Reality check

Paris and France were a glorious break from the constraints of domestic life: striding through the Louvre to the tunes of Handel's Wassermusik and Bach's Goldberg Variations; visiting Marlinspike (or Moulinsart); biking in the Loire Valley (and getting lost); fine Corsican cuisine; meeting Alistair Horne in person; Shakespeare & Company; watching the Dutch crush Italy; the conversations on religion, history, Singapore, and mutual acquaintances; and all the museums in Paris.

Now it's time to get ready for the most hectic term of working life.

Edit: I hadn't realised that this is my 100th post. So I'll make it a bit longer. In point form:

• My my, how productive I've been since returning. Finished most of Vatikiotis' Political Change in Southeast Asia, answered a couple of important emails, and should be done soon with one item on my lengthy checklist of school-related things to do.

• Starhub's coverage of Euro2008 is awful, and makes the Football Channel look good. I mean, Darryl David and Mark Richmond? Weren't they out of fashion in the mid-1990s? That and the need to start the pre-match coverage an hour before games start...by showing the players arriving at the stadium and warming up. It doesn't help that we have solo commentators, none of whom are immediately recognisable.
  

• I sometimes wonder how this students these days are going to survive in university and working life. Then again, getting thrown in at the deep end does sometimes work. I'd employ this approach more, except that it usually results in a few drownings.
  

• Speaking of university, it's been four years since I graduated. Approximately half of my bond is up. By the way, if you're a JC2 student of mine reading this, and are thinking about studying in the US and obtaining a recommendation from me, you should see me at the earliest possible opportunity in Term 3 so that we can work out a plan. There are certain things that US universities look out for.
  

Posted by kungfuzi at 12:24 pm |