A cursory peek into my fucked-up life. Rants and raves, musings and madness - come get your piece of me.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
On the Consequences of Inbreeding
Behold, quite possibly the most ANNOYING couple EVER. Now, before you think, 'Oh there Simon goes, being a bitch as usual', you should really spend half a day - no, an hour will suffice - in the library, on the third floor, where, unfortunately, these two seem to enjoy nesting, and observe for yourself.
It's mostly the girl la. She is fucking annoying. But her boyfriend is an enabler no doubt, and it is most unnerving to see him stroking her, as though she were a (fat) Persian cat, for the world to see.
And if that was all to it, I suppose you could look away. But they IMPOSE themselves on your senses. She is making all sorts of noises, from squeals to squawks, and has this penchant for various soft toys which she strokes and strangles and places on the windowsill.
She was playing some computer game on her laptop earlier and asked her boyfriend to try it, and when he did, proceeded to make strange "chuchuchuchuchu" and slurping noises. And then she wanted to beat his hand with a plastic ruler. And now she's shaking her fucking body because she won a game or something. Everyone around is staring at her la.
Now all this would be endearing - if they were 12 - but taken in the context of the law library, it's extremely annoying. I come here to (try and) study, not to watch two inbreds kissing and caressing each other. Hella annoying.
I think they deserve each other really. No one else seems to want to mix with them, and I suspect that they're perfectly fine with that.
Fuck la she just let out this 'heh heh heh' sound...damn fucking weird.
In other news, I went through one of those "I-miss-Meng&Weiren" phases last night. Weiren's coming back on Tuesday (wah damn fast) so that's something to look forward to. Ah! The samazozis.
Bitch is crunching on potato chips now. Seriously. She has to constantly produce *some* kind of sound.
Urgh.
*EDIT* OMG SHE JUST LET OUT A BELLOW! It sounded like 'BLEEEEEEEARGH'. Probably because she lost at bloody Pacman. Seriously. She looks like a beached whale and now she sounds like one too.
'If only', 'what if'...I KNEW that Spandeck would come out for essay. What else could they have asked? If only I had actually sat down and prepared an outline beforehand (the exam being open-book). What if I had just concentrated on the topics that weren't already covered in the mid-sem test? On hindsight, it was actually a very manageable paper. Anyone who had done a decent amount of studying could have answered the questions competently, I think. But the issue is of time. There is no bloody time to write everything down, which is such a waste because its not as if we don't know our stuff. We just don't know it well enough to write it down quickly enough.
The past is in the past. Can't do anything about it now, shouldn't bother. It's not easy to leave something behind when you've invested so much of yourself in it. But leave it behind I must. Goodbye Torts, it was good while it lasted.
I don't think I did terribly but I wasn't satisfied with the quality of the essay I submitted. Anything with my name - or rather my matriculation number - on it shouldn't be so sloppy and rushed. But then again, I wasn't happy with my torts test either and did well for that so one never knows...
After the exam we risked life and limb and hitched a ride from Sam down the slope (the rest of them subjected themselves to the extended, increased risk). But I'm sure after a few...months...of driving she'll manage to not press the accelerator when the door is open. But it is a damn big car la it's cool to see her maneuver it.
It was great to get our friends back, in the midst of all the studying, if only for a few hours. Gym was damn crowded.
Jin and I are in the library and - evidently - are taking a break from work. So we came up with a sentence which Jin wants me to put online for posterity.
The background to this was our compiling a LONG list of law school lesbians followed by listening to some music (specifically, Da Brat).
'missy eliott? more like mister eliott lah can you imagine da bung and mr eliott in a three way with king latifah and meg bryan jodie foster-parent ellen degenerate (omg that was damn bad)'
A dog chasing its tail. Can you think of anything more pointless, tiring, and stupid than that?
But perhaps, in the absence of other pursuits, the dog enjoys it. At least he's on the move, at least he has a reason to hope - however small that ray of hope may be - that he'll eventually get what he wants. And if he doesn't then, well, it was fun while it lasted, and he still has his tail, albeit not in the way he originally intended.
What an analogy!
I've been listening to Blackout frequently and I love it more and more. I wasn't too keen initially, because, as much as I hate to admit it, Britney's current image *did* affect my listening pleasure. But you can't resist songs like these for too long...and I love the various soundbites throughout
Gimme More - 'The legendary Miss Britney Spears'
Piece of Me - soundbites throughout la! How about 'I'm Miss Bad Media Karma, another day another drama', or 'I'm Mrs oh my god that Britney's shameless', how about 'well get in line with the paparazzi who's flippin' me off, hoping I'll resort to some havoc, end up settlin' in court, now are you SURE YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?'
Radar - 'A man with a Midas touch, intoxicate me on the rush' and my favorite line from the song 'I get the tingle, I wanna mingle' (sometimes the stupidest lines are the best). And I love the 'When you walk [echo: when you walk], and when you talk [echo: when you talk]' bit too!
