Saturday, December 31, 2005

New Year thrice over

It's strange observing the countdown to the New Year thrice. But that is what I'm doing now.

Just reached home from the annual fireworks at the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. The countdown is certainly a big event over here. The entire place was packed to the rafters, so much so that the security had to turn away people as early as 10p.m. I was to spend most of the evening with the waft of cigarette smoke and alcohol in my nostrils. Yes, it seemed as if everyone was smoking and drinking.

The interesting bit is that there were actually two counting downs and firework performances. One at 9p.m., apparently to cater for the children, and another at 12a.m.

It was real comical observing the countdown, watching 10 minutes worth of fireworks and then seeing entire families stream out of the grounds for home. All at the early hour of 9p.m. Then the big guns moved in, i.e. the heavy smokers and drinkers. They were here for the 12a.m. fireworks.

The second set of er... "adult" performances at 12a.m. was longer and fireworks more spectacular. I could even smell the gunpowder after it was over!

Switched on the radio immediately upon coming back to my apartment. UFM100.3 of course. They're doing a special programme to usher in the New Year. Because of the time difference, it is still 31st December in Singapore. So here we go again...

A little over 90 days to go.

A year ago today

A year ago today, I was at home.

A year ago this very afternoon, I was sitting with 慧 at my room window. 慧 was going through a phase where she enjoyed looking out of my room window. That afternoon, she was pointing out to me the "bird bird"s, the "red stop green go"s (traffic lights), the "blink blink"s (blinking lights on top of smokestacks to warn off low-flying planes), the rain (yes, I even remember it was raining last New Year's eve)... I suppose she has long outgrown this phase.

And when she tired of the scenary outside, we switched to playing
Tetris. She enjoyed looking at the falling shapes and egging the program to confer upon me that "straight" piece (I shall not use its other name here). I think she particularly likes the mini-kick you get from killing four lines at one go too.

Recently, she has taken to asking me this directly on the phone,

“Gu gu, 你幾時囘
。。。?”

A year ago this very evening, I was in town with a pal. I usually spent my New Year's eve at home. But not last year. I just felt like being out and about last New Year's eve after 慧 was brought home, no disrespect to my parents. So I called up an old friend, 麗, was surprised she had nothing planned for that evening, and off we went. We caught that excellent Japanese movie,
Nobody Knows. I was to be surprised for the second time that day because tickets for it were actually still available.

Then we took a stroll around town and chatted along the way. I told her a lot. Maybe
too much. I only realised my possible mistake when I noticed her demeanor change. I saw her home shortly after midnight and by then, even her goodbye was pretty curt.


I went to bed that night feeling stupid and a little guilty.

Le Tissier was to later chide me over my actions.

"What else do you expect when you ask a single woman of that age range out on a one-on-one date?"

He always had that "hot knife through butter" way of putting things, whether you like it or not. In this case, I suppose there is a little truth in his comment.

Over the next few months, I made it a point to keep in touch with 麗, like I do for all my pals. I think she realised I was sincere about keeping our friendship and she reciprocated after a while. I am glad to say that the friendship is still going strong at the end of 2005.

A year ago today, I was looking upon 2005 with apprehension. Even before it was here, I was already hoping it will be over soon and that 2006 will arrive ASAP. 2005 for me was a "let's get it over with" year, a make-or-break year, an away from home year.
And that was how it turned out to be.

But I think I did just enough to "make" it. Barely so. *Phew*

So, g
oodbye now, 2005.

Actually, more like good riddance.

90 days to go.

P.S. A happy new year to all, especially to my one regular reader. *Grin*

Friday, December 30, 2005

Tell me what this is

Take a look at this picture and tell me what you feel it is on your first look:That's my water bottle. In Sydney, the humidity is very low and I drink water like no tomorrow. Stef often uses the term "水牛" on me. I had bought this bottle two years back when visiting the Blue Mountains. Since then, I've had quite a number of people asking me why I'm carrying a bottle full of liquor around:


Example 1:

Just after coming back from my
Blue Mountains trip, I had a meeting with my boss. He started eyeing the bottle as soon as I placed it on the table. A few seconds later, he couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.

"Acey, is that a wine bottle?"

"No, absolutely not."

"It looks like one. I was wondering why you are bringing liquor to our meeting."

Example 2:

The first time Dan, Stef, Fred and myself went on a field trip, I brought the bottle along. As I took a swig from the bottle, Stef asked me,

“Acey,你怎麽帶酒去郊遊啊?”

Example 3:

This is the most recent one. I had been to school with only my water bottle in hand. Too lazy to bring my haversack and other stuff which I normally do. It was getting late when I left, so I decided to have dinner along the way home.

Stepped into a eatery, placed my bottle at the counter and starting peering at the menu. Then I noticed through the corner of my eye, the casher/chef staring intently at my bottle. He seemed quite taken aback and unsure of himself. I made my order and proceeded to pay him. As he returned me the change, he pointed to the bottle and enquired a little apprehensively,

"Is that for wine?"

"Oh no no no. That is my water bottle."

"Oh..." and he very visibly relaxed.

I think for a moment there, he was worrying about what to do if he had a drunk customer in his premises.


So tell me, does it really look like some liquor bottle? Or maybe I have the drinker look.

91 days to go.

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Taking action today

Alright, I have given the Aussie system 10 days to react. Nothing.

Another nudge is in order. Afterall, this is my health and visa that we are talking about.

Still 92 days to go.

The 1970s

We've (as in Dan, Stef and myself) taken to renting movies from the 1970s lately. With Fred still in Shanghai, Xbox tennis has taken a definite backseat. Gaming with a non-human just isn't the same.

Anyway, as I was saying, we've been watching quite a couple of movies from the 1970s lately. It all began with
Tora! Tora! Tora!, as I had mentioned previously. Actually, on that same weekend, we caught Midway and Kagemusha as well. The former was quite a disappointment with a few scenes literally ripped off from Tora! Tora! Tora!. It also had a silly love subplot woven into the main story, not unlike that of the silly Pearl Harbour. The latter movie, to use Dan's words, felt a little like a musical. The setting is grandiose and the pace slow. Which was why we unanimously picked Tora! Tora! Tora! as the best of the lot.

A couple of weeks later, when
Stef was back from Perth, we rented Dog Day Afternoon. Now this one, all of us enjoyed immensely. Quirky but funny in its own way (black humour).

More recently, we watched
Taxi Driver, widely tipped as a Hollywood classic. Well, I found it good, but not as fantastic as hyped. Dan didn't like it though; He found it too slow for his liking.

On Christmas day, we caught Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. It's not a movie from the 70s (1989 in fact), but it was an excellent enough movie for me to give it an honourable mention. Stef 看了后哭得稀里嘩啦的 whilst Dan declared it the best of the 5 DVDs we had borrowed to see us through the Christmas weekend.

You would have gathered by now that Dan prefers those fast-paced and 大場面 kind of movie. Stef, on the other hand, likes those lovey-dovey lomantic type or comedies. She shuns anything with a little violence or sex in it. As for me, I watch all kinds, as long as they engage me.

We have a couple more movies on our to-rent list, some of which are also from the 70s. I reckon we won't be watching them until late February though. They'll be flying back to Shanghai soon for their Chinese New Year break.

January and February are going to feel like dog days indeed.

92 days to go.

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Contrast

I was just reading the most recent entries of the few blogs I follow religiously.

