Ity and Bity

Children nowadays should not be underestimated.
See here, the (almost) accurate true-life accounts from a first-hand source.

Lost Notes from the Memory Bin
Exibit #1
At the tender age of 9, they curse better than hardcore sailors:

Go to _ _ _ _
S_ _ _
Various choice Hokkien epithets.
I F_ _ _ Y_ _ (said to me) *you idiot. I am not into being a paedophile. Plus, the next second, you complain that phrases like kiss and make up are "eww" and "gross". If ONLY you know what that word means.*

Here, one must wonder. If I point out that F_ _ _ is a bad word for "kissing", do you think they'll buy it and stop using that damnable vulgarity?? I expect angry parents would go after me instead.
Of course, vulgarities are not directed at only me, but more frequently, at each other.

Exhibit #2
They whine better than anyone else.

It's not even the vulgarities that kill me. No. Not when certain of your friends and the TV use them all the time. (Thank you, TV, and friends, for building up my insensitivity)

It's. the. whining.
Everytime one of the boys says something rude, the girls will start protesting: "teacher! Teacher! TEACHER! TEACHER! XX USE THAT WORD!"
*yes. I heard that. Now stop whining. I'm getting a headache*

Teacher clears throat: "XX! Stop using vulgarities! It's very rude!" *sigh. groan*
XX: "S_ _ _ lah" (glowers at other boy, who says something just as rude in return)
Girls *altogether now, 1,2,3*: "TEACHER! WHINE..WHINE...WHINE..."
*uggh. stop! stop! Your whining is worse than the swearing! Ignore them! If you show that you aren't bothered by their bloody (oops) swearing, they'll get bored and stop! Stop whining already!*
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Exhibit #3
The Artful Dodger (Singapore Edition)

Flashback:
Teacher: "JJ! What are you doing standing on that chair? Why are the tables and chairs like this?" (gestures at classroom, which has been turned into a maze after class has ended)
Girl 1+2: "His name is not JJ."
Teacher (baffled): "Eh?"
Girl 1 bangs on the table.
Teacher (intelligibly): "Huh? Table?"
Girls giggle. "No. He's called Knockknock!"
*I see.*
Girl 2: "Actually, before this, he had another name."
Teacher: "Oh? What's that?"
Girl 2: "He is called Food-stealer!"
Teacher glowers accusingly at JJ: "Did u steal food?" JJ protests: "No!"
Girl 2: "Yes! He stole my sandwich before. The small kind."

-End Flashback-

It is the end of class. Deja vu anyone?
I pack, and am ready to leave when I recall that I had lent one of the students my pen.

Attempt One to retrieve pen: FAIL
(notes: imitating the trademark coy, wide-eye innocence of student does not work)

Attempt Two to retrieve pen: PASS
(notes: but now, the marker (on loan from office) is in student's possession)

Attempt Three to retrieve one's own item: NEVERMIND

As I leave the class, the evil artful dodger decides that it'll be funny to pick my bag. Naturally, having anticpated this from Day 1 since I got this bag, the only a pickpocket will be able to steal will be something useless, like my water bottle, which is of the old, cheap plastic variety. It's a pity, after wrangling all my items back, I forgot the stupid bottle. It's not something that I miss, but I was rather thirsty on my way home.
______________________________

It's odd. But even with all these nonsense, I seem to well, enjoy meeting them week after week.

Decisions decisions

Do you see here. This is Artemis Fowl 6. And it's available in the Borders in Wheelock Place ahead of the official UK release. How suspect. This windfall. But since I am a Times member it seems I shall have to wait it out, unfortunately.


Then, do you see this here? This is Middlemarch. A Study of Provincial Life. If I am even going to be able to survive next semester, I am going to have to start reading ahead.





Guess which I want to read.

Ekphrasis

Insomnia Forgotten
=
As the sky dims, the clouds recede softly into the lengthening darkness. Down below, across the slanted bars, each window gleams, a bright faceted gem framed by concrete and steel. The descending night gently draws back a curtain of lightly falling rain, each raindrop forming a crisp rap against exposed surfaces. The shower quickens abruptly, and the rap becomes a swift rush of water from above, glinting silver and gold, melting hard lines, soldering them to the running rivulets of water making their quick way down the edges of rooftops and drainpipes. Sleep washes over, a comforting coverlet brought by the distant hiss of a car on wet roads while the last swallow of the evening chirps faintly; a sound to drift away from, insomnia forgotten.

The Book Post: The Historian

Now. Who knew research could indeed be vampiric, literally?

I know this book was pretty popular quite awhile back, but I hold to the adage that good things stand the test of time, and this book, fuss or no fuss still remains a downright creepy read. I may not have finished it, and I might end up eating my words, but I doubt if a sucky ending will have any effect in dinting how enjoyable a read it has been so far (which is slightly more than halfway) for me.

So what're you waiting for? Go, go, go read it.

Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian

Really?!

Went to the ICA today. In typical Singapore fashion, there was already quite the spectacular queue outside the building though it was not yet 8am, which is when the building "officially" opens. Queue notwithstanding, it seems that the building has quite the ability in swallowing whole crowds, which disappeared into the inner belly of the ICA pretty quickly in spite of heightened security checks (as if terrorists wake that early (just kidding)). The IC floor was miraculously deserted, which suited me and my sis (who lost her IC, the unfortunate girl) nicely. Everything was going smoothly, and we didn't have very long to wait to see the officer, iwhose room was in this group of officious looking offices tucked in one corner of the floor.

This was when things stopped being so nice. The officer thought I was my sis's mom. Gee. Thanks. I am now going somewhere far far far away. Don't follow. The door (locked on inside) says:

DON'T DISTURB. LIVING IN DENIAL. I NEED A REJUVENATING GETAWAY.

Whatever happened to the other modules??

I can't believe I have a paltry FIVE core modules to choose from for the coming semester. That list had better be incomplete. And I wouldn't even be complaining if not for the fact that two of modules that I want to do already clash. Arggh!

Poster Talk: Wanted

Wanted: Six Dollars Back

Or that's what my sis, the veteran gamer says even before we've left the cinema. On hindsight, I suppose this poster should have warned me:

Firstly, Angelina Jolie is NOT the main character in the film, in spite of her taking up two thirds of the poster. Those of you who have some communication studies background should be able to deduce this as poster as being a sneaky attempt to milk the crowd with a well-known sexy A-list star, regardless of actual screen time and plot.

Like the poster, the film didn't seem to require more than a superficial level of acting from the cast. Jolie just has to look sexy and mysterious all the time, which shouldn't take much effort from her, and McAvoy seems to just have to say a particular four letter word while doing the narrative and dialogue all the time, which I suppose, doesn't take much effort either. The only thing that probably needed work was looking buff for the screen. Still, it's a slick movie. Too slick in some ways. The gun fights are cool, but at the expense of screen time that would have been better off dealing with character development. The plot twist was really cliched, and came too late into the film to be properly resolved. I mean, yes, this is an action flick, so there doesn't need to be much character development, but to the point where I don't feel anything for the characters??? Enough said here.

Before I pysch everyone who reads this into thinking "sucky movie", Wanted isn't actually down in the pits yet. It's an average-ish sort of movie, but I admittedly don't think I'll tire of watching them (meaning the cast) curve bullets around bits of meat and each other. Those were some of the coolest scenes involving slow-mo bullets since The Matrix, and that's saying something, considering how the rest of Wanted was so completely lacklustre.

On another point:
Trust the Japanese to come up with a poster that defies the usual Hollywood advertising conventions (no Angelina Jolie in it!).

Images sourced from: http://www.worstpreviews.com/review.php?id=818