even Satchel needs a bunny soft toy

My favourite comic strip for the past decade. ♥ How awesome would it be if I own a dog that can really converse with me..or a soft toy that can talk. (I am not mental.)

To fully understand this cute comic strip, you’ll have to get the Lloyd Bentsen political reference. If you don’t, there’s always Wikipedia. And yes, I am acutely aware that this is no longer funny after all that background reading.

blink

I finally got around to finishing this book..after almost 1.5 years. And I will digress a lot in this post because this book makes you think a lot about your surroundings, and the things you have been through.

I won this book during a journalism lecture class..because I was the only one who knew the answer to my lecturer’s question..or maybe I was the only one who bothered to answer since the consensus among juvenile college students is probably that it is uncool to answer anything remotely academic in a lecture hall. I is uncool, so I didn’t care.

It went down like this:

Journalism lecturer: “What was the thing that Michael Phelps found most difficult about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing?”

Being the complete geek and no-lifer than I am, I raised up my hand immediately and shouted: “LEARNING MANDARIN!!!!” In retrospect, there was no need for me to be so eager since I was the only one who bothered.

Walked down haughtily along the lecture hall stairs to collect my free book while my lecturer went: “See, obviously she reads the papers. All of you should be like her!” HAHAHAHA. All I was thinking about was, “YES! FREE BOOK!”. Or maybe, “YES! EXTRA CREDIT!”. I did end up getting an A+ for that module..but I have to be honest here..I hate journalism. I wanted to vomit when my sister suggested that I apply for our local paper’s journalism scholarship. NEVER.

So this book.

It isn’t super fantastic, but it is a very interesting read. It might actually bore some people (I stopped reading it mid-way and only picked it up again after a year), because it’s pretty brain-draining at some parts. But it is fascinating, filled with short stories of how people are able to perform rapid-fire decision-making, either correctly or wrongly.

For example, you have been a fan of luxury brand Chanel for years, and own many of their products, and you are planning to buy a new $20,000 bag online since you can’t get it in stores. Since you are going to spend $20,000 on it, it is logical that you should do tonnes of research on the bag, no?

But what you might not have realised is that you are actually able to judge within 1 second whether the bag is a real or fake, even without all the research.

This book talks about how humans, in many situations, are actually able to make decisions rapidly and accurately without spending all the money, time, or effort on unnecessary research. Our ability to judge comes from our experience, training, knowledge, or cultural backgrounds.

If you have ever heard the song “American Skin (41 Shots)” by Bruce Springsteen, you might know that this song was written for Amadou Diallo, a Guinean immigrant living in New York. He got shot, 41 times, by 4 different White police officers one night, for being a dark-skinned person. This was because the 4 police officers, without substantial training, were unable to make accurate decisions at the moment of visual contact with Amadou Diallo. They decided that Diallo, a dark-skinned person, standing in a ghetto area in the middle of the night, must be up to no good. So when Diallo tried to take out his wallet, they immediately mistook it for a gun and shot him 41 times.

However, a police officer with enough training in such high-pressure situations, might have been able to deduce within 1 second whether Diallo is actually innocent.

Many of our decision-making comes from our stereotypes of people, or our ridiculous, untrue assumptions/judgments about others.

For example…take a look at the tests from the book below..and judge your own stereotypes.

Is it easier for you to categorise this form?

Or is it easier for you to categorise this form?

Next. Is it easier for you to classify the following labels?

Or is it easier for you to do this?

By now, you might have realised you already hold some social stereotypes that you didn’t want to admit you hold..but subconsciously you do. And it’s not your fault, it’s just the way you were brought up. Culture..the media..they condition you to think and act in a certain way.

Many of us are simply too quick to judge others these days, or too eager to label others as dumb/stupid just because their beliefs are not similar to ours. Just because they think differently does not mean that they are necessarily wrong. Different is NOT wrong..yet so many people don’t understand this simple concept.

And who is to say what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’? After all, what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ are all socially-constructed by humans, so no one should ever think they are above others just because he holds a better job, has better academic qualifications, or comes from a privileged background.

