Happy belated birthday, Elgin!
Elgin's the most efficient guy that I've ever known.
Parents are flying home today from HK!
I wonder if they heeded our advice and bought anything from the new H&M that opened there. Then again, it's not like they love shopping for clothes all the time. Perhaps my dad's younger and, by default, chic-er colleagues would be able to influence and persuade them. Perhaps, as teachers, they would advise against liberal clothing houses and forgo trendy high-street brands altogether. (I can hear my sister screaming in terror at the thought of that.) That said, I hope that they didn't get me any school bag because I want to choose one myself, and (after some thought), I've realize it's all along the duty-free chocolates that I'm after.
I missed the class gathering yesterday. (T_T). Andrea's short but somewhat meditational post rather contrasted with Marcus' enthusiastic ravings about it after choir practice, which may have been an overstatement since Marcus is always so happy, but surely wouldn't every class gathering be memorable and convival? Maybe something tragic happened (with him being the point of reference, since minor tragedies are often relative to the person experiencing it and other people may view it as amusing and to their benefitblahblahblah), or maybe he didn't win the wet t-shirt contest (ok, I jest).
Upon further dissection, we can infer that the time of posting (11:13 PM) was probably right after the BBQ. How many people would still log on to their blogger accounts just to type out a mere sentence (10 words!) after a whole day out, BBQ-ing and sticky from all the perspiration and ash. Furthermore, the lack of proper punctuation, in this instance, a missing full stop at the sentence, may indicate a subconscious but supressed desire to want to type more to further elaborate and explain. Perhaps the blogger may have drafted a longer post, only to reconsider the negative ramifications, leading to the cuts that resulted in the cryptic nature of the post.
The sentence also ends off with the '=(' smiley which suggests sadness and disappointment. Interestingly, the last time that '=(' was used in any regular post was on 15 Feb (which goes by the title: mood-pissed. It was, however, 4 paragraphs long.)
This kind of post is rare, in that it goes against the grain of the recent trends leaning towards significantly longer posts (ave. of 450 words) with about 5-7 paragraphs each. Also, a point to take note is the fact that the last one-paragraph post (March 04) was 95 words long, which is 89.47% longer than this particular post. Content-wise, this post fails to explain or at least offer some reflective thoughts and comments.
Bearing in mind the anomalities and considering the overall mood and tone indicators, the purpose of this post is to, perhaps, let the blogger have the post explain itself. Generally, this post is avant-garde in relation to retrospective pieces due to its minutely descriptive and highly cryptic style of informing, its minimalism in word selection ("didn't really enjoy") and the 'newness' of it in relation to previous word counts.
On another level, it just shows how bad I am at analysing texts and consequently, how bad I am at Literature. -.-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Vacation envy
I'm shell-shocked, now that i've realized that there is little hope in applying for the CAP in my secondary school life. But i guess it's just a necessary sacrifice to make. Though i have already made numerous, but it's not like anything's coming out of being longsuffering and being stupidly loyal.
OKAY. It's no use pretending it didn't happen right :P But Ruimin you still have to pretend you don't know!! Like when you recieve gifts from your warm fuzzy you're supposed to act surprised, ok? :) (a la Elizabeth and the convenient valentine's day gifts!)
I feel so dimwitted but it's in a funny ha-ha way.
Ugly Betty just now was interesting. But I'm amazed that the Fashion Channel seems almost Big Brother-like. It's not that scary though, but seeing the fake plastacine faces with their spray-on bronzers was pretty scary. (In a not-so-pretty way.) However, I've totally lost the overarching plot (about the dad-son business empire thing and strained relationships in between with some complicated murder plot), so when this guy picked up a music-box as a photograph burned in the fire, I felt no sense of linkage or sudden flashes of enlightenment (the 'aha!' that one gets from watching Desperate Housewives) and could only let my mind wander away to the subject of alternative photography and photographic alteration involving heat to produce chemical reactions on the photographic paper that causes the colour to turn a pretty amber-brown shade darker than sepia to evoke a sense of nostalgia. That sort of thing.
Domo-kun is sooooo furry and fun!! I want a domo-kun handphone accessory thingy!!
I feel so dimwitted but it's in a funny ha-ha way.
