it shouldn't be so hard

a few updates:

1. blisters finally fully healed; for a moment had a scare reading about how this diabetic woman had to amputate her calf due to a neglected blister after scaling the Great Wall. time, perhaps, to start training for the marathon 10km..

2. in a sudden flash of inspiration (or nostalgia), downloaded king's bounty off the net, truly the unsung grandaddy of heroes of might and magic. superb game, though easy to get around the AI after some time (with a helpful hint or two from the net). tried jumping back into the magic candle III too, but somehow awkward interface and clunky graphics dissipated whatever was left of my retrogames enthusiasm.

3. somehow, "be with me" didn't resonate with me as much as i'd hoped it would, especially after all the positive reviews on it. the only spot of poignancy only arrived late, late in the film (scene of storekeeper with his wife at the hospital), and ended much too briefly as the credits rolled shortly after. couldn't really identify much with the puppy love chapter (which perhaps reflects, unhealthily?, on my own teengage years rather than a fault of the film), and the security guard's segment, whilst amusing, traded in whatever emotional impact it could have for one too many comic elements. still, it was a good film to watch (even if the company wasn't of the more romantic nature as one would hope for haha); loved the silence, though the typewriter effect could have been better fulfilled, and that some of what little speaking lines there were came across as rather stunted. post-movie conversation with gary was nice (without the pejorative connotations, please), if somewhat too expensive (but once in a while lah huh. honestly though, i wonder what's the big deal with steak that they should cost so much).

4. caught the magnets in concert; front row complimentary tickets (truly, little satisfies as much as freebies, especially justifiably earned ones)! came across as a little too blatantly boy-band-ish at first, but their characters started permeating through the tacky facade towards the end and it became all good. andy frost was mind-blowing (loved the "testing drumset" act), skinhead guy a little creepy (and apparently overtly gay), bass dude was infectiously gregarious. wished they'd tuned down the whole sex appeal thing though (which, as a comforting testament to my sexual orientation, came across as rather jarring and over the top), but seeing how eleanor and girls seemed rather enamoured, i guess it remains a potent mechanism in hooking the female demographic. workshop after the concert was interesting, though sadly shaca kinda crashed during our piece; didn't perform but can empathise fully with zq. starting to believe strongly that we need to strengthen our individual skills rather than simply concentrating on group dynamics; have thus start to read up on singing techniques and music theory online, which is perhaps something we all should have done a long time ago. seeing other acappella groups perform always makes me grateful that i've the chance to partake in something so beautiful and engaging, but my already-underdeveloped sense of initiative takes a further beating in this arena where i truly am a lost novice; i just hope people like weijin, del, jo, peiwen don't burn out, and continue leading the rest of us.

wake me up when september ends

1. ophir trip was great, albeit painfully marred by misplaced confidence in virgin army boots which proved tragically too small. cue grotesque blisters (2 big 3 small), which broke even before we reached the causeway. it's hard to accurately put across the state of mind as i climbed, step after torturous step; grateful that being in charge of kids forced me to don a veneer of invulnerability and thus become a man bigger than who i actually am, or curse at my horrible state of under-preparation? in the end though, the air of purposeful intervention was almost apparent, especially given the near-perfectness of everything else from staff to weather to timing; i humbly accept this lesson, even as i banish the boots to the deepest recesses of my cabinet. i am grateful too for the acquaintance of zaid and huifen, the both of whom have impressed me no end with their sherpa-like skills and uncanny knack with triggering unmotivated kids (positively the bane of my life; if life was a game of d&d, i should have a -12 skill modifier for that). interestingly, watching zaid in action reminded me even more of the difference between a good leader and a wannabe, and how i really am better suited being a spec (not to underplay the role of specialists).

2. this is of course tragically outdated, but eternal sunshine of the spotless mind was beautiful, painfully and exquisitely so (which, unnervingly, actually echoes certain themes from the previous paragraph). one of the best films i've had the good fortune to catch, if only because i found myself wishing i had caught it with someone special.

3. thanks to my brother (and his friend), i have a new (ok, almost) dvd-rw drive! *does a mental fistpump and highfive* despite the euphoria in having saved a good $100+ and being able to finally view the dvds i've hoarded (ok, just a measly 4), i find myself wishing that, again, *forlorn whining alert* i had someone special to watch them with.

4. had a hoot of a time crashing in at the rf supper together with a whole bunch of old-birds on sunday; you just can't fake camaraderie and rapport, and it was good to bask in the real thing, uncontrived and natural, even if it was just for a fast and furious 2 hours. missed jianfa and cesheng though; they would've made it all so much more.

5. was good seeing emily again at the supper though, even if it came across rather ironic that our first meeting after two months would be under such settings. not too sure about her, but i actually didn't feel much awkwardness; if anything i wished that we had more time to talk. in all honesty, it almost felt natural sitting beside her; i could almost imagine reaching over to hold her hand, sharing the closeness of body and heart as we once did. some part of me feels the possibility that we will get back together again some day, but i guess only time will tell.

6. surprised to learn from erik that corporal punishment for children has been outlawed in most parts of europe for over a century; wonder if i'll resort to the cane in the future (i nimbly evade the huge possibility that i may never actually have to meet with that dilemma).

7. mid-sem break is here, and even though i cannot profess the same level of stress that many of my peers seem to be undergoing (in fact, i think i'm at the other end of the spectrum), it comes at an opportune time for me to catch up on all fronts; looking forward to meeting up with occet ppl, old fogeys from hall, larissa even? in any case, whilst i foresee a meltdown coming end october with all the termpapers due, life looks really warm and sunny now, which is more than i can ask for.