"All romantics meet the same fate someday. Cynical and drunk and boring someone in some dark cafe." - Joni Mitchell
***
On Thio Li-Ann:
Cock: Actually, Thio Li Ann made a valid point about the debate over 377a:
....
However, I have noted a disturbing phenomenon over the 377A debate– the argument by insult. Instead of reasoning, some have resorted to name-calling to intimidate and silence their opponents. People with principled moral objections to the homosexual agenda are tarred and feathered 'homophobes', 'bigots', to shut them up. This strategy is unoriginally imported from foreign gay activists, which stifles creative thinking and intellectual enquiry.
When you shout, full of sound and fury, and call your opponents nasty names, this terminates public debate. No one wants to be called a bigot. But think about it – if I oppose incest, am I an incestophobe? If I oppose alcoholism, am I a winophobe? If having an opinion means you are bigoted, then we are all bigots! What is your phobia?
Where certain liberals accuse their opponents of being intolerant, they demonstrate their own intolerance towards their opponents! They are hoist on their own petard, guilty of everything they accuse their detractors of!
One of my colleagues, a young professor, suffered these vicious tactics when the Straits Times published an article this May where Yvonne Lee argued against repealing 377A. This well-researched, cogent article so incensed homosexual activists that they flooded her with a torrent of abusive, lewd emails and wrote to her head of department calling for her to be removed from her job. This appeared to be a co-ordinated campaign.
We academics are used to disagreement, but why write to her employer and threaten her livelihood? Why vilify someone and seek to assassinate their personal and professional reputation? I hope the House joins me in deploring these malicious attacks which also assault academic freedom. She is owed an apology. I would be ashamed to belong to any academic institution that cravenly bowed down to such disgraceful bully-boy tactics.
This August, I had my own experience with this sort of hysterical attack. I received an email from someone I never met, full of vile and obscene invective which I shall not repeat, accusing me of hatemongering. It cursed me and expressed the wish to defile my grave on the day 377A was repealed.
I believe in free debate but this oversteps the line. I was distressed, disgusted, upset enough to file a police report. Does a normal person go up to a stranger to express such irrational hatred?
Smear tactics indicate the poor quality of debate and also, of character. Let us have rational debate, not diatribe, free from abusive rhetoric and tantrum-throwing. As Singapore approaches her Jubilee, My hope for the post-65 generation is that we will not become an uncivil civil society borne from an immature culture of vulgarity which celebrates the base, not the noble.
I speak, at the risk of being burned at the stake by militant activists. But if we don't stand for something, we will fall for anything. I was raised to believe in speaking out for what is right, good and true, no matter the cost. It is important in life not only to have a Brain, but a Spine.
....
Given what we do know about the tone of some commentators on this mailing list....*AHEM*.
A: Can anyone tell me how to access Singapore Hansard? I want a softcopy in print of Thio Li Ann's shameful comments on 377A in Parliament, which I intend to write an article on in the student press.
Cock: Like a lot of good it would do, telling all of Oxford that Thio's a homophobe all over the Oxford Student and Cherwell. What's that supposed to achieve? Make her ex-college embarrassed enough not to give her an honorary degree?
B: The opponents of sexual freedom are just as likely to call gays and/or queer-friendly people "immoral", "unnatural", "sinful" and "diseased", as they are to be called "homophobes" and "bigots". I don't object to phenomenon of such labelling; but I would wish to counter the reasoning and reject the sensibilities that lay behind them, i.e. I would address the substance of what is being said, not the fact that it is said with strong negative overtones.
I found it bizarre at the time that Yvonne Lee could regard being VERBALLY LABELLED a "homophobe" and a "bigot" as "chilling" of her free speech, while apparently thinking that THREATENING STATE VIOLENCE (in the form of a criminal statute) against gay sex is not intimidating, so long as there are all kinds of unreliable (because wholly non-binding) assurances re non-prosecution. Thio's analogous position is similarly bafflingly small-minded.
No, there isn't much instrumental value in directing swearfestes at bigots. But that's a separate question from calling them "homophobes", which they are, and "bigots", which they are. And even where profanities are concerned, notice that these are people in privileged positions trying to take the language of anger away from people who are disenfranchised. That is, unfortunately, a common theme of conversations about "civility". The fact is when people have the power to crap all over your life, swearing back at them is small change. All it would take for her to stop being "vilified" by WORDS would be for her to stop supporting HURTING other people through ACTION. Fair's fair?
Me: Actually I agree with the extract from Thio's speech, except for the "homophobe" and "bigot" thing.
Would she be against the terms "racist" and "bigot" if they were used to describe those we consider racist and bigoted?
As for the threats of state violence, I observe again that from 1988 to 2003 (and AFAIK and most probably from 2003 till today), consenting, homosexual sex between adults has not been punished.
I might point out that this year is the 20th anniversary of Operation Spectrum (aka the "'Marxist' 'Conspiracy'"). Today, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2 - formerly The Working Committee 2) does pretty much the same thing that 20 years ago got many social workers and professionals detained, and that anyone claiming that there is a THREAT OF STATE VIOLENCE (in the form of a criminal statute) against civil society work will be dismissed as paranoid and hysterical.
A: Jiekai, you have once again demonstrated your stupidity. If you had bothered to read the shit posted on keep377A.com you will note that large amounts of it qualify as hate speech. Saying 'fuck' and 'shit' may be profane, but it isn't hateful. Saying 'they are a disease and they should not go near my children' is hate speech.
AND YVONNE LEE's article was NOT WELL RESEACHED. It was a piece of moralistic AND ignorant propaganda.
It's LAUGHABLE that Thio compares her experience to being 'burned at the stake' just because people have pointed out that she is a homophobe, a bigot, and an ignorant and moralistic bitch.
I have the profoundest respect for those, Alibgensians, Lollards, Catholics, Protestants, etc, who endured the flames in centuries past for their beliefs. To compare herself to their brave example would be ragingly funny, were it not so ludicrous.
Anyway, allow me to share with you one of my favourite passages from Mill's 'On Liberty', which I think is most apropos here:
====
'Before quitting the subject of freedom of opinion, it is fit to take some notice of those who say, that the free expression of all opinions should be permitted, on condition that the manner be temperate, and do not pass the bounds of fair discussion. Much might be said on the impossibility of fixing where hte supposed bounds are to be placed; for if the test be offence to those whose opinion is attacked, I think experience testifies that this offence is given whenever the attack is telling and powerful, and that every opponent who pushes them hard, and whom they find it difficult to answer, appears to them, if he shows any strong feeling on the subject, an intemperate opponent.'
Damn right.
Me: Perhaps this is true for the circles you move in, but I know many people who are able to disagree civilly.
Cock: I think that calling her a bitch is extremely unfair. I am very sure she is acting in good faith ( pun fully intended). It isn't her fault that she should have been brainwashed by her religion to believe that homosexuals are sub-human. Most people are born with a tendency to do that.
Derogatory terms are best reserved for people who do know better but sit on the fence and aren't willing to stand for anything. Like the whole bunch of vote-retaining politicians in parliament who just want to avoid the issue because they know their own popularity has been shaken by their forcing through unpopular CPF changes.
C: I usually do not post on this forum and am quite happy to just read the comments of others. however, since this touches on Thio Li-Ann, who incidentally, was my public law tutor last academic year, I think a few fair comments are in order. I assure you that Thio's comments in Parliament do not stem from a personal prejudice against homosexuality. She is essentially trying to make 2 points. First, that any call for repeal of S377A must be premised upon sound legal reasoning which she feels the abolitionist camp lacks. *snip* Thio's comments are made from, I believe, a purely objective assessment of the situation as it stands in Singapore today. She is in no way a gay bashing homophobe as some would like to believe. That being said, I am not however, saying that I agree with her arguments or POV. I'm merely trying to dispel the fact that she is a "disgrace to her profession". If anything, I have always had great respect for the intellectual rigour that Thio encourages and imposes on her classes.
Thio's intentions are probably masked by the strong language that she uses. But then, again, that's very characteristic of her, both in the way she writes and speaks. In any case, for a commentary with less fire and that most would find more palatable, read Hri Kumar's comments on the same topic.
D: i would just like to attest to C's observation about Prof Thio Li-Ann, because I was in her class too. she's an extraordinary teacher who constantly reminded her students, amongst other things, that we should value freedom of speech and exercise it responsibly. she is currently sitting in Parliament as an NMP and i believe she has the right to share her views on why s 377a should be retained, much as how Siew Kum Hong has the right to speak for repealing s 377a. it's extremely unfair to say that she's a disgrace to her profession by virtue of the views she has.
i must also add that i have not been "brain-washed" by Prof Thio in any way - in fact i support the repeal, but at the same time i believe we should agree to disagree and she's entitled to her views.
on another note, there has been too much name-calling by both camps in this debate, and it certainly does not develop the arguments by using terms such as "bigot" and "faggot". we might all be missing the real point of the argument in the midst of this name-calling exercise.
E: Eye for an eye what.
Since the establishment regularly loves to fire activists lose their job (e.g. teaching), it's only the activists' right to retaliate and make them lose their job
After all, do labels really threaten freedom of speech? What hypocrisy especially given the labelling tactics the establishment has been using?
>I think that calling her a bitch is extremely unfair.
I am sure losing your job on the basis of your sexuality is pretty fair too, hein?
Me: KILL THE BASTARDS!!!
OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!!
"To punish the oppressors of humanity is clemency; to forgive them is cruelty." - Maximilien Robespierre
A: [Thio] has degrees from Oxford, Harvard and Cambridge. Just because she is able to put an intellectual gloss on her homophobia, doesn't mean she isn't homophobic.
Thio Li Ann is a bitch because she uses her position and her credentials to suggest that [the criminalisation of homosexuality is] a matter of controversy and debate, whereas it is only so IN HER MIND. The rest of the thinking world, praise be to God, has moved on.
> I'm merely trying to dispel the fact that she is a "disgrace to her profession". If
> anything, I have always had great respect for the intellectual rigour that Thio
> encourages and imposes on her classes.
I renew my accusation that she is a disgrace to her profession. She is intellectually dishonest: as I said, she implies that there is a debate about this issue, when in fact there isn't one. She is no better than David Irving or historians who argue that the holocaust did not happen. There is no debate on that issue, just as there is no debate on this one.
If you don't believe this, I challenge you to find even ONE article, written by a law professor in an OECD country, in which the criminalisation of homosexuality is defended.
(I agree that Scalia seems to have defended a similar position in his dissent to Lawrence v. Texas, but in fact his dissent was based on an originalist reading of state's rights. Scalia may or may not have been right to argue that there is no constitutional right to sodomy in the US constitution, but that is completely separate from the *legislative* question of whether such a law should exist in the first place.)
B: What does her "entitlement" to her views entail? Surely not immunity from criticism if they are wrongheaded and harmful. Surely not silence as to how disingenuous her arguments are. Of course she has the "right" to her views: nobody is suggesting for an instant that she be forced to shut up or coerced to change her mind. But that doesn't stop them from being disgraceful.
Me: So do you support the letter-writing campaign to make her lose her job?
If so, is that not forcing her to shut up or coercing her to change her mind?
If not, good for you!
B: Depends on the grounds for the call. If the letter writers bona fide believe and the university administrators are bona fide persuaded that she is unfit for the job (i.e. actually unable to do what the job is required to do, which may or may not include reflecting a particular ethos and creating a particular environment in the institution), that seems OK to me. I have to say Yvonne Lee's legal abilities at least in that one article don't seem too hot.
F: Isn't there something like tenure in NUS, which would protect professors from getting sacked over such things?
I would absolutely not join a campaign to sack a professor on the basis of his/her opinions, because I don't think a university should attempt to reflect an ethos of any sort apart from the ethos of free intellectual inquiry. So unless Thio Li Ann is suggesting that we erase all pro-homosexual writings from the face of the earth or something like that, I don't think the university should sack her. Of course, it is not *morally wrong* for university administrators to want their institution to reflect a certain ethos, but I certainly think it is *inadvisable* to have such policies if one has any intention of making a university great.
A: But that is my point: do you honestly believe that someone who argued strongly in favour of gay rights -- gay marriage, gay adoption, the whole shebang -- would find a class by Thio Li Ann to be a haven of free intellectual inquiry?
Are you kidding me?
Me: Would someone who argued strong against gay rights find a class by a pro-gay Professor to be a haven of free intellectual inquiry?
F: A class, any class, is not a 'haven of free intellectual inquiry'. Classes are not meant to be such things. Every instructor has an idea of what they want their students to learn and will attempt to 'influence' their students' thoughts to that extent. The point of having tenure is to ensure that there is freedom of intellectual inquiry for university *scholars* (and I mean that in the general, non-Singaporean sense of 'scholar'), so that they are not pressured to take up intellectual positions for non-intellectual reasons. Students, I'm afraid, are irrelevant to the concept of tenure, which is meant to protect intellectual exploration and not teaching standards or whatever. I don't see how it matters whether someone in favour of gay rights finds Thio's class worthwhile, and in any case a couple of law students have spoken up here for the quality of her teaching in topics other than homosexuality. It is a necessary cost of having freedom of inquiry that some people will exploit it to promote an utterly wrong worldview. Once you start legislating which worldviews your researchers are supposed to hold, you lose sight of the whole point of research, which involves questioning those worldviews themselves. Whether those worldviews are justified is an issue to be settled by such questioning and not by university administrators, except for the worldview that intellectual inquiry should be suppressed, since *that* would be contrary to the purpose of the university.
Essentially, I'm saying that we should never, ever sack professors on the basis of their opinions (assuming their scholarly work meets the standards required to attain tenure, and I assume Thio's work on constitutional law did), no matter how repugnant they are, for the simple reason that university administrators and 'the public' cannot be trusted to take the 'correct' ideological stances (other than that of freedom of intellectual inquiry). Furthermore, any such action, no matter how apparently justifiable for a particular case, would deter people with radical ideas from speaking out in fear that they would face similar consequences. And the suppression of radical ideas is simply counter to the nature of intellectual inquiry itself. Radical ideas should be tested in the intellectual battlefield, not in the political battlefield.
I am not saying that I think it possible that Thio's radical stance is actually correct. Instead, I am saying that the rule that intellectual inquiry must be kept sacrosanct, otherwise it will be abused too easily, if not now, then in the future when perhaps less 'wise' university administrators see fit to discriminate against people they find repugnant. If putting up with Holocaust deniers and homophobes is a consequence of this protection, well I consider it a small price to pay for keeping a rule that ensures freedom of intellectual inquiry.
E: But why should we spare her when they have not spared us?
Me: "This great purity of the French revolution's basis, the very sublimity of its objective, is precisely what causes both our strength and our weakness. Our strength, because it gives to us truth's ascendancy over imposture, and the rights of the public interest over private interests; our weakness, because it rallies all vicious men against us, all those who in their hearts contemplated despoiling the people and all those who intend to let it be despoiled with impunity, both those who have rejected freedom as a personal calamity and those who have embraced the revolution as a career and the Republic as prey. Hence the defection of so many ambitious or greedy men who since the point of departure have abandoned us along the way because they did not begin the journey with the same destination in view. The two opposing spirits that have been represented in a struggle to rule nature might be said to be fighting in this great period of human history to fix irrevocably the world's destinies, and France is the scene of this fearful combat. Without, all the tyrants encircle you; within, all tyranny's friends conspire; they will conspire until hope is wrested from crime. We must smother the internal and external enemies of the Republic or perish with it; now in this situation, the first maxim of your policy ought to be to lead the people by reason and the people's enemies by terror.
If the spring of popular government in time of peace is virtue, the springs of popular government in revolution are at once virtue and terror: virtue, without which terror is fatal; terror, without which virtue is powerless. Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is not so much a special principle as it is a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to our country's most urgent needs.
It has been said that terror is the principle of despotic government. Does your government therefore resemble despotism? Yes, as the sword that gleams in the hands of the heroes of liberty resembles that with which the henchmen of tyranny are armed. Let the despot govern by terror his brutalized subjects; he is right, as a despot. Subdue by terror the enemies of liberty, and you will be right, as founders of the Republic. The government of the revolution is liberty's despotism against tyranny. Is force made only to protect crime? And is the thunderbolt not destined to strike the heads of the proud?
. . .
. . . Indulgence for the royalists, cry certain men, mercy for the villains! No! mercy for the innocent, mercy for the weak, mercy for the unfortunate, mercy for humanity.
