:: Tossed Salad and Scramble Eggs ::

:: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 ::

The 'Wall' Obsession
Written to the tune of 'The Feeling of Jazz' by Duke Ellington

I was playing a more complex version of Pictionary (Carem)and Joyln was trying to do a charade of the Berlin Wall. Then I realised that since the Communists have been constantly attacked by the free world, their only resort has been to cower in the corner and build a wall in hope that they may gain protection and assurance. The severity of the fall of communism can be directly linked to how dependent the Communist are on the physical wall built. But I'm sure you can figure out why and how. If you can't, ask Jeeves.

Actually I bet that the idealogical roots of Communism were from the mainland Chinese, since they had the first Wall (The Great Wall of China) to defend themselves against the Mongolians(who could have possibly been more democratic than we would have thought). When Marco Polo first took note of the Wall and what it symbolised, it was communicated back to the Spaniards who had no use for it, therefore handing it down to the European countries until it reached Karl Marx in Germany during the 19th century. Karl Marx who thought that such ideals were brilliant decided to call it Socialism.

Question: Why would my hypothesis have some truth to it? Simply because Socialist/Communist ideals wouldn't have worked out for the benefit of anyone in the 15th century up until the Industrialisation Revolution in the 18th century, spreading thoroughly throughout Europe by the 19th century. So Karl Marx wasn't the original author of Communist/Socialist ideals. It was the Chinese. He just happened to live in a time where such ideals of Socialism and Communism were application.

To further prove my point, such ideals have long since been in our Asian heritage. The political basis for Asia's four economic tigers of the 1990s is essentially Socialism. Even today, under Singapore's Meritocracy, we are still very much Socialists and proud of it. And China, despite moving towards a free market, are still holding strong to their Socialist/Communist ideals. Think of Taiwan, Hong Kong and its political subtleties, you get my drift.

So what did the Russians do? They copied Karl Marx who copied the Chinese. They built the Berlin Wall, Father of the Cold War, Symbol of the revival of Communism, and not the start of it.

:: Stuffy 6/30/2004 08:10:00 AM [+] ::
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Closure to the month

And perhaps the whole of this month, I have only slept in my bed for an accumulation of five days. Today I'm back from Church camp and it was probably a blessing that I could go because there was a verse somewhere in time during these days that came as a reminder to me:

"Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:29-31 To hope.

A simple verse, a classic verse. A verse I use think of repeatedly a long time ago but became terribly hidden at the back of my mind under layers. And the light of the verse has changed somewhat with my years, and I begin to understand it in the context of God's will rather than my own.

My dear reader, if only you knew that, "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring'."(Acts 17;26-28)

I hope you seek and ask.

:: Stuffy 6/28/2004 02:44:00 AM [+] ::
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"Poor old cat. Poor slob. Poor slob without a name. The way I look at it, I don't have the right to give him one. We don't belong to each other. We just took up by the river one day." - Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's

I was estatic when I read that Turner Classic Movies was one of the 11 channels on StarHub's new digital channel programme. Hello again my Doris Day and Betty Davis love-lorn starlets, my Fred Astaire dance routines, my Humphrey Bogart "play it again Sam" taglines. Then again, even if I subscribed to the channel now, I would only be able to enjoy it for the next two months. What a tragedy! I remembered three years back when they decided on the accessation of TCM, replacing it with a horrid 24hr round the clock viewing of Cartoon Network.

On another note of estacy, early July is the month of broadway musical songs at the esplanade, I must remind myself to get tickets.

:: Stuffy 6/22/2004 09:12:00 AM [+] ::
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Drivellings

I must have put back what I have lost the past week. A banana split with Zuck and Ruhan on Saturday, a Gelare sundae with Joel and finishing the rest of whats left of my pint of Ben and Jerry's on Sunday, and of course today, while waiting for Vai to turn up, me and Sarah had Olio Dome floats.

Two things must be done this week to ensure that I have used my time constructively, failing this, I'll just have to push to the next week or the following.
1. To finish reading the last two acts of Hamlet
2. To sign up for driving

I haven't been watching Disney's Silly Symphonies and Merry Melodies for a quite a while, and when I did, it made the rest of my day a little better. Classic cartoons are alot more creative than the present ones despite the overload of slapstick humour involved. Not that I don't enjoy Pixar's animations - I love the graphics. But the simplicity of 2D classic cartoons coupled with the way in which sound effects are created, inline with a background orchestra to set the tone for almost every movement is done with so much style. I hope they show Fantasia 2000 again.

