The other Olsen

Ever since I've watched Elizabeth's Olsen (the Olsen twins' younger sister) on Martha Marcy May Marlene, I've been seeing her everywhere. When they say this girl is an uprising star, they really mean a bright shiny twinkly star that even the moon will feel out-shadowed. 

There's just something about her face that I can't stop staring at. She has the features that the twins have, so we are familiar with her but yet she's not a carbon copy of them. Her differences make her even more beautiful. 

Can't wait for her other films to be out!

*

Still working on my portfolio, so all my inspirations have been flowing thataway. 

How do you explain to people that one does not simply complete a good portfolio in one day?

I really wanna make it the best compilation ever (which explains the constant changing of my layout for the portfolio and all) but I have to stop being such a perfectionist and just send in one that hopefully still blows their mind away or else I would never apply for my course in time.

Oh time, where are you when I need you?

Ghost Town

There are 2 blocks around my place that had a notice of en-bloc, people were to move out before a specific date and the government would demolish those old buildings to build new structures.

There was a day when the rain had just stopped falling..

 and I saw that metal gates had been installed into the staircases. What a curious sight. HDB housings being locked up like that. I just had to take a closer look.

 When something says 'No trespassing' you know you shouldn't even think about going in. But I couldn't resist.. I wanted to see how a deserted HDB building would look like since I'm so used to HBD buildings brimming with people and life. 

I walked around a couple of abandoned cupboards and other misc household items that would not be part of the family's new life. Peered into all the staircases only to find them locked up by the makeshift metal gates. Oh but the moment I saw one staircase that had no such gate, I took a deep breath and started walking in. Tip-toeing, more like. Wouldn't want to attract unwanted attention in empty buildings or worse, caught trespassing. 

 Most of the doors had this letter pasted on, a notice of possession issued by the HDB. It was so quiet, you could literally hear my heart beat. And that tingle at the back at my head that tells me when something doesn't feel right was suddenly there. Don't worry, this isn't a ghost story.

When I wasn't looking around warily for strangers, I was enjoying the peace and quiet of the whole place. 

 There was so much history in this place. I remember seeing some people downstairs all the time. Doing tai ji, running around, going home after sch.. And now this building has served its purpose and will be torn down.

 A new building will be up and by then, what kind of people will be living here?

Stories were being whispered into my ear, the wind whistling around the trees outside.

I looked around and smiled. Was I ever here? 

There is something hauntingly drawing about the building and its past, the derelicts of the previous owners scattering the floor. Yet it was never eerie. Never cold.

 A woman's scream from somewhere nearby woke me up from my curiosity and I took that as my cue to leave before anything happened.

Climbing down the dirty winding stairs, 

And walking out of the forsaken place with fresh memories. 

Thank you for going on that little adventure with me. 

Of course, looking back now, I realized how dangerous it could have been if there were unsound people hiding up there (too much horror and psycho movies for me, oops) or zombies lurking in the corner and I was not even prepared with a frying pan!
Still, I'm glad I walked up the building or else my inquiring mind might have regretted never going in to see how an abandoned building looks like. (since you don't see much of that in sg)

My wandering mind has been satisfied.....

For now.

Orange candles DIY

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make some orange candles!
I figured it'll be nice to set 'em up around the dining table as you have your reunion dinner.
Esp since now is the season where it's oranges everywhere and you get to do something different and beautiful with it too.
The best thing is that everything can be found at home, so you needn't spend more money unnecessarily (yay I'm becoming frugal!)
Here's a list of what you need:

-Orange
-Knife
-Spoon
-Olive oil (or any other essential/aroma theraphy oil will work too)

Step 1: Pick your orange. (Preferably the not-so nice ones, those you don't wanna give to your relatives and will prolly eat them at home over a series of 'the sing off')


Step 2: Using a knife, lightly cut an outline (about 1/3 of the orange, from bottom up).
The bottom of the orange is the smoother side, without the stem tip. You'd want to keep the stem tip side as it will be the bottom of the candle.


Step 3: Peel off the 1/3 orange skin you've just cut. It should look like this. Next, use a spoon to gently dig the orange out of the peel. Work around the sides of the orange to loosen it up and it should come out easily after that. Avoid scooping out from the middle as that's where your wick will be.


Step 4: Tadah! After scooping out the flesh, it should look something like this. That fiber thingy sticking out at the bottom (called a pith) will be your natural wick!


Step 5: Leave the orange skin to dry for a couple of hours (I left mine out for 4 hrs) as the pith has to be without moisture before it can light up as a wick. Here's when you go back into the kitchen and eat those yummy orange flesh that you've so lovingly dug out to pass the time.


Step 6: Take some olive oil or any essential oil you have (lavender.. etc.) This will act as the 'wax' of the candle.


Step 7: Slowly pour the oil into the orange peel until the pith is partially submerged in it. Pour the oil over the pith for a quick second and it's done!


And voila: your proud orange candle baby in all it's shining glory!

It will burn for 2-4 hrs, depending on your pith, but ain't nature so amazin'!
Hope you have fun making these and show them off to your relatives who are smart and sassy.
'What, you know how to do a complicated heart surgery?? Mmhm.. that's nice I guess. But bet you can't make an orange candle, can you? HA!'

So whenever someone compares you to their nerdy smart aleck son, just point to the orange candle and smirk. Your aunt might think you're extremely weird, or extremely genius. Let's hope for the best.

HAVE A FULFILLING *rubs stuffed belly* CHINESE NEW YEAR Y'ALL! :*

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Dear you,

Love, 

Fel

Flower Child

 I've got a bad case of wanderlust right now.

Not good when I see unique and experiential tour itineraries everyday. 

So anyway the tour on my mind now is a walking tour in Greece, the coolest thing ever! 

You get to have leisurely walks from one town to another, jump into a clean secluded beach on the way, have picnics on large boulders, stay and mingle with the local villagers, eat their fresh specialities, hear the ancient myth stories of Zeus and Troy as you take it the breathtaking sights.

What do you think?

I've got a gr8 and affordable package in my company and if you want to, let me know and we can all go together! I'm trying to get a group of 8 to go with me around May-June cos its one of the most interesting and hands-on trip I've ever come across and Greece is so beautiful, you can't miss it! 

Sometimes I wish I could be a sparrow and fly and enjoy the beautiful world to its fullest.

On the other hand, I wouldn't mind being a flower child.

Curiouser and curiouser!

"But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

Alice in Wonderland, Chapter 6.

I know I said 'Stay sane in 2012', 

but if you must, 

then let yourself go and let your imagination go wild! 

The year 2012 will be a time for dreams and dreaming. 

So come on, turn your dream switch back on.

itsnobiggie