Dawn on the horizon !

Goodbye

2006-11-03T00:03:00.000-08:00

As I say goodbye to my 20s, so it's time to quit this blog, thanks to all who dropped by. See some of you real soon, others, well, there's always email?!Watch for the invite to a new blog

A-musing

2006-09-29T01:20:00.000-07:00

By communist, I don't mean the bad old style of communism as seen in eastern europe , but rather a form that's more akin to socialism in extremis. Isn't it ironic that we celebrated the end of communism barely a decade ago, yet the
very conditions for the flourishing of communism is more prevalent than ever: poverty trap, the "disappearance" of the middle class, disaffected youth, wealth gap etc

The shift to the right has been seen right across europe and right wing politics has gained popularity on the American continent ; we're not talking just red necks, but ordinary people who think that others are really "scary". Unless you've always lived in very homogeneous societies or never been a minority; bigotry, racism and xenophobia aren't foreign entities. Whether it's immigrant issues or asylum referendums, what's unspoken is most disturbing.

And not a supporter of chimeras -if you even wondered , we're obviously strangers

Musings

2006-09-25T01:46:00.000-07:00

Chimera, what launch played and convent stereotypes

If the wealth gap worsens and the climate of terror continues, we might well see governments who are xenophobic and right wing politically and communist economically - a chimera no one remotely sane wants to see

Launch played some pretty decent fare - Joey Scarbury (theme from GAH ), Johnny hates jazz (turn back the clock ) and Alanis Morisette (Ironic) vs Paris Hilton the other day.

Heard about the convent girl stereotype ruckus - old prejudices die hard ; if it's so funny, let's hear some about the RI, RGS , SCGS people.

erm

2006-09-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

Civil Liberty, Trajectory and 3 things I've always wanted to say

Being the last person you'd expect to defend S'pore's anal retentive policies, this blogger is surprised to say that the security measures surrounding the IMF / World Bank meeting is sensible if unpopular. Every peaceful demonstration has all the ingredients of a potential riot and do civilised execs really want a replay of taiwanese style political gatherings? Then again they don't want the bad pr of "excluding" civil liberty groups . So here's a suggestion : at the next meeting, plonk these execs with demonstrators , no barricades, no bodyguards, betcha there'll be bets galore regarding the survival rates - after all if the small bizs and common folk survived previous encounters , these powerful smart people should have no problem, right?

Trajectory

If a guy's a ball (no pun) and he's on the rebound, how's he ever gonna know he's on the right trajectory and not endlessly rebounding? Does this exclude free will or is god fond of squash ?

3 things I've always wanted to say

- Don't undress me with your eyes , don't want you puking

- Honey, it's not amnesia, it's beingmale syndrome

- Only women think love can survive without sex men spell love as "lovesex"

chuckles

2006-09-08T01:19:00.000-07:00

Ideology, Raven , Aubrey's Russian spy adventure and Univ trek

Bush has called the war against terrorism an ideological war which is partly true ; but the pre-emptive strike option is a stumbling block . Ideology has always been associated with some notion of moral right. Attacking or waging war on basis of suspicion of another's intentions causes a big loss of that moral ground; the emotive consequence is to increase empathy for the enemy, let's not aid the enemy!

Raven

Was informed recently that yours truly has become an aunt- arrived at univ without siblings and left with a gramps and 2 siblings- not counting the fraternity relations ! Bro has a little girl who goes by the cool name Raven- hope it's nordic or native american- even Just isn't morbid enough to cite Poe, hopefully. Be warned, anyone calling yours truly "auntie" will be decked, yours truly ain't kidding!

Aubrey's Russian spy adventure

Aubrey, you really have to stop climbing strange mountains and have an american flag on you at all times- probably save you lotsa grief. The Russian women "concept" is unfortunately prevalent throughout Asia . Sounds like postponing the Korean trip until there's some basic korean proficiency is a good idea!

Univ trek

Ok, going to visit univ, but won't be alone ; dragging hapless friend along ;p

chuckle

2006-08-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

Practical Politics

For a world so enamoured with equality , might is still most respected in politics . Any bets that Japanese politicians won't be visiting shrines on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor

Grubby

Wanted to laugh when someone said he was gonna grab some grub - insect is grub , dirt is grub, to some , food is grub... no comment.

Samsoon

Yep, watched the drama - korean version of Bridget Jones but funnier. The emphasis on fat women reminded one of Aub's post and the pastry of Jo. The younger men thingy - well, unless you really enjoy babysitting an overgrown brat... Watch for the end

Temptation

2006-08-07T00:29:00.000-07:00

Breaking the thought - action relation

When you have one of those days , you know, when you're zoning from the severe lack of sleep or when you've drunk enough of that foul bitter bean to be more concentrated than what they have in that percolator or when you've drunk too much tea of the long island variety and your head's spinning so wildly you're convinced you're doing an imitation of Linda Blair, complete with screaming colleagues; watch those funny thoughts that flit through your mind . Like how the fact that 2 of the most iconic tv series of the '90s had actors previously noted for their adult film roles makes the clinton era all the more complete?! How you'll like to turn to your chirpy colleague and ask her how much prozac she's on , get back at your crappy boss by calling his wife to the office when he's with his thursday lunch special challenging the soundproofing , tell your nemesis you would not wish her on your worst enemy, never mind anyone human. Or tell that bitchy male acquaintance he's suffering from pms and offer to recommend him to a gynae , tell the prof verbally reducing your work of the last 7 years to rubble in 7 minutes he's an old fart that won't last seconds in the real world away from the life support of academia, deck that dreamy male from the next office 'cos he's such an ass. Check the impulse (ok, except demolishing your nemesis, it's cathartic), if not for practical reasons, then for the fact that it's not worth it. When it comes to demolishing some people, you don't have to be the first and you're certainly not going to be the last!

