<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198</id><updated>2011-08-01T21:50:06.825+08:00</updated><category term='american idol'/><category term='2009'/><category term='reflections'/><category term='britain&apos;s got talent'/><category term='rubina ali'/><category term='ai'/><category term='peace'/><category term='shaheen jafargholi'/><category term='exams'/><category term='michael jackson'/><category term='sandra cantu'/><category term='memorial'/><category term='2010'/><category term='violence'/><category term='a-levels'/><category term='oj simpson'/><category term='slumdog millionaire'/><category term='economics'/><category term='danny'/><category term='sunny'/><category term='susan boyle'/><category term='dog names'/><category term='danny gokey'/><category term='fever'/><category term='rant'/><title type='text'>a slice of reality</title><subtitle type='html'>Just your average 18-year-old, dealing with life one breath at a time in a city where East meets West.</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>22</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-5100047967163404295</id><published>2010-11-03T00:31:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2010-11-03T00:31:47.627+08:00</updated><title type='text'></title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://michx15.tumblr.com/"&gt;http://michx15.tumblr.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-5100047967163404295?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/5100047967163404295/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/11/httpmichx15.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5100047967163404295'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5100047967163404295'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/11/httpmichx15.html' title=''/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-502283518162737125</id><published>2010-10-05T06:11:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2010-10-05T06:12:32.889+08:00</updated><title type='text'>hey you</title><content type='html'>You know what? I hope you never come back, you never speak to her again, and leave her alone.&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;You are a coward. I will refuse to see you if you do come back.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-502283518162737125?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/502283518162737125/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/10/hey-you.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/502283518162737125'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/502283518162737125'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/10/hey-you.html' title='hey you'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-8907639920914404113</id><published>2010-07-20T17:33:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2010-07-20T17:34:11.838+08:00</updated><title type='text'>countdown</title><content type='html'>37 days till London.&lt;div&gt;That's 1 month and a week, almost.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;On another note: I hate being sick. Worst timing!!!!!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;xx&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-8907639920914404113?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/8907639920914404113/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/07/countdown.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/8907639920914404113'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/8907639920914404113'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/07/countdown.html' title='countdown'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-1565708856179500869</id><published>2010-07-07T19:17:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2010-07-07T19:21:45.784+08:00</updated><title type='text'>LDN -&gt; HK</title><content type='html'>Leaving London 7th July 2010 (day of the London Bombing. Brilliant)&lt;div&gt;Coming back to London on 24th August 2010.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Of course I'm excited to head back to HK. Of course I want to see my friends and family once again. Of course I can't wait to have &lt;i&gt;good&lt;/i&gt; food and strong showers and my own room. Of course I can't wait to play tennis once again and tan for hours.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;But still. There's that little tiny pang of sadness about leaving London.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Please don't lose the spark we have right now. It's been &lt;b&gt;&lt;u&gt;amazing&lt;/u&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"&gt; these past 2 terms and I want to come back to that same warm fuzzy feeling.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"&gt;:)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"&gt;x&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-1565708856179500869?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/1565708856179500869/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/07/ldn-hk.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1565708856179500869'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1565708856179500869'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/07/ldn-hk.html' title='LDN -&gt; HK'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-1527338607217306604</id><published>2010-05-15T05:34:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2010-05-15T05:35:48.741+08:00</updated><title type='text'>welcome to LSE</title><content type='html'>you know it's exam time when...&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;...you, as a food lover, feel sick after eating a portion of linguine vongole&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;...you wake up in the morning, brush your teeth and head straight to the library&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;...you don't see &lt;i&gt;le boyfriend&lt;/i&gt; for more than 30 minutes a day&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;...you read so much, all the words look the same to you&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;we love LSE!!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;xx&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-1527338607217306604?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/1527338607217306604/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/05/welcome-to-lse.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1527338607217306604'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1527338607217306604'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/05/welcome-to-lse.html' title='welcome to LSE'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-9016436859712986727</id><published>2010-04-28T01:13:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2010-04-28T01:16:33.747+08:00</updated><title type='text'>home?</title><content type='html'>&lt;div&gt;Fragmented thoughts...&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;Crystal Palace 1-1 West Brom. Boo! Bring it on, Sheffield Wednesday!&lt;div&gt;A family of pigeons = you are now my pigeon expert.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Your room, your bed.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The way you look at me, the way you smell, the way you smile, the way you touch.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It's good to be home&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;if I can call you that.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;xx&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-9016436859712986727?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/9016436859712986727/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/04/home.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/9016436859712986727'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/9016436859712986727'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/04/home.html' title='home?'