Harry Potter ; The end...

Warning: If u're a Harry Potter fan and u haven't finished the book. Don't read this entry cos its a spoiler. But if u've read it, let's discuss it!

Bitter sweet farewell to what i deem the greatest children/adult fiction... greater than LOTR, greater than anything anyone has ever wrote.

I've waited for 2 years for the 7th book to launch, and i give it 10/10 satisfaction. It ended perfectly.

Death count for the book was depressing... First it was Dobby. Tears came to my eyes when the little elf gave his life to save Harry and his friends. His death was the most heart wrenching. Then it was Fred, George will never be the same again without his partner in crime. I would have loved for JK rowling to write a short epilogue on how George moved on, but i'll never find out. Tonk's and Lupin's deaths were cushioned cos my silly cousin gave me a spoiler... I was happy that JK Rowling didn't over dramatise their deaths, if not i wouldn't have been able to get over it. (I'm still recovering from the death of Sirius Black).

Dumbledore's story was very touching. Before his death, he was this infallible wizard who could always tell right from wrong, good from evil. But Deathly Hallows showed us Dumbledore's weakness for power and immortality that made him even more endearing and real.

Snape i knew from the beginning had repented and never truly served the Dark Lord afterthat. I was happy to be proven right. He was one character tht i was always interested in, he had so many complex layers yet his complexity was the most accessible. He had the difficult task amongst all, playing both sides and be convincing at it. He is the true hero.

Amongst Harry's friends, my favourite are Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood. They never had a reason to be so loyal to Harry cos they were not such close friends of his. Very odd duo but they knew they lived and believed in something.

I know i'm just rambling but i'm still a little shaken by the fact tht i have no more harry potters to look forward to from now on.

Anyway, some quick QnAs....

1) How come voldermot cannot kill harry but harry can kill voldermot?
2) Elderwand business, how come it belongs to Draco Malfoy? He didn't kill dumbledore, snape did.
3) Whats tht wriggling baby at king's cross?

Can't think of anymore questions now. need to pack for Japan tomorrow.

Kim Soon's House Warming

We managed our first potluck in Shanghai. By managed, i mean tht nobody reported diarrhoea after.

Boy we're all great cooks i tell you....(including me ha ha) . There was Chicken Wings, Nasi Briyani, Mee Siam, shepherd's pie (i made, lester mashed the potatoes), ba-kwa salad(i made also), and fresh water prawns with garlic.

Our host Kimsoon. Lawyer, 35, eligible, funny, and wears speedos to swim. Kimsoon is passionate about many things, especially cooking. He took time off his high flying lawyer career to become a chef apprentice at the Olive Tree. I admire passion in people... Be passionate about something in ur life and make it worth living. Whatever it is. Cooking, music, photography, writing, diving...

Aileen passionate about washing up, well done!

Everyone soon became sleepy after the wonderful feast....

Especially the host.... So unglam.

***

Brunch with tree trunks at Aegean

Next day we had brunch at Aegean, its almost like Al Majilis at Arab Street but high class. Its quite an interesting place... the restaurant has 2 huge trees growing in the middle of it.

Usually when i go to restaurants, the course i enjoy the most is the free bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar combo. So by the time the main course came i was super full already. The chef later came to check if everything was ok... honestly, nothing to complain. Just a matter of personal preference. I'll be fair and give the restaurant a 7/10 for food, 8.5/10 for ambience. But i dun think i'll go there again.

Visitors

My friend Joey came to visit last week so Les and I brought her to see the "sights" of shanghai (Read: shop, eat, club). Honestly speaking, its hard to appreciate Shanghai when its freakin 38-39 degrees...The city becomes instantly less charming.

Anyway here are some pictures we took...We were at Laris, one of the lounges near the bund.

Left to right: Catherine (from leo Burnett), her friend i think her name is fiona, Mingyen with her new Clepatra hairdo, me, Joey, and of course the every lovely Aileen.

And what are roses without the thorns.

Left to Right: Les monkeying again (sigh), Kimsoon ah soon soon, Jacko wacko (or Action Jackson), Daren and Stephen (he imports singaporean ingredients to China so we all wanna be his best friend from now on).

After Laris, the chain gang went to Attica to party the night away. Its a great place. The hip hop room was the globe that gave u a 360 view of the bund. The main hall played progressive house, and there's also an alfresco area, which we didn't bother with cos its too hot.

