Yay, today is the day I finally wore my sandals once again after a whole year and many seasons past. It got really hot during midday, but then cooled a little in the evening. So the summer/spring is kind of a bummer; to have to wear something suitable in the warm afternoons when out, and yet having to prepare for the cooler dusks.

I have really lost my tan since I came to Toronto. Singapore was the perfect place to get a proper bronze-like colour, and now I have went fair/pale/sickly. I really need some massive tanning when I return to KL.

I'm such a klutz. Watched the season finale of Lost just now. It started with a very weird scene with no clear connection to the previous eppie, but I thought to myself: "Hey, it's Lost. Nearly everything doesn't make sense yet".

After watching the whole episode and doing some search on answers for the Lost plotlines, did I realize that the season finale was a 2-hour one. And the one I watched was the second hour. Uggh.

No wonder it didn't make any sense..

So, my recent posts have been about TV shows that I had been watching, which I have to admit is kind of boring to read. Well, today I found something new to do, besides continuing watching Scrubs (FYI, I'm at Season 4!). I realy have to get back into the Naruto-love.

I dusted my outdated Sony MiniDisc Walkman player, recharged batteries, and erased old songs. I haven't used it since last year. My earphones were starting to snap off the whole headphone wire, so I could hear nothing, and I couldn't find a way to transfer my newer favourite songs in my lappie onto the discs. My MD only has the Digital Recording function (there's also the optical cable, but it's for CD player direct to MD), not those kind of super cool MP3 player functions where I can just transfer the songs to the discs.

Thankfully for my brother's newer, cooler MD that works as well as a MP3 player. Now I can just transfer songs straight from my computer to my mini discs via my brother's MD. In a nutshell, I'm at my brother's mercy since I'm using his stuff.

Which means there's a reason to use the headphones I bought on Sunday. My brother was harping on how I should return to KL to get new ones. But I need them to listen to lovely music on my way to the airport on July 7. Which is nicer, a hook-around-the-ears earphone, or band-across-the-head one?

PS X-Men 3: The Last Stand starts today! Have.. to.. watch.. A.. S.. A.. P..

The new American Idol is..

TAYLOR HICKS!

The finale just now had many guest stars (ie. Prince, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige) and good performances. When did AI manage to pull in such big names for the finale? Carrie Underwood and Clay Aiken performed too.. There was also this Golden Idol Award. Super LAME. AI gave awards (a.k.a mock) the season's embarassing contestants. To think some turned up to receive it.

Yay, finally another male winner. Ever since Ruben won and then vanished, it has been female winners. So Taylor will be both a breath of fresh air, being both male and having grey hair, soul and jazz. It's funny how Simon didn't believe Taylor would make it to the finals, but he did; then said Taylor will win, and he did. Still, Kelly Clarkson is my favourite AI.

Soul Patrol!

AI showdown was on just now.
Katherine McPhee vs. Taylor Hicks.
And Taylor won me over with 2-1 songs.

This season, each sang their own single written just for them. I didn't really like either one. My favourite AI single still has to be Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This. Anyway, 2-hour results show tomorrow. No particular choice, but Taylor will be something different from past AIs..

Yesterday, the house went to watch The Da Vinci Code. I have to say that this has got to be one of the most highly anticipated movie of the year, besides the coming X-Men 3: The Last Stand.


It was so freaking hard to get the tickets. There was a show at 3.40pm, thus we left the house at 2.40pm to get the tickets. Still we didn't manage to get them. The next show was at 6.30pm and we hurriedly bought them. Some of us continued walking around in the mall.

At 5.30pm, we went to the cinema hoping that we could enter and have a seat. But to our surprise, other people were already waiting, and we were not allowed to enter first. Someone triggered the kiasu-ism, and everyone just rushed forward to the ticket-guy to wait. We were allowed into the theatres area, but still had to queue. This was the first time I had to do so in the many times I catched at movie at this cinema.

It was just madness. At this point, I have to mention that the reason why everyone is so on the edge, is because it's free-seating in here. So everyone just wants a better seat. This kind of happened when I watched HP & TGOF; we resorted to sitting at the very front row. Anyway, we got good seats this time..

Now on to the show.. TDVC wasn't a bad show, nor was it a super awesome show. There were some scenes in the movie that wasn't in the book; two very obvious ones that I caught, while some other subtle changes. But still, it managed to have some humour in this whole fictional Christianity-related plot. The bad reviews from others must have been due to two reason:
1) Backlashing from the group of people related, or
2) Under-appreciation due to lack of understanding of the plot, since there are flashbacks and complicating explanations of the events by actors and actresses that either have French or British accents.

