Hello, Goodbye

Briefly…

No feature today again, as usual. Just popped by for a quick update. Studies are going averagely, though I suppose they could be better. Other things are not going at all.

My Decemberists CD has yet to arrive though I suspect it will on Monday or Tuesday. Just the boost I need for the exams, perhaps?

My desktop is making funny whirring noises every so often. I believe the computer imp is grumbling about the recession. On the other hand, a couple of technical issues with my notebook too. Rather irritating, but I’ll deal with that after the exams.

Can’t quite make up my mind on what to study today. It’s either Signals or Cell Biology.

Finale

Watched the first part of the Series 4 finale, The Stolen Earth, yesterday. Not bad. Not bad at all. A couple of things I didn’t like, particularly the cellphone bit, and it was all a little, uhm, busy, a little too busy. And it was always going to be a little difficult to keep up the immense writing of the four preceding episodes. That said, it is a bit wild, a bit scary, a bit funny, and a bit wacky all at the same time, and it’s this sort of feeling that I’m not sure any other writer can recreate when Russell T. Davies leaves. I mean, remember that absolutely insane Series 3 finale? Hard to imagine anyone else coming up with that sort of story, so I think, no matter the writing complaints I sometimes have of the revived series so far, I’m really going to miss a good RTD story now and then.

Onwards to the last episode though.

Art

Here’s some concept art for the film adaptation of The Road, drawn by Hugh Marchant. [via flickr] Very, very pretty stuff.

The film is taking ages to show up, though.

Cell Biology

It appears the cilia did not originate from separate organisms. [via MIT] I’m sure that bit of information will be handy for the exams.

Corpses

You can order the Neil Gaiman penned Amanda Palmer collaboration Who Killed Amanda Palmer? now. [via jsrdirect] Limited copies, I heard. I’m too poor to afford one.

d

Many Things And A VR Man

Study…

Started serious revision yesterday. Made me feel like a zombie. Funny how you tend to study less when it’s getting to the exams, unless you really slap yourself into doing it.

Nabokov

Nabokov’s last work, The Original Of Laura, is going to be published, says his son. [via The Telegraph]

R.I.P.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but in case you haven’t, J.G. Ballard passed away. [via The Book Bench] Rest in peace, sir, and condolences to the family.

Ideas, Ideas

So many ideas these days, almost as if my brain is (against my wishes) ramping it up before I dive into writing. For some reason I have plenty of strange-creature ideas, and I’m sure I won’t be using all of them, but a couple of them might prove handy once I get the headlights on and see where exactly I’m going. Yeah, that’s not much clearer, but hey, ideas are always fun, if not always helpful.

Two For Two

Watched Forest Of The Dead and then (yesterday) Midnight, and they’re without question two of the best episodes I’ve seen from the revived series. This is the stuff TV should be made of. Too bad we get so much trash.

A Little Bit Of Singapore

Speaking of TV… Here’s a little something that our local station either very proudly and stupidly or very tongue-in-cheekly (benefit of the doubt and all that) produced a long time ago. It’s called VR Man, starring James Lye as VR Man and Michelle Goh (who doesn’t appear in this clip) as the reporter girl, as I remember. This features VR Man and Lisa Ang starring as some character I don’t remember.

I couldn’t find an actual clip so here is something from The Noose, which was a satirical entertainment news programme that made fun of shows and the industry in general. I seem to recall that it had to produce some of its sketches, but… you know… some shows make fun of themselves.

“Maybe then I can win Singapore’s first Olympic gold medal.”

I’m still waiting on that, VR Man.

The Long Week

So Long, Not Long Enough

This is the reading week, where everyone studies like crazy (well, most people anyway) before they plunge themselves into the exams. Looks like a long and dreary week. I have four papers: two on Tuesday, one on WEdnesday, and one on the 5th of May (I think). It’s not actually a lot but a couple of them will need more work than others.

Today I’m going to school to attend one last supplementary class and also to hand up the last of my assignments. Thereafter, I will have shaken off the last of the term commitments and will be able to dive into the revision like everyone else. Looks awful, but I suppose you get used to it.

Three More

Three, right? I watched the one with the cloned girl and didn’t really like it. Then the Agatha Christie one was kind of okay, clever in bits, and yet somehow sort of missing a little magic. I also caught Silence In The Library yesterday, and I have to say, very clever, Mr. Moffat. Very clever. Excellent monster design, in particular.

On The Jukebox

I’ve had a lot of Rod Piazza playing for some reason. Some of the older records. Actually, I don’t have the new ones. I should probably keep and eye out for them. Speaking of which, The Hazards Of Love has yet to arrive, yes, but I’m just impatient.

Recent Conversations

Conversations with real people (hey, just in case you were suspicious) in the past couple of days have included discussions about: skulls, ice sculptures, flashing purple emoticons, girlfriends-boyfriends, killer monkeys, stars, the art of monster design, chopstick revelations, pandas, rhinoceroses as dinosaurs, Nicolas Cage in his new movie, kidnapping me.

d

One problem at a time…

Studies!

