[Ziwei's cover] I dreamed a dream - Les Misérables

Hey guys!

I'm back with a new cover yo~

I haven't been keeping to one of my 2013 resolutions which is to do 2 covers per month due to time constraint and that I was busy preparing for a competition and an audition.

The good news were that I emerged as one of the top 40 contestants in NTU Impresario Quarter Finals 2013 and I have also successfully auditioned to become an official vocalist under my ex-and-current music school's performing team! :) Even though I wasn't one of the imba top 10 singers to get through to the Semi-finals, I learnt a few interesting feedback and comments from the judges and I had also made a number of new talented friends there! Most of the top 10 semi-finalists were impressive while others were meh~ I was also quite surprised that some of those whom I expected to get through didn't. Well, I'm still a newbie when it comes to competition, but my interest isn't competing with others. I just wanna keep on doing what I love and keeping this passion burning. :) As for the performing team audition, my overall result given by the music director was average, so I'll keep working on techniques! :)

I watched the movie Les Mis and got so inspired to do one of their songs, so here it is! 

Do spare me a 'like' on youtube itself for this cover if you sincerely support what I'm doing. :)

(All you need is just a gmail account to show your support. Every single "like" means a lot to me! :D)

Dislikes without constructive comments don't matter, it's those who care and support that matter. 

Thank you in advance! :)

The arrangement of my rendition is inspired by Glee's version and I really love how well they harmonize for one another. I think harmonizing is a skill that all singers should try to master because it really beautifies the entire song on a different level. If you ask me for tips, I'd say go listen to more songs which already have harmonies in them. When you get more comfortable with harmonies, you'll realise that everytime you head to the KTV, you'll slowly be able to harmonize almost all the songs that were selected, be it English or Chinese ones. It's my first time trying a musical song, so please be lenient. I have been practising the vibratos for the past week and will get better control of this technique in time to come I promise. I'm trying to learn something new in the process of producing new covers. Gotta keeping the passion burning yo! :) 

I'd love to dedicate this song to the love of my life, Leonard Ma who's also the videographer of all my video covers, including this one! Sorry that I haven't gotten the money to invest in the necessary equipment to tire you less, but i will get a job soon! :) 

With this song, I'd also like to remind myself of the promise i made to my family about realising my parents' dreams in time to come. I'm really thankful for everyone of them and will stand together with the family through this difficult stage of adolescence for my baby brother. 

It's quite exciting to think about the collaborations that are pending after Chinese New Year! I love meeting passionate music people and learning new stuff from them. ^^

Keep the passion burning! :)

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Birthday 2013 Part 2 - Marine Life Park

So here's a promised blogpost on the 2nd half continuation of my 23rd birthday celebration. :)

If you haven't been reading my blog, tsk. Haha, Leonard brought me to USS for a day of roller coaster which got me nauseous at the end of the day. Read Birthday 2013 Part 1 - USS! :) 

I had been wanting to check out this interesting oceanarium recommended by Jess (@ www.Shiberty.com) located right within Sentosa. It's not the old underwater world that was located near Siloso beach and I was wondering where the hell does RWS have the space to install this claimed-to-be world's largest oceanarium. When I found out, I was pretty amazed. O.O 

Check out here if you're interested to know more about its history and stuff. :) We paid $20! 

We were welcomed by this hugeass ship with a ferocious lion head staring at us with much hostility. However, I'd say it made a breath-taking grand opening to our 1.5hour visit. Super ginormous. Here's dwarf Leo posing for you. :)

A pirate ship hanging overhead the basement of the Maritime Experiential Museum. It was my first time seeing the intricate details of a pirate ship so upclose! O.O

In order to get to the aquarium, everyone had to bypass the maritime sea experiential museum which showcases all the different SEA countries' maritime and cultural activities. Honestly, Leonard and I had no interest at all to take closer looks at them. Nonetheless, I thought that it was thoughtful of the planning comm to include the more meaningful and educational history of the different countries for tourists and local students/children to learn more about the sea activities which Singaporeans are not usually exposed to. To me, the most interesting part of the museum was the typhoon experiential exhibition! It's interesting that they built this huge circular container structure and used some amazing technology to allow curious visitors to know how being in a TYPHOON feels like! You can't miss it la right. How often do you get to be caught in the middle of the sea in a dangerous storm? O.O

 Moving on to pictures of the fishies and jellies! :)

Stingrays under our feet!
I learnt from others' blogs that divers can actually swim through this narrow gap underneath! So dangerous for those in skirts! lol. 

