cMYk

2007-10-24T18:28:00.001+08:00

PHOTOS!!!!

Here

Will update this set with more pictures soon.

2007-08-13T15:35:00.000+08:00

Can you keep a postsecret?

2007-07-25T18:33:00.000+08:00

2007-07-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

triskaidekaphobia \tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:
A morbid fear of the number 13 or the date Friday the 13th.

Dictionary.com
Word of the Day
Friday July 13, 2007

hurhurhur

With Regards,
Leslie

2007-06-30T00:56:00.000+08:00

Police: car bomb may have been inspired by al-Qaida

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, Ms Smith said the UK faced a "most serious and sustained threat" from terrorism.

2007-06-16T00:28:00.000+08:00

Marianne
by Tori Amos

tuna
rubber
a little blubber in my igloo
and I knew you pigtails and all
girls when they fall
and they said Marianne killed herself
and I said not a chance
don't you love girls ladies babes
old bags who say she was so pretty why
why why why did she crawl down in the old
deep ravine

c'mon pigtails girls and all those sailors
get your bags and hold down won't you just
hold down cause Ed is watching my every sound
I said
they're watching my every sound

the weasel squeaks faster then a seven day week
I said Timmy and that purple Monkey
are all down
at Bobby's house
making themselves pesters and lesters and jesters and my
traitors of kind
and I'm just having thoughts of Marianne
she could outrun the fastest slug
she could
having thoughts of Marianne
quickest girl in the frying pan
I'm just having thoughts of Marianne

2007-06-15T13:38:00.000+08:00

Inequality

If there's one thing I brought home from Bandung, Indonesia, it would be the overwhelming feeling that the unethical hedonistic lifestyle of the rich and famous are truly to be despised upon. I wonder how some people can find it in their hearts to build ostentatious apartments opposite a whole row of slums. Shopping, money, luxury... they all seem so small to me now.

2007-06-04T21:51:00.000+08:00

What's wrong, London Olympics?

Award a wooden spoon.

2007-05-25T00:42:00.000+08:00

What is a McJob to you?

The low-paying, subservient temp behind the till that is trained to say "Any upsize?" or "Any drinks to go with that?"

Or the company with the best employee welfare and interest McDonald's publicises all over the MRT stations?

Picture from Have you had enough yet

The Oxford English Dictionary currently describes a McJob as "an unstimulating low-paid job with few prospects".

McDonald's says this definition is now "out of date and insulting", and claims a survey found that 69% of the UK population agree it needs updating.

Now, follow the title link to BBC and go over and vote on the right column under "Should the dictionary definition of a McJob be changed?". What ALARMING poll results?! Haha.

2007-05-24T14:28:00.000+08:00

Inadequate Journalism

I tend not to take the local press too seriously for various reasons; the most obvious being biased news reporting. The rest such as linguistically flawed (intentionally and unintentionally) writing and mundane news kind of swiftly fall in line too.

Over the past week, I've been taking extra notice of how our news is presented to us. In Tuesday's (22 May 07) Today - a free daily newspaper - for instance, somewhere in the middle pages there was a headline that says something like "Baby dies twice". But of course, the baby didn't twice. Logically speaking, that's impossible. Physical death only occurs once for us mortals. What happened was the baby was wrongly declared dead the first time.

Technically speaking, the headline is not entirely wrong, but it not exactly correct either. And what I don't get is why they had to resort to such sensationalist techniques to grab the readers' attention. The piece of news itself is not that exciting actually, but the headline seemed to convey to the reader some kind of fascination and intrigue, which is not in line with the content of the news. And if you go back to those old school language classes, and even in my japanese class, they'd tell you that headlines are not simply to grab the readers' attention, but also have to satisfy the criteria of being factually correct and providing an accurate idea of the content. Such a headline does a clear disservice to its content by altering the readers' perception of what to expect. That having said, what is more unforgivable is that coming up with alternative headlines that are more accurate and as short for this piece of news is really quite easy.

At least as a reader, that's what I want from a headline. How else would I distill the articles that I want to read from the all the news that are reported daily. But maybe the general populace doesn't really care.

Allow me to digress, but...

I've also come across this article (this has nothing to do with journalism).

Here's an excerpt from Today Online, 23 May 07.

The issue cropped up when a student asked RAdm Lui how the Government will reconcile "ideas and ideologies" that will be increasingly in conflict as Singapore "opens up to the world and becomes more liberal". She was referring to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's comments at a forum last month in which he said the Government is not the moral police on the homosexuality issue.
.
In response, RAdm Lui said: "Yes, there will be different tension points, maybe what some would characterise conservatives versus liberals. We can't be stiff-necked. We need to be open to ideas but we have to come to our conclusions through the framework in Singapore. That's why it's important to have our own deep convictions and beliefs."
.
While acknowledging Mr Lee's comments on the possible genetics of homosexuality, RAdm Lui said he does not subscribe to the theory that it is a "medical condition".
.
"Do you excuse paedophiles or psychopaths because of a medical condition?" he asked.

Somehow, the some officials also have a knack for not answering questions directly, which may be attributed to the fact that they either have serious problems understanding the question posed, or they are deliberately trying to avoid answering the question because they have no good answer. But that's not good enough to circumvent the problem.

By asking that rhetorical question to prove his invalid argument that homosexuality is not a medical condition, he is implying that homosexuals are no different from paedophiles and psychopaths, and that homosexual acts, whether consenting or not, should be classified under the same degree of crime and wrongdoing. Yet again, another case of linguistic misuse.

And what on earth constitutes OUR own deep convictions and beliefs? I suggest he speaks for himself.

I have no problem with conflicting opinions, because that's human nature. And if people choose to stay together collectively, it's bound to happen. But I'm not comfortable with the way some people who are supposed to be a bit more level-headed deal or tackle the issue.

Honestly, with all due respect, but all his responses do make him sound just a tad too daft for my liking.

2007-05-17T00:59:00.000+08:00

Faster Macbooks

I'm so glad I didn't get one too early. The new range is faster, has more space, and best of all - cheaper.

2007-05-06T00:32:00.000+08:00

Medical Specialty Aptitude Gauge

So my medic friend showed me this university website where I could answer a tedious 130 questions, to find out my medical specialty inclinations. He said it's pretty accurate and that it will be able to give a rough gauge of what to consider. This is what I got...

1 preventive med 44
2 pathology 44
3 allergy & immunology 44
4 neurology 43
5 neurosurgery 43
6 psychiatry 42
7 pulmonology 42
8 general internal med 42
9 occupational med 41
10 aerospace med 41
11 endocrinology 40
12 cardiology 40
13 dermatology 40
14 plastic surgery 39
15 thoracic surgery 39
16 radiology 39
17 ophthalmology 39
18 otolaryngology 38
19 nuclear med 38
20 rheumatology 38
21 physical med & rehabilitation 38
22 emergency med 38
23 anesthesiology 38
24 nephrology 38
25 infectious disease 38
26 hematology 38
27 gastroenterology 38
28 radiation oncology 37
29 urology 37
30 general surgery 36
31 orthopaedic surgery 36
32 med oncology 35
33 pediatrics 34
34 obstetrics/gynecology 33
35 family practice 33
36 colon & rectal surgery 32

To my pleasant surprise, I charted high on Pathology, Allergy & Immunology, and Neurology.
And I don't really mind that I'm rather low on Colon & Rectal Surgery.

2007-04-25T11:02:00.000+08:00

The Absurdity of The Armed Citizen

I find it extremely difficult to fathom the American psyche of the armed citizen. To me, it's ironic and is also a sad excuse to a civilised and respectful society.

Many americans feel that the scale of recent Virginia Tech incident would not have been possible if the campus wasn't a gun-free zone, and that students or staff could've gunned the gunner down. But honestly, why compromise no deaths with lesser deaths?

Although there is an apparent increase in popular support for gun control after the spate of campus killings in the past decade, this seldom translates into new legislations being passed. Many have attributed this to the National Rifle Association's (NRA) influence, but I think there can be no denial that it has to do with people's reluctancy to part with their weapons.

Part of the difference is also the American idea of personal rights, and in this case, the right to bear arms. There is probably also the idea of respect in society; the trust in responsibility and ownership. But honestly, how many Americans have their compatriots turn out to be perpetrators of gun crime than those of a country like Britain or Singapore with strict gun laws?

"According to government statistics, the number of people killed by guns has essentially stayed the same, with dips and spikes, as before the 1997 gun control laws went into effect: There were 55 shooting deaths in 1995 and 50 last year in England and Wales. By comparison, there were 137 fatal shootings in the District of Columbia last year.

...

"All gun crime did not cease" when England banned handguns, he said. But he added, "There is no doubt at all that the more guns there are, the more people get killed by them."
Britons believe in gun control laws enacted after deadly 1996 shooting - Charleston Daily Mail

Why do you want to walk into a school with your peers concealing guns in their bags in the name of protection? Doesn't the proliferation of arms also give rise to easier access to them, either legal or illegal? It's easy to blame it on the mental state of the shooter, or the fact that victims were deprived of the means to protect themselves. But it's not that easy to admit that society and legislation has provided them the means to allow the materialisation of their macabre fantasies.

In the end, the result is a kind of freedom that defeats itself - the uncivilised freedom. But as a citizen of a country that does not compromise on gun control, and probably has the toughest gun control measures in the world, I can attest to her remarkable safety record regarding firearms.

2007-04-14T23:35:00.000+08:00

"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher."
- Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

2007-04-03T23:44:00.000+08:00

Extra-Virgin

There are at least three things I loathe doing at home, and unfortunately, two of of them are related to cooking - cooking itself, and doing the dishes.

BUT, imagine my virgin experience of whipping up my very own meal. Well, I did it, and it wasn't so hard to imagine.

It was a simple Garlic Chicken Aglio Olio; I never really liked tomato-based pasta, and cream-based seems a bit too complicated/messy for a start.

All I did was boil thin spaghetti in a pot of water with few table spoonfuls of extra-virgin olive oil. The chicken was prepared by stir frying strips of chicken breast with garlic, mushrooms and finally topped with freshly torn basil leaves.

Pasta is easy, and I happily gobbled down the whole plate, complete with an unmistakable triumphant grin.
The only thing that could've been done much better was to use thinner strips of chicken breast.

Looks like Leslie shall not hunger in the lonely cold winters of Northern England.

2007-04-01T03:16:00.000+08:00

And once again...

I speak to myself.

What is it in repetition, routine and trivialities that we all succumb to in life? Surely, there is beauty to be found. It's anytime now; this is the moment of convergence, and what would the answer be? I wonder.

