Something about the way you look tonight* - Elton John

SA: Why do you always look so scruffy? Scruffy Doo!

That comment was directed at me when i walked in late to a meeting on Friday night, messy haired and unshaven, with massive eye-bags.

Well, i wasn't insulted. After all, i'm not the first to be described as such!

Quotes from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back:-

Princess Leia: "Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder."
Han Solo: "Who's scruffy-looking?"

Looks like i'm in pretty good company, dun u think? ;-P

*I heard this song first when i bought the CD Single for his tribute to Princess Diana and i feel in love with this song!

Somewhere out there* - James Ingram and Linda Ronstad

Prologue: I was just going through my drafts folder and i found this post! I can't really remember why i did not post it up at that time. It is dated on the 4th December 2006! Anyways, better late than never. Just be warned - super spoilers ahead!

One of the benefits of living in London is that i have satelite TV!!!! Woohoo!!!! And altho my host doesn't subscribe to that many channels (no Sky Sports!!!!!!!! boo-hoo), there're still plenty of stuffs to watch.

Being a movie freak, i've been watching so many movies, movies which i've always wanted to watch but never got round to. Like K-PAX. Surely this has to be a brilliant movie - Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges together! And it was brilliant!

Spacey plays Prot, the character who alleges that he's an alien from planet K-PAX, somewhere out there! Bridges plays the psychiatrist who has to treat him.

The shades look familiar? According to IMDB, it's Bono's!!!
Poster obtained from www.moviemaze.de

I was so afraid of the ending - scared that it'd spoil the movie which just gets better and better. It could only end 2 ways - either Prot is a loony or he is an alien. But the thought of either leaves much to be desired. For me, anyways. If it is the former, it'd be such an anti-climax. But if it's the latter, it'd be too much of a fantasy... or would it. And either way, it'd leave many questions unanswered.

At the end of the day, the movie brilliantly resolves the issue. I was wrong - there was a 3rd way of how the movie could end - and how it actually did end. It left it to you to decide. You can conclude whichever way you want and still be able to support your view based on the info given to us in the movie.

Me? The dreamer in me would like to believe that Prot was indeed a space-traveller, and that he took Bess home because to her, she has no home on earth.

But at the end of the day, as a critic said, it doesn't matter if Prot was indeed an alien or not - what mattered more was what he does with his conviction and how he changes the lives of those around him.

I think that to be so true. We may be Malaysian or British or Singaporean or Burmese. We may be Chinese or Indian or Caucasion. We are all different in so many ways but what is truly important is what our conviction is - and what we do about it to change the lives of people around us.

*The theme song from the movie, An American Tail.

You're still the one* - Shania Twain

I love 'Have yourself a merry little Christmas'!!!! I love the tune - the moody feel accompanied by the optimistic lyrics. And perhaps one of the reasons why i love it so much is because it transports me back to Christmas of 2006! I even blogged about this song back then (see here). Without a shadow of a doubt, it was the best Christmas ever for me (see here)!

In fact, it was during the Christmas of 2005 when i first heard the Pretenders' version of this Christmas song - and i fell in love with it immediately! But it was in December 2006 that the song practically stayed with me everyday! Whenever i listen to it again, i could almost feel the cold winter again, the short days and long nights, living in Michael's room, hanging out with his flatmates, working on campus and then in a Chinese restaurant in town... :-)

Anyways, this time round, i started looking for more versions of the song. There's of course the original version by Judy Garland and the Sinatra's optimistic interpretation of it. I posted up a Katie Melua's version in the link above but unfortunately, it is no longer available on YouTube.

I also found versions by Jessica Simpson, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera and Coldplay. yet none of them impressed me much. Check out the long long list of those who covered this song here.

Some were quite good tho - and i've added them to the Imeem player in the side panel of this blog. There's the brilliant a capella version by Take 6. Really good stuffs. Diana Krall's uber-cool jazzy version is there too. And finally, LeAnn Rimes uses her wonderful powerful vocals to express the song so well.

Really wonderful efforts - yet, to me, the best is still the Pretenders' version. I love it the most. And it is no wonder that it is the first song on my Imeem player for y'all to enjoy (if you have a good internet connection!).

