A really funny sight

Last evening, I saw a really funny sight.

A caucasian woman wearing a cocktail dress was riding a bicycle! That's right, a bicycle. In a fairly short black dress that did not at all go well with the mode of transportation she was using. And it looked even funnier when she frantically waved to the traffic so that she could cross the street.

You get to see a lot of strange things in Singapore. Wish she could have slowed down a little bit so that I could have taken a picture of her to post here. Unfortunately, I was on the phone that time and could not.

Too bad...it would have been a laugh.

PR - Part II

As I had blogged earlier (here and here), I had applied for Permanent Resident status in Singapore, which was accepted (in record time, I might add). I am glad to report(?) that I finished all my formalities, passed my AIDS test (got 55 as Chris Rock would say), my chest X-Ray reported no Tuberculosis and paid all my fees. And got my passport stamped as Permanent Resident of Singapore.

Now I am free to roam the country without fear of my employer throwing me out and me needing to leave the country (I still fear my employer throwing me out because of the tiny detail of a salary hitting my bank account every month, something that I have become quite attached to).

So what does that mean? It means other than voting priveleges and a few caveats in the case of buying HDB houses, for all practical purposes, I enjoy every bit of the benefits that Singaporean citizens get to enjoy. It also dissociates me from the Employment Pass that I was working on up until now, which means that I am no longer tied to my employer for being in Singapore and that I do not have to leave the country in case I chose to or am asked to leave the company. I am not looing to do either, but you never know what happens in today's world.

The big benefit is CPF, which makes the company contribute towards my retirement. So it is forced savings in effect, something that is good for someone like me who is not too much into savings. I know I have to, but haven't exactly got around to doing a lot of it.

I haven't got my local ID card yet, but all the formalities are done and I should get the card in a few days.

So PR it is. Now I need to get to know the system a little more and see how I can make it work to my advantage.

Two down, one to go...

After all the buzz about three really big movies release in a short space of a couple of weeks, Spiderman, Pirates III (At Worlds End) and Shrek the Third have been on my list to watch for a while.

We watched Spiderman last week (yawn!) and watched Pirates last evening (yawn again). All three happened to be third installments of highly succesful franchises. And the two that I managed to watch were a complete success in that they made me feel utterly bored even before the movie had reached half time. In case of Spiderman, it was made a lot worse with even my daughter saying that she was getting bored. After you have seen two spiderman movies, the visual effects dont dazzle you any more. Sure, the Sandman looks cool while floating through the air, but then, it's not fabulous. And this from a movie that shot all existing box office records to pieces. Yawn is all that I could do.

The came Pirates of the Caribbean III: At Worlds End. It should have been When Patience Ends. The story goes all over the place with no definate end in sight. A few fights here, a few scraps there and a few more visual effects. It even has Will Turner absurdly proposing and marrying Elizabeth Swann on the deck of the Black Pearl, get this, in the middle of a fight. That to me was the end of imagination for the script. In all, it was a pale shadow of the second part...which itself was a pale shadow of the first part, which to me is the best of the lot. I think Pirates III has managed to become the worst movie I have ever watched. This one was beyond yawning.

Now my hopes are pegged on the ogre from Dreamworks. Of all three franchises that I mentioned, Shrek has been the only one to come out with a second installment which was as much, if not more, fun as the first installment. While Spiderman and Pirates both floundered with their seconds, Shrek 2 was hilarious and a great move. I am hoping for some of the same magic again this time. And there is all possibility that the people at Dreamworks will make it happen.

Fingers crossed.

I still can't sleep

Cumulatively, I think I have had only three night's worth of sleep the whole of last week. I just can't switch off at night.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Cause I should be well out of my supposed jet lag (it's been more than a week since I got back from London). But come 11pm and I am as fresh as if I just woke up. So I stay up either browsing or reading or freaking out on the Wii.

I have to say this, the Wii is definately a great purchase for me. The sheer joy of playing on the Wii, with it's motion sensitive system, is something that can only be experienced, not described. Cause words fail me.

The choice of software by and large is the Wii Sport package which combines Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing as possible game options. And with the additional set of controller and nunchuk that I've bought, two people can play at the same time. The Wii, of course, supports upto four wireless controllers and all the games on the Wii Sports distribution have options that allow up to four people to play together. When playing tennis against my wife, I was pleasantly surprised to see the screen split into two parts so she can see from her point of view and I can see from mine. And it always helps to have a 42" HD TV to see it on!

Tennis and Bowling are the predominant favourites at home, Bowling mainly with my daughter, Tennis for me. In fact, I have become the highest ranked tennis player on the Wii system with upwards of 2000 points!

