Rambling and rattling
one of the 2 houses next door (it seems to be one big plot of land, with 2 giant houses) caught on fire tonight. As to why and how it happened, one can only guess. It was such a huge raging fire that when i first saw it through the glass panes, i thought it was mine on fire and i almost freaked out. Thankfully, it’s settled and the fire brigade got here quick enough. Unfortunately, i judging from the size of the fire and the amount of water needed, i think the house is quite destroyed.
JB Jeyaratnam is gone too. Personally, he was one of the first few political figures i have ever studied, rather than the Australian ones, because he was a “home” character. His life struggles with the PAP will never leave my memories. They were shocking, a bigger revelation than what I was used to, and funny how… I only found his biography here in Australia. Obviously, to some people, they might view him differently from me. I always thought he left an interesting mark on the Singapore political scene - fighting, will not back down, will not be “bought” by nice speeches or insincere gestures.
His was a long, dramatic life where he did not back down. Goodbye sir, thanks for all the time you spent on Singapore. No matter how much or how little, you left a mark that can not be erased.
This poem, by Dylan Thomas, probably sums him and all he has done up the best.
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.— Dylan Thomas
contemplativeno, it’s not about Alaska
Jesus Christ, woman! no one’s saying or indicating that just because you are from Alaska, you aren’t educated or informed enough to run in this campaign! Trudge along at this rate though, and you’re just going to look like you don’t even deserve a secretary role!
amuseduuuhhhh… yeah.
Obama obviously didn’t help his case when he tried to “yeah I’ve got a bracelet too”, yet couldn’t “remember” the soldier’s name. The worst was, that it was possible the soldier’s parents didn’t want him wearing the bracelet as a part of the campaign.
Checking out Katie Couric’s interview of Palin though… it looked like Palin didn’t do too well in the public arena either.
Couric: You’ve said, quote, “John McCain will reform the way Wall Street does business.” Other than supporting stricter regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac two years ago, can you give us any more example of his leading the charge for more oversight?
Palin: I think that the example that you just cited, with his warnings two years ago about Fannie and Freddie - that, that’s paramount. That’s more than a heck of a lot of other senators and representatives did for us.
…..
Couric: But can you give me any other concrete examples? Because I know you’ve said Barack Obama is a lot of talk and no action. Can you give me any other examples in his 26 years of John McCain truly taking a stand on this?
Palin: I can give you examples of things that John McCain has done, that has shown his foresight, his pragmatism, and his leadership abilities. And that is what America needs today.
Couric: I’m just going to ask you one more time - not to belabor the point. Specific examples in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation.
Palin: I’ll try to find you some and I’ll bring them to you.
throughout the interview, it felt like she was 1) trying to flatter McCain, 2) she couldn’t remember a whole bunch of facts/interview response script and was just floundering with big words to look good and 3) just generally not prepared.
The most obvious outcome of this interview, to me, is that she isn’t experienced enough nor “educated” enough to be in the running for a VP. One can always say “oh, at least she hasn’t prepared a script and tried to look good!” She was trying to look good, even expanding a simple yes or no question to a paragraph.
Being not prepared for an interview can be good, but if one’s knowledgeable enough about the topics that might be broached. This is not going to help her as an individual, so hopefully the party and her work together in brushing her up for the VP debate, if it happens.
amusedAtta boy!
just a little bit of a heads-up for everyone, I have lost my phone. In fact, I’ve lost it for about a week now. I didn’t notice it earlier because I rarely use it nowadays, and the battery was very flat. I just assumed it was in my bag. Thinking back about it, there’s only 2 possibilities: I’ve dropped it in the cab or have left it in Woolies Dickson. Personally, the greatest loss of it all is the fact that the phone book is an accumulation of all my friends’ contact details from the last 8 years. Yes, I’ve never really lost my phone before, so I am utterly bewildered now.
In a few days, I might consider grabbing a new phone. In the mean time, any urgent contact will have to be done through emails or work - and most of you know where i work ^^
Europeans can suck our gas! - While the topic is serious, can I just point out just how WRONG the title of the news article is?
