Music Makes Me Happy

I should just make this into a part-time Owl City/Adam Young fan blog, lol. Here goes another AY-related post.

I seem to have run-ins with some of Adam's lesser known songs in the most random of places. Twice at McDonald's (that place has a seriously awesome track list!) - once was Gold, and the other time The Saltwater Room (yay!).

And just earlier today, I heard Youtopia - Adam's very dreamy-sounding collab with Armin Van Buuren - at Dorothy Perkins. Hehe!

Youtopia//Armin van Buuren feat. Adam Young

 

"Open the roof and take in the view

'Coz you're my sweetest dream come true."

Oh, Inna's Un Momento was on rotation at DP too. It's amazing how much happy musical coincides can lift my mood. :)

One serving of hot gals cavorting around coming right up:

Un Momento//INNA feat. Juan Magan 

Sorry, no lyrics excerpt. My ears keep getting distracted by my eyes, and it's basically just the word "Un Momento" on repeat for most of the song. ;)

Youtube Replay

The tunes that keep drumming across my thoughts, the ones I can't seem to stop pressing the replay button for...

Turn Off The Lights//Panic! At The Disco 

 "I got my heavy heart to hold me down, 

once it falls apart my head's in the clouds"

Hello Fascination//Breathe Carolina 

"You build me up just to let me down,

You're being loud without a sound"

When Can I See You Again?//Owl City 

"Don't close your eyes 'coz your future's ready to shine,

It's just a matter of time before we learn how to fly"

Musical Poseur

Statement mug from Typo

Now how cool is that! I'm loathed to rise up to such a tall claim, but I do occasionally find myself stumbling onto a musical gem that somehow escapes mainstream radar, although personally such instances are becoming decidedly rare in this age of YouTube instafame.

Certain entries in my lexicon definitely have these brief sojourns into less chartered musical territories to thank. I learnt one of my favourite words, the ever so melodious "Crazy Cool", from Brit indie-pop band Flamboyant Bella who were active during the late 2000's.

There's also Jack Penate, another British act who has been rather quiet of late. His songs have a sneaky way of making me hit the replay button over and over. You've heard of reaching for the stars, but have you heard of Spit At Stars? Apparently "we all spit at stars".

Oh, and Torn On The Platform always makes me want to get up on my toes and dance in weird spasms. Lol ;)

Go figure.

The paper marionette show's adorable, hehe.

Chasing Paper Tigers

As much as I want to kiss the ground Adam Young walks on, I'm on the fence about Owl City's new album The Midsummer Station.

The cover's so evocative and lovely, but I feel that a big part of the album's just generic pop that anyone with a half-decent singing voice and passable song-writing skills could concoct.

And then he goes and posts this demo tune on tumblr:

Paper Tigers

http://www.ayoungblog.com/post/29762787542/well-ive-been-huddled-up-alone-by-the-fire-even

Adam I <3 you. :P

Trouble in Spa

This week's Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps got off to a flying start (literally) when mad man Romain Grosjean did a spot of mechanical aero-bics to nip across Alonso's cockpit, very nearly taking the poor man's head along with him as well.

It's ironic though how official reports say Alonso took a bad knocking but is uninjured. A "knock" in itself is a physical injury, just not a very serious one in Alonso's case. Food for thought certainly.

Here's how it happened:


...And THAT, my dears, is how not to drive a Formula 1 car.

Oh So Awkward

Awkward - Marni Bates

"Mackenzie Wellesley has spent her life avoiding the spotlight. At Smith High, she's the awkward junior people only notice when they need help with homework. Until she sends a burly football player flying with her massive backpack and makes a disastrous - not to mention unwelcome - attempt at CPR. 

Before the day is out, the whole fiasco explodes on YouTube. And then the strangest thing happens. Suddenly, Mackenzie is an Internet sensation, with four million hits and counting. Sucked into a whirlwind of rock stars, paparazzi, and free designer clothes, she even catches the eye of the most popular guy at school. And that's when life gets really interesting..."

My thoughts on this book in 1 word: awesome! I'm quite le geek and awkward's stamped into my DNA, so this gem of a book struck a deep chord.

