A 19 year old girl by the name of Ris Low has been getting a lot of attention recently. If only she was just another ordinary teenager, she would not have batted the eyebrows of the general population. But no, she is our Miss Singapore World 2009, or shall I say ex-Miss Singapore World 2009.

Ris Low is so boomz!

Ris Low is in the news for all the wrong reasons. First, she was criticised heavily for her poor diction and horrendous command of English. Many who saw her video clip on RazorTV were shocked that when she proclaimed  “if I’m feeling naughty then I’ll wear something rad and loud…something…
you know? Boomz! (with both hands opening up aka twinkle twinkle little star)…something that shouts MEE!”

The rivealing thing I worn is a pis of biggini and jweens and I strut down Orchard Road.

Yes, I’m a huge fan of South Africa. I love safari. I love leopard preens, you know zeebra you know. You can wear leopard preens with dark geans…it’s alright. You know…neutral colours and kaki green…you can pull it off with leopard preens and zeebra preens you know?”

I cringed when I first heard her conversation with a local reporter. But then I did a check with myself and peers. Ris Low is not the only one who speaks in such a unique manner. Many of us are guilty of it as well. It’s just that we are not Miss Singapore World for others to want to correct our speech patterns and fall-by-the-roadside pronunciation. Singapore is a melting pot of cultures, where many races and cultures live beside one another. It is thus not surprising for us to grow up learning to speak many languages or pidgins, but not mastering one single language fluently on the same level as that of a native speaker.

Perhaps Ris Low was just trying to create some sound effect in the conversation and come across as being interesting and sociable? Or perhaps she was just trying to introduce a new word to the local vocabularly?

By any standards, ‘boomz’ is not an entirely new word. This I am certain of. There long existed ‘vroomz’ before that. Just listen to the engine of your car!

But before Singaporeans could forgive her for her lack of communication skills, she was exposed for being convicted of 5 charges of misappropriation, cheating using illegally obtained credit cards, and impersonating their users’ identities. According to media reports, she was sentenced in May this year to 24 months of supervised probation.

With this character defect, Ris Low famously proclaimed that she would still hold onto her crown regardless of all the calls for her to step down. Ris Low explained that she was suffering from a bipolar disorder. It’s something similar to having a split personality like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Sometimes, we do things that we are not in total control of our mental faculties.

For the next few days, instead of keeping a low profile, Ris Low continued to drum up the attention and capture the interest of the public by calling the local tabloids with her side of the story that it was the first runner-up Claire Lee who spilled the conviction beans to the press.

If you ask me, Ris Low sure knows how to create publicity for herself. Despite this being a negative publicity, some form of publicity is still better than none right? And what better way for the public to remember you and your antics than cementing your way in the hearts of them forever?

The ultimate straw that broke the camel’s back was the revelation that she cheated during her MDIS exam by hiding shredded papers containing the answers inside the pencil case. When discovered, she attempted to explain it away by saying she forgot to remove them. She was subsequently told to resit for her paper.

Oh come on, Ris Low is only 19 years old. It’s the time of sweet innocence and lofty dreams. It’s the time where you want to try out everything so as not to regret it on your deathbed. I wish I was 19 years old all over again…

Who doesn’t make mistakes in life? Just because Ris Low is a public figure (by virtue of her winning the crown) makes us all want to scrutinise her every move with clarity.

Give Ris Low some breathing space. She will grow and learn through these experiences. This I am you know, you know, very sure. And when she comes back, she will be even more boomz than before!

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Here I was standing at the urinal releasing my pee when I noticed a blonde man staring intensely at me. I do not know if he was measuring the powerful jet of liquid discharge emitting from my tool or just admiring the size of my tool. But there he was. Even after I had finished urinating, he was still staring intensely.

On a normal occasion, I would have freaked out and given him an immediate evil eye. But on this occasion, I simply chuckled at the novelty of being checked out.

