On the Road Again

Well well well. If it isn't yet another boring Saturday morning. If I hadn't said it in an earlier posting, let me say it now. I had it with you and all your stuff and stuff.

Remember what I said about the community reservation system. Well let me add another boner - it sucks to the core.

I apparently committed a boo-boo. At least that is what the community governess tries to make me look it and believe it. Notice I am being really oblique here so that the obvious isnt so obvious any more.

I actually reserved a chinese edition of Gavin Menzies' 1421 The Year China conquered the world/America (whoa , hold on here a second, he has two versions to his book - what utter pandemonium!).

So I had a sharp word from the governess there who caustically remarked if I could not read in Chinese.

Look M/s Prissy Community Governess. When I was in school back like in the not-too-near nor not-too-far distant millennium, Chinese was relegated to its second language (read: subsidiary, and therefore subordinate) position. Who remembers the second-place winner of any beauty contest? The beast?

Hence I grew up comfortably with English as my natural and native tongue. So there! You have a big problem with that. In any case, I can certainly read and speak Chinese but not as technically or as in depth as a "navigational" novel will require. Besides , I am reading on "borrowed time" (read again : borrowed literally, catch the joke...ha ha ha?) in addition to a whole long list of my recently acquired reading binge. Aww, you can't put down a Professor Stephen Jay Gould book once you start, can you?

The fact of the matter is : On the system you really can't tell if it is a Chinese or English edition. Some titles have both and so naturally once again being the bilingual nation that we are, this surely cannot come as a surprise. Like typical Singaporeans queueing up for free newspapers or a lucky draw or a snow-balled lottery jackpot? Or mothers hitting their sons for not emptying the trash bags?

All those prissy , prim and sassy community governesses must be carrying out their orders a wee bit too religiously.

I had my cellie ringing suddenly while I was browsing at the community the other day. I was heading for the exit with two books in tow which I intended to borrow. Then along came one such governess who told me in no uncertain terms that that was strictly proscribed.

Imagine books in one hand, cellie in the other (and it was an important business call), I indicated my wish to borrow the books because I could not walk out of the community lest the alarms they so cleverly installed holler like tomorrow never comes. Like a stripper caught in his birthday suit with spotlights whirling around his rumps.

She snatched my books and placed them on the return trolley carts. Imagine the return trolley carts where fellow hungry, book-derpived community users also scavenge for their dead meat. When I stared hard and long at her, better sense returned and she placed them at the library counter. Ah HA! The cat's out of the bag!

I turned and hit the doors, injuring myself in the process, dazed by the turn of events and the callousness of this little dweeb wit of a witch.

Look guardians, high priestesses, safekeepers and gatekeepers of the temple of doom. I know it is your paramount officious duty to execute orders.

But at least can you be situational and use some common sense in the application of the law.

You ugly little bitch! I am sure you are glad now you make me hurt myself like that. Thanks to people like you, the world is a better place to live in and hospitals are all the richer for the takings.

This reminds me incidentally of a scene I observed at an educational institution. A young, mindless and unthinking educator hurrying her charges over their meals even though some were mid-way through.

Has she ever considered the chain reaction of such an event? Some possibilities:
1) Half the population of the institution decides to have their meal breaks at that same time coincidentally
2) They were preening and pruning themselves during half of their meal breaks and so missed out on their meals until their narcisstic pre-occupation ran its course
3) They were let off late by educators who were in turn let off late by their superiors (headmasters and headmistresses respectively)

Confucian Ethics 101: Do unto others what others do unto you. Domino Theory 102: I kick my friend. My friend kicks his friend. His friend kicks his friend. Then that last friend kicks his dog. You poor disgusting heartless SPCA reportees! I am really really gonna report you this time.

You moronic morons, get off me. Please, just leave me alone in my super cryonized state.

P.S: By the way, I m still wondering how Mysterious Skin got its R21 rating. Seriously the scenes were really really tame as compared to what I have seen on some movies with a PG rating or M18 or N16 one. Take the guess out of my guesswork please.