From the start, it was like a wild rollercoaster ride. Very quick-paced and exciting. The acting by Tom Hanks as damed symbologist Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, and especially Ian McKellen as the Holy Grail fanatic Sir Leigh Teabing, fitted the movie. Action-&-Adventure movies aren't usually about the acting, right?

I was a teeny bit disappointed with the show, but I know it is hard to script a book into a movie, especially one that requires so much understanding, explanation, and images to support it. So, you either embrace it, or hate it.

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY SIS!

Study hard for your coming O's, take care and enjoy your coming holidays! (:

Ya-ba-da-ba-doo! I just received this e-mail today..

Dear Chi Hoe,
I have reviewed your application for the Conservation Co-op Program with Nancy Bradshaw of the Co-op office, and am happy to tell you that you should receive an invitation to the program shortly. My email to you now is to remind you that you need to have taken GGRA30, so please ensure that you take it in the 2006-7 academic year, so as not to delay your progress through the program.

With best wishes,
Lisa Manne

Dr Lisa L. Manne
Assistant Professor of Zoology
University of Toronto at Scarborough
1265 Military Trail
Scarborough ON M1C 1A4
Canada

Now, I just have to remember to apply for GGRA30 in the coming semester. I'm soon-to-be officially in the Conservation Biology (Co-op) Specialist Program!

I got back all of my marks for my first year in UTSC around midweek. I have to say, I'm a teeny-weeny bit disappointed with this semester's grades.


Fall '05
BGYA01 - A (85)
CHMA10 - A-(83)
GGRA02 - A-(80)
PSYA01 - A (85)
STAB22 - B+(77)
-------------------
Sessional GPA: 3.74

Winter '06
BGYA02 - A-(81) [-1=80]
CHMA11 - B (74) [+3=77]
EESA06 - A (87) [-2=85]
HLTA01 - A-(83) [+0=83]
PSYA02 - A-(83)
-------------------
Sessional GPA: 3.62

Cumulative GPA: 3.68


So what a difference a mere 2 marks make! I was hoping that my latest semester's grades could even out last semesters, but no regrets. I knew I wasn't as focused as I was for the Fall. I wasn't too bothered by Statistics being a B+ since it is a second level course. But Chemistry has now made a mark by being my lowest scoring course so far in UTSC. I'm just glad I'm done with Chemistry.

People, prepare for the world-shattering event of the year..

The premiere of The Da Vinci Code movie!

I'm definitely going to catch it with my housemates, but we do not know if we should do it over this weekend, since everyone will be rushing to watch the movie too. Besides, it's the long Victoria Day weekend! Monday is a public holiday and we are thinking if we should go to the beach or somewhere for a picnic (but it has been rainy so far), or just have dimsum. Hhmmm..

So tonight is the FINAL 2 finale episodes of That '70s Show. Sad but true. After 8 seasons, it's finally coming to an end on New Year's Eve of 1979.


Steven Hyde, Eric Forman, Fez, Jackie Burkhart, Donna Pinciotti, Kitty Forman, Michael Kelso, Bob Pinciotti and Red Forman. I just had to put up the pictures of the original cast. That was when I truly enjoyed all the jokes and the dynamics of everyone on the show. Up next, the opening clip for the final season. There's the new guy, minus Eric and Kelso, in it.




I watched the perspective episode, That 70's Show: The Final Goodbye. And teared up a little when they did the final script reading and the final bowing to the live audience, since all of the actors were also bawling their eyes out. The perspective episode also showed the fantasies and dream sequences that the characters have on the show. Of course, the funny 360s that the kids have when they chill with weed in the Circle, just like in the opening clip.

Lovely. I'm gonna miss it.

Hhhmmm, guess who is America's Next Top Model?

I don't know. I love this cycle because the top 2 finalists are my favourites. But in the finale just now, I was totally rooting for Joanie to win. I thought she outperformed Danielle in the CoverGirl commercial and photoshoot.

Joanie was my pre-show favourite. Stood out prominently when I first saw the 13 girls on the webbie. She had the chiselled features and for once had a good chance to win, despite being a blonde. It seems like ANTM is against blondes or something; none of the winners are blondes. So looks like this 'Blonde Curse' still stands. Anyway, I just hope Joanie doesn't end up being another Kahlen, who was my fav in C4, then lost to Naima and now has vanished. Nevertheless, both were strong and could have gone either way. They better work it for all it's worth, and perhaps ANTM will then have true TOP models.

