Ayo technology

We are planning to develop a $15k TV/film studio. I didnt know we have that kind of money.

Honestly, it is unnecessary. The industry has gone 'viral' and 'indie' and plus, apart from Film Production, Film Studies, Intro to Screen Theories and European Cinema Studies, none other modules specifically require the students to deal with all these equipment. And if they have to, magic can still be done with a humble digicam.

What's the use of having mega (and not necessarily 'beta' ..haha, get it? Get it?) junk if we dont know how to use it, if it's just for the sake of sizing up with our competitors, if it's just...for show? Look, what we need are probably 3 decent handheld digicams, tripods, microphones, redheads (lights, not babes). We definitely dont need green screen, roll diffuser etc. What I emphasise are editing suites/software. They rather buy many equipment than to invest in a good, reputable editing software and editing terminals.

Boss, we are not offering highly technical subjects. We are not SAE or FSV. I know the reason why you want to have these things is just so that you can use them to make corporate videos and Mass Comm lecturers and students will become the scapegoats...scapepigs...scapeducks.

Maybe I am just a techno-phobe.

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Like a child

It has been a bizarre week...one filled with slight confusion.

I've gotten my schedule all effed-up since last Friday and things have been going downhill. I took my roster for granted and seriously messed my routine. But to my defence, what's the point of having a roster if changes are made without explaining to me? Why should we print our roster when things change...things which suppose to be routine?

Why is it that I am always the scapegoat for some other lecturers who were not free to conduct their classes on their supposed time and instead chose to reschedule their classes on my time, when the students were supposed to be with me? Why were they given the priorities? Because they're part-timers and are juggling two jobs, and it's the school's privilege to have them wanting to impart their skills?

Then what about me?

What ABOUT you, Ed?

P/S: ALWAYS the freaking step-child. Always. Dammit.

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Happy together

As you can see it's 0500hrs and I am still awake. After watching the following video (dont ask me how I ended watching this...definitely bizarre), I am not sure if I am traumatised or fascinated.




Okay, I think I shall take a pillow and smother myself cause I cannot look at the terrapin in the kitchen in an innocent light anymore. Hahahahaha.


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I am in love with the McDonalds' girl

So the sister is working for McDonalds as a delivery staff. I know this sounds a bit too demanding but...

...can ya'll dont order McDelivery when there's a freaking heavy downpour, with thunder and lightning to boot? Please?


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Sweet child of mine

This Thursday, some friends and I are going to hit the karaoke joint to commemorate Children's Day. Unlike tomorrow's Singapore Idol which will have the contestants singing songs from their birth years (and boy are they freaking young!!#$@#), we are going to commemorate the day by having the theme 'Songs When We Were Kids'. So expect Brit New Wave (oh god, Erasure!), boybands (New Kids On The Block), and many other 80s and 90s crap. I am going to start a list tonight.

Sounds exciting.

P/S: Am going to Batam this weekend with Nani. And as usual, I am planning to sleep.

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I am running here and there and all over the place. In the mean time, enjoy this one. Aidan Davies rocks.

That thing you do

The thing that makes the difference between you and me is that I make things happen, no matter how slow it takes.

The thing with me is that I don't give you immediate answers because I don't want to get stuck.

The thing is never there all along.

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Straight through the heart

It's the time of the academic season which I totally hate - the marking season. It's enough to make me doubt my role in this industry, doubt my profession and doubt my faith in TooMuchCrap. Mostly the latter for being a tyrant, hiding behind a not-so-good disguise of customer-friendliness.

Been tired out of my wits at work and when I am at home, I am hanging on to whatever time I've got and trying not to waste it by sleeping. Consequently...as we know it...I'll get more tired. Peachy.

Had a mini SMS showdown with Mother Mary this afternoon over my roster. Mea culpa, I guess cause Mother Mary is never at fault. Never. *snigger* Yeah she is never at fault and I am so underweight. Pooh.