The contrast between their respective entries, i.e. LMD vs AKK, couldn't have been wider.

Human relationships never fail to amaze me.

Still 93 days to go.

T-shirts beware

In recents news from the home front, I was informed that 慧 has just learnt how to remove her T-shirt on her own.

It happened in her own home. She suddenly appeared in front of my sister stark naked and declared she wanted to "bong bong". My sister was naturally surprised and curious at how 慧 managed it. So she put the little T-shirt back on 慧 and asked her to remove it again.

Suffice it to say that 慧 did it with a lot of wiggling, tugging and pulling. But she was smart enough to get one arm out at a time before pulling it over her head.

And you know what? We've never taught her nor demonstrated this to her before.

Her ma ma advised against letting her try it too often. In her own words,

"Tan sa hor yee tee tee puah kerh!" (very direct translation: wait them T-shirts will get torn by her!)


93 days to go.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Counting down

This counting down business reminds me a lot of my NS days.

There was a hell lot of counting down back then. Everyone was obsessed with the day called ROD (run out date, later changed to ORD or operationally ready date). Everyone was doing their own version of counting down. Everyone was teasing the "new birds" (new recruits or postings) about their RODs. Indeed, if one RODs later than you, even if it is just one day, you're "entitled" to tease him about it.

My version of counting down then was via the Windows screensaver, Marquee. I'd put up the message "XXX (insert number of days) days to ........................................................................... ROD!!!" and updated it everyday to reflect the correct number of days. It helped to chase away those Monday blues away, albeit just for a few seconds, because I got to reduce the number by three every Monday morning. Cheap thrill, I know.

There was a feisty female sergeant in my branch, Sarah, who did her counting down in a more outspoken manner.

First, she procured some vanguard sheet and fashioned it into a
triangular prism about 20 cm in length and 5 cm in height. Her invention, when completed, rested on one of the three rectangular faces. On the rectangular face facing her, she split into three equal boxes with a marker and wrote the letters "R", "O" and "D". On top of each of these three boxes, she punched holes and affixed a keychain to each. Finally, she cut out little cards the same size as those drawn boxes, wrote the integers "1", "2", ... , "0" on them, punched similar sized holes on top of them and inserted these into the keychains.

If you've gotten the correct picture up till now, you'll be able to imagine that this little contraption allowed her to FLIP one number everyday. That was her way of counting down. She started on this counting down ritual when she had around 300 days to go.

When she had less than 100 days to go (like me now!), the letter "R" would be revealed. The following three months were to be three tough months for us. She would keep asking us if we could see that letter, answered her own question and walked away with a hyaena-like laugh.

And no, the final 10 days weren't as tough. Mostly because she wasn't around to continue her counting down and ribbings; She was clearing her painfully accumulated annual leave! But being nice colleagues that we were, we did the flipping on her behalf.

On the day of her ROD, she passed on that contraption to me and asked me to carry on the "tradition". I did. And also passed it on to the next guy when I myself RODed.

I was to bump into Sarah at a wedding dinner years later. Then married with kids. Some little wrinkles beginning to make their presence felt. But still as feisty as ever.

94 days to go.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Just in case

Just in case you can't make out the previous picture clearly:

Still 95 days to go.

Christmas Eve at Darling Harbour

Sources said that there will be a performance at Darling Harbour on Christmas Eve. It was suspected to continue past midnight into Christmas Day itself.

Sources also said the performance begins at 8:30p.m., so reaching there at 10p.m. should be ok.

That same source excitedly informed us there will be more fireworks to see. Hopefully lasting half an hour or more.

Sounded like a very attractive proposition to us. So we placed wholehearted trust on our source, leaving for the harbour at around 8:30p.m. and reaching there at close to 10p.m. (bus ride, slow walk plus a few detours along the way).

Well, the performance did begin at 8:30p.m. but it ended at the early hour of 10:15p.m. So we only managed to catch maybe 20 minutes of it. We later found out it was scheduled to end at 10p.m., so we were erm... a little lucky?

There was fireworks alright, but it began before we found a proper place to sit down. And it was all over in 2 minutes. We have had recent practice with whipping out the cameras quickly. That practice was put to good use here.
Then everyone got up and left! The fireworks was the finale to the performance. Not unexpectedly so.

Our source looked at us sorrily. We all had a hearty laugh over it, then decided to take a stroll around
Darling Harbour. We've never seen it at night before. Darling Harbour at night reminds me a lot of the Esplanade area. I enjoy going to the Esplanade area a lot, especially Merlion Park. It has been a long 5 months since I last enjoyed the sea breeze of Singapore...

There was of course the obligatory Christmas tree at Darling Harbour too. That attracted our source to it like bees to honey. So we ended up taking pictures of it.

Lots of it.
On the way home, we passed by this pub which certainly didn't make any pretence of what it is. What's more, it subtly tells passer-bys to ignore the going-ons inside.
95 days to go.

P.S. Source = Stef

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Torch Light (part 3)

(Source of pic, Leonid Mamchenkov)

Continued from Parts 1 and 2...


Right! Enough of boring history and tribal disputes. Let me tell you a little about myself. I come from a small family of four; I have an elder sister. My parents have been fishermen all their lives. It was therefore natural for friends to assume that I will continue to ply this age-old family trade. Surprised then my parents were when the 27th generation and current Grand Wizard paid them a visit, informing them that their only son has passed the aptitude test for qualifying to be a wizard apprentice. Their surprise came on two counts. One, I never got around telling them of this intention. Two, I was not expected to make the grade.

Well, I did. Make the grade, that is.

And contrary to popular belief, I have never taken much interest in the line of fishing. And it is not that I looked down on the occupation. The idea of hooking a fish by its mouth, letting sharp pain run through its entirety before it earns its relief via death, did not exactly appeal to me. So revolting was the idea to me, I have come to avoid it in my diet.

Nor did I as a child, prefer wizardry though it is a position much coveted by both young and old. That was not to say that I was just floating through my younger days. I had actually frequently thought of what I wanted to do and tried my hand at a couple of jobs.

I initially toyed with the idea of becoming a carpenter. It was the idea of creation that appealed to me. Alas, I found the tools unwieldy and my early creations were at best laughable. So my first ambition died an unsightly death. Literally so. I recall "fondly" that I was the earliest dropout from the carpentry course. And I am sure the teacher was not even sorry to see me leave.

I then entertained briefly the idea of joining the cavalry. I was mostly mesmerised by my own imaginations. That of myself clad in shining armour, wielding my trusted sword, riding a handsome thoroughbred, mane flowing with the wind, cantering into the sunset. My application was abruptly rejected on the grounds that I lack both the physique and height. In addition to that, I forgot one other important detail. I do not know how to ride a horse.

But that was not my wildest dream, yet. If speed and romance appealed to me, then a sense of freedom and control simply fires up my heart. Flying encompasses all these virtues perfectly. So, I signed up for the dragon forces. To fly a dragon, to spew fire balls at the enemy, to feel that rush of adrenaline as you tangle with other dragons, to merge with your stead and become one mean fighting machine. Wow! I was really taken into that idea for quite some time. Yet, it never occurred to me that if I couldn't get into the cavalry on grounds of lack of physique, there was no way the dragon forces will even bother to look at my application. I hope they recycled my application form.