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-4576461689455406052</id><published>2010-04-06T16:27:00.001+08:00</published><updated>2010-04-06T16:29:09.392+08:00</updated><title type='text'>18 days</title><content type='html'>18 days till LDN once more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Skype has helped so, so, &lt;em&gt;so&lt;/em&gt; much, but it's also made me miss you so much more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You're incredible, did you know that?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;xx&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-4576461689455406052?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/4576461689455406052/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/04/18-days.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/4576461689455406052'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/4576461689455406052'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/04/18-days.html' title='18 days'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-1255925353399101972</id><published>2010-03-03T08:07:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2010-03-03T08:16:28.006+08:00</updated><title type='text'>shouldering the pain</title><content type='html'>You probably have no idea how much it kills me, but it does.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know why it's this frustrating. I know a lot more about how you think than maybe you think I do. I certainly thought one step ahead of S. He didn't understand your frustration as much as I did, until I told him why you were this bothered.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know how much you want to play. But I also know how much you're hurting. And I certainly don't think you &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt; play. But I know why you &lt;em&gt;want&lt;/em&gt; to play. And I guess, if I were you, I'd do exactly the same too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Scenario: LSE vs Baths 2nds, semifinals. If we win, we're through to the finals; if we lose, that's the end of the season. But it's not just the end of the season: it's the end of your tennis life with LSE. And there's no guarantee of getting to the finals at all. This could potentially be your very last game for LSE. And it would be a real shame if you didn't get to play that. Because you're captain, because you're the best, because you &lt;em&gt;should&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It wasn't meant to be like this. You were meant to get better and everything would be fine. You boys would've won the league, you boys would've won it all. But things never go according to plan.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It might seem so petty to other people, but it isn't to me, and it isn't to you. I know how frustrated you are. I could sense it just in the way you stared, the way you &lt;em&gt;didn't&lt;/em&gt; speak.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I think I know you better than we both think I do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If I could do anything--&lt;em&gt;anything&lt;/em&gt;--to help the situation, I would. At one point when talking to S, I almost felt like crying. I hate it when you're hurting, when you're this upset. But I'm not made of magic. I can't heal with a touch. There's nothing I can do, except sit on the side, patiently let you think, let you ponder, let you silently simmer with frustration and helplessness.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It's going to keep you up tonight. Your shoulder's going to be in tatters tomorrow.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But go get them, tiger. I'm rooting for you.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;xx&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-1255925353399101972?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/1255925353399101972/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/03/shouldering-pain.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1255925353399101972'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1255925353399101972'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/03/shouldering-pain.html' title='shouldering the pain'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-1225953291681780059</id><published>2010-02-16T04:58:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2010-02-16T05:03:22.183+08:00</updated><title type='text'>one</title><content type='html'>1 month&lt;br /&gt;1 rainy night&lt;br /&gt;1 gorgeous Tower Bridge&lt;br /&gt;1 red rose&lt;br /&gt;1 really sweet card&lt;br /&gt;1 beautiful pair of earrings&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You probably didn't even know it was 1 month. It's not a big deal. It really wasn't.&lt;br /&gt;But Valentine's Day was.&lt;br /&gt;Thank you for everything. You really shouldn't have. But I'm not complaining. I loved every little thing, every moment. Absolutely loved it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;xx&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-1225953291681780059?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/1225953291681780059/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/02/one.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1225953291681780059'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1225953291681780059'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/02/one.html' title='one'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-3331353260967004982</id><published>2010-01-18T01:38:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2010-01-18T01:48:53.262+08:00</updated><title type='text'>- +</title><content type='html'>&lt;div align="center"&gt;I try to think of how my life would probably be&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;without you, I would feel so unhappy&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;cuz you balance me out&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;You're the minus to my plus&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;when it's just the two of us&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:85%;"&gt;Jess &amp;amp; Jonny - Lights&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I don't want to fall hard so fast, but I can't help it. I don't want to sound so lovestruck and hung up and silly and annoying, but it's all I ever think about. When everything around us seems to be crumbling, I'm so glad we're still going strong. It's only been a couple of days, but it's going well.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Love is too strong, too early. But I do really, really, really, really, really, &lt;em&gt;really&lt;/em&gt; like you. And I hope you do too.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;xx&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-3331353260967004982?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/3331353260967004982/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/3331353260967004982'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/3331353260967004982'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post.html' title='- +'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-6732417574067564387</id><published>2010-01-15T19:14:00.000+08:00</published><updated>2010-01-15T19:15:12.611+08:00</updated><title type='text'>14/01/2010</title><content type='html'>love it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;xx&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-6732417574067564387?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/6732417574067564387/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/14012010.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/6732417574067564387'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/6732417574067564387'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/14012010.html' title='14/01/2010'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-3935064722078499525</id><published>2010-01-11T23:43:00.005+08:00</published><updated>2010-01-12T00:11:43.067+08:00</updated><title type='text'>pondering amidst the steam and snow</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://stickyandsweetmd.