What is faster than being instantaneous?

"The supposed great misery of our century of our century is the lack of time; our sense of that, not a disinterested love of science, and certainly not wisdom, is why we devote such a huge proportion of the ingenuity and income of our societies to finding faster ways of doing things - as if the final aim of mankind was to grow closer not to a perfect humanity, but to a perfect lighting-flash."

- John Fowles, "The French Lieutenant's Woman

Passion can never be fully understood.

Sometimes I find it hard to talk about what I love with people who don't understand. Call it selfish, impatient... but it's hard for someone to appreciate what you're talking about if they hadn't yet experienced it for themselves. Sure, people will ask questions, but when do they really want to know what you're recounting?

If you guys hadn't already guessed, I'm referring mostly to talking about Dance with people. Often when people happen be around when I'm reviewing videos, editing music, etc, they'd naturally start asking questions and commenting about it. Things like, "Dance is like your life sia." or "How many hours do you spend dancing?" But surprisingly after the conversations end, I'd feel a sense of embarrassment, as if I was misunderstood. At the point of explanation, I'd experience a sense of pride in talking about it, but after that I'll just feel kind of, patronised. Perhaps it's because deep down I know that, while they may be interested in what I do, they underestimate the weight of my words. Especially when it's shrugged off as a pastime. How does one, who does not dance, understand how dance can be like a life choice? It's a whole new realm. It's more than moving to the music. It's a metamorphosis of body and mind, it is growth of perception and strengthening of will. How do you really make someone relate to this?

Why do we devote so much time into this art? I guess the simplest answer is: It's fun. It makes us feel good about ourselves.

It gives us a purpose, whatever that purpose may be. Something tangible that which we can keep bettering ourselves in. Sometimes I wonder what people who have yet to find their passion do. Maybe it's just a different choice in living. But I don't really get it. Well, just because I don't understand something doesn't make it wrong. Perhaps they're used to free time and I'm just used to filling my schedule up.

Anyway, I think what I'm trying to get at is that curiosity does not translate to appreciation. And patronisation can look like appreciation but on afterthought it feels undermining. This isn't just about dance, but about any other forms of passion. It's something in the process of doing that makes the doer stronger, renewed. Perhaps people shouldn't shrug off activities as mere activities, but things that keep a person alive, bright. They're not simply pursuits that help others to classify our identities, but something that enriches our personalities.

Urban Renewed?

When does Urban Renewal stop?

With pertinence to a recent event of the building of an "Adventure Park" in Pulau Ubin, I feel a pretty deep sense of loss and disappointment. I've only been to Pulau Ubin once, and that's enough for me to feel that this perhaps marks an overstepping of Urban Renewal.

At Pulau Ubin for Chelsea's birthday a few years ago.

Justifiably, the residents are able to remain in their settlements, possibly the last of Singapore's authentic Kampongs, if they agree to pay rent as the land is now state-owned. According to reach.gov.sg, there will be a road built to join mainland Singapore to Ubin. 

While it is pragmatic and convenient to build a road to Ubin, doesn't it take away the exclusivity and rustic quality of the island? It poses the question as to why pragmatism has overruled the charm of natural attractiveness. It's undeniable that the idea of the only entry point to the island is via boat, gives it a sense of adventure and creates a chasm; both physically and characteristically, between itself and Singapore's city life. Take for example, Disneyworld, Orlando. It is only accessible by ferry, heightening it's magical "other-worldliness". I understand that building a road will definitely make accessibility more efficient, but why are we always emphasising on efficiency? It pains me to think of Ubin polluted with cars and exhaust fumes.

The Slow Movement is something that counteracts this need for speed. Just something that I thought was a wonderful contrast to what most of us are guilty of every day: 

"Leisure: Slow Movements -- Japan has a "slow life" movement. Italy has a "slow cities" movement. Spain has a network of siesta salons. Originating in Austria is the Society for the Deceleration of Time (kudos to the guy who came up with this), which sets speed traps for pedestrians. And, catching on around the world is a "slow food" movement dedicated to taking the time to prepare and eat food slowly. People the world over are resurrecting the art of doing things more slowly."

- Ruth V. Russell "Leisure" Oxford Encyclopaedia of Modern World.  

Slow food... food for thought. Finally a movement (or the slowing down of it) for everyone to take a step back to realise that we should enjoy and find meaning in what we are doing, rather than abiding by the expectations of utilitarianism. Which brings me to my next point: How much reclamation is too much?

I read in a source that the coastlines along Pasir Ris and Changi beach would be reclaimed over. Why you take away nice seascape?! Earlier, there were plans that Chek Jawa was to be reclaimed too, but after quite a huge number of nature-loving members of the public opposed the notion, substantiated with research that proves unique marine life inhibits the area, the government withdrew its plans and took to the public's suggestions to preserve the area for the good of future generations.

