Bali Trip ... Photos Finally

Yes finally i have gotten down to blog about my trip to indonesia. There is very little photos of jak cos it is an ugly city (sorry stef) but there is little beauty in the streets of jak .. unless you take photos of the pp there. But i did not have one of those professional cameras that can capture those pp photos well. And even if i do .. it would have been stolen by now (ha! another stereotype .. sorry stef) :)

ANyway these are the photos of Bali .. love that place and esp the food .. yummm. You have to try Ryoshi (Jap food - yes ... weird but its real jap food in the middle of indon, prepared by jap chef and owned by jap lady. AND its at Indon Food prices - a plate of Sushi (12 pieces) for about S$9 - you cannot beat that). Then there is Made's Warung, Bebek Bengil, and Warisan. All beautiful restaurants and yummy food.

The hotel that we stayed in - photo was taken from our balcony. It looks wonderful right .. cos that was the only sunlight we had .. the only time being when we arrived. And then the rain stayed for 3 days before leaving on our last day. Talk about luck.


so .. we drove around bali and there are real padi fields along the way. Too bad all the photos came out rather drab cos it was either cloudy or rainy when we were there.
Forgive the photo quality of this - it was taken in the car ... so the photos were taken by luck or chance.


Tanah Lot - temple looks like it is built on an island IF it was high tide. But it wasnt when we were there.


Balinese going to the temple, Pura Tanah Lot, to give their offerings. Kind of strange that commercialism is residing just beside spiritualism. These pp were comfortable with all the tourist gawking at them and taking photos and they carry on doing their thing. I am sure this was covered in that Sociology course on Tourism. I should have taken it... anyway ..


Of course we went for the balinese dances in Ubud - Legong and Kecak Dance. I have tonnes more photo of this and come film that i took. But none of the kecak dance. I think that they have to experience though. The photos do not do them justice.



finally the beach - really beautiful. No wonder pp come to their beaches. There are natural wonders in the distance ...


And man made ones too ...


the End -- i am too tired to upload any more photos. Sorry.
But you should go to Bali - nice place, cheap, and fun. Only thing to worry about is the lack of security (just recently an article came out about the lack of security in their airports. Well .. nothing happened to me. Except for the horrible experience at Pura Besakih - the pp there were trying to scam us into paying for the 'local' guides there. They wanted use to pay about $40 - it's not a lot but when you can buy a restaurant quality meal for $8 and a pair of shorts for $2 and a pair of earrings for 30 cents - that amount is insane.

Anyway, you should go there yourself and experience it. haha... talk about advertisement by word of mouth.

----- sorry about two of the photos that are not upright -- i have not edited them before uploading them. Oh well you get the picture!

Started Work

started work on Tuesday .. right after the Christmas period and it was difficult. So far, there has been nothing too heavy for me. The most difficult presently is how to pretend that you are doing something (but you are not) and also how to keep yourself from dozing off in the afternoon (esp after lunch). BUT thank goodness for the training in NS ... i can say that i accomplished these two things with aplomb.

So I have a window seat with a view ... of the pp hotel rooms in Swisshotel .. and can see the many pp swimming and suntanning at the pool. What luck ..

so .. the work will be coming in prob after the new years when everyone comes back from their leave.

Hope everything goes well.

Back from Jakarta and Bali

Back and had a ball of a time. I will be uploading the pictures soon .. hopefully it would be able to capture some of the fun i had :P
and the great thing is that i got my results when i came home and .. i did well .. 2 As, 1 A+ and 1 A-. So i goal of making a first class honours average for my masters is fulfilled. haha ...

will be starting work tmr .. hopefully i dont make any goof ups and i can end the day in one piece.

going off today

flying to jakarta then on to bali ...
hopefully nothing untowards happen ...
I should keep away from the ang mohs ... just in case :P

so i am off ... goodbye pp.

The linzes have won the Amazing Race

yes .. finally a team that i supported have won the amazing race. As long as the Weavers did not win, I would be happy. I was soooooo hoping that when the Weavers reached the finishing line, there would be very little appluase and the *crickets* soundtrack. That would have been hilarious. I guess God didnt want them to win. hahahaha.

Fort Minor - fantastic band

To the many people that is reading this blog (I am of course being highly delusional here),

go listen to Fort Minor today. Interesting band.

here - you can access the files here. I found them the other day :P here's to the kind hearted pp out there.

http://www.muchmusic.net/fort_minor_the_rising_tied_1312

Lazy Days

I have been running around preparing for my holiday and my work ... went to photocopy the books that steffie wanted (i basically violated copyright laws here .. haha) and also went to buy shoes for work. One pair of black shoes is falling apart and the other pair makes me really tall - the heels are really high and i always feel so strange in that. i really wonder how women wear those freaking high heels (those that are like 5-6 inches). Also went for my medical .. haha .. thought that i would have to strip and cough (ahem.. shan't elaborate) .. thank goodness NO.

I have also been watching A LOT of TV. Watched the finale of suvivor. Really was hoping that Steph would win but Danni won instead. Oh well... Steph was really bitchy and she was rather explicit about it. Of course the jury is not going to vote for the bitch that back stab them. Also project runway - season 1 only - i have to get the dvd for this show. The slow wait is really killing me. But the pp are sooo talented. Its really amazing how they could transform plain cloth into something so fantastic. Makes me want to either be a fashion designer, have fashion designer friends or marry someone who is one. hahaha. And of course the amazing race finale tom. Here's to hoping that the whining Weavers do not win. But who knows with the producers of that series.