2007-03-26T23:00:00.000+08:00

Thoughts as an Observer of Arrogance.

My skepticism is just a result of disappointment. Cases of misplace trust. Trusting the good in others; judgements clouded by good sentiments. When will we stop creating excuses for our mediocrity? None of us is better off than others. For what we have surplus, we are compromised in other ways. We hope for everything to be fair and end up passing what we perceive as fair judgements. Is it so hard to understand the difference between being just and being fair? What's the point of feeding our minds with new, big words every day, when we fail to comprehend what the simple ones mean. Filling our lives with hopeless ignorance. Signs of arrogance reflects sheer inexposure. I don't pretend to be able to see life from a higher plane, but I don't view it with pompous self-importance.

2007-03-17T00:45:00.000+08:00

In the Doldrums

Not too long ago, I've heard stories about frustrating it can be for early seafarers to be caught in the dreaded doldrums, since vessels at that time were so dependant on the winds. But at least it told them the transition between the trade winds. Tsumari (in other words), time to get some perspective.

Once again, my life has and jammed its brakes upon reaching this unnerving calm. It gave me time to think alright. In the words if a distant friend, I'm engaged in a plethora of activities; singing, learning a third language, picking up a new sport, etc. But try as I might, these remain at the periphery; they're really just the side dishes surrounding the main course, a main course that has yet to be served. First it was the 2 years of NS that put everything - including carefree enjoyment - on hold. Now it's just an extension of the agonising wait to enter into the next phase of life. Adolescent-Adulthood transition in the same vein of dependant-responsibility transition. I can't really complain though; life is not miserable. Also, I recognise that it has to do with one other condition that is inherent in many of us.

We belong to the distracted generation. The city, the lights, the noise, the activity, the entertainment, the connectivity... ... I can't tell you of which most of our distractions stem from, but I sure know where they start and end. The TV and the Computer. Without these two media, we would have been much less distracted (or should I at least speak for myself). Alternatively, we may tend to view less distraction as having nothing much to do.

Various conversations with many friends reveal our workaholic nature. We want to be doing things worth our time and complaints. It's the way we were brought up - competitive, stifled, connected with the superficial, disconnected from the inside.

This is one malaise with no quick-fix.

SUFFOCATION OF THE SOUL

Symptoms: Impatience. Restlessness. Feelings of aimlessness. Breathing difficulties. Blurred vision.

Disorder Subdivision: Psychological.

General Discussion: There is no single exacting cause, but can be complex and debatable in nature. May be attributed to mental conditioning when young, external environment and political climate.

Treatment: Daily copulent doses of foreign publications. Social activity may help, but has to be carefully monitored as interaction with the wrong people may lead to hyperventilation. If all fails, do not consult your doctor. Get a one-way ticket to somewhere else. Anywhere except NK.

2007-03-10T12:01:00.000+08:00

Additives in Child Medicine

Babies are receiving medicine and vaccines with dangerous levels of additives, not approved for children under 3 years of age. Top US paeditricians have also filed a petition to impose stricter regulations over over-the-counter cold and cough medicines used by children under 2 years old. Additives in medicine may have adverse side-effects on young children and may cause certain allergic reactions.

2007-02-25T00:32:00.000+08:00

The Way We Like It

The world through our lenses only changes kaleidoscopically; it is never the same as before, it is never that different after all.
And we vacate ourselves to this normalcy.

Our mind conjures thoughts that become words.
And the words into a lone lamp in the wilderness of darkened ambition.
Such that the violent slant of light pierces deeper than the blade.

So we're exposed; illumed and sprawled across the examination table like an assemblage of gross innards.
What are we made of? It is never that simple.
When will we start to appreciate that some things are beautiful only in its entirety?

When will we stop getting ahead of ourselves, to deliberate our steps and feel.
Or recognise that the palpitations are naught but the nudging flame of the heart.
Even the willow trees whisper secrets of the earth that reaches only those who listen.
Why then do we make haste?

We say we know.
But how much do we understand?
We know, that knowing is not enough.
So we seek again, and march into the day.

The days of night,
The nights of insomnia.
We dance at the brink of sanity.

2007-02-20T01:54:00.000+08:00

Perchance to dream

First of all I'd like to say I had no idea what the word perchance meant, but after looking it up on a dictionary, it simply means "through chance". Per-chance.

As someone who has had a history of sleep problems associated with dreams, it's interesting to see that sleep medicine is finally given the attention that it deserves. I've come across at least three health articles in the past 2 weeks on the matter of sleeping. The prescription is always the same. Young children need more than 10 hours of sleep, adults need 7-8 hours of sleep, and the power nap after lunch can increase productivity at work. Adequate sleep helps us to maintain alertness in the day, lowers our risk of a host of other medical problems, regulates our metabolism, is absolutely essential for mental health, etc.

We are all quite familiar with insomnia. Others, like me, suffer from fitful sleep at times and my problems tend to be related to the nature of my dreams. By understanding the implications that a night's sleep have on the rest of your day, as much as sleeping should be a relaxing event, it should be regulated. We learn to cherish what we lack.

And bloody hell, it's past midnight; I shouldn't be here. But I guess I can excuse myself on occasion.

2007-02-10T21:21:00.000+08:00

No sleep means no new brain cells

Another reason to enough sleep, in addition to putting on weight.
So if you work out the formula, Lack of Sleep = fatter + stupider.

I thought all of us should've known this by now.

2007-02-03T20:47:00.000+08:00

I'm getting there, I'm getting there!

2007-01-29T22:40:00.000+08:00

Vista best for Microsoft crop, but it's no Apple

By WALTER MOSSBERG, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, 29th Jan 2007.

2007-01-27T12:31:00.000+08:00

Another Reason to Hate School

I don't know of any other way to put this without offending many people I know. But I have every reason to say many school teachers are self-righteous fatheads.

I think this is related to the fact that half of them work in a sheltered environment and they're used to being right all the time. This is of course a generalisation, because I've admired many great teachers and some of them are amazing, down-to-earth people and excellent mentors.

What I don't buy is this I'm-always-right and I-know-what-is-best-for-you attitude. And it's not hard to imagine why they behave so, really.

As some of you might know, my temp job requires me to entertain school teachers making music score orders for their musical groups.

Some time before the end of last year, we were sorting out thousands of scores to be sent to the hundreds of schools because they were instructed to be released on a certain date. Released meaning they can either come to collect personally on the day itself, or wait for a couple of days for the scores to be sent over. This particular teacher made an extremely late order and requested for it to be at her desk on that very day it was released. Needless to say, that would be impossible given the amount of work we have to do. She added she didn't paying for freight. We kindly rejected, because we can't be providing exceptional personal service and we just don't have the bloody time for it. I don't understand why she couldn't just make a phonecall to UPS to collect the scores from us, as opposed to the 5 phonecalls she made to us just to request for that extra service. And honestly, receiving the scores a couple of days late is not life-or-death because the competition is at least 5 months away.

Anyway, eventually she backed down, though not without some kind of tug-of-war via telephone cables instead of intertwined ropes. She of course didn't let the chance to assert her rightness slip away, and so made a couple of nasty remarks such as "How you all do business one?", and "It's the holidays why can't you all hire more part-time staff? Sure got a lot of students mah..."

Let me get this straight, not only is she interested in teaching us how to run the business, she's instructing and half-insulting us on our human resource management. Maybe she expects everything to be run like a government school, where employment is divinely intervened by an indispensible administrative force.

Another teacher called up and argued with me for at least 10 mins about my command of English (which wasn't actually mine because the form was not done up by me). She insisted like a stubborn ox that I shouldn't have put (inc. of GST) because that would clearly mean that the price quoted would also be inclusive of GST, when I insisted like another stubborn ox that the "(inc. of GST)" was clearly only for the delivery part. It doesn't matter if you don't understand because I am right, not in the teacher-right kind of way, but in the factual kind of way.

This is how it went:

The price of the scores will still be further subjected to GST.

Price of each score: S$2.50
Total price for 40 scores: S$100

(And in fine print below) Please not that there will be a delivery charge of $10.50 (inc. of GST).

Of course being myself I refused admit it was a mistake, plainly because it wasn't, and she ought to enrol herself in grammar school. When she realised after some time that I may be right, she conveniently changed her argument and said that it was misleading (instead of being wrong as she had insistently suggested earlier). It's just hard for me to understand why of 150 schools, only she found it misleading...
She finally let the matter rest because it was totally besides the point, as she went on to the actual question she wanted to enquire about.

In a separate incidence, one teacher called up to order a couple of items. She needs these scores urgently because they are due for submission to the competition board soon. But any orders can typically take 2 to 4 weeks to arrive, and it's really beyond our control, unless we request for priority shipment which can cost so much that the school will refuse to pay. So she was demanding for it to arrive as soon as possible, as if I owed her the favour. And it's in instances like this where I wish I were in France; the typical responses to customers I don't wish to entertain would be along the lines of - Ce n'est pas mon problème, Madame. (I'm not sexist, but they usually are Madame.) It's not my problem, Madam.
(Pardon, but I've just learned all this from Stephen Clarke's Talk to the SNAIL, which couldn't be more timely actually.)

She definitely wasn't the only teacher who's guilty of being last-minute, but some others would usually just make a polite request for the process to be expedited, and not be be all assuming about it.

What I really wanted to tell her (if I could) was - Vous auriez dû vous en occuper plus tôt. You should have tried to sort this out earlier.

So she happily faxed over the order and I really can't imagine why she was acting all smug about herself like she's done everything right, because she did not leave her contact number. I was left fuming and swearing for a good 10 minutes after seeing that on the official order form that she'd submitted through her school's account department, she indicated that the scores will be collected on 4th Feb 2007, when all I told her was it should be in by the first half of Feb. Beside that she added in parantheses - "You promised the scores to arrive by early Feb", which I clearly interpreted as a move to make it sound like it's our fault if the scores didn't arrive on time to be submitted to the competition board. I resisted the urge to return the call and make things clear. Oh wait, she didn't leave her number anyway.

Two days later, she called back in a rather displeased tone most probably because she didn't get a reply. But she got past that and asked if the date she'd indicated was ok and so she should expect to receive the scores early enough. Yes, she expected that of me, like I'm unfortunate enough to be put on this earth to take her call. Of course I gave a straight No for an answer, because I may be young but I'm no pushover, and honestly whether or not she could make it in time was really not my problem. At this point of time, I could feel "Ce n'est vraiment pas de ma faute. It's really not my fault." just at the tip of my tongue.

