Wednesday, 31 October 2001

hey everyone, thanks for the concern, support and good advice! :) am feeling much better today... best piece of sound advice i got today (other than "Don't Kill Yourself!" :p) is "Give yourself a longer lag time to complete each task.." simple and yet spot-on.. ya, one of my weak points.. overpromising and then killing myself to try to meet the raised expectations of others... bad strategy... don't know when I started doing that but i am promising myself a more reasonable working style and schedule from tomorrow.. i'm not going to take on any more than I can handle..

Stephen Covey (of 7 habits fame) says: Many of what we call "time management" frustrations - felling hassled, pressured, caught in dilemmas - are, at the core, problems of inner dissonance. - me? inner dissonance?.. umm.... maybe i should be more like pooh..

will be in bed latest by half 12 tonight.. definitely... got a long day ahead tomorrow... and its mum's birthday too... :)

url: The Indian Superman (1987)

i am human. i have limitations. and i get hungry, thirsty, sick, sad and tired, just like everyone else. i will break down if i operate non-stop, even more so than a machine. what humbling thoughts... what sense....and thinking aloud now, i'm wondering why i have to push myself to the limits of my human strength and endurance before i finally say enough is enough? just had dinner two hours ago.. can't imagine that.. midnight dinners.. just because i just couldn't stop working until 11 (even though i started at half 9 this morning..) i'm really becoming a workaholic and i can't say no to any piece of job that comes along as long as it is money-making for the company.. so stressed out about deadlines and stuff that i actually broke down just now :( it was pretty terrifying... i think that the hardest expectation to live up to is the expectation that you set upon yourself.. which is probably why people kill themselves for failing exams and being unemployed... i mean.. no one expects them to kill themselves,right??.... how do i get myself to stop working so hard....?

the hypnotic blobs of the l a v a l a m p offer boundless comfort... OoOoOooO

btw: check out alb's b&w photos online >> they're great! :)

Tuesday, 30 October 2001

Results of the Sensuality Test : Sensuality Index: My score = 77

What does your score mean?

You are one sensual human being! You are titillated by the sensual stimuli of everyday life. The smell of flowers, the sensation of silk against the skin, the taste of food, the sound of music, and the rich colors of life tickle and tease you to ecstasy. Yours is a hedonistic attitude, and you deeply enjoy the physical pleasures that life has to offer. This is great-a good smell or beautiful color is often enough to keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

You are into long, emotional lovemaking (which is usually followed by an earth-shattering orgasm). This is fabulous for you and one would wager that your partner doesn't mind either!

Your senses are also inextricably linked to your emotions and certain sensual stimuli can evoke strong feelings. Therefore you tend to be emotionally passionate.

Because you get so much pleasure from your senses, you are eager to experiment in life. This is positive since you can make great discoveries and experience a lot of pleasure. However, being pleasure-driven can sour you from persevering if an experience isn't entirely pleasant. If that's your case, your lack of persistence might be keeping you from attaining worthy goals (sometimes it is necessary to wade through dull and insipid periods of life).

But most importantly, remember that 'too much of a good thing' can be harmful. People who delight is sensual pleasures are at a slightly increased risk for addictions (substance, sex, love, etc.). So keep yourself in check. Careless sex, too much chocolate, and fine wine can all be wonderful in reasonable doses. And though they induce pleasure, too much can lead to your demise.

All in all, you have the innate ability to use your senses to enjoy what this life has to offer!

Monday, 29 October 2001

test test.. system is getting cranky..

lame url #1: 404 porn
lame url #2: pooh fiction
I AM 22% GEEK


Take the GEEK Test at Fuali.com!

