Hey Jupiter

I recently re-discovered Tori Amos. I thought this part of the lyrics from Hey Jupiter held a certain resonance.


Thought we both could use a friend
To run to
And I thought I wouldn't have to keep
With you
Hiding

And I thought you'd see with me
You wouldn't have to be something new

阿桑，一路好走

阿桑因癌症晚期病逝了。

我是在驾车回家的途中，通过收音机听到的。整个路途只有短短的六分钟凑巧让我听到了这则新闻。之后我的脑里一直回转来至《叶子》的一这段：

我一个人吃饭旅行到处走走停停

也一个人看书写信自己对话谈心

只是心又飘到了哪里

就连自己看也看不清

我想我不仅仅是失去你

她曾说，“我的坚强来自真实经历。”也曾表示，“人生是很难的，但不管怎样都还要走下去！我也一直在努力的珍惜活着的每一天。生命有再多的悲哀，能活着就是一种幸福，呼吸着，感受用手指触摸的快乐。黑暗虽然永远不会完全的消失但是在努力的不让它淹没自己就是一种快乐的胜利。

[Movie review]: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Button yesterday at Jurong Point. Incidentally, with HSBC movie pre-paid card, it only costs $7.50 per ticket, which is value-for-money if you watch weekend shows.

The show had been lingering in my head. Benjamin Button, who ages backwards. To grow younger and watch everybody around you age. How does it feel to have everybody moving forward and yourself regress? I suppose if there must be a film that puts aging in a favourable light, this must be it.

The film celebrates many things. How life is a journey and even if we are not aware of it, we do learn through our experiences each day. How it is never too early nor too late if we can just appreciate the moment. I was reminded of the pain that going against social norms and of the natural way of things will bring, how nothing appears to last and yet maybe they do. Watching that on the big screen, it brings to mind my own. While I lament that nothing appears to last, maybe indeed they do. You can always choose to be strong and there is always a difference between resigning yourself to fate and stop railing at fate, letting things go and trying to make things better.

Beautiful plot. I haven't read the book but I know they have adapted it extremely well. Brilliant acting and filming. One of the best shows I have watched in a long while.

Nothing stops time, even if it runs backwards. Nothing.

I feel a need to make my life even more meaningful than it is now.

Decisions

I have decided on two things tonight:

1. I am going to get a DSLR (Canon 450d) at the upcoming IT fair in March.
2. I am going to Tibet and have found a travel kakki to go with in either June 2010 or 2011.

Yeah.. my mood is definitely picking up. =)

Cheap thrills: winning monopoly

Cheap thrills = winning Monopoly against the computer...

...three times in a row tonight...

The opening of Sephora

I am absolutely happy.

2 years ago when I was in France, I fell in love with Sephora. They are huge, it is like a make-up boutique except that it's bigger than any make-up stores I've seen. They have rows and rows of everything instead of a few shelves. Wonderful colours, shimmery powders and just shiny stuff.

Then word came that they were going to open here in Singapore. I finally saw it at Taka. today. The interior design follows closely to the stores I saw in France, black counters and shelves. I didn't have a chance to go in because my parents will not take very well to waiting around while I inspect each and everything in wide-eye amazement.

Ok I cannot wait...I simply must find an opportunity to hang around there.

I cannot believe it.. Sephora is here..the departmental store for make-up..truly, I don't think it has ever been done yet!

Non-inclusiveness in the global world

I just saw Gan's post on how some people would put something on platforms such as FB and MSN and yet be cryptic, shrug and say that they don't want to talk about it. I supposed she might have been referring to me in that entry.

Ah..JY and I ignored her question on FB and I shrugged and didn't want to explain last night. JY did the honours because I have just finished telling Lun about David's tragedy a day ago and I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

In fact telling Lun about it resulted in us both feeling very sad and I had to shut some part of myself so that I could relate the incident in a cold, clinical and detached way so as not to lose control in the Japanese restaurant.

I didn't think I would be able to have that much control to relate it again.

So why did JY and I use FB then. She wasn't on MSN that time. We did call each other to see what each other had but it got too difficult. Talking about it was hard, silence on the phone was equally unbearable when it feels as though we should say something and each had nothing to say. Hanging up on each other wasn't an option either when closure should always be gently introduced.

Maybe FB was right because it provided us with a platform where we could communicate with each other and yet not have to face each other directly. I don't think it was our top priority to announce to 400-over people that something was going on. Besides how do you explain death and pain like that without demeaning the tragedy itself?

Ah yes..perhaps most would think that because posting things on public platforms are not private, they should be inclusive.

But you can no more include the world than you can exclude yourself.

Sadness and grief has always been something private. We put on smiles for the world even if we feel our heart burdened with many a failings, many a regret, many a sadness.

Maybe questions aren't replied because not everything has to be inclusive and sadness isn't for everybody.