The Man Who

Just one of those nights.

2008-05-20T06:01:00.003+08:00

You know that episode of How I Met Your Mother, when Ted totally blacks out after taking one shot too many? And the next morning, he has to piece together what he did the entire night after that?

In other news - this blog is now officially alive again.

A lingering thought:

2007-12-03T03:37:00.000+08:00

There are so many people on my MSN, my email address book, even my Facebook account, that I haven't talked to in a long time. And I want to talk to them, to catch up with their lives, to laugh over shared memories, to do what friends do. Yet I keep telling myself that I don't have the time, that I'll do it some other day, that the right moment will come.

And time passes.

Perhaps it'll take a climatic event to shock me out of this self-imposed apathy, where the only things that matter are in the here and now, the everyday things that loom at the forefront of my consciousness. Where the subconscious is suppressed and filed away in the self-deluding cabinet labelled "someday". Where I can't even bring myself to say a simple "hello" to a long-ago friend on MSN, because of self-consciousness or a lack of time or a host of other half-baked semi-excuses.

And time passes.

Or perhaps I could start rectifying this state of affairs today. Perhaps.

And time passes.

I wish...

2007-10-31T23:34:00.000+08:00

I'd blogged about Germany, Russia, and Odense sooner. That's because my laptop's been infected with a worm, and I can't even get into my desktop. It's at the repair shop now, and I'm going to have to pay at least 1000 DKK to fix it. For that price, the guy better not lose any of my data.

It's a pretty darn horrible thing to happen, but I don't really want to think about it.

Anyways, since I'm blogging, I might as well give a quick status update. It's getting colder in Copenhagen right now - typical day temperatures hover around 10 degrees. Surprisingly, I can live with that temperature. What really gets on my nerves is how the sky begins to darken at 4pm. It's now a little past 4:30pm and it already looks like 7pm in Singapore.

Now I understand why depression sets in during the Winter months.

In other news, I need to start studying. Exams are coming, and a paper is due next week, so perhaps the lack of a laptop for the next few days is a good way to kick-start my studying routine.

That's all for now. Take care, y'all.

Germany...

2007-10-11T14:22:00.001+08:00

Was brilliant. Simply amazing. But you'll have to live with just those words for now, because I don't have time to blog. I leave for Russia in 8 hours or so, and my packing's not done.

Will put up enormously long posts when I get back. Then again, it might take longer since I'm going for the Travis concert. We'll see.

How I live: a photo essay.

2007-09-30T16:17:00.000+08:00

I live at Biens Allè 9, 2300 København S.

This is my house.

The entrance is the little door you can barely make out at the end of the white wall.

The living room...

And from another angle.

The kitchen.

Since we're talking about the kitchen, here's a stir-fry I made. A fairly typical meal.

Moving upstairs, this is my room.

My table is as messy as ever...

As is the rest of my room.

I live with three cats. This is Filip.

Daisy's curled up against the heater for the turtles. You'll get to see them in a moment.

This is Panther, but everyone calls him Pansy. Look carefully - he's drinking from the tap.

These are the turtles. One of them is the Million-Dollar-Turtle: I'll tell the story another day. And for all you perverts out there, no, they are not trying to mate!

There's also a rabbit in the house which is 11 years old, and gets a room to itself. Truly a welfare state. However, since I don't have a photo of the rabbit, I'll show you my bicycle instead. Again, there's a story behind this set of wheels. It'll come next time.

I was going to upload pictures of my housemates as well, but I don't have a single decent photo of them. So, that will come next time too.

Living independently is a challenge, but has its rewards. It's an enlivening experience to have to cook your own food, do your own grocery shopping, do your laundry, clean up after yourself, and perform all the other assorted chores that form the bedrock of our daily lives. In a way, it gives me a fresh respect for career housewives (and househusbands, if there is such a word), as well as domestic helpers. It's not an easy job, even with washing machines and vacuum cleaners.

My life has changed in other ways too. I cycle everywhere now. It's a bit more than 5.5km to the University, but on average, I cycle at least 15km a day thanks to trips to others' houses and assorted errands. It wasn't so bad when I first started out, but the autumn temperatures and winds are starting to make it heavy going.

Still, it's an experience, and it saves me money - a monthly bus pass would cost me 420 DKK, or about SGD$126. That buys me enough groceries for almost 3 weeks. I'm pretty much getting used to cycling almost 10km in the rain back to my place at 1:30am, at a temperature of 12°C but with the strong winds making it even colder. I have to; winter approaches, and it's going to get worse.

So, for those still back home in Singapore - move to Copenhagen if you're complaining about the heat. You'll get more than you bargained for.

Of lurking cats and busted bicycles.

2007-09-21T18:34:00.000+08:00

I'm afraid that this isn't going to be a real post, after all. Things to do, places to see, people to meet, and not enough time to do all of that. As I'm frantically typing this snippet of a post, I'm glancing at the clock because I'm leaving for a weekend camp for international students in a bit more than an hour. And I have to go. Now. A real post will come soon.

Things are good, but...

2007-09-04T06:50:00.001+08:00

It's just the small niggly problems that you can never predict until you're facing them.

The problem with saving money on food by buying groceries in cheap family packs:
you end with too much of the same thing. I am SO SICK OF CARROTS. Bought like 1kg of carrots, and now I'm clearing them by throwing a carrot or two in every time I cook. And I still have tons of them left. Just great.

The problem with saving money on food by loading up at cheap buffets (yes, there's a certain theme to all this):
You look for the buffet which has the most value for money. You eat there three times a week. And then you get really sick of the food there. I'm not going back to Samos for a week or two - it's tremendously good value, but I'm tremendously tired of eating the same fricking things.

The problem with meeting new people from all over the world:
It can be a little hard to understand everyone, with all the different accents and intonations. And don't get me started on having to remember so many names. Still, this is the once aspect of life here that I'm not gonna whine about too much - it's actually sort of fun.

The problem with escaping the heat in Singapore:
It's fricking cold here. Like, it's supposed to be summer still, but it was HAILING a few mornings ago. And I'm getting rashes, due to the dry air. It's getting a little annoying.

The problem with living in a nice cosmopolitan city like København:
It comes at nice cosmopolitan city prices. SGD$15 for a meal out (and it's just fast food or something similar). SGD$3.50 to get on the fricking bus for just 5 minutes. SGD$30 for a week's worth of phone bills. You get the idea.

The problem with being in København:
I'm missing friends, family, and a certain dear girl in particular.

Don't get me wrong - it's all been pretty good so far. Things are as well as can be expected. It's just these things that are sorta bugging me. Oh, that, and the fact that the wireless doesn't really work, so I have to go to the study every time I want to use the Internet. But other than these things, everything's more or less hunky dory.

Till next time.

The touristy student thing.

2007-09-02T20:15:00.000+08:00

I would blog more, but I'm too busy actually experiencing life here. And I'm suffering from Internet connection problems, and so I have a good excuse to get out of the house, instead of sitting in front of the computer the whole day.

Incidentally, my shaky Internet connection means that I won't be uploading any photos. Let's hope the problems are resolved soon, then.

Last Saturday, we went to Weihan's landlord's place, where we cooked curry. Obviously we didn't do it from scratch; we used one of those pre-mixed packets. Just add water and chicken and potatoes, and hey presto, curry. Dined with Christian, the landlord, and Jan, a Polish gentleman who's moving out today.

On Sunday, we had a dinner party of sorts at my house. We cooked curry. Again. Hey, we had to finish up the half-used packet! Joining us for dinner was Tove, my landlady, Martin, her brother, Louisa, Martin's girlfriend, and Yulin, my Taiwanese housemate.

On Monday, I spent the day doing administrative things, like applying for a bank account and all that jazz.

On Tuesday, Maurice came over from Aarhus. We walked around.

On Wednesday, we took city bicycles to the statute of the Little Mermaid. Our verdict? Entirely overrated. Checked out the International Students' Night at the Student House also; not a great success.

On Thursday, we cooked chicken rice for Anna, Christian's friend.

On Friday, Mau and I went to Tivoli Gardens to check out the place, and for a Danish rock concert in the evening. We went to the Carlsberg brewery first though. Walked around town pretty buzzed for the whole afternoon. Let's hope we don't make a habit out of this. Freaking cheap beer though - 25 DKK (about SGD$7-8) for 2 beers.

On Saturday, we had another dinner party with Yulin's friends. Got an invite to a party at the student's dorm not too far away after that, thanks to Eva, Yulin's friend. Decent music, cheap beer, friendly people. Some were a little too friendly, but let's just leave it at that.

Today, I woke up, did the laundry, cooked lunch, ate lunch, came up, and here I am.

The funny thing is, there's actually so much more I did, but I'm too tired to post it all up. These are just the highlights of each day. The hours we spent just wandering the city, the buffets we ate, the casual conversation just throughout the days... It's a memory I hope to hold onto for years to come.

School starts on Monday. Wish me luck.

The heart of Copenhagen.

2007-08-26T00:50:00.000+08:00

Copenhagen's a beautiful place. When walking down the street, you can just feel the history emanating off the very cobblestones you're stepping on. The old buildings, the haphazard layout... There's a tangible link to the past. Just something in the air. It's so unlike Singapore, where everything is just steel and concrete and glass and sharp-edged and oh-so-new and modern...but lacking a soul.

This isn't the interior of a museum. This is the main foyer of the Law School, which dates back to 1475 A.D.. Roman influence, I'm told.

The exterior of the Law School, and a flea market in the courtyard.

We had lunch here - it's a little courtyard in the centre of the building. Apparently, all buildings have a little yard in the middle, for the purpose of barbeques and just sitting in the sun.

A not-very-good shot of the entrance to Christiania. It's a fascinating place, and unfortunately, I cannot be as comprehensive as its Wikipedia entry.

Christiania has declared itself part of the EU; hence the sign.

The interior of the Metro trains. Fully automated, they run through the night. Not to be confused with the S-train, which consists of overland trains on tracks.

So. I know this collection of photos doesn't really quite explain what exactly I've been doing with my time, but be patient with me. More will come soon.

Jeg har hjemkommen!

2007-08-23T20:41:00.000+08:00

Indeed, I have arrived.

So, the flight was actually fairly decent. It was tiring, and I didn't get much sleep, but that was to be expected. The 12 hours passed fairly quickly, surprisingly. And so, without much ado, we landed at the Copenhagen International Airport. Queued up, did the passport thing, and blam, we were out.

Got picked up by my student mentor, a nice young guy called Marcel. He dropped me off at my place, we had breakfast with my housemates, then he dropped Huishan off at her place, where we had breakfast with her landlady. Then we went to the post office to pick up calling cards, and then he dropped us off back at our places of residence. By this time, I was so tired that I took take a nap after a quick shower.

That, in very short, terse prose, is what I've been doing for the last 24 hours or so.

Photos soon.

Two suitcases and a backpack.

2007-08-22T17:23:00.000+08:00

So, I'm almost ready to go, physically. But my heart is not ready. There are friends and family I'll miss, as well as a certain dear girl who's very close to my heart. And I just feel unready.

Still, come what may, off I go now.

See y'all from the other side of the world.

Oktoberfest.

2007-07-17T08:51:00.000+08:00

I'm never organising anything like that again.

On a brighter note, this is pretty funny. Anyone else thinks that the male emcee looks like Khaw Boon Wan?

There's something I need to say:

2007-07-08T02:00:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday, darling. I love you.

The Singaporean Inferiority Complex.

2007-07-06T22:32:00.000+08:00

So. A brief preamble, before I begin. I'm trying to get back into the habit of writing (typing?), and so bear with me as I fumble through this.

I've come to the conclusion that Singapore, as a nation, has an enormous inferiority complex when it comes to dealing with the rest of the world.

But before you stop me, saying that we're good at this, good at that, a hub for this, a hub for that - hear me out.

Singaporeans are irrationally attracted to hearing other countries acknowledge us. And the media knows this, and tries to exploit it.

An example. Remember all the trailers for Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest? The one with Chow Yun-Fatt saying "Welcome to Singapore!" And how it was somehow stressed in the posters and trailers as something amazing and worthy of notice? And that therefore, You Must Watch This Movie. Because Chow Yun-Fatt Welcomes YOU To Singapore.

A classic case of Singaporeans going all "yay" because Hollywood decided to mention us.

Another example. There's this trailer for an episode of "Ugly Betty" going on right now. And while I don't watch much television these days, I saw it on TV Mobile. (On a bus which broke down. Another story for another day.)

