i love pjs.

and so should you.

because a girl can dream. kate spade, november '10.

kate spade. classic commodities. heres to class. and lots of it.

i love bags!

okay so the following bags. all of them i want. specially the type-writer one. its just so. ME! i love love love it!

. typewriter bag. if anyone spots a cheap version of it until i can get my hands on the real deal (by when obviously even the real deal will be gone) please please please let me know! i love this bag!

. book bag. homg, another beauty. this one's the great gatsby. all these literary-inspired concoctions are making me dizzy! 

. lines. tell me you are as won over as i am with these bags. arent they just lovely! all these. if found by anyone, at a fraction of this price, you let me know. yes. i cant even construct simple grammatically correct sentences because im so astounded by these bags. they are epic.

. fuschia flower. i would have loved this bag alot more if they hadnt stuck to the shape of a bag, and let the flower been the shape. its still pretty though.

. white peacock. a lovely night-time bag with lovely details. elegant too.

i love heels!

these following heels are the [insert three letter word]. or least you'd imagine yourself in them while you're having [insert same word]. 

. giada. you'd want to go dancing on a cold night out in these. wouldnt you?

. chrisette. this one's a little harder to pull off, because you'd have to wear something just as contrasting and equalising with this to do the pair justice. its exotic all the same. and would probably last longer than giada, because of the material.

. sexy red heels. o yeah.

. for whom the bells toll. beautiful black number.

. nailpolish. when i was a kid, there was a particular rage of nail polish that looked just like this. i dont like the hot pink bow too much, but this is a lovely pair that deserves all the love and care it can get. it would also do everything you bid it to do, like making you look stunning simply by you wearing it. 

i love the cold, and its accessories!

kate spade could not get any cuter if they tried. or is it she?

. its chilly out here. i love mufflers like these. i own a pair, but obviously cant buy more because a, i dont live in a cold country, b, we dont have a good collection and c, id look like an idiot piling them up for no reason.

. my thick ski goggles. honestly, if this were mine, id live in it. but id have a very hot head. they also remind me of waldo for some weird reason. am i the only one?

. scratch that. these. i will live in these! this is so brilliant and cute and fuzzy and warm and nice. id buy them even if i were to never be able to eat ice from the snow in canada. basically, i want these. so much.

. lick my ears. you would if i was wearing these. i love earmuffs and one day, i will own a heart-shaped pair. im not mushy like that, but thats such a cool design to have over your ears.

i love dresses! 

. o la la the perfect lbd. enough said.

. jacket. love. okay. this is. just. im running out of words. i need. this. to cool. hot. and good.

. fancy fancy! this is lovely. you can wear it for that special night out when you take on the town. its lovely and somewhat reserved, despite being so bling-y. sophisticated bling, as i like to call it.

. the skirt version. if that might be a bit hard to pull of, this is another option. you can even make this work professionally. haaaaaih. the things i wish i could wear.

. uh, what? this could have been wonderful. the muted green and grey just killed it. for something so classic and lovely, this just killed it. i feel like its co-ordinated vomit. (obviously i dont want this. the style is awesome though)

. o look, christmas tree. this was just. lame. i mean, i love the green, its brilliant and everything, but they just had to go pair her with a red lipstick and murder it. like brutally murder it. she looks like a christmas tree, albeit a very stylish and expensive designer one.

i love accessories! 

. envy me. because its green. and just dazzling. and regal, very regal. i own something like that in various semi-precious stones, but this is just lovely de-lovely.

. studs. simple. petite. and joy-bearing. want.

. all the way. lovely arent they?

. twirl. is it just me or would you rather eat this than wear it? if anyone owns this or has a sample, id like to sniff you please. thank you. you may return to your lives now.

because a girl can dream. asos november '10.

this time, its asos. and they have some very creative stuff.

these are only accessories, because its all ive been craving right now. wow, i just managed to make something wearable sound like food.

but yes. enjoy.

i love bracelets!

. does it work? this is a lovely key wristband sort of thing. it comes in a pastel blue, which im not digging so much, because that only means that it'll get dirty and black that fast. brighter colours would have brought out the gold of the key, but its cute and thin enough to be piled upon with other accessories.

. chunky monkey. when it comes to hand accessories, i go with 2 rules. you either pile up lots of small-ish stuff, or go for one statement piece. this, is an ideal statement piece. obviously, youd have to pair it with something rather muted so this takes the cake, but its nice enough. with the one previously, i wish they had more colours, so it would go with more outfits. but o well.

