- "Stupid Girl", Garbage
Wednesday, April 2
The Cheap, DECT, Panasonic, Phone
so my mum's screaming at me about the new cordless phone. she can't seem to grasp any new technology more complicated than her Nokia 8850 [which brings up the interesting point of how she's going to cope with the 7250, but that's another story] IT'S NOT MY FAULT YOU WANTED TO BUY A CHEAP DECT PHONE. i told her the Phillips one was of better quality and much easier to use. she chose to save the money and go for the Panasonic one which came with two handsets. i don't see how any of that's my fault.
Sunday, March 30
7250 + 8850 + S57 + 8910 + iPaq + T|T - T68m
the morning started with a wondrous symphony of my parents' voices. in A#. they were arguing about money again, my father having spent his half of the $10 000 he brought back from PNG at the horse races. my mom spent most of her half on the house mortgage and a replacement bed. which my father ordered and was supposed to pay for. when my mom asked him to transfer more money here, he said he couldn't/wouldn't/shouldn't. but within 12 hours of losing that $5 000, he immediately transfers more over.
he wanted to go visit his father this morning. my aunt, who lives with my granddad, wanted me to help her install her HP LaserJet 5L. i didn't think it was a good idea, what with the war going on and all. [hint: NOT gulf war 2] besides, the drivers were generic and hence the same as the old ones'.
thankfully, StarHub Center did not have to suffer the embarrassment of my father today, us having separated from him when he decided to head to my aunt's on his own. my mom dropped me off to queue first, but there were only three people in the queue, who disappeared the moment i got near. kudos to StarHub. however, i still ended up in one of the most unpleasant situations this year. queue for a fashion-victim Nokia. at a half-price promotion.
the grey one looked less offensive, hence i got my mom to buy it. we had lunch at Sushi Ondo, a budget spin-off of Genki Sushi, where all but three plates of sushi are $1.50 each. the rest of the day involved me being dragged in and out of bra sections, sitting for ages in the Giodanos of Centrepoint, and turning down a Coffee Bean Ice Blended on account of a queasy stomach.
he wanted to go visit his father this morning. my aunt, who lives with my granddad, wanted me to help her install her HP LaserJet 5L. i didn't think it was a good idea, what with the war going on and all. [hint: NOT gulf war 2] besides, the drivers were generic and hence the same as the old ones'.
thankfully, StarHub Center did not have to suffer the embarrassment of my father today, us having separated from him when he decided to head to my aunt's on his own. my mom dropped me off to queue first, but there were only three people in the queue, who disappeared the moment i got near. kudos to StarHub. however, i still ended up in one of the most unpleasant situations this year. queue for a fashion-victim Nokia. at a half-price promotion.
the grey one looked less offensive, hence i got my mom to buy it. we had lunch at Sushi Ondo, a budget spin-off of Genki Sushi, where all but three plates of sushi are $1.50 each. the rest of the day involved me being dragged in and out of bra sections, sitting for ages in the Giodanos of Centrepoint, and turning down a Coffee Bean Ice Blended on account of a queasy stomach.
"I bit my tongue and stood in line
With not much to believe in
I bought into what I was sold
And ended up with nothing
This is not my idea of a good time
This is not my idea of a good time
This is not my idea of a good time
This is not my idea"
- "Not My Idea", Garbage
Saturday, March 29
severe whatever whatever syndrome
things can get really crappy when everything grinds to a halt. some parents panic, and all schools shut down. i'm thankful for the extra sleep and non-homework time allotted to me, but i could do without the ignorance of adults. including my parents'.
my useless father's back in singapore [since thursday], btw. back to terrorize the population and talk about 'typical singaporeans' when he is so clearly one of them. Nokia 8910 Midnight Edition, remember?
it being I-Haven't-Been-To-Pay-My-Repsects-All-Year-So-I-Might-As-Well-Do-It-Now Day, [Qing Ming Jie] the six of us squeezed into the Suzuki Swift GL and made our way to Lim Chu Kang. an entire hour late.
see, we were supposed to arrive at 0700-0730. i woke at 0600. i was ready by 0630. the rest of the family [aka the females, plus my father, surprisingly] was ready by 0715. my brother had time for a nap before we left.
we spent two hours or so entertaining the relatives, fake smiles, witch-like laughter [male:female ratio was at least 2:1], and my father embarrassing all of us, acting like the ringmaster of an absurd circus. my first aunt had the guts to lash out at him, subtly, which i've always admired. however, he either did not understand it, or was to involved in talking about himself to pay attention.
later that evening, we had half the [very long] queue at StarHub Center staring at us as my father wondered out[very]loud if the phones were being given away for free.
my mom was taking advantage of an offer for half-price Nokia 7250s. this is one of few instances when i would advocate the purchase of a Nokia. half-price. it must be really too ugly, then, even for the singaporean [buy... Nokia... cool...] population.
the thing is not only ugly, but has a crappy camera and keeps in with the Nokia tradition of monomedia MMS. which, incidentally, means not being able to send/forward sounds in your multimedia messages. i told her to buy the gray one, far, far less offensive than the "Plum" cover.
going back to my father, he exclaimed that he would not wait the estimated two hours for the phone, and would rather fork out the extra $500 than have dinner another minute later. i was trying very hard not to bonk him on the head.
my father being back means that my SIM is in his ridiculous Nokia, which WOULD NOT PAIR WITH MY PALM TUNGSTEN|T, EVEN AFTER I THREATENED THE DAMN THING WITH A THIRTEEN STOREY FALL. pairing, btw, means to set up two Bluetooth devices to 'trust' each other and accept connections without prior authorization. so why does it not surprise me when the Nokia asks for permission EACH BLOODY TIME I TRY TO DOWNLOAD MY MESSAGES?! i had to find the fucking buried setting and turn it off.
his shopping list this time is roughly $15 000 long. this includes [but is not limited to]:
woo-hoo. let the flaunting begin.
my useless father's back in singapore [since thursday], btw. back to terrorize the population and talk about 'typical singaporeans' when he is so clearly one of them. Nokia 8910 Midnight Edition, remember?
it being I-Haven't-Been-To-Pay-My-Repsects-All-Year-So-I-Might-As-Well-Do-It-Now Day, [Qing Ming Jie] the six of us squeezed into the Suzuki Swift GL and made our way to Lim Chu Kang. an entire hour late.