That's what I mean when I say that some teachers are self-righteous pricks and are just trying to protect their own arses.
If another one of these impossible teachers call up and make unreasonable demands again, I know what to say if all fails...
Vous avez fait un mauvais numéro. You dialled the wrong number. You never know when these french phrases can really come in handy.

Au revoir.

2007-01-24T00:33:00.000+08:00

What's in your bread?

Ethical Man has discovered a whole range of food additives don’t even get listed on the ingredients.

2007-01-22T23:55:00.000+08:00

Flavor Of Life

Utada Hikaru

2007-01-10T10:23:00.000+08:00

iPhone

No more predictions of click-wheel number system and bad guesswork - this is the real thing (even better!). And boy, does it look ravishing. Finally a handheld mobile device that runs Mac OS X.

What's interesting is what I'd call a situational interface; providing you the buttons suited for each application, rather than a built-in set of plastic keys to punch in your numbers/letters. So you get 0-9 for phone calls, QWERTY for typing messages, and... who needs a stylus when you have your fingers.

Sadly, it's only reaching this part of the globe in 2008.

2007-01-07T21:59:00.000+08:00

Climate Change

Yet another study that attributes the fall of ancient civilisations to climate change.

I remember reading Jared Diamond's essential literary work, Collapse, adequately arguing that the Maya collapses was first and foremost, due to warfare and drought brought about by climate change and the inability to deal with it. This is not to be oversimplified as a single drought, but a few that persisted over a frame of a couple of hundreds of years.
Mel Gibson's Apocalypto depicted the final days of Maya as full of warfare and strife, although the extent of violence is largely disputed. (What is Gibson without controversy anyway?) What we do know is that the wars that occured were considerably well-documented in murals and writing.

Now a team of scientists has found evidence that a shift in monsoons led to drought and famine in the final century of Tang power. Scientists managed to draw similarities between the two societal collapses, such as a worldwide drought and a bout of El Niño in the 8th and 9th centuries, the same period of time the Maya and Tang were decaying. The final strand in either case has always been Man's complacency in dealing with his environment.

The people committed ecocide - resource depletion, warring states, deforestation, myopic leadership - until it's too late. We are doing that right now, by ignoring shifting climates, exploiting resources and underestimating our environmental concerns. Meteorologists are able to forecast what might make 2007 the hottest year on record; El Nino revisiting this year, and also greenhouse gas emission. If that happens, it might just work as a final warning... before it's too late.

2007-01-01T20:08:00.000+08:00

There shouldn't be more than 4 people staying in this house...
And of the excess, none of them should be the mom's giant friend.

I don't really care anyway. I'm staying out tomorrow.

2006-12-25T19:20:00.000+08:00

My Childhood Achievements

My sister is moving out next week and that leaves us with an vacant room to let. We also had to separate our documents and certificates that we've dumped together since the beginning of our existence.

So I have in front of me a stack of menial certificates that I've amassed; the kind that made me go "I can't believe they were motivational."

Science Club Activities: Those stupid badges that the Science Centre awards Primary School students who complete their card stars. I wasn't a very enthusiastic young scientist (didn't think it was possible to take a picture of a lightning strike), so I only had a few.

Token Chase Award: As a product of our highly meritocratic society and education system, the teachers were giving out tokens for students who are caught doing something good. Picking up litter, helping teachers, boot-polishing... It definitely did open the floodgates to "Can I help you carry your books to the staff room ma'am?" So I must've been a rather well-behaved child to be rewarded a few of these certificates.

Class Tests: I was a fantastic pupil in Spelling, Dictation, and Mathematics.

Sports: I wasn't so much of a sportsman. An Bronze swimmer, Silver Napfa Achiever. I was top in high jump though. I was always so envious of people who had so many medals they had to keep them in the store-room, and all my team gets is consolation pencils. So much for being in the House that was consistently last in position for 4 years.

I'm so glad I'd quit the Boys' Brigade.

UNSW Tests: Bloody waste of money.

ABRSM: I remember not turning up for my Grade 4 theory exam because I forgot.

When I'm a bit older, I received a couple of Edusave awards and Eagles, or whatever. But not many because they like to reward students who either do exceptionally well, or show a tremendous improvement, but not those who do consistently well. Stupid.

And of course, CLASS PHOTOS. There are still people I can recognise in them.

All these memories and recollections.
You know the fuzzy feeling when you indulge in a bit of nostalgia...
The Primary School days where we go around friending and unfriending peers, fearing discipline masters...
The Secondary School days where we start to break rules and fail exams...
The JC days where we start to understand what it means to study and self-motivate...

It all reminds me of one thing...

I hate/d school.

2006-12-19T09:40:00.000+08:00

Innovation

Microsoft did not steal ideas from Mac OS X for Windows Vista according to a report by the NY Times.
Yes, you read that right. =p

2006-12-16T00:32:00.000+08:00

Grey

If there's one observation that returns to me annually, it has to be that there is just no right and wrong.
No blacks and no whites.

Just grey.

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" Matthew 7:3

So much to learn from this verse.

Sometimes the one you admire becomes your worst nightmare.

2006-12-08T02:11:00.000+08:00

ARGH. WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS.

2006-12-06T21:15:00.000+08:00

THREE

Those who were at the concert Monday night can understand my exhilaration and obsession with the number 3.

Pictures! Pictures!

First is the contrast between the 3 choirs, with regards to sound, repertoire and feel. Our choir as usual was being very contemplative, to put it in a nice way. Gaia was really entertaining and everything was so explosive. Ateneo was overwhelming.

Second is the 3 triple-choir works that allowed us to sing together... *haha, together* Nvm, inside joke. But the experience of singing with such wonderful singers is priceless.

Third is all the interaction, cross-cultural exchanges, and linguistic misunderstandings between us. It was indeed an eye-opener, and the people were so nice.

All these made me think of how spoilt we are in Singapore, and how we take so many things for-granted.

I'm thrilled at the prospect of THREE II Tokyo 2008, and THREE III Manila 2010. (Although there's a high chance I won't be able to go because of university.)
Three Threes. How apt.

After all, when we want to do something together, what else but to count to THREE!

2006-11-29T00:10:00.000+08:00

Sebastião Salgado

Over at Dialogic, I was floored by the latest post on the photo essays of Sebastião Salgado.

And we call ourselves the morally supreme species.

2006-11-21T21:43:00.000+08:00

I allow one of you to shoot me in the head. Point-blank.

2006-11-20T00:37:00.000+08:00

I don't what is now

According to radio station 938Live, our endearing PM said, "When we implement the GST increase, it's not a GST increase, it's a package which will fully offset the impact of GST for these groups and begin to strengthen the safety nets and tilt the balance in favor of the lower income Singaporeans."

Mr Lee also said income tax rates could be lowered in future. In another report, he also added that for Singapore remain competitive in the global economy, corporate tax rate will also be reduced.

With all due respect, someone please enlighten me why a GST increase is not a GST increase. Am I the linguistically flawed person.

I would also like someone to explain to me, honestly and in brevity, how an increase in regressive tax, a decrease in progressive tax, and lower corporate tax can possibly help the lower income group.

Wait and not wait, I am so profoundly confused now, don't even bother explaining. Because, what if an increase in understanding, is not an increase in understanding?

2006-11-19T18:53:00.000+08:00

Timeless Comedy Quote, Intentionally or Not

Interestingly (at least to me), I was watching Will & Grace Season 8 Episode 1 - the live premiere of the final season - which was first aired on NBC August last year.

And in the episode, Will said, "The whole thing is just complicated and convoluted. It doesn't even make any sense. It's like the contract they make you sign when you marry Tom Cruise."

Recall at that point of time he was going public about dating a really unfortunate girl.

So Cruise and Holmes are legally responsible for each other (I won't say he's married).
I don't really care for his dubious contracts, but I guess some things just never change.
Let's not argue with the Scientologist. I bet he knows where marriage came from.

2006-11-16T00:26:00.000+08:00

The Situational Memory

You know how certain songs tide you over the really bad, stormy days? Eg. exams, army, breakups.
Our subconscious memory can be such a nuisance. Thing is, we never really know how to master our memory.
Maybe that's where all my brain power went to when I was trying to memorise certain biological sequences in my JC days... all channeled to remembering the pounding bass from the stereo.
See! We grope our way into the remotest part of our brains that stores the most useless information; as fascinating as our memory for scents.

My point is, I just hate it when listening to the song now - or at any happy/smooth moments of my life - reminds me of horrible times when music is the only mode of transport to a safe world.

Just a few examples of good memory when I least need it:

Utada Hikaru - Deep River Album : 'O' levels (yes, as far back as that...)
Alicia Keys - If I ain't got you : 'A' levels
Mika Nakashima - True Album : My BMT lullaby
Coldplay - Speed of Sound : Army life in Taiwan
Nobuo Uematsu - FFVII Theme : 60 painful hours of random battle encounters to level up to defeat Emerald Weapon

I like choral songs, because they only remind me of rehearsals and concerts. Haha.

2006-11-13T00:59:00.000+08:00

Autumn Leaves fall and are swept out of sight... Eva Cassidy

What is loss but in those eyes.

2006-11-06T10:40:00.000+08:00

On the Death Penalty

Last weekend, I came across the post (dated 04 Nov 06) "Singapore Government Takes Away Another Life" in the one of the best blogs that tackle local issues. In it, the government is criticised for ordering the death penalty on Took Leng, the man responsible for the brutal murder of eight-year-old Huang Na. It also faulted the local press of the way the press inadequately portrays the emotions behind an execution.

For the record, I like the blog, but I do not agree with all of it. I'm normal, and do not derive pleasure from another round of criticism of local policies for the sake of government-slamming. In such an instance, however, I don't think the government is wrong for exercising its right to execute an absolutely guilty murderer. So here's my hasty take on capital punishment. I don't have time to dwelve into it in a deeper level for now.

The Opposition Campaign

Many opponents of the death penalty, also known as abolitionists, have very good reasons to abolish such a law. For one, the cruelty is inherent. Others include its discriminatory nature (especially evident in some countries), wrongful convictions, vengeance, and its brutalising effect on society.

However, some abolitionists knowing that they appear to be on a higher moral ground, resort to manipulating figures and presenting partial information to deceive the general public.

The Campaign to End the Death Penalty has produced a pamphlet for its campaign. In it, one reason to abolish the death penalty is that more executions = more murders in nothing less subtle that this.
To justify their claim, they are guilty of logical leaping by providing statistics showing that since the implementation of the death penalty in Texas, although national crime rate grew 5%, crime rate in Texas grew disproportionately by 24%.
What it failed to factor in is the 20% increase of Texan population in contrast with the 10% increase in US population, the influx of illegal immigrants, and many other social factors that might have caused the sharp spike in the crime rate.

