Monday Blues

Feel rather sluggish and dull because of the rainy weather.
There’s only 1 word to describe this lackadaisical mood, and that’s “Sian”.
(My Singaporean counterparts will be able to understand this term.)


Has been raining the entire day and it is rather cold. Brrrr……

I took a look at my shoe rack and mulled over whether it’s time to wear my boots. (They have been in cold storage since I returned from Shanghai in February). Pretty things, but unpractical for sunny Singapore. I decided against the idea, since I wouldn’t risk mould and wetness on the leather, suede and furry bits. What use are they to me now? I moped over how much I spent on them. Unless I travel to temperate countries frequently…

Nevertheless, I hate cold rainy weather. In wintry places, I turn very unproductive for all I would want to do is sit near a radiator, hold a nice hot cup of Milo in my hands and watch the steam rise merrily from it. I will get the “sniffles” and feel utterly miserable. I hate being clothed in heavy layers because toilet trips would be a terrible hassle. I am plagued with great drowsiness during noon time and would take frequent forty winks. Not to mention outdoor walks. You may think it romantic (like scenes from the Korean drama of “Winter Sonata”) but nothing can be further from the truth. I will start trembling uncontrollably once I am out and at the mercy of the weather elements. My nose tip feels icy all the time and my fingers will go numb when I don’t wear my gloves (but I hate the restriction of gloves on the agility of my fingers!!!).

So there you have it, I am born to be a tropical gal. I dislike the grey dreary winter. I know many in Singapore would give an arm and a leg to enjoy the lovely coldness of winter, but not me.

Funshine’s Guide to Wooing A Girl/ 乐光泡妞指南

This has become a weekly column. Just in case you have missed out on the 1st tip, please go to this entry.

2nd Tip:

Find out more about her. Learn about her likes, dislikes and know who her friends are. You never know when you need their help to date her. ;-)

(-_-) Ok, so I really need some respite from the boredom of work…

Tis the Season to Be Jolly…

December, Christmas, Holidays, Rainy season…

I love the Christmas season.

Nope, there’s no winter holiday for me this year.

Nope, I don’t have exciting parties to attend.

But, this is the season for all the beauty companies to come up with the most fabulous Christmas sets. Must have, good value coffret set buys, gorgeous gorgeous make-up palettes! So irresistible, even for someone who doesn’t wear put on make-up on a regular basis.

And print media is flooded with all these advertisements that are so difficult to ignore. I ended up poring over them.

And deciding which ones I can afford from my limited budget. Which ones are more practical? Which ones give me more mileage on my dressing table?

Christmas is the time when we want Santa Claus to exist and drop us a bag full of M.A.C. Holiday Sets.

So here they are:

M.A.C. Holiday Formal Black Suedette: 6 Intense Eyes $72 SGD


Description:

A black metal compact with lush suedette fabric detail and black bead chain featuring six Eye Shadows and a 213 SE application brush. Features the artist-selected shades to create an intense-looking eye: Smut (muted black flecked with red shimmer), Phloof! (frosted off white), Gallant (deep grape with pearl), Nightbird (rich aqua with green pearl), With A Twist (bright light green with gold), and Till Daybreak (dirty rosy pink).

My thoughts:
Love this set. M.A.C. also offers other palette offerings in Lace (Warm Colours), Pleat (Cool Colours) and Velvet (Smoky Colours). I find that this one has the prettiest and widest range of colours. Still…I won’t use it often. So…how???? (ponder, ponder, ponder)

And the more practical Holiday Sets are those brush sets!!! $98 SGD each. Bloody steep!!!


