Wednesday, August 27, 2008 . 8:44 AM

It's not that I haven't been free to blog, I just didn't have any topics to blog about. While I can wail about how uninteresting my life is, but the topic has been covered so many times in so many ways that it bores even me.

But this morning, boredom hits a new level and I decide to just try to write nonsense. And apparently, writing nonsense is more difficult than it seems.

It's particularly boring this morning because my colleagues didn't turn up to work. See, we sit in a cluster of 4 and being the odd one out in my own department, I'm stuck sitting with 3 people from the Parts department. 2 people are missing and... I'm bored.

Huh. It just occurred to me that I can never advertise this blog or I'll never be employed again. I spend wayyyy too much time blogging during working hours. I just can't be bothered to do these things at home. I spent almost 24 hours online during my secondary & poly days IRC-ing, surfing fansites for my favourite authors, HK dramas and gorgeous HK actors (Edison Chen! Nicholas Tse!) and I'm just not interested now.

My readers (Aaron, Sharon) would be interested to know that I picked up photoshopping because I wanted to do posters of cute actors. So geeky, but my photoshop skills still comes in damn handy, ok? Besides, Aaron was part of an anime fan-subbing group, so he'll be a fine one to speak if he dares call me a geek. And Sharon... well, I can always threaten to tell her parents that she smokes if she calls me a geek? Wahahahaha... I love a good blackmail.

Yah, anyway, I still remember the good old days (meaning back in poly days when one has too much time on hand) when I used to chat with fellow incorrigible HK fans like myself and squeal about how cute this and that actor is. We all talked online and became sort of MSN pals. We even started a website together! But that didn't last long, eventually we all lost interest and one of them caught pneumonia and died. Oh yeah, about this girl who died? I still don't quite believe the story.

If I sound hard-hearted here, I'm sorry. But the story just seems a bit ridiculous. She caught puenmonia and quickly succumbed to it. While she was hospitalised, her sister or her boyfriend would update the group of us her status via MSN. Since we never called or visit each other (hello, different countries) we have never seen this girl or her sister or boyfriend. So... I mean, if I die back then, no one would inform my online friends that I'm dead lor.

So yeah. I tend to judge others by the way I would behave. So critical but can't be helped. I've got a Virgo on 8th House Cusp. Wahahaha... I just fancied saying that.

Nonsense is really hard to write.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008 . 10:59 AM

We can't in the end have every household in Singapore own a car, like in America... But what we can do is to have the roads free-flowing and a first-class public transport system for everybody. -- Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Being in the automotive industry, I have to get a little depressed when I hear that cuz, what about my bonus?!. The aspiring yuppie in me also despair because I can hear the 'pop' that tells me that my bubble has been burst. But the Earthling that I am rejoices because it means I'm helping to save the environment.

I don't mind taking the public transport that much. Maybe I hate the shoving and squeezing during peak hour. And the inaccessibility of certain places (Siglap, Geyland, Punggol...) but I've survived with them for so long, certainly I can do without them.

However, I have to point out the sad and cruel fact that our public transport system is anything but first-class.

Since our PM does not like comparing ourselves with US, then how about Taiwan or better yet, Hong Kong? We love pitting ourselves against HK anyway as THE Business Centre.

And compared to both countries' public transport system, ours is pathetic. I haven't been to HK before, but Taipei's public transport is an eye-opener. People actually keep to the right, leaving the left free for those rushing for trains. If you are a clueless foreigner, you'll quickly learn their ways because they're not afraid to teach you the right way.

And then there's the little matter of people queuing to get into trains. How uber cool is that? Imagine, no aunties digging their meaty elbows into your ribcage, stomping on your foot with their Bata slippers and tripping you up with their groceries to be one step ahead of you to get into the train and their asses on the limited edition seats.

If your perfect public transport world is merely courtesy on the trains, you have got it in Taipei. And if your perfect world is accessibility, well, Taipei is still the answer. I took train EVERYWHERE. All their major tourist spots have their dedicated MRT station. Except maybe Miramir and PS Bubu. But everywhere else, I happily climbed onboard the train and let it take me where I want to go.

Now Singapore... we need to build our trains faster. Holland is a cool place to hang out, but I have only been there twice. Why? Cuz it freaking takes me hours to get there. I don't have a direct service there cuz Yishun is apparently The End of Singapore and there's no need for people to get into Yishun and neither is it necessary for us to get out. I feel discriminated against.

