The Xbox
A brand-new Xbox sits at the corner of our living room TV altar, a testament to my family's miscommunicative tendencies. My dad doesn't really want one, because he hates spending money on frivolous stuff like that. I fear having one, because the lure to spend endless hours on it might prove too much for me. My mum doesn't know what it is. She asked me if it made the TV sound better.
So why did one end up in our house?? It's a long story which first began when my dad had a lobang to get a brand new one cheap, at $220. He asked me if I wanted it, and at the time I said I didn't mind one, because it could play games and DVDs. But still he balked at the price, so I thought the matter was closed. But my dad wanted a DVD player, so I mentioned I could extend my starhub contract by 2 years and get an Xbox free. He was non-committal, I didn't push very hard because I was still ambivalent about having an Xbox in the house. My mum, on the other hand, wanted dad to use up his Caltex petrol points to exchange for a panasonic DVD player before the offer expires. Dad was non-commital, so mum passed the petrol card to me so I could exchange it for the DVD player. I took my time about it, mainly because we didn't have a single DVD in the house so I wasn't too concerned. And then Dad bought the Xbox from his lobang. Why? I have no idea.
So now we have an Xbox with only 1 controller and a crappy game (Mechassault), and best of all, it CAN'T play any DVDs because we don't have one of those DVD playback kits which is sold seperately. Still, one good thing did come out of it, Dad and I had one of those father-son bonding moments as we rewired our living room sound system to accomodate the machine. I'm surprised we didn't start yelling at each other after 2 minutes, like we always do when we work together. It was oddly... satisfying.
So now I probably need to buy an extra controller, DVD kit, check out modding rates,
buy Jade Empire,
buy Jade Empire,
buy Jade Empire.. argh... i hope the game sucks so I can tell myself '
I told you so' when I finish playing it.
**Earworm of the week**
(Hey, I didn't coin that word. blame Justin Ang of 98.7 fm)
1)'They' by Jem (love the backing track!)
2) "1985" by Bowling for Soup (So funny!)
3) "Live like you were dying" by Tim McGraw (So uplifting!)
On Red Bull and other things
Oh-kay... lets try this again.
For the past 2 weeks I've resorted to drinking Red Bull as a pick-me-up, because I've been suffering from terrible headaches every morning when I wake. I figure there must be something wrong with me, be
cause sometimes even my neck muscles start cramping right before I wake. Maybe the terrible stress I'm going through is manifesting itself unconsciously while I'm sleeping. My parents think that I'm an addict, but what do they know? It's pretty common of the older, less consumer-savvy generation to be suspicious of what they don't understand. To them, the wierdass-performance-enhancing-chemicals-are-evil-drugs theory applies because their generation grew up believing that there are no easy short-cuts to results. Sadly, this very nice truism isn't true at all, and we have technology and science to thank for it. Our Ah Gongs and Ah Mahs can now watch their favourite Wayangs on DVD with Dolby Surround Sound and sub-woofer instead of trudging over to the performance stage at some empty field during the 7th month festival; They can now order traditional chinese medicinal herbs from online sinsehs and pay via online visa/mastercard transactions, instead of making an hour-long journey to some musky-smelling herb shop in a dark alley of Chinatown.
My point is, not everything that gives results so easily is harmful, illegal, evil or morally bankrupt. Red Bull isn't some quack-concoction based on traditional lore or superstitious mumbo-jumbo like those Ying-yang, heaty-cooling, looks-like-animal-penis-so-it-must-enhance-virility theories. Red bull is a piece of impressive beverage engineering, like other health formulations such as infant milk powders and body-building protein shakes. Lets see what they contain. Sugar, for fast energy boosts (duh). Taurine, an important amino acid that regulates a host of bodily functions and is added as a supplement in many products, such as baby milk powder and cat food. Caffeine, which is self-explanatory, and a host of other Vitamin B complexes, all within regulatory guidelines. So where's the dangerous part again? Oh, right. Its the caffeine. Did you know that caffeine works like a weak amphetamine(speed and ecstasy)? So technically, all of us coffee-drinkers are crackheads. And what happens when a very sizable world population(including most of the worlds leaders and law-makers) indulge in dangerous and self-destructive habits? Well, it becomes socially acceptable, just like smoking and drinking! Ah, but I digress. In short, Red Bull is most definitely not bull.
Lets see, what else is new in my life? I went for my 3rd in-line skating session last saturday, and finally learnt how to slalom ( i.e. blade in a serpentine-like motion by wagging my butt left and right repeatedly), crossover, and do that sharp outer-edge parallel turn that looks really cool if I don't smack my face on the pavement in the process of doing so.
