This is just bizarre.

Denim is 'too fun' to wear to school
January 30 2006
Independent Online

Canberra - An Australian state plans to ban students from wearing denim because it is linked with having a good time.

"It is associated with weekend wear, with recreational time. It's just unacceptable at schools and we are trying to lift the standards," a spokesperson for Western Australia state Education Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said.

The ban on denim in Western Australia's secondary schools will be imposed from 2007.

The Chinese New Year holidays are almost over. Final tally:
No. of homes visited: 2 (I have a small family)
No. of movies watched: 2 (Garden State and Before Sunset)
No. of CNY parties attended: 1
No. of CNY parties thrown: 1
No. of drinks consumed (by me): 3 shots of absinthe (Versinthe), 3 large glasses of homemade (and therefore, ultra-strong) sangria, 1 shot of sex on the beach and 1 shot of sambuca (what do you do with the coffee beans?)
No. of scandals involved in: 0
No. of people told off: 1 (for bad manners)

All in all, a pretty good Chinese New Year. Organising parties is always a little stressful for me because I'm scared that people won't have a good time and I'm always running around, making sure people have drinks, have stuff to eat, etc. And I have fantastic parents who are incredibly cool in that they can talk and drink with my friends, and also because they had the foresight to buy a dishwasher many years ago so cleaning up isn't that bad. Thanks, Mum and Dad! I'm glad my friends had fun, and that nothing was broken in the process.

And of course... happy Year of the Woof! May you find happiness... doggie-style! ;)

You changed my life. You changed my life, and I've known you four days. This is the start of something really big, but right now, I gotta go.
- Andrew Largeman, Garden State

I don't know what it is about Garden State that got me. Admittedly, I wasn't in the best movie-watching mood prior to watching the show, and that really was an injustice to the movie. I didn't really get into it till more than halfway through, and then, it grew on me in a big way. It's not quite a coming-of-age movie, nor is it one about self-discovery. It's more about the awkwardness of living, of somehow living life and grabbing the moments when you can, without quite knowing the purpose of your existence. I loved how Andrew (Zach Braff who also wrote and directed the show) and Mark (Peter Sarsgaard in a wonderful laid-back performance) interacted as old high school friends as well as the rather different kind of chemistry between Andrew and Sam (Natalie Portman), a troubled pathological liar. It isn't the physical kind in which they can't keep their hands off each other, but more the kind of intellectual, kindred spirits who just happened to meet kind of chemistry, the kind which seems far more real to me than the former. In fact, that's what I liked about the film - that it's filled with quirky characters who, to me, seem to be exactly the kind of characters than I've run into, the kind of people that, for no explicable reason, become really close friends within a matter of weeks, such that I wonder how it is that we can be so close, and yet have only known each other for that short a time.

And of course, how could I not mention the beautiful soundtrack? Zach Braff, already known for his penchant for relatively unknown bands (just look at the soundtrack for Scrubs), also put together the soundtrack for the movie, which features amazing songs from Frou Frou (Let Go), The Shins (Caring is Creepy and New Slang), Colin Hay (I Just Don't Think I'll Get Over You - a song which conveys incredibly understated angst) and Iron and Wine (Such Great Heights - a great acoustic guitar cover of The Postal Service's original).

While Garden State wasn't released in Singapore, the DVD can be found for sale for here.

Wow, first Ministry of Sound brings in Adam Freeland last night (who I missed because I was just too exhausted... same reason why I skipped Do Yourself In 2). Then I thought they were rolling over and conceding defeat with their lacklustre line-up for the Chinese New Year period, and then bam! On Thursday (26 Jan), they announce they're bringing in Caged Baby for a concert this coming Thursday and Frankie Knuckles, the Godfather of House, this coming Friday. As a friend put it, looks like we can't ignore them for long, in spite of the bad press and the long queues!

And then, of course, there's Satoshi Tomiie at Zouk on Saturday, coming for the Renaissance release of his new 3-D album, which is, according to my brother and another friend, incredibly good.

I am a little tired of clubbing (happens the start of every year due to the excess of parties and drinking during the end of the preceding year), but with a line-up like that, I hope Singapore's ready to party!

And while we're on the subject of clubbing, I've gotten rather hooked on reading the posts in the Chill-Out Room of the TranceAddict forums lately. The COR, as it's known, is full of incredibly bo liao people but you do find the occasional gem that just makes you laugh your head off, such as this one posted by a regular known as Ygrene on smoking:

Do you guys even know why we have cigarettes?

