It's 4am;

And
The answer is
Ever-elusive
Like
Quicksilver
Mercury
A silver fish darting through the shallows
Barely
Out of reach.

And I'm not just talking about the memo.

So what if I'm busy?

I'll just have to make time for stuff, no biggie.

Anyways, I went down to the clinic with my dad just now to get my eye looked at, because I was fairly sure I'd seen a white spot under my lower eyelid. My dad came with me because he wanted the chance to chat with Dr. Koh; he's an old family friend. After waiting for about an hour, we finally went in to see the good doctor, who bantered with my dad for a bit, then got me to check out my eye in the mirror with the aid of a flashlight and show him the spot.

Of course, there was no spot.

So, after checking three times on Dr. Koh's prompting, and feeling extremely sheepish about it, I finally sat down. The good doctor chuckled, and told me that I had the beginnings of an infection; of course, I hadn't noticed this because of my pre-occupation with the non-existent spot. I suppose my lack of a medical education had something to do with that too. As he put it: when the window was open, I had been looking for the flamingos, whereas he had noticed the sparrows. Cute.

So, no contact lenses for the rest of the week, and I've got this weird goop I'm supposed to smear on my eyes thrice a day.

And apparently, soft lenses have a greater tendency to irritate the eyes; on top of that, they come with a greater risk of conjunctivitis. And I just got a new batch of lenses too. Shucks.

Oh, and we talked a bit about the Word, and his perspective on taking short-cuts to material gains. Always glad at a chance for theological discussion.

In other news, we sprang a surprise birthday celebration on Jean today. Not as elaborate as the Rui one last week, but still a success! For the Rui surprise, we booked the moot court, got Big K to lead her in where the whole lot of us were gathered, and Jean sang her a birthday song with Jon Lau on the piano. For Jean, we set up an ambush at a strategic spot along the walkway outside the Students' Counter and got Rui to walk her along the corridor from the Biz canteen. When she turned the corner, the first thing she saw was the whole lot of us around the cake and balloon - she didn't expect it at all, and Lester's plan worked to perfection! And, a big happy birthday to Venetia too; I'm glad to have met you, and I'm looking forward to our next session of Munchkin!

All in all, it's been a pretty good start to the week. Work isn't fun, and everyone has the enormous spectre of the statutory memo hanging over their heads, but it's been a great start spiritually and I can't help but look forward to the rest of the week.

Busy.

To busy to post. In a nutshell: celebrated Rui's birthday, did a lot of readings, did a bit of statutory research, had a slack weekend.

I'll be glad when the LAWR memo is over.

More stink.

Okay, so it appears that one team (let's call them Team AS) lost to another team (let's call them Team NE) in their debate, and Team AS ended up in the semi-finals anyway but Team NE didn't. This means that something went terribly wrong. Here's the logic:

1. Team NE beat Team AS on points; i.e., they scored more points than Team AS.
2. Team AS's points were good enough to be in the top 4; therefore, they made it to the semi-finals.
3. Since Team NE had more points than Team AS, that means Team NE should have made it into the semi-finals too, being ranked higher than Team AS.
4. However, Team NE did not make it into the semi-finals.

For the more mathematically inclined among us:

According to the judge of the debate: NE > AS -------- (1)
According to the final rankings: AS > Bottom12
Where NE is one of the elements that are in the Bottom12 set
Therefore, according to final rankings, AS > NE ------- (2)
Substitute (1) into (2):
NE > AS > NE
Therefore, AS is not a real number. Or rather, Team AS' score is not a real number.

Cheap shot, I know.

The only explanation, then, is this: Team NE won the debate, but Team AS got more marks. Which might make sense...if I were smoking weed.

I mean, come on! Even if we disregard the obvious logic in the winning team being the team who got a better score, let's look at the Rules and Regulations again:

1.7 The debate will be adjudicated according to a standard score sheet.

Which is pretty self-explanatory. I'm not quite sure how the organisers can explain this.

Don't get me wrong - I understand that organising an event like this might not be as easy as it seems to the casual observer. All the same, I also believe that the only way to deal with criticism is either to disprove it, or accept it and act on it. The only way to solve a problem is to face up to it, not evade the issue or hide behind clauses like "Judges' decisions are final" without offering a reasonable explanation.

