BBC documentary about blind man's travels

While waiting for Jazz to go for dinner, I found a BBC documentary about a blind journalist Peter White's travels to San Francisco and Istanbul. He seems to be having a good time "people-hearing", walking, attending a baseball game and talking to people. It's pretty amazing how a blind person can travel alone (I assume) and create a radio story without the need for sight. Here's what he says:

I’ve avoided (describing what can be seen) because I avoid it in real life. I personally don’t want people describing views to me because, having never seen, they don’t mean much.

Click to listen Peter White's travelogue.

Blogging is lazy

I stumbled upon Mary Pols' blog the other day. She is a blogger, journalist and author of "Accidentally on Purpose: True Tale of a Happy Single Mother". In a post comparing blogging and writing for magazines, she said how the latter forces to write better, because she's writing for an editor. A good editor will improve her "game" like a good tennis opponent does. On another self-loathing day, I might expand this into a self-criticism about not writing and improving my game instead of hating my work. But this is not the day.

I'm now reeking of alcohol and tired. Post-gym dinners with Bern and Steph are always nice chatting sessions about life and work. Today's a little awkward because B had been having a lousy day. Luckily, some thrash-talk and a little alcohol lightened the mood and he was laughing again.

We talked a little about the fresh troops Obama will be pouring into Afghanistan. "Nothing has changed, right?" Steph was disappointed because he thought Obama would be a peacenik and end the war.

"It's the same strategy again." Personally, I feel the Americans are doing a thankless but vital job in maintaining peace in the Middle East. And I share the sympathy Tony Blankley expressed on radio recently for those statesmen who are making difficult decisions that have no consensus between the hawks and doves while trying to keep the warring factions from bombing the world out of existence. Good luck, Mr Obama, I hope you accomplish everything they give you the Nobel Prize for.

Blogging is lazy. Holiday planning is mind-boggling. Finally booked a nice Tudor-styled hotel in Cameron Highlands for my family vacation-our first! Usually I like serendipity and adventure, but I this time I'm putting in the effort so my parents don't get lost with me in Malaysia. I think I will enjoy a slow, relaxed holiday on the cool highlands with hot tea. :)

Let's end this nonsensical post with Green Day's "time of your life". Oh I can't wait for their concert here in Singapore!

Morning muse

It is a few minutes past nine and I just reached the office. I love the golden sunshine that floods the space outside the museum at this time of the day. Everything feels so alive and colourful, it's as though the day holds so much wonderful possibilities ahead. Would love it even more if the sun wasn't so scorching hot.

Blah blah blah. (Where is my mind?)

The CNY Long Weekend is coming to an end. Rummaged through my old stuff at my mom's place I found Chuck Palahniuk's book of short stories titled "Stranger than Fiction". I wanted to savour the stories and stopped myself from finishing the book, putting aside the book after reading one or two stories. More than half a year later, I'm still not yet halfway through the book.

I have sympathies for Palahniuk's worldview, more so than I care to admit. Anarchic, anti-capitalist, and overall pessimistic about the human condition, Palahniuk reminds me of the fiery nativist anti-modern rhetoric from prewar Japan. With boundless energy and creativity, we are destroying ourselves and our planet, lavishing a minority with lavish consumer goods while millions live in destitution and poverty. Then again, it's easy to denounce capitalism and its attendant sweatshops and financial fat cats. Palahniuk's Fight Club was made into a chic Hollywood blockbuster, as cool as a Che Guevera T-shirt.

Okay, I haven't explained why I was sympathetic to his worldview. It's late and I've to work tomorrow, definitely not the right time for a lengthy exposition of my opinions about the world. Besides, I had intended to talk about Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers and Dan Ariely's Predictably Irrational. Dammit, where is my mind?

Peranakan culture is unique

I wrote this for a test; rather than leave it in the abyss that is my junk, I'll let y'all read this brief intro to Peranakan culture.

Peranakan is a Malay term meaning locally born, and it was first used to distinguish the local-born Chinese from those born in China. When southern Chinese merchants first arrived in Southeast Asia from as early as the 14th century, little did they know that they would settle and develop a unique Peranakan culture in the region.

Over the course of their presence in Malacca, and later to the other British Straits Settlements in Penang and Singapore, the Peranakan Chinese adapted to the local environment in a way that did not result in a loss of identity, but enriched their Chinese heritage. This is keenly reflected in their language. Instead of the Chinese language, the Peranakans speak a Malay dialect peppered with Chinese Hokkien words.

Peranakan customs are also patently Chinese in both structure and spirit. For example, the Peranakan wedding is initiated by a matchmaker, who is reimbursed usually with the front leg of a pig, an angpow (red packet containing money) and a huge pair of red candles. The Peranakans even continued observing some aspects of the wedding and funeral that were so traditional the Chinese had forgone.

It is in the material culture and lifestyle of the Peranakans that show more of Hindu-Malay influence. The nonyas (women) wore kebaya, a type of blouse, over a batik sarong and adopted the Southeast Asian custom of chewing betal nut. Peranakan cuisine is hot and spicy, and takes many hours to prepare.

