The Epic Trudge

Off we went, the three of us,
To our farewell party via a bus.
We reached the East Coast, and looked all round.
To our horror, we three found,
That Pit 61 was on the other end of the coast.
Boy were we toast.
Thus we began, our epic journey, from Pit 5
And walked on, determined, that for all our lives
We would surely make it there in one piece or otherwise.
We advanced, past Pit after Pit, footsore and weary. (Let's hijack bikes.)
On and on, the beach was a vast sea of sand and wind,
Punctuated by alternating pit and pitless lands; the horror it seemed,
When we past a deserted coast and Pit 45 was no where in sight.
A curse and a blight!
On whoever booked the pit!
Unfortunately, there was no way we could rest or sit,
For fear we'll be later than we already were.

Past the deflation hollow (an empty lake),
We walked on, blisters and all. And followed,
A bunch of boys, who might've been as lost as we were.
Cursing the J1s (though it wasn't their fault)
Wondering if being stabbed by pinecones was worth the walk.
I think I can see Changi.
Even worse, "Bedok" was the name of the jetty.
All the way from Marine Parade. I'm happy though,
For I see familiar faces, ready to accept us into their fold,
Though we walked right up to the pit, and no one (at first) noticed us.
We sat down on the stools, the result of an hour and half's march.

Don't ask me why we didn't take a cab, and for good measure I'll highlight where we began, and what major landmarks we saw...
Started near the old road safety park. Walked past Barbecue Pit 22++ near Mac. Past Costa Sands (Pit 30-40++). Past the No Signboard Seafood and Long Beach Restaurant. No Pits here. Walked ROUND enormous empty lake under construction. Then through a hawker centre. Found ourselves at the end of EC, near car park F2.
I had lots of fun last night, despite the stupid walk. If anything, the absurdity of our arrival made the party even more memorable. There was not bad food, though BBQ onion rings are a bit strange. Played Frisbee and Monkey. It was great fun, though I kinda wished everyone could make it...so few turned up, no doubt the effect of the oncoming prelims...All in all, a party to remember, especially photo taking sessions and the free smoke machine courtesy of the J1 (the BBQ had a lot of smoke), lovely special effects turned out in some of the cameras. I’m gonna miss drama. Never really wanted it to end. Even the sleepless nights and exhaustive and stressful bits.

Chaotic times

Ah yes. The spanking new TVs decorating my school compound are happily flashing the news: 7 days to Prelims!! I feel so happy. I should be studying. In fact I'm going to, after blogging though. Am now waiting for Geog lect to start. Spent last Tuesday with the similar situation of waiting around, nothing to do. Oh well. Life's like that.

So.. this is going to be a random blog. Few things to say. No.1. Sorry Kappa, I can't go out with you to enjoy your b-day present. Really and truly and absolutely sorry I'm gonna miss the concert!! I am getting mushy, which is a bad sign. Then again, I've been getting a lot of bad signs lately.

In Harbin, your breath mists in front of your face when you breathe. We are all smokers! Ice isn't cold to the touch when your hand is colder than ice. Ice slabs are really good to sit on though... My face was really cold...felt as if my nose had fallen off...kept touching it to see if it was there. Being a general klutz, I fell down on the snow slide, before even getting on the float thingy for the slide...shit. lol. Was really winded, because falling on ice is NOT a good thing...the coldness of the shock gets to you. Had apple strudel after that. Anything warm to taste after -10 degree celsius weather is good.

Broke my no coffee rule that day. Bad time to be doing that...coffee was really gross. Even seasoned coffee drinkers like my aunts said it was appalling. Sigh. Coffee has no effect on me. Was stoning by 8pm. Fell asleep round 10+ that night (Sunday) waiting for hair to dry out after bath.

Maybe coffee wasn't strong enough.

Go to www.animalinyou.com

This is a decidedly unconformist creature, for as an airborne personality, the bat tends to look down at the conventions of the ground animals. And yet, since it is not a true bird and having not mastered the art of smooth controlled flight, it often appears awkward in social situations. (Hence the term -- acting batty). But as compensation for this social ungainliness, many bat personalities sport a built-in radar, which enables them to intuitively read the motivations of others.
Identifying bat personalities is not difficult. Being nocturnal creatures, they come alive at night and can be spotted in underground clubs or dimly lit bars. They prefer the sanctuary of dark clothing and dark corners, and you'll never see a bat sporting a heavy tan. These are intelligent, spiritual, creative individuals who use their full range of senses (other than their poor eyesight) to carefully navigate their way through life.
Bats have a habit of flitting in and out of social situations, swooping down to interact briefly with others before quickly flying off to resume their bat lives. Unassertive and aloof, they'll take flight at the first hint of a confrontation to seek comfort in their personal spaces that are decorated in unusual but expressive ways. The bat's sixth sense gives it a number of advantages in its work, and its insightful nature enables it to understand others better than it understands itself.
In the romance department, bats are enamored with the idea of love more than they are with its colder realities. Decidedly untraditional, they are prone to flights of extraordinary fantasy -- and it's not the traditional Ken and Barbie type of romance that tickles its fancy either. It's the Bram Stoker kind: dark, moody and gothic.
Bat personalities have an enormous sense of loyalty and if you ever do a favor for a bat, it will never relax until it has paid you back. In fact, in nature, the bat is the only animal (other than man) to demonstrate true altruism when unrelated individuals will unselfishly offer food to a cave-mate without expectation anything in return. This powerful sense of quid pro quo is one of the defining characteristics of the bat personality and anyone should consider themselves lucky to be in a bat's good graces.
Bats have no strong yearning for parenthood, for the kind of ego gratification that comes with having one's own children doesn't appeal to its karmic temperament. They are instead quite content to satisfy their maternal or paternal instincts by adopting or merely baby-sitting. If they do have children, they prove to be perfunctory parents: methodical yet unconventional . Still, bats place great emphasis on ethics and morality and insist that their children be indoctrinated in the values of good citizenship.