Society owes protection only to peaceable citizens; the only citizens in the Republic are the republicans. For it, the royalists, the conspirators are only strangers or, rather, enemies. This terrible war waged by liberty against tyranny- is it not indivisible? Are the enemies within not the allies of the enemies without? The assassins who tear our country apart, the intriguers who buy the consciences that hold the people's mandate; the traitors who sell them; the mercenary pamphleteers hired to dishonor the people's cause, to kill public virtue, to stir up the fire of civil discord, and to prepare political counterrevolution by moral counterrevolution-are all those men less guilty or less dangerous than the tyrants whom they serve?"
- Maximilien Robespierre: On the Moral and Political Principles of Domestic Policy
L'origine de Bert
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
"We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity - gunpowder and romantic love." - Andre Maurois
***
Quotes:
What does belief mean? *Student walks into room* *Points at student* What does belief mean?
Is *** flat?... I don't notice. [Me: What makes you so sure I notice?] You're a guy.
The last time I can recall being picked up was [by] this ang moh guy. He turned out to be an exchange student in PGP. He asked me to go back to his room and I freaked out and ran away.
Any questions? If there aren't - this is sorta a threat - I'm gonna move on.
[On a cheap Christian trick to deal with diversity] Moral faculties weren't the only thing affected by the Fall... Cognitive faculties were affected by the Fall. So if not for the Fall, everybody would believe that Christianity is true with the same amount of certainty that they believe my hair is red [Ed: It's not]... [Anyone who is redeemed can think properly and realise Christianity is true.] Something similar could be working in any religious tradition that has given it some thought. Even pluralism.
Here's what I wanna see in tutorial. When I walk in I want to see 3 hands shaking in the air waiting to ask me questions, and I haven't seen that for a while.
There's this weird notion, I don't know where it came from, that you can alter your beliefs at will... If I sa to you, 'Form the belief that ***'s shirt is orange'. Nah. Nyah... It seems green. How can it be orange?... You don't become convinced at will... I will damn you to hell if you don't believe that ***'s shirt is orange.
[On only teaching the Right Hand Rule] I don't teach them because most of them are useless, and you just end up memorising more and more rules.
[Student: Professor, are we going to be assessed on the working of these motors?] I haven't even finished the explanation and you're worried about the exam... I will tell you the answer 1 day before the exam... Otherwise this will degenerate into your schoolwork where you only do the minimum.
[On macaroons] Those of you in your group projects [groups] can chew on it and bond.
[On fundraising] Our prof is very nice and always buys stuff to support us. But this doesn't mean you cannot support us also.
[On the welfare survey] Why don't you just write, like, 'change the whole committee'
All of you have seen this TV show called Survivor right... [To a PRC] The latest is Survivor China. You should watch.
Thank you for filling up our in-class survey... We'd like to reward you by [presenting stuff]
[On kebayas] Because of modern ideas, more and more Nonyas don't wear the silk shirts [inside] anymore and just wear their undergarments... Over the years it becomes more and more revealing.
Why is the tree always fellating the Care Bear?... [Me: It's not fellating it. The head is in its mouth.] Yeah, the head. Precisely. [Me: Not that head!]
For the youngs, the Chinese New Year is a joyous occasion (young)
[On calling someone 'Bobbie Jack'] This is just to make the length of our names equal
[On sources for a presentation] We researched on other people's research
[On Thais] They actually gather food from the forest and go fishing. This happens in Woodlands and Boon Lay... It's kinda cute. Sorry, city girl here.
[On Golden Mile complex] The housewife we interviewed recommended that we try the food... But we couldn't go in, because we had no idea what the signboards was talking about (were)
[On a karaoke bar in Golden Mile] This photo was taken by ***. Apparently this was the closest she could go before her eardrums explodes (exploded)
This is different from the dominant form of Buddhism in Singapore, Mahayana Buddhism, which originated in Singapore. [Group mates: China.] *Jiggles body* Smart.
There's generally this conception that Thai monks are more powerful than Singaporean monks.
[On an abbot] He complimented Singapore because he thought we had a very good government - half democracy, half dictatorship... He encouraged us to get married for the good of our nation.
[On Funkygrad's 'Personality' section] It's all girls lah. And the worst thing is we don't even see these girls around.
[Student quoting Funkygrad: 'We found out that abstinence from sex is almost non-existent at the National University of Singapore (NUS).'] Hey, I abstain from sex. I feel the need to declare that. I feel so misrepresented.
[On Arab Street] He saw a need to start cafes selling sheesha and playing very loud Arab music... There were complaints, but they didn't care. They continued playing Arab music so loud everyone along the street could hear.
This gah'r'ih'sh looking shophouse (garish)
They actually opened a pub 20m from the Sultan Mosque, which I find very disturbing... Beer and 'Divine Pleasures'.
In 1994, National Day Parade... They had this float depicting the origins of the races in Singapore. Malays migrated from Java... And the Middle East.
The community is very small and close-knit. When you go for a family function you find you are looking at the whole Arab community.
[On Streetdirectory.com] I'm supposed to take a bus from this place called 'Building is now unoccupied'
***
Quotes:
What does belief mean? *Student walks into room* *Points at student* What does belief mean?
Is *** flat?... I don't notice. [Me: What makes you so sure I notice?] You're a guy.
The last time I can recall being picked up was [by] this ang moh guy. He turned out to be an exchange student in PGP. He asked me to go back to his room and I freaked out and ran away.
Any questions? If there aren't - this is sorta a threat - I'm gonna move on.
[On a cheap Christian trick to deal with diversity] Moral faculties weren't the only thing affected by the Fall... Cognitive faculties were affected by the Fall. So if not for the Fall, everybody would believe that Christianity is true with the same amount of certainty that they believe my hair is red [Ed: It's not]... [Anyone who is redeemed can think properly and realise Christianity is true.] Something similar could be working in any religious tradition that has given it some thought. Even pluralism.
Here's what I wanna see in tutorial. When I walk in I want to see 3 hands shaking in the air waiting to ask me questions, and I haven't seen that for a while.
There's this weird notion, I don't know where it came from, that you can alter your beliefs at will... If I sa to you, 'Form the belief that ***'s shirt is orange'. Nah. Nyah... It seems green. How can it be orange?... You don't become convinced at will... I will damn you to hell if you don't believe that ***'s shirt is orange.
[On only teaching the Right Hand Rule] I don't teach them because most of them are useless, and you just end up memorising more and more rules.
[Student: Professor, are we going to be assessed on the working of these motors?] I haven't even finished the explanation and you're worried about the exam... I will tell you the answer 1 day before the exam... Otherwise this will degenerate into your schoolwork where you only do the minimum.
[On macaroons] Those of you in your group projects [groups] can chew on it and bond.
[On fundraising] Our prof is very nice and always buys stuff to support us. But this doesn't mean you cannot support us also.
[On the welfare survey] Why don't you just write, like, 'change the whole committee'
All of you have seen this TV show called Survivor right... [To a PRC] The latest is Survivor China. You should watch.
Thank you for filling up our in-class survey... We'd like to reward you by [presenting stuff]
[On kebayas] Because of modern ideas, more and more Nonyas don't wear the silk shirts [inside] anymore and just wear their undergarments... Over the years it becomes more and more revealing.
Why is the tree always fellating the Care Bear?... [Me: It's not fellating it. The head is in its mouth.] Yeah, the head. Precisely. [Me: Not that head!]
For the youngs, the Chinese New Year is a joyous occasion (young)
[On calling someone 'Bobbie Jack'] This is just to make the length of our names equal
[On sources for a presentation] We researched on other people's research
[On Thais] They actually gather food from the forest and go fishing. This happens in Woodlands and Boon Lay... It's kinda cute. Sorry, city girl here.
[On Golden Mile complex] The housewife we interviewed recommended that we try the food... But we couldn't go in, because we had no idea what the signboards was talking about (were)
[On a karaoke bar in Golden Mile] This photo was taken by ***. Apparently this was the closest she could go before her eardrums explodes (exploded)
This is different from the dominant form of Buddhism in Singapore, Mahayana Buddhism, which originated in Singapore. [Group mates: China.] *Jiggles body* Smart.
There's generally this conception that Thai monks are more powerful than Singaporean monks.
[On an abbot] He complimented Singapore because he thought we had a very good government - half democracy, half dictatorship... He encouraged us to get married for the good of our nation.
[On Funkygrad's 'Personality' section] It's all girls lah. And the worst thing is we don't even see these girls around.
[Student quoting Funkygrad: 'We found out that abstinence from sex is almost non-existent at the National University of Singapore (NUS).'] Hey, I abstain from sex. I feel the need to declare that. I feel so misrepresented.
[On Arab Street] He saw a need to start cafes selling sheesha and playing very loud Arab music... There were complaints, but they didn't care. They continued playing Arab music so loud everyone along the street could hear.
This gah'r'ih'sh looking shophouse (garish)
They actually opened a pub 20m from the Sultan Mosque, which I find very disturbing... Beer and 'Divine Pleasures'.
In 1994, National Day Parade... They had this float depicting the origins of the races in Singapore. Malays migrated from Java... And the Middle East.
The community is very small and close-knit. When you go for a family function you find you are looking at the whole Arab community.
[On Streetdirectory.com] I'm supposed to take a bus from this place called 'Building is now unoccupied'
Post ID: 5840102448052991037
Monday, October 22, 2007
3 concerts in 1 week!
Wednesday, 24 October 2007, 8pm
Goldberg Variations by Alexey Botvinov (Piano)
University Cultural Centre Hall
(Free)
Thursday, 25 October 7.30 p.m.
Russian National Chamber Orchestra
Pinchas Zukerman, director / violin
Amanda Forsyth, cello
VIVALDI : "Autumn" from the Four Seasons, RV 293
VIVALDI : Concerto for Violin and Cello in B flat, RV 547
BACH : Violin Concerto in E, BWV 1042
MOZART : Symphony No 36 in C, K425 (Linz)
(Quite a popular program, but we don't get Baroque here often and I choose popular over horrible anyday)
Saturday, 27 October 8.00 p.m.
Russian National Orchestra
Mikhail Pletnev, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
Amanda Forsyth, cello
BEETHOVEN : Coriolan Overture, Op 62
BRAHMS : Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op 102
BEETHOVEN : Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92
Wednesday, 24 October 2007, 8pm
Goldberg Variations by Alexey Botvinov (Piano)
University Cultural Centre Hall
(Free)
Thursday, 25 October 7.30 p.m.
Russian National Chamber Orchestra
Pinchas Zukerman, director / violin
Amanda Forsyth, cello
VIVALDI : "Autumn" from the Four Seasons, RV 293
VIVALDI : Concerto for Violin and Cello in B flat, RV 547
BACH : Violin Concerto in E, BWV 1042
MOZART : Symphony No 36 in C, K425 (Linz)
(Quite a popular program, but we don't get Baroque here often and I choose popular over horrible anyday)
Saturday, 27 October 8.00 p.m.
Russian National Orchestra
Mikhail Pletnev, conductor
Pinchas Zukerman, violin
Amanda Forsyth, cello
BEETHOVEN : Coriolan Overture, Op 62
BRAHMS : Concerto for Violin & Cello in A minor, Op 102
BEETHOVEN : Symphony No 7 in A, Op 92
Post ID: 8568207523006680574
"When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained." - Mark Twain
***
Someone: ya i know they are together
they are like plaster and that plastic thingy on it before you peel it open
Someone else: when u say profound things people do think about it
and you do crazy things with a sound reasoning behind them
there's a specific reason to them
and its not just random, thoughtless rubbish
like say running down singapore naked with an american flag
which i guess CAN be symbolic
but u get my drift
its better than the idiots i meet who give stupid comments like " the geisha here has a very painted face, illustrating a focus on make up"
wtf
aiya
pple are so stupid these days esp in the gem classes
u get pple frm like engineering
ARRRRRRRRRGH
pple dont know the word 'dichotony'
HWMNBN: if you believe in the right to abortion, is it okay to abort if your child has a genetic tendnecy to homosexuality?
Me: HAAHAHAHAHAH
please post that on YR
see how the liberals react
HWMNBN: i know. particularly since the liberals tend to argue for the genetic basis for homosexuality as well
Me: I find it ironic how, though they are so keen on genes being responsible for little and socialization accounting for so much, that homosexuality is seen as 100% genetic
MFM on someone: he's a girl really
can't bloody refute an argument w/o blethering emotional bollocks
Me: so who else is guilty of that
MFM: girls
Someone: http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-Great-Religion-Everything/dp/0446579807 (God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (Hardcover) by Christopher Hitchens)
saw this at Kinokuniya ytd
haha
Me: hoho sedition
***
Someone: ya i know they are together
they are like plaster and that plastic thingy on it before you peel it open
Someone else: when u say profound things people do think about it
and you do crazy things with a sound reasoning behind them
there's a specific reason to them
and its not just random, thoughtless rubbish
like say running down singapore naked with an american flag
which i guess CAN be symbolic
but u get my drift
its better than the idiots i meet who give stupid comments like " the geisha here has a very painted face, illustrating a focus on make up"
wtf
aiya
pple are so stupid these days esp in the gem classes
u get pple frm like engineering
ARRRRRRRRRGH
pple dont know the word 'dichotony'
HWMNBN: if you believe in the right to abortion, is it okay to abort if your child has a genetic tendnecy to homosexuality?
Me: HAAHAHAHAHAH
please post that on YR
see how the liberals react
HWMNBN: i know. particularly since the liberals tend to argue for the genetic basis for homosexuality as well
Me: I find it ironic how, though they are so keen on genes being responsible for little and socialization accounting for so much, that homosexuality is seen as 100% genetic
MFM on someone: he's a girl really
can't bloody refute an argument w/o blethering emotional bollocks
Me: so who else is guilty of that
MFM: girls
Someone: http://www.amazon.com/God-Not-Great-Religion-Everything/dp/0446579807 (God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (Hardcover) by Christopher Hitchens)
saw this at Kinokuniya ytd
haha
Me: hoho sedition
Post ID: 8106112397608909454
"If one morning I walked on top of the water across the Potomac River, the headline that afternoon would read "President Can't Swim"." - Lyndon B. Johnson
***
Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Proton Impian
"Comments
Proton claims that the Impian is the first of a new generation of cars that are designed to Euro NCAP standards. Its performance in the frontal impact was flawed, however, while the protection it offered to pedestrians also proved inadequate. This was a disappointing performance but Proton says it intends to improve future designs. The car's body was damaged so badly by the impact that it became unstable. The driver and front passenger risked serious injury. The child restraints performed poorly and it became apparent that, in development, too little thought had been given to their use. The Impian is made only in right-hand drive so in Europe it is sold only in the UK.
Front impact
The body suffered severe damage and both front passengers suffered chest loads that could cause injuries. The restraints needed to cushion their upper bodies better than it did. There were also hard points in fascia that could cause harm if struck. The driver's footwell was pushed back, posing a risk of leg injury. The centre rear seat had a three-point belt. This gave superior protection to that of a lap belt.
Side impact
The side impact protection worked reasonably well. However the chest loading could lead to an increased chance of injury, whilst the abdomen and pelvis were reasonably protected.
Child-protection
The 18-month-old was in a rear- facing restraint and the 3-year-old in a forward-facing one. Both were as recommended by Proton. Neither protected its occupant's head in the frontal or side impacts. Warnings of the dangers of death or serious injury for a child placed in a rear-facing restraint in the front passenger's seat were inadequate. There was a sticker on the passenger's sun visor, visible in the stowed position, and a pictogram (which, because of its design, could easily confuse) on the passenger's end of the fascia.
Pedestrian protection
The pedestrian protection can best be described as dire. Proton admitted to Euro NCAP that its designs weren't pedestrian friendly, but promised improvements."
More graphically:
***
Euro NCAP - For safer cars | Proton Impian
"Comments
Proton claims that the Impian is the first of a new generation of cars that are designed to Euro NCAP standards. Its performance in the frontal impact was flawed, however, while the protection it offered to pedestrians also proved inadequate. This was a disappointing performance but Proton says it intends to improve future designs. The car's body was damaged so badly by the impact that it became unstable. The driver and front passenger risked serious injury. The child restraints performed poorly and it became apparent that, in development, too little thought had been given to their use. The Impian is made only in right-hand drive so in Europe it is sold only in the UK.
Front impact
The body suffered severe damage and both front passengers suffered chest loads that could cause injuries. The restraints needed to cushion their upper bodies better than it did. There were also hard points in fascia that could cause harm if struck. The driver's footwell was pushed back, posing a risk of leg injury. The centre rear seat had a three-point belt. This gave superior protection to that of a lap belt.
