Quickie Post

Being on extended leave apparently offers no protection against headaches, ugh.

A New PM For Singapore

Much is being made about this historic event, and although I have many opinions on it, I'm not stupid enough to make them public. :) Interestingly, the swearing-in ceremony was broadcast "live" over CNN as well last night. That was probably the high point of the evening for me, haha. :D

I will say this though: PM Lee, congratulations, and I sincerely hope you follow through with all your promises, especially the one on welcoming diverse views and robust debate.

The US Presidential Race Heats Up

If you want a truly rigorous political battle, this'll get your heart pumping ( though not as effectively as, say, the Taiwanese Parliament meetings, which are like the Asian version of the World Wrestling Federation, heh heh ). Just caught George W. Bush on Larry King this afternoon, fending off criticisms about everything from the Iraqi invasion to his restrictions on stem cell research. I drifted off at certain points, 'cos let's face it, Bush Jr. is a rather dull character, and I firmly believe a national leader requires some measure of charisma in order to make any real impact ( local politicians have a long ways to go in that aspect, though one particular minister -- a friend's brother -- is, in my opinion, the most likeable and watchable of the lot :) ).

Laura Bush appeared as well, seated silently next to her hubby, and fulfilling no role in particular, except maybe that of "supportive First Lady figure". She seems nice enough, but has no political background whatsoever, and glaringly demonstrates lack of strong opinions or intelligent input when questioned by King. In addition, she submissively clams up whenever Bush rudely interrupts her mid-sentence on quite a number of occasions.

Hilary Clinton was the polar opposite, and I hear Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards aren't pushovers either. No prizes for guessing which type I prefer. :D

Singapore Idol Shenanigans - The Sequel

Wednesday night's 2nd episode was yet another barrel of laughs, with a colourful montage of contestants mauling Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly", a girl whom Dick Lee described as "goat-voiced", and the very memorable Banana Man -- a young fellow wearing headgear topped with a bunch of cloth bananas, and jiggling away to some really weird song that I suspect he composed. Absolutely bananas! ( pun intended )

This installment also featured a few extremely rude youngsters, one of whom called Dick Lee a "dickhead". Tsk tsk.

The highlight, however, was a Malay guy who belted out Clay Aiken's cover of "Solitaire" -- and very competently, might I add -- in tribute to his late father who passed away only a few weeks earlier. Touching stuff.

In Life!'s letters section today, an irate reader called SI host Gurmit Singh "a clown" lacking Ryan Seacrest's charisma and charm. Err, I personally don't find Seacrest that great actually, and take issue with the "lack of charisma" statement. Gurmit, in my opinion, is one of our country's finest hosts, and establishes fantastic rapport with people wherever he goes. I can't think of anyone better for the job, and seeing him on the show is a huge bonus. So there.

10 Days More...

Time passes too quickly when you're on leave. 1 1/2 weeks to go, and we're all starting to feel it. But I've got a wonderful support group in my fellow trainees, and we share a good laugh every time we attend tutorials. Looking forward to going out for drinks after our exams. :)

I'll post again in a few days' time. Have a nice weekend!