150
You know, the more I read Atonement, the more I find myself identifying with Robbie.
Well it's been 150 posts, and this has sure been a productive tenure at this website. At least the servers don't crash as badly as over at FOD. These pages have seen a lot, I think. More than you guys realise, actually. There has definitely been a wider spread of experience...from the depths of hatred to the exalted heights of wonder. But the defining thing about :resilience, I think, is that it contains so much more happiness. Yep, I think it's safe to say that this second year of JC starting with the Taiwan phase of Texprog has been the happiest recorded time of my life as yet (if only by virtue of the fact that the records of the first part of this happiest time were lost in the hacker attack on FOD). A solid feeling of equilibrium and constant surprise at, frankly, how happy life can be.
And of course there are many people that I owe it to, workmates, classmates, friends, old hands, family even. You only have to flip through these pages to see how many times these people have saved me from descending into the old cycle of boom-and-bust happiness and depression. Maybe that's the thing...this diary has seen the unprecedented state in which my social circle has attained the critical mass to contain at least some happy people all the time =P
And to top it off there actually is something interesting to write about today! Unfortunately due to privacy reasons I don't think I'm at liberty to write about it yet. It just makes one pause and reflect on how one got here, what kind of intersection of unforseen and unseen forces washed me up onto this particular juncture of life. And where to go from here. Looking ahead there's only a blank, terrifying in a way because it is so vast and unpredictable, with no discernible pattern, but exhilarating too, because it's up to you to fill it. And it's not all dark, after all...look to the people. Therein lies the continuity. Some things don't have to change.
Pondering on Texprog
Heh Kueh, was supposed to go in the week just before Christmas, but it doesn't seem to be likely now. Must find some other way to escape apparently.
Arh...and the desire to go somewhere deepened today. Got letters from Taipei...it was a nice surprise, just when I was thinking about the kids over there. Hmm apparently one of my letters over there got lost in the mail...that was the package containing one of the National Day shirts. Bleah that was a stroke of bad luck, for starters because it was so expensive. And it would have been cool...the shirts were coordinated, and if both of them got it it would have been something to behold. A fragment of Singaporean nationalism in Taiwan =P
Ah well, all the same it's really good to hear from the kids again. There really is something about having a physical letter that adds an indefinable significance to the message. At the Nat Lib now they have an exhibition of strange and wonderful books that fold out to fantastic shapes such that the physical form of the pages actually adds to the meaning of the poems that are printed on them. That's the same feeling as the letters...having physical paper and ink makes it feel more substantial. If only because it takes more trouble to write a letter by hand =P
Arh I want to see them again! Pining for those days back last year this time. For Texprog didn't write so many stories as for Frexprog One, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't anything to write. I guess besides the lack of time there's also a feeling that Texprog was...more precious, in a way. In a way that defies my powers of expression. There's a feeling that if I write it out I'll be cheapening it, soiling it with my tendency to pitch for the sentimental.
I will always have my pictures, I guess.
And now that the exams are coming to an end I'll really have the time to construct a Christmas present for the kids in Taiwan =) Want to compile a photo album of Singapore in Christmastime for them...and luckily enough there seems to be no shortage of Christmas spectaculars to photograph downtown this year! Heh speaking of photos I'd also like to update lumière with the RJGE pictures. Got quite a backlog to clear.
Ah well we'll get started on that on Tue. But for now, still need to hunker down for the S papers. And to try not to think too much about Taiwan.
After Lit 3
My brother wants to become an industrial designer. And actually I can't see anything that should stop him. There's good money to be got in that kind of work, especially now that everything is about style and design. And now seeing the book that he helped to publish, it's a real sign of his skill. Most sleek! Hehheh, ironically it's A Guide to the English Language Arts, but it's really quite ingenious I think. An idea that originated with Mrs Teo in our batch and finally coming to fruition in my brother's batch. There's continuity for you in the historically minded. But beyond the tangential personal connection I think it's worthwhile. And not just for the ironic value. I daresay it's even better than but,, if only because it has no pretensions towards being something litty and profound. This book...it's straightforward. Approachable. Lit without the affectations, which is always the best form of lit. Writers who are using words, not just hiding behind them.
