A Long Time Away

Hah! Realised that I haven't blogged in a really long while. As you can see, phone died, and I had to get a new one... A Sony Ericsson! Now, I've always been a Nokia user, and the switch is confusing. Apart from pressing the wrong buttons a lot, the charfer plu seems to like the switch at home a lot, and refuses to be unplugged unless extreme violence is undertaken by yours truly.

Apart from that, happier memories: cycling at Pasir Ris! Aside from getting midly sunburnt (ugh! have I been holed up fpr so long that i've forgotten what sunlight is??), it was nice just to go out and do so excercise. If I keep up the illusion that my tummy looks flater after all that biking around, I think I'll be cycling a lot more from now on. Now, if anyone were wondering what happened to the so called attractions on Sentosa, I can tell you where they moved to...
Pasir Ris Park!

No kidding, there has sprung up, among other things, a pony ride! I'm not sure how much it costs, but its conveniently placed next to this carpark, but not so conveniently placed for those coming from DE, as it's a good 15 minutes bike ride away (and very far by foot). It wasn't very amusing, but I suppose little kiddies would like the ponies very much, even if they pee and poop and all...

Still, it was a nice day out... Sigh... School's reopening in two weeks's time. Darn.

Contact

My phone which got its screen fixed, is now unable to get reception. No matter how much I try waving it in the air or doing other sane things to make it work. You can start smsing/calling me though as I've switched to a spare phone that my dad picked up in his taxi.. At least it can send smses/calls.

Contact

Dear all.

My phone has just died. That had involved a lot of shouting, screaming etc, and one very stupid sister who has a lot of money to pay my repair bills. Don't bother trying to call or message me for the above reasons until further notice.

Thank you.

Whoop

I had something to say here... I can't remember what. So.. what you'll get instead a nice little happy post about how my exams end tomorrow. Or maybe, that is what I wanted to say.. really, about from gloating that I get free preview tickets to watch Vexille next week.

Greedy me wonders greviously why we don't get free preview tickets to Stardust, or The Golden Compass, or rather, when I want to watch something, it's the exams... or essays. Still, am super happy. I only hope it doesn't rain tomorrow, because if it does it totally ruins my plans...
This, people, seems to be the beginning of a beautiful holiday

Examinus Lazuli

Dear doctor:
My head aches, and my nose is runny. It's not a flu because I don't have a fever, and I feel sleepy only if I look at my revision notes. Perhaps I am allergic to paper? No? Oh yeah, I've written on them ever since I could write (or scrawl or doodle). In any case, do you think you could write me an excuse? I don't want to take my exams.

Thank you.
m.F.

Inundated

Do I wake or sleep?

The past week has been nightmarish really. Will turn into a paper eating zombie at this rate. Well, actually I've one more essay to go, but I guess that can be ignored for now. Am dead tired... But I guess that waking up at 7 says something about being tired but having a damned essay to do. Alrighty, enough with the complaints. But then, it seems like all I have to do are essays. Or reading. Or more essays. This isn't a complaint, its more like a sigh of resignation. But still, the weather hs been lovely, and I can't say I'm not relieved that it hasn't been baking hot, but nice and cool. There's nothing like waking at five AND having to endure bloody heat...

Had a muffin for breakfast, and now i kinda realised that I ate a piece of the wrapping to boot... Hmm. Paper zombie?

The Stolen Child
-W.B. Yeats-

WHERE dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats;
There we've hid our faery vats,
Full of berrys
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim gray sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scare could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering troutA
nd whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand

Observations IV

There is this person in a long-sleeved shirt and pants snoring in the library. I can't concentrate.
Hungry too.
Why Why Why

Reading and Writing

MF:Gooood evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Ms Fickle's Mind Live! Interview, where you get to meet such extraordinary persons that you won't think to meet! (and will never meet, Peace be upon you) As for tonight, let's see just who we have tonight at the studio!
[camera pans right to cushy armchairs]

MF:Ah! I see that we have the excellent Master Reading here in the studio tonight with us! [chorus of excited murmur]
MF: So! Master Reading! What a pleasure it is to meet you in person! I am told that as it is the end of the semester, you have seen a slight dip in those who follow Readership.
MR: [Sourly] It is expected of course. But those who turn away ultimately return during the exams. I am not overly concerned by this.
MF: I see! How nice it is to see you so unconcerned... As a matter of fact, you have been criticised by some as being rather autocratic. Your followers complain that they have been often coerced into Reading textbooks and research.
MR: [waves one hand nonchalantly] I quite fail to see it as my problem. Insofar as I see it, they'll just have to deal with me in whatever way they can. [smirks] Seeing as they can't escape me anyway.
MF: Oh dear. Perhaps this might exlain why in the mean time, Readers have turned to your more charming cousin, Sir Essay Writing. I hear that at least he has been more democratic in dealing with his er. essayists.
MR: Democratic? I hardly think so. He may be as you call it, more "charming", but he is no less demanding than I am. Though I do admit that the effort put in on working on essays are strictly on a voluntary basis. Flattery may get you somewhere with him, but not me. I am not so two-faced. [looks at clock on the wall impatiently] Is it over yet? I did not ask for this ridiculous interview did you know? I am a busy person.
[link terminated]

Booklist

Revived an old list of "to read" books, and decided that I have to update it..

List of Books to read:
-Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman [finished!]
-The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro [finished!]
-The Magic Toyshop, Angela Carter
-The Gormenghast Trilogy, Mervyn Peake [it's STILL sitting at home]
-Gods Behaving Badly, Marie Phillips
-American Gods, Neil Gaiman [I never seem to get round to reading it]
-Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
-Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Marisha Pessl
-100 Great Books in Haiku, David Bader
-The Misanthrope: and other plays, Moliere
-The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
-Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders, Gyles Brandreth
-The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger

The Irrelevent Post

Hmm. So life continues on, without stopping (as usual) for a breather, while I sit back and admire the lovely mess I've created. Went back to school yesterday, forgetting it was a public holiday, and naturally, everything was closed, my readings stuck behind the wretched glass wall... No matter, I suppose, so I went back home, and scowled at the review I was supposed to be writing, while simultaneously planning this other essay I've got... the one of many other essays to come, but I needn't complain. I forsee all-nighters in the not too distant future. And I haven't finished reading Jane Eyre. And I have a presentation on it.