Show me more accessibility in our 'first-class' public transport and sure, I'll stop hankering after a hunk of metal with 4 wheels with a cat/horse emblem at its front.

-----------------------------------------------------

Just for you, Sharon. *wink*

Monday, August 18, 2008 . 8:30 AM

Weekend passed in a whirl. I woke late on Saturday (as usual) and it was pouring. That strangely made me feel better about waking late cuz rainy days are made for sleeping in.

Then, for the first time in a long long time, I hit town on a Saturday. Sharon and I had dinner and then, for want of better things to do, we sat in front of the MRT station and chatted. And people-watched.

And came to the following conclusions:

1. The only people who came to town on weekends anymore are all below the age of 22.
2. Singaporean men are skinny and desperately need to improve their dress sense.
3. If we ever want to be attached, we need to lower our standards. By a large margin.
4. We'll really rather be in Taipei, Ximending.
5. Boys/Men really shouldn't be sporting skinny jeans in jellybeans color. It's unnatural.

We sat there for 2-3 hours and Sharon bumped into 2 friends. I bumped into no one. That should hardly be surprising since I don't have many friends and Sharon has tonnes. Which is why her chances of finding a partner should be significantly higher than mine. But why aren't her friends introducing eligible bachelors to her? I'm her friend, but unless she wants MM, I don't know any other single, available men.

Is that the case for most people? They simply don't know anyone good enough for their friends.

So then who else can we rely on to introduce a man who can be a potential candidate to share his DNA with for your progeny? Our government seems to think that our parents hold the key.

You know the NTUC ad that said mother knows best? Well, our PM Lee wants us to take that literally and listen to our parents when it comes to seeking our life partners. And where did he learn such... progressive methods of matchmaking? Where else but in China?

You know, since they're holding the Olympics this year and have such a large population, they MUST know the secret to floating falling birth rates, never mind their disastrous one-child policy.

Seriously, why don't we just bind the feet of young girls now while we're at it?

I really don't have an issue with the government establishing SDU (for graduates ONLY), even if I think it's the ultimate elitist behaviour. What? We're not good enough if we're ONLY Diploma holders? Suppose if we inter-breed with the graduates we'll produce less than sterling offsprings and ruin the Republic?

But I had organised events for SDU and know what kind of members they have, so I can hazard a guess that maybe the government is really trying to protect us from them...

Anyhow, the big question is, do we really have to end up going back to traditional methods to get hitched? Do parents really know what is best for their children? Is the freedom to choose our life partner over-rated? It looks like the more choices we have, the more we find it hard to choose.

I, for one, believe that there's a better man out there than this sad, pathetic bunch who vie for seats with old ladies on trains. It's a common sight if you actually take public transport. For some reason, though they might be suit-wearing, PDA-totting, they are still unable to read the 'Priority Seat' sign. Gosh, did we go through a different education system? I didn't have trouble reading the sign at all. Or perhaps you don't recognise the signs of old age?

Let me give you some clues: usually gray hair, wrinkles and awful sense of balance ups the chances of these people being eldery. And those women with protruding stomachs? Well, I have news for you, they didn't just swallow a cow, they're probably trying to do what the government has been telling us is our civic duty. Like give birth to future leaders.

And what are you stupid men doing? You orgasmed and that's it. You don't have to suffer morning sickness, bloatedness, cramps and agonizing pain during labour. You don't have to go without showering for a month after labor or breast-feed. You experience pleasure and then you're job is done, how fair is that? So you definitely DO NOT need a seat on the train more than the pregnant woman in front of you does!

And I wonder why I'm still single... I don't think I want my child to have any of those traits in her genetic make-up. It would be a complete sin and I'm an evil enough person as it is.

Nope, unless I find a saintly man who gives up his seat on the train to the eldery and pregnant ladies, I'm staying single. Oh, and thanks but no thanks mom, you know better than to set me up with anyone. SDU? Don't make me laugh.

Friday, August 15, 2008 . 2:26 PM

Friday. I'm sleepy.

Usually, I'm more vocal about my love for Fridays, what with it being the last working day of the week and all. But today, I'm simply worn out from too much food and not enough work-out.

Yes, I know how that sounds: sick.

