Author: rinaz

Fountain outside Seiyu in Bugis

Ahh … If it weren’t for the fact that I’m not a child any more, I would have jumped in that fountain in a heartbeat. The weather has been mad hot these past few weeks that even with the rain, it didn’t help whatsoever.

I went to Bugis for a couple of hours to print out some of the pictures I took from the beach to be added to my portfolio. I usually printed out my work at “Art Friend” at the Adelphi. It was cheaper and was friendlier (in my opinion) So I went to the third floor and found a music shop there instead. Eh? Maybe I missed a level. So I went up another level. A tour agency. Where did Art Friend go to?

Even the printing corner at Jurong Springs was gone. I used to go there for keyboard classes and I noticed a tiny little shop doing printing services at only $2.50 for a A3 sized printout. I guess, its not easy to make a profit this way.

Anyway, I went off to Bras Basah Complex – it was a place where I used to print my work while I was studying Digital Design. The place that I went to was called printe Direct Pte Ltd and the prices there were pretty reasonable. For a full colour print out on a 250 gsm glossy A3 paper, it was $3. It’s not bad if compared to regular photo booths.

After printing out a few of the pictures, I headed to Coverlooks at Shaw Towers to talk to the photography director who briefed me through the syllabus for the photography. Looks pretty interesting – I really liked the studio shots that he showed me. I hope to do something similar to that too. We’ll just have to see then.

Geri sms’ed me afterwards after the consultation. It has been a while since I talked to her. She’s been awfully busy with her work. I do wonder how she is doing. Not sure if we’re meeting since I wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens tomorrow for a photo-shoot. I read from an advert that there were a musical band there and I thought it’ll be nice to take some pictures there. Well, we’ll just have to see 🙂

I’m gonna get my new camera! I’m gonna get my new camera! I’m gonna gonna gonna gonna get my new camera! Today! Laa laa laa laa laa!

Mum loaned me some moolah a couple of days back. She must have noticed me moaning about thinking of ways to save up. I promised her that I’ll pay her back again. But mum insisted that I write up an official I.O.U to her. I think she has ideas thanks to watching this show

Is a funny show which I enjoyed immensely. I think its almost comparable to “something’s gotta give” except that in I do, I do, is a story about a delivery guy, falling in love with a career woman, who rejects him which stumbles with an almost perfect guy.

In one of the scene career woman falls in love with the almost perfect guy who gets beaten up because he was the guarantor for a friend who couldt pay up and she finally gave the loansharks some money and he wrote up an I.O.U on his computer to her.

Anyway, speaking about shops, I’ve came across some which I will never, ever patronise if I can help it.

No 1 : Cash Converters

Cash converters is a shop which sells practically anything. There’s one a few busstops away from my home and I decided to buy a PDA from this shop two weeks ago after thinking of its benefits of downloading close to unlimited e-books and reading it on the go. I bought me a Sony CLIE PEG-NR70V there for about $295 dollars.

After a few days, I noticed that some of the buttons didnt work as good. So I decided to go to the shop again. The salesman there said that I could either exchange it or send my pda for a fixing. How long does it take for it to be fixed? A week? I shook my head. I looked at the choices of pda’s in the display cases. It looked pretty scratched and in bad shape. So I decided otherwise. I decided to sell it back to cash converters.

The man looked at the clie and asked for my receipt. And he said to me, our company has a policy of selling back of 1/2 the original price. You’ll get $147 dollars. My eyes nearly popped out of my socket. 1/2? Thats crazy! I’d understand if its 10 percent, or 15 percent, even 3/4. But half? What cut throat! And they’ll sell it back for the original price no doubt! That really got my blood boiling. But of course it’s “company policy” and marina’s policy says that I’ll never go there ever again.

No 2 : Local cinemas

When I heard from the radio that cinema tickets will be raised up to $9 my heart sanked. Only in a cinema does one small bucket of popcorn costs $4.50. Heck, I could get much yummier dairy queen popcorn for lower. But what can one do? Cinemas are pretty much a monopoly here – and if they choose what price that they want to charge, either we pay up or dont get to enjoy at all. Its amazing that it was just a few years ago when cinema operators announced that they wanted to charge only $5 per ticket. This is to avoid having piracy problems.

But there are other alternatives to going to the cinema. I could …
– buy a vcd or dvd at that price which was just running in the cinema 1 or two months back
– rent 4 vcds at the rental shop just below my house.
– cook some food which I can share with my family and eat till we go silly
– Go swimming at the deluxe pool with all 4 of my siblings

In economics, this is called “Opportunity costs” The cost (wheter tangible or intangible) of an alternative service.

Anyway, its a tad bit too pricey if I want to bring Haikal and Diana along. I’m sure families wouldnt find it justifiable either.

No 3 : Seoul Garden

Bleh. Misleading price quotes. It might say $16.99 there. But you’d pay at the very least $25 dollars. Sorry. I’d rather make steamboat at home that feeds 6 people. With a tub of ice cream to boot and enough money left to buy a cheesecake too.

Aye, thats all the bad mouthing that I have to say for the moment. I’ll be sure to add up to more later on.

But for now, I’m going to get ready to go out to claim my new camera 🙂

*saunters out to put on her make up, styling of hair and other vanities*

I went to work late yesterday. Somehow or another, I felt so tired that I fell asleep right after I showered (thats a first for me)Anyhow, I was supposed to reach there at 1pm at the very latest but when I reached there, it was deserted, and quiet and there I was shuffling around with an umbrella, feeling very cold.

I didnt see anyone apart from two visitors who looked kind of lost. I saw the discipline master, Mr Parmjit walking around. We made small chat.