(Yes, i'm listening to it now as i am blogging this!)

*The song which won the Grammy for the Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1999, and one of my all time fav love songs!

Don't forget to remember me* - Carrie Underwood

"Happily ever after..." He scanned pages.

Rune said, "That's not the way fairy stories end. not all of them." She took the book from him and began thumbing past pages slowly. She stopped. "Here's the story of Diarmuid. He was one of the Fianna, the warrior guards of ancient Ireland. Diarmuid let an ugly hag sleep in his lodge and she turned into a beautiful woman from the Side, that's the other side, capital S - the land of magic."

"That sounds pretty happy to me."

"But that wasn't the end." She turned away and stared past her dim reflection at the city. "He lost her. They both had to be true to their natures - he couldn't live in the Side and she couldn't live on earth. He had to return to the land of mortals. He lost her and never found love again. But he always remembered how much he'd love her. Isn't that a sad story?"

Jeffery Deaver Manhattan is My Beat

*Her only country single which did not make it to no. 1 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs. I'm always reminded of me dad when i listen to this song.

I have a dream* - Amanda Seyfried

I have always dreamed of having a white Christmas. It has never happened. But I came so close!!!

My first Christmas in the UK, it was forecasted to be below 6 degrees on Christmas Eve night. It did not snow.

My second Christmas in the UK, i made sure the chances of a white Christmas were higher - i spent Christmas in Scotland. It did not snow. The irony was that while in (snow-less) Scotland, it snowed way down south east at my campus!!!

So i'm very excited when i read the news report about the cold snaps in the UK this weekend (you can read it here).

Snow in Scotland - pic taken from BBC News

The best part of course is the penultimate paragraph which reads as follows:-

Bookmakers William Hill have slashed the odds on snow falling on Christmas Day in London from 8/1 to 6/1 and in Glasgow the odds are 7/2.

Those are pretty good odds, aren't they?

Perhaps this is the year when my dream comes true?

My first ever experience with snow!

*This is the version found in the soundtrack of the movie Mamma Mia. Love this version!

Bridge over troubled water* - Simon and Garfunkel

It has been 1 week since the run. The bloodstains have been washed off, the wounds are dried, the blisters have healed, the aches are gone. I even did 5 km today without any problem.

But i think i better blog about it now or i'll never do it. It is something which is worth recording down, to be remembered. It was my first 25 km run. It was my first run which went over 10 km!!!

Yes, i'm talking about the Half-Marathon which i took part during the Penang Bridge International Marathon.

The bridge - across... and back!

It was a little crazy. I drove all the way up to Penang the day before, not having a place to sleep. Not that it mattered as i have to be at the flag-off place before 2 am if i were to drive there. But let me just get right to the run itself.

Before the race - lack of sleep but excited!

It was like a football match - a game of 2 halves! We had to run from the starting point to the bridge, over the bridge to the mainland, turn around and backtrack to the starting point. I had a really good half and a really bad one. Unfortunately for me, the good half was the first half!

For the first half, i felt that i kept up a good pace, non-stop. And i felt really good. Other than the annoying runners who were walking on the right side of the lane (they prolly drive the same - hogging the fast lanes on the roads while chugging along at a snail's pace - typical M'sian drivers), it was enjoyable. We were running in the dark but under the stars and a bright moon. Once we got onto the bridge, the excitement of actually running on the bridge took over. It felt great - and the sea breeze cooled me down a lot! I was so confident of finishing the race within the time set.

When i reached the mainland, i stopped running. I decided to walk a bit, not to push myself too much as there was another 12.5 km to go! It was then that Murphy's Law kicked in. I dun really wanna go thru the gory (and bloody) details - it would appear that i'm trying to hard to justify my poor showing in the run! But yeah, all the things which i had been concerned about actually happened!

We had the sunrise behind us as we ran back to the island

It was so bad that it came to a point that my spirit broke. I just gave up. No i did not quit the run. I just gave up trying to finish it within the time set. While i ran all the way none stop for the 1st half, i practically walked almost all the way back for the 2nd half.