Attended my cousin's 21st birthday, which was held at a Senior Citizen's karaoke lounge in Geylang Serai, and amply stocked with English and Chinese evergreens from the 1970s back to.. oh I dunno, 1800s? Nonetheless, I had lots of fun meeting all my cousins again, as well as those once-a-year relatives I see only during Chinese New Year.In fact, maybe some of my relatives thought it was still CNY, since some of them seemed to be organising gambling sessions after the party. With all the exuberent greetings and hand-shakings I almost expected to be handed some ang pows, but they all went to the birthday girl, who also at some point in time got handed a symbolic key. Hey girl, if you're reading this, it means you can start bringing boys home now, or more specifically, THE boy. ;-p The birthday cake was also carefully chosen to fit with the Nostalgia theme, for it was one of those huge square chocolate sponge cakes ( I think) with cream on top decorated in whirls at the edges. You know, the kind we used to celebrate our birthdays with back in 1980. All it was missing was the red-dyed wafer roses and carnations, which to this day even after many tastings, I still have no idea if they are edible or not. All in all, a fun family gathering for everyone. And if the numbers 6401 which my dear cousin picked out from a stack of cards strikes the top prize in 4D, We are going to have another great round of feasting.
I've almost run out of books to read. Over the past half-a-year, I've systematically taken out and re-read my entire book collection, including all my hundred or so fantasy novels, numerous Enid Blyton books and various popular classics. The only things now that I haven't read at least 3 times or more are 'Kim' by Rudyard Kipling, A Sherlock Holmes anthology of 4 novels, Don Quixote by Cervantes, and Lee Kwan Yew's Biography. I picked up Sherlock Holmes as the least of the 4 evils for my bed-time read. The stories are interesting, though by putting 4 novels together I found that Sir ACD repeated a lot of his plot techniques (Fox, what's the correct term for that?) that are hallmarks of Sherlock Holme's famed detective skill. Some trivia that might interest the reader are: The book was written in the first-person, from the perspective of Dr Watson. Also, Sherlock is a cocaine addict who routinely shoots crack intravenously (i.e. via a needle). Dr Watson is also a very easily aroused man, as you can tell from this passage which I quote:
"Now, Watson," said Holmes, rubbing his hands, "we have half an hour to ourselves. Let us make good use of it. My case is, as I have told you, almost complete, but we must not err on the side of overconfidence. Simple as the case seems now, there may be something deeper underlying it."
"Simple!", I ejaculated.
I suspect Dr Watson is gay and has a crush on Holmes, for he tends to do that at least once a novel, usually after Holmes speaks to him, or rubs his hands. Still Sir ACD is a brilliant writer who is able to capture the seedier side of 19th century industrialist London. He certainly doesn't shy away from writing controversial narratives, such as this:
".. you must not mind me bein' just a little short wi' you at first, for I'm guyed at by the children, and there's many a one just comes down this lane to knock me up."
Ah, the evil, evil children.
Oh well, its late, and I'm almost certain blogspot's gonna cleave my post in twain for its excessive length. I'm gonna curl up in bed and start "Hound of the Baskervilles". Damned. I've run out of Red Bull.
P.S. IVANNY! I need a place at your blog to comment leh. Where I don't need to sign up first. ;-p
I Hate Blogger
I hate Blogger. It ate up my post TWICE!!
FUCK!
After I spent an hour typing a long, long post, I have no energy left to redo it all over.
FUCK!
Storm in a teacup
So have you guys read
xiaxue's blog recently? Shocking isn't it? Yeah yeah, don't roll your eyes at me. I read her blog too. Not that I think its cerebral reading material.Its loud, vulgar, bitchy and rife with self-contradictory opinions and factual misconceptions. That's what I like about. it I am amazed at her uncanny knack for stirring up controversy. I'm referring to the one about the preacher at the funeral, of course.
The fun part for me is reading the comments of her readers and learning how people behave. Nowhere else can you find such a concentrated group of ... for the lack of a better term, dolts. Oh wait. There is a better term. Idiots. :-) Not all, of course. Some, smart enough to recognise it for a trollish post, abstain from commenting. Some frame honest, well-thought out arguments either supporting or slamming her. Others, probably fueled with righteous rage, leave long rambling rants expounding on their pet theories and belief systems which have little or nothing to do with the subject. Also, you see a small minority, probably choking in apoplexy at her termidity, become bereft of much of their vocabulary and thus have to communicate their indignation using only swear words like 'Fuck' or 'Bitch' or 'Slut'.
Is it the perfect place to study intra-societal communication and conflict dynamics or what? I suspect too, XiaXue is just lapping up the attention.
Go read go read! It is much fun!
*****
On a serious note though, I used to be a firebrand on the topic of religion. I hated the illogic of religion passionately, and I was all ready for verbal sparring with any bible-thumper to cross my path. Eh. What happened to me? I've mellowed so much. I'm no longer filled with that youthful indignation that the world is not ideal (according to my ideals, of course). I no longer have the zeal to change the world. Now all I want is to prettify my little corner of the universe and make it comfortable for me to live in.
