must love rainbows

To measure 2009

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

At the beginning of this year, I discovered Rent in my father's car after a radio station played Seasons of Love. In the past few days, when the end of the year drew nearer, I started playing the song more often as I reflected on my 2009.

2009, if I were to measure in school semesters, feels like three completely different years in one calendar year. My oat milk and Marketing project in Jan-Feb my first year semester seems so far away now. Then there was going for Jason Mraz's concert here and so much baking with Crys and Sui in April! More recently, I went to Sydney with my dad and visited Crys in Adelaide in September. And the projects and deadlines! They were crazy, and they still are...

2009, if I were to measure in Arashi's success, was brilliant and history-making. Sweeping tops for four categories in the Oricon charts (Single, Album, music DVD, Blu-Ray) for the first time in Oricon history, occupying four spots in the Top Five singles of the year (also first time in history), and getting Top Two spots for Singles in two years consecutive...and not forgetting being the first artist to perform at Kokuritsu on three consecutive days. Oh, and throw in breaking a million in sales for the first time ever for a release, and sale of a DVD exceeding 600 000 XD

But you know, when I was telling the poly gang about their successes, no one could really grasp what I was saying. And that was proof to me for what Tristan Prettyman said: Sometimes success is best measured in smiles received, giggles heard and hands held, than in dollars earned, deadlines met, and kilos shed.

So 2009, measured in everything I've learnt and encountered, and people that I've met or who've inspired me, has been a great year. Last year, on this day, I really didn't want to let go because 2008 was such an amazing, wish-fulfilling year I really loved. This year, I'm ready to let go and move forward into 2010 - maybe because I embraced this year and that made it fulfilling.

I was once told that we are who we're going to be for the rest of our lives at around 16, but 2009 made me feel that that isn't true. We change everyday, in little ways, because of the circumstances we face, the people we meet and are inspired by. And I welcome that changing because a year on from last, I feel that I've gained and learnt more as a person.

This year I learnt to give gratitude. This year I realized that I could open my heart even more and be inspired by more.  This year was of Rent, inspiration from Jason Mraz and Tricia and Tristan Prettyman, Ryan Reynolds, Wicked, soundtracks, watching movies alone, a lot of baking and cooking, rushing for deadlines and pulling all-nighters, being a proud Arashi fangirl, tweeting, karaoke-ing Arashi, dramas like Aiba-chan's My Girl, turning and being 18, and so much I can't sum up in a paragraph! And everything - I just want to thank everything and everyone who has inspired me and been part of my year. WIthout them, it would never be the year that it has been. THANK YOU <3

Last year I resolved to enjoy everyday in 2009 and you know what? I think I did. Although there were many crazy periods of darkness that I was very affected by, I think it was because I threw all of me into everyday, that made the downs really bad and the ups really good.

So this year-end, I don't have a love letter to write to 2009. To me, it's going to be the start of something new, and I'm excited about it; I'm physically getting jitters, actually!

Resolutions don't have to be made on New Year's Eve but sometimes they come with more conviction if done so. So I resolve to LIVE next year, instead of just existing. By listening to my body and taking care of it, and by not being bothered by what others think and just act according to what I believe in and instinctively want to do. There are probably many other things, but they will come to me when they come (:

To end off this fantastic year, here's a fantastic quote I came across while watching the movie Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium. It reminded me of everything I hoped to do a year ago (and continue to hope I do) - that is, to make use of every moment:

"We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime."

H A P P Y 2 0 1 0 ! :D

Sydney / Adelaide Part IV

Day 4

Started the day late (: Went to the city and did some shopping before meeting my tour guide - Destination: Adelaide Central Market!

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GQ

JAP & QLD Pumpkin

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Lana Lang Shoes

I love fresh produce markets as well! Just the food, the vibrant colours...everything looked so yummy!

From left: GQ reminds me of GQ Men of the Year which in turn reminds me of Jun ^^; Jap & Queensland pumpkins but at first I thought the sign read Jap and Old XD; besides fresh fruits and veggies; and Lana Lang Shoes!