Yet, I was never once disheartened by these rejections. These early dreams were to continue to live on in me though I was to realise bit by bit as I matured that I have to seek out other "better" pastures. At a strategic point in my life, when I was eighteen, a former fellow carpenter apprentice brought me to the Grand Wizard's mage, to watch the wizard apprentices train. Something about what I saw gripped my despairing heart. There was no speed involved, not much excitement, no feeling of freedom. But I have seen enough.

I wanted to be a wizard.

I still know not exactly why I wa so attracted then (as well as now) to wizardry. It could have been the mystery and mystic of it. It is not likely to be the high regard my fellow townsmen have for it. It could also be its importance to the survival of the town. I never pinpointed the reasons.

I was nonetheless overjoyed to have found a very important piece in the jigsaw of my life. The next thing I knew, I was signing up for the first available wizard apprentice course and taking the prescribed aptitude tests. It is quite surprising that I passed these with such consummate ease. After all, it was the first time I am coming into contact with spells and magic.

With that little success behind me, I have but one minor detail to take care of. Okay, maybe it was not so minor. My parents. I approached my soon-to-be teacher for advice and help. She concluded that I needed a person of more weight and prestige and appealed to the Grand Wizard on my behalf. In turn, the Grand Wizard generously took time off his busy schedule to pay my parents a visit and explain my position. Any backlash to be expected from them did not materialise, though they were still a tad unhappy about my irresponsible behaviour. After enduring a minor bombardment from them that evening, I was given the green light to pursue my newfound dream.

What followed was a number of years of sheer hard work and training. I made satisfactory progress. "Never outstanding but a steady worker and a quick thinker" was how my teacher likes to describe his protégé. The training proved grueling at times, not on the body but on the mind, but I came through it relatively intact.

During my apprentice years, I have seen quite a few struggled with the pace. A small number (our class was not large to begin with) even dropped out as despair over poor progress drained them of initial energies and enthusiasm. Yet, we never greeted these "drop-outs" with scorn. Instead, we see them off with deep regret and sadness. With each that leaves the mage, there will be one less to endure the rigours of training or to celebrate with the triumphs of mastering a particularly tricky spell together.

As I take my final steps in my journey towards qualification for wizardhood, those days shared with my fellow apprentices will not be forgotten. I will also remember fondly how my parents eyes lit up with pride as I told them a couple of days back on my impending "Final Test". Against the backdrop of their pride stood a little worry for my safety. Despite the cavern's perfect record of returning apprentices to the welcome arms of their parents, each apprentice's parent will still harbour a little fear in their hearts over the safety of their children.

I did my best to allay the anxieties of my parents, though I have no idea if what I said actually succeeded in doing so. But, if there is something I can be sure of, it is that I'll be able to see those same looks of overflowing pride, minus the worry, when I emerge from this cave and return home in one operating piece.

Akan Datang: My respect for Jim

96 days to go.

P.S. Enjoy your respective Christmases.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Annual fight

Every summer, Sydney has a fight on her hands brought on by the heat and low humidity.

A fight with
bushfires.

This year's have just began. Just when the racial riots have cooled down and everyone is heaving a collective sigh of relief.

You know this is no joking matter when the fire warning of the weather forecast is longer than the weather forecast itself:
(Pic taken from Sydney Morning Herald at 10:18a.m. local time, 7:18p.m. Singapore time)

I remember seeing scars of the bushfires of the summer of 2002/2003 in the Blue Mountains when I had visited it six months on. That summer's bushfires had been particularly bad, I was informed.

The guide told us that besides the high temperatures and low humidity, the ubiquitous
Eucalyptus trees are also a big reason why there is such a struggle with these annual fires. You see, these trees produce an oil-like substance which makes them easy to ignite but notoriously difficult to douse. (It is also for this reason that the koalas seem to be in a stupor all the time; Their digestive system converts the oil into alcohol)

However, the primary reason for these fires is still human activity. Some indirectly, e.g. barbecues gone wrong, cigarette butts. Some directly, i.e. arson.

Jim believes most bushfires are due to arson.

97 days to go.

Friday, December 23, 2005

Carolling

Sydney has been holding an annual concert-like carolling session for the past 23 years. It goes by the name of "Carols in the Domain", Domain being the name of the place it is held. I suppose the concert is the Sydney equivalent of our Chingay, except it is for a different festival and it is not a parade. Again, this is one of those annual events in Sydney I didn't know about until Stef had informed me.

This year's took place on the Saturday just past. We decided to go take a look instead of just catching it on the gogglebox. The plan was to reach there by early evening as we thought that was good enough to "chope" a decent site for viewing. We were wrong.
By the time we reached there, we reckoned there was already 15,000 people there.
We finally found a site but it was light-years away from the stage. One of the first things I noticed was the alcohol. Every, and I mean every, other mat had at least some beer or wine on it. Except ours. We had juice. :P
By 8p.m. or so, the crowds were really moving in. Our final estimate of the crowd size was 30,000.
The night's festivities kicked off with the obligatory pyrotechnics. It was almost over by the time Stef whipped out the camera so only one picture was snapped.
Then down to the carolling. Too far to see anything, so we relied mostly on the screens they had put up to see what's going. Now, I'm not a Christmasy person, so the carols didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Instead it was the ambience that got to me. The Sydney crowd was pretty sponetaneous, singing and dancing on the slightest urging by the host. Not only that, there was a Christmas pack on sale and amongst the items in the pack, was a candle set. Nearly everyone lit their candle sets and that made for a very Christmasy sight indeed.
We did our fair share of candle-lighting and waving as well.

98 days to go.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

<冬至>

Was just reminded that today is 冬至. Well, given that Singapore is just slightly north of the equator, I guess we're still qualified to celebrate it. 冬至 is supposed to be the day in the northern hemisphere where the night is the longest and the day is the shortest. After today, the day will start lengthening again. (Not like it makes a difference in Singapore)

Of course, I am now in Sydney and the opposite is taking place here. The day is really really long now. We can still see some remnants of light as late as 9p.m. as the sun only sets at 8 something.

My elder sister and I used to help mum make those 湯圓s when we were little. She would get the raw materials from the wet market and knead them into a dough. My sis and I would then clamour around the table, break the dough up and roll them into little balls. Pink ones and white ones. As they contained mostly glutton, they can be very filling. One small bowl is usually more than enough for me. Actually, I liked the sweet soup more than the 湯圓s.

We haven't had any for quite a number of years now. I suspect it will start again soon because we can let my niece have some fun with it. Maybe next year yeah?

These days, I get my 湯圓 fix at the hawker centre located along Beach Road. You know, the one which sells Army goods in the floor above. I wonder if it is still there.

Dan and Stef seem to have sensed my apprehension about the impending holiday season. They've invited me to their apartment later this evening for 湯圓. It may be a small gesture on their part, but I'm still quite touched by it.

Still 99 days to go.

Just what I needed for Christmas and New Year

From: Health Services Australia Ltd.
To: Acey Deucey
Re: Chest Clinic Follow-Up

The chest x-ray performed in association with your visa application has revealed an abnormality which may indicate past exposure to tuberculosis (my own bold). In order to complete the public health requirement of your medical examination you will be required to attend your nearest chest clinic for a review.

You will be contacted by your nearest Chest Clinic who will arrange for the appropriate follow-up. Your details have been forwarded to them.

You need take no action regarding this letter.

If you have any questions regarding this follow-up, please discuss this with the Chest Clinic.



Great. What's that (the words in bold) supposed to mean?!

