Quote of the Post: "My favorite thing about the Internet is that you get to go into the private world of real creeps without having to smell them." - Penn Jillette
Random Playlist Song: Antonio Caprioli - E D'un Bel Matin D'amore (The Hilliard Ensemble)
***
Jiekai on the films act:
On a completely uneconomic note, it would be interesting, especially for all Singaporeans, to note that Michael Moore would never have been able to make his movie on a subject of similar vein in Singapore.
Very cunningly, our government had in 1998 thought up and passed a catch-all amendment to the Films Act, so as to prevent any Singaporean or foreign filmmaker from catching our politicians on film doing stupid things like make faces in front of the camera before making completely serious policy statements in parliament in order to discredit them.
The amendment bans all "party political films". But what are they? From the Films Act, which can be read on
http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_getdata.pl?&actno=1998-REVED-107&date=latest&method=part&segid=#913859639-000675
,
"party political film" means a film -
(a) which is an advertisement made by or on behalf of any political party in Singapore or any body whose objects relate wholly or mainly to politics in Singapore, or any branch of such party or body; or
(b) which is made by any person and directed towards any political end in Singapore;
They are more than helpful in defining (b). Seriously.
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a film is directed towards a political end in Singapore if the film -
(a) contains wholly or partly any matter which is intended or likely to affect voting in any election or national referendum in Singapore; or
(b) contains wholly or partly either partisan or biased references to or comments on any political matter, including but not limited to any of the
following:
(i) an election or a national referendum in Singapore;
(ii) a candidate or group of candidates in an election;
(iii) an issue submitted or otherwise before electors in an election or a national referendum in Singapore;
(iv) the Government or a previous Government or the opposition to the Government or previous Government;
(v) a Member of Parliament;
(vi) a current policy of the Government or an issue of public controversy in Singapore; or
(vii) a political party in Singapore or any body whose objects relate wholly or mainly to politics in Singapore, or any branch of such party or
body.
And what sorts of punishments can be inflicted on you?
Making, distribution and exhibition of party political films
33. Any person who -
(a) imports any party political film;
(b) makes or reproduces any party political film;
(c) distributes, or has in his possession for the purposes of distributing, to any other person any party political film; or
(d) exhibits, or has in his possession for the purposes of exhibiting, to any other person any party political film, knowing or having reasonable
cause to believe the film to be a party political film shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years.
Heck, why not include anything the government doesn't like?
Minister may prohibit possession or distribution of any film
35. - (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this Act if the Minister is of the opinion that the possession or distribution of any film would be
contrary to the public interest, he may, in his discretion, by order published in the Gazette prohibit the possession or distribution of that
film by any person.
(2) Any person who has in his possession or who distributes any film the possession or distribution of which has been prohibited under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both, and the film shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as the Minister thinks fit
Wow! Our dear friend George would surely wish that he could pass this sort of law to make Michael Moore and his chums shut up for good! ( But then again, in America it would have been ruled unconstitutional since it goes against the first amendment of the Bill Of Rights. )
Of course when queried about this, the ministers, members of parliament and the ministry spokesmen will always claim this law is necessary so as to prevent voters from being "misled". After all, as Lee Boon Yang said in December last year, "[p]eople can be swayed by what they see on TV or in the bold newspaper headlines. [The Media's] role is to inform and educate Singaporeans without compromising the nation's overriding need for social and political stability."
http://www.mita.gov.sg/pressroom/press_031112.htmlhttp://www.mita.gov.sg/pressroom/press_031112.html
That sounds pretty benign and commonsensical doesn't it? After all even I would cringe at say, some video calling for the tudung to be worn by all good muslim girls across Singapore, or even the sort of political mudslinging that Kerry and Bush are waging in television advertisements
across America. But the problem is that the definition of a political film is so vague that there are a great many things which can be considered an offence under this amendment. A Singapore version of Fahrenheit 9/11 would have been banned. The people who would putatively have made such a film could be fined or jailed.
Unless of course the people producing the political propaganda....er....informative material are from the government
Exemptions
40. -(1) This Act shall not apply to -
(a) any film sponsored by the Government;
The Nazis would have been proud.
Is this justified? You decide. For one thing I don't agree with it. Fortunately I have not and do not intend to make a movie about it ; )
***
Spam gets weirder and weirder:
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Maybe I should stop advertising for these buggers.
***
A soulless hotel called Singapore - "Singapore is becoming a more open and civic society. It must be so, because editorials in The Straits Times - a paper which unlike its decadent western counterparts, only deals in fact - constantly referred to it throughout June, two months before the transfer of leadership."
Originally published in Malaysiakini
4D numbers related to PM handover date sold out - "Since news broke overnight about the date of the handover of Singapore's Prime Ministership - 12 August - 4D numbers like 0812, 1208 and 1284 have been sold out."
The Phantom of The Opera - Joel Schumacher directs Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical. My brother in law predicts that it will suck.
ExtensionUninstaller 1 - "This extension allows you to uninstall any extension installed in your Mozilla browser with a nice user interface."
One less reason to switch to Firefox. I love Seamonkey!
The Most Untranslatable Word In The World - "The most untranslatable word in any language, reckon the translators, is ilunga, a word in the Bantu language of Tshiluba for a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time; to tolerate it a second time; but never a third time."
Eat Chinese Food for a Long Life! - "Start eating like a rural Chinese peasant and you might add several healthy years to your life."
If I went on this diet, I'd die. So much for a longer life.
Steven Lim got SomethingAwfuled (so his site is offline). Meanwhile, PaRaDoX got Mr Browned.
Gates of Troy gold master stolen - "around 11:05[am] GMT, the Royal Mail postman was assaulted and his bags stolen."
Pirates are getting desperate.
I used the phrase "I am on the way to destruction" on a friend, but it didn't register. Neither did my follow-up ("all your base are belong to us"), so I went to look for the video to show her. Unfortunately, every site I went to hosted the original video, with insipid music and horrible voice acting. Luckily, Xephyris, who'd first introduced me to the AllYourBase phenomenon, was online, and he revealed that the version he'd sent me had been taken from OverClocked. That is the definitive Zerowing video for me, dubbed in a "Wayne Newton" voice (though I've no idea who Wayne Newton is). I suggest everyone go and download it and be stunned by the superb voice acting and remarkably appropriate music :)
Critic 1 asked me to change my Blogskin to this. I said I would, if she changed hers to this. Fortunately (or otherwise), she declined. Aww.
***
"Why prove to a man he is wrong? Is that going to make him like you? Why not let him save his face? He didn’t ask for your opinion. He didn’t want it. Why argue with him? Always avoid the acute angle.
During my youth, I had argued with my brother about everything under the Milky Way. When I went to college, I studied logic and argumentation, and went in for debating contests. Talk about being from Missouri, I was born there. I had to be shown. Later, I taught debating and argumentation in New York; and once, I am ashamed to admit, I planned to write a book on the subject... Since then, I have listened to, criticize, engaged in, and watched the effects of thousands of arguments. As a result of it all, I have come to the conclusion that there is only one way under high heaven to get the best of an argument – and that is to avoid it. Avoid it as you would avoid rattlesnakes and earthquakes."
- Extract from Dale Carnegie's "How To Win Friends And Influence People"
I believe in the Socratic method of finding truth. But then, Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock, so.
Cute poem:
My trusty shield adorns some Thracian foe; I
left it in a bush - not as I would! But I have
saved my life; so let it go. Soon I will get
another just as good.
- Archilochus of Paros
"After leaving Thasos, he is said to have visited Sparta but to have been at once banished from that city on account of his cowardice and the licentious character of his works (Valerius Maximus vi. 3, externa 1)"
***
I'm contemplating whether or not to watch lectures from the comfort of my home, especially those scheduled at unearthly times (eg 8am). A bonus would be that if I didn't catch a quote, I would be able to replay the webcast to retranscribe it properly. But then, I don't think I am that dedicated to my craft.
Some people have asked me why I am taking the module: SN1101E - SOUTH ASIA : PEOPLE, CULTURE, DEVELOP'M. My reply:
India, a land of all seasons.
India, a land of all reasons.
I was despairing since no one recognised the reference, but Mengchuan reaffirmed my faith in humanity when he was the only one to buck the trend :) (This tagline was used to promote India as a Tourist Destination in the mid-90s.)
On Wednesday we were served food at a mini-reception after our first South Asia lecture by the people (Teaching Assistants) who will be teaching us in the next semester. I am vaguely disturbed.
There seems to be 2 schools of thought regarding lecture notes (at least on the part of the lecturers). One holds that they are bad, since people won't copy down stuff, and thus internalise the information. There is also a moral hazard involved: people will then not listen to the lecture. Another holds that with lecture notes, students actually *listen* to what is being said, since it is almost impossible to copy, listen and understand what is being said, all at the same time. My Secondary 3 Geography teacher came up with a good compromise: Her geography notes came with blanks for us to fill in, so we could listen to what she was saying, while ensuring that we would pay at least -some- attention to her.
The seat-side tables in NUS Lecture Theatres are fixed. On the upside, they can't collapse while you're sleeping on them and embarass you (or worse - destroy your laptop), but on the downside, they make the seats quite hard to squeeze into.
On Wednesday, I saw a bicycle chained to a freshly painted railing, and the parts directly in contact with the railing were painted green. Gee. I am at a loss to explain the white paint splashed liberally over other parts of the bicycle, though.
I saw this guy with one earring in each ear, and a stud in his left ear. Ages ago, I was told that the rule for guys with earrings is that if they have one more earring on their left ears than their right ears, then they're not gay. I'm not sure if a stud counts in the calculations, though :0
Quan Teng on NTU girls: "kinda scary, haha like drug addict like tt... they look pale and some have bulging eyes". I asked him about NTU guys. His response? "i won't go rd noticing guys lah". Gah.
Jianwen is in the Mr Biz Ad pageant. Hahahahaha.
Quotes:
[On my slow rate of hair growth] Gabriel: We're not girls... Girls have a gene to make their hair grow faster.
At a quarter to two, we will stop... As a welcoming gesture to you, we have tea and snacks. I've been in Singapore for 5 years... The way to your hearts is tea and snacks... Having a lecture when you should be sitting in the canteen, having lunch.
I'm gonna set up a Arts Canteen Club [Someone: Meet 3 times a day]
A few years ago, we were much more controlling... If you didn't come [for tutorials] a second time, we'd send you a warning note. If you didn't come a third time, we'd call the police... Give them your picture - 'have you seen this boy or girl?'
We have a program here. After today, when a handphone goes off, a TA [Teaching Assistant] will come, collect the handphone, and give it to the (some words I didn't catch) nursing home... the elderly love giving calls to their children.
When I was young, back in BC times [laughter from audience] Before computers! Before computers!
How many of you are heterosexual, or homosexual, or bisexual?... All of these things involve relationships with other people (Having a sexuality does not mean that you engage in sexual interaction)
When I go to my friend's house for dinner, I don't march around and lecture people on sociology. Sometimes I do, and my wife smacks me.
fai'lo (philo)
[On section headings on a webpage] What may not be so clear is that those are hyperlinks... I made it a little too elegant to be obvious.
[On his cartoons] That's how I draw them. Socrates has twiddles on the head. Plato has twiddles on the beard.
This guy is a sort of wild Vienese philosopher. His name is Ludwig Wittgenstein. He has great hair. He died in 1951.
Wittgenstein... He was always tormenting his students by telling them one thing and then telling them another, so they'd think they were idiots.
Wondered if he was part a monster and part a human being. Wittgenstein's students wondered that about him, he was always very obnoxious to them.
When I first read Plato, I thought he was very boring. My teacher kept assuring me he was fascinating... After 6 years, I found him interesting.
[On some Greek word] I was going to make a joke about it. Now I can't remember the joke.
[On Alcibiades] He was Brad Pitt, basically. Everyone thought he was so much more handsome than everybody else.
[On Alcibiades' defection] It would be like if Brad pitt joined Al-Qaeda... That's too extreme... It would be like if Steve Jobs joined Microsoft.
[On Socrates] He used to say: 'I'm very beautiful, because my eyes bug out, so I can see in all directions. My nostrils flare, so I can get lots of air.
[On Socrates] He asks them questions, gets some answers. Asks them more questions, gets more answers, until they end up contradicting themselves. That's why he's so annoying to them.
[On pissing people off by asking probing, incisive questions as opposed to buttering them up and weaseling to them] Dale Carnegie is in the 100 Top Sellers [list], and Plato isn't.
I've taken Dale Carnegie's advice on many occasions, even though I like Plato. So that's my contradiction.
[Being sarcastic] If someone thinks that stars are made of cheese, just agree with them. That's the way to get ahead in science.
[On Socrates] 'The Golden Age of Athens and the Gadfly of Athens'. Or: 'How to Lose Friends and Get Executed by People'
[On the torching of Sardis by the Ionians, Athenians and Eretrians] They lost. Badly. But they managed to burn down the Western Capital. Maybe even by accident.
[On his picture of a vase] When you're drinking at night and you want to think about how great the Battle of Marathon was, it's nice to have a vase of an Athenian Hoplite clobbering some poor Persian slob. Makes you feel better about yourself.
[On Leonidas] 'Then we will fight in the shade'. A very good one [line], and of no philosophical interest.
Socrates was an example of how not to defend yourself.
L'origine de Bert
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Quote of the Post: "Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?" - Holly Near
Random Playlist Song: Haydn - Harpsichord Divertimento H14 - 04 - 02 - C - Menuet; Trio; Menuet
***
[Advertisement I've been asked to post]
Enlarge your...
... exposure to arts dear. what were you thinking!
If you didn't get what the above was aiming at: Raffles Players (the RJC drama ECA) is presenting Aristophanes' Lysistrata, about how Greek women stop a war by denying their husbands congress.
Oh, and the iPod "ad" was censored to protect those with delicate sensibilities (ie those who complained about seeing PaRaDoX's moobs).
Those who want to purchase tickets should mail their names, contact numbers and number of tickets desired to Kelly at kelsabun@hotmail.com.
Addendum: The $6 goes to "charity" (Singapore International Foundation, for refugees I think), IIRC
***
My Fiance's Sister
My girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year and we decided to get married.
There was only one thing bothering me, very much indeed. That one thing was my finance's younger sister. My prospective sister-in-law was 20 years old, wore tight mini skirts and low cut blouses. Once my girlfriend announced our plans, her sister would regularly bend down near me and I enjoyed many pleasant views. It had to be deliberate -- I didn't notice her doing this near anyone else.
One day the sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was alone when I arrived and whispered to me that soon I was to be married, and she had feelings and desires for me that she could not overcome. She told me that she wanted to make love to me -- just once -- before I got married and committed my life to her sister.
I was in total shock and couldn't say a word.
She said, "I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want to go ahead with it just come up and get me."
I was stunned. I was frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. When she reached the top, she pulled down her panties and threw them down the stairs at me. I stood there for a moment, then turned and went straight to the front door. I opened the door, stepped out of the house, and began walking toward my car.
My future father-in-law was standing outside. With tears in his eyes, he hugged me and said, "We are very happy that you have passed our little test. We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to our family!"
The moral of the story?
Be smart, like me. Always keep your condoms in your car.
[JumboJoke]
***
I was sorting through the Homepage Comments directory in my mail and archiving old messages, since Hotmail's promised 250MB of storage space is nowhere to be seen (we were supposed to get it in July or "later this summer", damnit!) and I prefer to keep my Inbox below 60%, in case someone decides to mailbomb me with a 300kb attachment *glares at He Who Must Not Be Named*
Amidst the good:
'Improve Your English' was very funny! Your entire site is FUN! I really enjoyed my visit :),
the bad:
fuck you you bastard.That is so not funny.What if that was real? What if that was real and that girl's mother hears what you said. Fake or not, it's still not funny,
and the ugly:
i love girls! im in 7th grade and have 5 girlfriends. it all atters on if their hot or not. also popularity. I also like french kissin'.
