Canon in D

Tired from eating nonsense today. Fishball soup, LJS chicken, clam chowder, McFlurry, indian rojak, mee soto...in a span of 10 hours. I've given up on dieting. Diet. Die-T. Blah.

Dragged myself to Yishun. Meiling and I watched this sad film in the evening just now. The sad tale would have been even more impactful if not for an inconsiderate woman who dragged her noisy and restless son into the cinema. I was this close to walking over and spanking the bejesus out of the hyperactive son of a bitchwoman. Eurgh!




TEN PROMISES TO MY DOG is a typical drama between human and animals set in a Japanese environment.




These were (roughly) the 10 promises mentioned in the movie.

1. Please enjoy your life with me.
2. Place your trust in me. It's crucial to my well-being.
3. Please never forget I have my own feelings.
4. When I don't obey you, I have a reason.
5. Talk to me a lot. Even if I don't understand your words,
I understand you.
6. Remember before you hit me that I have teeth that can easily
hurt you. But I choose not to bite you.
7. Take care of me when I get old.
8. You have your school and your friends. I have only you.
9. My life is likely to last about ten years.
Spend time with me as much as you can.
10. When I'm dying, please be with me. And, remember that I love you.


10 Promises To My Dog ... it's bittersweet and it will definitely make you cry buckets if you're easily swayed by this kind of storyline. Kind of reminds me of Nada Sou Sou ... without a dog.

I did enjoy this fare but I couldnt help but feel that I was manipulated by the sound effects - both diegetic and non-diegetic. The occasional humming of Time After Time and Pachelbel's Canon in D on the guitar in the film created this melancholia and deeply embedded sense of belonging. They succeeded in bringing moods and at the climax, I just wanted to stand up and embrace the sun or something.

As for the non-diegetic sound, well as usual, the commentary was quite morose and the mood music really heightened my movie experience. It made me feel sadder than the plot actually was. So...yes, the movie is a bag of manipulation success.

Awrite, time to read Homer. Monday will be my first Monash class for this season and freak, it will be Authorship Studies. What the hell, right? I just flipped through the text and I saw words like The Iliad and Odyssey, greek mythology and some other ancient terms. I am so going to die. Each Monash season is really pushing me to my edge.

Shall go swim away this madness tomorrow.


This is fucked-up coolness.

A thousand times goonight, classical airheads.


###

End of the innocence

Am watching Friends re-runs.
Never fails to entertain.
And yes, it's still Joey for me.
"Hey, how you doing?"

:)

Fell asleep while editing the previous entry at 0330hrs and at 0715hrs, I miraculously woke up upon hearing Meiling's sms. She told me she could not go for training and the lazy me decided to follow suit and went back to bed.


These were last week's.Would have taken more if I had gotten out of bed just now and headed to Yishun.

Best, next week, I'm going to have some sick-ass department meeting. Great, 2 weeks of no-show.

Anyway... random pictures.

Last Saturday, CY2, Vinz and Adrian headed to the club.


Random ... and maybe, slightly freaky.
I looked like I was punched in the eye.

Adrian, CY2, Vinz and I

Okay I have no idea where I'm going at with this entry. It's absolutely rare that I have the liberty to lounge at home on a Saturday noon. I am usually sweating my (haha) balls off in the blue uniform or freezing my (okay enough) tits off at work. There's no in-between, yes?

Crap.

Shall watch more cable and then at 1600hrs, I shall make my way to Yishun (yes I have a thing for Yishun) to catch a Jap movie.

The things I do when I have nothing else to do.

Oh, and this.

Taken one wearisome day at work when a pimple came to town.




Awrite...enough cam-whoring and back to the TV.

I've lunched and yet, I havent even brushed my teeth.


###

It's my party

What a semi-dreadful week I had and boy, am I glad that the week is over. Not that next week will be better, but let's not be so bleak here.

Was kind of stuck at work till about 2000hrs+. I finally peeled myself off my desk and jogged/walked to Liang Seah Street to meet the former colleagues at TopOne KTV. We were to celebrate IT's birthday there.

