1) Remember when you first started dating? You would hang onto each other’s every word as if it were scripture. Now, though, it’s okay to sometimes get distracted and be all like:

2) And the great thing is that you probably won’t get upset at each other if that happens. Because we’ve learnt to embrace each other’s weirdness.

3) There may have been a time when you couldn’t keep your hands off each other every time you were alone…

But that time has long passed.

4) And a night in is really more like

5) But when things do get heated up, it isn’t as awkward as it was before.

Remember your first kiss?

Yeah… well now at least it’s more like

6) And eating together is no longer a chore because you don’t need to pretend you’re more lady-like or gentlemanly than you really are.

7) Now you can truly be yourself.

8) Emission of bodily gases is no longer taboo around each other.

He could scream

And you’ll probably just be like

9) You don’t feel a need to stalk each other’s social media profiles to find out each other’s thoughts and feelings.

10) Getting dressed isn’t as much as a headache as it used to be either.

Before:

Now:

11) And it doesn’t suck as much when either one of you cancels on a date.

Before:

Now:

12) Those lovers’ tiffs are way less intense than they used to be.

How you used to react during a fight:

How you react now:

13) Probably because you’re so much more secure about your relationship. And it’ll take a lot to make you lose faith in what you guys took so long to build.

14) You no longer need massive shows of affection to prove your love for each other

15) Or to parade your relationship all over the internet.

16) Because you’ve become so comfortable in your little world. That you really don’t care enough to show it to the rest of the real world.

17) You start to realise it’s the tiny every day things that matter. Like knowing he’s there even when he’s not;

18) Realising that there hasn’t been a single day that has gone by without exchanging at least one text, and knowing that it probably won’t stop anytime soon;

19) And just knowing and trusting that he’ll never do anything to hurt you

20) And even though some things have changed, mostly they’ve been for the better. Because you know you’ve reached a point where you just don’t need to prove anything to each other anymore and you still think the other’s amazing.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/10/reasons-youre-rachel-green_n_3573300.html

Source: http://fyeahfriendsgifs.tumblr.com/post/14304549418/see-hes-her-lobster

I’ve got loads on my to-do list completely undone right now but I’m really feeling kind of down and in one of those binge-eating, i-hate-my-life kind of moods so I thought I’d unload with a rambling blogpost before starting in on my work.

But if you don’t give a shit about my life and would rather check out the funny stuff, then head straight down to 20 Ways to Know You’re In A Long-Term Relationship.

Yeah so I’m feeling so UGGGHHH right now because there’s this overdue essay nagging at the back of my mind which I am so uninterested in doing. Not because the topic itself is stupid or uninteresting – I just realised that I always have this overwhelming what-am-i-doing-with-my-life blanket of thoughts enveloping my mind whenever it comes to school or anything related to school.

I think a lot of it is because I don’t know just how worth it this degree is going to be. Like a lot of people take the path that leads them directly to a degree, and to a certain kind of job and lifestyle, while there’s the rest of us who took a different path, went to work before getting a degree and found ourselves pressured to do what everyone else appeared to be doing – going to university.

And it’s just frustrating because I feel like I’m doing the same work as a graduate would, so I feel like what’s the use of a degree then right? And even if university is an experience as opposed to a means to an end, well, I’m doing a part-time course so I highly doubt that applies to me. And anything I’ve been through experience-wise, like fucked up groupmates and crazy deadlines, I’ve been through them or even worse version of them during my poly days. So.. I don’t know. It’s a screwed up world.

I just feel like every second I spend on an essay or studying for an exam, none of which will ever help me directly in my working life, is time wasted because I could be using that time to be earning money, updating my blog or even playing Sims 3 – each of which is like a million times more fun and useful to my sanity.

I wrote a whole lot more earlier but it was so incredibly whiny and quite honestly intolerable so I deleted the whole chunk of text and figured that it might be better for me to express my thoughts in gifs:

So universities are all like

But then you’re like

But they look you straight in the eye and are all

So you give in

And at this point you’re not quite sure what you’re in for.

I’m afraid that I’m going to graduate and be right where I was two years ago. What happens if I don’t get offered a higher salary than what I was offered back then?

Or worse. That I might not even be able to get a job at all

I’d be so bummed

But at least then I’d learn a very valuable lesson

And at least this Jenna Marbles video would come into good good use.

I apologise for this rather negative post by the way LOL. Like I said, I’ve not been having a good day.

On a much brighter note, last week marked my 2nd anniversary with Tim! Which may explain why I’m so miserable right now – because last week I was in a super good mood and then now everything has just crashed because life’s like that.

We had a great dinner at Coastal Settlement, ate a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in bed after, and just had a really really great night.

So I’m dedicating my next post to that. Because like it didn’t occur to me how long two years is. And while I used to really resist change because I enjoyed our honeymoon period so much, I’ve eventually learnt to embrace it and, as I always do, laugh at it.

So here it is: 20 Ways To Know You’re In A Long-Term Relationship.

Thanks for reading!

Earlier this week, a Facebook friend of mine posted this vintage version of Miley Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop (see no. 1) which totally blew my mind and led me to waste an entire hour of my life on youtube lol.

And then I went on to watch more and more different covers of different songs and realised that there are so many amazing covers of pop songs out there that are just so completely mindblowing, I decided to compile a list of them – mostly for myself so I don’t need to keep searching out the songs individually LOL.

This list isn’t the entirely enough to cover all the great musicians out there, but it encompasses almost all of my favourites. So here it is! 9 Covers Better Than The Originals.

1. We Can’t Stop – Vintage 1950′s Doo Wop Miley Cyrus Cover ft. The Tee – Tones

Like I’ve said before, Miley’s craziness aside, I actually really like the song We Can’t Stop very much. But this version is such a great breath of fresh air. Like you would never think a risque song like this could be turned into such a classy sounding tune but there you have it.

And I really like the fact that the video is a whole lot more, shall we say, palatable than the original heh. Fair warning, though, you might get stuck on their channel for hours.