April, Cheeleong and Johnson also dropped by Shanghai (i didn't take any pictures!) . All of us are part of this group called the Dive Kaki Inc, we share the same passion for marine life and we love breathing from oxygen tanks. We reminisced the great dive adventures and many laughs we shared.

Anyway, John stayed with us. This is how Joey and John spent their nights...

Wiiii.....

They are doing virtual boxing. works the abs too cos its a good laugh... =P

It was great catching up with dear friends from Singapore again. Miss home and miss the good times. Come again my dear friends!

Crazy Celebs update part 4: Beloved Britney

You know me, always in the lookout for crazy celebs attitude... And Britney never fails me. Don't get me wrong, i've always been a huge fan of hers. I love Hit me Baby One More time. Its the perfect song for the average broken hearted women (something i only understood pretty late in life) and she understood it all when she was 16. I know you music puritans out there(including les) are gonna sream tht she didn't write her own songs, but i don't really care. She's got pretty catchy songs and she's nice to look at, or rather she was nice to look at. Now she's just fun to ridicule.

Ok... Britney hadn't made a music video in what.... 4 years. AND THIS IS WHAT SHE CHOOSES TO WEAR???????????Alamak... somebody hit her one more time please.

U know Britney loves the beaches. ..When she saw one, the attraction was so strong that she decided to just jump in in her undies! Given her shocked expression, she must have realised tht she forgot to match her underwear.

Love ya still brit.

37 degrees in Shanghai...

And we still froze our butts off!

My first visit to the Shanghai Absolute Ice Bar (or shd i say absolute ice brr, get it get it?)

Quite an interesting experience. Everything was made of ice (duh). The room was only about the size of a typical classroom, everyone had to wear these thick eskimo-ish outfit (that has been worn by thousands before you). The cost was 100 yuan, but u're only allowed to stay for 45 minutes. It didn't matter cos we didn't stay more than 20 minutes. Its bloody -5 degrees!!! Aileen and I were in capris, so we really couldn't take it.

Drank from Ice glasses.... Question that comes to mind is, DO THEY RECYCLE THE GLASSES? Don't think they do, when u drink off the glass, the ice will melt so the glass will be slightly deformed. Anyway, germs probably dun survive -5 degrees. The menu is not made from ice, its plastic. Sorry to disappoint u guys.

The ice is supposedly "Cleaner than water". If you really think about it, it doesn't make sense. What does it mean? Maybe it should be, Pure WATER instead.

WINA & Baby RUSSELL

This is one of the times i wish i'm home. I missed the birth of Russell, my sister's 2nd child, my first nephew!

This is a picture of my beautiful sis (and Russell of course). She's really really very gorgeous...

Can you tell that Russell's gonna be cheeeekkkkky....?

SANYA

My meeting with client was delayed 2 weeks, so i made it to SANYA! WOOOHOOOO..... Best vacation i had in china so far. Clear blue skies, crystal waters, white sandy beaches....Let the pictures do the talking.

Day 1

Finally took our swimwear out from hibernation.... The sun was blazing even tho the weather reports said there was going to be a thunderstorm. I think GOd knew how much i missed the beach.

It was really relaxing... We just lepak around the whole morning on the private beach. Read book, do Sudoku, dip in the water for a bit... the breeze was also blowing so u dun perspire. Ultimate indulgence...

This is the resort. We stayed at JW Marriot. It was beautiful....


Took a tour round town. There's nothing much except huge mangoes. 6yuan per 500g. Lester was smiling cos of the good deal...
We saw these 2 poor monkey trapped in a cage. But they were very cute and mischievious. Kept disturbing each other...




Went to the public beach... Looks like a scene from baywatch. Super crowded...It was also around evening, so the sky wasn't as bright anymore.

After the tour, we went and gorge ourselves with fresh seafood dinner. Kill on the spot type. The poor seabass we ordered died horribly. We sealed its death by deciding to eat it with black beans, and the chef whipped it out of the tank and HOOOOOOOT, whack the fella on the floor. While it was still wriggling, the other helper took a bat and beat the life out of it. Out of respect for Mr Seabass, i will not show his picture. his death cost us 300 yuan.



