In which HP rounds off the year

T’sparanza is the word for next year. And it sounds just about as random as it can ever get.

ALLO! Anyone else in BB-02? Apparently the only male GEPers in there are Nic Manly Tan and I. And now I’m panicking over JC and I haven’t had to make so many new friends in quite a while. How intimidating.

And so the fear sets in, at last. I was so excited and terrified when my OGL called that I couldn’t sleep at all that night. What a rush! I must be feeling rather numb, cos it’s difficult to express this mind-crushing feeling adequately. And so, 2007 ends.

It’s time for the yearly music round-up! Where I list the top songs I’ve discovered this year, which doesn’t necessarily only include songs released in 07. Please watch all the videos, for they are all very nice. Okay I’m forcing all of you to watch them.

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10. Kona Yuki – Remioromen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DayRtlDtfg

The theme song for the J-drama 1 Litre of Tears. Apparently, my friend cried when she watched the series, and so, I refuse to finish it, on grounds that I start leaking, sentimental fool that I am.

9. Naïve – The Kooks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMO3iLq_kAU

I’m not saying that it was your fault, although you could have done more. You’re so naïve, yes so. The lead singer’s clipped Brit accent lends an incredibly unique sound to this band, and the song has so much yearning and off-beat charm to it.

8. Oh Mandy – The Spinto Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYALZWFfPO0

The song with the gnome in the backyard, right on the X-mark, oh mandeeee. The only song with a ukulele used in place of a guitar. The riff was so addictive that it made me dig out my dad’s old guitar and start learning guitar tabs. And the video’s a cool take on stop-motion clay animation, completely made using paper models.

7. I Don’t Love You – My Chemical Romance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duTBl5JH7pg

Another emotionally-charged song, and Gerard Way looks very hilariously lip-trembly and teary in this black-and-white video. I suspect this song’s here because I’m getting all schmaltzy at the prospect of having completely new classmates.
When you go, would you even turn to say, “I don't love you, like I did, yesterday?”

6. The Carpal Tunnel of Love – Fall Out Boy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3O5uy-MBBk

WOOOAAAOOOOAAHHH! WE SO MISERABLE AND STUNNING! [It’s a miserable story]
Or that was what I thought Patrick Stump said, he mumbles and mispronounces everything. Anyway, this very cool song with a very bloody video commissioned to Happy Tree Friends to create has tons of furry cute animals getting carved and splattered to bits. And made me scream the chorus to Han on MSN for a whole month or so.

5. Apologize – One Republic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_3XRx8EnuI

I’m holding on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground. Fine I do think Timbaland made it better with his “Ay, ay, ay”, despite all the purists out there who feel he hijacked it. It gives such emotional depth, don’t you think? Ish too laaaaid.

4. Here (In Your Arms) – Hellogoodbye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bUkxTznujo

Well you are the one the one that lies close to me. Whispers "Hello, I miss you quite terribly"
This, I’m very embarrassed to say, is probably the only song that makes me quite light-headed and just very slightly emo when I listen to it, especially during farewell-ish occasions, like the one now. Holadios.

3. Hazel Eyes – The Darkness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obt_UidazN8&feature=related

They don’t have a music video for this song, so I had to make do with the most interesting fan video I could find. The audio’s a little squeaky but it’s fully correct, so do listen to it. And THIS one made me shout at poor Han for the last few months or so, and then he finally decided to give in and start shouting it in mass convos too.
Hoos I canna get back ta me hoos in bonny Scotland!! GIRL! WITH THE HAZEL EYES! AAaaaAAaaAAaaAAaaaAAH!

2. The Running Free – Coheed and Cambria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE2e2Gf8NAk

Spend your time well before you go. The first single of CnC’s latest album Good Apollo Vol.2: No World for Tomorrow. So, without fail this anthemic wonder garners among the top songs for this year. It brings with it the surefire rush of adrenaline that so defines CnC as my favourite band. You’re going home, you’re running free.

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1. Love Is Only a Feeling – The Darkness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50EALZU4D6A

Hands down the BEST video I’ve come across this year, off their 2004 album Permission to Land. With stunning lyrics and a great intro (which incidentally I can play on the guitar, yeah!), everybody has to love this song! If you’ve ignored all the links above, for which I shall whack you, at least watch this one. I find it very unhappy (sappy as I am), but love is only a feeling, anyway.

Oh, the first flush of youth was upon you when our eyes first met
And I knew that to you and into your life I had to get
I felt light-headed at the touch of this stranger's hand
An assault my defences systematically failed to withstand

'Cos you came at a time
When the pursuit of one true love in which to fall
Was the be all and end all

Love is only a feeling
(Drifting away)
When I'm in your arms I start believing
(It's here to stay)
But love is only a feeling
Anyway

The state of elation that this unison of hearts achieved
I had seen, I had touched, I had tasted and I truly believed

That the light of my life
Would tear a hole right through each cloud that scudded by
Just to beam on you and I

Love is only a feeling
(Drifting away)
When I'm in your arms I start believing
(It's here to stay)
But love is only a feeling
Anyway, anyway

Love is only a feeling
(Drifting away)
And we've got to stop ourselves believing
(It's here to stay)
'Cos love is only a feeling
Anyway.

