I found this anime through an unexpected route. It started when I was again feeling pretty much despaired at the state the world is in now, i.e. having another weltschmerz episode (first world problem much? sigh).. So I was reading the wikipedia entry for that word, when it explains it as a "psychological pain caused by sadness... caused by the inappropriateness and cruelty of the world and (physical and social) circumstances". It continues to say that weltschmerz "can cause depression, resignation and escapism, and can become a mental problem (compare Hikikomori)". So I clicked on Hikikomori which is what they call "reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from social life, often seeking exceptional degrees of isolation and confinement." Now, I am a little of all that resigned depresso escapee thingy and often dream about taking off to some remote corner of the world but this sounded really extreme and depressing! Anyway, somewhere in the page was also a note to how it's portrayed in popular culture, and anime/manga in particular. There was a list of probably 5-7 titles, and I randomly clicked on one of them and ended up on this wiki page. I kinda liked the synopsis, but I wanted some assurance that this is worth it so I asked Dz if he'd watched the show before and what he thought of it. Turned out, he has, and he'd thought of recommending it to me, but because I'd told him earlier that I wasn't super keen on tear-jerkers, he didn't. Glad I still found my way to it - perhaps it's meant to be hehe!

Anyway.... Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (あの日見た花の名前を僕達はまだ知らない。 Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, lit. "We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day.")(whaat a mouthful!!)(thankfully, it also goes by Anohana for short) is about "a group of six childhood friends who drifted apart after one of them, Meiko "Menma" Honma, dies in an accident. Ten years after the incident, the leader of the group, Jinta Yadomi, has withdrawn from society and lives as a recluse. One summer day, the ghost of an older looking Menma appears before him and asks to have a wish granted, reasoning that she cannot pass on into the afterlife until it is fulfilled. At first, he only tries to help her minimally because he thinks he is hallucinating. But since Menma does not remember what her wish is, Jinta gathers his estranged friends together once again, believing that they are the key to resolving this problem. All of friends join him, though most of them reluctantly. However, things grow increasingly complicated when his friends accuse him of not being able to get over the death of Menma, for Jinta is the only one who can see Menma's ghost and his friends think he is seeing things. But as things progress, it is realized that Jinta is not the only person in the group who is having trouble letting go of the past. It is revealed that a majority of the group members blame themselves for Menma's death and hidden feelings for other members of the group are rekindled. Along with feelings of bitterness from Menma's parents, the group struggles as they grow from trying to help Menma move on, to helping themselves move on, too." (Thanks, Wiki! =)

So, what was the verdict? :) I like it a lot, so much so that I think I love it! (Don't ask..) I'm still feeling the lingering sadness.. but it didn't make me cry... but then again, I'm a tough nut to crack in that department. I guess I'm just wired differently. Okay, I don't think my review will ever give this show justice, so I'm just going to copy+paste the best write-up on the show that I came across:

In terms of peripheries, the show delivers. The character designs are varied and pretty and the music is spot on for what is an emotional show. The animation has no readily noticeable flaws and the detail shown in the interactions between characters is one of the key qualities of the show's overall experience. The basic premise for the show is also a great starting point. The concept of close friends who have drifted apart is an affecting one and one I am sure most people can relate to without much difficulty. The breakdown of relationships, with all the regret and ill feeling that goes with it, is well portrayed and explored over such a short number of episodes. In terms of plotting, Anohana is a show that uses its runtime astonishingly well for the most part (exceptions will be discussed later) - the pacing is excellent and its emotional highs arrive without reservation or a hint of deviance. I never once got the sense that the show was wandering, the makers always seeming to have the plot and its steady progression well in hand.

