EAMES Exhibition at ArtScience

KFC's Korean spicy chicken. The temptation to eat it is killing me, but you know I can't keep sabotaging my own diet plans. Till next time then. :(


Let's backtrack a little to Simba's birthday. We went to the National Geographic's 50 Photographs Exhibition, as Simba is a fan of National Geographic and I want to see artistic photographs taken with remarkable and almost backbreaking efforts. I'm deeply sorry for laughing at Joanne for being a fan of the Discovery Channel and National Geographic years ago but I now realise that these channels are awesome with a capital A, due to Simba's and his ex-roommate's influences. His ex-roommate has keen interests in nature and animals, so apart from showing us videos to inspire us to care for our planet, his snapshots of birds were used in photography contests were also presented to us with great enthusiasm. :D


The Chop House, the Steakhouse which originated from Hong Kong and has an average rating of 85% (though rated by a small sample size of 13 people) from hungrygowhere.com, became an alternative for us to dine in since Simba got off late from work and Jamie's Italian was full house. Attracted by the impressive reputation of the restaurant, we decided to give it a try.

A small birthday gift that I bought for him from KSL's Factory Outlet Store (FOS). I was initially hesitant to buy it since the small prints (somemore squirrel prints) are considered too loud for him, but TW who helped me try it out actually looks good in it, so I just had to buy it.

The beer I couldn't finish. 

Long time since I drank some beer
(as it dawned on me one day that I should be a healthy individual for like a month lol).

Pasta is always my first choice for any menu which has it, 

but Simba's loud protests stopped me in my tracks.

The sausage was too deep fried for my liking, so I couldn't put myself through another bite.

3 sauces to go with the course.

Simba who "gave me face" went to put on the tee before dinner was served.

His Chop House Steak Burger, which he, the activist against food waste, painstakingly finished it.

What's a birthday without a birthday cake?

I ordered Bailey's cheesecake only to find out that we can't judge a book by its cover. Don't be deceived by its professional presentation; it is only mediocre and without any hint of Bailey's.

Ambience was there to make up for immense lack of satisfaction in the taste. 
We were indeed baffled by the fantastic reviews but since they were based on mostly steaks and chops, we could only blame ourselves for being too adventurous and not listening to others' recommendations.

The weekend following his birthday, we were ready to view photographs that tell of individual stories behind them at ArtScience Museum.

We headed to the museum with a deliberate plan to view just the National Geographic's 50 Photographs after getting daily reminders from the advertisements at Serangoon MRT station. But we fell for the "gimmick"as Simba's friend likes to call it, and bought tickets to 2 exhibitions at a cheaper price as compared to buying for 1 separately. Hence this became how we had to divvy up our time for EAMES and 50 Photographs (cos I spent a ridiculously long time at any 1 exhibition).

EAMES Exhibition:

Charles and Ray Eames were a couple who lived in the 1900s and pioneered the movement from traditional furniture designs to more modern and sophisticated ones. They owned Herman Miller Inc., a reputable furniture making company and were known also for their photography arts and board games' designs.

Having seen and read about their marvellous designs through this exhibition, I think they were so good at what they were doing!

Eames Hang-It-All Coat Rack.

They ditched the idea of building a traditional standing coat rack and designed something that is small, practical and fun. From his website, I read that Ray Eames designed a wide range of whimsical toys and furniture specifically for children because of a simple reason - he wanted to give them to his grandchildren.

Did I say they loved photography too?

These photographs which gave prominence to individual components that make up the furniture were so brilliantly taken.

A box of toys that were part of their toy collection.

I love how vintage they look!

Designers have exceptional taste when it comes to decorating their house. These toy trains were exhibited in the display cases of the Eameses'.

Swivel chairs and children's coffee tables were a big part of their design scope.

Designer's cupboard. I love the Lego brick-like design on it

and its cleverly blended colours with the same hue!

Eameses' metal chairs that were great for patios and as a matter of fact, great for picnics in these patios.

The Eameses were always intrigued by the Indian culture and so upon exploration, they invented designs that had elements of the culture. What he was holding up is what they call the leaf plate to hold food as part of their notion to being eco-friendly.

Mathematicians, Astronomers, Scientists and Inventors who lived during the 1700s and 1900s.

