performances on a skyscaper roof top. It was a magnificent sight. And guess what i was doing, i was holding pieces of music scores and chopping it with a kitchen knife. interprete this dream, anyone?

I went jogging around 3:45pm. Had a great workout. However, my knee joins begin to hurt so much. but it was bearable. i was told my a trainer not to go jogging, i should instead do the elliptical machine in the gym. But it was quite a nice day to be outdoors than sweating with other people in that odor filled space. :) I decided to venture up to this hill top park with Peter halfway during th jog. I saw an unleashed dog coming downhill with its owners. Failing to recognise that this is a park specially for dogs to be unleash and mingle around with other dogs and humans. When we were almost at the top, i could see countless dogs running freely, my immediate instinct told me to get out of this place asap. My fear of dogs has never cease to establish its power wherever and whenever i see them. ****Another resolution for 2007, read up more about dogs and understand better. So that i can slowly overcome my fear soon. :) Luckily I ventured uphill with Peter, Or else, i won't know how to handle it being alone. arghhhh....

This trip back home had been fun, fun and more fun. I met up with people i haven't seen for sooo long. They are Esther, Thandar, Alwin, Yiling, Yunting, Alvin, Samuel, Dean, Kiran, Kuok Ren, Jia Hao, Cheryl, Alan, Wei Bing, Wei Xiong, Zhenzhen, Adam, Mimi, Yingdan Rachel, Wen Feng, Rajeev, Arthur, Paula, Justina, Wei Yi, Shui Sheng, Janice, Darius.....blah blah......Very nice. :) The food that i had the most back home :PRATA! Most proud of myself, lead a temporary owl life, managed to stay awake till 4am w/o showing that i'm sleepy. heehhee :) I had a good rest this holiday and meeting up with old friends made me realise that i still do have a solid group of friends whom i can always depend on despite rarely seeing them. I want to express my heartfelt thanks to those guys who came all the way east to Changi to send me off. :)

I want to subscribe to Mobtv soon. S$10.93/month. Worth it or not?

a long waited blog entry...

I am in Singapore now. Today is Sunday, 14th January. Sitting in the living room, watching a Charlie = Helicopter rescue on National Geographic. My sister is beside me right now and she is also typing her blog. Guess who is copying who? :) U need to find out yourself. HAHA
I went for car hunting today. Hunted from Bukit Timah, to Queenstown, to Ubi. Had a long day. but A good day. because it wasn't raining hard and sunny hot. We were hunting for a Hyundai and my brother is very interested in the Hyundai Getz. I thought of the QQ Chery car. After sitting in a friend's QQ, i thought it was cute and something unusual. However, it is too small and the engine is like "Ka Na Ji" = Olive Seed's Seed = ultra small. But too bad, i won't e driving this car yet. coz it will be out on the road, when i'm already back in the States.

I think by now, you will know who is copying who...hahahahaha

PS. my new year's resolution = reduce consumption = food & $$$

I just had a sip of my dad's XO. Superb. He is excited about his emails. HAHAHA
He is talking...talking..talking....he is returning his sms. High-tech old buddy. Love him