16.10.08

Started watching １リットルの涙(Ichi Rittoru no Namida) aka One Litre of Tears few days ago. Had always wanted to watch it but never started till few days ago, after I found out from PM that it's based on the real-life struggles of a 15-year-old girl, Aya - who suffered from Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

I've always felt that if it's based on real-life experiences, it makes watching it that much more meaningful. Especially when it's an inspiring and touching story like this.

After watching till epi.9, I decided to look for the original diary/novel and instead I found the english translation online. Thanks to some very nice bloggers who spent their time translating the japanese version to english so that more people around the world could read it too.

I've added the links for Ichi Rittoru no Namida (english translation) and Koizora(original ver.) at the side bar under "book worms" so that anyone who's interested can read them. There are differences between the drama series and original novel.

Ahhh..I want the original diary/novel........

After reading several chapters, the diary is quite different from the drama....how come Aya had only 3 other siblings in the drama when she's supposed to have 4???

It's really nice ne....to have a friend like Asou-kun. One of the site for the eng. translation which I've just read, had only 4 chaps and it didn't mention about a close guy friend or anything like that. I wonder if he's a ficticious character. Such a gentle and kind character....

After watching the drama, you'll understand why it's called ,"One Litre of Tears " ...hahaa... because you'll really cry 1 litre of tears when watching it. And may I add, big drops of tears too! Poor pants, getting soaked.....haaha

Ok, back to my drama!

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Looks yummy right?

Ichigo(Strawberry) & Kuro Goma(Black sesame) ice cream from Yokomon, Asian Avenue, Pyramid.

The strawberry one looks sooo pretty right??? Due to bad lighting , the black goma doesn't look that nice here.

Love the strawberry one.....thanks to the sauce. Black sesame is nice too....but advisable to be taken in small amounts! haaha....taste like the famous Hokkaido black sesame chocolate to me.

Shall try the dark chocolate one next time!

FYP

FYP star-to!

Hai~hai~ finished plating my soil samples and went back to uni today to check on them. Eventhough it's only been 2 days, I had to make sure my babies are growing well....

They're still....not growing very well, many of my babies aren't even visible yet...I hope they'll turn out ok eventually! I don't want to re-do it again. Plus it seems that something weird is growing on one of my plates! I hope the contamination isn't too great.

There's actually a lot to learn from this fyp, because we have to do everything single thing on our own and get ready everything we want to use by ourselves.

The lab I'm in stinks most of the time because of all the nutrient broth/agar/medium and also all the samples-soil/vegetation/squid and prawns.....and yes esp. the latter.

Was early one morning and wore my lab coat outside the lab when I smelled something stinky and I thought it's from my lab coat so I kept sniffing my lab coat and thought, "Gosh, where did this smell come from? I didn't do anything to my lab coat." I then took it off and headed towards the cafeteria.

Came back with Ursula and found out that she placed her samples outside the lab. Once in the lab....oooff...stinky!!! Then I realised it's not from lab coat but her samples! Squids and prawns.....allowed to rot? And everytime someone enters our lab, they'll be like, "Wahhh...this lab stinks ah?" or "Hhaa what's that smell? Where is it coming from?" haaha.....

Then at the back of the lab, it's a whole different smell again....where all the students are preparing their own different media. I really don't like the smell of all the media.....

Also, as you enter different labs eg. the autoclave room or whatever, you get different smells. All the toxicants we are inhaling......boohoo~

The thing is....when you're working in a lab, you're never short of SCENTS!

I guess it's the same too in a medical lab, esp urine.....

Plus, it's worst when you are not MADE for lab work, or MADE for latex gloves??? haaha.....

Once I took off my gloves on Monday.....numerous tiny red bumps that itch like mad and dries up the skin!!!

Got a huge shock on Fri right before poppin' class, as I was about to enter class, I suddenly saw red bumps on my hand and thought some insect bit me while I was seated on the red sofa!!!