The party people were already there when I arrived at close to 2100hrs. It was a riot. Yvee brought this terrible musical instrument set for IT which consisted of mini cymbals, clackers, tambourine, maracas and a triangle. Well you can imagine how noisy and zoo-like it was.



Here's IT (with Wendy, Dear, Andre and Richard in the b/ground) trying to be nonchalant about the birthday cake in front of her.


The madness and the weirdness that is IT.
Happy birthday, babe.


CY trying to do the nasty with me.

I didnt really sing cause I was starving and when the snacks came, I was busy gorging meself. However, I did try to hum/scream my favourite Ah Beng tune - Beyond's Paradise - with IT. Somehow halfway, we made it into a war song...complete with rat-a-tat-a-tat machine gun sounds and flying bombs. CY added to the Vietnam war mood by messing with the smoke machine and almost choking us all. I can still smell the smoke on my skin if I sniff hard enough.

Since we gathered to celebrate IT's 28th birthday, let me give her the limelight. Here's the birthday girl butchering Black Eyed Peas' My Humps.






And this one, totally took the cake; birthday girl killed Lee Hom.



Ok
A thousand times goodnight, heavy headers.


P/S; Hope you had a good time, IT


###

The Bourgeois Blues

The internet connection at work today is totally in the dumps. Freaking exasperating, especially when you are rushing to do your work before class ... something you should have done at home last night instead of falling asleep in front of the TV watching MTV.

Been totally tired lately.
It's a sign of old age and bad lifestyle, I suppose.
Yes I figured that out meself.

Am totally stressed now because it's the time of the season again where I have to battle Karl Marx and all his Marxism glory. It's the time of the season where I have to chew the manifesto and make it into digestible bits in order to feed the starving fledglings. If I were a teacher of the 1800s, how fun would it be NOT to teach all this?

Oops, I take back my word. If I were to be in the era, I would probably have to teach Greek philosphy, hardcore Shakespearean stuff, the Church of England and all its madness.

Fuck it then.
Karl Marx it shall be.


P/S: If Communists achieve their goals - the cause of their struggle - do you still consider them Communist? How sure can a Communist be that he/she will not fall into the mindset of his/hers non-Communist predecessor? Should they have the right to be a Communist? Who is to take the title of Communist away from him/her if capitalism creeps into the nation-state?

P/P/S: Dammit. Make love, not war people!


###

How bizarre

Just done with the Film Class and well, surrealism is the word.

Did things abit different than last time. During last Film Class season, it was very theory heavy. This time round, I'm determined to make it more err..bohemian.

Just like a standard procedure, Un Chien Andalou was chosen to kickstart the screen season. Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's madness was introduced to the class just now; "bizarre" was the reaction.




Every realist's nightmare.

Had a little exercise on Surrealism and it was thought-provoking in a twisted way. Told the students to immerse themselves in surrealism for a few minutes and imagine what/how their normal lives would turn out to be. Maybe you can try it to.

Anyway. the students left the class in a daze. They had the "What the fuck did I just watch?" look on their faces and that tickled me. Yes, I like to inflict pain on my students. A little struggle, a little pain will add to a momentous life, my child.

Short of peddling absinthe and acid,
I am slowly turning my students into
complicated bohemians.

Next lesson will be Battleship Potemkin. It's time to bring back the Odessa steps



...... and good old Stoli!

Great.
Absinthe's today, vodka's tomorrow.


###

Welcome to the jungle

 

The little fellow with the big ideas chips the spear points.

The courageous oaf spears the mammoth.

And the artistic type does a lovely cave painting of it all.

One person makes a thing, and another person makes another thing,

and everyone wants everything,  (The Wealth of Nations, O'Rourke)

 

 

 

Again, I ask.

 

What price do you pay for everything?

 

 

###

Ode to joy

5 minutes into the meeting and I was already beginning to get a big headache. Powerful voices screech, dying to dominate.
What an embarrassment. What a bloody joke.

...

