And so our stories draw to a close. And yet for some it’s only just begun.
So before tomorrow comes in all its hype and excitement.
I’d like to look back on some of what i’ve snapped since this journey started.
And since Dee from Female Mag put the Canon in my hands.

And here’s my set of clicks over the past couple of months . I appreciate…

How it captures the crazy surreal moments

Surreal Shots with Canon and the Can-Do girls

How it amuses me the way I amuse it 

AMuse and be amused

 How it gratifies our girly bimbotic nature and show each other what we’re wearing for the night.

Babe... i'm wearing this!

 How it remembers the way I eat and the fact that i’m always hungry

Taste on

How its got my back and snaps rather than stabs it.

How it makes me smile at the sweetest things in little forms

 

 

How it makes me feel GOOD for bringing it out

 

 

And of course, how it’s charted this whole journey all the way to the finals…

 

 

 

And so tomorrow’s here and off we go.

 

Play the last song, everybody won’t you sing along…

 

 

 

See you there at Zouk tonight

 

A Huge thank you to Female Mag and the Sponsors! You all made this happen.

A fan of Jamie Oliver , I am.

A friend’s trip to London & beyond has got me recalling…

Can’t resist a conversation he had with a guest on his show recently
(Insert Brit accent)

Jamie : I hear you don’t cook why is that?
Guest: I feel that food is an interruption to the day
Jamie: (Bad look.) Are you married?
Guest: Yes for 15 years.
Jamie: You have to cook for your missus because when you cook for your missus she loves you more and you get a bit of a “yes” (fist action) more.
Guest: I don’t like being on your show much
(Audience Laughter)

 A tinge of brit’ish humour.
But its true hey. Guys who cook definitely get a bit more lovin’ in my book. If you know what i mean.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Following a quote Jamie said about dinner parties
“Life’s too short to sit next to boring people.”

Responding in the realm of my mind
“But if you’ve enough zest in you, you can sit next to a bin and produce trash-ure anyday”

Thats a good dose of singaporean born and bred, just for you;)

Or for me anyway.

Pics taken from www.jamieoliver.com/books

Musings ‘Procured’ sometime in October.

“enroute to bukit timah for dinner today, i saw a variety of colourful people.
Different clusters spoke in different languages.Most of which were foreign to me but certain traits soon became apparently universal.

A child’s laughter,
a parents pride.

sheer tiredness 
a baby’s cry

irritated strangers
emoting teenagers

the fashion saavy, the perpetually sloppy
beautiful people, grumpy orgres.

growling tummies,
flu-inspired sneezes.germsbeyondournakedeyes.

hidden smiles and uncontrollable frowns.
blackberries nokias i-everything….

multi-genre music seeping out of eardevices.
their faces, placid.

hummers and singers
readers and texters.

groceries and takeaways.
rustling paper/plastic bags.
slightly softer now
eco reusables showing how.

perfumed scents, toxic body gas,  
shampooed hair and funky breadth.

Loving,quarrelsome,PDA couples.

the louD chattertots the defeated cave seekers.

and all… i mean all sorts of armpits. Realism at its best.

as for the universal traits i love the most…

Fade out the crowd … tune out the sounds
focus on the warm smiles and
glimpses of everyday kindness.”

I had an interview with DivaAsia a while ago and Jane, a sweet blog-reader highlighted that it was out. Im kinda surprised at how well it turned out. Haha. Actually more like really stoked and humbled at the same time.

A big thank you to Female Magazine for the referral. Its nice to read about yourself like that:) And huge thank you to  the DivaAsia team. You seriously made me smile on this stormy day.

Thu, Nov 19, 2009 Diva

THE QUIRKY-BEAUTIFUL SCHOOL TEACHER

 Her head is the most gorgeous part of her body.

Sounds absolutely un-sexy? Annabel Tan, the only schoolteacher among Female’s 50 Gorgeous People explains that it (her head) is “where everything creative and beautiful forms.”

But the brainy chick seemed undecided and bantered on: “Then again, that could be my heart. It really depends on which school of thought you’re from: head or heart.”

The 25-year-old history teacher describes herself as random, quirky-beautiful and nocturnal.

Even though she did not have any competition experience prior, she gamely agreed to take part in this annual looks and personality contest after her friends nominated her.

“When was the last time you tried something new?” she says.

That is her current life motto (she updates it regularly) and adds, “Lead life , don’t let it lead you.

“The two are kind of separable but works well together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Or kaya and butter if you’re local.”

While you may think that her choice of profession may be an obstacle to fun, you’re wrong. This lady sure knows how to have fun!

Read her official blog on Female and you’ll find that she is outgoing and is a big fan of fashion! Her blog strewn with colourful photos about her recent halloween celebrations in which she was dressed in an all-black costume to represent the evil conscience.

But more importantly, her choice of work comes with passion. On working with youth, Annabel tells Diva that “they’re addictive and my elixir of youth.” Well that should explain her secret to staying young and looking good as she tells us that she does not sleep enough.