There, plastered on every urinal located in the male toilets of Cathay Orchard Cineleisure was the face of Sacha Baron Cohen who plays the lead character in the upcoming movie ‘Bruno’ opening in Singapore on 20 Aug 09.

Bruno watching you pee…

I’ve seen movie posters, flyers, preview gala sneaks, lifesize character cut-outs being used to promote movies. But this must be the very first time I’ve seen a sticker of the male lead Sacha Baron Cohen being used to promote the upcoming ‘Bruno’.

You can’t escape from Bruno in the male toilet…he’s everywhere

Yes, the traditional forms of publicity are still evident – including the giant movie poster and life-size cut-out of Bruno, but this time the cinema in hand with the movie distributor has gone a step further to increase public awareness of the movie (which hopefully will translate into a bountiful box office taking).

Giant movie poster on the wall

Borat life-size character cut-out

I for sure know I will definitely watch it because I was thrilled big time by Sacha Baron Cohen’s antics in his last outing ‘Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorius Nation of Kazakhstan’.

If it’s not enough getting Bruno to watch you pee, sit on his face at Level 4 of Cathay Orchard Cineleisure.  Sacha Baron Cohen now wants to warm your butt too!

Bruno’s butt in your face!

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It’s my first time watching a movie in 3D format. No doubt the ticket price was much costlier, it was well worth the experience.

Walk into the cinema screening Ice Age 3 I did but not before I was handed a pair of glasses. Well, on hindsight, I thought they were just an ordinary pair of glasses. But I was wrong. These glasses were special glasses.

The glasses, so aptly named 3D glasses, literally gave me sight beyond sight and inducted me into a new view of things to come.

I didn’t know I could see that clearly. Everything came to life right before my eyes. It was as if I was transported right into the thick of the action.

I was there next to Scrat when he was attempting all ways to retrieve his precious acorn.

I was there among the ice age herd running for my life alongside them when all hell broke loose during the dinosaur pursuit.

I was there when Scrat met a female species Scratte and both were celebrating their love blossoming with the waltz and other dance.

I felt the dinosaur’s tail swipe my face at one stage and that was too close for comfort.

I witnessed first hand the birth of Ellie and Manny’s first child Peaches.

I saw fear stare straight into my eye when Rudy attacks at full force.

I swear I felt my feet sinking into the hot lava when Sid was clinging onto her dear life by balancing on the fragmented pieces in the lava pool. 

Laugh at the antics of the creatures I did. Enjoy the thrills and spills I did. But having my heart in my mouth I also did.

Overall, I still loved the 3D experience

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It’s interesting how there are no such things as coincidences in this world. Everything happens for a reason. I had to write 2 earlier blog postings on ‘The Little Nyonya’ (小娘惹) because I felt I had something to contribute to blogosphere. This in turn gave my readers the chance to read them.

After reading them, one of my friends, A, sms-ed me this afternoon. The scriptwriter for ‘The Little Nyonya’ Mr Ang Eng Tee is actually her family friend! So if there are really any plans for a sequel, I know whose door to go knocking at immediately…hehehe.

After all, according to the ’six degrees of separation’ theory by Kevin Bacon, every person in the world is connected to every other person in the world by no more than six people. For me, I’m connected to Mr Ang by a two degree separation only! How much closer can I get?

A also shared with me that her paternal grandmother was a Nyonya with superb culinery skills. Without feeling even a little ashamed (why should I since A & I know each other rather well), I asked if I was soon going to be invited for a tok panjang filled with mouth watering Peranakan dishes.

But her beloved mama had already passed away more than 10 years ago! I think A knew who I was aiming at next (she herself!) As the granddaughter, A lamented that no one in the family was fortunate to be imparted with the superb culinery skills…which means the delectable dishes resulting from the legendary skills have now been lost forever! What a pity! Guess I can only look at the pictures and continue to salivate…

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I guess I, like many other millions of viewers, are now suffering from post ‘The Little Nyonya’ withdrawal syndrome. The 34 episode serial drama, which received the highest TV ratings for the last 15 years, ended its run yesterday.