Break The Ice - OMGOMGOMG I just deciphered the lyric 'I'm gonna hit defrost on ya, let's get it blazin'. Love it. And 'You got my heart beating like an 808 *thump thump*' Don't forget 'We can turn the heat up if you wanna, turn the lights then *low* if you wanna'
Heaven On Earth - 'Fall off the edge of my mind'
Get Naked (I Got A Plan) - Apart from making a great lesbian parody (replace plan with poon), Britney's stripper anthem features the classic and MEMORABLE line 'I got a plan we can do it just when you want to baby baby baby...' and 'get naked get naked get naked get naked, take if off, take if off, take it off, take if off' and 'I'm not ashamed of beauty you can see what I got'
Freakshow - 'We can give em' a peepshow'
TOY SOLDIER - Right now, my favorite song from the album. Love love love the beat, the attitude, and the lyrics, right from the start, with the producer (Sean Garrett I think) going 'YEAH SMASH ON THE RADIO BET I PENNED IT...BRITNEY! Break me off, break me off'. 'I'm tired of private's driving need a general that ain't weak'. 'He's not talking he's just walking like them city boys from New York!'. 'Hit the scene in my new Waaaagon'. 'This time I need a soldier, a really bad-ass soldier'
Hot As Ice - I hated the demo (which was known as Cold As Fire) but love this version. Maybe you can polish a turd. 'Living Legend you can look but don't touch'. 'Just save your foolishness, your fuckery and handling my business, holler if you hear me, can I get a witness? Preacher preacher I'm the teacher you can learn, watch your fingers boy you might get burned'. 'As you can see, fortunately, I'm cold as fire'.
Ooh Ooh Baby - The best part of this song is simply, 'baby baby baby baby baby baby baby' repeated till the end.
Fuck I can't concentrate on my torts notes but when it comes to NONSENSE like this I can just go on and on. There's one more song called Why Should I Be Sad, and I'm going to save it because practically the whole song rocks lyrically and it's going to take too long to post the full thing now.
...If you're still reading by this point...Seriously either you like me a lot or you will really like the album. In which case GO BUY IT!
Sepia. I first heard about sepia from Jennifer Lopez. She was talking about how the pictures from her This Is Me...Then shoot were tinted sepia to give them that vintage effect. Who says being a pop-culture whore isn't educational sometimes.
Tim Sum at Miramar today was average. There were only 4 of us, and the quality was patchy (can't expect Cherry Garden standards for $15), but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Jin was there too, hiding behind the camera of course.
Headed to school after lunch and was unable to study. Jin and Amy were trading songs. Apparently being on the same network equates to fast connection speeds.
For my own good, I secluded myself in CJ Koh, in the spot that seems to have become my usual place, opposite Lisa who seems to have made that spot her usual place too.
Then I headed home. It's not much of a life but given the circumstances I think that at the very least, I'm taking a bit (or maybe too much) of time to enjoy myself.
Exploits and expressions leading to expectations. The cycle perpetuates.
Yesterday was a day to remember. I felt something I've never - ever - felt in my life. Fear. About getting fat.
Maybe it was the way I was sitting, maybe it was the hearty Japanese meal I had in the afternoon, maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me after too many hours of focusing on words, but when I happened to look at my stomach (because uh...my t-shirt just happened to get displaced, nothing to do with my narcissism whatsoever), I saw *them*. Three layers of fleshy meat, like bloody three-layer pork, on MY stomach! I did a double-take. And then I got shit scared.
"I'll never get fat", was the mantra I used to repeat obnoxiously, to anyone and everyone who'd care (and more often than not, not care) to listen. I said it to my Mum (in response to what she told me about my brother complaining of his belly), I said it to Meng and Wei Ren, I said it to strangers at a party, and I most recently said it to Jin and ZX last week at dinner.
And now look at what's happened.
Maybe I exaggerate. It's not that I've turned into Jabba the Hutt in a week. But my stomach - even after a gym session and multiple sit-ups - doesn't seem as flat as it was. I've never had a defined 6-pack before - my stomach used to be slightly concave actually - but they were always fairly visible, without the need to flex. Now I need to strain my stomach muslces to see their faint outline...they're still there, still hard, but there seems to be a layer of wobbly flesh layered over now.
I realise this may actually be one of my most himbotic, self-indulgent posts ever (and THAT'S saying a lot), but I really am very worried that the much vaunted Simon Stomach is turning to mush, and that there's nothing I can do about it.
Actually there may be. I gym fairly regularly and I always ensure to work 'em stomach muscles, but I don't do cardio, because my body type is such that it's very hard for me to bulk up, and I was advised that cardio does nothing to help that. Add the fact that I don't enjoy prolonged suffering...
I will do something about it when the exams are over. But right now, I'm still gorging like a pig. Jin and I were in CJ Koh Lib for most of the day studying with nice people, but we did leave some time for working out - which ended up being a very bizarre stroll through the Botanic Gardens that involved more laughing than anything else - admittedly something that we needed - and a very 'anyhow' session in the school gym which of course lacked the variety that we're used to.
And then we went to EAT. Bad pasta at The Thinking Corner, and after the Commy music played (a signal to get the hell out of the library) we went down to Serene for...get this...ICE FUCKING CREAM (actually I had the two scoops of ice cream Jin was savoring...other visual delights) and...a McSpicy Meal! A fucking McDonald's meal! Which was very tasty but of course has done nothing at all to help my stomach. We started talking about our...very different political/societal views, all this stemming from him seeing Wee Shumin's picture on TOC. Let's just say that we probably wouldn't be in the same political party.
All that food. I feel like a slob. And you know what the BEST part is? We're fucking going for all you can eat tim sum tomorrow! Which I'm actually mucho looking forward to but WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO MY STOMACH?
Urgh. Tim sum's at 12 sharp tomorrow. I shall work till 4.30 and give myself the LUXURY of 6 full hours of hopefully blissful sleep, which would be double of what I had last night...desperate times, desperate measures. I'm going to HAR KOU heaven tomorrow!!
