The ship that...

A ship set sail almost three years ago and though it was a small ship, it was constantly upgraded and improved till it became a large and stable ship. Recently, the ship sailed into rougher seas... Very soon, as the storm came in, the ship lost control and steered towards a coral reef. As the ship headed to the coral reef, everyone on board was willing with all their might that the ship can turn off the course of eminent destruction and towards safety. It was however, not their day.

The ship cruised into the rough coral reef and as the corals scrapped against the hull of the ship, everyone n board looked with fear. Most jumped off the ship except for the two who made the ship what it was today. They knew, it was either let it sink or to save the ship. The hull was breached by the time they got to it. Water was gushing in by gallons and gallons. As I bailed the water out anxiously and with everything I could muster, it wasn't helping the ship to stay afloat. He decisively tried to fix the hull while I continued bailing gallons and gallons of water in a bid to save the sinking ship.

Those people that jumped off the ship saw the ship's eminent destruction and was certain of its doom. However, with a lot of perseverance and effort, the two finally managed to fix the hull and stop the leaks. They continued bailing the rest of the water out and soon, the ship was afloat once again, despite the certainty that those people who abandoned the ship had that the ship was certain for destruction.

This is the main crux of my story with my boyfriend over the past few weeks and months. This is one of the reasons why I've not been updating my blog regularly. The other reason being me too lazy to do that.

To my boyfriend that might be reading this, I love you and thank you for choosing me and not to follow the others and abandon the ship. I hope that this ship of ours will continue to sail towards our destination which will be filled with mystery, joy and happiness. I want to spend my entire life with you! You might not believe this but I know that you are the one for me. It seems, no matter what, you are the only one with the knack to calm me down when I am really angry and the ability to make me smile in my time of extreme sadness. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there with me during all these times. I want you to know that I really love you and care for you. And I want to do that for the rest of my life. I hope you will allow me this request.

Love,
Clarevoiyant

Confessions

With the onslaught of confession pages that popped up in the last year itself, it's a wonder how this is my first confession ever. It's not really a confession per se, but, I don't think I'll be able to handle saying all these in one sitting to my boyfriend though I really do mean every single word I typed here.

Hi Boyfriend XXX,

I'm not sure if you will see this post at all. I think I'll start by saying that I'm lucky to have you in my life. The past few weeks and months of our time together has probably been the roughest patch we've ever hit so far, and, I guess I am lucky that we still held on even midst all those uncertainties, anger and sadness. From the past few weeks XXX, I've come to realize that you mean the world to me. Even as you had feelings for someone else, I'm glad that you came through and still chose me in the end. For that, I'm happy enough. Actually, I'm very happy. Though it still doesn't change the fact that I hate it when you two spend time together. It's a gut wrenching, heart stabbing pain...

For the next many weeks, which you will be on course... I'll really miss you. So, I want to do something special for you on the weekends before you head for the course. I hope you will enjoy what I've come up with. I'm not a great baker but I hope they represent my love and will be tasty...

What I really want to say is that you are the best thing that ever happened to me. You say that as I go through university I might find someone else, but I find everyone else dull compared to you. You might say that I will choose someone else in the end, but, after this three years, I've come to realize that no one else will suffice except you. Even if they look better or behave better...no one...NO ONE will ever replace my deary XXX!

So anyways, I just want to end this off with a lyrics of a song. Alicia Keys - If I ain't got you.

"Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain't got you, yeah

Some people search for a fountain
Promises forever young
Some people need three dozen roses
And that's the only way to prove you love them

Hand me the world on a silver platter
And what good would it be
With no one to share
No one who truly cares for me

Some people want it all
But I don't want nothing at all
If it ain't you, baby
If I ain't got you, baby"

I hope through this we grow stronger together, I still am working towards owning a house together so that we can share every single moment together. Let's make that materialize ok XXX?

Your bf,
C

AudioFlies: JBL J55 on ear headphones review

These pair of cans are the new headphones I have bought myself just in time before my Klipsch started to die out on one side. When I find the time and the receipt to claim my warranty I will fix my Klipsch. So, ion the mean time, I have the luxury of listening to the J55.