I think I have too much time and am indulging in my TV habits too much. Last night while watching all the commercials for upcoming shows, i was thinking OMG .. i will be missing all these shows when i will be holiday. I wanna stay home and watch them. haha. lame.

1000th visitor .. finally

Finally, i have clocked 1000 visitors .. since the time i put the counter which is 2 August 2005. So not bad .. i guess for 4 months .. and 1000 visitors. Of course, part of that is basically me visiting my own blog and refreshing the blog when i am posting new entries or changing the template. But then i have some visitors from other countries so it is not only me.

Weblog Awards

I usually visits daniel Drezner's blog - has interesting observations on politics and economics. So i notice his post on the weblog awards ... seems like a big thing. So i was thinking what can i do to increase the traffic on my blogs .... I still can't think of anything gimicky to try. I dont have such an interesting life to blog about and moaning about my life just seems so unseemly .. seeing that the blog is in the public domain and is subject to the laws of the country. No matter how you think about it as a private affair.

So while i go about thinking about how to make my blog (or maybe my life) more interesting, please go vote for dan drezner on the weblog page. I know it's a long shot but then as long as he beats Megan AcArdle - gotta read his blog to understand. Also since you are willing to vote, why not also vote for the best blog in asia. I went for Simon World - some guy in HK. Again another long shot - seems like that irritating Xiaxue is leading the pack. But also Mr Brown is following.

Oh well... vote for the underdogs.

Does anyone have this book?

I just finished readings the Magician Guild and the Novice by Trudi Canavan (actually I am rereading it .. i read them when i was in Melbourne .. and that was 3-4 years ago). The library does not have the next book - last book in the tirlogy - The High Lord (refer to picture). So does anyone have this book? Can lend me? I would love to finish this trilogy ... there are a lot of loose ends that Canavan has left.

So ... anyone??

Grooming session

Just sent the two doggies for a grooming session ..

i thought i take some pictures before and after they were groomed ... nicky look kinda ridiculous now .. haha .. but cocoa looks alright.

Nicky:


Cocoa:

My holiday is confirmed

I will be off to jakarta next week to visit stef and then we will be off to bali for a few days before i fly back before christmas.
So my wish list:
- buy tonnes of shirts there (hopefully they have stuff that i like and in my size) so that i can actually have clothes to wear when i start work.
- get some .. *ahem* games for my ps2 ... won't comment any further.
- get the west wing season 5 ... also won't comment further
- get to see the Sukarno's erection ... the MONAS
- get away from Singapore ...

so i guess my planning this time has paid off.

btw the pix is from the google-a-montage application.

Ripples from the execution

Putfile - a website that allows you to upload videos and view other videos have decided to ban Singaporeans from using their services because Singapore has executed Van. Shocking that this sort of activism is taking place. Social activism is moving to the internet.

Putfile Says Goodbye To Singapore

At dawn on December 2nd 2005, Singapore hanged a citizen of Australia, despite a plea for clemency from the United Nations. Whilst Putfile is not a human rights campaigning organization, we believe that if a country must have the death penalty, there is no need for it be barbaric. It is enough of a punishment, and a deterrent, to take someone's life in a painless manner, without having to be barbaric about it. Putfile prefers to not continue to provide our free uploading service to a country that executes prisoners by hanging, a method of execution which can take up to six minutes to painfully execute the victim.

For this reason, we are at this time terminating all service to users from Singapore. We shall be happy to restore service following any positive move from the government of Singapore towards abolition of hanging as an execution method.

Goodbye Singapore,

Putfile.

I am done with exams .. and studying

I have finally ended my exams ... and the masters that took me 1 1/2 years to complete. Through National service and then finally finishing it up with NS ending too. So it's off for a month os rest and then i will start work on 27 dec.

It really is kinda of strange that i am done with studying. When i finished my bachelors, i never really thought that i would end studying. Just keep it on hold. But now with the masters over, I really don't see any more studying. Unless a phd? maybe a phd in a few years time. That I have to wait and see. Can't think of a topic to write for a thesis - maybe the political economy of international trade? Maybe the China trade issues with the US? hmm ... will have to explore that. Well at least my work will allow me to think about these issues .. hopefully i am not worked to the bone.

I will be starting my holiday ... in 5 ..4 ...3...2...1. :P

Kiss of death

Just came across a really depressing news story. It was kinda funny but then someone actually died so i should stop chuckling. Anyway, this girl kissed her boyfriend who just ate some peanuts (or something with peanuts). She is allergic and so she died. Very sad .. but seriously what are the chances of this happening?

dont believe me .. here

Christina Desforges, a Canadian teenager allergic to peanuts actually lost her life after she stole a kiss with her boyfriend who had just consumed a peanut-based snack. The allergy that affects just over a percent of the population caused the 15-year old to go into anaphylactic shock despite an immediately administered adrenalin shot. The girl eventually died four days after the lethal kiss of respiratory failure.

One thing i am surprised is that the news story was not titled KISS OF DEATH!! or BOY KILLS GIRL WITH A KISS!! or something equally corny. I bet the newpaper (Singapore's only tabloid) would feature it with such a title.