Jin just remembered something...and so we changed our travel plans again. Destination remains the same, but now we're going from 08 Jan 08 to 14 Jan 08. I'm still flying to Nagoya and back from Narita, unless I get the SIN - NRT flight that I'm currently wait listed on. A couple of good things result from this change (1) Jin got a direct Northwest flight that was more than $200 cheaper than the Thai one, and he doesn't have to transit in Bangkok (2) We only need to pay for 6 nights of accommodation instead of 8. All of this means that our holiday will be CHEAPER which is great because I'm saving up for potential HK in Jul 08 and the big Bos-NY-Wash expedition at the end of next year. Can't accuse me of not planning ahead.
I can't wait for Tokyo. Whee! I'm envious of my relatives who will also be going there (because my cousin's husband works for some SIA-related company), getting free flights, and best of all (because I'm getting a free flight too -_-), HEAVILY DISCOUNTED ACCOMMODATION. Apparently they're staying at one of the Sheratons (or is there only one) - which usually costs around $400 plus a night - for less than $100!! If I have to work in Singapore, I MUST work in-house for Singapore Airlines!
I spoke to quite a number of people today, which is rare. Michael called from D.C., talked to him for around an hour (the last third of which involved him speaking in abysmal Mandarin and me having to interpret what he was saying - or trying to say - and then replying in English), talked to Jin about...God knows what..., spoke with Cheryl while I was at the National Library trying to get work done, MSN-ed with Sam (get well soon!) and Tong...it is rather sad that I have been reduced to communicating with people indirectly, but it's better than nothing at all. I sound like a hermit.
Tong asked me if I wanted to travel with him. LOL. Should I? I mean, technically, I'm not going anywhere this year, so...
This is what studying all day does to you. But then again I've always loved myself. It's 2.11 AM in the morning, Jin and I are in the Ridgewood study room, which makes for a rather conducive studying environment, if we could only shut our traps for more than 5 minutes.
When you've spent close to the whole day alternating between starring at a 13'3 inch screen and a bloody textbook, it's nice to be able to, well, do nothing.
Which is more or less what Jin and I did after gym today.
We just wandered around town. Actually, it was somewhat more purposeful then that la. Jin wanted to send his Macbook in to the iShop but the customer service counter was already closed. They were, however, having their 2nd anniversary celebrations (ALREADY) and the place was packed with people, a DJ, and get this, free finger food and ALCOHOL. Red wine and Veuve Clicquot. And so, being...us, we simply milled around, looking at overpriced accessories (and the new touch screen I pod which is lovely), eating strange concoctions and sipping on champagne. Very odd indeed.
Walked over for a quick dinner at the Japanese food store in the Taka basement. I swear, something is seriously wrong with these Japanese food store aunties. They are overly protective of their...wares...and they seem to have a lot of pent-up anger and aggression which manifests itself when you ask for extra sauce/order food around closing time. I don't expect quality service from The Summit but you would think that someone in the Orchard belt would have more manners. Nada. Jin bore the brunt of her choler though, so I was spared a second round of verbal sparring with another middle-aged, disgruntled woman with bad hair and an oily face.
And then the wandering took over. When you wander in Orchard, you almost inevitably end up in Borders, and that's where we found ourselves, aimlessly browsing magazines.
When the feet get tired the mind gets its turn to wander. So there we were, sitting at the cafe outside, aimlessly looking at Jin's archive of pictures.
I have this tendency to look at the photos of others and imagine how much fun they had growing up, in contrast to my...comparatively plain and at times painful teething years. I don't have very many pictures from my secondary school or JC days, although that may have something to do with a general lack of cameras at the start of the millennium. Now THAT'S a convenient excuse.
But yeah it's liberating to let one's mind wander every once in a while. And instead of burning the midnight oil, I'm going to turn in for the night soon, because, well, I just don't feel like studying.
I sometimes think that nights like the one just passed are a waste of time...objectively, I didn't accomplish ANYTHING. But there was something...poignant (is that the word?) in just sitting down with a good friend and sharing memories and laughs and common revulsion.
So the nomad continues wandering, indeed is quite happy to wander, although he's still hoping to find someplace to lay his head down for the night.
"People are not attacking me because I'm a woman, they're attacking me because I'm ahead." *edit* OMG yes do you notice she quoted from Harry Truman, 'if you can't stand the heat then get out of the kitchen...'
PLEASE REFER TO MY POST 2 DAYS AGO. I am like, seriously, PROPHETIC. Or should that be pathetic?
I woke up bright and early this morning (well, not quite bright but early) and instead of studying was distracted by the CNN Democratic Nominee Debates which was broadcasting live. So I decided to do the right thing and caught the debates instead. All 2 plus hours of it.
Frankly, it was my first time actually listening to some of the single digit candidates like Bill Richardson and Joe Biden, and they did make an impression on me (in a good way), but at the end of the day it was still all about Clinton, Obama and Edwards.
The background to this debate, of course, was that Clinton needed to turn in a solid performance after her slip 2 weeks ago at the debates in Philly, where the first chinks in the Clinton machinery showed and which had led the media to question the supposed 'inevitability' surrounding her candidacy.
Obama and Edwards tried to exploit this initially, but this time Hillary dished as good as she got. It was telling when Obama waffled on the issue of driving licenses for illegal immigrants, embarking on a less than concise, convoluted response, when this was the very thing he had accused Clinton of not being able to give a definite answer to at the previous debates, while in stark contrast, her answer was simply 'No'. It was, as one of the analyst on CNN put it, a direct punch to the nose without Obama even knowing it.
