:: Tossed Salad and Scramble Eggs ::

:: Saturday, April 29, 2006 ::

After much 'prayer and petition', I manage to pull through last week with three heavy assignments, so I must remember to keep that in my thanksgiving.

Went out with Jan, Rainbow, Edwin and Joyce. Joyce is back! Its great to see her again after a year, so I hope to see her more often soon enough especially when next year starts.

Went to Birmingham for Chinese food and shopping. Since I spent and spent and overspent during my holidays, I went to tiao kah with hokkien brudder and drink kopi while waiting for those char bos to finish their here-there shopping. Accept that, today's hokkien peng, more higher class, so we upgrade to Starbucks. Ok, this is besides the point, what I really meant to say is...

Its been a while since I actually hung out at Starbucks and talked for hours. I mean thats what I used to do back then in Singapore. Hung out with the gang at Starbucks Siglap, hung out with the Gulab Jamun sisters in Starbucks Siglap, studied with Ming Hui at Millenia Starbucks in J1, bumped into Jason at Starbucs Siglap, a great number of going outs always end up at starbucks because of me - I should really take over the franchise by now. It used to be just another cafe, but on hindsight, I mostly entertained there because of the ambience and all.

Yea, I missed, just hanging out and talking for hours on end at those places with background tunes from the oldies. In fact, sometimes I spent so much time there, that I know what Disc track they'd play, which season. During June, it'll be those latin, mumbo smooth rhythms, but my favourite time of the year is always Christmas at Starbucks because of the old classic Chestnut-roasted songs from Nat King Cole. Yea, I should seriously consider buying over the franchise.

Anyway, to more serious stuff.

1. NYC photos need to resized...sigh
2. Exams
3. book flight tickets
4. research project summary
5. wait for Mich and Jason to come

Read this from a friend's blog, and found it really inspiring.

Erik Ringmar, a Senior Lecturer at the LSE Government Department, gave a speech at LSE's Open Day. He was reprimanded and ordered by the Covenor to shut down his blog.


"I know we are expected to ’sell’ our programme to you. An undergraduate is today worth 3000 pounds and there is competition between universities for this money. Unfortunately I don’t have a sales-pitch. In fact, I don’t even have a Powerpoint presentation. However, I will try my best to talk truthfully about the student experience at the School as I have come to understand it. When it comes to a great institutions such as ours, the truth is always the best recruiting tool."

"After all, the greatness of a scholar is measured in terms of output — that is, research. It is more than anything the number of books and articles written that matters to academic promotions. If you want a high-flying academic career you have to publish.

This means that the first-class teachers usually will have their minds elsewhere than on undergraduate teaching. They might be away on conferences, and even if they are not absent in body, they may be absent in mind. This is too bad of course. In fact it could indeed be that students have more opportunities for interaction with faculty members at lesser institutions — like the London Metropolitan University, say — where research is less heavily emphasised. I don’t know.

What I do know is that the in-class student experience often differs very little between the LSE and a place such as the London Metropolitan University. This may surprise you but it something students tell me. Instinctively I rebel against this conclusion, but I have come to believe that the students who make this point are correct.

Think about it! The kinds of courses taught at undergraduate level are pretty much the same everywhere you go. The courses use the same kinds of reading lists, with the same kinds of books, set the same kinds of exam questions … The lecturers too are not that different from each other. This is easily explained. Often after all we went to the same universities"



"You will all play your respective parts in perpetuating the British class systtem, or the class system of whatever country you happen to be from. This too is a meaning of the term ‘elite’ institution.

What can you do about it? Not very much of course. Except that you can stand up for the things that we actually did teach you. You can stand up for the content of your education and not just the form. The ideas, the insights, the thoughts and the dreams. You can stand up for a human, and humane, way of living; the sheer joy of thinking and of exploring.

Employers may try to take these basic pleasures away from you. In fact, I know they will. But together we will insist on their importance. As an LSE student we will make sure that these lessons stay with you for life.''