2. PSY – Gangnam Style (Acoustic Cover by Ra-On) 강남스타일 어쿠스틱

Gangnam Style was such a massive hit that there were naturally hundreds of covers popping up all over the internet. But of the few I’ve seen, this is hands down my favourite. Probably because the girl is so damn cute!

3. Somebody That I Used to Know – Walk off the Earth (Gotye – Cover)

This cover is brilliant for two reasons. One, there are five people on one guitar. Two, Gerard Butler is right there in the corner threatening to yell THIS IS SPARTA at any second.

4. I Knew You Were Trouble – WALK OFF THE EARTH Feat. KRNFX

Once again we have Walk Off The Earth here on the list. And I just can’t get over how hilarious the people in it are. It’s almost like KRNFX and hippie dude are trying to out do each other while the two guys at the back ‘ouhhhwaaaahouuhhhwahhouhhhh’ and the girl is just like ‘Oh get me out of here Imma keep this mic as far away from my face as possible in case one of these jokers hit it into my face by accident’

5. The Cup Song … GloZell

LOL Just kidding.

5. CUPS!! – Pitch Perfect – Sam Tsui, Alex G, Kina Grannis, Kurt Schneider

Yeah this is more like it.

6. CeCe Frey Sexy & She Knows It – THE X FACTOR USA 2012

This was basically the only season of X Factor I watched because Britney was in it (stop judging, it’s Britney, bitch) and Cece Frey is far from my favourite contestant but I had to admit that this cover was pretty awesome. Skip ahead to 2:55.

7. Carly Rose Sonenclar – Broken Hearted – THE X FACTOR USA 2012

I thought Carly Rose was gonna win but oh well. As Will.I.Am so aptly said: “She’s like a little caterpillar and then you think she’s gonna turn into a butterfly… Dragon! Scorching the town!” Word. And I love how she broke the song down into this slow, emotional piece that would never think possible if you just heard the original. Skip ahead to 1:48

8. One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful (5 Piano Guys, 1 piano) – ThePianoGuys

I love The Piano Guys so much that it’s really hard to pick which to feature, but I decided to choose the most creative of the lot.

9. “Titanium” by David Guetta feat. Sia – Christina Grimmie Cover

I can’t decide if I love or hate Christina Grimmie. Love her because she’s so amazing. But hate her because she’s everything I can’t be T.T

…

…

…

I should’ve said this earlier but.. R.I.P. Headphone Users LOL.

1. Melissa Joan Hart – Clarissa Explains It All

By the time I was old enough to be interested in non-animated Nickelodeon shows, we were already in Clarissa Explain It All reruns. She’s probably more known now for her work in Sabrina, The Teenage Witch and, more recently, the ‘Melissa’ in ABC Family’s Melissa & Joey, but we’ll never forget her monologues and animation-emitting antics. Oh the 90s!

Then:

Now:

2. Kenan Thompson – Kenan & Kel

After thrilling kid audiences for four years with their awesome sitcom Kenan & Kel, both actors Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell auditioned for popular sketch comedy series, Saturday Night Live (SNL), but only Kenan made it through to the show. And, get this, this was back in 2003. Now, Kenan is the longest running African-American SNL cast member, and the second oldest – though barely, since the oldest member is only a year older than him.

And it looks like he’s going to be there for a long time – in a recent interview he said he’s “never leaving” SNL. Then again, he could just be joking. You can never tell with comedians!

Then:

Now:

He hasn’t really changed a lot has he? LOL

3. Kel Mitchell – Kenan & Kel

Oh Kenan and Kel are both 35 years old. And if that isn’t making you feel old enough. Kel is also a father of two, and recently remarried. Yeah he’s old enough to have been married twice y’all. Thankfully he still pretty much seems the same. He’s still skinny, still cool and, hopefully, still loves Orange Soda.

Then:

Now:

One word: Swag

4. Amanda Bynes – The Amanda Show / All That

As one of Nickelodeon’s biggest stars – and thanks to a recent mental breakdown – there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know where Amanda Bynes is right now (under psychiatric care boo *insert sad face here*). But I loved her then and I still love her now. And I think the media should just leave her alone for a while, until she gets back on her feet. And y’know what? If she wants drake to murder her vagina, let drake murder her vagina. Who cares! Amanda Bynes Fan foreverrrrr.

Amanda Bynes then:

Amanda Bynes now:

5. Jenna Morrison – The Amanda Show

Most of us only remember Jenna Morrison as Debbie from The Girls’ Room segment of The Amanda Show and her catchphrase “I like eggs” which just might have contributed to my love for eggs today. In 2011, a known yoga instructor and cyclist Jenna Morrison was hit by a truck and died, which caused a lot of confusion. But most fans are in agreement that it’s not the same PHEW. The real Jenna Morrison seems to have dropped off the face of the earth though, but I think I might have found her Facebook page. She’s now a mother of a cute little boy and running or supporting a fragrance store or something. Anyhoo, I will always always remember her for her famous line:

6. Lori Beth Denberg – All That

My memory of Nickelodeon is pretty much defined by the many episodes of All That I’ve seen over the years. There are really no words to describe just how freaking awesome All That was (because it’s all that – geddit?!). And they pretty much featured all of Nickelodeon’s best child stars. I’m talking about the original cast, by the way, I’ve no clue about the relaunch cast except for Jamie Lynn Spears because, well, she’s Britney’s sister. But anyway, Lori Beth was always like the ‘big sister’ of the All That cast and she’s easily one of the most memorable of the lot. Her segment Vital Information was one of the best everrrrr and I loved her deadpan voice LOL.

Thankfully she’s still acting now; she had a small role in 2004′s Dodgeball and appeared in Good Burger with old All That castmates Josh Server, and Kenan and Kel. Her most recent appearance was on Comedy Central’s sitcom Workaholics in a cameo as herself.

Then:

Now:

6. Katrina Johnson – All That

Known as the cute one in All That, Katrina Johnson grew up to me smokin’ hot. Now she’s on a radio talk show called UnCensored Radio and, as of August 2012, was shooting a reality TV show based on her radio programme.

