Song of the day

one of my favourite Beatles tracks, this happens to be one of the few 'feel good' songs which never fail to cheer me up on a bad day.


Octopus's Garden

I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade
He'd let us in, knows where we've been
In his octopus's garden in the shade
I'd ask my friends to come and see
In an octopus's garden with me

I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade

We would be warm below the storm
In our little hideaway beneath the waves
Resting our head on the sea bed
In an octopus's garden near a cave
We would sing and dance around
because we know we can't be found
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade

We would shout and swim about
The coral that lies beneath the waves
Oh what joy for every girl and boy
Knowing they're happy and they're safe
We would be so happy you and me
No one there to tell us what to do

I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden with you
in an octopus's garden with you
in an octopus's garden with you 

Stuff

A farewell dinner today for the leavers next sem. As this semester draws to a close, i cant help but feel a little jittery inside. As of next semester, i will be getting a new neighbour. I will also lose one kaki to watch movies on laptop with. I can't help but feel a little like how i felt before i left singapore. Funny isnt it?

Received the card today! THANKS A MILLION MABEL!!!!!

The card was written on the 5th of May and its the 30th today. One month to get a bleeding postcard from HK to WA. Snail mail indeed. But it was really delighting to actually get a postcard mailed to me. I guess in an age where E cards are available, and contact is so much easier thru the internet, we very often fail to notice the little, simple things in life that can be so small yet mean so much.

Fron sci fi to thriller to ghost story, i have finally decided on the piece i am to do for my Folio. Due tomorrow, an 1800 word piece! Damn.

The last tutorial

No more tutorials! Only one more lecture to go before the end of school officially. Time flies.

Maybe its just human, but sometimes when i look at my grades and compare it to others, i cant help but feel a certain sense of dissatisfaction. Maybe it was the HD that i got for one essay that shook me- that i am capable of pulling this off, and the sheer fact that i am possibly not performing up to my own perceived standards just pisses the hell out of me.

80 for a phil essay! Goddam!

no more kidding around. i have been messing around too much. time to kick ass before a good one month's break.

starting today.

Screen Gripes

Youngest idol ever?
Here its a never.

Fresh faces of comedy
Strive to entertain
But still, reruns!
I Change Channel With Pleasure
Cos Cartman's a bastard

Web swinging, slime dripping,
Bomb throwing, sand storming,
I get nothing!

A leaky ship,
A swaggering pirate.
Corsets and Singapore,
I see no shore!

Lousy screen, useless scene
Ten plus the price
Makes me think twice

You Broadcast Yourself
Images of narcissism
Wasting server space

You Broadcast Videos
The inappropriateness of subbing
Tell me Mr Tube
Teach me Japanese?

GODDAM GIVE ME MY SCREEN

colin2007

Oh no!

May 26, 2007, 8.24 pm
Contact lens solution off the shelves again

FOR the second time in seven months, Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) is voluntarily withdrawing batches of its contact lens solutions from shelves worldwide.

This time, AMO's multipurpose solution, called Complete Moistureplus, is being recalled as a precautionary measure following concerns over eye infections caused by a water-borne organism which can contribute to a rare but serious corneal infection.

In the previous recall last November, more than 15,000 bottles of its contact lens solution were withdrawn following the discovery that some of the solutions made in China were contaminated, also due to a water-borne organism.

Interviews with 46 patients with the eye infection in the United States revealed that 21 of them had used the Complete Moistureplus solution.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which conducted the interviews, estimated that those who used AMO's Complete Moistureplus had at least seven times greater risk of developing the eye infection.

Symptoms of this rare infection are very similar to that of common eye infections and can last several months . But eventually, it will lead to severe pain and possibly, blindness as well.

The organism causing the infection, called Acanthamoeba, is commonly found in water, soil, sewage systems and ventilation systems.

The Health Sciences Authority on Saturday asked users of these products who experience 'redness, pain, tearing, increased light sensitivity, blurry vision, discharge or swelling' to have their eyes checked by an ophthalmologist.

WE-WILL-CAUSE-YOUR-EYEBALLS-TO-ROT!

Hurhur...we will make you go blind as a result of your vanity! (evil laugh)

Tee hee tee hee...beware! All corneas and irises take up arms! All eyeballs get ready!

We will blind you with bug infected solution made with cheap labour!

And the doctors get more business............

Where does my heart beat now?