The beadwork and embroidery (see photo) practised by the nonyas is a particular aspect that distinguishes Peranakan culture. Traditionally, young nonyas spent most of their time at home learning domestic arts from their elders. Not surprisingly, this intricate craft became the measure by which the young nonya was judged to be suitable as a bridal candidate. Pieces made for the bridal trousseau provided an opportunity for showcasing the bride’s artistic talent through her work on display for the groom’s friends and relatives on the eve of the wedding.

Indeed, Peranakan culture speaks for many generations of Peranakan Chinese who adopted a hybrid of cultural elements and made it their own.


Image source: http://oceanskies79.blogspot.com/2008/05/nonya-beadwork-embroidery.html

References:

Peranakan Museum : A-Z guide (Singapore : Asian Civilisations Museum for the Peranakan Museum, 2008).

Peranakan heritage : National Museum of Singapore (Singapore : Friends of the National Museum, 1988).

And you coming back to me is against all odds...

Dan said to me the other day, "What's so special about your blog? Posting youtube videos anyone can do!"

Yet she visits my blog. I'm flattered. :p

Lately there hasn't been anything that inspired me enough to write about. Not the Death Cab for Cutie concert. Not my enjoyable part-time work at the museum. Not my dreadful job hunt either. Not even the string of runs over the next few months - I imagine will be torturous - that I let Colin persuade me into joining.

If I haven't raved on about it already, the Chicago Public Radio show This American Life is da bomb! It has some of the best stories I've ever heard and not to mention, the soundtrack for the show is beautifully done, drawing ever so carefully from the world of music from classic to pop to punk in order to create the right moods for the stories. Phil Collin's Against All Odds is in the 'Breaking Up' episode, how apt!

Now there's something that got me a teeny wee bit inspired. It is a wet and grey Saturday morning, so I gave myself half an hour to try my hand at a little story myself. I only managed a paragraph and I doubt I'll finish it any time soon.

A few days back, a small package arrived from New York and sat on my desk. My father collects the mail everyday and leaves them in my room when I’m not around. Mostly bills and credit card promos and junk in general. Amid all the clutter the big black envelope immediately caught my attention. Then it struck me immediately why she asked for my address that day.

-----

It was at the unforgettable summer camp I met Cris. It did not take very long for us to get together…

thou shalt not kill sharks

my sweet yap holidays #7
Originally uploaded by pats0n.

I must admit, sharks never strike me as beautiful or anything the conservationists claim; i don't want to be anywhere near them nor do they stir anything in me the way pandas do when they appear on tv. however, i see the necessity of conserving them for their important function as a potential keystone species, regulating the food web in the marine ecosystem. i doubt the government would risk the ire of the citizens and cripple a multi-million industry for the sake of a disappearing species, important as they may be for the good of the environment. what we can do is contribute to the growing awareness that we all risk dangerous environmental repercussions if we consume sharks to their extinction.
no, i'm not an ardent crusader for shark conservation; this is just a response to my friend's blog post.

the velvet bridge

the velvet bridge i was building to reach
you
came crumbling
down

but it's alright
there's more where it came from

霍元甲 (Huo Yuan Jia)

I just watched Jet Li's 霍元甲/Fearless, supposedly his last martial arts movie. I had been tempted to watch it since the KBox session with the history boys the other day. Both Ah Ben's rendition of Jay's song and the action in the music video impressed me lots.

Anyway, I loved the movie. It has the usual kungfu message--"thou shalt not fight unnecessarily, ye kungfu kid," but this is the first time Jet Li is playing the antihero since my childhood days of seeing him in that righteous pigtail. So it's a little disturbing, at least until after his redemption.

Set in the late Qing period, the movie plays up the Chinese cultural pride as Li's earlier Wong Fei Hong films, albeit in a less chauvinistic, anti-imperial tone. Probably as a response to the tense East Asian relations, the central theme is friendship and harmony. Huo Yuan Jia beats the American boxer but does not kill him; and the boxer declares Huo victorious. Huo perishes in the hands of the wicked Japanese businessman, but fights a final honourable duel with the Japanese warrior.

Some snotty professor said this is what history should be really about... My classmate can write a good paper on Chinese civil society through a study of Huo Yuan Jia's Pure Martial Arts Association (精武体育会) that really existed and historians can dismiss the movie as fiction, but ultimately this excellent movie uses the past to advocate a peaceful present. Oh, and the action and Matrix effects raawwkz too!! =)

Hallelujah

Some little things to remark on. I think last week's presentation was delivered to a great reception from the class and it made our anxieties worth it. I know it was partly because ours was the last one and everyone's relieved that the term is coming to an end.

My tutee passed! It's quite a miracle actually when I had gotten so frustrated last week and wasn't quite sure if he's going to make it. Calls for a celebration...

Kamikaze, cherry blossoms, and nationalisms : the militarization of aesthetics in Japanese history. In the midst of reading this book. Made my hair stand on end wondering about how the imperial state made idealistic educated young men give up their lives. There are no easy answers.

the most haunting song I've ever heard. I couldn't believe my ears hearing it in Shrek. It kinda expresses what I feel about the world right now, knowing that for some, the means justify the ends:
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley

Samuraizzz

This is pretty cool. Expect more samurai postings from me. Taking two Japanese studies modules this sem.