Then:

Now:

7. Alisa Reyes – All That

Alisa Reyes may not be one of the most memorable actresses of the All That cast, but she was one of the original members for the show. She now makes guest appearances in a variety of TV serials like Six Feet Under, Boston Public and NYPD Blue and work as a DJ for Playboy Radio. Whoa.

Then:

Now:

8. Danny Tamberelli – Adventures of Pete & Pete / All That / Magic School Bus

So Danny Tamberelli was known as Little Pete in Adventures of Pete & Pete, and he was in All That AND  the voice Arnold of Magic School Bus between seasons two and four AKA the red-haired, freckle faced kid who always went ”I knew I should have stayed home today.”

He’s now in a band called Jounce and is sticking to his roots as a funny man by being part of a sketch comedy group called Man Boobs Comedy – you know it’s awesome just by its name. His latest, prominent appearance was in the recently released Grand Theft Auto V as Jimmy De Santa.

Hey he actually looks like that! Whoa.

Him then:

Okay no for real. Him then:

And him now:

Lol this is his twitter pic I don’t even. LOL.

9. Mike Maronna – Adventures of Pete & Pete

Big Pete here went on to do high school and university like regular people, then went back to TV and film, appearing as a teenage killer in an episode of Law & Order and in movies like Sex and the City, Slackers and 40 Days and 40 Nights. Not really interesting there. But it’s nice to know he’s still around.

Him then:

And Big Pete and Little Pete in 2012:

10. Nick Cannon - All That / The Nick Cannon Show

We’re going back to All That over here but does anyone even remember that Nick Cannon was from All That? In fact does anyone even remember The Nick Cannon Show?

Well pretty much everyone knows where he is now: host of America’s Got Talent, film actor, rapper, and married to one of the top pop artistes in the world. But it’s nice to remember where he started out.

Then:

Now:

11. Drake Bell – Drake & Josh / The Amanda Show

One of my first childhood crushes, Drake Bell went into music shortly after Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show. He recently got signed on to Surfdog Records and will be releasing an album sometime this year (or so he said).

Drake Bell then:

Drake Bell now:

12. Josh Peck – Drake & Josh

Since acting on Drake & Josh, Josh Peck has lost a ton of weight and is doing amazingly well for himself. He’s acted in Havoc, ATM, Red Dawn, and was the voice of Eddie – y’know, one of the possum-like creatures – in Ice Age.

Him then:

Him now:

13. Miranda Cosgrove – Drake & Josh

She’s probably the youngest person in this list. But she’s such a great actress, in School of Rock, as much as in Drake & Josh as their conniving, scarily smart sister, and, I suppose, iCarly, which I was too old to watch by the time it was released.

In fact in May 2012, she was listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest paid child actress for her work in iCarly. In 2010 it was reported that she earned $180,000 per episode, which meant it was probably much more by the time it ended in 2012.

For some reason Cosgrove is studying in university now instead of wading in pools of hundred dollar bills. But good for her! Let’s hope she doesn’t go craycray like Amanda Bynes when she hits her mid-twenties.

Miranda Cosgrove then:

Miranda Cosgrove now:

14. Lindsay Felton – Caitlin’s Way

DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER CAITLIN’S WAY? It was this show about this girl who was all bad ass and living on the streets and then she gets picked up by the police and sent to some ranch to live in. Which obviously is a culture shock for her. Damn I loved that show. But anyway Lindsay Felton, who played the lead character Caitlin, is still acting a bit here and there.

And the most amazing thing is that she appeared in one of my favourite TV shows right now: Orange Is The New Black. FOR REAL.

Lindsay Felton then:

And her now:

1. Because work/school/life fucking sucks.

We need a hell lot of motivation to keep us going. And what’s better motivation than Queen Britney telling us to “Work, Bitch”?

2. It’s the perfect workout song

Let’s face it, most of us aren’t exercising as much as we should be. And I find myself whining about being fat a whole lot more than actually working to lose that weight.

And Britney may not look like she did in her early 20s, but watching her rock out those dance moves in her Work, Bitch video with her ridiculously flat tummy and toned legs (let’s not forget she’s had 2 kids, guys) is enough to get me moving. Or so I hope LOL.

3. It’s a perfect reality check to the crap we’ve been fed by the media over the past few years.

Damn you My Super Sweet 16 episodes and every other TV show out there that have characters spending money like it’s worth nothing and not having to work very much for it. And somehow I think those messages have trickled down into our minds, making us think that we can get shit without having to work.

But no, money isn’t gonna fall onto our laps, so thanks for the reality check, Britbrit! If I want that Maserati, I’m gonna have to work, bitch!

4. And the self-entitled whiners of our generation really need this reality check.

Don’t we all know that certain someone who has somehow gotten it into their heads that the world owes them a fucking living?

That if shit goes down, it’s never their fault and everyone has to do shit and give in to them all the time?

Short of saying, “Shut the fuck up,” Britney swoops in with the perfect phrase for them: “You better work bitch!”

5. And honestly, there is no one more fitting to tell us to “Work, Bitch”

Who is Britney Spears? She’s a freaking child star who has been performing before she had even turned 10. She shot to super duper stardom at freaking 17 years old which only snowballed even more as she grew older. Her entire life has played out in real time for the entire world to see: her highs and her lows – both career-wise and in her personal life.

She hit rock bottom in 2007, and everyone looked down on her, pitied her, and basically thought she’d never be anything more than an ex-teenage pop star of the 90s.

And then she proved everyone wrong. After cleaning up her act, she released single after single, many of which hit the Billboard Hot 100, produced three chart-topping albums, embarked on world tours, became a judge on the x factor, nabbed a residency in Vegas – all while being a mother to her two kids.

Plus her body basically went from zero to hero in the past 5 years.

And how did she do that? She worked, bitch.

“All hail the Queen of Pop!”

Please watch her amazing video, which dropped earlier today!