Heh finished Lit today. Not a bad paper. Was rather happy that Marlow as narrator actually did come out, and was able to talk about all that modernist or existentialist stuff about the communication problem. The only gripe was with Albee, which in retrospect I took the wrong approach with. Tried to thematically separate ideas that are, in the play, intricately intertwined. On hindsight it probably would have been a better idea to go chronologically to demonstrate how the complexity of the plot develops. But ah well...that's it. A final tribute to a splendidly crafted play. I want to watch it performed!
Lunch today was fun, and at the same time tinged with tragedy. Because everyone there was free to go to watch HP4, whereas me and Soph were committed to reading for Hist S. Mmm but it's been a long time since I've been in a group that big having such a carefree lunch. The end of the battles is near, and we're already feeling the first of its effects. The exams seem now like something that just needs mopping up, for the most part already wrapped up. It won't be long before we can guiltlessly enjoy the Christmas spirit that's bubbling up all over the place.
But the Sarawak trip is in jeopardy! Now that there are too few people going the trip's in real danger of falling through. And I had been really looking forward to getting off this island, to anywhere else. Just need to go somewhere where I can immerse myself in total anonymity I guess. What I really want to do is to go back to Taipei. That would be perfect. But probably it's too far away, and too expensive...so maybe somewhere nearer. Thailand, Vietnam. Malaysia even. For a few days at least. Mmm...it's some kind of break I want.
Hmm PSC called the other day...and found out that if I say I want to go to France, they'll actually do the applications for me! Heh suddenly Sorbonne seems much more attractive. But then I still have to ask myself what on earth I can do there. History would be interesting, I suppose, what with the Annales school and the cliometricians and all sorts of radical offshoots from all the social sciences having come from France. Heh, one could think that they were being deliberately difficult to reassert their intellectual prowess in the world =P But then what would I do with the diploma when I come back here? Do people even know what the Sorbonne is? Hmm...but all the same it's a new avenue, something to think about.
Boredom
Bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored bored.
That didn't help much.
Heh...it really isn't that bad. Relishing the feeling of having not enough stuff to fill the whole day now. The only thing is that I wish I didn't feel guilty when I'm stoning, because we all know that though the war is effectively over it's not won yet, and there's always the suspicion that you could be missing out on something crucial that could make or break your future. And so though I'm out of things to do I still think I should be doing something. And then I go over my old stuff, again and again.
It's not too bad also because it's lit, and lit is fun. Has been fun so far. The papers have been rather kind to us, they've been doable, and they've been instrumental in restoring my self-confidence especially after the History papers. Been doing Conrad and Albee, and the latter especially is fun because it feels like you're memorising a script to be performed. Linguistically Albee is no Shakespeare, but his plot is designed so intricately that analysing quotes is so much more exciting. You keep uncovering patterns that are substantial enough that you can't really ignore them as accidental and not intentional on his part.
People still focused on the exams though. I wonder if it's usually like this, across the cohort, and over the years. Is it that people will only breathe a sigh of relief when the last paper is over? What then? Do people just switch channels, and then four weeks worth of repressed energy just explodes in an orgy of ecstasy? Nowadays I can't focus on the exams anymore, because there are so few left, and none of them connote anything particularly threatening, and the end is in sight, and it's so much more beguiling than the present.
Hmm...I guess I wouldn't be writing this if I were not in the position I am in now. A lot of strange things intersected to produce this situation. There is no denying that I am blessed and fortunate (from a certain point of view at least). And yet, when I try to imagine myself without all these grades, without all the confidence that everyone seems to have in me, I still can't see myself that tightly focused on the exams. It hasn't been a big thing in this family. I guess you could say that my position now is an accidental byproduct of my family just demanding our best from each of us, and nothing more, nothing less. No matter what, though, there's something that we all keep intact - a sense of perspective.
Anyway this should be the end of my whining about having nobody willing to do anything but study. From tomorrow onwards till at least Saturday I've planned stuff to do. Do the reading for Hist S (find the Annales books again and get reinspired, and maybe do a spot of I Hist reading too), then do the Lit S quote thematisers (how else does one prepare for that exam?). Should be a nice pace, leaving much time still to do other stuff, and to prevent me from getting bored of the studying in turn.