see, we were supposed to arrive at 0700-0730. i woke at 0600. i was ready by 0630. the rest of the family [aka the females, plus my father, surprisingly] was ready by 0715. my brother had time for a nap before we left.
we spent two hours or so entertaining the relatives, fake smiles, witch-like laughter [male:female ratio was at least 2:1], and my father embarrassing all of us, acting like the ringmaster of an absurd circus. my first aunt had the guts to lash out at him, subtly, which i've always admired. however, he either did not understand it, or was to involved in talking about himself to pay attention.
later that evening, we had half the [very long] queue at StarHub Center staring at us as my father wondered out[very]loud if the phones were being given away for free.
my mom was taking advantage of an offer for half-price Nokia 7250s. this is one of few instances when i would advocate the purchase of a Nokia. half-price. it must be really too ugly, then, even for the singaporean [buy... Nokia... cool...] population.
the thing is not only ugly, but has a crappy camera and keeps in with the Nokia tradition of monomedia MMS. which, incidentally, means not being able to send/forward sounds in your multimedia messages. i told her to buy the gray one, far, far less offensive than the "Plum" cover.
going back to my father, he exclaimed that he would not wait the estimated two hours for the phone, and would rather fork out the extra $500 than have dinner another minute later. i was trying very hard not to bonk him on the head.
my father being back means that my SIM is in his ridiculous Nokia, which WOULD NOT PAIR WITH MY PALM TUNGSTEN|T, EVEN AFTER I THREATENED THE DAMN THING WITH A THIRTEEN STOREY FALL. pairing, btw, means to set up two Bluetooth devices to 'trust' each other and accept connections without prior authorization. so why does it not surprise me when the Nokia asks for permission EACH BLOODY TIME I TRY TO DOWNLOAD MY MESSAGES?! i had to find the fucking buried setting and turn it off.
his shopping list this time is roughly $15 000 long. this includes [but is not limited to]:
a plasma TV
a $1 000 Mont Blanc pen, sorry, penmanship instrument [he lost his $300 one on the plane]
a new set of living room furniture
a laundry dryer [condos do not provide bamboo-pole-perching facilities. isn't that wonderful? now we can be civilized and properly dry clothes]
woo-hoo. let the flaunting begin.
- "The World Is Not Enough (U.N.K.L.E. Remix)", Garbage
Friday, March 28
i came around to tear your little world apart/and break your soul apart
i bought Garbage [their first album] when i was out helping Matt find a gift for someone. [intelligent guess says Jamie, whoever she is] The entire album is simply raw energy, blended with the strong, sharp beats of Garbage. Supervixen and Vow are so damn addictive, i've been listening to them back-to-back for days now. if you'd noticed the 'lyric' link below, i even wrote out the lyrics to Supervixen. for no reason at all.
Fun Fact: HMW stocks about any CD you could possibly want, but charges abysmal prices for them.
these few days, besides many other things, i've also experienced the true extent of how annoying 4J2003 can be, online and offline. i've more or less had it with most of the lot. and matt? sleep more. at night.
Fun Fact: HMW stocks about any CD you could possibly want, but charges abysmal prices for them.
these few days, besides many other things, i've also experienced the true extent of how annoying 4J2003 can be, online and offline. i've more or less had it with most of the lot. and matt? sleep more. at night.
- "Vow", Garbage
Tuesday, March 25
make a whole new religion/i will be your religion/bow down to me
"It’s a strange thing about choices. People always like to think they’re making them, when in fact they are not. They like to think they’re deciding which movie to see, or which orange juice to buy, or where they’ll be taking their next vacation. And they are truly unaware that pages and pages of demographic studies, and tests, and focus groups have predetermined their “choices” long before they even get to the stage where they can decide. They are blissfully ignorant of being manipulated by a machine much, much larger than they.
Of course, I think that in some part of their subconscious mind, they have an awareness of the fact that they’re being “helpfully guided” through life by powers far superior to them. I think they need that guidance. I think they’d feel completely lost at sea without it.
Gaia needs my guidance right now. Just as she needs to feel that she has chosen to seek it out. She’ll make her choice as to whether or not she’s going to join me abroad, not understanding that the choice has already been made. All according to a plan.
Control. There are so many misconceptions about it. All this foolishness about how there’s no such thing. People love to convince themselves that they have some kind of free will and that this free will plays any roll in their choices. It’s really quite ridiculous. But I am eternally grateful for the illusion.
Because the illusion of free will is the one essential element in maintaining complete control."
- Loki
- "Supervixen", Garbage
Wednesday, March 19
can't you see the futility of it all?!
well. here we are. five days into 'spring break'. what has been accomplished so far?
>> item 2 on my holiday to-do. my Olympus is now in the hands of Olympus Singapore. the say it'll take about two weeks for quotation. their showroom looks like a Olympus exhibit, by the way. what seems like every modern Olympus every made is on display there. it was blissfully empty, though.
>> four EHist and four SStudies source-based questions.
>> two EMath worksheets.
so, contrary to my all-conquering theme today, i'm a bit of a lazy arse. business as usual then.
>> item 2 on my holiday to-do. my Olympus is now in the hands of Olympus Singapore. the say it'll take about two weeks for quotation. their showroom looks like a Olympus exhibit, by the way. what seems like every modern Olympus every made is on display there. it was blissfully empty, though.
>> four EHist and four SStudies source-based questions.
>> two EMath worksheets.
so, contrary to my all-conquering theme today, i'm a bit of a lazy arse. business as usual then.
- "The World Is Not Enough", Garbage
Saturday, March 15
missing: one Nike squirt water bottle
the times when i leave more than a week's gap in my blog are of five main types:
this week, it's E - A
plus, i lost my Nike water bottle, which cost me $13 and was bought together with the guys when we bought our class jerseys last year. i'm sure someone in 4H picked it up. whoever found it, please return. dump it unceremoniously at the desk i sit at during MT class, or whatever. just. return. it.
if there's nothing else, sod off. go find something else to do. i'm not in the best of moods now.