1. The idea of getting your ass out of bed, dressing up and stepping out of your front door is just

2. When you take public transport, you can’t help but think:

3. You’re on your way to meet a friend and then you get a text from her saying she’s brought a tag-along.

This is your reaction:

4. You find yourself praying that plans get cancelled all the time.

5. When you get invited to a house party, you pray to God they’ve got a pet so you can act busy and not interact with actual human beings.

6. When people tap you on the shoulder, or try to do that cheek-kissy thing that white people love, or touch you in any way:

7. When someone whips out a camera and everyone squeals in delight, you’re just like:

8. You loovvvveee the internet. And the invention of mobile phones. And anything that keeps you an active member of society without actually having to be in physical contact with anyone.

9. But sometimes Facebook, or any other form of social media for that matter, really pisses you off.

10. In fact, this is you when scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed:

11. And your face when you see couples posting mushy crap on each other’s timelines:

12. You’re cool with small group outings or one-on-ones, but when your friends drag you out of your house for a party, you’re just like:

13. And when people go up to you and ask: “Why so glum, chum?” Or anything to that effect, you fight the urge to tell them:

14. AND CLUBBING. OH GOD CLUBBING IS BASICALLY TORTURE

15. And when you see people in large groups at the mall or at the park being all loud and annoying, you mentally transform into a cranky eighty-year-old lady

16. Even when you go for networking sessions, all that goes through your mind is:

17. You have more missed calls than answered calls in your phone list. And when people ask why you missed their call you’re just like

18. But seriously, why do people keep insisting on calling? I mean, have they not heard of text?

19. When an extrovert talks about how much they hate people. You’re just:

“Bitch, please.”

20. And when people tell you how you should “get out more”, in your mind you’re just:

I’ve been procrastinating on this piece for like a month now. I’m not sure why lol. But I do know why I really want to write this post – because Cambodia was really one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to and I really wanted to journal that experience before I forget it, as we so often do.

A little bit of background: I’ve been wanting to see Angkor Wat for the longest time but haven’t been able to, because 1) Most of my friends have, y’know, jobs 2) Those who don’t have jobs don’t have money 3) Even if they could make it, no one was interested in Cambodia (WHY!)

So I decided to go on my own.

But! PLOT TWIST! Unfortunately (or fortunately), Tim took that to mean I was blackmailing him into going with me (which I swear wasn’t my intention). So he decided to give in and accompany me on my trip in the end heh! So everything worked out great.

It was a really short trip, but I loved every bit of it. We took a Sunday afternoon flight there, and then returned to Singapore on a Tuesday afternoon flight, because you get really cheap air tickets that way and Tim would only have to take 2 days leave.

And we managed to get a really good hotel at a pretty reasonable price: Royal Crown Hotel, which we booked through Agoda. And everything about it was amazing. It’s very conveniently located – like a 5 minute walk away from Pub Street, and a 15 minute Tuk Tuk trip away from Angkor Wat. And the service was impeccable – our flight home was something like 5pm, so we asked for a late checkout and they were totally understanding and didn’t even charge us. All their staff members are perfectly cheerful and superbly eager to help, so it really comes highly recommended – plus it’s really affordable. Feel free to shoot me questions in the comments if you wanna know more about the hotel and I’ll try to help you as much as possible!

So, anyway, if you’re thinking about going to Siem Reap for the weekend and you’re not quite sure what to do there and where to go I hope this helps!

So this is it: My 3 Days in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

 Day 1 in Siem Reap, Cambodia >>>>>

Hello Amazing People!

I’ve got a new widget on my side bar and I honestly, really have no idea how I got here, but I’m just really thankful to the WordPress editorial team for picking my piece on 20 Signs You Really, Really Hate People and putting it on their Freshly Pressed list two days ago.

So thank you, WordPress.

And when I say WordPress, I don’t just mean the editorial team. I mean the entire WordPress community of blog and website owners, who have been so incredibly friendly and encouraging in their comments.

I try to reply all the comments I get as far as possible, both positive and negative, but there have been so many that I don’t even know where to begin or how to respond. So I really hope this huge thank you here is enough.

If I’ve learnt something from this, it’s that WordPress bloggers are an amazing bunch who are incredibly positive, supportive and vocal, and I’m really really thankful for all of you!

Most of my real-life friends probably have no idea what the big deal about being Freshly Pressed is, but to me, it’s such a massively big honour. Because for the past few months, I’ve been looking at Freshly Pressed blogposts, reading in awe, and wondering how I would ever make it up there.

The posts I’ve read have always been able to touch my heart (yesterday I just read one that had me bawling my eyes out), and it’s nice to think that maybe my blog managed to touch other people’s too. Not in a boo hoo emotional get-me-a-box-of-tissues kind of way, but more like a haha-omg-this-is-so-true kind of way. And I really hope I managed to do that.

To my new followers, I really hope I won’t disappoint with subsequent posts – I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeve for the month of November, and I only hope they’ll be as funny the ones I’ve done before (I’m probably failing at that with this post right now lol).

Okay I’ve never been good at the mushy stuff, so I’m just going to end here.

Thank you, again! And since my posts this week aren’t at all funny (i.e. this and my 3 Days in Siem Reap, Cambodia), here’re a few funny gifs to kick off your week.

Goodnight y’all!

The steadfast penguin:

Source: CompliancEX

The biggest soccer first aid fail ever:

Source: List25

The Cat that thinks it’s Michael Jackson:

Source: Tumblr

Stephen Merchant ignoring Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s handshake like a baus: 

Source: Reddit

Just a little bit of context: AWARE Singapore (a women’s rights group in Singapore) was alerted by seven National Service (NS) men to a verse of  Purple Light, an army marching song, that went like:

“Booking out, see my girlfriend
Saw her with another man
Kill the man, rape my girlfriend
With my rifle and my buddy and me.”

AWARE then brought it up with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and MINDEF, who then investigated and decided that they would stop their men from singing this “offensive” verse.

This sparked an outcry among NS men – most of whom are serving the army full-time as part of their compulsory 2-year National Service in accordance to Singapore law. They all but bombarded the AWARE Facebook post and the comment pages on all the local news outlets that reported on the issue.