Holiday/ Formal Black: Fringe: 5 Basic Brushes


Description:

A black satin cylindrical clutch with flap closure, beautifully detailed with a beaded fringe trim and surprising midnight blue lining. Features a range of five essential brushes for lip, eye and face: the 129SE, 219SE, 239SE, 266SE and 316SE. (Size: Each brush is 5 inches)

Holiday/ Formal Black: Pleat: 4 Face Brushes

Description:

A black satin cylindrical clutch with flap closure, beautifully detailed with tux-style pleated trim and surprising midnight blue lining. Features a range of four essential brushes for the face: the 168SE, 187SE, 190SE and 194SE. (Size: each brush is 5 inches)

Holiday/ Formal Black: Ruffle: 5 Eye Brushes

Description:

A black satin cylindrical clutch with flap closure, beautifully detailed with ruffle fabric trim and surprising midnight blue lining. Features a range of five essential brushes for the eye: the 209SE, 212SE, 217SE, 252SE and 275SE. (Size: Each brush is 5 inches)

Holiday/ Formal Black: Satin: 5 Basic Brushes (Box)

Description:

A black satin covered box with signature M·A·C logo plate. Features a range of five essential brushes for the lip, eye and face: the 129SE, 219SE, 239SE, 266SE and 316SE. (Size: Each brush is 5 inches)

Holiday/ Formal Black: Prêt a Porter Brush Collection (should be more than $98)

Online Exclusive:

A black satin brush roll appliquéd with black beads and beautiful velvet fasten. Elegantly hosts a collection of eight essential brushes. For the face: the 129 Powder/Blush, 187 Duo-Fibre Face and 190 Foundation. For the eyes: the 213 Fluff, 219 Pencil, 224 Tapered Blending and 266 Small Angle. For the lips: the 318 retractable Lip Brush.

M.A.C. brushes or Bobbi Brown Brushes? Suggestions anyone out there??


Bobbi Brown Deluxe Short Brush Set $130

Description:

This best-selling set features the Short-Handle Brushes Bobbi uses most often. Set includes (pictured left to right): Eye Shader, Foundation, Face Blender (perfect for applying Shimmer Brick), Eye Shadow, Concealer, Eye Brow, and Ultra Fine Eyeliner (for precise application of Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner) Brushes. All brushes housed for portability in a soft, black faux-leather case.


I think the skincare coffret sets are a better deal. At least they wouldn’t go unused on the dresser.
Especially this one. Personally, this is the most practical set, as I really need an eye gel for all the late nights spent in front of my computer. Most value for $$ buy.

Clinique All About Eyes Gift Set $72 SGDAll About Eyes

Description:

It’s all about glamour. Five Clinique must-haves in a pink velvet pouch: All About Eyes 15ml. A Colour Surge Eye Shadow palette of six shades. Deluxe travel-sized High Impact Mascara in Black. Take The Day Off Makeup Remover For Lids, Lashes & Lips 50ml. Colour Surge Lipstick mini in Pure Posh.

Wednesday’s Wedding

At Amara Hotel for the Wedding

Cousin Martin’s wedding was held yesterday…And we felt it was rather unusual, it being a mid-week rather than a weekend. Isn’t a bit hard on the guests since they have to work the next morning? Sigh. Perhaps it’s a good day according to the Chinese Almanac. *Shrugs*

I decided to dress simply, and donned on a dress I bought from Ale. Lovely wonderful Ale, who brings in such sweet dresses at an affordable price. This red and white checkered tube dress costs a mere $25.90 but looks like a hundred bucks. It has black lace trim lining the top and bordering the hemline of the dress. To add the last touch of magic, it is fluffed up by a layer of white ‘can can material’ petticoat.

I know this is not exactly your idea of being dressed ‘simply’. But, it’s not one of my expensive evening gowns, and I can’t be too casual in my choice, lest I get into trouble with my aunt. =P

I am rather tired, so here are some shots of the event. The professional photographer took all the rest of the family with bride and groom shots…So we are just waiting to get our copy.

Photos Galore:

Puss in Boots?

I: I am so bored...let me give ya a kiss!
A: I Dun Want! Kiss of Death, YIKES!

Sister Act

A: Sigh, when are they serving dinner?
I: Giggle, giggle...
A: Are you delirious from hunger???

Toastmaster Ivy (actually, I am mildly allergic to alcohol, so I don't consume WINE outside of home)

Posers DuhZ...

Honestly, we find the famous poser who DOES this a VAIN BORE!
Be more creative, can? Zzzz....

Lounging At the Cocktail Reception Area

A lil' bit of fun

Saw this on Xinyi’s site and decided to try it out.

Here are the results of the 2 photos I ran on this software.