Now, given it is the Christmas and New Year weeks, I'll be lucky if they get back to me in the first week of January. And I'll have to be lucky again if I get an appointment within one week of that. Then I'll have to be thrice lucky to get the results within another week of that. Looks like I'll have to sweat it out for at least a month. Duh.

Because of the high uncertainty and wide spectrum of possibilities, I've decided to keep this to myself for now. My only outlet is via blogging again...


And why do "funny" things happen when we hit 30 (examples 1 and 2)?

99 thumb-twiddling days to go.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

"Home" alone slightly delayed

As it turned out, the other housemate's departure was slightly delayed. So she had stayed put in the apartment for a day or two longer.

That allowed me to garner insight into the "abnormal" person that I am. An explanation is in order.

Not for the first time, a
housemate has admitted to feeling lonely (when the partner isn't around temporarily) and professed wonder at how I managed such an existance for the past 2-3 years. Well, I just do, was the best reply I could muster.

But after hearing so many of my
housemates say this to me, I've come to realise I'm indeed the odd one out. I seem to be able to handle loneliness better than others. Even Jim has made that observation about me. Now, don't get me wrong. It is not a "skill" I am proud of and I certainly prefer human company of any kind to none at all. Nonetheless, I still somehow manage to get by pretty ok when it is forced upon me. Indeed this very blog is my own reaction to loneliness.

My
current housemate's reactions to being alone was a little comic (although she is only 19). She had wanted badly to talk to someone all day but her boyfriend was already back in Hong Kong. And she knew I was rather busy working. So she held back her tongue until night time when I had stopped working (more like too tired to continue working) before launching into a mostly soliloquy of a conversation with me.

I saw she was feeling lonely and played listener. Albeit a somewhat unwilling one when it dragged on a little. At least she didn't gush too much about her Significant Other or I'd really be bored to tears. We then watched a movie (
Initial D which I found pretty unchallenging and dry) together before calling it a night. I hope I managed to help dispel at least part of her pangs of loneliness.

That this happened after only one day of her boyfriend leaving Sydney was a little quirky. At least I found it so on hindsight.

And just in case anyone wondered. No, 讀者們請不要想歪, no mischief of any sort took place.

All this has again brought to the surface of my subconscious mind, my evergrowing comfort of staying single. Indeed, if
hadn't re-appeared in my life a year ago, things would be very clear cut now. But that's life I suppose; Some things just happen at the most unexpected of times.

Partially because of her reappearance, I've been and still am standing at the crossroads of my life. On the one hand, I realise I've gotten to such an extreme high level of comfort with my singlehood and myself that it would take someone extraordinarily special to make me want to alter it. On the other, the feelings
have planted in me made me realise maybe there is a higher level of contentment and happiness out there. The frustrating part is of course the "maybe".

No, I don't think about these things often nor worry about them. It is just that watching my housemate's reactions had brought them once again into the limelight of my conscious mind.


But knowing myself, they will soon sink back into the abyss of my subconscious. Again.

100 days to go.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

My new desktop


Still a sunflowery 101 days to go.

Pillow

My niece can be quite a thoughtful and observant child at times. By observing the moods of the adults around her, she knows when to play the pranks and when to be the obedient one. Here's a recent story to illustrate my point.

My mum had been quite tired out early last week. No doubt the trip to Genting Highlands had been fun but also a little energy sapping. One rainy afternoon, she was resting on the sofa and started dozing off. Her head was bent slightly back and resting on the wall against which the sofa was placed.

慧 was entertaining herself when she noticed her ma ma dozing off. So she ran to the room and dragged out ma ma's pillow (it's still a wee bit big and heavy for her). Somehow, she managed to lift the pillow onto the sofa before climbing up herself. Then she pushed the pillow up onto the edge of the sofa next to ma ma's head. She gripped ma ma's hair (ouch!) and half pulled my mum's head forward. At the same time, she thrusted the pillow inwards so that ma ma's head will be resting on it once moved backwards again.

Naturally, my mum was awakened by it. Maybe more like shocked out of slumber. Kudos to her though, for she had the presence of mind not to yell out in pain or anger. She merely looked at my niece quizzedly. So my niece explained

“Ma ma,慧慧拿pillow給妳!”

My mum finally caught onto what was happening but was still a little dazed. She only managed a

“Orh... ok. Thank you 慧慧。”

慧 climbed back down and went back to her toys.

Stories like this make me miss my niece even more...


101 days to go.

Monday, December 19, 2005

"Home" alone

Starting today for the next three weeks, I will be "home" alone. One of housemates 17 and 18 is going back to Hong Kong for the Christmas break lasting three weeks. The other is staying put in Sydney but moving to a pal's place in the meantime. It was a last-minute decision by them.

It's going to be strange being alone in the apartment again.

And it's going to be strange trying to get used to them again three weeks later when I would have gotten used to being alone again.

Awkward sounding sentence. *Shrug*

102 days to go.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

<忠實聽衆>

I thought about this for a while. Whether to put down the real name or not. In the end, I decided to stick to my blog principles and put down only half her name.

There is a very loyal listener of UFM100.3 by the name of Pam. Actually, after listening to the station for about a year now, I've come to remember the names of a quite a number of these loyal listeners. They are usually the (same) ones making calls into the station, either to chat with the DJs or to take part in games.

But Pam, is altogether a loyal listener of a different level.

She is so loyal, almost all the DJs (actually myself too) can recognise her voice instantaneously.

She is so loyal, I've heard one of two DJs half-jokingly said they hoped she had a social life outside of UFM100.3.

She is so loyal, other listeners calling in have used her name as a misnomer and as a half-jibe at her (I thought that was a tad rude).

She is so loyal, I heard she has been mentioned in the recently revamped and relaunched magazine, 優一周.

She is so loyal, a blog entry has just been dedicated to her.

103 days to go.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Parallels

27th October 1997.

I wasn't anxious. I wasn't excited. And I wasn't feeling expectant, even if this was something I've been looking forward to for three months or so.

Instead, I was confident. I was methodical. Heck, I was even feeling a little naughty.

I sauntered into the hall, to my designated table and sat down. Time to prepare the weapons. Pen unsheathed and waiting. Mechanical pencil with lead at the waiting. Liquid paper shaken but not stirred, filled to the brim (a new bottle) and also at the ready.

I took off my watch and laid it down neatly the table. Knowing this will be a multi-hour grind, I chose to put on my jacket immediately; Hall M's air-conditioning was something to be reckoned with. A friend of mine even referred to his jacket as his 戰袍. Instinctively, my heels and soles played with the shoes. These soon came off and dropped onto the floor with a "plop!". My pencil started twirling around my thumb, a habit that has followed me since 15.

"It is now 1:30p.m. You may start writing."

We dived in. An unsynchronised chorus of calculator punching immediately commenced. It sounded strangely arousing, like the smell of cordite to a fighter pilot. The adrenaline rush was already starting in me.

I wasn't used to writing so much in such a concentrated period of time. Before long, my right hand cramped up a little. It was normal. Instead of writing with my wrist, I improvised and wrote with the whole limb. It was also a common sight to see others give their writing hand that cursory shake or two before diving back in.

I looked up to take a deep breath and check the time. For a Matrix-like moment, I saw my lecturer looking back at me. Yes, he was right. Actuarial exams are like swimming; You surface only to breathe.

Then I noticed. It had been an hour already?! Quick, get back into the fray.