Seahorses are one of the cutest creatures I've seen there! I never knew that they would twine their tails around seaweed to maintain their stability when sleeping. I was super amused at their funny slping positions especially when they look so nua and sleepy while nodding off in the waters. Their fins are super tiny. Aww. 

Looking yummeh there. ;)

Humongous tank! I bet there're a few thousands of fishies living in it! The corals look so beautiful! How did they manage to replicate what divers get to see in underneath the sea into a thick "pillar" of breathtaking exhibition tank, making it so convenient for us visitors to admire them without having to dive into the sea! It'll really be therapeutic to install one of this in my own house. Hmm. Ok not so rich and boliao. They'll definitely die in no time under Leo and my care. 

Another yummeh creature! THE SPIDER CRABS ARE SO HUGEASS! I've no doubt that they'll be longer than I am with their limbs stretched out. 

My favourite tank! <3 Little bobbing tiny mushroom jellyfishies that glow in the dark! 

The first thing another female visitor and I said in unison when we saw them:
AWW SO STUPID! HAHA! 

The long jellies with seaweed like stings. 

The full length aquarium/oceanarium exhibit!!!! The biggest that I've seen thus far! Underwater World can't fight this for sure. 

One of the highlight that people placed their attention on was this giant black stingray which had many small fishes dancing through the water on and underneath its "wings". The entire troop was a graceful bunch, flowing through together so smoothly, in other words, very camwhore and attention seeking! haha. 

Like mama and babies hor? But different species one. So funny. :3
I wonder if baby stingrays follow their mummies around like this too. I doubt so hur.

Another dumb-looking species - the cowfish! Look at their small tails and pouty "lips"! LOL. They're really tiny too. Given their cuteness and bright colours, I believe they're very vulnerable preys in the ocean even among the corals. 

LOBSTER!

MAD INTIMIDATING EELS~ Totally not appetizing AT ALL! 

At finale of the oceanarium, visitors had to enter this tunnel that passes through the
SHARK TANK! SO COOL TO BE WALKING WITH THE SHARKS! 

I believe the shark resembles my personality the most out of all the marine animals. :/
Well, it's not exactly something very flattering to say about myself, but I'm just being honest.
What i see in them are that their speed of movement is really fast and they're always looking so focused and "efficient" somehow. I'm comparatively one of the least lazy people (late mornings don't count cos i work till late nights) and whenever I walk on the streets, i tend to overtake people who're strolling leisurely and blocking my way. When I have decided on something or have a goal in mind, I'll push myself to stay focused for a few days straight without proper rest like taking a break and bringing the task off my mind in the midst of working. I hardly give people good first impressions due to my aggressive looks and mentality. I'm sensitive to threats and will always be ever ready to take up any challenge posed by anyone just like how sharks are so sensitive to the blood of their victims. WAH I NOT SO VICIOUS LA. SIAO. I'm just a super friendly, determined and focused person la k. :) 

Baby hammerhead! :3

Baby mushroom head! :3

After a REALLY long day at RWS taking rides and getting awed at the wonderful marine life, the boyfriend and I couldn't wait to return home for a rest.

Even though it's a family tradition to celebrate everybody's birthday together annually, I still feel very blessed and touched whenever they surround me to sing me that birthday song while i sat in front of the yummeh neighbourhood bakery birthday cake. I swear I always feel teary when they do that. I'm glad that even after all these years of undergoing through the hardships and disagreement,  the love we show one another in the family only grows and gets more heartwarming. Blood is thicker than water indeed.. 

Adorable mummy and havoc daddy. :)
Who do i resemble more? haha. 

Popo!

Didi and meimei, my closest babies. :)

Love of my life. :)
Thank you for everything. I can never thank you enough dear.
We will embrace the future tgt I see. Looking forward to Vday! ;)

Thanks for reading and loving me all these years! 