The voice-over goes, "There's something special about this episode of Ugly Betty." And then the trailer shows this female character trying to flirt with / seduce this older chap. (Don't ask me who they are, because I DON'T KNOW.) Crossed legs, unbuttoned top, etc etc. And then the voice-over continues, "But that's not what's special about this episode." And then the trailer cuts to a snippet of a scene, where the female character snaps, "I don't care about the housewives in Singapore!"

An out-of-context, fairly uninteresting scene, involving a throw-away line, advertised as the highlight of a sitcom episode. Simply because they mentioned Singapore. And not just Singapore, but Singaporean Housewives. Verily, my cup doth runneth over.

Now, I know that the logic isn't perfect. This might simply be a case of bad advertising, with the common citizen not caring two hoots about whether Singapore is mentioned in some American media production. Perhaps. But at the very least, this proves that the media has an inferiority complex, believing that Singaporeans are attracted to these casual, off-the-cuff references to our country; attracted enough to watch the movie/tv show/whatever that is being advertised with this hook.

But that's the beginning of the end, isn't it? Like it or not, the media is a massive influence on the way we think. (And that's the way the gahmen likes it!) Unless we make a conscious effort to reject it, we invariably start falling in line with the ideas it espouses. And I fear that this inferiority complex has taken root amongst our populace.

Now, I'm not saying that we're inferior. I think history proves that Singapore has beaten the odds, economically at least - although there's a lot to be said for the sacrifices we've made in the civil and rights-based arena. But let's leave that for another day. All I'm discussing is the attitude we seem to take towards our country's standing in the big picture, and how we overreact when we're so much as noticed.

There's another argument I'd like to run - that this inferiority complex can also be seen in our obsession over international rankings that espouse our superiority over other countries. ("Take that, M'sia! We r rox more than yoo! Bleeeeh!") But I lack the comparative knowledge - I do not know how much the media in other countries stresses their superiority in polls or studies.

And so I'd rather not go out on a limb here - it's late, I'm tired, and I'm not sure if I'll ever be confident enough with this argument to elaborate on it. At any rate, this argument is hardly as interesting as the one based on our reaction whenever Hollywood makes a flippant mention of our little country.

Let me know what you think. There isn't enough traffic here to warrant a tagboard, but leave me a comment. At the very least, I'll know that people still visit this corner.

*edit* I just realised that it's Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End, not Dead Man's Chest. Not like there's an enormous difference between the two films.

An idle brain is the devil's workshop...

2007-05-23T00:35:00.000+08:00

...and I've been idling.

Anyway, here's what I've been up to, in a nutshell.

Taiwan was...alright. An urbanised concrete landscape with mall after mall jabbing into the sky. Too similiar to Singapore for comfort. With the occasional odd juxtaposition of dusty roadside trees and shining concertina wire. A verdant, yet artificial oasis of patriotism amidst the hustle and bustle of a major road intersection.

The shopping wasn't particularly interesting, either. Punky streetwear and uncle shirts. Different designs, in the same vein. Unique fashions, yet radiating subtly discernible similarities .

The food was worth it, though. Ironically, the chicken chops were nothing to write home about, after the initial novelty had worn off. Neither was I a huge fan of all the traditional food - the oyster omelets came in an odd sauce, the oyster mee sua was far too starchy for my liking, the smelly beancurd was...smelly.

But what got my attention was the unique twist given to the food common to both Taiwan and Singapore. Sausage-stuffed sausages. Biscuit-in-a-biscuit. The local version of roti john, with a thick hunk of bread hollowed out and stuffed with ingredients before being deep-fried. Wantons and pan-fried dumplings being sold as fast food. Deliciously flavourful beef broth noodles.

And the most unexpected of them all - a hotplate beefsteak, dripping with the juiciness of a good marinate, cooked to tasty medium rare perfection, with a chewy tenderness I have never experienced except in Asian cooking. An ode to the fusion of East and West.

Must return to Taipei, if just for the food.

Pictures to be uploaded soon.

Taiwan!

2007-04-30T07:13:00.000+08:00

See y'all in, err, a few days!

"Anything to declare?"

2007-04-25T16:13:00.000+08:00

...yes.

I still believe. In truth, freedom, and beauty. In human dignity and inalienable rights. In love. That we're meant for so much more than we can ever imagine. That we can make a difference.

I believe.

Because I don't have the words:

2007-03-25T23:54:00.000+08:00

...I'll post someone else's.

Also, I could have sworn that I once dreamt of the exact same scene I saw today - walking into the Starbucks, seeing all my friends clustered around a table in that exact position. Highly weird. Deja vu etc etc, the Matrix has you etc etc, but once again...I'm reminded of why I believe what I believe.

Can't buy me...

2007-02-26T13:38:00.000+08:00

Political Trivia of the Day:

2007-02-25T00:08:00.000+08:00

In the 2006 Singapore General Elections,

a) 748,130 citizens voted for the ruling party, out of a total of 1,123,273 votes cast - a majority of 66.6%.

b) 748,130 citizens voted for the ruling party, out of 2,158,599 eligible voters - a minority of 34.66%.

c) 748,130 citizens voted for the ruling party, out of a total population of 4,483,900 - a minority of 16.68%.

The ruling party currently controls 82 out of 84 seats in Parliament - a majority of 97.61%.

The crux of the issue.

2007-02-23T16:46:00.000+08:00

This is dangerous, but I feel the need to record it down.

The problem with *** *** is that it could happen to you or me. Or anyone who ******* *** ****. But of course, we don't know ***** *** ***** ***.

And with no ***** ********, we could ******** ** ********* until the ******** is ********* that we're ** ****** a ******.

How would you feel ***** **** ******* if it happened to your sibling? Your relative? Your partner? Your friend?

It could happen. Right now. Today.

*edit* To take a line from Boaz - I decided I'm chicken.

Why I don't blog anymore.

2007-01-28T02:46:00.000+08:00

When I started this blog, it was because I wanted a repository of memories. I've never been very good at writing down my thoughts. All attempts at a diary or journal of sorts have petered out. And so I started typing down my thoughts online. Because, at the end of the day, I just find it easier to type than to write. The words flow better, as the fingers fly over the keyboard and let the mind wander.

Then there's the ease of editing - well, it's a bane and boon at the same time. Convenient, yes, but at the same time, the ability to reorder my words so easily means that I might very well be obscuring the true meaning of what I say. The meaning I intend at each instance, at the beginning of each sentence, covered up by polished editing. Diminishing the impact of raw, unadulterated thoughts, in all their ungrammatical and unwieldy beauty.

Another thing I'm bad at is organising my papers; a glance at the stacks of papers on my desk confirms this. And I only moved in less than 2 years ago. The ease of an online archive, where everything would be sorted out and accessible with a simple click...that appealed to me. And so it seemed like the best option available.

This blog started out personal. Then I got to know more people, and I started giving out the link, and I realised that there are just some things I could not say on what appeared to be a more and more public blog. The innermost thoughts, the private feelings. And so it became a rather descriptive blog - "yay, I went where and did what and I felt this way". It started to lack depth.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just not quite what I started out to do. It was supposed to be my story, not some pretty collection of "what I did during my holidays". It was meant to be introspective and intellectually stimulating. It was meant to be a challenge, even for myself.

The avenue was still open for me to post so-called intellectual discourses, though. I don't have a problem with reasoning and logic (if I do have a problem, it's that I over-analyse things). But, the simple reason why such posts have dwindled to a trickle is because I've been too lazy.

Yes, lazy. Not busy or tired. Lazy.

Too lazy to just sit down and type for a while, reading and editing and sharpening the phrases, the sentences. Too lazy to take pride in what I show to the world. Too lazy to, well, put in the effort. And so this blog has started to die off, with only the occasional token post to keep the blog in a state of suspended animation, a sort of unlife. Not quite alive.

And the irony is that I still have the desire to write. So many more stories to tell. So many opinions to express. The time I felt God, after months of wandering. The theory of semantics and communication that I worked out with Mark, the other time. (Which I hope I haven't forgotten the fine details of.) The Internship. School, in general. All the experiences I go through.

But I'm just lazy.

So what happens now? I don't quite know. For now, this blog is still semi-alive. But I do need the impetus to write, to post. I have no idea when or where the desire will strike me.

For now, this is just an explanation, for what's been going on, for why the posts have stopped. But for now, here's a promise: I will post about the stories I mentioned above. Sometime, eventually.

And while I left this post in draft mode and forgot about it for a couple of days, something new came up. SEP results are in. I've a place in Copenhagen.

A new beginning, perhaps.

Acer FTW!

2007-01-07T15:27:00.000+08:00

I'm typing this as the final few minutes tick away on my laptop. The power cable has given up the ghost on me. Barely 40 minutes of the battery remains, with no way for me to power the laptop or recharge the battery.

I would have replaced the cable weeks ago, when it first started to act up on me, but things have been...insane.

And yet, today was a revelation, of sorts. God was real to me. I cannot begin to describe or explain this, but...if you've ever had an encounter with God, you know it. And this was such an encounter.

Take care, everyone. I'll see you all as soon as I can.

And, happy 8 months, darling. I love you.

Results, etc.

2006-12-26T21:12:00.000+08:00

2006/2007 Sem 1 Examination for LAW YR II

Module Code	Module Title	Grade
LC2001	Comparative Legal Traditions	B
LC2002	Introduction To Trial Advocacy	S
LC2004	Principles Of Property Law	B-
LC2008	Company Law	B

Not great, but I have nothing to hide, because there are greater issues in life. Not many people read this blog anyways, and for y'all who do - you're welcome to the knowledge.

Drowning in work now. And AnnTIC at Port Dickson was very good; learnt a lot. Extremely educational.

I don't have much else to say.

A quick one:

2006-12-10T22:47:00.000+08:00

1. Exams are over. Don't really feel like talking about them.
2. Working like mad now on Internship.
3. I leave for Port Dickson in a few hours. Be back on the 16th.

Take care, y'all!

Burnt out.

2006-12-01T22:33:00.000+08:00

To be perfectly honest, I'm not putting in my 100%. My nights are unproductive - school is really the only place I can study. I'm not focusing. I'm lapsing into idle reading, picking up concepts here and there, when I should really be following a coherent plan.

But, whatever. Just 4 more days.

For now, here's an old favourite.

Less than 3 hours to property.

2006-11-30T06:16:00.000+08:00

And I have never felt so worried for any other exam before.

Why Microsoft, well, sucks.

2006-11-20T09:56:00.000+08:00

When M$ first announced that they were going into the platform gaming market with the Xbox, I remember being all doom-and-gloom about it. I'd run around grabbing people by the collar and screaming into their faces, "M$ is gonna flood the market with cheap consoles and games, take it over, and then produce crap games!! Nooooo!!" And people would go, "What's the big deal, dude?" And I'd have no real response, other than some sort of righteous anger about the joys of competition and a moral resistance to M$ taking over every aspect of the world.

Then the Xbox came out, and I didn't have anything to say, because I realised how silly I was behaving. There were better things to worry about. I can't remember what I transferred my attentions to, though.

But today, my fears have come true.

Most of you have no idea what Shadowrun is. For the uninitiated, it's a Paper-and-Pencil roleplaying game system set in a cyberpunk setting in the future. The twist is, magic has awakened along with the rise in cybertechnology, and the two co-exist in a gritty landscape of urban decay, where gangs rule their turf and megacorporations play their games of power and intrigue in their high-rise towers. Orcs, elves, trolls and other metahuman races co-exist uneasily with humans, and the world is connected by a global network called the Matrix which regulates the flow of all information. And players play Shadowrunners - those who survive on the streets by doing "jobs" against the megacorporations for those who would pay for their services. Jobs like breaking in to retrieve data, like destroying facilities, like kidnapping executives. Funky, eh? Think...Bladerunner. Think...Neuromancer. (It's a novel by William Gibson.) Sound like fun, hey?

And M$ decides to turn it into an FPS. Which is called Shadowrun, but has very little to do with the source material. Which differs in terms of setting, mechanics, and most importantly, mood. Which, quite frankly, makes me sad, because I've waited so many years for a decent game based on Shadowrun and M$ decides to slap the Shadowrun label on this FPS clone. And I'm not the only one. It has resulted in a rather huge uproar among the Shadowrun community.

Here's an analogy. Say, for example, you are a fan of the Harry Potter books. (Eww.) So someone decides to make a video game out of it. (I know, it's already been done, but bear with me - it's for the purpose of illustrating my point.) So the developers think it would be cool if they gave Harry a lasergun. And how about giving him chewing gum that was actually plastic explosives in disguise? and Then they change the setting to a university in America, where Harry must hide his true identity as a practitioner of the magical arts (with laserguns) even as he braves the weekly beer parties and the hotties who come onto him. (He's saving himself up for Hermoine.)

