Just another ex-expatriate adjusting.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

A little blast from the past

So I have recovered a little gem I wrote in Columbia after prospecting through my old homework sets. I can't remember what it was for, but I think it was one of those standard "write a story from a different perspective". It still stands on its own, though it could do with a little polishing. Eh, what can you expect from a 21 year old.

The Cat in the Hat
by Dr. Seuss, 61 pages. Beginner Books, $3.95

The Cat in the Hat is a hard-hitting novel of prose and poetry in which the author re-examines the dynamic rhyming schemes and bold imagery of some of his earlier works, most notably Green Eggs and Ham, If I Ran the Zoo, and Why Can't I Shower With Mommy? In this novel, Theodore Geisel, writing under the pseudonym Dr.Seuss, pays homage to the great Dr. Sigmund Freud in a nightmarish fantasy of a renegade feline helping two young children understand their own frustrated sexuality.

The story opens with two youngsters, a brother and a sister, abandoned by their mother, staring mournfully through the window of their single-family dwelling. In the foreground, a large tree/phallic symbol dances wildly in the wind, taunting the children and encouraging them to succumb to the sexual yearnings they undoubtedly feel for each other. Even to the most unlearned reader, the blatant references to the incestuous relationship the two share set the tone for Seuss' probing examination of the satisfaction of primitive needs.

The Cat proceeds to charm the wary youths into engaging in what he so innocently refers to as "tricks." At this point, the fish, an obvious Christ figure who represents the prevailing Christian morality, attempts to warn the children, and thus, in effect, warns all of humanity of the dangers associated with the unleashing of the primal urges. In response to this, the cat proceeds to balance the aquatic naysayer on the end of his umbrella, essentially saying, "Down with morality; down with God!"

After poohpoohing the righteous rantings of the waterlogged Christ figure, the Cat begins to juggle several icons of Western culture, most notably two books, representing the Old and New Testaments, and a saucer of lactal fluid, an ironic reference to maternal loss the two children experienced when their mother abandoned them "for the afternoon." Our heroic Id adds to this bold gesture a rake and a toy man, and thus completes the Oedipal triangle.

Later in the novel, Seuss introduces the proverbial Pandora's box, a large red crate out of which the Id releases Thing One, or Freud's concept of Ego, the division of the psyche that serves as the conscious mediator between the person and reality, and Thing Two, the Superego which functions to reward and punish through a system of moral attitudes, conscience, and guilt. Referring to this box, the Cat says, "Now look at this trick. Take a look!" In this, Dr. Seuss uses the children as a brilliant metaphor for the reader, and asks the reader to re-examine his own inner self.

The children, unable to control the Id, Ego, and Superego allow these creatures to run free and mess up the house, or more symbolically, control their lives. This rampage continues until the fish, or Christ symbol, warns that the mother is returning to reinstate the Oedipal triangle that existed before her abandonment of the children. At this point, Seuss introduces a many-armed cleaning device which represents the psychoanalytic couch, which proceeds to put the two youngsters' lives back in order.

With powerful simplicity, clarity, and drama, Seuss reduces Freud's concepts on the dynamics of the human psyche to an easily understood gesture. Mr. Seuss' poetry and choice of words is equally impressive and serves as a splendid counterpart to his bold symbolism.In all, his writing style is quick and fluid, making The Cat in the Hat impossible to put down. While this novel is 61 pages in length, and one can read it in five minutes or less, it is not until after multiple readings that the genius of this modern day master becomes apparent.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Brilliant, just BRILLIANT

So.

I have found the missing camera. Woo hoo! Hoorah!

BUT.

I have now lost the camera's USB cable.

AARARAHRAHRAHARHR.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Fuckity fuck fuck fuck

It appears I have lost my camera. The one with all my Stockholm pictures in it.

Friday, May 26, 2006

I åm stjill nöt deäd

But am getting on a flight back to Singapore in another 35 minutes. Woo ha.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

I äm nöt deåd

Though after two days of 9 hour meetings and no internet access...

SEK179 (USD21) for 24 hours wireless access at a hotel! At a HOTEL!

Saturday, May 20, 2006

There is no Plan

I've just been flipping through Colin's blog and came across his essay Paved with Good Intentions.

If you're Singaporean, go read it; if you're not, read it anyway.

I find my reaction to it quite strange; I tried to opt out of the Singapore Plan at age 6 and thanks to a gigantic amount of luck and help from parents, managed to at least partially escape. Yes, 6. When I refused to speak Mandarin at Nanyang Kindergarten (one of the more Chinese schools in Singapore), my father parachuted me out to the International School of Singapore.

That's when I suppose I started being a pushy little bastard -- if opting out to do your own thing worked then, well, it should work now.

But all the same I still bought into the whole Plan; the idea that as long as you get good grades, everything will fall into your lap by virtue of your brilliant examination taking skills. That so long as you do well at school, get a good job, stick to the plan, everything will work out.

Well, that's not true.

I won't go into the gory details, but stuff happened that derailed me from my Plan. Things got very interesting when I was 16, all the way up till I was 26. 10 painfully unhappy years, which finally made me understand that for me at least, there is no Plan that will shape all the rest of your life; that there is only the plan that you make as events happen. That to try to Plan your future and fix it in stone and try desperately to make events fit your Plan is futile.

