It tastes like Tasty Wheat

Wantanableh

2010-03-09T20:45:00.046+08:00

-Cat Power Concert-

Went to see Cat Power/Chan Marshall/Charlyn Marshall/Multiple-named-hottie some time back. Had couple albums by her at the time, and liked enough songs enough for me to want to go. Enchanting character this one, softspoken and honest with just the right amount of depression to make her music sound forlorn yet tinged with desperate hope. What an artist. Too bad about the concert. It wasn't bad by Any stretch, she has got a deliciously sultry voice.

She did her covers really well but i was aching to hear more of her originals.Two of my favorites turned up right at the end but they were in some mutated versions of themselves. I still sorta liked it but knew they suffered terribly from the change. Despite this i have to admit her voice never wavered and it was worth the price of admission alone. She even took the time to hand out flowers individually to audience members, not many musicians would have the guts to do that.

Perhaps with good reason. I encountered a strange person on the MRT some time back. I don't know why i have to be subjected to the greatest oddities of society. Fairly old man wearing these retro white pants that flare out at the end with a multicoloured T-shirt. I wish i didnt remember the details. He was chewing something. It might have been gum i dont know but the last time i chewed gum it didn't smell like vomit. He came up to me asking where im from. This seemed like an odd question but i answered 'Sengkang'. He then proceeded to talk to me in a mix of Malay and English. I played along just nodding. I dont know why. Well either he caught on or he thought i was an idiot but he reverted back to English and asked me if i had a girlfriend. Now i thought this was leading to some kind of marketing or business scam. Especially when at some point he said 'You should join me'. Ah here it comes, after the small talk comes the proposal to invest in scam activity, i was waiting for this moment to tick him off. It never came. That was it, he wanted me to 'join' him. So he gave me his number. Never having encountered this scenario I pretended to save it on my phone, and walked away somewhat confused.

Abit like the annoyingly ubiquitous adverts of Ken Wantabe looking confused by scenery

What happened Wantanaman, you used to be cool. Sure Avril Lavigne does it now too

but she was never cool.

Went to the SMU Open House the other day. Just to see if they'd change my mind about where to study. Being there was actually kinda nice. Seeing all the newly shaven heads fresh from induction into service. Knowing that freedom was closer to me than it was for them. It was all sadistically satisfying.

Apart from that it was somewhat informative too. And they actually made the effort to make you feel like you should come there. I gave the NUS one a miss, i visited the dear old lady last year and it was like she wasn't even trying. Just sat there like she couldn't be bothered if you came or not. No no that wasn't a pun, i swear, i just noticed that. If you didn't just forget about it and carry on. Point is that the open house for the old university just felt like it was going through the motions when i had such high expectations. Still, if it ain't broke don't fix it i guess.. Maybe its brilliant this year i dont know, ill just flip through the website, there's just too much walking to do in the place..

I was looking through some of my old JC notes today. They are filled with random drawings and notes. From 'Stop Sleeping!' to my own drawings of mythical creatures i also encountered a few lines whose origins i am not sure of. I forget whether it was me that said this, or a friend, or if i read it somewhere but ill include it here and if you have any idea do enlighten me. Its a relevant caveat for our time.

"Magpies are arseholes, frankly, same as seagulls. I remember a story about a guy who nursed an injured seagull from his garden back to health, before releasing it back into the wild. Now it comes back every year at the same time and attacks him."

Have a good attack free week everyone.

i wish it were but it isnt

2010-02-12T12:48:00.001+08:00

I like balloons

2009-11-01T23:54:00.015+08:00

Its an amusing thing about Liverpool fans that they think a single win over United will result in their sudden 'rising from the ashes'; their comeback that will result in the title they've been talking about for..well.. about two decades. Theyll still be gloating over their win even when we're carrying the trophy and smacking them on the head with it. They've returned to losing ways this weekend and balance has been restored in the world, but you wont hear me going on and on about how Liverpool lost to Fulham.

Been making an overdue comeback at the gym recently. When i encountered the fat guy i knew at the counter he laughed at how i had shrunk and wasn't as fit as i used to be. You know you've got to a low point when an overweight man starts criticizing your fitness levels. I wanted to remind him that at least i had an unobscured view of my feet when i looked down, but then i remembered this was the same fat dude who two days earlier broke his glasses after sitting on them and decided justice had been served in advance.

Contrary to popular belief going gymming isn't all about the vanity. Its actually a great way to relieve stress. Not to mention the the ability to punch someone hard in the face could come in handy at times. Like when people come into the gym and irritate the shit out of anyone in contact with them. Over the years ive encountered all sorts of oddities. My first real injury was when this moron attempted to do bicep curls and swung so hard the dumbbell flew from his hand. And landed on my knee. Needless to say this fucking HURTS. But i was almost annoyed that i couldn't actually be mad at the fella, he was very apologetic and polite about having caused a terrible injury. At least from what i could tell through the blinding pain...
But then there are those people who have no idea what gym ettiquette is. Like they literally don't understand what the word means. I once told a guy i was annoyed by to "Learn some ettiquette!". He thought it was a vulgarity and told me he had a gang outside.