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Birthday 2013 Part 1 - USS

It's a belated post and there're things I'm bz with, but I think this year's birthday is blog-worthy. It's better late than never. :) 

I used to look forward to my birthday every year when I was young because it's one special day of the entire year where you get exclusive (but short-spanned) attention from all your classmates, relatives and family. Apart from me being just a tad more attention-seeking, I think anyone out there would love to be cared for, to be showered attention and love on. Attention aside, we would expect birthday presents and thoughtful surprises when we were young and materialistic. Of course la, who doesn't fancy freebies! The more friends you have, the more freebies you get on your birthday. ^^

But well, I wasn't a top popular kid in school, so, very sadly I don't receive many bday surprises and presents. So, I grew up and learnt how to be satisfied with the blessings from people who bother to wish me well for my day, my career, my life, my looks and my future. Not only that, I also began to not feel so gian about bday presents anymore because I don't seem to lack anything after becoming self-sufficient and more independent. Lol, i'm not exactly self-consoling as I did grow to have a super thoughtful boyfriend and a hell lot of close friends who love me so much and would plan birthday surprises for me, send me long sincere messages, bring me out for yummy treats and buy me presents and shopping vouchers. I REALLY APPRECIATE THESE THOUGHTFUL GESTURES. I LOVE MY FRIENDS AND BF. However, I tend to observe that birthdays are no longer like before, at least not as shallow and forgettable anymore. Right now, I'm in a love-hate relationship with the upcoming birthdays from this year onwards. It's liberating to think that you are finally mature enough to earn a living for yourself and buy whatever you yearn for when your age begins to start with the digit '2' and onwards. With an older age, comes great responsibilities too. Studies are history and you step out into the world notorious for its politics, stress, deadlines, mornings, traffic jams, fatigue and what-not. Yea, birthdays don't sound as innocent and joyous as before anymore. 

Honestly, those words above are my true sentiments on the meaning of birthdays and how it has evolved through the years. But of course, every year I STILL ENJOY MY BIRTHDAYS IMMENSELY LA. :D 

With my optimism and enthusiasm about life, I highly doubt that I'd overly burden myself with the negatives of growing up because I am one who EMBRACE CHALLENGES AND WOULD LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST. ;) Have y'all read enough? Time for pictures? I'd say AYE! ;)

This year, I turned 23. It's the biggest number under the 'Age' section that I've seen on my own application and registration forms, as well as in my resume. O.O Actually, i have to say that Leonard, the bf was very sweet to have planned something very special and different from before. What I was told was that he researched and reserved a table at an exclusive and expensive fine-dining restaurant to give me a treat. To date, I've yet to find out which restaurant it is. BECAUSE I WAS SUCH A LOUSY GF. Instead of feeling all appreciative and fortunate, I made a fuss about the money that wouldn't be justified having spent on a meal. Frankly, I THINK I WAS OUT OF MY MIND. :/ I'm so bloody curious now about where he'd wanted to bring me. D: 

I must be really cray to have requested for a USS roller coaster day as opposed to the atas expensive dinner. I had really intense craving for adrenaline rush during my birthday week and pestered Leonard non-stop to maximize our day by fulfilling the birthday girl's wish. 

End up...

Lunch at Loui's NY Pizza Parlor.

Bee looking really cute and pleasant despite his ah beng hair color. 

Hawaiian pizza cum tiramisu predator ;)

USS is currently Sesame-street-themed. Look at the cute cupcakes! :)

Slightly more pricey than the retail cupcakes cost, but then again it's USS. 

After lunch, Leo and I each carried a bloated tummy and went for the mummy ride, transformer ride, treasure hunter ride and Shrek the 4D movie while waiting for the food to be digested. As lame as ever was the mummy ride which we had taken 573189354 times before, so we posed for the photo snapshot at the drop by kissing. I loved the effect of it actually because as others were shutting their eyes tight or screaming at the top of their lungs, we were posing shamelessly, aloof of the short freefall drop. :p The transformer ride was still breathtaking. ^^ Treasure hunter was lame and we got sprayed at by the donkey's sneezes 4 freaking times at the Shrek movie. -___________- 

What's worth mentioning is this........

MONSTER ROCK LIVE ROCK MUSICAL! :)

Oh gosh! I cannot believe that after heading to USS for (again) 5962878785964 times, I haven't watched this awesome bombz before despite being so curious of what it's showing at the 3 fixed daily timings. O.O
For those who haven't watched, there's live singing done by a hyperactive and talented group of 'monsters' who'd be dancing while showcasing their impressive vocals. I really enjoyed the R&B theme for the musical, as well as the visual effects we were exposed to. The experience was indeed rewarding.

