Exhale

A Small Moment of Self-Praise

I made Bruschetta and Vegetarian pasta! I'm so proud of myself!

Incidentally, learning how to cook properly is one of my holiday resolutions. (see previous post)

I have moved up 0.5 points up the culinary scale! I now stand at a grand 4.5/10 on Dominic's (very arbitrarily decided) cooking chart!

Dom: So what can you cook?
Me: ...Well. I can make instant noodles...with an egg and vegetables...
Dom: Alright that makes you a 1.5 I think.
Me: And erh...I have basically mastered all the 'instant' ready-made foods...Oh does instant soup count?
Dom: What??!! Minus 0.5 for even mentioning instant soup!!
Me: Hey determining the precise amount of water is a serious business! ...oh oh wait, I can make pasta and fried rice...and sushi! That's a funky dish!
Dom: What kind of sushi do you make?
Me: California makis!
Dom: Oh wow makis! That bumps you up to a 4 I think!

I have come some way since last Sunday's pizza-making affair when a rather horrified Jaesson witnessed my bungled tomato massacre; I can now safely say that I'm able to chop tomatoes very neatly! I've got a system. Hahahaha.

My dad on the otherhand has no discernable system. Shafiqah and I were discussing how our parents never follow recipes or measurements when cooking. I think that's cool - its like they are guided by the force which tells them what to throw into the frying pan. There is oneness with the Kitchen god.

...Although I suppose this comes naturally with experience, which I sorely lack. Cool culinary forces thus do not call my name yet, nor do they beckon.

Anyhoo, I shall aim to reach a 10 on the cooking scale by August! I will also attempt to cook a full meal fit for consumption by living human beings. Wish me luck. Wish you even more luck if you get a dinner invite.

posted by Jeanne @ 12:22 AM

On a sidenote, am I the only one irritated by the Straits Times' coverage of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) withdrawal from Singapore?



This has been labelled a blow to Singapore's searing 'vision' of becoming a 'world class educational hub'. Nevertheless, Singapore will 'press on' and continue to keep up its actually 'good trackrecord' of attracting foreign universities.



I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to be topnotch and 'world class' in everything - though I might (surely not unreasonably) question why and whether it justifies certain policies/sacrificies. However, it does irritate me that EDB's taking up at least 2 whole pages of my Thursday newspaper to act martyred and brave and reassuring the nation (as if we somehow need to be assured so assiduously) that yes, it will not be deterred. It will beat its chest courageously and rise above rejection and personal trauma. It will wipe away its tears and go get a make over. It will smile confidently and be a fighting spirit. It will continue to 'strive' toward its goal of being an educational 'hub' along with all the other n-hubs it aspires to make Singapore into. Huzzah!!



I don't really care about EDB honestly. I really wonder if the readership does because I don't see how its possible to feel for a faceless bureaucratic organ and its quashed dreams about becoming an "educational hub" - a term so excessively-bandied around its practically promiscuous. Not that I am anti-progress or unpatriotic or just another whiny blogger (hm debatable though), but its utterly annoying to read self-indulgent government platitudes when I just really feel for the students and the teachers of UNSW who've had such a bombshell tossed abruptly into their laps. I honestly cannot imagine the feelings of abandonment and anxiety some of them must surely be feeling. My imagination is, however, not stirred by pedantic chronological accounts of EDB's efficient and successful efforts to woo UNSW.



It's no wonder the Straits Times is suffering from falling circulation. They lack articles of human interest.



(That and some writers with really dubious fashion sense. But I will suspend my judgments on Urban and Life fashion spreads for another time.)

posted by Jeanne @ 9:00 PM

Hello again world!

As it is in the post-post hiatus world of Jeanneblogdom, my entries are becoming increasingly erratic and irregular. I take full responsibility for this. I really ought to maintain this blog a little better. After all its been with me for ages and possibly the only way by which I can leave some tangible mark on the world (wide web) even after I die. I think. Are inactive blogs obliterated from cyberspace after a certain period of time?

But anyway, exams have ended and its the holidays now!

The funny thing about holidays is that they are best enjoyed and truly appreciated only from a distance - specifically during term time or when they are over. For some odd reason, I am now reminded of what Mr Ngoei said about Objectivity during one History class many eons ago (if age is a state of mind I feel about 50 now) - perfect Objectivity can possibly never be attained but merely 'approached' or 'divined' at. Well at least that's what I recall; the lesson on Ranke is a bit hazy now. But returning to the issue of holidays, I have never really found myself able to fully live them up despite constant promises /resolutions to do so year after year during the preceding exam period. The archetypal Hollywood "summer holiday" replete with moments of self-actualization, empowerment, fun, sun, road trips and an inspiring OST has never been realized, only, yes - 'divined at' from a distance!