A: there's nothing happening worth writing home about
B: there's too much happening to write home about
C: i was just plain lazy
D: weekday computing is being frowned upon by my mother
E: all of the above
this week, it's E - A
plus, i lost my Nike water bottle, which cost me $13 and was bought together with the guys when we bought our class jerseys last year. i'm sure someone in 4H picked it up. whoever found it, please return. dump it unceremoniously at the desk i sit at during MT class, or whatever. just. return. it.
if there's nothing else, sod off. go find something else to do. i'm not in the best of moods now.
- "GHV2 Thunderpuss Megamix", Madonna
Thursday, March 6
island life. love it.
Qn: why was the annual inter-school cross-country event moved to Sentosa [island life, love it!]?
An: so students and teachers alike can rediscover the charms of $3 iced teas, $12 fish-and-chips, getting sand everywhere, a monorail that's more believable as a a few six-seater rickshaws strung together and dragged along a rusting green track, mingling with Jappy and Cheena tourists in said rickshaw, the New Blazing-Hot-Fantasy-Carpark, etc.
in the usual disorganized-Victorians tradition, we were left to find our way to Wherever, and matt+pat showed off their anti-war banner everywhere they went. i was mortified. the P saw them and wanted to see the banner. somehow, they squirmed out of it.
i wasted three fucking hours of my life mucking around the monorail and the Southernmost Point Of Continental Asia. i did not purchase the abovementioned beverages and food products, making it a full 24 hours of non-nutrition that day. i tried to take some shots at Palawan Beach, to try and prove that i'm not completely useless behind a camera, but the damned Olympus failed me. i can't really expect it to work well with a damaged lens aperture, but i was pretty angry with the little runt anyway.
and all i had to do to gain free reign of Sentosa [island life, love it!] was to walk over to the VJC cohort [who, incidentally, were not forced to go] in plain sight of the instructors. i spent five minutes acting like i was one of them, talking to those i knew, and was outta there when some of them were moving.
i got back on the monorail again later, and was two stops past the arrival/departure center, when matt called and said he'd left. instantly i knew i was doomed to stuck in human traffic, and tried to make back to the center before the masses, but it looked like Sentosa [island life, love it!] was giving away Hello Kitties by the time the blue line bus pulled into the arrival/departure stop.
i had to float around the crowded mass-transit system for an hour to get to tuition. i bummed sandwiches and two coffees from my tuition teacher to keep me going [breaking my fast], but by the time tuition ended i was so tired i hailed a cab home.
funny how all cab drivers seem to know where Chuan Park is.
An: so students and teachers alike can rediscover the charms of $3 iced teas, $12 fish-and-chips, getting sand everywhere, a monorail that's more believable as a a few six-seater rickshaws strung together and dragged along a rusting green track, mingling with Jappy and Cheena tourists in said rickshaw, the New Blazing-Hot-Fantasy-Carpark, etc.
in the usual disorganized-Victorians tradition, we were left to find our way to Wherever, and matt+pat showed off their anti-war banner everywhere they went. i was mortified. the P saw them and wanted to see the banner. somehow, they squirmed out of it.
i wasted three fucking hours of my life mucking around the monorail and the Southernmost Point Of Continental Asia. i did not purchase the abovementioned beverages and food products, making it a full 24 hours of non-nutrition that day. i tried to take some shots at Palawan Beach, to try and prove that i'm not completely useless behind a camera, but the damned Olympus failed me. i can't really expect it to work well with a damaged lens aperture, but i was pretty angry with the little runt anyway.
and all i had to do to gain free reign of Sentosa [island life, love it!] was to walk over to the VJC cohort [who, incidentally, were not forced to go] in plain sight of the instructors. i spent five minutes acting like i was one of them, talking to those i knew, and was outta there when some of them were moving.
i got back on the monorail again later, and was two stops past the arrival/departure center, when matt called and said he'd left. instantly i knew i was doomed to stuck in human traffic, and tried to make back to the center before the masses, but it looked like Sentosa [island life, love it!] was giving away Hello Kitties by the time the blue line bus pulled into the arrival/departure stop.
i had to float around the crowded mass-transit system for an hour to get to tuition. i bummed sandwiches and two coffees from my tuition teacher to keep me going [breaking my fast], but by the time tuition ended i was so tired i hailed a cab home.
funny how all cab drivers seem to know where Chuan Park is.
"This is the noise that keeps me awake
My head explodes and my body aches
Push it
Make the beats go harder
Push it
Make the beats go harder"
- "Push it", Garbage
Monday, March 3
it's. not. raining.
i wrote most of this entry on my Palm Vx, and it automatically caps the first letter after punctuation. so there.
For once, the weekend was better spent than a Monday in school.
I leave the house late, because of my fucking contact lenses, and have to threaten my punctuality, taking the risk of taking TIBS 106, which i have never done before. I'd compliment TIBS on their excellent bus services, but i'm too pissed off now.
I get to school, and they have a sex talk. They clearly overestimate the maturity of the students in this school. HIV/AIDS is not a topic for Monday morning discussion. I will not repeat the questions posed after the talk, but they covered excessive masturbation, the age of consent & the problems commonly associated with a torn condom.
I hope the school has learnt something from this.
After assembly, i grabbed my bag from the classroom as stalked off to my free period, cutting through the bullshit served up on a platter by my classmates. As usual.
So why am i surprised when none other than Mr Alvin Pfeiffer Lim comes over and decides to be the first to disturb me this week? He trots over to the bench i'm sitting at, and wants to see the i was reading. It was already more than an arm's length away from him, but i sensed that he wouldn't buzz off without it. Hence, i handed the book over & moved on to finding something else to do. He buzzed off, uttering something about returning it the next time saw me. Exit Mr Lim.
Enter Mdm Kwok, informing me that my classmates managed a 100% distinction in geography. I knew that, along with their results, about three hours before they they knew last Friday. And even if i didn't, i certainly didn't need another My-Time-Had-Passed reminder. but, no. she even goes on to talk about how great it would have been if i had continued along with then last year. how insenstitive is that?
then Pfeiffer joins her and cackles about seeing my name there next year. i shouted that it was already - under Withdrawn
why can't they just leave me alone?
For once, the weekend was better spent than a Monday in school.
I leave the house late, because of my fucking contact lenses, and have to threaten my punctuality, taking the risk of taking TIBS 106, which i have never done before. I'd compliment TIBS on their excellent bus services, but i'm too pissed off now.