Mr Parmjit : What are you doing here, Marina?
me : Oh no, I’m too late!
Mr Parmjit : Everyone’s left
me : Are you going too?
Mr Parmjit : No, I’ll be staying here. I’m locking the school. No point for you to stay here
me : Ok. Bye.

That was when I saw Zurainah, the Art teacher trainee walking down. We were both surprised to see each other.

me : Z! What are you doing here?
Z : I was locked in the art room!
me : So how now?
Z : Shall we go to the guild house?
me : Oh, I dont know, what do you think?
Z : Its up to you
me : Oh, I dont mind, what do you think?
Z : I dont mind either

Zurainah started talking to the two visitors and I found out that they were the ones moderating Z. They offered a lift from the cab that they just hired. I was a little hesitant. But when the lady said “I’ll be offended if you didnt!” Oh okay then.

In the cab, Z and me contemplated.

Me : So how will we be going to Suntec?
Z : how about the train?
Me : Oh, I dont mind
Z : But train is very long journey
Me : Or we could take the bus
Z : I dont mind
Me : Its okay with me
Lady Visitor : Make up your minds! We’re already at the train station!

Z and m : We think we’ll take another cab!

*chuckles*

Anyways, I think Z is a very interesting person. She’s always very animated and fun loving. She has this infectious enthusiasm that I find so refreshing. Its nice that she’s very friendly too.

Its funny how a number of students mistake me for her. We both have shoulder length hair. I have almost straight hair. We both wear glasses. We both like chunky watches and we both love green too!

I’ll let you judge

Selvi (in brown) and Narimah (in red) at the back, Z (in green) and me in black

Anyhow, back in the cab, we reached Suntec some while later and we went next to Carrefour to take the lift to the fifth floor. The entrance looked pretty classy (this is my only chance I’d ever see a place like this I reckon, since its highly doubtful that I’d join the NIE Teaching force). The lobby looked reminiscent of a 4 star class hotel.

Anyways, I had my lunch which Waheeda and Narimah complained was not tasty enough. Personally I was surprised that I had rice with soy sauce, and boiled cabbages … it reminded me of the food whilst I had in kindergarden … But the roasted chicken was good, so I ate that with relish

Linda handed me some yummy baked cheese and potatoes later on … mmmm … delightful *slurp*

Thats Linda on the left, I realise now how bad my camera looks like in the dark no amount of photochopping will help.

I went to one of the Karaoke Rooms after lunch. I’m glad I brought along my camera. though picture quality isnt that great, at least its something.

Visual proof that Karaoke vid clips never go with the song

sure … she’ll listen to stone for sure …

but first, I’ll have to build a wall with these beads here on the floor

Honey, I still havent decided what type of wall to build yet

Linda : Oh God. Karaoke Vid Clips. The horror!

But needless to say, I had fun. Its good to have crazy stuff to point and laugh to. I had to laugh when Rudie, a math teacher, was singing falsetto to a Bee Gees song. I cant stop laughing when Shaheedah was quipping in while I was singing.

When I was young … (you’re still young, marina)
I never needed anyone … (But you still need me!)
And making love, was just for fun …(OOOOOH Marina!)

I made Rudie sing “Amigos Para Siempre” which was an operettic song. Too funny. I realised that he was singing the girl part and I was singing the male. I purposely made my voice deep and thrilled the R’s

Aaaaamiiigoooosss Paaarrrrrrrrrra siemmmmmprrrrreee. You will always be my frrrrrrrriend. Frrrrrrriends for life not just the summer or the sssssprrrrring …

My stomach hurt from all the laughing.

Anyways, I was amazed that Amanda, one of the top ex student, who joined us, was very good at singing. She sang wonderfully and was game to join in all the silly antics that we did. I wonder if she has a lower opinion of us now … *chuckles*

I had to leave earlier than I wanted to since I had night classes. But I really had a good time, on friday.

Couple of days ago, one of my student was surfing a horror website. The title of the movie was called the eye 10 and it was about the 10 different ways that one could do to have the ability to see ghosts.

It was corny, but it was sort of interesting to see the different ways. One of them having to dig the soil where a body was burried, use the soil and spread it on the eye. Another is to hit the rice bowl with a pair of chopsticks to entice the hungry ghosts. Chinese Ghosts, are usually hungry, as there are no food in the netherworld. That is why offerings are burnt. These in turn will be food or comforts for them.

I’ve seen of how a complete offering of a HUGE paper bungalow, complete with garden and swimming pool and a BMW car being burnt, I’m sure the ghost would be very pleased indeed. But it was said that the easiest way to see a ghost is to stand up and peek in between their legs.

Coming back to the website, the students looked genuinely spooked. They looked so cute with their fearful expressions and the way that they jumped when someone deliberately tried to shock them with a sudden jerk.

But come on! The only thing scary about the website was that the fact that it was only in Chinese wih no translation. Actually I find when a movie uses only the elements of silly jump tactics, isn’t really scary at all but annoying.

I think *this* movie is more scary

And I find it strange that kids loving sfogs too. I mean, its so obvious that they used photo-shopped pictures. And a badly ‘chopped picture at that – Anyone could make these “ghost pictures”

With this case in point, let me use this picture as an example:

What is she so scared of?

Its the terrifying Kissing Ghost who is looking for her next victim!

Rumour has it that a young girl, was killed by the kiss of a man with chilli breath. She searches for revenge by looking for other victims in the hopes that she will transfer the chilli breath to them!

Oh no!

Lets make this into a movie …

But this will NEVER be in your theatres …  Nevertheless I think it’ll be scarier than the Ring 10 anyway …