On a foggy day in London town..

Well, the haze is here. I realised its been so for a few weeks already but yesterday was the day it actually sunk in for me. Went for my weekly run the day before and i really find myself breathing harder than normal. I don't know whether its really that bad or if its just in the head though on the flipside, if I'm breathing harder, that would mean i'm working harder right?

All the while, i just thought the scenery was just a bit more blurry than usual. So now we have PSI ratings of 50, 70 and we can see its kinda bad.  I remembered a couple of years ago when the PSI went up to the high 200s. I think it went up to the 400s or more for our neighbouring countries. I can't believe how we even went through that. I guess that shows how people are. Give us enough of something and eventually we'll just get used to it and take it as if its nothing.

Anyway, this is a picture of the view from outside my home. You can just about make out some murky shapes in the horizon that vaguely resembles buildings. The thing is, on a clear day, you can see A WHOLE ROLL of HDB flats and office buildings. And its almost all the way to the incinerator that can be seen on the right hand side. Maybe I should have taken a picture back when the PSI was absurdly high. Chances are maybe i cant even see the roads in the foreground.

Anyway, i do hope all the haze come to an end soon. Although i guess we shouldn't be complaining that badly, since we don't get it as bad as other places like London or New York. At least its still called haze around here, what they have, they call it smog. And they aren't caused by people burning stuff.

Now, its time for Prison Break!

Forgot but not forgotten.

Went for Larry(hamet!) and Joyce's(lilies!) wedding yesterday. This had to be the first wedding i've ever been to that had the shortest speech by the groom. Ever. It lasted all of 5 seconds and goes(ends) something like "Thank you for coming". Really chop chop. In fact, it ended before i even know it began.>_<. The food was great, particularly the dessert which was kinda difficult to eat. Guests would know what i mean. i did met an unexpected friend that day; one of my primary school friends(ya, primary school) who happens to be Larry's ex-colleague. Talk about 6 degrees of separation. We talked for quite a bit and I have a confession to make. Clearly, he remembers my name, but I just can't remember his for the life of me. And we even went through 1 year or so of NS together.(First and Foremost!)

I know its "Shao-something" though. LOL.

Anyway, of the few people who read this blog, its kinda obvious i like to talk about movies, tv shows and weddings. the latter can't really be helped considering the alarming frequency of occurrence ever since I started writing this blog. Today I'm going to write about something different.

Book Review!! Well, I've just read this book entitled A Man with no Talents: Memoirs of a Tokyo Day Labourer by Oyama Shiro and I think its an interesting read, despite being kinda short at way under 200 pages. Anyway, i wouldnt really call it an autobiography since the story starts when the protagonist is in his 40s, and only chronicles in detail the period of time between 1999 till 2002 or thereabouts. Not much, you would say?  Apparently the book happens to have won some literary prize in Japan. Anyway, the plot is about this geezer talking about a period of his life spent in the slums of Tokyo, what led him there when he was seemingly destined for the life of a normal salaryman, and his experiences and reflections surviving every day.

What really made it for me was the fact that the writer readily admits he's a loser, a social misfit who has a seemingly disability to coexist with people. He acknowledges he has problems and accepts the fact that he's pretty much not good at anything else. He quit his job because he knows he has a depression problem and interestingly, finds solace only when left alone to his own devices. I like to read about his encounters with the different day-labourers and bunkmates, the exchange of opinions, and most importantly, his "analysis" of everything that comes his way as well as the mundane things he does to ensure he has enough to last him through to the next day. I can kinda identify with the guy though, sometimes you're just so powerless to handle things that happens around you. Different people have different ways of dealing with situations like these and Oyama Shiro shows us one version of what could have been if one just yields to opposition unquestioningly.

Anyway, its a good book( though still a far cry from my favourite, Sophie's World). Though I can't figure out why i found it under the Business and Finance aisle instead of non-fiction.

Tip of the day: Larry, remember to wear red when Joyce wears green on your honeymoon and vice versa. And always hold hands. Its more fun that way.

Watching Miami Vice should be a Vice.