Sunday, 28 October 2001

had the new Green Tea Cream Frappuccino from Starbucks! It's too sweet!! Never going to have it again! Think they must have made a mistake with the amount of syrup to put in the drink.. a diabetic will drop dead licking it!

finally bought the Lava lamp for Sis and she loves it! It looks like this >> . really quite therapeutic watching the blobs form and then rise and fall.. in fact, i think it is even more enjoyable than watching a tankful of fishes (plus minus the cleaning up :p) will it change my life? it remains to be seen.. mum thinks it'll explode and screams at me to keep my face away from it.. duh??

had dinner of yummy but expensive chee cheong fun at this somewhat famous Killiney Rd Chee Cheong Fun-cum-porridge place with bunch of people who have all undergone this Asiaworks (Experiential Learning) Course thingey. Place even has durian chee cheong fun there.. urgh! but can't imagine trying it - i'll stick to Geylang Durian anytime.. I'm a purist..

Made a disturbing discovery about my personality today...I discovered that I have this disorder known (to myself only so far 'cos I only coined it today) as "Failure to have stability of thought" - basically, i am not able to sustain a thought in my head for any longer than 5 to 10 mins unless I make a real conscious effort to. This manifests itself clearly in situations where I forget where I park my car in a carpark, missing appointments that I don't record down, procrastinating, misplacing things etc.. I discovered it while driving to go to work today. For those of you who drive, you will know that there is this speed camera along AYE opposite NUS. When I noticed the signs warning of the speed camera ahead, I will normally slow down and only speed up again after the camera. Today, after I slowed down, I begun to speed up again mindlessly even before I reached the camera and almost exceeded the speed limit! AM I GOING SENILE?? AT THIS YOUNG AGE?? hope i am just tired.. this is really worrying.. maybe I should go to bed now...

had to wake up at 6.30am to go to Temasek Sec to do the tile painting workshops and demos yesterday morning for the East Zone Cluster 3 schools... zzzz

watched Training Day in the afternoon (and fell asleep intermittently) - Denzel Washington put up yet another stunning performance showing his versatility in protraying a myriad of roles.. quite cool show.. go watch..

Had seafood spagetti and pilsner lager dinner with anni and her colleagues at Brewerkz (their mussels starter is amazingly yummy) and watched this huge mass of people doing line dancing at the Riverside Point Amphitheatre (every Sat from 6 to 11.30pm) - its quite fun to watch (though a bit strange to see so many Singaporeans wearing cowboy hats and boots) and it makes you wonder how these people can just go on and on without tiring.. maybe it's because even to really fast-paced music (such as Lady Marmalade), they still move at the same slow pace as they do for a slow, droning country tune .hahaha... and truely, bizarrely, they dance to just about any song!! I remember the time I was in Nashville Tennessee working in the Opryland Country Music Themepark.. : p - yeee hah!.. country music isn't really that bad lah.....anyway, they have closed the place down and turned it into a huge shopping mall now.. so sad..

Didn't manage to get lava lamp for Sis' birthday yesterday - she must think that no one cares.. :( must get it today!

url: Stick Figure Death Theatre

Saturday, 27 October 2001

didn't manage to go for my run today even though i had already decided i was going to go for it today, no matter how much work there was... :( is there really no way i can manage my time for my personal stuff and yet still work on all the things i want or need to get done for the shop?? problem was, I on the road almost three quarters of today and still had to come back to prepare for my workshops and demos for tomorrow (which is my off day) and also my sale at Toa Payoh Town Council Art Carnival on Sunday (which is also another off day for me) and also to arrange for deliveries to two schools tomorrow (sorting, packing, writing up paperwork etc) and to type quotations for another three organisations.. I really need to get a Personal Assistant to organise the visits and so on for me.... I'm becoming a workaholic.. :(

Had supper of "Famous Hokkien Mee" (umm...what gives a stall a right to call its dishes "famous"?? Can this be classified as misleading if the food turns out only to be so-so? Then again, they didn't claim to be delicious.. only famous.. and even though i don't know them, it can also be because I am ignorant.. duh?? :p) and satay at the new Maxwell market just now and discovered that the Ham Cheem Pang ah-pek is still there making his famous ham cheem pang for 3 for a dollar. umm..

