Is it Us or Them?

Ok, just to update you guys on the big time shit I'm in now, I've 4 exams to sit for in the wk after next and I've just started revision tonight. And the situation defintiely doesn't seem too hopeful with the next few days wasted on projects and lessons. Been wanting to post this entry for some time but never got down to, so now I'm gonna summarize it in a few sentences.

I came across this Indian guy in his early 30s on the train last week and he obviously seemed quite cranky with his exagerrated movements and mannerisms. And many ppl were eyeing him with disdain, some even bordering on contempt. It was as if they were saying 'whats up with this weirdo'. When he finally squeezed onto a seat between a middle-aged woman and a mom with an infant in arms, I noticed a series of interesting events. The woman glared at him from time to time cos of his occasional exaggerated mannerisms that irritated her somehow; whereas the mom did not mind his presence the least bit. In fact after a couple of minutes, he ended up playing with the baby cos the baby started to playfully touch his arm initially. And the mom, who was with her husband on her other side, didn't the least bit mind this cranky nut interacting and playing with her child. Of course, by now everyone was staring at the crank and probably the mom too, and wondering why the hell is the baby playing with the crank and why the hell is the mom not minding it.

This episode somehow really stirred my thoughts and has left an indelible mark in my head. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm guilty of being initally wary of the crank and if I was the middle-aged woman I'd wished he didn't choose the seat beside me. But as time went by, the wonderful bond that formed between baby and crank and mother and crank really evoked a paradigm shift in my perceptions. Really, are these cold, indignant, judgmental, yet normal people on the train (myself included to a certain extent) any more sane than the crank himself? Perhaps, Mr Nutty is the only sane being on the train, and all of us are the ones who are mad.

I'm coming home

Since the blog seems to be suffering from a sudden dearth of entries, I have decided to just squeeze one in during these few minutes of free time that i have as my flight home fast approaches. The next 48 hours or so before my flight are tightly packed with household chores, finishing sch work, writing emails to teachers and buying things. Fortunately, im down to just the references for my essay, which i should complete within the next 2 hours. Anyway.. I'm looking forward to coming back and seeing all of you guys.. In case anyone has forgotten, I will be arriving on friday morning... cya soon!
Btw.. does anyone have any ideas as to what i should engrave at the back of my ipod nano im gonna get, since the engraving service is free...

-Luke

The Doner Kebab

For many days, I used to walk past my local kebab take-out joint 'Hunger Hatch' nonchalantly, cavalier to the appetite enticing whiffs that pervade the surrounding air with the knowledge that this nutrition-less fare is potentially the worst bargain I could ever get for 3 pounds. However on Tuesday night, the hinges of the gates of my appetite started to loosen and as you guessed, they finally broke open. The moment began when those delectable strips of lamb landed on and caressed my palate, providing a new found gratification that came with immediate addiction cautions. Incidentally, I christened Hunger Hatch as the Emerald City where each path leading to it was lined with yellow bricks. Dead into the night, I left the club relatively prematurely compared to most of my friends as the Doner kebab withdrawal symptoms started to kick in. Somehow, after purchasing my calorie laden grub and bidding goodbye to the yellow brick road, I felt that I'd paid slightly too high a price for it. Hmmm.
-Kenneth Wong

But I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

I'm facing a particularly low point in my life right now.
I've 5 projects and 4 exams this term, partly due to my over-ambitious move of bidding for 2 extra mods instead of 1. And 3 of my exams are gonna fall on 2 consecutive days. My intention, afterall, was to do more now and slack big time later on but then, it's gonna be irrelevant if I get into law.
I've underperformed slightly for a mid term and I'm somehow affected psychologically by this ostensibly small setback. In objective terms, this is really a small setback cos I missed the A- for the mid terms by a mere 2% which wouldnt be hard to make amends for in the finals, but the point is, I'm somehow feeling demoralised. I feel a sense of failure and nagging uncertainty in my own abilities that I've yet to experience in smu.
The sheer incompetency and lack of ambition of some of my group mates that lead to a most insiduous effect on the effectiveness and capability of one of my group projects. I have to be the one making sure that those morons don't cock up and remind them not to be morons and be the ass who works his ass off to make sure things go well or else his ass goes as well.
I guess the cumulative effect of the monstrous projects and exams that are bogging me down, in addition to the mini screwup in that particular mid term, is leaving a most unpleasant distaste in my mouth. And I'm trying to get rid of that coarse, viscous, big time stinking shit from my mouth.