But I can't help it. I feel guilty about the amount of food I've put into myself. Don't ask me what they were, I don't want to remember. But a couple of items involved pork floss and deep frying... *drool*

Aaron pinged me this morning to comment that I must have loved 8day's theme (Ah-Lian) this week. How utterly and completely evil. But that's my friend for you. I learnt the finer nuances of Evilness from His Royal Bitchness, you see. Anyway, I think everyone needs to have their eyes (and brain) checked.

I am not LIAN. Not at all. If anything, I'm a NERD.

Yes, I'm a nerd and you know what? I'm damn proud of it. I even have the glasses to prove it. Plus I'll choose a good book over a night out any night; my room is dusty because of the sheer amount of books sitting in a corner gathering dust. And... and I don't paint my nails (anymore).

That's a true sign of nerdiness ok?!

I'll really rather tackle nerdiness than lianness because nerdiness is in now! Look at Kahlil Fong. He epitomes nerd-cool. He's not a goodlooking guy but I'll date him without hesitation if he asks ('if he asks' being the key). He's got such a smooth voice... yum~

So yes, I like nerds quite a fair bit. Much than than bengs. Or those ABC-wannabes. Or Angmoh Pais like Aaron. No, I don't like those and I suspect that the feeling's mutual. At least until now, my target audience never venture far from bengs and uncles. Very sad I know. But I could do worse... how? Don't ask me, I don't know either, but I'm trying hard to console myself here!!!

I kind of figured out (finally?) what my real problem is.

You know those people who experiment with drugs because of their curiosity? Nope, not me.

Or those who invent magical stuff like telephone and plane because they're curious about what it would be like to have ? Not me either.

Those who slipped into wonderous daydreams while going through their mundane lives, wondering 'what if'? Now, that's closer to me.

See, the thing is, I don't like getting hurt. I know, nobody likes getting hurt, except those who're into S&M, so why should that be my excuse? But I'm not trying to find an excuse, I'm just trying to find the cause of the rut I've fallen into. So I can attempt/pretend to dig myself out.

In my 25 years, I have never sprain any part of my body before. Neither have I fracture anything, not even a finger. I say that like it's a bad thing, but I think that people who live in the moment would inevitably get hurt. And because they get hurt, their capacity to deal with pain increase. I don't have that ability because I've been too worried considering the depth and cause of the would-be pain.

Instead of living life, I think about it. All I seem to do is think. And then whine.

God, I'm becoming one of those unbearable people who doesn't take charge of their life to effect change and instead complain endlessly about the lot handed out to them. Instead of giving it my best shot since I've only been given one chance, I groan and complain bitterly.

Shit.

I am what I hate the most: All talk and no action!

If this is The Revelation, then it sucks major ass.

Thursday, August 14, 2008 . 9:28 AM

What is the world coming to?

I know that everyone is superficial. I have been guilty of the same charge on countless occasions, but it doesn't stop me from being judgemental. The whole episode about China using a subsitute for chubby-and-unattractive Yang Peiyi during the Beijing Olympics ceremony is the stuff reality is made of.

Let's take a look at the alleged Ugly and Pretty.



What the hell?

How can anyone look at Yang and see HIDEOUS written on it? She looks as a child should, bashful and sweet, radiating innocence in her pretty eyes. What's so wrong with looking like a kid? She's just 7 years old and probably untainted by the harsh realities of life. That is until the best thing that happened to her turned out to be the worst.

I hate to imagine how the organisers told her the bad news.

"Sorry, you're too ugly to be shown to the rest of the world, so we'll have to bring in someone else. Oh, by the way, she can't sing so we'll be using your voice. What do you mean why we're using her? Obviously because she's prettier and that's all we care about."

The confidence and self-image of a child, crushed so callously. And we wonder why our youths are so shallow nowadays. When you have shallow leaders setting such sterling examples, how can their people be expected to behave otherwise?

As if young people don't already have other issues to deal with, like 'Doing better than their peers in school'. Do they have to introduce the beauty competition so early on?

Give them a break. They'll find out how obsessed the world is with beauty soon enough. You need only to open the papers to see it. They probably already have a hint of it in school where teachers probably treat pretty kids nicer than plain ones.

All I'm asking is not to hit them over the head with the brutal truth.