Hit/Run

You know, sometimes things just hit you and you end up flying back a mile or more. I've just gained access to my school's new server and there are tons to copy from my tutors' private files. Everything from tutorials to lecture notes and extra readings. Then I mail them to my classmate. I SO need to buy printer ink. Why am I procrastinating. All that work (the size of a mini mountain at the least) are the result of not bothering to migrate to a new server. Yup. I feel like I'm caught up in a backwash dating a few months worth of work. Actually I don't feel it, I'm trapped in it literally. It is quite a shock for me...all that things to read and do. I'll be having a busy weekend. And printer ink...been printing multi-coloured notes since one printer prints blue ink and the other has been reduced to doing red ink. I'm in a mess.

Funny, I've been repeating the same thing over and over again. Well, I guess the impact is just so strong. Serves me right for running away from all that. Must be the approaching prelims (12 days and counting!). So yeah, I don't know why I'm blogging this...except that...all my friends out there doing their 'A' levels....good luck. We're in the deep end now and it's about time I woke up to that...

Timetabling woes and other stuff

Today might just rank as no. 1 of The Top 10 Most Pointless Days of 2005. Let's see...most Tuesdays are usually pointless anyway. It's the day I spend more time waiting for classes to start than actually attending something useful. Here is my normal Tuesday timetable:

0740-0840: Geog lecture
0840-0940: Lit tutorial
0940-1110: break
1110-1210: ct
[which is a sort of form teacher's period for all the admin and occasional enrichment things]
1210-1340: GP
1545-1800max: Geog lecture

Today's pointless timetable:

0740-0840: Geog lecture
1210-1340: GP

That's it. Yup. I've to wait 4hrs for a lesson. Yay. The 2nd geog lect was cancelled because the tutor is sick. Ah well. I've got the whole day to do revision and homework. I expect I should somehow feel happy...hey...there is also free internet!
Right. somehow I had an ominous feeling that today was going to be a day of pointlessness.

See. My day began with this announcement at assembly: "I will now read out to you students a message from the principal of a certain sec sch...So went on the message...blah blah blah. It was abt some J1 from my JC who had yanked two misbehaving sec students back to thier school to be dealt with. The mesage ended with a grand and ostentatious praise of this J1 - 'I congratulate him on his moral courage..." in the hope that all of you should emulate him and bring glory to our JC. Oh yes.

I cannot help but think that the congratulatory email was slightly out of place. Praise for reporting on misbehaving students? I've this impression that it is like praising someone for being nosy. It is silly to magnify the litle things in life. If we were to go on glorifying the little things in life whose true merits are dubious I shudder to think what will happen to us. Oh let's trumpet gloriously on about our 'clean & green' environment. May I know why it is so clean and green? Oh. It's because no one dares to litter for fear of that $10000 fine.

Things like reminding others of proper behaviour and disposing litter responsibly are things that are EXPECTED. Just because someone reported the students doesn't mean it is right because the sch think it is. I just can't help thinking that the J1 should have just told off the students. Was there really a need to report them? Of course there is the issue of the degree of misbehaviour - was it just being noisy? Or vandalism? Or something worse like harrassing the public? Whatever it was, punishment does not change such behaviour overnight. Instilling fear only makes one cynical and rebellious. And maybe, that's what I am.

Shh!

Am so tired. Too...tired...to...blog... Haha. I AM blogging, which is the irony of it all. After 2hrs++ of Econs mock prelims today, my hands feel like lead. For some strange reason, my left hand aches too. Could it have been due to the Hazelnut dance yesterday? Well. I do not wish to post anything in relation to my least favourite subject. U might like it, Kappa - it is a very evil subject.

Anyway, PY, Jane and me went to the National Library to study. We had lunch before that at the Food Court. Poor PY found ham slices in her supposedly vegetarian spaghetti - the nerve of some cooks. The ham tasted gross too...like plastic.

