Who Woulda Thought
 
...that I would find Sex And The City dull?!?!

Tardy post here, as you can see. I caught the back-to-back episodes last Friday on HBO, and decided to give it a miss thereafter. No-one's more shocked than yours truly here, 'cos I honestly expected to be wowed, charmed, blown away, etc. Instead, the crass jokes left me cold, the repetitive sexual-promiscuity-is-hip-and-liberating theme triggered some uprolled eyes,  and I somehow couldn't stay interested in their idle chatter about shopping, New York, and finding the perfect guy.

If I sound a little uptight, then it's probably a matter of opinion. I don't think I'm a snob or prude when it comes to comedies -- Seinfeld remains my all-time favourite ( aka The Show About Nothing, with one classic line about a name that rhymes with a certain part of the female anatomy, ie. Dolores :) ). I also love Friends, with its modern takes on the ( dysfunctional ) family unit and its equally ample supply of risque humour. Or how about That 70s Show, featuring the likes of airhead Ashton Kutcher getting high on marijuana and waxing lyrical about the ladies with his motley crew of high school pals?

Sex And The City has won more accolades than most, and its stars have become fashion trend and feminist icons. And yet!!! And yet I found myself getting increasingly irritated by its (inane)dialogue. Or maybe it's just Sarah Jessica Parker's little-girl-voice. *shudder*

But then, that's just me. One detractor in perhaps tens of millions of other diehard fans. Who cares, eh?

The Apprentice

Things are heating up! In the latest installment, the male and female teams reshuffle, with the stronger players squashing the weak beneath the heels of their leather shoes. Am a little sad about Christi's departure though. Probably the most sincere and honest contestant in this cut-throat race, she was eventually deceived by the team member she trusted most, resulting in a "strategy" that projected resigned defeat instead of the all-important fight-to-the-death mentality  -- 100% fatal if you're up against Donald Trump The Ruthless Tycoon.

But the saddest part, I feel, came after the credits rolled. Christi, seated in the back of an NYC cab, pours her heart out to the camera, saying how much she's learnt from the experience, and wishing the other competitors the best of luck. No mention at all about the woman who betrayed her so terribly. And that idiot stayed on the show! Is this consistent with real life? You bet. :(

The Simple Life

The Apprentice might have made my skin crawl, but Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie keep the laughs coming, and I'm telling you, their antics would boost anyone's deflated ego. :D They are so useless it's downright embarrassing. And the tricks they pull to get out of difficult situations border on kindergarten-level behaviour.

E.g. Last week, Nicole shed major crocodile tears when confronted by an annoyed cattle farmer for piggy-backing some Mother's Day gifts on his supplies bill. Her ingenious idea? Fake a pet death.
"[ long excruciating wail ] My cat died! I'm soooooo saaaaaaaad! Waaaaaah!" -- actual transcript (!!!)  -- she bawled, in between surreptitious glances through parted fingers.
The clincher -- the farmer didn't buy it for a sec. "I'm sorry your cat died. But I still want that money." Bloody fantastic! :P

The Exams Cometh

Exactly one month to go before D-Day, and I'm feeling the pressure in a big way. Insomnia despite exhaustion mostly, with the occasional near-panic as reality hits me on and off. The upside, though, is having 3 other friends for much needed mutual support. They're all my seniors, but we're crossing the same hurdle together.  One of them whispered to me during a tutorial today: "Time to show our ignorance again!", before flashing a huge grin and laughing heartily. It's stuff like this that helps relieve the stress and tension, and I'm really very grateful for it. Thanks, guys!

Mystery Man

Xena knows who I'm talking about, yes? :)
I met that actor fellow a couple of days ago, standing at the mailbox in the basement, retrieving his letters. I could recognize him from a mile away, and he looked at me for a split second as I approached, before glancing back down. I must say, he looks really young considering his age. Metrosexual lifestyle maybe, heh heh.

Clue for those who can't take the suspense: he's been mentioned twice in the Life! entertainment section this week, with one prominent photo ( kissing a certain Hong Kong actress ). If you can't get that, then you're better off not knowing at all. :)

And before I sign off...

Anyone In London Interested In This?

Just spotted this piece of info on the Jamie Cullum website ( bottom right ). Seems he and his equally prolific brother, Ben, composed music for the stage version of When Harry Met Sally, currently running at the Theatre Royal Haymarket till 4 September. No CD available, so if anybody catches the show, give me a holler 'cos I'm really curious.
( FYI, original compositions from these guys include:
From Pointless Nostalgic -- I Want To Be A Pop Star, Pointless Nostalgic ( Jamie )
From Twentysomething -- Twentysomething, All At Sea ( Jamie ); These Are The Days, It's About Time ( Ben )
Good stuff :))

Anyhow, I won a minor battle with my mom yesterday. Discussing my future HMDP posting which will inevitably come up in a few years' time, I managed to convince her that the UK is THE place to be, instead of Australia ( her preference because of proximity and err, greater safety ). I think I sold the idea pretty well, and have my sights set on London if the AST panel is open to the suggestion. Yay. :)
( Although, my top choice would've been the US -- maybe Boston, Chicago, LA or Las Vegas -- but the USMLE gives me migraine, so scrap that. I'll visit as a tourist, heh heh. :)) 

2 more hours to go before the night shift ends. Sigh.