. find the owl. this is another statement piece, and i love it because it has filigree. anyone who knows me knows how i adore filigree. because its in gold, you can pair this up with lots of stuff!

i love stuff!

. popcorn and soda, my love? this is the only necklace that i actually like and would want. im not a big fan of charms, specially since they're usually very bling-ed out and silly looking (i hate anything that has little cheap rhinestones and whatnot on it). but this is very cute and cuter!

. fan me faster! i wouldnt personally buy this, because it wouldnt look nice on me, but it is a very beautiful piece of work. the one particular person i can completely imagine this on is Joanna M, an Australian friend i had the privilege of befriending about a year ago.

. pin it on me. quick! this is love. this is beautiful. and antique looking and just. perfect. i would love to possess this and when i get old, pass it on to my next-of-kin. isnt that such a lovely phrase- next-of-kin?

i love rings!

hooo boy i do!

. rocking ring. ive said it before and ill say it again, i love rocks, minerals and all sorts of natural elements on a ring. this is just more awesomeness coming your way.

. statement ring. this is slightly more plastic looking, but wow! all the same. i love statement rings like these that just lift your entire wardrobe one solid element at a time.

.  black and round. this is yet another, though this has a more vintage, old-school charm to it, and one i can totally imagine on both blazers and dresses.

. chunky hunky goldy! this best describes this ring. its beautiful, bold and gold. i want.

. fancy some deco? this is a deco ring, a style ive come to like. this is again, a statement piece (as most deco pieces are) and lovely for the jazzy night out.

. of crystals and cubes. this is a beautiful ring. beautiful and breath-taking. its so awesome, id want to make this my wedding ring!

. finally an owl in plastic! so for the past 2 years now, we've seen alot of owl jewellery making the rounds. why i dont know. maybe its the Potter effect, maybe people have some of Norman Bates-esque fetish of having owls look at them. whatever it is, im sick and tired of everyone wearing one of these. next year, i hope its camels. because i love camels and im sure they'd make just as nice accessories. also, this ring is awesome because its in plastic and not like the over-done rhinestone-for-eyes-and-metal-body-for-an-owl type of accessories. if you are going to pander to an average taste palate, at least do it inventively.

. the book of doom. nah, i kid. but the book opens! and like those 80's hindi movies where the protagonist would be carrying a locket with a picture of his long-lost twin brother, this one has the same feature. awesome awesome awesome ness! i love it!

. juicy couture ring. there, i said the 2 horrible words. juicy and couture. though i normally think its trash and an ed hardy-esque brand, this is one beauty you have to see. and marvel at. marvel at the fact that their designers came up with something as classic and elegant as this. its just, mindblowing. the ring that is.

. black pyramid. the other extremely over-done trend is that of those little pyramid studs as one pyramid on a ring. it started with cc skye if im not mistaken, but lately everyone's been doing it. here's a lovely one. that id want to own.

. timmmmbbbbbbbbbbbbbber. i have a ring that looks ALOT like this, but still this one's awesome too!

. sundial. what time is it, mr. fox?

. ze piece de resistance. this is marvellous. no. really. and i will own something quite like this. this is estee lauder to me. if you pay attention to lauder's print ads, more often than not they have cutting-edge brilliant accessories for their models. there have hardly been 2 or 3 that i have not liked. this is something that looks like its come right out of there. and something i love.

. c'est magnifique! NEED. TO. OWN. its the ring version of the previous cuff. but incredible ALL the same. yes. incredible. yes. magnificent.

now get back to being poor. or not.

WTF Accessories of the Day

So while collating my normal all-the-things-I-wish-I-could-buy list, I saw some very, as the blog title claims, absurd accessories. I was on ASOS and Kate Spade (posts of which you'll be updated on in a minute or 19) and these things caught my eye for very many reasons.

. Draping Chains Shoulder Harness. I didnt make that name up. I swear. That's what its CALLED. Just imagine. The picture is even more pathetic. I get the whole sadomasochism thing going on ever since Lady Gaga burst onto our screens, but really, this is too much. Is it not enough that you've chained dogs and cats and gazelles? Must you chain yourself too? In one way it does make sense, because humans ought to be the ones chained, as they're such hooligans, and specially these fashionistas, who cant curb spending/buying even if God himself came down to stop them from doing it. Yes I know I sound like a hypocrite because I keep uploading hedonistic pictures of cravings myself, but in my defense I have no money. Anyway, onto more important things. This thing is really fugly and in my unesteemed and unfashioned opinion, a very stupid piece of accessory.