The NL was really nice. Didn't like it initially - it was obstructing my way to Bras Basah, and I recall being forced to walk on the double yellow lines on the fringe of Victoria Road when the NL was still in its construction stage. So many cars...it was quite scary. But that is besides the point. Today marks my first visit to the newly constructed National Library, and it is really a beautiful building, inside and outside. There is this zen-like landscaping with lots of bamboo trees, and black/white pebble paths. It looks so cooling and airy compared to all that concrete. The whole building comprises of vast glassy panels, and looks a tad too futuristic, but if u look at SMU just down the street and I guess the architecture is comparable, though SMU has a wavy glass facade that looks as if it is about to topple anytime.

When u enter, u are greeted by a blast of cold air, which Jane tells me, is due to changes in the air pressure...cool. The building looks fantastic in the interior too...lots of glass linkways that criss cross the various levels...very very sci-fi. And the silence. U sound like u are yelling when u are really whispering as softly as u can. They say silence is golden, but I would have given anything for a bit of noise. It feels like you are sitting in a vacumm when it is too quiet.

Spent an afternoon there. Was completely disoriented when we left the building - one gets the feeling that u are on the same floor all the time because each floor is structured similarly. Only changes are floor tile colours. It doesn't help if u've contracted a headache reading tourism notes...well. Will stop here I guess. My fingers are dropping off...

Twisted jelly and pretzel legs.

Can't BELIEVE the things they make you do fpr P.E. OK. So Teacher's Day is coming and say, why don't we learn some social dances the liven things up on that day?? Yup. The dances have such interesting names too. Names like the "Little Hazelnut" (do they mean horses or falling nuts; all that prancing could mean either) The other was even funnier - didn't know blacksmiths originated from the Institute of the Mentally Inept. The dance was called "Hammersmith" and it involved lots of clapping...and I mean really. I always thought smiths were busy people, didn't know they had time for dancing in circles. Then again, they might have been freaking out because it was the Black Death, and that's when the song "Ring around the Roses" originated from.

After all that is said and done, the stupid dances were quite fun. At the very least it was excercise...but wouldn't I give anything for badminton lessons again next week... Now, I ache in all the wrong places and my feet feel permanently twisted from all the feet crossing steps...But hey. It wa all in the name of a bit of fun.

Chocolate Charlie is so Sweet.

Watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today with my sis. Was not impressed by it. Instead I was Totally Blown Away by the film!! What an excellent piece of work! Haha. I've not even gotten to why I love the movie and already I am singing its praises. Hmm. I suppose it was because the film was way better than what I expected it to be. I did think it will be good, just not that good, if u follow me. Well, happily, even my sis was impressed and that's saying something. She is a picky movie goer (how can anyone not like LOTR??). Anyway, am feeling the itch to review the movie. Beware of spoilers. (see post below for safety sake).

You look really Weird...

WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
reviewed by none other than ME. of course. Who else is there?
The film opens with a nice bit of music (composed by DannyElfman - don't know who he is? Well I don't either), with really nice graphics of the chocolate packaging process. Knowing Tim Burton, it is weird. The chocolate bars all have individual white mini parachutes that float down in a spiral. Really nice. The sets are lavish. I mean, it is Tim Burton after all; so you can expect things to look a little less ordinary. The story, as anyone knows, is adapted from a Roald Dahl book of the same name.

The movie follows quite truly to the book, in terms of the things said and sequence of events. What deviates from the book, however, is Willy Wonka. There is an added feature on Willy Wonka's youth. The movie also strangely shifts focus away from Charlie, the lead protagonist to Will Wonka. Now that, in itself is not a bad thing (more screen time of the world's coolest actor can't be bad). However, Charlie does play a crucial role in helping to adjust Wonka's skewed world view that parents are nasty creatures that inhibit individuality. I suspect that as the anticipated audience would largely consist of kids, it would be neccessary to restore the morals of the story. One tends to get carried away by Wonka's evil antics, especially that sinister smile on his face whenever the 4 rotten kids get their just desserts.

Some people have remarked that Johnny Depp looks really weird. I mean what's with all that white makeup? I however feel that the costume sits well the "look" of the film, especially since Wonka is such a child-like character - it would be wrong to portray him as the old eccentric complete with goatee and all. Rather, the androgynous look is a success here.

Great film overall. Go watch it. There were some misses though. But hey. Perfection is boring.

Invasion!

Today began normally enough. Woke up. Ate breakfast. Read newspaper. Go to school. Got D&D ticket fixed (For some reason, I was given a torn ticket). Went home. Computer hanged. Gave up on it and decided to just help my mum prepare lunch. I was slicing prawns while she de-veined them. All pretty normal, especially the comp hanging bit. Then things got a little weirder.