Day 2

After spending one whole morning in the sun the day before, both les and I were burnt. Les was like red. He looks pepetually drunk now. I was staying out of the sun mostly cos i thot i wanted to maintain fair skin for the wedding, but my shins ended up burnt, and i'm at least a number 2 tan now.



Took more pictures on the beach to capture the fleeting memory of the beautiful blue sky...

letter to jennifer

i dunno why i can't reply back on "comments". But Yes... its so cheap. Let's shop until we drop! If you come now, you get summer clothes. If u come in autumn u get autumn clothes... unless u wanna prepare for winter, then u can come earlier and i'll bring u to fabric market to tailor coats and stuff.

I'm going back to Japan for Fujirock end of july. so maybe let's meet again, if you can. I'm going to stay at the princess something hotel.... its good right? if i'm in the mood, i can make u a bottle of sambal.

Anyway, pls help me find my hair treatment. Fiole NP3. no need to go out of the way la, just go into every salon you see. HAR HAR...

ok see u in Tokyo. Sayonara!

i quit shopping!

Aaah who am i kidding. None of my friends believe me, i dun blame them cos i dun believe myself either.... Ever since i came to shanghai, i've became what people call a "Perpetual Shopper". What defines u as one... Answer 10 simple questions.

1) Have you bought something that you don't need in the past week? (Yes!)
2) Do you promise yourself not to buy anything, but then think about your next purchase 10 minutes later? (Yes!)
3) Do you try to walk around and "digest" your food after lunch or before dinner? (Yes!)
4) Do you have things lying around in your wardrobe for the last 1 year that you haven't worn? (Yes!)
5) Do you buy a belt to match your shoes, then a bag to match your belt, then a top to match your bag, then jeans to match your top, and then you buy another shoe to match your jeans? (Yes to all of the above!)
6) Do you offer to bring your friends to the latest cool shops so that you have an excuse to shop yourself? (Yes!)
7) Do you start shopping for Autumn in june? (Yes!)
8) Do you buy things in 4 different colours if you like em? (Yes!)
9) Do your local colleagues ask you where to go shopping? (Yes!)
10) Do you forget that you made a vow to quit shopping! (Yes!)

Terrible.... Poor Les has been enduring my shopping sprees, when am i gg to save enough for the wedding? But things are so cheap in shanghai its a sin not to shop! Plus, u have so many seasons to worry about. boots for winter, light jacket for Autumn and spring, colours for summer- i must multiply my singapore wardrobe by 4!

*****

Anyway, Les is away to Sanya for business trip. I was supposed to follow for leisure but work kept me back. So now i'm alone at home... ronery, i am so ronery.....

I made myself some delicious egg sandwich, finally found a way to finish up the eggs i bought weeks ago at one go. If not i can just hear Les nagging...."bb, if you dun cook the eggs soon, they'll hatch..... " silly boy.

Spice Girls Reunion

10 years, 5 unsuccessful solo careers and 6 dress sizes later (-6 for posh), the spice girls are geared for a reunion... I really was a big fan. I even watched the spice girls movie and mourned Geri Halliwell's departure.


From left....
Victoria: Oh look at me, i'm Mrs David Beckham. I look hot....
Mel C: Damn photographer put me next to Posh... Suck in suck in...
Geri: Am i supposed to be here?
Emma: Man... these platform shoes are so bad for oesteoperosis.
Mel B: Shdn't have given birth to damn eddie murhy's baby.

Happy Birthday Lindsay....

Lindsay lohan turned 21 yesterday. She's literally and metaphorically turned into an adult.

As most of you would know... Lindsay is currently housed at the Promises rehab centre at Malibu since last month, and she had been planning for her 21st bash even while in rehab. Obsessed about her party to the point where she talks about it all the time. When the day came, she finally sobered up and decided to spend the day with family. Good on her.

This is a picture of Lindsay with the latest iPhone... these PR pple are crazy. They managed to cash in on the IT girl even when she's in rehab.

Anyway, some happy news. Paris Hilton is a free woman...

All smiles as she emerged from jail. Anyway, this is one intelligent blonde. She also cashed in post-jailterm by attending some multi-million dollar interviews with Larry King, People's magazine, ET etc... to the point where she can fund her US$2.9million Malibu resort (rental fee, not buy)....

Anyway, Paris said she'll be good from now on. I hope she won't be boring....