THAT'S the hotness right there

It's Britney BITCH!

The legendary Miss Britney Spears indeed! I am like, DAMN HAPPY can?

To add on,

80 BRITNEY SPEARS Gimme More 108 0 108 1.062

It's already at #80 on CHR Pop in less than a day! To give you an idea, Duff's Stranger is at #87, and Eve's Tambourine is at #92. Woo! GET THAT HIT BRIT!

Love & Life

I seem to want to write more when I'm feeling like shit. I need to rant and besides, it's the whole suffering for one's art thing.

...

What a load of crap.

I went online in the hope of striking up a conversation with someone - anyone - but there's no one interesting to talk to, and Meng is perpetually on away mode. And of course I don't have the MSN address of the one person I really want to talk to.

Which sucks.

Time is seriously flying by at a frightening pace. I'm not sure if I can keep up, although I don't exactly have a choice do I? Ho.

As you can tell by now, this entry is really shitty and I guess that's a reflection of my mood. I wanted the hawt law school BF and I am so close physically...and yet somehow an ocean away.

It's been almost a week since I've developed this...this...crush - I can't believe I'm using that word - and I suppose it has provided quite the case study with regards to the insecurities and inadequacies I feel - of not being good looking enough, not being smart enough, not speaking well enough, not dressing well enough, not being rich/friendly/funny/interesting enough - and the measures I take to sabotage myself - appearing dao, going out of my way to avoid said crush(which basically involved a somewhat hilarious scene, with Jinesh trying to force me to follow him back out, and I practically running out the other end and going to the toilet for the longest time).

It's pathetically funny to think about.

I can't keep something that I never had can I?

A Change Would Do You (Me) Good

I'm very tired and don't feel like writing a long entry (hey hey what's new). Suffice to say that the status quo cannot be maintained. After school today I vented my frustration in the swimming pool and subsequently in the gym and finally on my debit card. Nothing like a new pair of jeans to perk one up =)

=/

=(

I make the most bizarre decisions sometimes. If Simon Huang was a country, I would be guilty of treason.

I'm frustrated, more with myself than anything else. I have no one to blame but myself. So maybe a change in attitude would do me good, if I can actually effect it.

So many 'I's in this post. Everything is about mememe. Anyway on one level I commend the freshmen running for law club because at least they have ambition and are putting themselves up for something most year ones wouldn't have the guts to do. On the other hand, what the fuck are thinking with the "Stale-ing is illegal" crap? I laughed out loud when I saw it being put up today, like mouldy bread coming fresh out of the oven.

If I do vote, I'm voting with my dick. Haha.

Fucking EMO

I'm sorry for being such a pain in the ass let me just complete my rant and hopefully I can get started with some work. I was listening to this song on the way home and thought it rather apt. Yes I'm a scene, I'm a drama queen, I'm The Best Damn Thing that your eyes have ever seen.

Anyway, Mandy Moore's cover of Umbrella may have, to quote, "turned it into a funeral hymn", but she does have some cracking original tunes, especially from her eponymous album. And this one's from there. It's called Turn The Clock Around.

You can listen to it below...note that the video has absolutely nothing to do with the song...I have no idea what it has to do with and I'm really not interested.


We were talking to each other till dawn
You put your arms around me and you asked me what is wrong
I tried to be so serious, you smiled and played along
You were leaving town tomorrow, yeah tomorrow you'd be gone

We must have had the stars above and heaven on our side
'Cause we fell in love before we even made it through the night
But you were leaving town to start another kind of life
You walked me to the door and tried to say goodbye

Maybe I've never found the right way
Kept my love hidden underground
Baby I wish that there was some way
That I could turn the clock around

I couldn't sleep, I called up everybody that I knew
All my friends said that I'd be crazy if I waited 'round you
And I wanted to believe then so I called to say we're through
But when I heard your voice, it nearly broke my heart in two

Maybe I've never found the right way
Kept my love hidden underground
Baby I wish that there was some way
That I could turn the clock around

Don't say you're lost, I'll find you
Someday...

Well I jumped into the car but as I headed down the road
I knew that when I got there, there might be nobody home
You'd gone away forever, and you left me all alone yeah
Now I was on my own

Maybe I've never found the right way
Kept my love hidden underground
Baby I wish that there was some way
That I could turn the clock around

Life's Like This

Life has a funny way of fucking with you. I had a sit-com moment earlier today. Or maybe dramedy would be a more apt description. When am I finally going to get over myself and release all that damn baggage?

