Eve Notebook - Epitome of Coolness

If the following videos do not leave your mouth gaping or stir some desire to dance, I don't know what will...




I love the way they combined breaking and hip hop with classical music...absolutely fabulous!




Damn neat man....Looks like flowing water...

I have half a mind to go Korea to study the dancing if I will be able to dance like that!

Thank you...What do you think men/women want?

I saw a friend I had not seen in a while just now. To my surprise, he told me he had been following my blog. Both of us had no idea how he discovered my blog.

"Hey I been reading your blog! You write some of the deepest stuff."

*blush*

"I travel a lot but when I come back I will go read. "

"You have an alternative career as a writer. Go on writing, there are people like me who read your stuff."

Frankly I have a lot to work on in terms of writing but I am really happy people actually read the stuff I write and it actually gets them thinking here and there. It really made my day!Thank you, I will work on my writing more :)

Well I shall try to write some thoughtful stuff here *laughs*

Last night I had a chat with a friend and he asked if I was seeing anyone. He suspected I was...that's a good thing I suppose because it probably means I look happier. I think many people have been hoping for me to look happier so maybe I finally am looking happier?

No, I am not seeing anyone and I feel at peace and happy for it.

I think for the first time, I am at peace with being myself. Some people see it as resignation to fate, I see it as finding ease with oneself. I don't feel the need to be with someone to feel complete or whole. I don't lament about not finding someone (jokes aside) and if I don't , I will probably stay this way. Maybe I am too happy being single.`Happy here means I don't feel sorry for myself.

Of course it's nice to have someone and it will probably bring me another kind of happiness. However, before I find that stage of life, I am quite satisfied to enjoy this stage. If there was one main thing I got out of my last relationship if you can call it one, it was to go with the flow of things.

I remember reading that men like to date older women because they are more sure of themselves, what they want and need less reassurance. I think a woman will need some kind of assurance at any age. It simply reduces with age because we start to understand some things cannot be forced against one's will and we start to realise what we want and what we are worth.

I cannot say I know for sure I know what I want in this department because one could plan all she liked and life could turn out the other way. However, I am starting to understand what works for me and what doesn't and understanding the difference between finding middle ground versus compromising oneself. I find when one is younger, the latter tends to happen more easily or maybe we simply have more pride as we get older.

I remember reading this quote that I cannot agree with more:

"Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy."

Perhaps the same holds true for a man? So many women tend to lose themselves in the first part that they completely lose sight of the second part. I know because I was guilty of it before. How does one love someone before knowing how to love oneself? How does one make another happy if one does not know what makes oneself truly happy? I would like to work on that second part now. :)

I had a chat with a guy friend just now and asked him would he prefer a smart, independent woman or a woman's woman i.e. your nice gentle stay home wife type? I am not saying they are mutually exclusive but just wanted an opinion.

He said men would like to come home to a woman, a woman who can care for him. It's not that independent women are undesirable, because men will want their women to be independent (to a certain degree) but its simply when a woman is successful, they tend to have traits that turn men away. The woman may be too strong, assertive or demanding.

I always hear men saying they want their woman to be independent. Frankly , I think they want a less independent woman than what they think or perhaps to their convenience. When a man wants to be with his buddies, his woman better be independent and when he needs her, she better be available. Like they say, a woman who can be a mother,wife, career woman and a seductress all in one. Rememeber that song that goes "I'm a bitch, I''m a mother, I'm a child, I'm a sinner, I'm a saint... "

End of the day, it appears to me no matter what men say, they want a woman who is available when needed, able to stand on her own when not needed, able to groom a man's need to be macho, and perhaps a woman they can't have. Men who claim to be playboys may be more decent than expected and those who claim to be loyal may well revel in the challenge of a fresh woman they can't have.

After all, no one is perfect right?

Moon-er

You Are From the Moon

You can vibe with the steady rhythms of the Moon. You're in touch with your emotions and intuition. You possess a great, unmatched imagination - and an infinite memory. Ultra-sensitive, you feel at home anywhere (or with anyone). A total healer, you light the way in the dark for many.

What Planet Are You From?

Yup the Moon is my birthsign planet too...Man they make me sound like a light stick.

Killer Look/Looks?

You Are Cyclops

Dedicated and responsible, you will always remain loyal to your cause. You are a commanding leader - after all, you can kill someone just by looking at them. Power: force beams from your eyes

Which of the X-Men Are You?