Side impact
The side impact protection worked reasonably well. However the chest loading could lead to an increased chance of injury, whilst the abdomen and pelvis were reasonably protected.
Child-protection
The 18-month-old was in a rear- facing restraint and the 3-year-old in a forward-facing one. Both were as recommended by Proton. Neither protected its occupant's head in the frontal or side impacts. Warnings of the dangers of death or serious injury for a child placed in a rear-facing restraint in the front passenger's seat were inadequate. There was a sticker on the passenger's sun visor, visible in the stowed position, and a pictogram (which, because of its design, could easily confuse) on the passenger's end of the fascia.
Pedestrian protection
The pedestrian protection can best be described as dire. Proton admitted to Euro NCAP that its designs weren't pedestrian friendly, but promised improvements."
More graphically:
Post ID: 4432673105301661457
Sunday, October 21, 2007
"Only the shallow know themselves." - Oscar Wilde
***
From Bunny Boy:
Dear All
My thanks to all those who have sent me emails this past year........
I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat shit in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.
Also,I now have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown); who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program .
Or from the senior bank clerk in Nigeria who wants to split $7 million with me for pretending to be a long lost relative of a customer who died intestate.
I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me. I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer can buy petrol without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me witha perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls toJamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan.
Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my bum.
And thanks to your great advice,
I can't even pick up the $5.00 I found dropped in the car park because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhoea will land on your head at 5:00pm this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump.
I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbour's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.
By the way....a South American scientist after a lengthy study has discovered that people with low IQ who have infrequent sexual activity always read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse.
Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.
***
From Bunny Boy:
Dear All
My thanks to all those who have sent me emails this past year........
I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat shit in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing.
Also,I now have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown); who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program .
Or from the senior bank clerk in Nigeria who wants to split $7 million with me for pretending to be a long lost relative of a customer who died intestate.
I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me. I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca-Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer can buy petrol without taking a man along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm filling up.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me witha perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls toJamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan.
Thanks to you, I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my bum.
And thanks to your great advice,
I can't even pick up the $5.00 I found dropped in the car park because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhoea will land on your head at 5:00pm this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump.
I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbour's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.
By the way....a South American scientist after a lengthy study has discovered that people with low IQ who have infrequent sexual activity always read their e-mails with their hand on the mouse.
Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.
Post ID: 548737576530363474
"Everybody likes a kidder, but nobody lends him money." - Arthur Miller
***
Quotes:
We looked at an 'A' essay from last year. There was no argument. It was just presenting facts. [Me: So if you provide an argument maybe you get {an} A+] Maybe he'll fail you.
The thing about feminism is once you pick it up, you see it everywhere. Everything becomes a feminist text.
[On anticipation of reading midterm submissions] I gotta say, I'm pretty excited.
[On a fundie] He's a crackpot... He's in my tutorial. Every week I have to try very hard not to bang my head against the wall.
That's what he says. All the major religious traditions... are 'culturally mitigated phenomenal reproductions of a single, noumenal, transcendental reality' *makes extravagant gesture* So you'll have to read up on your Kant to find out what he means. I'm serious.
Everyone is right. The relativist view... Is God a Unity? Yes. Is God a Trinity? YES. That sort of view seems incoherent, but people do defend it.
[On 'noumenal reality'] This is the briefest introduction to Kant you will ever get... He says it exists. Which is a weird thing to say since we can't say anything about it, but forget about that.
[On papers on Evil and Hell] I'll take a really slow stroll back to my office after class. If you haven't handed in your paper for some purpose... I'll take this indirect route back to my office. Any papers that land in my mailbox after that - I'll have to come up with a punishment that's appropriate to my just - not exactly loving - nature. (reason)
Being arrogant, egotistical, elitist, arbitrary, insensitive or oppressive. Let's call this being a 'jerk'.
[On a non-jerk exclusivist] You don't shove it in people's faces, you don't go 'nyeh nyeh nyeh. I've got the right religion and you don't'.
[On those who change their beliefs immediately] I wouldn't call people like this a jerk. Maybe a bit milktoasty... This is nice... Maybe they're a bit [of a] doxastic weenie, but they're not jerks.
You know right, I can get revision by reading your blog.
[Instructor on missing faces in class: A number of people are going to the zoo today]... Oh, the zoo... I thought 'Zouk'
There was this photographer who went to interview a lot of the perpetuators (perpetrators)
It's in'air'vee'ter'berl (inevitable)
[On Angkor Wat] I don't want to pick on her. *** was saying someone told her there there was an easier way down. She thought there was a lift.
You see the glossy areas on the breasts of the Apsara dancers. For hundreds of years people have been groping their breasts.
My friend wants to do marketing because she says that's where you meet all the guys... I asked XXX and she said she knows 2 people who have gotten attached through Marketing... The engin guys... They're very nice, but they're not very -
[On Asian Prince] My grandparents pray to him.
Some air'm'pie'rical data (empirical)
high yee tee (Haiti)
[On relative claims] You could be mean and say they're just nonsense. You could be nice and say they're like poetry. But if you think poetry is nonsense that's not such a [nice thing to say]
[On John Hick's New Age religion] What he noticed of all these religious traditions was that they had a genuine transformational effect on individuals... Soteriological effect... Does it make them nicer people. It's supposed to be evidence that they're getting in touch with the real.
Isn't religion itself a very subjective things? (thing)
[On Tertullian] The absurdity of it is not something that counts in its favor... Like Santa Claus. I know that there was a time when I believed that Santa Claus existed. I don't remember reasoning my way out of the belief. I just found it absurd after a while.
Does anyone have more information? Anyone read the lecture notes?... Such wonderful lecture notes. You don't have to go to the web. This proves that nobody is reading the lecture notes.
You're very bo liao, always go around quoting people... I'm not really an avid fan of your blog, so I don't really care. [Me: Maybe one day you'll see your words there.] [Student 2: Maybe tonight.]... You're so gonna get it from me, Gabriel.
[On an anmeter] When I put it on my fingers, it doesn't move. When I put it on my lips, it moves a bit. Later during the break if you want to play with this, you can. You can try sticking it in various parts of your body.
[On electricity flowing through the fingers, bypassing the body past the palm] Any of you have taken ***'s class?... *** claims he had a friend who used to demonstrate in class by sticking his 2 fingers in [the electric socket]... He did it in China. What's the voltage? 220. He's still here. But we don't know whether it did something to his brain, or what.
[On sticking your fingers into a power socket] Last time I stuck 2 pieces of wire in... The whole thing exploded, in less than 1 second... [Student 2: *disagrees*] That was not your finger. Don't try to mislead the Arts students.
Guys look so good in shirts. [Me: What do girls look good in?] Nothing.
I'll marry the person who buys me a Steinway.
Hello. We're the Bugis group so we're gonna present on Bugis.
[On technical problems during a presentation] This is where the other partner distracts us.
Gin talked about more micro issues (Jeanne)
*** and I have take you through (taken)
We managed to survive 45, survey 45 foreigners.
[On challenging the stereotype of maids] There're a lot of Filipino activities that go on behind closed doors. Okay that sounds wrong.
[Exchange student: Do people dress up here?] It's like selling pumpkins in a supermarket. Small ones.
I'd never seen handbells before... I wanted to tell you because it was unique. Then you laughed at me. [Student 2: That's coz you're weird...] First you say I'm bad tempered. Then you say I'm weird.
Just now I was with *** and the lift door opened and there was a couple inside in a passionate embrace. [Student 2: Kiss or embrace?] Both. [Student 2: Now you know how I feel when *** starts poking you]
Someone: How come I never encountered these things before I graduated??
I took the lift quite often.
[To a female student drinking Pepsi: I'm surprised. I thought you'd be drinking Diet Coke.] I don't diet.
I ran out of clothes. Now I'm wearing this metrosexual top... Just now during Econs lecture this guy came up to me and said - 'I like what I see'. Shit.
[To a female student threatening him with a watergun] You dare ah? You're wearing white ah, and I'm kind of wondering what do you wear under. (what you're wearing underneath)
What is Airbus?... Is this your thesis? [Me: No, my thesis is not a Powerpoint presentation.]
[Me giving directions: Do you know what Science looks like?] [Student: No] It's where all the weird people are.
[On buying us cookies] I went to get the cookies... I went to ask them if they were transfar-free. I asked *** but she could not guarantee it... It doesn't matter. I won't be eating it, you will. *tosses cookies* (them)
Hertz is actually a unit. Not just a car rental company.
[On a forum question] I had actually posted the answer but people didn't notice and were still debating here and there.
The easy option, maybe it's not the politically correct thing to say... Is to take the Life Science modules to satisfy your Science requirement. The Life Sciences are young sciences... They're very descriptive. When Physics started it was also like this... Kepler's Law. He summarised the facts... That's why in Junior College the Biology textbooks are so thick. The Physics textbooks are much thinner... Everything is a separate fact [in Biology]. In Physics there are some laws... In Biology there's Evolution and Natural Selection [only, but it's still mostly facts]... In my estimate it will take a century for the Life Sciences to reach the level... You build the complexity from the simplicity. I'm advertising my other 2 modules... We have come a long way in building up our knowledge into a few natural principles... The Physical Sciences are not the best. The Physical Sciences are the oldest. People have been doing these things for centuries. Chemistry is a bit behind. The Life Sciences are going there... The next thing will be the Social Sciences. I'm saying things that will make some people unhappy... That'll take another 200 years [for the Social Sciences].
I listen to Class 95 in the morning. 2 dumb guys. Flying Dutchman and that other guy. But compared to all the other junk out there, it's no worse.
[Female student:] I don't make friends with lesbians. [Me: Why?] Because they might like me.
[Me: Are you auditioning?] Yeah. Gosh. I've never played a girl before... I played all the guy parts... I was from ***. [Me: And then...?] My hair grew out.
[On NUS CCTVs] It's like TV mobile. It's everywhere.
They're Catholic. They don't hump. They just have children by binary fission.
She's so innocent. I can't imagine her having a boyfriend. [Me: She does.] I can't imagine her having sex.
***
Quotes:
We looked at an 'A' essay from last year. There was no argument. It was just presenting facts. [Me: So if you provide an argument maybe you get {an} A+] Maybe he'll fail you.
The thing about feminism is once you pick it up, you see it everywhere. Everything becomes a feminist text.
[On anticipation of reading midterm submissions] I gotta say, I'm pretty excited.
[On a fundie] He's a crackpot... He's in my tutorial. Every week I have to try very hard not to bang my head against the wall.
That's what he says. All the major religious traditions... are 'culturally mitigated phenomenal reproductions of a single, noumenal, transcendental reality' *makes extravagant gesture* So you'll have to read up on your Kant to find out what he means. I'm serious.
Everyone is right. The relativist view... Is God a Unity? Yes. Is God a Trinity? YES. That sort of view seems incoherent, but people do defend it.
[On 'noumenal reality'] This is the briefest introduction to Kant you will ever get... He says it exists. Which is a weird thing to say since we can't say anything about it, but forget about that.
[On papers on Evil and Hell] I'll take a really slow stroll back to my office after class. If you haven't handed in your paper for some purpose... I'll take this indirect route back to my office. Any papers that land in my mailbox after that - I'll have to come up with a punishment that's appropriate to my just - not exactly loving - nature. (reason)
Being arrogant, egotistical, elitist, arbitrary, insensitive or oppressive. Let's call this being a 'jerk'.
[On a non-jerk exclusivist] You don't shove it in people's faces, you don't go 'nyeh nyeh nyeh. I've got the right religion and you don't'.
[On those who change their beliefs immediately] I wouldn't call people like this a jerk. Maybe a bit milktoasty... This is nice... Maybe they're a bit [of a] doxastic weenie, but they're not jerks.
You know right, I can get revision by reading your blog.
[Instructor on missing faces in class: A number of people are going to the zoo today]... Oh, the zoo... I thought 'Zouk'
There was this photographer who went to interview a lot of the perpetuators (perpetrators)
It's in'air'vee'ter'berl (inevitable)
[On Angkor Wat] I don't want to pick on her. *** was saying someone told her there there was an easier way down. She thought there was a lift.
You see the glossy areas on the breasts of the Apsara dancers. For hundreds of years people have been groping their breasts.
My friend wants to do marketing because she says that's where you meet all the guys... I asked XXX and she said she knows 2 people who have gotten attached through Marketing... The engin guys... They're very nice, but they're not very -
[On Asian Prince] My grandparents pray to him.
Some air'm'pie'rical data (empirical)
high yee tee (Haiti)
[On relative claims] You could be mean and say they're just nonsense. You could be nice and say they're like poetry. But if you think poetry is nonsense that's not such a [nice thing to say]
[On John Hick's New Age religion] What he noticed of all these religious traditions was that they had a genuine transformational effect on individuals... Soteriological effect... Does it make them nicer people. It's supposed to be evidence that they're getting in touch with the real.
Isn't religion itself a very subjective things? (thing)
[On Tertullian] The absurdity of it is not something that counts in its favor... Like Santa Claus. I know that there was a time when I believed that Santa Claus existed. I don't remember reasoning my way out of the belief. I just found it absurd after a while.
Does anyone have more information? Anyone read the lecture notes?... Such wonderful lecture notes. You don't have to go to the web. This proves that nobody is reading the lecture notes.
You're very bo liao, always go around quoting people... I'm not really an avid fan of your blog, so I don't really care. [Me: Maybe one day you'll see your words there.] [Student 2: Maybe tonight.]... You're so gonna get it from me, Gabriel.
[On an anmeter] When I put it on my fingers, it doesn't move. When I put it on my lips, it moves a bit. Later during the break if you want to play with this, you can. You can try sticking it in various parts of your body.
[On electricity flowing through the fingers, bypassing the body past the palm] Any of you have taken ***'s class?... *** claims he had a friend who used to demonstrate in class by sticking his 2 fingers in [the electric socket]... He did it in China. What's the voltage? 220. He's still here. But we don't know whether it did something to his brain, or what.
[On sticking your fingers into a power socket] Last time I stuck 2 pieces of wire in... The whole thing exploded, in less than 1 second... [Student 2: *disagrees*] That was not your finger. Don't try to mislead the Arts students.
Guys look so good in shirts. [Me: What do girls look good in?] Nothing.
I'll marry the person who buys me a Steinway.
Hello. We're the Bugis group so we're gonna present on Bugis.
[On technical problems during a presentation] This is where the other partner distracts us.
Gin talked about more micro issues (Jeanne)
*** and I have take you through (taken)
We managed to survive 45, survey 45 foreigners.
[On challenging the stereotype of maids] There're a lot of Filipino activities that go on behind closed doors. Okay that sounds wrong.
[Exchange student: Do people dress up here?] It's like selling pumpkins in a supermarket. Small ones.
I'd never seen handbells before... I wanted to tell you because it was unique. Then you laughed at me. [Student 2: That's coz you're weird...] First you say I'm bad tempered. Then you say I'm weird.
Just now I was with *** and the lift door opened and there was a couple inside in a passionate embrace. [Student 2: Kiss or embrace?] Both. [Student 2: Now you know how I feel when *** starts poking you]
Someone: How come I never encountered these things before I graduated??
I took the lift quite often.
[To a female student drinking Pepsi: I'm surprised. I thought you'd be drinking Diet Coke.] I don't diet.
I ran out of clothes. Now I'm wearing this metrosexual top... Just now during Econs lecture this guy came up to me and said - 'I like what I see'. Shit.
[To a female student threatening him with a watergun] You dare ah? You're wearing white ah, and I'm kind of wondering what do you wear under. (what you're wearing underneath)
What is Airbus?... Is this your thesis? [Me: No, my thesis is not a Powerpoint presentation.]
[Me giving directions: Do you know what Science looks like?] [Student: No] It's where all the weird people are.
[On buying us cookies] I went to get the cookies... I went to ask them if they were transfar-free. I asked *** but she could not guarantee it... It doesn't matter. I won't be eating it, you will. *tosses cookies* (them)
Hertz is actually a unit. Not just a car rental company.
[On a forum question] I had actually posted the answer but people didn't notice and were still debating here and there.
The easy option, maybe it's not the politically correct thing to say... Is to take the Life Science modules to satisfy your Science requirement. The Life Sciences are young sciences... They're very descriptive. When Physics started it was also like this... Kepler's Law. He summarised the facts... That's why in Junior College the Biology textbooks are so thick. The Physics textbooks are much thinner... Everything is a separate fact [in Biology]. In Physics there are some laws... In Biology there's Evolution and Natural Selection [only, but it's still mostly facts]... In my estimate it will take a century for the Life Sciences to reach the level... You build the complexity from the simplicity. I'm advertising my other 2 modules... We have come a long way in building up our knowledge into a few natural principles... The Physical Sciences are not the best. The Physical Sciences are the oldest. People have been doing these things for centuries. Chemistry is a bit behind. The Life Sciences are going there... The next thing will be the Social Sciences. I'm saying things that will make some people unhappy... That'll take another 200 years [for the Social Sciences].
