HEM-The Part Where You Let Go

This was one of the songs I placed as a musical egg on my blog sometime back before I updated it with new ones. But there is just something about this song that I simply adore *sniff*, it’s got to be the lyrics combined with the beautiful vocals of Sally Ellyson!

Lyrics:

When the rain breaks the road
Are you holding on
Are you holding on
To your last good day

When the stone breaks the wheel
Are you holding on
Are you holding on
Til the stone rolls away

And I don’t know
Is this the part where you let go
And tumbling out of a window
Is this the part where you find out
I’m there for you

When the sun leaves the field
Are you holding on
Are you holding on
To the last sweet light

When the flame leaves your eyes
I still see you there
I still see you there
On your darkest night

And I don’t know
Is this the part where you let go
And sinking under a shadow
Is this the part where you find out
I’m there for you now

As your hand’s breaking free
I am holding on
I am holding on
As you’ve held on to me

And I don’t know
Is this the part where we let go
Tumbling out of a window
Is this the part you’re there for me

And I don’t know
Is this the part where you let go
And sinking under a shadow
Is this the part where you find out
I’m there for you
You find out I’m there for you
You find out I’m there for you

JokeGram

Here’s a month end joke….. 

Blonde In Italy

A virile, young Italian gentlemen named Guido was relaxing at his favorite bar in Rome when he managed to attract a spectacular young blonde woman.

Things progressed to the point where he invited her back to his apartment and, after some small talk, they retired to his bedroom where he rattled her senseless. After a pleasant interlude he asked with a smile,”So, you finish?” 

She paused for a second, frowned, and replied, “No.”

Surprised, Guido reached for her and the rattling resumed. This time she thrashed about wildly and there were screams of passion. The sex finally ends and, again, Guido smiles and asks, “You finish?” 

Again, after a short pause, she returns his smile, cuddles closer to him and softly says, “No.
 
“Stunned, but damned if this woman is going to outlast him, Guido reaches for the woman yet again. Using the last of his strength, he barely manages it, but they end together screaming, bucking, clawing and ripping the bed sheets. Exhausted, Guido falls onto his back, gasping. barely able to turn his head, he looks into her eyes, smiles proudly and asked again, “You finish?”

Barely able to speak, the beautiful blonde whispers in his ear, “No, I Norwegian.”

Dancing All the Dances as Long as I Can – R.F.

A shared sentiment except for the tango bit…hee hee 

By Robert Fulghum

I believe in dancing.

I believe it is in my nature to dance by virtue of the beat of my heart, the pulse of my blood and the music in my mind. So I dance daily.

The seldom-used dining room of my house is now an often-used ballroom — an open space with a hardwood floor, stereo and a disco ball. The CD-changer has six discs at the ready: waltz, swing, country, rock ‘n’ roll, salsa and tango.

Each morning when I walk through the house on the way to make coffee, I turn on the music, hit the “shuffle” button and it’s Dance Time! I dance alone to whatever is playing. It’s a form of existential aerobics, a moving meditation.

Tango is a recent enthusiasm. It’s a complex and difficult dance, so I’m up to three lessons a week, three nights out dancing, and I’m off to Buenos Aires for three months of immersion in tango culture.

The first time I went tango dancing I was too intimidated to get out on the floor. I remembered another time I had stayed on the sidelines, when the dancing began after a village wedding on the Greek island of Crete. The fancy footwork confused me. “Don’t make a fool of yourself,” I thought. “Just watch.”

Reading my mind, an older woman dropped out of the dance, sat down beside me, and said, “If you join the dancing, you will feel foolish. If you do not, you will also feel foolish. So, why not dance?”

And, she said she had a secret for me. She whispered, “If you do not dance, we will know you are a fool. But if you dance, we will think well of you for trying.”

Recalling her wise words, I took up the challenge of tango.

A friend asked me if my tango-mania wasn’t a little ambitious. “Tango? At your age? You must be out of your mind!”