Carrots <3

Red-tipped Bananas?

I'm a carrot lover and gosh do those carrots look sweet and juicy! I was actually sad that I won't get to taste such fat, juicy carrots.

And I'm really curious about the red-tipped bananas. I mean, it's not actually naturally red but why would they paint the tips red? :s

They also sold books and whole pies that were pretty cheap. I would love to go to markets like this everyday! :D

it has little blue bits!

Blue Mountain tea which was very pretty! I bought some because I was curious about what it would taste like. It's a mild tea but sweet-smelling. I've got a pretty good idea what to do with it now (besides drinking it, I mean).

The Yoghurt Shop's

Cannoli

Hot Chocolate Shot Glass

We couldn't leave the Market without eating so we had some yoghurt. It was seriously yummy <3 They had original classic, low fat and I think one with reduced sugar and we could choose any toppings to go with it like mango puree, crumble, nuts, etc...

The surprising thing for me really was no matter how many toppings you picked, the price stayed the same. It's different from Yami Yoghurt here. If yoghurt snacks were more affordable, I'd have them all day over ice-cream <3 Anyway, I had mine with strawberry puree because the strawberry puree looked so awesome! We tried a Cannoli as well.

Ooh and Crys brought me to this shop that sold hot chocolate shots. I didn't get any but Crys did, except she took the cup version and it smelt really rich and heavenly.

Next stop, Antique Market!

Antique Market

They sold and bought antiques and the store is HUGE. It may look like some ordinary-sized shop outside, but it's really huge inside.

Antique Market's tiny store front

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And they had an entire floor for vintage clothing, bags, shoes and other accessories. Plus some vintage-y luggage bags at decent prices, considering their age.

They even had lots of wedding dresses or evening dresses and we joked about getting De one for Halloween so she could dress up as a runaway bride because she would suit the part XD

I tried on a pair of Sass & Bide jeans which fit me perfectly. But I chose to get a bag for De instead because I didn't want to spend so much money in one place.

HMV

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Star Wars Game

Really old and cool - His Master's Voice!

And OMG STAR WARS BOARD GAME!! It was in French I think and it's got something to do with Death Star.

Why would you not want your Star Wars game?!

We went to Henley Beach after that because Crys wanted to bring me to a beach with nicer waters than Glenelg. But Henley Beach was so beautiful, it deserves another post all by itself <3

 

Sydney / Adelaide Part III

Watching My Girl as I write this - ahhhh I like it very much! Have to see how it goes but I love the chemistry between Masamune-kun and Koharu-chan!

Day 3

Woke up later than we wanted to, so we walked 5 bus stops down to a cafe called Jenny's Lunch & Gourmet and had breakfast! I can't remember the two pastries we had but I know one had pumpkin in it and it was really delicious. I also had their ice coffee which is another "pride of Adelaide" I was told XD

I spent most of this day by myself. It was quite a lazy day shopping at Harbour Town, something like a shopping mall made up of brand outlets. I didn't get much but I did walk around a lot. There was a guy there who totally made my day because he just talked to me and wished me a great stay in Adelaide. So nice :)

Went back and checked into my motel.

Welcome Inn

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I took some photos of the area I live in because it was really pretty! I had some time to spare before dinner and the sun was setting - gorgeous light!

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I found it quite amusing and interesting, that this was how they sold cars!

Vacancy?

The night before, Crystal was scaring me with all the scary stories and movies regarding motels XD About how unsafe it would be and when we walked past this one on the way to my motel, she said this one really reminded her of Vacancy, the movie with Kate Beckinsale, which of course is about killers at motels =.=

Dinner was at Cha-Chi's, a Mexican restaurant in the area. They had all-you-can-eat buffet on Mondays. We went for that, but realized it was just a booth where a chef will prepare either nachos, tacos or burritos. Our choice is between chicken and beef, I think, and whether we'd like it nachos, tacos or burritos. Oh we can go back and ask for more helpings. But everything has the same ingredients, like the guacamole and bean sauce XD

Oh I had internet connection that night! It surprised my dad,that my 3-and-a-half star motel is a wireless hotspot whereas Holiday Inn charged for internet. Glorious Internet! The night was super cold and my motel doesn't provide a heater but the internet made up for it :D

 

Apparently 嵐 boys are so pretty...lol

Went karaoke today with (most of) the poly gang. Matsumiya friend and I were searching for Arashi in the Japanese Male and Group categories so that I could sing A.RA.SHI but we couldn't find any Arashi; there was SMAP, Kinki Kids, and KAT-TUN plus Yamapi (Daite Senorita) even!