I listen to Class 95 in the morning. 2 dumb guys. Flying Dutchman and that other guy. But compared to all the other junk out there, it's no worse.
[Female student:] I don't make friends with lesbians. [Me: Why?] Because they might like me.
[Me: Are you auditioning?] Yeah. Gosh. I've never played a girl before... I played all the guy parts... I was from ***. [Me: And then...?] My hair grew out.
[On NUS CCTVs] It's like TV mobile. It's everywhere.
They're Catholic. They don't hump. They just have children by binary fission.
She's so innocent. I can't imagine her having a boyfriend. [Me: She does.] I can't imagine her having sex.
Post ID: 3137649150887514003
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Keep377A.com
"WE the Majority
A recent NTU study revealed that almost 70% of Singaporeans expressed negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men. Singapore remains a country and a society that wants our children to grow up in an environment where wholesome family values are embraced, without a mainstreamed gay lifestyle.
Repealing Section 377A would be the first step towards eroding the family values we hold. We the majority can make our stand clear. It's time we speak up. Keep S377A."
This morning there were only 200+ signatures. Now there're 1245 (there were 1203 a few minutes ago when I started this post - probably it's partially the lunchtime effect).
This is as opposed to the Repeal377A crowd which has 6393 (over a much longer period of time - it started on 3rd October while this started on 18th October).
Let's just hope I don't have to say "I told you so".
"WE the Majority
A recent NTU study revealed that almost 70% of Singaporeans expressed negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men. Singapore remains a country and a society that wants our children to grow up in an environment where wholesome family values are embraced, without a mainstreamed gay lifestyle.
Repealing Section 377A would be the first step towards eroding the family values we hold. We the majority can make our stand clear. It's time we speak up. Keep S377A."
This morning there were only 200+ signatures. Now there're 1245 (there were 1203 a few minutes ago when I started this post - probably it's partially the lunchtime effect).
This is as opposed to the Repeal377A crowd which has 6393 (over a much longer period of time - it started on 3rd October while this started on 18th October).
Let's just hope I don't have to say "I told you so".
Post ID: 3329290491458520030
u r wt u wr:
- 'My mate fancies you' (I'm not sure that, outside of male fantasies, there is a non-negligible number of women who want to hook their mate up with other women)
- '50% single'
- '*picture of tiger* I'm gonna get you'
- 'Our feeling will show together before long'
- 'Turn me on' (a 40+ year old woman was wearing this)
- 'I am what I wear' (SEE?!?!)
- 'Will work for sex'
- 'You can be my other boyfriend'
- 'This guy beside me is my brother'
- 'I don't make mistakes. I date them' (Contributed)
- 'Little Miss Slut' (Contributed: 'it's in [New Urban Male's] display window at vivo, that's where i saw it. i hope i never see it on a live torso')
- 'I know you want to ask my name' (Contributed)
- 'The flower smells like me' (Contributed: "at This Fashion")
- 'I'm only here because my server is down' (Guy's shirt)
- 'Mr Messy' (THIS IS THE FIRST MR MEN SHIRT I'VE SEEN)
I saw a girl with so much eyeshadow that it looked like her eyeballs had been gouged out, leaving the empty sockets.
Some non-elasticised blouses have a very irritating design. They have low necklines to show off necklaces and pendants (right), but this okay when the wearers are looking straight. Yet, when they look or bend down yawning gaps open.
I saw a girl wearing a shirt which said 'Chicks rule'. This is like the n-word rule. When a guy calls a girl a chick, he's objectifying her and seeing her as a sex object. When a girl calls another girl (or herself) a chick, it's a harmless, unproblematic expression.
It is interesting that the 'Little Miss' series represents, both semantically and pictorially, girls as pre-pubescents. Those who don these shirts, then, conceptualise their gestalts as pre-pubescent in nature.
This phenomenon does not only manifest itself in the Little Miss line. Precious Thots merchandise also uses this pre-pubescent imagery (it also manifests a conceptualisation of romantic love as puppy love, perhaps because they don't really love their boyfriends), and when girls draw cartoons of themselves it's always as pre-pubescent girls. Disgusting Chick ("Groovy Chick") takes this a baby step further, putting the girls in more mature clothes and occasionally giving them tiny breast buds, but still placing them firmly in the realm of the pre-pubescent (since these are Ang Moh girls being caricatured and not Singaporean Chinese girls).
I attribute this unconscious vocalising to a desire to be rid of their periods.
- 'My mate fancies you' (I'm not sure that, outside of male fantasies, there is a non-negligible number of women who want to hook their mate up with other women)
- '50% single'
- '*picture of tiger* I'm gonna get you'
- 'Our feeling will show together before long'
- 'Turn me on' (a 40+ year old woman was wearing this)
- 'I am what I wear' (SEE?!?!)
- 'Will work for sex'
- 'You can be my other boyfriend'
- 'This guy beside me is my brother'
- 'I don't make mistakes. I date them' (Contributed)
- 'Little Miss Slut' (Contributed: 'it's in [New Urban Male's] display window at vivo, that's where i saw it. i hope i never see it on a live torso')
- 'I know you want to ask my name' (Contributed)
- 'The flower smells like me' (Contributed: "at This Fashion")
- 'I'm only here because my server is down' (Guy's shirt)
- 'Mr Messy' (THIS IS THE FIRST MR MEN SHIRT I'VE SEEN)
I saw a girl with so much eyeshadow that it looked like her eyeballs had been gouged out, leaving the empty sockets.
Some non-elasticised blouses have a very irritating design. They have low necklines to show off necklaces and pendants (right), but this okay when the wearers are looking straight. Yet, when they look or bend down yawning gaps open.
I saw a girl wearing a shirt which said 'Chicks rule'. This is like the n-word rule. When a guy calls a girl a chick, he's objectifying her and seeing her as a sex object. When a girl calls another girl (or herself) a chick, it's a harmless, unproblematic expression.
It is interesting that the 'Little Miss' series represents, both semantically and pictorially, girls as pre-pubescents. Those who don these shirts, then, conceptualise their gestalts as pre-pubescent in nature.
This phenomenon does not only manifest itself in the Little Miss line. Precious Thots merchandise also uses this pre-pubescent imagery (it also manifests a conceptualisation of romantic love as puppy love, perhaps because they don't really love their boyfriends), and when girls draw cartoons of themselves it's always as pre-pubescent girls. Disgusting Chick ("Groovy Chick") takes this a baby step further, putting the girls in more mature clothes and occasionally giving them tiny breast buds, but still placing them firmly in the realm of the pre-pubescent (since these are Ang Moh girls being caricatured and not Singaporean Chinese girls).
I attribute this unconscious vocalising to a desire to be rid of their periods.
Post ID: 9204227588180422620
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." - G. K. Chesterton
***
Potpourri by NUS Piano Ensemble
The concert was generally pleasant, but for 2 songs. Poulenc's Sonata for Piano Four Hands, being a 20th century piece, was bad enough and full of "see how clever I am" elements (of course, at the expense of a tune), but worse was Kwan Rui's "Forbidden core", played by the composer himself (and a female ensemble member).
The description of the piece:
"Have you ever tried to get to know someone better as a friend but realised that he or she has decided to remain at status quo? Some prefer to to know others at a deeper level while some are happy with getting to another person just skin deep. Yet, no matter how deep the relationship between 2 individuals is, there will always be a sphere of secrets, emotions, fears, desires and beliefs that an individual would want to keep to one's self.
This is the forbidden core."
In short, it sounds like he just got rejected.
The piece opened with the female partner playing. Then he walked in slowly while gazing downward, step by step, as if in a dance. When he got to the piano he sat down to her left and started playing. From time to time he kept reaching over to her side to play some notes. At the end of the song, she got up, went over to his left and played some notes.
Musically it was even worse. There was a melodyless theme which was mostly a repetition of 2 chords and their transpositions. Meanwhile the cacophony was worsened by the constant disruption of abrupt, dischordant chords.
The rest of the concert had pieces by Moszkowski, Chopin, Faure, Aletter, Medtner, Gottschalk, Infante and Leschetizsky (ie All Romantic and later. Oh well. At least I'll get to hear Zukerman and the Russian National Orchestra play some Baroque stuff in 2 Thursdays' time!).
Probably the most impressive was the Leschetizsky piece - Andante Finale Op. 13 (a paraphrase of the Sextet "chi me frena in tal momento" from Donizetti's opera "lucia di lammermoor") - for the Left Hand, played by a German (?) exchange student named Therese. I'd heard pieces for the Left Hand before but to see them performed live is a different experience as you see the dexterity required and the use of the sustain pedal to compensate for the lack of the other hand.
Logistically, they had the ingenious idea of projecting the program notes on a screen. Besides allowing them to be longer, to make use of colour and clipart and the audience to read them in the dark, this also saved on printing costs and protected the environment. Excellent.
The last curiosity was why, of the 16 performers, only 2 were male. I'm told that although females slightly outnumber the males, the guys are either on exchange or didn't want to play.
***
Potpourri by NUS Piano Ensemble
The concert was generally pleasant, but for 2 songs. Poulenc's Sonata for Piano Four Hands, being a 20th century piece, was bad enough and full of "see how clever I am" elements (of course, at the expense of a tune), but worse was Kwan Rui's "Forbidden core", played by the composer himself (and a female ensemble member).
The description of the piece:
"Have you ever tried to get to know someone better as a friend but realised that he or she has decided to remain at status quo? Some prefer to to know others at a deeper level while some are happy with getting to another person just skin deep. Yet, no matter how deep the relationship between 2 individuals is, there will always be a sphere of secrets, emotions, fears, desires and beliefs that an individual would want to keep to one's self.
This is the forbidden core."
In short, it sounds like he just got rejected.
The piece opened with the female partner playing. Then he walked in slowly while gazing downward, step by step, as if in a dance. When he got to the piano he sat down to her left and started playing. From time to time he kept reaching over to her side to play some notes. At the end of the song, she got up, went over to his left and played some notes.
Musically it was even worse. There was a melodyless theme which was mostly a repetition of 2 chords and their transpositions. Meanwhile the cacophony was worsened by the constant disruption of abrupt, dischordant chords.
The rest of the concert had pieces by Moszkowski, Chopin, Faure, Aletter, Medtner, Gottschalk, Infante and Leschetizsky (ie All Romantic and later. Oh well. At least I'll get to hear Zukerman and the Russian National Orchestra play some Baroque stuff in 2 Thursdays' time!).
Probably the most impressive was the Leschetizsky piece - Andante Finale Op. 13 (a paraphrase of the Sextet "chi me frena in tal momento" from Donizetti's opera "lucia di lammermoor") - for the Left Hand, played by a German (?) exchange student named Therese. I'd heard pieces for the Left Hand before but to see them performed live is a different experience as you see the dexterity required and the use of the sustain pedal to compensate for the lack of the other hand.
Logistically, they had the ingenious idea of projecting the program notes on a screen. Besides allowing them to be longer, to make use of colour and clipart and the audience to read them in the dark, this also saved on printing costs and protected the environment. Excellent.
The last curiosity was why, of the 16 performers, only 2 were male. I'm told that although females slightly outnumber the males, the guys are either on exchange or didn't want to play.
Post ID: 4927591157149039531
A recent conversation with a slightly bizarre mix of prudishness and perversion:
me says: so what are you doing for the weekend?
friend says: I dont know yet
my friend says she wants to do something
but we'll see how it goes
me says: which friend?
friend says: the one that i'm sleeping with
me says: i hope that's not how you describe all your friends
isn't it obvious what she wants to do?
why waste time?
friend says: you realise we're still friends yeah
not just people who know each other and fuck
me says: that i didn't know actually
friend says: i thought I told u that ?
it is called friends with benefits
me says: well, i thought the relationship was more about the benefits rather than the friends
part
friend says: both la
I need a friend too
me says: i have enough friends and not enough free sex
so i'm in a slightly different position from you
friend says: u do ?
me says: i also want to find this sort of friend leh
please tell me where to find this sort of friend
i need more friends like this
friend says: if i knew i would have a few
me says: some people have all the luck
most people don't even have any
friend says: u have a soulmate
all i have is a fuck buddy
me says: i have a non-homosexual life partner called Gabriel
friend says: u consider gabriel your soul mate ?
me says: not exactly, but he fills in a lot of a soul mate's traditional roles
i suppose i could consider him a proxy soulmate without the sex, children, romantic
dinners - hell, we might even end up in the same household if the League works out
friend says: so if gabriel was a woman .......
would u ........
me says: ER. not if he was as ugly as a woman as he is a man
it's like saying would i fuck someone with your personality/compatibility if she was a
woman lah
friend says: i just chose to put it in those terms
so would u ?
u did say you could objectively say that he has nice tits
me says: okay put it this way, would you fuck a hot girl with my personality/attitude?
friend says: you havent answered my question
me says: well, if gabriel were to magically become a woman who looks like he currently does,
of course not lah
the thing is, if the qualities you like in a friend happen to be in a woman, would
you still fuck her?
friend says: lets put it this way la
i think you and I would fuck a woman who is hot. period
me says: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. point.
so if gabriel was a hot woman YOU would fuck him/her too
friend says: if i knew it was gabriel
frankly speaking
that's enough to turn me off
me says: but it WOULDN'T be gabriel lah, that's the point
okay, so there's a difference between your male friend becoming a woman and a woman who has the same qualities as your male friend
friend says: the latter is fine of course
me says: of course
friend says: sooo ....
if it was the former
me says: OF COURSE NOT. because the identity as the male friend is already ingrained into my head
friend says: lets say gabriel magically became a really hot chick 10/10
and he starts to seduce u
me says: no.
i don't do trannies
at least those i KNOW are trannies
it's like the old saw lah.. you wake up and find out your bed partner has a dick
put it this way, if you didn't know this hot 10/10 woman USED to be a guy you know
you might just end up liking that person because that woman has qualities of your guy
friend you enjoyed
and then... next morning... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
friend says: so if you became that 10/10 woman, would u hang out with us and conceal your
identity ?
me says: ...... if i could become a 10/10 woman, why would i want to pick up losers like you?
friend says: hang out as friends ?
me says: well, would you be comfortable hanging out with a friend who is a woman.. but USED to be a man?
friend says: if i knew it was u, trust me, I would have absolutely no desire for this 10/10
woman
me says: i think most of us would feel the same
i mean, hypothetically, you could get a blowjob from a trannie and NEVER KNOW
and still enjoy yourself
but once you know... you can never go back. "in much knowledge is there much
suffering"
it's like fucking your sister lah, only worse
at least your sister STARTED out female
friend says: difference is you wouldnt exactly be a tranny
this is a magical transformation
me says: so is a tranny, in many respects
friend says: well .....
if it was ordained by god ....
me says: the Lord is cruel and malicious, but even He has His limits
friend says: this is a hypothetical
me says: well honestly, to me, no matter how magical or zhai the transformation, if the person
was BORN a guy, no matter what process makes him female... to me it's a tranny
friend says: so would u date a friend's relative ?
me says: it is interesting how these kinds of moral biases stick to us somehow
dude, next to fucking a tranny who used to be your friend, dating a friend's relative
like wholesome momma's apple pie. besides in Singapore everyone's either a friend's relative
or a relative's friend
friend says: well anyway would u?
me says: of course, why not?
friend says: i mean, if it goes awry, wouldnt it be ....
u know ?
me says: i'd be a bit more careful, yes
generally the answer is no, but it really depends on the girl, i agree there are more
complications/obstacles
but i view it in the same light as her having a bf - it's just one extra challenge as
opposed to an insuperable obstacle
friend says: and what if it's a really good friend ?
me says: even more extra challenge then
btw why do you think that knowing makes it different?
as in if your male friend became a hot girl magically AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW you might end up fucking her
but once you know.. you wouldn't?
or similarly why you would get a blowjob from a hot trannie IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW?
i assume for you if a friend became a hot girl you would never, under any
circumstances, fuck her once you knew
friend says: yes
u can safely assume so
and same goes for u ?
me says: definitely
but still it's interesting why the knowing makes the diff
don't you think?