By now, that initial adrenaline rush was gone. It had been replaced by a heart pounding, perspiring determination. The grip on my pen had tightened appreciably. I thought and wrote even more furiously now. My feet started to feel cold, so I slipped my shoes back on.

As was something I would get used to in future sittings, by the time I reached question 5, question 3 and what I had wrote for it had long been forgotten.

Another long breath, another time check. Two hours gone! One more to go.

I quickly flipped ahead to check how I was progressing. Still around 1/3 of the total on offer left. So despite my best efforts, I was ONLY barely on schedule! Gosh, never have I been so pressed for time in an exam. I had always taken pride in my ability to think quick, write quick and complete exams ahead of time. Never have I been stretched to such an extreme before.

The typo errors started to creep in. The little red bottle of liquid paper was more frequently called upon now. White traces strewn all over my script. You have big handwriting; It should be ok, I told myself.

"You have 15 minutes left."

I was already onto the last question. Hang on tight, this is going to be ending soon. I could feel my whole body was on fire, yet my palms were ice cold and even a little wet. My soles would be too if I had not put my shoes back on earlier. I was extremely conscious that I was on the last throes of my endurance. Just needed to push myself over that finishing line. I headed back into that final question of the paper.

Then it hit me unexpectedly. At the last part of last question. With five minutes left on the watch.

I had hit the wall. My mind went blank instantaneously.

I stared at the question and it stared back at me. I knew that it was a do-able question. But at that point in time, I just couldn't think anymore. Something had snapped in me.


I was spent.

If anything, it was fortunate that this happened in the last five minutes with only five marks left to fight for. I gave a figurative shrug and started packing up. White marks of dried correction fluid were all over my hands. Whilst keeping my stationary, I noticed the significantly lowered ink levels of my pen. Gosh, had I really written that much?!

"Time's up. Finish your last sentence and..."

From that point onwards, everything went like a blur. I don't recall handing in my script. Nor how I dragged my dead beat body out of the hall. Whom I met. What we said or discussed, if at all. Nor how I got home.

I can only recall the residual mixed feelings of contentment, being dazed and oh so completely drained out. These were to last until the next day.


Fast forward to 11th June 2005.

I was a little anxious. I was more than excited. And I certainly was feeling expectant, for this was something we've been looking forward to for three months or so...

Akan Datang: Torch Light (part 3)

104 days to go.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Australian and Singaporean doctors

So I had to redo everything for my visa extension. Filling forms, filling lots of forms, medical examination, X-ray, the whole works.

I had gotten the medical examination done a couple of days back. It was a little surprising to find out that they had an organisation set up specially for visa application related medical examinations. But for the kind of tests I was put through, it was costly. But then, everything in Sydney is costly. As Jim had put it succinctly, "it's just another money-making machine by the government".

Another thing that surprised me was this organisation's efficiency. Everything was over in about an hour. Maybe that's why they had set up this organisation to cater for visa application medical examinations only.

But what really caught my attention was the doctors' professionalism. Or at least the one who examined me impressed me enough with his professionalism. He was very careful and unharried in his examinations and put in just the right amount of personal touch to put me at ease. I suppose he must be very sian of saying and doing the same things for everyone everyday, but it certainly did not show. This latter point most definitely does not apply for their Singaporean counterparts; Most of the Singaporean doctors I've seen seem to be in a hurry and can't wait to get things over and done with.

No offence, Singaporean docs, but I feel the Australian ones are more professional.

Incidentally, that was the first time I have seen a doctor over here. Yes, I hadn't seen a doctor here for almost three years. I hardly, if ever, fall ill when I'm in Sydney. Maybe it is the weather. But I like to think it is my self-defence mechanism. I know I am alone here and it'll really suck to be sick with nobody to at least check on me.

105 days to go.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

<努蛋>

Last week, my mum "took leave" from Thursday to Sunday. She was going on a short trip to Genting Highlands with some relatives. So my sister also had to apply for leave (real one) to look after 慧. 慧, of course had to go home on Wednesday and stay put there until Sunday evening.

By Saturday night, she was starting to wonder how come her parents were not bringing her back to my place. And I suspect, after hearing the full story, that she was also starting to miss my mum's cooking. Anyway, she put up the request

“慧慧要囘ma ma家。”

My sister had to explain to her that ma ma was not in Singapore then and would only be back the next day. Therefore, she would have to wait for the next day to come round before she could be brought back. 慧 took it all in and apparently committed it to memory.

The next morning, the first words she uttered after waking up were again

“慧慧要囘ma ma家。”

A multitude of distractions, fun and games and "gai gai" later, she was finally brought back to my place in the late afternoon. Upon stepping into our flat, she ran to the kitchen to make a dinner order to my mum.

“Ma ma!慧慧要吃"努蛋"。” (translation: "努蛋" = 燸蛋 which is one of her favourite foods)

Like I said, I think she missed my mum's cooking.

106 days to go.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

"Favourite" grade

A week and a half after the results were released via the internet, I finally received the official results letter. They used to be much much quicker and I would get the letter on the following Monday, i.e. 4 days after results release.(You can also visit the Institute of Actuaries website. I believe this announcement should be there for a while.)

No, I am not in self-denial, needing a letter to double-confirm the failure. The official results letter contains a grade of your failure (no grades if you pass) which is not released on internet, so there is some vested interest in our waiting for it to come. Although whatever grade it is, we still end up feeling peeved about it. I believe I have mentioned this before.

Anyway, I got my "favourite" grade again, i.e. FA.

Duh.

107 days to go.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Shopping list

Much has been written, by yours truly of course, about 慧's antics. But this most recent one really takes the cake.

My mum has this habit of jotting down things to buy on Post-It-Pads. She'll then either bring it along when out shopping or pass it to my dad if time pressures make themselves felt. Apparently, my little niece has caught on to what has been happening.

The other night, my mum noticed 慧 had been very quiet at her desk, scribbling or doodling something. Closer inspection revealed that she was drawing some pictures on a Post-It-Pad. A bird-like creature and eggs. When she was done, she tore off that top piece and ran to the master bedroom. My dad was in it with the door closed, watching TV. She turned around and informed my mum,

“叫gong gong買egg egg,買bah bah。。。” (translation: bah bah = meat meat)

Then she slipped the note under the door.

That coaxed a chuckle out of my normally reticent dad when he eventually saw the little note.

108 days to go.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Riots

I write this with mixed feelings. A heavy heart, some apprehension and suppressed relief.

I'm sure by now, most of you would have read about the racial riots in some suburbs of Sydney (see pics here). To hear the names of some suburbs that I've come to know quite well being quoted as seriously affected areas is certainly unsettling. I had driven through some of them whilst learning how to drive way back in May-August 2003.

I also recall a student affairs officer recommending the Cronulla Beach to me. I had asked her casually then (late 2003) which tourist spot in Sydney is her favourite when we were on a bus together on a day-trip to the Blue Mountains. For two years, paying the beach a visit have since been on my mind, especially after I found out it is reachable by train. This has most definitely put paid to that idea.

Indeed, this isn't the first riot that has taken place in Sydney during my three year stay here. Back in early 2004, there was another riot in a suburb known as Redfern (see pics here). The current riot seems more serious than the one of 2004. It also seems to be of a different nature.

I just saw the pictures of the riots on the evening news. Yes, they were shocking. Yes, they were disgusting. Yes, they were saddening. But you know what is it about those pictures that worry me the most?