Ugly Betty just now was interesting. But I'm amazed that the Fashion Channel seems almost Big Brother-like. It's not that scary though, but seeing the fake plastacine faces with their spray-on bronzers was pretty scary. (In a not-so-pretty way.) However, I've totally lost the overarching plot (about the dad-son business empire thing and strained relationships in between with some complicated murder plot), so when this guy picked up a music-box as a photograph burned in the fire, I felt no sense of linkage or sudden flashes of enlightenment (the 'aha!' that one gets from watching Desperate Housewives) and could only let my mind wander away to the subject of alternative photography and photographic alteration involving heat to produce chemical reactions on the photographic paper that causes the colour to turn a pretty amber-brown shade darker than sepia to evoke a sense of nostalgia. That sort of thing.
Domo-kun is sooooo furry and fun!! I want a domo-kun handphone accessory thingy!!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Movies
I need to watch a movie!! Because the world is large and most of the wholesome thought-provoking indie films don't make it past the M18 cut due to whatever stigma the Board of Film Censors might have, movies that deserve compulsory screening in schools slip past too easily. I mean, isn't everyone tired of guiltlessly CGI-ed flicks or plots that feel recycled and almost deja vu after a few seasons? Etc.
Anyway here are the films that I want to watch (if you happen to ask me out or something) and I apologize for being so picky.
1. Paprika
It's an anime about research psychotherapist with an alter-ego codenamed Paprika. I find myself more interested in anime movies rather than anime series because I find that I can't commit to all the downloading on bittorrent and the twists in plots that occur only at stretches spanning like, 50 long dreary episodes. Anyway, I think it's a cool film. Albeit the R rating it was given.
2. The Science Of Sleep
In which Stephane cannot disassociate dreams from reality and where all the characters speak with an exotic French accent. Tres chic.
3. Little Miss Sunshine
Poor me, I still have not watched it yet.
4. Edward Scissorhands
I want to watch it again this Christmas, preferably in a ski lodge with friends and a cup of steaming chai tea. Also, I look forward to watching the stage adaptation but I don't have my hopes set so high about it coming to Singapore.
5. Eraserhead
It's a surreal arthouse-type flick that has little meaning but cult following. I borrowed it from the library@esplanade but I never found the time to watch it.
6. Garden State
7. Art School Confidential
Interesting to see how Art School may be perceived, and especially how coughSOTAcough might be like.
Anyway here are the films that I want to watch (if you happen to ask me out or something) and I apologize for being so picky.
1. Paprika
It's an anime about research psychotherapist with an alter-ego codenamed Paprika. I find myself more interested in anime movies rather than anime series because I find that I can't commit to all the downloading on bittorrent and the twists in plots that occur only at stretches spanning like, 50 long dreary episodes. Anyway, I think it's a cool film. Albeit the R rating it was given.
2. The Science Of Sleep
In which Stephane cannot disassociate dreams from reality and where all the characters speak with an exotic French accent. Tres chic.
3. Little Miss Sunshine
Poor me, I still have not watched it yet.
4. Edward Scissorhands
I want to watch it again this Christmas, preferably in a ski lodge with friends and a cup of steaming chai tea. Also, I look forward to watching the stage adaptation but I don't have my hopes set so high about it coming to Singapore.
5. Eraserhead
It's a surreal arthouse-type flick that has little meaning but cult following. I borrowed it from the library@esplanade but I never found the time to watch it.
6. Garden State
7. Art School Confidential
Interesting to see how Art School may be perceived, and especially how coughSOTAcough might be like.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Please don't read this
I'm starting to miss not having to walk through Hougang in the dark first thing in the morning. I think change is so refreshing, and what more if we could change our venue every week? (just a crazy random thought) And I actually prefer the environment in hci. (well obviously anyone probably would have, too, I guess)
And gah I'm kind of disappointed in the guys from choir. But not in an I'm-demoralizing-you-for-the-sake-of-gratifying-myself kind of way, but more of the well-you-should-have-listened-to-the-teachers-right? kind of way. Is immaturity so contagious? Does it spread around, just like cancer? I think the choir needs to believe in itself before anything can be done. And before we can so confidently believe in ourselves, we have to feel some sense of bond among ourselves, right?
Bonding. What an annoying word. What's even more annoying is how we haven't had a camp for 1 year and about 3 months, and we can't do any more to encourage them.
I sometimes feel like hollering,
Hello? Where's your sense of urgency, people?
but we've done that. It didn't work. Stupid smirks, and people who dare to flirt around and fiddle with their phones and hair during choir practice; it all makes SYF sound like a death call. Isn't singing supposed to be fun? How are we supposed to encourage friendly competition when all we do is sing among each other, get intimidated and demoralized by other choirs and get scolded all the time, and no one of authority is doing anything when the situation escalates?