In the end, with a show that centres on metaphorical burnt bridges, it was always going to be the characters and their relationships that would make or break this show. Jintan, the lead, is a character that it would be easy to hate; he is gloomy, static and prone to self-pitying sulks. The rest of the living friends aren't much better: Anaru is a weak-willed tsundere, Tsuruko is bitchy and snarky, Yukiatsu is hateful and creepy and Poppo tries so hard to be fun and carefree it is almost painful to watch (yet he is still the most likeable). But you said this show was good, I hear you say? It is, it is - that is the beauty of character development. Despite being quite negative characters, each one has at least something positive and emphatic that makes them worthwhile; the sheer volume of well-portrayed unrequited love amongst the cast and the individual ways that each character approaches those feelings and the feelings they have over Menma's death are varied, interesting and relatable. The frustrating aspects of each character never go far enough to be repulsive (not even Yukiatsu, though he certainly pushes it) and in the end I found myself backing each of them despite their more annoying aspects. Where the characterisation does go wrong is in the character of Menma. In a story populated by flawed but interesting characters, she stands out like a cardboard cut-out at a waxworks - coming across completely flat. It's understandable considering her position as a less developed (and less warped) character but even if she were to exist as little more than a plot device (she is more than that but her development over the series is definitely the most limited) then at least they could have made her a little less annoying. Just a little bit. She is certainly not a failure as a character, she is a core part of Jintan's growth, but I have met people who abandoned this series because of the volume of screen time she enjoys, especially at the beginning of the show.

Overall, though, this series achieves what it set out to do. The strong characterisation and solid story pacing allows for those big drama moments to hit hard and it rounds itself off as an enjoyable, beautiful spectacle throughout and especially at the end. If you are looking for a subtle, affecting show then this is not it but it is a well written, beautiful and often moving show and well worth a look for those looking for a little less 'animé' in their animé.

[full review here]

Haha, that was easy! Sorry I took all the shortcuts but I really just wanted to do a quick post about this show.. I thoroughly recommend this series! Stream it here.

One more thing: one of the best things about this show was the ending song. I usually skip the opening and ending songs when I watch anime (except for first episodes, just to check the songs out), but I made an exception for this show. This was the first time I'd listened through the entire opening and ending song every episode. Super love it!



Secret Base
Kayano Ai & Tomatsu Haruka & Hayami Saori
Ending song to the anime Anohana

君と夏の終わり　将来の夢　
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume
大きな希望　忘れない
Ookina kibou wasurenai
10年後の8月
Juu nen go no hachigatsu
また出会えるのを　信じて
Mata deaeru no wo shinjite
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future, the big hopes, I won’t forget them
Believing that I’ll meet you again in August, ten years from now
The best memories…

出会いは　ふっとした　瞬間　帰り道の交差点で　
Deai wa futto shita shunkan kaerimichi no kousaten de
声をかけてくれたね　「一緒に帰ろう」
Koe wo kakete kureta ne "issho ni kaerou"
僕は　照れくさそうに　カバンで顔を隠しながら
Boku wa terekusa sou ni kaban de kao wo kakushi nagara
本当は　とても　とても　嬉しかったよ
Hontou wa totemo totemo ureshikatta yo
Our meeting was that one moment, on the way home at the intersection
You said to me, “Let’s walk home together”
I hid my face behind my bag, but really, I was very very happy

あぁ　花火が夜空　きれいに咲いて　ちょっとセツナク
Aa hanabi ga yozora kirei ni saite chotto setsunaku
あぁ　風が時間とともに　流れる
Aa kaze ga jikan to tomo ni nagareru
嬉しくって　楽しくって　冒険も　いろいろしたね
Ureshiku tte tanoshiku tte bouken mo iroiro shita ne
二人の　秘密の　基地の中
Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka
Ah, the fireworks bloom beautifully in the night sky, a little sad
Ah, the wind blows along with time, being happy, having fun
We went on many adventures too inside our secret base

君と夏の終わり　将来の夢　大きな希望　忘れない
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume Ookina kibou wasurenai
10年後の8月　また出会えるのを　信じて
Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite
君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」
Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" Sakendeita koto
叫んでいたこと　知っていたよ
Shiteita yo
涙をこらえて　笑顔でさよなら　せつないよね
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future, the big hopes, I won’t forget them
Believing that I’ll meet you again in August, ten years from now
I know you shouted, “thank you” from your heart, till the end
Holding tears back, smiling a goodbye
It was sad, the best memories…