Well, caught Miami Vice yesterday and the only thing good i have to say is i'm sure glad the ticket costs only 7 bucks. Jaime Fox(phenomenal in Ray but forgettable in Stealth) didn't really set the pace as the level-headed partner while Colin Farrell didn't really cut it as the smooth-talking brash kickass cop. Heck, I was expecting Gong Li to show more skin than that(that was the main motivation btw,lol). The worst part is, the plot was totally bland and i feel, a little bit disconcerting. So what happened to the leak in the Fed? Who exactly is the leaker? Does it even matter? The ending also leaves a lot to be desired. Seems like this has to be the worst show of this year for me.

Anyway, am watching Prison Break as i am typing this at the moment and i think this is one good series. Though its not really enough to displace CSI as the reigning champion on my list, it comes pretty close. Its amazing the amount of thought Scofield has put into his operation even before he enters the damn prison. Every step along the way, the bugger's got everything all planned out. Except for the occasional screwup, the guy's a genius. Its really very engaging to watch. No prizes for guessing what i'll be doing every Thursday night 10pm.

Anyway ever realised the number of ridiculously obvious questions people ask everyday? You meet someone at the bus-stop and they go "waiting for a bus?". You're eating and they go "Eating?". You go to the toilet and they go " peeing?"

you get the idea.

I'm sure you do this sometimes too. Its really unfathomable. When i do it, it hits me like the next instant how stupid i can get. Anyway, why am i bringing this up? Its just that i've gotten too many of these questions today from my parents that its really getting on my nerves. Well, i get them every other day but its especially bad today. Damn, I've got to get a defence mechanism up against stupid questions.

Quote of the day: Who's that lady in the double A paper ad? She's hot.

Run Forrest, Run

Well, I didn't get through that interview. Didn't made it to the second round. Oh well. I guess thats one more off the list. Can't really say its a bad thing cos the job seems essentially like a glorified helpdesk position. Though i don't feel particularly good either because if i got rejected, that would only mean i screwed up the interview. well, i guess i need to put more work on my interviewing skills. I thought I had it down pat; turns out i was wrong.>_<

Well, i guess its back to the drawing board for now. Damn, I hate the waiting game.

Anyway, its been a while. Didn't really felt like making any entries because there's just nothing happening. LOL. Its times like these when there's loads of time, but you just don't know what to do with it. I think thats kinda ironic but then the opposite always seemed to be true too. There can never be enough time when there's tons of work to be done. Case in point: lab assignments and anything even remotely academic. I'm spending most of my time just thinking about things. I guess there's something in me thats resisting the urge to do anything constructive and i guess that can't be good. Procrastination has never been known to result in anything productive.>_<.

Oh, I just remembered i have less than a month to take my IPPT. Faithful readers of my blog will recall the somewhat harrowing experience I had a long while ago with regards to this four letter word. I don't think I can get away with it as easy this time. Can't really say i forgot about it cos i'm a student who's overwhelmed with schoolwork(well, good thing they believed it). I guess that would mean i've got to book a date sometime between now till the mid of October. This also explains why I've been running quite a fair bit recently. Though i guess i'm quite ok with the running part. Its the jumping part that i always screw up. I can never seem to get the knack of it. I've got this really unsightly gait and i think thats whats always doing me in.  Ah screw it. Its all good if i don't fail the damn thing.

How come no Mercs?

Went for an interview yesterday and it was the first time i'm sharing an interview with about 50 people. Its really like a recruitment event, it starts with some presentation of what the company does as well as how its employees are like. We then break into groups of 5 and were subjected to a sort of informal group interview. I thought i did quite well, though there was one other lady in my group who was phenomenal. She had loads of experience, worked overseas, worked at Citigroup, had a scholarship,etc. I guess we're all screwed if even she doesn't get the job. Though i'm kinda puzzled why someone with her credentials will want to get an entry level grad job.

Though there was another lady in my group(I was the only guy) who was the complete opposite. She couldn't speak well, didn't express her opinions often enough, and sorta faded into the background as the session progressed. I guess I'm in luck if she manages to get through to the next round.