. Black And White Sequin Lace And Feather Fascinator. I happen to think this just the most darling headpiece ever. For when you want to show people (without telling them of course) that you love snow so much, you like to walk around town with what seems like a constant-snowfall on your head. Live action summore.

. Double Rings Chain Harness. Here's another one of the ingenious creations, which looks like a... I dont even know what looks like that. This is what I suppose stupidity looks like. Haw haw. Also, even if you do want to introduce such a fashion accessory into society, shouldnt you at least give it a name that makes you want to covet, desire the product? Rather than call it something that sounds like an aeroplane spare part?

. Heart Shaped Ring With Cat Portrait. Okay, this one is just bizzare. I understand heart-shaped rings. I even understand portraits in them. But what i do not understand, is why you would go out, seek a ring that has a picture of a feline, buy it and then wear it. I mean, the cat's not even yours!

. Gunmetal Pearl Bow Ring. Last but not least, this ring. When I first saw it, it reminded me of cotton ear-buds. Q-tips, if you want to be fancy-shashmcy about it. Then when I thought about it, it reminded me of something else. Any Indian knows about the 2 super-strong magnets you get almost everywhere in town now. The ones that are shiny metallic grey and stick to each other even though you put thick papers in between them; when you throw them into the air, they 'find' each other and create an annoying clang-clang-clang sound. Yes, those ones. Needless to say, weird (haw, but I still went ahead and said it).

If This Doesn't Make You Want To Dance, I Dont Know What Will/ Mooli Ke Parathe?

Please ignore that unsightly green thing spazzing (dancing to hear him say it) away. And whatever else looks unsightly.

Just, concentrate on the song okay?

Here's another version.

But what is really going through my mind right now are these new KBC ads. Look, maybe you'll understand them, maybe you wont.

They're ingenious.

But the BEST EVER ad for KBC remains this following one- for no other reason apart from the kid.

I love him. LOVE LOVE LOVE HIM.

If you'd like to understand what he's saying, do let me know.

He's BRILLIANT!

Why I Love Ellen Reasons #437586853 and #437586854

The Best Phone Call

. so Papa went to India recently for a few days, and just came back. he didn't call me or talk to me once. which is pretty weird because when i've had an exam, i always get a phone call (he's always magically away when i have my final exams/assessments going on) asking me how i did on the exam and whatnot. but i didnt receive a single call from him. until 2 days ago, when i had just exited the shower and was feeling all zen and calm. he asked me a simple question, "should i still buy brownies from the place even though its changed management?"

my one really major request was that i get my brownies from this place next to my home in bombay, called Open Bake, where they make the most delicious brownies that retail for rs.20. now, its sold out and changed management and become Chocolate Affairs (which i must check when i go back!). and i said yes.

. today i am the proud owner of two boxes of brownies, one chocolate chip the other walnut, worth around rm1oo. no, im not extravagant like that, i asked him to get me 10 pieces of each. so that's 2 boxes, 10 pieces each, you do the math. i shall show you what brownie brilliance looks like soon.

. i also got my pikniks (1o packs instead of the 2 i asked for), which are these kick-ass tomato chips. bombay best hai boss!

. on the matter of linguistics i find it imperative to express that i love using o in place of your conventional zero (0) and that i wish people would use the & sign more often in daily texts or fb correspondence. because i love it.

. i was also considering naming this blog, 'this can be your happy place'. what do you think?

. in this particular moment, i feel very glad to be alive. i am very happy. blissful in fact.

. i wish someone, anyone, would send me a care package. i would love that.

. i also wish people would email or write me letters or postcards more often than send me fb messages. i dont like how fb messages are replacing emails. not cool zuckerberg. i love the feeling you get when you open new mail. i'd like an email.

. i would also like to use this post to document something very very important and historic. 

i am finally getting a HDD (hard disk drive). 

o yes. yes yes yes. yes yes yes. 

(air fist, fist pump, air hump, hump five, EVERYTHING and MORE!)

perhaps my happiness has to do with this, but seriously, if you know me and have seen me whine about how desperately i want one, you know what this means to me.