If anyone has a job opportunity, please rope me in. As much as I love teaching, I cannot stand being unhappy anymore. Life is too short to work for stupid people...letting them reap the benefits while I continue slogging as the underdog with lack of sleep.

As Idaho and I were whining to each other over our damn late dinner, I felt an awful sensation. It almost felt like stroke. It was funny actually. As we were queueing at the ATM machine, there was Idaho...stamping her feet like an angry child as she related her episode with Mother Mary. She was very tired and pissed off. I was trying to curb my anger and disgust listening to her story when suddenly, for a few seconds, my left side went a bit numb. Just for a while though. Oh well.

Argh. I hate this person.
I've never disliked someone so much.
If I die before her, I'll haunt her.
By your window, every other night.

Woo-sah.

Okay...need to shower and then, continue with my marking. Chances are...not sleeping tonight cause I need to be at work in the morning.

Later.


P/S: City Hall is bloody noisy. The vibrations of the bloody F1 cars can be felt at work.


P/P/S: FAME was a disappointment. Give me Irene Cara anytime!


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You're so great

I love me some nerdy boys and none rocked my socks off like Graham did, top with his specs and ultra fragile indie voice.




Sad, drunk, and poorly
Sleeping really late
Sad, drunk, and poorly
Not feeling so great
Wandering lost in a town full of frowns
Sad, drunk, and poorly
Dogs digging up the ground

And I feel the light
In the night and in the day
And I feel the light
When the sky's just mud and grey
And I feel the light
When you tell me it's OK
Cos you're so great, and I love you

DT and coffee
Helps to start the day
Tea tea and coffee
Shaking all the way
City's alive and, surprise, so am I
Tea, tea and coffee
Get no sleep today

And I feel the light
In the night and in the day
And I feel the light
When the sky's just mud and grey
And I feel the light
When you tell me it's OK
Cos you're so great, and I love you


P/S: Why must most men go metrosexual? We need the cool nerds.


###

Out of the blue

I am feeling the after-effect of a 3-day gastronomic disaster. Excuse me while I down ENO and in the meantime, enjoy this.





P/S: It's back to work tomorrow. $#%%^%T$%"$$#%%


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Suasana Hari Raya

The 'takbir' has been launched, indicating that Ramadhan is over and the month of Syawal is here. Syawal (also known as the month of Hari Raya Eid-ul-fitri) brings jubilance as Muslims celebrate their victory (metaphorically, the battle against the whims and superficial fancies of the material world). It's a time when we start everything afresh, on a clean slate...with hope that God acknowledges our deeds and prayers.

It was an uber dusty day for me as I cleaned my bedroom. The floor, thick with dust, has all been swept and mopped. Some 'junk memorabilia' have been discarded because I really dont have space. No space for much nostalgia in the house, sadly. However, I have a good memory so...everything has been converted into 'soft copies' and have been kept in my heart and brain.

Ahem ahem.

All right I need to change my bedsheet and pillow cases soon. I also need to eat. I broke fast with a bit of nutella and milk cause the mother hasnt done with cooking.

So, hereby, I wish all my Muslim friends and readers a hearty Selamat Hari Raya minal aidil wal fa izin. Hope it will be a great and joyous affair to all, basking in the love and surrounded by your loved ones. Do forgive me if I had offended for I am only human. Maaf zahir batin, from the bottom of my heart.

Sedia ke garisan..
On your mark...
Get set...
Go ketupat!!


P/S: Hari Raya is not our new year!

P/P/S: I managed to watch INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS after my cleaning mission and before breaking fast. Am still not a Tarantino fan and I am only watching because of a certain William Bradley Pitt :)



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Hot stuff

Rumble...rumble.


When is McSpicy too spicy?

When you have an ultra 'touchy' and 'fussy' stomach.

I am destined to eat the bland stuff.


###

O holy night

I just want to say that I am bloody upset cause tonight, I miss the opportunity to participate in the holy night of Ramadhan a.k.a the Lailatul Qadar.