You get the idea? It would be a travesty. Harry Potter fans would scream bloody murder. But to make matters worse, this video game publisher says, "Yes, we understand your concerns. We love the Harry Potter books too. But we believe this is the best way to treat the material." And they ignore the protests and continue development, without bothering to change the name of the game. Which they should, since it has deviated so far from its source material.

The same thing is happening now with M$ and Shadowrun.

Most of you won't know what heck I'm talking about, much less care. That's alright; I just felt the need to say my piece about this. For those of you who want more information about the Shadowrun universe, poke me. Perhaps we can get a Paper-and-Pencil game together someday. I hope. I've never been able to find interested players.

On a sidenote, I suppose you could call this blog revived, what with 2 posts in a not-so-short span of time. We'll see about updates.

Bush meets Little Dragon.

2006-11-17T10:44:00.000+08:00

So, I was flipping through the papers today when I came across this picture.

Ho-hum. Boring right? Just two heads of states meeting for a friendly chat?

Look again.

Well...we're starting to tread on sticky ground here, because the last thing on my mind is being hit with a slander suit. (Hello, FEER!) Sorry folks, but one must compromise freedom of expression to, well, cover backside. As opposed to covering ankles. So, let's just leave it at that. You can ask me personally for my opinion if you see me.

Incidentally, CNA ran an article on it. (Yes, I grabbed the photo off CNA. What, you think I'm so free to cut out the picture from the papers and scan it in?) Note their caption under the photo: "US President George W. Bush shares a laugh with Singapore’s Prime Minster Lee Hsien Loong". Heh. A laugh indeed.

On the other hand, here's an article that suggests that the show of skin might actually be an intelligent, calculated political move to draw attention away from substantive issues. And recent unpopular initiatives (7% GST, anyone?) do demonstrate that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Slandered does need to throw up a smokescreen to hide behind, since Dirty Harry seems silent so far on the issue. But such a conclusion might be giving The Powers That Be too much credit. Or not. Who knows?

Hey.

2006-11-08T21:24:00.000+08:00

Alfie: You know, I never...I never meant...

Marlon: You never mean to hurt anybody.

Marlon: -- But you do, Alfie.

A cry for help!

2006-10-11T17:26:00.000+08:00

Basically, my laptop crashed. Lost everything - workfiles, photos, music, programs - everything. Trying not be be angry, but I'm sort of annoyed and peeved. Soooo, what this means is, I'd appreciate any help. Really. If you have photos you think I'd like, send 'em over! If you have muggers, pleaseplease send them over. Etc.

Just hoping that this little setback doesn't set me too far, err, back.

Thanks in advance, y'all.

Stupid.

2006-09-07T22:04:00.000+08:00

Too stupid, too careless. Too easy to drive the breeze away, with a thoughtless word or action. Or the lack thereof. And yet the breeze returns, even when he is undeserving. Unthinking.

He longs for the breeze, for the gentle balm of the soul.

Drained.

2006-09-07T19:58:00.000+08:00

Dark clouds threaten to overwhelm the blue skies, but rays of sunshine streak through the gaps. A gentle breeze that caresses the cheek. The gloom remains, but begins to dissipate. And then light rain begins to fall, pattering softly on the grassy hills.

The sun struggles to break through the clouds.

Check it out.

2006-08-22T21:36:00.000+08:00

I don't normally listen to these guys, but this is hilarious. Click the yellow thing. Yes, go, now.

Still no real post!

2006-08-10T23:16:00.000+08:00

But I have two snippets to share: one serious, and one funny. Try to figure out which is which.

After pondering that, check this out.

I:

2006-07-21T00:34:00.000+08:00

am still alive.

Will blog soon.

Finally:

2006-07-03T10:44:00.000+08:00

A real entry, the first in a long time.

Law Camp worked out well. Oh, there were highs and lows, and the lows weren't pretty, but we managed. Night Court could have been better, but it was good enough to convince most people. Scavenger Hunt worked out well; despite some delays and bottlenecks, almost all the OGs managed to do our station (with a rather good forfeit, I must say!)

Then for Jungle Trek...I was not mean! But I did have quite a lot of fun with some freshies...you know who you are! The Backstreet Boys, Six Cocks, Bananas, and of course my OG 3 freshies. Not to forget assorted people like my brother-look-alike and the famous Khoteh! Water tele was alright - got dunked, but hey, totally expected. Then it was saikang, saikang, saikang, all the way until Universal Studios.

The finale was...below expectations. And I felt really bad about it, because it was my baby afterall. My baby that I'd spent the better part of a month working on, 5 days a week (and 6 days on some weeks), 9 hours a day. But regrets aren't worth a damn; and I've moved on. Valuable lessons assimilated, mistakes learnt from.

And ultimately - it's not just about the final result. It's also about the process. And so I'd like to thank everyone who worked alongside me throughout the whole building process. Every single one of you, who sacrificed your time and energy and made your way to school just to help me tie poles together and bolt rivets together and tie cardboard to structures and plaster newspaper and paint. I'm thankful, not just for all the help, but also that relationships have been built and strengthed throughout the process.

And it's not just the building process; it's also about the working relationships during law camp itself. All the closer bonds that have been forged. You know, it's funny how there are so many familiar faces and names in law school, but we just don't talk because we haven't been introduced, or because we just happen to hang out in different circles. Thanks to law camp...so many more people are no longer just familiar faces or names. They are people I can relate to, people I can talk to, people I can share my life with, in my own small way. And for this...I'm glad.

So, a big shoutout to everyone who has mattered to me, during this whole process. To my lovely OG3 freshies - you guys were the best OG one could have. Caring, fun-loving, open-minded, enthusiastic... as Pet puts it, merci indeed. To my OGL, Audrey, thanks for always running things well. To my fellow counsellors, Thong, Darryl Soh, Charms, Dolly, thanks for being great people to work with. To the fantastic log comm, who made everything possible - Zhichao, Eugene, Yax, Longjin - it's been a real pleasure working with you guys. You guys deserve real respect, for being so willing to slog through all the dirty work, just so that everything could proceed. Props.

To Hanting, for being the best boss one could ask for, always trying to solve problems and always understanding. To Lynn, for being the picture of calm and organisation. To Teck Wee, for pulling it all together. To Khai, for all the help and support during both props-building and the camp itself, for being so willing to go the extra mile, for the willingness to help with all the saikang, and for all the stupid jokes! To Nadia, for good advice and such a high level of commitment during the whole process. To Ping Ying, for being our art director, and being the mastermind behind so much of our artwork and backdrop.

To everyone I've worked with during the whole process - Joel Lim, Shuwen, Kalyn, Daryl You, Jean (who isn't even in law camp comm! And yet she came down to build props so many days!), Daniel Leong, Kelvin Kek (and his car, yay!), Shangren, Siew Mun, Agatha (the cameltoe girl), Dolly, and Carrie. Thank you all.

Aloy - thanks for being a brother. For sacrificing your cigarette for filming! For doing the very best you could, throughout the whole camp.

Kyle, I'm glad I got to know you better during the whole process. It's funny, how you were almost like a stranger to me just a few weeks ago, and now...you're a brother. Here's to brotherhood.

Albert, thanks for coming down to build props, despite your dislike for the activity. To make such sacrifices for a brother...I'm awed and humbled. Respect.

Huiying, too, you came down so many days, and got so tired out, all for the props. I'm just very thankful that you cared enough to come down, to work so hard. You're a friend indeed.

Tris, my other OGL, thanks for being a brother. For the enormously funny sleep-talking! For all the help and support. Throughout the camp, I just did what I felt was right; and if it helped you, I'm glad. And I'm glad we made it through.

Enormous thanks too, Pet. Thanks for being there, for always helping out, for all the fun. For all the lame jokes. For all the conversations. It matters to me.

But for me at least, the biggest thanks go out to Winston the Man. Bro, thanks for being there all the way. For working with me from the very beginning, when we were just starting to figure things out. For guiding me around the store. For always being the picture of good humour and dedicated workmanship. For sacrificing your toenail, then hobbling around the entire camp with a missing toenail! For being...a brother. I now know that you're someone I can truly count on, and I'm glad to have that knowledge.

And now, photos! All from formal dinner and dbl O after that!

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

OG3!

A very smoky shot of assorted seniors in dbl O.

Brothers...

and friends.

The one and only Mr. Man!

Chao the log head, the man who made it all possible. Recognise!

Eugene!

Me and the lovely lady.

Err.

2006-07-02T22:56:00.000+08:00

Ok, I know that I'm super lagged. I'll update tomorrow. I promise. I just want to take my time (a.k.a. procrastinate more) and do justice to the law camp entry.

Just a quick note:

2006-06-26T06:17:00.000+08:00

I'm off to law camp.

A real update when I get back, I promise.

Amazingly tired.

2006-06-06T21:07:00.000+08:00

The title actually sums it up. And it explains my lack of updates; I just don't have the time nor energy to sit down and really write a thoughtful post.

I've just spent hours and hours everyday building props. It's fun! But it's also extremely tiring. And this is where I would put an appeal for people to come and help, but as far as I know most people who actually read my blog are there already, so it sort of defeats the purpose. Ah wells.

Take care and have fun, y'all.

If you are a Star Wars fan:

2006-06-01T23:02:00.000+08:00

Go watch this.

Busy, tired, but productive.

2006-06-01T00:57:00.000+08:00

Let's see, what's been going on?

1. The accident which I mentioned will cost me $500. Saying goodbye to my ang pao money. For those who don't know: I changed lanes without checking, and smashed in my left headlight. And dented the car body. Still, a lesson well learnt, and I'm thankful that nobody was injured, and that the other vehicle (a lorry) wasn't damaged.

2. On his birthday, Trissypoo got wet. Very wet. Waterlogged. And cakey. Still, not as cakey as the Little Tyrant, who got cake in her ear.

3. Today has been a very good day building props. Am extremely thankful for the excellent help that everyone has provided. Tomorrow, we continue.

4. I've been working at night at Mediacorp for the past 2 days. 3 or 4 hours' work, $60. It's decent pay, and I need the money badly, thanks to the buang, so I guess I'll be milking this job for as much as I can get.

5. I am horribly tired.

6. And finally, and most importantly: God is good. He's been talking to me. A lot. And I'm trying to learn how to listen better.

And, on a sidenote: hello, alligator =)

2 weeks!

2006-05-26T00:33:00.000+08:00

For more than 2 weeks, I have not blogged!

But there isn't really much to say. I've just been occupying my time going out, having fun, while at the same time seeking God.

The only thing I'm going to mention is this: I had 2 accidents and a near miss in the past 2 days. Two of them were physical and literal, while one of them was metaphorical. And the accidents were...quite bad.

But I'm thankful. The metaphorical accident has been resolved. Now all I need to do is to face the music for the physical accident, even as I count my blessings in how close I came to another accident.

I really need to be more careful.

Me, Myself, and I:

2006-05-10T11:57:00.000+08:00

I AM: a Christian, first and foremost.
I WANT: to lead a fulfilling life.
I WISH: that people would love and support each other more.
I HATE: screwing up.
I MISS: you.
I FEAR: hurting people. Especially you.
I HEAR: things with difficulty. Mild hearing loss.
I WONDER: if I'm worthy.
I REGRET: sometimes. But I never let myself dwell on it.
I AM NOT: ready to do so many things that I want to do.
I SING: Ringo songs. Not very well.
I CRY: without tears.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: the person that people see.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: props. Well, I will be, soon.
I WRITE: to release.
I CONFUSE: myself, all the time.
I NEED: love.
I SHOULD: do something meaningful with my life.
I START: wondering if we could last.
I FINISH: sentences with a full stop. Or an exclamation mark. Or a question mark.
I LOVE: God. And you. And all my friends and family.
I REMEMBER: the times we've spent together. And I think of the times we'll spend together.

As tagged by Huiying. And in turn, I tag: Pet, Mag, Taupok, Big K, and Ziy! I'd tag you, Shauna, but you never blog anymore anyways :/

100.

2006-05-06T15:06:00.000+08:00

The past few days have been perfect. Just perfect.

