I am happier now...

For a few weeks, I was really tired and unhappy. There are lots to do at work, school and projects on hand with AIESEC and IJ. But I am happier now..

Music Therapy is good for the Celine Soul and it is cheaper than Retail Therapy. Maybe its because of the increased oxygen flow into the lungs that took away the laziness. Maybe its because of the concentration one put into singing right and right posture that takes your mind off other things. Maybe its the people that you meet in the choir that makes you happy and smiley alllllllll day !!!

Here's a few of us, Choir peeps...
No points in guessing who our conductor is,
And we will be singing very soon again.

Presenting the Singapore Complaints Choir

The Lyrics

The Complaints Choir Singapore.

We get fined for almost anything
Drivers won't give chance when you want to change lane
The indoors are cold, the outdoors are hot;
And the humid air, it wrecks my hair
Those answering machines always make you hold
Only to hang up on you

When a pregnant lady gets on the train
Everyone pretends to be asleep
I'm stuck with my parents till I'm 35
Cause I can't apply for HDB
We don't recycle any plastic bags
But we purify our pee

*chorus:
What's wrong with Singapore?
Losing always makes me feel so sore
Cause if you're not the best
Then you're just one of the rest

My oh my Singapore
What exactly are we voting for?
What's not expressly permitted
is prohibited

"Ooh"

When I'm hungry at the food court, I see
People chope seats with their tissue paper
To the auntie staying upstairs:
Your laundry's dripping on my bed sheets
Please don't squat on the toilet seats
And don't clip your nails on MRT

Stray cats get into noisy affairs
At night my neighbor makes weird animal sounds
People put on fake accents to sound posh
And queue up 3 hours for donuts
Will I ever live till eighty five
to collect CPF?

*chorus

Singaporeans too kiasu! (so scared to lose)
Singaporeans too kiasi! (so scared to die)
Singaporeans too kiabor! (scared of their wives)
Maybe we’re just too stressed out! (even the kids)

"Ooh"

Old National Library was replaced by an ugly tunnel
Singaporean men can’t take independent women
People blow their nose into the swimming pool (and pee too)
And fall asleep on my shoulder in the train

Singapore’s national bird is the crane (the one with yellow steel girders)
Real estate agents’ leaflets clogging up my mailbox (en bloc, en bloc, en bloc, en bloc)
Why can’t we be buried when we die?
No one wants to climb Bukit Timah with me

*chorus

There are not enough public holidays
My neighbor sings KTV all night
Wedding dinners never start on time
My hair is always cut shorter than I want
Channel 5 commercials are way too long
Why do men turn bald?

*At first it was to speak more mandarin
Then it was to speak proper English
What’s wrong with my powderful Singlish?

People sit down during rock concerts
We have to pay for tap water at restaurants
ERP gantries are everywhere
But I can still see traffic jams on the road
Why do bus stops have tilted benches
Cannot access playboy.com

*chorus

Singapore Complaints Choir

So.. 26th and 27th came and went but not without mixed emotions. I love every minute I spent with the choir. It was amazing how a bunch of people can come together and sing. Put us on stage, we sing, put us in a bus.. we sang, put us anywhere we have a few verses to sing..

Its PURE BLISS to find you guys, where every minute is filled laughter and tears... lets continue singing soon.
More coming soon.

THIS IS STUPID

Its the last night of the choir rehearsal and we get bad news from the police that we cannot perform in public... read what my friend Aziah has written at the bottom, and the new performing time is at the Chamber House.

THE COMPLAINTS CHOIR (SINGAPORE)
Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen [Finland]
26.01.08 & 27.01.08
Free

Please note that the public performance of The Complaints Choir of
Singapore has been cancelled.

For more information or an invitation to the private
performance of The Complaints Choir of Singapore on Saturday
26th Jan and Sunday 27th Jan, 3pm and 6.30pm, please email
info@singaporefringe.com or call The Complaints Choir
Hotline at 9690 7453.

Sorry for any inconvenience caused. The new performance times are


Sat 26 Jan
3.00pm - Chamber at The Arts House
6.30pm - Chamber at The Arts House

Sun 27 Jan
3.00pm - Chamber at The Arts House
6.30pm - Chamber at The Arts House


"I am a member of the Singapore Complaints Choir, which is performing for the M1 Fringe Festival 2008, and we are being told to shut up.

The Complaints Choir movement was started by a Finnish couple in 2005, and has toured around the world, to places such as Helsinki, Birmingham, Jerusalem and Alaska. The project in Singapore began with volunteer participants coming together with their complaints, arranging the music and belting it out in song.

We have been together for a month, and tonight was our last rehearsal before the slew of public performances this coming weekend. We have just been told that the police, together with the MDA, are banning all foreigners from participating in this project.

