The Fringe Festival is starting tomorrow. So let's kick start the cabarets, dancing, singing, brass bands and have the time of your life! We're going to watch Kunst Ist Scheisse on Tuesday the 3rd of October. Details per below:

Venue:
Festival Hub - Lithuanian Club, The Ballroom
44 Errol St
North Melbourne

Time:
10.15 pm - runs for approximately 45 minutes

Tightarse Tuesday means we're only paying $10 for it.

So those who has confirmed with me, I'll be getting your tix tomorrow. Anyone else who's interested, let me know a.s.a.p!!

It ain't cheap to be healthy

The best way to save money is probably to grow my own produce. Seriously. Those who doesn't know my buying and eating habits - I try to eat organic as much as I can. Probably 2/3 of my monthly food budget goes to organic produce and gourmet bread. I bought 2 teeny weeny eggplants, 3 tomatoes and a lil bag of mandarins for $14 today. I've paid $3 for 1/2 pack of red beans, which will normally cost $0.50 from your local Asian grocer. It costs $6 for a loaf of organic wheat bread v $3 from Brumby's. I pay $2 more for free-range eggs (I know it's not the same as organic). You get the drill. So for once, I'm glad I'm living on my own because if you have a family of 4, you'll probaly have to think twice about going organic at the the price tag that comes along with being healthier.

"Why pay so much more for organic?", one may ask. Do a search on "Benefits of Organic Food" and you'd get heap loads of return. This site states that organic food has "63% higher in calcium, 73% higher in iron, 118% higher in magnesium, 178% higher in molybdenum, 91% higher in phosphorus, 125% higher in potassium and 60% higher in zinc. The organic food averaged 29% lower in mercury than the conventionally raised food". So in a way, you're just paying a little more in return for more nutrients from your food source. Even antioxidants are apparently higher in organic food. That's why I buy organic green tea and white tea! As you go through that article, it also states that "the use of synthetic chemicals as preservatives, colourings, antioxidants etc are prohibited" in organic food. --- In a nutshell, it's just healthier. Period. Also, read this article for more insights.

You can by organic stuffs rather easily these days. Unfortunately, we don't have the infamous Whole Foods here in Melbourne. But we sure have lots of other places to go to - there are a couple of stores at the Sth Melbourne market that sells organic produce and health food including breads, biscuits, teas, you name it. Many health stores now have an organic section that sells teas, snack bars and organic chocolates. Even Coles has an organic aisle, although I have to admit that it's a sad selection of items on offer. If you prefer, you can hop onto the Green Line website and place your order online and have your stuffs home delivered. Other stores include Macro Whole Foods(Richmond and at The Glen), and Organic Wholefoods.

Part I
Things contrary to what we expect to happen in life, happens all the time. Personally, I give a lot more weighting to making the best out of everything than finding the best for everything. We can go on and on trying to search for the best; the perfect job, partner, whatever it may be and end up missing out on everything else the world has to offer.

Part II
Before I went to bed last night, I decided that I ought to dedicate my whole morning & afternoon to reading my notes for next week. I have a double lecture on Monday and although Wednesday's a normal one, my notes for that day is probably thicker than the former. *bleah* Instead of doing as planned, I've spent my last hour checking emails, reading blogs, and completing this:

Dating Strengths	Dating Weaknesses
1. Independence - 85.7% 2. Varied Interests - 85.7% 3. Financial Situation - 84.6% 4. Appearance - 75% 5. Adventurousness - 75%	1. Humorlessness - 62.5% 2. Vanity - 58.3%

Dating Strengths Explained
Independence - Your strong sense of independence comes in handy while dating. You are not held back or tied down; you are free to pursue your interests. Varied Interests - You don't limit yourself, and that's a dating asset. Your varied interests make you available and interesting to a wider range of guys. Financial Situation - You've got your financial situation under control, which is a very desirable quality. Be careful to avoid guys who are only interested in your money. Appearance - Despite what some will say, appearance matters in dating. You get high marks on appearance. Just make sure you balance it out with other qualities. Adventurousness - You are willing to try new things and be spontaneous. You want to get out there and really live, and you will attract people with a similar love of life.
Dating Weaknesses Explained
Humorlessness - You need to learn how to take a joke, or better yet how to tell a good one. A well-developed sense of humor is high on the list of desired traits for daters. Vanity - Learn to put a lower priority on looks. Appearance is, of course, important, but vanity is undesireable. The only people you will attract are the superficial.
Dating Strengths and Weaknesses Quiz by Dating Diversions

Apparently I'm humorless and I'm vain.

