First lesson

I'm not sure if you've heard of the erhu. Every time, I've mentioned it my friends have said a combination of things from "who what?" to "what who" Its a Chinese violin of sorts with only 2 strings.

First time I ever heard it, I was standing in front of this old guy who was moving the bow so slowly, ever so gracefully. I fell in love with the haunting sound of it. I wanted to learn it right away (along with a million other things like a new language, sport or that book I've been meaning to read)

So I never get around to it. Until today. 5 Years later, here I am in a music school tucked away in Cheras in an old shop lot. It was an adventure finding this place, I tell you. So many one way streets. I was also a bit worried about whether I would understand my first lesson.

The instructor doesn't speak English but we managed to get by in Malay. Once we started, I didn't feel the language barrier. It was more about watching where my hands were and listening to the chords. He kept correcting my finger placement because if you don't hold the bow at precisely the right angle, it sounds totally terrible. There was a lot of that happening ;)

It involves quite a bit of technique but I'm already looking forward to getting better on this. I've taken back the music notes for ba ba black sheep hehe. No idea how long it'll take me to learn this nursery song without annoying my neighbours lol but practise makes perfect ma? ;)

If you wanna be an astronaut....

Jehan and I had a lot of fun shooting the astronaut Major Dr Faiz

He's a black belt in karate and the only belt I have is for my jeans lol so here we are just goofing around in the gym segment. Then, we adjourned to the space training centre which I found fascinating.


The selection process is really stringent. Not just anyone can become an astronaut. You need to be physically and mentally fit. Apparently, you also need to speak Russian coz all the knobs in the space shuttle are in Russian. They also had trainings done in the snow just so that they could experience harsh temperatures.


One of the most awful training exercises Major Dr Faiz was telling me he had to do was being spun round and round rapidly in a chair. He said it was nauseating. I guess it must've been like one of those spinning tea cups in Disneyland but much worse! :)

I'm not THAT short. The cardboard's tall! ;)

I attended Xandria's book launch comprising of all the snippets she's been writing for The Star. At the launch, midway through her heartwarming speech, she said people often say to her "oh Xandria, you think everyone is nice!" almost as though she is too naive, too trusting in this rat race we call LIFE. However, Xandria's Mum told her she would always find something nice in everyone if she was looking for it (be it what someone's wearing or their work ethic, even their smile)If you've met her, you will relate to this.

She has this exuberance for life and her positivity reminds me of the principles in "The Secret" When you go out into the world feeling positive, you tend to attract positive people, positive events and positive experiences. Her unfailing gratitude for her parents and how much they've helped and supported her through thick and thin forms the very backbone and foundation of Xandria (if you read her book, you'll realize how often they're quoted throughout it)


It is important for us to be grateful for what we have. Choose to focus on what you have rather than what you don't have coz focusing on what you "don't have" can only lead to a feeling of emptiness, dissatisfaction and mounting negativity. The feeling of gratitude in itself is one of the highest forms of positivity. To feel "lucky in life" or blessed tends to create more blessings in itself and I find Xandria's gratefulness to all those around her, especially her parents seems to keep drawing positive experiences her way, and effortlessly (though she does put in the hard work necessary to turn these opportunities into a reality).

I ran into the lovely Chelsia Ng when I was there. I once went for a karaoke session with her and was really quite embarrassed to sing anything at all (but she kept insisting). I was hoping I could just sit back and be entertained lol. She has a beautiful voice and was actually on the original soundtrack of Kopitiam, which is how we met.

Blast from the past. You know Chelsia played the shampoo girl, myself, the lawyer and good ole Mano Maniam was Uncle Chan on the set of Kopitiam...

Mano, the ever so talented actor with years and years of theatre experience under his belt has always reminded me of an Indian version of Sean Connery ;)

Happy Easter!

My Mum brought this doll to me on Sunday and I said "oh thanks Mum" but she straight away tells me like a cheeky 10 year old "it's not for you. I bought it for myself but you can borrow her anytime you like" haha. Who would think my Mum who has stopped buying us soft toys long ago are now buying them for herself! This bunny put a big smile on her face so I wished my Mum a Happy Easter and gave her back her new toy lol ;)

An angel in the taxi?

You know the days when you wish you wouldn't bump into anyone because you really don't feel like talking? You would rather bundle up and just stay home and not face the city traffic, a crowded shopping mall or the noise and chatter of small talk.

I don't have those days often (though I value the peace and quiet of nature whenever I get the chance) because I'm generally sociable and I'm always on the go but there was this one particular "bad" day which stood out in my memory.

I was having a case of the blues and I wish I had Harry Potters invisible cloak handy. I didn't feel like seeing anyone or leaving the house but I had to be somewhere so there was no choice. I was standing on the roadside in Singapore waiting for a cab.

The moment I hopped in, I was looking out the window most of the time just staring out until the taxi driver said something really strange to me and so out of the blue "you know it's ok to cry"

My eyes widened (he had no idea how spot on he was or maybe he did). He then said another couple of things which made me realise it was just too uncanny to be real.

He was one of the most different-looking taxi drivers I've seen anyway. He looked like a sage of some sort. He had really long hair tied neatly in a pony tail. He was lean and fit with really kind eyes. Or maybe they were wise?

Could he be some sort of a kung fu sifu (I was thinking to myself) Think along the lines of an Asian Gandolph from Lord of the Rings but much younger.

For starters, he just knew I was upset about something. Fair enough but the crying thing was genuinely an issue to me.

I was frustrated believe it or not back then that I was unable to cry in general. I only did it when I watched sad movies (so the potential was there) but I couldn't seem to do it in real life.

Sorry if this is a bad example but it's the first that comes to mind. You know when a person has food poisoning and they're uncomfortable yet knowing they would feel better once its out of their system?