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/london-snow.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 576px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 390px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://stickyandsweetmd.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/london-snow.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;It's 1C outside, and I'm huddled in my room, both roommates out, with my steaming green tea in my green M&amp;amp;M mug. I'm meant to be reading something for class tomorrow, but the school system is down. So now I have a proper reason to procrastinate!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Even if we're not official, I feel so lucky to have R around. I really, really do. He's one of the few things that made it exciting for me to come back to London. So many people around me want to stay another week back home, want to go back to HK already. I love that city, and it will always be my #1 favourite place in the world, but London's my life now. Because I have something/one to look forward to.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Which makes me think: without R, would I be as enthusiastic about coming back? Seeing my situation now, sitting in my room, bored out of my mind, it doesn't seem like London's that happening right now. Maybe it's because of the cold. I went to Tottenham Court Road just now, and couldn't bring myself to walk to Oxford Street because of the cold. I keep saying that London is loads of fun and I love it. But seriously, in all honesty, is &lt;u&gt;London&lt;/u&gt; that exciting for me?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;No. I doubt it. School's not particularly exciting, the weather's far from fabulous. It gets bright at 9am, then dark at 4pm. Food's not that great (unless I eat out, but that costs a bit)... Sounds dreary.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;So I do count my lucky stars that I have R to look forward to. I have our dinner to be excited about. I have to endure some painful lectures and classes, but it's worth it.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;It still shocks people when I tell them I've never had a serious boyfriend before. I haven't told the entire world, but those who I have told, tend to respond with, 'really? You don't seem like that type'. Not sure what that means. But I guess I get their drift. And it's not like I avoided being in a relationship. I don't have commitment issues. Just the right person never came along. I've had bad experiences that I've grown up from, and a couple of opportunities, but nobody really struck me as dateable or fanciable. Sure, I've eyed up guys before, thinking 'God, he's cute'. But if I really think about it, if that guy asked me on a date, would I be having fun? Would we be able to &lt;em&gt;talk&lt;/em&gt;? I wouldn't be able to stand someone who couldn't hold a conversation with me.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;Which is why I'm so confused about R. Should I even be? He is, after all, 'a great catch' and 'a legend'. I certainly know it. But am I falling hard just because he's the first guy I've truly let into my world? Is it all just innocent stupidity and naivity, thinking this one will be The One? Or is it the reverse: that he's the one guy I've truly become close with because in my mind I know he's the first guy who is actually worth my time?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;I'm confuzzled. As I always am. And I know I shouldn't be. What's there to be confuzzled about?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;This is what the London cold, and the LSE system failure, does to you.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-3935064722078499525?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/3935064722078499525/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/pondering-amidst-steam-and-cold.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/3935064722078499525'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/3935064722078499525'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/pondering-amidst-steam-and-cold.html' title='pondering amidst the steam and snow'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-9171256273763017356</id><published>2010-01-05T20:29:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2010-01-05T21:00:25.107+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='2009'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='2010'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='reflections'/><title type='text'>because i'm bored</title><content type='html'>haven't updated this in ages, but just went on Yvonne's, and since I have nothing to do, here we go!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;* * *&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;1) What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?&lt;br /&gt;Graduated (without a ceremony), gotten stitches, kissed a boy I truly like, lived in London!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;2) Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?&lt;br /&gt;Don't usually make NY resolutions... Just live life to the fullest, I guess. I have aspirations, but no resolutions.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;3) Did anyone close to you give birth?&lt;br /&gt;In 2009? No... Don't think so.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;4) Did anyone close to you die?&lt;br /&gt;Yes. 19th August 2009. RIP Mr Dunn xx&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;5) What countries did you visit?&lt;br /&gt;London (obvs), Hungary, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;6) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?&lt;br /&gt;A boyfriend. =)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;7) What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?&lt;br /&gt;19th August: Mr Dunn's death. Too much of a shock to ever forget.&lt;br /&gt;AU Carol + AU nights in general&lt;br /&gt;18th December: last date with R before Christmas. For obvious reasons. =)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?&lt;br /&gt;Getting an A in English Literature, even though nobody thought I would.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;9) What was your biggest failure?&lt;br /&gt;Blacking out.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;10) Did you suffer illness or injury?&lt;br /&gt;Injury? Of course! Biggest one would be the coral incident in Koh Samui. Stitches has to top everything, really!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;11) What was the best thing you bought?&lt;br /&gt;Office ankle boots! Tops from Topshop! Ohmygod you want me to list EVERYTHING??&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;12) Whose behaviour merited celebration?&lt;br /&gt;Nobody's. HAHAHAHA.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;13) Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?&lt;br /&gt;At one point, mine.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;14) Where did most of your money go?&lt;br /&gt;Food and clothes. Latter part, R can vouch for that (as well as my Dad, who is paying my credit card bills...)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;15) What did you get really, really, really excited about?&lt;br /&gt;Getting into LSE, beating main rivals for basketball, every single date with R.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;16) What songs will always remind you of 2008?&lt;br /&gt;2008? Erm that already seems too far away!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;17) Compared to this time last year, are you:&lt;br /&gt;a) happier or sadder?&lt;br /&gt;b) thinner or fatter?&lt;br /&gt;c) richer or poorer?&lt;br /&gt;Happier, thinner and... no comment.