I was just glad in some ways that i would have ran thru the pain - but for something which made it impossible for me to run without... making a real mess. Ok. Enuf said.

So i walked back and completed it at a really bad time. I was like the S'porean team in the Amazing Race Asia 3 - i just ambled my way pass the finishing line while others who had also been walking made sure they ended the race in some style and pride.

It was a painful end to the race - literally as well as to my pride. And later, it hurt when a "fren" was making jokes about my pain. But it was still a wonderful experience!

The experience of being on the bridge - the only time in the year the bridge is closed to vehicles and the only time in the year where one can run/walk the length of the bridge legally! And take photos too! :-)

Love this pic!

There were a lot of interesting people along the way too! There was this old man with a amputated hand - i was wanting to run next to him and give him encouragement but decided not to as i would prolly finish it slower than him! There were these 2 guys who ran with Santa hats - very festive! One guy was farting as he ran!!!! There had to be the lovey dovey couple who ran holding hands!!! The clothing was interesting - one wore jeans!!!! Another was in cargo shorts with belt and all! Others were running with basketball high cut shoes! A few were running with backpacks! There were a couple of clowns - literally! I myself wanted to run with the Madagascar head band - but did not as i bought it for me niece. And there were many who decided to use a 'short-cut' when turning back at the mainland!

Oh, special thanks to the dude who shared his counterpain with me on the bridge.

I found out later that there was some drama at the end of the full marathon where the Kenyan who finished first was disqualified as he shoved a fellow Kenyan on the way to the finishing line. Both fell over the advertising boards.

So that was my race. The water under the bridge was calm. The troubled waters in my race were the things happening to me during the 2nd half of the race. But the bridge over that troubled waters was the determination to complete the race no matter what happens, no matter how long. I was glad i did. And i know that i can only improve on the time i set.

*The song which won the Grammy for the Record of the Year and the Song of the Year in 1971, it was also the song which many felt led to the break-up of the singing pair.

The sound of silence* - Simon and Garfunkel

This just left me speechless! Pun not intended.



*Originally titled 'The sounds of silence', it was retitled this way in later albums. The lyrics has both the singular and plural version of 'sound'!

If I were a boy* - Beyoncé

Well, if she was a boy, then she'd realise how wrong she is now!

i won't apologise for the fact that the titled song for this post gets under my skin each time i hear it - which is pretty often these days on the local radio. Some of you will prolly ask me to chill - and perhaps, rightly so. It's just a song. It's not to be taken seriously. She's just messing around with the heads of ppl like me - and it's working!

Still, i can't help but be angered at the generalisation that is made regarding all men - or all boys! It is so unfair! If it is not bad enuf to make generalised criticisms of all of the male gender, she had the gall to praise all those of the female gender, saying that while men sleep around with other women, the woman will stay faithful and wait for him at home. I can name so many occasions of female infidelity.

It bothered me so much that during a class on gender equality/discrimination, i actually asked me students to look at the lyrics of this song. The lesson for that day was "Ignorance encourages prejudice and makes discrimination possible". It is this kind of ignorance illustrated in this song that encourages the kind of prejudice leading to discrimination.

Let's not make these kinds of generalisation. It is unfair. It is untrue. One rotten apple does not make the whole basket bad.

The irony in some ways is that the song is written by 2 men!!!! One of them is Toby Gad who also wrote the drivel, Big Girls Don't Cry.

Sigh... maybe i shud just learn not to take it so seriously!

Ok. I won't. In fact, here is a joke (i.e. not to be taken seriously) sent to me by 2 female students which i dedicate to Beyonce:-

Last month, scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer. Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption. The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain Phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women. To test the theory, 100 men drank 8 pints of beer each within a 1 hour session...

It was then observed that ALL of the test subjects :

1) Argued over nothing.
2) Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
3) Gained weight.
4) Talked excessively without making sense.
5) Became overly emotional.
6) Couldn't drive.
7) Failed to think rationally.
8) Had to sit down while urinating.

No further testing was considered necessary.

*The lead single for her 3rd solo album

Touch my body* - Mariah Carey

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.