If, like in 2003, it takes SARS to cancel the thing and at the same time, instill a sense of common purpose and concern for each others safety, then I say hey I won't mind the bird flu pandemic if that is what it would take to unite everyone's hearts as one.
I'm just so disappointed with the MOE (like everyone else). Or rather, the world. There are people in this generation who are saying they hate their life, that they are too stressed to cope, that they are confused and wondering whether they can cope with their life. And these are just their personal messages on MSN. The world's all crap now, and the happiest moments are only when we forget what's happening around us, beyond our own little bubbles of comfort. I'll never be a teacher when I grow up because the pressure of trying to prove that the world can be a happy place is too difficult a task to handle. I'd rather be a journalist and show the world for what it really is. And whether it is worth it for people to sacrifice relationships, families and friends to pursue their selfish little money-making schemes.
Oh yes! My throat's feeling much better and I can take chocolate now! :D And when my parents come back from Hong Kong, they'll bring back a tonne of stuff! :D
And gah I'm kind of disappointed in the guys from choir. But not in an I'm-demoralizing-you-for-the-sake-of-gratifying-myself kind of way, but more of the well-you-should-have-listened-to-the-teachers-right? kind of way. Is immaturity so contagious? Does it spread around, just like cancer? I think the choir needs to believe in itself before anything can be done. And before we can so confidently believe in ourselves, we have to feel some sense of bond among ourselves, right?
Bonding. What an annoying word. What's even more annoying is how we haven't had a camp for 1 year and about 3 months, and we can't do any more to encourage them.
I sometimes feel like hollering,
Hello? Where's your sense of urgency, people?
but we've done that. It didn't work. Stupid smirks, and people who dare to flirt around and fiddle with their phones and hair during choir practice; it all makes SYF sound like a death call. Isn't singing supposed to be fun? How are we supposed to encourage friendly competition when all we do is sing among each other, get intimidated and demoralized by other choirs and get scolded all the time, and no one of authority is doing anything when the situation escalates?
If, like in 2003, it takes SARS to cancel the thing and at the same time, instill a sense of common purpose and concern for each others safety, then I say hey I won't mind the bird flu pandemic if that is what it would take to unite everyone's hearts as one.
I'm just so disappointed with the MOE (like everyone else). Or rather, the world. There are people in this generation who are saying they hate their life, that they are too stressed to cope, that they are confused and wondering whether they can cope with their life. And these are just their personal messages on MSN. The world's all crap now, and the happiest moments are only when we forget what's happening around us, beyond our own little bubbles of comfort. I'll never be a teacher when I grow up because the pressure of trying to prove that the world can be a happy place is too difficult a task to handle. I'd rather be a journalist and show the world for what it really is. And whether it is worth it for people to sacrifice relationships, families and friends to pursue their selfish little money-making schemes.
Oh yes! My throat's feeling much better and I can take chocolate now! :D And when my parents come back from Hong Kong, they'll bring back a tonne of stuff! :D
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
I need to get neuroimage-ed
Feeling headache-y yet again. The weather's warm and the humidity is starting to form an unpleasant sticky layer over one's skin, and the warm weather makes everyone's faces shiny and pimple-prone. Did I mention that I have a headache? I'm having a sore throat now as well, but it only comes as a dull but intense pain when I swallow. I don't adapt well to environments like this.
The American Embassy was fortress-like. We were hurried in person by person by a temperamental security guard, and during the 4 seconds that passed when I was ushered into the screening room, I noticed the cold, office-like quality of this room, and how the metal scanners juxtaposed the soft cream wallpaper (or perhaps it was a blur of colours that was a result of my having litle time to stop and appreciate... I dunno, quirky and patriotic patterns?). I felt ushered into a world of maximum security and paranoia, and minimum free-time, since I saw officers rushing around, only stopping for split-seconds to look intently at the trolley at the side of the corridoor as a faster means of transport.
And today, I had encountered the heaviest door in my entire life. It was metallic and shiny, even resembling the MRT platform doors in a way. I pressed the lever to open it but the door was so unusually heavy, I had to use both my hands and body weight. (I think that's why the staff around here have unusually muscular arms.)
