You can't stop the beat!!

19-year-old boy makes me swoon.
Am high on pro-Zac!
Faint.








If I were much younger, I would have been Tracy. But since I'm not, I can only go for Edna Turnblad or Motormouth Maybelle! Argh.

HAIRSPRAY was hilarious! I was grinning, laughing and my feet are a-tapping from start to finish. I went with little expection but wow...it was dazzling. Did I mention Zac Efron is in it? He is. And cheesy James Marsden is spot on.

...............................

Motormouth Maybelle: [watching Edna walk in] If we get any more white people in here, this is gonna be a suburb.

xx

Edna Turnblad: [singing] You can't stop my happiness, 'cuz I like the way I am. And you just can't stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas ham! And if you don't like the way I look, then I just don't give a damn!

xx

Seaweed: Livin' in the ghetto, black is everywhere you go. Who'd have thought I'd love a girl whose skin was white as winter snow?
Penny Pingleton: In my ivory tower, life was just a Hostess snack, but now I've tasted chocolate, and I'm never goin' back!

xx

Mr. Spritzer: [about Tracy] I want that chubby Communist girl off my show!

..................................

Hahahahahaha. Chubby communist. Why can I strongly relate to that? Hahahaha.

Yes yes, HAIRSPRAY is an uplifting offering and well, any depression will be left at the door really. It was the best 2 hours of my life that day. Nikki Blonsky was great but I think my favourite character is Penny, played by Amanda Byrne. She's hilarious.

Travolta? He looks so freaky, it's comical. And my..he is so huge. He makes the laundry basket looks so small.

Ah, I miss that show already. Will definitely get the DVD and the soundtrack.

Why?

Cause I cant stop the beat, that's why.


P/S: I was sleepy today I slept all the way home on the train. I didnt even realise I dropped my laptop until a kind lady woke me up at Bishan. Otherwise I would have slept till Jurong and somebody would have taken Snow White.

P/P/S: It's almost 0500hrs. I was asleep from 8pm to 2am!


###

True Faith, a Blue Monday on friday, i Regret!

It's lunch time and nope...still havent slept a wink.
I'm a No-Sleep Superhero!

Anyway, guess who is coming to town this weekend, man?

..

No, it's not Paul Van Dyk
..

No, it's not Aaron Kwok.
..
..
..
It's Paul Hook of New fucking Order!
This Friday! At Zouk! Angel Dust!
Oh Blue Monday comes too late!
Oh the Bizarre Love Triangle! The Hurt! Confusion!
Temptation, Regret!
My morning sun is the drug that brings me near
To the childhood I lost, replaced by fear


"Each way I turn, I know I'll always try
To break this circle that's been placed around me
From time to time, I find Ive lost some need
That was urgent to myself, I do believe

Up, down, turn around
Please don't let me hit the ground
Tonight I think Ill walk alone
I'll find my soul as I go home

Oh, you've got green eyes
Oh, you've got blue eyes
Oh, you've got grey eyes" (Temptation)


Feeling high. I shall leave you with the horoscope.


VIRGO - The Perfectionist
Dominant in relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic.

SCORPIO - The Intense One
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional.

LIBRA - The Harmonizer
Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.

ARIES - TheDaredevil
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

GEMINI - The Chatterbox
Smart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express themselves. Argumentative and outspoken. Likes change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. May seem superficial or inconsistent, But is only changeable. Beautiful physically and mentally.

LEO - The Boss
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. D oing the right thing is important to Leos. Attractive.

CANCER - The Protector
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome. Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic.

PISCES - The Dreamer
Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Don't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.

TAURUS - The Enduring One
Charming but aggressive. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings who are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice Loving and kind. Loves hard - passionate. Express themselves emotionally. Prone to ferocious temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous.

SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One
Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

Anyway here's mine. Yeah 2..cant decide which one is more dominant. Optimist, but pessimist. That's so me, haha.


CAPRICORN - The Go-Getter
Patient and wise. Practical and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimists. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be unfriendl y at times. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get what they want.

AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart
Optimisitc and honest. Sweet personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but original and unique. Attractive on the inside an dout. Eccentric personality.


Later.

###

Folie et déraison

It's 0545hrs and I havent slept a single wink. I am pissed off with Michael Focault at this moment. Why cant he theorise concepts simply? Right now, everything seems like a mess.

Yes, in this bewitching hour, how appropriate it is to be reading up on Madness and Insanity.

Fuck you, Focault.
Fuck you.


