Why do you guys read blogs? Is it to keep in touch with your friends, or to satisfy your voyueristic curiosity? Do you feel happy when someone is living a shittier life than you? I think blog depression is the new disease. I'm quite sure that I'm not the only one afflicted. It usually comes with mindless blogsurfing, jumping links from your friends to your friends' friends, or simply by clicking 'next blog'. It could be a stranger or someone you've known for years. Sometimes you read something significant, like say a girl having a good time with her guy, or something insignificant, like guy A having a great party.

It's a potent combo of insecurity and jealousy. Of course, the only thing that keeps you from wallowing further is that being a blog writer yourself, you know that people only put the good stuff up. I mean, I could write about how bad I feel that another uni student is doing so well in his attachment that the staff there say he can take over their jobs, but that would only make me appear to be a needy person, forever looking for people to justify my worth.

Anyway I'm glad that I'm stuck in blogebrity D list. Just look at how bitchy the popular bloggers are! It seems that only singaporean blogs are like that. Be mature for goodness sake. Elsewhere, bloggers give shoutouts to other bloggers. Like trent and joel madden (good charlotte) sharing their love for LV goods..er for more info click on the link. And yeah that's like the third time I've linked to him. I digress.

So I figured the only way to cure that depression is to stop blog surfing, or get a religion. I mean all that crap about a person not being strong enough to get through life without spiritual guidance, I'm beginning to see that it's true! Sometimes, it really does appear that we're living for nothing, and if a car knocks you down today you would have barely made a blip in the world.
So anyway to cheer myself up I looked instead at the mindless fun the internet has to offer. You know, it's really like rediscovering the web all over again, like in secondary school computer lab classes. Ancient things like hampster dance, www.ikissyou.org, perhaps the most over enthusiastic webpage ever created, the ellen feiss apple commercial- the 'beepbeepbeepbeepbeep' is priceless, the last page of the internet, and hell yeah, the infamous all your base are belong to us thing- according to cnet's top 10 web fads, "every time you think AYBABTU is dead, it crops up again--whether as a clever quote from a hipster writer, a gamer's war cry, or someone discovering it for the first time."

Yah. Much more fun than reading blogs.

At this point I'd just like to practice what I preach, so Here's a shoutout to MAAARIAH CAREY! You go girl! Haha I know it's damn gay to admit to loving mariah, but isn't we belong together just the best thing you've heard this whole year? I see all my indie cred going down the gutter already. Actually, there's nothing I love more than someone making a comeback. A year ago, everyone thought that her career was over and look who's on top now? BIAAATCH! Kick. Some. Ass. I do believe that some part of her is still kookoo though.

Hell I'm even going to do what I hate to see most- cut and paste chunks of song lyrics!

I'm feeling all out of my element
throwing things, crying
Trying to figure out
Where the hell I went wrong
The pain reflected in this song
ain't even half of what
I'm feeling inside
I need you
Need you back in my life, baby..

Come on people, you know the rest of the chorus. Sing it now!

When you left I lost a part of me
It's still so hard to believe
Come back baby, please
Cause we belong together
Who else am I gon' lean on
When times get rough
Who's gonna talk to me on the phone
Till the sun comes up
Who's gonna take your place
There ain't nobody better
Oh, baby baby, we belong together, baby

Is it just me or do I sound like I'm high?

Having been to two banquets in as many weeks, I gotta say I have a bone to pick with the piped in background music that hotels and restaurants play. Midi-like versions of new age muzak and chinese classics are brain numbingly boring, especially if they are being played ad nauseum. So, boys and girls, if you're having a wedding dinner in the near future and you and your partner have no schmaltzy favorite theme song (ie. shania twain's from this moment), yours truly is always there to provide some choice cuts. I guarantee there won't be any repeats.

It's photo blog time! That hand, my hand, was what I drew on the whiteboard in the office. It shows how boliau I get. The best question I got asked last week was by keith teo: "Why are you always online?" It's not that I am purposely slacking, but there's really nothing to do sometimes, as other interns will attest to. The lack of technical knowledge is really a big drawback. But I got praise from my supervisor! Damn happy. He says he owes me a lunch for giving him what he wanted. One more week. Then I can go to k lunch and watch cheap movies on weekdays.

