This article was published in the Singapore Straits Times on Monday, 30 August 2004 and accessed here.

Posted on August 30th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: WTO | No Comments »

Article published by the New York Times and accessed here.

Posted on August 30th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Regionalisation | No Comments »

AFP report published on 29 August 2004 and accessed here.

Posted on August 30th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Misc Notables | No Comments »

I’m hungry. It’s almost 20H. All I’ve eaten all day is a yam bun and half a moon cake. Meal times are the worse. That’s when you feel most alone. When the hunger pangs strike and you realise that previously, the dinner decision would have been made an hour ago and that you’d be on your way by now. Accompanied. I don’t relish the prospect of going out alone to find food to eat. Everyone else is busy - working, other plans, dating… And there’s no car.

The weekends just compound it. The house is quiet. There’s no one else at home. Where my mind would have been focussed on extra-curricular activities in a previous existence, when you are in a partnership, all that generally stops. Now I find myself with 48 hours and nothing prospective to do. No more long breakfasts while reading the newspapers. No more spending the afternoons in shopping centres, just walking about, holding hands. No more lazing in front of the television, leaning against each other. Now I find myself in front of the computer - hungry, alone, and staring at a blank screen.

The long quiet hours alone kill you. Not the hunger.

Posted on August 28th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Notable: Personal | 12 Comments »

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.

I’ve decided that it’s the right time to buy a notebook.

I’ve been looking at the so called “thin-and-light” models that come with approximately 12″ screens. From experience, screens that are smaller than that are far too small for me. While the machines would be extremely portable, I’m not sure that’s good enough compensation for my having to squint and risk making my eyesight worse.

On the other hand, I’m not sure that I want a machine with a 14″ screen - these are quite bulky and sometimes quite heavy as well. I don’t think I would carry a machine around if it’s too bulky and if I don’t carry it around, that would defeat the purpose of buying a notebook - I might as well just get a desktop. That said, I could still be persuaded, especially if it was the IBM T42, but I’m still hoping to find that ideal unit with a 12″ screen.

Oh. I definitely do not want an Apple.

Posted on August 27th, 2004 by jl
Filed under: Uncategorized | 23 Comments »