So it is the 80th annual Academy Awards which survived the Writer's strike to go ahead as planned. As host Jon Stewart quipped, Oscar turning 80, automatically made him the front runner for the Republican nomination in a dig at John McCain. He also cheekily asked which "Democrat everyone was going to vote for" and noted that the last time America had a black President, an asteroid took out the Statue of Liberty (think Morgan Freeman in Deep Impact).
I worked from home in order to watch the ceremony live and it was pretty entertaining. Jon Stewart proved quite a success as a host, making some well-timed quips, though he was threatened to be upstaged by a seemingly endless sequence of video montages (something he parodied in a video montage of Hollywood's best scenes involving people waking up from bad dreams).
So the pre-Oscar favourites did well for the most part, excepting a win for Marion Coutillard for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose beating out hot favourite Julie Christie's portrayal of an alzheimer's suffer in Away from Her. Given the general trend though this is hardly surprising. In the previous 10 years (including this year), only 2 Actresses have won the Best Actress Oscar in portraying completely fictional roles (Halle Berry for Monster's Ball and Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby). The others have all gone to individuals playing real life people - Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II, Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos, Nicole Kidman (and prosthetic nose) as Virginia Woolf, Julia Roberts as Erin Brockovitch and Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena. Add in Supporting Actress wins for Judi Dench as Queen Elizabeth I, Jennifer Connelly as Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind, Marcia Gay Harden as the wife of Pollock in the biopic of the same name and of course Cate Blanchett's brilliant turn as Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator and the trend becomes blindingly obvious - play a real person and win an Oscar. Going by that logic however, Cate Blanchett should have won for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. She was hotly tipped to win but lost out to Tilda Swinton.
My ability to judge whether awards are deserved is limited by the fact that I didn't manage to see many of the performances. I did manage to catch all the Best Picture nominees bar There Will Be Blood (which I intend to do very soon). While I thought they were all worthy films, the one I personally enjoyed the most and favoured was Atonement. No Country for Old Men was a brilliant technical production with fantastic acting all round (particularly for Bardem, whose Oscar was very much deserved). But I guess I am inherently biased towards Atonement which was a wonderful adaptation of a brilliant novel (the same can actually be said for No Country as well). Juno was quirky, funny, moving and real; and Michael Clayton was another movie with a fine ensemble cast and excellent production values. All in all, a fine list of best picture nominees.In the end, there was general thanksgiving that the ceremony could take place at all. The big winners were the Coen brothers for scooping best adapted screenplay ("we had a big advantage - we've only ever adapted Homer and Cormac McCarthy"), director and finally best picture. It is a deserved set of honours for a wonderful body of work and for never losing their roots in independent filmaking. The famously reticent Coens lived up to the reputation - when Joel won for Best Director, he stared at the audience for at least 10 seconds, mouth agape, before saying "thank you", then when he won for Best Picture he said: "I have nothing to add to what I said just now". A fitting representation of the 80th Academy Awards - general relief and thanks that it could go ahead at all.
26 February 2008
19 February 2008
You Know You Are A Nerd When.....
You see a web article on John Gray and what immediately pops to mind is the professor of political thought at LSE, writer of such fascinating tracts as The Two Faces of Liberalism, Straw Dogs and Al Qaeda and What It Means to be Modern.
Turns out the John Gray they had in mind was also a famous writer. Somewhat less learned, but probably richer on account of book sales. They were of course writing about the man who so enriched our lives with Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.
Turns out the John Gray they had in mind was also a famous writer. Somewhat less learned, but probably richer on account of book sales. They were of course writing about the man who so enriched our lives with Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.
17 February 2008
Silencing The Guns
If you are a football fan worth your salt you can probably guess the team I am referring to from the bad pun in the title of my post. Anyhow, it is once again FA Cup weekend, and Manchester United have continued their appaling luck by drawing Arsenal in the fourth round (after beating Aston Villa in another tough draw the previous round). It somehow seems a bit criminal that the two most successful teams in FA Cup history (21 wins and 35 finals appearances between them) should meet in the fourth round instead of later on, but that is part of the beauty of the FA Cup.
There have been a number of really cracking FA Cup ties between these clubs. The two that spring immediately to mind are the fantastic semi-final replay in 1999 when Manchester United went on to win their famous treble. That match had everything. Roy Keane getting sent off for two bookable offences, Schmeichel saving Bergkamp's penalty in the last minute of time and of course who can forget the Ryan Giggs wonder goal as he dribbled past half the Arsenal team from the half way line to put United into the final?
The other one that springs to mind is still a bitter memory for any United fan. It was the 2005 FA Cup final when Arsenal stole the trophy on penalties after United had them under the kosh for almost the full 120 minutes with Wayne Rooney particularly fantastic. United hit the bar, the post, and had 20 odd shots on goal but couldn't score. And Paul Scholes missed the penalty.
There was a little less drama this time around, as United demolished Arsenal 4-0 with goals from Rooney, Fletcher (twice) and Nani despite resting Cristiano Ronaldo. Both teams rested a number of key players, with Arsenal leaving Adebayor on the bench. Arsenal were poor, but give full credit to United - they played very well. This underlines how important Rooney is to United (more so than even Ronaldo is in my opinion). He adds a real drive and passion to the side that Roy Keane used to give them. It is no surprise that United have not lost a match this season with Rooney in the side.
The real player of the match for me was Nani who put in a superb disply. He may not have as much speed and acceleration as Ronaldo, but he may well be a more consistent and accurate crosser as evidenced by today's display. Given time to mature, I have little doubt that he will turn out to be quite a useful player indeed. It will be quite frightening for any team to have to face Nani/Ronaldo on the flanks. Anderson once again proved himself to be heir to Paul Scholes with his intelligent movement off the ball.
In other matches, Barnsley pulled off a thrilling giant-killing win over Liverpool at Anfield with an injury time winner (just seconds after a very good penalty appeal was turned down). It was truly a fairytale win for Barnsley and what added to it was the fantastic performance of goalkeeper Luke Steele in his Barnsley debut. In fact, Steele had only been signed in an emergency loan from WBA at the last minute after Barnsley's other keepers had been ruled out injured or cup-tied. It was perhaps all too fitting that Steele proved to be Liverpool's nemesis. After all, he was a former Man Utd player, United having signed him as an 18 year old prospect before selling him to WBA after the emergence of Ben Foster and the main United goalkeeping prospect.
There have been a number of really cracking FA Cup ties between these clubs. The two that spring immediately to mind are the fantastic semi-final replay in 1999 when Manchester United went on to win their famous treble. That match had everything. Roy Keane getting sent off for two bookable offences, Schmeichel saving Bergkamp's penalty in the last minute of time and of course who can forget the Ryan Giggs wonder goal as he dribbled past half the Arsenal team from the half way line to put United into the final?
The other one that springs to mind is still a bitter memory for any United fan. It was the 2005 FA Cup final when Arsenal stole the trophy on penalties after United had them under the kosh for almost the full 120 minutes with Wayne Rooney particularly fantastic. United hit the bar, the post, and had 20 odd shots on goal but couldn't score. And Paul Scholes missed the penalty.
There was a little less drama this time around, as United demolished Arsenal 4-0 with goals from Rooney, Fletcher (twice) and Nani despite resting Cristiano Ronaldo. Both teams rested a number of key players, with Arsenal leaving Adebayor on the bench. Arsenal were poor, but give full credit to United - they played very well. This underlines how important Rooney is to United (more so than even Ronaldo is in my opinion). He adds a real drive and passion to the side that Roy Keane used to give them. It is no surprise that United have not lost a match this season with Rooney in the side.