Thankfully apart from people like that most Singaporeans are alright. I abhor xenophobia and the like, but its hard to ignore the fact that its the expats that i find the most troublesome to deal with. There was this Indian expat who grabbed my weights without permission. While i was doing an exercise.. One moment i was feeling the burn and pumping iron, the next moment my dumbbell disappeared. I restrained myself and tried to be nice. But when i approached him to ask if we could share the weights he told me no. Nothing else, just 'No'. I was not used to this kind of conversation. Its not even a conversation! I tried scolding him but as usual whenever i try to scold people ill be left frustrated and they'll be left confused.

But i take consolation in how these people are usually overweight or skinny and do the same exercises wrongly for years. Cosmic justice strikes again. Don't know why it couldn't feed a starving child instead though. The universe works in stupid ways.

Just a timely reminder: FULHAM - 3 LIVERPOOL - 1

Watched Surrogates a while back. Just want to mention that it was rubbish. The trailer looked promising; all human beings living through robotic substitutes.. a movie where fantasy has superceded reality; one in which our ideas of happiness, pleasure, and authentic experience could be examined in a way that only the genre of science fiction allows. Instead all you get is Bruce Willis running around and Ving Rhames impersonating Bob Marley.

(You might also remember Ving Rhames as that big scary dude who ended up getting raped in Pulp Fiction, one of the most disconcerting scenes ive ever seen..)

And yes that's also macho Bruce Willis next to him.

There is a plot twist but its one you don't particularly care about. Its a bit like revealing to you that i secretly added some Pepsi to that glass of Coke you're sipping. Its noteworthy perhaps, and you might just stop drinking, but you wont be smashing the glass down outraged.

Here is Torres making a mistakeAnd here is Giggs showing him what he should have done

Ive resolved to post more.. Id like to say ive been busy and i sort of have been, but i have the curious condition of conscriptivitis, where in a state of serving the nation one simultaneously has a busy yet non existent life. But as i get accustomed to things i am starting to have more and more time to write this drivel. And if you are unfortunate enough to be my friend, will be annoying you on a more regular basis.

Got a couple of interesting vids for you now. I don't know what the fuck they're doing in this vid. Is the apple a metaphor? Is that a guy or a girl? I dont know but its somehow mesmerizing..

Song's 'Independence' by The Blue Van.

This is a song i absolutely adore

And last but not least

Liverpool's goalkeeper fascinated by a balloon as the ball goes in.

That's a nice jersey

2009-09-08T15:19:00.021+08:00

Now before we start, to really get you in the mood press play on that video below.
And try to listen to the lyrics as well, its her songwriting that makes her so special.

Now if you liked that, i like you. If you didn't like that, go watch some juvenile booty shaking in one of Pitbull's music videos you philistine. On second thought..you might actually want to check it out regardless, the shaking is captivating.

Saw the gorgeous Aimee Mann in concert the other day. Yet again no one brought a camera even though we were at the front and in a prime position to take photos. Well there was a little anti-happiness esplanade person running around stopping any photo taking though, but that fact did not console me. I would have defeated her. And i did, just with my crappy camera phone..

This is from Greenhorn Productions. Not my photo clearly. I tried to upload my own phone camera pic but they looked..barely human in it.

For two enchanting hours i was reduced to an excited little girl. Giggling at Aimee's every joke, wide-eyed and wringing my hands in nervous anticipation of the next song, screaming when it was the song i was hoping for.. It was all done in a manly way of course but its the closest ive ever come to looking like this.

(Ignore the treacherous perv behind her, defiling a perfectly good jersey)

Its not just the fandom talking though, she's exceptional live. And funny too. Some fella shouted 'I love you Aimee!' to which she replied 'Im sure i'd love you too..if i knew you..' No it was not me who shouted that, i was far too suave and simply charmed her with my eyes. There were instant sparks, words are for losers. And when she announced that she was about to play the songs 'Little Bombs' and 'Little Tornadoes'? She explained the titles were because she liked her disasters small and manageable. Oh you funny witty thing you. Suffice to say i was satisfied with the concert. The only fault was that it actually felt short even though it was a couple of hours long. When people were shouting requests she joked that if we had the time, we could be there all night. In my dreamy joyous mood i had actually believed that. I was left confused and lost even as she left the stage and the hall's lights came on. Im sure she'll be back though, we made a connection that night.

But all this happened awhile ago, recent times have been pretty dismal and are only going to get much worse for awhile. So ive recently started watching House again. What better way to deal with misery than to watch a miserable misanthrope. Its my favourite show for a reason. Dying people and a man whose genius depends on his unhappiness; what could make you feel better. Though some of the additions have been questionable. I still maintain that '13' (Im at Season 5 but i can't be bothered to remember her name) is a stupid addition and her character should die a horrible death that is befitting of her inanity. Through the seasons its House that pulls the show, managing to be as engaging as he is scathing. The closest thing i have to a role model. Well i have yet to save lives, acquire a thorough understanding of medicine or even learn the instruments he so often plays. But i do have some small capacity to be tactful and sympathetic which he seems to lack. I should probably get rid of that first.. baby steps eh?