. attaining an HDD, also means that i get to cross off the very first thing from my Wish List! JJJJJYEAAAAAAH.

If This Doesn't Make Your Day, I Don't Know What Will

Also, Happy Anniversary Mama Papa.
You're twenty two together today.
(i also feel very glad to be alive)

Good Evening World.

Today

we have a marvellous video.

i love it. 

i hope you do too.

This following video, is a remake of the same, composed entirely using YouTube videos.

The music gives me goosebumps.

i hope you get them too.

go make someone smile!

(o:

because a girl can dream. UO, november '10.

okay, so i did one yesterday about forever 21 and today, the captialism monster in me is still itching waway to see what else cool people in America and Canada can buy but i cant. so this list, is exclusively from Urban Outfitters', spotted as of November '10.

i love rings. have i EVER told you THAT?

. this beauty. this is majestic. it is beautiful. and i want to own it. i love these kind of natural rocks, minerals and whatnot. if i were a ring, id look something close to this.

. ditto. or this.

. i like them chunky. awesome necklace.

. ink me blue. this pair of earrings is simply divine. can you not just imagine yourself sitting somewhere at a party wearing these and getting compliments for it? i totally can.

. theis 4-pointed cutie. its so cute!

. vintage wheels. i love these earrings. very old, very awesome.and they look the best in the navy colour, in my opinion.

. bright bright! more earring love!

. i dont see bali in this watch.  but i love it nevertheless.

. prism ring! o yay! more rings!

. shoe accessory! who wudda thunk that you could jazz up your plain boring flats and make them look chic and vintage-y? well. here you can!

. two of my favourite things- rings and glasses. in one!

. owl ring. yet another awesome addition to your wardrobe. bas. i need to go to the US NAO.

. jewellery tree. no one has any idea how much i used to ache for IKEA's jewellery tree to put my stuff on it. heres a not-so-cool-but-still-awesome version. and the ones following this are too!

. ceramic hand. i have ALWAYS wanted one of these.

. kaleidoscope. this is SO cute to gift someone something in!

. most EPIC jewllery stand EVER. i. need. to. own. this. and so do you.

before moving on:

. wtf is this?

. this is a complete copy of Badgley Mischka's bracelet they made for 08 or some jazz. i know because i saved a picture of this to own one for myself one day.

HOMG I LOVE URBAN OUTFITTERS. EVERYTHING IS MAKING ME UTTER AN EXCLAIMATION MARK!

i love bags!

. red cambridge satchel. when i was a young kid, my neighbours had satchels. ever since then, i decided id grow up and buy one. the day has till now, not come. i am EXTREMELY glad to know that at least the classic British company still exists. this is a fabulous and striking colour!

. straightjacket clutch, with little florals here and there. cute.

. print clutch bag. now THIS is something we need to own. so what if we cant afford the originals? we'll just draw all over it!

. night clutch. perfect for the date night out. non?

i love things!

. wooly drooly hat! isnt it so cute? perfect to roam around in a city in!

. slipper sock. the Amrikans have something called a slipper sock. i dont know what you're meant to do in them, but they'd look so cute on your feet dont you think? i TOTALLY want to weat the beige puppy on my feet!

. eve band. understated and elegant, a beautiful and simple headband.

. sky umbrella. okay im not even JOKING here but ive ALWAYS wanted a sky umbrella since 2008. this is it. just imagine, youre walking through the dense rains, feeling glum and you look up into your own umbrella and POOF! its clear skies!

. a heel. finally. they're suede, so once you stop wearing them and neglect taking care of them they're pretty much going to be crap but id love to own these in both red and mustard yellow. hot.

. subdued glitter. quietly shiny flats. well behaved.

. RED. REINDEER. SLIPPERS. seriously. just the sight of them wants me to emigrate to cnada in front of a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate an read enid blytons. enough said. i need this.

i love clothes!

. lbd. im not too much of a fan of black, but this is one really chic dress that would look sophisticated. and one that you can play up!

. so aztec. so awesome. one really awesome wooly cardigan. i love stuff like this. you gots to keep this simple though, since the colours (i prefer the bright multi-coloured one here) are quite overpowering.

. shiny red dress. they say that this particular peacock dress by Daisy Lowe is going to be all the rage soon. this is what seems like a take on it. its perfect in red, in my opinion. or blue if you want to go for the whole subdued theme.

