Thursday, June 04, 2009
Monday, June 01, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I'm finally starting to feel accomplished about this Perth trip! I just booked my return flight home from Melbourne on Tuesday. The date's set at 13th July, since my parents want to pick me up in KL. This means I've saved about $300, since I'm flying budget. Looks like I'll have enough money for accommodation, transport, flight, food, shopping AND skydiving! Yay! Now I just need to see if skydiving is cheaper in Perth or Melbourne.
Pat, Dan and I also finally booked accommodation. In a backpackers' hostel of course, but with en suite bathroom, I think it's a great deal. Anyways, we'll try not to stay in too much, so what's the point of a nice, expensive hotel room? Students' budget!
And visas have been booked. Only flight insurance left, but I'm leaving that to my dad. Booking everything else has been tiring haha.
Like Pat, I've been getting to know the Korean language. Everyday during lunchtime, I watch one old episode of "Let's speak Korean" (I'm on episode 5 right now). And I've been memorising the alphabet system, and copying down characters again and again everyday, so now I can write just about anything in Korean! Reading it is easy too, but I'm very slow. I think it's a LOT easier than Mandarin characters, since an alphabet has one sound, and a consonant + vowel + consonant = 1 syllable. It's like English! Except... there's no character "f", so my name's Sa Ra Pi Na. Doesn't look very nice... Haha. I'm still a LOOOOONG way off from actually speaking Korean, so maybe I'll have to wait till I'm on episode 80 or something =D
Annyeong haseyo! Jeo neun Sarapina imnida. Singgaporeueseo waseupnika. Hak saeng imnida!
Hello! I am Syarafina. I am from Singapore. I'm a student! (Well, will be in August)
Okay, that's all for today. Annyeonghi gyeseyo!
fin* (I refuse to write Pina!)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Who Let You Go.
A treat for Pat: Kyu Jong from SS501 (i think that's how his name is spelt...) acting in some lady singer's video

Where The White Boys Dance.


Junho's a '90 baby, and he looks like Rain. I think he has a much more controlled voice than both Jaebeom and Junsu, and he's one of the better dancers of the group. Unfortunately, in Idol Army, he's rejected by almost ever single girl/ guy group, poor guy. But he has a good humour about that. And he has random outbursts of English, which some Netizens have commented sounds like he's imitating Rain's English.

Chansung's the maknae (baby/ youngest) of the group, a Feb '90 baby, but he somehow looks the oldest haha. His 182 frame certainly does contribute to that image. He looks macho-est, but he's realy goofy, and loves to eat aLOT. He looks a lot better since he's cut his long hair, and he's my sister's fave 2PM member. Always bullied by the guys haha.

Taecyeon is the tallest, and is from Boston, which he moved to when very young. Born in 1988. He looks like my brother when he smiles with the large teeth he has, which is a little disconcerting for me. Darn that brother of mine, because I really like Taecyeon. He raps, along with Chansung.

Nichkhun's born Thai, but LA bred. His Mum's Chinese, while his dad is Thai, but with brown hair he looks somewhat Eurasian. With black hair though, he looks more Asian. Like Taec, he was born 1988. He's considered the cutest of the group, with a baby face and smiley eyes and baby-buttock skin (haha). He is a girl magnet, and the arguably the most recognised member of the group. Remember the Idol Army mission that I talked about? Everyone else wasn't recognised at all (since they debuted just last year), Jaebeom was recognised after maybe 7 minutes, and Taecyeon didn't take part. All Nichkhun had to do was step out of the bus, and in 3 seconds girls came running towards him! Wooyoung had to plead for food, and Jaebeom had to sing for a discount, but Nichkhun automatical got two free pieces from the aunty because he's "so beautiful!". How unfair is that? Haha He's near the bottom cos even though he's cute and funny, I don't think he dances or sings particularly well.
Nichkhun
Junsu's (child of '88) face I didn't like as soon as I first saw their music video, but watching Idol Army, he's growing on me. The boys tease him alot because they say his head is so big haha, and he's probably the least attractive of the boys, but he's funny. And his face was so funny in the SHINee (another Korean boyband) episode of Idol Army, when he was blowing the ping pong ball. He's considered the best singer of the group, but he sometimes lacks control and goes flat or sharp sometimes in ballads. But he seems like a nice guy.