Contract was over in a flash; while it could have been better, it definitely could have been much, much worse. Had a good sharing and prayer session after the paper, then went down to Suntec with the TG8 gang for flaming good Carl's Jr. burgers =) Good food, and very good fun, with the usual noisy bunch just blattering on and on and drawing curious stares from passerbys and other patrons. Still, did we look like we cared? Nooooooooo! Then it was time to head home for a little, to change and stuff before we headed to MOS!

So, the plan was for some certain individuals to cab down to my place, where we'd get high before cabbing down to MOS. So far, so good. But a certain individual decided to take things too far, and somehow managed to stumble around in a giggly fit before spewing on my front yard! And in the taxi. It's a good thing that another certain individual had the presence of mind to bring a plastic bag and tissues into the taxi. Well, a good thing for the cabbie at least. Still, we finally got to MOS, and handed said drunk individual over to a a very capable pair of hands. Interesting, to say the least.

So, MOS. It was...ok. Smoove was very crowded. Still, it was pretty good. My jaw did drop, however, when some latecomers came down from Attica, and who should turn up but Lord Seow! Like, WOAH, rare sighting! And he didn't just turn up. When he started getting high, amazing things like "Unjust law is not law!" started sprouting from his mouth. It was rather... amusing, to say the least.

And I have proof of his presence:

Amazing, eh?

Anyways, we eventually proceeded to the main arena, which was playing flaming good music. For a while, at least. Then the music got crappy, and we decided to leave the area. The idea was to have supper, but we never got around to ordering food, and then the eating places started to close one by one, so we just headed back. Ah well. A somewhat anti-climatic end to a fun evening.

More photos from that night:

Met the same people for lunch on Thursday, after which me, Pet, Tris and Huiying went to bowl and shoot pool. We actually bowled decently! Huiying, our first-timer, managed to do very well, beating experienced people like Trissypoo and less experienced people like me. Hrmp. Pool was alright, althought I realised that I'm so rusty that it's not even funny. Ah wells, something to practice over the holidays. Still, all in all, a very nice, relaxed way to pass the afternoon.

Following that, we cabbed down to my place to pick up the car. Adrienne joined us, and then we headed to the WP rally at Ang Mo Kio. We realised half-way through that driving there was a ba-ad idea; the jam was horrendous. Still, we had enormous fun driving down, just talking and laughing at the sights and sounds. Almost like a road trip. Finally made it to the carpark, miraculously found a parking lot after parking illegally for a while and listening to Gomez from the carpark rooftop, then headed down to brave the crowd.

The mood was amazing. There was just so much rallying and support for the speakers. There were people everywhere: jam-packed on the open field, standing along the roadsides, looking down from the HDB flats. Everyone was just so enthusiastic and excited. And the mood was infectious! It was impossible to remain aloof; everyone just naturally got into the spirit of things, cheering and clapping whenever something good was said. Amazing. Just amazing. The traffic was really insane, though: after the rally ended, it took us about an hour to get out of the carpark, let alone the area. Still, we eventually made it out, and went for supper, before I dropped the hostelites back at their rooms.

Friday, I headed down to the VCF chalet in the early afternoon. The group went to Ubin; the plan was to go cycling, but we only realised when we got there that one of us couldn't cycle. Oh wells. We walked around the island instead. Went to Chek Jawa, but it was closed for renovation! A pity. Still, it was a very good time of sharing; I got to talk to some seniors who I'd never seriously talked to before, and it was a very good time of sharing and getting to know each other better.

In the evening, we had a very good time of sharing and discussion, with regards to the future of Law VCF and the shift to the BTC. I also got to meet a grand-senior; we had a good discussion about the history and future of our CG and the challenges that we're facing. There's much to be done in the upcoming year, but by God's grace, we'll face the challenges head-on and overcome them together.

Got a lift from Jasmine back to hall at 3am, where I stayed over in Lester's room for the night. Headed home the next morning, and I finally got a haircut. Which I'm still not used to, but that cannot really be helped. I guess it's just been a while since I've seriously waxed my hair; time to relearn the technique!

Had a very good time with my extended family in the evening. We went to Chinese Gardens for a picnic; the weather was excellent, and everyone was abuzz about the elections, which made for very interesting conversation. Also, I'm thankful that I got to talk to my cousin-in-law about my faith and beliefs; he's at the point where he's trying to decide if it's time to take that leap of faith and commit himself to the belief in Jesus Christ. Which is funny, because originally I wasn't sure if I wanted to join my family gathering. And then I came anyway, and it seems as though God showed me a compelling reason why I should never pass up a chance to spend time with my extended family. I'm thankful.

Something happened on Sunday morning, 07/05/06, at 9.30am, but I shall not talk about it =)

Sunday was church, where I met Josh, and then I got the van and drove down to school to help people move stuff out from their hall rooms. Pet had one box. Tris had...many, many, many bags. Let's just say that it was a tiring but fulfilling afternoon, as we shifted stuff in and out of the van and drove up and down ferrying stuff. Checked out Pet's (very nice) house, and got to meet Tris' (very nice) parents. Had dinner with those two at J8, before heading back.

Yesterday was Monday. Was supposed to head down to school for the VCF Games Day, but I overslept. Uhm. Ended up heading to town to meet Pet, Tris, and Mag for a movie. The Wild was entertaining, but not much more. Just a fluffy, feel-good, kid-orientated movie. Still, it's always the company that matters more. Had dinner with them, before I headed back to NUS for the VCF AGM. Which was...interesting, involving MSN conversations broadcast to the entire group, miscommunications relating to nominations, and quibbles over constitutional issues. Suffice to say, it was interesting enough to wake me up half-way through the AGM, and sustain my interest until the very end.

And that's how the past few days have been spent. Why 100? Because this happens to be the 100th post. Stay tuned: the next entry will consist of opinions, and not just simple narrative.

I'm not quite sure what's important.

2006-04-28T23:01:00.000+08:00

Travis - Village Man

I don't wanna rock, baby don't wanna rock
I just feel I'm stuck up against the clock
I don't really wanna rock tonight
I only wanna hold you tight

I don't wanna roll, baby don't wanna roll
I just feel I'm cold like I'm getting old
I don't really wanna roll tonight
I only wanna hold you tight
Please, please don't turn out the light

Rock'n'roll village man
Northern soul peter pan
Rock'n'roll rocket man
Skater phase desperate Dan
Rock'n'roll never sounded better

I don't wanna be, baby don't wanna be
I just feel it's me falling off the tree
I don't really wanna be tonight
I only wanna keep you right

I don't wanna try, baby don't wanna try
I just feel I'm dry trying to get by
I don't really wanna try tonight
I only wanna hold you tight
Please, please don't turn out the light

Ah Koh is going to talk about politics today.

2006-04-26T09:48:00.001+08:00

Ah Koh got something to say to Dr Chee. He says: screw you, understand? You are the worst thing in Singapore politics now. Everyone know that you pok kai already, nothing to lose by talking cock. Ok lah, for you, nothing to lose means can anyhow talk right. Bankrupt already, gahmen want to take more money from you also cannot. But you never think leh. You represent not just yourself. You represent SDP. You represent the opposition also. You come out and say stupid things, you make everyone look bad, you understand? You only give PAP more things to bang the opposition about. You hurt your own people.

And you don't come and motherson tell me that opposition is not your own people. All fighting for same thing right? All fighting to give people another choice right? All fighting against the gahmen = PAP mindset right? All form one big happy group called SDA to fight for some GRCs together right? Then if you all fighting for the same thing, why the hell you want to make your own people look bad? My nephew says, you are a bloody li-a-bee-lee-tee to the opposition. I don't know what that word means lah. But I know what he means. Don't have person like you, is better for Singapore.

Lim pei also don't know how much your family is suffering. Your name is dirt already leh. Then you come out and do things like that, only make your family name worse. I tell you, if lim pei is your brother, lim pei die die won't let anyone know that you are my brother. You know why? Because you are the biggest bullshitter of the lot. Say you want to fight for our country, for democracy, then you go and do bloody stupid things to attract attention and make the opposition look like a bunch of cocks. Turn the SDP from a decent party to a joke. Run away from the country and only show face once in a while when elections coming. You say the gahmen lie to people. I tell you, you are the biggest liar when you say that you are fighting for Singapore.

And you don't come and tell lim pei that this is the only way to play politics in Singapore. You go look at Chiam See Tong. He do things sui-sui. He fight for his people. He talk to his people and know their problems. He got problems with the gahmen, he also say in a not-very-nice way, but he don't say stupid things to let them bang and sue. He use brains to fight. Everything he say, got fact one. And in the end he get voted and stay in Parliament where continue to fight. Dr Chee, that is how you earn respect, understand? Not bloody run about and kao pei. My england not very power, but I know one saying: empty vassal make the most noise. You know what, Dr Chee? You make bloody a lot of noise.

Ah Koh not saying that the gahmen does things sui-sui. Everyone got a lot of things to say about gahmen, how gahmen sometimes a bit too much. Bring SM in to fight for Potong Pasir and Hougang. How they suggest Potong Pasir and Hougang MP don't need party whip, if they kena voted in. How can, right? Not right lah. Like that it's special treatment already. How they give Potong Pasir and Hougang less money for upgrading. How they force Potong Pasir and Hougang to wait 20 years for upgrading, then when election comes they very happy to say "vote for us and you get upgrading!" How MM can come out and openly say that they give less things to opposition ward. This is not right. But Dr Chee, why you want to make up bullshit stories about the NKF and PAP, when gahmen already do some many other things that you can bang with more proof? Sometimes ah, the things you want to fight gahmen about is damn bloody stupid. Sometimes, the way you want to talk about the gahmen - use loudhailer at market, like lelong lelong like that, really damn bloody low-class.

Dr Chee, you ever look in the mirror or not? Wake up lah. People see you as a joke. They don't see you as freedom fighter. They stop listening already to the bullshit that comes out of your mouth. If you are a gentleman, then you siam politics and give the opposition chance to repair all the damage you have done.

Just keep running.

2006-04-26T02:55:00.000+08:00

Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Love of mine some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark

No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles brusied by a lady in black
And I held my tongue as she told me
"Son fear is the heart of love"
So I never went back

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark

You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It's nothing to cry about
Cause we'll hold each other soon
The blackest of rooms

If heaven and hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the no's on their vacancy signs

If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I'll follow you into the dark

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

No particular reason; this song was just on infinite repeat in my mind as I was running. Speaking of running: ran 20 rounds around the SRC track, walked from SRC to PGP, walked from PGP to Sheares, walked from Sheares to KR, walked from KR to Fong Seng.

Tomorrow's gonna hurt.

A real update, for once.

2006-04-24T23:04:00.000+08:00

It's been a very long time since I really posted. I know, the last few posts have been mostly filler, but it's the exam period afterall, and time is really short. Still, I guess you lot deserve a decent update.

The last couple of weeks have basically been spent mugging all day in the Students' Lounge, the final snail-free bastion. Well, ok, that's only because I wasn't kiasu enough to book a classroom the moment booking was open. Still, the lounge is a pretty good place to study, once you get used to the funny smell. And the fact that you're basically Exhibit A in the specimen case, open to scrutiny by all passerbys. Then again, I've got my quiet little corner, I've got my power plug, I've got my music, and I've got friends who come and either kacheow me or study in silence with me - what else could I ask for?

Broke my routine last Friday night and went for dinner and drinks with my fellow sufferers. The original idea was to have a snack at 8ish, then go back and work somemore before we went for dinner/supper. Somehow, I don't think we really got any work done after that snack - people started going all crazy in the lounge. Jumping around, filming advertisements, bopping to their own beat...you get the idea. If you don't get the idea, don't sweat it, it's just another embarassing little scene that will always remain at the back of our minds, no matter how much we try to forget.

So, we gave up eventually and decided to speedwalk down to Blooies', because their kitchen was closing and we needed food. Like BADLY. Made it down in 12 minutes flat. Well, Tris, Pet, Huiying and I made it; Adrienne and Weishan lagged behind and strolled in 5 minutes before last orders. Still, we made it! Good food, entertaining patrons (a birthday celebration; aww, how sweet!), and good beer. And, most importantly: good company. Some days just end well.

So, that was Friday. Followed by a mugmug weekend, interspersed with good family time on Saturday night and church on Sunday. For those interested: my brother's now 17. Young still, but the years have a funny way of catching up. Seems just like yesterday that he was still a little RI kid...oh, wait, that was just last year. Nevermind.

Legal Theory today was...ok. I managed to draw a Venn Diagram in my essay about the law and morals. If that doesn't set my essay apart from the rest, nothing will. And all the time I spent fleshing out my personal conception of the law actually helped, to my surprise. Am thankful. Had a good prayer meeting afterwards, just meeting and sharing with all the prayer group people, and giving thanks for everything that has happened in our lives.