To top it off, she produces results too even though she is only a relief teacher. Her history students at St. Hilda’s Secondary School have made vast improvements in the subject and were singing praises of her in a recent New Paper interview.

Catch on to her wacky bug with the rest of her interview with Diva!

What is your strength and weakness?
I occasionally suffer from temporary inertia. But once I roll , I roll obsessively at any given task.

Share a dating tip.
Tip 1: For girls who has just started dating someone new, try eating a big mac on one of your dates. This is to push yourself past ‘un-glam’ limitations. Plus, its hilarious watching his reaction.
Tip 2: Send him a cactus. It messes with his mind or in other words, makes you memorable. It is also a sweet, practical and low-maintenance table gift.

What is the one thing that turns you off when you go on a date?
I can’t decide between a boring persona or self-centrism.

Any beauty essentials?
Tiny tubes of pure aloe vera gel for a quick soothe. Eyeliner and lipbalm. Actually, throw in a good concealer while we’re at it. This list could really go on.

What is your internet guilty pleasure?
Googling everything I don’t know so that I know everything.

So is she kaya and butter, or peanut butter and jelly? This girl may not be your local flavour, but use your head and heart to understand her, and you’ll discover whether she’s worth a vote. 

Taken from: http://www.divaasia.com/article/6021

I found that sweet.

I agree with alot of it actually

Im not betraying my kind its just that the double standards can get quite annoying. I mean if we truly subscribe to liberating women. Then starting from now, be prepared for immense efforts in liberating men. I mean Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder if we ’re the very cause why they prefer their own kind these days.

So this is dedicated to men. Seeing that alot of my buddies are guys too.

Hey boys I sung one for you!

______________________________________________________________________

We always hear “the rules”from the female side.Now here are the rules from the male side.These are our rules!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat.You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down.We need it up, you need it down.You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

2. Crying is blackmail.

3. Ask for what you want.Let us be clear on this one:Subtle hints do not work!Strong hints do not work!Obvious hints do not work!Just say it!

4. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

5. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s whatwe do.Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

6. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem.See a doctor.

7. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

8. If you won’t dress like the Victoria’s Secret girls, don’t expect us to act like soap opera guys.

9. If you think you’re fat, you probably are.Don’t ask us.

10. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

11. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done.Not both.If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

12. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say duringcommercials.

13. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

14. All men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit.We have no idea what mauve is.

15. If it itches, it will be scratched.We do that.

16. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing”, we will act like nothing’s wrong.We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

17. If you ask questions you don’t want answers to, expect answersyou don’t want to hear.

18. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

19. You have enough clothes.

20. You have too many shoes.

21. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

Thank you for reading this.Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don’t mind that?It’s like camping.

———————————————————————————————————

So with everything I read I like to put myself through a reflection process. Nah maybe not EVERYthing.

So when a friend asked me which is my fav one. I gave him a female-ish long answer.

“I have a few
I practice no. 3
No. 8 is hilarious and totally fair.
Im guilty of  no.11
I strongly disagree with 13. Cuz its too inefficient to let them attempt to be Columbus. 
I mean How many rounds of circles am i meant to sit through ?…
As for no. 18 I can engage any conversation. I’m a girl remember
19 & 20 is the epitome of truth!
As for no.21. Thats why men arent getting any these days;)”

 Rock on Boys.

♥ beL

A friend of mine Brian was in the recent NUYOU Magazine’s ‘Men We Love’ Competition, where 25  fine guys were selected and showcased. The brains were there, the brawn was there (for some). Lots of cheering  from the ladies and some of them men. Brian won the over all prize. He’s always been the Man we Love. So this is just fiiting!

And here’s what’s on my metalic orange Canon IXUS 9515 , courtesy of Canon.

My date for the night:

Iris;)

A couple of the troops

Host Danny Yeo & Songbird Kelly Poon

      Met couple of the troops to support our man. The host was the amazing bilingual Danny Yeo who brought the boys through a ’sticky’ good time. Puns were everywhere;) Songbird Kelly Poon graced the occassion with some upbeat tunes. But alas the Singaporean crowd -_-

 

 

So it was Brian’s turn to talk. And he was smooth sauve and charming. A deserving winner indeed!

 

 

 

 

And there were plenty of eyecandy too. Plus a strip show;) Here you go ladies…

 

 

 

 

And No.25 Alvin Leong sportingly obliged to the strip.

 

 

 

 

The ladies went wild. Maybe some men too..and after a series of prizes.

 

It was time for the overall champ.

And the winner is… Brian!

As long as there are girls there’s always Time for snap shots!

The Lovely Grace Lee, Nuyou Editor

Girls & Snapshots -Synonymous

 

 

Brian and ALL his prizes. Sweet !

 

Brian won a great slew of prizes! He needed some help carting everything back. Hahah.

We’re expecting a cut.

 And of course there were celeb moments.  How did work go the next day Brian? hahah 

The troops and the man

Troops with the Host Fab Danny Yeo(affectionately known as laoshi)

The Sweeties...Dee (centre) was the prize girl helping to hand the prizes to the hot boys. haha

Oh and this is my JC Chinese teacher. Now a NUYOU somebody. The one and only Hoton. He taught us using Stefanie Sun songs. Not bad huh. Then again we were a bad class for chinese. I think he sent me out of the class the one time i didnt bring my worksheet. And the principal was takin a stroll then.