I got a new pet - Cocoa

Presenting Cocoa - my new pig .. yes this is again another sad attempt of me procrastinating. While blog hopping, i found a tiger in a friend's friend's blog and thought how cute.

if you move your cursor over the pig .. it will follow the pet and click on it .. it will squile (? god my spelling has deteriorated after word spellcheck was invented. haha)

I can't seem to place the codes in this entry but not to worry, i have placed the codes in the side bar. So now cocoa resides at the bottom of the page. Waiting for you to play with her.

Dear Van ... you should have stopped-over in Thailand or Malaysia!

unless you have been sleeping under a rock or have been living in Singapore (there seems to be little reporting of the case in the Singapore press), Singapore is about to execute Nyugen Thuong Van this friday because he smuggled drugs into Singapore en route to Melbourne. The Australians are very angry that they are killing one of their own while the Singaporeans are rather blase about it, as usual in fact.

I myself don't have an opinion on the death sentence. It's good and bad .. yet seriously, if you are going to traffic drugs, WHY did you choose to use Singapore as a stopover from Cambodia, my dear Van? You could have gone to Malaysia, or Thailand (two very popular stopover destinations) and if caught, at least there might be a saving chance that the Australian people and government might "persuade" the Malaysian or Thai government to commute the sentence to life instead of death, right??

Instead, you chose Singapore. The country that refused to commute your sentence to life despite pleas from the Australian people and government. The country that did not reduce the sentence for Michael McFay in the 1990s, despite pleas from the Untied States (the super-power at that time). The country that does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International courts.

To change the sentence would reverse decades of policies.

It would signal to the people that the government is amenable to pressure (get ready all you civil society people!!).

It would basically signal to the people that the government is fallible. (Shock!! 4 decades of party rule and socialisation down the drain).

I seriously doubt the Singapore government will change their stance in this matter.

So pray for Van .. cos there is really nothing else we can do.

I confess .... I am a TV Junkie

I have been watching a lot of TV lately.. Even during the exam period. I would study and plan my study breaks to coincide with the TV shows. Yes my study breaks can last for over an hour. Shocking isn't it :P

well I have always been a TV junkie and even while studying during my honours year, I still watched a lot of TV. And still managed a decent grade so I don't think I will stop watching TV anytime soon.

Recently I stumbled upon this website for TV junkie called TVgasm . So funny the way they blog about the shows. I especially how they are insulting the most HATED family on TV right now .. The irritating WEAVER family on amazing race. Here's an excerpt:

Well, the Linzes left the Pitstop second, but because they really didn't have anything fascinating to say, we'll just move onto team #3: God's flavorite bunch of daffy devotees, the Weavers. Commence self-aggrandizing... NOW!

"The world we live in is obviously not loving and kind; so I think we're just sticking out because we're not as like crude," explained eldest dimwit daughter Rebecca. So apparently throwing garbage at another team does not count as crude. (Maybe it's more rude than crude.) Nevertheless, Linda reiterated her daughter's point, saying, "It's just so against our beliefs just to keep being treated so rudely." I wonder, does anyone actually believe in being treated rudely? Well, as a family sensitive to the way they are received, I'm sure the Weavers will in turn act in a manner that represents their values and beliefs. The higher road, if you will. What's that old Christian tenet? Love thy neighbor as thyself?

You can read more here.

Why do Institutions matter in Politics?

I have been trying to study (read memorise) for my exam in comparative politics tom. and this is supposedly one of the questions that will be coming out for tom - why do institutions matter in politics? So let me revise a little while i Procrastinate and this would be a good crib sheet for those who want the answer to that question ...

- to understand how institutions shape today's politics, we have to understand how institutions shape politics in the past (path dependency)
- institutions shape how politics is conducted
- institutions shape incentives which then shape political behaviour
- the persistance of informal institutions make them important because of their influence on politics
- Insitutions can affect the governance of a country
- institutions provide us with a context to understand how people rationalise and intepret actions and decisions
- even if institutions do not work as they should, they still have an impact on politics

and finally, Institutions matter because ..... IT IS COMING OUT IN TOMORROW'S EXAM. (or at least i hope it will).

It's official

I start work on 27 Dec ... till then I have to go shopping.
Here's to a new beginning.

sent...

just sent the acceptance email to the agency.

Is my fate sealed.. future determined??

Taking the plunge

Been thinking about it and i have decided that i will accept that job offer. What else do i have ... says almost all of my friends, and parents. Also i like the job scope (something that i really wanted to do and experience) .. But what is this thing about stuff that comes too easily.

I applied to the job, I interviewed for the job (with some help given from the HR lady who gave my the essay questions, prepped me for the different interviewees, their questions, and personality) and then got the job offer. It's the first job I really applied (the other one in July - MFA was really a joke :P).

So I wonder how come? How come it's so easy? Am I just not confident that I am actually convincing in the interview, that these people actually see more than just a dumb tall guy?? Maybe they jsut need someone big to carry their bags when they go overseas :P hahaha .. that would be funny. It's something that I have always been doing for my mum.

So here i am taking the plunge, about to send the email to accept the job offer, but it is currently residing in my draft folder...

My procrastination entry ... "Cool application"

Found this new widget called screenshot plus . Really great. You can take a picture of the icons that you have on your desktop ... like this

Also you can take a picture of your desktop .. like this.