Crying is like laughter though they come from a different place yet they have similar outcomes. They're a release. It makes us aware of our humanity. It reminds us quite wonderfully, even painfully that we're only human.

If you can't laugh or cry, chances are you're really blocked. And its not a good way to be because things can bottle up. I logically knew I was a sensitive, emotional soul but it was really hard to cry. Bad things happened or significant events like break ups but I couldn't really cry about it (even though the feeling was there and I even wanted to).

Like I said, that was seriously years ago and I feel more balanced and at ease now that I have become more in touch with my own feelings. It seems easier to let it flow rather than to hold back whatever emotion it is.

Mind you, I've never had any trouble in the laughing department. So much so, there are acquaintances who think I'm never "down" coz I laugh a lot.

Of course I have down days. We all do but I couldn't fool this kung fu looking taxi driver. Wow. He was such a spin out. Made me wonder about that expression "angels come in many forms and guises" coz he raised my spirits just by talking to me and knowing exactly what to say (I don't even know how but he could read me and he knew back then I had an issue with crying and was advising me to let go. It would make me feel better) I mean, who meets taxi drivers like this anyway? Weird isn't it?

You know, I'm always there for my friends if they have a problem but I hadn't spoken to anyone yet about the issue I had at the time, weighing me down.

After meeting him though, I didn't have to. He made a day which started off quite badly quite an inspiration. I got out of his cab in a very different mood from how I entered it. I was so grateful that he crossed my path :)

Ruby's first shoot

I was desperately trying to distract Ruby from all the people standing around us so that she wouldn't fidget too much. She was amazingly quite co-operative (probably coz she was all hot and bothered). The one moment I wasn't holding her, she ran under a tree lol

It was another one of those burning hot days (I mean check out the towel on the girl's head on left ;) where you feel so uncomfortable yet thankful it's THAT hot coz clear blue skies would make a nicer, more lifestyle driven shot!

Test my hair!

I was curious about this particular hair test at the Asience shampoo launch. This lady was explaining to me that he thickness of a strand of my hair fell into the category of Asian as opposed to Caucasian hair. Wow. I didn't even know that. I asked if it was a good thing and she simply said that Asian hair is thicker per strand so it's stronger but Asians tend to have less hair (90 000 hair follicle density) versus up to 150 000 in Caucasian hair.

Oh, I see. In that case, maybe I hopefully have the best of both worlds because the thickness is Caucasian but the individual strands themselves are Asian lol Hannah has had really long hair for as long as I can remember. My hair used to be as long as hers know until I cut my hair short in 07. Lots of guys said I shouldn't have. Yeah, yeah, yeah... that's what they ALL say. Guys just seem to prefer girls with longer hair (Hannah's boyfriend included!). It was only the women who were inspired by my radical decision back then and felt like cutting their own hair short just for a change.

Elaine could've got a high mark on this hair test coz she looks pretty happy with her score card

The models at the booth had really shiny hair...

I was telling Debra (right) that I loved her curls. Really feminine and sultry. I had rushed to this event in the drizzling rain so it's a lucky thing I left my hair naturally straight. Talking about the rain, hey that's Sarah , the "weather girl" you guys know all about on left hehe

I didn't realise how black my hair was till I saw this photo of Chelsia and me


Hair can really make a person feel different about themselves. Even guys say they FEEL somewhat liberated when they shave their heads plus it's so easy because there's nothing to style. Not that I have any intentions of going bald hehe but hair can really bring out the mood of a person. For me, long hair does feel more sexy and feminine and short hair feels more funky and cute. It's just a look, I know and it's only hair but it can affect how you see yourself in a small way. I know a few girls who are so unhappy with their hair or the clolour didn't turn out the way they thought it would that they suddenly don't feel attractive. Strange but true. So make sure you look after your hair and find a hair style that makes you feel good about yourself, short or long, blue or black! ;)

Dress the part

I once went for an audition for a bank ad so I assumed I should look feminine and elegant. You can't really go wrong with a black dress and high heels, right? Its so classic but my agency didn't tell me what the clients were actually looking for.

I got to the casting, was led to the back room where the studio was and they promptly told me what actions they needed on camera. When I heard the story board, I looked a bit dumbstruck. "Basketball?" I say to them.

"Yes, why? Is there a problem? Your agency said you're really sporty"

"No, no problem. I love sports but I don't have the right attire, that's all" It's quite unfortunate that my agency FORGOT to tell me to dress for exercise but now that I was there, there was no choice but to go ahead and cast for this job anyway.

When they called out "action", I had to pretend I was on a basketball court (though it was a huge air conditioned white studio) so there I was with a real basketball dressed for a cocktail party.

I felt quite ridiculous with my black dress and high heels but I tried to look like I was playing the game. Reminded me of this corporate video I just shot where I was overtaking people on a running track in my working suit :)

This was at the starting line. I ran with the jacket, the heels, you name it but it was sweltering so I kept the jacket off when camera wasn't rolling.

Burn zone out there, I tell you!

We shot this at a school track. The students throughout the day kept peering over. They sure didn't understand why I was sprinting in a double layered office suit in high heat on a running track lol

It's strange how the clothes you wear can affect your mood. As in elegant clothes can put you into a lady like feminine mood. Oh, and have you noticed how the moment you're out of your work clothes (esp those of you in the corporate line), that you feel immediately more casual and relaxed?

Look at people in cold countries. They tend to be wrapped in so many layers of clothing that they seem somewhat more reserved than those living in a tropical paradise.

We always hear the expression "you are what you eat" but perhaps it wouldn't be far fetched to say "you are what you wear" except for the odd occasion I'm asked to play basketball in a cocktail dress! Or sprint in office attire on a running track :)