In which HP gets his Xmas shopping done

Went Christmas shopping with Leo, Eddie and Moose today at Takashimaya. I hate the Xmas crowd. But nevertheless, in the space of half an hour, I grabbed presents for my parents and my younger sis and bro.

Dad: Gel insoles

He goes jogging almost daily, see. So I was at Stadium, that sports stuff shop. And I saw this pair of sandals that looked nice, comfortable and more importantly affordable. I took the sample and started walking around the store trying to find an assistant. So there I was swinging the sandal about for a while before I waylaid one of the staff and asked for a size 10. Then she melted off into the crowd. And didn’t come back, until I spotted her and asked about the sandals. She said in a very frazzled way that she was trying to find them and looked completely overwhelmed. So we waited. And Moose started prodding a rack of insoles. And I got a brainwave and bought them. Then as we were walking out, the assistant appeared with the box. So I had to very guiltily tell her that I didn’t need them. And she was nice enough not to look pissed. So I felt sucky for about a minute.

I was in a rush la! Gots no time to waste! It was 4.30pm and I was supposed to be home at 4.00!!

Mom: A box of Neuhaus Belgian chocolates from The Cocoa Trees

I love giving food to family members. It means I get to eat some, and those chocolates looked very tasty.

Younger Brother: Trigun Book 1

Each book is about 4-bloody-cm thick and costs about 3-4 times the price of any other manga I’ve ever seen. And since the series is only a trilogy, he only has 2 more books to buy, or alternatively I could get them for his birthday and some other occasion. And mainly it looks less cheapskate.

Younger Sister: A huge 2008 diary and a cool looking $8.50 Japanese-brand pen with marbly swirly designs on it, from the stationery section at Kino.

I have no idea what to buy for girls! Even siblings! D: At least it’s a very practical gift, is it not?

Merry Christmas to all.

And to you too, who’s currently Down Under.

:)

In which HP gets back from ex-NYPS chalet

Back from ex-NYPS Chalet, and it was tons of fun. Met up with Peng at Pasir Ris, then went on to Costa Sands to meet Shi Yang and Jun Hong. Our room was some tiny little thing with 2 beds and 2 mattresses erp. Jun Hong had brought POKEMON CARDS!! So Peng started playing while we fiddled with the television.

Later on, John Ong, Ophelia, Jayne and Melissa turned up as well, and we all went to White Sands to buy food for the barbeque. And moar people showed up while we waiting for a bus at the interchange, how fun.

Alvin, Sean Goh, Jun Yang, Howard and Ming Yang have entered the game.

For the bbq, we made ham n cheese sandwiches to grill, while John Ong the imba cook put all the chicken breasts in a huge aluminium tray, emptied a bottle of teriyaki marinade over it, scooped out a chunk of margarine and started mixing everything together.

“You have to massage it in, see.”

And it so happened that 4M was having their chalet nearby, so we went over to borrow firestarters, and Leroy has become a full brunette, not bad ay?

When we got back, it turned out Jun Yang had chucked a Cursed Leaf (AARRGGH!!) on the bbq, and the entire pile of burning charcoal had mysteriously went out and refused all efforts to be relighted. We eventually got the thing back up again after Jun Hong – “the smartest, the most handsome and most thick-skinned” – managed to get a whole bag of charcoal from some people next to us.

Dinner was nice, yes. Then people started leaving, so only a few HCI and RI guys were left. At around midnight, we decided to have a game of pool, with Sean and Jun Hong against me and Peng, and we won 4-2 muahaha.

And so the rest of the night was spent with people intermittently dropping off to sleep and playing Jun Hong’s pokemon cards.

After checking out, 5 HCI dudes came along for some LAN, and we met Moose, Ed and Leo at Dhoby Ghaut. After a long and very screwed up 96-minute match, we managed to win, overcoming an interesting 29-48 KD ratio. I have the urge to go MUAHAHAHAH :D :D :D again, but I shall try my very best to keep it in. Yes.

In which HP needs no excuse, cos he’s wearing his brand new shoes

Went shopping with my family today, and I got a pair of brown suede Hush Puppies lace-ups at OG. The tag says, “Worry-free Suede”. So well then, no worries maahn. They’re incredibly comfy, and they smell nice. I like! And coincidentally, the colour matches my sling bag, the one I drag everyone.

Christmas arrives early, suckers. Muahaha.

And now, during the holiday mornings, I attempt to do boring revision papers on Integration, then its off to slack with Dlu and Han in front of the comp. And my new poison is The Black Road RPG v1.32. It’s a very fun WC3 map, I’ll dedicate a post to it sometime during the weekend.