As some of you know already, my gadgets have failed me one by one. My phone, my lomo and then my ipod. It simply froze up and then couldn't be reset or restored. Before this, I had no idea the monochromatic screen could display so much crap. There was the batt sign with exclamation mark, the folder sign with exclamation mark, the dreaded apple logo, even diagnostic tests. I was shattered. At my lowest point I took this photo.

The appropriate caption would be "r.i.p. - where is the love?" I was thinking there was not enough time to go down to the respective service centres. Like this morning, I couldn't wake up early enough to go to the apple centre in yio chu kang.

However, miracles do happen. I solved the lomo shutter problem by replacing the batteries. So this is the expensive lesson- if the red lights on the lc-a aren't working, it means the batteries are kaput. And then today, while passing time away at ps, I took out the ipod on a whim and holy cow!! it was back to normal. It was such a relief, though it means that I can't replace it with a brand new unscratched ipod anymore.

But seriously, it was sobering to live without the ipod. No longer could I tune out of my surroundings when working, when on the bus or train, when walking. I had to endure listening to my colleagues' conversations. I could not play my "catwalk music" and sashay down the street in confidence and style. I did not have an excuse for using the back as a mirror. To live in a world of music is a fortune indeed.

BBQ at east coast park was less of a bbq and more of a card playing session. I learnt how to play german bridge and a really mindblowing uno card game in which you make up your own rules. Needless to say, I got lost pretty quick. When the full moon first appeared, it was burning orange bright and looked more like a volcano's lava glow. It was big as well, being near the horizon. It took nearly 12 seconds of exposure to get the picture. Damn I want the new ixus. Or any othe slim good camera for that matter.

Huge thanks to yaohong and girlfriend for queing up for 5 hours and getting me a personalised autograph! Big up!


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TYPEDRAWING
Type a word and draw it out. It needs a lot of inspiration to do a decent one.

Anyway wanted to write something about how much better Singapore will be by 2009 and stuff like "is the way we must live now" aka living with terrorism but too tired liao. Another time perhaps.

I *beep*ing hate you my lomo camera. My love for you has all but disappeared. *beep* *beep* *beep*! How could you take my roll of film and come up with *beep*ing blank negatives? Not a single shot to show for the past few months. no KL photos, no beach photos. I'm gonna take you to the lomo embassy and demand an explanation. I can't believe it's so idiot proof for other people and yet I have trouble with you throughout. You make me get ridiculous looks from the people who developed the film who asked me if i took photos too near a subject. Now I have no way of knowing if you have really died on me unless I take an entire roll of photos in one day and develop them. *beep*ing hell!

***
The two hookiest songs of the year.

Spoon - the Two Sides of Monsieur Valenti
"channeling Bowie's Hunky Dory period"
"its bass hook a stroke of genius"
"wakes up to questions of duality and performance"

Missy Elliott - We Run This
"furious bongo bashing, cartoon anthem"
"resurrects the "Apache" break and a classic Sugarhill Gang track for one of the best club tunes of the year"
" a filthy track in the best sense of the word"

Ok this is like some kind of lucky draw cuz only 10mb of download is allowed each day so only one person a day can get the songs. Perhaps someone could recommend a better free hosting site.

Uh my feet really hurt when I walk. I think it's because I went running and now I'm wearing dress shoes. About the running, I needed the endorphins. See lately, I've been feeling as emo as a 14 year old girl. That's because a) I haven't been watching movies because everyone watches movies on weekday afternoons; b) it doesn't seem so fabulous to be single anymore; c) gusto @ wisma atria is overpriced and underportioned; d) my notebook can't connect to the wireless router at home; e) noone has the photos from our class gathering.

So there.

These are the abandoned post-starters- things I would have written in the past week if I had the time.

...I found a really cool looking book at borders. At the horror section of all places. It's called House of Leaves. It's a story in a story in a story. Supposedly terrifying and experimental, the main story is about a filmmaker making a movie about a house that is bigger on the inside than the outside. And someone footnotes the first story with David Foster Wallace compulsiveness. It will have the reader read it from a mirror's reflection, upside down and the like. I don't think I'm buying it though..

...I know I have an unhealthy obsession with the superficial. I know that because I want to look like the people in GQ. People who "have an army of stylists, hairdressers, shoppers, personal trainers" behind them. I heart heart heart the classic american look, the preppy school boy, the urban pioneer looks.