I was kinda sore at that. So I went flipping through all the artists in the Japanese Female category to look for stuff I may be able to sing and I found this:

Japan-Female 43/45 嵐

I'm still a bit miffed...apparently our Arashi boys are too pretty, they end up in the Female category?! XD

 

Oh well so I got to sing A.RA.SHI in the end ^^

I even tried Shiina Ringo's ここでキスして and BoC's 天体観測 - I mangled them of course. Couldn't even remember how to sing V6's Darling properly :x

I'm worried because I think with the lack of exposure, my Japanese is deteriorating (I know it's not even a very high level). Need to buck up and work towards JLPT3 at the end of this year!

Random Arashi-related stuff

Today's Japanese class was very funny and interesting. Sometimes it gets a bit dull because the class in general and sensei will talk about brands or travelling (which I can't relate to sometimes) or discuss stuff based on stereotypes (I don't like this), but today it was quite interesting!

We talked about our 夢 and so one classmate said hers was to live in Japan. I said the same too, but I think I'd prefer to just experience living there for a few years. When sensei asked why, I said it was because they have seasons. Since we're stuck so near the equator XD But of course there are other factors far more influential, lol.

Ah and so this classmate who went to work at the tv station in Japan last year when the Arashi boys were doing 24Jikan Terebi said she went for SMAP's concert last year! I was sitting right beside her today but somehow...somehow I felt weird talking to anyone in class about stuff related to Johnny's.

I believe there is either a NEWS or KT fan in class too ^^

Ooh and today when I was ION, we went up to one of the food places in the basement - it was selling dango and they had samples of mitarashi dango and we just wanted to try those to see if the ones we made last time tasted like the ones they sell at a dango place.

There was this guy at the counter, who told us it was sweet soy-sauce dango, he saw the Tekkon Kinkreet Uniqlo T-shirt I was wearing and he said "Taiyou!" to me. At first I was like O.o until he said "Matsumoto Taiyou". I was quite happy after that, strangely. I guess because I never had a Japanese recognize a shirt I was wearing before XD

Celebrating

Firstly, Happy 32nd Birthday, Jason Mraz!

I am always honoured to share this day with you because I love reading the world through your words and it doesn't fail to make me smile. You're always inspiring, even on this special day - no, particularly on this day :)

My friends held a little celebration for me a day after Nino's birthday. They surprised me with a cake that they decorated. And they made sure they wrote all my loves on it (but they very nearly forgot to put my name on it) XD

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There's Mr Mraz and Aibachan's Danger <3


Today was a quiet one. I kicked off with watching of my AAA 2008 dvd, had ramen lunch with my sister and shopped around for my birthday present.

I actually envisioned more time spent with friends, but why quibble...a quiet birthday is nice too (:

Japanese Class

My sensei brought up Arashi today/yesterday in class.

Not just Arashi specifically, though. He wanted us to form a sentence with sorou (to gather) and he said it could be anything at all. Then he gave an example of say, all the handsome guys in the world gathering in Singapore: Brad Pitt from US; Kimura Takuya, Arashi, NEWS, winds..from Japan.

Haha so since he brought it up, I made the sentence saying handsome idols gather in Singapore. So he asked me who, and I said Arashi. Then he said, what about from America? And I thought...I wanted to say Jason Mraz, but I was afraid he doesn't know..but I didn't like any actors in particular so I didn't have anyone in mind.

