I once said that I 1) preferred Nokia phones and 2) didn't like clamshell phones



I stand corrected on both points.




Meet my new phone:





What won me over was the colour screen and, the beauty of it, a 2mpx camera. *sigh*

Here's a sample of the kind of pix it can do:



And this is just the small version! I can actually take and store pix up to 640X480, which is, actually, farking amazing considering the capabilities of my old Nokia.

And yes, I am experiencing syncho problems. As in, the Panasonic OS is driving me nuts after using a Nokia for so many years. The SMS part is alright, but the general navigation and finding stuff?

ARGH!!!

But all in all, it's pretty cool to have a new phone. Heh.

And to those who remember my two statements from above?

Saw the following in 8Days:





I believe she knows that this is for her. *grin*

Buns?

Something light before the more sombre post below... Since I have a little bit of time after finishing my assignments... :p

I wonder whether this is a freudian thing I'm seeing.... but tell me whether you guys see anything crude in the advert....

breadtalk promotion

Love Again?

'cos a few more thoughts on love and relationships popped to mind after talking to some friends over the week.

First let me say at the outset that I'M NOT OUT TO SLAM ANYONE HERE. Anything I write on this blog is my own personal opinion, and I'm not attacking you or slamming you. Take what I say with an open mind, consider my opinions, and then slam me back in the comments if you want.

I have some friends recently who seemed to be snowballing into their relationships. Why do I say snowball?

Well, take a small snowball and place it at the top of a hill. Push said snowball down. See it roll down, getting larger and larger and larger. You get the picture.

The weird thing is that this isn't just happening to one friend. It's happening to a few. And it's left a number of people befuddled.

Maybe I tend to be cynical, but how on earth would you know that the guy/gal you're with for say 3-6 mths is the one?? The One you'll gonna stay your whole life with, the one you're gonna marry and bear children for?

I'm not even talking about friends who've known each other for years before getting attached. I mean as in you only knew the other half for a few months, before deciding that he/she was The One.

I've talked to some of these friends, and I can come up with a few reasons why I'm so cynical about the whole thing:

Not every one has a happy ending. Sure you know you're in love now, but are you certain that that feeling will continue? on both sides?

I'm asking this because for every couple who started out lovey..... i know of others who got thrashed. Bad.

Yes, you're good now. Yes you will work at being good. But how do you know that your relationship will be able to sustain the trials of time, when you haven't even had those trials of time to begin with?? When your relationship hasn't been tested by everything that life has to throw at it, how do you know that you will be able to leap those unknown obstacles?

These friends are mainly attached now, so fine, most of them know what it is like to be in a relationship. What I fear they don't know is what it means to be in a long term relationship where both parties are deeply dependent on each other materially and emotionally. Or what it means to have a sexual relationship. [Don't ANY of you try that now!] Or what it means to have dependant children, or what it may mean if you end up pregnant with a child.

As in, are you sure your boyfriend-girlfriend status can prepare you fully for a cohabitant or married status? Because each stage is totally different from the other, with its own trials and tribulations. What you experienced while you were dating can be totally different from what you experience if you're living together, or married. And that experience may not be enough to sustain you.

And no, love and determination is not enough, in my opinion.

So to me, time is needed. Time is important. It's not always a matter of the quality of the experience with him/her, it's also learning to actually live with the other party. It takes time not just to fully understand the person's character, but also to find out if your relationship is strong enough to go through all the hurdles that time and change may bring.

Sure, love is important, but dont' forget that love and character may change over time. And if it does, where does that leave you?

Yes, I sound cynical. No, it's not cos of sour grapes. No, it's not because I hate your boyfriend/girlfriend/sexual partner/whatever

I'm cynical about the whole affair because I'm worried that you're too busy staring into the other person's face to notice the potholes or lampposts ahead.

And at the end of it, I don't want that rolling snowball to crash into some hard rock at the bottom.

I'm sorry if this post may offend some of the friends whom I am obviously talking about. And I ask others not to reveal anything on this blog that may reveal their identity, if you know who I'm talking about.

But I feel... better you prepare yourself for the hard truth from me now, rather than suffer it later.

And I hope you understand where I'm coming from.

Was spent, most funnily, with 2 gals and a guy.