Anyway, one point of interest was the interview costed me 14 bucks. Cos thats how much it costs to park for 2.5 hours in a carpark inside the CBD.>_<. Can you imagine how much the session parking would cost??? I guess that might explain why i saw 1 Aston Martin, 3 Maseratis,1 Jaguar XK8 and a handful of BMW 6 series on my way up. And i was only up to the 4th level. Rich buggers.

By the way, I think i need to expand my wardrobe. All the shirts I have are of the solid variants. Maybe some stripes would be nice. Heck, I'm even open to the idea of polka dots. or maybe some other eclectic design. Its times like these when its good to be a guy. At least the shirts and the shoes are about all i need to worry about. I only need pants to cover my legs, don't have to worry about what colour stockings to wear, and i don't sweat it if people comment on the hair on my legs. Though the downside is, women can use their feminine wiles to their advantage over guys all the time. And the strange thing is, we fall for it, every time.

Even when we know it.>_<.

It's a Sony

Well, I finally succumbed to technology and got myself a fancy mini-radio. Really cool little gizmo, has radio, has flash storage, fancy OLED display, has a 3 minute quick charge, can work as a USB drive.... OK, I know, I know. I was up in arms against these fancy gadgets just a few days ago. But i must add i got it purely because it looks really cool and IT HAS RADIO. The latter being the primary reason. anyway, here's a pic of what i'm talking about.

Mine is in the exact same colour since i dun think the rest of the teeny-bopper colours suit me. anyway, since its flash-based, i figured its gonna be just fine for activities with loads of movement like jogging. I tried it out just now and its really good. At least I know I'm not going to regret the 139 bucks I blew on this one. At least, not yet.

Anyway, caught the Korean horror flick, The Host yesterday. Didn't think it was a good film. Don't really understand how its the best selling Korean show over the weekend. The only redeeming feature was the monster though you get to see it barely 15 minutes into the show, and the novelty sorta dies down really quickly. Anyway, It looks like a cross between a trout and a frog and is really realistic. Thats about it actually, as the plot development is just screwed up. The whole dysfunctional family thing didn't really take off. They were too cohesive and wasn't that convincing to me. Though the part where the lead character starts to jabber when he was forced to undergo a trepanation was hilarious, further compounded by his expression when the whole deed was done. Helplessness at its peak if you asked me.

By the way, just got another wedding invite. This further confirms my theory that there's something about this year. Well, at least this one is something to look forward to, since i've never been to the four seasons hotel. Ha.

i just want my radio.

Went to Jurong Point for my much delayed haircut a few days back. Now i have short hair! Though I don't like having short hair. I have a big face and short hair makes my head look bigger than the watermelon it already is. Somehow I feel that i look better when I have hair covering my ears. I have no idea why. Well, I've got an interview coming up on Monday and i guess people are not gonna take kindly to me if i looked liked Shaggy from Scooby Doo.

Anyway, i thought that since i was in a shopping centre, (i don't get out much.>_<) i might as well shop for a pocket radio. Since the one i'm using for my jogs is starting to screw up. The battery will die after just 30 minutes. Almost on the dot. I'll be running halfway and then all of a sudden, my earphones will magically become earbuds. Well, its about time i looked for a better replacement, and i figured with Courts and Harvey Norman under the same roof, it shouldn't be a difficult task right?

WRONG!
I can't find any pocket transistor radio in the whole of Jurong Point. And you wanna know why? It seems the closest alternative I can find is some mp3 machine with 5/6/7/1million GB storage that has inbuilt radio. I don't need some fancy $199 high-tech piece of equipment that beeps and have some fancy lights. I'm not even prepared to pay that much. I just need something that does radio. Just radio. It seems that the mp3 thingy is really everywhere now. Can't even get my hands on something thats considered "old school". On a side note, i see those mini mp3 players everywhere. they come in all shapes and sizes, the cigar type, the lighter type, the Ipod type,etc. i won't be surprised if mamashops carries some. its like the invasion of the mobile audio accessory.

I guess its inevitable. though all these technology is a good thing i guess. everyone wants something thats smaller, lighter, better, faster. though i do feel there are things that are just fine the way they are and you just simply can't/shouldn't improve. Ever tried emailing a handshake?