It's really fun and allowed me to waste AT LEAST 10 mins playing around with the widget :) back to work... (currently I am reading about civil society in Japan - past and present situations. It's not as dry as you think)

Hello ... World!!!

Just completed my first exam and three more to go ... sigh .. then it will be the end of my uni career for now. I will be going into the brave new world of WORK - the world where things matter and grades are not the only things that matter. The world where your friends will not be in the grad room waiting for you. The world where you have to wake up at 8 just to get to work at 9 so that you can end at 6 (assuming that you do end at 6).

Well i will be accepting the job offer from THAT govt agency so I was just wondering whether I can blog after that?? definitely nothing too personal about work .. but then with the type of work .. I won't be having a life to blog about. hahaha


So right now i have 3 more exams to go before the world beckons. I plan to go on a holiday but due to the lack of companions and time and the general sucky weather in the northern hemisphere, I am short of places to go.

So to ANYONE that wants to go on holiday - whther it is to batam, bali, bangkok, bangladesh, britain or brazil (goodness .. i am on a roll!!) please call me a along .. I promise i would be a nice travel companion.

I hate job hunting ... why is it so DIFFICULT

I just got the terms for my job .. one word - dissappointing. The job is interesting (trade negotiations for Singapore - something that i want to do and have been working hard in school to get into). But the pay is *ahem* a little on the low side. What happen to the weberian bureaucracy principles in the Singapore govt. What happen to the "i wil pay them higher so that i can attract talented pp" mantra??? WHY!! Well i will just have to see what happens after the pay review tom?

Also just got a call from a bank .. i got selected for the tests - the FIRST stage of the interview process. God .. i hate the emotional rollercoaster that they put you through. First, you are selected .. you think great, i am IN! Then, if you get through and see the HR pp, you think .. wow one more step. Then if you dont make it after that.. its the "sorry you did not make it, but this year's applicants are of a high quality. Its not you and the Bloody freaking market that is working against you. You are still good" type of mesage. It's like a bloody relationship... well, will see what happens this friday. Wish me luck!

What the fcuk - there is spam in the blogging world too?

I just blogged about my job offer and then received two comments ... i thought wow .. i have fans. Alas, false alarms .. its some lame shit from anonymous pp. prob using the comments to advertise. I can't believe this. You can check out the comments on the previous blog entry.

my first job offer

haha ... i got a job offer today from the only company that I interviewed with :D
but i am not sure whether to accept it or not? Would working in the public sector affect my chances to work in the private sector later on? maybe i have to go and ask some pp out there... but the answer is no .. unless you are in the public sector for too long (like maybe 5 years). hmmm .. something to ponder about this weekend until monday when i go down to the office to discuss the terms.

Well today has been a good day ... i got an A+ for my media assignment about the media analysis of the privatisation of Japan Post and an A for my media mid-sem exams :P hahhaa ... at least i get rewarded for my effort .. unlike job hunting.

I found a new pic ... HAPPY THOUGHTS PEOPLE... HAPPY THOUGHTS

... in relation to the previous entry

previous entry about job hunting.. sometimes i feel like that

Had an interview today - The job hunt continues

I had an interview today .. well yesterday (tuesday) actually. It was the third round of interviews (final round) so i am hoping something good comes out of it. It seems like I was the only one left interviewing. So if not me then who? But then i am really unsure whether I should venture into the public sector. would it jeopardise my future? would it brand me as a public secotr person, forever unable to return to land of honey and milk - the private sector?

argh .. i have job-hunting... it's so demoralising and so introspective. especially when you get the rejection email - "thank you for applying but you have not been selected (ie REJECTED). You were a strong candidate but the applications this year were strong and we found that there were more suitable candidates (ie IT'S NOT YOU - YOU DON'T SUCK. IT'S US. IT'S THE COMPETITION)". God ... how shitty!! a rejection email is a rejection email. Sugarcoating it only makes it worse.

The job hunt continues.

... finally a new design

I decided to change my design after seeing that it is so disfigured on my safari browser.
Well i cheated and just took a template from blogger.com and then slightly modified it with my own links ... I have to try to change it and make it mine. Own it!!

You RIke?? :P

Finally done with assignments .. onwards to exams

I have finally finished my last assignment today - my Japanese studies essay abotu expatriates in Japan. Fun thing was I got to interview my aunt and uncle who were expats in Japan. Overall the whole assignment was actually fun. And my presenation kick ASS with all the pretty graphics and the great images ... thanks to my mastery of Keynotes :) Thanks Steve ...

Anyway .. onwards to exams. Four exams more. The first one will start in about 1 1/2 weeks time and the last will end on 30 Nov. Hopefully ... i hope and pray that I can go to Italy in early Dec :P I have that fate would favour me with a holiday after I finish my exams.

I have an interview tom with EDB - my third one ... *cross fingers* but then ... well I won't say anything now. Who knows who is reading this blogs - prob no one. haha!