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;18) What do you wish you'd done more of?&lt;br /&gt;Seen more people I loved, I guess. Learnt the lesson that the unexpected can happen.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;19) What do you wish you'd done less of?&lt;br /&gt;Nothing I can think of...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;20) How did you spend Christmas?&lt;br /&gt;Extremely low-key with my family. Think we had dinner out, but that was it. It was good. =)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;21) Did you fall in love in 2009?&lt;br /&gt;Next question!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;22) What was your favourite TV program?&lt;br /&gt;American Idol (as always), Bones, Criminal Minds&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;23) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?&lt;br /&gt;Ooh. Hate is such a strong word! But I'm very very tempted to say yes...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;24) What was the best book you read?&lt;br /&gt;Don't think I read this last year but 'Food of Love' by Anthony Capella. The best.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;25) What was your greatest musical discovery?&lt;br /&gt;Owl City (not 2009 but still) and Cobra Starship's &lt;em&gt;Hot Mess&lt;/em&gt;. Oh, Carolina Liar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;26) What did you want and get?&lt;br /&gt;LSE; A good network of people in London; a close friend in London&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;27) What did you want and not get?&lt;br /&gt;Dunn's recovery.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;28) What was your favourite film of the year?&lt;br /&gt;Sherlock Holmes and Avatar. They do count as 2009 films, right?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;29) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?&lt;br /&gt;Turned 19. Was with the family, on the cruise. Had a nice dinner at Portofino. Yumyumm!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;30) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?&lt;br /&gt;Getting an A instead of a B in History. What a nerdy thought.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;31) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?&lt;br /&gt;Started off with tees and jeans, then evolved to more sweater dresses, tights and boots. Or tops, shorts and boots.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;32) What kept you sane?&lt;br /&gt;Family, friends.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;33) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?&lt;br /&gt;Oh so many... Christian Bale? Or Becks. Mmmmm Becks...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;34) What political issue stirred you the most?&lt;br /&gt;I remember so many I got a bit annoyed about. But thinking back I don't remember the specifics.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;35) Who did you miss?&lt;br /&gt;Everybody who I cared about that wasn't in London/UK (Yvonne, Jonny, Cheryl, Jane, Anna)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;36) Who was the best new person you met?&lt;br /&gt;Joanna, Kat, Kendall, Jules, Mike (basically the basketball team), Samir, Sarah (basically the tennis team), but top prize goes to R, I guess.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;37) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?&lt;br /&gt;Pace yourself. Don't talk to dodgy strangers. Live and love.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;38) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;I've been around the world, I've seen so many places&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Living the life I've worked so hard to make it&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Trading the world for money, stars and power&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;Living my life at 100 miles an hour&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;I'm loving &lt;em&gt;&lt;u&gt;you&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/em&gt; like it was the first time&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt;* * * &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div align="center"&gt; &lt;/div&gt;Yeah, thinking back, 2009 was quite the year. Filled with major ups and downs. Filled with drama and stupidity. But I've grown from every experience and every hurtful comment I know has been made about me. But I don't care. Because 2009 ended on a high. A real high. An indescribable high. If this is what's in store, bring it on, 2010!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;xx&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-9171256273763017356?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/9171256273763017356/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/because-im-bored.html#comment-form' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/9171256273763017356'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/9171256273763017356'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2010/01/because-im-bored.html' title='because i&apos;m bored'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-1957275778951488273</id><published>2009-07-09T13:51:00.004+08:00</published><updated>2009-07-09T14:13:26.666+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='memorial'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='shaheen jafargholi'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='michael jackson'/><title type='text'>shaheen jafargholi was brilliant - even MJ thinks so</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01438/shaheenJafargholi_1438986c.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 460px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 288px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01438/shaheenJafargholi_1438986c.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Shaheen Jafargholi delivered a stellar performance of Smokey Robinson's "Who's Loving You" at Michael Jackson's memorial on Tuesday night. Having been thrust into the spotlight through the UK hit show "Britain's Got Talent", people in the UK were quick to heap praise and congratulate the 12-year-old for performing with such composure, tackling a very very difficult song.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;However, in America, critics were also quick to pounce on him and brand him emotionless, talentless and a pale imitation of the young MJ who delivered this song with such passion when he was young. I quote Courtney Hazlett of msnbc.com, who branded Shaheen's performance as "questionable", aka. a lowlight (her article was named Highs and Lows of the Jackson memorial):&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;"Michael Jackson had handpicked 12-year-old “Britain’s Got Talent” finalist Shaheen Jafargholi to appear in the planned “This Is It” concerts, but there’s a tremendous difference between being a competent enough showman for a concert and a credible performer for a tribute. Jafargholi sang “Who’s Loving You” &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;without any of the soul&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; that so impressed Smokey Robinson when Jackson performed it at the age of 10. Not to mention, you have to wonder if this wasn’t some sort of hint that Jafargholi could find his way onto Joe Jackson’s record label. Enough said."&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;I would like to see Hazlett go back, be a 12-year-old, and perform this tremendously difficult song. She's a woman, and the song has a pitch that is meant for a woman to sing. Let's see if she can do that. Because nobody has ever claimed dear, sweet Shaheen would be the next Michael Jackson. Most of his fans (put aside the psychotic, senseless ones for now) have just claimed that he'll be a superstar because of his amazing control and strength and purity of his voice. But &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;nobody&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; has said, this is going to be the next MJ. And I, for one, stand by that. I don't think he's the world's next legend, but he's got soul and passion when he sings.