Earlier this month our complaints had to be sent to the MDA for censorship approval. And to our surprise, it was approved without modification.

We have been issued performance licenses by the MDA, but now we are being told that foreigners, cannot and should not sing complaints about Singapore. It doesn't matter if you have lived or worked here for most of your life, or if you can innocently comment on rising transport fairs, or realise your complaints, are my complaints, and the world is not as big or apart as we think. Sure, we welcome foreign talent with open arms. But please shut up while you're here.

Our conductor, and music arranger, is Malaysian. The founders of this project, who have been singing with us since day 1, are Finnish. A number of our choristers, are either PRs, or foreign nationals.

One of our performing venues is the Speakers' Corner, where foreigners will not be issued licenses to speak. We can no longer perform at this venue.

We can no longer perform, as a complete choir. The complaints, the music, the project, have all been tainted by the foreigners who have contributed since early this month, from the inception of the project, to the writing of the complaints, to the music, and its performance.

This leaves me embittered, sad, angry, disappointed, livid, jaded, but most of all sad. I am disappointed that this is what the world, watching the documentary about this Complaints Choir movement, will learn about my country, when this process has been about meeting those who feel we are ready to give our country a shot, and have something to be proud of.

Don't you dare say we have no national pride, and are apathetic. This is my country, and fuck you for desecrating my home. "

The Singapore Complaints Choir

I love all the time I spent singing with 59 other people.
The song turned out BEAUTIFUL and the melody is uniquely ASIAN !
Everyone is such fun to work with and this is the best decision I made for myself despite my crazy schedule.

So.... my dear friends... please come down and show your support... we love to see you there.


PERFORMANCES FROM 26 – 27 Jan 2008

26 JAN

3pm - The Chamber at The Arts House
4pm - Merlion Park
4.45pm - Speakers Corner
5.45pm - Front Lawn at Singapore Art Museum

27 JAN

3pm - Performance at The Chamber at The Arts House
4.45pm - Esplanade Waterfront Canopy
5.45pm - VivoCity Amphitheatre

Hypocrites, love them, hate them, stay away from them... they are among us

Lets face it, we are hypocrites. All of us, to a certain degree we are hypocrites. Us, my fellow human species, when we say is not about 'something' it is...

Take for example, when customers come to me in the store and say, Its not about the discount or the money, its a matter of principle. It is, its always about the money.... they didnt enjoy a specifc discount and they are unhappy and are too proud to say so !

Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to a belief or behaviour while holding the opposite beliefs or behaviours at the same time. (thanks wiki) and hypocrisy is the root of all evil and office politics.

Just like we have black ants, army ants, red ants. We have different kinds of hypocrites.

Hypocrites Type 1: the-pretend-to-be-brave, I-can-handle-it-kind.
I have friends who say "Its ok... tell me the truth, I can handle it." and when you stupidly do, they smile at you on the surface and looks at you different when you meet them agin... so... please my dear friends, especially the ladies, toughen up, stop whinning and when you ask for the truth, be prepared to get an answer you might not expect. ( And to all the naive people out there who hands over the truth too easily, you are asking for trouble. )

Hypocrites Type 2: the-I-am-friends-with-everyone-kind.
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the scary kind ( unless they are bad actors, look at the 3rd kind ). They are friends with everyone ! they joke with everyone! they are in every gossip circle you can possibly imagine. They know which 'victim' is dating / marrying whom before the poor victim can summon up enough courage to ask the girl out on a date. On one hand, they are your 'best friend' agree with you and promise to guard all your secrets and behind you.... you are worth no more than 'the piece of tissue you just blew your nose in'. They bitch about other people in front of you, but still play nice in front of others... Seriously, if you hate someone, dont be afriad to show it ! ( sometimes i feel like slapping them )

Hypocrites Type 3: NON-Oscar-award-winners-kind
Those just crash and burn.. its ok... we can spot them from miles away... and we avoid them.... simple...

So.... thought of the day for all of us : Can you handle the truth ?

You want the truth ? You can't handle the truth. from A Few Good Men

Another reason for my bitching..

I got this in my mail box today.... totally made my day !

I am sooooo in love

I am so in love with the new Macbook Air. The thickest part of the laptop is 0.76inch... you cannot beat that... I am sooo in love. Click on the picture to go to apple store online....

Guess who wants to pre-order it when my bonus is out ?

This one is for a very special person

With some of my closest friends miles and miles away from me, its hard to relate my challenges and dreams to anyone. Growing up in IJ, learning with AIESEC, going to school in UVic allowed me to grow among some of the world's most ambitious, brightest and most promising young people in the world. People with very different perspectives and mindsets, I have enjoyed very illuminating conversations with these young people and naturally some of their ideals and dreams rubbed off on me, they challenge me and shaped me to be the person I am now.. Resulting in the fact that most of my time spend with my friends are about work, personal goals, games, enquiring more knowledge etc. Very few friends got to know my family background or even how I am at home.