Atheism is still a fundamental pillar of my personal philosophy, of course, but I'm content with letting the religious ppl do their thing, so long as they don't waste my time. Maybe its the final lesson I learnt, that you cannot pit reason against religion. And once the use of logic and rational thought becomes invalid as a common ground for discussion, there really isn't any 'reason' continue talking.
So, I guess I have a theory that goes like this: You don't hear atheists and free-thinkers 'preach' as much as some other religions, because, atheists, being ruled by reason, often come to the conclusion that arguing is pointless so it is better to conserve energy and shut up*, while religious zealots, being ruled by rules from gOd or gOds or books written by gOd(s)**, have a divine decree to close their mind and open their mouths for the Glory of their Lord!
*to give myself some wriggle room, I shall qualify that shut-up does not mean a 100% shut-up, since then I would be contradicting myself. Instead, it just means generally keeping our peace but speaking up occasionally.
**Another qualifier: Yes I know that's not really accurate for all religions but its a pretty theory so shush!
To end off a really pointless entry whose main purpose is really so that I can procrastinate writing my term paper for an hour or so, I shall finish it off with a nice quote:
"
We give too much respect to old traditions and beliefs. Only in a regressive society does one hold the value of the wisdom of their ancestors in higher regard than the wisdom of his contempories. Does modern thought count for nothing at all?" - Tempest Blue
What? Is there a rule that one cannot quote oneself?? ;-p
Why am I here?
So, comparisons to the other online blog/diary site I use are inevitable. I miss the incredible sense of community that Opendiary had fostered. You had stuff like 'Themed entries' and 'Vote your favourite entry', you had special interest groups, and a page that lets you see when any of your favourite diaries update. Its easy to browse through interesting diaries and note-drop.
Maybe blogspot does that too but if it does, I haven't found it. How do I find interesting blogs to read, for goodness sake? I tried the search box up top, but it keeps giving me blanks, regardless of what I search for. The dashboard interface has a 'recently updated' blog list, but frankly its just poor in comparison.
So why is blogspot so popular? hm. Maybe because its a community open to the WWW denizens to surf by. Maybe its the greater freedom to design your webpage via HTML. Maybe its the interface. I like the idea of having the blog entries in the centre, and permanent sidebars to contain your links and tagboards and stuff. With Opendiary I hardly even look at the frontpage of some of the diaries. Each entry exists in its individual page, which does hamper reading somewhat.
So why am I here? A good question. I think the only honest answer I can give is, so that I don't fall off the social radar. Its for the same reason I have Friendster, High 5, yahoo!groups etc etc, all maintained with minimal activity so that I don't get forgotten by my friends. Well, that, and maybe hopefully get lucky with girls.
1st proper entry
Hm. What to write? As always, when starting up a new blog I agonise over how much detail to include. Should I reveal my real name? Should I post my picture? Should I bitch about family and friends, and agonise over my personal neuroses and troubles?
On one hand, being open with my identity helps me connect better with readers. My relatives and friends can keep in touch with my life (non-existent as it is). On the other hand, I will then never be able to write what I truly feel, for fear of being judged, for I would have lost the armour of anonymity. Yes, in an ideal world each man(and woman) should have no fear of standing up for what they believe. But this is not an ideal world, nor I a perfect being. I have skeletons in the closet, ranging from mildly tacky, eccentric ones I’m just slightly embarrassed about, to dark, shadowy demons that should never see the light of day.
Would I be able to write comfortably about how I dislike a certain friend, or relative? Would I feel at ease writing about personal issues like depression, loneliness, suicidal thoughts, slashing wrists, exotic sexcapades, crime, drug abuse (most of which I have not experienced before, but could!), if I knew the people I know are monitoring what I say? The answer is no. With my face and name on a blog, everything word I write will come under heavy scrutiny before publishing, edited to portray me as a normal, well-adjusted guy with slightly unique quirkiness (just like everyone else). I will have averagely interesting adventures in everyday life, and have clean, socially acceptable thoughts and views that range from the ‘mildly salacious’ to ‘moderately introspective’.
Then again, a blog is hardly the ideal repository for the deep, dark secrets of the soul. No. It is a display case to exhibit the Self. It is a personal space which we decorate with curious nick-nacks and shiny, glossy, attention-grabbing stuff, just like how we decorate our bedrooms. It is a cry out to cyberspace “Look at me! Look at me! I think! I feel! I
AM!”
And this is exactly how I will treat this blog, so all you guys will never know from here if I am a BDSM-loving fascist-nazi with three nipples and a fetish for blond buttcrack-hair. ;-p
After all, I’m only a normal, well-adjusted guy with just some slightly unique quirkiness, just like everybody else. Right?
La di dah
La di dah. Porpoises were sacrificed and brain matter extracted and homogenised. It still doesn't amount to a proper entry. Further testing continues.
Test
For Testing Porpoises
