Me

2008-03-30T10:59:00.003+08:00

NS is pretty alright, minus the regimentation and the entertainment deprivation, it's not all that bad. For example, I get to meet people from all manner of educational backgrounds. Some of my section mates graduated or are studying for diplomas in Game Design, or courses in NAFA - Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

Very cool, stuff I wouldn't mind giving a try had I all that time back. Sure beats the theoryfest that is JC education.

So, bookout weekends are spent catching up on real life happenings, and of course World of Warcraft. My characters are extensions of my consciousness and it's almost as bad as being seperated from your Daemon. Well, almost. And who can forget the binges on soft drinks and favourite foods? Sure beats Tekong food.

Anyway... I skipped some because I'm lazy.

1. At what age do you wish to marry?
Doesn't matter, when I find the right one. But not before 30, and I want a successful career first.

2. If you have the choice between choosing a university course (or any learning course) that is of interest to you and a course that have great prospects, which will you choose?
Pretty obvious. The former.

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 buddies you would take with you?
A boat, a barrel of oil, and another barrel of oil.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Switzerland, Norway, Yosemite National Park, Space. It's a tie.

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
Hey, I can fly!

7. What are you afraid to lose the most now?
Freedom and innocence.

13. What is your ambition?
This one is simple, I will become a famous architect.

18. If you have a chance. Which part of your character you would like to change?
None.

19. Is there anything that you have done that makes you regret?
Probably not.

*20. What's your favourite food?

Chocolate Chip Cookies.

2008-03-13T20:11:00.001+08:00

Never forget.

2008-03-07T16:47:00.002+08:00

Ahem, without further ado. A for General Paper, B for Economics, D for Physics, and E for Mathematics and Geography respectively.

Now an A for GP is something I didn't really expect, since my essay was, in my opinion, not quite up to my usual standard. Nevertheless, it is General Paper and I should ace it with my eyes closed.

For the other subjects though, even I will admit to getting a rather nasty shock. Fortunately for me, the courses I intend to apply for are mainly design oriented and merely require a pass in the respective subjects, so I suppose I am lucky there.

All in all, 10 years in the science stream has rather dampened my enthusiasm toward subjects of that nature, and therefore I plan to apply for the following courses. All in NUS of course, I will consider no other academic option for now.

School of Design and Environment
- Bachelor of Arts (Architecture) or
- Bachelor of Arts (Industrial Design)

Barring which there is the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences which offers majors in English Language, Geography, and Psychology - to name a few that look interesting.

Three days till admissions officially open.

2008-03-06T19:24:00.006+08:00

A level results are out tomorrow, and I fully expect to receive satisfatory results, something along the lines of ABBC. This month's issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly Singapore had some adverts for art and design courses at NAFA. I'm probably going to end up studying something like architecture at NUS though. That's Singapore for you.

Well, speaking of Singapore, why didn't I have the fortune to be born in a lovely place like America? At least at this time of my life, I'd be out of high school, partying, preparing for university and happily playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl next week. Oh, and it has actual seasons.

Instead, I've got a piddly NAPFA test to pass next week, barring which I will have to enlist next Friday. That, and a promising career as some corporate cubicle rat, my life surrounded by acronyms such as ERP, CPF, and MRT.

Depressing, no? But what destiny wasn't worth fighting for? In this bleak grey metropolis I suppose I will have to fight tooth and nail to rise above the horde of mediocre peons that surround me.

Not impossible, merely very difficult. If the primodial slime could crawl out of the ocean to evolve into Humans, so will I rise above the sea of ineptitude that is Singapore. May as well start now.

2008-03-02T07:29:00.006+08:00

"The navigator punched up a chart and stared at it. 'Honourable sir?' he said.

'What is it?' said the captain testily.

'We seem to have a miserable instrument failure. Seabed in this area should be two hundred metres.'

'What of it?'

'I'm reading 15,000 metres, honourable sir. And still falling.'

'That is foolish. There is no such depth.'

'Ah, sir,' he said, 'it is shallower already.'

Beneath the thunders of the upper deep, Far, far beneath in the abyssal sea, The kraken sleepeth. And now it was waking up. Millions of tons of deep ocean ooze cascade off its flanks as it rises.

'See,' said the navigator. 'Three thousand metres already.'

The kraken is not amused.

'Er,' said the navigator, 'one thousand metres?'

The factory ship rocks on the sudden swell.

'Five hundred metres?'

And ten billion sushi dinners cry out for vengeance."

-Good Omens

2008-02-12T23:10:00.003+08:00

Just keeping in practice. Finished reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's 'The Shadow of the Wind', an excellent novel. Consequently, I'm now reading Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials'. Hope to get that one done before I enlist, it looks pretty good. Oh yeah, a literary panacea which I hope will stave off the brain rot that is NS.

2008-02-12T20:23:00.000+08:00

"Neither shall I expose how incredibly misogynistic and foolish army culture is. (It is what happens when you allow young boys take over authority and positions.) All the foolhardy jests about being a "man" and not a "pussy" (Get over that inferiority complex already, "guys") are starting to really annoy. But I suppose I shall also not talk about how uncultured and profane army kids are either"

This is from the blog of a friend of mine, and I quote it here because it already validates my preconceptions about the army.

Really now, men - and humans in general - disappoint me greatly, and if I have to choose between being stupid and being a pussy, I'm handing in my Y chromosome.

I have little to no respect for (tick as appropiate) [inspid] [foul mouthed] [chinese speaking] [male chauvinists], so I expect my patience is going to be sorely tested soon. Drudges of society, you are.

2008-02-10T06:02:00.001+08:00

I don't believe in god, but Shigeru Miyamoto comes pretty damn close.

Source.

2008-02-05T17:23:00.000+08:00

They should serve Koko Krunch for breakfast in the army. This is actually a very good idea. Not only does it have a great chocolatey taste, an entire platoon of men eating Koko Krunch is quite possibly the most emasculating thing in existence. Good to dampen those silly male egos, source of nearly all the trouble in the world. My fellow men, I'm disappointed in you!

That said, NS is going to be really boring, possibly the most irksome experience I will go through in my entire life. Physical activity, authoritarian atmosphere, no air conditioning, hell where do I sign up?!

Now If I were dense and illogical, I could at least comfort myself with little lies about how I'm growing up or learning life skills. Nope, can't do it.

Heh heh, if only it were that easy.

2008-02-01T08:30:00.000+08:00

It's like a door just opened out of thin air, you know. Like a zoo animal, waking to find it's cage door hanging slightly ajar, with the morning sun coming up, and the faint sounds of a world stirring.

Maybe it's the way the light comes through those leaves. Yes, it has to be that morning sunlight, turning the forest into a riot of greens and golds. There's just so much potential.

And you find yourself thinking, "Why not?"

2008-01-31T16:41:00.000+08:00

I am not going to concern myself with anything else for the next month. NS enlistment, A level results and everything else can go take a flying leap and stuff it.

Epic.

2008-01-29T06:07:00.000+08:00

Entertainment possibilities will shortly present themselves. We apologise for the inconvenience, but the world has not been as fun as it should have been - and now will be.

2008-01-29T05:23:00.000+08:00

"'Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt the leaf as legal tender, we have, of course, all become immensely rich.'

'But we have also,' continued the management consultant, 'run into a small inflation problem on account of the high level of leaf availability, which means that, I gather, the current going rate has something like three deciduous forests buying one ship's peanut.'

