wobbling worship

I love screaming along with Avril Lavigne. My dad must think I'm crazy. Well, I guess he does consider me an extremist for being vegan, and also probably disapproves of my playing with lego and Donatello (the turtle). But, in all fairness, I did let Jasper hang around while I listened to this Prudential person tell me about this scheme where you put in money and get to take out some of the money and after 25 years you get back more money than you put in and also get insurance by and by.

Almost finished making my room neat today, in anticipation/dread of re-enlistment. Well, not so much dread because, of course, I got downgraded. I was told to fax my O-level, A-level, and university transcripts so they can decide on where to post me. Called back and asked if scan+email will do and said yes, ok, so I went the higher-tech route. Estimated 2 weeks before I get re-enlisted/posted. Also trying to organize the mess of bookmarks I have right now.

Met with Jasper today, and we upped the difficulty this time. Remember how we walked so much that time that I was like super tired? This time we each carried 10kg of weights. Which would never had happened if Royal Sporting House still had its 25% off everything for everyone sale. If the sale were still on, he would probably be carrying 12kg by himself, and I'd be carrying nothing.

Jasper was a darling and got a pen for me today, from a friend he was with (some other day, in the past, if there was any doubt about causality), who did a survey, and got a pen in exchange, who Jasper asked if he wanted the pen because he knew I liked pens. There's a darned cricket in the house making chirping noises...

So we went to this shop in Peninsula Shopping Center (after walking around Peninsula Plaza and me wondering why I didn't see a single hockey stick in sight...) and in the last shop we went to, which was on the top floor, they had dumbbells displayed prominently on the left once we entered. The 2x6kg dumbbell set was selling for $37, similar to what was sold at Royal Sporting House. But the guy quickly pushed the adjustable weights, the kind where you can add and remove plates, which he was selling for $35 for a 10kg set, and said if get 2 he'll give $5 off so $65 for two sets. He said he'll pack it nicely so can one hand hold one and that the store was closing at 7:30pm (it was about 7:25) and the rest is history.

So Jasper held one in one hand and at first thought it wasn't heavy. But after less than a minute, it was heavy lor. Luckily I was there so we could each hold one. The best position was holding it in front, with both hands stretched towards the ground over the box. So we walked like dodobirds from City Hall there to Dhoby Ghaut to eat at JC Kitchen (basement of Park Mall).

Before I go into that, a few things to wrap up. Before that shopping episode, we went to the basement of Funan Center to have the lunch that Jasper didn't have. It was past 4pm. Anyway, they changed the whole food court so it's totally different from how it used to be when I went with my lovey that time, several years ago, and she really likes the popiah there. And there were Xboxes all over the place, displayed for anybody to play. And I got my hands on an N-Gage too, and tried it out.

Jasper wants to get a computer to last a lifetime. I said a laptop can't do that, and tried to explain about the hard disk spinning and wear and tear and the electronics also you know after a while maybe the circuits get tired or something... but I guess maybe next time people will invent computers that use optical devices as primary storage media and then hard disk crash won't be that big a problem. They were also selling this backpack that can hold laptop with free metal water bottle (like the kind Say Yang has, where I'm talking about the bottle, not the bag) for $50, which is 50% off.

So, JC Kitchen, and Jasper commented that the waitress, Peggy, was becoming more and more an element. And she didn't say "Thank you very much" to him, only "Thank you", so he win already lor, because when someone likes someone they're usually shy. This must mean that the next time he goes there and eat they'll get married. He thinks she's like an older version of FlameTree.

Anyway, after dinner there, Jasper wanted to walk to Orchard. But we wussed out and took a bus there. Holding the box above his head, Jasper's arms were shaking. Which is worth a laugh, so I held the box above my head too, to work a different muscle group, which got my arms shaking too, like we were worshipping and offering offerings. More difficult than holding a rifle overhead, but more fun. But maybe easier too, because can put down anytime you want, and it's not as if I just got woken up by thunderflashes in the middle of the night and had to break camp and quick-march in formation and then hold rifles overhead.

Jasper, the following are links to sites which describe dumbbell exercises:
Exercise Machine - band resistance band dumbbell triceps arm exercises biceps chest shoulder free weight back weight lifting pictures
[ http://www.changingshape.com/exercise/directory/typeofexercises.asp ]
Dumbbell Exercises
[ http://www.huddsonline.co.uk/Sports_dumbbell_exercises.htm ]
The first site links to some dodobird dumbbell exercises (under "Free Weights") where you hover the cursor on the picture and the picture changes, quite funny. The other one only got words.

We did our usual sojourn to kinokunikayatoast and looked at maths books. Jasper looked at a serious Dover topology book and almost bought it; I looked at a cartoon explanation of statistics. Which was pretty good, can be quite illustrative for non-math people. Then went to KFC, which Jasper claims has the best iced lemon tea in Singapore. All the way carrying across the front of our bodies what would appear to be really heavy bombs. Jasper says Diana Ser (did I get the surname right?) was there, walked out of KFC just as we walked in (this town ain't big enough for celebrities like us and her) so I can't confirm that, not that I know who she is anyway. I had French Fries and Jasper thought it strange that I squeezed chilli sauce over my fries like toothpaste.