There were many comments, most of which were incoherent. But from what I could gather, these are some of the top reasons why they say it should be okay for NS men to sing about rape.

1. NS sucks, so NS men deserve the right to sing about anything they want – including rape.

2. Not only does military training suck, but NS men also run the risk of losing the girlfriends while they’re stuck in camp – which happens a lot. So they deserve the right to vent against these evil girlfriends – even if it means singing about raping them.

3. Most of the time, it’s foreigners’ faults that they’re losing their girlfriends – life is horribly unfair to these NS men. So they should be able to vent and sing about anything they want, which includes rape.

4. AWARE is simply overreacting! IT’S JUST A SONG. AND NS MEN ARE SUFFERING GOD DAMNIT! LET THEM SING ABOUT RAPE! NS sufferings > Idea of rape. Get over it!

5. Singing about rape doesn’t make you a rapist. “Grow the fuck up and live in the real world!”

6. AWARE is a bloody hypocrite! They protect women but don’t seem to care about men! Gender equality my arse!

7. Military men singing about rape as a form of bonding experience is such a “trivial” issue, compared to the hard work and suffering the men go through to protect our country.

8. This song has been around for DECADES – you’re messing with tradition! Fact is: this song is HARMLESS.

…

…

…

…

…

I was interested to find out if similar incidences happened in other countries and how people reacted to them. And I found the St. Mary’s University (Canada) case where a rape chant during orientation week caused some controversy.

The rape chant went like this: “SMU boys we like them young … Y is for your sister, O is for oh so tight, U is for underage, N is for no consent, G is for grab that ass.”

There are the obvious similarities: like this SAF case, it was a seemingly “harmless” setting. Just a bunch of people having fun, and blowing off some steam. But in the Canadian case, it was around 400 people who were chanting, whereas in this Singapore situation, the numbers run into the tens or hundreds of thousands – seeing that the Singapore army is about 500,000 strong. Granted, there are other versions of the army song that don’t include the word “rape” but I would think the number of guys who know and sing this version is pretty significant.

In the Canadian case, it was a big issue party because it was a Roman Catholic school. And here in Singapore, I would think it’d be a big issue as well, seeing that this is our national army we’re talking about.

The biggest difference between the St Mary’s situation and the SAF one, is that after they got called out, the student leaders in St Mary’s were apologetic and the reactions from the public (from what I could see) were mostly outrage at how this could’ve been going on for years without getting caught.

In Singapore, however, our comments were mostly by NS men who are actually upset that the lyrics got banned. Far from being apologetic or glad that the song should no longer see the light of day, they are angered and obstinate about continuing with singing the verse.

Even more mindblowingly, women were commenting and saying “I sing this with my boyfriend and I think it’s perfectly fine.”

I wouldn’t be upset if there were the occasional dissenting voice about freedom of speech and censorship. But it honestly scares me that the side supporting the use of the song overwhelms the other by a drastic amount.

It just makes me so incredibly sad.

How anyone can argue that singing about rape is harmless is completely beyond me. Normally I could just write this off with “OMG I really hate people.” Or “Singaporeans are so stupid.” But this is actually really really disturbing. And I’m just really hoping that someone somehow can convince these NS men and occasional bimbo how singing about raping a cheating girlfriend with a rifle and buddy is definitely a no-no in any context.

Because I would think it’s completely self-explanatory. And I really have no idea how to make it plainer that banning it is absolutely the right move.

Thankfully, Conventionally.wordpress.com puts it across much clearer than I ever could. And if you’re open to listening to our side of the story, and finding out why the verse should be banned, please give her blog a read.

1. You are nursing your wounds (and empty pockets) from Black Friday shopping.

2. But on the bright side, that means your wardrobe is well stocked for Christmas parties.

3. And if it isn’t, it’s going to be real soon. Probably with red, white or green-coloured clothes with faux fur collars.

4. Which you’re probably gonna regret once Christmas is over.

“What am I going to do with all these clothes…”

5. Speaking of Christmas parties, your calendar is rapidly getting filled up with meet-ups, dinners and other Christmas events.

6. Which may explain this tiny ball of happiness and excitement inside of you, growing more and more each day.

7. You have this strange, inexplicable urge to watch Love Actually.

(Hehe before Rick Grimes was Rick Grimes)

8. You also have this strange, inexplicable urge to just buy things – lots of them, whether for gift giving or for yourself.

9. Which is great! Because Christmas sales are suddenly popping up everywhere you turn.

10. You can’t even escape it at home, because online stores have jumped in on the Christmas sales!

(FYI Zalora is offering sales of up to 70% off, and you even get a $10 voucher if you sign up for their newsletter!)

11. It is the only time of year where it is socially acceptable to wear reindeer headbands in public.

12. To the point where even your pets aren’t spared!

13. The Halloween racks at your local supermarket have been replaced with racks of Christmas decorations.

14. And they’ve got a Christmas playlist on loop all day.

15. Which is probably why you’ve heard Jingle Bell Rock at least ten times. Today.

16. Yet somehow, Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is the song that’s stuck in your head. And you catch yourself humming it ALL THE TIME.

17. You’ve had the thought: “Holy crap, where did 2013 go?”

18. But got distracted by yet another “what are you doing for Christmas” conversation

19. The sound of bells is just… everywhere.

20. Christmas movies have hit the cinemas.

21. And *groan* they’re playing yet another rerun of Home Alone on TV.

22. CHRISTMAS LIGHTS HAVE GONE UP!

Photo credit: XIN MSN

23. And you suddenly don’t feel guilty about eating pure sugar – yeah, I’m talking about candy canes hehe.

24. Oh, and warm woolly sweaters suddenly look comfy and amazing.

25. Until you look out at the blazing sun and laugh yourself out of the idea.

26. You have a sudden craving for gingerbread and nutmeg every time you sit down at a café.

27. And you suddenly feel really really guilty for not going to church all year.

28. You promise yourself you’ll make it for the Christmas service (but you know you won’t – because you’ll be drunk).

29. Amid all the happiness and excitement, though, you’re hit by the annual conundrum of what to buy that person whose name you pulled out of your company’s secret Santa hat.