'So in order to obviate this problem,' he continued, 'and effectively revalue the leaf, we are about to embark on a massive defoliation campaign, and ... er, burn down all the forests.

The crowd seemed a little uncertain about this for a second or two until someone pointed out how much this would increase the value of the leaves in their pockets whereupon they let out whoops of delight.

'You're all mad,' explained Ford Prefect."

-HGTTG

"The best part of the chocolate chip cookie is the chocolate chip and not the cookie. That is why, volume wise, there is less chocolate chip then there is cookie."

-As lucid as I'm going to get at this time of the day

2008-01-17T18:19:00.000+08:00

"A nebula is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen gas and plasma. It is the first stage of a star's cycle. In these regions the formations of gas, dust and other materials 'clump' together to form larger masses, which attract further matter, and eventually will become big enough to form stars." -Wikipedia

Our ancestors envisioned an aeolian universe, and longed to listen to the 'music of the spheres'. They may not be faulted for thinking as such, as these marvels of nature do indeed bring to mind the whalesong of the deep oceans.

As Douglas Adam's wrote, "The deep roar of the ocean. The break of waves on further shores than thought can find. The silent thunders of the deep,"

Beautiful, isn't it? This is Singapore's great failing - the sky is so polluted you don't get much to look at. In Hawaii, I could lie on the beach and gaze up at a sky - no - an ocean of stars. Their sheer multitude giving the sky a depth that I could not have previously understood.

It is the only time in my life I can remember being awed into silence, and also why, gods be damned, I hold science and our universe in the highest regard.

2008-01-16T23:45:00.000+08:00

Oh snap!

2008-01-16T15:06:00.000+08:00

"The history of every major galactic civilisation tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Enquiry, and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases.

For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question How can we eat?, the second by the question Why do we eat?, and the third by the question Where shall we have lunch?"

-HGTTG

2008-01-13T18:44:00.000+08:00

"'What precisely what is you wanted, madam?' she said. 'It's just that I've left the class doing algebra, and they get restless when they've finished.'

'Algebra?' said Madam Frout. 'But that's far too difficult for seven-year-olds!'

'Yes, but I didn't tell them that and so far they haven't found out,' said Susan."

Insofar as most current education systems may be deemed dated and mundane, it should at least teach us that in the presence of overwhelmingly stifling incompetence, it is always better to get the job done yourself.

And better yet, when you surpass the limits that society has been bred to adhere by, you may find that - oh snap! - there are no limits at all.

I might add that from then on, life is like one big party, and it's not even midnight yet.

2008-01-11T12:54:00.000+08:00

By the way, guys' slack time before NS isn't all it's cracked up to be, trust me. Don't wait till you graduate before you realise how fun school was, and blog a long emotional heartfelt essay about all the good times you had cramming for exams, overnight stays in school, ad infinitum. Trust me on this! I realised this early and am glad of it.

Look at the blogs of your other seniors. You know how there's a tendency to look back fondly on how you got through all those little crises, planned hectic CCA events with your friends? Well no shit, because it's true, stuff like that really is fun!

Better to realise you're having fun while you're still doing the thing that you would otherwise realise - too late - is fun. Only this time - after reading this - you will already have realised that it's fun, won't have to wait till you graduate till you realise it, and will proceed to enjoy the fun right bloody now.

You know how in those movies and stuff, people always realise things like this too late? When the bus with the girlfriend is moving off, when high school prom night comes, when you need to pee and the movie is ending? Well congratulations, now you know and it's not too late!

Gosh! Have fun, you lucky, happy people.

2008-01-11T12:23:00.000+08:00

"The Olympic aspirations of Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter from South Africa, may end soon. Track and field's world governing body is expected to announce that he is ineligible to race against able-bodied athletes because his state-of-the-art prosthetics give him an unfair advantage." - The Straits Times, Friday, January 11 2008

"Director of rehabilitation engineering services at NHS Lothian in Britain, David Gow, believes his new i-Limb system (bionic arm, hand combo) from Touch Bionics is so superior to biological limbs that it may have to "scale down its power." - www(dot)medgadget(dot)com

All this news is really very excellent. As you know, I intend to live forever. Hopefully before I die, scientific knowledge will advance to the point where it can ethically prolong my existence.

It's akin to a technological plateau of sorts. Miss it and you're gone for eternity. All you have to do is make it to that era alive, and who knows what the universe has in store for you? I want to see the future. That future.

Think me greedy do you? Selfish? Hell naw! At least I'm not wishing for a magical candyland in the sky, where you eat, drink, sing songs and play mahjong forever and ever. Get off any moral high ground you may have claimed, it's fundamentally the same concept.

All humans are cursed with sentience, and with that sentience comes an awareness that one's existence is finite in length. Ah, to be human. I think, and therefore I am troubled.

2008-01-10T18:11:00.000+08:00

You know how dreams can sometimes be weird. Well sometimes they go right past that, out the other side and into the realm of very odd. Take last night, my subconscious was treated to a music video rendition, and my perspective panned around the performers like a camera.

Now that's all well and good, but the point is, I'd never seen or heard it before. Where did the tune come from? Hell, where did the lyrics come from?

Perhaps not surprisingly, I woke up with a splitting headache in the left side of my head. I suppose that's where the creativity node is situated - if only I could find a way to turn it on at will.

2008-01-07T05:40:00.001+08:00

In Wipeout Pulse, you can create your own customised ship skin and download it to your PSP. I wish I could claim credit for this masterpiece, but some other ingenious chap made that. I may work on one as a little project of sorts.

2008-01-07T05:17:00.000+08:00

"So I died and I went to that place in the sky. Contrary to popular belief, it looks a lot like Terminal 3, complete with restrooms and vending machines.

It was all well and good, until god came up to me and announced he was going to smite me for being a heathen. Would have, too, if Zeus hadn't come along and said he was going to personally turn me to a lump of ash first, for not sacrificing a white animal over a raised altar every Friday. Even his dad Odin came to get a word in edgewise.

There was no end to it, and soon there were tons of gods and deities all clamouring for my head. Adjassou-Linguetor, Baron Samedi, even dead Cthulhu from deep dark R'lyeh.

And so it was that in trying to kill me, everyone killed everyone else first, and I had the place all to myself. I whistled for a cab and when it came near, the license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo home to Bel-Air!"

I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8, and I yelled to the cabby yo holmes smell ya later. Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air. "

2008-01-06T00:35:00.000+08:00

I made myself a new desktop wallpaper since I'm pretty free these days. I like how it turned out. The Wipeout franchise has been around for a decade or so, and it will always have a special place in my heart. It's also pretty safe to say that it has defined the racing genre, along with other notable games such as Nintendo's F-Zero.

I could list all the reasons why it's awesome, but if you were the sort to care about such things, you'd probably know them all already. So I won't bore you.

Back when I started this whole gaming thing, I got my first console, a PS1 and - lo! - a copy of Wipeout 2097. I like to think it has shaped the way I approach things ever since, because the franchise is well known for being unforgiving. It's not easy to master, but damn it's good when you finally do.