Celebrity Collage 1



Bigger View Link: Ivy's Collage 1

Remarks: Hm...83% Kim Hee Sun. The one starring opposite Jackie Chan in "神话". Hm... Don't kid me...

Celebrity Collage 2



Bigger View Link: Ivy's Collage 2

Remarks: What? Fiona Xie??!!! Yikes! Must have been the ‘act cute’ photo I used.

Hahaha!

Seriously, it’s not very accurate. Still, great technology here and provides some fun from the drudgery of work. Go to this site @ MyHeritage to do your personal ‘Celebrity Face Recognition Demo’.

P/S: Jenn Dear, run this thingy too alright? And put your results on your blog. =P

Best way to pick up a girl:

Get a great dog.

Remember, your dog is supposed to hang around quietly while you both chat. If you anticipate bumping into your hot neighbour, do NOT walk your freaking noisy mongrels.

Rated E

E for Entertainment.

Yep, I am not so creative today when I ‘wrote’ this entry title. It’s actually taken off this Najip Ali’s programme on entertainment fodder that was co-hosted by Michelle Chong and a very very boring Shan Wee.

Anyway, Aileen and I were watching CNA and they were showing this Entertainment Weekly program. Stacey Ferguson’s (Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas) Music Video was playing and our eyes were glued to the screen. I didn’t take my eyes off this one till it ended.

We nattered away without taking our eyes off the goggle box.

Aileen: Can’t comprehend what’s she singing about.
Ivy: Whoa, this MV is so sexual…Tsk tsk.
Aileen: Yea.

Silence resumes and our rapt attention was captured by the very voluptuous Fergie. At the end of the MTV.

Aileen: Still don’t know what she’s singing about. Can’t catch much stuff.
Ivy: It’s the grooving that matters more. The song’s totally stupid.

Ivy: This is the stuff MVs should be made of. Interesting! The ever changing images, the colours, the costumes and all. Put in the allure of some flesh flashing and BAM! It’s a success with a high replay rate on MTV channel. Artistes from Singapore have poorly done MVs. Stefanie Sun’s one of the rare exceptions.
Aileen: HM?
Ivy: I mean, Joi Chua has a beautiful voice. But I will fall asleep watching her walk through a field of cornflowers while belting out her ballad. An MV really has to be ‘enjoyable’ and a pleasure to watch. Or else, we will just listen to the audio tracks on our iPods, right?
Aileen: True. But need a lot of $$ to make such MVs.
Ivy: Yep. Oh well.

Here’s the link to Fergie’s FERGALICIOUS.

Since this is the start of the weekend, here are 2 extra links for you guys to preview some trailers. The first one is Jolin Tsai’s latest MV. It’s called 《唯舞独尊》.

Jolin Tsai is Asia’s Pop Princess. As I have mentioned before, she has a very passable common voice. So her record company knows that if they sell her albums with only audio tracks, sales will be dismal (obvious loss in earnings to rampant illegal online downloading). Now her releases come with an accompanying DVD of her music videos.
Makes more sense and I really enjoy watching these creative MVs.

Jolin's formula for success:
Showmanship
Opportunity
Packaging

(+ inflate boobs? =P)

As you may have observed, her dancing segments are awfully cheesy. BoA is so much better as a talent executing these moves. Still, she works hard, so she gets better as time goes by. Image rejuvenation is of utmost importance to capture the capricious tastes of the average consumer of pop culture and the Taiwanese knows the rules of the game well.

Last but not least:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles teaser trailer!!!
Set to open in theatres on 30March 2007.

Woohoo! Looks good. I am so catching it. After a hiatus of 14 years…looks like they are resurrecting these dudes here. I am sure they are cashing in on wave of nostalgia it will bring to those of us born in the 80s. Indeed, I can still remember how the opening song goes. I sing for ya to hear?

Personal fave turtle: Michelango the joker and his nunchaku!!! Yee Ha!

Stealing Beauty...

Ok, I confess. I am a sucker for certain things. So, the latest beauty item I am going to blog about in this Friday column would be related to someone I have a soft spot for.

I don’t use lipsticks.
Nope. Perhaps I am not past the gloss stage yet. Lipsticks are meant for settled, established women and glosses for girls (and girls at heart).
And usually, lip balm is all I want to put, to moisturize my puckers.