The real player of the match for me was Nani who put in a superb disply. He may not have as much speed and acceleration as Ronaldo, but he may well be a more consistent and accurate crosser as evidenced by today's display. Given time to mature, I have little doubt that he will turn out to be quite a useful player indeed. It will be quite frightening for any team to have to face Nani/Ronaldo on the flanks. Anderson once again proved himself to be heir to Paul Scholes with his intelligent movement off the ball.
In other matches, Barnsley pulled off a thrilling giant-killing win over Liverpool at Anfield with an injury time winner (just seconds after a very good penalty appeal was turned down). It was truly a fairytale win for Barnsley and what added to it was the fantastic performance of goalkeeper Luke Steele in his Barnsley debut. In fact, Steele had only been signed in an emergency loan from WBA at the last minute after Barnsley's other keepers had been ruled out injured or cup-tied. It was perhaps all too fitting that Steele proved to be Liverpool's nemesis. After all, he was a former Man Utd player, United having signed him as an 18 year old prospect before selling him to WBA after the emergence of Ben Foster and the main United goalkeeping prospect.
16 February 2008
Test Your Vocab and Feed the World
I randomly decided to consolidate a list of random and unfamiliar words I had been accumulating for a number of years now. Most of these are words culled from books that I have read, and are for the most part words that I was unfamiliar with at the time I encountered them. I realised that a fair few had been jotted down more than once (showing some consistency in my lack of knowledge) though I am embarrassed to say that at one point I was unfamiliar with what a bollard was among other things.
I decided to consolidate the words alphabetically in a new notebook to make things neater and more organized, and I fully intend to continue adding to the list as fascinating new words (or indeed familiar words that I find particularly interesting) come to my attention.
As a sample of the more difficult ones on my list I offer the following: argillaceous, torquemada, oriflamme, ormolu, lachrymose, mountebank, ecchymosis, concatenate, asafoetida, amyloid, brachycephelic, chilbain, clerihews, gnar, jowse and mastaba.
My sister came home to find me compiling the list and promptly directed me to a fascinating site called FreeRice. The concept is wonderfully simple. You are given a word and you have to guess the meaning from four options. For every correct answer, twenty grains of rice is donated to the UN World Food Programme (donated as payment in kind for banner advertising). Your vocab level is tracked as you answer more questions - you get harder words as you get a string of correct answers and easier ones when you get an answer wrong.
The site is quite addictive, particularly if you love words, and the time-wasting is offset by the fact that you know you are doing it for a good cause. Spending time on the site has underlined to me how vocabulary is fundamentally built on roots words and familiar linkages. For example, stentor might initially seem unfamiliar, but thinking of the word stentorian, would help you to choose the option "loud voiced person" as the meaning. Similarly, bacciferous would be puzzling, but remembering that Bacchus was the Greek god of wine would help you to choose "produced from grapes" as the right answer.
I decided to consolidate the words alphabetically in a new notebook to make things neater and more organized, and I fully intend to continue adding to the list as fascinating new words (or indeed familiar words that I find particularly interesting) come to my attention.
As a sample of the more difficult ones on my list I offer the following: argillaceous, torquemada, oriflamme, ormolu, lachrymose, mountebank, ecchymosis, concatenate, asafoetida, amyloid, brachycephelic, chilbain, clerihews, gnar, jowse and mastaba.
My sister came home to find me compiling the list and promptly directed me to a fascinating site called FreeRice. The concept is wonderfully simple. You are given a word and you have to guess the meaning from four options. For every correct answer, twenty grains of rice is donated to the UN World Food Programme (donated as payment in kind for banner advertising). Your vocab level is tracked as you answer more questions - you get harder words as you get a string of correct answers and easier ones when you get an answer wrong.
The site is quite addictive, particularly if you love words, and the time-wasting is offset by the fact that you know you are doing it for a good cause. Spending time on the site has underlined to me how vocabulary is fundamentally built on roots words and familiar linkages. For example, stentor might initially seem unfamiliar, but thinking of the word stentorian, would help you to choose the option "loud voiced person" as the meaning. Similarly, bacciferous would be puzzling, but remembering that Bacchus was the Greek god of wine would help you to choose "produced from grapes" as the right answer.
13 February 2008
Churlish
It was a more close run thing this time round, but the perfect record in 2008 for the Old Brown Shoe pub quiz has been maintained. So it is four wins out of four, and the 50 points scored today means that we have managed to score above 50 in every quiz so far this year. Churlish of us to keep winning? Perhaps, but I fully intend to.
The three other rounds this week were "starting with the letters MI", "history and geography" and a round where you had to decide whether something was to be "eaten, worn, flown, spent, drunk etc." We decided to put our joker on starting with MI, reasoning that knowing the first two letters of the answer would really help in guessing it, and other similar rounds had proven easy in the past. Again, we proved inspired on the joker, with that round being by far the easiest of the quiz (most teams scored at least eight, with lots of nines). We managed a full ten again for yet another twenty on the joker.
We scored a decent eight on history and geography which has proven tricky in the past. We were tripped up by a question asking what month JFK was assissinated in (despite Dave remembering that it was a cold one due to the fact that he went to get some coal that morning). We guessed February but it was November apparantly. Given that I wasn't yet born in 1963, I couldn't prove or disprove the popular notion that everyone can remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the news that JFK was shot. On a sidenote, I could draw a parallel to a similar shocking event in recent times, namely the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Do I remember what I was doing? Actually, I was out on an army exercise when the news first broke, and I only realised when I received a text message from my parents after I got back into camp.
We ultimately went into the final round with 44 points, after scoring a 7 in a pretty tough news round and getting a good 9 in the wear it/eat it/fly it/drink it etc. round, thanks to Keith's usual genius at this. I was very pleased to know that a Sopwitch Camel is actually an airplane (and thus to be flown) - Justin will be proud of me. It was proving to be a close quiz though as we took a bare 2 point lead into the final round - it was our usual close rivals the Shoe People led by Nigel in hot pursuit.
It proved to be a bugger of a final round. We were well stumped by questions like what river runs through Berlin (the Spree), the national flower of Indonesia (the Jasmine or the Rafflesia), the animal responsible for Minnesota's state nickname (the Gopher) and the organ that produces immune cells (the Spleen). We weren't surprised when we only managed a six, and given our slender lead we were fully expecting a tie-break. Thankfully, the team two points behind only managed a six as well, meaning that we maintained our two point lead for a win.
The three other rounds this week were "starting with the letters MI", "history and geography" and a round where you had to decide whether something was to be "eaten, worn, flown, spent, drunk etc." We decided to put our joker on starting with MI, reasoning that knowing the first two letters of the answer would really help in guessing it, and other similar rounds had proven easy in the past. Again, we proved inspired on the joker, with that round being by far the easiest of the quiz (most teams scored at least eight, with lots of nines). We managed a full ten again for yet another twenty on the joker.
We scored a decent eight on history and geography which has proven tricky in the past. We were tripped up by a question asking what month JFK was assissinated in (despite Dave remembering that it was a cold one due to the fact that he went to get some coal that morning). We guessed February but it was November apparantly. Given that I wasn't yet born in 1963, I couldn't prove or disprove the popular notion that everyone can remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the news that JFK was shot. On a sidenote, I could draw a parallel to a similar shocking event in recent times, namely the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Do I remember what I was doing? Actually, I was out on an army exercise when the news first broke, and I only realised when I received a text message from my parents after I got back into camp.
We ultimately went into the final round with 44 points, after scoring a 7 in a pretty tough news round and getting a good 9 in the wear it/eat it/fly it/drink it etc. round, thanks to Keith's usual genius at this. I was very pleased to know that a Sopwitch Camel is actually an airplane (and thus to be flown) - Justin will be proud of me. It was proving to be a close quiz though as we took a bare 2 point lead into the final round - it was our usual close rivals the Shoe People led by Nigel in hot pursuit.