* * * * *
And to think a year ago I was in Taiwan. Hehheh, those were good times...good times. I do miss the kids, and Young's family too. It was really a magical time, though it was short, and I don't think I was ever happier than when I was there. Everything was just in place. You don't expect such powerful relationships to form over a period of two weeks, but maybe, maybe, because of the shortness of the time everyone was more dedicated to the whole endeavour, and every moment was thus intensified. To be sure, everything was vivid at the point of time.
Adventure. Friendship. New faces, new situations. The lure of the unfamiliar. I think that's what I really want now. Not exactly boredom (though boredom is a really nice novelty) but...carefreeness. Yes. To be carefree. That was why Taiwan was so great.
End of the Week
Well then it is almost the end already. Have already entered an Econs-free world, and hopefully, if things work out as planned, I'll never have to understand how the money economy works ever again! =) Econs was alright...Lit was fun yesterday. History, though, was disgusting. I can't believe that they repeated questions! Tat was a deliberate blindsiding tactic. It doesn't even show that you shouldn't spot; it just proves that those who spot the best will earn the most. I don't know exactly what they intended to do with that paper, to deliberately catch us out like that. What exactly are they seeking to represent with that paper?
Bah...stupid I Hist questions that totally put all that effort of studying to waste. That's the most disgusting part about it; the waste. I could have been doing other things besides studying all the complexities of the issues, if they go an set a paper that is hardly properly historical at all. Factual recall; that's a scientific skill, not a historically analytical one. (I realise I must sound so stuck up...but that's what I really felt. It's like being tested on History by bureaucrats who've never studied History themselves. Two years of education down the drain.)
Hmm come to think of it the papers this year were rather wierd. Actually maybe every batch thinks that their year is wierd, but it does seem that this time round they're trying deliberately to catch us out. Either the questions are trickily phrased or they are decapitatingly boring. The only one is Lit, which is still all right, since it offers so much space for personal response anyway. The PC was fun! They were really kind with the poetry comparison, and the drama piece was a really modern one from Stoppard's Indian Ink(1995)! Mmm absurdism and all that. The thing about that piece, I thought, was not really its linguistic style, which wasn't very remarkable, but the stageplay, the technical side of it, the way the entire range of dramatic tools (not just the language) was used for a psychological analysis. Had lots of fun delving into the complexities. The only thing is that I hope I was being clear enough and not going around in circles.
Was out with the 4N kids on Thu, and yesterday the 1A guys as well. Mmm Pepper Lunch is really yummy! You've got to have Japs to come up with such a concept, to give you a hotplate with raw food and then ask you to cook it yourself, and make you pay more for the privilege =P Well, the food is tastier, and the concept is rather nifty, I guess. Anyway it felt good to have that kind of luxury again...the luxury of having time to burn. Now that almost all the papers are over we can start going back to our real lives again. Look up at the decorations and discover with delight that Christmas is almost here!
I don't know why people find that real life is tedious. I always find that it cheers me up. Maybe it's just a matter of terminology, but I don't consider my school existence real life. There's a certain feeling of safety and comfort when you're in real life, when you know all your pretensions can be dropped, and there's no need to keep up appearances. That kind of feeling you can find in being with old friends, or alternatively in the anonymity of the sidewalk.
After Lit 1
Ooh fusion Indian music owns! Was down at Esplanade desperately trying to cheer myself up after E Hist on Saturday, and went down to catch the free performance. They have this Indian arts fest thing going on now, which is really quite cool, especially their music offerings. As it happened this fusion Indian band from KL was playing. Prana, they're called, which allegedly means "Life Breath" in Sanskrit. And wow that was a really cool show! First time I saw a sitar played live, and it was a real sight to behold...the magnificence of such a tall instrument, the dignity of the cross-legged player, and the magic of those quick, lithe fingers. All really impressive.
