8.05.2003

 

[out of the loop]

i always pride myself on being connected - wired - in the know. come september 11, i heard the news off the radio, while preparing for prelims, then promptly went to switch on CNN and CNA on tv. but today, im totally clueless about the jakarta bombings.

been in a holiday mood for most of the day. pep talk in the morning from my boss (at around the time of the blast, come to think of it.. we switched the office radio off for that..), then settling some last minute admin before going for a national education trip lasting the entire afternoon - the [racial] harmony trail. quite interesting actually, visited labrador park, the silat rd gurdawara (Sikh temple), jame rd mosque and the ura gallery (where they display the masterplans for development.. last one was in 2001 and let me tell you its quite a shock seeing how big tekong is supposed to be, or seeing residential development on tekong (what, bmtc?!) or even *contemplating* joining tekong and ubin to the mainland via a road..) then popping over to funan to grab a screen protector for my palm (which is beginning to get scratches due to increasingly frequent usage).

in short, things were looking good, and for once i seemed to be on the verge of integrating a PDA into my life, something ive been trying unsuccessfully to do since march. but this bombing kinda snaps me out of this dreamy state and back into the murky uncertainties and threats that lurk in every corner of the real world.

basically this just means trouble with a capital T.. back to increased vigilance again. theres a human limit to how long you can function on heightened alertness for. for starters adrenaline only has a short-acting effect (again, dont ask me to substantiate, im padding away here) simply because the body cannot afford to keep up the energy-consuming fight or flight reflex. um, something like that (ive lost that much since i came in). of course theres something to be said about being vigilant all the time, but its just not humanly possible. so now its not just SARS we have to watch out for but terrorism too.

somehow the bali bombing didnt hit home so hard cos no countrymen/women were affected. this time its different. this sort of sounds like a cheesy storyline off "on the frontlines", that ch U drama on terrorism.. which they had to write an editorial about in life. good grief. but i digress. ill be totally tied up with all the measures i anticipate we'll be putting into place.. if my normal work isnt bad enough.

i do suspect that the few people out there still playing C&C: Generals will soon stop, not only because the Warcraft III expansion set The Frozen Throne is out, but also because it's no longer politically correct to wield suicide-bombing terrorists and car bombs as a GLA commander in Generals. what troubled times we live in..

The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil (Remix)

---

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
Ah, what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out,
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well - learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, um yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, um mean it, get down
Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!

Tell me baby, what's my name
Tell me honey, can ya guess my name
Tell me baby, what's my name
I tell you one time, you're to blame
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who

Oh, yeah
What's me name
Tell me, baby, what's my name
Tell me, sweetie, what's my name
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Ooo, who, who
Oh, yeah

---

i think i missed my original point about being disjointed somewhere along the way. but part of the reason why im so unsettled is cos i din hear about it til my immediate superior called me up this evening after i got home. imagine - from 1100 all the way to 2000 i was blissfully unawares! sigh.

timestamp: anonymous 15:59 0 comments