Hi there

So I was just browsing YouTube and I found some videos I wanted to share!

Marianas Trench

I really like their style.. Which I can't pinpoint haha.

Like how they stutter-sang

And made a satire song

Pop music 101

Some simple instructions

For a good first impression

Now lets start with a first one

A minor chord, tensions grow

Fade in the bass, like so

Now, with momentum, go, stop

And bring the beat back

It’s called "four-on-the-floor"

A beat you can’t ignore

I’ll bring sexy back once more, yeah

They’ll love that, yeah, fo sho!

The chords are 1-4-6-4

Now I’m talkin' familiar

Harmony in thirds, not fourths

Will take you into the pre-chorus

[Pre-Chorus]

Real quick now, don’t you bore us

Hurry up and get to the chorus

Dumb down, they won’t ignore us

[Chorus]

Get to the floor

And here’s some words you should know

Like, “DJ, never let me go”

"Pour shots and then we'll lose control"

Or, “Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby”

How about one more last word like

"Hey girl, we’ve only got tonight"

Some things just go together like

"Higher", "desire," and "fire"

"Higher", "desire," and "fire"

[Verse 2]

Guitar and strings like these

To sound like Black Eyed Peas

This ones a filtered swing

This one’s a legend key

Hipster music on cassette

But you probably don’t know that yet

808s, hey, ho, hell yeah!

Heartfelt pop anthems from Mumford and his Sons

Gang vocals, here we come

Thinking, “I will always wait”

Drop more bass

[Pre-Chorus]

K, slow down

Take it to the chorus

[Chorus]

[Bridge]

I can pitch shift my voice if I want

I can pitch shift my voice if I want

I can pitch shift my voice if I want

I can make my voice low

The bridge is

The part when

You bring in

A rapper friend, 'sup?

Simplify, slow the beat

Abbreviate "feature" to "feat."

[Verse 3]

Quick now, fill in the gaps, I'll try

Right up and down, eliminate that which you really would rap and

Give them a classic, like, "Get get get"

[Chorus]

Oh, yeah, dance

[Outro]

Boots and cats and boots and cats and boots and cats and boots

Joshua Ramsay

Boots and cats and boots and cats and boots

-From Jackie Toews comment

"boots and cats and boots and cats" XD

Another artist: Moriah Peters

She sings Christian-Pop~

Her voice is ♥ ♥ ♥

My Weirdly Wired Brain

First things first, hello! I am now officially a freshman at National University of Singapore, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).
The things is, FASS operates very differently from other faculties because you're already majoring the moment you enter uni in other faculties, but in FASS you only declare your major by the end of your second semester.
Good thing is, you have more time to explore. Bad thing is, you have to plan EVERYTHING from the start. You have no core modules. You have to bid for all 5 modules the first sem. And for people like me- antisocial and didn't join any camps- they only give you 2 days lecture orientation (each subject only has 20mins) which is NOT ENOUGH. I can't base what I want to study for the next 6 months on a twenty minute lecture!

FASS introduced a new scheme called Gradeless First Semester to encourage us freshies to explore as much as we want without the consequences. You can opt 'gradeless' or not for a specific module after you get your results. YAY~
They said they're doing this to promote their 'liberal arts' (which, officially, FASS is not classified under liberal arts education. The only one in Singapore is Yale-NUS).

Also, they don't tell you much about their bidding system in the lectures. I am damn lost and now there is a high chance of me not even having a single modules man.
Research more online and ask your peers!



Okay, next thing. So yesterday I was playing 'Kill Shag Marry', 'Truth or Dare' etc with Ger and we got to the point where she asked me who I thought was the prettiest girl in our cohort (when you play these things you unspokenly do not include the participants... I mean how vain would it be to say yourself HAHA. Kidding.).

I realised that I have officially lost the perception of 'physical beauty'. At this point in my life and psychological condition, all faces look the same to me. Really. I can't really connect an unmoving face and body to words like 'pretty' or 'beautiful' or 'handsome'.
For example, I think that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is really cute because he smiles like a siamese cat or defenseless puppy.

SEE SEE ♥♥

Who knows, maybe I have some missing neurones in my brain or something.