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Courtney Hazlett is not the only person to have made this "comparison", that Shaheen is not, and never will be, the next Michael Jackson. So many "die-hard" Jackson fans are quick to go "He's some fat kid who doesn't understand the meaning of this song". Quote, comment by a netizen named Lori:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;"This kid has NO “heart”. What i mean by that, is yeh, ok, i GUESS he can sing (scream). BUT, he didnt move me. He’s NOT authentic. He’s a &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;wannabe&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. As far as I’m concerned, a statue coulda been staning there with a soundtrack. Lousy. I hope he NEVER is compared to the likes of a michael Jackson. So what the circumstance or his age or whatever. You’re either a STAR or NOT and he’s NOT!!!!"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;He's a wannabe? He didn't audition to appear in the memorial. He didn't write letters to the Jacksons, pleading to be selected out of a billion "wannabes". He was &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;invited&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; by the Jacksons, because MJ himself spotted the kid and wanted him to be part of his This Is It comeback tour.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;MJ's a legend, and we all know that. But just because the legend has passed doesn't mean you go around slagging off other people who are trying to pay their version of their respects. How would you feel if you were a 12-year-old, flown in from Wales, thrust onto the stage when the entire world is watching you, and nail a difficult song like "Who's Loving You"? I think for his age (and let's bear in mind his voice is now breaking. If you watch his audition for BGT, it's much more effortless), he did a fantastic job, with amazing control (especially at the end when he slows down) and maturity that surpasses his actual age.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;I just wish full-grown adults would grow up and stop criticising someone who is quite literally half their age, or even more. This boy did his best, and moved the world with his rendition of the song (albeit the way MJ sang it as a boy, but nobody's said Shaheen's a musical writer or anything. Nothing wrong with singing it the way MJ did). So stop slagging off the poor child, and be big enough to deflate your ego and admit that this boy does have talent, and that he does have something going for him. If Michael Jackson himself saw talent and passion in this boy, why can't you?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-1957275778951488273?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/1957275778951488273/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/07/shaheen-jafargholi-was-brilliant-even.html#comment-form' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1957275778951488273'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/1957275778951488273'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/07/shaheen-jafargholi-was-brilliant-even.html' title='shaheen jafargholi was brilliant - even MJ thinks so'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-2667701344169399030</id><published>2009-06-02T12:23:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2009-06-02T12:28:39.555+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='economics'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='exams'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='a-levels'/><title type='text'>welcome to my kind of june</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SiSpjQX1ttI/AAAAAAAAABo/E4jjgpoK970/s1600-h/IMG_0401.JPG"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342581481123722962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SiSpjQX1ttI/AAAAAAAAABo/E4jjgpoK970/s320/IMG_0401.JPG" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:verdana;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Why hello, Collins internet-linked dictonary of Economics. You are my bible and soulmate.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now please go away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;This adequately sums up my June: water to avoid myself from passing out due to dehydration and exhaustion; my econ notes that I spent so long doing; and my &lt;em&gt;bible&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;How I &lt;strong&gt;hate&lt;/strong&gt; exams.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-2667701344169399030?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/2667701344169399030/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/06/welcome-to-my-kind-of-june.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/2667701344169399030'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/2667701344169399030'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/06/welcome-to-my-kind-of-june.html' title='welcome to my kind of june'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SiSpjQX1ttI/AAAAAAAAABo/E4jjgpoK970/s72-c/IMG_0401.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-5092186430130122379</id><published>2009-05-14T20:35:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2009-05-22T15:06:19.696+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='american idol'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='ai'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='danny gokey'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='danny'/><title type='text'>danny gokey - not a fan but loads of &lt;3</title><content type='html'>Danny Gokey was eliminated from Idol tonight, which was sad because I really do like him, and I think he's mad talented vocally, and his rendition of "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "My Funny Valentine" were amazing. Rat Pack is definitely his genre. So, despite being a Kris Allen fan, I was really, really, really sad to see Danny Gokey go.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But why I support him is also because he, rather than Kris, is the dark horse of the competition. Nothing Danny does is right. If he talks about Sophia, he's "dead wife pimping", a term which I resent heavily due to the compeltely insensitivity. Meanwhile, if he so much as hugs another woman, he's "not grieving" and is "flirting" instead.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Cut the poor man a break. He can't do anything right. The public, so easily brainwashed by judgemental individuals, were so eager to pounce on somebody to bash this year, and it happened to be Danny Gokey.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If anything, anybody who claims that Danny uses his wife's name to "win him tickets" to the final is showing utmost disrespect to both Danny and Sophia. You can only say that when you know he doesn't feel any sort of grief for her death, and that all his upset is just an act. But how can you be so heartless as to accuse a man who's so recently lost his wife of something like that? You can only point the finger if you knew that for a fact, but certain people are just so ready to pick on whatever clue they have and accuse him of not mourning hard enough, or mourning too much.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And besides, it's the Idol producers and Danny's friends who are using Sophia's name more than he is. During the parade back in Milwaukee, he doesn't mention her name ONCE. Well, not in the coverage--if he did, Idol would've pounced on it and made a huge deal. But they didn't even mention the charity. He didn't mention it either. So how can you accuse Danny himself of using his dead wife's name, when it's more the fault of the Idol producers and the Gokey fanclan?