Potterpuff

2009-07-28T16:13:00.012+08:00

Been having a flu and fever past several days. Mostly been sleeping. And embarrasingly enough reading Harry Potter number 7. Whether it was the delerium from sickness or the curiousity from watching the movie i do not know. But i tell you what, *whisper* i kind of enjoyed it. *Softer whisper* Except the ending which sucks arse.

To its credit it was better written than the others that preceded it. You didn't really feel like strangling the protagonist half the time you were reading. Potter's grown up and it shows. His internal conflicts mirror ours yet his actions reflect a person we can admire and hope to emulate. Its a delicate balance of realism and idealism. Which is of course thrown into the chute at the end. But its a delight to read while it lasts and you almost didn't want it to end. And then it did. (Minor spoilers ahead) Like a jigsaw puzzle you just couldn't put together till at last it fits perfectly in a flash to reveal the picture of ...
Yes its a happy ending. And i will admit, i have a small bias against these sort of things. The world isn't a happy place. Most of us aren't completely contented. Sure fiction can be escapism, but its got to be subdued with a sense of honesty that links us to it. Our journey with the characters is suddenly halted by their sudden, rousing, and hastily explained success. Read on only if you've read the book or can't be bothered about minor spoilers.

Harry's attainment of the "Hallows" or his 'conquering' of death had been something the climax heavily vested into. But the finality and significance of death seems rather banal if its revealed we all get to live on in some kind of train station heaven or equivalent. It rather belittles the victory that had been coming for seven tomes. Plot holes suddenly had to be plugged in the span of a chapter and the whole tone of the book changes as you sense the author doing it. The wholesome and somewhat contrived ending seemed to bend the patient buildup to its will. Towards the final chapter its like J.K just got abit tired. And found out about a word called
'rent' (2) n.
1. An opening made by rending; a rip.
If you can be bothered, or are a big enough Potter fan to be offended, just count the number of times she uses it towards the end. The air rented with screams. Rented with laughter. Rented with miscellaneous magical bolts. Rent a wider vocabulary Rowling. I wanted to rent the pages apart.

Potter is an immensely likeable fella though. All the way till he becomes some sort of martyr/God/Neo. He must have been lecturing Voldemort about an hour as they circled each other, wands pointed. The buildup slowly wasting away as you realized Potter armed with knowledge from a helpful ghost (he just had to come back didn't he) would bring about Voldemort's inevitable doom.

Dont get me wrong, happy endings can be alright. I started having a warm fuzzy feeling towards the end. But then that fuzzy feeling stuffed my insides and exploded with the force of a hundred carebear love rays. The epilogue took the cake. Rowling makes sure her fans arent left longing for more by stuffing them with enough happy visions of all her characters to make them beg her to stop. They all get married and have kids. And their kids recycle the names of other beloved characters. Fine, its a wonderfully blossomy gesture and all, but did their personalities have to be recycled too? Id cringe if that part materialized on the big screen.. I thought the 6th movie installment was actually pretty decent. If the last one sucks, i called it. But no matter, we're all still going to watch it anyway. And that's some skillfull hocus pocus right there.

It tastes like droppings.

2009-07-19T21:00:00.021+08:00

Been an entirely uninspiring week. Daily doses of tiny fried chicken, loudmouthed humourless morons, mundane lessons, rat eaten bread. Yes bread eaten by fucking rat. Mustave been a goddamn ninja one too, it avoided my chair, jumped/climbed/reppelled into the high shelf of my slightly opened locker, manouvered around my shaving cream, water bottle, wholemeal loaf and nibbled its way through all the corners of my raisin bread. I had to eat mysterious yellow pasted baos for two days. Lest you think that is hardly punishment, as Samuel kindly enlightened me; these baos, when thrown on the floor? They bounce back up. I have since confirmed this observation. Will write more soon but for now i have to go back to the LAND OF THE RAATS. GRARRH

Fuck you...

Oh this is a must see spoof...

Mann Its About Time

2009-06-19T01:55:00.007+08:00

I used to be a fan of Natalie Portman when i was younger. First saw her in this great movie called 'Léon' and was smitten. Yes, yes, she was 12 and prancing around in her undies at one point, but i was 11 so enough with that. Anyway she grew up to be a fantastic actress. Someone told me recently that Scarlett Johansson is much better looking. I disagree. Compelling evidence at 26 seconds into this interview.

While im at the subject of fascinating females, sultry voiced Aimee Mann is coming to Singapore on the 29th of August, a Saturday night, at the Esplanade. Unless something goes horribly wrong with the world ill be going for it. Have a listen to this and you'll have a taste of why.

-Sweet sweet solitude-

2009-05-29T23:10:00.024+08:00

Taking a look at it, my last two posts were short to the point of stupidity. My brain is dying from atrophy. It was good to be at home on friday. I was finally actually alone for awhile. For the first time in more than a month. It was divine. I missed the sound of my mind. For a long period i was subjected to the constant aural assault of 'nabei chee bye' all around me. "So much dust, nabei". "'I cannot find my underwear, chee bye." I can insult proficiently in Hokkien now. If only i knew how to say hello.