BUT…..

Last week, I wanted to buy a lipstick.
Why? Because of Michele Reis. The most beautiful celebrity in Hong Kong. (This is my personal opinion).

L’Oreal has come up with a Limited Edition collection called “Color Riche Star Secrets”. (Seriously, the term ‘Limited Edition’ is a business strategy. Crap…)

This unique collection of “Color Riche Star Secrets” was created and signed by each of the L’Oreal Paris Actress Ambassadresses on her favorite Color Riche lipstick to represent her true personality.

The eight beauties who are the faces behind each lip color from this range are:

The ageless Andie MacDowell, Latin temptress Penelope Cruz, oriental beauty Gong Li and the exquisite Aishwarya Rai along with Milla Jovovich, Michelle Yeoh, Laetitia Casta and Michele Reis. They make up L'Oreal Paris international cast of Beauty Ambassadors who have a beauty secret in common. They each have a shade of lipstick that they never leave home without. Therefore, their respective lipstick features their signature on the cover.

The range made its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

What L’Oreal says:
The Star Secrets range was made with the purest and finest colour pigments to ensure even coverage and for added star appeal, lips maintain a refined shine throughout the day without feathering and fading.

The Star Secrets range contains a unique combination of Omega 3 and Vitamin E which prevents lips from drying out as well as rebuilding its barrier function.

The eight shades in the Star Secrets range include:

510 Flamingo Paradise - Milla Jovovich

511 Red Classic - Penelope Cruz

512 Mandarin Garnet - Andie MacDowell
513 Deep Rose - Gong Li

514 Coral Magic - Michelle Yeoh
515 Pink Suede - Laetitia Casta

516 Secret Garden - Michelle Reis

517 Tafetta Caresse - Aishwarya Rai

L'Oreal Paris' new Colour Riche Star Secrets is priced at SGD $17.90 or RM32 (West Malaysia) and RM35.20 (East Malaysia).

My personal review:
The lipstick texture is good! Smooth, silky and moisturizing. The color is soft and needs to be layered on to build up intensity in hue. If you don’t eat anything all day, it will not budge, so I guess that’s what it means when they states that it doesn’t feather nor fade. Otherwise, prepare to reapply after meals. Actually, I like the colour Michelle Yeoh is wearing too. But, since 1 lipstick is enough for now.

Thanks to dear Den, I was given the object of my desire:

Obviously, I fell for the marketing ploy. Can I be more stupid? But the lipstick is a value-for-money buy, not to mention the beautiful face of Michele Reis always comes to my mind when I put it on. And it never fails to put a smile unto my lips.

Photos and Profile of my kind of eye candy:

Name: Michele Monique Reis

Chinese: 李嘉欣 (Lee Ka Yan)

Birthdate: June 20, 1970 (Saturday)

Birthplace: Macau Current

Residency: Hong Kong

Religion: Catholic

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Height: 5"7.5' (173cm)

Weight: 52kg

Favorite Food: ice-cream; chocolate; crab

Famous for winning: Miss Hong Kong Beauty Pageant 1988

Burning Bushes in Asia

No, the haze is NOT back.

Everyone calls me a loser, but I am still the world's most prominent President. And I make the headlines every other day...

After witnessing the Democrats sweeping into both the House of Representatives and the Senate last week, a politically weakened Mr. President is up and about and off to Hanoi for the Asia Pacific Economic Leaders meeting. But not before he makes a pit-stop to our safe and lovely shores of Sunny Singapore to deliver a keynote speech that will set the tone for his 3 nation trip in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, the Singapore police have given advance notice to motorists to expect road closures in some areas during Mr. Bush's visit. For security reasons, details of the closures will only be disclosed on the actual day over the radio.

*Rolls eyes*
I can’t imagine terrorists feeding on national media’s public messages in order to work out their plans. If so, the fight against terrorism wouldn’t be such an uphill task after all. Oh well…
Still, Singapore is the safest place he can ever be in. Not to mention the warm reception he will be given.

Good to be in the tropics to escape from the iciness back home.