And the songs themselves...strange blends they achieved, with Indian sounds but Western, Malay and even Arabic rhythms. They had a guitarist who was really pro with the fingerstyle feats, but I was extremely impressed with the sitar imitated those finger acrobatics. All in all a really delightful performance, really surprising at every turn. Fusion makes you look at music from different perspectives; you're like examining the conventional familiar sounds that make up a standard musical style (like country or Chinese) through the refracted perspective of unconventional instruments. Every style tinged and made compelling by by the Indian flavour.
Heh was impressed enough to immediately pick up their CD on the spot. And you could tell they made a great impact. The audience warmed up quickly this time (maybe cos the sound was so intrugiung, and it wasn't rock =P), and the CDs were snapped up really quickly.
Anyway I love Esplanade...never fails to cheer me up whenever I go there. For forty-five minutes you can forget who you are and just enjoy the sea breeze and the evening air and the music. Being among people who are unselfconsciously on holiday and enjoying themselves is therapeutic in itself =P Anyway was also dabbling into Atonement on Saturday...determined now that I should memorise part of my books, because I simply have no time to hunt the quotes down on the spot.
In fact am really looking forward to the end of Thursday...with the end of I Hist there won't be anything left but Lit and the S Papers. Can start to indulge in the reading for Hist S again...revisit the faithful old Annales historians who have carried me safely through two S Paper tests. And of course can reopen Atonement and Gut Symmetries, and feel happy again doing stuff that I want to do. Not that normal A Levels aren't entertaining. But the exams are really becoming such a drag. Heh, especially Econs...really can't stand to study it anymore. Which is why I'm here, though I probably should be taking deep draughts from the Holy Grail of Ray's models.
Heh we were saying that we should go out and watch a movie on Thu, and I for one am all for it! Can start feeling like part of the real world again, start to feel all that Christmas cheer and all =P And HP5 comes out on Thu, conveniently.
Well...shall see how it goes tomorrow. I hope my econs skills hold out. Essays are always rather shaky. And today one of the sch's econs teachers delivered a delphic prophecy that we should expect the questions tmr to be phrased strangely. I wonder what that even means. I mean, the prediction is vague enough to be almost certainly true, and thus inherently useless, but the source is so important that this can't really be dismissed out of hand. And so we end up in the position of thinking something important is up, but without the peace of mind of knowing exactly what we should expect. Heh the main effect of the prediction, I think, is to heighten our stress without giving us a real outlet for it.
Oh btw Lit today was fun. Did 2 essays, one on Hardy and the other on A&C. I feel accomplished! As if all that work memorising had finally paid off in my first Hardy essay ever. It occured to me that perhaps it wasn't a good idea to try out Hardy essays for the first time in the actual exam, but in the end I think it went off well enough. And by a strange twist of fate (for providence is nothing if not coquettish!) for the first time in my life I spotted correctly - the PBQ I was doing yesterday with Soph actually came out today! Was rather surprised, then happily plunged into it =P
After E Hist
Bah really irritated with myself. Can't believe what I did today in E Hist...did the Dictators question and also the wildcard question, which was also on dictatorships. Well actually it was on the similarities and differences between Fascism and Marxism, but effectively because of that choice I did essays on all three dictators and effectively dumped three of my five topics. What a waste, the more I think about it, the more I think I should have done unification even though I never liked that topic. The thing about Dictators was that it was fun to do, the info was just there for the picking, but there was too much info and not enough time...no time to really organise it into a cogent and persuasive whole.
First time that I had to dump a point for an essay. There was just too much to write. And after the thing it suddenly occured to me that there was another point that I could have added in that was worth sacrificing a bit of the political analysis for. When you're doing the thing you don't have the luxury of time to decide what is really important and what is not. It's psychologically reassuring to just keep writing. And when you have too much information then it becomes dangerous and the argument can go out of control. What I shall do for I Hist is to stop reading new stuff now, and just organise my facts into usable units. Bah must prioritise the points next time.
I think I should have done the Prussia question. Had all the info, just didn't like the question, which wasn't very entertaining. In fact the questions in this paper were by and large not interesting...lots of listing factors questions. Doable, but boring. But next time I think I should just be pragmatic and not indulge myself. Just do what is doable, do it well, and force myself to like it.
