Genres that Define Jeremy Ho

Genres of music i absolutely love - R&B, Soul, Pop, Jazz.



Here I am having my Marigold Peel Fresh orange juice and listening to the lastest downloaded album: Rihanna's "Good Girl Gone Bad",

"... under the umbrella ella ella eh eh eh/under my umbrella ella....."

makes me wonder why I love these genres of music so much.



Random thought: I'm, starting to love Peel Fresh orange juice. Maybe it gives me pseudo comfort that i'm finally drinking healthy - amidst all the crap sweet drinks around. Plus the vitamin C! Worst, i drink it by the carton, a carton a day! Quite scary...



Anyway, yes. R&B, Soul, Pop, Jazz.



Just bought like 5 CDs in the past month.

That CD Shop along Scotts road always has this 3 for $49.90 thing going on for current releases. And since my mom dragged me to her shop at far east plaza to help renovate after POP on the 12th, i thought i'd just escape by the overhead bridge to a CD store where my soul can truly regenerate itself.



While Pachelbel Canon in D by Vienna Boys Choir along with some musky Enya track was playing in the background, i just randomly chose 3 CDs to buy. Call it retail therapy of the 2nd highest order (Highest being Clothes and fashion!)



Landed with

Katherine McPhee's self titled debut album [In the cover, she crowns a hairdo that of a pasar malam auntie selling handphone covers/takoyaki balls with this seriously bumble-bee looking outfit. Katherine McBee?? - I know not funny. Just laugh la!]

Maroon 5 - It Won't Soon Before Long [Much more respectable CD cover]

Shayne Ward's self titled debut album (deluxe edition) - of which I have yet to listen and review.



In May, i also bought Joss Stone's "Introducing Joss Stone" (acclaimed to be her best and most personal album yet) and Michael Buble's "Call Me Irresponsible".

R&B and Soul

have always been my groove through life. Sexy, slick, smooth, rhythmic, melodic and filled with harmonies (most important!). Think i'm attracted to this genre because it's generally Feel-Good music.

Most fav. R&B artistes ever? Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Joss Stone, Anita Baker.

Pop

spells itself. Catchy, idiot-proof melodies/harmonies, dance-able.

Most fav. Pop artistes ever? Woah.. Difficult to list!

Ummm.. Probably the likes of Maroon 5, Daniel Bedingfield, Kylie Minouge, Pink, Madonna, Rihanna, Janet Jackson, James Morrison, Fergie, George Michael, Nelly Furtado just to name a few...

Jazz (or Ballads).

Music nowadays are filled with fusion sounds. Quite improbable to pin down one song to a particular genre. Jazz and/or Ballads often come together in this generation.

With the likes of Michael Buble, Renee Olstead. Jamie Cullum, Josh Groban.



And i'd just like to say NORA JONES is getting on my nerves! Everytime her "new" song plays on MTV, I MUST change the channel even if i've been sitting my lazy ass on the couch for the past two hours watching Judging Amy re-runs too languid to reach for the remote! Her "new" songs are starting to really irritate. It's always the same old moaning, mumbling singing and expressionless, autumm-coloured, progressively-slower-walks-down-the-streets music videos!

Doesn't her creative team have any other ideas up their little heads???? No wonder she didn't win any more grammys after her debut album Come Away With Me - which is one of my pride and joys in my entire CD collection.





As for the blacksheep of the family, I have regretted buying stuff like the new INXS - Switch album which i would gladly switch for even a linkin' park CD! Or maybe not........



Along with Ricky Martin's - Life album. Besides the good looks and nice body in the album's pictorial, it's hardly worth two loops. He's just a more buff Enrique Igloosiass (bleah~~) with the same penchant for over-the-top choruses and under the bridge soft verses (which i cannot deny is quite soothing).



I also regret buying albums where I only like the single and nothing else - impluse buys! This rarely happens but it does.



Oh ya... Jason Mraz's "Mr A-Z". After three loops, it filled me with this icky feeling. Like green slime mixed with pink candy floss stuck in my throat. Dunno why also....



Anyhoos... Army life sucks, Law school rejected me, My body lost it's desirable muscular mass, I'm using a non-camera phone and i'm PES-fucking-A which means a high chance of a combat vocation in NS. Life just does not give you smooth concrete paths all the time huh?



I do miss my army buds quite a bit - the waking up and team-bondedness. The late nights of talking cock and tau-pokking (Bom bom, bom bom, bom bom bom!) Oooo well.. We have to move on i suppose.

Clubbin was fun though @ Zouk. Caught Jane and Aaron in the queue and actually managed to gain access to "The Nest"! Felt so darn exclusive man! But exclusitivity isn't exactly my clubbin style. Prefer to jam and mosh with the masses. More thrilling to know you're one in a crowd and nobody's watching what you do (like take of your singlet) except your friends.. Heehee..



And of course, a relaxing weekend was just what i needed. No hassles. Just movies (Fantastic 4 & Ocean's 13!!), meals and shopping.. Would have loved to have gone swimming or the beach though.. Bad weather..





-jho. Notes On a Scandal. prep music for teaching tml. sleep.

A Blog Post 03

Heading back into Regimental Hell tomorrow evening. Sigh..
Let me just state an irony: We're suppose to sing army songs that dictate how "[we] don't want to lead an army life" with extreme fevour and gusto when marching.

That's the army for you. Ironic and Regimental.

Used to want to go into OCS or SISPEC for the moolahs. But think it's a bad idea now especially since I absolutely hate the regimental lifestyle the army so proudly parades.

I mean, seriously, might as well standardise the length of our pubic hair!? Goodness...

Am considering SAF Music & Drama company. Think I might enjoy that vocation much more than OCS or SISPEC. Of course, once out of OCS & SISPEC, life would be tonnes easier. But the grueling 9 or 5 months of training respectively is enough to kill someone's strong sense of individuality. And my individuality is something that is very important to me. Hmmm...

At this point in time, OCS and SISPEC seems out for me. But may change my mind in the course of the next few weeks. We'll see...

Lucky that I have friendly bunk & platoon mates. Can get along quite well. Except for the occassional irritants.