At suppertime, Kai, XA and I had a frivolous time imagining this virtual reality tool that can solve all the problems we have now in the shop, such as a lack of space (3 of us share a 1.5m by 1.5m working area), distractions from movements around us (which is inevitable), need to travel for meetings at head office, etc.. it is kinda like a pair of goggles or something that you can wear that blocks out sound and movements around you. It gives you access to multiple screens and also allows you to be "present" at many places at any one time... let's say you are bored of being at this virtual meeting with your boss, you can switch to another screen where you can actually be at home and talking to someone at home and they can see you (at the same time still pretending to be at the meeting) and at the same time surf the net and icq or something. Phone calls are not physically picked up but are transferred to this device instead so you don't have to get up to even answer calls.. wouldn't that be wonderful..hahaha...

discovered the cluster of roads around Club Street, Ann Siang Hill area has become a fave hangout of gays..>>.. muscular men dressed in skin-tight/sleeveless tops hang about in spookily dark five-foot-ways checking each other out and pacing the alleyways.. quite creepy if you happen to chance upon them innocently (as we did) when you pick up your car.

no chance to vote this time.. :(.. my corner of Clementi falls under a GRC which PAP victoriously "walked over"... sigh..

url: Shell Extension City - configure your Windows 95/98/NT/2000!

Thursday, 25 October 2001

if all our days are divided into good and bad days, today must surely count as a bad day.

I mean, it really isn't as if nothing went right or that something went drastically wrong.. it's just that.. along the way, little annoying things popped up.

Tried to go to Ikea to get glassware for the stained glass painting course for the shop and found that they had run out of exactly the size I wanted. Then found that they had also run out of the 90 cent mugs I need for another school workshop and later on that CK Tang had also run out of the glassware stuff I needed to buy. Telephone calls also kept coming in even though I was still out running about trying to finish all my errands. Then had to stress out (yet more) over whether the new sales exec is doing his job and wondering if he is going to be sacked soon if he doesn't produce some sales soon. Lastly, as I thought the day could end peacefully, I turned up late for an appointment (again) cos I was held up last minute at work by panicky staff. Friend was really annoyed and hinted to me about punctuality and respect for other people's time. :(

feeling really exhausted now.. should really hit the sack. Spent the previous night till 4 am trying to finish this page for the world of "plagiarisers" out there.

url #1: Hotwired Animation
url #2: Halloween Links


haha.. funny.. >>

getting even busier at work as the year comes to a close and schools/churches/companies/clubs start to have all these end-of-year activities for their students/staff/members. Already have another 10 demos/workshops (4 schools, 2 churches, 1 town council, 1 cosmetic company and dunno what else) lined up till end of Nov and every one of them needs quotations, materials, lesson plans, samples and what nots.. it's getting MAD!! Somemore Kai and I will have to start preparing the shop for the frantic Christmas crowds..ahhhhhh.. :O

On a more personal front, I have to start painting some glassware and porcelainware/tiles to sell at Aspen Heights on 7 Nov to all these rich expat tai tais and I haven't even started yet! Kai has been painting away vigorously and buying more and more cups and plates.. oh no!! what am I going to sell?? India will also need some reading up on plus tickets and (gasp!) I have not started reading Lord Of The Rings yet!! Not to mention running which I have completely stopped doing!!

Personal life has come to a complete halt!

url: There's a page just on the Pillsbury Doughboy!

Tuesday, 23 October 2001

just watched Battle Royale - stomach-churning, gripping Jap movie set in the future where a bunch of high-school students are stranded on a deserted island in a bizarre govt-instigated "competition/game" in which only one person is allowed to leave - alive. So everyone turns murderer and chops, shoots, arrows, stabs, poisons, sickles etc everyone else just to stay alive.. very gruesome but rather pointless...can't remember much else about the show now..

have been "invited" back by school to help the students rescue their silk painting works tomorrow - still a chance to redeem myself : p hope the kids aren't so destructive tomorrow as they were yesterday - being "Miss Aw" cum "-cher" is really not so easy... gonna think twice about teaching...

boss has approved 10-day leave for early Dec - almost definitely going to india now!

