wishlist

last night i went over to my friend's house for her birthday party, and it was so much fun! again, i have no pictures to upload (until they're put on facebook, and maybe not even then), but hopefully words will suffice.
her party was much smaller this year than it usually is, but it was all the more fun because of it. we got to talk and catch up and have fun in a small group, and it was much easier for the birthday girl to manage her guests. the food was delicious, and to top it all off, a heavenly chocolate cake from secret recipe. yum!

alright, i'll allow her to describe her birthday on her own blog if she wants to, but for now i'll turn to other matters... i.e. my unsatisfactory wardrobe. yes, i have fallen in love with shopping. my sister now thinks i'm alien. can't blame her --it's been rather sudden. but i can't let 90% of my wardrobe be chosen by my grandmother. she has pretty good taste, but still... i wanna have a say in what i wear, instead of waiting to see what she buys every chinese new year.

if any of you kind souls reading this sympathise and want to help, then here's my wishlist =D

- gladiator heels/flats. i'm obssessed with them!
- wayfarers with colourful frames. they're a certain design of sunglasses if you don't already know.
- aviators. another design of sunnies.
- fedoras. so johnny depp!
- slouchy tops. nice designs please.
- kaftan dresses. again, nice designs and cuts, please.
- bohemian/ethnic/hippie tote. oversized tote preferably.
- chiffon tops and dresses.
- maxi dresses.
- parios/sarongs/ikat/batik type things.
- big feather and flower hairclips.
- boots! no higher than the knee, no lower than the ankle.
- oxford pumps.
- black leggings/tights.
- wooden bangles.
- long silver chains/necklaces.
- johnny depp style glasses.
- peace sign necklaces.
- a thin silver nose ring.
- plain silver rings or rings with semi-precious stones. i don't mind if they're fake ;)

oh my. this list has turned out to be longer than i thought. i think i'll stop here for now. =D

'Say You Don't Want It' Official Video featuring Emma Watson - One Night...

this is a really cool video my dad discovered starring emma watson of the harry potter movies. the song is "say you don't want it" by one night only. but watch it till the end, or you won't get it! the song's cool too =D
i like the theme of it, and the feel of it. especially after watching it a second time and paying more attention to everything. so watch it and enjoy! i'm going to check out more of the band's songs.

sundays

we came home from a brief overnight trip to melaka this morning to stay with my grandparents and to visit a temple we love. i swear, i'm going to make sure the house my grandparents have never gets sold off, because it's absolutely beautiful and so simple, i hope i inherit it someday! it's a big bungalow with three rooms upstairs, three bathrooms, and plenty of space. hey, it can easily house eleven people every chinese new year. and i love the fact that it has a small pond, a lovely tiled porch, a pretty white swing which has been there longer than i've been alive, and a HUGE garden with flowers all around. plus it has fruit trees in the back garden. what more could anyone ask for?

since it was a VERY brief trip (we got there at about five in the evening and left at twelve today), we didn't get to do much, but it's always relaxing to hang out there. and malaccan food is always great.

we got home in good time, and we're now just hanging out. we watched "hancock" on tv earlier with doughnuts and cheese buns and coffee walnut cake and tea, and now we're just waiting for it to get late enough to make dinner. we're making bacon aglio olio with a quick dessert afterward. haven't decided what that dessert will be, though. i'll just see what we have around the house and whip something up.

sundays are days to spend in a truly bohemian way. my ideal sunday? waking up early, making tea, sitting around drinking it while eating strawberries, then having a nice warm shower. then maybe a spot of shopping with family or friends, lunch at a cafe, then catching up with lifelong family friends and the older generation of the family. coming home to sit around chatting with treats and tea and good music to enjoy and our dear dog at our feet. flipping through magazines and reading a book. drawing a bit. playing guitar and singing. chocolate. more tea. then whipping up a simple dinner and enjoying our creation. the music would continue into the night, and maybe my dad would get out his pipe or our sheesha and we'd be allowed to have a puff or two. and my sister and i would get a super-mild lychee martini each to sip and we'd all dance. and then we'd talk and talk, and when we get tired we'd all have hot showers and fall asleep in cozy beds and snuggly pyjamas. ah...

there's something about spending some time with my parents' friends. they're a really cool crowd and they're all great fun to hang out with. they have a book club and once a month or every two months we get together and they discuss the book while the kids hang out with each other. we've all known each other our whole lives, so it's good fun. then we have dinner -- yum, it's good to have friends who can cook!

so, coming back to the subject of sundays...

how would you spend YOUR ideal sunday?

picture credits: deviantart.com (thank you deviants!)