Bad lighting, cannot really see the bumps here.

The good thing is that they diminish and become less itchy in 2 days.......the bad news is......I go back to the lab every 2 days!!!!

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Hiphop class is now separated into 3 different categories: Foundation, Girl's hiphop and New School??? I think it's called new school or is it the more advanced level??? for both boys and girls??? because you can't expect a guy to join girl's hiphop right? A bit confusing there.....but since Z said we can stay at out normal slot, which is the slot for New school......then ok lo. No need to chance time, which is good for me!

I don't mind to take either, as long as it's not foundation. Poppin' is already very technical for me. It seems there's not much improvement for me because I'm too lazy to prac.....I seriously never prac at home and I only dance in class......should I quit?

Hai~ spent 4 months of poppin' with several useless people. Then 4 months with a Pro, where I did learn more, but I guess I'm not a good freestyler.

I guess I cannot do very technical things because I really am very lazy, I need things which once you do it, can be remembered easily and is reproducible......haahaa......and not something which requires lots of practice. haaha......really BAD! gotta change this BAD attitude and thinking! or else, I'm never gonna go far~~~

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Besides harming my skin, the gloves are also destroying my nails.....I painted my nails pink and now bits and pieces have already chipped off!

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sigh......thesis! jobs!.......haa~~~~

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FIGHT-O!!!-OH!!!!

Mini Street Dance Festival

Mini Street Dance Festival

Finally got the pics and videos for the Street Dance Festival from SooMan. Thanks to her mum who did out hair-do and recorded the vids for us.

Here's a pic of auntie trying up PM's hair, which according to her looked like the hairstyles of SES or Finkl in their early debut days. Not forgetting our super baggy clothes!!!

Ses.....most of us had something like Bada's.

Fin.K.L......PM, thankgoodness you didn't have 2 bobs on your head like Yuri. Lol....cuz PM was the only one with hair long enough to be made into a bob. After getting our hair-dos and make-ups....... hahaa....a bunch of leng luis!!! could you have guessed that the difference in age between the youngest and oldest is about a decade??? I'm in the range of older generation. hohoho......

With PM's fren and SM's cousin aka Mr.cameraman......and why do all the girls look so fair? A group shot before perf. with Z, out instructor and choreographer for the dance. Can you spot the similarity in hairstyles??? Lol....we're a bunch of camwhores Z came up with the idea for this pose, which turned out extremely weird for me. With d' boss! Yea!! Dance performance:

J-doramas

Another one of the must watch J-doramas, recommended by Mel....haaha

Last Friends

wa.....Ueno Juri is such a good actress!!! From Nodame to Ruka, what a break through role!!! Where does she learn her acting skills from man.....I like!!!

Plus even in super short hair, she looks super good! I always have this thinking that only a really pretty girl can look good in long hair and rock with short hair! Yea, she definitely deserved the award for best supporting actress.

Even though she's not the lead, I feel sooo much for her character, and Eita's too! Nagasawa Masami takes the lead female role once again.....I can never remember her name, either it's too long or her characters never leave very big impression on me. Since whether in Dragon Zakura/ Proposal Daisakuen/ Last Friends, to me....they're quite similar roles- sweet girl next door.

Also, I couldn't relate very much to her character in LF. Just because I really feel for Ruka and Takeru's character in the drama, doesn't mean I'm lesbian. I'm just very amazed by the superb acting by the both of them, and like their characters. Plus, I was really hoping for something special to happen between them.

Below is a pic of Eita, who plays Takeru!. Why is it that his hairstyle is always soo....special? haaha...in all his dramas? When I first saw LF and saw his hairstyle, I'm like....."eh...?"and thought that the guy looked vaguely familiar. After a while, the hairstyle grows on you. haaha....and I realised he's Mine-kun.