Prayer meeting was followed by an unwinding session at Essential Brew at Holland V, with the usual TG8 group, plus Jean, Weishan and Ven, sans Ahbert. Again, excellent food, excellent atmosphere, and most excellent company. It's true; I'm not sure how I could ever get through this lawschool thing without all my friends. I'm not really good at expressing myself, but all I can say is that I'm thankful for all the people surrounding me who keep me laughing, who keep me sane. Who make me glad to be alive. Who remind me of my place and purpose.

Crim awaits; I know I should start work, but I'm also reluctant to. Ah well, abang is relaked, but he should also be wary of being too relaked. He runs the risk of missing the chances that life offers him. And that applies to so much more than just schoolwork. Still, we'll see how things go, eh? No stress, nosiree!

Just 9 more days to go!

Gahmen quite power ah.

2006-04-23T13:08:00.000+08:00

PAP quite bastard lah. But SDP is really bloody stupid also.

Aiyah, Ah Koh don't dare say too much lah. Later ISD come and catch me when I lim kopi downstairs. Liddat not good lah, later also troublesome for my nephew. Like that SDP newspaper print one stupid story, suddenly every single SDP member and his father also kena sue. Cannot lah. You want to know what Ah Koh think, you come and find me downstairs and we talk cock.

How NOT to write an exam.

2006-04-21T09:47:00.000+08:00

Daily Routine.

2006-04-19T12:30:00.000+08:00

Life seems to have settled into a nice daily routine.

9-11am: Wake up, wash up, breakfast, head to school.
11am-2pm: Start working in the lounge.
2-3pm: Late lunch.
3-8pm: Back to work.
8-9pm: Go for dinner, or head home.
9pm-2am: Waste time before bed.
2-9am: Sleep.

The times change a little each day, but they're normally accurate to an hour. Or two.

2 more weeks to go.

Such great heights.

2006-04-16T02:35:00.000+08:00

Sorta apt, in a weird way.

And now for an Important Announcement.

2006-04-14T23:00:00.000+08:00

On this day about 2000 years ago, give or take a few years, Jesus Christ died for our sins.

Mine and yours.

And what in this world could compare to this awesome sacrifice?

So hard to find the right words.

2006-04-13T21:18:00.000+08:00

I'm just very tired, physically and mentally. A potential which I didn't want to acknowledge has surfaced. I didn't acknowledge it before because of fear; but now the moment of fear has come and gone, to be replaced by a spirit of truth-seeking.

It's funny, how sometimes fear is the only thing to fear.

Hang on for the ride, we're gonna see just how far we can go!

And now for a TMI announcement:

2006-04-08T22:41:00.000+08:00

The beer coupled with the lack of exercise is finally catching up with me.

I am getting fat.

If you have advice for how to fry away midriff fat, tell me.

Like brothers on a hotel bed.

2006-04-08T13:37:00.000+08:00

I wish I could say I haven't been blogging because I've been busy doing productive things, but I'd be lying if I said that. So, time for a rather lengthy post, in (sorta) chronological order, before I hit the books.

After the crim presentation the Friday before, which went fairly well, I basically spent the whole weekend and Monday trying to work on the contract tutorial. Which was extremely tough. Still, we'll see if it comes out for the exams.

On Tuesday, somehow managed to get persuaded into digging out my old VJ uniform for another random weird TG 8 thing to commemorate the last contract tutorial. Since a picture paints a thousand words...

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

Before the madness began.

When you gotta go, you gotta go. Yue-En looks disturbingly amused...

Obligatory defamatory shot.

Ambushed as I emerged from the classroom.

Punching above my weight! Assault, battery, abetment, and probably grievous injurt, in a single photograph...

The aftermath.

"What? It was self-defence!"

Sepia shot.

Less serious this time.

Uhm, not serious at all.

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Ahem. No, I don't know how I get suckered into these strange situations. Still, it's been a blast, TG 8. Our weird group dynamics started in a contract class, and I suppose the last tutorial deserved a worthy flourish. Not like we're not gonna meet up anymore, even though school's out.

The moots were on Thursday. I suppose I did well; while I cannot really judge my own performance, I was comfortable and poised, and was able to answer the probing questions. Good comments from 2 out of 3 tutors; the 3rd tutor had some insightful things to say about my answering ability and my grounding in basic principles, but I suspect that I did the best I could have, given the knowledge I possessed.

Also, big props to Audrey, my lovely partner, for supporting me and putting up with my antics throughout the whole process. You rock, girl. And to Trissypoo, Petripoo, and Weichin, for the support. Am super appreciative, as I said; your presence made all the difference in the world.

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The lovely Audrey, looking very very sharp.

Friendly, isn't she?

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Dinner and drinks with TG 12 at Timbre after the moots. Aside from the 2 jugs of cat's piss we got instead of the Heineken, it was an enjoyable evening out - we finally understood some things that had been bugging us, and it was good company. Also, special congratulations to Jo-Ann, who is pregnant! Thanks for doing your best for us despite the physical challenges you faced quietly. I finally understand...and appreciate it.

KBox on Friday afternoon with Tris, Pet, Mag, Weichin. I shall not comment on my singing ability. Neither shall I comment on the unkind remarks I got about my choice of music! I maintain that I am merely surrounded by musical philistines who are unappreciative of true art! Still, good fun, good company, even if the singing was really really horrendous at times. I absolve myself of all responsibility!

The final 40 Days of Purpose campaign cellgroup was held on Friday night. It was very very powerful and insightful, largely thanks to the hard questions that Adrienne and Zhengfeng posed. I'm thankful for the chance to share my beliefs. And that, really, is all that I can say...all I can do now is to pray that I am fulfilling the Great Commission in my own limited way, and that God will touch hearts and change lives.

Headed down to Pet's room at PGP after cellgroup for a night of drunken debauchery with Ahbert, Big K, Rui, Tris, Pet, Mag, and Weichin. Well, actually, we didn't get drunk. Surprisingly limited quantities of alcohol were consumed. There was no debauchery either. Oh, sure, all 7 guys and girls were squeezed into one small PGP room, and the bed was definitely jam-packed, but it was all 100% clean. As far as I know. So, what did we do in the end? Talked, cracked jokes, shared our thoughts, embarassed the crap out of each other, and forced secrets to the surface. Some probing went further than it should have; but that's really an academic point, given that things have already happened. Ah wells.

In other words, business as usual.

And thus concludes my narrative of the events of the past week. You'll have to wait for another post if you want insights or musings.

Oh, and on a sidenote, more photos will be uploaded when I get them.

Inexplicably edgy.

2006-04-05T20:03:00.000+08:00

I promise that there will be the mother of all blogposts put up soon, to commemorate the various (arguably) interesting things that I have been doing. But for now, I'm too tired and busy because moots are tomorrow.

And for some reason, I'm somewhat tense about it. Which is ironic, considering how much effort I've put into this and how much I believe in the strength of my case.

Well, no point worrying about what I cannot control. Enjoy the sneak peek below, and stay tuned. We're gonna take a short break and come right back!

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Takin' it slow.

2006-04-02T00:12:00.000+08:00

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Soul to Squeeze

I got a bad disease
Up from my brain is where I bleed
Insanity it seems
It's got me by my soul to squeeze
Well all the love from me
With all the dying trees I scream
The angels in my dream
They turn to demons of greed
That's me

Where I go I just don't know
I got to, got to, gotta take it slow
When I've found my piece of mind
I'm gonna give you some of my good time

Today love smiled on me
It took away my pain, said please
I'll let your ride be free
You gotta let it be
Oh yeah

Where I go I just don't know
I got to, gotta, gotta take it slow
When I find my piece of mind
I'm gonna give you some of my good time

You're so polite indeed
Well I got everything I need
Oh make my days a breeze
And take away my self destruction

It's bitter baby and it's very sweet
I'm on a rollercoaster but I'm on my feet
Take me to the river lay me on your shore
Well I'll be coming back baby
I'll be coming back for more.

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At the moment, this song says it better than I ever could.

Help!

2006-03-31T12:10:00.000+08:00

Hanting's gonna kill me. With a penknife. Or he'll make someone do it.

All I did was flash this photo during my crim presentation!

And I wasn't even the one who created it! Die. Hanting, have mercy!

The Sound Of Settling.

2006-03-29T03:36:00.000+08:00

Stuff has been happening, but I'm just too tired to blog. In a very small nutshell: 40 Days of Purpose cell group on Friday night. VCF Law Sub-Committee meeting on Saturday night. Supper on Sunday night. On Monday afternoon, an incident concerning chivalry, boyfriends and rainy nights. Mahjong at Rui's place on Tuesday afternoon.

Maybe I'll elaborate a bit another day. If I can find the time and energy.

P.S. Death Cab For Cutie is extremely good. The wistful, inviting vocals that just draw you in, the dreamy aural soundscape, the sheer lushness of the sound. Perfect for the quiet solitude of the early hours.

Big Radish!

2006-03-28T12:51:00.000+08:00

Proof that Japan is insane.

Arrowed.

2006-03-26T21:39:00.000+08:00

Because Rui told me to.

Rules:
1. Bold the following words that are true about you.
2. GREEN! the things you wish were true.
3. Add one thing true about you.
4. And then tag onetwothreefourFIVE more people.

I miss somebody right now.
I don’t watch TV these days.
I own lots of books.
I wear glasses or contact lens.
I love to play video games.
I've tried marijuana.
I've been in a threesome.
I've been the psycho-ex in a past relationship.
I believe honesty is usually the best policy.
I curse sometimes.
I have changed a lot mentally over the last year.
I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me.
I'm TOTALLY smart.
I've broken someone’s bones.
I'm paranoid sometimes.
I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost and scar-free.
I need money right now.
I love sushi.
I talk really, really fast/unclear.
I have long hair. (Not anymore.)
I have lost money in Las Vegas.
I have at least one sibling.
I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past.
I couldn't survive without Caller I.D.
I like the way I look.
I am usually pessimistic.
I have alot of mood swings.
I have a hidden talent.
I'm always hyper no matter how much sugar I have.
I have alot of friends.
I am currently single!
I have pecked someone of the same sex. (Do not ask.)
I enjoy talking on the phone.
I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants.
I love to shop.
Enjoy window-shopping.
I would rather shop than eat.
I don’t hate anyone. I dislike them.
I'm a pretty good dancer.
I'm completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother.
I have a cell phone.
I believe in God.
I watch MTV on a daily basis.
I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months.
I've rejected someone before.
I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
I want to have children in the future.
I have changed a diaper before.
I've called the cops on a friend before.
I’m not allergic to anything.
I have a lot to learn.
I have been with someone at least 10 years older or younger.
I am shy around the opposite sex.
I have made a move on a friend’s significant past or crush in the past.
I own the "South Park" movie.
I would die for my best friends.
I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza.
I have used my sexuality to advance my career.
I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all.
Halloween is awesome because you get free candy.
I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it.
I have dated a close friend’s ex.
I am happy at this moment!
I'm obsessed with guys.
Democrat.
I am punk rockish.
I am preppy.
I study for tests most of the time.
I tie my shoelaces differently from anyone I’ve ever met.
I can work on a car.
I love my job.
I am comfortable with who I am now.
I have more than just my ears pierced.
I walk barefoot wherever I can.
I have jumped off a bridge.
I love sea turtles.
I spend ridiculous money on makeup.
Plan on achieving a major goal/dream.
I'm proficient in a musical instrument.
I worked at MacDonald’s restaurant.
I hate office jobs.
I love sci-fi movies.
I think water rules.
I went college out of state.
I like sausages.
I love kisses.
I fall for the wrong people.
I adore bright colours.
I can't live without black eyeliner.
I don't know why the hell I just did this stupid thing.
I usually like covers more than originals.
I can pick up things with my toes.
I can't whistle.
I can move my tongues in waves, much like a snakes slithers.
I have ridden/owned a horse.
I still have every journal I've ever written in.
I can't stick to a diet. (Never needed one. Muahaha.)
I talk in my sleep.
I try to forget things by drowning them out with loads of distraction.
Climbing trees is a brilliant past-time.
I have jazz in my blood.
I wear a toe ring.
I have a tattoo.
I can't stand at LEAST one person I work with.
I am a caffeine junkie.
I cosplay or know what cosplaying is. (Know.)
I have been to over 15 conventions.
I will collect anything, and the more nonsensical, the better.
I'm an artist.
I only clean my room when necessary. (Well, maybe once a year. When I need a shovel to get to the window.)
I like a person of the same sex.
I love being happy.
I am an adrenaline junkie.
I have ridden an elephant.
I love chocolates and crowns!
I go to school NOT for the sake of lessons.
I can't ride a bicycle.
I think I'm the only person crazy enough to do this at 6 in the morning without any sleep for the night. (9pm, not 6am.)
I feel crazy.
I love tomatoes!!
I like peanut butter on bananas.
Been told "You’re on fire!"
I’m a netballer.
I believe in Serendipity.
I think the word "RASPBERRY" is sexaaay!
I love to look at people’s teeth.
I don’t wanna grow up.
I can cross my eyes n stick out my tongue and still look cute.
Gaining weight is a wonderful thing.
I am a PRO…procrastinator. (I have a T-shirt to that effect.)
I love listening to gossip. (Unfortunately.)
I can stand on my head. (And flip around and stuff.)