New blog template - procrastination odyssey part deux

just realise i have to change my blog template... it looks funny on safari and I cant stand it.
Soon ... well that's relative ... prob at the end of the year. haha

Found Nice pictures - procrastination odyssey

I found these picutres in deviant art by this person called nocturnal devil - i think they look very burton-isque. Which reminds me .. I have not watched Corspe bride yet. God, I hate it when assignments and school ruin my movie outings. :P

I have been tagged

So i got this comment on the previous entry:

at 4:06 PM Comrade Kenny said...
You've been tagged. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!! Now you've gotta list 10 things about anything, from song or food you like or whatever. Get creative!

Comrade kenny is my housemate for three years btw ... so I have to oblige :)
(he wrote about ten names that he would like for his baby - SHOCKING ... is he going to be the father??)

Anyway, ... i cant think right now .. hahaha (sorry kenny). I am trying to think about this Japanese studies paper that I have. I will blog again next week after my take home exam. promise ...

Does it get worse???

This week is going from bad to worse. After finishing the book review, which is due on monday, I had to start revising for two take home exams that I will receive on Friday and will be given 4 days to complete. I am so doomed ... the discussions in school are giving me a slightly better understanding. But i stress SLIGHTLY.

and then today i got an email rejecting me for one of the job application. Yes, i know that it should be normal since i apply to so many jobs anyway. Surely some of them will reject me (I hope only some .. and not ALL). But it still discourages you ... dissappointing in a way. Goodness, i really hope that I will not be one of those bums without a job for a few months. Seiously, you need a proper level of self-esteem when job hunting.

Hopefully i will survive the take home exams this weekends. hopefully, some job will accept me soon. hopefully ... the week doesnt get worse.

Update on the JUMP

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,96495,00.html?

Quote "The 22-year-old died in hospital later"

So i guess he died but then what is the reason? seriously how can someone just jump off just like that ...

Someone Just JUMPED at cineleisure

heard from my sis who was there:

some guy jumped from the 3 floor of cineleisure and fell to the ground beside the food court at the basement. thats 4 floors. Apparently, the guy was being interrogated by the police before he jumped. can't imagine someone just jumping off the railings. Well, at least he picked a famous place to jump.

The thing is .. not too sure whether the guy is dead. But he was not carried off with the sheet covered over his body, so that means he is alive? (or do they only cover the body in TV shows? ) If he dead, then you can be sure some ghost story will develop out of this.

My life as it is

I am in PAIN ... my neck is frozen (terminilogy used by my mum). All becuase i spent the last three days sitted in front of the comp typing out my econs essay. Whoever though typing 7 pages would take that long. And due to my lousy posture and seat level, I have stiff back muscles which contributes to my neck ache. HOW SHITTY!!!

And now i have to do a book review for my jap studies. Due on Monday - yup two more days and not a single page written ...

I think i shall go swimming on monday .. or at least lie there in the sun to get a tan. So at least i dont look like a pale, sad graduate student. I will then look like a tan but still sad graduate student. hahahah

the end

I have completed my stupid national service. Finally, it has been a long time - 2 years and 4 "freaking" months. Anyway, it's over. Not that I didn't enjoy some parts of it.

I went to Brasil Cha(-something) last night to celebrate. So exciting .. the food just keeps coming and coming and coming. Yumzz!! You definitely have to go there seomtime.

Also, I think I shall not update my blog for a while. I am going into assignment mode now. Scary when you think about. But this is the last semester and then I will be done :)

Just realised ...

I have not been blogging for a while. That's cos i have tonnes of work to do: presentation, assignments, and one mid term exam next week.

one interesting assignment is the japanese studies one where i get to interview two people who have lived in japan based on your chosen theme of course. I chose my aunt and uncle and the theme is the socialisation of expatriates in Japan. It is turning out to be a very interesting and fascinating topic. I hope that i can keep up the enthusiasm till the end of Oct when i have to present the paper and submit it. Otherwise, it has been a learning curve.

Also i have been frantically applying for jobs .. well not frantically cos i have only applied for a few till now. It takes a freaking long time just to complete one application, you know. And they ask really tricky questions (IMO) about what you can contribute to the company. If they haven't noticed, i will be a fresh grad and the only thing i can truthfully contibute is carbon dioxide and probably body heat (but they already have the thermosat for that). So I promise that i will do one application per day till i finish the list of companies that i want to apply for.

I hope and pray i get something good. something that pays wells. something that challenges me. something that is ... well you get the picture.

OMG .. it's Rent The MOVIE

Call me slow .. but I just found out that there is a RENT the movie. I love this muscial. I watched it in Melbourne and fell in LOVE with the songs and the story. So touching and so GOOD!!! And the good part is that the original cast of the muscial is reprising their role in the movie. So we wont be getting crappy (but good looking) actors playing the roles. You are acutally getting real singers ... broadway singers.

I guess the only gripe I have is that Rosario Dawson is playing Mimi .. i guess they HAVE to have one star in the production otherwise who knows, you would only get ther true blue fans watching it. Also another gripe is WHY Chris Columbus as the director. Yuck yuck yuck. His credits include harry potter .. ermm nine months. and some other equally fluffly movies. Why not spike lee or sam mendes or baz luhrman as rumoured.

But at least they are having a movie .. a consolation for not actually watching the Broadway production :) cant wait!!

My Interview yesterday and the results

Went for my first round interview (or third interview) with EDB. Now it is for a position in planning division. They asked me about my thought processes regarding:
- how would you try to involve Singapore in the mineral industry in INdon?
- what are the steps in mineral processing?
- what you think Singapore should do to attract this mineral processing industry?
- can Singapore have a mineral processing industry?
- Finally, how would you examine the global trade flows in ten years time?

