alcohol and metaphor

In a 2009 interview, Plain Dealer music critic John Soeder asked Don Henley this about his Hotel California lyrics:

You sing: "So I called up the captain / 'Please bring me my wine' / He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since 1969.'" I realize I'm probably not the first to bring this to your attention, but wine isn't a spirit. Wine is fermented; spirits are distilled. Do you regret that lyric?

Henley responded:

Thanks for the tutorial and, no, you're not the first to bring this to my attention—and you're not the first to completely misinterpret the lyric and miss the metaphor. Believe me, I've consumed enough alcoholic beverages in my time to know how they are made and what the proper nomenclature is. But that line in the song has little or nothing to do with alcoholic beverages. It's a sociopolitical statement. My only regret would be having to explain it in detail to you, which would defeat the purpose of using literary devices in songwriting and lower the discussion to some silly and irrelevant argument about chemical processes.

from the song Le Kua Simi, by mr brown:

You must wait long long time because patience is a virgin.

i like motion pictures

"The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug."

The Hurt Locker "is not about explosions, but about hoping that none will happen. That sense of hope is crucial. When we merely want to see stuff blown up real good in a movie, that means the movie contains no one we give a damn about," said acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert.

director Kathryn Bigelow did what the great Alfred Hitchcock taught in his 1972's Frenzy. she sets up a deadly explosion at the opening of the movie, and keeps us fearing another. it's about imagination, what Ebert said about "The imagination of the audience is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of any director of suspense. We see what will happen when a bomb explodes. Then we spend the movie fearing it will happen again."

Ebert further added, "Bigelow uses no phony suspense-generating mechanisms in this film. It is about personalities in terrible danger. The suspense is real, and it is earned." Hitchcock had said that when there’s a bomb under a table, and it explodes, that’s action. When we know the bomb is there, and the people at the table play cards, and it doesn’t explode, that’s suspense. The Hurt Locker perfected that.

the story is so spellbinding because of the characters, as soldiers and as men, their job, and its risks. Sgt James' job is "all the more remarkable because in certain scenes, it seems fairly certain that the bomb maker is standing in full view — on a balcony or in a window overlooking the street, and is as curious about his bomb as James is. Two professionals, working against each other."

there are no elaborate speeches in the film. it's not cluttered with dramatic but useless facts. it's probably one of the shortest scripts. but when it's over, we are pretty clear of what just hit us, and overwhelmed by what a blockbuster might not be able to achieve.

reasons for addiction:

1. bombs need to be defused

2. nobody does it better than Sgt James and he knows it

3. he needs the adrenaline to make him forget about his life outside service

he keeps a box of souvenirs from his missions. a box full of things that "almost killed me".

the subplot of the DVD-peddling Iraqi boy nicknamed Beckham reiterates that this is no ordinary war-bashing film. Sgt James is no superhero. he's just a bomb expert. as he attempts to make sense of the boy and an espionage plan, like many of us make sense of war, he fails. there is none. "outside his narrow assignment, he's useless."

The Hurt Locker received no assistance from the US Army to shoot a film about their own. Transformers, on the other hand, was taxpayer-bankrolled and had the backing of the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines.

the screenwriter, Mark Boal, said, "I literally had a conversation with a guy who was telling me how realistically that movie is in its depiction of the military. I said to this senior military guy, 'What part of fighting aliens is realistic?' He replied, with a straight face, 'If we were going to fight aliens that's how we would do it'."

Ebert participated sarcastically, "Yes, that's how the Army would fight aliens, by playing a supporting role to a college kid, his girlfriend, his best buddy and his parents, who turn up in Egypt and save the day. And depending on the Egyptian military not noticing U.S. Army fighting with robots who are ripping apart the Great Pyramid."

combustion

you: me and him, no spark.

me: then we got spark?

you: i think we got fireworks.

A news story should be like mini skirt on a pretty woman - long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.

