see that building! i feel like it! it is old, unwanted, and is going to be torn down, (i think). It's old, it's sitting on prime land, and past glory or not they're going to remove that damn theatre.

anyway, i realise i'm leaving soon. well, you see, it's not because i'm leaving, but i'm taking more photos of random places simply because i bring my camera around now. and well i know it's weird for a local trying to snap some signpost of "Bukit Timah Road" glinting in the sunlight as if I were some tourist.

Yes, I have been devouring books lately, now that I've ceased thinking about work or anything and am in "academia" mode. well, apart from meeting up with amusing people and watching them get drunk, or almost so. I caught the Capitol Theatre today on the way to LSE induction at Coleman St, and I felt rather old. Basically ended up chatting with a lot of the seniors cause I knew more of them than the young punks entering LSE=). Well, let's not have such an attitude by I'm telling you I'm not really that old! I just feel old! I don't even have to sign an indemnity form. And did you know PSC scholars have to watch NDP parade? I have nothing against NDP, flag waving and all, but it's as if they're preparing them to be ministers they go, ok, see those people in white pants, see where they sit, yeah try to be like them and such. Well it's good that they're keeping people in touch with Singapore, but really! Give them the tickets and let them go of their own free will already!

And it's the stupid books I've been reading. "All Quiet on the Western Front", which I've always wanted to read because it's less than 200 pages, has a cool name, and the author's called Erich Maria Remarque. I always like it how they think one name isn't cool enough and get 3 of them. (maria was his mom's name) I always loved the name "maria". It means Latin for "sea". Although I didn't know that, did you? I always wanted to name my daughters "Pelagia" and "Neritia" after the sea, when "maria" was sitting there all along. I digress! Apparently it's really popular in the states (well of course actually it's roots are from the virgin mary). and there's also maria of west side story, some spanish/puerto rican chickolita or whatever it is in spanish fought over by the gangs. And Rainer Maria Rilke, oh god what a name. i like jesse but you'd be frustrated when they start expecting a girl to raise their hands in class. i have chinese names too but you'd start thinking i was obsessive compulsive so no!

and in "All Quiet", you see the poor narrator is this boy who has to go fight a war and come back (he dies.) but when he's back on leave he feels so lost, kind of like that person in Apocalypse Now. Well, it's not exactly like that, I mean NS is like wimpy peacetime rubbish, but I'm saying you don't go over from 2 years and come back and nothing's changed. You're older ffsakes! And you have to relearn the intricacies of 18yrdom! But as i said i'm not all that mature, i'm a brat, really!

P. Heyne's "Economic Way of Thinking", while undoubtedly read for obvious reasons (reading list yadda), is at least good in introducing some philosophical framework for economics (which i'd be rather interested in at LSE anyway, considering close ties between philo and econs dept). It's simple econs, yadda, but it's explained in a more thorough and rigorous way. Which is good considering that 1st year will be a lot a lot of maths so it's good to go in with a good reason why you're doing all that.

and doing reams of calculus refreshers do help! and of course, let's all enjoy ourselves before we leave.