Also, Opponents like to play with people's heartstrings, with writings entitled "Tonight another man dies" and "Execution is no different from Murder".

What opponents achieve is to portray the death penalty as a violation of human rights (as with a person's right to live regardless of his actions) and as a useless deterrence tool, and to dig deep into the public's emotional reserves. On purely moral grounds, it is obvious that proponents of the death penalty are at a losing end.

Moral Imperative, Execution & Murder

Regardless of the holocaust, exploitation of other humans, ravaging the environment, as humans we still prefer to view ourselves as moral creatures.

If the government has a legitimate monopoly on the use of force, then it may commit acts that would be criminal and immoral if committed by individuals.

This extends not only to capital punishment but to lesser penalties. If execution is legalized murder, then imprisonment is legalized kidnapping (what would we say if one individual forcibly kept another locked up in a tiny room for years?) and monetary fines are legalized robbery.

Cathy Young, Common ground on the death penalty

By the same token, if we allow our government to "kidnap", I don't see why they should stop at "murder". Obviously, that sounds disgusting. So do we still want our government to act on our behalf as moral agents? The only reason people flinch twice at "legalised murder", is that it involves life and death, and is irreversible.

Is it morally right then to entitle the offender to a certain degree of invincibility? After all, a murderer can kill, but he cannot be subject to death by another morally upright person. I think to do so, is amoral.

There is a definite reason why in most languages, to subject to death is not equivalent to murder, and that the two terms are not always interchangeable. We are all very comfortable with systems and we created to judicial system precisely to disambiguate matters.

If we are to retain our status as higher beings, to be truly moral, we have to be responsible for our actions. We entrust the state with law enforcement and the maintenence of social order, and also claim the personal responsibility to behave within social codes that we believe will make society a better place. Similarly, if we prove that we have no respect for such laws, we relinquish our right to govern ourselves. It is also necessary to note that this particular argument is not pro-government, but is a form of reason and the prefered way of self-governence.

Deterrence

If we execute murderers and there is in fact no deterrent effect, we have killed a bunch of murderers. If we fail to execute murderers, and doing so would in fact have deterred other murders, we have allowed the killing of a bunch of innocent victims. I would much rather risk the former. This, to me, is not a tough call."

John McAdams - Marquette University/Department of Political Science, on deterrence

Whether or not the death penalty has a deterrence effect can only be found by the careful investigation of scholarly opinions, with consideration of public opinion. It's not something we can experiment as it involves an inhumane method of human-testing, neither is it apparent from political debate and morality.

This is confusing, because in some places, the effectuation of the death penalty is followed by a decrease in violent crime, but in other places, it is not. And more often than not, more than a single factor comes into play.

In fact, criminology studies show little effect of the death penalty on crime rate. Still, that does not justify moral irresponsiblity by not accepting a known punishment for one's actions.

No doubt, even abolitionists will support the death penalty, if any alternatives give rise to another murder by incapacitation. It also restores the highest level of punishment for the respect of the dignity of life. There are however, many arguments for and against the deterrence effect, which I cannot touch on adequately.

The Real Case behind the Death Penalty

Our attention should be focused on how to tackle the abritrary ways the death penalty being dished out, its discriminatory nature, and the method of execution.

I think it all adds up to the absoluteness of the charge. If we can be absolutely sure of a heinous crime on the murderer's part with almost no margin of error, it should be carried by law. In capital punishment, we clearly exclude cases of manslaughter and justifiable homicide. We do not execute the mentally unsound which we believe are unable to discern morality, the one who kills in an act of self-defence, or minors who have yet to form sound moral values.

I'm sorry for being so hard-lined, but people are very judgemental and subjective when it comes to the death penalty. When Indonesia decides to execute Bali terrorist, Australia is happy. But Australians are particular critical of Singapore executing their people who commit crimes in our soil. And I don't see a worldwide protest against the hanging of Saddam Hussein.

People who understand the existence of a death penalty perfectly, and yet slaughter hundreds, dismember the helpless child, rape and kill the defenceless should be subject to punishment no less than their own disrespect for life.

This writing is in no way a form of justifying the death penalty, or does not provide carefully researched prove for the case for capital punishment. What is intended is to bring to attention the fact that many stand to lose by irresponsible campaigns and the media.

2006-11-02T13:00:00.000+08:00

I await the PINK

It's all about the pink card now; liberating it from the gas-protected vault at the chamber that is CMPB. But unlike many others, I need no civilian conversion course. The end of military service is but the start of taking life seriously.

And with seriously, I mean...

Gorging myself like a fat pig (keyword is like), moving about sloth-paced, watching more shows than I can digest... Given that I even have to time to panic about my Japanese Exam next month, that couldn't be any bad, can it?

But I'm armed with the essential tools - trudging through a book on the Third Reich, free gym and pool, and Grey's Anatomy.

I shouldn't be here.

2006-10-27T13:39:00.000+08:00

Noh Theatre [能楽]

Out of curiousity and interest, I went for the 'hidden FACES: The Art of Japanese Masks' exhibition and 'Noh Theatre Introductory Lecture and Demonstration' at the Asian Civilisations Museum yesterday. Who else, but to ask Huijun (Japanese Studies Major Student) along.

The exhibition boasted a priceless collection of Japanese masks dating back all the way to the Heian Period [平安時代] (a.d. 794 to 1185), carefully selected from 22 museums and temple treasuries in Japan. Noh traditions emerged during the 14th century, flourished under the Tokugawa Shogunate of the Edo Period [江戸時代] (a.d. 1603 to 1867), and remains a highly revered art form in Japan.

The lecture conducted by a team from Theater Nohgaku most successfully brings to attention the subtlety and transcending nature of Noh theatre. The tranquil movements executed conveys the grace and zen-like stillness of the Noh dance. As aptly - and with good humour - put by the lecturer, "Many people say that in Noh Theatre, there is No(h) movement." The music (voic and percussive) and masks play an equally important role in Noh Theatre and are both indispensable characteristics. Far from being an obscure art form, contemporary Noh Theatre is also highly involved in fusion art, with collaborations ranging from the Germans to the Balinese.

Consolidated Links:
An Introduction to Noh Theatre
Wiki Noh
Theater Nohgaku
A Noh Performance in Tokyo (Youtube)

2006-10-21T01:29:00.000+08:00

It's easy to blame the haze.

The haze seems to be a willing target board these days.

We've seen how the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) fluctuated over the past 3 weeks, providing even more entertainment value than the slow-moving Singapore Stock Exchange. The main culprit of course is PM 10 - Particulate Matter with size 10 microns or less. These miniscule devils hover on low altitudes appearing as a dense layer of smog and reducing visibilty to less than a tenth of what it used to be. On Oct 7, the PSI graph inched past 150, surpassed only by the 1997 haze. Luckily, it was a touch-and-go affair. Following the wake-up call, the levels retreated to the double-digit region, withs some notable highs, punctuated by a few clear days. The meteorological station, having advised that the haze will clear in mid-October, now admits that they have no idea when it will leave us alone. Even if we may experience some relief soon, that doesn't remove the fact that it may be back to visit us in the near future. After all, it's servant to the wind.

We have also chosen to attribute our personal ire to the haze. I love to lament about the haze. I treat the haze like a scapegoat for all of the problems I face. Humidity, dryness at the back of the throat, stingy eyes, breathing difficulties, acrid tang in the air, sensitive nose.

Or more irrationale...

Don't feel like going out. Lazy to exercise. Feeling irritable. The bloody mosquito roommate.
Just apply the ultimate excuse, It's the haze.

It's so easy to blame the haze, even fashionable.

2006-10-20T14:21:00.000+08:00

3 Weddings, 2 Birthdays and a Farewell.

My life in the recent weeks makes an excellent movie title.

And there's more - from the art exhibitions of Japanese Noh Theatre to Zaha Hadid's architecture, reading modern literature to singing ancient text, executing short-term activities to planning long-term goals...

All these shall contribute to stretching both my time and wallet thin. No point if money can buy time, or vice versa. I need both.

Still, here are some noteworthy events in town:

All The Best

Hidden Faces: The Art of Japanese Masks

Lisa Ono Jambalaya Tour 2006

The Swingle Singers

THREE

Christmas with Corrinne May (16 Dec 2006)

King's College Choir, Cambridge

The Phantom of the Opera

2006-10-12T23:35:00.000+08:00

WoW, it's Southpark!

Season 10 Episode 8 Part One Part Two Part Three

Simply Brilliant!

2006-10-08T00:26:00.000+08:00

We're Smogged!

3-hr PSI Updates by the NEA.

2006-10-06T20:03:00.000+08:00

So you want to be a doctor?

Which one?

Source: The British Medical Journal

2006-09-22T21:11:00.000+08:00

Chew on This
Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson

From the author of the sensational FASTFOOD NATION, Everything you don't want to know about FASTFOOD.

A fast food hamburger can contain pieces of a thousand or more cattle.

Your tasty strawberry milkshake could boast at least forty different additives.

A typical fast food chicken lives squashed between 30,000 other birds - and dies aged six weeks.

2006-09-21T20:45:00.000+08:00

I looked into the glass and saw that it wasn't you.
I'm sure you've made your Father proud.

2006-09-15T23:13:00.000+08:00

No Voice

Singapore branded 'authoritarian' - BBC News

By barring accredited activists from its borders, and clamping down on peaceful public demonstrations, Singapore has harmed its image as a developed and ideal place to hold international conventions. These activists have worked hand in hand with the World Bank, and has expressed that there is no reason to ban them from this year's meeting. The country is also urged to reconsider its position and find a balance with hard-headed pragmatism and civilised expression without compromising national interests. Are the officials confusing the line between terrorism and freedom of expression? How much more flak can the country endure before its utopian image is tarnished?

Singapore 'breaks protest deal' - BBC News
World Bank, IMF urge Singapore not to bar accredited activists from annual meetings - IHT
Wolfowitz and NGOs knock IMF activist ban - Reuters

2006-09-14T17:14:00.000+08:00

No one will save me - Part II

He wasn't getting better. If anything, worse.

His face was red, lips contorted, gasping for air. 3 short bursts of intake, and an exhalation like a coughing moan. The cycle repeated itself, each succession taking a shorter time to complete. I knew there was no other option than to call in the paramedics, regardless of the ailing man's irate protests. That's it with humans isn't - always a shame to need help. He needed more than help alright.

