meet the new boss, same as the old boss

today marks the beginning of 9 days of pure torture as i get a taste of what it's like to go to work every single day of the week. and on top of that i get the bonus of having a "boss" that i really, really loathe with a passion.


here's absconded future reporting, from sunny serangoon, singapore:

pet peeve no.1
being stuck in a train like a can of sardines at rush hour in the morning - highly toxic gaseous mixture of over-perfumed people and sweaty douches pose serious health risks.

pet peeve no.2
changing to the north-east line at outram park station - i'd rather get stabbed in the eye with a pencil, period.

pet peeve no.3
staying awake on red bull - i swear this stuff will kill me some day.

pet peeve no.4
unresponsive subject - after days of painstaking tutoring, subject (student) still dumb as a nut, possessing the brain capacity of a snail, with memory worse than a sloth.

pet peeve no.5
having to see subject every day for the next 8 days - i'm doing it for pure materialistic reasons and nothing else. oddly enough it feels like charity work. subject doesn't deserve my energy.


that's all from absconded future. until next time.


+listening to: won't get fooled again by the who

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one last time

oh where, oh where, can my baby be?
the lord took her away from me.
she's gone to heaven, so i've got to be good.
so i can see my baby when i leave this world.

when i woke up the rain was pourin down.
there were people standin all around.
something warm flowing through my eyes.
but somehow i found my baby that night.

+listening to: last kiss by pearl jam

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i found it!

i found it, i found it! after days of hunting around, and helplessly asking people who mostly didn't have a clue about what i was talking about, i chanced upon what i have been looking for at suntec today. will go down there again and get it done tomorrow and hopefully i could collect them next week. fingers crossed that they'll look good when they come out.

presents-shopping progress hasn't been that good. only got some stupid toys for the kids today and they cost a bomb. kids nowadays are so pampered. hopefully i will have time to look for a present for mom again.

tomorrow is the supposed "farewell" dinner for me. i feel kinda embarrassed to be honest. it's weird, having to say goodbye so early because i probably won't see some people again for a long time.

and also, yuxiang is having his knee surgery tomorrow. hope it goes smoothly. will pay him a surprise visit after lunch at the hospital (okay it's pre-planned and he probably knows about it).

it's 2am and i'm still cultivating my own nonsense. still awake, i continue to move along...


+listening to: i can't help falling in love by pearl jam

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the world grinds on

north korea will soon be taken off united states' terror list:
score 1 for the yanks, nil for kim jong-il

the US supreme court overturned a ban on handguns in washington d.c.:
score 1 for the gun-loving rednecks, nil for rest

how ironic then that while the united states has finally succeeded in getting one of the "axis of evil" to give up its nuclear program, it hasn't come to terms with the interpretation of its own constitution regarding the right to bear arms.


a lot of times, things happen that don't make any sense at all. and then there are other times that our prayers seem to be answered. i don't get the most heavily armed nation in the world and its obsessions with guns. on one hand they seem to advocate justice and equality for all throughout our civilized world while on the other hand propagating its ideals and expanding its interests by all means necessary, including violence.

and once in a while when the clear and present call to arms does come knocking in genuine situations such as the occurrence of some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity in recent history, the world's only superpower had repeatedly turned into the benevolent creature who rather pressed for passive diplomacy instead. the images of rwanda, darfur,burma... need i say more?

don't get me wrong, i'm not against america per se. but the headlines piss me off sometimes. it's the notion that in the land of the free, people can do as they please as long as they deem the acts justifiable. even with the explicit separation of powers, where the three estates of the executive, legislative and judiciary branches are designed to create checks and balances, events can be allowed occur that defy all common sense.

and so we're left with the fourth estate: the press. thank god that the freedom of press is still guranteed under the constitution. or... is it? in this day and age journalists seem to have a penchant for turning a blind eye (or at least a partially blind eye) to the moral compass that is supposed to guide them in reporting on the most pressing and relevent issues with the utmost integrity. ethics then have at times played second fiddle to fame, ratings and profits while newspapers reported on stories that would be guranteed to sell.

darwin might have come up with the theory of gentic evolution, but what he didn't forsee is the invisible but certain de-volution of morals. what will become of us in a million years? call me cynical, or a hypocrite or whatever you like. i'm just another brick in the wall of this ongoing de-volution.


