U-Go-Slavia

To quote my friend, "I feel smart for existing."

god is my favourite dj

Listening to Leona Lewis early in the morning, on a Sunday, still in bed, with a mug of lukewarm coffee and two lightly toasted bread is my idea of perfection. At least for the time being.

This is my favourite song so far by her:



I think she has an immensely powerful voice - the beauty lies in how soothing it sounds. Loud and soothing; euphonious, something which a lot of singers with higher pitched voices cannot acheive.

Another song I'm obsessed with at the moment is I Dreamed A Dream, sang by Elaine Paige from the Les Miserables stage play. First heard it on YouTube, Susan Boyle's rendition of it on Britain's Got Talent.

I'm also in the middle of reading this:



This was part of my Reading World Text course; however I skipped this book entirely due to 1) Lack of time, and 2) The overwhelming aspect of the other five books I had to read. I am beginning to regret the decision after every page of this book I'm finishing. There's a remarkable veracity in Lamming's writing; it's pure in ways that are inexplicable. It's beautiful and every word, every sentence inspires me to think. To close my eyes, take a deep breath and just think. What is more remarkable is the fact that Lamming was only 23 when he wrote this. I am 20 and my writing is like unpolished turd compared to this. Thanks Mr. Lamming, I feel
inadequate now.

My goal now is to finish reading In The Castle Of My Skin before the 16th. That's when I am going to India. I'm bringing my brand new copy of A Suitable Boy which, I'm determined to finish before the Winter break is over.

the future of technology

This is what technology is going to look like in the next few years.

People like him make me feel immensely proud to be an Indian.

Back to my history readings - so many of them, I could just lose myself in it.

i got myself into some trouble tonight...

(Not a big fan of the Delta Goodrem version; Aaberge's slightly husky voice lends a better tone to the nature of the song.)

I am in love with this song. The lyrics never cease to blow me away and every time I listen to it, I am overcome with a combination of nostalgia/tranquility/peace of (my) mind. I image a sunset by the beach; the bruised sky overhead; the sunlight fading behind the shifting sea clouds; the gentle collision of waves against the sand; preparing for high tide; the wind blowing against my face, seeping through my hair, un-combing it, making a mess of it...there are some things that cannot be condensed into words. I think this song, the feelings it invokes is one of them.

[I refuse to comment on football. I REFUSE. The rambunctious Liverpool (and Barcelona) fans an go and fuck themselves. Putain.]

It's a pig, no it's a man...no it's....H1N1

(Youtube is not entirely about music videos and stand up comedy. Once in a while, you come across some informative or practical - for real life usage)

Despite its pandemic status, I have successfully managed to ignore it so far. Three scares and two false alarms later, I remain unconcerned by placing blind trust in my immune system. (At a time like this, I appreciate my parents' enthusiasm, almost two decades ago, to get me an overwhelming number of vaccine shots; despite my kicking and screaming and ear shattering wails) However, my mother's diabetic. Contracting the virus will not do any lasting harm on me - considering I avoid the unnecessary complications - but it might endanger my mother. That scares me, more than the question of my own well being. Singapore, even though many like to vehemently deny, is a hotzone. Being extra precautionary is not a sign of paranoia. People need to understand this; I need to understand this.

(This video post serves three purposes. 1) Provide some basic information on the H1N1 strain. 2) For your viewing convenience, dear imaginary reader and 3) a placeholder for future references.)

ETA: Fed Plans to Vet Banker Pay to Discourage Risky Practices

The officials emphasized that the plan was not intended to make pay packages more socially equitable but was part of a broader effort by the Fed to shore up the stability of the banking system. That effort has included tighter supervision of lending and trading practices and higher requirements for capital held as a cushion against losses.

So the FED is going to let the banking hierarchy get away with making millions, on tax payers' money? At least they are increasing the reserved requirement ratio - the amount of capital they expect, by law, the banks to hold back before they lend out the rest of their liabilities. The problem however is that the banks aren't lending! There have been very little long term investment to kick-start the upward movement along the business cycle. I only have 3 basic level economics courses under my belt - I have recently embarked on my sophomoric journey this academic year - in university and even I can posit that the way Fed's going, it is going to take a long time before any sign of progress is made. After exhausting its monetary policy, perhaps the government should look to making changes in its fiscal policy - except with a trillion dollar debt per year for the next decade, their hands are pretty much tied. America needs to increase their savings rate; they need to push it up beyond the 10% that is hypothesized (the actual rate is considerably lower).

I Kill People

I am at a loss for words. I am heavily conflicted. It's so bad that it's actually catchy, and funny and once again proves the general consensus that you don't need talent to rap - as long as you are able to string together words into a suitable rhythm...but seriously, Anthony Hopkins of cock and Albert Einstein of dick made my night. In about t-10 seconds I am going to expire from aneurysm caused by excessive laughter.

t-9

t-8

t-7

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t-1

KABOOM.