so i've again been neglecting this baby of mine for quite a while except for a quick login to change the header (hands up anyone who actually noticed it).
the evil empire has come to its senses and officially announced its decision today, which was just about time because i was beginning to feel bad for mike. see i was unofficially told abt my outcome last fri and silly me assumed/presumed that everyone got their decisions and went to call mike, only to find out that he had no news. then i told him that the decision wld be out on monday (but somehow it only came out this morning). but anyway the impt thing is that we both made it, and now it's operation get-mike-to-boston-so-we-can-share-an-m3 (sorry grace! :p)
so dat episode is finally settled and i can finally move on! so i went down to lido for the citigold private screening of lions for lambs (courtesy of auntie!). i haf to say the scene-skipping between three concurrently happening events (1. cruise's character being interviewed, 2. the two boys in afghanistan and 3. redford's talk with the privileged californian bum) pieces the whole show together very well although it's not the first time this method is being used. but the whole movie seems rather awkward and the message not well packaged. in any case the underlying message/propaganda is for americans to stand up and do something (against the current war on terror i assume). i personally believe in the more general message of proactivity over passivity! okie time to kooon, champions league again tmr morning.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
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Saturday, October 20, 2007
concrete angel
kind of early to be feeling all emotional but this is the first time i'm hearing this song again (probably since my old comp crashed on me), a song that never fails to make my eyes water
Concrete Angel - Martina McBride
She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she's holdin' back
Wearin the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and lace
The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask
Its hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
Somebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it'll be too late
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
Music Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QDm03Foq2T0
the irony here is that I found this song again while looking for another Martina song for my friend: Valentine which is a song that cannot be more different than Concrete Angel. this is the charm of country music: its lyrics speak of life, both its goods and bads. enjoy the video and keep some kleenex handy
Concrete Angel - Martina McBride
She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she's holdin' back
Wearin the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and lace
The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask
Its hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
Somebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it'll be too late
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot
Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can't rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she's loved
Concrete angel
Music Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QDm03Foq2T0
the irony here is that I found this song again while looking for another Martina song for my friend: Valentine which is a song that cannot be more different than Concrete Angel. this is the charm of country music: its lyrics speak of life, both its goods and bads. enjoy the video and keep some kleenex handy
Thursday, October 18, 2007
back from stockholm and some thoughts
so i've been back from stockholm for about a week liao (din get to extend my stay coz of lack of air tickets and lab presentation on tues). it was a nice break though and a really beautiful place (photos soon when i figure out how to post them).
i've been kind of neglecting this site but i've been rather busy since i came back and i din really have much to talk abt (unless u wanna read abt all the expts i've been running)
now a recent (seemingly) hot topic has been the upcoming tabling of a Parliamentary Petition to the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore to repeal section 377A (Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years) by Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong.
now i have to admit i have no idea about the origins of this issue but on a personal note, i would vote for the repealment of the law if it did come down to a national vote. but to be honest, i am quite sure that the majority of the votes will be for the maintenance of the status quo. this society in general is just not quite ready for such a move yet. this brings me back to the online petition which i am highly skeptical about. the PM has already made his stand pretty clear on this issue and thinking that an online petition will change his position about it is well wishful thinking. i dunno wat to think of some of the people who sign these online petitions and are so proud abt it. if one really wants to support a cause, one should do more than sign such a thing (it's just too easy to do this nowadays). im not sure maybe it's just hip or cool to be associated with such things.
no offense but i can think of many other more worthwhile causes to back (global warming and AIDS in Africa comes to mind) if i can find time to. so i will just sit back and watch things develop over the next few weeks
i've been kind of neglecting this site but i've been rather busy since i came back and i din really have much to talk abt (unless u wanna read abt all the expts i've been running)
now a recent (seemingly) hot topic has been the upcoming tabling of a Parliamentary Petition to the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore to repeal section 377A (Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years) by Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong.