Why can't I be a woman??? Well anyway, if only I had the killer looks to go with the killer look...*beam beam*

Handshake

I came across an old song accidentally and as I watched the video, I had a sudden flashback of a scene that happened last year. Perhaps it was the song or the mood in the video, it jolted my memory.

Like we sometimes say, we may know something but we prefer not to see it in the face. The girl who knows her boyfriend is cheating on her doesn't want to see it happen before her... the man who knows his wife change of heart does not want to see it in his face and so on.

I think it's because we don't want graphic memories. I know I don't. Perhaps it's because I am visual so some things I prefer not to see so I will not remember. Like in this current flashback, I can still remember the scene clearly, where we stood, what we said. I think if someone had put this song while filming us, it would have made a nice MTV.

Anyway, craze aside, this really is a nice heartfelt moving song...



Handshake
by Rain

Those words...
lets separate, lets not meet each other anymore..
How can she say those words with such a calm face and voice?
How can it be so easy, does separation mean nothing to her?
How can she be smiling, how can 'it was fun' be all she has to say?

To me it was love
Even though it was only fun to her..
To me it was love
The first love i felt (the last love i will ever feel)

I was happy for the first time when i met her..
But for a reason i cannot understand
Shes trying to leave my side..
Does she always meet and leave like this?
Will the time we spent together just be one of her small happy memories?

To me it was love
Even though it is only a happy memory to her
To me it was love
The first love i ever felt

I stand here just staring at her hand she is holding out for me to shake..
if i make this handshake she will probably turn around..
Then what will i do..

Translation : Goro-chan and/or eebyul ( www.aheeyah.com )

Good Soundtrack

Goong has a very good soundtrack so I chose my favs and share them here. All off Youtube. I am too lazy to hunt for videos with different scenes so just bear with the repeats ok?

Perhaps Love
by HowL & J



The famous theme song.

Parrot
by Howl



This is the one many people like but don't know where to find.

You...I Are Fools
by Stay




This is translated as You...I Are Fools by Stay.

Viens jusqu'à moi
by Élodie Frégé & Michal Kwiatkowski (album "Élodie Frégé" 2004)



I chose this not because it's from the soundtrack but it's a nice French song that a fan had chosen to make this MV. Lots of scenes repeated from above videos but I like the song.

War of The Princes

Now now before I finish my writings on Hong Kong, I am am writing in response to my buddy who is rooting for Yul in Princess Hours....I am rooting for Shin! His real name is Joo Ji Hoon...hmm Rain also called Ji Hoon...

If you don't already know (it's really quite hard not to know), Princess Hours or in short Goong is the new No. 1 serial in Korea. It has gained immense popularity in Asia and has given its lead actors and new actresses huge breaks in their careers. JJH apparently has 20 scripts waiting for him after Goong despite this being his acting debut. Yoon Eun Hae, the lead actress is the new advertising darling. A brave step to use brand new faces for a highly anticipated serial that turned out well.

Why did I watch this K-Drama? I still not a full K-Drama fan. I watched it because it was adapted from one of my favourite mangas, Wo De Ye Man Wang Fei aka My Wild Princess. Ít's one of the best selling titles in Korea and probably Asia. Frankly the manga has more heart wrenching twists.

Here's the synopis adapted from a fellow blogger:

Princess Hours is a drama that starts with the interesting premise; ‘What if modern Korea were a constitutional monarchy with a king?’, and offers two types of fun; the romance arising between a noble prince and an ordinary girl, and the familiarity of all this happening in modern-day Korea. A perfect boy from a noble bloodline, with good looks and a sense of unpolished beauty has to marry against his will at the age of 17. An ordinary girl from an ordinary family, with a clumsy character, average grades and average looks oversteps the prejudice and barriers surrounding her. The process how they fall in love with each other unfolds with excitement.

The story evolves from the fact that Chae – kyoung’s grandfather was very close to the former monarch, whose wish was for her and Shin to get married. This gives some impetus to the otherwise unrealistic union of the two.

When the king’s illness gets worse, Crown Prince Shin receives an order to get married to his arranged marriage partner, Chae-kyeong. Shin realizes that there have never been personal choices available in the life of a Crown Prince, though he’s only nineteen. Prince Shin proposes to his girlfriend Min Hyo-rin. Taking it as a joke, Hyo-rin rejects him and takes off to practice for an international ballet competition. As a reult, Shin accepts the marriage as he does not care about who becomes the queen. To him, she’s not a person he’ll ever love anyways and she’ll just live in the palace like a doll.