Celine Dion

So much to believe in - We were lost in time
Everything I needed
I feel in your eyes
Always tought of keepin-
Your heart next to mine
But now that seems so far away
Don't know how love could leave
Without a trace
Where do silent hearts go?

Where does my heart beat now
Where is the sound
That only echoes through the night
Where does my heart beat now
I can't live without
Without feeling it inside
Where do all the lonely hearts go

Candle in the water - Drifting helplessly
Hiding from the thunder-
Come and rescue me
Driven by hunger -
Of the endless dream

I'm searching for the hand that I can hold
I'm reaching for the arms that let me know
Where do silent hearts go?

Where does my heart beat now
Where is the sound
That only echoes through the night
Where does my heart beat now
I can't live without
Without feeling it inside
Where do all the lonely hearts go
Where do all the lonely hearts go

Then one touch overcomes the silence
Love still survives
Two hearts needing one another
Give me wings to fly

Where does my heart beat now
Where is the sound
That only echoes through the night
Where does my heart beat now
I can't live without
Without feeling it inside

I've got someone to give my heart to
Feel it getting stronger and stronger
And stronger
And I feel inside

Hearts are made to last
Till the end of time

What i will miss

ill miss a lot of things when i go back to singapore! here is a non exhaustive list:

1- The nice cold weather
2- excellent Broadway Pizza (canadian and pizza hut can kiss my ass)
3- Southpark
4- Balls of Steel
5- Futurama
7- Pingpong after dinner
8- MY OWN DAMN ROOM!

UNSW Asia chickens out

Several months agso, before coming over to perth:

A glowing sign at the 77 bus stop makes me take a second look at the advertisement. It is actually an advert promoting UNSW Asia as it unveils its Singapore campus. I dont think much of it because 1-they rejected my application, and 2- whats the diff b/w studying there and at SIM?

Yesterday night:

UNSW pulls out of Singapore. After a mere few months of fulltime school.

This case is a good example of the basis for which higher education in the world today functions- it is a commodity. Lets face it- international students pay much much more than locals do for tertiary education, be in in singapore or otherwise. There is a running joke, that 3/4 of a lecture theatre chair belongs to internationals, and that locals can only lay claim to 1/4 of it because that is the proportion of money that goes into it. Ok a bad joke.

One must look back and see then, the purpose behind it all. At the end of the day, universities function just like private companies- this is the way of the world, and they cannot be blamed for that. Who does not want to have a larger paycheck? It is only common sense. Therefore one way by which revenue can be brought in is accepting more international students. And if they can afford it, and are able to perform to a certain extent, why not?

Perks of having more international students:

1- "Diversity" - (highly overstated and in my opinion totally bullshit)
2- Income Contribution- (bigger paychecks, who dosent love them?)
3- Higher Standards of education- (to keep the locals on their toes- meaning locals have no chance at all of getting first class honours)

Sounds like a good deal, dosent it? Factor 2 is perhaps the most realistic of the three factors, and probably the most excusable. But 1 and 3?

2 is the main factor, the main motivation behind offshore ventures by universities, and the search for foreign talent to fill up places in universities. At the end of the day it all boils down to a single factor- the cash. As long as it brings money in, why not? This is a sad truth of how institutes of higher education operate, and this is prevalent all over the world. Except maybe the really top universities such as Harvard and Oxford.

It is sad to see how realistic the situation has become. Money is what drives education, and it has moved further and further away from the basic ideal, the basic reason for the existence of education- to nurture and teach students in the pursuit of higher learning. As for social issues such as the domination of foreign talent, who gives a shit? As long as the professors are happy with pay rises who actually gives a damn about the quality of grads that go into the workforce and whether they will contribute to a country's economy in the long run?

It's all about money. Period. Not making money, pull out. Just like investments, one pulls out when one cannot afford the element of risk.

Just like investments. NOT education, mind you, but investments. Education as an economic instrument. Not the ministry of education stepping in but the economic development board. Because it is what it is- a money tree in its entirety.

Scary

May 24, 2007

Girl stabbed parents in religion row

SYDNEY - A TEENAGE girl who wanted to convert from Islam to Christianity stabbed her parents after blindfolding them on the pretext of presenting surprise gifts, an Australian court heard.

The girl's mother died in the attack - during which 17-year-old Kaihana Tahseen Hussain shouted 'Die both of you now' - her father told Southport Magistrates Court.