On the contrary: It’s a deeply pondered decision. My passion for tango disguises a fearfulness. I fear the shrinking of life that goes with aging. I fear the boredom that comes with not learning and not taking chances. I fear the dying that goes on inside you when you leave the game of life to wait in the final checkout line.

I seek the sharp, scary pleasure that comes from beginning something new — that calls on all my resources and challenges my mind, my body and my spirit, all at once.

My goal now is to dance all the dances as long as I can, and then to sit down contented after the last elegant tango some sweet night and pass on because there wasn’t another dance left in me.

So, when people say, “Tango? At your age? Have lost your mind?” I answer,

“No, and I don’t intend to.”

Still One Of The Best Graphic Viewers!

I have been using alot of different Photo editing software for many years. From the likes of Photoshop, Paintshop, PhotoImpact, Picasa and many more.  But no matter which of the more advanced ones I have installed on my PC, I will always have a copy of Irfanview!

It is simply one of the best freeware available for non-commercial use.  It is a very fast ( fastest in my opinion), small ( usually less than 3mb no matter which version), compact and has a whole suite of features! Including creating slideshows with your pics or placing text over your pics.

I have been using Irfanview for almost ten years now and todate it is not only still free, the Author Irfan Siljan has even continued to improve on his previous versions. 

Thanks Irfan!

DVD Weekend Playlist

• Waist Deep – Starring Tyrese Gibson, Meagan Good, Larenz Tate,The Gamel. Plot Outline -An ex-convict (Tyrese) gets tangled up with a gang after his car is hijacked with his son inside. Basically another Black Gansta movie, the storyline was pretty predictable as it seemed borrowed from quite a few titles. However I must say, I am very impressed with Tyrese Gibson’s performance. Would like to see more of him in the movies!
• Stranger Than Fiction – Starring Will Ferrell, Emma Thomson, Maggie Gyllenhaal,Queen Latifah. Plot Outline -An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death. Well surprise…..surprise, what a great original storyline which in essence captures the heart of my blog and that is to live a full life with a passion. Great performance by Ferrell and Thompson!
• Transformers (2007) – Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel,Tyrese Gibson,John Voight, Rachael Taylor,Anthony Anderson,John Turturro. Plot Outline -A war re-erupts on Earth between two robotic clans, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, leaving the fate of mankind hanging in the balance. Shia LaBeouf was the real star of the movie where else Megan Fox was unfortunately just eye candy. This movie has quite a few plot holes for instance, the humans had moved the Allspark to a new location however the Autobots still managed to find it using a map made years before! Well overall the special effects and the stylish designs of the Autobots and Decepticons still makes it a good entertaining movie. I enjoyed watching it more on DVD then at the movies as I was seated just a few rows in front of the movie screen. This made the movie confusing especially during the fast paced fight scenes. You couldn’t really tell the machines apart, but with the comfort of your own home and at a comfortable distance….What a difference!

A Sweet Memory

Rough winds brought you forth to me,
Warm blanket was your embrace,
Moments that would last a lifetime,
Time stood still as I gasped in awe,

December sailed to welcome the new year,
And my soul rejoiced to what lay ahead,
Music winged my feet as I danced with joy,
Yet my heart knew the beats would surely slow,

While love blossomed so did it wither,
As would the fruits of circumstance,
And still kindred spirits will forever soar,
To the tune of an ever sweet memory!

Julian Tan

Cruise To Penang & Phuket 20th-24th Oct

Well it was a short albeit sweet break and most definitely one for the book of memories!