now i have to admit i have no idea about the origins of this issue but on a personal note, i would vote for the repealment of the law if it did come down to a national vote. but to be honest, i am quite sure that the majority of the votes will be for the maintenance of the status quo. this society in general is just not quite ready for such a move yet. this brings me back to the online petition which i am highly skeptical about. the PM has already made his stand pretty clear on this issue and thinking that an online petition will change his position about it is well wishful thinking. i dunno wat to think of some of the people who sign these online petitions and are so proud abt it. if one really wants to support a cause, one should do more than sign such a thing (it's just too easy to do this nowadays). im not sure maybe it's just hip or cool to be associated with such things.
no offense but i can think of many other more worthwhile causes to back (global warming and AIDS in Africa comes to mind) if i can find time to. so i will just sit back and watch things develop over the next few weeks
Saturday, October 6, 2007
off to stockholm for five days (hopefully more)
decided to drop a quite post before i leave for the karolinska study trip (im packing and dressing as i type this!)
at the moment i'm on the waiting list for later flights that will allow me to extend my trip thru the weekend (keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!)
at the moment, i juz cannot wait to get out of this 30+ celsius heat and seek cooler pastures (changi airport first and then stockholm in abt 16 hours!).
on a side note, my bosox are up two-zip while the !@#$%^& yanks are down two-zip. lady luck muz have been shining on bosox fans today as both games were decided in rather peculiar circumstances. firstly the indians were killing my heart this morning (i woke up at 530am to watch the game on espn!) by stranding lead-off man after lead-off man after lead-off man, that was until heaven, or rather nature in the form of Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus) or Chironomus attenuatus Walker or simply midges, decided to swarm Joba Chamberlain, take him out of his stride and caused him to wild-pitch the tying run in for the indians in the bottom of the 8th.
next, this 17-year-old kid called Danny Vinik (literally) lent a hand to the bosox by swiping manny's foul ball out of the glove of Jeff Mathis, clearing the way for the tying run to be scored!
anyway, gotta go now!
at the moment i'm on the waiting list for later flights that will allow me to extend my trip thru the weekend (keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!)
at the moment, i juz cannot wait to get out of this 30+ celsius heat and seek cooler pastures (changi airport first and then stockholm in abt 16 hours!).
on a side note, my bosox are up two-zip while the !@#$%^& yanks are down two-zip. lady luck muz have been shining on bosox fans today as both games were decided in rather peculiar circumstances. firstly the indians were killing my heart this morning (i woke up at 530am to watch the game on espn!) by stranding lead-off man after lead-off man after lead-off man, that was until heaven, or rather nature in the form of Chironomus plumosus (Linnaeus) or Chironomus attenuatus Walker or simply midges, decided to swarm Joba Chamberlain, take him out of his stride and caused him to wild-pitch the tying run in for the indians in the bottom of the 8th.
next, this 17-year-old kid called Danny Vinik (literally) lent a hand to the bosox by swiping manny's foul ball out of the glove of Jeff Mathis, clearing the way for the tying run to be scored!
anyway, gotta go now!
Monday, October 1, 2007
aching body after fun weekend
aching achilles. check
bum back. check
bruised shin and knee. check
shiok feeling of playing footy. check
i juz played my first footy game in like five months at a street soccer court near my old house. it was worth every bit of ache and cramp i feel at e moment. plus the added poignancy of visiting my old neighborhood where i spent the first 14 years of my life. much has changed to the hougang ave 1 group of flats (the court for one is relatively new) since i moved about 10 years ago but it was nice to see my old malay barber shop still in existence. memories of me getting my hair cut and buying agar agar from the fruit shop came flooding back to my mind.