On a personal level, I think that the intervention of...was it Bill Richardson...early on, where he stressed the need to debate about the *issues* and not let the session degenerate into personal attacks on character, was the turning point which led Obama and Edwards to realise that they did not have carte blanche to attack Hillary. The other candidates would not stand for it. And I think that does have something to do with the fact that many of them were part of the Clinton Administration. In that sense, Hillary's circumstances helped her today, I think. Although no one else picked up on it so I might be dead wrong.
But I really did enjoy the debate. It is an example of the robustness that is sadly missing in Singapore, and a testament to the quality of the candidates in the Democratic field. Any one of these people could be President. Well, not anyone. I do not care for John Edwards' dangerous populist crusade.
I found it interesting that all the candidates basically said they would only appoint a judge to the Supreme Court who was committed to preserving a woman's right to choose, or to spin it, 'recognises Roe v. Wade as settled law'. Presuming that the next president gets to appoint, say, 2 justices to the Court (and I PRAY TO GOD that Bush doesn't get a THIRD opportunity), it could result in significant changes to the makeup of the Court. I agree completely with Obama when he says that one of the main roles of the court is to protect the rights of minorities who get caught in the political process, which, by its inherent nature, is about the will of the majority.
Anyway, by and large, opinions so far are that Hillary has redeemed herself by turning in a solid performance, and that her rivals were unable to take advantage of the uncharacteristic weakness of her campaign over the past 2 weeks.
Viva la Clinton.
On a very different note, I remember expressing my incredulity when Britney entered the UK charts at #3 with Gimme More in its first week on downloads alone, and the headline screamed how she had failed to top the chart. I recall ranting as to how most acts would die to hit the top 10 on downloads alone, and I'm glad that someone else has recognised this.
I quote from James Masterton, who has a weekly UK charts commentary section.
"All of the above makes the chart positions of the two singles (both released as downloads) this week all the more surprising. It is Kylie who runs out the winner, '2 Hearts' picking up sales after a slow start to land at Number 12. The Spice Girls fare even worse however, their brand new song 'Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)' creeps almost apologetically into view at Number 20. Now admittedly this is just after one week of online sales, but let us face facts here. These are two hugely anticipated new releases from big name acts which have received copious and favourable press attention but which have announced themselves to the world as mid table hits. Compare that with the maligned and dare I say it, sneered at Britney Spears single 'Gimmie More' which shrugged off the bad press to charge into the Top 3 in its own download week. Make all the excuses you want, but something somewhere has misfired for both acts."
Something to think about indeed. Ok I am so dead have to start breaking the chain of procrastination now and get down to some fucking solid work.
I realized I have a bunch of old photos from early '04 taken with that piece of shit BenQ camera I was always so embarrassed to use. The AC gang, following my 18th birthday dinner at Tony Romas (the second year of a tradition that lasted all of 3 years). The guest list kept changing from '03 to '04 to '05, indicative perhaps of the fluctuations in my various friendships, although there was always a core bunch (of Gerald, Tong and Cindy). Michael only ever made one appearance in '03 (I still remember Tong kicking me in the leg under the table when I was jacking Mike in front of everyone). Paul randomly appeared in '04. Jeff didn't last till '05. I suspect that Lena wasn't there in '05 either. Who WAS at my birthday in '05. I do remember having it though because I had my hair cropped short and Gerald, having enjoyed 3 months while we were suffering in BMT, was about to enlist which made us very happy. I think the group in '05 was super small. Just me, Tong, Gerald and Cindy. Not sure about Ee. I didn't celebrate in '06 and in '07 there was no Cindy, Lena made a comeback, Tong and Gerald were the stalwarts, and of course I had Meng and Weiren. Oh let's post a picture from there!LOL I wonder WHO will be at my birthday next year. Should be very interesting indeed.
Moving along, the second picture was something I thought would never happen. Tong in my bed. Well...not in that sense la, but I've always liked the picture. Poor Tong in J2, still stuck in his ACS uniform.
And the last one remains my favorite picture of us. My 4.11 friends. If you had told me in Sec 4 that more than 5 years later, I'd still be friends with Gerald (indeed that I would even be his friend) I'd have told you to kindly fuck off. Gerald and I, to put it mildly, DID NOT GET ALONG in secondary school. The trading of insults, the backstabbing, the verbal brouhahas, the physical violence...Good times. Here we have 03A21. Those that turned up for prom anyway. I'm not really in contact with any of them anymore, although I do see someone or other now and then, and I regret being so antisocial back in JC, although in all frankness I suspect I just didn't click with my classmates anyway, regardless of the fact that they were nice people. Omar and I were tight (mainly cause we were the AC dudes surviving in hell) but I haven't seen him in forever. We were, for a period of time, quite close to this rugger from Barker called Prabaa, who is urm...haha...Prabs is Prabs la. And then in 2005 my life changed forever when I met Meng and Weiren. It was the first time I actually felt completely comfortable in a group, and the first time I had a clique that didn't abuse me, although some would argue that having to deal with Meng and Weiren and their whims and fancies (and fights) can constitute abuse sometimes. HAHA. I love you boys tho'. We are going to RULE the world in a decade.
Ok blogger is being a bitch (refusing to upload pictures) and I really do have a work schedule that I desperately need (and am miserably failing) to keep, so I'll leave it at that first. 2007 to come...
Then don't step into the fucking kitchen. It's fine to have your views and express them, but when you set yourself up for public scrutiny, when you portray yourself as a member of a tribe going to war, then don't subsequently play the victim and paint yourself as a sacrificial martyr. It's not cute, you're not in SCGS anymore, grow up and behave like a woman of 40.