It is that the people taking part in the riots were mostly youths or young adults, i.e. there is a non-zero probability that the country's next generation of leaders may be amongst them.

Another more short term worry is there is a chance that these riots will flare up again tonight, growing into a series of riots across Sydney.


Finally, as if I needed further convincing, I am oh so going back to Singapore once my work here is done.

A hopefully 109 peaceful days to go.

Rubberstamped

I've just rubberstamped the decision.

The decision not to go home this Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year.

By changing my return flight date.

From Christmas Eve to April Fool's Day.

And that's no premature April Fool's Day joke.

109 "nil-holiday" days to go.

Torch Light (part 2)

(Source of pic, Leonid Mamchenkov)

Continued from Part 1...

Did I just mention our bitter northern border enemies, the Witches? That is a rather sensitive topic. Nonetheless, since I have mentioned it, I feel obligated to fill the (still?) interested reader in with some details. So bear with me whilst I delve into the history of our little town.

Our town, named Southeigen, once existed under the threat of the Witches. That happened before our Founder discovered us. The origins of these witches were and still are unknown to us. What we do know was, they collaborated with our long-time northern neighbours, the hobgoblins, against us shortly after appearing on the scene.

Before the witches' appearance, we had enjoyed a truce of some sort with the hobgoblins. Whilst they outnumber us greatly, their small physical size and our superior wit always kept them at bay. After a few abortive attempts to bully us into submission, they realised the only way to exist is co-existence. On our part, being a docile race, we chose not to undertake potentially costly reprisal actions. The uneasy peace we enjoyed with our longtime neighbours was about to be shattered by their unlikely alliance with the witches. Together, they planned to invade and subsequently enslave us.

The hobgoblins, by virtue of their sheer numbers, and the witches, wielding potent black magic, formed a formidable force. The black magic cast on the hobgoblin army made them larger and stronger than us on an individual basis. Our army, though well trained, was simply swept aside by these vastly superior enemy forces. Despite last ditch attempts to defend our town, Southeigen was overrun in a single day.

Strangely though, all the witches asked for in return for their war efforts was the exclusive use of a certain fountain located near the centre of our town. The hobgoblins were allowed a free hand at looting our town and enslaving our people. In the meantime, the witches took aside part of our enslaved population to construct a castle on the wasteland sandwiched by Southeigen's northern borders and the southern borders of hobgoblin country. On completion of the castle, named Mursk, they continued utilising some of these slaves to ferry water from the fountain to them daily. Which was strange to us, to say the very least.

The rest of our population was put under the control of the hobgoblins and used for mainly agriculture and farming purposes. Needless to say, most of our produce was for their exclusive use and we were left with the bare minimum to ensure our continued survival and slavery. It was hard to imagine how my forefathers made it through such testing times but I believe our hardy nature helped pull them through the ordeal.

This was to remain as the new status quo for the next forty odd years, until our founder descended upon our town. As with the witches, her native land was unknown to us. But it was her who eventually discovered the secrets behind the fountain's waters. It turned out that our fountain has the ability to enable the drinker to recover his or her spell power at double the normal recovery rate. This will allow research on new spells to be carried out in double quick time. For us non-magic practitioners, the great potential has gone unnoticed. It is ironical that for all this while, we have just treated it as a normal but conveniently positioned drinking place.

Our best guess on how the tragedy happened was a witch in disguise could have passed through Southeigen and discovered via sheer fortune the powers of this fountain. The plotting of the witches with the hobgoblins to seize the town and take sole possession of this fountain now seemed logical. Our founder noted that the hobgoblins never found out about the fountain's secret.

This led us to venture a further guess. The witches might have been bidding their time for all these thirty-eight years. They could be waiting for their powers to reach its pinnacle before unleashing it too on our hapless neighbours. That way, they'll be able to enslave and effectively control both populations and lands. What treachery!

We never waited to prove our hypothesis. Time was the essence. Our founder rallied and organised us into our former armies again. She personally picked a handful with potential in magical practice for personal coaching. Thus, the first generation of Southeigen wizards' was born. Aided by the fountain's powers, their skills were to improve by leaps and bounds over the next few months.

When we eventually struck, the hobgoblins and witches were taken by complete surprise. Any semblance of organised defence broke down as our army outflanked and pushed the alliance towards Southeigen's north borders. The witches fled into Mursk, which had the additional protection of their black magic. That left the hapless hobgoblins to fend for themselves against our jubilant army. Our founder wisely called for a temporary truce and invited the hobgoblin king for an armistice talk. The witches' possible evil plot was revealed to him, much to his rude shock. He henceforth denounced all ties with the witches and entered into a new non-aggression pact with us.

Because of the heavy defences built around Mursk, neither party decided to risk further losses in undertaking another war to bring the witches to justice. Instead, both populations built a long defensive wall along their respective borders, complete with warning towers, to withstand any siege the witches might attempt in future. We also pledged mutual support should such a siege occur.

These measures were essentially precautionary. Our founder reckoned that the witches would not be much of an offensive threat in future, since they no longer have access to the fountain's powerful potion. At best, their advances in magical research can only mirror that of ours. With this in mind, we settled down into an uneasy peace with our two new "neighbours".

Our founder then constructed a mage next to the magical fountain, settling in it to continue her research of wizardry. In honour of her, the fountain was named Fountain of Kath. She became the first of twenty-seven generations of wizards to hold the title Grand Wizard. The Grand Wizard, leading all the wizards in Southeigen, and the Army Commander, commanding all ground forces, were put in sole charge of our town's defences. Our army, operating with the wizards supporting from the rear, would form a formidable force. This has been the defence command structure of our town ever since.

Katherine was to spend the twilight years of her fabulous career constructing "Cave of Certain Return". It has since became a symbol of her legacy and a reminder of the trying times our race endured to survive to this very day.

As for the witches, they never ventured out of Mursk again. In fact, no one from any future generation has seen a witch in the flesh. Memories of our great battle are so distant now, it has become difficult for us to visualise and appreciate its significance. It is also hard to imagine that the distant grim-looking castle as seen from our warning towers contains an entire bevy of witches that had threatened and continue to threaten our very existence. As the generations go by, we still had to keep our focus on our town's defence and not get complacent. Though it is possible that the witches might be an empty threat now (through natural death or quiet retreat back to their unknown homeland), we have never allowed our guard down. The historian's records are proof enough of the danger they might still pose.

Our relations with the hobgoblins have also improved as each subsequent hobgoblin king made attempts at repatriation for past atrocities committed. Although we suspect that it is probably done out of the need to rely on our economic aid, as well as the fear of our new found military might, we decided wisely to reciprocate their non-aggressive behaviour. As memories of their aggression fade, relations have improved to the extent of establishing trade between the two populations. The only barrier to a more flourishing trade with the hobgoblins is the hazardous trip over no-man's land to their country and vice versa. Even if there have never been reports of raids by the witches, fear always strikes at the hearts of travelling merchants as they travel between the two entities.

Akan Datang: Parallels

109 days to go.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

<悄悄話>

Another recent phenomenon.

*Pitter patter pitter patter of 慧's running*

“Ma ma! 慧慧跟妳說悄悄話。”

慧 then cups her little hands around my mum's ear and starts whispering.

"ssshhh ssshhh sssaaa sssaaa...ssshhh ssshhh sssaaa sssaaa..." (it's jumble)

Then she runs away.

The first time it happened, my mum was totally caught by surprise. Now where did THAT come from? We're all still collectively scratching our heads on this one.

