Basket.

Been up to my neck in preparations for SS week. Good thing we are the ones giving the orders now, not providing the menial labour. But the catch is, as menial labour, we never needed to take much responsibility at all. With a teacher treating this like it is going to affect his pension, there is extra pressure yet.

The interviews are half-done and we'll soon be off this. Kind of sad, it is, actually (as it always has been). So many happy memories to take with me, though.

It'll be over soon. A bit too soon.

Finally completed Martin Gilbert's A History of the Twentieth Century today. The last of its three volumes, and with it the entire anthology, that is. A superb read, from the very first page of Volume One to the last page of content, page 932, of Volume Three. Around 2,500 pages of content (and about 500 more of maps, bibliography, references and indexes), and every single one worth all the days I have spent on them.

Ah, the joys of reading and satisfaction of completing a book, or in this case, an entire series. It is a feeling matched by few other things in life.

What? I haven't updated in nearly an entire week? Didn't realise. Everything seemed a whirl this week, it just went by and I hardly seemed to notice. Amazing sometimes how those days just whip by. Guess I was simply too caught up in a very predictable routine of school, CCA, Martin Gilbert and Civ II.

A section of Nicoll Highway collapsed on Tuesday. We got the news in History S class; Mr Kwok was quite shocked. I came home and looked at the television images of the disaster area, and proceeded to be, too.

Aside from that horrifying accident, the rest of the week was just, for want of a better word, dull. Completely boring. Colourless and grey. I worked on assignment after assignment, handled irritating-CCA-matter after irritating-CCA-matter and completed Civ 2 scenario after Civ 2 scenario. Also managed to watch two movies, Amadeus (which I first came to know of in Sowieso 1) and Road to Perdition (based on the excellent graphic novel. The first was excellent and the second, not bad, though I must risk sounding cliched at this point and say that the book was better.

A new week dawns tommorrow. We'll see if it is better than its predecessor.

I detest this heat, and the horrid, sticky humidity that accompanies it. Singapore has the most lethal combination of weather ever: 33 degree heat and 100% humidity. It'll make sure you die a slow, sticky death, stifling one physically as efficiently as the education system stifles one mentally. Lights are practically unbearable at night now; but still necessary, of course.

Today was completely routine. Weekdays were the days for which the SingaporeEducationSystemLand were created. I came home and scarfed down pistachio nuts by the dozen while reading about the United Nations Security Council [Stupid UN joke: The UN came into being at Dumbarton Oaks. No wonder it is all bark and no bite. HAHAHAHA what the]. I think I now like them more than peanuts, unless the peanuts are heavily salted.

Singapore prevails.

So! The computer that has been with me for over three years now can still harbour secrets. I have just unearthed an enormous cache of over three hundred mp3s, purely by chance when I slipped and clicked on the wrong folder. And all I wanted to do was play Liero.

I have no idea where they are from. Probably received by me a long time ago and then forgotten.

This heat can murder. All week the fan has been on speed 2, up from the usual lowest rung that does well enough, and soon I think I will turn it up. The house is like an oven in the daytime and not much better in the night. Such unremitting savagery from the weather, and without some convectional rain to cool us down, despite the formation of enormous cumulonimbus clouds every afternoon. Strange.

It has been a weekend of slackness, once again. I require pressure in order to work.

Went on a trip down memory lane today at the RJC Guitar Concert. Four generations of RIGE members (batches of 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004) were present (no shortage of catching up to do, for sure), Soh Weijie (the elder) beside me and my juniors on stage. Not to mention the final El Vito - a piece I first heard as a Sec 1 at RAGE 1999 and later learnt and played on more than one occasion. So many reminders of days gone by.

The concert itself was pretty good, despite a shaky start and a mutilated Tiger Rag at the end. They certainly played well, and the final rendition of El Vito was explosive. The many costume changes were another creative aspect of the night; it made Weijie and I realise just how formal RAGE was in comparison - all white shirts, pants, ties and black shoes, without heckling and everyone with nary a smile on their faces. The most we ever did in terms of changing costumes was wear cowboy hats in 2002, in the finale of the last guitar concert I or Weijie would ever play in. Certainly not so much colour. Then again, we were under the classical idealist Abishegenaden until 2002; Gaspar has always been a crowd-pleaser. The result was an incredibly relaxed concert atmosphere, which is not a bad thing, but which I simply was not used to.