So I taught myself to learn fast and effectively. You rewire your brain on the spot, training your synapses to fire faster and faster. I'd say it's about as difficult as learning to play the piano. Hey, I would know. I've done both. Either this game is really hard, or playing the piano is really easy. *Hint, it's both.*

Anyway, some friends of mine will be enlisting pretty soon, some next week even. Same here, although for me, 'pretty soon' means sometime in March. Good luck to you all.

2008-01-04T15:33:00.000+08:00

So there have been a little too many cases of NS men dying. How irksome, because on top of wasting 2 years of my life, their going to make it dangerous as well. Well shit.

Now, I'm your average amiable Atheist, but if I do meet my untimely end in NS, I promise you I'll rewrite the laws of Physics on the spot and reincarnate as the unholy howling physical manifestation of Vengeance.

I'm too important to die just yet, and I intend to live an extremely long life during which I provide valuable contributions to the world. My existence is thus far more valuable than some worn rhetoric about obligation to country.

You heard it here first! Look for natural disasters and meteor impacts approximately 15 minutes after my obituary hits the papers. I will hit the north side of Singapore first, since I don't want to damage the infrastructure of the CBD and cripple this lovely country.

I will haunt every single army camp until the whole foolish business is canned, Singapore will then redirect valuable land and resources into research into genetically engineered Pokémon. After all, why recruit conscripts when you have an army of Dragonites, AMIRITE?

Said army camps will then be called 'Safari Zones', and I'll be having a good laugh up there.

2008-01-02T07:09:00.000+08:00

Well, 2008 has begun and so I'm going to set down one very simple goal. More accurately, it's a restatement of something I have always lived by. This way, it's official, see?

I intend to be imbalanced in everything I do. In everyday English, "imbalanced" refers to a supernatural level of proficiency. That is to say, totally mad skills. Any game, any vocation, hobby, task, or embuggerance - no problem at all. The first one is - of course - very easy, the latter few, merely slightly difficult. So that's 2008 all sorted.

I have always prided myself on being good at stuff I happen to try, and I intend to keep it that way. It's a good habit - does wonders, and anyone can try it.

That said, I am still enjoying Wipeout Pulse, awaiting with anticipation the release of the acclaimed Brawl. Also, finished watching lots of anime. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and, as of 30 minutes ago, Elfen Lied. Yes I'm late, but it's awesome viewing all the same, and still early in the year so I suppose it cancels out.

Things to do, draw, and accomplish - there better be, because if there's one thing I hate, it's being bored.

2007-12-30T17:05:00.000+08:00

In my treehouse of a room it's currently raining. It's also pretty damn sunny, that time of the day where the sunlight is golden. Which means I've got glistening leaves sticking to my windows and bloody brilliant sunlight coming through them. When the weather goes apeshit crazy, it means everything is absolutely perfect.

It's the kind of scenery that makes people want to believe in god. Oh well, it just makes me want to believe in me.

Wish I had a camera. Oh wait, I do.

2007-12-27T20:46:00.000+08:00

Holidays are fun and not boring at all. My house currently houses various wonderful electronic gadgets not limited to a Wii, Xbox 360 and a PSP. My fridge has become a sacred cornucopia of sorts, and appears to be chilling out with assorted bottles of Coke, chocolate chip cookies, lousy normal chips and copious numbers of boxes of Pocky. I don't want to get started on all the anime in my computer and the books I have to read.

Yes, so much to do, so much time to do it.

*Oh, and for those who don't know yet, just a few hours ago Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide bombing. Bah, and just when I thought things were getting better in the region. I reckon it's something in religion.

2007-12-22T09:08:00.000+08:00

Hello hello, I am your job applicant.

I pilot anti-gravity racing craft for a hobby. Previous satisfied employers include EG-X Technologies, Japan based AG Systems International, and more recently Federal European Industrial Science And Research (FEISAR). Reflexes and spatial awareness are top notch.

I also kill dragons. Big, ugly, evil, mean dragons. They always seem to drop a useful piece of loot or two, which I use to kill even bigger dragons. You could say I would be adept at ascending the corporate ladder.

Did I mention I was a team player? I've lead the Ancients to their 37th consecutive victory against the Scourge.

In this grey world, I'm sure many of us are overqualified for the jobs we eventually seek to obtain. I never let my schooling interfere with my education, and I'm not going to let that education culminate in me becoming a pencil pusher or just another cubicle rat.

But of course, I'm a world class procrastinator as well. Because how exactly I'm not going to let that happen, I'm still deciding how. Vexations!

2007-12-16T15:42:00.000+08:00

I've recently gotten my hands on Wipeout Pulse, and it's as good as I expected. Gameplay is the same fluid awesomeness, and graphics are an improvement over Pure. Track design is also stellar, from 360 loops to 90 degree vertical descents. Best of all, online play works without a hitch and any noticeable lag.

You know Arthur C. Clarke's famous third law?

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

It goes for gaming too.

"Any sufficiently skilled player is indistinguishable from a hacker."

It's magic!

2007-12-13T22:31:00.000+08:00

Now alcohol, I don't like it very much at all. I mean, people drink it, puke, crash cars, I could go on forever. Am I supposed to believe they are having fun? What's the point of doing anything if you're not going to get some fun out of it? Even studying is an investment, so I can get a good job and have even more fun.

Not the pseudofun to be derived from stupid acts of machismo - real fun, real enjoyment. It doesn't even taste good. Coke, I can relate to. It tastes good. As a general rule, one should only drink things one would like another gulp of.

Anyway, what about games? I somehow am really, really (really) good at them. Not something I'm overly proud of or anything, just saying because it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Really now, I want someone to, just once, get me to feel exasperated and outmatched. I want to be awed silly, I'm serious. I want to have someone I can aim to surpass. Still looking.

Is that the draw in religion for some people? Me, I'd only find the knowledge that god existed comforting if I knew I could kill him and do a better job myself.

2007-12-10T23:14:00.000+08:00

2007-12-10T19:53:00.000+08:00

Guys are not really wired for shopping. We prefer to find what we want and make a clean escape. All this mucking about with the crowd and being held up by random slowpokes just gets me miffed.

Anyway, Club Med was very fun. Highly recommend their Bintan village to anyone that has a few days to burn and an urgent need to be away from Singapore. For those who aren't familiar with them, they have a very unique approach to holiday getaways.

Basically, it's a self contained resort with copious amounts of sports amenities depending on the locale. Here it's stuff like tennis and archery, while in Japan they have ski lodges. You get vacationers from all over the world, everyone is really friendly and it's one happy utopian society.

Really hard to fully describe the experience. Go look up Wikipedia, you won't be disappointed.

2007-12-04T05:55:00.000+08:00

Hope my friends are having a great time in Bintan. Will be headed there too with my family tomorrow, back Sunday. Cya.

Link.

2007-11-29T18:18:00.000+08:00

Whoa, where did that come from? It's a frame for something, I haven't figured out what.

Unfinished business.

2007-11-29T08:25:00.000+08:00

I'm reading famous (infamous?) Atheist Richard Dawkin's book 'The God Delusion' right now. While I pretty much just want everyone to be rational and get along, he's about as militant an Atheist as you will find.

It's a well written book, and he systematically makes mincemeat of those poor buggers. I suppose that's why it's drawn the ire of some of our religious friends overseas.

*Hellgate: London is fun as expected. Really strikes a chord with me since it shares a theme with my favourite book 'Neverwhere', by Neil Gaiman. Yeah, it's London Below again, sewers and all, except this time you've got lots and lots of guns.