It proved to be a bugger of a final round. We were well stumped by questions like what river runs through Berlin (the Spree), the national flower of Indonesia (the Jasmine or the Rafflesia), the animal responsible for Minnesota's state nickname (the Gopher) and the organ that produces immune cells (the Spleen). We weren't surprised when we only managed a six, and given our slender lead we were fully expecting a tie-break. Thankfully, the team two points behind only managed a six as well, meaning that we maintained our two point lead for a win.
11 February 2008
Update On Things I Can Do To Improve My Life
At the beginning of my year I wrote a post on Things To Try And Make Happen in 2008. Given that Chinese New Year has just passed (thus a new year of sorts within the new year), I have decided to give an update on my progress and add new things to the list.
First of all, the areas where progress has been made:
Find a New Job: I'm now working at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) as a Research Assistant for a fixed one year term.
Pick Up Lindy Hop: I've started beginner's lessons in Lindy Hop at Jitterbugs Swingapore, though I must admit that my progress has been pretty mixed. Suffice to say I am not the most natural of dancers.
Blog More: As you can see I have been updating the blog pretty regularly. Now I have to work on doing more substantial posts on issues/thoughts and feelings instead of a what I did yesterday narrative types that have been predominating.
Get Movie Thing Off The Ground: We managed to have two successful screenings of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Double Indemnity respectively. This initiative looks like it will last. Now to work it such that there is more discussion of the films.
Buy Less Books: I have generally succeeded pretty well in buying far less books though I did make use of yet another massive Borders discount in January. I guess I have spent far less money on books. It has helped that I have been using the library a great deal more.
Figure Out The God Question: This has been an area I have been trying to think about and examine in detail. I finished reading the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and Alistair McGrath's response to it: The Dawkins Delusion. I am currently reading Sam Harris' book The End of Faith. But the core thing now is to fully grapple intellectually with the various issues. Afterwards I would like to read one of the Christian apologists, maybe some more C.S Lewis and some Thomas Merton. I guess a discussion with a pastor, and attending a service would be a final step.
Save More Money: I've started recording all my expenses again from February onwards. I am aiming to limit my expenditure to around S$1200 a month which will mean saving around $500 a month. I guess I am more careful about spending money, particularly on books and CDs, but I am still prone to the occasional splurge (like spending $40 on an Akira Kurosawa china import DVD box set). To really save cash I have to spend less money on taxis (particularly since the taxi fare hike) which means planning my time more carefully. But most of all, I definitely also have to spend less money on alcohol (see below). Given that I will probably have to buy a laptop soon, saving is going to be even more essential.
Things that need a bit more work:
Learn How To Drive: Well haven't made any progress on this front at all. I must sign up with a driving centre soon. I've been saying the same thing for ages, so getting started on this is crucial.
Do More Physical Exercise: Another longstanding goal where no progress has been made. Given that my new job is again a sedentary desk bound one, I will definitely have to work on exercising more than my eyeballs. A good start would be walking to and from the MRT everyday (saving bus fare), and taking the stairs instead of the lift. I have to institutionalize a form of exercise into my weekly routine (preferably on the weekends) - preferably a form of sport given my dislike of running. Exactly how to do it remains open to question.
Rock Climbing: No progress here at all. I have to decide if I am really into this and if I want to pursue it further. Something that me and Justin can do together besides drinking.
Drink Less: Well, I should definitely save my liver by not consuming so much alcohol not to mention my wallet. So far this there have been far too many trips to the Old Brown Shoe, and a few too many nights out. I guess one of the problems is that a great deal of my socialising is done over drinks/dinners out. One of the keys is to limit the drinking to say two nights a week a most (quiz night Wednesday and either Friday/Saturday night).
Walk The Dog More: Haven't beeen doing this much. Walking the dog would also have the added bonus of my getting some exercise too. There is also some urgency in final getting Sadie some proper obedience training.
To Add To the List:
Spend More Time With Grandpa: My sister and I both agree we should try and get our grandfather to come over a couple times a month at the least. We could also try and visit once in awhile at his place. It would be great to pick up some cooking tips from him as well when he does come and visit. I should also try and arrange for us to play mahjong since we both enjoy it (though I'll have to find people to play).
Be More Productive/Set Goals: I have to work on being more productive, basically getting more done with the time I have. One way to help me do this is to set detailed goals. An important aspect of this is to spend less time randomly surfing the internet and watching random stuff on cable TV, especially sports.
Waste Less Time on the Internet: The internet can be a massive time waster. There is only so many times you can read the BBC, Sports Illustrated websites a day, or come to that, check your email and go on Facebook. MSN is also a massive time waster though I have been cutting back on that. More needs to be done. That is not to say I shouldn't utilise the net, just that I shouldn't surf 'blindly'.
Listen To More Music: I have loads of CDs at home. Listen to music can be relaxing. I should put some music on far more often instead of letting the TV drone on in the background.
Keep in Touch with People More: It is really easy to lose touch with friends, especially those from my University days. I should resolve to keep in touch with friends. I can start by emailing an old University/School/Random friend every weekend.
Be More Sensitive: As a friend told me recently: "it doesn't take that much to make a small effort". So: talk less, listen more; try to think for others; and make that small effort.
Things To Be Hopeful About:
Find True Love (Or The Closest Approximation): Well, the fact that this is listed under "hopeful" is indicative of the fact that I am not really that much closer to it. But I guess things are a little more settled on this front, mainly because I have become more settled in a sense. And there is hope (read what you may into this cryptic statement).
First of all, the areas where progress has been made:
Find a New Job: I'm now working at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) as a Research Assistant for a fixed one year term.
Pick Up Lindy Hop: I've started beginner's lessons in Lindy Hop at Jitterbugs Swingapore, though I must admit that my progress has been pretty mixed. Suffice to say I am not the most natural of dancers.
Blog More: As you can see I have been updating the blog pretty regularly. Now I have to work on doing more substantial posts on issues/thoughts and feelings instead of a what I did yesterday narrative types that have been predominating.
Get Movie Thing Off The Ground: We managed to have two successful screenings of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Double Indemnity respectively. This initiative looks like it will last. Now to work it such that there is more discussion of the films.
Buy Less Books: I have generally succeeded pretty well in buying far less books though I did make use of yet another massive Borders discount in January. I guess I have spent far less money on books. It has helped that I have been using the library a great deal more.
Figure Out The God Question: This has been an area I have been trying to think about and examine in detail. I finished reading the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and Alistair McGrath's response to it: The Dawkins Delusion. I am currently reading Sam Harris' book The End of Faith. But the core thing now is to fully grapple intellectually with the various issues. Afterwards I would like to read one of the Christian apologists, maybe some more C.S Lewis and some Thomas Merton. I guess a discussion with a pastor, and attending a service would be a final step.
Save More Money: I've started recording all my expenses again from February onwards. I am aiming to limit my expenditure to around S$1200 a month which will mean saving around $500 a month. I guess I am more careful about spending money, particularly on books and CDs, but I am still prone to the occasional splurge (like spending $40 on an Akira Kurosawa china import DVD box set). To really save cash I have to spend less money on taxis (particularly since the taxi fare hike) which means planning my time more carefully. But most of all, I definitely also have to spend less money on alcohol (see below). Given that I will probably have to buy a laptop soon, saving is going to be even more essential.
Things that need a bit more work:
Learn How To Drive: Well haven't made any progress on this front at all. I must sign up with a driving centre soon. I've been saying the same thing for ages, so getting started on this is crucial.
Do More Physical Exercise: Another longstanding goal where no progress has been made. Given that my new job is again a sedentary desk bound one, I will definitely have to work on exercising more than my eyeballs. A good start would be walking to and from the MRT everyday (saving bus fare), and taking the stairs instead of the lift. I have to institutionalize a form of exercise into my weekly routine (preferably on the weekends) - preferably a form of sport given my dislike of running. Exactly how to do it remains open to question.
Rock Climbing: No progress here at all. I have to decide if I am really into this and if I want to pursue it further. Something that me and Justin can do together besides drinking.
Drink Less: Well, I should definitely save my liver by not consuming so much alcohol not to mention my wallet. So far this there have been far too many trips to the Old Brown Shoe, and a few too many nights out. I guess one of the problems is that a great deal of my socialising is done over drinks/dinners out. One of the keys is to limit the drinking to say two nights a week a most (quiz night Wednesday and either Friday/Saturday night).
Walk The Dog More: Haven't beeen doing this much. Walking the dog would also have the added bonus of my getting some exercise too. There is also some urgency in final getting Sadie some proper obedience training.
To Add To the List:
Spend More Time With Grandpa: My sister and I both agree we should try and get our grandfather to come over a couple times a month at the least. We could also try and visit once in awhile at his place. It would be great to pick up some cooking tips from him as well when he does come and visit. I should also try and arrange for us to play mahjong since we both enjoy it (though I'll have to find people to play).
Be More Productive/Set Goals: I have to work on being more productive, basically getting more done with the time I have. One way to help me do this is to set detailed goals. An important aspect of this is to spend less time randomly surfing the internet and watching random stuff on cable TV, especially sports.
Waste Less Time on the Internet: The internet can be a massive time waster. There is only so many times you can read the BBC, Sports Illustrated websites a day, or come to that, check your email and go on Facebook. MSN is also a massive time waster though I have been cutting back on that. More needs to be done. That is not to say I shouldn't utilise the net, just that I shouldn't surf 'blindly'.
Listen To More Music: I have loads of CDs at home. Listen to music can be relaxing. I should put some music on far more often instead of letting the TV drone on in the background.
Keep in Touch with People More: It is really easy to lose touch with friends, especially those from my University days. I should resolve to keep in touch with friends. I can start by emailing an old University/School/Random friend every weekend.
Be More Sensitive: As a friend told me recently: "it doesn't take that much to make a small effort". So: talk less, listen more; try to think for others; and make that small effort.
Things To Be Hopeful About:
Find True Love (Or The Closest Approximation): Well, the fact that this is listed under "hopeful" is indicative of the fact that I am not really that much closer to it. But I guess things are a little more settled on this front, mainly because I have become more settled in a sense. And there is hope (read what you may into this cryptic statement).
8 February 2008
Chinese New Year
So it is the year of the Rat, marking the start of a new 12 year chinese zodiac cycle. If one believes the myth surrounding the origins of the animal zodiac, the Rat won the race between the animals and is thus the head of the zodiac cycle. What is more interesting is how it won. Knowing it was slow and a poor swimmer, it clung on to the Ox until the finish line was approaching. Then, it leapt off and ran ahead to win the race.
Anyhow, it has been a rather quiet Chinese New Year for me mainly on account of my parents being on holiday in New Zealand. Given that my house is currently in a rather disorganised state it is perhaps just as well that we are not having any visitors this year. Things started off naturally enough with the usual Tuan Nian Fan which was held at my Uncle Roger's place this time around. The family tradition (and indeed a common Singaporean one) is to have a steamboat dinner. I brought alcohol over as per my grandpa's instructions but limited it to Tiger beer so as not to raise my uncle's ire.
Thursday was lunch over at my grandfather's house where we all got to make our own popiah (according to my grandpa's special recipe and mix of ingredients). My uncle Albert then kindly agreed to give me a lift over to M's place on Duchess avenue. She had invited me to visit after hearing of my parent's decision to abscond to New Zealand and thus the likelihood that I would be left to my own devices this Chinese New Year. It was good to have the opportunity to see her in person (after corresponding mainly through email) though I ended up talking to a varied assortment of relatives (and meeting her wonderfully adorable for now niece and nephew).
I ended up staying quite late at M's, deciding that it was high time I left after we both watched American Idol (audition episode for the new season). To add to the general excitement, a fire broke out at the condominium across from her house, which naturally prompted the arrival of three fire engines, assorted small civil defence vehicles and police cars and of course the obligatory swarm of curious by-standers. What was more worrying was seeing several fire fighters stand around a fire hydrant hitting it with a metal object (my presumption was that there was no pressure). There was a general sense that this wasn't a serious fire but it certainly doesn't bode well, as M mentioned, for a situation where there was a serious fire.
I then stopped by the Old Brown Shoe for a drink (in my defence I need it after the long walk out of Duchess Avenue) and found it relatively empty. Had a long chat with Lino and then ended up trying to frantically arrange a last minute mahjong game with Jen after we both decided that we had itchy fingers. That having proved impossible, I finally went home.
Friday was a quite day with no visiting. I caught Sweeney Todd with D. It was a movie made for the macabre mind of Tim Burton and I loved the visual feel and the way it was shot. Johnny Depp (despite fronting a rock band) is only passable as a vocalist and Helena Bonham-Carter slightly weaker at best. But it was still a highly enjoyable movie (if one can find throat cutting, murder, and horrible tasting meat pies enjoyable). Later on in the evening, it was over to Harry's@Novena for drinks.
Instead of taking the wise and sensible option (to go home), I called my sister who was in MOS and she urged me to join her. Suffice to say it turned into a rather disastrous evening (I arrived at MOS to find that one of her friends had gotten drunk). We did manage to get a drink at Harry's@Boat Quay and get a listen to their new singer (think Reuben Studdard with more of a jazz vibe). Thankfully, my sister decided to head home after that, after another member of her group went all queasy.
Anyhow, it has been a rather quiet Chinese New Year for me mainly on account of my parents being on holiday in New Zealand. Given that my house is currently in a rather disorganised state it is perhaps just as well that we are not having any visitors this year. Things started off naturally enough with the usual Tuan Nian Fan which was held at my Uncle Roger's place this time around. The family tradition (and indeed a common Singaporean one) is to have a steamboat dinner. I brought alcohol over as per my grandpa's instructions but limited it to Tiger beer so as not to raise my uncle's ire.
Thursday was lunch over at my grandfather's house where we all got to make our own popiah (according to my grandpa's special recipe and mix of ingredients). My uncle Albert then kindly agreed to give me a lift over to M's place on Duchess avenue. She had invited me to visit after hearing of my parent's decision to abscond to New Zealand and thus the likelihood that I would be left to my own devices this Chinese New Year. It was good to have the opportunity to see her in person (after corresponding mainly through email) though I ended up talking to a varied assortment of relatives (and meeting her wonderfully adorable for now niece and nephew).
I ended up staying quite late at M's, deciding that it was high time I left after we both watched American Idol (audition episode for the new season). To add to the general excitement, a fire broke out at the condominium across from her house, which naturally prompted the arrival of three fire engines, assorted small civil defence vehicles and police cars and of course the obligatory swarm of curious by-standers. What was more worrying was seeing several fire fighters stand around a fire hydrant hitting it with a metal object (my presumption was that there was no pressure). There was a general sense that this wasn't a serious fire but it certainly doesn't bode well, as M mentioned, for a situation where there was a serious fire.
I then stopped by the Old Brown Shoe for a drink (in my defence I need it after the long walk out of Duchess Avenue) and found it relatively empty. Had a long chat with Lino and then ended up trying to frantically arrange a last minute mahjong game with Jen after we both decided that we had itchy fingers. That having proved impossible, I finally went home.
Friday was a quite day with no visiting. I caught Sweeney Todd with D. It was a movie made for the macabre mind of Tim Burton and I loved the visual feel and the way it was shot. Johnny Depp (despite fronting a rock band) is only passable as a vocalist and Helena Bonham-Carter slightly weaker at best. But it was still a highly enjoyable movie (if one can find throat cutting, murder, and horrible tasting meat pies enjoyable). Later on in the evening, it was over to Harry's@Novena for drinks.
Instead of taking the wise and sensible option (to go home), I called my sister who was in MOS and she urged me to join her. Suffice to say it turned into a rather disastrous evening (I arrived at MOS to find that one of her friends had gotten drunk). We did manage to get a drink at Harry's@Boat Quay and get a listen to their new singer (think Reuben Studdard with more of a jazz vibe). Thankfully, my sister decided to head home after that, after another member of her group went all queasy.
6 February 2008
My Thoughts on Super Tuesday
After watching a few hours of CNN coverage of Super Tuesday, I decided to post my general impressions of the race for the Presidential nomination for both parties:
To begin with, it is clear to everyone that John McCain is the Republican front-runner. He said so himself, acknowledging that as much as he "enjoys being the under-dog and relishes come from behind victories" everyone, himself included would have to "get used to the idea that we are the front runners for the Republican nomination to be President". However, it is also abundantly clear that he does not have the support of the conservative core of the party, which hurt him back in 2000 against George Bush and continues to hurt him. He hasn't won a single Southern state (apart from Florida earlier) and trails in support from voters that define themselves as "conservative" or "attending church regularly". Crucially, a significant portion of his support came from independent voters. Many of his wins have also come in states which typically vote Democrat come November.
Does anyone else besides me think that Mike Huckabee has an uncanny resemblance to the actor Kevin Spacey both physically and in the way he speaks? Huckabee shares some of Spacey's charisma and the former Baptist pastor swept the South, winning Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Georgia, Tennessee and also West Virgina as well as running a very close second in a three way race for Missouri (winning almost all of the districts in the State's rural, bible belt South). That was very impressive considering his lack of funds and the expert opinion that Super Tuesday would end his Presidential bid. But his poor performance in California and anywhere outside the South is indicative of his lack of visibility and influence outside of the bible belt. Nobody is giving Huckabee any hope at winning the nomination, but he has cemented his status as a serious Vice-Presidential candidate.
Huckabee's success meant that Mitt Romney's attempts to portray himself as the choice of the conservative core has more or less fallen flat. Super Tuesday was disappointing for Romney and the continued presence of Huckabee in the race will be a major blow. Romney, despite his large war chest seems to be seriously losing momentum and it will be a struggle for him to mount a serious challenge to McCain given the gap that has opened up between them, his optimistic Super Tuesday speech notwithstanding.
The Democratic race has been unbelievably close, and now it couldn't be any closer. Clinton took a number of the key states, those with large numbers of delegates including her home state of New York, New Jersey, California and crucially Massachusetts. She also won in Tennessee, Nevada and Arizona and of course Arkansas. Barack Obama however won a total of 13 states including Georgia, Illinois, Delaware, Alabama, Utah, North Dakota, Kansas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska and a very close fought race in Missouri. New Mexico was too close to call. As it stood, Super Tuesday was balanced on a knife edge 540 to 539 pledged delegates to Clinton and Obama respectively.
There is little doubt in my mind that Obama is by far the more charistmatic candidate after seeing both of them speak. Some may accuse me of falling for the typical jingoism of "changing America" and his profoundly (un)original crowd rousing tactic of getting everyone to shout "yes we can". But Hilary's speech was nothing more than a stump speech, a repetition of the issues. I hadn't paid much attention to the nomination race up to know, but after Super Tuesday I can safely throw my support behind Obama.
My decision is twofold. Firstly, Obama has proven after Super Tuesday that he will be better able to contest the traditionally non-blue states and the swing states. He won in the South, the Midwest, the Rockies. Clinton's core support came from traditionally Blue states - California, New York, Mass. - which are likely to vote Democrat in Novemember whomever is chosen. The Democrats have to learn that they need a candidate that can win challenge in the midwest and also make a dent in the South. It is repeatedly harped upon fact that the last two Democratic occupants of the White House were Jimmy Carter (from Georgia) and Bill Clinton (from Arkansas).
Secondly, it is crucial in any Presidential bid, to win over the neutrals (or indeed to be able to sustain enough interest to get the neutrals out to the polling booths in the first place). Obama is by far the more charistmatic and personable individual, with a message that has the capacity to inspire (even if for all his talk of an inclusive campaign across age, gender and race the Latinos and Chinese and the elderly seem to favour Clinton by some margin). Clinton, on the other hand, is a far more divisive figure, seen as not only too liberal by many, but also tied to the establishment.
Given how finely balanced the nomination race is, here is my assessment of the 'way forward', so to speak. It will be almost immediately back to the campaign trail for both candidates with upcoming primaries in Washington, Louisiana and Nebraska (Feb 9); Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia (Feb 12). It is crucial that Obama does well in the so-called Potomac Primaries (Maryland, DC, and Virginia) where he is seen to have the edge over Clinton. He is already seen to have a large edge in Washington and Louisiana (the latter state having a large black population). The big prize is Texas and Ohio (March 4) which Clinton must win (she is seen to have an edge with the large Latino population in Texas and the working class population in Ohio). Obama must hope to cause an upset there but at the bare minimum run Clinton close (particularly given the large number of delegates that Texas holds). Wisconsin will be a tightly contested battleground which will give crucial momentum and bragging rights to the winner there.
The Democratic race could well go right down to the wire - even to the point of it having to be decided on Superdelegates at the convention. Clinton currently has the advantage in terms of the number of Superdelegates that have announced in her favour but if Obama does have the lead come convention time in terms of pledged delegates there will be immense pressure on the party elite to give him the nomination and a probably public outcry if that is not the case. For him to win more pledged delegates than Clinton, the upcoming primaries mentioned above are crucial, all the more so because the subsequent primaries in Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Indiana will favour Clinton (particularly due to the large number of blue collar workers in the latter two states).
One immediate danger is that a long drawn out candidate race could adversely affect the chances of whichever candidate emerges as the victor in their bid for the Presidency come November. Both Clinton and Obama will have to decide how much of their war chest to spend in the upcoming primaries and how much to withhold for a future race for the Presidency. The longer the nomination process drags on, the less time the eventual winner will have to consolidate his/her support in the party and to appeal to the independents and undecideds before the Presidential polls. All this will be exacerbated if the Republicans manage to rally behind a candidate early on.
How likely is this to happen? Almost nobody doubts that John McCain is likely to secure the nomination, it is just a question of when. And that depends on the determination of his opponents Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee not to pull out of the race and to continue fighting. It is likely that if either Romney or Huckabee were to pull out of the race, the other candidate would soon follow suit, leading to the anointment of McCain. Given the Super Tuesday results it is Romney who will have to thing long and hard about his continuned role in the primary race. He has already spent a massive amount of money, a large portion of it his own, and Super Tuesday must be seen as a fatal blow to his attempts to be the conservative candidate of the party. Huckabee on the other hand, succeeded against the odds and will have much less cause to pull out.
To begin with, it is clear to everyone that John McCain is the Republican front-runner. He said so himself, acknowledging that as much as he "enjoys being the under-dog and relishes come from behind victories" everyone, himself included would have to "get used to the idea that we are the front runners for the Republican nomination to be President". However, it is also abundantly clear that he does not have the support of the conservative core of the party, which hurt him back in 2000 against George Bush and continues to hurt him. He hasn't won a single Southern state (apart from Florida earlier) and trails in support from voters that define themselves as "conservative" or "attending church regularly". Crucially, a significant portion of his support came from independent voters. Many of his wins have also come in states which typically vote Democrat come November.
Does anyone else besides me think that Mike Huckabee has an uncanny resemblance to the actor Kevin Spacey both physically and in the way he speaks? Huckabee shares some of Spacey's charisma and the former Baptist pastor swept the South, winning Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Georgia, Tennessee and also West Virgina as well as running a very close second in a three way race for Missouri (winning almost all of the districts in the State's rural, bible belt South). That was very impressive considering his lack of funds and the expert opinion that Super Tuesday would end his Presidential bid. But his poor performance in California and anywhere outside the South is indicative of his lack of visibility and influence outside of the bible belt. Nobody is giving Huckabee any hope at winning the nomination, but he has cemented his status as a serious Vice-Presidential candidate.
Huckabee's success meant that Mitt Romney's attempts to portray himself as the choice of the conservative core has more or less fallen flat. Super Tuesday was disappointing for Romney and the continued presence of Huckabee in the race will be a major blow. Romney, despite his large war chest seems to be seriously losing momentum and it will be a struggle for him to mount a serious challenge to McCain given the gap that has opened up between them, his optimistic Super Tuesday speech notwithstanding.
The Democratic race has been unbelievably close, and now it couldn't be any closer. Clinton took a number of the key states, those with large numbers of delegates including her home state of New York, New Jersey, California and crucially Massachusetts. She also won in Tennessee, Nevada and Arizona and of course Arkansas. Barack Obama however won a total of 13 states including Georgia, Illinois, Delaware, Alabama, Utah, North Dakota, Kansas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska and a very close fought race in Missouri. New Mexico was too close to call. As it stood, Super Tuesday was balanced on a knife edge 540 to 539 pledged delegates to Clinton and Obama respectively.
There is little doubt in my mind that Obama is by far the more charistmatic candidate after seeing both of them speak. Some may accuse me of falling for the typical jingoism of "changing America" and his profoundly (un)original crowd rousing tactic of getting everyone to shout "yes we can". But Hilary's speech was nothing more than a stump speech, a repetition of the issues. I hadn't paid much attention to the nomination race up to know, but after Super Tuesday I can safely throw my support behind Obama.
My decision is twofold. Firstly, Obama has proven after Super Tuesday that he will be better able to contest the traditionally non-blue states and the swing states. He won in the South, the Midwest, the Rockies. Clinton's core support came from traditionally Blue states - California, New York, Mass. - which are likely to vote Democrat in Novemember whomever is chosen. The Democrats have to learn that they need a candidate that can win challenge in the midwest and also make a dent in the South. It is repeatedly harped upon fact that the last two Democratic occupants of the White House were Jimmy Carter (from Georgia) and Bill Clinton (from Arkansas).
Secondly, it is crucial in any Presidential bid, to win over the neutrals (or indeed to be able to sustain enough interest to get the neutrals out to the polling booths in the first place). Obama is by far the more charistmatic and personable individual, with a message that has the capacity to inspire (even if for all his talk of an inclusive campaign across age, gender and race the Latinos and Chinese and the elderly seem to favour Clinton by some margin). Clinton, on the other hand, is a far more divisive figure, seen as not only too liberal by many, but also tied to the establishment.
Given how finely balanced the nomination race is, here is my assessment of the 'way forward', so to speak. It will be almost immediately back to the campaign trail for both candidates with upcoming primaries in Washington, Louisiana and Nebraska (Feb 9); Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia (Feb 12). It is crucial that Obama does well in the so-called Potomac Primaries (Maryland, DC, and Virginia) where he is seen to have the edge over Clinton. He is already seen to have a large edge in Washington and Louisiana (the latter state having a large black population). The big prize is Texas and Ohio (March 4) which Clinton must win (she is seen to have an edge with the large Latino population in Texas and the working class population in Ohio). Obama must hope to cause an upset there but at the bare minimum run Clinton close (particularly given the large number of delegates that Texas holds). Wisconsin will be a tightly contested battleground which will give crucial momentum and bragging rights to the winner there.
The Democratic race could well go right down to the wire - even to the point of it having to be decided on Superdelegates at the convention. Clinton currently has the advantage in terms of the number of Superdelegates that have announced in her favour but if Obama does have the lead come convention time in terms of pledged delegates there will be immense pressure on the party elite to give him the nomination and a probably public outcry if that is not the case. For him to win more pledged delegates than Clinton, the upcoming primaries mentioned above are crucial, all the more so because the subsequent primaries in Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Indiana will favour Clinton (particularly due to the large number of blue collar workers in the latter two states).
One immediate danger is that a long drawn out candidate race could adversely affect the chances of whichever candidate emerges as the victor in their bid for the Presidency come November. Both Clinton and Obama will have to decide how much of their war chest to spend in the upcoming primaries and how much to withhold for a future race for the Presidency. The longer the nomination process drags on, the less time the eventual winner will have to consolidate his/her support in the party and to appeal to the independents and undecideds before the Presidential polls. All this will be exacerbated if the Republicans manage to rally behind a candidate early on.
How likely is this to happen? Almost nobody doubts that John McCain is likely to secure the nomination, it is just a question of when. And that depends on the determination of his opponents Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee not to pull out of the race and to continue fighting. It is likely that if either Romney or Huckabee were to pull out of the race, the other candidate would soon follow suit, leading to the anointment of McCain. Given the Super Tuesday results it is Romney who will have to thing long and hard about his continuned role in the primary race. He has already spent a massive amount of money, a large portion of it his own, and Super Tuesday must be seen as a fatal blow to his attempts to be the conservative candidate of the party. Huckabee on the other hand, succeeded against the odds and will have much less cause to pull out.
4 February 2008
Some Areas of Personal Interest
Film History; Film Theory: Given my love of film it is high time that I learned more about film history and genres not to mention some of the stylistic and technical aspects of film like camera angles, point of view, editing and so on. I can start with the two introduction to film books that I already own as well as The Story of Film. I can also read more film criticism especially Pauline Kael, past New York Times reviews as well as Roger Ebert's reviews. The aim is to aid in my own personal movie reviewing as well as generally being able to appreciate movies more.
Wine: I can start with my Windows of the World book on wine and follow that up with The Wine Bible. I can also always borrow interesting books on the subject from the library particularly The Judgement of Paris. The idea is to have a greater appreciation of wine - the key grapes, vintages, regions etc. It would be great to pick up a bit on wine appreciation too.
Evolutionary Biology, Darwinism: Another new found interest. I should start with the seminal work, Darwin's Origins of the Species and move on to Janet Browne's Biography of the Book. I can then read the VSI to Evolution and go to to read another introductory book to Evolution that I have also acquired. Dennett's Darwin's Dangerous Idea would be useful to seeing how Darwinism permeates many other aspects of everyday life, and I could also borrow/purchase other similarly themed. It would then be interesting to move on to Ridley's Genome and Nature Via Nurture as well as Dawkin's The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker. James Watson's book DNA would also fit nicely into the picture. If still thoroughly fascinated by the subject I can purchase Mark Ridley's textbook Evolutionary Biology.
General Science: The aim is to finish a couple of introductory books on Science namely, Galileo's Finger, A Short History of Nearly Everything and Almost Everybody's Guide to Science. I can then move on to Gribbin's Science: A History. Other more specific introductory books include David Bodanis' E=Mc2, Michio Kaku's Einstein's Cosmos, as well as a biography of Einstein.
Political Philosophy: I can start with the two introductory volumes that I already own by Wolff and Simmons. Vital reading would be Mill's On Liberty and also Plato's Republic and Blackburn's biography of the same. Thomas Paine's Common Sense and other Essays would be a vital read. The key is to get a sense of the core issues in Political Philosophy and a greater historical grasp of the subject. Specific areas of interest to examine include Political Obligation, Liberty, Equality and Justice, Nationality and Cosmopolitanism, Modern Liberalism, and Rights.
Religion: As part of my goal in figuring out the whole God question I intend to read Dawkin's The God Delusion as well as Sam Harris' The End of Faith. God's Funeral would provide interesting historical insight. The Manifesto of the Flying Spaghetti Monster would be a load of laughts. The Portable Atheist would be a handy reference along with God Is Not Great both by Christopher Hitchens. For balance I intend to read Orthodoxy by Chesterton and assorted C.S Lewis. I suppose I should find some books specifically supporting the theistic viewpoint.
Reading/Language: The aim is to develop a greater ability to appreciate books, and to have a better grasp of the mechanics of language (grammar, punctuation etc.) as well as a greater understanding of language itself. To start with I should finish How to Read a Book and Forster's Aspects of the Novel. Alberto Manguel's A Reading Diary should be a good read and How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read an entertaining one. A number of other books about books at Kino can be considered for purchase as well. For language, I intend to fully digest The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and to obtain a copy of the Economist Style Guide. David Crystal's The English Language and How Language Works should be insightful, and I can finish off with Speak on languages and linguistics in general.
Mythology: I can start with Edith Hamilton's book on the subject and also read Malory's Le Morte De Arthur. Robert Graves' The Greek Myths should be very insightful. I also intend to read the Iliad and Odessey. Besides which I can also read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Epic of Gilgamesh and also a collection of Celtic Myths and Folklore. If I can I could also add the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, and also The Arabian Nights.
Popular Non-Fiction: I have a whole pile of popular non-fiction crossing disciplines including Non-Zero, Stumbling on Happiness, Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast and many others.
Fiction: Of course I have an ever-expanding pile of fiction to read as well. Some massive to-reads including Brideshead Revisited, Lolita, Brave New World, among others.
Other areas: I am always keen to read up more on History. Specifically The Middle East, Russia, The United Kingdom, East Asia (China and Japan), Southeast Asia among others. I am also keen to find interesting layperson books on Economics.
Wine: I can start with my Windows of the World book on wine and follow that up with The Wine Bible. I can also always borrow interesting books on the subject from the library particularly The Judgement of Paris. The idea is to have a greater appreciation of wine - the key grapes, vintages, regions etc. It would be great to pick up a bit on wine appreciation too.
Evolutionary Biology, Darwinism: Another new found interest. I should start with the seminal work, Darwin's Origins of the Species and move on to Janet Browne's Biography of the Book. I can then read the VSI to Evolution and go to to read another introductory book to Evolution that I have also acquired. Dennett's Darwin's Dangerous Idea would be useful to seeing how Darwinism permeates many other aspects of everyday life, and I could also borrow/purchase other similarly themed. It would then be interesting to move on to Ridley's Genome and Nature Via Nurture as well as Dawkin's The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker. James Watson's book DNA would also fit nicely into the picture. If still thoroughly fascinated by the subject I can purchase Mark Ridley's textbook Evolutionary Biology.
General Science: The aim is to finish a couple of introductory books on Science namely, Galileo's Finger, A Short History of Nearly Everything and Almost Everybody's Guide to Science. I can then move on to Gribbin's Science: A History. Other more specific introductory books include David Bodanis' E=Mc2, Michio Kaku's Einstein's Cosmos, as well as a biography of Einstein.
Political Philosophy: I can start with the two introductory volumes that I already own by Wolff and Simmons. Vital reading would be Mill's On Liberty and also Plato's Republic and Blackburn's biography of the same. Thomas Paine's Common Sense and other Essays would be a vital read. The key is to get a sense of the core issues in Political Philosophy and a greater historical grasp of the subject. Specific areas of interest to examine include Political Obligation, Liberty, Equality and Justice, Nationality and Cosmopolitanism, Modern Liberalism, and Rights.
Religion: As part of my goal in figuring out the whole God question I intend to read Dawkin's The God Delusion as well as Sam Harris' The End of Faith. God's Funeral would provide interesting historical insight. The Manifesto of the Flying Spaghetti Monster would be a load of laughts. The Portable Atheist would be a handy reference along with God Is Not Great both by Christopher Hitchens. For balance I intend to read Orthodoxy by Chesterton and assorted C.S Lewis. I suppose I should find some books specifically supporting the theistic viewpoint.
Reading/Language: The aim is to develop a greater ability to appreciate books, and to have a better grasp of the mechanics of language (grammar, punctuation etc.) as well as a greater understanding of language itself. To start with I should finish How to Read a Book and Forster's Aspects of the Novel. Alberto Manguel's A Reading Diary should be a good read and How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read an entertaining one. A number of other books about books at Kino can be considered for purchase as well. For language, I intend to fully digest The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and to obtain a copy of the Economist Style Guide. David Crystal's The English Language and How Language Works should be insightful, and I can finish off with Speak on languages and linguistics in general.
Mythology: I can start with Edith Hamilton's book on the subject and also read Malory's Le Morte De Arthur. Robert Graves' The Greek Myths should be very insightful. I also intend to read the Iliad and Odessey. Besides which I can also read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Epic of Gilgamesh and also a collection of Celtic Myths and Folklore. If I can I could also add the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson, and also The Arabian Nights.
Popular Non-Fiction: I have a whole pile of popular non-fiction crossing disciplines including Non-Zero, Stumbling on Happiness, Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast and many others.
Fiction: Of course I have an ever-expanding pile of fiction to read as well. Some massive to-reads including Brideshead Revisited, Lolita, Brave New World, among others.
Other areas: I am always keen to read up more on History. Specifically The Middle East, Russia, The United Kingdom, East Asia (China and Japan), Southeast Asia among others. I am also keen to find interesting layperson books on Economics.
2 February 2008
Double Indemnity and A Quest for Conscience
This afternoon marked the second screening in the ongoing series of films shown under the Wagging Finger of Shame banner. We ultimately settled on Double Indemnity after deciding between that and Sleeper. Unfortunately, our association with the Library @ Esplanade screening room seems to be cursed. At least on this occasion, the booking was made (I had done so in person to minimize the possibility of a screw up) but when we went into the screening room it was to find that the television and later the sound wasn't functioning. It took almost 20 minutes for them to sort out the problem before we could start showing the film.
Double Indemnity is one of the classic noir films, considered to be representative of the genre and rightfully so. It was directed by cinema stalwart Billy Wilder and contains a cracking script co-written by crime noir novelist Raymond Chandler from the book by James M Cain. Suffice to say they just don't write movie scripts like that in hollywood anymore. The movie also contains probably one of the best film noir seductresses in the genre and of course a wonderful plot about the near perfect crime.
Afterwards it was off to the Substation to watch an ACSian theatre production called The Quest of Conscience. The play basically takes the form of an interview between a journalist and the commander of a Nazi concentration camp as she (and presumably the audience) struggles to understand how a man can be in charge of the killing of more than one million individuals and whether he accepts his cupability/guilt for the massacres that happened.
It was an interesting production, with a large supporting cast ensconed within metal frames (a physical manifestation of the entrapment suffered by the Jews). The supporting cast acting out the dialogue of the Commandant's wife and the Jewish prisoners as seen from extracts from interviews the journalist had done earlier. I especially liked the interweaving of Jewish/German songs and I thought the final scene with the blowing out of a single candle very artistic (if not completely original).
The key to the play was the performance of the two leads. I thought that the Commandant, while he tried hard enough, just didn't have the range and nuance of expression to fully carry the role. The hint of an accent and the occasionally unclear expression did not aid matters. Ultimately what didn't come through enough was the sense of fatalism inherent in the belief that one cannot be held responsible for doing one's job well, if forced to do so under duress and if one believed that even the gesture of sacrificing yourself for ideals would be merely token and ultimately ineffectual. In the end, did he accept that he was guilty insofar as so many of the Jews died while he was alive due to his own cowardice and determination to do what was necessary for his own survival and that of his family? Can one fault a man like him for deciding on survival, no matter how heinous the cost of that survival, given that the killings would have continued, with or without him? These nuances didn't come through.
The girl acting as the journalist was stronger in her role, and it helped that she very much looked the part. She was effective in adopting the persona of the hard hitting journalist demanding answers, demanding the truth. A criticism though was that she was too one-dimensional in her portrayal. In a sense what was a powerful aspect of the role of the journalist was that she genuinely could not comprehend how a man like the Commandant could live with himself after the acts (of omission if not commission itself) that he had committed. She isn't demanding an admittence of guilt so much as struggling herself to understand him as a fellow human being (as opposed to a heartless killer) who is somehow able to still reconcile what he did at least until the end. That is the quest for conscience that the audiences is brought along to see.
Double Indemnity is one of the classic noir films, considered to be representative of the genre and rightfully so. It was directed by cinema stalwart Billy Wilder and contains a cracking script co-written by crime noir novelist Raymond Chandler from the book by James M Cain. Suffice to say they just don't write movie scripts like that in hollywood anymore. The movie also contains probably one of the best film noir seductresses in the genre and of course a wonderful plot about the near perfect crime.
Afterwards it was off to the Substation to watch an ACSian theatre production called The Quest of Conscience. The play basically takes the form of an interview between a journalist and the commander of a Nazi concentration camp as she (and presumably the audience) struggles to understand how a man can be in charge of the killing of more than one million individuals and whether he accepts his cupability/guilt for the massacres that happened.
It was an interesting production, with a large supporting cast ensconed within metal frames (a physical manifestation of the entrapment suffered by the Jews). The supporting cast acting out the dialogue of the Commandant's wife and the Jewish prisoners as seen from extracts from interviews the journalist had done earlier. I especially liked the interweaving of Jewish/German songs and I thought the final scene with the blowing out of a single candle very artistic (if not completely original).
The key to the play was the performance of the two leads. I thought that the Commandant, while he tried hard enough, just didn't have the range and nuance of expression to fully carry the role. The hint of an accent and the occasionally unclear expression did not aid matters. Ultimately what didn't come through enough was the sense of fatalism inherent in the belief that one cannot be held responsible for doing one's job well, if forced to do so under duress and if one believed that even the gesture of sacrificing yourself for ideals would be merely token and ultimately ineffectual. In the end, did he accept that he was guilty insofar as so many of the Jews died while he was alive due to his own cowardice and determination to do what was necessary for his own survival and that of his family? Can one fault a man like him for deciding on survival, no matter how heinous the cost of that survival, given that the killings would have continued, with or without him? These nuances didn't come through.
The girl acting as the journalist was stronger in her role, and it helped that she very much looked the part. She was effective in adopting the persona of the hard hitting journalist demanding answers, demanding the truth. A criticism though was that she was too one-dimensional in her portrayal. In a sense what was a powerful aspect of the role of the journalist was that she genuinely could not comprehend how a man like the Commandant could live with himself after the acts (of omission if not commission itself) that he had committed. She isn't demanding an admittence of guilt so much as struggling herself to understand him as a fellow human being (as opposed to a heartless killer) who is somehow able to still reconcile what he did at least until the end. That is the quest for conscience that the audiences is brought along to see.
1 February 2008
Justin's Birthday
Pam organised a surprise gathering to celebrate Justin's 35th birthday today. It was held at the Old Brown Shoe naturally enough (or in Justin's words "my second home"). I ended up late after asking my sister to come along and then having to wait for her to put on make-up and do the other usual girlie things (she was going to Zouk afterwards).
It was nice to meet Maureen again (David her husband and Justin's old chum from the Everest days was out of town), particularly since the lot of us managed to extract a promise from her that she would cook dinner for us one of these days, and specifically she would make chilli crab (very much at my prompting).
Justin got the usual set of predictable presents for his birthday - a book on World War II combat airplanes from David and Maureen, two aerobatic books from Pam. I bought him a book on the history of aviation but forgot to bring it (I subsequently also bought him a model of a P-51 Mustang). Then again I haven't even passed him his Christmas present which is a DVD of the movie Flyboys.
This officially marks my third consecutive day at the Shoe after the pub quiz on Wednesday, going there with Justin and my sister on Thursday after Swing Fling at Jitterbugs. Gotta get away!
It was nice to meet Maureen again (David her husband and Justin's old chum from the Everest days was out of town), particularly since the lot of us managed to extract a promise from her that she would cook dinner for us one of these days, and specifically she would make chilli crab (very much at my prompting).
Justin got the usual set of predictable presents for his birthday - a book on World War II combat airplanes from David and Maureen, two aerobatic books from Pam. I bought him a book on the history of aviation but forgot to bring it (I subsequently also bought him a model of a P-51 Mustang). Then again I haven't even passed him his Christmas present which is a DVD of the movie Flyboys.
This officially marks my third consecutive day at the Shoe after the pub quiz on Wednesday, going there with Justin and my sister on Thursday after Swing Fling at Jitterbugs. Gotta get away!
First Day of Work
Today marked my first day of work as a research assistant at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS). Apparently my lack of mandarin was not that serious an impediment to my getting hired.
After the obligatory tour of the building and the introductions I soon found the usual series of amazing coincidences. First of all, Iqbal, a newly appointed Research Fellow received his Dphil from Oxford where he studied under James Piscatori, who was my tutor in Middle East politics. I found that there was only one other person in a similar position to mine - a Research Assistant to the Dean - Vinita. I did wonder about how isolated this position was going to be and it is refreshing to know there is someone else doing the same thing.
The coincidences continued when Emrys Chew, an assistant professor specialising in colonial history came to talk to us. I soon realised that he was the son of former Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS Ernest Chew and the brother of current ACS(I) teacher Alistair Chew. He was also quite hilarious possessing a lovely dry wit. Someone I would love to have further conversations with in the future.
Despite the fact that the two professors I am working under were not in the office, they did leave me a stack of material to read through. I got started on the readings for Professor Emmers, but me and Vinita both decided to leave early thinking that it would be perfectly possible to do the readings at home as well as in the office. Altogether, not a bad first day.
After the obligatory tour of the building and the introductions I soon found the usual series of amazing coincidences. First of all, Iqbal, a newly appointed Research Fellow received his Dphil from Oxford where he studied under James Piscatori, who was my tutor in Middle East politics. I found that there was only one other person in a similar position to mine - a Research Assistant to the Dean - Vinita. I did wonder about how isolated this position was going to be and it is refreshing to know there is someone else doing the same thing.
The coincidences continued when Emrys Chew, an assistant professor specialising in colonial history came to talk to us. I soon realised that he was the son of former Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS Ernest Chew and the brother of current ACS(I) teacher Alistair Chew. He was also quite hilarious possessing a lovely dry wit. Someone I would love to have further conversations with in the future.
Despite the fact that the two professors I am working under were not in the office, they did leave me a stack of material to read through. I got started on the readings for Professor Emmers, but me and Vinita both decided to leave early thinking that it would be perfectly possible to do the readings at home as well as in the office. Altogether, not a bad first day.
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