And when they're all grown-up and can appreciate how 'ugly' they can, I ask that society doesn't judge when they decide to take charge of their own lives and undergo cosmetics surgery.

If by changing the size of your nose or dissolving a couple of inches off your waist, you can change your life, why not? And it's your life, no one else has the right to judge. They aren't the ones who have to look into the mirror everyday and they're not the ones who have to live your life - be it crappy or otherwise.

We're into free will right? Then I say give people the right to alter their bodies and stop judging them because they have the guts to do it. But, if you want to judge whether the surgery was a success or failure, then by all means.

I accept that people would inevitably say, 'She did her nose? The surgeon not so good ah?' but I can't stand the hypocrisy of 'She's quite pretty hor? Oh, the nose fake one ah? Eeeee... then not nice liao.'

What do you mean 'not nice'? A pretty face is a pretty face, how can a face initially judged as attractive suddenly not be when you find out that it's not God-given?

Besides, lots of hard work have gone in the man-made face that you look down your nose on. First, money has to be earned to pay for the freaking expensive surgery. Then the doctor has to do the work. Then the after surgery care. Think it's easy to be attractive?

Think again.

Being born pretty suddenly seems so unfair now, doesn't it? But, beauty doesn't last forever. If you want to extend the lifespan of your beauty, don't you need skincare? Isn't that man-made? What about cosmetics?

Let's face it. Nothing is natural anymore. So quit judging what's real and what's not.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 . 8:30 AM

爱情转移 -- 陈亦迅
徘徊过多少橱窗
住过多少旅馆，
才会觉得分离也并不冤枉，
感情是用来浏览，还是用来珍藏，
好让日子天天都过的难忘，
熬过了多少患难，湿了多少眼眶，
才能知道伤感是爱的遗产，
流浪过几张双人床，换过几次信仰，
才让戒指义无反顾的交换
把一个人的温暖转移到另一个人的胸膛，
让上次犯的错反省出梦想，
每个人都是这样，享受过提心吊胆，
才拒绝做爱情代罪的羔羊
回忆是找不到的月光握紧就变黑暗
等虚假的背影消失于晴朗
阳光在身上流转，等所有业障被原谅
爱情不停站，向开往地老天荒，需要多勇敢

烛光照亮了晚餐，照不出个答案
恋爱不是温馨的请客吃饭，
床单上铺满花瓣，拥抱让他成长，
太拥挤就开到了别的土壤
感情需要人接班，接近换来期望，
期望带来失望的恶性循环，
短暂的总是浪漫，漫长总会不满
烧完美好青春换一个老伴，
把一个人的温暖转移到另一个人的胸膛，
让上次犯的错反省出梦想，
每个人都是这样，享受过提心吊胆，
才拒绝做爱情代罪的羔羊
回忆是找不到的月光握紧就变黑暗
等虚假的背影消失于晴朗
阳光在身上流转，等所有业障被原谅
爱情不停站，向开往地老天荒，需要多勇敢

把一个人的温暖转移到另一个人的胸膛，
让上次犯的错反省出梦想，
每个人都是这样，享受过提心吊胆，
才拒绝做爱情代罪的羔羊
回忆是找不到的月光握紧就变黑暗
等虚假的背影消失于晴朗
阳光在身上流转，等所有业障被原谅
爱情不停站，向开往地老天荒，需要多勇敢
你不要失望，
荡气回肠是为了
最美的平凡

Breathtaking lyrics if you can read/understand Chinese. Sometimes I think the Chinese language is a way more descriptive language than English, maybe that's why it's so hard to master. But I could be biased, since it is my mother tongue and all.

The song to the lyrics above is sung by Eason Chan. I've never really been a fan, despite him sweeping award after award in major music awards' ceremony. Maybe I've just been too mainstream for Eason. He is, after all, into pushing limits and trying out new sounds. Once in a while, his more radio-friendly hits will make its way into my playlist and this song seems destinied to stay on that list for a while.

While we're on the topic of songs and musicians, I might as well rave about Khalil Fong and Fiona Sit. I don't know how these HK record companies work, but it seems that they are fond of pairing female and male singers together for duet. They enjoy using the same pairing - maybe to hint at (non-existent) romance between them for the paparazzi's benefit and to boost the singers' popularity?