30. In fact, you find yourself out of gift ideas for your own friends and family.

31. And you start to freak out at the idea of hanging out with a whole bunch of people you don’t know at parties

32. To the point where you almost consider leaving the country to avoid all the hassle

33. But then you change your mind because 1. Air tickets are crazy expensive 2. Most hotels are probably fully booked by now 3. Hey~ it’s Christmas!

(Look! Even Kanye is smiling!!)

34 . And you realise this is the chance to get back in touch with a whole list of people you’ve not seen or heard from in almost a year.

35. And it actually feels kind of nice.

36. You can’t help feeling all warm and fuzzy inside – until December 26, which is when you’ll have to start gearing up for a drunken New Year’s.

(Well, almost)

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down or see sidebar for the form), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!

“Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” – Nelson Mandela, 1994.

Guardian TV

“We tried in our simple way to lead our life in a manner that may make a difference to those of others.” – Nelson Mandela, 2002

Free Webs

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela, 2002

The Promota

RIP Nelson Mandela. Thank you for all you’ve done for the world.

All quotes taken from: NelsonMandela.org

It’s always a risk posting anything remotely positive about the Singapore government – the anti-gov sentiments are so darn strong online! But I can’t help but marvel at prime minister Lee Hsien Loong’s social media efforts. From food pics to humblebraggin’ posts, LHL’s various social media accounts have got all of them covered. Seriously. Props to his publicity team LOL.

Believe it or not, here’re 21 times Lee Hsien Loong totally nailed the whole social media thing:

1. That time an owl flew into his office and he tweeted AND instagrammed it like a regular person would.

I can almost imagine him going “omg omg omg it’s an owl. GUYS, IT’S AN OWL!!!!” Much like a regular person would!

2. That time he humble bragged about sitting next to Aung San Suu Kyi

What he said: “At the Singapore Summit this evening, I shared my optimism about prospects for Asia… blah blah blah”

What (I imagine) he’s really saying: “CHECK IT OUT I’M SITTING NEXT TO AUNG SAN SUU KYI YO!”

3. That time he was really proud about LKY receiving an Honorary Doctor of Laws from NUS.

^^ See how his face shines with pride!

4. Look! He even instagrammed a pic he took on his own phone!

5. That time he shared a #throwback pic of him and Tan Chuan-Jin from way back in ’89! Note the #nostalgia hashtag!

6. That other time he posted a #throwback pic. This time of him and his wife, Ho Ching, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge! He even joined in on the #Royalbaby and #Itsaboy hashtags!

7. When he took the train and was garang enough to stand right in the middle of the cabin where there are no train handles to hold on to! Fierce.

8. The times he posted touristy pics just like the rest of us do! For instance, there was the “view from my hotel room window” pic in Tokyo,

9. The night view of the Bali resort he was staying at,

10. And a photo-of-someone-taking-a-photo-of-me-against-a-scenic-background post!

11. And he posts scenic shots of Singapore too! Such as the Singapore skyline,

12. Palawan Beach at Sentosa,

13. Mount Faber,

14. And even Kampong Lorong Buangkok, Singapore’s very last Kampong.

15. That time he posted a food shot on Instagram.

16. And his very recent post on the Orchard Road Christmas Lights where he took a pic with some ‘mak ciks’ (aunties).

17. AND THEN HE APOLOGISED FOR CALLING THEM ‘MAK CIKS’ BECAUSE HE REALISED HE’S TOO OLD TO CALL THEM THAT.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

18. What about that time he ping-ponged between being sad and happy on twitter like regular twitter users do?

19. And, of course, the times he took selfies! With university students,

20. His old army buddy,

21. And, of course, that famous selfie he took with his Malaysian counterpart, Najib Razak!

ROCK ON, PM LEE!!

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading some of my other posts, such as: 35 Childhood Memories of the Late 90s in Singapore, 22 Signs You’re An Ex-Convent School Girl and 20 Signs You Really, Really Hate People.

Follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down!), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!

1. Harlem Shake videos

(It got annoying after a while, but now I kinda miss it!)

2. Hadouken photos

Source: Tricycle Studios Blog

Source: Hadoukening.net

Source: Huffington Post

3. Game of Throne’s The Red Wedding

Reactions:

(I considered putting the actual clip of The Red Wedding, but I honestly didn’t want to relive the horror :/)

4. The end of Breaking Bad

5. The end of Dexter

6. The end of 30 Rock. (Shit 2013 was a bad year for TV series wasn’t it :/)

7. At least we got some awesome shows in return! Like Orange is the New Black!

8. But then there were the deaths. Like Paul Walker’s death

RIP 

9. Nelson Mandela’s Death

RIP Nelson Mandela

10. And Margaret Thatcher’s death

Source: Dog O news

11. On a brighter note, Kimye had a kid! And named her North West.

Source: Bubblews

12. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a kid too! And gave him the much better name of George Alexander Louis. (Talk about a regal sounding name huh?)

Source: IB Times

13. Also, Amanda Bynes lost it.

Source: E Online

14. Then Ben Affleck became Batman and the world lost it.

Source: Vamers

15. Rebecca Black won back the Internet

16. Britney Spears told us to work it and finally launched her long awaited album, Britney Jean!

17. Daft Punk made an amazing come back.

18. So did Lady Gaga – although she didn’t really go anywhere hmmm…

19. But Lily Allen did. And she came out of her premature retirement with an amazing song and video!

20. Blurred Lines went from being the most loved song to the most hated in 5 seconds flat.

21. Miley Cyrus twerked.

22. Beyonce blew the world away with her Super Bowl performance.

Full performance:

Woohoo!

23. Oh and she released a secret album.

Source: Billboard

Really.

24. Jennifer Lawrence fell at the Oscars…

Jennifer Lawrence falling at the Oscars

Recovered awesomely from it…

And then instantly became the Internet’s favourite personality of the year.