2007-11-28T09:34:00.000+08:00

In retrospect, it feels like a long time ago. T'was walking down some quiet road in the early morning with a girl. We always seemed to get along well. Rather better, in fact, than one would expect from normal friends. Yeah, you know what I mean.

And we were just talking, enjoying the morning. For a moment, just a moment, I felt like taking her by the hand, or something like that. I didn't.

Hey, this is Singapore we're talking about. She might have screamed, or at least been affronted. Things are much better in America, where the culture is more liberal and open.

Life isn't like Hollywood, you know. There isn't a scene where the clouds part, the man proposes, and the woman magically accepts, all in one perfect moment - complete with violins and an atmosphere of general romance.

Hah! If only it were that easy. It's possible of course, but you have to fight for moments like that, because no one is going to hand them to you.

Carpe Diem, as they say. Seize the day.

2007-11-26T17:49:00.000+08:00

Dredged up from the recesses of the internet. Yes, it's a photoshop, but I can dream, right? Right?

Anyway, I've found Galaxy's musical score to be very exemplary. Sample. Warning, mild spoilers.

2007-11-25T17:35:00.000+08:00

I sort of miss living in a place where you get to see actual seasons. Romping through the leaves in Autumn is joy like no other. I should like to do it again.

All images courtesy of dA. Here, here, and here.

2007-11-25T07:22:00.000+08:00

"This project, in theory, afforded an upper-middle-class academic like myself the opportunity to build bridges with those of a culturally dissimilar background, enabling both me and them to gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the other's unique perspectives and experiences."

You recognise it too, right? It's crap. Splitting simple words into needless obfuscations, grammatically sidetracking fogs of literary obsolescence. There, a textbook example.

It's not all bad, except when the crap starts to matter. Fine, smoke through an essay or two, who cares? But the government? In their infamous rap video, our MDA proclaims, "We classify media to give you a choice."

Let me translate that for you. In essence, it means they will slap ratings on media, like M18 and PG13, so.. actually I'm not sure where the element of 'choice' comes in. I suppose now you can 'choose' not to watch M18 movies because - surprise! - you're not 18!

Anyway, for your information, the text in italics comes from an Onion article. It's followed by, "Nope. Didn't happen. I did, however, have a lot of empty bottles thrown at me through missing windows." There's the Truth, and there's Real Life.

2007-11-25T06:23:00.000+08:00

"'I know about sureness,' said Didactylos. 'I remember, before I was blind, I went to Omnia once. And in your Citadel I saw a crowd stoning a man to death in a pit. Ever seen that?'

'It has to be done,' Brutha mumbled. 'So the soul can be shriven and-'

'Don't know about the soul. Never been that kind of a philosopher,' said Didactylos. 'All I know is, it was a horrible sight.'

The state of the body is not-'

'Oh, I'm not talking about the poor bugger in the pit,' said the philosopher. 'I'm talking about the people throwing the stones. They were sure all right. They were sure it wasn't them in the pit. You could see it in their faces. So glad it wasn't them that they were throwing as hard as they could."

-Small Gods

2007-11-24T03:31:00.000+08:00

2007-11-22T02:54:00.000+08:00

*Galaxy gameplay review - brilliant. The trend in games nowadays seems to be messing with physics. There's Portal and it's Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, and in Galaxy you- well let's just say you walk all over the walls and upside down. Oh, and it has a really good soundtrack - my parents loved it.

There's no way I can continue without borrowing some choice expletives, so I'll stop right here. Really, if you can, get your hands on the game and try it out. Seeing is believing, and very, very, awesome.

End of days

2007-11-21T03:31:00.001+08:00

A levels are over and done with for good this time. Nothing really much to say, so there's some music up there to sum it up. Take from it what you will.

Anyway, went downtown with the usual crew because what's the last day of school without an outing? Surely you can't say "Oh, I went home after my last paper." We ended up watching The Game Plan, which turned out to be pretty good, despite me being traditionally adverse to feel good movies.

Good times. Why am I writing this at 3 am? Because I was playing Galaxy outside all this time. In fact, it looks like I have to get back right.. about.. now!

2007-11-19T17:14:00.001+08:00

Despite the extremely demanding task of studying for my last paper, Physics paper one, I managed to find the time to take Super Mario Galaxy for a test drive. Yup, bought a Wii today.

The console itself is quite impressive, detected my household wireless connection without a hitch at all. And the best thing about it is my parents seem to like it. "Can I play?" is way better than "Oh, is that another gaming thing?"

So that's that. Last paper tomorrow and I am free. Camp and chalet on the 29th of November and 5th of December respectively. Oh yes, holiday season is coming and I must say it's looking pretty damn awesome from this side.

I hope you all are having as good a time as I am!

*Pictures when I get my phone back, left it in the range.

2007-11-18T00:04:00.000+08:00

I'm really starting to dig this post A levels lifestyle. As you can see I'm currently playing Final Fantasy Tactics on my computer via emulator, and I'm gonna buy a Wii come Monday. Hot damn!

I'm in real danger of forgetting I still have one more (inconsequential) paper.

2007-11-16T18:18:00.001+08:00

With the As out of the way, I finally have time to visit The Onion again. It's a great faux news site.

Case in point, this article.

Also,

MySpace Outage Leaves Millions Friendless

"I've just been wandering in and out of my cubicle in a daze, not knowing what to say and who to talk to," said Upper Darby, PA data-entry technician Patrick "Smiley457" Mancuso, 31. "I thought about asking someone at work or in my apartment building if they'd join my friend group. But how am I supposed to tell which ones I will like and which ones I won't? It's too overwhelming."

"Without an 'About Me' section, I've lost all sense of self," said Imbrescia, 17, who depends on the site to convey his innermost thoughts to millions of extended-network friends. "Do I want kids? How tall am I? What's my body type? These are questions I can't answer anymore.

Self-Help Lecture Attendees Surprised To Hear Speaker Was Once Just Like Them

"I figured I'd never have anything in common with such a confident go-getter, but then he said he used to be unhappy and unmotivated, and I thought, 'That sounds exactly like me!'" "The only logical conclusion is that if I do everything this man tells me, I will find the same success he found," said Dwyer. "I'm going to start today!"

Ah, satire.

2007-11-15T20:11:00.000+08:00

In the Straits Times today there was an article on how continuing to dam the Mekong river would cause thousands of people to be displaced in Thailand. Also, some financial news about oil prices hitting $100 a barrel.

Odd, because those are prominent topics for Physical Geography and Economics respectively. The latter of which was mentioned in my H1 paper. Yeah, it feels funny that now that the As are over, information like that just loses it's importance to most of us. I find it's always good to keep up with news like that, it's like meeting an old friend.

Speaking of old friends, most of my notes are now at the bottom of a cupboard in my room. Strange, really, but I'm kind of sad to see them go. If you asked me, I'd trade 2 years of NS for another 2 years in NJC. Yeah, I like studying that much, it sounds silly coming from me but it's true.

Mekong what?

*It's not about the studying really, it's the environment and the people you meet. Can't say much for some of the administration, but I'm really going to miss you Shooting Club folks.

2007-11-14T02:27:00.000+08:00

Super Mario Galaxy gets straight As. An omen, it is. Anyway, the one on top is from some foreign magazine I presume, second one is straight out of Wikipedia. I am so digging this game right now.