There are the occasional notes you'd never expect:
i just wish to thank you.. was feeling very low and down these few days.. cos of some personal tanglements.. would have persisted in my depressed state if not for ur page on "about me". honestly.. i cant tell u why and what perked me up.. was from neither of ur schs.. in ur rival jc somemore.. *smiles*.. i guess.. when u are feeling low.. u just wish for anything to lift ur spirits.. mayhap..
***
metastasis's National Day Post:
"Didn't our ancestors stay under equally shitty conditions? To look at just one segment of 'our ancestors', I'd have to answer: why yes, they did. They stayed after immigrating here in search of jobs, money and a better life–and either they were in time to start seeing some of these after a while, or obligations (lack of money for another move, family here, etc.) held them here. Apparently they are heroes for abandoning their motherland. Why are today's 'quitters' scum? Discuss."
There's a reason why no one talks about Quitters and Stayers anymore.
***
Interview with Yortsin:
1. What, in your opinion, is your best feature?
My eyelashes.
3. If you could be Hitler, Stalin or Mao for a day, who would you choose? Why?
I'd rather be Lee Kuan Yew because he's the man.
4. Which part of the job do you admire the most?
To shape, mould and 'corrupt' the minds of future leaders of Singapore.
I see he hasn't lost his sense of humour ;) Reminds me of my academic advisor, actually.
***
It's been so long since I went to school, I'd almost forgotten what it was like. Today, during Innovations in Technology, I didn't understand what was meant by "inertial mass" and "gravitational mass" (and still only half-understand it). My only comfort was that some girls (who after all are 2 fewer years out of school than I) were muttering after the lecture that he had no idea what he was talking about. Then again, the last time they touched Physics might have been at O levels.
I heard 2 girls (who shall remain anonymous by default, since I don't know their names) introducing themselves to each other. Barely half an hour later, they were talking like they were long-lost best friends.
Women.
There are no water coolers in NUS. Well, they have what they call water coolers, but these are more like hot-and-cold-water dispensers, and to drink from them, you need a bottle, cup or other receptacle to gather the water. Either that or put your mouth below the nozzle.
NUS used to have normal water coolers, but apparently they were all changed last year during the SARS scare. I suspect it's just an evil plot by the Vending Machine Uncles so they can earn more money.
(I *did* see one water cooler that escaped the purge, down by the spectator stands beside the track. Poor, lonely, solitary water cooler. You're the last of your kind.)
When my handphone is in my pocket, I can usually neither hear my ringtone (even if it is set to maximum volume) nor feel the (good) vibrations. So I end up having to call people back and not being able to take advantage of my free incoming calls. Gah.
For some reason, NUS requires us to use 2 login ids (one being our matriculation number, and one being our matriculation number with an extra zero and no last letter), and 2 passwords (one alphanumeric, one numerical pin). The latter, I can understand, given the doors requiring that you swipe your card and enter your pin, but why the former? Argh.
Some people had make up lectures last Saturday (during Rag). NUS - the only place where make up lectures start *before* the semester.
Quotes:
I hope you can join us for the refreshment break later.
***
The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Adventure Gamebooks
Build a better Bush - "This November, we Americans pick our President, but until then, lets pick on our President. Use the pop-up menues to change Mr. Bush's face."
Three Tampa City Council Members Walk Out on Atheist's Invocation - "Three Tampa city council members walked out of chambers rather than listen to an atheist give the opening invocation."
Random Playlist Song: Haydn - Harpsichord Divertimento H14 - 04 - 02 - C - Menuet; Trio; Menuet
***
[Advertisement I've been asked to post]
Enlarge your...
... exposure to arts dear. what were you thinking!
Ipod has been selling and the graphic'd explain why.
cmon don't deny it. sex sells. period.
at Raffles Players, we read the market well.
very well.
Catch Greek women exchange sex for peace. and Greek men, dignity for sex.
Lysistrata
Quite Literally Make Love, Not War...
20th / 21st August | 7pm | LT1 | $6
If you didn't get what the above was aiming at: Raffles Players (the RJC drama ECA) is presenting Aristophanes' Lysistrata, about how Greek women stop a war by denying their husbands congress.
Oh, and the iPod "ad" was censored to protect those with delicate sensibilities (ie those who complained about seeing PaRaDoX's moobs).
Those who want to purchase tickets should mail their names, contact numbers and number of tickets desired to Kelly at kelsabun@hotmail.com.
Addendum: The $6 goes to "charity" (Singapore International Foundation, for refugees I think), IIRC
***
My Fiance's Sister
My girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year and we decided to get married.
There was only one thing bothering me, very much indeed. That one thing was my finance's younger sister. My prospective sister-in-law was 20 years old, wore tight mini skirts and low cut blouses. Once my girlfriend announced our plans, her sister would regularly bend down near me and I enjoyed many pleasant views. It had to be deliberate -- I didn't notice her doing this near anyone else.
One day the sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was alone when I arrived and whispered to me that soon I was to be married, and she had feelings and desires for me that she could not overcome. She told me that she wanted to make love to me -- just once -- before I got married and committed my life to her sister.
I was in total shock and couldn't say a word.
She said, "I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want to go ahead with it just come up and get me."
I was stunned. I was frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. When she reached the top, she pulled down her panties and threw them down the stairs at me. I stood there for a moment, then turned and went straight to the front door. I opened the door, stepped out of the house, and began walking toward my car.
My future father-in-law was standing outside. With tears in his eyes, he hugged me and said, "We are very happy that you have passed our little test. We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to our family!"
The moral of the story?
Be smart, like me. Always keep your condoms in your car.
[JumboJoke]
***
I was sorting through the Homepage Comments directory in my mail and archiving old messages, since Hotmail's promised 250MB of storage space is nowhere to be seen (we were supposed to get it in July or "later this summer", damnit!) and I prefer to keep my Inbox below 60%, in case someone decides to mailbomb me with a 300kb attachment *glares at He Who Must Not Be Named*
Amidst the good:
'Improve Your English' was very funny! Your entire site is FUN! I really enjoyed my visit :),
the bad:
fuck you you bastard.That is so not funny.What if that was real? What if that was real and that girl's mother hears what you said. Fake or not, it's still not funny,
and the ugly:
i love girls! im in 7th grade and have 5 girlfriends. it all atters on if their hot or not. also popularity. I also like french kissin'.
There are the occasional notes you'd never expect:
i just wish to thank you.. was feeling very low and down these few days.. cos of some personal tanglements.. would have persisted in my depressed state if not for ur page on "about me". honestly.. i cant tell u why and what perked me up.. was from neither of ur schs.. in ur rival jc somemore.. *smiles*.. i guess.. when u are feeling low.. u just wish for anything to lift ur spirits.. mayhap..
***
metastasis's National Day Post:
"Didn't our ancestors stay under equally shitty conditions? To look at just one segment of 'our ancestors', I'd have to answer: why yes, they did. They stayed after immigrating here in search of jobs, money and a better life–and either they were in time to start seeing some of these after a while, or obligations (lack of money for another move, family here, etc.) held them here. Apparently they are heroes for abandoning their motherland. Why are today's 'quitters' scum? Discuss."
There's a reason why no one talks about Quitters and Stayers anymore.
***
Interview with Yortsin:
1. What, in your opinion, is your best feature?
My eyelashes.
3. If you could be Hitler, Stalin or Mao for a day, who would you choose? Why?
I'd rather be Lee Kuan Yew because he's the man.
4. Which part of the job do you admire the most?
To shape, mould and 'corrupt' the minds of future leaders of Singapore.
I see he hasn't lost his sense of humour ;) Reminds me of my academic advisor, actually.
***
It's been so long since I went to school, I'd almost forgotten what it was like. Today, during Innovations in Technology, I didn't understand what was meant by "inertial mass" and "gravitational mass" (and still only half-understand it). My only comfort was that some girls (who after all are 2 fewer years out of school than I) were muttering after the lecture that he had no idea what he was talking about. Then again, the last time they touched Physics might have been at O levels.
I heard 2 girls (who shall remain anonymous by default, since I don't know their names) introducing themselves to each other. Barely half an hour later, they were talking like they were long-lost best friends.
Women.
There are no water coolers in NUS. Well, they have what they call water coolers, but these are more like hot-and-cold-water dispensers, and to drink from them, you need a bottle, cup or other receptacle to gather the water. Either that or put your mouth below the nozzle.
NUS used to have normal water coolers, but apparently they were all changed last year during the SARS scare. I suspect it's just an evil plot by the Vending Machine Uncles so they can earn more money.
(I *did* see one water cooler that escaped the purge, down by the spectator stands beside the track. Poor, lonely, solitary water cooler. You're the last of your kind.)
When my handphone is in my pocket, I can usually neither hear my ringtone (even if it is set to maximum volume) nor feel the (good) vibrations. So I end up having to call people back and not being able to take advantage of my free incoming calls. Gah.
For some reason, NUS requires us to use 2 login ids (one being our matriculation number, and one being our matriculation number with an extra zero and no last letter), and 2 passwords (one alphanumeric, one numerical pin). The latter, I can understand, given the doors requiring that you swipe your card and enter your pin, but why the former? Argh.
Some people had make up lectures last Saturday (during Rag). NUS - the only place where make up lectures start *before* the semester.
Quotes:
I hope you can join us for the refreshment break later.
***
The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Adventure Gamebooks
Build a better Bush - "This November, we Americans pick our President, but until then, lets pick on our President. Use the pop-up menues to change Mr. Bush's face."
Three Tampa City Council Members Walk Out on Atheist's Invocation - "Three Tampa city council members walked out of chambers rather than listen to an atheist give the opening invocation."
Post ID: 109213723395697535
Quote of the Post: "As if there was something romantic and glamorous about hard work ... if there was something romantic about it, the Duke of Westminster would be digging his own fucking garden, wouldn't he?" - Jeffrey Bernard
Random Playlist Song: Bach - Gieb dich zufrieden und sei stille, BWV 315
***
Wo-hen has just updated his Xanga. Looks like he's still alive ;)
In his most recent entry, he linked to someone's discourse on hoop earrings:
The bigger the hoops, the bigger the hooch. The diameter of a hoop is directly proportional to how easily she puts out. There are other things to keep into consideration also, such as hoop thickness and hoop material.
Here are some quick hoop facts:
Critical diameter: 1 inch - anything under is safe
Thickness:
Really thin = cheap hoops = cheap slut
Really thick = strong hoops = puts out a lot
Double hoops: does anal
Triple hoops: takes it up every orifice
Material:
"Gold" - most likely fake
"Silver" - most likely fake
Plastic - cheap slut
I'm not quite an expert on hoop earrings, but do feel the urge to tug off (gently, or otherwise) anything above this guy's "critical diameter".
Funny comments on Wo-hen's Xanga:
"if youre so rich, why dont you have xanga premium?
Posted 8/8/2004 at 12:24 AM by Legin
because he's cool enough without it
Posted 8/8/2004 at 11:35 AM by OblivionPrime"
Indeed.
***
Tales of Wireless Home Networking:
Now when I access my workgroup from My Network Places on my laptop, it works and I can see the laptop itself as a member of the workgroup (but not my desktop, unfortunately).
However, when I try to access my workgroup from My Network Places, it pauses for a long time before displaying the workgroup, and when I try to enter the workgroup, it still pauses for a long time and then gives me the message:
"[Workgroup name] is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available"
Well, at least I've made *some* progress.
To the anonymous person who suggested I try logging off, then on again: Sorry, that didn't seem to work.
***
Some time back, I was bemoaning how my buggy phone kept truncating my ringtones. I thought that this was due to buggy phone software, so I flashed my phone's firmware, to no avail (none of the other bugs were fixed either. Later I found that this was because the firmware version they flashed to my phone was the same as what was already on the phone. Damnit). Today, I noticed that the same thing had happened to a new midi I had uploaded. Thinking it might be a problem with the midi, I tried uploading another version of the song and found, to my disgust, that it was truncated too, albeit at a different point.
Going back to my phone gallery, I noticed that both the ringtones that kept being cut off in mid-play were of the same suspicious file size - 15.0kb. Scrolling down, I found just one midi longer than 15.0kb, and it was one I had downloaded via GPRS.
The obvious conclusion: the Nokia Sound Convertor was the culprit! In their eagerness to save users' phone memories, the people coding the application made it truncate ringtones uploaded to phones at 15.0kb, but neglected to include a note to this effect (it wasn't even in the help file).
While I appreciate their thoughtfulness, some people might want to upload really long and/or complex ringtones to the phone - to test the "16 chords" (16 notes played simultaneously) function that their phone is supposed to be able to support, for example. What they should have done was to make truncation optional, or better yet - provide an option to control the maximum ringtone file size (ie the point at which the midis are truncated).
I've sent a note touching on this to Nokia Care Singapore. I hope it'll find its way to the Nokia PC Suite team.
***
It seemed that everyone but me watched Singapore Idol last night. I was curious about what happened, and some people related how some of the contestants made fools of themselves. Most people were quite amused by them: the "mosquito" man who sang so softly that no one could hear him, and the person who refused to leave, among others.
Some of these antics sounded so unbelievable, I wondered if the people engaging in them had been employed by the producers of the show. Someone said that if that were the case, no would watch the show, but I brought up the example of the Original Reality TV Show - the World Wrestling Federation.
Me: If wrestling is scripted, why do people watch it?
Someone: Because the script is good.
A few people had tipped me off about the appearance, on the show, of "Singapore's Most Handsome Guy, Steven Lim - the Famous Street Eyebrow Plucker". Everyone I asked said they were disgusted by his prancing around clad only in his trademark yellow underwear (I'm not surprised). Pity I missed his performance. But in my discussions, a good idea came up - pair Handsome Boy Steven Lim with Xiaxue. Should be a perfect match :)
***
"I realised that there are two kinds of people that I don't like. En Mings and Yaodongs."
- As quoted by Eat Me. Just Eat Me.
Yes, but the difference is the latter deliberately makes himself disliked. Or at least I hope it's deliberate.
***
kureshi:
"Social Night. Bane of the girlfriend-less, showroom of the girlfriend-ed. It's this Wednesday, and I haven't successfully gotten anyone to accompany me... I'm preparing to sign 7 extras. Yes, there's a dumb rule stating that if you don't turn up or if you don't bring a female, you have to sign 7 extras. No comments on this rule from me; I don't know how to phrase them anyway. But hey, if you're interested in eating free food from Conrad International, or just want to take a look at what the future leaders of the SAF are like, just message me (if you have my phone number) or leave me an email (if you don't). Do leave a name and contact, of course. I'll work something out if this happens." (full post)
For those not in the know, 7 extras are baaaaaaaaad. I know. I signed 7 extras before.
So if by some miracle someone who wants to eat free food from Conrad International, and/or see how the flower (or otherwise) of our youth are turning out reads this before Wednesday night, please email poor kureshi at kuraijo@yahoo.com.sg
***
Home-made Spiderman "suit" (not for those with delicate sensibilities)
Random Playlist Song: Bach - Gieb dich zufrieden und sei stille, BWV 315
***
Wo-hen has just updated his Xanga. Looks like he's still alive ;)
In his most recent entry, he linked to someone's discourse on hoop earrings:
The bigger the hoops, the bigger the hooch. The diameter of a hoop is directly proportional to how easily she puts out. There are other things to keep into consideration also, such as hoop thickness and hoop material.
Here are some quick hoop facts:
Critical diameter: 1 inch - anything under is safe
Thickness:
Really thin = cheap hoops = cheap slut
Really thick = strong hoops = puts out a lot
Double hoops: does anal
Triple hoops: takes it up every orifice
Material:
"Gold" - most likely fake
"Silver" - most likely fake
Plastic - cheap slut
I'm not quite an expert on hoop earrings, but do feel the urge to tug off (gently, or otherwise) anything above this guy's "critical diameter".
Funny comments on Wo-hen's Xanga:
"if youre so rich, why dont you have xanga premium?
Posted 8/8/2004 at 12:24 AM by Legin
because he's cool enough without it
Posted 8/8/2004 at 11:35 AM by OblivionPrime"
Indeed.
