Enid Blyton (1897-1968)

This lady here has always been my all-time favourite author of children's books. I honestly grew up reading her books during my early years in primary school. She wrote about 40 storybooks and I can say confidently that I've read at least half of them. And it was from her books that I developed an interest in reading and eventually moved on to conquer books by other writers.

I had many of her books. I used the past tense cause I've given them away to charity homes, as well as to my Ah-boy, over the past few years. But I still have one left. And yes, this book is my ultimate favourite. That's why I couldn't bear to give it away. This morning, bored from waiting to pick up my "The Da Vinci Code" from the bookstore (it was out of stock yesterday) this afternoon and from having no book to read after finishing "The Chronicles of Narnia", I reread the old book again!

Digression: Come to think about it, it is not entirely true when I said that I've no book to read. Cause I haven't read the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy yet, which is still lying on my bookshelf, already turning yellow with age. My sister bought the entire series including "The Hobbit" ages ago when the 1st movie was released and had since finished them all. And yes, she's forever nagging me to read the entire series too as she thinks that reading is the best habit ever. I do feel that she is true and I AM trying to pick up my reading habit again. But several times I've tried reading the LOTR series and I couldn't never get past the first few chapters of "The Hobbit" without feeling bored to death. HA. But I'll bravely try again after I finish the Dan Brown book. Never say die.

And I was once again welcomed to the world of the Enchanted Wood and the Faraway Tree, along with the folks living on the tree itself. The Faraway Tree is an enchanted tree that is enormous enough for folks to live on it. And by folks, I meant no ordinary folks like us, but talking squirrels, goblins, brownies, pixies and so on! The coolest thing of all about this magical tree is that it reaches so high into the sky, into the clouds, that at the very top of the tree, there is a magical land which moves away after a few days, to be replaced by another land that arrives there soon after.

There are all sorts of magical lands. There is the Land of Secrets where there lives wise people who know every single secret there is on earth and if you go there, you can know any secret that you want to. Well, Bush will probably want to go there. Then he can ask if Iran is really hiding weapons of mass destruction from USA. PAP can go there and check if Gomez was really lying. Me? Eh I don't wanna know anyone's secret or secret about anything else. I just hope that there isn't anyone out there who is interested in my secret. *shudder* Ok la, I might as well admit my secret first: I've a phobia for butterflies (disgusting fluttery creatures! yikes!).

Then there is also the Land of Enchantments where you can buy any sort of enchantment. A potion to make you more beautiful. A spell to make the girl yours. Anything you want. As long as you have the money cause things are blardy expensive there. And then there exists the Land of Know-alls as well which houses 5 Know-alls, who are extremely wise and know everything. You can ask them anything and they will tell you the answer or solution. I've a sudden urge to ask them who will win World Cup this year at Germany. And I bet everyone would love the Land of Tea Parties where you can go up there and just eat for FREE. Yes, FOC. Singaporeans' fave la. HA. And there is simply everything delicious like jellies and ice cream and cakes. Eh, no leh, no abalone or my favourite shark's fin. I don't guess they serve Chinese delicacies yet. But they do have this machine up there that you can simply say to it anything that you want to it, press a button and then presto! you've it. 酷毙了 right? I would want one of that.

Then I started thinking wildly and thought, What magical land would I want to go to? I looked at all the Lands mentioned in the book and thought that they were mainly nice (though some were horrid) but too normal still. I would want something that is unique to me. Then it came to me.

Yes, the Land of Hunks.

Wah. Not bad right. HOHOHO.

Imagine if I had many hunks to look at. Ya, what else do you think I want the hunks to do? Feed me grapes like some Queen Cleopatra? Pole dance for me? Eh, massage me? Sounds a bit gross hahah. I just want to be invisible in a land full of hunks! You know, just like that Clay Aiken song, "If I was invisible, then I could just watch you in your room. If I was invisible, I'd make you mine tonight." hahah a bit perv. But I would just be satisfied to watch numerous hunks just doing their own normal daily stuff, like lazing around, sleeping, swimming, bathing. Opps, did I just say that out loud?! HOHOHO.

Michael Jackson wouldn't want any of this Land though. I think he would prefer the Land of Little Boys. HOHOHO.

