Unbalanced Vision

Mum just sent me some pics of her high school reunion. She is a very cute lady.

The role of the First Lady-in-waiting might be just as important as Bush and Kerry in their race to the White House. My first impression of Mrs Kerry's comment was that an apology somehow cannot hide her condescending view of homemakers. It's quite different when one is available at home baking cookies whilst the other is at UN saving the world. Of course cases vary, some find great satisfaction in spending more time with their children, some are forced into the role of being a mum and a housewife. Or Mrs Kerry simply has nothing against domestic values, it's the pressure of election and publicity that makes her aware of the urgency to compare and attack. If the problem lies in the two ladies having to stand in the limelight, it's not what you do but what you say that matters. Instead of taking it as a personal snub, I'd like to hear a smart response any day.

Have been printing on-line periodicals like fury today, and now eye vision is blurry, and screens all appear grainy to me (not too dissimilar from porn videos secretly taken in seedy motels). I also realised that after three years of research I most likely will destroy an entire forest, not to mention bags full of empty ink cartridge refills. Researchers are no good for the environment--they spent years relearning what people have done in the past before they can contribute a teeny-weeny bit to their field without duplicating works, by using tons of paper of course. Anyways, there are still some journals that aren't accessible on-line, grrr... I must hunt them down, would you help me?
1) Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory
2) Renaissance and Reformation
3) Parergon: Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies
4) Genre: Forms of Discourse and Culture
5) Ben Jonson Journal: Literary Contexts in the Age of Elizabeth, James and Charles

My Japanese flatmate flew to Boston for a couple of job interviews, whilst I sit here in this land of baseball illiterates dwelling in the bliss of Red Sox's prolonged success. This means I also have to put up with people like HY who have a problem with the term, 'World Series'. What's even worse: imagine my chagrin when I found out Channel 5 is actually showing the World Series--my bloody TV doesn't have Channel 5! Perhaps I will sneak into T's room during midnight to watch the games.

Any thoughts on today's OC? Normally I don't, cos watching the show is like drinking a glass of water. But what joy when I discovered disgusting socialite Paris Hilton as intellectual graduate student in this episode. Her role is unconvincing, yet very funny--perhaps she functions as a comic relief. I mean Hilton exhibiting an astounding knowledge of 'Thomas Pynchon' and 'Realism'... come on.

On a normal, quiet day in the shop as I was sitting behind the computer, a stout young fellow placed a 4-pound book on the counter. It didn't take him long to pick a book from the shelves outside, for he simply walked in front of the bookshop and swiftly came in. Then, he took out a 50-pound note expecting for some change. Unfortunately there wasn't much left in our petty cash box, so he suggested for me to hold the book while he go and get some cash. Well, that was the last I saw of him since. Thinking about it, he might have been trying to get rid of the fake money for some real cash. I might be wrong though. After hearing these theft stories that happened in the shop, it's hard not to be suspicious.

By way of Weekend, Look Into My Eyes, October 9

I was very fascinated by these full page size pictures of our cute ape friends--they look as if they each have different personalities. And this week's reader's response is very funny as well.
'The day I open a Weekend produced by apes with a feature on humans will be the day that I concede we're close'. Ross Allatt
'Recognise something? Clearly my one-year-old son does--he was so fascinated by the portraits of the apes that I have laminated the pages so that he can put them on his bedroom wall. He insists on kissing their faces and keeps on trying to talk to them'. Sarah Fairham
(I was thinking about sticking them on my bedroom wall too.)

Spinning and Iconography

The joy of sharing a flat with cool, mildly good-looking undergrads: no need to go clubbing, they bring the music home to you. (Plus drinks too.)

HY's little cousin F invited me to a screening of Saw on a spooky Friday night. Now how did I ever agree to that? Realising all was too late, I made an effort to get tipsy before the ordeal takes place so that I could see everything in a funny manner. After a chunk of pasta I was disappointingly back to my senses. This movie is basically about two strangers discovering themselves chained in the same room, with a head-smashed dead corpse lying in the centre. They gradually find out their relationship to each other, their reason for ending up in this shithole, with this psychopath playing various mental games on them, until one loses his sanity by sawing off his foot, well done. My description may not be accurate, for roughly speaking I only watched 20%, the rest I was hidden under my big coat; it was no less different from listening to a radio show. Who would expect a person that appears to like Disney productions would have a penchant for thrillers?

Am very delighted to find these Chinese leaves lying on the shelves of Sainsbury's, as a BBC celebrity chef grieved about their absence in Western supermarkets. However, I do recall seeing (on telly) a field of pak choi growing healthily somewhere in the Midlands. I highly recommend you to cook them in your own kitchen, for this evening with my vague memory I followed the instructions--sesame oil, chilly pepper and garlic pre-fry--of that chef, and its succulent taste makes one's stomach very happy. I am born on the same date as the three-star Michelin chef, Gordon Ramsay, you know.

Last Friday was B's leaving do at The Salisbury in Covent Garden. This pub used to be a Victorian gin palace, and with its well preserved splendour, as B says, makes you think you've walked into Hogarth's painting. Us the shop assistants normally work on different days, and therefore you only have a tiny knowledge of the others from the day book we jot down notes, so it was especially nice to finally meet everyone. The burning issue of the evening was about banning fox hunting, discussed for hours between D and S. Though it has caused a great furore, the life and death of a fox is honestly something I couldn't care less about. I would be against killing humankind on any occasion, but unless I've spend a decent amount of time with a certain beast, ie knowing Mr Fox's name, having a nice chat with Mr Fox, or understanding its talents and hobbies, then I could perhaps have heartfelt feelings for the animal. Otherwise I remain neutral on this subject.