. i love ponchos. and this is no exception.

. take the world on in this dress . seriously, this is my IT dress. the dress i'd wear to take over the world. its so So Awesome!

. red riding hood. the combination of a RED, JACKET with a HOOD has just about sent me into a *     *. uh, never mind. but yes. i need to own this. I NEEDS TO!

. so sherlock. so awesome. this is it. im officially nuts for UO. sherlock cape. what more could you want in life really?

. toggle coat. ever since i saw Paddington Bear wear one, ive wanted one. i still dont own one. and this post just shows you how much i belong in a cold snow-y country.

. so mod. so fantastic. but i guess this wont work if you have boobs, because then youd need to wear a bra.

. love sweater. word.

you are now free to go in your room and cry at the materialistic torture ive made you endure, or cry about how awesome the Amreekans are, or just cry because you hate me and my sense of style. please dont forget to cry.

How The Hell Did He Do That?

because a girl can dream. f21 november '10.

 nokay, this is going to be an epically lengthy post. it only has materialistic desires- rather current f21 desires.

obviously the dresses and tops are just wishful thinking, but the accessories are all attainable, soon-to-be-mine features.

enjoy an insight into what i think is stylish.

. this poncho. cant you just imagine yourself (if youre a girl) wearing this and enjoying a night out on the town? id love to own this. so regal!

. this brilliant art deco-esque ring. i NEED this. and i shall have it. now all we need to pray for is that i can find it here AND that it comes in my size. i have tiny fingers. and i love rings and they never fit my tiny fingers.

. so moorish. so awesome. this ring is just brilliant. again, because of my fascination with rings. but really, this is beautiful and exquisite.

. flask-esque necklace. doesnt it look like a flask? i like it. id much rather own a necklace which can infact hold a vail, but this would look nice and victorian too. not so much of a crush on this one though.

i love bags.

. this black number. seems to have good finishing and the hardware looks good enough. i love convertible bags, because they really make carrying bags convenient for you and this is no exception. this ones a two-way bag and has much space. and i also dont like gay hardware. this hardware is awesome and structured, simple enough.

i love hair accessories.

. this cute beanie. it is my dream to go live in a country where i can wear awesome winterwear. partially because i love the winterwear fashions they seem to have, and partially because i want to lie in snow and drink hot chocolate. isnt this hat the tops?

. 20s style cloche. i really like stuff like this, which is cute and quirky and can go with anything. this is awesome. i love hats and all that jazz!

. turban! no, not the singh kind. except that we'd only be able to wear this kind in extremely cold weather, or else your head will heat and then combust!

. ink blue flats. i love heels. i do. but most of them look smelly. yes. smelly. i'd love to get a lovely pair of hot heels, but nothing beats the loveliness of flats. this is why.

i love clothes.

. this cute cardigan. i personally love these kind of cardigans. they dont wear you, precisely because they have those little mechanisms like ribbons and whatnot to give you shape and accentuate your curves.

. a hotter version of the above in blue. yes.this. want. love.

. sweater love. my one true love in life has been sweaters and hoodies. i kid you not. when i was in school i used to own a fairview sweater which id wear even in heat, because im that awesome. no, because i really like the way sweaters and hoodies look on me. i love it! more recently, ive taken to wearing my friends' Monash hoodie which i have fallen in love with all around uni. im getting myselg a new one. o, i almost forgot. this is a nice nerdy sweater.

. naval dress. i loved navy-themed clothes ALOT. this is a nice dress.

. olive me forever. this dress is beautiful. no words can subsitute that word when it comes to this dress.

. comfort. this is it. arent the colours lovely? i love colours!

. webbed top. i SIMPLY love this! and would LOVE to own it. its BRILLIANT. haaaih.

. hearts. haih. ANOTHER beauty. i love the fact that in the sample photo its been paired with a mustard scarf. while im not a fan of scarfs, this colour is a definite essential to go along with the heart top.

. OWL TOP! JOMG. cute overload. WTF is JOMG?

. chiffon me! i would DIE to own this. okay, i wouldnt die for it. but this is beauty. amplified!