110 days to go.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Publication

Just this morning, I was informed by my boss that our joint work from last year is going to be published. Finally. He himself had just received the confirmation e-mail from the journal's editor. This will be my first ever published piece of work. *Ahem*

I said "finally" because that piece of work was a culmination of our efforts from around January to September last year. We had submitted it to this journal last December and waited until last month before a reply came. This kind of a wait is normal, my boss told me. He should know, for he has been doing research for a long time now. We made the changes as suggested in the reply and sent it back. I had thought maybe we'll have to wait another year for the next reply. No, this time it'll be quick, so said my boss. He was right again. They got back to us within a week.

If you ask my boss, he would tell you this is a "top-top journal". Understandably, he is overjoyed and it clearly showed in his e-mail to me. Heh, he even suggested that I take a day or two off.

I have had a morning to let the news sink in and to observe my own reactions.

Firstly, I didn't feel anything special. Two possible reasons. One, it isn't really that important to me. Completing my current work, getting home and passing my actuarial exams enjoy much higher priorities than this. Two, there isn't anyone over here I can really share this piece of news with right now. I would really like to share this with Dan and Stef but he is probably at the airport at this present moment picking her up.
She is flying back from Perth today. And I shouldn't play 電燈泡 to them for the rest of this particular weekend. I would like to share this with my landlord too, but I try not to disturb him too much, especially on weekends. He is a very busy man. I will just wait for the next time he pops by the apartment.

Then I got this other feeling. Whilst grocery shopping earlier, this thought descended on me.

"Gee... I would gladly trade in this publication and the
approval to my extension application for that elusive pass in my recent exam results..."

Now I am not being an ingrate here. It's just that my current priorities are that clear-cut to me right now. Sure, I am genuinely thankful to the authorities that may be for
approving my application to extend my stay here. And yes, I am glad that the journal gods have deemed our work is of quality enough to own a little corner in their esteemed journal. But I am not exactly jumping up and down over these pieces of news.

I would be if you are telling me they had made a mistake and that
I had indeed passed. Or if it is April 2006 now.

Still 111 days to go.

Australia's World Cup group

If you're a real avid football fan, you would know by now about this. Just took place this morning (3:30a.m. Singapore time).

And so, Australia has been drawn together with Brazil, Croatia and Japan in Group F. Let's look at the good news first.

They've managed to avoid Czech Republic, Netherlands and Portugal from Pool 3. Croatia is certainly a better proposition than these three powerhouses. Nonetheless, Croatia is still a rather dangerous opposition. Recall that they've finished in the top 4 just a few World Cup editions back.

The Aussies have also managed to avoid the improving USA from Pool 4. Unfortunately, they did draw Japan. If anything, I feel USA, Japan and Korea are the countries to avoid from Pool 4.

Looking at the group on the whole, we can safely write off their chances in the match against Brazil. So to qualify for the 2nd round, they will probably need to beat Croatia and Japan. A look at the
fixtures, we find that Australia plays Japan first, followed by Brazil, then Croatia.

It does look like Australia's first match would be of utmost importance. If that doesn't go their way, then mien kua liao (translation: no need to watch liao).

111 days to go.

Friday, December 09, 2005

<自戀狂>

Sometimes, I catch myself reading my own blog. It usually happens when I feel I just can't work anymore and want to take a break from it all or when I am plain bored.

I might pick out an odd spelling error here, grammar error there, or I might suddenly find a better way to phrase certain things, or I might even find a really glaring error. Whatever it is that I find, it is in MY hands. I will fasterly fasterly effect the change, republish it and hope not too many readers have spotted them.

The funny part is, I actually enjoy reading my own blog. Now, I know self praise is no praise, but I really do. And more often than not, I find myself having to pry my eyes away from the screen, or I'll "waste" even more time on it.

I'm reminded of one of my niece's antics. She can be quite a 自戀狂 at times. When she first learnt the alphabet about a year back, she would go "A for apple, B for ball, C for cat,..., K for kite, L for Lynette, M for mango,...".

My recent programming blues have significantly limited this new hobby of mine. That should be a good thing, shouldn't it?

Still 112 days to go.

Cross City Tunnel saga continues

The toll-free period has ended. About a week ago. And the Cross City Tunnel is back on the news, with a vengence.

In the five toll-free weeks, the number of cars passing through it had steadily increased. The company running the tunnel had made a further concession of extending the the toll-free period to five weeks (was initially three).

Once the tolls applied again, the volume of traffic passing through it of course plummeted. In the meantime, the debates in the State parliament, counter-proposals, defences, etc. has been ongoing.

For me, I'm just glad I don't drive here.

112 days to go.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

An observant waiter

A new waiter, I observed as I sat down. It's the uni's summer break, so I guessed the previous waiters/waitresses (almost certainly students) have gone home (wherever that may be).

I made my order quickly to the nearest waitress, then pulled out some scribblings I've brought along. I've so gotta crack this programming problem soon. Time is tight. Looked at what I've got so far and added some more. Let's just put down whatever ideas you can think of and try them later...

"Excuse me."

Ah, my order's here already. The new waiter waited for me to clear my papers before putting down my food.

"Sorry, but are you Singaporean?"

"In fact, yes."

"Me too," a big grin breaks across his face,"I noticed your accent just now."

My mind raced backwards in time to about 15 minutes ago. I cannot remember myself saying anything except for making my order to the other waitress earlier. Wow, either I have a super-duper thick Singaporean accent or he is very observant.

We chatted for a while, such as which uni he is at and whether he is going back for the summer. He is. *Sob* Everybody, and I mean everybody, is going home for summer, except me.

I believe this is the first time in my almost three years here that a fellow Singaporean has correctly identified me as one and introduced himself/herself to me

I suppose there are still some things over here that can coax a spontaneous smile out of me.

113 days to go.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Summer is REALLY here

(Pic taken from Sydney Morning Herald at 3:18p.m. local time, 12:18p.m. Singapore time)

But the good thing about Australian weather is you don't feel the heat indoors. My clock thermometer indicates a comfortable 25.5 degrees.

I'm fully expecting to experience 40 plus temperatures (for the first time in my life) by the time January comes along. Oh boy...
-------------------------------
(Updated at 5:28p.m. local time)

(This at 5:18p.m. local time, 2:18p.m. Singapore time)

Well, there you have it.

-------------------------------

Still a sizzling 114 days to go.

Tora! Tora! Tora!

Stef is currently in Perth for a week-long conference. Actually, the conference is just three days but she'll be spending the rest of the week there touring. That means there's just Dan and myself left in Sydney over the last weekend. So we did on a movie marathon of sorts.

For one, I got him really interested in
Memento. I had bought its DVD some time back and had lent it to him. With his wifey not around starting last Friday, he finally got down to watching it.

“本來我開始看的時侯是有點兒昏昏沉沉的。可是越看就越有勁,精神起來了。這電影蠻有意思的。有些部分我還倒回去再看一遍。”


We ended up discussing the movie, even replaying some scenes to clarify our doubts about the storyline.

We finally got down to "business" after dinner on Saturday evening, starting on those DVDs we've rented from Blockbuster. By Sunday night, we had watched five movies. The pick of the lot was undoubtedly Tora! Tora! Tora! This despite it being more than 35 years old now.

Whilst watching it, I can't help but recall what a crap movie Pearl Harbour was. Now with Tora to compare with, it felt even crappier! Especially considering Tora's age and Pearl's production budget.