Pity I don't see anyone as dishy as Logan Beckett hovering about watching me from the fringes. Or an infamous YouTube vid of me going viral. Sigh.

Satchel Lovin'

Oh cupcakes and hummingbirds, these are cute.

The Mail Bag//Typo

Such cheerful candy colours!

The material might not be leather and I imagine they wouldn't be as sturdy as the ones from The Cambridge Satchel Company, but they're definitely more affordable at less than half the $ damage.

The Classic//The Cambridge Satchel Company

I love this shade of purple on bags :) 

Eye-catching, fun, yet subtle enough to add a touch of elegance to simple jeans and tee coordinates.  

♥

In Pictures & A Video

Yes, that's exactly how old I am now :P

It's a yummylicious strawberry cake in case you're wondering.

Sometimes I think I love myself (or my name XD ) too much.

Got these neat latte cups from a Nescafe event, but I don't know what possessed me to get both customised with the same name/text. Creative, not.

My Whatsapp profile picture at the moment.

Told ya I love myself too much. 

Fish chowder @ Fish & Co. I love peppery, creamy soups :P

Popped in at Fish & Co. one night after taking ages to decide what to have for dinner. Food's not bad.

These kids from Mittagong Public School in NSW, Australia are such sweethearts.

How lucky to have a teacher who's into Owl City ;)

♥ ♥ ♥

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter

Mmnn... Smells. So. Good! ^^

Madness

1 more day to deadline...

I want to sing/scream this out at the top of my lungs:

Sometimes...

Sometimes life sends your way people with so much passion and energy in them, you can't help but feel inspired to become a better person.

(Even though it makes you feel a little small when you measure yourself up against their innumerable accomplishments.)

Step by step, day by day, I'll aspire to get off my bum and do my best too. :P

Somewhere Out There

Strange, I'm not even a fan of Bruno Mars but I seem to be on a roll. Maybe it's got something to do with my fondness for Mars and Mars bars ;)

I super ♥ Somewhere in Brooklyn. The rhythm's catchy and the lyrics are, well, lyrical. Plus, it's so very infectious and brimming with hope!

My feet can't stop tapping, my body starts grooving on its own and I want to dance around and sing this whenever I hear it!

I know he's out there somewhere, waiting to be found :)

Little Miss Perfect 

Sitting at the train stop

Red Nike high tops

Listening to Hip Hop

It's unfair she's out there

Somewhere, somewhere in Brooklyn.

When Music & Books Collide II

Heard Talking to the Moon at work today and it struck me that the song's so Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Just, the book's less creepy. Bruno Mars writes some seriously emo-obsessed-stalker lyrics (Grenade, anyone?)  :P

Here's to Lola, Cricket, and Lola's whimsical "Dear Moon, I've got something to say to you" quirkiness. Cheers!

I kid you not. She talks to the moon. Hmm, maybe I should try that too sometime :P

"For as long as I can remember, I've talked to the moon. Asked her for guidance."

Semi Road Trip ☀

Saturday's day out at Morib beach :)

Sun, sand, a gentle sea breeze,

little crustaceans out at play.

What's missing was more of the ocean,

which the tide had turned away.

(Bad attempt at so-called poetry :P )

When Music & Books Collide

Books and songs that go hand-in-hand:

Etienne and Anna. 

Anna loves the way her name sounds in his British accent, and Anna's choice to call him Etienne instead of St Clair's one of the book's turning points.

Thought of this first thing when I found out the name Etienne is the French equivalent of Stephen. 

Reminds me of the book's last chapter, every time ^^

Michelle Madow has said Remembrance is inspired by Taylor's Swift's Love Story :P

Love and Leftovers

My wish

is to fall

cranium over Converse

in dizzy, daydream-worthy

love.

(if only it were that easy.)

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father. By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up.

But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?"

I'll be honest, I've got mixed feelings about this one.

So let's start with the positives. I can't recall if I have previously read a novel written in verse, hence I've a strong suspicion Love and Leftovers is my first. And it was less painful - much less painful - than I thought it would be.