Research shows that obese people to be blamed for global warming acceleration - Personally, I lol-ed. Although I can see why people are convinced behind the research, I had rather point out that everyday habits of many people, including “old-school” people, contributes much more to global warming than being fat and heavy really would.
Bare breasted virgins dances before the King - Political issues aside (stupid flamboyant polygamous over-spending monarch), this article is lovingly dedicated to Izzy nii-sama. but back to more serious issues
Fast food giants might get a foot into school Canteens - When I first heard about the canteens in Australia, I was just a little.. shock. I haven’t been to anyone yet, by the way, but from local food suppliers and my subordinates, I hear they have some of the most… “disgusting” stuff.
Sandwich, pasties, pies… all unhealthy food choices as far as I was concerned. Don’t get me wrong, I am no healthy food lover myself. Growing up with a nice canteen at school though, it just utterly baffles me how school canteen can be the grounds for unhealthy choice of food. I mean, our schools weren’t all that great ourselves, but at least it’s not a constant roll of pastry, oil, fatty meat minces/meat choices and so on.
Now Maccas, Krispy Kreme and Cadbury are going to provide food? Aside from possible commercial foot in (c’mon, stop being delusional, kids will want maccas for lunch and dinner too after that), there’s the health factor entirely out of the window. Jokes aside, I have seen Maccas food lately, due in part to their current Star Wars promotion.
The filet-o-fish were either obviously over cooked, with only some tartare and cheese, or entirely dripping with oil and no cheese. The McChicken faired only slightly better: at least it was constantly without lettuce. What you saw on their signboards? that’s the best you can get from them. The reality is far beyond stark.
So please, grab a hold of yourselves, start a Parents’ Association and do a Parents’ run canteen. I have seen them do so much better than pasties and pies, and infinitely better than Maccas.
yeah, I am not in the mood for serious discussion today. I am kind of toilet bound. Something I ate i guess hah
sickNews Articles and stuff
Basically news reposts from my twitter, but more because i want to share my full thoughts on them:
Nine year old told he’s too good for little league, basically asked to leave
Really, is there such a thing as too good? and whatever to teaching your kids to get better at what they are doing? all these coddling of kids, which is why there are so many kids/young adults nowadays with poor work and social ethics nowadays.
Use by sticker found in food, no apologies or comping or anything else
Granted, fuck ups happened. In franchises like Applebees, they have to stick to a certain standard the franchise declares. so sometimes, they get frozen food to “abide” by the standard (this is what I understand from the industry in general, every franchise might differ a little). Most of the more general food, such as steaks or chicken would pretty much be the only things cooked fresh.
however, when you get told by consumers that they have found something alien in their food, aka NOT meant to be part of their food, especially something like paper, pests, any other foreign objects, you give them discounts. you apologize, you make new ones… etc.
it is appalling to think someone would think a customer should understand enough to pay a full price for a sub-standard food. if i wanted to see a use by date, i would have bought instant noodles, darling.
Possible language barriers leads to plane collision
When i first read this, I remembered this TV program I was constantly watching while on holidays. It’s like a discovery channel for world’s air crash scene investigations. I always found those intriguing, particularly their explanations and research behind each and every crash.
On the program, there was a similar case: the Avianca Flight 52. The story behind that air crash was how the pilots did not communicate the emergency very well when they started running low on fuel, complete with the bad weather and high traffic going into the airports, they pretty much dropped out of the sky. Ironically, the thing that saved the survivors was the fact that there was no fuel to start a fire.
now, looking at the case with Avianca 52, I was sort of expecting them to list one of the minimum requirements before flying is speaking an intelligble form of English, or whatever language is considered the common lingua franca.
this is not to insult the dead person, by the way, whom i truly felt sorry for.
The thing is, no one should be allowed to fly if they can not understand nor give easily understood instructions. While this is obviously a small scale accident, it is nonetheless a fatal accident. It could have been bigger.
Someone needs to regulate the rules.
Morphine stolen, replaced by water
Only one word: fucktards
Overseas students detained for visa non-compliance
This fell a little close to heart. Remembering how i was in breach because I didn’t fulfill the academic progress requirement, it is true that it is easy to fall out of line with the Visa requirements. There’s so many rules, and so many differing opinions on what should be done.
