Singapore 2011


“No traffic congestion at all!”, “Clean places!”, “Good transportation system!” and even “I would like to live in Singapore forever!” are some common statements about Singapore, the very incredible country to live. Everything seems to be helpful and flawless there, huh? 
…………….
Arrived at an international airport for the very first time.
Changi International Airport is one of the finest airports in the world. Everything is fine except for the service. I’ve been in Singapore before but I didn’t go there by plane, so it was my first time to be in Changi. It turned out to be a disappointment as well as a bad impression in the lion city. The airport officers really good in whatever they are doing, but not in being friendly and giving a good impression to the passengers. I barely saw their smile. I once tried to take a stranger’s trolley out of the conveyor belt (since there were really busy taking care of their belongings) and the officer just pushed it towards me so I almost dropped the trolley because he was seemed to be handless, unfriendly and really pissed off. (Apparently, the only thing he did at the moment was shouting “the trolley, please!” or mentioning other things on the conveyor belt. Seriously? Qualifications for a job mean nothing without good attitude)
Recommendation: Learn from people who’ve been to Singapore and Changi airport for several times. Study the rules and regulations, also the procedure in everything. So you won’t be bothered to ask questions to the officers, you’ll be faster in every procedure and you won’t have to bring out the unfriendliness of the officers.

Is Singapore really a fine city?
I worried about the life of the elder people there. Many of them are working as cleaning service in every mall I visited, even in the airport. Is it because they want to earn money as their children do that too? Or is it because many of them are no longer being taken care of by their children anymore? If the government has provided treatment of the elder people, then why are there so many of them working?
In addition to that, there were several stores that sell sex-related things. It was sort of unusual to see those stores because I think they are not supposed to be easily seen by public, which also consists of under-age children. I would understand if laws and their culture allow them to do that. But considering the locations, as well as how explicit the store actually is, I consider that as a minus point for this country. (How can it be fine when the sellers put big photos of sexy females wearing lingerie, a big smoking-red  “Sex Shop” written on the top of the store, even a big “I *heart* Sex”) I would suggest them to locate themselves in a specific area that is not intended for tourists and open at late night.
Recommendation: As much as possible, avoid passing Grand Central Hotel* and Concorde Hotel unless everyone in your group (family, friends) is fine with those things. Also be aware of several kiosks in Bugis Street (well, you can easily notice those stores) there are many other ways/paths to avoid them.
*I stayed at Grand Central Hotel, right behind Concorde Hotel. I had to pass those stores every time I went out and returned to the hotel.


By enumerating those two things, I hope you all don’t get me wrong. In fact, I only could think of two weak points when there are hundreds of strong points. The strong points are way more than the weak point.

China Town is like the cleaner version of Mangga Dua!
China Town wasn’t really like what I expected but I did have a great time there. The prices were relatively expensive for me, but they were actually reasonable if you compare them with the prices of the same product in mall in Singapore. We reached there by MRT, then we bought several things such as decoration for Chinese New Year, clothes etc. Thankfully, we went there at around 5 pm, so the market was seemed to be more alive. There were beautiful lanterns that sort of shone our way in the market.
Recommendation: Visit Sri Mariamman Temple as well! It’s close to the China Town and you’ll see another face of Singapore and its diversity. But don’t forget to respect people who are praying inside by not making noises and not using too much camera’s flash/blitz.






Orchard Road is the not-so crowded version of Harajuku Street and Wall Street!
Walking on the famous Orchard Road felt so intense. People was literally everywhere on the pavement. Some were hurrying, some were checking things inside the store and some were struggling to survive in the crowd (e.g. me) I couldn’t imagine what would my human form be if I were on Harajuku Street in Tokyo or Wall Street in New York, where the intensity of human walking there is insanely high.



Enjoying the greener area of Singapore
Aside from the Singapore Zoo and Singapore Botanic Garden, there’s another place where people can enjoy grass and trees everywhere while walking and breathe~




Learn how Singaporeans make Singapore as one of the world’s leading country in almost every aspect.
When you combine high technology, pride as Singaporeans and creativity of people of Singapore, you get Singapore Discovery Center. 
The visitors are given paper where they will put a stamp as indicators that they've done several activities or have been to a particular spot. They must complete all of them before they exit. For children, there are rewards (which I was luckily able to get). I think it's a good strategy. I had a great time looking for the stamps, you know. We barely saw a dirt there because everywhere was dark. And, I didn't think that I missed a single attraction/activity/spot.
haha.
I thought it was an indoor playground or something because the tech was so cool. Until I saw a lot of arenas/machines that teach the visitors about Singapore's history, power and the 'it' factor as one of the world's leading countries. I was like; "Holy. Niat banget bikin museum sejarah....". Because the museums here are seemed to be passive, so the children are believed to be the one who have to visit them instead of the museums attracting them *sighs*




