when all is said and done

well i've got my results and they're more than pleasing, so i'm.... well... pleased.

also, i've finally finished my piano. i can't believe i'll never have to play a single scale or arpeggio ever again... unless i want to, of course.

just got back from penang. celebrated ah ma's eightieth birthday. twas fun, yes. nick and sara came down from the UK to celebrate it with us. FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN

now, i'm one day away from starting at HELP, and a few months away from aussie. HERE I COMEEEEE :)

out-of-body experience

two sundays ago (or was it three?), i sold second-hand books with ade, flory, bianca and her bf, joo and adrienne plus male friend. it was all very fun and games, really. i PR-ed with bianca alot, prancing from table to table in starbucks announcing our wonderful news: BOOK SALE! CHEAP READS FOR NEXT TO NOTHING! HURRY! EVERYTHING MUST GO! and other exclamations alike.

it was, i must admit, "fun". it was certainly rewarding to see the horrified looks on the faces of the heckled, as they mumble with much difficulty that they'll, "drop by later". HA. as if!
then it occurred to me that this is the exact same thing i do to those heckling. except i usually include a glittering smile that tricks 95% of hecklers that i'm actually going back to look at their knick-knacks. SUCKERS!

anyhow, back to the story. some people DID stop at our stall to run their eyes over our overflowing table: books, mags, stuffed toys, decors, shoes, you name it! i had originally thought flory organized a BOOK sale; i guess what's the harm in selling other junk if people will buy, eh? should've thought of it myself! haha.

one particular family came by that reminded me very very much of when i go shopping with my mum and brother. they stopped by our table. the brother sighed heavily as his sister proceeded to reach for titles such as "Becky Bananas", "Angels Unlimited: Budding star" and "Shopaholic Abroad". The first two were extremely suitable for girls her age; she must've been about twelve or so. but shopaholic? her mum wasn't fooled. the girl pleaded silently with her eyes and i could see her mum wasn't one to be crossed or whined at. you could literally see the prayer materializing in the girl's mind: "pleeeeease let me buy it. plllleeeeeeeeeease". all i could do as the shopkeeper-outsider was to stand by and smile at the girl in an "i understand" manner.
i was doing my fair share of crossing fingers. please don't look at the back!
her mummy turned the book around and furrowed her eyebrows as she read the synopsis. i could see the doors of her mind closing with a bang. slowly, she shook her head with her lips pursed, an expression that would cause any restless child to wilt immediately, and put the book back on its stand.
"No i don't think so. we'll just take these two lah."

the girl hung her head in defeat. i felt like patting her hand and saying, Ah, don't worry, soon you'll reach the age where you can read whatever you like! and Shopaholic will certainly be there when you're of age. okay? so don't fret. anyhow, i kind of agree with your mum. there are certain elements of Shopaholic that aren't suitable for young eyes...

i remember my own personal battles with my own mummy when it came to buying fiction. i wanted a funny chicklit read. she wanted "good" books that "taught me things" and that "had substance".

all i can say now at my wise old age of sixteen is that: MUMMY KNOWS BEST!

BE A MAN! DO THE RIGHT THING!

These experiences are beyond Russell Peters.

"Doing the right thing" has evolved into a whole new cliche. In fact, it's so new, it's not even a cliche anymore. "Doing the right thing", to me, has become epic and extremely indispensable.

"Doing the right thing" no longer depends on my impression of good and bad, right and wrong; now, it's all determined by my very sensitive and, may i add, STUBBORN, conscience.

Walking away from something you want very much is the simplest and yet most painful task one could do. It's called "fleeing", as one would do from something that emanates violence or horror in any way. If we could only see these BAAAD things for what they really are, i think we would all pick up our skirts and flounce for our lives...

Unfortunately, the Strong Man has done a great job in advertising his World System in such a way that it's almost bearable.... OKAY FINE, IT'S A FANTASTIC FACADE!!! But what is a weakling like me to do? What could be easier than merely conforming to where the world is already heading? DOOOOM.

but you see, EVERY LEEDLE CHOICE makes a difference. The annoying part is that you don't get to reap your rewards until AFTER you make the choice. This may sound stupidly obvious, but we forget this all the time.

We need to learn to walk away. We need to say "no" when the situation calls for it. We need to flee when appropriate.

GAWSH it's hard living like this, and i know some stupid mistakes (made by me) are coming my way sometime... but for now, i'll just hang tight and pray for salvation from these everyday monsters.

long time no blog

hello to anyone who reads my blog. as i recently found out, people actually do. HURRAH! thanks to Celine's PR-ing on her own blog, which looks much much cooler than mine :(

anyway, I AM UNDER CONSTANT CREATIVE PRESSURE. art deal not going too well at the mo, trying to find more artist influences that i haven't ALREADY used.... maybe i should go back to my beloved Cherry Hood.

i want to make that money WORTH IT, you know? i want to have earned it, and then lie back and pat my tummy and close my eyes and exhale deeply and say, "Good on you, HL!"

so ya. Ms Alford, my all time mentor, has advised me to pay Valentine Willie's Art Gallery in Bangsar Baru, because apparently it's got loads of influence i could benefit from. The name of the gallery itself puzzles me... sounds like Marcus (the short one, haha) may pop out at any moment and go "THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!"

Cleaning out my closet (literally)

GOOD BYE, ADD MATHS!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA

and i'll never have to memorize geography case studies ever again.... ARGHHH.

i'll miss tectonics.

Who's Gonna Build YOUR Wall?

Angu and Vaj, Plaza Mont Kiara
After playing in the fountains despite stares.


Accomplished Nerds

Sources: FACEBOOK, WHERE ELSE.

Closing Time

The Mad Geography Gang
Smiti, Gabs, Ali, HL


We're all kids deep down inside.
Asees' 16th.


Multiple Shirt Signing
Last Art Lesson

"Hey guys, let's act like lalas and pretend we won all this stuff"

(I thought we were being gangstas)