Tuesday, November 08, 2005
the strange things you see along orchard road...
i haven't been to orchard in a while. which is a good thing, because, after a while, you tend to notice how things have changed. like how stores that used to be there aren't around anymore. and how the christmas decorations look somewhat like chinese new year decorations. and how they have a row of photos currently on display along the road outside borders (which looks very lovely and depicts such beautiful, breathtaking scenery) but which states "original print! do not touch!" and yet, it's out in the open with nary a shelter in sight. i wonder what happens when it rains?but the most remarkable thing of all, i must say, is that while queueing up for a taxi outside far east, i happened to glance at the construction works currently ongoing (not a hard thing to do since i was waiting for like 15 minutes), and guess what i saw? stuff like "happening", "exciting", "interesting", and all those related words depicting how cool and funky the place will be after renovation. and amongst all that, i saw a phrase that completely stumped me. "high fidelity".
uhm.
okay, i might be wrong, but isn't fidelity like...being faithful to something? so...high fidelity is like highly faithful to something? which really doesn't exactly go with the other words there right? ok, but instead of blindly criticising, i accepted the fact that my english just plain sucks. and went to check the dictionary. and guess what? "high fidelity" is a noun! gosh. the things you learn everyday. so here it is, the definition of "high fidelity":
high fidelity: the reproduction of an effect (as sound or an image) that is very faithful to the original.
but then again, all things considered...it still doesn't make sense to me. i mean, not in relation to the other words there. but hey, i'm sure the designers and contractors and architects all checked the dictionary and the definitions before deciding on the words to put up. what'd i know. i'm just a lousy law student.
P.S. In a rare interview, Miss Kelly Neo from NUS Law School, had this to say to justify the phrase being there: "Many secondary school and JC kids come to this place, which means that there is a high chance of young couples hanging around here, along with the very real possbility of good looking guys and girls loitering in the area, thus giving rise to eyes and hearts wandering. So, in order to reassure the customers and to attract people to come, the phrase is there to affirm that as long as you shop here, your boyfriend/girlfriend will stay faithful to you and not stray from your side. Hence the term, HIGH FIDELITY." So there you have it, an analytical discourse of the situation from one of Law School's finest.
(i do hope i didn't misquote. too badly, that is.)
wen was dreaming at 12:32 AM