At some point, we have to take responsibility for our actions and for the consequences of our decisions. You make the decision to speak up, you jolly well live with the consequences. All your talk about public figures needing thicker skins (or should I use the term epidermal density) for more robust debate, and your display of magnanimity in not suing your alleged persecutor (who you've NEVER heard of before in your life, and JUST HAPPENS to be one of Singapore's foremost young playwrights), all that served up on a platter for public consumption, when in reality, on the down-low, you're using the threat of legal action to its fullest...it smacks of hypocrisy and cowardice.
But I'm really not surprised.
Attended the seminar on 377A in school today, it was most enlightening (and heart-warming to see so many familiar faces, both friends and faculty) and somewhat entertaining. Especially when that uncle asked what that person would do, since she so strongly believes that the anus is strictly meant for excretion, if she needed a colonoscopy.
I snorted in laughter. And I felt bad. But not anymore.
Studied till 7ish then walked over to the Prata Place with Jin where we met ZX for dinner. He very correctly observed that Jin and I are self-sufficiently entertaining. As in, we can just feed off each other and laugh at anything and everything, and others may not get the joke but we do and that's all that matters. P-p-p-p-p-pangkoifa!
Once again, I eschewed the gym, although I more than filled my walking quota for the day by trekking to Holland Rd with ZX. Who was nice enough to wait for my bus with me.
Time is flying. I can feel the workload creeping up, slowly but surely, and if I don't put in more hours of study/stop procrastinating/stop wasting time online/stop feeling sleepy the whole day, I'm going to be overwhelmed. And as much as I'd like to think that I thrive on pressure and stress, I'd rather do without that 'stimulant'.
Which reminds me of a lyric from one of my favorite Britney songs ever,
'It was sink, or swim, when the tide came in'
It's do or die. I won't be leaving here alive. Actually I will la but it sounds so...motivational.
I have a confession to make. I love Rihanna's Hate That I Love You. Which is pretty amazing because I hated it on first listen. And on second. And third.
But it has really grown on me these past couple of weeks, for whatever reason, and I think the video's ingenious. I was one of those left puzzled when the elevator door opened, and Ne-yo and Rih Rih looked at each other, smiled, and went their respective ways. 'Huh...' I felt like a...ji fan spoon.
Haha yet another song I initially hated and Meng loved, that I ended up liking. Still can't stand We Ride tho'.
I was pretty pissed off today, although I'm not quite sure why. There's no objective reason for me to be upset. Really. As in, if it had come from anyone else, I wouldn't bat an eyelid. So why did I feel like shit? It was really nothing and it should consequently mean nothing.
I'm sitting in a roomful of people, of familiar faces, and feeling completely alone.
Can I not like you for a while?
On a happier note, we had Japanese food (at Serene not the Summit - I just learned that our canteen has a name) - the sashimi was delicious. Ooh can't wait for Tokyo!
It was our second celebration of Sam's birthday. First appearances can be deceiving. Apparently SUN WU KONG is some bigwig with connections and such. OMGOMGOMG I'm so going to make him my best friend now
...
...
...
I'D RATHER DRINK BLEACH! I wrote two vitriolic diatribes (mainly concerning SUN WU KONG having been beaten with the ugly stick one too many times) but I don't think it right to take my bitterness out on him, although he is deserving of it.
The impending exams are roguishly creeping up on us all like a perverted dildo-wielding, bell ringing, river water drinking lesbian getting ready to pounce on unsuspecting girls in the locker room. If you're not Jin and you get the joke, then well, you're not getting the joke. But laugh away. Or maybe it's just a terribly unfunny analogy. I'm trying.
Today was very...strange. I dropped by BTC to witness the submission of our binder for all of 15 minutes - and I wasn't even there when they actually handed it over - and then headed to the gym with Jin. We had lunch at the Heeren of all places. There's this shop selling delicious wan ton mee somewhere in the Annex, which is a horrible place I usually try my best to avoid, and we were seated next to this bunch of ACS monkeys. It's pretty common to look at your juniors and go 'my my how standards have fallen' but I couldn't say the same for this group.
We then headed to the National Library but Jin didn't stay for long. The internet connection there (paid or otherwise) is completely WHACK. So much for wireless SG and all that high-tech connectivity bull - I couldn't get a decent, working connection the whole time. Which would be fine - great actually - if I just wanted to study but we were trying to settle the end of 07/start of 08 holiday thing which is still not settled and is vexing me to no end.
Anyway, that being the case, Jin went home in an attempt to secure a proper internet connection, I milled around Hans, attempted a bit of studying, which turned out to be an exercise in fighting the Z monster, and ended up watching an episode of SATC in the library. The one where Carrie turns 35 and feels shitty because she doesn't have someone special to share her birthday with, and the girls ponder the idea of a soul mate. Is there only ever one soul mater out there for us, or can anyone *become* your soul mate, given the right circumstances?
SATC is LOVELY to watch on the MacBook's screen! I've had this black beauty for over a year and I'm STILL in awe of her. Absolutely no regrets getting a Mac. And there's still so much left to explore...
Which can't be said for this post. I don't have anything else I particularly want to say. Actually there are things that I do want to say but they fall into one of two categories (1) 'Heard it all before, heard it all before, heard it all before', and I'm trying not to get sucked into that vortex of despondency (2) Can never be said in a public space, which I suppose this is
The plan was to head to the library (which, believe you me, was a big sacrifice), finish off the memo, and head to the gym for some much needed (and long overdue) exercise.