WICKED
Wicked was BEYOND WHAT MY LIFE COULD TAKE! :'''''''''''D
Singing has been always my favorite thing to do and I wish I still could sing the way I used to. 
I've been waiting to watch a Broadway musical since grade 7 when the I was introduced to the new world of singing and performing; Broadway. I'm not a new fan of combination of music, singing, acting and dance. The Sound of Music caught my heart when I was 8 years old, which was the golden age of me as a child. Then my love and passion continued to grow until now. The only difference is I can no longer pour my passion into a voice anymore (I was so devastated, I couldn't just let it go)

Wicked is an impossible dream that actually came true if I think of it in another way. I could explode and burst out into bubbles that will only last as long as applauses are keep on echoing. I want to be there, someday.
Wicked also expresses what I'm currently facing. Intention to defy gravity and fly. Looking for somewhere to belong. Struggling to believe in myself. A need for someone to lean on, not only to talk. 
I was incredibly grateful for the experience right before my 16th birthday. 
Everyone deserves a chance to fly

I am officially 16 going on 17! Celebrated my birthday visiting Marina Bay Sands again and Universal Studios in Sentosa Island!
Best birthday ever? Um, actually the second best :D
(The best one was the road trip to Pangandaran-Jogja-Lembang last year haha).
But, whatever, I had a blast with my fam~~~ 









Oh rain, thou art a heartless beyotch.


The highlight of the day: leafy sea dragon!!!! 


"He who cannot see, but keep positively thinking about the world on his own,
will be granted an eternal light that will never fade in his life. "
May he always be happy as he and everybody who passes him wish to be.


Have a Very "Extraordinary Merry Christmas", Semester I~

No more school stuff for one month, yeay!

Semester I is gonna be unforgettable for me, because;
1. I watched "Cantabile 2" by Twilite Orchestra,
2. I performed with my school's orchestra in BynamicFest 2011's concert night,
3. I participated in my school's production, Pandawa, as the part of the orchestra also, and
4. Everything was alright! 
(This probably could not happen again! What a hectic semester!)

But there are also several things that I'm not comfortable to think of....
This semester's exam was a little bit different because we'll have to wait until we come back to school to know the score (or unless some of teachers are physically and mentally ready to be busy during holiday answering those who are curious about their score)
I did pretty well on some subjects this semester, but not the regularly-killed-student's-life subjects such as; Chemistry and Math. 
I got an average of 62 in Chemistry and 69 in Additional Math. In addition to that, all of the other core subjects are not improving *sighs* (My time was mostly used for Pandawa. I went home at 7 and my fingers so uncooperative with me everyday at school because of my violin strings... All of my grades are above 60 but the condition required me to be able to beyond that. Therefore my father and my CA weren't completely wrong for advising me to not join any activity involved with the school's orchestra, so I could have time to prepare for the semester 1 exam. 
(Well, I had to skip one performance on buffet night in Aryaduta Hotel *creys*)
But glad that semester I has just ended and I'm on my way to semester 2! Let's hope that at least my grades are improving so I still can be in the orchestra =)

Regarding the end of semester I, 
this is how I celebrated it:
One Absolute Thing About Me,
G-L-E-E (how to pronounce that? Best TV Shows Ever)
and it's a Christmas episode as well as the last episode of the 2011 Glee! Who doesn't love B&W? Who doesn't love watching smiles everywhere you can see, with addition of enjoyable and nerve-relaxing music? Who doesn't love great humor from people who you admire? :)
Glee's 3x09 "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" got all of them packed nicely with golden strings!  
In this so beautifully-titled glee episode, the main story is about the New Directions kids getting involved in local TV channel's special christmas show. 



The christmas show, as well as the whole episode, was supercool and it reminded me of Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Gene Kelly and the one and only, Julie Andrews. 
(How can't it remind me of Judy and Barbra singing Happy Days Are Here Again-Get Happy? Or a black and white show where Julie Andrews and Gene Kelly singing and dancing tap together? I started to feel that I was born in the wrong era lol) 


Let me list down what's on my mind about everything on this episode:

Ah, Finchel *speechless*
Rory: Poor Rory. He won't celebrate Christmas with his family. But he has found a new one, right? 
(He is such a lucky charm for the show and I couldn't imagine what would Glee be like after his seven-episodes arc on Glee is over. For the worst scenario, what would Glee be like after most of the characters are graduating? It'll be like earth without water *sad*)

Blainchel!
New bromance on the show!
Wow, Rory is loved by many.
- Klaine: One of the best Klaine moment on Glee beside the first time they met each other, the kiss, the duet and the bed scene! I had this permanent smile watching them together. 
(It's too bad that they cut one Klaine scene where Blaine gives Kurt a christmas present. 
- Rachel: Well, expecting someone to buy us things is not wrong but not giving them one list and asking them to buy five out of fifteen items lol. Rachel was such a gold in this episode. It changed from raw gold and powder into buyable gold bar. Glad that she and Finn were still a couple after all *hearts* *hugs Rachel's African pig* (oh, Barbra, they've been really too sweet together so people couldn't handle it, haven't they?)