***
Tales of Wireless Home Networking:
Now when I access my workgroup from My Network Places on my laptop, it works and I can see the laptop itself as a member of the workgroup (but not my desktop, unfortunately).
However, when I try to access my workgroup from My Network Places, it pauses for a long time before displaying the workgroup, and when I try to enter the workgroup, it still pauses for a long time and then gives me the message:
"[Workgroup name] is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available"
Well, at least I've made *some* progress.
To the anonymous person who suggested I try logging off, then on again: Sorry, that didn't seem to work.
***
Some time back, I was bemoaning how my buggy phone kept truncating my ringtones. I thought that this was due to buggy phone software, so I flashed my phone's firmware, to no avail (none of the other bugs were fixed either. Later I found that this was because the firmware version they flashed to my phone was the same as what was already on the phone. Damnit). Today, I noticed that the same thing had happened to a new midi I had uploaded. Thinking it might be a problem with the midi, I tried uploading another version of the song and found, to my disgust, that it was truncated too, albeit at a different point.
Going back to my phone gallery, I noticed that both the ringtones that kept being cut off in mid-play were of the same suspicious file size - 15.0kb. Scrolling down, I found just one midi longer than 15.0kb, and it was one I had downloaded via GPRS.
The obvious conclusion: the Nokia Sound Convertor was the culprit! In their eagerness to save users' phone memories, the people coding the application made it truncate ringtones uploaded to phones at 15.0kb, but neglected to include a note to this effect (it wasn't even in the help file).
While I appreciate their thoughtfulness, some people might want to upload really long and/or complex ringtones to the phone - to test the "16 chords" (16 notes played simultaneously) function that their phone is supposed to be able to support, for example. What they should have done was to make truncation optional, or better yet - provide an option to control the maximum ringtone file size (ie the point at which the midis are truncated).
I've sent a note touching on this to Nokia Care Singapore. I hope it'll find its way to the Nokia PC Suite team.
***
It seemed that everyone but me watched Singapore Idol last night. I was curious about what happened, and some people related how some of the contestants made fools of themselves. Most people were quite amused by them: the "mosquito" man who sang so softly that no one could hear him, and the person who refused to leave, among others.
Some of these antics sounded so unbelievable, I wondered if the people engaging in them had been employed by the producers of the show. Someone said that if that were the case, no would watch the show, but I brought up the example of the Original Reality TV Show - the World Wrestling Federation.
Me: If wrestling is scripted, why do people watch it?
Someone: Because the script is good.
A few people had tipped me off about the appearance, on the show, of "Singapore's Most Handsome Guy, Steven Lim - the Famous Street Eyebrow Plucker". Everyone I asked said they were disgusted by his prancing around clad only in his trademark yellow underwear (I'm not surprised). Pity I missed his performance. But in my discussions, a good idea came up - pair Handsome Boy Steven Lim with Xiaxue. Should be a perfect match :)
***
"I realised that there are two kinds of people that I don't like. En Mings and Yaodongs."
Jiax, clearly still haunted by his JC class.
- As quoted by Eat Me. Just Eat Me.
Yes, but the difference is the latter deliberately makes himself disliked. Or at least I hope it's deliberate.
***
kureshi:
"Social Night. Bane of the girlfriend-less, showroom of the girlfriend-ed. It's this Wednesday, and I haven't successfully gotten anyone to accompany me... I'm preparing to sign 7 extras. Yes, there's a dumb rule stating that if you don't turn up or if you don't bring a female, you have to sign 7 extras. No comments on this rule from me; I don't know how to phrase them anyway. But hey, if you're interested in eating free food from Conrad International, or just want to take a look at what the future leaders of the SAF are like, just message me (if you have my phone number) or leave me an email (if you don't). Do leave a name and contact, of course. I'll work something out if this happens." (full post)
For those not in the know, 7 extras are baaaaaaaaad. I know. I signed 7 extras before.
So if by some miracle someone who wants to eat free food from Conrad International, and/or see how the flower (or otherwise) of our youth are turning out reads this before Wednesday night, please email poor kureshi at kuraijo@yahoo.com.sg
***
Home-made Spiderman "suit" (not for those with delicate sensibilities)
Post ID: 109204063512378996
Monday, August 09, 2004
Quote of the Post: "Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." - Misattributed to Julius Caesar
Random Playlist Song: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Student Chorus - Siyahamba
***
Fanmail I got:
"I must admit that I myself knew very little about NS before my Enlistment Day, too little, on hindsight, so much so that I was even pro-NS until soon after (probably before I finished my BMT) I enlisted."
Heh heh. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
***
Randall Wong
With his exceptional vocal range and virtuosity, Randall Wong leads audiences on a journey of discovery; he is a true male soprano. His pure, agile voice and remarkable technique have made him a pioneer in the revival and performance of early music. He has inspired living composers to create unique operatic roles for him. Among his credits are engagements with the Boston Early Music Festival, San Francisco Symphony, West German Radio, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, and the Dresden Semperoper. In recital, he captivates audiences, recreating the performance style of lesser-known works of the baroque and early classical periods and introducing unfamiliar new repertory.
- As introduced by InfernoXV
***
mini:
"I suddenly developed a huge appetite for American satire. Was watching Jay Leno and Comedy Night and Saturday Night Live till 1am yesterday on CNN, laughing my ass away. That's what you call freedom of speech.
Singapore should stop lamenting about how its people have the lack of interest in politics, and start doing something about it. I mean, just look at what happened after the Catherine Lim incident and LKY's comment on that, from Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas:
"Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister . .. She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such that nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul de sac . . . Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no other way you can govern a Chinese society."
That explains why I'm so much more interested in American politics than what is happening at home. Singapore is so unhappening, with newpapers that pride themselves as government mouthpieces and a government party with a lightning bolt as its logo (striking down any opposition at lightning speed). It is controversy and dispute that breeds interest, and I'm sad to say there is no hint of any of those elements in Singapore politics. All the talk of political openness in Singapore is really much ado about nothing, and there is this facade of democracy taking place in Singapore when in reality nothing has changed.
I'm sorry, but I'd rather stick to CNN and follow the America elections, than to quietly wait till August 12 for that peaceful, undisputed, dynastic leadership succession when DPM Lee takes over as Prime Minister. There's quite a similarity between DPM Lee and Bush, with the inane look and sardonic smile. What's the world coming to?
I just watched Fahrenheit 9/11 and it was quite a shocking punch in the face of the Bush administration. It's so controversial you can't help but want to find out more, be it fact or fiction.
But that's what makes politics interesting, no?"
And people wonder why our college students are apathetic.
***
Q: When does the boy scout first become a man?
A: When he's had his first brownie.
(Courtesy of infinitesimility)
***
Panasonic camera ad. And a Banasonic chicken ad.
Mouse created without father - "Scientists turn egg cell into surrogate sperm."
The virtue of idleness - "Kubla Khan came to Coleridge in a dream, as did the tune for Yesterday to Paul McCartney. The idea for Frankenstein revealed itself to the young Mary Shelley in a waking dream; Einstein said that a breakthrough in his theory of relativity had come to him in a dream; Descartes had a dream that set him on the path towards his whole philosophical system (he said it was "the most important affair" of his life). JK Rowling was staring out of the window on a train when the idea, plot and characters for Harry Potter came to her. The art of living is the art of bringing dreams and reality together. I have a dream. It is called love, anarchy, freedom. It is called being idle "
List of company name etymologies - "Canon - from Kannon, the Japanese name of the Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy. The name was changed to Canon to avoid offending religious groups."
Random Playlist Song: The Chinese University of Hong Kong Student Chorus - Siyahamba
***
Fanmail I got:
"I must admit that I myself knew very little about NS before my Enlistment Day, too little, on hindsight, so much so that I was even pro-NS until soon after (probably before I finished my BMT) I enlisted."
Heh heh. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
***
Randall Wong
With his exceptional vocal range and virtuosity, Randall Wong leads audiences on a journey of discovery; he is a true male soprano. His pure, agile voice and remarkable technique have made him a pioneer in the revival and performance of early music. He has inspired living composers to create unique operatic roles for him. Among his credits are engagements with the Boston Early Music Festival, San Francisco Symphony, West German Radio, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, and the Dresden Semperoper. In recital, he captivates audiences, recreating the performance style of lesser-known works of the baroque and early classical periods and introducing unfamiliar new repertory.
- As introduced by InfernoXV
***
mini:
"I suddenly developed a huge appetite for American satire. Was watching Jay Leno and Comedy Night and Saturday Night Live till 1am yesterday on CNN, laughing my ass away. That's what you call freedom of speech.
Singapore should stop lamenting about how its people have the lack of interest in politics, and start doing something about it. I mean, just look at what happened after the Catherine Lim incident and LKY's comment on that, from Lee Kuan Yew: The Man and His Ideas:
"Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister . .. She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such that nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul de sac . . . Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no other way you can govern a Chinese society."
That explains why I'm so much more interested in American politics than what is happening at home. Singapore is so unhappening, with newpapers that pride themselves as government mouthpieces and a government party with a lightning bolt as its logo (striking down any opposition at lightning speed). It is controversy and dispute that breeds interest, and I'm sad to say there is no hint of any of those elements in Singapore politics. All the talk of political openness in Singapore is really much ado about nothing, and there is this facade of democracy taking place in Singapore when in reality nothing has changed.
I'm sorry, but I'd rather stick to CNN and follow the America elections, than to quietly wait till August 12 for that peaceful, undisputed, dynastic leadership succession when DPM Lee takes over as Prime Minister. There's quite a similarity between DPM Lee and Bush, with the inane look and sardonic smile. What's the world coming to?
I just watched Fahrenheit 9/11 and it was quite a shocking punch in the face of the Bush administration. It's so controversial you can't help but want to find out more, be it fact or fiction.
But that's what makes politics interesting, no?"
And people wonder why our college students are apathetic.
***
Q: When does the boy scout first become a man?
A: When he's had his first brownie.
(Courtesy of infinitesimility)
***
Panasonic camera ad. And a Banasonic chicken ad.
Mouse created without father - "Scientists turn egg cell into surrogate sperm."
The virtue of idleness - "Kubla Khan came to Coleridge in a dream, as did the tune for Yesterday to Paul McCartney. The idea for Frankenstein revealed itself to the young Mary Shelley in a waking dream; Einstein said that a breakthrough in his theory of relativity had come to him in a dream; Descartes had a dream that set him on the path towards his whole philosophical system (he said it was "the most important affair" of his life). JK Rowling was staring out of the window on a train when the idea, plot and characters for Harry Potter came to her. The art of living is the art of bringing dreams and reality together. I have a dream. It is called love, anarchy, freedom. It is called being idle "
List of company name etymologies - "Canon - from Kannon, the Japanese name of the Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy. The name was changed to Canon to avoid offending religious groups."
Post ID: 109188589033825212
Saturday, August 07, 2004
Quote of the Post: "God: The grand justifier and legitimizer; the all-purpose, irrefutable justification, especially for hating and killing and feeling good about it." - Thomas Szasz
Random Playlist Song: Muppet - The Great Gonzo Eats A Tire To The Flight of the Bumblebee
***
Today was NUS's Rag day. I was originally pondering whether or not to go for it: on the one hand, last year's Rag Day was held in conjunction with NUS's National Day Observance ceremony, and given the date today, it was likely that this would be the case again this year. I was also not sure if I wanted to sit through more than 3 hours of modified flesh parade with accoutrements, accompanied by mass hollering, yelping and other excitements. On the other hand, though, given that I used to be so amused by non-modified Flesh Parade, I thought it might be worth my time going down to amuse myself by seeing other people make a fool of themselves for a change, and observe the exuberance of youth. Besides, by going down I would be supporting the efforts of Ah Ma, who has been working hard on Rag for at least the past month, and who was becoming delirious from lack of sleep last we spoke. I was considering bringing my camera, which has lain unused since my return from Down Under, but then I was quite sure that others would perform this task more than adequately.
So I dragged myself down to the NUS Sports and Recreation Centre, arriving to an already assembled crowd busy cheering its lungs out. I flitted from contingent to contingent, seeking a good vantage point, until PaRaDoX called me over to sit with him and the few USP-ers who were assembled at their designated area.
Of the assembled contingents, the largest were those from the halls. This wasn't surprising, really, since they had no escape. The hall gestapos had probably roamed their halls' corridors, turning reluctant inmates out forcibly, and those who went home, thinking that they would thus be able to escape their halls' wrath, would be in for a reckoning on Tuesday. No prizes for guessing which was the smallest contingent, given that most people who went were either sucked in by their halls or home faculties.
Some time was wasted letting the halls beat their chests and blow their trumpets, then the National Anthem was sung, the flag raised and the pledge said. And then the festivities commenced.
For the next 3 hours or so, the various faculties and halls put up their performances. Though they differed in specifics, most of them were essentially the same: Flesh Parade with many more guys, more cheapskate-looking costumes, floats (for most of the items), many props and buckets of body paint liberally splashed over every square inch of bare flesh. Practically all the dances were choreographed in the same style - inspired by hiphop and some other genres I do not know the names of, with energetic, quick and vigorous moves. Few dances involved slower, more measured and graceful moves.
As for the floats, which IIRC, all the groups but Law, Medicine and USP used, most were vaguely fantasy-themed, with one having paper mache models of a Centaur archer, a swordsman and another warrior. The costumes were mostly garishly bright, which is pretty standard for this kind of thing. I was amused, though, by how so many male performers had bra-like contraptions fixed around their chests, perhaps as a gesture of solidarity with the girls.
After all the halls had finished presenting their items, our Guest Of Honour - the President of Singapore - arrived. Security didn't seem too tight, though. Someone could just have walked behind the grandstand and lobbed a grenade into the crowd, and it might have taken him out. I wonder if he was stunned by all the loud music, cheering and dancing.
I didn't catch all of the performances, especially toward the end, as after a while I (and no doubt many others, who left halfway) tired from prolonged exposure to Singapore's debilitating heat (they should cut the intervals and make it start later and end earlier), got fed up with the incessant cheering and grew weary ('sian') of watching too many essentially similar dance numbers about struggles and fights between good and evil. I know that Literature teaches that an engaging story has to have a conflict, but somehow when people applied that principle to their rag dances, they all ended up with similarly-themed dances. Of those that I did watch, though, Medicine stood out, for it had dancing confectionary: Gingerbread Men, M&Ms and yellow Hershey's Kisses were attacked by a giant ant and its friends.
Perhaps noticing how many people were wilting from the heat, and how more than a few were surreptitiously leaving the area, the organisers got the hall groups to come forward and start singing and cheering. They played several popular tunes one after another, and the hall denizens were progressively whipped into a frenzy. As a friend put it, "everybody machiam like go clubbing". When they got to the Village People's "YMCA", everyone became very excited and during the chorus, sung along and each made the letters "Y-M-C-A" with assorted body parts. Given that, except for the not inconsiderable number of Yaoi fangirls, Singaporeans are generally homophobic, I found this quite amusing. Meanwhile, on the field, people were degenerating into a state of madness. On one side, people were linking hands to form a circle, and skipped around such that the circle rotated (alternatively, I could say that "everyone held hands, formed a circle, and moved perpendicular to the normal with regards to the center of the circle. Their angular velocity could be described as alpha = tangential acceleration divided by the radius of the circle"), then alternately ran towards each other to collapse the circle into a line, then ran outwards again to reform the circle. On the opposite end of the field, people had formed a human train headed by a guy holding a dragon's head, and were running around.
And then it was "the time that everybody has been waiting for". The end. Well actually it was the awards presentation ceremony, but that was just before the end, so that counts. There were what seemed like a million prizes, but I didn't get the names of most of them, no thanks to the incessant cheering of Biz Ad (which swept most of the awards), which drowned out the MCs. One award whose name I did hear was the award for "least cost" float, which stumped me. I could guarantee that I'd win this award next year, simply by constructing a really crummy - but cheap - float.