As many mathematical methods were named after their creator, we could recognise a few of the Mathematicians. 

Issac Newton

Pierre-Simon Laplace

Carl Friedrich Gauss

Leonhard Euler

Among all others, I think Galileo Galilei's work in astronomy was honourable as he was one of the first to delve into knowing more about our universe, including observing planets for the first time through the telescope he constructed.

The Eameses cleverly used monochrome on their adverts to attract potential customers back in the days and now you can still see posters whose designs improved from this displayed in shops of Singapore and they still look contemporary and cool.

Look at how the chairs fit in with each tile design and how the integration of every little detail can make the whole poster look very compelling.

When you look in through the lens of this 3-D View Master Reels, you will see stereo photographs taken by the Eameses themselves.

"House of Cards", a game that captured many kids' hearts.

The six slots on each card enable the player to interlock the cards so as to build structures of myriad shapes and sizes.

This photograph was staged to look as if it was taken candid and so, it would explain my stiff shoulders and arm gesture.

Lounge chair for big bosses.

During World War II, bulky, uncomfortable metal leg splints were used for soldiers who suffered from leg fractures, but were of course inefficient. Thus, the US Navy called upon the Eameses to create a lightweight, inexpensive leg splint. The resulting design is a wooden, highly sculptural yet function device that could be mass-produced and being modular, conveniently and inexpensively transported.

(from: http://www.metmuseum.org/)

Near the end of the exhibition hall were an open space where some of the Eames' furniture was on display.

My kind of chair. Somehow it jogged my memory of the illustration in which Alice met the King and Queen of Hearts and their soldiers after the tea party in Alice in Wonderland.

Another designer's metal chair with leather coated on the parts where your shoulder and butt need support.

The Eames Lounge Chair, first chair that the Eameses designed for the high-end market.

The checkered sofa is a classic example of Pop art, 
as it comprises of metal industrial grid for legs and a bold, multi-coloured sofa cover.

Toy ducks to float with bubbles in your bathtub.

Nelson Marshmallow Sofa
Relentless, bold designs like this, even without consideration on its practicality are my preference. 

You can still find some of these Eames sofas from Herman Miller and on eBay.

A humorously written marriage proposal from Charles to Ray.

People in the past proposed using love letters which is a simple but sincere way to express your love. Though I must say if it were me, a person living in the present modern world, at the receiving end, I would demand at least a decent dinner! :D

Thanks for reading! :D

Anger is sometimes good for me, cos I know it's time for me to set things right. 不要惹女人，没听过吗？

My family ain't no charity. I REPEAT, MY FAMILY AIN'T NO CHARITY.

My mum only worked there for 2 weeks, and you actually borrowed money from her during that short period of time. 

I didn't know that. If I have known, I wouldn't have let it happen.

Wow some good story you deviously made up right there, I almost cry, but your crocodile tears will not work on me, you scheming woman.

The 1st time you called and asked for my mum, I thought, "Wow such a nice young lady, wanna catch up with my mum just few days after she resigned."
I was so naive. I can't believe myself for being so stupid. 


My mum thought you called because you finally 良心发现 and want to return her the money BUT YOU STILL HAVE THE CHEEK TO ASK FOR MORE. Thank you for spending an hour to catch up with her before going into the sensitive subject. You are one of the reasons why I have been so cynical about humans. Some humans are just so unbelievably thick-skinned and driven by ulterior motives. 


You call everyday, twice a day, to ask for money. I feel so sad for you, you must have exhausted your list of potential lenders that you have to beg for money from someone you knew for just 2 weeks. You are so desperate you even called our house at midnight. My mum already has a good-for-nothing brother who comes shamelessly knocking on our door every week to ask for free food and money, despite my younger brother's sarcasms. No thank you, she doesn't need one more.


If you can't manage your own finances, it's your own problem. You earn twice as much as my mum who only earns $5/hr, but you complained about your low salary and the ridiculous OT hours to her! Do you know her ankles hurt after standing for few hours? Do you know she has to visit the doctor every month to relieve her ankle pain? You are a healthy 18-year-old who can tolerate long working hours, yet you want to take away all the money that she will use for doctor consultations. I APPLAUD YOU, WICKED WOMAN. You must be suffering from narcissism, poor you. Everything must be about you, you and only you.