What comes first, the headache or the thoughts?

2006-08-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

Viciousness of every shade

The Middle East conflict

Dilemmas galore. If the terrorists aren't brought to justice, they might inspire other freedom fighters to join the extremists, as such, every attack on the civilian populace and terrorist camps already builds the feel of victimisation and lends credence to the extremists' propaganda. Freedom fighter or terrorist - all depends on which side of the divide you're on. What's worrying is , if terrorists are allowed to get away scotfree, those who are against their cause may not join the regular national forces but form guerrilla groups of their own, and that's apart from black ops and mercenaries, that's when war never ends.

The Islamic nations aren't exactly in an easy position , not supporting Hizbollah will reduce their credibility with the sympathetic populace , supporting Hizbollah will tar them with the terrorist label. Ironically, 20 years ago, the headlines screamed Middle East crisis, 10 years ago, the headlines screamed Middle East crisis , today, the headlines scream Middle East Crisis , the day anyone would be surprised is when the headlines no longer feature the Middle East.

Men vs women

Kinda agree with Ang about the differences between men and women in terms of violence but frankly, having been slapped, punched, kicked etc by people of both genders, violence has no gender. Though I've rarely retaliated (4 times over all the years), the next person who confronts me with violence is gonna be nastily surprised. But Ang is right about women targetting the emotional and psychological aspects. My nemesis is a prime example.

That nemesis , ironically, according to information sources, is a barrister one of whose specialities is personal injury including stress at work, Wonder if she gleaned that from torturing me at university?

Thoughts of a headache

2006-07-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

Alumni meeting

hmm, apparently, some people are flying to the asian region and hence the alumni meeting. The most amusing element of that is "the potential reunion" of a senior with his nemesis, enjoy people!

Calamity Jane

Hmm, caught the doris day vehicle and was amused by how little gender roles and powerplay have changed through the years - the dichotomy of masculine ambitions and feminine character complements the whore/virgin goddess complex that many men have.

Dr J

Just guessing but someone must have flagged your site , so the very zealous watchdogs have blocked your posts, bloggers in Canada and N America see your posts but not the asian bloggers, but have fun anyway, see ya!

hmm...

2006-07-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Quizzes , phones and disillusionment

From the days of girl mags, there have been quizzes which claim to reveal personality or compatibility, on the internet, there's not much difference, a whole range of quizzes are available. Apparently, I'm self-destructive, prone to false optimism (eg lying that it's agreat time when it's completely crap - thought that was called social eq?! ) , self hating & bad target for blackmail (just 'cos I'm averse to long term pain) No more quizzes

Numbers

any idea whose phone numbers these are? 6 2830422 and 6 2411353, must be people previously known?? for that matter 6 7776636 sounds familiar too. not gonna call any of the numbers 'cos don't wanna have anyone think that harrasssment is involved , used to think one of the numbers was Deb's- duh! dump all the past!

Age and disillusionment

At age 29, what I'm most disillusioned with :

- pax american

Of recent years, the US's idea of diplomacy seems to be more like an updated version of gunboat diplomacy

- pro choice

The pro choice banner has been sadly over exploited

-feminist movement

A polarised movement doesn't help matters

Facile facades

2006-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

Vicious Little Girls, Pirates and Dumas

There's been some hooha over the trend of violent teenage girls , worrying trend but if you've ever been in a single sex school you'd know that bullying was never absent, maybe not violent but vicious on different levels. My earliest memories of school bullies was that of a 6/7 year old classmate who pinched me under the table and me being dumb slapped her arm to get her to stop. Unfortunately, all that the teacher and her mom saw was (she knew her mom was watching from outside the classroom but not me ) me the bully and not her the devious , the worst was being forced to apologise to her in front of the other students by her aggressive mom. The best part was she tried to bully another classmate and was exposed when the girl displayed all the bruises that resulted from her pinches.The other typical bully was the tale teller, guess she was a prefect wannabe. It sounds weird but when the education ministry started its oral hygiene drive, they made students brush their teeth near drains. Woe to the student who dropped her toothbrush, 'cos the teacher just insisted on her picking the toothbrush up and continuing brushing. I pretended to obey merely 'cos the tale teller practically yelled my name (to those who I've kissed, don't worry, I threw up 3 times, brushed my teeth with a new toothbrush 10 times literally and listerined , probably would have swallowed the listerine if I thought it would help, threw a huge tantrum till mom replaced the cup and brush . ) The upshot? When taleteller dropped her brush, half the class yelled to the teacher. 2 points to note, ; there have been more girls than boys when it came to bullies, even up to university, and it has always someone else who's avenged me , wonder if that's still true

Pirates

Watched Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest 'cos it's banned in the country I 'm leaving for and it was hilarious ; don't remember any cannabalism unless it's the scene where Sparrow is trussed up like a chicken on a spit or shish kebab . Hmm, it's been 7 years since the last time I went to the cinema alonein S'pore, don't quite like the main cinematic organisation in town

Dumas

There's late night anime version of Dumas's Monte Cristo - updated but think Dumas would approve . Always preferred Dumas to Hugo whose overwrought angst came through even in translation. As for Proust, ever get the impression that most people read proust to say they've read him

North Korea and the players

2006-07-15T01:30:00.000-07:00

North Korea may not have achieved its goals with those controversial missile tests but it has helped clarify various faultlines in the region.

Though South Korea is most at risk from North Korea, it is also safest since no army blows up its supplies, no one fights a war they cannot win. After all, Nkr may be a lot of things but it isn't a suicidal fanatic.