After the awards were presented, the President (of Singapore) took his leave, to Kit Chan's 1998 version of "Home" (I assume it was the 1998 version since I didn't hear the "young voices"). At this time, the Biz Ad people were still busy cheering, and they were in the middle of a really odd cheer which I had never seen before, which involved everyone doing a half-squat (and thus look like they were farting, probably at the other teams) on the cheerleaders' cues. Luckily, someone noticed that the President was leaving, so they paused the cheer just in time. After he had left, though, they resumed the cheer, and didn't accord the same courtesy to the President (of NUS) and his vice-presidents.
Pandemonium then resumed. Eusoff hall's residents did a victory lap around the track, but they looked drained and instead of screams, all that came out of their larynges were whimpers. Meanwhile, Biz Ad was still busy cheering away, and during one cheer with separate parts for each gender (Specifically, the Chinese-Hokkien cheer that roughly goes: "xxx de4 zha bor xi bei chio ah! Hyo de sio se, hyo de sio se! xxx de4 ta bor xi bei yan dao! Hyo de sio se, hyo de sio se! etc" which roughly translates as "xxx's girls are very pretty. *some hokkien curse* xxx's guys are very handsome! *some hokkien curse*"), the voices of the overwhelming number of shrill, anorexic, chinese-speaking ah lians really shone through. [Appendum: Critic 1 informs me that the cheer actually goes: "xxx de4 zha bor xi bei chio ah! Yo zi sa si, yo zi sa si! xxx de4 ta bor xi bei yan dao! Yo zi sa si, yo zi sa si! etc" which roughly translates as "xxx's girls are very pretty. One, two, three, four! xxx's guys are very handsome! One, two, three, four!"]
At one point, I saw one of my SMM instructors in an Arts Orientation Week T-shirt, but he didn't seem to recognise me (or want to acknowledge my presence).
Many people wilfully stood on plastic barriers, those labelled "Warning - this is not a safety barrier". I was wondering if (and secretly wishing that) one would collapse.
I only saw 1 girl in a tudung today. Not surprising, really, for given the heat, if more had showed up, the paramedic would have had to deal with more heatstroke victims than the 2 gingerbread men that my source saw him treating.
I doubt anyone paid royalties for using various music tracks. This isn't so important for the dime-a-dozen generic techno and ah beng dance tracks, but more so for the recognisable tunes, and songs from movie OSTs.
There were some stilt-walkers, but was really innovative was where they got a girl to sit on a guy's shoulders, and let the sides of her costume flow down so he was covered. Though I wondered how the poor guys breathed or saw.
Patch on going for rag: "oh. you have a CHOICE?"
NUS isn't that bad!
Someone from NTU on NUS's Rag: "nus seems more happening"
Someone on University Activities like Rag and Flag: "my senior was telling me after a couple of years you'll find some of these activities totally meaningless and start to question your involvement". Indeed, the meaning imputed to Rag and Flag is grossly inflated. I would say that these activities are organised as a productive (or non-destructive, at least) outlet for youthful energies, to occupy their time and help them make friends.
An advantage of doing a Philosophy module: Since almost all of these buggers are long dead, and died before copyright acts were enacted and repeatedly extended for the profit of evil corporations, we don't have to spend money buying their books; Plato's Euthyphro, Meno and Republic, Descartes' First and Second Meditations and Mill's On Liberty are all in the public domain.
***
Benjy:
"freshie = someone you can get fresh with"
i ain't a "hum sup senior"
apparently first year girls complain about hum sup seniors trying to get fresh with them
http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp514_270704.html
if you can read chinese, here's the official response
For the benefit of those whose Chinese is worse than mine, I shall attempt a very rough and abridged summary and translation:
Did NTU's Orientation Camp become too 'hot'? "It was only a game!"
潘星华
"All orientation camps are dating camps, meant to excite us boys and girls. I feel that even if the activities during the camp were too 'hot', they were just for fun, and shouldn't have embarassed the girls or besmirched our reputation."
NTU's representative rebutted yesterday's Straits Times' readers who said that NTU's Sports Orientation camp was too "hot", the boys and girls groped each other too much, and were too daring. The boys were clearly trying to take advantage of the girls.
She said: "The letter writer talked about a girl pulling off a boy's swimming trunks, but verily: nothing of the sort happened. Our group of 10 - 5 boys and 5 girls - were being punished. The circumstances of our punishment were as follows: We were standing on the sea shelf (in the sea near the shore), with 5 boys at the rear, their backs facing 5 girls. While in the water, they took off their swimming trunks, and passed them to us, letting us give the trunks a good swing in the air, in the direction of other students. We then returned their swimming trunks to them for them to put them on. Everyone was simply having fun; a riotously good time. A lot of people were engaged in this manner of frolics on the sea shelf, and it was really nothing big.
The NTU Sports Club Orientation camp lasted from the 12th of July to the 18th, and was held at Sentosa, with 160 students, both new and old, taking part.
The Straits Times reader's letter also mentioned that the freshmen swam to Seletar Island with no safety precautions in place.
NTU freshmen 周诗薇 and 陈心怡 said this was a "sea crossing swim", and the distance was short, with the swim lasting only 15 minutes. All around were sampans and speedboats alongside the students as they swam, and there was a lifeguard too so safety was adequately taken care of.
周诗薇 said: "We played until we were very happy, and the student leaders were very concerned for and took good care of us. When we were playing games, even when we had to perform forfeits, if we didn't like the forfeits, we could choose others. All in all, camps are all about making friends through playing games, and I think other camps are also like this."
NTU's person in charge of student affairs said that however frisky the games got, the students never broke traditions. She said: "Young people like to play, in a moment of excitement, this sort of things may happen, and this can be understood and explained. This year, we specially gave the students a code of behavior, and asked them to respect others. I believe that in their games, they never denigrated anyone."
***
The Battle for Your Mind by Dick Sutphen - Persuasion and Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
This is a fascinating article, neatly giving voice to and confirming many suspicions that I have always had. An edited extract follows:
"How Revivalist Preachers Work
Most likely repetitive music will be played while the people come in for the service. A repetitive beat, ideally ranging from 45 to 72 beats per minute (a rhythm close to the beat of the human heart), is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state of consciousness in a very high percentage of people. And, once you are in an alpha state, you are at least 25 times as suggestible as you would be in full beta consciousness. The music is probably the same for every service, or incorporates the same beat, and many of the people will go into an altered state almost immediately upon entering the sanctuary. Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind from previous services and respond according to the post-hypnotic programming.
Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and slightly dilated eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the air while sitting in their chairs.
The "Voice Roll" Technique
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when inducing a trance.
Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
When an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental state has been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or basket. In the background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant preacher might exhort, "Give to God...Give to God...Give to God...." And the audience does give. God may not get the money, but his already-wealthy representative will.
Bonding by Fear and Suggestion
In the last rally I attended, the preacher talked about the blood that would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of God," which everyone had seen hanging above the pulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it--the power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that at least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he suggested they see.
Miracles
Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up around the edge of the room, or they are told to come down to the front. The preacher might touch them on the head firmly and scream, "Be healed!" This releases the psychic energy and, for many, catharsis results. Catharsis is a purging of repressed emotions. Individuals might cry, fall down or even go into spasms. And if catharsis is effected, they stand a chance of being healed. In catharsis (one of the three brain phases mentioned earlier), the brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean and the new suggestion is accepted.
A Game in Which the Rules Keep Changing
The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated, and professionals are assuring that they become even more effective. A man in Los Angeles is designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches around the country. He tells ministers what they need and how to use it. This man's track record indicates that the congregation and the monetary income will double if the minister follows his instructions. He admits that about 80 percent of his efforts are in the sound system and lighting."
Of course it touches on non-religious mind control techniques too. The following is interesting:
"Vibrato
Vibrato is the tremulous effect imparted in some vocal or instrumental music, and the cyle-per-second range causes people to go into an altered state of consciousness. At one period of English history, singers whose voices contained pronounced vibrato were not allowed to perform publicly because listeners would go into an altered state and have fantasies, often sexual in nature."
***
- BugMeNot.com - "Bypass Compulsory Web Registration
"I had an abortion" T-shirt - "The T-shirt helps to subvert the insidious silence that surrounds abortion and the shame that anti-choice extremists try to create around these personal choices and women who make them."
INTERVIEW: The Matrix Leeloaded Interview. Talkingcock questions the Archleetect on the coming leadership change.
Subservient President - "The Subservient President is a parody of Burger King's Subservient Chicken advertising campaign with a political twist. Instead of a guy in a chicken suit who will hop or do push-ups on command, The Subservient President reminds us that the current guy in the president suit will do whatever the oil industry or gas lobby tells him."
Quetzalcoatl: The Man, The Myth, The Legend - "Quetzalcoatl. We've all heard the name before. "He's that Feathered Serpent of Ancient Mexico". However, that only answers the WHAT. Ask, WHO he was, and you might get an answer along the lines of an unintelligble stare; or the standard response, "Yeah. He was the guy who was suppose to return from the East to reclaim his power, but the Indians mistook Cortés for him instead". Though it might seem a simple enough question, a far more involved and complicated answer is necessary."
Museum of Obscure Patents - "Yoga support system and method, US Patent No. 6,766,536 - Issued July 27, 2004."
Effect of ale, garlic, and soured cream on the appetite of leeches - "The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association recently published an experimental study on the protective effect of garlic against vampires. Rather surprisingly, this study showed that garlic seems to have an attractive force on leeches (and probably also on vampires)."
Web Addiction Gets Conscripts Out of Army - "A number of Finnish conscripts have been excused their full term of military service because they are addicted to the Internet, the Finnish Defense Forces said Tuesday... 'For people who play (Internet) games all night and don't have any friends, don't have any hobbies, to come into the army is a very big shock'"
There *was* this guy who was diagnosed with Computer Games Addiction, as I recall
NakedText.com - The new face of art has no faces - "Ahh college, that time in a young person's life when they HAVE NO MONEY!!! So, what does one do if they and their friends have no cash, but simultaneously have an urge to create a new form of art (plus have a little fun doing so)? They make this site... You Paypal us... and your message shows up on our main page painted across whatever body part you bought and linked to the website you chose... The body parts that are currently for sale are: One female breast, Full female chest, A female butt, A male or female back"
On Hair Nazis - "In fact, my ultimate aim is this: I want to grow my hair till it reach my waist in thick, luscious curls that cascade down my sexy back."
The shoulder is enough for me.
Singles queue for man pillows - "Women of all ages have reportedly been rushing to buy their very own Boyfriend Arm Pillow - a snuggly alternative to the real thing... He comes with his own shirts for those who miss fussing over their man and one model has a vibrating alarm function to gently shake their sleeping beauty awake."
Christian dinosaur hunters dig for signs of Biblical dragons - It's amazing how some people can stare facts in the eye and blandly deny them
What, Me Register? - "I use a bogus identity (usually Margaret Thatcher) and a fake e-mail address. I usually list my birthday as 1/1/1970 (the beginning of the Unix era) and my ZIP code as 90210."
When I told them that I didn't drink alcohol because it tastes like shit, more than one person asked me if I had eaten shit before. Their deliberate misunderstanding of similes is very irritating.
Random Playlist Song: Muppet - The Great Gonzo Eats A Tire To The Flight of the Bumblebee
***
Today was NUS's Rag day. I was originally pondering whether or not to go for it: on the one hand, last year's Rag Day was held in conjunction with NUS's National Day Observance ceremony, and given the date today, it was likely that this would be the case again this year. I was also not sure if I wanted to sit through more than 3 hours of modified flesh parade with accoutrements, accompanied by mass hollering, yelping and other excitements. On the other hand, though, given that I used to be so amused by non-modified Flesh Parade, I thought it might be worth my time going down to amuse myself by seeing other people make a fool of themselves for a change, and observe the exuberance of youth. Besides, by going down I would be supporting the efforts of Ah Ma, who has been working hard on Rag for at least the past month, and who was becoming delirious from lack of sleep last we spoke. I was considering bringing my camera, which has lain unused since my return from Down Under, but then I was quite sure that others would perform this task more than adequately.
So I dragged myself down to the NUS Sports and Recreation Centre, arriving to an already assembled crowd busy cheering its lungs out. I flitted from contingent to contingent, seeking a good vantage point, until PaRaDoX called me over to sit with him and the few USP-ers who were assembled at their designated area.
Of the assembled contingents, the largest were those from the halls. This wasn't surprising, really, since they had no escape. The hall gestapos had probably roamed their halls' corridors, turning reluctant inmates out forcibly, and those who went home, thinking that they would thus be able to escape their halls' wrath, would be in for a reckoning on Tuesday. No prizes for guessing which was the smallest contingent, given that most people who went were either sucked in by their halls or home faculties.
Some time was wasted letting the halls beat their chests and blow their trumpets, then the National Anthem was sung, the flag raised and the pledge said. And then the festivities commenced.
For the next 3 hours or so, the various faculties and halls put up their performances. Though they differed in specifics, most of them were essentially the same: Flesh Parade with many more guys, more cheapskate-looking costumes, floats (for most of the items), many props and buckets of body paint liberally splashed over every square inch of bare flesh. Practically all the dances were choreographed in the same style - inspired by hiphop and some other genres I do not know the names of, with energetic, quick and vigorous moves. Few dances involved slower, more measured and graceful moves.
As for the floats, which IIRC, all the groups but Law, Medicine and USP used, most were vaguely fantasy-themed, with one having paper mache models of a Centaur archer, a swordsman and another warrior. The costumes were mostly garishly bright, which is pretty standard for this kind of thing. I was amused, though, by how so many male performers had bra-like contraptions fixed around their chests, perhaps as a gesture of solidarity with the girls.
After all the halls had finished presenting their items, our Guest Of Honour - the President of Singapore - arrived. Security didn't seem too tight, though. Someone could just have walked behind the grandstand and lobbed a grenade into the crowd, and it might have taken him out. I wonder if he was stunned by all the loud music, cheering and dancing.
I didn't catch all of the performances, especially toward the end, as after a while I (and no doubt many others, who left halfway) tired from prolonged exposure to Singapore's debilitating heat (they should cut the intervals and make it start later and end earlier), got fed up with the incessant cheering and grew weary ('sian') of watching too many essentially similar dance numbers about struggles and fights between good and evil. I know that Literature teaches that an engaging story has to have a conflict, but somehow when people applied that principle to their rag dances, they all ended up with similarly-themed dances. Of those that I did watch, though, Medicine stood out, for it had dancing confectionary: Gingerbread Men, M&Ms and yellow Hershey's Kisses were attacked by a giant ant and its friends.
Perhaps noticing how many people were wilting from the heat, and how more than a few were surreptitiously leaving the area, the organisers got the hall groups to come forward and start singing and cheering. They played several popular tunes one after another, and the hall denizens were progressively whipped into a frenzy. As a friend put it, "everybody machiam like go clubbing". When they got to the Village People's "YMCA", everyone became very excited and during the chorus, sung along and each made the letters "Y-M-C-A" with assorted body parts. Given that, except for the not inconsiderable number of Yaoi fangirls, Singaporeans are generally homophobic, I found this quite amusing. Meanwhile, on the field, people were degenerating into a state of madness. On one side, people were linking hands to form a circle, and skipped around such that the circle rotated (alternatively, I could say that "everyone held hands, formed a circle, and moved perpendicular to the normal with regards to the center of the circle. Their angular velocity could be described as alpha = tangential acceleration divided by the radius of the circle"), then alternately ran towards each other to collapse the circle into a line, then ran outwards again to reform the circle. On the opposite end of the field, people had formed a human train headed by a guy holding a dragon's head, and were running around.
And then it was "the time that everybody has been waiting for". The end. Well actually it was the awards presentation ceremony, but that was just before the end, so that counts. There were what seemed like a million prizes, but I didn't get the names of most of them, no thanks to the incessant cheering of Biz Ad (which swept most of the awards), which drowned out the MCs. One award whose name I did hear was the award for "least cost" float, which stumped me. I could guarantee that I'd win this award next year, simply by constructing a really crummy - but cheap - float.