With the exception of the last question, I have ZERO knowledge of the rest. Nothing ... it was basically a BULLSHITTING SESSION for me.

Well, apparently the interview went well. The HR lady (who is very nice) called and mentioned that they liked me. Asked me a preference to which division (seems like I still have a chance at International Policies - I said I have no preference). Then I arrange a third round interview at the start of NOVEMBER. hehe ... so that gives me time to relax and show around somemore :P

More job hunting ... sigh

After applying for a total of 3 jobs - MFA, EDB, and Citibank (have not gotten a reply yet), I have to start applying for others. oh wait, I did apply for one more last weekend - a research associate position in the UN development program in .. (far far away land) colombo, Sri Lanka. Fun huh!!

Anyway, I really have to get my act together and start applying for the jobs. I already bookmarked all the websites and should be able to send in the applications. Wonder what is stopping me .. procrastination? laziness? or just a fear of facing up to reality? Argh ... I am graduating in Nov and I have no clue what me life will be after that.

Maybe I should just go on a long long holiday. Anyone interested? msg me.

Results of the interview

Well, they called me and told me i did not get the position in International Policy Division. But they liked me enough to give me a shot at a position in Planning division. I guess thats good right?
So another interview next Thursday.

Sigh .. this job hunting is really tiring.

A long day

After only sleeping for 5 1/2 hours, I woke up at 7 am to go for class.

0900-1230 - media class ... i had to give a presentation on a Singapore government campaign and assess its effectiveness
1400-1500 - rush from NUS to city hall
1500-1700 - the second round of my interview. I had to prepare a presentation on a country that is a competitor with Singapore and show how Singapore can collaborate. Well ... i think it went alright :)
1700-1830 - rush back to NUS for classes in the evening
1830-2100 - classes on the economic development of .. today was Singapore and Taiwan
2100-2200 - travel home ...

So finally .. i am home and i can sleep. I just need to get up early tom so i can finish my readings for comparative politics tom. sigh ...

Interview again??

I got into the second round - yippee ... now i have to go to class in the morning, rush for the interview in the afternoon and then go for the evening class ... sigh. It is going to be a long day tom. I have to go to the place and present on a topic of their choice. hopefully I dont screw up :P

Another Interview

Just got back from my interview with EDB. Seemed reallyy fast - it ended in about 15 mins and you know what that means. hmmm. just ask some basic questions like why i want to do a masters in International studies instead of econs. The only tough question is when the lady asked me what I would do when some middle eastern countries want to sign an FTA multilaterally instead of bilaterally? Who would I do?? hmm .. i gave a really lame answer .. to the effect of .. i don't know. haha ..

anyway, for those who want to interview there ... (of course here i am assuming that there are people who are reading this ... how self-deprecating), the question that they have for their writing test is: What do you think is the greatest challenge facing EDB and why??
They have not changed the question for a while. So if you are thinking of interviewing in the next few months (richard, interested?), then you can prepare for this question. Its really funny that you can bring in the things that you brought and your phone. So basically you can call people or look at your notes for inspiration when you go for the writing test. funny huh?

Friends are like Viagra ...

Boarded the bus this morning and went to sit at the back right seat. I love sitting there as there is more legroom (very important when the bus seats are built for 1.70+ Asian pp (I doubt SBS has ever thought of increasing the leg room. It would decrease the bus capacity. AND we wouldn't want that .. would we?? o_o)

So I saw this grafitti on the back seat and thought that it was really interesting. "Friends are like viagra. They keep you up when you are down." Very witty .. interesting.. unless, of course the witty interesting person RIPPED it off from some where. But then again, who cares!

Journey to the car (after the Class Reunion)

After the class reunion, Ramani was really nice to offer us a ride to the city. We were in the unknown (ulu) lands called Chinatown or Chin Swee Road. So we walked and walked. The car was so farking far. Lucikily I had nimale and a camera to entertain myself (no ... nothing dirty). Anyway, if you need a car to fetch the whole soccer team, Ramani is the MAN to call. His car is so freaking big and it even has a DVD player.

We walked ...

And walked ... oh look we are finally at the Singapore General hospital (where the car is parked) cos RA mum has staff parking (read FREE!)

And walked ...

Almost there ... see the lift sign on the top

The culprit :)

Ah ... the car finally. It just took us 10-15 mins to get to it.

Look how spacious it is

Jason was delirious from some joke. I can't remember what. See .. this is what you get from blogging so late after the event. My Bad!!

The LCD screen that is connected to the DVD player. EVERYONE say wuuuu ...

This was some random people that I took that were having a wedding photo session in the trishaw.

A closeup of the entourage ... I spy with my little eye ... some overly made-up bridesmaids. The photographer apparently spotted me taking a photo. Sadly we zoomed away

Class Reunion

After much procrastination, I am going to put up the photos that I took for the class reunions the previous saturday. First off, I am no fan of class reunions. How odd to meet people who knew you in your past, where you were someone else (unless you have remain stagnant/unchanged for the last 7 years). They remember you as you were, not as you are. Then there is a short intermission, where they reconcile the past and present you, and then comment how you have changed so much. Where in fact, you feel that you have not changed at all, maybe just a little but not as drastic as they say.