Fabian Ng Yong Kiat, former Editor-in-Chief of Nanyang Chronicle, IOC Young Reporter, former intern at Reuters and Bloomberg, and one of my CS buddies. LOL.

i love your free spiriting, yet it is this very free spiriting i live in fear with all the time.

i am holding back so much. so much im not telling you. i wish i can but im too afraid.

scared you'd back off. scared you'd find this relationship grating, strenuous. scared you'd 'classify' me, discriminate me. scared you'd get scared.

so much is at stake for me.

i tried so hard to convince you into that leap of faith, that im the better person for you. i dont want you to think you 'ended one to get into another of the same'.

i pray for wisdom and strength to understand you better. and i pray for you to let me.

they say, we love someone for who they are, not despite of.

i dont know if you will think im trying to change you, or if you will understand i just wish for the best for us.

my moment

jeanette got me thinking about my contributions to our FYP. i told her i did nothing much compared to cheryl and weili, whom i thought did way more than me and her. i remember at certain times of the year i felt they were really doing a lot for us.

then recently, long after FYP, we had a thank-you dinner with hedwig. to my silent comfort, she revealed that one major factor that clinched our A was that last slide in our presentation (presentation ultimately decides markers' grades).

that slide, my groupmates might not remember, came from my gut.

the slide per se takes an introspective step away from the content of the project and reveals our personal takeaways on the subject after working on it for a year. it was very much, i reckon, a twist away from the usual stuff thrown at assessors.

but in my opinion, a student journalism project at the end of the day should always be about what the student journalists learnt. it's personal, and shows how the topic affected us.

that slide of course didnt decide our A grade, but i think it was my moment. i am pleased and satisfied.

we f*cking did it!

a love revolution

me: HAHA my sis went past me and said 'you talking to V ah'

you: HAHAHA so cute

me: i think she thinks we're planning a revolution

you: we are

:)

froud

it's such a pity

like, you know, it's been so many years

i remember when i became school president, my parents never said a single thing

over the years whenever i slogged for something, they never knew what's it for

so i wished yesterday they saw something

that although their (once wayward) son (almost but) wasnt the valedictorian,

he made a difference

evident in the reception i received

but yea guess what, afterwards my mum said no lah everyone got the same loud reception

-.-

haha

im sure yours was different right

somemore they seated in the middle of the best seats

aiya i give up

i would be so proud to see that moment u had there

:)

game changers

they changed the game.

three close friends made important remarks over the last 12 months which opened my eyes (and heart) to a lot of things, chief of it all being you.

X said, "your kind of girl isnt that unconventional or diverse actually, contrary to what you often say. A had it, B had it, and now the more i study H the more i see it. they all have a certain air to them. look, when A changed, your heart changed too."

doesn matter whether i agree with X or not. fact is, that reinforced 'you'.

Y said, "to be honest i had a lot of reservations about you and B. i remember the spark in your eyes during the times with A, when she said yes... but that spark wasnt there with B."

i have, admittedly, found that spark again, with you.

and Z said, "you know you always tell me about the girls in your life and after so many years, what you think is the perfect girl for you. well, you might not admit it now, but this one, sounds to me closest to your idea of perfection."

whoever said NTU's boring ought to [insert disgusting activity no one wants to perform]

or you could read this.

to mark my departure from this place after four long/short years, and as a companion piece to the craziest and most random things ive done here, ive compiled a to-do list for current and future students.

not just when you're bored.

i never thought i could be exhaustive. but now that im graduated, i reckon i should be comprehensive enough. from four years of college, four years of living on campus.