And why does good news always have to come with bad...not exactly bad but not ideal.

I have been so fucked with I don't really have the mood to do anything except...dwell on the issue at hand. Issue. Shit thanks to law school I will see that word the same way again.

Urgh time to get started on Contract tut for tomorrow.

An Update

I suppose it's time for a proper update, although I have the distinct feeling that brevity is going to be my best friend.

The first week of school - indeed the first week and a half - is over and so far...I'm liking it! Love the campus, like the lecturers/tutors, mostly like everyone, alright with the syllabus, although I suspect that one's a one way road downhill from here on.

I can't really say too much about the people on campus, suffice to say that Jinesh and I get more than an eyeful everyday, and I frequently find myself humbled fashion and style-wise by many of my peers, which really shouldn't happen. I need money =(

The farewells resumed last week with Michael leaving on Thursday morning, and this week with Sam on Monday. She gave me this lovely monkey pen along with a promise that her namesake will kiss me one day =D. And of course tomorrow we have the Heng and on Saturday we have the slime ball. I'm lucky in the sense that many of my friends are staying in Singapore, although I will miss everyone who has left / is leaving. But let's not dwell on the melancholy tonight.

Had dinner with Marcus, Gerald and Lena today at Sushi Tei. We were seated in this private room on a second floor I never knew existed, unfortunately having to listen to this bloody American ranting against the "extreme left-wing" to his stupid Asian date who didn't know what left-wing meant. Now those of you who know me well will be aware that I'm NO bleeding heart liberal. If not for my liberal views on certain social issues, I would be a Conservative. But I've come to detest that word and listening to idiots as mentioned above only serve to convince me that I'm on the right side, even though the individualist capitalist in me is as steadfast as ever.

Oh yes I've finally been to Meng's house! And met Cola! Who is the most adorable thing...except for the bad breath which is INTOLERABLE. Poor dog gives it out even when he's barking and it permeates the entire room after a while which is really disgusting.

Why is it that humans take pleasure in causing pain to others? I don't mean this in an S&M way, and I'm not purporting myself to be the nicest of people. But sometimes I do wonder why we seem to derive more satisfaction from making (or at least giving the impression of making) life miserable for others rather than being welcoming and friendly.

And that's all I have to say for today.

I WANT A HOT BF!

Ok NOW that's all I have to say.

Hot!

Sure there was plenty of makeup and airbrushing, but it is a great picture nevertheless!

On the cusp

I'm at the point where my life is going to be markedly changed from the way it has been for the past 2 years and 8 months. Lessons officially start tomorrow, I've got readings to do, only a matter of time before homework starts to pour in - it's just about time for me to finally take the plunge and walk the walk. All the motivational talks I've given - to myself and others - isn't going to mean shit if I fail to take up the challenge when push actually comes to shove. Which it has...almost.

I am going to miss certain aspects of post-ORD pre-Uni life - waking up whenever the hell I want (which translates into going to sleep at crazy hours in the morning), having all the time in the world (which I, regretfully, have failed to make the fullest use of) to read, not having to worry about anything - homework, examinations, RSM parades, Life Activity - and more or less having carte blanche.

But it's time for me to go.

Anyway, this week was fairly eventful, albeit not entirely enjoyable. The blame for this lies with the orientation beach bash at Sentosa on Wednesday, which was anything but. It was completely devoid of fun. I shall not waste my time describing it, other than to say that it was...dust. It was dusty. My OG, in a rare show of unity and decisiveness, actually got up and left together after dinner, as we didn't want to stay for the beach hunk and beach babe contest, which was subsequently canceled.

Thursday was National Day and I inadvertently found myself in the Botanic Gardens with Jinesh and the Matin Mattar gang, surrounded by a gaggle of homosexuals dressed in pink, many of whom were familiar faces, some uncomfortably so. I mean, it was in a way uplifting to see so many people from the community band together in defiance of unreasonable prohibitions and unfounded concerns. The problem is that these "community people" are, well, the same old group of weirdos and freaks that you see everytime you attend one of these events. It's basically a gathering of misfits - which begs the question, what was I doing there? Well OF COURSE there were perfectly sane and normal people present too, but we were in a minority.

Friday was spent at Sam's house with the RGS girls, who are always entertaining and never boring - well those who actually open their mouths, that is. We had so much fun playing with Nemo, her CUTE pedigree Maltese, who looks like he would make a perfect rug...better alive than dead of course.

