Spring Awakening

And you say what dreams are

Wake me in time to be out in the cold

And who can say what we are

This is the reason for dreaming

Things happen for a reason. Probably one of the most used quotes in this lifetime. But yes, it's not by chance what we make life out of. I guess there's really no such thing as coincidence. The choices we make lead us to some divine appointment with someone or something. This is perhaps the biggest takeaway I had when I saw the Spring Awakening musical. There were a lot of social and political stirrings that made it a radical work which challenged the norms and defied social laws and morality. But for me it's fairly simple: whatever you do - love, dream, hate, live or die...it's a continuous journey we choose for ourselves.

The musical was set on the late 1890s. It was of course the time when the 'corruption' of the mind was not acceptable. People were defined by what was taught to them which was just a piece of the whole truth. It tackled a lot of recurring issues which had existed before I was even born - suicide, academic pressure, sex, undefined sexuality, violence and pregnancy. It was actually an eye opener. These issues have long been existing and till now - we haven't had the proper solutions. Nowadays, people tend to blame consumerism and technology on what has become of our youth but in reality, it brings us back to the choices we make.

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed it. It was progressive and real. The thespians at their young age were really astounding! Hands down, they are a talented bunch of young people. Pinoy represent for the lead actress Julia Abueva who played Wendla. The guy who played Melchior, Nathan Hartono has a very lovely voice and an eye candy too. Haha! Their renditions of the original hollywood musical songs were really good. Their voices were a mix of alternative and classical. Their acting skills were really good too. *clap clap*

 The stage was well built. It morphs into a different look :)

 Watched it with Makz

 The guide book

Just love this photo. I find it haunting, creepy and beautiful all at the same time.

The cast

Click here for Nathan's version of Spring Awakening's The Guilty Ones.

He also did a cover of one of my favorite City and Colour songs. Nice!

Catch them on their last week!

When a Friend Turns 26, You Bring Her to a Newly Opened Branch of Han's

When we were younger, we were so excited to grow up and blow the incrementing candles in our birthday cakes each year. By the time we reach our 20s, the candles just become numbers and the box ticking begins.

Every decade has it's range - the lower limit, the median and the upper limit. The digits are no longer important. It's all about the early, mid and late ranges. Now I wonder, what was I doing on my early 20s? Good riddance! Feels like a decade ago. But for my friend Makriz, she's still on her mid 20s - where the real QLC (quarter life crisis) takes place. Some people say life begins at 30 but in reality, it begins the moment we are mature enough to realize that life is waiting to happen. 26 is a good number to start with...

As good friends, we wanted it to be extra special. Han's opening was just in time. We can have a nice lunch and a delish chocolate truffle cake for dessert.

I knew Han's serves good food and desserts. It's always my go to place at the airport so it was refreshing to see it as an actual restaurant / food place with decent chairs and a lot of cakes on display.

Their set menu was not bad either. With 9.80sgd, you can get a set meal - soup of the day, main course, iced lemon tea and dessert. I got the grilled pork in black pepper sauce. Yum!

But of course, birthdays will never be the same without a surprise birthday cake.

Oh, and since she was so touched by our surprise bday cake, she treated us with with some Spinelli Matcha T Twist! <3

 Happy Birthday Makriz. Life is waiting to happen - go for it!

xx

AM in PM : the 02-02 girls night

Shoe shopping turned girl bonding. It was how I would describe my previous night with my good friend AM. The original plan was to raid Melissa's store and find some great flats because they had a Vday sale - but it was a disappointment. I must say, their Christmas sale is way better...50% off baby!

The night was still young and we never run out of stuff to talk about (to think, we are actually housemates and we see each other almost everyday) so it was the perfect time to bond over Happy Lemon's Cocoa with Rocksalt and Cheese, beauty products, tea and macarons. Besides, the boys were out too playing bball. :p

First stop after Happy Lemon: Sephora
Such a happy place. Think of it as a toy store when you were young. That's how we felt about Sephora. All those pretty little things - shiny and smelling so good! Just like this Lemon+Sage body butter from Bliss. The name Bliss says it all. Definitely a must try!

Second Stop: TWG
The girls got tired of walking so need to continue the chat sitting down with a nice warm cup of tea. The Silver Moon Tea is also a must try. A TWG blend of green tea with a grand berry and vanilla bouquet, suave, with just a hint of spice. It's very subtle and mild. Great for a chillax evening.

 Mr Tea Pot short and stout. So cute mah!

It was a delightful night with a great girlfriend. Too bad, Charms is on mommy duties and we can't just steal her away from her adorable baby Caitlyn. 

More girls night to come! :)

A Moving Masterpiece - Oh SG episode 1

Amazing how technology and history always meet at the crossroad and form an unbelievable synergy. I was totally blown away by the details of the painting turned into a moving art. The Qing Ming Shang He Tu was definitely revived and probably with more charm than ever. More deets here.

But wait there's more...

I've always watched Oh Tokyo when I was still young. It was a travelogue where Ellen (the host) goes to different places in Japan and talks about it in her show. Ellen always fascinated me. She's quirky, funny and entertaining. 

For all you Oh Tokyo viewers, remember this?

As a tribute to her Oh Tokyo show, it was a crazy idea to do something similar. This was such a fun shoot! 

*Disclaimer: This is by no means an official show - everything shown here (including interviews) was just a result of Oh Tokyo's inspiration. 