P/S: HAIRSPRAY is definitely one of the best movies of the year.


###

Oh for fuck sake

Fuck you, you fucking stupid bitch!
Chee bye fucking asshole!
(It's not supposed to be funny here!)
Mongrel motherfucking moron!

Chee bye.
Fucking chee bye.

###

One day I'll fly away

I almost choked on my dinner earlier cause I thought I was late.

Voila...it's 1930hrs and no one is in the class. I bet some of them dont even know there's a class today because usually, it's once a week and it is on Friday. Strangely, there's 2 lessons this week. The School is just feeling generous and wants to shower me with incentives.

I get it, baby.

I get it.

###

Believe me when I say I love you...

Let the kids (err..big kids) watch Moulin Rouge in class just now. Not to sound elitist or whatsoever, that movie may be a bag of cliches and gaudiness but for all its perceived kitsch-ness, Moulin Rouge is one hell of a movie to make. Of course, this is biased because I am such a dorky fan of Baz Luhrmann and I believe he is hiding one corner right now creating his next gem. Oi Aussie, come out already!



Anyway, the reason was to let the students see the various montages, camera angles, sound effects, costume and set designs and the concept of themes. It's always heartwarming to know that your students step out of the class with a better understanding and the ability to question the things around them. Good to know. Some of them hated the show but too bad...not everything will go your way all the time.



Uh huh.



The School decided that I should have a night class this evening and so, it's a split-shift day for me. Bummer. Back to class in the evening.



Okay...back to lesson planning. That's the thing when one is not given enough headstart. Preparations are always made moments before and there is no time to slack off.

..

..

..



And you know me...I like to slack off.



Not everything will go your way all the time, Ed.

Not everything.





P/S: It was 2001. Fifi, Din and I caught Moulin Rouge at Jubilee.Ah, the joy of being 21.





###

Why Samson loves Delilah

Note: It sucks to know that comedians are really sad fucks. Get well, Owen.


Just done writing a hate-email to my Journalism uni students. Okay, not technically a hate mail...more like a "dont-mess-with-me" kind of mail. I sense that they are getting a bit too needy/clingy/spoon-fed and therefore, need to be reminded. Just because you are already a uni student, it doesnt mean that I am at your mercy. Sickening succotash.

Roar!!

Tired. It will be another long day tomorrow. Am really beginning to look forward to the coming weekend retreat although I have to spend it with tons of colleagues. Come to think of it, I have been seeing them for more than a week straight. I havent gotten a rest day since last Sunday. Madness.

Oh well.
It's back to work.


Now here we are,
The two of us
And nothing's gonna come between us again
Forever love
I feel you're with me
You're the sun that chases away the rain

I cherish all the love you bring
It's here forever and a day
I love you more than anything
I can't throw that away
My Love.....

There's nowhere
Baby unless you're there
I could never let you down
By the way
I have wanted to say
I will always be around
Forever love..
Oh.. Forever love...

Inside my heart
You'll never die
You understand the man that hides deep inside
So come to me
I need you dearly
I'll never give you reason to say good-bye

There were times I made you cry
And times I wasn't there for you
But for our love I'd even die (for our Love)
For you I'm gonna stay.

There's nowhere
Baby unless you're there
I could never let you down
By the way
I have wanted to say
I will always be around
Forever love... - Forever Love, Color Me Badd


I aint going nowhere. You know where to find me.

A thousand times goodnight, vagabonds and stowaways.


###

The time isnt now...but soon

I didn’t manage to prepare fully for class today so I repeated the topic from the previous lesson. I did it also because the next major assignment is heavily based on that particular topic. Still, it’s a bloody shitty feeling. I fell asleep last night while reading and PowerPoint-ing. This will not happen again. Bah.

In class, thank God, everything went smoothly. We covered the previous topic again and this time, I was more detailed. During the break, I speed-read the next topic (which I didn’t manage to finish) and once the students were back, we discussed it. It was about culture and we spent one hour just talking about it. Yes, just plain old talking.


Can someone bring coffee, cakes and sandwiches for next lesson?


It was quite good actually. We had Indians, Malays and Chinese students in the house..complete with Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and atheism...and there was a lot of de-cluttering of culture misconceptions been done. There was a lot of “No offence” being muttered by students but I told them ... if they didn’t want to air their views here, with mature classmates, they would forever hold their tongues.


Ignore this twat.
In my class, anything is possible
If you don’t mind, I don’t mind.


