The TV issue.

Somehow, I'm still watching Lost. And it's true what they say; it gets better. (It gets a lot worse first, though. You might want to skip the whole of the beginning of the third season.) The scriptwriters are getting pretty good at making us believe these people were really ballerinas and con men and doctors before they crashed on the island, but really, we know where it's at. Yes, Lost scriptwriters, we know you've been lying to us. It was a plane full of models that crashed on that island. And Hurley was the pilot.

(Afterthought: This theory also explains how, despite the fact that they're all supposed to be wearing clothes taken off dead bodies and what not, they always look FABULOUS. Because they know how to choose the right dead-people-clothes for their figure and complexion. Good job, models!

Further afterthought: Actually, there's another explanation: Lost is an American TV show. The end.)

By the way, at this moment, there are three groups of people huddled around three computers watching different seasons of Lost. I love my job.

Besides Lost, I've only been watching a little bit of American Idol. Has anybody been watching American Idol? Can anybody explain to me why the contestants feel the need to whip out a guitar for every little thing? Other than proving that Americans can sing and play guitar at the same time. How very wonderful for you all. (Also, as the seasons progress, the whipping-out-guitar-thing gets faster and furious-er.) I don't think anyone really jumps out at me this season. I still think Adam Lambert was the best thing ever to happen to that show, but now he's kind of prancing around in codpieces, which is, well, see for yourself:

I know.

After reading about the US passing this revolutionary health bill, I've realised that I actually don't have a country to call my own, which is very sad. I have two passports, but because I don't live in either of those countries, I'm not really a citizen, and don't qualify for healthcare, or pension plans or voting. I could go back to those countries, but I don't think I would belong there as much as I feel I belong in Singapore, with friends and family and food (oh, the food.) At the same time, I don't think I would ever give those passports up for Singapore citizenship - it feels too much like closing off those options forever, and I don't think I could bear it.

The working definition of having a government seems to be having someone you can blame for everything wrong with your country, but I think it's nice to feel that, at the end of the day, they are kind of looking out for you, you know, with various complicated scheme things that I am not eligible for.

But really, guys, let's face it: there's only one reason you've all been just hanging around reading this, and it's not for my charming conversation. And by guys I mean Mel Wu.

So without further ado, let me announce the winner of Claire's Favourite Lost Character.

Vincent. I LOVE Vincent. Nothing dramatic ever happens to him, he just has a ball of a time on that island. He's always running around, looking happy and barking at things. And he loves everyone, even though they're always abandoning him or passing him off to be looked after by someone else while they escape or have love lives or die. Every time I see him I feel happy, and that's probably his purpose, because everything else goes wrong on Lost except Vincent. Vincent should have his own show. It would be called Lost and Lovin' it! or, you know, something else, because that name sounds bad.

"That's not just a bear... (ENDLESS PAUSE) ... that's a polar bear."

A guy in my office has been telling me to WATCH LOST because the rest of the office are all apparently dying of the awesomeness of season 6. So I got Season 1-5 from Lynn and am slowly trying to catch up. I've watched Lost before, and really liked Season 1, and then Season 2 was alright, but by Season 3 it was kind of TELL ME WHAT'S HAPPENING ALREADY. The new intrigues being introduced seemed to be in the hundreds but the answers were zero. It sucked.

Anyway, I'm giving it a second chance. Although halfway through episode 1 I realise: This is the series that made me terrified of flying, a horror that I've been trying to overcome since I first watched it and, oh dear, I am watching it again. The plane is being torn apart and people are screaming and dying and falling and my April Phuket trip suddenly seems like a death trap.