I've been eating alot of junk food. Chocolates, donuts, nachos, sweets. Was worried that i'd become fat and unfit. But i've become acquainted with some really fat people. Im talking really fat with layers upon layers, flowing like tidal waves with each step. Watching them, or rather being forced to watch them (some people just like to parade themselves, i dont get it, keep your damn clothes on. Unless you happen to be a hot girl. In which case feel free, the world needs art and my eyes need pleasing.) is simultaneously both an ego boost and a warning. I have recently been informed that only 2% of obese people can claim that their weight problem is glandular. The rest just eat too damn much. A mean person might say this is license to insult really fat people at will. This person might also claim that it is a rather fun activity. Especially when the fat person in question is a complete asshole. If you're big enough to be a landmark you'd better play nice you fat bastard.

Watched 3 movies this weekend id been waiting weeks to see. Star Trek was a blast, terminator was cool and wolverine was lame. Sabretooth and Gambit seemed to be pricks to him but they magically become Wolverine's friends towards the end. Oh darn, Gambit interferes and stops me from killing sabretooth but its okay, hes got a cool stick so he can be my butt buddy.

E3 is starting. Thats basically the biggest showcase of upcoming game releases. I don't really game that much anymore but theres afew things that would catch my eye. There's a game called bayonetta that looks pretty good. Some really slick action and gameplay but the heroine is somewhat insulting to gamers. Tsk tsk. Shamelessly panning to the slobbering perverse geekazoid shes insanely voluptuous and seductive. And the more she fights, the more her clothes come off. I can't wait for this game.

There's just some time left to go exercise and maybe read a few pages of a book and the newspaper. I miss school. Not the lectures, homework or studying(what little of it there was) and certainly not the food. Not the teachers, not the tutorials, not the stairs not the waiting for buses, not the fugly uniform. Did i say i miss school? Well ill be looking forward to heading to university. Was set on SMU for awhile but made a late U-turn to NUS. Sure she's older and less flexible but hey, maturity and sophistication has its appeals. So pucker up, here i come.. in a couple of years...

-Sunday im depressed-

2009-05-17T14:15:00.003+08:00

Time to get into Tekong again. Another fantastic weekend has passed! And so the countdown starts for the next one. Yipee...

-Friday im in love-

2009-05-09T10:00:00.007+08:00

Finally back from the first 2 weeks of bmt. Im not allowed to blog about army. But i will say this. There are some people in serious need of deoderant. The smells ive encountered these 14 days have ranged from unholy to life threatening. I was grateful when i had a blocked nose for awhile. But even then the little air that seeped through was nauseating. I should add bad body odour to my list of asthma triggers. Army has been...a unique experience so far. Should get more interesting. Less smelly too i hope.

-Camo Face-

2009-04-24T03:30:00.009+08:00

Going into army tomorrow. Ive heard enough about it the past year with alot of friends already in army telling stories about it. Time to get a first hand look. Dont want to over dramatize the thing but its been a reflective day. Feels like the end of another chapter. And the start of perhaps a rather dreary one. Not looking forward to it, i really enjoyed the time ive had this year, but its about time i got it done. Ill go with an open mind.

Im not usually one for any advertised sentimentality so this is an anomaly, but i feel in the mood to indulge myself. Ignore this if you get bored easily. In other words if you're like me. Anyway, been treating every day like it was precious. The past two weeks or so have probably been the best in goodness knows how long. Eating extravagantly, meeting up with friends, even some really old ones from the past which was nice, reading on occasion, running when i wanted to, sleeping when i needed to and watching football with a cold ginger beer in hand. What a time. I will miss this.

Last day today. Had chats with a couple of friends. Went jogging with one in the morning and just had a long conversation with another. I was sleeping in between so the entire day had only two events. Three if i include eating. I really admire both these individuals though, even more so after today, so it was time well spent.

It got me thinking about the past few years. Regrets and guilt usually accompany that activity. Haven't exactly murdered anyone but im certainly glad its done with. It would be prudent not to hastily label transitions as progressions but if there's a basis for hope im going to go ahead and leap ahead of myself. Remorse can aid change but when chronic, taints. Quite apart from remorse specifically but still within that sphere of emotional turmoil it seems to me that moral anguish is essential in our embracing of the world that confronts us. Beautiful in some ways, perhaps even necessary. Wish i had time to type more but i am getting tired, should get to bed soon.

Listened to interviews of Alexander Nehamas and Mark Vernon on friendship recently. Credit to them as the progenitors of some interesting reflections ive had. Its hard to overestimate the potency of the globalised spread of information. The possibilities of the people we could become are constrained by the conditions in our immediate vicinity. Those contingencies frustratingly beyond our control. When those boundaries are moved by consciously exposing ourselves to information outside those traditional confines, the possibilites of who we could become increase multifold and a greater autonomy over who we are as individuals is birthed.

This is for anyone interested in the topic of friendship thats been somewhat neglected in modern and contemporary philosophy, but seems to be making a comeback with a generally renewed interest in reflections of how we should live with the emergence of virtue ethics. Ancient philosophy clearly viewed it with serious interest. To Aristotle it was an absolutely essential ingredient to the good life and Nietsczhe held it in high regard as well. Id agree that it should be back on the terrain of philosophers again. A rough excerpt from one of the interviews that i found interesting.