Learnt today: Difference between 80A and 81A camera lens filters. >> hoya
Learnt yesterday: Understanding colour mixing in oil painting

Monday, 22 October 2001

had the most traumatising time conducting the silk painting workshop today! The kids were restless and grouchy having to come back for stuff even though the exams were already over and it was so hard to get any instructions into their thick skulls. In the end, most of the outlining were half-heartedly done and the silk paints flowed all over, messing up most of the pieces.. Frankly, I don't think any of their works are ready for exhibition (which is on 31 Oct!) I'm doomed.. they are never going to ask me to teach them anything again :(

had a whale of a time discovering food at the Taka foodhall today! The whole place feels like Tokyo! Kai, XA and myself stuffed our faces with Fei Siong Fish cake, Wonton balls, Glutinouos rice, Japanese noodles with cheese, Japanese pork bun and muah chee before ta-powing king-sized St Leaven Ham Pizzas home! Big time carbo-loading!! A place worth going for lunch when thin on the pockets!

Philippe Starck and Fossil have collaborated to create this TO DIE FOR watch!!!

Sunday, 21 October 2001

urrrggghhhh!!!!! why don't i just go kill myself!!!!???? missed ANOTHER friend's wedding 'cos I forgot completely about it!! Even though I put it into my faithful IBM Wordpad C3!! so embarrassed I could go bury my head in the sand!! You wouldn't know how desperate i am now.. I'm actually surfing the web for excuses!! urrggh!!! :( no one's going to turn up for my wedding I'm sure!!

+ .. vs .. +

the choice is clear ...


alb just said he doesn't like Breadtalk Flosss... I think we need to talk.. he needs counselling.. why would ANYONE NOT LIKE FLOSSS??? .... then again, everyone likes Green Tea and I hate it.. I HATE GREEN TEA!!! AND PAPAYAS AND AVOCADOS AND BARLEY!!! AND GINGKO NUTS!! --> particularly this recipe! I hate it!

am i fussy or what? : p

New Resolution: To finish the 1069-page THE LORD OF THE RINGS book before the movie comes out on Dec 4 2001! Wish me all the best!!

I shall be updating my reading progress on blogger daily to stay on track... i think : p

For lotr fanatics out there, this is an excellent site for some wonderful artwork on Tolkien's books.


let me share a joke i read today:

Having troubles with her VW Beetle, a woman pulled over to the side of the road and opened the hood. To her astonishment, there is nothing there. Another woman with a VW beetle stopped to see if she could help. The first woman said, "Well, it seems like I don't have an engine."

The second woman replied," That's okay. I've got a spare one in the boot."


hahahaha... : D she's right!

Saturday, 20 October 2001

silk painting demo got postponed to monday! that gives me a weekend to prepare! phew! ;-)

had a post-dinner discussion over a lethal combination of bailey's and wine with anni and a bunch of her colleagues (a group of four girls and a guy ;-)) about relationships of 20somethings, including mutual expectations, deceit, honesty, commitment etc. We all learnt something new and went back with a newly acquired vocabulary (courtesy of bridget jones's diary) including words like "emotional fuckwittage" - read:

Sharon immediately launched into her theory on the Richard situation: "Emotional fuckwittage," which is spreading like wildfire among men over thirty. As women glide from their twenties to thirties, Shazzer argues, the balance of power subtly shifts. Even the most outrageous minxes lose their nerve, wrestling with the first twinges of existential angst: fears of dying alone and being found three weeks later half-eaten by an Alsatian. Stereotypical notions of shelves, spinning wheels and sexual scrapheaps conspire to make you feel stupid, no matter how much time you spend thinking about Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon.