How are we now going to spend our weeknights? What are we going to do?

There are no more misadventures of the ill-fated mother Juxiang and daughter Yueniang to follow, no more villains to curse at, no more tok panjang  to look forward to, no more pretty beaded shoes to look at, no more tasty Peranakan dishes like babi pontei, ngor hiang, rempah udang and many more to salivate at, no more lovely lacy kebayas to ogle at, no more pantun to listen to… Oh dear, this is bad!

The food feast at tok panjang

I don’t deny it’s the beauty of the Peranakan culture, the grandeur of the houses, the lavish costumes, the mouth watering wide spread of delicacy that captures hearts. But that is not all. Who can forget the struggles, the tears, the plotting, the love and the unloved that perpetuates the entire serial?

I remember reading media reports that this serial took more than a year to finish scripting. After all, it’s billed as Mediacorp’s 45th anniversary big production. So it better be good. And boy did it not disappoint.

Viewers were transported back in time to the 1930s. Flashbacks were deftly interspersed in between episodes to connect viewers to the modern days. In total, the entire storyline spanned a total of 70 years – from the lives of the grandmother, mother and daughter whose individual stories are related orally to the grandaughter. This so reminds me of Grandma telling me stories of her past too. I wish I had heard more, just like the granddaughter who realises that time is never enough for you to love someone deep enough.

Like many many others, I sat glued to my TV screen for many a continuous nights (if I could rush home in time). My heart hurt for the bullied and cheered when the heroine escaped miraculously each time by virtue of her personality and wit.

‘The Little Nyonya’ is a breath of fresh air as compared to the rest of the drama serials where women are always portrayed as the fairer sex. In this local drama, we see the heroine escaping from an arranged marriage, fighting against conventions, learning to read and write, do business and be allowed out of the house in broad daylight. All these would have been taboo as Grandma would put it. Must a female’s marriageability also always be highly dependent on whether she has good embroidery skills and cullinary skills?

‘The Little Nyonya’ rules the TV screens!

For the record, these are the three evil women who were best described as ‘nightmarish’ in Yueniang’s life. They plotted to kill or harm her in one way or another. Yet through all the ordeals, she survived.

The evil women in The Little Nyonya

The lady in red, Zhenzhu, bullies and treats Yueniang as a maid even though they are supposedly half-sisters. She clams Juxiang’s (Juxiang is Yueniang’s mother) hand, scalds her, and even pushes her into a well…only to feign innocence each time. Her biggest achievement in the serial is to throw tantrums all the time when she does not get what she wants. Evil is she too when she witnesses her sister getting raped and yet doing nothing about it. Her motto in life? I will get what I want! Period.

The matriach in orange, Guihua, threw Yueniang and her mother overboard the ship which was in the middle of the ocean. She devises all means to drive Yueniang and her grandmother (whom she views as a vixen for stealing her husband away – grandmother who is a maid and husband had an affair) out of the ancestral home. Peace to her is playing her cherki and chewing on her smoked leaves. She almost always resorts to violence to get her aim. Breaking the maid’s leg? That’s a piece of cake. Ordering a beating session? No sweat. Threatening to burn someone alive? Bring it on. Her motto in life? I am woman. Hear me roar.

The lady in black, Meiyu, acts as an accomplice to her mother (Guihua) in attempting to silence Yueniang’s mother, Juxiang. When Zhenzhu pushed Juxiang into the well, Meiyu was the one who added planks on top of the well’s surface to block off the air passage so as to let her suffocate and drown to death. It’s interesting to note Meiyu’s transformation from innocent girl to devious woman. Like mother, like daughter? You bet. But if you trace the real reason, it’s because she cannot get her husband’s love. Her husband was matchmade to marry her. Trapped in a loveless marriage, she sought means to make miserable Juxiang’s life and subsequently Yueniang’s love. Her motto in life? If I can’t him, you will never have him too!