¶ 4:15 PM
 5 bling blings

The story talks about Hong Kyung Tak (played by Cha Seung Won) who is a healthy and warm-hearted guy who comes back home from the army. He has no direction in life until he enters the bodyguard profession at the suggestion of Song Il Gook, the president of KBB Security Company. As a bodyguard, his actions speak for his words, and he cannot stand still when a mishap happens. Therefore, when Song tries to ruin a politician's career with a bribe, Cha quits KBB and moves to his friend's new security company, Il Pyun Dan Shim. Meanwhile, Han Go Eun, a fellow bodyguard at KBB falls in love with the warm-hearted Cha, and rejects the love of Song, a cold-hearted guy who does anything for money. Cha's younger sister, Mya, finds a new friend in Lim Eun Kyung, a girl who moves into the neighborhood with her old grandmother. Although Cha always cares for Lim as a younger sister, Lim begins to like Cha as a guy and becomes jealous of Han. When the grandmother dies, Lim moves in with Mya's family, but also finds out that she is the illegitimate daughter of a powerful politician who is running for president. In this upcoming presidential election, Lim's father and the politician for whom Cha is bodyguarding, are at stand against eachother. Behind the scenes, Lim's father works numerous murders with Song's father. In this exciting but dangerous world as a bodyguard, Cha must not only protect his politician, but the lives of Lim, his family, and friends.

While the storyline is a ideal mixture of romance, comedy, heart-warming family ties and action, it absolutely helps that Cha Seung Won (My Teacher, Mr Kim) was in it.


It helps that he is tall (1.88m!), handsome and plays an excellent comedic role. Oh ya, did I mention his fantastic physique? And he's 35. Excellent. I love older men.

Man, I wish he's MY bodyguard. Ya, just wish on. I know. HA.



=== Side note ===
If there's anything I love about having a blog, it's the way I can put up photos of drool-inducing hunks and just drool shamlessly over them. HA. Ya, I'm a 色狼.

¶ 9:05 PM
 4 bling blings

1. She acts unimpressed by your romantic gestures. An alpha female is used to men chasing her, so don't be surprised if cliché gifts like flowers and chocolate don't impress her. Remember this: Her expectations are higher than most women's, so you will have to be a little more original to get her attention.

2. She continues to date other men. Clearly, she doesn't want to commit. The alpha woman always has several men on the go and likes to keep her options open.

3. She's hard to reach. The alpha female is a busy woman, or at least she is very talented at making you believe that. She likes to have you at her beck and call and wants you to work around her schedule.

6. She is sarcastic and condescending to you. If she constantly talks down to you and makes rude or mocking remarks, you need to defend your honor and fight back with equally witty comments. You never know what the alpha female might say, so you always have to be "on" and ready for verbal combat.

hahah anyone still interested in dating alpha females? Her antics sound ridiculous to me.

¶ 7:10 PM
 1 bling blings

This is so interesting. Someone just commented that I'm alpha, an alpha female. Ahhh am I? I have never thought of myself this way. Now what's an "alpha female" anyway? In the past, the term "alpha male" would have been more recognised: "applied to humans, apparently denotes physical prowess, high achievement, bullying and sexual attraction. It is not an entirely flattering term, calling to mind the aggressive chest-beating of a silverback gorilla, but perfectly describes someone who bends others to his will." To put it simply, machiam like King Kong la.

But in recent years, the concept of "alpha female", both in the human and animal social contexts, is emerging. And basically, the alpha female is quite the female version of the alpha male. So duh right? HA. If we look at the context of social animals such as the primates and elephants, according to Wikipedia, "the alpha male or alpha female is the individual in the community whom the others follow and defer to." On the other hand, in the human context, if we base alpha female on the male model, we will find her in the boardroom, impersonating his bullying and overriding ambition. Sexuality plays a big part in alpha male's success, and probably plays such a part in the alpha female too, who is likely to be a tremendous flirt and spends a lot of effort on her appearance. Now, here's where I don't fit in. Friends on closer terms would know that I'm hardly a flirt. I don't even socialise with guys in the first place. I'm kinda aloof to them. 排男 is my attitude ever since uni. It means 排斥男人 hahah. Though I think that my aloofness towards the male species might be what makes me kinda alpha too. HA.