It was a handheld smoke signal device developed by the Indians. It's basically old fashioned text messaging. I'm thinking about taking up smoking because my cell phone bill is too high.

And to put it in their lingo, I lol'd.

Chocolate-covered espresso beans are the best. I bought back a bag from Tazza D'Oro, one of the oldest and best coffee bars in Rome.

But you don't have to go to such lengths to get it. And while they are available in Singapore, it's probably a lot cheaper if you make them yourself. Here's a recipe, thanks to DillDoe via Boing Boing (through a post nicely entitled "How To Make Chocolate Speed").

What You Need
Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips (or block)
Coffee beans (maybe canned)
Wax paper
Butter knife (or small offset spatula)

Instructions
First, ground up your coffee bean. Should be a coarse ground and not too fine.

Next, melt your chocolate (follow direction on back of package). You can use a double boiler, heat pad, etc. Easiest way is to put it on your wax paper and melt it in your microwave. Save on wash up and no burnt chocolate (unless you microwave it too long).

Microwave time should be the same, 1 min on medium high. Test to see if it melts. If not, nuke it for 30 secs more on medium high and test. Repeat 30 secs till you get a nice melted product.
Be careful not to microwave it too long or you'll burn your chocolate.

Take your chocolate and stir it with your butter knife or spatula till all the chips are melted. Then sprinkle your coffee grounds into the chocolate and mix. Add as much as you want, good ratio is 2 parts chocolate to 1 part coffee (or 3-2 for more coffee). Mix it well and spread it out on the wax paper to about 1/8" thickness.

Toss in fridge/freezer till the chocolate sets (or just leave it out if the temp is cool enough)

Cut into 2x2 pieces and enjoy your caffeine boost. 2 pieces should wake you up.

I'll be attending my RGS 10th anniversary high tea on 4 February. Coincidentally, a few hours after that, Rock for Good, featuring performances from local bands including Electrico, Ronin and The Suns (ex-Boredphucks), will be held at exactly the same venue. I only discovered this coincidence last night. As a friend said, how serendipitous. Naturally, we had to go.

In another coincidence, pre-sale tickets (at an incredible price of S$10) sold out today. I was one of the fortunate few who managed to get one. Woo hoo!

And if you're wondering why on earth a rock concert (or indeed any concert) would be held at a place like RGS, it's because four enterprising RGS girls are behind this. We rock!

Details
4 February 2006 (Saturday)
Evelyn Norris Hall, Raffles Girls' School (Secondary)
6 pm to 10 pm
Line-up: Ronin, Electrico, The Suns, West Grand Boulevard, Crossbred and Skyjuice
Tickets: S$10

Working from home is overrated. Okay, fine, it's not if you've got a family and those kind of commitments. But I don't. And I've been bored out of my skull today. Granted, I've been more productive today than I would have been on an ordinary Monday, and I got to listen to part of my vast MP3 collection and watch part of The Simpsons, but still, nothing makes up for the complete lack of social contact. I could deal with it a little better while I was studying for the CFA because that required more brain power than what I usually use at work, but today has really been rather frustrating. It started off all nice because I could sleep in a little later, but not having anyone to talk to really sucked.

And to top it off, I find that I'm really missing a good friend today. Not having the other half of the "twin engines of alcohol consumption" (as another friend calls us) around to have inane superficial conversations about shopping, icky boys, work and what we're going to do with our lives sucks. And knowing she won't be back for a couple of years yet really bites. Singapore just hasn't been the same without her.

I guess before everyone jumps on the bandwagon, here's my quick review of Suba, Michel Lu's new bar.

Suba is located within the business district at Millenia Walk. Unusually enough, it's situated facing the fountain courtyard and two office towers, Millenia Tower and Centennial Tower, so those who don't work there may not have known of its existence until it was publicised in yesterday's The New Paper. Given its location, it's definitely aimed at the after-work, professional crowd. Drink prices are reasonable (which is to say, neither cheap nor exorbitant), although they do have long happy hours (4 pm to 8 pm, one-for-one on house pours and beers) . Given that Suba is also currently having a Tattinger champagne promotion, I'm sure you get the idea by now that this is definitely not a place where say, people new to the work force will end up.

While there is a DJ spinning, there isn't a dance floor. DJ Titus spins soul and funk before 10 pm, while DJ Ramesh spins disco and classic house after that, which explains the mix of music I heard when I was there earlier in the week.

The decor is vaguely gothic; there are chandeliers hanging from the ceiling , and the lighting is soft and warm. The furniture is all dark, while there are thin gold curtains which line the glass walls.