Tag? We-lls...just assume that by reading this, I have tagged you. Yes, you. And that includes you too, SML! And all you stealth readers!

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In other news, I am mourning for my hair. Most of which is lying in clumps on the floor of a certain hair salon in the Bukit Timah area. Unless it has been swept up and disposed of already; in that case it's probably gone up in smoke in some incinerator.

Farewell, my lovely locks. It was fun while it lasted, but you knew that one day, we would have to part. You will be remembered.

The fear is here.

2006-03-23T20:12:00.000+08:00

I don't even know how to begin describing my last few days. They were just...weird.

Waffles at Gelare on Tuesday afternoon, with TG 8. The usual good company. A good breather from the madness of LAWR and Crim. Saw a young couple professing their love for each other. Felt old. Felt...jaded. Very tired. Very odd feelings. Little did I know that this was a harbinger of things to come.

Had a good lunch on Wednesday. Good food, good company. Thought-provoking conversation over excellent Japanese cuisine. Spent some time in town, then headed home for dinner and a quick shower before heading to school to work on LAWR. At one point in the middle of the night, I was walking out to the carpark with Xiang and Itishree, when I glanced up at the door which we were about to head through and saw someone from my past through the glass panel. Went through an instinctive fight-or-flight response. Then I decided that it was time to confront the past. And I strode up to the door and opened it.

Said hi to Claire.

She looked exactly the same as I remember her from my past; the same hair, the same glasses. When the voice came out, it was the same too. And yet, even as she measured up to my memories, I realised that I'd been the one doing all the changing. That things were so different now. If I bumped into my old self one day along the street, would I recognise the person I used to be? Would I notice? Would I be aware?

She seemed surprised. Who wouldn't be? I was surprised too, but there was also a certain inevitability about the moment. Like I'd known, without really admitting to myself, that someday I would have to face her. As though I'd been preparing for this moment, from the very day I'd decided that it was time to end the silence between us. She took a few seconds to recognise me. The surprise in her "oh, hi!" was real. There was little time to talk anyway; not that I desired that. A few brief words relating to the improbability of our chance encounter, and then we parted. And I cannot even begin to describe the tumult of emotions that were running through my mind.

Little else remains to be said. Left the moot court after 1am. Supper, then drove the resident Lord back, before heading home. Crawled into bed a bit before 4am. Overslept; woke up 20mins before class and went through a mad frenzy of throwing on clothes and rushing for a taxi. Went through the rest of the day like a zombie. And now, here I am.

I'm really scared now. What if we end up like that, strangers who shared but brief moments, only to fade away in the sands of time? The cruel games we play; the hurting, the recrimination, the pain. I don't want that to happen. It's a risk that I'm reluctant to take.

I see no easy resolution.

Exactly.

2006-03-21T07:00:00.000+08:00

That's what I'm gonna do. Pout. Maybe I'll whine, too!

Restless.

2006-03-21T00:14:00.000+08:00

So, it's been a rather edgy few days. And for no apparent reason either. Just been getting annoyed over small things, with no real justification. Perhaps it's simply the current chaotic backdrop in my mind.

I guess the foremost thing on my mind is how I just had a mini-argument with my parents again. Honestly...I'm really tired. The whole "student should act like a student" thing that's used to justify restrictions on my behaviour. And I always drop the argument, not because I think they're right, but because I do think that it's extremely disrespectful to argue with parents.

But that just leaves me annoyed and frustrated. And with no outlet. What does it take for me to be free to live my life the way I choose to live it? When will they let go? Does this make everything they say about giving me my freedom and having faith in me just...empty words?

I'm really too tired to deal with this. And all the other unresolved issues don't help either. And I can't even allude to them because it appears that this blog is getting wa-ay too public for my liking.

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

I don't wanna rock, baby don't wanna rock
I just feel I'm stuck up against the clock
I don't really wanna rock tonight
I only wanna hold you tight

I don't wanna roll, baby don't wanna roll
I just feel I'm cold like I'm getting old
I don't really wanna roll tonight
I only wanna hold you tight
Please, please don't turn out the light

- Travis, Village Man

Memorial? What memorial?

2006-03-19T22:53:00.000+08:00

Started rewrite at 11pm on Friday night, finished at 9pm on Saturday night, with 5 hours or so of sleep in between. Fastest assignment so far. Nothing much else happening; it's been a fairly slack weekend.

Next week's gonna hurt - there's a very good chance that I've bitten off more than I can chew for my Crim presentation. Ah well, time to rediscover the joys of working alone in the library at night.

The Inner Tumult.

2006-03-16T08:14:00.000+08:00

V for Vendetta is powerful. Go watch it. Orwellian, dystopic, but moments of oh-so-aching beauty and truth. A movie that critiques itself and its artform even as it fleshes out an idea about an idea. Musings on celluloid, art, truth, God, power, and ultimately, freedom.

The most intelligent aspect, of course, is how it manages all these things while remaining fun. The touches of dark humour, even in the most intense, truthful moments. The intense action. As usual, the Wachowski brothers use bullet-time, but at least it's been reduced to a single scene this time. And the powerful use of symbolism, even as it is discussed and dissected by the characters.

Allegory? Perhaps. But there are messages within messages in here - and I'm not even sure if I got them all. It appears that my next step is to pick up the graphic novel. I might even rewatch it, if only for the pleasure of revisiting art.

I'm no authority on the adaptation of graphic novels to film. In fact, two genres can probably never be compared - it would be like comparing sculpture to music. Different yardsticks, different standards, different premises. But as a person who appreciates graphic novels as an art form, the surfacing of graphic novels in the mass media's conciousness is a good thing - both for the development of the medium, as well as the artistic and literary development of society.

Then again, there's always the potential for disaster. Constantine, for example. Keanu Reeves mowing down demons with a crucifix-tommy gun? Sometimes, the film industry really cracks me up. In a sad way.

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In other news - chicks. Love 'em, hate 'em, can't live without 'em.

My current companions are...

2006-03-12T16:28:00.000+08:00

The Beatles, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Travis, and The Postal Service. Beer, too. Just killing time before I head off to a party.

Don't ask me if I did any work this weekend.

Beer!

2006-03-12T16:16:00.000+08:00

You Are Heineken

You appreciate a good beer, but you're not a snob about it.
You like your beer mild and easy to drink, so you can concentrate on being drunk.
Overall, you're a friendly drunk who's likely to buy a whole round for your friends... many times.
Sometimes you can be a bit boring when you drink. You may be prone to go on about topics no one cares about.

What's Your Beer Personality?

Am I boring when I drink? :/ I do appreciate my beer, though!

Bittersweet conclusion.

2006-03-11T19:04:00.000+08:00

So, another team got 32 people in. Did my share of brooding and moping, then decided to focus on what happened, and not what could have happened. At the end of the day, we did our best despite all the factors against us.

We had a very small window of opportunity: looking at the entire competition period, we only had a 50-minute window in which all the team members could gather to go for the challenge. The inflexibility of this window also meant that we didn't have the luxury of making another attempt if another team beat our figure - like it or not, our first few tries would be our only tries. We lacked practice, due to the very tight timeline we had to stick to, and we had insufficient small people, having to use a number of not-so-small guys.

But, despite all this, we accomplished something. We managed to pull together a motley crew of 40-50 people, squeezers and supporters included, from a pool of normally apathetic law students. Not only did we manage to get a crew together - our team was enthusiastic. A term I normally wouldn't apply to law students. Furthermore, so many of these people we managed to pull didn't even know each other well - yet everybody banded together in that moment to put up the very best showing we could.

More amazingly, this was all organised within a timeframe of just over 48 hours. In these 48 hours, 3 of us gathered the people (directly and indirectly), checked the vehicle dimensions, discussed the dynamics of the space, finalised the movement order, tied up admin issues with the organisers, and made sure that everything ran smoothly. On hindsight...the speed and efficiency at which everything was done is something I'm proud of.

Also, something I'm truly thankful for is that nobody got injured. It was something that weighed heavily on my mind; and I'm glad my fears were unfounded. And that's an important element! As Petripoo put it, squeezing one or two more people in might have made the difference and caused an injury. That was brought to my attention while I was brooding over the fact that we didn't win, and it eased my mind greatly.

And, selfishly...I'm glad I did this, because I wasn't sure if I could pull off the co-ordination required. The, uhm, managerial role. Because leadership is a mantle I'm not comfortable wearing. It's a role I don't I feel I'm good at. But...it worked out. Nobody got hurt, everything was done efficiently, and everyone was happy. And, perhaps, just perhaps, I should start giving myself a little credit in that area. While I'm mainly glad because everyone had fun, I'm also glad because I proved to myself that when push comes to shove...I can get it done. With help from my friends, of course - but ultimately, it can be done.

But, yes - everything hinged on the enormous amounts of help I got from all quarters. And I am still amazed at and thankful for all the spontaneous and enthusiastic help I received. If there's another reason to be glad that we did the carsqueeze thing, it's that I got that much closer to so many people (and not just physically, hurhurhur.) It was a good chance to work with some people I didn't really know, and a chance to broaden my social horizons. It's not just about the individual relationships. It's also about the shared empathy, the shared experience.

Years from now, I'll look back and remember it as a weird, fun thing we did together. And for me...it's a memory to be cherished.

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Photos, as promised. Because a picture paints a thousand words and my descriptions cannot do justice to the event.

The vehicle we squeezed into.

Some strange guy who was shouting and giving instructions.

The preparation leading up to the squeeze itself...

People start to wonder what they've gotten themselves into.

Final words before we start...

And we're off!

Oh. My. Gosh.

How can they be smiling?!

Compromising positions...

Is this insane or what?

The human jigsaw puzzle.

This may be the first and last time that my butt is pressed up against a window for the world to see.

The aftermath.

The final result!

Unrelated, but...

2006-03-09T19:52:00.000+08:00

Ok, I didn't really want to deal with this, what with the carsqueeze and all, but I've seen her 3 times in the last week (pure coincidence, I'm sure) and I'm still running away.

And, cracks showed in another relationship. *edit* Settled.

The irony, of course, is that in the past 2 days I've co-ordinated a bigger group of people than I have in the last 3 years (at least), but I still cannot sort out my personal relationships.

Maybe I'll go for a drive. *edit* Cannot, fuel prices just rose :/

30.

2006-03-09T14:21:00.000+08:00

We did it!

So, Legal Theory ended late for both classes, and we had to rush down to the Forum to get it all started. After I discussed the rules with organisers, got the safety aspects sorted out with the team, and finalised the entry order, we went for it.

And then it was just one mad minute of squeezing and shoving and pushing and breathlessness and tightness and general discomfort.

Then we emerged from the vehicle and tallied our numbers. Official count for the first attempt: 24. Good, but below target. And I knew that we could do better than that. So I talked to the team, and we decided to go for a second run.

The second attempt was even crazier - by then, we'd gotten the order down pat, and it was just a matter of compressing people even more. Minimising the empty space between bodies. Fitting the human jigsaw puzzle together.

This time, we hit 30. Happy? You bet!

And I was amazed to see such an outpouring of support. So many people came down to watch us, to cheer us on, to help us push people into the vehicle, to even spontaneously jump into the vehicle. When I saw the poster on Tuesday morning and made the decision to form a team to compete, never did I expect so much enthusiasm and support from so many people - and not just people from my immediate circle of friends, but also beyond. Somehow, along the way, it evolved from my personal quest to win a share of the $888, to a fun event involving Law School. And, truly...it was a rare moment of camaraderie. And at that moment...I felt proud to be part of the faculty. Like I belonged.

