It’s all about humour…tee hee.

My Laugh-my-ass-off moment of the day yesterday:

In my Simpsons decal class, they were talking about politics, and like any typical Berkeley class, they hate Bush. And some dude was talking about a clip he saw of Prez Bush giving a speech. I found a Daily Show clip of it online. It disturbingly cracks me up to see the most powerful man in the world say: "There’s an old saying…fool me once, shame on…(*pauses to think*)…shame on me, ifulwahd (*stuttering*)…can’t get fooled again.’" I love the Daily Show. Jon Stewart is sexy as hell. Something about sardonic wit in a man.

Which reminds me of an article I read yesterday in this week’s Economist:

"THAT Britain lags behind America in trivia such as productivity, innovation, entrepreneurship and higher education worries few people. That the national sense of humour is supposedly hugely more sophisticated, by contrast, is a source of great pride…The punchline, though, is that the heyday of British comedy is long gone. There are no British shows to match the popularity and sales of American series such as “The Simpsons” and “Seinfeld”. Those patronising witticisms about America are tinged with envy."

That whole crass American pop culture that the world dislikes…my commonwealth-educated side baulks at it sometimes. I crack up at Jackass and Anna Nicole Smith, but not without some embarrassment in my enjoyment. But then, the age-old argument about pop culture having a value in itself ("Shakespeare was a mass pop culture fav of his time" blah blah blah) is reinforced with really (sometimes) clever satires like The Daily Show and The Simpsons. And I am proud to say that Singapore has its own gem, The Talking Cock website. But then again…it’s New York based still.

I love the end of my midterms. All the stress and holing and moleing in the library all day and night jolts me into wanting to spend my free time more productively. Last weekend was Baseball-filled. When the Giants lost their 5-1 lead in the 7th inning (was it?), I knew that they were gonna lose in Game 7. Was pretty depressing being in a NorCal sports bar full of Giants supporters when they lost. I’ll get into the ’significance of sports in society’ discourse some other time. Or just read Nick Hornby’s brilllllliant ‘Fever Pitch’. Helps that Jeff is a big Giants hater. He was the only one cheering after the game. We were like "shiiiit…he’s so gonna get his ass kicked by Giants fans tonight!" Well, there was another Angels supporter, armed with his Angels T-shirt and a rally Monkey slung round his neck. I bet he got tons of "Can I spank your monkey" lines that night.

Back to the topic of humour: I’ve recently got back into Woody Allen films again. ‘Husbands and Wives’ and ‘Hannah and her sisters’ was on tv on Monday, so I watched those. "Hannah and her sisters" now ranks as one of my WA favs (alongside with ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors’ and ‘Manhattan’). Of the many things I love about Woody Allen films, one of which that struck me this time (and every time you watch a WA film, the experience changes even with the same film) was the way he satires the ‘intellectual’ community…those people who sit around cafes and discuss about art, culture, the meaning of life. And the ironic thing is that his films particularly attract that kind of crowd. And if you find yourself enjoying the satire, yet in enjoying it, you are self-reflecting at the same time, which inherently puts you as one of those being satired. Does that make sense? I love the ‘denseness’ of his films too…by which I mean you get alot out of a compressed period of time. It’s like The Economist. It’s so dense with knowledge. Articles are so concise, lovely writing, point by point you gain so much from just spending the hour reading it from cover to cover. Not full of bulky wish-wash and snazzy images like Time, which has perhaps 10% of information (which arguably, is good most of the time) that the Economist packs in the same number of pages. Woody Allen films are packed like that; they are so complex. In any single film, it can have silly physical comedy, witty satire, discourse on what it means to be human, complex characters that become more complex the 2nd or 3rd time you watch the movie, the romantic vs practicality, self-reflection, self-parody, self-depracation (and therefore, self-love…narcissism)…all in one 90 minute package. That’s what I mean by time well spent, maximizing your utility, stretching your dollar, density of information. (I just realized there’s quite an irony here in my rambly long-winded writing.)