+listening to: bombay vindaloo by dream theater

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uninspired

today i felt aimless, like all wednesdays.

so i went to kinokuniya after work to refresh myself. it's been a loooooonnnnggg while since i've been in a bookstore. surrounded by the myriad of interesting things. the shelves have changed faces; titles once familar have been replaced with strange sounding euphemisms of even more perculiar phenonmena. one reads "Group Theory in the Bedroom, and Other Mathematical Diversions". interesting.


over dinner with a couple of good friends, the topic of time came up again. somehow it's always about time. the times that we laughed joyously together, the times that we shed our tears of sorrow, the times we blew out the birthday candles, the times we consoled one another about our losses and banes. and then there's the conscious thought about the time that i have left. 2 weeks.

i can't bear to think about it. so i listen: to those chunky riffs, the recurring double-triplets of the kick-drum, and that lingering melancholic voice...

In the days of my youth,
I was told what it was to be a man.
Now I've reached the age
I've tried to do all those things the best I can.
No matter how I try,
I find my way to do the same old jam.

Good times, bad times,
You know I had my share.
...

+listening to: good times bad times by led zeppelin

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wtfish?

Disclaimer: Reader discretion advised: Objectionable/Graphic content. May cause permanent psychological trauma.

It's been hell for the last 24 hours...

after 3 pairs of underpants, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 stack of newspaper, 1 computer chair, countless trips to the loo and i'm still feeling a bit queezy.

the trouble started on sunday night, when i went out for dinner with a bunch of friends and we ate at the manhattan fish market outlet in plaza singapura. and i remember choosing what was labelled as "Butter Cod" on the menu as my choice of fish. and to my delight it was delicious.

but on the way home, my stomach was grumbling all the way and when i finally reached home i had a minor episode of diarrhoea. nothing too serious, so i thought it must have been the bus being really cold and all.

nothing happened again after over the next 24 hours as i felt completely fine... and that's until last night. i started having these gassy farts and good golly they smell rancid. and then the wet farts came. yes, i'd never thought i'd see the day that this happened to me. it's not exactly a wet wet fart, it's just that everytime you fart, it leaves a little oily stain on your clothes. and it's BRIGHT ORANGE.

i started to freak out. and was thinking of going to the doctors. but then just to be sure i went and did a search on the internet. boy was i pissed off. i found out that what i was experiencing was directly linked to what i ate.


"Butter Cod" aka Escolar aka Orange Roughy is the culprit. the orange oily farts are caused by wax esters. it makes up 20 percent of the fish's body weight and humans CANNOT digest this oily substance. wax esters are there in the place of the good omega-3 fatty acids. i think it's because the fish is from deeper water.

WHY SELL THE STUFF IF IT DOES WHAT IT DOES? gee, i wonder why they call it Orange Roughy.

If it wasn't for the information i found i would've gone to the ER thinking the worst. and there i was sitting on a stack of newspaper with a paper towel folded in my crack last night debating whether or not i should risk sleeping. the thought of going downstairs to get a tampon and put it against my bum cheeks did cross my mind but I wouldn't be able to look at myself straight in the mirror ever again if i'd done that.

so kudos to manhattan fish market for not telling me the dangers of that motherf*cking piece of shit of a fish. here's a F*ck You too.

and whatever you do, DO NOT eat Escolar/Butter Cod/Orange Roughy/Slimhead and whatever other names they call it. even god can't save you from this one.

no, seriously. there's no cure/medication. you'll just have to wait for it to go away.


+listening to: come away with me by norah jones

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is there an option C?

as i opened google reader this morning, several identical news flashes were at the top of the pile of the latest updates. and the title reads: CBS Poll: Race, Age Are Issues For Voters.

i secretly chuckled to myself. has america ever been presented with a more atypical electoral dilemma like this before? even in the lead up to the official announcements of candidacy by both parties, the bizarre and eclectic mix of a blac... pardon me, african-american, a woman, an old hack/former POW, a mormon among other interesting characters in the primaries were enough to make many people's head spin in circles.


thus it is no surprise that the final duo of the strongest nominees both present major points of contention. one guy "has got a funny name, and did i mention he is black?" while the other seems to think that the correct answer to the question "what should america be looking for in our next president?" is "certainly, someone who is very, very, very old."