Of course, not forgetting father and son tact team, Charlie Zhang and Robert Zhang, who are ruthless both in their treatment of women (they rape them when they can’t have them) and business (they buy over other people’s plantations and estates at a fraction of the price). They sue as and when they like it all because they are rich. 

Credit must be given to the production team and the acting talents for bringing the show to live and entertaining us for the past one month plus. Well done! Kudos!

No more ‘The Little Nyonya’…but at least the theme song by Olivia Ong titled Ru Yan (如燕) is still playing furiously on my PC night after night.

Maybe Mediacorp will consider shooting another Peranakan serial and call it ‘The Little Baba’? I want a minor role too in it if it materialises! But like what Da Sha sings in ‘The Little Nyonya’…

Ang kong sai    (red lion head)
Pek bak bai       (white eyebrows)
Bo lang chia      (nobody invites you)
Ka gi lai            (you come on your own accord uninvited)

I think I may be qualifed though as I have written a few research articles in varsity on Baba Malay. The one I am most proud of is this one titled ‘Creolization in Baba Malay’ which got me an A+. Hehehe.

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最近好象每一个人都在追看着新传媒的台庆剧《小娘惹》。故事从30年代展开，横跨70年，直到现代。《小娘惹》讲述菊香出生在一个土生华人大家庭，是出身低下的姨太太的女儿，温柔漂亮，自幼从母亲身上学到一手好厨艺和女红。天生聋哑的她，备受歧视，在日军南下前夕，被安排嫁给一富有峇峇当妾。菊香反抗逃婚，遇到一日本青年摄影师。经历一番波折，两人结婚，诞下女儿月娘。动荡的大时代，让她饱受折磨。她的丈夫死了，她也死了，留下仅仅8岁的月娘。月娘辗转回到开始走向没落的外祖父家。在外婆的督导下，月娘学习传统娘惹的厨艺、女红，长大后就像她母亲一般漂亮。战后，逃难到英国的外祖父一家回来了，月娘就像当年的母亲一样，被歧视、毒打、折磨，为了保护外婆，她忍辱承受。月娘的美貌引来表姐的妒嫉，也引来了有钱的峇峇头家、出洋归国的富少、甚至英俊潇洒的英国军官的垂青，但她独爱一个“身无分文”的小司机陈锡。陈锡其实是个名门子弟，隐瞒身份和月娘来往。他被月娘的纯真、善良和坚强感动，深爱上她，然而二人的恋情碰到重重阻难。在各方的压力下，陈锡被逼娶了月娘的表姐，月娘则被卖给杀猪贩刘一刀。月娘不甘自己的一生由人摆弄，宁可结束自己的生命。她的刚烈，反让刘一刀敬服，与她拜为兄妹。月娘决定走出自己的路。她开始学做生意，过程中，她被陷害、被驱逐、被打击，但她都一一挺过来了，最后还重振已经衰败的家族生意。然而，她的感情却没着落。她深爱的人，依然渺无音信…

剧中的台词无数。但最令我印象深刻的就是外婆（向云饰）对月娘（欧萱饰）一边哭，一边说的肺腑之言。 

就因为我们出生低位，更不应该小眉小眼，贪小便宜
就因为我们出生低位，更不应该让人看不起
就因为我们出生低位，我们更要有骨气
就因为我们出生低位，我们更要扬眉吐气
就因为我们出生低位

我听了，很感动。

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50? That’s half a perfect score. 50? That’s a blue coloured Singapore dollar bill. 50? That’s half a century to some. 50? That’s just another number to others.

The queen of pop, Madonna recently celebrated her 50th birthday in a bash organised by her hubby at trendy club Volstead in London’s West End.