It turned out great after all. Kind of brought me back to my film and political tutorials back in Perth, where we all sat in a circle (like in AA..rehab..focus group or in some cults) and talked about life and deconstructing nature. Sunday mornings were great once again.

That’s about it. I was too tired to go out to catch a movie, to eat lunch, to watch a ballroom dance competition, to read/study at the library or to visit some relatives. Slept the bloody living daylight out of me and only woke up in time for dinner.


Am watching the MAN UNITED versus SPURS match right now.
I think you know what I’m gonna do later after that.

Yes..it’s back to work.
Journalism classes tomorrow.


Meet you downstairs in the bar and heard
Your rolled up sleeves and your skull t-shirt
You say what did you do with him today?
And sniff me out like I was Tanqueray

Cause you're my fella, my guy
Hand me your stella and fly
By the time I'm out the door
You're ten men down like Roger Moore

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told ya, I was trouble
You know that I'm no good

Upstairs in bed, with my ex boy
He's in the place, but I can't get joy
Thinking of you in the final throes
This is when my buzzer goes

Run out to meet you, chips and bitter
You say we'll marry 'cause you're not bitter
There'll be none of him no more
I cried for you on the kitchen floor

I cheated myself
Like I knew I would
I told ya, I was trouble
You know that I'm no good

Sweet reunion, Jamaica and Spain
We're like how we were again
I'm in the tub you on the seat
Lick your lips as I soak my feet

Then you notice little carpet burn
My stomach drop yeah and my guts churn
You shrug and it's the worst
You truly stuck the knife in first

I cheated myself like I knew I would
I told ya I was trouble
You know that I'm no good
I cheated myself, like I knew I would
I told ya I was trouble
You know that I'm no good – You Know I'm No Good, Amy Winehouse


I cant relate to it because I am such a *smirk* virginal hag who cant even remember her foray into relationships, let alone cheating on partners if there was any. But hey, I’ve got a great sense of imagination and association so...I love this gem from crazy Wino.

Okay.
Back to Scholesy and gang.


P/S: Tevez looks like a gibbon.

P/P/S: Sha and Nani...I am proposing some broadcasting modules to HOD. I may need your expertise. Will update if the plan goes through. Danke.


###

Part bourgeois, part bohemian...

...part Fellini, part Bellini.


Oh man...
Oh me...
Oh my...


I am dead tired. I havent got any rest this week. Today (Saturday) was supposed to be my rest day but The School decided that all of us should be recalled for some academic training. I know, I know. I can claim half day off and I can use it on Weiling's ROM day but..but..it's a precious Saturday. It's irreplaceable. Time is irreplaceable.


Yesterday was my split-shift day where I usually have the afternoon free because I have morning and evening classes every Friday. But...The School decided that yesterday, all the newcomers should undergo a brain profiling test at 4:30pm. Urgh. What the hell.

As for the profiling test, to my "horror" I found out that I was actually in the wrong line. My brain profile was "BLUE" and it meant that I am systematic, good with numbers and information, scientific. It said that I am analytical and factual. Man...and all my Mass Comm colleagues were on the "RED" side - interpersonal, sensitive and emotional.

Kwa kwa kwa.


Some pictures.




These were taken last week on Friday. I ended class early and sneaked into an empty classroom on the 3rd floor to check out the fireworks. The church was blocking but...oh well..can lah.





Last Monday The School had its IDOL competition and it was the preliminaries. Two of my students took part so I thought, since it was my dinner break anyway, I gave them a bit of my support. The local girl didnt make it and maybe it was due to her choice of song. The China girl made it through to the finals (next Friday). Happy for her man...she was the only China/Chinese student who sang in English. Her rendition of Robbie Williams' She's The One was awesome.

But you know who is the best?
This one.



Come on!

You have to give it to her, man.
4 hours of sleep every day and she has never stopped smiling.
Penniless and cold...and she hasnt stopped smiling.
She has been early for work still.
She hasnt been taking cabs.
Dedication? Maybe.
Idol material, I tell you.
Hands down..hands down.

Vote her for IDOL.
The rest can bite the dust.




So Thursday I discovered the Indian coffeeshop stall near my workplace. With cheap chappati, thosai and sweet teh tarik, that joint shall be my new lunch time hangout place and the mamas are my new friends. Even though I was alone, I felt so at home. The stomach-churning curry didnt stop me. The next day, I got Liah there with me.


Aiiikkkks!
Run!
It's Miss Prism!