That explains Skr's ambiguous stance towards the North- they want the North to be reined in but not driven to desperation which will result from sanctions proposed by the US-Japan coalition . A desperate dog jumps walls, besides, Skr rightly suspects that it will probably end up being co-payer of the bill after all the dust settles.

The Japanese and Americans are capitalising on the matter . However, it may be bad timing . The vetoing of UN resolution regarding Israeli action against Lebanon and the non existent furore over India's missile tests hardly make for a noble or impartial US stance. The unfortunate combination of events such as territorial disputes, tensions from WW2 grievances and suspicions of Japanese ambitions make the Japanese reaction seem like fishing in troubled waters and a grab for power. That's a situation that's likely to last for quite some time since Japan seems intent on reminding its neighbours of WW2 grievances, what with all the shrine visits, territorial disputes and revisionist history . Consider the following Macgyver like analogy ; x is your best mate , he's also a bomb disposal expert with a thorny problem; he's colour blind. There's a bomb threat and you're a potential victim , fortunately, it's a simple bomb that can be rendered harmless by cutting the correct color wire. Would you trust X or would you prefer someone else from the bomb squad? Dumb tv drama scenario, but seriously, would you entrust your life to someone with this particular handicap at such a juncture? A good guess is "no" The difficulty of trusting a country with such a "skewed" view of its past is akin to trusting X, whatever the good intentions may be.

China probably has the most to gain. Heightened tensions provide distraction and justification for increased military expenditure, especially when the Japanese float the idea of pre-emptive strike. Naturally, the potential bills are highbut at least it guarantees stalemate?!

hmm

2006-07-11T02:06:00.000-07:00

East west city life

It's probably the developments over the last few decades that allow people to live certain aspects of their lives in a haphardly global way; eg, watch asian tv, have a mediterrenean meal, listen to european classical music all just a matter of half a day - I hate fusion cuisine especially those without any logic of taste, but fusion life- great!

Deja vu tv

Someone must really share a fondness for quirky 90s drama or the tv station's cheap, they're re-broadcasting chicago hope and picket fences- the pilots were funny though the twist on sylvia plaith's suicide mode was gruesome - after twin peaks, nothing is quite as weird. Frankly, it's probably the latter- cheap, cheap

Mixed bag of peas

Watched some old war movies and Lost Memories 2009 (a Korean movie that kinda reflects east asian tensions ) - what was gleaned? Life and war both depend on a great deal of dumb luck

The Waldbuhne special was great- the french night was as dreamy as the 2003/2004 Gershwin and Mozart? concerts, ok, so I only like easy music . What's too complicated means bad dreams or insurmountable maths problems -Rachmaninov was particularly bad

BTW, the link didn't work, if you want to listen to my yahoo station , go to yahoo music, the radio guide and type jjyeo3 at the members section

Offensive humour

2006-07-09T01:23:00.000-07:00

Offensive humour?

This will probably offend those eds, subeds, journalists over at ST , but hell pc was never my forte . The video's at www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQxU3K-w0bU

for the whole mr brown controversy, see jean's posts (6/7 and 7/7)

hmm, they'll probably condemn these bloggers on account of intellectual property protection huh?! Guess any means as long as these partisan elements are silenced - after all, average S'poreans still need the authorities to teach the difference between what's serious politics and creative humour, cough cough, or was that partisan too?!

Thought notes

2006-07-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

Dr J 's missing posts

Visibility problems - your site 's ok but the posts aren't visible

Soccer deja vu

The quarter finals were like a replay of 1990 and 1998 finals ; hope there weren't any broken noses . The eye candy has a distinct latino flavor ;p

Too much food tv?

That's when you watch some uk food programme and could have sworn that that was Jamie Oliver's kitchen yonkers ago, but with a new cook ; cost measures?

Men and markets

2006-06-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

Roman Holiday , Gelato and men

Caught Roman Holiday for about the 3rd time and was about the only time I was awake through most of the movie . Love Hepburn and Peck but the no brainer plot was ... No wonder I used to confuse it with the gigi movies

The men like to blame women for unrealistic expectations; but when perfection is embodied (vs an abstract list) very few can match up - just think Sidney (Mr Renaissance) on celluloid - then again a good example of eye of the beholder?!

It's like gelato - once you've had gelato , most other ice-cream is like milk popsicle

What next?

There has been talk comparing recent volatility to 1987 crash; frankly, everyone probably expects the equity markets to slide badly , it's merely the severity and length of time where analyst opinions differ. Sure , bond yields are low, interest rates are low but expectations are low too. Citigroup's analyst seems to think M&A will stave off the crash but for how long - at some point deflationary expectations may mean a preference for cash . Whether you're big (pensions, funds, bankers) or small, to sell you've gotta have someone with the $ and enough faith to buy on the other end, someone to hold the baby - one that's pooped or is about. The recent emerging market flap proves that. Ironically, there's only that number of markets to invest however globalised the world

The funny bone

2006-06-17T00:30:00.000-07:00

The missing German, Dr J's missing site and missing doner kebab

The funny bone?

Knew I forgot one very famous ex german national team star - Lothar Mattheus - hmm, guess that completes the famous 3 of the '90s

Dr J - not sure if you'll ever read this - but your site seems to have a visibility problem, hackers, mayhap?

Saw an interview on the England vs TT match and started giggling ; it wasn't merely the arrogance of the england supporter who openly dismissed brazil but the foodstand/van that appeared behind the guy - doner kebab. You've never had the brit student experience unless you' ve let the doner kebab man see you in various stages of inebriation or anxiety over your next tute ; c'mon, some of you have had more kebab than hall food!