Anyway, I'm rather impressed by Fong & Fiona... let's call them F2. (I'm such a riot.) I heard their (sorta) live performance on One Million Star and was blown away. Bloody hell, they can harmonize! I was riveted the whole time they were singing, which is more than I can say for the song he dueted with one of the contestants.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh. With F2's familiarity, they would perform well. It would be a shock and disgrace if they didn't since I understand that they perform together on a regular basis. Whereas the poor contestant only had a few days' of practice. She did quite well... but had nothing on Fiona Sit.

Have a listen, judge for yourself.

Khalil Fong & Contestant -- 四人遊


F2 -- 復刻回憶


BONUS!! F2 -- 四人遊

Tuesday, August 05, 2008 . 11:03 AM

What a shock it is to realize that there are Twilighters out there who didn't enjoy the book as much or more than I did.

I spent the weekend reading the 4th and last book in Meyer's Twilight series. I was so obsessed that I started reading from 8pm till 4am on Sat, then woke up at 9am on Sun to finish the book. I simply couldn't bear the thought of facing Monday without knowing what happens to Edward, Bella and Jacob. When the clerk at Popular bookstore told me that the book was already in store, it was all I could do not to climb onto the counter and start doing a celebratory dance.

That would have been quite a sight, I'm sure.

But my obsession with Twilight went further than that. Imagine this:

Lgging on to StephenieMeyer.com once a day to stare at the countdown counter, hoping it would miraculously 2nd August already. Pre-ordering Breaking Dawn (something I thought I would never do after the end of HP series) and re-reading the first 3 books in Twilight to prepare myself for the last installment. Scouring websites for any teensy weensy bit of info about Stephenie Meyer talking about her experience writing the book, how she felt about her characters, the up-coming movie... and fanatically dodging any article that remotely hinted at any spoiler for the new book because I don't want anything to spoil the plot for me. I don't want to know anything until I read it for myself in the book.

If that doesn't scream fan behaviour, I don't know what does.

To be honest, I didn't and still don't understand the comparison to J.K. Rowling's HP series. Granted, both series are set in the fantasy realm and both are targeted (successfully) at young adult readers, but have also found an older following. That's where the comparison ends.

Edward and Bella's story is about 2 outsiders who realized that they're 2 halves of a whole. Except, if he ever lost his steely control, he would be as likely to kill her as love her. Theirs is essentially a love story, you know, the epic kind because it is forbidden and therefore deliciously seductive. It's fascinating how Edward, an immortal, strong and beautiful beyond your wildest imagination, is brought low by a mere mortal. He meets Bella, wonderfully flawed and multi-faceted, and she becomes the chink in his armor.

Which woman doesn't want to be the only weak spot of an exceptionally strong man? Except Bella not only tempt Edward's stone-cold heart, she also whets his bloody appetite. Whenever he looks at her or smells her, he's wrecked with the uncontrollable need to protect her and over-whelming desire to suck her blood dry.

Talk about fire and moth. That's about as close as you can get and I, along with millions of other people, are suckers (haha!) for it.

I'm not doing a recount of the book (go buy and read it!) but I am happy with how the story turned out. I think the last book is a coming-of-age story, of how Bella grew into herself and realized her full potential, rather than a pure romance story, like the first 3 books.

In previous books, she had always been protrayed as strong. Yes, even turning zombie after Edward left doesn't weaken her because she is only human and Edward is her soulmate. How do you survive when part of your soul has been ripped out? So, forgive her for being human and look at her other extraordinary traits. Like how she always put people she loved before herself and display courage and immense inner strength under fire. All these traits (and more) come through in the final book.

I think I understand why some readers might not find BD as gripping as previous books. For younger readers, it might be due to the slightly more mature theme and understated romance. Instead of the drama imbued in previous books, I think we got a more grounded relationship. They are no longer BellaEdward? but BellaEdward. That is significant because being in love is more than just the butterflies in the stomach and the fire in the touch. There has to be something more sustaining - like trust, respect, affection, tolerance, maybe a dash of blindness... but you get the point. Being in love isn't effortless, you work at it until you get damn near perfection and that, I think, is what Meyer is saying in her latest book.

Except marital troubles come in monstrous forms (literally) for our favorite couple.

I think, Edward and Bella are to the 21st Century what Romeo and Juliet are to the Shakespearan era, only with fangs.