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So Danny, I hope you stay strong, because your voice is better than Adam's (even though Adam has a range that nobody can beat), so I hope you make a record, and I, a Kris Allen fan, will be the first in line to get it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;3&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-5092186430130122379?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/5092186430130122379/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/05/danny-gokey-not-fan-but-loads-of-3.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5092186430130122379'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5092186430130122379'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/05/danny-gokey-not-fan-but-loads-of-3.html' title='danny gokey - not a fan but loads of &lt;3'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-5868111799083327466</id><published>2009-05-07T19:10:00.004+08:00</published><updated>2009-05-07T19:59:12.394+08:00</updated><title type='text'>chelsea - the poster child of arrogance</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://www.dn.se/polopoly_fs/1.860193!image/4118679513.jpg_gen/derivatives/article-landscape/4118679513.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 357px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.dn.se/polopoly_fs/1.860193!image/4118679513.jpg_gen/derivatives/article-landscape/4118679513.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Hmm. Chelsea 1-1 Barcalona. Barcalona go through to the UEFA Finals on their away goal.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Major controversy. Is it a conspiracy? Perhaps.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All the Chelsea fans are banging on about how shit the ref (Tom Henning Ovrebo) was. And how he denied their 4 penalty appeals. And how he ruined their UEFA hopes. And how he should be killed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, he was shit. But it wasn't like he was discriminating against Chelsea in particular. If he wanted Barcalona to win full-out, surely he wouldn't have sent off a &lt;em&gt;Barcalona &lt;/em&gt;player, leaving Barca with 10 men. If he wanted the Spanish to win, he would've sent off a Chelsea player, even if he didn't have a reason to.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Everybody's so focused on the rejected penalties, but let's not forget to credit Barcalona for never giving up, despite going down so early in the game. When Ovrebo &lt;em&gt;wrongly &lt;/em&gt;sent off Abidal, already 1 goal down, Barca could've been heavily disspirited. But they kept fighting, and kept going till the final 3 minutes. So props must go to them.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Now back to Chelsea. Did they have the right to be disappointed? Absolutely! I feel very, very sorry for Chelsea, for going out because of such a crap ref. But the Chelsea camp, fans included, have supported the players' reactions, saying that "adrenaline and emotion" makes this all acceptable. No it doesn't! It's an absolute disgrace when footballers surround the ref and bully them. Again, I emphasise that I do think the ref made some terrible calls. But does that give you the reason to crowd around the ref and attack him? Let UEFA deal with him. If they don't do anything, then make some noise. But for the time being, talk as much as you want. Say "fucking disgrace" amongst yourselves. Chelsea had every right to do so. And not at a camera, may I add, Drogba.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On that note, Drogba, stay on your feet a bit more. All those Chelsea fans must be going "Well Manchester United have Cristiano Ronaldo, who has his share of diving". Hey, at least our boy delivers goals. Those 2 crackers against Arsenal, all the other goals that have catapulted us and saved us several times. I'm not saying he's the best player anymore, but at least he &lt;em&gt;does &lt;/em&gt;stuff. He shows results. Drogba? Go to acting. Really. I think you might win an Oscar. We should begin a tally of how many times he's feigned injuries. He was "injured" and got substituted, yet when the final whistle went, he miraculously could jump around and skip beside the ref, hurling abuse. Wow, what injury? Was it that serious? Just shut up Drogba and do something. Score goals. Do your job. What about that shot when you were 1v1 against the keeper?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And maybe Chelsea, you guys should have done a bit more in the first leg. It was only 1-1 here. They didn't technically win the game. They merely got that vital away goal. Maybe instead of playing defensive football, they should've avoided playing that boring game. That would've made a difference, as shown in this very match.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;And why is Terry the English captain again? His behaviour is far from graceful and decent. Not the first time his antics have been disappointing. What about dancing with girls on the table when he had a "knee injury"? What about those twins and your wife at home? Hmm... Terry, you're a cunt.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So yes, Ovrebo should be banned from reffing huge matches. But Chelsea, you guys shot yourselves in the foot many times as well. 1-0 up in the first half, playing against a 10-men team, at home. On paper, everything was in your favour. Bad refereeing did some obvious, serious damage, and I sympathise with that. But get over your arrogant behaviour of blaming everybody around you, and act like professionals rather than little children in the playground.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-5868111799083327466?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/5868111799083327466/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/05/chelsea-poster-child-of-arrogance.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5868111799083327466'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5868111799083327466'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/05/chelsea-poster-child-of-arrogance.html' title='chelsea - the poster child of arrogance'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-2887815665422337919</id><published>2009-05-01T23:37:00.002+08:00</published><updated>2009-05-03T00:21:44.511+08:00</updated><title type='text'>let's be pc - it's h1n1</title><content type='html'>What did I tell you?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Swine flu--oops! I mean H1N1--has hit Hong Kong.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Can we at least have Spirit Week?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;amp;&amp;amp;edit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Grow up, people.  One guy in Hong Kong has it, not the entire population.  I still believe that the virus will spread soon, but it hasn't YET.  So just get on with your lives and stop anticipating your death.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stupid.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-2887815665422337919?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/2887815665422337919/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/05/lets-be-pc-its-h1n1.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/2887815665422337919'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/2887815665422337919'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/05/lets-be-pc-its-h1n1.html' title='let&apos;s be pc - it&apos;s h1n1'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-6604235163924739524</id><published>2009-04-27T18:08:00.003+08:00</published><updated>2009-04-27T18:26:51.747+08:00</updated><title type='text'>little miss piggy's getting deadly</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/dennert/archives/pig.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 450px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/dennert/archives/pig.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Get ready world.