:: Stuffy 6/21/2004 05:06:00 AM [+] ::
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It was like a Roman Holiday...

My dear Zak, you can eat your laughter when you hear me say that I have just came back from kayaking (eskimo style) from ubin to Changi beach to Sembawang, visibly seeing part of the causeway but not reaching there and then back to ubin. So I was entirely wrong when I assumed it was going to be a residential stay. Aside from the slight sunburn ( I had it worst when 3402 went to Sentosa last year), my fingers have probably shrunken from dehydration and every effort taken to write, hold utensils and type in this blog requires perseverance in its highest degree.

OBS isn't life changing, since I'm going to drift (with no pun intended) back to my life of modernity any hoo, but it was definitely something to remember. I'm probably one of those people who would ask in rhetoric "Why do people climb mountains?". If theres an easier way of getting up there say with a helicopter or a plane, for the sake of convinience and respect for all that mankind has invented, we should just do so. So when I realised that I was going to spend the next five days in the outback, I wanted to call up MINDEF HR and rattle a couple of words to express my bastardization - saved for the fact that our phones had to be surrendered.

The first two days were fleeting, we didn't really do much except hike, climb a man made obstacle course and jog. I suppose I didn't find it such a chore since we could find comfort in bathing in the proper manner. The following three days were spent out in sea rowing aimlessly. We did have a destination to reach, but everything around looked roughly similar, the only thing which kept moving was time. Had it not been for my partner, a musician and a fine conversationalist, I would have, with all intend and purpose, capsized my own boat or drown in my own sweat. Being mutually enlightened on books, music and political ideals; it was as good as a gentleman's conversation. Something I haven't done in a long while. Something I would have ideally like to do at a cafe over coffee with light music than on a canoe out at sea. But even conversation became tedious since more energy had to be use to row and my mouth was invariably wrinkled as a prune from salt water. Nonetheless, the more you talked or in some cases sing, the faster time travels.

But I took a liking to the people in my watch. Quite a pity that we're from different organisation (us being the minority) and most of them are going to the US. If schedule allows, me and my fellow UKers would probably take a road trip to Germany since one of them happens to be studying there.

:: Stuffy 6/18/2004 07:37:00 PM [+] ::
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Vaidehi Dahling,

I'm so glad you're back from India, we have so much to catch up on I couldn't type it all out in SMS. I'll be away again next week and the week after I don't know if I'm following my ma to Taiwan. I also have a church camp which ends 3 mondays from now. So I really hope that we'll all be free the month of July before Sarah and Sat starts school. Also, I've started up a live journal, which I have no idea how to use. Incompetent, I know, I can't even do a html layout properly without something dumb happening. Sighness. Anyway, we have all decided whereabouts we're going, you must tell me about yourself. Btw, heavensakes, you're blog is pword protected so I have been outdated for quite sometime. (drop me a mail in my mail box please~!)

Stephie (i with a circle and a bimbotic smile)

:: Stuffy 6/13/2004 06:04:00 AM [+] ::
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"This blesssed plot, this earth, this realm, this England" - The Ol' Bard (Richard II Act II sc i )

First let me tell you about my travels to London...

The day that I touched down at Heathrow airport, it was raining, and this continued so for the whole day. What a way to start a vacation. ( I wanted to substitute this word for holiday, but for fear of ridiculous rhyming, I couldn't)

Spent the day visiting museums, much to Michelle's (my cousin) disdain because I took terribly long reading the inscriptions on almost every object. We went to Mdm Tussad's Wax Museum and there we met Anthony Hopkins, The Beatles, Hugh Grant (which didn't look much like the real thing), Tony Blair, George Bush and the like. Henry VIII and his six wives were resurrected and so did a whole four centuries worth of famous people. Interestingly, they took away the LKY wax figure, possibly because he wasn't worth much in international politics, although he still holds a dangerous sway in Singapore's politics. The chamber of horrors was the highlight for every tourist, they had electric chairs, hangings, figures of serial killers.