Went out the last few days. Am quite shagged. But home-bed rest still beats the rotten tekong bunks.

FRIDAY
Came out on friday evening. Spent friday night with Jess, Joe and Yanting just chillin out at the void deck. Was quite nice actually.

SATURDAY
Went to a closed door sale at Park Hotel on saturday with jess and joe. Bought quite some good bargains that day. The whole day was mainly shopping. Spent like almost my entire allowance from SAF la!
- 2 Tops (from Sale)
- Addidas Bag for sis (from Sale)
- Addidas Shoe (from Sale)
- 2 Singlets from Topman

Was invited as a guest to a fashion show by Style:Nordic (the store i used to work at) at Bianco in the late evening. Brought Joe and Jess along as well. So fun! Mis'chevous, the drag queen, was hilarious as usual.. Haha.. And the clothes were fantastic on the models (of whom are ordinary people; not professional models and are regulars of Style:Nordic). Catching up with Chris, Jonas and the new girl that took over my job was fun. Quite nostalgic. Nice people. Nice Store. Nice Environment. Sigh...

SUNDAY
Woke up in the early afternoon. Finally some quality sleep!
Had lunch.
Went to view car showrooms. Dad getting a new car.
Persuaded my family to go to the Lexus showroom, though we have no intention whatsoever to get such an expensive car.

I LOVE THE LEXUS SUV: 400h Hybrid! OMG!
You feel soooooo empowered just sitting in the driver's seat of that SUV.
It's 3.3cc (big, powerful), partially electrically powered (environmentally friendly), spacious, sexy, sleek! I'm in love!
The price is slightly crazy though. $200 000++ Hehehe...
It's not called a DREAM car for nothing.

MONDAY
Woke up late. Went out to buy stuff for Field Camp.
Bought:
- Army stuff
- New Underwear
- A stack of DVD-Rs to clear space on my comp
- Joss Stone's "Introducing Joss Stone"
- Michael Buble's "Call me Irresponsible"
- "Music & Lyrics"OST

Ahhhh.... I'm such a spendthrift! Spent like almost $300 in the past two days la. Including drinks at Mox and what not. Shit...
And my phone bill is like $366 from the diving trip last month. Arrrggghhh!

Maybe i'd have to make it to OCS/SISPEC to sustain my flagrant, hedonistic lifestyle afterall.

Will try to blog soon again. Can't wait for next weekend! I miss P.

-jho. watch d/led ugly betty. sleep. buy food for bunk.

Time. Emotions. Priorities

Time is a funny thing. Especially when I'm a young man living in my light years.

Time whizzes past so quickly these days.
And the funny thing about time is that when you need it the most, you get the least.

Diving has been awesome. Met tonnes of new people, had tonnes of laughs, relaxing holiday overall. And of course, fabulous company!

Time is also filled with expectations. When you expect you would get something in a period of time and if it just goes by, you cannot ever get it back and it's sad to see it go.

Sometimes I wonder how people can remain in relationships with such a lack of time in their hands. Time devoted to work, studies, commitments outside of a relationship seems to be taking precedence at times. And it it such times that you feel that a relationship is really such a chore.

Maybe i'm in an emotional state right now, but this question has been popping back into my mind recently: Won't it be sooo much easier if one were to be single than in a relationship during periods where time is short? How wonderful would it be if human beings were to be able to turn emotions on and off. E.g. if time were short, just switch emotions OFF and stay single for that busy period till we're once free again to resume loving someone.

I'm blaming time and fate. Maybe fate is causing obstacles to obstruct the growth of the relationship or maybe it's a test. I don't know. But whatever it is, it's irritating the hell out of me.

15+2 days we cannot be together now. And on the 18th day, it's not even a good whole full day. After the weekend, we do not see each other for a whole month and a few days again. wtf.

Wouldn't it be great if we could just shut off emotions for a while?

Some people are just not meant to have relationships. Coz they have relationships with other things in their lives.

Priorities: Some place romance over work, relationships over work. Some place work over relationships and over personal life. Some place their dogs over their partners. Some even place electronics over human interactions.

Hence, some people may just not be cut out for work/relationships/personal lives/partners/human interactions. Maybe that's how the way things are.

Sounds extreme? Yes. It's a simplification. But I may believe that how we craft our lives to suit our lifestyle is an art by itself.

If one knows:
- priorities stay with work, don't pursue a relationship.
- priorities stay with relationships, dont pursue time consuming work
- priorities stay with electronics/games, don't presume human interaction.

Sometimes, it's easier to do either or instead of juggling both.

Hmmm....

-jho. sleep. nurse illness.

A Blog Post 02 (From KL, Malaysia)

Just arrived in Kl yday.
During the trip up, was a bit frantic cos I couldn't get reception on my phone at all.
Turns out, another administrative inefficiency!

Bloody fuck M1 officers (as well mannered or kind as they are) activated auto roam on my dad's phone instead of mine! - Both lines registered under his name. This ie when they freaking repeated 98756630 to me twice and said they were going to activate it. pfffff....

*arrived in KL, used Godpa's phone to call*
Jeremy: Hi. I;m calling from KL here. My phone did not seem to have roam activated on it, can you check
Lady: Sure sirrrr (roll tongue for 3 seconds).
............
Lady: Sirrr (roll tongue 1 sec), your number is not activated on roam sirrr. The other number is.
Jeremy: Oh my god, how kuku is this? How can you make such a mistake.
(Jer, feeling a bit embarrassed having said "kuku" to the M1 Lady)
Jeremy: Can you change it?
Lady: Yes sirrr. Sorrry.

I'm surrounded by administrative inefficiencies!

Jeremy: I'm here to pay my application fee, by cash.
SMU finance dept receptionist: By Cash or Nets?
Jeremy: Cash. =.=
Recep: Ok. can i have your application number?
Jeremy: Oh? Sorry.. i just dumped my form into the box, don't have the number anymore.
Recep: I need number to open your account. Sorry.
Jeremy: Let me check my bag. *Checks bag* Sorry, I don't. Can't you just check for my application from my name?
Recep: Oh ya. Can. What's your full name?

W A H P I A N G E H!