So anyway back to the topic, there are very few alpha females of this order, since most women have had the alpha-male qualities conditioned out of them and have been steered towards nurturing roles rather than world domination. Alpha female is described to be pretty exceptional. There are not a whole lot of people trying to be like her, whereas there are a lot of men behaving in the same way, clambering over each other to reach the top of the tree. Those women who do get to the top are mavericks, hybrids and deny that they are like other women. Women do not like alpha female very much, nor do they want to be like her. Women want to be liked, which holds them back.

Well, I would like to be liked. Won't you, regardless of your sex/gender? But most of the time, I don't care if I'm liked anot. I know that my personality is not very likeable. I am close to being obstinate and adhere to my own principles closely. And by doing so, sometimes it means that I don't fit into the crowd but who gives a fuck. At least I don't. I don't need to fit into any crowd. I don't follow. I lead my own life. I don't hold myself back from doing something just cause I think that this action won't be liked by others. Neither will I do something cause I think that people will like me more if I do so. As long as 对得起天地良心， 对得起父母, I'll go ahead. And if this is alpha, then well, good, I'm alpha.

Of course, there are people who see alpha female as inhuman. Quoted from somewhere: "Alpha female, like alpha male, depends on such a sense of innate superiority that she's probably not aware of her status (You mean like me? hohoho). Achievement is the focus of alpha female's life; anything else is secondary. She does not obsess about relationships. She is dominant. While she would be effortlessly talented and capable, she would need a reduced capacity for empathy, because otherwise it would derail her." Teh. Teh. Teh. All wrong. Achievements mean nothing to me. Or I would have worked myself much harder in uni to get a 1st class honours / join CCAs in uni to have a wonderful CCA record. The truth is, I don't give a damn. All my achievements so far are only based on one simple logic: I do what I like and I do best in what I like. And my relationships mean the world to me. And believe me anot, my empathy is much more than what I seem like. I'm not that stupid XX bitch who wrote an entire bloody useless entry on how it's "worthless" to to be empathetic because of some "survival of the fittest" law which she has misunderstood.

There's an theory on the alpha female which states that the model is entirely different, embodying the best female qualities rather than aping the male. And if one turns to nature for clues, the elephant society is a good example - a matriarchy, led by the biggest, strongest female, perceived as wise and kind, which keeps the group together. This model of alpha female has different qualities from the male: she shares his leadership and strength, but also promotes community. She is a woman of substance, who combines physical potency with seriousness of purpose. Motherhood is essential to alpha female's humanity: she is mature and connected. Even so, she is not hampered or compromised by motherhood in any way.

In the human context, the alpha female make an impact by the way they live their lives. In their sexual identity, in the way they construct their domestic lives, they strive to be true to themselves. If they are confrontational, it is not for its own sake, but to say: 'This is what I am.' They acknowledge their own complexities. Alpha males do not go down that route. Alpha male is driven by insecurity and fear: aware that there are many similar males climbing the ladder behind him, he clings to old-fashioned hierarchies and may soon become redundant. "Alpha male is such a male concept," says Julia Peyton-Jones, director of the Serpentine Gallery. "It's not a term you would apply to women. Women can be as powerful as men, but to call them alpha females would be limiting. On the whole, women have to be more inventive and they have the skills to get what they want without being so crude about it." Hey man, if it's according to this model, I jolly don't mind being an alpha female. Sounds wholly good to me. HA.


So do I think that I'm an alpha female? If being an alpha female means to understand yourself, to have a mind of your own, to be confident and not to care about what others think, to stand up for yourself against others, then well I am one. And anyway I don't specifically despise males. You can be a girl and if you don't have a mind of your own, well I won't think too highly of you too. But it's true that I don't like to see myself at lower ranks than males. I don't like the sexual sterotyping. Though I won't purposely compete against guys most of the time, I do find it satisfactory when my grades were better than most guys, or I ran faster than most guys in my class, or better at ball games. HA. Okok, alpha, I know. But alpha or not alpha, I do think that it's important that one knows what one is living for. Afterall, an average Singaporean lives up to 80 years. You don't wanna spend the remaining 5, 6 decades or so living like a zombie, do you? Take this coming GE as an example, those who get to vote should think clearly and carefully who you want to vote for and why. We are adults in our 20s already. Surely you can process your own thoughts properly and make your own decisions already. Sure, you can anyhow vote for one and even do a void, it's not illegal, but I'm sure that we are all mature enough to do something as simple as voting.