Here's my challenge to the organisers - to offer a reasonable answer to these points brought up. If you feel I'm wrong, show me how I'm wrong, and I'll accept that with good grace. I don't think any of us really want a re-contest or something; I don't see the point of disrupting the rest of the competition. All we want is some transparency, some accountability, and ultimately, some improvement in future competitions.

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

In other news, I am an intellectual snob.

Some competition.

Everything went right except the judging.

What's the point of calling it a "debate" when the judge comes in with her own agenda to "educate" the speakers as to what "really goes on", as opposed to simply judging the arguments of each side in a fair and unbiased manner? When there is no (apparent) penalty for flouting all the rules? An illustration:

2.4 Where the Definition violates Clause 2.3, the Member next in line to speak may challenge the Definition offered. He or she should clearly state that he or she is challenging the Definition.

Nope. A definational challenge was offered by the second Opposition speaker, and the judge only grudgingly conceeded that when I pointed it out. Not like it seemed to matter to her; she seemed to prefer that defination anyway, and commented on the flaws in our defination. Hello! That's the point of being Proposition, so that we can define it the way we want!

2.5 When a Member challenges the Definition, he or she should prove that the Definition as provided by the opposing Member is unreasonable, and he or she should proffer an alternative Definition.

Nope, there was no proof. Which wouldn't be an issue; except that the judge seemed to agree with that defination anyway. See above.

3.3 All Members should present substantive material and rebuttal, except the Opening Proposition Member, who will only present substantive material.

Nope, there was no substantive at all from the Opening Opposition speaker. Of course, it wasn't an important issue to the judge.

Don't get me wrong; I have no issue with the Opposition team. I just don't feel it's right that you call it a "debate" competition, then get people who aren't even qualified to judge "C" Division debates to adjudicate. Where debaters are penalised because of unfair pre-conceived notions on the part of the judges, because the judges aren't even aquainted with the rules they're supposed to go by. Where, somehow, the fact that it's a 1-hr prep means that the judge is willing to "give chance" to the less-prepared team. Where there is no penalty for the violation of fundamental rules, even when that's pointed out by the other team.

And it's not just the adjudication. It's the organisation too. It's not right that the top 4 teams that get to the semi-finals are determined by the scores each team get, despite the fact that each team gets a single different judge. One judge's concept of what deserves a 70 will probably be very different from another judge's concept of what deserves the same mark. At the end of they day, the key determinant of who gets through is the judges' subjective standards, not the teams' abilities. Since there're only 16 teams anyway, and they need 4 teams to get to the semi-finals, would it have been so difficult to just hold one more round of debates? That'd lead to 2 teams emerging from each group, for a total of 4 - the exact figure they need anyway!

Messed up.

On the other hand, Tris and I did good. For guys who hadn't debated in years, it went fairly well, and we're proud of our performance. And I suppose that's all that matters; to be concerned only with how well we did, as opposed to how far we'll get.

Just sitting back now and awaiting the results.

P.S. I maintain that I merely play Munchkin the way it's meant to be!

Rawr!

Debating tomorrow morning. Been a while, and I'm probably terribly rusty, but...this should be fun. And I'm really looking forward to it. It helps that I'm doing it with Tris - we have the rapport that cannot be faked, we both like to argue, and we're extremely motivated.

Tris, we're gonna do ourselves proud, mah homie!

Sleeping early. We'll see how things go tomorrow.

And now for something completely different!

Final Fantasy fans, click here. And when you're done laughing, check out part 2.

A fresh outlook

Took my exchange buddy and her friend out today. Brought them to Holland V, showed them around the area. Had lunch. Went down to Bugis, shopped with them. Took the train back to Clementi with them; showed them a bit more of the area before we parted for the day.

The funny thing is, as I was showing them around, I started to realise how many things I take for granted here in Singapore. The friggin good food - and not just good, but cheap, accessible, and varied. The pubs and cafes to just chill out with friends. The 24-hr eating places, for late-night munchies. The places to shop - from the little pasar-malam style stalls to the modern malls and departmental stores. The hustle and bustle of the streets, full of local life and character. The low crime rate. The clean streets. The ever-present greenery, breaking up the urban landscape.

And most importantly...the local sights and sounds, the unique mix of the old and new. Where the sleek and modern co-exist with the traditional. Where East meets West. The links between the past and the present. How scenes from our past continue to reverbate within our contemporary city-state. The integration of so many different cultures, creating a society recognisable in its component forms, yet in itself a unique entity. This diversity is integral to our culture and identity - yet it's something that we tend to forget about, to overlook, to just take for granted.