JBL is an old brand that made Hi-Fi sets and home theater systems back in the 1990s. Later in the 2000s, JBL started with their own making of speakers for the computers and other media and while other companies such as Denon and Sennheisers continued their advancement in developing their portable headphones and earphones, JBL didn't follow suit. Recently however, the company was acquired by Harman. Together with Harman's expertise in making portable speakers and headphones, JBL once again got into making these amazing headphones.

The Good
Potability
These earphones are not the type of gigantic earphones (Like the J88) that seem like the type of cans to stay at home because carrying it around will not only be ridiculous but also inconvenient. It is firstly comfortable and though it sits on the ears, the soft foam and soft leather does a great job to cushion the ears. It is comfortable and when tested with my boyfriend, he couldn't hear any sound leaks from the outside. Good news! People on the outside won't hear what you are listening to. Conscious people all can put to rest their worries that their music might affect others. Also, the earphones come with a neat design which allows for your earphones to be folded inwards so that it takes up lesser space, making it the real portable earphones.

Design
The design of the headphones includes two brush aluminium plates that covers both sides of the cans making it a close back headphones. This probably contributes as to why the outside world cannot hear your music. Also, there is a metal band on the top to reinforce the plastic band so that it doesn't break so easily and is lodged inside the plastic band so that only a portion of it can be seen.

Sound Quality
These pair of cans do pretty well in terms of the lows and the highs. Though it doesn't fair too well on the mids, it is generally acceptable for its price. These cans probably need some sort of internal equalizer to boost the bass because a low driver cannot boost an impressive bass for the headphones. I got to say however after the equalizer, there was significant increase in the bass for the cans. It not only boast a powerful bass, it is also balanced and has a stunning sound stage. Almost every instrument from Adele's Skyfall can be heard while her voice was warm and simply stunning but at the same time, it was overpowering. If you use together with a amateur amplifier, you would most probably get a much better sound response from these cans. Overall, I would say these cans are the most worth for its pricing. It generally is priced at around SGD 150. For its build quality and its design, I don't think you can ask for more.

The Bad
Design
As I have said before, the design is stunning and beautiful. However I have one fault with these earphone design. That is the lack of an L shaped audio jack for your device which makes the placing of my phone in my pocket uncomfortable especially so when I am bending down.

Sound Quality
These pair of headphones have rather bad mids in exchange for its heavy bass. The bass is not overpowering so luckily, that means not much of the mids was sacrificed to achieve such a bass response. These headphones were not build for extreme audiophile usage such as for a concert hall effect, therefore its sound stage would not be able to beat the Sennheisers Momentum. However, for its price again, I would like to stress that it has an impressive sound stage and can still differentiate up to 5 instruments at one time provided the song hardly has an overpowering bass. Due to its high impedance of 32 Ohms, these pair of cans require a equalizer or an amplifier. If you are on a tight budget, I would recommend you to get a Fiio Fujima E06 which costs anywhere from SGD$35 onwards. If you have no intention of buying an amplifier, I suggest you use your pre-installed equalizer in your phone/device or if your device doesn't come with one (like my HTC one V), you can install Rocket Player which in my opinion has a decent programming without much glitches and also boast a good companion for these headphones. Also, this player can also play FLAC or lossless music file format which will ensure you only hear the best!

Overall Verdict
I would only suggest these headphones for people who like design, comfort and leather ear phones. Budding audiophiles interested in R&B, Jazz or Pop music will be suitable for this pair of cans. For symphonic and classical music lovers however, I am afraid that the sound stage of these cans will only stand to disappoint you. If you would like to purchase these headphones at a discount of SGD100(excluding delivery fees), email me at clarevoiyant_backpack@hotmail.sg with your

• Name
• Mailing address
• Contact Number
• Meeting point for cash and carry
• Colour. White, Black or Orange

Please note that the headphones sold at a discount will not have a warranty. Also, delivery is only available when convenient. Cash and Carry preferred. Colours  for selection only available when stock is available. I will not be liable for any missing mail. Please contact me if you have any queries.