I was clipping my fingernails when I thought I heard a knock on the door. Turns out I did hear a knock - when I opened the door, and out of the blue I see Jane and PY standing outside, and I was thinking...OK...umm what are they doing here?? Haha. Teach me to look at my handphone more often huh. PY was convinced that after missing 3 days of school, there was actually a lot of notes for her. Funnily enough there actually wasn't much. We discussed the mysteries of Balance of Payments (BOP). Played with my hamsters. Laughed and talked a lot. Complained about this strange theory found in our Atmosphere and Climate notes (the earth wobbles every 21000 yrs?! You've gotta be kiddin!) Then they went home and I had lunch. Lunch was yummy!

Then my sis' classmates came and played x-box. I suspect it is because one of them broke his x-box and was suffering from withdrawal symptons. Haha. Nah. So they spent the afternoon oogling at the gogglebox and talking really loudly. Went to buy dinner. For some reason, the guy at Mac's gave me one twister fries when I asked for two and two fries when I wanted only one. I kinda felt sorry for the guy and decided that the extra fries could go to my sis' classmates. Went back home. There is a lot of air pollution out there - it's the first day if the chinese 7th month. So you know what I mean...Got home. Was still eating when the two guys (my sis' classmates) decided they had enough of oogling the gogglebox and went home. Funnily enough, one of them actually said "Thank you for having us". Not the typical reaction from a gaming addict if you ask me. They usually walk away with a slightly bemused look on their faces... Shows how much you can judge from people's appearances yeah... At least this time someone was nice enough to say "Thank you". Goodness knows I've to put up with weird people every time they come here. Who eat my food and don't go home. Oh well. Nice to see that my sis has SOME polite classmates, always did have the impression that they were all ah bengs. Haha. Prejudices will get you nowhere, but I can't be too trusting too.

Hah! I am going to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Monday!! I can't help announcing to the world!!! I am so excited. Finally! A movie worth every cent I'm paying for!

July/August

I've not been blogging for a while as you can obviously see. Anyway, I'm glad the stupid tag-board is up and running again. Was so frustrated when it decided to do strange things. Happily, it wasn't just me for once...friends had a similar problem too. When you have a temperamental computer akin to a grouchy old man, you question every weird thing it throws at you...

So. Just an update. Last WKEND was spent doing things...decided to wrap Kappa's present a day in advance. It was a blue wrapper, with darker blue teddies I found off Google Images. I was lucky that my printer was printing blue ink...I ran out of black a few months back. Just haven't bothered to replace ink. If I had black ink I would have to print them in greyscale, which doesn't sit well with the light blue paper, and of course, I've no photoshop to do things with the teddy photo. Yup. Luck or something I guess. Anyway, we had lunch at Hans. Am HAPPY that I was late for once. I've complaints that I go to pre-arranged venues too early. Hans was ok. Watermelon wasn't sweet enough if you ask me. Went shopping after that. Thanks Kappa, for humouring ol' indecisive me while I circled Borders like some insane metal institute escapee with a fetish for walking in circles.

Bought Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. People who watch the OC would know Seth mentioned it in one of the episodes. Dun know if this is true. Ask Kappa. The book is very thick. It's about WWII. Its also a book only mad people would recommend. Have found nothing entertaining from it so far. But hey. I've only read like...4 pages? Haha. Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring was great though. Finished it already. For a historical fiction, it really is quite well written. Go read it.

Went sofa cloth shopping with Aunt and Mum in Choo Chiat. For those out there who suffer from chronic "Where is this place hah?", Choo Chiat is in Geylang. But that is besides the point. The point is, I went cloth shopping with them, and we bought the cloth that I picked out. I shall take the liberty of looking smug. It's a light cream coloured cloth with silvery leaf and vine motifs on it. It LOOKS nice. Anyone who says otherwise will answer to the chopper poised in my hand. Nah. Just kidding. I don't like choppers in the first place...so violent and unwieldy.

Last of all, my pet hamster gave birth to 3 babies on the 2nd of August!! That's same as you Kappa! They look quite gross actually - all wobbly and pink and for some reason, a bit shiny too. Heehee.

Last night was bad though. Fell asleep waiting for Inuyasha to start at the unearthly hr of 11pm. I missed the damn episode and woke up just in time to catch the ending credits rolling. Luckily my sis wasn't too pissed off that I only managed to tape Shaman King for her. Sat through that with a highly dissatisfied feeling of having missed a TV show you stayed up for.
Well. here ends this post. Will blog again some time soon.

Baka Cat

Sometimes, animals will behave in the strangest ways. Take the following real-life encounters as proof.

I am out with my parents and sis at the Whampoa market. Don't know where that is? It is in a godforsaken part of Singapore. Before anyone points out that they live there, I will say that there is nothing wrong with living in a secluded part of Singapore; there are times when I would envy the ones who live in blissful isolation. Right, as I was saying, we were at the market for lunch. It is very strange. There are bees at the hawker centre. They buzz around the seats nonchalantly, and cluster around the beancurd desert shop. One wonders why. Apart from being a general nuisance, they are a danger to society (they would have to buzz around my rice, and no one else's).