Took a bus back, and on the bus I was sitting across from this guy I'm pretty sure was that Singapore Idol tryout who sang very softly and got made fun of by all the judges. He sang Careless Whisper. Maybe subliminally this caused Jasper to feel like singing, and he did another beautiful rendition of that "I met a girl named Maria" song at the bus stop (where we waited for a transfer bus). I helped him home, because I think there was no way he was going to one hand carry 10kg of solid chrome the other hand carry 10kg of solid chrome home.

I didn't go back to the interchange after that to check what time the last bus was and instead just waited for the bus outside his house, and the 86 came shortly. I bought a phonecard in Peninsula Plaza and will be trying that out soon. Hopefully it's not a dud and the sound quality will be at least half-decent. But decent is not well-defined, as Jasper would rightly point out. Ok, I say. If I get the stated amount of minutes, it works out to about 5 cents a minute.

By the way, Shaowei is in Hungary now on exchange. Not sure why I'm letting you know, but I guess it's kinda like the Perfect 10 98.7 where they give out random factoids like the one that says most tropical fish can survive in a tank filled with human blood.

My agenda for tomorrow is copied and pasted for all to see:

Artists & Other Animals
Humanimal Forum 11 September,
10am-7pm
The Substation Guinness Theatre
SEPTFEST 2004

Join a lively dialogue with over twenty invited scientists, artists,
academics, activists, TV & media workers & public personalities in
discussion of: Captive Animals, Captive Audiences & Captive
Imaginations - Human-Animal relationships in Singapore & Southeast
Asia

Session 1: "Captive Animals" 10am-12am The Substation Guinness Theatre
Panelists: Louis Ng, ACRES; Hardi Baktiantoro, Profauna Jakarta;
Bernard Harrison Former CEO, Singapore Zoo; Dr Ken Gold, General
Curator Singapore Zoo; Dawn Kua, Cat Welfare Society; Deirdre Moss,
SPCA; Dr Lou Ek Hee; AVA Singapore, Statement by AnimalWatch
Singapore (Vadivu Govind & Guna Subramaniam); Dr George Jacobs,
Vegetarian Society. Moderator Lucy Davis, focas, Forum on
Contemporary Art & Society.

This first session will lay the ground for the all day conference and
will seek to address the following types of issues:

… The changing role of Zoo's: Is there a future for zoos/Will the
future for wildlife be ony in zoos?
… The consequences of the explosion of the pet trade and pet stores
in our region.
… The condition of captive animals in urban environments: exotic pets
to strays.
… The ethics and the future of factory farming,
… Vivisection-control or abolish?
… Animal smuggling Malaysia-Singapore-Indonesia,
… Exotic food and medicines trade
… Animal Sports in the region
… International animal advocacy organisations and networks-how do
these relate to local initiatives

Session 2 "Captive Audiences" 1pm-3pm Saturday, The Substation Guiness Theatre

Panelists: N. Sivasothi, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research,
National University of Singapore;Karen Ann Niedermeyer, Staff
co-ordinator P.A.W. Global Concerns Group United World College of
South East Asia; Hardi Baktiantoro, Profauna Jakarta; Dr Ho Hua
Chew, Chair, Conservation Committee, Nature Society
(Singapore);Grant Pereira, Green Volunteers /Sea Shepherd, Singapore;
Angela Hijjas, Chairman, Selangor Branch, Malaysian Nature Society/
Trustee, World Wildlife Fund;Vincent Chow, Scientific Consultant,
Johor National Parks Corporation
Moderator: Juggi Ramakrishnan, Saatchi & Saatchi

This second session will interrogate advocacy, awareness and outreach
strategies amongst animal advocacy and conservation organisations
including:

… Advocacy strategies vis a vis, governmental and corporate institutions
… Relationships to the press and other media
… Networking/collaborations and negotiations with like-minded and
less like minded-institutions?
… Outreach and education projects
… How does one bring about the transition from a passive
understanding of issues in a public to concrete behavioural change?
… What models and examples can we learn from as far as advocacy,
outreach and mobilisation are concerned?

Session Three "Captive Imaginations: Representing Human-Animal
Relationships"4pm-6pm Saturday, 11 September Substation Black Box

3) "Captive Imaginations: Representing Human-Animal Relationships"
Panelists: Ho Tzu Nyen, Visual Artist, Theorist; Victor Wu, WildAid
( in absentia) video presentation; Chris Dickinson, Wildlife Asia
Film Festival project; Alfian Bin Sa'at, Playwright, Poet; Lee Weng
Choy, Artistic co-director, The Substation. Moderator: Sharon
Siddique, Sociologist

This third session will look at the ways in which culture/nature, man
and animal are being represented in the mainstream media, film,
television and popular cultureIt will also explore the sorts of local
and historic imaginings of culture/nature man and animal that exist
in the region. In particular, two of the speakers, Alfian Bin Sa'at
and Ho Tzu Nyen examining different imaginings of the Cat in local
culture.

The sorts of questions this session will explore are the following:

… What sorts of ideological universes/wold visions underpin media and
popular representations of culture/nature, man and animal?

… How can alternative media producers and artists engaging with,
negotiate subverting or circumvent these sorts of representations and
ideological tropes?