Madonna showed the world what being 50 meant. She hit the dance floor and partied hard till 3am once the DJ played her greatest hits.

And the next morning, she was up and about, going for her normal gym routine. Wow!

If that’s what being 50 means, I certainly am looking forward to it. My partner can similarly organise a half a century bash for me then

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It’s painful to watch TV nowadays. Really painful. This is true especially when you don’t see the normally pretty and sedate Fann Wong, acting cute or in some damsel in distress roles anymore.

Instead, you now see Fann screaming at almost everyone around her in every episode. My goodness! 

Her victims unfortunately have to accept it as they are either lower in position or less capable than she is. Fann, as the CEO of a conglomerate screams at her subordinates. I would quit if I were them. Try getting some files thrown at your face as well. No thanks.

Fann, the daughter, screams at her mother. Poor mum. Her mum tolerates the nonsense as she’s not as capable as her daughter.

Fann, the eldest sister, screams at her siblings. She is the dragon in the house, controlling their every movement. Draconian? You bet.

I could not sit through one single episode of the serial without having to witness some of Fann’s hysterics. Scream, scream, scream…I wonder who many cups of liang cha Ms Fann must have downed for these scenes.

I understand the need to scream if it’s a nightmare or if you get raped by some man. But the producer doesn’t have to overdo it by making her do it in each episode right?

After umteenth screams, the producer of the serial finally reveals that Ms Scream Princess is suffering from a hereditary illness of the mind. Ok, now I get the full picture.

There’s meaning in the madness after all.

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最近又开始追看电视连续剧了。。。到底是哪一部电视连续剧能有那么大的魅力来吸引我呢？

就是《一切完美》。这部戏剧以整容为贯穿全剧的主要题材。

从戏剧中，我找到很多自己的影子。

从Alex Tan身上，我看到了曾经对完美主义抱着苛求的自己。那时的日子太难过了、对下属太严格了、对自己太苛刻了。现在，我不再追求一切完美。。。只要尽了力，对得起自己就可以了。

从Alex Tan和Kelly Lim身上，我看到了曾经徘徊在内在美与外在美冲突之间的自己。年少的我只在乎外在美的重要。毕竟谁不要娶一个美丽的妻子或嫁一个俊俏的先生？我了解了能在双种美之间找到平衡点才是关键。

从Alex Tan身上， 我看到了曾经过于固执的自己。求学时的我性格孤僻，没有很多要好的朋友。我喜欢我行我素。我总是对的，别人总是错的。我不容易听取他人的意见。到了大学后才恍然大悟，了解了‘一山还有一山高’的道理。

从Kelly Lim身上，我看到了曾经在公司人力资源部门当主管的自己。Kelly和我一样，擅长修复别人内心的问题。别人的问题变成了我们的问题、别人的烦恼变成了我们的烦恼。就像心理医生一样，当时还是人力资源主管的我每天都要医病，对症下药。日子久了，身心疲累了、人也变憔悴了。但人力资源经理也是人！难道我就没有自己的问题烦恼吗？有问题烦恼时，老板却说你是人力资源主管，应该会自我解决。真要命！待了三年半，我决定离开了。

从大姐Emily身上，我看到了曾经在感情生活中一波三则折的自己。看到别人的感情一帆风顺，自己却一次又一次交了爱情白卷。太伤感了！等了又等、盼了又盼，我终于找到了属于自己的幸福。我微笑了，人也变得更帅了！

从Alex Tan的口头禅 “世上没有丑人，只有穷人”，我连想到了自己的口头禅 “世上没有丑人，只有懒人”。要在今天金钱挂帅、以貌取人的社会中一鸣惊人，就要懂得包装自己。包装是很重要。不美可以变得美一点。即使美了也可以更美。更美了也要最美。如果你懒到连基本妆都不化、头发都不梳、衣服都不齐就出了门，就不要怪别人不多看你一眼，不给你机会。了解自己，就会包装自己，把自己最好、最完美的一面显现出来。

不像剧中的女人一样，我从来没想过要去整容。我承认我鼻梁不够高、眼睛不够大，但我对自己的五官还是很满意的。毕竟还是有人会主动上前和我搭讪，证明我还有x-factor!