Anyway all these brought to my mind an old song by Christina Aguilera, "Can't Hold Us Down", so I guess I'll finally end this long post with this:

So what am I not supposed to have an opinion
Should I be quiet just because I'm a woman
Call me a bitch cos I speak what's on my mind
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if I sat and smiled
So what am I not supposed to say what I'm saying
.
.
Are you offended by the message I'm bringing
Call me whatever cos your words don't mean a thing
Guess you ain't even a man enough to handle what I sing
.
.
If you look back in history
It's a common double standard of society
The guy gets all the glory the more he can score
While the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore

¶ 2:34 PM
 4 bling blings

Yesterday I caught the movie "Eight Below" with my sis. My sis was the one who really wanted to warch that. I wasn't planning to watch that somehow. Just like I didn't have the urge to watch "Penguin March" in the cinema when the famous film was released quite some while ago. Although I do think that both sled dogs and emperor penguins are cute. Maybe I figured that it wouldn't be too exciting to see 8 dogs running about on snow and not talking human, nor thousands of penguins waddling about on ice though 3 of the penguins did freaking talk human language. Alas, just as I was wrong about the penguins (I did catch "Penguin March" on vcd months later), I was also wrong about the dogs.

Inspired by a true story, "Eight Below" is an action-adventure about loyalty and the bonds of friendship set in the extreme wilderness of Antarctica. The film tells the story of three members of a scientific expedition: Jerry Shepard (played by Paul Walker), his best friend, Cooper, and a rugged American geologist, who are forced to leave behind their team of eight beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica. During the harsh, Antarctic winter, the dogs must struggle for survival alone in the intense frozen wilderness for over 6 months.



The Alaskan huskies COMPLETELY stole the limelight. Not only were they lovely in appearance, all fluffy and cuddly, they were even better actors/actresses than any of the humans in the movie. And they didn't even talk. All they had to do was a look, a bark, a nod or a nudge at each other, and you knew what they were trying to imply, how they felt. It was amazing. Just watching the dogs look after each other was enough to use up a few pieces of Kleenex.

And it is especially intriguing to know that such a wonderful dog that will really work itself to death, the Alaskan husky, is not even a so-called pure breed and is not recognized by any major kennel club. It falls short of being a breed in that there is no preferred type and no restriction as to ancestry. It is defined only by its purpose, which is that of a highly efficient sled dog. In fact, the Alaskan is the sled dog of choice for world-class dog sled racing competition and none of the pure bred northern breeds can match it for sheer racing speed. A top-level racing lead dog can bring a freaking sum of US $10,000-15,000. How's that for a non pure?! But if you ask me, I would gladly keep a Alaskan husky like beautiful Maya here any day!

And the film's actually quite educational too. Shows you the breath-taking landscape of the Antartica continent and some of the local biological diversity. If there's one thing which I've learnt from watching this film, it is to never mess with a leopard seal. Like what Jerry said in the film, "they are more leopards, than seals". How bloody true. The only time when I was completely caught off-guard and had a brief shock was when the stupid leopard seal popped out from the sea through a huge hole in the carcass of the killer whale, to say "hello" to one of the huskies, Max. Except that its "hello" and the snarl on its face looked more like "I'm going to tear you apart and eat you!". Oh, or maybe that's what it was trying to say.

Sua-ku me had never known how a leopard seal would be like before watching "Eight Below". And I'm too bloody used to the cutesy sealions in the Singapore zoo, that perform at their own animal shows, can do acts and even clap their flippers. I don't think that our zoo has any seals in fact. But well, bloody hell, I would take a sealion any day as compared to a leopard seal that's no way near cute. Even a leopard still looks cute, though it might bite off my head if it is hungry.