Food Escapade: Tea Break @ Han'is Cafe and Bakery

Walking around the Douby Ghaut area after a movie at the Grand Cathay, we walked towards the Selegie area so that we could find a place to have tea and coffee. So we found a cafe that is connected to the Hans that we all are used to. Since I was around 3-5, I was living at the Hougang area and every single weekend, I would follow my parents to Hougang Mall and eat at Hans (which is still there beside McDonalds). Eating at Hans is nostalgic. Though I would say Hans and Hanis is totally different. For an obvious difference, Hanis has two types of coffee. There is the espresso machine for those who prefer their coffee expresso style and rich in flavor. There are of course those who still would prefer the coffee-shop styled sock coffee or otherwise known as Kopi. Either way, you can get both here. Including the usual spread of local and western fare. I got to add that here at Hanis, there is a much greater choice of cakes for the sweet tooth. For those who love their cakes and still want to keep their pockets without holes, should mark this place as a staple for cheaper cakes that don't taste anything like its price.

I ordered a raspberry and earl grey cake that proved a little to messy to take out the plastic that covered the cake. It costed roughly SGD$ 3 but I can't remember exactly its price. It was a little on the sweet side but it had infusion of earl grey which was amazing.

My boyfriend ordered a cappuccino and surprisingly it was supplied by illy. I got to say, it was the smoothest coffee I've ever tasted and I could have the coffee even without sugar. I have to add I am not a coffee lover as I love tea more. However, I did like that coffee. Bottomline: try the coffee. It's only SGD$ 4.5 too for a cappuccino.

For anyone who would love to visit this quiet place, which we managed to find a quiet corner for ourselves, the address is as below.

Add

:

8 Wilkie Road Wilkie Edge #01-22/23/24
Singapore 228095

Tel

:

+65 63381903

Awards and Accreditations:Halal

It's time to work hard: For me and my Boyfriend.

Well, it's finally here: My final exams are round the corner. Exactly in one month's time from now, in the midst of NS and all, I'll be done with my part time diploma and have myself the capability to earn more than my current measly pay by about three times! Of course that will still have to wait till my NS is over. While there is assignment and studying to be done on my part, my poor baby has to do his first (and hopefully last) 24 km route march to his glorious end of his basic military training. I won't be there to watch him do that amazing feat (for which I was excused from in my days of bmt) because his family will be there and it would take a lot of explanation as to why a boy is attending in place of his sister. Of which they have only had a glance previously. I would definitely not have anything to talk about and much less stammer the whole way because I am such a bad liar. So he didn't want me to go. Besides, we promised that if we were to come out, it would be a time when we both felt comfortable. And telling your in-laws you are his/her son's boyfriend is a double shock. Imagine knowing the fact that your son is gay and the fact that he has a boyfriend. It could go both ways. One, the mum/dad already knows and says something on the line like, "Oh. I already know lah.  Psst. *whispers* He's a hottie!" Or, the less desirable way when he/she breaks down, maybe starts swearing and hopefully not have violence involve.

I know for one that my family isn't very receptive of homosexuality (I guess it is a typical asian parent thing). I won't be having it easy when I come out though I did leave a few traces of my being one here and there for them to speculate since I am pretty much the normal boy save the fact I love dicks. Each time I did, I rated their response and so far, it doesn't look very promising. Well, I just hope they take in those information and piece together and finally come to terms with it before my actual "coming out" so that it will be less of a problem when it does happen. Eventually and I envision it to be soon. Maybe in about 5 years? There are times when I do feel like I am tired. Tired of all these 'pretentious lies' that I am "going out with my friends" when it is my boyfriend I am going out with. "Oh, this is just a friend", "I'm going overseas with friends". All of these lies. I can't really tell lies so each time I do manage to slip over one, I feel like I die a little inside. I just hope my coming out to be a better story than I hope it'll be.

Btw, I think my boyfriend is a smart, cute and adorable little boy. I just want to hug him and snuggle up to him every moment of my life. He is however on the depressed side and tend to think of negative things. I guess it is just his personality. But I do love every aspect of him except for him always running late for dates and his negative outlook on almost everything. But, asides from all that, he really is a sweet boy. A little on the scrawny side but I like to call it slim twink-ish. I do have similar body shape but I have more pronounced pectorals and biceps despite the fact he in physically exercising and I am not really doing it on as regular a basis as I want it to be (I do chest building exercises like maybe once in two weeks). It is true that in a relationship, sex can be excluded. However, if a relationship is to last long, sex is necessary. 