In Nodame Cantabile. I actually love his hair here a lot! haaha....So nice! Mine-kun is also another great chracter.
Other casts includes Ryo Nishikido and Mizukawa Keiko. Ryo's character is super scary....and ok, let's not go into that. Mizukawa Keiko plays Eri and I think she's super pretty lo since in Iryu, then in Nodame and now.....I prefered if she played the role of Hanazawa Rui's love interest in Hana Yori Dango 1 instead.

Yup, great drama! and will definitely look out for Ueno Juri's future roles. Both Horikita Maki and Ueno are now on my list of top Japanese actress!

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Still watching Code Blue.....ahhhh......it's lacking something! and that's the "love between Aizawa and Shiraishi". I'm only on epi.6 now, but it doesn't seem like anything will happen betweeen the two! ahh.... I hope Pi works with Aragaki Yui again!!

Mel's petting zoo!!!

Mel's petting zoo???

haaha.....yes Lina sent me a very nice postcard with 2 cats snuggling: a black n brown cat. Very cute post card.....but then it rained!!! and the post card kena water!!! So now part of the post card a bit rojak and for black mould! aaahhh.........my kitties!!!!

Yea seeing all the "animal sounds" in my C-box reminds me that on Monday, when my whole body was aching....I came up with this new song for myself....haahaha

I'm sure many of you know this nursery rhyme....."Old MacDonald Had A Farm". If you don't click "here" for it!!!

Well, using the same tune....I've re-written the lyrics to suit my condition at that time....hohoho....

Poor Melissa had an ache,
ai ee oo aa ow *pain sounds*
And now she's having a neck pain,
ai ee oo aa ow,
With a pain pain here and a pain pain there,
Here pain, there pain, everywhere pain pain.
Poor Melissa had an ache,
ai ee oo aa ow.....

HAHAHA!!!! It's actually very fun to sing-a-long to it!~~ Don't be shy!! Try it!! hahaha.....

Ok, sot liao! bye~~~

Vids to share

Ok, well it seems I won't be starting my bench work today after all.......will wait for SL so we can work together.

Some vids to share:
First is a vid Chong shared with us last night, "Monkey waiters"! They're really cute and smart too! Fancy drinking beer in a restaurant like that???


This is one of the most beautiful vids I've seen. Both dancers have a permanent disability: the guy lost his leg and the girl lost an arm in a car accident. But nothing could dampen their love for dance. The video is really touching and inspiring at the same time.

They have such grace and are very expressive!

The last part of the last episode of J-drama Koizora.....*MUST WATCH*

Super touching! The scene here starts where Mika was just about to jump down the bridge and the wind starts to blow, flipping through the pages of Hiro's diary....and you can see, his diary is filled with memories of them together.....from when they first met each other in the library, lot of thank you and sorry to Mika. It's as if, he's writing to her.....and finally a letter!!

Aaahhh.....super touching aahh!!! *cries*

Then at the end, you can see that Mika has become quite a stong person. New path and goal in life.....with Hiro-kun(the sky) watching over her, of course.....and akachan??? I NEED to know if that's "Mika+Hiro no akachan" or did she adopt a daughter because Hiro mentioned before that he wanted a daughter so that she could be like Mika.

When I made my post on Koizora, the last episode was no out yet and after that, I totally forgot about it till today. Made me cry buckets!!! Soo touching!!! Both Hiro-kun and Mika-chan are really kind and the love they have for each other is sooo strong!

Lastly, Fukui Mai's アイのうた (Ai no Uta) live perf. For MV<--click!!!


credits: itn, faisy213, sweetycrazy, akinokehigh, youtube

hhhhhaaa.......

ok...I've been super tired lately....



The street party on Sun was great!! Lots of fun!!! and....I love beatbox!!! Ohh..yea, *does some weird sounds*



The dance workshop was.....didn't turn out how I expect it to. haaha....at the beginning we were asked to feel the music which I sooo didn't feel at all! Not my style of music la! We were asked to feel our feminine side........but how to feel my feminine side when the music is sooo calm and relaxing??? I need something with a bit more beat and playful. I suddenly felt like doing ballet which I don't know! Maybe I'm just not feminine enough!



