Class Gathering – part 2

 

Have accepted an invite (it was a mass sms) to go for a class gathering on Thursday.
I’m insanely curious to see how they’ve turned out and if they fit into my preconceptions. Also, I want to see why we’re brought together now; 10 years after we went our separate ways.

Of course, only 4 people might turn up. The rest of them are busy / live in thai-time / have disappeared off the face of the Earth.
But it’s a chance I’ll take.

Past girlfriends – blurb

 

Had 5 girlfriends. Did many stupid things with / to them. I always wondered what to do when / if I met them on the street. Would I walk past them with my nose up in the air? Would I put on a false front and act happy?

 

Fuck. Are those my only two options?

 

All my break-ups have been angry ones. Guess I only have one real choice.

Fuckbuddy down

 

I’m all backed up. Making me edgy. So how?

On Travel writing

 

Was out reviewing gay bars on Friday night – hopped from place to place (6 in all; including EM Studio) before ending up at Butter Factory for fun. It would have been another night of work except that I was with friends and friends of friends and friends of friends of friends.

 

It was actually quite fun. Met a whole bunch of people and saw the rainbow flag-wavers of Singapore. Even ran into an old friend of mine – Jaya. And those friends and friends of friends and friends of friends of friends are crazy party people!

 

I hate to tell people that I’m a travel writer. During the early months (all 2 of them), it was gratifying to see people go, "Oooo! You have the most fun job in the world!". It works wonders on my ego.

 

"So how do you review a place?"

 

"I spend about 15 minutes in a place. Talk to the manager. Grab as much information as I can. Then run off to another place."

 

"You should spend a night in the club to feel the vibe! The crowd comes on at different times of the night."

 

Right.

 

So how am I supposed to meet my deadline?

 

Singaporeans and Parking

 

Cars parked by the kerb irritate the heck out of me.

I don’t mean cars in proper parking slots.

I refer to cars waiting by the side of the road; oblivious motherfuckers who slow traffic (and my life) to a crawl.

 

Two examples:

1. A coca-cola container truck stopped on the highway. It took up one lane out of two available lanes. Was the driver dying from some unknown condition? Did his treatment involve blocking up the highway?

It turned out that he was waiting for two others. They came running; sandals and shirts flapping. One of them grinned sheepishly in our general direction – go and die – before hopping into the cab.

 

2. Luck Plaza on a weekday night. There’s always some asshole unloading goods, waiting for their girlfriends / boyfriends / family / friends / god-knows-what. Once, I saw an empty car with flashing hazard lights. Must be some kind of new installation piece where the objective is to hypnotise traffic behind him.

 

Some day, I’ll drive around in a BIG-FOOT monster truck and crush them like a cockroach.

Class Gatherings

 

Recently, I’ve been getting sms-es from two groups of ex-school mates to meet up.

I’m not going to meet them.

For the first group, his organisation skills suck and there’s no follow-up on his part. I burnt that bridge by sending him an under-stated sms (see below).

For the second group, I can’t make it. Thinking about it now, I don’t want to either.

I was quite disturbed. The whole thing felt icky.

 

I could never understand why old long-missing friends want to ‘touch base’ / ‘get together’ / ‘have a gathering’. There’s this niggling sensation that they’re trying to relive old memories; Memories which don’t face up well to reality. 

 

Also, I cannot shake off the feeling that they something from me.

 

Insurance agents obviously fall into this category.

 

They’re not interested in your well-being. I’m not referring to friends whom you’ve had constant contact. It’s the ones whom you’ve never seen for aeons and they suddenly call you up to ‘catch up’. If that happens, I’d advise you to get a damn fine lunch out of them. En Dining Bar is a good place to suck them dry.

 

They might also want to ‘share their joy’ with me. Ugh. How horrible.

 

Ex-JC classmate:

"It’s been a decade since we’ve last met! Are you free next weekend?"

 

"No. I’ll be Tanglin Village. Come by if you wish."

 

ex-JC classmate never responded.