the only thing that's certain is that i'm not amused by the humour of either.

so the question on many people's mind remains: the black dude or the 71-year-old? it's really a tough call. the cbs poll shows that 30 percent of voters admit to having racial prejudices and find john mccain's age to be problematic.

research have also shown that white voters are less likely to reveal their racial prejudices in polls before the actual election. this may seem advantageous to mccain riding on a less-than-stellar performance in the primaries and lagging behind hugely in campaign funding donations to obama. on the other hand, is america ready for the oldest first term president in its history? and then there are the fundatmental questions of the merits of electing either. will obama pay more attention to the neglected poor and the african-american community because of his background? will mccain show more concern for the ailing health care system taking into account his age? there's only questions and no real answers.

in fact, some have resorted to discussing about the prospect of alternative theories: what if the nominees hadn't been these two? what then? the answer is pretty straight forward actually and could be presented in the form of another question: would you have preferred a woman and a mormon? those choices aren't exactly no-brainers either.

i think it's high time that the american people stop living in a bubble. the reality is that the whole world is evolving. and with changing times, the civil prejudices that have dogged them in the past like race, gender, religion, etc. cannot continue to be the sole impetus or the deciding factor of the outcomes of major choices that concern their own fate. but having said all that, do i think that race and age will be the defining crossroad of this election? MOST DEF.

come november i'll be eagerly waiting for the result in obama's home state of illinois. seeing all the events unfold is much like watching a circus - you never know what's going to come next.


+listening to: hideaway by freddie king

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lambs to the slaughter

these past few days i've been doing some pretty strange things while sorting the mess out in my room to facilitate the much dreaded packing process come time for me to get the luggage out. and from a bunch of magazines under my bed (literally), i fished out a book that looked interestingly familiar.

it was roald dahl's collection of short stories. and being the bored soul that i was and still am, i decided that what the heck, i might as well read it again since i can't really remember any of it (if i ever even read it that is).


and as fortune (or fate) would have it, it was only short stories. i just couldn't imagine myself going through a full length book at this juncture. it's been a while since i last touched anything that even remotely resembled material worthy of actual reading.

and i finished the book cover to cover twice before realizing that i couldn't stop reading it. roald dahl had never interested me like he did other kids. i'd always been more of a tom clancy/dale brown kind of guy. but somehow i got hooked this time round. maybe it's his dark, sinister writing style, maybe it's the cynical, black-comedy sort of narrative.

and the story that stood out for me was lambs to the slaughter. somehow when you're a kid you never think too much reading these type of stories. you merely treat them as fictitious work with no apparent motive other than to entertain. but i guess as you grow older you can see the writer's intentions much more clearly and you start to hypothesize about certain hidden agendas, much like how roald dahl was trying to reflect the depravity, violence and cruelty in our societies. that's how i saw it anyway.

other than being an interesting read, the title has again inflicted memories of the good old school days. as we all know too well, this time of year is the often apprehended block tests (aka blocks) season.

the signs are ominous and those eleventh-hour buddha feet unsurprisingly in hot demand among the resident school population. besides the disappointing fact that the holidays have come to an end, most people are probably crapping their pants over the prospect of a catastrophic failure.

like lambs to the slaughter, how very appropriete.


+listening to: yer blues by jeff healey

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poms to the slaughter

the scoreline tells its own story. 44 - 12 to the all blacks as england looked on in misery. for their 2nd and final test in the series, nothing they did could stop the men in black.

the star of the show was undoubtedly daniel carter. his return to top form has been nothing short of dazzling. no matter what the english did in defence, he could seemingly carve them apart with absolute ease and grace. commanding playmaking, a flawless display of kicking and silky smooth skills with the ball in hand, he is a true class act.


the only word to describe the men in black then is "clinical". they took the chances whenever one popped up unlike the english who perhaps dilly-dallied on the ball a wee bit too much for their own good. and maybe, just maybe they lack those crucial players that could bring out the spark in their plays. just look at new zealand, the depth of pure talent in their squad is astounding.

if i were a three-year-old watching the game, i might even think that the all blacks had cheated - obviously they were BIGGER, FASTER and BETTER.