Just in time, a man in his 20s dashed forward, repeated the same few questions I did earlier. After a short explanation on my part, he whipped out his 2.0 megapixel Nokia, and dialed for the ambulance.

Calm down. Calm down. Breathe. Relax. He chanted to the wheezing man. Who is he kidding. Necessary maybe. What the hell. Nothing we can do now but wait.

I dialed Baby two more times. Same nonchalance in her tone. Same treatment to the caring stranger who is me. That bitch cut me off twice.

A few plates shifted and sea level inched upwards somewhere on this deceivingly tranquil planet. Not here that's for sure. A few minutes passed. The cleaning lady said something undeservingly, "Aiyoh, must be drink too much cold drinks la... Parents never teach at home... youngsters nowadays ar..." If she wasn't that old and that frail, I'd have made her bite the cement. A dozen other pointless and unnecessary comments broke into a cacophony of frustrating noise by onlookers. He requested for some privacy. I didn't even bother to turn him down, not with all these action mongers.

"I'll try to get your girlfriend again," I offered.

"She's here..." he gasped.

I turned my head to the left, and there she was, arms folded, looking unmistakably cross. Definitely not what I'd expected. No gesture of concern. I am not in the position to judge, but one thing was evident. Clearly, he was in need of serious medical aid. Surely, she was no different from any useless passerby.

After what seemed like an awful long time, maybe about a few hundred of those helpless gasps, the ambulance pulled over, and the paramedics trotted across smugly, looking pleased with their grand arrival. Like one of those dramatic, hollywood slow-motion heroic moments. Just that this wasn't time warped. Both of us - the man who dialed for the ambulance and I - were waving frantically, but I guess it didn't register as urgent.

They finally attended to him. She decided to clasp her hands around his. It's not up to me anymore, I did what I could.

2006-09-14T16:28:00.000+08:00

No one will save me - Part I

It happened about a week ago. I packed my lunch at the foodcourt and hurriedly spun off to the direction of the toilet. The usual lunch crowd hovered about at this complex right smack in the middle of town that needed a facelift badly. Wallet-clutching women in suits, the occasional young couple and contract cleaners completed the ensemble near the 10-cents-per-entry toilets. Given my aversion to queues, I detoured with the intention to use the staff toilets upstairs.

But something was not right. Was I being over-sensitive? No one's reacting. He was bent over, breathing hard, harder than normal. In fact, really hard. I'm sure the crowd noticed him - I'll give it a number, at least 10 people would've realised something was wrong.

But they're walking away, and even worse, watching; faces devoid of expression.

"Help! Help!" Two groans of confirmation. I was right, he's hyper-ventilating, asthma attack, or something like that. His fists were clenched, one arm across his stomach. Perspiration, trembling. Whatever it was, he needed urgent attention. I thrusted my pack of food on the nearest table, went forward, and squatted beside him. "Are you okay?", that was all my neurons could fire. Mr. medical-student-to-be, is that the best you can do?

Okay, hyper-ventilation... breathe into plastic bag. Right. Wait, what if he wasn't hyper-ventilating?
There's a clinic two floors up. Would anyone help get a doctor? No, they're hopeless. It's Sunday anyway, probably closed.
Call the ambulance. Where's my phone when I need it? Darn it, I'd left my phone in the shop.

No one came forward to offer any help. Wow, great. My country's the best. 4 million smiles. 8 million eyes. 0 help.

"Do you need the ambulance? It's this your first time experiencing this? Are you with anyone?" My barely comforting voice fell on deaf ears.
I pryed open his fingers and yanked out his Nokia phone. Who to call? I punched in 995. Not 1777, my periphery thoughts offered some bad-timed advice.

"No! No...! Call my girlfriend!". Finally something.

"Is she nearby? What's her name?" I must've asked at least 3 times.
BLOODY HELL. What's her name in your address book?!

He snatched the phone, scrolled down to "Baby", pressed dial, and pushed it back to me. Baby, right, I should've guessed. What else?

After a couple of rings, I hear a sweet, girlfriendy voice. Whatever that sounded like.
I explained the situation to her im the shortest time possible, and asked if she's nearby.

"I can't speak to him if he doesn't calm down!" I swear it was frustration I heard over the phone.
He can't breathe you bitch. Try talking with a tightened noose around your neck and an elephant's weight on your chest.
Now, even your girlfriend decides to act like one of those numskulled strangers. Your life rocks... and it's leaving you. I have to do something quick.

She hung up.

It all happened in less than five minutes.

2006-09-01T22:41:00.000+08:00

Para el asesinato del ruiseñor, venian tres mil hombres armados de lucientes cuchillos.
To murder the nightingale, three thousand men came armed with shimmering knives.

DEMONIO

Quia tu es Deus, fortitudo mea,
quare me sepulisti?
et quare tristis incedo dum
affligit me inimicus?

Honda luz cegadora de materia crujiente,
luz oblicua de espadas y mercurio de estrella,
anunciaban el cuerpo sin amor que llegaba
por todas las esquinas del abierto domingo.

Las nubes proyectaban sombras de cocodrilo
sobre un cielo incoloro batido por motores.
Altas esquinas grises y letras encendidas
señalaban las tiendas del enemigo Bello.

Para vencer la carne del enemigo bello,
mágico prodigioso de fuegos y colores,
das tu cuerpo celeste y tu sangre divina
en este Sacramento definido que canto.

Desciendes a la materia para hacerte visible
a los ojos que observan tu vida renovada
y vences sin espadas, en unidad sencilla,
al enemigo bello de las mil calidades.

¡Alegrísimo Dios! ¡Alegrísima Forma!
Aleluya reciente de todas las mañanas.
Misterio facilísimo de razón o de sueño,
si es fácil la belleza visible de la rosa.

Aleluya, aleluya del zapato y la nieve.
Alba pura de acantos en la mano incompleta.
Aleluya, aleluya de la norma y punto
sobre los cuatro vientos sin afán deportivo.

Lanza tu Sacramento semillas de alegría
contra los perdigones de dolor del Demonio,
y en el estéril valle de luz y roca pura
la aguja de la flauta rompe un ángel de vidrio.

The deep blinding light of crackling matter,
the sword's slanting light, and the star's mercury
proclaimed the loveless body's arrival
on all the corners of the open Sunday

The clouds were casting crocodile shadows
On a colourless sky beaten by motors.
High gray corners and letters in flames
betrayed the Beautiful enemy's tents.

To vanquish the beautiful enemy's flesh,
prodigious magician of fires and colours,
you offer your divine body and blood
in this definite Sacrament that I sing.

You descend into matter to appear
to the eyes that observe your renewed life,
vanquishing, in simple unity, swordless,
the beautiful enemy's thousand facets.

Most joyful God! Most joyful Form!
New alleluia of each and every day.
Such a simple mystery of reason or dream,
if the rose's visible beauty is simple.

Alleluia, alleluia of show and show.
Pure acanthus dawn in the unfinished hand.
Alleluia, alleluia of point and standard.

Your Sacrament scatters seeds of joy
against the Devil's buckshot of pain,
and in the barren valley of light and pure stone,
the flute's needle breaks an angel of glass.

Federico García Lorca (1898 - 1936)
first line from "Mundo (World)" and the rest
from "Demonio (Devil)" - Ode to the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, 17-IX-1929
translation by Corrado Margutti

2006-08-18T19:36:00.000+08:00

Apple's iPod Factory

Apple Computer Inc. has conducted a private investigation dispatching an audit team to a manufacturing plant in China where iPods are assembled, in the wake of a report several weeks ago condemning the facility of poor working and living conditions.

Janek Kuczkiewicz, director of human and trade union rights at the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), said he was not impressed by the report. He also criticised the fact that Apple's audit team only interviewed 100 workers, and that the report has not been independently verified.

The unnamed manufacturing facility supports about 200,000 employees, of which Apple utilises 15% of that capacity. 32,000 people also live on-site. According to Apple's findings, there were no instances of forced overtime, but has admitted that workers did more than 60 hours a week a third of the time.

Despite robust growth in the last quarter with reported earnings of almost $4.37bn and sales of iPods surpassing 8 million units, the original study by the Mail on Sunday said factory staff earned as little as £27 a month.

Normally, activists and the public alike have been wary about the credibility of private reports, viewing the move as a defensive stance to protect corporate image and reputation. But much can be achieved when businesses decide to take action by taking part in effective and reliable practices. To Apple's credit, citing a zero-tolerance for harsh working conditions by any of its suppliers, the management has engaged an independent, non-profit social auditing and research organization Verité - an internationally recognized leader in workplace standards. Apple has also joined the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct (EICC) Implementation Group, in the move to further promote responsible business practices.

More often that note, amidst the frantic race to the bottom by competing sub-contractors to provide the lowest production costs for giant MNCs, globalisation has produced many losers unbeknownst to the parent company. This is where workers' unions, activists and normal people like us come in; to create awareness, to advocate responsible globalisation, and to eradicate sub-humanism.

Apple Press Statement
Apple admits excessive iPod hours: BBC News

2006-08-14T15:03:00.000+08:00

When not eating is probably better than eating.

The TRUTH behind the Big Mac; once again, my revulsion for fastfood.

Or link over to Adbusters under right column, NOTE.

2006-08-13T00:43:00.000+08:00

The kid in me: The fireworks display tonight made me feel like all is well again.
Haha.

2006-08-10T23:47:00.000+08:00

Cosmopolis and the Language Barrier

So it was rush hour.

3 unmistakable Chinese men in rolled-up sleeves and stained black shoes came up from behind, brushed everyone in their path away and claimed their territory in the train. I was in front, now I'm just behind them.

The train jolted into acceleration. I took a few seconds to assess my awkward position; back pressed onto the double doors, wallet clasped tightly with both hands, nostrils only an inch away from his hair. HIS hair. Ok, normal. Everyone's noses are inches away from someone else's something anyway.

What happened at the next stop was what I was most afraid of - the typical scene; pockets of passengers trying to get out, while others are trying to get in. Not the most pleasant experience. Common sense told me to take a step back and aside to avoid the jostling, elbowing and pushing. But in any society, what may seem like common sense to some actually takes quite a bit of training for others. The three grown Chinese men's idea of trying to help was to bring their arms together so that they take up, probably, a mere inch less width. Wow. That kind of leaves you a grand total of 3 inches to circumvent. As all this was happening, they continued their conversation in heavily-accented Mandarin, and to use my favourite word, in complete OBLIVION.