The money we give our mum is for her to spend on the things she likes, not for you to spend on whatever fake problem you made up. 


My mum may be a bit of a pushover but I tell you I will not let you take advantage of her! My dad, being his usual big-hearted, will genially ask you to call back later when my mum is not home. YOU CAN MESS WITH ME, BUT ONCE YOU MESS WITH MY PARENTS, YOU ARE DEAD. I WILL NOT HOLD BACK TO PROTECT MY PARENTS I TELL YOU!


The next time you call and I pick up, unlucky you, cos you are in for some deep shit. I have rehearsed over and over again the sarcasms I'm gonna throw at your face. I know who you are since you just work opposite our house, but lucky you, I'm no shrew, I won't make a scene at your shop, but I will stare right at you whenever I see you, female dog.


GO BACK TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY! TAKE HOME YOU AND ALL YOUR MADE UP PROBLEMS! IT'S SO CONVENIENT TO GO BACK, IT'S JUST BESIDE US, SO ALL THE MORE YOU SHOULD SCRAM BACK! 

Channel 8 Dramas & Breaking Bad

The last Channel 8's drama series that I didn't miss any episode of was 小娘惹, which was screened 5 years ago. During that time, I was in my 2nd year in NTU and staying in the hostel that had limited entertainment, and because there was no (free) Catch-up TV back then, its last episode had our TV lounge's sofa warmed by us and many other hostel mates. First time in my life that I've seen the TV lounge crammed with people, most of which didn't mind standing for an hour to watch the show when no more seats were available. Lol.

I watched 当我们同在一起 that premiered soon after 小娘惹, but missed out on some episodes. What left a deep impression were our pitiful Joanne Peh (白薇秀） who became insane, and the showdown between 戴阳天 and 黄俊雄 in terms of their looks and acting skills.

Then... Despite the many reminders from friends to support local TV productions such as 对对碰, 最火搭挡，甘徬情，断掌的女人， 破天网， 星洲之夜，小子当家 and 警微天职，I only watched a few episodes of each while Simba watched most and even use Catch-Up TV if he missed any, and now I want to express remorse for my lack of support. :(


I did watch half of 小小传奇 because of Simba's constant reminders and was really impressed by 王禄江's acting as well as his effort to slim down (he's so slim now I initially thought he *touch wood* contracted cancer, then I realised that he had to act as a cancer patient in the show).


I am now at the latest episode 3 of the recently aired blockbuster 唐山到南洋, a year-end drama that recounts the travails of our first-generation Chinese immigrants who set foot into the island of Singapore to seek their fortunes and future (from Mediacorp website.) I shrieked in horror when Terence Cao (曹国挥) abuses his 3rd wife in the show! 

Gonna start supporting local dramas back again. I think I'm either losing touch or getting old. I don't know the names of all the new actors or actress belonging to the Strawberry Gen, my memory is just stuck at names of the Gen Y actors and actresses like Elvin Ng, Felicia Chin, Jesseca Liu, Joanne Peh and all.


I'm also gonna watch Breaking Bad since it is so highly critically acclaimed. :D

Spooktular Sentosa 2013.

Finally got down to planning a little. Started on the following random areas:

- Interior design.

- Bridesmaid dress.
- Fengshui Master.

Date of commencement - 9 Dec 2013
Position - Executive (Research)
Company - KTPH

The thought of starting on a job sets my heart aflutter as I won't know what to expect until I work there but at the same time I look forward to learning from scratch and hopefully liking what I will do. Most important of all, smart casuals are now back in the game since I didn't have a chance to wear them during my 2 years in research. LOL. At 26, I must admit that I'm a little late to pick out and assemble smart casuals with a smattering of taste and savoir faire, but still I hope I can get the gist of dressing up for work with aplomb soon. Now, this is my excuse to spy on working women and emulate their fashion sense. 

Time to revamp my wardrobe! Some advice from Simba that I finally heed - Go out and try on clothes, steer clear of online stores; staying at home and add clothes to cart does not guarantee that the clothes fit you. Lol. I bought 2 sets of formal wear from a physical store just for my interviews, and because I tried them on before "adding to cart", Simba responded zealously with "It's professional looking and fitting!" It was a sentence that sounded very positive on the superficial level but once you read between the lines, it sounded like "All these years the clothes you bought online were either too big or small since they were all free size!" 


