First day of the holidays

A couple of nights ago, I was stoning in front of the telly since it was the first day of the holidays and also, rain had interrupted the French Open. It was just as well, I suppose, because the last match telecast - and interrupted - was yet another boring Federer match.

So, I was channel surfing and chanced upon Rondo and I Have a Date With a Vampire III.

Vampire III

I watched quite a bit of Vampire I and vaguely heard about a II but, wow, how did they manage to think up another storyline for III??! Vampire I was so complicated and my brain was really tired following all the switching from past to present to future, living human lives and then reverting to vampires, vampire catchers and other immortal beings (I assume they are immortal because some of these guys have lived for 800 or 1000 years or something) and those mega fights in the skies of Hong Kong. Obviously, the show has quite a following and it must be one of ATV's huge successes.

Won't be catching this series.

Rondo

Japanese police-drama-cum-romance with a bunch of Korean actors. Choi Ji-woo should not be given cute roles. She's too old and tall to be cute. Apparently, she turns out to be some sinister character later in the show, and I wonder if she will play that role better. Yutaka Takenouchi is cool and brooding, though no one broods like Tony Leung... hee hee...

Maybe I'll watch this.

Ok, will probably be back on the blog sometime in the middle of the month or thereabouts. Hope you all find excellent bargains at the GSS.

Road rants

Vehicles that irritate the streering wheel off my car
In all my driving experience, I've only driven old and/or 'average'-sized cars. I've often wondered what it is about driving a luxury car, taxi or huge vehicle that causes some drivers to behave like they own the road.

The other day, due to my momentary indecision on seeing the light change to amber, I slowed down less gradually than I should have. I must stress that I did not stop abruptly, my car did not screech to a halt, I didn't have to slam my brakes, etc. I wasn't going that fast, I just slowed down not so gradually. To my horror, I saw in my mirror the luxury car behind me still going at full speed. The driver had to put some of his special driving skills into use to avoid ramming into the back of my car. He definitely did not look too happy with me and I certainly was not too happy with him. I admit that I should have started slowing down earlier but the thing is I had started slowing down already and he would have seen my brake lights and the amber light and should have started slowing down himself. Even if I had made it past the amber light, I doubt he would have. But I guess he just wanted me out of the way so that he wouldn't have to wait for the next change of lights.

What do you do when you have stopped and the car behind you is still going fast? Do you beat the red light to avoid being hit? After all, you wouldn't know for sure what that driver is going to do. What if the traffic from the other side is already moving and you can't move forward?

I will not go on further about such vehicles and their drivers. I would not be able to stop.

'Official' vehicles that own the road
Strangely, I twice saw an LTA car driving - rather slowly - on the lane marking between lanes, i.e. half the car was on one lane and the other half on the next lane. Then, the car sped off to another lane without indicating it was changing lanes. I wonder if it was the same driver or if LTA officers' driving habits are suspect.

On another ocassion, I was going on a slip road, the type with two lanes merging into one. I noticed an ambulance coming and slowed down to let it pass. Boy, was I mad when the ambulance driver blared his horn at me. On hindsight, however, I guess I should be more forgiving towards ambulance drivers because they drive under high stress and probably they encounter many vehicles that do not give way to them.

Drink driving
I read this New Paper article in which the writer's view was that the problem with drink driving was not drink driving per se but people's drinking habits. She said she knew many people who habitually drank till they were drunk.

I suppose these people should then change their driving habits, i.e., they shouldn't drive to the place where they are going to drink so that they wouldn't have to drive after drinking. For everyone's good, this is a decision that can be made with a clear mind way before even the first sip of alcohol.

Anyway, the fact that people do drink and drive just shows that some drivers have a mistaken sense of invincibility. I'd say the same for drivers who use their mobiles while driving and drivers and motorcyclists who smoke while driving/riding. They won't be the ones who get involved in accidents. They won't be the ones who hit pedestrians or other vehicles.

Motorcyclists and cyclists
I think many motorcyclists are reckless and I don't know why they want to risk their lives unnecessarily when they can choose to ride safely. Maybe they are also afflicted with the mistaken sense of invincibility.