I've always thought of myself as very Westernised. And that's probably true. Still, as I was showing them around, I realised that end of the day, I'm still so fundamentally Asian, so fundamentally...Singaporean. That we may whine and complain about certain things about our country, but ultimately...it's our own. Our unique little red dot. Where we call home. And if we don't cherish it...who will?

I haven't felt this way for a long time. But today...I'm proud to be Singaporean.

What's been going on?

Mm, nothing much really. Been hanging out a lot with various groups of people; got assigned an exchange buddy who I'll be bringing around; working on and off on a little thing called Law Camp; took in some Shakespeare tonight; will meet even more people over the weekend.

Then, school starts.

That's not really the worst bit though. The worst bit is that there're readings to prepare for Monday. My resolve to start working harder this term is already being tested...

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

Resolutions:

1. To progress in my Christian walk.
2. To start studying harder. Okay, given the miniscule amount of work I put in last term, this is very vague...but that suits me.
3. To work out more. Really. Skinny =! fit.
4. To read more, and to listen to more good music. There's a resolution I doubt I'll have problems sticking to!

If I'm still blogging a year from now, we'll check back on this list then.

Finally...

2005/2006 Sem 1 Examination for LAW YR I

Module Code	Module Title	Grade
LC1003	LAW OF CONTRACT	IP
LC1004	LAW OF TORTS	B+
LC1005	SINGAPORE LEGAL SYSTEM	B+
LC1006	LEGAL ANALYSIS, WRITING AND RESEARCH I	B

Mmm. All better than expected, even though I DID hope for better. Still, am thankful. Particularly with a B+ for SLS; sheesh, I handed up a really crappy paper and I know it. Guess it would have been nice to get an A for Torts but hey, I'm fairly satisfied with a B+ considering the amount studied. B for LAWR...well, my performance throughout the semester has been far from scintillating, so, again, a B is good enough.

The new term starts in less than a week. Time to knuckle down.

2005

Looking back, all I can really say is that it's been a truly blessed year for me. A not-so-brief summary.

In the first half of the year, I went through my final, and unexpectedly peaceful Ops Manning, thereby becoming the first ANG 1 Mob Clerk in several batches to ORD without any mobilisation. That was unexpected. But very welcome indeed. And while it might have been an interesting challenge to actually experience a mobilisation instead of just preparing for it...I cannot say I was unhappy that I didn't have to go through a single mobilisation in my 2 years 2 months of army.

Spent a weekend in Bangkok with Laiying and Xuena, too. First holiday in...years. And it was a cool experience; shopping, sight-seeing, eating, and just rediscovering the joys of life outside the army. And I'm glad for the friendships forged during that trip too; thanks, you two, for making that trip memorable.

Then I went back to the army for a little while more, before the long-awaited day finally came. And when I got my IC, that morning on the 4th of June...seemed like all the pent-up stress and unhappiness of the entire army experience simply...disappeared, to be replaced by a feeling of utter peace. That finally, that stage of my life was over.

Then I spent a fairly peaceful couple of months just chilling and slacking off...and slowly re-integrating into society. Then, it was Law Camp. Which was pretty fun - got to know a bunch of people, participated in activities that alternated between being fun and cheesy, and just started to get the feel of the new society that I'd be in for the next 4 years (and more). Along the way, somehow signed up for Presentation too.

And I've never really mentioned this, but Presentation meant a lot to me. Honestly, I know I was never "in the bunch". That's fine - it just so happened that most of the people who signed up for Presentation just happened to be very different from me. Still, I have nothing but enormous respect for everyone who I worked with in Presentation. The tenacity, the good-natured humour, the never-say-die spirit...I couldn't help but be naturally infected by it. And I made friends, too, despite not being part of the clique, and these are friendships that even now continue to touch and influence me. And really, that's all I could ask for. Truly...I was enriched by Presentation. The hard work, the endless rehearsals, smacking my head so many times when rolling around, the muscle aches...all that was forgotten on that day itself, when the performance just...flowed. And not winning hurt; but more importantly, we were all proud of that something we'd come together to accomplish, to create. And the memory of Presentation '05 is something that I'll keep within me in times to come.

