Es tan corto al amor, y es tan largo el olvido
Just so I remember.

Red Light
Had a good time food hunting in Geylang yesterday with Wee, SC, Laure and another friend. Went for Beef Kway Teow and after that, Soya Bean Curd, at the store next to it. While waiting for the bus, saw an Indian man who clasped a flashing bike brake light to the back of his pants. Someone disembarked from a taxi with a toy dog. Walking the dog in Geylang? Singapore can be an odd place.

Notes from a Suicide Manual
Chilling.
Just before the crash
Your speed is at maximum. The plane tends to lift. But you can prevent this by pushing the elevator control forward sufficiently to allow for the increase in speed. Do your best. Push forward with all your might.

You have lived for 20 years or more. You must exert your full might for the last time in your life. Exert supernatural strength.

Sinking ships
A cruise ship is sinking and there are not enough lifeboats.
So the captain had to persuade male passengers to jump into the icy waters to make room for women and children.
To the British he said, "You must act like a gentlemen." They jumped.
To the Americans he said, "You can be heros." They complied.
To the Germans he said, "It's the rule." They obeyed.
To the Japanese he said," It's the consensus." They obliged.
Then came the Singaporeans and they just weren't budging until he came up with the appeal: "Free life jackets for
those who jump!!!"

Prague defiled
Saw xXx and thought was pretty boring. Just show us the stunts! Plot was indecipherable. Only good thing was seeing Prague but that place is becoming one huge movie studio. I hope the floodwaters leave it soon. Would love to go back again. Winter there was beautiful.

Barmy
One deal falls through, another one comes in. Actually I'm glad the contract thing didn't work out. Sounded like a pretty lame thing to do anyhow and was against the idea of going back in early on Mondays. Yee-ha!

When I die.. I want to be a diamond
Now you can wear your loved ones as earrings or as necklaces!

This Time We Won't
A stuffed teddy bear sent from Edinburgh bore this rhyme:
Sometimes we understand
And sometimes we don't.
Sometimes we can forgive,
But this time we won't.
  -- Girls' Killing Melts British Reserve, New York Times

The Last Paycheque
Got my last paycheque from SPH, and they were nice enough to pay a pro-rated AWS. Too bad no pro-rated bonus. Well it wasn't a bad company but it was just time to part ways. Bear no grudge against MW or the new media team... but it is time to move on. Have been considering options for the company and will talk to someone this weekend who's been an entrepeneur to provide me guidance. Sometimes you really don't know if things will work, but you have to grit your teeth and hope for the best. With the right product, it will, I'm sure.

Vigilantes of Love
.. are pretty good. Pretty incredible the acts you can discover by reading other people's blogs.

Overheard
Was in the gym next to these two guys who were talking.

"That degree holder ah... very direct."
"Is it?"
"Yah... ask her... fling anot? She say.. yah yah.

O...k...

Ouch Carol
Man O Carol is so bad. Stories are dumb, it's not funny and using the pratfall sound effect is a sure sign of desperation. Is this what TCS means by quality programmes? Please.

Inside Jason's Head
A truly well written blog. In an internet universe of dead text and spam, his writing breathes. You feel that on the other side of the screen, there's a soul writing to communicate.

Hi everyone. My life's in transition right now but I will gladly open it back up to you as soon as I can stop to catch my breath. God is good and life is a stand-up roller coaster. Grace is my shoulder harness.

My whole life is changing and the change feels like strong medicine. My sister-in-law, Jenn, is treating me like a visiting dignitary. I'm eating home-cooked meals. Shoot, I even ate oatmeal this morning. My two-year-old nephew is stripping away my self-absorption, shred by shred. I guess sometimes the next step in growing up is just a matter of watching (and helping) another human being grow up. Sure, it's not my own kid. But I'm single and he's family and I'm sick of living for myself.

Living for yourself can be such a lonely path, the pain of not feeling needed. Even if it's just a kid who desperately needs you to entertain him by juggling wooden blocks.

Flamewars and Meetings
Had quite a few fruitful meetings, and a prolonged flame war over email between the animator's head hen and myself. But it did get resolved once certain things were understood. The problem with using email and icq to negotiate, which I despise, is because it's difficult to clarify what the f!@$!% you're talking about. I hope it's ironed out since I don't want to restart and redo stuff. A little understanding goes a long way, and using icq and email to do it just sucks. A preliminary meeting with one of the govt bodies went well, and should be able to drum up some monies to play with, especially with the oh-so-bloody-costly software.

Came back and chilled. Finished up reading that collection of essays while listening to good music in the living room. It feels good; one can be perfectly content with the universe but I'm hungry for change, and it is good to be hungry.

Disturbing
Sure it's an opinion piece, but a disturbing case nonetheless.

At that point, Mr. Keahey's prosecutorial power went into overdrive. Sol Wachtler, a former New York chief judge, once famously said that grand juries would indict a ham sandwich if a prosecutor wanted them to. Mr. Keahey managed to prove that not only can you indict the sandwich, you can convict it, and send it off to prison, too.

Ouch
Body sore from working out. That'll teach me a lesson. Where's the tiger balm?

Restraint
I've been practising great restraint these days in DVD buying. It's easier when you're out of a job. ;) Yes, I've managed NOT to pick up Pulp Fiction: Collector's Edition, The Simpsons Season 2, Reservoir Dogs 10th Anniversary Edition and many many more. Justified to myself that I can borrow from some people and need to finish those that I've bought. Oh did watch Tampopo today and it's excellent. One of the most inventive films I've seen combining a host of genres into a fun, feisty and sensual essay on food. There's an infamous scene where a couple pass an egg yolk to each other with their mouths. Nope haven't tried THAT before..

Possession
A lot of people rip into Ebert, but few critics have his skill with words or expressing what is right or wrong about a movie. From his review of the movie Possession.

[Director Neil Labute] likes people who think themselves into and out of love, and finds the truly passionate (like Blanche) to be the most dangerous. He likes romances that exist out of sight, denied, speculated about, suspected, fought against. Any two people can fall into each other's arms and find that they enjoy the feeling. But to fall into someone else's mind--now that can be dangerous.

Beth Ortoned
What a voice. Listening to Mount Washington and it's gorgeous.

International Night
Boy is it Sunday evening already? Spent yesterday for the relaunch of my book (you should be able to see the new one available at bookstores), having a tea with the editor, then meeting Wee, SC and french intern Laure (courtesy of Wee) for My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Movie was rather flat; the guy (from Northern Exposure)is pretty dreamy, and just goes along with everything the girl and family subject him to. It all ends happily, of course. Then had coffee at Starbucks. Today started using a two week guest pass for California Fitness. Not too bad a scheme, though I really have to watch the spending and the equipment is nice. I'll visit it during weekday nights to make sure it's what I want and that I'll use it as well. The treadmill declared my fitness as below average. Maybe they're all set that way but I haven't done that much aerobic exercise either, which is a problem.