"It is the very last inch of us. But within that inch we are free."

Perhaps I should change the title of this blog, from the "Somewhere Only We Know" as you see above to "Post-Hazeline Rants". That's right, here I am, sitting in my small unlit room waiting for my hazeline to dry once again before going to bed. This seems to be the only time that I will pick my lazy ass up and update this little space.

It's been a busy few days, a far cry from the dazing and daydreaming afternoons when I first joined. Apparently William, my assistant manager, feels that it will be more efficient to split the SOX audit between the both of us in order to meet the end of July reviewing deadline. That means I will be handling the FAD processes for domestic operations all by myself, and that includes drafting the working papers, picking and testing samples and recording the results and whatnot.

Of course I've got an issue with this, like, wtf am I supposed to do and htf am I supposed to start? Wiliam's answer is that it will not be efficient for him to review as I proceed, so instead I will just go ahead and do whatever I think is right and sufficient and submit everything for the preliminary review by our director. If there's anything inadequate I can just add on after that. That also indirectly means that I probably will have to face a whole list of review points in August, which is exactly what I have been facing in GNS for the 5 months I was there. So there you have it, internal audit, external audit, SOX audit, it's all different but it's all the same.

My friends are all in Pulau Tekong now for their BMT while I'm still sitting in this office in Harbourfront staring at the Merlion. Sometimes I can't help but notice that I'm nearer to Sentosa than Pulau Tekong, in more ways than one. Should I feel happy or sad about it? There's this dark feeling somewhere that I'm just passing through the motions, looking towards a point in time that I could neither grasp nor fully comprehend. But then again, I think it's too ridiculous for one to put Pulau Tekong over Sentosa anyhow isn't it?

Downloaded and re-watched this 2005 movie - V for Vendetta, after reading about it at some forum. Damn, what a ride it turned out to be. I think I will re-rewatch it again tomorrow. It's got some tight quotes and the political situation in the movie seems to mirror that of a certain country which I'm sure all that have watched would invariably agree (*nods, that's exactly what I think too). The title of this post came from the movie too, which is a continuation of my msn nick. I'll leave you with some of the most memorable quotes that really made an impression on me. Until then.

From possibly the most articulate and political "superhero" ever, V -

"Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof."

"There is a face beneath this mask but it's not me. I'm no more that face than I am the muscles beneath it or the bones beneath them."

"Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent."

Evey -

"But who was he really? What was he like? We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world. I've witnessed first hand the power of ideas, I've seen people kill in the name of them, and die defending them... but you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love... And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man... A man that made me remember the Fifth of November. A man that I will never forget."

Valerie -

"It seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to no one. I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An inch. It is small and it is fragile and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must NEVER let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the worlds turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you, I love you. With all my heart, I love you. Valerie."