Last week, Weiling, Clara, Rae and I decided to support the BF and her play - Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Liah was playing Miss Prism, the (estimating here) 60-year-old virgin.

When the lights came on and there she was on stage, Weiling burst out laughing and broke into a spasm/fit. It was so bad she had to bury her face in her lap for a good 5 minutes. I had trouble suppressing my laughter because Weiling's bout of spasm was hilarious.


Weiling: Oh there she is!
Ed: Yeah!
Weiling: Oh my god! HAHAHHAHa!
Ed: Hehe..eh dont laugh..hehe
Weiling: Oh my god! She looks so old!
Ed: Hehehe..of course lah! She's playing an old woman!
Weiling: Hahaha! But I didnt imagine her to look THIS old! Hahahahah!
Ed: Hehe! She looks like her mother!
Weiling: Hahhahaaha!
Ed: Hehe! Eh stop laughing! Hehe!
Weiling: Hahah! I cannot! Hahaha!
Ed: Hehe..basket lah you! Hehe! Shut up! Shut up!


By the time Weiling stopped laughing, Liah had exited left.

It was such a terrible feeling. I had to imagine dead cats and dogs and was looking at the corner of the stage, instead of focussing on Liah. Weiling..what the hell!!

But girlfriend, you were great...though a bit soft. You want to know how great you were? You were good enough to play ALL the parts. You can do them better than the rest. Gah!!

Maybe you shouldnt be performing with them anymore.
Go solo.
Do Vagina Monologues!



I'll make sure Weiling doesnt laugh this time.


Mentioning Liah, it was so sweet of her. Yesterday, she brought me to her facial place and treated me to a free beauty facial. We had the 12:30 timeslot...just nice because I had break from 12 to 4, before rushing back to The School for the brain profiling test and then evening class. Thank you! It was fun!


Oh well.


It's midnight already and where did the day go? Took a bus from work to AMK library. Did a bit of research on script writing and read some magazines. Spent almost 4 hours in there. 4 bloody hours. Ran all the way home because it was almost time to break fast.

Awrite...it's time to do work and prepare for tomorrow's morning class.

Urgh.
I hate Sunday school.

A thousand times goodnight, auteurs and bohemians.


###

Zzz Monster is coming to town

Walked to Hill Street and had chappati and kima. Super yummy and spicy. Now my fingernails are yellow and I have a lingering curry smell on them. Oh..they are cheap too. That's the most important thing.






RATATOUILLE last night was entertaining although there were parts where I wished there was more action than just plain ol talking. For a cartoon, it's quite a talky-talky kind of show!


Linguini: Hey... Why do they call it that?
Skinner: What?
Linguini: Ratatouille. It's like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? If you're gunna name a food, you should give it a name that sounds delicious. Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like 'rat' and 'patootie'. 'Rat-patootie', which does not sound delicious.

........................................

Remy: We're thieves, and what we're stealing is, let's be honest, garbage.
Django: It's not stealing if no one wants it.
Remy: If no one want's it, then why are we stealing it?

........................................

RATATOUILLE is marvellous. Its animation is superb and wow Pixar, it was amazing!Though the movie is not flashy like The Incredibles, to me it's heartwarming and funny.

Watching the rat cooking French food does stir some desire to be in the kitchen and cook. Thank God Meilng had some food other wise, I would have starved much worse than the gutter rat. Tought love, baby. Tough love.



Urgh it is so cold and I am full and sleepy,



Steaming cuppa caffeine is soon predicted...



...and then the anxiety rush will kick in and I will become a dancing monkey one more time.




###

Monarchy or Weimar?

A quick shout-out...


HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO DA-JIE!

May it be the start of more wonderful things to come.
Hope you have a great day..out celebrating tomorrow.
Hooray.


Okay.
It's time to get back to work...and the England-Germany match.
No sleep tonight.

A thousand times goodnight, ten thousand maniacs.


###

The need to stay alive

In order to stay alive, I need to stay awake.
In order to stay awake, I need to stay alert.
In order to stay alert, I need to go to the pantry and make myself strong coffee (kopi-kao!) in a huge-ass mug.


Staying true to the cause-and-effect theory of being, I am now...


In need to pee.
In need to jump up and down a gazillion time.
In need of a heavy-duty mouth wash.
In need of a banal fix to untangle the brain knots.


Banal?

You know...like trashy TV programmes, toilet humour of a film, lame radio talk, silly love articles on Cosmo. Things that are so normal in life.

Rat-a-tat
Rat-a-tat
Rat-a-touille.