Luke 24:36-40

The Bible makes it clear. Jesus was resurrected. He rose again from the dead. No, not like a zombie but he became alive again. It wasn't just his spirit which showed itself. He appeared in bodily form. He asked his (skeptical) disciples to touch him, to realise that he was indeed flesh and bones. He even ate with them.

Many today still deny his resurrection. Perhaps it is just due to a simple refusal to accept anything which is supernatural.

But as we studied the passages on the resurrection recently in BSF, i am reminded of how strong the evidence is in support of it. It is not out of blind faith that we believe. On the contrary, the Bible tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of what we do not see.

You too can have the same faith!

*Her 18th no. 1 single.

Hero* - The X-Factor Finalists 2008

*This cover version of Mariah Carey's song was released recently for the Help for Heroes and The British Legion charities. It went up to no. 1 early this month and is the fastest selling single for 2008.

Stay the same* - Joe McIntyre

So everyone was talking about 'change' since Obama became the new President-elect of the USA. That is a good thing. Change can be good - if it is to change from something bad.

It is almost a paradox but one can say that the only constant in life these days is change! And if it's for the better, then we should be pleased with it.

Last Sunday, i was reminded of one thing however that doesn't change. One thing that remains the same - yesterday, today and forever! The only thing that doens't need to change - how can you improve on perfection?

Yes, the Bible tells us that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).And that is so good to know! In this world of uncertainty, having witnessed recession, broken relationships, natural tragedies as well as those man-made, it is reassuring to be reminded that God's love will always remain the same - as strong and as powerful as ever. The well of his goodness will never run dry. The river of peace that he brings will always flow strongly. His love for us will always be like new every morning.

*The lead single from his debut solo album of the same title

The Bridge* - Elton John

Pic taken from www.asiaexplorers.com

I've seen the bridge and the bridge is long
And they built it high and they built it strong
Strong enough to hold the weight of time
Long enough to leave some of us behind

And every one of us has to face that day
Do you cross the bridge or do you fade away
And every one of us that ever came to play
Has to cross the bridge or fade away

And the bridge it shines
Oh cold hard iron
Saying come and risk it all
Or die trying
(John, Taupin)

So the time draws closer. Too soon, actually. Never really started a proper training programme. In fact, when i start running on Sunday morn, it'll be the first time i have run since last Thursday!!!!

It is daunting! I feel so unfit. So much fatter than when i ran my first 10 km run months ago. This run is 2 and a half times longer! 25 kilometers! Yes, i am taking part in the Penang Bridge International Marathon!

Why am i doing this? Someone please, please remind me?

Yet in some perverse way - almost masochistic even - i'm looking forward to it! Have driven over the bridge (or been driven over) many times. Now i get to run across it! And back!

Do i cross the bridge? Or do i fade away? I will risk it all (or die trying?).

Altogether now, "Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can..."

*The 1st single from his 2006 album, a nice stripped down song, focusing on his vocals and piano.

Strawberry fields forever* - The Beatles

So i finally watched it. I slept thru most of it, tho. No, no, it wasn't that bad!!! i was just too wasted. All those long nights took its toll. Even in the action packed scenes, i found meself nodding off!

So for watever little that i managed to catch - i was kinda relief when it ended, a little surprised, tho but found out later that this is the shortest Bond movie ever - i din think it is as bad as some people made it out to be. I din think it was good either! Yes, i'm talking of course about The Quantum of Solace.

I din really enjoy Casino Royale - despite the rave reviews and all. So i went into this not expecting very much either. And it din disappoint, i guess!

The jury is still out on Daniel Craig for me. I must admit that he is not too bad of an actor. He does the action scenes pretty well too. But is he a Bond? Please be reminded that i grew up watching Roger Moore as Bond. So that sorts of sets the standards of Bond for me. Roger Moore is Bond. He is cool, stylish, has a weakness for women and he is witty!

Daniel manages to pull off the cool and stylish parts at times - but he just does not have the looks for it! Compare him with Pierce Brosman. One of the most memorable scenes with Pierce for me was when he was on his 'Bond boat' speeding along the canals in London, his boat went underwater and as he did so, he was shown to be straightening his tie! Cool and stylish.