So that's a 2PM intro. I love them! More bands probably coming up. Maybe I'll do 2Am next.=)
fin*
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Andy, You're A Star.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I'm Korean crazy, but that's not where I'm going. Tickets have been booked, and I'm going to (drumroll please):
Perth and Melbourne!
Weee! First to Perth with Pat and Dan, then when they fly home, I'll fly to Melbourne to see my much-missed cousins.
Of course, I'm paying for everything on my own, which means all my pay between 13 April and 19 June will go towardss this trip. My dad's paying 168 for my return ticket from melbourne, but only because my budget was 600 for that, and that would mean transiting at KL, which my parents don't want me to do.
I'm so excited! It feels so final now that tickets are booked. =)
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
A lot more points for me to talk about just bubbled to the surface on my bus ride back to the station. A lot! Like, did you know that Sweden recently became the seventh country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage? Or that I actually have a lot more questions to ask the lecturer than I thought? I actually (initially) told her I didn't have any questions for her, and then thought up some stupid questions on whether the course covered a wide range of topics, even though I'd told her at the beginning that what I liked about sociology was its wide range! I'm such an airhead!
Well, afterwards, after calling up a few people to whine to and hear reassuring words from, I went home to numb my mind with chicken rice, bubble tea, and a few hours of Korean dramas which I'd recorded but hadn't had an opportunity to watch. I'm almost fully recovered, even though I had my depressed "world-is-ending" face on the whole MRT ride home. Gonna go home after this and watch more. (I'm at the library at the moment.)
Seeyaz! fin!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Everything will be alright.
I had my three day stint at Victoria Concert Hall last week for SYF. Although I was pretty much complaining the first day about how boring it was (as i am wont to do), I found the whole experience really fun! I'd rather have that as my job than what I'm doing now (besides the blogging). Why? There were people my age around, there was food provided, and air conditioning. Need I justify more? Hahaha and of course, there is the matter of laughing at the worst choir I've ever heard sing. Really, EVER. Shouting, more like. And I'm not even trying to be mean or anything. That's how bad it was. Just ask the other 6 people who were backstage with me. (I'm so sorry, if you know this is your school and thus are offended. But I highly doubt you're from this school) Clue, it starts with B, it's not my secondary school or yours. Helpful enough? Haha
Anyways, I really miss the Internet! And my computer, for that matter. My computer just shuts down without warning five minutes after it's switched on. Don't know why.
Did I mention I have income now? Feels great! I just got my paycheck yesterday for the work I've done since the 13t of April, but in cash. It scares me to carry so much money that I can't close my wallet. It should have been more, but I took three days off to work at Vic for lesser pay but more fun. Now I'm wondering if I have the mettle to continue in this line till mid-June. But I really need money because...
...We're flying off somewhere!! Weeee! When it's confirmed and plane tickets are booked, I'll reveal where and who, but till then I won't just in case. One place is more expensive to fly to than the other, but it purportedly has more things to do without having to travel too much, so we'll see. And I have enough money to buy a ticket to one of the places! Just $40 short of the other one, but I'll have enough when I get the Vic paycheck. Money is cool!
I'm so motivated to find another part-time job now, but not while I'm working here. Maybe if I get the other job I've been wanting. Because here, all I do is think about going home, and staying home, after work. Not good huh?