So after the musical, we thought we were ready for the best ride in USS, Battlestar Galatica. There was no queue at all even though the timer at the entrance of the ride shows that we gotta wait up to 5 to 10min. The moment we reached the end of the non-existent queue, we were ushered in to waiting area just before we can board the ride. SUPER FAST I TELL YOU! I managed to open my eyes at both the crazy freefall drop for both the Human and Cylon rides when i didn't dare to prior to that day. Many have been curious which one is the "scarier" ride. In my opinion, both are not, but i'd say Cylon gives me stronger adrenaline rush due to the 3 360 flips. Super awesome! I remember taking it at night during Halloween 2012 and I thought to myself that Singapore should have a theme park that operates till late night! Shiokkkkk x10000 were the 2 instances when the blue carriage enters the cooling mist zones in the dark. You don't expect anything, you don't see anything. Just feel the wind and fly. <3

Yups, so when we THOUGHT that we were ready to challenge in the Galatica, I emerged from the exit feeling nauseous. -________________- max. I blame the hugeass slice of pizza. -.-


We became victims of tourist pricing at USS. Look what I've gotten below.
A $4 bottle of apple juice which hardly quenched our thirst. Still, it was refreshing amidst the crazy sun.
The afternoon weather in Singapore really spares nobody. We perspired so much. :/ 

My thoughtful boyfriend who smuggled churros into our rest point, Starbot cafe located just beside the transformer ride entrance. To my disappointment, the churros was overdone and was too tough to munch on. It's freaking expensive, about $3-4. So much for craving for it the moment I stepped into USS that day. -.-

After a few more rounds of roller coasters, we found ourselves playing "scissors paper stone" on the rides.

Yea, the adrenaline rush dropped exponentially every time we re-board the rides. Finally, we got to the point of wanting to leave the theme park even though we had initially wanted to fully maximize the entrance ticket by staying till it closes. 

Pretending to be tourists just before departure. 

I'll continue blogging about Marine Life Park and SEA Aquarium for my birthday part 2 post! :) 

THANK YOU LEONARD MA. 

I CAN FIND NO BETTER GUY THAN YOU WHO SUITS ME SO PERFECTLY. <3 

Birthdays are overrated. Yet, I can't help but enjoy them. Thankful.

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One of the coolest advertisements: Samsung Eco-bubble

There is something very interesting which i'd came across recently that I'd love to share with the fellow family-oriented friends and readers! ^^ I ain't no housewife quality but i do care about whether my family members enjoy the comfort that they deserve to experience in their daily life. 

Normally, I hardly give a second look at the household electronic products that I have at home, neither would I pay much attention to my family's decision when buying electrical appliances at Courts or Harvey Norman. However, this very special video advertisement managed to grasp my interest and brought me to look it up online. It came to me as quite a surprise to learn and understand about the recent advancement in technology in our household appliances, of which a popular example would be the air fryer. The science has become so advanced that you need not add any amount of oil to have food that tastes pan-fried! 

Today, I'm going to introduce to you a new electronic product which doesn't require any amount of water to have your clothes washed! As you know that the resources of the world are depleting at a rate too quick for the water renewal rate to catch up. It's not very visible to us but we all know that this issue is something dire to be taken notice of. Samsung, one of the leading companies with the best technologies and a large community of loyal supporters and product users, recently came up with a new washing machine that demands great attention on. 

Do not belittle this washing machine.
Instead of the conventional water usage in the common washing machine, the unique ecobubble technology creates thousands of tiny bubbles that envelopes your clothes in a foam of cushion and therefore penetrates your apparels more thoroughly and efficiently up to 40 times the effectiveness of other washing machines. 

What's also worth the applause is the energy-saving concept the designers embedded in this remarkable electronic appliance. A 15°C ecobubble wash gives the same results as a 40°C cottons wash, giving this machine an impressive A+++ energy rating. With less electricity and energy consumed in your daily housework, you also get to save a huge sum in your monthly bills. 