After the awards were presented, the President (of Singapore) took his leave, to Kit Chan's 1998 version of "Home" (I assume it was the 1998 version since I didn't hear the "young voices"). At this time, the Biz Ad people were still busy cheering, and they were in the middle of a really odd cheer which I had never seen before, which involved everyone doing a half-squat (and thus look like they were farting, probably at the other teams) on the cheerleaders' cues. Luckily, someone noticed that the President was leaving, so they paused the cheer just in time. After he had left, though, they resumed the cheer, and didn't accord the same courtesy to the President (of NUS) and his vice-presidents.
Pandemonium then resumed. Eusoff hall's residents did a victory lap around the track, but they looked drained and instead of screams, all that came out of their larynges were whimpers. Meanwhile, Biz Ad was still busy cheering away, and during one cheer with separate parts for each gender (Specifically, the Chinese-Hokkien cheer that roughly goes: "xxx de4 zha bor xi bei chio ah! Hyo de sio se, hyo de sio se! xxx de4 ta bor xi bei yan dao! Hyo de sio se, hyo de sio se! etc" which roughly translates as "xxx's girls are very pretty. *some hokkien curse* xxx's guys are very handsome! *some hokkien curse*"), the voices of the overwhelming number of shrill, anorexic, chinese-speaking ah lians really shone through. [Appendum: Critic 1 informs me that the cheer actually goes: "xxx de4 zha bor xi bei chio ah! Yo zi sa si, yo zi sa si! xxx de4 ta bor xi bei yan dao! Yo zi sa si, yo zi sa si! etc" which roughly translates as "xxx's girls are very pretty. One, two, three, four! xxx's guys are very handsome! One, two, three, four!"]
At one point, I saw one of my SMM instructors in an Arts Orientation Week T-shirt, but he didn't seem to recognise me (or want to acknowledge my presence).
Many people wilfully stood on plastic barriers, those labelled "Warning - this is not a safety barrier". I was wondering if (and secretly wishing that) one would collapse.
I only saw 1 girl in a tudung today. Not surprising, really, for given the heat, if more had showed up, the paramedic would have had to deal with more heatstroke victims than the 2 gingerbread men that my source saw him treating.
I doubt anyone paid royalties for using various music tracks. This isn't so important for the dime-a-dozen generic techno and ah beng dance tracks, but more so for the recognisable tunes, and songs from movie OSTs.
There were some stilt-walkers, but was really innovative was where they got a girl to sit on a guy's shoulders, and let the sides of her costume flow down so he was covered. Though I wondered how the poor guys breathed or saw.
Patch on going for rag: "oh. you have a CHOICE?"
NUS isn't that bad!
Someone from NTU on NUS's Rag: "nus seems more happening"
Someone on University Activities like Rag and Flag: "my senior was telling me after a couple of years you'll find some of these activities totally meaningless and start to question your involvement". Indeed, the meaning imputed to Rag and Flag is grossly inflated. I would say that these activities are organised as a productive (or non-destructive, at least) outlet for youthful energies, to occupy their time and help them make friends.
An advantage of doing a Philosophy module: Since almost all of these buggers are long dead, and died before copyright acts were enacted and repeatedly extended for the profit of evil corporations, we don't have to spend money buying their books; Plato's Euthyphro, Meno and Republic, Descartes' First and Second Meditations and Mill's On Liberty are all in the public domain.
***
Benjy:
"freshie = someone you can get fresh with"
i ain't a "hum sup senior"
apparently first year girls complain about hum sup seniors trying to get fresh with them
http://www.zaobao.com/sp/sp514_270704.html
if you can read chinese, here's the official response
For the benefit of those whose Chinese is worse than mine, I shall attempt a very rough and abridged summary and translation:
Did NTU's Orientation Camp become too 'hot'? "It was only a game!"
潘星华
"All orientation camps are dating camps, meant to excite us boys and girls. I feel that even if the activities during the camp were too 'hot', they were just for fun, and shouldn't have embarassed the girls or besmirched our reputation."
NTU's representative rebutted yesterday's Straits Times' readers who said that NTU's Sports Orientation camp was too "hot", the boys and girls groped each other too much, and were too daring. The boys were clearly trying to take advantage of the girls.
She said: "The letter writer talked about a girl pulling off a boy's swimming trunks, but verily: nothing of the sort happened. Our group of 10 - 5 boys and 5 girls - were being punished. The circumstances of our punishment were as follows: We were standing on the sea shelf (in the sea near the shore), with 5 boys at the rear, their backs facing 5 girls. While in the water, they took off their swimming trunks, and passed them to us, letting us give the trunks a good swing in the air, in the direction of other students. We then returned their swimming trunks to them for them to put them on. Everyone was simply having fun; a riotously good time. A lot of people were engaged in this manner of frolics on the sea shelf, and it was really nothing big.
The NTU Sports Club Orientation camp lasted from the 12th of July to the 18th, and was held at Sentosa, with 160 students, both new and old, taking part.
The Straits Times reader's letter also mentioned that the freshmen swam to Seletar Island with no safety precautions in place.
NTU freshmen 周诗薇 and 陈心怡 said this was a "sea crossing swim", and the distance was short, with the swim lasting only 15 minutes. All around were sampans and speedboats alongside the students as they swam, and there was a lifeguard too so safety was adequately taken care of.
周诗薇 said: "We played until we were very happy, and the student leaders were very concerned for and took good care of us. When we were playing games, even when we had to perform forfeits, if we didn't like the forfeits, we could choose others. All in all, camps are all about making friends through playing games, and I think other camps are also like this."
NTU's person in charge of student affairs said that however frisky the games got, the students never broke traditions. She said: "Young people like to play, in a moment of excitement, this sort of things may happen, and this can be understood and explained. This year, we specially gave the students a code of behavior, and asked them to respect others. I believe that in their games, they never denigrated anyone."
***
The Battle for Your Mind by Dick Sutphen - Persuasion and Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
This is a fascinating article, neatly giving voice to and confirming many suspicions that I have always had. An edited extract follows:
"How Revivalist Preachers Work
Most likely repetitive music will be played while the people come in for the service. A repetitive beat, ideally ranging from 45 to 72 beats per minute (a rhythm close to the beat of the human heart), is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state of consciousness in a very high percentage of people. And, once you are in an alpha state, you are at least 25 times as suggestible as you would be in full beta consciousness. The music is probably the same for every service, or incorporates the same beat, and many of the people will go into an altered state almost immediately upon entering the sanctuary. Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind from previous services and respond according to the post-hypnotic programming.
Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and slightly dilated eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the air while sitting in their chairs.
The "Voice Roll" Technique
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when inducing a trance.
Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
When an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental state has been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or basket. In the background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant preacher might exhort, "Give to God...Give to God...Give to God...." And the audience does give. God may not get the money, but his already-wealthy representative will.
Bonding by Fear and Suggestion
In the last rally I attended, the preacher talked about the blood that would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of God," which everyone had seen hanging above the pulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it--the power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that at least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he suggested they see.
Miracles
Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up around the edge of the room, or they are told to come down to the front. The preacher might touch them on the head firmly and scream, "Be healed!" This releases the psychic energy and, for many, catharsis results. Catharsis is a purging of repressed emotions. Individuals might cry, fall down or even go into spasms. And if catharsis is effected, they stand a chance of being healed. In catharsis (one of the three brain phases mentioned earlier), the brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean and the new suggestion is accepted.
A Game in Which the Rules Keep Changing
The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated, and professionals are assuring that they become even more effective. A man in Los Angeles is designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches around the country. He tells ministers what they need and how to use it. This man's track record indicates that the congregation and the monetary income will double if the minister follows his instructions. He admits that about 80 percent of his efforts are in the sound system and lighting."
Of course it touches on non-religious mind control techniques too. The following is interesting:
"Vibrato
Vibrato is the tremulous effect imparted in some vocal or instrumental music, and the cyle-per-second range causes people to go into an altered state of consciousness. At one period of English history, singers whose voices contained pronounced vibrato were not allowed to perform publicly because listeners would go into an altered state and have fantasies, often sexual in nature."
***
- BugMeNot.com - "Bypass Compulsory Web Registration
"I had an abortion" T-shirt - "The T-shirt helps to subvert the insidious silence that surrounds abortion and the shame that anti-choice extremists try to create around these personal choices and women who make them."
INTERVIEW: The Matrix Leeloaded Interview. Talkingcock questions the Archleetect on the coming leadership change.
Subservient President - "The Subservient President is a parody of Burger King's Subservient Chicken advertising campaign with a political twist. Instead of a guy in a chicken suit who will hop or do push-ups on command, The Subservient President reminds us that the current guy in the president suit will do whatever the oil industry or gas lobby tells him."
Quetzalcoatl: The Man, The Myth, The Legend - "Quetzalcoatl. We've all heard the name before. "He's that Feathered Serpent of Ancient Mexico". However, that only answers the WHAT. Ask, WHO he was, and you might get an answer along the lines of an unintelligble stare; or the standard response, "Yeah. He was the guy who was suppose to return from the East to reclaim his power, but the Indians mistook Cortés for him instead". Though it might seem a simple enough question, a far more involved and complicated answer is necessary."
Museum of Obscure Patents - "Yoga support system and method, US Patent No. 6,766,536 - Issued July 27, 2004."
Effect of ale, garlic, and soured cream on the appetite of leeches - "The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association recently published an experimental study on the protective effect of garlic against vampires. Rather surprisingly, this study showed that garlic seems to have an attractive force on leeches (and probably also on vampires)."
Web Addiction Gets Conscripts Out of Army - "A number of Finnish conscripts have been excused their full term of military service because they are addicted to the Internet, the Finnish Defense Forces said Tuesday... 'For people who play (Internet) games all night and don't have any friends, don't have any hobbies, to come into the army is a very big shock'"
There *was* this guy who was diagnosed with Computer Games Addiction, as I recall
NakedText.com - The new face of art has no faces - "Ahh college, that time in a young person's life when they HAVE NO MONEY!!! So, what does one do if they and their friends have no cash, but simultaneously have an urge to create a new form of art (plus have a little fun doing so)? They make this site... You Paypal us... and your message shows up on our main page painted across whatever body part you bought and linked to the website you chose... The body parts that are currently for sale are: One female breast, Full female chest, A female butt, A male or female back"
On Hair Nazis - "In fact, my ultimate aim is this: I want to grow my hair till it reach my waist in thick, luscious curls that cascade down my sexy back."
The shoulder is enough for me.
Singles queue for man pillows - "Women of all ages have reportedly been rushing to buy their very own Boyfriend Arm Pillow - a snuggly alternative to the real thing... He comes with his own shirts for those who miss fussing over their man and one model has a vibrating alarm function to gently shake their sleeping beauty awake."
Christian dinosaur hunters dig for signs of Biblical dragons - It's amazing how some people can stare facts in the eye and blandly deny them
What, Me Register? - "I use a bogus identity (usually Margaret Thatcher) and a fake e-mail address. I usually list my birthday as 1/1/1970 (the beginning of the Unix era) and my ZIP code as 90210."
When I told them that I didn't drink alcohol because it tastes like shit, more than one person asked me if I had eaten shit before. Their deliberate misunderstanding of similes is very irritating.
Post ID: 109180765591423641
Friday, August 06, 2004
Random playlist song: Muppets - Manamana
***
Got the router installed by the SCV technician today. Unfortunately, there was a breakdown in communication, and I forgot to tell my father what we were supposed to get, so instead of getting a free modem, router and wireless card with a 2 year subscription to MaxOnline 3000, we got only a free router. So much for an upload cap of 30kb/s.
No matter. For I can now perform unspeakable acts from the comfort of my room.
Nagging issues:
1) If I do not turn on wireless security like our dear friend linksys downstairs, can other people snoop around or otherwise do funny things with my system? I don't mind letting the neighbours leech off my bandwith, but I don't want them to get heart attacks when they see my pictures of Asian Prince, or of Quanxing posing naked.
2) How can I link my desktop and laptop in a network or, at the very least, share files between them?
3) WinXP's wireless connection authorisation/authentication options are pitifully limited, especially when compared to what the Intel PROSet for Wireless utility that comes with my notebook offers
a) Somehow I can't configure my desktop to connect to my router when I turn on wireless security, even if I enter the right WEP key. Damn WinXP. It has worked so far on the laptop, though. No wonder "linksys" is leaving his system open! I have thus decided, at least for now, to merely restrict access by MAC address. MAC addresses can be spoofed, but it's very hard to guess the right one to spoof.
4) How exactly does port forwarding or the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) work?
At least I can still use M$N IM to send/receive files. M$N is good for sending/receiving files. In fact, the only person whose M$N file transfers to/from me consistently fail is my sister. Whether that says something about her magic touch, or Cambridge's firewall, I leave it to the experts to argue over.
ICQ file transfer needed me to set up port forwarding before it worked, though.
My attempts to set up a home network have failed dismally. After fiddling with the Network Setup Wizard, and putting both laptop and desktop in the same workgroup, I used the laptop and clicked on my workgroup under Network Places -> Entire Network -> Microsoft Windows Network -> ~ and I got:
"~ is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this network to find out if you have access permissions
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available."
Argh.
***
Got the router installed by the SCV technician today. Unfortunately, there was a breakdown in communication, and I forgot to tell my father what we were supposed to get, so instead of getting a free modem, router and wireless card with a 2 year subscription to MaxOnline 3000, we got only a free router. So much for an upload cap of 30kb/s.
No matter. For I can now perform unspeakable acts from the comfort of my room.
Nagging issues:
1) If I do not turn on wireless security like our dear friend linksys downstairs, can other people snoop around or otherwise do funny things with my system? I don't mind letting the neighbours leech off my bandwith, but I don't want them to get heart attacks when they see my pictures of Asian Prince, or of Quanxing posing naked.
2) How can I link my desktop and laptop in a network or, at the very least, share files between them?
3) WinXP's wireless connection authorisation/authentication options are pitifully limited, especially when compared to what the Intel PROSet for Wireless utility that comes with my notebook offers
a) Somehow I can't configure my desktop to connect to my router when I turn on wireless security, even if I enter the right WEP key. Damn WinXP. It has worked so far on the laptop, though. No wonder "linksys" is leaving his system open! I have thus decided, at least for now, to merely restrict access by MAC address. MAC addresses can be spoofed, but it's very hard to guess the right one to spoof.
4) How exactly does port forwarding or the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) work?
At least I can still use M$N IM to send/receive files. M$N is good for sending/receiving files. In fact, the only person whose M$N file transfers to/from me consistently fail is my sister. Whether that says something about her magic touch, or Cambridge's firewall, I leave it to the experts to argue over.
ICQ file transfer needed me to set up port forwarding before it worked, though.
My attempts to set up a home network have failed dismally. After fiddling with the Network Setup Wizard, and putting both laptop and desktop in the same workgroup, I used the laptop and clicked on my workgroup under Network Places -> Entire Network -> Microsoft Windows Network -> ~ and I got:
"~ is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this network to find out if you have access permissions
The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available."
Argh.
Post ID: 109178893631428111
Quote of the Post: "Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?" - Edgar Bergen
Random Playlist Song: Schumann - Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - 8. Schnell und spielend
"The title can be understood by Germans only. Kreisler is one of E. T. A. Hoffmann's creations, an eccentric, wild and witty conductor. You will like much about him."
***
First and foremost, I got treated to dinner by Tym today, so thanks be to her :)
***
Please welcome the latest member in a very big (but sadly almost totally inactive) list of posters: Anonvarstud Ingénieur
***
I realise that I know next to nothing about wireless networks or working with networks in general.
I seek a master to initiate me into their mysteries.
***
Someone: [On jailbait] You must introduce me to all these people
Me: But they won't be jailbait for much longer.
Someone: Because then they'll be legal
***
My system has been rebooting spontaneously sporadically. At first I was wondering if I had a wire loose on my motherboard, then I got a tipoff from Xephyris:
"i'm guessing if you're using windows XP, it BSODed and autorebooted is all
it's the evil new scheme by MS to make you think windows XP doesn't BSOD
did you check the "atuomatically restart" box in the contrl panel > system > advanced > startup and rcovery ?"
Bloody hell.
***
" Interesting observations. I have a terrible voice...so am interested in any ways to make for better songs.