I feel that this reveals how expediency (or apparent pragmatism) has veiled the ability to see how natural attractions would be more inviting than commoditised parks. The details of this "Adventure Park" are very obscure (I did a google search and found that I'm not the only one with no idea what exactly it is supposed to encompass). Even if most of the place is preserved, it is being reformatted (for lack of a better word) to expand tourism and this commoditisation cheapens the value of a charming, rustic island.

I shall end off with Arthur Yap's "& the tide"

& the tide

& the tide which is being urban-renewed
at bedok must go on its own tidy ways
without too much of a fuss,
coming in as riprap waves
met by the breakwaters
or going out sufficiently
for undisturbed analysis.
& the sum of their margin:
a littoral of slightly raised damp sand
& carefully arrayed litter.
out there where the waves curl,
the liquid is greenly uneven
in the sun's rays & the sky's
layers of noon darkness.
the renewal of a large imagination
may be rare, in a seascape.

Fail.

Before I go, this is what I feel is greatly applicable to such a matter:
"With great power comes great responsibility."
If man likes to play God, he's got to know how to play.

Different stages

I find myself surprised whenever I have free time nowadays. What a foreign feeling, almost as if it's wrong. But nonetheless I am thankful for some downtime/me time.

Some recent events:

Black Box Boot Camp Showcase by NTU Contemp

Me sporting a focussed look, haha. Honestly channelling the expression for this item was pretty challenging because if I wasn't always aware of my face, I might have ended up looking just blur. I guess that's when you need to merge movement and face to make it one holistic expression. 

Impresario 2013 Finals

Pantherawr with CBLJ. MJ rep!!

Our wonderful mentor Summer. Learnt so much from him. 

First he had one cat.

Then a new cat.

AND a new cat.

Pantherawr

Finally... SIREN!

Catch us at Danceworks! 2013 Finals.

Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, 6 Apr.

It's funny how I didn't experience a sublimity of emotions upon the results of us entering finals. When do we stop appreciating success? Do we slowly become numb to it or get used to it? If that's the case then it's very sad. It's like the higher you climb, the more you take success for granted. Is it just me? Or is it because we've joined this comp many times? Perhaps. I mean, if it were a bigger competition then it would be a different sense of achievement. I just don't want to feel a lowered sense of achievement the more I achieve. I want to feel every sense of victory and not resign to an "oh, good" kind of feeling. I never want it to come to that point. But it really makes me wonder what it's like for people who have achieved so much already. How do they handle success? Is it normal for them or is there still the capability of them to be overwhelmed?

On a side note, people need to stop using the word "advices". "Advice" itself is plural.

The Real Deal

Hey guys!

I'm gonna introduce you all to something I look forward to every year and have to privilege of omnomnoming at least once a year. It's....

IPOH HOR FUN

Fun

fun

fun

FROM IPOH.

Oh

Because I go up to Ipoh every Chinese New Year and maybe if there are other occasions that bring my family there, this is something I always look forward to. 

It's this small road side shop called Nam Fatt and they probably have the best Ipoh Hor Fun and freshest YTF (Yong Tau Foo) I have ever had. If you think Old Town White Coffee has the real stuff, shit just got more real. (Old Town originates from Ipoh by the way).

These are the stuff my family usually orders:

Usually my parents and I will start the meal off with this tangy tongue warm-up - Sour plum juice ( or "kat zai" in canto). Really refreshing and a good complement to the salty food that's about to arrive.

Le Ipoh Hor Fun - choose between dry and soup. I like the dry one. All it needs is a touch of their home-made chilli :) Sometimes one portion isn't enough, even for me. So especially if you're a big eater, yeah.

I love the deco hehe. My favourite and just the right amount - spring onion and shallots

Tau geh!! (bean sprouts in English, "ngah choi" in cantonese) I sense many people cringing. As if the tau geh in the Hor Fun itself is not enough, I do spam it even more. It really adds a punch with the crunch... lol

The YTF - inside: green chilli & tau foo with fish in it. If you're a huge fan of spiciness like me, try dipping the green chilli in the red home-made chilli. Zai max.

Fried indulgences - Bitter gourd and wanton

Gizzard ball. I'm not an eater of unconventional parts but my dad loves it so must be real good. I like the soup, very peppery. But they could go a little easier on the pepper.

Nam Fatt

This shop goes back about 26 years and they've revolutionised step by step (environment wise, not food wise. Food is still the same old authentic). When they installed the air-con (which is a pretty big deal in the rural... okay not that rural... Ipoh), it was such a blessing. 

BUT WAIT. 

NOW

They have...

WIFI!!!