+listening to: friday on my mind by gary moore

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cake!

today was fabulous. i slept at 6am in the morning after watching the match between germany and portugal, which also happened to be the first complete match that i've seen so far for euro '08.

and at noon i headed over to weiqin's house to bake a cake. this is my first time baking a cake, and i'm really excited. needless to say, i got so excited that i actually did very little baking and mostly provided moral support for the people doing the actual work.

and also the cake was for che, whose birthday was some time back, but nontheless, better late than never.

here's me enthusiastically supporting the baking efforts

finished product!

here's a close-up

and here's the birthday boy

+listening to: east wes by eric johnson

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fresh material

finally got it together and finished the draft! it's still pretty raw though, with certain creases that need to be ironed out. but other than that it feels awesome.

anyway this song is called Disappear, and dedicated to the WM3. as usual, the chord progressions are outlined in the first verse in red.

DISAPPEAR (dedicated to the WM3)

C7M _ C __
Just seventeen.
Cadd9 _ C
Drifting,
C7M _ C
all alone.
Cadd9 _ C _ C 7M _ C
Thinking of home.
Am7 ___
Innocence.
C7M _ C _ Cadd9 _ C
Bloody murders,
C7M _ C _
who saw?
_ Cadd9 _ C _
The convictions,
C7M _ C _
who said?
G _____
Faded.


Only sixteen.
Guilty,
as charged.
Cause... I wore black?
Endless.
The confession,
forced!
Admission,
coaxed!
Torment.


Oh make it,
go away.
The pain,
the pain.
Oh make it,
disappear.
The fear,
the fear.


Mere eighteen.
To death,
be condemned.
Satan? or witch hunt?
Paradise.
Irrefutable proof?
fallacy.
And justice for all?
I wish.
Lost.


Oh make it,
go away.
Oh make it,
go away.
Oh make it,
disappear.
Just disappear.

+listening to: own thoughts

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one for the road

bacon and eggs and cereal for breakfast, wonderful. i'm really starting to enjoy this home alone thing. but... i've been getting stomach cramps all day.


i guess it's the weather. it's the first time that the weather has turned depressing in a long time. i can't even remember the last time the sky looked this dull. i guess i'll have to get used to it, since the winter in illinois will be void of decent sunshine for most days and it will snow like there's no tomorrow.

wednesday is officially the daftest day of the week for me, and somehow all the bad things seem to happen on wednesdays. i shall not start ranting about my job at this juncture, in fear of sounding rather mellowdramatic but seriously, it really gets on my nerves. plus the endless train rides and going up and down the northeast line from one end to the other, it can get real depressing.

midweek always seems the most ambiguous day of all the seven days. on one hand most people are counting down to the coming weekend after having just settled into the mundane rhythm of their meaningless lives, and on the other hand they are constantly reminded of the fact that it's only been a couple of days since the last one.

anyways i've already started chatting online with some buddies and planning some extensive road trips for next spring break! or even possibly as early as this christmas. and to think school hasn't even started yet and i'm not even in uncle sam territory, i'm kinda proud of myself.

why can't every day be one of those really happy and sunny ones? but then again i guess we all need some of those gloomy, rainy days to remind us of just how sweet the good ones are.

i wanna be a free bird.


+listening to: free bird by lynard skynard

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the misadventures of the home alone

yay i'm home alone, and will be for the next 25 days. i'm really excited. not that i haven't been home alone before but being left in charge of the whole place for close to a month is something new and liberating.

and i'm sure there will be a lot of really fun things to do, like trying my hands at actually cooking something edible for myself, waking up the dead at midnight with my favourite music, air-guitaring all over the house pretending to be a rockstar and throwing lavish theme parties all day long... erm, not quite for the parties.

anyways the incessant film watching has turned into a habit that i can't seem to kick. and my bio clock is completely messed up now. all i want to do during the day time is sleep and at night i'm like hyper-active, and i can't really stop watching them films now.

so last night i decided to re-watch some old movies that i've seen a long time ago. and in keeping with related themes/ actors/ directors, like the previous stint which involved philip hoffman, yesterday's two films were both related to sean penn.

the first one i decided to see again was Dead Man Walking, which i remembered first seeing during GP class in school. the subject was on crime and punishment and i remember distinctly that the film left a deep, deep imprint in my head. it just sort of stuck there. i'm not usually a sympathizer with petty criminals, but that film portrayed what can only be described as the human side of mathew poncelet (the protagonist in the film).


