Vickiepedia

Dim sims. Or should I say, “dim sims”. The mysterious Australian-Chinese food that, as far as I know, doesn’t exist in the Chinese cuisine in Asia.

From left to right: Dim Sim (uncooked); Dim Sim (steamed); Dim Sim (shallow-fried).

Shut up, Dim Sim (burnt shallow-fried).

I randomly came across these 30-second ads by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta on YouTube while I was looking to expand my Schubert collection. Let me just say this: I. Absolutely. Love. Those ads! Love! Description of videos provided below each one if you can’t/don’t want to view them or don’t understand Cantonese.

Video 1 (Beethoven)

Beethoven(-lookalike) straggles down the street whistling (Beethoven’s) Symphony No. 5, one trouser leg shorter than the other. Camera zooms to his legs with noises of flies around, he scratches one leg with the other foot. Camera zooms up, his hair is grey and messy. He continues down another street and a passerby does a double take. A policeman approaches him around the corner and asks to check his ID card. Beethoven reaches for his ID, dropping his tissue, keys, more keys, coins and everything in the process, and hands the police the ID.

Narrator (while Beethoven is shoving all the crap he’s dropped back into his pockets): Beethoven was known to be a very messy person. So why do you think classical music is pretentious now?

Video 2 (Mozart)

Mozart(-lookalike) flamboyantly hops into a barbershop. He greets the barber by rubbing his face, laughs out loud as he reads a comic book and switches his wig with the toupee of the man next to him who’s nodded off.

Narrator (while Mozart is laughing and playing with toupee in mirror): Mozart was known to have a playful personality. So why do you think classical music is only serious now?

Video 3 (Schubert)

Schubert(-lookalike) is in a small and shared bedroom with two other men in their undershirts. All three men have no shoes on and are eyeing a pair of shoes in the room. They play rock-paper-scissors and one man wins. Schubert and the other loser look frustrated as the winner happily claims the shoes.

Narrator (while Schubert and the other man watch the person with the shoes walk out): Schubert was known to be completely broke. So why do you think classical music is something reserved for the rich now?

And I Say

And that’s classical music, seriously! I’m sick of people telling me that I have a refined, elegant, pretentious, strange or what-have-you taste in music. What I like is very much like what you like. If you (don’t) like it, you (don’t) like it. If you (don’t) understand the appeal, you (don’t) understand the appeal. It’s really just that.

Whoever came up with these ads should give themselves a pat on the back. Or quote this blog and redeem their voucher for a free hug/drink/more.

If I first claim to be a highly logical, scientific and secular person and then jokingly tell you that my hips and thighs are Sagittarian features, the correct response that would earn the highest approval rating from me would be to (jokingly) point out how hypocritical, illogical, unscientific and superstitious of me to say that — which I’m not really, mind. Also, my hips and thighs are fine.

My friend? He said: “oooh no wonder”.

Vickie disapproves (-18) I should stop playing Dragon Age: Origins.

I was pretty sure “What do you do during the weekends?” was what Examiner 1 asked. That’s one of the standard questions for that oral exam; pretty much free marks for grabs. I can’t say I was very well-prepared because I had a 1,000-word individual assignment plus a 12,000-word group assignment due the same day with 5 other classmates, in which only 3.5 of them were really active. But still. Weekends? I often play sports with my friends and practice the violin, among other things. Of course I’d study a lot if there’s an upcoming test. Then Examiner 1 would likely follow up and ask what sports I’m into. I would answer swimming and tennis. I prefer swimming because I don’t really like to sweat.

“What do you do during the weekends?”
“I often play video games alone.”

No, Vickie! Sports, friends, violin, study, swimming, tennis, sweat… remember?

“I, uh, often play video games…?”

Examiner 1 shot me an “are you for real” look.
Examiner 2 giggled.

Which is no biggie and just a language / preparation fail if I wasn’t telling the truth.

But I was. The actual things I do during all my weekends. Video games. Alone.

FML.

This is a screen capture of the weather application on my current hot-in-a-good-way phone.

I’m pretty sure that weather symbol for Friday means death, especially for people who live in a garage with no air-conditioning like me.

Non-filler entries to follow soon.

Only if that symbol doesn’t mean death.