That was the first of the animal mysteries. Next, a black cat, full grown mind you, and therefore had the mental capability of a mature, thinking animal, came and sat at the periphery of our table. It looked at us with that typically endearing big-eyed look that said, "Aww. Look at the cute kitty. Feed me please!" Being animal lovers, me and my sis began discussing (in an undertone, cos my dad doesn't like us playing with or feeding strays) whether we should feed the cat. It went something like that:

SIS: Should we feed the cat?
ME: (eagerly) OK. (pause) You do it.
SIS: You feed lah.
ME: Why me? Anyway, it might not eat chicken...
SIS: I'm not sure.
(In the meantime, Cat starts cleaning itself next to my table. After dithering about for a few minutes agonising over whether I should feed it, I decided I should.)
ME: Right. What about Dad?
SIS: I'll distract him...Dad! Look over there! [I am serious. My dad really looked 'over there']
(I quickly throw a piece of chicken to the cat)

Guess what. The stupid cat got up from cleaning itself and walked right past the piece of chicken that I had painstakingly deboned for it. Stupid stupid cat. Then, the best part comes. It stalked round our table once and settled down to stare at us eating our chicken rice - with the same appealing look it had before I tried to feed it. The piece of chicken lay folornly on the opposite side of the table, forgotten by the cat.

The third stars of absurdist animal behaviour were put on by none other than my own hamsters. Both of them were playing on the hamster wheel. Only one thing. They were both running in the opposite directions. Yup, so the total action was that there were two hamsters scrambling happily on a stationary wheel. They did this at least 3 times that night too. Ah well. The mysteries of animal behaviour...

Kappa's Guide to Natural Highs (Villian Version 1.1)

I recently visited my friend's blog and saw this article entitled 'Natural Highs'. It is supposed to "lift your spirits". That, was a goody-goody version. Now, I will impart to you, the Sith's version to Natural Highs. May the force be with you.

1. Sitting in your school canteen with your good friends and makingsnide remarks at everyone. ("Look at that bald donkey!" "That teacher looks like a bulldog, shouldn't he be at the pound?")
   
2. Bullying inexperienced relief teachers. ("Where's the chalk?" "Oh, you are sitting on it, 'cher!")
3. Playing the violin (especially when you aren't too good at it yet)when your mum is taking her afternoon nap.
4. Playing the piano when your family is watching television.Watching "American's
5. Funniest Home Videos" (Moral of the story: Laugh when tragedy befalls others)
6. Watching reruns of old local series, e.g. Triple Nine. (Oh god! LiLin in high waist jeans! She looks like a poulet when she put on too-red lipstick! Oh, and that crappy hairstyle! (laughs hysterically))
7. Imagine the guy or girl you have a crush on walking about naked. (It will be good if he or she had a great body, if not...erm...you will just have to imagine it.)
8. Mixing your father's hair tonic into your mother's shampoo. (The result's pretty interesting!)
9. Accidentally-on-purpose sending your friend spoilers for Harry Potter. (Oh, I'm sooo sorry! I sent it to you by mistake! It was meant for another person!)
10. Hearing Leong read Chinese, or speak Chinese; it's hilariously funny. (Ask her to tell you the sunflower incident)
11. Watching a guy's expression when you tell him his zippers are undone. (Even if they are not...undone, I mean)
12. Whipping up some weird-looking food and ask your sister to try them. (younger sister or brother, preferably)
13. Looking at old photographs of your form teacher (Look here! Here's when Mr X still had his hair!)
14. Sticking a picture of your school rival on a dart board. (10 points if you hit the body, 20 if you hit the face and 100 if you can hit the groin!)
15. Confusing your friends. (Kappa, so which one is it? You are confusing me!)
16. Hearing Leong shrieking* at you, waving her fists in the air ("You villainous villain!"..."This is utter villainy!)
17. Hearing or smelling somebody fart in public.
18. Looking at a guy digging his ears, then smelling his earwax and then telling your friends about it. Enjoy the gross expression on their faces.
19. Consoling your rival in school when she/he failed the exams.("Poor thing, never mind, you can do better next time!" Think: If there even is a next time.) Then mocking her/him behind his/her back.
20. Clipping a clothes-peg onto the nose of a person sleeping.
21. Drinking coffee. (My friend always gets high after drinking coffee, she would giggle and shriek, laugh and yell. That, in essence, is that she has lost control.
22. Seeing your rival lost her place as queen of the high-and-mighty in school.
23. Watching man-hunt on television.
24. Watching Jim Carrey's "Lawyer, Lawyer".
25. Last but not least, writing obscenities on somebody's cast.(One, look at the poor person hobble about on the cast, or trying to feed himself, and two, the obscenities.)
    