TOMORROW, is the RI Chinese Orchestra concert, and I know its not his fault, but I shall never forgive Leo for not buying tickets. If I can’t find any fun people to go with, I think I’ll pon it. Ferk.

And Peng has organized a NYPS 03 GEP Reunion gathering at Costa Sands from 16-17th December. Unless anything drastically more important turns up, of which I’m highly doubtful, I shall be going.

And now, it's time for me to go to the living room and continue watching 881.

I’m so glad you found me, wrap your world around me, and never find a love like this.

In which HP realises the sudden lack of people around

This song’s nice – Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John. Very random vid too. And I can whistle the intro tune yays.

The last few showers in the past days have been accompanied by ‘Fragile Things’ by Neil Gaiman. It’s quite a good collection of short stories, not exactly perfect bathroom reading material, but good nevertheless.

And I’m getting bored. Far too many people are going away. Moose is off to Kuala Lumpur, Werm went to Thailand, and various other people are off for glorious relaxing holidays. Meanwhile, I don’t think I’m going anywhere this hols. Screw. That means absolutely nothing to calm myself for the horrors and wonders of JC life.

I shall turn up for the first day of school in long hair, just you wait and see. My hair’s been uncut ever since 3 days before Higher Chinese O’s. The dream of having an anime-protagonist hairstyle will soon be fulfilled, give or take another few years.

It’s been over three years, and everytime my music playlist throws up Haiducii’s Dragostea Din Tei, I still find it an incredibly sad song. It’s currently going in my earphones, and I shall loop it for a bit, it’s quite therapeutic.

‘She herself is a haunted house. She does not possess herself; her ancestors sometimes come and peer out of the windows of her eyes and that is very frightening.’
-Angela Carter, ‘The Lady of the House of Love’

In which HP does a 7-things quiz. Kill me nao.

Finally, I do one of those horrible quiz thingies that ooze and spread around blogs like some infectious disease. Sorry to Leo for making him wait for so long before I post this. And congrats to Zhen Er for her incredibly spirited performance as Lysander!! :D :D NAICE!

Seven random facts about me
1. Leo forced me to do this random quiz.
2. I’m currently using a non-colour Nokia 8250, and I actually like it.
3. To me, I have the best musical taste in the world, and everyone else is clearly deluded.
4. Rafflesians unite, we’ll show our might.
5. Vi sitter har i venten, och spelar lite DotA. (I hear you man)
6. Nobuta-power, enter!
7. My birthday’s far too early in the year (January in fact), which ends up in me getting far too few presents. Hint.


Seven celebrity crushes
1. Keira Knightley. Omg imba cheekbones. And that very attractive indignant curling of her lips that she likes to do.
2. Sienna Miller. The cheekbones again, I’m afraid.
3. Uma Thurman. Ala the black chin-length bob and smouldering eye-shadow as Mia in Pulp Fiction.
4. Michelle Dockery, the actress who played Susan Sto Helit in the TV series Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather.
5. Leona Lewis, British singer-songwriter, who came up with the wonderful song "Bleeding Love".
6. Natasha Bedingfield. I seem to have a weak spot for Brits.
7. The girl with the cards in the music video Stolen by Dashboard Confessional.

The penultimate goth chick.

Seven qualities I want in a potential girlfriend
1. Individuality.
2. Flair.
3. Reasonably good looks.
4. She has to move in her own way.
5. Sense and sensibility. Whee.
6. A particular strength of personality.
7. Hazel eyes. No not really, any colour will do. I’ve really run out. Damn this is a lot harder than it looks.

Seven things that scare me
1. Having close people die on me.
2. Losing my eyesight.
3. Horror films.
4. Heights.
5. Messing up “A” levels.
6. Losing contact with my friends.
7. My mom when she’s angry.

Seven random songs at the moment
1. Mother Superior – Coheed and Cambria
2. Rule the World - Take That
3. Love Is Only a Feeling – The Darkness
4. Ikenai Taiyou (イケナイ太陽) – Orange Range
5. Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer (I have no idea how this appeared. This is all Han’s fault.)
6. Sweetest Girl - Wyclef Jean feat. Akon
7. Hazel Eyes – The Darkness (AAaaAAaaAAaaAAaaAAh!)

Seven things I like the most
1. My wonderful friends.
2. Watching rubbishy animes and Jap dramas.
3. Black liquorice from IKEA.
4. Stoning around with music blasting away on the earphones.
5. Taking long walks.
6. Reading books with lovely sarcastic heroines by Pratchett and Jasper Fforde.
7. Writing. Blogging, to be more specific.

Seven things I plan to do before I die (not necessarily in order)
1. Have anime-protagonist hair.
2. Travel the world with friends.
3. Get married.
4. Throw a wad of thousand-dollar bills out of the window.
5. Teach everything I know to my future kids.
6. Go to space.
7. Go bungee-jumping.