A man was evidently having quite a lot of difficulty trying to make his way out. He must be of some Indian descent, belonging to a completely different social stratosphere than the 3 Chinese men. This gentleman was clad in a carefully pressed shirt, had neatly parted hair and wore a distinct fragrance. "Won't you guys just step out for a moment?!", he scowled in the most condescending and hostile tone upon squeezing his way through.

So, the oblivious remained oblivious. The silent remained silent. Nothing changed in the course of the frustration.

And the people who understood, probably needed it the least.

2006-08-10T17:23:00.000+08:00

'Airlines terror plot' disrupted: A terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.

I don't want to go there to be blown up above the Atlantic, or be carrying transparent bags on the flight. *shrugs*

2006-08-07T21:04:00.000+08:00

I want to read...

Break No Bones: A Temperance Brennan Novel - Kathy Reichs

The Language of God: Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief - Francis S. Collins

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife - Mary Roach

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology - Simon Winchester

2006-08-06T13:27:00.000+08:00

Ticket Orders

I'm taking final concert ticket priority orders on Tuesday.
So let me know =)

2006-07-28T20:52:00.000+08:00

Exodus

It's not surprising that Singapore tops an SPH survey, with 53% of youth (aged 13-19) having considered emigration; a survey also conducted in China, Japan, India and Malaysia. We are not just talking about studying or working abroad.

The report also reveal Singaporeans attributing most of the quitter notion to stress level and better opportunities abroad.

There is no doubt that better opportunities abroad is almost a given. In the education, we only have one full-fledged university, although ranked top 20 by the Times, can never offer the range and depth of academics the thousands of universities in the U.S. can. In the tourism sector, there is no way our 'attractions' can compete with the Great Barrier Reef, Las Vegas, or DIsneyland. So we have to make the best of our only natural resource, such as our 4-million smiles. The dearth of doctors here because of previously stingy concessions to provide medical education or by excluding even graduates from the best medical schools abroad from the list of recognised medical institutions was not exactly the smartest move. Don't worry, they've just realised their mistake. As for the rest of the sectors, such as the manufacturing, property or transport, nothing moves unless told to as they are possibly dictated by the government to a large extent. As for the arts, I've never seen or heard of an approach more utilitarian and unnatural. So we're small, and there's only so much you can do about it. The pull of better opportunities abroad is something we have to accept, no matter how hard it is to swallow.

The issue on stress, however, gets a little more complicated. Working hours and pace of living here are not such a chronic problem as in other Asian countries, and even in cities like London.

A columnist/blogger, one Mr Brown, has an ingenious satirical take on price hikes and escalating costs in his article, Singaporeans are fed-up with progress, lending a light-hearted slant on a serious topic. Let's not talk about officials with no sense of humour. Someone in the online ST forum suggested that we shouldn't complain so much about fare hikes and cost of living, because a movie in Australia costs 13 AUD, while that of Singapore is only at most S$9.50. However, s/he conveniently overlooked the fact that minimum wage in Australia is about 12 AUD, and Singaporeans get paid $3.50 at McDonald's. The disparity is even greater when it comes to property and cars, as it is with many other countries. It is no hidden fact that the cost of living here is higher.

It is also difficult to really have FUN; to use it as an outlet of stress. Blogging is repressed, Satirical columns are slammed with a copy/paste template answer, promotion of the arts in school ends up as a race for winning competitions and gaining points, students are streamed way to early, NS makes the men numskulled albeit tougher, the zoo only gets that amusing...

We have a world-class infrastructure and people always make enough money (forget about the invisible poor), why are they leaving? But this exodus or brain-drain phenomenon is common in countries with only the economy as the backbone. Wouldn't it be quite a sight, to see the befuddled politicians questioning, rallying the country's youth for some nationalism, exploring the 'pull' factors the country has to offer, drawing up even more unpopular policies...

Unpopular policies... hmmm...

No disruption/deferment - making it illegal for males to even step out of the country for education before serving NS to curb the increasing trend of youths leaving, has in fact, caused even more wanting to leave because of what is thought by many to be the clamping down of freedom. It just takes more time now.

Ensuing reports did mention speeches by goverment officials expressing viewpoints and strategies to attract the young people back by more openness and creating more opportunities. Openness. Anyone here optimistic about this statement?

2006-07-23T16:58:00.000+08:00

If this is growing up... (Scratching the Surface)

Someone commented that I seem to be perpetually busy. Considering that I have a Japanese essay and test, and my 2nd confirmatory audition in the choir both held in the next 2 weeks... I can't help but agree to it.

Figured I needed to get my mind off things.

So I went for one of those chill-out sessions with a couple of my friends at a bar on Friday. It was one of those nights where everything didn't turn out as expected. It was almost impossible to find a table and the only table with seats left was also territory to a lonesome, bleached-faced lady with sadako-inspired hairdo that prompted me to confirm with my friend I'm not crunk and thus seeing things (just checking...) ... Having to put up with obnoxious personalities and a band that looked as bored as a big part of the audience left me hardly impressed.

I'm sure you all would agree, I'm not one who will smoke cigarettes, and neither have I ever shown any intention of doing so. But a week ago, Mr. Sandman visited me with one of those dreams that tend to haunt the periphery of reality. (Have I mentioned the disturbing fact that most of my dreams echo reality? Explains the sleepwalking that's for sure...) I'd dreamt that I was smoking and each inhalation brought about the distortion my sensory perceptions. That friday evening outside the bar, I'd let the usually tough-minded me to give way to the curious devil. I took my first drag. First attempt, no reaction. Second time, some sensation. Third time, I inhaled as much as I could. Then it happened. Smoke rushed down my windpipe, filled my lungs, and the woody strawberry went right up into my head. There was a lifting sensation and then settling. Then it was over. Nothing very exciting, and of course not enough puffs to feel the real effect of it. One thing for sure is that the flame of curiosity was wetted instantly. The shift from second-degree smoke to first-degree smoke has forced me into no-degree smoke.

Needless to say, drinking wasn't that successful either. Although I could normally hold some alcohol whilst drinking at leisure, I was reminded of my hopelessly low tolerance for alcohol... especially downing it like the Germans would. Of course I didn't... and couldn't. If I let the "You're finally twenty" exclamations induce me into doing it, like how the puerile are goaded.. oh, the irony of it all. What I had to was to endure tasting alcohol in my bitter breath the whole night, walking into rehearsal the next day at loose ends... and to think I was only scratching the surface.

I'd never subject my lungs and liver to such torment.

On a lighter note...

Kathy Reichs' latest novel - Break no Bones. (I'm still accepting belated birthday gifts... and thanks twentyoners for the very nice present.)

2006-07-14T20:49:00.000+08:00

Now that I'm twenty...

It's four in the afternoon
I'm on a flight leaving L.A.
Trying to figure out my life and
My youth scattered along the highway

...

Fame is filled with spoiled children
we grow fat on fantasy
I guess that's why I'm leaving
I crave reality

So goodbye Alice in Wonderland
Goodbye yellow brick road
There is a difference between dreaming and pretending
I did not find paradise
It was only a reflection of my lonely mind wanting
whats been missing in my life

...

Yes, a heart can hallucinate
If it's completely starved for love
It can even turn monsters into
Angels from above

...

And growing up is not an absence of dreaming
Its being able to understand the difference between
The ones you can hold and the ones that you've been sold
But dreaming is a good thing
Cause it brings new things to life
Pretending is an ending
That perpetuates a lie
Forgetting what you are
Seeing for what you've been told

Truth is stranger than fiction
this is my chance to get it right
Life is much better without all of those pretty lies

Jewel - Goodbye Alice in Wonderland

2006-07-12T23:37:00.000+08:00

Someone has to get Claudio Monteverdi outta my head.

2006-07-11T15:22:00.000+08:00

Choose your headlines wisely

Another reason NOT to read the local tabloid, newpaper. The not-so-subtle headlines a few days before the finals - Fengshui master predicts France will win the World Cup. One of the reasons I'm glad Italy won the World Cup this time. So apart from the horrendous reporting and gross grammar, where else would you go for crap news. As for the Fengshui man, I hope it's only business he's losing.

My iPod sprang back to life!

2006-07-07T21:46:00.000+08:00

BREAKING NEWS! literally.

My iPod crashed! I want a new iPod for my birthday. Thank You =)

2006-07-05T09:33:00.000+08:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything for almost a month. Promise I'd get down to writing something. But it's so good to disappear once in a while, behind a wall of farewells and music. Glad and not so glad. So hard to maintain relationships with people. But periods of silence doesn't mean you've become less important. I see it as only healthy.

2006-06-10T21:30:00.000+08:00

The Autism-Vaccine Connection

There are some things you don't know about vaccines. But it's okay, neither the big pharmaceuticals or the medical doctor knows either.

I was waiting for my treatment at my doctor's last week, and I conveniently picked up a magazine called pathways to family wellness in the lounge. The article featured in this quarterly publication this time was on Autism and Vaccines. I hit the scan button on my mind and briefly recalled this pair of words being one of the potential medical school interview questions... Ah yes, MMR vaccination and its possible link to autism.

True enough, the article in the magazine circles around an initial study in 1998 by the Royal Free Medical School in London linking the MMR vaccine to inflammatory bowel diseases. The hypothesis is such that the jab triggers an immune reaction which damages a protein in the brain, causing autism. Other studies also reveal suspiciously high levels of inappropriate antibodies that causes kids to suffer from abnormal responses, and correlation of such antibodies to the measles element of the MMR.

But on the NHS website shamelessly publishes on the internet in MMR the facts that there remains no evidence of any link between MMR and Inflammatory bowel disease, [or at least], no study has actually found measles viruses in bowel tissue. I would like to correct the NHS publicity on that. Even though there has not been evidence to prove that the MMR vaccine can potentially cause autism in children, there has been evidence demonstrating links. And when I use the word "cause" here, I refer to a "direct link" and as the English language permits, "having the sole ability to bring about". A most recent article in The Mail quoted Richard Halvorsen, a London GP and childhood vaccination expert, saying "'This may not be proof of causation, but we have confirmation that there is a association between MMR and autistic children."

The MMR vaccine is given to children in the UK when they are aged between 1 and 2 years. The NHS also claims on their website that the reason why people tend to associate the vaccine with autism is because autism is usually discovered when a child is 2 years old, and the MMR vaccine is usualy given before that. Also, the significant increase in the number of cases reported after the MMR vaccine was introduced widely was due to a wider acceptance definition of autism and greater awareness, rather than the vaccine itself.