''They’ve sent out a pre-prepared Powerpoint presentation with the official sales-pitch which I am expected to talk over. A pre-prepared Powerpoint presentation!!! Who are they kidding??? I have two PhDs and a conscience; I don’t go into a classroom with someone else’s Powerpoints... Surely the fundamental, underlying, problem is the commercialisation of education...When education becomes a commodity, academics too must become salesmen with a sales-pitch...Such commercialisation militates against our obligation to speak the truth as we see it. I’m not a salesman and I don’t have a sales-pitch. That’s not how I was trained and it’s not what I take my job to require...What a great business idea — to turn people with integrity into salemen!''

:: Stuffy 4/29/2006 05:57:00 PM [+] ::
...

Essay completion: 85%

My accomodation contrate just came in. Next year, Heronbank! Heronbank has all the comforts and its the only accomodation with an ensuite toilet and a scenic view of a huge pond with geese, ducks and swans. Its quiet - hopefully - and far away from campus despite being a campus accomodation. Only problem is that everyonelse that I know are staying in Tocil, Claycroft and Hurst. I'm quite fine with that cause that means I get to take long walks down to campus when I feel like being sociable.

But I'll miss having my own house with housemates to go with it. I'm not talking about just any housemates, but housemates who should all win a 'Housemates of the Year' award - The Best. For almost a year, I now know what its like to have an older brother. Sure, I might be irriated at Hub's stereo base music and him not washing his dishes, and procrastinating taking out the trash, but I'll probably miss his occasional humming of Christian Hymns which sometime go out of tune, him nagging at my eating habits. I now know what its like to have an older sister. Although I might be annoyed with Rainbow's knocking on my door while I'm busy with work, I appreciate our long insightful conversations and cook outs. She takes good care of me and my diet. And shes probably the most caring. Jan, Jans like my twin. We get annoyed at each under for no reason during stressful periods but we often get along on alot of other grounds. Even with my annoying her with my telephone calls, she never fails to remain optimistic on things.

Yep, we know each other's idiosyncracies. Hub's awful sleeping hours and my odd meal times, Jan's waking up at 8am in the morning and Rainbow's coming back at 2am from Jim's place. Will miss my having my own house with housemates when I move back to Uni dorms. I quite enjoy having my own house.

:: Stuffy 4/22/2006 02:37:00 PM [+] ::
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I'm beginning to think that all I'm ever doing is writing a series of random posts (the evidence of this is the inability to attach a title to the post because it has become a stray of random thoughts without category, lest I title them Random I, Random II, Random III and so forth).

Because my previous post reflected my less-than-satisfied half post, I shall continue my daydream to pull me away from my concerntration and work - 'pull' not being used positively here.

So all I want to do right now is go shopping, not in London, but in NY where I could go back and forth the SoHo stretch. Or lounge in a cafe with a Starbucks Java Chip Frap. Or take a walk down St James Park in London. Or watch movies and eat ice cream with PohPoh. Or go restaurant hopping. Or a long biblical debate with anyone, so that I could be enlightened and have something to relfect a upon.

Speaking of which, I took a liking to reading Weiliang's blog (linked on the left). Theres just so much depth and thought being put into those words. I admire the way he wears his thoughts on his sleeves and development them into food for thought for himself and his readers (how considerate!). Just leaves me so much to think about. Its very encouraging.

Also, and I presume that this will be to little effect, I'm currenlty in search of anyone who would be able to provide me with information on Asian American Diaspora in California. Asian Americans or with academics who have a research interests in the subject are greatly appreciated. Thanks - Special thanks to David whose given me a contact name.

:: Stuffy 4/17/2006 01:19:00 PM [+] ::
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Sarah, I don't mean to say 'telepathy girlfriend!' I was about to write a I'd-rather-be-anywherelse-than-here entry until I saw that it would have been similar to yours. Of course, I've never exactly been to KL, so I can't say that I would like to go there. Not to add, when I was younger (in primary school) I was always made to go to JB with my parents. My impression? Tragic. It was plantation infested and only old men go to Palm Resort to play golf while they wives and children go off to the swimming pool. I dreaded it. I'm giving JB a bad tourist report and never going there again.