So many people to thank. But, just to name a few - props to Chong Yi, Daryl, Eugene, Winston, and Venetia for being at the bottom of our taupoks. And to all the guys for bearing the brunt of the weight. To Marie, Huiling, and Rui, for taking on the weirdest, tiniest, compartments. Especially Rui, for helping me to contact everyone and co-ordinate the people to make this happen. Also, thanks to everyone who had LAWR at 12.30pm or 1pm and managed to squeeze the event into their very tight schedules. And all the girls who risked compromising positions and unglam photos to squeeze into the vehicle. And everyone who came to support us, just by your presence or by helping us to push people into the vehicle and close the doors. We couldn't have done it without you all. And last, but definitely not least, thanks go out to Jean, for telling me "hey...can ah!" when I asked her about the competition, triggering this whole shebang.

Photos when I manage to grab them off people.

Soda.

2006-03-08T18:00:00.000+08:00

You Are Dr. Pepper

You're very unique and funky, yet you still have a bit of traditionalism to you.
People who like you think they have great taste... and they usually do.

Your best soda match: Root Beer

Stay away from: 7 Up

What Kind of Soda Are You?

But I like Vanilla Coke! And I don't enjoy Dr. Pepper. *mutter*

Team Lawst.

2006-03-08T00:03:00.000+08:00

And in the span of a few short hours, the team's been formed.

We're targetting no less than 25 people in the car. Maybe 30. The sky's the limit. Because we are small Asians squeezing into a hatchback, not big caucasians squeezing into a mini.

This is going to be a VERY interesting next few days.

The Great Squeeze.

2006-03-07T17:38:00.000+08:00

If you're a, uhm, relatively small person from Law, drop me a msg or something. There's this competition going on that aims to squeeze as many people as possible into a vehicle, and the top prize is $888. We'll probably be heading down to the forum after Legal Theory on Thursday, and with luck, it'll be a fun thing to do together! Any win will be a bonus!

If interested, contact me asap =)

*edit* This is the target. Not for the faint-of-heart.

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Oh, and wasp bite update - the red has faded to a dark brown, and it's starting to clear up. No more numbness or itchiness. Well, it's about time.

Those who await.

2006-03-06T21:29:00.000+08:00

Taken from Indie Surfer Blog:

The Red Hot Chili Peppers plan to release the follow-up to 2002's multiplatinum By the Way, dubbed Stadium Arcadium, in early May. Originally conceived as a trilogy of thirty-eight songs, the Rick Rubin-produced effort will be a twenty-four-track double album. Song titles include "Charlie," "Snow," "Animal Bar," "Wet Sand," "Desecration Smile," "Hard to Concentrate" and "Dani California," the album's first single ...

That's more than 2 months more. Crap. Still, a double album is something worth waiting for indeed.

The Human Condition.

2006-03-05T23:22:00.000+08:00

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

- Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and The Carpenter

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

I'm starting to believe that it's my calling to talk to people. To lend a listening ear. To share my views. Is that my true purpose? I don't know. But I'd like to think so. And I intend to find out.

Thank you, Lester, Rui, and Yaolong, for making this a weekend of thought and contemplation, of intellectual and theological discourse, of personal and spiritual growth. Thank you for challenging me, for engaging me, and for sharing your thoughts with me. Thank you for being my friends.

In other news, the area surrounding the wasp sting is red and swollen. It's about the size of 2 50-cent coins, and it's alternating between itching and numbness.

Follicle follies.

2006-03-03T09:36:00.000+08:00

I happened to be going through old photos. Alright, not that old - most of them were taken less than a year ago. But I realised what a difference hairstyle makes to the overall look.

And you know what? I seriously prefer my current hair.

Nevermind all the assorted weird comments (to date, I've had mushroom, muppet, ah beng, beatles, ringo, retro, samurai, japanese, and a whole lot of other nonikers I cannot remember.) All my older photos, with my shorter hair...I look too young. Like, really kiddy. And I look at more recent photos and I figure, the look's better now. Maybe it's slightly too long, but it's heaps better than the times when the hair that was too short. And, most importantly...I like it.

Incidentally, while my leg did not swell up like an elephant, the bitemark is itching like crap now.

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

Went for the first cell group for the 40 days of purpose campaign I'm going through. It was extremely good - very thought-provoking, with lots of challenging questions asked and lots of introspection. Looking forward to future sessions. For those of you who have no idea what this is about and want to find out more, ask me - but in a nutshell, it's essentially a 40-day program that focuses on helping us to find our true purpose and meaning in life. Basically, the hard questions that we'll have to ask ourselves eventually (if we haven't been asking already).

Highly recommended.

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

Also, photos from the night of the Sheares Hall Production:

Tris still looks like a perv; this will serve as the obligatory defamatory shot.

I don't know, Rui looks positively demonic...

Token shot of the ladies.

Supper is...

2006-03-02T22:19:00.000+08:00

Leg of Khel with onions.

So I'm lying down in bed preparing to drift off when I feel something on my leg so I try to brush it off and the next moment I get a red hot sting on my thigh. So I shout something unmentionable and leap out of bed and flick on the lights and I see this wasp-like thing on my wall and a stinging pain centered around an angry red spot on my thigh.

So my parents tell me that rubbing an onion on the sting is probably the best thing to do because it's starting to swell and I can feel needles of pain still. Not a dull ache, but a sudden poke every few seconds. And apparently, the onion juice will help to clear the toxins.

So here I am, alternating between typing on my laptop and rubbing my thigh with the cut half of an onion.

The funny thing is, this is probably the first time I've ever been stung by a bee or wasp. Well, actually, there's nothing funny about this.

If I don't turn up for Crim tomorrow you'll know it's because my leg has swollen to the size of an elephant's leg and I'll be lying in bed writing my will and regretting putting off signing up for that insurance policy.

All too soon, it's over.

2006-02-27T18:21:00.000+08:00

Well, we already know what I did on Monday.

So, fast-forward to Wednesday, when I dragged myself outta bed at 7am to head down to ECP with Petripoo, Rui, Big K, Yalan, Jean and Agatha for a spot of sun and fresh air. I only realised when I reached there how long I hadn't been down to ECP - felt nostalgic remembering the VJ days and the AHM training. Well, ok, more nostalgic about the VJ days than the Army days, but all the memories came back anyway.

Ended up renting bicycles for a couple of hours and cycling down the stretch. The weather was surprisingly cool; the clouds were mostly out and we didn't get much direct sun, to my delight but to Petripoo's dismay. Cycled a bit, stopped a bit, took some random shots, and basically watched the day turn from late morning to early afternoon. After that, we had a quick lunch at Parkway Parade, then left the area - Rui and Jean had some psychometric test or something to go for.

Oh, yeah, the photos 2 entries ago were from the day at ECP.

Was supposed to go down to Mambo that evening, but I got nailed by a headache in the late afternoon. Tried to sleep it away, didn't really work, and so I had to pass. Ah wells.

On the bright side, because I was a good boy and stayed home and got a (relatively) early night, met up with Winston, Jean, Chloe, and Lester for breakfast at Bukit Timah market. Had a relaxing breakfast. Comfortable companionship and conversation - a good way to start the day. Unfortunately, nothing much at all was done during the day, despite valiant attempts to, uhm, get started on work. No real surprise there.

Drove down to the Indoor Stadium in the evening for Oasis, picking up Ziy and his sister along the way and getting horribly annoyed at the number of wrong turns I took. Still, got there on time, despite wasting much time on parking thanks to an enormous jam near the stadium itself.

Well, in a nutshell, Oasis rocked.

They didn't really work the crowd, and they didn't attempt to. Some muttered comments between songs, some posturing and swaggering, and that was it. The sound system was a bit iffy too - more than a couple of instances of feedback. And the crowd didn't really warm up to their renditions of songs from their more recent albums. But frankly, who really cared about these details when they launched into the anthems of our youth? Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, Don't Look Back in Anger...it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these were the songs that everybody had been waiting for. The energy and enthusiasm of the crowd when they launched into these old favourites was simply amazing. Words fail me - you had to be there. Left the place with my voice gone, my ears ringing, but thoroughly rocked out.

Spent most of Friday recovering.

Went to listen to a Coslabs presentation on Saturday afternoon, then headed down to school for Sheares Hall production. It was...ok. Pretty farcical, which was the intent, but there were wa-ay too many Singlish elements in a British play. So, it was funny, in a lame way, but it was also too localised, to the extent that different elements of the play didn't really gel. Still, it was an interesting enough way to spend an evening, and I did get to spend time with my lovely TGmates, so no loss at all.

On Sunday, I headed down to Lester's church to start a 40 Days of Purpose campaign. I'm praying that it'll be a 40 days of awakening, of revelation, of affirmation, of growth. Of finding true inner peace and purpose.

So, it was a friggin good break. Rest, relaxation, as well as lots of fun and activities. Pity it didn't last longer. Of course, the problem is that I didn't catch up on any work at all during the break - and there will be consequences. Still, no point worrying about that now; I'll just have to get back to the daily grind and get my act together.

Typically long post. Well, if you got this far, enjoy this link. The kid's speaking German, by the way.

Well, enough time spent on this; it's time to work on Crim.

Tired.

2006-02-26T22:28:00.000+08:00

Current music: The Beach Boys

Ok, so I'm not really physically tired, but it's just a bunch of different things all hovering in my conciousness. And it's all mixed-up and messy and I don't see any resolution or closure to any of these things, and so they will just continue to remain in my mind, only surfacing in moments of silence. Haunting me in my solitude. Like now.

Sometimes, I go out for supper not just because I enjoy the company of my friends. It's also because I'm overly contemplative when I'm alone in the middle of the night. That's why I go for midnight drives in the absence of company. That's why I play dota into the wee hours. That's why I blast the music out loud and settle down with a good book until sleep overcomes me. Anything to keep the thoughts at bay, to keep them from overwhelming me. All the ifs and whys and hows and whens. All the memories. All the good times, the bad times. The right moves and the mistakes. The sum of my past experiences, and the uncertainty of the future.

Sometimes, I just want to silence to cacophony of thoughts and memories in my head.

Abang is relaked...on the surface. Deep down, abang is always thinking. And abang is not sure if he's truly relaked, or if it's just a facade. And even if he's truly relaked, abang is not sure if that's the way to go about doing things.

Y'all can wait until my next entry if (gasp) interested in what's been going on in my life.

Incidentally:

2006-02-23T14:18:00.000+08:00

Lookin' poseur.

King Kong and Ann.

SMU poster.

Close-up: Jean, Petripoo and Rui.

Big K, with Yalan and Agatha.

I really enjoy hanging out with friends.

That's all, for now.

And now for something much less cryptic!

2006-02-21T11:48:00.000+08:00

So, the memorial's over and done with, and man, it feels good to have finally cleared that bugbear. Break week's here and it's time for a breather; too bad there's so much work to catch up on. I guess I'll get started...uhm, tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow.

Had a great time hanging out with the Law VCFers and others yesterday. After lunch, we went to watch I Not Stupid Too. The movie wasn't bad - while I didn't like the moral judgement, the movie made some extremely sharp observations about our system and the way Singaporeans do things. Go watch it. And get your parents to go watch it too.

A few of us headed to Kbox after the movie. Fun stuff! I'd forgotten how fun karaoke can be; yesterday's session was a pleasant reminder. Sorta liberating to shout, err, sing along to your favourite songs with friends and without the fear of flying objects from less tolerant members of society. Pity it was so expensive, but I'm sure we can find some weekday night and take advantage of cheaper rates sometime in the future!

Also picked up volumes 1 and 2 of Fables. Friggin good stuff; takes your fairy tales of yore and puts a wicked spin, and all you can do is hold onto the ride and see which way it turns out. Smart, funny, and enormously entertaining. The only problem, of course, is that this means I'm now collecting 3 series in all, and I'm all out of Kinokuniya vouchers. Ah wells, another problem for another day.

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

Also, because I got arrowed by Trissypoo and Petripoo:

4 things/people that make me smile:

1. The glow of friendship. Whenever I see friends, I'm smiling, even if you don't see it.
2. A really good book/graphic novel. Impossible to name 'em all, but Gaiman, Dick, and Herbert all come to mind.
3. On that note, good music. Ask me if you want to find out more about my taste. But, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Beatles, Travis, and the Beach Boys are all high up on the list.
4. T-shirts with cool captions/motifs. I guess it shows in the way I dress, hey?

4 ways to win my heart:

1. To accept me for what I am, but also to be brave enough to tell me about my flaws.
2. Must be able to talk to me. Random stuff, serious stuff, everything.
3. Personal space is important.
4. To just let me know that you care. That I mean something to you.