あぁ　夏休みも　あと少しで　終わっちゃうから
Aa natsuyasumi mo ato sukoshi de owacchau kara
あぁ　太陽と月　仲良くして
Aa taiyou to tsuki nakayoku shite
悲しくって　寂しくって　喧嘩も　いろいろしたね
Kanashiku tte sabishiku tte kenka mo iroiro shita ne
二人の　秘密の　基地の中
Futari no himitsu no kichi no naka
Ah, summer vacation is almost over
So I hope that the sun and moon get along
Being sad, and being lonely
We fought a lot inside our secret base


君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」叫んでいたこと　
Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" sakendeita koto
知っていたよ
Shiteita yo
涙をこらえて　笑顔でさよなら　せつないよね
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
I know you shouted, “thank you” from your heart, till the end
Holding tears back, smiling a goodbye, it was sad
The best memories…


突然の　転校で　どうしようもなく
Totsuzen no tenkou de dou shiyou mo naku
手紙　書くよ　電話もするよ　忘れないでね　僕のことを
Tegami kaku yo denwa mo suru yo Wasurenaide ne boku no koto wo
いつまでも　二人の　基地の中
itsumademo futari no kichi no naka
I can’t do anything about a sudden transferring to another school
I’ll write letters, I’ll call you, so don’t forget me
Inside our secret base

君と夏の終わり　ずっと話して　
Kimi to natsu no owari zutto hanashite
夕日を見てから星を眺め
Yuuhi wo mite kara hoshi wo nagame
君の頬を　流れた涙は　ずっと忘れない
Kimi no hoho wo nagareta namida wa zutto wasurenai
君が最後まで　大きく手を振ってくれたこと　
Kimi ga saigo made ookikute wo futtekureta koto
きっと忘れない
Kitto wasurenai
だから　こうして　夢の中で　ずっと永遠に…
Dakara kou shite yume no naka de zutto eien ni...
I talked to you at the end of summer
Looking at the sunset and watching the stars
I’ll never forget the tear that rolled down your cheek
I’ll never forget you, waving your hands till the end
So forever, like this, in our dreams…

君と夏の終わり　将来の夢　大きな希望　忘れない
Kimi to natsu no owari shourai no yume Ookina kibou wasurenai
10年後の8月　また出会えるのを　信じて
Juu nen go no hachigatsu mata deaeru no wo shinjite
君が最後まで　心から　「ありがとう」叫んでいたこと
Kimi ga saigo made kokoro kara "arigatou" sakendeita koto
知っていたよ
Shiteita yo
涙をこらえて　笑顔でさよなら　せつないよね
Namida wo koraete egao de sayonara setsunai yo ne
最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The end of the summer with you
Our dreams for the future, the big hopes, I won’t forget them
Believing that I’ll meet you again in August, ten years from now
I know you shouted, “thank you” from your heart, till the end
Holding tears back, smiling a goodbye, it was sad
The best memories…

最高の思い出を…
Saikou no omoide wo...
The best memories…

I would like to remember that I stumbled upon this band called MUSH&Co. today while walking in Watsons (thank you Shazam!) and absolutely love these two songs by the band. It's a girl lead (surprise, surprise) and I can't seem to find much info on them in English though -- WHY OH WHY CAN'T I READ JAPANESE? Why did I stop my Nihongo lessons back then!? This is frustrating. Kthxbai. Oh btw I think these songs are from this movie The Liar and His Lover (Kanojo wa Uso o Aishisugiteru) which is from the eponymous manga series which I will totally check out. When I have the time. Ah, so many interests, so few minutes!

Alice.

I love me a serendipitous find, and I love that I found Alice. I love how it sounds ethereal and poignant at the same time, like a beautiful sadness of sort.. and the words evokes a kind of wistfulness that I can't quite put my finger on, so yeah, this has been driving me blithely loopy this whole week.