I do wish I can cough up 10 page research papers in a day... I hear you have to do something similar if you want your PhD... Incidentally, PhD; I don't know how many of you actually know, but it doesn't mean Permanent Head Damage as many of us know it as, but A Doctor in Philosophy. Weird, especially when there actually ARE doctors of Philosophy out there... i.e. the profs at the Philo Dept (where else).

Right then, back to my point about writing essays fast. I really don't have all day to sit around waiting to be inspired, but it happens, and I glaze over the essay/review/write-up/report/proposal/research paper and half the day is gone. Talk about time passing...

Lost lost lost

Why oh why can't I go through a semester without losing something?!
Last sem, it was my earring and nearly a textbook, and this semester it has to be my thumbdrive. The worst part is. I don't even remember where I lost it. Or HOW. Did I leave it hanging on a computer somewhere (most likely right). Mercifully, most of my stuff are in the other thumbdrive and my laptop, but still! Waaaaaaaaaaah.
Come to think of it, I also lost a newly topped cashcard too. All on campus. Damn damn damn!

Am feeling like an idiot. And miserable to boot. My faithful thumbdrive.. that saw me through the busted laptop period...lost. gone forever. taken by some twit. ungrateful twit at that.

Observations III

Well then. Where are my slippers? I can't go out without my slippers! Who has taken my slippers? Mom?! Have you seen my slippers?

And so. I wear my sister's slippers, which are a tad too big for me cos my feet are smaller than hers, and slip and slide all the way and frantically cling on to the staircase in case I fall down...

Where do I start?

I could start by burning all my books. And papers. Yes. In particular those. There's too much of them.

Small Things

Having decided finally what topic I want to do for my Japanese film paper (hail all Ghibli fans), am feeling much better. The vague sense of anxiety which has plagued me for the last two weeks is over (for now), and I can move on to other matters that as time passes, become even more and more pressing, thanks to time's ability to move forward without you noticing. This means datelines loom forever closer, even as I space out thinking of smart things to say in my ultra smart Romanticism class, whom some are already marked out for not being appreciators of Coleridge. Mwahahahaha. The reason that I'm wrecking things to say are twofold:
One, which is also the most pertinent, is that my CA grade depends on it, and Two, because umm. come on, one must defend what one likes even at the great risk of looking stupid. Then again, I am not sure I like critiquing what I like in the first place... I mean, I'm not even sure I like doing lit this way, which is to say, critiquing it. I feel like I'm not up to it, not to mention, these are great writers. How the hell do you criticise them and where do you start???

Life is beautiful.

The Incoherent Raving Review of Ratatouille

Oh my god it was soooooo cute my goodness the animation is absolutely brilliant did u see that did u see that? it's amazing what did they to the fur it looks like real fur for crying out loud i mean seriously it waves, the action is so smooth and the way the mouse i mean rats move! they are sooooo fat and tubby and just sooooo cute! aieeeeeee!!
It's a very simple story.
Of course it is! the best stories keep things simple sniffle i love it how touching...
alfredo linguini did u know you can order alfredo linguni for lunch? alfredo is a triple cheese spaghetti and if you prefer linguini you can actually order an alfredo linguini hahahahaha how weird is that?

Well.

If you made it through all that.. not bad. Pity. Because here is the coherent version, which you can actually read.
An excellent little film and all that. Pixar-Disney have done it again. Personally, I thought, with the Incredibles (I hated Incredibles. Who hates Incredibles too?) and Cars, they were on a downhill... but yippee! It seems they have found the right ingredients for the perfect Disney flick again! Whee and whoop and all that. Apart from all that raving, let's see if I can get a proper review done up...

Ratatouille is a cute little film indeed. The animation is absolutely world-class, if it can even be classed as such. Perhaps a more helpful description would be to say it was first rate animation that did justice to one of the mightiest animation houses. The fur looked real. The hair looked real (you can actually see the maroon highlights on one of the characters) and the food. I felt like chewing the screen. Apart from the tech involved, story-wise, it isn't quite anything new, but then who needs new? Chock-full of silly witty puns that actually work and lovable characters, the film would win over the sourest critic. Which goes to show, really, how important being earnest is, and a timely reminder that brilliant animation is nothing without content. (Think Incredibles... or any really lousy animation you had just watched)

Observations II

The best way to stop your nose from dripping like a leaky water-tap is for some complete stranger to offer you tissue.

____________________

Of course. It rains when I'm wearing jeans and freezes when I'm in skirts or berms.

Theatre

Oh spare me. WHY is there a couple two rows in front of me???? As if what I'm watching isn't sappy enough... Plus, she's blocking half the stage (leaning heavens knows where (and you know too)), and creating a gulf between every on-stage couple. Love. can be so selfish.

Observations

me: Excuse me, do u have the Studio Ghibi box set?
salesperson: Hah?
me: Studio Ghibli box set.
salesperson: .... Studio Jimmy?
me: you know. Japanese animation? Spirited Away? Howl's Moving Castle?
salesperson: We don't sell here...
__________________

salesperson: Oh. sold out.

.............

Good grief. And that is why, ladies and gentlemen, mini skirts are a stupid invention. (You'll never see me in one) You can't run for the train with them. Well, maybe you can. propel yourself forward by kicking out stiff-kneed without your feet actually leaving the ground. Think can can with reluctant leg kicking.

.............

The fickle mood strikes again

Once again decided to give blog a facelift. As if I haven't a ton of other things to do...

School. That ominous word.