For those who are going to the premiere later at GV Marina, yes..it will be me who will laugh the loudest, fidget the most and probably run in and out of the loo. I am sorry.

###

Here it comes for the hundreth time...

..it's the Zsss Monsters attacking me.

Gah.

I need to release a loud and forceful yawn


###

I dont mind...if you dont mind

It may be cold and glum outside, but I feel good.
The power of smart sleeping.


Wear your eyes as dark as night
Paint your face with what you like
Wear your love like it is made of hate
Born to destroy, and born to create

Now baby, what've you done to your hair?
Is it just the same time of year?
When you think that you don't really care
Oh baby, what have you done to your hair?
Done to your hair...
Done to your hair...
Done to your hair...
Done to your hair...

So when you hear this autumn song
Clean your heads and get ready to run
So when you hear this autumn song
Remember the first times are yet to come - Autumnsong, Manics


*burp*


It wasnt me.
It's the cheap 70c carrot cake.
I swear.

As much as I dont like lecturing Culture and Society, it's good to know that more and more students are paying attention and are entertained by my "brand" of teaching. Okay...you people wont know this but I am actually quite entertaining in class. Ignore the fact that I am absolutely incapable of reading out loud or reading the words projected on the screen, I am actually quite engaging. Hehehe.

Was at the pantry making Milo when one of the cleaners came in. Had a chat and well...a new friend found. You never know when you need their help.

Was planning to catch 881 tonight. But Meiling asked me if I wanted to catch Ratatouille for free instead. Of course I'll go for free. My free Eng Wah pass can be used to watch Hairspray or something. Zac Efron is cute and ..sigh..only 19. Why??????

Later.


P/S: I've given up on Secret. Somehow, I never have the time or energy to watch it. Maybe I cant bear to see Jay Chou with another girl.

P/P/S: My phone is dying and I have switched it off. Will check again randomly. In the meantime, just email me at the gmail account or the school's. For the latter it is (my first full name)@(the school).edu.sg


###

Not a protest song

Man...it’s almost 0200hrs already.

Work makes me grumpy, I tell you.

Am having a silent protest at home...I don’t even know for what reason. Just don’t feel like talking. Think it’s bad PMS. Not that there’s a good one. But urgh...the monthly ‘tenderness’ is actually painful this time round. Am trying to be extra careful and not lie on my tummy. It hurts like hell. Am paranoid with the thought of having lumps on boobs even.

I hate PMS.

Back to work...because we know life goes on, menstruation or otherwise.

A thousand times goodnight, Red Sea.


###

Hegemony anemone

 

Am preparing for tomorrow's lesson on Althusser and Gramsci. Since when did pre-university studies get so difficult? Anyway, am quite bugged.

 

 

Is Singapore a fascist state in disguise?

 

 

Headache...headache...

 

 

###

 

The cheap, the convenient and the oily

 

Hmmm....

 

Unless healthy food comes in cheap, I shall stick to my Old Chang Kee. If not for the 70c carrot cake, $1 curry puff (of various fillings) or $1 fishball, how else will I be filled when hunger pang strikes?

 

 

Hail Old Chang.

Long live Old Chang.

God bless Old Chang.

 

 

Dong chang dong chang.

 

 

P/S: That's the sound of the funeral band celebrating your death from choked/clogged arteries.

 

P/P/S: The reason why you can even have a funeral band upon death is because you had saved a lot of money eating oily Old Chang Kee and not some expensive organic matter.

 

 

###

 

 

Eating literary air

I am unbelievably tired.

There are many things I've been wanting to blog about: the August birthday celebration, Liah's performance in The Importance of Being Earnest, yesterday's Ubin trip with the Woos, Tini-Ismail's proposal. However, I always fell asleep before I could finish all these entries.

Anyway, The School is conducting a compulsory training this Saturday. Chee bye. Chee bloody bye. It's my rest day and they want me back. I want to go NPCC and they want me back. And I still have to teach on Sunday.

Dont give me bullcrap that I can claim one day off..or in lieu. You cant recover lost time by giving me "new" time.

Urgh.

Back to work.
It's already 0220hrs.
Dammit.

A thousand times goodnight, slaves and proletariats.


P/S: Congrats to Tini+Ismail.


###

Errata

 

 

I retract.

 

It's pouring and my joints - the best weathermen - are aching. I am glad I am indoors and am not survival cooking. Brrrrr.

 

It's another hour to dismissal. This is so dumb.

