Lemming's Insane Ranting

GST Hike to help lower income family right?
Well... actually, "not all the extra funds" will be used for this "welfare schemes", only SOME.

Mr Goh said he does not know how much more will be unlocked, but stressed that not all the extra funds will be channelled into social programmes. It will be used to invest in education, research and development projects and other areas that would create wealth for the nation.
- Govt hasn't decided if GST hike will be in phases

Wealth of nation? Yes... that's like saying wealth of world? At least Make Poverty History has a website which tells you more and, yer know, some form of transparency. Maybe the PMO will branch out with a division called National Wealth division and it will be at www.wealthofournation.org.sg beacuse our treasury department is just not enough...

But obscruity has never been my strong point...

Over the Air: The Amazonian Manatee - Douglas Adams at the BBC

There's a reason why I'm called a cynical optimist...

Because I just told my friend I should go down and picket the Singapore Airlines House on Pitt with signs that read "Let me go home!!!"

His response was deftly accurate and painful though, as he suggested that the response would be signs that read "Plan ahead!" =(

I have no idea why for the last few months, I've had the most stoic notion that my flight back home was already confirmed for the 20th of December.

So today, when I happily called up SQ to move it up by a few days to the 18th, I was horrified to find out that I'm actually booked on the 30th of Novemember instead!!! Arrrrgh!!

Right, so I almost miss my flight, not a problem, noticed it before the 30th so I'm safe. No, life must complicate things... it seems that ALL SQ flights to Singapore for the period of decemeber are fully booked!! The latest they can get me out is the 14th of January 2007.

Gosh....am wait-listed now... do pray for me!

To think in these day and age, people could still be fooled into letting a huge wooden horse onto their premises.

Just before I saw this, I was at the real estate office and some woman came in saying her 90 year old mother locked herself out and they needed the spare key.

The receptionist did ask for ID, but the woman's story was that her mother had just stepped out for awhile when the wind blew the door shut behind her, so she didn't have anything on her.

So based on that trust, the receptionist loaned out the keys... and it being 15 minutes to the end of office hours, she said to just bring the keys back the next morning!

Such is the aussie way of life and trust.

Too much trust? Watch the video and decide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChBKqcRpmDs

Over the Air: Whining laptop fan because Centrino control crashed

PS. The 1st place they visit is just across from uni and I walk past that gate almost everyday!

More than ever now do I have an appreaciation of how much work there is to be a sound engineer and I meant a really really good one.

One that knows and loves music, but at the same time, realises the science behind such things.

It just makes for very interesting lovely conversational material =P

These 2 clips just made my day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nZtPRJNtGo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFxrdbun7e8

Over the Air: Brandenberg Concerto No.3, Movt 3 - Bach

The moment the cat was out of the bag, I immediately thought of this...


The Prestige has a transparent, see through plot that serves not to surprise the audience but bore them into the backs of their seats. I often found myself squirming uneasily hoping that the movie would speed up and skip all the boring dialogue. I also wondered why they'd let the most lamentable attempt at developing the love attributes between characters into the final cut. Who the blodee hell's the director?!

The way Nikola Tesla was introduced and played a most unethical role is quite disconcerting but further reinforces the theme that science will always be at odds with magic/illusions. Don't even get me started on how the character portraying Edison looked as though he had escaped form the Arkham asylum and the Tesla/Edison rivalry was some kind of weird Batman/Joker conundrum.

Kudos though as the one thing I got from this film is the most ingenius way that was used to solve the duality paradox, but of course, not without inflicting pain.

The ending left me hanging undecided on which side had won - Good or Evil? Science or Magic? Calvin & Hobbes might have achieved so much more with their corrugated cardboard box and probably had more fun and interesting adventures than in this movie. But however, I believe it was Cartman that said "Damn you, Science!".

Scorching hot the whole day!!!

When you start perspiring walking to school, when you hesitate just that little on whether to turn off the fan when you leave the house, and when the winds blowing at 9 p.m are warm. You know that summer's finally at our doorstep...

It's been a good run I guess, winter having held on as long as it could and I do appreaciate the reprive from being reminded of home...
I guess at least I know my jackets and pullovers can go into boxes now at least.

In other news, it's time to bring out the Christmas carols... festivities are most lovely.

Freaking fun! Pommies are such funny people!

http://www.nuts.co.uk/howsmyparking/

Over the Air: Silver - Bonobo

Duplex is the perfect movie for people living or have endured living with horrible housemates.

It accurately and perfectly chronicles the build-up of the waves of emotions and fustrations in dealing with housemates that are selfish, bothersome, irresponsible, lack decent personalities, inherently evil (read: devil incarnate), forgetful, senile, porky, indecent, loud.

The protaganist embodies all the above characteristics well enough to convey to the viewer all these precursors with the wealth and array of a skilled actress and should be commended for her wonderful accomplishment in this movie.