There is ONE migration act, but there are different “interpretations” of it. During the non-compliance interview, the decision is made by one person, and approved by their superiors. It’s like a russian roulette - if you get a good and understanding person, one who still remembers the stress of student life that is sometimes intertwined with relations and emotions, you get another chance.
I have also over stayed my visa once too, due to my own stupidity and thus forgetting to extend it. As most of you know, the Embassy on the Singapore side was less than understanding and forgiving. I was pretty much told if I don’t get a new COE, which was not necessary for a re-application, it means the school does not want me. On top of that, I was also told I am not welcomed back into Australia once I have graduated.
These obviously were not the case, as I found out when I returned.
however, i think breaching most of these rules would barely amount to a risk to the local community, unless the intention behind the breach was to, say, go out and kill someone.
Yes, the intentions behind the visas should be to study, to progress, to graduate. The ironic thing is, I have had Australian friends themselves fail their way out of universities, started up a new course elsewhere twice and eventually just working. There’s probably as many people taking twice as long to finish their degree too.
In terms of academic progress though, why should foreigners be excluded from Australia, be forced into detention centers, because they are not doing well? I don’t see locals being taken into the police station OR forced to leave the country.
In terms of working too much - hell. We are the cash cows. The local students though, carry 4 jobs. The maximum I have known an international student carry were 2. In the fairness of it all, people sometimes over-work, not intentionally, but because they are actually enjoying themselves. and if they need the extra money, sometimes the “bank” (parents) are not interested in forking it out.
that’s just barely scrapping the surface of it.
I understand though, Australia’s just trying to protect herself. oh wells.
boreda tale of two Holly’s
I must admit, the summary of the book caught my eye. the idea of having a sugar daddy sound so… out of the world, i had to have a look. likewise, i was going to hunt down a book about an office girl turned prostitute. don’t ask me why they intrigued me - they just do. Somewhere, a part of me, i think i dream of being a stripper, just because i had love to entice.
This story is about a real woman, based in Sydney, who suddenly got dumped by her rich boyfriend one day, and it broke her heart. She was jobless, boyfriend-less and very much in debt as her rent was due shortly. She was in a day job, all gainfully and employed and etc. however, at her boyfriend’s suggestion, she dropped her job to be his full time girl friend.
Heartbroken, she didn’t know what to do, how to gain money and what not, but eventually realised she had to move on and started advertising for a sugar daddy. The story is based around what she discovered about herself, men and men’s engagements with relationships and commitments.
Interesting? yes. taught me a few moves? definitely. makes me want to have a sugar daddy? somewhat.
The idea of just reaching out and being able to afford anything because one has a rich boyfriend is a very tempting thought. i mean, why wouldn’t i want to stay home and play games all day? or read, or anything else. However, i just am not created for that, methinks. This book did, however, opened up my eyes and mind to what marriages are about, the sacrifices and the bonds both gained and lost when infidelity happens.
Sometimes though, being dumped isn’t really the end of the world. because, at least, the one you love is still alive. it is when you can no longer reach out and say “i love you” or “i forgive you” that makes it the hardest.
This Holly lost her husband to a brain tumor. with some humour in it, the story trails on her recovering and rediscovering herself again after the death of her soulmate.
I am barely half way through the book, and i have been crying and crying. And, i will tell you why. It’s not because the husband portrayed is a “impossible to find” type of man (he left her a list of things to do, to help her pick up her pieces of life, while reminding her of his love), but it’s because the feelings portrayed are so easily felt, so raw that they jumped out and i felt it.
I felt her pain, her grief and her angst. her wish for a chance to run away and hide forever, and yet the knowledge that she has to deal with reality: the bills, the friends and the family.
And while they are “chick lit”, i would say they are very enticing. The way these books are written, they make me want to claw and dig out the history behind each character, or a possible query into how they would do in the future (if the book continues). While i maybe tearing, it reflects how much these books had affected me in such a beautiful and human manner.
mmm
i love y’all.