Another perk of installing this high-tech appliance at your home is that it is quiet, thanks to the Samsung Quiet Drive system, whereby the motor is fixed straight to the rear of the drum, such that there are less moving parts and less noise. Finally, you get to enjoy your afternoon nap without the annoying and loud spinning movement in the washing machine in your kitchen. I know right. 

I'm sure many of you spend a huge amount of money shopping for pretty and top-quality dresses and apparels. I do care about the sustainability of the fabric quality of my dresses and clothing too. Instead of hand-washing your clothes, this ecobubble washing machine features the unique Diamond Drum technology that minimizes wear and tear and keeps your fabrics safe from snags, while creating the perfect environment for gentle but effective washing. It's such a joy to have lasting limited edition clothes staying in your wardrobe for a good few years isn't it? :)

Now now, this is the part that captivated your attention to this particular blog post - 

the video advertisement. 

Watch to find out how a huge bear surprised the advert photoshoot crew near Manning Park, BC!!

Definitely one of the more exciting video ad i've watched. :)

It's nice to have everyone play a part in sustaining what is left of this earth - be it the scientists, designers and the household appliance consumer. It'd be a wise choice of purchase for any energy-conserving family unit. 

Save the planet, enjoy the bubbles. ;)

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#1 - Fast way to lose fats: Sprints

Hmm life has been a lil more chillax for me these few days. Realised that i'm really someone quite hard to please cos i complain whether or not I am busy.

 

Anyway, right now I'm trying very hard to fight the lazy monster residing in every part of me. So far so good because I just went for sprints and runs for the past few days, in the afternoon somemore. Even though the distance covered isn't very wow-ish or impressive, I managed to come out of my own comfort zone of running long distance to doing sprints, of which all my bros, guy friends and boyfriend are telling me that it's the most effective way of losing fats. Initially, i didn't push myself to due to lack of motivation and fear of time wastage. But alright, advice heeded and damn it is effective. Honestly, it's not as mentally-tiring as long-d and the aches you get are much more satisfactory because you really strain yourself. I am already enjoying the soreness in the muscles all over my body, especially at my non-existent-but-slowly-forming abs area and the thighs, calves and shin areas. :) Fellow friends who are dissatisfied with their body and love exercising, should totally try doing sprints.

 

The routine for my next few weeks would be to do 10x100m sprints + 2x400m run at least 3 times a week! :) It'll only take you about 30min including rest time between sets. What I did:

 

1. 2 rounds on the track to warm up

2. Stretch adequately and fully every muscle that was strained from neck to ankle

3. Get the playlist of your itouch/phone ready

4. Sprint a distance of 100m at your best speed, imagine that you're competing in a competition

5. Walk 100m back to your starting point, following the tempo of your music to keep the momentum going

6. Once you reach your starting point, re-sprint the set 4 more times. Your speed will drop after each set, but just keep doing it till 5 sets are completed

7. Rest for 3 minutes, drink water and hydrate yourself

8. Finish up the last 5 sets. Remember to push yourself to sprint at full speed even though you're already perspiring like crazy

9. Lastly and most importantly, STREEEEETTTTCCCCHHHHHH fully and adequately from neck to ankle

10. Go home do something productive and enjoy the muscleaches the following day! ;)

 

As the set will take you around 30min plus minus depending on your own sprinting speed, it's not very time-consuming so I'd advice you to keep to this weekly routine 3-4 times a week and give yourself 1 day to rest for the muscles to recover before resuming the sprints. The time of exercise that I'd suggest is btwn 8-9am before the merciless morning sun hits you or 3-4pm when the sun rests its rays for awhile or 6-7pm before the the sky turns dark. I did my sprints on the running track to be aware of the distance.

 

Unfortunately, I'm aware of 1 area of concern on this exercise: the impact on the knee. My advice for this isn't professional, but it might help for you to take more milk and calcium to boost your bones cos I drink a lot of milk and never had knee issues. Secondly, you can cushion your knee by wearing knee guards if you're already concerned about old age problems. It's never too late to start taking care of your body. ;) Well, I don't think you need to worry about getting stubby legs, because the hope of you attaining a toned butt, a pair of hot and firm legs and leaner overalls makes it worth trying out.

 

Just a short post on something else I'm passionate about - fitness. :) Hope it's helpful!

Do update me if you reap any significant result from doing so! I'll keep my blog updated on my side too! :)

 

Stay active and healthy all!

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