What say I? I say you should listen to the music coming out of the Czech republic & Poland. The structure of the songs being made by these czechs & Pols is superior to any previous forms of music. If your opinion of "modern" music isn't changed by them, then you are just being stubborn, imposing yourself to old dead music only for the sake of seeming cultured or high-brow.
I agree that the pop music of the masses is always poor...because most people are tone deaf idiots. You must dig deep into the underground...that is where the talent lies,in the artists who make music for themselves not the fans."
So. Anyone has recommendations about which Czech and Polish artists to try? Though I find that the "you are just being stubborn, imposing yourself to old dead music only for the sake of seeming cultured or high-brow" comment smacks of hubris.
***
His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov "Turkmenbashi", President of Turkmenistan
"He has established Turkmenistan's international prestige and has displayed concern for the people's well-being. Following his election, one of the first resolutions to be adopted was a decree on the free use of water, gas and electricity by the people of Turkmenistan.
As founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World, Mr. Niyazov holds the official title of Turkmenbashi, Leader of all Ethnic Turkmens.
Mr. Niyazov was awarded the Magtymguly International Prize for achieving the aim of Magtymguly, the great Turkmen poet and philosopher: the establishment of an independent state of Turkmenistan."
I have one guess as to the person who started the prize.
***
Skydiving Festival
"August 20th-22nd 2004
Precisely what people jumping out of airplanes has to do with Singapore declaring independence from Malaysia is anyone's guess. But jump they will, and often too: some 2,000 jumps are planned for this two-day festival."
Wah.
***
We're now coming to the end of Orientation Week. While other faculties are organising plenty of games, activities and groping sessions, USP has a different set of activities.
On Wednesday, I saw the people in Arts Orientation Week, instantly remarkable by virtue of their red T-shirts, clustering in the school field shouting, screaming and gesticulating vaguely, if wildly. Perhaps some were close to falling to heat stroke, and perhaps others were groping and being groped, in their turn ("Grope and be groped" - what a great O Week motto *g*). Some people were elevated above the rest - on chairs perhaps, and there was general pandemonium. Meanwhile, I was on my way to the Raffles Museum of Biological Diversity. Perhaps I should have signed up with Arts O Week as well, to get the best of both worlds.
In any case, the museum visit was fun, inasmuch as a museum visit can be fun. The public exhibits were quite extensive, especially considering the limited floor space of the museum, and our guide, a graduate student, was lively, informative and fun. Among other things, there was a giantic mounted Japanese Spider Crab, and a huge stuffed Leatherback Turtle. And we were told about the road-infesting crabs on Christmas Island.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, we met our academic advisors. While some professors played hard to get, one was helpfully waving a sheet of paper with his name written on it.
After that, while audible from downstairs were the yelps of people playing Orientation Games (one of which I saw in progress later, where 3 girls wagged their fingers and derrieres in unison, and shouted at the rest of their Orientation Group, presumably cursing them) , we had talks about the Student Exchange Programme and related programs. Apparently NUS will freeze your CAP (Cumulative Average Points - equivalent of GPA) while you're on exchange. I thought they wouldn't want to adopt policies that encourage, even tacitly, you slacking while on exchange. Then again, they seem eager to send as many of us away as possible, so that they can receive more foreign students here on exchange and boast that we have students from more than 70 countries studying in NUS.
Registrar's Office Circular - 20th July 2004
"(2) Lifting of Compulsory SARS Module
As the global Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak had been effectively contained, the University has decided to lift the requirement that all students must read the module SSM1205 Nation’s Health: Lessons from SARS as a graduation requirement. Students who have yet to read this module are therefore no longer required to complete the module as a graduation requirement."
I am at a loss for words.
"[You are cordially invited to a talk on:]
Possible Future Trajectories of the Islamic Resurgence
by Prof Ibrahim Abu Rabi'
Professor of Islamic Studies, Co-Director
The Duncan Black Macdonald Center
For the Study of Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations
Date: 11 August 2004 (Wednesday)
Time: 4 pm to 6 pm
*Light snack (sic) will be provided.
About the talk
Islamic resurgence has evolved through various historical phases in the interaction between the Islamic world and Western civilization. In the last century, Islamic resurgence became the Muslim response to rapid westernization and post-colonialism. With globalisation and the new world order, further transformations of the Islamic resurgence would be expected in response to the emerging challenges. The speaker will discuss the premises and present day outcomes of the Islamic resurgence. Examining contemporary developments and emerging trends, he will map out possible future trajectories of the Islamic resurgence as it evolves and transforms within different political and socio-economic conditions in the Muslim world including minority Muslim societies."
Damn. I have a sociology lecture at that time. Yes, I *could* skip it, but I'm too guai to do that (imagine that).
More sordid tales of intrigue and betrayal:
"i've heard of how e best of friends can betray each other to get a better chance of getting 1st class honours
there's this story abt this gal who saw her best friend's thesis, saw a few loopholes pertaining to plagiarism issues and went to inform e prof abt it
in e end she caused her friend to lose her 1st class honours"
To say nothing of the ways that people scheme to manipulate COS in bidding wars, taking advantage of others' irrational exuberance.
Things you learn: "Nugyen" is pronounced as "win"
There are many Koreans in Kyrgyzstan because Stalin shuffled them around.
Uzbeks wear funny wigs when riding on horseback.
Words of advice: "you should learn to differentiate your stress and worries. cos u'll realise theres a lot of things to piss u off in NUS. then at least u can sort of trick yourself into thinking that these are all individual little problems, and not, like, one big fucking NUS problem. then u wont go throw yourself off some NUS building"
Quotes:
the Duck Queen (Dark)
the minced chicken in crap (crepe)
[Me on Orientation Week: Did you get groped today?] A little. Not much.
a learn man (learned)
This picture was taken many years ago. Now all of these people are fat and old. At least 10 years older.
plair'sih'bo (placebo)
[On citations] Stem cells. Stem cells came out in 2000... Everyone wrote papers on stem cells. Thousands of papers... For biologists, we're more laid back, so we cite further back. (As for, studies from)
[On eyes for stuffed animals] Even for humans, if you lose one eye, you can buy a marble eye
Like cockroaches are fun. You all know the American Cockroach. That's what you find at home... Pill-bug roach. When you disturb it it curls up. Very cute. They're good as pets.
A lot of people are disgusted by leeches, because they suck blood. But they have to make a living... You won't get AIDS, or what.
[On addressing professors] Most of us would prefer that you don't call us 'Sir' or 'Madam'.... 'Dr ***'. Or 'hi'. Or 'you'.
I went for 3 camps. USP [camp] was the worst.
artificats (written) (artifacts)
The Economist is better than Newsweek because it's British. Newsweek is American.
[On going on exchange] You pay NUS school fees. A: You spend your time in NUS. B: You spend your time elsewhere. Which would you rather?
You pay the money first. Then you realise it was well spent.
Let me tell you: If you persist in speaking Singlish, you're dead.
Even if you speak perfect English, they won't understand you. Because [when] they look at you, they think you're from China. They think you don't understand English... They speak very slowly.
Another reason you should go for 2 sems: 1 sem, you get to know this guy or girl. Just when you are steady-steady, you have to come back (go steady)
the purgering falcons (peregrine)
The first culture shock I had was in the toilet. The guy and girl toilets were communal... No doors: shower curtains... [Someone: For the first few months, every time I opened the toilet door I screamed. Guys!]
Do not be shocked if you hear strange noises coming from next door. It's very natural... Just don't eavesdrop
As we learned from Mediacorp, Chinese Tea is a good substitute for alcohol. You bring a bottle of Chinese Tea. You tell them it is Whiskey.
Travel advice. When you travel, the first thing you must look out for - toilets.
Banking is very important... From my own experience, it took me one whole month to open my bank account. And they got my name wrong.
IRO [International Relations Office] tells me that there is a lot of money around. You just have to look for it.
Since you travel halfway around the world, and people think you're from China, you might as well go to China
very old, mee'dee'veil (medieval)
If you need funding or moral support, the programme is always willing to help
[On presenting his travel pictures to students] I always have a lot of travel pictures, but nobody wants to see them... I have a captive audience
[On nomads] They catch a lot of foxes, and they hang them inside their tents... So cute
[On Uzekistan pictures] Sorry, I have a... fetish for cemeteries
The current leader of Uzbekistan likes to glorify Timur the Lame. Because Timur the Lame was very cruel. He's trying to justify his existence.
These are Uzbek children. Aren't they cute? ... [Especially] when you compare them to Singapore children (Singaporean)
You see these pre-historic buildings. I think they go back to Alexander the Great's era. (historic)
Every'hwhere you go in Turkmenistan you see big pictures of the Turkmenistan leader. He calls himself Turkmenbashi [Ed: "Leader of all Ethnic Turkmens"] (everywhere)
[On Saparmurad Niyazov, Turkmenistan's leader] He spends a lot of money building these grandeur'se buildings which are useless (grandiose)
Random Playlist Song: Schumann - Kreisleriana, Op. 16 - 8. Schnell und spielend
"The title can be understood by Germans only. Kreisler is one of E. T. A. Hoffmann's creations, an eccentric, wild and witty conductor. You will like much about him."
***
First and foremost, I got treated to dinner by Tym today, so thanks be to her :)
***
Please welcome the latest member in a very big (but sadly almost totally inactive) list of posters: Anonvarstud Ingénieur
***
I realise that I know next to nothing about wireless networks or working with networks in general.
I seek a master to initiate me into their mysteries.
***
Someone: [On jailbait] You must introduce me to all these people
Me: But they won't be jailbait for much longer.
Someone: Because then they'll be legal
***
My system has been rebooting spontaneously sporadically. At first I was wondering if I had a wire loose on my motherboard, then I got a tipoff from Xephyris:
"i'm guessing if you're using windows XP, it BSODed and autorebooted is all
it's the evil new scheme by MS to make you think windows XP doesn't BSOD
did you check the "atuomatically restart" box in the contrl panel > system > advanced > startup and rcovery ?"
Bloody hell.
***
" Interesting observations. I have a terrible voice...so am interested in any ways to make for better songs.
What say I? I say you should listen to the music coming out of the Czech republic & Poland. The structure of the songs being made by these czechs & Pols is superior to any previous forms of music. If your opinion of "modern" music isn't changed by them, then you are just being stubborn, imposing yourself to old dead music only for the sake of seeming cultured or high-brow.
I agree that the pop music of the masses is always poor...because most people are tone deaf idiots. You must dig deep into the underground...that is where the talent lies,in the artists who make music for themselves not the fans."
So. Anyone has recommendations about which Czech and Polish artists to try? Though I find that the "you are just being stubborn, imposing yourself to old dead music only for the sake of seeming cultured or high-brow" comment smacks of hubris.
***
His Excellency Saparmurat Niyazov "Turkmenbashi", President of Turkmenistan
"He has established Turkmenistan's international prestige and has displayed concern for the people's well-being. Following his election, one of the first resolutions to be adopted was a decree on the free use of water, gas and electricity by the people of Turkmenistan.
As founder and president of the Association of Turkmens of the World, Mr. Niyazov holds the official title of Turkmenbashi, Leader of all Ethnic Turkmens.
Mr. Niyazov was awarded the Magtymguly International Prize for achieving the aim of Magtymguly, the great Turkmen poet and philosopher: the establishment of an independent state of Turkmenistan."
I have one guess as to the person who started the prize.
***
Skydiving Festival
"August 20th-22nd 2004
Precisely what people jumping out of airplanes has to do with Singapore declaring independence from Malaysia is anyone's guess. But jump they will, and often too: some 2,000 jumps are planned for this two-day festival."
Wah.
***
We're now coming to the end of Orientation Week. While other faculties are organising plenty of games, activities and groping sessions, USP has a different set of activities.
On Wednesday, I saw the people in Arts Orientation Week, instantly remarkable by virtue of their red T-shirts, clustering in the school field shouting, screaming and gesticulating vaguely, if wildly. Perhaps some were close to falling to heat stroke, and perhaps others were groping and being groped, in their turn ("Grope and be groped" - what a great O Week motto *g*). Some people were elevated above the rest - on chairs perhaps, and there was general pandemonium. Meanwhile, I was on my way to the Raffles Museum of Biological Diversity. Perhaps I should have signed up with Arts O Week as well, to get the best of both worlds.
In any case, the museum visit was fun, inasmuch as a museum visit can be fun. The public exhibits were quite extensive, especially considering the limited floor space of the museum, and our guide, a graduate student, was lively, informative and fun. Among other things, there was a giantic mounted Japanese Spider Crab, and a huge stuffed Leatherback Turtle. And we were told about the road-infesting crabs on Christmas Island.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, we met our academic advisors. While some professors played hard to get, one was helpfully waving a sheet of paper with his name written on it.
After that, while audible from downstairs were the yelps of people playing Orientation Games (one of which I saw in progress later, where 3 girls wagged their fingers and derrieres in unison, and shouted at the rest of their Orientation Group, presumably cursing them) , we had talks about the Student Exchange Programme and related programs. Apparently NUS will freeze your CAP (Cumulative Average Points - equivalent of GPA) while you're on exchange. I thought they wouldn't want to adopt policies that encourage, even tacitly, you slacking while on exchange. Then again, they seem eager to send as many of us away as possible, so that they can receive more foreign students here on exchange and boast that we have students from more than 70 countries studying in NUS.
Registrar's Office Circular - 20th July 2004
"(2) Lifting of Compulsory SARS Module
As the global Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak had been effectively contained, the University has decided to lift the requirement that all students must read the module SSM1205 Nation’s Health: Lessons from SARS as a graduation requirement. Students who have yet to read this module are therefore no longer required to complete the module as a graduation requirement."
I am at a loss for words.
"[You are cordially invited to a talk on:]
Possible Future Trajectories of the Islamic Resurgence
by Prof Ibrahim Abu Rabi'
Professor of Islamic Studies, Co-Director
The Duncan Black Macdonald Center
For the Study of Islam & Christian-Muslim Relations
Date: 11 August 2004 (Wednesday)
Time: 4 pm to 6 pm
*Light snack (sic) will be provided.
About the talk
Islamic resurgence has evolved through various historical phases in the interaction between the Islamic world and Western civilization. In the last century, Islamic resurgence became the Muslim response to rapid westernization and post-colonialism. With globalisation and the new world order, further transformations of the Islamic resurgence would be expected in response to the emerging challenges. The speaker will discuss the premises and present day outcomes of the Islamic resurgence. Examining contemporary developments and emerging trends, he will map out possible future trajectories of the Islamic resurgence as it evolves and transforms within different political and socio-economic conditions in the Muslim world including minority Muslim societies."
Damn. I have a sociology lecture at that time. Yes, I *could* skip it, but I'm too guai to do that (imagine that).
More sordid tales of intrigue and betrayal:
"i've heard of how e best of friends can betray each other to get a better chance of getting 1st class honours
there's this story abt this gal who saw her best friend's thesis, saw a few loopholes pertaining to plagiarism issues and went to inform e prof abt it
in e end she caused her friend to lose her 1st class honours"
To say nothing of the ways that people scheme to manipulate COS in bidding wars, taking advantage of others' irrational exuberance.
Things you learn: "Nugyen" is pronounced as "win"
There are many Koreans in Kyrgyzstan because Stalin shuffled them around.
Uzbeks wear funny wigs when riding on horseback.
Words of advice: "you should learn to differentiate your stress and worries. cos u'll realise theres a lot of things to piss u off in NUS. then at least u can sort of trick yourself into thinking that these are all individual little problems, and not, like, one big fucking NUS problem. then u wont go throw yourself off some NUS building"
Quotes:
the Duck Queen (Dark)
the minced chicken in crap (crepe)
[Me on Orientation Week: Did you get groped today?] A little. Not much.
a learn man (learned)
This picture was taken many years ago. Now all of these people are fat and old. At least 10 years older.
plair'sih'bo (placebo)
[On citations] Stem cells. Stem cells came out in 2000... Everyone wrote papers on stem cells. Thousands of papers... For biologists, we're more laid back, so we cite further back. (As for, studies from)
[On eyes for stuffed animals] Even for humans, if you lose one eye, you can buy a marble eye
Like cockroaches are fun. You all know the American Cockroach. That's what you find at home... Pill-bug roach. When you disturb it it curls up. Very cute. They're good as pets.