I'm not sure if the title is based on Alice in Wonderland (there's a footnote in the video description that indicates such, but I don't know if it was just an opinion or if the author meant it that way) but I was drawn to the video by the name alone.. Growing up, AiW was one of my fav books, and even though I pretended to get flustered when people teased me by that name, I've always felt an affinity to it. I don't suppose this song has to do with her though, the lyrics tell of a different story, and based on the author's description about the song, it's something like this:

There are two of them, let's call them A (girl) and B (boy). It's a song from B's point of view, who's keeping an eye on A. I don't know if A realized B's feelings. They are always together, helping or counting on each other when facing troubles, but somehow they are not able to be in love with each other. And B did reckless things, and lost many things.—

Such is the story. I think that there are many people who have experienced this in them. And if you heard a sigh in this song, it means you have an experience which had passed your own happy summer.

Make what you want of that. Btw if you think that the singer sounds like a robot, it's because she is. The singer, Hatsune Miku (初音ミク), according to wiki "is a humanoid persona voiced by a singing synthesizer application developed by Crypton Future Media, headquartered in Sapporo city..." And she is personified as a 16-year-old girl with long turquoise pigtails, like this ----------------------------->

I think she's cute and I could see her appeal and if I had the chance I would like to attend one of her concerts (yes) just for the kick of it. I like robot machine android thingamagic. What's not to like about them? Predictable, efficient, objective, cold as iced cola on a hot sunny day what? Hmm, I think it's the same reasons I like cities. Blocks after blocks of dour, stately facades with a million stories behind their walls. Err what? And I can't explain this, but it's also why I'm for Germany this World Cup. Haha, let's move on before I lose you completely.

S said something yesterday that almost got me saying YES! out loud - "Sometimes I think my heart will burst from having too much feels." That's my exact thought, esp every time I ber-emo and ber-drama. How I wish I were a robot sometimes! I don't trust emotions too much cos I've seen the damage they could inflict and yet I'm brimming to the rim with so much feels I don't know what to do with them! If only it's transferable, I think the hub could use with a good dose =) But how terribly dull life would be without a good shot of zealous passion every now and then kan? I think I'll take leave now, right after I say amen! to Adam's quote below. =)

#WiseOwl Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/6JEkwxoykW
— Owl City (@owlcity) July 2, 2014

Romaji Toi, toi, waraenai hanashi Itsuka, boku ga inakunatta nara Fukai, fukai mori ni ochita Kimi wa hitori de yukundaze Tsunaida te ni wa yawaraka na taion Nigitta yubi ga yururi, hodoketara Kareta neiro no kane ga naru Kimi wa hitori de yukundaze Sono mama futari ayunde hitori Usotsuku koe mo mou taedae ni Utsumuki futari kage ga hitotsu Boku mo hitori de yukundaze? Kimi wa awai koi ni ochita Takai takai gake ni saku hana "Todokanai naa." Wakatteru kuse ni Kondo wa hitori de yukundaze Toi, toi, waraenai hanashi Itsuka, boku ga inakunatta nara Fukai, fukai mori ni ochita Kimi wa hitori de yukundaze Sore kara hitori aruite hitori Usotsuku koto mo mou tsukareta. Utsumuki hitori kogane no heya Kimi to futari de itandaze Boku wa fukai mori ni ochita. Kuroku susukete yogoreta kajitsu Sore de owari sore dake no hanashi Kimi wa hitori de yukundaze

English A long, long time ago, in a tragedy If ever comes a day that I go away Deeper and deeper into the forest I'll fall From that moment on, you’ll go alone Feeling a warm temperature in the hands we hold If ever comes a day they gently unfold A dry bell will sound echoing on its own From that moment on, you’ll go alone For we are two of a kind, when we walk, we are one The sound lies being told disappear like the sun And now we both bow our heads, only a single shadow Didn’t you know that I was also going alone? You fell into love of a gentle kind With a flower on top of a high, high cliff “It’s so hard to reach”, I know you know So this time, you’ll have to go alone A long, long time ago, in a tragedy If ever comes a day that I go away Deeper and deeper into the forest I'll fall From that moment on, you’ll go alone And I am one of a kind, when I walk, I am alone I’ve grown weary of lying to the bone Now I bow my head in this golden room I was here with you, and now it’s gone too soon In a forest deep, I sank and I knew I’m a charred and dirty forsaken fruit And that is the end, there’s nothing more to recount From this moment on, you’ll go alone

it wasn't the butler.

