Heaps.and.Heap

I've had this album for about a year now, when a friend (now somewhat non-friend) burned me a cd as a birthday present. I was really enamoured by the sounds I heard, so much so that I kept it on repeat mode for at least a month after that. Somehow in the following months, this album was relegated to the back shelf, perhaps because it brought with it certain associations that I didn't want to relive or just be reminded of.

Last week though, I suddenly felt the urge to listen to the album again. It is amazing really... Imogen Heap is also a half of the duo known as Frou Frou, and while I'm not really taken with Frou Frou, I think Imogen is fantastic. My fav song is "Hide and Seek", and in that song, Imogen's voice sounds so electronic, like an instrument. I'm glad I rediscovered it again... familiarity can be so comforting sometimes.

On another note, Pandora is coming to town! Tim Westergren (the founder of Pandora) is holding a get-together session with New Yorkers to present the origins on Pandora, and also to get feedback from Pandora users... This session is going to be held in a cinema (I think) somewhere in the Union Square area. Should I go? Should I go? Maybe just for the Pandora goodie bag? :p

Spring break is coming soon, and I bought me a ticket to Jamaicaaaaaaa!
Ooooo... super excited. Hello Carribean Sea, white beaches and welcoming sun!
It's funny cos bohboh has been singing the Beach Boys song on MSN, and I'm amazed I actually know that song... Brings back childhood memories- Good times indeed.



Aruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take youBermuda, bahama come on pretty mamaKey largo, montego baby why dont we goJamaicaOff the florida keysTheres a place called kokomoThats where you wanna go to get away from it allBodies in the sandTropical drink melting in your handWell be falling in loveTo the rhythm of a steel drum bandDown in kokomoAruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take youTo bermuda, bahama come on pretty mamaKey largo, montego baby why dont we goOoo I wanna take you down to kokomoWell get there fastAnd then well take it slowThats where we wanna goWay down to kokomoTo martinique, that monserrat mystiqueWell put out to seaAnd well perfect our chemistryBy and by well defy a little bit of gravityAfternoon delightCocktails and moonlit nightsThat dreamy look in your eyeGive me a tropical contact highWay down in kokomoAruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take youTo bermuda, bahama come on pretty mamaKey largo, montego baby why dont we goOoo I wanna take you down to kokomoWell get there fastAnd then well take it slowThats where we wanna goWay down to kokomoPort au prince I wanna catch a glimpseEverybody knowsA little place like kokomoNow if you wanna goAnd get away from it allGo down to kokomoAruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take youTo bermuda, bahama come on pretty mamaKey largo, montego baby why dont we goOoo I wanna take you down to kokomoWell get there fastAnd then well take it slowThats where we wanna goWay down to kokomoAruba, jamaica ooo I wanna take youTo bermuda, bahama come on pretty mamaKey largo, montego baby why dont we goOoo I wanna take you down to kokomo

One.Last.Hurrah

So, the portfolio update is finally done. After procrastinating for the entire holiday period, I've been forced to sit down and just get it over and done with. It ended up being 8 crappy pages of NO text at all because I'm too lazy to do it. But studio selection is on Thursday, which means I have to print it out tomorrow, and add them to my current stack of unbound portfolio pages.

Today was my first official day of school, and I tell you, having a class at 9am on the first day of school is PURE TORTURE especially when you're used to waking up at a leisurely 4pm, eat some brunch and decide what to do with the rest of the night. (Which is mostly spent in front of the computer, thanks to youtube, lim and peekvid.) Still, I think I survived pretty well, good enough to have lunch with friends and then go for a shopping spree in manhattan. Sales sales SALES everywhere! I got 2 Arden B. tops for a mere 25 bucks! Oh and mama wendy, my red military coat is here! But dang it, the weather just dropped considerably so I am unable to wear the coat out unless I am willing to literally freeze my ass off. I saw so many cute tops that I wanted to buy... shirts that I tried to justify as working clothes in the future... MUST RESIST! Grrrr...