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Just wait till it hits HK. Then all schools will close. Which is usually a good thing for students, except we have A-Levels. And it doesn't make a difference.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Not that I wish the virus to spread at an even faster rate than now. Idealistically, the spread will stop and a vaccine/cure will be found. But till then, get ready to rumble!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-6604235163924739524?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/6604235163924739524/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/6604235163924739524'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/6604235163924739524'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu.html' title='little miss piggy&apos;s getting deadly'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-7513988513649047675</id><published>2009-04-23T20:19:00.007+08:00</published><updated>2009-04-23T20:48:40.063+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='britain&apos;s got talent'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='susan boyle'/><title type='text'>susan boyle - what's happened?</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Content/090413/News/Todays_News_Our_Take/4_thurs/090416susanboyle_britainsgottalent1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Content/090413/News/Todays_News_Our_Take/4_thurs/090416susanboyle_britainsgottalent1.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45666000/jpg/_45666045_talent.jpg"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Like many other people, when I watched Susan Boyle defy all expectations and belt out a beautiful rendition of &lt;strong&gt;"I Dreamed a Dream"&lt;/strong&gt; from the musical &lt;em&gt;Les Miserables&lt;/em&gt;, I was so impressed and watched the YouTube clip like, a hundred times, each time still awed and claiming this woman to be an inspiration, a real fighter.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;The whole appeal about Susan Boyle was that she was your average underdog. She's not pretty at all (forgive me for sounding superficial, but you get my point), she's 47 and never been kissed, unemployed... She's the voice of the normal world, far from Hollywood glamour. Just your average woman, the battling underdog, chasing a dream.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;I have tons of respect for this woman. There's no denying the quality of her voice.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;But.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Observing the recent hype about her, I think she's become too much of the media's plaything. She's been given a makeover, eyebrow shaping, a new haircut (of some sort), a new wardrobe... But while she's becoming more visually appealing, she's losing exactly what makes her Susan Boyle.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Not that makeovers are sins. Obviously if she feels comfortable or desires it, then it's up to her to have it. But it's almost like, because the media's feasting over her, they're forcing her to become something she's not anymore. If she personifies the normal population, surely her newfound fame and the changes brought about completely defies that image. It's like the media's changing exactly what's so appealing and likeable about her in an attempt to make her a star in their own right. But she doesn't need it. The more change she goes through, the less she remains Susan Boyle.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Look at the past Britain's Got Talent star, Paul Potts. He, like Boyle, was the underdog. When he stepped onto the stage, people sneered. When he said he'd sing opera, people sneered and rolled their eyes. But when he opened his mouth, it brought tears to people's eyes and the crowd to their feet. OK he's a man, and so his appearance wasn't so important, but he, like Boyle, was not, let's say, eye candy. He didn't immediately go lose weight and fix his teeth (he did after he won). He went through, just focused on singing, and it was his down-to-earth appeal that helped him win.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;And I just wonder, with the hype, will it backfire? She's losing the whole point of Susan Boyle, and becoming The Media's Temporary Sweetheart. The woman who will be in the spotlight so long as BGT continues, then once it's over, she'll fade from the public eye, and nothing much will happen. I don't wish that at all. I think this woman deserves a better life and a bright future, and the worst thing would be if she's dropped after the storm. You know how harsh the media can be: you are the centre of attention when you sell papers, and dropped the minute the hype is over.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"&gt;So come on Susan Boyle.  Just be yourself.  Don't let the sudden attention and fame get to your head too much.  Please.  Because if you don't, then you're no longer the woman we fell in love with on that stage.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-7513988513649047675?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/7513988513649047675/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/susan-boyle-whats-happened.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/7513988513649047675'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/7513988513649047675'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/susan-boyle-whats-happened.html' title='susan boyle - what&apos;s happened?'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-2774480185502757019</id><published>2009-04-21T18:55:00.007+08:00</published><updated>2009-04-21T19:41:17.528+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='rant'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='sandra cantu'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='peace'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='violence'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='oj simpson'/><title type='text'>is the world that wonderful, mr wonder?</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:180%;"&gt;和平 &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;I&lt;/span&gt; 暴力&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"&gt;meaning: peace I violence&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;It's a recurring joke that in beauty pagents, all aspiring beauty queens say they hope to one day bring about "world peace". It's a funny gag that gets all of us sniggering slightly, but is it that funny a dream? Is it because it's so unattainable, we just laugh at the concept, without attempting to achieve it?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Why does violence even occur? Is it not embedded in the back of everybody's mind that you should only do good? What prompts people to "break away" and commit crimes? Look at the murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu. Her body was found stuffed in a suitcase dumped in an irrigation pond. Her alleged murderer has been accused of not only murdering the girl but also raping her with "a foreign object". What could have possibly motivated her to do something like that? Mental illness? Could explain it, but it's an excuse rather than a justification for it.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;What about sane killings? OJ Simpson's name was cleared, but the world's pretty convinced that he was guilty of Nicole Brown's murder. Yeah, guilty enough to write that book "If I Did It", and insensitive enough to have the "If" almost non-existent on the front cover of the book. This man is not mentally challenged, nor does he have some sort of emotional problem. He's just a cold-hearted monster of a murderer. And yet he walked free (well, until he got arrested for the other charges), taunting and teasing the world about his "Not Guilty" verdict. Was it prompted by jealousy? Jealous of what? They had divorced 2 years prior to the murder. Pulling jealousy back into the argument is like blaming postpartum depression for your behaviour when your kids are already in their teens. And even if you are a teensy bit jealous, surely you have some sort of mental barrier that stops you from committing "wrong".