Matriculation Week went on at this time also, but in the hustle and bustle of Presentation my only memories of Matric Week are the friends I made, and friggin Quest in friggin Haw Par Villa. Did I ever mention that I really hate Haw Par Villa? Well, stumbling around the place in the dead of the night didn't really change my opinion on this...

Then school started. Lectures, tutorials, etc. And till now I still haven't gotten into the rythmn of studying. But with school starting came the forging of even more friendships. My lovely LAWR TG mates, bonding together over the adversity that was Research Binder, and my fellow Terry-fied Kaansters with our Friday breakfasts... I feel blessed and thankful that so many new friends appeared and promptly started to influence my life in so many ways. It was extremely unexpected to find so many good friends in such a short span of time, but it was an amazing thing to happen that I can only give thanks for.

On top of that, VCF appeared into the picture and started me back on the road towards a spiritual life. VCF brought me back to church; thanks Rebecca! It gave me a group of fellow Christian brothers and sisters to discuss my faith with, to give me strength, to just serve as an example in my life. Thank you, Shalom. Looking forward to another year of good fellowship and spiritual growth with y'all! Thanks also to the Year 1 prayer group; it feels good to grow in Christ with fellow believers who're all going through the same academic challenges. Let's keep encouraging each other and being sources of strength for each other in the years to come, even as we progress in Law School!

Then school ended, and I had a great time spending time with friends and family. Just as good as the chilling time I had after ORD and before school started, but even better because of all the new friendships forged.

And even as I type this it's now officially 2006. Looking back on all this...it's been a year of great changes, and also a year of growth. But, truly...it's been a good year.

Thank you everybody, for making this such a great year. For all my old friends. My buddies, Ziyuan, Yaolong, Peiyu, Hengfai, Jinwei, thank you for being constants in my life, even as so many changes occur. For my JC ex-classmates, Fong, Jireh, Darrell, Cheryl, Nette, Yanbin, Mich, Jean, Looi Yee, Miah, Jasmine, Jiayin, Liz, Vic, Daphne, Siying...thank you for reminding me of who I was and who I still am. For the army guys...Kok Yew, Jerry, my two brothers, thank you for all the memories. And, Weilong, Ah Wing, Samuel, Yew Chong, Yogi, Mark, Andy, Shaun, Leonard, Qiujie, thank you for making my army life that much more bearable. Laiying, Xuena, thanks for the Bangkok experience! My OG mates, my fellow presenters, my VFC cell, my Year 1 prayer group, my LAWR TG, my Terry-fied Kaansters...thank you all for making my brief time in Law School such a memorable one. Just to name a few names from the enormous number of people from Law who have touched me in one way or another: Isa, Dan, Xiuzhen, Alice, Mui Kheng, Jean, Sixuan, Nelson, Yue-En, Josh, Boon Kiat, Theresa, Wanjing, Chongyi, Al, Jingwen, Hanting, Khairil, Navin, Germaine, Jared, Magdalen, Magdalene, Tris, Petrina, Albert, Sheryl, Ruishan, Kelvin, Jeth, Quan Quan, Itishree, Audrey, Troy, Zah, Huay Ching, Joel, Zhixiang, Huixiang, Jo, Denise, Paul, Rebecca, Bernice, Sabrina, Joan, Zhiwei, Jiax, Lester, Zach, and my mad friend Shauna Loo...thank you for making me look forward to heading to school every morning. It means a lot to me.

And, Claire, thank you for the chance to finally close that chapter of our lives, for being big-hearted enough to leave the door open for us to be friends again. And I'm sorry that I cannot say that I'm ready just yet. But, God willing...the day will come, when we're friends again. When we can sit down and just tell each other about how our lives have been since we broke off contact. I'm looking forward to that day.

And of course...thank you, my family. Mom, Dad, Zhi, Dina...I don't know if y'all will ever read this. And I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable enough to say this in words. But from the bottom of my heart...thank you for being my family. For being there for me, despite whatever difficulties we might have had in the past. For doing all the things that I take for granted. For making so many sacrifices. For giving me a home, not just a house. God bless.

And I don't know what the future holds, or even what the new year will bring. It won't always be easy; I'll probably face my fair share of difficulties and problems. I'll have new challenges to contend with. But I know that my journey will be so much richer, so much more fulfilling, because of all of you. I love you all.