Oh and before I forget, I wrote down this quote at the end of ‘Stardust Memories’ which I watched in the library yesterday. It touched me somehow. The Allen character Sandy Bates is recalling one true moment of happiness in his life. He is looking at the great love of his life (with whom the relationship is fucked up because she was this neurotic bulimic schizo druggie) read the newspaper in a lazy Sunday afternoon, and she’s reading and glances up at him for a split second and goes back to reading. And the voice over: "It’s funny…that simple little moment of contact moved me in a very very profound way." And that 10 second scene just floored me. Seems to me that the truly brilliant moments in my life have been exactly those glorious 10-second moments: a look, a line, a tear, a touch, a sound, a smile…I cannot be more grateful for those memories. But…how do I put my point across…at the same time, is it not sad to realize that genuine and raw passion and happiness can only exist in that spurt of a moment? It just can never be sustainable just because of it’s impractical nature. No such thing as perfection…but perfection can occur for that spilt second, where every emotion, every circumstance fits. And then of course, every emotion and every circumstance will change all the time. And then the perfection evaporates. And then you are left with an ah-well sigh, saying: "It was a delightful visit;–perfect, in being much too short". (Jane Austen, ‘Emma’) It’s tough having to accept that fact of short-termism every time you feel that rush of joy. But, the optimist in me smiles at the fact that there will be many many many more 10-seconds in my life. Cheers! =)

The feeling of time is so relative–The 3 hours of 1030am-130pm, when I woke up to before I left the house, where I did some laundry, ate breakfast, showered, felt longer than the 9 hours of 130-1030pm that I spent studying Game Theory at Barnes&Nobles.

Why oh why oh why oh why did I take Game Theory? I’m so screwed for the midterm tomorrow. I’m just gonna sleep now cos I’m fucked either way.

It’s funny how both Jeff and Jimmie guessed right away what I was having for supper (oatmeal) when I was talking to them on the phone respectively. They are knowing me too well…or I’m just getting too predictable (but oatmeal is mmm-mmm goooood…a dash of salt, some sugar and maple syrup…ahh…yummy in the tummy, delicious yet nutritious.). In game theory, we learn that each player has to mix it up a little bit to play the game more optimally sometimes. hmm..true, perhaps. As much as I hate this course right now, it’s pretty interesting. Abstract, but interesting how some people have such a weird way of conceptualizing concepts.
I bet half of these thinkers who came up with these theories were high on something when they thought this weird shit up…

That fall was such a climax of a chain of events. Like learning abt history. causes and consequences. So lemme see, what did I do over the weekend?

Thurday night, crashed over at Ilyas’, stayed up watching Belle Epoque, the bizarre but highly entertaining Spanish movie with Hans and Ilyas. I think Hans got completely weirded out in the scene after the costume party, when the lesbian sister dressed as a soldier (complete with fake moustache) got freaky with Fernando (dressed as a female French chamber maid) in a tree-house, climaxing in hers while she blows his bugle (NOT metaphorically…an actual hootin’ tootin’ bugle).

Friday, didn’t sleep too soundly so woke up early to go to school to turn in the Sun Yat-sen essay (with crossed fingers of course…never forget the crossed fingers).

Went right home to sleep for a couple of hours or so. Dilly-dallied the afternoon and evening away till night, where having no other mates eager to go to the city, we crashed over again and watched Batman (the original). Jack Nicholson is such a riot. His Joker was deliciously evil. Doncha just love those Richard III-type baddies, where they just diabolically relish their evil.

But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks
Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
I, that am rudely stamped, and want love’s majesty
To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world scarce half made up,
And that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them -
Why I, in this weak piping time of peace,
Have no delight to pass away the time,
Unless to spy my shadow in the sun
And descant on mine own deformity.
And therefore, since I cannot prove a lover
To entertain these fair well-spoken days,
I am determined to prove a villain
And hate the idle pleasures of these days. [Richard III, Act I, i]

Didn’t do much Saturday afternoon. Chilled around. But of course, weekday afternoons exist as pre-parties of weekend nights. Went to this place called Rouge in the city…one of the most over-the-top clubs I’ve been to. There was some party of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend there…and hey, I’m always up for a hook-up at a club, especially when you don’t have to (a) wait in line and (b) pay. So we got ourselves into the club and hellooooo eye-candy! But it kinda required alcohol-tinged glasses to actually enjoy the utter superficiality of that place. Ok, so clubs are always about superficiality, eye-candy, instant gratification, glancing-to-see-who’s-glancing-back. But this one is poseurville up a notch. If you wanna slam it, you can call it a glammed frat party with overgrown (overaged) ex-cheerleaders, ex-BMOCs (Big Men On Campus), sorority girls, frat boys. But after 3 drinks…who cares? It was Red, the Chandeliers were up, the music was (surprisingly) rockin’…party on.