Vaccination.org.uk archives clear documentations of Government initiatives to verify the studies. As the title itself suggests, it was revealed in countless of cases that individuals and research bodies, who refuted landmark evidence posing any links between the MMR vaccine and autism, were under pressure by pharmaceuticals (producing and selling the vaccine) and the government. Anyone can tell you how these 2 groups can benefit from suppressing the real evidence. It is however, accurate to point out that many reviews in the wake of the case have concluded that the available epidemiologic evidence does not support a causal link between MMR vaccine and autism.

Many studies have also been carried out to dispel the claims of any possible link between MMR and autism, especially by vaccine advocates.

When was the last time you were advised to go for a flu jab before leaving the country? Or found out that your aunt is bringing your baby cousin for a vaccination so that he does not have to undergo the malaise of chicken pox.

Another case more pertinent to the majority is with the use of thimerosal in vaccines, such as those of the flu vaccine. Mercury levels in thimerosal are exceptionally high, even up to 125 times higher than EPA guidelines of dosage deem allowable, despite the fact that mercury is toxic at any levels. A new study published earlier this year shows that the rate of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) in children has decreased following removal of thimerosal, a preservative containing the neurotoxin mercury, from American childhood vaccines. Although the overwhelming quantity of mercury in thimerosal is no secret, most physicians and institutions still continue to promote its use in children below 2 years old, who can obviously tolerate less mercury.

What I have written are just two of the many hidden sides of vaccination. I'm not advocating anybody to take yourself off any kind of immunisation (although most of the time its not your choice but the government's), but I suggest that as far as you can control, be prudent in choosing the type of vaccines to inject into your body. Our bodies are created with a natural immune system and self-healing mechanism that more often that not does not require external help, especially when the help rendered actually suppresses such healing systems.

For instance, fevers are a result of a body's self-healing system. Except in serious cases, there is no need to pop in capsulated antibodies. These antibodies will eventually cause your body to forget how to produce its own. Going for flu jabs everytime you travel (especially to First World countries) is even more unnecessary. Painkillers do not heal a problem but merely removes your ability to feel it. There is thus no use to take them without seeking the right treatment. The occassional headaches can be solved with some rest and better conditioning of the body.

Most of the reason why diseases have declined greatly are not due to solely to vaccinations but are a natural manifestation of better sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and various medical measures. Although the MMR vaccine's link to autism is still a controversial issue, it is only wise to make informed decisions. Many countries such as Sweden and Japan have either postponed the use of certain kinds of vaccines for later use (not below the age of 2 since the brain is still developing at a rapid rate), or banning them entirely.

Believe it or not, under normal circumstances, your body is stronger and powerful than you think it is. It is a marvelous creation. Doctors do not enjoy seeing sick people the whole day, but seeing them recover. There are always enough sick people to fill their pockets anyway.

First step, abstain from FAST FOOD. Completely if possible. These things destroy more than they provide.

2006-06-09T19:31:00.000+08:00

ULTRA BLUE
2006.6.14 最新アルバム発売決定

2006-06-08T00:21:00.000+08:00

Bad Angle

This time of the year is frustrating. The earth has to tilt back somehow, or take another path around the source of light. Sunlight seeps in between the cracks of my curtains, and slaloms across the glass desk and its ornaments. Or reposition my windows.

So hostile. So disruptive.

Aircon has to break down in sync.
Nicely orchestrated I'd say.

Microclimatic factors beckon. Need cool attap huts, sea breeze and greens badly, and less asphalt roads and concrete jungle.

My irritability rises in tandem.

2006-05-31T18:13:00.000+08:00

Mental Exhaustion

I recognise this feeling. Very well, in fact.

I stopped the metronome, repeated the tempo in my head, sat up straight, position my eyes on the starting bar.
Go. Left hand - main beats. Right hand - rhythm.
I screwed up the words, repeated the bar that was wrong, and moved on. It happened again 3 bars later... and again... and again.
Each time, it's either the words, the rhythm, or the tune that caused the breakdown, much like how a lagging computer plays a piece of music; its sudden repeats and hiccups.

The time signature changes from 3/8 to 6/16 back to 3/8, to 3/16 to 3/8... 5/16... 4/16... 3/16 in a matter of 2 pages. Accidentals and ornaments are generously littered above the notes, and the dynamics change every other bar.

I spent 2 hours on 4 pages of ORASHO II... and gave up because in my mind was a whirlwind of musical symbols. All voluntary brain processes felt like hanging, reminding me exactly of the feeling after studying for bio exams during my JC days.

My incapacity to even get through a few pages of score tells me that my brain has degenerated considerably. I can't do this at this pace. I don't feel like going for rehearsal and screw it up further in the midst of everybody.

2006-05-30T19:19:00.000+08:00

Unhappy Commuter

I've decided that I had enough with public transport; train & bus. Although I've always been lamenting once in a while about my horrific experiences with green goblins, bangalas, aunties, overt public display of affection, etc., the multitude of nasty encounters has never came down so hard.

Here is why...

Having to elbow my way out of the doors because no one understands what the yellow lines designed to let passengers alight first mean at all, such that pushing is the only way to claim my right of passage!

The incessant announcements made in four languages rolling one after another also means I can't even establish a phone call in peace at any time for more than a minute or two... "Oh yes, Haha... *NEXT STOP - BUGIS" Oh right, we were saying... *IF YOU SEE ANY...* Sorry? * SUSPICIOUS ARTICLES...* Can't hear. Talk later."

Bloody bengs/mats/_______(fill in the blank) blasting "music" from their poor quality speakers (eg. phones, players) and acting all smug (and overbearing) but looking all the more like a nitwit.

People who crowd around the doorway trying to get in the train, when a whole lot of others are trying to get out.

The harmless looking lady who assumingly takes up the seat you just let to the pregnant lady across the aisle, pretending not to notice. What's with the poor acting and inch-thick skin.

Kids rushing into the carriage right after the doors open to chope seats for their moms. The mom sure did a fantastic job at... rearing.

Essentially, people who can't read, think or respond. Numskulls.

There's one simple, basic and fundamental concept local commuters have yet grasp. Being selfish only gives rise to more inconvenience.

If people learn to allow passengers to alight first, there will be a smooth exchange of people in only one way at a time, rather than both sides trying to get their way at the same time eventually needing to overcome resistance.
If people will keep left on the escalators ( and this should not be practised only during rush hour in the city, but at every other crowded station), and allow the right lane to remain fluid, people who are in hurry can always move faster, rather than allow blood pressure to build up whilst standing trapped.
If people will stop volunteering to share their ringtones/hip-hop/lin junjie/mat-songs (aka noise) in public, other passengers will be less irritable and more accomodating. Everytime I see a bonehead doing that, I feel like smashing his face into the window.
If the public address decides to tone down (at least the volume in the later-model trains) the announcements and not-very-gentle reminders, there will be less people raising their voices (and thus adding to the noise) when talking (and on the phone), and I can listen to my ipod .
If people will offer priority seats to those who really need it more, and stop snatching these seats shamelessly even when they're being let, you will not suffer an early and painful death because of a terrible misdeed you've done.

I know it sounds bloody obvious, but hey, the bastards can't quite figure. Do locals really need to hear an "Excuse me" before they act? Not only is such bad behaviour unnecessary, the whole system would also be significantly more efficient and less tiresome if people could only learn to observe these etiquette, and put some consideration into practice.

I hate taking public transport, but I cannot lose hope in it, because I HAVE TO take it. And also, driving your own car may also not be a better experience anyway. Some of the situations mentioned above are replicated on the roads in similar fashion.

2006-05-25T00:05:00.000+08:00

New Beginnings

I've resumed doing things I haven't done for years. Resume is not quite fitting a word to use as the hiatus was so long it feels like starting anew. But it shouldn't be so bad, not having reached sabbatical; not long enough for the muscles to become decrepitude.

The first is of course what I've been harping on for the past 2 weeks - choral singing. Intensive rehearsals twice a week and a back log of scores to learn. The laborious part is not learning the songs myself at home, it is the trying to make myself start. I also try not to frighten myself hearing my own raspy and under-perfected voice at the high notes, but I know it's coming back. Maybe it's better this way; the old bad habits are better left forgotten and discarded.

The bulk of the rest of my free time is now being allocated to WoW. *cocks left eyebrow* Yes, you read that right. World of Warcraft. Actually I am referring to MMORPG (Massively Multi-player Online Role-Playing Game). I'm not even close to being an addict (and schedule doesn't allow me to be), but I have to admit it's on my mind rather frequently now... ruminating... fantasizing. The roles at home have finally shifted; I now play games, and my brother prepares for his 'O' levels. I only get to play for a couple of hours a week though.

As for the last item... it's not the time to reveal it yet.

2006-05-24T11:30:00.000+08:00

Big Word: Patience

I've been a very impatient person for as long as I can remember. I want results and I don't wait for people who are slower. I snap at the dimwit for asking a stupid question. Everything - regardless of how good I actually am. When I'm slower I find my own excuses, or I do some cover-up work. But don't get it wrong, it's not just them. I pick at myself when I'm slow; I get pissed off, disheartened, fall apart. I won't even let myself off.

But recently, and by recently I mean for the past 2 years, I've started to slow down. I suppress most urges to make hasty criticism, I've stopped chasing after buses, I try to listen, analyse and adjust before I spit. I walk slower. Initially, it occured to me that what I'm experiencing may be ennui. But now I know that the environment is forcing me to slow down.

Bloody NS tests my patience in every sense; waiting for the assholic boss to stop ranting, or simply waiting for months for something to be over. I have to wait another year for university entry.

I have to live frugally until my dad comes back this weekend with money. =p

The greatest lesson to be learnt here is to be patient... and wait for Him to unfold his grand plan for me before my eyes.

I am waiting =)

God, I think I know what you're getting at.

2006-05-20T23:15:00.000+08:00

All over the place

I'll be posting less frequently (and in brevity) now that my schedule is CHOKED, the frequency of weird-ass dreams rocketed, I have to whisk from place to place consistently (translated to massive transport costs)... half of the time, my mind is somewhere else.

Don't be shocked if you find parts of dismembered me everywhere; I must've left them behind absentmindedly.

But you'd probably hear my voice before you see me. I can't stop singing =)

2006-05-17T16:33:00.000+08:00

Quasi-voice-clinic tonight

I'm back to choral singing. Reality has yet to hit me. I can't even get past a single song. I think I forgot how to learn a song?

It's alright. It's just the beginning.

2006-05-14T17:31:00.000+08:00

skint.

