It's Time for Some Campaignin'

I stumbled upon this video of the Presidential Elections and laughed my ass off. It's pure, pure satirical gold. A surprisingly fair and even commentary on all the major stars of the elections. Totally worth a watch, even for those who don't really follow the elections.




The video is pretty brilliant. I love how they depict Obama riding a (pink-maned!) unicorn in his rhetoric rich disney-esque world (with bouncing friendly woodland animals and everything) and McCaine as a war-mongering general who's about to drop dead. Of course, not forgetting Hillary whacking Bill with a frying pan with Lewinsky watching (because of how he ruined her campaign?).

Ah, great video to mark the start of major campaigning that Obama/Biden and McCaine/Palin will embark on from now till November 4th. Meanwhile, I'll watch in anticipation (and evil glee) how Americans will once again decide on who to be the most powerful person in the world. Let's hope they don't screw up like the last two times. Though kudoes to McCaine, true to his maverick style, for making the race much more interesting by introducing Sarah Palin into the game. I'm not sure whether American women will fall for his little trick to get their votes. Governor Sarah Palin may be a strong, spirited and pretty woman but she is certainly no Hillary Clinton. Far from it. You don't really want a 2 year old governor of Alaska to be the vp of a country like USA. But it's hard to criticize her lack of expertise when on the other end, you have someone named Barack Obama running for top office. McCaine has just set a little loop trap for his opponent and we shall see whether it works or not. I just hope die-hard Clinton supporters would not swing to McCaine just because a woman is on the ticket. Can't you see through the clumsy attempt to get your votes? Seriously, Hillary's so going to run for 2012; so in the meantime, conserve your votes for her.

And to complicate matters more, Hurricane Gustav is coming and how Bush reacts to this major disaster will, once again, play an important role in the election. The coming months will be exciting for America, and the world, so let's sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
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I SAW JUPITER!!!

,.. Not up close of course. With a telescope duh. But still...

Momentous occasion! I just saw Jupiter through the telescope! YES I DID! It was a part of my Einstein course. :D Ecstatic. Despite being small, quite insignificant and only by squinting can you see it's moon, it was magnificently beautiful. Just beyond reason. Beautiful.

Hello~! It's one of the things we've been studying for ages! Who hasn't been made to memorise the solar system order of planets since kindergarten? Who hasn't looked at the milky way and wondered what the planets really look like up close? Who hasn't pondered about life on other planets? Who hasn't dreamt of being an astronaut, traveling into space (and for some people, meeting Obi-Wan Kenobi)? The planets are so close to our hearts, yet so far from us. They're held in such revere, totally untouchable, and yet we've known them practically our whole lives. (I was sad when Pluto was demoted. ) It's almost like seeing an old friend again after so many years.

And looking at Jupiter like that, albeit through multiple lenses and mirrors, was almost surreal. Like, I'M LOOKING AT JUPITER OMG!! THAT SHINING ROUND THING IS JUPITER!! AAAH OMG I'M SEEING JUPITER! YES I SEE IT! WOW. I SEE THE BANDS ON THE SURFACE! OMG! AAHH THAT LITTLE DOT IS THE MOON?! THE ONE THAT GALILEO MISTOOK FOR A BACKGROUND STAR?!? ZOMG WTFBBQ!

In fact, because everyone wanted so much to see it, and only one telescope was powerful enough for a clear image, there was a looooong queue. So I had to queue up to see Jupiter, so to speak. In typical Singaporean fashion. "We're queuing up to see Jupiter!" Haha, Jupiter = some famous idol basically.

Again, AH-MAE-ZANG, in the words of Mia Micheals. It's been 50 years since we stepped on the moon and even after unveiling so many of its secrets, the galaxy still mesmerizes us in profound ways. Now I know why the planets are named after ancient Gods; they are cosmic. Simply cosmic. Only names of Gods are deserving for these creations. Looking at Jupiter is almost like looking at one of the Greats and you feel as if you're part of something immense, something wonderful, something unworldly and totally out of our existence. It's quite a profound feeling. Hard to explain. You'll get it once you see it.