Alexander Nehamas - " (On a generalized reason of why people fall out of friendship) When we see that our friends have changed, we ourselves have changed as well. So a friendship generally speaking, falls apart when the friends have gradually began to take different directions in their lives and are no longer connected in the way they have been up to that point. Its very painful sometimes to fall out of friendship. No less painful than falling out of love with someone or the other person falling out of love with you, which is often worse. The reason it is so painful is i think the following. If you stop being my friend, you both suggest to me that (a) you no longer like the person i am, which shows that if i were to ask you what did i do wrong, that would have been the wrong question to ask. Its not that i did anything wrong, its who i am that you are no longer satisfied with. But (b), it also suggests something even more painful. Namely that you no longer like the person you have become, as a result of our friendship. And that suggests that you are giving something up that i have been responsible for creating. So once again, in this context, the expression that we often use (more in situations of love than friendship but also friendship) when we say 'Its not you its me' is no consolation to the person to whom its told, because 'Its not you its me', still means its you."

Brutal stuff. I think its fairly clear our friends have an important part to play in moulding us into the people that we are. And yet a yearning for independence and a desire to be indurated from emotional hurt such as the one described, might seem to make dependency on our friends somewhat undesirable. But what else is there to fulfill that longing to know and be known, to have as Aristotle would described a friendship of excellence with both individuals satiated by each other's company regardless of the activity. Not to mention they would be able to make observations over a varied range of a behavior and this would give them priviledged position to launch an attempt into genuine empathy if not sympathy. A sentiment which i think is quite removed from romantic love or even familial love because they are more possessive, protective and consequently rather skewed in their perspectives. (Not that those qualities are necessarily bad on their own, but just not suited for that purpose.) Too sleepy to write anymore. I do feel grateful for some of the individuals i have met.

-The Prodigious Chiefs-

2009-04-20T03:40:00.011+08:00

The Prodigy.

Kaiser Chiefs. I am aware of the terrible quality.

Finally got some files off my phone and these were a couple of photos that were in there of two concerts i attended. The Prodigy was somewhere in February. The Kaiser Chiefs are still vivid in my lousy memory so they must be fairly recent. Both were at Fort Canning which, if you ask me, is a pretty lousy venue. The whole place is a slope and if you're down in front your feet have to bend at weired angles. It might be nice for a fucking picnic but its not fun to stand on. Both were general admission though, which is good for someone with too much free time because i could get there early and stay right up front. We actually went way too early for the Prodigy concert, most other people were really late. Fortunately for them(and a slice of shitcake for us) the band was extremely late so we went there early for nothing. There was an overweight dj playing some raver tunes but there wasn't any rush for standing space; took awhile for people to gather. Which is expected since it was a fairly old-ish crowd. Probably former ravers of the 90s come to be cool again. There were some lunatics with weired hairstyles like half their head shaved with the other half long and flowy. This is not cool. It is incredibly ugly and makes you look like a mental hobo.

When they finally did arrive the concert was not bad. Crowd was up for it and The Prodigy's electronic dance music is just kickass, no band in the world like them. They did seem a tad mechanical though, didn't have the spontaneity or crowd interaction id hoped for. Which wasn't a problem with the Kaiser Chiefs who gave one helluva show. I know maybe 3 songs from the Kaiser Chiefs to be honest, not really my thing. Also they were late. But their songs are fucking radical live and we were jumping to the beats the entire time. I don't know their names, don't know their songs, but ill be going if they come down to Singapore again. The straits times reviewer of the concert lambasted the audience as pretty pathetic. I didnt think they seemed all that bad, not at the front anyway. The songs were 'jumpy' ones, only problem was that it was raining earlier on so we were standing on mud. To actually jump took alot of effort because the ground sucked you right in everytime you landed. I didnt care about that but i paid the price with mud right up to my jeans. I got a few puzzled looks on the mrt afterwards.

There were some morons around though. Right as the band arrived there were these latecomers that tried to push their way through in front; big ogre like oafs yelling 'Scuse us, big fans yeap, big fans, coming through'. They soon had to get their big assess to the back with everyone yelling at them. There was one guy that pushed his way from the back and stood next to me. He folded his arms and just stood there, glaring and looking annoyed by the people jostling and jumping around while we were all singing along chanting 'We are the angry mob'. Tsk, jostling from an angry mob? Who would have thought.. There were afew of these people. Some holding on preciously to their handbags and looking shocked at the 'unruly' behavior at a rock concert. Still, it was largely good and i hope they come down again. I want to go to england someday for the Reading and Leeds Festivale. According to wiki 'the following acts are confirmed as headliners (for 2009): Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, and Kings of Leon. Other acts include Kaiser Chiefs, The Prodigy, Bloc Party, Fall Out Boy, Deftones, Ian Brown, Enter Shikari, Placebo, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' etc etc. Some of my favourite acts there, talk about value for money. Except for Fall Out Boy, i would pay extra to see them removed from the line-up.