i mean, if your friend became a hot girl, and NEVER told you
you might even end up having a happy, productive relationship
friend says: simple
same reason as to why you would never find your sister attractive
me says: i can understand why biologically there's a reason for incest not to work
and that we can be repulsed by it
it makes SENSE for us to be sickened by incest (the genetic perspective)
friend says: but it doesnt make sense to be repulsed by fucking a male friend ?
me says: we're talking about fucking a male friend who's now female
for all intents and purposes it's heterosexual
magically female at that
friend says: the mind just cant get pass that
but im surprised someone like u can't=)
me says: har har
[Edited for formatting and code and quotational redundancy - Gabriel]
me says: so what are you doing for the weekend?
friend says: I dont know yet
my friend says she wants to do something
but we'll see how it goes
me says: which friend?
friend says: the one that i'm sleeping with
me says: i hope that's not how you describe all your friends
isn't it obvious what she wants to do?
why waste time?
friend says: you realise we're still friends yeah
not just people who know each other and fuck
me says: that i didn't know actually
friend says: i thought I told u that ?
it is called friends with benefits
me says: well, i thought the relationship was more about the benefits rather than the friends
part
friend says: both la
I need a friend too
me says: i have enough friends and not enough free sex
so i'm in a slightly different position from you
friend says: u do ?
me says: i also want to find this sort of friend leh
please tell me where to find this sort of friend
i need more friends like this
friend says: if i knew i would have a few
me says: some people have all the luck
most people don't even have any
friend says: u have a soulmate
all i have is a fuck buddy
me says: i have a non-homosexual life partner called Gabriel
friend says: u consider gabriel your soul mate ?
me says: not exactly, but he fills in a lot of a soul mate's traditional roles
i suppose i could consider him a proxy soulmate without the sex, children, romantic
dinners - hell, we might even end up in the same household if the League works out
friend says: so if gabriel was a woman .......
would u ........
me says: ER. not if he was as ugly as a woman as he is a man
it's like saying would i fuck someone with your personality/compatibility if she was a
woman lah
friend says: i just chose to put it in those terms
so would u ?
u did say you could objectively say that he has nice tits
me says: okay put it this way, would you fuck a hot girl with my personality/attitude?
friend says: you havent answered my question
me says: well, if gabriel were to magically become a woman who looks like he currently does,
of course not lah
the thing is, if the qualities you like in a friend happen to be in a woman, would
you still fuck her?
friend says: lets put it this way la
i think you and I would fuck a woman who is hot. period
me says: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. point.
so if gabriel was a hot woman YOU would fuck him/her too
friend says: if i knew it was gabriel
frankly speaking
that's enough to turn me off
me says: but it WOULDN'T be gabriel lah, that's the point
okay, so there's a difference between your male friend becoming a woman and a woman who has the same qualities as your male friend
friend says: the latter is fine of course
me says: of course
friend says: sooo ....
if it was the former
me says: OF COURSE NOT. because the identity as the male friend is already ingrained into my head
friend says: lets say gabriel magically became a really hot chick 10/10
and he starts to seduce u
me says: no.
i don't do trannies
at least those i KNOW are trannies
it's like the old saw lah.. you wake up and find out your bed partner has a dick
put it this way, if you didn't know this hot 10/10 woman USED to be a guy you know
you might just end up liking that person because that woman has qualities of your guy
friend you enjoyed
and then... next morning... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
friend says: so if you became that 10/10 woman, would u hang out with us and conceal your
identity ?
me says: ...... if i could become a 10/10 woman, why would i want to pick up losers like you?
friend says: hang out as friends ?
me says: well, would you be comfortable hanging out with a friend who is a woman.. but USED to be a man?
friend says: if i knew it was u, trust me, I would have absolutely no desire for this 10/10
woman
me says: i think most of us would feel the same
i mean, hypothetically, you could get a blowjob from a trannie and NEVER KNOW
and still enjoy yourself
but once you know... you can never go back. "in much knowledge is there much
suffering"
it's like fucking your sister lah, only worse
at least your sister STARTED out female
friend says: difference is you wouldnt exactly be a tranny
this is a magical transformation
me says: so is a tranny, in many respects
friend says: well .....
if it was ordained by god ....
me says: the Lord is cruel and malicious, but even He has His limits
friend says: this is a hypothetical
me says: well honestly, to me, no matter how magical or zhai the transformation, if the person
was BORN a guy, no matter what process makes him female... to me it's a tranny
friend says: so would u date a friend's relative ?
me says: it is interesting how these kinds of moral biases stick to us somehow
dude, next to fucking a tranny who used to be your friend, dating a friend's relative
like wholesome momma's apple pie. besides in Singapore everyone's either a friend's relative
or a relative's friend
friend says: well anyway would u?
me says: of course, why not?
friend says: i mean, if it goes awry, wouldnt it be ....
u know ?
me says: i'd be a bit more careful, yes
generally the answer is no, but it really depends on the girl, i agree there are more
complications/obstacles
but i view it in the same light as her having a bf - it's just one extra challenge as
opposed to an insuperable obstacle
friend says: and what if it's a really good friend ?
me says: even more extra challenge then
btw why do you think that knowing makes it different?
as in if your male friend became a hot girl magically AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW you might end up fucking her
but once you know.. you wouldn't?
or similarly why you would get a blowjob from a hot trannie IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW?
i assume for you if a friend became a hot girl you would never, under any
circumstances, fuck her once you knew
friend says: yes
u can safely assume so
and same goes for u ?
me says: definitely
but still it's interesting why the knowing makes the diff
don't you think?
i mean, if your friend became a hot girl, and NEVER told you
you might even end up having a happy, productive relationship
friend says: simple
same reason as to why you would never find your sister attractive
me says: i can understand why biologically there's a reason for incest not to work
and that we can be repulsed by it
it makes SENSE for us to be sickened by incest (the genetic perspective)
friend says: but it doesnt make sense to be repulsed by fucking a male friend ?
me says: we're talking about fucking a male friend who's now female
for all intents and purposes it's heterosexual
magically female at that
friend says: the mind just cant get pass that
but im surprised someone like u can't=)
me says: har har
[Edited for formatting and code and quotational redundancy - Gabriel]
Post ID: 8956096847221018010
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Rounding off the Cambodia Travelogue, 2 photos from other people:
Classic sunrise view I missed when I ran inside to explore. Oh well, you can't have everything.
Picture credit: Clement
7-twenty - their pirated 7-11
Picture credit: Sanda
I was originally going to run through everyone else's pictures, as with Stanford, but since there's twice as many people concerned here and I am more than twice as busy, I'll be better off consuming another good.
Classic sunrise view I missed when I ran inside to explore. Oh well, you can't have everything.
Picture credit: Clement
7-twenty - their pirated 7-11
Picture credit: Sanda
I was originally going to run through everyone else's pictures, as with Stanford, but since there's twice as many people concerned here and I am more than twice as busy, I'll be better off consuming another good.
Post ID: 6705781753081497569
"The Theory of the Second Best concerns what happens when one or more optimality conditions are not satisfied in an economic model. The Canadian economist Richard Lipsey (1928-) and the Australian economist Kelvin Lancaster (1924-1999) showed that if one optimality condition in an economic model is not satisfied, it is possible that the next-best solution involved changing other variables away from the ones that are usually assumed to be optimal.
This means that in an economy with some unavoidable market failure in one sector, there can actually be a decrease in efficiency due to a move toward greater market perfection in another sector. In theory, at least, it may be better to let two market imperfections cancel each other out rather than making an effort to fix either one. Thus, it may be optimal for the government to intervene in a way that is contrary to laissez faire policy. This suggests that economists need to study the details of the situation before jumping to the theory-based conclusion that an improvement in market perfection in one area implies a global improvement in efficiency.
Even though the theory of the second best was developed for the Walrasian general equilibrium system, it also applies in microeconomic (partial equilibrium) cases. For example, consider a mining monopoly that's also a polluter: mining leads to tailings being dumped in the river and deadly dust in the workers’ lungs. Suppose in addition that there is nothing at all that we can do about the pollution. But the government is able to break up the monopoly.
The problem here is that increasing competition in this market is likely to increase production (since competitors have such a hard time restricting production compared to a monopoly). Because pollution is highly associated with production, pollution will most likely increase. This may actually make the world worse off than before."
This means that in an economy with some unavoidable market failure in one sector, there can actually be a decrease in efficiency due to a move toward greater market perfection in another sector. In theory, at least, it may be better to let two market imperfections cancel each other out rather than making an effort to fix either one. Thus, it may be optimal for the government to intervene in a way that is contrary to laissez faire policy. This suggests that economists need to study the details of the situation before jumping to the theory-based conclusion that an improvement in market perfection in one area implies a global improvement in efficiency.
Even though the theory of the second best was developed for the Walrasian general equilibrium system, it also applies in microeconomic (partial equilibrium) cases. For example, consider a mining monopoly that's also a polluter: mining leads to tailings being dumped in the river and deadly dust in the workers’ lungs. Suppose in addition that there is nothing at all that we can do about the pollution. But the government is able to break up the monopoly.
The problem here is that increasing competition in this market is likely to increase production (since competitors have such a hard time restricting production compared to a monopoly). Because pollution is highly associated with production, pollution will most likely increase. This may actually make the world worse off than before."
Post ID: 2642368152189188690
"The real hero is always a hero by mistake; he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else." - Umberto Eco
***
Someone: hey btw ah who is Miranda
is it the girl in the video
the one where you were poking a girl
Female friend: thaers this whole debate on whether its the men or women who cared abt penis length and therefore aid in the evolution of a longer thicker penis
and theres this hypothesis that it is men's ego and comparative attitudes towards their penis size led to the evolution of a large penis
and another hypothesis that its the women preferred a bigger penis cos it will help in aiding female orgasm
theres also this hypothesis abt race
(1) tt different culture's approach to sex actually influence penis size
(2)that climate influence penis size
for the first 1 its more like how the cucasians and blacks are more promiscuous than asians etc therefore they have larger dicks
and in the 2nd one europeans live in relatively cooler climates than africans and hence it causes shrikages
CHINESE MEN HAVE SMALL DICKS
hahaha
for indians nt so small
but i cant account for the thais
who apparnetly have the narrowest and shortest dicks
poor thais
HAHAHA
no wonder all awnna be women
HWMNBN: imagine if their powers combine
the sheer lunacy and persistence of the psycho girl with the evil cunning and fiendish vindictivness of the LDPVTP
PSYCHO LDPVTP SHONEN-RYU DEATH STRIKE
all will fall before it
Someone: every black guy i have met or talked to has hit on me
haha i am black magnet
Someone else: i got lil miss trouble
BUT
its not a real lil miss
the illustration is of a sheep giving another sheep a bath
HAHAHAHA
Someone: well researched
i guess it's action vs. inaction
a case where people feel safer doing something about it rather than to leave it to chance
I must say it's becoming a fashionable clusterfuck too
to repel is smart and cool
Me: yeah well
a lot of people didn't care about the research and just bashed me because they just argued from and with emotion
Someone: indeed, the world isn't ready for you Gab
Me: hahahahahaha
do you think it ever will ;)
Someone: in your own words: A better path of action would probably be to reach out to people on the ground to change hearts and minds, and wait for globalisation, education and rising living standards to make Singaporeans more tolerant.
just add "of Gabriel" at the end
Me: hoho
***
Someone: hey btw ah who is Miranda
is it the girl in the video
the one where you were poking a girl
Female friend: thaers this whole debate on whether its the men or women who cared abt penis length and therefore aid in the evolution of a longer thicker penis
and theres this hypothesis that it is men's ego and comparative attitudes towards their penis size led to the evolution of a large penis
and another hypothesis that its the women preferred a bigger penis cos it will help in aiding female orgasm
theres also this hypothesis abt race
(1) tt different culture's approach to sex actually influence penis size
(2)that climate influence penis size
for the first 1 its more like how the cucasians and blacks are more promiscuous than asians etc therefore they have larger dicks
and in the 2nd one europeans live in relatively cooler climates than africans and hence it causes shrikages
CHINESE MEN HAVE SMALL DICKS
hahaha
for indians nt so small
but i cant account for the thais
who apparnetly have the narrowest and shortest dicks
poor thais
HAHAHA
no wonder all awnna be women
HWMNBN: imagine if their powers combine
the sheer lunacy and persistence of the psycho girl with the evil cunning and fiendish vindictivness of the LDPVTP
PSYCHO LDPVTP SHONEN-RYU DEATH STRIKE
all will fall before it
Someone: every black guy i have met or talked to has hit on me
haha i am black magnet
Someone else: i got lil miss trouble
BUT
its not a real lil miss
the illustration is of a sheep giving another sheep a bath
HAHAHAHA
Someone: well researched
i guess it's action vs. inaction
a case where people feel safer doing something about it rather than to leave it to chance
I must say it's becoming a fashionable clusterfuck too
to repel is smart and cool
Me: yeah well
a lot of people didn't care about the research and just bashed me because they just argued from and with emotion
Someone: indeed, the world isn't ready for you Gab
Me: hahahahahaha
do you think it ever will ;)
Someone: in your own words: A better path of action would probably be to reach out to people on the ground to change hearts and minds, and wait for globalisation, education and rising living standards to make Singaporeans more tolerant.
just add "of Gabriel" at the end
Me: hoho
Post ID: 7521527743944475116
Dear Friend
On behalf of Gospel of Faith & Deliverance, we humbly invite you & your family to our miracle service. The Holy Spirit will heal and perform a breakthrough in your life. Do not miss this anointed opportunity!
Bring in as many sick people or even those given certain dates to live to this miracle service. They will be healed and set free without ounce of doubt.
People have been healed from chronic illness, AIDS, cancer, critical states as in ICU or those who have been dead have been raised to life by our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is impossible with Him. He has healed them all.
He is alive today so come and see for yourself this healing and miracle-working God.
Our website is http://www.faithdelivernace.org/ or call us at 065-63561884.
God bless you all!
Rev.Donbruce
P.S: Please circulate this email to your loved ones who needs healing or a breakthrough in life
They will be healed and set free without ounce of doubt?!
Someone needs to do a double-blind experiment...
Truly, God hates amputees.
Maybe he can heal this guy, whose 气 ("chi") power wasn't strong enough to prevent his arm being cut by a sword. His faith must've been insufficient:
On behalf of Gospel of Faith & Deliverance, we humbly invite you & your family to our miracle service. The Holy Spirit will heal and perform a breakthrough in your life. Do not miss this anointed opportunity!
Bring in as many sick people or even those given certain dates to live to this miracle service. They will be healed and set free without ounce of doubt.
People have been healed from chronic illness, AIDS, cancer, critical states as in ICU or those who have been dead have been raised to life by our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing is impossible with Him. He has healed them all.
He is alive today so come and see for yourself this healing and miracle-working God.
Our website is http://www.faithdelivernace.org/ or call us at 065-63561884.
God bless you all!
Rev.Donbruce
P.S: Please circulate this email to your loved ones who needs healing or a breakthrough in life
They will be healed and set free without ounce of doubt?!
Someone needs to do a double-blind experiment...
Truly, God hates amputees.
Maybe he can heal this guy, whose 气 ("chi") power wasn't strong enough to prevent his arm being cut by a sword. His faith must've been insufficient:
Post ID: 6413996368112431756
Quotes:
[Me on a literature essay: How much of this do you believe?] [Literature student:] I know the theory. I know how to apply it... 40%
[On literature] If you listen in class you will get why some things are more correct than others. [Me: Because the ideology is such.] Yeah, because the ideology is such
Are the two people outside dating? They're eating Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner.
[Me: I'm interviewing poor people] Why don't you interview us?... I don't live in a 1 room flat. [Student 2: PGP...] [Me on some biscuits: This is to 'bribe' them] Why don't you bribe us? [Me: What services can you perform for me?] [Student 2: This is where this conversation ends. Bye.]
I'm very disturbed... Every time I type the word 'feminine' or 'feminism' into Google Images, I get porn.
What sort of maths is there? [Me: Substitution.] Okay. Forget it. [Me: What sort of maths do you want? 1 + 1 = 2?] Something like that... Square. Square root. What I can do with a calculator.
I'm writing too much like an Arts student... I can't say 'I believe'. Science students say 'I agree'. [Me: You can't say 'I'm sympathetic to Darwin's notion that...'
[On a KIA breaking down on the middle of the Penang bridge] The fan belt blew up. There was no warning. Kinda like an Acer computer.
[Instructor: Can you explain his observation?] I'm not very sure. [Instructor: If you're not very sure, then stop there.] I'm very sure.
A lot of the accidental discoveries are made by people who are messy in laboratories and drop stuff.