2007-11-13T11:01:00.000+08:00

"About 120 years ago, Mme. Cadolle figured out that it made more sense for women's breasts to be suspended from above than cantilevered from beneath. That is, she invented bra straps. so instead of walking around wearing the lingerie equivalent of the London Bridge, women could slide themselves into a Golden Gate. This was a huge relief - as anyone who has worn a strapless bra can tell you - because the London Bridge pretty much always falls down."

Haha oh gods, in Time magazine, no less.

2007-11-12T04:05:00.000+08:00

Since everyone seems to be doing it, here's what I'm going to do after the As.

#1 - Things to buy (Gaming) - Wii, Super Mario Galaxy, WipEout Pulse, Hellgate: London(?). Immediately or when they release.

#2 - Things to buy (Others) - New coloured pencils! Probably Prismacolor from Artfriend if they have 'em. And lots of paper, I got a feeling I'm going to need it. Also books, all the ones I put off buying because I was too lazy to go downtown. And clothes, because of #3.

#3 - Go out and party. Hey, why is this #3?!

Anyway, it's 0445 and I haven't slept yet, just don't have the mood for it. Been drawing on my wall as part of a mini-experiment - on just how observant to change people are, and how nice I can get it to look.

So far, so good, there's a bit of it up there. For those who can't figure out what it is, let's just say that racing is a lot more fun in the 23rd century.

It's a work in progress and it's going places. Hell yeah!

2007-11-11T22:28:00.000+08:00

You know how people always want to be the best in everything? King of the hill, they want to be. So everyone really looks forward to the view at the top of the mountain, and they climb, with zeal and gusto.

And then, about a quarter of the way up, some people forget a thing or two and turn back, or just don't acclimatise properly, and give up.

Halfway up, it's getting sodding cold and with hypothermia setting in, perhaps the view from Camp Two isn't so bad after all. With the summit looming ahead like so many thundering skyscrapers, they decide to stop.

And, of course, there are the lucky few who persevere. If they haven't been eaten by a yeti or squashed by a penguin, congratulations and welcome to the summit! To find out that the view, while awesome, isn't really as nice as the one they imagined.

But why am I saying all this? I'm the one going up in a jet pack.

Ha hah! I'll be chucking so many metaphorical rocks at them from the International Space Station, just like my pal Mario up there.

2007-11-10T18:07:00.000+08:00

Click for full size.

You know, there are times in life where you just have to stop and wonder. It's one of those days, or that time of the day where the light comes in at just the right angle to illuminate the dirt and grime of the city.

Some lady wrote into the Straits Times to complain that the Hellgate: London advert in Today was too realistic and gave her a shock. Yeah London is burning, boo hoo. Perhaps my GCE papers will go up in flames as well. Get a grip, godsdamn.

In the Philippines, contraception is frowned upon by the religiou- yeah whatever, you knew it was coming. Now I've just about had it. It's all well and good to believe that life is sacred and all that, but people die or live in poverty because you encourage every damn person to multiply like rabbits. Rabbits!

*Is this how villains are born? Because after witnessing so much perceived nonsense, chucking a thermonuclear device into the atmosphere doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

**I can almost understand how those medieval religious nutters felt. Replace 'perceived nonsense' with 'those wretched heathens' and 'thermonuclear device' with 'bloody crusade'.

See, we're all Humans after all, it's the same impulse. Well then you coelacanths, just bring it!

2007-11-08T07:11:00.000+08:00

Events that transpired during the execution of one Agnes Nutter, witch.

"A howling mob, reduced to utter fury by her habit of going around being intelligent and curing people, arrived at her house one April evening to find her sitting with her coat on, waiting for them.

'Ye're tardie,' she said to them. 'I shoulde have been aflame ten minutes since.'

Then she got up and hobbled slowly out of the cottage, and on to the bonfire that had been hastily thrown together on the village green.

'Gather ye ryte close, goode people. Come close untyl the fire near scorch ye, for I charge ye that alle must see how the last true wytch in England dies. Gather ye ryte close, I saye.

Thirty seconds later an explosion took out the village green, scythed the valley clean of every living thing, and was seen as far away as Halifax."

There was much subsequent debate as to whether this had been sent by God or Satan, but it may have been helped by the contents of Agnes's petticoats, wherein she had with some foresight concealed eighty pounds of gunpowder and forty pounds of roofing nails.

-Good Omens

*I can't help but smile very time I picture this.

2007-11-07T16:58:00.001+08:00

"The Spelling Club of Hogwarts had changed their weekly meeting location again, and I, as a new initiate, had no idea where it was. So I took my flying pillow and looked around Singapore for it. It wasn't on the roof of Takashimaya, nor was it in the Fullerton, or Treasure Island - where the light and dark pirates switch their vigil every 12 hours, at 7.

It turned out to be at the top of a towering skyscraper under construction, in the heart of the CBD, all green and dark metal. So I ascended it, vaguely enjoying the thrill of flight, only to find that the top had been rigged with explosives and the meeting had ended."

I'm guessing that this one drew inspiration from Mario Party, WipEout, high technology, and, understandably, the Harry Potter series. What in the world do I do to deserve such dreams?

I want more of 'em!

2007-11-05T19:56:00.000+08:00

Ye gods, I almost forgot.

2007-11-05T19:09:00.000+08:00

Singapore thinks that you can manufacture geniuses (actually, the correct plural form is 'genii') and somehow create creativity. Wrong. Where's the skill in that?

The wonderful thing about wonderful things is that they come and go as they please, you can't force them into existence. You just don't.

Geography was cake, but it wasn't fun at all, I take no credit for it being easy - it's all memory work. Just once, I'd like society to measure me in ways I find fun and challenging.

Go on then, WipEout Pure, Vineta K in 20 seconds, tops. Or get me to go one-on-one with those Cambridge buggers in Smash Bros. Melee. I'm pretty sure I'm off that bell curve.

Ever heard of a game called Portal? I figure you have. It's a much better gauge of intelligence than asking me to move numbers around a silly bit of paper.

Vexations! I'm really itching to draw something, and with a week of break after Math tomorrow, I just might.

2007-11-02T14:01:00.000+08:00

Singapore isn't very hot on Halloween, bah, all that chocolate gone to waste. Something from my favourite Deviant.

Anyway, before each A level paper I try to cultivate the appropriate feelings of awe, terror, panic, and anxiety - alternately or in pairs. These are the all important A levels after all. He who hath done badly will be cursed to walk the streets forever, cast out from the realm of high paying jobs and ground down by the collective boots of society. My goodness!

It's been getting difficult though. I always wondered how my seniors would look like so many train wrecks after prelims, and perform a magical comeback to ace the As. Well, now I know the secret, it's just that easy. Ye gods!

Now, for a good one or two weeks of serious studying (compared to months for others, apparently) for Physics and Math, I must say it's ridiculously and relatively easy, respectively. Physics in particular - I expect to get an A. There were a couple of bits that stumped me for Math, but I must say it felt like a B or C. For my sake, I better be right on this.

I still maintain that one can start studying late and do well in college level examinations. Now I'll have to walk the talk and ace the rest of the papers for these two subjects, we shall see. Also, Geography and Economics. Till then!

2007-10-31T17:08:00.000+08:00

"LONDON - Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has become a hate figure to Christian evangelicals in the United States since she outed master wizard Albus Dumbledore as gay.