That makes me really glad and it's drummed up my confidence to try Gayle Forman's If I Stay soon. I've heard so many good review of that novel, I'm afraid I'm in for a big let-down if I end up not liking it.

I've got to say though, it's amazing how well-chosen words could contain so much meaning, and for this I tip my hat to Sarah Tregay (from a writer-in-training to one that has mastered the art of concision).

Tregay's tender handling of the bunch of Leftovers - Marcie and her friends, and the novel's term for those students that don't seem to fit into any high school stereotypes - makes me wonder if she herself was one.

Marcie's circle of friends seem just the kind that I would have identified with. Indeed, I sort of fancy that my own clique in high school were Leftovers (although maybe my peers would have labelled us geeks :P).

I really love just how "real" and believable the story is. I can say from experience that it's difficult to find other like-minded fiends to click with when you're thrown into a new environment, so I could identify with Marcie and the emotional turmoil she faced at having to adjust to a new town/city and a new school.

Sure, she could have made some different decisions, but to tell you the truth, I don't know if I wouldn't have made the decisions Marcie did if I were in her situation. The same applies as well to Marcie's boyfriend Linus, her friends, and even the hot guy she has confused feelings for at her new school. After all, it's part of growing up - discovering where you belong and who you are, searching for the answers to the mysteries of love and sex, and just generally maturing as a person.

So what didn't I like about the novel? I started skimming at around the halfway point. Oh no. Maybe I was just too anxious to get to the end and find out how things turn out. But, I think it's because the story felt a little draggy by then.

While the bits in the the parts I skimmed over were necessary to tie up lose ends, my patience did wear thin after a while at having to keep reading lines after lines of verse, even though the verses themselves were not bad.

Perhaps it's just a matter of getting used to the rather unusual writing style. For that however, Love and Leftovers fell a little short of a truly delightful novel to me.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I've got to learn not to get conned by striking, mysterious-looking book covers and rave net reviews.

It's always, "Surely this book must be as awesome as book bloggers and reviewers say it is. Oh look, even my favourite author is gushing about it. So. Must. Read!"

.... Then comes the inevitable let down.

The first time was Beth Revis' Across the Universe trilogy. Two books into the series and its lead characters still annoy me. Saying that, I do have a soft spot for the trilogy - even if it's a very small and discreet spot.

     

Daughter of Smoke and Bone didn't leave as much of an impression. Blame it on high expectations if you must. It's a 4.12/5 star book on Goodreads after all! And this book was #1 last year on Amazon's young adult book list.

What it's about:

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

To be fair, the book actually started off quite all right. For 3/4 of the story, I thought "this is interesting, I can see why people say it's good".  The descriptions of Prague were beautiful, the prose elegant, and the characters and folklore well fleshed out. But something was still missing... which I hoped I would find as I continue reading.

Then it struck me: I wasn't getting pulled into DoSaB's world(s). Neither was I feeling as much as I would like to for Karou and Akiva. It was a struggle to connect. 

If anything, my favourite character was Brimstone, the tender and mysterious chimaera that raised Karou. Pity that he weaves in and out of the story and eventually disappears.

So by the time the book ended on a rather abrupt note, I was annoyed.Yes, DoSaB is part 1 of 3 books, but personally I feel that all books in a series should be self contained. 

You read the next book and then the next-next one to find out how the story continues, but you should also be able to enjoy a full story on its own in each book.

I may pick up Days of Blood and Starlight - book #2 - when it's out November 2012, or I may not. I'm just not too concerned.about it. I'm content to ogle the awesome book cover for now.

When pictures do the talking

Arimino Peace Prodesign Series Gloss Milk. 

The name's so technical for such a sweet-looking product~ ♥

SCAPE, Singapore.

What we found at SCAPE!

Soooooo cute I'm gonna die!! XD

Look who dropped by!

I've been going around without makeup lately; not even concealer ><

Messy Situation

Okay, confession time - I'm ridiculously sentimental and a pack rat too. Not a good combination. No no no no no!