I have been exceptionally good this fasting month (I try). I put in great effort this time round, swear to God. I even got into the Ramadhan mood by fasting 2 weeks ahead...to get into the spirit of it. But ah...when it matters most, I cannot pray.

Never mind. I prayed for God to give me health. At least I know now that my fallopian tubes, uterus and etc are all working. Positive thinking, Ed. Positive thinking.

If tonight is not the night, I hope I will have a go-ahead on Friday night, the 29th of Ramadhan. I really want this night, dear God.

---------------------------------------------------

When should one expect it to come?

First, the absolute majority of Islamic scholars said that Lailatul-Qadr comes every year, precisely in the month of Ramadan.

Second, only Allah the Most High[13] knows beforehand which night of Ramadan is the Night of Power.

In the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah greet and bless him) there is a great number of hadith which indicate probable time limits for finding this blessed night. Here are some of them:

“Seek the Night of Power [praying, performing Night Prayers and doing noble deeds] during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan”;[14]

“Look for the Night of Power on an odd-numbered night during the last ten days of the month Ramadan”;[15]

“He, who will look for the Night of Power, should look for it during the last seven days”;[16]

“The Night of Power is the night of the 27th day”;[17]

“The Night of Power is the night of the 24th day”;[18]

“The Night of Power is the night either of the 27th or of the 29th day. In this night the number of Angels [, who will descend to earth] will be greater than pebbles [on the whole planet]”.[19]

Imam Ibn Hajjar commenting on theof the chapter [from the hadith collection of Imam al-Bukhari] in which the great Muhadith mentions several hadith from those adduced above, made a useful observation: “Suchfor this chapter[20] somehow indicates the fact that Lailatul-Qadr is to be sought in Ramadan, on the last ten days and precisely on the odd-numbered days out of them”.[21]

A considerable number of Islamic scholars pointed at the night of the 27th day of Ramadan saying that this is the most probable time, although it is not for certain. Very often various festive events both at the national and local level, which are timed to this great Night, take place exactly on the 27th day[22] of the month of Ramadan.[23]

Of course for those, who don’t want to miss this great night, it would be most fore-sighted to pay special attention to each night of the last ten nights of Ramadan. It would be good, relying on Allah’s mercy, at least to perform an additional prayer, then invoke Allah, the Creator of the worlds, with a Du’a and perform at least one, though not necessarily very significant, but noble deed in the name of God the Most High. Even if a night has not been the Night of Power, our prayers, with the mercy of the Creator, will be heard and accepted, for they were read at night, moreover, in one of the nights of the blessed month of Ramadan.


What are its signs?

- This night possesses an extraordinary shine and brightness of its own.

- Taking into account local climate the weather in that night won’t be either cold or warm, i.e. the night temperature will be average for this climate, region and season.

- This night will be calm, clear and dry.

- Stars do not fall in that night.

- The next morning after this night the sun will be bright, brilliant and encarnadine (light-red). Its shine will be tender, not blinding just like the full moon in the clear night.[24]


---------------------------------------------------

Amazing right?


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Purple haze

 

The bat-shit crazy marking period is here and I am drowning in a sea of assignments... assignments to be marked, moderated and created. On top of that, I have to concurrently produce a textbook. To add to the wonderful equation, my 4 uni classes are still running.

 

There will be Culture + Power (political bullcrap as always) class tonight and right now, I am staring at the textbook, hoping that my memory can be revived. I have taught this subject early last year and for the love of me...I cannot remember tonight's chapter.

 

Sometimes I ask myself again and again.

Why am I in this line?

 

 

P/S: I got my Hari Raya top. I am quite happy with it except in the picture...it looks pink but when I hold it, it looks purple. ARGH! I have 2 sets of purple clothes for Hari Raya. BARNEY to the max!

 

 

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Bitter heart

Just a quick shoutout to my Buckwheat...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!


Oh, for those who missed watching Beyonce's, Lady Gaga's and Pink's performances on the recent MTV VMAs, I have uploaded new clips few entries below. Go see.

