Who is This Girl?

Attractive prizes await lucky winners. Who is she?

Useless Info Residing In My Brain

Indulgence in the past month or so :

Books

1) A Prison Diary : Volume I (Hell)

Volume II (Purgatory)

Volume III (Heaven)

Classification : Autobiography

In short : Jeffrey Archer writes about his time spent behind bars after being sentenced for perjury. Recommended for those who are interested in mundane affairs ( like what people in prison do and eat to kill time). The three books trace Archer's passage from Category A to Category D prisons and stories of his fellow inmates were included.

Lesson for Puffyrazzi : The difference between 'escape' and 'abscond'. Ahhh, the power of the English language...

Rating : 3.5 stars

2) Angels and Demons : Special Illustrated Edition


Classification : Fiction, fusing both religion and science, also mixing facts and fiction.


In short : Dan Brown churns out another thriller with The Da Vinci Code's protagonist, Robert Langdon. This time Langdon solves the mystery of the secret society, the Iluminati and zips around Rome and Vatican City trying to stop an antimatter canister from blowing off the Vatican City during the cardinals' conclave to elect the new Pope. I love the illustrations that accompany the story. Sure takes loads off your mind trying to imagine what the inside of the Pantheon or Chigi Chapel look like when you've never been to Europe.


Lesson for Puffyrazzi : Few pounds of antimatter is enough to wipe out a city.


Ratings : 4 stars

Dramas

1) It Started With a Kiss , 惡作劇之吻


Classification : Romantic Idol Drama


In Short : Cute and simple-minded girl falls for genius. This drama follows her life for the 4 years she spent trying to win his heart. The Old English Sheepdog ( Xiao Ke Ai ) that appears midway in this drama is too cute! Ariel Lin and Joe Cheng showed some solid acting in this one.


Lesson for Puffyrazzi : Second leads in idol dramas are always much nicer and its sad they don't end up with the chick. *sigh*... poor ah jin. I love you, though.


Ratings : 3 stars









2) KO One , 终级一班


Classification : Gangster flick


In Short : KO One is a class meant for delinquents and rejects. The story revolves around members of the KO chart who possess different fighting superpowers. The drama is presented video gamestyle ( when two characters fought, their strength and weapons are displayed on screen above them). The acting was abit choppy though but i thoroughly enjoyed the cold jokes and the suspense of guessing who KO One ( AKA #1 on KO chart) was. Most hilarious scene was when KO9 was revealed to be a transvestite called Tsai 1 0 (Tsai Yi Ling) and the role was played by Xiao Gui of '100% entertainment' fame.


Lesson for Puffyrazzi : Senseless drama can be so entertaining at times.


Ratings : 3 stars

Phantom Of The Opera

A week after Jolin's pop concert, i headed to the Esplanade Theatre for the critically-acclaimed musical 'Phantom Of The Opera'. Of all the musicals i've listened to, Phantom is the number one on my list of 'must-watch'.

Unlike the week before, the musical started right on time. About 5 minutes prior to the show, i zipped out for a quick toilet break and one of the ushers gently reminded me to be back in 5 minutes or else i would only be let in after the first few scenes. Not wanting to miss the famous chandelier-raising opening scene, i obediently returned in 2 minutes.. haha


Based on the novel written by Gaston LeRoux, songs from the musical such as 'All I Ask Of You' , 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Music of the Night' were on my regular winamp playlist during my university days. Being there in the theatre and reliving those songs brought back many nostalgic memories.

The story traces the love triangle between the Phantom, his protege Christine Daae and her childhood friend Raoul Vicomte de Chagny, a nobleman. The phantom is a disfigured musical genius who combs and lives in the sewers of the Paris Opera House.


The beautiful sets and costumes left me mesmerized with their beauty. The changing of scenes were effortless and during the 2 hours, members of the audience were spellbound by the beautiful tunes and we felt as if we were really transported back in time during the height of the Paris Opera House glorious days.

My 2 friends who were sitting just a few rows from the stage in the matinee show expressed that they felt moved by the performance as they were near enough to see every detail of the actors' expressions. I bet they were also close enough to touch the chandelier when it crashed just before the end of Act I... =)

Lastly, i share with you the lyrics from 'The Music Of The Night' :

Night-time sharpens,heightens each sensation . . .