Bangladesh-born Muhammad Hussain, 49, said that after he and his wife were blindfolded in their bedroom, he felt something penetrate his stomach, followed by the warm sensation of blood flowing from the wound.

'Then she told me: 'This is your surprise,'' he said.

Mr Hussain said the attack came two days after his wife and daughter had returned from a trip to Bangladesh and during the Islamic observance of Ramadan, the national AAP news agency reported.

He told the court he heard his wife say: 'Tahseen has stabbed me. She was screaming: 'I'm dying' in Bengali.'

The girl twice shouted 'Die both of you now' - once in English and a second time in Bengali, Mr Hussain said.

'In response, I told her: 'What mistake we have done for us to die?''

Disorientated and losing blood, Mr Hussain said he went for help outside, struggling in the process with his daughter as he went to open the front door.

Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Dennis Lynch, Mr Hussain said he was 'very angry' his daughter planned to convert from Islam to Christianity and disapproved of her relationship with an Australian university student.

The teenager frequently broke down in tears while her father gave evidence.

The hearing to decide whether she should face trial will resume in October. -- AFP

Drawing the line

three lines that summarise the gist of the argument:

Is there a common definition for the term 'God'?

Can anyone give a definition of God that is acceptable to all?

The answer, as obvious as it seems, is a resounding 'no'


Politics revolves around the key notion of representation. That a governing body is representative of the various interests of a country and the country's peoples. Even if a particular country has a particular 'main religion', such as Thailand, it should be carefully abstained from. Sadly, this situation has a far larger impact than to be simply put, if 'excluded' is so easy a word. Religion is very much the reason why the middle east is engulfed in endless conflict and destruction. There, we see the fruits of bringing religion into politics. IF we are to avoid such a thing from happening, then the lines should be clearly drawn. Religion cannot be allowed to seep into any aspect of our lives other than the personal.

I remember reading a blog somewhere how this person just could not seem to understand the whole process of burning joss paper and joss sticks, that it was a pointless affair and that person was unable to reconcile with the idea. Well, i cant reconcile with your beliefs either. Six years and i still don't get it. And i never will. I dont want to.

Revisiting a debate

From the ST Forum today:

Religion must not be allowed to creep into or influence politics

THIS question, 'Is there a place for God in public morals debate?' appears as the headline of the article written by Ms Chua Mui Hoong (ST, May 18).

The answer, in my opinion, has already been made clear in several areas of her arguments; for instance, her viewpoints expressed in the following paragraphs:

'Those who want to advance public discussion must make use of public reason, and put up public justifications for what they believe in.

'Most important of all, it requires a willingness to consider that one's private morality, based on one's own religious beliefs, need not be the basis of public law.'

Singapore may be 85 per cent theistic, but we need to understand that religion, any religion, is just a belief system, privy to the individual(s) concerned.

Is there a common definition for the term 'God'?

Can anyone give a definition of God that is acceptable to all?

The answer, as obvious as it seems, is a resounding 'no'.

'Does God exist?' is a question that has gone through extensive debate over the years with the jury still being out.

Can anyone argue that religion is the reason for our morality?

I found myself agreeing with American author Sam Harris when he said in a commentary he wrote that was published in the Los Angeles Times and republished subsequently in The Straits Times:

'If a person doesn't understand that cruelty is wrong, he won't discover this by reading the Bible or the Quran - as these books are bursting with celebrations of cruelty, both human and divine. We do not get our morality from religion. We decide what is good in our good books by recourse to moral intuitions that are (at some level) hard-wired in us and that have been refined by thousands of years of thinking about the causes and possibilities of human happiness.

'We have made considerable moral progress over the years, and we didn't make this progress by reading the Bible or the Quran more closely. Both books condone the practice of slavery - and yet every civilised human being now recognises that slavery is an abomination.

'Whatever is good in scripture - like the golden rule - can be valued for its ethical wisdom without our believing that it was handed down to us by the creator of the universe.'