Awww.. Will miss ANTM. But Canada's Next Top Model is coming soon! (:

My head is spinning, my heart is racing, and I'm still reeling in the aftermath of watching 3 hours straight of adrenaline-pumping, lachrymal-stimulating episodes of Grey's Anatomy just now. I feel so emotionally drained.. :(

SHOCK from 17 Seconds
FEAR from the Deterioration Of The Flight And Fight Response
SADNESS from Losing My Religion


OMFG! @#$%^&*()_+! WTF?

That 3 hours were one of the most intense episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Each hour had a shade, and I couldn't even think properly. I have a spliting migraine from watching and thinking and crying and being all blur and lost, and then watching and thinking and crying all over again.


---------- SPOILERS ----------DAMN with the ending. The death of Denny and a devastated Izzie who quit? She was one of my favourite characters, but she got selfish with Denny somewhere in the show. Still.. That very scene where she lies on the bed next to Denny in that flowing dress. And the cliffhanger?!? They expect us, Grey's fans, to wait for months before we get to see Meredith's decision? Please Meredith, choose the right guy, not the one who has a wife and yet expects you to be with him. Or just walk, no run, away, from both of them and chase after Izzie. Then there is the uncertainty of Burke's recovery and with Christina.
------------- END -------------

How can the writers be so cruel and yet be so brilliant with their writing at the same time? I mean, this is what TV should be about. Make us feel and understand and think. This is what I call brilliant television. History changing.. Mind blowing.. This 3 episodes rank as one of the BEST episodes of Grey's and any TV shows, together with episodes Into You Like A Train, and the two continuing hours of It's The End Of The World and As We Know It.

The acting were just brilliant too. Sandra Oh as Christina, Ellen Pompeo as Meredith, and especially Katherine Heigl as Izzie. She better get an Emmy or Golden Globe nod for that stupendous acting in these episodes. Made the whole moment the moment. Took my breath away, and away and away..

I am so emotionally-invested in this series that it drives me insanely crazy. I'm having the urge to rewatch the whole show with every bit of details scrutinized, since I keep the downloaded episodes and I do have the time. Yet, the thought of reliving those moments do scare me, and tempt me. A summer without Grey's is just plain torture. I need Season 3 ASAP!!!


I <3 GREY'S ANATOMY.

It's official! Veronica Mars is back for the third season! YAY! And, it seems like ABC is relocating Grey's Anatomy to Thursday, instead of the usual Sunday timeslot. Thank god it will be right after Survivor. Pumped. Looks like there will be more good TV shows to come, as seen from the Fall '06 Preview.

Oh, and I have yet to catch the season finale of Grey's Anatomy, but it's right on my computer ready to be played tonight. 3 whole hours of GA! Sweet.

Did you watch? The twelth (WOW!) season finale of Survivor. I did!


It started with the "To be continued.." of Thursday's episode where Danielle and Cirie were duking it out in the tie-breaker. Cirie lost. Boo! I had hoped she would be in the Final 2. Which leaves Danielle, Aras and Terry. Then after the events that followed, Danielle won the final Immunity Challenge, and picked Aras for the Final 2. So, the ultimate sole Survivor of Panama: Exile Island is..



ARAS!
Yay! I'm just glad Captain America aka Terry didn't win. Tom of Survivor: Palau is enough. Terry won a car though, which just solidified "The Curse of The Car" where car-winners are not $1000000-winners. I dislike such dominators. True, they play hard and probably deserve the title and money. However, I root for underdogs like Cirie. I thought she surely would be one of the early eliminees, but boy am I surprised. She provided many good laughs too.

Danielle played smartly, aligning herself with the right people at the right time, but a boring social game. The hot-looking (don't you agree?) yoga instructor Aras was my pre-show favourite. He did play a sleek game, always providing as Terry's rival. I'm glad he Outwitted, Outplayed and Outlasted.

Season 13. Survivor: Cook Islands! I CAN'T WAIT!

Vesak, a Buddhist festival celebrating the birth of the Buddha.

A few of us went to a temple for Vesak Day, which was on Friday. Headed to a Buddhist temple at Richmond Hill. We kind of lost our way there, but tracked it down in the end. The temple wasn't what I expected. It was a Thai temple, or more like a monastery. Simple building, not those kind of Chinese temples with the pillars, the carvings and the mass incense-burning. Most people there were Thai, or Indonesian, with a few Westerners too.