25. Justin Timberlake’s 17min performance at the VMAs

26. And Nsync’s ridiculously short, but no less amazing reunion

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down!), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!

1. All those times a ‘summon auntie’ (parking attendant) appeared near a coffee shop and Good Guy Kopitiam Uncle would start shouting at everyone to move their cars.

Original Photo Source: Shiberty

2. That time that girl took her own initiative to tell the story of the elderly woman who sells random food items outside Mandarin Gallery.

Not only did it raise awareness about the old lady’s plight, but it also made us think deeper about the less fortunate, whom we see on the streets and at MRT stations every day.

Source: Diane-writes

3. That time we banded together to defend ourselves against that Yahoo story on why Singapore isn’t a good place to visit.

We bash our own country a lot. But when non-residents talk shit about our country, we sure as hell fight back.

Source: Yahoo Voices

4. Oh, and no one, NO ONE trash talks our unofficial national language.

Source: Quora

Source: Quora

5. Also, we are mostly apathetic to things around us. But when shit hits the fan, you can bet we stand up for what is right. Like that time that boy shoved an auntie off a bus.

See the uncle who told the boy off at 0:20 and the girl who stepped forward to help the auntie up at 0:29.

Source: Frank 151

6. And that time the Internet rose up against the supervisor caught slapping his intern.

7. Also, when the haze hit, a couple of kind Singaporeans went around distributing masks to senior citizens and outdoor workers.

Source: XIN MSN

8. And that time this amazing man gave a total stranger a part of his liver.

Source: Asiaone

We salute you, sir!

9. What about moments in our every day life? Like the many many times Singaporeans got out of their cars to help an accident victim in need.

Source: Stomp Singapore

10. Even if it meant risking their lives.

12. And the times every day Singaporeans helped bring crooks to justice.

Exhibit A:

Source: Stomp Singapore

12. And Exhibit B:

Source: Stomp Singapore

13. How about that recent MRT fight where a fellow Singaporean broke up the two men in a brawl?

14. Which has happened before.

////

15. In fact, there are plenty of Unsung Heroes around us. And the fact that there’s a group dedicated to helping them out really warms the cockles of my cold, dead heart.

For instance, the woman who is raising five kids on a $1200 income, the man who physically struggles to wake up every morning, and the woman who goes door to door, offering to clean houses for the needy:

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading some of my other posts, such as: 35 Childhood Memories of the Late 90s in Singapore, 22 Signs You’re An Ex-Convent School Girl and 21 Times Lee Hsien Loong Totally Nailed The Whole Social Media Thing

In the meantime, follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down or see sidebar for the form), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!

1. You can’t sleep easy without knowing it’s right by your side.

“Hmmm… Sleepytime… WAIT WHERE’S MY PHONE?! IS IT THERE?!”

2. It’s the first thing you reach for when you wake up in the morning. And you freak the hell out when you can’t find it.

Source

3. You feel anxious when it isn’t in your hand.

4. And you get panic attacks when you realise you haven’t heard it ring in a while. And by a while, I mean like 15 minutes.

“Is it low on battery? Is there reception in here? ARE MY FRIENDS DEAD?!”

5. No matter how old or scratched up your phone gets, it will always hold some sort of sentimental value to you.

6. You do things for your phone that you wouldn’t do for anyone/thing else. Ever.

Source: Gazelle.com

7. You find yourself sneaking glances at it, whether you’re out with your friends, family, or your actual lover.

8. Seeing it seriously damaged, dropping it in a puddle, or, God forbid, losing it feels like a giant stab to the heart.

9. Heading to the store and holding it in your hands for the first time gave you some serious butterflies in your tummy.

10. It knows mostly everything about you. The time you wake up each morning, where your favourite haunts are – even your passwords.

11. You’re so used to having it around, you feel absolutely lost without it.

12. Which is why you bring it everywhere you go, including the bathroom.

Source

13. Especially the bathroom.

I mean, otherwise you’d just be like:

14. You could spend all day in bed with it. Even if it means minor injury to your face.

15. You sometimes even stay up late at night doing nothing but fiddling with it.

16. Sometimes you catch yourself smiling at your phone like an idiot.

17. But hey, at least you make each other laugh

18. And you’re so comfortable with it, you don’t even mind sharing your deepest, darkest, weirdest – and I mean weirdest – thoughts.

Source: Smosh

Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading some of my other posts, such as: 20 Signs You Really, Really Hate People, 22 Signs You’re An Ex-Convent School Girl and 20 Ways to Know You’re In A Long-Term Relationship.

In the meantime, follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down or see sidebar for the form), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!

1. Greeting your elders and swapping oranges during Chinese New Year (CNY) doesn’t freak you out any longer.

2. Plus, buying new clothes and receiving red packets aren’t the most thrilling parts of CNY anymore.

3. Though CNY goodies definitely still top the list (because pineapple tarts and bak kwa are frikkin’ amazing).

Source: HolidayTimes.org

4. When visiting, you hear more phrases like “higher equity”, “HDB prices” and “my boss really sucks” around the house, rather than “Disney”, “Legos”, and “Mummy, I need to pee.”

5. A tiny part of you actually feels bad about receiving red packets from the older generation.

6. And instead of champing at the bit to waste your red packet money on frivolous things, you wonder if you should be saving – or investing – it instead.

7. You no longer chat solely with the other “kids” – and by “kids” I mean the people from your generation, who could be up to the age of 30. Instead, you actually find yourself being able to hold comfortable conversations with the “adults” – and by “adults” I mean older adults.

8. Your aunts and uncles no longer hold back their crass and inappropriate jokes in front you.

9. Or maybe they’ve never held back and you only just realised how incredibly dirty – and hilarious – their jokes are.

10. Instead of your parents arguing over whether a certain movie “appropriate” for you to watch, it’s you arguing with your parents over whether The Avengers is too violent for the kids – and I mean the real kids i.e. the below 13s.

11. Oh and your parents aren’t the ones keeping an eye on the amount of beer you’re guzzling down; you’re the ones making sure they aren’t too drunk to drive home.

