Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thank God for all those incandescent moments of bonhomie, of good-natured (for most part) teasing and jibes, of deep soul-stirring conversations and of companionable silences and glances shared and traded. I love you all.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
What can I do but to grin and bear it, I've made my bed and so must lie in it. Macbeth had the right mindset, even if it stemmed from the inappropriate source, resolute in his wrongdoings to the last. I can at least admire him for that. Doggedly do I forge on for I am in books. Stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go over.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Mock Trial
Monday, October 26, 2009
Birthday
NIKE!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Burn RUBBAH!
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
A little piece of heaven
Monday, September 28, 2009
Norwegian Wood
Thursday, September 24, 2009
the human condition
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Muse
On a side note, I find it funny how the SEP co-ordinator says "It is alright if I advised you to stay here in NUS and pull up your CAP?" Phrasing it in such a round-about way doesn't detract from the No. I can handle the truth I think, but maybe not the embarassment. In short, it always helps to expect the worse.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
I love it when a quote can capture so aptly a situation that you're in, delineating its parameters and context for you. The Eureka Moment dawns upon you like falling rain on the oval of a face as you realise the realisation; 2 + 2 = 4 makes perfect sense as you somehow felt it always did. And you luxuriate in the communal comfort of knowing that someone out there, was, is and will be in the same predicament as you were.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Photopost
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuition
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Commencement (Of What, Really?)
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
an ode to the lost
And sometimes it happens that you are friends and then
You are not friends,
And friendship has passed.
And whole days are lost and among them
A fountain empties itself.
And sometimes it happens that you are loved and then
You are not loved,
And love is past.
And whole days are lost and among them
A fountain empties itself into the grass.
And sometimes you want to speak to her and then
You do not want to speak,
Then the opportunity has passed.
Your dreams flare up, they suddenly vanish.
And also it happens that there is nowhere to go and then
There is somewhere to go,
Then you have bypassed.
And the years flare up and are gone,
Quicker than a minute.
So you have nothing.
You wonder if these things matter and then
As soon as you begin to wonder if these things matter
They cease to matter,
And caring is past.
And a fountain empties itself into the grass.
By Brian Patterson
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Hanoi and China
Hanoi: A veritable warren of chaotically placed roads and shabby-looking buildings for most part. It's a wonder how the locals manage to meander their way to their respective destinations given the lack of street signs and noticeable landmarks, and I say this with the discerning eye of a tourist. A horn rends the already discordant cacophony of vrooms and brakes screeching every 5 seconds (yes, I counted). Crossing the roads verge on life and death situations as throngs of scooters whiz pass with an almost reckless abandon, a hair's breadth away from me. Vietnamese buildings mirror their people in stature, tall and narrow in general, a result of the 17m by 6m as the maximum dimensions regulation.
Ha Long Bay: Stunning as the scenery was, I was inured to its beauty after a while. The caress of the bay breeze was indeed welcome, as was the honeyed warmth of the sunlight on my skin. I always did love boat rides ;). Limestone islands, topped with a dash of viridian and jutting from the sea at irregular intervals, made a great subject for photos. And it was here the ubiquity of the television hit me in full force. Going aboard a floating fishing farm deep within the islands, I was half-surprised to see the idiot box, the only visible sign of technology in the otherwise spartan room.
That's it for now.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
April was the cruelest month
Monday, April 27, 2009
Invidia
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Deutsche
I don't know enough German yet to phrase my feelings about it so I'll do this in English. After the first lesson, I came away feeling like a very intelligent parrot: knowing the phrases and saying them on cue but not knowing exactly what they meant. It got better with more lectures and a dint of self-studying. Now I can read some German passages and by looking at the keywords a.k.a words that appear in English too as well as cross-referencing back to the limited vocabulary I have, derive some meaning from it.Those who baulk at the complex grammar of English will probably pass learning German entirely. Different pronouns have different verb conjugations. Fair enough, English has that too. Throw in certain verbs that are conjugated irregular and you'll have a good time trying to remember the exceptions. Really, the key to learning a language seems to be memorising the exceptions rather than the rule. To add to the mix, words have genders, which entails different articles for them and yes, lots and lots of memorisation. I still can't fathom why a tree is male, its buds, female and its leaves, neutral. Unlike the lazy English way of "pluralising" something by adding an s, depending on the word, you can have a -en or an -e behind it. Just to name a few. Memorisation will be your best friend. Did I mention when the sentence structure changes from say, Akkusative to Dative, the gender articles are written differently too? All these gripes aside, I must say I really love learning German, the fact that there's no exam notwithstanding. I love how they can put individual words together to form long, daunting words that trip and twist your tongue like Hoechsgeschwindigkeitsbegrenzung (maximum speed limit) and Herzkreislaufwiederbelebung (C.P.R). I love how it sounds slightly guttural, almost like clearing phlegm from your throat. And I love how its close to English, which is a Germanic language, making it easier to pick up =P. I hope I achieve a sufficent proficiency if I get to go for exchange in Germany. There is much more self-studying to be done XD