Yea...learned a choreography which was quite different from normal hiphop class....love the booty shaking parts and hate the head flipping parts! I can flip my head/ make a 360degrees turn....but not do both together at one time while half squatting down!!! Everytime after I flip and turn, I forgot my steps! haahaha.....and I don't get why the choreography kept turning clockwise almost every 4-8 counts.



Then at night......was the street party, which was amazing! There were performances by the instructors, including those from the workshops, students and guest performances! I love the beatbox performance the most!!! <333



All the performances that night ware superb~! and the Bboy and poppin' battles....eye-poppin!!!! Everyone there is like super talented! "Dance" must run in their blood!



There were some new 'stars' that night! and there's this guy, who won the poppin' battle!! ahhh~~~ he's sooo good! he totally moves along with the flow of the music!



Yea, and my fav. perf of d night!!! The beatboxer has got powerful lungs for a small guy like him! Where does he learn to beatbox like that??!!! I was super high during his performance man!! <333>



Then there's also a Malaysian singer performing there that night. He was singing his song which I've never heard before but his interaction with the audience was really good! Really enjoyed myself and there's even some small part which we can sing along with him! Soo high man!! Everyone dancing and screaming!! Even better than a concert!



No pics/vids at the mo'......didn't use my camera, gotta wait for the others.



Talking about concerts....I didn't know Paran is coming to Malaysia for a concert in November. I wonder which stadium and how much are the tixs.

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Was supposed to start my bench work by my fyp today but had to delay it because........

1. All these while I've been reading journals after journals on actinomycetes.

2. Tuesday went to meet up with the supervisor to show her my proposal....and she asked SL and I to work on Bacillus!!!!

3. *faints* We're supposedly gonna start work on Wed!!!!

4. Applied for apparatus and got 3 out of 21 only!!!

5. I have no idea how to use the autoclave machine!!!

6. I need petri dishes.....lots of it!!!!

7. I've been reading journals till now.......

8. Re-done my new proposal....

9. I'm ready to start work tomorrow......

...hopefully!!!

I'm worried!!! very worried!!! because we are very much on our own for our fyp....

starting from reading journals, coming up with the proposal and then now starting.......

I've never prepared my own agar before for my lab sessions......and now I've gotta prepare them myself.....soo many different types, so many recipes! *prays that everything goes smoothly from starting till completion*

I don't know how to autoclave!!! never touched the machine before!

I wonder if my steps are proper? and there's certain things I plan to do, which I'm not too sure of.

Well.....since I had my industrial training in a medical lab, I've not been exposed to researching on soil bact. A friend from another course also working on soil bact. have done all these during her industrial training so she knows a lot! how lucky~~~

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Aaahh...Ganbatte Mel! You can do it!!!

04.10.08

Yay!!!





no more problematic blog posts!!!





byebye to the times when....


-my pictures dun turn up right


-haywired alignment


-weird white boxes


-missing spacing between my paragraphs





wheee~~~ kamsahamnida!!! Lina-onni! for changing the blog skin!





haaha....we kept searching for nice blog skins but it's soo hard to find one that's nice and yet problem free......





found several nice ones, but apparently they don't work well with my blog....so yea!

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Tomorrow's the dance workshop!! and performance!!!

So excited!!!

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Unagi Okonomiyaki from Asian Avenue.....

03.10.08

Sigh...the dead line for my fyp proposal gets closer and closer......and I'm still too lazy to work on it......
I need MOTIVATION!!!!

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Visited Ccozi & Friends the other day with Ursula.....

Korean street food

Streets of Korean

Yummy crushed pear drink!

Their food is mediocre but I love their ccozi-s.....will go back for more!

The shop is located at this section in Asia Avenue, next to Taiwanese and Japanese street shops....