This was followed by a hour-and-a-half-ish-long talk by the diplomats there. I have to allude to the ergonomic and thoughtfully-designed chairs in the small auditorium; their springy back-supports were so original. I think Xinmin should be getting a truckfull of these (that is, once we get a budget of like $50 million from the MOE, though that sort of windfall only happens in our dreams of course). I think the questions raised for the diplomats were very thoughtful and relevant (though not particularly ingenious but I was still an appreciater of their ability to expound on sensitive topics, like FTAs and conflicts between self and working for the nation's interest.)
OK I'm addicted to the chocolate pastry rolls from the high school's canteen but it is not doing anything for my throat, sadly. And this morning, I was too much in pain to voice out the rejection of a sardine-puff for breakfast.
I have to look for all my teachers tomorrow to explain why I can't perform on Friday and how I can't go for Maths Olympiad on Thursday and whether I can reschedule all my tests on later dates. Dare I sit for all of them at one painful shot?
I need to look for a pepper-spray.
The American Embassy was fortress-like. We were hurried in person by person by a temperamental security guard, and during the 4 seconds that passed when I was ushered into the screening room, I noticed the cold, office-like quality of this room, and how the metal scanners juxtaposed the soft cream wallpaper (or perhaps it was a blur of colours that was a result of my having litle time to stop and appreciate... I dunno, quirky and patriotic patterns?). I felt ushered into a world of maximum security and paranoia, and minimum free-time, since I saw officers rushing around, only stopping for split-seconds to look intently at the trolley at the side of the corridoor as a faster means of transport.
And today, I had encountered the heaviest door in my entire life. It was metallic and shiny, even resembling the MRT platform doors in a way. I pressed the lever to open it but the door was so unusually heavy, I had to use both my hands and body weight. (I think that's why the staff around here have unusually muscular arms.)
This was followed by a hour-and-a-half-ish-long talk by the diplomats there. I have to allude to the ergonomic and thoughtfully-designed chairs in the small auditorium; their springy back-supports were so original. I think Xinmin should be getting a truckfull of these (that is, once we get a budget of like $50 million from the MOE, though that sort of windfall only happens in our dreams of course). I think the questions raised for the diplomats were very thoughtful and relevant (though not particularly ingenious but I was still an appreciater of their ability to expound on sensitive topics, like FTAs and conflicts between self and working for the nation's interest.)
OK I'm addicted to the chocolate pastry rolls from the high school's canteen but it is not doing anything for my throat, sadly. And this morning, I was too much in pain to voice out the rejection of a sardine-puff for breakfast.
I have to look for all my teachers tomorrow to explain why I can't perform on Friday and how I can't go for Maths Olympiad on Thursday and whether I can reschedule all my tests on later dates. Dare I sit for all of them at one painful shot?
I need to look for a pepper-spray.
Monday, March 05, 2007
In Memoriam
untitled destination by `equivoque on deviantART
It was shortly after dinner when I found out.
Pneumonia is tedious and cruel; death is short and sharp. I wonder how it feels like to hover between consciousness and unconsciousness, and in a fleeting moment, one is no longer alive. But, the intrinsic concept of existence amidst death transcends understanding.
The hole in the IC.
The uselessness of everything material.
Oh well. I wonder, too, how it feels to see someone lie helplessly on a spartan, utilitarian bed, watching organs fail one by one, watching gentle twitches, spasms; eyes that watched you grow up every week, rolling, closing; the eventual shutting down of the body, system by system. It feels, somehow, less violent, more peaceful. More 'right'. We know where he is now.
Bon Voyage
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Poetic Spirit
The sun has long set
yet I feel renewed, refreshed
but what difference would it make
if the very sparks of life
still should remain reserved for the day?
etc.
ANYWAY, there's this gorgeous version of Ave Maria by Javier Busto that I wish we could sing. It's very Ms Jennifer Tham meets Mr Yong, no? (since she has a tendency to use mostly sacred pieces and Mr Yong picks songs that have a very distinct musicality and melody).
yet I feel renewed, refreshed
but what difference would it make
if the very sparks of life
still should remain reserved for the day?
etc.
ANYWAY, there's this gorgeous version of Ave Maria by Javier Busto that I wish we could sing. It's very Ms Jennifer Tham meets Mr Yong, no? (since she has a tendency to use mostly sacred pieces and Mr Yong picks songs that have a very distinct musicality and melody).