Long OverDue

2006-06-11T01:59:00.000-07:00

Long OverDue

Birthdays, the World Cup and Kdrama resources

Happy Belated to the most patient man amongst my friends, Stef Early greetings to Edwin and other friends whose bdays are in July - at least 2 are around 20-28 July :p

There's no question as to which team I'm supporting this world cup ; Germany (and ok, ok, England ) The eye candy , as always, is mostly provided by Italy ; models who happen to play soccer, anyone?!

Some kdrama resources : koreanfilm.org/tvdramas/index.htm

krystalheart.com

swa-swa.com/rice/

korean.blogsome.com

Have fun people !

An Essay On Me

2006-06-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

At the risk of sounding like an egomaniac , I decided to write this after reading some old emails and comments. Rather shocking to realize what some friends thought of/about me

So here's a clarification and mission statement of sorts

I :

-have been so badly misinterpreted that I ought to write the book on the subject. Either I'm not a good communicator or God has a weird sense of humour. When I say nothing, there are claims that I've insulted others/gossiped. When I say anything , it's wilfully misinterpreted . With the world cup coming up, the oft-cited example shall serve nicely. The 1994 world cup season saw Germany exit early and I lamented that they had lost and I missed the match. Somehow, people misinterpreted that to mean Germany lost 'cos I didn't watch that match . Come on! I'm not a megalomaniac (largely 'cos I'm neither American nor a prez)

Missing Rudi Voeller and Jurgen Klinsmann in their last international/ World Cup match was upsetting enough (those too young to remember or those faking amnesia, think Ballack x2 ) , being misunderstood was worse. However, this became progressively funnier with each world cup . This proves 2 truths; time and distance heals all & what we know of a friend is based on our last conversation with them, but they have been themselves all the time

More recently, there were reactions to my saying I'll never marry or that I'll rather attempt the sky jump before considering marriage . Any friend should know I suffer from archophobia and have never quite believed in the institution of marriage except as a convenient means of legitimising patrilineal succession and property rights (all those years of femmie theory condensed)

-don't think I'm better than anyone else

Intellectually, if university was an ego blow , the last 11 years have been a ko and feeling dumber by the day . Looks? Don't even go there. Characterwise, let's see : temperamental, untactful, paranoid ; need more be said? Ooh and loud . I've lived with self -hate for most of my life, particularly the last 11 years; hell, even met the male version of me and boy did I dislike that guy.

-don't believe in ideals

Idealise anything and you're setting yourself up. Idealised love means that nothing can measure up , at the extreme, you'll end up like Hardy's The Well-beloved. Besides, everyone who says they love you ends up hurting you. Utopia doesn't exist and experiments aimed at that end , aka marxism actualized, merely reinforces that

- do have goals unrelated to $

Only those who have never worried about $ can be dismissive . Women don't have to be princesses awaiting rescue but you've gotta buy the power tools to escape !

For one so restless, the last 7 years have been hell and a lesson in patience , the ability to travel freely sans worries is a goal

To make the world just that little better, however small the degree- that's a long term goal

So here's reintroducing me

Scat tered Thou ghts

2006-05-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

Level playing field

Wouldn't we all love that, unfortunately, life isn't very fair (just look at those hollywood types gripe about money lost to piracy whilst flashing bling ) As an American once put it : too bad/ suck it up - and we were talking about the salvation of souls -to him only those born christian would be saved, those who weren't ...

Not to sound masochistic, but isn't success all the ------- when you've defied the odds ?!

Trevor's post

The KFC cm would have been funnier if the parents were replaced by a girlfriend don't you think?

Scat tered thou ghts

2006-05-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

The right to reply

There have been complaints about the blog not allowing anonymous comments ;what was funny was the link to free speech . Apart from the spam ads, part of the entire idea of not allowing anon comments was to protect an integral part of free speech ; the right to reply. If you can't say what you want to say behind the relative anonymity of a blogger identity , may be you shouldn't say it . Better yet, get your own blog!

Wanna a Laugh?

Check out some funny asian cms at trevor's post

Scattered thoughts

2006-05-04T01:34:00.000-07:00

Saw the Leon Lai movie "City of Glass" (thanks to a bout of insomnia) and surprisingly it's pretty good ; not least the very young Daniel Wu ; eye candy ...

The HK movie awards were boooooorrrrrrrnnnnnnnggg. And what was all the crap about asking audiences to go back to the cinema; a movie that can't impress on dvd or the small screen is low on the magic; an actor that can't act, can't act even though his pores are huge on the screen

Happy 30th Bday to aaron, (31/30 to kats and puayju ) and taurean people

The best reminder of one's age is when you see an ex-classmate elected mp and all you can remember about him ; hockey!

Looney Reads

2006-04-24T02:24:00.000-07:00

After some requests, here's the list of the less "huh evoking" posts from an old blog

Politics of every shade :
Lessons of History 27/4/2005
Bones of Contention 28/4/2005
Society Through The Movies 11/5/2005
Rebutting the critics 1-3 6/2005
Society through the movies 2 1/7/2005
Modern conservatives, modern Shylock 28/9/2005
Personal Ads 7/11/2005

$ Issues:
Consumption 29/8/2005

Cos there were some giggles about others' poetic efforts ; fairplay's here
Discontinuous Past 3 22/6/2005

Music : see http://music.yahoo.com/lc/?rt=0&rp1=0&rp2=1334510571

Dec posts just see the ascendingvoice site (blogspot) - have fun!

Time Changes Everything

2006-04-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Heard an old song on my yahoo station , would have been teary but for the fact that there wasn't that feeling -time changes everything - time to lose weight

Saw news reports on the release of special stamps for the Queen's birthday and remembered Ed and his craze for such collectibles . Has been years since we spoke and can't remember much about this senior apart from the rant over the finals Kant quote , he being a Madonna fan and hating to be called Ed (heheheh) - just a joke!

