Mee Siam Mai Hum

Sunday, February 06, 2011

I really wonder who reads this blog nowadays, half-wondering if I ought to just keep it private like almost everyone else's.

Facebook's really robbed blogging of much of its allure. Back in the days of good old blogs you actually had to trawl the net and make a conscious effort to get to know others better, even if it was just their online persona. Nowadays the online persona is a closer projection of your real persona, and everything's thrown at you.

Which is sad, because I believe that your true persona lies in an aggregation of your online and real-world personas. How you behave online reveals aspects about your thinking and manner which'd otherwise go unnoticed. And exist in the subconscious nonetheless. So uh, thank goodness for MSN.

Gone also are the days when blogskins were important and could help convey your personality. Now that fb's become the dominant social media that's lost as well. No big loss for me though, considering both my DP and blogskin haven't changed in years.
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A few days have passed since WSDC returned from Istanbul, and I'm really glad we won. Not just for bragging rights or anything, but I feel to some measure it's helped bring our team together. Some teams bond better through winning, some during the journey. Used to consider Raffles a team that'd disintegrate if they didn't consistently win, and in a rather derogatory manner too. Guess I'm sort of converted now. Rooming with rj wasn't bad either, and it was nice to complete the set after rooming with Adil (courtesy of a contagious stomach flu).

I'm very acutely aware of the tradition I embody and represent, especially when contrasted against my teammates. Though I hesitate to overgeneralize, that contrast's helped me appreciate things more. The difference in social modes I function in, that's interesting as well. All this's probably dabbling too much in theory again, but I did enjoy the moment.

Though I must say I returned in a pretty shagged state.
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CNY has been quite awkward, especially when parents go around telling relatives you just returned from Turkey and won something. People seem to expect stunning insights from debaters in general, which I'm not confident of offering, especially in Mandarin. Could go deeper into family dynamics but that's not something for public fora.

Seeing everyone was nice, and I click better with my maternal cousins as usual. Not very accustomed to the role of over-achieving eldest cousin, not that I've ever been. Consequently I think they find me sort of aloof which is not very true. The age difference weighs in, and we find ourselves on different wavelengths. So many of them have grown so much though, its particularly surprising when its the first CNY you've been to in like what, 3 years.

Mum also observantly pointed out that the angpow haul's increased. Guess when everyone moves on in life and careers, and when the economy's better, they tend to be a bit more generous. I like, not complaining.
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I'm working on my new year resolutions still, writing them down in my planner was a really good idea. I'm on track to meeting many of them, yay me.

There're some potential clashes for next week but they're increasingly due to the exigencies of circumstance.

I really have to get started on all my work, the myth of exceptionalism is really all just a myth.

I'm surprised I blogged so much, it must be due to the fact I'm using my old macbook. Oh, love.

2L @ 1:34 AM
"Sorry also must exprain"
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Hello Uncle...Bah Chor Mee one. I want chilli plus tur Kwa plus can I watch your CCTV playback of Jeff Lopez...=D