Episode 281: Yesterday Redux

Stayed up to a crazy hour to finish reading The Evil Seed. The ending is overly melodramatic, but for a first novel, it's not too shabby on the whole. Instead of starting on the next novel, Sleep, Pale Sister, I've decided to start reading Katie Roiphe's Uncommon Arrangements, which is about the marital lives of seven couples of the London literary circle in the years before the Second World War. Completely random, I know. It was one of the books Michael Hulse wanted to get rid of when we last met for The Warwick Review, and I thought this was finally a work of non-fiction that I wouldn't mind reading. Am thinking of heading out tomorrow afternoon to get Eugene Chan's hard drive, and possibly pick up a couple of library books along the way. Am now continuing with Mental, which is shaping up into a cross of Grey's Anatomy and House, i.e. too much drama. Within three episodes, there have been enough surprise revelations to fuel one full season of another show. This does not bode well for the longevity of this series! The repeated unsubtle hints that Chris Vance's character, Jack Gallagher, is hot don't exactly help. We get the point, writers, move along now. I mean, Gregory House is considered one of TV's sexiest doctors, and the writers didn't have to keep emphasising that to us.

Episode 280: New Music, New Shows

Just saw the video for 'World Gone Crazy', the new Sleepthief single, featuring Coury Palermo. I'm liking it very much, especially Palermo's voice. Kind of reminds me of music from Emmy Rossum and Enya because of the layered vocals. Tweeted about it and Palermo actually replied to my tweet! I hope he releases an album soon, and meanwhile, I'll be waiting for Sleepthief's Labyrinthine Heart. My sleeping pattern's still a little messed up, so I took a nap in the afternoon instead of reading The New Poetry. Spent most of my time either reading Joanne Harris's The Evil Seed or checking out new shows. The anthology series, Masters Of Science Fiction, is interesting, kind of like the visual equivalent of reading a short story. (That's a slightly silly comment, since all the episodes were based on short stories in the first place.) 'What makes us human may one day be defined not by the gifts we posses, but by the virtues we lack.' That's a line that Stephen Hawking uttered in the third episode's closing scene. It's a bleak thought, if you're inclined to agree with it. Also saw the pilot episodes for Hung and Mental. The former's premise is a well-endowed man who tries to make a living out of his, uh, equipment. The pilot was a bit slow, took some time to find its footing, but it showed promise. Mental feels a bit derivative of House, although the scope of illness is more strictly confined and Chris Vance gets to keep his original accent (although you must admit, Hugh Laurie's American accent is flawless). I'm not sure what this show wants to be yet, nor whether it'll survive beyond one season, but as summer viewing while other shows have yet to return, I'll take it.

Episode 279: I'm Bored...

I've been back less than a week and I'm already bored. Just finished reading May Barry's Jennifer Government. Was quite impressed by how the different storylines began converging as the book progressed, but I think the ending could have been better handled. Left me feeling like there was something more to be said, like it could have been the start of a great series. I like corporate satire though, and this is an interesting riff on the subject. Plans to turn it into a movie have stalled, it seems, although I remain hopeful. It would be awesomely entertaining, you know it would! Tomorrow, I'm going to start reading some poetry for next year's modules. Managed to see an episode each of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: NY. I quite like Laurence Fishburne's character in the former, although I'm not sure that he can quite fill Grissom's shoes on the show. I'm starting to realise how awful it is to have all my favourite shows not airing new episodes during summer. It's an opportunity to catch up on stuff that I've got on my hard drive, I suppose. That and the mediocre drama on local TV.

Episode 278: Jet Lag...

Finally got around to reading Max Barry's Jennifer Government, which gave rise to the online game, NationStates, which I played for a while years ago. It's very readable, although I know some of my friends would sniff at it for not being, shall we say, meaty enough. That's the problem though. I like writing essays about complicated literary works, but when it comes to actually reading something for fun, I'm more likely to pick whimsical or lightweight cleverness over deep, tortured intellectuality. Not that I won't read anything containing the latter; it's just not likely to be something I'd spend an hour on without some other compelling reason. Am still feeling jetlagged, so am thinking of having an early night after dinner. Not going to church tomorrow, so might stay at home all day and learn Spanish. Or Latin. Or Quenya. Would go to the library, but it feels somehow hypocritical to say I'm not going to church because of the quarantine but still go along to the library, even though I do think the concept of quarantine is a bit flawed and Singapore's current number of cases suggests that it's a bit futile anyway.

