Unbalanced Vision

Little E and S are now playing Dynasty Warriors 4 on PS2--it's fun to spot familiar names, like Cao Cao (曹操), Zhou Yu (周瑜) and Guan Yu (關羽), etc. on the screen. A while ago the warriors were riding on elephants, next they will combat in the crucial Battle of Chi Bi (赤璧之戰)! If they lose, history will change, and maybe I won't even exist!! A dangerous video game that affects reality--good movie material, eh?

You are William Shakespeare! The bard himself is
known for his brilliant dramas and comedies,
although his true identity remains a matter of
contention. Shakespeare is a master of evoking
timeless mysteries and is seen as the epitome
of elizabethan style (at least by modern
audiences).


Which famous poet are you? (pictures and many outcomes)
brought to you by Quizilla

Darling, it seems that you belong in Gone with the
Wind; the proper place for a romantic. You
belong in a tumultous world of changes and
opportunities, where your independence paves
the road for your survival. It is trying being
both a cynic and a dreamer, no?


Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?
brought to you by Quizilla
by way of Cup of Chicha

I've been up since eight just to watch them tally up the election results; it's like how the TorrentBits downloading speed can keep my eyeballs riveted to the screen. (very sad, I know) Apparently, we will be seeing a lot of Mr Greasy Hair and Ms Toad Face for another four years; blah, but acceptable. Whilst the rest of the world is arguing about gay marriages and capital punishment, we have to deal with a big brother constantly watching over our shoulders, urging us to come home. Mum is always quite rational, saying that there's no need to be sad, it's not the end of the world, and the general consensus of the country is that people are recognising themselves as independent Taiwanese. Also noticed from my MSN messenger contacts that all my best mates support NO.2, and the slightly narrow-minded ones voted for NO.1, hehe. It is reported that the invalid ballot amounts to 330,000--TWN is going crazy now, bring on chaos!!

Here is a very cute diary of the sun by Mr Adrian Hardwicke, the front of house manager at Tate Modern. Marking the end of the Weather Project, the sun is lit up until 1am this weekend. I've been to the Turbine Hall quite a few times, but I remembered the scene can be delightfully striking for a first time vistor. It is pure enchantment to see a giant yellow neon light hanging high above, with the theatrical effects of the mystic haze. Yet, it is people's reactions to the sun that makes the piece most interesting. This Tuesday while there with Dad, we saw a circle of people hand in hand maybe doing a sun dance of some sort. So, there is nothing new under the sun? Here are some favourite snippets from the diary:
1) 'If the person being photographed stands in the right place with their arms aloft, it looks as if they are holding up the sun. That's my favourite shot'.
2) 'On Friday night I was surprised to see a couple picnicking. They weren't just having a sandwich but had brought in all the essential ingredients--including a rug, a large picnic hamper, champagne and what looked like a wonderful home-baked pie. I was very tempted to ask if I could join them'.
3) 'The strangest moment yet--a visitor brought in his blow-up canoe and sat there surrounded by strangers pretending to paddle towards the sun. He seemed quite an ordinary man, middle-aged and reasonably well dressed. He packed up and moved on after 15 minutes'.

I first found out about the news on yahoo.com.tw and thought it was some new Hollywood movie production. Er, no, our president is shot in his hometown a day before the election, but still alive and well. Me and D were discussing who would do such a stupid thing that might help to increase his votes!?
1) Assassinator sent by Communist China.
2) DPP's own plot.
3) Wacko supporter of Chen.
4) Taiwanese mafias who bet on Chen to win.
Hum... a very bizarre incident indeed.

An eventful fortnight indeed. First, Mum's friend C and her coworker D came over from the US for seven days. We went to plays, dined out, visited Dr Johnson's house + his cat Hodge (dead as a statue of course). Finally, the holiday ended with a glass of tomato juice and vegetarian at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Then right after the day C left, Dad flew over from TWN for the annual London Bookfair. Again we went to concerts, took advantage of his free hotel breakfast, had Persian food and fish, went to some bookstores, the BL and Tate. Now I feel quite spoiled.

Ready Made via Mocoloco
HY showed me this bookshelf--ain't this cool, now we can all be pseudo intellectuals.