The reason I understood this? Tiffany rings. Which will mean little to anyone but those who already know.

Some people may benefit from a Plan. Good for them. I think though that the vast majority will not; and that those who believe their Plan will keep them happy may never really be happy. If they were, Singaporeans wouldn't be constantly searching for happiness (click on regions).

At dinner last night, Kevin mentioned something to the effect that I operate in binary mode. Either I'm off, disengaged, purring along half asleep; or I'm on, kicked down, exploding down the highway. Most of the time I'm off -- but it's those sudden bursts when the throttle is all the way down that ensure I'll never have some simple plan for life. Those bursts of excitement and passion upset the Plan, and lead me down roads I'd never have expected to go before. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Would you?

P.S. I'm writing this on 24 hours of no sleep in preparation for the time zone shift. Rambling, bouncing here and there, warts, toadstools and all. Maybe I'll be more coherent once I've spent my first night's sleep in Stockholm; I certainly hope so.

Off to Stockholm

Not to see the løveli lakes, alas, but on business.

I'll be away till Friday, but probably updating from the hotel there. Hooray for frequent flier mileage...

Let's hope I don't get bitten by a møøse...

Signed, TUTTE HERMSGERVORDENBROTBORDA

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Oh well...

Poor Arsenal. Barca 2, Arsenal 1. They tried like mad, but 10 vs 11 is a tough game to play.

Arsenal 1, Barca 0

It's half time and I'm watching the Arsenal-Barca Champions' League Final on TCS5. Which is a big mistake. BIG BIG mistake. Because those useless losers at Mediacorp have replaced the half-time commentary with 30 minutes of ads. How infuriating. They couldn't even update the score on time; for 3 minutes after Sol Campbell's goal, the scoreline said 0-0. Why buy the rights to Champions' League when you can't treat it properly?

Lorelei

I have found a new love. She's 26 years old and from Stuttgart. I've attached a picture of her below.


When Pat gets back from Hong Kong, we'll hold a christening ceremony...

Sunday, May 14, 2006

母の日

This weekend was pretty good at the start, less so at the end.

Friday I went to Sim Lim with Jo and Mike, bummed around and ended up playing mahjong till 6am. Saturday, I had lunch at Apollo Banana Leaf Restaurant down Race Course Road with Pa and Sheila; the curry fish head was excellent. I haven't had a fish head that sweet and well cooked for a long time. I also had dinner with Sue and Kevin at Kazu, a yakitori place in Cuppage Plaza. The yakitori was really quite excellent, on par with some of the places I've eaten at in Tokyo. Then more mahjong.

Today I went to see Ma at the nursing home. Not a good day; I spent the rest of the day at the video arcade burning through $1 coins to de-stress. It's not a pretty sight.

All in all, quite a typical Mother's Day...

To add a little joy to the day, I present to you the NHS Yorkshire medical dictionary.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Talk about the Passion

Not everyone can carry the weight of the world.

It's hard, so hard.

I try to hide it, but it's clear

But only love can break your heart.

Now I'm free, free falling.

So when will I see you again?

It's Friday I'm in love.

何故俺が君の顔を夢見て、君の事を考えるか?エちゃん?この月曜日に君を見るかな。。。

I'll be damned if I ask her again; and I'll feel damned so long as I don't.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

春よ、こい!





(2002)



Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Consultant or Prostitute?

Maybe people who work for body shops like Andersenture or Coopers HouseWater Price might relate to this -- I don't.

Are you a prostitute or a consultant?

You work very odd hours.

You are paid a lot of money to keep your client happy.

You are paid well but your pimp gets most of the money.

You spend a majority of your time in a hotel room.

You charge by the hour but your time can be extended for the right price.

You are not proud of what you do.

Creating fantasies for your clients is rewarded.

It's difficult to have a family.

You have no job satisfaction.

If a client beats you up, the pimp just sends you to another client.

You are embarrassed to tell people what you do for a living.

People ask you, "What do you do?" and you can't explain it.

Your family hardly recognizes you at reunions (at least the reunions you attend.)

Your friends have distanced themselves from you and you're left hanging with only other "professionals."

Your client pays for your hotel room plus your hourly rate.

Your client always wants to know how much you charge and what they get for the money.

Your pimp drives nice cars like Mercedes or BMWs.

Your pimp encourages drinking and you become addicted to drugs to ease the pain.

You know the pimp is charging more than you are worth but if the client is foolish enough to pay it's not your problem.

When you leave to go see a client, you look great, but return looking like hell (compare your appearance on Monday AM to Friday PM).

You are rated on your "performance" in an excruciating ordeal.

Even though you get paid the big bucks, it's the client who walks away smiling.

The client always thinks your "cut" of your billing rate is higher than it actually is, and in turn, expects miracles from you.

When you deduct your "take" from your billing rate, you constantly wonder if you could get a better deal with another pimp.

Everyday you wake up and tell yourself, "I'm not going to be doing this stuff the rest of my life.".