In my next job, I want to be presented in a new light - I want to envision myself as twice as confident and less of fastidious. Buying a book titled '7 Secrets of Confidence' from the Bestsellers' section of the book fair is my first step to showing you and me my utmost sincerity. And one other problem that I should mitigate is my obsession of checking things a dozen times before submission, hence slowing processes down by quite a bit. :D I promise to keep in mind to improving these 2 aspects of me.

Have you found your funny friend yet? I believe that in your lifetime you should have met one who cracks you up no matter what he or she says. I just met her few months back. Every time before I meet her up I have to prep myself for some serious pain in the jaw. I cannot make out which is the reason; whether it's our culture difference (She's Korean, so maybe it's typical of Koreans to make such exaggerated expressions and analogies) or that she is just plain hilarious! A friend can make or break your day, but she never fails to make my day.


Spooktular Sentosa.

As the pictures I am about to show you are not gonna depict the fears I encountered in my spooktular trek in Spooktular Sentosa, here is a embedded video from The Ellen Show to reveal my exclusive countenance throughout the trek.
Every October, Ellen sends her writer Amy to a haunted house but this October, Amy has a companion, the Executive Producer Andy to brave through the storms with her in the AMC's The Walking Dead themed house.
In retrospect, I was not just Amy, I was Andy. LOL. :D

Once I reached the entrance, I was more than happy to go back home but thinking of the fee I had paid, I went in with a pulse rate exceeding 180 beats per min. 
Our Halloween deviated from the traditional Westernised festival since this time our organisers collaborated with the movie makers from Thailand to have us reminisced the 5 popular Thai movies, all with a horror genre. Which Singaporean didn't cringe in fear at the mention of the critically acclaimed Shatter and which didn't hear of the recent laugh-till-you-cry Pee Mak? 

This lady who was hanged in the movie "Coming Soon", was once again hanged and paraded in the street right where we strolled along. She was the loner whom everyone in the village thought was the link to missing children; they thought she devoured them and wanted to banish her so bad. 

Simba was the best evidence to show that I was there too. It was too much a chore to take photos for me since I maintained a one-arm's length distance with the ghosts (or talents) having witnessed the twin sisters (Janghwa & Hongryeon) stretch their arms to scare girls during photo taking in the 2011 Halloween Horrors event.

Simba acted out his fear near the made-believe altars. 

Friendly Thai ghost who eats bones for breakfast and wears Havaianas slippers.

I hate it when the ghost stretched out his arm and bend his fingers in a claw-like manner.

Lol. Surrealism is truly a powerful art since it makes people believe that it is real when in fact it isn't. Even though we know that the Mickey Mouse in Disneyland is indeed just a human being dressed in thick fur and wore overweight ears, we don't hesitate to hug it and tell others that we saw Mickey Mouse in person.

The cordial ghost who greets people. Sawadee Ka to you too. 
Tuck Wei and Jun Wen had remarkably similar expressions - they looked cunning despite their attempt to look fearful. 

Joe just couldn't contain his urge to laugh at their silliness and dearest Junwen was still photobombing them.

While I was in the washroom fighting shy of the tense atmosphere, the guys goofed around with the ghosts!

I hate to break it to TW and JW, but they certainly need to take acting classes.

A ghost in the Tuk Tuk became the celebrity of the day since the gallant suitors had to get in line to get into a photoshoot with her. Was she the driver who met with a fatal accident or the casualty of the accident? It's funny how JW posed as if he needs to kickstart the engine.

My first picture with a ghost, because I reassured myself that she wouldn't alight from the Tuk Tuk anytime soon just to attack me. A new face here in my blog and she is Jacelyn, TW's friend.

The intruder who punctuated the conversations in the queue for entry into a haunted house by standing behind or beside us without our knowledge.

To my consternation, she crept next to me while I was playing with my phone. I rated her 4/5 on the horror meter because of her hooded eyes which could kill when she used them to stared right into yours. Crimson blood dripping down her face from a presumably gunshot wound exuded her deep grudges and hatred towards her murderer. Now, what I don't understand is her drawn-on bloody dark eye circles. Lol.

It was a ridiculously long queue for each haunted house and when it was finally gonna be our turn, a ripple of excitement spread through everyone - everyone except me of course.  I stepped into the house with lots of regrets and trepidation.