Sunday was sleeping in as usual, plus -some- attempt to study for Game Theory. But I ended up watching the baseball Game at Scores instead. This time, we went early to grab a table for dinner and Game 2 of the world series. It was a wild game…11-10 (Angels over the Giants). But to my more ‘knowledgeable’ American baseball fanatic friend, that was the worst world series game he’s seen, just cos the pitchers were so bad as to allow that many hits and homeruns. Which makes sense. I didn’t argue. Don’t argue baseball with an All-American who watches ESPN all weekend, listens to ESPN radio all day…I was kinda in my moody mood that night, so I didn’t enjoy the game as much. Maybe the novelty is wearing off.

Uneventful Monday Night was spent dyeing my hair. It was getting faded and hay-y. So I got myself the new Loreal Open (I love all these marketing gimmicks. It’s prolly the same corrosive chemicals…but I fall for novelties, in more ways than one…) in Aurora shade. When I rinsed it off in the shower, I felt like I was in Psycho the movie, cos red dye was splashed bloodily all over the walls. Maybe it was all those chemicals seeping through my head last night or the fumes I inhaled that was a cause of my fall today too…I digress. The dye turned out ok. This Open is pretty good. It DOES make my hair feel alot softer (esp compared to other dyes I’ve used), so thumbs up for the product. But I don’t really like the color I chose though…it turned out more red than brown (I guess "red medium brown means red"), and I was starting to like having brownish hair and wearing earthy colors. But I guess it’s fall, gone are the bikiniwearingsunbathing days, hello paleface. So the darker reddier color is better I guess…back to the ol’ winter colors of blues and blacks. After all, according to the Loreal box, I’m "earthy and adventures. Now it’s time to get a little edgy…with this reddish medium brown. Behold it–then become it." I guess I’ve beheld and became.

(I’m writing so much just cos I’m sitting here in the library with my jeans rolled up waiting for the blood to clot which is an excuse for procrastinating my studying for Game Theory. My absence the last weeks…ok month or so…in the 8am lectures will have its retribution. But I’m hoping that intense studying these 2 days will up my karma. I made up for some of that bad karma with that stupid fall I’m sure…

OH! and Yay! Jane called me this afternoon from France!!=) We were saying how much we missed each other! I really really miss her presence…just that li’ll chat each night before we went to sleep…I took it for granted. You don’t know what u got till it’s gone. She’s doing great, having tons of enviable new experiences…and I’ve decided to join her in Europe over winter break for a lovely decadent Europe tour….=))) Now I’ll hafta start hunting for cheap air tickets….=)

3 hours of sleep the night before + 8am class + groggy wearing of nerdy specs cos contact lenses are giving me stupid problems again + A big-ass backpack + A heavy laptop (which together with big-ass backpack probably weighs as much as I do) slung around your neck in the front + high-heel boots (which together with heavy laptop negates the balancing effect and shifts your center of gravity forward) + walking down uneven concrete stairs of Hearst carpark
= fucking embarrassing (one of those when you feel your heel miss the step and twist beneath you, you have that 2 seconds of slow-motion i-know-what’s-gonna-happen-but-I-cannot-due-to-the-laws-of-physics- and-lack-of-railings-stop-it sense of realization) fall in front of peak-hour college traffic + bruised left knee + even more bruised ego

Looking at LHS (left hand side) of equation, the result was just completely INEVITABLE.

I’ll laugh at myself when the bleeding stops.

I’m tired, cold and hungary…

BUT, my essay for History is done done done!! Oh joy!! =) Begone, Sun Yat-sen: The Man Beyond His Time.

ALTHOUGH, being a Doe mole has been less annoying than I make it out to be. I really enjoy this history class. The work is astounding, but therefore, I learn so much.

YAY education.

Dammit Dammit Dammit!!!

I just realised that I missed ALL of Dave Egger’s book tour dates in Bay Area/San Francisco. Dammit Dammit Dammit! I was really looking forward to meeting this dude. His ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’ friggin’ blew me away. One of the most interesting works I’ve read. Damn ignorance to hell!

I got a phone message from Jane yesterday. She called to tell me she’s in Nice (I think) and it was the best day of her time in France so far and she just wanted to share it with me. =) Feels nice that someone wants to share that with you =). Tu es très heureuse, chère Jane! I’m so happy for her that she’s over there, just experiencing new stuff everyday, seeing new things, feeling new things…makes me wanna do EAP as well. I’d need a jolt of a semester in between…