"And men like Richard," fumed Sharon, "play on the chink in the armor to wriggle out of commitment, maturity, honor and the natural progression of things between a man and a woman."

as well as quotes and ideas from m. scott peck's "the road less traveled''. tony says that one should never go out with someone's whose ex has already gotten married.. too much "emotional baggage". Nonetheless, other than the occassional self-deprecating remark from the clearly bewildered only guy ("all guys are jerks") there, the whole session was akin to What Women Talk About When They Go to the Bathroom in Groups.

cool link: Manhatten 3D

Thursday, 18 October 2001

Q: What do worms /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ and lava lamps have in common?
A: Nothing. I just randomly thought of them both today while stressing out over my work. Hahahaha!!! : p
got this email...

>>Remember this mass e-mail? (Who sits around and works this stuff out anyway??)
>>
>>The date of the attack: 9/11 - 9 + 1 + 1 = 11
>>September 11th is the 254th day of the year: 2 + 5 + 4 = 11
>>
>>After September 11th there are 111 days left to the end of the year.
>>119 is the area code to Iraq/Iran. 1 + 1 + 9 = 11
>>Twin Towers - standing side by side, looks like the number 11
>>The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11
>>
>>I Have More.......
>>
>>State of New York - The 11th State added to the Union
>>New York City - 11 Letters
>>Afghanistan - 11 Letters
>>The Pentagon - 11 Letters
>>Ramzi Yousef - 11 Letters (convicted or orchestrating the attack on the WTC in 1993)
>>Flight 11 - 92 on board - 9 + 2 = 11
>>Flight 77 - 65 on board - 6 + 5 = 11
>>
>>(Dave's response)
>>
>>Oh my God! How worried should I be? There are 11 letters in the name
>>"David Pawson!" I'm going into hiding NOW. See you in a few weeks.
>>
>>Wait a sec ... just realized "YOU CAN'T HIDE" also has 11 letters!
>>What am I gonna do? Help me!!! The terrorists are after me! ME!
>>I can't believe it! Oh crap, there must be someplace on the planet Earth I could hide! But no .. PLANET EARTH" has 11 letters, too!
>>
>>Maybe Nostradamus can help me. But dare I trust him? There are 11 letters in "NOSTRADAMUS." I know, the Red Cross can help. No they can't...
>>11 letters in "THE RED CROSS," can't trust them. I would rely on self-defense,
>>but "SELF-DEFENSE" has 11 letters in it, too!
>>
>>Can someone help? Anyone? If so, send me email. No, don't... "SEND ME EMAIL" has 11 letters....
>>
>>Will this never end? I'm going insane! "GOING INSANE???" Eleven letters!!
>>
>>Nooooooooooo!!!!!! I guess I'll die alone, even though "I'LL DIE ALONE" has 11 letters.....
>>
>>Oh my God, I just realized that America is doomed! Our Independence Day is July 4th ... 7/4 ... 7+4=11!
>>
>>~Dave
>>
>>PS. "IT'S BULLSHIT" has 11 letters also.
spent the morning running around like a headless chicken looking for all the necessary materials for tomorrow's workshop.. looks like I can probably just about make it - yet again!! :p another nick of time event.. phew...

pic from www.thisistrue.com

i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.
i shall not procrastinate anymore.

Wednesday, 17 October 2001

promised to do a silk painting demo for a secondary school on friday and just found out that i still haven't got enough materials yet!! :( that's punishment for overpromising... what am i going to do??!! :(

... so i surf the net irrelevantly and discover...this.. :p nice graphics! btw, i finally had an eggs ben breakfast this morning at coffee bean! It's really nice!