i love whodunits. i like page turners and detective stories excel at that: making you stay up all night just so you can find out who bumped who and what and why and how. Agatha Christie must be the queen who ruled over 'em mystery novels (she's said to be the best selling novelist in the world). her books gave me one of my fondest memory of being a librarian in Form 6, getting my hands on the entire series of AC's books available in the library.

anyways, anyways, anyways... guess what we chanced upon that first afternoon in Melbourne, as we were somewhat lost while looking for a Vietnamese restaurant? the Comedy Theater, that's what! and guess what was their next show? Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, that's what!! haha! my heart leaped outta my rib cage and did a little dance, right there on Exhibition Street, while I just stood there, not believing my fortune. i've read about this play before, as it has the "longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far"" (wiki) and never thought that i'd be able to catch it this side of the globe :). as I walked closer to the theater to make out the show dates on the banner, I prayed that I would still be around in Melbourne to catch it.

and I was!

the show was scheduled to open on the Thursday of that week, the day after our trip back from the Great Ocean Road. do i need to tell you how excited i was? tra la la.. anyways, that night i went online to check out the tickets, and goodness, there were only two price tiers: AUD75 and AUD85. that's RM248 and RM280. and there weren't even that many seats left. i was kinda torn, cos that's A LOT OF MAH-NEH, so I spent a good half an hour rationalizing it. happily, the darling husband gave the green light to get the tix. whee! tried purchasing the tix with my mastercard but the transaction was rejected (could it be that i can't use a Msian card to make purchase from an Aussie computer?) so i ended up using cassie's card instead and paid her back in cash. it ended up costing me AUD82, incl of processing fee. ouchie!

thankfully, the show was good. it was a solid performance by the cast. at one point, although not very confidently, i could kinda guess who the murderer was (after reading too many of her books, you pick up on things like this) but it still made for a nice twist. at the end of the play after all the actors take their bow, one of them would request that the audience do not reveal the identity of the killer to anyone outside the theatre, so that future audiences would still be able to enjoy the twist.

passing by the theater on the tourist shuttle bus the day after the performance.

uncle adrian and the hubby dropped me across the street from the theater. seen here are people who were milling about waiting for the show to start.

the online ticket. i should have opted to collect the ticket from the box office - i would have loved to keep the stub, instead of this self-printed copy. ah well.

the moon was humongous that night! i thought it was an Aussie thing haha.. but the moon also appeared to be about the same size when we got back to Msia. it was the time of the month i guess. :D

the souvenir booklet cost AUD20 which i couldn't afford. so i brought back the promotional leaflet instead. heheh..

Hey diddle diddle, the Cat and the fiddle, the Cow jumped over the...

Just last Friday I was going through some jazz tunes on youtube and caught myself wishing that I could hear Lee Hom do Sinatra's Fly Me To The Moon. And then last night I found this:

You can't fault me for being over the same celestial body that he sang about, can you? ^_^ Oh. my. heart!