However, I am even more amazed at drivers of other vehicles who drive as though motorcyclists and cyclists don't exist. I'm sure all drivers have been annoyed, at one time or another, by a slow motorcyclist hogging the lane or driving right on the lane marking and blocking our way but it's no reason to endanger the life of that motorcyclist.

Needless to say, cyclists using the road are in an even worse position and are in danger of being knocked down at any time. Surprisingly, many don't bother to use helmets or fix lights on their bikes. I suppose they also have that sense of invincibility.

Off the road
Finally, let me get onto the pavement. I am appalled that they want to try out having pedestrians and cyclists share the pavement in Tampines. Obviously, the person who came up with the idea doesn't walk on pavements very much. As I am on the pavement on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day, I think I can speak for at least some pavement users. Pavements are meant for pedestrians but cyclists think they are the kings and queens of the pavements and often speed on the pavements and ring their bells like there is no tomorrow to get you out of their way. I have seen both locals and foreign nationals ride in this manner and I think it's just inconsiderate and dangerous. I don't have a real solution for cyclists (the only solution I can think of is to have cycle lanes but I doubt that's going to happen). However, I'm just a ranting non-tai-tai. The persons in charge should come up with something more feasible.

You are more important than the grade on your paper

I read that line some years ago and wondered how many young people actually believed that. Today, during the season of poring over our children's mid-year marks, I still wonder about it.

I must admit that it's often hard for me as a parent to think less about grades than I do. We try very hard to keep our 'worries' about grades to ourselves (and our friends) and don't make a big deal about them with the boy. I'm sure we all know in our heart of hearts that each child has his/her own strengths and weaknesses and should therefore be allowed to develop accordingly and that what's more important is his/her overall well-being. However, unfortunately for many Singaporean children (and no doubt children elsewhere in the world too), we are such a grade-obsessed society. The boy has at least 2 friends who get caned for not scoring this or that mark. So sad, huh?

In today's 'Which Primary School' supplement, there is this parent who figures she and her husband are among a minority of parents who see 'playtime' as more important than 'academic excellence' in their choice of school. She says, 'When I tell people how happy my children are in school, the usual response is "But how is the school's standard?"' So hard to escape from grades.

I guess the boy should be grateful his parents are also in this minority who chose a nearby school over the further-away-premier school, which he could have gotten into. Even now, when he is already in P3, people still ask, 'Why didn't you send him to X School?'

(By the way, X-tongfang, you are also in this minority, aren't you? Ha ha, so 'many' of us in this minority.)

On hindsight, we have no regrets because he often lacks the self-motivation and self-discipline (ahem, some friends will recognise those... er... traits) that I think are necessary to survive well in a premier school. On the whole, his teachers have been encouraging though annoyed by his inattention and lack of interest. He really is progressing 'at his own pace', which I'm not sure we would have been able to allow him to if he were in a premier school. His friends are from a whole range of socio-economic backgrounds, ethnic groups and nationalities. In other words, there have been more plusses than anything. As his pre-nursery teacher (whom we met just the other day) affirmed, what's important is that he's happy.

So, while I do still hope he will eventually do well enough to go to an above-average secondary school (a mother can hope, can't she? :-)), it's good to know that, for the next 3 1/2 years, we can continue waking up at a decent hour each morning!

When the best man doesn't win

Speaking of 'sway' spurned lovers, the latest one I've come across is in Love Revolution (only 12 episodes!), a J show I recently watched.

Heroine of the story is pretty, 30-ish Smart Doctor, who is dying to fall in love and get married.

She meets Aspiring Actor

and Broadcast Journalist (right). She falls for Broadcast Journalist like a ton of bricks. It's obvious from the start (to the audience but not to her) that Aspiring Actor is nuts about her. But... she has fallen for Broadcast Journalist like a ton of bricks already. No doubt, Smart Doctor and Broadcast Journalist must be given credit for their love that stands the tests of time, separation and misunderstanding, but the one who loves most in the show is undoubtedly Mr Aspiring Actor.