That's all folks! If you have any suggestions on this article, please feel free to flood Leong's tag board. Ciao.This Guide is in near pristine condition. I hardly made any changes. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.*I do NOT shriek.

Poll Time!

OK. There are some people who seem to think that the font size is too small and will subject them to a state of perpetual blindness. Because of this there is now POLL TIME!

Just tell me if the font size is too small...dun mail me. Use the tag-board. It is there for such things. It has however been used for other, less, amiable things like insulting my organisational skills [or the lack of it], my blog and me in general. Sigh. What are friends for? I thank all those who have made useful and or encouraging comments and as for those with less than useful things to say...well I must admit that it has been fun - all those verbal warfare and somehow me on the losing side...haha. It is a humbling experience. Don't laugh. I am being serious.

Right, before poll time, I can say that the font size is simply for asethetic purposes. If it hampers reading, I will forego art and do something to make your reading a pleasure. Thanks!

Vote:
Font size (1)
Font Size (2)

I Like to Move it

Am feeling rather philosphical after today's lecture on Chaucer's A Knight's Tale. If u are getting a headache or are in no mood to think beyond what TV show is nice tonight. STAY AWAY. I am not liable for any mental breakdown caused in this post. If you insist on reading on, then, dear reader, beware.

There is this talk about divine intervention and the "First Moevre [Mover]", who in the beginning, set in motion a chain of spheres - the planets which causes...well...causes things to happen. The planets thing has to do with astrology. Right. Venus, Mars, Saturn all represent different aspects of Lfe - Love, War and MisFortune/Chao. The idea of Fortune is even more clearly represented in the book as Fortuna, goddess of chance and the random; "aventure", as Chaucer calls it. Anyway, Thesues, one of the lead characters and the wisest of the lot, speaks of the 1st Mover as someone that watches or observes the gods, the humans from a distant, 3rd person sort of perspective. In other words, Love, War and Fortune are all controlled by a being beyond themselves - a being behind even the divine as represented by the pagan gods. Fortune figures largely in the the Tale and many of the significant events are really just chance meetings. What I suppose Theseus is trying to say is probably this: Fortunes may rise and fall, joy follows woe and woe follows joy - neither are eternal in the lives of Men, but follow on the heels of each other. Yet, we should not grieve when things do not go our way, nor should we trap ourselves because of unlucky circumstances but look forward - because our lives are in a way predestined by the 1st Mover so long ago when he created the universe. Hence, in seemingly random events do we discern order and control - for even Fortune is governed by a higher being.

Ouch...Finally got it all out of my system. Been thinking how to phrase my thoughts in a somewhat more logical manner...Yay! I am ready for Wednesday's presentation!!

Harry Potter & the Old Lady who Farted

It is night time at Hogwarts, and HARRY is seated in the Gryffindor common room asleep in one of the armchairs. A thick book slips from under him and falls with a loud thud, waking him up.

HARRY: What? Oh great, I've gone and fallen asleep again. Snape's going to kill me tomorrow if I don't finish his homework on time...(bends down to pick up book)

A VOICE: (cheerfully) Yup! I bet he's going to confiscate your Firebolt at the rate you are going. Isn't it your third time forgetting your textbook in his class?

HARRY: Actually it's my fourth time this week. (gestures in frustration at essay on table) I hate this. (looks around in puzzlement) Anyway who are you? Ghosts aren't allowed in the House common rooms.

A VOICE: What nonsense. I am not a ghost. I am merely a disembodied voice that you are hearing because you are only partially asleep. But that doesn't make me your conscience. Goodness knows where that's gone anyway. Whatever happened to you in the Order of the Phoenix? You sound like a whiny brat! I am certain your conscience is in the Hospital for the Fatally Ill Mental Voices for a bad bout of Guilt.

HARRY: Huh?

A VOICE: What I mean to say is that you ought to treat your conscience better after making us sit through that ridiculously lengthy 5th Book, endure the death of a main character that lasted about 2 books out of the 6 so far and read about you and your abrupt change of character. You should be more in tune with your conscience. I do hope your conscience is doing ok.

HARRY: You can't blame me for the way things turned out. Besides I didn't commission the Order of the Phoenix...Fawkes did. He was extremely pleased that he got featured in the title and got his portrait splashed on the book cover. He's rather pleased with the 'Adult version'...says it makes him look imposing and grand.

A VOICE: I see. Still I hope the Half-blood Prince will be good. It's recieved generally good reviews and the title is promising. I was thinking about it today when I got into the lift at my block. An old lady and two maids got in as well. When the lift door closed, the old lady farted really loudly. Ugh. It probably smells worse than anything Neville can come up with in Potions class.

HARRY: Don't be mean.

A VOICE: To whom? Neville or the old lady?

HARRY: (severely) BOTH.


End

There are times when I wish my sanity would come ack to me. It is a love-hate affair here. Anyway, I really really want the 6th book! Unfortunately it is beyond my means to buy it. $40.60!!! Actually considering that it is rather fat a book and hard cover too...it is a reasonable price. That doesn't mean that I can afford it though. Will wait for it to be cheaper first. I sound like a cheapskate. Which I am anyway. Hahaha. Cya for know.