I stay sullen; an isolatee
Refusing to partake in pseudo exchanges
Of opinions which dont really matter
Time goes by so slowly says Madonna
Right
She has absolutely no idea

When the world gives you lemon
A lemonade you make, some say
What happens when it gives you crap
What do we do with crap?
Bet crap cakes dont taste as good

To the bin of life trials it goes
Hopefully never to be seen
By light of day
But it's non bio-degradable
And someday it will re-surface
Hopefully by then
Recipe for crap we shall have

...

Gosh. That was much ado about nothing, really.

Oh well.

I havent had lunch and it's almost dinner time.



###

Fast car

VietCong: Can I ask you a personal question, ah?
Ed: Yeah sure... [uh oh, this will be no good]
VietCong: Are you attached or still single?
Ed: Single, Why?
VietCong: How come ah? Is it because you are too choosy ah?
Ed: Me, choosy? No...
VietCong: Is it because your expectations are too high?
Ed: Eh? No. It's not that...
VietCong: What kind of person are you looking for?
Ed: Someone who is not concerned with money...you know, easy going..
VietCong: That's not hard ah but...
Ed: ...but?
VietCong: Almost all Singaporeans are money-minded.
Ed: Ah..


So I was grilled for a while as I sat at the computer terminal printing some stuff. Told her my younger brother was getting married and she was quite surprised, asking me when was my turn. I just told her flat then that I didnt believe in marriage hoping that would shut her up.

It turned out that she agreed to my notion and went on and on about how Singapore isnt a single-friendly place. Well I agree with her but I was too tired last night to analyse this topic.

On my way to meet Meiling after work, I reflected on the discussion VietCong and I had earlier. If she were to ask me again what kind of person do I want, well...I would say:

"A poet."

Men who have a way with words can definitely charm me :)






DRIVING LESSONS is a really bitter-sweet indie treat which makes you want to sulk one corner and on the other hand, to jump for joy. Julie Walters is a gem to watch and ah, Rupert Grin...heartwarming.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Evie Walton: [to Ben] You see an attractive woman, living on her own, you wonder: Is she a roaring lesbian? Answer, no! For your information I was married three times. Once to an actor, once to an English lord and once to a Californian. All work things... My mistake, You on the other hand, might well be gay.

...

Laura Marshall: Where the hell have you been? It's six o' clock.
Ben: I got held up.
Laura Marshall: Got held up? We had a driving lesson at four. You should've let me know.
Ben: There was nowhere to call from, if I had a mobile...
Laura Marshall: Mobiles give you cancer!

...

Evie Walton: To wit, I leave you with this quote penned by my dear friend, William Shakespeare: "When the shit hits the fan... get a tent."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


DRIVING LESSONS is absolutely charming. It may not rock everybody's boat but surely, Julie Walters and Laura Linney will tickle your funnybones and Ruper Grint..sigh..will just warm the cockles of your heart (what exactly are those, I have no idea). Who cannot relate to a coming-of-age story? And how many of us can relate to the struggles a teenager face living under the hawk-like vision of the parents?

Oh we certainly can!

And yes, if you are literary-freak (litereak, I call it), the film will be a joy to watch cause the thrill of picking references and innuendos is subtly exciting. Now where are all my poetry books? We need to get re-acquainted.

All right.

A meeting is coming right up next on the day's itinerary.


Sad hours seem long and busy hours flash us by.
What price are we paying for a little direction in our lives?
I dont know either.


###

If I never see you again

Last Friday, Nani was nice enough to accompany me catch You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Somehow, I didnt feel like watching this zany fare alone.





You Don't Mess With the Zohan was absurd and sex-laced, just like most Adam Sandler/Happy Gilmore productions. But it was entertaining. And frankly, after the lameness that was Hancock, Zohan was a bit of a fresh air...weird accents and all.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michael: What are you? Bionic?
Zohan: No, I only like the ladies.

...

Michael: It's not that big.
Zohan: No, not that. The bush, is biggest you ever seen, right?

...