Hearts, Ribbons and Tuesday

There are days when I dread Tuesdays instead of Mondays. I guess it's the idea of the aftermath. But this day is extra special - of course! :) Though the boyfriend is miles away from here (Hello Bu! Happy Vday!) because of work, that's not an excuse to mope around and spread bad vibes. Definitely not an option. The answer? Ribbons! I especially wore a fun dress today with loads of ribbons, partnered it with a ribbon belt and flats with ribbon - I hate ribbons. :|

So the day went fast. Work stuff, lunching with the girls at Bergs, receiving Vday pressies from colleagues, Matcha Twist sesh with the girls again, jogging by the park connector, texting with ze boyfriend, playing with the washi tape, catching up on Revenge and playing Dance Central 2 with the housies. *whew* what.a.day!

Here are some snaps:

Thanks lovely friends for these vday pressies! :) 

 The boys took off for their vday dates with the wifeys so it was an all girl lunch. :)

 With the single lady by choice M (im just quoting her for that)

The gels M and J!

 With the single lady by distance J (again quoting M on this)

Awesome 3some!

Got a little bored so I played with the washi tape N gave me to form a heart on my planner. :p

Indeed an awesome Tuesday! How was your day today?

Bonne Saint Valentin!

Today is probably another busy day for flower and chocolate shops, restaurants fully booked and people go crazy. Perhaps for two main reasons:
(1) You are in a relationship/married and you don't know what to give your other half or your date is ruined by some random incident.
(2) You are single and you are stressing about it because this is the day where it seems that you have a label in your forehead - SINGLE!

For the lucky ones who are not feeling antsy or giddy, you are blessed. Cliche as it seems, this day can result to some serious damage to anyone. This day is extra special and some people are at their most vulnerable state.

I must admit, I am a sucker for any occasion. In a year where there are 365 days, you can only count the days when you know something big/weird/special is coming up. These are the marked holidays where everyone else in the world is celebrating, rejoicing or even crying. This day matters. As much as we want to escape the fact that Valentine's Day is nothing....it's really something. You look forward to something good happening today. Isn't that a blessing? It means that hope still sparkles in your heart.

I can't vouch for anyone but myself. Each one of us can deal with this day depending on how we want it to be - a cynic, an optimist or just plainly being happy. It's your choice. So fret not my loves, this is supposed to be a happy day.

This day is a constant reminder that your heart still beats and you are alive. :) Celebrate! Enjoy!

Happy Vday to Mi Love Bu! i<3u 

I'm feeling the French vibe today so here's today's soundcheck:

Le Ciel Dans Une Chambre

The sky in a room

When you are close to me

This room hasn’t got any walls

But trees, yes, an infinity of trees

And when you are so close to me

It’s like this ceiling here

Didn’t exist anymore, i see the sky leaning towards us, who remain like this

Abandoned like this,

There is nothing more, no nothing more from the other world

I hear the harmonica, but we would say an organ

Which sings for you and me

Up there in the infinite sky

And for you and for me

When you are here with me

This room hasn't got any walls

But trees, an infinity of trees

And when you are close to me

This ceiling, not purple

Doesn't exist anymore, and i see the sky above us

Who remain here, abandoned like this,

There was nothing more, no nothing more in this world

The harmonica plays, it seems an organ to me

Which sings for you and me

In the immensity of the sky

And for you and for me

And for you and for me


*Hope you'll all have a lovely day today :)
xx

Black Friday - And Some Other Random Stuff

Since it's a Monday, I'm here to reminisce on how my Friday went. It has always been the day to look forward to! Just thinking about it is an instant pick-me-upper! But the wait is terribly excruciating. Hey, 5 more days...

So like any usual Friday, it was a Jeans Day in the office so we can dress down and do away with our usual formals. This day, we never really talked about it - but we all wore a shade of black in one way or another. Black is the friendship color of the day. Cheers to Friday!

 It's BLACK Friday...can you spot who's not in for the friendship color? *Peace B*

We've been lunching out consistently for the past few days but M was craving for something Pinoy so we decided to eat Pinoy food in the caf. See the red plastic bag I'm carrying? That's Turon! Weee! Friday is just awesome!

Completely out of the Friday topic - I've been playing with hairstyles lately. Apart from the bun dream I have, I also wanted to do some braids. But it's rocket science for me. :( So my good friend M is there to rescue me on this dilemma. She's a natural! Thanks M!

 Outfit: Top - from Greenhills | Belt - from BKK | Pants - Zara | Watch - Casio | Shoes - Melissa

I was also carrying my C&K bag that day and here's a random post to give you a peek on what's inside my bag. :)

1. Charles and Keith bag (not really inside the bag - this is the actual bag lol)
2. Smiggle 2012 Planner
3. Clinique Powder and Lipstick Compact
4. Estee Lauder Lip Conditioner
5. MAC Fascinating Eye Kohl
6. Pen
7. Disney Hand Sanitizer
8. iPhone 4s
9. iPhone earphones
10. Agnes B slim wallet
11. Keys
12. Card Holder

To inspire you and at least ease the pain of waiting for the impending Friday, here's a track from M83. Oh how I wish I was there at the Laneway Festival today, but I'm not - boo hoo. I'm just gonna enjoy their music right here..right now..in my room. :)

Happy Monday Y'all!

xx