So he was suggesting some ~brothers? The rest of the class stared a bit, and then we realised he was talking about the Jonas brothers. But when we said Jonas brothers, I think I had a look on my face. So sensei said, hmm they could be handsome..LOL

I was thinking, not bad for a guy who has travelled quite a bit, right? And it's interesting how he said NEWS and Arashi but not like, Kinki Kids, TOKIO or V6. I would have thought they are a bit more well-known? *seasoned* Besides, I'm the youngest in my class..

Right, I have to go to bed now. Getting up in 3 hours or so to head to some jungley place in Malaysia. Leeches and mosquitoes >_<

Closet

For doki-doki ;)

I realized I am a "closet" Arashi fan!

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I recently did a "revamp" but I didn't change the 5 photos in a line in the middle. It's the only photoshoot of them, I think, that I actually have individual shots of Aibachan, Nino, Sho and Ohchan. There's a very nice photo of Ryo I chanced upon which is at the side ^^. And a little blurb-thing I cut out from Lifestyle magazine when the Hero movie was in town.

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Also, by Ohchan, hidden usually by my clothes is this huge, laminated Jun. I was given this...haha I don't really look at it?

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The other cupboard door...a few pairing photos. ShujixAkira cause I like the photo of them beside OhnoxJun. UT flyer and the two bits of newspaper I cut out from Life when they reviewed Letters from Iwojima and Nino was in them <3

 

I realized it seems a bit stalkerish to put up newspaper clippings? XD

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Last but not least, my desk with the Arashi magazine clipping / pullout. Younger days :D Oh also, the calendar beside it is a Paul and Joe one from the issue of MORE I bought last year in Hong Kong for Nino's IT section (:

 

*

Today was my first Pre-advanced One Japanese lesson. I was very nervous at first because I was afraid I won't be able to match up to the levels of my fellow classmates. And true enough, those senpais who were in before me were speaking Japanese comfortably to the sensei - I got scared! But my sensei is very interesting. He's a joker and that helps us to relax and feel more comfortable about speaking in Japanese. He's very opinionated about stuff and it seems he travelled quite a fair bit.

It's a lot like a conversation class. No homework so far. So I guess this is where I'll learn to speak better. Sensei asks so many questions in class (and makes countless of comments), I can't remember how many. But he did ask me this.. (learning about the word erabu) to choose between a date with Kimura Takuya and...(he pauses and thinks for quite a bit) Jay Chou.

I already made my choice before he came up with the second option XD When he asked me why, I said he's kakkoi...and in my head I was thinking, did you see the Nissin cup noodle ad, seriously...8D It's the last image I have of him in my mind right now.

Good day, sunlight (borrowing Mraz's phrase again)

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Yeah, I really love watching the sunrise :x

But you can't blame me! It's always so beautiful and different each day...so when I can catch a glimpse of it, I get quite happy. And I know that a camera cannot capture what I see, but I still try anyway.

Okay, I'm behind for at least a week on TQS and Smile. But I'm enjoying them so far~ I can't wait for the official releases of the new single and Shiina Ringo's too (will they be on MS together? *hopes*).

RL has been exhausting to say the least..Arashi isn't the only thing I have to catch up on; desperately need to catch up on sleep too and stop my body clock from going wonky.


Okay so I've finally started micro-blogging (instant gratification! quick-fix! - speaking of which, I recently was shown the Jonathan Reed poem Lost Generation..good food for thought -  tweets!). But blogging is still nice because I can write long long long sentences XD

Multi-coloured Sky

I don't know if you saw the same sky, but I was greeted with this when I woke up this morning.

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I wanted to capture it on my camera but I couldn't find it so I had to make do with my lousy phone camera with 2.0 megapixels >.>

But it was really pretty; I could see red, yellow, blue and even a tinge of green! Sadly only missing out on purple, haha!

My wallet received a bit of a plumping today, plus I had great news school-wise, so I'm happy :) I feel like it's because of the wonderful people I have as friends, the fantastic people I got to work with and definitely (I said this to my friend) also because of my five lucky stars.

Speaking of my five lucky stars, I need to get my hands on Utaban!!  I'm hungry!! - literally and figuratively XD