Watched recently

2006-04-22T00:29:00.000-07:00

Son of the bride (the spanish title eludes me ) - hilarious, the religious references were pretty funny too

Babette's Feast - great for foodies but despite this being the 2nd time missed the end again and for the same reason/movie (see next) freaky coincidence?!

Anna Magdalena (Chinese movie) - art house wanna be , far cry from the enthusiastic review at dragonsdenuk , even Takeshi Kaneshiro can't save the movie

American Idol - Queen Night- Massacre!
- Standards - Pale imitation

Masti and Biwi No 1 - men! (pejorative)

The Mummy - 3rd time and it's cornier every time

Fussy rentals and Poor Little Rich People

2006-04-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

Fussy about rentals

The tendency to be fussy about property rentals and agreements comes from the spectacularly bad experience at university with a *#* landlord - whose former tenant (who was his daughter) didn't inform him about the defunct bathtub until the last month of summer hols and whose very incompetent contractors couldn't replace the bathtub during that month. Instead , 3 weeks of Michaelmas were spent living in a nearby hotel and waiting around for contractors (who spent time calling me a bitch and blaring my cds when they thought I was out of earshot) who eventually completed the 3 day job and left the bathroom smelling of fish and chips vinegar! (the aversion to vinegar began from that time) Not to mention the dirty fingerprints over the cd collection. The landlord himself was rude to my parents and called me a "spoilt brat"; shocking when you consider the reputation of his family in the asian region. ( hmm, rows with parents started from that time - what a coincidence!) Kinda confirms the prejudice that rich people have attitude problems!
These days, questions about electric fuses and bathrooms are top of any list and they have no fetish links ! Just a refusal to pay and suffer!

Poor Little rich people

Rich people tend to have attitude problems and guess that a large part of that stems from the fact that people who've never really had to struggle don't have any idea what despair and struggle are

That probably offended a lot of people and the following list will offend even more

People to avoid at all costs :
1 Rugby playing female lawyers
2 Sh*tty contractors
3 *** landlords

4 rich people with attitude problems

If you encounter any individually ; it's a bad day . Encounter 1-3 and it's induced OCD and depression (and the niggling suspicion that God hates you)

Campus security

2006-04-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

Watched the 20/20 report on campus security -as far as universities go, most are sorely lacking. But guess that's 'cos most people assume only petty crimes like joyrides or theft are ever common in university towns and as for the drug problem - it was almost a non-issue. Eyebrows were scarcely raised when that LMH flasher moved from the streets to streaking through the college! And he was never caught!

Worse, the university's fear of fire seems to have outweighed considerations of student privacy and security - why did the college authorities rule that students couldn't be present when their electrical appliances were inspected by the electricians? Searching the students' belongings for extra appliances is bad enough but when your lingerie's searched - it's absurd!

Humourous Asides

2006-04-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

For those bad banker days

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000039&sid=a_rp6.yM4fCQ&refer=columnist_gilbert

For the anti-Bush

www.planetdan.net/ppics/misc/georgie.htm

For techie humour

www.ham-fisted.blogspot.com

A very Japanese failure of diplomacy

2006-04-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

For a culture obsessed with politeness and a country that wants to raise its diplomatic clout, it's amazing how Japanese politicians offend everytime they speak about their neighbours .

It's great to know that the country has sharpened regard for human rights after perpetrating some of the worst crimes against humanity (WW2) and spending 60years in denial .

As for military expenditure ; it's like a criminal with a record of assault with a deadly weapon questioning an ex-victim's application for a gun licence.

As for the Japanese citation of the USA as the model of ideals like freedom and human rights ; learning from a country whose political leaders re-defined disregard for human rights and wants to spy on its citizens ; who else better?

As long as the Japanese diplomats conduct Janus style diplomacy , no one's gonna respect them .

Little Ironies

2006-04-06T20:44:00.000-07:00

For the longest time , a newschannel purporting to give an asian perspective of news events had the ad for their hotline with a blue iris - not to be uptight but how many asians with blue eyes do you know ?!

When ads clash - the ad about the dancer who breaks wind (so you think you can dance) was followed by an ad for an airconditioner that started with the line "how pleasant is your wind" -gassy humour anyone?

A Letter On 28th March 2006

2006-04-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

The time to graduate has come round again and it's with some trepidation that I face this graduation. Why trepidation? Well, I guess that's 'cos life has taught that if nothing else, irony has a way of "screwing up" expectations and plans.

There's a curious symmetry to life over the last 7/8 years. Frankly, I was miserable around the time of my graduation from university ; the weather mirrored the mood sudden gloomy skies and warm rain on a midsummer day in what was otherwise the hottest British summer then . There were a tonne of problems (from 2 years prior ) and I couldn't wait to leave the country and the misery behind . Back in S'pore, expectations of life becoming better soon shattered and the true meaning of out of the wok and into the fire became apparent. What was once a hilarious line from a sci-fi resonated with bitter irony : Just when you think you've seen the worst , worse comes along (and smacks you in the face )

Fast forward to the present ; older but none the wiser , I've accomplished nothing been nothing except survived those dark times when sometimes self -destruction was not far from the mind with a jaded sense of cynicism and detachment. The last 10 years have been a dark comedy ; I'm smiling though not laughing which is a step up from bitter rage. The ironic symmetry? Can't wait to leave this country and where hope and blind optimism was is a sense of cautious optimism dreading what next ? Would have considered selling soul to the Devil for a better life but considering I've the propensity to regret decisions and having read Faustus, didn't seem a good idea. Anyway, was so crap that the Devil didn't approach me

Having said that, I'm grateful that amidst the loneliness of depression, friends have been there. Be they passing/occasional friends , old friends or even friends who piss you off. 2 in particular have been there through all the tough and bitter times and tolerated all those rambling rantings. Though we're not each other's best friend we've told each other things that few others know and cringeworthy is the least of the possible descriptions. That we're friends is nothing short of a miracle.