The bar staff are quite friendly, but one of our quibbles was that they didn't mention to any of my friends who were buying rounds that there was a 20% discount if you use Citibank credit cards to pay after happy hours. True, sometimes one should ask if there're any promotions, but still, when it comes to drinking, one shouldn't expect the drinkers to be entirely sober and therefore sensible. Other than that though, the staff were very accommodating.

All in all, I think it's a nice place to go and chill during the week after work, but I don't think it's a place most office workers would want to spend their weekends in, no matter how hip and happening the joint is.

Tiefschwarz at Zouk last night was definitely an experience to savour. I hadn't expected to stay till the end as I had listened to one of their sets in 2004 earlier in the week and found it to be rather monotonous after an hour or so. I definitely wasn't the only one among my clubbing friends to feel that way, with a friend, listening to another set that had been recorded in 2005, telling me he felt the same way while we were both chatting on IM. And when I was there last night, some of the Zouk regulars left after an hour or so finding it to be rather boring.

I will acknowledge that it won't be one of the sets that left me exceedingly high at any one point during the night. On the other hand, I will also concede that I didn't feel bored at all, which is rather unusual. Even during the best set that I've heard so far this year, Roger Sanchez (and some of that was due to the amount of alcohol I'd consumed and the job offer I received that day), there were definitely points in which I was a little bored. Yes, electro house is very accessible, but there are times I get sick of it, so Tiefschwarz caught me on a good day - and on day when I was getting a little sick of regular house music.

Another nice thing - if you consider it as such - was the high beng quotient last night. Yes, there were the usual high number of ang mohs - who do nothing whatsoever for me, by the way - but there was also a considerably high number of bengs and perhaps mainland Chinese too. Very unusual given that this is Zouk, supposedly one of the poseur clubs. And the podium dancers were delightfully substandard yesterday, although they may yet qualify as being experts at Mambo Jambo. One of the things I do love about clubbing is laughing at bad dancers, even if they're my friends. Heh.

While at the bar yesterday night
Me: I was so surprised when a male came into the toilet just now. Then I realised the toilet was for both guys and girls.
Colleague: Yes, it's bisexual.
(pause)
Colleague: I meant to say unisexual.

I am feeling surprisingly okay today, except that my cough has gotten a little worse. Somehow, I survived the hammering that is the traditional "if you're leaving the company, you've got to get sloshed" farewell that is given to every departing colleague... okay, not every, just the ones who are liked and who are willing to take up the challenge. Yesterday wasn't my last day at work - I still have a few more weeks to go - but I realised that with Chinese New Year coming up, I wouldn't be able to get most of my colleagues out for farewell drinks if I waited till my last week at work.

I was fairly confident that I would be able to put up a good show, in spite of my slight allergy to alcohol (as with 1/2 of all Asians), and asked a friend to check in on me at 10.30 pm. Unfortunately, it's been so long that I'd been drinking with my colleagues in a proper bar - one that serves all kinds of drinks - that when my friend, the heaviest drinker in Singapore and quite possibly the whole of Asia, asked me what I wanted, I responded, "order me whatever." Big mistake. He got me a Waterfall. I drank 1/2 of it, managing to find another friend to help me drink half of it (the bartender even held my fringe back to stop it from catching on fire), but still, it took its toll on me and I ended up drinking plain water for the next 1.5 hours while coughing like heck. Of course, I'm not known as the heaviest drinking female from my year at university for nothing, and I was soon back, drinking John Smith Bitter (which is horrible tasting by the way) and vodka tonic, while still managing to walk straight.

By the end of the night, I'd been drinking for close to six hours, and managed - with a little assistance - to get back home, change, wash my face and fall asleep for my first uninterrupted, good sleep since I got back from vacation.

I was rather touched by the number of people who turned up, and that some of my senior managers turned up and stayed for some time too. I'll really miss my colleagues and while I know I'm moving on to something with better opportunities and potential - and most likely, a better boss - I don't think I could have started out with any other company where the people I worked with (not necessarily the people I worked under) were so fantastic and fun.

I passed my CFA Level I exam! It's a miracle! :o)

Things you don't expect to hear in an office

While on the phone with a male colleague whom I was attempting to have lunch with today
Colleague (on the phone): Why are there no girls? If you want lunch with me, you should bring along some new girls.
Me (loudly): Basket, you think I'm your pimp, is it?