How attractive I think you are 100% depends on how much I like you.

Say most of the people find this popular girl in my secondary school very pretty (including Ger) but I never did. I'm not bitter, really, I just can't wrap my mind around it. Like if I were to analyse her -big eyes, slender body, smooth skin- then yes, I can admit that she is very pretty according to society's standards but I personally don't find her pretty.

You can say that I am just extremely biased (I can't deny hahaha). I find every single one of my friends attractive, really. Some of them have really pretty eyes, or a nice smile, or have charisma.

Because I'm weirdly wired like that.

Also, I am obsessed with the song~ (I am very late haha.)

They are all Running Man members~

Running Man is a korean variety show that is damn funny. The members have great chemistry and interactions and the missions they do are really creative~ Just google "Running Man" and a lot of links to english-subtitled episodes will come up~ Each episode is about 1.5hours so if you have the time and just want  a good laugh then I really recommend watching it. GO! :)

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Word Crimes

I FOUND THIS GEM.

I gotta say, I'm very impressed HAHA.

They managed to change "Blurred Lines" to something meaningful.


"ROBIN THICKE HAS A BIG D"
------->
"'WEIRD AL' YANKOVIC HAS A BIG DICTIONARY"

GOLD.

Let It Go - Mandarin Versions

So about a month ago, I was working at Popular Bookstore and they were trying to promote Frozen Soundtrack CDs, so they played the soundtrack, over and over again, day after day, for about 2 weeks straight before they started to alternate between some other artists' CDs and Frozen.
I was so sick of the many different Frozen songs that I know every single word of the songs in English, 80% of the Mandarin version, and could sing along poorly to the other dialects.

And let me tell you, of all the versions of 'Let It Go' that I heard, the mandarin version they went with was by far the WORST of them all (I only understood the English and Mandarin version anyway hahaha).

This is the 'official' version, translated by mainland China. It uses very simple Chinese words and is almost a direct translation of the English lyrics over to simple Chinese with no regard to the flow of the pronunciation of the words with respect to the tune. NONE. 

IT. IS. HORRIBLE.

Their translation for "let it go" is "随他吧" (sui ta ba) WHICH SOUNDS SO HORRIBLE. Full phonics for the lyrics here.

So there was apparently another version, translated by a Taiwanese called "放开手" (fang kai shou) which translates into 'open your hand' but means 'let go'. The words are better than the previous one, but still doesn't sound smooth as a song.


【Frozen 冰雪奇緣】Let It Go 林芯儀 (TAIWAN)
from Aimei Amy Chen on Vimeo.

So I was complaining to my friend one fine day and she introduced me to this beautiful, beautiful version that is so damn chim (slang for difficult/complicated) and I don't understand 70% of the words that they have used, but it sounds so beautiful. This is how the Chinese language should sound like, not the "随他吧" crap. (Who am I kidding my Mandarin is so bad.)

They used traditional Chinese musical instruments as background music (that I cannot name... Maybe the Er-hu and flute and some others...).

It is called "如释冰" (ru shi bing), which, in direct translation, is "like free ice". (Translation does not make any sense.)

(Sorry I can't find pinyin for this and I'm not good enough to translate it myself)
翻詞 (lyrics)：棉裡
錄製 (produced by)：棉裡

翻唱 (sung by)：許曉雲

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

霜輒夜白，日暮盡蒼生遠。
Not a footprint to be seen
獨遊偶影江水寒。
A kingdom of isolation
山門內外蜃城孑然。
And it looks like I'm the queen
王於冰雪定蕭山。

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
風掣千刃，寒嘯千載，慰我心安。
Couldn't keep it in, heaven knows I've tried
身得托滄海，血以薦軒轅。

Don't let them in, don't let them see
勿近勿探，陰翳猶在。
Be the good girl you always have to be
綱禮持之，也堪念存心善。
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know
昨日無常，今時無往，
Well, now they know
然，盡矣說。

Let it go, let it go
我如風，任去留。
Can't hold it back anymore
休將鴻鵠比伏囚。
Let it go, let it go
我如虹，任天闊。
Turn away and slam the door;
且聽狂瀾度三秋。
I don't care what they're going to say
毋言多，不敢同苟合。
Let the storm rage on
一霰風攤破。
The cold never bothered me anyway