I get to school, and they have a sex talk. They clearly overestimate the maturity of the students in this school. HIV/AIDS is not a topic for Monday morning discussion. I will not repeat the questions posed after the talk, but they covered excessive masturbation, the age of consent & the problems commonly associated with a torn condom.
I hope the school has learnt something from this.
After assembly, i grabbed my bag from the classroom as stalked off to my free period, cutting through the bullshit served up on a platter by my classmates. As usual.
So why am i surprised when none other than Mr Alvin Pfeiffer Lim comes over and decides to be the first to disturb me this week? He trots over to the bench i'm sitting at, and wants to see the i was reading. It was already more than an arm's length away from him, but i sensed that he wouldn't buzz off without it. Hence, i handed the book over & moved on to finding something else to do. He buzzed off, uttering something about returning it the next time saw me. Exit Mr Lim.
Enter Mdm Kwok, informing me that my classmates managed a 100% distinction in geography. I knew that, along with their results, about three hours before they they knew last Friday. And even if i didn't, i certainly didn't need another My-Time-Had-Passed reminder. but, no. she even goes on to talk about how great it would have been if i had continued along with then last year. how insenstitive is that?
then Pfeiffer joins her and cackles about seeing my name there next year. i shouted that it was already - under Withdrawn
why can't they just leave me alone?
"I'm only happy when it rains
I feel good when things are going wrong
I only listen to the sad, sad songs
I'm only happy when it rains
I only smile in the dark
My only comfort is the night gone black
I didn't accidentally tell you that
I'm only happy when it rains
You'll get the message by the time I'm through
When I complain about me and you
I'm only happy when it rains"
- "Only Happy When It Rains", Garbage
Friday, February 28
wistful
spent another useless Friday of school waiting for the 12:30 bell to ring. [i've only 35 mins of geography on friday. PE & Cheena aren't exactly critical subjects] difference was, today was also the release of 2002 'O' Level results.
there are details i won't mention here, for fear of persecution from the Ministry Of Education. therefore, this account begins at 1230.
i ended up meeting, by chance, Ian, David, Munbbill and Daniel, absolutely by chance, as they were chatting with Mrs Raj. helped her out a little, and got a lift home in her new Nissan Sunny Luxury Edition. not exactly an inspired choice, but then again not exactly a Proton Wira, either. apparently the poor Wira was in a two-car-collision last Friday The Thirteenth. she said she would have bought a Nissan 350Z if she hadn't sent her son off to Melborne, Dell Insprion laptop and all. Mrs Raj driving a 3.5 liter sports coupé? cool.
but, before you think i had some miraculous breakthrough, i was more depressed than ever inside. actually, wistful's the word i'd use.
there are details i won't mention here, for fear of persecution from the Ministry Of Education. therefore, this account begins at 1230.
1230 after relentless hounding from my ex-classmates, i tell them that i was in class, and now have to run over to my aunt's place to check her computer. she claimed it was an emergency, that she needed to print something important. there was no way i could leave her to flounder on her own [1) she's in a wheelchair 2) her computer is often her only means of income as a real estate agent 3) i once spent 20 mins rigged up to my Ericsson through a headset, trying to get her to tell me the HP printer for which se installed a driver. i felt, and probably looked, like Sandra Bullock hooked up to her Motorola at her desk in Two Weeks' Notice]
1430 two grueling hours later, i managed to leave my aunt, peace restored. unfortunately, the results were already being given out.
1604 arrived at school. hall emptied.
i ended up meeting, by chance, Ian, David, Munbbill and Daniel, absolutely by chance, as they were chatting with Mrs Raj. helped her out a little, and got a lift home in her new Nissan Sunny Luxury Edition. not exactly an inspired choice, but then again not exactly a Proton Wira, either. apparently the poor Wira was in a two-car-collision last Friday The Thirteenth. she said she would have bought a Nissan 350Z if she hadn't sent her son off to Melborne, Dell Insprion laptop and all. Mrs Raj driving a 3.5 liter sports coupé? cool.
but, before you think i had some miraculous breakthrough, i was more depressed than ever inside. actually, wistful's the word i'd use.
"for what it's worth - I love you!
and what is worse - I really do
for what it's worth - I'm gonna run run run
'til the sweetness gets to you
and what is worse - I love you!"
- "For What It's Worth", The Cardigans
Thursday, February 27
haha x 7 - ha
Prefects' Investiture
estimated attendance: 1024
number who really wanted to be there: 14
remarks: this is a waste of time
Head Prefect's Speech
estimated attentive: 24
number of times audience was looked at in speech: 0
remarks: who are you addressing?!
GoH Speech
estimated attentive: 33
estimated wowed by wit: 0
remarks: you're not witty, you know. stop trying.
Prefects' Pledge
estimated silent: 1016
estimated jokers: 8
remarks: ain't this pledge for prefects-to-be-inducted only?
Prefects' Dance
recognized song: 1024
thought it was a good choice: 5
remarks: how many different songs can the same choreography be used in?
Prefects' Song
seconds the swaying started early by: 15
seconds after which no-one was listening: 5
remarks: who wrote that thing?!
Band Performance
songs played: 1
songs enjoyed: 1
remarks: oh, so this is why we're here.
and as you can guess, it was a complete load of crap. except for the band bit. fabulous as ever. oh, and this is eVSPB. what is with the waves and color scheme? since when have they branched out into catering and party entertainment, in addition to their indispensable ushering service?
got a taste of what the O level results would feel like for me when the ex-prefects came back for the investiture. nervous laughter and awkward conversation all round. then they all left for a function at VJC. maybe i should just disappear tomorrow. who wants to hang around The Retainee anyway?