Speaking of France, I watched The Transporter last night, which was shot in Southern France. It was hands-down the stupidest movie I’ve seen this year. No wait…maybe Rollerball was. In any case…it was BAD (as in the bad kinda bad). The movie was cheesy, over-the-top, inconsistent and plain STUPID. It takes alot for a movie to disappoint when you already go in with the lowest expectations that it’s just gonna be nothing more than a Beautiful Bodies with Brawns and Bombs movie. But it managed to fail even then. Even though Jason Statham is hot hot hot hot hot….he was far better in an ensemble movie like Snatch, just cos he can’t really carry a movie by himself. Shu Qi was just the typical exotic looking Asian chick in the flick; she does nothing more but flutter her eyelashes and scream. Although I have to admit, she does have lovely hair . Not even the music was good in the show…most of the music sounds like porn music. And when the sex scene finally comes up out of literally no where…like they just suddenly stripped and got down and dirty, I’m serious, without even the pretense of some kind of story development. They just inserted (pardon the pun) the sex scene right in the middle of the film to appease the audience. I just can’t believe how Luc Besson (The Professional! A Classic! One of my favourite films, dammit!) could do something like that…god!

The night wasn’t a total bomb. Before that, was at Scores again watching the baseball game…the Giants beat the Cardinals! Yay! Again, I don’t profess to like watching sports…but when you are in an American sports bar, and Santiago hits that home run, and the place just goes WILD…you can’t help but…really enjoy yourself!

Best part of the day was wrapping up my 2 Geography essays and printing them out…ahh…love that feeling of printing out your essays…an action symbolizing tons of hours of work DONE. And, almost finishing up notes for the Econ 161 midterm on Tuesday. I’ve never felt so productive.

It’s Fleet Week here in San Francisco!
Yesterday (Sat) We got down to SF, hiked all the way along Embarcadero (near Gordon Biersch) to Fisherman’s Wharf. There were alot of people down Embarcadero, more than the usual weekend crowd. Families with strollers, roller-bladers, couples, skateboarders…it looked like a mass multicultural pilgrimage. I love SF!

Made it to the Wharf just in time to watch the air show by the Blue Angels.

It was BAD (as in the good kinda BAD)! There were six planes, doing formation-stuff, stunts, flying real close to buildings (no wonder this annual event was cancelled last year), flying real low so you hear and feel their POWER. Amazing! I took a couple of pictures. They’d not represent what being there feels like though.
Chilled out at Fisherman’s Wharf for a bit, went back down Embarcadero, had a little beer at Gordon Biersch…it was another All-American Experience…then I went back to finish my Geography essay on China. Finished it 2 days ahead of time (due on Monday). I feel so great. I have to remember this feeling of self-gratification of finishing my homework ahead of time…sure as hell beats the panic rushing to finish it an hour before it’s due. Remember this the next time I have the urge to procrastinate. Although, I still feel like the 2nd essay needs a good ol’ ‘tightening’ up…my thesis is still not clear enough I think…

Sat night, called my Mummy as usual, on the way to SF again. I love talking to my Mummy. She complains "the students at school are little devils", nags and is the most paranoid person, always telling me to "watch your drinks", "be careful", "don’t trust anyone", "remember, the good-looking ones are the scary ones (!)", "be safe….and drive carefully too (family joke)"…heh heh…but at the end of the day, she’s always telling me "always be happy", "your mother will be happy no matter what you do as long as you are happy"…words that only a mother or father can truly sincerely say. My dad always says "you don’t choose your parents, so you’re stuck with us". I’m like "hell! I’m not complaining!". In true Asian fashion, my brother and I hardly show/tell them how we feel but we always say that we really lucked out when we were allocated to our parents. Really.

Late at night, got my ass down to Jillian’s which has somewhat become a weekend predictable, but nice-when-you-are-looking-for-predictability, mainstay. It’s a good backup when you have no where else in mind to go. Plus they have nice videos on the screens, so if the crowd disappoints, you have something else to look at. Plus, they have a bartender who’s freakin’ HOT. Yummy.

I don’t know why, but these quotes from this article (Singapore Pins Hopes on Spiky Arts Center) made me laugh:

"The Esplanade Theaters on the Bay, known locally as "The Big Durians" after a spiky, and smelly, Southeast Asian fruit, will throw open their doors on Saturday as the cultural center-piece of Singapore"
" "The fundamental design of the place — it’s kind of like making an elephant a ballet dancer," "
" "It may become this giant sucking sound because all the funding is going to go to it." "
"Benson Puah"

Clockin’ 4 hours in the library so far….

Kelly’s life as a Doe Mole…hahahahahahaha….I crack myself up. I should really stop. I’m revealing too much of myself as a nut (geddit….nut…cracking….sighhhhh…….I’m sad sad….)