Bleah ah well...should stop thinking about it. Exorcising myself of it here. It's not that the essay was bad per se, I felt it was passable. Just didn't think I did the question justice. Didn't feel like I was doing myself justice, by dumping one more topic than necessary. A waste lar, it was a waste. That's why it feels so bad.
After Maths
A short note here...we've finished our maths papers! Well, not too bad. Challenging stuff though...didn't have the luxury of being bored for those papers. Paper 2's statistics section was particularly fiendish I thought. Hmm but hopefully I didn't make too many careless mistakes.
So that's it for mathematics. If everything goes as planned that'd be the last maths exam I'll ever take in my life. Heh, I wonder how much of the maths skills will persist in memory after this year. On the one hand it's a bit of a pity, after putting in so much work, to have everything undone by forgetting. On the other hand it just goes to prove that in daily life we'll never come across circumstances that require like differentiation or imaginary numbers.
But with the end of maths comes the beginning of the heavy essay subjects. Especially E Hist, which happens tomorrow. Right after this I'll be going off to study more Dictators and WW1. I'll be much happier after E Hist, I think, with the release of the obligation to remember all those facts and quotes. At least until S Hist anyway.
Heh a few of us were discussing plans for next Friday, which is the effective end to the A's since after that there's only Lit 3 and the S papers. I personally want to go watch Harry Potter! Eager to see what the movie makers made of the fourth book. I'd also like to see what Voldemort looks like =P Hopefully they didn't have to cut out too much, though given the size of the book maybe they should have broken up the story into two movies or something. I remember that number four was the most entertaining of all the HP reads...I think because of the excitement of the competitions and the puzzles, and the exquisite vexation of Rita Skeeter. Heh, Rowling does pull off stereotype characters very powerfully...
Last Day Before
How surreal is this...it feels like we're all trapped in some kind of time warp...everywhere around us people are getting ready for the holidays. Christmas lights are out, end-of-year sales are beginning, soon they'll be piping in the holiday music, and Goblet of Fire has premiered in the UK. And we're still stuck studying stuff like international trade. It just doesn't feel...natural. Especially when you think of it, so little of what we're doing now will actually matter in a month's time.
(I realise that Econs is like the Physics of the humanities...you have a set of principles that don't apply all the time, and you have to choose the right models for each set of circumstances, and you learn it all with the knowledge that you'll never need to see most of it ever again. Bleah. Very frustrating, macroeconomics. I shall be much happier when next week is over.)
Hmm but on the bright side at least it's about to happen. Sixteen hours to go until the last lap of this twelve-year sojourn through the halls of academia starts. At this point I really am impatient for it to just happen and go away. Heh, the Christmas trees are beckoning =P
And well...the year is finally winding to a close. It has definitely been worthwhile. These two years have, all things considered, been the happiest time of my life, I have to say. Not the most pleasant, not the most eye-opening. Just more in equilibrium. And in this balance, yes, even school has contributed in some way. Given a different set of circumstances I don't know whether I could be happier. Not that my dreams have come true. But I have more dreams now.
Right...melodrama over. I shall do my yearly summary of everything on Christmas, as usual, so you guys can wax lyrical with me on the 25th =P For now, though, it's time to hunker down and get this thing done! To everyone, may you have clarity of mind, calmness of heart and precision of expression as we enter this the greatest of our tests. May you be kept safe and satisfied as these weeks pass.
As for me...I'll survive, I guess. It's just something we all have to do. Like NS, which, from this perspective, is actually looking quite promising (I actually had a dream about it last night...was sent to OCS, but then reported to the wrong unit, and I woke up just before some sergeant condemned me to an eternity scrubbing the toilets). Shall have a trip to look forward to at the end of the year...it's rather timely, really, how these trips appear at the times when I really need something to support the spirit. It's a marker that shows that there's an end to this gloom =P
Onward! I shall see you guys on the other side of the brink.
Back to Esplanade Again
I think what International Economy is in I Hist is an attempt to include something vaguely social-history-like in our history syllabus. Everything else is basically political history. But economic history seems so...dodgy. No detailed facts, you end up describing the systems rather than now people responded to it, and altogether the topic seems to lack the rigour of the Russian Rev or the end of the Cold War or something like that. Heh, and it's just weird to try writing about Bretton Woods without delving into explaining how the fixed peg works in economics terms.
