thedriveintheatre

Hellooo nurse! I mean, everyone. I’m back (for the mo). Lots of things have happened since my last appearance:

- I got a job with the biggest print organisation in Singapore. If you wanna look it up, it’s called ‘SPH’. I’m employed as a ‘journalist’, but I’m really a sub-editor. So the kinda tasks I do is proofread and tweak the reporter’s stories, do a little paragraph arranging, and basically be the last ‘line of defense’ to keep any mistakes out of the paper. The paper I work for is really a ‘mosquito press’ free tabloid that they give out at train stations and various distribution points, but hopefully I’ll be able to work my way up to the main broadsheet, ‘The Straits Times’. As an interesting note, this is one of only two media companies that publish newspapers (the other is Mediacorp). So really, we don’t have much in terms of media diversitfication or press liberties, and the hours (2 pm to 11 pm) are kinda odd, but I’m not complaining!

- I’ve resigned from my previous graphic designer job and said farewell to all my friends in Sydney. I also had the opportunity to meet up with Phileas aka Gabe in the city before my departure. Yes folks, he’s a truly remarkable person in real-life and every bit as cheerful and good-natured as you imagine him. We went to watch the (headache-inducing) battleship and hung out for coffee afterwards, so it was good to finally see him in-person. I also went for a family trip to Melbourne and with my friends to the Kiama Blowholes. I will miss the friends I made Down Under, but my siblings are still there, so hopefully I can catch up wtih them again in the future.

- I’ve moved back to Singapore, the country where I’ve spent my high-school years and half my life in. It’s kinda weird to be back in the same apartment from five years ago (although it’s a different unit) and basically play house-sitter for my parents (they’re moving back to our homeland, Malaysia), but hey, at least there’s no rent!

- I’ve got an iPad last Christmas, and an iPhone two months before that, both of which I’ve been eagerly downloading apps onto. These devices may not have the best specs (You should really go with Samsung or Acer for better value), but man, are there so many awesome games and apps to try! And nothing beats reading My Little Pony fanfiction on iBook!

- Speaking of which, I’ve been actively participating in the Brony community both in New South Wales and Singapore (the latter during my annual trip back). I’ve also appeared on EQD a couple of times (mostly cos’ I’ve been bugging Seth/pre-readers with my pony cameos in my former company’s magazine) and I hope to write some fanfiction or do some fanvideos over the next few months. Tonight I’ll watch Season 2’s finale, and then it’s many months of agony until the next season.

- My grandmother of 70+ years passed away on Monday in the presence of my parents. This is the wonderful lady who I will always remember giving me those cheek-sucking kisses and bone-crushing hugs as a kid and attempting to speak to us in Hokkien and broken Malay. She will be dearly missed, rest her soul.

So that’s pretty much it, a lot of things have changed, yet much of it has remained the same. I have big plans in the coming months - a relaunch of my Youtube channel (Prepare for a REALLY BIG REVEAL), some new video-editing programs I’ve been playing with, a couple of fanfics and fanart in the pipeline, and hopefully enough time and courage to pursue them. Here’s to a great summer ahead! :)

‘TEAM FRANCE’ by FlamebloodQuickblade. Not actual book illustration.

I’ve just borrowed ‘Empire of Ivory’ from the library. It’s the fourth book in Naomi Novik’s excellent series of a dragon and an Aerial Corps commander, set during the Napoleonic wars! And guess which French general who became emperor makes regular appearances throughout? Yeah, I sort of gave that away with the period description, didn’t I? Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, he has a dragon too. ;)

Anyway, yeah, I highly recommend Temeraire (that’s the series title). I think you might like it if you’re a history fan; one reviewer described it as “Patrick O’Brian with dragons”. Naomi Novik did her research, and she tells the Napoleonic wars through the eyes of Captain Laurence, a British naval commander-turned-reluctant-aviator and his dragon-in-arms Temeraire, as they literally journey around the world on epic missions and daring adventures. There’s political intrigue, there’s swashbuckling aerial dogfights, there’s some romance, there’s ethical dilemmas, there’s a great supporting cast, and of course, there’s the deep friendship that the two share (Temeraire, despite his size and strength, is pretty naive about life, and Laurence ends up acting as a father figure who teaches him about the world).