Oh poor me with poems to read
Oh poor me with films to heed
Oh woe me with too much on my plate

What do numbers mean?
Word-counts of course, to take away hope's gleam
Whinewhinewhine: school life takes away all the fun
Even though woe is still miniscule
Compared to others and what's to come.

Burnt out

Worked worked worked like mad today, shifting music scores in a certain new school library in a particular part of Singapore, descriptively speaking, it's somewhat near Little India, somewhat near Bugis and basically existing in Nowhere-near-anywhere.

Had lunch at Cafe Cartel with Kappa, which incidentally is also my day-at-the-new-swanky-better-than-nus-looking-library mate. Not bad and all, only it was quite a walk to get there, the nearest being at Doby Ghaut and neither Bugis or Little India.

The good bits were having a preview of a swanky new school, before it becomes infested with students, and of course, having HP 7 returned to me, which I happily hugged protectively for a few seconds (seconds, people. It was a public bus stop for crying out loud. Exposing my precious for longer than neccessary might entice robbers), and of course, discussing the various things there are to discuss in the aftermath of reading. The library had aircon, so that was ok. The work isn't however, and for what must be the umpteenth time, I wonder why there aren't more guys who work in the library because the scores are heavy, and the shelves require self-assembly (already done thankfully when we arrived), and the scores were heavy.

whinewhinewhine
whinewhine
whine

In any case, time seemed to fly when you're having fun, in spite of yourself and the work, and we discovered that it was already waaay past 4 when we left. The library continues to be in a state of shambles, but I suppose they'll be done by the end of the week... hopefully. I miss the library. And to think I used to shelf books as my CCA...

Readreadread

Reading list for next semester (not including the various poets)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man -- James Joyce
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit --Jeanette Winterson
The Bloody Chamber --Angela Carter
To the Lighthouse -- Virginia Woolfe
----
Wuthering Heights -- Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre -- Charlotte Bronte
3 Gothic Novels -- 3 different people

SEVEN BOOKS! HOW am I supposed to finish them?!

HP 7

Msfickle would like to extend a warm invitation to you all who would like to join her in salute of the Boy Who Lived for the very last time...

The seventh and final book is out and surprisingly, there're still copies floating about out ther in shops.

NO SPOILERS, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING...

Have just finished the final book without hearing a single wretched spoiler from anybody! Wheeeee!!! There was a moment there, in Chinatown... but I heard wrong (by accident), so yay for me!!

The ending is silly. Just so you know what I think about it, and do read past volumes, if you haven't heard any spoilers yet. Very very worthwhile to do so.

Am now unable to sleep. Too excited. Go. Sleep.

5 Dollars

Watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix today at the very cheap price of $5 at PS. Feel envious. mwahaha. Well, thanks to the movie, am now dying for next Sat to come. You know... 21st July. =D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Eternal Sleep

And there goes another one... to doze in the fields of eternal sleep.

Actually. What happened was this. We needed to bury our poor hamster that had died. There was a cleaner in the way, which meant playing a game of dodge and peek and discreetly standing around until he has left. Then, hastily dig a hole in public grass and bury the poor bugger. I've never been so pissed at a cleaner before for being diligent.

Perhaps I ought to be weeping distraughtly, but.. it's the eighth one that went, and the 6th we've buried. I'll miss them all. Somewhere out there, they're happy. Or at least, it's my hope that they aren't sad.

Baking disaster

Ok, so... the chiffon cake was stuck to the cake tin. Any ideas anyone? Had to use a knife to scrape it out. The cake had the wrong consistency too. Maybe whisking by hand wasn't good enough? So, how did people bake chiffon cakes then, before the days of electronic beaters? Hmm? Hmm?

I feel ill. Over indulged on cake.

Time Travelling

So.... guess what this slacker was doing today....

-- Went back in time of course... you know, by leaping off staircases and diving boards...

The Girl who Leapt Through Time (aka Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo) is an animated feature film directed by Mamoru Hosoda. Right now, it is only released in Cathay cinemas, so forget that Lido or Vivo screen... Unfortunately, it isn't showing at the AMK Hub cinema either. A pity, since a grand total of 3 cineplexes in Singapore screen this film.

Anyway, it's one of those films where, well, mercifully, there isn't any guns or some guy getting beaten up or, for that matter, beating someone up. That doesn't mean it isn't funny or exciting though, because it is. The main character is utterly selfish, meddlesome, and totally amusing in her attempts to matchmake her friends, eat pudding and pass her tests with flying colours by turning back time. Still, you've got to give it to her, she does succeed... at all three.

There is something about this kind of film that works so well. I laughed at it of course.. but then, I suppose it's safe to say that the whole audience laughed with it. Perhaps there is something naive in the way the film portrays youth, but then, it is that, that best captures that innocence that the young supposedly are endowed with... Whatever.. huh.

I'm scaring myself talking like that. Let's just say a little innocent fun and nostalgia wouldn't kill us... it's nice to see a film that doesn't try to be arty, but somehow manages to be arty, and successfully, if you ask me. It's a sentimental film, utterly sweet and slapsticky, which is something I suppose only the Japanese are capable of producing... All the same, great film.

A Riot of Colours

I never did get this: why is a bunch of many different colours a "riot"? What? Are they going to rebel?

And when the sunlight struck the window in full force, the coloured glass in it threw forth multiple points of glittering light.

The blues, reds and white decided to get together, against the reds, yellows and greens, throwing the world of colours into great disorder.

Blue: Hey! How come you're on their side too, Red?

Red (to great protest from the oranges): Why ever not? Being on both sides is also a side.

"If you want to talk about sides, then technically, you all should be on mine," adds White.

Red and Blue: Shut up, you!

"If we get together, we can unite and stand against Black," White continues, albeit sulkily.

Hey! Don't get me involved, I'm not a colour! - Black.

Thus, the colours went back to rioting...