 

 

...working half day on a Saturday, that is.

 

 

###

Saturday sun's gone

 

Reading Channelnewsasia.com …

 

 

President Nathan calls on President's Scholars to connect with community

President SR Nathan said President's Scholars must be prepared to connect with the community, and go beyond their comfort zone to understand the difficulties faced by other Singaporeans.

He made the comment at the President's Scholarships Awards Ceremony at the Istana on Friday evening.

He also called on them to make an effort to personally help the less privileged in society.

Only then, he said, will the scholars be able to truly shape policies that will benefit their fellow citizens.

President Nathan added that strong public service leadership is the key to good governance and this is necessary for Singapore's continued prosperity. - CNA/ch

 

 

Finally.

Shouldn't it be written on their scholarship clause or something?

Don't they take an oath and pledge their devotion to working with the community?

 

Gah.

 

It has been quite a while (years!) since I worked on a Saturday. It's a one-off thing today, no thanks to the curriculum planners and their bright ideas. Right now, my NPCC cadets are busy setting fire and preparing for their survival cooking. Man! All the instant noodles, smoke and soot…and I am missing all that? Dammit. I hate waking up early to go NPCC on Saturdays but that certainly is better than to wake up slightly later and go to work. Pooh!

 

Best, I am just surfing right now. Been doing that since 0900hrs. I don't have class today but it's The School's fill-up-hour-quota kind of shit. Am feeling hungry but ah..have decided to fast. It's killing me when I know yummy Long John Silver breakfast is just downstairs, McDees breakfast is just a 2 minute- walk away and..and.. chappati/tosai are just within a smelling range. Fasting month is going to be a real challenge.

 

Awrite..think better get something concrete done.

Like read a magazine or something.

 

 ###

 

 

Friday so not in love

Fridays are sapping the life out of me...morning class and evening class..I cant sleep in the afternoon for the fear of not being able to wake up on time.

In class right now. One guy turned up. Better than nothing, I tell you.

The sounds of fireworks are outside by the bay. So close yet so far...I cant see them cause i am in class. Humph.

Oh well.

More about Liah's performance later at night.

Back to lecturing about Karl Marx.
Bloody Karl Marx.
Ppfftt.

###

Eh

Just when you get tired of it, something pops up to make you feel disgusted. Still, we all love Mandy Moore and well, this will be ignored.





Come to think of it, it's not that bad. Ella ella eh eh eh....


Mama: Eh kalau mama takde, macam mana?
Anak: Mama tak boleh cakap gitu! Kalau mama tak ada, ET pun tak ada.
Mama: Abis?
Anak: Nanti kita jumpa lagi kat syurga.

"Eh, when mama's not around, what's going to happen?"
"You cant say that mama! If you wont be around, I wont be around."
"Then?"
"We'll meet in heaven later."


Sob.


Gonna start my fast. Better stop crying.


P/S: Man U has a really crappy start to the season. 1-1 with Portsmouth? Come on.



###

It's gonna happen, man

It's Liah's first night. She and some friends are staging Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Library tonight and tomorrow night. I am catching it tomorrow with Clara. Coolness.

I am almost wrapping up my third week here in The School. Soon it will be pay day and then the next month and the next and the next.

Monday night I had a class with the part-timers.
As expected, the turnout was dismal.
One woman, to be precise.

It was of course a bit weird. Just one-on-one..girl-on-girl, you know. Haha.

So anyway, my lecture was peppered with chit chats and I soon found out that my student had just suffered a massive loss in the stock market. $50K were lost when the market plunged as a result of the US mortgage crisis. She was sharing with me her story...and related how upset and suicidal she had become. Quite sad, man.

Oh well.
That's life.
You take the risk, you face the consequences.

The HR personnel treated the newcomers to lunch today. I thought I was the only one initially and was beginning to panic. However it turned out that there were other 3 people..so, phew! We were taken to the Burmese restaurant at Peninsula Plaza. Man...exotic food? O..kay.. Chose the safest meal of them all.

Oh.

The School is having its annual big day out. Instead of spending one day having dinner-and-dance at some hotel like it always does, this year, it decides to uproot everyone to Desaru for the weekend. I told them yesterday I didnt want to go. Besides, the retreat will happen on 1st September. I would want to celebrate Teachers' Day in my own way, you know. Like, sleeping my ass off or something.

However, Idaho managed to convince me and she said if I dont go, they will "make" me take 1 day leave. I saw the list...quite a few of the colleagues are going so maybe, this is a good chance for me to get to know them better. And considering all the departments are involved, who knows...maybe I'll find my Yudi.