Dinner with Mrs Naidu
It was such a relaxed and humorous dinner. First, had to meet part of the class at Cityhall to lead them to clarke quay.

Mrs Naidu couldn't find King's Satay Club as well, so had to meet her and bring her with the class.

Food was quite tasty, but not as conpared to Newton Circus. But was pleasant la. Food in small portions (which was good cos left space for dessert).
Conversations were funny, tonnes of jokes etc.

I love my teachers and classmates at Innova. Such a friendly bunch of people with no airs; except a few people whose egos are larger than life. But shan't mention who cos wanna maintain good relationship with classmates in general.

The day ended with a bang - literally. My phone went kaputt after i dropped it 2metres away from me in the MRT station! Half of the LCD screen cracked and bled. Quite traumatic, especially since the phone belongs to patrick. Eeeks!

I miss Patrick.

Neeeway... Luckily I bought muy "NS phone" on the same day. This Nokia 6030 non-camera phone. Not very comfortable not having 3G functions, USB connectivity etc etc. But will live la... Life of an NS man lor...

Diving Lesson
Today's first day of Diving lesson. I'm just a few days away to a full diving certification! Yay!

However, there are theory classes to take and a book to read. No yay.
Yet, there's a video to watch for every chapter to easy learning. Yay!

Learned quite a lot of stuff regarding dive equipment operation and the basics of diving.
Gonna spend 6 more hours in the pool tml. Yay!

Just got my flippers, snorkel, dive boots and mask. All blue and too cool. ^_^!

Ok. I'm v tired now. Gotta go sleep.
Naite Nite.

-jho. sleep. study. dive lesson.

End of a Small Chapter

Here it is. The end last day of work (i.e. last day of work tomorrow).

It's been fun working at Style:Nordic. Lots of hilarious times as well as painful periods.
I can't believe it's almost three months into 2007! And i'm enlisting in less than a month!

Time really flies.

It is these times when you transit from normalcy or a routine that you are used to to another chapter in your life that you feel weird and can reflect that Time really flies.
It's the same for my post-a level period - though my transition is pretty smooth as immediately after A's, i rushed for a relaxing trip to Western Austalia and then had a cappella commitments till Jan.

It's the week in Jan where I had absolutel nothing to do that made me think about how time flies. Wonder if I will think how time flies when I'm in my 30-40s.

Going for a DIVING TRIP this weekend to Redang Island, East coast of Malaysia! Going to be a qualified diver ^_^! I can't wait to relax and do lots of sight seeing underwater. Yet, i also can't bear to leave Singapore for this period.

1) Time to spend with partner before NS.
2) Time to exercise extensively
3) Will have problems with SMU law interview arrangement.
4) Time with best buds.

But on the positive side, I will be able to see my Godparents, enjoy sun sand sea and chill out!

Dream Scenario: Godparents + Sun Sand Sea + Partner + Best Pals + SMU law interviewer + Running Track @ Redand Island.

Why can't they make these items mobile. Isn't Mobile Godparents, Sun Sand Sea, Partner, best pals etc etc the way to go for the 21st Century?

Ok. Gotta blog off now. Classmates are waiting for Your Majesty Truly to take the escalator down to City hall to meet them. Dinner with Mrs Naidu and my class! Yay!!

This is Jeremy, signing off at Starbucks Raffles City.

-jho. dinner. chill. 1/2 pack backpack. sleep. work

IJC PROM 2006

Prom happened months ago and I didn't blog about it.

And since i was recently in school and hanging out with classmates. It reminded me of prom.

Preparation for prom was qutie fun. Had a drastic hair colour change.

In sec school, i dyed my hair golden brown. For JC, i dyed my hair ash. "Drastic-ism" is key for prom!


Halfdone hair pic - pre colour, post bleach


This is on the morning of prom, was actually at rehearsal man! How hardworking a singer am I?? ^_^


My class at Prom.. Oh my.. i miss you guys leh.. I miss doing all those stupid stuff in class and just hanging around bitching.


After Prom was some prom clubbin' - tradition by many JCs in singapore. Part of my class went to MOS to party... But we eventually felt ripped off!

MOS music was soooooo bad that night and the crowd was ridiculously gross. Ah bengs were hanging around looking like they were to punch any thing that moves, dancefloor was packed to the bone, music was only occasionally good.. Never thought an international brand such as Ministry of Sound would leave such a bad impression. I'm starting to thing that international brands are starting to lose out to the more local brand clubs.

It's the same for The Clinic at the Cannery (covered in next blog post).
PROM club pic

A Blog Post 01

Finally uncovered a name for a random post rather than trying to scour for a title all the time; "A Blog Post - -" seems apt enough. Heehee

Anniversary and Birthday in a single weekend this weekend simultaneously! Whoow~~ Lots to do (no pun intended. lol!).

Gifts to buy, Rings to choose, Itinerary to plan. I usually dismiss such stuff and think they are unneccessary, but somehow when you're in it, you willingly want to do something special.

We'll see how it goes. Less than a month to NS Enlistment. Wonder how will I change or how will my relationships with people around me will change.

People say NS men after the 2 years would have "mellowed", become more "blunt" or lost their youthful edge. Hmmm.. Wonder if i will adhere to the nuture principle.

Bleah~.... Potential sad things aside, let me feature some of the pictures that i have on my phone.. Hehe..

\
This is a typical symptom you would normally get after 2-3 drinks at a club OR very strong alcoholic drinks. In this case study example, it was a drink of a fruit (lemon) sweet wine and the very strong digestive italian wine, Amaretto. I look Hot.


This was a pic taken in my godparents' car while we were driving to a place in KL. Hah! It actually says "CAY 8838" but someone stuck some kind of a plaster or sticker on the plate. Look carefully.. It's hilarious!


This is the toilet at a wedding that my godpa Allan was planning and designing. Darn cool.. They don't just design the wedding area, even the toilets are decorated. And p.s. the entire male toilet flower design is my creation! Good to know I have Design in my blood.. Hehe.. Not spectacular, but it's the first time i ever did such design work. Skilful teachings from Design Master Da Allan. ^_^


I really do hope i can make it to NUS Law. Been meaning to study law since a tender (literally) young age of 8! 240 places available!