Terrible things seem to be looming over the horizon. The exams look remarkably unfriendly, but for now I first have to deal with a test on Friday that involves too much studying. It’s not looking too bad, just not very good, although the forecast is less optimistic for the exams. That said, let’s take it one problem at a time.

Checking It Out

I was puzzled as to why my Hazards Of Love order was taking so long, so I dropped the Decemberists Store an email on Monday evening. The reply came somewhere in the middle of the night yesterday, and it appears that it got lost in the sorting process and is now presumably on its way, with a signed booklet to boot.

Lovely, prompt service. Great stuff. Just makes your day a whole lot more pleasant.

I just want to get a first listen to it now, though, so I really can’t wait.

Two Episodes

Went through two more episodes of Doctor Who‘s Series 4 (one a day), and the impression was a whole lot better. The Pompeii episode had those really beautiful sets and a really nice volcano, and the script was sharp. The Ood episode after that worked very well for me, for some reason, though the lines were sometimes a little dull. And Sontarans in the next story. Simply brilliant.

For Today…

Signals lecture, plus I want to finish up notes for my cell biology. Not terribly exciting, but at least it won’t kill me. Sometimes that’s all you’re ever going to get.

d

Monday Link List

Last week of school! And we start the week off with a bunch of random things.

Coetzee Cover

Here’s the cover to J.M. Coetzee’s upcoming book, Summertime. [via The Elegant Variation]

Neuroscience!

The neuroscience behind Yorick’s Ghost and related optical illusions. [via Scientific American]

Weepy Doctor

An interview with David Tennant as he prepares to hand over the steering wheel to Matt Smith. [via BBC]

Geeky Ideas To Save The Book

I watched this rather intriguing presentation on Friday. [via The New Yorker]

There are some really great points that he raises. In particular, I think the last idea he raises is something I’d really like to see.

It also reminded me that I have a half-ambition to have my own tiny bookstore far in the future…

Small Updates

Brr, last week of school! This week, I have a test on Friday with too much material to realistically cover. I also have a test on Monday. Then it’s off and away for the exams.

Not been writing, though I have a fairly good idea of what I want to do.

I did get my hands on the video for Series 4 of Doctor Who (too many spoilers on the interwebs), and I got started on it yesterday. I thought the opening was not bad, though not exactly fantastic. I really didn’t like the idea, but the characters managed to sustain it for me. The curveball right at the end certainly helped too. I’ll probably comment a little on it as I make my way through Series 4.

Starting on my final book before school ends today, and it’s Roberto Bolaño’s By Night In Chile. It’ll be the last book I’ll be reading purely for entertainment for a while, I think, because I’m diving into a new run through Ulysses during the break.

d

Better today I’m sure.

Closure

The week slowly draws to a close. (Yeah, sure, it’s only Wednesday.) Projects, tests, et cetera, all going by in the blink of an eye. Still got a presentation tomorrow to prepare for, but that’s all the fight the week has left.

Wasn’t too long ago it was Week 1 and it was all work and no play. It’s been a pretty interesting semester, if nothing else, and I’m actually a little relieved to be at the end of it.

Distractions

It is with much embarrassment that I tell you about my waterbottle accident yesterday. While filling a waterbottle for my friend yesterday, I got rather distracted and for some reason thought it was a good idea to switch over to hot water. That wasn’t such a bad idea except for the fact that the bottle was metal. Realising the error in my ways far too late, I shifted my hand away in a reflex action that caused my left index finger to be slightly scalded.

Hey, could’ve been worse, but you know, think before you do things, no matter how distracted you are. Just in case anyone else wants to lose an index finger too.

(And no, it’s kind of all right now.)

Budget

Yesterday, my dad’s birthday present arrived, a black, supposedly limited edition Crumpler to replace his old one. It reminded me of how much I’ve been spending recently.

My Decemberists record hasn’t arrived (and if it still doesn’t arrive, I’m going to have to check it out). I also bought a few books, and these have set me back quite a bit already. I had the intention of buying a couple of games, but that has since dropped to just one game, which I suppose makes my wallet feel a bit better.

Still, all things considered, not doing too badly. It’ll also depend on how the holidays pan out…

Doctor Who Things

If I said I was going to write about chipmunks, I’d spend the next six months being made president of the Chipmunks Society and would have chipmunks turning up at my door, saying, “Can we have work?”

Russell T. Davies and David Tennant talk about leaving the show.

[via TimesOnline]

Elsewhere, another piece about Davies leaving the show.

[via Scotsman.com News]

d

Friday, Friday

Work Updates

When the holidays arrive, I’m going to start Bukit Merah all over. I have a couple of thousand words of fragments, but I think it’s fair to say that that was something of an experiment. It feels as if the entire thing is a little heavy, a little too long for its own good. I’m going to have to start over.

The River leaves a very different impression on me now, and in fact I believe I can’t actually write like that again no matter how hard I tried. I guess change is something I’ll have to learn to get used to.

School Stuff

Busy. Busy days. Extremely busy. Also extremely sleepy. Tests. Assignments. Project. Stuff.

Now Reading

I’m currently reading Saramago’s Death At Intervals. Did I tell you that already? It’s been a thing of wonder so far, and I probably would have finished it by now had it not been for a remarkable lack of sleep. Today. Today.