Talk about first world pains/addictions.

Now you can eat AND surf at the same time. Which is fricks awesome when I don't have roaming and perpetually depend on an available hotspot. 

Okay, so if you're ever around the area (which I highly doubt because Ipoh is a  really really old town and it only has domestic flights, which is already a great improvement, compared to the 7 hour drive from Singapore), but if you are ever there, this is a must-try. Or if you go on a food hunt around Malaysia, this is the way to go; alongside Penang Laksa. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this. 

Just wanted to share one of my favourite things about my grandparents' home town. 

:)

Love and/for Food

Hi lovers of the world!

Happy post Valentine's Day :)

This year was probably the most tummy-satisfying celebration ever because Keith and I just all outed on meals. Hehe. Enjoy the pictures!

OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM

Breakfast!

Jones at Dempsey Hill

Breakfast BLT

 Super yummy! The spinach goes really well with the juicy yet crispy bacon. Fresh, sumptuous breakfast. At first the ratio of spinach to bacon looks quite vast but it ended up just right. 

Coconut pancakes with maple syrup and vanilla ice-cream

For all the sweet-teethed babies, this is the one for you. I think my photo doesn't do justice to the pancakes. The pancakes are like 1 inch-thick so they're really nice to bite and can absorb the syrup really nicely. And they leave a coconut after taste. Shiok da. 

For lunch we went to Manhattan Fish Market and since we were going to eat a big dinner as well I decided to hold back on the detoxifying dishes.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

Fish & Cheese

Cheezzzz

THE HIGHLIGHT!

Went to Chili's for the first time. Had to queue pretty long but it was totally worth it. Ended up sitting at the bar because the restaurant itself had no more seats. 

Full rack of ribs with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes on the side

The sauce for half the rack was honey-glazed/barbecued/baked haha I forgot la honey something and the other half rack was barbecue. Oh... so good, not dry at all, just juicy enough. Haven't eaten ribs in a really long time so this was... top of the charts. 

Foodgasm...

Totally devoured everything. The sides were damn good as well. No quality dip there:) Ahh... the mashed potatoes, the mushrooms in the mashed potatoes, the corn, the cob... lol.

Highlighted with strawberry and mango mojitos

This is Yusoff the bartender. Perks of sitting at the bar is we got free refills! And he's a joker too. 

Then we ended the night with ice-skating cause I got free tickets over a 98.7 radio comp!

Disco Night at The Rink; Nice lights :)

More photos from the day

Haha the sneaky eye

Bye!

People I want to slap.

Okay I'm so irritated. There are just some people in my course who tend to tick me off so easily. Am I being an angsty bitch? Hmmm..

NO.

I just keep getting grouped with the wrong people for tutorial.

There's this guy who is like a bulldozer. Serious. Doing group discussions with him makes me feel like an ant up against a cockroach. He'll just sprint through all his points with an overload of emotions and righteousness then end off with, "So anyone else? I think we should move on to the next question." What in the world.

 He also got really really (I mean really) worked up about getting a 4.0 GPA (Second Upper) and not a First Class Honours.

I was like, "...what are you gonna do with a First Class Honours in lit?" And hello, 4.0 is what I got. Lol, being in the same league as me is not good enough for him...Okay la, I understand your disappointment in not getting ideal grades but it's not something you should explode over in the first sem of your 8 semester-long uni life. Chill :) 

Just now he asked me, "How much of the book have you read?" I was like, "First few pages," (trying to be funny) haha, then he smugly said, "No wonder." "No wonder what?" I retorted (calmly). "No wonder you have nothing to say." WAH KAO. I fricking gave my points man. Steal your text then you know.

Nah I'm totally kidding. I won't steal your text. That's really mean.

I already tried to sit further away from him so that I don’t get grouped with him but … just my luck. Next tutorial I will try again.

A few days ago I was slightly late for tutorial and the only table with seats was this table with two guys, so I left a space and sat down. They had already allocated the question numbers for each group to discuss. I looked at the question paper, then at the two of them for like, 2 minutes, and they were discussing between the two of them, in really hushed voices. “Uhm..page 48 uh… yeah there over there I think that answers the question right? I don’t know man… okay should be, oh over here also,” they whispered. I decided to ask them what question we were doing. After answering, they continued their secretive discussion. Wanted to tell them, “HEY! VOLUME UP A BIT PLEASE. THANKS.” So rude man. 

Then in comes the third guy who sits next to the two of them. So I’m sitting between two empty chairs and opposite the three dudes. And he too, enters the secretive discussion. It was soooo bad.

I couldn't have chosen a meme more apt.

 I just decided to do the work myself. Gosh some people don’t know how to conduct a group discussion. 

  

Keith said maybe I smelled... -_-