唯我，敢挑隻身赴寒流。

It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small
啼笑遠煙皆邈末，屋舍儼若蟻螻。
And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all
時維往矣不勝惶恐，今非彼可制我。
It's time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through
適於旦夕，何以為兮。假我之力，驚剎天地。
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
誰是誰非，方圓無稽。
I'm free
肆意行。

Let it go, let it go
我如風，任去留。
I am one with the wind and sky
浩蕩中天氣無咎。
Let it go, let it go
我如虹，任天闊。
You'll never see me cry
初晴乍逢霽雨後。
Here I stand and here I'll stay
駕寒宮，劃地為樓，
Let the storm rage on
不懼風蕭索。

My power flurries through the air into the ground
力拔千鈞氣貫地，聚息攝魄冰。
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
靈動珠齏騰霜起，重於游絲輕於絮。
And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast
花晶盤鬱擷綺思，玉宇觀飛驚。
I'm never going back, the past is in the past
過眼翻覆往昔，何必執於歸去。

Let it go, let it go
我如風，任去留。
And I'll rise like the break of dawn
願化羲和驅夜魔。
Let it go, let it go
我如虹，任天闊。
That perfect girl is gone
無暇過隙便無蹤。
Here I stand in the light of day
駕寒宮，向陽高聳。
Let the storm rage on
一霰風攤破。
The cold never bothered me anyway
唯我，敢挑隻身赴寒流。

Adventure Cove

So Dog and I went on an impromptu money-spending spree to Adventure Cove yesterday! She coincidently saw an online promotion where they were selling two adult tickets for $50 (usual price is $38/person) so we bought the tickets Monday night and went on Tuesday. Efficiency hoorah.

The promotion here: http://www.rwsentosa.com/language/en-US/Homepage/Promotions/category/Attractions

(I didn't take any pictures so I'm getting them online haha)

Map Of Adventure Cove

It is actually really, really small. Really small. Like it would only take you about 15 minutes to walk one round. But the thing about Singapore is, we are super awesome at utilising small spaces.

Most of the rides are really standard. You could find them in Wild Wild Wet for a cheaper price. AC has slightly cleaner waters, less Singaporeans and way more lifeguards.
The entrance ticket does not include Ray Bay, Shark something, or Dolphin something. So you don't get to touch stingrays, sharks, or dolphins (not much to watch either). You have to buy separate tickets for those at a couple of hundred dollars I think.

Touch ze rays

Kiss ze dolphins

(Sorry kinda small)

The highlight of AC for me is the Rainbow Reef where you get to snorkel in the saltwater aquarium! Yay~ I have never snorkeled before (I was too young when my family went on a vacation to a Malaysian paradise island *sigh* and my mom refused to let a 3-year-old snorkel. *SIGH* #liferegret), so I thought that the Rainbow Reef was plenty fun. It's quite (use of word is subjective) deep and there are more fish than I thought there would be. I saw Nemo, Bubbles, Dory, Dory's cousin, Dory's cousin twice removed, Dory's cousin thrice removed, and some bigger fish. They had some sparse corals here and there too.

A dramatised Rainbow Reef

The most thrilling ride would be Riptide Rocket where you really just zip along the bumpy tracks. The heavier you are, the faster you go. Sadly the queue was no joke. Dog and I went on a Tuesday and we had to queue for I'm estimating 30 mins. Imagine going on a weekend or public holiday.

Riptide Rocket

Another ride I really enjoyed was Adventure River where you just float, get stuck in bubble float traffic jams, and float.

Dramatised Adventure River

The coolest part of AR is where you could see the stingrays and Dory's family swimming beside you, only to be separated by a glass wall.


I have to warn you though, the floor is SUPER PAINFUL to walk on. They had to make the floor rougher throughout the park for better friction, but I didn't think about it and went barefoot (I wore sports shoes there. Idiot.) and lost a good patch of skin on my heel. Wear slippers there everyone, if you care about your foot skin.