ADM's iconic greens

trudge up, you wont regret it. have a picnic or a laugh, or something. dont worry if you're not from ADM, the authentic ones are in the basement too busy with projects.

get muddy at SRC

play (whatever) in the rain and mud at SRC. because it's fun, nostalgic, and simply cos SRC is infamous for mud.

attend a concert
celebrity campus concerts are a big part of university life, and you wont get another chance because, well, for the word "campus". even if you're not too familiar or interested in the music, go for the atmosphere. if not, try one of the many dance concerts, or those ExxonMobil-NTU lunchtime concerts.

come on, dont you get it, just get immersed in something!

run 378 
if this university naturally has something nowhere else has, it's the tough terrain. make the most of it, stay fit at the same time. everyone runs in NTU anyway.

furthermore, run routes here are christened after bus routes. do the 378, a full loop of NTU.

 
ah fang, ah lian, extension
for some, these terms are alien; for others, they're habits. they're the three most popular supper places for NTU students, especially hallers (however, i should apologise to friends in the northern halls, i always suspected you guys cook cup noodles or drink water cooler when you get the pangs at night). why they have such quirky names? well, go find out yourself.

furthermore, NTU isnt that bad with the huge JP so near, now furnished with a 24-hour FairPrice Xtra. Safra Jurong surprisingly has K Box, Sakura buffet, Jack's Place and Ishi Mura Express. if you've a car, there's the Sheng Siong food centre along Jalan Bahar and Boon Lay Power Nasi Lemak at Boon Lay Place.

take a shuttle bus for fun
Bus C would be wiser, since it travels the longest route. take in the sights, read something, or observe the people onboard.

Yunnan Garden

not the most glamorous of gardens, this place makes up for its reputation by being the icon of NTU. take a walk, preferably when the sun's not blazing. surely the aesthetic landscape deserves some attention.

visit the Nantah Arch

this legendary landmark is a nostalgic reminder of not just NTU's beginnings, but Nantah's pride as the quintessential Chinese anti-hero. there are two gates, by the way - the replica in Yunnan Garden and the original standing at Street 93.

run for your life from ghosts

now, whether there are really hantus in this world isnt for me to call. but then there's Fright Night. college seniors routinely plot to enhance your college experience by scaring your wits out, set in the most bland of school architecture. so when you graduate, you remember not just mugging and dragging, but screaming and fleeing.

three letters: FOC
ive been to nine (to date) myself, and i say you haven't been to university if you've never experienced it. i'll spare you the details, but let's just say, after the power-packed few days, campers usually find day-to-day college life wanting.

Chinese Heritage Centre

dont let its looks fool you. the oldest building in NTU (and probably most off-putting) holds a museum and an exhibition on NTU's history. 

watch a film at ADM library

you can do it elsewhere, but here you got the university's coolest library, a wide selection of films, a big tv, and even a mini theatre for screenings. 

throw people or be thrown into Nanyang Lake

or if you're looking for something milder, try fishing (the lake is used by Anglers' Club for freshwater catch like catfish and rohu) or feed the creatures in the lake.

perform at Nanyang Playhouse 

take theatre modules. perform. release yourself.

date at Sakae

cos (1) it's the relatively most decent "restaurant" in NTU and (2) you need to get hitched in college or die.

President's Lodge

one of NTU's highest points is hidden away by design, unless you live in the blocks next to it. home to the university president, the retro houses are quite an attraction in themselves. stroll or run up at night for a view of Jurong's industrial machinery. do note though, this place is out-of-bounds to all, and campus security make regular checks. listen for the scooter!

go to North Spine

for some "up close and personal", live, uninhibited access to the university's proud assets, called "Engineers". so proud, a 'T' in the university's acronym is in homage to them.

the-place-previously-known-as-The-Sun

stroll there late at night for ben&jerry's, alcohol or whatever the surprisingly teeming store can offer.

walk the bridge at Research Techno Plaza

walk this bridge alone at night.

visit the TCM clinic

according to my sources, in terms of their dispensary, they have some of the highest-quality medicinal herbs in Singapore. available for normal consultation are also some of the best physicians in the land (think it this way, you have professor-level practitioners assessing you at a bargain price; it's like having Bertil help you plant something). what's more, how interesting to see a doc with five TCM students making you feel like a guinea pig.