Couple Alex and Nancy, faced with the daunting responsibilities as landlords of the place have to put up with their irksome tenant and go through the road of perdition, ultimately trying to have her "offed".

I can relate to their misery having gone through the same stages of living with these kind of ... abhorent spieces of humans but unfortunately do not live in Broklyn and thus lack the ability as well as finance to eventually hire a professional to deal with the problem.

A most reassuring and delightful comedy. Most recommended as a guide or orientation movie for the troubled student/future student or future lesees/lesers.

I was watching this uTube vid entitled "a thousand beautiful things" [link] and it was basically about how people can be so hateful in comments section, leaving commentary that attacks the poster or uTuber personally and most often, derogatorily too.

It all stems from hate... I'm guilty of it too in retrospect... just recently. I contemplated revenge and even physically hurting the person... but it was all talk. In the end, I managed to hold true to my principles and not do anything but rant and get pissed off.

But still...
"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

I was going to write a nice post about the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, S03E08 where everything's just so absolutely peachy when it just slowly gets darker, more screwed up and finally the motherload just hits the fan...

Not liking how Van De Kamps (now the Hodges I guess) are turning out, the damn mummys-boi version of Andrew and ultra slutty whore Danielle... but more so the neutered male. The introduction of this "grandmother" character is most vogue though.

Rained all night yesterday and now just when I'm about to set off to uni, it's all dark and gloomy. Just how I like it I know and the locals (not probably the natives) will still be rain-dancing while experts walk around the resevoirs forever hopeful that the rain's hitting the mark.

Oop, it's just started pouring... wait... it's now just a drizzle... tease!

http://www.jakemandell.com/tonedeaf/
I guess that's why I'm a percussionist... but I swear some of them differ by just one note!!

Over the Air: Abide With Me - Hymnal #335

According to the Human Development Index report, I'm giving up a chance to stay in the world's third most livable country for the 25th most....

Whoopee-freaking-do!

Over the Air: Scuba (Amon Tobin Remix) - Bonobo

Finally dug out the wallet and got the reference book I've been running all over Sydney for... but it's from the uni's bookshop... yeps, the dented one.

Not sure how long I'm going to be here in the labs, but I'm happy that I'm making progress!!!

Over the Air: Piano Concerto No. 3 Mvt 1 - Rachmaninov

My housemate took a bottle of jonny walker from me... and then says "it's only a red label"? Not to mention, the bottle of henessy is now empty...

Where do these pple come from?!!!

Went on a reference book hunt all around the CBD today but didn't manage to find what I was looking for... gonna try Bondi Junction tomorrow... last attempt before I settle for the bruised and dented copy that the uni bookshop has. Reference books here cost an arm, a leg and your kidneys!

Couldn't prevent myselfr from popping into fish records on George St since they were having a sale and bought Bohemian Rhapsody - The music of Smetana & Dvorak. What caught my eye was actually Dvorak's Symphonic Variations which I performed with the orchestra recently (coz the Naxos recording I have totally sucks! But then again tt's expected from Naxos....)... well and because it was on the sale rack. Only $16.99!

Little did I know how wonderful István Kertész and his Isreal Philharmonic Orchestra are!! It's simply the best version of The Bartered Bride and Slavonic Dances I've ever heard! The orchestra's presence in the recording is large and full bodied. Kertersz's interpretation is full of life and vigour! Unlike the run-of-the-mill muted, touchy-feely versions of these Dvoraks.

It started drizzling in the evening, so everybody was ducking in and out buildings and seeking cover under various out-crops of the cityscape.

I personally like the feeling of a light drizzle on my skin, the chilly winds and comforting dark embrace of the cold. So I actually rolled up the sleeves of my pullover, extended my collar and walked right down george street from Martin Place all the way to World Square! Gonna miss all these moments so much...

Got my usual hand rolls from sushi train at the George Street Hoyts, contemplated walking in the rain all the way up to oxford street...but it was getting heavier and the droplets on my pullover were getting saturated.

Relaxing now in my house, listening to the most blast-able self-satisfying CD buy (read Retail Therapy). It's a wonderful day!

Over the Air: Symphonic Variations, op. 78 - Dvorak

Just finished watching Episode 5 of Brothers and Sisters. I figured I might as well start on it since Weeds has ended. I think it's a most brilliant piece of work! Very well directed and put together, the way they draw parallelisms in each sibling's life and weave it all together. It's a much more family orientated version of Sex and the City meets Desperate Housewives!

Heroes is pretty disappointing, it looks like it's edited by somebody fresh out of film school or something... but I guess it's the story that still keeps me on board. Pity about the way it's all unraveling htough, in this age of clever subtifude and obfuscation like in Lost or BSG... the whole series as if it would have been better shown in the last decade.

In other news, I'm happy to have the whole place to myself once again.