SMU Law also seems like a prospective choice with it's double degress Law & SocSci (Sociology). My dream combination is of course Law and Anthropology (offered only at London Sch of Economics), hence SMU is close enough. But i dont' just wana dabble in corporate law! Arrrggghh!

If can't make it to both Law schools, i think i'll just do Sociology & Econs in NUS or SMU or an overseas university under a scholarship. The prospect of studying social sciences overseas doesn't seem that bad either. Hmmm...

1. NUS Law
2. Smu Law OR Sociology & Economics Overseas (on scholarship)
3. Sociology & Economics in NUS/SMU

Seems like a plan!

I WANNA GO TO LAW SCHOOL! *brawls*

-jho. gym (hopefully). watch Alias season one rental. sleep. run in morn.

The Curse of the 4D Auntie

"Centuries" ago, when I was underaged i have been mistaken for someone much older.Passing off as a 20+ (i.e., 22, 23, 24) was not a problem.Bouncers at clubs, surveyours on the street, insurance sellers and even estate agents have mistook me for being Financially able, Older and Eligible for what they have to offer.

But miraculously, compared to the more established occupations, it is the 4D auntie that required my i/c to confirm my age!

==Conversation==
* I walked over to the counter with my pre-ticket numbers *

4D auntie: xiao di ah, ni zhen de shi ba shui ma?
[Direct translation] Little boy, are you really 18 years and above?
* 4D auntie gives a knowing smirk *

Jeremy: (I REFUSED TO GIVE AN ANSWER!)
* Jeremy gives an annoyed-irritated sigh (that of which i always gives bouncers thinking i'm younger than the age requirements) and provided my i/c to prove i'm legal*

4D auntie: hao hao. san quai.
Ok ok. three dollars.

Jeremy: Mm. (Dissatisfied tone)
* Jeremy paid and walks away, with an air of elegance *

LOL! Soooo hilarious! I knew that someone would someday catch lying that i'm older, but i never did know that a 4D auntie would be the first to do that. Moreover, even think that i'm younger than my years!

It's sure one hell-of-a virgin 4D experience.

-Jho. Work. Dunno yet.

My dream

Been out of the blog for awhile now... But i guess people reading my blog are kinda used to it.

I just need to pen down this recurring dream I have. Or at least i think it's recurring - could very well be Deja Vu. You never know with dreams.. haha..

Here goes:
I always dreamt of two young boys - probably primary school kids - trying to plug-in some sort of a nuclear or explosive (basically lethal) machine into a house.
The house resembles my previous HDB Executive Mansionette in its first floor.

So basically the two boys ran in with the machine, which looks like a vaccuum cleaner or those fans public toilet has to dry their floors frantically trying to find a power socket to plug it in.

In the house were two teachers; one chinese lady and one malay lady wearing a blue tudong; and a young boy of age similar to the other two boys. Probably dressed in the same uniform as well. My gut tells me that in my dream, the two antagonists were plotting the death of the third boy.

Then the the malay teacher in the blue tudong basically helped the two boys by pointing to the power socket which was near the piano (similar to where the piano was in m previous house).

The first boy then mumbled or proclaimed something to the people in the house as would any villian in B-grade action movies, and turned on the machine and ran out of the house and locked the door.

The first boy realised that his partner was not with him when he left the house - this was realised when he was sitting by the staris outside the flat at the corridoor. It was a corner HDB flat. Then the 2nd boy suddenly appeared walking down the steps to which the first boy was sitting on worrying.

The two boys went to open the gate and door and there were tonnes of smoke (again, that of a B-grade explosion scene) in the house.

I do not remember exactly what they saw, whether it was corpses or there were no one. But i think i saw corpses in the first enactment of this dream and none in the 2nd.

My dream ends here and I woke up..


It is sooooo weird... I don't know what it is trying to tell me or what it actually means... It's just freaky. Hmmm.... Anyone can decipher?

-Jho. Work.

Early

Wow! First time in a long time i'm home this early! Quite refreshing...

Just had gig at the home of this ESPN lady at Serangoon gardens. Very nice people. Very warm and welcoming.. It was also very warm, literally. Haha.. But all was good..

Today's is TONE's official last X'mas gig. No more x'mas songs for another year! I can't believe it's x'mas in 2 days already. Gosh. The year just zooms past me like that. I know this might be a little morbid and stuff, but it's times like these that makes me wonder about death. As time whizzes pass so quickly, during the brink of our deaths, how would we recall our lives? Haha.. Okok. Crap enough.

All the events, all the people in our lives- so much has been collected in my mere 18 years of existence. What will I be in 60 years time?

And this hails me to think, Tone has progressed quite a lot in the past year. It's been one year officially that this (hopefully longlasting) set of singers are together. We've grown in our blend and most certainly our stage quality and stage "babble" (if you may).
Wonder again, how will we be in say, 5 years down the road... Hmmm...

Christmas always begs alot of questions. I think it's the love and the general social atmosphere. Everyone is about gathering and loving and vacations that it makes you take things out of their system for a bit and acquire some thoughts about life and how it has progressed.

Or maybe it's just the end of the year; as they always say, an ending begs more questions than answers. Ok, i admit, that is not what THEY always say, but what JEREMY HO always thinks.
Haha..

Moving on to something less lunatic-ish:
Tone bought wine for Angie & Alex as a x'mas gift and I was the one that chose it and paid for it first. And again, the lady at the counter did not ask for my i/c. Do i really look that old???
goodness....

This is TONE's official X'mas picture:


Random comment: Careless whisper by George Michael is THE Make Love song! Haha

Please remember to tag guys!

Ok. Joe, just got back. Gotta go meet him. Night night!

-Jho. Eat. Sleep.

Life as it is.

=Life update, Begin=

It's now post A levels. One (some ex-students say the most) trying period of my life is over!
Finally get a chance to blog again i.e. Finally get some free time/some time to babble instead of regurgitating population data/geographical processes/shakespearean quotes/economics concepts.