"And I'm losing my favorite game
You're losing your mind again
I'm losing my baby,
Losing my favorite game
- "My Favorite Game", The Cardigans
Monday, February 24
Been It.
it's monday again. we were unceremoniously dumped at my aunt's place, where the Lim family was playing Mahjong. my mom decided to head over to her friend's place to play mahjong, taking one of my sisters home first.
this resulted in our reaching home, with the 'portable' [i had to collapse it and lug it to the car] mahjong table and half-finished pot of spaghetti, at midnight, in the back of a silver Toyota RAV4 L.
needless to say, i was pissed. and that screwed the monday that followed. sleeping only five hours, i headed off to school in a newly-bought, starched-up, damned-uncomfortable shirt. why did i buy a new shirt? so i would be less uncomfortable on mondays, with a tie.
oh, and i got like, 25/25 on my maths CA1. suppressing vague memories of being awarded first in level in primary one, i chose to raise my eyebrows. my mom barely lifted one when i told her.
this resulted in our reaching home, with the 'portable' [i had to collapse it and lug it to the car] mahjong table and half-finished pot of spaghetti, at midnight, in the back of a silver Toyota RAV4 L.
needless to say, i was pissed. and that screwed the monday that followed. sleeping only five hours, i headed off to school in a newly-bought, starched-up, damned-uncomfortable shirt. why did i buy a new shirt? so i would be less uncomfortable on mondays, with a tie.
oh, and i got like, 25/25 on my maths CA1. suppressing vague memories of being awarded first in level in primary one, i chose to raise my eyebrows. my mom barely lifted one when i told her.
"Poor donee,
What are you gonna try to be?
Where are you gonna go without me, now?
I've been your mother,
I've been your father
You couldn't ask me for more
I've been your sister,
I've been your mistress
Maybe I was your whore
You couldn't ask me for more"
- "Been It", The Cardigans
Friday, February 21
Do you care whether your phone looks trendy?
0.714285714286 marks per minute. or 1.4 minutes per mark. those, according the icon marked Calc on my Palm Vx, is the mark/time ratio for my 25-mark, 35-minute core geography paper today.
i finished enough to, if i got all that i wrote down right, just pass with 13 marks. two and a half parts out of seven. it's not bloody enough. ELECTIVE geography students get 45 minutes to work on their paper.
i was enraged. when mdm kwok [the geog teacher] came into class and made a fuss about not being able to enter through the front door, it was pushing the limit. but when Doraemon was called in to 'ambush' the late comers [from PE] and those in PE uniform, i blew my fuse. my pencil, which was already broken into two, was now in at least six pieces.
it took all of my trouble-avoidance-system to stop myself from pointing out, bluntly or otherwise, that more time would be saved letting them stay in their PE uniform [especially those who had AOP later] than to come in, swagger around, congratulate those who were in normal uniform already, and ensure that the rest all change before 10:15 am. the geography class starts at 10:10 am. PE ends at 10:00 am. we can start on time, without sacrificing the 5 minutes if those who do not want to or need more time to change can stay in their PE uniform until recess. however, this simple theory does not seem to fit in with the 24th Century robotic cat's logic.
then there was the door. what's so disdainful about entering through the back door? it's in no way a longer or shorter route to the staff room. does she want a red carpet next time? perhaps madamé would like a cooling iced tea while she waits for the monitor, sent up four floors, to get the key? or how about a warm hot chocolate while she's inside?
i will not mention the outcome of my Cheena paper, as i deliberately did not study for it. i will not submit myself to the ancient-Confucian-rote-'learning'-system for a CA, especially if i'm gonna risk failing other subjects for 'vocabulary' i won't remember five minutes after the test. i'll save it for the Prelims and the Os.
however, all this only served to depress me a lot after i got over the initial rage. plus, i saw alvin lim get picked up by his wife after school. thought about how lucky he is to have someone care enough to drive all the way out to pick him up.
this + academic pointlessness + dismal Cheena score + definite failure in geography = listening to Across The Universe, Drops of Jupiter & Demons on loop, and tearing up on the bus. what a loser. i mean, on an SBS bus of all things. it'll be the bus-stop next.
oh, one last thing. did the Matchmaker thing on the Nokia website, to see which one of their exquisite models they'd recommend the likes of me. here's the third question:
one of the answers to choose from was "Yes, of course!" [sheep! ba-aaa!!!]
ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha !!!
i finished enough to, if i got all that i wrote down right, just pass with 13 marks. two and a half parts out of seven. it's not bloody enough. ELECTIVE geography students get 45 minutes to work on their paper.
i was enraged. when mdm kwok [the geog teacher] came into class and made a fuss about not being able to enter through the front door, it was pushing the limit. but when Doraemon was called in to 'ambush' the late comers [from PE] and those in PE uniform, i blew my fuse. my pencil, which was already broken into two, was now in at least six pieces.
it took all of my trouble-avoidance-system to stop myself from pointing out, bluntly or otherwise, that more time would be saved letting them stay in their PE uniform [especially those who had AOP later] than to come in, swagger around, congratulate those who were in normal uniform already, and ensure that the rest all change before 10:15 am. the geography class starts at 10:10 am. PE ends at 10:00 am. we can start on time, without sacrificing the 5 minutes if those who do not want to or need more time to change can stay in their PE uniform until recess. however, this simple theory does not seem to fit in with the 24th Century robotic cat's logic.
then there was the door. what's so disdainful about entering through the back door? it's in no way a longer or shorter route to the staff room. does she want a red carpet next time? perhaps madamé would like a cooling iced tea while she waits for the monitor, sent up four floors, to get the key? or how about a warm hot chocolate while she's inside?
i will not mention the outcome of my Cheena paper, as i deliberately did not study for it. i will not submit myself to the ancient-Confucian-rote-'learning'-system for a CA, especially if i'm gonna risk failing other subjects for 'vocabulary' i won't remember five minutes after the test. i'll save it for the Prelims and the Os.
however, all this only served to depress me a lot after i got over the initial rage. plus, i saw alvin lim get picked up by his wife after school. thought about how lucky he is to have someone care enough to drive all the way out to pick him up.
this + academic pointlessness + dismal Cheena score + definite failure in geography = listening to Across The Universe, Drops of Jupiter & Demons on loop, and tearing up on the bus. what a loser. i mean, on an SBS bus of all things. it'll be the bus-stop next.
oh, one last thing. did the Matchmaker thing on the Nokia website, to see which one of their exquisite models they'd recommend the likes of me. here's the third question:
Do you care whether your phone looks trendy?
one of the answers to choose from was "Yes, of course!" [sheep! ba-aaa!!!]
ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha !!!
- "Demons (featuring Macy Gray)", Fatboy Slim
Tuesday, February 18
Drops Of Jupiter
"Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken,
Your best friend always sticking up for you,
Even when I know you're wrong?
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance,
Five-hour phone conversation,
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me?"
-"Drops Of Jupiter", Train
somehow, i don't think i ever need to imagine.