But tonight I am happy =) Went down to Esplanade again, and today they had a local band Rafe and another band Bad for the Boys playing. Striking thing was how much foreign talent there was...Rafe had two Indonesians, and the other was totally Filipino if I'm not wrong. And, come to think of it, it's also surprising how much local talent there was. Mmm Singapore's home-grown singers and drummers aren't too bad really.
Fantastic stuff tonight. Heh, it also demonstrated the need for the performers to enjoy themselves onstage. Took a while for the audience to warm up...a long while, so Rafe who played first was a bit short-changed by the stony response. But by the time Bad for the Boys came up the crowd was ready. And partly I think also the average age of the crowd decreased over time. At the start they couldn't even get the people to clap along, but by the end people were singing along with them, and that, I think, is quite an achievement. It did help tremendously that the performers looked at ease on stage and genuinely happy to perform for the audience. Heh, especially the female lead for Bad for the Boys, who was really really enthusiastic with that mike =P
It was really surprising. Practically everything they played are among my favourites...Evanescence's Wake Me Up, then, to my great surprise, Creed's My Sacrifice, and then they ended off with an amazing rendition of Sweet Child of Mine. That guitarist just took my breath away...such speed and precision that I've never seen live before, and what stage presence! And that was the one that really got everyone going. It was exhilarating, to hear the opening riffs for Sweet Child, like the bell of an ice-cream truck promising a visual treat to come. And everyone knew it.
And it was rather dramatic too, because as the bands played the skyscrapers downtown were lit up on this working day, and there were regular flashes of lightning tracing out the contours of the clouds in the background. Was particularly moved when, in the middle of My Sacrifice, the drums and the lightning cut in at the same time. What more special effects can you ask for? =P And Super Mario (DJ by day, singer for Bad for the Boys by night) said something interesting...that we owed it to our local bands to support them. That he wasn't even Singaporean, but he loved the Singaporean music scene. Interesting, isn't it? Most people would think that the Singaporean songwriting scene is rather barren (I'd agree) - but we do have the raw material now, the instrumental talent, the vocals. All we need is a bit of inspiration, something to sing about. And support from the public. The trouble with denigrating local art is that it tends to be a self-fulfilling prejudice, don't you think?
Mmm but it was a nice end-off to today's punishing work schedule. It really balances off nicely all the stress and frustration of the day, to break out in a bit of reveling at night. I wonder how people cope with studying non-stop all day? It's something that would throw me entirely off equilibrium.
Well, anyway, whatever the case, we're within days of the start of the last round in this schooling game. Got an ecard from our old Chinese teacher, and was surprised that I could still read the Chinese! =) But yeah...time is running low, and we'll soon be called up to the starting line. Hang in there, everyone! It's gonna be all right...
Back to Esplanade
Was wandering around downtown for somewhere to study, having run into the holiday crowd. The Esplanade side was totally stuffed with people, so the old Marina Square solution wasn't tenable. Then I figured that I'd cross the river since it's a holiday and nobody'd be at work in the CBD. Which was true. But then that meant that there was nothing open. In the end I ended up back at my favourite place, literally next to the river again. Heh, was doing Econs MCQs and Hist essay plans in the shadow of that fat bird statue, and keeping an ear out for all the tourists that were passing by. Practically everyone thought it was weird =P But then again, practically everyone also stopped to take a photo.
It wasn't too bad. The conditions weren't ideal...no aircon, no table. But then there was a bench, and there was a breeze, and it was sufficient for all practical purposes. I wonder if there were any more people in that crowd bemused at the lengths to which Singaporean students would go to study =P And there was the Fullerton nearby when you need a toilet. I wandered into the hotel, and was literally stunned. Good grief, it's one heck of a grand setup they have in there! Dripping luxury, and yet it's not decadent. Grand, majestic, dignified. Yes, it was a dignified atmosphere of unflashy abundance.