I'm supposed to give a lecture on electricity and magnetism today, but I'm not feeling very well so I'll let YouTube lecture you.
[Student: Gabriel is enjoying all the attention he's getting.] Let me give you more attention. [Me: What sort of attention do you want to give me?] This conversation stops now. [Me: This is a very good way of getting less attention.]
Our first victims - I mean our first presentations.
[On feeling my breast implant prop] Ooh.
[Me: Your underwear is showing] You know what this shows? I'm not not wearing underwear.
[Female student:] A breast in hand is worth- [Me: 2 in?] A padded bra. [Me: When you take them off you don't have breasts anymore.] [Student 2: By the time they take them off they don't need the breasts.]
[On Free Will] Some people think there's some spark, some *sings* Uh uh... It turns out if you look hard for it you can't find it at all, but some people still think it's there... It's not affected by events in the spatial-temporal structure, it's not affected by genetic factors.
If we have lighters, why do we still have matches? [Student: My parents are matchbox collectors.] So it's just for matchbox collectors?
[On the test] Don't feel too sad if you want to cry - some people say crying is therapeutic. Find a group, go into some corner and have a good cry.
[On an exam question asking for a formulation of an exam question] I like to set such questions because when I run out of ideas for questions, I will let you ask the questions... to show you how hard it is to set exam questions. You must be very precise.
I won't be testing you on this again... If you learn it, good. If you didn't learn it, then you'll read about it during the holidays if you need to know it.
[On post-WW2 conventions] They were not saying 'let's stop fighting'. It was 'next time we fight, how can we safeguard these things?'
Whenever I encounter a major convention that does good things, Singapore never is on it... I'm not sure if it's an isolationist policy... Or if they want to keep these all open... Even safe ones the rest of the world has signed up for... Why're these against Singaporean interests?
[On Mostar's Croats and Bosnians] When they weren't fighting the Serbs they were fighting each other.
I was asked to go to Iraq in 2004 as part of a team... I was like 'I don't want to go, they're cutting people's heads off there'
[On the US bombing Kosovo] It was weird... Because my country was bombing his country... But we were cool about it... It was weird, because they were hoping for 1 building to be bombed... It was the building where they kept everyone's National Service records... 'Was the building hit?' Everyday they checked.
[On the Economics honours room] It's better. In the past when you come in the first question will be 'what's your CAP?' (would)
[On relationship dynamics] The girl is quite meek. So he has a dominant strategy over her... He's a MCP.
Any questions?... This will give me a chance to elaborate. *silence* Let me elaborate anyway.
Can you see, at the back?... A lot of Singaporeans kids are myopic... Because of whiteboards... In other countries they use blackboards. Less myopic. Go and sue the Ministry, those of you with myopia. Don't mention my name, I'll lose my job.
I also asked you because you were sleeping. [Student: I wasn't. I was paying attention.] You were meditating. That's what I used to tell my teacher in school. 'I was meditating'.
The lecture notes, I haven't updated [them] for 2 years now. I'm not gonna update it. At first I kept updating it. I got bored. (them)
[On static electricity] The biggest entertainment in those days... You take dead bodies... You take a spark. You attach [a wire] to the 2 legs, the arms will move... That was high entertainment in those days.
Once I was giving a lecture... One student said: 'When I was in secondary school I broke a magnet. There was only a north pole. I checked it.' I asked him to bring it to school but he couldn't find it. He missed a Nobel Prize. So go see if you have any north poles lying in your drawers at home.
[On electrostatics] It's not the pen or anything. *audience laughs* It sounds silly but that's what you do in real scientific experiments. You have to have controlled experiments - make sure it's not due to some silly thins like ghosts, or something.
[On alternating current] Only for some applications, like your CD player, so it only spins your CD in one direction.
Some of the worst students get the best grades. [Student: Some of the best students get the worst grades too.]
[On admin matters] If you really think there's a problem, do let us know. I can keep a secret, you know.
This year Arts is a very popular course. it's now the biggest faculty in NUS by far, bigger than Engineering. The government is not happy, but who cares?
[Me on a literature essay: How much of this do you believe?] [Literature student:] I know the theory. I know how to apply it... 40%
[On literature] If you listen in class you will get why some things are more correct than others. [Me: Because the ideology is such.] Yeah, because the ideology is such
Are the two people outside dating? They're eating Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner.
[Me: I'm interviewing poor people] Why don't you interview us?... I don't live in a 1 room flat. [Student 2: PGP...] [Me on some biscuits: This is to 'bribe' them] Why don't you bribe us? [Me: What services can you perform for me?] [Student 2: This is where this conversation ends. Bye.]
I'm very disturbed... Every time I type the word 'feminine' or 'feminism' into Google Images, I get porn.
What sort of maths is there? [Me: Substitution.] Okay. Forget it. [Me: What sort of maths do you want? 1 + 1 = 2?] Something like that... Square. Square root. What I can do with a calculator.
I'm writing too much like an Arts student... I can't say 'I believe'. Science students say 'I agree'. [Me: You can't say 'I'm sympathetic to Darwin's notion that...'
[On a KIA breaking down on the middle of the Penang bridge] The fan belt blew up. There was no warning. Kinda like an Acer computer.
[Instructor: Can you explain his observation?] I'm not very sure. [Instructor: If you're not very sure, then stop there.] I'm very sure.
A lot of the accidental discoveries are made by people who are messy in laboratories and drop stuff.
I'm supposed to give a lecture on electricity and magnetism today, but I'm not feeling very well so I'll let YouTube lecture you.
[Student: Gabriel is enjoying all the attention he's getting.] Let me give you more attention. [Me: What sort of attention do you want to give me?] This conversation stops now. [Me: This is a very good way of getting less attention.]
Our first victims - I mean our first presentations.
[On feeling my breast implant prop] Ooh.
[Me: Your underwear is showing] You know what this shows? I'm not not wearing underwear.
[Female student:] A breast in hand is worth- [Me: 2 in?] A padded bra. [Me: When you take them off you don't have breasts anymore.] [Student 2: By the time they take them off they don't need the breasts.]
[On Free Will] Some people think there's some spark, some *sings* Uh uh... It turns out if you look hard for it you can't find it at all, but some people still think it's there... It's not affected by events in the spatial-temporal structure, it's not affected by genetic factors.
If we have lighters, why do we still have matches? [Student: My parents are matchbox collectors.] So it's just for matchbox collectors?
[On the test] Don't feel too sad if you want to cry - some people say crying is therapeutic. Find a group, go into some corner and have a good cry.
[On an exam question asking for a formulation of an exam question] I like to set such questions because when I run out of ideas for questions, I will let you ask the questions... to show you how hard it is to set exam questions. You must be very precise.
I won't be testing you on this again... If you learn it, good. If you didn't learn it, then you'll read about it during the holidays if you need to know it.
[On post-WW2 conventions] They were not saying 'let's stop fighting'. It was 'next time we fight, how can we safeguard these things?'
Whenever I encounter a major convention that does good things, Singapore never is on it... I'm not sure if it's an isolationist policy... Or if they want to keep these all open... Even safe ones the rest of the world has signed up for... Why're these against Singaporean interests?
[On Mostar's Croats and Bosnians] When they weren't fighting the Serbs they were fighting each other.
I was asked to go to Iraq in 2004 as part of a team... I was like 'I don't want to go, they're cutting people's heads off there'
[On the US bombing Kosovo] It was weird... Because my country was bombing his country... But we were cool about it... It was weird, because they were hoping for 1 building to be bombed... It was the building where they kept everyone's National Service records... 'Was the building hit?' Everyday they checked.
[On the Economics honours room] It's better. In the past when you come in the first question will be 'what's your CAP?' (would)
[On relationship dynamics] The girl is quite meek. So he has a dominant strategy over her... He's a MCP.
Any questions?... This will give me a chance to elaborate. *silence* Let me elaborate anyway.
Can you see, at the back?... A lot of Singaporeans kids are myopic... Because of whiteboards... In other countries they use blackboards. Less myopic. Go and sue the Ministry, those of you with myopia. Don't mention my name, I'll lose my job.
I also asked you because you were sleeping. [Student: I wasn't. I was paying attention.] You were meditating. That's what I used to tell my teacher in school. 'I was meditating'.
The lecture notes, I haven't updated [them] for 2 years now. I'm not gonna update it. At first I kept updating it. I got bored. (them)
[On static electricity] The biggest entertainment in those days... You take dead bodies... You take a spark. You attach [a wire] to the 2 legs, the arms will move... That was high entertainment in those days.
Once I was giving a lecture... One student said: 'When I was in secondary school I broke a magnet. There was only a north pole. I checked it.' I asked him to bring it to school but he couldn't find it. He missed a Nobel Prize. So go see if you have any north poles lying in your drawers at home.
[On electrostatics] It's not the pen or anything. *audience laughs* It sounds silly but that's what you do in real scientific experiments. You have to have controlled experiments - make sure it's not due to some silly thins like ghosts, or something.
[On alternating current] Only for some applications, like your CD player, so it only spins your CD in one direction.
Some of the worst students get the best grades. [Student: Some of the best students get the worst grades too.]
[On admin matters] If you really think there's a problem, do let us know. I can keep a secret, you know.
This year Arts is a very popular course. it's now the biggest faculty in NUS by far, bigger than Engineering. The government is not happy, but who cares?
Post ID: 910888540119442590
A response to my opinion that we should not campaign to repeal 377A (the Gross Indecency aka Homosexual Sex law):
"Unlike XXX, I have come to the conclusion that arguing with you on this matter is a waste of time as well. I will therefore outline only the briefest of replies.
> Constantly bringing up and harping on 377A denigrates and frightens
> gays more than it would if you kept quiet about it and let it fade
> from the collective memory (like the song on Obscene Songs, which I'm
> quite sure =<1% of people on this mailing list knew about). We have a
> lot of immoral laws in our Penal Code, but since people don't talk
> about them they have no effective impact on the way people live their
> lives.
>
> Can you honestly tell me, if you believe the proclamation about
> non-prosecution, that you are "frightened" at being prosecuted by 377A
> for having gay sex?
>
Fuck you, Gabriel. I law which criminalises my private activity, while still on the statute book, denigrates me, whether or not it is enforced. As I said there is NO parallel with obscene songs, a point you have failed to address.
And, as many have pointed out, 377A is merely the font from which many other pieces of shit flow. I have NO legal protections at ALL in Singapore: this may strike you as surprising, but I actually want to, say, have a long-term relationship, adopt children, be honest and open about my life while being able to hold public office, not be arrested when I walk down Orchard Road and kiss my boyfried, etc, ETC ETC.
> Also, segregation marks you out by what you are whereas 377A marks you
> out by what you do.
> I cannot see how not being able to have sex is (morally) worse than
> public segregation and/or designating some people second class (or
> non-) citizens and thus inferior to the rest of the nation.
Fuck you. Do you expect me to be celibate?
And THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT YOU MORON. Since the laws are NOT enforced, the question is NOT the ability to have sex. It is the legal discrimination faced by homosexuals, which attacks their dignity as a group OF HUMAN BEINGS AND CITIZENS. This is not about sex, you fucktard.
> Well, look at Malaysia today. Non-Malays (primarily Chinese and
> Indians) are second-class citizens. Assuming that the laws weren't
> enforced, I am not sure that I would push for their repeal, since this
> would upset the Malay hinterland which might push for the existing
> laws to be enforced, which would make the non-Malays worse off.
Again, fuck you. Wild speculation about the possible long-term political effects is NOT an argument, unless you have like concrete evidence that something will actually happen. I assure the injustice of the law, which is inherent and obvious, is more important than your speculative negatives.
> Furthermore, decriminalisation in China was a quiet administrative
> procedure and not in response to a gay lobby.
NO. It was merely the government waking up to the fact that the 21st century has arrived.
You are beginning sound like Andy Ho. Well, I expected it to take longer, but there we are.
> I must also note that
> for all you might complain about Singapore, in China they are a lot
> more repressive and unaccountable to the people.
Sorry, where did I say 'China is better than Singapore'? I brought it up to show the lack of public outcry.
> Yet in China the
> government does not have unlimited political capital and must listen
> to the people sometimes, what more Singapore?
Erm, this is stupid. See above. See my point. Read English.
> For similar reasons, I would not have supported the push for gay
> marriage in the US (how come no one has talked about this yet?)
Since everyone with a brain supports either gay marriage or gay civil partnerships. EVERY major Democratic candidate supports civil partnerships.
At this point, you will argue that civil partnerships instead of gay marriage is a symbolic difference. I agree on that point, actually, BUT it has no parallel to 377A. A law is not symbolic simply because it is not enforced. In the case of 377A it is the legal fount of every single type of legal discrimination you can think of.
In conclusion: you are an idiot. The end."
This is all considering that I aim for the same end, just using different means.
Some instructive lessons:
- This is a good study in how resistance/opposition movements fail even if there is an obvious, "evil" enemy
- This is why I am very pessimistic about the feasibility of people with radically different beliefs forming cause-based alliances (eg left wingers and Muslims against the Iraq War)
- It answers the question of why people think and claim Singaporeans are not ready for democracy (and how some people think that humanity is inherently unsuitable for it)
- Gay guys are bitchy (no, this is not my only sample, but it is instructive nonetheless)
- The perils of arguing from and with emotion are revealed
- Hysteria is not limited to the homophobes
"Unlike XXX, I have come to the conclusion that arguing with you on this matter is a waste of time as well. I will therefore outline only the briefest of replies.
> Constantly bringing up and harping on 377A denigrates and frightens
> gays more than it would if you kept quiet about it and let it fade
> from the collective memory (like the song on Obscene Songs, which I'm
> quite sure =<1% of people on this mailing list knew about). We have a
> lot of immoral laws in our Penal Code, but since people don't talk
> about them they have no effective impact on the way people live their
> lives.
>
> Can you honestly tell me, if you believe the proclamation about
> non-prosecution, that you are "frightened" at being prosecuted by 377A
> for having gay sex?
>
Fuck you, Gabriel. I law which criminalises my private activity, while still on the statute book, denigrates me, whether or not it is enforced. As I said there is NO parallel with obscene songs, a point you have failed to address.
And, as many have pointed out, 377A is merely the font from which many other pieces of shit flow. I have NO legal protections at ALL in Singapore: this may strike you as surprising, but I actually want to, say, have a long-term relationship, adopt children, be honest and open about my life while being able to hold public office, not be arrested when I walk down Orchard Road and kiss my boyfried, etc, ETC ETC.
> Also, segregation marks you out by what you are whereas 377A marks you
> out by what you do.
> I cannot see how not being able to have sex is (morally) worse than
> public segregation and/or designating some people second class (or
> non-) citizens and thus inferior to the rest of the nation.
Fuck you. Do you expect me to be celibate?
And THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT YOU MORON. Since the laws are NOT enforced, the question is NOT the ability to have sex. It is the legal discrimination faced by homosexuals, which attacks their dignity as a group OF HUMAN BEINGS AND CITIZENS. This is not about sex, you fucktard.
> Well, look at Malaysia today. Non-Malays (primarily Chinese and
> Indians) are second-class citizens. Assuming that the laws weren't
> enforced, I am not sure that I would push for their repeal, since this
> would upset the Malay hinterland which might push for the existing
> laws to be enforced, which would make the non-Malays worse off.
Again, fuck you. Wild speculation about the possible long-term political effects is NOT an argument, unless you have like concrete evidence that something will actually happen. I assure the injustice of the law, which is inherent and obvious, is more important than your speculative negatives.
> Furthermore, decriminalisation in China was a quiet administrative
> procedure and not in response to a gay lobby.
NO. It was merely the government waking up to the fact that the 21st century has arrived.
You are beginning sound like Andy Ho. Well, I expected it to take longer, but there we are.
> I must also note that
> for all you might complain about Singapore, in China they are a lot
> more repressive and unaccountable to the people.
Sorry, where did I say 'China is better than Singapore'? I brought it up to show the lack of public outcry.
> Yet in China the
> government does not have unlimited political capital and must listen
> to the people sometimes, what more Singapore?
Erm, this is stupid. See above. See my point. Read English.
> For similar reasons, I would not have supported the push for gay
> marriage in the US (how come no one has talked about this yet?)
Since everyone with a brain supports either gay marriage or gay civil partnerships. EVERY major Democratic candidate supports civil partnerships.
At this point, you will argue that civil partnerships instead of gay marriage is a symbolic difference. I agree on that point, actually, BUT it has no parallel to 377A. A law is not symbolic simply because it is not enforced. In the case of 377A it is the legal fount of every single type of legal discrimination you can think of.