Tuesday, 16 October 2001

rather overworked.. staff shortage again. funnily enough, for how bad the economy is supposed to be now, we keep hiring these people who will "disappear" at the last moment, after they have initially accepted the job and undergone a bit of training.. sigh.. kai and i both have these exciting projects we can't wait to get started on but we end up having to run around the shop serving customers every day. :(

for the record, i have signed up for the 1-year SIM grad dip course. I just have to make sure I don't neglect everything else now.. especially the biking course (still stuck at Lesson 3!) and weng chun (just started). Guess diving will have to be put on hold for a while.. : |

should I go to goa in december before i start school in jan 02?
Training on technical terms of art materials today leave our staff totally stumped (just as we expected) :( We got the most hilarious guesses on what terms like acid free, lightfastness, sizing etc mean.. sigh... anyway, if you are into oil painting, check out The Oil Color Book for free downloading as a pdf file.

alb tells me (yet again) about the eggs ben (eggs benedict) breakfast that he likes to take every morning (?) from Coffee Bean - check out the recipe. he's a good cook but when will I get to try it...? (picture me looking out of the window wistfully : p)

url: HowGoodInBed - the website that tells you how good someone is in bed, just by looking at them. umm....

Monday, 15 October 2001

Just redeemed my Shell Escape points for an electric toothbrush! Very different experience from using a manual toothbrush.. the burrrring sound and rotating sensation really reminds me of my experience sitting in the dentist chair.. urgh! Definitely needs time adjusting to it.. but the funniest things you can read online about them are about the "alternative uses" - hahaha.. >> umm... (imagination running wild)



went shopping for rucksacks and camera bags today.. Crumpler!! or maybe the Eaglecreeks and Lowepros? : p cool!

Sunday, 14 October 2001

I am R2D2!

Click here to find out what robot you really are


hahahahahahahahahahhaha...... click this! the background to this?.. click this too!
Had fun doing a bit of ad hoc acting today for someone doing a second-year project for a TP Film Acting & Directing course - albeit as a neurotic, lesbianic woman : p had to swing from being plain bored to neurotic to sacarstic to angry... not very good at remembering the script and was a bit stiff but could be a good start.. haha... towards stardom tomorrow!!? tim told me the Asia in Theatre Research Centre is looking out for new faces!! umm... :)

continued reading Sark - she has this solution for procrastinators like myself called "Micromovements" - tiny, tiny little steps that can be taken towards completion of any task. Basically, it involves breaking up tasks into steps that take time spans of 5 minutes or less to be completed so that slowly but surely you inch towards completion of tasks instead of stagnating.. worth trying..e.g. to finish writing a letter, your first micromovement is to just take out pen, paper, envelope and stamp! cool huh? :)

Saturday, 13 October 2001

Kai bought me a wonderful and colourful book by Sark called "The Bodacious Book of Succulence - Daring to Live Your Succulent Wild Life!" to cheer me up!! Great stuff inside! I quote "Sometimes we need to wonder WHO is making our life choices! We might stumble from one obligation to another, lost in a series of Have-Tos. People buy wedding gifts they don't want to buy, attend birthday parties out of guilt or fear, spend time with people they don't even enjoy, or push their children into unwanted activities. And then we all get crabby!.. I think as adults we become rigidified, encrusted with grudges, wounds, and protective devices that don't work anyway. We walk carefully along, checking our purses, pockets, and car keys.. When we can trust what Life brings us, I think we can stand in the center of our Aliveness.." She's full of superlatives and whimsical words.. the way I like it! Come borrow it from me if you want to! :)

visited shing's funky jewellery exhibition at Gallery Evason (on till 21 Oct 10 -10 daily). Way cool! Designer scraps of metal dangle, lie and drape in identical fish tanks each esoterically titled "one glorious moment", "two paths to wonderland", "three lurking shadows" etc... very enigmatic.. :p

ate frogs legs congee at lorong 9 .. yumm... but oh dear.. check this out >>

Friday, 12 October 2001

been working like a dog and falling behind on my running.. :( glad i'm going to have the weekend ahead to rest.. :) totally pooped. Work continues to pile in unabated..maybe i'm just bad at time management? gulp :(

Mobile phone battery is dying and needs replacement (Read about mobile pbone batteries and their lives online).. Lets buy only Original Nokia Accessories!! or should I just get a new phone? : p check this out! >> weird!!

should i watch Blithe Spirit?

Wednesday, 10 October 2001

did an online personality test (ColorQuiz.com). Results below... do you agree? :| Personally find it quite accurate but quite disturbing...