We made our way to Harbour Front on the 20th at 2pm and exchanged our passports for Boarding passes. As we boarded the Superstar Virgo, there was that familiar Photo opportunity where they would snap our photos with the Cruise Dancers to be purchased later if we liked. Seth actually put his hand up and told the photographer ‘No need’ ‘No Need’ I’ve already got enough of such photos and walked past them. *beaming smile*

After loading the luggage in our rooms, we made our way to the ‘Pavillion Restaurant’ for a five course Chinese Lunch. By the way you can dine in three fare-inclusive restaurants (Bella Vista, Pavilion and Mediterranean Buffet/Terrace), which serve western, international and Chinese cuisine. These restaurants offer excellent dishes and are extremely well patronised, highly efficient and courteously staffed. However, if you wish, you’ve got the option to pay-as-you-dine in the casual 24-hour Blue Lagoon Asian bistro, the family-oriented Noble House Chinese restaurant, the plush Palazzo Italian restaurant, the Japanese Samurai restaurant, the easy-going Indian The Taj and the International Taverna.

The Ship set off at approximately 5pm and as it was still quite early, the kids had air-tattoos done and played some games at the Kiddie Centre. I on the other hand made my way to ‘Out Of Africa’ Karaoke and Pub to have some VB. We met later at the ‘Mediterranean’ for a Buffet Dinner. Madame asked if I wanted to watch ‘Passion’ a Vegas Styled Topless Show priced at only $20 a ticket, I simply told her that I had seen enough ‘tits’ to last me a lifetime and perhaps they should pay me instead to review their ‘assets’ *guffaws*

As for the rest, I’ve decided not to delve into the nitty gritty details of all the Cruise had to offer or what I did on board and let whatever pictures I took do the talking. However I would mention that we chose the optional excursion shopping tours, so in Penang they first brought us to the newly opened Queensbay Mall currently the largest there. ( Alot like Ngee Ann City but wayyy smaller) Then we were brought to Komtar and a connecting Prangin Mall. ( Similar to Lucky Plaza ) Finally it was Tean Ean Local Product Centre where you could find local spices, nutmeg oils, confectioneries etc. There is where I bought a box of my favourite ‘Pong Peah’ which is basically a soft kind of biscuit with a sugary filling.

In Phuket we first brought to Wang Talang which offered quality local handmade souvenirs, gifts, Thai Silk, precious stones and Jewellery. This is where I bought a few massage oils, some souvenirs and my Stingray Wallet which cost me only 1100Bht. It was selling at the other deparment stores for almost double that price. They then dropped us off at Ocean Department store, where it was free & easy for approximately 3.5hours. Of all the other things I bought in Phuket like tshirts etc. I must say my favourite has got to be my Basset Hound Mug! Total spent in Phuket almost 6000Bht.

Then it was back to Singapore on 24th Oct and we docked at approximately 7pm.

Pictures Galore!……….

All my bags are packed,I’m ready to go….

Window Seat….*blinks*

Ocean View from the Window..

Yes Charlotte you can come too….

Bed of the stars….

Can you see the Gemini parked beside us?..

Here it is….

Hey sit up straight! Don’t slouch!

More desert cake please…..

Can’t you wait till I’m finished?

Ooh can’t wait for my Pina Colada!

Can I…can I please have a shot of whiskey?

Kiddie Pool

Gym view

Can you spot me in the mirror?

Gym view 3

Adults Pool & Jacuzzi

  

Topside..

Can you see wispy billowing smoke?

 

Topside..just another angle

Satellite Ball?

How many of us in the pic?

Massive huh?

Superstar Virgo ! View from the transfer boat to Penang

Outside Queensbay Mall with Friends..

Pooped from all that shopping…

Docked at Phuket Port

Phuket View from the ship…1

 Phuket View from the ship…2

More views…

Outside Wang Talang

 

This is how you lead an elephant to water…

See..my little trunk..

 

Now this is what we call a White Elephant!

Can we keep this one pawr?

Look! A magic vase!

Erm Dinosaur Bone?

Giddy Up let’s go!

Patong Beach

Modern Day Tuktuk

I’m much bigger than I look!

heh heh..yah right!

Sawadee! Welcome to Thailand!

You know they have dolphin fountains in Spore too dad!

Lunch along Patong beach…

Tom Yum!

Check out the shape of the rice served..