In conclusion: you are an idiot. The end."
This is all considering that I aim for the same end, just using different means.
Some instructive lessons:
- This is a good study in how resistance/opposition movements fail even if there is an obvious, "evil" enemy
- This is why I am very pessimistic about the feasibility of people with radically different beliefs forming cause-based alliances (eg left wingers and Muslims against the Iraq War)
- It answers the question of why people think and claim Singaporeans are not ready for democracy (and how some people think that humanity is inherently unsuitable for it)
- Gay guys are bitchy (no, this is not my only sample, but it is instructive nonetheless)
- The perils of arguing from and with emotion are revealed
- Hysteria is not limited to the homophobes
Post ID: 1527612781306727845
Subject: We are here for you and your penis! Megadik makes it just mega-large!
Message: Have they ever told you this, "No way! Your penis is really tiny!"?
Didn't you feel stupid?
Don't let women prefer vibrator to you! Megadik will make you a real man !
You must believe in this excellent preparation!
"Oh! Your penis is impressive!" Isn't that what you dream to hear every day?
Soon you'll be the only one girls will desire ! Megadik is your real cure!
Hilarious specimen in my NUS spam folder (one of several variations on the same theme).
I don't get much spam in my Hotmail's junk folder nowadays, but that's because they filter so rigorously, a lot of mail doesn't get through (not even to Spam, where it belongs, instead of the Void)! Like my Tomorrow.sg mail. And when I ask them to let it through they give me some complicated instructions to tell others to follow. Grr.
Message: Have they ever told you this, "No way! Your penis is really tiny!"?
Didn't you feel stupid?
Don't let women prefer vibrator to you! Megadik will make you a real man !
You must believe in this excellent preparation!
"Oh! Your penis is impressive!" Isn't that what you dream to hear every day?
Soon you'll be the only one girls will desire ! Megadik is your real cure!
Hilarious specimen in my NUS spam folder (one of several variations on the same theme).
I don't get much spam in my Hotmail's junk folder nowadays, but that's because they filter so rigorously, a lot of mail doesn't get through (not even to Spam, where it belongs, instead of the Void)! Like my Tomorrow.sg mail. And when I ask them to let it through they give me some complicated instructions to tell others to follow. Grr.
Post ID: 750534884640348795
"If you don't know what to do, call the media and at least give the appearance of doing something." - David Peterson
***
Laman Web Rasmi Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia - "Garis Panduan Pelaksanaan Ibadah Di International Space Station,ISS (Stesyen Angkasa Antarabangsa)"
HWMNBN insists I get these Muslim guidelines for space travel translated but petulantly refuses to do it for me, so I shan't bother either.
Crocs, kids and escalators a bad combination? - "At rail stations and shopping malls around the world, reports are popping up of people, particularly young children, getting their toes caught in escalators. The one common theme seems to be the clunky soft-soled clogs known by the name of the most popular brand, Crocs."
Sound off: Students sent to office for wearing jacket and tie - "The Golden Gate High School senior wore a jacket and tie to school Wednesday and the act sent him to in-school suspension. His violation? He wasn’t following the dress code."
German politician proposes seven-year limit on marriages - ""I propose that marriages lapse after seven years," Gabriele Pauli told reporters in Munich, the capital of the largely Catholic southern state of Bavaria. "This would mean that one will only commit for a fixed period and will actively have to renew your vows if you still want to continue.""
Finally, a good idea about marriage!
Conspicuous Consumption and Race - "Using nationally representative data on consumption, we show that Blacks and Hispanics devote larger shares of their expenditure bundles to visible goods (clothing, jewelry, and cars) than do comparable Whites. We demonstrate that these differences exist among virtually all sub-populations, that they are relatively constant over time, and that they are economically large. While racial differences in utility preference parameters might account for a portion of these consumption differences, we emphasize instead a model of status seeking in which conspicuous consumption is used to reflect a household's economic position relative to a reference group. Using merged data on race and state level income, we demonstrate that a key prediction of our model -- that visible consumption should be declining in mean reference group income -- is strongly borne out in the data separately for each racial group. Moreover, we show that accounting for differences in reference group income characteristics explains most of the racial difference in visible consumption. We conclude with an assessment of the role of conspicuous consumption in explaining lower spending by racial minorities on items likes health and education, as well as their lower rates of wealth accumulation."
RACIST!!!!!
Alpha males - "Alpha males aren’t concerned with being liked. This is true in part because they already get enough love from themselves. But they aren’t the only ones who love them; while conducting research for this article, I came across numerous blogs that featured women tangled in a heated discussion concerning the alpha male. Allow me to paraphrase the overarching female opinion on such men: “Alpha Males are jerks. I can’t stand how attracted I am to them.”"
Cheap trainers still protect feet = "Expensive trainers do not protect runners' feet better than cheaper ones, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine."
Question of the Week: Landfills - CNN.com - "The government of Singapore is currently endorsing a campaign to boost its recycling levels to 60 percent by 2012 (up from its 2005 levels of 49 percent). Their final target however is an ambitious "zero landfill" status, which they hope to achieve by ultimately recycling all the waste produced in the city-state."
I didn't know we were so environmentally friendly.
Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth - "A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee... Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given."
***
Laman Web Rasmi Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia - "Garis Panduan Pelaksanaan Ibadah Di International Space Station,ISS (Stesyen Angkasa Antarabangsa)"
HWMNBN insists I get these Muslim guidelines for space travel translated but petulantly refuses to do it for me, so I shan't bother either.
Crocs, kids and escalators a bad combination? - "At rail stations and shopping malls around the world, reports are popping up of people, particularly young children, getting their toes caught in escalators. The one common theme seems to be the clunky soft-soled clogs known by the name of the most popular brand, Crocs."
Sound off: Students sent to office for wearing jacket and tie - "The Golden Gate High School senior wore a jacket and tie to school Wednesday and the act sent him to in-school suspension. His violation? He wasn’t following the dress code."
German politician proposes seven-year limit on marriages - ""I propose that marriages lapse after seven years," Gabriele Pauli told reporters in Munich, the capital of the largely Catholic southern state of Bavaria. "This would mean that one will only commit for a fixed period and will actively have to renew your vows if you still want to continue.""
Finally, a good idea about marriage!
Conspicuous Consumption and Race - "Using nationally representative data on consumption, we show that Blacks and Hispanics devote larger shares of their expenditure bundles to visible goods (clothing, jewelry, and cars) than do comparable Whites. We demonstrate that these differences exist among virtually all sub-populations, that they are relatively constant over time, and that they are economically large. While racial differences in utility preference parameters might account for a portion of these consumption differences, we emphasize instead a model of status seeking in which conspicuous consumption is used to reflect a household's economic position relative to a reference group. Using merged data on race and state level income, we demonstrate that a key prediction of our model -- that visible consumption should be declining in mean reference group income -- is strongly borne out in the data separately for each racial group. Moreover, we show that accounting for differences in reference group income characteristics explains most of the racial difference in visible consumption. We conclude with an assessment of the role of conspicuous consumption in explaining lower spending by racial minorities on items likes health and education, as well as their lower rates of wealth accumulation."
RACIST!!!!!
Alpha males - "Alpha males aren’t concerned with being liked. This is true in part because they already get enough love from themselves. But they aren’t the only ones who love them; while conducting research for this article, I came across numerous blogs that featured women tangled in a heated discussion concerning the alpha male. Allow me to paraphrase the overarching female opinion on such men: “Alpha Males are jerks. I can’t stand how attracted I am to them.”"
Cheap trainers still protect feet = "Expensive trainers do not protect runners' feet better than cheaper ones, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine."
Question of the Week: Landfills - CNN.com - "The government of Singapore is currently endorsing a campaign to boost its recycling levels to 60 percent by 2012 (up from its 2005 levels of 49 percent). Their final target however is an ambitious "zero landfill" status, which they hope to achieve by ultimately recycling all the waste produced in the city-state."
I didn't know we were so environmentally friendly.
Woman Becomes Quadruple Amputee After Giving Birth - "A Sanford mother says she will never be able to hold her newborn because an Orlando hospital performed a life-altering surgery and, she claims, the hospital refuses to explain why they left her as a multiple amputee... Claudia Mejia gave birth eight and a half months ago at Orlando Regional South Seminole. She was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center in Orlando where her arms and legs were amputated. She was told she had streptococcus, a flesh eating bacteria, and toxic shock syndrome, but no further explanation was given."
Post ID: 3335184082173020174
"The end of all hope is the birth of all freedom"
***
Seen: 'nature abhors a vacuum. so does my dog.'
At one time, I swore that half my ICQ list was invisible at any point of time. With MSN the proportion is probably at a third now; the sole saving grace is that there's no visible list.
It is good to be resigned to fate because if you try to fight it, you just end up more miserable than you would have been if you had accepted it - just look at Greek mythology.
The webcam on some laptops can be flipped around to face the direction the user is facing. This is good for taking spyshots (the light indicating it's on notwithstanding). Unfortunately my laptop's webcam cannot do that.
'Problematic' is a very problematic word.
"If a Western scholar is interested mainly in Western subjects, he's ethnocentric.
If a Western scholar is interested mainly in non-Western subjects, he's Orientalist.
If a non-Western scholar is interested mainly in Western subjects, he's been captured by the dominant Anglo-Saxon paradigm."
It seems more girls than guys are attached. Just as with how men report having sex with more women than the number of men women report having sex with, you can imagine how this goes.
Weird YR join request: "Hi, My name is *** and looking for the information on the best girls schools in Singapore."
According to California Girl, Black Women are big and fierce, which is diametrically opposed to the ideal of a woman (the same way Asian Men are the opposite of an ideal man). Furthermore, they only want Black Men (a comparison can be made with Asian Men here). I postulated that there should be extensive literature on their marginalisation, since this was double marginalisation (they're both Black and Women).
Data entry in Barclays can pay $3.8k. Wth.
Since bladder size is the same in both sexes, frequent toilet visits cannot be due to differential physical endowments and other causes must be found.
Someone was saying before slavery her guy friends were okay with Malays, but on coming out they all hated them. Indeed, NS is a social distillery for ethnic cohesion.
It's amazing how unfriendly poor people can be. I thought it was just Singapore, but the richer people are more receptive and less suspicious.
Race and religion only become flashpoints when they are exploited for political purposes, so maybe we should censor politicians and not normal people.
Some scholars advocate a critical approach to the Sunna and Hadith. In and of itself, this is not a bad thing, but if one critically examines them, there is no reason why one should not do the same for the main revealed text, and one must be prepared not to make a priori assumptions about it. Appealing to Faith sometimes and Reason at others is most inconsistent.
Seen: 'The Fountain. A magazine of critical, scientific and spiritual thought.' It's time to play: "Which of these words doesn't belong?"
***
I once heard an American complaint about how in France, the male toilets were always located before the female toilets, the urinals were located near the doors and the doors were left open, so women walking to the toilet would see men urinating.
(I swear this was in my July France travelogue, but I can't find it for some reason)
***
Seen: 'nature abhors a vacuum. so does my dog.'
At one time, I swore that half my ICQ list was invisible at any point of time. With MSN the proportion is probably at a third now; the sole saving grace is that there's no visible list.
It is good to be resigned to fate because if you try to fight it, you just end up more miserable than you would have been if you had accepted it - just look at Greek mythology.
The webcam on some laptops can be flipped around to face the direction the user is facing. This is good for taking spyshots (the light indicating it's on notwithstanding). Unfortunately my laptop's webcam cannot do that.
'Problematic' is a very problematic word.
"If a Western scholar is interested mainly in Western subjects, he's ethnocentric.
If a Western scholar is interested mainly in non-Western subjects, he's Orientalist.
If a non-Western scholar is interested mainly in Western subjects, he's been captured by the dominant Anglo-Saxon paradigm."
It seems more girls than guys are attached. Just as with how men report having sex with more women than the number of men women report having sex with, you can imagine how this goes.
Weird YR join request: "Hi, My name is *** and looking for the information on the best girls schools in Singapore."
According to California Girl, Black Women are big and fierce, which is diametrically opposed to the ideal of a woman (the same way Asian Men are the opposite of an ideal man). Furthermore, they only want Black Men (a comparison can be made with Asian Men here). I postulated that there should be extensive literature on their marginalisation, since this was double marginalisation (they're both Black and Women).
Data entry in Barclays can pay $3.8k. Wth.
Since bladder size is the same in both sexes, frequent toilet visits cannot be due to differential physical endowments and other causes must be found.
Someone was saying before slavery her guy friends were okay with Malays, but on coming out they all hated them. Indeed, NS is a social distillery for ethnic cohesion.
It's amazing how unfriendly poor people can be. I thought it was just Singapore, but the richer people are more receptive and less suspicious.
Race and religion only become flashpoints when they are exploited for political purposes, so maybe we should censor politicians and not normal people.
Some scholars advocate a critical approach to the Sunna and Hadith. In and of itself, this is not a bad thing, but if one critically examines them, there is no reason why one should not do the same for the main revealed text, and one must be prepared not to make a priori assumptions about it. Appealing to Faith sometimes and Reason at others is most inconsistent.
Seen: 'The Fountain. A magazine of critical, scientific and spiritual thought.' It's time to play: "Which of these words doesn't belong?"
***
I once heard an American complaint about how in France, the male toilets were always located before the female toilets, the urinals were located near the doors and the doors were left open, so women walking to the toilet would see men urinating.
(I swear this was in my July France travelogue, but I can't find it for some reason)
Post ID: 7662783231875210390
Monday, October 15, 2007
Gracenote autotagging is fun, but sometimes screws up really badly.
The worst example I've seen so far: tagging China's National Anthem as "Star Spangled Banner - heartfelt, patriotic National Anthem (Vocal)".
Strangely enough though this only happened when I didn't remove the existing id3 tag. When I did, it worked fine.
I don't trust it much for Classical tracks, though.
The worst example I've seen so far: tagging China's National Anthem as "Star Spangled Banner - heartfelt, patriotic National Anthem (Vocal)".
Strangely enough though this only happened when I didn't remove the existing id3 tag. When I did, it worked fine.
I don't trust it much for Classical tracks, though.
Post ID: 4952327459565349966
"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." - Isaac Asimov
***
The Female of the Species
WHEN the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
When Nag the basking cobra hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can.
But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
When the early Jesuit fathers preached to Hurons and Choctaws,
They prayed to be delivered from the vengeance of the squaws.
'Twas the women, not the warriors, turned those stark enthusiasts pale.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,
For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;
But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale—
The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
Man, a bear in most relations—worm and savage otherwise,—
Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act.
Fear, or foolishness, impels him, ere he lay the wicked low,
To concede some form of trial even to his fiercest foe.
Mirth obscene diverts his anger—Doubt and Pity oft perplex
Him in dealing with an issue—to the scandal of The Sex!
But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same;
And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.
She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity—must not swerve for fact or jest.
These be purely male diversions—not in these her honour dwells—
She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else.
She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great
As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate.
And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim
Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same.
She is wedded to convictions—in default of grosser ties;
Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies!—
He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,
Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child.
Unprovoked and awful charges—even so the she-bear fights,
Speech that drips, corrodes, and poisons—even so the cobra bites,
Scientific vivisection of one nerve till it is raw
And the victim writhes in anguish—like the Jesuit with the squaw!
So it comes that Man, the coward, when he gathers to confer
With his fellow-braves in council, dare not leave a place for her
Where, at war with Life and Conscience, he uplifts his erring hands
To some God of Abstract Justice—which no woman understands.
And Man knows it! Knows, moreover, that the Woman that God gave him
Must command but may not govern—shall enthral but not enslave him.
And She knows, because She warns him, and Her instincts never fail,
That the Female of Her Species is more deadly than the Male.
--- Rudyard Kipling
***
The Female of the Species
WHEN the Himalayan peasant meets the he-bear in his pride,
He shouts to scare the monster, who will often turn aside.
But the she-bear thus accosted rends the peasant tooth and nail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
When Nag the basking cobra hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can.
But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
When the early Jesuit fathers preached to Hurons and Choctaws,
They prayed to be delivered from the vengeance of the squaws.
'Twas the women, not the warriors, turned those stark enthusiasts pale.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
Man's timid heart is bursting with the things he must not say,
For the Woman that God gave him isn't his to give away;
But when hunter meets with husbands, each confirms the other's tale—
The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
Man, a bear in most relations—worm and savage otherwise,—
Man propounds negotiations, Man accepts the compromise.
