Bush now admits WMD doubts
George Bush finally conceded last night that there may be a problem over Iraq's missing weapons of mass destruction when he said he wanted to know why there were discrepancies between pre-war intelligence and the negligible material investigators had found on the ground.
He said he "wanted to know the facts" about any intelligence failures but he refused to endorse calls for an independent investigation.
oh, come the fuck on. It's about time, innit?
Thom Yorke on the Hutton Inquiry: "Lord Hutton's report on the BBC is a whitewash"
This is a theatre of the absurd. It has left everybody I know shaking their heads in disbelief and anger. Such a performance should make us all deeply nervous about the future of Britain. While Blair wishes to draw a line under the whole episode, I hope this doesn't happen. Sometimes a story will end up being told, no matter how many times they try to close the book.
me against my body
I went to the supermarket last night to get ingredients for healthier packed lunches. Here's what I'm planning to make:
- penne with mushroom-based pasta sauce and vegetables
- quesadillas with salsa/tomatoes and a wee bit of cheese
- pilaf with tomatoes/mushrooms
- bagel with egg/mushroom omelette and tomatoes
I actually thought of being a vegetarian, and after
Mike's friendly advice, I decided to slowly phase out meat, instead of just going cold-turkey (no pun intended). I don't eat much red meat to begin with, and with all the bird flu going around, it's easy to stop eating chicken/poultry for a while. I guess I'm stuck with fish, and I quite like fish anyways. Fish is healthier right??
I hope I can win the fight. Anyone taking bets??
oh well, better late than never
From
friday five:
At this moment, what is your favorite...
1. ...song?
"running" by no doubt. Last song I heard.
2. ...food?
dumpling/ fish ball noodles
3. ...tv show?
CSI
4. ...scent?
fresh linen, Issey Miyake Perfume
5. ...quote?
be nice to your computer, cos one day they'll take over the world.
Bag Lunches
As I'm trying to shed those pounds around my stomach, I'm going to pack work lunches from now on. Yes, it means waking up earlier in the morning (that's the true test) to assemble everything, but I guess some of the stuff can be made ahead in the evening before. I'm not sure what I'd like to bring, but quesadillas are high on my list, as they can be assembled fairly easily. Pasta is also up there, with all its versatility. What else? Ideas, anyone?
I'm actually more excited about making a trip to the supermarket. Haven't been inside one for a while now, and it used to be one of my favourite things to do! I can't wait.
Whew!
Good. You know your music. You should be able to
work at Championship Vinyl with Rob, Dick and
Barry
Do You Know Your Music (Sorry MTV Generation I Doubt You Can Handle This One) brought to you by Quizilla
My Cheeks are Hurting from Smiling too much
Well, I made it through the first day of Chinese New Year, without much ado. I pretty much faded into the backgrounds of my relatives' places, feeling bored most of the time, but not unduly embarrassed by the usual barrage of questions they used to hurl at me. It's actually a sorry sight, if you really think about it, me being quiet and sleepy and bored and sucking at cans of beer. I did smile an awful lot though, and my cheeks, unused to such exercise, are hurting a little.
After all the food, I need to get them pounds off! I've been climbing up stairs and swimming once a week, but that's not really enough, is it?
Soundtrack for all moods/seasons/reasons
Thanks to
Kelly, I discovered this website,
Tiny Mix Tapes, and it's the coolest thing ever! They have track lists to suit every kind of mood, from the kinda sad:
Songs to listen To Now That My Much-Loved Boyfriend Died Of Cancer And I Want To Think How It Was Great When We Were Together And That I'll Always Love Him, But Now I Have To Move On And Try To Be Happy Without Him
to the mundane
Songs to wake you up from a boring ass job in a library
to a useful one
Songs to get over Writer's Block
to the absolute random
Songs for sitting outside in the summer reading a Calvin and Hobbes book underneath the umbrella on the outdoor table, or for taking a long, hot bath on a cloudy sunday afternoon when you haven't slept since thursday, or maybe just a tape to play while looking at the towering buildings in the city, being lost in the greyness of cloud and smog, admiring the clean lines of stone and metal, the oddity of nature, a park in the middle of the city: bleak, uncompromising, enormous
And it's such a useful way to discover new music too!
If only someone would come up with a generator for books.
Being at the tail-end of my masters dissertation, I feel a strange mix of relief and nostalgia for it. On one hand, I'm really grateful that I won't have to try and make sense of Derrida and his difficult-to-follow brand of philosophy that is Deconstruction (try this for size: deconstruction is already in itself a failure; and it is from this failure that deconstruction arises [or something to that effect: it's not a quote]) again. I was also occupied with Kafka's short stories; so much so that I can more or less memorise some of his shorter parables and aphorisms.
In the past year, I had my brain worked to the limits just working out what Derrida means. Because his approaches are fundamental, that is, he approaches issues from their basic conditions of possibilities, I not only have to rethink the many assumptions that I have, but I also have to work out how these assumptions come into being in the first place.
But on the other hand, letting go of the thesis also means that I have to let go of the one thing that has most occupied me for the better part of almost 2 years; I can't help but feel a little rudderless at the moment. I really don't want to end up not remembering anything that I have written and have it become a distant memory.
Over the past 2 years, I hadn't read as much as I'd like to, mostly due to the other books that I have to read for the dissertation, but I think this would be a good time to start reading in ernest again. I'm particularly inspired by
david's project to read 52 books in 52 weeks. I'm reading Kundera's
Unbearable Lightness of Being. It's almost embarrassing to say that I've never read the book before, given that I am a Literature student and everything. And it's a really good read. I finished almost two-thirds of the book just last night, and I can't wait to get back home to finish it up tonight.
I'm not sure what is on the reading list next. But I have books that I have not read, so I guess I will start from there. But most of it are non-fiction, philosophy-type books. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.
Adopt a Penguin
I kid you not!! You can actually get your very own penguin as a pet from
Penguin Warehouse! I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this off
Dan's blog and kept thinking it's a joke. But then at prices from US$890-2890, I guess my wish of having a bad-ass emperor penguin as my best friend shall only remain as such.
the miniPod
Despite the rumours floating around the Internet about the miniPod, it's still quite expensive. 4GB for US$249; I'd rather fork out US$50 more for 11more GB. The colours aren't that nice either. (*whew: otherwise I'd be killing myself over it since I've just gotten an iPod)
But, check
this out! I'm definitely getting the Tshirt!
By the way, does anyone know how to line up 2 images side by side (like the above) without resorting to tables (which leaves an ugly space in between the text and the table)?
2004: whatever!
2004 doesn't feel any different at all. There is no spring in my footsteps as I dragged them to work everyday and there is no special feeling in the air on the way there. What I am dreading though is the Chinese New Year (end-Jan). It's the same questions every year: 1. What are you doing now? (nothing) and 2. When are you getting married (never, leave me alone, damnit) amidst fake smiles everywhere. Though, I have to admit, the food is going to be great, with all the pastries and stuff, and the extra money will definitely come in very very useful indeed (*rubbing my hands with glee*).
In place of the traditional New Year Resolution (*yawn* boring), check out this
List of 100 things to (actually) do in 2004 (thanks,
randy)
Some of my favourites:
#2: Revise enemies list. Consider making up with any foes you have failed to vanquish thus far.
#5: Make new year's resolutions for 2005. Experience the profound satisfaction of delayed self-restraint.
#77: Say, "Hey! Whatever happened to Tatu?"
#100: Be wise but not too world, tolerant but not naive, generous but not gullible, careful but not cautious.
and my personal favourite: #33: Load your entire CD collection onto your new iPod, then lose it. (Yes!!*wink*)