Sometime in Nov 2006, I made a new friend, she is everything I tend not to be, she is easy going, nice, forgiving, soft hearted and sweet ( ok.. i am not a heartless, bitch... you get the point ) . She grew up completely different, different family backgrounds and in a different world. Despite all our difference, someone up there really sent me someone very special. Between me and her, something struck a chord, maybe its the way we observe people, maybe its the love for photography, maybe it is how completely different we are, I am not sure.

I dont know how to describe the difference and similarities we have, so geeky me, I have this picture to help.



HA HA HA HA HA

I have been very lucky to have her as a good friend, someone who teaches me new stuff, sharing with me insights to life, showing me what shopping is, whats good out there to eat, and how to survive the corporate world. Her independent ways, sensible but silly sometimes make one reflects on why anyone can think like that and live everyday happier than the day before.

She does little things in ways I will not, enjoys life with very simple mindset, sets out to make hers and everyone around just a little easier with a good attitude. She will very humbly learn from the others around her, what she doesn't know is how much people learn from her.


Jan and I on her wedding day...

Life is not smooth sailing but at least I have friends who are there for me, and for this, I cannot thank you enough.

Sing

I realised today that I have to get back into Singing. I must join a choir again, I need some kind of motivation and singing makes me very happy... so... that is my goal for 2008. Sing.

And you ask why I am addicted to Grey's Anatomy ?

Falling sick is giving your body and mind a good rest, it is also the perfect time to re-watch grey's ! YEAH YEAH YEAH !

Can life be anymore different ?

If you catch me smiling to myself behind my computer

this might be the reason why.



And I am so in love with his voice !

I have singing practice tonight and I am so excited ! I have been so diligent on getting well from flu and sore throat all for tonight. I am so glad I am singing, it is truly one thing that makes me smile !

Who's the stalker ?

Article Taken from Daily Mail


Photo from South Africa's Great White Shark, by Thomas Peschak and Michael Scholl.

Alone in his tiny plastic sea kayak, marine biologist Trey Snow had hoped to stealthily track a great white shark. But he had the shock of his life when he spotted a giant fin and realised it was he who was being stalked - by surely one of the most feared killers in the world.

The magnificent creature initially dived to the seabed, inspecting the kayak from below, before rising menacingly to the surface. Luckily for Trey, the 13ft-long shark was more inquisitive than hungry.

Go to Thomas Peschak's Website


Which leads me to think about how many times, life turns about and bites us in the ass ? *not even trying for a pun here* Ha Ha Ha

Falling Sick

I believe falling sick if your body's way of telling you that you have to slow down..

Today

This is me today, I know its prob. not a good idea to have this feeling barely 4 days into the new year but this is me.. Today..

The Singapore Compaints Choir Performance

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am in the singing scene again ! This time with the Singapore Compaints Choir. For those of you dont already know. I am known for my brutal complaints, known for being extremely sharp(sometimes ruthless and b*tchy) with words and my love for singing since young... this choir is the best of both worlds. If you have a complaint, and want the choir to include your complaint in the lyrics, email me and I will do my best to make sure we sing it !

For the performances, the schedule is out on our website at www.singaporefringe.com

Briefly,

26 Jan / Saturday
3pm - The Chamber at The Arts House
4pm - Merlion Park
4.45pm - Speakers Corner
5.45pm - Front Lawn at Singapore Art Museum

27 Jan / Sunday
12 - 3pm - Recording at The Chamber at The Art House
3pm - Performance at The Chamber at The Arts House
4.45pm - Esplanade Waterfront Canopy
5.45pm - VivoCity Amphitheatre

All performances are free, so feel free to invite your family and friends! I'll see you there !

First post, first words and first thoughts

Its 2008.

2008 marks

3 years since I graduated from University.
10 years since I graduated from High School.
20 years since I started Elementary School.

My 2008 started

With a good view of fireworks overlooking the Singapore River, very nice ( much thanks go to dear cookie for the hotel room and the balcony ! )
With a good and surprised message from someone far far away.
With a very sad news from a very dear friend.

2008 will be
The year where I head big projects .
The year I graduate with a post graduate degree.
The year where I set foot in Europe for the first time in my life.
The year I throw myself a good birthday bash.
The year where I visit my best friend in Rome or Thailand or Canada
The year where I learn to be a better, stronger and smarter girl.

The year 2008 will be a very busy year.. but 2008 will also be MY YEAR.