This is honestly what I think and feel…because when I was a Year-1 fresh college student, I inquired about what kind of results are needed to get onto the Dean’s List or graduate with a good Honours..and then the Year-3 female student (from Junior College) who was talking to me, looked at me with a raised eyebrow and said, “Er..you are from Polytechnic right?”

I was so shocked and taken aback by her utter rudeness I didn’t even know what to say, so I just mumbled a feeble “yah” in reply. She didn’t explicitly say, “Why are you even asking about it? You are a Polytechnic student! You think you can get into Honours?”..but her tone and her facial expression said it all. This is one of the reasons why I will forever hold a grudge against students or parents who disapprove Polytechnic education.

Last I heard, that female student graduated with very mediocre results. KARMA.

Anyway, if you ask me whether this is a great book, I would probably say it’s OK. But it is an eye-opener, interesting, and very refreshing. So if you have some time to spare, you might want to pick up this book by Malcolm Gladwell.

match fixer

Immensely tall, insanely funny, very geeky, super cute, humble, self-effacing, and in my opinion, the most entertaining columnist to be writing for Singapore – Neil Humphreys!!

AIYO, THIS ANGMOH, SO CUTE LAH!!

(He was already half-squatting for this photo..and STILL half a head taller than me. 1.94m Giant.)

I also got the chance to see his adorable baby girl and gorgeous wife. They are all so nice. Neil Humphreys deserves all the success he has gotten so far..he’s my favourite writer by far! Everything Neil Humphreys writes, be it his books or his columns, makes me laugh without fail. And I mean LOL-kind of laughter. I once laughed out loud while reading his book during a train ride in the morning..and all the office workers around me looked at me like I’m an idiot. I always promote his works to my friends, and am proud to say that I’ve successfully converted quite a number of my friends into his loyal readers.

And the first thing he said to me? – “You’re lovely!”

OMG.

The first thing that went through my head was, “Why can’t local men talk like that!! So eloquent and expressive!” But then again, if local men talk like that, I will be very disgusted. So uhm yeah, I KNOW I’M CONTRADICTING MYSELF.

Another photo taken by one of his publicists, I think. I ended up taking about 5 photos with him with 5 different cameras, I don’t know why. I only heard people vaguely shouting, “This is for your Facebook page!!!”

I have been a fan since his first book – Notes From An Even Smaller Island – and have collected 5 of his books so far. (He was whining at Kinokuniya that he feels old talking to me). He’s so nice lah!! I cannot stop gushing about him!

I asked him how the journalism industry is like these days, and he immediately scrunched up his face and gave me a very honest shake of the head. You would think that he would be saying only good things about the local leading papers (since he writes regularly for them), but he told me very frankly about the things that he doesn’t like..I was taken aback by his honesty, because I might have been a spy for the papers right? AIYO, HE’S SO NICE LAH. And our local papers should be thanking their lucky stars that he is writing for them.

Match Fixer is his latest fictional work. Very different from his previous works, very different. He keeps emphasising that it’s fictional..but. Hmm.

If you are a football fan and a Neil Humphreys fan, this book is a god-send. Heck, you don’t even need to be a Neil Humphreys fan..as long as you like football, you will enjoy this book. If John Dykes approves of it, then there is no doubt about its quality.

After you finish this book, you will have a whole new perspective on the often-used term at local football matches – “kelong”.

Notes From An Even Smaller Island

♪ ~~ Gyabo!!!! ♫ さあ、楽しい音楽の時間だ！

My favourite manga for the last few years ended at Chapter 136!!! Noooooooo.

I’ve always looked forward to new chapters of Nodame Cantabile because it rekindled my interest in classical music and it’s super hilarious. Actually Long Vacation by Takuya Kimura had a similar effect on me, but that was when I was much younger..like when I was ..13?

Anyway I love the Nodame manga, love the TV-adaptation (which caused a huge Chiaki-senpai craze in Japan)..and I can’t wait for the movie that’s coming out this December! The combined effect of Beethoven, a grand orchestra, Victorian music halls, and fantastic Japanese production values never fail to give me the goosebumps. Watch the movie trailers here and you’ll know what I mean.