It was great to hear old pieces again, really. Aside from El Vito, Irish Folk Medley was also an old favourite of ours (but scrap the harmonica). Now I just wish someone would play either Andreaccio or Maliendo Cafe again. Those were great pieces; fun to play and good to listen to. Good job, anyway, RJ GE.

The New Paper on Sunday has, not for the first time, provided rich material for a blog post, and this day it is a particularly good harvest.

First off, I shall take issue with another haranguing from the older generation about how this generation is spoiled, lost its hunger and drive for success etc etc (nothing we haven't heard before, yawn). I think the view from the elders is flawed at its very core and full of generalisations.

They begin by saying we have far better means materially now, which is why we have lost this drive and ambition to succeed. Our august forebears, born into poverty and deprivation, worked hard and determinedly to ascend the social ladder and brought us from Third World to First within four decades. Now, the young have lost that edge, and Singapore is doomed unless we do something about it. I say, there are some rather gaping flaws with statements like these.

Firstly, the definition of success now and forty years ago is extremely different. Forty years ago, getting an education and a decent job was considered a success. Now, even a university degree is looked down by some; and the truly successful are viewed as those with S Papers, a PSC scholarship and a bright future in the civil service. The discrepancy is palpable. I contend that success was easier to achieve previously than now, with more relaxed curriculum objectives and standards, in comparison with the rat race our education system basically is as of current. It is a completely different set of circumstances, then and now. The older generation can say we have material enjoyment and convenience. We can and should counter that the system they lived under was not a smidgen as stressful. Did they have to count CCA points, get S Papers, get PSC scholarships and even fulfill a minimum requirement of CIP hours on top of the normal academic workload (which is heavier now than then)? Don't judge us, and we won't judge you.

I also take issue with the fact that only material well-being is considered when they assert we have it better, we have it made, and yet we don't go in for what we want. I contend that quality of life has not necessarily improved in Singapore over the past forty years, and may even have slid. So, they were poor and deprived, far worse off materially. However, we are far worse off in terms of less tangible things. What, may I ask, is the use of having far more comfortable lodgings and leisure equipment when one is not at home most of the day to enjoy it? Our forebears never had CCA until 10pm at night, I wager. Nor did they have such stressful environments to contend with; the heavy academic workload on top of which is piled the archaic and miserly PEARLS system. Life was more relaxed then, even if people were poorer. Material well-being is not and should not be used as the only yardstick to measure whether people are better off now than previously.

And I simply cannot stand that attitude of resigned head-shaking among the elder generation. Why, they moan, and how, have we brought up such a bunch of snot-nosed, self-centred spoiled brats? We have only ourselves to blame, they say, and go off self-piteously whining. Cut it out. Do not use the values of an outmoded era to judge us. Singapore had to westernise to survive, and westernisation has side effects. We have adopted Western values; so what? They are not necessarily worse than Eastern values. They also teach respect for elders and good morals. Basically, they are not far different. Just that maybe most of the elder generation cannot stand their children being more independent. They want their children malleable and dependent, possibly so they can live on in their children. They can be, through their children, what they never had a chance to be. Is this not selfish? SELF-CENTRED?

Singapore ahs too long been struggling under archaic Confucianist principles. Boh tua boh suay; our "democracy" is built on that. "Hey, we gave you a better (material, of course) standard of living; you damned well better be grateful" - that has always been the government line. Anyone who leaves is ungrateful. Anyone who demands a voice and tries to break social norms is "boh tua boh suay" (mei da mei xiao in Chinese). Well, I contest that the government has given us a higher standard of living. We are better off materially: so what? Material well-being is not all there is to life.

"You don't understand our difficulties," the elder generation cries. Well, here's some news for you: you don't understand ours either. As we can't appreciate how it was to cram into a tiny room in Chinatown with an entire extended family, you can't appreciate how tough it is to be considered a success in modern, cosmoplitan Singapore. So let us keep clear of each other. You don't pass judgement on us; we don't pass judgement on you. We simply do not know enough about each other.

The next issue is about Chinese students criticising Singaporeans as lazy, ignorant and complacent. It is funny how I can both attack this nation of mine and defend it in a single blog post, but that is what is going to happen.