-I pay 90 cents for this.-

2009-04-20T02:10:00.016+08:00

Ok this is getting really irksome. There is yet another inane article in the Sunday Times 'Think' section by the same person. When the director of the National Neuroscience Institute first started writing there i genuinely thought, hey this might be good. Maybe she can write some really thought provoking articles about the state of neuroscience and its intriguing findings. Instead we got garbage like 'Why I Choose to be Single'. Who. The. Fuck. Cares. It took up almost the entire page in the 'Think' section. Your personal life is hardly something i want to be thinking about. And there'll be this moral lesson inserted at the end for us dimwits to learn. In this case-"I would advise young men and women not to delay getting married and having children." Thanks im persuaded by your clearly wise advice. Apparently argumentation isn't necessary for some.

I always look forward to articles by Jenadas Devan but they are being published more sparingly now. His writings actually had intellectual depth and appeal. Unlike him, she once wrote an entire anecdote about some sort of speeding incident in the United States where the policeman surprisingly turned out to be an agreeable fella because he agreed that Michael Fay should have been caned. At the end of the thing it was written that there are Americans who feel that 'a compromise in personal freedom to prevent anti-social behaviour is necessary for the welfare of society.' Is that it? What was the bloody point of the whole thing? Yet another teaching lesson for us? Justified by an unidentified solitary American!? The articles are always terrible arguments or opinions i couldn't give a shit about. This is stuff that should go on a blog not the newspaper. The academics and writers in that section usually write lucidly and argumentatively and that section is now being hijacked by this crap.

Well the latest article is a gem in comparison. Its about how there's a bright side to our worst recession ever. 'Economic hardship can teach us to be resilient'. Come on. Enough of this already. We get it and expect it from politicians. Its probably even necessary from politicians. We dont need it from any other sources. 'Perhaps this economic crisis may be a blessing in disguise' Perhaps.. Oh you've lost your job too? Let's get out the fireworks and party the night away. Ive heard its a blessing in disguise.

It's ridiculous, sure make the best out of a bad situation, but don't pretend like its a damn pathway to success. Don't get me wrong optimism is fine. But articles of little merit are not, especially when they appear time after fucking time.

-Livin La Vida Loca-

2009-03-24T23:03:00.014+08:00

Hello there, im back. Why? Unemployment. Well not really, the holidays have been fantastic. Whoever said too much of a good thing is bad should have their head examined. Then bashed in with a dose of shut-the-hell-up. I could get used to this but there's only a month left before the island beckons. Still, ill be writing in here again if only to keep myself active and obtain healthy amounts of self indulgence while im in army.

Went to the Coldplay concert on monday with Sam. Thankfully he got us some good seats, fairly near to the band, slightly elevated, perfect for some photos but neither of us brainiacs thought about bringing a camera. Pictures taken by wiser people can be found here if you're interested.
Now, though i do really like them, they aren't actually my favourite band and id be hestitant to say i was a fan. Im a 'fan' of few bands so id pay an insane amount to watch Pink Floyd, but you can't ressurrect the dead or get old men to do things, so life goes on and you get what you can.

I've never considered them lyrical powerhouses apart from afew songs; too overtly sentimental or obvious for my liking(Think 'big fish in a little pond' from Lost!) but i have to admit they've got a knack for making great catchy tunes with those soaring sing-along choruses. It works against them as well though because it often becomes wearisome and formulaic. First 2 albums were solid but X&Y was a little self-indulgent and somewhat forgettable.. Viva La Vida though? I really like that album. Alot of old coldplay fans didn't like the new sound and understandably so with what they were accustomed to, but i think it was Coldplay with an amplifier. It introduced a much needed layered sound, synthetic distortions, and some added instrumental flair. Ballads tend to sicken me after awhile. Thankfully the list for the concert had just about all the songs from it(they missed Yes but i wouldn't moan about that one.)

A really good band called Mercury Rev opened for Coldplay and i tell you what id have been happy with a full concert by just them. The singer's vocals aren't shabby at all and their psychedelic style sits very well with me. Ive read that Mercury Rev actually influenced Coldplay with their Deserters album so its weired the way things come back around. One minute you're inspiring the next generation, the next you're getting them coffee. No one does stadium anthem pop quite like Coldplay though. The concert was just fantastic.

The sound and lighting was brilliant for one thing and Chris Martin's vocals were effortlessly evocative. Part of its success has to lie with the fact that the songs on Viva, and much of Coldplay's music really, are rousing anthems that lend themselves to stadium concerts like this. Credit has to go to Chris Martin though, that guy ran himself silly and knows how to charm the crowd and get them involved. At one point he mentioned how sincerely grateful he was to everyone that made the effort to come. Heartfelt but a discount would have been gratitude enough Chris. This set me back 200, damnn. It was worth the price though, they did a large set.