Michael: Well, tonight's our night for the Community Nightwatch.
Zohan: The Communism tight crotch? What?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Anyway, the film is a no brainer of course but hey, it's Adam Sandler. And knowing Sandler, he will definitely rope in good friend Rob Schneider. This time round, Deuce Bigelow is almost unrecognisable. He can really pass off as a Middle Easterner.

Oh well. Zohan is not about rocket science so I left my brain at the popcorn stand.

Fuck, I'm sleepy suddenly.

Okay that's random. I shall continue this tomorrow.

A thousand times goodnight, do-gooders.


P/S: First, I have to finish 3 reports. Dammit.


###

Get me bodied

The phone went wonky last night and I was unable to get any sms-es. On my way to work this morning, I had a slew of messages coming in. Almost threw the phone down in disgust.

 

Oh well.

Some weekend it was.

 

Friday saw me having an orientation with new MassComm students. It was pissifying cause I had to give watching My Chemical Romance concert at GV Plaza (live screening) a miss. To think I actually won tickets and even had my eyes done a la emo shite. Dammit. Saturday was madness with NPCC and then work in the afternoon. Then in the evening, met CY2, Adrian and Vinz down at Clarke Quay for dinner and then OBar.

 

O Obar...

 

Groggily went for a hair cut on Sunday in town. Walked around Orchard in a daze, complete with aching legs from the previous night at the club. As I was in a comatose state, I didnt really give much thought to what I bought. Havent even sorted out how much I've spent. Not much...but havent jotted them down in my *ahem* personal ledger book. By the time I got home, it was 2100hrs. Watched Born Into Brothels and then fell asleep while watching the Federer-Nadal match. The night before, after club, I fell asleep at 0500hrs ae reading the papers.

 

Havent been on my bed for almost 5 days now.

Sheesh...so near yet so far.

 

All right. The term starts today and Pop Culture will be my first class later in the afternoon.

 

God I hate that topic.

 

 

P/S: By the way, where the hell are all Balenciaga products? Was searching the whole of Orchard for Balenciaga but I couldnt find any. Was so pissed off, I almost bought Chanel. And then I realise I had no money.

 

 

###

Morning glory

I am losing hair at an alarming rate.

 

I fear for my follicles.

 

 

 

###

Only in America

My shoulders have been pampered these past few days cause I havent been carrying my laptop to school. They have been behaving well, even granting me good sleep even though it means falling asleep without even finishing the day's paper.

Yes...on the floor. What's new, right?
I havent been on my bed for 3 nights already.

Last night Lauren and I caught HANCOCK and well, it was a sham. The trailer was a bloody deception; it being good and all. However, that's all about it. The film was superficial yet promising in the first half and in the second half, it all went downhill.


[SPOILER ALERT! STOP HERE IF YOU HAVE TO!]




HANCOCK: The first half was entertaining. Will Smith plays a bum of a superman, a drunkard who has unbelievable strength and the ability to dart into thin air. He messes things up as he saves people and well, people hate him. Comes along this PR man who wants to give him a makeover - to make Hancock loveable. You know, like Spiderman. Unknown to this PR man, his wife is also one of them...like Hancock. This is the part where it goes downhill. Yeah, trouble is a woman.

Anyway, HANCOCK is almost like SPIDERMAN - complete with the same Spidey pose at the end of the film, without the bird of course. Spiderman is better though because with Spiderman, we know the background story and we get to see it. With Hancock, it is just words and words dont necessary paint a helpful picture.

Second half of the show is also like CONSTANTINE but guess what? I surprise myself when I believe that even the stoner Keanu Reeves' movie is better than HANCOCK. In the latter, the cinematograpy leaves much to be desired. The shaky-camera style (or is it just inefficiency?) doesnt really work and gah, Will Smith and Charlize Theron dont have much pizzaz together. Gosh, I rather see Will Smith kisses Jason Bateman. And one more thing...the villains in HANCOCK is so lame. Even I can be a better villain. Fucking shoot me, Hancock.

Hmmm.
Got a little carried away there.
That's how disappointed I am in this year's Will Smith's blockbuster.

Back to work.
Happy Independence Day, Americans.