I do think he has been hasty and made over-generalisations. I do not think he will feel very good if I generalised Chinese students either. But I am far more objective than that. We'll leave aside the issue of him biting the hand that feeds him, because that may be rather personal, and deal with the fact that in the end, he is in this country, our country; whatever happened to "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"? Nor has he been here long enough to really know Singaporean students, and bases his perception on one of his project work mates. There are black sheep within every group, and to generalise Singaporean students just by a bad experience with one of them is... stupid, really. There are for sure, people like that among China's 1.3 billion people too; can we then label Chinese as ignorant, lazy and complacent? I am sure if we do, this fellow will be one of the first to rise to his nation's defense.

What is more, he posted on a website which by his own admittance is frequented overwhelmingly by students from China. That is the online equivalent of talking behind someone's back. S'matter? Too cowardly to defend your views on a rather more open and objective forum? Go back to China after your education, we could do less with your type over here.

So, yes. Today's bitching ends here.

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Fifth Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very High
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test

Well.

Back from my 7th band concert in 7 years; Dunman again put up an excellent performance, showcasing their technical brilliance with lyrical and technically difficult pieces instead of fast, inspiring ones or popular crowd-pleasers (except the encore items, of course). And they were almost flawless (one blooper near the end, oops) in their technique; a great performance indeed. And their arrangement of Memory is still the damned best I've ever heard.

And it didn't rain this time. Talk about making my day.

Shuang Ning's reflection on this coming concert being her last made me think of my last concert too. Similarly, I knew it marked a passing, and I didn't want it to end either. RAGE was always an experience. In Sec 2, the newness of it all, that special feeling that marks every first time. In Sec 3, the disappointment of SYF 2001 a cloud hanging over us; the memory of not reaching home before ten every day (except weekends, and Saturday practice ended at about 7pm) for over a week (and then having to re-do an Additional Mathematics assignment lost through no fault of mine despite being utterly tired-out). In Sec 4, the feeling of sadness that this would be the last (I did make some effort to go back and play in the alumni segment, but was simply too busy to practise), and the memory of having to squeeze in a tiny dressing room in the Singapore Power auditorium with 32 guitars and their cases, having to tune most of them to boot.

I was reminded, that year, that it would be my last. "Eh, your last year here". My senior's words still ring in my ears. I knew, by then, that I would not again join the guitar ensemble in JC. My mind was made, although a brief moment of madness during CCA Feste almost made me rush to the booth to sign up. Instead I stayed, watched, and eventually walked away. I have wondered whether it was a right decision, and on foresight, I do think it is. I would have dropped it eventually, if I had joined, I believe.

Yet I spent four fruitful and, for the most part, enjoyable years in the RIGE. Initially sceptical, and having joined up without a single moment of formal musical education, partly to experience something new and partly because of elder's recommendation that it was "slack" (which, I can say after four years, turned out not to be true at all), I grew to love the CCA and classical guitar music; previously it was an instrument I knew not a single thing about, not even that it had six strings. Looking back, even sectionals on hot, endless afternoons with uncompromising section leaders and pieces with plenty of seventh-position playing was fun. So was later becoming the uncompromising section leader with a Napoleon complex but who always gave 15-min breaks while his contemporaries allowed only a quick trip to the water cooler.

Yeah, it was a fun four years. At the end though, I had to move on. We all do. I still nourish all those memories of guitar camps, late practices, the luxurious guitar/CO room, sectionals, concerts, public performances and, of course, though it was a disappontment, SYF 2001. I still like guitar music. Maybe I'll pick it back up one day.

Well! Three days without updating. I've been busy, alternating between a good, new Lord of the Rings scenario for Civilization II (I destroyed the One Ring to Rule Them All but Aragorn sadly died in the fighting) and History at both A Level and S Level.

Post Common Test, slightly idyllic, with results that cheer me somewhat as they show improvement. One step at a time, and we can move on from here.

Tonight, laughed at more overacting and stilted dialogue, in addition to being wholly unconvinced by the utterances of a stupid "motivational psychologist". He fails to account for so many things, yet pronounces the mystery solves; it is ridiculous.

An abridged school week and a long weekend are to follow. Survive these next two days.

In all 18 years of this life thus far, I swear, I have rarely seen anything cuter than Oolong the rabbit. It just makes me, against my better instincts, want to rush out like now and buy a soft little furry rabbit of my own to cuddle.

I encourage all to take a look with the warning that it could be addictive. Just click the links, they are all pictures of Oolong, who sadly died on the 7th of January this year. Sad.