Okay, gotta start rejecting people now [if you know what I mean. If you don't, it's okay (= ]
fin*
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Don't shoot me Santa
... I was meeting Syaz to celebrate her birthday! We brought her to the National Museum, turned out not to be much of a surprise because beans were spilled, but we still had fun. And I'm sorry I the planner got lost! Haha. My favourite part was probably the swinging chandeliers although they weren't part of any exhibits. They're red - and the swing! I swear, when I'm rich enough I'll have a whole row of six swinging chandeliers in my living room. And maybe rotating ones for my dining room!
Sending resumes by mail is totally not my thing, even though it's easier on the psyche than calling prospective employers. I accidentally sent two resumes to two different employers that had the wrong job name! Like, when I applied for the Temp Receptionist job, I sent a resume titled- Objective: Seeking position as a Admin Assistant- Marketing Position. How blur can I get?!! Seriously, no wonder I've only got one call-back so far this year, and even then I accidentally turned it down. Stupid stupid me...
Yay I'm finally getting my bed today! I've been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of my sister's room so far because I gave away my old bed, but I'm getting a new one! Whee!!! Finally my room may actually look like a bedroom.
I've finally figured out the cause of my cat's shrinking head. It's not shrinking. He's actually ballooning in size! Let me give you an idea of his "diet": At 11AM when I wake up, I see that his bowl is empty, and he's meowing loudly for more food. But my mum's already given him food in the morning- twice! So he has like three breakfasts a day? And then what? Five lunches? My cat is such a glutton. His only exercise is when he paws his kitty litter enthusiastically after his business is done. No wonder I have to clean his sh*t up so many times a day!
Okay, off to get my bed!!!!
fin*
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Anyways, I just finished this amazing book called Sunstorm, a sci-fi book, the second in the Time Odyssey series, written by Sir Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter. I've read the first one called Time's Eye which led me to the second one, and I know the third's out there somewhere. But since Clarke died, a fourth book, which was hinted at in the third, is rather uncertain.
The reason I'm talking about all this is because I found some disarming - yet somehow interesting - piece of information from reading the books: Space makes you dumb! Haha. No, the book wasn't focused on that of course, but it's a little nugget of information that's become stuck in my mind since I came across it midway through the first book. Apparently, our brains are particularly vulnerable to cosmic radiation of which there is plenty in space, and they have a limited ability to repair themselves. Hence the dumbing down. Interesting or what? Haha.
On another piece of home news, something's going wrong with my cat, I fear. Either his head is shrinking, or his body has somewhat ballooned, because nowadays his head is looking a mite too small for his body. And in the last month no canned meat has passed through his small cat-gullet! Do heads shrink as things grow older?! I don't recall my parents head having been any bigger or smaller than they are now, so that can't be it. But he really does look a bit weird, that cat...
I did finally pay my admission fees on Sunday, so that was a huge burden off my shoulders. Who knew it was that simple to do? Now I'll just have to play the waiting game to see what I'll be doing for uni. IF I'm getting in? Can't be too opimistic, because then the only way to go is down. So yeah, I'm just keeping soem toes crossed metaphorically.
And so ends another uninspired post. I do go out, you know, but I have a limited memory capacity that somehow prevents me from blogging all my actual interesting-at-that-time thoughts. So I'm left with all these home-bred thoughts that are influenced by little else than the books, tv and computer.
fin*
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Midnight Show.