Here are some interesting facts about the Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx):

Population: 250,000 individuals
Location: Antarctic waters
Size: Up to 10 ft long
Weight: Up to 750 lbs
Diet: Penguins, fish, squid, & krill
Habitat: Pack ice in summer, island coasts in winter

* The Leopard seal is the largest of the true Antarctic seals.
* Leopard Seals are the only seals that eat other seals.
* Leopard seals have a excellent senses of sight and smell under water.
* Leopard seals catch penguins by their feet and then beat them back and forth on the surface of the water until the penguin falls out of its skin. Then, they eat the carcass. (How svetle. puke.)

¶ 11:35 AM
 4 bling blings

I love the facilities that come with the apartment. I guess when you are unmarried with no husband or kids to fuss over, no loadsa household chores that come with a family to do, you will probably be damn free. Especially if all your friends are married and busy with their own lives. So the facilities will come in handy.

A swimming pool will be excellent...a great way to keep fit and relax...cool to lie on one of those beach chairs at the side of the pool and get a tan too...

I hope that the gym will have a neat set of machines too, to keep me in a mean shape...30s and lumpy is a big NO-NO. People look at you, shake their heads and think, no wonder you are not married. 30s and having a body like a 20 odd-yr-old, people look at you and wonder why you are still single. HA.

And the interior of my apartment will be designed and decorated the way I like and want. Provided that I can afford it. I am a person with plenty of ideas, so many in fact that I often find it hard to settle just for one. Sometimes I think maybe it'll be cool if my home can be mod-chic, like perhaps in black and white for the entire interior design. Sometimes I find that idea bored, and think perhaps red and black would be a more dashing and happening combo. Sometimes I think maybe it's not so good to have the entire house looking so up-beat and perhaps a natural theme would be more suitable. Ahhh whatever. As long as it's cosy. It's my home afterall.

If I'm ever filthy rich, it could be the black and white theme for Jan, the fluffy pink theme for Feb since V-day falls in that month, the Jungle and Tarzan theme for March, the Hawaii beach theme for April, the Midas touch theme for May, the black and red theme for June, the Zen theme for July, the white and red theme for Aug (National Day!), the Futuristic theme for Oct, the retro theme for Nov and lastly, the hop-hop bling bling theme for Dec. And the entire cycle starts all over every year, if I don't have any more new ideas, that is.


And oh ya, if my apartment can have a lovely view from the balcony, that would be the BEST! hahah~

The most important part of the apartment would be the bedroom cause it's the place to rest one's mind and also body and the ambience is especially vital! Of cause, the living room is important too cause I love to watch TV and vcds, so I would just need a huge plasma TV screen with a Dhoby surround sound system. Quite simple what. HA.

So anyway for my bedroom, I want a huge bed for me to flip and toss whenever I have problems sleeping, without worries of falling off the bed. And I like pretty Aussino bed sheets too! Woohoo.

And ya, I'm fussy about the bathroom too. How good if I can get at least a bath tub! How cool and relaxing to indulge in a bubble bath every other day! Oh how expensive would my bills be! Ahh off track. But anyway a jacuzzi would be the most ideal la. hahahah. I must be dreaming.

I can hold parties and dinners at home and invite my friends over. That should be fun.

Should I keep a cat? Eh I dunno leh. I love cats. But I know nuts about keeping one. I dunno if I would be willing to spend time on it when I could be doing other stuff. Like a bubble bath. Hmm...

Anyway don't think that I wanna move out in the future cause I'm not getting along well with my parents or my sisters. Our current flat is small and messy but all 5 of us enjoy each other's company. And despite all differences, we have managed to tolerate, if not resolve, them and we are not even close to tearing each other's throat yet. I love them and they love me. And I wanna take care of them till I die. But I don't wanna be tied to my mum's apron strings all my life. Hell, even though my mum doesn't even have an apron in the first place. But you get what I mean. I wanna understand how it's like to be alone. Because we are all alone anyway. No one can stay by your side forever. Even if I would scurry home after just one month of staying on my own, unable to stand the loneliness, let me be. At least I've tried and experienced.

¶ 4:18 PM
 3 bling blings