That's all!



P/S: Damn you Starhub and Mio. But yay, we won!

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Girl you're so (not!) together

Am feeling quite bushed.

Last night (or rather this morning), I was up till 0430hrs cause I was digging my wardrobe for old Hari Raya clothes. On top of that, I was, as usual, arranging the clothes in the closet. I have at least 5 pairs of old ones and I think that's a good find. I bought one pair this year (online) and tomorrow, I am going to collect one top from an online seller and I hope it fits. Now I have about 7 sets of clothes and the best thing is...I doubt I will be using all of them during the festive season anyway. Bleah.

Oh, I also didnt buy new Hari Raya shoes and bags this year. Figured my Prada handbag (real, hor...) and Charles and Keith clutch I got last year can still be used. In fact I havent been using them eversince last year. Ditto to my killer heels I got last year. Yeah, killer cause they killed my feet.

I got my bedsheets in Penang last May and I bought a carpet in Kashmir last December ...so, yeah, settled. I made honey cornflakes over the weekend and am contemplating to do strawberry biscuits tonight with the strawberry jam I got from Cameron Highlands last June. Suddenly am feeling so domesticated. But ah...this is just pure idle chatter talking (cause I rather daydream than to do stupid textbook). Nothing might just come out of it.

Anyway, with all the money I didnt spend (notice I didnt say "with all the money I saved"), you think I am living it up and filling the coffer. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...I wish.

Back to work.

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Hallelujah day

I am getting so paranoid. I have read (a case of having pseudo free time and staunch procrastination) that many innocent looking things contain so much chemical. Worst, those chemicals (like E471, E472, all sound like Nokia mobile phones to me!) can contain animal fats and it is no secret that pig fat is always preferred because it is cheap. At least we know what goes on in wine, spirits and beer ... but in a bread? In a Yeo Hiap Seng soya bean drink? In an ice cream we bought at our favourite (and friendly) mama shop?

(by the way, the following pictures are just used as examples)



I mean there is no proof that piggy elements are used even though a product is made in China. Those chemicals can be plant-based also but it's not mentioned on the pack of drinks we have in our kitchens for Hari Raya. And seriously, we have no one to blame but ourselves.



Now I know why families in the olden days just served tea and home-made keropoks to guests. When they feel adventurous, they will serve sirap ros which is made of rose essence, sugar, pandan leaves and colouring (hopefully safe ones).




If they feel more adventurous, they add diabetes-inducing condensed milk to their rose syrup and voila, bandung (or 'banned dung')!



Little did they know that when invited Fanta and Yeo Hiap Seng into their homes, they were also bringing doubt into their lives.

Wah wah wah.
Like I am fit to talk about halal-ism.

But my point is ... do you think your food is safe? Check what you eat/drink first before you check on what others are consuming, okay? When in doubt, cook yourself or go to Komala's.

As for me, when I grow up, I think I want to be a farmer in Australia.



Free cheese for everybody!


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Pulanglah :(

Boleh pengsan.

I just got home in time to catch the last 5 minutes of the Malay drama 'Pinggiran Ramadan' on Suria and...wahlao eh, 5 minutes were enough to shred me to pieces. Looking at Sani Hussin and Fauzie Laily cry like babies was...wow, emotional.

Excuse me while I wipe away my 5-minute tears.

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Syukur

I want to thank you, God, for answering my prayers. No matter how small the Ramadhan miracle was, it just soothes me to know that you havent forgotten about me, just like how I haven't died on you (figuratively, obviously) yet.

My wish you granted and my self-inflicted burden you relieved. There's no other way than to sing you a million praises and go further in your course. But, like you had told me, go one step at a time.

Thank you for the help.
Now...how about the 50 wishes?

Kidding :)

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Say my name

Beyonce!!



She won Best Video for Single Ladies. No brainer, right?

Okay...I have an overdose of crotch shots.

And I am only talking those that belong to Beyonce and Lady Gaga.



Oh! Pink is banging. Look!





Fierce.



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