Dinner was great - an assortment of food from Chomp Chomp, dining al fresco on the wooden platform at the back of the house, with the wind occasionally blowing and the retro music playing in the background, it was perhaps a preview of the dinners we'd be having in the future, where we'll take turns hosting and inviting our friends over.

Rachel, Meng and I headed down to Play where we met her friends Teck Heng, JunSheng, and Rich, and this is where I'll shut up and let the photos do some of the talking.

The music was good - U + Ur Hand, Look On The Floor, Promiscuous, Hips Don't Lie, Ain't No Other Meng, Jump - handbag music to keep the fairies dancing.

Meeting guys who are a good 2 years younger than me was a sobering reminder that us '86 boys are hardly the freshest meat on the market, as we once were. The community is notoriously obsessed with youth - to possess it is to have an advantage over others, a trump card that can always be relied on. While we're not exactly even remotely middle age yet (and praise the lord for that), it's just a reminder that aging is inevitable. We're getting closer to the "settling down" period and it's not going to be easy if you've had no prior experience.

Which is why I baffle myself sometimes. Was talking to Jinesh yesterday after watching Law Fac's rag performance (which was pretty good all things considered) and realised that I, too, have been engaging in very subtle self-sabotage over the years. In order to circumvent having bridges burnt, I choose to blow them up first...or maybe a better analogy would be, not to build them at all. That way you don't get hurt. Back to the perpetual problem of being unable to take rejection, and hence largely unable to make the first move, and having the constant fear that people will misinterpret my actions.

I don't know if I'll ever really sort it out.

Moving on, parted ways with Jin (who thinks that noted ah peh brand Arnold Palmer is going to stage a Lacoste, Penguin-esque comeback - time will tell) and went to gym.

Which I have nothing to write about really. The gym is the gym. It is so completely a part of my life now as to render it unremarkable.

Minli's birthday party at Rogue was good fun - although the place was very empty for a Saturday night. I drank just enough to get high (any more would probably have been a repeat of the infamous night at Play/Tabs) while listening to the live band deliver renditions of My Immortal, Chasing Cars, Irreplaceable and so forth - not exactly dance worthy music but good enough for a little bit of booty shaking.

Minli and her boys!

DON'T YOU EVER FOR A SECOND GET TO THINKING YOU'RE IRREPLACEABLE!

Had lunch with Meng and Mike today at Cherry Garden, which primarily serves Tim Sum although we also had soup, carrot cake, duck etc. The food there was excellent and I guess $45 is pretty reasonable when you factor in how many items we ordered. Definitely a place I would recommend to anyone with a bit of excess moolah to blow.

I actually do have a lot more to write about...it certainly isn't my intention to merely summarize my weekend in cursory detail. But alas in the name of the need for time management it would be prudent for me to end here and get on with other things.

Inaugurate Me

So today was the first official day of school, although frankly I could have missed it and wouldn't have been any the poorer. By the time I got to the auditorium, I was the LAST person from my now-expanded OG to reach, hastily paid the $36 orientation fee (which I now regret doing) and joined my OG mates, many of whom were wholly unfamiliar, to participate in the ceremony.

The highlight was probably the Dean's speech. Jinesh was spot-on in saying that he sounded almost paternal, and that if he wasn't a professor he may well have been a pastor. That calming, measured, nurturing, do-me-proud kind of voice. His speech had 7 points and to be honest, I can't really remember much of it now. Being practical, yet adhering to the strict moral code expected of an officer of the court. Sounds very idealistic. And the need for humility...admittedly something I could use more of.

What made an indelible impression was his statement that law doesn't exist in a vacuum. It is an expression of the values and mindset of society. Which is to say that, for example, slavery used to be perfectly legal before the 18th century (indeed, up to the time of the Civil War in the States), but of course is now illegal as society considers it to be morally wrong and repugnant. He went on to say that as Singapore opens up and becomes more liberal, the laws will change to reflect that.

I could be making a severe misjudgment here, but I couldn't help but think he was referring to 377A. Take that TLA! (side note, they introduced the other professors to us freshmen and I was waiting with bated breath to lay my eyes on the two noted homophobes, but they sadly were not present...neither was the noted lesbian, which inevitably brought up the question...)

Of course, you could argue that Singapore society still considers homosexuality to be morally wrong and deviant, and that the laws should therefore reflect that...and I really would not be able to disagree with you. By and large, your average heartland Singaporean - and, unfortunately, many people who have had the benefit of education yet remain disconcertingly narrow-minded and myopic - probably doesn't wish to see the cause of gay rights advanced.

