Friday, October 19, 2007
Both Sides NowBows and flows of angel hair
and ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere,
i've looked at cloud that way.
But now they only block the sun,
they rain and snow on everyone.
So many things i would have done
but clouds got in my way.
I've looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions i recall.
I really don't know clouds at all.
Moons and junes and ferris wheels,
the dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real;
i've looked at love that way.
But now it's just another show.
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know,
don't give yourself away.
I've looked at love from both sides now,
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions i recall.
I really don't know love at all.
Tears and fears and feeling proud
to say "i love you" right out loud,
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds,
i've looked at life that way.
But now old friends are acting strange,
they shake their heads, they sayI've changed.
Something's lost but something's gained
in living every day.
I've looked at life from both sides now,
From win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions i recall.
I really don't know life at all.
Joni Mitchell - both sides now
~gracie left a note at 3:01 pm
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
i give you my heart...i wouldn't have known how things would be for me, if it hadnt been these 2 girls. i realised they have been by my side ever since adr left for the UK. i met them on several occasions and have never imagined myself being such close friends with them! yes, im talking about you - shan and asto :) i remembered how both of you hugged me at the airport saying, it is okay gracie - we are here for you. and i guess that's how our friendship started - smiles. as much as they have enjoyed my company, i've enjoyed theirs.
well, friendships being so mutual - takes 2 hands to clap. i had an interesting discussion about giving and friendships with someone one weekend ago. during our casual conversation, i told her how difficult it is to relate to some people in the group. sometimes i truly wonder, am i too picky with choosing friends? am i a difficult person to relate to? why do i find it sucha torture to be saying Hi to some people? in response, she said: gracie - you are a busy woman. and you're looking for ppl who can afford to give you their whole hearts. not half. not quarter. but Full. and yes, i agree. i'd rather have none, but full. coincidentally, i read sean's blog and all made sense:
The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves. The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolates. It is focused attention. Love concentrates so intently on another that you forget yourself at that moment. Attention says, "I value you enough to give you my most precious asset - my time." Whenever you give your time, you are making a sacrifice, and sacrifice is the essence of love. [Purpose Driven Life Chp 16]
do you have time for a friend? how much time are you willing to spare?
a full heart? a half heart? or a quarter heart?
something to think about.
~gracie left a note at 10:13 pm
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Empress Orchid
i got hooked on the book the moment i started reading!!
when i first borrowed it off liumin, i thought i would take ages to finish this thick book with small wordings. it didn't look very appealing - a very 'cheena' looking book. but really, you can't just judge a book by its cover.
true enough. i got sucked into the story when i started reading the first chapter. i think this book reminded me of my jc days, when i was forced to remember modern china history events and dates and emperors and dynasties. history didn't really come to life for me then. today as i opened up this book, i wished i had read this book earlier because that would have made my jc history learning more exciting!
Empress Orchid tells the story of Tzu Hsi, China's longest-reigning female ruler and its last Empress. she was utterly compelling woman who used her beauty to become a concubine of the Emperor and her brains to become his confidante and lover. in the 1850s, when Orchid and her family make their way to Peking, the opium trade with Europe and peasant Taiping rebellions were chiseling away at the power of the Chi'ing Dynasty. Emperor Hsien Feng, a frail young man overwhelmed by the demands of state, must choose his Empress and concubines. Orchid was the daughter of an aristocratic but impoverished family. with an empty belly and chilled bones, she dreamt of an easy life within the walls of the Forbidden City. Orchid entered the Emperor's "contest," opened to all women of full Manchu blood. to her surprise, she was chosen as a low-ranking concubine.
life in the Forbidden City was hierarchical, highly structured, full of suffocating tradition and endless waiting — Orchid must wear formal dress and makeup every day, in case the Emperor should call. for months she sat in her beautiful palace waiting for the call. when she finally won the Emperor's attention, after scheming with her trusted eunuch, she became the target of thousands of other women trying just as hard to claw their way into his presence.
bribery, betrayal, even murder were the weapons used. when, in failing health, the Emperor requested Orchid's help with affairs of state, his advisers resisted her at every turn and eventually plot to have her buried alive. in 1856 Orchid gave birth to the Emperor's only son, Tung Chih, and in 1861, in the Emperor's official decree after his death, she was named Empress Dowager at the tender age of twenty-six and inherited an empire on the verge of collapse. Orchid managed power struggles at court and the defiance she encountered from the Emperor's board of regents, whose only expectation of a woman was compliance. she and her son were kidnapped and the British destroyed Peking, but Orchid was able to defeat the regents and create her own government, which ruled for forty-six years.
this has been one of the best books i have read so far! i hadn't been able to put down every time i start a chapter. and amazingly, i finished reading it in less than a week!
~gracie left a note at 11:06 pm
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Food Goin' Bananas 
if you haven't heard of it, yes - it is the new food intro program on Channel U every wednesday at 930pm. hosted by benjamin heng and yeo yann yann, i think this program will offer another special flavour of checking out new eating outlets in singapore. this 10-part series is an entertaining and indepth look at our diets and how each dish rose to its own fame. the show also examines the modern trends of food and their culinary origins and authenticity. i speak as if i know a lot about the show, haha... but i haven't watched it! it's on tv tomorrow evening!
if you know me well, i ain't a food lover. i don't live to eat; i eat to live. and as you may guess, i don't usually like watching such food intro programs... but i think you all should watch it! why? cos adr was behind the camera. haha. i'm offering free publicity on my blog! ha. but honestly, they really introduced great eatery places... adr brought me to some of those places after his shoot and i was seriously blown away by the good food!!! really no kidding... hmm...yummi-licious.
and yes, thanks to all the eating, i've put on weight ever since... :) erm. i know.. i know.. i need to lose weight..
pics above: http://u.mediacorptv.com/foodgoinbananas.htm
~gracie left a note at 9:52 am