Your Existing Situation

Orderly, methodical, and self-contained. Needs the respect, recognition, and understanding of those close to him.

Your Stress Sources

Wishes to be independent, unhampered, and free from any limitation or restriction, other than those which she imposes of herself or by her own choice and decision.

Your Restrained Characteristics

Demanding and particular in her relations with her partner or those close to her. but careful to avoid open conflict since this might reduce her prospects of realizing her hopes and ideas. Feels trapped in a distressing or uncomfortable situation and seeking some way of gaining relief. Able to achieve satisfaction through sexual activity providing no turmoil or emotional agitation is involved.

Your Desired Objective

Needs to feel identified with someone or something and wishes to win support by her charm and amiability. Sentimental and yearns for a romantic tenderness.

Your Actual Problem

Seeks to avoid criticism and to prevent restriction of her freedom to act, and to decide for herself by the exercise of great personal charm in her dealings with others.



had a lively dinner discussion with friend just now so can't sleep now.

Issue was: Are Singaporean really politically apathetic? I know this topic has been discussed to death (see newspaper article) and the usual response is to just shrug our shoulders, say "ya lor" and then "what are we eating for lunch har?" - yet more apathy..

Basically, it was triggered off by my usual jestful predictions of possible government policies and I merrily told my friend that it is altogether possible that in the near future, the govt may just impose this policy requiring all single Singaporeans (over a certain age) to be allocated marriage partners even if they do not choose to marry. This controversial policy will be justified in the name of national defence (i.e. falling birth rates = fewer NS men = national defence in danger!). The question was: Will Singaporeans support it? Even if they do not, can and will they do anything about it? The discussion then naturally gravitated towards other controversial policies that the govt had imposed in the past and the subsequent futile and (perhaps) lukewarm protests from Singaporeans in general. Two of them being the policy that only married couples can buy new public housing and the govt grouping individual constituencies into GRCs for the elections.

As we went on, I couldn't help but be disturbed (and frightened too) to think that we were perhaps really willingly allowing ourselves to be led in a way in which we were no longer rational, freely-expressive subjects but mere objects, predictable, obedient to laws, fearful, content to let "joining the rat race" be our lousy excuse for not engaging in anything vaguely political.

Going to sleep now pondering deeply... ``` `

Monday, 8 October 2001

very hectic very stressful very head-spinningly overwhelming day! :(

too much work and yet more work piles in.. i know, you will say that work = business. I know, but I need to just stop and stare for a while to catch my breath! Maybe I'm inefficient.. gulp! Me? Inefficient?? Never!! Must wrap up work soon to go home and eat dinner and rest and icq and blog and stare.. yes.. stare : |

Sunday, 7 October 2001

watched "The Fast & The Furious". Entertaining adrenalin-pumping show but seems to get quite disastrous ratings in all the online movie ratings, probably due to its weak plot. Enjoyed it anyway.. can't expect every show to be a Forest Gump/Braveheart/Dances With Wolves epic movie right? Nonetheless, got me really into fast cars and modified engines.. cool.. :) I mean.. check this out .. NOS: nitrous-oxide injection systems that work like a science-fiction spaceship's "hyperspace" mode. Push that NOS red button, and zoom! -- the driver is jolted back in his chair and the car just goes!

shop was packed with customers today! Seems like the economic slump stopped short at our doorstep and didn't come in! :)