###

Jumpin jumpin

 

The students' film scripts are driving me nuts. I have battled countless attempts of wanting to rip up pages of convoluted, incorrectly formatted script. I dont care if your story has 10 sub-plots and that it is catered for the Pope, confusing stories are difficult to be conveyed within 40 pages!! If it's confusing and long, do you think I will have a good time marking it?

 

Eurgh.

 

Didnt bring Snow White with me for the past couple of days. Figured there's no time to surf anyway. Oh well.

 

 

P/S: Hancock tonight!

 

 

###

Give peace a chace

Too tired.






A thousand times goognight Nancy Boys


###

The times they are a-changin

Just came back from Changi Hospital to see Queen E. Right now, the doctors would probably be getting ready for the operation to salvage Queen E's fractured hips. As I had to go back to office and there was nothing I could do at the hospital, I left.

Had some moments with the parents. The father was thinking of getting a maid but where can we place both her and the Queen? The auntie had expressed her weariness of taking over and honestly, she too deserved a break once in a while. So, the father was thinking of having a maid at her place. The question is: who pays the maid?
 

"We all can chip in, right?" I said. "You, me...brother, auntie, cousin 1, cousin 2..."

But the father said, "No...why would the grandchildren be involved?"
 

The father has 3 other siblings but he has lost hope in 2 of them. That was the reason of his worry. Money. It's funny because one of the 2 that is "lost" is actually quite well-to-do. I dont know...Allahuaklam.

So yeah...the father was contemplating having Queen E and a maid both at our place. I was appalled...yet i understood. I was even thinking, hey, maybe I can move out and you can give the room to Queen E.  Not that I am mentally and physically ready to move out...but I can adapt cause I dont have fractured hips and I can still walk unaided.

The father is stressed up and well, since we live in a combustible tight habitat, we all can feel the heat too. This morning, he went for his rehab stint (for the heart attack...not the bottle) and the doctor said his heart beat rate (or something like that) had gone up. The brother's wedding prep and his mom's ill health contributed to all that, I figured.

Last night, the mother and I had our "alone" time. I asked her to come down to my work "neighbourhood" and we had dinner. I asked her stuff about the brother's wedding; just to let her vent or share her feelings. I was feeling generous and well, feeling that both she and I needed a little bit of pampering, we went shopping. I bought her lingerie and we both got shoes. I was ready to buy her a bag (or something else) should she saw something at Coach or wherever.

 

But that woman wanted Louis Vuitton.  

Baaaaaah. Generosity was killed.

But oh well.
We had fun.

Anyway yeah...just to let off steam here. Am feeling kind of shiteous cause everything/everyone seems bleak.

Humanity doesnt really sound good nowadays. Children dont know what to do with their parents and parents nurture children with a sick feeling at the back of their minds knowing that when these kids grow up, the chance that they wont look after their aging parents is high. People have children, knowing that at the end of the day, they might still have to do die alone and unnoticed.

God save us all.


"A long, long time ago
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die" (American Pie, D.McLean)


P/S: The tune never fails to draw out sniffs. We saw satan laughing with delight the day the music died.
 

###

 

 

Springtime for Hitler

Few days after I returned home from NYC, I caught Kungfu Panda with the sister.





Kungfu Panda was hilarious at parts. However I feel that it talks too much and that it is much of a Western indulgence. True it's about the mystics of the Orient but...I dont know...I get the feeling that this show is about re-emphasising what the White people have known about the Chinese and the Oriental culture.

But ah, enough of looking too much into the picture.
If it did entertain, it had already served its purpose.
And oh, its CGI was one of the best actually.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oogway: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

...

Po: I know you're trying to be all mystical and Kung Fu-ey, but could you tell me where we're going?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Maybe I will like Kungfu Panda even more the next time I see it. When I'm less tired, for sure.

Oh well.

Last night, Meiling lured me with a free movie screening. That was enough for me to discard my plans of visiting Queen E. I know...I know.





IT'S A BOY/GIRL THING must be the movie that gave me the awakening; a reality check. Obviously I am not its target market cause I think I'm too old for high school shit and I find the whole thing cheesy, draggy, duh and well, somewhat familiar. I have seen it before.