The views expressed by Harris appear to reflect those of Dr Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute who allegedly said:

'The idea that morality is impossible without faith in God must be challenged. It implies that man has no reason or purpose to be moral; it implies that no rational standard of morality is possible; it implies that in questions of morality man must suspend reason and blindly submit to faith or blindly obey some authority's 'revelations' or 'mystical insights.' To imply that we have no earthly reason to be moral is profoundly immoral. The purpose of morality is to discover and teach the principles that lead to life, achievement, happiness, success, joy. There is only one means to discover and understand these principles: reason. A proper morality, one for living on earth, requires rationality and independence of soul, not faith and obedience to self-appointed interpreters of an alleged omnipotent being. A proper morality looks not to the supernatural but at man's nature and the reason why he needs values - and then defines the values he must reach and the virtues he must practice to reach them. Properly understood, not only does morality not require faith in God - morality is incompatible with faith in God. The moral is the rationally accepted and chosen, not the mindlessly believed and followed.'

In a multicultural society - Singapore is a prime example - religion must never, ever be allowed to creep into or influence politics.

We would be going down a dangerous path should we ever allow that to happen.

History is replete with destructive events resulting from politics playing second fiddle to religion, or from religion playing a crucial role in the lives of politicians.

Richard Woo Khiah Cheng

Muses

It always feels good to call back home. A smile never fails to escape my lips when i put the phone down. Time flies, and it is going to be home home home. One semester nearly down! Which also means its only three weeks more to the exams. Ouch. Critical Thinking is going to kill me. And my last paper is on the 21st. How shitty. I plan to play it low key here. Lets see who really gives a shit.

people cannot gain anything without sacrificing anything
-law of equivalent exchange

Exhaustion

Slept for nearly half a day. Completely exhausted after yesterdays' surfing trip. Now my muscles are aching like crazy and im feeling the effects of sunburn. But it was cool.

For a first i am experiencing the perks of being a writer. And im lovin it.

Here are some pics from the fremantle trip!
















On the jetboat at fremantle




view of the harbour from the jetboat















all geared up for the ride!
















coffee power! awesome stall at fremantle




















totally princessy here




















































At Bungee West

Fight Club

Its actually been some days since i caught the show, but the impression is so lasting that i just have to blog about it.

I actually planned to watch the show some time ago, but due to some unforseen circumstances i simply did not. Recently though, i managed to get the show from one of the blokes down the hall. Ended up watching it with Isabel a few nights ago, and i must say the show is simply amazing.

Fight Club is based on a book by Chuck Palahinuk. His other work, Survivor, is one of the texts covered in one of my English units, thus i am able to relate to the content of the movie better than i would have had i not read that novel. Chuck's writing adopts a very gritty, down to earth style, reflecting the bitterness of life and a certain frustration with life in general. His is a carciature of everything that is classified as a stereotypical life- of boredom, or of excessive consumption for that matter. He insinuates anarchy into his writing that is justified, a solution to the problems that plague our world today. And he insinuates it with both flair and gusto.

There is so much black humor in the show i was laughing till i nearly cried. Anybody remember Mambo Happy Feet? He makes a cameo appearance!

What about the scene where the narrator describes Tyler's job? Hillarious

Another thing i liked about the movie- some of the quotes are simply mind blowing. Simple, yet they got me thinking. These are my favourite:

The Narrator: When people think you are dying then they really really listen to you
instead of just....

Marla: Instead of just waiting for their turn to speak.

Tyler: All the ways you wish you could be- thats me. I look like you wana look, i fuck like you wana fuck, i am smart, capable, and most importantly i am free in all the ways you were not.

Colin the bitch

literally and figuratively

Another one bites the dust. A casualty of this thing called 'inability to adapt'. Off to the airport for the nine o clock flight back to Singapore. Back into her comfort zone of chicken rice and late night shopping. An experience some people would die for, yet she chooses to turn her back on it all. How very Singaporean.

It is really fast. Slightly more than a month and ill be back. How time flies. Before i forget, i should make a small list of things to do when i go back to Singapore.

1- Buy portable HDD
2- Buy lappie case
3- Check jumbo box pricing and rates
4- Buy texts
5- Stationery
6- handphone screen protector

shall update the list as it goes on, but so far thats it.

Finally finished a major project and a major essay. Almost getting there! Shall devote this week to concentrating on my magazine write ups. After that its full speed ahead to the exams....

A friend asked me today if i still want to move out of Currie next semester. And frankly im undecided. I have been rather settled in, but yet i prefer the freedom of exploring and cooking your own meals. Never felt that such a decision would be so hard to make. This might be my only chance at getting decent people to move out, but i cannot make up my bleddy mind. Shall see where the wind blows.