These are the songs they played:
Life In Technicolor
Violet Hill
Clocks
In My Place
Yellow
Glass Of Water
Cemeteries Of London
42
Fix You
Strawberry Swing
God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (Remix)
Talk (Remix)
The Hardest Part
Postcards From Far Away
Viva La Vida
Lost!
Speed Of Sound (Acoustic)
Death Will Never Conquer
I'm A Believer (Acoustic)
Politik
Lovers In Japan
Death And All His Friends
The Scientist

Crowd was good. Not surprising since they have some rabid vocal female fans. Tell them your tired of hearing about that jaundiced baby in Yellow and you'll get a chris martin poster smacked into your face. No one was sitting down which suits me just fine. For the amount we paid i'd groove to fucking Hannah Montana. Well, no, but you get the point. The girl beside me was well enthusiastic about it and it was pretty infectious. I was moving around soon enough too albeit in a much more manly and radical way. I sneaked afew glances around in the dark from time to time and saw afew people caught in two minds between dancing and not dancing. It was interesting to see, it reminded me of the jerky trembling zombies Will Smith finds in I Am Legend.

The songs that really stand out in my memory(and its a terrible one) are Viva la vida, Lost!, and Lovers In Japan. That last one i mentioned was quite something, with even confetti raining down, and would have been perfect for the couples present. Viva was a great sing-along and the crowd got really into it, same for Lost; lighting, sound, amosphere, all blended together seamlessly.

The only low point of the day was that i paid $12 for packets of ribena. That's right, $12. Fuck.Me. And it just made me more thirsty so i had to get a $3 hundred plus can.

Brotherly love

2008-12-21T13:12:00.006+08:00

Image from CrunchGears

Facebook is an interesting application. It contains a list of your friends, their friends, their uncles, half cousins and anyone whose face is vaguely familiar. I do actually check it once in awhile and you can get pleasantly surprised by familiar faces that you see. I caught sight of one such face with Brother Michael Broughton, former teacher, Vice-Principal of my secondary school, and all round good guy. His love knows no bounds of physical or time constraints, he has more than a thousand friends on facebook. Also, upon our entering into the school family, he was kind enough to instruct the entire cohort on how exactly to bathe ourselves. In the communal shower that followed right after, there were afew people who took it upon themselves to correct others about where they were going wrong in their showering technique. I have always maintained that this was quite unnecessary.

I have gotten on his cross side before though. Brother Michael once caught me drinking water during the morning prayer and hauled me up to ask why. I said i had prayed for water and got quite a earful. I explained right after that i just wasn't thinking at the time and this managed to avert death as he was really nice about it. I think i owe him one. Which is why i would like to draw attention to the fact that he is being abused. There is a game called 'Elven Blood' in facebook apparently. Call me crazy but i don't think he plays.

"Gabriel Goh dueled Michael Broughton in Elven Blood.

Gabriel Goh attacked for 293 damages.

Michael Broughton attacked for 0 damages.

Gabriel Goh won the duel and gained 10g and 3 exp!"

Being the jolly, magnanimous and non-violent brotherly person that he is, Brother Michael Broughton is a passive victim in this. I don't know this Gabriel Goh. Seems like a devious and cunning guy. But to anyone who actually plays this game, please unleash a heaping load of retribution on him.

Now on to more serious news,

You know you haven't been the nicest person to work with when your colleagues...kill you...

"TOKYO (Reuters) – A 60-year-old man who was thrown into the air in celebration at his retirement party died after his colleagues failed to catch him and he fell to the floor."

And someone bail this guy out, this just takes guts. Hydrogen sulphide filled guts.

'A West Virginia man who police said passed gas and fanned it toward a patrolman has been charged with battery on a police officer. "The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons," the complaint alleged. '

Yes, if only it was one of those courtesy farts that was fragrantly pleasant and created contact of a pleasing nature he might have been let off.

(There have been less posts but there has also been more alcohol. I've had my fill though and ill be writing more soon enough before my brain decides its had enough and leaves me for another man.)

Not so concrete jungle

2008-12-17T19:34:00.010+08:00

Image from Wikipedia. You didnt think i could be arsed to take it myself did you?

This is sengkang. 'But its just a section Vignesh, Sengkang is a big place!' an annoyingly observant person might object. Yes it is. And it isn't. Multiply this photo a hundred times and you've got the entirety of Sengkang. Its just..more of the same. Its the holidays and i get people over to my house. Its easier that way, i dont really have to move. Unfortunately, just about everyone gets lost on the way.

'Give me a landmark Vig, is there a field beside your house?' Yes. Problem is half of sengkang is composed of open fields, theres a field beside every damn house. If you tell me you see a field, this comes as no surprise to me. I would gladly give you a landmark, like maybe a large sign that says sengkang, but wait, that's everywhere too. There are different sections of sengkang. They can't have different coloured sections though, because apparently you can quickly run out of the nearly innumerable combinations of colour. The same colour schemes tend to be repeated. Alot.

I like my house though. Its just near enough to the forest to appreciate its beauty and just far enough so i dont experience its horrible effects. Save the forests please, just keep the fuckin animals away from my house. I will observe them safely. From afar. Unless its one of those damn spitting snakes, in which case im running away with haste. Some have been known to spit up to several metres. What the hell does it need that for anyway, it eats eggs and small critters. Its like it developed this ability just to annoy observers of the natural world. David Attenborough might have been the selection pressure for this adaptation. 'That bloody voyeur's here again, tomorrow night hun.' 'Aw wait a sec.. try..spitting at him..'