I seem to think that if you hold on to something long enough, it'll become valuable - antiques are nothing more than glorified junk that's now defunct, aye? :P

So 1 corner (or 2, or 3) of my room always looks like a mini tornado swept through it. Always. And although this will sound weird, I actually really do hate clutter.

I just practise selective vision and filter out what I don't want to see.

When I do 'look', this is how I look...

And then you'll see me start stuffing things in drawers, taking stuff out of paper/plastic bags, hanging up my accessories, etc, like a xiao zha bo (mad woman).

True story :P

Hello Seattle

Gorgeous pic of Seattle's skyline.

Anyone knows where it's from so I can credit?

I've never fancied visiting Seattle...until I heard Owl City's Hello Seattle. Just like that, Seattle suddenly seems so beautiful.

Just realised today that there's 2 versions of the song. Me thinks the older version from Of June (EP) is so much prettier than the one in Ocean Eyes (Album).

What about you? :)

I especially love, love, love this part in Of June's version:

Take me above your light

Carry me through the night

Hold me secure in flight

Sing me to sleep tonight

Of June version

Ocean Eyes version

Pix Spam

Food ^^

One of the best ramen ever. Menya Musashi @ Isetan 1U

Very awesome raw egg dipping sauce. Suki-Ya @ Pavilion

Cotton candy! ♥ The BIG B.I.G. Weekend @ Publika

I'm paid peanuts but I have a cool job (true story :P)

Free coffee came to us on San Francisco Coffee's 15th anniversary

I don't get to keep the merch but that's such a pretty bag aye? Love the quirky little tag 

Strip voucher for a Brazilian. I survived the experience! ;) muahaha

The Scorpio Races

I've struck another book off my to-read list (YAY!! *humour me? :P )

Did Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races over the weekend. By now you'll know I suck at summarising books, so I won't. La-di-da...

I like the UK cover on the left :P

Let's just say there's a teenage boy and girl living on an island ("He was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious?"), flesh-eating water horses, and every year there's a race on said horses which ends in a bloodbath.

If that's your kind of thing, then that's your kind of thing. Although, I kinda like the action bits more, which there wasn't really enough of. Ohh, words can't say enough how I hate those 100-page 'oh woe is us' sort of narratives.

I won't touch Ms Stiefvater's other books - Lament, Ballad, Shiver, Linger, Forever - but what really made me really wanna read Scorpio Races was this:

ISN'T THAT SO AWESOME? DOESN'T IT MAKE YOU WANT TO PICK UP THE BOOK?!!

Hehe. The artwork and music is by the author herself! *respect*

... But the yellow-ish orange colouring gave me the (wrong) impression that the book was set in a desert >,<

And I thought the characters were Mongolian/Asian....

I Am Titanium

"You shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium."

Simple words that carry so much meaning!

The Smirking Conundrum

I've been told I tend to smirk in photos.

It's unintentional!

I swear I was trying to look friendly. Why do I turn out looking so smug instead? T.T

Somehow one corner of my mouth will curve up more than the other, and I can't seem to catch this imbalance when I'm smiling to correct the flaw before the camera's shutters go off.

So I tried a wide, dazzling smile that shows off my not-so-perfect pearly whites.

Honey and the "bee". Who's honey and who's bee? :D

What do you think? Any better or does my teeth totally ruin the picture? :P

The Space Between

The warm fuzzy feeling that you have when you've read a book which you really enjoyed? I don't really get that often.

Sure, there are plenty of books I had fun reading; books that made me laugh, cry and think really hard about my world view.

(Can you tell these are the sort of stories which I like the most? ^^ )

So I'm really glad I had enough sense not to pay attention to first impressions with Brenna Yovanoff's The Space Between.

Pandemonium, otherwise known as hell, is a city of steel and metal.

"Daphne is the half-demon, half-fallen angel daughter of Lucifer and Lilith. Life for her is an endless expanse of time, until her brother Obie is kidnapped—and Daphne realizes she may be partially responsible.

Determined to find him, Daphne travels from her home in Pandemonium to the vast streets of Earth, where everything is colder and more terrifying. With the help of the human boy she believes was the last person to see her brother alive, Daphne glimpses into his dreams, discovering clues to Obie’s whereabouts. 