through sean penn's interpretation of the character, and his soulful performance, i sort of got to walk in his shoes for just a brief few moments. and sister helen (the other protagonist), played by susan sarandon, was perhaps the other reason why the human element was so strongly preserved. through her care and love for a murderer on death row, it made me question the morality behind the death penalty and my own values and beliefs.

i guess the reason behind her actions was not to make people sympathize with mathew poncelet, but rather just to take a moment and think for ourselves what we are actually doing. the question at stake is not whether poncelet is guilty of the charges, but rather whether it is justified to punish someone by taking a life for another. it begs you to just maybe take a step off your moral high ground and get your feet dirty and just rationalize for a moment.

also, another reason why this movie has a special place in my mind is because my absolute favourite singer of all time, eddie vedder (of pearl jam fame), contributed quite a few track for the soundtrack, and among them is a personal favourite entitled dead man. the first time i heard that song i went hysterical, because eddie vedder's voice was just so... appropriate for the movie. the sorrow, the nolstagia... needless to say i got myself a copy of the soundtrack just for that song.

the second film i saw was also another one of my personal favourites in terms of the mood and tone of it - Into the Wild.


it was the tale of "alexander supertramp" (christopher mccandless), a college graduate who donated all his savings to oxfam, cut off all contact with his family and just went on a back packing trip around the country and finally to where he'd always dreamed of going - the alaskan wilderness. he lived off whatever he had with him, be it the kindness of people, friendships or the wilderness. i guess it was his way of finding his place in this world and putting some meaning into his life.

if sean penn had been about 20 years younger, he'd be perfect for the role of christopher mccandless. but as things stand, it couldn't have gotten any better. now besides being one of the most inspiring actors of our time, what he brought to the table as a first time director was the actor's perspective. and this being his maiden effort also meant he wasn't bogged down by all the constructs and limitations brought about with other more established directors. there was and absence of rules, and an air of just having a go at it, much like how mccandless just had a go at his life.

and when i read an article some time back in time magazine about eddie vedder again lending his creative genius to the new sean penn film Into the Wild, you can imagine my excitement. the longstanding friendship between sean penn and eddie vedder goes way back (eddie vedder had contributed tracks to ealier sean penn engagements like I Am Sam), and is perhaps one of the most perfect marriages of creative geniuses of our time.


what was unique about this collaboration though is that the ENTIRE soundtrack is written and performed by eddie. i almost wet myself when i read that. that soundtrack remains to this day one of the most frequently played records in my collection.

it is just such a visionary thing, to be able to live your life as you see it. i don't think i'll ever be able to do that just yet. it's that yearning for freedom that i'm sure everyone has experienced, but few actually acted upon. it's too big a risk for most of us to simply let go.

so, for those of us who are not willing to let go just yet we can always watch the film and try as we may, much of it in vain, to grasp that elusive concept of being a man on the road. personally, the film just offers the briefest of respite from the almost mechanical lifestyles we lead.

for me, Into the Wild will always be my little piece of heaven...


+listening to: guaranteed by eddie vedder

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of savages and masterclasses

for the past few days i've been watching films incessantly, and at hours when most people are sound asleep. i simply couldn't help it.

everytime i tried to catch some euro '08 actions, i always end up falling asleep right after the first half. i just can't make it past the boredom of having to wait for the half time commentator gibberish. so what i did for the past couple of nights was to fill myself up with a huge mug of coffee before the games start so i'd be awake literally the whole night long.

this however presented it with another unique challenge. whenever half time did arrive, i find myself with nothing in particular to do, so what i always do is to go to my download folder and have a look around. and then i'm reminded of the many movies which i haven't even watched so inevitably i end up clicking on one of them. the itchy fingers. and from there on, there's no turning back...

so onto my main point: usually i choose films to watch purely based on their titles. it's always hits and misses, and you never know what you'll get. but on those rare occasions when you find a gem out of all those mainstream junk, you are really satisfied with yourself on making the leap of faith because otherwise you would have never heard of it.