And wat happened to all all the wit in Bond movies? Even the villians are getting boring! Who can forget the classic lines in Goldfinger when Bond asks "Do you expect me to talk?" when threatened with a laser cutter, and the reply was "No, Bond. I expect you to die!" What about all the one-liners from Bond? Craig is just too serious - but tt's his character in these movies, isn't it? The darker side of Bond. I agree with a critic when he said he's getting a little tired of movies exploring the 'darker' sides of the characters. Where has all fun gone to? Batman was so boring in The Dark Knight.

The action was good, tho. Well, those parts that i managed to keep awake, anyways. The opening gambit was exhilarating. The running chase over the rooftops was pretty cool too.

Another saving grace for me is M. Judi Dench does a really good job at it, i must say. The hard as nails boss but - as Bond himself says - considers herself like a mother to him.

But tt's it. Even the villian is not as they used to be. Yawn!

Still, there was one thing which kept me awake in the QoS. To me, she lights up the screen whenever she appeared - which unfortunately wasn't very often.

The photo just doesn't do any justice to her screen presence - for me. There's this innocence in her character, her bright disposition, her no nonsense business like attitude that makes her so likeable to me. And her name! I love strawberries and i love Beatles. Enuf said!

I dun think it's any major spoiler to say that she will sadly not be appearing in the next Bond movie. Not as Agent Fields, anyways. What a pity!

I think it's her English accent that does it for me! ;-)

*The song which was named after a Salvation Army in Liverpool where Lennon played as a child.

Voulez-Vous* - ABBA

M: Do you want to buy the char siew pau for me?
Moi: Huh? Why would i want to buy for you???

For that simple innocent reply, the rest got on my case!!!! I was like why? What did i do wrong? Why did she suddenly ask me if i want to buy for her? Why did she think that i may want to buy for her???

Well, apparently - as i was enlightened by the rest - she was asking me if i could do her a favour by buying it for her as she had to go off!!!!

So i was accused for being mean, for being unhelpful, for not being able to understand the hint!

But if she wanted to ask me to buy for her, why can't she just ask 'Can you buy for me as i have to go off?' instead of 'Do you want to buy for me?'

Maybe i'm too dumb to think there is a difference in that!

*Basically means 'Do you want' in French is one of their hits from their album of the same name.

Drink with me* - Cast of Les Misérables

Drink with me to days gone by
Sing with me the songs we knew

Here's to pretty girls who went to our heads.
Here's to witty girls who went to out beds.
Here's to them and here's to you!

Drink with me to days gone by
To the life that used to be
At the shrine of friendship, never say die
Let the wine of friendship never run dry

Here's to you and here's to me

(Herbert Kretzmer)

Last nite was fun. Good food, chor tai ti, booze, laughter all around. Reminds me of the good old days at Rayleigh 11, the times spent with me flatmates over a drink - it can be a serious time of chatting and sharing, or just joking around and teasing, or dancing on the kitchen benches (the ceiling was too low for us to dance on the tables!).

Here's my tribute to those days.

*Taken from the musical Les Misérables, this was the revolutionaries' mellow song in Act II as night falls and they await their enemy's retaliation.

Anything is possible* - Debbie Gibson

It has been said that everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when unforgettable events in the world took place. I still remember clearly where i was and what i was doing when i learned that Princess Diana was killed in a car crash, when i trembled with fear as i watched planes fly into the twin towers, when i celebrated quietly at home at the sight of Liverpool winning the Champions League for the 5th time.

So i will also remember the day when i was in my Criminal Law class and the students were watching a clip from Star Wars seeing Luke, Han and Leia trying to escape from the thrash compacter. It was then that i received a text message from Shariza informing me of the historical news which took place across the Pacific.

Later in the week, I felt compelled to take 5 minutes from my lectures this week to talk about it - the only thing that everyone is talking about. No, not that Chelsea were thrashed at Roma. And no, not about High School Musical 3, nor about how the F1 season came to a thrilling end with the rightful winner installed despite efforts thruout the year to stifle his progress (one wonders if the 'F' in 'F1' stands for Ferari?).

