Live prawns, anyone?

Imagine my horror when I realised tonight's dinner included steamboat-ing live prawns. Yes, you read it right. We had to dangle the poor struggling prawns above the steaming pot of soup...and drop them inside! Worse still, they are still seen to be struggling in pain inside. Some defiant prawns thought that they could escape death by jumping out of the soup, but to no avail. All they left behind was a tiny splash, a testimony of their insignificant existence on earth. I shudder at the thought of the scarred souls of little children at the restaurant witnessing the adults doing such acts of crime.

I really hope the prawns don't attack me in my sleep tonight. At least, I ended up eating none of the prawns. Rest in peace prawns...in my friends' stomachs.

NDP 2059

I read with interest Ho Kwon Ping's article mimicking a post National Day speech in 2059 - after 100 years of self-rule. The article was peppered with many amusing achievements and milestones, though in retrospect many modern milestones achieved probably sounded comical to the people of the past too. It urged me to imagine what our country and lifestyle would be like 50 years down the road.

I will be 70 years old then. Will I live till that age? What will become of me? The future, both filled with glorious hope and unpredictable traps, seem to loom ahead...closer than ever before.

Love of Siam

Today marks the last day Love of Siam screens at Cinema Europa at VivoCity. First released in Thailand in 2007, the show immediately received mixed reactions due to the portrayal of different types of love - including love between two boys. Doing much more than simply tugging at our heartstrings, the movie, in its simplicity, inspires love and the very right to love. The show's success is also compounded by the delicate acting from the cast. No doubt, it has impacted many lives and will continue to do so in its run in Japan.

I have had the opportunity to watch the director's cut of the film, an almost three hours long cut. Despite the duration, the strong dynamics between the characters in the show resulted in not a single moment of dip. A formula of family love, romantic love, and love between friends amongst others might shamelessly be the simplest formula to win over one's heart, but Love of Siam did it beautifully and rightfully realistic. It is an honest reflection of the strict Asian values that we all live by.

4.5 stars.

Just happiness

I just spent the past hour browsing through the yellow and sticky old photo albums with my mum. I never knew such simple pleasures could be derived from equally unassuming treasures. Laughing and recounting the memories, it dawned on me once again how 20 years have passed so quickly. I saw myself in the old photos, when I was just nine, or ten. Would I have ever known who I would be ten years down? That ignorant and contented glaze staring back at me from the photo somehow soothed me. Suddenly all material wants dissipated.. all I want is my family to remain together and to savour more happy memories to come.

Ion Orchard & ors

Walking around the glitzy new Ion Orchard was exciting, but the excitement died down a bit when I realised how much more the management could have done with Orchard Central just a station down. Ion barely opened its doors a week back, and it already has a huge percentage of shops opened and ready to surprise shoppers with new fare. OC, on the other hand, has been opened since god-knows-how-long-ago, but has yet to show anything groundbreaking with the exception of sky-high escalators that commanded a good view of Orchard.

Five main reasons why Ion had my vote: Firstly, I met with surprises at almost every turn, with new brands popping up and existing ones offering new collections. Secondly, the layout, although confusing for some, made me feel like an explorer who's spoilt for choice in this jungle of merchandise. Thirdly, the food was good. Fourth, I love the toilets, especially the cubicles which made you feel like you are in an almost sound-proof private enclosed space. Lastly, I felt at ease with the interior design. I could tell the management and individual shops had done a lot in ensuring everything presented was marketed a notch above the usual fare.

I will, and need to go back there again. Excited.

Henderson Waves

The trip to Henderson Waves was well worth it. Whoever said there was nothing to do in boring Singapore? The bridge itself amazes me in both design and functionality. It was a great location to experiment different stills and tableaux, taking advantage of the linear and curves of the bridge. But what I felt most at ease about was that it seems to blend in smoothly with the very nature that we had earlier emerged from.

20, with a start

Looking at my calendar one day, I realised my twentieth birthday is just a matter of months away. Indeed, it is only when we aren't consciously noticing that time passes really quickly. I must admit I'm really excited for the future, but I'm equally appreciative of the past. This made up my mind to resume blogging. From the extremities of frivolity to philosophy, nothing will take away the good memories we had in our youth. I need to make sure of that.