The Savages was such a film. initially i thought it was some kind of wild western film with lots of action but it turned out to be an incredible tale of familial relationships between a dying father, a brother and a sister. i'm a sucker for dramas depicting a depth of characters and this one sure has plenty to offer.

on the surface it seems like the ultimate tragedy and speaks of the bitter links between a failed parent and the damaged lives of his children - both struggling writers trying to land the big break, one of whom is living under the illusion of the perfect romance and the other letting the love of his life go and not realizing what he was doing.

i guess the notion that both of them somehow "failed" at their own relationships serves in turn as the reminiscent side effects of not having really been "loved" by their dad. and so one of them tried to seek instant gratification in a married man assuming that was love, while the other had met the love of his life only failing to realize what it was before letting go.

and this whole tale of two completely separate tragedies was then inexplicably intertwined when their father was diagnosed with dementia, and was quickly dying. their struggle to take care of him and finally knowing how much they loved him when he passed away seemed to have restored faith and gave them the courage to love again.

the filmed is somewhat of a hybrid between a complete tragedy and a dark comedy, because there were moments of lightness and humour which are derived from watching the interactions between the characters. plus the soundtrack had a really cheeky feeling to it at times which really made this film something of a unique piece.

once again, philip hoffman (one of my favourite actors) has delivered in spades with his touching performance. it seems that whatever role he plays, he adds that midas touch to it that just makes it such a joy to watch. and it's because of that precise reason that made me decide to revisit another classic of our time, which also happens to be one of my favourite films of all time - Capote.


i just wanted to be reminded of that electrifying performance of his again, which in my opinion is arguably one of the best lead performances of all time, certainly up there with brando in The Godfather. the fact that he alone was the guiding force of the entire film made it seem at times like a monologue, nevertheless you're simply drawn to his character. and i honestly think he was the only person on this planet up to the job of playing truman capote, who himself was quite a handful in person. seriously, this film is nothing short of a masterclass for all the other actors out there. there are plenty of good actors around, but you'll know it when you see a great one.

so do your self a favour and go get a copy of The Savages and watch it. you'll definitely be left with a lot of thoughts afterwards, about how you'd take care of your parents when they can no longer take care of themselves, and about your own family and the intricate relationships. and if in the most unlikely of events that you have not seen Capote yet, i'm really lost for words here, except that i wanna give you a big L for love. go watch it already you loser.


+listening to: help the poor by b.b. king

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goodbye powershot, hello lumix

i've been kinda peeved for the past week or so, because my trusty canon powershot (which is built like a tank) has decided that it's not worth living anymore and hence took it's own life for better or worse.

but i guess the timing was kind of apt, because it only decided to give up its last gasp of life right after its final assignment and not a moment before, and personally that one assignment was worth everything. as i said goodbye to my trusty friend, i'm left with a very pretty piece of paper weight. it's in a gorgeous shade of brushed metallic silver and is just as lethal when used as a weapon to cause personal harm as the day i bought it.

so today i headed down to the pc show expecting a leisurely stroll hunting for a new camera and the moment i arrived at the mrt i knew i was an idiot.


the last time i saw this many people crammed into such a tight space was during a dream theater concert, but i didn't mind then because i was headbanging to my favourite band and sharing the same love for the music as those strangers around me.

it's a whole different story when the people around you are all heading to the same destination and being cut-throat bitches every step of the way. there were people trying to one up each other by getting to the elevator the fastest, there were people trying to ride the escalator even though it would have caused a lot less congestions if they took the 10 steps of stairs instead, there were tall people, short people, fat people, thin people, beautiful people, ugly people... to put it briefly, there were A LOT of people.

so after looking at a few booths, i finally settled on a lumix compact camera that was around my budget and proceeded to evacuate immediately. but having said all that, heading to the pc show does have its merit though: for one the price is cheaper than if i were to buy it from a normal appliances store. besides, the vendors are pretty generous with the freebies too. i got a camera case, two 4gb sdhc memory cards, a card reader and two batteries with the camera purchase along with a host of other misc stuff that i'll probably never use like mini tripod, lens cleaning kit, screen protector, etc.

so you can say that i'm one happy customer (at least for today).


and oh... forgot to buy something for my dad. since when did father's day become such a huge thing? i must be filial, i must be filial, i must be filial...