Oh btw, we had an amazing time in Pangkor and Penang the past five days. Pangkor was for our church camp where Thadd was the speaker w00t! It was nice getting to know some of the members; we haven't been around at church much due to his preaching engagement so I don't know anyone at all. So the camp was a good place for me to say Hi. For some reason, a few people were surprised to hear me speak Chinese, and I was like I look so Cina whatever gave you the idea that I couldn't? -_-".. Haha.. that aside, we enjoyed the time there very much.. and it is always heartening to see people responding to God's word. :)

We made our way up to Penang after that and experienced what I would call extreme hospitality from Angie and her son Yishen.. they took such good care of us that it made us blush! She brought us to all the best makan places in Penang (away from the standard tourist fare that we usually eat yay!) and didn't allow us to pay for anything. I managed to "fight" and paid twice, for drinks only that is! Every time I hand the money to the waiters, she would say something in Hokkien and the waiters would then refused to take our money. She even paid for the tau sar pneah that we were bringing home for colleagues and friends. T_T We definitely owe them a big meal when they come back to KL.. :)

At every meal, without fail, the four of us will eat enough for six. Sorry for the pics of the empty bowls of what used to be curry noodle, lam meen, and hokkien mee.. for photos of actual food (there are loads), go to my FB album *HERE*. :)

It's such a dread coming back to the office, but here I am, nibbling on a tau sar pneah, reminiscing every bite of our Penang memories. the weather has been mercilessly hot lately, but thank God that it was cloudy with light drizzle the two days we were hopping from stall to stall in Pg. I wasn't feeling too great this morning (post-vacay blues?) but after a glass of Vit C, I'm feeling better. Ooh, the weekend's here again!! ^_^

i heard my heart beating a little faster as i watched this time-lapse video "of the Perseid Meteor Shower and the galactic core of the Milky Way as seen from Joshua Tree National Park" (US).. *gushy*

joshua tree under the milky way
[via, check out his other vids]

and here's the awesome track that accompanied the video.. *still gushing*

sigur rós' :: samskeyti

i wish to behold such splendour.. of a billion stars sprawled across a pitch black canvas in all their sparkling & glittering (himym reference! =) glory. *gushy gush gush*

while we're on the subject, let's revisit switchfoot's stars, shall we?

when I look at the stars,

when I look at the stars I see someone else

when I look at the stars,

the stars, I feel like myself

:)

switchfoot :: stars

what can i say, i'm the gift that keeps on giving. hahaha..
so yeah, this is last one, for the road. happy friday!

what brings me to my third post today, you ask?

i remember now!
remember what?
remember why i went googling for the northern lights!!
erm, whaa--?
my previous post lah.
uh okay, what about it.

now where do i start? from christmas, i guess.

so, i downloaded this christmas album by this band called sleeping at last from noisetrade (it's free! and a great place to check out new acts :) in exchange for my email address.

Like! this album contains mainly reimagined christmas songs 
but it was one of my favs cos it got me into the perfect mood for christmas =)

so yeah, this morn i received an email (newsletter?) from them announcing their latest effort which led me here: http://web.sleepingatlast.com/news/2011/1/12/january-on-itunes-february-art.html

and there you will see this:

their latest EP cover, the artist's impression of the northern lights

so pweety :)

so yeah, that was how i went googling. breaking news right!

anyways, after that i went poking around their site (and myspace page) and my heart leaped when i saw this!

remember that??
i posted about it way back when this blog first started.. :D i think the artist, geoff benzing, is a friend of theirs. he seems to paint the cover of most of their albums.

i love, love these! *HEART*
would love to have these hanging on my walls.




these are the four covers of their most recent EPs -- the band is releasing an EP of three songs each month for one whole year (since Oct 2010).. check them out on iTunes. i don't think we can purchase their albums fr iTunes (iTunes sucks! i still don't get the working of the player. grrr..) so let's just admire these for now..

i love the gems random surfing can dig up. i don't remember how i reached there, but i'm a-loving richard beck's experimental theology blog. if psychology and theology is your cuppa (i kinda think that it could be mine :), then i think you'd enjoy it. it's long-but-light reading - me likey!

i was in the midst of reading The Theology of Calvin and Hobbes (i love C&H, unreservedly =D and there are a lot a lot a lot of article titles that have caught my interest so i'm a happy camper for now *grins*) but i was nearing saturation point so i'm taking a break lah. it's Friday after all!