This was how it went. People bring food (not leftovers), bought of home-cooked; something like a pot-luck thing. Portions of it were put into bowls for the different monks, so there is a variety for them from everyone. Then we head to the prayer hall where there was the chanting of the Sutra and since it's for Vesak, there was this short excerpt of the origins of Vesak.

The catch - EVERTHING WAS FOREIGN TO ME. The chanting was done in Sanskrit, instead of the usual Chinese chanting I'm used to (ie. Amitabha as opposed to Amituofuo). Furthermore, the monks spoke in Thai too. The only line I understood was "December 15 1999," which I have no idea what it was for.

I was kind of uncomfortable. I was sitting in front of most other people, so I couldn't see what the rest were doing. I didn't know if I should place my hands together while the monks were chanting, or if I should chant along those lines which I don't even comprehend or remember and pronounce. Plus, I didn't know to cross my legs or kneel, and when I did the latter, my unflexible feet ached since it was pressed flat down.

But I have to say, I found some solemn while closing my eyes and listening to some of the chants and songs. Very peaceful. A monk also showered some 'holy water' on us. It was just mind- and body-cleansing.

Finally, FOOD! Everyone went up to the monks and put white rice into those big bowls. Then the small bowls that we filled with flavoured food were given to them. We feasted on what's left. Very tasty, all the Thai, Indonesian flavours. The monks also gave us what they couldn't finish. We left after that. There were more praying but we didn't stay behind.

As we were driving down Bayview, we stopped at this Chinese temple. It felt so much more familiar. Prayed with incense, and it felt very comforting too. We also got some Buddhist books, that have pictures and colours about Buddha and the way of Buddha. We then went for a vegetarian meal, since we weren't full. Yummy! I miss the vegetarian beehoon back in Singapore..

This experience was enlightening. I don't mind visiting temples on festivals, but maybe not weekly. Religion is a funny thing. There are people who are fanatics, yet there are atheist. Sometimes it helps to find solace in faith.

It's that time of the year for series/season finales of TV shows. I suppose over the next few days I will be blogging about them. Which can be a total bore, seeing how I have been talking about shows (Naruto, MSCL) only in the last few posts. But that's the only thing I have been doing with all my free time..

Watching shows.

For example, I started on Scrubs. It's the comedic version of Grey's Anatomy, except it isn't so much of medical stuffs, rather it's more of the jokes and gags that surrounds the characters most of the time. Good for laughs.

Coming back to the finales. Veronica Mars ended its second season. Whether it returns for the third season remains up in the air, since it has low ratings and the TV network it is on is undergoing merger. VM is witty and smart. And I really hope it returns, otherwise I will be fuming mad.

My brother went to a concert. Sigur Ros' concert at downtown Toronto. I didn't go since I don't know the band well. So my housemates whipped up a meal consisting of steak, potatoes and vegetables, topped with chocolate cake and white wine. Yes, white wine with 12% alcohol. Very choking, but I'm now of legal age to drink. (:

MSCL = My So-Called Life

It's a 1994 TV show that I've been watching. It stars Claire Danes as Angela Chase, a teenage girl living life - puberty, parental figures, friendship, independence. And all of these are documented with her thoughts being narrated in a voice-over, something like Meredith in Grey's Anatomy.

Unfortunately, it was cancelled after it's first season, due to low ratings. Such TV shows are "too smart for TV", just like Veronica Mars. The show is good. Very insightful and realistic. In fact, it's just too real that it causes discomfort to know that such things do happen even when we pretend that they don't. And Claire Danes is just awesome in it, along with the rest of the cast. Oh, and the fashion-sense back then was.. horrendous?


I only managed to watch the first 10 episodes out of the 19, which were well-worth it. Couldn't find the rest for download. It ended in a cliffhanger. I wonder how things will turn out if the show continued.. Today, the show would be a hit. But MSCL was ahead of its time.

My day-filler is none other than Naruto episodes. I watched..
8 episodes on Thursday,
9 episodes on Friday,
12 episodes on Saturday,
12 episodes today.

Whatever happened to my 2-episodes per day promise, I've no idea. Naruto just keeps getting better and better, and more intriguing. To the extent of me searching for Naruto images (wallpapers, avatars, etc.) online, downloading ending themes that I like, and even signing up at a fanclub.

I LOVE NARUTO!


Anyway, yesterday the house went out to Tako Sushi for dinner. I've always ordered take-out from Tako Sushi and passed by the place a few times. From the exterior it looks very much like a cheap, rundown place. But behold the interior decorations. Very classy. We ordered a dinner set fit for four to six. Turned out to be quite a letdown. We weren't satisfied and full at all. Plus, there was this very manly waitress who knocked over a cup of tea, wetting the whole table. No one brought us tissue paper until repeated requests.