As she delves deeper into her demonic powers, she must navigate the jealousies and alliances of the violent archangels who stand in her way"


Everything about it just didn't appeal to me - the cover (which I now find really awesome XD ), the storyline, even the characters - though I was rather impressed with Brenna's debut, The Replacements.

The eerily haunting image everyone was talking about.

There's just so many YA novels out there about girl goes on quest, meets love of her life, external parties interfere, yada, yada, yada. What's the diff, right?

I was so wrong.

The difference is in the quality of prose, immaculate pacing, well fleshed out and lovable characters whom you accept flaws and all, and - dare I say it - the humanising of demons so much so that you actually feel a sliver of sympathy for what we traditionally think of as the bad guys.

I only wish Truman's name wasn't Truman. Okay, I admit I'm shallow but Truman, seriously? He's supposed to be some skinny, tragic, self-destructive kid and all I can think of is Truman Capote. The old one. Yeah, not sexy, at all. :P

Hmm..

Small Miracles

There I was, navigating through the night towards the office, in my ageing car, at a frantic pace. The LCD clock beamed a string of numbers starting with 9, and my eyes were trying hard to stay focused on the road ahead.

Dang, I'd done another of my infamous acts of 'absent-minded professor-ism'... I'd left my phone at work, goodness knows where, although I suspected the wash room (don't ask. just don't.ask.).

How I wish my car could fly! Other than absolutely knowing I'd lost my phone, the next most agonizing feeling was not knowing if I'd find it or if it was gone for good. Aargh, the frustration!

And then, on a random whim - my fingers somehow flew to the button on the panel - I switched the radio's frequency to a mandarin station's. Lo and behold, mother of all miracles, this was playing:

Owl City's title song from the new EP, Shooting Star. Adam Young!!

What were the odds? The EP just dropped on iTunes about a week ago and I've yet to hear any of the songs on English radio stations.

Surely, that was a sign. An omen.

“Omens are everywhere in this world, you just have to find the one that fits.” 

- Tiffany Aching in I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett

Granted, Shooting Star's not my fav track off the EP but you take what you're given and be grateful for it.

My mood lifted immediately and yes, I did find my phone eventually. It was on my desk, buried under a neat stack of papers.

Go figure.

Power Packing 101

Calling fellow pack rats,

If you insist on:

- Packing clothes by doubling the amount of days you'll be away (eg: for a 3-day trip, you bring enough threads for 6 days)
- Carrying 2 lip balms, 3 lip glosses, 3 eye shadow compacts, etc just because you can't decide which colours to take to suit your mood
- Sitting on your suitcase to zip it up

Then, this piece on power packing at Rookie is too good to pass over.

You know.... if you're still serious about finding people to travel with after your last suitcase meltdown.
:P

BRACES is a 6 letter word for torture

Braces... one word that sends me running in terror. My parents want me to get it but even me- at my very vain-est - can't really bring myself to seriously consider getting those torture devices of doom.

Yes, I chicken out at the (perceived) pain, the fact that I'm going to be 23 (who wears braces at 23??) and this:

Pic: http://www.yummycorner.com/2005/10/14/low-yau-kee-porridge/

Now, I'm not saying the porridge here isn't good (you learn things like this when your pay comes from the media industry), and I've personally never tried it.

It's just that I detest watery porridge. Very much. I rather eat plain rice. And I've been fed horror stories of how I'll be on a "porridge diet" for the 1-2 weeks right after getting braces.

*shudder*

No, absolutely no. I'll live with self deprecating jokes about my gap teeth and imperfect set of not-so-pearly whites.

Quick Pic

Fact: Women like to buy pretty stuff that they may, in all probability, never use.

Falsies from Sasa that I *might* one day use for cosplay or events... if I ever figure out how to get these stuff on without looking like Halloween gone bad.

For now, I'l stare and sigh at how pretty they look in glorious original packaging. *ahh, so lovely*

Why am I no Kotakoti?! :P