Bed Breaking Work

Oww oww oww oww. My new mattress came in today, which means removing the old mattress, and putting in the new mattress, which is heavy. To my utter horror, the new mattress is waaay taller than my old one, and now I feel as if I'm miles away from the ground. The new mattress is also a lot heavier, which makes this somehow...tragic. I feel as if I've been heaving dead bears about, (which to all intentions and purposes I might as well have). Then, of course, I'll have to forget to put the mattress protector on first... and have to remove my beautiful work and start all over again.

Hail all hotel room service. Those beds are NOT fun to change on a daily basis.

Train

After sulking all morning and letting myself getting all pissed for stupid reasons, I'm feeling better (and benign), hence I might as well blog about the mime performance I went to watch and was blown away by...

First things first, The Train, by Dramatic Company Cho-In is a South Korean mime performance brought in specially for... you guessed it, the Singapore Arts Festival! Wheeee! When I first saw the poster and it said "festival outreach programme", I was convinced and prejudiced (with reasons of course) into thinking it was a kiddy show... The poster showed a bunch of mime artists typically painted inn the usual clownish manner and that the programme said it featured a "magician couple" made me think: this is for kids. The number of kids being brought by their yuppie aunties and parents to the show didn't make me feel any better, not to mention, instead of distributing the programme at FOH, they were giving out fliers for other shows... I had to go to the flier rack at the sistic counter in Esplanade to get it. =(

In any case, The Train is for kids the way Spirited Away is for kids. In other words, you wouldn't feel as embarrassed as you would normally feel if you were watching, say, Ronald MacDonald on your primary school stage... Speaking of Spirited Away, does anyone remember the faceless train conductor from the film? There are some eerie similarities between the conductor and the station master in the mime act... Both of them were stern sorts.. and faceless. If I happen to find a picture of the station master from The Train, it'll go up here and you all can compare. There must be something universal about train conductors/station masters...

Note: The picture on top isn't the train conductor from Spirited Away, but this is the closest I could get to finding a match....

See the resemblance?

Apart from that, the performance was really good... Not one word, but my attention was gripped throughout the whole show. Then, there was the scene where it snowed, well, fake snow of course... but still, it was very pretty. And you wouldn't believe the acting... I think it's pretty hard for a girl to play a bratty little boy. Yup. Not easy at all, but you'll believe that it was a boy and girl on stage where they are still obviously female actors...

W*e

Am sulking this morning, and therefore in no mood to post properly about the mime performance I went to watch last night. Better not in fact... a bad review might get me sued. It's rather funny really, that in this (day and age) time, people can get sued for not-even-complaining about distant big brands (am I gonna get sued for this, immensely large organisations???) whilst getting away with flaming people they do know. I do wonder which is a worse crime. Well, actions speak louder than words. I stand by my A**r post because everyone gets what A**r is anyway. If you don't, it doesn't matter.. And anyone suing a blogger is silly. As if ******** really works. And I'm being sillier for listening to that voice-in-my-ear (NOT my conscience). WHY is it that I don't listen to myself but hang on to what others say? And now I'm complaining about myself. Great. Actions that speak louder than words.

On the Other Side of the page

Wow. The first thing that has to be said about SPH is that they have nice air-con. This is how pathetic I must have felt thanks to a wrong turn around what should have been my old turf and walking on the baking tarmac of an unsheltered carpark... walkwalkwalk ... instead of under the nice cool void deck. Ended up dripping sweat under a rain tree (the sort that comes with nasty green caterpillars) outside SPH and wondering how people wearing long sleeved shirts can walk about and not fall into a heat induced dead faint.

Back to the air-con... nice.

Apart from that, I sat on the fringes of the ST office... on a chair/bench that wouldn't have looked out of place at the dentist's, i.e. a really posh dentist. There were even framed photographs facing the bench/chair; of the sort that you can find at clinics.
It just occurred to me... does the ST office get that many visitors? Still, it was a nice chair, and it's nice meeting up with old friends and sneaking into offices. I'm probably only several metres from writers I see in Life! everyday.

Notebook Woes

Got my darling* laptop back yesterday afternoon. They wiped my hard disk. Clean. =( Lost all my handphone photos. I'd thought I had made a backup for them... Guess not. Had to re-install messenger, MSOffice and a bunch of other stuff. Humph. It's just as well I had backed up all my documents.. would have been a major loss if I hadn't... Mysteriously enough, the 1st time I went to the repair centre, just about everybody who was there as well had an A**r in tow... Sad. At least, on the day I went to get it back, there weren't any other A**r toting cases... just me and a guy with a M*****k... Nevertheless, there is still something wrong with A**r laptops if you ask me...

Because apparently I'll might get into trouble for writing what everyone knows anyway...
*Still sulking: guess no one shall know the brand of my beloved laptop now anyway...

Ode to Ice-cream on Hot Days

It's hot today. Yesterday night, I left my handphone at my grandmother's house and had to double back after dinner for it. Bought my first blue ice-cream. =D Ate like 3 of them already.

Lovely, lovely, lovely blue ice-cream...

Maybe I should write a sonnet about blue ice-cream... ... What, in any case is a sonnet?

The Booke Faire Chronicle

Day 1: Sat, 26th May
In which one meets one's new colleagues and seizes up the competition

The morning shift included some rather eclectic people. Curiously, we were all from a so-called arts background. I suppose only us will be stupid enough to take on this job. Our booth had two open sides (one length and one breadth), since we shared two walls with an electronic goods booth and a myopia education booth, i.e. we are a corner booth... On both side of us were our 'friendly' rivals, and truly, they are friendly indeed, since they can't stop smiling: apart from being book fair veterans, they quite outnumber us greenhorns. Was rejected by every customer when attempting to entice them to look at our products.

Friendly rival 1: the Reds. Weapon-of-choice: professional looking and loves to shake hands. Has Rita Skeeter.
Friendly rival 2: the Greens. Weapon-of-choice: hard-sell, jerseys, balloons and a walking vacuum cleaner like thingy that is not a vacuum cleaner.