Tuesday, February 11
The Point
i think you're in serious trouble if you wake up thinking about the point of your own existence. the problem being that my mind decided that there was no point.
usually, i wake up, register that the alarm is waking and that my eyes are open, before i start philosophizing. but for the last two mornings, i don't even get past the alarm. before i hear or see anything, i register the apparent pointlessness of my mortality.
great start to the day, huh? better than a rousing breakfast of some Listerine [to rinse my mouth with, not to swallow] and Malaccan coffee. the rest of the day can't get any better, of course: yesterday i tried to kill 2 hours slumming at Toa Payoh HDB Hub after school with Pat [who wanted to buy a Body Shop gift pack for V-Day] and Ivan [who wanted to trade in his Nokia 8250 for a Nokia 8310. feeling pointless, i decided not to try and persuade him otherwise], then had a mock-disaster as me, my two sisters and my mom made our way to Bouna Vista to replace the two aforementioned madamés' misplaced School Smart Cards.
we arrived at 5:10 pm. TransitLink's 7-11-sized "Customer Service Centre" closed at 5 and was no longer accepting queue-ers. we trudged back to the car.
i will not even mention the fiasco in school. that Teckhua™ is retarded, completely without shame & just plain illogical is common knowledge. alarming how i know this after just one month in the class.
today, it was painfully obvious that i was older than everyone else. other times that this surfaced was on LNY eve [when all and alumni came back to visit and gush JC], and when the 2002 yearbook was given out [it was basically a A4-sized maroon beacon alerting me to the fact that My Time Had Passed]
however, today it was the level of maturity that i experienced that made me wince. this can be attributed to the problem of being in the close proximity of Teckhua™ [he was bare-socked today because his colored shoes were confiscated by the DM, and he spent his time either sleeping in class, or justifying his unconsciousness], but watching Pleasantville with the color-blind was simply [insert adjectival expletive here]. oh, the irony.
Matt stated that no-one in the class except him knew the song that was featured at the end of Pleasantville. Across The Universe. Fiona Apple. and, yes, i know that it was originally written by The Beatles.
hmm. that came out harsher than intended. what the hell.
i spent 5 hours today waiting at the TransitLink "Customer Service Center" again. basically not following instructions, my two wonderful sisters made us mooch around there twice as long as we had to. i couldn't even get my rebates cause the machine was broken, which begged the question of why the hell i was there.
usually, i wake up, register that the alarm is waking and that my eyes are open, before i start philosophizing. but for the last two mornings, i don't even get past the alarm. before i hear or see anything, i register the apparent pointlessness of my mortality.
great start to the day, huh? better than a rousing breakfast of some Listerine [to rinse my mouth with, not to swallow] and Malaccan coffee. the rest of the day can't get any better, of course: yesterday i tried to kill 2 hours slumming at Toa Payoh HDB Hub after school with Pat [who wanted to buy a Body Shop gift pack for V-Day] and Ivan [who wanted to trade in his Nokia 8250 for a Nokia 8310. feeling pointless, i decided not to try and persuade him otherwise], then had a mock-disaster as me, my two sisters and my mom made our way to Bouna Vista to replace the two aforementioned madamés' misplaced School Smart Cards.
we arrived at 5:10 pm. TransitLink's 7-11-sized "Customer Service Centre" closed at 5 and was no longer accepting queue-ers. we trudged back to the car.
i will not even mention the fiasco in school. that Teckhua™ is retarded, completely without shame & just plain illogical is common knowledge. alarming how i know this after just one month in the class.
today, it was painfully obvious that i was older than everyone else. other times that this surfaced was on LNY eve [when all and alumni came back to visit and gush JC], and when the 2002 yearbook was given out [it was basically a A4-sized maroon beacon alerting me to the fact that My Time Had Passed]
however, today it was the level of maturity that i experienced that made me wince. this can be attributed to the problem of being in the close proximity of Teckhua™ [he was bare-socked today because his colored shoes were confiscated by the DM, and he spent his time either sleeping in class, or justifying his unconsciousness], but watching Pleasantville with the color-blind was simply [insert adjectival expletive here]. oh, the irony.
Matt stated that no-one in the class except him knew the song that was featured at the end of Pleasantville. Across The Universe. Fiona Apple. and, yes, i know that it was originally written by The Beatles.
hmm. that came out harsher than intended. what the hell.
i spent 5 hours today waiting at the TransitLink "Customer Service Center" again. basically not following instructions, my two wonderful sisters made us mooch around there twice as long as we had to. i couldn't even get my rebates cause the machine was broken, which begged the question of why the hell i was there.
- "Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)", Garbage
Wednesday, February 5
The New Mercedes-Benz S600L with PRE-SAFE
ah. coffee. felt much better today, and actually managed to crack up some. if this were a Monday, i'd be disgusted with myself. laughter is alright on a Wednesday, i guess.
Pat & Matt discovered the joys of my Palm Vx today. spent part of my free period sending a Porsche operator logo to Matt's 8210 [it went off, and i had no idea which profile was silent. Note To All Nokia Users: Stop Renaming Your Profile Names. at least the message alert wasn't the annoying beep-beep-beep-BEEP-BEEP-beep-beep-beep "SMS" tone], which he promptly wanted to change at recess. why can't Nokians make up their minds? first Xpress-On covers, now operator logos. strangely enough, though, i'm not annoyed.
took 105 with my sis home from tuition. single-decker, as usual, due the laws of physics dictating that a double-decker model cannot fit under the CTE's Braddell flyover. the bus was so fucking crowded. why can't they just demolish the fucking flyover so we can commute in comfort?
they played this Merc ad on TVmobile, depicting an S-Class being driven rather spiritedly, and how the PRE-SAFE features would be prepared to prevent the S-Class's occupants from injury.
Right.
99% of Merc drivers in singapore wouldn't know good steering if it bit them in the testicles. try something to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, after long hours with one thumb on the wheel and four fingers on the dashboard. and let's not forget the other arm hanging out the window, possibly holding a cigarette. they need an ashtray near the wing-mirror. in fact, replace the wing mirror with an ashtray. who looks in it anyway?
also, the bus driver must have thought he was driving The New Mercedes-Benz S600L, because he treated the brake pedal as an on-off switch. everyone else was slipping and sliding about the place, with the seated elderly staring at us as if we were purposely sliding about.
saw yet another motorcycle accident on the road. motorcyclists are really the scourge of the universe, second to Merc drivers who think that their three-pointed-star gives them automatic right-of-way. you'd have to be pretty delusional to want to wrap yourself round a two-wheeled vehicle that requires speed for stability.
