The Man.

A little rain may fall every now and then,
But He shelters my storms - My Love, My Man. =)

Des Is Back! =)

Des : I'm back, Mich!
Mich : ?!!!!

Des : Super miss me, right?
Mich : YES!!!!

Des : Yes, Yes, I miss you too. When do you wanna meet me?
Mich : Next week? I'm meeting Diana. Join us?

Des : ........
Mich : Why?

Des : Too far away. This Friday! Miss you!
Mich : OK! =)

Des : Let's meet on Friday AND next week. Meeting the rest is secondary.
Mich : *melts* I'll call the rest.

[ P/S : Leion, you're invited too.
This Friday, 7.30pm @ L's new pizza place. I'll text you the details. =) ]

What's That Again?

*Kudos to Bryan for spotting this.

Blues Of A Different Kind.

Downcast was I and encumbered with a heart of liturgical cantillations.

Then, The Man returned home with a bottle of Bvlgari perfume.

It was meant to be a surprise.

For Me.

To Me,

The Intention far outweighed the Gift.

And,

I smiled.

All 4 Nought.

Mich's attention was briefly diverted as she posted the previous entry.

With her gaze riveting upon a familiar sight, it dawned on her.

Linear corrugation?

Silly Mich.

4 A.M.

Sat : I found a tumour at the side of Dadi's belly.

Sun : Dadi was visibly thinner & withdrawn. With beady eyes, he'd stop in his tracks and looked at me. I noticed they were a tad red.

Mon 10pm : Mentioned to Vern that Dadi appeared to be quite ill & I'd be taking him to the vet.

4am : My last beloved hamster,Dadi (aka Didi) died. He was a few days short of being 1.5 years old.

Goodbye, Dadi.

Verse of the Day.

"A hope deferred makes the heart sick,
A longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
— Proverbs 13:12

Just A Thought.

Thought and language are separate.

Language is ascribed, inherited and learnt.

Thought, as a cognitive mechanism, is inherent in humans. Language is secondary. It is intentional. One's knowledge of words has no bearing on the innate ability of thought to observe, link and utilize past observations.

The fact that we can learn language, from a clean slate bereft of language, attests to this.

Embodiment in thought and language would, perhaps, establish linear semantics if we demonstrate acquired inner speech as a medium of thought.

A penny for your thoughts?

Kris Allen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Methinks Kris has a Jason Mraz / Jack Johnson vibe and given the right direction, would have a very successful pop career.

I didn't like the commercial aspect of David Archuleta's album. The boy can hush an audience with "Imagine", a John Lennon classic but studio executives quelled artistic integrity with the newfangled "Crush".

What will they do with Kris?

Hello, Me.

Very often, pride gets in the way of things.

In the Singaporean context, Paiseh is why things don't get done, dreams aren't fulfilled and opportunities scurry past.

Mich is going to ditch this concept that has shackled her.

She's going to do what she likes, when she likes and however she likes it to be.

Brickbats aren't going to stop her. Naysayers can kindly step aside while she conveniently struts with nonchalance.

Because Paiseh has a staunch ally that sneaks up and devours you in a single gulp.

Its lingering presence reeks of Regret.

And really, she's had enough of such wrangles.

Do you like the new Mich? =)

A Word...

Would suffice.

2009 - The Return of Alternative Rock Bands

H-O-O-R-A-Y!

What's that cheer for? Read on to find out.

While Mich has missed Vertical Horizon in action at the AsiaBeerFest recently, a new album is expected in July 2009. Its first single, "Save Me From Myself", was released on 10 May 2009. "Everything You Want", "You're A God" and "Best I've Ever Had" remain the band's most popular hits. (Aye to that!)

If you like alternative rock band Dishwalla, you'll be thrilled to know that its lead singer, J.R. Richards has released his debut solo album "A Beautiful End" on May 12th, 2009 on iTunes worldwide. Starting on May 26, "A Beautiful End" will be available for purchase and download worldwide through all other digital music services (Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon, AOL and more).

Over at the Switchfoot camp, a new album, entitled "Hello Hurricane", will be released in September 2009. Its lead singer, Jon Foreman, is responsible for lending his vocals to the movie, A Walk To Remember. The soundtrack "Someday We'll Know", a collaboration with Mandy Moore, has been played on airwaves till this day. (Mich listens to this song every single day. Its catchy tune is just right to kickstart the day.)

Green Day, in similar fashion, has just rolled out its eighth studio album, "21st Century Breakdown" on May 15, 2009. Green Day has sold over 22 million records in the United States. Hands up if you break out in song with youth-ridden glee when you hear "Basketcase" : Do you have the time / To listen to me whine? =) In 2004, Green Day enjoyed renewed popularity with "American Idiot" and Record of the Year, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".