A group photo with the ghost in the midst of us. The photographer thought that the Malay couple behind us in the queue was with us, so they were in the picture too. Lol. It was a nuisance when the staff instructed the girls to lead the way, and I was very unwilling to be separated from Simba as he would be so guilty when I became increasingly terrified and would shield me from all ghosts of all shapes and sizes. 

However the 5-minute walk in the maze turned out to be more hilarious than scary, which was a relief for me. The Malay girl was pretty much as timid as I was, so she grasped hold of me and her boyfriend. Her boyfriend was so funny when he told us when to slow down our pace and anticipate when the ghosts will emerge. 

"Stop stop stop! I saw her feet. It's her there okie?"
"The heads are going to come out from the holes on the table, be prepared ok?" (And he poked his head right into the hole, so the ghosts aren't coming out as they were fearful that their heads might just bump onto his.) LOL.
"There, she come out already.. It's nothing, u see, nothing much."

I was traumatised near the end of the trail when the spotlight landed precisely on a ghost who was beside us on the photo shoot stage. 

Pee Mak - the men in the movie did a dance ritual so that they can escape the ghost unscathed.

The brave people of my sec sch clique. It was Joe's and TW's maiden trek in an Halloween event and they did great. They were at all times calm and indifferent towards the ghosts.
TW led the way in all the other houses and casually flipped the curtains away for us to cross through every door safely, never fearing that a ghost will appear suddenly and surprise him.
It was really funny when he gave the ghost (with black long unkempt hair covering her face) a cold shoulder as she blocks his way again and again in the darkness, and even asked her for the way out later on.
Joe eavesdropped on my conversation with Simba and uncovered the whole truth about how I fought for survival in the house - I merely kept my eyes on the floor throughout my previous trails. Despite his encouragements for me to look straight in the next house, I was not able to face my fears with courage.

Simba was looking forward to this event since ages ago but was utterly disappointed by the long queues, short trails, non-threatening ghosts and the sluggish creativity in ornamenting the haunted houses. Relative to the USS Halloween Horrors we went to in 2011, this was nothing to him.
So to draw ghosts to him, he would draw in gasps of air upon seeing them since the more surprised you look, the more they would play along and follow you.

After the least scary trek in the Pee Mak haunted house. The skeletons weren't sturdy enough to withstand harsh treatments from the public. We were guessing that some boys tugged one so hard that a bone has fallen out.

The talent had his face veiled by a sack  and I wonder if he had difficulty breathing underneath the thick layer. Sigh, 钱真难赚! Who else had a good laugh just by looking at this ghost who is faceless and had blonde locks framing his sack-like face?

Another failed attempt of TW's taking advantage of the roadside lighting to look eerie.

Dorm.
Before entering the haunted school, TW would kill for a picture with it. His intense passion for a selfie penetrated his surrounding atmosphere so much so that Ling and Jacelyn felt it too. They jumped out of the picture the moment I clicked the snap button!

Feeling that he has been treated like a castaway, he requested for a group photo! Sorry TW, u know we never meant for you to be hurt.

The school was hurdled with a couple of dark, narrow passageways that impeded our pace in exploring it. The whole place was so dark that we could not see anything ahead of us, and was perhaps the reason why we were told to form a human train before heading in. Simba led the way and crashed onto walls sometimes and gave an occasional laugh when a schoolboy ghost jumped out from nowhere. The ghosts got really bored as they didn't look frightening enough to trigger some screams. One even asked me to look at him so I had no other choice than to greet him with a friendly hello before rushing off with Simba! (Talents aren't supposed to talk to the public, so I guess they must be bored stiff!). Not trying to be sexist here, but male ghosts aren't half as scary as female ones. Towards the end of the trail, the schoolboys just gave up and directed us towards the exit. Lol.

The last image of the trek and it contains me with corpse bride and transvestite ghost.

Remove corpse bride's make up and u should see a beautiful lady beneath.

Then to Siloso beach for some beer and drumettes with SX and his gf!

The promotion they had for that night was a 2-for-2 jugs of beer. Cool deal we have here.

Jacelyn and SX's gf. And his gf who missed out on all the horror told ghost stories to get into our mood. Lol.