Akang datang: New Evangelion movie!

I am starting to get the feeling the whole trajectory of my education is closely influenced by my boyhood love for anime, from Japanese history in Samurai Kenshin to war and destruction in Evangelion and Gundam Wing. A pity I lost, along with my crashed hard-disk, the 3d model of the EVA-01 done for a 3d-modeling course. Maybe I'll write an essay examining the link between Japanese preoccupation with global destruction in pop culture (think Godzilla, Evangelion) and the A-bomb experience. Yes, I'm still loving it!

What is the Matrix?

[T]hat what happened and that which is said to have happened are and are not the same may itself be historical.

-Michel Rolph Trouillot

Eight years after getting a dose of skepticism from Morpheus' "What is real?", I'm dumbfounded by theoretical issues dealing with history. That historians try to explain the metaphysics of their discipline in convoluted arguments doesn't make it any easier. Ugh...

DCFC on Class95

On the ride home at the back of Colin's car, I was listening dreamily to the radio and the conversation between Colin and his girlfriend. Then suddenly I heard Ben Gibbard sing the lines--If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks/ I'll follow you into the dark--and I wasn't sure if I was hearing things because I certainly did not expect local radio to play DCFC.
The band's not indie anymore but not commercially successful enough to be up there with big acts like Spice Girls and Take That. Colin said the station's Class95 and turned up the volume to hear the curious emo song. I'm not sure what I feel about sharing the band I love so much with everyone else and lose that little sense of exclusivity. I hope they don't become a commercial cliche. (The late "anti-corporate" Kurt Cobain has his own action figure!?!) On the other hand, a greater popularity will mean their CD's will be cheaper and a stronger likelihood they'll come down for a concert or otherwise the local cover bands will make sure how to play their songs. :)

ONE campaign

Recently BBC admitted in a report they carry a leftist bias to issues like world poverty and global warming. Personally, I share the same bias, taking for granted the persuasion from the Left. There're not a lot of counter-argument to these issues as far as I'm aware.
So here's a little poll to see what you guys think about a nice ONE campaign ad supported by American celebrities to end poverty.

For more info, go to www.ONE.org

Wondering what the hell to do with your life?

You might be able to get an idea or two from 43things.com. This site has over a million posts about the things people want to do. I find it refreshing to see the simple and down-to-earth aspirations like 'improve my handwriting' and 'design my own tattoo' from around the world. It's a lot more real than the 'live your life with purpose' literature that's topping bestseller lists, and you can even talk to those who are doing what you want to. The quirkiest thing I came across was 'learn to strip' so I'm sure there's something for everyone. As for me, I want to paint my room but I'm better off tidying it up first. ;p

link: www.43things.com

iGoogle

If you're like my friend thengz, who wonders about the ubiquitous and frivolous i-prefix to every new product, you won't be surprised by Google's homepage service, iGoogle, which iThink is pretty cool. i especially like the customisable idyllic landscape that changes according to the time of the day. uCan add rss feeds of your favourite websites and your gmail account to it so there's no wasting unnecessary time waiting for those websites to load. Here's a quote from the quote-of-the-day service on my homepage i kinda agree with:

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.
Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night
US novelist (1922 - 2007)

I used to pretend to be crazy like Van Gogh hoping I'll be as talented as he was. However I remained ku-ku with no talent forthcoming. :(


Gantz fanart, Copyright Kobacabana

Opium and the minority Miao

I am so drained reviewing Geddes' book Migrants of the Mountain that I want to give up and ask thengz out for Carl's Jr. Anyway, the book's on the Miao minority group in Thailand, a subject I wouldn't normally want to explore if not for the module requirement. The only redeeming factor is that it gives me the lowdown on the my recent favourite movie--The Protege--as the are one of the mountain peoples cultivating the opium poppy. I'm quite surprised at how pretty the poppy flowers are. I don't think the general public will find the book a fun read except that there are two interesting anecdotes that relate to the movie. First, the 'cooking' of the raw opium shown in the movie adheres to the process described in the book. The second is a drug economics trivia (btw anyone remember that shareware druggie trading game): dealings in opium tend to reverse the conventional supply-demand formula whereby lesser quantities fetch higher prices; high premium were paid for large quantities to offset the risks and considerable organization to conduct the trading trip. (This will make sense if you've seen the movie.)

Source: Geddes, Migrants of the Mountain, p. 225-6.
Image Courtesy of: Clipart ETC

Ok.. back to work..

Prices going up...

Today the price of my favourite prawn noodles went up 20 cents, a 10% increase from $2. I tried to find out if the reason was the GST hike, but the 'uncle' made a hasty retreat after my first question confirming the price hike. To be fair, $2.20 is still relatively cheap for a good bowl of prawn noodles.

I find myself more attuned to the costs of living these days. Maybe it's the education. Or maybe it's just the imminent reality of graduation and debts. I wanted to say "financing my own wants and needs" as well, but I don't think my expectations are likely to explode out of my means immediately, although I do want to see the world so badly.