4 things I believe:

1. God has a purpose for you, for me, for everybody. For the world.
2. Love will lead the way.
3. Hold on, if you feel like letting go.
4. "Nobody's creepy from the inside, Hazel. Some of them are sad, and some of them hurt, and some of them think they're the only real thing in the whole world. But they're not creepy."
(btw, brownie points if you recognised the quote without googling)

4 things I'm afraid of:

1. Dying alone.
2. Not loving enough, and being loved.
3. Not living up to my purpose.
4. That I'll never know how to tell my family that I love them.

4 things/people I wanna see right now:

1. My buddies. It's been too long since we last hung out, my friends...
2. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, live in concert.
3. Broken Flowers. Because, uhm, I was supposed to watch it but didn't. And I like Bill Murray.
4. You. I know, this isn't supposed to be cryptic, but I changed my mind. Any requests for more information on this will be greeted with a polite silence =)

4 people who should also do this:
1. Magdelene, because it's something to keep your mind off the flu!
2. 2nd arrow for taupok. Just because.
3. Err, SML. Because you never ever update your blog anyway.
4. Ziy. You're on break too; you've got no excuse not to do this!

Have a good break, y'all!

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2006-02-19T00:33:00.000+08:00

It was twenty years ago today
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
We hope you will enjoy the show
We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sit back and let the evening go
Sgt. Pepper's lonely, Sgt. Pepper's lonely
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
It's wonderful to be here
It's certainly a thrill
You're such a lovely audience
We'd like to take you home with us
We'd love to take you home

I don't really want to stop the show
But I thought that you might like to know
That the singer's going to sing a song
And he wants you all to sing along
So let me introduce to you
The one and only Billy Shears
And Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Billy Shears!

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help from my friends

What do I do when my love is away?
(Does it worry you to be alone?)
How do I feel by the end of the day?
(Are you sad because you're on your own?)
No I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help from my friends

(Do you need anybody?)
I need somebody to love
(Could it be anybody?)
I want somebody to love

(Would you believe in a love at first sight?)
Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time
(What do you see when you turn out the light?)
I can't tell you, but I know it's mine
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm I get high with a little help from my friends
Oh I'm going to try with a little help from my friends

(Do you need anybody?)
I just need somebody to love
(Could it be anybody?)
I want somebody to love

Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm going to try with a little help from my friends
Oh I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends

Time-wasting.

2006-02-18T11:22:00.000+08:00

Instead of finishing my my memorial, I wasted time on this site.

It actually sorta works. Sometimes.

Oddity.

2006-02-17T16:56:00.000+08:00

It's been a fairly weird 24 hours. In this short span of time, I've encountered a face from the past, gone for an indie rock concert, and put myself under house arrest.

The funny thing is, I thought I'd settled that bit of my past. Then when that face appeared, my instinctive reaction was just...avoidance. You know the drill - look away, pretend like you didn't see anything, focus really intensely on the conversation at the table to the exclusion of your surroundings, etc. And that's weird. I thought I'd come to terms with it, that I was cool with it, when it turns out that maybe I'm still not ready.

The Franz Ferdinard gig turned out to be a pretty rockin' affair, which surprised me, considering I didn't know anything about their music before I stepped into the Indoor Stadium. Very high-energy, totally fun, and friggin tight drumming. Seriously. I've never really had the desire to pick up musical skills (the air guitar's an exception, but that's another story), but at that gig, I realised how friggin cool it's be if I could play the drums. Although it's probably a bad idea, given my hearing loss and my lack of co-ordination. But a guy can dream, hey?

Now I'm blogging from the confines of the study. Of course, the whole idea of confining myself in this room was so that I could work on the memorial with no distractions...so uhm...let's just pretend that I'm really working hard on the memorial, and that this blog post appeared of its own volition in response to my subconcious desire to express my thoughts. Yeah. The memorial's exerting an insidious influence on my typing, though - I now have the urge to double-space after every sentence. That. Sucks.

Anyway, back to work. I'll see y'all on the other side.

Ah Koh is damn bloody dulan.

2006-02-15T16:39:00.000+08:00

Eh ok the whole lot of you listen up. Yah, you, all the zarbor and all the tapor. Why so many of you kids kaopei so much about that, what, "meh-moh-rea" ah? Don't understand your angmoh lah. I tell you ah, old man like me, see you young kids complain so much, I really buey tahan leh. Kids nowadays ah really complain too much. I tell you, you complain so much about this "meh-moh-rea" or whatever-rea, you don't know what is suffering. Whole lot of you got enough to eat and got place to sleep right? Not like those kids in Africa and all those places where they got no rice to eat right? Over there they don't know when they can next eat. Not like you kids. Live good life also don't know.

Got work to do, so what? Your father mother also got work to do what. Your friends also got work to do what. Lim peh also got work to do what. So what make you so special? You think your work very the hard is it? Yah right. I tell you, everyone also work hard. Everyone life not easy. Don't think you very special. Like that so fast want to give up already, next time how to be lawyer? Like that also useless lawyer. Earn so much money then only know how to complain. Like that, Ah Koh only got "N" level cert and everyday lim kopi downstairs, also know how to complain. Can do lawyer job for him. You kids are too lucky to complain. Want to fail also not so easy. Anyhow do and anyhow hand up at most get a C only. Still got 3 years to whack. Stupid lah. Want to worry then worry later. Now so early you all want to complain and worry and give up already, Ah Koh really buey tahan lah.

Also, my damn useless nephew, that Kal or Khel or Khal whatever, he want me to say that this is only what Uncle Koh say. Not he say one. Kids these days really damn bloody humji. Small small thing also scared other people hantam. He another useless one. His father mother give him a good name, he don't want to use, he want to use some funny funny angmoh name. Then whole day kaopei and complain about work. Ah Koh hear already until sibei buey tahan.

Ah Koh will now go downstairs and lim kopi. Whole lot of you better stop complaining. Bloody kids nowadays, everything also want to make noise.

Resolution.

2006-02-14T12:21:00.001+08:00

Everything's been settled, and we're cool again. So. Learnt a lesson, and that's probably all that matters.

The problem now is the memorial. Ah shucks. Can't wait for it to be over, then I can get down to the very serious and important business of mid-sem break.

On a sidenote, if it's your sort of thing, happy Valentine's day, everyone.

Also, this is very cool.

The morning after.

2006-02-11T11:18:00.000+08:00

Things are clearer now. Not very much better, but clearer.

My friends, the next time you see me lapse into arrogance...tell me. In my face. Or smack me. Same thing applies if I complain about someone else being arrogant.

Help me to change.

Quite disturbing when you think you know yourself but it turns out that you actually don't. Ah well, things will never be the same.

Thanks, the people who helped. You know who you are.

Ok.

2006-02-10T20:37:00.000+08:00

I can't find the word to describe how I'm feeling but it's probably not a good word. If you happen to find the word, please pass it to me so that I can repeat it a few hundred times.

Ah, shit, whatever.

Actually:

2006-02-06T20:06:00.000+08:00

The day turned out pretty decent, despite the bad start. Got away with not doing readings, had a good time hanging out with people, learnt some stuff here and there. Also, it turns out that the scratches I thought I'd caused last night were old scratches afterall - which means that I'm still (arguably) accident-free, and won't have to shell out for the paint job. And with all the upcoming expenses...I'm thankful for that.

Anyways, photos from the mahjong night.

Our lovely hostess.

Know your mushrooms.

Quizzical K.

The aunty, the young kid sticking out his tongue, and the (insert defamatory comment) dude.

...no, I don't know what's that on Bert's face. And I don't wanna know.

Mag, Pet and Rui, in the Japanese attic. Pet's in glasses!! Should have bought 4D to commemorate this rare event. Or called the media. Or something.

I don't care if Monday's blue...

2006-02-06T08:11:00.000+08:00

...but Tuesday and Wednesday better not be grey too. Not a very good start to the day: first, I overslept and ended up rushing like mad. Didn't help that eyes hurt like crazy. Had a quick breakfast, then went out to the car, where I realised that I'd scratched the front right bumper of the car last night by taking a turn too fast and almost mounting the kerb. I'll be paying for the paint job, of course. My first real accident; on the other hand, if you count buanging with no damage done as an accident, it's my second accident in the span of one week. Hooray. To top it all off, I had another near miss on the journey to school, which really didn't help the mood. Then again, I won't let all this nonsense affect the rest of the day. Because I've got miles to go before I sleep.

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

In other news, played mahjong at Rui's place on Saturday night. Mag's right - Rui has a great place! So much space, and it has a friggin cool Japanese-influenced attic. Tatamis, rockery, a matching katana and wakizashi set - Rui's dad has exquisite taste. We played majong until the wee hours of the night, then went up to the attic to talk rubbish until we dozed off. Went to Mac's for a late breakfast, toyed with the idea of heading down to New Creation with Mag and Tris, eventually realised that the timing was difficult and didn't manage to make it to church this week. Ah well, not good at all.

Drove down to Aloha Loyang in the evening for Mr. Teo's baby's first birthday celebrations. The baby is very very cute and active. Seriously. Cheerful, energetic, and good with strangers - Mr. Teo and his wife have been truly blessed with such an adorable baby!

Cheryl, Miah, Zhengkang, Vic, MR. Teo, Mich, Liz, Me.

Anyways, it was a pretty good gathering - good food, great weather, and we got to catch up with each others' lives. Hard to believe that Cheryl and Jiayin are graduating already this year - talk about time catching up on us. We're getting old...

Random shots.

2006-02-06T00:05:00.000+08:00

Shan'er, Me, Roy, Da, Mark, and Kokleong, outside IndoChine.

The homies. With some chick.

Tee Gee Ate.

Default faces / serious looks.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.

Assorted Happenings.

2006-02-02T18:44:00.000+08:00

So, CNY has come and gone in the blink of an eye, and it's back to the daily grind. Was a good break; got to catch up with my relatives, totally stuffed myself with goodies, and didn't touch any work for a few days. Of course, the lack of work done is catching up on me now, but that's a choice I made, so I'll live with it.

In other news, I found out that a niece of mine is studying in NUS Arts. No comments about how I'm an old fart! She just happens to be my Dad's elder brother's son's daughter. My Dad's the second youngest son in his family; and the age gap between him and his elder brothers is so great that he ends up having cousins around his age, who end up having kids almost my age. Therefore, I get to have nephews and nieces at the tender age of 21.

That doesn't mean that it doesn't feel weird, though. At least I don't have nephews/nieces who are older than me, unlike my brother.

Also headed down to Lawllipop aka Law Bash last night at IndoChine. Not bad at all; good music, good decor, and most importantly, good company. Unfortunately, I don't have an obligatory defamatory picture of Tris; promising to watch out for him and getting him drunk are mutually exclusive events. Ah well, I'm sure another opportunity will present itself in good time. Afterall, that's what homies are for!

The only problem with Lawllipop, of course, was the morning after. Note to self: going for Legal Theory class on 5 hours of sleep with readings undone is not a good idea. Especially when there's LAWR tutorial later in the day and no time to hide somewhere and crash. At least I wasn't hung over; the need to stay lucid throughout the night ensured miminal alcohol intake.

Photos will be uploaded when I get my grubby paws on them.

Drivin'.

2006-02-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

There's something oddly liberating about driving alone in the middle of the night. The empty roads, the passing lights, the low purr of the engine. A reflection of how I'm driving my life through the vastness of creation, stretching to infinity and beyond. How I'm in control of my personal destiny, in this crazy world where nothing seems certain, where answers are elusive and I'm still trying so very hard to lead a Christian life, in thought and word and deed.

It's the thinking that's the hardest. To shed the ways of the world and adopt a truly Christian worldview. It's in the little things. Like how there's no such thing as "luck", only God's will. How there's no "gut feeling", only the Holy Spirit speaking to us. How God's truth is not the same as intellectual pursuit - while we can gain insights into this truth through intellectual pursuit, not all intellectual pursuit leads to God's truth.

But I'll keep trying. Because ultimately, it's about the decisions I make. It's about the way I choose to shape my life, not let external events shape my life for me. It's about finding and fulfiling my true purpose with the time I've been given.

How are you driving your life?

It's 4am;

2006-01-28T04:07:00.000+08:00

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?

2006-01-23T23:11:00.000+08:00

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.

2006-01-23T11:26:00.000+08:00

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.

2006-01-16T19:41:00.000+08:00

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.

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In other news, I am an intellectual snob.