So I think it is safe to say that Wii have become a Wii family :-)

You come here for garbage, I give you garbage

How are some days boring and some days great
Is it random or is it what they call fate
Life can get really frustrating at this rate
Keeping us on our toes and making us wait

A lot of times, I toss and turn all night
A peaceful sleep is completely out of sight
I know this behaviour of mine is just not right
But there's always the hope that it'll be alright

Too many things happening at the same time
Nothing worthwhile happening, not even worth a dime
Starting a new day feels almost like a crime
I went for an apple and life sold me a lime

So far away from all the people I know
Life has become just, oh so slow
There is no rhythm and there is no flow
Sometimes it feels like my brain is going to blow

Then a picture here, a fragrance there
Reminds me that there's good somewhere
Someone is doing what they like with flair
And I can do much more that gape and stare

"So pick yourself up", I tell myself
I'm the only person who can give me help
Dust off the dirt and get my life off the shelf
There's more to life that waiting for something else

So on to a new day, leaving the disaster behind
Praying to life, oh please be kind
But firmly keeping it in the back of my mind
That life will come kicking my big fat behind

On that cheerful note I say
Let life take me all the way
Trying to be cheerful is how I will stay
No matter which way life makes me sway.

Very apt song for my condition...

This one's from the Shrek 2 soundtrack. It's performed by The Eels and is very aptly named "I need some sleep". Here's how it goes:

I need some sleep
You can't go on like this
I try counting sheep
But there's one I always miss

Everyone says I'm getting down to low
Everyone says, "You just gotta let it go"
You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go

I need some sleep
Time to put the old horse down
I'm in too deep
And the wheels keep spinning round

Everyone says I'm getting down to low
Everyone says, "You just gotta let it go"
You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go

You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go

You just gotta let it go

How apropos!

Alonso behaved like an arrogant a$$

Did you catch the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend? We always knew that Fernando Alonso wanted to win the home GP real bad, especially after being level on points with his rookie team-mate after three races. And he did start the race aggressively.

The start saw Alonso tucking into Massa's slipstream to gain a lot of momentum down the straight and go around the outside to overtake Massa. Had he given Massa enough space to drive, it would have been a great racing move and a lovely overtake. Instead Alonso, despite being on the outside for the overtaking manouver, almost had his wheels on the inside curb when he was level with Massa at the corner. Massa, from my point of view, had no place to go.

So the cars touched and Alonso spent a couple of seconds in the gravel thereby missing a couple of places to rejoion 4th. Kimi would later drop off (they say mechanical failure, but I think he's a retard and extremely over-rated. He's the single biggest reason I don't call myself a Tifosi anymore) and Alonso would come home in third place, behind his rookie team-mate Hamilton, who now incidentally leads the Championship in terms of points. He is the first rookie since Bruce McLaren (the founder of the team for which Lewis now drives for). Super cool!

But coming back to Alonso...He blamed Massa for being too aggressive in the first corner and for the contact that sent him through the gravel track. And this is where I have a problem with Alonso. He might be a two time World Champion, but he still complains like a sissy.

It's never his fault. It's either his team screwing him up or his setup was not right or someone else hosed him. It's never him. But this time, it was clearly him. HE was the one being too aggressive on the first corner, HE was responsible for the contact, HE paid the price for the move, HE deserved it. HE is just a sore loser.

So Massa has back to back victories. His season so far is: a mechanical failure making him start at the end of the grid, a mistake trying to overtake Hamilton which screwed up his race and two victories. I think he is a better candidate this season for the championship, definately a better prospect than the Retard. Ferrari would have done better signing someone like Webber than they have with Kimi. He's just a LooHooZuHer with a capital L.

But Alonso sucked in the last race. But at least there was some entertainment in the race thanks to the start.

Sleepless in Singapore

I just can't sleep!

When I landed back from London on Friday, I thought I was having trouble sleeping because of the timezone difference. Cause I slept like a log on Saturday night. But that was not the case.

Monday night, I could not sleep at all. I went to bed, fell asleep and then woke up at 1am (bio call) and then could not sleep at all. I was awake the whole night waiting for daylight so that I could get to work. Most of the time was spent on the Net and getting to know our new-found Wii (it does make you go Wheeeeee!).

Because I hadn't slept the whole of the previous night, I slept quite well on Tuesday night. And I thought the problem was gone. But no, it wasn't to be.