Overall, I felt that yes, it was worth the $25 (mainly because I have never snorkeled before), but if I had to pay $38 I wouldn't be happy. You can go to cheaper Wild Wild Wet (Downtown East, Pasir Ris) for water rides. Adventure Cove is more tourist-y and most of the people there are tourists (AKA more eye candy hahahaha~).

Oh yeah, the food there is twice as expensive as food sold in Vivo food junctions. They don't allow outside food, but really, who would actually go and open your bag to check (unless there is a really distinctly food-ish bump). So eat up before you go and bring snacks! They have water coolers so water is not an issue (duh, haha).

Also, the lockers there are at $10 for small lockers and $20 for big lockers for the entire day and you can open them as much as you want.

Ok bye~

Things That Make Me Happy

I am finally taking the first step to become a less spiteful person...

In no particular order, things from the top of my head right now

1. Good weather
     = mildly sunny, moderately windy, and slight drizzle
2. Having a baby smile or laugh at me
     My mood just shoots over the roof when this happens
3. Meeting kind strangers
     Like when I run out of change for the bus fare 
4. Somebody getting me something I really really wanted/ needed
     Double points if I didn't expect it (very rare)
         If I become slightly hostile when that happens it means you did it right and I'm slightly shy
5. Somebody going out of their way for me
     I think I'm the type that is very conscious about these things.. So if you do an unexpected favour for me, I will remember and I'll be twice as nice to you next time (I'm not a nice person.. -_______-)
6. Pocky
    Want to bribe me? Use Pocky.
7. Llama/ Alpaca soft toys
    Even I was surprised at this recent discovery. I'm not usually a soft toy person.
8. Being home alone
    I can be at 100% loner and nobody can judge. I love it.
9. Paychecks
    Smell that? That's the smell of materialistic power.
10. Dessert (the expensive kind)
    I love sweet stuff that are not sickly sweet. Chocolates, pies, cakes, bubble tea, cakes, ice cream, cakes...
11. Travelling
    I am so going to spend all my money travelling the world.
12. Enjoying the arts
    I enjoy looking at art even if I can't understand them (I, unexpectedly, have culture)
13. Tricking others
    I'm a bully by nature
14. When I look back and realise that I've been very efficient
    I plead guilty to procrastinating at life.
15. When my effort is appreciated
16. Discovering awesome new songs and wallpapers and books

Bonus: .________________________.
Isn't this emoticon super cute haha like .________________________.
the longer it is, the more awkward I felt HAHA

Ok bye.

.___________________________________________________.

Another Thing That Annoys Me

I have a lot of anger in me, I've realised. I should share something that makes me happy next time.

Anyway, I've been using facebook a lot more recently *cough* work *cough* and my 'friends' share some really good, inspirational stories on facebook... That have very unfortunate titles that really demeans the story into another one of those meaningless, attention-seeking articles, and this annoys me.

For example, I see this article that my 'friends' shared:

I'm sorry, but what's up with that lame title that is obviously phrased to pique the attention of 14-year-olds?? It even sounds written by 14-year-olds (I know, I've been there). Why couldn't a more simple title like, oh, I don't know, "Beautiful Sceneries" or something be good enough? It's straight to the point and doesn't sound attention seeking. I'm really bad at titles too, but still, why not just "A Man Filmed Heaven For  7 Days", why add the "What He Saw Took My Breath Away." part??? It really demeans the whole article. If I saw that title, I wouldn't have clicked on the link, but two people who usually shared good links shared this, so I did. The video was great. Link:http://www.lifebuzz.com/heaven/#!UrjG0

The photographer filmed some really beautiful footage of our planet.... But I almost didn't open it beacuse of the stupid title.

Another example:

This too is a great video about a great pianist performing in a train station, but with a stupid title that sounds like it was written by 14-year-olds. "You Gotta See This."???? Why is that phrase in the TITLE? It doesn't add any meaning to the video, it doesn't explain anything from the video, it just says 'click me, click me! I'm a website that really needs more visits'.

http://www.upvines.net/he-noticed-a-public-piano-then-he-blew-the-whole-train-station-away-you-gotta-see-this/

And so on and so forth... 

Well goodbye. I just wanted to rant. :D