The Tower of London was the most interesting and eerie because of the multiple executions (hanged, drawn and quartered) which took place until the 19th century. Much to Mich's disdain again, I took an awfully long time going through everything, but it was a pity we didn't cover everything - I shall make a trip there again when I'm studying in the UK. Sadly, I have been lacking much imagination lately, and I suppose its hard to imagine Queens, princes and noblility being taken away on carts to be executed when all around, all you see are hoards of tourists roaming around with flash photography. The hoards being typically Japanese. Still, it is fairly incomprehensible to understand what it was like for Anne Boleyn to have been kept in the Queen's chamber, awaiting execution. (Anyway, just to let you know, contrary to common myth, she wasn't executed by axe, but by an expert French Swordsman with a sharpened sword. Just to let you know again, no one knows why 'Beefeaters' are called 'Beefeaters', not even the 'Beefeaters' themselves, but, I heard it was because they couldn't spell Beer very well in ye ol' English)

DAY 2

Drove out of London to Windsor - a beautiful place where the Windsor Castle stood in the heart of the small town. It almost seemed that the whole town looked like Disneyland. We viewed the Queen Mary's Doll House, it was lovely in every detail, so much so that if you were a small person (of course smaller than Eng Tat) you would have wanted to live in that replica designed as the interior of Windsor Castle. Even the little toy portraits and books were of fine detail.

Did you know that LEGOLAND is near Windsor, I didn't have time to go there but when I come back next time, I MUST go!

Drove up to Stratford upon Avon - a small town proud to have Shakespeare lived there in 16-whatever. We went to Shakespeare's birthplace. (where The Hoard seemed to have followed, all 120 of them) The garden was the most beautiful that I have ever seen and the interior, a nice cosy cottage which I would have liked to live in. I bought a box of Shakespeare swear words and realised that the bard was actually quite culturedly vulgar.

You leperous, slovenly, creeping, mad-cap, perfidious, three-inch whoreson. (Seven of the sixty swear words in the box)

DAY 3

Drove down to Bath which looked quite like Rome, except neater and everyone spoke English. The Roman Baths were still intact after centuries and it was a pleasant sight. We also went to the Fashion Museum (its anti-Michelle too), but this to my mind was very interesting. They showed real hand-made preserved dresses from the 16th century up to the 20th century; how they were worn and for what occasions. I would liked to have lived in the 18th century and go to court or ball, it would have been a grand sight to see such dresses and suits worn.

Fact: Jane Austen lived in Bath.

DAY 4

Stonehenge was really a wonder. Not being a Mathmatician or a Geographer, I couldn't appreciate the calculations they made on the Stonehenge, although it was interesting to know that they actually told the time of the month in accordance with the sun. The grass which is greener and smoother than the greener pastures of a golf course, with good fortune, the sky was cleared with only the sun shining down onto the stones. If I took away the tourists, took away the fences, just leaving the stones among the fields. It would looked as if I would have been in another dimension distant from what I know to be reality. And what is more, if such would exist, I would imagine Heaven will be far more beautiful than this.

Down to Salisbury and then to Southampton nearing the English Channel. Horse racing event was going on, so the town was filled to the brim. We did manage to find accomodation, but there wasn't much time to roam around the town.

DAY 5
Uneventful.
Portmouth, Arundel and some obscure little town, I forgot the name. Saw more castles, bladi-blah. Drove down further to Brighton to really see the English Channel, walked around abit. Accomodation was full, so we didn't stay long. It came upon me what Mr Thompson said about the English - they love seaside holidays during the weekends, and unfortunately we arrived, day of all days, a Saturday.

DAY 6
Went back to Windsor again because my father felt it better to use another highway into London to beat heavy traffic. He took a wrong turn, and ended up going through Central London instead - the beginnings of the senile old man that he is. It didn't matter because we still went to Windsor but arrived there late.

DAY 7 and beyond
Back to London.

Michelle decided to fulfill her pilgrimage to see Arsenal Stadium and trigger happily bought a barrage of Arsenal souvenirs (Arsenal T, Arsenal bed sheet, Mich did you buy an Arsenal flag?) By now, the whole of UK was displying the English flag. Some said it was for D-Day commemoration, others said it was for Euro 2004. The latter was the more obvious reason.

While Mich was on her pilgrimage, I took the underground to Oxford Circus (full of shops) and walked down towards Leicester Square and Picaddily Circus (more shops) all the way down to the Buckingham Palace and the St James Park. All in all, I walked approx 3km. Went to the Royal gallery to see portraits of royals and plates royals ate on, old clocks and the first pocket watch owned by King Charles I. At about four, met Michelle and we walked around some more.