So after the meal we walked north from Tako Sushi in search for more food. Thus, the beginning of our food-trail. We stopped at Pizza Hut first. It was just a small delivery shop, with a few seats. Ordered a medium Stuffed Crust Hawaiian Pizza. Yummy, straight out from the oven. Next stop was Tim Hortons, where we chatted over coffee. Final stop, home. We walked quite an admirable distance in the cold wind. It's spring, but these few days have been kind of chilly. Nevertheless, our little food-trail was fun.

New song. The first ending theme of Naruto. I didn't really like it at first, but it grew on me. Need some use getting to, since this English song has a strong Japanese accent. Otherwise nice melody and meaningful lyrics.

Look, this is my keychain.

Mel just sent me a nice birthday card plus the 'Chihoe' keychain. It reminds me of something we would make in D&T. I love it. Only Mel and my family sent me something for my birthday. Thank you!

Then, there is the 'UofT' keychain which I bought a few months back. It reminds me, and many other people, of TofU at certain angles. It is blue by the way, and there is pink too.. Cool huh?

Speaking of tofu, we are going to have Yong Tau Foo tonight. Just a couple pieces of bittergourd and tofu stuffed with meat fillings that Juyenty and a few of us helped to make. Yummy. I also cannot wait to return to KL for more local delights, which would be in about 2 months from now. (:

I realized I didn't mention much about my Final Exams. Well, I really do not know how it went. It can go either way, GOOD or BAD. The GOOD thing is my Exams are over, the BAD thing is I screwed Chemistry. Thank God it is my final time taking it for the rest of my life, I hope..

I even went to watch a movie on Friday night, since Psychology was the only exam left. Me and the rest of the house went to watch United 93. It's about September 11, how 4 planes were hijacked but only 3 made it to their 'target destination'. The passengers on that plane fought back, but still didn't make it.


The show was made into kind of like a documentary with people stories that were pieced together from the phonecalls made by those on flight United 93. I got repeated goosebumps while watching some of the real footages inserted into the movie. So it is a GOOD thing that I responded to what needed to be responded, but a BAD thing that I had to respond to a film based on such an incident. To me, it is still kind of early to make such a movie on 9/11. It's like tearing off the scar that is still not fully healed.

On the downside, me and my housemate agreed that the show had the undertone of a stereotypical fundamentalist Muslim. There were scenes where the hijackers pray for power from Allah, etc., and for those ignorant Westerners who watch them, will definitely view Muslims as that.. Which is so not the case. I just hate how these terrorists use religion as a shield for their actions.

Anyway, there are so many other movies I want to watch, particularly X-Men 3: The Last Stand, and The Da Vinci Code.. I have so many people interested in the latter, but not X-Men 3. Anyone?

The feeling of being free. Sweet. Anyway, spent the day playing games and I just watched a new episode of Naruto! Hooray. I don't have to control my Naruto-itch anymore. Or maybe I do, though not as much, as I don't want to run out of Naruto way too early in my Summer holidays.
Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura..

Speaking of Sakura, there are cherry trees flowering in my school campus! So cool. I met up with Sandy and Cherrie before my Psychology exam today so that we could get some pictures taken, especially since both of them are transferring to UofT Downtown. In fact, they are moving out from UTSC residence tomorrow. Anyway, they were just planted a few months ago, so they are kind of small and underwhelming..


Sakura Project.


Sakura trees with the Management Buiilding in the background, and some random people studying out in the nice weather.


Green and Sakura trees with the Science Wing in the background.


Me and Sandy.


Sandy wanted to 'change pose'.


Me, Sandy and Cherrie. I look quirky.
I will miss them. Sandy is my very good friend in UTSC. We were in the same Biology labs for two semesters, in the same tutorial for HLTA01 this semester, and we would sit together for all lectures we have together. I think the reason we click is that she used to study in Singapore. It was by such coincidence that she sat right next to me in BGYA01 lab, and we started talking.
Well, good luck and take care Sandy. Don't study too much like you always do. LOL. You and Cherrie can have all the fun at UofT Downtown, while I continue to rot in UTSC. Thank you for helping me with all the Chemistry work, etc., and always chatting. (:

I cannot help but do this..

Sakura sakura
Yayoi no sora wa
Miwatasu kagiri
Kasumi ka kumo ka
Nioi zo izuru
Izaya izaya
Mini-yukan

freedom

4 months of summer holidays, here I come! (: