saw

Finally went to see a movie last week..  And I think I will go and watch it again this week.. this is just the second movie that I (will) watch twice in the cinema.. heck, I might even watch it more than twice if I have the time next week..  yes, that's how much I like it.. It premiered in the US last year, took it long enough to reach TW.. but at least it is being shown here.. it wasn't allowed in many countries cos of the story. Read the book a couple of years ago when I asked my library to get it. Just checked and found that the book is now reserved by 3 person, while the Chinese translated version is reserved by more than 7.. Think I will get a (paper) copy for myself one of these days..

...flung out of space...

librocubicularist

finally found the word that describes who I am... especially at night or on a rainy day..

binge

I love to binge... on TV shows, that is.. ^.^

I like to keep several episodes and watch them all at one go.. I will allocate a day, most often the weekends, to do that. I will cook myself a simple lunch/dinner/supper and start watching from morning till whatever time.. although I know I should binge on books, especially my research-related books, instead of TV shows, I can't help myself..

Can't wait for some shows to start in March (House of Cards, Quantico and Deadliest Catch), April (Orphan Black and Game of Thrones) and May (Penny Dreadful), just to name a few...

so many shows.. so little time...

sometimes

Indeed...

binge-watching

Just wanna confessed that I like to binge-watch.. Even though I follow most of my US dramas a day or two late after they were broadcasted in the States, I sometimes binge-watch shows that I missed but were highly recommended..

The latest drama that I've just binge-watched just last weekend was Orange is the new black (OITNB). Before you start googling the show, let me tell you that this is not a show for everyone. It is definitely NOT politically correct, nor is it the usual 'family-friendly' drama. It dealt with difficult and controversial topics and showed us the ugly underbelly of the society, which to me is what real life is all about. To me, Life is no walk in the park. And I do realized that there might never be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and things may never be okay. Also, not everyone gets their 'happily-ever-after' endings.. Life is NEVER black and white. It has plenty of gray in between.

I like the show because it is one of the rare few dramas that has a majority female ensemble. All the women have their own stories and demons that they must face. People are not who they seemed to be.  It is real lives. It is raw. It is not pretty. And I was hooked. That's why I had to binge-watch the entire 13 episodes of season 1!

I started around 12 noon on Sunday. I thought I could watch the first 6 episodes and stop for dinner. I planned to finish the next 7 episodes on Thursday, as I do not have classes that day due to it being a public holiday here. Never did I expect it to be so addictive and captivating.. I did stop around 7pm for a quick dinner, a shower and a (fast) reading of a journal paper (that was required reading for my class on Monday afternoon). Then I jumped back in from 9pm+ and didn't stop until 4am (Monday)!

I have a couple more dramas lined up for my next binge-watching marathon.. :)  Can't wait... See, life can be simple and uncomplicated if you do not need much. ｡◕‿◕｡

Singlish

This is my first attempt at writing in Singlish.. hope I will have inspiration to write more in future.. 
Let me know what you think about this short piece.. Enjoy! 
-------------------------------------
Siao liao 3^rd year oreddy.. Still no paper, si beh jia lat.. how not to kan-cheong? Sian, need to be on the ball now, if not sure up the lorry.. cannot play play liao.. and cannot keng liao.. need to chiong all the way... die die must ORD in 5 years..

Some academic papers are so cheem I read until blur and still catch no ball.. heng my England powderful, else sure gone case.. research si beh siong.. very pek chek sometimes..

I boh chup many of my classmates cos I buay song their attitude.. some of them ai chut pattern.. some damn hao lian.. some like to kay kiang.. some like to wayang.. all one kind one.. really beh tahan them.. most of them cannot make it one and a few sure gone case one.. I either heck care them or siam them.. only a few I kawan with them.. 

art

I used to hate art, art classes that is, when I was in school. Compared to my brother, I have no talent for drawing. Whether it is with color pencils, crayons, or water color, I suck big time in drawing. Unlike my brother who had won numerous drawing competitions, I can’t draw to save my life. Even though I never flunk my Art classes, I never did get good grades for them. Thus you can imagine my relief when I found out that I can drop Arts as a subject for the national level examinations of SRP and SPM.

I can’t draw but I can copy sketches. I can’t create but I can imitate. Just give me an example/model, and I would be able to replicate it. I can’t draw but I am pretty good with handicrafts. I have made origami, paper cutting, Chinese knotting and Plasticine figurines as presents for friends. In future, I would love to try my hands on wood carving, metal work, woodwork, and pottery, just to name a few. I just like to get my hands dirty, so to speak.. :)

Nevertheless my inability to draw doesn't prevent me from appreciating art, be it drawings, painting, sculptures or other types of artistic creation. I've always like pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque era, thus my fascination with museums in Europe. I can lose myself in museums and art museums for hours, wandering around halls and rooms filled with creative creations. Even if I don’t ‘get it’, I would still like to understand the inspiration and the story behind these art pieces.

Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen”. I love both painting and poetry. I may not look like an art lover, but I am, maybe just not your typical art aficionado. And I couldn't agree more with Pablo Picasso that “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” 

flunk

Have you ever gotten an “F”? If yes, when was it? Was it during your primary school? Your secondary school? High school? University? Well, I’ll admit that I did flunk during my time in NUS. In fact, I had 6 “F”s on my BSc. transcript from NUS and 2 of them were for the same subject. Yes, I took the same subject for 3 semesters and only passed it the third time. Indeed, at that time the professors and lecturers in NUS didn’t think twice about failing their students. It was pretty common to fail a couple during our 3 or 4-year uni life. 

All the praying won't help you not flunk..

More than once I’ve heard from my seniors and friends who are teaching staff in various universities in MY and TW that it is hard to fail undergraduates nowadays. It is a common predicament for teaching staff in both countries. Most universities and their departments do not want to get complaints from parents when their son/daughter failed a subject, even if they deserved it. They will pass everyone and anyone as long as the barest of the minimum is satisfied. They will find all kinds of reasons (or should I say excuse) to give a passing grade. That is very sad: teaching staff being held hostage by unreasonable parents. Under such circumstance, how will we be able to differentiate the good from the bad when everyone passes? Just to clarify, I’m not advocating failing for the sake of failing or rigid compliance to the bell-curve grading system. If the students deserve a passing grade, then give it to them. No reason to deprive deserving students of their top grades. But if the student did not do enough to warrant a pass, then he/she should get an “F”.

Things are worst for private universities, as they can’t afford to have too high a failure rate less potential students deemed them as ‘difficult’ (thus must study very hard and have no time to play/enjoy). These private universities depend on new (student) intake for sustenance. They cannot afford to ‘scare away’ potential students by having a reputation for being ‘hard’. Therefore, these private universities have to ‘please’ their students by being lenient (in grading and syllables) and fun. All these goes against the core mission of education which is to make sure students are armed with the necessary skills to contribute to the society. Thus there is no surprise that the quality of graduates in general are plummeting. 

hair

I've always had short hair. The longest I've ever had was below my shoulder and it was only for about 2 months. And that was during my last semester in NUS. I wanted to see how I would look with long hair. In the end, I decided that I’m more comfortable with short hair. I don’t have the patience to go through the ‘long hair regime’ with the whole routine of washing, conditioning, trimming, oiling, combing and whatever. I don’t want to worry about it curling the wrong way in the morning or how I look when the wind blows. I don’t like to use hairdryer. I just don’t like to fuss over these things. Even my nails are kept short and without any nail polish.

Usually, I would cut my hair every 3 or 4 months, depending on its rate of growth. Since coming to TW, I've only cut my hair once in one of those budget salons that give quick NT$100 haircuts. I didn't like the attitude of the lady who cut my hair, so I decided to use a voucher that I bought in one of the campus charity sales and go to a proper salon to get a haircut. As I’m using a voucher (NT$80), I was assigned a junior/trainee stylist. She was pleasant and friendly, except that she gave me a hair style that is not age-appropriate. Luckily (?), I can comb the fringe up and look my age again. So will I go back to that salon again to get my hair cut? I think I will. Next time, I am willing to pay the full price (NT$300) to get the service (and skills) of an experienced stylist. Maybe I will go in Dec.. :)

merdeka

Happy Merdeka Day, Malaysia!

Those who knew me know that I am very critical of my own country. Sometimes way too critical. Talking about the current situation in my country is one of the many things that would get me work up. When I was younger, I could not differentiate between the country and the government. Thus I was quite anti-MY during my years in SG. Then I realized that I was pissed at the government and the ruling party, not the country. Much like religion, it is often the humans who messed up.

 
As I get older, I recognized that there's no place as unique as MY. Most fellow countrymen (and countrywomen) are friendly, helpful and tolerant. We do live together in harmony. It is the government and the ruling parties that are creating rifts and hostility between races and various groups. They are the ones bankrupting the country. They are the ones instigating racial tension and distrust. They are the ones treating the country's coffer as their ATM and playground. They are the ones inflaming the 'us' versus 'them'  discord. Rampant corruption, due to their insatiable greed and inferiority complex-induced megalomania, has been the No. 1 ailment crippling the country.

Many times I did wish that things in MY are different. Now, I just wish for one: a change of central government. Of course, this might not be a cure-all for all the problems the country is facing, but at least it is a first step in the right direction of making this country great again.

Happy Birthday, Malaysia! Live Long and Prosper! Except for the government and the ruling parties..

taiji

To those who doesn’t know, Taiji is a fishing village in Wakayama, Japan where annual dolphin ‘hunting’ is being carried out from September till the following April. I wrote about this more than 3 years ago, after watching the Oscar winning documentary, The Cove. 

I have loved dolphins and whales since I was a kid. I love everything about dolphins and whales. They are gentle and smart animals, especially the dolphins. When I was young, I used to that: if only these dolphins and whales could talk, what wonderful tales would they share with us? 

After watching that documentary, I realized how cruel and mindless the entire system of catching these dolphins was. I used to love seeing them in aquariums and watching dolphin shows. Now, I refuse to neither visit aquariums or zoos with whales and/or dolphins nor watch dolphin performances. 

Though I am no hardcore environmentalist or activist, I do know that I can try and promote the awareness of these senseless killings so that more people are aware of the atrocities that are being committed in the name of culture and tradition. And I really admire those who risk their lives in the frontline defending and protecting these animals, like these guys/gals. Their methods may seemed drastic, excessive and sometimes even 'fanatical', but I do think that they are making a difference. Sometimes we need both strong extreme measures and soft approaches to instigate a change.

The Chinese's appetite for sharks fin soup is endangering these apex predators, while the Japanese's obsession over their culture/tradition of whale and dolphin hunting is threatening the survival of these gentle mammals. Two major groups of people who pride themselves on their ancient and enlightened civilizations are causing the extinction of these animals so that they can have some meat/fins in their bowl. Can't they see how ironic that is? 

I recently read this article "Why don't dolphins fight back?" and it blew my mind.. I really think that human beings are the only species in the world who are capable of such cold-blooded killings. But there is hope. Last Dec, dozens of Japanese has joined in the protest against the dolphin hunts. Though their numbers may be small, it is significant nonetheless. Things have to change not just in Japan, but in Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway too. I'm just hoping that these small changes will turn the tides soon as time is running out (fast) for these amazing cetaceans. 

flood

Tropical Storm Trami just swept pass Taiwan less than 48 hours ago. It brought massive amount of rain and flooded many places, especially lowlands and inland mountainous areas. Although I’m staying a few kilometres from the river, my estate is situated on an elevated plain and with my room on the 4^th floor, the possibility of experiencing flood is almost next to zero.

Having said that, I did experience flooding while I was young. Maybe unknown to many, I didn’t grow up in a big city, but a medium sized town. Even so, I didn’t live downtown. I've stayed in many houses that were in the outskirts. One of those houses was especially memorable for all the right and wrong reasons. That estate was kinda like a disorganized housing project where the roads were muddy and outages of utilities happened sporadically. Although there was a well in our compound, we didn’t use it for water. My daily task was to fetch water from the well, using a bucket with a rope and NO pulley system, and water my dad’s vegetable garden. And that’s how I got my strength. :D

Whenever the monsoon season hit, our house faced a possibility of being flooded. Water would usually come up to our porches and many times it did come into the house. And to be on the safe side, we would usually move everything on top of the chairs and tables before going to bed. The water that came into the house is usually murky and smelly. And I hate the cleaning-up afterwards, as it was very tedious. 

Looking back, it was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. The road leading to my house would turn muddy and we had to wrap plastic bags around our school shoes when we go to school. There would be puddles of water on those muddy roads whenever it rains. After a few days, we would be catching tadpoles in those puddles.

Those were really carefree days. Money was tight back then but I think my siblings and I had the chance of experiencing a rather unique and interesting childhood. And those memories are priceless.

grocery

I hate shopping.. but I love grocery shopping..

There is a supermarket (全聯福利中心) less than 8 minutes’ walk from my place. So it is pretty convenient for me to drop by on my way home from school. It is kinda small, as it only occupies the first floor of a small building. Most of the food products in the supermarket are produced locally, with quite a portion of them coming from Mainland China. Even before all the brouhaha about toxic ingredients, additives and whatnot in food products here, I have always try to buy different products from different manufacturers. Most of the time, I try to buy raw and fresh ingredients instead of processed food products.

nothing beats pasta from Italy!

And if I am in the mood or have errands to run outside of Tamsui, I will always go to a Carrefour hypermart 45 minutes train ride away. Recently Carrefour opened a branch in Tamsui but I’ve yet to figure out how to get there as it is tucked away in one of the housing areas far away from the MRT station. I usually buy ‘Western’ products there, like freshly baked whole meal bread, home brand cereals and muesli bars, chocolate and chocolate cookies from Europe, pasta sauces, and seasonings. Mostly dried and light stuff, since I need to take a train and a bus back to my place.

I can spend hours wandering through the aisles of a hypermarket, looking at products and merchandises. I like the variety and I like having choices, although many times I tend to stick to brands that I am familiar with. Most of all, I like finding interesting products from ‘exotic’ or uncommon places like Turkey, Iran, Poland and Russia. When I do find these unusual products, I will usually give them a try.

sweet

I have a sweet tooth. I like chocolates. Not milk chocolates but dark chocolates, especially those between 70 to 90% cocoa. I also love chocolates with nuts, be it hazelnut, almonds, macadamia or others. I like jelly beans too. Love its colorfulness and obscenely artificial flavor/taste. I like cakes, toffees, M&Ms and ice-creams (except vanilla flavored ones) too.

However, I don’t like marshmallows, anything with strawberries, gummy bears, sodas and caramel. As I am aware that my metabolism is slowing as age is catching up on me, I eat everything in moderation nowadays. I won't deny my craving, but just enough to satisfy it. I've become very conscious about my intake of sugary/sweet food/drinks. In fact, I’ve not had any sodas or the famous TW bubble tea for almost 2 months now. I’m also trying to change my habit of drinking bottled orange juice.

Although I prefer sweet to salty, there are times when I do have cravings for food seasoned with sodium chloride. When I cook, my dishes tend to be slightly toward the sweet side. 

Most of you may think that since I like sweet things, then I must dislike bitter food. Well, you are wrong. I like the taste of bitter too. Bitter medicine or food is okay by me. In fact, bitter gourd is one of my favorite vegetables. And the ones found in TW and JP are very much less bitter than those in MY/SG which to me has no ‘kick’. I would rather have bitter than sour food. Comparatively, my tolerance of sourness is very very low..

An acquaintance once said that those who like sweet/bitter are more accommodating in their relationships, while those who like salty/sour are more demanding. As much as I like to believe it to be so, I’m not sure how much truth is in there. What do you think? 

antisocial

Those who don’t know me may think that I’m antisocial. Those who do don’t. Well, the truth is, whether I am antisocial or not depends on who I need to hang out. If they are my friends, or those who I consider as friends, I can be very fun and entertaining. If not, then I’m antisocial.

I don’t like to hang out just to gossip about someone or commiserate over some things. Nothing productive and useful will come out of it. I don’t like to hang out just to gulp down drinks after drinks, aka just to get drunk, with friends. I don’t need hang-overs nor do I want my liver damaged. I just don’t get the fun of drinking until one is dead drunk. Life is too short and priceless to waste it on people who doesn’t matter or doing things that are harmful or pointless.

So what do I like to do when I’m with my friends? Well, talk and share. And alcohol is optional. :P Everyone has their unique experiences and views about things in life. It is good to exchange point of views and see things from different perspectives. Of course, there are some people whom are so narrow-minded and so mundane/routine that talking to them is yawn inducing. All they care about is who bought what when for how much or who did what with whom when. But the one major thing that I dislike the most is their negativity. Some of them are so negative that they complain and grumble about every single minute things that happened to them. They always see glass as half empty and make sure everyone knows it. It is so energy sapping just listening to them whining. 

Also, I like to go to plays, movies, museums, exhibitions and the outdoors. I am okay doing all these by myself, but I won’t mind having companies. :) So, am I antisocial? Well, that's up to you to decide. 

tv

My last entry about dramas was written last Oct. But that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been watching any all this while. Truth be told, I’ve been catching up with lots of dramas, whenever I can. Most of them I’ve been faithfully following every week, a few days after they were broadcasted in the US.

As we come close to the end of the summer (TV) season, a few of the shows are nearing their finale, while some have a couple more episodes to go. I’ve started watching one or two new shows, while following some old ones ‘devotedly’.

Dexter. Final season. 5 more episodes to the end of this wonderful show about a serial killer. 

True Blood. Season 6. Next week will be its finale. I must admit that this season is one of its best. Can’t wait to see what is gonna happen to folks in Bon Temps. 

Pretty Little Liars. Season 4. Only half way through this season. Been following it every week. The plot still intrigues me, so I will continue to watch it.

Under the Dome. Season 1. One of the few new series that I’m following. Based on Stephen King’s book of the same name. That’s what persuaded me to give it a chance. So far, so good.

Rizzoli & Isles. Season 3. Also midway through the season. So far, it’s the chemistry between the characters that make this watchable. 

Whose Line Is It Anyway. Season 9. This show was revived after almost 8 years. One must have good understanding of the English language and be familiar with US cultural/entertainment elements to truly enjoy this show. Simply love it!! 

Stopped watching: Falling Skies, The Killing, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Big C, Body of Proof.

Waiting to watch: Wentworth, Zero Hour.

Eagerly awaiting their return: Castle (season 5 starting Sept 24), Grey’s Anatomy (season 10 starting Sept 26), Once Upon A Time (season 3 starting Sept 29), Elementary (season 2 starting Sept 26), Lost Girl (season 4 starting Nov 10), Game of Thrones (season 4 spring 2014).

Ah.. so many shows.. so little time…

toxic

Today, news broke that traces of toxic chemical (甲苯 toluene) was found in paper boxes that were commonly used for take-outs in TW. It was allegedly used to swipe the inside of the boxes to remove printing stains. More than 50 big names in the food industry are affected, including a few famous restaurants and an airline. 

dried food is better than fake food, no?

In my 2 years here, there has been a constant exposé about inappropriate use of chemical in food and food-related products. In 2011, it was plasticizer (塑化濟 DEHP) in beverages, fruit juices, bread, sports drinks, tea and jam. Earlier this year it was maleic acid (順丁烯二酸) in food starch used in chewy tapioca balls and many food items. And now, it’s toluene on food packaging. These are on top of the routine discovery of improper use of pesticides, preservatives, additives, and what not. It's no wonder that TW has the highest number of dialysis patients in the world!!

Many of those caught pleaded ignorance. They claimed that they didn't know the chemical they were adding was harmful and/or damaging to health. And most of the time, these manufacturers will be fined. That's all. It's just like a small slap on the hand and they are then free to continue doing what they were doing. No jail term, no confiscation of property, no expensive lawsuit/settlement from consumers. It's business as usual once the fine is paid. 

Personally, I think the people of TW should take some of the responsibilities for these horrible food violation. They want food to be crunchy, bouncy or whatever when it shouldn't be. They want their food to look good, to not lose its taste after storage, etc. They want food to behave 'unnaturally'. Imagine puddings with no eggs yet remains aromatic, rice vermicelli contains less than 10% rice, ice-cream that doesn't melt, bread that remains moist after days, noodles that won't turn mushy when soak for hours, etc.  Thus it's no wonder these manufacturers resolved to adding toxic chemicals in the hope of (re)capturing the taste buds of these fickle consumers.
Now that I can cook in my room, I'm gonna try to ingest as little as possible these toxic by cooking as often as I can.

unpredictable

Life is unpredictable. Often just when you thought you had it figured out, Life throws you a curve ball. Shaking it and sometimes even turning your life upside down. Sometimes you can see it coming; sometimes you are just caught flatfooted.

cloud.. unpredictable shapes.. yet it is what you think it is..

No one asked to be retrenched. No one expects to get divorced. No one knew that they are going to be mugged, assaulted or have horrible things done to them. No one can foresee the (horrible/bad) accident that they are going to get into. Though we might not foresee these things, we can try to prevent or minimized all the above from happening. I am a realist, not a fatalist.

The fact that I’m in TW right now is one of the unpredictability of my life. If you were to tell me 20 years ago that I would be studying Computer Science in SG, I would have laughed. If you were to tell me 15 years ago that I would be leaving IT and do translation for a living, I wouldn’t have believed you. If you were to tell me 10 years ago that I would be getting a full scholarship from the Japanese government to do my Masters in Tokyo, I would have called you crazy. If you were to tell me 5 years ago that I would be in Taiwan doing my PhD, I would have taken it as a joke.

Thus I’ve learned to take the unpredictability of life into stride. I’ve known better than to say ‘never’. I’m open to whatever that may come my way. Stay/leave TW? Go back to MY/SG/JP? Go to another ‘new’ country? Frankly, I don’t really have that many thoughts. I will try to shape the future to ‘fit’ my dreams, but I am flexible enough to accommodate and adapt to whatever surprises Life may have in store.

fight

Never got into any fights when I was in school. Maybe because I was taller (and bigger) than most my age, even the boys. Heck, I was even taller than my primary school principal, whom wasn’t very tall, when I was in Primary Six! So I think people would normally think twice about starting any confrontations with me.

Never had the urge to start any fights or quarrel. Maybe because I don’t believe that problems can be solved with fists. Physical aggression might win the battle, but it will definitely lose the war. As there will definitely be bigger fists and stronger punches out there. And I believe that the ‘destruction’ created by passive-aggressive behavior (within the realm of social protest, not in psychology or personality) is far greater than pure aggression. :P

I won’t provoke but I won’t take any crap from anyone. If I want to seek revenge, I won’t confront him/her head on. I will use, or should I say, manipulate, the system to fight my fight or to make my point. He/She won’t even know what happened. I am willing to bide my time to find the perfect moment to strike. However, for the above to happen, the pre-requisite would be that I want to get back/even. Most of the times, I can’t be bothered. I have better things to do with my time and my resources. Life is too short. Ignore all morons. :)

rules

We live in a world of rules. Written or unspoken. Enforceable or self-regulated. Many had said that the world will be in chaos if there are no rules. We need to have a set of standards on how to do certain things. Business rules, school rules, sports rules and rule of law, just to name a few.

rules of the jungle.. with breaks included..

In a world with no rules, the strongest and the majority will be the kings. The weak and minorities will be oppressed. They might be forced to do things that they might not want to do voluntarily. That’s the start of an authoritarian regime. Yet, it is not enough to just have rules. We need to be able to enforce them. We need to make sure people actually follow these rules. Rules are not there for show or for audit purposes. Most rules are there for a reason, but these rules need to be reviewed, revised and/or amended when required.

Times change, people change, the world changes. Nothing is more constant than change. We need to move forward with time. We need to change the rules to 'fit' with our times. However, I must admit that there are some core values that shouldn't change or compromise. Integrity, humility, responsibility, equality, justice, kindness and love are some of the timeless virtues that we should preserve (in our society) and observe (ourselves).

Good or bad, rules are needed.