Boys and girls...

I forgot that about 18 years ago I couldn't get on a car without a cassette of NKOTB's "Face The Music" playing on the tape. "Face The Music", in case you're either too old or too young to remember early 1994, was a coming-of-age album of New Kids On The Block which has been so criminally underrated. What happened was back in the day grunge ruled the music scene, so it wasn't the guys' fault when the Kids wanted to try their hands on a new image that was kind of a far cry from their lovey dovey pop ballads. Plus they literally weren't "kids" anymore, as the maknae of the group, Joey McIntyre, was 21 at the time.

"Face The Music" was released and it was so good that people began to dance to it until, wrote a famous music reviewer whose name I can't remember, they discovered the voices behind the music. Thus "Face The Music" became the last album before NKOTB bowed out of the music industry - only to reunite in 2008.

Anyway.

Check out "Girls", taken off "Face The Music", below....



So there's the line, "Girls, can't live with them, can't live without them." Does that sound familiar? And check out "Boys" by Britney Spears, taken off her 2001 self-titled album.



Boys. Can't live with them, can't live without them.

Post exams musing...

Hi everyone!

Semester three is finally over. Last semester will be for focusing on the thesis. Not gonna tell you what it's about!

Ive been following The Kardashians lately, though not on their shows. I know, I know. This is so unusual of me, and it's not like I've had nothing to do these days. The past semester was so crazy, as were the last semesters of diploma and undergrad (ok technically the third one wasn't the last...but it was the last with classes!)

If you're a Kardashians fan, you know that Kourtney's eldest son is Mason, whom she has with boyfriend Scott Disick. The two-year-old's middle name is "Dash"....I wonder if "Dash" is actually short for "Kardashian"?

Not a celebrity entry....

DAA and IAA, the things between us - inspired by KN:
Blackberry
BPK
Lessons for Life
Nurul Fikri Boarding School
Padepokan Madani
E-KTP
Starbucks
Bakmi Gajah Mada
Solaria
Noodles
Plaza Senayan
Plaza Semanggi
Inul Vizta
Senayan City
Gatot Soebroto
Pondok Indah
Rawamangun
Gorontalo
Batam
Bandung
Lembang
Singapore
Perth
Auckland
Oakley Crosshair
Guns
Facebook
Michael Buble
Osh Kosh B'Gosh
X-Trans
The Body Shop
Batik
Scuba-diving
Universitas Indonesia
Universitas Mercu Buana
Curtin University
The University of Auckland

First entry in 2012...

Happy new year to everyone! Let's hope I can stick to my resolution of posting 45 entries!

This can be another celebrity post, but I shan't mention any name. I just have to post this entry.

There's a thriving online vintage store owned by two models. One is a French lady who grew up in Bali, the other is only a quarter Indonesian despite having an Indonesian last name (I think her father is half Indonesian and half American, her mother is Armenian.) The latter is currently dating a blues musician who's also a quarter Indonesian and three quarter something else. This musician is divorced, has two kids.

What's unique is that she's good friends with her boyfriend's former wife. She even makes her model for the vintage clothes the store sells. That's how you can tell if a marriage ended on good terms, when your girlfriend and your ex wife can get along really well.

Last entry in 2011...

A very quick recap of 2011. Got a dream job (notice, job, not a career yet) in September, a part-time one which allows me to earn more money, more responsibility, more authority, more benefits plus travel opportunities. I was actually asked to go to Malaysia on an assignment for ten days on December 18, but I had to decline it due to the crazy load of uni work. Might go to Turkey and/or UK in February on another assignment. For that, I thank the ever-almighty Allah.

I've also just earned a 2012 Starbucks planner by collecting stickers, for the first time! Hahahaha. I got my 2008 Starbucks planner from a good friend of mine who was the manager of the Victoria Street, Auckland store in March 2008 and the 2009 one from another good friend who was a barrista at the Pasaraya Grande, Jakarta, store in February 2009. If you're as crazy about Starbucks as I am, you know that the deadline for sticker collecting is always December 31. I didn't get the 2010 and 2011 planners.

Meanwhile, something noteworthy also happened on the love front. Been sort of involved with a guy six years my senior since October. Hopefully this turns out alright.

May you have a blessed 2012!

Hanson and the pansy...

I remember reading an unauthorized biography of Hanson about the iconic pansy in the group's first video, MmmBop. So according to the book, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson wanted director Tamra Davis to make it look like they were playing inside a blossoming pansy.



Obviously, the band is playing in front of a screen showing a blossoming pansy. No "illusion" of the band ACTUALLY playing INSIDE said blossoming pansy. Then starting at 1:37 you can see the part where Hanson is playing in front of big make-believe pansy. I used to wonder what the heck the make-believe pansy was for, but later I remembered: it was made to create the "illusion" that Hanson was playing inside a blossoming pansy.

Epic fail.

Tragic Taureans...

I've been fascinated by Ruan Lingyu since probably 2002, but didn't learn about her more until 2006. Ruan, dubbed "The Chinese Garbo", was the queen of the Chinese silent screen from the late 1920s to the middle of 1930s, until her tragic death by suicide in 1935. She was only 24 going on 25.

Ruan was a Taurean, born April 26 1910. She was also famous in Hong Kong and spoke Cantonese as a first language.

Decades later, HK cinema was introduced to Barbara Yung, who began her career as one of the top ten finalists of Miss HK 1982. She later gained fame through several TV series, one of which of "Legend of The Condor Heroes" which was once aired in Indonesia.

On May 14 1985, Yung was found dead in her HK apartment. The cause of the suicide was said to be relationship issues with her then boyfriend Kent Tong. At the time of her death, Yung had just turned 26. She was born on May 7 1959.

Two incredibly talented actresses. Both were Taureans. Both committed suicide in the middle of their twenties, exactly 50 years apart.

Well we Taureans are notorious for being so intense sometimes...