Darkness stirs and wakes imagination . . .

Silently the senses abandon their defences . . .

Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendour . . .

Grasp it, sense it -tremulous and tender . . .

Turn your face away from the garish light of day,

turn your thoughts awayfrom cold, unfeeling light -

and listen to the music of the night . . .

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!

Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before!

Close your eyes,let your spirit start to soar!

And you'll liveas you've never lived before . . .

Softly, deftly,music shall surround you . . .

Feel it, hear it,closing in around you . . .

Open up your mind,let your fantasies unwind,i

n this darkness which you know you cannot fight -

the darkness of the music of the night . . .

Let your mind start a journey through a strange new world!

Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!

Let your soul Take you where youl ong to be !

Only then can you belongto me . . .

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication!

Touch me, trust me savour each sensation!

Let the dream begin,

let your darker side give into the power of the music that I write -

the power of the music of the night . . .

Puffyrazzi's Expanding Business

Puffyrazzi would like to announce that from today onwards, she will not be updating her blog as frequently anymore. The reasons? My expanding business that spans through many countries in Asia Pacific. Here i share two of their photos for any of you out there who are potential or interested share holders hohoho....

Yong An Departmental Store, Hong Kong

Yong An Chinese Restaurant, Yokohama Japan

2007 唯舞独尊 World Tour

Hey hey hey, I was privileged to attend Jolin 蔡依林's Dancing Diva concert in Singapore Indoor Stadium last Saturday. It was the last leg of her world tour concert that began in July 2006. Initially, i thought that she would not be stopping in Singapore as her whirlwind tour had stopped in Malaysia in December '06 ( which everyone thought was the last leg). Out of the blue, it was announced there would be an additional stop in Singapore...whoo hoo.



Queing up to enter the stadium. Nice poster .... had my tote examined but my camera was not confiscated as it was in hiding.

I've always enjoyed listening to English music more, but i am now beginning to accept more Mandaring songs. I prefer upbeat songs and would normally reserve my admiration for dancing singers. To me, Mandarin ballads all sound the same. I love dancing male artistes who do the popping-locking routine. There is a dearth of Chinese female singers who actually dance when they sing, i can only name a handful : Jolin ,Elva, Landy. As i have been dancing since secondary school, i can understand how difficult dancing can be. I have seen non-dancing friends diss singers or dancing for their lack of skill but what they don't realise is a dance move that looks easy may take ages to master. If you don't believe me, try to dance along to what you see on TV, i can assure you that you will laugh at yourself in the mirror.

Approximately 30 minutes before the show, the stadium is slowly filling up and eventually was brimming with fans anticipating a good performance.

I'm happy cos i got a good seat. It was important for me to get a good seat cos i was there for the dancing, not the singing... haha~ I do know she's not much of a live singer . My seat was on the right side of the stadium. The good thing was it was very near to the stage, i was even nearer than the first row on the front but of course, i was watching everything from a side view. It was a blessing in disguise though, cos everyone in front of the stage ended up dancing along midway through the concert. Those of us at the front side seats remained seated so we could still enjoy the show while in our seats.

The view from my seat. The stage is about 5m away from me.

Jolin made her first appearance by suspending herself on a pair of gymnastic rings slowly descending from the top while posing in a split. Oh crap, once the lights dimmed, so did my camera capabilities. It was impossible to capture a clear photo with all those dancing and and moreover in semi-darkness... haha... Please bear with my badly taken photographs. She started with a medley of dancey songs. After that she put on a white gown and proceeded with mid-tempo numbers.

Her opening medley. What beautiful legs the dancers have... :D

Then, she disappeared backstage for a costume change. Out of nowhere, Energy suddenly jumped on stage and crooned 3 songs ; 2 fast and 1 slow song. I am not familiar with Energy, but what i can tell you is that they are not really very charismatic. The 2 girls sitting right beside me dashed away for a quick toilet break, as did many others!

This photo is dedicated to Crispy, who is a big fan of ANY boybands... haha~ Puffyrazzi was able to squeeze her petite self into a photo with Energy!!! Hey, do you notice the girl in front of me is not even paying attention to Energy?