As my mum often tells me, 'You are what you eat', so might be the case with the knowledge we feed on? I happen to know the inside story of some guy who claims to be the ultimate expert on this story about 'the danger of human greed', but in truth he is a greedy, money-thirsty pig himself.

Instead of taking the bus home after dinner with Dad, I decided to do a trek along Charing X and Tottenham Court Road to digest my food. This is a nice route because you don't have to make any turns. On the way, a drunkard asked me for one thousand pounds. He said, 'Spare me £1000, please'. This was rather funny cos normally they would just say, 'Spare some change, please', but this dude had the guts to ask for more. After giving him an indifferent look, he murmured, 'Reject, reject, reject...' Speaking of rejections, I've been getting quite a few of those lately. The letters don't look very pretty I must say, but I have gradually mastered the art of seeing the situation as a door open to different opportunities. I'm also glad that Dad was over to provide some suggestions.

On Thursday HY turned 27. S and I baked a chocolate cake topped with chocolates that looked like dinosaur eggs, and I gave him a desk fan as a birthday present. For dinner we went to a small Japanese restaurant which served large but extremely salty dishes, and the door wouldn't shut properly so the cold breeze kept blowing in. Later on we met up F and C at Thirst for a couple of drinks. HY extended the celebration of the coming of his dotage at 101 the next day. Some friends sat at the bar eating yummy, fatty snacks and each had their own bottle of wine. (With the sports channel on they would look like Americans) Another lot enjoyed themselves at a table drinking and chatting. I nicked some food off their plates, and decided that I, too, should have my own bottle of red wine. The wish was granted but later proved to be a mistake, for I could only down half the amount of liquid. On the other hand, merry HY drank quite a lot but still managed to stand on both feet... by that I mean dancing around going stark loony crazy, which I might add, is something very pleasurable to watch. All was well, except the fact that I had to wake up at 7:30 the next day to meet my dad.

The presidential election on 20 March, according to my bro, is a battle between bad guys and stupid guys--it's about choosing the lesser of two evils. Though currently far away in another country, I can see that there's a fair share of sentimental actions at work here: candidates crying, kneeling and kissing the native soil, and wives joining their husbands' dramatic display of emotions to prove their genuine love for the little island. Such is the political atmosphere in TWN, and though it may appear absurd to foreigners, the gestures seem more than natural. Well, throw away your dignity for as long as you like, for I've basically made up my mind on who to support. The decision, in truth, is a rather dependant and irrational one. Through family members and family friends, I've heard quite a lot about our arrogant and narrow-minded leaders. Moreover, I'm also quite disgusted by his words: our election is a 'holy war' against communist China. Excuse me, you imprudent fellow, do you know what a 'holy war' is? Vote No.2.

This afternoon when just approaching Waterloo station on our wheels, a bunch of dark suit office workers were crossing the street, and one gentleman who wasn't paying much attention accidentally stepped in front of HY's bike, making both parties pause for a moment or so. It wasn't an accident per se, but the man almost tripped over. It seems the person on wheels is most likely the one to blame. Along came another cyclist, riding up the hill in his tight, sexy cycle pants and said, 'Don't worry mate, pedestrians are prats'.

Channel 4 has a pseudo training programme, The Carrot or the Stick?, in which two teams are each trained by using the method of encouragement or punishment. They compete in military games to test which method is more effective. Personally find the New Age instructing style rather lame. Anyways, I understand it's the show's concern that we follow every aspect of their camp lives, but that means EVERYTHING, including full view of men washing their privates... major gross! If you're going to make a fuss over a nipple exposed on TV, just paddle across the pond and look at some British willies. Was channel surfing the other day, and found this reality show hosting two of the world's most annoying spoilt brats, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I would like to express my greatest sympathy to the decent, hard-working family who has to let them stay at their house. In last week's episode the two temp at a local gas station. They show their inability to do anything but flirt with country bumpkins young and old. They go on dates with some mildly good-looking lads, tell each other that 'you are special' (my arse), then at night Paris and Nicole head off to the pub trying to do every visible male. Highlight: Nicole finds out that her purse is lost, starts bitching around and actually pours a bottle of bleach on the pool table. The irony is, why is there such amusement in watching two spoilt brats?