Back page of today's LIFE! section of good ol' ST. Oh Potter you rotter!

GP paper today went as planned, though the composition felt forced. The comprehension section though, was a breeze. Actually, not so much a breeze as a bloody gale, strong enough for me to soar on the wings of audacity. For "Titillating" I put down "Attention worthy (and that's putting it mildly)." So shoot me. I hope the old chap marking my script has a sense of humour.

I Expect to get at least a B or I'll be extremely miffed.

2007-10-31T00:31:00.000+08:00

"When a bull coo meets a lady coo, he disna have tae say, 'My heart goes bang-bang-bang when I see your wee face,' 'cuz it's kinda built intae their heads. People have it more difficult. Romancin' is verra important, ye ken. Basically it's a way the boy can get close to the girl wi'oot her attackin' him and scratchin' his eyes oot."

-Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett

2007-10-28T20:43:00.000+08:00

A levels! Whatever. I highly recommend you hop over here and download v0.57a. It's a user created PC version of Geometry Wars, currently on the Xbox. Papers start on Tuesday till the 20th of November. Lets hope it rains. Everyday.

2007-10-27T20:52:00.000+08:00

Imagine my amusement, when J.K. Rowling announced that every one's favourite wizard Dumbledore is gay. I don't want to bring politics and such into this, I'm rather amused, but I reserve my comment, it's a story after all. But it must be the subject of consternation to some the more conservative members of our society.

Oh the joy! Imagine such an incorruptible figure as dear old Dumbledore, wise and worldly, incapable of wrongdoing, and a hero in the eyes of many. And he's gay. That must hurt, for some. After all, do we not create heroes in our own image? Idealised versions of ourselves, that we can aspire to.

That's the evil half of me grinning away again. Oh the (mental) chaos, the bruised egos, the 'betrayed' faces, if you know what I mean.

It's a low blow to some, I reckon. A cheap shot. An underhanded shard of information that sneaks through mental filters and terrorises the other occupants of our heads. It must be having a jolly good time there, running amok and kicking over the furniture.

Good times, aha!

2007-10-27T20:15:00.000+08:00

"May you always be blessed.

With walls for the wind.

A roof for the rain.

A warm cup of tea by the fire.

Laughter to cheer you.

Those you love near you.

And all that your heart

might desire."

-An old Gaelic blessing.

2007-10-27T07:36:00.000+08:00

I turn around to see the sky churning a wonderfully murderous shade of grey. Quite possibly the best way to start the morning.

With all the trees around, I can just imagine I'm back in Boston, where I spent a year of my younger days. Good old dreary Boston, all browns and greens, a good deal better than the garish, technicolour Disneyland that is Singapore.

When it rains, pedestrians plod on, doing whatever it is that pedestrians do. One needn't worry about messy hair, nor the colour or shape of one's clothes, as everyone is too busy clutching umbrellas. Social rules and polite distances break down as people scurry for shelter.

And that wonderful silence, which only happens when even the most talkative of us realise we have been outdone. A good thing, as silent introspection is always helpful. I do feel, that if we all talked a little less, we would have much better things to say when we do.

Now it's raining proper, I'm off to sit on my window ledge and enjoy a treetop breakfast. I think it's going to be a wonderful day.

2007-10-26T01:20:00.000+08:00

/b/ Stuff I'm listening to when I should be studying instead. Hurrah! /b/

2007-10-24T21:50:00.000+08:00

I don't think I could ever bring myself to give my grades more than cursory attention, as I seem to get along just fine. The good guy can't die, remember? Got into SJI and NJC, all my first choices, and I believe I'm going to make it into NUS Architecture - I'm not decided. But what I want, I always get - eventually. I like to think I defy that stereotype.

2007-10-22T16:26:00.000+08:00

Nothing gets me more miffed than imprecise use of the English language in a Mathematics question. Being your typical grammar Nazi, I just have to spend five minutes trying to ponder it's inanity, which puts me at a disadvantage compared to my linguistically deficient peers. How ironic, and mean of me! Yikes, milk and cookies all around.

Well then, Exhibit A is this question from this year's seemingly infamous PSLE Mathematics paper.

"6/14 of the chairs in a hall are in rows of 13. half of the chairs are in rows of 7. There are 122 more chairs* in rows of 7. The rest of the chairs are stacked up. Find the total number of chairs."

*This is the metaphorical nail in the coffin, gentlemen. 122 more than what? The chairs in rows of 13? The chairs stacked up? Bugger all this! Oh well, I take it to be 122 more chairs in rows of 7, than in rows of 13.

On to solving the question. Since there are 122 more chairs in rows of 7, and 1/14 more chairs in rows of 7, that means 14/14 equals to 1708.

Voila! Well then, our answer. That wasn't too bad, of course this is assuming my interpretation is correct. Let us hope that I don't come across any such atrocities in my A level papers next week.

Yes, I have witnessed such poorly designed questions all across the scholarly spectrum, from Primary schools all the way to Junior Colleges.

Don't let my tone fool you into thinking this is a laughing matter. This costs me real marks due to time spent hacking through the jungle of vagaries and implied implications.

So then, might there be any others that share my plight? Do tell me!

Linguistically yours.

2007-10-19T23:28:00.000+08:00

'I understand, Havelock, that you scored zero in your examination for stealthy movement.'

'Well, it was true,' said the Assassin.

'And you never attended his lessons, he said.'

'Oh, I did. Religiously.'

'He says he never saw you at any of them.'

Havelock smiled. 'And your point, Madam, is...?'

2007-10-18T13:57:00.000+08:00

"Humans are the great equalisers. A beautiful blond can rarely hope to be seen as both knowing and cogent. We tell the ugly that they have great personalities, while we bemoan the existence of that rich, but aloof brat next door.

Few are the cases where Humans embody perfection in the areas of finance, intelligence, personality, and sexual desirability. Only those entities removed enough from our experience, or sufficiently neutral as to pose no threat to our perceived sexual dominance are conferred this privilege. Heroes and celebrities, for example.

It follows then, that the pinnacle of Human social achievement is to excel in all these categories. This is not an easy task, as not only are there the hurdles of finance, temperament, and genetics, there also lie the innate defences of other individual egos, as shown above. Not a bad thing, as this ensures competition for perceived sexual dominance is kept to a minimum and society proceeds in a civil, albeit fabricated fashion.

Thus, one should seek to foster good relations with other people, whilst maintaining an image of amiability, desirability and expertise. The importance of good relations is that others are then lulled, falsely or otherwise, into perceiving the subject as a neutral sexual competitor. This opens the door for due praise and respect to be showered upon the fortunate subject.

Only when one becomes both respected and welcomed without animosity or jealousy, can he or she then claim to have mastered all aspects and minutiae of Human social dynamics."

-Social psychology 101*

*a.k.a Another Damn Hypothesis when I should be studying instead.

2007-10-18T04:08:00.000+08:00

2007-10-17T18:51:00.000+08:00

Waking up is always a traumatic time for me, and the wrenching of my consciousness back from the netherworlds is probably to blame. Vision blurred, the slightest sound reverberating like a knife in the brain.

Reality makes no sense too. My phone should be beeping out the time of day, accompanied by a little symbol of a bell, but I've yet to actually observe this. Instead, I see a jumbled mess of symbols and pixels, not unlike $#2&hello3&13^. Perhaps it's a genuine mechanical fault, or the product of the last remnants of my sanity streaming away. I guess it's more fun that way, not knowing which.