Day 2: Sun, 27th May
In which one is rejected yet again

The title speaks for itself. Sunday morning was quiet. The same group of girls came in to do a spot of colouring (Finding Nemo colouring book) again. No idea where their parents are. Things only began to pick up after lunch, or at least, slightly before lunch. Everyone going up the escalator to the convention centre seems to be going to Aquarama instead, or maybe it's my imagination. On the way to lunch, met Aaron, who told me he had a set of Americana at home. After lunch, I discovered that our rivals were giving it away for free as a prize in a lucky draw.

No luck still with customers. None of them came into our booth. When I mean none, I do mean none that I approached of course. It doesn't help when our booth is shorter on one side, so the opposite camp can grab the customers first, not to mention their aggressive tactics. By mid-afternoon, it is clear that book visitors have wisened up to our tactics and are avoiding the lanes occupied by us. Rita Skeeter is still annoying.

Day 3: Mon, 28th May
In which nobody comes

A slacky day. Enough said. I can't remember whether i pulled anyone in. Probably not. There weren't many people walking about in the first place. It was the day of the bratty kid, if I'm not wrong. If he isn't lying, he's from Rosyth. Has the attitude of a financial CEO, and is probably not even 10 yet. He said he would have to "consider" buying our product. Good grief. Most of our part-time colleagues have disappeared. Without a trace.

Day 4: Wed, 30th May
In which customers defect to the other side, and one reflects sadly on the gimmicky state of our booth

Back from one day's rest. We chatted to this father-son couple who seemed really really interested in buying. He said he'll consider, and then LATER, they got dragged into opposite camp. (The Reds) The father looks apologetic. At least he did.

Day 5: Sat, 2 Jun
Success at last, and mistaken identities

Our booth has been re-arranged. Now, we have more posters up on the wall, and half of it has become a section for people to sign up language courses. The booth looks tidier, and ever since a large board was placed outside letting people know we do langauges, more customers have been streaming in. Yay. Unfortunately, we were unprepared for talking to them about lang courses (as we weren't taught how). I must have lost a hefty bit of my commision telling them to go back to HQ...

After sitting for 3 hrs (i think), we closed a deal. Not bad, the commission will be split 3 ways. Finally, towards the end of the day, one family came in. They were eager to buy our most expensive set, but the price was a problem... They never came back. Sigh. In any case, for some odd reason, the entire family claims that i look familiar... Maybe that's why I got them to sit down so easily...

Day 6: Sun, 3rd Jun
Closed 2 more deals

The title says it all. It's the end to an exhausting week. ZZZZZZ... Pre-ordered Harry Potter at the same time. Got a second book (worth $15) free.

Thus, my one week stint at the World Book Fair has come to an end. Ugh. I've tried two of the worst jobs anyone could take, apart from cleaners and sweepers i suppose - waitressing (more like odd-job labourer actually) and selling encyclopedias. Up till now, I tend to talk like a salesman and smile too brightly. Hopefully, it's not permanent.

Everyday Heroes

What if, all you had to do to become a hero was leap across the watery chasm to the land beyond? What if all you had to do to become the mighty ruler of a beautiful woodland kingdom was close your eyes, and... keep your mind really open? Your pencil flies across empty paper and then voila! The denizens of Terabithia leap into life from carbon and parchment...

Yesterday, I went to watch Bridge to Terabithia with Shauna. It was a nice movie. The film is based on a book by Katherine Paterson. I used to see this book everywhere in my old secondary school library. For someone who read Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, this book never once caught my eye. =/ I've always felt that watching a movie was a cheater's way out of not reading the book, since all you had to do was sit there for two hrs and you get what would have been a day's (or more) worth of reading.

In any case, the movie was a good one. Some books translate well into small films about the everyday, while others... become a monumental task. Perhaps the reason Bridge to Terabithia (the film, not the book) resonates so well with me is because I do believe in the power of art in the real world. Some people call art and fantasy the opium of the masses, the bridge to illusions and escapism. Not true, as Bridge to Terabithia tells us - there are trolls and monsters in the real world too, and stories help reconcile us to the fact that they exist and have to be dealt with. The ending may come to shock some, since it is supposed to be a "kiddy" film, but I think it works well by anchoring a fantasy film firmly in reality. No worries, I shan't spoil it for people who are planning to watch it and haven't, and if you aren't planning to... nevermind.

So saying, I still don't intend to pick up the book. I never liked it, because it was attempting to explain to me the value of the imagination and story-making, two things which any reader can easily point out. It's not like you can like these things and not understand the value of fiction. Hence, reading it would have been a pain as the protagonist would have to go through the painful steps to enjoy what it is this frantic and aggreived reader already does. I'll keep saying "I told you so" to the character, which would quite take out the pleasure of the book. It's been said that there are two kinds of readers: the kind that just read, and then there is the other kind. I hope I fall into the second category.

Another Review

I've just finished reading Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman, finally. I've been trying to finish this book, with little luck ever since I first caught sight of it a few years back. Happily, the deed is done and I can go on to other incompletely read books in my holiday reading list. (For example, Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day) In any case, Anansi Boys is...

Let's just say, read it and you'll know. It's a nice little story about finding yourself, through stories, and within stories. As an obsessive-compulsive reader, it isn't too difficult for me to find myself in a fiction world, and it isn't too difficult either to see why Anansi stories are full of wit and wisdom. After all, you take what you need from stories, and each stories' wisdom is peculiar to each reader. Anansi Boys celebrates the power of story-telling, and I don't mean for self-glorification (that's Tiger), but stories' ability to bring laughter and humour to the foibles of human character.

It's all in the attitude, as Anansi would say.