Ursula-glowing in this pic!

Me- bad lighting!!!!!

Take 2- super bright!!! can hardly see my own face!

Ursula finally decided to lend a hand!

haahaha

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We were seated outside the class last night, watching vids, while waiting for our turn to use the studio when suddenly a student from Z's class came out.....and wrote on the white board, "02.10- Z's Bday"

We were like wondering....true or not????.....but anyways, we went down to buy him a cake!

On d way, say d'boss with team V dancers and sooo funny.....I heard from behind me, one of the girls said, "D'boss! Neh! I saw his muscles!!!!"

haahaha!!!!

Yea, so we bought a 1kg cake to be shared among everyone and it's JUST enough for everyone in the studio.

The chocolate cake!!

We just guessed his age....and he never said anything about the number of candles too.....

All lighted up ready for Bday song!!!

Bday boy too shy to look at the cameras!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Wonder if PM got any nice shots.....shall steal from her blog when she post them up.

01.10.08

Selamat Hari Raya to all!!!!

Today's the 5th day of d-non-stop-6-days-dance-prac!

...and I'm exhausted!

haaha.....when I wake up early in the morning....neck pain, back pain, arm pain, leg pain....and today....stomach pain!!! yea, no thanks to the sit-ups.

Had a full costume rehearsal today with jackets and gloves and I think we looked sooo nice! I mean the dance.

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Watched "Pathology" with Ursula yesterday and realised that we always watch science related movies after our exams! Last time was about cloning and this time forensic science.

*Spoilers*
Pathology is about a group of elite doctors in this particular medical school in one of the most prestigious pathology programs. Then one day, a talented Dr.Grey joined the institute and got invited into this group to plate in "the game", where they try to commit the perfect murder.

It's totally crazy.....the things that they do...yet, so smart!

So crazy man, how can you eat in a lab/room filled with dead bodies opened up? I'm not saying it's disgusting to eat there, but think of all the other extra things you are taking in.......so dirty! You wouldn't even eat in a normal lab right? Plus these people are like touching bloody organs without gloves on!!! Once again, not that it's disgusting because of blood, but you must wear gloves la if you're going to open someone up with a knife and get in contact with blood!!!! Breaking all possible rules in the lab!!!

And totally no respect for the dead man these ppl. Yea, and they have this hippocratic's oath. They're like playing with people's dead body. Sooo immoral!!!

Plus they're like smoking pot, always licking and kissing one another, female-female or female-male in the lab.....and how can you have sex on the operation table???!!!

There were 2 cases where they added nitroglycerin onto the victims tongue after they had killed them. I wondered why.....and found that nitroglycerin is used medically to ward off angina by causing blood vessels to dilate and lowering blood pressure. Does that make it seem as if the victim died of some heart problem or tried to commit suicide????

Killing a person with KCN before stabbing and shooting him.....killing with potassium and nitroglycerine.........or whatever........how do you know which comes first????

Sooo evil!! sooo evil!!!! killing ppl like nobody's business.....

This movie is filled with blood, organs, cadaver and sex. And I realised I was the only one in the cinema who had pop-corn with me! haaha...anyways, the movie is quite short! This is the only movie I've watched which ended before I finished my pop-corn!

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DBSK's comeback perf!!!

Love it!!!

Their Japan Tour must've really helped improved their live perf. I think that their harmonization for "Love in the Ice" is just PERFECT!!! and YH's vocals really improved a lot!

I like their dance and style for the "Hey! (Don't Bring Me Down)" more! JJ looks sooo MAN!!

At 1st I was wondering why does JJ keeps looking to his left, I thought he forgot his steps and was looking at Micky for guidance.......and then I realised....No, he just wanted to keep showing his right face to everyone! His camera angle~~~

JS's charisma really shines through in their "Mirotic" perf. This guy would be sooo wasted if he's not in the entertainment industry!

credits: gerardkpops, youtube