I signed up for my last core elective class today, after cursorily browsing through the re:ACT website that sh sent to me. Decided that since it's my last semester, I shouldn't waste time with a graphic design packaging course, which albeit sounding fun, would not really have much use for me in URA would it? My choice then fell to taking Manuel de Landa's lecture series on self-organisations in nature, in society and therefore in cities. He is widely known for his book "A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History", which seems to be the standard bible here in Pratt, but which I've never felt inclined to pick up. Well, this will make sure I get my hands on that book now eh? I'm giving up my free Fridays to take this Friday afternoon class, but I'm sure it'll be somewhat worth it. My first baby step in facing my future: URA.

Righty-o... one last hurrah before the semester hits high gear again. Somehow everything that I do seems to be tinged with the foreknowledge of going back to Singapore in 4 months' time. It's going to be a fun semester, and who mentioned anything about school? :p

So the blog finally got a much needed update. It is now simpler, cleaner, and yes, as niki said, more me. Funny that I would do it since I don't really blog much nowadays, but I guess a new year, a new look! I shall have to try to figure out that html gibberish even more, so that I can edit the blog more easily, but all that code really doesn't make much sense to me, and trial and error takes up too much unneccesary time. Help anyone? Where is OY when you need him?

recent.obsessions.

1. Jack Johnson >>> Somehow his music makes me feel really warm inside. It's classified under the 'Rock' genre, but to me it seems more acoustic and folksy with reggae elements. The more I listen, the more his music grows on me. I also really like the cd sleeves of his album titled "In Between Dreams"- the combination of saturated colours, out-of-focus photographs and random plants appeals to me greatly.

2. Red Hot Chilli Peppers >>> Need I say more? Even Lance Armstrong named "Dani California" as his power workout song. I have been stuck at the first disc so far, simply because "Dani California" and "Snow ((Hey Oh))" have been on constant repeat mode on iTunes. Maybe a couple more rounds will reveal more gems to me on Jupiter, and then it'll be on to Mars.

3. Chairlift >>> It's a budding band that I had the fortune of catching live last night at a very cool bar/art space called Galapagos in hippy-town Williamsburg. The female lead singer is oh-so-cute and has such haunting vocals (think bjork, tanya chua or even faye wong) that even I'm mesmerized. Pouty red lips and subtle hip movements in time to the beat of the music complete the whole seduction process. Not to mention the flirty looks at the hippy suave lead guitarist every now and then. *swoon* And she was wearing gold parachute pants!!! Caroline was gracious enough to give me one of their demo cds when she heard from a common friend that I had enjoyed their performance thoroughly. It reminded me of Telepopmusik or The Postal Service at parts, electronic beats and cute springy random sounds that layer upon each other. But then they also added in electric/acoustic elements, electronic keyboard solos and vocal harmonies, coupled with *gasp* country music influences. From their song titled "Bruises":

"I tried to do handstands for you,
I tried to do headstands for you.
Every time I fell on you, oh every time I fell,
I tried to do handstands for you,
But everytime I fell for you,
I'm permanently black and blue,
Permanently blue for you."

4. Patent/leather/vintage clutches >>> Mama wendy and mingming can attest to this, Shopaholics Anonymous unite! I have 4 in my possession so far, and another 6 currently in on the way crossing an entire ocean to get to me. Oh my babies come to momma! They are so so SO cute, even if they can barely hold my wallet and cellphone all at once. I like those that have hidden handles on them so that they can be used as a normal clutch, or as a delicate handbag depending on one's mood.

5. Funnel-necked/Empire-waisted/Military wool coats >>> Babydoll is THE way to go this season, waistlines have been urging themselves higher and higher recently. Military is still in, but in belted styles now. Oh, and I've seen a couple of fantastic flared coats, much like pleated dresses. And for the neckline, it's got to be the funnel-neck look. Staying warm is in as well!

Well, so much for my recent obsessions.
I should post up pictures of the pressies my housemates gave me once I actually get round to taking them... They are pretty hilarious. And. Well. School's starting in a day's time. How depressing. The holidays have barely started, hello.