I know that because I'm fascinated by socialites. Like the late Nan Kempner who passed away recently at 72. She lived a glorious life among the rich and famous. She had an elegance that came from an archaic era, where women had limited ways of rising to power. Her wit and party hosting skills were legendary and her dinners had guests like Princess Di. She single handedly kept the couture business alive- she missed only one of Yves Saint Laurent's couture shows and musuems went to her regularly to borrow clothes. She kept her body thin so that she could purchase the half size runway clothes at discounted prices. She also inspired the term "social x-ray", which Tom Wolfe used to describe the upper east side ladies in Bonfire of the Vanities. Yeah, I've done my research so well that I could regurgitate all that.

Sadly, the younger generation of party girls are only known for their trash talking, unglamorous tramp behavior. Like the british empire or the old world hollywood, they would never scale up to their past glory..

...Class gathering was very good. There was very gawdawful music coming from the baybeats festival though. Charlotte's autographed penis drawing, Daryl's card tricks, Wenzheng's emoticon-worthy pictures of Xinyi, Dillion's TT Durai-like salary, free desserts, chocolate fondue, unadulterated swearing, and no there's not going to be a farewell..

..k750i, k750i, why art thou so expensive?..

Further proof that I've been away from home too often.. my brother told me that two boxes of bah gua have been lying on the kitchen table for the past two weeks and I was totally clueless. But it's also good that I haven't been eating them.. to me, it's just wrong to indulge in new year food when it isn't new year.

I'm setting a timetable so that I'll get things done. By this week, get the notebook. By end of this month, get textbooks and urm, the rest of the stuff. I think that everything is going to snowball into a mad rush at the end, which is so typical of me... the last minute packing, the frantic search for documents..

Everyone's been talking about leaving and things they'll miss, and how they don't want to leave so soon. Me, I don't really empathise that much. Perhaps it's because I am the most unsentimental person around and have seen so many people come and go and don't feel the need to like "meet up one last time".. or perhaps I've been feeling caged up for too long, and here's the chance to finally watch my own back and fend for myself.. so there's no pre departure jitters, although of course I would regret saying all this the moment I board the plane.

+ All the dots-dots are very reminiscent of the odac conversation books. Can someone tell me please when odacia is? I bumped into Hazel the other day and she said she would go only if her batch goes. Well, same here.

++ I was watching an episode of firefly and guess who I saw.. melinda clarke. Or rather, julie cooper the resident oc bitch! Love it when actors guest star. She played a mamasan who dies a heroic death. Grrr.

+++ Cool article on television's richest dads. Of note:

6 Michael Bluth Arrested Development CEO Real Estate Company $527,205
9 Sean McNamara Nip/Tuck Plastic Surgeon $274,456
20 Sandy Cohen The OC Lawyer $113,780
27 Tom Scavo Desperate Housewives Regional Sales Manager $83,688
28 Ross Gellar Friends Professor of Paleontology $81,904
30 Homer Simpson The Simpsons Nuclear Safety Inspector $65,000
34 Nate Fisher Six Feet Under Funeral Director $53,366

• Sigh. I've been treating my home as my hotel. I've been spending so much time outside that when I'm back, I'm at a loss as to what to do. I've also been procrastinating things I ought to do, like getting the notebook.. reading my university letters.. to the point of relying on my mum to tell me stuff.. all in all being a bad boy *hahaha! I'm just really disorganised and really bad at waking up early.
  

• My phone is getting cranky. No one can hear me anymore when I call them. It's a really good excuse to get a new one.
  

-->karen, got ppl go or not?
-->kim, patience la..
-->mel, i took the picture! yea raul's always seen and he doesn't speak english..
-->hx, you saw ian thorpe!

Oh man, despite stalking Hillary Clinton, or rather hovering around her entourage, for the length of the reception, I still didn't get her autograph!! I hate myself really, although I'm pretty sure I'm in the background of her and Tony Blair's photo-ops. I even stood there waiting for her to come down from the rooftop party, gave the chance of chasing Raul a miss, and when it came to the moment when she walked by and I looked into her eyes and we smiled at each other, the line "mrs Clinton could I have your autograph please?" simply refused to leave my mouth. I was that awe struck.