I thought the ending was very abrupt though. When I was done with the last page, I was shocked to see a message that said the story has ended. I wish Tomoko Ninomiya came up with a different ending that tied everything back together..the ending just felt unfitting for such a great manga series.

Boohoo..Chiaki-senpei~~ I’ll miss you..there will never be a more charismatic conductor.  。・°°・(>_<)・°°・。えーん~~ なく~~ えーん. I really miss all the happy times I had back in my school’s symphonic band.

好美的诗

席慕容
一棵开花的树

如何让你遇见我
在我最美丽的时刻 为这
我已在佛前 求了五百年
求他让我们结一段尘缘

佛于是把我化作一棵树
长在你必经的路旁
阳光下慎重地开满了花
朵朵都是我前世的盼望

当你走近 请你细听
那颤抖的叶是我等待的热情
而当你终于无视地走过
在你身后落了一地的
朋友啊 那不是花瓣
是我凋零的心

funnys

Books for the blessed

Lexi Smart, Rebecca Bloomwood, Samantha Sweeting, and Emma Corrigan. They are all the same character – but based in different stories by Sophie Kinsella.

The five Shopaholic books, The Undomestic Goddess, Can You Keep A Secret?, and Remember Me?. They are all the same story – but based on different contexts.

Bah. Same old story over and over again. I wish the publisher would just stop milking the Sophie Kinsella brand name. Despite it running 450 pages, this book was a very easy and brainless read. It was fun at some parts, but it’s really nothing spectacular.

I’m beginning to find that I don’t like such chick literature anymore. The protagonist always mess up everything but end up having the most perfect life anyway.

Oh please. Life doesn’t work like that. It just doesn’t.

Zendagi migzara

Above all else, this book teaches one what is the true impact of a mistake made in a moment of folly. That mistake, along with the regrets it brings, can haunt one for the rest of his life. There is a way to be good again, but full redemption is not always an option.

The foreshadowings in this novel are too overdone for my liking, but I love how it revolves around one’s true love and undying loyalty for someone, even if those feelings are never returned or crumpled into ashes. Life goes on, but if you really know how to love, the feelings will never fade. Time doesn’t erase everything.

My favourite paragraph – when Amir sees Hassan’s son, Sohrab, for the very first time and all the memories start flooding his mind:

The boy had his father’s round moon face, his pointy stub of a chin, his twisted, seashell ears, and the same slight frame. It was the Chinese doll face of my childhood, the face peering above fanned-out playing cards all those winter days, the face behind the mosquito net when we slept on the roof of my father’s house in the summer. His head was shaved, his eyes darkened with mascara, and his cheeks glowed with an unnatural red. When he stopped in the middle of the room, the bells strapped around his anklets stopped jingling. His eyes fell on me. Lingered. Then he looked away. Looked down at his naked feet.

Labour Pains

Being the huge fan that I am of this witty British author, I devoured the book in less than 48 hours. He’s as funny as ever, but I have a feeling only father-to-bes will be able to fully appreciate this book. Female readers won’t get much of how it feels to be pregnant either since it’s written from Humphreys’s perspective as a clueless male. But one can’t help going ‘awww’ because he tries so hard to be the best daddy he can be. He accompanies his wife to every single medical appointment and does everything he can to make his wife happy. I daresay that not many males will be able to do that.

It’s a pity that he didn’t really describe the birth process in full details after his wife was given the epidural. I suspect this is largely due to the fact that he was too dumbstruck by what was going on around him to remember everything. Pregnancy is definitely no joke though..and I found myself thinking, “I’m so going for a C-section if I ever do get pregnant.” The mere prospect of going through a natural birth is terrifying.

As expected, this was a very fun and enjoyable read.

Dr Derek wanted in on our bet today. The midwife, who had originally predicted 30 May as the due date, conceded that the baby was unlikely to introduce itself within the next 24 hours so new bets were taken…

…”7 June,”  he [Dr Derek] said decisively.

I wish I could say my gut reaction was “Hey, that’s just a week away.” What I really thought was “Oh no, 7 June is the opening fixture of the Euro 2008 football championships” and I immediately felt guilty. Such a response was uncalled for and unnecessary. I can record all the matches.