I just might, you know.
There are many Indonesian men in my company.

Heh.
Back to work.


###

Licensed to kill the marriage

So anyway...Meiling asked me to join her at Vivo for a movie premiere. Left SGH and chugged down to HarbourFont.







I adore Robin Williams and I like Mandy Moore but LICENSED TO WED is a run-of-the-mill. It has some funny parts but otherwise, it is corny. For a Robin Williams-show, it is actually quite a bummer.


Reverend Frank: I'm gonna have to heal you. We have got to pray! We have got to pray! We have got to pray to make it through the day!
Ben Murphy: [pause] Was that M.C. Hammer?

---------------------------------------
Reverend Frank: So Ben, what have you been doing, besides little Sadie here.


Another main actor, besides Williams and Moore, is John Krasinski. I love him from The Office and in fact, there are a few familiar faces from The Office in License To Wed. However, this is not even half as funny as The Office. And I'm not even being difficult.

But but but...it does have its typical cliched-but-sweet moments..especially when Ben (Krasinski) writes his wedding vows on the beach in Jamaica.

..
..
..

And it makes me want to get married too.

Where's my Yudi?
Does he exist only in my dreams?
Or is he really dead?

I need to reproduce pronto.
Late pregnancy runs a risk of breast cancer and other implications!

Man!

A thousand times goodnight, maternal killer instincts.



P/S: The review for THE WILLOW TREE is out. Check it out here.


###

SGH...shit's gonna happen

Quiet hour
You have always been my wildflower
Showing up wherever beauty's lost its way
Your heart must break
I was free
Until I heard the song you sang me to me
Pulling me away from everything I knew
To be with you

And everything I know just fades away
And every time you go it hurts me so
I don't know why when I know we're free
Free to fly

Here we are
Burning faster than the cursed star
Falling back down to the Earth
I love you so it sometimes hurts
Closer still
You will find me standing on the hill
Waiting for you with my arms stretched open wide
Now, come inside

And everything I know just fades away
And every time you go it hurts me so
I don't know why when I know we're free
Free to fly

And everything I know just fades away
And where the wildflower grows it picks its space
And that's the way it is when nature plays its lovely hand
We'll understand everything – Wildflower, Sheryl Crow



My wild flower.


Went to the hospital just now. She looked fine and dandy and yet...I felt like a wreck. Decided to get out of the ward. I went to the lounge area and saw the uncle, who was all haggard out. Sat down beside the cousin who was all curled up in a ball, sleeping.


Uncle: You know...he seldom sleeps in the afternoon.
Ed: He must have been really tired; shuffling between here, school and home..
Uncle: I think he is really tired and very upset.
Ed: Of course...his mother is sick.
Uncle: Yeah last night, he went straight to bed.
Ed: Is it?
Uncle: Yeah..usually he will take quite a while before turning in. But last night, he put on a sarong, and then wore your auntie’s tshirt and went straight to bed.
Ed: [tearing up and trailing off] ..I see...
Uncle: Then he also told me not to wash the tshirt cause he wants the smell of his mother...


That really broke my heart. I couldn’t take it. I excused myself and went back into the ward where the auntie was talking to the mother and father. I went to the window and stared out, trying to compose myself. The auntie was all smiles and all...I shouldn’t be bawling in front of her, right?

This is crazy.
What are the statistics of people surviving a Stage 4?

But ah...fate has a bag of tricks up its sleeves sometimes.
So yes, we’ll keep on fighting.
At least that was what she assured me over sms last night.



“Auntie..Auntie..how are you? Sorry.. I didn’t get the message last night.”
“Never mind. Maybe it was sent wrongly.”
“Auntie...you must fight back, okay? Don’t give up.”
“Yes, of course! Definitely!”


That was perky.
Felt such an ass afterwards for sounding so glum.

Life.


###

Eating it like cancer

What a painful start of the week and I have cancer to blame.

Not a simple growth but it's a Stage 4 and so...

No no...it's not me.

But I really wish it's me who has it

And not my poor most beloved auntie

The crown jewel of my life

She was warded on Monday morning. Thinking it was due to some ligament problems or some complications on her already-contained breast cancer cells, I wasn't really very concerned and went about with my day; afternoon and evening classes and all.

When I reached home at 2215hrs, desperately in need to catch Desperate Housewives, the mother (who had just got home from the hospital) said that the doctor had diagnosed a Stage 4 cancer.