And I love listening to Dr. Phli Chan talk about Einstein and his theories. It's refreshing to be taught by someone really passionate about his area. You can see him come alive when he starts explaining them. Einstein is, truly, a genius btw. People like that don't come by once in a thousand years even. I feel honored just by studying his work. And reading his book. If only I can fully understand the maths, that'd be awesome.

Oh mans. I'm becoming such a nerd. :( All right, let's not use nerd. Let's use... academically inspired. There we go. Euphemism for the win yo.
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Revamp/Makeover/Re-organisation ftw?!?

Hurray! I've just made-over my blog! ... Ok, fine, it's more of a degrading makeover. I seriously think my previous template was more attractive. That is, more aesthetically pleasing while this new one looks plain dull. But it's so much more organized and I'm prefer the comments function to the tagboard. Plus, it's more mature. ... Oh great, this comes from a person who doesn't want to grow old. You can't change the winds of fate, young grasshopper. Oh wells. But hey, I'll change it back to the old one sporadically from time to time, if I feel like it so no biggie. ... Who in the world would intentionally uglify their blog anyway.

And in a rare statement, I'm guessing imaginary people (person?) are wondering what the hells happened to my So You Think You Can Dance recaps. Ok, so basically I was under a bout of laziness (when was I not) and burnout from SYTYCD. It's Nigel's fault, really. Plus, my life got a whole l0t busier. And shittier so don't throw stones at me. But now that I have a new found motivation - more than one SYTYCD fan reads my blog! (Hi Simone!) - I shall start posting them again! Even though the season has already ended about a month ago lol. Just a warning though, entries won't be regular (when have they ever been regular anyway) and I'll probably take longer than I should. Ahaha. Please anticipate.

I realised I haven't posted anything to do with my life for quite a few months. Ever since my RSAF interview. And I've been bugging overseas people for blog updates on their new life. Hypocrisy at it's very best, ladies and gentlemen. Lol, don't worry, a GIGANTIC BIG-ASS update will be coming very soon. Imaginary people will just have to wait some more ahaha. But really, it's like TITANIC and you'll probably take about half an hour reading it. Meanwhile, I shall make a conscious effort maintaining this author-forsaken blog by making frequent updates about my life now.

Happy? Good. You shouldn't be anyway. Optimism is so overrated these days.
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US Presidential Elections: Democratic Convention Day 1 & 2

In other news, Barack Obama has chosen Biden as his running mate. Which is not at all shocking, given Biden's record in foreign policy and his honesty = change. Frankly, I've taken my eyes off the Presidential Elections for some time now. Obama vs McCaine is just not as exciting as Obama vs Clinton. But I'm still rooting for Obama though. Although McCaine is indeed an unconventional republican, he's still George Bush 2.0 under Republican pressure so I'm definitely not rooting for him. Not to say that Obama is perfect though. He has his flaws. But I really really want someone different to take the seat this time. Someone with a true cosmopolitan view of the world. I'm not just sick of George Bush. I'm sick of the tirade of US presidents parading their ignorance. The people of a country takes after their leader and I hope Americans will become more like Barack Obama. Change we can all believe in. Yes we can.

Now that the Democrat candidate has been decided, it's on to the Democratic Convention, where efforts would be made to unite the party after a bruising primary between two juggernauts.

And Day 1 woo. Michelle Obama is fierce! Great speech at the opening day of the Democrat's convention. She is such a strong speaker. The whole day was almost like a one-two knockout punch by the Democrats. First was emotional flabbergaster for Kennedy and then a solid Michelle Obama re-illiterating and reshaping of her husband's image for us, since many Americans still think they don't know much about the Democratic candidate. Anyway, on to the second day.

Oh Hillary Clinton, I shall laud you for your wonderful speech. Filled with sartorial soundbites, it was enjoyable to watch/read. It was also, more often than not, filled with grace and humility -- I guess she's got to plan for 2012 eh? Still, I regret her not being the nominee when I read this. Here stands such an amazing woman who opened so many doors for us. Not just for women but for humankind.

"... see another Republican in the White House squander our promise of a country that really fulfills the hopes of our people. And you haven't worked so hard over the last 18 months or endured the last eight years to suffer through more failed leadership."

No way, no how, no McCain." (best punchline of the night)

"I will always be grateful to everyone from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the territories who joined our campaign on behalf of all those people left out and left behind by the Bush administration. To my supporters, to my champions, to my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits (lol!) , from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you, because you never gave in and you never gave up. And together we made history."

