Argh... I don't have anything to wear!

Scenario: You have a party to go to this weekend. All your friends will be there. And a special someone might even be there too. You want to find the perfect outfit to look trendy yet casual, sensual yet sophisticated, and something that will catch his eye. And even though your wardrobe is overflowing with clothes, you don't have ANYTHING to wear!

Seem familiar to you? This happened to me just the other day. Even though I bought new clothes the other weekend, I couldn't find anything to wear. And for those who know me, that's a literally impossible feat, as my closet is jam-packed with tons of clothes. Therefore, saying that I had nothing to wear is merely a surface explanation. The real explanation? --> I couldn't find anything to wear that I thought my friends/collegues/date would like.

A lot of the time, when we're trying on various outfits before an event, we only think of others' opinions. "Will I look fat in this dress?" or "Are these pants too plain?". When do we ever think about how we feel in a certain outfit? STOP worrying about what others think of your outfit and your sense of style. Wear what makes YOU feel great, comfortable, and happy.
I promise you, suddenly you'll have too many clothes to wear, and the hardest choice will be choosing something to wear.

"It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have."

Little Bro comes to University

My little brother came to the university with me yesterday. I wouldn't say it was a rude awakening, but when you've lived all your life in a small town of about 2,000 people, the city is veeerry different.

This was his first time taking a transit bus. He learned that you're supposed to deposit the coins in the slot... otherwise the bus driver becomes irritated. He also realized an important fact about bus drivers... they don't care about pedestrians.

Then we went to the mall to eat lunch. Then we went back to the university to sleep on the sofas upstairs, a popular area among students there. Woke up, walked to Japanese class.

Ah... Japanese class. While I was busy listening to the prof, my brother was equiped with my laptop and was busy blogging (about his own experience at the university which you can view here: http://the-power-passion-within.blogspot.com/2010/06/peek-at-university-great.html).

My Japanese teacher is quite funny... He's always mumbling away incoherently (in both Japanese and English) or speaking in a high-pitched squeaky voice... both of which my brother found equally entertaining. But then the students are all quite entertaining as well...

So that was a short recap of yesterday. Going to university is a big life experience. It's much more than just attending classes and studying. I think (and hope) that yesterday's peek at university life helped to instill some respect and understanding in my brother about what university is all about.

Book review: This perfect Day by Ira Levin

Genre: Science fiction
My rating: 4.0/5

Very short resumé: The whole world is being controlled by Unicomp. People get daily doses of drugs to prevent them from challenging the "perfect" system. Thanks to the system, people's jobs are chosen for them, the trips they're allowed to make, even the number of kids they can have is predetermined. Chip is different. He's always been different thanks to his single green eye. He begins to question things. Just before his next treatment, he starts to become more and more "alive". Then he finds other members who share the same thoughts. Together they manage to deceive the treatment machines in receiving smaller doses, which enables them to think clearer. No longer under the drugs' influence, they begin to rebel against everything they have been denied by Uni. Their lives have been full of lies. Together, they set out to challenge everything they have come to know and to once and for all destroy Uni.

My mother was the one who enticed me to read this book. An avid reader herself, this book had stayed on her mind over the years and she would often talk to me about the story. Whenever she talks about how Chip (the main character) manages to deceive UniComp and not receive his regular treatment - drugdose - and thus becoming truly alive, I always get this feeling of hope and excitedness. And I'm not usually attracted to science fiction stories.

In fact, This Perfect Day is my first science fiction novel. And I liked it! Almost loved it too, except for the fact that I personally found the last quarter of the book to be rushed. The first part of the story is well-developed, and the characters are well-grounded. Towards the end, the events become rushed (in my opinion) and the reader is given a lot to assimilate in very few pages.

But other than that, I loved the characters, I loved this whole new world (which of course has some basis in reality), and what I loved most of all I think is this feeling of waking up and fighting for what you believe in. Maybe it's Chip's rebellion that attracts me, but it's more than that. It's the hope that emanates from the pages of this book. As these characters struggle to differ from the rest of the population (who are still under the influence of the drugs), they bring hope that all is not lost and that a true fighting spirit exists inside every human being. This kind of story really makes the reader reflect on his or her life... which is a sure sign of a good book.

So to science fiction lovers who haven't read it yet, get on it! And to others, for whom science fiction is not usually your kind of genre, give it a try!

Emma Watson Icons

Here are some icons I just finished making, they're fresh! I'm just starting to try my hand at icons, so for now, they aren't too complicated. Just a bit of colouring and resizing.