Everyone began cheering when Jolin reappeared, this time in a purple gown, belting out a string of ballads. Her voice was clearer when she was singing slower songs. During the fast numbers, the live band's music was too loud, drowning out her voice and the loud bass was thumping and vibrating my seat, really! After 3 ballads, she stripped off her purple gown revealing a black tube matched with a pair of puffy shorts. She sang 3 cute songs, including 2 Jay Chou-penned older songs.

I didn't like the purple dress very much. It looked too big for her frame and abit clumsy to walk in.





At this point, the crowd that was initially sitting and cheering began to warm up. Those on the floor began standing and waving their battery-operated light sticks like maniacs... haha... Those in her fan club even brought lighted banners. Others danced and sang along, some even shouted in their replies when she was addressing the crowd. For once, i saw the warm side of Singaporeans =P

The meek crowd in the beginning. This was before everyone started standing and dancing along. See, i was sitting even nearer to the stage than the first row! Akakakaka...

Next, Jolin and her dancers performed a military dance, complete with trench-coats and machine guns. She perfomed 'Prove It' in this get-up but later stripped to a body-hugging suit when she continued on with other songs. During '唇唇欲动' she tried to perform 2 successive cartwheels but her 2nd one failed, and she crashed to the floor. The audience gasped audibly but continued to cheer...

She later donned a black racy costume and entertained with a bunch of her signature dance songs. All the crazy fans have reached the highest at this point, i can't even hear her sing anymore... oh dear god, i just sat there watching her dancing , wondering where she got her stamina from. I couldn't even dance without panting and her she could even sing whilst dancing ( i must add that she was dancing on 2-inch heels)....arrrggh...God is unfair...

Simply love the boots she was wearing during the gun dance. Male dancers lifted her up just before she released the final gunshot.

Her microphone pouch hanging precariously just above her butt dropped during '看我 72 变'. Her back-up dancers tried to help her midway during the number. When they could not solve the problem, another 2 backstage workers came up to assist them. Finally after they managed to stick it back, the song was over and it was time for her to dash off to prepare for the encore.

Dancing along the tune of 'Prove It'.

During her encore, she appeared with a gymnastic ball and ribbons to perform '舞娘', adding numerous stag leaps and pirouttes in the routine. I didn't get a good pic, which was a shame cos the ribbon looked really nice. Jolin's was pink and her dancers' were all white.. The last song was '倒带' which was really appropriate cos everyone wished they could rewind everything and watch again.

Jolin's last song was 倒带, on an elevated platform, before waving goodbye and descending along with the platform

In all, i think this concert was below-par compared to her previous concerts and those on DVD. She forgot her lyrics in several songs and did not complete some dance moves which she previously did easily. She looked like she was lacking in practice, probably cos she was on a long break after her previous leg in Kuala Lumpur. I was also disappointed cos the special guests Energy did not interact with her AT ALL. I was actually expecting Stanley Huang to guest this concert. Haiz...

My next venture to a concert should be next year.. heh heh... it should be 小豬's world tour which is starting in June this year. By the time he reaches Singapore, it should be either end of this year or next year. Ahh.... anticipating another good performance from a fantastic dancer.

Express Cupcake

Yo yo! I tried a new cupcake recently. The special thing is that i made it all from scratch in a matter of minutes. Ha ha...that's what i call super-instant cupcake.

In this cute box comes 2 sachets of cupcake mix. I have no idea what it says on the box ( i can't read Japanese for nuts) but i think it's mocha flavour.

Ingredients needed : One sachet, a standard size mug and an egg

Beat egg into mug. Add in cake mix and stir till no lumps are observed.

Heat with low heat for 5 minutes in a microwave oven

Eureka! A cupcake ready to be consumed... Yummm.... mMmmmmMmm...

QQ Shaking Hands

My mom teaches QQ how to shake hands. Also, he just had his first haircut. Enjoy!

Are We On the Same Planet?