Saturday, 6 October 2001

got better after a night of rest and am back in action! Sis told me over-the-counter medication differs from those you get from the pharmacist in that the latter is actually required (or at least is trained to do so after four years in University) to inform you of the side effects of the medication as well as to monitor and record how much of a particular drug you have taken. Umm.. negligence? (see below) gulp! :(

seriously considering taking a Grad Dip in Business Administration at SIM after reading through their revised curriculum. Seems like everything is quite relevant to what I am doing now! Financial Mgmt, Marketing Mgmt, HR Mgmt, E-commerce Mgmt, Strategic Mgmt etc.. One-year course is aimed at "providing general exposure to management education" - just the sort of stuff I need.. might save me a bunch of time on self-enrichment even if I don't stay on forever in what I am doing now.. didn't seem so relevant two years ago when I was at EDB - think the past 1 and a half years in the "real" working world does make quite a difference.. :p

shing at argentum is having her first solo show! check it out >>

alb has discovered a way to get the kind of supersaturated pics that you get with a Lomo Kompact using a normal SLR and slide film (Ektachrome E100VS) and cross-processed using C41 technology! Cool :)

Thursday, 4 October 2001

on mc.. finally on a break... :)

was introduced by friend to Actifed - not an over-the-counter medicine but the pharmacist at the pharmacy will give it to you, no questions asked (so what's the difference)? Learnt about Antihistamines and Decongestants - Antihistamine and decongestant combinations are used to treat the nasal congestion (stuffy nose), sneezing, and runny nose caused by colds and hay fever. Antihistamines work by preventing the effects of a substance called histamine, which is produced by the body. Histamine can cause itching, sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes. Decongestants produce a narrowing of blood vessels, leading to clearing of nasal congestion - its amazing how much information is available to the lay-person on the web!

Visited doc this morning and was prescribed the standard cocktail of Lozenges (for irritated throat), Cough syrup and Flu Tabs. All meant to "cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate machinery"... zzzz...

Wednesday, 3 October 2001

falling ill :( throat is dry, sinus is clogged and feeling really feverish and giddy..

Tuesday, 2 October 2001

Beadhub just opened on Emerald Hill! Beads Beads and More Beads!! err.. actually, i'm not really into beads.. :P still its an interesting shop to check out. You can even learn to make your own jewellery and to take a course on "Gem Identification", especially if you are into buying stones in Third World Countries. Mooncake festival!! Got smses with mooncakes that look like this "@ @" and lanterns that blink.. never knew everyone was so into Mid-Autumn Festival.. umm.. mooncakes!! munch munch!! :)

very wet very rainy and freezing cold day.. drenched on the way home.. hasn't been raining like that for a while. still going to be thundery and wet and overcast for the next couple of hours.. see what the Met Service says for the next 3 hours. no overseas voting yet.. sigh.. sorry friends in London and New York! :p

Monday, 1 October 2001

went for mich's solemnization in the drizzly morning yesterday at beaufort sentosa . Had fun 'cos everyone, even the bride and groom were really relaxed and the justice of peace was jokey and all that.. suddenly everyone was saying they will do that instead of have the usual 10-course affair...don't think many parents will agree to that anyway.. had fun with lomo camera cos the bride was really animated..

squeezed in "Along Came A Spider" on Sat evening..not bad but as usual, Mr Cranky hates it >>

Made it for the Terry Fox Run 8km-route this morning!! Was suppose to assemble at 715 sharp but woke up only at 710 so literally dashed to the starting point, found out i didn't have to "check in", turned around and then dashed after the 8km group of which by which time had already been obscured by the pram-pushing/chicken-suit-wearing/on-pension/4-generation-family 5 km-route throng. Relaxed but an up-and-down route - along Bukit Timah Rd, left to Farrer Rd, turning onto Holland Rd, Napier Rd and Tanglin Rd before turning into Nassim Rd and running into Evans Rd back to former NIE (starting point). Managed to run the whole way and did it in 55mins.. ok lah, not fantastic

Had late brunch at Joo Chiat, enjoying the famous Fei Fei Wanton Noodles, the newspaper-articled Fried Chee Cheong Fun, the popular Prawn Noodle downed with Iced Milo and Sparked Ribena.. yummy... check out makansutra.com's jalan jalan of joo chiat. Nice brunch was partially spoiled by $70 fine for illegal parking :(

DM arrived from overseas and dropped by to show me the final manuscript of his philosophical real-life book before it gets published..quite cool..he's making 10 CDs at the same time.. good stuff..