It was about this man.

Having been on this terrestrial ball for almost 2 scores of years, witnessing this event is something which is so special and heart-warming. And at the same time, it wasn't something unexpected. The result was more of a relief that Americans can choose with their heads and not just their hearts.

Obama grew up in a segregated world - literally from the cradle to the grave with separate hospitals to separate schools and almost separate everything ending in separate cemeteries. But in his acceptance speech, he reminds his supporters that all things are possible in the USA.

And i echo the sentiments and apply it to everyone all over. All things are possible. It may take a long time to achieve. It will take a lot of sacrifices. Much effort will be needed. But nothing is really impossible. This should spur us on - my students, myself, everyone - to strive for greater things, to persevere when people pour cold water on our goals, to hope and dream when realists and cynics scoff at us, to be steadfast when faced with great opposition.

As Edward Everett Hale once wrote:-

I am only one,
but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do something that I can do

*The title track of her 3 album which still remains as my favourite album of hers.

Home* - Michael Bublé

Another summer day is come and gone away
In Paris and Rome
But I wanna go home

Maybe surrounded by a million people
I still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

Another aeroplane, another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believe in me

Another winter day has come and gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by a million people
I still feel alone
Oh, let go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done
I gotta go home
Let me go home
It'll all be alright
(Bublé, Chang, Foster-Gillies)

Home is where the heart is. I wish I could go home now...

*Taken from his no. 1 album, It's Time, this song has been well received and covered by many other artists.

The best of me* - Phil Perry

So are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean? (See here)

Different people react differently when faced with adversity. The past week have been a difficult one for a lot of us - the organising committee, the mooters, the coaches. It was interesting to see how some handle the pressure.

I believe that one's true colours will be revealed under difficult situations. When things are going well, it is easy for one to hold on to their masks, maintain their facade - be on their best behaviour, hypocritical as it can be. When the going gets tough, Dr. Jeckyl may turn to Hyde!

Someone whom we thought would be a good and responsible worker turns out otherwise, leaving the rest of the committee members having to cover up for her.

Someone who is supposed to be a polite goodie person ends up using language that would make a foul-mouthed gangster proud!

Someone who is supposed to be one of the top mooters end up making schoolboy mistakes.

Having said that, many others showed themselves to be a coffee bean - that when things are at their worst, they get better and change the situation around them. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest they elevate to another level.

Most of the student committee members showed that. The finalists showed their ability when pushed to the edge - only for them to not only stand firm but push back! These individuals did us all proud and displayed their best.

Well done!

The only regret is that i realised i'm not a coffee bean.

*This is the jazz remake of David Foster's pop song.

Uninvited* - Alanis Morrisette

Some people can have really thick skins!!!

When i entered the room for the debriefing session for all mooters and coaches, i was mildly surprised to see an unfamiliar face - and one that was all too familiar!

I found out later that the former was the boyfriend of one of the mooters!!!! What in the world was he doing in there? He even had the cheek to take a sit around the table leaving some of the actual mooters and coach having to stand.

This was a debriefing session for all mooters and coaches. We were supposed to share our views and be brutally honest so that the organisers can learn from whatever shortcomings there were, if any.

It wasn't the place for anyone to bring in their other half to listen to all the juicy stuffs. Did he not feel a little shameful, sitting there, listening in, taking the seat of actual mooters and coach? He had no business being there!

That was the 'unfamiliar' face. The 'familiar face' was just like the former - he was not a mooter nor was he a coach. He was basically a loser from the national rounds - that's how he was 'familiar'. Still, he was eliminated in the national rounds so he had no business being present at the debriefing session for the international rounds.

As if his presence wasn't bad enuf, he actually had to have a say in the proceedings!!!! What the..??? He had no locus standi to even be in the room. But he was thick-skinned enuf not only to be there but to participate!!!!

No, we kept quiet. No point raising it up at that point of time - no harm realy done anyways. And who knows - maybe the 2 were specially invited to join? I doubt so, tho...

*Taken from the movie City of Angels.