Pat & Matt discovered the joys of my Palm Vx today. spent part of my free period sending a Porsche operator logo to Matt's 8210 [it went off, and i had no idea which profile was silent. Note To All Nokia Users: Stop Renaming Your Profile Names. at least the message alert wasn't the annoying beep-beep-beep-BEEP-BEEP-beep-beep-beep "SMS" tone], which he promptly wanted to change at recess. why can't Nokians make up their minds? first Xpress-On covers, now operator logos. strangely enough, though, i'm not annoyed.
took 105 with my sis home from tuition. single-decker, as usual, due the laws of physics dictating that a double-decker model cannot fit under the CTE's Braddell flyover. the bus was so fucking crowded. why can't they just demolish the fucking flyover so we can commute in comfort?
they played this Merc ad on TVmobile, depicting an S-Class being driven rather spiritedly, and how the PRE-SAFE features would be prepared to prevent the S-Class's occupants from injury.
Right.
99% of Merc drivers in singapore wouldn't know good steering if it bit them in the testicles. try something to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome, after long hours with one thumb on the wheel and four fingers on the dashboard. and let's not forget the other arm hanging out the window, possibly holding a cigarette. they need an ashtray near the wing-mirror. in fact, replace the wing mirror with an ashtray. who looks in it anyway?
also, the bus driver must have thought he was driving The New Mercedes-Benz S600L, because he treated the brake pedal as an on-off switch. everyone else was slipping and sliding about the place, with the seated elderly staring at us as if we were purposely sliding about.
saw yet another motorcycle accident on the road. motorcyclists are really the scourge of the universe, second to Merc drivers who think that their three-pointed-star gives them automatic right-of-way. you'd have to be pretty delusional to want to wrap yourself round a two-wheeled vehicle that requires speed for stability.
- "Breaking Up The Girl", Garbage
Tuesday, February 4
the aftermath
spent yesterday sleeping till two and basically wallowing. didn't drink coffee today. went to school and pissed e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e off. came home and there was a fucking buffet on the dining table. my mom was throwing a mahjong party. normal people throw dinner parties. my mom is, therefore, not normal. no-one worth talking to came online. managed to finish the vicvox2003 page.
- "#1 Crush", Garbage
Sunday, February 2
Cheena Day, Part 2
"simply tormenting"
"you couldn't have paid me to do it again"
"is suicide legal?"
my idiot brother broke my Olympus C-2020 Zoom digital camera today. he simply grabbed hold of the lens aperture and pulled the whole thing off. a bit like castration.
it was, and still is, the only thing my useless father has bought for me in 12 years.
Olympus Singapore says that it is a Japanese model [yea, i really needed you to tell me that. i HAVE actually turned the damn thing on before, YOU KNOW?] and therefore it does not provide support for it, even though it is, hardware-wise, identical to the C-2040 Zoom.
the entire world can go and fuck off right now.
"you couldn't have paid me to do it again"
"is suicide legal?"
my idiot brother broke my Olympus C-2020 Zoom digital camera today. he simply grabbed hold of the lens aperture and pulled the whole thing off. a bit like castration.
it was, and still is, the only thing my useless father has bought for me in 12 years.
Olympus Singapore says that it is a Japanese model [yea, i really needed you to tell me that. i HAVE actually turned the damn thing on before, YOU KNOW?] and therefore it does not provide support for it, even though it is, hardware-wise, identical to the C-2040 Zoom.
the entire world can go and fuck off right now.
- "13 X Forever", Garbage
Saturday, February 1
Mercedes-Benz 520i & Cheena Day, Part 1
so here we go. day two/one [depending on whether you count the eve] of Cheena New Year. we woke up round 10 - 11am, ushering in the new year by being lazy slobs.
trooping over to my granddad's house, we spent roughly an hour being patronized by relatives i wouldn't accept angbaos from or willingly spend that much of my time with, if it wasn't absolutely necessary. i managed to spend some good time unwasted, in talking to my two aunts and my granddad, though. especially with my first aunt, who i thought was going to freak out about me retaining, being the academic sort that she is. [not that that isn't a good thing] but she was very encouraging, which is more than i can say for my mother, who has said nothing positive since the day my retention was decided.
at my granddad-in-law's place, things were much warmer. the adults launched into mahjong, and us kids were left to our own vices, namely the PlayStation and blackjack with my aunt's boyfriend.
my mom left at 6 for another mahjong session. later i would find out that she would not make it home until 9 am the next morning. my second aunt's boyfriend, Samuel, offered to take us out to see a movie later on, but all the tickets for Shanghai Knights were either booked or sold, and i wouldn't watch Hero [a) it's frankly too Cheena for me b) Matt gave it a really lousy review. ok, so he was talking about the subtitles, but it sounded laughable], so we didn't even check listings for that. we ended up blackjacking and PlayStationing until 10 or so.
i made over a thousand Monopolian dollars [we played with Monopoly money, each starting with $500] at blackjack, and won six out of seven races at the PlayStation [Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 2, Le Mans 24]. i discovered that not only is Garbage featured on the GT2 soundtrack [I Think I'm Paranoid, but i knew this about a year ago], but As Heaven Is Wide is also featured in GT1.
my third aunt sent us home in her Honda Stream. we got home around 11, and i was up till 2 remodeling this site and IMing Matt.
something i noticed today. the BMW 520i is becoming increasingly popular. it's all Performance Motor's fault. they have this overtrade scheme to entice those looking for a cheap means of showing off the wealth they either don't have or desperately need to display. they need to clear stock to accommodate the first new 5-series in what must be 10 years. i mean, more power to BMW [as opposed to an exceedingly opulent [vulgar] Mercedes-Benz E200], but now it's just as common as the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sunny and, of course, the evergreen towkay's choice, the Merc E-Class. Sheep. Baa-aaa-aaa. Strike one car off the 'my-first-car-list' [second-hand or otherwise]
trooping over to my granddad's house, we spent roughly an hour being patronized by relatives i wouldn't accept angbaos from or willingly spend that much of my time with, if it wasn't absolutely necessary. i managed to spend some good time unwasted, in talking to my two aunts and my granddad, though. especially with my first aunt, who i thought was going to freak out about me retaining, being the academic sort that she is. [not that that isn't a good thing] but she was very encouraging, which is
at my granddad-in-law's place, things were much warmer. the adults launched into mahjong, and us kids were left to our own vices, namely the PlayStation and blackjack with my aunt's boyfriend.