就像主题曲，我知道‘我变漂亮了’！

过去的批评嘲讽 Let it go Let it go
过去的轻蔑冷落 Let it go Let it go
有些人口不饶人 却忘了瞧瞧自己
又有什么资格

时刻都善良待人 Let’s move on Let’s move on
时刻都做好本分 Let’s move on Let’s move on
有些人心思浅薄 绝不是宽容
自暴自弃的理由

也许 确实也受过言语打击
也许 因此而失去了自信心
但千万别将勇气深锁在阴影里
我们又不会妨碍这世界（的）美丽

我知道我变漂亮了
我知道我被注意了
曾难过 失落
微笑一下就过
外在的美貌容易戳破
内在的美好细水长流

我知道我变漂亮了
我知道我也豁达了
不自卑 不埋怨
就算还差一点点
用内涵弥补一切缺陷
内在的美 迷住每个人的眼

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There is always something for everyone at the annual Miss Universe pageant. It is, after all, the most prestigious pageant in female history.

We all saw Miss USA fall over in the evening gown competition as she stepped on her gown train. OMG! Interestingly, I recall seeing last year’s Miss USA stumble in the same category too! Me thinks there will be a third consecutive fall next year…Hahaha…Someone must teach Miss USA how to stand and walk properly. Must be those weak leg muscles….If not consider a mini skirt next year then…And whoever is crowned Miss USA better prepare herself with thicker butt pats to cushion the pain (ouch!) after the fall. It’s almost unthinkable to fall in front of one billion television viewers…

The fall (again) of Miss USA 2008. Ouch ouch!!

Flashback. The fall of Miss USA 2007. Ouch!!

Unceremonious it may be, but the most important thing is to pick yourself up after the fall, pretend it never happened, flash that megawatt smile and try to regain any lost brownie points to make it to the next stage of the competition. But in all honesty, once you fall, your chances of winning the coveted crown also falls…

And Venezuela is back to her winning ways again. The traditional pageant powerhouse which has produced at least 10 international beauties for both Miss Universe and Miss World pageants combined, walked away the winner in Dayana Mendoza, a 22 year-old green eyed brunette.

Miss Venezuela is the new Miss Universe 2008

When it came to the final question, she literally clinched the title by virtue of her wit. In her reply to the question asking for the difference between men and women, she didn’t go for any stereotypical replies eg. men has bananas and women has papayas. She went for the philosophical instead.

“Men think that the fastest way to go to a point is to go straight. Women know that the faster way to go to a point is to go to the curves”.

How true indeed. Men like things to be simple, direct and straight to the point. They feel beating around the bush is simply a waste of time. Men go for the big picture. Want or don’t want? It must be clear cut. It cannot be wishy-washy. Going straight to the point is good but it doesn’t always produces results. Sometimes, being too direct backfires.

Women are different. They are more feeling creatures. They are not too forceful. Instead, they like to suggest, initiate, discuss and negotiate…things which men hate. They like to drill into the nitty-gritty of things. They love details. But staying at the curves too long will also create tension between a couple. Imagine suggesting all day long to the men and they still don’t get it…

My advice is to strike a balance between going straight and going to the curves. Sometimes, one works better than the other. It depends on the situation.

And there’s someone I must mention. She’s Miss Thailand. Miss Thailand, with her nice and toned body appeared in a muay thai costume. And she displayed enough aggressiveness by showing off a muay thai kick in the segment. No wonder she kicked away the other competitors, including the style so wrong Merlion dress of Miss Singapore. This won her the Best National Costume segment.

Miss Thailand wins Best National Costume segment

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