on a whole it was a very exciting (and busy) weekend. three great rugby matches on tv. not many things can make me not want to switch channels to watch my beloved united on tv but the wales fiji match was a real cliff-hanger. before i slept that nite, i only had one word in my mind to describe it: wow
and since i seem to be reviewing my weekend in reverse, i watched the nanny's diary on sat (wasn't too hard to choose watching a movie with a chio bu over one with two guys acting gay). i have to say it did strike a surprising chord with me, especially so in the singapore context. while we dun have many nannies and upper east siders here, we have many maids and double income families (a phenomenon that i'm partially blaming for the prevalence of spoilt brats among children these days - but this can be a whole separate article for another day). but i'm sure the scene of grayer running to annie instead of his mum would have struck the chord among many singaporean mums who have had the same experience with their children and maids.
the total handsoff approach to parenting by Mr and Mrs X is absolutely grating to me. it brings to mind the spca? ads about pets not being able to be shelved like books after one has lost interest in them. i hope this underlying message is a timely reminder to the parents of today that their child is living human being they need to interact with and not something you can throw money at and expect to grow up well.
bum back. check
bruised shin and knee. check
shiok feeling of playing footy. check
i juz played my first footy game in like five months at a street soccer court near my old house. it was worth every bit of ache and cramp i feel at e moment. plus the added poignancy of visiting my old neighborhood where i spent the first 14 years of my life. much has changed to the hougang ave 1 group of flats (the court for one is relatively new) since i moved about 10 years ago but it was nice to see my old malay barber shop still in existence. memories of me getting my hair cut and buying agar agar from the fruit shop came flooding back to my mind.
on a whole it was a very exciting (and busy) weekend. three great rugby matches on tv. not many things can make me not want to switch channels to watch my beloved united on tv but the wales fiji match was a real cliff-hanger. before i slept that nite, i only had one word in my mind to describe it: wow
and since i seem to be reviewing my weekend in reverse, i watched the nanny's diary on sat (wasn't too hard to choose watching a movie with a chio bu over one with two guys acting gay). i have to say it did strike a surprising chord with me, especially so in the singapore context. while we dun have many nannies and upper east siders here, we have many maids and double income families (a phenomenon that i'm partially blaming for the prevalence of spoilt brats among children these days - but this can be a whole separate article for another day). but i'm sure the scene of grayer running to annie instead of his mum would have struck the chord among many singaporean mums who have had the same experience with their children and maids.
the total handsoff approach to parenting by Mr and Mrs X is absolutely grating to me. it brings to mind the spca? ads about pets not being able to be shelved like books after one has lost interest in them. i hope this underlying message is a timely reminder to the parents of today that their child is living human being they need to interact with and not something you can throw money at and expect to grow up well.
Friday, September 28, 2007
off to sweden soon and some perspective
just realized that i have not blogged for nearly a mth! i'm not sure myself where this month of september has gone but it has been a rather busy month so far. for one, work in the lab has picked up considerably this month, with experiments to both plan and perform (so no more blogging at work. oops!)
the rugby world cup started at the beginning of september and will run thru to the end of october. i have to say i fell in love with rugby back in my ri and rj days (and it is disheartening to see we have fallen on the way side in schools' rugby). despite four years of not watching a rugby game and three years of watching american football, i have to say that i will pick rugby over nfl anytime. my reasons can fill up an entire column but the main reason is this: rugby is a sport played by 15 fit men who can both defend and attack while nfl is a game played by men who can only either defend or attack, with half of whom being unfit and obese men.
so the midweek wee hour telecast of rugby and champions league football matches have been forcing me to keep early nites. on weekends, i have been helping tutor my cousins for their psle and 'o' level exams in the coming mths.
oh. and there's the gis bowling competition that's happening tomorrow for which my team has been practising quite frequently for.
all these add up to a rather busy but enjoyable month of september. now for a preview of october:
1) more rugby world cup, champions league and epl = maximizing my starhub subscription
2) more experiments from a potential extra project (to make it a total of three projects i will be involved in)
3) trip to karolinska institutet for a holiday cum study trip!