Anyway, my class had 30 pp and only about 12 pp came for the lunch. Thanks Poh Cheng for organising the class reunion, although I have to say that the food was nothing to rave about (cold fried tim sum and things with unidentifiable contents). Okay ... enough ... bring on the photos. Its basically taken from a round table so the angles will look horrible and the people are not exactly very cooperative. I will go in order from left to right.

Ramani and Lionel

Nimale - he came late

Jason Cheong and Qing Qiang

Poh Cheng and Wei How

Wei How and Gong Wei

Ming Qian, Andre and Alex (I like the waiter at the back)

Finally, Peter (and no .. he is not picking his nose) and Danica (he's shy).

So in the end, it was nice to know what everyone was doing. But again the high school groups emerged and those who were from the same social group sat together and chatted. There were the people who bridged these groups and were able to facilitate the conversation. But then it was always like that in 4A3 in SJI 1997. Au revior to the past... See you all in 2007 for the class of 1997 reunion.

Some humour Test

I am tired doing my readings for the Japanese studies so I decided to go blog visiting. I came across this test on Paul's blog and decided to take.. Who wouldn't.. haha! Well this is the result:

the Provacateur (66% dark, 34% spontaneous, 52% vulgar)

your humor style: VULGAR | COMPLEX | DARK You'll crack on anything, and you're often witty, even caustic, about it. Therefore, your sense of humor is polarizing. You're transgressive, and you've got a seriously sharp 'edge'--maybe too much for some folks. If they get you, people think you're one of the funniest (and smartest) people in the world. If they don't, they think you're an ass. Whatever, right? While some might question your judgement, your comic intellect is unquestionably respected. PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Chris Rock - Lenny Bruce - George Carlin The 3-Variable Funny Test! - it rules - If you're interested, try my latest: The Terrorism Test

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 85% on darkness You scored higher than 18% on spontaneity You scored higher than 79% on vulgarity

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid

I am in job hunting Mode!!

After that catastrophe with the phone ambush by EDB. I have just applied for another position at citigroup. Heard that they don't pay well and they don't have a lot of welfare. So I am not really sure why I am applying for their management associate position. Oh well .. will see if I get the interview first.

Ambushed!!

I was ambushed by EDB on the way out of my class today. I got a call from EDB (because I applied for a position there in their International Policies Division). Then they asked if she can talk to me about some facts in my resume and asked some questions. So I thought why not?

So I boarded the bus cos I was having my media class at the LKY school of public policy and was going to the main campus area. Then she Embushed ME!! She started the interview - So why do you want to apply to the International Policies Division? What do you see yourself in the future and what are your plans? What are the challenges that you think EDB is facing right now? Argh ... and I did not have the poise or confidence to answer properly. But then somehow I manage to get through this round and she said that she will arrange the interview with the directors.

BUT .. since I interned there before, the expectations on me is HIGHER! Since I have done all these wonderful subjects like (Chinese Business studies, Japanese Business Systems, International Trade) I should be KNOWLEDGABLE of local and global issues. Oh yeah ... before she forgets, the Interviewers are the director and deputy director and they are very tough interviewers. So she tells me to get ready.

Thanks a lot ... I really hope that this is not going to be another MFA part two. Which by the way, I did not get. (Not too sure how to feel about that).

childish?

After typing that entry, I realise that it was quite cathartic and rather childish of me.

Anyway, I will blog about my class reunion (that went on last saturday) soon. I have photos too :P

What is with these people

There are two people that has been pissing me off for the past week. Let's call them L and S.

Well, L*** wanted to take the media class that I am in so she asked me about the class (how it is and stuff) and I was happy to oblige because I would have someone familiar in the class. Then the horror started. She keeps asking me for the textbooks and note to the class. And that is all she ever talks to me about. Walked by her this afternoon, L says immediately, "hi ... do you have the textbook for the media class?" That's all!! No hi, how are you?? And this is like the 3rd time she is asking me. I thought you are suppose to get it YOURSELF!! If you were nice to me I would have lent you my photocopied text (which by the way, has Infringed on almost all the copyright laws :).

And the most annoying thing is that she cannot pronounce me name properly. At first, I thought it was her short vietnamese lisp which prevented her from pronouncing my name properly. So my name came out "shaw" instead of 'Shawn'. Then I get an sms which started "hi Shaw..." Argh ...

Okay then S****, another girl in the class. She mentioned that I could borrow her readings and I just needed to sms her on the day to bring it. I smsed her to bring to class and no reply. I see her in class (without any files or big bags) on the same day and she did not approach me to say anything. So I assumed that she does not want to lend me. Fine ...

I organise a group to photocopy the readings today and while walking to the library, another friend mentions to S that we are going to photocopy the readings. S then says "hey I already have all the readings, why don't I lend you all the readings to photocopy?" OMG deja vu. But S turns to me and says, "Oh shawn knew that I had it and smsed me the other day. I BROUGHT the file but I did not talk to her so ..." How was I suppose to know that I was suppose to talk to you when you did not even reply. By the way, you LIAR, you did not bring a file that day. You brought one of those small bags that can only carry a wallet, pen and phone.

Argh ... people are so annoying. I want to move to the mountains and be a hermit.

The widget worked

Amazing ... :)

I LOVE my iBook!!!