Been thoroughly busy after the exams. One day after the last paper and i'm down for a trip to Western Australia (Roadtrip vacation). It was fantastic! Beautiful sights, slowed down pace, new experiences and most of all, great company!

And right after the trip was straight down to rehearsals in view of X'mas performances which are still going on. Busy busy busy. Literally no time to breathe!

Now that everything has more or less settled down, repertoire fixed, attire fixed and i've got into the routine of travelling in and out for performances, i have more time on my hands to head to the gym/chill out/watch movies. But of course swimming or running is out of the question since it's still pouring for the 2nd day non-stop! Arrrggghhh.. Where's my beloved Sun!?

Though, I have to say it's a little cosy and romantic wiht the rain going on. Too bad it falls on weekdays - all those missed time in the afternoon cuddling and relaxing on bed... Mmmmm....

Joe's away on holiday with Dad and brother. I miss him a lot. Miss those silly late drunken nights. He'll be back tml! YAY!

So so so.. Still looking for a job... Sent in 3 applications for part-time work yesterday: 2 service staff positions & 1 writing work. No reply from them yet. Wonder how long will they take? Or maybe i'm under-experienced. Hmmmm....

And will be heading to KL from 27th-30th! Whoohoo! Can see god parents again! :D

=Life update, Complete=

Now, here are some little photographs taken from Western Australia.



Think this would be a good Innova picture! haha



Same beach with Patrick in the picture ^_^



Same beach; This is actually the first beach we came upon on the trip. It's off the tip of Bunbury county, called Meelup Beach.



2nd beach we arrived at. Camped here for the night. Gorgeous sky at night with gorgeous view in the morning. Actually took this picture with my phone! Damm solid phone la!



Love love love this pic. Thanks to patrick, i look dashing. Was a little peeved at that time though, if you can see from my body language/facial expression. Haha



The Busselton bridge as a runway for Jeremy Ho. The wind was blowing too darn strongly though, my clothes all to one side.



Now this one, i took it myself! Love it! Just look at the lines.. very arty (i feel)



Crazy driver.. hehe





Now I can say I have actually been to a LIMESTONE CAVE! Booya! Haha.. It's the Ngilgi cave (what a mouthful) in Yallingup, south of Perth. It's absolutely gorgeous and very deep. U actually find breathing slightly more challenging when down there.



Staglamites and Staglacites: When i was there, i actually forgot how they were formed. Hurray! haha









At the top of the light house in Dunsbourough.



Another arty shot. This one's at Mylup beach, the last beach we camped at.



Didn't see any kangaroos, but saw a wala beast at least. Haha.. It was posing for patrick to snap! How adorable..



Ferocious birds in Freemantle. Tackling the plates for leftover foods by the docks.. Quite scary. Reminds me of Singaporeans at a sale.



Me at Magaret River in the magaret river county. Very quaint and relaxed little town. Was also around the corner by car which i bought my Dad's birthday gift: a Vasse Felix merlot (red wine).

Ok.. That's all for now.. Will blog soon again!

Have a gd'dae mate! *_^

-Jho.Sleep.

UK Trip

Arrrrgggghhh.. Stupid Subway! Now it reminded me of UK. The sandwich is the culprit. Funny how a type of food can make you reminisce so much..

Here is the introduction video to Innova JC's UK Humanities Trip 2006



Here is the ending video to Innova JC's UK Humanities Trip 2006


It always makes me wana cry and fly back to England now to especially visit Lake District.

-Jho. Nap. (try to)Study. Study. Study

MSI Aug 2006 / Rants

Welcome to Ms Nathan Idol August 2006!

- where the best antics compete to be crowned Ms Nathan idol 2006 -

Ms Nathan Idol July 2006 was "if the the water don't drink the horse, bring the water to it"!

Who will be Ms Nathan Idol August 2006 (MS Idol August 2006)? Let's find out

Contestant number 1:
[MS tries to change the font size on the word document]
[MS highlights the entire document, manually by mouse]
[MS changed the font size and tries to get it back to normal (i.e. without black highlighting)]
[MS clicked and clicked and clicked and cannot change it back]
MS says: Why is it black?? (tone: naive and child-like)

LOL!

Contestant number 2:
MS supposed to say "She is groomed to be a Handmaid doing laundry"
Ms says: She is groomed to be a laundry...

LOL!

Contestant number 3:
MS suppose to type, "Abuse of women by men"
MS first typed: "Abuse by men of women" - somewhat grammatically wrong
MS then typed: "Abuse of men of women"

LOL!

Contestant number 4:
MS suppose to type: Elvis Presley
MS typed: "Elvis Priestly"
[Lecture group laughed and told her directly]
MS says: "What's wrong!?"

LOL!

Judges' comments:
It's a tough choice.. We really cannot decide, it seems to be a fight between contestant number 1 and 4. But we really cannot tell which is the audience's favourite.. We'll just have to tune in next
week for more MS Idol August 2006 action!

Host:
Yup. You heard the judges right! We'll just have to tune in next week for more MS Idol action! Do post your votes on the tagboard on which MS Idol contestant you would like to move on to the next round.. Remember, your votes count if you want your favourites to stay in this competition.

Once again this is Host, signing out. This has been Miss Nathan Idol!
- miss nathan's cute and creeeepy laughter plays on as background music together with some 80's spastic animation -

----------

Watched "Lady in the Water" with Patrick today. Very very nice show.. very literary.. tonnes of equivocation and double plots going on.. Go watch it for the perfect practical criticism opportunity! (hey.. gimme a break.. i know i am making excuses for watching a movie)

Oh and subway's choc-chip cookies are to die for ^_^ Starting to like subway for meals... I think I miss UK that's why.. Hai..

Woooow.... My mom just came back from HK and got me 2 billabong berms and a new mp3 player! :D Well.. it's an mp4 player and it is a hong kong local brand i think.. But who cares! Finally i have something to listen to.

It looks like an iPod nano firstly, which i feel is quite a "poser" design (i.e. trying to copy iPod). The size and outlook is very similar. But the functions are quite advanced!

It's 1 Gb.
It has a movie player (though screen is puny and you can't see nuts)

It has a mp3 player

It has a picture viewer

It has the radio function

It can record from the radio (like a creative)

It's light.