my mom left at 6 for another mahjong session. later i would find out that she would not make it home until 9 am the next morning. my second aunt's boyfriend, Samuel, offered to take us out to see a movie later on, but all the tickets for Shanghai Knights were either booked or sold, and i wouldn't watch Hero [a) it's frankly too Cheena for me b) Matt gave it a really lousy review. ok, so he was talking about the subtitles, but it sounded laughable], so we didn't even check listings for that. we ended up blackjacking and PlayStationing until 10 or so.
i made over a thousand Monopolian dollars [we played with Monopoly money, each starting with $500] at blackjack, and won six out of seven races at the PlayStation [Gran Turismo, Gran Turismo 2, Le Mans 24]. i discovered that not only is Garbage featured on the GT2 soundtrack [I Think I'm Paranoid, but i knew this about a year ago], but As Heaven Is Wide is also featured in GT1.
my third aunt sent us home in her Honda Stream. we got home around 11, and i was up till 2 remodeling this site and IMing Matt.
something i noticed today. the BMW 520i is becoming increasingly popular. it's all Performance Motor's fault. they have this overtrade scheme to entice those looking for a cheap means of showing off the wealth they either don't have or desperately need to display. they need to clear stock to accommodate the first new 5-series in what must be 10 years. i mean, more power to BMW [as opposed to an exceedingly opulent [vulgar] Mercedes-Benz E200], but now it's just as common as the Toyota Corolla, Nissan Sunny and, of course, the evergreen towkay's choice, the Merc E-Class. Sheep. Baa-aaa-aaa. Strike one car off the 'my-first-car-list' [second-hand or otherwise]
- "As Heaven Is Wide", Garbage
Friday, January 31
the worst cheena new year's eve ever
i hate the lunar new year.
firstly, it never fails that i fall ill during the season. i'm weak and feverish now. i think i'm allergic to all things cheena,
secondly, i had to go to school today for three free periods, no lessons and one lame concert. the concert band, arguably the best of the three victoria school cultural groups, emulated the cheena orchestra today. ewww. in a sense it was a successful emulation, as they managed to make a normally beautiful-sounding clarinet sound like a Cheena Funeral Trumpet, but a successful concert cheena music does not make.
thirdly [and this deserves a separate paragraph due to its severity], i am seriously considering severing all ties with my school's av department. today's backstage work was horrendous. from seniors that don't know if they're on duty & couldn't be bothered to leave class early to set up, to microphones on stands placed too close to [and eventually ended up being dragged by] the curtain, and constant feedback [that weeaaooowww sound], coupled with poor timing and momentous unresponsivity.
fourthly, my granddad has just been discharged from Tan Tock Seng, where he was admitted into for heart failure. kinda puts a damper on festivities.
fifthly, my father has been detained in Papua New Guinea for attempting to export baby sea cumbers. [apparently an endangered species, although i can't fathom why] so it seems bribery didn't get him far enough. this will be the second year in a row that he didn't turn up for the lunar new year. but it doesn't really matter. to quote 'About A Boy', he'd "have been a useless father, wherever [he was] was living, so i don't see what difference it makes"
sixthly, ex-boys came back. those of you who do not know [or feel the compulsive urge to act shocked], i have been retained one year. that means that i am in my fifth year at victoria school, and all those my age, those i have befriended over the past two years, have moved on to tertiary education. now, you try sitting there, listening to a couple of people you used to be able to look in the eye and talk to talk about their JC life, how yadda-yadda-yadda. i got the hell out of there once Simon was done with my Palm. ended up talking 853, falling asleep while listening to the sad-song part of my CD-RW on repeat and feeling extremely sorry for myself. i woke up in Yishun, and had to spent another hour getting home. in the end, i wasted two good hours sleeping and being upset.
i think i'll top myself if i have to go through this shit again next year.
firstly, it never fails that i fall ill during the season. i'm weak and feverish now. i think i'm allergic to all things cheena,
secondly, i had to go to school today for three free periods, no lessons and one lame concert. the concert band, arguably the best of the three victoria school cultural groups, emulated the cheena orchestra today. ewww. in a sense it was a successful emulation, as they managed to make a normally beautiful-sounding clarinet sound like a Cheena Funeral Trumpet, but a successful concert cheena music does not make.
thirdly [and this deserves a separate paragraph due to its severity], i am seriously considering severing all ties with my school's av department. today's backstage work was horrendous. from seniors that don't know if they're on duty & couldn't be bothered to leave class early to set up, to microphones on stands placed too close to [and eventually ended up being dragged by] the curtain, and constant feedback [that weeaaooowww sound], coupled with poor timing and momentous unresponsivity.
fourthly, my granddad has just been discharged from Tan Tock Seng, where he was admitted into for heart failure. kinda puts a damper on festivities.
fifthly, my father has been detained in Papua New Guinea for attempting to export baby sea cumbers. [apparently an endangered species, although i can't fathom why] so it seems bribery didn't get him far enough. this will be the second year in a row that he didn't turn up for the lunar new year. but it doesn't really matter. to quote 'About A Boy', he'd "have been a useless father, wherever [he was] was living, so i don't see what difference it makes"
sixthly, ex-boys came back. those of you who do not know [or feel the compulsive urge to act shocked], i have been retained one year. that means that i am in my fifth year at victoria school, and all those my age, those i have befriended over the past two years, have moved on to tertiary education. now, you try sitting there, listening to a couple of people you used to be able to look in the eye and talk to talk about their JC life, how yadda-yadda-yadda. i got the hell out of there once Simon was done with my Palm. ended up talking 853, falling asleep while listening to the sad-song part of my CD-RW on repeat and feeling extremely sorry for myself. i woke up in Yishun, and had to spent another hour getting home. in the end, i wasted two good hours sleeping and being upset.
i think i'll top myself if i have to go through this shit again next year.
"Demons (featuring Macy Gray)", Fatboy Slim
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