With S, it's a symmetry of opposites: dosser vs workaholic , slob vs perfectionist , easy listening pop/jazz/swing vs techno , temperamental vs calmly rational ; need more be said ? Weirdly enough, S was the first friend I met in university , he was also the last friend I saw before leaving for Heathrow.

With Jo, a symmetry of scary (for her) similarities; coursemates, similar interests, similar initials and similar fantasies of winning the lottery ! Yet it's the differences that maintain the friendship ; her patience , her easygoing attitude, her cheerfulness and different taste in men!

Though we're not always there for each other , thanks for being a beacon amidst the darkness. No amount of bitterness will bring back time nor would I wish to go back in time - the past is thankfully the past Perhaps it's a matter of learning what you want from life by seeing what you don't want in life Perhaps the temperance of the last decade brings a sense of cautious optimism that there'll be better times and friendships ahead

J

Associative Thoughts

2006-03-30T00:40:00.000-08:00

Saw the tv listings and spotted "One night at McCool's" ; apart from the cast (who's who in tv and movies 80s and 90s) and humourous plot, you'll never hear YMCA without cracking up . You'll never need confirmation that men think with lower appendages.

Famous actors tend to remind people of friends who claim to resemble them; for the one who "resembles" Bruce Willis ; it's the hairline

For those male ex-classmates who lamented the lack of attractive lit researchers/tutors ; check out the "cool" blogger at Ancrene Wiseass (blogspot)

LMH report

2006-03-30T00:10:00.000-08:00

Finally read the report and was surprised by :
how young Dr Barr looks ; boy she hasn't aged a day mebbe the bod has anti-aging effects kinda like Dorian Gray's pic ; another aspect of the famous library?!
how bright the lmh library looks ; wasn't it really dark?

3 questions :

who's gonna win the next boat race?
who's gonna jump on May morning ?
who's the guy who said that the rad cam was sexy?!

The squeaky factor

2006-03-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

Watched the campus superstar competition (after all the fuss) and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a mickey mouse fest ; at least the convent girl and the hc guy were pretty decent (no school loyalties need be suspected) Great sound but no character - hey, Tanya Chua had plenty of character even as a teen , remember her rendition of 'desperado' , sng gals ?

Men with certain high pitched voices are scary ; a matter of preferences? Much prefer Skye Wu and Lin Zhixuan to Jeff Chang

Crash, a tv addict's weekend and some thoughts

2006-03-14T23:40:00.000-08:00

Haven't watch "Brokeback Mountain" but the media overload has more or less broadcast most of the movie , have to admit I prefer "Crash" despite having only watched the movie on a 15 cm screen that was all the more jerky due to turbulence . And that preference had nothing to do with Matt Dillon.

Granted that "Brokeback Mountain" is one of the few "gay issues" movies that isn't all about AIDS and effeminate men , it's nothing new . "Crash" despite all the trite 6 degrees of seperation plot and twists actually explores race and prejudice from some fresh angles

Saw the season finale of Gilmore Girls - the quirky characters are a hoot but if Picket Fences is oatmeal loaf ( serious quirky ) , this is more sugary cupcake

League of extraordinary gentlemen reminded me why Wilde's Dorian Gray is freakier than Poe's Monkey Paw, besides most of your storybook heroes in one movie -great !

Men suddenly in black was funny, sending up all those gangster themes and Boston Legal was hilariously sleazy

gotta get a life

Travel and TRAVELLING

2006-03-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Meeting up in London

Reminder to friends who've agreed to meet up on 18/11 , remember the one who doesn't turn up is a fink - hey greatest danger is the one who doesn't live anywhere near London ! And nope, not doi ng the university thingy , c'mon the last thing the tutors want is some weird student visiting at Michaelmas , besides, who wants to go to the bod and start reading?!

A Friend's site

Karen-takes-the-mickey (blogspot) is a great read for those who like adventure at a distance - won't ever have the courage to travel Karen style ; pure admiration from a city dweller

erm, remember a friend's invitation to spend 2 weeks in the countryside - politely refused for the sake of friendship and everyone's sanity

Reflection etc

2006-02-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

QUICK greetings
For those whose birthdays are in March, happy birthday
For Karen - hi! or namaste (about all the hindi I can remember from all those bollywood movies )
For Rita - congratulations, hope the wedding will be great

Disconcerting thoughts
Ever have the feeling that some people in the music industry must be of your age and have the same memories music wise as you? That probably explains the numerous compilation albums with the cheesiest music you thought you'll never hear again , not least till you're 50 and severely nostalgic . At this rate, we might hear a nostalgic album with britney spears in a couple of years shudder

People are people
Saw the latest instalment of the 7 up series and the following words just came to mind :

The winds of youth have passed
Sad shadows of the fading flame
Life laughs
Grinning grotesque Yorrick
and no, that's not gonna be a poem, way too depressing
Speaking of people, ever know someone who's nice to everyone but nasty to you and you're thinking no one's gonna believe that they're so nasty. Not to be mean but it's like facing someone with the never ending menopause

Reflection

2006-02-21T23:23:00.000-08:00

Age & hypocrisy , personal ad form and it's finally over

Read 2 friends' blogs and was inspired to write this post ;

What's the link between age and hypocrisy? As we age , we tend to be less likely to speak upfront (journalists nothwithstanding) and tend to be tactful . As there's tacit recognition that most people follow the pattern, so we are less likely to speak frankly . Tact may just be the polished facade of that which is called hypocrisy

Saw Jeanie's personal ad form , let's "princetonize" that form :

Q: Who would you like Dick Cheney to shoot ?