 

This week, I got another sms from him.

"Hi. It’s me again. Please tell me when are you free next week?"

 

"Most days. Just let me know in advance."

 

No reply for another 2 days.

 

I smsed him, "So how? Or do I have to chase for a resolution each time?"

 

"If you want, then you organise."

 

"Not interested."

subtext: ‘I’m not interested in organising this fuck-all gathering for fuckers who will suddenly be busy. I’m not interested in meeting y’all.’

 

I regret not being clearer in my rejoiner. No doubt, he’s removed my number from his handphone (if he still has it, then what’s wrong with him?).

Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Wanted to wax lyrical about Daft Punk and got stuck for the longest time.

Then I realised two things:

1. I knew nothing about them

2. Didn’t care too much for them either.

 

Go read up about Daft Punk and their eccentricities on Wikipedia (see Sources). I don’t have to repeat a well written report here.

 

Now blog what? How about the song?

‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ is a playful compliation of synthesized voices, cymbals, bleeps and computers complaining of overwork.
Innovative, guaranteed aural adrenaline rush to get you leaping over buildings in a single bound and…

 

Goddamn it.

I can’t just get Kazumi’s chest popping antics out of my head. Boing Boing Boing Boing. Just like a pair of melons bounced on an elastic band. And that French maid / school girl / ballerina outfit that she’s wearing… Rowr, *claws at air*, *bares caffeine-stained teeth*.

 

Rowr…

 

Sources: Daft Punk Wikipedia Entry 
Video clips: Japan Girls Animation Battle | Daft Punk (Music Video) | J-girl Kazumi

Japan Girls Animation Battle

Daft Punk – MV from Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem

Strong Machine

Not specifically music but dance yo. It’s a collection of videos featuring Strong Machine from Japan.
Don’t know what’s the deal with the name but hey, they’re Japanese so…

Don’t knock their skills cause they fly!

 

Enjoy y’all.

Source: Video 1 | Video 2

Video 1

Video 2

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

 

Have you ever looked around your neighbourhood and, for the life of you, can’t remember what used to be there? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one.

 

Went to the Line at Shangri-la and had a smashing brunch; Sangria and Bloody-strong-Marys did the mashing. On the way home, I passed by Nanyang Girls High. Then I sees bright green hordings with the following splashed across it:
"HILLCREST VILLAS! FOR EXCLUSIVE LIVING."

 

Fine. Another condominium developed for the newly-rich (are you reading this fresh graduates who pull in more money than I do now!?! *Shakes fist*). For the life of me, I couldn’t remember what stood there. Was it an empty patch of land? No. Was it a building? Maybe. Was it National JC’s running track? Can’t be. It’s still there.

It took some effort (2 hours later) before it struck me. It used to be the Telecoms Training Academy. I used to bluff my way in for swimming lessons and karaoke sessions. It disturbed me profoundly; like my memory’s tied into bricks and mortar of the shops. Take them away or turn them into something else; my recollection becomes a little hazy (it’s not age; you sad fuckers) and recent changes seem as if it’s been that way since forever.

 

My peers seem to accept it and forget how it was – both the good and bad.

Even with prompting, they can only offer vague recollections or exaggerated descriptions. And so do I.

 

Oh dear. So how to keep our memory intact?

Are we equal?

So I’ve been lazy to write my thoughts out.
Thought I’ll re-post someone’s thoughts on a recently released study on whether women talk more than men.

What other socialogical experiments would you like to see?

 

Source: Yahoo Dating

Question: We were curious to hear what you all thought of the recent study that said that, contrary to conventional wisdom, "Women don’t talk more than men, that they actually are pretty equal" Women don’t talk more than men, that they actually are pretty equal. My girlfriends and I were talking about it during our book club, and then later over drinks, and we all had the same feeling, that finally that old myth about women talking too much and men being naturally more silent could be put to rest, because a lot of times it’s so not true and really is just a stereotype that is demeaning to women. Do you think the findings of that study were valid? Answer: No.