Last night I dreamt of a hamster named Kribbles, nestled in the palms of my hands, and a shopping mall, about to be blown up by terrorists. I flew down escalators and a vast atrium to escape, but the bombs were duds in the end. Members of the Shooting Club, thank your lucky stars, for I saw you all in there with me. I might have psychically killed you all.

And hows that for a frivolous post. But then again, nighttime logic never stands up to scrutiny during the day. It melts in the sunlight, as all things do.

2007-10-16T16:21:00.000+08:00

"I SUPPORT the retention of Section 377A of the Penal Code - a law criminalising gay sex - to uphold our moral and family values.

In fact, the removal of this law will lead to the disintegration of our social fabric, the family unit, which the Government has been establishing pro-actively.

I fully support the Government in keeping Section 377A. Gross indecencies must be penalised.

For the survival of our nation and the welfare of the future generation, the petition by NMP Siew should be ignored."

Lim Poh Suan (Ms)

Amazing, a day doesn't go by without me reading drivel like this somewhere. In our national paper too, for shame. I woke up to a breakfast of sausages and eggs, but hold the side order of ignorance and intolerance.

No, I find it highly unlikely that the abolishment of this law will lead to the "disintegration of our social fabric." This appears to be a rather shocking exaggeration. No. Perfectly heterosexual people are not going to turn gay, neither are gays going to suddenly start knocking on our doors, trying to 'convert' us.

To say so would, I believe, amount to fear-mongering. As far as I know, there is no gay agenda, but perhaps there are others here?

2007-10-14T21:22:00.000+08:00

A chicane is a sequence of tight serpentine curves in a roadway, used in motor racing and on city streets to slow cars. That's your interesting word for the day. And this video of gameplay footage from Wipeout Pure illustrates it, from 00:25 to 00:36 seconds of the first lap.

I really like racing games, I suppose it's part of the wiring of the male brain, that attracts me to all things fast and vehicular. That course shown above is the most technical one in the game, always brings a smile to my face. Gods know I'll need one in the coming weeks.

2007-10-14T17:06:00.000+08:00

Needs no explanation.

2007-10-13T03:20:00.000+08:00

"Sometimes, but not too often, it happens

that a bear or two wakes up during the winter

and cannot get back to sleep...

So they quietly crawl out of their dens

and gather around a warm fire

where they tell each other stories

of the past summer."

-Source

Look, isn't this so damn amazing? Not often I come across something that warms my cold, dead, heart. So much better than fretting over As.

I just watched a James Bond movie on the television, and true to form, he saved a city from a nuclear submarine just in time. How about that. Thank gods for Star Movies and their reruns. Now I just have to pull the same trick off with mine.

2007-10-13T02:52:00.000+08:00

You know, I get the feeling that I should be more afraid of the fact that the As are coming. As the blogs of my friends gradually turn more hysterical, and MSN display names follow suit, I find myself thinking, "What's all this fuss?"

I pride myself on not scaring easily, and not showing the slightest sign of stress or nervousness. But perhaps the anxiety circuits in my head are simply fused. I'm still deciding whether that's a good thing or not.

Really, the line between courage and stupidity is so thin I might just cut myself this time.

Gosh, what a horrid metaphor.

2007-10-11T18:12:00.000+08:00

Psychology is my secret hobby of sorts. Human psychology in particular, since there's never a shortage of subjects to observe.

For a long time now, I have wondered why people find solace in organised religion, and why yet others trumpet meetings, mission statements and the like, as a panacea for ineptitude.

What language! But I seek not to judge, merely to understand. Indeed, this is not the place, and nor am I the right person to pass judgement. Enough talk from me.

#2, If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

#13, A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

Among others. Found 'em off a link from a friend's blog, and I very much agree. I also am extremely gratified to learn that Sigmund Freud shares some of my hypotheses on the nature of the ego and the importance of sex. I kid you not. Ha, ha.

As you have probably guessed, I'm not exactly sure what this post is for. Perhaps it's a semi lucid attempt at justifying something. What exactly, I'm not very sure, but it's there alright.

2007-10-06T04:13:00.000+08:00

My goodness, what ever could this be? I suppose it was just passing by, as these things do. And I also suppose that it's going to want to be inked and coloured soon.

Gosh. Creatures nowadays, barging in without so much as an appointment. What a bother.

What's that you say? Studies? Can't hear you, there's too much stat-

2007-10-05T16:18:00.000+08:00

Leaked, unconfirmed cover for SSBB. Also, co-op for adventure mode. I'm liking what I see already.

2007-10-04T00:42:00.000+08:00

Today was my last proper lesson of GP, and I'm pretty sad to see it go. It's perhaps the most underrated subject, if only because it teaches the arcane methods of acquiring insight. That is, getting to the crux of a problem, and examining it on a fundamental level.

You can stand bigots on a pedestal and deconstruct them for what they are. Language works where fists and swords do not, getting past the defences that are ignorance, and prejudice.

And useful, too, for prodding people toward realising their shortcomings themselves. For a failure that one believes to be private, is one where the pain is not dulled by the act of repairing the ego, or maintaining a certain public image.

Horrid, but effective, and so very satisfying. Like so many long needles in a bag of alphabets.

2007-10-03T21:02:00.000+08:00

2007-10-02T21:25:00.000+08:00

I've been interested in art since primary school, and I credit this game for it - Magic: The Gathering.

Huzzah!

2007-10-01T00:58:00.000+08:00

"Dragons!

Ever since he was two years old he had been captivated by the pictures of the fiery beasts in The Octarine Fairy Book. His sister had told him they didn't really exist, and he recalled the bitter disappointment. If the world didn't contain those beautiful creatures, he'd decided, it wasn't half the world it ought to be. And then later he had been bound apprentice to Ninereeds the Masteraccount, who in his grey-mindedness was everything that dragons were not, and there was no time for dreaming."

-The Colour of Magic

What a pity, because I am not long for this world. Truth be told, I'm not in a hurry to leave NJC. Yes, NJC of the horrid grey uniform. My friends may be rather pleased to be done with this place, but not I.

No, the shadow of an authoritarian regime that passes for NJC doesn't hold a candle to the one I will be joining next year. I've never liked following orders, and I find the beaten track far too noisy. How much more fun it is, to accomplish a task with panache and style. Alas, it seems even this artful dodger will have to lie low for awhile.

In an odd way, I sort of empathise with the citizens of Burma. We have ideals, but they have guns. This observer can do nothing but wish you luck.

One week, and then there will be no more dragons.

2007-09-29T13:02:00.000+08:00

"It goes without saying that in addition to a stellar reputation for academic innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is renowned for its geeky pranks. The best-known of these was perhaps the time when students decorated the campus' Great Dome to look like Star Wars robot R2D2 in celebration of the legendary film series' first prequel in 1999.

But Star Wars prequels are so last decade. These days, it's all about the much-hyped Xbox 360 title Halo 3. And why prank your own campus when you can pull a fast one on those snotty Crimsons next door?

Consequently, MIT pranksters headed over to the neighboring campus of Harvard University and decorated Harvard Yard's legendary statue of founder John Harvard to look like a Spartan warrior. Enough said."

Hah I think it's hilarious. Found the story here.