Earth Hour is nearly upon us! Switch off non-essential lights at 8.30! And I hope that it continues beyond the one hour that is the event, because it makes sense that if it's not used, then don't switch on the light!
Oh, and I'll be switching off the computer, because God-knows my family hasn't done that in a long time. Go watch a TV-movie with your family or something! Everyone doing one activity should IMO save you more energy than if everyone was to be doing their own individual thing in different rooms. =)

Good night!
fin*
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Pat and I finally applied for universities, which makes me relieved. I haven't paid yet, but I've still got time. Just remind me a day before the deadline because I have a habit of forgetting this sort of thing.
On a random note, in case you've ever wondered how "budget" the budget airlines are, their so-called tickets are just a piece of printed receipt-material paper. And the officers just highlight your name. How much more budget can you get?
We (Steph and Dan and I) were supposed to meet Dan today for her birthday dinner, but Steph couldn't make it so we took a raincheck. I made a bouquet [Cos I'm unemployed and thus can't really buy gifts at the moment :( ] but it'll wilt soon, so here're just pictures! Don't worry, it didn't really cost anything, and my mum was delighted when she proclaimed that I could arrange flowers (which I totally can't; it was more trial and error).
I seem to have forgotten all I've wanted to blog about, as usual, so I'll end here. Good night ya'll
fin*
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I'm way super glad to be back at "home", because I've been staying at my grandparents' place since I got back from KK on Wednesday. It gets a bit boring when all day, all that's available to do is watch cable TV. Even though I'm still having to sleep on the floor, at least it's home. No cable tv because the painters are coming today, but at least I have the computer. And - hey! - the kitchen cabinets, sink and stove are in, so that means we'll be able to finally put away some things.
I'm so so so leaning towards the idea of staying at the NTU hostel, maybe even be roomies with Dan! It'll solve the distance problem, and I get to enjoy a little more autonomy. Maybe it'll even motivate me to actually study everyday instead of getting hooked on television, my number one vice.
Speaking of vices... I unfortunately was overruled in wanting to celebrate Jeremy's birthday today with the gang. Oh well. Being old enough in the eyes of the law definitely does not mean old enough in the eyes of the allowance-givers.
I really seem to have nothing to blog about huh? No all-important opinion-touting, or insights, or revelations. I think that's an indication that I'd be in way over my head in Uni. Scary!!!
Highs of the week:
Going to the Mount Kinabalu base camp because the views were breathstealing. I experienced a zen moment while driving round and round on the mountain roads.
DFS! Need I elaborate?
Smoked salmon, edam cheese and crackers for breakfast. Oh. My.
Finally reaching a decision about uni that has me feeling actual excitement, albeit in an atmosphere still charged with reservations and fears about uni life and my ability to cope with it.
My proper use of "albeit"? Would K still have circled the above usage and commented in her just-as-loud-as-her-voice handwritten script? Haha (This was one of the DFS coversation topics)
Being home. Awww...
Liverpool thrashing ManUre 4-1, and Arsenal also beating Blackburn Rovers 4-0. (This technically didn't happen this week, but what the hey?)
Lows: I'm not in the mood to rehash the bad stuff. I'll make like Class 95 fm and think of "only the good stuff".
Seeyaz!
fin*
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Somehow, me and university open houses don't mesh well. The SMU one left me confused, and I didn't attend any talks as a result. Pat and I sat through only half the FASS talk because the other half wasn't relevant (and we were hungry). And we somehow managed to miss the Soc Sci talk at NTU. Plus we walked around aimlessly lost because we're clueless weird people, on a hot stuffy Singapore afternoon. So ankles hurt. I should have just skipped open houses. Blearggh.
Anyways, life AM (after move) really sucks because nothing is completely the way it should be. Guess what happened among all the silly misadventures that I went through (with Pat, for the most part) today?
I managed somehow to flood the kitchen. FLOOD THE KITCHEN! Only in story books does that kind of thing happen. And somehow I, Syarafina, who really is weird on the inside, managed to accomplish such a feat. In brief, the washing machine hose wasn't connected to its pipe because it's not done yet (surprise), and since it was just hanging there in the kitchen, the washing machine expulsed all its water out of that hose and onto the kitchen floor, hence the flood. And I have to mention this, the floor was covered in cardboard sheets to protect the tiles while renovations are going on, so everything, needless to say, got soggy and useless.
Thank goodness my dad stepped in and somehow managed to get everything into order.
Oh yeah, I got my first and I hope only scolding by the K-ster yesterday, because I wrongly thought that mistakes in our testimonials were to be reported BY the thirteenth, not BEFORE the thirteenth. And I just discovered another mistake in my CCA testimonial after I got the scolding and she's done the ammendment. Obviously I will not report it. I don't have a death wish.
Alright. Good night ya'll!
fin*
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I just came back from watching Slumdog Millionaire with Patricia, and the verdict is... the movie is fab!!! Wayy better than even The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - it made us cry in the end! The directing, for me, was good not in the shots and all, because I'm kind of used to that from watching so many Bollywood films, but in the way they planned the sequence of shots. It creates such a buildup of emotions and feelings that you just can't help but break into unbelievably happy tears at the end of the movie when something happy finally happens. Awww!!
And let me say this: the little boy who plays the younger (not youngest) Jamal Malik is so so cute! He (Tanay Hemant Chheda) is definitely going to grow up into a handsome young man. I'm so not a paedophile, but you can't help but notice the potential. Hahaha.
He's the leftmost guy in the second row. Cute, right!
The library is closing in about 10 minutes, so I'm ending my post for today.
Good night!
fin*
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Briefly:
My A-Level results has me feeling happy and grateful. Happy because they came out way better than expected, and grateful because it seems that my lack of studying last year doesn't seem to have taken effect on my results.
SMU Open House left me feeling high and dry. I don't want to enter the school, as Dan can attest to. And I'm so sorry to everyone who saw me on Saturday, because my eyeliner and mascara from the day before made me look like a raccoon while I was blissfully unaware.
New home is in a huge mess, things left undone, some walls not painted, kitchen cabinets not in, we're all still walking around in our shoes because the floors are still dirty and we're sleeping not on bed but just mattresses because, well, nothing's ready.
Okay. Short post over. Library is closing, so I gots to go. See ya!
fin*
Thursday, March 05, 2009
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!