+listening to: hymn by eddie vedder

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pre-departure, stand in black

woohoo! i'm still high from the pre-departure briefing for uni. kudos to the UIUC singapore students association for organising this event. it was completely the opposite of what i had in mind. the venue where it was held was also a really SUPERB and cozy lounge like place in raffles tower with a SPLENDID view. i just wish i lived there.

the briefing itself took up about an hour with some really helpful info and experiences from current seniors but what i really enjoyed was the lunch afterwards and mingling with all those really cool people. it's such a diverse group too with exchange students and freshmen mixed together but i mostly stuck to the freshmen group.

got to know some people from school who are going to UIUC as well, and i was quite shocked to see some familiar faces! that aside i just felt completely at home for some reason and made some funky new friends. stayed afterwards all the way till 2-ish chatting with the seniors and i'm really looking forward to college now!

and on a scintillating side-note, the men in black beat england in the most definitive of fashions. final score 37 - 20 to the all blacks. this ought to shut all the critics and cynics up for whatever reasons. they've demonstrated today that they're still a force to be reckoned with. and my man for today's test was ma'a nonu.


he's the most divine combination power, pace and skill for an inside center. it's the holy trinity of the perfect qualities coming together as one. the savagery slashing steps, the brute strength and the most exquisite handling abilities, it doesn't get any better than that. it's like seeing a young tana umaga but twice as brutal!

ok, off to watch the springboks cane wales again...


+listening to: aces high by iron maiden

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gangbang season: first blood part II

besides my hair being all white, and smelling like baby powder all over, i'm waaayyy too stoned to care. almost wanted to just let go of my bodily functions on the way home.

the pizza was rancid. one of them was a little under cooked so as usual we made a huge deal about it on the phone and got the same order sent again for free. and by the time we finished ALL the pizzas, i could have just puked right there on the spot.

'nuff said. i'm gonna go crash now.

charlie and mike sluggin it out on fifa. he screams whenever the action heats up but no one understands him. it resembles neither korean nor english. i guess it's some sort of kenglish

3 way pool is messed up... no, seriously

baby powder and white hair, i don't even wanna explain how that started

SICK!

it's a long way from home...

+listening to: nothing

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gangbang season: first blood - Team SINEP!

today was the day that i've been looking forward to all week. you see, all the ntu old skool dudes have returned from overseas engagements (read: college) to reunite once again. and to celebrate this inaugural event, some douche bag decided to sign us up for the champions of the cage football tournament, well at... the cage.

rendezvoused with the boys in the morning at jurong east mrt and hopped on the train. it smelt like someone had just taken a dump. and to my horror, i was informed that our korean rock in defense, wonil-a.k.a.-charlie-a.k.a.-baboon "ji-sung" park was down with the runs or some shit like that which rendered him immobile and unable to play in the tournament. apparently he couldn't stop shitting and vomiting, and was having a fever.

we sort of joked about how he had the ebola virus and we were laughing so hard that my stomach hurt. and the lady sitting beside me obviously couldn't help herself and joined us in the laughing spaz... laughing is contagious after all.

making our way to the cage

arriving at the cage

Team SINEP chilling out before the game

so the match: after such a long absence from the pitch for all but a couple of the old skool members (akash, sam, sutha, me, dan and mike), we actually did pretty amazing. Team SINEP, that's us, remained unbeaten in the group stages!

we were top of the table with 8 points, from 2 wins and 2 draws for a while before being overtaken by another team with 3 wins and 1 loss. still, i'm pretty damn proud that we were the only unbeaten team in our group, and probably one of the few in the tournament up till that point. so Team SINEP proudly advanced past the group stages! (there were 4 groups of 5 teams each and the top 2 teams of each group advance to knock-out).

the pitch

then came the quarter-finals. we were leading the other team 2 - 0 at about half time (each match was 20 min), and looked all set for an exciting finish to advance to the semis. but somehow, the other team scored a phantom goal with 5 mins to go, which clearly was not a goal because it bounced off the upright. the referee was obviously not on our side.

so being the gentlemen we are, we graciously let it go. then it happened again - the referee called for the goal kick but somehow changed his mind and called for a corner, and amidst the confusion, and the mad scramble that ensued, the other team managed to sneak one past our goalie, for a full-time score of 2 - 2.

the group stages

Team SINEP in blue bibs in the quarters

as it was the knock out stage, a penalty shootout followed. there were to be 3 for each side before it went to sudden death. our goalie (akash) did brilliant to save the first shot, which followed by dan converting the first penalty for us. but then it all went wrong for the 2nd shot. what was clearly an awesome save by our goalie, was ruled by the ref as a goal for the other team.