Today, Tomorrow and Everyday

It is really quite sad. My days are filled with monotony. Everyday, I find myself doing the same things over and over again. This is translated into slang as "I have no life". I wake up, eat breakfast, read the paper and then slack around. No matter how I try, I just can't seem to get myself into a more productive mode. I should be freaking out. My Prelims are (to quote the TVs in sch) 57 days away. The As are only a 100 days or so away. I've never felt so daunted in my life before. I want to start revising, but my brain just refuses to cooperate. Well, not just my brain, but physically too...I MUST break out of monotony...and strive to well...submerge myself into more drudgery. What irony.
Study study study. Hate it.

Anyway, I've just finished reading Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale". One reading is clearly not enough. I am getting my facts mixed up already. At least...only those in the beginning, though I wouldn't trust my own opinion on that. This is terrible. What is wrong with me?? It means that I need to read them again. Can't imagine doing that for Persuasion. Haha. Actually I can. It would be fun.

Great, as I am typing this, my mum and sis are arguing. It is too bad. I feel whatever miserable little good vibes I had today flying out of the window.

I'll go now. Good night.

NKFoe/riend?

Thought I'll just jump onto the NKF bandwagon as well. Poor T.T. Durai. I am like anyone else, shocked that he commands a $25000 monthly salary. I've donated to NKF before, and frankly, I wonder if my money does end up in someone's pocket. I recall the time I went to the NKF HQ in Balestier. My first thought was "Great! Air-con at last!" Next was a sort of awe at the imposing glass façade and grand, airy concierge.

Wow.

For a charity organization, they've really made it big. It took a while, but when I reflected on the grandeur of the building, nestled within an industrial estate with really ancient looking factories, I wonder - what a sore sight. For a charitable organization that depended solely on the public's well meant donations, it looked really nice. One starts to compare it with other charities in Singapore. The SPCA has a dilapidated HQ. The Cancer Society doesn't have a 12 storey HQ. So...why? If you are a highly successful charity organization, who some say have reserves to last for the next 30yrs, what would you do? Continue to solicit money from the public, or just retire? Others say that 30yrs is a mere estimation; that it was blown up by the media. OK...even if it wasn't, does that mean that we should stop donating to the NKF? If so, I then pity the kidney patients who benefit from the organization's help. After all, the number of kidney patients grow every year, and if donations stop, what will happen to them?

I understand that it is ridiculous that a charity should have CEOs, fancy glass offices and Mercedes cars with attached chauffeurs. But does that mean that every charity should keep to a tatty, poverty-induced image? If so, I wonder who would actually volunteer to lead a life of poverty, even if the spiritual or moralistic gain is great? Surely a do-good organization should deserve better working onditions? Moreover, the NKF is not some start-up NGO that would for finances sake rent some 1-room HDB flat as its HQ... The NKF is an established government backed organization. What is so wrong with keeping with the times? The answer is obvious. Ostentatious gold taps (what a terrible fashion faux pas), the CEO is paid a monthly salary that would be beyond most Singaporeans and a disturbingly glossy office. But that by itself does not irk anyone - it is the fact that the public was kept in the dark about it. The issue among Singaporeans is obvious - where is my money going? The NKF has done a great job in taking care of the kidney patients here, pity this blow-up has resulted in a loss of faith for it.

The Rainspatter Chronicles Pt I

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is Evita Felinstars, reporting to you 'live' from the Moving Market, currently set up in the empty field beside the Hadley Monument. Folks, if you've still not got out of your homes, this is the time to do so, with the Moving Market finally making its way round to Rainer's Cloud. As you can see, most of Rainer's Cloud has decided to hit Opening Night, and it is extremely crowded down here!

Let's see what amazing finds the Moving Market has to offer us this time of the month! It is July, the month named for the Roman conqueror, Julius Caesar. I'm sure you all know just who this chap is...the fellow who conquered most of Europe [and was defeated]. In celebration of all things Roman this month, the Moving Market has some great Greek goings-on up for grabs, Opening Night only! Aha! Here is one of them! Along the Food Avenue, you'll find rare Roman delicacies (cow's eyes) going for a mere 5 Northings per plate. One is not surprised how cheaply they are going for...

Up next, we have something more palatable. The attractive young lady standing next to me is none other than Ms Breezy, the proud owner and proprietor of Roman's Foot, the excellent foot massage parlour that offers the best services for those aching feet of yours. Let's see what she has to say about Opening Night.

Me: So, Ms Breezy, tell us what you think of Opening Night on Rainer's Cloud?

Ms B: Umm. Looking good I guess. Rainer's Cloud is one of the smaller towns we got, after Meteoropolis and Watervane City, but really, it's amazing that I've got such popular demand for my massage services. It's great coming here, and I've already got a least half a dozen bookings before Opening Night, and not just for feet...I do wings too.