The Dutiful Review

Year Four, and still not graduated I suppose, what with us coming back to watch yet another NY drama performance. It was Othello. Shakespeare's. Not the game. Duh. I remember watching them rehearse. Up till the week before, lines were still being forgotten, and I was wondering if I'll be getting my money's worth. On the whole though, it was clear that the cast and crew had put in their most, and even if I was sleepy (no thanks to medicine), and I didn't half catch what they were saying, I think anyone would agree with me when I say that for any school production, it's the journey that counts. Not the money. Ok... maybe the money too, but sheesh. There was an interval, which was merciful for some (since people who didn't do lit/Othello couldn't understand what they were saying), and not so for others, as they had to keep playing interval music which was oh so helpful when the lecture theatre was so noisy already. Huh. The lt did look really good however...even though the dragon banner on stage was ugly. I mean, seriously, that dragon looked...wormy. A pity. Still, I wonder how much longer we'll be coming back to watch NY drama stuff... It's been 2 years already.

Holiday Fever

I'm sick.

Go Away*.

*pls ignore.

The pros and cons of a Fever:

Pro:

I feel cold. Which is good neh? In this hideous bad warm weather. Free air-conditioning...

Invalids get to boss people around.

Con:

I feel wretched.

I feel lousy.

I feel ILL.

I am going to be ill when I have two busy weeks and a line of activities lined up. Wah.

Cockroach Update

The cockroach died. My dad sprayed it, and it zapped about in its upside down way. In a misguided attempt to spare the critter its pain, I tried to concuss it with the newspaper. It didn't work, and it was only after smacking it (with little effect as far as I can see), it dawned on me that this was a creature that could still be alive if its head got chopped off. There is no concussing of cockroaches. I mean, they are still alive, headless! What's the use concussing them? Cockroaches are a do or die sort. None of your shilly-shallying with the question of health. Darn. You should have seen my sister's face when I told her what I did. Sometimes, kid sisters seem to possess all the sense while keeping none of it for themselves. A pity.

Umm...

There is a cockraoch. No use denying it. And.. it's perched on the computer plug. I feel itchy when I look at it. Eww. Now, it's decided to move. It's on the table now, near the telephone wire. Heeeelllllpppp!!!!

Ok... before I go to bed, should it be the newspaper or the insecticide? Or both?
Plan A, if everything goes the way it should: whack cockraoch while simultaneously spraying it.
Plan B, in the case cockraoch starts flying around madly: spray spray spray! then whack. and spray again.
Plan C: Run away.




Bye.

12 Days Later...

And then the exams are over. You would think I would be elated. I certainly thought so, but then it doesn't work out this way does it... I came home. Smiled maniacally, had a nice bath, ate a nice dinner, and then... couldn't find anything to do. I thought of reading, but the thought really sucked because I feel like I've been reading more than I should have been (and it's true. I HAVE been reading more than I liked.) The next thought was movies! But then, the thought of staring at a screen for 2hrs turned me off, when my mind happily thought in a damned freakish manner (and soooooo... how should this be analysed?) Ugh. I am trying to celebrate my end of exams here!!!! Helllooo!!! Anybody ok up there?? Even reading/watching a mindless (ok, it isn't really) or rather more appraochable piece of pop fiction has become an instinctively analytical task. Darn. Maybe I should just go play pinball on my laptop. At least I don't have to analyse that.
Maybe, tomorrow will be better.

Sparkles

Indulge my obession.. This is soooo pretty!

Be envious

Bought THREE books for the price of TWO. Be reaallly envious of me. =p

On learning from your mistakes

If Man is imperfect, why do we strive for the impossible (i.e. perfection)? Why should making mistakes be so painful?

Things to be doing

3 Down and 2 to go!

Now, I should once again be studying (like really), but I had two depressing head-banging, nerve-wrecking papers today. The first was Lit, and I cannot for my life recall watching that episode of South Park that the exam paper asked me to write about. I don't even recall watching it... Ungh. Philo was worse. I should have studied for it. Instead, felt like sleeping throughout the paper. Darn. I tell you, it's not fair...open book makes you not want to study.

Right now, i shall indulge in A List of Things to do next week.

1)Go Tea Bone & chill
2)Read books
3)Get hair cut
4)Give blog makeover
5)Blog somemore
6)Study for last paper
7)Youtube/Crunchyroll/Veoh... you get the picture

List of Books to read (or planning to):
-Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman [I want! I want!]
-Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami
-Tale of Genji, Lady Murasaki Shikibu [must finish this scandalous book]
-The Remains of the Days, Kazuo Ishiguro [it's sitting at home]
-The Polysyllabic Spree, Nick Hornby
-The Magic Toyshop, Angela Carter
-The Gormenghast Trilogy, Mervyn Peake [it's sitting at home]
-and... Georgette Heyer stuff of course. She is like my comfort read. Not the brainy kind. It's the witty kind.

A Reminder that there is life beyond exams

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantmentit is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.


Max Ehrmann, Copyright 1952.

The Exam Hush

Hello everybody!

It's me again! It's the exam period now. So guess what I should be doing... OK, so sociology paper is over.. now it's one down, four to go. I don't believe I have ranted about how abysmal my exam timetable looks (now let's not even start to describe my future grade, but yeah...) My last paper (before anyone else comes up, asks, and then looks smug at me), ends next Friday Afternoon. Good. Now, that's done. What shall I rattle on about next?

Hmmm. Has anyone attempted to study in the library recently? By library, I do mean the one at NUS... It's freaky. It's quiet. It's like that hush before an orchestral concert in the Esplanade... only ten times more stressful. If someone so much as gets off their chair.. u can sense it without looking up. The floor by the way, is carpeted. The chairs by the way are heavy. If anyone walks past... it's as if a rhino or elephant or some huge... African savanna mammmal trotted past. That's how quiet it is.

Maybe I'm exaggerating.. but only a little!!!

Argh!

Please... Keep all dancing in virtuality

A bird caught something wiggly today. Then, when I was politely trying not to stare, since I can't abide by wiggly things, the bird hopped over (wiggly thing in tow), and I had to make a wide berth round it. The two cleaners who were walking out of the rubbish dump area stared. Can't blame them.