Providing a queer juxaposition is Matchbox Twenty who has been really quiet lately, with its last album, "Exile on Mainstream" on October 2, 2007. (Crikey!) Matchbox Twenty, originally Matchbox 20, has sold over 45 million albums worldwide from the releases of Yourself or Someone Like You, Mad Season, and More Than You Think You Are. To Mich, "Bent" is the real deal here. Never mind the fact that it was a yesteryear hit in 2000. The burning question is this - when will Matchbox Twenty have another go at an album like the rest? =(

Fundamental Common $ense.

Borrow only to buy an asset
Assets are good. Once you've paid for them, you have something of value that you could sell if you had to.

There are two kinds of assets – value builders and value losers.

Value builders are assets that are likely to hold their value, grow in value or give you income after you've paid for them. A house is the classic value builder (although houses can lose value). As a rule, if you keep a house for the long term (over ten years) the value will increase or stay about the same. You also save money on rent (although you pay out money on maintenance and rates). And if you needed to, you could sell the house and pay back your debt.

Education which enhances your job prospects (and income earning potential) is a great value builder.

Buying a value building asset is an investment. It's a valid reason to go into debt.

Value losers are assets that lose value after you've paid for them, like a car. Every year you own your car, it is worth less money. Borrowing to buy a car can be a bad move – especially if the car loses value faster than you can pay the debt off.

If you really need to buy a car (or any other value loser) with a loan, think about borrowing only part of the purchase price. Save to pay Expenses
Expenses are things that leave you with nothing after you've paid for them. Living costs, nights out, and holidays are all expenses. Pay for expenses from your income or short-term savings.

It can be painless to pay for a meal in a restaurant on your credit card. But if you take a few months to pay off the credit card, it can be very painful when you realise that interest is making that meal out (which you barely remember by now) more expensive every day the debt isn't paid off.

Remember, saving money to buy things makes the overall cost of those things lower.
[ Extracted from Credit Bureau (Singapore) ]

Sadness.

Mich is Miserable.

Will You make Mich Happy again?

Dishwalla - Drawn Out.

Excellent song.

We run for the past
But we're already there

It's all drawn out
There's nothing inside
Nothing to hold
Nothing to find
It's wearing me out
This feeling inside
All drawn out

I'm all drawn out

[ Dishwalla - Drawn Out ]

Lemur Street.

The tube regime of mine has been revolving around Lemur Street.

Filmed in Madagascar, this BBC documentary launches a spectacular insight of endangered ring-tailed lemurs. Grooming, foraging, sunbathing and interacting are but all in a day's work for this predominantly matriachal species.

A typical day starts with lemurs sunbathing to warm themselves after a cold night.

The leader gets her share of the sun while her troop begins to stir.

Pretty as the ring-tails might be, lemurs cannot hang from their tails.
They move around by jumping from side to side.
It's quite a sight watching them bounce across the plains and into the forest!

Lemurs are territorial creatures.
Fights are inevitable when rival groups encounter each other.

Lemurs forage for fresh leaves, fruit and cactuses.
Occasionally, they snack on small insects.

A newborn lemur clings onto her mother's belly for the first month, feeding on milk.

At 4 weeks, she will ride on her mother's back and begin foraging.
On her mother's back will she remain for 6 months.
Thereafter, she will be independent.

After the hustle and bustle, lemurs huddle together in the evening to form a giant ball of fur before going to bed.

Bi-the-C

Flipping back two Saturdays, one would have caught sight of Mich attempting to cycle at East Coast if one were around the vicinity.



The result?
Hmm....I'll keep you guessing for now. =)

Some Respite From The Roast, However Brief.

If you do remember, Mich had her turn.

Mich splashed $10k on photographs at

And dished out $3k just for gowns at

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Now, it was time for Vern to source for gowns & photography.

After accompanying Vern to a certain Sa**ine bridal boutique, it left a mercurial distaste. Thus, Vern decided to make Ritz C*****e as the bridal boutique of her choice as their gowns had been featured in Mediacorp dramas after Mich's Big Day.

As Mich was on excellent terms with the Boss, Mich rang her on her cell phone (Yup, we've become friends!) and the Boss made a personal trip to the boutique.

Mich secured a very good deal - two brand new gowns at the price of rental. Now, that's tantamount to a 30% discount! In addition, Mich managed to get a whole range of items thrown in for good measure at the same price. ( Yes, one of Mich's talents is getting chummy with bosses of businesses and getting good bargains as a result.)