Part III
I rang home ot talk to the folks last night. Only three things occupies Dad's mind now that he's semi-retired; Taiwanese politics, apartment hunting and travel searching. So Dad was saying he might be going to Macau during Raya, then maybe to Melbourne during CNY, or maybe Taiwan sometime this year with Mom. I mentioned that I'm planning to go to Europe sometime after mid-07 for about 3 weeks. I'm either going with my Sis if her schedule allows, or I might join the NGV Art tour which will be incredible, or I'd just travel on my own throughout those three weeks. And that freaked my Dad out. He was telling me how important accomodation is, yada yada yada. Frankly, I wouldn't have the luxury I once when I used to travel with the folks. I'd rather spend 200 Euros on anything and everything than a night in a hotel. Long gone were the days of Sheratons and Shangri-Las ... I reckon 2 star would have to do it ... Chill, Dad.

It's great to be at the CBD

Many people told me about how great it is to be working within the CBD - access to a greater variety of food, get to run your errands easily, after work shopping, yada yada yada. But frankly, to me, it's how close the gallery is to work.

Being at the Cnr of Collins and Elizabeth, it only takes me a mere 5 minute walk to the Ian Potter and 10 minutes to the NGV main gallery. Feeling a lil crap and moody today, I had the pleasure of browsing through Charles Blackman's Alice in Wonderland series during my lunch hour. It was great especially when I was in time for the free guided tour. The exhibition in itself is not free: it's $10/adult, $7/Concession and $5/NGV members - a pretty reasonable price to pay for.

A Lil Culture for the day

Renew your NGV membership before end of September and get your free copy of From Paris with Love catalogue !

Also, the Melbourne Fringe Festival beings on 27/09 till 15/10. Due to the overwhelming response calling for volunteers --- those who were looking forward to do so but have yet to submit in an application (like myself), you'll have to go on their waiting list.

Those who are interested in Cabaret, Music, Performance and Special Events, let me know!!

Life Choices and Consequences

I believe everyone has choices, decisions and ultimately, is responsible for the way their lives turn out to be at the end of the day. I won't go to the extent of arguing that our lives are not affected by what God has planned out for us from the very begining. I can't explain why some people who are born with a golden spoon in their mouth while some others are made to bear the lives of a war torn country. What I'm saying is that for whatever circumstances we were put into from the start, it's the choices and decisions that we subsequently make that moulds our lives.

We could decide to drown in our sorrows or pick up and begin a new chapter in our lives, continue to be trapped in a web of wrongdoings or learn from those mistakes, be too over cautious in life and miss all the fun and excitement that comes along with being bold, live for the past or embrace the future, it's all up to us and the decision lies in our own hands.

Everyone who has touched and left footprints in my life - I thank them for it. Good memories - I'd cherish them. Not so great ones - I'd learn from them. People who has not failed to be by my side throughout, I'd treasure them. There's a lot to live for. Though at times I feel doomed for who I am and the way people think how strong I am and therefore could do without certain things in life, I'm glad I am who I am. I don't think there's really a negative side of being positive in life.

Any plans for September thru October?

If your answer is no then I've got plans for you --- go watch The Butterfly Lovers presented by Dama Orchestra at the KLPAC, Sentul. It should be a fantastic musical since my sister's stage managing it. *winks*

Dates

• September: 27 - 30th
• October: 1st, 4-8th
  (all shows on the above dates are @ 8.30pm)
• Matinee: 1st and 8th October @ 3pm

Tickets

• are priced at RM62 / RM92 / RM122 / RM152 / RM182 / RM222
• can be purchased at The Actors Studio Bangsar (3rd floor, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Ph: 03-2094-0400) and at The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (Sentul West, Jln Strachan, Off Jln Ipoh, Ph: 03-4034-9000 / 9003 / 9005 ).

Enquiries

• Call Dama Orchestra directly at 03-6201-9107 / 9108

I (try to) love fastfood

I was back at work till about 6 this evening and thought that McDonalds would be a (good change) quick and easy dinner to pick up on the way home. Great! I did as I liked, drove thru, ordered and was amazed that McD now has those flat screens at the "speaker box" that shows you your order info, paid, picked up my brown bag and headed home. I did like what most of us would do; casually picking up a couple of tasty french fry and eating them as I drove home.

I got home, opened up the bag and started eating my McOz burger. YUM YUM YUM! My taste buds delivered happy messages to my brains (or the other way around) whilst my stomach resented my choice of food. Finally, my stomach won the battle. I chucked out EVERYTHING within an hour. Within 2 hours, I had signs of diarhoea. It ain't pretty. It ain't enjoyable. No more McDonalds for another 12 months I reckon.

In temporary hiatus

I've been busy with the new job - hence, the hiatus mode. Officially, I'm suppose to start at 0800 hrs and end at 1700 hrs. So far, my unofficial hours have been anywhere between 0730 - 1845. It's not all that bad. Work's been keeping me busy and making sure my mind's active and sane. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that all the hard work and effort will bring me somewhere, somehow, in the future. There's very little we can do in life to ensure that all our efforts aren't frivolous. Life isn't fair. That's a fact which applies throughout - work, play, r'ships, everything.