Yesterday, I got home to find that my mother had purchased a bottle of Chinese herbal tea (liang teh) at my request. I’d been looking for the 24-herb blend herbal tea as a colleague had recommended it as being good for my yet-to-be-cured flu. It’s been years since I’d drunk liang teh and within seconds of the liquid touching my lips, I remembered why. It’s horrible tasting and it took me half an hour to grudgingly gulp the liquid down. Thank goodness my mother had taken some of the tea already. If there had been any more, I just might have thrown up right after. No wonder it cures you. The virus probably can’t take the taste any more than I can.

After that, I got online to chat with a couple of friends. I ended up staying up until 2 am as a result of a chat with a friend that was so dodgy (think the Grolsch porn movie ad) that I found myself wondering whether I’d somehow ended up in Holland, land of all things dodgy and cheesy . It was one of the funniest conversations I’ve had in a while and definitely worth the deadness that I’m feeling now.

As a result, the herbal tea hasn’t exactly done anything for my illness and my colleague recommends continuing to drink it until I get better. Ugh.

Yes, yes, so the Osim iGallop has been launched recently and there've been many comments on the Internet and in the press alike about the efficacy of such a device. But what they should really focus on is the TV advertisement for the iGallop. I'm not sure if it's been shown on TV (as I haven't been watching that much non-cable TV lately) but if you pass by an Osim shop, you really should stop to view the video. The ad features mostly girls clad in skimpy cowboy gear sitting on the iGallop, looking as if they're having a lot of fun. Towards the end of the ad, you see some rather effeminate-looking guys clad in tight cowboy gear also looking as if they're enjoying themselves majorly. Seriously, go take a look.

I wonder what the guys who came up with the ad - and the concept for the iGallop - were on.

I'm listening to Fatboy Slim's set at Bondi Beach on 31 December 2005. The tracklist looks rather promising, with a fair number of mashups (including Underworld vs. Fatboy Slim - Born Right Now dropped at midnight!) and some old classics. One song in particular caught my attention with its lyrics, seeing as it pretty much reflects my attitude towards clubbing. On the whole, the party sounded pretty cool, and would've catered to my love of familiar tunes which - to me - usually helps to make a good night. And the giant screen which featured messages (especially this message) is a good idea. They should have it at the next ZoukOut or whichever is the next big beach party here.

And if you wonder how I can club so much, it's simple really. It's the company, the music and the dancing. Sometimes it's the alcohol as well, I'll admit. But really, what makes clubbing so fun - and so essential - for me - is a combination of seeing all the familiar faces and being able to dance my worries away. Sure, to some others, listening to house music week in week out can be rather monotonous (as it sometimes gets for me), but I could say that about, say, heavy metal and indie as well.

Spankox - To The Club

Monday night, to the club
Tuesday night, to the club
Wednesday night, what a headache
But I went, to the club

Thursday night, to the club
Friday night, didn't wanna go
Then my friend Michelle called me on the phone
And so I went, to the club

Saturday night, to the club
Sunday night, to the club

(Repeat)

A meaningful anecdote from Overheard in the Office:

HR #1: Why would anyone agree to take on more responsibility if we're not going to pay them more?
HR #2: We're giving them more projects to work on that will be more advanced than what they're working on right now. I think people look for a challenge and they will be willing to take on more responsibility if it promises to be rewarding. Besides, most of them are in their twenties and need to start somewhere. So you see, we really are paying them more...in experience.
HR #1: Who is ever going to fall for that?

I did... for the last 2 years. Watch out, kids.

Over the last 24 hours, I've received calls from head-hunters about a position in Hong Kong and an e-mail about a position in London. It's nice to be wanted in your professional capacity, particularly for someone like me given that my job is a big part of my life. I'm fine about missing out on the HK opportunities but man, I do feel a pang about having to turn down the London one; after all, I've already signed the letter of offer. However, I'm not going to let that sap my euphoria at finally resigning. After all, I decided at the beginning of the year to be more courageous, to take more chances, to believe that regardless of the consequences of the choices I make and the choices I could have made, that because I made the decision, they will be good ones.

On another note, should I take it as a good sign that the sun, which I haven't seen at all since the day I got back to Singapore, finally came out today, the day after I resigned? As my friend put it, my decision has brought joy to the whole of Singapore.

I just wish I hadn't caught the flu so quickly after getting back from a fantastic holiday. I've been feeling really ill and the lack of sleep (due to jet lag, the flu, too much spicy food given to me by well-meaning friends who say that it'll unblock my nose) really hasn't helped. I'm feeling so ill right now that I may not be able to make it to Bob Sinclar tonight, which would be a right shame given that he's incredibly good-looking and his body is to die for.

