Thursday, May 25, 2006

I had sort of a spring cleaning today. Cleared up my wardrobe, drawers, desk and even the storeroom. I threw away quite a few bags and some clothes, and plan to give the rest away. It was quite remarkable that I stumbled upon quite a number of new pens (those pretty ones that you receive as doorgifts during events) and I should be quite happy, or rather my parents, who usually cannot find a usable pen to write with in the stationary holder on my desk. What's the use of a stationary holder devoid of any writing materials, they would complain. This is with the exception of a few blunt pencils which I still keep after eons of not taking art as a cirriculum subject.

Another noteworthy finding was that I dug out a total of about 11 stacks of Post-It pads and writing paper! -- a lifetime supply for me I guess... haha... Those of you who want to get a stack from me can leave me a note at the comments or tagboard! =p

However, the most surprising find would have to be this:

Yes, you have seen it all right-- a stack of 73 two dollar notes!! It was found in an envelope containing some university admission stuff which I threw away, but fortunately I did a thorough check before disposing of it, or else my family would have lost a small fortune!!
Haha...
So, erm... the next time you do a spring cleaning, you know what to look out for? ;D

Posted by charles at 9:06 PM

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Little Bride! (a.k.a. Sweet 18)

Here's a Korean drama serial that I would like to recommend. No doubt that it was filmed and released eons ago (in fact in 2004) in Korea and though it may not be as well received as the more newly filmed and even omnipresent Da Chang Jin which is currently THE "in" Korean drama here, it was a hit in Korea back then with 38% viewership.

This drama serial presents starlet Han Ji Hye (debuted not too long ago) and co-star Lee Dong Gun who played the characters Yoon Jung Sook and Kwon Hyuk Joon respectively. Han, then only 19, was aptly given the role of acting as the 18-year old bride Jung Sook. She puts her youthful characteristics to good use in portraying Jung Sook's naïve, bubbly, cute and yet stubborn character.

Lee, 24 at the time of filming, more than adequately fulfilled the role of 28-year old Hyuk Joon, a serious and conservative public prosecutor who was wedded to Jung Sook in a pre-arranged marriage by their grandfathers. This mismatched couple, with a huge age gap spanning 10 years, constantly bickered initially, but surprisingly got closer to each other due to their good chemistry as time went by.

I am regretful to say that I only started watching the serial when it is already half way through the episodes. But it's still a delight watching the cute and bubbly Jung Sook mature and consequentially grow into somebody whom others would find harder to bully and take her for granted. (Hyuk Joon's sister was very much against their marriage because of Jung Sook's poor background. She never failed to made her do tough household chores, claiming that it is only part of her duty to being a good wife. She even conspired with Hyuk Joon's ex-girlfriend to break up the couple.) Hyuk Joon was a less interesting character because of his usual solemness and was in fact considered nerdy by his wife. However, he gradually progressed into a caring and dedicated husband when he realised that Jung Sook's emotional needs were not taken care of due to his tight work schedule. He held a high office post in the civil service as a public prosecuter.

How well would the couple get along in the end? That's for you to find out if you're interested, of course. ;D

Little Bride !! Whahaha!

뭐가 좋은건지..
For a complete review on the drama serial, click here.

For the Little Bride's official website, click here.

P.S. Little Bride is telecasted on Channel U from 7 to 8pm every Monday and Tuesday. Hope ya enjoy the show! =)

Posted by charles at 9:00 PM

Monday, May 22, 2006

I've got these 3 things which I would like to acquire, in order of importance:

1) a laptop -- I've wanted it for a long time, plus I can work on projects from my hostel
2) a digital camera -- it's more useful than an MP3 player but since my dad has just got a new one from his office, it doesn't matter that much now
3) an MP3 player -- it's the least impt as I already have 2 CD players, both of which are in good working condition and I don't have many MP3 songs in my PC

So I might be getting a laptop!! But that still has to depend on my budget which has yet to be worked out.