Good times.

 Headed off to Timbre after for peking duck pizza, drinks ,magic tricks and chats.

Soak up the sun while you can. Its Singapore’s version of winter now.

♥bel

When you mention ‘TEENAGER’. You get a myriad of responses.
The kids wannabe them.The teenagers themselves go ‘woooo–hell yeah’! Or they beg to differ in their cool indie style and expect you treat them as an adult . The adults in denial will thank you for the compliment ( i’m unashamedly one of them ). The other adults…well some are cool and some lock up their stuff  maybe buy insurance .

Ahh yes perhaps I exaggerate.
But say what we may… teenagers trigger reactions daily.
From hopping mad parents. By topping the academic charts. By writing a new song.
From creating new__everythings___.
From their belief systems and their views on politics, education(and its flaws) , pre marital sex , the environment, abortion, the gay parades, music, fashion, the slaying of boundaries. Their wave is always the new wave. They stun in all ways good, bad and shocking, whether they seek to or not. For all these reasons and more, I’m addicted to them. And I feel the day i stop gaining inspiration from ‘em is the day i start decomposing.

Its an effort no doubt to refrain from just glaring/staring at their crazy antics. But I reckon they are my Elixir of Youth. The potion to youthopia is to drink in their energy , savour their indestructible spirit and give them a whole lot of love and a good measure of guidance.

Ive been a youth volunteer ever since i qualified to be a youth, and with the right mentors and love i think i turned out pretty ok. (The crazy randomness is  innate and has nothing to do with them) And being in youth work is the most exciting, uplifting and humbling process .

Karen Refuge Camp-Youths know no boundaries.

The Local Hotstuffs

What i’ve learnt is, no matter which part of the world you find yourself in.
The young is always where the hope for change is.

This year I had the chance to teach in a secondary school as a relief teacher. It was one of those accidental things which I am truly grateful for. And during my stint there, I realised that I have a ‘thing’ for the naughty kids and I appreciate every dilligent sweetheart.

I had the privillege of teaching History to 2 NA classes . And though the world’s perception of them aint too sweet sometimes… I think they’re they’re brilliant. They move non stop.( Even when i yell at them to stop) and they’re so creative . Especially in exasperating me.

I loved and love every second of it. Even the marking. Especially when its 3am at night and  they give you strange alien answers about Terrorism and H1N1 when you ask them about Singapore’s history in the 1950s-60s. They make me laugh and cry at the same time.

So when The New Paper selected me for an interview I immediately asked for permission to bring some of the students along. (Of course in fear and trembling that they were going to say strange things). I really wanted to let them experience an interview process and have some fun with it since it was after the final-year exams and this bunch of them put in quite abit of effort which produced some cool results

The article was superbly positive. And the kids were all pretty smug about it. *rolls eyes* haha

A big Thank You to Shree Ann(reporter) and Chee Siong (photographer) who put up with us.

TNP Article

Remember what I mentioned how creative they were? When we left them in a room for 10 mins, we came back to find everything still in place and all of them (even the boys) fully engaged in a game called ’Mirror Image’. How the game works is they play some music and everyone stands in 2 lines facing each other. Basically one side of the line dances crazily and the other side has to follow suit like a mirror image. And when the music stops they freeze accordingly.

Pretty brilliant and they looked like they were havin a blast .

Mirror Image Game

Love The Young

And if you look close enough, I might just be in the midst of such a group hoping to inspire as much as I am inspired

♥Warning: This post may be deemed unsuitable for those with low Euww-tolerance♥

The last of the widom-clan.

The last of my wisdom teeth combo was extracted today.  

The first 2 bottom teeth were removed a few years back in SG. That was traumatic.

The top right was removed in Perth. Where the dentist had a cool plasma screen on the ceiling playing cartoons.  Awesome.

I was hoping to leave the last one alone but it was biting into my already chipmunkish cheeks. So my mom randomly picked a dentist in town.

5 stars and a thumbs up.

On that note,I wonder if the tooth fairy’s still working. 
I used to get 2 bucks (per tooth) under my pillow…

I’m not a fan of halloween. But I’m a fan of friends and a cute night out.

The iNspirtation:

Ris Low inspired nails. Anything dark in my wardrobe. Eyelashes.

Steve The Cowboy!

The Lau-s are in the house.

There were the friends from KL, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Pals, Drag Queens and a plush Cyclops.

Steve the one who and invited me and Tracy the one who invited us.

Steve went as a cowboy and Tracy was looking very hot as Rainbow Brite.  I absolutely love Rainbow Brite. I saw childhood flashes when i saw the costume.haha

Hosea and I made up your ’Conscience’ for that Night.

The White Rabbit has these amazing huge chairs!

Sonia’s eating her flowers.Colletes flappin her wings.

Could be my first and last attempt at it.

But Halloween was cute this year.