A: rugby playing, ocd inducing female lawyers, landlords , hackers

Q: Latest quirky thought?

A: which one? the least scary and most socially acceptable? hey those men wearing what's best termed winter pjs are rather cute (see the winter olympics

Q: Fantasy break up line ?

A: YES, IT'S YOU, don't look for any other reason for this breakup (and walking out of that alive)

Finally passed - after all the years of procrastination

Votearama , literary speedating, Korean Drama

2006-02-15T00:02:00.000-08:00

Way too many talent-vote shows these days ; but guess it's better (at least for politicians ) that the people vent their popularity vote tendencies prior to any political elections? Sarcasm galore

I saw a funny post on Dr J's site on literary speedating; I hate the Romantics (Ok, ok, I'm a philistine but who wants to listen to a bunch of guys (mostly) high on opiates, alcohol and naturalism yap (those thuds are English professors collapsing from the shock at this heresy!)

Why are Korean dramas so popular? Guess it's a combination of foreign culture, bitter-sweet lovestories, poptunes that sound so much better 'cos they're in a language you don't comprehend hence less gag, good looking actors and great humour - all of which are present in the current Lovers in Paris , mindless entertainment but good fun

Random Distractions

2006-02-14T01:43:00.000-08:00

Winter Olympics, Politics of Offence and Cheney's anti-gun contribution?

The winter olympics are back and it's unexpected entertainment - when and where else would you find grown men (and women) careening down icy lanes at speeds most cars won't attain on what's essentially a sledge (think luge) or propel themselves into the air in the "cooler" version of long jump (ski jump) and they're not even drunk! 8 years ago when they first telecast curling, the commentator on BBC said that it was a sport watched by those with severe insomnia, which would have been funny if I wasn't suffering from insomnia , 8 years later, it's hilarious.

The cartoon incident highlights the conflict between protection of free speech and what is blatant provocation - knowing where to draw the line is what seperates the adults from the schoolyard bullies and the diplomatic reaction has been disappointing. C'mon Bushites, we're not looking for a SNAG reaction, just not the sensitivity of an armoured vehicle . It's amazing what people think is humourous ; saw a just for laughs gag that involved a cabdriver being flabbergasted by the many asians who exited a steel container labelled "China Express" to pile into his cab - that's funny?!

Cheney probably became part of the anti-gun and anti-hunting campaign quite unwillingly over the weekend; hmm, how would the NRA deflect this one?

For those who were "grossed out " by the last post, aren't you glad Valentine's only comes round once a year , anyway, it was a joke

Thoughts on Love

2006-02-14T00:35:00.000-08:00

by a dino girl

1 What Valentine's Day is for
-sacchrine overload ; eye candy, ear candy and digestible candy
-industry profit ; restaurants, hotels, record companies (think schmaltzy cds)
- bullying your boyfriend with impunity

2 A Valentine via songs

My Funny Valentine

Meeting you was like Waiting for a star to fall , our love is like an Eternal Flame to be Cherished . Every meeting means falling in love Again . Though Sometimes Love just ain't enough , Against all odds we have prevailed. This Valentine is Especially for you from the one who's Stuck in the middle with you

Kiss Me

Some reads

2006-02-07T23:55:00.000-08:00

A friend asked about recent reads -none, but sure would like to read Jeffrey Archer's most recent pulp fiction work

Some fun blog reads :

for NY fans -bcroyer

for some humour -jokesandfunnystoriessite

beware; don't read the earlier posts on the 2nd blog unless your sense of humour is stronger than your sense of what is politically correct i.e. justinesque or stefanesque humour

Of hackers and irritants

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

There have been at least 2 hackers who have been persistent in their attempts , one tried the netbus trojan horse trick (IP : 58.69.66.108) and another attacked from a bogus IP (255.255.255.255) , so watch it guys!

Random distracting thoughts

2006-02-05T23:58:00.000-08:00

Sword vs sabre

Chinese sword strokes (slash, glide, pierce etc) tend to differ from sabre strokes (slash, cut etc) whilst many western and even japanese sword/fencing techniques tend to combine both. The closest example to any differentiation is the distinction between epee and cutlass styles. Is it a matter of matter of convenience or flexibility

Aliens vs humans

Ever thought about why humans seem so obsessed about the question of whether there are aliens? Could it be that we are so afraid of loneliness that we prefer to have galactical or intergalactical "acquaintances" than to contemplate the fact that we may be alone

Innovation vs consistency

2 Chinese artistes/producers exemplify the conflict between creativity and consistency; whilst both attempt a fusion of east west styles of music, David Tao's music has a much smoother sound and Wang Lee Hom has a more varied range and seems more like potluck and a best of album; taste is subjective?!

Random thoughts

2006-02-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

aka thoughts that make people think "what were you thinking?"

Men, memory and mammaries

Question: why are there instant replays?

this is an old chestnut; whilst women remember everything, men forget everything - there is a reason why some men tend to refer to all the women in their lives as "honey" !

Question: how do you measure torque?

by noting how fast the man spins and speeds away when a woman says she loves him, wants to marry him and wants his kids

Question: when do men forget the laws of physics?

when it comes to female mammaries ; they like them perky, pert and large yet they don't like those from mammaries r'us

Medical dramas

Grey's anatomy is rather reminiscent of various medical dramas of the last decade; the private lives, medical ethics focus of chicago hope and the racier pace of er but the bp (beautiful people factor) marks this as a "new age" drama. Btw, why is patrick dempsey still so good-looking?!