one laptop per child

today i finally went to see a doctor about my flu and was put on a four day course of antibiotics, but that's not the point of this post. after seeing the doctor we (meaning my mum, dad and me) went to get some lunch for everyone. so my mum went to get the food, and my dad and I had one of our pleasant and insightful talks, which i love, because we just have so much in common and i love hearing my dad's opinions. so we chatted a bit about yoga and ayurveda for a while, and then he mentioned this designer guy, yves behar, because he knows i plan to be a designer myself one day.

dude, this yves behar guy is awesome. he designed this laptop which costs like a 100 US dollars, and that would come up to about RM300+ i think. and it's absolutely amazing. he designed the laptop for this program called OLPC (one laptop per child); go key in "OLPC" or "one laptop per child" into wikipedia or google and you'll find what you're looking for. i really like the idea of it. their mission is

"to create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning."
-- OLPC mission statement

i really like the idea. it's sort of like something i was pondering a few weeks ago, and when my dad mentioned this OLPC thing and i read about it, i'm really starting to believe that we should carry out this idea: to use laptops instead of books in schools.

i understand completely that this sounds outrageous (think of the cost, dear child!), but think about it! here are the arguments to back up this theory:

a) in the long run, we save money. instead of buying nearly twenty textbooks and goodness knows how many exercise books for thousands, millions of students per year, we could just get ONE laptop (only about RM300+ if we use the model i was talking about) per child that could last them through all of their schooling years.
no need for reference books either, since we can just store information in the laptops.

b) save paper, save trees! think how many trees are being killed just to give us books to write our notes and exercises in. we could save the environment here, people! and if you're thinking, "oh, charging the batteries for the laptops won't do much good either", hoho, think again. yves behar's laptop uses wireless charging (i still dunno how that works, though) and the battery lasts up to a few days. PLUS, not using so many trees to provide us with paper means those trees will help us offset our carbon footprint, don't you agree?

c) more convenient, and lighter, too. i blame the fact that i walked with hunched shoulders for about two or three years of my life on the fact that schoolbags are just so heavy. we students feel like slaves, walking around with such heavy loads on our backs. it can't be good for our health. isn't it far more practical to just carry ONE laptop and maybe a notebook and some pens/pencils around than to carry about thirty books to school everyday? (plus pencilcases and personal notebooks and everything else)

d) saves time, as in we don't need to copy out all our exercises into our little paper notebooks or spend time packing our bags everyday to make sure our spines don't crack. we just flick open our laptop, turn it on, and type away. homework's done! plus since we use the internet to do research for most of our homework anyway, wouldn't it be easier to just do our homework on the laptop? oh, oh, and we don't have to attend those lame ictl classes, because we'd be using laptops everyday and it would just be second nature!

e) speaking of research and things, wouldn't it be so much easier to do research for projects and things at school on our laptops? saves so much time, and we can use the time we spend at home for homework and not to do even more research that could have been done at school.

f) since someone has to acknowledge it, everyone who can't afford even the USD100 laptop can seek government help. i mean, if they can buy about 200 textbooks for every student in the country to last them through at least eleven years of school, why not buy just one laptop that can last them through all those years?

g) handing in homework would be SO convenient.
teacher: alright, class, this is my email, i want all your homework emailed to me by wednesday.
students: sure thing!
do you see what i mean? we can just email our homework to our teachers as soon as we're done, even if it's at midnight, and the teacher could just use spellcheck to check our spelling and... oh, you get the idea.

h) i know that the rampant concern about using laptops in school is that students would want to facebook and play games when they're supposed to be doing their work. teachers, you can be vigilant here and avoid this. if anyone's tapping away on their keyboards before you even give them work, then you can stop them and check on what they're doing. or you could just turn off the wifi (awesome, wifi in schools) and the facebook problem would be solved. easy as pie. or you could also have the prefects check everyone's laptops once in a while to make sure there's nothing on there that shouldn't be there. it's nothing that can't be prevented or punished.

i) presentations in class would be so much easier. instead of the traditional "write some notes on mahjong paper and stick it on the board and present it" we could just use powerpoint and projectors and ta-dah...

i think i'll stop here for now. that's nine reasons already, and if you have anything else you'd like to add or ask that i might have missed out on, just leave a comment, eh? see ya, ciao.

i wanna do bad things with you

last night after many vampire-free months true blood season 3 premiered in malaysia! woohoo! now, besides "accidentally on purpose" and "cougar town", we have dearest sookie and bill to look forward to on mondays. awesome!

on the dark side (no pun intended), my flu's gotten worse. i hate having the flu. it just limits the amount of things i can do, and if you know me at all, you know i hate limits and restrictions.

so until this flu goes away, i'm gonna be at home just lazing around, surfing the internet, reading "brisingr" by christopher paolini for the umpteenth time (i can never get tired of it)and possibly doing more blog posts in a week than i did in the whole of last year.

