Cheque from Nuffnang; random

Today my mother dumped a letter on my table.

I have received my cheque from Nuffnang! I was surprised because it took about a month and I was expected way longer than that. Anyway it comes in a nice envelope and opened (way too) easily. Was tempted to lick the seal again after smelling it. Don't ask why I was smelling it.

Today saw me splurging unexpectedly on a $14.40 taxi fare for which I now deeply regret. Well, at least this cheque can help me pay it off.

Can I blog more like, uh, tomorrow, instead? I know I've been absent from here for a really long time but right now I am nursing the heartache from having finished watching Nodame Cantabile (and the after effects of having my mind soaked in romance from the show. Like, when will I ever find some one?!).

So yar, ok, thanks, good night, see you.

Finished watching

AH! I finally finished watching Nodame Cantabile! All anime, live adaptation and special episodes! So sweet! Made me shed tears so many times that I lost count. Sigh, I miss the show already...

Nodame Cantabile

1 episode was all it took to get me hooked on the anime series Nodame Cantabile. I finished 25 episodes in 2 days and felt extremely guilty after that for spending so much time on the computer.

Nodame Cantabile revolves around classical music, orchestras, performances and how students strive in their passion for music. At the end of the anime, I found an ache in my chest similar to the sadness we feel when a drama serial ends and we have to say goodbye to the characters we have grown so familiar to. The anime was so close to home for me that it brought back memories. There were times I could identify with it and times I wished I could.

Have you ever heard a really inspiring musician play? Although I've seen a couple of famous musicians play, the only one musician who left an impact on me is not famous. While watching the anime, I remembered her watching her play and how it had really touched me. Haha, I don't know if my mind was playing tricks on me, but her performance gave me goosebumps in a good way, something I've never really experienced before. That was the one and only time, the one and only performance to have moved me in that way. It might seem surprising if I told you she is probably my age and studying in NUS, playing in the Orchestra, as a violinist.

I wonder now if it was because I have had bare minimum contact with violins, which would explain why I was so astounded by that one performance.

In any case, I like that image I have in my mind of that evening I listened to her play on stage. Clear. Exciting. Moving.

Irony

I realized this.

While I can't stand reading romance story books, especially if it's in English (simply because it's too mushy), I am a sucker for animes about school romance. And while I like reading fantasy stories, I'm not sure the same can be said about animes.

Oh yar, the guys in the animes reminds me of my crush. Haha!

Dango Daikazoku

This is the ending theme song titled "Dango Daikazoku" of Clannad, a Japanese anime. Dango are actually Japanese dumplings.

When I first heard this song I thought it was completely absurd and childish, especially the beginning. However, the song turned out really nice and the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. It kind of tugs at heart strings. The one below has no English translation because the one I found did not allow us to embed the video. I'd urge you to watch the video with the English translation because the lyrics are really heart-warming. Hope you'll like it as much as I do!


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N.E.mation 2007 - The Resilience Edition

N.E.mation is back!

N.E.mation is an animation competition organized mainly by Nexus (Central National Education Office) amongst other organizers, with Total Defence in mind. This year's theme is Resilience.

10 teams from various Secondary and Junior Colleges have been short-listed to compete in the finals. Surprisingly there is only 1 team from JC while the rest are from Secondary Schools. Does Hwa Chong Institution count as a Secondary school or JC?

I've seen a few of the clips on TV and found a couple remarkably professional despite it being done by secondary school students. If you have a bit of a free time, check out these clips here and vote for them. Do try to watch all prior to voting so as to judge them fairly. It is a mighty long time and a tedious process from submitting their story to being selected for the finals - an approximate 6 to 9 months, the least we could do is to judge them as fairly as possible.

Last year's clips raked in fantastic results, making it to global and Asia platforms. Watch N.E.mation'07 clips here and read of their achievements here. N.E.mation'06 clips are also available.