Episode 277: Back, Safe And Sound

There was a lot of turbulence during the flight, and the repetition of the announcement grew very tedious after the first five times I heard it. Didn't get much sleep during the flight, nor did I read much of the Ligotti handout, so I'm currently feeling very sleepy. I've managed to unpack all my books and clothes, and after sorting the clothes out, I've realised that I probably have enough clothes to open a charity shop! Books as well, but I'm too tired to get around to shelving those. Will do that tomorrow, since I won't be going out because of my self-imposed quarantine for the sake of social responsibility. Can't attend the briefing for my school attachment either, but apparently, they can send over the stuff that I need to know anyway. Will have plenty of time on my hands over the next couple of days, just to chill and read, possibly even write something. Have had a couple of lines that I've been turning over in my head since the start of the week, but they're final lines, so I need to place them in some sort of wider context. Credit is due to a phrase that Jerrick tweeted week ago, which inspired me.

Episode 276: Homeward Bound!

My journey back to Singapore got off to a slightly rocky start because the taxi was late. Was beginning to get worried, but it turned up just as I was about to call the company to send another. Arrived at Pool Meadow with plenty of time to spare, and then Tiffanie appeared, so there was company all the way till the flight itself. Got stuck sitting next to an obese woman on the coach, said experience convincing me that obese people should be made to pay for two seats instead of one. I was uncomfortable throughout the entire journey! I hope the woman felt at least a little guilty. Being a bit fleshy is okay, but when you begin encroaching on other people's personal space, I think that's a problem. Tiffanie and I checked in together, so we were probably below or just slightly over our combined 80-kg limit. Hooray to not being charged! I managed to see three films during the flight, as well as three episodes of Little Britain USA and an episode of Jamie's Ministry Of Food. I saw Watchmen, which initially confused me terribly since I've never read the comic, but I sort of figured out what was going on by the end. Then I saw this Chinese film, The Equation Of Love And Death, which again, left me slightly confused, but when all the dots connected, I thought it was quite brilliant. I would have happily read a book with a plot similar to that in terms of its convolution. In fact, I already have. Several times. Dragonball Evolution felt a little silly to me. No disrespect intended to fans of the manga, to which I'm sure they'll agree the film didn't do justice. It just felt like the whole thing had been dumbed down to fit American tastes. Also saw bits of He's Just Not That Into You, which for me was a failed attempt at cleverness and complexity. Didn't help that I was really sleepy by that time...

Episode 275: All My Bags Are Packed

I'm ready to go. I've shuffled some of my stuff around again, and I think it fits slightly better now. Still overweight, of course, but I'm still praying for a miracle on that front at the check-in counter tomorrow. Found out that I have to self-quarantine when I get back to Singapore, at least where MOE is concerned. So I can't attend the briefing for my school attachment, and apparently, neither can a lot of my peers. Personally, I think the whole concept of quarantine is inherently flawed. I'm supposed to be quarantined, but there's nothing to stop my family members from going out and about, and if I were infected, what's the likelihood that they wouldn't be as well? Think about it. Without meaning to downplay the danger posed by the current pandemic, or disregard all those victims who've lost their lives, I think we're overreacting as a global community. Then again, I'm not a healthcare expert, so what do I know? Perhaps they're all right after all, and I'll be sorry for doubting them when the virus mutates and comes roaring back with a vengeance. Am making myself a last crummy dinner, before heading out to The Dirty Duck for the last time until autumn blows around. I'm going to miss this place while I'm gone. I think I'll miss it more than I've missed Singapore, which sounds like a terrible thing to admit to, but there you go. I've typed it here, for all the world to see. A quick word about my results. This first year has turned out, shall we say, quite literally, for which I'm grateful. Here's to more of the same in 09/10!

Episode 274: Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, The Illegals & Monsters, Inc.

It seems like we are doomed to experience housing drama, even until the last moment. Turned up at the house, only to discover that the house specified in the contract wasn't the one that we thought we were getting. Thankfully, that's been cleared up and new contracts signed. Rooms have also been sorted. Impartially, I might add. Much thanks to Dan and Shen Ting for helping me to move my stuff into the black cab, especially Dan, who followed me to Earlsdon and then helped us to move our stuff in as well, even though he didn't have to. I owe you one, Mr Barrow. So now everything's settled and the only lingering question is how much, if at all, I'm going to be charged for my overweight luggage. Fingers still crossed on that one. Came back to campus with Lola while the others popped off to Birmingham, and then I went to Adriana's production of Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, which was great. The actress cast as Honey looked eerily like the actress from the film version. Prettier, of course, but still bearing a somewhat uncanny resemblance. Mentioned it to Bella as we were leaving the CAPITAL Centre, and she agreed. This is one of my favourite plays ever, so it was nice to catch it during SPLAT Fest.