A lot of people are disgusted by leeches, because they suck blood. But they have to make a living... You won't get AIDS, or what.
[On addressing professors] Most of us would prefer that you don't call us 'Sir' or 'Madam'.... 'Dr ***'. Or 'hi'. Or 'you'.
I went for 3 camps. USP [camp] was the worst.
artificats (written) (artifacts)
The Economist is better than Newsweek because it's British. Newsweek is American.
[On going on exchange] You pay NUS school fees. A: You spend your time in NUS. B: You spend your time elsewhere. Which would you rather?
You pay the money first. Then you realise it was well spent.
Let me tell you: If you persist in speaking Singlish, you're dead.
Even if you speak perfect English, they won't understand you. Because [when] they look at you, they think you're from China. They think you don't understand English... They speak very slowly.
Another reason you should go for 2 sems: 1 sem, you get to know this guy or girl. Just when you are steady-steady, you have to come back (go steady)
the purgering falcons (peregrine)
The first culture shock I had was in the toilet. The guy and girl toilets were communal... No doors: shower curtains... [Someone: For the first few months, every time I opened the toilet door I screamed. Guys!]
Do not be shocked if you hear strange noises coming from next door. It's very natural... Just don't eavesdrop
As we learned from Mediacorp, Chinese Tea is a good substitute for alcohol. You bring a bottle of Chinese Tea. You tell them it is Whiskey.
Travel advice. When you travel, the first thing you must look out for - toilets.
Banking is very important... From my own experience, it took me one whole month to open my bank account. And they got my name wrong.
IRO [International Relations Office] tells me that there is a lot of money around. You just have to look for it.
Since you travel halfway around the world, and people think you're from China, you might as well go to China
very old, mee'dee'veil (medieval)
If you need funding or moral support, the programme is always willing to help
[On presenting his travel pictures to students] I always have a lot of travel pictures, but nobody wants to see them... I have a captive audience
[On nomads] They catch a lot of foxes, and they hang them inside their tents... So cute
[On Uzekistan pictures] Sorry, I have a... fetish for cemeteries
The current leader of Uzbekistan likes to glorify Timur the Lame. Because Timur the Lame was very cruel. He's trying to justify his existence.
These are Uzbek children. Aren't they cute? ... [Especially] when you compare them to Singapore children (Singaporean)
You see these pre-historic buildings. I think they go back to Alexander the Great's era. (historic)
Every'hwhere you go in Turkmenistan you see big pictures of the Turkmenistan leader. He calls himself Turkmenbashi [Ed: "Leader of all Ethnic Turkmens"] (everywhere)
[On Saparmurad Niyazov, Turkmenistan's leader] He spends a lot of money building these grandeur'se buildings which are useless (grandiose)
Post ID: 109155894394023754
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Word of the day: "apotheosis"
It's been an inordinately long time since I was actively blogging here; however I promised Gabriel that I would do so of late.
Basically, life has undergone some rather traumatic changes of late. At first, I was tempted to collate some of the more outré events over the last 9 months, but upon going through my offline journals, I realised with a shudder that it would transform this blog into another one of those dysfunctional adolescent rants, no matter how I embellished or attempted to inject bonhomie into their depiction - a nauseating series of cliches which, however emotionally acute to the person experiencing it, degenerate into a sickening litany of self-pity when lovingly and masochistically put to type on a blog to be read. Particularly to an audience which is no doubt jaded by repeated narratives of suicide, self-mutilation, parental/adolescent generation gaps, orgies of alcohol, eulogies over the carcasses of relationships, elegiac paragraphs of existential angst, schadenfreude sentiments at the discomfiture of one's foes, romantic expressions of unrequited love, futile teenage glances, wardrobe anomalies, bitter rending of garments at the adulterous betrayal by a significant other, et al.
So I'll keep the "Story So Far" section as short as I can.
Basically, (and without a trace of irony), at a moment when I had resigned myself that I was going to plod on with my existence in a reasonably comfortable groove, having figured out how to limp my life around a variety of mental and situational disorders, I suddenly got a job offer in Singapore. And a pretty decent job at that.
At one blow, virtually every single one of my PULGs were achieved, although pleasantly enough the underlying context for them had ceased to become an issue.
Be that as it may, I can't say I wasn't (and even now) looking forward to the fairly tumultous changes entailed in having to move *back* to Singapore after approximately 10 years away. Frankly, at that point in time, my life had descended into such a rut that if I'd gotten a job training mine-laying monkeys in eastern Uganda, my only question would have been, "Do I get to share their bananas?"
Most of my last two months were spent gleefully handing over work to colleagues at my previous employer's. I must confess at this point that one of the most difficult moments in the transition was knowing that I'd have to build up professional relationships in a totally new working environment - I'd become extremely comfortable with my old colleagues, if not exactly the job or my department's top honcho. Perhaps that in and of itself was a sign to move on though.
At this point, however, I would like to thank my immediate line managers in a public forum for giving me a good reference which probably helped clinch my current job. I doubt you'll ever read this, either of you, unless your web-surfing habits are way more diverse than I was led to believe. But thanks for putting up with my incessant habit of playing with the stuffed rabbit during any limit breach.
In any event, my department head was determined to squeeze every last drop of work from me; I had actually listed out fourteen outstanding projects and tried to get as much progress on ALL of them as was humanly possible.
Then on the final fortnight, a sudden epiphany happened.
I was just told by the HR department how much I had to pay back the Bank (because of my stupid 3 months-notice-or-3-months-salary-in-lieu clause in the contract which my fucking boss refused to waiver). And when I held the memo which said that not only was my pay for July being withheld to cover the above, I had to top it up with about $2000, it suddenly dawned on me.
I was *paying* to work my last few days in KL.
That last fortnight, I flatly refused to do any work my boss assigned me. I just made excuses and stayed away from the office. My immediate colleagues and manager were actually quite supportive of that; so supportive that I actually felt guilty and spent some effort ensuring that the projects that would most affect them were smoothly handed over whereas others that the big boss wanted would just rot fallow in my absence. (although I *was* responsible enough to hand over all my notes and research to a colleague to warehouse in case those projects were resurrected)
Also on that last week, I spent virtually every night getting pissed drunk; because all of a sudden acquaintances and fair-weather friends I hadn't known existed were popping out of the woodwork asking to go for dinner, have drinks, etc. I'm not so cynical as to say ALL of them wanted me to help look for job openings (the word had gotten out by now that I was going to work in an international investment bank) - I'm sure SOME of them were sincere at least.
One thing's for sure, duck farmers make a HELL lot of money. (Went out for drinks with couple of friends, a friend of theirs dropped by, heard i was going to singapore, immediately ordered two bottles of cognac, then got his driver (HIS ie. not his family's) to fetch us all to a karaoke lounge and he paid for another 3 bottles, AND the girls, AND the mama-san actually treated him to another bottle. And yes, the guy who treated and paid for everything was a duck farmer - owns 25 duck farms in Malaysia and a slaughter house in Singapore - and he's like 5 years older than me)
The first week in Singapore was characterised by running around like MAD looking for a place to stay. It's basically a long and frenzied tale of poring through newspaper ads (Incidentally, it seems *impossible* to find a News Straits Times for sale in Orchard Road from 7:30pm onwards - a fact that caused me no end of frustration because the person I was staying with didn't have a subscription and I tended to forget to buy it in the mornings) calling agents, coordinating times, running from weird area to weird area, tearing my hair out in frustration at so many nice places outside my budget; or nice places within my budget but located in weird locations, etc etc.
My mother came down with me to "help" - while I admit she spotted things and asked questions I wouldn't have thought of - good ones; she also spent a lot of time criticising my choices and the way I was coordinating the timetables with the agents and insisting I squeeze in as much house viewing as I could while she was in singapore - while I was harried like mad trying to flit from place to place without spending too much of my dwindling supply of Singapore dollars. In fact, at one point, I thought she had left, so I went to see a place; and while I was there she called me and said she was postpoining going back, and insisted I keep the agent and the landlord of the house I was viewing there for half an hour while she caught a cab down to see the place herself ARGH.
Anyway, here were the choices of accommodation I was faced with for a while, and the factors I considered for each place. I wonder if I made the right choice in the end.
a) one bedroom apartment directly on top of Pearl Center in Chinatown. $1000.
Pros: DAMN convenient - less than 5 minutes walk to Outram Park MRT, damn lot of food around, being on top of shopping center with easy access 7-11 and lots of sundry, fruit, tailor, handphone shops, kopi tiams - (think Lucky Plaza type with way more cheena sleaziness), and, in the words of the agent who showed me the house: "very fang pian! come downstairs can mai hao ma already!" (buy numbers - Singapore Pools stand was just opposite the lift), well maintained, very nice kitchen, reasonably cheap for CBD flat.
Cons: lots of KTV and China girls hanging around (or is that a pro? My mom didn't see it that way...), damn small apartment - living room two thirds smaller than bedroom, turf club on the fifth floor of building not particularly reassuring, furnishing not that great, tiny toilet/shower, zero facilities, the damnation of neverending phone calls and nagging from my parents about the dangers of KTV girls if I actually decided to stay there
b) Beaumont - directly opposite PUB building located next to Somerset MRT (Devonshire Road). Open concept studio apartment (essentially a giant open rectangular room with a bed at the end). $1100
Pros: Damn near Somerset MRT, apartment with facilities (pool & gym), a balcony (for smoking), open concept means space is pretty maximised, reasonably sized kitchen, okay bathroom
Cons: Washing machine is not a dryer, bed and cupboard a bit old and lousy (although the other furnishings - sofa, table are quite okay), have to walk up a hill to get back home (okay i'm lazy:), tiny TV provided, apartment a bit old, no real convenience stores or sundry places around (nearest would be Centerpoint or the BP station a block away)
c) Seng Poh Gardns - somewhere near Tiong Bahru market. Pre-war converted shophouse; single open concept studio apartment on second floor. $1200
Pros: The absolutely nicest furnishings of all the places I'd seen - cream carpet, cool looking bed, frosted glass shower with damn nice showerhead and tiles, glass kitchen top with protruding metal basin, Ikea standard cupboards, chairs, table, the only place whose landloard provided a VCD machine, near acccess to a wet market (although slightly irrelevant as i didn't intend to do cooking), near soundproof pre-war walls, pretty large space (larger than the first two), also the juxtaposition of the intensely old fashioned facade (you enter through this narrow stone stairwell that's like a damned monastery, enter a corridor - at the far end is a stone spiral staircase leading down where you can see the rear courtyards of other shoplots in the same block) and the supermodern interior really strikes a chord with me - deception resonates with me:), the HDB estates have quite a few hardware and bric-a-brac stores around for my needs.
Cons: Not near MRT - have to cut through quite a few blocks of walking, tiong bahru a bit out of the way for city access, difficult parking for visitors who drive, a bit steep for a place located somewhat out of the way with zero facilities, washing machine is not cum-dryer, only electric hot pot provided - no gas cooking.
d) Liang Seah Place - basically another reconverted conservation house (ie. old shophouse converted to bucolic apartment - expats love those). Two options at this place - one was a one-room set up essentially a double hotel room (not suite) for $1200, another one a pretty large one bedroom for $1600 - slightly out of budget. Also a split level for $2200 - way way out of budget. Pros and cons below describe the cheapest option Pros: Pretty near Bugis MRT (located opposite Parco on Beach Road side), very cute place, provides a safe(!), has a gym, large TV, willing to pay for SCV, nice view of huge old tree and playground outside window, lots of great food around downstairs, nice hotel room style furnishings, toilet with bathtub
Cons: Small, horrible veneer smell pervading place, have to walk damn far out into the corridor to the rubbish chute, no washing machine-cum-dryer in the apartment - have to walk out to a nearby one in the gym. (weird place for a washing machine i know), no gas cooking allowed in room (only electric hot pot)
e) Weird place on Race Course Road - $1100, open concept studio on top of Indian fishhead curry restaurant.
Pros: Next to Farrer Park MRT station (the new northeast line), lots of good Indian food around,(banana leaf rice and mamak stalls galore!), pretty new development, cool hydraulic car park.
Cons: Fucking neh-vana, very domi-neh-ted (just out of Little India!!!), no-neh to hide, (yes i delight in racist jokes, like all of you. Strangely enough, I don't see a dichotomy between having friends with individuals while still harbouring racist sentiments), smell of fishhead curry pervading apartment, hideously small (even smaller than (a)!!!), crappy furnishings, crappy old microwave oven, the whole apartment having a feel of a movie where the misunderstood anti-hero is fleeing the law and has to hole up in some slum apartment with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in a brown paper bag - despite being new.
f) Hollywood Gardens on Oxley Rise. Next to the old Je t'aime jewellers and Church of the Sacred Heart. Low-rise walk-in on the 7th floor. $1300
Pros: ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NONE. THE MOST HIDEOUS PLACE I SAW. let me describe my visit to this place. my mom and i got there, we were waiting for the agent. agent pulls up in a mercedes, darts out of his car, runs up stairs motioning us to follow, we follow, not knowing it's on the fucking top floor of the low rise, pass by shut and paclocked doors on the 4th, 5th and 6th floor (the padlocks were rusted through), and as we hit the apartment the agent shouts, "i'm rushing somewhere, close the door when you're done.." and then he darts back past me and my mom down the stairs, and into his mercedes, and as we his car pulls away, we enter the house and spot all the Cons below..
Cons: Far from MRT, far from bus stop (the nearest on Clemenceau Avenue isn't exactly on a lot of bus routes) rotting furniture, curtains like cobwebs, dust everywhere, walking up 7 fucking floors, zero facilities, twenty year old development, padlocked apartments all around making the place feel like The Shining, not particularly large, insane asking price, positively negative fengshui, generally freaked us out and we were out of there in 5 minutes.
g) Sofia Court - behind Peace Centre. One bedroom apartment going for $1200
Pros: The largest of the apartments I'd seen, decent furniture, very nice marble tiled bathroom, apartment with a pool, fully equipped kitchen, old but well maintained development, convenient access to Cold Storage in Peace Center, lots of cabinet space,
Cons: Damn bloody far walk down Sofia Hill, through Peace Center, cutting across Bencoolen Road to Selegie Road to take a bus down to my office, all that extra space a hindrance to maintain, generally pretty boring area to live in without anything of interest around.
h) Club Street - one bedroom conservation house apartment above a Spanish restaurant. $1450. Directly opposite China Square.
Pros: Nice parquet floor, good furnishing, large TV, toilet with bathtub, pretty comprehensive sundry mart just across the road (servicing the far more expensive Emerald Court apartment complex), washer cum dryer, surprisingly quiet behind double glazed windows, lots of yuppie eateries around, generally cool "expat" type place in heart of city area, comprehensively furnished with washer cum dryer, clothes hanging area, cupboard space, decent bed, fully equipped kitchen, nice sofas, rubbish chute in apartment, basically the most "yuppie expat" looking place in terms of location and general ambience. (the tiong bahru one being a very close second but only in terms of interior furnishing)
Cons: Top end in terms of budget, not the most convenient in terms of walking distance to MRT (nearest being Raffles Place), later was told Club street is a gay area (although that means I can pimp my ass if i need rent money), irritating hidden cost of having to pay $10 every month to service the air conditioning, no facilities, the only place that insisted on a 2 year lease, virtually no security.
