There is something vaguely Sisyphean about our struggles.

“The goal is to eventually have your shit sorted out so you can love someone just because they’re lovely and make you happy.”

“1. I like a peanut butter cup the moment I wake up. I’m not joking about that. The moment I feel myself coming out of sleep, I’ll open my mouth instinctively and expect a peanut butter cup. I get up at 6:30 a.m., 7.40 a.m., 8:13 a.m., and 8:22 a.m.”

I am now considering getting a helmet with a camera attached to it.

“I understand why top students – the A+ types – learn physics and calculus. I get why they study classic literature and the details of history. The kids in this brainy group are the future professors, scientists, and engineers who will propel civilization forward.

But why do we make the B students sit through these same classes? That’s like trying to teach a walrus to tap dance… . In our modern world, would it make more sense to teach B students something useful, such as entrepreneurship?”

A LiveJournal Community dedicated to tattoos with literary themes. This one is really smokin’, IMHO.

Prose poem, nicely done. The other submissions are very good too.

I see what you did there, The Star and Fridae.

(For the more obtuse among us, I’m referring to the journalistic angle/the way in which the media outlets approached the story.)

“Singaporeans are on the decline. And it’s time we roll up our sleeves and do something about it. No more dicking around. It’s time we look to the experts. And I don’t mean cheap dating agencies or waste-of-money Singapore Dating Network. I’m talking about the real experts – the zoos!”

Useful tips for writers, regardless of the mediums you write in.

I’m extremely fascinated by the imagery used in the Spanish phrases e.g. “A vos te chifla el moño.” – Your bow tie is whistling. (You’re crazy).

“In fact, there hangs the crux of the truth about human desire.”

“We want what we can’t have.”

“No, not at all. We want exactly what is right for us, though we are often shocked at what this means.

This had me LOL-ing for quite a while.

“…what was most important of that was that teachers never gave up on their students, believing that if the students made any mistakes, the teachers were the ones that failed the students, rather than the other way round… .

Such was their devotion that I benefited heavily from the continual guidance and attention of my teachers despite me failing numerous examinations. If I were in a neighbourhood school, I think I might have been considered as the one that failed the system, and not its victim.”

The blurb: “For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others can’t. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data.”

Phrases that announce you’re lying. (via)

How the human brain processes metaphors and why it might be useful to understand this.

The blurb: “The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity—and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending”. (via)

“Recently Burma has been in the headlines globally and much mention was made by the press of the fact that the people there hadn’t been able to cast a vote for two decades.

Two decades! I have met people on walkabout who haven’t voted for 40 years. As one woman told me, ‘I just want a chance to vote once before I die.’” (via)

– Oh my gosh… Damn sad lah.

“I first became properly aware that it was Transgender Awareness week when I stepped into my Introduction to Gay and Lesbian Literature class.

I walked in to see my normally dashing and charming professor dressed up as a woman. ‘The walk from Modern Languages to this building has never been so long,’ he began. ‘But I must say, the people on campus are extremely polite.’ Here, he mimicked a few alarmed side-glares and whispers. ‘Somebody even complimented me on my heels!’”

This makes much more sense than present designs. But we don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater – a countdown timer atop traffic lights at present should do the trick.

Two astute commentators pointed out that: (a) the graphic is missing a lighter, and (b) what about a Black Power fist? But still, it’s a very apt picture.

“On the way out the door she explains that I should lock both locks. I should pull the shade down halfway. I should level off one teaspoon of instant powder for her coffee. The thermostat is too low. The light in the hallway needs to stay on at night. She won’t eat oatmeal. I put too much food on her plate.

I am being calibrated. For what, I don’t know.”

A chart that maps out possible ogamies/the variety of intimate relationships that human beings have.