As it turned out, I underestimated the amount of work left undone, and ended up in CJ Koh till nightfall. To exacerbate matters, I left my phone at home. By the time I got home, it was almost 9 and I uploaded the memo at exactly 10.59 PM. I kid you not. But it's done so that's one big burden lifted from my shoulders.
I may not have had time for a reunion with the gym, but I did manage to meet some old friends for a bit of post-memo relaxation. Only had time for one episode though, so I chose the Season 2 finale, which has one of my favorite scenes ever.
Carrie and Big are outside the Plaza, and she reenacts the scene between Redford and Streisand from 'The Way We Were'. Carrie [caressing Big's hair]: Your girl is lovely, Hubbell. Big: I don't get it. Carrie [begins to walk away, smiling]: You never did.
Studied with Lisa today, which was surprisingly productive, because she was either (1) plugged in to her headphones (2) M.I.A. But we did manage to squeeze in time for a mini-photoshoot. What can I say, my eye bags seem to be growing at an exponential rate. I could think of some medical negligence tumor-related joke but that would not be in good taste.
Like I've ever been one for good taste...
Celebrated Sam's birthday at this restaurant just down the hill...Karma something something. We were supposed to be a group of 9 but Andrea was stuck in LAWR hell and none of the year 2s showed up =(
Will post pictures when I get them. Sam said I look like the model on the cover of Details, who happens to be a certain Jonathan Rhys Meyer, which made me simultaneously happy and more than ever certain that we are meant for each other as we are mutually deluded.
After dinner and desert we headed to the Wine Company for...more desert. ZX was there with Stuart, George Hwang and the Hor. Who said hello as he walked past us to use the toilet. Stuart said hello from the other side of the glass (we were seated outside) and ZX came out for a while.
As I was saying, Sam and I are like, made for each other. If we ever had a child, he would probably suffer from some excessive salt ailment, if there can ever be such a thing. Stones in the kidney perhaps? She put so much salt in her margarita it was like drinking frozen water from the Dead Sea.
Patrick and Jun Bin popped by for a short while...by which time we wanted to head home to be mugger toads and finish the memo, or in my case, to write on my blog.
I am socially inept. I lack basic social skills and I can't control myself. I have no idea what I'm going to do.
Poor Pang Koi Fa. I wonder if she's still alive. I had a rare Sykpe session with Meng today for 45 minutes. No discernible British accent just yet.
The LAWR Memo is coming along. Very, very slowly. But also rather surely, if I may say so myself. It literally took me several hours to re-write my issue(s), brief answer and rule repeatedly, over and over, re-examining assumptions and re-reading Neumann, my contract textbook, and a whole bunch of cases to get a better idea of what I'm up against. But I've pretty much got the framework pinned down now so all that's left is the...actual writing. Kill me.
I can't wait to be done with this. So I can move on to...oh god kill me please. I don't really mean that of course. I don't want to die yet.
POOR POOR PANG KOI FA. POOR POOR GUNAPATHY.
Jin and I were saying that SMU's next venture will be to set up the SMU School of Medicine, with an oft-cited (in legal texts, strangely enough) faculty including Dr. Lim Djoe Phing (so skilled a surgeon he managed to find a life-threatening tumor where none existed, and even managed to extract vast quantities of cerebro-spinal fluid), Dr. James Khoo (currently still Consultant Neurosurgeon at Mount Elizabeth, who was also involved in Pang Koi Fa, as luck would have it, and must have known the esteemed Dr. Lim), the token expatriates, the esteemed pediatrician Dr. Janet Horn, formerly from St. Bartholomew's Hospital, who NEVER intubates and Dr. Lowns from Australia who is so responsible he would never leave his clinic, even if someone in the vicinity was having a life-threatening fit. Contingent on adequate funding, the School of Medicine would also seek to employ the noted Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner Situ to teach a course in traditional methods of KILLING people.
LOL I have wasted too much time on this shit. But yeah, a faculty TO DIE FOR indeed.
Instead of working the party scene (at the birthday of someone I hardly know), I decided to have no life, and after a short, useless traipse through Borders I went home for dinner, took a power nap (which is the only reason I'm still awake) and wrestled with 'Exercise of Statutory Powers'. Wrestling is the appropriate word. There definitely is a sense of satisfaction to having finished it.
So it's 2.45 in the morning and I have no idea if I should go to sleep or continue working (since I'm not feeling sleepy, which is a rare occurrence - at any time of the day - indeed). For the most part, I was dead as a log today at the Thinking Corner, although, as I proudly told Cheryl, I had good reason to be.
My self-destructive tendencies have not ceased with the passage of time.
EDIT: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I read the article on Chee Soon Juan's appeal being dismissed again and I now realize I misunderstood the point the judges were trying to make. Yes, I made a mistake. And I'm actually admitting it. Pigs are flying.
Was perusing the Singapore section of the CNA website and came across 2 law-related reports.
Only in Singapore will you find the Chief Justice, Minister of Law and Attorney Gneral working on the same team (the Pedra Branca hearings which have begun in the Hague). And have no one bat an eyelid. I didn't think much of it either until my lecturer brought it up in SLS. What's wrong with having them on the same side in a situation such as this, where Singapore's national interests are at stake?
The rough answer would be that, practicalities aside, how will the bystander perceive such a close working relationship (which these men must no doubt have to present the case as a team) between individuals who are supposed to be from separate and independent branches of government?