I remember sitting for my last History paper exactly 23 days ago. It was the Minorities in Southeast Asia paper, held at 9am in Eusoff Hall. Immediately after the paper, I experienced exactly 3 hours of post-exam ecstasy and the beginnings of what a teacher once memorably coined 'flagrant jubilation'. After 3 hours, the excitement sort of petered out and I became bored senseless. This was partly because I went online to check the prices for Phantom of the Opera tickets. My mood rapidly went downhill after I consulted Sistic.

But in any case I have experienced more bouts of boredom and restlessness these past few weeks. It always makes me wish I were back in school being productive! Creepy really to think I'll crawl back to school when term starts, grateful.

Haha I'm not whining, but its just a curious observation about how the reality of my holidays diverge from my (not so) carefully made plans about how to spend them. Some summer resolutions which I made during term time included:

1. Getting my driving license: Too lazy to go down to the driving centre to register. Starting to think that I may prefer being driven around (haha). The next basic theory exam is in July - July!

2. Going on a holiday with Friends: I'm still here so obviously it never happened. Gwen, Pea - we set our eyes on PARIS ...in the near, unforseeable future.

3. Shopping: Well actually this happened. Is happening. But is completely unsustainable given my income. Which is naught, hence. My latest resolution has been to cut down on the shopping which is working somewhat but it involves me staying at home for days on end and not frequenting any retail outlet which is next to impossible. I shall die of boredom and worsen my myopia if I indulge in too much Sims2 (the only viable alternative to shopping).

4. Exercising: My one pair of sports shoes continue to fester in the shoe cabinet. The great outdoors does not look anymore inviting than it was many years ago when I declared a boycott of all strenuous physical activity. I continue to indulge in late night suppers.

5. Being more literary: This is somewhat in progress though I have mostly been re-reading books I already have. Dom's lent me his copy of The Sandman and I'm hooked! Do comics count as literature? They ought to!

Anyway, I just bought Dragon Lady by Sterling Seagrave which is, according to the author, an 'inquest into the hoodwinking of history' regarding the late Empress Dowager Cixi (sounds spiffy ey? haha.) I'm on chapter 3 and so far its proving a promising and informative read although I suppose the next 500 pages or so may prove me drastically wrong. On a sidenote, I do agree that current portrayals of Cixi are unduely harsh and probably intermingled with salacious, spiteful rumours. So- good on you Mr Seagrave! Revisionism is not a dirty word! History must be righted even if erh, objectivity can only be divined at from a distance and yea.

I'm looking to buy the biography of Oscar Wilde by Richard Ellman next!

6. Registering as a volunteer docent at the Asian Civilizations Museum: Ok Dominic claims that 'docent' sounds like a Japanese greeting. For the record a docent is "one who conducts visitors through a museum and delivers a commentary on the exhibitions." (there you go Dom!)

This is actually something I was (and still am!) quite keen on. For all who are interested, Friends of the Museum (FOM) is a volunteer organization which provides docent-training for members amongst other things. After a 5 month training program (sept - feb), you get a badge and can conduct tours in whichever NHB museum it was you trained at. Cool, no? So I eagerly went down to the FOM docent recruitment drive on Tuesday at the ACM.

To my slight horror, I realized I was possibly half the age of everyone else there. Unlike most of the other people in the room, I was not with a child nor was I impregnated and in any sort of trimester. I was also probably one of the 3 Singaporeans in the midst of Caucasian expat wives. None of the main FOM committee were Singaporean. The one Chinese lady in the committee was American born and bred.

I am not ageist or xenophobic but my first impression was that it is regrettable how young Singaporeans (ok older ones too) were sorely missing from the recruitment drive. It is also ironic that some of the most enthusiastic preservers of our cultural heritage (well, those in museums here anyway) are non-Singaporeans.

In any case, I learnt that docent-training under the FOM requires a serious time commitment. On top of 5 months compulsory training (which includes class readings, practicals and drafting papers!), there is a 1 year expectation that docents will serve the museum by way of guiding, giving school tours etc. I'm still awaiting my schedule for the following semester to see if I can make the weekly training sessions. I may also be going on exchange next year which further complicates things! This is therefore, still pending, and thus. Not happening right now!

So there's a list of things I would like to do but haven't exactly gotten around to doing yet. Go figure!!

On the other hand, despite the semi-realized list of TTD, I haven't been completely idle either! Right, I was planning to actually blog about what exactly it is I have been doing with my life this holidays which is I think, fairly substantial given my past track record (mooching around, lounging, stretching, gawping etc)! However, dinner and the TV beckon so this shall be another blog entry which will appear. Soon. I totally promise.

Bye world!

posted by Jeanne @ 6:41 PM