speaking of which, i met up with my ex-colls (whom i have "lovingly" dubbed my barnacles aka barneys for their "stickiness" urm.. long story) over lunch.. at amcorp mall. we quickly discovered how disastrous a decision it was - with the terrible jam and unexpected crowd and that it was 10 train stops from KLCC - everything went awry.. we ended up spending only about 20mins eating together (my traveling time alone took up almost four times that o_0) anyways, loved seeing them, but never again (lunch on a weekday)! hehe..

mm back to work. ;)

i found another band that i like! :D

was trawling youtube for vids of the very cute matt thiessen (relient k's frontman), and stumbled on one of deas vail's record and immediately fell in love with it. haha.. but i'm so predictable lah.

Deas Vail (pronounced "day-us vayl") is an indie rock band signed to Mono Vs Stereo (the record label owned and managed by Relient K). Noted for having musical similarities to Death Cab for Cutie, Mew and Mae, Deas Vail was formed in the university town of Russellville, Arkansas in 2003.

[from wiki]

look at the list of bands they are likened to -- is there any surprise that i would like this band? hahaha.. well i have a weakness for a male vocal and melodies like theirs. hahaha.. oh yeah, i downloaded their album (birds and cages) and it's been looping on my player since. :D

God, how much does it take
for us to be loved?
for us to be saved?
We are all birds stuck inside our cage,
covered up with praise
and behind our saints
we hide our face
oh, the numbers come
yeah, they’re dialing in
we can’t help but to compare ourselves again

deas vail :: birds

in the loop

featuring the very adorable zooey deschanel and that other guy.

we all get the slip sometimes everyday
I'll just keep it to myself in the sun, in the sun

she & him :: in the sun

and ooh, i've been playing this other song since monday.. after watching 'kiss kiss bang bang' (robert downey jr, val kilmer).. don't let the title fool you (well, i did a double take la.. but it's really good! funny, almost bizarre.. ;) don't let the dismal box office gross deter you - watch it! :) and i never knew RDJ was a musician/singer - anyways he wrote and sang this song.. *heart*

in love with a broken heart
[face in every cloud, makes me laugh out loud]
you fell in love with a broken heart
[shouts to keep it down, wagon draws a crowd]

robert downey jr :: broken

just one of those days..

every once in a while, i would come across a song that i could loop the entire day without boring me. it would make me smile as i bop my head to it.. and let it just run in the background as i go on with the day. this is one of those days.

they can take me anywhere I want
I put my headphones on
I can walk around and sing along
I put my headphones on

they can take me anywhere I want
I put my records on
you can shake your head and turn around
I put my records on

now I'm gone, with my head in a cloud
and the songs, they're just dancing around

i am from barcelona :: headphones

this is also one of those days, where i am so unhappy that i just want to go hide in a closet and cry for no specific reason. sigh.. when mountains and valleys collide (huh?), it just drives me nuts. aiyor i am so emo i make myself go -___-"

grrr...
i was pretty angsty this morn. been so for a good part of the week.. the month? i don't know. ranted on and on to bom bom as we shared about church and christians and everything in between. traded war stories on obnoxious members and half hearted pew warmers. i've actually a pretty lengthy nasty post typed out.. but i'll let that simmer for a while. shdn't post things so impulsively kan. i'm still in a pissy mood la..


burrp!
lunched at mandarin oriental today, courtesy of the company. the buffet spread was quite nice, but i wasn't adventurous.. went two rounds for the mains, and came back twice with almost the same stuff on my plate: sashimi, grilled prawns and lamb, arugula and romaine salad with smoked salmon.. mm that's about it. loved the greens.. my colon needed it after the meat fest that was CNY. hehe.. the dessert spread was quite nice. shared with sophia almost everything they had to offer. a special mention of the nian gao (a sticky chinese dessert[?] fried with a light batter) and ice cream (can't rber but the ones i tried had some pretty exquisite names).

post-CNY diet is SO ON. my pants won't talk to me til i drop some pounds. FINE.


