"Some things have to be believed to be seen." - Ralph Hodgson, on ESP

Random playlist song: De Organographia - Music of the Ancient Greeks - Christian hymn, Anonymous 300ad

***

I just purchased the Tasks of Tantalon, the Casket of Souls and the Skull of Agarash for an undisclosed sum of money.

I was offered the Fighting Fantasy poster book for a sum almost equivalent to what I forked out for those 3, but decided I was not willing to shell out so much for 16 A3-sized posters of gamebook covers.

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T-minus: Just under 3 hours

I will be roaming around Northeast USA from 21 May to 4th June. Some planned stops include the Smithsonian and Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory in Vermont.

I may not actually spend any time in New York since parking (along with everything else) is expensive. Unfortunate, since most memories of my 1994 trip (inclusive of the Empire State, Statue of Liberty, the UN and the Cloisters) have been wiped from my mind, so horrific was that experience, having all the ingredients of the archetypical Singaporean tour: (bad) Chinese food all the way, noisy Singaporeans chattering away in Chinese and a horribly packed schedule, resulting in many stops becoming little more than quick photo opportunities - zoom, click, thank you Smithsonian!

Oh well, none of the shows on Broadway really jump out at me (I'm open to recommendations). Miss unearthly high bills for 2 people for 2 weeks (ask her for how much exactly) recommends 'Wicked' ('Long before Dorothy drops in, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey and how these two unlikely friends grew to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good') to me, but according to her it's fully booked till August, and I'm not willing to stand in the cancellation queue.

I'd still like to see Ground Zero and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, though.

***

My No 1 fan brings word of the following discovery from Chinese radio: "HAHA someone did some study of 100 uni girls and conclulded that uni girls think uni guys are whiny and immature".

Though no one did a survey on what University guys thought of the girls, listeners' reactions were interesting:

"933 getting guys to call in and defend themselves
the guy was.... he just turned around and called the girls immature because they wear skimpy clothes around campus even tho the LTs are cold"


She also transcribed the following:

"Life! Mailbag

Be still, my heart

I refer to Mr Mok Chuan-Xin's letter, "RGS Girls Should Cheer Like RI Guys? Not True" ( Life!, May 13)

It was a response to Colin Goh's column, "RGS Girls And Their Low Growls" (Lifestyle, May 8)

Mr Mok wrote that "RGS girls rarely cheered for the RI teams anyway, unless their boyfriends were in them" and that the girls preferred the "boys in blue, our traditional rivals from Anglo-Chinese School"

Such sweeping statements are an injustice to past and present RGS girls who take pride in their identities as Rafflesians and who fervently support fellow Rafflesians, be they from Raffles Girls' School, Raffles Institution, or Raffles Junior College.

Just because boys from other schools are capable of wooing RGS girls does not mean that our loyalties shift during cheering time at sporting events.

Where else did you think RGS girls first mastered the art of separating heart from mind?

Joanna Ong Siyun"

She adds: "WAH. the last two paragraphs just sound so damn wrong, I can't even describe what's wrong. hahaha
is she simultaneously badgering RI boys' wooing skills and portraying her fellow RGS sorority's very spliced anatomy? heehee"

It's amazing to see such violent reactions to jokes.

***

Less than favourable reviews of Gunther:

PLEASUREMAN - "GÜNTHER'S debut (and hopefully last) album brings an irreverent mix of fake French accents and early '90s techno. This is one album you can definitely judge by its cover - a reclining Günther in aviator shades and pouting lips to rival Angelina Jolie... The only value that can be derived from this CD is the laughter that the cover and the PC video induce."

Gunther's mission: pleasure - "Gunther, a self-proclaimed "pleasureman" has a mullet, big pink lips and a thin black moustache. He's a man with a mission: his Web site says he's striving to make the world a more sexual place.

That seems to be clear listening to the 11 tracks on his CD. Gunther sings in the same deep and breathy tone for each of his songs. It's almost as if he's in a constant state of arousal. It's slightly disturbing after a while.

The same goes with the Sunshine Girls, Gunther's backup singers. The girls' singing isn't any surprise to the listener. It's the traditional female singing that one would associate with club techno, but with moans interspersed into the mix. If it's possible to hear someone gyrating, the girls have pulled it off.

The music on the CD is difficult to describe in terms of whether it's good or not. On one hand, it sounds like the only musical input to the CD was someone hitting the "demo" button on an old Casio keyboard. On the other, it's really catchy.

The CD functions on two levels: dance music and unbridled hilarity. The lyrics are a riot and were either written in one night or by someone who learned the English language two weeks before their composition."

***

"Public Lecture on Einstein's Nobel Prize & The Photoelectric Effect Today

In commemoration of Albert Einstein - Man of the Century Exhibition, the Centenary of Einstein's "Miraculous Year" and the International Year of Physics 2005, the Singapore Science Centre and the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS) invite everyone to their public lecture on Einstein's Nobel Prize & The Photoelectric Effect Today.

Come dressed to look like Einstein. An Einstein Look-alike Contest will take place after the lecture. Contestants must dress like Albert Einstein at any of his poses. Rules and prizes can be viewed at <http://www.science.edu.sg>.


NUS's chicken project has gotten recognition from Ananova - Stroke a chicken over the internet

***

Elio Diodati:

"The half-eaten packets of sng muei and miscellaneous scattered bottles of rice miraculously found their way into snug, airtight containers sitting demurely on the bar counter. And look! No more bills sitting on the dining table! (I later discovered that they were surreptiously swept into my ottoman. Well, that’s certainly one way to deal with them.)

All of the above means, of course, that now I can’t find a single damned thing in my house anymore. How would I know that the “obvious” place to look for my olive oil is the lower left cabinet of the sink, just under the heaving engine of the garbage disposal? I still think leaving it next to the stove is the most convenient location, and not the fire hazard waiting to occur that my mother apparently thought it to be."

Why does this sound so familiar?! Damnit.