Very rarely will he squarely push the logic of a fact
To its ultimate conclusion in unmitigated act.
Fear, or foolishness, impels him, ere he lay the wicked low,
To concede some form of trial even to his fiercest foe.
Mirth obscene diverts his anger—Doubt and Pity oft perplex
Him in dealing with an issue—to the scandal of The Sex!
But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame
Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same;
And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,
The female of the species must be deadlier than the male.
She who faces Death by torture for each life beneath her breast
May not deal in doubt or pity—must not swerve for fact or jest.
These be purely male diversions—not in these her honour dwells—
She the Other Law we live by, is that Law and nothing else.
She can bring no more to living than the powers that make her great
As the Mother of the Infant and the Mistress of the Mate.
And when Babe and Man are lacking and she strides unclaimed to claim
Her right as femme (and baron), her equipment is the same.
She is wedded to convictions—in default of grosser ties;
Her contentions are her children, Heaven help him who denies!—
He will meet no suave discussion, but the instant, white-hot, wild,
Wakened female of the species warring as for spouse and child.
Unprovoked and awful charges—even so the she-bear fights,
Speech that drips, corrodes, and poisons—even so the cobra bites,
Scientific vivisection of one nerve till it is raw
And the victim writhes in anguish—like the Jesuit with the squaw!
So it comes that Man, the coward, when he gathers to confer
With his fellow-braves in council, dare not leave a place for her
Where, at war with Life and Conscience, he uplifts his erring hands
To some God of Abstract Justice—which no woman understands.
And Man knows it! Knows, moreover, that the Woman that God gave him
Must command but may not govern—shall enthral but not enslave him.
And She knows, because She warns him, and Her instincts never fail,
That the Female of Her Species is more deadly than the Male.
--- Rudyard Kipling
Post ID: 5877508147440241681
"For the skeptic there remains only one consolation: if there should be such a thing as superhuman law it is administered with subhuman inefficiency." - Eric Ambler
***
Pinchas Zukerman, the volatile violinist
"Take, for instance, his stance on the period-instrument movement, which seeks to make music sound as close as possible to what the composer would have heard in his time, right down to use of gut-string violins and valveless horns.
"I disagree with everything they do," Zukerman says emphatically. "From the minute I heard that in 1972 to today (I said), 'What the (expletive) is that? These are professional musicians?'" He calls the movement a fad and contends that digital recording has falsely represented the sound of period ensembles. "If you hear them in public - which I have - one is amazed at how bad it sounds and out of tune."
The string instruments that period groups play are dubbed "cigar boxes." Conductors such as Christopher Hogwood and Roger Norrington, pioneers in the field, are dismissed as no-talents who have ruined classical music. "They don't know how to conduct. They certainly don't know how to play. And who's going to say that?"
Well, Pinchas Zukerman is."
And to think I'm going to watch him in 2 weeks. Hurr hurr.
***
From a review of something I'm going to listen to:
"Some interesting flavors greet the ears in the first concerto on this disc, the "Grosso Mogul" (D major, RV 208), which is not about a wicked ski slope but a reference to the Grand Mughal in India... Of course, some malicious tongue once quipped that Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 500 times, and you can listen to a lot of the Vivaldi concerti before hearing something that really makes you sit up and listen. At the same time, any of his concerti are unlikely to be anything less than pleasant listening."
***
Pinchas Zukerman, the volatile violinist
"Take, for instance, his stance on the period-instrument movement, which seeks to make music sound as close as possible to what the composer would have heard in his time, right down to use of gut-string violins and valveless horns.
"I disagree with everything they do," Zukerman says emphatically. "From the minute I heard that in 1972 to today (I said), 'What the (expletive) is that? These are professional musicians?'" He calls the movement a fad and contends that digital recording has falsely represented the sound of period ensembles. "If you hear them in public - which I have - one is amazed at how bad it sounds and out of tune."
The string instruments that period groups play are dubbed "cigar boxes." Conductors such as Christopher Hogwood and Roger Norrington, pioneers in the field, are dismissed as no-talents who have ruined classical music. "They don't know how to conduct. They certainly don't know how to play. And who's going to say that?"
Well, Pinchas Zukerman is."
And to think I'm going to watch him in 2 weeks. Hurr hurr.
***
From a review of something I'm going to listen to:
"Some interesting flavors greet the ears in the first concerto on this disc, the "Grosso Mogul" (D major, RV 208), which is not about a wicked ski slope but a reference to the Grand Mughal in India... Of course, some malicious tongue once quipped that Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 500 times, and you can listen to a lot of the Vivaldi concerti before hearing something that really makes you sit up and listen. At the same time, any of his concerti are unlikely to be anything less than pleasant listening."
Post ID: 4581463690290477803
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The secret to using a hair kiap (butterfly clip): twisting.
Bunny: i tink a normal hairtie is nice la
lets you keep the option of swiping ppl's faces with your ponytail
dont bunch la
i like the loose ponytail look on u
very funny meh
its the least of all evils
:P
LDPVTP: and what do you mean, you want to hold your hair up
like, up, chignon style?
may i never have to see that sight
Post ID: 7361719564858382110
Cambodia Trip
Day 6 (28/9) - Palace (Part 2)
Cambodia must be the first place I've been in that doesn't use coins - there's even a 100 Rial note (2.5 American cents). Maybe it's to stop people melting down the coins for metal.
I am not a Southeast Asia person. This is because I am Orientalist and Ethnocentric, and not because it's hot, humid, dirty and there're few of the ancient ruins and great museums I dig.
After the museum we went for lunch.
For some reason, no cafes or restaurants seemed to serve Khmer breakfasts. This put me in mind of Crete, where English breakfasts were much more common than Greek breakfasts. Perhaps people feel conservative early in the morning.
I had no idea what the difference between "Coca Cola" and "Coca Can" was. Meanwhile, someone asked for 7-up and they said they only had Sprite. Gah.
There were lots of kids coming up to us at lunch to sell us pirated Lonely Planets for US$2. Makes you wonder how much profit the company earns.
I had a milkshake which was good in a low class sort of way (kind of like a Ramly burger), since although it was nice and rich, I could taste the artificial off-vanilla flavouring. So I gave it my "bagus!" endorsement. Unfortunately, the cup promotes war. How insensitive, given the country's recent past!
Someone pointed out how the roof looks like the sea, and the treetops like trees on a desert island.
People kun-ing under the soporific effects of the climate (and perhaps the night of conviviality)
All KO-ing. I don't know why Weilong looks so stunned.
Then it started raining.
Kids in the rain. Notice the topless girl encouraging child sex prostitution.
Please, Sir, can I have some more?
Food screwups seemed to be part of local culture and thus something we couldn't interrogate or problematise. The far table of 7 (with all the sleeping people) got only 2 dishes of the 4 the other tables got, so they ended up drinking lots of soup. We ended up giving them some of our food - here we see a mystery hand scraping Fish Amok sauce. Here would be a vaguely appropriate time to note that Cambodian food is all sweet (including the Chinese-style vegetable stir-fries).
By the end of the day, my total of Ang Moh men with Local women had risen to 8 for the whole trip; I went past one room in the hotel and I saw a Cambodian woman inside, and an Ang Moh man going in.
[Someone: *** said her neighbours in phnom penh were two ang moh men who brought cambodian women back every night]
Disturbed at the kids swarming around us, Clement bought US$5 of rat meat satay for them. I told him it was lucky we were leaving or we'd have half the kids in Phnom Penh around our lunch table within the hour. Meanwhile I had a stick of rat meat satay. It was very oily, oozing with oil and with many pieces of fat, and it was sweet like all Khmer food, marinated in some red sweet and sour sauce.
We then went to the Palace, with the Silver Pagoda.
Palace
No ??? sign.
If anyone can figure out what this sign is telling viewers is forbidden in the palace compound, please tell me. Some possibilities I considered but ruled out: women (this is a patriarchal planet after all), white women (they only want white men since they can stimulate the economy through patronising local women), sunglasses, shawls
Various palace buildings
We had an annoying time getting to the Silver Pagoda (famous for having silver tiles), chiefly because it was not labelled as such on the complex map (but as "The Temple of the Emerald Buddha"). Maybe the authorities wanted tourists to wander around the complex, taking in the sites and of course buying drinks from the concessionaires to rehydrate themselves.
Silver Pagoda
Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the Silver Pagoda. I believe this was to prevent photographic documentation of their dirty little secret: scotch tape was used to stick the tiles together (or had been used for this purpose in the recent past, leaving marks).
Stupas
A King on a horse
Presumably Elephant Place was the square outside
Hagiography of one of their kings: "His Majesty the King Jayavarman VII. 'The King was suffering from the diseases of his subjects more than his because it is the pain of a people which makes the pain of the King, and not his own one.'"
For once the French is shorter than the English, but I think this is because they're more fluent in it and anyway it says less.
[Tim the Great: lit
it's public suffering that causes the suffering of the King and not his own suffering]
Someone said near the palace he'd seen them selling rat-shaped and rat-sized pieces of meat grilling above a charcoal grill. He thought they might be guinea pigs but I pointed out this was not Latin America. Hurr hurr.
Some of us then returned to the hotel because we were old farts and not interested in roaming the market to buy more "Same Same. But Different" (wth - I don't get it) T-shirts.
The doggie kept running into our room
I was a bit hungry before we left for the airport at about 6, so I went out looking for rat meat again.
I didn't find it, but I did find a pushcart stall selling Chinese-style fried dough things:
A mini-youtiao, a fried pao with spring roll filling and egg inside, a three-sided shape with sesame seeds (the inside was a bit like a cornbread muffin) and a fried minced rat meat roll.
ACBC
Baiting the doggie
We then left for the airport.
Cambodian pseudo-tuktuks
At the immigration area there was a sign: "Nothing to pay here". So much for the local culture of corruption, hurr hurr.
While passing through airport security, I was subject to a faintly embarrasing episode. While I was going through the metal detector, it beeped. I didn't know what was up - till I remembered I'd taken some condoms from the restaurant toilet the previous day for kicks and had left them in my pocket. On my removing them, the security person gave me a knowing look (not that there's anything to know). Hurr hurr.
Cunning Linguist playing with the condom packet
This was supposed to be Creme Brulee but under the skin it was like custard.
At the gate after they tore our boarding passes they gave us the long end back rather than the short.
Quotes:
[On a game with weird hand actions] My colleague was asking me: 'Are you a girl? You don't know how to do'
[On anything that doesn't kill you making you stronger] My great grandmother used to say that... 'Why you fall down you make so much noise?'... [When I pointed out that she complained when she fell down, she retorted:] 'Young people fall down good. Old people fall down can die!'
[On being told we'd get our food in 10 minutes after half an hour] Wah, I can smell garlic. [Student 2: That means they're just starting to cook.]
The dualities... Post-colonialist discourse. Multi-levels of normative discourse embedded into- [Student 2: Bullshit]
Day 6 (28/9) - Palace (Part 2)
Cambodia must be the first place I've been in that doesn't use coins - there's even a 100 Rial note (2.5 American cents). Maybe it's to stop people melting down the coins for metal.
I am not a Southeast Asia person. This is because I am Orientalist and Ethnocentric, and not because it's hot, humid, dirty and there're few of the ancient ruins and great museums I dig.
After the museum we went for lunch.
For some reason, no cafes or restaurants seemed to serve Khmer breakfasts. This put me in mind of Crete, where English breakfasts were much more common than Greek breakfasts. Perhaps people feel conservative early in the morning.
I had no idea what the difference between "Coca Cola" and "Coca Can" was. Meanwhile, someone asked for 7-up and they said they only had Sprite. Gah.
There were lots of kids coming up to us at lunch to sell us pirated Lonely Planets for US$2. Makes you wonder how much profit the company earns.
I had a milkshake which was good in a low class sort of way (kind of like a Ramly burger), since although it was nice and rich, I could taste the artificial off-vanilla flavouring. So I gave it my "bagus!" endorsement. Unfortunately, the cup promotes war. How insensitive, given the country's recent past!
Someone pointed out how the roof looks like the sea, and the treetops like trees on a desert island.
People kun-ing under the soporific effects of the climate (and perhaps the night of conviviality)
All KO-ing. I don't know why Weilong looks so stunned.
Then it started raining.
Kids in the rain. Notice the topless girl encouraging child sex prostitution.
Please, Sir, can I have some more?
Food screwups seemed to be part of local culture and thus something we couldn't interrogate or problematise. The far table of 7 (with all the sleeping people) got only 2 dishes of the 4 the other tables got, so they ended up drinking lots of soup. We ended up giving them some of our food - here we see a mystery hand scraping Fish Amok sauce. Here would be a vaguely appropriate time to note that Cambodian food is all sweet (including the Chinese-style vegetable stir-fries).
By the end of the day, my total of Ang Moh men with Local women had risen to 8 for the whole trip; I went past one room in the hotel and I saw a Cambodian woman inside, and an Ang Moh man going in.
[Someone: *** said her neighbours in phnom penh were two ang moh men who brought cambodian women back every night]
Disturbed at the kids swarming around us, Clement bought US$5 of rat meat satay for them. I told him it was lucky we were leaving or we'd have half the kids in Phnom Penh around our lunch table within the hour. Meanwhile I had a stick of rat meat satay. It was very oily, oozing with oil and with many pieces of fat, and it was sweet like all Khmer food, marinated in some red sweet and sour sauce.
We then went to the Palace, with the Silver Pagoda.
Palace
No ??? sign.
If anyone can figure out what this sign is telling viewers is forbidden in the palace compound, please tell me. Some possibilities I considered but ruled out: women (this is a patriarchal planet after all), white women (they only want white men since they can stimulate the economy through patronising local women), sunglasses, shawls
Various palace buildings
We had an annoying time getting to the Silver Pagoda (famous for having silver tiles), chiefly because it was not labelled as such on the complex map (but as "The Temple of the Emerald Buddha"). Maybe the authorities wanted tourists to wander around the complex, taking in the sites and of course buying drinks from the concessionaires to rehydrate themselves.
Silver Pagoda
Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the Silver Pagoda. I believe this was to prevent photographic documentation of their dirty little secret: scotch tape was used to stick the tiles together (or had been used for this purpose in the recent past, leaving marks).
Stupas
A King on a horse
Presumably Elephant Place was the square outside
Hagiography of one of their kings: "His Majesty the King Jayavarman VII. 'The King was suffering from the diseases of his subjects more than his because it is the pain of a people which makes the pain of the King, and not his own one.'"
For once the French is shorter than the English, but I think this is because they're more fluent in it and anyway it says less.
[Tim the Great: lit
it's public suffering that causes the suffering of the King and not his own suffering]
Someone said near the palace he'd seen them selling rat-shaped and rat-sized pieces of meat grilling above a charcoal grill. He thought they might be guinea pigs but I pointed out this was not Latin America. Hurr hurr.
Some of us then returned to the hotel because we were old farts and not interested in roaming the market to buy more "Same Same. But Different" (wth - I don't get it) T-shirts.
The doggie kept running into our room
I was a bit hungry before we left for the airport at about 6, so I went out looking for rat meat again.
I didn't find it, but I did find a pushcart stall selling Chinese-style fried dough things:
A mini-youtiao, a fried pao with spring roll filling and egg inside, a three-sided shape with sesame seeds (the inside was a bit like a cornbread muffin) and a fried minced rat meat roll.
ACBC
Baiting the doggie
We then left for the airport.
Cambodian pseudo-tuktuks
At the immigration area there was a sign: "Nothing to pay here". So much for the local culture of corruption, hurr hurr.
While passing through airport security, I was subject to a faintly embarrasing episode. While I was going through the metal detector, it beeped. I didn't know what was up - till I remembered I'd taken some condoms from the restaurant toilet the previous day for kicks and had left them in my pocket. On my removing them, the security person gave me a knowing look (not that there's anything to know). Hurr hurr.
Cunning Linguist playing with the condom packet
This was supposed to be Creme Brulee but under the skin it was like custard.
At the gate after they tore our boarding passes they gave us the long end back rather than the short.
Quotes:
[On a game with weird hand actions] My colleague was asking me: 'Are you a girl? You don't know how to do'
[On anything that doesn't kill you making you stronger] My great grandmother used to say that... 'Why you fall down you make so much noise?'... [When I pointed out that she complained when she fell down, she retorted:] 'Young people fall down good. Old people fall down can die!'
[On being told we'd get our food in 10 minutes after half an hour] Wah, I can smell garlic. [Student 2: That means they're just starting to cook.]
The dualities... Post-colonialist discourse. Multi-levels of normative discourse embedded into- [Student 2: Bullshit]
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