Boy and girl who hates each other, something happens, swap bodies, go through unfunny shit, swap back, homecoming party, dance, devirginisation happens. See? Common.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Woody: [Waking up in Nell's body] Oh my God! I have tits! I have tits!

...

Nell Bedworth: What does people like me don't get?
Woody: People like me!
Nell Bedworth: Then educate me
Woody: all right... We like to play ball and some of us might even be pretty good at it. Then we get a chance at second grade college school.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


One good thing is that the leads are eye-candy worthy. Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zeegers are delish. Sharon Osbourne, though (duh) not an eye candy, was a refreshing figure. I thought she was Jennifer Saunders but hey...it's me. I cant tell the difference between a pot and a kettle.

I met Susan and Sean at Cineleisure; they too happened to be catching the movie. The four of us sat together and occasionally I would turn to Susan, rolling my eyes and head. I dont know. I like dumb-haha movies but this is just dumb. Period.

Mentioning period, I think I might be having it.
Shall go check.


P/S: I feel even dumber after writing this post-movie experience.


###

Space oddity

I've got the letter and the handshake. VietCong was more excited than me as I read the letter. I mean, I'm happy with the promotion (alhamdulillah) and a little bonus is always appreciated. but hey, now is not the time to rest on my laurels (god knows when will that be) cause I have a freaking gazillion things to mark, books to read, lesson plans to configure yada yadi yadu.

But hey, I'm thankful. Very thankful. So thankful am I with the gift that I am going to do a little charity work by donating to the retail industry. So thankful am I that I am going to do cabbies a big favour. So thankful am I that I am going to cause more trees to be chopped down, more animals to die for my consumption and more holes in our ozone layer.

Bitter, but thankful.
As odd as that may sound.


Okay. Got to go.


P/S: Talking about lesson plans, the other day I spent 45 minutes reading a book. It was just the contents page. That's how thick, confusing and dense the book was.


###

Eve of Destruction

I am just done with my Ethics Workshop. Funny. Fancy askng me, someone with no ethics (okay, minimal) to conduct one. Almost died and went to hell.

Maybe I said the wrong things, maybe I said stuff which shouldnt be acknowledged or brought up during the light of day. But fuck it, it's over.


..
..
..

Something to share. BerryBerryStrawberry showed me this clip and well, I've been watching it whenever I need a good laugh. So, if your Monday's a drag and Tuesday may be no better, watch this and snigger a little.



:)


###

Help the aged

Fifi just gave me a reality check.
It's about 18 months to being 30.


"I shall despair. There is no creature loves me;
And if I die no soul will pity me:
And wherefore should they, since that I myself
Find in myself no pity to myself?" (Richard III, V.iii)



P/S: Queen E had a fall in the bathroom this morning. The mother said she was unconscious and that the auntie had to call the ambulance. Shall visit her tonight. *sigh* The perils of getting old.

P/P/S: Who says "You are as old as you think"? Tell that to the limbs.


###

Let there be blood love

Noel Gallagher, my favourite guitarist of modern times (by that I mean mid 1990s onwards), must be flipping mad in a bar right now in Manchester.

Noel G: Rap music shouldnt be in Glastonbury, let alone opening it.
Jay-Z: Screw you, mofos. Look at this!




My heart bleeds.
Damn you, Jay-Z.

How I wish Noel and Liam can now totally rip apart Jay-Z and Beyonce's Bonnie & Clyde '03. I'll continue dreaming.


###

La tortura

I was right and no one proved me otherwise.

Congratulacion, Espana.

...
...
...

This doesnt make it all right for Liverpool supporters to gloat. You have absolutely no part in this.


###

Caught up

The brother and his ultra pink wedding stuff.
Damn pink!

Dont ask me about the workshop today at work cause it was a total waste of time. Morons.


Anyway, it's the last Euro match this season and again, the result of this finale doesnt matter. Of course I'll be watching it still. Am just glad Euro is over cause I need proper sleep.

Mentioning sleep...shall go take a 2hr power nap.


###