Sing sang sung
I have an exciting week ahead:
I'll be spending all my mornings in HCI for the week-long Student Leader 'Sabbatical'. I perceive we'll be visiting the American Embassy and the IDA, which should be pretty cool and enriching. Then I'll be visiting Drew & Napier on Thursday, and one of the directors will be showing us around. And, finally, on Friday, I'll be performing with XM Chorale at the NTU concert at VCH—Cantemus 2007. oh hey, they have a trailer too.
And I'm so bummed that I can't be at the second round of the JGs now. Time to prep!
My sister and I were watching Hope Is Emo. It is so. Sad.
I'll be spending all my mornings in HCI for the week-long Student Leader 'Sabbatical'. I perceive we'll be visiting the American Embassy and the IDA, which should be pretty cool and enriching. Then I'll be visiting Drew & Napier on Thursday, and one of the directors will be showing us around. And, finally, on Friday, I'll be performing with XM Chorale at the NTU concert at VCH—Cantemus 2007. oh hey, they have a trailer too.
And I'm so bummed that I can't be at the second round of the JGs now. Time to prep!
My sister and I were watching Hope Is Emo. It is so. Sad.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Random Meme
Big IFs meme
1. If I were a jellyfish, I would enjoy...
Zapping the stupidity out of Spongebob and Patrick at the jellyfish fields.
2. If I were an enzyme, I would be...
ptyalin, for no reason whatsoever. Or rather because I want to pay homage to this enzyme that everyone calls by a different name now because it might have been difficult for the kids to grasp the concept of a silent 'p'. Poor ptyalin.
4. If the only food left on the planet were pink radioactive turnips, I would pair them with...
a pink radioactive milkshake.
5. If I meet my Geography teacher wearing a hideous pant suit along the passageways of Ngee Ann City, the expression I would wear would be one of...
amusement but also amnesia
6. If I had to eat nothing but stale guacamole for the rest of my life...
I would sculpt them into the strange but wonderful coral reef formations of the Belize Barrier Reef and bake fish-shaped taco shells.
7. If I had to wear a hideous flannel shirt to the esplanade, my shoes would be...
a bright shade of yellow to match the flannel shirt's charming but precocious personality.
8. If an angsty mob of stressed P6 kiddies decided to burn me at the stake, I would like them to...
sing 100,000,000,000 bottles of beer on the wall. With atonal harmonics and cutesy actions for every word.
9. If I ended up sitting next to an unhappy fashionista about to bitch-slap me on the train...
I would throw my Sprite at her stupid Gucci handbag.
10. If I ended up sitting next to the school's resident faggot on for the rest of the term, I'd might as well...
read up more on homosexuality and gay politics. As well as arm myself with a mace.
11. If I was an A Maths teacher about to spring a surprise test on my class, I would, with a devilish glint, insert...
Binomal theorem, differentiation and integration, and I'll pop in the Poincaré Conjuncture just for fun.
1. If I were a jellyfish, I would enjoy...
Zapping the stupidity out of Spongebob and Patrick at the jellyfish fields.
2. If I were an enzyme, I would be...
ptyalin, for no reason whatsoever. Or rather because I want to pay homage to this enzyme that everyone calls by a different name now because it might have been difficult for the kids to grasp the concept of a silent 'p'. Poor ptyalin.
4. If the only food left on the planet were pink radioactive turnips, I would pair them with...
a pink radioactive milkshake.
5. If I meet my Geography teacher wearing a hideous pant suit along the passageways of Ngee Ann City, the expression I would wear would be one of...
amusement but also amnesia
6. If I had to eat nothing but stale guacamole for the rest of my life...
I would sculpt them into the strange but wonderful coral reef formations of the Belize Barrier Reef and bake fish-shaped taco shells.
7. If I had to wear a hideous flannel shirt to the esplanade, my shoes would be...
a bright shade of yellow to match the flannel shirt's charming but precocious personality.
8. If an angsty mob of stressed P6 kiddies decided to burn me at the stake, I would like them to...
sing 100,000,000,000 bottles of beer on the wall. With atonal harmonics and cutesy actions for every word.
9. If I ended up sitting next to an unhappy fashionista about to bitch-slap me on the train...
I would throw my Sprite at her stupid Gucci handbag.
10. If I ended up sitting next to the school's resident faggot on for the rest of the term, I'd might as well...
read up more on homosexuality and gay politics. As well as arm myself with a mace.
11. If I was an A Maths teacher about to spring a surprise test on my class, I would, with a devilish glint, insert...
Binomal theorem, differentiation and integration, and I'll pop in the Poincaré Conjuncture just for fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)