And should I go for a second-hand one or a new one?
A decent second-hand one would cost between $500 to $1000 and a new one with the lowest specifications would cost me around $1200 to $1400.

Besides, I am currently considering whether to stay in a hostel. If I were to stay for one semester, that would set me back by
$1080 (single room) + $357 (food catered for halls only) + $ 31 (electrical + registration charges) + $15 (admin charges) = $1483 (for staying in a hall)
or $1126 (for staying in the residences)

That's a lot of money for staying a tiny room of not more that 9 sq.m. And don't expect it to deviate from the concept of spartan living too.

Let's say if I were to stay in a hall for one semester and buy a laptop priced around $1300, I would be spending about $2800, or almost three-quarters of my annual scholarship allowances! This means that if I were to stay in the hostel for another semester, I would not have enough money for the books. So, that's why I should really take my time to consider how I would spend my money. Over time, more information may be revealed which will guide me better towards that.

Posted by charles at 9:18 PM

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Woke up damn early this morning-- about 5.40am bah.... For what? Some of you might have guessed it. It's the New Paper Big Walk. Went with wh and lil.

Thought that it would be just another ordinary walk. No doubt it's 10 km, but I've had walked longer distances before. Furthermore, I had just went for a 5km run a couple of days ago, so my legs should be more or less conditioned for the walk.
Wrong. I was totally wrong. The pace was slow but it was so damn tiring and my legs hurt. And very seldom would I experience leg pain, be it long distance walking or running.
Firstly, it was not exactly a delightful surprise for me when wh said that he could not find the 3km marking along the route-- by then we were walking along Nicoll Highway already and to me it seemed like we have walked 3.5 to 4km already. By the time we passed Suntec and neared the half-mark/turning point, my legs started to hurt. It had occurred unexpectedly for me but looking back I think it should have been due to the lack of warm-up exercises before the walk.

Fortunately, the second half of the walk seemed to be completed more quickly, or else I could have died along the way.. hehe.. The return route was almost identical to the initial half, except that the ending part after exiting from Nicoll Highway was to turn into Stadium Road and walk past the Kallang water sports Centre before reaching the end-point. Along the return route, lil's legs ached badly too and wh suggested that we stop and do some stretching before continuing. The stretching was good but it only relieved the pain temporarily. In fact, sometimes an acute pain can be felt in my left leg up to now. =(
Now...it seems that I cannot forgo my warm-up session before any exercise liao.. without the fear of repercussions, that's it...

Didn't take any photo except this, what a pity:

and badly taken :x
Seems like I forgot all about whipping out my camera phone to snap interesting pics. haha..

Posted by charles at 10:12 PM

Sunday, May 14, 2006

It's lil's birthday today (the celebration i mean, it's actually on the 17th). Gave her a surprise when we unexpectedly "appeared" in the PA chalet in Pasir Ris this afternoon, when wh brought her to check in.
In the morning,Kx, yj, mun thye n me had went to Tampines Mall to get the food for lil's bdae party later-- the b'dae cake, cheese sausages, roasted chicken, Long John Silver's fries and sushi.
Yj then drove us to the chalet and after preparing the food and setting up the table, we proceeded to hide ourselves from lil and wh who were by then approaching the unit. But too bad we were slightly slow and lil saw us through the window. However, she was still very surprised that we would all be there to celebrate her bdae.
lolx =)
Hope she'd enjoyed herself...

And Happy B'dae, lil! =)

Posted by charles at 10:11 PM

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Siew Kwang's birthday party

Fun, fun and more fun!
Haven't seen many of the 4K pple for quite a long time liaoz... Yesterday we had an opportunity to get together and find out how one another have been doing lately.
SK's b'day party was held at Aloha Changi Chalets-- a peaceful and quiet place and near the sea... And the chalet itself is very spacious---think it's one of the bigger government chalets around. hmmm...apart from the relatively long distance from the Tampines or Pasir Ris MRT stations, I think it's a nice place to hold gatherings if you want something different from the usual or rather cliched Downtown East or Coasta Sands chalets.