- My Favorite Things: Pure diamond. My mouth was searching for something delicious. My eyes were searching for the same thing. My ears couldn't stop being tickled because of the sweetness of the memory that won't come twice. I miss my childhood. The Sound of Music first touched me when I was seven. Ever since that time, everything started and so did my love for one of the songs, "My Favorite Things". Glee finally covered this song (ah, one dream just came true), sung by Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer and Darren Criss. Lea sounds amazing in this song and she blew me away again with this song after the first time I heard her singing it).
- One more emotional and inspirational song in the season, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 
Aside from how amazing the togetherness of New Directions kids this time is, this song really taught people a lot about being human. 
People who have problems will normally be negative about themselves and everything around them. This song would remind those people about how small your problems actually are compared to those who live with  hunger, uncured illness, abuses, and many other unwanted things, everyday. Yes, life is unfair. I also think that way sometimes. But I learned that I'm not the only one who have problems, I still can do things to solve it no matter what. Do those people in Africa know how to solve their never-ending problems regarding life or dead matter? Even if they know, are they strong enough or gonna be heard by those people who are unfairly living above them? :)
That's why I cried when the first time I heard this song. 
Hope people who read this will feel the same way too. Music brings changes, right? 



Speaking of being human (that doesn't sound right lol), Chris recently did his give-away for a charity organization, titled "Doodle for Charity" and these are what he doodled. (They are now on eBay)



This might not be related to this posting, but I gotta share what I found on Tumblr, which are epic.

What happened? Lol
"Blaine and Rachel are the brunette Sharpay and Ryan Evans."
lmao.
By the way, look at Lea's left hand.
#nuffsaid
What's inside the cat's innocent brain: "I wish........" X'D trololol
Have A Great Holiday!
Big hug for everyone!
*virtual hugs*


America's Next Top Model All-Star (Cycle 17) Finale


S-C-R-E-W-E-D.
(What does it say?)
C-R-A-P.
First,
Allison Harvard should have won. 
"I Should Have Won!"
What flaw can you judge from her? Every little thing she does, she says, she has is magic and unique. Not to mention that her personality is lovable.
Allison on the final judging panel of the cycle
(OMCat. Notice her dress. I thought it was Kebaya)
Allison's final runway 

Hot dog
Throwing discus with fashion
Mother, father, brother, sister.
1,2,3,4, underwater
(Underwater music video)

Young Michael Jackson
Mixed up with the delicious
 Greek salad
Racing to the Modelland
Sweet
Allicat in Modelland
CoverGirl cover photo-shoot
Allison on her Cover Girl commercial.
(Her voice sounds beautiful! And look at those beautiful eyes too!) 
Secondly, what the heck was happening? Angelea told people on her Facebook page that she's actually the winner of the cycle and it wasn't supposed to be done according to the contract, so they disqualified her?
*attempts to punch something until it has a hole in it*

That's why there was only the final two (They re-shooted the judging panel all over again, Can you believe that?)

Now let me talk about the other stuff related to this show that makes my judgement for it becomes negative for the first time.

America's Next Top Model 17 was interesting to watch because I got to see Kayla, Allison, Laura and Angelea back on the competition, competing the title America's Next Top Model and to win once-in-a-lifetime prizes.
Kayla is one of my favorite. When she was eliminated, I thought, her photos and her confidence weren't as great as in cycle 15. She has lost some of her spark in creating stunning pictures. Unfortunately, she lacked of a lot of things....
I was incredibly pissed off when Laura was eliminated right before the finale (Top 3)
Before she became the runner up of her cycle,
she did a Hawaiian volcano goddess photo-shoot
and it was amazing. Stunning. Gorgeous.



Lovable *hearts* 
Pot Ledom~ Laura on the set
of her music video.
Laura's second time to be the week's best photo in All-star cycle.
The judges said that Laura is a lovable girl with bubbly personality in person. But what were being reflected on her photo and her appearance on Tyra's "Modelland" fashion motion-editorial movie based on her best-selling novel, were just the other sexy and seductive girl.
(note: before Laura had to eat whipped cream on the video and trying to look unsexy, she posed in bikini on a big bowl of Greek salad, then she poured oil on her face with her eyes open just to make everything work since she was not in her best condition, which could be disadvantageous for her). It seemed that the show intended to eliminate Laura, huh? Same thing happened to Shannon on the same bikini photo-shoot, when she decided to not to do that to stay true to her 'angelic' brand that resulted in her being eliminated. My point is, the show has already known their brands and their limits. Why give them such thing? It will be totally assumed that they've actually set those things up and that's not a fair competition.
*squirting blood to everyone of you people who made the decision about each week's photo-shoot, runway, challenge, etc for making several contestants to be eliminated*


I'm not sure whether I'm gonna watch the upcoming cycle or not, but one thing for sure, it better be good and fair.
By the way, to all Lisa D'amato fans, sorry for talking about how I want other contestants to win this cycle, but hey, peace, she's amazing too (I love her "I'll Be Like Whooaa!" music video lol)
Congratulations to Lisa!