Chocoholic’s Food for Thought

Advertising is evil. I had a sudden craving for Ferrero Rocher after watching a television commercial of a sappy guy using the gold foil of the chocolates to make stalks of roses for the object of his affection. So dirty, won’t there be residual choco crumbs on the wrapper? Ants will start crawling among the ‘roses’ in no time.

Talk about affective advertising. Making a connection between chocolates and love. How cliché. Bah Humbug.

Unfortunately, they bought a great timeslot for their commercial (primetime, dinner time) and a hungry girl looked on at the praline-filled delectable ball sprinkled with crunchy chopped hazelnuts with saucer big eyes.

I want a C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E. Just 1, pretty please!

That stimulus triggered a string of behavioural responses that saw a lowly evolved being stumble out of the house, cross a street or two into a friendly neighbourhood supermarket, reach out for a trio of golden balls on the fourth tier of the shelf and join the queue at the checkout counter.

The brainwashed individual trudged zombie-like back, plunked clumsily onto the couch and ripped the packaging open with great demonic strength then ravenously unwrapped the foil to reveal the prize that lies within.
The first bite is the sweetest. This is the part where the lustful savours with much relish, interjecting each mastication with a satisfied “Hm…”.

Yes, sometimes, we are slaves to our very primal desires. As for myself, chocolate is both my friend and nemesis. Let’s just call it a love-hate relationship.

Personal Trivia:
I only consume my chocolates at room temperature. My mum has this nasty habit of putting chocolates in the freezer compartment@!! I can’t really do anything about it but I do hide an occasional chocolate around the house so she won’t imprison it in the icy chamber (把它打入冷宫). As a compromise, I put refrigerated chocs outside to bring it to ambient temperature before my personal consumption.

Most people (those of us residing in tropical regions) feel we have to at least put chocolates in the chiller section of our trusty refrigerator. After all, we don’t want them to end up in a gooey mess, do we?

A couple of people I know love to consume their chocs cold from the fridge.
For an inexplicable reason, I cannot pinpoint why it is so wrong. But the taste is never good—biting into a cold hard Kit Kat. No no no…

After much asking around and research, I got to understand that just like wine, experts recommend chocolate to be at room temperature for an optimal tasting, in between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius.
No wonder my taste buds only accept chocolates in this state.

I am particular about certain things, yes. But sometimes, just through a small tip and some re-programming on our part, we can increase the quality of our life without incurring a higher cost of living.

Tips for storing chocolate:
Chocolate can go rancid -- as can any fat, however you should never put Chocolate in the refrigerator. Cold will cause the 'bloom' (discoloration and a whitish substance on the surface), condensation will damage the Chocolate and extended periods of cold will cause a degradation of the flavor. (The flavor is best at a warm room temperature).
The optimal storage conditions are cool -- but not cold, dark, dry, well ventilated and well wrapped between 12-20 degrees Celsius.
On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, this can cause flavor to be lost, and can also cause 'bloom'.

Oh! For Crying Out Loud...

I am writing this post because I am actually waiting for my hair to dry. For all the things I own in the world, I do not have the ubiquitous hairdryer.

I do not know why, but I cannot bring myself to buy one.

I truly believe that letting wet hair dry naturally is the best way to keep tresses silky and pretty. Oh well…

I FINALLY visited Vivocity! Unfortunately, I went there a tad too late and ate dinner at 8.15pm. After which, there was too little time left to walk around and before long, I can hear the dreaded sound of shutters coming down, signaling the end of another business day.
The Christmas carols are playing in the mall and for some reason, I experience a sense of defensive indignation rising in my blood. What?!!! So early? I hate the swift passage of time. Soon another year will slip me by.

In retrospect, I guess it’s about time to play those feel good tunes. Do you know that doing so put people in the festive mood and this increases consumer spending? Yea, devious…

Didn’t pass by Candy Empire (one of the shops I want to check out). They have a spate of bad publicity recently, about the wheelchair unfriendly store policy. Unfortunately, I learnt of its existence precisely because of the news report.

Because of the limited time I have, I didn’t manage to explore the place much.

Parting words to Vivocity as I left: I’ll be BACK!

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It’s the Weekend and we all should be entitled to some unadulterated fun and entertainment.