It's only S$100 .

Haha.. seems like a good deal to me la.. Lack of brand name, but heck, i'm not a label queen anyway.. Who gives a heck about the brand name when ultimately looks, feels, sounds good?

Digression: I cannot stand ppl who go for brands just because of the brand itself. Like wtf lor.. I mean, you can wear Giordano or hangten and with the correct match of shoes, accessories, body type etc, you can look like a run way model. It's all about pulling it off! Cheap pasar malam clothes? Go get 'em if they flatter you and your look. Don't look down on those pasar malam clothes man.. Some (though rare) can actually accentuate your outlook!

-Jho. Sleep. Wake up. Swim Study.

Recent happenings

TONE has got a blog! Finally! It's just a simple design though.
Ray wants to create a radioblog where tracks of our recordings can be played. LOL.. Must gain the consent of the rest first.

Please feel free to tag and stuff.. Will upload some photos soon! Oh.. and if you would want to look at some of our latest photo collection called "Toilet Album" (direct translation from Mandarin: che4 shuo3 zhuan1 ji2) it can be found in Jun Kai's multiply account


Oh oh oh! Ms Nathan came up with another hilarious scene again!
You have to dramatise this a bit.

[chatter chatter chatter...]
MsNathan: Why is there so much chattering in the lecture hall?
[chatter chatter chatter...]
MsNathan: Please keep quiet so I CAN hear the noise!
[Tranquil silence]
MsNathan: [Silent, with a face in deep thoughts]
Ok.. Now we can continue!

LOL! You should just experience the moment.. hahahah.. It's almost as hilarious as the quote she made earlier (ref to earlier posts)! Hahah..


Oh.. On a bitchy-ier note. Here we were in the library. Some of us studying and some of us (me) sleeping. And the entire library was being very noisy. So my friend Weeling said out loud serving as a reminder.
Weeling: Guys, can you please keep quiet? This is a library.

Then here comes this ultra cunt (pardon the all intended diction) who thinks she own the bloody library said, "Whatever la". WHAT THE HELL!
I turned around and glared at the group she was in, but didn't know who is she exactly. I suspect IT IS the one carrying the polka dot bag. What a lame-ass, inconsiderate, bimbotic cunt! Don't you have any social decency?! Probably not la! Seeing as it is how high your skirt must have been, displaying your nonoque and what not! - Or maybe i just don't like her face - But hey, seriously, "whatever la" ????

It's a fucking library for god's sake.. Maybe since your private parts are silent, you should keep your mouth silent too - since they mainly serve the same function anyway, i.e. to excrete.

I am not one who bear grudges or hold anger/irritation for long. But till today, since last week thursday, I am still holding that bitch to her words. Yes, we're teenagers, we are allowed to show angst once in a while. But fuck yourself when you're being totally inconsiderate! BITCH!

Haha.. That was an angst statement. Oh well.. Off to shower and study!

-Jeremy. Study. Red bull. Sleep

George Michael

George Michael

Controversial. Talented. True.




Here comes one for the ladies
For the ones who love me
To think I thought I could be some kind of family man
I told myself I was straight
But I shouldn’t have worried
‘Cos my Maker had a better plan for me

Chorus:
And I’m dancing with the freaks now
I'm havin’, I’m havin’ so much fun
What you sow is what you reap now
I’ll do my dance with everyone
I’ve been getting too much Sun
(Yes I’m dancin’ with the freaks now)
We’re havin’, we’re havin’ too much fun for them
Look who’s talking Guilty feet now…

Well let me tell you people
It’s an easier affair
Not living my life with other people on my mind
No, got nothing to hide from anyone
Yes, I’m walking on new air
Just living my life
Better believe I'm gonna get what’s mine
See I don’t have the time
For the haters

And all the time that I wasted
How careless of me
Too young and stupid to see
I put my life in their hands
(Gonna look for Cupid, man)
Oh, and I know that they want me to hate them
There’s no hurry
I’ll just have to be the bigger man

::Chorus::

Well let me tell you people
It’s an easier affair
Not livin’ my life with other people on my mind
No, got nothing to hide from anyone
‘Cos I’m walking on new air
Just living my life
Better believe I’m gonna get what’s mine
See I don’t have the time for the haters

Don’t let them tell you who you are is not enough
Don’t let them tell you that it’s wrong
Or that you won’t find love
Don’t let them use my life to put your future down
Don’t let them tell you that happiness can’t be found

For my life

Take it to the streets
There are stories you can keep
They’re just passing you by

Don’t let them tell you who you are is not enough
Don’t let them tell you that it’s wrong
Or that you won’t find love Don’t let them use my life to put your future down
Don’t let them tell you that happiness can’t be found

Nice eh? Can't wait for the CD to come out!

CONTROVERSY:
... is his thing. Something i absolutely admire him for.. His ability to put into music his opinions, thoughts and ideas - however provocative. Listen to his albums, you can just do an entire General Paper syllabus from his songs! From discrimination to politics and the works, George Michael has put it in your face, literally.

MUSIC:
The thing i marvel about him is that he is able to do it seamlessly, by employing both LYRICS (of which he actually sings most of it! Unlike other "musicians")and MELODY with today's popular style of electronic music. In other words, he merged the conventional form of music with the contemporary style of music. And yet, he is still able to capture fans like myself of whom is a firm believer of harmonies, melodies and lyrics!

There is no comparison of George Michael with the likes of 50 cent? 40 cent? ummm... snip dog? snoopy dog? and ummm.. what's their name.. oh yes.. Link In Park? No no.. Linkin' Park.. Yes? I mean, does anybody realise those people are NOT SINGING?

You want someone with an opinion of the world? Someone who is angry with it? Someone who knows how to display it without destroying a guitar (and destroy forests) or wears tonnes of gold EVERYWHERE? George Michael's your guy.
Provocative ideas put in true enjoyable music.

VIDEOS:
You should go to his website and take a look at all the videos. Especially "Shoot the dog" (below) and "Freeek '04" (below). Definitely provocative!