Entertainment…

To wash down the yummylicious meal

Great fun at the beach!

Hello housekeeping..we’re back from Phuket..are you done cleaning room 6532?

Stairway to….

Singing horses on board?

Me and me lady…

Cheese!

Me and my Roman Soldier!

Swimming does build an appetite..

Look what’s in my hand…

Mini Kickboxer!

Kickboxer 2

Oops lost my balance…

Sambuca with 3 coffee beans…really nice to bite down after drinking!

Cheers mates!

This is the mug I was talking about…

Woof!

Waggly Tail

My new all time favourite mug!

 

Movie The Seeker:The Dark Is Rising

Plot Outline : A boy’s life is turned upside down when he learns that he is the last of a group of immortal warriors who have dedicated their lives to fighting the forces of the dark.

Starring Alexander Ludwig, Christopher Eccleston, Ian Mcshane, Amelia Warner,Gregory Smith.

Watch this one with the mindset of a 10 year old and you’ll not be too disappointed. Although I have not read the novel by Susan Cooper, I have a strong feeling the movie adaptation has not done it justice. Moreover with the special effects in movies like Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Chronicles Of Narnia, this one’s would be considered way below standard. The cast however were not too shabby and gave a decent performance.

Watch it if you like and see if you agree with me.

JokeGram

One For The Ladies

One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his Sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, “What setting do I use on the washing machine?” “It depends,” I replied. “What does it say on your shirt?” He yelled back, “University of Oklahoma.”
And they say blondes are dumb…

A couple is lying in bed. The man says, “I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world.” The woman replies, “I’ll miss you…”

“It’s just too hot to wear clothes today,” Jack says as he stepped out of the shower, “honey, what do you think the neighbors would think if I mowed the lawn like this?” “Probably that I married you for your money,” she replied.

Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?
A: A rumor!

A man and his wife, now in their 60’s, were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. On their special day a good fairy came to them and said that because they had been so good that each one of them could have one wish. The wife wished for a trip around the world with her husband.
Whoosh! Immediately she had airline/cruise tickets in her hands. The man wished for a female companion 30 years younger… Whoosh…immediately he turned ninety!!! Gotta love that fairy!

A PRAYER….

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;

Love to forgive him;And Patience for his moods.

Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength,

I’ll beat him to death. AMEN

Q: Why do little boys whine?A: They are practicing to be men.

Q: What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough.

Q: Why do female black widow spiders kill their males after mating?
A: To stop the snoring before it starts.

Q: Why do men whistle when they are sitting on the toilet?A: It helps them remember which end they need to wipe.

Q: What is the difference between men and women?A: A woman wants one man to satisfy her very need. A man wants every woman to satisfy his one need.

Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?A: Rename the mail folder “Instruction Manuals”

Vacanza!

Everyone needs one from time to time and mine couldn’t happen at a more opportune time.  Been living life with listless resignation lately and so off I go to rekindle the passions within till once again my cup runneth over!

“So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go.
I’m leavin’ on a cruise ship
I don’t know when I’ll be back again (I wish!)
Oh, babe, I hate to go.”

Cheer Up Sweets!

This song dedication is specially for Kris & Jade and all you ladies feeling down.  May the sorrow be lifted from hearts and may joy and laughter fill your days to come!

*big bear hugs*

[Audio http://www.digitalcitrus.com/songs/theyll_never_know.mp3%5D

Book Review – Marked Man By William Lashner

Plot Outline : In Marked Man, the sixth book featuring Victor Carl a Philadelphia Attorney, who this time starts the novel hung over and with no memory of the previous evening. This would be bad enough, but he has a lasting memento of his wild night: a tattoo on his chest with the name Chantal Adair. Unfortunately, he has no idea who Chantal is.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book moreover I actually learned twenty odd new words just from reading it. *chuckles* William Lashner is a lawyer turned writer with a keen sense of humour which is subtly seen throughout the book.  The story itself is well plotted and multi-layered and has characters which are entertaining as they are memorable.