"Oh no! Is it the breast cancer acting up again?"

"No. Bone. There's one on her spine and it has already spread to the legs and the liver (or is lung??) is infected already."

"But how can it be a Stage 4? That time she told me doctor had detected something early and he wasn't even sure if it was cancerous or not!"

"Well it is...Stage 4."

Whoa whoa whoa!

It was too much information to be digested at the same time. The earth shook and cracked and I had fallen into one of its crevices. Of course, the other crevices were filled by her hubby, her son, her closest sibling i.e. the mother. Pure devastation.

And when Lynette Scavo was suspected to have lymphoma at the end of the show, that's it. Balled up, I wept and wailed in front of the TV.

You know...yesterday at work, even before the Stage 4 fiasco, I didn't have a peace of mind. I purposely left the phone in the staff room and didn't bring it to classes like I always do because I didn't want to be distracted. After each class ended yesterday, I would run "clack clack clack" to the staff room, with my heart in my mouth. For the first time ever, I was so relieved to NOT have any missed calls or messages.

No news..means good news, right?

Wanted to do work post midnight but the eyes and head felt like they were on fire. The room was spinning and all I wanted was to lie down. I did eventually...all the way till 0600hrs. Lesson plan for this morning was unplanned. Just winged it. Thank God it was a scriptwriting class where i didn't have to do much.

One for bone...one for breast.

Oh well...

Decided to walk off the sadness and went all the way to Boat Quay/Clarke Quay during lunch time. Felt hungry so I parked myself at Fishermen's Wharf alone. Sadness...hungry...cant differentiate it then. All I knew I was empty.

You have to fill an emptiness with something, right? Exercise, love, sex, shopping, singing, dancing...but the one which was most convenient just now was eating. Normally, exercising and shopping are preferred but ...

Fish and chips and a bloated tummy.

Walked back to work in the drizzle.

Whatever.

I realise cancer doesn't come to those who have nothing. It always hit someone who has a lot of responsibilities, a lot of things to do. Me? I have nothing. Even cancer doesn't want me.

I better stop rambling and get back to work.

###

Who cares, let's rock

Lauren: tell u something
Lauren: after u got off the cab
Ed: yeah
Lauren: the cab driver asked me if u're chinese ..i said malay
Ed: and then
Lauren: then he said u very fair... and very friendly
Ed: heh???
Lauren: then ask me what u working as .....haha
Lauren: then lagi best
Ed: cabby has no balls..
Lauren: when i was about to get off
Ed: ... never ask me straight
Lauren: he told me he is still single
Ed: wahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
Lauren: but u teacher, wait u end up teaching him
Ed: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ed: what? me techer and i end up teaching him?? meaning?
Ed: EEEEEEEEEEE
Ed: definitinely gonna be on my blog..


EEE.

The last time I checked, the cab driver was really old. It’s gross to know that throughout the cab ride, he had been stealing glances at me. Pass me the bucket quick for I’m gonna hurl.


Oops.
Too late.


Spent the whole of Saturday night preparing for Communications class. Only went to bed at 0500hrs and well, was up 2 hours later for class. I am sure you can imagine how tired and sleepy I was. Thank god the Sunday class went on without a glitch.

Planned to meet the Moonies at around 1500hrs in town to have Blush and Pimp’s birthday celebration. However that morning, the mother asked me to go visit Queen E in hospital. So after class, jack shit tired as I was, I managed to drag my ass down to Changi General Hospital. Thank god the mother and brother were there too. Otherwise I wouldn’t have anything to say to the granny.

The granny is still in hospital …for a month now. Her hearing loss is more obvious and we had to shout at her just now. Her legs are now longer swollen but she still has walking difficulties. Anyhow, she had this fatalistic look on her face. Aye me.

Finally managed to join Ismail, Tini, Jason, Joanne, Nani and Lauren at Marriot around 1730hrs. they just had finished their high tea and we adjourned to Sentosa. However after staying there for a while, the weather looked kind of threatening and we all ended up at VivoCity instead…playing games at the rooftop.

Am too sleepy to continue. Besides, although I am in the afternoon shift tomorrow (1300 – 2200hrss) I still have yet to complete the lecture presentation for it. Think I have to wake up early and do it. I don’t think I can function now anymore.


A thousand times goodnight, dysfunctionalities.


P/S: Had a great time time. Hope the two of them had fun too.

P/P/S: Somebody’s gonna get scabby!


###