Noun : Alkoxylates, Niagara Filter, MRR, ethoxylates, propylene glycol, emollient, soda ash, catalyst , anti-bumping granules

Verb : Sparge, slop, purge, recirc, emulsify, cookdown, pastillate, spray, reflux, deodorize, bleach, refine, rework

Friends : Fourier-Transformed near infra red spectroscopy, Karl-Fischer auto titrator, High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Enemies : Pyridine, Acetone, Conc. Sulfuric Acid, Ether, Toluene, BHT ( the antioxidant, not the man) , Chloroform

Baby names : Fermol, Glycerox, Steanol, Cithrol, Cromollient, Croduret, Arlamol, Rheodol, Crill, Emgenol, Crodet, Volpo

Errands : Hydroxyl Value, Polyol Profile, Fatty Acid Distribution, Moisture Content, Refractive Index, Specific Gravity



Conclusion : Puffyrazzi suffers from post-work depression

Certified Kentang Becomes a Couch Potato

What's Puffyrazzi been up to lately. Apart from being engrossed in work, the other half the time was spent in front of the TV. I hear a collective echo asking me what's my recent recommendation... ahahaha.... Alrighty then, here goes some of the best things i've watched since the lunar new year.

Coming out tops is Death Note, a Japanese manga-based movie. I've had friends highly recommending this movie for the past 6 months or so. Always one to shun Japanese movies, i decided to give it a try after those incessant persuasion. Now, i am really glad i caved in 'cos it must be the best movie i've watched this year. I know i'm a little late cos this movie came out ages ago, but for any of you who have yet to watch this, just catch a glimpse if you have 140 minutes to spare.

Oh , and did i mention it is now the season for nerds? I've been noticing a lot of Taiwanese entertainers ( be it male or female) are jumping on the nerd bandwagon. The hottest haircut of the season happen to be the 'liu2 hai3' hairstyle. If you don't understand mandarin, think the Rainie Yang (female) and 2moro(male) haircut... It is also evident in the local TV scene. Last week i watched an episode of The Dance Floor on channel 5. A group of performers actually donned the infamous bow tie + boxers + brown leather shoes + gelled hair outfit. Hey it's official! Nerds are in!

Aside from that, ugly seems to be in too! Forget The Desperate Housewives and their well-manicured lawns in Wisteria Lane, the drama of the moment is Ugly Betty featuring the fat and ugly Betty Suarez. I managed to catch the pilot episode and it looks promising. Any other fans of the show?

As a fan of idol dramas, i only watch the best ones AKA cream of the crop. I've just managed to complete the latest highly rated drama, 轉角*遇到愛. The first half the the drama is pretty cartoonish while the 2nd half is very moving. I applaud the cast for their ability to switch from comedy to drama without batting an eyelid. Of course i may be biased in this comment cos i absolutely adore 小猪.

Enough for now. I'll keep you guys updated should i happen to have any new recommendations. I'm looking forward to Spiderman 3, Shrek 3 and Harry Potter : The Order of the Phoenix. Cheers...

Joke Of The Month

In order to assure the highest levels of quality work and productivity from employees, it will be our policy to keep all employees well trained through our program of SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING (S.H.I.T.).

We are trying to give our employees more S.H.I.T. than anyone else. If you feel that you do not receive your share of S.H.I.T., please see your supervisor. You will be immediately placed at the top of the S.H.I.T. list, and our supervisors are especially skilled at seeing you get all the S. H. I. T. you can handle.

Employees who don't take their S. H. I.T. seriously will be placed in DEPARTMENTAL EMPLOYEE EVALUATION PROGRAMS (D.E.E.P.S.H.I.T.) Those who fail to take D.E.E.P. S.HI.T seriously will have to go to EMPLOYEE ATTITUDE TRAINING (E.A.T.S.H.I.T.)

Since our supervisors took S.H.I.T before they were promoted, they don't have to take S.H.I.T anymore, and are all full of S.H.I.T already. If you are full of S.H.I.T, you may be interested in a job teaching others. We can add your name to our BASIC UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP LIST (B.U.L.L.S.H.I.T).

Thank you,


BOSS IN GENERAL, SPECIAL HIGH INTENSITY TRAINING
(B.I.G.S.H.I.T)

Food Rendezvous in Bangkok !