Chae-kyeong has a dad who stays at home as a full time house-husband after his business failed and a mom who works as an insurance consultant.Chae-kyeong’s family, which was able to create happiness in the midst of difficult times, suddenly becomes in-laws with the royal household. To Chae-kyeong’s parents everything seems much more like a dream, as they see that the arranged marriage grandfather always boasted of become realized. Chae-kyeong was not willing to accept the fact that she has to get married at the age of nineteen, but accepts in the end to save her family from financial distress.

Chae-kyeong enters the Oon-hyeon palace, the palace of the new queen - bride, to get educated as the future queen. Shin, who visits the detached palace, is stunned by the beautiful presence of Chae-kyeong in her ceremonial dress. Over time, he learns to love her as she teaches him the meaning of living.

As the drama progresses, many other ‘fine’ men, including Lee Yool, a cousin of the royal family, make their appearance. The story of the two characters, who keep quarreling about structural problems such as the rules of the royal household in the midst of the difficulties of being a prince and of the arranged marriage, will unfold in an interesting way. The show’s fun lies in the episodes concerning the status gap that exists between a prince and an ordinary citizen.




Shin Chae-kyeong (Yoon Eun-hae)
An art major at an art high school who, one day, suddenly becomes the queen.She is an active girl with a bright cheery disposition. She was initially upset at marrying the Crown Prince Shin, a young heartthrob who fights with her endlessly over everyday issues. However, her affectionate feelings toward Shin grow once she starts living inside the palace and learns of the oneliness he experiences. Chae-kyeong quickly and profoundly observes the hidden desires and secrets of power found inside of the elegant palace better than anyone else. She becomes a central character that changes not only the palace itself but also all the other characters in the palace.


Lee Shin (Joo Ji-hoon)
The one and only Crown Prince of the Republic of Korea; the young man who will inherit the throne.He possesses the intelligence and appearance of the son of a bright king and a beautiful queen. Although he is irritated by the strict rules and dull life inside the palace and feels bored with his life, he has an intense and ongoing struggle with his own identity. Repelled by the fact that he has to spend his entire life as king inside the palace, he dreams of escape. When he starts learning what it means to be alive by looking at Queen Chae-kyeong, whom he marries without feelings of love, he gradually gains strength in life and starts to feel love towards her. Meanwhile, he has lingering feelings for Hyo-rin, his ex-lover, and confronts Yool, his rival, at every turn.

Lee Yool (Kim Jeong-hoon)
Sir Eui-sung; second-in-line in succession to the throne.Having spent most of his life abroad, he feels less aversion towards the palace than Shin, and due to his innate optimistic character, intelligence, and down-to-earth attitude, everyone loves him. While Shin is straightforward in his behavior, Yool thoughtfully and philosophically considers his actions. He feels deep affection and sympathy toward his mother, who had a difficult time in raising him alone, and therefore understands his mother desire for power. He himself slowly begins to express interest in the throne when he falls deeply in love with Chae-kyeong.



Min Hyo-rin : Song Ji-hyo
She is the beauty of the school who is also an extremely talented ballerina. She rejected Shin's wedding proposal thinking it's a joke. Her interest in becoming the empress and making Shin her own, grows when she discovers his marriage. She is hostile toward Chae-kyeong; the young woman who is her worst enemy, having stolen her dreams, and constantly attempts to recover her self-esteem and win over Shin's love. A character that provides an important change in the triangular and quadrilateral relationship composed of Chae-kyeong, Shin and Yool.







Frankly I was initially quite disappointed at the casting because Shin is supposed to be good looking despite being cold! Joo Ji Hoon isn't quite my idea of good looking though he does do the cold bit well. Yoon Eun Hae is well er dumb looking though that does fit the role well. Kim aka Yul is cute at initial observation. However, the two leads grow on you and they start to look better and fitting in the roles as the show goes. My take is they are the type that look better the more you look at them. There is now talk of them dating in real life which they did not agree or deny. For fans, check out Goong 1.5 in Youtube. Many fans agree they look good together.