Why do I say that? Well, when sex is performed, it releases a lot of dopamine. The central neurochemical player behind falling in—and out—of love is dopamine. Dopamine is the principal neurochemical that activates your reward circuitry, the centerpiece of the limbic system. Dopamine is involved with many aspects of mood, behavior, and perception. Even small shifts in dopamine sensitivity or levels can have profound effects on how you see the world, or your partner.The key word is bonding. Bonding is more than a behavior. It is a mammalian program, the program that permits parenting and living in groups. When dopamine drops, you are likely to find your partner less rewarding—and your bond unravels. So when you have sex, the attraction towards him is renewed. I don't need that often because I fall in love with him again and again and again and all I need is his smile. That smile of his never seems to fail in cheering me up and making feel like he is the "one" for me.

I do hope Mr Right stays with me till the day I step out of the closet so that even if I enter a new battlefield after stepping out, my prince charming will be there to back me up and we can get through the storm together. In the past, both of us walked a lonely path. Today, I feel that he made me much less lonely and I really really really love that innocent boy that never fails to stop eating baby carrots. A bunny indeed!

To my bunny boyfriend: I love you! :)

Pinkdot 2013 and the list of "I like"s

Pinkdot 2013 was a massive event. According to Calcy Tay on InSing.com, "A record 21,000 people turned up at this year’s Pink Dot event held over the weekend at Speakers’ Corner". The last time I went to pinkdot was in 2010 when pinkdot came for the third time. I remember how I had to go out of the house in a non-pink t-shirt and later change to a pink t-shirt because it was the precarious time when my parents found out about my boyfriend and I, and, going for the event would definitely not help to ease the situation.

As you can see from the photos that pinkdot has grown over the years. I went to pinkdot in 2010 in its third year and already, the dot was no longer a "dot", it was an out of shape circle. In 2011, I didn't partake in the event because my boyfriend and I both forgot about the event. So, we didn't go. But it certainly is growing bigger. Then, it was already a sea of pink. This year,  with 6,000 more attendees than the previous year, it was definitely much more crowded with people spilling into the streets. I am truly happy to see the amount of people who are like me, being supported by this great community. I can say that I am proud to be part of such a loving community. Though, I am not so sure it will continue to be a success in the following years. Of course, it has gained global attention. A few gays living overseas even came back for the event. But still, as the event gains supporters, it will be more difficult to hold all these people in the park alone as having the event outside the park is considered against the law and illegal. I do hope the event gets support from the government and can finally progress and get the necessary approval to hold the event at a larger venue.

Also,  Vincent Wijeysingha a Singaporean opposition leader has come out of the closet in what he calls, "a way to garner more support for the event and call people to join the event". I applaud his move and his bravery as this can have both a bad and good side to it. While the gay community would largely vote for him, this doesn't rid the fact that Singapore is still largely a backward country in terms of openness and homophobia. He might jolly well get the bad votes just for being gay. That is very much unfair, but, it is the harsh reality. Kudos to Vincent and Pinkdot supporters! Embrace the love and cast away the fears(and ignorance)!
Now, I will be moving on to more about myself. It's the list of "I like". This list will not be as extensive as the list of "I hate" because I really hate a lot of things, even my boyfriend complains about it.

I like my boyfriend.
I like d**ks
I like gummy bears
I like lean and fit boys
I like berries
I like yoghurt
I like ice cream
I like roast duck
I like roast chicken
I like pork chops
I like bak kut teh(pork rib soup: Singaporean dish) One of the hawkers that is going to challenge Gordon Ramsay in the Singtel Hawker cook-off challenge? I think It'll probably be too easy for Ramsay. I say, we see him ake Roti Prata! Let's laugh at the Michelin Starred Chef making holey pratas (indian flat bread that is chewy and crispy on the outside)
I like blue
I like s**
I like mango
I like thai food
I like chinese food
I like steaks and chops
I like vegetables (a legacy of my mum's teachings when we were young)
I like soup
I like mushrooms
I like japanese food
I like korean bbq (not their food because some of them are too sweet for my liking)
I like travelling the world
I like reading
I like drawing
I like architecture
I like quiet and serene places
I like being loved by my boyfriend
I like being hugged

Well, it is quite extensive already so I shan't continue. But, here you are, a list of what I like... to be continued. I seriously didn't expect myself to come up with so much things that I like. Wait till you see the list of "I hate". Hahas. Till next time!