Planet Of The Dead Trailer

Here’s the trailer for the upcoming Doctor Who Easter special [via TARDIS Newsroom]:

d

Artsy Things

Weekend

This weekend, I managed a bit of work, managed a bit of entertainment, and had interesting conversations with a bunch of people, notably Jolie, with whom I had many happy chats with via IM throughout Sunday, so I suppose you could say it was a good weekend. The weekend also saw the birthdays of my mom and Chinese High, so we celebrated with durian. We also saw my football club doing well. All in all an enjoyable weekend by any measure.

Flower

I bought Flower off of the PlayStation Network a couple of days ago. It’s… quite unique. Very pretty, I must say, though I’m pretty sure those who don’t appreciate the more artsy experiences will find it boring and simply not worth the cash. But I’m one of those who does, so I will say that while you don’t do very much, while it’s not exactly a game, and while it might be shorter than I realise, I still think it’s a fantastic experience and it’s certainly worth the price of admission just to admire it as a thing of beauty.

Seed

Someone sent me this short animation by Johnny Kelly and I thought it was beautiful.

The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

There’s also a making-of video by the creators.

Making of ‘The Seed’ from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

Hugos

The Hugo nominees have been announced. [via Anticipation]

Of note:

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
(336 Ballots / Bulletins)

• “The Constant” ( Lost) Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof, writers; Jack Bender, director (Bad Robot, ABC studios)
• Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen , writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)
• “Revelations” ( Battlestar Galactica) Bradley Thompson & David Weddle, writers; Michael Rymer, director (NBC Universal)
• “Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead” ( Doctor Who) Steven Moffat, writer; Euros Lyn, director (BBC Wales)
• “Turn Left” ( Doctor Who) Russell T. Davies, writer; Graeme Harper, director (BBC Wales)

Well, not that it matters, but it’s just nice to root for someone or something, like in a football match where you’re a neutral. So I’m rooting for Doctor Who, of course, just for the fun of it. I haven’t actually watched these episodes, but I’ve heard that they’re among the best in the new series.

Also of note, it was nice to see Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book among the nominees, and Fables too.

d

A Wednesday Bulletin

Name

The new cat has a name. He’s Mario. My mom named him. I think because in her dreams he climbed down sewage pipes and ate mushrooms.

Messed Up

I think I messed up my math paper yesterday, but I’m not too concerned about it. Butter fingers and all that.

Yay

My 30th birthday book (that’s my deadline) looks a little more concrete now, because I have a slightly clearer idea of what I want to do with it. Of course it’s quite a few years off, and I still have Bukit Merah before that (at least), so no hurry. Still, a nice optimistic note on a Tuesday that was rather exhausting.

Finished

I finished Your Inner Fish yesterday. I think I’ll post up thoughts on it later. I’m now choosing between Oscar Wao and Boxwood. I want to do Murakami’s Wind-Up Bird, but it’s so long, and I don’t quite feel like it yet.

New TARDIS

Apparently, BBC has given the go-ahead for a redesign of the current TARDIS, which I actually quite like. [via Mirror.co.uk] I’m intrigued by this hi-tech and intricate description they’re giving it, and not entirely sure. But well, I suppose in taking over a show, it’s only proper to distance yourself from your predecessor, and I have complete and currently unshakeable faith in Mr. Moffat.

Busy

All right, that’s all I can write about for now. Busy times, these.

d

Tracklist

Sing, Sing, Sing

Here is a list of stuff that’s been hogging my Songbird lately:

• Radiohead: Mostly Hail To The Thief. for some reason, although I’ve also returned to In Rainbows and the live album I Might Be Wrong.
• Doctor Who OSTs: I started with a few favourites, like the theme song and All The Strange, Strange Creatures. I then took a liking for Doomsday. But most recently it’s been about the songs with lyrics, especially Love Don’t Roam performed by Neil Hannon and The Stowaway performed by Yamit Mamo. I’ve also grown to really like Voyage Of The Damned Suite. I think it all somehow reminds me of when I was in the school band.
• The Decemberists: In anticipation of The Hazards Of Love, I’ve been listening to excerpts from The Crane Wife and Picaresque. Colin Meloy’s live album has also been a regular feature. We’re about a month away, and I really can’t wai.
• You Only Live Once: The song by the Strokes. Rather frequently, too. For some reason, it gets me going in the mornings.
• And…: Well, the rest has mostly been mood-dependent, though it’s included Southern All-Stars, Muse, The Flaming Lips, Gil Shaham, Thelonious Monk and Lykke Li.

Week Ahead

The week ahead is my recess week, though I suppose that gives the impression that it’s meant for my annual holiday. Well, it’s not. It’s the time when I’m meant to be catching up on work and worrying about tests. Well, it’s less than ten days so I suppose it will all pass very quickly.

Any Better?

Not really. Still not sleeping. Still rather incredibly sad every now and then. But I think the dust is settling and it’s not like anything else has been messed up because of this anyway. I’ll be back, I think, or maybe I already am, albeit somewhat changed. But you know that old saying about things changing and nothing perishing.

d