And as a practical matter, shouldn't our Chief Justice be concerned with being the head of the judiciary and not part of a delegation to an international court? What would people say if John Roberts, or Jin's personal friend Michael Kirby for that matter, were to head to the ICJ to argue a case on behalf of their respective governments? Uniquely Singapore indeed.
The second article has the headline:
Supreme Court's rules apply to all despite political status: judges
Don't get your hopes up.
SINGAPORE : Rules and principles spelt out by Singapore's Supreme Court on making applications at different stages of a trial apply to all litigants.
This is regardless of their socio-economic or even political status.
Judges of the Court of Appeal made this point on Tuesday.
They had released their grounds of decision for dismissing an appeal by Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader Chee Soon Juan who wanted an extension of time to file his appeal against the summary judgement handed down in the case brought against him by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Mr Lee had sued the SDP leader for defaming him in an article about the National Kidney Foundation saga in the party's publication Democrat.
The three court judges, made up of Justices Andrew Phang, V K Rajah and Woo Bih Li, had dismissed Dr Chee's appeal with costs.
The judges stressed that if the rules and principles were not observed and if they were abused, it would result in arbitrariness and "palm tree justice" which meant making decisions solely on the particular circumstances of each case.
They also noted in their grounds that Dr Chee had failed to satisfactorily explain why he did absolutely nothing for close to seven months although the evidence clearly showed that he had already decided to appeal against the judge's decision on the summary judgement.
I am but a year one law student, I STUDY the judgements of Andrew Phang and V K Rajah, but really, WHAT EXACTLY does Chee Soon Juan's political status have to do with their reasoning for dismissing his appeal?
It's ironic that the court is suggesting an opposition leader should not be getting favorable treatment from the bench, when in fact, history has shown time and again that this is antithetical to the truth.
I mean, seriously, has a government minister EVER lost a defamation suit against an opposition member? And why is it that in more than 40 years since independence, the Singapore Courts have not once held any law introduced by the government to be unconstitutional, when in fact we do have (believe it or not) a constitution granting equal protection to individuals, as well as the right to freedom of speech and freedom of assembly?
I'm psyched. Which is strange considering that post-oral presentation today I had about as much life in me as Paddy Chew - i.e. not much.
I gave it my best shot. In days of yore (I'm thinking primary and secondary school here) when there were oral examinations for English and Mother Tongue (which I always dreaded), I would often kick myself after the examination for omitting to mention something or other. I'd torture myself for hours (sometimes days) for leaving something I felt was vitally important unsaid. Well, that didn't happen this time. I said what I had to say, I was passionate about it, I genuinely believed the words coming out of my mouth. Only hitch came when my tutor asked me for the page reference to a judgment I cited and I was unable to provide it. Although an 'I'll have to get back to you on that' sufficed. Doesn't reflect well on the quality of my research though. I just found the case, lifted the particular quote I wanted to use, and put it in without so much as printing it out. The dangers of the internet. As I said in an earlier post, I find the tedious monkey labor unbearable. Speaking of monkeys, Sun Wu Kong is damn irritating. Perhaps the second most irritating specimen after Bugis Village.
My brother is typing furiously on his keyboard as we speak. No, he's not writing an essay on psychology...I sneaked a peek at his screen. He's playing some online game. It's amazing how entertaining a program like that can be to someone who's turning 30 next year. But I digress...
Oh yes, I honestly thought I put in a valiant effort, which was why I was somewhat disappointed when my tutor told me that I was speaking a little too quickly (understandable as I'm used to speaking fast) and that some parts of my presentation could have been clearer (that was the real killer). But we'll see what happens. I would by lying through my teeth if I said I wasn't concerned about doing well for LAWR, especially since I've already done the legwork for a considerable percentage of the module.
Anyway, Jin and I (henceforth known as we) headed down to Vivocity after we were done at school to meet a bunch of law people. Caleb, Haogen, Sharon, Janine, Shu Yi, Paul, and of course, Miss Cheryl Chua. Who I love.
Walked around aimlessly - actually we had an aim but it might as well have been aimless - which is the problem when you're in a big group with no direction and nothing planned. Jin was dying to go to Page One and smell magazines but we didn't really have a lot of time and he could only indulge in this particular fetish for all of 5-ish minutes before we had to rush off to get Cheryl to Ubi in time for her driving lesson.
Finding the car. Fucking hell. We have this very bad habit of not remembering where the car is parked. That happened the last time at...for the life of me I can't remember where...and it happened again today. At Vivo-fucking-city no less. Huge car park. No idea where car is. We must have spent close to 15 minutes hunting for it. A black Hyundai near a yellow car. Great help that was.
When we finally did hit the AYE, it was jammed all the way across the Benjamin Sheares to Parkway Parade. There was no accident. Just very heavy traffic. I really do wonder how these buildups happen. If everyone is driving at normal speeds, WHY is there slow traffic?
After what seemed like an eternity, dropped Cheryl off at Ubi and went to pick Jin's mum up from Marine Parade. Original plan was to go to the gym and study in town but lately, there's not been much time for fitness. It would also be...extraneous...for Jin to drive all the way to the East, back to town, and back home again. So we settled down at Marine Parade library, which is a very nice, sleep-inducing place, if only they didn't close at 9.
Waited for 48 and Jin was nice enough to stay till it came (I had just missed it). I'd die without him in law school.
Oh yeah, for the sake of posterity, I shall quote (very crudely): 'I just wanted to give him a boost... ... ...Oh wait I have, a boost of ***'
Hi-fucking-larious. Best joke I've heard in a long time. Jin you should be very worried that I find your joke highly amusing and funny.