I was reading empty_vessels’ blog and clicked on a particular link. That’s when I chanced upon 2 even more interesting videos.

I am not promoting this upcoming TV show, but it sure does appear intriguing enough to entice both hot blooded males and girly females.

YEP! There’s a new show in town! It’s called “Girls Out Loud” and is hosted by famous SG blogger Wendy Chen (Xiaxue) and Roslyn Lee, DJ of POWER 98FM.

Oui, I hear some not-so-discreet EWwwws coming from some people.
I am also not an avid fan nor a critical basher of Wendy Chen. After all, both Isabelle and I were from the same Secondary School she used to attend. I was of course, the head nerd there. She, on the other hand, was fun! Plus, I really feel her vocabulary (albeit crass sometimes) is more varied than some 25 year olds I have met.

So, yes, give that girl some credit.

It’s after all entertainment. To be in show business, you either have to be gorgeous or interesting enough for audiences to tune in.

Very often, we judge a media production based on the artistes involved in the show. However, it’s always better to critique the program objectively and fairly. Appraise the creative team responsible for conceptualizing the entire series, the stylists and make-up artists who transform the presenters into eyes candy, the editing team for their skill to allow the seamless flow of the show. Often, they are the ones worthy of mention and praise, but audiences simply love or hate the production for its frontline presenters.

After watching the trailer, I decided that I am going to catch it. Watching entertaining but useless shows is a form of relaxation BUT putting other things off for the sake of catching a show is unacceptable. Thank God for MOBTV.

For your curious viewing pleasure, click on the links below:

Wendy and Rosalyn’s “Girls Out Loud” TV Show Trailer

Xiaxue Dating a Male Stripper (in the show)

PS: I am yawning every other second while typing this post. ARGH! Hairdryer for moi Christmas prezzie, anyone? ;-)

Say No to Acne!

This product is fantabulous! Is there such a word? Yep, it’s a slang—Fantastic and Fabulous combined. And that’s what it is!

It’s Biologie Pierre Boutigny Acne Serum for Oily and Problem Skin from France.

It contains a blend of orris root extracts and essential oils with decongesting and soothing actions. It helps blemish skin to recover to its original flawless state.

Use your finger (washed, dried and cleaned) to collect a little of the product and dab it to the affected pimply areas.

Verdict:

When used on a ‘budding’ newly discovered pimple, it will stem its growth. Results are almost immediate. The little pesky thing dries up and flakes off overnight.

If the pimple in question is a big stubborn one (with some pus), this serum will reduce its size over 2 days, then dries it up and make it disappear in 1 week maximum.

Product Details:

Description: Roll on tube (though it’s better to apply using fingers—you don’t want to contaminate the bottle by rolling the serum over your acne right?)
Scent: Herbal
Texture: Essential oil but not greasy. Is absorbed quickly into skin.
Follow-up with your trusted brand of pimple cream.
Quantity: 8 ml bottle
Price: $52 SGD ($41.60 after discount) Ask to get the discount.
Where to buy in Singapore: Beaute Spring Pte Ltd [Block 183, Toa Payoh Central, #01-272
(Tel: 62515535]

The irony:
I was just stocking up on toiletries at Toa Payoh Central and was queuing to pay for my purchases. A beauty promoter saw the Neutrogena pimple cream in my hand and recommended me this product. I was truly skeptical and the price is really off-putting. I declined politely and told her it was too expensive. She offered me a discount and for some God forbid “possessed” reason, I actually bit on the bait!!!
I went home to try the product and am truly won over. Initially, I was still worried that it was a bimbotic impulse buy.
The bottle photographed is my second bottle. Now, I am so crazy I dab it liberally all over my face. And the result? Beautifully clear skin. I have to wean myself off this though…

Why didn’t I come across this brand before? That’s because it’s actually a professional salon product.

How much do I love Corrinne May’s latest album “Safe in a Crazy World”?

I love it after the opening line. Yes!

Please sample the album here legally:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/corrinnemay2
Click on Play All Tracks to listen to all the tracks!!!

I am getting a copy next time I visit the music store. This Friday, I hope!