Incidentally, today is the 64th anniversary of the Pearl Harbour raid.

114 days to go.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

<開玩笑>

慧 has just picked up another new phrase.

Over the past few months, she has been trying some pranks out on me whenever I call back. Something along the lines of “不要跟gu gu說話” or “Gu gu, or-bee-go” (translation: gu gu, off you go).

For the past week or so, she has been giving me something "extra" to think about. When it's time for me to hang up, in addition to the usual bye byes and audible wet kisses, she has been adding the following line, half as an apology, half in jest,

“Gu gu。。。gu gu, 慧慧剛才跟gu gu開玩笑的。”

That got all of us howling with laughter.

115 days to go.

Monday, December 05, 2005

<三國演義>

(A portrait of the famous 蜀 general, 趙雲. From Koei's latest version of the game, 三國志X)

三國演義 is what I consider to be my real introduction to Chinese culture and history. Prior to that, the Chinese language was just a necessary evil I had to overcome to progress up the next step of the education ladder. And ironically enough, this interest of mine only began towards the tail end of our mandatory 12-year Chinese syllabus. Therefore, I shall not divulge my sia suay Chinese grades here.

Despite what I've just said, I do recall a certain section in my old secondary two level Chinese text relating an episode supposedly from 三國演義. It contained a short story involving 張飛 (known for his fiery temper and short fuse) and 關羽 (known for his sense of loyalty and righteousness). For the uninitiated, 劉備, 關羽 and 張飛 were sworn brothers, and together were later to lay the foundations of 蜀國 (the other two 國s being 魏 and 吳).

As I was saying, the story goes that 關羽 had challenged 張飛 to killing ants (?!) crawling across their path. Whoever killed more ants in one swoop would be the winner, so says 關羽. 張飛 responded by pounding the ground with his fist. 關羽 did what we all would do, i.e. use our thumb. The moral of the story is broadly along the lines of "use your blain! use your blain!", but of course, my Chinese teacher put it across to us in a more politically correct manner.

Hardly inspiring stuff for a teenager, don't you think? If they had related the story of, for example, how the trio had became sworn brothers, my interest in Chinese culture might have been piqued earlier. I sure hope the current Chinese textbooks do not carry such cringe-inducing stories anymore. I will find out when 慧 starts schooling and complains about it.

As it turned out, it was a computer game that got me into 三國演義. Specifically,
三國志 by Koei in 1988 (check out the screenshots... the good old days of DOS). This game became a classic and went on to spawn a whole series (now in its tenth instalment) and indeed, a whole genre of its own (somebody actually bothered to count).

Back then, I just played the game and gave little heed to the characters and who they were. It was only whilst playing the
2nd instalment of the Koei game during my JC years that I got curious enough to want to read up on them. So I bought the original Chinese version of 三國演義 to read. You know, the version where the pages flip from left to right, where the words run vertically down and where you read from right to left. On my first complete reading of the book (took me six months), I understood at most only 40% of it. It was only on subsequent readings that I started to really get into the story. Now, I know the story inside out.

Indeed, knowledge of the story has made the game(s) much more enthralling for me. It should be obvious by now that I've gone on to play
every instalment of the Koei series of 三國志. The recent instalments haven't been that impressive, although the graphics are really improved by leaps and bounds, as is expected.

So what is it about the story that fascinates me so? The English title of 三國演義 is Romance of the Three Kingdoms and yes, I do feel the romance in it. I know it is all testosterone and such. Women characters are few and far between and where they appear, they tended to be brief and suffered tragic endings, e.g. 貂蟬. For most avid followers of 三國, the main attractions are therefore the themes of brotherhood and power struggles as well as the colourfully painted battle and 單挑 scenes. Admittedly, these form part of its allure for me too. But the main attraction for me is not one of these.


It is what I feel to be the underlying theme of time. Or rather, the passing of it. Regardless of how much talent we possess, how much physical strength and skill we acquire, how much power we claim and accumulate, time will eventually claim us and be the ultimate victor. And what we leave behind are but our name and deeds.

You might have noticed by now that I keep referring to 三國演義 as a story. Yup, 三國演義 is not totally based on historical facts. It is partly fiction. For example, 關平, 關羽's 義子 in 三國演義, does not exist in history. The actual historical facts are recorded in 三國志, although I've been informed that this has a bias towards 魏國 because it was written by the historians of 魏! I've tried reading a bit of 三國志 but it is too simply cheem for me; My chinese not powderful enough.

三國演義 is actually an adapted version of 三國志 combined with some popular folklores. The author of it is 羅貫中. It contains strong biases towards 蜀國, reasons unknown. However, all of us 三國 followers still fall for it and love to admire all those 蜀 generals. Myself included. I suppose that's why it is such a famous work and is widely hailed as one of China's 四大名著. Online versions of both 三國演義 and 三國志 are readily available. Just do a simple search.

I've since gone beyond playing the games and reading the book. For one, I've watched that marvellous 84 episode China production of it. I recall fondly how back in 1995, I would rush home from army camp on every Saturday afternoon, egging and willing the bus all the way, just so that I can catch it on TV. I usually ended up missing the first 30 minutes or so of it. I made up for it later by watching the re-runs, and later the VCDs.


Then a few years later, I found this 三國志 comic series at our annual Chinese book fair and started collecting it. This series had created quite a buzz locally then, when it was just released, because it was quite well drawn and written. Unfortunately and disappointingly, we collectors of the series were sort of betrayed by the author and publisher. I still feel quite peeved when I think about it now.

I also have a set of
三國演義 stamps (see pics below). If you follow the link, you'll see the titles of the scenes each stamp is depicting. No, I am not a stamp collector, but couldn't resist getting my hands on these when I first saw them. They are the only set of stamps I own.







Then there is a set of 三國演義 poker cards. This, I treasure immensely. Partially because they are absolutely beautifully rendered. But more so because they were given to me as a birthday gift by Ah Gee (
a uni friend I mentioned in a very early post), who had "割愛ed" from his personal collection (he collects poker cards) after finding out about my interest in all things 三國.

OK, now for the finale...

I own a medium-sized sculpture of 趙雲.

It was CUSTOM-MADE. (I'm not rich; Just allowed myself the occasional indulgence now and then)

Too bad I can't post pictures of it here because it is obviously in Singapore. The sculpture depicts 趙雲 riding a white horse with 啊斗 (劉備's son) wrapped up and asleep in his 戰袍. On his right hand is the 青釭劍, a 寶劍 plundered from one of 曹操's generals.

This is taken directly from the infamous scene of 長板橋 where 趙雲 had entered the masses of 曹操's army and singlehandedly saved his young master, 啊斗. It can be found in Chapter 41 of 三國演義 : 劉玄德攜民渡江,趙子龍單騎救主. Incidentally, the book is 120 chapters long.

It should also be obvious by now which 三國-era general I admire the most.

Akan Datang: Torch Light (part 2)

116 days to go.

P.S. 慧 knows that sculpture is 趙雲; I told her so. Every half year, when I go back for my break, I will ask her about it. She still remembers.
2nd P.S. I did say in previous posts I have some rather extreme and unusual hobbies...

Edit: The picture below was added on 11th May 2006. It was taken after my return home, thanks to the digital camera borrowed from my sis:
This is the sculpture of 趙雲 that I was talking about. Note his left hand, which is cradling 劉備's son, 啊斗.