The Middle Years (2006-2009)

One of the nicest things about the International Herald Tribune in print, in Singapore, is that it represents not just a way to get the New York Times news - I read nyt.com too often to really need that - but that I get the New York Times crossword, so I get to do them on newsprint. Somehow always seem much more appealing than the computer version, and this coming from someone who generally prefers to do everything online…

Scored a Death Cab For Cutie ticket. Woohoo! Caught my ear recently: Nada Surf, “See These Bones”; Amber Rubarth, “You Will Love This Song”, and oddly, the Met Opera’s production of The Barber of Seville. Big love for Girl Talk’s Feed the Animals album, especially “In Step”.

Less a real review of Away From Her, more a rave: Julie Christie is brilliant in the film. Not just brilliant in her acting - which she is - but brilliant as in luminiscent. Full of the vitality and life that makes you understand why her husband (played by Gordon Pinsent) never wants to be away from her, and that makes her decline from Alzheimer’s all the more sad - and all the more puzzling. Sarah Polley directs with a spare touch that seems perfectly Canadian, and imperfectly wise beyond her years.

Trying out New Facebook. I like the look, although one suspects the lack of ad space might not last too long.

Have been watching the New Yorker Conference on my iPod, and I thought Paco Underhill on “Deconstructing the Airport” (chaired by Malcolm Gladwell) was very interesting, for anyone who’s been stuck in the misery of standing shoeless and beltless near a security checkpoint with all your carry-on items, all the the flotsam and jetsam of modern life, sprawled out on the cold metal stand at the end of the X-ray machine.

Into the Wild was incredibly affecting in a primal way. Chris McCandless’ quest for meaning, his (very American) attempt to find that meaning in one’s connection to the land, and his ultimate realisation of the importance of interpersonal relationships and of forgiveness - all that brought to mind the restlessness and angst of my teenage years. That, and Eddie Vedder’s distinctive voice, of course, which was perfect for a film set in the early 1990s.

The Violent Femmes cover Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”, in quasi-spaghetti Western style.

Caught the documentary Word Play the other day, all about the New York Times crossword and the annual crossword competition in Stamford, CT, and it inspired me to try a Times crossword. Much more used to cryptics - used to do the New Yorker one weekly, back in the day when the New Yorker ran crosswords - which I think test a different part of one’s mind. But anyway: came in at 15 minutes for a Thursday puzzle… reasonable, I suppose, for a novice, but nowhere near the blistering pace of those featured in the documentary. I suspect I’m hooked, though!

Well, in case anyone was wondering about the long radio silence (crickets), I’ve been busy moving to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and just came back from a UN conference in Bonn. Have to say that the Bonn trip made me realise how rusty my German is, and has inspired me to revive my language skills. Anyone in Singapore have good suggestions on this? Should I just go to the Goethe Institut?

Finally, a nice SMS marketing message: “SingTel has announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore later this year” - with some directions to this site. Can’t wait for the (rumoured) 3G iPhone…

Two sets of videos of unusual animal tricks. Rabbit showjumping and Goldfish football / hoops jumping

Just watched Akeelah and the Bee, which was really inspirational, and as tense in its finale as the best sports movies - having seen Spellbound, I was prepared to be on the edge of my seat, and I’m glad it lived up to my expectations. Anyway, this story about a mobster using $10 words in letters to his kid (offspring? scion?) reminded me of the film:

My friends in college used to be amused when I would say that a fellow Singaporean lived “across the country”, meaning only about 30 km or so away. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in a tiny country. Anyway, this guy has compiled the longest possible drives according to Google Maps, and I tried to do the same for Singapore - thus far, my best is 60.4 km (Tuas South Ave 9 to Nicoll Drive). That’s pretty piddly compared to the almost 12,000km routes recorded from America to Canada. Even Hong Kong has a 77.3km route. (Via kottke.org)

World’s 50 best restaurants, as rated by Restaurant magazine, with, quelle surprise, has El Bulli ranked first. There’s also a #51-100, which includes Iggy’s here in Singapore. No Japanese restaurants, though, as the Economist notes, which seems odd.

A very interesting article in the Guardian puts forward the suggestion that the modern problem is not about not getting enough sleep, but about anxiety about getting enough sleep. It does seem a lot of contemporary issues centre around anxiety about getting things correct: getting enough vitamins and other nutritional aspects of one’s diet, for one.

At a 30th birthday party last night, I was reflecting how many of my friends from college had had books published in recent month, and wondering what I’d done with my life. Oh well, “30 is the new 20”, as someone chirpily said.

Back from Manila, where I caught the opening of the Little League Philippine Series with fellow Sox fanatic George. Great to see all the kids having fun playing baseball. Also met a Bill Bennett - hope I got the name right - who was an instructor for MLB, and proceeded to talk about Wally Moon and baseball at the L.A. Coliseum. Man, hadn’t realised how starved I was for baseball talk.

Am in Manila for the next few days for work, and the moment I checked in I went out foraging for Jollibee fried chicken. And boy it was even better than I remembered. The mall had Jollibee and Krispy Kremes… my arteries aren’t gonna like it, but my taste buds are ecstatic.

This can’t be real, can it? A woman sat on the loo for 2 years. Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said it appeared the 35-year-old Ness City woman’s skin had grown around the seat. She initially refused emergency medical services but was finally convinced by responders and her boyfriend that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.

So I suppose I should detail what we saw in Hua Hin and the surroundings, having thoroughly explored the area in a beat-up rented Vios (and later a Corolla Altis with even more miles on the engine). Since the beach gets all the attention, let’s start with the park…