Then, an over-excited person decided to spray me with water from her cup. An over-enthusiastic twirl from the chair did that. Never knew playing Audition could get you wet... especially when you weren't the one playing... ...

Sometimes, it's easy to feel what it's like in the twilight zone.

Of ramblings and musings

The deep breath before the leap.
The edge of the cliff.
The space between the frying pan and the fire.
The damne void.

Thou haste reachede the ende of thy roade. Whither will thou go now? To blogge? Or to studye, as a goode student muste? I saye, the ende is also the begininge. Of what? Of depressinge studyynge ande revisione, what else? Buggere alle this. The daye is too beautifule to be spente studyynge. I will blogge insteade; it is a muche bettere occupation to hath.

One of these days...

I was nearly struck by lightning at a certain faculty that shouldn't BE struck by lightning. I fear for my safety when I know these people are the future builders of our wonderful garden city-state...
It doesn't help either that a week later, back at said faculty, the electronic exit barrier at the car park refused to budge, and a whole train of cars and shuttle buses formed. Any longer than it actually lasted and it would have formed a most lovely bottle neck. Anyway, people ended being late for class. No surprises there since we were stuck for a good ten minutes or more... and of course, someone's hp/bus radio (i don't which) HAD to be blarring the damned lyrics "I like the way you move..."
Now, you tell me: can this really be just "me"?

5 Things to do to cure essay block

For all those who suffer from that sub-species of writer's block: Essay Block (EB)!
(And also for those who suffer from the further sub-categorisation of EB: specific EB which only targets certain kinds of essays, like literature essays for instance.)

1. Sleep. Divine intervention might just occur, and your essay miraculously saved. Other than that, it's tons better than agonising over it...

2. Get Drunk. There must be a valid reason why artists, with their famous amount of creative juices are also alcholics and smokers... There is... right?

3. Eat Sweet Foods. Eat something sweet; the walk taken in search of food will also do you good.

4. Play Rabbit Games. This doesn't work. It's just fun.

5. Take a Walk, Ladies. The walk will clear the stuffiness from your brains. Besides, walking around in anguish will ensure that no one will disturb your study territory, since they'll avoid you as they think you've gone mad.

Chat with Su.Z

Me: Hello myself, how have you been?

Moi: Not very good I'm afraid. Why?

Me: Oh...nothing...I'm just sick and tired of my essays, work...MORE essays

Moi: Dear dear...it's not like I have it better. For instance, I'm talking to myself...

Me & Moi: True.

A Lame Joke. Don't take me seriously.

nus: rhymes with "moose", and spells like "nose"

Lost!

Wanted: One blue, heart-shaped earring, lost on campus, between Art and Science Faculty, following the shuttle route: A1/A2.
Disappeared between the time of 1200h-1800h

Reward: My heartfelt gratitude. And MAYBE lunch [not from tent].

Damn you cashcard stealer!!

Beautiful Rain

Once again, I seem to be heading nowhere with my essay, which is due today. I stared at it. And stared at it again. Typed one word. Or two. Then give up altogether. Looking out of the window behind me (I'm in school by the way), I see the top of the trees in the park behind the library and feel a sense of calm. There is nothing like rain to cheer you up; that is, of course when you happen to be inside a building and not outside, which while aesthically pleasing and charming to the eye, is mighty wet. Drippy. Ugh weather to be wearing jeans.

Then, there is the sound of rain which should have been refreshing. Unfortunately, it is currently making me fall asleep. The outside is too pretty to be ignored. I should take a photo, but this is the libarary, and because I'm using the powerpt station, everyone is facing me. Weird stares are NOT welcome.
Right. I am instead going back to my essay.

Horoscope of the day [Libra]: It could be that you feel ignored or that no one is really listening to you today. This won’t actually be the case; it’s a sun/moon aspect that is distorting the way you see things. Indulge in a pampering session or a facial to banish those negative thoughts. A piece of hematite will help too.
From http://www.horoscope.com

Ignored? I'm ignoring MY work...

Food! or CNY (2)

A list of new year goodies at home:
(In decreasing order of what I like best)

1.Rainbow candy

2.Pepperridge farm's rainbow fish [it's not a traditional goodie but who cares?)

3.Kueh bangkit

4.Cornflake pastry/cookie thing

5.Almond cookie

6.Fragrance bak kwa (Lim Chee Guan has fallen out of the list)

7.Garlic cashew nuts

8.I HATE pineapple tarts

9.melon seeds

10.Kueh lapis (I liked this until I found it it's made solely from egg YOLKS)

11. Prawn rolls - every year, this does not fail to give me a sore throat, hence, I am avoiding these

New Year Cheer (1)

So what have I been up to these few days? Hah. Happy indulgence and procrastination of course. Somehow, it seems as if I should begin the new year with an excessive amount of eating, smiling, and visiting and playing host - to the point that I think that the stars are against me doing my work. Just so that you can imagine my horror better - imagine the following scenario happening to you:

You wake up really happy and excited of your break on Fri morning, happily thinking that you'll take a well-deserved break. Then, of course, stupidly, the next day, when you decide you had better get on with your essays, you get writer's block. You just stare at that badly written thing and wonder how you'd accomplish 7 pages last semester without less fuss than this time. Then, of course, all essay writing and mid-term revision goes out of the window at the approach of evening and reunion dinner (yum! Of course, you helped too). The next day is given. No work done. Monday was meant to be the last day you'll be having fun. Turns out your relations arrived and one must you know...smile and be the filial daughter etc. Then, the rest of the day was spent agonising over the stupid essay, with nothing done, and then go to granny's for dinner (not so yum again: after 2 days of meat excess you felt like dying). The highlight was learning how to play mahjong! Lost. Badly.
Tuesday dawned bright and clear in yet another attempt to write essays. Emailed your lecturer about consultation time. Then of course you realised how stupid that was when you haven't eve began writing ANYTHING. Then, in dismal horror you find out it's due this Monday. Plus, there is still that in-limbo essay wailing for attn. Darn.