The Dean concluded by looking at his watch and saying that he believed it was "cruel and unusual punishment" for us to have to listen to him speak for too long, and that he would end there. I appreciated this joke. I wonder how many people actually got it.

Which does bring me to a small point I was discussing with Jinesh. Or rather, I was just indulging in a moment of self-introspection. While I may look at others and lament their narrow, Singapore-centric, frog-in-the-well outlook, I think I'm unhealthily at the other end of the scale. I think it's great that I care about current affairs, global geo-politics, and have such an international, globalised perspective, but I think I may be taking this too far for my own good. It's not intentional really. It's just that most local events bore me to death. But it is kind of sad how I take so much interest in what's happening in other countries (Ok mostly America) but frankly care very little for most of what happens on this island that has been home for the past 21 years.

Anyway, met a lot of familiar faces there. Introduced myself to Keith Han when I saw him in the toilet, said hello to Navin Naidu, talked to Keith Oh for a while...also saw Mark Teng and Elroy but I don't exactly know them so I didn't say anything.

Funny tidbit. This Indian girl saw me and exclaimed "Hi Simon! You're here too!" So I went "Oh hello, yeah", all the while thinking "who the hell is this and how the fuck does she know who I am?" After running out of things to say without revealing the fact that I had no clue as to who she was, I excused myself and told Christine about it. Turns out that mystery girl was from RGS too and Christine told me her name. And then I finally realised who she was and how I met her. Honestly could not recognise her.

After everything was over - including a fake lecture a la night court, which most of us who had attended law camp caught on to in less than 5 minutes - Jinesh drove us to Orchard. Was in the car with two of his OG mates who seem like very nice people...to be honest most of the people I've met are pleasant. Of course, I'm sure all the Mean Girls-esque nonsense will only start to show when we've all settled in and feel secure enough to start bitching, but hey, I'm more than prepared for that, although I don't really want to take part in the whole gossip-drama scene that I've heard some students in law school have a proclivity for. As Eve raps, "Pop another bottle for them, keep my life moving, NO TIME FOR THE DRAMA, watch me blow right through them".

Sitting around drinking coffee at Cine food court - yes what a far cry from Far Coast, which I have been patronizing recently, first with Leonard and Meng on Friday night and then with Gerald and Lena on Sunday night - Jinesh and I were talking about all sorts of things while waiting for Meng.

Went for Tim's Bodypump. There were several times I thought I was going to pass away. Through excessive perspiration or pain in the arms or something.

Drove to Newton Circus where we had great food - well I did at least - and talked some more, and also saw an Ah Meng/LKY lookalike. It was hilarious because it was just on the tip of my tongue but Jinesh said it first. Was laughing like a mad man. Actually I was laughing like a mad man in school just now too. I have to admit that I'm quite pleased with how school looks to be turning out so far. The people. The faculty. The building. It's all very agreeable. Yes I know that this isn't likely to last for too long but I'll enjoy this while it does.

Have to wake up really early tomorrow as I'm previewing Hairspray at Lido and so I shall take my leave. Till another time.

La Simonina Hawt 20!

Ok this is rather early (this chart's not due till end of this month) but since I'm going to start school soon and may have no time for nonsense like this, and since I can't think of anything else to put here, I present you with the latest (fourth!) edition of my chart, which tracks the top 20 most-played songs on my I-pod, not for the previous 3 months, but rather the most-played of all time.

Current Previous Title Artist Spins Change
1 1 Hung Up Madonna 167 (+0)
2 2 My Only Wish This Year Britney 109 (+0)
3 3 Irreplaceable Beyonce 108 (+2)
3 3 A Public Affair Jessica Simpson 108 (+2)
3 5 We Belong Together Mariah Carey 108 (+3)
6 - Umbrella Rihanna ft. Jay-Z 100 NA
7 8 The Sweet Escape Gwen Stefani ft. Akon 99 (+14)
8 - Girlfriend (Original & Lil' Mama Remix) Avril 94 92&2 NA
9 6 Get Right (Remix & Original) Jennifer Lopez 92 59&33 (+5)
10 5 Jump Madonna 88 (+1)
10 10 U + Ur Hand Pink 88 (+10)
12 8 Sorry Madonna 85 (+0)
13 10 Just Want You To Know BSB 81 (+3)
14 - 4 In The Morning Gwen Stefani 77 NA
15 12 One Mary J Blige ft. U2 72 (+0)
15 14 Outrageous (Original & Remix) Britney 72 63&9 (+4)
17 18 Not Ready To Make Nice Dixie Chicks 71 (+5)
17 14 SOS Rihanna 71 (+3)
19 13 Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely) Pink 70 (+1)
20 18 Fall To Pieces Avril 69 (+3)
20 16 Since U Been Gone (Original & Remix) 69 54&15 (+2)