The next day, I went to the London Dungeon with my Dad. It was recreated to exihibit London's bloody history. The Great Fire of 1666, the Black Death, various plagues, executions (again, the English must be very proud of it), serial killers (this as well), Whitechapel murders by Jack the Ripper. Met Michelle to go to Harrods. You have to go there to believe it. There were things of every kind - no wonder the Queen shops there. The Food Hall alone contains only the finest brands of chocolate (Godiva, Patchi, Leonidas and nothing less), the finest biscuits, the finest Italian ice cream. They had halls for Jewelry alone, Egyptian clothings and jewelry (all of which only covered the first floor), and a whole fourth floor dedicated to children's toys, of which there was a mini convertible with everything a real car had including a motor.

Later in the evening, we watched the musical The Phantom of the Opera. It was my second time after eight years watching it again, and it felt good. I loved the musical and everything in it. The effects, the orchestra, the script, the voices, the stage acting. I would like to see it a third time. I felt as if I was back in Paris 1889, thats how real it looked, thats how real it felt. It was interestingly crowded for a Wenesday night, but I suppose it was a cultural norm, something you don't see at the esplanade. If I had the time, I would have wanted to watch every other musical in broadway on show.

The last day of my trip. I spent the morning at the Globe theatre (anti-michelle and anti-dad so I had to go alone), I went on a tour to see the remodelled theatre of Shakespeare. Of course, the theatre had been romanticised to fit our time, it was more nasty centuries back. They say that after eating an orange it was customary to use the peel as a mask, so instead of smelling the foulness of pee and sweat you smelt the fruit instead. I would have liked to see 'Measure for Measure' but it was only going to be shown two weeks later. Met Mich at Covent Garden and did our last bit of shopping before heading to St James Park to sit on the grass and read our books along the pond. It was pleasant to see people frolicking on the grassy area or sitting on benches talking and gazing at swans.

We headed back to our hotel at about 5pm. Michelle had bought her dinner and wasn't feeling hungry so stayed back at the hotel. As for me, I couldn't bear to spent my last evening in the hotel when there was so little time and so much left of London to take it. I crossed the Tower Bridge to the other side of the Thames river just across the hotel, walked along the Thames to find some good food and perhaps catch the sunset. I stopped by a cheap but fine Italian restaurant. Ordered a pizza and a glass of wine and had a desert of dark chocolate ice cream with cocoa coating. It was a good dinner with the good waiter being my sole company ("madam enjoy your meal, if there should be anything else required madam, just let me know") - I gave him a good tip for serving me well. I think dinners should sometimes be eaten in solitude because it is a good time to reflect on certain things. At other times, when reflections are not called for, it is good to have company. Of course good food naturally tastes better without companionship, I don't know why.

After dinner, the sun was setting at 9pm and it was fortunate that I could see it go west behind the Tower Bridge. It was a marvellous way to end an evening walking along the Thames. I hurried back before dark, lest I turned into a pumpkin as Mich would say. I was about to go to the lounge when Mich got worried and called me (so responsible my older cousin) and instead of going back to our room, we walked around St Katherines Bay just behind our hotel. The night lights were a dazzle, and the grand restaurants there were bustling with a glowing faces and the tingle of wine glasses. It made me think of Christmas. If I were to think back about London in the future, this would have been my dearest memory. We went back to have desert (thats two deserts for me) at the hotel lounge, laughed and talked the night away before twelve, else we turned into something else other than a pumpkin. My dad came back from his company dinner five minutes after us. They had chauffeured the global heads an hour out of London, which seemed ridiculous and then chaufeured them back, which took another whole hour.

I flew back the next day 10th June 2004

The thing I didn't like about UK was the food. I can't understand how the British could survive with such horrid food. The food at the Bar wasn't so bad, cheap too, but anywherelse was "half the standard of Singapore's worst hawker centre" as my father would have put it. I suppose none can compare to the food in Rome, good pizza, good pasta, good coffee, good gelato. The British drink so much that they needn't eat, as for me I live to eat in good food and sometimes with good pleasure.

:: Stuffy 6/12/2004 09:54:00 AM [+] ::
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