Just last month, Crispy ventured out to Bangkok, in search of the ultimate pair of shoe, bag, t-shirts and other great shopping bargains. However, what attracted me most should be the food she ate. Judging by the huge array of food that she gobbled down in mere days, i think she's now working very hard at crash dieting ( or gamfei, the exact words she relayed to me =P )

Ah, let's all rejoice at the sight of the majestic food she had :

Eh, apa ini? Looks like a Har Gao-cum-Jiao Zi. Haha... Damn those prawns look really succulent.

Girl accessories? Fridge magnets? Nooo.... these are candies. Boy, they come in more colours than your regular pack of M&Ms. Word of caution : Excessive consumption of food colouring should not be good for you.

Hey, looks like a fruit basket, but only they are shinier. I spot fake bananas, chillies, tangerines, grapes and carrots? What do you see?

I believe this is crab curry though i can't make out which part is which. The only turn-off about this dish is how it makes your hand oily and dirty while you struggle with your crab.

Alamak, ini nampaknya macam laksa Kuching lah. Selepas aku menikmati hidangan bermutu tinggi itu 2 tahun lalu, tidak pernah aku melupainya. Oh my god, my Malay is still passable!

Bangkok KFC anyone? One thing i like about this photo is how the KFC there still uses cutleries, plates and glasses like they used to in Malaysia and Singapore before it turned into a fast-food chain. Why does the KFC there serve roasted chicken? Should be KRC for Kentucky Roasted Chicken then...hehe

Now, isn't this nice? Looks too nice to be eaten, to be frank. I like how the Japanese present their dishes. Makes you feel bad about having to eat it cos it looks too pretty.

Holy Lord! I love shellfish and mussels are one of my favourites!!!! Somebody help me! Can somebody tear me away before i start licking my computer screen?

Bak Chor Mee? Or Fishball noodle?

Thailand fishcakes. I guess it should be similar to our Ngoh Hiang. Not one of my favourites.

You know, i'm beginning to wonder if Crispy really did go to Thailand or she just had this dishes in Kuching. This looks exactly like those Paku dishes i had when she brought me to Kuching.

Japanese cold noodle, or better known as soba. I would like to ask Crispy if this is authentic cos it looks suspiciously like a display.

Regular chinese dishes.

羅志祥-精舞門

Cool Cool Cool !

Ah Nee's Other Half Revealed :D

I have a very good news to announce today. My very very good friend Wendy ( or more affectionately known to me as Ah Nee) is attached! To keep everyone excited, i decided to black out his photo and wait till she officially introduces him to our close circle.

I've known Ah Nee since Dec 1997, the day we stepped into Singapore to further our studies. Thanks to a twist of fate, we became roomies in Hua Zhong Hostel for the next 2 years. She was a very close pal, being my confidante when i'm down and lonely.

In NUS, we were roommates in 2000. The following year, we moved into single rooms but remained neighbours. We finally stayed apart from 2003 onwards but we still meet to catch up on what's going on in each other's lives.

Ahhh...what good times i've had with Ah Nee. From the days when we were a teenager, she'd dreamt of her Prince Charming who would sweep her off her feet. Her 3 most important criteria then were

1) Fair

2) Short

3) Cute

OK, that was an inside joke...haha... to let everyone in to share the joke, i used to say she wanted the opposite of tall, dark and handsome. I can't believe it but i'm laughing out loud now recalling those fun times i've shared with her. She's a real gem. Eng Lee is one very lucky man.

新年快乐!

Happy Lunar new year everybody! Wishing everyone lotsa good luck and happiness . May my family/friends/ dear and near ones good health and prosperity this year. Hahahaha... i think this came a little behind schedule, but i guess a late wish is better than none.

I was back home in Malaysia for a week. It was scorching hot every single day i spent at home... i helped my mother spring cleaning and baking cookies. Gave Puffy and QQ a bath. Most importantly i came back knowing how to cook vinegar pig trotters :D .

The funniest thing was my mother wrote an email to me and my sisters informing us that she did not get any supply of hong bao packets this year. By the time the three of us returned home, she ended up with a tonne of hong bao packets that will last her to the next year of the pig! hahaha...

My 2nd sis also taught me something new i'd like to share with anyone who is not familiar with some 'Malaysian Culture'. According to her, if you happen to be travelling on a road in Malaysia and you see a vehicle on the road shoulder with a branch ( yes, those from a tree) sticking out of one of its windows, what does it mean? Simple, it means that the particular vehicle has broken down and is awaiting the tow truck. Hmmm...why don't they just use that little triangular thingy that is meant for this purpose?

