Hey all, feels like ages since I last posted (probably because it has been...). Well, it's not like there's been much happening anyway. Standard stuff (I just realised a lot of my reader base probably doesn't really know what "standard" consists of anymore... I shall try to clear that up at some point in future).

Oh, signed up for some basic language classes with the rest of the Year 1s, in Malay and Hokkien. The main purpose being to better communicate with patients in the wards I guess. I question how much 6 lessons will be able to do though, but at least after that you can't say you didn't try. I also wonder whether I would be better off in the Chinese classes. I know they'll all not be able to speak Chinese at all, but at my current level, my intuition tells me I'm not that far off. I think it's sort of sad, the state that my Chinese is in at the moment. Technically, I shouldn't be that much worse off. I studied Chinese like everyone else until Sec 2, I've just... Been away from it for some time. What makes it worse is that, due to my only semi-chinese heritage, people tend to forgive me for not being able to speak decent chinese. I'm so certian that contributes somehow. Besides, I get sort of sick of seeing the same incredulous looks on people's faces when I absolutely have to speak chinese, and do, like at the canteen the other day.

So the canteen aunty, who is currently in conversation with two Chinese exchange students (in madarin, of course) is like "Yes?" to me in English (with an accent that says she doesn't really speak it), and I just say "Can I get that?". Then she fumbles, explains to the girls in Chinese that they weren't selling what I asked for anymore, then imploring them to explain it to me. One of them turns to me, fumbles herself, tries in vain to get it out to me. That's about the point I gave up. I politely address the aunty (in Chinese now), tell her that "it's ok if she doesn't have that, can you get me -name of dish- (can't remember, sorry) instead?" The two girls were like wow, you speak chinese?! Those reactions aren't so bad, but the aunty... She just looked at me, eyes wide like saucers, nods, and disappears into the kitchen. She never said another word to me. I could feel her eyes boring into my back as I walked away with the food.

I've had mixed reactions, back in the day when I was less conscious of the subconscious social marginilisation that goes on in minds of the less educated, older generation especially. I will use order-taking as an example, since this was primarily my form of interaction with this category of the public. I might just decide to place my order in chinese, just for the fun of the reaction on people's faces. Some of them refuse to acknowledge that I just spoke to them in Chinese: they are momentarily stunned, then promptly answer me again in English. They obviously understood me (and were thus able to answer), but when they take most of their orders in Chinese anyway, I can think of no other explanation. I've had both extremes I suppose, ranging from no reaction at all, they just carry on taking the order in Chinese (respect to them), to being stared out, and then outright ignored.

Oh, I managed to get my hands on Portal (thanks to David's Steam account), and finally play it through, finally after 6 months. It didn't take very long at all, just a few hours (which is super short to complete a whole game) It was good though =P it had some of the wittiest lines ever, a groundbreaking "portal" concept that made use of the Half-Life 2 physics engine (concerning portals, and physics and the conservation of motion~), and the funniest storyline (without much depth, but still getting you hooked in the process). Managed to combine Puzzle/Action into an FPS (First-Person Shooter), which I think was quite well done on Valve's part. I highly recommend it! (Although I just realised that 90% of my readers probably aren't gamers, and the other 10% don't care enough to read this blog. Oh wait.) Hmm. (Yes, I've been thinking a lot about my reader base lately lol).

One thing that struck me after hearing a psychiatrist speak at VCF today (which was quite enlightening - missions are an inner state of being, not an external one), a lot of my inner reflections seems to hinge over the human psyche, with the occasional outlier. Questions and thoughts that would be much better understood with a grasp of even basic psychology. It's definitely something that's taken my interest before, and, it appears, still does. Perhaps I have yet to have my final brush with the field.

Oh yeah, I don't know what possessed me to, but I somehow ended up registering for a chess tournament this Sunday. After not having played in one for... I've even lost track how long, I wonder how it'll turn out. Looks like I'll get a look at the Singapore chess scene once again. Sort of curious what it's like, and how it's evolved since an age past. I'll probably get trashed, but our team captain recommended that we all go, and it will be a good practice/experience, so why not... Especially since I'm like the only one not having exams at this time as well.

WoTLK, the expansion to WoW, releases on Friday, the 14th of November in Singapore (Thursday in the US)! I think I'll be able to go down to the launch venue for the event, should be fun... Too bad I don't really have anyone else to go down with =/

Lol, it really was short this time.

Good night.



The cake is a lie.
The cake is a lie.
The cake is a lie.
The cake is a lie.