whee!
i managed to gather a bunch of people to part with their hard earned money to go to the musical chongy is starring in (see poster below). quite proud of myself. *self pat* some of them do not know each other, except for me and/or chongy. gonna buy the tics tomorrow (for next Tue 2-Mar 8.30pm @KLPAC if anyone's interested! RM28 only. dai dou lan lahh ;), before these ppl change their minds.. haha.. i'm suddenly nervous that the tics would be sold out. :S

this reminded me of my Mount KK trip -- i somehow talked a group of strangers (to each other but me) into going on that grueling journey. admittedly it felt a little awkward but there were some cool ppl in the group who made things easier (i guess i was good at asking but poor at planning itinerary). anyways, if they liked me enough to agree to that, it just meant that they are great ppl la.. :) not saying that this would turn out to be like that, hahaha, but it sounds fun. meet new ppl mar.

kinda :( though thinking about the "fishes that got away" (friends who couldn't make it.. lol i dunno why i called you guys that). i sincerely wish you all could have made it. no, i don't get any commission because apparently, according to the cheeky thespian, our friendship *is* my commission. -__-"

oohh..
i can't divulge much here but i had a very interesting (fun, rather) conversation with J re a common acquaintance, who happens to know a certain friend of mine who's involved in the musical above. hahaha.. what can i say, it's a small world after all. and if a certain other arrangement work out, we'll all be.. happy. LOL!


sighh..
life. i've so much to say. going through a very cynical phase in my life if you don't know that already from what i've written. and the more i read, the more i listen, the more i know, the more discouraged i become. Ecclesiates Part Deux, i am thy scribe.

i'm barely hanging on by the threads of hope rooted in my faith.

When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

[psalm 73:21-26]

it's amazing to find that halfway across the globe there's someone walks in my shoes (in a way :D)..

I’ve wanted a pair of Chuck Taylor All Stars since I was in middle school. I never got them then. And then I wanted some in high school – but still didn’t get them for some reason. Then in college, I thought about it again. And I think I went out looking for them one day but just didn’t get around to buying them – don’t know why.

...

They are a very comfortable shoe – and it’s not that wearing them makes me feel like I’m back in high school…I’m not sure entirely sure what it is, but I just really like them. They’re fun shoes. And they kind of make me take myself a little less serious…which is probably a good thing for everyone.

[adam cleaveland (while you are there and if it interests you, do check out the rest of his "heavier" writing/reflection on post-modernity and the church)]

this has been on my list of wants for a while now.
and this is the exact pair that i want. wat can i say, i'm a simple gal who knows what she wants ;) hahaha.. and i'm surprisingly patient when i know i what, adamant even. so unlike my usual "wadever" self. :P

h00t!

i like it when recording artists put an effort into their album covers (which is one reason why despite switchfoot's the beautiful letdown being one of my fav albums, i still do not own it. the copy i have now is someone's bootleg copy :P i have their subsequent albums though :P) my personal fav is mae's the everglow. :) methinks an aesthetically appealing cover makes owning the album all the more special.. :)

album cover :: sleeping at last - storyboards
(nicked from the pirates)

i bought a pair of owl earrings from hatyai. and a pair of cats too. =) i love earrings. if you are stumped as to what to buy me (should the need for gift-giving arise), just get me a pair. =)

the ones i have are not these, but something like them la.
(i think i'll wear them to watch night service tonite :)

i might be outgrowing owl city, but his peter pan persona still draws me to him. i am forever grateful for his electro-pop tunes with imaginative (silly? :) lyricism that has lifted my soul during some of the darkest days of my life. you might not know how songs you composed in the basement of your owatonna home has made the day of someone half a world away who was struggling with her identity and self-worth, so from the bottom of my heart: thanks, dude! :)

for more owlism, stalk him on twitter.

update @1-Jan 2:53am ::
tim got me owl city's ocean eyes for xmas!! whee! ^_____^ thanks, timmmm! =)

Note: This was published on Dec 31, 2009 7:05PM.. I'm moving it to Jan 1, 2010. Just because. ;)