Ramble rumble

I realize that I do not mind the solitude in the hostel. I can imagine a student life like this, just not in NUS. And that is plain dangerous.

Because it requires a scholarship.

I am mad. A mad clown, that has many things to juggle- GYLC, vSparks, Earthwatch initiatives, debate and mugging for midyears.
*claps hands in glee* (oh gosh now I realize the dual meaning of the last word. Oh pop culture, you have warped simple English. Rish's drawing of the Glee sign on the GC pops into mind, he is clearly a nerd immersed in pop culture.)

I hardly have time to myself this holiday except for that lovely stroll getting lost finding Singapore Tyler Print Institute (which was informative and fascinating, I highly recommend you to go- I mean how many times do you actually get to see Andy Warhol's and Damien Hirst's works and receive various interpretations of them?!) Will post some photos of the artworks soon.. when I get around to it.

And this week was hardly eventful and I shan't care to elaborate, having just drafted a whole letter of feedback on the seminar. On a brighter note, I finished reading A Home at the End of This World by Michael Cunningham and I am proud of this. Cedric owes me a drink because he lost the bet on my inability to complete the book by the end of the seminar. I did not cheat, 90% of the reading was purely done within waiting time, journeys and occasionally, ahem, the panel discussions. It is 343 pages by the way. It examines a new family unit in today's age where identity is fluid. That being said, I do not condone homosexuality, just appreciating the book which realistically depicted the coexistence of multiple relationships in one family unit.

I have come to a comforting point where I do not expect much from the ending, due to influence from Milan Kundera:
"Dramatic tension is the real curse of the novel, because it transforms everything, even the most beautiful pages, even the most surprising scenes and observations merely into steps leading to the final resolution, in which the meaning of everything preceded is concentrated."

With the above quote in mind, 'A Home at the End of This World' is not cursed because the ending was like any event in ordinary life, leaving the lives in the novel to replicate that of the real world where you know even after something dramatic happens, the flow of life goes on unobstructed. Michael Cunningham's imagery is precise  (some took my breath away) and the characters roll out smoothly, filling color within the outlines that usual characters do not possess.

Funny:
Me (to everyone present): Do you know of mirror neurons... (yadda yadda see: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization.html)
HC guy: Oh my gosh! You are more of a nerd than I am.

Nerd indeed is my alter ego. It has to be put on like a cloak this week to mug because I do not want to mug next to the Holocaust Memorial thank you very much.

This is a out-of-place ramble I know, but I find that my blogposts are too cerebral sometimes. I am human after all.