But Sengkang can be a nice place. Serene, pristine, with a beautiful skyline. Id spend every evening watching the sunset, at times majestic and awe inducing, at others pensive and ruminative. Theyve built a condo in front of the sun now. My nice view of the forest now comes from holding up my hands to my eyes to block the buildings on either side. There's something tragic to be said about that i'm sure. For now it just pisses me off.

I should be glad though, when i get out of the house now i can actually see a person or two in the distance. Several years back i was convinced the danger of being kidnapped was real. Of course it might have been that shady guy that i kept seeing whenever i came back from school, but id like to think he had nobler intentions of admiration and awe. And besides i was skilled in the art of Tae Kwan Do at the time. I had my protection.

And my fair shair of humiliation.. I got to a junior black belt when i was a kid. But i lost badly to a girl along the way. Wasn't my fault though, i was kind of pudgy then. Kicks couldn't go that far, i'd lose my balance. Also if i was pudgy, she was friggin massive. No really, she had to be at least 4 years older and with quadruple the fat content. My head barely reached up to her necks and i couldn't bring myself to hit the chest directly in front of me; even at 8 i was acquainted with the tenderness of the female form. Okay sure the target area might have been absolutely massive, but you're only allowed to hit above the belt and i could'nt tell where the tender forms ended and where the stomach began.

It was a grading exam though so i punched the air in front of her (kicks were risky, as mentioned i ran the risk of falling over). In case you think im being too mean, she beat the living crap out of me. I somehow got a double promotion in the exam though (that's a skipping of grade). I suspect out of great pity by the examiners.

One person that could probably take her on might be the founder of Kyokushin Karate, Mas Oyama.

"Mas Oyama, in order to show the strength of his karate, tested his strength by fighting raging bulls bare-handed. It was a mismatch from the get-go for the bulls, not for Oyama. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly with one strike, earning him the nickname of Godhand. 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows."

Shit. Just..shit.. He kills bulls? With his hands!? This has got to be an exaggeration, but if theres some small grain of truth to this story ive got to take up this Kyokushin thing..

Got sent an interesting link. Someone wanted to show off their advanced copy of this game called gears of wars 2. Probably showed too much about his interests. See if you can spot the surprise.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/kotaku/2008/10/p10100132qz3_01.jpg

hint: look at the web browser.

A friend Nauman made this kickass signature for me. Check out those luscious lips..nice..

Nothing like reunions

2008-12-17T00:40:00.002+08:00

Getting in touch with old friends. Ah the nostalgia. And the burning curiosity! Whats changed in their lives!

"gid says:
i'mma fat fuck now
gid says:
dude 100kg
ViG says:
fuck off
ViG says:
no way
gid says:
no i am.
gid says:
i'm so depressed man
gid says:
i'm pulling my cock but its sstuck between 2 slabs of fat"

Gid then proceeded to show me a picture of a short fat kid and tried to convince me it was him. I asked him to take a close up but he said his fat face wouldn't fit.
Back in school gid put a highlighter in his shorts and walked around pretending to have an erection. Some things stay the same..

Living in a wonderlag

2008-12-16T05:23:00.011+08:00

"How did the machines know what Tasty Wheat tasted like, huh? Maybe they got it wrong."

I wonder if this post will appear. The line on Tasty Wheat is a reference to the Matrix. I have actually named my computer The Matrix. Unlike the movie one that enslaved the entire human race this piece of shit couldn't imprison a retarded mouse. I was watching a fat kid on an episode of House and my browser hanged right as she was puking towards the camera. I stared at that goddamn puke for 10 minutes before it fell to the floor. Did i mention i take my DINNER while watching shows on my pc? I took no small amount of pleasure when she was diagnosed with a crippling disease. Yes its sad, and i should feel bad, but think about the Puke. I mean Cmon. You knew it was coming, eat something that'll look less rancid on camera will you. It also took 15 minutes for my MSN to fully load by which time a conversation window appeared. Someone had greeted me, told me about their day and went offline. An entire conversation was had without my participation. Sorry i didn't reply, nothing personal, its just that my computer is complete garbage. It may also be because i dont like you too much. Either way is a rubbish situation for me.

And regarding dislike, ive been accused recently of being a misanthrope. I deny this claim vehemently. I don't detest people at all. In fact I think there is something very wrong about destesting people and yet creating a blog to share your life and treasured photos with said detested people. I have come across such blogs before. "I hate the world. I hate you people. Now read my blog entries. Pretty please?" Let me make this clear, i detest these people. Which is why this site is not going to be about the details of my life. Its going to be about the people i detest in my life. Wait, something went wrong there.

But really, i wanted a place to just write whatever i wanted. I tried an actual diary. I got to page three and read through it again. Apparently when i write whatever i want i sound like a man filled with unexplainable rage. And also slightly lazy as the punctuations stop after awhile. So i figure since im on the computer most weeknights, waiting for puke to hit the floor and moving closer to death as The Matrix loads its next page, i might as well use this site. To the people i have ridiculed in the past for having a blog, i must say. You deserved it. Did i mention I have been accused of being a hypocrite as well? I deny that claim. I have also been accused of being a liar. I tell you i deny all of this.