it was not even funny, the ref was only 3 meters away. he must have been really blind. even the other team knew it wasn't a goal. to cut a long story short, we lost the penalty shootout and bowed out in the most ridiculous of fashions.

final score: Team SINEP 2 - Referee 3.

we could have won that game 3 times over but instead were left to cry like a bitch to our mamas. of course anyone could have argued that shit happens sometimes, but then again, 3 times in 1 match? isn't that kinda shitty? and to make matters worse, i missed the crucial penalty that would have kept us in the game, and dan got sent off right at the end for telling the other team not to yell at the referee.

if there was one expression that could sum up the referee, it is our team name spelt backwards.

but overall i had tonnes of fun today. just seeing some of the looks on the faces of the people we beat - priceless. especially when there were always some dust-ups during the matches because all the members from Team SINEP pretty much grew up with a brand of pretty physical football. and c'mon, being the only team whose name actually means something when spelt backwards, that's pretty sweet isn't it?


highlights of the day:

• star striker dan lund scores in every single fixture of Team SINEP
• goalie akash goel ditches his position and ran the whole length of the pitch to score a sensational goal up front after he calmly collected the ball in his box and then proceeded to dribbling past everyone on the other team
• midfielder/defender mike meguid scores a sensual volley from a corner... SENSUAL
• THE man in defence li "X" xi takes 2 in the face for the team and blocks countless other attempts to ensure Team SINEP went through the group stages without a hitch
  

what a hell of a way to kick off the gangbang season. can't wait for tomorrow night's mayhem at yunan corner!


+listening to: shotgun blues by guns n' roses

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the final stretch

11 june... time doesn't fly, time warp-drives. in exactly 30 days i'll be leaving this island that i've called home for the past 10 years. it's a peculiar feeling, to be heading "home", yet having seen so little and known so little about it. the early memories are all but faded by now. things have changed, drastically.


to think that i've only been back home around 6 times in the past decade is quite unbelievable in hindsight. there was always something up whenever plans were made: school camps, projects, holidays remedial, vacations elsewhere, etc.

the truth is that i'm not a homely person, that is to say i don't feel a tinge of excitement like most people when they are about to head home per se; i sort of nestle wherever i am and try to make myself as comfortable as possible. and given enough time, just about anywhere feels homely enough that i wouldn't want to leave.

but this time would be different. i'd be home for at least a month and a half. hopefully i could really take the time to do certain things that i've always wanted to do, like going on a backpacking trip by myself to tibet (don't know if it's possible), visiting the himalayas, skiing, learning to drive, surfing... sort of my own mini version of the Bucket List (before i hand my life as i know it over to college that is). if you haven't seen that film, i suggest you do because it really inspires you to go out there and do something with your life, no matter who or how old you are.

on a side note, i'm beginning to write again. which is a good thing, because lately nothing much has been popping up in that mess of a mind of mine. it's weird but sometimes words and phrases just spring up like mushrooms out of nowhere at the most unlikely and ungainly moments, like when i'm doing my morning number 2, or watching tv. ah well i better get back to putting them down before i lose them. the most beautiful things in life usually don't come by that often.

peace.


+listening to: hear me lord by bonnie raitt

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overdue picture post

finally, here's the long overdue picture post. click on read more for all the photos.

fresh morning air, sweet smell of dew, a pair of cleats, an odd shaped ball: pure bliss

"ELBOWS OUT! i want to see faster hands! one fluid motion!"

"Eh, can y'all use some common sense or not?"

"ALWAYS go on his OUTSIDE shoulder if you're going for the offload!"

"... and DON'T stop pumping your legs in the contact situation! DRIVE THROUGH!"

"i want y'all to blow past the opposition! leave him no chance to steal the ball!"

"THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO SEE! demolish the opposition!" (after i got pwned in the ruck...)

"interactive" video analysis. the room smells great from junzhe's facial expression

"MAKAN then GO SCHOOL! hit S1!"

sweet offload, and... TRY!

serious overkill in the ruck

white line fever

the tunnel

a "small token of appreciation" from the boys that will add a further 5 kilos to my already incendiary amount to things to lug home...

group shot

+listening to: you've got to hide your love away by eddie vedder

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