While 30 minutes were suffice to work out the details of the wedding gown package, tarrying the boutique continued as The Boss engaged in personal updates and divulged industry secrets that Mich cannot put in print!

Occupying ourselves while the Boss was on the phone.

These are sample gowns.
There are many more where these came from!

Isn't the decor pretty?

Vern was getting comfy too!

Mich & The Boss =)

Vern & The Boss

Us & The Boss.

Thereafter, Mich & Vern engaged in retail therapy.

It took much persuasion to land this feathered hairband on Vern's head for a shot.

She came. She saw. She tried. She bought.
Vern is happy with her quasi-kiwi dress!

Eight shopping bags!
So what exactly did Mich buy?

Think pretty with turquoise flowers on a short tube sundress. =)

Why, it would be preposterous to say no to a lovely black & purple tube dress, wouldn't it?

MAC Primer & MAC Eyeshadow

The free gift from MAC upon a minimum purchase of $100.

Mich has sensitive skin and only Ettusais products are deemed safe for skin application.
Makeup Remover, Foundation & Pretty Pink Lipgloss.
The glass box was the free gift Mich received upon spending $116.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

And that was how Mich's structural interlace of her First Day of Freedom fanned out after slogging her guts out tirelessly for months.

With a caesura falling in the middle of the line - soldiering on with a 40-degree fever, huddling over work till 10-11pm daily and endless typing of worksheets, a day of rest was a neat antithesis at the end. =)

They Say...

That we fall in love just once.

Being the Executor.

On a completely different note, a call from Sydney jolted me.

With the enthusiasm normally reserved for ongoing sales, Sal rattled from the land of Oz.

Quizically, I remarked that she had many friends in Australia since it was her hometown. Having lived in Singapore for approximately 7 years, friends abound on this island too.

Her reply?
"I don't trust anyone in Australia, Mich. Neither are there any in Singapore. I need someone responsible and morally upright. And anyway, we've always been best friends. Us, we've not changed. Others have..."

And so, Mich is now the Executor of Sal's will.

A Brilliant Answer.

Personal exchanges transpired last night between Mich & hao peng you, Leion.

Mich : If I say I wanna do what I want instead of what is right, will you stand by me or shoot me down?

Leion : I am not sure what you want to do. I do not agree with you IF you are really going to do what I cannot imagine....but I am not you. You do what's best for you. Like I said, Leion, that was a brilliant answer. Thanks for listening to Mich. =)

Being Frenetic. And Then Some.

It's Exam Week.

That will explain Mich's apparent disppearance online, save for the accessing of Facebook via her iPhone.

Mich was out of the house today at 9am and dragged her shoes in wearily at 10pm. Lunch? Dinner? Only at 11pm, my friend.

Sunday : Wedding Lunch & Mothers' Day Dinner
Monday : 6 sessions of lessons. (What on earth was I thinking?!)
Tuesday - Friday : Exams, Exams, Exams. (read : work, work, work till 10pm daily)
Saturday : Work till 4pm & Birthday Dinner (not mine, of course)

Here's crossing my fingers for a blank slate on the following Sunday, 17 May!

Oft in the tranquil hour of night,
When stars illume the sky,
I gaze upon each orb of light,
And wish that thou wert by.

~George Linley

Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose garden.

[ T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton ]

He's Tired Too.

alone.

When you laugh, everyone laughs with you.
When you cry, you cry alone.

How true that is.
For now, it's me, my pasta and these fallen tears.

Sadness.

I dreamt of You today.
I've missed You.
So, so, so much.

Quae Carcajou**

"Why is the Moon so lonely?
Because She had a lover.
And every night, He looks up in the sky
And sees the Moon and howls Her name.
But, He can never touch Her again."

Why is the Moon so lonely?

Because She had a lover.

His name was Quae Carcajou and they lived in a spirit world together.

And every night they would wander the skies together.

But one of the Spirits was jealous. Trickster wanted the Moon for himself.

So he told Quae Carcajou that the Moon had asked for flowers. He told him to come to our world and pick her some wild roses.

But Quae Carcajou didn’t know that once you leave the spirit world, you can never come back.

And every night, He looks up in the sky and sees the Moon and howls Her name.

But, He can never touch Her again.

Quae Carcajou means the Wolverine.

[ X-Men Origins : Wolverine (2009) ]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**Quae :: The Latin relative pronoun which
Carcajou :: The French-Canadian term for the English word 'wolverine' and a derivation from the Montagnais Indians in Quebec.
Trickster :: A Totem reference to the coyote as an evil Spirit.