Well, all society have their own curious little 'weird ' culture. I guess for Singaporeans, it would be using small tissue packets to 'book' your dining seats while you're queueing for food. I also queried my boyfriend if this practice is prevalent in Kuala Lumpur. Apparently, it is not... hohoho.... he works in the Singapore business district area, so he puts up with this act every day during lunch hour.

I know many people got sick after the lunar new year. Take care and get well soon! Cheers

Dinner and Dance

Feb 2- My company had its annual Dinner and Dance. This year marked the first time they held a Croda Idol competition, some sort of a copycat programme copied from a certain reality show. I had the privilege of sharing a cab there with the later-crowned Croda Idol winner! Haha, she was practising and trying to perfect her pitch during our 45-minute ride to the hotel.

Well, for one the emcee sucks like hell, he ought to attend more courtesy classes. Need to learn the basics about pleasing your customers, not dissing them. His team did provide sufficient entertainment though. Their huge Karaoke TV fell off with a crash during our Managing Director's all important speech =P

Despite the small glitches, it was a really enjoyable time for most of us, better than previous years. I was dead beat by the end of it and i'm not sure why... haha... my whole body was aching, my head was throbbing and my eyes were dry. I didn't even had a drop of alcohol throughout the party... hmmm.... Too tired to drag myself to go partying after that. Ended at home and slept 12 hours straight to noon...ahhh...

The ever happy 'younger' generation of lab personnels

My colleague-cum-mentor-cum-boss-cum-friend

Newly promoted Senior Chemist...yeeeehaaa..... =P

Woooooooo...Croda Idol Winner 2007

Puffyrazzi's Japanese Name

Came across this several minutes ago. My japanese name is

藤原 Fujiwara (wisteria fields) 三千代 Michiyo (three thousand generations)

OK, that's... pleasant... =P

QQ's Progress Report

Hey there, i'm QQ the cute little puppy Puffyrazzi mentioned earlier. I have been with my new set of masters for about 2 months now. Boy, have i grown since then. Every day, they feed me these nice dog biscuits that i wipe clean in seconds. I also have a housemate by the name of Puffy. I love to bully her day and night cos she is such an old bore so i need to perk her life a bit...hiak hiak

I bet you guys don't really understand the stress being a cute dog. Sometimes i feel like screaming, cos of all the attention. My masters keep pestering me, saying i'm cute and trying to teach me how to do things right.

Don't get me wrong, i love my masters, especially Mommy cos she combs my hair everyday. Grooming time also means petting time. She also gives me baths, which i really enjoy except for the last part where she blows me dry with a hair dryer. It gives me goosebumps. Daddy, on the other hand, brings me out for an evening walk everyday. I adore looking at the scenery and smelling the wild scents outside home.

As i grow up, i get naughtier. Hey, you can't blame me for going through a teething period! I constantly need to chew on something, but i can't help it. It's like an addiction... Blimey, i don't think its something you grown ups understand. See! My masters tried to control my teething problem by locking me up in this 'jail' once in a while. Of course i'm upset, well , try to look on the bright side, at least they got me a special polka dot bowl to go with it, which i'm very pleased with.

I learn new things fast. I am now able to sit and shake-hand on command. And i got it right on my first try too! I'm not a pedigree dog for nothing, you know. I'm slowly but surely catching up with Puffy vocabulary-wise... heheh...watch out...QQ's coming through!

Puffyrazzi's Family!

Catch a glimpse of Puffyrazzi's family! My apologies if some photos are not that clear, they are probably the ones taken by my phone camera.

My sisters and I + Blackie the dog.

Sungai Lembing weekend house, 1983.

My parents and my sisters.

In a meadow somewhere in UK, 1998

Frosty the batman lookalike cat.

2004

My mom with Lele. (do they look alike? =P)

2004

A candid photo of my eldest sis, Lynn.

My 2nd sis who doesn't like to have her photo taken. So i am putting a side profile of her. Hohoho....

QQ, the shih tzu.

Puffy the Pomeranian.