But tonight the highlight was the return to the Esplanade to watch one of their free performances. Gosh, it's been almost a year since I did that. It felt really...comfortable, as if returning to a familiar and well loved spot. It definitely cheered me up after all that studying. I dunno...tonight it seemed even more beautiful, the lit-up skyline framed in the twin wings of the sails at the outdoor theatre. Among that crowd of revelers, under the cool evening sky and with the flashing lights and thumping music, it seemed to promise so much, that skyline. A city raring to move ahead.
Tonight's performance was a rock band doing covers of lots of other bands. Tabula, I think they were called. Not bad. The singer could do a pretty good imitation of James Blunt, though he couldn't reach the highest notes. And the nasal-ish sort of Five for Fighting voice. If one could overlook the fact that none of their songs were original, they were pretty slick and versatile. At least they could evoke a response through their interpretation of the songs. Hehheh, the life of the party was, however, as usual, not the Singaporeans but this group of tourists, which, from the look of them, I'd wager were Thais. If you need a party going, you call in the Thais, all right =P They practically supported the whole act themselves by supplying enthusiastic audience response. Singaporeans are endearing in their earnest, dependable, sincere way - it's just that when it comes to things like a good time we don't have a comparative advantage...
I was actually hoping that they'd do a cover of a Creed song, which would have made my evening complete. They didn't in the end...but as I was leaving the house music came in, and what would it be but Higher? Hehheh was a bit spooked by the coincidence actually, but couldn't resist standing there and listening to my favourite Creed song all the way to the end. That definitely set a bounce in my step, even in spite of the prospect of more Hist and Maths at home.
Mmm Esplanade may be superficial and commercially driven and all that, but when it comes to a good time it doesn't come too far short. Ah well, I guess I'm just easily satisfied, but then you make the best of what you have, right? I'm thinking whether I can afford the time to go back for tomorrow night's performance...seems like the ideal thing to offset the heaviness of a day of studying...
French Revisited
I was thinking whether there was any hope of reaching 150 posts by 15 November, to mark the one-year anniversary of this blogsite. But I guess I shouldn't even try, otherwise there'll be 10 'nothing much happened today' posts =P And anyway will I feel like writing during the exams?
Settling into a nice routine these few days...a nice mix of econs, maths, history. Now that there's nothing else to memorise things have definitely become more agreeable. And I realise that I like Cold War a lot! It's recent, so there aren't too many interpretations to deal with, and the timeframe's really limited, so there's less you need to remember to give an authoritarian account of a question. Was really having fun with Globalisation today. That topic comes up with the most interesting questions, and it's particularly satisfying when the argument just grows itself out of the facts that you have available. Kind of like a Braudel-ish experience, the facts compelling you to a self-evident conclusion.
Well actually I do have something interesting to report today. Was on the way home on the train, and I stepped on board at City Hall in the middle of Mason's Cold War, and then this voice suddenly pierces through the end of the Cold War, and it went something like this: "Sur les rues j'ai vu des étudiants qui lisent en marchant. C'est vraiment choquant!" Heh what are the odds that I'd enter at the very door where there also stood this French couple?
They seemed like uni backpackers, and it was really funny, cos I could just keep up with their conversation. They were talking about the bizarre behaviour of Singaporean students, and from their point of view it's easy to see how we may seem psychotic to them with our fixation on exams =P It was all I could do to pretend to read Mason while stifling my laughter. I thought it was only fair that I should tell them that I could understand what they were saying (on more levels than one) but it would have been too weird. At any rate they got off at Aljunied.
It's so cool to be able to hear native Francophones again. But I do realise that my French has become really rusty. Over the noise of the train and with their speed I could only catch snippets of them talking about the student culture here, and then the girl started giving an account of her lunch: "It's clean, it's cheap, it's good, so why not?" There's only that impression of receiving static, like you have a continuous sense that meaning is being transmitted, that there is a meaning in the air, but you just can't decipher it, and only intermittently does the signal break through. A carrier wave with an unreliable signal. And yet that carrier wave was enough to awaken those old faculties of understanding and speaking French. It used to be such a novelty to be able to keep up with a native Frenchman in a conversation; it was with some surprise that I discovered that I could still understand just enough to be functional, though I couldn't reply them with anything like that speed.
Yep, it's empowering to learn another language. Gives you all sorts of perspectives that you wouldn't otherwise have =P