As with the previous chart, we have 3 new entries. However, because Since U Been Gone and Fall To Pieces are tied at 69 and are both at 20, this edition of the chart has 21 songs instead and so only 2 songs fell out - Madonna's Get Together (66, +0) and Paris Hilton's Nothing In This World (68, +1). Nope, her incarceration didn't generate musical interest from me.

The top 5 is basically static, I don't know if anything is ever going to topple Hung Up. Expect to see some action from My Only Wish This Year by the next chart, although that's unlikely to challenge Madge for the number one spot yet.

Next up though is a new entry. Rihanna makes a smashing debut at number 6 with Umbrella, fulfilling my prediction that she would debut on this chart, although surpassing what I thought possible. Might have something to do with me meeting her last month =D. It's basically the highest debut positions-wise on my chart ever, a title shared with Irreplaceable which debuted on my second chart, although with only 80 spins compared with Rih Rih's whopping 100. Of course, as this chart progresses, it will be harder and harder for songs to debut in high positions, as the cumulative spins for every song increase in accordance with the passage of time, but that's another worry for another day. Ella ella eh eh eh!

Gwen advances a position from her splashy number 8 debut on the last chart. I'm still not sick of this song yet, so expect it to possibly advance further.

Next up is the other big debut, Avril's Girlfriend! Of course, I already had this song on my I-pod by the time I posted the previous chart, but I had not really gotten into it - or indeed Avril - yet. It took me a while to like Girlfriend, as I thought it was hella annoying when I first heard it. But most people do succumb after a while. Watch out for this to make further progress as I've just added the Lil Mama remix to my playlist (I can hear Meng groaning) and that is surely going to increase the total, although one could argue that bar the hooks, the remix is more Lil than Lavigne.

Get Right falls 3 spots although I doubt its position in the top 20 is in peril anytime soon. It's one of those songs I will listen to every now and then, as it Outrageous at 15, although I must admit that Britney's persistent...image problems and alleged antics are starting to slightly annoy me.

Haven't been listening to much Madonna of late, Confessions has had its day in the sun and consequently Sorry and Jump are nearly static and continue to slowly slide down the chart.

BSB still hanging in there, although they're out of the top 10. I'm surprised that this song has lasted as long as it did, but then again it is a great tune.

Mixed bag for Pink, who holds steady at 10 with Hand registering a +10 but falls to a perilous 19 as Leave Me Alone is, well, left alone by me. HAHA I'm so witty.

As I predicted, Gwen debuts with 4 In The Morning although I'm more or less done with this. Well, better to have made it in than never.

Same can be said for One, which I have not listened to even...ONCE (OMG more wit!) since the previous chart.

I'm surprised that Not Ready To Make Nice has advanced one spot. I haven't listened to this in ages.

SOS is an apt title indeed because this song is DYING on my chart. Yeah Yeah it's +3 thanks largely to renewed interest in Rihanna with her new album but I doubt it'd be around the next time. Fall To Pieces is going to fall to pieces too. Ho ho I'm so witty I'm killing myself. Right.

Finally, Since U Been Gone wouldn't even have been there if not for the fact that I suddenly felt the urge to listen to it today on the bus to the airport. Bear in mind that this wasn't done with intent to manipulate the chart (I had no idea where it would stand...I had no idea that I would do this damn chart today). It really is testament to, well, urm...how the most minor, random actions can have the most...random...minor consequences. Ok ya.

Another random fact. Extraordinary missed out on my last chart by 1 spin and guess what...it misses out on this latest chart by...1 spin. So don't count this out just yet.

On that note, what other songs are going to invade my top 20 the next time you see this? Place your bets on Like This by Kelly Rowland ft. Eve. I love that song and it should be here the next time bar any brick wall syndrome a la Upgrade U. A week ago I would have mentioned Avril's When You're Gone but I'm not digging this song too much now. Shut Up and Drive is another maybe. Who knows, GEISHA might China Wine herself there too! HAHA.

PS. the previous chart is in May and the second one is in Jan so go read those if you're interested. And i highly doubt you are but oh well.