i feel like having tea. and chocolate. and berry yogurt. yes, i know, random, but i really want some.

alright, i have to go. i'm not supposed to be using the computer and my dad's coming home soon... so you get the idea. buh-bye! see you soon.

cough cough sniffle achoo!

it's a regular monday and by right i should be slogging away at school but i have a sore throat and i can't even talk. some salt water gargling and hot tea have soothed it, but i still can't do more than croak.
so instead of hunching over schoolbooks i've been browsing my favourite sites since about 2pm (it's now 4) and i've come to the conclusion that my life is really quite utterly, mind-numbingly boring. sure, i get to have a load of fun with the family sometimes, but day to day... zzzzz.
i've made it a point to read through the blog bohemian musings from start to finish, and the posts in there put my life to shame. and so, i've made up my mind that i will make more of an effort to live life to the fullest. of course, part of that life will still have the glorious internet in it. it's my gateway to the rest of the world since plane tickets are ridiculously expensive and i can't jet off to london/paris/brazil/melbourne/insert your destination here anytime because of SCHOOL. ugh.
but there's plenty to be done in malaysia. no, wait, there's not much that can be done when you're under eighteen and at the mercy of your parents. my mum and dad are as cool as you can get, but still, they have their boundaries. i might go and talk to them a bit about letting me wander about on my own sometime soon.
given my new obsession with all things bohemian and sometimes vintage, i'm incredibly disappointed with my wardrobe. it's mostly filled with commercial things and a few pieces i can still fit from my edgy-rockstar phase. i'll keep some of those pieces, but overall my wardrobe just doesn't suit me at all anymore. the minute we have some money to spare i'm going to raid the fleamarkets and shops to find some decent clothes. i've been inspired a ton by the pictures on the bohemian musings blog (as you can probably tell, i'm rather addicted to it.)
oh! even as i type this i've stumbled across new inspiration. charlotte ronson. gorgeous stuff! layered with some other things her designs will suit me perfectly. in love already, i'm going to do more research on her. and sienna miller. and vanessa hudgens. and mary kate and ashley olsen. hmmm... seems like i'll be online longer than i thought.
i've never tried ebay before. it looks like there's a ton of gorgeous bohemian stuff there. how perfect they are! goodness, you won't find these in malaysia. it seems like i'll be caught up in the world of online bohemian fashion for a while, so i'll sign off here. i might be back later though!

Hot Guys and Lazy Saturdays...

As you can see by the above collage I have been spending a bit too much time daydreaming about dreamy guys. in my defense, though, a friend of mine has asked me to tag her in some photos of these guys so she can see what they look like. hey, i'm not alone in the guy loving thing. =)

so last night i went for dinner and a sleepover at my friend's house since she's back for a while from australia and we wanted to spend some time with her before she leaves again. took some pointless videos and pictures (which i would upload, if they weren't all in someone else's camera), laughed a lot, shared some stories and opinions and otherwise had a load of fun, ending in a 3.30 am bedtime.

i left her house early this morning and came back to my lovely family and humble old home. after a shower we had brunch at a wantan mee shop in taipan -- delicious! we then came home and spent the entire afternoon listening to music and enjoying each other's company. danced a bit too -- all in all, a fun start to the weekend!

somemore random news? my cousin's recovering from her flu, i'm getting a flu, and we're taking in my aunt and uncle's puppy because he's too naughty for them. yay! sheri (our adorable labrador) will have company!

so, in case you want to know who the guys in the collage above are, let me name them for you, row by row...
jason castro (american idol), kyle patrick (the click five lead singer), andrew vanwyngarden (MGMT), william moseley (peter pevensie in the narnia movies), aaron johnson ("angus, thongs and full frontal snogging"), jeremy sumpter ("peter pan", "friday night lights", and more), ed speleers ("eragon", "witchville"), logan lerman ("percy jackson"), daniel radcliffe (harry potter movies), skandar keynes (edmund pevensie in the narnia movies), ben barnes ("prince caspian"), and mitch hewer ("skins"). oh, they are so gorgeous.

My Favourite Music

In general, mainstream music bores me after a while. I just can't listen to a popular song more than five times without starting to feel a little sick of it. Mainstream pop is too shallow, too sharp. There's no depth to it.
Depth, I love thee.
Here are the musicians whose music has impressed me, touched me, moved me, and more. I haven't named all my favourite musicians, and indeed, there are many more out there for me to discover. But as of now, here's my list of favourites...

1. Raygun => Though they've broken up (boohoo!), their first (and only) album still entertains my family and I whenever we listen to it. Awesome bass notes, great rhythms, great lyrics, and a cool image. All around brilliance. =) If you can find their music online, or if you spot their album in a store, do take the time to pick it up. It's completely worth it.