There were actually a few other places I saw, but nothing particularly notable about them, other than their location (near Novena and Newton, and one in Balestier Road) The rest of the pre-work week, other than the Kafka-esque hunt for a house, was occupied by fucking bureaucratic hassles - getting my utilities account, getting a health check up (x-rays, blood test), signing the tenancy agreement, going to my new bank and being given ANOTHER huge form to fill up, photocopying CFA books (there's another Bleak House story with regards to the CFA books which I stupidly shared with a friend in Malaysia, leading to issues regarding their division once I'm working in Singapore), and right now, having to arrange for cable, handphone, fixed line, and broadband, moving the last of my stuff from KL (with much heart-rending pain, sanity prevailed and my father convinced me that I couldn't ship ALL my books down) and double ARGH finding out that i'm going to be taxed flat 15% of income for 2004 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHAT THE FUCK) simply for being a foreign resident working in Singapore for less than 183 days in the year.
Off-tangent observation - aunties and tai tais seriously know a LOT about real estate. when i was searching the classified ads for apartmetns for rent, my mom and her friends could like identify the locations and pros and cons of virtually ANY apartment estate I named out loud.
Hm, this blog will have to continue later, as the cybercafe (which took me 2 days to locate, where the hell are they when you need one?) I am currently tapping on for my Internet fix is about to close. And my Malaysian mobile phone on roaming can't dial bloody Citysearch.
(reminder to self before weekend) Things to blog about:
-Trip with Gabriel to NUS + observations
-First week living alone again
-The joys of Ikea shopping
-The Catch-22 of needing a bank account to get a mobile phone + SCV, but not being able to open a bank account without a local contact number....
-Observations about anal security guards and mile high compliance manuals in new workplace.
-Scary evil new boss
-Making faces during conference calls
-Amusement that three of my old secondary schoolmates are actually in jail
-The not so joys of having to rebuild life from scratch with regards to personal independence
-Supper with Ivan near the Indian temple
-preparation for all night chor tai dee sessions
It's been an inordinately long time since I was actively blogging here; however I promised Gabriel that I would do so of late.
Basically, life has undergone some rather traumatic changes of late. At first, I was tempted to collate some of the more outré events over the last 9 months, but upon going through my offline journals, I realised with a shudder that it would transform this blog into another one of those dysfunctional adolescent rants, no matter how I embellished or attempted to inject bonhomie into their depiction - a nauseating series of cliches which, however emotionally acute to the person experiencing it, degenerate into a sickening litany of self-pity when lovingly and masochistically put to type on a blog to be read. Particularly to an audience which is no doubt jaded by repeated narratives of suicide, self-mutilation, parental/adolescent generation gaps, orgies of alcohol, eulogies over the carcasses of relationships, elegiac paragraphs of existential angst, schadenfreude sentiments at the discomfiture of one's foes, romantic expressions of unrequited love, futile teenage glances, wardrobe anomalies, bitter rending of garments at the adulterous betrayal by a significant other, et al.
So I'll keep the "Story So Far" section as short as I can.
Basically, (and without a trace of irony), at a moment when I had resigned myself that I was going to plod on with my existence in a reasonably comfortable groove, having figured out how to limp my life around a variety of mental and situational disorders, I suddenly got a job offer in Singapore. And a pretty decent job at that.
At one blow, virtually every single one of my PULGs were achieved, although pleasantly enough the underlying context for them had ceased to become an issue.
Be that as it may, I can't say I wasn't (and even now) looking forward to the fairly tumultous changes entailed in having to move *back* to Singapore after approximately 10 years away. Frankly, at that point in time, my life had descended into such a rut that if I'd gotten a job training mine-laying monkeys in eastern Uganda, my only question would have been, "Do I get to share their bananas?"
Most of my last two months were spent gleefully handing over work to colleagues at my previous employer's. I must confess at this point that one of the most difficult moments in the transition was knowing that I'd have to build up professional relationships in a totally new working environment - I'd become extremely comfortable with my old colleagues, if not exactly the job or my department's top honcho. Perhaps that in and of itself was a sign to move on though.
At this point, however, I would like to thank my immediate line managers in a public forum for giving me a good reference which probably helped clinch my current job. I doubt you'll ever read this, either of you, unless your web-surfing habits are way more diverse than I was led to believe. But thanks for putting up with my incessant habit of playing with the stuffed rabbit during any limit breach.
In any event, my department head was determined to squeeze every last drop of work from me; I had actually listed out fourteen outstanding projects and tried to get as much progress on ALL of them as was humanly possible.
Then on the final fortnight, a sudden epiphany happened.
I was just told by the HR department how much I had to pay back the Bank (because of my stupid 3 months-notice-or-3-months-salary-in-lieu clause in the contract which my fucking boss refused to waiver). And when I held the memo which said that not only was my pay for July being withheld to cover the above, I had to top it up with about $2000, it suddenly dawned on me.
I was *paying* to work my last few days in KL.
That last fortnight, I flatly refused to do any work my boss assigned me. I just made excuses and stayed away from the office. My immediate colleagues and manager were actually quite supportive of that; so supportive that I actually felt guilty and spent some effort ensuring that the projects that would most affect them were smoothly handed over whereas others that the big boss wanted would just rot fallow in my absence. (although I *was* responsible enough to hand over all my notes and research to a colleague to warehouse in case those projects were resurrected)
Also on that last week, I spent virtually every night getting pissed drunk; because all of a sudden acquaintances and fair-weather friends I hadn't known existed were popping out of the woodwork asking to go for dinner, have drinks, etc. I'm not so cynical as to say ALL of them wanted me to help look for job openings (the word had gotten out by now that I was going to work in an international investment bank) - I'm sure SOME of them were sincere at least.
One thing's for sure, duck farmers make a HELL lot of money. (Went out for drinks with couple of friends, a friend of theirs dropped by, heard i was going to singapore, immediately ordered two bottles of cognac, then got his driver (HIS ie. not his family's) to fetch us all to a karaoke lounge and he paid for another 3 bottles, AND the girls, AND the mama-san actually treated him to another bottle. And yes, the guy who treated and paid for everything was a duck farmer - owns 25 duck farms in Malaysia and a slaughter house in Singapore - and he's like 5 years older than me)
The first week in Singapore was characterised by running around like MAD looking for a place to stay. It's basically a long and frenzied tale of poring through newspaper ads (Incidentally, it seems *impossible* to find a News Straits Times for sale in Orchard Road from 7:30pm onwards - a fact that caused me no end of frustration because the person I was staying with didn't have a subscription and I tended to forget to buy it in the mornings) calling agents, coordinating times, running from weird area to weird area, tearing my hair out in frustration at so many nice places outside my budget; or nice places within my budget but located in weird locations, etc etc.
My mother came down with me to "help" - while I admit she spotted things and asked questions I wouldn't have thought of - good ones; she also spent a lot of time criticising my choices and the way I was coordinating the timetables with the agents and insisting I squeeze in as much house viewing as I could while she was in singapore - while I was harried like mad trying to flit from place to place without spending too much of my dwindling supply of Singapore dollars. In fact, at one point, I thought she had left, so I went to see a place; and while I was there she called me and said she was postpoining going back, and insisted I keep the agent and the landlord of the house I was viewing there for half an hour while she caught a cab down to see the place herself ARGH.
Anyway, here were the choices of accommodation I was faced with for a while, and the factors I considered for each place. I wonder if I made the right choice in the end.
a) one bedroom apartment directly on top of Pearl Center in Chinatown. $1000.
Pros: DAMN convenient - less than 5 minutes walk to Outram Park MRT, damn lot of food around, being on top of shopping center with easy access 7-11 and lots of sundry, fruit, tailor, handphone shops, kopi tiams - (think Lucky Plaza type with way more cheena sleaziness), and, in the words of the agent who showed me the house: "very fang pian! come downstairs can mai hao ma already!" (buy numbers - Singapore Pools stand was just opposite the lift), well maintained, very nice kitchen, reasonably cheap for CBD flat.
Cons: lots of KTV and China girls hanging around (or is that a pro? My mom didn't see it that way...), damn small apartment - living room two thirds smaller than bedroom, turf club on the fifth floor of building not particularly reassuring, furnishing not that great, tiny toilet/shower, zero facilities, the damnation of neverending phone calls and nagging from my parents about the dangers of KTV girls if I actually decided to stay there
b) Beaumont - directly opposite PUB building located next to Somerset MRT (Devonshire Road). Open concept studio apartment (essentially a giant open rectangular room with a bed at the end). $1100
Pros: Damn near Somerset MRT, apartment with facilities (pool & gym), a balcony (for smoking), open concept means space is pretty maximised, reasonably sized kitchen, okay bathroom
Cons: Washing machine is not a dryer, bed and cupboard a bit old and lousy (although the other furnishings - sofa, table are quite okay), have to walk up a hill to get back home (okay i'm lazy:), tiny TV provided, apartment a bit old, no real convenience stores or sundry places around (nearest would be Centerpoint or the BP station a block away)
c) Seng Poh Gardns - somewhere near Tiong Bahru market. Pre-war converted shophouse; single open concept studio apartment on second floor. $1200
Pros: The absolutely nicest furnishings of all the places I'd seen - cream carpet, cool looking bed, frosted glass shower with damn nice showerhead and tiles, glass kitchen top with protruding metal basin, Ikea standard cupboards, chairs, table, the only place whose landloard provided a VCD machine, near acccess to a wet market (although slightly irrelevant as i didn't intend to do cooking), near soundproof pre-war walls, pretty large space (larger than the first two), also the juxtaposition of the intensely old fashioned facade (you enter through this narrow stone stairwell that's like a damned monastery, enter a corridor - at the far end is a stone spiral staircase leading down where you can see the rear courtyards of other shoplots in the same block) and the supermodern interior really strikes a chord with me - deception resonates with me:), the HDB estates have quite a few hardware and bric-a-brac stores around for my needs.
Cons: Not near MRT - have to cut through quite a few blocks of walking, tiong bahru a bit out of the way for city access, difficult parking for visitors who drive, a bit steep for a place located somewhat out of the way with zero facilities, washing machine is not cum-dryer, only electric hot pot provided - no gas cooking.
d) Liang Seah Place - basically another reconverted conservation house (ie. old shophouse converted to bucolic apartment - expats love those). Two options at this place - one was a one-room set up essentially a double hotel room (not suite) for $1200, another one a pretty large one bedroom for $1600 - slightly out of budget. Also a split level for $2200 - way way out of budget. Pros and cons below describe the cheapest option Pros: Pretty near Bugis MRT (located opposite Parco on Beach Road side), very cute place, provides a safe(!), has a gym, large TV, willing to pay for SCV, nice view of huge old tree and playground outside window, lots of great food around downstairs, nice hotel room style furnishings, toilet with bathtub
Cons: Small, horrible veneer smell pervading place, have to walk damn far out into the corridor to the rubbish chute, no washing machine-cum-dryer in the apartment - have to walk out to a nearby one in the gym. (weird place for a washing machine i know), no gas cooking allowed in room (only electric hot pot)
e) Weird place on Race Course Road - $1100, open concept studio on top of Indian fishhead curry restaurant.
Pros: Next to Farrer Park MRT station (the new northeast line), lots of good Indian food around,(banana leaf rice and mamak stalls galore!), pretty new development, cool hydraulic car park.
Cons: Fucking neh-vana, very domi-neh-ted (just out of Little India!!!), no-neh to hide, (yes i delight in racist jokes, like all of you. Strangely enough, I don't see a dichotomy between having friends with individuals while still harbouring racist sentiments), smell of fishhead curry pervading apartment, hideously small (even smaller than (a)!!!), crappy furnishings, crappy old microwave oven, the whole apartment having a feel of a movie where the misunderstood anti-hero is fleeing the law and has to hole up in some slum apartment with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in a brown paper bag - despite being new.
f) Hollywood Gardens on Oxley Rise. Next to the old Je t'aime jewellers and Church of the Sacred Heart. Low-rise walk-in on the 7th floor. $1300
Pros: ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NONE. THE MOST HIDEOUS PLACE I SAW. let me describe my visit to this place. my mom and i got there, we were waiting for the agent. agent pulls up in a mercedes, darts out of his car, runs up stairs motioning us to follow, we follow, not knowing it's on the fucking top floor of the low rise, pass by shut and paclocked doors on the 4th, 5th and 6th floor (the padlocks were rusted through), and as we hit the apartment the agent shouts, "i'm rushing somewhere, close the door when you're done.." and then he darts back past me and my mom down the stairs, and into his mercedes, and as we his car pulls away, we enter the house and spot all the Cons below..
Cons: Far from MRT, far from bus stop (the nearest on Clemenceau Avenue isn't exactly on a lot of bus routes) rotting furniture, curtains like cobwebs, dust everywhere, walking up 7 fucking floors, zero facilities, twenty year old development, padlocked apartments all around making the place feel like The Shining, not particularly large, insane asking price, positively negative fengshui, generally freaked us out and we were out of there in 5 minutes.
g) Sofia Court - behind Peace Centre. One bedroom apartment going for $1200
Pros: The largest of the apartments I'd seen, decent furniture, very nice marble tiled bathroom, apartment with a pool, fully equipped kitchen, old but well maintained development, convenient access to Cold Storage in Peace Center, lots of cabinet space,
Cons: Damn bloody far walk down Sofia Hill, through Peace Center, cutting across Bencoolen Road to Selegie Road to take a bus down to my office, all that extra space a hindrance to maintain, generally pretty boring area to live in without anything of interest around.
h) Club Street - one bedroom conservation house apartment above a Spanish restaurant. $1450. Directly opposite China Square.
Pros: Nice parquet floor, good furnishing, large TV, toilet with bathtub, pretty comprehensive sundry mart just across the road (servicing the far more expensive Emerald Court apartment complex), washer cum dryer, surprisingly quiet behind double glazed windows, lots of yuppie eateries around, generally cool "expat" type place in heart of city area, comprehensively furnished with washer cum dryer, clothes hanging area, cupboard space, decent bed, fully equipped kitchen, nice sofas, rubbish chute in apartment, basically the most "yuppie expat" looking place in terms of location and general ambience. (the tiong bahru one being a very close second but only in terms of interior furnishing)
Cons: Top end in terms of budget, not the most convenient in terms of walking distance to MRT (nearest being Raffles Place), later was told Club street is a gay area (although that means I can pimp my ass if i need rent money), irritating hidden cost of having to pay $10 every month to service the air conditioning, no facilities, the only place that insisted on a 2 year lease, virtually no security.
There were actually a few other places I saw, but nothing particularly notable about them, other than their location (near Novena and Newton, and one in Balestier Road) The rest of the pre-work week, other than the Kafka-esque hunt for a house, was occupied by fucking bureaucratic hassles - getting my utilities account, getting a health check up (x-rays, blood test), signing the tenancy agreement, going to my new bank and being given ANOTHER huge form to fill up, photocopying CFA books (there's another Bleak House story with regards to the CFA books which I stupidly shared with a friend in Malaysia, leading to issues regarding their division once I'm working in Singapore), and right now, having to arrange for cable, handphone, fixed line, and broadband, moving the last of my stuff from KL (with much heart-rending pain, sanity prevailed and my father convinced me that I couldn't ship ALL my books down) and double ARGH finding out that i'm going to be taxed flat 15% of income for 2004 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHAT THE FUCK) simply for being a foreign resident working in Singapore for less than 183 days in the year.
Off-tangent observation - aunties and tai tais seriously know a LOT about real estate. when i was searching the classified ads for apartmetns for rent, my mom and her friends could like identify the locations and pros and cons of virtually ANY apartment estate I named out loud.
Hm, this blog will have to continue later, as the cybercafe (which took me 2 days to locate, where the hell are they when you need one?) I am currently tapping on for my Internet fix is about to close. And my Malaysian mobile phone on roaming can't dial bloody Citysearch.
(reminder to self before weekend) Things to blog about:
-Trip with Gabriel to NUS + observations
-First week living alone again
-The joys of Ikea shopping
-The Catch-22 of needing a bank account to get a mobile phone + SCV, but not being able to open a bank account without a local contact number....
-Observations about anal security guards and mile high compliance manuals in new workplace.
-Scary evil new boss
-Making faces during conference calls
-Amusement that three of my old secondary schoolmates are actually in jail
-The not so joys of having to rebuild life from scratch with regards to personal independence
-Supper with Ivan near the Indian temple
-preparation for all night chor tai dee sessions
Post ID: 109162204028531504
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