I've been trying to make my own milk tea, and I think i'm getting there, accept that I suspect that if I were to use condensed milk, it would taste alot more like the real thing - Real thing being Quickly bubble tea in Berkeley, SF. Anyway, about real things and trying to make imitations out of them was the main reason why I wanted to write a I would rather be anywherelse than here post. I miss fancy New York style cakes and Starbucks Fraps.

So any, after being pent up in the house for the last few days trying to organise my thoughts into an essay on Cooperation in International Relations, I would rather be ANY WHERE ELSE THAN HERE! But there is a larger more serious point looming. My concerntration is gone and I'm too easily distracted. I shouldn't even be writing this post or waiting for my NY pictures to be loaded up so that I could post them. I should be studying and I should be finishing my one last assignment which is due in ten days. I'm not even anxious?

But well, the weather has been clearing up and its bright and sunny. All the more, I shouldn't be kept at home. I hope tomorrow will be a bright Easter Sunday! A rather significant Christ-rose-again Sunday! Glee is me.

:: Stuffy 4/15/2006 05:57:00 PM [+] ::
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I'm now back in Warwick recovering from dry-eyed-ezyma syndrome, city-withdrawal syndrome and poh-poh-withdrawal syndrome ad slept for most of the day.

I watched Capote on the plane. Theres something about that high-pitched lisp that Capote has which makes it difficult for anyone to take him serious. And his thick huge glasses like Elton John's just add to the satire. It was difficult for me to brush those idiosyncracies aside, but when I did, I realised that he truly was a man of great insights. I've read snippets of his writings before (however little) but after seeing the film Capote, it really inspired me to want to pick up a copy of 'In Cold Blood' and read it - that is, when I actually have the time because of assingments and researh constraints.

Anyway will try to get NY pics up before school starts. I love the big city, its like a great big movie set. So fun!

:: Stuffy 4/11/2006 03:50:00 PM [+] ::
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Perculiarities

I was on the BART to do a one day shopping spree in SF before I leave in two days when I saw a middle aged women reading a book on '7 points to lead a fullfilling life' (to be more specific, she was a black middle aged women, but th key point here is not her race but her age). What is it with middle aged women and reading books on methodologies for life!? I wonder if I would actually start reading them once I turn 40, although I seem to think that I don't require 'dubious money-making products'. Well yes, I would actually be evangelical and tell you that my methodology of leading a fulfilled life is believing in God, although this statement has alot of implications and requires alot more understanding, so for reasong and explainations of whys and hows, I'd prefer it if interested parties send me a private email.

Anyway, I spent the day SF and spent 200 USD again, but on quite important things like a GRE book and a Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger's collection, both of which were discounted at 25% at Borders. The bulk of my other spending went to Victoria Secrets. I found the sales concept of Victoria Secrets very interesting. They're stuff are neatly categorized into sizes, so when you go to the changing room, they just pull out a box which match your size and give it to you. Its quick and easy, and you obviously feel like buying more. I'm not patronizing Triumph any longer. But this is just a subset of a larger point.

The big picture is - Americans have such creative ways of marketing their products and their marketing concepts are one of the best I've seen so far. My experience in Palo Alto last summer was also another case in point. I visited a shoe shop and when you pick out a pair and ask for your personal shoe size, the sales person comes back with 3 other pairs of the store's choice for you to try on as well. Not that this concept isn't practice elsewhere, it is practiced on alot of online shopping sites (ASOS being one, right JinHua?!) but it was just refreshing to actually see it carried otu physically. I bet you, LA's shopping disctrict near Sunset Boulevard probably have appoint-made-only shops with similar concepts, but only more enhanced.

With that said, I'm not shopaholic, and my shopping only comes in spurts (and is not a constant thing), especially since I'm a country bummpkin in Warwick.

I'll update more about New York when I have the time.

:: Stuffy 4/06/2006 11:45:00 PM [+] ::
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