2. She & Him => I fell in love with the song "In the Sun" and have been hooked ever since. Very light and breezy and feel-good, I love them!

3. Mika => Two albums. Two albums! And both worth listening to. He just has such catchy, fun, bouncy songs. It's impossible not to love him, unless you have no taste, or if you're totally old-fashioned or Justin Bieber-oriented. xp

4. Colbie Caillat => Hear one of her songs and you imagine sunny Californian beaches. Her sound is so carefree and light and summery. Who wouldn't love the "bubbly" Ms. Caillat?

5. The Click Five => I love them! And not just because the entire band is made up of insanely cute guys. =p Their music is really good too. I was a fan for a while when my dad heard Headlight Disco on the radio and he was hooked too. When my dad likes something, it's truly worth liking.

6. Jason Castro => I loved him on American Idol and fell in love with him again when I heard his song... "Let's Just Fall In Love Again". Of course, Jason, I'll fall in love with you a thousand times over! He's just so cool with his dreadlocks and beach music vibe. Another artist who reminds me of beaches and summer and cool ocean blue.

7. The Ting Tings => Great bass lines and great drums. You just can't help grooving along to their songs. And their drums are nice deep "boom" ones too, not shallow "tsk" ones which I can't stand. Awesome awesome awesome.

8. The Scissor Sisters => There's just something about them that I can't quite put my finger on. I love their music, it's so different and quirky and just plain great.

9. Kyle Patrick => The current lead singer for The Click Five, he's ventured into a solo project on the side, making songs he's written available to the public. His kind of music is more acoustic and heartfelt than the band's and I just love it. My tastes vary a lot, in case you haven't already noticed. It helps that he's cute too. xD Support his solo project by downloading his album!

10. Joss Stone => Her voice has all the depth necessary to make me a fan. Such soul! I love her version of "Son of a Preacher Man". Rock the house, Joss!

11. The Script => Their songs are just lovely. So nice to listen to when you're feeling down, just because you can identify with the lyrics... the music's awesome too.

12. Adele => In my humble opinion, she has the best voice in the world! It's so rich and soulful and... oh! Just go and listen to her, won't you? I can't describe how amazing, awesome, astounding, great she is!

13. Sa Dingding => The ONLY Asian artist on my favourites list. I hate cheesy J-Pop and K-Pop but she's just... wow. Her sound is really ethereal and sends chills up your spine. Go listen to her song Ha Ha Li Li. Mmmm, I get chills up my spine everytime I hear it.

14. Nick Jonas => I am no JoBro fanatic, but I have to say, I like Nick's sound. When I first heard the song Who I Am, it raised Nick in my esteem, and I'm a WAY bigger fan of him than I would ever be of the Jonas Brothers.

15. James Morrison => OOOOOOOH! James, James. He can make anyone fall in love with him, just by singing one of his songs. Please, go listen to him. His lyrics, his guitar riffs, his music just... oh, wow.

16. MGMT => My dad introduced me to them, and I'm so hooked! My dad knows my tastes in music well. =) Their music is so contemporary and different and I can't help but fall in love with them. MGMT fan all the way!

And last but DEFINITELY not least...

17. Jeff Buckley => Oh my goodness. I was only a year old when he passed on, but my dad (I can't thank him enough!) had his album, Grace, and played it on the car radio. I couldn't have been more than 7 years old, but since then, Hallelujah has been my indisputable favourite song ever. I insisted that the song was played every time we got in the car, and now that I have an MP3 player, Hallelujah has the proud honour of being the first song in my list of 15 favourites. (I might write a post about my faves someday, there's an idea...) Hallelujah, Jeff, my your soul live on with the angels forever and ever, and may your voice grace the halls of heaven until the universe Itself comes to an end.

And on that note, dear reader, I shall leave you now. Hallelujah, hallelujah...

Revamping... Preferences

I'm currently revamping the entire blog to better suit my personality and to flex my design muscles (since I plan to study graphic design when I'm older). So...! Here's my second first post!

Preferences

Moonstones not diamonds. Nature not cities. Tea not coffee. Handmade not storebought. Creativity not logic (okay, maybe some logic). Contemporary not mainstream. Nick Jonas not Joe Jonas. Simple not complicated. Silver not gold. Handwritten not typed. Intuition not (just) fact. Music not math (anyday!). Ed Speleers not Justin Bieber (oh my! That's a no brainer! I can't believe I compared them in the first place). Cooking at home not eating out. Imperfect not perfect. Freedom not restriction. Spontaneous not planned. Joss Stone not Megan Fox.

And more! Just ask if you want to know anything else. I welcome comments. =)