Testing my new Blogging Widget

I just downloaded a new widget for my ibook. Hopefully it can link with the Blogger.com and appear on my website.

So the process is I type into an application on the dashboard (something like a second layer on top of the desktop for those windows pp). And the application (hopefully) links with the internet and publishes this post.

Here goes ...

trips

under construction

photos

under construction

Play with my pig

adopt your own virtual pet!

If you are bored

I am doing my readings now for comparative politics, and Mao sent me this link. Very entertaining. Look at it if you are bored or you are trying to indulge in a little escapism. Here is the link.

My life so far

I just realise that I have not been blogging for a while. After the euphoria of receiving the new ibook, I seem to forget that one od the main reasons for getting the ibook is so that I can access the internet from my room (which by implication would mean that I would be able to blog more). By the way, SORRY to the person that I am leaching bandwidth from ... well I am not that sorry *evil grin*.

So for the past week, I have been trying to settle my school timetable. YES!! I am in the final semester of my Masters program and will be completing in the next few months (after an exhuasting schedule of assignments and seminars). So for the really kay-poh pp, I will be doing:
- Media, Public Opinion and Public policy [this is held at the Lee Kuan Yew School of public policy and it is BEAUTIFUL! The number of donors they have ... amazing. And they have such a nice reception area and nice classrooms for the 100 odd students that they have. While the hoi polloi slum it out in the ASes]
- Economic Growth in East Asia [ I am assure by everyone that takes this module that it is soooo easy and an A is guaranteed. And more importantly, I don't have to do the readings.]
- Contemporary japanese social Issue {all the better to understand the Jap dramas .. harhar!! well not really but it does help in some way]
- Approaches to Comparative Politics [Kjiaw (pronounced Chor) - Burmese lecturer educated in Cornell ... very interesting teaching method and very interesting content. Enough Said)

So sadly my life so far is revolving around school and work. Not much of work though since ALL I do now is go into office and check the email (oh it's Col so and so ... does concern ME ... IGNORE). The most I do is to plan when I will be taking leave - usually on the days that I have morning classes.

Oh and my life on TV land is rather limited. Joan of Arcadia and Gilmore Girls on Sundays. Then followed by the Apprentice (yes I got sucked into the show - kill me Whydoncha!). And of course America's Next Top Model - no ... dont need to tell me. I already know Naima is the winner of this season 4. God ... TCS is a real slowpoke when it comes to acquiring foreign shows. (don't cha love it when they are televising Spiderman - the first installment - two years after the movie was released and they actually have the audacity to tag it with a line - "FIRST TIME ON TV"!! Of course it is the first time on TV cos you are so farking slow. And you are the only local English channel.)

My precious find tonight - with relation to the America's Next Top Model - it's the blog of the second runner up for the first season Ellyse Sewell. It is really her and she is in Hong Kong. Should read her blog if you want a good perspective on the model industry. Also a plus is that she can actually WRITE and she writes well.

I finally have my darling iBook

yes, I finally got my ibook. After collecting it at 1.30 pm yesterday. I had to drag it all around campus and attend two classes with the box (containing the ibook) and a large plastic bag (containing the ugly FREE laptop bad that they gave me - when is a free thing ever not ugly). And the worst thing I had to take public transport home with these two bags and my backpack filled with library books and papers. But it was worth it. Exploring the ibook is really rewarding and really makes me happy that I have made the switch to Apple. A note though - when I was carrying the box around campus, EVERYONE turned to look. And when the computer guy took it out to configure, people were looking and commenting about how pretty it looks. I guess it defnitely beats those ugly black IBMs and silver Fugitsus. So now is the beggining of the process of installing the different softwares to make this ibook usable. Its going to be a long process.

I did think of posting some photos of the ibook. But then ALL ibooks are the same and the only difference is the surroundings. Also I could take a photo of me holding the ibooks but then I am rather camera shy. So i guess if you want a picture of the ibook, you can just go to apple.com or any apple store to ogle at it.

My iBook is ready for collection

My ibook is finally ready for collection. I will be collecting it tom at 1.30 pm and then hurray ... the wait is finally over for me.

Then its up to Pdus to teach me the ways of Apple.

iBooks and Tau Suan

I think I am getting obsessed with getting my ibook. Maybe its just the excitement of owning something that I have wanted to get for the last few months. The end is near!!! So I am surfing around, looking at the things that I want to install in my new ibook. Yes ... i am going to get it SOON - probably in another week's time. NUS really has a good deal for the ibook - comes with free 512 mg RAM and extended 3 year warranty for only $1772. Well, it's not that cheap if you are not earning any or little money. BUT compared to other laptops, it really is a good deal. So I have worked out what I want to install and what internet browser I should use with the Mac (I think I will use Firefox). And then there is Scribe which is soooo essential if you are going to write an academic paper. It basically works like Citation for Windows - allows you to create bibliographic notes for your essay AND helps you create those beautiful bibliography at a click of a button. It's really essential!!


Okay another thing I am currently obsessed about is Tau Suan. I felt like eating it for the past few weeks but never really found a store that has good Tau Suan. Either too watery or too little Tau. So I decided to make my own tau suan. I looks really easy: just steam it and then make the startchy sweet soup base(?) and then add beans. How difficult can that be. The only problem I have is where can I find/buy the you tiao?