Now though JJH isn't quite the good looking type, he was a model by profession and was in fact awarded the Best Dresser Model Award in 2005. Perhaps the pictures below may lend some enlightenment as to why. Ah I like brooding young men types LOL...look forward to more good performances from him in future.

Eve Notebook - Neko Goes to Hong Kong Chapter 1

I will post pics once I get the cable at home!

People say that Singapore and Hong Kong are very similar. Both are modern Asian cities with a small land mass and relative big population. Both are home to many MNCs and pride themselves on being important business and financial centres. No doubt one would find many big names as one would find in Singapore while shopping but to me, Hong Kong is very different from Singapore and holds its own unique charm.

The first thing that caught my attention on the way to the hotel from the airport was the proliferation of tall and I mean TALL buildings. So much for the fuss when the government wanted to build the Pinnacle at Duxton, there's probably a few of them here next to each other in the same area. At first I thought it was my error in vision but it turns out, many buildings in Hong Kong are bigger and taller to the point of some reaching the clouds. It appears reflective glass is the building material of choice here as many buildings reflect the light with their shiny exteriors.

Old run-down buildings are also a common sight in Hong Kong. It is very common to find extremely modern shops housed on the ground floor in an old building with contrasting poorly maintained housing right on top. Whilst shopping is characterised by big malls in Singapore, there are many small shops tucked in cosy corners here. For the capable curious shopper, this will yield many good unique buys. Hong Kong has your share of big malls but it's the small shops that really make it special.

The city is characterised by a slopey terrain in many areas. I absolutely believe that Hong Kong drivers are competent in driving along slopes. I saw one guy reversing his car on a steep slope and did it with great ease. Thus, it is common to find small stairs along many streets. It was such a terrain that produced the longest escalator in the world. The Mid Level escalators are not meant to transport you from one floor in a mall to another, they are found along the streets for commuters to move along the streets. For one used to using escalators indoor, this was an interesting invention if one could call it one.

Food is many a plenty in Hong Kong. One can find an eatery along any street and many in some. Today, we had Dim Sum at Maxim City Hall. I never quite thought soya beancurd was this delicious! Another notable food was the egg tart we got off a small famous bakery called Tai Chang BIng Jia. The crust was warm and biscuit-like while the egg was soft and warm....yummy! I hear the locals start drinks at6 after work, have dinner and then drinks again! Ah enjoy life keke...

The other thing one would find plenty of would be billboards and signboards. Compared to Singapore where neon lights are not a common sight, the complex picture of multiple signboards and lights was rather refreshing.

Though Hong Kong is not as neat and tidy as Singapore in terms of city layout and cleanliness, the city gave one a greater cosmopolitan feeling than Singapore. It gave the city a certain vibrancy and liveliness that was very different from back home. In fact, I think I could try to live here for a while.

Decision

I made a great decision yesterday...or more like realised one.

I made the decision to close a chapter which I would consider a great part of my life especially for the past one year. It was not that it had never crossed my mind, it was just that executing it just never found the right moment. It was a tough decision. Even now, a part of me wonder "is it time?".

In the past few years, I had more chances to say goodbye to many things and even people. For Cancerians, saying goodbye is a really difficult thing to do.

For a long time, I had wanted this opportunity. It came and it took up a great part of my life for the past one year. Friends were made, laughter and anger ensued. Promises were made, carried out, failed while lessons were learnt.

There was a whole lot of reasons that made my mind up. There was a whole lot of considerations that went into it. I had thought of the worst possible scenarios which will create big changes to my current life...the things that I may have to give up. Thus, for a long time, there was no decision. Leaving is never a fast, easy amd impulsive decision for me.

I decided to let life decide and I guess the moment had come. I only hope that good things will come in the days to follow.

Ooooh

Sometime back I wrote about an mtv that made my heart go faster.

Ok time for my girlie gushing.

Bi/Rain is sooooooo cute/gorgeous!!!! *hears whisper in background "wah lau this girl how old liao, ga-ga over young boy"*

Come on, a girl gets to be girlie right?

When he's not smiling, there is the bad boy cool appeal but he's got such a sweet smile!! *faint*

If only we get more of such eye candy! Deep husky voice...aiyyyoooh *faint again*

Reality. Demise.

Eve learnt it is really true. It is truly the people whom you care about, love and trust that hurt
you the most.

Eve learnt hypocrisy can surface right at the last place you expect it to.

Eve learnt that trust is a gift, not a right.