I want you -- I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me, or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him?Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that young boy and his mom surviving on "the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?" (Great way to change the focus of her speech and to change the mindset of her supporters)

"Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, we did it before with President Clinton and the Democrats. And if we do our part, we'll do it again with President Obama and the Democrats."

"Now, with an agenda like that, it makes perfect sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart."

"My mother was born before women could vote. My daughter got to vote for her mother for president. This is the story of America, of women and men who defy the odds and never give up."

And other pretty cool things she said. Just read the speech first before watching it. Her delivery is still quite stiff and flat compared to Obama's.

Too bad Hillary Clinton is not the democratic nominee, she is not the future vice-president and she is no longer in the running for President. History will record her as the juggernaut who fell before the maverick. In the end, 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling still could not break the toughest one of all. She did play with the big boys and almost won. But ultimately, although she serves as a wonderful inspiration, there is still no female commander-in-chief sitting in the White House. I guess this just show's how hard the fight for humanity really is. We're inching along, bit by bit, hoping that what we do will make a difference, but not knowing for sure what it would be. Let's just keep chipping away at the stone and hope that we find something amazing at the core.

So for the first 2 days of the Democratic Convention in Denver, we caught a glimpse of the 3 most influential political dynasties (as of now, that is) in America. The Kennedys, the Obamas and the Clintons. It's quite amusing to see how the most democratic nation in the world fall to the irony of political dynasties. I guess Power is still a heady thing.
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Beijing 2008 = Western Media + Bias

Argh. This rant has been stuck in my head for days! Get it out get it out! I don't really care now whether it makes sense or not. Just, out!

I hate how the Western media insults China, how they use innuendos and sarcasm with ease to mock Chinese victories. It started with the scintillating reports on the Opening Ceremonies and have now made their way into the various sporting events.

Take this New York Times article for example. After reporting (unbiasedly to the best of her ability) on the Chinese win, the author goes into a long rant about how bad the gymnastics system in China is. How impoverished the gymnasts are and how hard their life is because of the centralized system. Even subtly hinting at the lack of human rights in the sports schools by making them sound like pseudo-prisons. It's almost like saying "Hey, they won! But they didn't win it the right way! Ours pwns them totally. " It so reminds me of a sore loser trying to poke holes or look for minute chinks in the victor's shiny armour. You lost. Fair and square. Your athletes simply made more mistakes on the floor routine and beam routines (yes, I watched the whole thing). Granted, you did achieve the highest score of the tournament on uneven bars (which was beautiful, btw) but you made pure mistakes. It wasn't because of a subjective opinion on the routines or anything. They were standardized deductions for falling off the beam, for stepping out of the boundaries, for falling flat on your butt and then on your back after a tumble etc. The Chinese gymnasts were simply more careful, more graceful and more technical than you. If you want to use this opportunity to pick at China, fine. But do not take this victory away from any of the young Chinese gymnasts. Don't soil the experience for any of them. You've said so yourself; they've worked like slaves for this gold medal for practically their whole lives. Let them enjoy this gold medal thoroughly. Don't diminish their deserved victory and glory with your sour grapes, please.

And I am really disappointed at BBC. For so long, it has been sole bastion of impartiality in the Western Media; I always look forward to their news reports because they do just that - report only. Aaand their opinion pages have been fabulously filled with all kinds of rational comments by the public that offer a sort of check and balance effect for the article itself. Now it's image is kind of ruined by the bits of partiality littered around the site about Olympics. Sighs. So much for the hope of honest journalists.

< / rant >

I'm sorry if I came across as really defensive or anything. I'm just so sick of the bias in these Western media reports recently. I feel for China and her people. Their hard work, their pride, their relentless pursuit of acceptance by the world community (sometimes so desperate that it goes over the top), despite the numerous flaws in the country. Let's not pepper this wonderful, once-in-a-century moment with dreaded politics and accusations that take attention away from the people who are the rightful stars of the present -- the athletes aiming for excellence.

I guess big-picture wise, it's still the issue about a developing country (third world, to be exact) holding the Olympics and all the blahs that come with it.
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