. aztec . i love ethnic prints to the core of my being! i love them! really.

this is current stuff available at f21. because i felt like it. f21 happens to be one of my favourite stores. and this is what i liked amongst EVERYTHING that was available there. im choosy like that and i hate the colour gray. honestly arent there ENOUGH things in grey already? time to colour up! so yes. till next time. 

a.

ps. seriously, what is up with gray? no wonder people are so depressed nowadays.

[landmark speech]

i am currently very upset. i have just attained closure through the help of a great bunch of friends. and finally putting a stop to something i shouldnt have done in the first place. i feel like its all come full circle. and then i saw this. this is a speech from a man who wrote a book and spoke at a graduation ceremony in Singapore. which couldnt have come at a better time in many of our lives. a lot of us are graduating, leaving love, looking for work and many such oddities. this, is for us to live by.

 
Written by Adrian Tan, author of The Teenage Textbook (1988), was the guest-of-honour at a recent NTU
convocation ceremony. This was his speech to the graduating class of 2008.

                                                              _________________

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.

You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they’re wrong.

The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.

I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan “Arbeit macht frei” was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.
You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

                                                       ___________________________

Taken without permission from Facebook- original source here.

Thank you Khairie for reposting this!

Good Afternoon World.

So the first's one a desi tribute to my childhood, to a song I loved singing as a child. It also features one of my all-time favourite actresses, Juhi Chawla.

The next one is for those who favour contemporary styles. This is from a very powerful movie that I personally loved alot, but whose meaning was lost out on many people, perhaps due to the fact that they were expecting alot more from the director, as he'd given a stellar hit right before this, called Rang De Basanti. Anyway, so I love this movie and this particular song, because its just one giant metaphor. Do watch the movie to understand what really happens- its called Delhi 6, and the whole Kaala Bandar (Black Monkey) fiasco was in fact based on true events. In fact, the few stories you see within the tv screens are in fact, real footage taken from CNN IBN. And I can always tell you what the meaning of the song is. Also, this is A.R. Rahman's genius at work.

Of course, to appeal to my English fan-base, is an awesome song called Locked In A Room, by Oren Lavie, who has a magical voice. I love songs like these, so if you know more, please educate me. I love music!

And this last video, is something that made me both laugh and cry. The jingle in the end killed it though.

Have a brilliant day, all of you.

(o:

Because Before Alejandro, There Was Julio

And there wasnt any Auto-tune. And music was innocent and for everyone.


And seriously, wtf is up with the lyrics? One minute she's calling Alejandro, the next minute its Fernando. Then she changes to Roberto. Uh hello, whats happening here? Or am I the only one missing out on some major post-modern discussion here?
And how, can anyone please explain to me, can love ever be "hot like Mexico, rejoice"?

Abeer Jokes

So there's this dude I know, who starts every Internet conversation with me using Abeer joke. Yes, that kind.

Here are a few we've managed to remember.

"i had to wait so long for just a beer"

"A beer can be your best friend

emphasis on the can"

"A beer a day keeps the dead brain cells away"

"A beer to thy health?"

"..and now its time to hang out with a beer"

.mbube.

it means lion in zulu and is one of the most heard songs for us. except that we know it as 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. here are a few renditions that gave me goosebumps.

isnt the female lead's pronounciation simply mindblowing? so raw and untainted. 

now, onto the next singer. this next lady is considered a legend in africa for her singing prowress. and after listening to this song, you'll know why. this version is also apparently the way the original way its meant to sound. it sounds lovely and if you dont already, will give you reason to love and explore african music.

here, is the version you and i are most accustomed to hearing.

and here, is what the post is incomplete without.

i dont know about you, but when i was a kid, the opening words to this song, whatever they mean, were the most meaningful and moving words i'd ever heard (i also tried to sing them to the best of my ability for years. i have never succeeded).

this movie remains to this day, one of my most treasured and loved, and a part of me will always hate national geographic for exposing the fact that lions and the other animals dont live in harmony and eat each other, when in Lion King they clearly love and revere each other.

1994 was the best year, because of this movie. really.

also, here are the lyrics of the song. because i love them.

"Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba [Here comes a lion, Father]
Sithi uhm ingonyama [Oh yes, it's a lion]
Siyo Nqoba [We're going to conquer]
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala [A lion and a leopard come to this open place]

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to see than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done
There's far too much to take in here
More to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high
Through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round

It's the Circle of Life
And it moves us all
Through despair and hope
Through faith and love
Till we find our place
On the path unwinding
In the Circle
The Circle of Life"