I had just finished frying up my corn and cheese + boiling my ramen, draining it over the sink, when the unthinkable happened. I had an idyllic life before this. This can happen to anyone.

True forgot he's got a classic Asian "western name" where the parents choose stereotypical names of the host country: Nigel

The water is supposed to soak into the rice. If you put too much of it, of course you should strain it, but if you've gotten to that point, your rice is probably a pile of mush anyway.

If you try rice from your favorite Indian or Chinese restaurant, then compare it to your own cooking, you'll notice where most people fall short. The restaurant rice is exactly dry enough. Your rice is probably wet comparatively. People who are running rice through a strainer probably have porridge compared to the restaurants.