Each book can be read on its own, but preferably one should start with the first, “His Majesty’s Dragon”. Novik’s prose gets a little flowery at times, but the characterisations and scene descriptions make up for it. “Throne of Jade” is the ‘worst’ so far (the climatic seige at the end was quite over-the-top), but it gets better in “Black Powder War” when we see more of Napoleon and the introduction of another dragon character. I just started the fourth, “Empire of Ivory”, and I intend to finish it over the winter break. I think there’s about two more (“Victory of Eagles” and “Tongues of Serpents”) and there’s one more in the works.

There’s rumours that Peter Jackson may adapt “His Majesty’s Dragon” for the big screen, but so far it’s on indefinite hiatus while he’s working on the “Hobbit” and “Tin-Tin” first (and he mentioned he’s considering turning it into a TV series, which I hope for the love of Glaux he doesn’t). I would explode with joy if it ever gets adapted into a motion-picture; even before I knew that there were such plans, I felt the material is practically begging to be made into a Hollywood blockbuster. :)

2006 AICN interview
2009 AICN interview

I even drew a silly fanart piece that I entered into a ‘short story’ competition Novik held last year. It was a rush job, and there were much better entries than mine (there’s a whole community on dA), but I was proud to receive an email from her (even if it’s a ‘general email’ sent to everyone else, haha).

*end fan gush* Fantasy and historical fiction fans should definitely check this out.

I read news reports that Osama didn’t choose to surrender and fired back at the SEAL team. So I guess his execution was warranted in the justification of self-defense. I’m just a little skeptical that the U.S. government is not releasing any pictures yet (although I understand the nature of its sensitivity and how it might incite the extremists) and that they have conveniently dumped his body in the ocean (with proper funeral rites, of course).

Part of me wished that they had taken him alive so that we can seek answers to why he did his horrendous crimes. Maybe he can write a bestselling autobiography that will no doubt sell like hotcakes in insurgent camps.

I just wonder whether they could’ve captured him with non-lethal means. You know, like smoke his house out with an incapacitating agent before going in. I advocate non-lethal capture methods to reduce loss of lives, both of the suspect, and, as the poor woman who was used as a meat-shield has shown, innocent civilians.

The following is in response to two contrasting Pixar Planeteers’ opinions over Osama’s death:

“I’m glad that Osama isn’t out and about anymore. However, I’m sure he’s implaced a line of succession, and now I’m very frightened of counter attacks by Al-Queda.

Also, it makes me a bit sick how people are celebrating his death. Like, I’m glad he’s gone, but morally I feel like partying about it is strange. I know he was responsible for 9/11, and that’s unforgivable. I don’t know how to explain how I feel. I guess very conflicted! I hate to sound unpatriotic, I love the USA.”

- EJE

EJE: I wholeheartedly agree with you. While I certainly won’t be losing any sleep over the demise of this evil man, part of me wished that he was kept alive and brought to trial for his actions. That, for me, would’ve been a more satisfying punishment and demonstration to religious fanatics than simply making him a martyr.

Feeling for a human being’s death, no matter how despicable they are, is not unpatriotic, and certainly not ‘un-American’.

“Personally, I don’t see why we shouldn’t be rejoicing as Americans. This horrible man was responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans as well as countless others in his own country… Plain and simple, his death is a victory!

While normally I don’t find the death of someone a joyous event in any way, this is one, like Saddam Hussein’s, that’s worth celebrating. This could be the start of finally taking down Jihad and curbing the spread of terrorism!”

- little_chef

little_chef: I understand that his death is a victory for the brave American troops, and especially that Seal Team Six squad sent to eliminate him. And most probably for the Obama administration (although, like you have mentioned on Twitter, I also agree that he had little to do with the actual killing of Osama beyond continuing what George Bush basically started).

But let me ask you this: What if I had Osama unarmed and tied up in a room, and I gave you a gun with one bullet? This is the man responsible for millions of deaths, American and otherwise. But can you bring yourself to kill him, as a human being?

This was the decision faced by the Tier 1 team when they stormed his mansion. They had to take the life of a human being. And once you do that, you lose a part of your humanity. The ends may justify the means, but ask yourself: Can you really murder another person, and not feel guilt or remorse about it?

I only thank Allah, Jesus Christ and Buddha that I wasn’t the man who had to do the deed, and that his reign of terror has been brought to an end, whether he was dead or alive. The murder of a human being is nothing to rejoice about, even if he was the biggest ***hole on Earth.

When we condone the actions of killing a man, even if he is guilty, we are no different from the executioner who pulled the trigger.