New Beginnings

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Tis the year of the pig!

Balm for sore feet

On Tuesday, py and me went to watch "Multiple Personalities Disorder" starring solely, Hossan Leong. Apart from almost going to the theatre late (thanks to non-existent waffles), it was a night of laughter, laughter and more laughter. As a measure of how funny the entire performance was, I totally forgot about my sore, blistered feet (thanks this time, to my shoes). Unfortunately, the pain returned, and I had to limp all the way home.
It's rather funny. I remember feeling so utterly light and care free, like all the troubles in the world, ok. my world, at least, had just vanished into thin air. Some people were staring, which I suspect had to do with me smiling in the middle of the stupidly crowded bus stop when everyone else was feeling cranky (bus not coming...bus not coming...). Hah! Who asked them not to go and watch a perfectly laughable show to de-stress!

Actually, I'd plans for a really long review, but it's been two days, and sadly, all that's left is that echo of hilarity, people sniggering appreciatively at the funny bits in the theatre and how, for me, the play had made my week already.
Even if it was only Tuesday.
Even if I'd nearly lost my $50 textbook to the Faculty of Long Staircases (aka Science).
Even if I have two mid-terms, and 3 essays due after Chinese New Year, and several drafts to prepare by next week.
Credit of course, goes to py, who managed, by default of cca membership, to procure half priced tickets.

Old hat, new hat and thinking caps

As usual, this blog has become the place which I visit only because I have nothing else to do. However, before my conscience and weird stares at "nothing to do" arrives to bug me, I'll like to point out that I blog here only when nothing else stands in the way of looking at school work and reading boring course packs. Hence, there really is a lot to do. I'm just not doing it.

So, what's this business with the hats. Right. Reviewing all my tutorials to date, I find myself most enamoured by sociology. Ok, maybe "enamoured" is coming on too strong. Perhaps "like" is a better word. Sadly, lit has been ousted from it's cushy "I love Lit no matter what" position and there must be reasons why this is so.

So let me count the ways:
1) I have done lit for two years - almost instinctively the answers and queries are on the right path. Clearly, I have somehow lost the knack for asking literary questions.

2) This, I suspect have to to do with how I am working less hard at it, plus I fear making a fool of myself when I have not said anything remotely stupid about this subject and fear doing so now.

3) It doesn't help either when you think everyone else is smarter and your lit grade has been sliding.

4) New subjects (like sociology): everyone makes a fool of themselves anyway, so... why not?

5) New subjects (like phliosophy): I am thinking too hard to say anything. Plus, they think so fast! Argh!! Someone should invent thinking caps that come with a mental speed booster.

Actually, 5) doesnt count as to why I can't seem to do lit right now: it's just griping. Then, there is 6): I don't enjoy lit class anymore and I think it's the tutor's fault (partly).

It'll be great if lit was the way it used to be, but then again, no progress means no advancement in my love for this subject right?
Haha. I wish!

P.S. I have also decided to label all my posts (past and present and future). It will be an uphill task though.

A guide to buying textbooks

Book XXX

"The Master said: To buy a book, one should not do so by herself; instead call a friend to do it, and then the book shall be in your grasp."

Black Week.

And it's only Monday.

Clarifications and Updates

Clarification no.1: I do NOT like caterpillars - whether they come in red, black, matching green or modish black n white stripes. Or spots. Or checks. Or whatevers.

Update no.1: My opinion of my current modules as it now stands:
Classical Chinese Philosophy: bewildering and expensive
Geography: I miss geog! What a welcome opportunity for nostalgia and the gd ol' jc days!
Soci: Neutral.
Intro to Film Art: I don't know and I don't care. (See below for explanation)
Genes and Society: Somebody shoot me so I don't have to do this module. Plus. It's expensive.
Film n Cultural Txts: Likewise: a "somebody shoot me situation". It's not expensive though.

What lovely weather we've been having... and I've watched my first film in Spanish! Pan's Labryinth is an excellent film, hence I shall weather Film n Cultural txts because in some vague, currently unknown way, this module will help me better my movie/film watching experience. I can't wait for this semester to end already!

Update no.2: 10 reasons why I should like media studies.

It's er. updated.
It's interesting.
Helps you be consumer aware.
Helps me update myself with the hottest tv programmes, and media trends
It's a little bit like soci and I am neutral to soci.
It's a good break from airy fairy lit.
Some ppl must like it. Pity it isn't me.
One should diversify from dusty moth eaten books [NEVER!]
I like film
I hate ads (now I'll know why)

Clarification no. 2: If it sounds forced, it's only because I'm prejudiced, and am trying to like it. Do help me out by adding on to this list. A semester of surprises indeed.

School Reopening!

Back to school, as usual. When I think about it, I've been in school (different ones of course) for over a decade. How appalling.
6 years in primary school
4years in secondary school
2 years in a junior college
and ___ years to go in university.
In all: 12 full years and one semester (less than 6 months) of academia so far.

Funny how it took 6 years to NOT miss school holidays and dread school. Thank you, secondary school then. And then I think of how it's been like all those years - maths, chinese (horrors). I have the greatest respect for my mother tongue - it's just that it is beyond my grasp; so, come to think about it, is logic. Er. 12 years and what do I have to show for it? School's back - another round of reading (ugh), research (ugh) and essays and projects (double ugh).

Here are my modules for next semester as proof of the amount of reading amd thinking involved. Come to think of it, thinking is hard work too...
Daoism and Confucianism [Qn: WHY am I doing this when I don't even like the idea of patriarchy??]
Film art - an Introduction. [yay!]
Film and Cultural Texts [May I be more consumer savvy with this module.]
Soci [duh.]
Geog [please oh please don't make me go on field trips!! The hot sun...rocky paths...icky humid air...]

Well, at least, with 12 years of studying and exams, tests, pop quizzes and such other "surprises" I can safely say I am as unprepared as I was 12 years ago. A new semester of surprises awaits... not to mention that it's a new year. Whoop.