I was awake the whole of last night, again doing some browsing, checking up on e-mail and playing Prince of Persia - Rival Swords on the Wii. It is a fascinating game, one that I have played on my pathetic phosphorous screen 80186 based PC (with 640KB RAM, can you believe it? And a 10MB harddisk, running MS DOS 6.22). It was a fun game then and it is a fun game even now, just the controls have gotten a lot more complicated (still fun with the Wii cause you tend to actually fight the swords with arm actions rather than just finger movements). And the graphics have changed quite a bit. All I could see in the old days was a gray scale represented in a yucky shade of yellow. Now I get great representation on a 480p display. It may not be "true HD", but definately good enough for me...mainly because it is fun to play on the Wii.

But coming back to the point. I can't sleep. I don't know what it is, but I cannot just do it.

Hoping to get some sleep tonight. If I can't, I'm pretty sure I will look like a complete zombie tomorrow.

PR

My application for becoming Permanent Resident of Singapore has been accepted. It is less than a month since I applied, and while their standard procedure takes up to 3 months, I'm already approved in a month.

So now I have to undergo a medical test and show up at the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) office to get my passport stamped confirming me as PR for Singapore.

Another small step for me in Singapore, a giant leap for me from India.

Just lower the price and dont be a pain

I was standing outside my office building yesterday when a guy approached me and asked if he could borrow a light. Of course he could. So we started chatting. He noticed my badge and asked what I do at my company. Then I asked him what he did.

"I work with the Motion Picture Association."

"Really? What specifically on?"

"Oh, technology project mostly."

"What? Like DRM?"

With a sly grin..."Yes, mostly."

"Oh well...."

"What?"

"No, just that I've read quite a bit happening in the news about DRM and all its exponents and all those who decry it."

"You mean people like Apple?"

"Well, not just Apple. There a lot happening in the digital media universe."

"So what's your position? I'd like to hear your ideas on this."

"I think the amount of money music and movie companies are making is not helping the common man. If they keep the prices of CDs and DVDs this high, and then enforce DRM, they leave little choice for a lot of people to go for pirated stuff which is way cheaper without any loss of quality. If they make CDs and DVDs affordable, I'm sure most people will not mind paying a little bit extra to get the real thing."

"But the pirates are getting it down to 50 cents. How can the industry fight that other than DRM?"

"DRM is just another system of control. Every time there is such a system, people will find a way around the system to break it or beat it. But the cost incurred for putting the system in place is bourne by genuine buyers like me, not the pirates. They continue to break the system."

"So what do you suggest? I am interested in hearing your ideas."

"Lower the price and get out of the way! Make CDs and DVDs affordable enough for people to not want to go the other way. It's difficult for the common buyer to see that the people who created the song / movie are not getting their just rewards after seeing fat contracts for singers and huge revenues for movie companies. There will always be rouge people who will pirate no matter how cheap. For them, no cost is lower than free. But that's not the masses."

"And what of DRM?"

"Take it off. You should not stop me from moving my music from my computer to my ipods...yes I do have multiple ipods. Neither should you stop me from ripping my DVDs so that I can put them in my digital library. Get the system of control out and you will see a reduction in piracy. Having more cops on the street does not mean a safer society. Neither does having more guns in the average household. As we know it means exactly the opposite."

"Interesting idea...well, I've gotta run. It was nice talking to you."

No wonder he had to run. The MPAA has the most to lose if DRM is taken away.

So where have I been?

I know, it's been a while since my last post. But as I mentioned then, I was supposed to travel to India for my mother's surgical procedure. I'm happy to say that the surgery went as planned, that she had very little discomfort during the recovery and is now on the way to a full recovery. A session of physiotherapy everyday and she's going to be just fine. So I'm looking forward to her being able to travel so that she can come here to live with us in Singapore.

After I got back from India, I was in Singapore for a whole three days before I left for an offsite meeting to Batam, Indonesia. It was a lovely time there, meeting up with some great people who work in our partner environment, a few of them with whom I got on very well. Then the ferry back to Singapore, just in time to pick up my bags and leave for London.

I was scheduled to be in London mid last week for a business meeting. Since one of my golf buddies has moved there last year, I thought it would be a good idea to spend a couple of days playing golf with him and catching up with him at the same time. The two rounds of golf, needless to say, were a complete disaster. Like the two rounds of golf in India (91 and 96), I shot 97 and then a 90 (on a par 70 course) to shoot higher than +20 for four consecutive rounds. The 97 was an even more disasterous round as I was hitting great 300+ yard drives off the tee and then screwing the shots up after that. Both I and my golf buddy decided that if we played as terribly the day after as we did on that day, we both would hang up our clubs. And sure enough, another terrible round ensued.

