The news of my parents' ailing health is disconcerting yet expected with time and age.

How I wish I could shorten my life to let them lead one that is illness-free in their graying years; I don't really have high hopes for myself with the lack of ambition and my less than optimistic outlook on life. Sort of figured that my life doesn't need to be that long, after all, given my dissatisfaction with it and the fact that my dreams are woefully unrealistic on this tropical island which champions pragmatism. Yay to being a cog in the machine even though I don't want to.

Anyway, I can't cope with major losses well, and I shudder at the thought of it. I really wonder how I would react, probably it would shatter my sanity and send me into a self-destructive rampage. That's my best guess given my emotionally volatile character.

 Paranoia acting up again, it seems.

Being guilty of not updating in a long time.

That's because I've sort of in a race to finish the Organic Chemistry textbook before the library loan expires.
It's somewhat disgusting that I could even find some semblance of joy in reading University material, but what is there to do when there aren't any games that can occupy me right now?

-GEEK OVERLOAD-

So, I've decided to put the spare time I've now to the abovementioned use.

In any case, one thought that keeps popping up in my mind these few weeks, from my interaction with a particular colleague, is that I find it amusing how most people like to overstate and overestimate their abilities. Some are just keen to be douches and abuse whatever slightest power they have to make other people miserable. Being so fervent in making someone's day hellish is just way out of the line and karma would eventually bite these people back in the ass.

Then again, I'm the kind of person who will not hesitate to retaliate and wage politics if people purposely step on my toes. Otherwise, I'm pretty much in a state of 与世无争.

In the end, everyone's parlour tricks won't even matter in the grand scheme of things. There is no lack of people who are more skilled in manipulation, and things won't always be in one's favour. Why actively wage war against others when it is so exhausting, and risk picking losing battles to be in?

My inner cynic is acting up from watching the news.

I find it ludicrous that the Thai girl is suing SMRT. After Singaporeans sympathise with your plight and donated towards your operation, you decide to pursuit a lawsuit? Although I'm no fan of SMRT from their unreliable train frequencies, but asking them for compensation when you just fell into the track on your own is just outrageous. Xenophobia has nothing to do with this; a Singaporean who chooses this course of action will be equally lambasted.

If we were to take a cue from this lawsuit, maybe we ought to sue HDB for all injuries sustained from accidents at home. It's an accident; that's why the concept of insurance exists to reimburse losses from acts of God.

Yes, maybe the corporation should step up on safety precautions, but in the first place you're not engaging in a high risk activity by taking public transport. Whoever is putting you up to this is really just acting out of GREED.

Well, it is understood that greed knows no bounds.

It's easy to play the blame game. 
Frivolous lawsuits just inspire me to sue the whole damned world. 

I just love the ever gloomy weather these days.
I'm singing to the swaying trees outside my window.

You're welcome, trees.

After my first translation job that my boss suddenly hooked me up with in the middle of a Mahjong session on a public holiday, I finally had the first hand experience of how hard it is to translate a 9 page long speech.

It was exceptionally difficult because I had to translate agencies, policies and tonnes of phrases localised to the English Language. I had a good laugh looking at what Google Translate had to offer during my 9 hour translating stint that lasted till 3am; my boss wanted it by 10am.

I thought of sneaking in a sentence about me getting rewarded with a day off, but I didn't had to. Looks like a fair trade to me.
 

So glad to be packing my field pack on Halloween where everyone is out there is getting themselves freaked out under the moonlight. Technically I wasn't really packing, just checking the things that I have safely chucked out of sight for a year remains there. Many thanks to my camp having a mobilisation; so that I have the opportunity to assure that these beloved items do not end up being whisked off to some other dimension or plane.

Each time I look at the duffel bag and field pack, it brings back fond memories. I still remember the auspicious day where I was dragging those heavy baggage up 4 storeys; it pretty much felt like death. It would have been so easy for me to lose my footing or balance and tumble down the stairway; I even wished for it to happen.

It did not, sadly.

In any case, Halloween's not my thing. 

Finally get to take a breather from the short yet hectic week.
Handling 3 papers simultaneously while still overseeing store work made me very edgy.
More work looms as I have to project my unit's expenditure for the next 6 months.
What joy.
Many thanks to others' overspending.