4) the !@#$%^&* interview that will determine the next five years of my life
having always been in the 'top tier' of the education stratification all my life, i have always had nothing but good feelings and postitive things to say about the streaming and stratification system in singapore (let everyone progress at their own pace etc.). but the last two events on my oct checklist has given me some food for thought about this. missing the 'grade' by 0.0022 has dropped me into the lower tier of the stratification system that has required me to attend event 4. i never thot this will be such a big deal, at least not until i have gone thru event 4. but signing up for event 3 led to a caution that permission to go on event 3 did NOT constitute an offer. DUH! now i feel that i have been classified even before official confirmation which brings back thoughts i had a month ago about feeling appreciated that can be summed up in one line:
an email to my professors led to multiple replies offering help and support vs. missing by 0.0022 and being condemned to a lower strata
i rest my case. but i have to say the recent events in burma (myanmar) has provided some needed perspective (before i get all angsty again). my problem here seems small compared to the fight the burmese have out of oppression and for a freer way of life. 10 people (more according to some media reports) have been killed during the suppression of the revolt and this has really struck me. maybe it's because its happening in a place closer to home (instead of iraq or congo or other genocide hotspots). or perhaps it's because i'm already numb to the reports of deaths (especially in iraq) such that all i do when i see the headline is raise my eyebrow and flip the page.
time to catch and stop myself. england and tonga face off for a place in the knock-out stages in the rugby world cup at 3am and bowling starts at 10am.
the rugby world cup started at the beginning of september and will run thru to the end of october. i have to say i fell in love with rugby back in my ri and rj days (and it is disheartening to see we have fallen on the way side in schools' rugby). despite four years of not watching a rugby game and three years of watching american football, i have to say that i will pick rugby over nfl anytime. my reasons can fill up an entire column but the main reason is this: rugby is a sport played by 15 fit men who can both defend and attack while nfl is a game played by men who can only either defend or attack, with half of whom being unfit and obese men.
so the midweek wee hour telecast of rugby and champions league football matches have been forcing me to keep early nites. on weekends, i have been helping tutor my cousins for their psle and 'o' level exams in the coming mths.
oh. and there's the gis bowling competition that's happening tomorrow for which my team has been practising quite frequently for.
all these add up to a rather busy but enjoyable month of september. now for a preview of october:
1) more rugby world cup, champions league and epl = maximizing my starhub subscription
2) more experiments from a potential extra project (to make it a total of three projects i will be involved in)
3) trip to karolinska institutet for a holiday cum study trip!
4) the !@#$%^&* interview that will determine the next five years of my life
having always been in the 'top tier' of the education stratification all my life, i have always had nothing but good feelings and postitive things to say about the streaming and stratification system in singapore (let everyone progress at their own pace etc.). but the last two events on my oct checklist has given me some food for thought about this. missing the 'grade' by 0.0022 has dropped me into the lower tier of the stratification system that has required me to attend event 4. i never thot this will be such a big deal, at least not until i have gone thru event 4. but signing up for event 3 led to a caution that permission to go on event 3 did NOT constitute an offer. DUH! now i feel that i have been classified even before official confirmation which brings back thoughts i had a month ago about feeling appreciated that can be summed up in one line:
an email to my professors led to multiple replies offering help and support vs. missing by 0.0022 and being condemned to a lower strata
i rest my case. but i have to say the recent events in burma (myanmar) has provided some needed perspective (before i get all angsty again). my problem here seems small compared to the fight the burmese have out of oppression and for a freer way of life. 10 people (more according to some media reports) have been killed during the suppression of the revolt and this has really struck me. maybe it's because its happening in a place closer to home (instead of iraq or congo or other genocide hotspots). or perhaps it's because i'm already numb to the reports of deaths (especially in iraq) such that all i do when i see the headline is raise my eyebrow and flip the page.
time to catch and stop myself. england and tonga face off for a place in the knock-out stages in the rugby world cup at 3am and bowling starts at 10am.
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