Wanted to grab a smoothie from the Library Coffee Bar, but it was closed. So I sat in the Library and finished up Celan's Fathomsuns and Benighted. My head felt properly messed with by the end of that, and I was only reading the English translations. Can't imagine what it must be like for a German speaker to read those poems. Thought of staying in the Library until it was time for The Illegals, but decided that I would trudge back to Westwood instead. I mean, it's not like I actually had anything important to do! Anyway, The Illegals was an interesting interweaving of life stories, and I suspect the cause it champions is one that I could actually envision myself supporting with more than just words. We'll see. No Colin Firth because he was filming and they overran their schedule, otherwise I'd have been sitting a mere metre away from him. Not that it mattered to me, since I'm not really a fan of Colin Firth anyway. No, I have never seen the wet shirt scene in the 1995 TV serial adaptation of Pride And Prejudice, and if the rest of the world is to be believed, I am apparently missing out on a 'defining moment' of television. Cue shrug.

Went straight from that to the last Ugly Cousins Club meeting, which saw some reading, followed by many abortive drinking games. Haha! I was just nursing a bottle of Bacardi Breezer throughout. Some of us split off to head to the screening of Monsters, Inc. on Rootes field, which was an experience in itself. It's one thing to catch a film with people in a cinema. It's quite another to be in the middle of a crowd on a field. It got a bit nippy though, which was the only downside. I confess that this is one of the more recent animated films, relatively speaking, that I've genuinely enjoyed. Of course, it helped that the screening was free, courtesy of KPMG and Warwick Student Cinema. Otherwise, I certainly wouldn't have paid money to see something that I've already seen. I've hardly ever done that before, if I remember correctly. I think people who pay money to watch the same film multiple times, as people do with the Harry Potter series (and soon will with the Twilight series), are just being silly. Wait a while more, buy the DVD, and you can rewatch it as many times as you want! So all in all, it's been a busy day. One day closer to leaving for Singapore...

Episode 273: Packed And Ready To Go

Had pancakes with my cell in the morning, and after that, we had our usual meeting stuff and then went to see Krisztina's Irish dancing performance. That was fun, and I also kind of like Celtic music anyway. Left to pick up my Good Food Society hoodie at the Arts Centre, and then rejoined my friends for a drink at The Dirty Duck. Then I came home and repacked. Now that has been depressing. I've bought an additional box, although I'm not sure how much lighter it's made my luggage. My laptop bag is stuffed full of books, so the laptop's going to go into the Crumpler, itself stuffed with books. You know what would be really nice? If somehow, when I arrive at Heathrow on Thursday, someone on my flight to Singapore spots me and offers to check in his/her luggage with me, thereby solving my overweight woes. Alternatively, a lucky break at the check-in counter, involving me smiling at the person handling my luggage and him/her ignoring the fact that my luggage is ridiculously overweight. If neither of these scenarios occurs, then there's only one solution: credit card. Sigh.

Anyway, when we were walking back towards The Dirty Duck, we saw a couple of ducklings in the pond outside the Mathematics building. They were really cute, just paddling away and what-not. However, there was one duckling that just wouldn't stick with the rest. Kept trying to climb up the ramp at the side of the pond. It was funny at first, but then it became a bit upsetting because the duckling just couldn't get out and was just wearing itself out trying. Apparently, the other ducklings were from a nest that someone had just taken off the roof of the building, but it seems that this particular duckling wasn't one of their number, hence the refusal to hang around the others. It was the closest thing to heartbreaking drama I've ever witnessed on campus! We weren't the only ones watching though, and after we left, some guy scooped the duckling out of the water and brought it to the other end of the pond. Didn't help though, and probably terrified it to death! Ah well. Maybe I can write a poem about this duckling? That would be an interesting poem, I think.

Episode 272: Almost Done With Packing!

Have finished reorganising my Facebook albums! It was tedious, and cost me more hours of sleep than the unimportance of the task justified, but I feel vaguely satisfied, now that it's done. I've also almost finished with my packing. Bought two more medium boxes from Costcutter, which turned out to be smaller than I expected, but I've managed to squeeze stuff in them. May end up sticking any remaining random stuff into the backpack. It's finally starting to sink in, the fact that my first year of university is drawing to a close. Today was already the last time I'll be at Westwood Church for about three months. Went along with some of my church friends to a performance by Warwick Revelation Rock-Gospel Choir, which was an interesting experience! Came back after that and did my laundry. The stains still won't come off! So I'm going to have to take the clothes home and let my mum have a go at removing the stains. As for the dryer, I put in £1.50 instead of £1, but my clothes didn't come out any drier than usual. What gives? The clothes were, after all, tumbling for an extra 25 minutes.