This month is my B-mth; Budget Month. I've been put on a budget, Ew! That word!.

KAREN: Honey, I had to! Stan put me on a... budget. Ew! That word! I guess it was that hat that I bought last week that pushed him over.

GRACE: Wait. Stan got upset because you bought a hat?

KAREN: Well, the hat was in Geneva, and it wasn't really a hat. It was a ski lodge. Oops.

GRACE: Oh, my god. Oh, my god. Ok... Maybe we can help each other out here. How much does Stan want to give you?

KAREN: He actually expects me to live... on this! [KAREN GIVES GRACE A PIECE OF PAPER.]

GRACE: [SIGHS] Karen, I think you can learn to live on this. I mean, Spain does, so...

KAREN: Grace, they wear tires on their feet! I wear Manolo Blahniks.

GRACE: Ok, I'll tell you what. Karen, my friend, you put that money back into my corporate account, and I will teach you how to live on a budget.

Argh, someone, donate to Leslie's Poverty Fund...

2006-05-11T22:14:00.000+08:00

destitute: You're so daft and resourceless, I feel sorry not for what went on in your head, but that I had to entertain you.

2006-05-11T11:44:00.000+08:00

Singapore beyond Lee
IHT, May 11, 2006.

"The Singapore leadership likes to scorn the "instability" of Asian liberal democracies such as Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan. But at some point it will likely have to address demands for greater openness and for power-sharing with middle and lower income groups, which have benefited from economic growth but feel excluded from power."

2006-05-10T12:31:00.000+08:00

Never Weather-beaten Sail
Thomas Campion
RICHARD SHEPHARD

Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore,
Never tired pilgrim's limbs affected slumber more,
Than my wearied sprite now longs to fly out of my troubled breast:
O come quickly, sweetest Lord, and take my soul to rest!

Ever blooming are the joys of heaven's high Paradise,
Cold age deafs not there our ears nor vapour dims our eyes:
Glory there the sun outshines; whose beams the Blessed only see:
O come quickly, glorious Lord, and raise my sprite to Thee!

I have chosen the song above for my audition tonight. The presence of singing this song in Prague still visits me to this day like an apparition.

2006-05-10T10:02:00.000+08:00

Maybe I can live here a little longer...

... sometimes I tell myself that. The pleasant girl brewing my latte in Starbucks, the sweet old lady who is my experienced dentist, the doctor who is an excellent friend, the idea that I have friends and family to fall back on...

I don't have much of a choice now; now that my appeal to leave this year for higher education is about to be rejected... heartlessly.

Maybe I can live here a little longer, I have to try much harder to keep telling myself that.

P.S. I feel like this: !@#$%&(*^

I WANT TO START READING MEDICINE THIS YEAR.

I feel better.

2006-05-06T13:16:00.000+08:00

Polling Day

I am not yet granted the "privilege" to vote, but nonetheless, I'd like to point out a rather dismal situation.

There's a misconception (or a very weak argument) that has to be absolved urgently. The whole idea of voting should not be to vote for the best party out there, but for the party you think is in position to guide the country forward. To my disappointment, this is sorely lacking.

So don't tell me that just because there is no "First World Opposition", my votes automatically get diverted to the next best option available. Since voting is compulsory, failure to do so is to give up subsequent voting rights, which may not be the wisest choice. Honestly, I'd like to see the issue of self-sustainability, or regional integration in the electoral agenda, and not how many additional lifts I think my estate deserves. Neither am I very impressed with the very juvenile (& oppressive) "sue us" way of dealing with opposing parties. I'm just glad that I'm underaged, so I won't have to act against my will this year.

2006-05-05T22:15:00.000+08:00

Natural Anthem
The Postal Service

I’ll write you a song and it won't be hard to sing
It will be a natural anthem, familiar it may seem
It will rally all the workers on strike for better pay
And its chorus will resound and boost morale throughout the day

I’ll write you a song and I hope that you won't mind
Because all the names and places I have taken from real life
So please don't be upset at this portrait that I paint
It may be a little biased, but at least I spelt your name right

2006-05-04T09:27:00.000+08:00

Newsfeed today

Coca-Cola excludes itself from American education
The Times, May 04, 2006.

I don't think I'm the only one that sees the irony here. Coca-Cola, previously notorious for its nefarious agenda of infiltrating every public institution, made a surprising move to step away from U.S. Schools. Although partly health concerns by American youth, it's obvious that the move is a result of public opinion shift to a lower-calorie diet translating into poorer sales of sugary drinks. Another point for consumer sovereignty.

3C hotter. Earth's danger point. Now scientists say it is going to happen
The Times, May 04, 2006.

Global warming is no longer yesterday's politico fear-mongering issue. Scientists have all started to agree that it is actually happening. The reason why it was difficult to ascertain previously is because of the phenomenon of creeping normalcy; where fluctuations of annual temperates make climate change hard to detect. And any small, minute changes in a short periods of time is almost impossible to feel (Bear in mind that climatic pattern studies take decades). Now, you probably will not understand the gravity of the issue until you begin to consider the fact that the world was only 5C cooler than it is today during the previous Ice Age.

Plagiarism claims bring career to a full stop
Telegraph, May 04, 2006.

Harvard student, Kaavya Viswanathan, allegedly ripped a host of passages off two novels by Megan McCafferty. I haven't read it (now it's being pulled off the shelves), and definitely not intending to, since high-school teenage fiction ain't exactly my cuppa tea. Nonetheless, it's a tragic start to her writing career, whether or not her work springs from other literary sources (of all sources, McCafferty?). And if she really did copy work from someone as popular as Meg Cabot, honestly... At least you can be certain of one thing that wasn't plagiarised - the title. How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got A Life. How else can anything sound so bad.

"Da Vinci Code" popularity a sign of trouble for religion: director
AFP, May 03, 2006.

Immensely popular fiction novel, The Davinci Code may be viewed as heresy by the Vatican and Christians worldwide, but it is not as if the claims purported in the book are groundless, no matter how grammatically gross the writing can be, or how amazing the plot appeal is. The insanely, absurd and dramatised extrapolations and integration of ideas is also not the point. As people's search for divinity becomes more intellectual, it's probably time for Christianity to provide sound arguments for its own case. Personally, I think with all the questions and doubts thrown up in the air, there may be a flip-side to it. For one, it forces semi-clandestine factions like the Opus Dei to remove its opaque policy. For another, it also encourages Christianity itself to redefine its credibility. It now depends on who grabs and answers them first.

2006-05-03T14:24:00.000+08:00

Fear is the weapon that stifles dissent
The Guardian, May 2.

Shortly after I'm back from Taipei, I came across some really absurd article in the local papers to warn Singaporean bloggers to be careful about what they write about. I can't remember how it's exactly worded, but all I know is, any person found to be spreading politically unfavorable sentiments may face incarceration.

And although I have some things to say about this whole election play-out (I'd rather watch Celebrity Deathmatch, trust me), I figured: WTF!, I'd just direct you elsewhere. Please read foreign papers.

2006-05-02T13:12:00.000+08:00

LATEST ADS

HAHAHahhaa...
Okay, okay..
OMG.

I'm a Mac, dude. Like, better.

Just Do Eat

2006-05-02T12:56:00.001+08:00

Just Do Eat
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Night Rider II ?

2006-05-02T12:56:00.000+08:00

Night Rider II ?
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Gawd...

2006-05-02T12:55:00.001+08:00

Gawd...
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Jiayi Night Market

2006-05-02T12:55:00.000+08:00

Jiayi Night Market
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Taipei Ximending

2006-05-02T12:54:00.002+08:00

Taipei Ximending
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Taipei Ximending 2

2006-05-02T12:54:00.001+08:00

Taipei Ximending 2
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Taipei 101

2006-05-02T12:53:00.001+08:00

Taipei 101
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

Cute Old man busking

2006-05-02T12:53:00.000+08:00

Cute Old man busking
Originally uploaded by cmyk.

2006-05-01T17:10:00.000+08:00

COLLAPSE by Jared Diamond

Ever wondered...

IN HISTORY
How the Easter Islanders mapped their own road to destruction?
What led to the disintegration of the ancient Mayan society?
How the Inuit people (Eskimos) of Greenland survived but the Vikings depleted?
Or the eradication of certain inhabitants of Polynesia?

MODERN TIMES
Why Middle East stability is so important to the rest of the world?
What China means to the world?
The fragility of Australia's environment.
Why Europe and Japan's forested area is actually growing in this age of rampant deforestation? (Why the tree-hugging anyway?)

How to mitigate past and present? Form solutions for the future?

All these questions and many others are answered in Jared Diamond's latest contribution to our ailing world - COLLAPSE: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive. Using a five-point framework for assessing societal collapses in the past - those that have completely vanished and those that have broken down considerably - and by running parallels not dissimilar with today's global society, Diamond drives through the point that it is in fact possible to choose victory over death, but it may be costly.

A fuller title, Diamond says, would be "Societal collapses involving an environmental component, and in some cases also contributions of climate change, hostile neighbors, and trade partners, plus questions of societal responses."

The content of the book has been so heavily and extensively researched, that Diamond has been "accused" of playing a team of experts. He also defuses and refutes claims by cynics blaming environmentalists of fear-mongering. Why we should turn our attention to population impact instead of population growth? Why Afghanistan became so important in the U.S. foreign agenda such that the U.S. decided to send troops in. Climate Change and environmental hazards will not affect just our distant decendants, but the later part of our life. And why if we fall now, it will be at a global scale (you've guessed it, buzzword, globalisation). Why the well-to-do should take part in alleviating the problems of the poor. The rich can just buy more time, not survival ultimately.

Though clearly not material for light-reading, the book is organised and adequately flagged for layperson understanding (Hey, I made it!). Enough detail for the geek, and enough passion for the jaded. Definitely worth picking up if you share the idea that we are sharing this world.

Here's a good book review, with an excerpt from the prologue, and an interview regarding the book.

2006-05-01T14:47:00.000+08:00

intruder

I'm being watched,
Dissected & examined.

That yell in my sleep was for you,
Back off.
I gouged an eyeball out,
Expect it returned at your doorstep.
Now it's beyond hostility.

No trespassing.
I'm no social animal, yet no recluse.
I just need you to stop flitting in those shadows of mine.

Do you know you have serpent eyes that bore?
Or the creep you personify?

Come if you dare.
I'll stop running here.
I'll stop running here.

2006-05-01T14:00:00.000+08:00

Friends list updated. Finally. Again.

2006-04-30T16:39:00.000+08:00

I'm back.
What is happening?
Where next?
Where is home?