There is this attribution theory, whereby if things don't go your way, you blame it on some irrelevant factors. In this case, I'll attribute my autograph grabbing ineptness to the fact that we weren't supposed to harrass them.. this is going to haunt me for days. In fact, I'm not gloating, but I just knew that something would happen to zj's signatures- they were smudged. Something bad was bound to happen.

More news:
Very few of us got to see david beckham and he snuck away after the ceremony quickly. His wife didn't come/didn't get invited.
PM Lee requested for room temperature evian. I also heard that MM Lee prefers room temperature beer on flights. Weird huh.
Most hardworking- Tony Blair. He had to fly back that very night to host the G8 summit today. I just love these people's jet set lifestyle.
Most unfortunate- wheelchair basketballer Ade Adepitan who got ambushed outside our hotel room for autographs and photos.

..meeting time..

esplanade

Both my wallet and my liver are going to rot very soon. Booze and more booze everytime we go out. It takes more alcohol each time to get high and the effect goes away faster each time. I look horrible when I'm red, which is why you won't see any photos of me intoxicated. Actually, it's a wonder I'm still functioning. I slept at nearly 3am, woke up at 7 to go to work, and managed to complete most of today's work before I left at lunch time. It's all thanks to hello panda biscuits and nescafe mocha.

The afternoon was spent at the esplanade getting a tour of the entrances and emergency exits and having a dry run. I think the only celebrities I'll be seeing are the local MPs. Sob sob. My station isn't a critical place really. While waiting, some people spotted raul walking outside and a guy ran up to get his autograph. They say his signature looks like shit. Meanwhile the acrobatic cleaners were on the roof giving the glass a scrub down.

We didn't manage to watch the rehearsals though. It would have been cool to watch glen goei and jacintha in action. We did see lim yu beng and other theatre folks in the theatre. Having gone to the stall seats to recce, I think that our dim sum dollies seats are not too shabby- the stage isn't that far away after all.

Then this group of us found our way to the convention centre where we managed to get new passes. Because our original cards were hastily slotted inside a plastic cover, most of our faces had peeled off the card and stuck to the plastic. I now wish I had given a better passport photo. At the volunteer lounge, this guy Andrew walked in while we were chit chatting away. He's 20, from manchester, works 4 days a week and studies 2 days, has his own name card, and during holidays he goes around the world volunteering for sports event. He had volunteered in the athens olympics too. People, this is called having a life.

Lindsay lost to Venus!
Urgh. My craving for cheesecake and nydc baked rice is so over. I think I should be eating more singaporean and chinese food instead while I still can.

Anyway the gss seems to be enjoying a second wind. The prices are cut down to 50% and the malls are packed with people. But I realise that I'm getting sian of talking about shopping. There's too much talk and little action. Yup. Tonight was a series of slightly unfortunate events. Karen flew our aeroplane because she was sick and Nick spent like approximately 3 hours looking for parking. At least that's what I gathered from his sporadic calls and smses. So Keith, Zhenjin and I went to chijmes to catch the big screen telecast of LIVE8, the global concert with the noble aim of making poverty history. We passed by raffles city and the security there is just scary. Gurhkas standing guard 24-7 and metal detectors at the hotel entrance plus those spiky road blocks. We didn't manage to find a seat at the basement among the funky amgmoh crowd. Some of them were cheering for bono and whatever performer was on stage. So we ended up sitting on the grass patch upstairs. We saw a camera crew walking around so we tried to look glam so that they would approach us. In deed they did and we had to shout "starhub rocks" while they filmed us. I did it with a lot of facial expression. Watch out for us in the next starhub corporate video man. The upside was that green day was terrific. Billie Joe Armstrong had the berlin crowd and us eating out of his hands when proclaiming things like "This next song is a call-out to all the fucking politicians for all the injustices in the world.." and "No matter what they say, You're the fucking leaders, you have the power..." He was really good at making the audience participate too. Very rock and roll. Too bad I can't stay up all night to catch the likes of madonna and mariah carey and the killers.

washingtonites

washingtonites, originally uploaded by cwng.

We posed and we posed and we posed, all this without any alcohol in our system. Must be the sugar high from the delish chocolate mousse we ate at the reception (Russell believed he ate at least half a log).