His videos are filled with special effects! Totally fun to watch! i.e. "Flawless (Go To the City)"

Quote lyrics from "Freeek '04": 'c'mon kids don't be scared, it's a tits and ass world you've gotta be prepared'!


STATS:
Birth name: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
Height: 5' 11" (1.80 m)

TRIVIA:
Was arrested in early 1998 at a public restroom in Beverly Hills for commiting a lewd act in front of an undercover police officer. He has since made a music video mocking the whole incident. The arresting police officer has since filed a civil suit againt George for defamation of character. It was dismissed.

Is of Greek-Cypriot heritage from his father, a restaurant owner, who emigrated to the U.K. from Cyprus, in the 1950s.

George Michael: "I still believe that music is one of the greatest gifts that God gave to man."

His controversial single "Shoot the Dog" (released 2002) had a video that ridiculed Tony Blair, Cherie Blair and George W. Bush.



Freeek '04

- Jho. Out to dinner. Study. Sleep.

T.O.N.E

"and the 1st runner up of the College category is..... a group that is made up of singers from 16 to 18.. TONE!"



Here's the video.. Can't believe I am showing this performance! Embarrass ah! (And you guys better tag on my board!)

We (TONE) won 2nd place at the National A Cappella Championships 2006! It was quite a success, though with mixed feelings.

I felt the same was as Jasmine did - bitter sweet. We (or at least I) did not think we could have gotten into Top3 much less top 2 in lieu of the 3 NUS groups that have participated in the College category.

When the consolation prizes were slowly being eliminated one after another, we started to get nervous. Finally, it was down to two groups, Resonance & TONE. There are only 1st and 2nd prize trophies, the rest are consolation prizes. So we knew that we weren't part of the consolation prizes. It was that period for me that I really really wanted us to be FIRST.

Frankly, I am very glad and happy [note choice of diction]. Not exactly satisfied with our performance in terms of pitching and stage presence- our voices were tired from all that rehearsals in the afternoon, pre-competition. The monitors were also pretty weak, as in, we can't really hear ourselves.

Point to note: Never rehearse extensively pre-performance, will tire voices.

Moreover, Ray, Jasmine and myself are preparing for major exams end of this year and Chin and Jun are also busy with exams prior to competition. Schedule was very tight.
P.S. Thanks Chintow & Jas for making shifts and sacrifices in terms of schedules!

BUT!! No excuse, a not so well done performance is just a not so well done performance. No excuses of tiredness/of no prior preparation. Must be professional. Not well prepared means not well prepared. That is the mentality I think most teams or people in life should adopt.

TONE has come a long long long way.. From the "kayu" performance style to a slightly improved flexibility and the "crash chords" pitching to the nicer blend. I'm truly excited by our major improvement, if not anything else. We have come a long long way... truly...

T.O.N.E

5 Voices. 3 age groups. 1 harmony.

Okkkkkk... I know.. Corny statement, but i can't think of anything else la.. Haha! Maybe you guys can help? Haha..

Watch out for our up-and-coming blog! And remember to come watch the performances! (listed in previous post)

-Jho. out. study. sleep.

05A21

Sudden urge to post stuff I have of 05A21 - My class in IJC

Here's an introductory video! It looks very 1980s with the sepia format. Play "Stupid Girls" by P!nk to go with this clip. Very suitable. I was bored. Ms Nathan is late. We (I) play.


BOOBIES

Don't you dare touch my boobies!


I will charm teachers with those honky tong tongs! Don't challenge my T(temporary)-cup!



This is such a gorgeous picture.. Seriously! It's like Innova is being engulfed by a dark aura, and yet mantains its shine and power. Wooo~~


I can't decipher the Da MsLim Code.

And finally... Jannnnneee!

She is disappointed by the fact that the class thinks her jokes can go to hell. But is secretly wishing for suicide.
"[You] have miles to go before [you] sleep", Jane.
Please don't "take the road less travelled by", cos' it will make "[a huge ugly] difference" on the pavement.

This is called boredom and refusal to study due to nervousness from the stress of the a cappella competition.

OMG! The egg in the microwave oven just exploded and my entire house power got tripped. LOL! So funny...
And my parents HAD to shout.. They just have to shout and make a huge fuss about such a trivial issue. Ya know.. Sometimes i ponder, is it because of the inability to hold on to their children that led them to start to be more talkative; trying to be more active in the family i.e. instead of the children constantly haunting them and being irritating by their side in the past, it is not reversed, with the parents haunting and irritating their children.
What the hell lor...

-Jho. (try to) Study. Sleep. College. Lecture @ NJC. REHEARSAL!

What the hell!

LOLOL! Taken from Green Chameleon, a resource blog from the company Straits Knowledge. Isn't he handsome? I can just slot him into any pringles ad! Haha..
People say, by staying gorgeous one is high mantainance. Who knew looking ugly can be so expensive as well? Haha!

NAC 06
OH MY GOODNESS! Competition is stiff man! So many good groups are competing! How is TONE going to triumph??? Stress ah!!

College
Did not go to school today, was studying a bit in the morning, but was not was not as efficient as i'd like it to be. It's okay! Tomorrow, school ends at 140pm. YAY! Study Study Study..

Diarrhorea
Oh my god.. Am watching desperate housewives now. Andrew (Bree's son) is such an asshole! No pun intended. Sometimes quite painful to watch. Desperate housewives is really getting too heartaching to watch. The kniving wives are just too much to handle.. seriously.. Haha


The YHA Ambleside Hostel we stayed at during our stay in Lake District, England. Gorgeous isn't it?

-Jho. Grey's Anatomy. Sleep College. Study

Recovery

A Cappella
Jun Kai is insulting Chin Tow on MSN.
Ray is (extremely) excited about the costumes.
Jasmine is not on MSN but apprehensive towards the costumes earlier.
I was busy typing the damm heritage fest script - Lit skills applied - YAY! I studied.
Tow's complained she is too short to fit into the vietnamese costume!

