cny

the yearly routine. initially planned to study through the night then perform my duties with the bare minimum of energy during the 2 days (esp visiting) of CNY. but then i never anticipated that i'd end up immersed in a novel for those 2 days. first among equals by jeffrey archer, who's without a doubt my favourite storyteller. to quote from my dear cousin bert:

For want of a better word, Archer is simply... readable. The pages turn naturally. He won't win many prizes for allusions, depth, turn of phrase or vocabulary here, and nor are some of the plots even a surprise, but he doesn't pretend - or try - to be what he isn't. No stretching for a Booker or Pulitzer (ok, he's not American, but you get the idea), but for what he does there are few better. He lays down a tale, and gets the reader into it without any heavy lifting. And it goes on. And on. And when it's done, the next one is ready and waiting. It sounds simple. Maybe it is simple. But very few can do it.

was chatting to a relative (teacher) and her husband (ex-principal) and discovered that scholarship holders are put on the fast track, honours or no honours. so supposedly i'll progress faster than a honours degree recepient who din have the sense to apply for a scholarship after his/her A'Levels. that's so unfair, i retorted to the old man. he shot me a bemused stare and commented that he thought i was one too. oh yeah. i'm supposed to be elated right. haha.

somehow i have the impression that my relatives think i'm somewhat of an intellectual. the glasses and squarish jaw contributes to that i guess (thestudiouschinaPRC look). not to mention i actually discuss issues with them, listen intently and argue abt contentious points. well, it's cos i have nothing better or more interesting to talk to them about i guess. i'm quite the simple guy who enjoys talking abt trivial stuff so if i actually start spouting intelligent stuff it's likely cos 1) i'm trying to impress/endear myself to you or 2) i have nothing to say to you but i'm obliged to say something. i dun read the papers every morning for nothing la.

and i was perpetually dragging all the younglings (below 21) into my air-conditioned rm (with the xbox360 and 32in LCD haha) to chat and play beijing olympics (one of the few multiplayer games i had) and of course, Winning Eleven 2009. i think those relatives mentioned in the previous para would be aghast at the language i typically use when playing the latter. "f**k la my player where got offside" "c****** the referee anyhow give yellow card one". but i'm glad to say it's not exactly a spontaneous action but a conscious one. it seems they're amused to see a to-be teacher (one of them was my student during my attachment) using language more commonly suited to absymal secondary schs and the army.

hm. time on the workstation (central lib) almost up le. signing off!