What he does/does not do because of his undying love for Smart Doctor:

Ydoes not pursue her at first because he is still struggling to survive in this small-time drama group and he knows he doesn't have much to offer

Yrespects her falling like a ton of bricks for Broadcast Journalist by not engaging in a tug-of-war over her

Yin fact, drags the two of them together to talk things over when Broadcast Journalist suddenly breaks off their engagement

Yonly starts to harbour hopes of pursuing her when he has made it as an actor (he has become Accomplished Actor!) and Broadcast Journalist appears to have left the country and her life for good (or so everyone thinks)

Ydoes not push it when he can see that she hasn't forgotten Broadcast Journalist

(Alas, Broadcast Journalist returns...)

Yfinally proposes to her when Broadcast Journalist leaves again (or so everyone thinks again)

(Alas, Smart Doctor has place in her heart for only one... and Broadcast Journalist returns again...)

I've read a few reviews and people tend to 'support' Broadcast Journalist but I support underdogs, especially if they are deserving. Alas, even though he loved her most, Aspiring Actor was just not the 'best' man for her. It was ironic that the line 'Go on, fall in love!' was his. Smart Doctor and her friend were struck by this line when they watched him in a play, the first time they met him. Aspiring Actor was the only unattached person at the end of the show. Even the minor characters were all with someone. Thus, while everyone was happily married, he was still Actor Alone, which is testimony, I suppose, to his undying love for Smart Doctor. So poor thing...

I know the pix aren't that great. The actors, especially Broadcast Journalist, definitely looked much better in the show. If you use your magnifying glass, Aspiring Actor is 3rd from left, Smart Doctor centre and Broadcast Journalist 3rd from right in the pic above. All pix from d-addicts.com

Taking stock and passing judgement

Now that there's a lull in the K drama scene for me, let me take stock of what I've watched and pass some biased judgement on those shows.

Shows watched so far
(For most cases, the number of episodes watched roughly tallies with how much I enjoyed the show)

Watched fewer than 5 episodes

All About Eve (MBC)

Winter Sonata (KBS)

All In (SBS)

Love Story in Harvard (SBS)

More than 5, fewer than 10 episodes

Memories of Bali (SBS)

Dalja's Spring by KBS (liked this but discovered it late in its run)

Dae Jang Geum by MBC (interesting but too slow-moving and too long for me)

Watched the whole or almost the whole series
My Name is Kim Sam-soon (MBC)

My Girl (SBS)

Full House (KBS)

Goong (MBC)

Wedding (KBS)

Foxy Lady (MBC)

The links are to this Korean tourism site which gives synopses along with the filming sites, just in case anyone wants to go on a K drama tour ;-).

My biased conclusions

Best network: MBC

Most beautiful actress: Choi Ji-woo (from Winter Sonata – peerless, right? Though she and Bae Yong-jun SO do not look like high school students) Cutest actress: Yoon Eun-hye (Crown Princess in Goong) Cutest actor: Hyun Bin (from Sam Soon; please note ‘cute’ means different things for males and females, ha ha) Best actress: Kim Sun-ah (Sam Soon – natural in funny, romantic, sad, thought-provoking scenes) Best actor: Lee Dong-wook (from My Girl - could act being boring, deep, emotional and funny all in one character) Best friends: the 3 girls from Goong (supportive friends, not too nonsensical, though one is rather annoying) Best chemistry: Yoon Eun-hye and Joo Ji-hoon (Crown Prince and Princess in Goong, who do look like high school students) Could have been ‘best chemistry’ couple : Lee Da-hae and Lee Joon-ki (from My Girl, they were just friends but they really clicked on screen) Most over-rated drama: Full House (entertaining but too much to-ing and fro-ing among the characters, characterisation and plot rather shallow on the whole)

Most ‘sway’ spurned lover: So Ji-sub in Bali (really liked the girl, finally got to run off with her to Bali… BUT… the girl admits she likes the other guy WHILE they are in bed, mind you… AND THEN, they both get shot, while still in bed…)

Pictures from hancinema.net

And here's what LH has to say about it

This is kind of harping on the past, but I thought this article was interesting. In an interview, Hewitt said it was 'a shame' that Kim 'wouldn't have the opportunity to play out her final season'. Exactly what I thought too.