I quit my job today.

Close friends of mine know how much I've been looking forward to leaving my current position. Don't get me wrong. I like what I'm doing now. What I dislike is giving my all and not getting any appreciation, as well as the lack of attractive prospects. At the same time, it wasn't an easy decision to make. I've spent the last three and a half years with my present company, and tendering my resignation felt as if I was asking for a divorce.

At the same time, I've accepted what seems to be an incredible offer from a competitor firm; not only does the position pay more but it offers the exposure that I've been looking for, the same exposure I've told my boss I wanted time and again.

And I'm happy. I'm very much looking forward to joining the new company in a months time. This may not be my dream job (read: not in London or New York) but I have a feeling that this will go a long way towards getting me towards my career goals. And as my friend pointed out, I'm still young. I can still work in my dream cities before I turn 30.

2006 is off to a kick-ass start!

Just got back from Roger Sanchez's magnificent set at Zouk. Yes, I'm rather high and I have probably drank more than what's good for me (which included challenging some fellow lightweights to a pseudo-drinking-competition). But then, I've received some incredibly good news today and I couldn't wait to celebrate and share it with good friends. I can't say what it is here just yet, but suffice it to say that I'm awfully excited and very very happy.

Links to while away a rainy Sunday:

• Lazy Sunday: A rap on the Chronic-(what!)-cles of Narnia by Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg from Saturday Night Live. Incredibly funny. I've seen it six times and still, it makes me laugh really hard. Lyrics can be found here. This skit, said to be SNL's funniest in five years, was so popular that Slate wrote an article on it.
• Star Wars auditions: Another SNL classic. Kevin Spacey plays Christopher Walken as Han Solo and the late Walter Mattau as Obi Wan Kenobi. Darrell Hammond plays Richard Dryfus as C-3PO.
• Ali G: Ali G's Harvard Commencement speech (transcript of the complete speech can be found here) and Ali G interviews the F.B.Aiiiii.
  
• Family Guy clips: Health Care Centre (aka why you don't ever want a cornball for a doctor), Peter vs. Michael Moore (an incredibly funny clip of Peter outfarting Michael Moore) and Cookie Monster in Rehab (freakin' kuai lan).
  
• Cute Overload: For the finest in cute imagery (tm). My personal favourites are this, this and this.
  
• The Cute Factor: A New York Times article on the science of cuteness (go to BugMeNot if a log-in is required).
  

Thanks to my brother for showing me all of these over the last few weeks.

For those of you smokers out there - and especially those of you who have kids, reading these two entries from Random Acts of Reality should put things in perspective. I've said it once and I'll say it again: Killing yourself is fine. Killing the rest of us while you're at it is not. And for goodness' sake, don't f**k up your kids' lives just because you want to indulge in your little oh-so-harmless addiction.

All right. I managed to get a three-and-a-half hour nap, waking up every hour or so, getting increasingly less confused and dazed as the hours passed by. The only thing is that now, I'm wide awake and very buzzed. I anticipate that in an hour's time, I'll be all dressed, have made use of my newly acquired Party On temple balm (from Lush) and will have collected my Zouk membership card. It would figure that the first place I hit once I get home is my other home in Singapore, wouldn't it?

On another note, I just watched an incredible episode of House - 1.21 Three Stories. It was gripping, wonderfully edited, funny, sad and touching all at the same time. Incidentally, this episode won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.

I don't follow House as much as I follow say, C.S.I. or The O.C. (as I'm not home early enough on Thursday nights and definitely not home on Saturday nights), but after this episode - and seeing the great characters of House and Cuddy, I'll definitely try my best to keep up.

And... on things to look forward to (not sure if I'm gonna make all of them though):
7 Jan (yes, tonight) - Dave Seaman - Zouk
9 Jan - Roger Sanchez - Zouk
13 Jan - Bob Sinclar - Zouk (check out Love Generation. I so totally love that song now.)
14 Jan - Marco Bailey - Zouk
27 Jan - Adam Freeland (!) - Ministry of Sound
28 Jan - Sessions with Shameless - Phuture / Aldrin - Zouk
30 Jan - Paul van Dyk - Zouk

I'm back! :)

I've gotten about 8 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, just finished a close-to-an-hour-long hot shower, pampered my body from head to toe and will take a nap as soon as my hair dries. All I need is a massage for my aching shoulders to make my day complete.