&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;And the London stabbings. There's no excuse for that. It's died down now, and obviously everybody's grateful it has, but when it was at its peak, it was absolutely unbelievable in the worst possible way. People say "Oh, it is terrible, but it's okay because it will never happen to you". Well, that's what the victims' friends and families told them, yet they died. Why? Because knife crimes were cool. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;u&gt;Cool&lt;/u&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. What sort of fucked-up world would think that taking somebody else's life--the one most precious thing in the world--is cool? Does this say something about our world? Do we enjoy living on the edge so much that we need deaths to satisfy us? Are we that blood-thirsty now? Is this why people are encouraged to commit violent acts? There are countless excuses for violence and meanness: mental problems, emotional problems, stress, jealousy, financial problems... But that's all they are. Excuses. Not justifications.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;You look at the world around you, and it's filled with an air of deadness. Of course there are nice people--I'm not suicidal or pessemistic enough to think that there is absolutely no good in this world--but in this--let's face it--terrifying world we live in, is world peace really such a joke? Is it that stupid of an idea, or is it just so unrealistic that it's merely a dream we revere but not aspire to?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-2774480185502757019?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/2774480185502757019/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-world-that-wonderful.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/2774480185502757019'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/2774480185502757019'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-world-that-wonderful.html' title='is the world that wonderful, mr wonder?'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-467827894105365198.post-5018265113584505873</id><published>2009-04-20T08:59:00.007+08:00</published><updated>2009-04-20T20:46:17.076+08:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='fever'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='dog names'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='slumdog millionaire'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='rubina ali'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='sunny'/><title type='text'>sunny day, sweeping the clouds away</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;So the fever's cleared up. Still feeling a bit hot, but I think, thanks to my 6-hour roll-around-in-bed sweating session last night (couldn't sleep. Absolutely agonising), it's really dying down. I looked out the window this morning, and man, what a view.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: trebuchet ms" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SevJkFgdHdI/AAAAAAAAAA8/xNaa7ABwYjk/s1600-h/IMG_0247.JPG"&gt;&lt;img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326572606086520274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SevJkFgdHdI/AAAAAAAAAA8/xNaa7ABwYjk/s320/IMG_0247.JPG" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;The view at our place is gorgeous when it's sunny, but it's fascinating when it's during those in-between days. Looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. Modernised.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;About to head off to school in half an hour, but my persistent sweating means I couldn't stay in bed a bit longer. What's on my mind now?&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Hmm.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;OK I was so right about the quintuplet. My score prediction was a large step in the wrong direction, I know, but told you we couldn't win it. Just too much pressure.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;And here's some dog trivia: did you know that&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;* Max is the commonest name for a male dog&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;* Bella is the commonest name for a female dog&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Slightly uncreative, isn't it? My friend's white puppy's called Igloo. Now &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" &gt;that&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt; is a show of creativity. But according to VPI pet insurance, people apparently like to name dogs as if they're real children. Hmm.&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;Whoa damn the mist is seeping into the house.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/04/20/amd_slumdog.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2009/04/20/amd_slumdog.jpg" border="0" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;And now for s&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;ome celeb gossip. Apparently the father of Rubina Ali Qureshi, the girl who played the youngest Latika in &lt;span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"&gt;Slum&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"&gt;dog Millionaire&lt;/span&gt;, tried to sell her off for adoption. Trust &lt;span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"&gt;News of the World&lt;/span&gt; to stir up a scandel. Quite a l&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;ot o&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;f people are critical about it. Saying that a parent should keep a children through thick and thin. But (as cruel as this may sound to some), I think he should let someone adopt her. It would be his choice, so no Madonna-David scandel there, &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;and he's right: she's a special child, having been in an Oscar-winning film (whether or not the film deserves it is another issue), and if he can't provide her with a good life, he might as well find someone who can. You can't compare the slums of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;India with, say, the modern world of America. It's an entirely different situation, and I think &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;people should cut him some slack. Would I ever give up my children (if I have any) for adoption? A big, loud 'no'. But I live in Hong Kong, I'm heading off to London for uni, and wherever I stay in the future (probably still HK), I'll have a job to support my family. But they live in an entirely different world, and sometimes people fail to take that into account.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;OK off to school. Joy. =(&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/467827894105365198-5018265113584505873?l=michx15.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/feeds/5018265113584505873/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunny-day-sweeping-clouds-away.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5018265113584505873'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/467827894105365198/posts/default/5018265113584505873'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://michx15.blogspot.com/2009/04/sunny-day-sweeping-clouds-away.html' title='sunny day, sweeping the clouds away'/><author><name>mich</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02562564215495622402</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='13' height='32' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SfBpj7iumtI/AAAAAAAAABI/upOo0jndxnM/S220/HighTeaMe.bmp'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0cImpOddm9s/SevJkFgdHdI/AAAAAAAAAA8/xNaa7ABwYjk/s72-c/IMG_0247.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