Singapore Heritage Fest @ Suntec Tropics Atrium Recap:
We wore the nice but dumb looking costumes.. ~below~ Haha.. Quite hilarious. The sound check was fantastic! But then the sound engineer screwed up during our first song! Kiam pa! Our morale fell.. And it tumbled all the way into our last song.. Which sucked big time! Hopefully the audience did not hear what we heard! Juicy was apparently one of the better songs though.






So.. as you can see.. or hopefully hear, TONE (5 member a cappella group which I belong to) is doing really well.. Slowly and steadily progressing. Singing technique and performance still need quite some work. But i think we're our greatest critique - especially Jasmine our secretary.

Funny thing is, we know we have faults, but nobody seems to be improving rapidly. Hmmm.. And irritating enough, no one in TONE dares/wants/tries/claims to pick on my mistakes in singing bass. Either 1. I'm too good. 2. They're too shy and think i'm too good. 3. I'm only singing bass and never anything else, they don't sing bass, they don't know bass, they shut up and let me stay in isolation.

We need to expand our horizons and seriously listen to more (good) music.

But hopefully, we're going somewhere with this. I think if we stay on longer, it will be wonderful by the time we all hit 21 and above! At least on my part, I really hope we can become the next Idea of North! 5 man band that can sound absolutely tight and clear!

noTe to Tone:
- Please listen to more sops, altos, tenors, baris, basses respectively. Idea of North (ION) is a good group to listen and copy. If all of us can sound like the ION singers i.e. can hold solos, can hold harmonies that sound like a solo line in itself yet blend, can have large ranges. Perfect!:D
- Listen to more English pop singers that are within your range

Gig Updates:

20th July at Esplanade Concourse – Competing in National A Cappella Championships 2006
24th July at Esplanade Concourse – Performance 7:30 & 8:30
28th July at St Magaret’s Sec – Vocalpoolloza: A Cappella Dance Party 7:30-9:30pm

Don't miss a single performance!

Chintow's contribution to TONE's (up-and-coming) blog:


College
Busy as usual. Stress ah.. To many things to study! Need to work doubly hard now. Prelims 1 results aren't even satisfactory much less spectacular. Don't even know where to begin. Am seriously starting to loose hope in my ability to enter Law.

My new policy: "Don't know where I'm heading. Just Study."

Really am interested to try to take up Anthropology / Sociology in FASS ^_^
Patrick says Anthropology is very high in demand right now.. Consultants that have training in that area are highly demanded! Maybe i should do it! Since i'm able, and like to work with people and analyse relationships. Evidence: I didn't study much for "The Guide" as much as my Shakespeare paper, but is able to write a good essay on the Universal quality of a typical Indian -culture based novel. Hmmm... Good to have alternatives!

Conclusion: Law OR Sociology/Anthro (for now!)

Music
Just bought Nelly Furtado's new CD - Loose [Wanted to buy Mariah carey, but thought mimi is worth less than Nelly Furtado] Haha!
Dionne Warwick
Idea of North - Mas que nada (I'm obsessed!)
Toni Braxton - He wasn't man enough for me
Laura Fygi - La la la la love song
Rag Fair - Love love couple furi furi de chuu
DHT - Listen to your heart
Neri Per Caso - La Raccolta


- Jho sleep. Study. Movie. Dinner.

Quote of the Month:
"if the water don't drink the horse, bring the water to it" -Ms Evelyn Nathan, Innova JC 2006

Crazy Jazzy Fuzzy

Am appreciating my best friend Joe a little more now. Went out on thursday to watch The Wild - quite a nice show, but a little skimpy on the plot. (Can't wait for X3!!) He liked the movie although didn't show it much. Patrick said me and Joe are like a married couple.. LOL! He likes to switch off and I like to diss and be negative about the things he do. Which is not absolutely wrong I guess.. Haha! Guess when you're close to someone, you tend to have a bit of misunderstanding here and there, especially when the things the other person does matter, a lot. Went out with him today (30th April) for lunch, then wanted to do track training or gym, but it poured, so stayed at home for awhile and went out with Joe to shop for his t-shirts. Didn't get anything at the end of the day. Arrrgghh..

He is going back into bodybuilding though and wants a training partner; I tried on some clothes at Giordano for fun and looked like a little boy in his father's apparel. THUS, we decided to train together - he bulk me up a bit, I bulk him up to 2nd or 3rd position at least in the competition; Symbiotic Relationship. @_@

Picture of Sergeoh (Joe) and Myself - Darn gay sial!

Have not hit the gym in a week. Not because i'm sick (I am well now btw), but because of my stupid bruise caused by the drawing of blood due to the NS checkup. FUCKERS! My bruise now extends 15cm long and about 4 cm wide right smack on my forearm and lower biceps. Hurts to even extend my arm!

Well, at least the good thing is that I am a PES A. Plus I got gold for my NAPFA this year. Not sure how many consecutive golds i need, but doesn't matter, gold since Sec 1. YAY! 9weeks of BMT only! ^Y^

Patrick's friend just got tested HIV positive. Shit man! Da Nigel's cousin/friend just got cancer. Shit! Sad news revealed to me.. Sigh.. Cancer - cannot prevent, it's just a pity. HIV - CAN prevent, PLEASE USE PROTECTION!

On a lighter note (no pun intended), I have rehearsal with TONE tml! Yay! Can't wait to sing again.... I finally did an arrangement of my own that is SINGABLE; no more Kelly Clarkson's Since You've Been Gone crap arrangements. I arranged the song Juicy by Better Than Ezra. YES, it is the one you hear on the Desperate Housewives ad on Channel 5! I hope it works. We're singing it for the first time tomorrow.

Just bought the Jason Mraz's Mr A-Z CD. Songs are fantastic! All self written and fantastic.

In case you want to see how my Dog looks like, here's a picture taken a few weeks ago.


I want these PANTS!



Sorry.. randomly posting pictures. I am still in awe of the html wonders!
There you go. A post for those hotly requesting one from me (a.k.a Jeffrey.. haha!)

NEXT POST: I Promise to showcase artistic and beautiful pictures. Some of my "artistic" photography and beautiful people and pictures of my godparents' you-can't-believe-it's-edible cakes!

-Jho. Ice swollen arm. Sleep. Run. Rehearsal. etc (not mentionable) etc...