Soulful yet unpretentious, easy on the ear yet not frivolous. Talented song writer with a beautiful voice. This is good stuff. Enuff said.

PS: The song currently playing on my blog is taken from this album. One of my favourites called “Angel in Disguise”.

Lyrics below:

Angel in Disguise

I woke up this morning feeling kind of blue

and I stumbled out of bed and

dragged my feet across the room

Right outside my front door was a rose

and a note that said 'Somebody loves you'

But out on the street it starts to pour

and before I get soaking wet,

A total stranger runs to give me

the jacket off his back

I turn around to thank him

But he waves me with a smile

I can hardly believe my eyes

He puts on a halo and starts to fly

Take a look at the ordinary

Don’t need to look for paradise

You could be next to an angel in disguise

I met a good friend for lunch

and we had a delicious meal

But I forgot to bring my wallet

I felt like an imbecile

But she was sweet, she gave me a treat and

Bought me a chicken sandwich

To take home for tea

But out of the street with nothing to eat

A man and his shopping cart go

Travelling to places

Collecting social graces

I give him my sandwich

and we chatted for a while

I see a rainbow wash over his eyes

He gives me his halo and

I start to fly

Take a look at the ordinary

Don't need to look for paradise

You could be next to an angel in disguise

Don't try to hide away from me

I know you're by my side

Take a look at the ordinary

Don't need to look for Paradise

You could be next to an angel in disguise

Everyday can be legendary

Every minute, an endless surprise

You could be next to an angel in disguise

I woke up this morning

Feeling kind of new.

Courage My Love!

If I were to dabble in the entertainment scene, I would choose to be…A Comedian!

Well, well, well, that comes across as a surprise right? Considering my half-past-six jokes, corny one liners and lame celebrity impersonations. But I guess I do a decent job of cracking people up when my ice-queen persona thaw to reveal the funnybone in me.

Why comedy? Personally, it is one of the most challenging and interesting aspects of entertainment. It is easier to look picture perfect pretty and have the world in awe of your airbrushed magazine shots. It’s much easier to immerse in the role of a scripted drama character and win fans over.

But comedy? That’s tricky. Over-the-top attempts to win laughs will irk the audience, subtle and dry humour may bring out the yawns. Not to mention that people expect comedians to be funny all the time. If someone see Gurmit Singh without a smile and a ready joke to offer, they may think he is

a) arrogant

b) has issues or

c) in a bad mood.

Truth is, none of the above may apply, and he may well be just in his “NORMAL” mode.

Comedians are a magnet for harsh detractors and critically mean audiences alike. Since they are often in the most preposterous costumes and exaggerated make-up, they come across as eager to please ‘clowns’ cavorting around to amuse viewers. And yes, because they don’t look well-put together, people are inclined to magnify their flaws and pass unkind comments. Think Patricia Mok and Mark Lee and you kind of get the picture.

No one takes me seriously, even on my off days

Thing is, the art of making people laugh is serious business. In-your-face jokes may come across as too slapstick; stand-up comedy acts need a combination of timing, momentum and energy to capture interest and sustain the laughs; sophisticated wit has to be dispensed before the right audience (lest you look like an idiot who is the only one amused) and there is a call for sensitivity when touching on certain subject matter because not everyone ‘can take it’ and will be offended.

Anyway, one of local television’s best talent competitions for 2006 is MediaCorp’s Channel 8 “The Ultimate Comedian”.

It’s more original, not a spin-off of the Idol series and I feel that the contestants really deserve great credit. I didn’t follow the series initially but waited for the semi-finals rounds. That’s when the really bad has already been eliminated. It's down to four finalists now. 3 gals and a duo of guys.

The Female Finalists:

The very cute Ho Ailing

A very Versatile Janice Ang

A bubbly Tay Yin Yin (gungho and has a self deprecating sense of humor)

All 3 female contestants have their individual strengths. So, I can’t really choose a personal favourite. I am just hoping this time round, a lady would emerge the winner. Really respect them for their passion and courage to do comedy.

In the meantime, I will continue to perfect my repertoire of accented English (Thai, Hong Kong, Filipino, Indian, British accented English). Aileen and I love to amuse ourselves. We hope to become as good as Ruby Pan one day.