"Kim's so well-liked around the world and she's played well in so many tournaments around the world that it would have been nice for her to compete for the rest of the year," said he.

Oh well...

As an aside, and this has nothing directly to do with Hewitt or Kim, I wonder if Federer and Nadal are getting too stressed with their high rankings and dunno-how-many-matches winning streaks and all. Federer lost his match yesterday, playing uncharacteristically badly (this is not to say his opponent was lousy or anything) and Nadal had to go to the hospital to get his dizziness checked. I also went to the hospital because of dizziness before, and I was told the likely cause was stress...

The latest Federer-beater

(pic from his cool website)

All the best, Kim!

The time has finally come. Kim says in the latest entry (6 May) on her website, 'I'll put my rackets in their cupboard'.

Here she is in an old picture with Ai Sugiyama, once her doubles partner.

(pic from here)

In her entry, she writes about the happy memories she has of her career and, among her Grand Slam and other trophies, what else she treasures:
'The many sportsmanship awards as well, awarded by the players themselves, will keep a special place in my house. They are the nicest one can get as a player.'

Yeah, they do say she's one of the nicest players on the tour...

'Kind(er)' courts

Continuing on the theme of empathy, I'm glad to see the courts practising more of that these days. There was a report earlier in the week about more psychiatric care for 'criminals'. Long overdue but, really, better late than never. If you think about it, people who are in 'normal' situations are less likely to commit crime, so people who commit crime are likely to have had some 'abnormal' or even traumatic life experiences which contributed to their 'criminal' activity.

Incidentally, now going back to the homosexuality thing for a bit, I attended a talk many years ago where the speaker cited some stats showing that a significant number of homosexuals had traumatic experiences in their childhood (abuse, neglect, etc).

And now coming back to the courts again, the judge's decision in the recent case of the kleptomanic lady seems to me to be a more practical attempt to deal with the 'crime'. However, I read today's Sunday Times article about it and it sounds like the journalist is sceptical about the 'kindness' shown to this 'criminal'. Look at the language:
1. (On previous incidents of shoplifting) 'She got away with a warning but did not learn her lesson' and 'That brush with the law did not have much effect either... (she) embarked on shoplifting sprees as often as three to five times a week.'
2. 'But it seems Goh cannot control herself.'

Hello, she has a psychiatric condition, okay? It's not that she cannot 'learn her lesson' or whatever.

Oh well, at least the judge understands that.

Hey, how about a little empathy?

I was appalled that the following sentences in this ST forum letter were allowed to see the light of print:
'Homosexuals lead a promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyle. What else can you expect when you do not have children to live for or be in a loving and committed relationship?'

As a Singaporean, I do not like reading or hearing Singaporeans condemning other Singaporeans with broad brush strokes like that. Neither do I like reading or hearing Singaporeans condemning foreigners for what goes on in their societies (read the letter for that part). I'm not part of the pro-gay vanguard, and my views on the issue should be pretty easy to guess, but I still don't like it. Even if one were against homosexuality for whatever reason, one could at least try to regard homosexuals with some empathy, right? How about treating homosexuals as living and breathing fellow-Singaporeans and fellow-human beings?

How can we just 'condemn' all homosexuals like that? While there are homosexuals who lead promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyles, there are also many heterosexuals who lead promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyles, what. The question that follows is even more questionable because of its flawed logic that is linked the first sentence with flawed logic. According to this flawed logic, if you do not have children to live for and are not in a loving and committed relationship, you can be expected to be promiscuous and hedonistic. So, singles - heterosexual, never married, divorced, widowed - are also expected to be promiscuous and hedonstic?!

Reactions to this letter: Here, here and here, and probably here and there online too, but I haven't looked.