Day 103: Officially Off to the Real World

Yesterday was my graduation day. The ceremony was mostly cheesy and cliché, save for that one fleeting moment when you were on stage receiving your thick, degree scroll an empty leather case with my school’s emblem. Oh well, it was all meant to be symbolic, right? The ceremony itself was like a final thrust into the real world.

So, yes, I’ve been officially exiled into the adult planet, a place explored by the Little Prince himself. This book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery indirectly deals with the society’s expectation of one to grow up and lose his or her sense of naivety. It is a struggle that I foresee myself facing in the next few years.

“The Little Prince” is a book that is very dear to me. So, having given this book to some of my friends, I have finally bought a copy for myself as a graduation gift.

Day 55: Melting Meat

Chocolates do melt in your mouth. Do pork meats melt in your mouth? Not precisely, but it does melt when barbecued! My friend and I watched in horror (and guilt?) as fat juices oozed from our Korean pork bellies. Ah, the calories that both of us consumed. One pork belly bite, and you’d need 400 meters to run it off!

At the end of our BBQ feast at 2D1N Soju Bang (in Singapore), both of us were literally walking BBQ meats. I’m referring to how we smelled like! At least, the meal more than satisfied my friend’s Korean BBQ craving. She said, “No more Korean BBQ for the next 4 months!”

2D1N Soju Bang
46 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 

Day 48: Bye Bye Spaceship

Today marks the end of my 5-month internship in TV channel, CNBC.

For the past 3 months, a part of my day is always spent in the Gallery, from which live programmes are produced. The first word that I cometo associate the room with is… spaceship. Call it random. Call it watching too many Hollywood sci-fi films. But, let me explain how apt the word can be.

Usually, in a space ship, there is a commander, a pilot and the crew members. The pilot directs the spacecraft, monitoring various things like altitude, speed, wind, enemy targets etc. The commander decides on destinations and actions to take when spacecraft is under siege. The crew helps in executing any decisions.

This somewhat describes the usual situation in the Gallery. A Director oversees various on-air elements and broadcast them. A Producer decides on the order and content of the show. When breaking news occurs, the Producer would have to decide quickly on changes, before telling the Director the changes. That’s sort of like navigating through various enemy attacks of spaceship.

My weapon of choice — the prompter machine.

I will certainly miss my time at the spaceship. Every day was definitely a thrilling ride!

Day 44: Merry Christmas!

No fancy lighted shenanigans from me. Just a humble Lego Christmas tree donated by a colleague!

I hope I’ll find a way to do justice to Orchard Road’s fancy decorations this week, regardless of how cliché they appear to be.

Day 40: France & Godard

Recently, I finished watching Stanley Kubrick’s films (except for Eyes Wide Shut, which is inaccessible in Singapore). So, I decided to focus on another director’s body of work, and I settled with Jean-Luc Godard. Maybe, I was feeling guilty for not watching enough French films when I was studying near Paris for 6 months. Maybe, I wanted to improve my French. But, I think my main reason for the choice was that I have never delved into French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague) films before. My prior experience was only with “Jules et Jim” by François Truffaut, which was also within the past year.

Day 37: Freedom

After going through a 576-page rollercoaster ride, I’m finally done with Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom”. What got me interested in the book was its selection in Oprah’s book club. I don’t follow her selection religiously, but I like another recommendation of hers, Jeffrey Eugenides’ “Middlesex”, so I give “Freedom” a go.

The book touches a lot on the ideals of individuals. One of the main protagonists, Walter Berglund, was a key proponent for environmental and population causes. The story did get me thinking over to what point must one sacrifices to attain his or her ideals? And, if these ideals are unattainable, are these sacrifices then for nothing?

At my age of 22, I still count myself as being idealistic. I dream of working in the American film industry in the future. An Asian woman succeeding in a film industry — tough, but possible. I do wonder if this ideal portrayal will cease as I grow older. For now, I’ve realized of the sacrifices that I’ll have to make along the way. But, what cost would these sacrifices bring my relationship with, say, my parents? Also, I have ideals over romance. I’m sure some of them are unfounded, but I still have a lot to explore. What I would think is the best may not be necessarily true.

Up to this point of my life, I’m thankful for the freedom that has been granted to me by my parents and my own self. I’ve learnt to go out of my comfort zone and accept the consequences of my choices. If I’m too afraid of failures, then I won’t be living my life, right?

Day 32: Red & Blue States

Two pairs of complementary elements. First — the table and the chairs. Second — the colour of red and the colour of blue! These two colours create a pleasant contrast. Mixed together, they will produce the colour of purple, which always reminds me of Barney the Dinosaur. I hate Barney.

Haji Lane, Singapore.

Day 26: Just a Phone Call Away

In every 30 days, my Mom is usually in Singapore for at most 10 days. Thankfully, she’s just a phone call away. We know that we love each other very much despite being physically apart for most of the time. It never becomes a problem for us.

I’m only 4 days away from completing the GOOD 30 Day challenge, but I think I’m going to forgo it. The themes are getting repetitive in my opinion, which is bad since I wouldn’t want to do a double submission for something. Unless there comes a theme worthy of saving the challenge! So, tomorrow onwards, I’ll be at the mercy of my own motivation.

Day 24: Medallions

The theme for today was tough, simply because there’s no thanksgiving culture in Singapore. Hence, I’ve decided to photograph these two medallions that I always have in my wallets instead. The left medallion is of Immaculate Conception. It was conceived through the apparitions of Virgin Mary to Saint Catherine Labouré in Paris, France. I didn’t realise of its origin until near the end of my Paris stay in the first half of this year. For the right medallion though, I’m not really sure of its origin. It has Infant Jesus of Prague being in the centre of the cross.

These two medallions were given to me by my Mother. She told me that these two medallions would protect me wherever I go. Frankly speaking, I’m not a staunch Catholic. Nevertheless, these medallions serve as reminder of my belief that there’ll always be a more powerful force that will guide and keep me safe wherever I am.

Day 22: Blue Peacock

I spend most part of my day starting at this desktop of mine in my workplace. I’ve been interning here for the past 5 months, and it’s been a tremendous learning experience. I’ve definitely grown as a person. Only about one more month of internship left! It’ll be a bittersweet moment when the end finally arrives.