Since working on the project with the others, ive had a sense of purpose what i have never had so far. I think i thrive on stress. I think stress is what i need to keep my wheels greased, to maintain the standards. Even if it has to be self induced mental stress. Its crazy but things seem to work better for me that way. Perhaps it works because i am just plain lazy. Yes i think that would be it.

80's music

i just cant get enough

The sounds of the 80's are just so recognisable. The very style of those tunes take on a form that is unique and is totally impossible to replicate. This is one hit which has powerful, invoking lyrics....

although...the dance moves are totally out of this world. Kind of reminds me of Zouk Mambo.



Tears For Fears- Mad World

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places
Worn out faces

Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere
Going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression
No expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow
No tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I’m dying
Are the best I’ve ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It’s a very very
Mad world
Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday
Happy birthday

and to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen
Sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me
No one knew me

Hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me

Bohemian Rhapsody

One of the greatest songs ever written. Reflecting the sheer brilliance of the creative power of man. Not to mention that Freddie Mercury's voice is one of the most powerful ever for a male vocalist.

Been addicted to this song recently, for some funny reasons. It never fails to put a smile onto my face. The hard rock portion at 4.06 is perfect for just shouting along, and the very strains of that section can be mistaken for a modern day rock ballad even though this song was written in the seventies. It shows how much of an influence Queen has had on the genre we know as rock music.

Pity such talent has been lost. Lost to the swaggering, hip hopping black gangstas and their homies. Tsk.

Interesting Perth

Bus vandals dont limit themselves to 'suck my cock' and 'call for sex'.
Vandals today have a sense of ironic humor.

















DNA kits on buses! Poor Mr Ah Beng.......






















Solution to Singapore's drink driving problem

















Thats my classmate there- in white behind my tutor in blue!

















B200's floor outing at Burswood















Juxtaposition- I cant seem to take any normal pictures

Busy week

Been a really eventful and busy week for me. Major essay and project due on monday so it has been really taxing these few days. But the funny thing is i like it that way. Some might say its crazy but the fact that theres something to accomplish seems to make everything fall into place.

I finally found work! Its at a pie joint down along Hampden road called Jesters Pies, and my first day at work was pretty fun. Isnt it always like that? First days? At the least, its better than working at Acidbar. No smoke, no odd hours. And time passes crazily fast.

Met an old acquaintance for lunch, another ex colleague of my mum's who i have not seen for more than a decade. A decade. Makes me sound old dosent it? Couldnt even remember how she looked like- impressions are so fleeting when you are young.

Opposite Sex on Friday night was a really interesting experience. My first ever themed party and it was totally CRAZY. Made me see just how hard people here can party compared to back home. Of course, the excessive drinking is something every body frowns on, but as far as having fun is concerned, Singaporeans really need to, like they say in the army-

WAKE UP THEIR BLOODY IDEA

Its only over here that i actually experience a different dimension of fun altogether. Fun can come without getting inebriated and puking all over. Fun can come in crowds no matter how small or big. It's the whole notion of knowing how to distinguish fun from everything else that makes Singaporeans such sticklers for tradition and comfort. Learning to let one's hair down when it is time to let one's hair down is one thing sg people really need to pick up from westerners.

Shape up, you pricks. Get out of that turtle shell comfort zone. Stop using cliches like 'i dont do that', 'no time', 'must study' and 'never man'. The world is so bleedy big that theres so much to experience.

Speaking of which the party itself was totally insane. If i am to go into a position of authority in decades to come the pictures taken can DEFINITELY be used to blackmail me. Bring it on. YOu probably dont have the guts to do it like i did anyway!

Spent most of my saturday working on the hypertext project. twenty odd pages of web pages on the topic. It's only after i stopped working on it this evening that i realised that i have been working like a demon at the whole, fanatically dishing out stuff after stuff. And i seem strangely tolerant of uncooperative group members. Somehow nothing seemed able to affect me as i poured over the site these few days. I suppose it all comes back to the age old adage-

If you enjoy what you do you will never work a day in your life

The action is picking up. Cant wait to go surfing and jetboating next week! Whoo Hoo!!!

Ahh the perks of being a writer.....................

Dryness

9.30 on a wednesday night. By all intents and purposes i ought to be excited. The weekend is already halfway here. Somehow there is this element of hollowness that keeps bugging at the back of my head. As if there is something missing, something lacking in everything. Like everything there is is just so hollow and empty, lacking real substance and form. These thoughts are disturbing.