Much kudos and envy the guy must have had, being accompanied by 3 lovely ladies on Valentine's, none of which seemed much put out that they had to share their date with 2 other women, but well, it's a modern society we live in.

*sigh* Who am I kidding? With the DF in camp, I pretty much had two choices:

1. Stay at home, do report and mope about being home on Vday, plus fend off questions from pesky parent
2. Go out with friends, think of him, and be surrounded by lovey dovey couples carrying flowers, presents and sweet talk

In the end, I decided that to stay at home was just that much sadder than going out and at least I would have some entertainment, so.....

Jules drove Quetz, Candle and I to East Coast for a romantic dinner by flourescent at Mac's, it being the only place in the beach which still sold food at its normal prices. We went for dessert at Gelare's after that, and then went walking around the place, whereby Jules was immediately accosted by a very determined rose-selling aunty.

"Buy a rose for the girl leh!"
"But I've got three of them!"
"Buy for all three lah!"

Who can withstand such female determination? He duly bought the roses.

Which became much abused by us. In the following order,

While sitting on the breakwater to admire the waves, [and spoil Vday for other couples with our bad jokes] Candle used the rose to swipe away the cockroaches lingering around our butts.

Whenever he made some bad joke, I whacked him on the head with the rose, n even poked him in the arse several times.

When Quet wanted to get his attention in the car, she hit his shoulder with the flower.

Finally, at my block, he arghed in frustration, "The first time I ever buy flowers for a girl, make that three girls, and what do I get? I get hit with it, poked in the ass with it, and they even use it to kill cockroaches! What's wrong with me?? Am I that bad?"

"No, you're just not him!"

Which pretty much summed up my feelings about the entire Vday. You're not Him. -_-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And my "Vday Present" from him? An sms which read:

"Happy Flogging Day"

My boyfriend. With all the romance of a glacier. And a sense of humour to match it.

Hi, see that new link? At the sidebar? Contribute to my Johari Window please! I'm curious to know what you *really* think of me...

"Do you know how Valentine's Day came about?"

"How?"

"No, I'm asking you, because I'm wondering myself.

You see, it used to be that in medieval times there used to be a pagan festival in Feburary. In this festival, young men and women would put their names in an urn, and then take turns to draw out names. You were then considered 'married' to that person for a year. The church later stopped this debaucherous practice and replaced with Valentine's day. "

"Yea, and?"

"There was another pagan practice as well. During this month, people would whip themselves to atone for their sins, and also dedicate themselves to a particular saint, and follow his example for the rest of the month."

"Uh huh."

"And St Valentine's was a priest, so if you followed him, you would have to remain celibate for the month!"

"Uh huh."

"Why do we celebrate Valentine's day anyway? Why did we choose Feb 14 to be Valentine's Day? It's become so commercialised anyway, with all the roses and flowers and the only people who are happy during this time of year are the florists!"

"Yea, and...?"

"Just wondering, that's all."

"BLARDY HELL DUN WANNA BUY VDAY PRESENT THEN SAY LAH! GIMME ALL THIS PAGAN CRAP!"

I think you can figure out who I had the above conversation with.

Find out more about Valentine's Day from Wikipedia

The News in Brief... and Thong

Cow, it's been a while since I updated.... So what's going on with my life since, well, last Monday?

Well, I've been a bad, bad sinner. Especially when I look back at all the food and stuff I consumed over the weekend. ^_^!!! Let's see how badly I need penance:

Work/School:
Am happily skipping lecture with Yenn right now, while blogging and do all sorts of non-work related stuff on the Internet. All this while I have 3 deadlines hanging ominously over my head.

I think I'm just the sort of person that can only work well when it comes to a do-or-be-seriously-fucked situation.

SIN FACTOR = 1

Leisure:
This being just over the weekend, there's just way more stuff to say about this, though I have memories of a lot of cake and ice cream.

Thurs = Lindy nite. We've just finished Lindy 2 [yay!] but we weren't sure enough of our skills to go for the Lindy 3 course yet, so Jules and I decided to just head for the Swing Flings and polish our steps on the dance floor.

Of which we realised that we have a long way to go. As in from here to Harlem.

i trounced like an elephant, forgot moves, lost beats and even cramped a foot ^_^!!! Jules trounced around too, and had the tendency to stick the same dance routine.