There you have it folks! It looks like it will be a great Moving Market event - all those excellent food, ascetic attractions and cheap sales! I've been told that Roman silver ornaments are also going for half its usual prices, and people with such unusual tastes should not miss this bargain! (At least that is what the shopkeeper tells me)

But ladies, you should not miss the ever faithful Venus Wonders, with its pretty collection of lapis lazuli jewllery. As anyone knows, they are all the rage at the moment! I hear that a new collection has just come up and this is truly a not to be missed opportunity to buy the new necklace or bracelet that you've always wanted. In fact, I've just got myself this lapis lazuli brooch a moment ago as we trawled the shops for anything quirky and quirkier!

Everyone knows July is the month of the strange, and this Moving Market is no difference. So dig out your shopping bags and hop by Moving Market tonight. Once again, this is Evita Felinstars, reporting for Cloudhopper Daily.

Library Books

There are library books that are perpetually on the shelves and there are library books you never get to see. Then, give that book a little publicity, say a movie or an author book signing at Borders and Kinokuniya and voila! The book, which was frequently unborrowed becomes a MUST-HAVE. Check out Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones a couple of weeks before and after Miyazaki's film adaptation came to screens here. The book became an instant hit and practically every copy was borrowed out or reserved. As for the Lord of the Rings mania a couple of years back, I thought, since I couldn't buy the book (as they were all sold out), I'll borrow them. Guess what. I was number 143 on the waiting list. I am (still am) wondering if the whole of Singapore suddenly morphed into classic literary critics. The fact that known fantasy buffs have been unable to complete half of Vol 1 makes me wonder if others have sold their still glossy copies to the Karang Guni Man (rag & bone seller) or are forcing their kids to read them because it is a "good book".

The fact is, the current mini wave caused by the arrival of Neil Gaiman, fantasy writer extraordinaire has resulted in a sudden flurry of his books being borrowed or reserved. For instance, "American Gods" is one of those perpetual unborrowed books. Now they are all borrowed. Publicity can do wonders. It makes me wonder why the book wasn't attractive by itself. Was it the ugly cover? I will admit that I like a book with a nice cover. Maybe that explains it, maybe it doesn't. Anyway, I'll just leave it here, most probably to rot or something.
That in other words mean THINK ABOUT IT.

What's Up at the Zoo?

Yesterday, I was at the Singapore Zoological Gardens with my mum and sis. Sometimes I wonder why when, after making a great deal of a fuss about going somewhere, you end up, against all odds, enjoying the visit more than you ever strike out to be. The weather was ok, though not exactly ideal, being a tad too hot for my taste, but still, it was alright for a day of traipsing around animals, and that certain wonderful aroma that goes with them.

Loved the siamangs (a kind of gibbon from Indonesia), and this very fake looking crocodile in the "Tree-Top Walk Exhibit". When I mean "fake looking", it's because all I saw of it was this enormous, partially open jaw that slowly sank beneath this faux waterfall - it (whatever of it that can be seen) bore a most striking resemblance to that Tyrannosaurus from the Jurassic Park movie. I can only observe how ironic it is that the real deal looks false in reality, and the fake one so entirely convincing on our TV screens. The white tigers were stunning, though I can't say I really like the male tiger; it seemed to LOVE parading around on this huge rocky outcrop with a really smug air before demonstrating on a tree its "this is my territory" act...men...

Speaking of which, I think zoos ought to have R(A) screenings of its animals' behaviour. THAT was only the beginning. There was this pair of male monkeys exhibiting highly ambiguous behaviour which I shall not dwell on. I don't know why goats are associated with the over amorous - the title should go, hands down to the baboon.

Did I mention the smell? Most exhibits stank, courtesy of the humid weather conditions. However, the trip wasn't without its positive highlights. A goat escaped in the Children's World, and walked up to a crowd standing outside a pen full of sheep and goats, waiting to be petted. You should have seen the zookeeper's face when he came up with food for the sheep...the goat stared back so placidly, like it was saying "Who me?"

Funnily enough, it wasn't the only thing to have escaped, an iland* from the savanna exhibit got loose too, and was squeezing its way between a bit of landscaping outside the rhinoceros exhibit. Initially, we thought it was just a part of its exhibit, but who puts bamboo in a savanna exhibit? When we looked round the big patch of bush and saw only a "No Entry Sign", we figured it was an escaped iland. That was confirmed when we saw that there was no fence on the other side of the bush and a zookeeper on bike stared at the iland as he cycled past...

We spent almost 7 hrs in that godforsaken jungle. It wasn't bad, I mean...cute ducklings and all...Love the zoo. Hate the trouble getting there. Hate being pestered about going there...

*iland: A brown antelope like creature with distinct white stripes on its body; larger than antelopes though and the escaped one was the size of a small horse.