As expected, I almost immediately fell asleep and by the time I woke up, it was outside none other than the BTC entrance...all that distance in about 20-ish minutes. 48's the best.
A tedious and plodding project if there ever was one. To add on to my post earlier this morning, last night was actually enjoyable for the most part. We had (and I honestly do not think I'm deluding myself here) something going on. It wasn't exactly chemistry per se, but there was some sort of connection.
But I found myself home by 2am, which wasn't exactly what I had in mind for the night. I suppose it's yet another example of how I let my heart get ahead of myself.
These mood swings are extremely frustrating but what can I do? Face the truth once and for all? And potentially lose everything. But I can't go on like this. Its fucking killing me.
Meanwhile, there is much to be said for my inability to hide my (other) feelings. Wearing one's heart on one's sleeve isn't always a good thing.
I am disgusting. Having spent all of 15 minutes working on my memo, I spent the next 15 cam-whoring, trying to take a nice picture for Facebook. In the CJ Koh Law Library no less. And then I realised that I couldn't use any of them because my brother has Facebook and I don't want him to see me wearing his FUCKING GORGEOUS H&M jacket.
Today was one of those rare occasions where he left the house before me and so, being the irritating younger sibling, I helped myself to his property.
It's all the MacBook's bloody fault la. For having Photo Booth. AND FACEBOOK! Ok back to work got memo to do. It's actually quite fun la...as in, trying to fashion an issue and a rule and an argument in general - a lot of wordplay. I like.
But its the finding of 60 page cases, having to read them, and FUCKING noting up which is damn sian. I should just be made a senior partner immediately so I don't have to be one of the monkeys pouring over old, musty books and scouring the internet to find cases and then flipping through year after year of other books to see if those cases are still valid law, blah blah blah. It's all so TEDIOUS and MIND-NUMBING.
Objectives: (1) Overcome (unprepared for) torts tutorial (2) Experience 'brimstone and fire' Thio in real life without peeing in pants (3) Survive Law Pageant interview with dignity intact (4) Study
Bonus: Becky
Status: (1) accomplished, (2) accomplished, but with tinge of sadness and distress, (3) accomplished, although with undesired consequence of potentially being chosen, (4) ABORTED by diversion to Orchard, and subsequent chance meeting with JS while waiting for Jin to finish gym, proceeding to Soup Spoon at Paragon and sojourn in Borders
Bonus: Slightly accomplished. Still hopelessly, pathetically yearning
Laugh-o-meter: Uncontrollable at the Soup Spoon with Jin and JS, with Quasimodo and expressionless lesbian sex jokes.
Karma-o-meter: 2 divided by 0. Anything divided by 0 actually. If you get the joke...
Quote of the day: 'After I got my 3 degrees, after returning from Oxford...'
My response: 'Honey, all 'em degrees ain't any good when you're suffering from atrophy of the pussy'
I come home close to midnight and am faced with a barrage from the mother on how the clothes were not packed properly and how irresponsible whoever packed them was and how they are crumpled and need to be ironed and how come I left the door and gate open just now and this and that and this and that. I do try to avoid conflict and confrontation with the maternal unit because, believe it or not, I hate it. It's tiring, draining and occasionally guilt-tripping, because I tend to get carried away in the heat of things...but MY GOD SHE IS DAMN IRRITATING! I have just come home from a busy day of school, gym and study. I am not in the fucking mood to hear you crying over split milk la, REALLY not in the mood.
Really a damper to my day...which was pretty good actually. After SLS we had dinner with Lisa and Joel, who are the cutest pairing ever...its worrying that I now refer to Jinesh and myself in the collective. But yes, we then headed to the...geeeyum...where there was much laughter as we made random girl-girl pairings and Jin came up with the most utterly hilarious one ever. Went down to the organic food cafe next door (which is like the new Far Coast, it's quiet because it's so empty which is why we love it and it's going to close down soon for lack of business - but FAR COAST WILL BE BACK!) and shared some lamb sirloin thing which was pretty good - better be for what it cost - and I had organic iced coffee (that sounds so liberal doesn't it) while Jin had some delicious strawberry concoction.
Jin's friend Helmi came down and we chatted till 11-ish. He said that I could well be the next Thio Li-Ann...worrying. I don't want to come across as nasty and mean but somehow I do, to most people anyway. And my motor-mouth and extreme self-indulgence don't mitigate my case. I had a very good conversation with Jin on the drive from BTC to Orchard though...apparently we had a 'breakthrough' - his words not mine.
I presumed that he already knew whatever I was saying really. About how the perceived pomposity, alleged arrogance and supposed superiority complex (ok enough with the alliterations already) are really a facade I put up to mask my inherent and far-reaching insecurities and inferiority complex.
Say what you will about me, I'm nothing if not very self-aware. Since one of my greatest interests is myself, I guess that isn't much of a surprise, but I do think I'm a pretty good judge of my character - although I only seem to identify, not rectify.
And yet another post descends into a protracted discussion about myself again. Loves it.
Anyhoo, I have an interview later today for law pageant (what a joke). I've heard some pretty bad things about the previous interviews but you know what, I can take care of myself.
Been so busy with law school that I haven't found much time for other social activities. Although this Saturday is Straw-up-the-nose which I wouldn't miss for the world. Till then.
Behold, quite possibly the most ANNOYING couple EVER. Now, before you think, 'Oh there Simon goes, being a bitch as usual', you should really spend half a day - no, an hour will suffice - in the library, on the third floor, where, unfortunately, these two seem to enjoy nesting, and observe for yourself. 
Ah! The samazozis. 