So, officially, I have given up the game of golf. I realized (after quite a few years) that I have invested a fair amount of time, effort, money and mainly emotions in this game for the last five years and I came to the realization that I am not getting good returns on any of my investments. So instead of making a mistake of investing more in the hope that there is a turnaround, I am cutting my losses and giving up the game.

It will take a while for the game to get flushed out of my system. I still take practice swings whenever I see a reflective surface. Most of the quotes I know are either about golf or made by golf personalities. A lot of my book collection, including books that I reach for most of the time, are golf books. But I am sure it will pass.

So long, golf.

Coming back to the London trip...my golf buddy took me to this bar in the city where I was slapped with a strange realization. The story goes thus.

We landed up at this place quite late in the night as we had to drop everyone (his family) home and then abscond for a boy's night out. After we stepped in, we decided to check out the lounge which, for some reason, appeared to be roped out. Since the music was playing there, we decided to ignore the ropes and walk in anyways. Only after a while did the fact sink in that most (read all) men were there wearing tuxedos and the women wearing cocktail dresses...we had crashed a private party. So without making it too obvious, we slinked out to the main club.

As the floor was quite packed (and since we were feeling so thirsty for Stella), we chose to stick close to the bar. Here's where the story gets crooked.

There was this girl who was being quite boistrous and dancing quite wildly around the place where we were. When we landed at the bar, she seemed to be with someone (since he was buying all her drinks). She however did not seem shy to grind away as she danced away with her back to mine. Being the gentleman that I am (stop booing, you ingrates), I did not take too much of notice.

After a while of dancing (and quite a bit of drinking on this lady's part...she was really drunk), she started dancing even wilder than before. She caught hold of my pal and had a few swings with her. And then she pulled him closer to ask him something. I chose to ignore what was happening and was instead checking out the other pretty attractions in the bar. My pal comes back as tells me that she was asking if I was gay!!!

I was sending out a gay vibe? Naah! Not possible, right? But then, how would I know? I attributed it to too many drinks on her part and let it go. And then the double whammy hit. A guy came over to me (seeing my ManU t-shirt) and asked me if I was going to Athens for the Champions League final. I politely told him that since ManU were not in the finals, there was no point in going to Athens.

But the gay vibe statement had been underscored. With red lettering in size 72 font. I had to do something and quick to get rid of that. Otherwise it would haunt me for a while.

So I turned my attention to the lady at the bar.

She was dancing as wildly as before, only this time, she was dancing with me. So we jived for a long time with me mostly trying very hard to stop her from falling. Which I succeeded in doing except for once...when she kept stepping back and did not notice the stairs behind her.

CRASH!

I'm sure she would feel the fall the next day, but that night she was on her feet again and wanted to continue dancing. The guy she was with kept trying to get her to dance with him, but I don't think she had any intentions of dancing with him. Cause we were having a great time dancing by ourselves. So instead, the gay kept buying her drinks, all in the hope of getting her completely drunk so that she would have no clue who she was with and where she was going. And we continued to dance.

We left that bar quite late, completely drunk out of our wits, knowing that we would get to hear a mouthful from my buddy's wife once we got home, but also knowing that there was no more gay vibe being sent out.

I think people just assume that if don't mess around, you must be gay. I don't think anyone pauses to think that you might be married and that the whole thing does not agree with you. But then, I guess putting up a show is as important.

Oh well...that was the London trip. Or at least the juicy part of the trip. The rest of it is the business meeting and a short walk I took to see Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Picadilly and the London Eye.

Oh, and I also met with my Grandfather who's lived in the UK since...forever. Met my first cousin and her son for the first time and had a lovely dinner at their house...which was a pleasant change from the night before.

Then it was back to Singapore to be in time for my daughter's birthday. Yep...my little girl turned 7 last week. And I got her a Nintendo Wii as her birthday gift. She, and surprisingly my wife as well, loved the game console so much, I got another Wii remote (Wiimote) so that two people could play at the same time. The Wii is such an engaing game console which I think gets the fun back into gaming. Instead of just using your thumbs to press buttons, you now actually play tennis, do bowling and boxing. The first time we played bowling, my daughter beat both my wife and me with the highest score. In fact, my wife and I actually go exhausted boxing against each other. She complained of her arms aching even the day after. I guess it's good excercise!

We're now customizing a Mii (a personalized profile) for each of us. It's a fun console. I would very strongly recommend it.

So now you know...the reasons for not being able to post all these days. Hope this was a long enough (and juicy enough post to sate your appetites). I hope to be more prompt with my blogging henceforth. I still have to figure out how to purge all that beer from my systems :-)