The Land of the Free

From the Staten Island Ferry, (2002)


The river bends to... (2002)

chickens for the slaughter... (2002)


feeding a prisoner at home (2002)

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Someone Else's Valentine To New York

Ah, New York. I feel so homesick...

From Alien Loves Predator

WWRD?

Yet more photos because I can't be arsed to write



Your humble narrator preparing to airbrush a scale model (2001)

By the by -- that airbrushing equipment served me well on September 13th of that year, when I went down to Wall Street.

Afternoon light on Beaver and Hanover (2002)

A window to the sky, Broad Street (2002)

Telok Ayer Street before preservation (2002)


What would he do indeed? (2003)

Sunday, May 07, 2006

More photo whoring


Maguro at Tsukiji (2003)

Stormtroopers in Atlanta (2004)



Harajuku, 2004 (and good advice too)


Chicago at night, facing west (2004)


Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City 2001

At a park on Mount Sophia (2003)

Next time

So no changes to parliament this year alas. Still, at least I did some part of what I could do, and hopefully by 2011 there'll be enough of a shift.

2004 was a sea change for me, and so is 2006. Let's see what happens now. Will they keep their promises, I wonder...

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Photo Saturday!

Some minor photo whoring...

Coming to port at City Island

Looking up from Wall Street

The font of riches (New York Fed)

桜咲く (ニューヨークでだけど)

Alma Mater, mater mei

Unforgettable. Ever. An empty place in the sky now.


Smrt Fasizmu, Sloboda Narodu

Voted.



NARODNO OSLOBDENJE!*


*Nota bene -- I'm not claiming that I deserve the medal nor that the government is anything like the Nazis. But hooray, I can vote, I did, and I hope that it makes a difference.

From High to Low (and Back?)

Memorable quote from last night's murtabak supper with Pat and Jo:

regarding a particularly unpleasant person

回春: You better hope she gets reborn as a cow, then everyday got someone go and pull her nipples {makes hand gestures}

Election Virginity

So tomorrow I plan to lose my election virginity. 30 years of not voting...

I'm off to the URA building below to cast my first ever vote.




Before I left to study, I was living in a walkover constituency (no one has contested Bukit Timah for a damned long time.) When I was in New York and Chicago, I couldn't vote because overseas citizens who don't work for either the government or for NGOs are disenfranchised. But now I'm back, and ready to do my patriotic duty.

Which is to vote SDA.

There is no other reasonable option. Perpetuating a competent but incredibly image unconscious government doesn't suit my taste -- in a participatory polity, I'd like my voice and my views to be reflected in policies implemented.

From a purely economic aspect, there is also no point in voting for the PAP. After all, given that PM Lee Hsien Loong (a terribly bright chap, with excellent economic policies but who comes across to me as out of touch with ordinary Singaporeans*) has said the following, sourced from here:

Right now we have Low Thia Khiang, Chiam See Tong, Steve Chia. We can deal with them. Suppose you had 10, 15, 20 opposition members in Parliament. Instead of spending my time thinking what is the right policy for Singapore, I'm going to spend all my time thinking what's the right way to fix them, to buy my supporters votes, how can I solve this week's problem and forget about next year's challenges?"

Hat tip to Rockson for posting this

Obviously from an economic perspective, it is best to NOT be a supporter of the PAP so that your vote can be bought. The power of moral hazard... something that Singaporean management and government never quite seem to take into consideration.

So anyway.

Tomorrow I vote. Register my discontent with a government which never fails to remind its polity just how grateful it should be to the government for its prosperity (though this is debatable -- it is possible that Singapore invests too much for the return it makes, thereby diluting growth.)

It's individually irrational to vote according to Levitt and Dubner; they popularized the irrationality in Freakonomics. There probably is a feedback mechanism in repeated votings, where if you don't vote but someone you don't like does, then your expected dissatisfaction may be higher than the cost it actually takes to vote, but it's late and I don't want to think too much right now.

Besides, I have to. The gahmen tells me that if I don't vote now, I will never vote again. So too bad, so sad (not really) tomorrow I will lose my election virginity.

*Nota bene -- I recognize that I'm not an ordinary Singaporean, thanks to the 9 years spent overseas as well as the education outside of the local school system. But I don't think that disqualifies me from saying he seems out of touch.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The Holy Tango

A mailing list I'm on has given me this gem to pass to you:

I WILL ALARM ISLAMIC OWLS
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS


I will be alarming
the Islamic owls
that are in
the barn

and which
you warned me
are very jittery
and susceptible to loud noises

Forgive me
they see so well in the dark
so feathery
and so dedicated to Allah

The poet's name is anagrammed and a poem is written on the anagram in that poet's style. And I die crying with laughter.

His life ain't so beautiful

So. James Blunt. Good rhyming slang.

I had no idea that he was a captain in the British Army (not Royal Army). He always seemed a bit too... I dunno, wimpy.

I like his songs, by the way, but they're the equivalent of a Tom Clancy novel; stuff you read because you've got nothing better at the time. Not the most profound (except, I have to say, No Bravery, which was inspired by his time in the Life Guards in Kosovo.)

Others feel the same way -- feel the parody.