anyhow whack an address (like N4-b3c-14 or TR165A) and proceed to locate it
yay half a day burnt!

sunbathe
weird, but the angmohs do it. try SRC, that's a common one. japs have been spotted there too okay.

party on WKWSCI's iconic rooftop

pardon me for the bias, i just had to insert this in.

photos: Tan Thiam Peng, CIC, Internet

the Europe gamble paid off

INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

Château de Vidy, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland

Dear Thiam Peng,

The first IOC Young Reporters Program in Singapore was acclaimed by many to be an overwhelming success. It was you, the Young Reporters, who made it so.

Following discussion within the IOC on how to approach the 2nd IOC Young Reporters Program, which will be held in Innsbruck, Austria, from 13-22 January 2012, we have decided that we will invest back into a select few of the Singapore Young Reporters. By doing so we will use the opportunity of Innsbruck YOG to further expand your reporting skills in a real, competitive, event environment.

It is my pleasure to advise you that you are one of the select few who has been chosen to join the 2nd IOC Young Reporters Program for 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games, Innsbruck 2012.

Depending on your chosen specialisation, you will be placed under the responsibility of a mentor, working closely with and reporting to that mentor.

With the smaller team there will be the ability for you to spend one-on-one time with your mentor.

Yours sincerely,

Anthony Edgar

Head of Media Operations

IOC Young Reporters Program

What would Jesus do?

Life isn't always easy
It isn't always fun
When you lose direction
Your world can come undone
When you're in need of guidiance
And help is overdue
You might ask yourself this question
What Would Jesus Do?

If you were at a party
And the host ran out of wine
He'd make some more with magic
And bring on back good times
But in this situation
You couldn't see it through
He's the son of God
And he shits all over you

You can't do what Jesus can do
You're the King of Nothing, and he's the King of Jews
He knows every magic trick, you only know a few
Don't even bother asking
What Would Jesus Do?

Can you heal a leper?
Or feed the crowd with fish and bread?
Can you walk on water?
Did you rise from the dead?
And did you give your life up
To save humans from bad luck?
Were you born on virgin birth,
Or did your parents... have sex?

You can't do what Jesus can do
He had twelve apostles and no one follows you
When facing a dilemma
Let logic guide you through
What kind of dickhead wonders
What Would Jesus Do?

When Jesus was betrayed
And wrapped up all his trust
He used His laser vision
And turned Judas into dust
When Lois Lane was dying
Jesus held her in His arms
He flew backwards round the world
To keep her save from harm
When Jesus tours the country
In His Rock 'n' Roll band Kiss
A thousands cheer his music
Even tough it's hit the miss

You can't do what Jesus can do
(Jesus shits all over you)
There are three of Him, and there's only one of you
(And Jesus can fly)
He can cure a blind man, you can't cure the flu
He's a zombie wizard who also knows kung-fu

So next time you're in trouble
Thinking What Would Jesus do
Try not to forget
He's a million, billion, trillion times
Better than you

God gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Gave Rock 'n' Roll to everyone,
God gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Gave Rock 'n' Roll to you,
Put it in the soul of everyone.

能够爱你就已经没什么委屈了

如有何委屈 也是我的爱带给你的

the law and subjectivity

does a murder become acceptable when the perpetrator has been abused physically and psychologically by the victim?

say, a stepson who has suffered for years.

even if it's premeditated, even if it's violent, even if psychiatrists conclude he's mentally sound.

i had a dream of an exact such scenario and it finally dawned on me that emotions are a very powerful driving force. rage and violence may not be considered human values, but they're nevertheless very natural and instinctive to humans. i got to be in those shoes, albeit in a dream, and the general public would cry "irrational". but it wasnt irrational from my perspective. and why should it be rational in the first place? society may be passing judgment on me from a neutral, rational standpoint, but they arent in my shoes and haven't been abused for years.

what are the parameters?