2007-09-26T23:32:00.000+08:00

There, my Piece de resistance. Literally, since I've been holding off studying proper till I get it done. I've quite pleased with it, it's a Netherdrake from World of Warcraft. Now for the A levels.

2007-09-26T21:21:00.000+08:00

Burma-Shave, a shaving cream of some sort in the United States. It's long gone I think, but had one of my favourite advertising programs. Basically, the signs in the picture are placed one after another, some distance along the road, so drivers can pick it up as they go by. The wiki has the rest of the slogans should you wish to persue them.

2007-09-26T15:44:00.000+08:00

I had a nice encounter on my way home today. Was waiting for the bus when someone came up to ask me a favor. Turned out he wasn't too good with English and needed directions. I soon set him on his way and he left with a word of thanks.

I really like helping people out, makes me feel warm and fuzzy like a kangaroo. And it's the little things like this that are heaps better for NJC's public relations than any expensive campaign.

So that's why I have no qualms returning Ms Phua's stony gaze, nor do I mind people asking me why I spent a third year in NJC.

'Cause I'm the good guy, and I really like being one. Narrative causality demands that I persevere and come out triumphant. And you know how the evildoers always get defenestrated or squashed by farmhouses.

It's good to be good.

2007-09-25T21:02:00.000+08:00

Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window. The word comes from the Latin de (from; out of) and fenestra (window or opening), and was coined around 1618, during the Defenestration of Prague, as shown above.

2007-09-24T21:06:00.000+08:00

Urgh I haven't done much this weekend, having caught a bit of flu. If I could look into my head now I imagine I'd see a marching band in a construction site during an earthquake. Good thing tomorrow is Tuesday.

Anyhow, the day of my last prelim paper I went to hang out at Orchard with the usual people. We were sittin' on the steps outside Paragon shopping center near midnight, and some lady came over to ask what we were doing. Presumably she thought us to be the wrong sort of people.

Me! A delinquent! Imagine that. Haha.

2007-09-22T03:04:00.000+08:00

Boo! It's Solid Snake in SSBB. The site has been updated with some infomation.

Also, Piplup! It pops out of the Pokeball and uses Surf, which washes players off the stage.

2007-09-20T16:50:00.000+08:00

Physics is finally over, so I'm going to get that drawing finished proper. It was a rather refreshing experience, actually knowing the answer to every single question and plowing my way through, much like secondary school used to be.

2007-09-19T22:53:00.000+08:00

I was reading an archived article from Time magazine on Scientology. Always have been rather piqued by how effectively the cult has been eluding proper persecution and continuing to snare people. Shall I just say that I despise any organisation that would prey upon weak minds for reasons known or unknown. For those inclined you may find the article here, it might come in handy.

Till tomorrow then, don't lose your mind.

2007-09-17T03:09:00.000+08:00

I've nothing much to say at the moment so here's a picture. Haven't done the wings because they're horribly tricky. I do intend to finish it before I get started - that's right, started - on studying.

Only one day to the next salvo of papers! Where does all the time go? I do wonder.

2007-09-16T23:57:00.000+08:00

Yes that's me. I need a holiday.

2007-09-14T05:01:00.000+08:00

People don't really exist you know, they fluoresce. That is to say they flicker, every single colour at the same time. I suppose it's a sort of curse that urbanites are stuck with, trying to do too much and be too many things at the same time. It's all good.

Nowadays, I find myself with enough free time that I can while it away wastefully. No, I don't mean I'm not studying, that activity is hardly even important enough. As it is, I give most of my attention to my assorted electrical hedonistic implements, be they the computer or the television.

And when all the killing and maiming is done, every channel exhausted of potential, it is with a sigh that I turn off the power and consign the house to silence. It's like the turn of a key, the last clod of earth landing on a coffin. It is, in short, horribly like dying.

The marquis de Carabas looked up at him. His eyes were very white in the moonlight. And he whispered, "What's it like being dead? It's very cold, my friend. Very dark, and very cold."

2007-09-13T02:38:00.000+08:00

Thats enough narrative for now. First leg of the prelims are over and I've till next Tuesday to relax, and relax I will. Now that I have a good five days break, I'm certainly not going to spend them all studying.

WipEout Pulse is due on the 28th of September, as the first video game I ever played, the series has a special place in my heart. The second picture is some fan art for World of Warcraft, these two games are currently occupying my attention, and really, what else should?

2007-09-13T02:22:00.000+08:00

"No man, proclaimed Donne, is an island, and he was wrong. If we were not islands, we would be lost, drowned in each other's tragedies. We are insulated (a word that means, literally, remember, made into an island) from the tragedy of others.

A pig was killed, and the men and the women of that plantation drank the hot blood of the pig, pledging themselves and binding themselves into a brotherhood.

'If we die in battle with the whites,' they told each other, 'we will be reborn in Africa, in our homes, in our own tribes.'

They fought for twelve years, a maddening, bloody struggle with the plantation owners, with the troops brought over from France. They fought, and they kept fighting, and impossibly, they won.

Fiction allows us to slide into these other heads, these other places, and look out through other eyes. And then in the tale we stop before we die, or we die vicariously and unharmed, and in the world beyond the tale we turn the page or close the book, and we resume our lives."

-American Gods

2007-09-09T03:40:00.000+08:00

"She began to whisper something in my ear. It's the strangest thing about poetry - you can tell it's poetry, even if you don't speak the language. I've heard Polish poetry, and Inuit poetry, and I knew what it was without knowing. Her whisper was like that. I didn't know the language, but her words washed through me, perfect, and in my mind's eye I saw towers of glass and diamond; and people with the eyes of the palest green; and, unstoppable, beneath every syllable, I could feel the relentless advance of the ocean."

2007-09-08T06:32:00.000+08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6187080.stm. Yep, they've been teaching you to sit the wrong way all along. Looks like I got this one right, and I wonder why sometimes people don't listen to me.

Early isn't it? I decided to forgo sleep and watch the telly, and I was duly rewarded, by a pleasant shower of rain starting around 5 and continuing as I type this. I was watching an old James Bond movie which believe was Diamonds Are Forever.

Anyway, there's much we can learn from James Bond. Even when crooks turn up at his doorstep, he'll take the time to turn up in a nice suit before showing them out. As they say, style is important, but timing is everything.

2007-09-06T03:53:00.000+08:00

"In Don Saltero's Coffee-House in Danvers-street Mr. Newbolt was taking coffee with his son.

He said, "It is so long since last I saw you, Richard, I hope you have been well all this time?"

Richard sighed. "Father, I was drowned in the Dutch Wars. I have been dead these fifteen years."

Then Mr. Newbolt saw how cold and white was his face, how cold and white were his hands. "Why, child," he said, "so you were. I remember now. Still I am very glad to see you. Will you not walk home with me? It is scarce five minutes' walk and I daresay you will not mind the rain?"

"Oh, Father," cried Richard, "I cannot come home. I can never come home. Do you not see? This is a dream. It is only a dream."

Then Mr. Newbolt looked around Don Saltero's Coffee-House and saw the strangest people all talking and taking coffee together. "Why, child," he said, "so it is."

2007-09-05T16:57:00.000+08:00

What prelims? Oh, those prelims, the one coming up in a weeks time. Well, I suppose I've been studying.

My academic materials are all in a cupboard just out of the picture.

Really!