12. Actually, it’s perfectly fine if they’re too drunk to drive home. Because you actually have a driving license and are perfectly able to play chauffeur for a day.

13. Fielding the usual CNY questions like “Where’s your bf/gf?” “How much do you earn?” and “Can you give me Candy Crush lives?” is no longer a problem – you handle them like a pro.

14. You look at the children running around and wonder: “Damn. Do they think I’m old the way I thought *insert super old cousin here* was?”

15. Unfortunately, deep down inside, you know they do.

16. One of the kids happily tell you they have the same Zodiac sign as you… and you realise that means you’re a whole 12 years older than the girl who’s preparing for her PSLE….

Source: Thechive

17. You consider visiting your friends’ houses not for the red packet, but because you genuinely want to 拜年 (bai nian) with their parents.

18. You actually have friends and cousins who are now giving red packets instead of receiving them.

19. And then you realise… you’re going to be one of them in just.. a few.. years….

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy:  18 Signs You’re In Love With Your Mobile Phone, 20 Signs You Really, Really Hate People and  The Infinite Amount of Times Singaporeans Really Looked Out For Each Other

Follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down!), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!

Source

Hi everyone!

Just a quick note to my existing subscribers and loyal readers (if any)!

I will be shifting to a new domain soon – probably within the week – so this blog will be redirecting all readers to the new space. It shouldn’t affect anyone’s reading experience or anything like that…

Except…

WordPress followers! If you’re a WordPress follower and had subscribed for email notifications, you will need to resubscribe for email notifications on my new blog. Otherwise you’ll only be updated on your WordPress reader and not via email.

I believe those who had subscribed/followed without a WordPress account will still be able to receive email notifications though – so no worries about that!

Anyway I’m super excited about this move – it’s taking a lot of my brain bandwidth what with all my work and school stuff going on. But I think it’s going to be worth the effort. I was really worried about how moving from wordpress.com to wordpress.org might be a little troublesome or that I would have trouble getting used to the new format. But I must say, everything is going better than expected!

So yeah! There really isn’t going to be that many changes – just a few minor layout tweaks, really. And those annoying WordPress ads at the bottom of my posts will be gone (thank god!). But I have my own reasons for shifting really. Which I will probably write about once I’ve done the full site shift!

Exciting stuff! 2014 is looking really good so let’s hope it stays that way!

Oh, and Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Don’t forget to resubscribe to my new blog when it comes out, WordPress followers!

And as always, thanks for reading!

Cheerio!
Nat

Hi everyone!

Yes, I have finally done up Nkayesel.com, with three spanking new posts to herald in this new era of my blog!

I’m still working out some kinks and stuff, so I haven’t directed this blog over yet, but I will very very soon! As mentioned in my previous blogpost, WordPress users, please remember to resubscribe to the new blog for email updates, otherwise you won’t get notified of new posts.

Also, with this new domain, this means I’m now open for ads and sponsorships so feel free to drop me a note if anyone is interested! You can contact me at nkayesel@gmail.com

Since I’ll be (hopefully) earning some money from my blog, I hope this means I’ll be less lazy and update it a whole lot more frequently. Also, health-wise I’m doing a lot better now, so I really don’t have any excuse to skive off anymore heh.

Anyway, please head over to Nkayesel.com for new posts from now onwards! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my latest entries:

32 Bizarre Superstitions and Old Wives’ Tales in Singapore

24 Signs You’re a Classic Middle Child

16 Things You Realise While Hospitalised

Thank you so much for reading! Oh, and that amazing fireworks photo was taken by a local photographer, Nicholas Yeo. I meant to credit him below the photo but apparently that’s not an option for featured images.

Cheers,
Natalie <3

1. Nurses are amazing people who are kind of under-recognised for what they do.

Apart from well, keeping you alive, nurses have to placate grumpy patients, deal with frustrated relatives and clean up dirty bedpans. And still, people complain about them all the freaking time. Sure, some nurses talk way too loudly at 2am when we’re trying to sleep, but all the life-saving taken into consideration, I think that’s pretty forgivable.

2. It is impossible to sleep in hospitals.

With all the machines beeping, nurses chattering and four-hourly blood pressure-taking going on, it’s impossible to have a good night’s sleep in the hospital – unless of course you’ve been there for a week and have chocked up a pretty nice sleep debt for yourself.

3. Hospital food is actually not terrible.

(Though the water tastes like shit.)

4. Doctors are reeeally stretched thin.

5. Yet they manage to be one of the most upbeat people around (I don’t know how they do it).

6. But for all their efforts, they unfortunately don’t know everything. Not for the lack of trying, but because medical research isn’t quite as advanced as I thought it was.

7. Still, doctors are pretty darn amazing. Because they’ll stop at nothing to figure out what the hell is wrong with you even if the endless blood tests seem to go nowhere.

8. On the patients’ end of things… Some smokers would go so far as to roll their IV drip down to the first floor just to have a smoke.

9. Oh, and when you have an undiagnosable illness, you get medical students turning up at your bedside at random hours to awkwardly marvel at this brand new specimen they’ve found.

10. You might even be used as a subject for a med student’s exam. (and from the looks of it, I don’t think that girl did very well :/)

11. Jokes aside, when you get hospitalised, you realise how fragile life is.

12. And suddenly you just feel so… mortal.

13. Which is why… Momma was right, insurance is actually really important.

14. Because life is crazy unpredictable.

15. Also, thank god for friends, because when you get hospitalised, you learn who your real friends are.

16. And at the end of the day, you realise that blood really is thicker than water.

Because even though you may have some really awesome friends who will drop by to check up on you or drop you texts to see how you’re doing, it’s your family who really has your back, visiting every day and making sure you’ve got everything you need.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy: 24 Signs You’re A Classic Middle Child, 22 Signs You’re An Ex-Convent School Girl and my latest entry, 18 Signs You’re In Love With Your Mobile Phone.

Follow me on twitter, subscribe to my blog via email for post updates (scroll all the way down!), or keep reading for more laughs and other cool stuff!