This meant that after a while, you realise that he would do the same steps over and over and over and over...etc again while you are dancing with him. After one night, I think I could've led the dance for him even.

To Jules: NO MORE CHARLESTONS!!!

SIN FACTOR = 0 [the Kenny Rogers dinner we had being offset by the exercise on the dancefloor]

Fri nite = Drinking session at Paulaner's to celebrate mine and Quet's turning a quart of a century old. Well done on living so long. Now let's try living for the next 3 quarts. That was followed by cake with Quet and Jules at the old Lips at Cineleisure. [incidentally, they have good, rich chocolate truffle]

SIN FACTOR = 2

Sat nite = I *finally* go for Jap after a 2 week hiatus. I also meet Candle at the Pasta Cafe at Taka for dinner, followed by a Tiramisu al cafe at Coffee club with her and Turt and Jules.

SIN FACTOR = 2

After that, they watched Brokeback but I was too tired, so I didn't follow them. Instead I went to Borders to use my recently-acquired giftcard.

And btw, thanks to the FWFCers for *getting* me Freakonomics and Artemis Fowl for my birthday. "How did you ever guess?" And also make the DF wonder what to get me as a present, now that the obvious solution has been done.

Which brings us to:

Sunday = Wow. This was one of the most eventful days I spent with him yet. We went down to the Botanical Gardens first to look at flowers [yea, what else?] and about a dozen varieties of orchids. [the weirdest being the one dedicated to Arroyo which had twisted petals and looked like a bunch of dried chilli]

Then it was to Marina Sq where he bought the weirdest, qian-pian looking cushion I had ever seen.

Dinner was at Spageddies, but it was really dessert that killed me.

CAKE MELT AT THE TEA ROOM!!!!!!!!!

The Tea Room is next to Max Brenner at the Esplanade and is one of the most expensive dessert places I have ever been to, where the price of cake can go up to $20odd.

It's also the most BLARDY SINFUL, TONGUE-TINGLING, FOOD-ORGASMIC place I've ever been to.

The one piece of Paradise/Hell I had, the Mixed Berry Cake Melt came oozing with rich sticky berry goodness and even had a shot of Tequila Rose as well. [Tequila rose tastes somewhat like a strong, strawberry-flavoured Bailey's and is TOTALLY yum.] The first bite I had, with the mixed berry crushing its juice into my throat and the rich texture of the melted cake, made my tastebuds scream with absolute delight.

I swear I nearly had a climax there and there. Major food orgasm.

They're really famous for their Bailey's cake melt though, but apparently it's become so popular since I ate it almost 6 months ago, that you now have to call to make a reservation for the cake! I swear, it's that good.

And the Shepherd's Pie he ate was like nothing ever. It was like, a SOLID POTATO CAKE swimming in a kiddy pool of creamy mushroom sauce, lightly seasoned to taste oh-so-good.

I have to admit, there are advantages to having a boyfriend that is a diehard food addict.

SIN FACTOR = OFF THE BLARDY SCALE.

Now let me atone for my sin...... by going vegetarian for the rest of my life.

YEA RIGHT!!!!!

"Do you know how Valentine's Day came about?"

"How?"

"No, I'm asking you, because I'm wondering myself.

You see, it used to be that in medieval times there used to be a pagan festival in Feburary. In this festival, young men and women would put their names in an urn, and then take turns to draw out names. You were then considered 'married' to that person for a year. The church later stopped this debaucherous practice and replaced with Valentine's day. "

"Yea, and?"

"There was another pagan practice as well. During this month, people would whip themselves to atone for their sins, and also dedicate themselves to a particular saint, and follow his example for the rest of the month."

"Uh huh."

"And St Valentine's was a priest, so if you followed him, you would have to remain celibate for the month!"

"Uh huh."

"Why do we celebrate Valentine's day anyway? Why did we choose Feb 14 to be Valentine's Day? It's become so commercialised anyway, with all the roses and flowers and the only people who are happy during this time of year are the florists!"

"Yea, and...?"

"Just wondering, that's all."

"BLARDY HELL DUN WANNA BUY VDAY PRESENT THEN SAY LAH! GIMME ALL THIS PAGAN CRAP!"

I think you can figure out who I had the above conversation with.

Find out more about Valentine's Day from Wikipedia