明日の笑顔のために

The title is a reference to the opening theme of the anime, ゲートキーパーズ.

Yesterday was Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day and I was at VivoCity to join in the occasion. The free scoop I got was New York Super Fudge Chunk® Ice Cream. For an event in Singapore giving out freebies, the queue wasn’t too bad except one could not help but wonder where the throng of students materialised from. All in all, not a bad experience. I guess this will probably be my last chance to attend the Free Cone Day for quite a while, given that my luxury of free time will soon give way to routine work.

This string of cryptic entries titled after theme songs, shall continue. This time, touching on the issue of faith. You know, if you are going to adopt a faith, then the very least you should do is to believe in it and not just use it as a convenient excuse. I mean, really accept and believe in it. There’s a reason it’s termed "faith". If you are going to complain about it or not believe in it, then perhaps you should consider denouncing your faith since it is not clearly working for you. The bottomline: Stop being an embarrassment to others of the same faith.

I believe the sum of glad tidings in my future far outweigh that of the dark and depressing moments =)

Proud

The title is a reference to the opening theme of the American reality television series, The Biggest Loser.

Season finale of Season 2 of Dirt. 2 deaths and the return of Leo Spiller. Why does seem as though no one cares who really killed Julia Mallory?

Lucy Spiller: Death. I get it. It’s guaranteed. I understand that. But why does it seem that everybody is so oblivious to the fact that they are swimming in deep water until they drown?
Don Konkey: ‘Cos we’re stupid. We all do stupid things, Lucy. I have, you have. We just don’t think they are gonna kill us.

Don: See. See I like it when you smile. Makes me believe that everything’s gonna be alright.
Lucy: Well I also smile when I wanna rip somebody’s head off.
Don: Yeah, but I believe everything’s good when you do that too.

Reality TV unveils yet, another pop group… This time, it’s Girlicious, spawned from the second season of Pussycat Dolls Present:. 1 video each floating around on the Internet for the songs, Like Me and Stupid S***. The songs are okay. And no, do not ask me to comment on the videos. I wouldn’t even know where to start…

Since Ozzy‘s boot on Survivor: Micronesia, the show has definitely taken an interesting turn. I still think it’s a bit too early to tell if a Fan or a Favourite will win.

Cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model has also been throwing a few curveballs of its own, but not to the extent of it getting more interesting. A group of girls living with and having to compete with each other. There’s bound to be drama. I’ll just keep watching since I am a TV addict anyway.

Channel 5 is showing the sixth season of The Apprentice on Sundays and will be premiering the latest season of Lost and Prison Break come May. Meanwhile, I patiently await my dose of Grey’s Anatomy…

Beautiful World

The title is a reference to the theme song of the animated film, ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:序.

7pm, we arrived at our lecturer’s place. Dinner and laughs continued beyond the hour of 8. Script-reading properly ensued. An enrapt audience we were till an hour or two past 12. The night was not getting young. The night was simply over.

Every semester, NUS students will be given an opportunity to access an Online Student Feedback System to rate the modules they have taken, their lecturers and tutors. Mostly, we criticise. How the module could have been better structured, how the workload was simply to overwhelming to bear, how this and how that and how the lecturer should consider switching jobs, etc. There is also a portion of it where all one has to do is to simply fill in their ratings on given questions, from a range of 5 options of "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree".

I believe for the first time ever and probably the last time, in my NUS life, I gave a module an extreme positive rating for every question posed. It’s not a module within my faculty in university, nor is it within my major. Heck, it isn’t even one of those "popular Sciences" where everyone takes it to score their ‘A’s. This module had a pre-requisite, which I only so happen to choose in the previous semester because it was still available for bidding late into the module-bidding period at a minimum cost with a relatively early exam date. Okay, I had mild interest in the pre-requisite.

Ending the semester with a bang by treading along lines never really dared ventured, and loving it, wishing that I was still bound by the system, that this euphoria would continue on and on. Interests in education versus going through the rotes of it. A module chosen (This one! Not the pre-requisite!) based on interests. Is this choice of my volition or fatalism at work? What will come out of my exposure to this one module? Perhaps only time will tell.

路

The title is a reference to the opening theme of the serial drama, 黄金路.

It’s not depression. It’s dread. Dread that things really got as good as they possibly could. Dread that I have to confront the probable reality that things really got as good as they possibly could. Or is it fear? The difference between the F-word and D-word, you ask? Hmm… Or maybe it’s the culmination of fear that leads to dread. Or the other way round. Or there may not exist any form of causal relationship in the first place.

Speaking of D- and F-words, how about "defeatism" and "fatalism"? I’m a fatalist. Sometimes, I would stand at a bus stop and determine whether or not I should go home or go elsewhere simply by taking the next bus that arrives. It’s the indecisive way of having to decide something. So that makes me a fatalist. But does that make me a defeatist? I do fight for things that I want, sometimes. The times where I see some glimmer of hope in fighting for them. And what of the times I see no such glimmer? Does that make me a defeatist at times?

Round-logic arguments know no end…

Little Busters!

The title is a reference to the theme song of the visual novel, Little Busters!.

One time last week. I was strolling along Orchard Road by myself, checking out CDs at HMV, new board games and even passed through Kinokuniya to take a look at the books and comics section. The solitude was much appreciated.

Another time, some time back. I kind of wished I wasn’t by myself, wished I had an accompanied journey where I had someone to talk to on my way back. Contrast this to the previous paragraph. It’s an odd dichotomy, isn’t it?

But I guess that’s just the way it is with people. Sometimes you wish and sometimes you don’t.

This weekend that just flew by, I spent with friends. PADZ Hearts session along with a celebration of "got-a-job" dinner on Saturday, with the one who got a job being the one to treat. The choice of place was a rather interesting one, with it being an open area next to an airfield in the midst of nowhere. "Nowhere", I kid not. It’s probably about as "nowhere" as Punggol Road End. Oh and surprisingly, Magic: The Gathering TCG is seeing a revival after a 4-year hiatus =) Sunday arcade session rocked for that one time where Athena thrashed the first two characters of this obnoxious opponent senseless (though I still lost eventually). Best Friend made some interesting comments. I haven’t played and chatted like this for far too long!

And as for this week… Well, this week is where everything happens…

多餘

The title is a reference to the theme song of the film, 沉睡的青春.

Taiwanese mood-films. The mood builds up gradually as you watch, creeping slowly into you from all angles. Then the film ends ambiguously, leaving you wanting more because your mind tells you surely that last scene can’t be the end. You think you got shortchanged, but in fact, the ending is far more thought-provoking then anything else you have ever came across.

Either that or I am over-analysing. It’s not Oscar material but with these kind of stuff floating around, I think I finally figured out why I don’t watch local satires anymore.

The following is a complete spoiler, consisting of quotes and text taken from the above-mentioned film.

Doubt ＆ Trust ~ダウト＆トラスト~

The title is a reference to the third opening theme of the anime, D.Gray-man.

Doubt yourself.
Trust the doubt?
Trust the doubt.

Trust yourself.
Doubt the trust?
Doubt the trust.

WHEEL OF FORTUNE (運命の輪)

The first push.
A spin of the Wheel of Fate.

Where to next?

* The title is a reference to the theme song of the upcoming live-action movie, ひぐらしのなく頃に.