Doggone New Year

2006-02-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

If the last couple of days are anything to go by, this will prove a successful year in the bid to lose weight, at least for me. Spent much of the last few days suffering from "stomach flu" , will spare you guys the barfy details (aren't you glad?!), suffice to say that apart from the birthday when a 40 degree fever caused even more raucous behaviour than usual, this ranks as a close second in the list of weird festive occasions

Imagine the urge to cry when there was a special feature on tv regarding gelato; the friend most to blame for my obsession with ice-cream is Jo (the hours spent at haagen daz explains Tik's joke) and since discovering gelato, no other can compare

The Bumpy Road Ahead

2006-01-25T02:33:00.007-08:00

Much has been said regarding the bright future of the 2 Asian giants, China and India. Perhaps, the glare of that future has blinded many to the problems and potential pitfalls along the road. This article seeks to highlights the problems that might impede the progress of both countries particularly with regards to the drive to transform their economies to a consumption driven model.

The Western perspective

Mr Mukherjee's series of articles are illuminating with respect to the weaknesses of the banking system and population issues , particularly in relation to the Indian economy. However, there are certain points of contention in his math vs mandarin article. Whilst it's true that China's per capita income probably will not match European or American standards in the next couple of decades, it will be foolhardy to dismiss the power of consumption that even just the wealthiest 10% of the population is capable of. It is precisely this sector that will impact the "higher" value end of the product market (versus the "lower" end products that are often associated with China's manufacturing industry) which is the domain of the USA, Japan and Europe. To dismiss this consumption potential is to buy into the (self-consoling?) belief rife amongst many in the Japanese and American business fraternity that China is nothing more than a huge factory. Trade and presumably the discourse of trade is at least bilateral, if not multilateral, not making the effort to understand and engage the other party on their terms is a potent mix of arrogance and foolhardiness; plainly put, what America can't or won't sell, others may willingly oblige.

Key to Transformation

Presently, both economies are export driven. The drive to liberalise their economies in the modern context means an inevitable transformation to a consumption driven economy, particularly since price and wage advantages don't last forever. Whether the American model is necessarily the right model is highly questionable, consumption, after all, is both an asset and a potential "disease", especially when it is unsustainable.

Though most may expect the key to transformation to be raising per capita income, this article argues otherwise. Though that measure may be important, averages tend to mask wide variations in income patterns, be they regional differences, rural/urban split or differences predicated by the technological divide. The key? "Smoother" , more uniform consumption patterns. Currently, products which "sell" in certain provinces can't "sell" in other provinces. It's not all red tape, but that fickle matter of consumer preferences, branding and income patterns. Except for the largest of brands, there is little uniformity in product standards and marketing efforts . This lack of uniformity means difficulty in exploiting economies of scale be it in marketing or production capacities and hinders branding efforts. Certain "international" brands have even recycled their adverts last seen in Southeast Asia and HongKong a decade ago - a matter of confidence in the superiority of their products or just an inability to market effectively?

Solving this doesn't just mean efforts to "educate" the public about products or brands and standards, but a more fundamental redistribution of wealth, in other words, to narrow the wealth gap

Nasty bumps along the road

That in turn leads us to a very brief overview of the potential bumps along the road for both economies

1. Wealth Gap

It's perhaps an unfortunate irony that there's less dissatisfaction when everyone's poor than when some are becoming richer and others not. The funny mechanism of wealth is that when everyone else is becoming richer and you're not, then you're becoming relatively poorer. In India, the wealth gap manifests itself starkly in the mansions that stand overlooking the slums; in China it's the disconcerting sight of beggars around upclass mall areas and the milling of disaffected unemployed around city parks or squares . These are just the outward symptoms of the potential social unrest that'll grow with a widening wealth gap

2. The Banking System
Whether it's the government squeezing credit from savers to fund budget deficits or inefficient state industries, whatever the semantic differences Mukherjee wishes to establish between the Indian and Chinese political and banking systems, there's a common point that both share - the lack of transparency and financial freedom. This article lacks the capacity to comment on the Indian aspect of the issue, so it shan't. For the Chinese government, it's a matter of time before the Chinese have to accept that the "loans" to ailing state industries are of the "non returnable" type and write them off, that is if they wish to have any semblance of financial health in the banking system before full liberalisation. After all, estimates of bad debts haunting the system vary between billions and trillions . A lot is required for any reform of the state industries, the unfortunate hangover of centrally planned economies, at the very least patience and the courage to face down opposition to reform from regional/provincial officials, the inevitable dissatisfaction of the unemployed , resources to restructure the labour force to resolve problems of unemployment

3. Political Tug of War
A feature of many large countries is the (often) uneasy relationship between state/provincial authorities and central government ; political hegemony and nepotism means corruption and obstacles to reform may be endemic, that could prove a huge problem for both countries. Local authorities who run the area as their private fiefdoms are unlikely to inspire business confidence but as the Chinese saying goes; the mountain is high and the emperor far away

4. Population

Strength in numbers sums up the issue , see Mukherjee for the Indian aspect. The main problem for the Chinese is what many industrialised countries have been facing for years - replacement numbers. Whilst the one-child policy has served the purpose of population control, it may pose problems a few decades down the line in relation to issues of labour force and greying population , recent modifications to the policy have not solve the problem.

To sum it up; the future is bright but watch out for the bumps in the road ahead - nobody wants to shed car parts along the way!

See http://www.bloomberg.com/news/commentary/mukherjee.html/ for Mr Mukherjee's articles

New Blog

2006-01-23T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hopefully this new blog will sound more coherent than the previous, if you haven't already seen the ascendingvoice blog, don't bother

Posts on different subjects will be "colour coded" (at least the first few lines) which should reduce the 'huh' factor

Have a Happy Chinese New Year !